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 42
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 42
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 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105
Job Garner sold a claim which he had made in Four Mile Grove in 1855, and located on the town site of Hampton, erecting a log cabin in the little grove adjoining the town plat on the northwest, into which he moved in September, 1855. The log house is still standing.
George Ryan, in 1855, settled a short distance northeast of the main part of town.
In March, 1856, the county seat of Franklin county was permanently located at Hampton, and Job Garner and George Ryan joined interests for the purpose of laying it out. The proposed town was then called Benjamin, the idea being, it is said, to have the name read Benja min, Franklin county, in honor of the noted philosopher. Immediately after the March election and the town of Benjamin declared the county seat, steps were taken toward laying out the town, and as H. P. Allen was county survey- or, the job naturally fell to him, as accord- ing to the terms of the contract between Garner and Ryan and the county, the county was to lay it out. In the latter part of May he proceeded to discharge his duties, and on the 2d of June, 1856, the work was finished and the plat record- ed with the county judge. Mr. Allen had a number of assistants ; the records show
386
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
that Asa Platt received $1.75 for hauling stakes for the new town ; Allen Garner $4.37 for services as chainman ; William Esterbrook $3.12 for like services ; S. B. Jackson $4.37; S. K. Freed $1.25 and Matthias Garner $5.87, also as chainman, and Allen Garner $4.50 for stakes. Mat- thias Garner, too, hanled the stones that were placed in some of the corners. Allen and Matthias Garner were sons of Uncle Job ; Jackson was a young attor- ney who had wandered into the county, and, as clients were scarce, he was not above drawing one end of a surveyor's chain ; Freed was a son-in-law of Garner's and Platt and Esterbrook, it is thought, were young men looking for land. All stopped at Uncle Job Garner's of course.
When the town came to be platted, R. F. Piatt strongly objected to the name of Benjamin. He was at that time quite influential, and succeeded in having Judge Reeve order that the town be called Hampton in honor of the famous Hamp- ton Roads in Virginia. The name was learned from a history of Virginia, belong- ing to Piatt, in which the Hampton Roads were frequently referred to as the best and smoothest in the world.
About the time the town was platted T. T. Rawson came from Clarksville, for the purpose of building a store, bringing with him Frank Geiger, his brother-in- law, to help in its erection. They put up a log house, a story and a half in height, on lot 5, block 1, which was finished June 1, 1856. It was the first building erected on the town plat proper. Prior to this Rawson had moved in a stock of goods and stored them at Garners, waiting the completion of the log store, but about the
middle of May, the goods were opened in the log building, when about half finished. The stock consisted of dry goods, hard- ware, liquors and general merchandise and cost about $2,000 The county rented a portion of Rawson's building-the upper story-and Piatt, who, by this time was deputy for all of the county officers, moved in, and the county seat found a permanent location.
Rawson's store was kept by Frank Geiger. It was continued until in Janu- ary, 1857, when it was traded to Isaac Newton Dodd, who styled himself "the phrenologizer," and had the reputation of being a litttle crazy. He only run the store a short time when it was removed to some point on the Iowa river. Rawson, after selling out, returned to his former home in Clarksville, Butler county, and in a year or two left his wife and ran away to Salt Lake with another man's wife. He was a tricky, dishonest fellow; had some means and carried a pompous air and considerable style. Ile was the only man in the county at that time who rode in a buggy.
Frank Geiger left Hampton soon after Rawson went out of business, and has since lived at Muscatine the greater part of the time.
At about the same time that Rawson's store was finished, in June, 1856, another institution was established which added importance to the town. This was a blacksmith shop started by Jacob Shideler. He erected a little hut of poplar poles, about ten feet square, on a lot north of where William G. Beed now lives, and opened his shop therein. Shideler was a German, and a good fellow. He only re-
.
387
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
mained until 1858, when he sold out to a blacksmith named Clark, and removed to Colorado, where he engaged in stock rais- ing and when last heard from had become wealthy.
In June, 1856, James Thompson came here from Vinton, where he had been liv- ing since 1852, engaged principally at car- penter work. Early in the spring of 1856, a proposition was made him by Everett Keyes, a merchant of Vinton, that, if he, Mr. Thompson, would look up a location and build a store, Keyes would furnish the stock and they would become partners in the mercantile business. Mr. Thompson accepted this proposition and accordingly came to Hampton, in June, 1856, in search of a location. He passed through Frank- lin county from south to north, and was much pleased with the appearance of the town site of Hampton. Isaac Miller and R. F. Piatt informed him that the lots were all sold, the prices ranging between $50 and $100 per lot. He went on up to Mason City and Clear Lake, and coming back to Hampton, stopped again and finally managed to get one lot. Still he did not conclusively make up his mind to locate here, but returned home by way of Marietta, in Marshall county, hoping to find some opening that promised better. But after getting home he decided to try it at Hampton, and accordingly in August, 1856, he came back with two loads of lum- ber that he had bought at Vinton. A store building was at once commenced. It was 16x24 feet, one story, and stood op- posite the southeast corner of the court house square. This building has since been moved, but still stands on Reeve street south of the Cannam House. The
stock of goods for the store had been pur- chased in New York and shipped before the building was finished. Before they arrived, however, Mr. Thompson received word that his partner, Mr. Keyes, had been killed in a saw-mill accident at Vin- ton. It was also learned that the goods had been burned while on the lakes. These misfortunes placed Mr. Thompson at a great disadvantage, and discouraged him, but in a short time, his partner's father, Amary Keyes, of Marion, took his son's interest, and became his partner. The insurance which had been placed upon the original stock was put into new goods, which in due time arrived and were opened up Sept. 1, 1856. The firm of Thompson & Keyes continued the busi- ness until the spring of 1859, when the former purchased Keyes' interest and asso- ciated himself with William G. Beed. An addition had been put to the building in 1857, by A. J. Cannam, carpenter, which made of it a respectable store building. This business finally passed into the hands · of the Beed Brothers who still conduct it.
In 1853, George Beed, Andrew J. Can- nam, James HI. Beed, D. W. Mott and Charles Beed settled in this vicinity.
In the meantime, soon after the county seat was located at Hampton, A. Fretoe came from Michigan bringing a new steam saw-mill. George Ryan gave him five acres of land, lying just east and adjoin- ing the northeast corner of the town plat. The mill was a good one, and was hailed by the entire county as a valuable acquisi- tion. It was equipped with a circular saw, and had a capacity of sawing between 2,000 and 3,000 feet of lumber per day. Fretoe ran it for about one year, but saw
·
388
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
it would not pay, and the mill was finally moved to Horse Neck, in Butler county. About the same time a hotel was erected. It is treated under the head of "hotels." These were about all the improvements in 1856.
Among those in 1857, Chauncy Gillett, who had come here,in 1856, erected what is now a part of the Phoenix hotel.
In the summer of 1857, J. D. Thompson, then district judge, and a part owner in the town site, moved here and erected a story and a half grout building, which is now occupied by Dr. Corning. Thomp- 1
son remained here for sometime, and then returned to his former home in Eldora.
Late in the fall of 1857, George Beed and Chauncy Gillett entered into partner- ship for the erection and operation of a grist mill. They erected a large stone building about twenty rods west of the northeast corner of the town plat. They bought an engine and boiler of Jesse R. Dodd, at Oakland, and fitted up a saw-mill, equipped with a circular saw, giving it a capacity of sawing over 2,000 feet per day. Flouring machinery was also purchased and put in, the building being arranged for three run of stone. The saw-mill was set up in a shed. It was started in 1859 or 1860. But wheat was only thirty cents per bushel, flour proportionately low, wood $2.50 per cord, and nothing to do. The consequence was that the entire earnings of the mill would not keep it in fuel, and the owners concluded to try water power. Accordingly they dug a ditch about half a mile long, from Squaw creek, on the north side, through J. H. Van Nuy's farm, down to the mill, which was to be a race to carry the water. It ran along the edge
of the bluff below the residence of James Beed, then near where A. Kinney now lives, and so on down to the mill. They went so far as to plank nearly half of the ditch, when they found that they had failed in one very important particular, and that was to have the ditch cut so that the water would run through it. Upon making this discovery they took out the plank and sold them for bridge timber, George Beed, at about the same time, sell- ing his interest in the business to Gillett for $50. The mill was run, however, for sometime afterward, and finally in 1863, when Mr. Gillett died, the property was settled in probate by Judge North, and most of the machinery sold to W. R. Jam- ison, of Union Ridge, Butler county. The building finally went to pieces, although the stone has been utilized for other pur- poses.
In 1858, O. F. Kitchell, from Bridport, Vt., became a citizen of Hampton. He remodeled and moved into Chauncy Gillett's barn, which has since burned down. Kitchell is now living in his former home in Vermont.
In 1859, was erected the Franklin Mills, an imposing structure, located on section 20, Mott township, an enterprise which has always been a credit to the county. The building was 36x36 feet in size, one story high, and contained one run of stone, which was sufficient for the work of those early days. The grists were often brought to the mills on horse back, but more frequently by ox teams. The reputation made by the mill in those days has never diminished, but has stead- ily gained. The mill was erected by T. K. Hansburg at a cost of $4,000. In 1864
389
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
the property was purchased by William G. Beed, who, in 1870, enlarged it to a two story building with an addition, add- ing an elevator 20x36 feet. In 1882, the mill was changed to the roller system, equipped with three run of buhrs and twelve sets of rollers. Mr. Beed has re- cently added another elevator, 28x50 feet and a warehouse 24x50 feet. In 1883. these mills were employing eight men and had a capacity of 150 barrels per day.
In February, 1859, T. B. and H. H. Carpenter, merchants of Cedar Falls, es- tablished a branch of their store at Hamp- ton, opening in a building erected by John E. Boyles, which stood on the same ground which is now covered by the mag- nificent Beed Block. It was a little frame building 16x24 feet. The store was placed in charge of J. T. Stearns
Early this year, S. M. Jones and M. S. Bowman came from Vinton and estab- lished the first newspaper in Franklin county, under the name of the Franklin Record. The office was in a building which is still standing, although much re- modeled, and is now occupied by G. M. Spencer as a residence. The Record has undergone many changes and is now called the Franklin County Recorder. S. M. Jones is the present affable postmaster at Hampton.
During this year, 1859, James Thomp- son erected a building just east of where the Methodist church now stands. It was 24x36 feet in size, and was built almost entirely of native timber sawed here, and finished with black walnut. The building, much changed, still stands, and is the present home of William Hoy.
At about the same time, the school house was erected by F. A. Denton and E. A. Evans. It was 24x36 feet in size. It was used at an early day for schools, religious meetings, dances and everything else, and many were the squabbles over which should be allowed and which ex- cluded. The building still stands, now occupied by William Parr as a residence.
Rev. John Gilliland, in 1859, erected what was afterwards known as the old A. Gillett house on Reeve street.
D. W Dow came in 1859, and bought the Steve Jones printing office building, which he put on a sled and moved to where it now stands. He fitted it up and N. B. Chapman moved into it, Mr. Dow boarding with him and teaching school. The building, much remodeled, is now occupied as a residence by G. M. Spencer.
Early in 1857, Tracy Reed erected a double log house, just west of where the Congregational church now stands. This was where the first grand jury of Frank- lin county met. J. I. Popejoy was the foreman of the grand jury and J. T. Mc- Cormick, clerk.
In 1858, Norman Lisk put up a building just south of Thompson's store.
During this year log houses were put up by John Harlan and two other parties.
W. G. Beed erected a building on the corner of Reeve and Third streets, where he still lives. A log house was moved in from the country and re-built, in which George Beed moved and lived for a num- ber of years.
In 1859, M. Dodge put up a dwelling south of where the Cannam House now stands on the opposite side of the street.
390
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
This brings the settlement and growth of Hampton up to 1860. Among those who had been living here, either all or a portion of the time, the following named are remembered: James Thompson, F. J. Geiger, James T. McCormick, George Beed, D. W. Dow, I. N. Dodd, A. J. Can_ nam, Chauncey Gillett, Charles De Lama_ ter, O. F. Kitchell, Perry Hoyt, I. M. White, I. Justus, Jacob Shideler, Thomas Shideler, G. W. Eckley, W. N. Davidson, Ike Jones, J. D. and G W. Thompson, A. Gil- lett, Rev. John Gilliland, Norman Lisk, S. H. Vankirk, Joun E. Boyles, J. T. Stearns, Dr. J. S. Hurd, R. F. Piatt, Job Garner, T. T. Rawson, S. M. Jones, Rus- sell Freed, Jack Newell, Charles Noll, Riley Howe, Judge A. North, Lee and C. Sharpe, James Vanhorn, Mr. Kohlhoff, F. M. Rother, Judson Knapp, John Harlan and J. H. Van Nuys.
Until 1865, Hampton almost stood still. Times were hard, money scarce, and it is said that enterprise was the worst thing a man could have.
In 1861, A. C. Walker and John Nixon started a general store in the same build- ing that James Thompson had occupied. They remained in trade but a short time.
John McDonald established a general mercandise store in the building for- merly occupied by the Carpenter Brothers; but soon quit.
In 1863, J. T. Stearns and S M. Jones erected a frame building 22x36 feet, where the National Bank building now stands. This building has been added to and moved near the Cannam House, where it still stands.
In 1861, Kohlhoff & Rother established a brick yard, north of the bridge, near where A. Kinney lives.
At one time during 1862, for a period of about two months, Hampton was with- out a store. This was relieved by W. G. Beed and G. H. Ingham, who started up again.
After the close of the war, times grew better, and Hampton improved more rap- idly, and when the railroad reached here in 1870, the boom actually set in, and within a few years the town assumed city proportions.
FIRST THINGS.
The first house within the corporate limits of Hampton, was erected by Job Garner, in 1855. It was a large log build- ing situated in the grove on Squaw creek near the flowing spring.
The first store in Hampton, was started by T. T. Rawson. The first substantial business started was by James Thompson.
The first hotel was built by John E. Boyles, and stood where the Beed Block now stands.
The first school in Washington town- ship was taught by Clara Wyatt, during the summer of 1856.
The first religious service held in Hamp- ton, was in the fall of 1856, by T. K. Hansbury a minister of the Christian Church, who was often called "Tea Ket- tle Hansbury." The services were held at the house of A. J. Cannam, now the N. S. Barger place.
The first child born in Hampton was Eva Thompson, afterward Mrs. W. B. Barney, a daughter of James and M. J. Thompson. She was born Feb. 7, 1857.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Ayın, Lenox only Tilgen
.
Isaac Robinson.
Eliza G. Robinson.
٤٠
.
PUBLISERT
6
395
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
The starting point in the business life of Hampton has already been treated at length. For many years the stores were general and all carried almost every class of goods, but as the business of Hampton began to assume larger proportions, the general merchandise began to separate, and the various stores, as a rule, handled one line exclusively. In this con- neetion will be presented a history of each of the various lines of trade, giving the first and that in 1883, interwoven with the personal history of some of the most prominent business men.
The first dealer in general merchandise was T. T. Rawson. The second, and really the first substantial merchant of Hampton, was James Thompson. In 1883, the general merchandise line was represented by the Beed Brothers, Isaac Robinson Patterson & Cole, W. J. Stonebraker and J. R. Medley.
William G. Beed is one of the promi- nent business men of Hampton, to which place he came and embarked in business in 1858. He was born Jan. 9, 1831, and is a native of Devonshire, England, where his early life was spent, having excellent advantages. Ile then entered a mercan- tile office in London, which place he re- tained until 1858, when he came to America, proceeding at once to Hampton, where he formed a partnership with James Thompson, with whom he was associated but a short time. He then purchased the entire interest, and continued alone until 1865, when he admitted his brother James. The firm since being William G. Beed & Bro. Beside his mercantile business, in 1864, Mr. Beed purchased the Franklin
flour mills, since which he has devoted most of his time to his milling interests, his brother conducting the mercantile. He is one of the directors in the Citizens' Bank, having been one of the organizers of it. In the conflict for the county seat he was one of the supervisors of the county, and much credit is due him for his untiring zeal in retaining the county seat at Hampton. In politics he is a staunch republican, and has always been a strong advocate of the temperance cause. He was married in 1865, to Miss H. A., daughter of John Gould, one of the pio- neers of Franklin county. One son has been born to them-Hugh. They are members of the M E. Church.
James H. Beed, junior member of the firm of William G. Beed & Brother, es- tablished in business at Hampton in 1867, prior to which he had served two years as county recorder. He was born in Devon- shire, England, November 2, 1835, where he was educated and attained his majority, emigrating to America in 1856. After prospecting for some time, he came west to Hampton, Iowa. In November, 1861, he enlisted in the 4th Iowa Cavalry, as a private. He was promoted to quarter- master sergeant, serving until honorably discharged, in August, 1864, after which he returned to his present home. He mar- ried Miss C. J. Lyman in 1870. They have one daughter-Lotta. They are members of the M. E. Church. He is an active, en- terprising business man and an excellent . citizen.
Isaac Robinson, merchant and capitalist, located in Hampton in 1869, when he founded his present business. He is a native of Westmoreland county, England,
28
396
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
the famous lake region, unparalleled in picturesqure beauty, and the home of the lake poets. He was born October 30, 1835, and is the son of Thomas and Ann (Lee) Robinson. His father was of Quaker lineage, born in Cumberland county, July 10, 1811. His mother was a native of Northumberland county, born Oct. 25, 1804. They came to LaFayette county in 1844. The elder Robinson was a mechanic and an engineer in the lead mines of Yorkshire and he came to the mining re- gion of Wisconsin as affording a wider field for his abilities and energies. The journey from England consumed about six weeks. Landing at New York they pro- ceeded up the Hudson river to Albany, going then e by rail to Buffalo. The trip to Chicago, by steamer, occupied two weeks. At Chicago a farmer's team was chartered to transport the family to their destination, the route requiring six days. Mr. Robinson, Sr., engaged in the same capacity as in England, and his history presents a peculiar phase of the possibili- ties under American institutions. Claim- ants divided their prospects with men who could supply the necessary qualifications, and by these means Mr. Robinson became largely interested in mines. He and his wife are still residents of LaFayette Co., Wis. Mr. Robinson, of this sketch, was but eight years old when his father took him to Wisconsin Social conditions there and subsequent events have had a large influence in molding his character and shaping the bent of his life. He had little school training in England and hardly none in Wisconsin, as the license of the times precluded much attention to any claims beyond the immediate exi-
gencies of the hour. The pictures by Bret Hart of life on the Pacific slope are but reprints of times and events at New Diggings. Men enforced their demands at the point of the knife and with a cocked revolver. Human life was as unstable as the hopes centered in the possible treas- ures in the depths below their feet, and the existing state of affairs had a lasting influence on the sanguine, nervous lad, who there learned his lessons in human nature. At a later day life improved in some phases at New Diggings. The new El Dorado on the sunset coast of this con- tinent drew away the turbulent element and greatly improved social matters. Wisconsin had become a State and law and order prevailed above ground. But in the bowels of the earth a reign of terror ex- isted. A class of men opera' ed there who were bent on substantiating their fictitious claims on the basis of might prevailing over right; they excavated transversely to intercept and cut of the paying leads of adjacent mines. Both parties went in and out, armed to the teeth with knives and revolvers, and blood and life paid the penalty when the contestants met in the mouth of disruption. The elder Robinson held to the peace principles of his ances- tral descent, but events had developed an- other trait of his lineage in the son and overtopped his father's characteristics and he took his sire's position to meet the in - vaders, who found "uncle Tommy's" ter- ritory a fair field for their depredations. A detailed account is too long for this brief sketch, but the effects of this experi- ence fitted Mr. Robinson for a period when the welfare of the country demanded men of resolution and promptness. At
397
HISTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
twenty-one he engaged in mining interests which he pursued about seven years. Meanwhile his health became impaired. Not of robust physique, he fell into a pe- culiar nervous state which demand change, and in 1860 he started for Colorado, going as far as Omaha. He spent the ensning winter in the Bermudas. The next year he passed in Wisconsin and in June, 1862, he went to England, returning in April, 1863. The war was in full blast and an- archy had returned to New Diggings. The generation"left by the early settlers retained a germ which the times had nurtured into active existence and lawless- ness, and rebellion was rampant. Beside the location afforded ready ingress to the worst element from the south. It was a nest of sympathy with secession and dis- loyalty. The rebel sympathizers were in systematized revolt and the Unionists were terrorized and subdued. Mr. Robin- son responded to the call of his nature trained to abhor disorder and brute force, which the State had sent two companies of troops to keep within limits. He made a personal appeal to every republican and Unionist, and in an open field a company was organized, constituting a home militia sufficient for the local exigencies and the local authorities were notified that New Diggings had rallied for its own protec- tion. The United States companies were withdrawn and the home militia, consist- ing of old men, boys and men exempt by physical disability, established order and maintained the rights of freedom of senti- ment. Mr. Robinson commenced com- mercial operations there in 1863. He sold out in 1868 and came to Hampton where he has since lived quietly and free from
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.