History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States, Part 24

Author: National Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, National Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Iowa > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States > Part 24

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This mill site was sold to Albert Wake- field, who built a small saw mill, ran it over a year, when his father, William Wakefield, bought an interest and they commenced the erection of a flouring mill. The mill was built over the section line on section 30. Before completed Albert sold to his father, who placed in motion one run of burrs. This was about 1871. He sold a half interest to George Hardy, and a fourth interest to James Wakefield, his son, which firm operated the mill for several years. Hardy sold to Henry Earn- est, and the new firm continued until 1880, when Earnest sold to M. L. Wake- field. Then the firm became William Wakefield & Son. In August, 1880, Will- iam Wakefield died, and in April, 1888, James sold to M. L., who is the present owner of the plant. He soon converted the mill into a "full roller" mill, of a daily capacity of twenty-five barrels. In 1890 he added steam power, and now employes both steam and water power.

The "Hardy Mill" was a grist mill, erected on the banks of the Willow, on sec- tion 15, by James Hardy, Sr., and Jacob Huffman, in Calhoun Township. It was one of Harrison County's first mills for grinding corn. It was built in 1854. They obtained the burrs from P. G. Cooper, on what is now Capt. Bacon's farm.

This mill did grinding for a territory of seventy-five miles around. Hardy & Huff- man operated the mill until 1863, when Huffman sold to Hardy, who ran it until about 1880. Mr. Hardy unfortunately be- came blind, and the water finally cut its way under the supports of the mill and let the frame into the stream. It was never repaired, but the lumber was used for various buildings.

The old burrs and part of the machinery still remain on the site of the once pros- perous mill, but "the water that has passed" shall never turn the pioneer mill again! Could the waters of the Willow but speak, a tale they would unfold, re- plete with pioneer incidents, full of inter- est.

VILLAGE OF CALHOUN (DEFUNCT.)

This, the first born of the county, as indicated by the plat books, was platted August 19, 1853, by Daniel Brown. Its location being the east half of the south- west quarter of section 19, township 79, range 43.

The beginning of business at this point was in 1854, when I.G. Gates put in a stock of goods, ran awhile and sold to W. S. Meech.

S. W. Babbitt and Jud Daily operated a store from 1857 to 1862. They sold their business house to H. D Meech, who removed it tothe southeast corner of sec- tion 25, and used it for a barn.

In 1856 Boyton & Day erected a build- ing, and placed on sale a large stock of general merchandise. They continued as partners until the spring of 1857, when Boynton sold to Day.

The first blacksmith at Calhoun was Patrick Levi. He came from Ireland, in 1855, built himself a shop, and remained at the forge about five years. He was a

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good workman, but had the bad habit of indulging too freely in liquor. He would not unfrequently save up $100 and then go and "blow it in," using the modern- day expression. When he left the com- munity lost a skilled iron worker, also a drunken blacksmith.

About 1856 Nelson Messinger started another blacksmith shop, ran seven years and removed to Illinois.

Among the other business men who fig- ured in the history of Calhoun may be named E. T. Hardin, who carried one of the first stocks of general merchandise. W. S. and E. W. Meech were heavy dealers. H. D. Meech then took the store and op- erated until 1870. In 1868 W. W. Rose conducted a saloon called "Castle Thun- der." At that date the village contained twenty-one dwellings, two stores, a school house and a shop. It was noted for the beauty of its location and general sur-

roundings. At one time this point looked forward to the day when it would become the county seat, but alas, they failed! It was a lively early-day trading point, but with the rush of the locomotive down the Boyer Valley, and the upbuilding of Lo- gan and Missouri Valley, in 1867-68, the town began to wane, and finally every branch of trade was forced to suspend, and now the site of former "Old Calhoun," as it is now called, is pointed out to the new comer and passer-by, as one of the early landmarks of the county. The only busi- ness at this time is a general store, oper- ated by D. H. Reedy, who came in 1889.

In 1856 a post-office was established at this point. Among the various postmas- ters have been : W. S. Meech, Charles Nelson, Dick Hall and Mrs. Crawford. This office was abolished several years ago.

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CASS TOWNSHIP.

CHAPTER XXIII.

C ONGRESSIONAL Township 79, Range 41, constitutes the civil township of Cass. It was named after the noted Michigan statesman, Lewis Cass. This subdivision of the county was organized prior to 1857. It is located on the east line of Harrison County, with Shelby County on the east, Union and Washington Townships on the south and Jefferson to the west. Cass is directly south of Douglas Town- ship. It has an area of beautiful rolling prairie land amounting to twenty-three thousand and forty acres.

Pigeon and Spring Creeks, together with a dozen more small branches, make up the streams of the township. It is purely an agricultural section and as such is very valuable. The only native timber is found in the western part, chiefly in Six-mile Grove.

As yet there are no villages within this township. The population in 1885 was 444, but the federal census places it at 840 at the present time. Having briefly described the township as nature fashioned it, we will now see what development and improvement civilized man has wrought out.

FIRST SETTLEMENT.

Beyond question Uriah Hawkins was the first white man to lay claim on land in Cass Township. He came to these parts with his family, a wife and five chil- dren, July 10, 1847, and "claimed" land on section 20, where he made his home and remained the balance of his days; he died in September, 1869. For further particulars concerning this the first pio- neer the reader is referred to a personal notice in the biographical department of this work.

In 1850, and up to 1853, quite a respect- able addition was made to the settlement in Cass Township by the advent of Rev. Kirtland Card, Samuel Dungan, Edward Houghton and the Brooner family. They all made claims and at once set about making homes for themselves.

For the person who would like a wild, romantic life beyond the bounds of real civilization, there could have been no more befitting spot. In the very midst of wild game and wild fruits, with plenty of grass, timber and water, unrestrained by the tight reins of society, he could here let loose liis fancy and live with but little labor. But the men who stopped in this

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goodly section were not, as a rule, this stripe of men. They came to open up farms and build up good society ; to trans- form the wild and romantic into improved and highly cultured.

In May, 1854, came Martin Kibler and family from Virginia. He located at Six- mile Grove, entering two hundred acres of land on sections 17 and 21. They lived in a humble log cabin home until 1861, then built a frame house. In 1878 Mr. Kibler rented his farm and moved into Woodbine where he is now leading a retired life. See sketch.

About 1854 came Samuel Dungan and settled on land now owned by N. D. Barnes. All was then wild and new. Indians roamed about and game was found on every hand. He and his father followed prairie breaking for seven sum- mers. In 1860 the father gave him land on section 7, which in 1868 he traded for land on section 16, where he now owns two hundred and twenty-four acres.

Among the earliest pioneers in Cass may be named Isaac Ellison, who came with a family of five sous and five daugh- ters from Council Bluffs in December, 1853. They were numbered among the Mormon band who went to Council Bluffs in 1850, and who left that sect on account of polygamy and became supporters of the Re-organized Latter Day Saints Church. He settled on section 17, where he made good improvements and is still residing there with many of his children settled near him. Mr. and Mrs. Ellison are highly respected people and were indeed an honor to the pioneer band who first located at Six-mile Grove. Among their children is Calvin, who was fifteen years of age when they came to this county. From 1860 to 1863 he rented land and then bought forty acres on sec-

tion 16. He split many thousand rails and fenced his place. In 1867 he ex- changed this farm for a part of his present place on section 7. Matt. A., another son, married and settled on section 10, and is now a large land owner and pros- perous farmer. His brother, Lehi, islocat- ed near his parents' homestead on a good farm, a part of section 17. Alma lives onl the northwest quarter of section 16.

In 1854 Asher Servis effected a settle- ment on section 18, in Six-mile Grove. He became one of the enterprising farm- ers and leading spirits of his county, both in politics and farm life. He brought to the county the "John Richard" stock of horses and was noted for taking many of the first premiums on stock, grain and vegetables. For many years he was a member of the board of County Supervisors. It is claimed and believed that he was among the first,if not the first, to produce apples in Harrison County soil.

In the month of June, 1851, came Ed- ward Houghton. He was a young, single man at that time. He, in company with Samuel Fuller, went to Minnesota, where Fuller died. In about two months Mr. Houghton returned to Harrison County and settled on section 16, of Cass Town- ship where he has lived and labored ever since. In addition to his personal sketch, which will be found elsewhere in this book, it may be said that no man stands higher in the estimation of his fellow-citi- zens than he. As a farmer and business man all acknowledge his ability and suc- cess has crowned his efforts. His esti- mable wife is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Ellison whose farm adjoins Mr. Houghton's.

Jonathan H. Green, of section 7, came to Harrison County in 1855; he lived in Shelby County for a time but in the

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spring of 1856 returned to this county and worked by the month until the spring of 1857, when he purchased land on section 7. Two years later he sold and moved to Ohio, lived there five years and served as a carpenter in the Union army during the Civil War. In July, 1864, he bought thirty-five acres of land in Cass Township to which he added and there remained fourteen years. He sold and then bought on section 7, where he still resides.

Lindley M. Evans came to the county in 1854, lived at Elk Grove, Jefferson Township, a year and a half and in 1856 located on section 33, of Cass Township, where he still farms. His personal sketch will be found elsewhere.

There were a few others who came in at an early day, but who were "squatters" and did not remain long in the county. One, whose name should not be forgotten, however, is Alonzo R. Hunt, who came to Cass Township from New York State in the spring of 1849. He settled on sec- tion 18, in Six-mile Grove and remained until 1857, when he removed to Nebraska and died in Omaha, in 1864.

Another pioneer who located in Cass Township was Judge Stephen King, who located on section 18, in May, 1852, enter- ing one hundred and sixty acres which lie purchased the following year. The claim he bought from an old pioneer, who had been on the place since 1849. It had three log cabins on the place, two of which Mr. King used for a house and one for a barn. Here they resided two years, then located on section 9, Jefferson Town- ship.

This township was not alone settled by American-born citizens, for it is found that during March, 1856, a German named Xaver Aleck, a single man, came from Philadelphia and purchased a part of his

present fine farm property. He was a tailor by trade. He worked for Lindley Evans one year and then entered eighty acres of land on section 33. In 1858 he went back to Philadelphia and remained two years, then came out and settled. His personal sketch in the biographical department is worthy the reader's atten- tion.

When Mr. Aleck came to Cass Town- ship he says the settlement was as follows : Uriah Hawkins and family, Isaac Ellison and family, Martin Kibler and family, Kirtland Card and family, Shedrick Card and wife, Asher Servis and family, Sam- uel Dungan and family, and Edward Houghton.

Other settlers who helped to improve the township were, Isaiah Dungan and family and William Esley, a single man, who came with his mother. He was in the army and died in California.

Adam Conrad came in 1867 to section 18. He afterward became blind and died in 1871.

In the spring of 1865 the Gavitt family came from Utah and settled in Cass Township.

John R. Case came to the county in October, 1865, and rented of Luke Jeffer- son in Boyer Township. He worked in the shingle and saw mill two or three years and in 1870 bought forty acres of land, kept it until 1878 and then sold and bought in Cass Township.

Nathan D. Barnes came to the county in July, 1866. He went to railroad grad- ing, but purchased land the same month on sections 7 and 18. See sketch.

John Strauss first came to the county in March, 1860. He went to Council Bluffs and remained until 1866, when he bought a part of his present farm on sec- tion 16: See personal sketch.

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Ephraim Strauss came in July, 1861, and in 1864 went to his present farm on section 20. He homesteaded his place in the autumn of 1863. His was the only land "homesteaded" in Harrison County.

Thomas Chapman, an Englishman, took land on section 33, in 1865, having come the year previous. He is still here. See sketch.

EARLY EVENTS.

Among the first pieces of prairie land broken in the township was one on section 18, now owned by N. D. Barnes. It was done by Henry and Lewis Barney, who in 1849 went to Salt Lake City, selling their land to Judge Stephen King. The next land broken was that turned by Uriah Hawkins in 1848.

The first house built was the one erected in the summer of 1847 or 1848 by the Bar- ney boys. They lived in tents while put- ting in their crops. Uriah Hawkins was 1 the next to build a house. This was in the fall of 1847, it is believed.

The first school was taught by Judge King in the winter of 1852-53. It was at an old log cabin which had been used for a dwelling by William Jolly and was built in 1848-49. Probably the first birth was Uriah Hawkins, Jr., who was born August 25, 1849. In 1891 he went to California.

It is believed that the first death in Cass Township was an infant child of Rev. Kirtland Card. It was a girl baby and she was buried on what is now N. D. Barnes' farm and later removed to the Whitesboro burying ground.

The first man to marry (who was a res- ident of Cass Township at the time of his marriage,) was Alonzo Hunt, who came to the countyin 1849. He settled in Cass Township on section 18, and was married at Union Grove, Union Township:

Edward Houghton married Mary Elli- son April 6, 1856.

The first assessment was made by Will- iam Cooper, who collected taxes of those that could pay, at the same time that he made the assessment.

In 1865 George A. Case became a resi- dent of Harrison County, coming with his parents, who made their home at Twelve- mile Grove one year, then moved near Jeddo in Jefferson Township. After a few years George A. purchased land north of Jeddo, where he remained until com- ing to Cass Township in 1889. Alexander B. Case also became a resident in 1865, arriving in the month of May with his parents. A personal sketch of him ap- pears in the biographical department.

Judah Chapman, of section 33, became a resident in 1865. He is a native of Eng- land and came to America when eighteen years of age with his parents, who went to Utah but only remained until the spring of 1864. He married Deborah Blair, whose mother can relate the hard- ships in crossing the plains with hand carts in 1856. See sketch of Thomas Chapman.

Frank Gilson of section 19, Cass Town- ship, dates his settlement in the county from August 29, 1869, first locating in Union Township.

While not among the earliest pioneers Robert Ivens has been a resident long enough to become interested in the coun- ty's welfare. He started withont means and is now considered a successful farmer. The date of his settlement was May 24, 1872.

Charles S. Greenfield first came to the county and purchased land in the Autumn of 1873, then returned East, remaining one year, and has been a resident since that time.

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HARRISON COUNTY.

Among the farmers coming to the county in the spring of 1877 was Joseph A. Pritchard, who is now an extensive farmer on section 35, of Cass Township. He came without means, purchased land on time, and to-day has a confortable home.

James H. Mather, who has been identi- fied. with the political history of the county as well as the agricultural, became a resident in December, 1881. Another settler of that year was J. J. Anderson, whose farm is situated on section 6, of Cass Township. He is a native of Ger- many and came to America in 1865, ac- companied by his mother, his father hav- ing died in Germany in 1857.

Sidney Pitt of section 28, Cass Town- ship, came to the county in April, 1883, and first located on the present site of Yorkshire in Washington Township. He is to day an extensive farmer, owning four hundred acres, all of which is under the plow except about twenty-five acres, therefore raises a great deal of corn and is quite an extensive feeder of stock.

Among those who wended their way to Harrison County soon after the construc- tion of the Northwestern Railroad was S. I. Cooper. He was born in 1855 and is therefore in the prime of life, possesses a comfortable home and is a successful farmer.

SCHOOLS.

Not unlike a majority of the subdivi- sions of Harrison County, Cass Township has kept apace with the educational facil- ities of the passing years. Up to the win- ter of 1852-53 the children of the neiglibor- hood had no school advantages, aside from those found at home, receiving their pri- mary instruction from parents and older brothers and sisters. During the winter

just named Stephen King (afterward Judge King) was employed to teach. He was an excellent teacher and gave universal satisfaction, and although a log cabin was the best house the township could afford no grumbling was heard-all felt them- selves highly favored at the opportunity they had. They remarked in substance : "A good school in a poor building is better than a poor school in a palatial building."

As one by one the years have come and gone and this township has settled up, new school buildings have graced the ter- ritory until to-day it has the "regulation" number, nine. The enrollment of pupils is two hundred and thirty-six and the value of houses $4,500.

The pioneer cabin school house in Cass was located on the southwest quarter of section 17 and its early teachers were: Stephen King, Jason Z. Hunt, Kirtland Card, a man named Fuller, from New York, and Lindley Evans. These gentle- men are all deceased except Mr. King and Mr. Evans.

RELIGIOUS.

Methodist services were held at the old log school house on section 17, in 1857, Rev. Kirtland Card being the minister, assisted by Rev. M. Tarkington, who was also Judge of Shelby County at an early day. .

In 1888 the Christian denomination or- ganized a society in Cass Township. Services are held at the Six-mile Grove school house. Rev. James Harlan is the present pastor.

In 1870 the Latter Day Saints organ- ized a branch in Cass Township but sub- sequently were transferred to Woodbine.

NEEDMORE POST-OFFICE.

Early in the eighties a post-office was

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secured at the east side of Six-Mile Grove, known as Needmore, so named by reason of a circumstance which would be improper to relate in this work. Upon the building up of the towns along the Mil- waukee Railroad, this office was aban-

doned. A general store was put in at this point and John D. Dow removed a steam saw mill from Reeder's Mills to this point. The store is now operated by Ed. Cowan. A wagon and blacksmith shop is con- ducted by David Christian.

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HARRISON COUNTY.

CINCINNATI TOWNSHIP.

CHAPTER XXIV.

HIS, the most irregular shaped and bounded township of Harrison County, was organized in 1856. It was named Cincinnati, from the fact that a large number of its first settlers, headed by Jacob S. Fountain, came from the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio. Clay and Taylor Townships are on its north; St. Johns, on the east; Pottawattamie County on the south and the meander- ings of the great Missouri River on the west. It is constituted of a part of town- ship 78, range 45-that portion east of the Missouri River.

There are no regular rivers or creeks found within its limits. However, there are numerous lakes, among which may be named Minnewashta Lake, Fish Lake (the waters of which connect and mingle with the Willow River), Nobles Lake and Balls Lake.

There are numerous swamps, as may be looked for all along the eastern shore of that uncertain stream-the Missouri River. The timber of this township is mostly found in the vicinity of the Mis- souri River. The Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad traverses the township, in almost an air line, from east

to west, while the Sioux City & Pacific road, forming a junction with the last named line, runs north through section 3 and 10. California Junction is the only village in existence in the township to-day -several others had an existence once, but are now only known by the plat books of an early day.

In 1885, the census reports gave Cincin- nati Township 661 inhabitants. The 1890 United States census placed it at 664.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

Around the first settlement within this township, there is much of interest and historic value.

The first permanent settler was R. S. Gurley in 1854. The township was or- ganized in 1856 by Squire Messenger of Calhoun. The committee was J. S. Fountain and J. H. Waggoner. The town of Cincinnati or "Parrish City" was laid out; and its promising situation soon gathered around it many settlers. At the first election held, there were thirty-nine votes polled.

The hard times from 1857 to 1863, de- creased, rather than increased the popula-

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tion. The subjoined were among the early settlers of the township.

Russell Whipple settled on section 36, in 1856. He subsequently removed and is now in the Black Hills.

George Richardson came in July, 1857. An extended account of his settlement appears in his personal sketch.

Charles House, of section 2, acconi- panied his parents to the county in 1856. His father, James House, was the first settler in that part of the township. He entered a large tract of land. The son, Charles, moved to his present farm in 1870.

William Boyd and family came from Illinois and settled on section 3, in 1856. In 1874, his wife died and two years later . he passed from earth.

Perry Boyd, son of William Boyd, came at the same time as his father. He served as a Union soldier from Harrison County and died of a cancer in the seventies.

Reuben Gurley settled on section 3, in 1856. He came from Illinois, bought a quarter section of land and lived upon it for eighteen years, then sold to George Richardson and removed to Kansas, where he died in the '80s, from an accident. He fell from a load of hay and broke his neck. His wife died of a cancer in the stomach.

James House, now deceased, came in 1857 and located on section 1. His two sons, Allen and William, each took a quar- ter section of land. They speak of the wild grass being higher than a man's head, when they first came to the township. James House died in May, 1887.

His farm now includes the old village plat of "Parrish City." See his personal sketch.

Jonathan West came to Harrison County in the spring of 1857 and settled at the village of Cincinnati. The same fall he took land on Swamp Land Scrip. He is still a resident. See his personal sketch.

James Pounds came from Indiana and located on section 14, about 1858. He sold to William House and now lives with a son on the Soldier River.

John Drum came from Illinois and lo- cated on a part of section 36 in 1858. He died in Kansas in 1876.

Jesse Bowman came to section 11 about 1858. He is now leading a retired life at Modale village.

Asberry Ball came from Ohio in 1859 and settled on section 10, where he re- mained until about 1885, sold and removed to Nebraska.

Corvill Granger (deceased) became a set- tler of the county in 1856. He remained at Calhoun until the spring of 1859, when he moved to section 11, of Cincinnati Township. He died in 1883 and his good wife now resides at Missouri Valley. He purchased a house that was built in 1850, at old St. John's village, and moved it to his farm, where it still stands a land-mark of the early '50s.

George Coulthard came from Canada in the fall of 1860 and made his home with his brother-in-law, George Richardson. He had bought land here in 1858, on sec- tion 3. See Mr. Coulthard's sketch.

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History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States, Part 24

Author: National Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, National Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1150

Author: National Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, National Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1150