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 25
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James Coulthard came to the county in the spring of 1866, rented land two years and bought land on section 1, which he still owns. See his personal sketch.
Jacob S. Fountain became a permanent settler in July, 1857 and is now a resident and doing business at California Junction. He settled on section 14, after having Hiram Blackburn, of section 23, came lived for a time at the village of Calhoun. | to the county in the spring of 1862 and
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first located on section 16, where he re- mained until 1872. He still resides on section 23. He came from Ohio to Iowa.
David Coulthard came from Canada in 1875 and located on section 1, where he still lives.
John Coulthard settled on section 10 in 1876. He came from Canada and still re- sides on his farm.
Thomas Andrews came from Canada in the '70s, and located on section 1, re- mained until 1876 and moved to Nebraska.
Robert L. Coulthard came from Canada in the spring of 1877 and settled where he still lives, on section 11, where he bought a partly improved farm.
Fred Becker came to the county in 1877, worked by the month until 1882, when he bought land on section 13. See personal sketch.
George Madison came from Illinois, after the Civil War was commenced. He was an early county Surveyor here and died at Magnolia and the family moved to Kansas.
William Coulthard came from Canada after the close of the Rebellion and settled on section 10, where he still farms.
James N. McManamie, of section 4, came to old St. John's with his mother and grandfather in the spring of 1855. The grandfather was James G. Davis. Mr. McManamie served in the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry and after the close of the war, located in Cincinnati Township.
Sylvester McCain came from Illinois in 1856 and in company with W. V. Mason started a steam saw-mill on land now in the bed of the changeable Missouri River. They operated it about three years and sold to Isaac Parrish and he, to J. S. Fountain.
Others that made settlement in Cin- cinnati Township are the following :
Josiah Noble, who was a native of Mis- souri. He came to Harrison County in the spring of 1857, and first located in this township, on section 36, where he made his home until his death, which was on September 10, 1889.
James T. Sorick, who now resides on section 25, came to the county in the spring of 1864, and for a time rented land in St. Johns Township, after which he was at home for a time. In 1877, he went to Kansas but only remained two years and returned to Harrison County.
The autumn of 1868, Reuben Olinger settled in St. John's Township, where he rented for a few years. In 1883, he bought his present home.
Thomas Dray became a resident in 1871, first locating in St. John's Township, on section 6. He is a native of Ohio, moved to his present farm on section 36, in Cin- cinnati, in August, 1891.
Jacob A. Minor, who for some time worked on the section, first purchased land in 1863, and bought his present farm in 1885.
David Farquhar, residing on section 13, came to the county in 1876, and very na- turally finds a place in the biographical department of this work.
John Dickinson canie to the county in 1882. He purchased land the following year.
R. L. Webb, though not an old settler, has declared his intention of becoming a resident of Harrison County and dates his settlement from the spring of 1882.
One of the thorough business men of Cincinnati Township is Alcide Bessire, who dates his settlement in the county from the spring of 1884, at which time he- took charge of F. H. Ludwig's ranch in Clay Township. He is now in company with Boner & Sims, of Missouri Valley
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and has charge of twenty-nine hundred acres of land.
The earliest births of the township were Mary Ann Richardson, born October 11, 1858. John Boyd is thought to be the second.
EDUCATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS.
The first attempt at schooling here was at the village of Cincinnati, in the fall of 1859, at the private house of J. S. Foun- tain. The school was taught by Miss Phœbe Holdzkom, now the wife of Mr. Dilly, of Oklahoma. The first religious services were held at J. S. Fountain's home at Cincinnati, about 1858, by the Methodist denomination.
At this writing (1891) there are four good school buildings within the township and an enrollment of one hundred and sixty pupils.
Methodist and Presbyterian services are held at the school houses.
PAST AND PRESENT VILLAGES.
The first village platted in Cincinnati Township was "Cincinnati," platted on section 22-78-45, June 9, 1857, by W. V. Mason, who represented a corporation made up of thirty.three men, many of whom were from Ohio, near the city of Cincinnati. The location being on the Missouri River, it was designed and be- lieved, that at no distant day, this newly- platted ground would come to be a city, second to none along the Western Slope. It was fixed as a steamboat landing and was accessible to the finest of timber and was on a line, where a railroad would, (they believed) eventually cross the "Big Muddy." And in this they were not mis- taken, for not many years later the Elk- horn passed that way and Blair, Neb., sprang into existence, overshadowing all towns on the Iowa side.
PARRISH CITY-(DEFUNCT.)
This was platted by Isaac Parrish, on sections 21 and 22,of Cincinnati Township, May 22, 1858, the location being about the same geographically, as the village of Cincinnati, a sort of a rival town site. Its history was brief and of no final conse- quence. The high hopes of its prophetic proprietor were nipped in the bud by the survey made and the location of Missouri Valley, California Junction and other town sites.
CALIFORNIA JUNCTION.
This little hamlet is situated on section 15-78-45 and was platted by the Missouri Valley Land Company, September 9, 1880. It is the junction point where the Sioux City & Pacific railroad leaves the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley line. It is six miles to the west of the city of Missouri Valley. It seems to be the odds and ends left from the defunct villages of Cincin- natti and Parrish City -- this being the rail- way point which overthrew their exist- ence. The place is situated in the midst of one of nature's own garden spots. All the owners of the land are wealthy men, possessed of genuine push and western- like enterprise. The farmhouses, barns and general improvements all attest as to the thrift and prosperity of the surround- ing country.
The first to open up a stock of merchan- dise at this point was Palmer & Jones, who came from Ohio in 1867 and opened a general store. Jones died and David Fletcher bought his store and later he sold to Ed. Cook. The store next passed into the hands of John Cook who sold to W. A. Smith. James Ball also owned it and moved the goods to Nebraska. H. Word then rented the Smith store building and
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put in a general stock. He finally sold to H. R. Coulthard in the spring of 1891.
In 1876 J. W. Cokeley built a store room and put in a general stock, ran two or three years and in some manner it was burned-all sorts of reports were afloat at the time. He went to Kansas.
In September, 1883, Fountain Bros., erected a frame building and began mer- chandising and are still among the deal- ers of the village.
POST-OFFICE.
A post-office was first established at Cincinnati in 1859, with J. S. Fountain as postmaster. He held the position until about 1870. That office went by the name of Yazoo. After the days of railroads the office was removed to California Junction, but subsequently named "California" on account of Columbus Junction mail get- ting mixed with mail intended for this point. J. S. Fountain gave way as post- master to B. F. Martin. Then followed
O. Palmer, John Cook, W. A. Smith, Newton Fountain, James H. Word and Hugh Coulthard, the present incumb- ant.
BUSINESS OF 1891.
General dealers-Fountain Bros., H. R. Coulthard.
Grain-Fountain Bros. and W. A. Smith.
Coal-W. A. Smith.
Stock-W. A. Smith.
Blacksmith-William Brotherton.
Postoffice and Express office.
Town Hall.
A creamery was started in 1888 by a home company, but it is now abandoned.
In 1890 the township built a public town hall at this point. Its cost was $1,- 600. It is a two-story frame building, 28x 70 feet. It serves for all public and gene- eral gatherings.
A lodge of Good Templars was formed in the winter of 1891-92. Also a Farmer's Alliance has been instituted.
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CLAY TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XXV.
HIS civil sub-division of Harrison County was constituted from 1856 to 1860, and its present bounds are as follows : Morgan Township on the north, Taylor on the east, Cincinnati Township and the Missouri River (dividing Iowa from Nebraska) on the south, and the Mis- souri River on the west. It comprises that much of Congressional Township 79, range 45, as is east of the right bank of the Missouri River. It contains about thirty sections of land, equal to nineteen thousand and two hundred acres. Origin- ally it was nearly all covered with a heavy growth of timber, a goodly amount of which still stands. The only regular stream is the Soldier River, entering the township on section 13, and forming a junction with the waters of the Missouri, a short distance after leaving the limits of the township.
Horse Shoe Lake, a semi-circular body of water, is found in the central southern part of the township.
The township has no railroad or village within its borders.
The population in 1885 was five hundred and fifty-seven, and in 1890, the United States census placed it at seven hundred and six.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Amos S. Chase came to the mouth of the Soldier River in the fall of 1848, with the intention of becoming a permanent settler. He had a large drove of cattle, which he herded on the rush beds during the winter. . But as the spring floods of the Missouri River drove him out, he con- cluded to locate in Little Sioux Township, which he did. His claim was taken by Seth Chase ("Spanky" Chase) who came in a few years later, probably 1853.
Stephen A. Hester and family came from Jones County, Iowa, (from Kentucky originally) in 1853, and settled on section 22, on Horse Shoe Lake. Chambers Hes- ter, son of Stephen A., is now a resident of section 15.
In 1854 came Job Ross and his father's family, including George Ross, settling on section 25. Job Ross lived a retired life at Modale for some years, a highly respected citizen. He died January 12, 1892.
T. A. Dennis and John Sharpnack came in the same. season. These enterprising men at once commenced to build up homes for themselves. In 1856 they organized Clay Township, under Judge James Har- dy's administration. Some men must be
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foremost in all things, and the thought that the lot of the frontiersman is a hard, dangerous one, must be forgotten by some in order that a country may be settled up. They are generally men of a strong mind and well developed muscles, prepared to meet and overcome difficulties, and to do it cheerfully, too.
Thomas A. Dennis, above mentioned, in company with Stephen Hester, built a sawmill on section 27, and did a big busi- ness, but owing to an imperfect land title, lost most of the property. Dennis sawed large quantities of railroad ties for the Missouri Pacific Railway. He died in 1880, a poor man. He was a native of New Jersey, and a brother-in-law of John I. Blair, the great railroad king.
George Burcham came from Magnolia Township in the autumn of 1854, and set- tled on section 12, of .Clay Township. In war times he removed to Morgan Town- ship, where he died in 1870.
Dr. Libbius T. Coon and family settled near the mouth of the Soldier River, on section 13, in 1854. He was indeed a character of the early-day type. He put up and sold an ague remedy he called "Bog-hay." Along in the '60s he sold out and went to Salt Lake. Dr. Patton bought his place.
Levi Motz, then a single man, came in 1854, and soon located on section 12. He married and remained in the township until 1886, when he moved to Montana, where he is now well circumstamced. It is claimed for Mr. Motz that he has killed more wild turkey and deer in Harrison County than any other man.
Jerry Motz, brother of Levi, came to the county in 1853, settling in Magnolia Township, remained until the year of 1862, removed to Taylor, and in 1865 to Clay Township; he finally located
where he now lives, on section 13. . He is an honored citizen and prosperous farmer. See personal notice.
John Sharpnack filled a swamp land claim in Clay Township, in 1854. His son, William Sharpnack, is a dealer in grain at Modale. Abraham Ritchison settled on section 13, in October, 1855. He first rented land of T. A. Dennis. He is now a well-to-do farmer. See personal sketch.
Thomas Duhig settled in the county in 1854, first working for Thomas Dennis in a sawmill, after which he settled on sec- tion 13. He is still a resident. See sketch.
W. H. Bourne effected a settlement on section 24, in 1855. He is one of the highly-respected men of his township, and a prosperous farmer. See personal no- tice.
Jacob Antabus located on section 14, in 1855. He was a member of the Twenty- ninth Iowa Infantry, and died for his country.
Thomas Whitecomb came from England to Pennsylvania, and from there to Clay Township, in 1856. He was an old rail -. road engineer. He worked about the mills here and later returned to England, but is now a Lieutenant in the New York Salvation Army. While in Clay Town- ship he built a windmill on section 14, with which he ground feed. Later on he added regular burrs and steam power.
Mike Wallace came to section 7, in the fall of 1856, and started a wood yard, and operated a steam sawmill in time of the Rebellion. He died in 1890. It was after this man that "Sandy Point" was named, the color of his hair giving it the name.
Timothy Duhig settled on section 13, in 1856; he removed to California before the war of the Rebellion.
Thomas Wallace, brother of "Mike,"
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came in 1856, from Pennsylvania, and located on section 7. He served as a sol- dier in the Fourth Iowa Regiment, and died in Libby Prison. He was a single man.
Isaac Tice came in from Illinois, in 1857, and located on the east side of Clay Township, and died in the '70s.
Henry George, another soldier from Clay Township, died in the service. His widow re-married and now resides at Mondamin.
Theodore Helmen, a soldier of the Twenty-ninth Iowa Infantry, was an early settler. He came home and was married, finally left his wife and died in the Sol- diers' Home at Leavenworth, Kan.
Horatio Caywood came from Indiana to Mills County, Iowa, and in 1853 settled in Magnolia Township. He later on moved to Clay, settling on section 15. He finally moved to Arkansas, and died in 1888.
Enos Cole came from Wisconsin, in 1858, and ran a sawmill.
Benjamin F. Alexander came to this `county in the spring of 1869, and settled on his present farm in section 14.
Baker Butts and family came from In- diana in the spring of 1858. After the war he moved to Kansas, but is now again living in Clay Township.
Josiah Tuffley came to Clay Township in 1858, remained ten years, and removed to section 20, of Taylor Township. In 1890 he retired, at the village of Modale.
In 1859 John Durmon settled on section 10. He canie from Illinois to Magnolia Township; he died on his farm, in the '60s.
Jacob Utzler came to section 16, in 1858, remained until 1880, and moved to Nebraska.
During the '60s came the following :
Jacob Killen came from Utah, in 1862, and settled on section 12, remained a few years, sold and returned to Salt Lake City.
James Alexander, a soldier, serving from Ohio, came home and soon became a settler of section 16. He died in 1868.
John Parsons, a Swede, came from Cal- ifornia in 1860, and located where he now lives, on section 10.
One of the many who became residents of Harrison County at the close of the Civil War was Samuel Vittitoe, who first located in Clay Township for two years, after which he purchased land in Taylor Township, on which he lived until the spring of 1881, when he sold and located on his present home on section 28, Clay. He was a member of Company C, of the First Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, of Kentucky, serving in the Mexican War one year.
Sylvester J. Linn, of section 12, came to the county in May, 1870, and settled in Taylor Township. He is a millwright by trade and worked for a time in that line, after which he began farming. See sketch.
Peter Hauger, a soldier of the late war, became a resident of Harrison County 1871. His has been quite an eventful life, which can better be learned by referring to his personal history in the biographical de- partment.
Jonas O. Johnson, who is engaged at farming, and proprietor of two sawmills, is a resident of section 15, Clay Township, and dates his settlement from February, 1873.
Theodore Parshall came in during the war and located on section 25-79-45. He came from Ohio. He died during the'70s. The family still remains on the farm.
James Skelley came from Pennsylvania in 1862. He was a railroad engineer, but
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HARRISON COUNTY.
settled on a part of section 9. He had been in Taylor Township as early as 1856. He finally moved to Kansas.
FIRST EVENTS.
The first man to locate in Clay Town- ship was pioneer Amos S. Chase, in 1848.
The first marriage in the township was that of Levi Motz to Elizabeth Burcham, in April, 1855.
The first birth in the township was that of Ruth Burcham, daughter of M- and Mrs. George Burcham. She is now the wife of George Gunsolley, of Shelby County. She was born in May, 1856.
The first.death was that of a two-year old child of George Burcham, in January, 1855. It was buried at the Magnolia cem- etery.
During the first years here there was plenty of gaine, turkeys, wolves, deer and elk. Chief among the wild fruits may be named wild grapes, which were gathered by the wagon load.
The principal tribes of Indians to be dealt with, friendly or otherwise, were the Omahas and Winnebagos. Nothing could be recorded against them, save that they would steal.
Clay Township was for many years di- vided by an imaginary line, one part was known as the timber or river district and the other the Prairie section. Much ri- valry was seen and the two castes of char- acter did not seem to hamonize well. The element along the river was not of the highest type and refinement, yet when it came to voting their ballot counted as much as the other element in the town- ship. This has gradually faded away and many beautiful farms and an intelligent populace may be found in all sections of the township.
Early in 1855 a hand ferry-boat, pro-
pelled by the use of oarsmen, plied the waters of the Missouri, opposite Clay Township. A mail route was established from Cumming City, Neb., to Magnolia and the mail was transported over the river by this ferry. A man named Ellis operated it.
About 1886 William Samples and "Jap" Hester undertook to start a steam ferry system, from section 30, but their engine and machinery were too heavy for the boat and the enterprise was abandoned. The engine was taken for feed mill purposes.
MILLS.
The first milling enterprise of Clay Township was in 1855, when Dennis & Hester started an upright sash sawmill, on the south-east of section 22. It was burned in 1856, and in 1857 they put in a circular sawmill. The plant was sold and moved after the Civil War.
The second mill was built by "Mike" Wallace on section 7, in 1861.
The Union Pacific Railroad Company had, at one time, four portable mills in the township, sawing ties and timbers.
Mills have been operated at various points of Clay Township by Messrs. Motz, Caywood, Frederick, Morrill, Johnson, Powell, Cole and Whipple. At this writing (1891) there are no mills in opera- tion in the township.
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.
Being along the great Missouri River, where steamboating and lumbering brought a rough class of people, it is not to be wondered at that society was not of the most refined Christianized type in this portion of the county, at an early day.
The first schoolhouse was built on the northwest quarter of section 25, and was erected about 1856. It was constructed
15
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HARRISON COUNTY.
from rough cottonwood boards, boarded up and down. Two other schoolhouses have since been built on the same site, one now in use. After the completion of the first school building, religious services were frequently held in it.
There are now three school buildings within Clay Township. The enrollment of pupils in 1890 was one hundred and thirty-three.
There are now two churches in the town- ship; the first on section 12, built in 1884, by the Congregational denomination. The other is at "Sandy Point," a Free Meth- odist Church, built in 1889. The name "Sandy Point" comes from the fact that in early times a man named "Mike" Wal- lace, who operated a wood yard on the river, had red hair, and hence the name. Mr. Wallace died at Mondamin in 1890.
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HARRISON COUNTY.
UNION TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XXVI.
C ONGRESSIONAL Township 78, range 42, constitutes Union Town- ship. It being six miles square, it has an area of thirty-six square miles, or equal to twenty-three thousand and forty acres. It was organized in 1858 by the County Judge, then officiating. In 1885 its population was six hundred and twenty- four. According to the 1890 United States census it had a population of nine hun- dred and forty-seven.
Pigeon Creek and Potato Creek, with their small branches, are the streams of this township.
Union Grove and a part of Harris Grove, the former in the eastern and the latter ini the western part of the township, is all the native timber found. It being a purely prairie country, with no railroads or vil- lages, the people are solely engaged in farming, stock-growing and horticulture.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Prior to 1849 no white man had invaded the solitary wilds of what is now known as Union Township. During that year came Thomas Dobson and Riley Hough. The latter settled where Unionburgh now stands, at the point of the grove. He re- mained two or three years and moved to Pottawattamie County, where he still re- sides.
November 12, 1850, Samuel Wood, (Uncle Sammy) made settlement on sec- tion 23, where he still remains, the pos- sessor of a handsome property. See biog- raphy. He came in as did most of the "Latter Day Saints," without means. He had only $5 but to-day owns two hun- dred and ninety-seven acres of excellent land.
Thomas Sellers, now deceased, came about the same time.
In 1853 William Tucker came in from Illinois and located on sections 5 and 6, where he remained until 1891, sold, and now lives at Missouri Valley.
Alfred Brimm settled on section 13, in 1853 or 1854. He soon removed farther west.
H. S. Smith came in 1853 and died in the winter of 1858-9.
Richard Dickinson, of section 6, came in October, 1863. He "swapped farms sight unseen." He owned one in Michi- gan which he exchanged for this. One- half of his present farm was formerly tim- ber land. See personal sketch.
Alfred Sellers of section 21, came in the spring of 1853 and "squatted" at Union Grove. See sketch.
Harvey V. Armstrong came in June,
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1854, and entered land at Six-mile Grove, in Jefferson Township. He returned to Illinois and 1856 came back to his land. See biography.
In 1858 Albert B, Pugli of section 6, came in April, settled in La Grange Town- ship one year and then purchased his pres- ent farm. . See notice in biographical de- partment.
In April, 1863, came Frank M. Irvin. He was a carpenter by trade. He subse- quently served in the Third Iowa Battery, during the Rebellion. See more concern- ing his settlement on section 17, in the biographical section of this volume.
Benjamin Draper of section 1, came in the fall of 1864.
James Chapman of section 1, came in the spring of 1864, in company with his parents. At first they leased land of Lind- ley Evans and worked in a sawmill. See sketch.
Daniel Kemmish accompanied his par- ents to the township in 1865. They located on section 27. He finally settled on the same section. See personal notice of the family.
In 1865, Samuel Diggle came and isnow a resident of section 24. The same year William Dickinson located on section 6.
Thomas Thomas became a settler in September, 1865. Concerning his settle- ment see sketcli.
Another settler of 1865 was Nephi Chap- man on section 16. He is a son of John Chapman.
James H. Graham, of section 11, came in the fall of 1865, with his father, Eld- ridge Graham. The father settled on sec- tion 2, but now lives at Persia. John H. is still farming on 11.
Joseph C. Haszard, of section 13, came in September, 1867, and the next spring
bought his present farm, paying $5 per acre. Seesketch.
In 1868, among the other settlers in this township was John G. Redinbaugh of sec- tion 20, and Ashcraft Parker. Parker set- tled at Harris Grove, rented a year or so, and bought in Union Township. He still resides in Union. His son, Marcellus, went for himself when of age and located on section 36.
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