History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume I, Part 86

Author: Ellis, James Whitcomb, 1848-; Clarke, S. J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 730

USA > Iowa > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume I > Part 86

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The first recorded, enlistment from Maquokee was Russel P. Willey, in Company I, Second Iowa Infantry, May 5, 1861. The next was George L. Wright, May 18th, in Company A, Third Iowa Infantry. He became lieutenant colonel of the regiment in 1865. The first full company raised in the county was Company I, of the Fifth Infantry, at Bellevue, but Maquoketa had no representative in it. Company A, of the Ninth, however, which filled its ranks in August, 1861, con- tained a majority of Maquoketa men, including its captain, the lamented A. W. Drips. Company I, of the Twelfth, contained a large proportion of Maquoketa boys, and Company L, Second Cavalry, was a Maquoketa company. Then a few from this locality went out in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth.

Enlistments nearly ceased then until the great call in the summer of 1862, and that met prompt response here. Maquoketa sent nearly all of Company I, Twen- ty-fourth, a few in Company B, Twenty-sixth, and practically all of Company F, of the Thirty-first. Our later enlistments were mostly recruits to fill up the old regiments. Maquoketa furnished one full Colonel, Joseph Jackson Woods, of the Twelfth, who was a West Point graduate, and one lieutenant colonel, Jerry W. Jenkins, of the Thirty-first, who was promoted during his service to a full colonelcy.

Among others who attained commissioned rank, were: Major James W. Mar- tin and Lieutenants Ava E. Tubbs and Charles M. Davis, of the Twenty-fourth; Captains William Vosburg and Adam Gebert, and Lieutenants A. G. Henderson,

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Andrew J. McPeak, and Dewitt C. Riggs, of the Thirty-first; Major Wm. W. Eaton, Captains W. S. Belden and James Crawford, and Lieutenant Fred S. Dun- ham, of the Second Cavalry; Captain A. W. Drips and Benj. F. Darling, and Lieutenants Chas. H. Lyman (Adjutant) and Leonard L. Martin of the Ninth Infantry ; Lieutenants John J. Marks and T. Benton Wade, of the Twelfth; Cap- tains J. W. Eckles and Wm. F. Bounds and Lieutenants Alves Wilson, Thomas B. Harrison, Calvin Breeden, and Edwin Williams of the Twenty-sixth; Lieu- tenant Wilbur F. McCarron, Eighth Cavalry.

Many, too many, of the gallant young men who thus left their homes at their country's call were left in the shallow graves of the Southland. Many more, true to what we must believe a hereditary pioneer instinct of migration, had scarcely reached their old homes when they turned their faces westward; and, as their fathers did before them, went to make new homes on the virgin prairies. But, as a compensation, this locality was the "Far West" to other discharged soldiers seeking new homes ; and so our soldier organizations contain names of those who served in regiments from Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Penn- sylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The first attempt to weld the veterans of Maquoketa and vicinity into an or- ganization to preserve the ties forged in the fires of battle, was made in the sum- mer of 1878, by the formation of a local "Society of Union Veterans." Its of- ficers were: Captain, W. S. Belden; first lieutenant, J. T. Sargent; second lieu- tenant, Frank Amos; surgeon, J. H. Allen, M. D .; chaplain, Rev. T. J. Keith; orderly sergeant, A. G. Henderson; quartermaster sergeant, Fred Gurius; com- missary sergeant, Ben B. Frase; color sergeant, R. B. Springer ; corporals, R. L. Blesh, A. B. Rice, Wm. Grant, George N. Barr; musicians, G. O. Tinker and Isaiah K. Crane.

Its rolls, upon organization, contained the names of seventy comrades, but the full record has not been preserved. It showed its youthful mettle by conducting a very successful county reunion, in connection with the county fair that fall.

In September, 1879, a district reunion was held in Clinton, which resulted in the formation of the Eastern Iowa Veteran Association, which embraced Musca- tine, Scott, Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, and Jones counties, and annual reunions were thereafter held in the principal cities of the district-at Anamosa, in 1880; Maquoketa, 1881; DeWitt, 1882; Davenport, 1883; Muscatine, 1884; Tipton, 1885; Maquoketa again, 1886; Anamosa, 1887; Clinton, 1888. The latter was the last one held. The national encampments and the state encampments of the Grand Army of the Republic had grown into great annual reunions that crowded out the attempts to hold one also in a smaller section of the state, and Jackson county, in 1888, began holding the very interesting series of county reunions that are still enjoyed every year.

The two Eastern Iowa reunions held in 1881 and 1886 were, without question, among the largest and most successful of. any in the district. In 1881, over six hundred veterans registered; and, on the second day, fully fifteen thousand peo- ple witnessed the clever sham battle in which Captains Phillips boldly surrendered the butternut fort to the Union legions, under Yount of Jones; and Dr. Bowen, with great skill, amputated Jim Smith's wooden leg, with great effusion of red paint. The "big reunion of 1886" continued for three days. Nearly one thousand veterans registered, and the fairgrounds were thronged with from six thousand to ten thousand spectators each day. An interesting feature of the third day's program was a competitive drill between Governor's Grays, of Dubuque, and Company B, of Davenport, two of the crack military companies of the state.

An organization of the old soldiers of Maquoketa into a Grand Army Post came in April, 1882, when Colonel H. H. Benson, of Davenport, mustered A. W. Drips, No. 74, with fifty-two members. Its first officers were: B. B. Frase, com- mander ; William Reel, S. V. C .; R. B. Springer, J. V. C .; J. Murray Hoag, officer of the day ; Dr. A. B. Bowen, surgeon ; W. S. Belden, Q. M .; D. W. Trump,

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adjutant; Robert Ward, chaplain; A. J. Russell, officer of guard; George W. Barrett, sergeant major ; I. W. Harmon, quartermaster sergeant.

Through its twenty-seven years of life, the Post has mustered into its ranks nearly three hundred in all of those who wore the blue, and it is highly significant not only of the magnificent numbers of those who fought for the Union, but also of their boyish age, that forty-five years after the war, it still carries on its roll fifty-two members.

Post commanders since the organization have been: B. B. Frase, Sixteenthi Ohio Infantry; Captain J. Murray Hoag, United States Army (retired) ; George W. Barrett, Third Iowa Infantry ; D. W. Trump, Eighth Iowa Cavalry ; Dr. A. B. Bowen, United States Navy; George Cooper, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry; A. W. Flathers, Second Iowa Cavalry ; Dr. J. A. Carson, Ninety-seventh Ohio Infantry ; W. W. Tannery, Twenty-first New York Cavalry; James W. Ellis, Fifth United States Infantry; A. P. Simpson, Twenty-second New York Infantry; Edwin Bradway, Twenty-sixth Iowa Infantry; Riley Struble, Twenty-sixth Iowa In- fantry; Wellington Current, Twenty-fourth Iowa Infantry ; Fred Gurius. Second Missouri Infantry ; James McDonald, Second Iowa Cavalry; Dr. James A. Car- son, Ninety-seventh Ohio Infantry.

The officers of the Post for 1910 are: Dr. James A. Carson, post commander ; Wm. W. Tannery, senior vice commander; Lee S. Lovelee, junion vice comman- der ; Fred Gurius, adjutant; Harvey Reid, quartermaster; George Teskey, chap- lain; Silas Howes, officer of the day; Wm. C. Morden, surgeon.

A very efficient auxiliary to the Post is A. W. Drips Women's Relief Corps, No. 253, which was organized in 1892. From its first inception, it has been rec- ognized as one of the most effective businesslike, enthusiastic women's organiza- tions of the city. On Memorial days and during soldiers' reunions its aid has been freely given and it has shrunk from no duty, however onerous, while its charities have been freely and constantly, but ever judiciously, bestowed.

REMINISCENCES OF FIFTY YEARS AGO. By a Former Maquoketa Boy.

Looking back into the impression made upon the mind of a twelve year old boy, nearly fifty years ago, when he landed in Maquoketa, one is likely to get events, dates and incidents mixed. In 1855 there was quite a clan of Gordons assembled in that vicinity: Achilles, living on a farm one mile east; Charles, the blacksmith, and William, the gunsmith (my father), living on West Platt street ; Erastus, a farmer living two and one-half miles southwest; Harriet Mon- roe (now Mrs. Weatherby) ; Mrs. Abigail Miller and Mrs. Susan Reynolds, al- together being seven brothers and sisters, and all having families, constituted nearly fifty of one blood; all the brothers are dead; Mrs. Weatherby is the only one of the Gordon sisters living [Mrs. Weatherby has since passed away], Mrs. Reynolds being only a half sister. The children of those seven brothers and sisters are scattered from Massachusetts to Alaska, while their offspring would make many times seven. I believe there is but one of the Gordon name in Maquoketa, a son of Charles, and named for my father, Wm. C. Gordon.

The business clustered as near the crossing of Main and Platt streets as possible; the Goodenow hotel on the southeast corner, and the store of John E. Goodenow & Company next door south; Pierce Mitchell's store was across the street, with the bank of Schrader & Dunham upstairs, front room; on the northwest corner, in a low one story frame building, it was the store of Isaac and Charles Hall, while on the southwest corner, was the store of Clark, Spencer & Matthews, Jonas Clark having a bank and real estate office upstairs. These were the main stores occupying the corners, and of course sold everything from a needle to a farm wagon. There were other general stores there, also James Shattuck, S. D. & T. Lyman and others which I cannot recall. Among the classi-

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fied stores that of Ezra Baldwin & Co. took the lead with a fine hardware stock, followed by Richard Clancy, stoves and tinware; Charles Shattuck, groceries ; William Briley, boots and shoes; Viall & Northrup, furniture; Higgins & Copp, jewelry ; Swigert & Bro., books, blanks and stationery, in the postoffice; J. B. Allen, ready made clothing; F. Bricker, clothing, and cigars at ten dollars per thousand ; John A. White, butchered meat for the hungry ; J. W. Lesher, furni- ture, musical instruments and apple trees ; James R. Barnes and Abner Reeve, harness and saddles; Harrison & Son, furniture. Jonas Clark and Swigert & Bro. were the main dealers in real estate, in fact Jonas was in too many matters, -was president of the academy, tuition four dollars, language, five dollars, music, ten dollars for fourteen weeks, with the finest views in the world free; Moses Ingalls, A. B., principal, Susan E. Hale, assistant; Mrs. S. H. Ingalls, music, and J. W. Windsor, secretary. H. G. Koon and W. P. Montgomery were insurance agents.

The stages from Davenport, Dubuque and Lyons, via Dewitt, arrived every day. Crouch and Zalmon Livermore ran livery stables. Stimpson, Wilson & Company ran the "Maquoketa union mills," grist and lumber at Pinhook; David Sears, grist mill, wool carding at Lowell; McCloy's grist mill was just south of town, and Tubb's grist mill was on the north fork ; all these mills were run with water power, and did a good business. The "only" lawyer was Jerry Jenkins ; there may have been others, but he was "it," and a twelve year old boy could not be mistaken in judging the merits of a lawyer. Jerry had his office upstairs over Mitchell's store, where as treasurer of "The Iowa Central Air Line rail- road company," he received the ten per cent payments of the capital stock sub- scribed to build the road, when the assessments were called for by F. Scar- borough, secretary. Ah, that Iowa Central Air Line, how everybody was wrapped up in it, even us boys thought it a wonderful scheme, and talked of the rides we would take, and the fine times we would have, when the air line was finished. The assessments were paid and some work done, but the panic of 1857 swept all projected improvements in its march of financial disaster. The town grew rapidly until 1857, but felt keenly the loss of money and failure of the air line. Crops were good, but prices for farm produce was very low ; it was a sight to see the piles of corn taken in by merchants in exchange for goods ; ten cents a bushel for shelled corn, and the accumulation was so great that Mr. Perham conceived the idea of getting a small steamboat to navigate the Maquoketa River, and thus give the merchants transportation for the vast accumulation of grain, enabling them to turn it into money and replenish their stock of goods. It was a gala day when "Maquoketa City" blew her whistle at the confluence of the north and south forks. All were glad and believed the question of transportation was satisfactorily solved with her advent, but the water was too shallow, the channel too changeable to make profit on her trips. Poor "Maquoketa City !" the last time I saw her was at Vicksburg, Mississippi, where she was working for "Uncle Sam," like the rest of us, trying to put down the rebellion.

During the winter there was an immense travel through Maquoketa north, for all farmers south, southeast and southwest of us were forced to cross the river there to reach the timber for fuel, fencing and building material. I was one of two boys employed by the late L. B. Dunham to count the teams that passed through the town in one day, and I have forgotten the exact number we counted, but know it was over one thousand, which in a town the size of Timber City in those days was simply enormous, and made business good.

Perhaps the most distinctly impressed on my memory of anything oc- curring during my life there, was the hanging of a murderer by a vigilance committee at Andrew. He was taken from the Clinton county jail at Dewitt in the night, reached Maquoketa about 10 o'clock in the morning, guarded by a strong crowd of armed men, en route to Andrew. I trudged after them in com- mon with nearly everyone else in town and along the road to see the hanging,

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but indeed it was a sorry and grewsome sight, and many time have I wished that I had not seen it, for boylike I had crowded up, as a hundred hands grasped the rope, and pulled the poor fellow up. I could have put my hand upon him as his legs kicked in the throes of death. Indeed it was horrible.

The sportsman found Maquoketa an ideal spot. Deer, wild turkeys, squir- rels, partridge or pheasant, wild ducks and geese, prairie chicken and quail were in abundance, while the rivers and creeks were swarming with fish of the finest kinds.

. I recall the first time I went fishing, in the year 1856, with Charles Gordon and my father, at night. The boat was a good sized skiff with a torch of hickory bark in the center and was allowed to float sideways down stream, Uncle Charlie in one end and father in the other. Each had a large spear, four tines, with great barbs on each tine. These spears were made by my father, and each had a handle about ten feet long, and heavy whipcord nearly double the length of the spear handle, fastened to the top and the other end about the wrist. As we floated along my duty was to keep the fire bright, and keep my neck out of the way of these cords. They only took the big muscallonge, or pickerel, pay- ing no attention to the swarms of suckers or redhorse, and smaller fish. One trip from the slough dam down to the bridge almost filled the boat with these great fish, weighing from ten to twenty pounds, some of them nearly as big as the boy who was tending fire. I remember going to fish one day where the north fork joins, and found some girls there; one had her hook fast in the river and another up in a tree. After loosening their tackle, we caught some fish and one of the girls said if I would make a fire she would cook the fish. A fire was made and the girls had come cakes, so we had a good dinner.

Of course it is of no use to deny that the barefooted boy enjoyed that meal, and is free to say that she who cooked those fish is still a resident of the Timber City, and can cook better now than at that time, and can prove it by nearly everybody in town, for there are but few who have not partaken of her hospi- tality.

Cousin Frank Gordon and I were fishing off the slough dam one day when suddenly I missed him and found he had fallen in the river. I tried to get him to take hold of my fishpole, but he was in the suck of the dam and did not know a fishpole from anything else. Finally I wound my line about his body and got him out of the suck and then down to the sand bar on the north. side, where I landed him. As we had both run away to go, and to avoid a licking we neither of us told it for many a day, but I always called him my "red horse" after that-his head was nearly red anyhow.

Our sport in winter was fine. Skating on McCloy's lake was an ideal pas- time, and we had great fun coasting. The boys would draw a bob sled up Acad- emy hill, put a small sled in front for the tongue of the big sled to rest upon, all pile on, and away we would go, landing near Maudsley's place about one half mile from starting place. Once we narrowly escaped running into a team on Platt street. It was considered too dangerous after that, and the mayor would not allow it, and the boys mourned, likewise the girls. During the winter of 1856-57, there was a school on west Platt street kept by Mr. Grosvenor, who was quite a teacher for those days. He introduced singing, geography, and the study and practice of same was noisy, if not complete. I recall one verse which ran :

"Maquoketa, see, O, what a charming river, Behold it stray through Iowa, then haste, haste away, The Wapsipinicon to view, and Iowa's bright course pursue, Red Cedar River, too, finds place in our song."

There was quite an epidemic of spelling contests that winter among the dif- ferent schools in and around Maquoketa. Our Grosvenor school had been quite successful, most of us having the old Elementary by heart. Word came that the Halley school, up about Buckhorn, were the champions of the West, so Nell Rhodes got up a load to go there and give them a trial. Jim Barnes, Charlie Had-

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ley, Bill Derby, Jimmy Hayes, Allen Sloan, Bob Tilney, and others were in. When we arrived the leaders were chosen and we found Miss Halley captain of one side and some other good speller on the opposing side. The schoolhouse was filled with people, most of them hoping to see the Maquoketa boys done up by the Halley school. Finally the contestants dropped out until only the bright Miss Halley was left of all her company and your thirteen year old boy on the other side. The teacher said it was no use to work longer on the spelling book, and took up the geography, determined to end the contest some way. The house was still as a mouse, and the excitement intense. Mountains, rivers, and lakes were swallowed like hot cakes until "Chautauqua" was given Miss Halley. She hesitated, and missed, and then my singing geography came to my relief, and the word was spelled correctly. Miss Halley burst out crying, and our boys were disposed to crow a good deal, but in a minute Jim and Brank Halley were going to lick all the boys from Maquoketa, and it was a great relief to me when Nell Rhodes got his team ready and we pulled for home. Entering the Sentinel office in the fall of 1857 as a "printer's devil," my duties were manifold and various; part of the time I was detailed to assist Mrs. Swigert at the house, make garden, milk, cut wood, attend baby, (there was always a baby in the house) and various chores usually found about a well regulated country editor's home. I need hardly remark that I liked the office work much better than doing chores about the house. James T. Sargent was foreman of the Sentinel, and for his kindness and teaching I shall always feel grateful. Stub Morey had preceded me as a devil in the office but in four months I was able to set type so much faster than he, that Stub was set back at devil's work again, and what pleased me most, I was relieved from baby-farming and chores about the house. The "Carrier's Address," a poetical effusion by William Cundill printed on flatcap paper, with' an ornamental border, was given to me, however, and was one of the great events in the life of a printer boy, being presented to each subscriber, served by the carrier on New Year's day, when the liberality of his patrons was at high tide, and a good many dimes and a few quarters gladdened the boy's heart for the year.

My contract with the Sentinel was for three years: first year, forty dollars, and board ; second, sixty dollars, and the last year, one hundred dollars and board, and all I could make out of the Carrier's Address, which I was to have while remaining in the office as youngest employe. I do not recollect of having re- ceived any money for my services. We only received orders on the stores for what we needed.

The event of my first suit of clothes was great. It was of Iowa wool, woven in Uncle Tommy Wright's mill, a piece of black doeskin, and was made up by that prince of tailors, Hank Taubman, and with the boots made by Tom Cannell, cost a year of labor. Photographs were unknown in those days, but my pride was so great in that suit, that a daguerreotype was taken of the wearer.

The household of W. C. Swigert at this time was almost like a hotel. Henry Reigart was chief boarder, Jim Sargent, Stub Morey and myself from the office together with the family made a good many mouths to feed but we always had plenty, unless W. C. invited too many politicians from Garry Owen, which he never failed to do when any of the statesmen from Butler called at the office, but often to the great disarrangement of the household; but Mrs. Swigert always seemed able to take care of the guests, and did not allow such trivial matters to worry her in the least. Some time in the summer of 1859, Mr. Swigert sold the office and employes to a gentleman who came out of the timber, by the name of Mann. He ran it for about three weeks and failed. I at once took another posi- tion with the Excelsior, for which office I worked until the war broke out and we all went to work for Uncle Sam, with whom I had a steady job for nearly five years, and although Maquoketa has not been my residence since, it would seem out of place for me to write of her fine growth and improvement, and the

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beautiful little city she has grown to be, still having many kind friends and some relatives there, have always looked upon the Timber City as home.

HELPED BUILD THE FIRST CHURCH. (Sentinel Souvenir, 1909.)

Editors Sentinel: Learning from your paper that you desire any and all in- formation you can collect concerning the early history of Maquoketa, I will con- tribute my mite, having been an almost constant reader of the Sentinel ever since it was first issued, 1854, and for many years helped to fill its columns with adver- tising matter. I landed in Maquoketa from what was then called a prairie schooner in the month of October, 1849. The first hand, and it was a welcome one, extended to me in Maquoketa was John E. Goodenow. I soon found an- other hand of welcome, that of Mrs. Goodenow, and should I write a whole column could not say enough in favor of those good people.

The first meeting (Methodist) I ever attended in Maquoketa was held in a building used during the week for a blacksmith's shop. Swept out, some rude benches made of slabs for seats, where the Rev. William Hurlburt, then termed a circuit rider, preached to us. There was a small frame schoolhouse but it was occupied by the Congregationalists. The next spring, 1850, a Methodist church was started. I assisted in laying the foundation, framing the building and raising it. A little incident connected with it may be worth relating. The building was raised Saturday evening and not being properly braced a strong west wind came up during the night. In the morning it was discovered that the building was about to collapse. The whole town was alarmed and turned out and with J. E. Goodenow, as general manager, soon some long timbers were procured and the frame straightened up. There were present that morning, as I remember, J. E. Goodenow, Jonas Clark, Z. Livermore, Thomas Cannell, H. Taubman, John Shaw and Thomas Wright, Gordon and a few others I do not remember. There were also present John Lesher, (carpenter) together with all the ladies in town. Nearly all are gone now to their long homes, except myself and although I have not al- ways been a continuous resident of Maquoketa all these years I have really spent the best part of my life there, and have contributed something toward building it up, and making it the good, prosperous town that it is. Hoping your souvenir will be a success, I remain, yours very respectfully. G. TRUAX, M. D.

Tallapoosa, Georgia, April 20, 1904.

A GALA DAY IN MAQUOKETA. (From Jackson Sentinel, December 15, 1870.)

Tuesday last was a day ever to be remembered by the people of Maquoketa as the day upon which the cities of Lyons, Clinton, Davenport and Maquoketa were formally and indissolubly united by "bands of iron and hooks of steel."

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History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume I, Part 86

Author: Ellis, James Whitcomb, 1848-; Clarke, S. J., publishing company Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 730

Author: Ellis, James Whitcomb, 1848-; Clarke, S. J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 730