History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume I, Part 9

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

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E. D. Shinkle, one of the oldest pioneers of this locality, who still resides in Maquoketa, says that some time during the administration of Ansel Briggs as governor there was a little village of Indians, numbering at least five hundred, mostly squaws, children and old men, on the North Fork, about one mile from his father's cabin. These Indians had been brought there for safety while the fighting portion of the tribe was on the warpath against some other tribe. But these Indians annoyed the white settlers so much that they appealed to Governor Briggs, whose home was at Andrew three miles from the Indian camp, to have the Indians removed and the governor caused them to move on. The writer has lived for more than half a century within one and one-half miles of the old dance ground which must have been a favorite gathering place for Black Hawk's warriors, and half a mile from the burying place where so many of the tribe was left, and has collected thousands of implements once used by the Indians in this locality, including pottery, stone spears and arrow heads, stone and steel tomahawks, stone pipes and war clubs, teepee hammers and ceremonial stones. Of the old burying ground, where fifty years ago there were hundreds of graves or skeletons, I do not believe a bone could be found now. The skulls were carried away by relic hunters and the bones plowed under and made to fertilize the ground. There are still several mounds in this locality that have never been opened which might possibly yield up valu- able relics of a bygone race. In the southeast quarter of section II, half a mile from the home of the writer, there are three mounds whose descriptions might be of interest to archæologists. The three are on a line running east and west and a half mile east of the Hurstville lime works. The first one on the east, is twenty feet in diameter, circular in form and three feet high ; the next one, west, is twenty feet wide by one hundred feet long and three feet high, and the last one is like the first one described. Half a mile west of these mounds there were, formerly, three similar mounds, and still farther west, in

HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY

a straight line, there were still others. From the location of the mounds, and the fact that they were all similar in form and in almost a straight line, running from the north to the south fork of the Maquoketa River, I have al- ways believed they were made to run a boundary line. There are other mounds south of the South Fork, one of which was partially opened, several years ago, and charcoal and pieces of pottery and arrow heads were found as far as the excavation went. There are also very well defined mounds in Butler township, near Moses McDonald's farm, that have never been dug into. There is a small cave or hole in the rocks in Hon. A. Hurst's limestone quarry, where pieces of Indian pottery, flint arrow heads, and charcoal and ashes have been found. Mr. Hurst informed me, recently, that there was a mound still stand- ing undisturbed in the old Indian burying ground on his land.

The writer has contemplated, for many years, a time when he would repair to these ancient landmarks and excavate and exhume whatever of relics, or other matter, deposited here by those whose existence here seems but a dream now. It does not appear strange to those who remember the beautiful land between the forks of the Maquoketa, as it was fifty years ago, that the Indians were loath to leave their old hunting grounds. Deer and wild turkey abounded here in the forest, and the streams actually teemed with choice fish. Honey could be had in any quantity by cutting the trees and taking it out and all the sweetness needed by extracting it from the sugar maple which grew every- where. It was indeed such a paradise for the red men as they could never hope to find again in this world.

OUR TERRITORIAL PIONEERS. BY JOHN SEELEY.

When the Black Hawk Purchase was opened for settlement, June 1, 1833, Benjamin W. Clark, who settled at Rock Island, in 1827 or 1828, crossed over into Missouri Territory and staked a claim where Buffalo, Iowa, is now situated. With an eye on the future he claimed about two thousand acres of land lying up and down the Mississippi River, and early in 1834 established the only ferry across the river between Dubuque and Flint Hills, now Burlington. As the location for a future town was at that point one of the best along the river, it was Clark's dream to see one of the best river towns in the territory at that place. With that end in view, he opened up a road south forty miles to Mon- mouth, Illinois, to induce the tide of immigration to trend toward his ferry. In the same year, 1834, he got one John Shook to take a claim at the Wap- sipinicon River and establish a crossing there. He made arrangements with Allen Wallace Pence and his brother, Solomon, to blaze out a trail north to Dubuque and establish a crossing at the Maquoketa River. It was Clark's idea to open up a road through the best part of the Black Hawk Purchase and thereby lead settlers that way to people the most beautiful and the most fertile country in God's domain, and make the Cedar, Wapsie and Maquoketa val- leys tributary to the city of his dreams.

In 1835 he, in company with two others, Captain E. A. Mix and a Dr. Pillsbury, of Buffalo, New York, platted and laid out a town and named the town Buffalo, after Dr. Pillsbury's home town. On account of the opposition of strong forces working in the interest of Davenport, he failed to make of Buffalo what he had hoped. But his north and south road did bring many settlers into the country tributary to it, and a good many to western Jackson county, the first of whom were Wallace, Solomon and Gabriel Pence, who be- came acquainted with the locality while in the interest of Clark's road in 1834 and settled here in April of the year 1836.

There he built his first cabin. He built later where the 'Allison house is now. He was a native of Kentucky and came to Iowa, then Michigan Terri-

HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY

tory, from southern Indiana. Here he lived, raised six children-John, Joseph, Manurvey, Anna, Mary and one I have forgotten-and died at an old age and always respected. He came here single and on a trip back to Indiana became acquainted with a young girl who was wholly depending on herself for sup- port. Wood told her he had a cabin and a claim out in the western wilds and if she would marry him he would give her a home such as it was. The offer was accepted and a pioneer life commenced. They were always known in later years as "Aunt Sophia and Uncle Tommy."

Wallace Pence and two of his brothers, Solomon and Gabriel, as aforesaid mentioned, settled in what became Monmouth township, in the spring of 1836, and were the first settlers in the Maquoketa Valley. Wallace built his first cabin on the northeast quarter of section 23, just west of the present Bear Creek bridge, and in what is now the southeast corner of William Pence's field, at the three corners of the road. Solomon settled on what became the northwest quarter of section 23 (then unsurveyed) and built just south of where the present highway is, near the foot of a low hill about one-fourth of a mile east of Bear Creek. In later years, in that old log house, several times he entertained U. S. Grant, then of Galena, but in after years lieutenant general of the Federal army during the Civil War and later, twice president of the United States.

Gabriel Pence settled a little further west, nearer where Baldwin is (don't know the exact numbers). These three Pences gave to Iowa the following increase : Of the Wallace Pence family, seven-Elvira, Robert, Martha, Mary, William, Harriet and Napoleon B. Of the Solomon Pence family there were eight-Lucinda, Curtis, Phoebe, Susan, Malissa, Montana, Joseph and Solo- mon J., and of the Gabriel Pence family there were ten-Elizabeth, John, Rachael, George, Allen, Hanna, Eliza, Mary, Liddie, and Gabriel, Jr. Twenty-five all told, many of whom have kept the Pence blood flowing and have brought forth, if not "an hundred fold," nearly as many as "Dad and Mam."

The Pence men were sons of Judge John Pence, who came from Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, to Monmouth, Illinois, and later-1828-to Rock Island, then in 1829 to Henderson county, Illinois, near where the town of Oquaka now is. It was from this point the Pence brothers first came into what is now Iowa. The old road or trail crossed the Wapsie north of Allen's Grove, Bear Creek, near where Mill Rock is situated, and the South Fork of the Maquoketa about a mile above the present Cheneworth bridge. Along, or near, this old trail in after years sprung up Mill Rock, Fremont (Baldwin), Canton, Emeline (first called "Four Corners") and Iron Hills, in Jackson county. By that road came several families in 1836.

The point where this old Dubuque and Buffalo road crossed the South Fork was, after the country began to be settled, known as Dodge's Ford, so called after one who is said to have been an eccentric, mysterious old hermit who settled there in an early day-about 1837 or 1838-and had a little clearing where he raised a small crop each year. According to old settlers he had as little to do with his fellow mortals as possible and no amount of inquisitiveness on their part led to any light as to where he came from or as to his past life. It was believed by many that he was one of those individuals that are often met with on the frontier, who are rather keeping dark to evade the law, or are self appointed exiles from an older civilization that they have become en- stranged from.

Those who came to Jackson county in 1836 by way of Clark's Ferry at Buffalo and followed the Clark trail north, with two exceptions, settled in what became Monmouth township. Those two, James Redden and Thomas Wood, settled along what became the west line of South Fork township, Redden on the northwest corner of section 19, near where the present house of D. F. Scheib is situated. He was a brother-in-law of Samuel Scheib, and I believe came from Pennsylvania. His children were James, John, Stephen, Larkin and Anna Redden-Cook. Thomas Wood settled on the southwest quarter of the

HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY

same section on the east side of quarter section line, east of west line, and about twenty rods south of where now is the Maquoketa and Anamosa road. Joseph Skinner was a native of Virginia, and came to what is now Jack- son county, Iowa, in July of 1836, staked a claim and built his cabin near the banks of Bear Creek, a few rods southwest of where the Midland depot at Baldwin now is, on the northwest quarter of section 22, Monmouth township, and resided thereon many years. He married Jane Beer, who bore him the following family: James, who was a soldier in the Civil War, in an Illinois regiment ; John ; Leon ; Margaret Skinner-Watson; Julia Skinner-Wivenious, and Lena, who never married.

I do not know the native state of the Perkins family, or the names of chil- dren they reared, or the numbers of the land they claimed on coming here in 1836, but it was north of the South Fork of the Maquoketa River, somewhere in section 13, Monmouth township. There were, at least, three of the Perkins- Calvin, Zen and Xenophon. The last named was murdered in 1842 by Joseph Jackson, who had a claim on the south bank of the Maquoketa River, near the moutlı of Bear Creek.

Joshua Beer, another 1836 settler, claimed land in what became Monmouth township, and erected his log cabin about eighty rods due west of the present Main street of Baldwin, in the northwest quarter of section 21. The first schoolhouse in Monmouth township was built on his land, I believe. It was situated just north of the present limits of Baldwin and was called "Shake Rag Schoolhouse." Beer Creek was named after Joshua Beer. He was an enthu- siastic hunter and while on a hunting expedition with David Scott they dis- covered Burt's caves in the forks of the Maquoketa. In Joshua Beer's family there were six children-James, John, Hanna, who became Solomon Pence's second wife; Jane, wife of Joseph Skinner; Margaret married Elijah Nichols, who died in the army, and Mary wed William Lane. All Beer owned, besides his children, when he got here, was an ox cart and a yoke of cattle. I believe he came here a widower. I understand the family are now all dead.

David Scott came from Kentucky to what is now Monmouth township, Jackson county, Iowa, in 1836, in company with James Redden, Joshua Beer, Joseph Skinner, Calvin Perkins, Z. and Xenophon Perkins, Thomas Wood and a family of Pingrys, of whom I can learn nothing about. They crossed the Wapsie on a raft, July 4, 1836, and that evening camped on the south bank of the Maquoketa, near what has always been known as Morehead's Ford. They had been directed to this locality by the three Pence brothers who met them between here and Clark's Ferry. The Pences were going back to Illinois after their families, having staked claims, built cabins and broken land earlier in the season. David Scott first claimed land north of the river and built a log house on what is now the northwest quarter of section 13 (as near as I can learn) and lived there some years. But -according to Dr. Scott's information Scott not fulfilling all requirements had his claim taken from him by some process or other by Calvin Teeple. Scott was illiterate and did not have a proper knowl- edge of the land rules. Scott was not only Scott by name but Scott by pedigree, and losing his claim quickened his Scotch blood and he made some threats of "mopping the earth" with Teeple's anatomy. At a raising Scott went up to Teenle and put his arms around him saying, "Cal, how I love you," and gave him a mighty hug that caused Teeple to be small in at the waist. Teeple had Scott put under bonds to keep the peace as to Teeple, which was a safe thing to do as Scott was a powerful man and might have given him another hug that would make him look like twins. After that Scott got a claim south of where Baldwin is, and built near the south bank of Beer Creek. That land, I believe, is still in the Scott family.

The wife of Scott was only fourteen years of age when she married, and before she was fifteen was the mother to a little girl (Edith). This girl was a young woman when they came west. She married Calvin Perkins in 1838.

HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY

They were the first whites in Monmouth township to wed. The course of true love didn't run smooth in their case as Scott did not like the Perkins family and put an embargo on the proceedings, but Cupid was the same irrepressible little cuss in the earliest days of Jackson county as now, and love's young dream was just as much of a nightmare and called for the same heroic treatment, so an elopement followed and a wedding at some "Gretna Green." After Calvin Perkins and Edith Scott were married they left this country and settled farther north on Turkey River, where they lived some years until Perkins died.

David Scott was married to Miss Holly Skinner who bore him ten children- Joseph, Marion, David, Jr., William, John, Edith Scott-Perkins, Emily Scott- Gibson, Malinda Scott-Douglas, Amanda Scott-Atherton, and Rosa, who was an epileptic and never married. Two of this family were Civil War soldiers. William enlisted in Company H, Sixteenth Iowa Infantry. I am told that one week from the day he was mustered in he was in the battle of Shiloh. David Scott, Jr., not having consent or being of legal age to enlist without, left home with another youth, James Skinner. They rapidly grew older between Iowa and Illinois and enlisted in an Illinois company of a hundred day men. Anyone who was here during the Rebellion and knew the stress and felt the thrill, knows full well that one could lie a mile, or clear to Illinois for that matter, to get into the Union army without breaking any of the Ten Commandments. The de- scendants of David Scott, Sr., are numerous in Iowa today, and it can be truth- fully said he left in his children and grandchildren a good legacy to the country. One generation of seven of these families, the three Pences, Scott, Beer, Skinner and Wood, who became lifelong residents, increased our population fifty-three. And all, I think, were worthy citizens and may be, added very materially to the wealth of the country.

POPULATION OF JACKSON COUNTY.

Year.

1847

4,639

1867

. 19,970

1849

5,677

1870

22,619

1850

7,210

1875

22,060

1852

8,23I

1880

23,77I

1854

12,166

1885

22,839

1856

. 14,077

1890

22,77I

1860

. 18,493

1895

. 23,47I

1863

. 19,152

1900

23,615

1865

. 19,097

1905

22,210

POPULATION OF TOWNS-1905.

Baldwin

28I

716

Miles

369

780

Bellevue

1,686

598

Monmouth

291

716

Green Island

II2

600

Preston

649

660

Lamotte

29I

940

Sabula

992

603

Maquoketa

3,666

688

EARLY POSTOFFICES IN JACKSON COUNTY. (BY HARVEY REID.)

Among matters pertaining to the welfare of their budding commonwealth, there was nothing that the members of the early territorial legislatures took greater interest in than the establishment of postoffices and post routes by general gov- ernment. So every member at some time during each session would press the adoption by the legislature of memorials to Congress asking the establishment of

HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY

new postoffices and new post routes. These requests would generally be consoli- dated into one memorial on each subject and would always pass.

In a memorial adopted by the second territorial assembly for the establish- ment of post routes we find this clause: "From Charleston by Goodenoe's Mills, by Burliston's Settlement, by Elk Ford to the point on the territorial road where the said road crosses the Wabsepinica River and thence to the county seat of Linn county." But evidently the memorial was not granted so far as that par. ticular route was concerned, 'for we find that at the next session, that of 1840-I, another memorial was adopted asking for post routes which included: "From Savanna, Illinois, via Charleston and Goodenoe's Mills and Burriston's Settle- ment, to Edinburgh, the county seat of Jones county."

Note the odd spelling of the names and that Maquoketa had not yet become Springfield even. It was known as Goodenow's Mills, and Shade Burleson had not started his Buckhorn Tavern to give a name to his settlement. Another memorial in the third general assembly was for the establishment of new post- offices, and one clause in that reads : "One on the military road in Jones county, where the said road crosses the Makoketa River, to be called the Makoketa Post- office and that William Clarke be appointed postmaster." The location thus speci- fied would be near the northeast corner of Jones county. Curiosity to know whether a postoffice in Iowa ever did bear the name of Makoketa, prompted the writer to address an inquiry to the postoffice department at Washington, through our good friend, Congressman Dawson, asking as to the fact, and also for a list of the first postoffices in Jackson county. A prompt reply was received from Hon. P. V. DeGraw, fourth assistant postmaster general, who says: "We can find no record of a postoffice named Makoketa in Iowa, Jones county, neither can we locate the Mill Rock office."

Following is the list of names and dates given, some of which are very surprising :

Belleview, Jo Daviess county, Illinois, established March 17, 1836; John Bell, postmaster. Office changed into Dubuque county, Wisconsin, and changed into Jackson county, Iowa, November 1, 1839; James K. Moss, postmaster.

Silsbee, established April II, 1840; Obadiah Sawtell, postmaster. Name changed to Andrew, October 26, 1841 ; Nathaniel Butterworth, postmaster.

Fulton, established June 19, 1851 ; William Marden, postmaster.

Waterford, established March 2, 1855; Fayette Mallard, postmaster. Higginsport, established October 31, 1851 ; John G. Smith, postmaster. Sterling, established June 3, 1852; C. S. Ferguson, postmaster.

Springfield, Jackson county, established June 4, 1840, John E. Goodenow, postmaster ; J. B. Doane, July 2, 1841 ; J. E. Goodenow, October 13, 1842; name changed to Maquoketa, March 13, 1844.

Bridgeport, established May 1, 1850; R. S. Dyas, postmaster; W. C. Grant, October 30, 1851.

It would be interesting to know where the ridiculous error was made of re- cording Belleview as in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, in 1836. And did anybody know before that Andrew was not established as a new postoffice, but was moved from Sawtell's, in Richland township, and its name changed from Silsbee to An- drew? Inquiry as to Charleston brought particulars of an office of that name in some part of the state established in 1850, instead of old Charleston, now Sabula. The first postmaster of our Charleston was William H. Brown, appointed in the latter part of 1836 or early in 1837. The name was changed to Sabula in 1846.

PUBLIC OFFICIALS.

JACKSON COUNTY MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES FROM 1846 TO 1909.

Territorial Council-Stephen Hempstead, first and second; Joseph S. Kirk- patrick, third and fourth ; Thomas Cox, fifth and sixth ; Phillip B. Bradley, seventh and eighth. Territorial House Representatives-Thomas Cox, first, second and

HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY

third; James K. Moss, fourth; Ansel Briggs, fifth; John Foley, sixth; James Leonard, seventh; Thomas Graham, eighth. Jackson County Members of the General Assemblies from 1846 to 1909 .- Joseph Birge, La Motte, senator in fifth, fifth extra and sixth; Philip B. Bradley, Andrew, senator in first, first extra and second, representative in seventh and seventeenth; Elisha F. Clark, Maquoketa, senator in fourth, fifth and fifth extra; Emery DeGroat, Van Buren, representative in thirteenth; Ebenezer Dorr, La Motte, representative in ninth, ninth extra, tenth and fifteenth ; Lewis B. Dunham, Maquoketa, senator in twelfth and thirteenth; Henry Dunn, Miles, representative in thirty-second and thirty- second extra ; James Dunne, Otter Creek, representative in thirteenth; Joseph P. Eaton, Maquoketa, representative in ninth and ninth extra; James P. Edie, Ma- quoketa, representative in fifth and fifth extra; James W. Ellis, Maquoketa, rep- resentative in thirty-third ; John E. Goodenow, Maquoketa, representative in third ; George F. Green, Sabula, representative in first, first extra and fourth, senator in eighth, eighth extra, ninth and ninth extra; Henry Green, Monmouth, represen- tative in tenth; George C. Heberling, Sabula, representative in fourteenth and fifteenth ; J. K. Hershberger, Monmouth, representative in sixth; George E. Hil- singer, Sabula, representative in twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth ; John Hilsinger, Sabula, senator in tenth and eleventh ; Alfred Hurst, Maquoketa, senator in twenty- fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, twenty-sixth extra and twenty-seventh; Jere- miah W. Jenkins, Maquoketa, senator in sixth and seventh; Gilman L. Johnson, Maquoketa, representative in nineteenth, senator in twentieth and twenty-first; A. G. Kegler, Bellevue, senator in twenty-second and twenty-third; Thomas Lam- bert, Sabula, representative in twenty-sixth, twenty-sixth extra, twenty-seventh, senator in twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, thirtieth, thirty-first, thirty-second and thirty-second extra; Benjamin McCollough, Canton, representative in eigth and eigth extra ; Albert E. McDole, Sabula, representative in thirtieth and thirty-first; William A. McGinnis, Bellevue, senator in sixteenth and seventeenth; Dennis A. Mahoney, Butler township, representative in second; John Manderchied, Cotton- ville, representative in twentieth and twenty-first ; Alva McLaughlin, Van Buren, representative in eleventh; Justin W. Miles, Miles, representative in seventeenth; T. Millsap, Otter Creek township, representative in seventh; George L. Mitchell, Maquoketa, representative in twenty-second; Pierce Mitchell, Maquoketa, repre- sentative in fifteenth, senator in eighteenth and nineteenth; William Morden, Ful- ton, representative in sixth ; N. B. Nemmers, La Motte, representative in twenty- third and twenty-fourth; Lyman B. Parshall, Canton, senator in thirty-third ; William H. Reed, Bellevue, representative in eighth, eighth extra, eighteenth and sixteenth; A. W. Richardson, Riggs Station, representative in eighteenth and twenty-fifth ; Samuel S. Simpson, Bellevue, representative in eighteenth and nine- teenth ; Thomas S. Smith, representative in fifth and fifth extra ; William M. Ste- phens, Maquoketa, representative in twenty-fifth; Lewis W. Stuart, Monmouth, representative in twelfth and sixteenth, senator in fourteenth and fifteenth ; John A. Tritz, St. Donatus, representative in twelfth ; L. Wasson, Cottonville, represen- tative in fourth ; John Wilson, Cottonville, representative in eleventh; Richard B. Wyckoff, Copper Creek, representative in third.

List of names of those who have managed the affairs of Jackson county as county commissioners, county judges and as boards of supervisors from the or- ganization of the county in 1838 up to 1909. The first three commissioners were appointed.

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History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume I, Part 9

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