USA > Iowa > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Iowa; Volume I > Part 98
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in one or another of the family homes and ministrated to the spiritual wants of the people as circumstances permitted. But these meager ministrations did not satisfy the piety and earnestness of the early pioneers, and, about the year 1866, the few scattered Catholics around Otter Creek came together and, out of their scanty means, erected a small rock church and a modest parsonage and were blessed by securing a resident pastor in the person of Rev. J. B. Gaffney. With his advent a new life was infused into the people and the congregation grew so rapidly that within a very short time they were obliged to purchase an unused Methodist church which stood near by, and this added to the room already available scarcely accommodated the growing demands. This good priest desiring to lay the foun- dation of Catholicity in this territory deep and solid, undertook as his first duty the erection of a school in connection with the church which he supplied with a com- petent teacher and wherein the children were thoroughly grounded in religion and secular knowledge. Another monument to his zeal for souls is the Catholic church at Maquoketa which he built, the funds for which he collected amid many hard- ships, along the then sparsely populated county around Maquoketa. This church was afterward attached to Delmar. In the fall of 1878 he was succeeded at Otter Creek by Rev. C. J. McGamon, a man who proved himself worthy to follow the footprints of his apostolic predecessor, and one who labored with untiring zeal, and with much success for the spiritual and temporal uplift of his people until in July, 1882, failing health compelled him to resign his too arduous duties, and, in September of the same year, he was succeeded by the late lamented Rev. J. P. Clabby. During the pastorate of this latter, which lasted over eighteen years, many and remarkable changes took place in the parish of St. Lawrence. The old church was replaced by a new, a more elegant and a more commodious, and at a cost of over twenty-five thousand dollars; a new convent with boarding school was erected and the Sisters of St. Francis permanently es- tablished in the parish, where they are now conducting one of the most flourish- ing schools in Jackson county. Father Clabby's reign was marked by an unusual activity in temporal no less than in spiritual matters. Vast improvements were made in the church property and yet when he "laid down the burden" all parish debts were entirely liquidated. He died in April, 1900, mourned and blessed, not only by the people of Otter Creek, but the entire Jackson county. In June, 1900, he was succeeded by Rev. T. Leahy, whose piety, prudence and wisdom are house- hold words with every family in the community, and whose memory will long be cherished because of his devotedness to the cause of the people whether in their spiritual or temporal necessities. Long years of hard work in the ministry had impaired his health and unfitted him for a life in a country mission, and in August, 1905, he was transferred to another field.
The present pastor, Rev. John Halpin, assumed charge of the parish on Sep- tember 1, 1905. With recent improvements which aggregate over twelve thousand dollars, the parish property is now valued at fifty thousand dollars. Hence from a small beginning Otter Creek has come to be recognized as one of the foremost, best equipped, and best organized country parishes in the State of Iowa.
REV. JOHN HALPIN, Present Pastor.
SPRING BROOK CHURCH.
SS. Peter and Paul's Catholic congregation at Spring Brook, Iowa, was organized in 1864, in the spring of which year about forty families began the erection of the present rock church forty by seventy and completed the outer construction of same in the following year. Temporary altars and seats were provided and the mission occasionally visited by Rev. Heinbucher of Lyons, Iowa. In 1868, Rev. W. Jacoby was appointed by Right Rev. Bishop Nennessy as first resident pastor of Spring Brook; his day, however, was of short duration for after three weeks he was removed by his bishop to West Point, Iowa, and the missional Spring Brook was entrusted to the care of Rev. Theo-
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dore Schiffmacher of Bellevue, Iowa. In November, 1871, Spring Brook re- ceived its second resident pastor in the person of Rev. Joseph Knaeple, who was succeeded by Rev. John Theobald Bitche in 1874, who in time was super- seded by Rev. James J. Bassler in 1878. The present rector, Rev. H. Knap- stein, took charge of the mission in October, 1881. In the beginning, the num- ber of families being small and the people poor, improvements were few, but as the number of families increased and their financial affairs improved, the people also cared for the betterment of their church, permanent altars and pews were bought, a steeple built on the tower of the church and bells purchased. The first parochial schoolhouse, a frame construction, twenty by thirty-five, was built in 1874 and served its purpose until 1883. At this time the mission having increased to about one hundred and ten families and more school room deemed necessary, a rock building thirty by fifty, three stories high, was erected. In 1884, the school was placed in the charge of the school Sisters De U. D., of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who have conducted it to the present time. No more improvements of any importance were made until 1892, when the church was remodeled and somewhat enlarged; and in 1895, a new steeple-the old one had been carried away by a heavy storm-was erected on the church tower. The people built their first parsonage in 1867-68, but owing to some defect in ma- terial or workmanship it did not last and a new brick veneered building, thirty- six by forty-six, was erected in 1901. The congregation at the present numbers about one hundred and twenty families. Further improvements are looked for in a not far distant future.
FULTON CHURCH.
A branch of the reorganized church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organized at the house of Mrs. Anna Sutton the 16th of June, 1888, by Elder J. S. Roth of Grinnell, Tama county, Iowa. He being a missionary for the eastern Iowa district at that time, this branch was called the Fulton branch.
There were sixteen members present. John Heide was ordained pastor and was chosen president, which office he now holds.
John Sutton was ordained teacher, and Levi Roush was ordained deacon, the two last having died some years ago, and Ella Deily was chosen clerk of the branch, she also having summons to come up higher.
The membership steadily increased in spite of the opposition they had to contend with. They held their meetings in the new Castle schoolhouse for awhile until the house was closed against them; then they held their meetings in private houses until in the year 1898 they built a church on the farm of Levi Roush near the Teters graveyard which was open for every denomination, having for its motto "A free pulpit and an open Bible." Their membership now had reached about sixty. They enjoyed this church for some years when some moved away, others died; then they began holding their meetings in Fulton in a hall that was owned by John Simmons, until June 26, 1909, when they bought the German Baptist church and are now holding Sunday school and meetings regularly with seventy Sunday school scholars enrolled and seventy-six church members, which compare favorably with members of other denominations. Out of the branch have young men arisen who are strong defenders of the Gospel of Christ. Among them are J. R. Sutton, who is now a missionary in Kansas, being enrolled in a quorum of seventy and is well respected where he is called to labor; J. B. Roush, who has passed away in Wray, Colorado, who had the respect of the entire community of which the paper stated "More than an ordinary man has gone to his reward;" also, J. H. Heide, who is now in Silver City, Iowa.
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
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We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all men will be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinance of the gospel.
We believe that these ordinances are :
I-Faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2-Repentance.
3-Baptism by immersion for remission of sins.
4-Laying on of the hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5-We believe in the resurrection of the body; that the dead in Christ will rise first, and the rest of the dead will not live again until the thousand years are expired.
6-We believe in the doctrine of the Eternal judgment which provides that men shall be judged, rewarded, or punished, according to the degree of good, or evil, they shall have done.
We believe that a man must be called of God, and ordained by the laying on of hands, of those who are in authority, to entitle him to preach the gospel, and administer in the ordinance thereof.
We believe in the same kind of organization that existed in the primitive church, viz: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelist, etc. We believe that in the Bible is contained the word of God, so far as it is translated cor- rectly. We believe that the canon of scripture is not full, but that God, by his Spirit, will continue to reveal His word to man until the end of time.
We believe in the powers and gifts of the everlasting gospel, viz : the gift of faith, discerning of spirits, prophesy, revelation, healing, visions, tongues, and the interpretations of tongues, wisdom, charity, brotherly love, etc.
We believe that marriage is ordained of God, and that the law of God pro- vides for but one companion in wedlock, for either man or woman, except in cases where the contract of marriages is broken by death or transgression.
We believe that the doctrine of plurality, and a community of wives are heresies, and are opposed to the law of God.
We believe that in all matters of controversy upon the duty of man toward God, and in reference to preparation and fitness for the world to come, the word of God should be decisive and the end of dispute; and that when God directs man should obey.
We believe that the religion of Jesus Christ, as taught in the New Testa- ment scriptures, will, if its precepts are accepted and obeyed, make men and women better in the domestic circle, and better citizens of town, country or state, and consequently better fitted for the change which cometh at death.
We believe that man should worship God in "Spirit and Truth ;" and that such worship does not require a violation of the constitutional law of the land.
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the doc- trines of our conscience, allowing all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or when they may.
JOHN HEIDE, Present Pastor.
SUMMERHILL SCHOOLHOUSE.
Summerhill schoolhouse, the first schoolhouse in the Summerhill district, Fairfield township, was built in the spring of 1854, by John Holroyd, E. B. Cowing, Isaac Elwood and a man named Riley, from logs cut from timber ad- joining the school lot. It was built for school and meetinghouse purposes and used as such for many years, or until the present stone structure was erected. Many funerals were held in the old log building, with interment in the grave- yard adjoining. The first teacher was paid twelve dollars per month and "boarded round" among the scholars. E. B. Cowing was one of the directors and had to examine the teachers as to their qualifications. The schoolhouse
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was about eighteen by twenty-four feet and seven or eight logs high. There was a six-foot entrance partitioned off the east end that served as a cloak room. The writing desks were against the wall, with a seat full length in front, and the building was covered with shingles.
SUMMERHILL POSTOFFICE.
. The Summerhill postoffice was established in the spring of 1854 and E. B. Cowing was appointed postmaster. The mail route was from Sabula to Maquo- keta, the trip being made up one day and down the next. For the first year, the mail was carried on horseback, then with light wagons and later there was a hack line put on. The postage on mail matter was charged according to the distance it had to travel. A letter from California cost twenty-five cents and it took from four to six months to get through. Letters were mostly sent C. O. D.
CANTON IN 1850. (Wagoner.)
In my last letter I promised to make Canton my next point to start from. It was in the winter of 1850 that I found this place. It was a small village of per- haps one hundred and fifty inhabitants. There was here an excellent water power with a flouring mill, a sawmill and a woolen factory, together with other ma- chinery for cutting plastering lath, and also turning lathes, in fact anything in the line of wooden supplies could be obtained here. Canton had the only grist mill in a circuit of twenty miles, and sawmills were also very few and far between. Canton also had two fairly good country stores.
The proprietor of all these industries was J. J. Tomilson, formerly a Virgin- ian, who also owned about seven hundred acres of timber land and nearly all the town lots. Canton thus equipped became the center of trade for many miles around. It was then a brisk village and did more business in a day than it does now in two months. The proprietor was a man of great energy and withal a genial disposition, easily approached and a man of more than ordinary intelligence.
Mr. E. M. Franks, formerly of Ohio, was also here and in the mercantile bus- iness, and a trader in live stock, having at this time three hundred steers and cows in one feed lot, together with three or four hundred shoats as gleaners.
Canton was already about twenty years old and was among the first settle- ments west of the Mississippi, and at that time I thought it was destined to be one of the best inland points in the state. Being surrounded by a dense body of timber and as good water power as could be found anywhere in the state, I felt that I had found the right spot at last.
Among the residents were some that the reader will doubtless remember. John Reynor, an Englishman, who had recently come over to operate the woolen mills. Dr. T. Gracy, who also was county surveyor, and his two deputies, C. Vin- cent and J. Woods. Garvis Smith, a merchant, J. Brenaman, a justice and notary ; Dr. Johnson, then a practicing physician, who on one occasion was returning from a visit to a patient, fell from his buggy into a mud hole, while under the in- fluence, but he succeeded in gaining his seat after some struggle. His clothing was in a sad plight, on his arrival at his home he found a man waiting with a forthwith call seven miles away. He now faced about to immediately obey the
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
call, but here his wife interfered, and said "Dr. you cannot go in such a plight, come in and change your clothes," but he refused and said that he had not the time. His wife still protesting, the doctor turned to the messenger and said, "Did they send for my clothes or for me?" to which he replied, "For you." "All right, here I go."
There was also at this time an old gentleman stopping at the only hotel in the village, Fulton by name, always well dressed and plenty of funds to pay his way; he had already been there over a year. ยท Some of the citizens asked him when he had imbibed a bit too freely, why he did not seek a more desirable place to spend the evening of his life, to which he replied, "I am all right here, I am under a salary ; I am hired to stay here by parties in New York state, who are defendants in a suit pending in court. I am the only important witness and I must stay here until I am found out by the plaintiff in the case, and then I must hide again."
Having now completed my recent land purchase I decided to return to my home in Pennsylvania till such time when the remainder of my father's family could he got ready to emigrate. It was now midwinter, and there being no rail- roads farther west than Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, I must needs go down the Mis- sissippi River by steamer and up the Ohio, but the upper river being now ice bound, I must make my way to St. Louis overland. I now started for Bellevue where I had some unsettled business to attend to. On my way, night overtook me about fifteen miles west of that town where I found a lone settler, who had evidently been a very early settler from the appearance of his buildings and other sur- roundings, and here I stayed over night. The man was apparently fully sixty- five years old and had a family of five or six children, all of them far up, past their teens. The old man told me that his former home was in old Virginia, which he had left more than forty years ago, and that he had stopped a few years in Indiana and later on in Illinois, and now in Jackson county, Iowa. On my ar- rival the old man sent one of the boys to the postoffice to see if there was any mail ; the distance to Lamotte where the postoffice was kept was five miles. During the evening the man gave me an interesting history of his life up to the then present time. About 9 o'clock the boy returned bringing a letter postmarked Virginia, the whole family now anxiously gathered around, the old man now turned to me and said, "Stranger, can you read writing?" which question I here answered in the affirmative, he then handed me the letter to read, but I told him it might contain something not suitable for a stranger to hear. He said none of my folks can read and we must depend on others. I then read the letter, which was from a brother, and was throughout very religious and emotional in tone. I had not read half the letter till the old man was on his feet clapping his hands and shouting "Glory to God." In this his wife also joined. After quiet was resumed, I finished the reading when another outburst occurred, in true old Virginia style. My enter- tainment by the family throughout was of the most hospitable kind for which the southern people are famous.
In all my experience before or since, I never met with a family so thoroughly illiterate and so thoroughly Christian and emotional and I began to study the cause. Good "mammy" wit was not wanting with any member of the family. The letter of the evening was well composed and showed the emotional Christian spirit throughout and carried with it the spirit of southern hospitality and so- ciability. And the kind treatment simple, and unpretentious as it was, and the emotonal outburst of the evening before, and the hearty benediction at my start- ing out in the morning showed plainly that good people with fertile brain can have their origin in the mountains of Virginia. Altogether it had the effect to command respect instead of amusement and contempt, and I was constrained to bow the head in reverence. But I must now hasten to Bellevue and from there to St. Louis and secure a passage to Pittsburg. On this trip nothing occurred and twelve days afterward I found myself once more among my father's family and among my old neighbors and friends.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
OZARK FIFTY YEARS AGO. (By Levi Wagoner.)
As early as 1847 there was a settlement begun around what is now the village of Ozark. At this point was found an excellent water power on the North Fork of the Ozark or Maquoketa River. This site was first improved by one Joseph E. Hildreth in about 1848. Mr. Hildreth built a dam of brush and logs to dam the water sufficient to run a sawmall. It was in 1850 that the writer first visited the place. The town consisted of five slab shanties. They were built of slabs set on end in a trench dug in the ground, instead of being set on a stone foundation. The walls were double, the slabs were placed face to face and solidly nailed together, which left the walls as rough on the inside as they were on the outside, but it made a strong and warm house. These shanties were one story high with shed roof which was also made of slabs. Thus equipped, Mr. Hildreth with a crew of half a dozen stalwarts began his career as pioneer of this part of Jackson county.
It was soon after this that emigration began to pour into Iowa, and lumber was in large demand, and Mr. Hildreth was unable to supply the demand with his present force of help, and he found it necessary to build more slab houses and double his force of men around the mill that he might run at night as well as day time. It was in 1850 that the writer first visited the place and found everything in running order as above described.
Mr. Hildreth was a man of great energy and business ability, and withal one of the kind that did not leave his religion on the east side of the Mississippi River, but in his little village early established a preaching point to be supplied by the itinerant missionaries as they made their rounds. His moral and Christian zeal was quite as great as his business energy, and altogether he made this first settlement a model community. And as the surrounding country was being settled by sturdy farmers whose first aim was to raise as much wheat as they could, for wheat in those days was king, Mr. Hildreth soon learned that a flouring mill was the next great necessity. This he pro- ceeded to build in 1853, five years after he built his first slab shanties, but this was not a slab affair; it was a first class structure two stories high with a capacity of sixty barrels of flour per twenty-four hours, for it, as the saw mill, ran day and night, and still was not sufficient to keep up with the con- stant increasing business for the reason that there was not then a flouring mill north or east, short of the Mississippi River, twenty-five miles distant.
In addition to the mills Mr. Hildreth found it necessary to establish a general store. This enterprise he began on a small scale which he increased as the business increased, until the stock in the store amounted to fifteen thou- sand dollars, and he employed four clerks.
The first settlers throughout the country almost invariably kept sheep enough for the wants of the family for clothing, which was spun and woven in nearly every house, which was the case in all parts of our country before we had woolen factories, as at the present day. Mr. Hildreth being a man that was always up to date, now began to see the necessity of a woolen factory in connection with his other business, and this industry he brought into activity about 1858.
It was now full ten years since Mr. Hildreth had begun his career at Ozark, and it looked now like being fully developed as a village of over one hundred population. There were no other inducements to build up a town at this point outside of the mills that were already there. Among the employes at the flouring mills were Mr. A. Boyd, Mr. Harry Spray and A. Heister. The woolen mills were run under the supervision of John Reynor & Sons. All these mills were run to their full capacity and the little village was one of the busy places of Iowa, notwithstanding its tender age.
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It was at this time that the village received its death blow. Mr. Hildreth, together with Mr. Heister, his miller, were making repairs in a breech of the dam, and Mr. Hildreth with a heavy crowbar, was trying to dislodge a large boulder on the bluff to be used in mending the breech. The rock in rolling down struck the crowbar in Hildreth's hands and the bar in turn struck his head and scattered his brains over several yards of ground. This catastrophe acted as a pall over the village and also affected the settlement of the country around. The property was now placed in the hands of administrators, and when finally settled was sold to parties in Dubuque, under whose management the decline was steady from start to finish. Now there is scarcely a vestige of its former importance remaining. Among other industries of the town the cooper business also deserves mention. In those days flour was all packed in wooden barrels ; of these the mill used daily from forty to sixty, and of pork barrels that were manufactured here, Dubuque and Galena furnished the market. The number of coopers that found steady employment at this point often exceeded twenty, that is including those who manufactured shingles which were made from the fine native oak that could be found for a number of miles around are village. In this forest the native hoop pole was also found in great abundance.
Among the first settlers of Ozark and its vicinity may be named, James Ryan, John Hayden, Tom Mulford, the Howard brothers, Tom Boyd, Geo. Turner, Snyder Horton, E. Harding, Sam Bickford, A. Hildreth, A. Heister, E. Ralston, J. Ralston, Chas. Basely and others.
Of other settlers who came to the vicinity when Jackson county had its greatest boom in 1850, the following may be named: Geo. Duel, John Sinkey, Jack McCullough, John M. Mccullough, Sr., Van Shirley, Geo. Mccullough, Joe Pennell, Millen Ralston, Rube Jacobs and others; for the most part these early settlers have lived in this vicinity continuously since that time, but by far the greater number are now dead and their places occupied by the generation that followed.
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