USA > Iowa > Humboldt County > History of Kossuth and Humbolt counties, Iowa : together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 71
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were the judges. Immediately following the election the officers qualified for and entered upon the functions of their re- spective duties, and the work of organiz- ing the county was commenced.
Under the laws of the State at this time the local government was vested in what was known as the county court, which consisted of a judge, clerk and sheriff. This court filled the various places now occupied by the board of supervisors, county auditor, circuit court, and was the government de facto. The records of this court and of the county commence with the first entry upon the minute book of the county judge, which bears the date of Ang. 31, 1857, and which records the qualifying of Calvin W. Beers for the office of county assessor, who had been just appointed, and is signed by Jonathan Hutchinson, county judge. Shortly after the organization of the county the assess- ors returned the books with the full amount of the assessments entered there- on, and the court, or board, composed of Jonathan Hutchinson, county judge; John F. Williams, clerk of the court, and Alex- ander McLane, county treasurer, made the following levy of taxes mpon the 2d of November, 1857: County fund, six mills; State, two mills; school, one mill, and road one mill, with a poll tax of fifty cents. This brought in the following amounts to the several funds:
County $ 505 03
State
168 35
School.
84 17
Road. 84 18
Poll.
32 00
Total $ 873 73
The first warrant drawn was issued on the 8th day of January, 1858, to C. W. Beers, and was for $28.75, as payment for eleven and a half days services in assess-
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ing the county. The second was to E. G. Morgan and was for 88.40, for transcrib- ing the records from the books of Webster county.
But little of special interest transpired in the records of the judge's minute book about this time, the only business entered thereon being the payment of warrants, etc. On the 6th of June, 1859, however, a petition was presented to the county court, praying for the erection of a safe building for the offices of the county officials and the storage of the records of the county, signed by E. Mcknight and forty-three other tax-payers. This appar- ently meeting the views of the conrt, it was granted and A. V. Lambert, of Fort Dodge, was commissioned to draw up the plans and specifications for a building. On the receipt of these, proposals were invited for contracts to erect the same, but not fulfilling all the points were all de- clined by the judge, and the erection of the edifice postponed.
On the 19th of September, 1859, Patrick Lyons, Patrick Kelly, Batiste and Fran- cois Sibille, Patrick Cosgrove, Peter Far- rell, Louis Airies, Daniel Kelly, Jonas Peterson and Peter Peterson appeared before the court, and having satisfied that tribunal of their compliance with the law, were, after taking the proper oath, de- clared citizens of this United States.
Under head of Dec. 15, 1859, the following entry appears upon the minute book. "The office of county judge having become vacant by the death of the late Alexander M. Marsh, I have this day taken possession of the books, papers, etc., belonging to this office.
JOHN E. CRAGG, County Clerk."
Mr. Cragg acted as county judge until the 25th of November, 1860, when he was succeeded by George W. Hanchett who had been elected to that office.
The various gentlemen who held the responsible office of county judge in these palmy days of power were the following: Jonathan Hutchinson, elected in August, 1857; Alexander M. Marsh, from March 6, 1859, until his death in December of the same year; John E. Cragg, clerk of the court, who acted in this capacity from the last date until Nov. 25, 1860, when he was succeeded by G. W. Hanchett. These officers and their successors in office, will be found treated of in more detail, in the chapter on "National, State and County Representation," further on.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
In 1859 an act was passed by the Gen- eral Assembly, which changed the form of local government in the various counties throughout the State. By it a body termed the board of supervisors, super- ceded the old system of county court, and was vested with nearly all the authority formerly held by the latter body. The board consisted of one supervisor from each organized township. At this time Humboldt county consisted of only three townships, Wacousta, Dakota and Hum- boldt, and the board therefore contained three members.
The first meeting of this board was held upon the 7th day of January, 1861, and the following gentleinen appeared, and after properly qualifying for the office, took their seats: Dearman Williams, George W. Mann and Alexander N. Cof- fin. On organization Dearman Williams
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was elected as chairman for the ensuing year.
The first warrant drawn under the new administration was issued to William R. Thurston, for $4.60, for services as consta- ble.
The board then proceeded to attend to all business brought before them, which appears to be principally the pay- ment of bills and claims against the county.
At the meeting of the board, Jan. 6, 1862, Eber Stone, G. W. Mann and Alex- ander Coffin, took their seats and elected Mr. Stone, as chairman.
At the June session of this board, an effort was made to remove the county seat of Humboldt county. A petition was presented, signed by Thomas Scurlock and others asking the board to submit to the electors of the county,at the next gen- eral election, the proposition that the county seat be re-located upon the south- west quarter of section 32, township 93 north, of range 23 west. A remonstrance was also presented against the submission of the question, signed by Charles Bergk and fifty-one others, and one signed by J. E. Cragg and others. The board, after due deliberation and consideration, refused to grant the petition.
'The first mention of Humboldt county's participation in the war, npon the records, appears on the minutes of the Septem- ber session of this board, in 1862, when the levy of taxes was made. A special tax of four mills was ordered at that time to enable the county to pay bounties, etc. This was submitted to the people of the connty, and at the October election it was ratified by them. On the first day of December, 1862, the following resolution
was adopted: "Ordered, That a bounty of $10 be paid to all soldiers who have volun- teered since the 1st day of August, A. D., 1862,in the service of the United States,and who at the time of enlistment resided in this county ; and the clerk is hereby ordered to draw the necessary warrants on the county fund for the same; also Ordered-That an allowance of $5 per month be made to the wife of each volun- teer who may have enlisted, under any call for troops, in the United States ser- vice, and who at the time of such enlist- ment was a resident in this county ; and an additional allowance be paid such wife for each child of such volunteer, of $1.50 per month; provided, the amount paid to any such wife shall not exceed the sum of $10 per month for any such family."
The board, which met upon the 5th day of January, 1863, was constituted the same as the previous year, Alexander Coffin, of Wacousta, having been re-elected his own successor. Mr. Coffin was also chosen as the chairman of the board for the ensuing year.
The board of supervisors, for the year 1864, first met on the 4th day of January, of that year and was composed of the fol- lowing gentlemen : Alexander Coffin, of Wacousta township; Edward Snook, of Dakota township; and William W. Dean, of Humboldt township. Mr. Dean was elected chairman and organization made, when the following resolution was adopt- ed:
"Ordered, That a bounty of $200 be paid to any person volunteering in the United States army under the present call of the President, dated December, 1863; said bounty to be paid by warrant drawn
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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
produced a visible decrease, and set back from the gradual increase in the number, but since that time, the country having increased in wealth and prosperity, the matrimonial market has been growing more inflated with each year.
REGISTRY OF DEEDS.
The records of this office consist of fifty- seven books in all, of which the books of deeds are nineteen. There are twelve volumes of real estate mortgages, and nine of chattle mortgages, the rest are of a miscellaneous nature and indexes. The records of this county commenced with the year 1855, and were made in Webster and Kossuth counties, having been, after the organization of Humboldt county, transcribed into the books of this county.
The first article recorded, in the shape of a conveyance of land, is dated Nov. 22, 1855. By this deed, William Hodges sells to Daniel McCauley, lot 2, on section 32, in township 92, range 28, or what is now Grove township. This contained a fraction over forty-five acres, and the con. sideration named is $180. The acknowl- edgment was taken before Sewall Gower, the same day, and before evening was filed for record with the recorder of Web- ster county, from whence it was after- wards transcribed into the books of this county.
The first mortgage on record, was made on the 27th of August, 1855. This article runs from the Des Moines River Naviga- tion Company, of Iowa, to D. B. St. John, trustee, to secure the payment of $2,000,000 and the property mortgaged is described as "all the locks, dams, canals, works, right of way, rents, tolls, covenants, water- powers, water-courses, appurtenances and
branches of the Des Moines River Im- provement, in Iowa. Also all lands now held or hereinafter entitled to under the contract with the State, supposed to be about 1,000,000 acres." This was made payable Sept. 1, 1867, with the interest, payable semi-annually. This was placed on record shortly after its execution, but the exact date is unknown, as the recorder failed to make a note of it upon the page of the volume. As the lands of this com- pany passed into the hands of indi- vidual purchasers, their portions were released, but upon the 7th of January, 1875, a general and full release is entered upon the document in question. This is a lengthy and voluminons paper and covers quite a number of pages in the re. cord.
The first village platted and recorded in the county was Sumner, which bears date of Sept. 19, 1857.
The early records of this county, unlike many, are neatly transcribed, and in many respects, most creditable displays of great mechanical management of the pen, mani- festing the culture of the class of settlers who opened up Humboldt county. Where men are themselves illiterate, men of no education are necessarily elected to office, and where culture exists only officers of like standing are chosen.
The various plats of the towns, and vil- lages of Humboldt county were filed for record upon the dates given herewith, as follows :
Sumner, upon the 19th of September, 1857, laid out by Peter and T. Ellwood Collins, proprietors.
Dakota, on the 7th of June, 1858, by Edward Mcknight. -
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Addison, on the 10th of June, 1858, by Seely M., Julia I. and Charles A. Sher- man.
Springvale (now Humboldt), on the 17th of April, 1866, by Stephen H. Taft.
Rutland, on the 4th of December, 1869, by H. G. Bicknell and wife.
Livermore, Jan. 24, 1880, by George W. Bassett, trustee, George Tillson and George C. McCauley.
Vernon, Nov. 9, 1880, by Marsh P. Hawkins and Lorenzo D. Lovell.
Willow Glen, Jan. 20, 1882, by J. E. King.
Renwick, Jan. 24, 1882, by the Western Town Lot Company.
Thor, March 7, 1882, by the Western Town Lot Company.
Bradgate, March 7, 1882, by the West- ern Town Lot Company.
Gilmore City, Jan. 16, 1883, by Ethel D. and L. L. Taylor.
Bode, on the 23d of February, 1882, by the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls & North western Town Lot Company.
Hardy, on the 20th of February, 1882, by the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls & North- western Town Lot Company.
Johnston's additton to Humboldt, Sept. 8, 1874, by John Johnston.
Lathrop's addition to Humboldt, Dec. 30, 1870, by estate of Ansel E. Lathrop.
McCauley's addition to Livermore, Jan. 28, 1880, by George McCauley, Phocion Weeks, A. P. and J. A. Hunt.
FINANCIAL.
The best exhibit of the financial devel- opment of the county may be shown by the following first report of the county treasurer, and the table of values, accord- ing to the assessment rolls for 1883.
First report of county treasurer, pre- sented to the county judge on the 5th day of July, 1858 :
To whole amount of county tax levied for 1857 $505 03
To Pull Tax.
32 00
$537 03
Collected on county tax to date $304 86
poll 12 50
Remaining for collection
219 03
$537 03
Collected on fees, recorder ....
$21 10
.
" county judge ... 1 40
clerk
85
$22 85
County warrants issued to date
៛917 91
redeemed .. 321 94
Balance of warrants to be redeemed $505 97
Cash on hand at date ... $ 18 26
TABLE OF VALUES, 1883.
Lands, exclusive of town property .. $1, 475, 890 Total number of acres. .. 270,226
Total exemptions for trees planted .. $95,784
Total, after deducting exemptions. . $1,380, 106
Cattle assessed in the county .. 11, 363,
Value ..
97.742
Horses, in the county. 3, 693
Value.
104, 054
Mules, in the county
155
Value ..
4, 704
Sheep, in the county.
1,228
Value.
$
1.228
Swine, assessed in the county 6, 762
Value.
11,004
VALUES OF LAND IN THE TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
Humboldt
$ 71,289
Dakota.
19,526
Livermore.
8,141
Bode and Sumner.
2,172
Vernon
1,805
Renwick
2,115
Willow Glen
721
Bradgate
1,360
Rutland.
1,399
Hardy
1,108
Gilmore.
3.373
Thor. . 1,081
Aggregate value of railroad proper- ty, as assessed by the executive council, under Chapter 5, of the code of 1873 ...
$ 206, 468
Aggregate val. of personal properly including horses, cattle, etc .. $ 218 792
Grand total val. of the county. $2. 015, 240
Tax levied in 1983 .. $65, 206.64
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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
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CHAPTER VII.
NATIONAL, STATE AND COUNTY REPRESENTATION.
While unworthy men, at times, may force themselves into office, it cannot but be acknowledged that the great body of officeholders of the country are truly representative men-men of positive force and character. They are of the number that build up and strengthen a town, a county or a State. In this chapter, as far as possible, are given sketches of all who have served Humboldt county in the Na- tion, State or county. Some of the sketches are imperfect, but it is not the fault of the historian that they are not more complete. Some of the parties have passed away, leaving no record from which a sketch could be obtained, while others have left the county and their present place of residence is unknown.
CONGRESSIONAL.
When Humboldt county was organized it became a part of the 2d congres- sional district, and was represented in the 35th Congress, from 1857 to 1859, by Timothy Davis, of Elkader, Clayton county.
1
William Vandever, of Dubuque, was elected a member of the 36th Congress and re-elected to the 37th. William Van- dever is a native of Maryland. In 1839 he came west, locating at Rock Island, where he remained until 1851, when he removed to Dubuque. In 1855 he formed
a partnership with Benjamin W. Samuels, of Dubuque, in the practice of law. In 1858 he was elected a member of the 36th Congress. He made a useful member of that body. While serving his second term he abandoned his seat in Congress, returned home, and raised the 9th Iowa Infantry, of which he was made colonel. In 1862 he was promoted a brigadier-gen- eral, and at the close of the war was breveted major-general. Since the close of the war he has held several important public positions.
By the census of 1862, Iowa was en- titled to six representatives in Congress. Humboldt county, on the State being re- districted, became a part of the 6th dis- trict. Its first representative from this district was Asahel W. Hubbard, from Sioux City. He was elected in the fall of 1862, and became a member of the 38th Congress. He was re-elected a mem- ber of the 39th and 40th Congresses. He was a native of Connecticut, born in 1817. In 1836 he came west to Indiana, and in 1857 to Iowa, locating at Sioux City. He had been in the latter place only one year when he was elected judge of the 4th judicial district. While a member of Congress he served on the committees of Foreign Affairs, Public Expenditures and Indian affairs. He was very attentive to
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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
his duties while in Congress, and served his constituents and the State with un- qualified satisfaction.
Charles Pomeroy, of Fort Dodge, was the next representative in Congress from the 6th district. He was elected in 1868 as a member of the 41st Congress, and served one term.
Jackson Orr, of Boonesboro, succeeded Mr. Pomeroy in 1871, and served in the 42d Congress as a representative from the 6th district. Mr. Orr served as the rep- resentative in the 42d and 43d Congresses, having been re-elected his own successor in 1872, from the newly formed 9th dis- trict. In 1874 Addison Oliver was elected from the district of which Humboldt is a component part, and being re-elected in 1876, served this people in the 44th and 45th Congresses to the unqualified ap- proval of a numerous constituency.
Cyrus C. Carpenter was the successor of Mr. Oliver. He was elected as a mem- ber of the 46th Congress by a small ma- jority, but in 1880 he was sent back to the Ilall of Representatives with the en- dorsement of an almost undivided people. Perhaps few men from this State have had more influence in Washington than this talented gentleman, who so well served the 9th district.
In 1882 a change was again made in the districting of the State, and Humboldt county became a part of the new 10th congressional district, and Major A. J. Holmes, of Boone county, was elected as the first representative after the change. Col. John Scott, of Story, and Hon. C. C. Carpenter, of Webster county, were can- didates in the convention against him. An able jurist and prominent member of
the bar of his own county, he will, no doubt, make a most excellent legislator.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE.
When Humboldt county was organized, in 1857, it was associated with the coun- ties of Fayette, Butler, Bremer, Franklin, Grundy, Hardin, Wright, Webster, Boone, Story and Greene, as a senatorial district, known as the 33d, and was represented by Aaron Brown, of Fayette, who held for the full term of four years. The repre- sentative, C. C. Carpenter, of Webster, in the Lower House, represented the dis- trict composed of the counties of Worth, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Wright, Hamilton, Webster, Humboldt, Calhoun, Pocahontas, Palo Alto, Sac, Buena Vista, Clay, Dick- inson and Emmet.
In 1860, Humboldt county was associ- ated with Monona, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Woodbury, Ida, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Pocahontas, Buena Vista, Cher- okee, Plymouth, Sioux, O'Brien, Clay, Palo Alto, Kossuth, Emmet, Dickinson, Osceola and Buncombe (now Lyon) conn- ties, in a senatorial district which was represented by John F. Duncombe, of Fort Dodge. In this, the 8th General Assem- bly, Samuel Rees, represented in the House of Representatives, the district composed of the counties of Humboldt, Webster, Calhoun and Pocahontas.
The 9th General Assembly convened at Des Moines, upon the 13th of January, 1862, and Humboldt county was repre- sented in the Senate by Mr. Duncombe, as before, while Lewis H. Cutler had the honor to have a seat in the Lower House, as the representative from this district.
George M. Bassett, was the senator rep- resenting the district, of which Humboldt
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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
was a part, in the 10th General Assembly, which met at Des Moines, July 11, 1864, and Edward McKnight, of Dakota, filled the same position in the hall of Repre- sentatives. Mr. McKnight was one of the most popular and influential men of this county, at that time. He was a native of the State of Pennsylvania, coming to this section from Pittsburg. Probably no one man ever made his appearance here with so much ready money as did he, but being a rich man's son, and inheriting his wealth instead of having earned it by hard labor, he knew not its value, and soon dis- sipated it. One of the most prominent figures of early days, although a young man, he wasted his opportunities, and too indolent to put into play his great natural abilities, backed by a liberal education, he ran through with his patrimony, and in 1867 or 1868, left this locality for good. He is now living in Fairfield, in this State.
In 1863 the 11th General Assembly con- vened, and this district was represented in the Lower House by G. W. Hand, of this county. Mr. Hand was one of the early settlers of Humboldt, having made a settlement here in 1855. A genial, whole- souled gentleman, he could not help being one of the most popular inen in the county. "Wash" Hand, as he is generally known, was engaged in several of the leading en- terprises of the county, but in 1867 or 1868, he became financially embarrassed, and emigrated to fresh quarters to re- trieve his fortune. Ile settled in Kansas, where he has succeeded in accumulating considerable wealth. At this same time, George M. Bassett represented Humboldt in the Senate.
The 12th General Assembly convened at Des Moines, on the 13th of January, 1868, and Theodore Hawley was present as senator. At the same time, Samuel Rees again filled the position of repre- sentative.
In 1870 Gillum S. Tolliver represented this district in the House, and made an able representative. The district was numbered the 39th, at that time. Mr. Hawley was still in the Senate.
At the election of 1871, William H. Fitch, of Calhoun county, was chosen to represent this, the 47th district, in the Sen- ate of the State, and S. B. Hewett, Jr., of Wright, elected as representative of the 64th legislative district.
In 1873 Mr. Hewett was succeeded by Edwin J. Hartshorn, of Emmettsburg, Palo Alto county, who took his seat in the Assembly, on the 12th of January, 1874.
In the 16th General Assembly, which met in Jannary, 1876, Lemuel Dwelle, of Worth county, one of the most trust- worthy men of northern Iowa, represented this, the then 46th district, in the Senate. In the House, John L. Morse was the member from the 70tl legislative district, of which Humboldt was a part.
John J. Wilson, of Kossuth county, was elected a member of the 17th General Assembly, by the 76th representative district. The contest for this place was warm, as Mr. Wilson belonged to the democratic party, and every effort was made to defeat him. Lemuel Dwelle still represented the district in the Senate.
In the 18th General Assembly, E. J. Hartshorn represented this district in the Senate, and A. D. Bicknell, one of the
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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
prominent men of Humboldt county, in the House.
J. J. Wilson, of Algona, was again the representative of the district in the Lower House in the 19th General Assembly. E. J. Hartshorn still in the Senate. .
COUNTY OFFICIALS.
Among the truly representative men of a county are always those who have been selected by their fellow citizens to occupy the important and responsible positions of attending to the business affairs of the county. There has been much difficulty connected with obtaining the material for the sketches of those who have removed from here or have died since their official duties were performed. Where the men- tion of men, who in their time were prom- inent, is short, it is rather owing to the meagre amount of material to be procured than to any intention on the part of the compiler. The most fitting office to begin with is that of the autocrat of his day,
THE COUNTY JUDGE.
This office was the most important in the gift of the people of the county, em- bracing the duties of numerous of the officers of the present day. It is treated of at length under the head of "County Courts" in the judicial chapter.
The first to occupy this responsible po- sition was Jonathan Hutchinson, who was elected in the fall of 1857 and served for a term of but eight months.
A. W. Marsh was the second, being elected at the regular spring election of 1858. He was killed in December, of the same year, while officiating in this capacity, and was succeeded by John E. Cragg, the county clerk, who acted in the office until the election of a successor.
In 1860 G. W. Hanchett was elected to fill the position and in 1861 re-elected and served in all three years. N. S. Ames was elected his successor in the fall of 1863, and taking the office the Ist of Jan- uary, 1864, he held it until in September, when he resigned.
He was succeeded by John Dickey in 1865 and he by J. M. Snyder in 1867.
This ended the county court system, as the duties devolved upon the circuit court and other officials. This matter is treated at length, and personal sketches given of the various judges under the head above mentioned. The county judge was made ex-officio
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