USA > Iowa > Linn County > History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 22
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
night I reached Quasqueton and stayed over night at a small tavern where there were all kinds of people hanging about. The next day I set out again and got down in the neighborhood of Center Point and there spied a deer. I got off my horse and loaded my gun, aimed, and fired. The horse shied and off it started on a dead run with the gold in the saddle bags. I next wanted to shoot the horse for it was worth much less than the money, but before I could reload the horse was out of range. I ran as fast as I could and in an hour found the horse tied to a trec in the timber with the gold safe in the saddle bags"'
Asked how about the deer, Mr. Ellis replied, "Well, I never took time to see whether I killed that deer or not. I was so excited about that gold and that horse that I forgot the deer at that time and never turned around to look."
Since his return home Mr. Ellis has lived quietly on his claim which now for the most part has been platted into city lots. Mr. Ellis is the only person now living who can remember when he saw one eabin here become a city of 34,000 inhabitants.
John J. Daniels, the son of Jeremiah Daniels, came to Bertram township in the spring of 1844, his father entering land on what is known as Indian ereek. erecting a log house and barn thereon. J. J. Daniels was one of the first school teachers in the county. He held many township offices, and was for a time county recorder. Jerry Daniels died in 1882. and John J. Daniels a short time ago.
James Bassitt and wife came to Linn county in March, 1839, and Mrs. Bassitt is supposed to have been the first white woman to eross Indian creek, a stream which empties into the Cedar river below Cedar Rapids. A short time afterwards Rufus HI. and Sarah Ann Lueore eame from Pennsylvania and stopped with the Bassitts. On the first day of April, 1839. arrived Joseph II. and John Liehte- barger, loeating on what became Kingston or West Cedar Rapids; later a brother. Isaae, also arrived. These brothers erected one of the first cabins, in May of that year, on the west side of the river. It is still standing.
At what became Central City arrived in August, 1839, Joseph Clark and family ; this place was for a long time known as Clark's Ford. Here Mr. Clark erected a primitive grist mill by selecting a hollow gum and placing in the trunk of the tree a stone; upon this was placed another stone which was operated by a long sweep and turned on a pivot; in this rude manner enough meal was ground out to supply the family.
Joel and James Leverich arrived in this county some time in 1839, and chose for their home what became later known as "Mound Farm." Ira Leverich jumped a claim which had been staked ont in April of this year by Rufus Encore and after more or less trouble, in which the settlers took Lucore's part. Leverich had to yield and give up his pretended right. Joel was a noted character. He is described as a man of commanding presence. For a number of years he controlled the elections and it was told that "as Joel Leverich went so went Linn county." Dr. S. D. Carpenter, who arrived in 1849. has the following to say abont Joel Leverich : "I had hardly got settled until I was interviewed by old Joel Leverich, the noted character of Linn county of that day. He was known as the 'bogus coon' beeanse, as was alleged, he had to do with counterfeiters. lle was a power in politics and was the kind of a man from which the modern boss has evoluted. Joel looked me over, asked where I was from, where I was going, and what my business was, etc. I was somewhat indignant and tried to be sarcastic, but Joel in terminating his interview with me squelched me by re- marking. 'Young man, a fellow who wears such a hat as you may pass in this country, but I consider it d-d doubtful.' 1. unfortunately, wore a black plug hat which was not the style in lowa at that time. In after years Joe and I became fast friends and I became quite convinced that the shady stories told of - him were the talk of enemies who were jealous of him because he was smarter
PICNIC AT HOME OF GEO. L. DURNO, SPRINGVILLE, 1884
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CENTRAL CITY
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ILLINOIS CENTRAL DEPOT, CENTRAL CITY
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than the greater majority of them. I was with him when he died and although he was a free thinker he passed away with all the calmness of a stoic philos- opher." When on his death bed some one said to Leverich, "Joe, you have burned the candle at both ends." "Yes," he replied, "and now it burns me in the middle."
George R. Carroll in his Pioneer History, speaking of Leverich, says: "The Mound Farm did not remain long in the possession of Broady, possibly a year and a half, when it came into possession of the notorious Joel Leverich; everybody knew him and everybody dreaded him, especially when he was under the influence of liquor, which was often the case. Even his best friends then felt it to be prudent to give him a wide berth, not knowing what instant he would take it into his head to knock them down. Whiskey seemed to make a demon of him, and to attempt to reason with him while under its influence would have been as futile as to try to reason with a cyclone. His poor wife, a most patient and estimable christian woman, would sometimes hide away from him for days lest in his fits of uncontrol and uncontrollable passion he might take her life. And yet old Joe. as he was popularly called, had a good deal of influence in the com- munity. He was a strong partisan politician, and whoever arrayed himself against him was sure to have a hard battle to fight and in the end would very likely meet with defeat. He was as keen and cunning and wily as the old serpent himself, and it was very hard to circumvent him in his plans. He was accused of harboring horse thieves and of making counterfeit money; as to whether he ever did either or not I could not say."
While T. S. Parvin was United States attorney at Muscatine Joel Leverich was tried for counterfeiting, and while Parvin had said some hard things about Joel's mode of making a living he had also said some very nice things about Joel's wife Later Leverich called on Parvin at the hotel, insisting upon speak- ing with him. Parvin's friends warned him not to do so as Joe would likely kill him, but Mr. Parvin thought he would take his chance and Joe did see him. Leverich said, "Ain't you afraid of me ?" "No," replied Parvin, "you can kill me if you want to but you cannot scare me." "Well," replied Joe, "I admire your grit; I came not to scare you or to hurt you but to tell you that you did tell the truth about my wife." Some time after that Parvin passed where Leverich lived and accepted of Mr. Leverich's hospitality.
Joel Leverich's brother, James, was a saloonkeeper in Cedar Rapids and when he ascertained that Joel's death was due to his dissipation, causing a serious stomach trouble, he quit the business. Joel Leverich sold his claim in 1843 to Judge Greene. He resided near the MeCloud Run for a short time and then moved to town, dying in the '40s.
One of the most unique characters in Cedar Rapids, and a person we know the least about, was Osgood Shepherd, who was a hunter and trapper and who is said to have erected the first log cabin on the banks of the Cedar river where the Y. M. C. A. building now stands, unless Wilbert Stone's claim is correct that he was first. When Rohert Ellis came to the Shepherd tavern in April or May, 1838, Shepherd had lived here for some time. He had a wife and his father was living with him at that time, and he also had a number of men who hung about his place, but what their business was no one knew. The log house was about 16x20, covered with clapboards which were held in place by logs on top with ends protruding at the gables. There were also in the family three children, who made things lively about the house. This small cabin was known as Shepherd's Tavern. From Mr. Ellis's description of Shepherd, he was more than six feet tall, of a sandy or reddish complexion, was good natured as a rule and was an accommodating and agreeable landlord. He was accused of being a horse thief. but Mr. Ellis does not know that he ever engaged in this kind of business. However, this is true, that his morals were not of the highest order and it is be-
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lieved that he harbored horse thieves who, in fact, were his special favorites. On the various islands in the river they seereted their stolen goods. It was also stated that in Wiseonsin he was convicted of horse stealing and sent to the peni- tentiary, but how true this is no one knows. His father and one or two children died here and were buried on top of the hill where the Cedar Rapids Candy Company's large building has sinee been erected. Mr. Ellis says that Shepherd told him he was from New York state and for some time had been a sailor on the lakes before coming west. He held all the land as a squatter, and when N. B. Brown, Addison Daniels, II. G. Angle, and others eame they had to buy Shepherd off in order to get title to this property. The patent to this land was dated December 1, 1845, although quit claim deeds and prior rights were dated in 1843, Addison Daniels and Nicholas B. Brown being the patentees. The patents in- eluded grants in the amount of two hundred and sixty-nine acres, and showed that they had paid the amount due at the land office at Marion according to the provisions of Aet of Congress of April 24, 1820.
Osgood Shepherd had a friend named Bill Fisher, who always stuek by him, and of whom Shepherd's father used to say, "that when he moved something was going to happen, but it was not very often that he moved." Ile was a slow-going, lazy sort of an individual, and what Shepherd saw in Fisher, Ellis never knew. Nothing is known of Fisher and what beeame of him. In the fall of 1841 Shep- herd removed to Wiseonsin and was later killed in a railway accident. His widow married a person by the name of Carpenter and removed to Linn county, residing near Center Point. What became of the Shepherd family no one has been able to learn.
Osgood Shepherd and the pioneer settlers with whom he associated were per- haps no worse or no better than the average frontiersmen. They had been trained in hardship and sordid poverty, and the women bore the stamp of the early pio- neers, devoted to their families, shirking no hardships, ever willing to move west- ward on account of the freedom gained and the opportunities offered.
Of a different type of mankind was the progressive, enterprising and enthus- iastie Nicholas B. Brown, who purchased Shepherd's elaim, the most prominent figure in the history of the early days of Cedar Rapids. Mr. Brown arrived in 1840, purchasing the rights of Shepherd with Addison Daniels and others. On August 4, 1841, he began surveying what was then known as Rapids City. He improved the water power which Brown early foresaw would make the town. A saw mill was completed in 1842 and the waters of the Cedar began to make its machinery hum; this was the first real enterprise of which the town could be proud. A woolen factory was also erected by Brown, which was later disposed of to the Bryan family. In 1846 and 1847 a grist mill was also added. On account of his many enterprises in which he had to depend on others Mr. Brown was involved in mueh litigation, but he was a born fighter for whatever he thought was right and accumulated a fortune because he had the tenaeity of purpose to hold on to what he had purchased. As a pioneer he did some excellent work and certainly was one of the shrewdest business men of Cedar Rapids in his day and generation.
Mr. Brown was born in the state of New Jersey in 1814, removing as a young man to the state of Kentucky. Ilis first wife was Catherine Craig, danghter of Thomas Craig, one of the pioneers. She lived only a few years. His second wife was Susan Emery, daughter of one of the early settlers of this eity. Mr. Brown died in 1880, one of the most honored and respected men in the community, sur- vived by his widow and two sons, Emery Brown and Harry Brown. The widow died in 1909, one of the best known and most respected in the eity having person- ally known nearly all of the settlers in the '50s and '60s.
Dyer Usher is said to have hunted and trapped in Linn county as early as 1836 in company with one Jim Ames; how true this is cannot be aseertained, but
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he did come to locate in 1838. He came of a sturdy family, was born in Ohio, and at the age of eighteen in 1832 he erossed the Mississippi, being one of the first white settlers to step upon Iowa soil. Mr. Usher brought the first divoree suit in Linn county. This business has grown by leaps and bounds sinee that time. He attended for a number of years the old settlers meetings and was a well known figure in the early days in this county. Mr. Usher was thrifty, hon- est, and fair in his dealings. He died December 11, 1894, at the age of eighty years. His widow, Rosanna Harris, died in 1909 at Covington at the age of seventy-nine. She was born June 6, 1829, in London, Canada, and with her parents emigrated to Iowa in 1845. She was united in marriage to Dyer Usher July 29, 1847. To this union were born twelve children, of whom five survived her: Willard R., of Alberta, Canada, Mrs. Alice Harris, of Estherville, Mrs. A. H. Miller, of Cedar Rapids, Mrs. Ray Lockhart, of Shellsburg, and Dyer N. Usher, of Covington. She had been a resident of Linn county for sixty-three years.
It is still a disputed question as to who was the first actual settler on what later became Cedar Rapids. It is true that Shepherd ran a sort of hotel or tavern and was the best known man in this part of the country in that early date, but it is not likely that he was the first man to build a log cabin here. Philip Hull had been located in the lower end, when Ellis arrived in 1838, and Ellis also found William or Wilbert Stone in possession of the land on the west side of the river, and he was the one who staked out what he called "Columbus" in 1838, having previously staked out Westport and sold his elaim to John Henry.
Information as regards William Stone has lately been discovered through a daughter residing at North Liberty. She states that her father's name was James Wilbert Stone, but he was commonly called William or Billy; that he was born in the state of Rhode Island and drifted west into Iowa in 1832 or 1833, and that he always asserted that he built the first eabin on land which later became Cedar Rapids. It is said that he drifted west by way of Museatine or Roek Island and followed the Cedar river as far as Ivanhoe, later coming to the rapids of the Cedar river. Mr. Ellis says that he knew William Stone very well; that he was a quiet, congenial, splendid fellow, and at this time resided on the west side, having a claim along the river extending northward to the bluff, and that a Mr. Galloway elaimed south of a large cottonwood tree on the same side of the river. Stone and Galloway were on good terms and owned the adjoining elaims. John Young and a man by the name of Granger, O. Shepherd, and Philip Hull were the owners or elaimants of the land on the east side of the river. The daughter of Stone asserts that her father always said that he first located his elaim on the east side of the river. It may be that Stone may have moved across the river after Shepherd ereeted his tavern, and made elaim to the land near and adjoining the rapids. It is intimated by Ellis that Stone and Shepherd were not on the best of terms and Shepherd, being a large, pompous kind of a person, he might have driven the more quiet and less assertive new neighbor aeross the river. The daughter of William Stone, or James Wilbert Stone, Mrs. Elizabeth Hrdlicka, states that her father bought goods and traded with the Indians for furs for some years, and that the last time her father talked to her he told her that he was sorry he ever gave up the town of Cedar Rapids but did not think then that it would amount to anything. In 1843 he removed from what was Cedar Rapids to the Iowa river and married Elizabeth G. Brown and settled in Oxford township, Johnson county. To this union were born two girls: one, the eldest, died and the second girl, Elizabeth, now Mrs. Hrdlicka, was taken by her grand- father, Joseph Brown, on her mother's death when the daughter was only four weeks old. After the death of his wife Stone removed to Hudson, St. Croix county, Wisconsin. He returned to see his daughter abont once a year. He died at the age of forty-eight years in the state of Wiseonsin.
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It seems from the story of the daughter of Stone, who is still living, that JJames Wilbert Stone was undoubtedly the first actual settler on the site which later became Cedar Rapids. From investigation it seems that Shepherd may have jumped Stone's claim and for that reason Stone removed across the river.
In Bailey & Hair's Gazetteer, 1865, the following mention is made of Wil- liam Stone: "The next [ town site] in order of time was called Columbus, built by William Stone, in September, 1838. Ile abandoned his town the next spring, then being a single log cabin. The site was that occupied by the present city of Cedar Rapids."
Mr. Stone was a speculator and a trader and had made some money trading with the Indians prior to the advent of Shepherd. This is true, that Stone did not harbor any people of unsavory reputations, and his whole life bears the im- print that he was a gentleman even on the frontier. Sneh a person people would not remember as well as a frontier character like Shepherd. Shepherd, on the other hand, whatever may have been his failings, was a man of a big heart, who attraeted people to him. He had the love of adventure, and it is not any seeret but that he harbored thieves and gave them more or less encouragement. Mir. Stone, on the other hand, was an honest, quiet man, the opposite of his neighbor. and it is not to be wondered at that they did not get along.
Another settler who came here at an early date was O. S. Bowling, or Bolling, who came in the summer of 1838 making a elaim on the west side of the river and in whose honor Bowling's Hill in the south part of the town was named. Mr. Bowling was a quiet man, a good neighbor, and one universally loved by the old settlers.
In June, 1839, came Thomas Gainor and David W. King. These gentlemen found Wilbert Stone, the Lichtebarger brothers, and the elaims of Young, Hull. Ellis, and Bowling. It is said that Mrs. Rosanna Gainer, wife of Thomas Gainer. was the first white woman to locate on the west bank of the river and consequently would be the second woman to locate in what became Cedar Rapids, Mrs. Osgood Shepherd being the first. Mrs. Gainer did not reside long in Cedar Rapids, as she died June 8, 1840, giving birth to a daughter who also died the same summer.
David W. King became one of the most enterprising of the men of that early day. He ran a ferry, platted the town of Kingston, and died, the owner of much land, in the autumn of 1854. His death eaused much sorrow in Cedar Rapids.
In July, 1839, arrived Isaac Carroll and family, consisting of nine persons, all of whom were well known by the carly settlers. A son, Rev. George R. Carroll. has written interestingly of the Carrolls, Weares, and others of the early settlers in his Pioncer Life in and Around Cedar Rapids from 1839 to 1819.
Another early character was John Vardy, who arrived in July 1841, and built, it is stated, the first frame house at the corner of Third street and Sixth avenue, during the summer of 1842. Mr. Vardy was a cabinet maker and an all- round person in the use of tools. He removed to Texas in 1856 where he died in the fall of 1878.
Another of the old settlers was Thomas Downing, a native of Posey county. Indiana, and a tailor by trade who at the age of nineteen drifted into lowa and in the early '40s came to Linn county. He was a elerk in the Daniels Company store, removing in 1855 to Waverly to condnet a business for Greene Bros., of Cedar Rapids. He died in Waverly in 1896.
Sammel F. Hook was another of the residents of Cedar Rapids who came in 1845 at the age of twenty-one, a native of the state of Virginia. He died in 1848. and it is thought he was one of the first, if not the first, real store keeper within the boundaries of what became Cedar Rapids.
J. H. Kelsey was born in New York state in 1819, and arrived in Cedar Rapids in 1848. He was a carpenter by trade. He removed to Vinton in 1863, going later to Nebraska where he passed away some time ago.
METHODIST CHURCH, CENTER POINT
SOUTH MAIN STREET, TROY MILLS
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Steve L. Pollock, a native of Pennsylvania, arrived in Cedar Rapids in the early '40s and married Marilla Lncore, a daughter of one of the early settlers, in March, 1844. He was the pioneer blacksmith and is supposed to have built the third or fourth house in the city. Harrison Campbell, it is stated. was the owner of the first blacksmith shop, in 1843. Mr. Pollock emigrated west in 1865 and died in Hood River, Oregon, in 1902. He was a brother-in-law of William Stew- art, one of the old settlers of this city, both of them well and favorably known among the early pioneers of Cedar Rapids.
Hiram Deem was a native of Ohio and at the age of twenty-eight or twenty- nine located at Cedar Rapids and hired ont to N. B. Brown. He helped to build the dam across the river, ereeted saw mills, and otherwise was a very useful man in a town with the boom spirit that Cedar Rapids had at that time. He was also one of the first justices of the peace and many a scrap was settled in his house, which stood on First street on the west side. He entered the army and died from exposure in a hospital boat in January, 1863.
What later became known as "Time Check" was first entered by Farnum Colby, who came here in 1839 and made his elaim along the river about a mile northwest of the First avenue bridge near Robert Ellis's claim. He was a native of Pennsylvania and a very useful, hard-working man. From here he removed to Olin, Jones county, where he died some years ago.
In the early '40s also eame Charles R. Mulford from Hoboken, New Jersey, and at once began as a town merchant, opening a store in the Vardy house on Third street and Sixth avenue. He was one of the most wide-awake business men of that day and had a good business, but was caught with the gold fever and emi- grated in 1849 to California, where he died.
One of the best known men in the state in an early date was Col. William H. Merritt. Mr. Merritt was born in New York eity September 12, 1820, and received a fair education at Lima Seminary. At the age of eighteen he was compelled to rely on his own resources and sought the west, settling in Rock Island, Illinois, where he obtained a elerkship. Through government officials and others he was sent to Ivanhoe on the Red Cedar river in 1839 to take charge of an Indian trading depot. Ivanhoe was a squatter town, being staked ont in October, 1838, by Anson Cowles. To this place, which was expected to become a large trading eenter, came also at the same time George Greene, who taught school in the vieinity during the winter of 1839. Mr. Merritt ran the store with considerable ability, and long before the Civil war showed his presence of mind and bravery. At this time, like in all other stores of its kind, whiskey, tobaceo, and groceries were sold over the same eounter, and one day a number of Indians came, insist- ing on buying "goody toss," designated in English as whiskey. Mr. Merritt refused, as he had such orders from his employers, but the Indians insisted and began to take possession of the store, and intended to drive the young clerk out. A few pioneer hangers-on fled, but not so the young elerk in charge of the goods and the store. He got hold of an axe and with this he eleaned out single handed a whole squad of Indians, who left as quickly as they had made their appearance, much to the surprise of the white settlers, who np to this time had always fled when the redskins outnumbered them ten to one.
Mr. Merritt was related to George Greene by marriage, and the two men were much together from this time on. Mr. Merritt became clerk in the Assembly at Burlington in 1841 and in company with George Greene edited the Miners' Express at Dubuque. Later he was eanght with the gold fever rush and emi- grated to California, returning in 1851, becoming once more editor and part owner of the old paper. In 1855 he removed to Ft. Dodge, being appointed registrar of the land office at that place. He returned onee more to Cedar Rapids and founded a banking house under the style of Greene, Merritt & Co., which firm later disposed of their banking interests to Sampson C. Bever. He was nomi-
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nated for governor on the demoeratie tieket in 1861 but was defeated by Samuel J. Kirkwood. Later he enlisted and served with distinction during the Civil war.
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