USA > Iowa > Louisa County > History of Louisa County, Iowa, from its earliest settlement to 1912, Volume I > Part 48
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"JOSEPH L. DERBIN, "WILLIAM S. ROBERTSON, "H. T. CLEAVER, "Judges of the contest.
"Wapello, Louisa county, Iowa, May 17, 1858."
As the result of this decision a new election was had and Mr. Woodruff was elected by a vote of 735 to 482.
One of the very early teachers in the county was Richard Wigginton, who taught school in the winter of 1839-40, at Toolesboro. This Richard Wiggin- ton, it is said, was a son-in-law of Christopher Shuck. The school he taught was probably the second taught in the county. It is certain that one of Chris- topher Shuck's daughters married a Wigginton, but this Richard Wigginton who taught the school might have been the father of the one we have in mind. He was probably pretty well advanced in years at this time, for the school boys in those days called him "Old Moses."
Another early teacher in the county was A. G. Siverly, who was the father of E. W. Siverly. A. G. Siverly taught school in Honey Creek in what is now Morning Sun township, in 1840, and this was undoubtedly the first school taught in that neighborhood. The schoolhouse was a log cabin which had been used for a blacksmith shop and it was situated on the bank of Honey creek nearly a mile below the present school building in Honey Creek district.
John Wilson, an early settler there, also taught school in the same building, probably in 1841. The first school taught in what is now Columbus City township was in a log schoolhouse not far from the present residence of M. D. Hanft, and very near where the schoolhouse in that district now stands.
James Helverson was one of the early school teachers there, possibly the first. The first school in the town of Columbus City was probably taught by John Cleaves about 1843. Colonel W. W. Garner also taught a term or two of school there shortly after that. The first school in Union township, that is, what is now Union township, was taught by Dr. W. A. Colton, and the school was held in Quince Thompson's house.
Over in the neighborhood of Harrison and Port Louisa one of the early teachers was Rev. Holmes, who taught a school in Possum Hollow, down near Port Louisa. This was in the early 'Jos probably, although our informant is unable to give the precise date.
Another early teacher in that neighborhood was the Rev. Jackson Duff, an associate Reform Presbyterian minister, who divided his time as to preaching between Harrison and the Honey creek neighborhood.
The late John Hale was one of Mr. Duff's pupils, and we know of two of his pupils who are still living .- Mrs. McDill, daughter of John Ronalds, and Mrs. Carpenter, daughter of Albert Stickney, and mother of Hon. C. A. Car- penter.
Another early school teacher in what is now Morning Sun township was David Curran, who taught in old Concord about 1845.
403
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
John Gilliland was probably the first school teacher in Wapello and he taught a private school on Main street. Some other information about the Wapello schools will be found in the chapter about Wapello.
It is said that the first school teacher in Marshall township was Elijah Lath- rop.
The first school taught in the Dan Westbrook neighborhood was, as we learn from James Thornton, in a little log house put up by the neighbors in the early '40s, and Emily Bras was the teacher. Fourteen or fifteen pupils attended this school and this was before the organization of any district there, and the par- ents paid so much for each child who attended. Mr. Thornton says the next school that was started in that district was at Grandview some years later and was taught for three or four years by Lewis Kinsey, who was afterwards county clerk and clerk of the supreme court.
As we have already stated, some of these early schools were taught in houses which were not built for that purpose. The school building in which the Rev. Duff taught at Harrison was a "lean to" built up against a two-story frame that stood just on top of Harrison hill, on the north side of the road and almost directly opposite the present fine residence of Mr. Fath. It had a puncheon floor, with seats of the same kind, and as John Hale said in describ- ing it, "each pupil furnished his own back."
The following article copied from the Columbus Gazette, of October 3, 1907, will serve to give us a good idea of the early schools. It was written concern- ing Honey Creek school of pioneer days:
"It would take too long to describe all the old time methods of teaching, but we will briefly try to describe the old time way of teaching penmanship. No pupil was permitted to try to learn to write until he was sufficiently taught in spelling and capable to commence reading in the third reader. Then, and not before, he might apply to the teacher for permission to learn to write. With this permit, the pupil set out to procure the materials for commencement. At this date there were no steel pens in all the world. The pupils furnished goose quills, from which the teacher was required to make their pens. Good paper was dear and money very scarce. There was a kind of cheap, unruled paper used by new beginners. Lead pencils had not yet come into use. The pupil would draw out a small piece of lead or bullet, about three inches long for a pencil to rule his copy book with ; then he would get about a half pot full of oak bark and boil it down to a strong ooze and put a little copperas in it for his ink. Then the pupil would appear before the teacher with his new unruled copy book with his piece of lead tied to it with a string about two feet long and a home-made rule and a medicine bottle full of ink corked with a small piece of corn cob and a goose quill behind his ear. Then if the teacher was in good enough humor to notice him he would make him a pen out of his goose quill and set him a copy of straight marks. After a long time he would get a copy of what he called pot hooks. Then after long and tedious practice he would be introduced to what was called large hand letters, three or four times as large as common fine hand.
"Finally, if he went to school long enough, he would be promoted to try to write common small hand, and woe be unto the pupil writing or drawing any-
404
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
thing in his copy book but the copy. Any pupil caught trying to draw any kind of picture was liable to the severest punishment. Penmanship was so poorly taught that the fewest number of pupils ever learned to practice it efficiently. The little lady pupils who attended the oldl log schoolhouse are worthy of more than a passing notice. My, but they were nice! We know there are a great many lady pupils attending school now and a great many have attended since, but in our estimation none of them are to be compared with the little lady pupils that attended the old log school. One of them in particular seemed to me to be the very essence of perfection. One day at school, at the noon hour, in conver- sation with her. I cautiously stated that it would be a great pleasure for me to escort her home that night after spelling school. She very readily gave me to understand that such an arrangement would be agreeable to her. i felt en- couraged, but alas! when going home time came after spelling school my courage failed. I had not the nerve to carry out my part of the contract, and my little charmer had to go home without a beau. That night after retiring, the events of the past day made such an impression on my mind that it was perhaps half an hour before I could go to sleep. Next morning I was trying to solve one of the deep mysterious problems of long division when my dear came into the schoolroom; as she passed me I looked up at her over my slate; she made an ugly face at me and was so mad she would not speak to me for several days. And that ended my first extremely pathetic love experience.
"Poor old log schoolhouse, long since become scattered ashes, goodbye, Poor little pioneer pupils. Poor little tired backs with nothing to lean against. Poor little bare feet that could never reach the floor. Poor little droopy headed fig- ures, so sleepy in the long summer days. Long since many of these pioneer pupils of the past, their feet wherever wandering, have found a resting place in the soft earth and their drooping heads have gone to sleep on a dreamless pillow and there they are at rest."
There is a little history connected with one of the schools in Marshall town- ship that probably ought to be preserved. There was one teacher who did not seem to get on the right side of the large boys. They decided that they wanted to make him treat the school to peanuts and candy. They finally went to the sub-director and told him what they wanted and the plan they had made, and he told them to go ahead, that there would be no interference from him. Ac- cordingly, a number of the big boys went to school bright and early on a cold Monday morning when the ground was covered with snow, got in plenty of wood, made a big fire and fastened the door on the inside. When the teacher came he could not get in, and they refused to let him in. Finally he got a big log and broke the door in, but he hadn't more than entered the room until four or five of the boys pounced upon him, and after quite a struggle succeeded in put- ting him out again. He then went to the aforesaid sub-director, who gave him no aid or comfort, but told him that he, the teacher, was hired to run that school and if he couldn't run it, he had better depart. Things went on for a few days, the boys still holding the fort, some of them remaining in the school- house over night to be on hand early in the morning. The teacher besieged the schoolhouse off and on, but was unable to gain an entrance, and after this had lasted for nearly two weeks he capitulated by agreeing to treat the school. This
105
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
he would do on the last day. Things went all right again for a few days until the teacher whipped one of the smaller scholars, unjustly, as the other boys thought ; that night a couple of the big boys waylaid him and gave him a whip- ping. This ended his teaching, but it is said that when the director came to pay him, he kept out $2.50 to treat the school with.
Shortly after this the directors hired another teacher. They raised the pay from $25 a month to $45, the agreement with the new teacher being that he was to get this pay for running the school, but if he couldn't run it, he got nothing. The parents were notified of the time when school would begin, and the big boys had a few meetings and laid their plans as to how they woukl "show" the new teacher. Monday morning came, the new teacher and all but one of the scholars were in their seats ready for business, when the chosen ringleader. according to agreement, came in late and without taking off his hat went up to the stove and began marching around it, clapping his hands, going through the motion of getting warm. For a while the teacher appeared not to notice this new arrival, but at length he turned and told him that if he was a visitor he hoped he would be genteel enough to remove his hiat and take a seat. The smile that went around the schoolroom told the teacher that this was no visitor, but a pupil, and he added, "but if you are a pupil, I will find you a place." With this he stepped toward the pupil and reached out his hand as if to take him by the coat collar ; but seeing that there was to be trouble, instead of taking him by the coat collar, knocked him down. A few of the other boys came up to engage in the fray but received the same punishment as fast as they came, and it was not long until the new teacher was master of the situation; and it is said that his school that winter was the best school that had been taught in that district up to that time, and that within two weeks after this occurrence every boy in the house was willing to fight for him if necessary.
As stated in the beginning of this article, we have found it very difficult to get definite information in regard to the early school teachers of the county, where they taught and when.
It may be fairly claimed that the public school system was in operation in this . county, in a way, as early as 1850 or 1851. The United States Census for 1850 gives the attendance at the public schools in 1859 at 674, and the number of different pupils for that year at 1,200; the total population of the county then was 4.939. We need not speak of the schools of the county as they are now ; they are as good as, and quite similar to, the average Iowa schools.
GOLD SEEKERS
Louisa county furnished her full share of gold seekers in 1849 and 1850. To those of us who are living now it is hard to realize what these men must have put up with and suffered in making the trip across the country over the alkali desert with ox teams and on foot. People who travel a great deal now on the finest trains that cross the continent, find it a tiresome and disagreeable journey over that desolate country between Denver and Salt Lake, and in those days there were no conveniences of travel, and to be ever on the alert for the hostile Indians,-it certainly required courage to undertake such a trip. Quite a number went from Wapello, Columbus City and Morning Sun and other parts
406
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
of the county and quite a few of these died on the road. Some of our county officers resigned their positions to go in search of the yellow metal. Among them we note Aaron Hurley, county surveyor, and James McKay, county clerk. Mr. McKay was taken sick with the cholera and died on the way thiere.
A. J. Kirkpatrick in a letter to one of the newspapers described the dust and drouth that he encountered on the way out there and says: "That not less than 4,000 people died of cholera on the Platte river alone."
Joseph L. Derbin, afterwards County Judge, wrote to Mr. Isett in Septem- ber, 1850. and the letter was published in the Wapello Times. We make some extracts from his letter :
"The Louisa county boys are so scattered that I cannot give much account of them ; those that I have any knowledge of are W. H. R. Thomas and his boys are at Cold Springs; C. M. McDaniel and boys, Cold Springs; Dr. Howey and boys, Cold Springs; Johnson and boys at the Rough and Ready diggins sixty miles north of here. S. Pitt, Webberville, fifty miles from here; Louis Kinsey sits at my right hand. Charles Vandervort and William Crow, with Pelton are at Cold Springs. Black Wess is at Hangtown; Wygant and boys, Kuntz and boys and Hamilton boys are at Cold Springs. Messrs. Drake and Hur- ley and boys with Trask have gone to Feather river about seventy miles north from here. T. Hayes & Co., T. Thompson, David Gregory, and John Bevins and boys are on American river. Wheelock, is near Webberville, sick with typhoid fever, but at last accounts was in a fair way to recover. James Warnstaff, Lucket and Fitch are here in the city. George Keever died a few days ago at Hangtown. John Studdard and L. Robinson are teaming to the mines. M. B. Robinson, IIenry May, Mintun's boys, Shuck's boys and A. Thompson are at Cold Springs. Tite is in the city. Stevens and boys are at Hangtown. John Donahoo, is in my camp sick in charge of A. Paschall and is getting better. G. Jones and brothers have gone to Carson Valley to buy stock. Zebina and Francis Williams past through here a short time ago, they sold out to Kirk- patrick and have gone to Oregon, but think they will be back in the Fall."
The above letter is dated at Sacramento.
THE WELSH SETTLEMENT
Louisa county is indebted to Wales for some of its very best citizens. In the west and southwest part of Columbus City township, and in the north part of Elm Grove township is what is often called the Welsh settlement, and it is composed of a class of people who conie nearer being all "above par" than any community that we know of ; with scarcely an exception they are honest, intel- ligent, industrious and law-abiding, always attending to their own affairs, but always willing to assist in any enterprise that will promote the progress or pros- perity of the county.
The earliest settler among them was John Griffith, who came in 1840. For many years he was the leader in the settlement, as he spoke English better than many of the other early comers and understood our ways better on that account.
Soon after him came Evan Anwyl. He had two sons, William, now dead, and Thomas who lives in the edge of Washington county ; one daughter Mary, married Evan Morgan, and his other daughter, Margaret, is the wife of David N. Jones, who was one of the most highly respected men in the community.
.7
JOHN GRIFFITH
لاتر
1
407
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
There also came such splendid men as Jolin Morgan, John A. Rees, and the Davis', Evans', Williams', Owens', Jenkins', Jones', Roberts', Hughes', and others whose names do not occur to us at this writing. Also Wm. Arthur, Arthur Griffith and David Tudor.
The Welsh are a very religious people, some of them being Congregationalists, and some belonging to what is called the Welsh Calvanistic church.
The pioneer preacher in the Welsh settlement was the Reverend David Knowles, who preached the first Welsh sermon ever preached in Iowa, at Long Creek, on the second Sunday in September, 1845. Mr. Knowles organized the Congregational church at Long Creek January 14, 1846, and was pastor there until 1854, and again from 1861 to 1866. He was a man of great versatility, had a fine education and was a splendid penman, and had few equals in engrav- ing. He was born in Manchester, England, in January, 1811, and resided for some time at Hawarden, Wales, the home of Mr. Gladstone. He preached at one time at Flint Creek, and Old Man's creek, which were Welsh churches, but also preached in English churches at Columbus City, Crawfordsville, Moscow, Wilton and Grand River in this state. Later he went to Nebraska and continued his pastoral work there, until shortly before his death which occurred February 12, 1899.
Another and the second pastor of this Welsh Congregational church on Long Creek was the Reverend Thomas W. Evans, who served there from 1856 to 1861. Mr. Evans was born at Cardigan in Wales, December 21, 1816, and came to Louisa county in 1856. He occasionally served other Welsh congregations besides the one on Long Creek. He died in this county only a few years ago at the age of 86.
The other pastors of this Long Creek church in the order of their service were as follows : Owen Owens, from 1868 to 1871; Samuel Jones, from 1872 to 1875; I. C. Jones, from 1875 to 1877; M. E. Davies, from 1878 to 1881 ; J. E. Jones from 1882 to 1889; W. H. Jones, from 1889 to 1890; Lloyd Williams from 1892 to 1900; James Jenkins, from 1900 to 1903; R. P. Roberts, from 1903 to 1907. Thomas P. Jenkins, who is the pastor at the present time.
For the information concerning the Welsh Congregational church, we are indebted to Reverend T. O. Douglas of Grinnell, and we regret that we have not similar data at hand for the other churches.
The Welsh settlement has not furnished very many county officials, but this is because so few of the people there seek office. Robert T. Jones was one of the county supervisors, and made an excellent record.
Miss Lizzie Hughes was county superintendent of schools, and has been for many years one of the faculty of the State Normal School at Cedar Falls. She is recognized as one of the leading educators of the state.
A FEW STATISTICS
In 1850 Louisa county had 12.1 persons to the square mile. In 1856, 23.5. In 1870, 31.6. In 1880, 32.2, and it has been practically the same ever since.
In 1850 Louisa county had 850 families and 842 dwellings.
In 1856 there were 1,677 families and 1,571 dwellings.
In 1880 there were 2,607 families and 2.545 dwellings.
408
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
POPULATION OF LOUISA COUNTY
1838
1,180
1865
10,948
1840
1,927
1867
11,885
1844
3.238
1869
12,219
1846
3.644
1870
12,877
1847
3,648
1873
12,377
1849
4,155
1875
12.499
1850
4,939
1880
13,142
1852
5,476
1885
11,926
1854
7,341
1890
11,873
1856
9,568
1895
12,786
1859
10,805
1900
13,516
1860
10,370
1905
12,893
1863
10,639
1910
12,355
CENSUS OF 1856 SHOWN POPULATION OF LOUISA COUNTY 9,599
Farmers
1,391
Shoemakers
18
Blacksmiths
45
Harness makers
7
Carpenters
127
Merchants
54
Wagon makers
20
Speculators
7
Brick layers
16
Druggists
1
Plasterers
10
Physicians
22
Stone cutters
8
Lawyers
7
Machinists
4
Brick makers
4
Millers
16
Coopers
18
Engineers
13
Clerks
22
Painters
8
Ministers
IO
Cabinet makers
7
Teachers
20
Milliners
13
Teamsters
31
Tailors
13
Bankers
1
CENSUS OF 1856
Nativity
Nativity.
Iowa
. 2,243
Indiana
802
Ohio
2,214
New York
381
Pennsylvania
1.062
New England
232
Illinois
271
Southern States. 1.066, chiefly Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Caro- lina, Maryland and Missouri.
409
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP POPULATION
1850
1860
1870
1880
Columbus City
1,183
Columbus City
1,815
2,344
2,868
Fredonia
369
Concord
577
892
747
Grandview
1,028
Eliot
263
370
414
Jefferson
646
Elm Grove
573
701
651
Florence
776
Grandview
1.360
1,635
1,544
Wapello
937
Jefferson
635
846
678
Marshall
728
967
769
Morning Sun
1,075
1,258
1,734
Oakland
432
604
508
Port Louisa
667
774
693
Union
432
616
608
Wapello
1,813
1,870
1,928
10,370 12,877
13,142
Year.
Population.
Value.
State Taxes.
School Taxes.
Total Taxes.
1873
12,377
$7,039.05
$34,900.60
$84,129.36
1875
12,449
7,287.64
81,314.40
1895
12,786
40,009.13
96,158.74
1900
11,873
$14,619,068.00
9.502.29
119,389.18
1903
16,841,068.00
53.365.56
144,474.43
1905
19.241,996.00
60,873.75
148,296.02
1907
17,985,144.00
55.352.13
146,162.04
1909
18,307,224.00
60,071.81
168,873.26
1910
16,064.37
78,102.19
208,000.00
There has always been a strong temperance sentiment in Louisa county, and on every occasion when the people of the county have been permitted to vote upon the question, the temperance or prohibition side has had a majority. The first election was on the subject of license or no license, held April 5, 18.47. at which "No license" received 271 votes, while 198 votes were cast "For license." Jefferson township and Fredonia township gave a majority for license, while Wapello, Columbus City, Grandview and Florence were against it. Some ac- count of the meetings held during the liquor campaign in 1854 was given in the newspapers, and they will serve to remind us of some of our early temperance advocates.
The last prohibition election held in Iowa was on the question of the pro- hibition amendment to the Constitution in 1883. At that time Louisa county cast a large majority in favor of prohibition, and has been numbered among the "Dry" counties ever since.
THE WORK OF THE WAAPELLO VIGILANCE COMMITTEE
Early in 1859 the people of Louisa county, and especially those in the vicinity of Wapello, became considerably worked up over repeated thefts of horses and cattle. It is noted in the Wapello Intelligencer that about May Ist, A. D. Hur-
4,939
Assessed
410
HISTORY OF LOUISA COUNTY
ley had a horse stolen from him, and that J. L. King had a horse stolen from the stable of Levi Chase. As a result of these and many former thefts the Intelli- gencer of May 14th called for the organization of a vigilance committee and such a committee was organized some time during the month of May. One of the most active men concerned in the organization of this committee was A. D. Hurley, who, for a time at least, was secretary of the committee, for we find in the Wapello Republican of July 4, 1861, the following notice:
"There will be a meeting of the Louisa county thief detective vigilance com- mittee, July 6, 1861, at the court house in Wapello, at 7:30 o'clock p. m., for the election of officers and the transaction of important business. It is the duty of every member to attend all regular meetings when notified, and hold himself in readiness when called upon, to discharge any duty resting upon him as a member, and to communicate to the president all information that may be of advantage in bringing offenders to justice.
"A. D. HURLEY, Scc."
Other active members of this committee were: Dr. H. T. Cleaver, Sheriff A. M. Taylor, Vinton Massie, John M. Herrick and D. W. Herrick, John F. Sannders, James Semple, S. B. Cleaver, and others whose names we cannot give. We take the following extract from a biographical sketch of John F. Saun- ders, which was published in the Wapello Tribune of March 24, 1905, and relates to this larceny matter :
"It was in the year 1859, and at a time when Louisa county was practically in her virgin state, scores of square miles of her territory was prairie land and vast herds of cattle roamed at will. The cattle were branded in the spring and turned loose and allowed to roam and feed upon the grass until autumn, when they were identified by the owners, taken up and sold. These herds of cattle were great temptations to lawless bands of thieves, who, many times singling out the best of the herd, drove them to Burlington or to the nearest marketing place and sold them. Sheriff Taylor was in office at the time of which we write, and under him our sketch was acting in the capacity of deputy. Sheriff Taylor conceived the plan of catching the outlaws. A man by the name of Rhodes was then in the penitentiary at Fort Madison serving out a sentence of several years. and Taylor, who had some acquaintance with the man, visited the prison and laid his plans before him. It was to the effect that he should obtain the pardon of Rhodes, who was to get in touch of the outlaws, if possible, gain their confi- dence, acquaint himself with their plans, reveal the same to Taylor and help in their capture. This Rhodes consented to undertake, and after regaining his lib- erty, carried out his plan to its ultimate success. He learned that on a certain evening a band were to deliver to a shipper at a point near where Elrick Junc- tion now stands a herd of ten well fatted cattle, who was to pay for the same and say nothing. Taylor decided to intercept this plan if possible and capture the thieves. So taking with him his trusted deputies, Mr. Saunders, Gustavus Jones. David and Henry Herrick and Vinton Massie, they laid in wait for the thieves at what was then called Horseshoe Bend, a point about one hundred yards below the residence of Israel Peters, on the Burlington road south of Wapello, and where Rhodes had learned the thieves would pass with their stolen property.
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