USA > Iowa > Madison County > History of Madison County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 28
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"Jefferson Township was the favored township for the people from Clayton County, owing to the character of the soil, which resembled that of Clayton County, and also to the smooth undulating surface in the northern part where most of them settled. In 1866 those who came to Jefferson Township were Malcolm McBride, William C. Hazen, Gustavus Hazen, John Kelley, Mrs. Estey, George and John Brooker and John Hartenbower.
"In 1867 those who came were William Brewster, Leonidas Renshaw, Lewis Ballon, Enoch Allen, Frank Trunkey, Elliott Cook, Jonathan Smith, John Hutchins, Alfred Pierce, Almon Wright, John Wright, Dewitt C. Wright, Hardy Lockwood, Gudliffe Brooker, Frederick Brooker, Timothy Killam, and John Smith. All these settled in Jefferson Township. Afterwards and prior to 1870 those who settled in this township from Clayton County were Merrill A. Knight, Alexander Miller, Sylvester Renshaw, Silas Angier, William Kelley, Gearhardt Storck, John Westphal, Herman Marquardt, Ferdinand Marquardt, Mr. Stein- house, Merrill Carty, Harriet Hazen, George Allen and William Buske.
"In 1868 Anson M. Peters settled in Madison Township and soon after George Storck settled there. About the same time Simeon Alger settled in Penn Township and Thomas Adams and William Sherman settled in Jackson Township.
"During the period from 1865 to 1870 Dr. Evan Linton, Mrs. Linton, Harri-
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son, Hettie and Emily Linton, Emily Adams and C. II. Lancaster came from Clayton County and settled in Winterset.
"Of the foregoing settlers, John Hartenbower and John Smith were after- wards elected as representatives ; Merrill .A. Knight, county treasurer ; George Storck, county supervisor; Dewitt C. Wright, clerk of the district court; and Charles C. Goodale, county auditor."
Of the list mentioned it will be noted that many have moved away and others have passed to a better land. However, many of their descendants are living within the county, some occupying the homes where their parents first settled.
The Clayton County settlers were an honest, sober, industrious class of citizens and were progressive farmers. They became identified with Madison County's best farmers and having settled in the north part of the county, they made a wise choice in the selection of farms and soon became well-to-do and prosperous.
John Wragg, who settled in Grand River in 1863, went to Dallas County the following year and founded the Wragg Nursery, which is now known all over the state.
Lee Township .- Emerson Ilazen came here in 1865 and owned 320 acres of land in section 16. He died several years ago. Part of the farm is still owned by a son and daughter. John Stevenson came in 1867 and owned a farm on section 5, which is now occupied by William Shambaugh. Mr. Stevenson moved to Colorado many years ago. Solomon H. Bronson arrived in 1868 and for a time lived on section 19. He soon afterward began buying and shipping hogs, making his residence at De Soto, Booneville and Commerce. Ife died a few years ago at the latter place.
Madison Township .- Enoch Affen in 1867 bought 640 acres of land on sections 11, 12, 13 and 14, which he sold to Anson M. Peters, who came in 1868. Mr. Peters owned one of the best farms in Madison Township. Several years ago he moved to California, first disposing of his land. It is owned at present by Henry Thomsen and others. George Storck, the first of the Germans, came in 1868 and bought 160 acres on which he still lives. He owns in all 440 acres.
l'en Township .- Simeon AAlger settled at Penn Center, in Penn Township. in 1868, and there passed away. He was the father of Mrs. L. Renshaw, Mrs. Merrill Carty and Mrs. Rev. William Mercer.
Jackson Township .- Thomas Adams and William Sherman settled here in 1868. Clark Sherman owned land in sections 4 and 9 from 1876 until 1001.
Jefferson Township .- Daniel Hazen bought his farm in section 27 in 1864 and moved thereon in 1865. He later owned 320 acres. About 1883, on account of ill health, he and his family went to Florida and there his wife died. He and his sons returned to Madison County. He died a number of years ago. His son Bert now lives in Union County and Carl lives in Oregon. Emerous Hazen bought land on section 3 in 1865, where his son Frank still resides. Rufus Hazen settled on section 14 in 1865, near Pleasant Grove Church. He moved to Union County many years ago and some of his children still reside there. He is now deceased.
C. C. Goodale came in 1805. He worked for Daniel Hazen and also taught school. Ile later lived on a farm in Lee Township. In 1873 he was elected county auditor, holding the position three terms. In 1887 he moved with his
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PIONEERS OF 1872 ON PORCH OF COURTHOUSE
1 C. P. 120 3 T. A. Duer
4 Dr. Hillis
5 Rnf Bell 6 S. G. Ruby
7 A. Il. Adkisson 8 John S. Tullis
9 J. C. Morgan
10 Johnny Mckibben 19 A. D. Taylor 1I Col. 11. J. B. Cummings 20 A. R. Dabney 12 'T. S. Love 21 A. W. C. Works 13 John Hinkle 15 S. B. Cherry 16 .. .. Hutchings -- Donnelly 23 8. 1% Holliday 21 G. W. Seevers 17 J. A. P'itzer 25 D. B. Kirk 27 8. 1. Gordon
28 John Young 29 Chal Danforth
30 W. H. Kiser
31 A. G. Tomlinson 32 T. B. Way 33 .I. S. Cavenor 34 E. G. Barker 36 Joe Shannon
37 J. B. Sturman 3% Steve Smith 39 John Stilller 40 C. T. Jones 12 D. S. Cooper 13 A. W. Crawford 4.1 M. W. Ward 45 W. S. Whedon
16 Dr. Philbrick 17 E. O. Burt IS Cal Tryon 19 Thos. Garlinger 50 JJ. C. Kirkwood
51 Jerry Barker 52 Roth 53 S. B. Wheelock
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Martin 55 O. A. Moser 57 W. C. Newlou 58 Wasson 59 W. W. Bartlett 60 C. A. Gaskill
til Wm. Complon
62 A. W. Wilkinson
18 A. J. Kendig
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
family to Lamar, Colorado. For four years he was surveyor general of Colorado and made his home in Denver. He is now practicing law at Lamar, where he has property interests.
George Allen, who came in 1865, was a brother of Mrs. Emerous Hazen. Mrs. Henry Gutshall, who was formerly Miss Lucinda Parks and came here in 1865, lives on the old homestead on section 2.
George Brooker, who came in 1866, married a Miss Killam. He owned the northeast quarter of section 22. He died about 1885. His children were Clinton, Elmer E. of Des Moines, Orva of South Dakota, Ernest of Jefferson Township and Mrs. Williams.
John Brooker, who came in 1866, settled on section 16, Jefferson Township. He died in Winterset in 1904. He married Mary Hubbard and their children are Ernest, William, Mrs. Lou Imes, Mrs. Trindle, Mrs. Coe and Clara.
Malcolm McBride, who came in 1866, settled on section 22. He died about 1894. He married a Miss Hazen, who died many years ago. Their children were L. W. of New Mexico, Mrs. Hettie Baur, Mrs. Nellie Alexander and Carrie.
John Kelley, who came in 1866, married a Miss Estey and they had several children. Mrs. Estey, who came the same year, died many years ago. Besides her daughter, Mrs. Kelley, her children were Oren, Benjamin and Mrs. Kopp.
Gustavus Hazen at one time owned Reigle Mill. John Hartenbower owned 160 acres of land on section 25. He was elected representative in 1870. He later went to Kansas where he was elected to the same office. He died a few years ago.
Elliott Cook owned 320 acres of land on section 24. Francis Trunkey owned land on section 13. He moved to Van Meter, Iowa, and died there several years ago. Gudliffe Brooker lived on section 20. He became very prominent in Sunday school work and was president of the county Sunday school association for twenty years or more. He sold his farm and died in Earl- ham in March, 1907. Frederick Brooker lived but a short time in Jefferson Township, when he moved to Missouri and there died. William Brewster owned land on section 21. He eventually returned to his old home in Connecticut and died there several years ago. Lewis Ballou owned 240 acres of land on section 17. He eventually moved to Pasadena, California. Leonidas Renshaw owned a farm on section 21. He sold his land several years ago and moved to Indianola and later to Canada. He married a Miss Alger. John Hutchins owned the northwest quarter of section 16. Ile died several years ago. Some of his children resided in Colorado and a son, Dr. A. C., lives in Des Moines. His daughters are Mrs. Frank Howell and Mrs. Alvin Williams. Mun- son Wright owned the Procknow farm. He moved to Storm Lake. Alfred Pierce, who lived on section 12, married a Miss Wright. Almon Wright lived on section 12. D. C. Wright was elected clerk of the district court in 1893. He later moved to North Dakota. Timothy Killam first located in Winterset and later in Jefferson Township. lle was the father of Mrs. Gudliffe and Mrs. George Brooker, J. M. Killam of Truro, T. J. of St. Charles, C. D. of Sioux City and George of Denver. Jonathan Smith, who owned land on section 14, moved to Van Meter and there died a few years ago. John J. Smith lived on section 10, and was elected representative in 1875. Silas Angier moved from the county to Dakota and later moved to Indianola, Iowa. Adam Geizelman lived on the Renshaw farm. All the above named came in 1867 to Jefferson Township.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
George Cook, who came in 1868, owned eighty acres on section 14. His children were Elliott, Frank and George. He died in 1885. Merrill Knight, who came the same year, owned 100 acres on sections 7 and 8. He was elected county treasurer in 1875 and served two terms. He conducted a hotel in Winterset for a time and later lived on a farm in Jackson Township, where he passed away. He had three sons and three daughters. Sylvester Ren- shaw came in 1868 and settled on section 21, Jefferson Township. He married a Miss Hazen and moved to Earlham. Alexander Miller settled on the southwest quarter of section y. Jefferson Township. Gerhardt Storck came in 1870 and located on sections 9 and 10. He married a Miss Marquardt and reared a large family and died. Ferdinand Marquardt came in 1870 and located on section 3. August Bernau came in 1872 and settled on section 7. He died in 1885. J. 11. Bernau, also deceased, lived on section 14. Another son William lived on the homestead. The daughters were Mrs. R. Kneuper and Mrs. Henrietta Wishmire.
William Buske, who came to the county in 1871, lived on section 8. He later moved to Des Moines. Charles and Merrill Carty, who came in 1872, were then aged eleven and thirteen years respectively. August Zieman and wife came in 1873 and located on sections 21 and 28. Carl Marquardt and wife also came in 1873. They were the parents of Mrs. Gerhardt and Mrs. George Storck, Mrs. W. H. Burger and Ferdinand and Herman Marquardt. Frederick Roggeman came in 1873 and settled on section 8. He sold to Louis Niendorf. John West- phal came here in 1874 and settled on sections 3 and 4. He died in 1884. His widow afterward moved to Des Moines. His son Herman lives in Jefferson Township. Frederick H. Myers came in 1874 and located on 320 acres on sec- tion 21.
CHAPTER XXIX
SCHOOLS AND RATTLESNAKES
The schools of this county were at first conducted on the old subscription plan, says W. S. Wilkinson, in a paper on the pioneer schools, read before the Historical Society, in 1905. Some one would go around the district with a sub- scription paper and the head of each family would subscribe so many scholars for the term at the price stated in the paper. If they secured a sufficient number of pupils the teacher was hired and the school went on. If not, the effort was a failure. Many a subscription paper has gone by default by not securing the required number.
The wages paid were about ten dollars a month and the teacher boarded 'round among the scholars, boarding a week at one home, and the next week at another. Girls frequently taught for as low as eight dollars a month. Money was scarce then and the teacher sometimes had to take part of his wages in trade.
The schools of the early days were of two kinds. There was the "loud school," and the "silent school." The silent school was where the pupils prepared their lessons silently, as at the present time, and the loud school was where they prepared their lessons in a loud voice all at the same time in school. Both the loud and silent plan had their advocates. In the loud school one scholar would be preparing his spelling lesson : B-a-k-e-r-baker ; s-h-a-d-y- shady ; l-a-d-y-lady ; t-i-d-y-tidy ; another his reading lesson: "The boy stood on the burning deck, whence all but him had fled," and another: "Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as cotton and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb would go a trottin'." I think those were not the words in the book, but something like. They would all be reading their lessons over in a loud voice at the same time, making more noise than a lot of women at a quilting party.
The first school I ever attended was on the silent plan, but the teacher would usually let us study our spelling lessons out loud of evenings and sometimes of Saturday afternoons we would have loud school; you sec then we had six long school days in a week. The first school I attended was partly on the loud and partly on the silent plan. I think the teacher favored the loud plan but some of us were too bashful to study out loud so we composed the silent part of the school.
The first loud school I ever saw in Winterset was shortly before the Civil war. The school was taught by Mr. Hollingsworth, a very fine old gentleman. He called it a select school. A few of us from J. S. Goshorn's school visited the select school one forenoon. We arrived just before recess. The teacher enter- tained us very nicely. He was very enthusiastic over his plan of teaching and explained the advantages of that mode very satisfactorily-to himself.
When time came for books he called the school to business. It would hardly
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IHISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
be proper to say order, for I could see no order about it. For some reason he had run behind with his recitations, and he called out to Mary Wasson to hear such a class and on another advanced scholar to take another class in another part of the room, while he heard another class himself and entertained his visitors at the same time in a loud voice ; he had to talk very loud to be heard above the racket. I think there were forty or fifty scholars present. There were two reading and one spelling class reciting at the same time, while all the rest of the school were studying their lessons out loud and each one trying to read louder than anyone else in the school. That was the loudest school I ever saw. They made more noise than the party spoken of a while ago. Now some of the teachers are so particular they will hardly let us whisper in school, if they can help it.
In the old school days, the teacher had his rules for the government of the school written down. There were usually about ten of the rules and they stated what should be done and what should not be done. These rules were read the first thing the morning the term commenced and frequently afterwards until all were familiar with them. It was considered that there was more virtue in the rod at that time than at the present and for a small violation of the rules a scholar would receive about five lashes with a switch, and for a greater violation he woukl be punished according to the offense.
The free school system did not come into practical operation for several years and not for some time after the first free school act was passed. It was opposed by some of the heaviest taxpayers on the ground that it was unjust for one man to have to pay for the schooling of other people's children. It was claimed by some, and not perhaps without some flavor of truth, that those who paid the least taxes had the most chiklren to send and those who paid the most taxes had the fewest chiktren to send.
About this time the school lands of this county were sold, the proceeds of which formed the "school fund," which still exists. The interest of that fund was used then as now, as a public teachers' fund. This proved to be a great stimulus to the free school system, as under a subsequent act each school district had to maintain six months' school each year to entitle them to their share of the public money. I think there was the same county levy of one mill then as now but districts had to arrange for the balance of the six months' school and the subscription plan was often resorted to to help out the required amount of school, so that the free school system was not in force much before 1860.
The public school fund was cared for for several years by a school fund commissioner elected or appointed in each county, and was under the direction and frequent inspection of the superintendent of public instruction, but the office of school fund commissioner has long been done away with.
Under the first free school law there were three directors in each school district and the law made it the duty of the directors to examine or have some competent person to examine the teacher as to his qualifications to teach before commencing the school. This was before there was a county superintendent of schools.
The free school system was started under the unfavorable circumstances hinted at but was improved from time to time until it developed into the great free school system of today, of which the people of this state are justly proud and which those of other states view with some degree of admiration.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
Early under the new system a number of schoolhouses, mostly log houses, were built in each township. The districts were marked out and the schoolhouses built more to accommodate the settlers than to divide the township, so that of the first five or six schoolhouses built in Scott Township, only one or two now stand on the ground where the first schoolhouse was built.
The old schoolhouse was used for early meetings, church, political and social gatherings : there were the writing schools, the singing schools, the lyceum and the old fashioned spelling school. Those meetings were of frequent occurrence during the winter season and were a source of much enjoyment, and perhaps a degree of profit to those engaged in them. The spelling was very popular with the young people and the teacher who refused to have spelling every week or two was very unpopular with his school, and if he did not look sharp, he was likely to be turned out by his scholars, and sometimes he was turned out when he did have spelling.
Schools would sometimes prepare for a spelling match and different schools would meet at one of the schoolhouses on a certain evening in friendly contest to see which school could spell the other down. The result was usually received with good grace by the defeated school but sometimes charges of unfairness were made by the defeated school and the blame sometimes landed on the teacher of the successful school. That and the difficulty of keeping order and the extra labor it entailed made it in course of time unpopular with the teachers, so they used all their influence to do away with the spelling school and today it is almost a thing of the past.
The principal sport at school was town-ball and at times they would have interesting games, and woe to the passerby who ventured to hollow "school butter."
At this time there were no church buildings and meetings were held in the schoolhouses and private homes. They were conducted more on the pioneer plan than the more formal mode of today. People wore no silks and satins then ; their clothing was mostly home made and they did not object to getting right down on their knees at those revival efforts for which those times were noted. Some of those revival meetings were spirited affairs and some of the bad boys used to say that when the women got to shouting the fun commenced. And there was the old fashioned camp meeting where the people would go with a covered wagon or tent and camp out for days at a time near some good spring in the woods, and there are some certain spots in this county today still spoken of as "the old camp meeting ground." But the old fashioned camp meeting was a pioneer institution and has almost passed away in its okl form.
The old log courthouse in Winterset was used for several years for all the town gatherings, church, school, political and social.
The politics of an early day in Iowa was of a mild form; there were the democrats and whigs ; some were democrats I suppose because Jackson was a (lemocrat ; others were- whigs because they didn't want to be democrats. The principal difference between the parties at that time was on the tariff and on banking, but as the people on the frontier did not buy much, they did not excite themselves very much about the tariff.
The campaigns were run differently from what they are now. It was inde- pendent politics then, more like the primary campaigns, only there were not so
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IHISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
many candidates. If a man ran for office then he went around over the country and talked to the voters. There was no packing of conventions then, for there were no conventions to pack, and before the secret ballot came into use they voted by word of mouth. The candidates' names were written in a column in the voting place and when a man went to vote for a man he said so and it was marked down to him, and if a man got the most votes he was elected and if he did not get the most votes he was not elected.
One heard little about politics then, only in a presidential campaign, and not much then and it would be four weeks after election before it was known who was elected President. There were but few papers published in lowa at that time. There was one started in Des Moines early in the '50s. . An agent came around through this county and my father subscribed for the paper. I do not remember the name of the paper.
There were a few abolitionists in the eastern states and some farther west who thought that it would be funny to steal a few negroes and run them off to Canada, and that raised a little steam. And there were a few "Know Nothings" that were mean enough to think that Pat and Yacob had no right to vote and hold office in this country and that certain religious people ought to have nothing to say in this Government, and that raised a little more steam. And there were a whole lot of fellows who said that the South should not have any more territory for slavery if they could help it. And there were a whole lot of fellows who said they wanted more territory for slavery, that they needed it in their business and that they would have it if they could get it. And then things began to boil. Our quiet, independent politics was soon changed to a roaring, raging political storm.
The different parties raised their liberty poles in every town in the county. They held their meetings in every schoolhouse in the county, sometimes in the daytime and sometimes at night. Sometimes they would hold their meetings in the woods. They would sometimes gather at a schoolhouse like a camp meeting. go in the morning and stay all day, have speaking in both the forenoon and afternoon. And they would sometimes round up at Winterset in the evening and frequently some would get enthused with spirits that were not altogether political. They woukl sometimes have a joint discussion. Both sides would meet and divide the time and each side would have just so long a time to see how many mean things he could say about the other side, and according to the verdict of the crowd both sides always came out away ahead.
Henry Clay Dean made his great speech to the people of Madison County in the summer of 1860, I think. He spoke under a walnut tree just a few steps south of the old lime kiln on Buffalo road. The stump of that tree was dug up a few years ago to get it out of the highway. There was a crowd there like a camp meeting and the woods of Middle River rang with Henry Clay's voice. At the close of the meeting the people crowded around the stand to shake hands with the speaker; men and women, old and young, strove in that throng to extend that mark of courtesy to their favorite orator.
BIG SNAKE HUNT IN 1848
Much has been said at one time or another about the "Great Snake Hunt," as it was called, which took place in this county in the spring and summer of 1848.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
As is well known, when this county was first settled the rattlesnakes were very numerous and it is natural that the settlers would be very uneasy lest some of their loved ones should become victims of the deadly sting of these reptiles, so during the fall and winter previous to that spring, there was as much talk as about the cabbage snake the last year or two, and with better reason.
After talking the matter over among themselves for some time they called a meeting of the settlers to form some plan of concerted action to get rid of the snakes, and they concluded that the best way to get rid of the snakes was to kill them. So it was agreed to have a general snake hunt the coming season. To increase the interest in the enterprise it was decided to divide the settlers into two companies by the line running through the center of the county east and west. This line divided the settlers about evenly.
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