History of Madison County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I, Part 49

Author: Mueller, Herman A., 1866- ed
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 566


USA > Iowa > Madison County > History of Madison County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 49


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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All along the stage line the stage coach was a pleasing feature to the people, and any family felt quite "sot up" if the stage swung up to their gate with a package or message. The whole family-to the last dog and cat-came out with smiling greeting. It broke the monotony of their life. We were not flushed with amusements in those days.


The arrival of the coach took on greater interest during the war. It was watched for, and as it neared the postoffice, from every direction came people, many of them women whose husbands were in the army. They came through the fields, along the wayside and road, often with babies in their arms, leading an- other, while one, two, three or four followed, trotted ahead or ran a race with the coach. It was a pathetic scene after the stage had gone. There was always some sonorous-voiced man who delighted to read a late paper to the gathering. He often stumbled over the big words, but the listeners were too interested to note small defects if they sensed it. No wonder that this country is so patriotic! They inherited it from both parents.


I am sorry an old stage coach cannot talk. What interesting tales we'd hear!


There came a time when the coach was loaded to its limit with men all in blue, who, without a quiver, went to face death for home and native land. Later, many a wife and mother received their wounded and sick soldier from the same stage coach. He hadn't been crowded on his return trip. The pompous agent was as tender as a woman. The driver couldn't have been hired to crack his whip. Long stops were made for the sick soldier to rest. The long grass on the sixteen- mile prairie made a downy couch. The mail on time? It was not considered.


406


HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY


Uncle Sam's mail took the second place to Uncle Sam's boys in blue. That soldier boy was to them the whole United States.


THE EVOLUTION OF FENCING


( Read Before the Madison County Historical Society by Sidney Wilkinson.)


The mode of fencing has passed through several changes since this county was settled. The reason for this was, first, the failure of the native supply of material, and then the advance of civilization and arts created a desire for better conditions than prevailed in the days of "Auld Lang Syne."


The first fencing in this country, as everyone knows, was the old-fashioned rail fence, but when well done made a very formidable barrier against unruly. stock. The timber was first cut into logs usually ten feet long, then split into rails and afterwards hauled to the place where needed and built into fence. Rail- splitting was pretty hard work; a good hand in fair timber would cut and split from one hundred to two hundred rails in a day. Some extra hands woukl do considerably better than that, while the timber was unculled and they had the pick of the trees. The speed in rail-making depended to some extent on the time of year-the timber worked better in the fall and spring than when the frost was in the trees. A fence eight rails high, staked and ridered, provided it was four and a half or five feet high and the lower cracks about four inches, was considered a lawful fence. The rail fence was all the fence used for several years, until the sawmills came in, then there was some board fences made, but the board fence was not much used until the railroads began to bring the pine lumber from the pineries, and by that time the supply of rail timber of the county was pretty well exhausted.


The board fence was always an expensive fence to build, and when it began to break it was not as easily repaired as the rail fence ; consequently it was never as popular as the rail fence was in its time, as a common farm fence. A lawful board fence was five six-inch boards to the panel, nailed on to good posts with lower cracks about four inches-height of fence at first fifty-four inches, after- wards forty-eight inches.


Just before the Civil war they began to plant osage for a hedge fence, and a few years after the willow fence was introduced, neither of which made a satisfactory hedge fence.


A short time before 1860 the people of this county became interested in a more economical mode of fencing, and the hog law, as it was called, was voted on, and the winter before the first vote on the hog law the question was pretty thoroughly discussed in the little lyceums at the schoolhouses in the county. I remember in one instance one man, in his argument against the law, said they had a hog law in Indiana, where he lived, and that a man was liable to a fine for allowing his hogs to run at large. He said his hogs broke out one time and he was afraid to inquire for them for fear some of his neighbors would inform on him and have him fined, and some one on the other side that knew claimed he was just as popular with his neighbors in Indiana as he was in Iowa. But the idea of a hog law was very unpopular at that time and when the vote came it was defeated by a large majority and once or twice afterwards it suffered the same fate, but each time with less opposition.


407


HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY


About 1870, or may be a little later, most of the counties of the state being very largely under herd law conditions, especially in the west and north, the legislature passed a general hog and sheep law. This law came into force about the time the barb wire fence was introduced and in a few years the three-barb-wire fence became the most common fence of the county and it has been many times asserted that it has killed and crippled enough stock to pay the expense of fencing the whole county with a better type of fence. Soon after the hog law was passed a large part of the people became interested in a general stock law, but they were not able to get a majority in its favor until shortly after the year 1890.


At that time the land in the county was all fenced up and the stock in the lanes had become such a nuisance that the general stock restrain law was voted by the people by a large majority. Some types of fence appeared in the evolution of fencing in this county that were not of such magnitude as to call for an extensive mention here. In different parts of the county we found a very little stone fence and on a good many farms the picket or slat and wire fence appeared some years ago, about the time the woven wire fence was first introduced.


The woven wire fence is the best fence for the money we have ever had and is destined in a short time to supplant most of the former types as a farm fence. I do not know what the law is in regard to woven wire fence, but if we take almost any of the different kinds found on the market, say from thirty to forty inches high or more, and have our corner posts well set in cement or otherwise to make them perfectly firm in the ground and have them well braced, then stretch our fence well and staple it on to good posts set about one rod apart and supplement the woven part with from two to four barb wires on top properly spaced, I do not think our neighbors will complain of our not having a lawful fence.


The prevailing scarcity of material for fence posts is becoming a serious problen1.


The destruction of the old hedge fences in the county of late years has sup- plied a vast number of excellent posts, but that supply will soon be exhausted and some other means will have to be found to supply the demand.


The cement post is now on trial, and from present indications the cement post is destined, in a great measure, to become the fence post of the future.


INDEX


A


A. F. & A. M.


Model Lodge, No. 315. . 264


Madison Lodge, No. 568 328


Ivy Lodge, No. 483.


359


Evening Star Lodge of Winterset


376


Afton Bridge Mill, The.


153


Agriculture, Indian


15


Agricultural Society of Madison County 244


Officers of


246


A. O. U. W., Winterset Lodge, No. 71 .. 381 Appraisement of Lots. 46, 47, 48, 49, 55 As a Boy Saw It. . 281


Attorneys, County, from 1887 to 1915 ..


72


Auditors, County, from 1869 to 1915 ...


71


B


Backbone Mill, The 153


Bank of Earlham. 327


Bank of Macksburg 353


Baptist Churches.


95, 354


Bar, The


Early Members


108


Present Members 110


Barker Mill, The


154


Barney, Village of


312


Barrow Mill, The Seth


151


Battle of Union Township


128


Bedsteads, Pioneer


159


Bench, The


104


Bertholf Mill, The Andrew 153


Bertholf Mill, The James 153


Bethany Limestone, The. 5


Bevington, Village of.


303


Bishop, Rev. J. G., Reminiscenees of. 396


Black Hawk, Chief. 19


Bluff ,Road, The Famous. 171


Bountiful Crops in 1846 24


Breaking out a Farm. 158


Bridges


172


Bridge Warrants


173


Buffalo Mill, The ..


152


Buffalo Mills


284


Burials, Early


163


C


California Trails


166


Call for Vohmteers, Civil War


185


Campbell Mill, The.


152


Camp Meetings, The First.


91


Carboniferons Age, The.


4


Carpenters and Joiners, Early


162


Catholie Churehes.


94, 346


Cement


10


Cemeteries, Indian


15


Census, The First, in 1849


399


Chautauqua Association, Madison County 218 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 175 Chieago, Roek Island & Pacific Railroad 173 Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City Rail-


road


174


Christian Churches


.95, 359


Church of Christ Churches .. 97, 261, 298, 328


Church, The First


90


Churches


Baptist


.93, 354


Catholic


. 94, 346


Christian


.95, 359


Church of Christ


.97, 261, 298, 328


Episcopal


94


Friends


98, 223, 226


German Lutheran


340


Methodist Episcopal


.92, 261, 353


Presbyterian


.93, 261


United Brethren


97


United Presbyterian


96,


259


Cirenit Court, Abolishment of ..


Citizens National Bank of Winterset


373


Citizens State Bank of Earlham


327


City Hall, Winterset


370


City Park, Winterset


371


Civil War Period


Call for Volunteers


185


Enlistments


188


409


410


INDEX


Madison County Acts .. 186


Roll of Honor. 190


Claim Club, The Madison County 126


Clanton Family, The 22


Clark's. Caleb, Stories. 292


Clayton County Comes to Madison 225


Clerks of Commissioners' Court. 70


Clerks of Distriet Court from 1849 to


1915


Coal Measures, Middle River Valley 4


Combs Mill, The 151


Commissioners' Court


First Meeting 36


Clerks of 70


Proceedings 36


Second Meeting 35


Commissioners, Board of County 69


Company G. Fifty-fifth Regiment, N. G. 1. 220


Coroners, County, from 1849 to 1915. ..


Country Club, Winterset.


392


County Buildings


County Fairs


244


The First. 244, 218


County Farm, The. 65


County Government, Systems of. 31


County Judges


70


County Officials The First 30


From 1849 to 1914 69


County, Organization of. 29


County Seat, Selection of 31


Naming of 33


Courthouse, A Bit of History 62-65


Courthouse, Dedication of .. 61


Courthouse, The Old Log 57


Courthouse, The Present. 60


Crawford Township


300


Creston, Winterset & Des Moines Rail-


road 175, 355


Daughters of Rebecca


Crown Lodge, No. 360. 351


Hawthorne Chapter, No. 350 355


Marguerite Lodge, No. 233 329


No. 469, of St. Charles. 264


Des Moines, Winterset & Southern Rail-


rond 1:4


District Court, The First


104


District Judges


The First 106


Those that Followed. 107


Douglas Township 258


Douglas Township, The Land of Poetry. 294


Drake Ford Mill, The .. 153


E


Earlham Academy . . . . . 326


Earlham, City of


Electric System 325


Financial


327


Fraternal


328


Incorporation 324


Park


326


Religions


327


Schools


326


Waterworks


325


Early Acts of Madison County, Civil War 186


Early Settlement, Reminiscences of. .... 396


Early Settlers, The ...


22, 24. 27, 228


Early Settlers from Clayton County. . 229


Early Transportation, Ineidents of. 401


East Peru, Village of


309


Reminiscent


311


Echo, The Earlham


116


Educational


78


Elections


Early


25


The First. 25, 66


The First in Center, South and Union Townships 6%


Enlistments, Civil War 186


Episcopal Churches


94


F


Fairs, County


241


The First.


244, 248


Farmers' Institute, Madison County 2443


Officers of


243


Farmers Mutual Insurance Company


242


Fencing, Evolution of 406


Fidler, Cemetery


274


Fife, Samuel. Recollections of 265


Fifteenth Infantry


195


Fifth Cavalry 213


Fight between Guye and Jones 130


Fire Department. Winterset 371


First Bank in Winterset, The 367


First Cavalry 209


First Census, The 399


First Decade, The 365


First Marriage in the County, The 25


First National Bank of Winterset 372


First Settler, The. 20


First Settler in Winterset, The 365


First Steam Mill. The 393


Formations, Geologienl 3


Forty-eighth Infantry 209


Forty-seventh Infantry 206


Fourth Cavalry 210


Fourth Infantry


191


Friends thurche


98, 223, 226


411


INDEX


G


G. A. R.


John Miller Post, No. 158 263


Pitzer Post, No. 55. 383


General Assembly, Members of, from


Madison County 74


German Element in Jefferson Township. 333


German Lutheran Churches 340


German Settlement in Penn Township .. 395


Gilpin, Judge, Reminiscences of. 110


Glacier Age. The. 7


Good Roads Association. 220


Gordon Band, The. 299


Grand River Township. 349


Gnye Family, The ..


14, 22


Guye Schoolhouse, The


273


H


Ilartman Mill, The. 155


llawkeye. The St. Charles 116


Hiatt and Brown Mill, The 154


Highland Nobles


Glencoe Castle, No. 16 382


Historical Society, Madison County. 217


Hockenberry Mill, The. 154


Iloosier Prairie


282


Horseback Riding in the Early Days 167


Huglin Mill, The .. 152


Hurst, Hiram, The First Settler 20


I


Incorporation of Winterset. 368


Indians


Agriculture 15


Cemeteries 15


Chief Blackhawk 19


Religious Views


19


Method of Burial


17


Removal of


13


Treaty of 1842.


13


Villages. 12, 13, 14, 16


1. 0. 0. F.


St. Charles Lodge, No. 416. 264


Madison Encampment, No. 146. 264


Earlham Lodge, No. 546. 328


Grand River Lodge, No. 406. 355


Macksburg Encampment, No. 186. 355 Madison Lodge, No. 136. 381


Rock City Encampment, No. 63 381


Irish Settlement in Crawford Township 302


Irish Settlement in Lee Township. 345 Growth of 348


Jackson Township 341


Jail, The First. 58


The Present 60


Jefferson Township 330


Judges, County


70


K


ʻ


K. and L. S.


Winterset Council, No. 219 382


Kansan Drift, The ..


Kentneky Colony in Scott Township. 280


Keokuk & Western Railroad.


175


K. O. B., Backbone Tent, No. 54. 381


K. P.


Truro Lodge, No. 330 359


Lotus Lodge, No. 48.


381


L


Lee Township


344


Legal Profession, The. 108


Light Artillery 214


Limestone


10


Lincoln Township 296


Loess, or Topsoil, The.


9


Log Houses, Pioneer


156


Raisings


157


L. O. M., Winterset Hive, No. 32


381


Lot Sale in Winterset.


364


Macksburg, Village of


Financial 353


Fraternal 355


Incorporation 352


Railroad


355


Religious


353


Settlement of 351


Madison County State Bank of Winterset 373 Madison Township 320


Madisonian, The Winterset. 114


Marriage, The First 123


Marriages, Early 123


Mayors of Winterset, List of. 369


Medical Profession, The. 99


Medical Society, The Madison County .. 102


Method of Burial, Indian. 17 Methodist Episcopal Churches .. . 92, 261, 353 Middle River Valley, Geological Struc- ture of 4


Mill, The First. 150


Mills and Mill Sites.


150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155


412


INDEX


Miscellaneous Enlistments, Civil War .. 214 Monroe Township 360 M. W. A.


Camp No. 2890, of St. Charles 264


Earlham Camp, No. 2162 320


Evergreen Camp, No. 4133. 355


Truro Camp, No. 9823. 359


Winterset Camp, No. 302 381


News, The Winterset 115


News. The St. Charles 116


Newspaper, The First 114


Newspapers


Echo. The Earlham 116


Hawkeye. The St. Charles 116


Madisonian, The Winterset 114


News, The St. Charles. 116


News, The Winterset 115


Record, The Macksburg 116


Reporter, The Winterset 115


Watchman, The St. Charles 116


Ninth Cavalry


213


0


O. E. S.


Model Chapter of St. Charles 264


Earlham Chapter 328


Winterset Chapter, No. 180. 381


Officials, County, from 1849 to 1914. 69-74 Ohio Township 356


Old Settlers' Association.


262


Organization of the County


29


P


Patrons of Husbandry 240


Patterson, Village of 304


Penn Center Picnic 319


Penn Township 316


· P. E. O .. Chapter A. G., of Winterset.381, 382


Petitions, Early Road. 170


Phipps Mill, The 155


Physicians


The First 99


Pioncer 99


Present Day 102


Those That Came Later 100


Pioneer Life 15G


Pioneer Merchant and Store 392


Pioneer Merchants of Winterset 366


Political 66


Political Meetings, Early. 2.15


Population


248


Postmaster, The First .. 117


Postoffice, The First . 117


Postoffices


Bevington 11S


Discontinued 118. 119. 120. 121, 122


Earlham 118


East Peru 118


Macksburg 122


Patterson 118


St. Charles 118


Truro


122


Winterset 117


Prairie Fires 165


Prairie Grass, Harvesting 162


Preacher, The First


90


Preeincts


. 66, 67


Presbyterian Churches 93. 261


Press. The


114


Primitive School, A 255, 290


Publie Library, Winterset 373


Q


Quakers, Contention and Division 226


Quaker Meeting Houses. 223


Quaker Settlement in Madison County. 221


Quakers, The First.


221


R


Railroads


Chicago, Burlington & Quincy . . 175


Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific .. 173


Chicago. St. Paul & Kansas City 174 Creston, Winterset & Des Moines. 175. 353 Des Moines, Winterset & Southern .. 174


Keokuk & Western. 175


Rathbone Sisters


Winterset Temple, No. 105 3×1


Recollections of Samuel Fife 2265


Record, The Macksburg 116


Recorders, County, from 1849 to 1915 .. Reeves War. The. 134


Reigle Mill, The ..


150


Religious Organizations 90-98


Religious Views of Indians 19


Reminiscences of Judge Gilpin . . 110


Reminiscences of Rev. J. G. Bishop 396


Reminiscent, East Peru. 311


Reminiscent, South Township ..


251


Reporter. The Winterset 115


Republican Party. Organization of in Madison County 75.77


Roads. Early 169


Road Petitions, Early 170


Rock City Cemetery, Winterset


Roll of Honor


Fifteenth Infantry 195


413


INDEX


Fifth Cavalry 213


First Cavalry 209


Forty-eighth Infantry 208


Forty-seventh Infantry 206


Fourth Cavalry


210


Fourth Infantry


191


Miscellaneous 214


Light Artillery 214


Ninth Cavalry 213


Sixteenth Infantry 196


Tenth Infantry


194


Third Infantry


190


Thirty-fourth Infantry


206


Thirty-ninth Infantry


201


Twenty-third Infantry


196


Veteran Corps, Tenth Infantry


208


Roll of Honor, Civil War


190


Removal of the Indians, The


13


Royal Neighbors


Earlham Camp, No. 2439. 329


Juniata Camp, No. 1428, of Winterset 381


S


St. Charles, City of


Financial 258


Incorporation 257


Location


256


Religious


259


Schools


259


St. Charles Park & Improvement Asso- ciation 262


St. Charles Savings Bank. 258


School Laws, Early 79


School, The First


78, 233


School Districts, The First.


.79-84


School System, Free, Beginnings of.


234


Schools, Development of.


84-89


Schools, Earlham 326


Schools, Early 233


School, The First in Union Township


272


Scott Township


279


Sensational Wake, A


274


Settlers, Early


228


Settlers, Early, from Clayton County .. 229 Settler, The First 20


Sewerage, Winterset 370


Sheriffs, County, from 1849 to 1915. 70


Shoemakers and Repairers, Pioneer. 161


Sixteenth Infantry 196


Snake Hunt of 1848


236


Societies, Fraternities and Clubs


A. F. & A. M. .264, 328, 359, 376 A. O. U. W. 381


Chautauqua Association 218


Company G, Fifty-fifth Regiment, N.


G. I. 220


Country Club, Winterset 382


Daughters of Rebekah .. 264, 329, 355, 381


Farmers' Institute 243


G. A. R ...


263, 383


Good Roads Association 220


Highland Nobles 382


Historical Society 217


I. O. O. F 264, 328, 355. 381


K. & L. S 382


K. O. B 381


K. P.


.359, 381


L. O. M.


381


Madison County Agricultural Society 244 Madison County Medical Society. 102


M. W. A.


264, 329, 355, 359, 381


0. E. S.


264, 328, 381


Old Settlers' Association 220, 262


Patrons of Husbandry 240


P. E. O


381, 382


Rathbone Sisters


381


Royal Neighbors


329, 381


Woodmen Cirele


382


W. O. W


381


Woman's Club of Winterset. 382


W. R. C.


355, 358, 384, 387


Yeomen


265


Soldiers' Monument


215


South Township


250


Speculators' Lands 133


Statement of Lots Sold and Funds on Hand, 1851 53


Stone Quarry in Madison Township.


321


Street Paving, Winterset


370


Sugar Groves


180, 181, 182


Sugar Trees and Camps.


179


Sulgrove Mill, The.


151


Superintendent of Schools, County, from 1849 to 1915. 71


Supervisors, Board of County, from 1861 to 1915 72


Surveyors, County, from 1849 to 1915 .. 71


Swamp Lands, Sale of .


138


T


Taxpayers in 1850. 256


Teacher's Certificate, An Old. 88


Teachers' Institute 88


Tenth Infantry


194


Third Infantry


190


Thirty-fourth Infantry


206


Thirty-ninth Infantry


201


Townsites, Lost and Forgotten 144-149


Transportation


169


Transportation, Incidents of Early 401


Treasurers, County, from 1865 to 1915. .


Treaty of 1842


13


.


414


INDEX


Truro Savings Bank


Truro, Village of


Financial 358


First Settlement 358


Fraternal 359


Religious 359


Twenty-third Infantry 196


U


Underground Railroad, The. 183


Underground Station Agents .. 183


Union Township 269


United Presbyterian Churches 96, 259


United Brethren Churches 97


Veteran Corps, Fenth Infantry. 208


Vigilants, The 134


Villages, Indian . 12, 13, 14, 16


Walunt Township 307


Warrants. Bridge 173


Watchman, The St. Charles 116


Waterworks. Winterset 370


Webster Mill, The 154


Webster Township 313


Webster, Village of. 314


Weller Mill, The 152


When the Stove Came 160


Wild Animals


176


Wild Fruits and Nuts 178


Wild Turkeys 177


358


Winterset, City of


City Hall 370


City Park 371


Clubs and Societies. 382


Financial


372


Fire Department 371


First Decade 368


First Settler 365


First Steam Mill. 393


Fraternal 376


Incorporation 368


Location 363


Mayors, List of. 369


Pioneer Merchants. . 366, 3>9


Public Library


373


Rock Ilill Cemetery


372


Sale of Lots. 364


Sewerage 370


Street Paving 370


Waterworks 370


Winterset in 1864. 389


Winterset Savings Bank of Winterset .. 373 Woman's Club of Winterset 382


Woodmen Circle


Boxelder Grove, No. 72 382


Wood's Mill. The.


151


W. O. W., Madison Camp, No. 100 .. 381


W. R. C.


Pitzer Corps, No. 117. 3×4


John Miller Corps, No. 242.


387


Jonathan Roby Corps. No. 341 358


Samuel Irwin Corps, No. 344 3×7


J. D. Craven Corps, No. 322 353, 387


Yeomen, St. Charles Homestead, No. 200, 265





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