USA > Iowa > Poweshiek County > History of Poweshiek County, Iowa: a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume 1 > Part 29
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SCHOOLS OF BROOKLYN
THEDEV YORK PIRBL & DIE TARY
AS -" AND TLEN . MALO'S.
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came in also just before this time and went into partnership with the writer in a general store Not long after this period Mr. Newkirk and family also arrived and settled on the Dr. Barton place near town. They were old school Presby- terians but the little church was too liberal to suit their views and so they did not unite. Walker Mayer married Mr. Newkirk's daughter Almira,-a most estimable woman. They were both converted and joined the little church. I think John Barclay, another of his sons-in-law, and wife also united, also Sam- uel F. Pruyn and family came in and united.
Previous to this time Rev. Alexander Lemon settled among us and became pastor of the Brooklyn church and also of the church at Marengo, and remained some two years. He was a good man and a good preacher and during his stay there was quite a revival. He afterward left this field and remained pastor of the Marengo church for several years, or until his health failed, and he went to his farm at Ripon, Wisconsin, where he died. He was a brother-in-law of Charles Hobart, Sr., who about that time moved to Grinnell and died there some years later. He was succeeded by the Rev. A. D. Chapman, who settled near what is now the village of Malcom. The writer sold him eighty acres of land at $6.25 per acre, which was then a fair price, although the ungodly thought it very exorbitant and that I had taken a very unfair advantage of the un- sophisticated preacher. However, he never thought so, but was satisfied. Under his ministry the church prospered and a powerful revival followed. Many who were thought incorrigible were converted and joined the church, among which were about twenty in Malcom township. Mr. Chapman reorganized the church and it was called the First Presbyterian church of Brooklyn and Malcom. After- wards it was divided into two churches, one at Brooklyn and one at Malcom, which still exist and are prospering.
When I first settled in Brooklyn, I confidently expected the Mississippi & Missouri railroad (now the Chicago, Rock.Island & Pacific), to be built to Iowa City (to which point it was then graded) the following year and that the year after it would be extended as far west as Grinnell. But I waited very patiently nine years for it to be built within three miles of Brooklyn where it stopped in the timber several years. Then it was built a few miles west of Malcom and after- wards built up to Grinnell.
Brooklyn grew to be quite a place before the railroad reached that point and the township of Malcom also settled up considerably.
EARLY ARRIVALS AT MALCOM.
"A majority of the newcomers to Malcom" were live Yankees from the New England states. The first Yankee family to arrive was Church Meigs and family, soon followed by the Cardell family and also by Paschal P. Ray- mond and family.
Church Meigs was an original character. His house was open to all and every one was cordially welcomed. All who came were sure to get at least one good square meal. His wife, Nancy Meigs, was not one whit behind him in these matters. They were open-hearted and kind to all, rich or poor. Their hospitality was a fair index of their feelings. They wished all the world well Vol. I-17
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and were willing in their way to do all in their power to make all around them happy. Church Meigs was a genius. No one could excel him in telling a good story and keeping all around him in a good humor. It is not generally known that he was an inventor. His genius first devised the spring tooth rake, for which he obtained a patent and for several years he manufactured these rakes in a small way and made a good deal of money. Finally, a smart fellow from Boston, came that way (accidentally) and stopped with Mr. Meigs, just to look around! And in a few days they traded, Mr. Meigs getting $3,000 for his patent and the unsophisticated Bostonian got out of it a fortune of hundreds of thou- sands of dollars. Mr. Meigs, however, thought he had done pretty well out of his patent, realizing about $6,000 from it, which at that day was quite a for- tune. Many, because of his lively habits, thought Mr. Meigs was intemperate. Such, however, was not the case, he being a thorough teetotaler. He was an inveterate water drinker and never made a drive of a few miles from home with- out his jug, which was always filled with pure water, out of which, whenever thirsty, he would slake his thirst. Those who saw him do so, believed he was drinking whisky and so reported, till the report spread among the settlers that he was a hard drinker. And many who did not know him personally, believed this to be true. In those days all the settlers made whiskey pickles, and when in Iowa City he bought a barrel of whiskey, part of which he used himself and the rest he sold in lots to his neighbors for that purpose, out of which transaction grew the report that in early days he sold whiskey. He was the last man to be guilty of such a thing, except in the way stated. He was public-spirited, and so at an early day put in a sawmill on Big Bear creek, in Malcom township, and for many years sawed all the native lumber used in that township by the early settlers.
P. P. Raymond, another pioneer in Malcom, was also a character but differ- ent from Church Meigs in many respects-still great friends. P. P. did not locate in Malcom for his health but as a matter of business. He and his wife made money by hard work and deserved success. About the first time the writer met Mrs. Raymond, she was nearly on the top round of the ladder paint- ing the house, while P. P. was breaking prairie back of the house. They kept a hotel, and a good one, too, and made money, which they used successfully. They had only one child, E. P. Raymond, now a prominent man and a banker at Malcom.
Church Meigs had a large family of boys and when the call for volunteers to put down the dastardly southern rebellion came, four of them enlisted, and all served during the war except Simeon, who died in the service.
E. Cardell also settled in Malcom at an early date and both he and P. P. Raymond bought land of Church Meigs, which he had entered. He sold all his land on the state road to them except eighty acres (on which he had built), at $5 per acre. Still both thought this a very exorbitant price and felt quite hard toward him for demanding that price when it had only cost him $1.25 per acre.
As stated, Rev. A. D. Chapman settled in this township and was the first resident minister in Malcom township. He was the father of Dr. W. A. Chap- man, now a resident of Hastings, Nebraska, also of Emma Cardell, wife of Leander Cardell, who represented Poweshiek county in the legislature and took
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part in the memorable contest between Senator Harlan and our present senator, William B. Allison, and voted for the latter. He was also the father of Josie Meigs, wife of Benjamin P. Meigs, who now lives in the village of Malcom. Rev. Chapman died several years since, but his widow still lives with her daughter Josie, beloved and respected by all.
I cannot end this account of the early settlers without referring especially to Mrs. Nancy Meigs,-the wife of Church Meigs. A worthy woman in all respects, no one knew her but to love her. Very few of the early settlers of Malcom and Grinnell failed to know her and receive her generous hospitality, and now only think of her with the kindest recollections. She died several years since and was followed to her last resting place by a host of friends and neighbors. Six of her sons acted as pallbearers, and aside from her immediate family the whole neighborhood were mourners. Today she is only spoken of with kindness and love."
So ends Dr. Sears' notice of the early settlers of Malcom. The reader will not be surprised to learn that when Dr. Sears' first wife died, he sought and found his second in the family of Church Meigs. He could not have done better.
BROOKLYN.
"Among the early settlers north of Brooklyn was 'Uncle' Moses Kent, who moved in with his family from Indiana, and for years was an influential man in Madison township. Other early settlers were Amos Rogers, one of the dryest jokers in the county, who will long be remembered by the old settlers, also his brother-in-law, William Frazier and Donald Frazier. To the west was Uriah Jones, well known at an early date. Lower down on Walnut creek was Thomas Squires and his brother, Sumner Squires, both good men. Still below were the Doughty brothers, Abner Sumner and James Sumner, James Duffield, afterwards county superintendent. Others were 'Uncle Dan' Winslow and Andrew Wilson, Chauncey Wilson, Norman Parks and his brother, Lewis Parks. All these were good men, honest and open-hearted and were ready to open their house and give the best it afforded. There were others at Bear Creek-Joshua and Robert Talbott, the Shimers and old man Frizzel and his son Thomas, also John Sweeney and George Lawrence, afterward elected county judge,-the first republican judge ever elected in the county and indeed the candidate on the first republican ticket ever voted in the county of Poweshiek.
"I must not forget Thomas Rainsburg, who ran the first wagon shop in Brooklyn and was afterward elected county treasurer, and Augustus G. Guild across Bear creek north, who was an early county treasurer, also the Sniders and Harpers and many others whose record is now out of mind, all good men in their place and good citizens.
"What a fountain of kindness and good will existed at that early day. We were all friends and neighbors and rejoiced in each others welfare and lamented each others misfortune. How we enjoyed visiting each other, talking over the past and looking into the future. Everything looked bright before us and we were contented and happy. I think the anticipations of our future brought us more real enjoyment than when they were fulfilled. We have lived, however,
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to see a fulfillment of all we expected in the development of the country -- only in a far greater degree than we thought possible."
THE FIRST MURDER AND SUICIDE IN BROOKLYN.
By J. W. Jones.
On the 9th day of February, 1859, the western stage drove up to the post- office, which stood near the house where Mrs. Mary Ball now lives in Brooklyn, and stopped to throw out the mail. The usual crowd of persons waiting for their mail was there. The coach door was opened and a man in the uniform of a United States soldier, about thirty-five or forty years of age, stepped out. He was fully armed with a dragoon revolver of large size, also a saber. He looked wildly around and asked the crowd if there was any one present who would protect him, saying he was Lieutenant Roane, of the United States army at Fort Kearney, on his way to visit his home in Richmond, Virginia ; that parties had been following him from Council Bluffs, seeking his life. B. N. Hawes, a young Methodist minister, who was engaged in the mercantile business, and G. A. Baker, a young lawyer, seeing he was laboring under great excitement, spoke to the stranger, saying that he had nothing to fear, as they were all his friends. They finally induced him to accompany them to the only hotel in town, kept by Dr. John Conaway, and as I now remember, remained with the lieutenant until evening, when he retired to his room, which was upstairs. About daylight the next morning an unusual noise occurred upstairs, caused by the officer jumping from one of the windows to the ground below. For some time afterward he seemed to be sane and played with the Doctor's little daughter (now Mrs. Fannie Dorrance). He had previously said to the Doctor that he wished he (the Doctor) would take the revolver and put it away, as he felt it was not safe for him to carry it. The Doctor took the weapon and locked it up in the desk. Sometime during the afternoon of the day the Lieutenant said to the Doctor, "I have worn that revolver so long in my belt I feel lost without it." The Doctor then returned it to him.
In the evening, before the stage came in from the west, Mr. Hawes came down to the hotel to wait for it, as he was going to Chicago to purchase goods. He took his seat near the office desk in the barroom, while the Lieutenant was pacing backward and forward diagonally across the room, when, without a moment's warning, he drew his revolver from the holster, took aim at Mr. Hawes and shot him through the heart. As he fell forward, he said: "My God," and was dead.
Lon Putman, a man who happened to be in the room, sprang at the maniac and caught him. They tussled with each other until the front door was reached, when Mr. Putman sprang out, closing the door. Immediately another shot was heard and when the family and others rushed in, the Lieutenant was found dying, with a bullet hole in his head. He lived but a short time and expired.
Mr. Hawes, being an Odd Fellow, the lodge took charge of the body and sent for Rev. C. S. Jenrics, of Millersburg, Iowa county, the only Methodist minister, who was an Odd Fellow, in the country, who came and conducted the
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funeral in the presence of the largest audience ever assembled in the township. The lodge from Montezuma was largely represented. The Hon. J. B. Grinnell, Dr. Holyoke and other prominent citizens of Grinnell were present. The body was buried in what is now the Odd Fellows cemetery. The proper authorities took charge of the Lieutenant's body, which was buried in the Brooklyn cemetery. Friends of the deceased in Richmond, Virginia, were notified and in a few weeks two gentlemen, one of whom was a brother-in-law, came to the village. They were typical fire eaters of the ante-bellum days and did a great many things to make the people of Brooklyn dislike them, even going so far one day as to say they were tempted to shoot Dr. Conaway, because he had not laid out the body of Lieutenant Roane in a bed, as was the custom in Virginia, instead of on a board, as was the usual method in lowa. After giving vent to their contempt for things in general, they disinterred the body and took it to Richmond.
MALCOM TOWNSHIP.
Malcom township was organized in September, 1858, and consists of con- gressional township 80, in range 15. It received its name from L. E. Cardell, who was a native of Vermont, in California gold fields at nineteen, first post- master and first justice of the peace in Malcom, and was a member of the fourteenth general assembly in lowa. The first settler was W. L. Zink, a Ger- man from Illinois in 1853, who located on section 14, remained till 1857, and sold to Sylvester Bates, from Massachusetts. In 1854 W. Springer came from Ohio, and the next year Vermont gave the township Church Meigs, P. P. Ray- mond and Edmund Cardell, and they came to remain. They located on the old stage road between Iowa City and Des Moines. James Motherell came the same year, made his home on section 10, on the banks of the Little Bear creek. and after a few years moved west to the newer frontier, where Mr. Zink had gone. Such other Yankees came before 1856, as John Wallace, James Clark and Alexander Palmer. Caleb Harvey came from Massachusetts, in 1859, and Christian Yaple from Pennsylvania, in 1855.
The first practicing physicians in the township were Drs. John Conaway and Reuben Sears of Brooklyn. At that time, indeed, they were the physicians for a large territory around Brooklyn.
A community of such people as these could not long be without preachers and preaching, or teachers and schools. Rev. James Cox, a United Brethren, and Rev. A. D. Chapman, a Presbyterian, began preaching in 1859. Neither belonged to the class of those frontiersmen whose sectarianism is equaled only by their ignorance, but rather to the group of those whose denominationalism makes them more genial and more congenial. They were useful in all public interests and enough united to form a Presbyterian church, to which, and to the church in Brooklyn, Rev. Chapman ministered very acceptably until 1868, when Rev. Robert Court became its pastor as an independent church, i. e., independent of Brooklyn.
As the people were so widely scattered it was deemed best to have their Sunday school maintained only during the summer for a few years. Their early superintendents were: H. D. Arnold, L. E. Cardell and Christian Yaple. After
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1865 it was continued through the year and was superintended by Alonzo Wigton a considerable time.
AT THE BEGINNING.
The first log cabin built in the township was that of L. W. Zink, the first settler here. Church Meigs became an extensive land-owner and operated the first sawmill and furnished the settlers with lumber for their homes.
P. P. Raymond was not only a farmer, but also the landlord of the pioneer hotel, the Green Mountain Inn. He established a bank at Malcom, a private financial concern conducted under the firm name of P. P. Raymond & Son.
Edmund Cardell was the "common carrier" of the early days and kept the first stage "station" in the locality. His son, L. A. Cardell, became prominent in the affairs of the county and represented Poweshiek in 1872-4 in the four- teenth general assembly.
N. F. Bates, an early comer to Malcom township, served his country in the Civil war ably and well. He subsequently became the proud possessor of a medal from the congress of the United States, awarded him for signal bravery in capturing a rebel flag and its bearer in one of the last battles.'
The first child born among the settlers was a daughter of L. W. Zink.
J. W. McDowell came to the township from Princeton, Illinois, in 1857 and later on took up his residence in Malcom village. He was the first physician to make his stay a fixed one. He was preceded, however, by Drs. Reuben Sears and John Conaway.
The first meeting of the board of trustees was held at the home of Edmund Cardell, in 1859, and the first officials of the township were: Trustees, C. B. Martin, H. D. Arnold, H. Provos ; clerk, S. Bates ; assessor, Robert Motherell.
We have seen that the church has been organized, one thing that bears the Yankee mark. But how about the
SCHOOLS.
Those Yankees first dropped down into Malcom in 1855, and that was the first year of the school, with six pupils under the care of Mrs. Patience (Meigs) Wallace, and was taught in Mr. Meigs' house-a Meigs affair almost all around. They had no time to build a schoolhouse, hence they utilized a private room, no funds to pay a teacher, but then Iowa was only beginning to think about a free school and each one could put his hand into his pocket to pay for his pupils and wait three years for "the good time coming," and for Grimes to say the second time that we ought to have free schools and for the legislature and the board of education to provide for them by law.
Since that prompt creation of her first school, Malcom has never been slow about education. The first families settled along the state road at first, the best place for farmers, and, hence, the best place for the first schoolhouse. Others grew as they were needed.
The location of the railroad depot in 1863 caused the village of Malcom to be built on the Little Bear creek and its school to be the largest and best equipped
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one in the township. The teachers of Malcom were better paid than in some districts -- an attraction to best teachers. Some of their teachers have attained high positions, e. g., Miss Mary E. Apthorp, who has taught Latin in Oshkosh, Wisconsin State Normal School, for more than twenty years; W. R. Akers, Iowa state superintendent of public instruction; and O. J. Laylander, eminent among teachers of the state.
THE TOWN OF MALCOM.
This trading point of Malcom township lies almost in the geographical center of the county and for that reason many of its citizens claimed the county seat should have been located there. Some agitation existed years ago on the sub- ject, but nothing of a definite character ever grew out of it and those in favor of removing the county seat from Montezuma to Malcom, or Grinnell, never developed sufficient strength in numbers to warrant the board of supervisors in calling an election to decide the question.
The building of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad through Malcom, in 1863, led Z. P. Wigton later on, in 1866, to lay out a town at this point, and the first building was erected in the town that year by W. J. Johnson, now living in retirement. Soon thereafter the depot, an elevator and other buildings were erected and the town of Malcom was assured to its progenitor. A view of the first building was secured by Mr. Johnson, which he laid away so carefully and securely that it cannot be found in order to be reproduced on a page of this history.
It was not long after Mr. Johnson erected his first building when he built others and then followed the depot, elevator and the like.
MALCOM INCORPORATED.
Malcom became an incorporated town, April 23, 1872, an election to decide the question being held that day. On May 18, 1872, the first corporate election was held and W. A. Vernon was chosen as the first mayor of the municipality. The rest of the official list was made up by W. R. Akers, recorder, B. Osborne, treasurer, and G. W. Griffin, W. J. Johnson, I. G. Wilson, W. W. Osborne, I. H. Duffus trustees.
In May, 1877, a fire broke out in the village that at one time threatened its total destruction. The conflagration swept away stores, dwellings and the town hall, in which the Masonic lodge met. The citizens who had lost their property were not disheartened, but at once began rebuilding and as a result a newer and better town arose out of its ashes. A cyclone in 1882 also did considerable damage.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The complete history of the Methodist Episcopal church of Malcom cannot be given place here, for the reason the necessary data is missing and unobtain- able. All that can be said of that society of Christian people is that the church was organized in the '70s and services were held in halls and various places
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until 1875, when the members erected a church at a cost of $3,000. This struc- ture was destroyed in the cyclone of 1882, after which the present frame structure was erected. The first pastor was Rev. James M. Coats. Other pastors who have served the church are Revs. Pugh, Matthew S. Hughes, I. N. Busby, Kight, Van Schoik and Adams. The present pastor, L. E. Crull, has served three years and during his incumbency many improvements have been made in the church and parsonage.
In connection with this charge is a society at Fairmont, two and a half miles south of Malcom. The membership of these two societies numbers ninety-six, while the two church buildings and the parsonage are valued at about $7.000.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Rev. A. D. Chapman was pastor of this church nine years and its founder. He was ably assisted by Rev. James Cox, of the United Brethren clergy.
The beginning of things for this people was a prayer meeting held by the divines above mentioned at the "Yankee Settlement," on the state road, at the time that about thirteen families had located there. Shortly thereafter, or to be more exact, in the spring of 1860, the church was organized and from then on the church and Sunday school grew and prospered. Those prominent in the early history of the church were P. P. Raymond, Edmund Cardell, Sylvester Bates, John Wallace, H. D. Arnold, Caleb Harvey, L. Zink, Alex Palmer, James Clark, Christian Yaple, James Motherell and Z. P. Wigton, who donated the lots for the church building.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH.
The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity church is located in Malcom township, eighty rods from the north line. The religious society occupying this house of worship was first organized at the home of Jacob J. Schultz in 1867. "Father" Lisker was the one most active in the organization.
The first church building was erected in 1868. The land on which it was located was donated by Jacob J. Schultz. The present church building was erected in 1883, at a total cost of $3.497, including the smaller separate room used as a school room. The first parsonage was built in 1881. In 1893 that building was moved back and the present parsonage erected, the size of the lot being further increased by donation from Jacob J. Schultz.
The first minister was Rev. A. F. Boden, who served from 1867 to 1873. From the church here Rev. Boden went to Kellogg, where he remained until his death in 1897. Rev. A. Rehn served as pastor from 1873 to 1875. Rev. J. Hauser began his pastorate here in 1875, and continued until his death two years later. Rev. Rehn died at the parsonage and was buried in the cemetery adjoining the church. Rev. J. Meyer served as pastor from 1877 until 1892. In 1892 Rev. J. F. Reinch accepted a call here. Rev. Reinch was but a young man when he entered upon his work here. He was born in Kentucky in 1867. He entered the ministry while yet in his twentieth year, his first pastorate of three being in Des Moines. He was pastor of a church in Wayne county, previous to his locating in Poweshiek county. He was successful in building churches and parsonages in Malcom and elsewhere.
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