USA > Iowa > Poweshiek County > History of Poweshiek County, Iowa: a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume 1 > Part 32
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great delight to the boys to see the four horses dash in on a spree and see the drivers crack their whips so proudly, and then watch them as they sailed out of the stable and off afresh for the end of their run. Men are but boys of a large growth, and while the boys saw those drivers disappear in the distance they doubtless said, "I will be a stage driver." Doubtless the men, too, weary from their breaking and worn by their chopping, said: "Oh, that I could hold those reins and crack that whip all day long!" But who of them now would choose the life of the stage driver ?
There were but fifteen voters when the township was organized, namely : Nathaniel Lattimer, Nathaniel J. Lattimer, William Lattimer, C. G. Adams, George M. Beeler, A. H. Carpenter, Robert C. Carpenter, Samuel Favone, Peter S. Pearce, William Prosser, Sr., Daniel D. Prosser, William McNabb, James F. Roberts and D. M. Rutledge.
Nearly sixty years have passed since that election and it was nearly two years after it before Westfield, (a small hamlet consisting of a few houses, and a blacksmith shop, sprang up just west of Lattimer's) had any neighbors in this county on the northward. In 1854 the founders of Grinnell erected a log cabin in the grove a mile or so north of Lattimer's, which they occupied till they could build on the prairie.
THE FIRST SETTLEMENT.
The first settlement made within the present boundaries of Washington township was in the vicinity of Blue Point on the east side of the township. Possibly among the first to settle there was one William McNabb, who was a resident of the county and entered land in October 1848. During the year 1849 two families came to Blue Point. These were George M. Beeler, and his brother- in-law, Robert C. Carpenter. These men entered land in October, 1849.
Prior to the settlement at Blue Point the Lattimer families located at West- field, in what is now Grinnell township. This settlement was made at what was called Lattimer's Grove, by Nathaniel Lattimer, D. P. Lattimer, N. J. Lattimer, and William Lattimer, who came to the county in 1848, though they did not enter land before 1849.
The first settlement made in the center and north part of Washington town- ship was by William Prosser, Sr. He came here in 1848, and with him his brother-in-law, Peter S. Pearce, and his two sons, Daniel Prosser, and William Prosser, Jr. In the extreme northwest part of the township in 1849 Ephriam Stevens and James Stevens entered land, and at the same time James Jenkins entered land in section 7.
In the southwest part of the township, along Sugar Creek, were the Ken- worthy brothers. These were William and Jesse Kenworthy, who settled in this county. Other brothers settled just across in Jasper county, but this settlement was not made until after the organization of Washington township in 1852.
At the election for state officers held in Washington township in August, 1852, there were sixteen votes cast, and these constituted the number of settlers in the township at that time. There were some few transient settlers prior to 1852. Among these was Silas Sterling, from whom some of the early settlers pur- chased land.
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LAND ENTRIES.
The first entry of land from the government in township No. 79, north, range No. 16, west,-Washington township,-was made on October 27, 1849. On that date George M. Beeler entered eighty acres in section 14, and Albert H. Car- penter entered eighty acres in section 22, and eighty acres on section 23. On October 31, 1849, Ephriam Stevens entered the northwest quarter of section 5, and James W. Stevens entered the southwest quarter of the same section. On November 8, 1849, James Jenkins entered one hundred and sixty acres in sec- tion 7. These purchases of land constitute the. first in the township and are all that were made prior to 1850.
ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP.
The fourth township in the county to be organized was Washington on Feb- ruary 2, 1852.
Washington township embraced all of the present township, and in addition that of Grinnell and Chester townships, and the west half of Sheridan, Malcom, and Pleasant townships. The township remained this size until March 6, 1855, when Grinnell township was organized, and at that time the two tiers of sections on the south side of congressional township No. 80, and range No. 16, west, were left a part of Washington township, and remained as such several years. The civil townships were then changed and the boundaries made to correspond with the congressional townships.
The tally list of an election held at the house of D. D. Prosser in Wash- ington township, on Monday, the 3d day of May, 1852, follows: Justice of the peace, Robert C. Carpenter, thirteen votes; P. S. Pearce, seven votes; James F. Roberts, two votes; Constable. A. Carpenter, thirteen votes ; D. M. Rutledge, thirteen votes; trustees, George M. Beeler, fourteen votes; D. D. Prosser, eleven votes; William McNabb, eleven votes; D. M. Rutledge two votes; and Samuel Favor, two votes; township clerk, J. F. Roberts, twelve votes.
There were some discrepancies in the election of the trustees at the above election, there being five candidates, and on June 4, 1852, George M. Beeler and William McNabb were appointed as trustees to serve one year from the first Monday of April last past.
EARLY ELECTIONS.
The first election for state officers held in Washington township was on Monday, August 2, 1852. At this election the two candidates for secretary of state, G. W. McCleary and J. W. Jenkins, each received eight votes, and the other candidates for treasurer and auditor of state each received eight votes, thus showing that the township was equally divided politically at that time.
At the presidential election held on November 2, 1852, the following persons voted: James F. Roberts, Robert C. Carpenter. D. D. Prosser, William Mc- Nabb, George M. Beeler, Albert D. Carpenter, John Allen, William M. Starr, William Prosser, David M. Rutledge, N. J. Lattimer, Alanson Madison. Na-
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thaniel Lattimer, Franklin Walters, Charles D. Allen, and D. P. Lattimer. Of these seventeen votes cast, Franklin Pierce received six votes, and Winfield Scott, received eleven votes. Thus it will be seen that three elections were held in Washington township during the year 1852, the township election for organi- zation in April, the state election in August, and the presidential election in No- vember. National politics interested these early settlers the first year, but the next year a new question came up, and the citizens of this new township spoke in most positive terms on this question. This was doubtless the first railroad agitation in the county, and it may have passed from the memory of most of the old settlers. We give the record :
"At an election held at the schoolhouse of district No. 1, of Washington township, Poweshiek county, and state of Iowa, on Monday, the 17th day of October, A. D. 1853, (in conformity with a proclamation of the county judge submitted to the qualified voters of said county, the proposition whether they will as a county subscribe to the capital stock of the Lyons Iowa Central Railroad to the amount of Twenty Thousand Dollars to be paid for by the issuing of county bonds, payable in twenty years, bearing seven per cent per annum, payable semi-annually, with an annual tax sufficient to pay the interest) there were cast in favor of such proposition two votes, and there were cast against such propo- sition thirteen votes."
SECOND RAILROAD AGITATION.
The question of issuing one hundred thousand dollars in bonds, and the first vote on the proposition in Washington township was on April 5, 1858. The elec- tion was held at the house of James K. Jenkins, and a superintendent of common schools was elected. On the railroad question there were seventy-seven votes : For railroad stock and tax, forty-four votes; against railroad stock and tax thirty-three votes. It will be remembered that the proposition carried in the county.
On June 28, 1858, an election was again held at the house of Joseph Jenkins on the four following propositions: 1, for and against the general banking law ; 2, for and against the State Bank of Iowa; 3, for and against additional provi- sions to railroad stock and tax as adopted at the last April election ; 4, for and against additional railroad stock and tax. On the banking law the vote was sixty-five for and one against; on the state bank the vote was sixty-four votes for and two against; on the additional proviso there were thirty-four votes for and thirty-two against; for additional stock there were sixteen votes for and forty-eight against.
The third election on the famous railroad question was held on November 19, 1858, and the Washington township voting place was at the Westfield school- house. The question was for, or against railroad stock, or tax, and the vote in this township was fifty-five for, and five votes against the stock and tax.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The religious class known as the Blue Point M. E. church was organized about 1852, four years after the first settlers came to the community. Among
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the charter members of the church were R. C. Carpenter and wife and William McNabb and wife. About the time the class was organized a building was erected, which was used for church and school purposes. Tradition does not preserve the name of the first minister of this community. The second minister was one Rev. Samuel Hestwood, who was well known to the early settlers. When Bartholomew Vestal came to the township in 1853, he took much interest in the church and its work, and preached for a time, having been an active local minister in North Carolina.
The religious services of the community were held in the log cabin building until about 1870, when the present church edifice was erected, and this has been the home of the church. The church has ever had an encouraging membership, and has been one of the strongest classes on this circuit, it being made one of the five appointments on the Searsboro circuit about 1876.
The cemetery adjoining the churchyard was laid out about the time the church was built, on land which Bartholomew Vestal purchased of William McNabb. This original lot was one acre, and the purchase price was one dollar. The first interment was that of Mrs. William McNabb. Later the yard was enlarged to three acres, James Spillman donating the additional lot. A large number of fine monuments have been erected in the cemetery, and many graves have been made therein during the past fifty, or more, years.
THE FRIEND'S CHURCH.
The Friend's church at Sugar Creek is one of the oldest in the county and is located on the county line in Washington township. The first organization was made as early as 1856. Among the charter members were the following: Dr. Barclay Hinchman, Mr. and Mrs. William Kenworthy, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Kenworthy, Mr. and Mrs. Willis Kenworthy, Mr. and Mrs. Amos Kenworthy, Mr. and Mrs. John Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Jason Hibbs, and William Dingey. A building for church purposes was erected about the time the class was or- ganized, and was used a few years. A second building was erected which served the congregation a number of years. The present church edifice was built about twenty-five years ago.
Among the first regular ministers were Rev. Truman Cooper, who located here. Rev. Anna White was also one of the early ministers. The church had a constant growth from the start. For several years it was a part of the Lynn- ville circuit, but later became separated and held its own monthly meetings. Rev. Robert Lincoln, a resident pastor, served the congregation for a number of years.
The cemetery adjoining the churchyard was laid out about the time the church was built. After it was decided to locate a burial ground here, and a few burials had been made, a decision was reached to change the location and move it further up the hill to the present site. The graves in the original plat remained as they were first made. The cemetery now contains a large number of graves and some very fine and costly monuments have been put in place to mark the resting place of the departed. The yard is well kept and it contains
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the remains of many of the early settlers of west Poweshiek and east Jasper counties.
CHRISTIAN UNION CHURCH.
The Blue Point Christian Union church was organized as a district class about 1863. The church and state prior to and during the war were not entirely separated. Questions of national importance entered into church discussions at that time, and the Christian people at Blue Point in their discussions of these questions were like Paul and Mark, of old, and the contention became so sharp that they separated. Out of the once harmonious band of religious workers here a second church was organized, being known as the Christian Union church. A number of the leading citizens of the community were charter members in the new class, the organization being perfected by Rev. J. R. Ryan. The class was organized in 1863 and six years later a house of worship was erected. The class was in a disorganized condition for a few years, and during this time the church building was used by the Friend's people. Later a reorganization of the original Christian Union was made and again the work was taken up.
A burial ground was laid out at the time the church was built. A large number of the early settlers lie buried here and many beautiful grave stones mark the resting place of loved ones.
THE FIRST SCHOOL.
The schoolhouse known as No. I, in Washington township, was erected late in the year 1852, or early in the spring of 1853, the April election of 1853 being held in the house. The early settlers came to the township with the intention of making for themselves homes, and their community would not be home-like until a school was established. There were but few men in the community and when it was decided to erect a public building for church and school purposes, it is said that two men volunteered to furnish the logs for the sides of the build- ing, two to furnish the end logs, and another two to provide for the roof. The first building was 18 by 24 feet, and was fitted up in a fitting manner. The first house stood on the present site of the Blue Point M. E. church, and was used for church, school, and political purposes.
We are unable to give the date of the first school, but it is said that Miss Lucy Bixby taught the first term of school in the new house. Miss Bixby doubtless gained some practical experience in her work here, which enabled her to continue her work in the county. The second teacher was Mary Crawford, and she was followed by John W. Cheshire.
The second schoolhouse in the township was the "Westfield." It was built soon after the township was organized, being located on the township line, where it stood for several years.
PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT.
To go back to the first settlement in the township takes up to the year 1849. The first settlers came from Indiana, of the good old Hoosier stock. At the
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presidential election of 1852 there were seventeen votes cast. A brief review of those early settlers is not out of place.
Chief among them was George W. Beeler, who lived and died here, and his sons have continued on the farm which he improved. Robert and Albert Car- penter remained prominent citizens of the township for twenty-five years and then located in Audubon county. The four Lattimer families remained in the community where they settled for many years, then disposed of all their prop- erty and removed from the county. William Prosser and Daniel Prosser be- came permanent residents here and so remained until their deaths. William Prosser, Jr., had been a resident here for three years prior to 1852, and at the time of the election that year, had left his home and gone to California. After an absence of three years he returned to the township and became a permanent citizen. James F. Roberts and David M. Rutledge had both entered land in what is now Grinnell township and continued residents here for several years. John Allen and Charles Allen were residents here at that time, but have since left the township.
Franklin Waters was also a citizen here, and on August 8, 1852, was married to Mary Elizabeth Lattimer, Rev. James B. Johnson performing the ceremony. William McNabb was also a very influential citizen for a few years previous to his death. William Starr and Alanson Madison were citizens of the township at that time, but did not long remain. Peter S. Pearce was also one of the first settlers of the township, raised his family here and continued to make this his home until his death. His sons and grandsons still reside in the township.
Daniel D. Prosser came to Washington township with his father, William Prosser, in 1858. In 1840 he married Matilda Jenkins, a sister of B. and N. Jenkins, of Grinnell, and left her a widow in 1896. At the time of his death the Grinnell Herald had the following, in part, to say of him :
"He belonged to a race of pioneers who endured the privations and braved the perils of the frontiers in Virginia, in Pennsylvania, in Ohio, in Indiana, in Illinois, in Iowa, a strong-limbed, brave-hearted, generous-souled race, who cherished those virtues most prized where men win a competence by industry and economy, and often retain what they win only by physical courage. He was on his Iowa farm five years before Mr. Grinnell came here, and at a time when Indians were numerous in the vicinity and not always friendly. At one time, at least, it was necessary for the endangreed pioneers to organize in self- defense, and they chose Mr. Prosser to be their commander. It is remembered that on one occasion, in 1850, his little band was in great peril from the actual assaults of a strong force and compelled to seek the protection of a log house that served them as a fort. This log-house fort was located in what is now Grin- nell township, section 32, on the hill where C. W. Pearce's residence now is. The families of the five settlers had been removed to the older settlement at Forest Home. The men associated with Mr. Prosser in this defense were N. Jenkins, William Prosser, J. F. Roberts (brother of C. L. Roberts), and P. S. Pearce.
"He loved his rifle when deer were plenty, and always loved his plow. He enjoyed the rewards of an industrious life in the bosom of an affectionate family and among those who respected his manly and generous qualities. He gladly and
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without any display gave assistance to those about him and has left a large group of those who are sincerely grateful for many a neighborly service.
"In politics he was long a democrat and more recently a populist, and in church relations for many years was connected with the Christian church, though for a time that organization in his vicinity has been disbanded, but his circle of friendships was bounded by no party and no sect. The early history of Washington township and Poweshiek county cannot be truly written without an honorable place in it for Daniel D. Prosser."
These constitute the citizens of the community at the time of the organization of Washington township in 1852. From this beginning the township has grown toward its present state of development, wealth and prosperity, and when it celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1902, it looked back over a half century of development and progress in which its inhabitants today may well take pride.
The first schoolhouse was built the year in which the township was organized, and but three years after the first settlement was made therein. This first schoolhouse was in the east part of the township, and a second schoolhouse soon followed, being located in the northwest part. The first settlers brought with them to the township a love for education, and they were not backward in founding schools for their children. This interest in education has continued up to the present time.
The first schoolhouse was also intended for church purposes, and with the opening of the school the church was also organized. In the little log church- schoolhouse at Blue Point, about 1852, was laid the foundation of education and religious training of the township.
At the election in April 1853, another voter was present, Daniel Van Treese, a new settler in the community, and the family continued to reside in the county. During the summer of 1853 Bartholomew Vestal became a permanent settler in the east part of the township. He became one of the largest landholders among the early settlers, and continued to reside here during his life. He was also a local minister.
The name Birtes Bird appears in 1853, as also Henry Altig. The former only had a short residence here, but the latter became a permanent resident of Grinnell township. Other settlers who came to the township in the latter part of 1854 and the spring of 1855 were : Moses Bryant, A. C. Brott, Friend Dicker- son, Joshua Crispin, Joshua Robins, Robert Golden, A. B. Miller, and David Dale. Some of these became permanent settlers in the west part of the township.
During the next three years the population more than doubled, for at the April, (1858), election there were seventy-nine votes cast, this showing that the settlement of the township was very rapid during the last half of its first decade. Then came the war period, and a large number of the adopted sons of Washington township enlisted in the army, and more than the usual number from one township laid down their lives while in the service of their country.
After the close of the war the population increased rapidly and the improve- ments were many and of a substantial nature in every way. Since the beginning, with one church and one school, advancement has been made. Now there are nine schoolhouses, and the educational advantages of the township are the pride Vol. I-19
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of her citizens. Four churches stand within the township, and five cemeteries have been laid out.
In 1870, the Iowa Central Railroad was built through the township, from north to south, and added much to its improvement. In 1875 the Grinnell and Montezuma Railroad was built, traversing the northeast part of the township. For a few years a postoffice, by the name of Tyro, existed in the southwest part of the township, but it was long since discontinued. A postoffice was established at Oak Grove on the Iowa Central line, and one at Jacob on the Grinnell and Montezuma line. A switch was put in north of Oak Grove and this proved very acceptable to the farmers for loading grain and stock.
The center of the township is somewhat broken by a stretch of timber, but the north and south parts are fertile prairie land and here have been estab- lished some of the finest farms of the county. The farmers are well-to-do and progressive. Fine country homes have been built up in every part of the township. There will be good farms and prosperous farmers in Washington so long as there are such men there as Jolin S. Beeler in the prime of life and William Prosser in old age.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
It is fair to presume that Jefferson township was honored when given the name of the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, the great apostle of a brand of democracy that is claimed upon all occasions by those whose loyalty to the democratic party may be called into question. Thomas Jefferson was a large landed proprietor and was chiefly instrumental in giving us the present system of organizing counties by townships and the division of ownships into sections. Hence, no more apt or appropriate name could be tached to a township than that of Jefferson and the selection of that illus- ¿rious name in this instance was a happy one.
This township lies in the extreme northeast corner of the county and is bounded on the east by Iowa county, on the south by Warren township, on the west by Madison township and on the north by Tama county. The creeks run from west to east and there are so many of them as to make the water supply plentiful. In the early days timber was quite generously growing along the water courses, but much of it has responded to the needs of settlers and their posterity. The soil is adapted for corn and with the hills and slopes, of which the township abounds, this section of the county invites the breeding and rais- ing of cattle, where they thrive and multiply. The raising of hogs here is another industry quite largely followed and the profits therefrom are ample and warrant a continuance of that phase of farming.
Jefferson township was inhabited some time before its organization. Daniel Winslow, a North Carolinian, was here as early as 1851 and settled on section 2. He had lived several years previous to this in Illinois and came from that state to Iowa in the year above mentioned.
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