USA > Iowa > Tama County > History of Tama County, Iowa, together with sketches of their towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 51
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EXPENSES IN AN EARLY DAY.
The following is an extract from the book of expenditures of John Connell and brother:
1852.
July. To quarter section of land. $144 00
To expenses to Dubuque. 20 00
To farming tools in Dubuque. 15 00
Oct. To two horses 155 00
To one wagon 60 00
€4 To one set harness, blanket, etc. . 27 00
To groceries, chains, etc. 100 00
To stove, crockery, etc. 70 00
1853.
March . To 9 hogs from J. Connelly. 13 00
To 2 heifers from J. Connelly . .. 14 00
To corn for horses during winter 25 00
To shoeing, medicine, etc .. 5 00
April. To groceries. 70 00
May. Bo't of Jos. Young, 80 ac. land. . 100 00
" 20. Bo't of Mr. Heim, 2 cows. 40-00
Jun. 20 Bo't of Pat. Casey 1 cow. 40 00
20 Bo't flour, meat, groceries, etc. at Cedar Rapids, 50 00
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
July 8. Breaking team (should be break- ing land). 98 00
One page has the amount of cash cap- ital invested by John, Joseph, and Robert Connell in their business in 1856, $405.00. Another page shows their expenditures in the saw mill.
The only entry in the docket of John Connell, the first justice, under date of June 13, 1854, relates to an estray, as follows : Black mare, 3 years old ; 14 hands high, bald face, left hind foot white, sear on nose, valued at $85.00, by Joseph Connell and J. P. Wood, appraisers. The estray was taken up by John Riley.
CONCLUSION.
Thus I have endeavored to present to you the history of our old settlers, I trust as interesting to you as to me. I have done my part in gathering the facts. In looking back upon the time of 23 years it seems not long. The time is within the life of every adult, and on first thought it would seem that but few incidents of inter- est could be found. The days of the present and of the immediate past are not as the days of the last century. Great events are now crowded into a few years. Iowa, owing to easy facilities for travel, developed faster in twenty-five years than the wilds of more eastern states did in one hundred years. Measured by the past even, who can tell of the advance- ment that this settlement will see during the next generation? Those of us who shall stand here twenty years hence will witness important changes. The workers of the past twenty-three years leave no unimportant task to the workers of the coming time to rival them. May those coming after us do as well.
PIONEER LIFE.
By Christopher Spire.
It was hard times with us in those days. We had to go to Iowa City to mill, which generally took five days and some- times we could not buy even a bushel of corn meal for love or money. Some of the people would take an ear of corn and rub it on a grater ; that is take a piece of old stove pipe and punch it full of holes with a peg and awl from the under side, then take an ear of corn and ruh it on the top side till they have got enough meal to make a johnny cake. They would do this sooner than go so far to mill. He says one day some one told him there was a mill some ten or twelve miles south of where he lived, so he started with his oxen and some corn to find it. He wanted some corn meal and pork pretty bad ; wheat flour was out of the question with most people in those days.
After wandering about in the snow all day, he came to the mill at night, but the miller could neither grind his eorn, sell him any meal or pork nor yet keep him over night ; the mill was frozen up and the miller just as bad off as anybody else, so there was no help but to drive somewhere else, and he wandered over the prairie till past midnight, before he could find a house to stay at till day light ; there he , told the man of the house that he was wanting corn meal and pork, and where he came from and where he had been, and the man says stay till morning and I will tell you where you can buy a fat hog. In the morning he tells me where to go for the hog ; it was a long ways and I did not get there till nearly night, but he found the hog, it was a large one, but not very
Hough Medmulty
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
fat and the man was quite willing to sell it. The hog was in a large pen and the man had no way of eatehing it, nor yet any gun to shoot it, but he said he would catch it by the leg and then I was to strike it on the head with an ax, and he chased that hog for a long time, but could not eateh it ; then I told the man that I wonld catch the hog and he might strike it with the ax. . Well I caught the hog by the leg but he was too stout for me, but I hung to him and he drug me round that yard till my hands was bruised pretty bad against the frosted ground, and that man could not get to strike that hog at all, and I let go. It was now night and I had to go without the hog back to the place where I stayed the night before, and I stayed there . another night, and in the morning the man of the house told me there was a small grist mill about nine miles south, and he was about sure that I could get my corn ground there, as it was a steam mill, and may be I could buy some pork. So I starts off for that mill and gets there early in the day, and the miller told me that he could not grind my corn till night as he had to run the saw in the day time, so I told him that if he was sure it would be ground in the morning, I would go and get a place to stop at till morning, and he says your corn will be ground in the morning if you leaves it, so I left the corn and I found a good place to stop at over night and the man at the house told me he would take good care of my oxen, so I goes into the house and stays till morning and I got a good supper, bed and before I got my breakfast, I went to see that my oxen was well fed before starting for home, which was about thirty miles from
there, but when I got to the barn, I found my oxen was not there, some one had been in the night and taken them away. After breakfast the man and me hunted a greater part of the day after them oxen and finaly we finds them at a lean hay stack, penned up good, and I throws down the fence and takes the oxen and makes for the mill, and when I got there I finds my corn was not ground. Then I felt like cursing the whole State of Iowa, and was willing to give any man a dollar that would have helped me, but finally the miller agreed to give me another man's grist, and then I felt better and started for home. I don't know whether the miller got another eursing after I was gone or not, for I don't think I ever saw him since. Well, I got within about four miles of home late in the night in the midst of a fearful snow storm. It was at a house where there lived two first-rate young men. They had me stay till morning, and I told them where I had been and what I was after and the trouble I had been into, and the men told me not to mind and in the morning they would fix me all right. So in the morning they sold me two nice fat hogs ; one we butchered and put in the sled, but we tied the legs of the other and put it in the shed, allowing that the live hog and myself would keep the dead hog warm till I got home, and then I would seald and dress it. So I began to feel rich, and made for home as fast as I could. Well, I got safe home rejoicing, but be- fore I could take care of my live hog, and get water sealded for the other, it was night again ; but I knowed if that hog was not dressed that night it would be froze like a rock in the morning, and it was so
21
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
cold out of doors that we had to seald that hog in the house. So my wife and me gets a barrel and sets it on a stoop against a dry goods box and puts in the hot water and gets the hog on the box, and in he goes, and when we went to pull the hog ont, by some means the barrel slipped np straight on its end and we could not get that hog out of that barrel, and there was no help but to push that barrel over and
spill the water over the floor; and then we got the hog out of the barrel, but we had no more hot water to seald the top end of the heg. So I gets my razor and shaves the hair off, and I made a good, clean job, and next morning we had johnny cake and liver for breakfast, and ever since then we have had better luck in the pork and johnny cake business.
CHAPTER XII.
.
POLITICAL.
In this chapter it is the design to pre-
1 sent all the items of interest connected with the political history of Tama county, the principal issues which occupied the attention of the people during the various campaigns sinee the organization of the county, both local and general so far as is possible, and following this a complete abstract of the votes polled at every elee- tion. There is always a fascinating inter- est manifested in the political history of a Nation, State or country, and especially is this true in a free land, where, in the eyes of the law, all are upon an equality; where it has been shown that even the humblest-the rail-splitter or the tow- path boy-ean attain the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an American citizen. We delight to see merit re- warded ; we are pleased with the onward progress of one from the humble walks of life, as step by step he mounts the ladder
of fame. Even if we do not reach the highest pinnacle, we flatter ourselves that possibly our children may.
There is an excitement about a politi- cal campaign which all enjoy, and, although to the disgrace of the party using, per_ sonalities are often indulged in, as a gen- eral thing all 'yield gracefully to the ver- diet of the people, and submit themselves unto "the powers that be." This is well, and speaks well for the American people.
THE FIRST POLITICAL CONVENTION.
As there were a number of important offices to till in 1853, it was decided to hold a convention, and nominate candidates. Accordingly one was called in July, 1853. No party lines were drawn, and it was a " mass meeting " of all who had any inter- est in politieal matters. It was to be held in Bruner's mill, a short distance from the present site of Toledo ; but when the citizens got together they found that the
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
mill as yet had no roof on, and the sun was beating down in a way which made it uncomfortably warm. So the convention adjourned under the shade of a tree near by, where they proceeded to business. There was some controversy regarding the noniination of candidates; some claiming that there was no need of it, when J. 11. Hollen mounted a stump and in a short and spirited address said : "There is no need of nominating candidates. Let those who wish to run announce them- selves as candidates and 'let the largest pole knock the persimmons.' " But after some further discussions it was decided to nominate candidates for all the offices except County Judge, and this was done. John Ross was nominated for Treasurer and Recorder, and Miron Blodgett for Sheriff. The former was a Whig and the latter a Democrat. The convention being strictly non-partisan. By common consent it was resolved that J. C. Vermilya, a Whig, and J. H. Hollen, a Democrat, should be the candidates for County Judge. The fight for this office was very warm. Ver- milya was successful by a majority of four votes.
The April election in 1854 was for local officers, School Fund Commissioner and Drainage Commissio: er, the principal atten- tion concentrating upon the former . fliee. Noah Myers, an influential man in early times and quite a politician, announced himself as a candidate for the office. He was opposed by J. H. Hollen and a number of other persons, however, and a " people's convention " was called to nominate an opponent. Noah Myers, as soon as he heard of the "people's" move, commeneed work in earnest, and when the convention
met it was found that a majority of those present were for Myers. Quite a hot time ensued, in which the anti-Myers men declared that it was dishonorable to pack conventions. Finally, after considerable wrangling, Myers was nominated, his side being in the majority. Ile was elected without opposition. Anthony Wilkinson was elected Drainage Commissioner. Further than this, political matters did not enter into the campaign. The "people's convention" was held at the house of Christian Bruner.
At the August election, in 1854, a Clerk of Courts and Prosecuting Attorney were to be elected. The Democrats and Whigs both held conventions, on the same day at Toledo, the former nominating Franklin Davis for County Clerk and Alford Phillips for Prosecuting Attorney. The Whigs chose as their standard bearers Thomas A. Graham for Clerk and James C. Marshall for Prosecuting Attorney. In a few weeks David D. Appelgate announced himself as an independent candidate for Clerk of Courts and Mr. Davis, the Demo- cratie candidate, withdrew. The election was held, and returns declared D. D. Appelgate and A. Phillips successful. John Connell, a Whig, was elected to the legislature from the district of which Tama county formed a part. llis nomi- nation was a neatly operated piece of stratagem. The district comprises the counties of Poweshiek, Jasper, Benton and Tama, each having a larger population and vote than Tama county, and it was, of course, not the intention of the other counties to give the nomination for this office to a man from the least important county. The convention was held at West
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
Irving. Each of the other counties had their man and the Tama county delegates were instructed for John Connell. A number of ballots were taken, each holding to their man, when the Tama county delegates divided and made two other counties feel good towards them by giving a complimentary vote to their candidates -doing it when there was no possibility of it nominating. These counties returned the favor by giving Connell a compliment- ary vote, which chanced to be at a time when Tama county went solid for Connell, and with their votes it nominated him.
The April election, 1855, was for Com- missioner and Register DesMoines River Improvement and Register State Land office. The Whig ticket was successful in this county, as it was in the State, the largest majority for any eanditate being 73 and, the lowest 72. This was the last cam- paign in which the Whig party figured in the State. The question as to the adop- tion of a prohibitory liquor law in the State, was also submitted to the people, and in Tama eounty it received a majority of 37. The highest vote polled for any ques- tion in the county was on the liquor law, being 289, a gratifying increase.
The election in August, 1855, was for county officers. A Whig convention was held and J. C. Vermilya nominated for Judge; T. I. Staley, for Treasurer and Recorder; William Garner, for Sheriff; W. A. Daniels, for Surveyor, and F. Davis for Coroner. Garner and Davis, were Demoerat -; the rest, Whigs, but not much attention was paid to a candidate's political views. No Democratic convention was
held but K. D. Shugart, took the field as an independent candidate for Treasurer and Recorder; . James C. Marshall, as a candidate for Surveyor against Dr. Daniels, and Geo. W. Free, for Sheriff. The prin- cipal contest was for Treasurer and Re- corder, and Surveyor. The candidates for the former office, were both Whigs, but Staley had the inside traek by having the nomination and having been deputy in the office. He was bitterly opposed and many stories were circulated to defeat him, but without avail. Staley was elected by a majority of 67 over Shugart. The fight for Surveyor was also pretty warm. Both Daniel and Marshall were Whigs; the former having the advantage of a nomina- tion. The latter was much opposed on account of his infidel views. The people at that day were very religiously inclined, and the thought of voting for a man who had ridiculed their belief, was not to be thought of. Shortly before the election, J. C. Marshall, delivered a leeture at the old court-house upon this subject, so that it was fresh in the minds of the voters. Marshall ran well, however, only being defeated by a majority of 66. John Con- nell received 50 complimentary votes for Coroner, and remarked afterwards, that he would like to be coroner "just long enough to sit on the dead bodies of those who had voted for him."
At the election held in April, 1856, the bridge tax question was to be voted on, and a School Fund Commissioner to be elected. The bridge tax carried by a majority of 76. For Commissioner there were three candidates-L. S. Frederick, Jeremiah Hardin, and Jonas P. Wood.
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
The fight was purely sectional. Frederick was a Whig from Spring Creek; Hardin, a Democrat, from Toledo, and Wood, a Whig, from Buckingham. There were 586 votes cast, of which Frederick got 225, Hardin 185, and Wood 170; Frederick's majority, 40.
Former issues dividing the political parties had disappeared in 1856, and new issues were being rapidly formed. The Whig party had ceased to exist, and on its ruins had been erected two other par- ties one having for its central truth oppo- sition to the further extension of slavery, and the other that American born citizens must rule America. These parties had, of course, absorbed many of the mem- bers of the old Democratie party. The American party not being opposed to slavery, or, at least, making no opposition to it, either in the States in which it ex- isted, or the newly formed territories, where it had been made subject to admis- sion by the repeal of the Missouri com- promise, had become a numerous body in the South, with many adherents in the, North. The Republican party, basing its claims for popular suffrage upon its advo- cacy of freedom in the territories, was not permitted an existence in the Southern States, and of necessity was confined to the North. The first State convention by the newly organized Republican party was held at Iowa City, February 22, and placed a ticket in the field for State officers, and adopted a platform in accordance with the principles of equal rights and firm oppo- sition to slavery. The Democratic con- vention met at the capitol, June 26, nomi- nated a ticket and adopted a platform in accordance with that adopted by the Na-
tional Convention at Cincinnati. The nominations of James Buchanan and John C. Breckenridge were enthusiastically con- firmed. J. C. Fremont was the Republi- can candidate for President.
In Tama county the newly organized Republican and Democratic parties each had regular tickets in the field to be voted on at the Angust election. There were two county offices to be filled-Clerk of Court, and Prosecuting Attorney ; the Republicans, by nomination, offered David D. Appelgate for the former, and Timothy Brown for the latter office. The Democrats nominated James 1I. Ilol- len for Clerk, and E. B. Bolens for Prose- cuting Attorney. Appelgate was elected by a majority of 217. The election of Prosecuting Attorney furnished an histori- cal item, to get at the bottom of which the reader must go back in date to the spring of 1856, when Tim Brown was boarding at Alford Phillips'. It seems that Brown had been boarding with Phillips, and, as the story goes, on one oc- casion, a Chicago man sent Phillips a num- ber of cans of peaches as a present. Mrs. Phillips, soon after their arrival, promised the boarders they should have them for dinner ; but Phillips forbade her opening the eans and she dare not disobey, so the boarders did without the peaches. Tim Brown got rather mad at this way of doing, and in talking to several friends in town told them he was going to " take up a collection to pay Phillips for opening the cans and permitting the boarders to smell of the peaches, it would be such a treat in this western country ; thought it wouldn't cost more than the peaches were worth, as they didn't cost Phillips any-
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
thing." Brown went somewhere else to board, and war was declared between Phillips and him. When Brown was nominated by the Republicans for prose- enting attorney, Phillips took exceptions and determined to defeat him. At this time Nathan C. Wieting was boarding at Phillips' and Phillips insisted that Nathan should run. Mr. Wieting finally, in more of a joke than anything el e, said he would. Upon this Phillips started for the country and quietly canvassed the whole county against Brown, stating that he had turned him from his home on account of his morals ; that he swore so fearfully he could not stand it : and capped the sheaf by saying that Brown was so accus- tomed to swearing that he kept it up in his sleep and kept the rest of the household awake by the noise he made. When the returns came in, the vote stood Wieting, 240 ; Brown, 209; and E. B. Bolens, the Democratie nominee, 141. Not much attention was paid to county affairs, and this was considerable of a surprise, the energies of all having been devoted to the presidential candidates. The total vote at this election was 592. How true this yarn is the historian is unable to state. It was related by a number of the carly settlers and is here presented as showing how it is possible for great events to hinge upon little things.
The election in April, 1857, was for County Assessor, Sheriff, and Drainage Commissioner. There were three tickets in the field, Republican, Democratie and Independent. The Republicans were suc- cessful by majorities ranging from 109 to 123. The vote was increased to 682 at this election.
The August election, 1857, was for county officers and the constitutional amendment. The contest this year assumed the appearance partly of the north against the south part of the county. The affairs of the county, in coming from the new and rude state of affairs to solid regular work, as would be expected, became in rather poor condition ; county orders were not worth 75 cents on the dollar, and no one sought them at 60 cents. This was in no way due to the manage- ment of affairs, but the expenses of the county far exceeded the revenue. There was but little valuation to tax, and expen- ses in getting the organization in running order, were much more heavy than when things were running smoothly. The Re- publicans met in convention and nominat- ed Leander Clark, of the northern part of the county for County Judge ; A. J. Wheaton, for Treasurer and Recorder ; George Raines, for Sheriff : and Horace Jacobs for Surveyor. The Democrats nominated W. C. Salisbury, for Judge ; Jeremiah Ilardin, for Treasurer and Recorder ; Thomas Murray, for Sheriff and Charles Irish, for Surveyor. After the Republican convention was held, the friends of Judge Vermilya announced their intention of running him for County Judge. Hard work was done, and the election day was a warm one. The total vote polled was 800. The Republicans elected their candidate for County Judge by a majority of 161, and. Treasurer and Recorder by a majority of 102. The Democratic candidates, Thomas Murray for Sheriff, and Charles Irish for Surveyor, were elected by majorities of 93 and 195. An election was held in October, 1857,
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HISTORY OF TAMA COUNTY.
for Governor and Representative in the General Assembly. A light vote was polled, Ralph P. Lowe, Republican, for Governor, receiving 303 votes, against Ben M. Samuels, Democrat, 174. T. Walter Jackson was elected Representa- tive.
The office of County Superintendent of schools was created by the new constitu- tion adopted in 1857, and candidates were voted for at the April election, 1858. Woodhull Helm, Republican, was in the field, against Peter McRoberts, Democrat. Mr. Helm was elected and thus had the honor of being the first County Superin- tendent. His majority was 620, out of 687 votes east.
The october election in 1858 was for State officers and Clerk of Court. Nothing of special interest transpired, the Repub- lieans being successful by a majority of about 266. The total vote was 783.
In April, 1859, the question of donat- ing $40,000 to secure the location of the State Model Farm and Agricultural Col- lege in Tama county, was submitted to the people, and carried by a majority of 249 out of 639 votes polled. This did not secure the college, however, it being finally located in Story county.
In October, 1859, there were both State and eounty officers to be elected, and the contest was so sharp that it will long be remembered in Tama county. For county officers there was no unusual stir, the Re- publicans being successful exeept for Sheriff, and Thomas Murray, the Demo- cratic candidate, was elected to this office over Eli Harmon, Republican, by a majority of 197. The principal contest
was over State Senator. The vote of Tama county for Governor stood : S. J. Kirkwood, Republican, 600 ; Augustus C. Dodge, Democrat, 295. Abram Tompkins, Republican, was elected Representative by a majority of 526.
The country was now becoming deeply moved over questions which stirred the popular heart as none had ever done be- fore. The storm had been gathering ever since the repeal of the Missouri Compro- mise ; the struggles in Kansas had deeply intensified the feelings of the people of the North, and John Brown's attempt upon Harper's Ferry had been skilfully managed so as to arouse and heat the people of the Sonth. That the Territories of the United States should forever be consecrated to freedom was the solmen determination of a large majority of the people of the North, and that the boundaries of the institution of slavery should not be further enlarged. The South, seeking its perpetuation by means of enlarged political power, deter- mined that it should not be restricted, but should have enlarged privileges. The questions dividing parties were thus chiefly sectional, and pointed directly to war. In this state of public mind the Republican party met in National convention at Chicago, for the purpose of placing in the field candidates for the office of President and Vice-President. The names of Seward, Lincoln, Chase, Blair and Bates were proposed for the chief office. In the con-
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