USA > Iowa > Howard County > Lime Springs > History of the Welsh in Minnesota, Foreston and Lime Springs, Ia. gathered by the old settlers > Part 31
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300
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
pany K, of Ninth Minnesota, were quartered in Horeb church, Butternut Valley, from February to May, 1863. The church not being large enough, a long shed was erected in the rear and John Kres' residence moved and joined .to it for a kitchen. All the men io the western counties were organized into a state militia and provided with military guns, equipment and ammunition.
South Bend and the east half of Judson formed Company E, Twentieth regi- ment, Third brigade, First division, Minnesota State Militia, and the west hall of Judson and Butternut Valley were Company F of the same regiment. The officers, commissioned February 7, 1863, were. Company E-Capt .. B. Y Coffin; First Lieutenant, D. D. Evans, Second Lieutenant, Edward Jones. Company F -Captain, Jenkin Williams; First Lieutenant, David J. Williams; Second Lieu- tenant, David J. Davis, Jr. In the fall, David J. Williams resigned his commis- sion to go to Illinois, and R. Il. Hughes was elected to fill the vacancy. Evan Jones (Indiana) was also commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Twenty second regiment in Brown county, on February 3, 1863. September 23, 1863, Hon. D. C. Evans was commissioned Brigadier General on the staff of Major General Stephen Miller.
In spite of every precaution. Indians in small squads would make frequent raids into the settlements to steal horses, killing whoever they met, during 1863-4 and 5. When on one of these raids Little Crow was killed July 3. 1863, by a set- tler, named Lampson, three miles north of Hutchinson.
The chief and one of his sons had come down to the settlements with a horse stealing party. They had become separated from the others and were picking raspberries in a small clearing in the timber when Mr. Lampson and his son came upon them. Mr. Lampson fired first and hit Little Crow in the shoulder. Mr Lampson's son then fired and gave the chief his mortal wound. Little Crow's son fled into the timber. Mr. Lampson ran towards Hutchinson, while his son tarried a moment to load his gun and get closer to where the Indian fell to see if he was dead. Just then Little Crow's son returned to where his father lay and got some water for him and ministered to him for about half an hour. when he di-d. Young Lampson was hid in the brush close by and might have shot the son, but in his excitement he had put two loads into his gun at once and did not dare fire it. A squad of Dane's Company then stationed at Hutchinson went out after Little Crow's body and buried it. John Edwards, of Judson. John J. Jones (cooper) and two or three other Welsh boys were in the squad. Little Crow's son was cap- tured about ten days later by some scouts on the Dakota line.
September 23, 1863, Win. J. Williams, of Cambria, claimed he saw an Indian in the woods on his farm as he was going after cattle in the evening. The militia were called out and scoured the woods next morning but found nothing. There were rumors of Indians at Buttalo Grove, at Geo. Owens' house and divers other places during 1864 and 1865.
May 2, 1865, the whole country was thrown into the wildest excitement by the murder of the Jewett family on section 33 of Rapidan About six o'clock that morning while the family were at breakfast six or sever Indians entered the cabin and killed the entire family consisting of A. J. Jewett and wife, his father and mother, and a hired man named Chas. Taylor. Mr. and Mrs Jewett's little child was tomahawked and left for dead but afterwards recovered. The house was ransacked and $400 in money and some clothing taken That afternoon a half breed named John L. Campbell called at the house of John A. Jones ( Ford) in South Bend for a glass of water. His actions were so peculiar that Jones at once suspected him and called the attention of a Mr. Dodge to him and they at
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301
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
once arrested Campbell in the road as he was leaving and took him to Mankato and lodged him in jail. He told contradictory statements about himself and the people were soon satisfied he was one of the murderers. A pair of lady's hose was found on his feet and a lady's pocket handkerchief, with the corner where the name had been stamped cut off, was found in his pocket. These articles with the rest of his clothing were taken out that night to where the Jewetts had lived and identified as their clothing by friends. Next morning, when these facts were known, a mob of 400 to 500 people surrounded the jail, the prisoner taken out, a court martial convened with S. F. Barney as judge and Joho A. Willard as pro- secuting attorney, a jury of 12 men was impanelled and a trial had in the open air just where the present new court house stands. The trial was a farce, how- ever, for the mob had the rope ready and were determined to hang him anyway. The jury could not agree and finally brought in a verdict recommending that he be held to the next term of court. The mob was wild. They got a rope about hi; neck and against the protests of the few dragged him to the southeast corner of the court house square where was a convenient tree, hustled him into a wagon, tied a rope to a limb of the tree and pulled the wagon from under him but they had neglected to tie his hands. The wagon was shoved back and he was let down into it. The Catholic priest managed to have a few words with him, while his hands were being tied. He sent a message to his mother, a mixed Sioux and Me - nomonie squaw who then lived at Traverse, He, also, told where he had hid in his cell $200 in money, which probably was part of the Jewett plunder. Camp- bell was 32 years old, of very dissolute habits and had a bad record. He had been a soldier and had deserted. His brother, Baptiste Campbell, was one of the thirty-two Indians executed at Mankato in 1862. But, while this half-breed was being hung, another Indian half-breed, John B. Renville by name, was beiog ordained to the work of the ministry by the Presbyterian Synod, just then in ses- sion at the Presbyterian church a block and a half away. Dr. Williamson had preached the opening sermon of the Synod the evening before the Jewett murder and had dwelt somewhat at length on the wrongs done the Indians. His words were true and well meant but as it happened, inopportune. The mob now wanted to hang him and a committee of Mankato's prominent men went to the church, called the good old man to the door, explained the situation and advised him to leave town at once. The grand, kindhearted, old missionary, thanked the committee, left the meeting, mounted his pony and hurried to his home io St. Peter. The rest of the Indians connected with the Jewett murder skulked around the timber of the Blue Earth and the LeSueur for over a week. A squad of sol- diers came upon them once and a skirmish ensued in which one of the soldiers was killed A young boy, named Bennett, accidentally met them and was mor- tally wounded. They eluded all the military, however, but along the Dakota frontier Maj. Brown had a line of Indian scouts. These discovered the rascal. as they were returning and killed them all. This raid caused the commissioner of Blue Earth county to offer a reward of $200 for every Indian scalp. At the suggestion of Major E. P. Evans of Garden City, a pack of thirteen blood hound: were bought in the southern states to track Indians with. They cost $1070 50 but there came no occasion to use them for the Indian war was now over.
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A FEW REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER DAYS.
BY THOMAS HUGHES.
To illustrate some features of life in a pioneer mansion we will relate two in- cidents which occurred in the Cottonwood Settlement when first settled in 1856. Rev. Rich. Davis, the pioneer Welsh minister, was wont to go occasionally trom South Bend to this settlement to preach and would be entertained by onr hospi- table friend D. P. Davis. The bed occupied by our minister, like all the beds of the period, was provided with a canopy of white sheeting, which served the double purpose of a bed room in the one-roomed shanty and a protection from mosquitoes in summer and cold in winter. During the night a heavy shower of rain came up and in the morning when our ministerial brother awoke he noticed that the sheet which formed the roof of the canopy sagged down as though something heavy was in it. Rev. Davis reached np his hand to feel what was there, when suddenly one corner of the sheet gave way and about a tub full of water was deposited squarely on his head, giving him such a baptism as would satisfy the strictest des- ciple of immersion. The rain had leaked through the roof and had been caught by the waterproof sheet. It was not an uncommon sight in those days during a storm to find the family huddled under the table while the beds and floor were covered with pans and kettles to catch the drippings from the roof. But the sides of the cabin were often no better than its roof as our second incident shows. The first settlers of Horeb neighborhood were gathered one Sunday for a religions service at the shanty of John Shields. The old pioneer, Rich. Morgan, came among others and sat on a nail keg against the wall. Rev. Jenkin Jenkins was preaching very earnestly on the descent of the spirit and Morgan was leaning for- ward and listening intently. Right above his head there was a large hole between the logs where a chink had fallen out. A large fat hen suddenly flew up into this hole and after surveying the people for a moment hopped down squarely on Mr. Morgan's head and stood there poised like a spread eagle on a liberty pole. Either through interest in the sermon or surprise at the fowl, Morgan sat motionless with the lien on his head for a few moments. The young folks began to giggle and even Mr. Jenkins could not refrain from a smile as he remarked that "we must not imagine that every bird which may alight upon us is a dove" and so turned the incident to an illustration for his sermon No wonder the snow, the rain and the mosquitoes found their way into those pioneer cabins, though the mosquitoes of the period were of the size of geese, as our old friend John Walters once declared them to be.
It was an easy matter in those early days, before roads had been made, to lose one's way in the thick tangled forest. It was a cloudy afternoon and begin- ning to grow dark as one of Judson's pioneers passed a deserted logger's shanty a little distance from him in the forest. A light snow had fallen and our traveler
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THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
303
was hurrying to get out of the woods before the darkness fully settled down, when he suddenly came upon the footprints o. a man in the snow, and glad of anything to guide him followed them. After going some distance he noticed the footprints of two persons and again of three and four persons. He kept hurrying on and the further he went the larger the track grew, but the strange part of the mat- ter was that our pioneer did not get out of the timber, which he knew was not over a mile in width. It worried him-could it be that this path led up the river lengthwise of the timber. He stopped and struck off at right angles to the path to investigate when, Lo! there stood before him that logger's shanty he had noticed at nightfall some four or five hours before. He concluded to stay in it the balance of the night. Next morning he discovered a few rods distant a well beaten path encircling the shanty. It was the path he himself had made the night before.
Rev. Jenkin Jenkins was taking a load of produce to market along one of those old time highways. He had just managed to get around an exceptionally bad mud hole and was resting his horses on the other side when a stranger drove up behind and shouted to Mr. Jenkins in a rather rude manner if there was "good bottom" to that mud hole. Jenkins eyed him over and answered "Yes." The man drove in and his wagon immediately sank almost out of sight. He swore and demanded of Mr. Jenkins why he told him there was good bottom there. "Well," answered Jenkins, "there is good bottom there, too, but you ain't half way down to it yet."
When the Indian outbreak occurred there lived in the western part of the Welsh settlement a religious enthusiast, who declared it was doubting God's pro- vidence to flee, for if it had been foreordained that he should be killed, flight would not save him, and if otherwise the Lord was sure to care for him, so he re- fused to leave with the rest. Next morning early, however, who should his neigh- bors see at South Bend, but their friend J. On being asked what made him change his mind so suddenly, he answered. "Well, I read in the Bible that, "where two or three are gathered together, the Lord will be in their midst, but I was left alone, and there was no assurance that God was there any more."
No roster of the names of the South Bend company mentioned on page 78 was ever kept. John Zimmerman was captain, Jehile Cheney was first lieutenant and Miner Porter second lieutenant.
The names of the Welsh members, as near as we can learn, are as follows.
THOSE WHO WENT TO NEW ULM.
Dackens, Edward.
Davis, David P.
Davis Jr., David P.
Davis, David S.
Davis, Eben P'. Davis, Henry P.
Davis, David T.
Davis, John S. Edwards. Hugh.
Edwards, Hugh H.
Edwards, Owen. Edwards, Wt.
Evans, D. C.
Jones, John C. Jones, John S.
Jones, Wm.
Jones, Wm. D. Jones, Wm. J.
Roberts, John R.
Thomas, David
Thomas, Richard
Thomas, Wm. T. Wigley, Joshua
Wigley, Richard.
THOSE DETAILED TO GUARD SOUTH BEND.
Davis, Evan
Evans, David D. Evans, John D.
Jones, Edward
Jones, Humphrey
Jones, Thes. J. ( Bryn Llys. )
Owens, Geo.
Price, Edward
Price, Rowland W.
Pritchard, R. S.
Pugh, John
Thomas Jr., Edward,
Williams, Robt. R.
Williams, Wm,
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304
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
The names of the Butternut Valley Guards muotioned on page 100, who en- listed in the state militia for thirty days and were stationed at the "Big Barn" in Cambria were as follows
GEO. W. PORTER, Captain.
JAMES MORGAN, First Lieutenant.
WM. P. JONES, Second Lientenant.
PRIVATES.
Davis, David A. Davis, Thos. Y.
Jenkins, Rev. Jenkin.
Jenkins, Wm. E.
Lewis, Morris. Lloyd, Thos. D.
Morris, David.
Owens, Geo. Price, David.
Shields, Joho.
Thomas, David. Thomas, Rice.
Thomas, Thos Walters, David. Walters, Stephen.
Williams, Hugh R.
Williams. Wm J.
We wish space had permitted us to give a bistory of this interesting com- pany. The fact, however, that such diverse elements as composed that organi za- tion, were cooped up together for a month is sufficient guaranty of a lively time. In the first place there was that momentous questioo, "What had they enlisted for," which was new every morning and fresh every evening. Was it to guard the country from the Indians or was it to cut hay for their stock? In the morning "Should they spend the time in military drill or should they devote it to cutting hay?" In the evening: "Should they rest or stand guard?" Then there were sof- ficient questions of theology, politics and "who were having the best rations" to fill in the time between. It was a jolly crowd. Some say the company did one good thing, however, they made enough noise to keep the Indians scared away. One dark night there was a cry of "Indians" and there was silence in the camp for the space of half a minute, when Rev. Jenkins declared he saw one.and fired at him, Taking another squint through the port hole he saw another Indian and fired again. After the reverend gentleman had blazed away for hall an hour, it was discovered that his Indian was a fence post, which stood near the fort.
One day Rev. Jenkins took his oxen and wagon to his home, two miles west of the fort, after his library and a few things, He had got everything loaded and was starting back, when he noticed, what he supposed to be, two Indians on a knoll near by watching him. He pounded the oxen into a gallop and the Indians came after him on the run, brandishing their weapons and uttering their war whoops. It was a mad race for life. Books flew out of the wagon in every direction until the land was literally sowed with knowledge, but Jenkins won the race. There was a great stir in camp when he arrived with his tale of "Indians." A squad was sent out to reconnoitre. A short distance out they met Rice Thomas and David Walters in a badly winded condition. They had been chasing after Jenkins to catch a ride.
When Dane's company returned to Mankato after enlisting at Ft. Snelling in August, 1862, just after the Sioux massacre began, they brought with them sealed orders which, on being opened, directed them to impress all the horses they needed. The boys at once sallied out for the liveries and hotel barns and streets, taking all they could find. It happened that afternoon that Hon. Thos. M. Pugh was out driving with his best girl. He had a splendid gray horse and was speed- ing along Front street in Mankato at a 2.40 gait, when Jim Hooser, one of the sol- diers, saw him and dashing out into the street hailed him. Tom innocently reined up his nag and Jim began to pat and praise the horse, to which Tom raised no objection. Before Tom was aware, however, Jim managed to slip the horse out of the buggy and the harness, and was off on his back in a twinkling, leaving Tom still holding the lines attached to the empty harness. To say Tom was sur- prised is putting it much too mild, and no one knows what might have happened if a few of Jim's comrades had not gone, at his request, to explain to Tom and pull his buggy to the side of the street.
The Calvinistic Methodist Church of Lake Crystal, Minn.
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1
Welsh Church, Mankato, Minn.
STATISTICS OF CALVINISTIC METHODIST CHURCHES OF MINNESOTA.
CHURCHES
Date of Organization
BY WHOM
Membership
bership
Present Mem-
PRESENT PASTOR.
of Organization
bershi >
the Church
Children of
Total Church
Property
Value
for EN3
Total
Horeb
July 2. 1-36
Rev. Richard Davies
22
Thos. E Hughes
June 13, 1:56
$ 600 00
$ 392 65
Sharon.
June 24. 1:56
Rev. Richard Davies
Win. A. Jones
June S. 1:50
23
200 00
Scion.
Sept. 3. 1-56
Rev. Richard Davies
40
Vacant
Sept. 1548
EJim ..
Oct. 1490
Rev. Richard G. Jones
13
D. Edwards
152
2.000 00
132 st
Matkafo
Hoe. 1-65
Rov. Jos, Hers
1:1
W'm. E. Evans
Apat . 1565
24
100
3,500 00
1.053 43
Carmel.
Aigu-t 29, 1-69 Rev. Wm Roberts
2X
14
Vacant
75
Thes. E. Hughes
10
D. Edwards
38
2,000 00
3.36 94
Lake Crystal
Jan. 27. 1>>9
Rev. John C. Jones
110
94
Ed. Joseph
Winter of 1:80
105
15
500 00
1.50 00
Lime Springs. Withe 14, 1-77
Rev. R. W. Hughes
HEJ. Joseph
1-70
45
96
50
2.600 00
541 22
¡Det. 17, 1950
120
1,274
1,720
$4.975 90
.
WELSH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.
Salem
Det. 14. 1:55 Dec. 11, 1-59
Rev. Jakin tonkins Rev. Jonkin Jenkins Rev. David Jenkins
14
Jalin E. Jones Vacant Roy. John L. Martin Rev. Ed. Thomas Rov. Ed. Thomas
June 17, 1835
15
10) 40
$ 1.500 0 600 00
Bernd Unster, January, 1875
Aug. 21. 1:11
Rov. Ed. Thomas Rev. Ed. Thomas
9
June. fsgt
25
October, IS78
40
4 large number of the Welsh people are members also of English churches. In Mankato thirty-nine full blooded Welsh people are members of the Presbyterian churcht four of the nine elders are Welsh); twenty-eight are members of the Congregational church (one of its three deacons is a Welshman ), fifteen are members of the Baptist church. In Tracy, thirty-seven Welsh people belong to the Presbyte- rian church and all four of the elders are Welsh. Most of the Welsh people of St. Paul and Minneapolis are in English churches, but we have no statistics for them.
305
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
2.000 00
590 01
Fote-ton
ptit 17. 1-67
Roy. D. Rowlands
117
3.000 00
Bristol
508 15
Saratoga
Ji10 13, 1-77
Rov. John D. Williams
17
Jan. 1570
Vacant
-
Jan. 17, 1=>1
2.500 00
Contributions
325 60
Win. J. Jones
Ort. Isitt)
1,500) (0)
Jerusalem.
July 11. 1-38
Rov. R. W. Jones
1tk)
1,504) 00)
415 16
Salrt ..
Rev. Wmn. Roberty
Jan. 10, 1450
JSt. Joseph
Jannary, 1875
40
S. S. Date
Present Mem- 175325
Attendacce
Of Church
ORGANIZED
. .
Hlev. David Davies
312 10
1.
54
306 -
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
WILLIAMS, DR. JOHN Born at Machynlleth, Montgom- eryshire, Wales, in 1856. Son of Lewis and Mary Williams. Began his medical studies under Dr. Hugh Lloyd, of Mach- ynlleth, with whom he spent seven years. In 1877 he emi- grated to America and located in Wisconsin. He took a course in Rush Medical college, Chicago, from which institu- tion he graduated in 1880. August 25, 1880, at Bangor, Wis .. he married Miss Sarah H., the youngest daughter of the late Rev. John Hughes ( Marscy). He practiced his profession four years at Bangor, then removed to Cashton, Wis., and thence to Lake Crystal, Minn., where he has built up a large practice. Dr. and Mrs. Williams have had two children: Una M., who died in 1891, and Edna A.
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Key to Illustration of Cambrian Glee Club.
REAR ROW. -
John J. Shields. John Davis. lugh G. Roberts. Edward N. Jones. JJohn F. Jones. Edward Evans. Robt. M. Jones. Richard Williams. James D. Price.
SECOND ROW.
Robt. J. Jones, Jr. D. Chas. Davis. J. Phillips.
David E. Jones. Ed. W. Williams. Evan D. Price. Thos. Jones ( Mich. .
Eavid E. Bowen. FRONT ROW.
Chas. Evans, William William -. John Owens.
H. H. Jones. Charles Davis. David V. Jones. William E. Jones.
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The Cambrian Glee Club.
7298 1
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