USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70
The population of the county was considerably augmented during the year 1850, and we will give the names of those who came during that period, with the explanation that we do not consider them any more entitled to this distinction than those who came a few monhs later, or in any period of the
85
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
early fifties. But since it is impossible to mention all the early settlers of a later period than 1850, we must be content to give the record of those who have become identified with the county's history in later years.
Samuel Holton first settled in Illyria township, where he was township clerk, assessor and, for a brief period, postmaster. He moved to West Union more than forty years ago, and was engaged in the hardware business with H. B. Hoyt for many years. He finally engaged in the grocery business alone, and continued in that line until he retired, a short time before his death. Mr. Holton's wife, who was Mary Strong, came to the county at the same time Mrs. Dutton came, and died in Ohio soon after the death of her husband, who died in West Union. A brother of Mrs. Holton, Charles W. Strong, a very early pioneer of Illyria, owns the same farm he has occupied for more than forty-five years. Like his neighbor, "Uncle" Robert H. May, he is one of the few survivors of the pioneer period, and a citizen of more than ordinary use- fulness in his day. [R. H. May died since the above was written.]
Harrison Butler ("Elder Butler," as he was better known) settled on the farm in Westfield, where his life was spent. He reared a large family, all of whom, we believe, except Mrs. B. W. Finch and Joseph Butler, now living in West Union, were born in this county, and the survivors still live here.
Elisha Hartsough first settled in Dover township, but soon removed to Center, where he resided for many years. He died in Fayette. He was the father of Rev. William Hartsough, of whom more extended notice is given in the military chapter.
John T. Hanna settled on a farm in Westfield township, but most of his life in the county was spent in the hotel business in West Union, Fayette and elsewhere.
Samuel H. Robertson was among the earliest settlers in Fayette and built the first frame house on the village plat, though some four years before the town was platted. Mr. Robertson was one of the founders of the Upper Iowa University, as appears more fully in the article on that subject. He died in Fayette in 1899. .
Rev. Harvey S. Brunson was one of the most useful and active men of his time. He came to this county in 1850 and settled on a claim north of West Union, where he remained until 1864. In that year he moved to Fayette and remained an honored resident of that town until his death. He was a min- ister in the Methodist Episcopal church from 1840 until his book of life was closed. He served the church in every capacity assigned to the pioneer min- ister, and rounded out nearly sixty-five years of very active work, not alone in the church, but in various official capacities, to which he brought a high degree
86
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
of intelligence and capability. He served a term in the State Senate, begin- ning in 1863, that most trying period in the history of the nation. He was an honored member of the county board of supervisors for a number of years, and served the people in various capacities of lesser importance, but always with that unwavering fidelity which characterized his entire life. He reared a family in whom any parent could justly feel a commendable pride. The family residence was moved to Fayette in 1864 that the children might have the advantages of higher education, as afforded by the Upper Iowa University, of which Mr. Brunson was a trustee for many years. He attained a ripe old age, having celebrated his ninetieth birthday on May 10, 1904, and was then in the full possession of all his faculties. He preached an eloquent sermon on the Sunday following, from Hebrews ii:10. The death of this venerable pioneer occurred at his home in Fayette, December 8, 1905.
William Morras, a native of England, located in Illyria township in 1850, on the farm which subsequently was purchased by the county for a poor-farm. This title, however, was a "misnomer," in that it was, and is today, one of the best farms in the township. Mr. Morras removed to Westfield township, where he owned and operated the Homewod farm until some time in the seven- ties, when he sold out and went to the Pacific coast, where he died.
Remembrance Lippincott located just east of West Union and remained here for many years. "The old Lippincott farm" is an accurate designation of the locality, even at the present day, and is fully understood by the younger generation.
James Holmes first located, temporarily, in Dover township, but entered land a mile south of West Union, and owned his original entry until his death. He was a soldier during the Civil war, serving three years in the Sixth Iowa Cavalry. His death occurred in West Union, where his widow and some of his children still live.
C. C. Finch, of Fayette, was an early settler in Illyria, but does not come within the 1850 list, though his wife does. She was Miss Sarah Gibbon.
B. W. Finch, late of West Union, a cousin of the above, came to the county in 1857 and was a pioneer teacher until the Civil war, when he en- listed in the Thirty-eighth Iowa Regiment and served three years. He mar- ried Mary E. Butler, daughter of the pioneer, Harrison Butler, and she came to the county with her parents in 1850. Mr. Finch was a man of sterling in- tegrity and upright character. For many years he was in the grocery business in West Union, and also served a number of years as justice of the peace. A more complete sketch of him appears elsewhere in this work.
87
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
Mrs. Abba J. Cullen, Mrs. Roxena Smith, N. W. Butler (another family of Butlers), J. T. Bishop, John Burke, L. C. Phillips, Chauncey Smith and H. C. Martin were all among the arrivals in 1850. Several of these are still living in the county, and all have left their impress as early pioneers.
John R. Cook, son of Daniel Cook, who opened the first mercantile estab- lishment in West Union, and commenced the building of the first hotel, the "United States House," came with the parental family and has been a con- tinuous resident of West Union since. For many years he was associated with John Owens in the stock and implement business, but during the last eight or ten years he has been special excursion agent for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company. In these various capacities Mr. Cook came in contact with people from every locality in this and adjoining counties, and is probably the most generally known of any man in Fayette county.
George L. Whitely and his family came in this year, and his sons, Fred, Henry and George, are still well known residents of the county.
Oscar W. Rogers, son of Hon. J. W. Rogers, was born in West Union, in October, 1850, and became a lawyer of some prominence in his native county. But he retired from the profession and engaged in other lines of business, in the prosecution of which he was called to other cities. For a num- ber of years he was located in New York, where he was interested as a pro- moter of some mechanical devices in railroading and electrical appliances. Just as success seemed within his grasp he was called from earth, in the prime of life and apparent good health.
Another native of the county, born in 1850, is Robert L. Newton, of Arlington. He is a son of P. F. Newton, who came to the county in 1846.
Joseph McGee, a veteran of the Mexican war, entered land in Westfield township in 1850, and has remained there to the present. He served under Capt. Zach. Taylor, afterward President of the United States, and was with General Scott at the capture of the city of Mexico. He participated in five engagements, in one of which he was wounded, and draws a pension for resulting disabilities; but in later years all veterans of that war were granted pensions, regardless of disabilities. G. H. Thomas, late of West Union, and an early pioneer merchant, was also a veteran of the Mex- ican war.
James A. Iliff is another native of the county who was born in 1850, and enjoys the distinction of being the first white child born in Dover township. His father, Benjamin Iliff, located there in 1849, and was the first settler near Eldorado. The land which he entered at that time has never been transferred but once. James Iliff has spent most of his mature years in West Union,
88
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
where he owns a pleasant home and a small farm. He served several years as a constable, and is recognized as an aggressive temperance worker. For a number of years he was engaged in the pump and wind-mill business, but now gives his attention to fire insurance. His son, Ben Iliff, is deputy state dairy commissioner, while another son, Royal, is a mail carrier on a rural route out of West Union. His son, Earle, is a student in electrical engineering and surveying under the tuition of his uncle, J. N. Iliff, another pioneer of this county.
The Brooks family in Fairfield township was a numerous and prominent one in early days, coming to the county in 1847. The last one of the original family was Nelson, who sold out and removed to Oklahoma a few years ago, after a residence of fifty-five years near his old parental home. All the older members of this family have died or removed from the county, though a few of the younger generations remain to perpetuate the name.
Sylvester Underwood and wife came to the county in 1850, the former being prominently identified with the early history of the Fayette County Agricultural Society, and with the social and political affairs of Clermont, where the family home was maintained for a great many years. "Squire" Un- derwood was a resident of the county for more than half a century, and was well and favorably known. Both he and his wife died in Clermont.
James George came in 1850, and located in Dover township, where he lived until his retirement a few years before his death, when he moved to West Union, where both he and his wife died in advanced old age. Their son, Henry C. George, lost his life at the battle of Shiloh. They then adopted an infant whom they named for the lost son, and who now owns and operates the old parental homestead in Dover township. See personal sketch of Henry George. Mrs. George was, in maidenhood, Sarah A. Albright, and in her youth became the wife of John W. Cooley, with whom she came to this county in 1850, and located on a claim in Pleasant Valley township, about two miles from Elgin. There Mr. Cooley died. Their son, the late James C. Cooley, of Elgin, accompanied his parents, the family coming from near LaPorte, Indiana. James C. Cooley was a member of Company H, Thirty-eighth Iowa Infantry, and served three years in the Civil war. He died in Elgin a few years ago. Mrs. James George was a sister of Rev. William K. and John O. Albright, who located in the northeast corner of Illyria township in 1854, and remained there until they died, both being well advanced in years. Rev. William K. Albright was an early minister of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, and his son, Rev. W. F. Albright, has served a number of years as a missionary in China.
-
89
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
William Harper came to this county in 1850, and six years later located on the farm which is known to this day as "the Harper place." He and his wife, who was Elizabeth Cruzan, reared a large family of children, some of whom still reside in the county, while several have died and others removed to other localities. Both Mr. and Mrs. Harper died on the farm which was the family home for many years.
John Knox, a native of Ireland, came to West Union in 1850 and re- sided on a farm near by until the infirmities of old age compelled his retire- ment. Both he and his wife died in West Union in advanced old age.
E. N. Phillips is a man well remembered by all early settlers of the county, and one of whom it may be truthfully said "he gave his life for his country." He came to this county in 1850. In 1862 he enlisted as a member of Com- pany H, Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, and received a wound on the 8th of January, 1863, at Springfield, Missouri, from the effects of which he never recovered. Being discharged by reason of the resultant disability, he returned to West Union and was commissioned postmaster, a position he held until his death, though he died in Colorado, where he had gone in hopes of recovering his health. His widow, who was Emma Cox, and a daughter of an early pioneer, Thomas Cox, still resides in West Union, true to the name and mem- ory of her soldier husband. But one of their three children, Everett M., is now a resident of the county. He married the daughter, and only child, of another early settler and patriot who lost his life in the Civil war. This was Milo Lacy, who enlisted from West Union, and whose death occurred three years after his discharge, from disabilities incurred in service. His wife, who in maidenhood was Jennie E. Hines, is another faithful war widow who still cherishes the name and memory of her soldier-husband. She spent her earlier years as a teacher in the public schools of the county, in which profession she attained an enviable reputation as a successful and popular educator. During her many years in the school room she not only reared and educated her only child, Anna Lacy, but also laid aside the nucleus to a pleasant and valuable home in West Union, where the family now lives. Miss Anna became the wife of Everett M. Phillips, of whom mention is made above.
Joseph W. Foster came with his wife, who was Aurilla Griffith, on the 4th of July, 1850. Mr. Foster was the first school fund commissioner in the county, and was otherwise prominent in the organization period. His wife survived him many years.
F. S. Palmer was an early merchant in Clermont. He also served several years as county surveyor, and was often employed as a viewer of proposed roads, his knowledge of surveying giving him special qualifications in this respect.
90
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
Edwin Stedman came from Ohio to Clermont in 1850, and was an early hardware merchant there, in which business he continued for many years. It is said that his wife was the first school teacher in Clermont, and however that may be, it is known that she was among the first. Her death occurred in 1862. Edwin Stedman was an honored member of the board of supervisors under the old system of electing one member from each township, and served on the board during nearly the entire period covered by that system.
Andrew Martin was another "Buckeye" who came to Clermont in 1850. He was a farmer and mechanic. His wife, who was Alvesta Sawyer, came the same year as Mr. Martin, though they were married in Fayette county.
John Phillips came from Illinois and settled on a farm near West Union. He was a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, and was married there, in 1832, to Mary Reeve, who came here with him in 1850. Both he and his wife died on the land upon which they settled.
The Rosier family was among the early settlers of West Union township. There were three brothers who were best known in the county, Jacob K., George N. and Frank P. They came from Logan county, Ohio, and soon became identified with the best interests of early-day farming. All removed from the county within comparatively recent years. Lawrence Rosier was born in Clayton county in 1850, and accompanied his parents to this county the same year. He is the eldest son of Jacob K. Rosier, and is a prosperous farmer and stock raiser in the county at present.
A. C. South came to Fayette county in 1849 and lived on his farm near West Union during his remaining years of life. He and his wife, who was Anceline Billings, reared a family of eleven children. Mr. South served two terms as deputy sheriff of the county. Dr. J. H. Stafford and wife brought their family to West Union in 1850 and the Doctor built and kept the first public house in the town. His son, D. C., came with his parents and is today numbered among the few surviving settlers of that period. He lives in West Union, where his father lived to a ripe old age and died here. Palmer F. Newton, before mentioned in connection with mention of R. L. Newton, of Arlington, came to this county November II, 1847, and lived on his farm near Arlington (formerly Brush Creek) until his death, in advanced old age. He was one of the organizers of Fairfield township, and the family has been prominently identified with educational affairs in the county, at least three of his children being successful teachers in the public schools.
Killen Voshell settled in this county in 1848. He married Thankful Perkins, a representative of another pioneer family in the vicinity of Brush
91
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
Creek, and reared a family of six children, most of whom still reside in the vicinity of their birthplace.
John McMillan, late of Elgin, but for many years a prosperous farmer in Illyria township, came to Iowa on a prospecting tour in 1850, but did not bring his family here until the next year. He located on the northwest quarter of section 5, and entered the land at Dubuque. He brought his family from Janesville, Wisconsin, in a wagon drawn by four yoke of oven, having also the necessary appliances for commencing the work of opening up a new farm, which was mostly timber land. At this time there was but one house between McMillan's and Elkader, a distance of some fifteen miles. John McMillan thus became one of the first settlers in northern Illyria, and in point of use- fulness and prominence so continued during his long sojourn in that locality. One of the early postoffices of the county was located at his house, on a route established between Independence and McGregor, and a brother of the writer carried the mails between these points across the trackless prairies of Buchanan and Fayette counties. The motive power was a small mule named Bob, and Bob and Eli became well known to the patrons on the route, and were eagerly loked for as the only means of communication with the outside world. Dur- ing the first year of the Civil war the people used to line up along the road and interrogate the boy as to the "war news," but the next year he enlisted and went to the front to assist in making "war news," and Bob and the mail pouch became the charges of another. Mr. McMillan has told the writer that many times he feared the delicate boy would be unable to withstand the rigors of an old-time Iowa winter, but he always was "on time."
During the later years of his life John McMillan and his son, Henry, owned and operated the lime kilns west of Elgin, but the father retired from active labors some time before his death in 1908. John McMillan is authority for the statement that there were but three hundred voters in Fayette county in the fall of 1851, divided as follows: One hundred and seventy-five Whigs and one hundred and twenty-five Democrats.
It is not assumed that the foregoing is a complete record of all the pioneers who settled in Fayette county in 1850, but further mention will be given, not only of that class, but of other early settlers and prominent people, in connection with the township and village histories. This is considered the more rational method, since it cannot be assumed that the bare fact that a family settled here on a definite date supersedes in importance the achieve- ments of a later comer, whose life record is indelibly fixed as a part of Fayette county history.
We will therefore conclude this chapter and reserve for another a few
92
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
reminiscences of pioneer days, characteristic of the times, and relate further personal experiences in connection with the history of the towns and town- ships where the participants were located. Of the first of these attention is called to a land-hunting trip of our venerable ex-governor, who relates his experiences in his own terse and comprehensive manner. The article first ap- peared in the "Annals of Iowa," in 1893, and is republished here with the permission of Mr. Larrabee. It is entitled, "Lost in a Snow Storm."
CHAPTER IV.
PIONEER REMINISCENCES.
"The winter of 1856-57 was unusually severe in the Northwest-in fact, none ever equalled it in the memory of the oldest settler. Snow fell to an enormous depth, and the mercury not infrequently ranged from twenty degrees to forty degrees below zero for several days in succession. A series of great storms-now called 'blizzards'-from the boreal regions swept the prairies, whirling the dust of the powdery snow in a wild dance and piling up large banks wherever natural or artificial obstacles interrupted their turbulent course. During that long and severe winter nearly all the deer in northern Iowa were destroyed by freezing and starving to death, while others got fastened in the crusted snow and were killed by the merciless settlers while in this help- less condition. Few of the frontier people were prepared for such a winter, and certainly none had anticipated it. Thousands suffered for want of cloth- ing and fuel, and many a man overtaken by a blinding storm, or tired out, wandered through the deep snow, froze to death on the prairies, perhaps only a stone's throw from his home. Such winters, fortunately, are not of fre- quent occurrence, even in the Northwest. Moreover, the people of this region have learned to provide for cold weather, and probably keep now as com- fortable and get as much enjoyment out of the cold season as their countrymen South or East.
"During the month of December, 1856, with my year's earnings in my pocket, I journeyed through the southeastern part of Minnesota with a view to select a good quarter section of government land. I finally made my choice, and then, to enter the land, set out for Winona, where the land office was located.
"On the morning of the 23d of December I left Mantorville and walked a distance of about seventeen miles, where I arrived about four o'clock in the afternoon. It had commenced snowing before I had reached that town, but anxious to make a few more miles before dark, and hoping to find an inn on the road, I took luncheon at Rochester and again pursued my journey.
"As night approached a fierce wind arose and enwrapped me in blinding eddies of snow. The road followed a ridge between the Zumbro and Root
94
FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.
rivers. There was no house, no fence or other landmark in sight. At first a well-beaten track served as my guide, but this was soon obliterated by the drifting snow. I found that I had lost the road and was forced to rely upon the wind to indicate my course. The snow was from one and a half to two feet deep and was covered with an icy crust. Having already walked more than twenty miles, I plodded wearily along through the sea of snow.
"The wind increased in severity as the night wore along, and every new gust seemed to be ushered from a more furious howl. The high, treeless prairie presented no obstacles to the icy wave. As the blasts swept by me they seemed to penetrate every pore of my body. I was but thinly clad, like other new comers. I had not yet learned to properly protect myself against the severity of the weather in the West. I wore neither overcoat nor overshoes, a pair of stockings and cowhide boots forming my sole footgear. For a few steps the snow would bear my weight and then suddenly give way below me ; and as I fell headlong upon the snow or broke through its crust the fine crystals worked into my boots and, gradually melting there, chilled my feet until their numbness reminded me that they were beginning to freeze. My body, however, was freely perspiring from the severe physical exercise, and perhaps also in consequence of the fear occasioned by the thought of freezing to death.
"I had probably traveled eight or ten hours and was from ten to twelve miles out of Rochester before I fully realized the desperateness of my situa- tion. I had no means of knowing how far I had strayed from the highroad; I had walked mile after mile without discovering the least trace of a settle- ment, and the chances of finding a human habitation during the remainder of the night were small indeed. The whole landscape seemed to be wrapped in a cloud of white dust, and unless the glimmer of a light happened to penetrate the snow-filled air I was almost as liable to step upon a milestone below the snow as to find a human residence while groping through the blinding storm.
"It could not be far from midnight, and as I was well aware that farmers are wont to retire early the hope of being rescued by a guiding light appeared to me extremely slight. .
"Somewhat discouraged, I paused to consider the advisability of turning around to find my way back to Rochester, but a moment's reflection convinced me of the utter impracticability of such an undertaking. I had but little chance to retrace my steps successfully. Besides this, it would have been an all night's journey, and I was too much exhausted for such a task. The grow- ing numbness of my feet and the drowsiness which was gradually stealing over me made me realize more and more the extreme danger into which I had
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.