USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 7
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Mr. Phillips observed a hole in the elbow of the boy's coat, and straightway he went to town and bought him a new one. No father, mother or sisters could ever have been kinder or more indulgent than this noble family. Mr. Phillips was drafted into the army and lost his life at the battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia.
The winter of 1860-I found the boy at school in Butler, paying his board, besides the usual choring on a farm, by threshing rye with a flail. All the Saturdays and holidays were spent in this way. In March, 1861, he hired out on a farm for eight months, at the munificent salary of eight dollars per month. But the war-cloud had darkened the land, and however tired he might be, he made it a point to attend all "war meetings," taking a great in- terest in the doings and sayings thereat. In fact, his zeal was so great that he was selected to assist in enlisting men, and was promised a non-com- missioned officers' place in the company being organized (which he never got till three years afterward). But the first day of July, 1861, he became a member of Company D, Sixty-second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer In- fantry, and was assigned to duty with the Army of the Potomac, then under command of Major-Gen. George B. McClellan, who had just then superseded Lieut .- Gen. Winfield Scott. The Peninsula campaign, beginning in March, 1862, was the first real service, though he had taken part in several skirmishes; but for the most part the army was engaged during the fall and winter of 1861 in strengthening the fortifications around Washington. The Sixty- second and several other regiments encamped on the historic estate of the Confederate general, Robert E. Lee, and that chieftain's late home was turned into headquarters for the "Yankee" officers.
George W. Fitch participated, with his command, in all the early en- gagements of the Peninsular campaign, and was taken prisoner in the battle of Gain's Mills, within seven miles of Richmond, while heading a squad of seventeen men endeavoring to recover the dead body of their colonel (Sam W. Black). This was in the heat of the battle, the colonel having fallen some distance in advance of the colors of his regiment and the rescuers were surrounded by half crazy, whiskey-enthused rebels, and all went to Rich- mond by a different route than that intended or hoped for. The only thing for which these boys were specially thankful to their captors, was the fact that they were among the first squad of prisoners ever "corralled" on Belle Island. The ground was clean, if the scanty ration of pea soup was not. For a short time the Union people in Richmond were permitted to drive out to the camp and throw loaves of bread over the stockade to the prisoners, but the military authorities soon stopped this proceeding, and only the limited
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rations provided by the Confederacy were permissible. The sweetest morsel of bread Mr. Fitch ever ate, he says, was the remnant of a loaf he caught from the hand of some "darky" employed to stand in the rear of an open wagon and throw the bread across the high fence surrounding the prisoners. Being taller than the average height of his comrades, and having the advan- tage of a little hillock, he was able to catch a loaf above the myriad of hands reaching for it; but by the time it was on a level with the "repository," noth- ing remained but that portion squeezed into a doughy mass in the palm of his hand !
The subject was exchanged in time to join his command on the march to the battlefield of second Bull Run, and the year's work culminated in the disastrous defeat of Burnside at Fredericksburg. Then, in May, 1863, came another defeat at Chancellorsville, under General Hooker, followed soon after, by Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania. Up to this time there had not been a general engagement fought in which the Rebels did not win, or, at least, hold their own. The spring of 1863 presented a gloomy outlook for the Union cause. And the "fire-in-the-rear" policy of disloyal Northerners, op- position to the draft, encouraging and concealing deserters, the unfriendly attitude of some foreign nations, and a disloyal press doing business in nearly every large Northern city, all conspired to belittle the Union cause and extol the Confederacy. But there was a Grant at Vicksburg, and Pennsylvania had sent a young brigadier to the front a year before, in command of a brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves. This was now Major-Gen. George G. Meade. General Hooker realized his incompetency, and asked to be relieved on the march to Gettysburg. This was done, and General Meade was placed in command. The whole world knows the result of the two great battles, fought simultaneously, at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The "back-bone" of the Con- federacy was broken, and. fortunately, it was too old for the "vertebrae" ever to knit.
The subject of this article re-enlisted in December, 1863, and served the last year of the war as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Fifty- fifth Pennsylvania Infantry. As a member of these two organizations, he participated in thirty-eight general engagements, altogether, with the Army of the Potomac or on raids into the enemy's country therefrom. He was once captured by Mosby's guerrillas, when it was the custom of that lawless band to murder every prisoner taken. But the "immaturity and child-like appearance" of the boy-soldier saved his neck, and he only sacrificed a part of his clothing, what little money he had and a much-prized gold pen. He was paroled on the field, and went immediately to his command, handed the parole to his captain, who destroyed it, and took his accustomed place in
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the company! Fortunately for him, the same parties never captured him again !
The ranks of these companies were decimated by daily casualties, until neither companies nor regiments had sufficient number of men to entitle them to full quotas of commissioned officers. Many worthy men received pro- motions, but could not be mustered because of the fact above recited. It was nothing unusual for a sergeant to be temporarily in command of a company, until a commissioned officer could be transferred from some other company or regiment more fortunate. After serving four years, lacking eight days, the subject of this sketch was discharged at Washington, D. C., and soon found his way to his maternal home in Fayette county, Iowa. In less than a month after reaching home he attained his majority, though he had voted the year previously while in the army. He cast his first vote for Republican candidates, and has never voted otherwise on national or legis- lative affairs.
The student-soldier carried a full set of text-books, and some others, all through the war, or if they were lost, others were secured. He had suc- cessfully passed a teacher's examination in Pennsylvania, at the age of six- teen, and thought he ought to do as well in Iowa. He received his first teacher's certificate from Rev. John M. Wedgewood (long since dead) in Winneshiek county, Iowa, and taught several years at Castalia, in that county. He then combined teaching with farming, and taught the "long term" in the Wadena schools for eight consecutive years. About the close of this teaching career, he bought a farm in Bethel township, built a house and made other improvements, and moved his family there in the spring of 1877. In the autumn of that year, the Republicans made Mr. Fitch their candidate for the office of county superintendent of schools, a position to which he was three times re-elected. He inaugurated many reforms in the school system of the county, and some of his "pet" theories have been in- corporated in the school laws of the state. Some of these were the grada- tion of rural schools, and the keeping of systematic records of each pupil's advancement during the term; another was "uniformity of text-books"; another, "compulsory education," and one of the most important was "a grad- uation system for rural schools." All of these things have been brought about through successors in office, and through legislation, while many other desirable features have been added. Mr. Fitch established the first county school paper in the state, and conducted it during his term of office, turning it over to his successors, who continued it for about twenty years.
Soon after retiring from the office of county superintendent of schools
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(in 1886) Mr. Fitch became interested in the publication of local and general histories throughout the United States, and was tendered a position with a Chicago firm of historical publishers. With these, and one other firm, he traveled extensively for several years, devoting most of his time to writing history and genealogy. But in 1895 he became associated with the Bowen Publishing Company, then of Logansport, Indiana, but now of Indianapolis. With the exception of three years, while writing the "History of the Anthra- cite Coal Regions" of eastern Pennsylvania, and the "Centennial History of Ohio," he has been with this firm, continuously. He has written histories, or assisted in their preparation, in nearly every Northern state, and several South- ern ones.
The culminating point in this varied career is now in the hands of the reader of this sketch, and has been the ambition of the author for many years. The publishers have been importuned on several occasions to undertake the publication now before you, and we feel certain that the author has done his 1 best, and that to the lapse of many years, and the unfortunate destruction of public records, must be attributed any lack of completeness, rather than to indifference or incompetency upon the part of the author.
George W. Fitch was married April 15, 1866, to Roxcie A., daughter of Rev. William and Catherine ( Robbins) Moore, pioneers in Illyria township. Mrs. Fitch was born in Ashland county, Ohio, December 18, 1845. She has lived in Fayette county since the arrival of the parental family in 1854, and was educated in the public schools, and under private tutor. For a number of years she has been an invalid, almost helpless from rheumatic troubles. Pre- viously to this affliction, she was very active in church, Sunday school and Woman's Christian Temperance Union work. Has also been active in the Woman's Relief Corps, of which she has been president, and also served sev- eral terms as president of the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and one year as county president. She was reared in the United Brethren church, of which organization her father and two brothers were ministers. But for the last thirty years Mrs. Fitch has been a Methodist.
Of a family of ten children born to Rev. and Mrs. Moore, seven are now living. The eldest, Rev. Samuel W. Moore, was killed in the army during the Civil war: Mrs. Mary J. Dye resides in West Union; Mrs. Vesta A. Shaffer lives at Tama. Iowa ; both these are widows ; Mrs. Samantha Mckellar died in Clayton county in 1896; Mrs. Fitch was next in order of birth; Mrs. A. R. Moats resides in Cedar Rapids, Iowa ; Robert Clark Moore is a prosper- ous farmer in Nebraska; Edwin O. owns a good farm near West Union, but is also the owner and operator of the Farmers' Creamery, and lives in West
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Union. Rev. Jasper S. Moore owns the old homestead in Illyria township, ot which he has added by purchase until he has two hundred and fifty acres of fine farming land, with excellent buildings. The farm is leased at present, and he and his family live in West Union. Francis K., the youngest of the family, died in 1893, leaving a wife and one daughter.
To Mr. and Mrs. Fitch were born seven children, of whom five are living. The three eldest of the family now living are represented in this work in per- sonal sketches, viz .: William E., Mrs. J. E. Palmer and Denzil A. Mrs. Clara (Fitch) Iliff resides on a farm near Atkinson, Nebraska, and Mrs. Maude (Fitch) De Sart resides at Mendota, Illinois. Mary Luella, a young lady of bright promise, was drowned, at the age of twenty-one, while driving across a swollen stream. George Porter died at the age of ten months, in 1878. All the children were educated in the West Union schools and three of them were teachers. Mary was a music teacher, driving to her classes when she met her untimely death, February 7, 1890.
Mr. Fitch is a Mason and member of the Grand Army of the Republic, being a charter member of Abernathy Post No. 48, of which he was the first adjutant and second commander. He has held the offices of township clerk, assessor, secretary of township school board, justice of the peace, etc.
JUDGE MARCELLUS D. PORTER.
Although young in years and not long a resident of Fayette county, Judge Marcellus D. Porter has, by a career of fidelity to duty, honorable deal- ing with his fellowmen and his activity in all matters having for their object the upbuilding of this locality, easily won the confidence and esteem of all classes and ranks as one of the leading citizens of the vicinity honored by his residence. He is the scion of an influential old family of Guthrie county, Iowa, where his birth occurred on October 14, 1878, and he is the son of Clinton J. and Elizabeth (Covoult) Porter, both parents natives of Clinton county, Ohio, where they grew to maturity and were educated. They came to Iowa about 1863 and located in Guthrie county where they remained until about 1880, when the family moved to Lewis, Cass county, Iowa, where their son, Marcellus D., attended the public schools and the high school, after which he went one year to Simpson College at Indianola. Being ambitious to gain a good education, he applied himself in a most assiduous manner to his studies and made a splendid record. After leaving school he gratified a desire of
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long standing by beginning the study of law in 1896 in the office of F. J. Macomber, and in 1899 he continued his legal studies in the office of W. O. Lucas at Winterset, Iowa, and he was admitted to the bar in January, 1900. In February of that year he located in Cumberland, Iowa, where he opened an office and soon enjoyed a very satisfactory patronage, which continued until January, 1904, when he came to Oelwein where he found a wider field for the exercise of his talents. He practiced alone until August, 1904, when he entered into partnership with Guy W. Backus, with whom he practiced for about one year. After the dissolution of this partnership, Mr. Porter con- tinued the practice alone until the fall of 1906, when his activity in public affairs and his ability to serve in official capacity were recognized by the citi- zens of Oelwein and he was elected judge of the superior court of that city, which office he has held to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, irrespective of party alignment, having assumed the duties of this office in January, 1907. He has shown himself to be well versed in the statutes, broad-minded, un- biased, fair and impartial in his decisions and evincing a desire to serve the people in his jurisdiction in the best manner possible. He is loyal to the Democratic party, and, fraternally, he belongs to the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks.
The Judge was married in February, 1901, to Pearl Morgan, a lady of intelligence and culture, the daughter of Richard and Martha (Jones) Mor- gan, her family long a prominent one in this county. This union has been graced by the birth of two interesting children, Helen and Ned Porter.
Personally, Judge Porter is a man of pleasing address, gentlemanly, thoughtful of others' interests, straightforward, industrious and honorable The fact that he has achieved success in the courts at an age when most young men are just entering upon the formative period of their lives, and demon- strating a keen analysis and clearness of perception in handling all cases sub- mitted to him, the future must needs be replete with abundant success for him.
ARTHUR CRAWFORD, SR.
A former well known and highly honored resident of Windsor town- ship, Fayette county, was Arthur Crawford, who was born February II. 1825, in Carroll county, Ohio, the son of John and Martha (Donaldson) Crawford. John Crawford was born in Ireland in 1802 and when a young man came to America, locating in Pennsylvania, where he became acquainted
MR. AND MRS. ARTHUR CRAWFORD, SR.
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with and married Miss Donaldson, who was born in that state in 1798. Mr. Crawford was a farmer by occupation, which business he followed through- out his life. In an early day in the history of Ohio he took up his resi- dence in Carroll county, where he developed a farm, making it his home until his death, in 1848. His wife lived to the ripe old age of ninety, dying in 1888. There were nine children, of whom the subject was the second.
Of these nine children, two came to Fayette county, Iowa. Rachel, the eighth in order of birth, wife of W. T. Grimes, of Auburn township, Fayette county, came to this county with her husband in 1858. Robert Crawford, the seventh in order of birth, one of twins, enlisted in the late Civil war in Company A, Thirty-Second Ohio Infantry. During his service he contracted typhoid fever, from which he died at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in October, 1863.
Arthur Crawford was reared to manhood on his father's farm in Ohio and when he had attained to mature years was joined in wedlock with Eliza- beth Boyd, June 15, 1854. She was born in Carroll county, Ohio, the daugh- ter of David and Agnes (Bell) Boyd. The father was born in Pennsylvania in 1810, the mother in Maryland in 1814. During their childhood they emi- grated with their parents to Carroll county, Ohio, where they were married in 1832. Of five children born to this union, Mrs. Crawford was the eldest. The fourth child, Alexander, born in 1843, enlisted in Company I, Ninety- eighth Ohio Regiment, and was taken prisoner at the battle of Chickamauga and held in the rebel prisons of Belle Isle and Andersonville for fifteen months and three days, before being exchanged, and at that time was so diseased and emaciated that he was discharged at Washington, D. C. All of this family with the exception of Mrs. Crawford remained in Carroll county. The founder of the family was Alexander Boyd, who left his native home in Ireland and located in Peoria in 1798. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Craw- ford took his wife to a farm in his native county and devoted his time to the cultivation of the soil until 1861. Then at the first call for troops he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-second Ohio Infantry, for three years, and was as- signed to the Army of the Cumberland. He took part in the battle of Green Brier and at Harper's Ferry was twice wounded, carrying one ball in his body to his grave. He was captured at Harper's Ferry, but made his escape and joined his regiment. The greater part of the time he was engaged on duty in the West and participated in the siege and capture of Vicksburg.
Prior to the Harper's Ferry surrender, Mr. Crawford was in the follow- ing battles and skirmishes: Cheat Mountain, Green Brier, Harrisburg, Cross Keys, McDowell and Winchester, besides many other skirmishes and the sur- render of Harper's Ferry, where he was wounded and taken prisoner, carrying
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in his left side two rebel balls. With twenty-two others, he escaped from the rebel lines by crossing the Potomac, reaching his home in two weeks without a penny in his pockets; he was exchanged in ninety days and returned to his regiment. Being assigned to the Western division, he was at the siege of Vicksburg. Being disabled there with a broken arm and not fit for duty, he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps and there served out the re- mainder of his enlistment at Rock Island, Illinois, as sergeant of Nos. Nine and Twelve barracks, that contained the rebel prisoners. He was honorably discharged in Chicago, Illinois, at the close of his term of service, in Septem- ber, 1864, and returned to his old home.
Two years later Mr. Crawford came West and located in Fayette county, Iowa. He bought a farm of ninety acres in section 1, in Windsor township, afterward by additional purchases increasing it to one hundred and seventy- five acres. He sold parts of his farm at various times and bought other land in different parts of the township. At his death he owned eighty acres in section I (the old homestead), ten acres of wood land in section 2, eighty acres in section 10 and eighty acres in section 15, all in Windsor township. He willed the homestead of eighty acres to his son Artie, with an entail of two hundred dollars a year during Mrs. Crawford's lifetime. Eighty acres in section 15 he willed to his son David. The balance remained the property of the estate. After Mr. Crawford's death the estate purchased an additional forty acres in section 10 and thus the property remains today. Mr. Crawford placed all his land under a high state of cultivation and greatly enhanced its value by many excellent improvements. Besides his farm interests, he was connected with other enterprises. He encouraged the organization of the Fayette County National Bank, of West Union, and became a member of its first board of directors. The cause of education found in him a warm friend and while serving as a member of the school board he did much effective work in that line. He took a keen interest in all public affairs and kept well posted on the leading issues of the day, being always a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He was a member of Abernathy Post No. 48, Grand Army of the Republic, of West Union. Religiously he was a liberal sup- porter of the Presbyterian church for over forty-five years prior to his death. His wife has also been an active member of the same church since she was sixteen years old, and was one of the eight members who helped to organize the Presbyterian church in West Union.
To Mr. and Mrs. Crawford were born seven children: Flora Addie, wife of David Turner, of Windsor township, born September 3. 1853 : Martha Ella, born August 3. 1858. wife of Samuel Johnston, of Jefferson county,
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Kansas ; Elwell J., born May 30, 1861, married Mabel P. Doty, and he died October 1, 1901, leaving his wife, who resides in West Union, and two chil- dren ; Nannie Bell, born February 24, 1867, wife of Grant L. Doty, of Union township; Jennie Boyd, born March 7, 1871, wife of Truman A. J. Doty, of Windsor township; Artie R., born April 9, 1877 ; David S. B., born February T6, 1880. David, at his father's death, secured by will eighty acres in section 15, where he lived for some time. Through misfortune he lost his farm and at present resides at Mason City, Iowa, where he follows the plumber's trade. In October, 1891, Mr. Crawford and family moved to West Union, where he installed them in a beautiful modern residence, now owned by Mrs. Craw- ford. The home farm was rented to his oldest son, Elwell, who remained there until 1896. Mr. Crawford passed from this life October 31, 1901. Mrs. Crawford, who survives, makes her home in West Union.
Artie R. Crawford, the sixth child of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, born April 9, 1877, was educated in the public schools of the township until thirteen years of age, when the family moved to West Union, where he entered the public schools of that town. He did not graduate, but fin- ished his education with two winters at Ainsworth's Academy in West Union. During his last winter in the academy he entered a drug store to study pharmacy, but, on account of failing health, gave it up and de- cided to make farming his life work. He had been devoting the summer months for two years to farm labor, working by the month. In the summer of 1895 he worked with his brother Elwell, on the home farm, but in the fall of the same year he rented the farm of his father and continued as a tenant until his father's death, when by will he became the owner of the farm. He also secured five acres of timber in section 2. The first four years of his tenancy he hired a family to live on the farm and keep house for him, but on November 28, 1900, he married Myrtle Carmichael, who was born in Union township, Fayette county, Iowa, April 11, 1877, the daughter of Morgan and Dorcas (Cullins) Carmichael, whose residence is Fayette. Iowa. Mrs. Craw- ford received her education in the public schools of Union township and the Fayette high school. After completing the high school course she taught school for one term, during the fall of 1894, and in January, 1895, she en- tered Upper Iowa University and remained for the spring and winter terms. In the fall of the same year she began teaching again, and taught until Christ- mas, 1896. In the early part of the year 1897 she entered a millinery store as an apprentice, and continued to work at the milliner's trade until her mar- riage. To Mr. and Mrs. Crawford have been born three children: Doris
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