USA > Iowa > Jasper County > Past and present of Jasper County, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 52
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 | Part 71 | Part 72
554
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
EDWARD PAYSON GOODHUE.
(An Autobiography.)
Edward Payson Goodhue, the third and youngest son of David and Betsey Goodhue, was born in Groton, New Hampshire, March 7, 1839. My father was the oldest son of Joseph Goodhue and he was born in Groton. New Hampshire, February 11, 1903, and his death occurred on February 26, 1886. He was a man of sentiment as well as enterprise, but more philosoph- ical than emotional, a great reader, in fact, was a better scholar than his sons; he was strictly honest and temperate-had no use for tobacco, whisky or pro- fanity. He took an active part in the organization of Malaka township, Jasper county, Iowa, and acted as clerk at the first town meeting, and he was commissioned by A. W. Randall, postmaster-general, on the 24th of April, 1868, as the first postmaster at Horn, and he held the office eleven years, and I was commissioned by Postmaster-General D. M. Key in 1879 to take his place and I occupied this position nine years. My father was a descendant of William Goodhue, who came from England in November, 1636. He is known to have been a man of high integrity and wisdom and many of his descendants have ranked high in church and state. They are a quiet, peace-loving people. I have never heard of a divorce in this family, and neither is there any record of any Goodhue having been in the poor house or the penitentiary. They have their share of faults, but so far have held their own counsel and adjusted their differences outside of court. My mother's people were from Scotland. Her maiden name was Betsey McGoo; she was born in South Berwick, Maine, February 2, 1811, and died July 18, 1906, at the advanced age of ninety-five years, five months and sixteen days. She married Thomas Warwick. of Bos- ton, Massachusetts. November 21, 1826. Four years later he died in Balti- more, Maryland, leaving two young sons. James and Thomas; the former died in Lynn, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1900, and the latter, who was in the marine service during the Civil war, died while thus employed for his country. On February 4, 1833, my parents were married and, besides my- self, two other sons were born, George Clinton and David Dexter. She was a noble woman and true mother in every sense of the word, always full of hope and cheer, generous to a fault, sympathetic and energetic. It was her custom, back in New Hampshire, to take the wool when sheared. and card, spin and weave enough to cut and make my older brothers new suits for win- ter, and she performed her tasks in this line with more grace than ease. sing- ing more than complaining. Of course these mantles were sooner out-grown
555
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
than out-worn and naturally fell upon me; a fair deal was the height of my expectancy, but this was more than I had bargained for. It is better to be born lucky than rich.
When I was fourteen years of age my father sold his farm at Croton, New Hampshire, and on April 1, 1854, he took Horace Greeley's advice and came west, arriving a month later, on the first of May, at Marengo, the county seat of Iowa county, Iowa. Besides these parents, their three sons and "Ring," their dog, Uncle Warren Goodhue and Cousin Frank also came along, and in June we were joined by Uncle Harford and Aunt Harriet Barton, from Readville, Massachusetts. Uncle Harford and my brother, George C., entered land just east of Hilton creek, but my father, in company with Uncle Warren, bought a section, including some timber, that lay across the Iowa river. Fifty-five acres of this had been broken and enclosed by a seven-rail stake-and-rider fence, two houses built and two wells dug square and timbered up cob-house fashion. The houses were constructed in a similar manner of logs and shingled with undressed oak splits, three feet in length and from four to six inches in width; these were laid in courses and a log placed across the roof to hold them in place. Like Solomon's temple, the sound of the hammer was never heard in their construction, for the buildings were minus nails. This land was surveyed and divided during the summer of 1855. It was well located, a little southeast of Marengo on a divide that overlooked the town ; but the climate was so different from that of New England, it gave all of us the shakes. As soon as I had recovered, my father, mother and brother Clint all fell ill with typhoid fever and brother Dick was still in a serious condition. To get a nurse was quite out of the question, for there was no room nor place for one, and, although a boy of sixteen years, I was their only help and watched over them both night and day. Our good Doctor Hendershot gave me much praise for skill and untiring devotion. A little later in the fall my good Aunt Harriet died, which fact proved so depressing to my parents that they sold out and moved in the early spring of 1856 to Jasper county, making the journey in a lumber-wagon, drawn by four oxen. Attached to the end of the wagon was a hand-cart of my own making, filled with trinkets and "Yankee notions" from the East. We had sold our live stock and took with us only the oxen, one bay stallion, a small drove of sheep, a coop of chickens and our little black dog to bring up the rear. We fre- quently stuck in the mud, for the sloughs were not bridged; but they managed to pull through by doubling teanis with some mover who chanced to come by in an opportune time, or who were also stuck in the deep mire; so on the evening of the third day we landed at the North Skunk river. There my
556
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
father bought one hundred and ninety-five acres of choice land, of which twenty-five acres had been broken and fenced, and upon which a house had been started and left partly finished. The land was well watered and on it stood a fine grove of timber, which was quite an item, for the country was principally prairie and so far as the early settlers knew, there was no coal in the state, nor railroad to furnish them with building material. Some of the black walnut was cut and sawed at John Cary's mill. and in the fall after it was seasoned, my father purchased for me a set of tools and I was put to work finishing the house. After making the panel doors there was enough left to make my mother a light-stand, a leaf-table and cupboard. I still re- tain the latter as a true specimen of what a boy can do with Yankee "gumption" at the age of seventeen years. The country was new and needed to be de- veloped. I had little time for books or sport. I never owned a gun and I never killed a rabbit or song-bird. I got enough pleasure out of the use of tools. which I took to most readily. I made barrels, churns. trays, boots, shoes. sleds, spoke-wheels and many other things. While in Dubuque in the winter of 1862, in company with my brother Deck. I offered to enlist with a company of carpenters and join the Union army in Tennessee, but our services were rejected.
My first vote was cast for President Lincoln, and I have voted for every President since, with the exception of Hayes; however, I am liberal both in my political and religious views, believing more in men and principles than in parties or any special denominations, although I attend church and con- tribute something to the support of churches. I do not believe the story of creation, believing that light, heat, motion and all phases of vegetable and animal life to be spontaneous, springing from the ever changing but inde- structable atom. Matter and space are too vast to be cornered and controlled by art, and nature is too full of tragedies to admit of design. It would im- peach justice as well as mercy and set at naught the command of Moses, "Thou shalt not kill."
I have always tried to do my full share in the work of developing this locality, having had its interests at heart from the first, and I hope I have been of some small service in this respect. When twenty-one years of age I was elected road boss, and my district run the length of the township, and after spending the tax bridging the sloughs, I donated twenty-one days grading the bank and reconstructing the first bridge across the North Skunk river. The next year I was elected justice of the peace, and I have held at different times every office in the township, except constable.
557
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
It was while acting on the building committee of the school board that I first met Carlton Braley, who proved to be a genial Vermont Yankee, who owned the stone quarry at Kellogg. He introduced me to his daughter Ellen, who, by the way, is the present Mrs. Goodhue. She had been well educated and had taught several terms of school in our district, and of course, the first one in our new school house. We were married by the Rev. Addison Lyman and served a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner, November 25, 1869. On March 13, 1871, Birdie. our only child, now Mrs. F. G. Maple, was born. We had some reverses, but in spite of that, prospered fairly well, so in the summer of 1890, after a lapse of thirty-six years, in company with my wife and daughter, I visited my native land, where every hill and dale are hallowed by the sacred memory of bygone days. We visited relatives in and around Boston and every town of note in Vermont, Mrs. Goodhue's native state. We had the pleasure of attending a liberal campmeeting at Queen City Park, bordering Lake Champlain, and we crossed that historic lake to the place where my grandfather fought under McDonough in the war of 1812. We came home through Canada, by way of Montreal. The following winter we bought the place where we now reside. The following summer we sold our farm in Malaka township and since then have bought ninety-five acres more. I have given my daughter a deed of twenty, and sold some, but still retain eighty-five acres, the most of which we keep rented. We keep a little live stock for every-day use, including a favorite horse.
SACRED HEART CHURCH, NEWTON.
In the early history of the county services were held every six months by Father Brazil, of St. Ambrose church, Des Moines, at the home of Michael Morring, also at the residence of a Mr. Hickey. Finally, in 1858, a church was built, and continued as the place of worship until the Sacred Heart church was erected in Newton. The rectory was erected about thirty years ago by Father John Fogarty. Fifteen pastors have administered the affairs of the congregation since 1858. The congregation now numbers twenty-eight fam- ilies, the present pastor being Rev. Thomas J. McCann, a native of Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania. His education was obtained in the parochial schools of his native city and later he studied in the College of Mount St. Mary's, at Emmetsburg, Maryland, also at St. Mary's University and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
558
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
To the Newton church are attached the Catholic missions of Monroe and Colfax. Both towns have Catholic churches and. although the congrega- tions are yet small. they are growing and good work is being done.
HAYDEN REYNOLDS.
This well known and highly honored old soldier of Newton, Jasper county, is an excellent representative of the retired business men of this locality, coming from an ancestry that distinguished itself in the pioneer times, when the country was covered with wild, native growths: in fact, Mr. Reynolds himself came to this country in the days of the wild, wide- sweeping prairies, and assisted his people and the rest of the early settlers to carve homes, build schools and churches and introduce the customs of civil- ization in the wilderness. They were hardy, courageous, honest pioneers, willing to take the hardships that they might acquire the soil and the home that was sure to rise and enjoy the blessings following inevitably in the wake of civilization.
Hayden Reynolds was born in Hart county, Kentucky, on October 12, 1842, the son of Shadrach and Mary (Logsdon) Reynolds. The father was a native of Virginia, but when a child his parents brought him to Kentucky and there he grew to manhood and married, and in 1855 he moved with his family from the "dark and bloody ground" country to Jasper county, Iowa; however, the trip was not made at once, for they went in wagons to Louis- ville and New Albany, stopping in the latter city several months, when the journey was resumed by steamboat to Keokuk, Iowa, and from there in wagons to Newton, the father buying land in what is now Newton township, which was at that time a part of Malaka township, settling there in 1856, thus becoming one of the early settlers of the county. There the elder Reynolds farmed until his death, which occurred when he was fifty-eight years of age, his wife reaching the age of sixty-four years. They had a large family, four- teen children, of which Hayden, of this sketch, was the third in order of birth ; the others are, James O., who served in the Civil war as a member of Com- pany B, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, died in Kansas; Sarah, who mar- ried Green B. Bridges, lives in Newton ; Deliah died in infancy ; Nancy J .. now Mrs. John Montis, lives at Bellefontaine, Ohio; William, who was in Com- pany L. Ninth Iowa Cavalry, during the Civil war, died in Afton, this state ; Zachariah died in Oskaloosa, Iowa; Joseph lives in Des Moines : Isabel married
559
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
John T. Rapp, a veteran of the Civil war, who is living at the Soldiers' Home near Dodge City, Kansas; Thomas lives in Newton: Charles lives on a farm near Newton; A. G. lives in Des Moines; E. F. lives in Newton; Martha is the wife of Lee Logsdon and they live in Newton. The last five named were born after the family came to Jasper county.
Hayden Reynolds attended the district schools in his township, and dur- ing the summer months he assisted with the work on the home farm. When the great war between the states came on lie gladly sacrificed the pleasures of home and prospects of business and offered his services to the Union, being among the early volunteers, having enlisted in Company B, Fifth Iowa In- fantry, in June, 1861, and on July 15th following he was sworn into the service at Burlington, lowa, this being the first regiment raised in this state under the call for three hundred thousand troops. He saw some hard service. having been in the battle of Iuka, in which his company lost very heavily, in fact, more than half of it was killed or missing. Mr. Reynolds witnessed the bombardment of New Madrid, Missouri, and he was in the hard-fought bat- tle of Corinth. At Memphis he was accidentally wounded and was laid up in the hospital for some time. On September 7, 1863, he was given an honor- able discharge and sent home on account of disability. after a faithful service of twenty-six months, during which time he participated in several important campaigns, hotly contested battles and innumerable skirmishes. After re- turning home he engaged in farming, but his health was broken and his injury troubled him, in fact, has ever since been somewhat of a handicap to him.
On October 25, 1865, Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage with Mary Linder, who was born in Iowa, and this union resulted in the birth of six children, namely: James lives at Sully, Iowa: Elizabeth died when four years of age ; Ida B. married J. E. Townsend and they live in Dexter, Guthrie county, Iowa: Frederick died in infancy; Arthur lives in Newton, being at present street commissioner there; Sarah married Robert Linder, and they live on a farm in Sherman township, six miles west of Newton.
The first wife of Mr. Reynolds died and he was subsequently married to Harriet Walker, June 5, 1881. She was the daughter of William and Mary (Dixon) Walker, the father a native of Ohio and the mother of Illinois. They came to Iowa in 1853. Mr. Walker was a soldier in the Civil war, a member of Company C. Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, having been sent to the front as a volunteer, and he saw much hard service, was wounded at Jenkins Ferry, captured and confined in prison at Tyler, Texas, making this escape from his captors at one time, but was overtaken and returned to prison:
.
560
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
having been run down by bloodhounds. He was held a prisoner thirteen months. His eyes having been affected by the treatment he received while a prisoner, he later went blind. His death occurred in 1891, at the age of seventy-one years. His wife died in 1889, at the age of fifty-nine years. Mrs. Reynolds, who was born in 1853, was the oldest of eight children ; those now living are, Malissa Walker is living in Newton; William makes his home in Kansas; Ruth is the wife of George Rodgers and they live in New- ton, where Erwin also resides. The parents of Mrs. Reynolds came to Jasper county in 1885.
To Mr. Reynolds' second marriage one child, Iva, was born, but lived only a short time. About the time of his second marriage, thirty years ago, Mr. Reynolds moved to Newton and for a while was engaged in the paint- ing business, then became a pension agent, in which he has since been engaged. At first he was associated with Judge Clements and Attorney Salmon, but later established an office of his own. He is a property owner and has a sub- stantial home in a good portion of Newton, only two blocks from the public square. Besides looking after pension claims, he is engaged very successfully in the spectacle business.
Mr. Reynolds has been a member of Garrett Post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Newton for over twenty-five years, of which he has held most of the offices and has been commander twice. He was signally honored in 1901 by being appointed an aid on the staff of the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the commission carrying with it the honorary but nevertheless enviable title of colonel. Mrs. Reynolds is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and she belongs to the Baptist church.
GEORGE G. EARLEY.
The name of George G. Earley is too familiar to the readers of this book to need any special introduction here, for he has long been one of Jasper county's leading citizens, having taken a conspicuous part in the general development of this locality and led an honest and upright life. He was born in Franklin county, New York, October 11, 1841, and he is the son of James and Sophia (Simmons) Earley. The mother was a native of Montreal and the father of Ireland. The latter was in the British army and took part in the war of 1812, then returned to England and was in the battle of Waterloo against Napoleon in 1815. He later came back to America, through Canada,
r THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
AST. LEHET TILDEN FJLAJIEM
GEORGE G. EARLEY
MISS CARRIE L. EARLEY
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTUK, LEHOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
561
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
where he met his wife. He located in Franklin county. New York, where he spent his life on a farm until his death, in 1850, his widow surviving until 1865, dying in Mt. Gilead, Morrow county, Ohio, where the family had moved after the death of Mr. Earley. There were eleven children in this family who grew to maturity, namely: John died in 1871; Thomas died in Michigan ; James died in Leon, Decatur county, Iowa; Patrick was accident- ally killed in 1850: Dr. William Earley died in Topeka, Kansas; Peter lives in Marion county, Iowa, being a retired merchant ; Edward died in Republic county, Kansas, in 1891 ; George G., of this review ; Catherine died in Mor- row county, Ohio; Maria, Mrs. McClaine, lives at New Sharon, Iowa; Har- riet M. lives in Jefferson City, Missouri.
George G. Earley was ten years old when he moved with his parents from Franklin county, New York, to Morrow county, Ohio, in 1851, and two years later he came to Iowa, driving horses, coming with strangers, and he landed at Keokuk. He had received a meager schooling, and he began his business career when but a boy. He associated with his brother in a store at Keokuk and remained there until 1856, when he returned to Ohio, where he learned the shoemaker's trade, at which he worked successfully for a period of three years, or until the breaking out of the 'Civil war. He was quick to respond to his country's call, the first call, in fact, for troops to put down the rebellion, and on April 19, 1861, before the echo of the guns that fired on Fort Sumter had hardly died away. he enlisted in Company I, Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into service on April 25th. After his three months' term of service had expired he enlisted for three years on June 21, 1861, in the same company and regiment, and he served with gallantry until June 21, 1864. He was in the battle of Rich Mountain, West Virginia, under McClellan; he was also in the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, under General Buell; he also took part in the great battle of Stone River, under General Rosecrans, and was taken prisoner there, Janu- ary 1, 1863. He was in prison for about a month, and soon the entire regi- ment was taken on the General Streight raid at Rome, Georgia, and were sent to Libby prison, and there they were later paroled and sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, except the officers, who were not paroled. They were then exchanged and returned to the Army of the Cumberland at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the non-commissioned officers commanded the company, Mr. Earley being in command of Company I, which position he hield until discharged on June 21, 1864, the commissioned officers having been' held as prisoners con- tinuously. After the war he returned to Mt. Gilead, Morrow county, Ohio,
(36)
562
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
and resumed work at his trade, which he followed until February 14, 1865, when Mr. Earley re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with his usual faithfulness until January 20, 1866. His regiment went as far south as Macon, Georgia, where he received a commission as second lieutenant, and he was the first com- missioned officer put in command at the Andersonville post, and he had the distinction of building the first fence around that place, having entire charge of the work there, performing his duties, as he had previously done at all times in a manner that elicited the praise of his superior officers. After his discharge on January 20, 1866, Mr. Earley returned again to Morrow county, Ohio, and in March, 1866, he came west to Mahaska county, Iowa, working at his trade there for six months, when he returned to Ohio, following his trade there for two years. In 1869 he returned to Mahaska county, Iowa, and after working there a short time at his trade he came to Jasper county, Iowa, in March, 1872, locating in Palo Alto township, and engaged in farm- ing, where he developed a fine farm and established a good home, and where he lived until 1888, when he moved to Newton, in which city he has since resided, having a commodious and attractive home; however, he farmed for several years after moving here, making his home in the edge of the city. He then engaged as a clerk in a grocery store, owned by J. W. Mclaughlin, with whom he remained four years. He then launched into the real estate business, with W. M. Hill, which lasted for about eight years, the partnership being dissolved about eight years ago, after building up an extensive business.
Mr. Earley was married, first, to Martha Burke, of Knox county, Ohio, their marriage occurring in Morrow county in 1864, and two children were born to this union : Wilbur L., who died in 1891 at Helena, Montana, at the age of twenty-five, his birth having occurred on July 6, 1865; Martha died in infancy. The mother of these children passed away on March 10, 1870, and in September of that year Mr. Earley was married to Laura P. Ashing, who was born in Licking county, Ohio, October 30, 1844. To this union these children were born: Ernest L., born August 24, 1871, is associated with his father in the real estate business; Martha H. was born in March, 1873; Letta M. was born on June 20, 1875. She is dean of the music depart- ment of Adrian College at Adrian, Michigan ; Mamie E., who died August II, 1908, was born in 1877; Carrie L., who was born February 2, 1880, died August 24, 1907. A sketch of her appears elsewhere in this work. Maud E. Earley, born December 22, 1883, died in January, 1903; George A., born in Palo Alto township, this county, February, 1884, is a drug clerk in Newton.
563
JASPER COUNTY, IOWA.
Mr. Earley has long taken an abiding interest in the affairs of his city and county, and he was mayor of Newton from 1897 to 1899, during which time he did much for the permanent good of the town and community. Since ยท then he was elected councilman from the second ward, but resigned after four months' service. He has served eight years on the board of directors of the independent school district of Newton and he has over a year yet to serve. He was twice the nominee of the Greenbacks and the Democratic party (combined ) for the Legislature, but was defeated by a small plurality. He was also nominated for county clerk on the Greenback ticket. He is a mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a man whom to know is to admire and respect, for his life has been exemplary and his services to his country commendable in a high degree.
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.