USA > Iowa > Marion County > Pioneers of Marion county, consisting of a general history of the county from its early settlement to the present date. Also, the geography and history of each township, including brief biographical sketches of some of the more prominent early settlers > Part 20
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" Then we had plenty of honey, but our bread and coffee soon gave out, and we went to an Indian trader a: Red Rock,
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(or where the town now stands,) and got a supply of coffee, meal, and a little whisky. But the snow was so deep, and the weather otherwise so bad, that we could not go on with our improvements; so we concluded to go home and move our families up at the earliest practicable time.
" A thaw commenced about the time we started which was about the last of January, and continued till the ice broke on the river, and we began to prepare for moving. We had now been several years in Iowa, encountering all the difficulties at- tending upon a newly settled country, and I had spent what money I had brought from Kentucky. Besides improving several lots in Winchester, I had built a small boat on the Des Moines river, with which I had carried lumber from Pass- more's mill, on Lick creek, to Ottumwa, to build the first frame honse there, and took my pay in trade.
" On the first of March we loaded our plunder on the boat, at the mouth of Lick Creek, and started up the river. A man named Miles Wilkenson took passage with us, intending to take a look at the country, and join with me in building a mill, provided he liked the situation.
Soon after we got on the way the weather became cold and .
stormy, and as our boat was an open one, and our children small, we had to camp on shore every night for the sake of fire. Besides, Wilkinson had the ague, and was not able to work the boat more than half the time. In this way we got along very slowly, and were twenty-one days getting to our claims. But here we were at last, with our wives and little ones, five children each. Not a neighbor's dog could we hear bark, nor a chicken crow. Wilkinson spent two days in pros- pecting between where Knoxville now stands and the Des Moines river, and came to the conclusion that the country would never be settled enough to justify the building of a mill, that the toll from all the custom we would get would hardly feed a few pigs. So he went back and built a mill somewhere in the southern part of Wapello county.
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"As for Bill and me, we were located, and if we had no kind neighbors to hold friendly conversation with, we had frequent opportunities to listen to the howling of wolves. Yet we were 'not quite destitute of neighbors. The Joneses had settled in the timber west of Knoxville; Elias Fuller had made a settlement on White Breast, and Wm. McCord had located between there and Red Rock, and he was my nearest neighhor. Two bachelors living on the river, named Johnson, I also became acquainted with.
" As soon as we got into a shelter brother Bill took my boat and went to work on the river, carrying flour from Meek's Mill, (Bonaparte) to the garrison on 'Coon river, where Des Moines City now is. The river was high, and my brother worked hard to make even small wages. At the same time I worked about home, planted three or four acres of corn, fixed up my smith tools, did some little jobs in that line for my distant neighbors, and also for the Indians, repairing their guns, etc., for which they paid me punctually, with one exception. The children also traded with the Indians in little trinkets, and thereby obtained quite a friendly understanding with them. Both the children and I acquired a knowledge of their language very rapidly; but they left too soon to enable us to become perfect in it, or to make it useful to us.
"The creek was full nearly all summer, and as I had a patch of corn on each side of it, I had to cross pretty often in a little, unwieldly canoe. On one of these trips I came very near losing two of my children.
" This was the summer of '44, during the latter part of which my brother Bill moved to his own claim, and we lived about three-fourths of a mile apart. In August our families all got sick, I being the only well one. We had got our stock up from Van Buren county, during the summer, and when sickness came the care and labor that fell upon my unaided shoulders were enough to have employed three men. Our
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eldest daughter died after a lingering illness of about three months. She died from the want of medical aid and attention, when there was not a soul present except I and my sick family. My wife was unable to turn herself in bed; and as for me, trouble and the loss of sleep had so nearly worn me out that I scarcely knew anything. But for the fact that I was in good health, we must have all perished.
"When I saw that my daughter was dying I went out every few minutes and blew a little tin trumpet as loudly as I could, hoping to attract the attention of some one who might be within hearing. As it happened, a young man named Moyer, was crossing the prairie at day dawn, and hearing the blast, surmised it to be a note of alarm or distress, and came to the house. He and my brother laid out the corpse, and then went abroad among our scattered neighbors, who came in and assisted us to bury our child in a tolerably decent manner.
"Having failed, on account of sickness, to make a trip the fall, our provisions gave out. We had plenty of milk, but no bread. During sickness and after, I had to beat corn in a mortar and sift it for bread; and now this process had to be kept up until the ice broke out of the river in the spring fol- lowing. Then I made a voyage to the old neighborhood for a cargo of bread stuff. I shall never forget the rejoicing of the children on our return. Little ones that could scarcely utter their words plainly, would cry out, "we'll have plenty o' bread now, mother."
" On reaching Eddyville, during one of these trips, we fell in with one of the agents of the contractor, named Scott, who was there after corn for the garrison at Ft. Des Moines, and who prevailed on us to ship a load to that place, offering a high price. There was no available means of transporting it by land just then, for the roads were so bad that a team could not draw much more than would feed it for the trip.
"So we agreed to turn back. The weather was good to
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start with, and if it so continued we calculated to make the trip in eight or nine days. It was important to get provisions enough to last us for that length of time. But, after insisting very hard, all the meat we could get were a couple of small thin sides of bacon. We had plenty of tea, and could have supplied ourselves with plenty of molasses, but could procure only one small jug to hold it. Meal we had none to start with, but supposed that when we should reach the horse mill, (or rather ox mill,) just above where Coalport now is, we could get a supply. But here we could get only about three quarts. We could have got some of our cargo ground, but didn't, thinking we could surely get a supply at Red Rock. But we were again disappointed, for the only eatable thing we conld get there was a peck of very small potatoes, and what whisky we wanted.
"Here the weather turned cold, and the wind blew so strong against us that we had to lay by. It grew so cold that the water froze on our poles, making them so slippery and heavy that we could not use them. And to add to our troubles, our small potatoes, the only substitute we had for bread, froze and became utterly worthless. We, however, made the best we could of them by trading them to the Indians for maple sugar. And they, in turn, made the best of them by thawing them and drinking the juice with much relish.
" Having at last reached the Fort and delivered our load, we started on our return voyage with nothing to eat, hoping to reach Red Rock before we should suffer much. At that time there was but one settlement between the Fort and Red Rock, on what is now called Butcher's Prairie. By the time we reached this point the wind blew so hard up stream that we could make little or no progress, though one hand went on shore with a rope to pull while the others paddled on board.
"The situation was by no means promising, and we were compelled to land and wait for fair weather. So I went to the
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house to see if I could get something to eat. It was occupied by a man and his wife, whose name I have forgotten. The man was a surly fellow. No dry joke that I could pass in stating my case, could make him smile, and he looked suspi- ciously at me and talked as though he thought the whole world was composed of robbers, and that I had come to impose upon him. In reply to my request for something to eat, he gruffly said he had nothing for himself. But the woman wore a differ- ent countenance, and from her pleased expression I was able to glean a hope. And not only her words but her works soon confirmed it. She said we were suffering and must be fed. So she went out and killed the only chicken she had, and with that and some flour, butter and milk, she provided us a full meal, cooked. I carried it to the boat, and, after our feast, when I returned the vessels, she would receive only the mod- erate sum of fifty cents. She was truly a sister of charity. Blessed be her memory.
"Next morning the weather was quite calm, and we finished our voyage without any further difficulty.
"Some time in the spring or summer of 1845, I commenced building a mill, and in about twenty months began to grind. It was a poor thing. I could not make more than sixteen or eighteen bushels of meal per day, but every bushel of toll was worth 50 cents, and, as many settlers had came into the neigh- borhood, I got all the grinding I could do. My custom extended twelve or fifteen miles around; and after this there was no scarcity of bread." 1
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CHAPTER XXI.
Knoxville Township Continued - Conrad Walters - First Church Organization-First Preaching-Sleepy Hearer -First School Teacher - Knoxville-First Steam Saw Mill-A Scene in the Early History of Knoxville City- John Shearer-A Pioneer School-A Critical Situation- Another-Tyler Overton.
Much respected, and still well remembered among early settlers, was the late Conrad Walters, whose name is also on record in another place as a member of the first Board of Com- missioners for the county. Mr. Walters was a native of Penn- sylvania, where he was born in 1794, from which State he came to Ohio in 1814, and learned the art of printing in Wil- mington, Clinton county. After various removals he finally came to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in 1839, and from there to this county in October, 1844, and settled six miles south-east of Knox- ville. Here he remained till a few years previous to his death, at which time, July 28, 1870, he resided in the city of Knox- ville. His age was 77 years.
The first religious society that was organized in this town- ship, was by Rev. Mr. Neur, of the M. E. Church, in 1844 or 1845, and the first regular house of worship was erected in Knoxville City, in 1850 or 1851, during the pastoral charge of Rev. A. W. Johnson, of the same denomination. Rev. Mr. Neur is remembered as among the first, (if not quite the first) minister that broke the bread of life in the then wilderness of Knoxville township. An anecdote is related of him in con- nection with one of his first discourses here. Having become acquainted with a young man named Willis, who was at work for John Conrey, and who was also a member of his church,
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Mr. Neur sent an appointment by him to preach at Mr. Con- rey's cabin, on a certain night. When the time came the congregation consisted of Mr. Conrey, his wife and five chil- dren and Brother Willis. During the sermon the latter, per- haps overcome by fatigue, fell asleep and soon began to mani- fest his condition by some loud snoring. Observing this the preacher raised his voice a key higher, but in a kindly tone, said, " wake up, Brother Willis, I'll soon be through." This roused the sleeper, and the preacher went on with his sermon as though nothing out of the way had happened.
The first day school taught in this township, was by F. Monahan, in 1846, in what is now the north-west quarter of the city of Knoxville. School averaged twenty-five scholars. Mr. Monahan was a native of Ohio, from which State he immi- grated to this State in 1844, and to this county in 1846, and settled on White Breast creek.
The history of the city of Knoxville, it being the county seat, has already been related in connection with the general history of the county, and we scarcely need transcend the limits of this work by noting its progress and present wealth. Suffice it to say that it is a place of average proportions and popula- tion for an inland city ; and, being situated in a healthy locality, and in the midst of a rich agricultural and mineral region, its advantages are inferior to few other inland towns, and will soon be made superior to many by the addition of one or two impor- tant railroad connections. Knoxville is now supplied with several kinds of manufacturing establishments, a lumber yard, numerous churches, two newspapers and a large city school, all of which attest the enterprise, moral status and intelligence of the people.
In contrast with the above we note one or two incidents that may be well remembered by many citizens:
In the fall of 1854, Geo. Calvin and Ira Curtis purchased a six horse power steam engine, in Washington county, brought
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it to Knoxville and put up the first circular saw mill in what is now the south side of town. When the mill got into operation it proved to be quite a curiosity to the people, crowds of whom came to see it work. Now all the modern improvements that have been attached to this powerful agent for the operation of almost every kind of machinery, scarcely calls forth the wonder of an individual.
In 1850, a Mr. Henry kept a hotel near the northwest corner « of the square, and during a session of the district court, the small house was crowded. One night a peddler came to lodge there, and for want of room took up his lodging in the bar- room, which place was presided over by one Eph Henby. During the night two persons named Walters and Dunham, feeling funny with liquor, pulled the peddler out of his cot by the legs, and dragged him into the kitchen. In this operation the prostrate but struggling itinerant merchant kicked one of his assailants in the breast, which was the signal for fight. The uproar now became so intense that every lodger in the house was roused, and the fighting propensity of a large pugi- listic individual, named Kaufman, was stirred up. He coolly got up, dressed himself and went down stairs, declaring his intention to put a stop to the fuss or whip somebody. Finding Dunham he went about his mission at once and gave that dis- turber a good thrashing. At this moment Henby, the bar- keeper, anxious to restore order, but afraid of getting into the muss, thrust his head down the stairway and called out a com- mand to keep the peace. As a reward for this unlucky inter- ference, Walters hurled a boot at Henby, that struck him in the face with such violence as to cause blood to flow pretty freely. For this breach of good manners, Kaufman, the peace- maker, deemed it his duty to thrash Walters also, by which peace was finally restored. Early next morning the parties atoned for their fun by going to a justice's office and paying a fine. Such scenes are now remembered as things of the past.
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As this chapter would be a short one, if ended here, we may venture to add a few miscellaneous items that may not be wholly without interest to some who remember them.
No old settler in Knoxville township is better remembered than John Shearer. He first came to Liberty in '46, where he remained only about three months, then moved to his present locality, a little east of Knoxville city.
Mr. Shearer shook with the ague during most of the first year of his pioneer life; was unable to labor, but by teaching school and trading in claims, he was enabled to live and save enough to buy the eighty acres of land he now lives on. Mr. Shearer's school teaching was the real pioneer kind. He was em- ployed by subscription, two dollars per scholar for three months, and " boarded round." The school house was a little cabin origi- nally built and used as a stable, by John R. Welch. It was supplied with a bark floor, but was neither chunked nor daubed. Rabbits were numerous in the surrounding brush, and so tame that some of them would frequently come into the house during school hours, to the great amusement of the twelve young ideas Mr. S. was trying to teach how to shoot. Once scholars and teacher took a half holiday, and employed the time in ferreting out and capturing a weazle that had taken a homestead about the timbers of the old cabin. At times, when the weather was warm, and there was no excitement to keep the scholars awake, some of the younger ones would stretch themselves on the narrow benches and go to sleep. Occasionally one would fall off, which circumstance would keep the others awake for a time.
The teacher was also a good hunter and employed much of his leisure time hunting for the benefit of his subscribers. During one short expedition he secured venison enough to last them two weeks.
Just previous to the flood of 1851, Nelson Butcher built a corn mill on a small tributary of White Breast, which was
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resorted to from quite a distance, and the grain accumulated so rapidly that there was not enough room for it in the small mill house, and the proprietor had to stow away at least a hundred bushels of it in his cabin near by. One night the flood came so rapidly that there was no time time to save the corn, nor even any of the household property, and the family could only think of saving themselves. Escape to the uplands was impossible, and they had to climb to the loft. This was almost floorless, only two or three narrow boards being laid across the joists. On these Mr. and Mrs. Butcher, their five children, and Mr. Shearer, who happened to be there, perched themselves as best they could and passed the remainder of the night in a painful state of apprehension for their safety, as they listened to the roar of the rising flood and felt the frail building tremble. But for one providential circumstance they would have in all probability found a watery grave. A great log came down and lodged in such a position just above the cabin as to protect it from a large amount of heavy drift-wood that must otherwise have swept it from its foundation. When the welcome daylight dawned, the besieged could more fully realize their perilous situation and be thankful for the preser- vation of their lives and for the relief that came by friendly neighbors. As may be supposed the corn was totally ruined. In those days corn was not so plentiful but that a small amout was deemed worth raising. In this connection we may relate an anecdote of one Billy Williams, who got himself into an embarrassing situation in consequence of his efforts to pre- vent a bushel of the valuable grain from going to waste. A wagon load of it had passed near his house and by some means a quantity of it was dropped along the road. Billy happened along soon afterwards and thought he had better gather it up for his own use than let it quite go to loss. But not having any basket or bag to put it in, he was for a moment uncertain how he should manage it. But presently an original
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idea came to his aid. He could make a bag of his pants. Being in an unfrequented place, he had no expectation of being discovered in the execution of this new idea, so he took off his pants, tied the lower ends of the legs and stuffed them as full as they would button with the ears of corn. Now being ready to bear away his prize, he looked up the road and saw two women coming toward him. They were evidently coming to his house. Mortified as he was, he shouldered his load and rushed for a haystack that stood within calling dis- tance of his dwelling. Here he took shelter, and as no time was to be lost, he called energetically for Jemima, his wife.
" What do you want? " queried the latter, a little surprised if not alarmed at the earnestness of his tone.
" Bring my other pants," came the answer.
" Your tother pants ! " returned the puzzled Jemima. " What you want with 'em out there ? "
" Bring 'em along, and be quick about it!" cried the impa- tient Billy.
Of course she flew to obey the command, fearing that Billy might somehow be in a bad fix, but was happy to find his case no worse than it was. Billy got dressed as soon as he could and went to the house, hoping he had escaped the notice of the visitors, who were now there. But somehow the joke soon got abroad without the aid of Billy or his wife either.
Tyler Overton, who still resides where he originally settled, in the southern part of the township, arrived there on the 28th of May, 1843, in company with Henry Miller, each carrying a load of provisions on their backs from the Welch settlement north of the river. After making claims they put up a' bark shanty in the nearest timber where they batched it for three weeks, making rails, making occasional trips to the settlement for provisions that he had employed some of the settlers there to bring up in wagons.
In the spring following Mr. O. went to Henry county,
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where he purchased sixty apple trees, brought them up, and began an orchard on his claim, which was, perhaps, the first one planted in the township. Only about a dozen of these pioneer trees are yet living.
Population of Knoxville township by the U. S. census of 1870 :
Native
4609
Foreign
141
Total
4750
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Pioneers of Marion County.
CHAPTER XXII.
Union Township-Geography and Early History-Town- ship Officers-Names of First Settlers - Simen Rey- nolds-A One-man Garrison-A Family Council-An- drew Startz-Hill Milling Adventure-A Dog Trial and a Big Drunk-Samuel Teters-Sickness and Privation- A Long Walk-A Successful Wolf Hunt-Saving the Corn-Borrowing-The First School Teacher.
On the 7th of October, 1850, in compliance with a petition, it was ordered by the Commissioners that all of town. 76, range 20, south of the river, and all of 77, same range, south of the river, be called Union township, from and after the first Mon- day of April, 1851.
This township is bounded on the north by Red Rock, with the Des Moines river as its boundary line; on the east by Polk, on the south by Knoxville, and on the west by Pleasant Grove and Swan.
There is no stream of any considerable size coursing through this township, but many small creeks, the largest of which is Camp creek. That portion lying contiguous to the river is somewhat hilly, but well timbered. The strip margining the river is mostly flat bottom land, partly prairie, the most noted of which is Butcher's prairie. In some places the uplands ter- minate in abrupt rocky cliffs. The southern portion of the township is mostly upland prairie, and is a good farming dis- trict.
The first election in this township was held at the house of William Ballard, April 2, 1851. After the appointment of Wm. Ballard, Geo. Teters and Simeon Reynolds, as judges of the election, and Westley Teters and Wm. M. Norris, as
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clerks, the following named officers were elected: Wm. M. Norris and Samuel E. Teters, Justices of the Peace; Andrew Startz, Wm. Ballard and Alfred Reese, Trustees; James Amos, Treasurer; John W. Broadess, and Robert Gusten, Constables; Andrew Startz and Samuel Ballard, Road Supervisors ; and Simeon Reynolds, Clerk. No record of the number of votes cast.
The names of a majority of those who settled in the town- ship at an early date are, Simeon and Geo. Reynolds, Wm. Richard and John Butcher, Hiram Steel, Duncan Neil, - Vandenford, John Flanders, Robert Gusten, Andrew Startz, Samuel, Geo. and Westley Teters, and Wm. Luty.
John Flanders now lives in Red Rock township, having sold his claim to William Ballard at an early date. Wm. Luty came from Ross county, Ohio, in 1843. Died August 21st, 1871.
Simeon Reynolds was born in Duchess county, New York, March 16, 1786, moved to Ohio in 1816 or '17, and from thence to Marion county, November, 1845, elected a member of the State Legislature and served in the House in 1847. Died April 21st, 1852.
Mrs. Amanda Reynolds, his widow, still lives on the farm they first settled on, on Butcher's prairie, and his two sons, who also took claims at the same time, live in the neighbor- bood. Mrs. R. was the first white woman that become a citi- zen of this part of the country.
On their arrival, November 2d, Mr. Reynolds and family took lodging in a little cabin formerly owned by Butcher, to whom the government had granted the privilege of making settlement there as early as 1843, in consideration of services he had ren- dered by repairing or making roads. The claim was at this time owned and occupied by Steel and Neal, of whom Mr. R. purchased it. Soon after this Vanderbilt entered a portion of this claim, securing a title theretor, then took a fortified posi-
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