USA > Iowa > Dallas County > The History of Dallas County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 64
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The following sketch of the history of the Christian Church is taken from the records, as kindly furnished by Mr. Bly, the county sheriff:
"The Church of God in Christ," in Washington township, Dallas county, Iowa, was organized June 30, 1866, at the Buchanan school-house, situated on the south side of section No. 23. Bro. J. T. Bly, who was then preach- ing irregularly at that point, was the officiating evangelist. The names of the charter members are as follows: John Strader, Margaret Strader, Noah Strader, Jeremiah Reaves, Catharine Reaves, A. J. Olin, Hannah Olin, Jas- per Rice, Sarah M. Rice, Lemuel Warford, Sarah E. Warford, A. C. Clark, Nancy Clark, Marilda A. Clark, Lettie Henderson, Mary Henderson and Thomas Henderson.
The statement to which they appended their names read as follows:
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, ¿
JUNE 30, 1866.
DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA. S
WE, the disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, do hereby covenant with each other, and with God our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Savior, to attend to the institu- tions of His house through His divine aid, and to be known as The Church of God in Christ.
"At the time of the organization, John Strader was appointed to act tem- porarily as elder, and Jasper Rice, deacon. Of the charter members, the following named, Jasper Rice, Sarah M. Rice, Jeremiah Reaves and Catha- rine Reaves came from the church at Adel by commendation; John Strader, Margaret Strader, Noah Strader, A. J. Olin, Hannah Olin, Lemuel Warford, Sarah E. Warford, Lettie Henderson, Mary Henderson, Thomas Henderson and Marilda A. Clark were formerly members of an organization on the east side of the river at a school-house, about 12 miles south of the present site of Minburn; and A. C. Clark and Nancy Clark were recently from In- diana by commendation.
" Bro. J. T. Bly continued to preach irregularly to the new congregation thus formed, until the next spring, and a number were added by his labors during this time. At this time, April, 1867, Elder J. M. Dodge, of the Adel church was employed to preach one fourth his time for one year, but he resigned at the end of five months.
"In May of this year there was an election of officers held under the di- rection of Elder J. M. Dodge, and J. C. Clark, of Adel, which resulted in the choice of W. H. Murphy and Jasper Rice to act as elders, and Lemuel Warford and A. J. Olin to act as deacons."
We learn also from the church record that this congregation was incor- porated March 31, 1877.
Their new chapel was completed that year, and was dedicated August 5, 1877, and for this purpose the following formula was used on that occasion.
DEDICATION FORMULA.
Brethren, you have found it in your hearts to build a house for the Lord. God in His providence has blessed you with the ability; we are now assembled to make an offering of
521
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
this house to Him, and ask Him to accept this humble expression of our devotion to His cause. As you, by your united efforts, erected this house for the Lord, so may you, under the divine blessing, be built up a spiritual house for Him to dwell in by His Holy Spirit. As the mate- rials of this building are joined together in one, so may you be one in the Lord. As this place is a suitable place for God's children to meet, so may the character of your devotion be such as to make it the Father's pleasure to be with you; and as your seats are vacated one by one, may you have been the means of preparing your children, your neighbor and his chil- dren, to take your places; and when the battle of life is ended, may we all find a place in the "house not made with hands." [Congregation arose.]
Respected friends: be pleased to accept our heartfelt thanks for the liberal aid you have given us. We welcome you to a seat with us, and as you have willingly contributed of your means, so may you become willing to contribute your heart's best affections to Jesus, and of J. W. BLY, your noblest energies to His cause.
Secretary.
Some of the numerous ministers who have labored with this congrega- tion since its organization are as follows: Elders J. W. Bly, J. M. Dodge, Frank Gill, J. E. Gaston, J. W. Snyder, J. B. Vawter, W. D. Swain; also occasionally, J. C. White, P. T. Russell, Mr. McCoy, Charles Yard, J. M. Crocker and Robert E. Swartz, up to October, 1876.
The present membership of this church is 100.
The present pastor is Elder O. H. Derry; and the present officers of the organization are: Elders-W. H. Murphy, Darius Sutherland. Deacons- J. W. Bly, Franklin Miller.
Board of Trustees .- President-Lemuel Warford; Treasurer-F. Miller; Secretary-J. W. Bly.
This township has one good county bridge across North Raccoon river, 140 feet long, with 300 feet of trestle work. It has no post-office, no rail- road, and no town within its limits; but the town of Minburn is only a short distance from the east line, in Sugar Grove township, affording good post- office and market privileges, and Perry is only about four miles north.
The township has never had but one State case, which was State of Iowa vs. J. N. Elliott, for the murder of John N. Bold. The defendant was con- victed and sentenced to eleven years imprisonment. He took an appeal and was out on $10,000 bail when the sentence was reversed and a new trial called, but he turned up missing, and the county is now trying to recover the bail bond .* .
The township officers elected at the last election, 1878, were:
Township Clerk-John T. Roush. Assessor-Wm. Jenkins.
Trustees:
James Scurry, Franklin Miller, Henry Boas.
Justices:
Robert Henderson, I. A. Daugherty.
Constables:
N. V. Mourey, E. Slattery.
The following is a complete list of the taxes paid by William Rouse, of
* Just as we go to press we learn that Elliott has been captured and is now safely lodged in jail at Adel.
522
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
Washington township, Dallas county, Iowa, from 1851 to 1878, as kindly furnished by him.
DATE
AMT.
REMARKS
1851
$ 5 00;Receipt for 1850 is lost.
1852
5 00
1853
5 83
1854.
7 50 On 173 acres of land.
1855.
5 69
1856
6 61
1857.
7 78
1858
6 51
1859.
6 10
1860.
4 03 Different payments for the same year.
1860.
3 61
1860.
2 10
1860
2 08 $11.82 for 1860.
1861
10 38 First decade, $83.22.
1862.
7 78
1863.
99
1863.
8 15
1864.
20 44 On land as above.
1865.
21 45
1866. .
24 40
1867
27 76 On 153 acres of land.
1868.
41 41|School House, $13.00.
1869.
40 21 School House, $8.38.
1870. .
54 16 On 193 acres of land.
1871 ..
54 84 2d decade, $302.59.
1872. .
61 26
1873.
40 91 Value of personal property.
1873.
4 45
1874.
56 68
1875. . .
71 01 313 acres of land.
1876. . .
62 97
1877. . .
65 80
1878. . . .
.60 27 Personal property, $655.00. 3d decade, $423.45.
Total, $809.21.
SUGAR GROVE.
This township occupies the second place from the north and east in the township tiers, and is therefore the northeast one of the four central town- ships of Dallas county. It is known in the government surveys as con- gressional township 80, north of range 27, west of the fifth principal meridian.
For a long time the boundary lines of Sugar Grove were in a very un- settled state, and it has passed through a great many changes since its first organization as a township. When the county was divided into precincts in March, 1850, the present territory of Sugar Grove was divided up and formed parts of Buena Vista and Des Moines precincts. The first record we find of a township being organized by this name, is the following one, making it to include its present territory and that of Beaver, date of Sep- tember 2, 1851:
Ordered, That hereafter the territory included in the following metes and bounds, com- mencing at the northeast corner of township No. 81, north of range 27, west; thence south
523
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
to the southeast corner of township No. 80, north of range 27, west; thence due west six miles; thence due north twelve miles; thence east six miles to the place of beginning. shall constitute an election township, to be called Sugar Grove township.
The first election to be held at the house of James V. Pierce, in said township
Under date of March 3, 1856, also, appears the following order changing the boundary lines of Sugar Grove township:
Ordered, That hereafter the following shall be the metes and bounds of Sugar Grove town- ship, to-wit: Commencing at the southeast corner of section thirty-six (36), township eighty (80), north of range twenty-seven (27); thence north six miles; thence west twelve miles; thence south six miles to the southwest corner of section thirty-one (31), township eighty, (80) north range twenty-eight (28); thence east to the place of beginning.
And again, date of June 2, 1856, appears the following:
Hereafter the boundaries of Sugar Grove township shall be as follows: Commencing at the southeast corner of section 36, township 80, range 27; thence north to the northeast cor- ner of section 36, township 81, range 27; thence west three miles; thence north two miles; thence west to range line dividing ranges 28 and 27; thence south on said range line to the southwest corner of section 21, township 81, range 27; thence west six miles; thence south six miles; thence east twelve miles to the place of beginning.
In the general division of the county into townships, February 2, 1857, Sugar Grove was reduced in size and again made to include its present ter- ritory and the present territory of Washington township-congressional township No. 80, north of ranges 27 and 28, west. March 2, 1858, Wash- ington township was cut off, and again in January, 1859, the boundaries of Sugar Grove were changed, making it to include part of the present terri- tory of Beaver, as shown by the following:
Ordered, By the court that the district of country included in the following limits shall form and constitute the township of Sugar Grove, to-wit: Commencing at the northwest corner of section nineteen (19), in township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence south to the southwest corner of section thirty-one (31), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence west to the middle of the channel of North 'Coon river; thence south along the channel of said river to where the township line dividing townships seventy- nine (79) and eighty (80) crosses said river; thence east on said line to the southeast corner of township eighty (80), range twenty-seven (27); thence north to the northeast corner of section thirty-six (36), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence west to the northwest corner of section thirty-four (34), township eighty-one (81), range twenty- seven (27); thence north to the northeast corner of section twenty-one (21), township eighty-one (81), range twenty-seven (27); thence west to the place of beginning.
This change of line cut off all the southeast part of Beaver township left out of Des Moines, and added it to Sugar Grove township, thus destroy- ing Beaver township altogether, as organized, February 2, 1857.
In June, 1861, Beaver township was again organized, cutting off some territory from Sugar Grove, and the latter, after passing through various minor changes in its boundary lines, was finally settled in its present form, June 7, 1870, as shown by the following order of the board of supervisors:
Ordered, That all the territory included within congressional township No. eighty (80), north of range No. twenty-seven (27), west of the 5th P. M., Iowa, shall constitute the town- ship of Sugar Grove.
No record appears of any important change occurring in its boundaries since that date.
524
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
Judge L. D. Burns has kindly furnished us with the following sketch of the first settlement of his township, which we quote as follows:
" L. D. Burns, Harvey Adams and Zabina Babcock were the first settlers. They took claims here simultaneously in 1847. In the spring of 1848 came Adam Vineage, James V. Pierce, James McLain and John Sullivan, Jr., and their families. Dutch Henry, a bachelor, settled here the same . year. In 1849 came William Boyd, wife, sons and daughters. The sons were Samuel and James; the daughters married were Jane Taylor and Nancy Boyles, and their husbands; the daughter unmarried was Catharine, who afterward married Allen Boyles. S. C. Taylor and family, Hayes Boyles, Isaac Ballard and Milton Randolph closed the immigration for that year.
" In 1850 came Wm. Groves and Wm. Cartwright and their families, Rachael and Louisa Sutton, unmarried sisters of Mrs. Groves, Wm. Boyles and Allen Boyles.
"The first school was taught by Slemmons C. Taylor, for which he was paid twenty dollars for a term of three months. It was a subscription school.
" The township is an independent school district, and has nine school- houses. Minburn has an additional house to accommodate its pupils, mak- ing, in all, ten school-houses in the township.
" The first religious services were held at the house of Wm. Boyd, on the evening of the 22d day of April, 1851, sermon by Rev. Hare, of the M. E. Church; text, Acts, 10th chapter and 43d verse. It was a practical, well- timed effort. Those in attendance were, besides. the immediate family of Wmn. Boyd, Samuel Taylor and wife, Taylor Boyles and wife, Harvey Adams and wife and children, Geo. P. Garoutte and wife, Adam Vineage, a Mr. Wilson (a peddler), James V. Pierce, Wm. Groves and wife, L. D. Burns and wife, and the two Misses Sutton."
The church organizations and buildings within the bounds of Sugar Grove township are all at Minburn (see sketches), and this is the only town in its limits.
Dallas Center is just across the south line, in Adel township, and is about as convenient as though situated in its own bounds, affording good market and mail privileges; and though Minburn is the only post-office in Sugar Gnove, yet it has the use and convenience of two, the southern por- tion generally going to Dallas Center.
The Des Moines & Fort Dodge R. R. passes through the township diag- onally, entering near the southwest corner of section 35, and passing out near the northwest corner of section 6, thus affording the township splendid op- portunities for shipping.
The North Raccoon river passes through the southwest corner of the township, cutting off a very small portion of section 31, and Slough creek rises about section 26, and flows northward, passing out of the township on section 3, thus watering and draining the northeast portion of the township.
The North Raccoon river, in and adjoining the west side, affords plenty of timber and building material for the township, at a very convenient dis- tance to all parts.
In the southwest corner of the township the Sugar Grove flouring mill is situated, on the east bank of the Raccoon river, owned by John H. Warring- ton, and does a thriving business.
525
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
The old mill on this site was built some thirty years ago by Mr. Rine- hart, while the present one was built in 1872-3, J. N. Southgate, of Des Moines, being the mill-wright. It has two run of stone, one three and a- half foot wheat burr and one corn burr; will average about six bushels per hour in wheat grinding. The dam has about seven feet of head. Just be- low the mill site, in the North Raccoon, is where the old fish trap was loca- ted which supplied all that section with fresh fish in early days, as before mentioned.
There is one good county bridge on or near the township line called the Garoutte bridge, which may be claimed either by Sugar Grove or Adel township, and aside from this bridge Sugar Grove has no bridges of any importance.
· This township is becoming quite well advanced in general improvements, especially in the southwestern portion, where numerous fine farms and or- chards are found. In the northeast portion some prairie still remains un- cultivated, but the per cent of such in the township is becoming rather small.
The first election in the township was, perhaps, the one held at the house of James V. Pierce, in the fall of 1851.
The township officers elected at the last election, 1878, were:
Township clerk-G. L. Rinehart. Assessor-David Roush.
Trustees :
F. Peters, M. D. Crannell, G. F. Brayton.
Justices :
J. O. McClure, M. W. Gibben.
Constables :
F. J. Edmundson, Jasper Foster.
LINN.
This township is the second one from the south in the west tier of town- ships in Dallas county, and is known in the government surveys as con- gressional township 79, north of range 29, west of the 5th principal merid- ian.
The Middle Raccoon river passes through the southwest corner of this township, and the Mosquito creek flows almost centrally through it in a winding course from north to south, the two streams thus abundantly sup- plying it with water, wood, coal, stone, and mill sites. It has fine farming land, and a good many valuable farms, being quite an old settled township, especially in the southern part and along the Mosquito creek.
As shown by the orders regarding the changes in Union township, the present territory of Linn township was also a part of Owens precinct, in 1850, and afterward formed part of Union township until February 2, 1857, when it was cut off from Union and united with what is now Lin- coln township, to form Iowa township, as shown by the order of the county court forming Iowa township. (See order February 2, 1857.)
33
526
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
It remained in this connection as part of Iowa township a little more than a year, when it was settled in its present form as bounded by the con- gressional township lines, as shown by the following order given March 2, 1858, by the county court:
Now on this day comes R. W. Lumpkin et al., and file a petition for the division of Union township. (Should be Iowa township.) Whereupon it was
Ordered, That the district of country included within the following bounds shall form and constitute the township of Linn, to-wit:
All of township No. seventy-nine (79), north of range twenty-nine (29) west; and that a warrant issue for an election to be holden at the house of John Lamb, in said township, on the first Monday of April, A. D. 1858, for the perfecting an organization of said township; and that there be elected at that time and place three township trustees, one township clerk, two justices of the peace, and two constables, and such other officers as may be provided by law.
In May, 1859, a slight change was made in the boundary lines (as before mentioned in the description of Union), when the east half of section 36 was cut off from the southeast corner of Linn and attached to Union town- ship for school purposes.
After this we find only one order on record changing the boundary lines of Linn, and that is the following one, made June 7, 1870, by the board of county supervisors :
Ordered, That all the territory included within congressional township No. seventy-nine (79), north of range twenty-nine (29), west of the 5th P. M., Iowa, shall constitute the town- ship of Linn.
This order simply restored to Linn its lost half section which had been attached to Union previously for school purposes, and at the same time Un- ion, Sugar Grove and Washington were settled in their present form.
No record of any important change in its boundaries appears since that date.
Linn is one of the thrifty townships in the county, and shows marked indications of enterprise and industry on the part of its citizens.
It was perhaps first settled by Samuel Carpenter, about 1848-9, who se- lected his home just across the line from Union township, in the southern part of Linn. About the same time, also, or soon afterward, James Brooks, Thomas Elliott and perhaps others, settled in that vicinity, and a few years later the settlement was materially increased.
About 1850-1 James Harper and his son W. W. Harper, William Maulsby, Judge Jamison, Isaac Fee, and others, made settlements in the township.
Mr. Fee is among the very few first settlers of the township now living in it. He settled in 1851 on section 34, where he still lives, and to him we are indebted for much important information regarding the early settle- ment of the township.
Among the early settlers who came about the same time and soon after Mr. Fee, also, were Abner Hill, George Bailey, George Duck, Mr. Howell, Abner Hill, Joel and Isaac Davis, Seth Pattee, Squire Lumpkins, W. M. Thornburg and sons, and others. These latter are known rather as the sec- ond settlement in the township.
The settlement in the south part of the township increased quite rapidly during the few years following, and soon good improvements were made for those times, though the early settlers in these parts, like those in other
527
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
localities, were compelled to endure severe trials and hardships for many years, in order to secure and prepare themselves homes, and very few of the first ones now remain here to enjoy them.
The great floods that occurred during several seasons, did considerable damage, especially to those living along and near the river and other streams, and greatly hindered them in their work of improvement, there being no bridges or means of crossing during high water, except on rafts and canoes extemporized for the occasion, and many dangerous adventures were made with these.
During the spring of 1852, Mr. Fee tells us, a heavy fall of rain contin- ued for a long time, swelling the streams, completely flooding the bottom lands, and keeping the citizens for a long time from doing anything toward their spring work, and rendering it almost impossible to cross the streams to mill and market, and compelling them to do the best they could by di- viding up what little remained in the neighborhood, and patiently waiting until the flood was gone.
This flood was the means of destroying some good farms along the river bottoms, by seeding them to cottonwood groves.
There is now a cottonwood grove, containing, perhaps, forty acres or more, near the mouth of Mosquito creek, just below Mr. Fee's farm, which Mr. Fee tells us was planted by that flood. He also says that the year previous there was a crop of corn raised on it that would average 75 or 80 bushels per acre. But after it was so flooded and seeded it was left idle, and became thickly set with cottonwoods, which now make a dense and beautiful grove, many of the trees now measuring from eighteen to twenty inches in diameter, with a growth of 26 or 27 years.
The timber is quite valuable for lumber, and while frozen, splits easily into rails and cord-wood, and when well seasoned makes very good rails, but is of not much account when used green or near the ground, being easily rotted.
Mr. Fee also has a similar grove near his house, which was started in the same way, and which he has taken great pains in pruning and cultivating, so that it is now a nice ornament, and yields him considerable wood and lumber.
The township is generally well timbered, and well watered, and has at least five good coal mines now opened and being worked to some extent, known as Maulsby's, Bailey's, Howell's, George Duck's and D. Lewis's coal banks. (See account of coal banks.)
The township also has one good water-power grist mill situated on the bank of the Middle Raccoon river, near the southwest corner of the town- ship, known as Harvey's Mill, and owned by O. M. Owens.
The old mill was built on this site some twenty-two years ago, by William Harvey, and the new one was built about 1875, and is doing a good local business. There is also a saw-mill in connection with the grist-mill, both run by the same power.
Linn township is well supplied with post-offices, having three, Greenvale, Linn, and Harvey's Mills post-office; and has nine good school-houses.
There is one frame bridge across the Middle Raccoon at Harvey's Mills, 132 feet long, one across Mosquito creek, just above the mouth, 75 feet long, and three others across the same stream further up, within the township limits, each about 60 feet long, mostly all built by Peppard, at the expense of the county.
528
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
The township has no railroad yet. but the grade of the Des Moines, Adel and Western (narrow-guage) passes through the southwest corner of the township, entering on section 34, and passing ont at the west side on sec- tion 18, and the township have strong hopes that before another year passes the cars will be running on this grade. Dexter is at present its nearest market, but before long it will doubtless have one within its own bounds, with Redfield also a short distance south.
A good many well-improved stock and grain farms are found in the southern part of the township, and along either side of the Mosquito creek for some distance up, and numerous fine orchards are beginning to bear quite extensively. The greater part of the prairie land in the township is now under cultivation except some in the northeastern portion.
This township has one church within its borders, a Methodist Episcopal church, situated on section 20, and called the Berean M. E. Church, which was organized about 1866; and as nearly as we can learn, the organizing members were about as follows: J. Laubach, Mrs. Sarah Laubach, Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey, Mrs. Catharine Thornburgh, Elizabeth North, Mrs. Sarah Duck and Rebecca Boher. Rev. W. Abraham was the preacher in charge, and the organization was attached to the Des Moines Conference. For some time before this organization a class had been formed in this vicinity, and also, one west in Guthrie county, which had occasional services at pri- vate houses and elsewhere, as they could, until the above date, when these two classes were united under one organization, about 1866, constituting the Berean church as above mentioned. After the organization was effected, they first worshiped in a school-house, and in 1874, the present church building was erected at a cost of $1,800, and dedicated free from debt. It is a neat, new, comfortable building, and is well filled by appre- ciative audiences on occasions of their regular meetings. The pastors who succeeded Rev. W. Abraham, are: Rev. J. W. Adair, Rev. A. Badley, Rev. John Hestwood, Rev. Ofling, Rev. J. W. Adair, and Rev. W. H. Burke, the present pastor. Services are held every Sabbath.
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