USA > Iowa > Marshall County > The History of Marshall County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men etc > Part 36
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From the time of this initiatory missionary work, the Mormon policy has been to evangelize, and their ranks have been largely recruited from the work- ing classes of Great Britain-chiefly Wales-as well as, in some degree, from Norway, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. Later, an "emigration fund." was established, and a thoroughly systematized plan of importing foreign con- verts was, and is still, successfully carried out.
In 1838, the Kirtland Bank failed, and Smith & Rigdon, already under a ban, fled in the night to escape the resentments of the people, and took refuge in far west Missouri, their creditors giving hot chase.
In this State, large numbers of Mormons had collected from various quarters. but. as a people, were in constant conflict with their neighbors, by whom they were charged with every kind of violation of law, plundering, incendiarism, and even with secret assassinations. They had been driven from place to place by out- raged bands of residents, and even in this last refuge, Far West, they were at continual war with the Missourians, and at last fell to quarreling with each other.
Some of the leaders forsook Smith, and accused him of grave crimes. In October, 1838, Thomas B. March, President of the Twelve Apostles, and Orson Hyde, another of the Twelve, made the following affidavit before a Justice of the Peace, in Ray County, Missouri :
" The plan of said Smith, the Prophet, is to take this State; and he pro- fesses to his people to intend taking the United States, and, ultimately, the
322
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
whole world. This is the belief of the Church. The Prophet inculcates the notion : and it is believed by every true Mormon, that Smith's prophecies are superior to the law of the land. We have heard the Prophet say that he would yet tread down his enemies and walk over their dead bodies; that, if he was not let alone, he would be a second Mahomet to this generation, and that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean."
This menacing spirit aroused a great excitement against the Mormons, and the conflict soon assumed the grave proportions of a civil war. The Mormons fortified their towns. the militia of the State was called out, and Smith and Rigdon were arrested, charged with treason, murder and felony. As the troops were greatly in excess of the Mormons, the latter were forced to yield, and promised to leave the country. Several thousand of them crossed the Missis- sippi into Illinois, where Smith followed them, having broken out of prison to do so. An extract from the Message of the Governor of Missouri at this time will explain the character of the occurrences that resulted in the expulsion of the Mormons from that State :
" These people had violated the laws of the land by open and avowed resist- ance to them ; they had undertaken, without the aid of the civil authority, to redress their real or fancied grievances ; they had instituted among themselves a government of their own, independent of and in opposition to the govern- ment of this State ; they had, at an inclement season of the year, driven the inhabitants of an entire county from their homes, ravaged their crops and destroyed their dwellings. Under these circumstances, it became the imperious duty of the Executive to interpose and exercise the power with which he was invested to protect the lives and property of our citizens, to restore order and tranquillity to the country and maintain the supremacy of the laws."
The Mormons met with cordial treatment from the people of Commerce, Car- thage County, Ill., where they had taken refuge. This pleasant change in their neighborly affairs caused Smith to have another vision, in which, as a people, they were directed to establish themselves at Commerce and build a city, which should be called Nauvoo. A considerable tract of land was presented to Smith to encourage settlement, and this he divided up and sold to his adherents at large prices, and that, together with other successful speculations, soon swelled his fortunes into upward of $100,000.
Nauvoo soon grew into a village of several thousand inhabitants, and a vis- ion of the Prophet commanded all followers of the faith to assemble there and build a costly temple.
A charter was granted by the Legislature of the State, conferring most as- tonishing civil powers upon Smith and Rigdon. They were authorized to organ- ize a military body, which they did, calling it the " Nauvoo Legion," of which Smith was commander, with the rank of Lieutenant General.
In addition to this, he was first President of the Church and Mayor of Nauvoo, and by his own. revelations he was made " Seer, Translator, Prophet, Apostle of Jesus Christ and Elder of the Church," and his authority, both civil and religious. was unrestricted.
He laid the foundations of the temple with great pomp and ceremony; and the faithful were not only called upon to contribute funds to its erection, but were obliged to labor upon it every tenth day.
It was about this time that Smith, having been guilty of enticing various women from the right path, and having aroused Mrs. Smith's jealousy, received a revelation from heaven authorizing the taking of numerous wives. This made
323
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
a great scandal, as the Book of Mormon expressly prohibited it; and it was ten years before, as a sect, they openly adopted polygamy.
Some of the Mormons, resisting this debauchery on the part of Smith, es- tablished a paper called the " Expositor," in which they denounced him without stint. Smith thereupon, with a party of his adherents, summarily destroyed the office with its contents. Dr. Foster, its publisher, and William Law, his assistant, were obliged to flee, and they took refuge at the county scat, where they obtained warrants against Joseph and Hyrum Smith, his brother, and six- teen others.
The Constable who served the warrants was driven out of Nauvoo. The militia was called out and a civil war impended, when the Smiths were per- suaded to give themselves up and take their trial. They were removed to the jail at Carthage, and a guard appointed over them for their protection.
On the evening of June 27th, a mob, mostly of Missourians, attacked the jail, overpowered the guard and fired with rifles upon the prisoners through the door. Hyrum Smith was instantly killed, and Joseph, after returning the fire until he had emptied his revolver, was shot dead.
This caused intense confusion and excitement among his people for a time, and the leadership was disputed, Rigdon aspiring to it, but Brigham Young achieving it.
The next year, the State of Illinois repealed the charter of Nauvoo, and the Saints then turned their faces toward the Rocky Mountains. Council Bluffs, Iowa, was the temporary resort of many, those remaining at Nauvoo keeping up continual strife with the surrounding people, until in September of the same year, after a three-days siege, they were finally driven out at the point of the bayonet.
Straggling parties of refugees crossed the plains at intervals, and Brigham Young arrived there in 1847, the main body of the Mormons following in May, 1848.
The name of Deseret, signifying " The Land of the Honey Bee," was given to the State which they organized. They framed a Constitution and sent it to Washington, but the General Government refused to recognize it as a State. It was made into a Territory, with the name of Utah, and President Fillmore appointed Brigham Young as its first Governor.
The part played by the Mormons in the history of this county is merely incidental, and illustrates the theory of accident to which we alluded at the opening of this chapter. Had chance led the straggling band into some other sections, there would now be no association of the name of Mormonism with the presence of white men in Marshall County. As it was, a brief page is devoted to that subject ; but it is one upon which more physical suffering is recorded than any that relates to the subsequent introduction of actual settlers. Its full record cannot be made, for none of the participants in the events of those fear- ful times now live to tell of the hardships of the Winter of 1847. The record left behind them was not written on perishable paper by ink that vanishes, but is carved in lasting symbols on the hillsides by the river.
Two of the fleeing band came to the county after the departure of the main body of Mormons ; but those men were reticent at the time as to the events of those days, and have long since removed beyond the inquiring reach of the historian. All that can be gathered to-day from those who once conversed with the last of the party is here recited. The men referred to are Voris and Gor- don, neither of whom wintered here. They came to Marshall County from Iowa City.
B
324
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
After the death of Smith, at Nauvoo, Brigham Young assumed command' of the Mormons. It may be true that he had more knowledge of the causes which led to the overthrow of the house of Smith and his own elevation to power than he cared to divulge. Be that as it may-whether or not his own ambitious scheming produced the outbreak of the people, by the misrepresenta- tion of the motives and actions of Smith, and created a feeling of enmity toward the sect. with the deliberate intention of instituting a government, with himself at the head-it is historic fact that the Smiths were deprived of office and power by violent death, and that Young assumed the leadership.
The events at Nauvoo necessitated the departure of the Mormons from the settled part of the United States to a region remote from the presence of the law; for in no other locality could Young develop and maintain the grand. project with which his mind was weighted.
Far beyond the Rocky Mountains, in the unexplored regions of the West, lay the land of safety, of immunity from law and of absolute freedom to him- self. The apparent inaccessibility of that country, and the expectation that it would never be occupied by civilized man as an abiding place, confirmed Young in his intent to reach the valley west of the mountains. Wise as he was and foreseeing in his wisdom, Young could not discern the miraculous development of the West during the quarter of a century succeeding the erection of his- empire. He builded well, but his edifice was constructed of error and crime. It lacked the elements of stability.
From the instant of the inception of his grand yet erroneous plan, Young encountered difficulties gigantic enough to intimidate a less heroic spirit. The Mormons were expelled from their resting place at Nauvoo in a penniless condi- tion, so far as the masses were concerned. They were poor in purse, ignorant and unsuited to self-government. They were unprepared for a long and weari- some march over the country. But the edict had gone forth, and the faithful were compelled to obey. The timid members of the society were coerced and driven into obedience by the Elders. Those few who refused to accompany the expedition-among them Mrs. Joseph Smith, who remained at Nauvoo- were subjected to indignities of all kinds.
The order was for the society to separate into several bands and make their way toward the Missouri River, at Council Bluffs. This method of exodus- was adopted because of the searcity of provisions, and it was feared that the bands would perish of hunger if they travelel together in large numbers. The country was uncultivated, and dependence would have to be placed upon such forage as the native woods and fields supplied.
One of these bands reached Marshall County in the Winter of 1846-7, and was obliged to go into permanent quarters until the opening of Spring. With- out shelter or means of erecting cabins, the company was in a most distressing condition. It is impossible to give a statement of the exact number of this. party, but Judge W. C. Smith was informed by one of the Mormons, who for- sook the company at lowa City and came to this county in 1848, that at least one thousand men, women and children encamped here.
The site chosen by them is now known as Mormon Ridge, and is on the lowa River. northwest of Marshalltown. There the party dug caves in the hillsides, which served as rude resting places for the sick and feeble. Delicate, misguided women were there confined by the score, the babes usually dying from lack of nourishment and from exposure, while the poor mothers suffered a no less terrible fate. It is impossible to portray the real condition of affairs, but it requires no very vivid imagination to conceive of the misery of that en-
325
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
campment. Far from human aid, ostracized by man, driven forth from civil- ized community and bearing the brand of disgrace, these poor wretches were forced to endure actual privations that took them down to death's door. with no loving hand to close their eyelids or give them Christian burial. The com- pany was not only in suffering and want, it was also in slavery. The tyranny of the leaders was equaled by nothing save that which characterized the op- pression of the African slave. Escape was impossible, because of the watch- fulness of those who had at heart the desire to exercise dominion over a benighted faction in the Far West.
In this manner the Winter dragged slowly by. When Spring began to render wild life more endurable, those who remained of the company were taken to Iowa City by Government teams sent to their relief, and from that point continued their journey westward. Soon there were no traces of the camp except the new-made graves, the caverns, the stripped elm trees and the debris of a Winter's resting place by a filthy band of ignorant people.
The greatest suffering endured was occasioned by the lack of food and of suitable clothing. The small stores accumulated before leaving the outposts of civilization were soon exhausted, and reliance had to be made upon the capture of such game as roamed over the prairies in Winter. Large numbers of deer and elk, and some buffalo, were slaughtered for food; but the exclusive use of game flesh is a diet at once repugnant and dangerous. There were no vegeta- ble substances within reach, except the bark of elm trees, and this was used largely as a substitute for breadstuffs. Imagine the impossibility of sustain- ing the life of a mother and new-born child upon such food. No wonder, surely, that the mortality of the band was enormous.
The history of the. company prior to reaching Council Bluffs, in the Spring of 1848, is no less obscure than that of the Winter time. The journey was made on foot, as it was all the way to Utah, many of the company dragging hand-carts laden with goods. An aunt of Mrs. W. C. Smith was one of the general band which went across the plains in 1848, although not one of those who wintered here. The woman attempted to escape several times, but was prevented. Her name was Nancy Ott She drew a hand-cart from Coun- cil Bluffs to Salt Lake City. Many incidents of this kind might be related, but enough has been said to give an idea of the character of the original pres- ence in this county of white men and women.
The first so-called religious services ever held in Marshall County were ob- served by these Mormons ; but we shrink from according to these mistaken peo- ple the title of worshipers. We do this from no sense of bigotry, but because tyranny seems to us to be incompatible with the worship of God.
The two men who came to this county after the departure of the Mormons, were George W. Voris and Thomas Gordon. Both were men high in the coun- cils of the sect. The cause of their disaffection was never known, but was probably the result of a quarrel or disagreement among the leaders. At all events, the party moved on and these two men remained behind.
Gordon settled on the farm now occupied by William Arney, in Iowa Town- ship. He afterward sold this place and bought the Archibald Clemons farm, in Marion Township. Becoming frightened over the prospect of the return of the Pottawatomie Indians, Gordon went away from the county, and was absent a year or two. He then returned and finally engaged in mercantile business at Steamboat Rock, Hardin County. At last accounts he was living in Cedar Falls.
326
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Voris became interested in the village of La Fayette (later called Albion), shortly after its survey in 1852. He soon sold out and removed to Monona Co .. lowa, where he made a farm. In 1862-63, he moved to Colorado.
Neither of these men believed in polygamy, and they were honorable in their dealings with their fellow-men. They evidently left the Mormon band because they could not indorse the actions of the leaders, while they still retained their belief in the doctrines of the Book of Mormon.
SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY.
It is a generally conceded fact that the first white settler in the county was Joseph C. Davidson, who made a claim in the Summer of 1847. He chose a location in the present Township of Le Grand, on land now known as the M. I. Willitts farm. Davidson was married and was the father of a family. His wife came with him and shared the privations of pioneer life, if either of them really comprehended what privation meant. It seems as though what would nowadays be actual suffering to most people, was to them a species of enjoy- ment. Davidson was a nomadic fellow, who illustrates well the current story of the man who wanted " elbow room," and moved farther west whenever a " neigh- bor " approached within several miles. Neither he nor his family remain in this State, all having gone as far as Oregon at last reports. Probably the wilds of the extreme Northwest are far too civilized for him at present, and he is, if alive, longing for new worlds in a more primitive condition. This man's name has been written Davison, but the official papers at the Iowa City Land Office spell it Davidson, which method we deem proper, and therefore adopt it. The first poll list also shows his name to have been Joseph C. Davidson.
There is a monopoly of honor enjoyed by this pioneer family. Not only was he the first settler, but his wife was the
FIRST WHITE WOMAN
in the county, and in all human probability was also the first woman to give birth to a white child in this locality. There is no positive information in existence on this subject ; but from the numerousness of the family at the date of their arrival-showing that Mrs. Davidson was not averse to the cares of maternity-the physical vigor of both parties, and the lapse of several months between the coming of the Davidsons and the next married settler, it may be regarded as almost certain that the worthy pair were the parents of
THE FIRST CHILD
born in the county. What adds to the plausibility of this supposition is the statement by an early comer that one of the youthful Davidsons was very young when the pioneer came to the county. In the absence of proof to the contrary, we feel authorized to accord to the Davidsons the triple honor.
Davidson was a trapper, and associated with a man named William Pilgrim. The country for many miles about here formed the stamping grounds of these two men, and they were through the valley of the Iowa many times before the settlement of Davidson in 184 ..
The actual settlement of the county began in 1848. The dividing line be- tween the Iowa City and the Dubuque Land districts, the forty-second parallel, ran through the county in such a manner as to separate nearly into halves this re-
327
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
gion. The following certificate of entries in the southern half of the county in 1848, was found among the papers in the Auditor's office :
List of lands entered in the south half of Marshall County from January 1, 1848, to Decem- ber 31, 1848, inclusive :
Purchaser.
Description.
Section,
Town.
Range.
Acres.
Joseph M. Ferguson
S. W. Į of S. E. 1 ..
25
83
18
40
Joseph Cooper.
S. E. }
26
83
·
18
160
Joseph M. Ferguson.
N. E. } of N. E. { ..
36
83
18
40
AUDITOR'S OFFICE, IOWA, IOWA CITY, February 12, 1849.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a correct copy of a list of land entered in the south half of Marshall County during the year 1848, as certified to me by the proper officer of the Land Office at Iowa City. Jos. T. FALES, Auditor of Stute.
These were the first entries made in the county, and were dated in May. 1848, although the certificate does not show the date.
This return was made for purposes of assessment. The north half of the county is not returned in this way, but from the abstract books, we find that there were entries made at Dubuque as follows :
Purchaser.
Description.
Section.
Town.
Range.
Acres.
Elkhanah P. Bush.
S. E. L
34
85
19
160
Jesse Amos.
N. W. 4
28
85
19
160
These entries were made June 23d and July 11th, respectively, and while they do not establish the date of the arrival and actual settlement of these pio- neers, they may be accepted as nearly simultaneous, if the memory of man is not at fault.
Of these four men, the two first named, Messrs. Ferguson and Cooper, were Kentuckians by birth, but more recently from Indiana. They first settled near Newton, Jasper County, but left there after about a year's residence, and pro- ceeded to Marshall to take up residence on claims made a month prior to that time. They brought with them a party consisting of William C. Smith. Will- iam Springer, and others. The original exploring party in March, 1848, con- sisted of Joseph Cooper, D. E. Cooper, Dr. E. B. Bush, John Campbell and J. M. Ferguson.
The little band moved northward from Jasper, for the second time, in the month of April, 1848, and came to the shore of Timber Creek, in this county. after a pleasant trip. There, by the blaze of a huge fire, they made merry and laughed at the discomforts of the hour. They all possessed the true spirit of the pioneer.
On the 6th day of April, 1848, the first log was cut for the beginning of a new settlement. This was the second stroke toward civilization ever made in the county, the crude cabin of the first settler, Davidson, being the first house erected. Two log cabins arose speedily under the willing work of the party, and the air of comfort was imparted to them by the erection of large chimneys. The two families. Cooper and Ferguson, were not long in taking up quarters at the new farms in the beautiful valley. John Campbell, then a young man, came and boarded with his friend Mr. Ferguson. He aided in breaking the prairie and joined Mr. F. in his farm work.
The land entries do not show the full list of settlers in 1848, as many of them came on and made claims prior to locating their lands. Before the loca-
328
HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
tion of land by Bush and Amos, but not before they had come to Marshall County, several other men made their claims in the northern half of the county.
In March, 1848. Philip Ballard, Shelton Gear and Alexander Gear, settled on the Iowa River, in what is Iowa Township. Shortly afterward, William and John Ballard came and settled near the others. The same Spring, Washington Asher settled on the land now the farm of Thomas Swearengen, near Albion. and James Miller located in what is now Liscomb Township. John Duke and Thomas Gordon settled in the vicinity of William Ballard, in the Fall of 1848. William C. Smith, joined the party with which he came first to Marshall County, and in the Summer of 1848, located on the middle branch of Timber Creek.
An incident of the first year is related by Judge Smith, which illustrates the lonesomeness of the settlement made by Ferguson and Cooper, on Timber Creek :
" This quiet little settlement was soon disturbed by threats of the Indians of the Musquaka and Pottawatomie tribes, parts of which had left the quarters assigned to them in Missouri, and made their way back to Iowa, from whence they were removed in 1843. This little band of the white race left their homes through their dread of the tomahawk and scalping-knife of the redskins, and returned to Jasper County, remaining there six weeks, when they returned to their homes, the most of the Indians having left.
" During the absence of these families, William C. Smith. A. J. Smith and Joseph Cooper came from the settlement near Newton, in Jasper County, and broke prairie south of Timber Creek Grove. While thus engaged, one evening near sundown, they saw two persons on horseback advancing to meet them, supposed to be Indians ; but on coming up, one of the party proved to be Enoch Eastman, now ex-Gov. Eastman ; the name of his partner is not now remembered. These were welcomed to the hospitalities of the pioneers. In those days, it took but a few minutes to make, as it were, old acquaintances, old neighbors and strong friends. Two or three hours from their first meeting, these parties might be seen by the fireside of our old friend, Joseph Cooper, feasting on johnny-cake, roast potatoes and wild honey, laughing in the familiar style of old friends who had been long parted and met again, when but a few hours pre- vious they were entire strangers. In the morning, Enoch and his partner left for the big woods in Hardin County, rejoicing."
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