USA > Iowa > Boone County > The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing biographical sketches war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of Boone county etc. > Part 43
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January, 1849, Samuel Luther; sw. qr. sec. 11; also, ne. qr. in sec. 14, and nw. qr. in sec. 14.
September, 1849, Zachariah Vontress; nw. qr. of sec. 12.
May, 1849, G. W. Howe; sw. qr. in sec. 12.
January, 1849, Henry Graves; sw. qr., and in September, se. qr. of sec. 14.
June, 1849, James Carrel; e. hf. of ne. qr., and lots 3 and 4 in sec. 22. June, 1849, Philip Johns; e. hf. of sw. qr., and lots 7 and 8 in sec. 22. April, 1849, Jacob Nelson; sw. qr. in sec. 23.
December, 1849, Thomas K. Brooks; n. hf. of ne. qr., and n. hf. of nw. qr. in sec. 26.
September, 1849, Isaac Murray; s. hf. of nw. qr., and s. hf. of ne. qr. in sec. 26.
September, 1849, Jacob Murray; sw. qr. of sec. 26.
November, 1848, Henry Everly; w. hf. of sw. qr., and lots 8 and 9' in sec. 27.
November, 1848, Alfred Williams; se. qr. of se. qr. in sec. 28.
July, 1849, Albert G. Preston; sw. qr. of sec. 28; also, se. qr. of sec. 30.
December, 1848, Benj. Williams; e. hf. ne., sw. qr. of ne. qr., and lot 4 in sec. 34.
August, 1849, Samuel B. McCall; e. hf. se. qr., and lots 1 and 2, in sec. 34.
November, 1848, Alfred Williams; lots 6 and 7, in sec. 34.
July, 1849, Crawford Cole; sw. qr. of sw. gr., and lots 8 and 9 in sec. 34.
March, 1849, Henry Everly; ne. qr. in sec. 35.
May, 1849, Elizabeth McIntosh; nw. qr. in sec. 35.
August, 1849, B. H. Brickingham; nw. qr. in sec. 36.
April, 1849, Andrew Meyer; se. qr. in sec. 36.
December, 1848, Andrew Meyer; sw. qr. in sec. 36.
TOWNSHIP 83, RANGE 26.
November, 1848, Lewis Kinney; nw. qr. in sec. 2.
August, 1849, John Gault; sw. qr. in sec. 2.
November, 1848, Lewis Kinney; sw. qr. in sec. 2.
April, 1849, Penbrok Gault; se. qr. in sec. 3.
May, 1849, Noah Fairow; nw. qr., and w. hf. of ne. qr. in sec 4.
June, 1849, Thomas McMullen; nw. qr., and w. hf. of ne. qr. in sec. 5.
May, 1849, Cadwallader Wallace, ne. qr., and lot 4 in sec. 6.
June, 1849, Thomas McMullen; sw. qr., of sw. qr., and lots 7 and 8 in sec. 7.
- December, 1848, James Hull; s. hf. of ne. qr., and n. hf. of se. qr. in sec. 8.
July, 1849, Henry Hoffman; sw. qr. in sec. 8.
October, 1848, John Boyles; se. qr. of ne. qr. in sec. 10.
June, 1849, George Hull; se. qr. in sec. 10.
October, 1848, John Boyles; sw. qr. of nw. qr., and n. hf. of sw. qr. in sec. 11.
June, 1849, Henry Hoffman; nw. qr. in sec. 14.
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
October, 1848, Jefferson Hoffman; w. hf. of sw. qr. in sec. 14, also e. hf. se. qr. in sec. 15.
June, 1849, Henry Hoffman; ne. qr. in sec. 15.
October, 1848, Matthias Hoffman, w. hf. of se. qr., and e. hf. of sw. qr. in sec. 15.
February, 1849, Henry Williams; sw. qr. of sw. qr., and lot 5 in sec. 17. February, 1849, S. B. McCall; se. qr. of sec. 18.
June, 1849, Thomas McMullen; w. hf. of nw. qr. in sec. 18.
June, 1849, Henry Hoffman; lot 1 in sec. 18.
June, 1849, Benjamin Williams; lot 2 in sec. 18.
October, 1849, Thomas Sparks; e. hf. of se. qr., sw. qr. of se. qr., and se. qr. of sw. qr. in sec. 22.
.October, 1849, James Hull; w. hf. of sw. qr., ne. qr. of sw. qr., and nw. qr. of se. qr. in sec. 22.
September, 1849, James E. Moss; w. hf. of sw. qr., se. qr. of sw. qr., and sw. qr. of nw. qr. in sec. 26.
October, 1849, Benjamin Nichols; sw. qr. of sec. 28.
April, 1849, Michael Gregg; se. qr. of sec. 30.
December, 1849, J. C. Culbertson; nw. qr. of sec. 32.
May, 1849, Pleasantfield F. Repp; se. qr. of se. qr. in sec. 32.
December, 1849, J. C. Culbertson; sw. qr., n. hf. of se. qr., and lot 3 in sec. 32.
September, 1849, Wm. Dickenson; all of section 33.
September, 1849, Nathan R. Hull; ne. qr. of sec. 34.
February, 1849, Richard Green; s. hf. of se. qr. sec. 35.
September, 1849, John Long; sw. qr. of sec. 36.
All of section 21, in township 84, range 26. upon which a large portion of the city of Boone is now located was entered by the D. & M. Railroad Company, or in other words it belonged to the grant made to that corpora- tion. The same is true of section 29, which composed part of the present site of Boonesboro. Not long after the first settlement, probably as early as 1849, trading points were established at Elk Rapids and Swede Point; no trading point further north was established in the county till some time later. In early times Fort Dodge furnished a good market for farnı pro- duce, but was not a good place for the settlers to purchase the goods which they required. Of course Des Moines was the favorite trading point, whither the early settlers went to do their trading and where they usually conveyed their surplus grain, stock and other farm produce. Boonesboro was laid out in 1851, and shortly thereafter there was brought to the new county seat quite a good stock of general merchandise. This establish- ment offered to the settlers every inducement to trade there; it was not only convenient, but as money was scarce, all kinds of country produce as well as furs and pelts were taken in exchange. This establishment did a good business and was enabled to carry a large stock of goods. In a short time two other stores of general merchandise were established in Boones- boro and this place became quite a noted trading point as early as 1855. Notwithstanding this the more prosperous settlers were compelled to drive their stock to Des Moines and sometimes as far as Keokuk and Burling- ton, until railroads brought the Chicago market nearer to them; first to Clin- ton, then Cedar Rapids, and then to their very doors. Then, as now, there were hog buyers who purchased and drove the stock to the markets before mentioned.
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
The basis upon which operations of this kind were carried on in those days forms a marked contrast with the basis of such operations in this day of quick returns and small profits. The dealer bought up the stock and gave his note for the purchase price. After he had accumulated a drove sufficiently large he started for the market, and this, owing to the great distance and the slow movements of the fattened stock, often required weeks for the round trip. There was indeed one circumstance which ex- pedited business. In the language of one who knows, "the hogs were good travelers." After disposing of the drove and returning, the stock- dealer again made the round of his circuit and paid for the stock. If his venture proved a fortunate one, he could pay all his bills and have some- thing left as a compensation for his trouble; if not, some of the stock- raisers had to wait until the drover made another trip. The money which the drovers thus circulated through the country was principally bank bills on the State banks of Ohio and Indiana.
An incident peculiar to these times, illustrating the status of commercial operations, is related of a gentleman who may or may not have resided in Boone county, but the authenticity of the statements can be vouched for. Mr. M. was proprietor of a store where was sold a line of general merchandise. Mr. M. carried on quite an extensive trade with the farmers of that section, and was doing a flourishing business. However, as is gen- erally the case with establishments of that kind, there accumulated quite a large amount of old goods, out of style and out of date. Under these cir- cumstances, some merchants would have offered the old goods at " less than cost," or employed a loquacious auctioneer to dispose of them to the highest bidder-but not so with Mr. M. He proceeded as follows: It being a pros- perous year with farmers, he entered the field early as a hog buyer, buying hogs of all sizes and descriptions; bought late and early, and bought con- tinuously for a number of weeks, giving his note for the purchase-money, as was customary in those days. After he had bought all the hogs in the county which were for sale, and which were old enough to travel, the word was passed around that all hogs thus purchased should be delivered at the county seat on a given day. The hogs came, filling the town and the region round about. Mr. M., in the meantime, had employed quite a force of medium-sized boys and vocal men, who, on the given day, were to take charge of the hogs and drive them to Keokuk, Mr. M. accompanying them.
Upon arriving at Keokuk, Mr. M. concluded that the St. Louis market was preferable to the Keokuk market, so he chartered a large boat, after dismissing all, his employes except a few who were in his secret, put the hogs on board, and, having given final instructions to the remaining em- ployes, dismissed them, and himself set sail for St. Louis, Upon the return of the first delegation of drovers, there was some little uneasiness on the part of Mr. M.'s note-holders. The former persons could give no satisfac- tory account of Mr. M., and it was whispered among the latter that he had lost heavily by the transaction. After a few days the rest of the drovers returned, and upon being questioned appeared to know as little of Mr. M. as those who had preceded them. Soon it was whispered around that Mr. M. had failed, and most likely would not return. One by one came the persons of whom Mr. M. had bought hogs, and turned in their notes for goods at the store, and soon the crowd became so numerous that they could not be waited on by the force of clerks then employed; more clerks were employed, and Mr. M.'s establishment was so thronged that it resembled a
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
rush at a savings bank in time of a panic. All styles of dry goods and clothing, which had lain on the shelves for years, were bought up with avidity, boxes, containing groceries which had not been opened for months, were soon emptied and were heaped up in the rear of the building; all kinds of cutlery, hardware, agricultural implements, jewelry, musical in- struments and toys were carried off by the wayon-load. In short, there was a pressing demand for everything and anything which farmers could eat, drink or wear, both useful and ornamental, and at the end of a week Mr. M.'s entire stock, including all the old goods which had long been a drug on the market, was disposed of, and the shelves bare. At this supreme moment Mr. M. returned with a large stock of new goods and his pockets full of money. Ile pretended to be greatly surprised when he found his store-room empty, and manifested great feeling when informed of the re- ports which were afloat; he even threatened to prosecute the parties who originated the story of his insolvency. Mr. M .; however, took no steps to discover the names and location of his traducers; he even regained his accustomed urbanity, and it was a matter of surprise to many how quickly Mr. M. rallied from the fit of gloom and despondency which seized him on his first return. Mr. M. continued to buy stock for many years thereafter, but his patrons never made another run on his store.
There were persons in every settlement who made a business of freight- ing, making regular trips to Burlington and Keokuk, while stage lines were operated to and from the principal cities for the accommodation of the public.
The journey was often long and wearisome. The sloughs were not bridged, and in the spring it was no uncommon thing for a passenger on the stage to make his journey on foot and carry a rail with which to help pry the stage out of the mire. This was "high-toned " traveling and from this may be imagined what sort of a journey was that of a lone settler and an ox team.
A history of the county would not be complete without mention of the transportation company, which preceded the day of railroads. It was called the Western Stage Company. Among the prominent partners of this company were E. S. Alvord, of Indianapolis, president; Kimball Por- ter, of Iowa City; Messrs. Shoemaker, W. H. Sullivan, D. Talmadge and Campbell of Ohio, and Col. E. Hooker of Des Moines. The last named gentleman was the manager of the company, and inaugurated it in its new quarters in Des Moines, and, therefore, in central Iowa, in 1854. Col. Hooker retired from the superin tendency of the company in 1866, and was succeeded by R. Lounsberry, who was the last one filling this office. H. B. Alvord settled up the affairs of the company at its close, with great profit to the corporation. To give some idea of the business of the com- pany, it is proper to state in this connection that the receipts for one year on the line between Des Moines and Boone reached the extraordinary sum of $100,000. After the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad was completed to Council Bluff's, the Boone line fell into insignificance and the days of the Western Stage Company, as far as Iowa was concerned, were numbered. The stages of this corporation transported to Davenport, with all their personal equipments, the members of the Thirty-third and Thirty- ninth Iowa infantry, requiring just two days to take an entire regiment. In this way parts of the Second, Sixth, Tenth and Fifteenth regiments were taken to their rendezvous. On the day after the adjourninent, in olden
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
times, the members of the legislature, living abroad, were either at their homes or far on the way to their destination.
The last coach belonging to the company in Des Moines was sold to James Stephenson, of Omaha, in 1874. Mr. Johnson rode on the driver's seat from the stage barn to the freight depot of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad, and as he left the old vehicle to take its journey west- ward on the cars he bade it an affectionate farewell. The Western Stage Company was quite an important factor in all central Iowa. It had two lines to Council Bluffs, one to Fort Dodge by the way of Boonesboro, and other lines reaching out in all directions. They changed from semi-weekly to tri-weekly, and then to daily trips as the country settled up and business warranted it. It was the only means of conveyance for travelers and the mails, and many were the anxious ones who waited for news or friends by the old stage company. It was like all other human agencies, in that it was fallible, and complaints were made against it. It was some of these complaints which provoked the following newspaper article in 1858:
" We notice a number of our exchanges are raking down the Western Stage Company for the manner in which they convey passengers over their lines. A little reflection will doubtless show to those who are censuring the stage company that they are wrong in their censures. The company, we think, deserves the praise of the people of Iowa for its indomitable perseverance in ploughing through snow, rain, sleet, and mud for the past eight months, imperiling the lives of their drivers and teams in crossing swollen streams to accommodate the traveling public and deliver the mails at the post-offices. But few persons would endure the privations and hard- ships which the company has passed through in Iowa during the past eight months for double the amount they receive. We believe the company has done more to forward the mails and passengers than the public could rea- sonably expect at their hands, taking into consideration the awful condition of the roads. A little more work on the highways and a little more pa- tience on the part of passengers would be a good thing just at this time."
In early days going to mill was always tedious and sometimes it was also quite dangerous work. For a number of years there was no mill for the purpose of grinding corn and wheat nearer than Oskaloosa, in Mahaska county. However, shortly after the building of Fort Des Moines a mill was erected south of Des Moines, in what is now Warren county. It was built in the first place for the purpose of sawing lumber, in 1843, but was afterward changed into a grist mill. The mill was built and operated by J. D. Parmelee, and usually went by the name of Parmelee's mill. Thither went the early settlers of Boone county with their grists, and as it was such an important feature in early days we give a short account of the mill and its proprietor:
As before narrated, the mill was built in 1843, as a saw mill, for the pur- pose of furnishing Inmber for building the Des Moines barracks. The intention was, however, to make it a grist mill also as soon as the popula- tion and productions of the county should demand it. The first run of burs was put in in 1847. It was for grinding both corn and wheat, but nothing but corn was ground until after the harvest of 1848, simply be- cause there was no wheat to be ground. There was no elevator at that time, so after the wheat was ground it was carried to the upper story of the mill and fed by hand through a spont leading to a bolt on the bur floor. People came from far and near, attracted by the reports of the completion
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
of the mill, with their grists, so that for weeks before it was ready for work Middle river bottom was dotted over here and there with hungry and patient men waiting until it was ready to do their work that they might return with flour and meal to supply their almost famishing families and those of their neighbors, thus enduring the hardships of camp life in those early days in order that they might be able to secure the simple necessaries of life, devoid of all luxuries. These same men, while Daniel Moore was put- ting up the bolt and bur and fixtures, refused to let him quit his work to gather his corn, which yet remained in the fields, but went themselves and gathered it for him. The nearest mills to this point were then located at Oskaloosa, and the completion of this one obviated the necessity of a jour- ney of seventy-five miles, through river bottoms which really had no bot- toms, and over roads which were not surveyed, and were little more than a trail through the woods and over the prairies. This, then, was a last resort, and the name and fame of Parmelee's mill was known far and wide, and Parmelee himself was probably the best known man in the whole State west of the Red Rock reservation. Some time in 1847 the fort at Des Moines was abandoned, as the necessity for its existence had ceased, and the stores there accumulated were sold out at auction. This, though, was of rather doubtful advantage to the great majority of the settlers, from the fact that it took money to buy supplies, and money was the one commodity which did not then exist in this region in quantities sufficient to "supply the wants of trade," as has been the wail of many an incipient political economist, even for the past few years.
The people of Warren county were more fortunate than the early settlers of most other counties, in that the first mill built anywhere in the country was in their own borders, and a distance of not more than thirty miles from the farthest point in the new settlement. They have, therefore, had few of those experiences of going seventy-five miles to mill, as have those of the others, as this (Parmelee's) mill was both a saw and grist mill, and for a long time made the meal, flour, and lumber for all the region now included in Warren, Madison, Polk, and Dallas counties, and sometimes for settlers living in even more distant parts. To a good extent this mill, on account of its convenient location and capacity for grinding, stopped the rush of travel to Oskaloosa from all the country now known as central Iowa, espe- cially of all those who had found it necessary to go there for milling pur- poses and breadstuffs; and, being the only mill in all these parts, as a consequence it was crowded night and day with anxious customers, each desiring to get his grist done first, so as to return home. On account of the great rush of work it had to do, and possibly because it was built and run altogether in the most systematic and commendable manner, this inill finally got so completely out of repair that they were compelled to stop running it. This brought a sad state of affairs for the settlers in the com- munities and country round about, who were now in the habit of getting all their grinding and sawing done at this place. Something must be done to put it in running order again so as to accommodate the customers. Finally Judge L. D. Burns, the pioneer millwright, was sent for to put it to rights again, and after a two weeks' siege of as thorough repairing as the · circumstances and conveniences would permit, the mill was again found in running order, to the delight of the owner and the eminent satisfaction of his numerous and dependent customers. And in order that our younger readers may more fully understand the hardships endured by the settlers in
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
other counties, we append Judge Burns' narrative of the difficulties attend- ing the breakdown and the joy at the completion of the repairs. The miller, poor Mordecai Disney, seemed to be overwhelmed with trouble, at times, to know what to do amid the babble around him, and this deserving class of people are apt to get, as a general thing, more cursings than bless- ings anyhow:
" Poor Disney had learned to make the most of his position under ordi- nary pressure, but this was rather too much for his trained equanimity, and he would get off, now and then, some of the most chilling expletives that we ever heard. This mill was finally run down with constant over-work and no care, and it became so relaxed that it stopped business altogether. This was a terrible blow to the settlers, and its stoppage implied the going away off to Oskaloosa for breadstuffs.
"Several machinists were called in but the patient got worse and worse. We were finally called to the sick bed of the frontier mill in consultation. We found the patient completely prostrated, its nervous systemi was sadly out of sorts. We administered alteratives and cordials. The patient, un- der this radical treatment, and in the course of two weeks, got entirely well and was ready to go to work again with increased vitality. But alas! when we were ready to try the ability of the convalescent mill to eat corn, we were brough to realize the fact that:
' Life is a dream of a few brief acts; The actors shift. the scene is often changed; Pauses and revolutions intervene, The mind is set to many and varied tunes, And jars and plays in harmony by turns.'
"John D. Parmelee was not in calling distance to come and see the ex- patient survive. John had put in most of his time, during the sickness and convalescence of the mill, up at the fort as a zealous votary of the fiery god Bacchus. The excellent woman and wife, Mrs. Parmelee, sent Jack, an old bachelor domestic, to go up to the fort and bring John D. home 'to see the mill start.' Jack went but delayed his coming. Another messen- ger was sent by the good woman to hasten Jack's return. The second mes- senger found John D. and Jack on a protracted 'bust.' Deaf to all entreaty, John refused to come home to 'see the mill.' The second messenger, too, was soon overcome by the furious god, and joined in the debauch. The miller, Mordecai Disney, was finally sent up to the fort to bring back the three loyal disciples of jolly John Barleycorn. He was successful, and John/D. 'saw the mill start' out with new life and vigor, to his perfect satis- faction, muttering all the while to himself:
'There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted. all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries.'
" Suddenly John D. yelled out at the top of his voice: 'See, boys, how she chaws!' "
Going to mill in those days when there were no roads, bridges, no ferry- boats, and scarcely any conveniences for traveling, was no small task where so many treacherous streams had to be crossed, and such streams swollen so as to overflow the banks; even under these circumstances some of the
M. f. black
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
more ingenious and adventuresome ones found means to cross the stream and made the journey in safety. The fact that there were hungry ones at home awaiting the return of the grist afforded a great impetus to the sur- mounting of difficulties.
The first real estate records are no more in existence, they having been transcribed years ago and placed in new books. Thus it is that the typical books of early times, manufactured out of a quire of foolscap and bound up in a sheet of brown wrapping-paper, is not represented on the shelves of the recorder's office. The original books used by the old board of com- missioners, and then by the county judge, are still in existence, and will be spoken of at the appropriate place. The real estate records at first made are now found in the best of record books, and are in a splendid condition. The first deed was executed by Henry Everly to Eric Delander and others. It is given herewith in full.
The mortgage, that formidable condensing instrument so much used in later times by the lender to evaporate the borrower, seems to have been early introduced into the manipulation of Boone county real estate, and very appropriately has a place on the first pages of the history of real estate transactions. It was given by John Redpath to P. K. Detrick, and runs as follows.
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