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 68
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The first settlement in the township was made by John Pea, May 16, 1846, on section 2, and this settlement was known for many years as Pea's Point. James Hull came at the same time, and soon after two other Hulls, Uriah and William; and abont the same time, or shortly after, two other persons by the name of Hull, and Jacob Crook, Henry Hoffman, William Dickinson, two brothers by the name of Smith, Richard Green, William Holson, John Dobson and Samuel Luther were also among the first settlers of the township and the first citizens of the county. Dr. James Hull was the first physician of the county; he first settled in Worth township, where he lived for many years and carried hope and consolation into many a household afflicted with those malarial diseases so common during the early settlement of the country. He died in 1872. The first marriages and births, and deaths, first schools taught and sermons preached were in this township, and have been referred to in another place.
The present township officers are as follows:
Trustees-H. W. Holcomb, S. V. Girard, John E. Jennings.
Assessor-J. B. Patterson.
Clerk-Leroy Sparks.
As at present constituted the township consists of that part of congres- sional township 83, range 26, which lies east of the Des Moines river, and contains abont twenty-nine sections. Fully one-half of the township was originally covered with timber and, although much of it has been used for fuel and for building and railroad purposes, there is still a bountiful sup- ply.
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
ยท In April, 1853, David Parker laid out a town on section 2. It was lo- cated on the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of the section, and was known by the name of Parkersburg. This, we believe, was the only attempt made to build up a town in Worth township, and its success can be determined from the fact that it would require the services of a county official and a resurvey to locate the site of that whiloin city of great expec- tations. The township is well supplied with roads, which are kept in a good condition, there being four road districts, and there usually being a tax levied, the proceeds of which are ample to keep the highways in good condition. The school-houses are the best in the county.
DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP.
At the same time Worth township was formned out of the old territory of Pleasant township, Douglas township was formed. The township origi- nally extended to the east line of the county, as will be seen from the fol- lowing:
Ordered. That for the convenience of the inhabitants and election, judicial and municipal, purposes, the following named new township be created, bounded as follows: Commencing at the northeast corner of section 12, township 82, range 25; thence to run west along the section line dividing sections 1 and 12 to the Des Moines river; thence down said river to the south boundary line of said county. thence east along said boundary line to the southeast corner of said county; thence north to the place of beginning; said township to be known and designated as Douglas township, Boone county, and to be organized at an election to be held in the town of Madrid, in said township, on Monday, April 5, 1858, according to law.
SAM. B. MCCALL, County Judge.
Upon the formation of Garden township, Douglas lost over one-half of its territory.
It comprises that part of township 82 in range 26 lying east of the Des Moines river. That part along the river is somewhat broken, and well sup- plied with both wood and coal. The eastern portion is fertile, undulating bottom prairie, and very productive. It is one of the earliest settled por- tions of the county; in January of 1846 Chas. W. Gaston located in section 34, which we record as the first permanent settler, and in September of that same year Mrs. Anna Delander came direct from Sweden with a family of four sons and two daughters, and located and settled upon the present site of Swede Point. During the following year, 1847, there were quite a num- ber of permanent settlers came in, among whom we mention Jesse Hull, now deceased, Ben. Williams, John Hull, Wm. Sawyer, John Dobson, Richard Green, Wmn. Holston. These located during May and June of that year in various portions of the township.
The first death was that of Mrs. Elsie A., wife of Ben Williams, which occurred June 10th, 1847. She was buried on section 34, where a portion of ground was afterward set aside for burial purposes, and is the first of the township.
As to marriages, we record that of Henry Holcomb to Mary J. Hull in 1848.
The first birth was that of Henry, son of John and Sophia Hull, which was not only the first in the township, but also the first in the county.
The first regular physician was a Dr. Rice, who came from Washington, this State, and died in Boonesboro. . Judge Montgomery, now living in
550
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
Boonesboro, was the first regular minister, still there had been various meetings held previous to this by transient preachers.
This township is largely populated with Swedes, most of whom came to it in an early day. They are an enterprising class of citizens, and most of them have well improved farms. Indiana, North Carolina and East Ten- nessee are also well represented among the settlers. There are three churches, Christian, Free Will Baptist and Evangelical Lutheran. St. John. The latter was organized in 1859 with about 15 families of Swedes, and now has a membership of 231, with a good building that cost about $2,500.
The first two towns in the county were located in this township: they were Elk Kapids and Swede Point. The former was located on section 24, and the latter on section 36. Elk Rapids never amounted to much, the mill located there being the chief feature of the place. The town is now almost totally extinct. Swede Point has not been characterized by rapid growth, but has enjoyed a fair degree of prosperity. It is at present a trading point of some note; unless it should secure railroad communica- tion it will probably never presnme to be anything but a quiet country trading place.
DODGE TOWNSHIP.
As has already been seen Boone river township originally consisted of a strip of country eight miles wide, extending east and west across the north part of the county. Dodge township was formed out of the territory of Boone river. township in 1852. . The township received its name from Gen. A. C. Dodge, a gentleman who first became known to the settlers of the west from his connection with the Black Hawk War, and afterward as the leading Democratic politician of the State. Mr. Dodge first represented the State in the United States Senate, and was afterward appointed by the President as Minister to Spain, in which capacity he served his country with fidelity and distinction. At present he resides at Burlington in this State. As at first constituted Dodge township included about one-third of the territory of the county lying east of the river. The following order for its organization shows its precise limits:
Ordered, That the township heretofore known as Boone River township, of Boone coun- ty, Iowa, be henceforth called Dodge township of said county, to-wit: Commencing at the northeast corner of Boone county, thence west along the north boundary of said county to the Des Moines river, thence down said river to the south west corner of section 6, township 84, range 26; thence east along the section line dividing 6 and 7, 5 and 8, 4 and 9 etc., un- to the east boundary line of the county; thence north to the place of beginning; not to be considered a new township, but named and boundary changed this 8th day of March, 1852. SAM'L B. MCCALL, County Judge.
In 1857 Jackson township was formed and it extended north to the county line, thus including what is now Harrison township and what was at first a part of Dodge. As at present constituted this township comprises all of township No. 85, range 26, and that part of township 85, range 27, lying east of the Des Moines river. That curious formation, known as Min- eral Ridge, was through the northern portion of it, and renders it very broken and uneven; and along the river there is a heavy body of timber. This part of the township was the first settled. Among the first to settle, or whom we may call pioneers, are M. White, J. Richardson, Joel Baker, W. L. Defore, W. R. Cole, C. Manpin, I. C. Hull deceased, J. B. Godwin, Almon Stinson, Daniel Knight, M. Leininger, C. Castine, J. Crim, Orlin
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
Hinman, H. Friedley, A. Swighart, J. C. James, Levi Emerson, J. Lan- don, T. J. Johnson, C. Stotts and J. M. Stotts. Several of the latter named settled out on the prairie and a few in the extreme eastern part of the township. It is one of the best settled in the county, and is well adapted to agriculture. The north part is principally settled by Swedes, and in the south part several of the Southern States are largely represented; also Indi- ana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Among other incidents may be mentioned the marriage of Jacob Baker to Elizabeth Lent, by W. L. Defore, in 1852, and is supposed to be the first. J. W. Lewis is the first regular physician, who is still practicing his pro- fession in the township.
Rev. Rathburn, a Portugee, who first settled on a claim, was the first minister. He is now a resident of the city of Des Moines.
The first school was taught in a dwelling-house, near the present home of M. R. Cole, by Z. J. Vontrees, who is now living in Worth township, of this county. The first building built for school purposes was erected in District No. 1.
Bridgeport was laid out by John Redpath and Absolom Kelly, in May, 1854. It is located on the south half of the northeast quarter of section 18, township 85, range 26. A post-office was located there the same year. The first postmaster was J. F. Alexander; the second, John Redpath; the third, William, R. Bell; the fourth, A. T. Silvers; the fifth, O. Hineman, the sixth, C. J. A. Ericson; and the present one, P. A. Swanson. A. T. Sil- vers engaged in the general merchandise business in 1856. The next house was that of Harris & Starr, and then Jonathan Bnechler. The post-office is named Mineral Ridge. The town has one store of general merchandise, one drug store, blacksmith shop, tin shop, two physicians and two churches, as follows:
The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized during the fall of 1866. H. Candan, D. Sterrett and wife, Lorenzo Skinner and W. C. Martin and wife, were the original members. In 1867 a frame church building was erected, at a cost of $1,450. The organization is in a flourishing condition, with a membership of seventy-five.
The Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church was organized in 1853, with a member- ship of sixteen, quite a number of whom are still living. A brick church was built in 1869, at a cost of $2,300. The present membership numbers about three-score.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP.
This township is situated in the northeast part of the county, and re- mained unsettled for a number of years. According to the census of 1875, the township at that time contained a population of 441, a large propor- tion of whom were foreigners. In more recent times the country has set- tled up very rapidly. The township is exclusively composed of prairie, except along the creeks, where there are narrow belts of timber, especially in the southeastern corner of the township. Sections 22, 26, 27, 35 and 36 have considerable timber; 15 and 34 have also a small quantity. Diago- nally through the township flows a beautiful stream, known to the Indians by the name of Ewqua creek, which name the early settlers translated and the stream is now known by the name of Squaw creek. This stream is a tributary of Skunk river. Squaw creek, with its tributary (Montgomery
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
creek), is the only stream of the county which does not reach the Des Moines river. This township corresponds with congressional township number 85, range 25, and is therefore precisely six miles square and con- tains about 23,000 acres of land, nearly all of which is susceptible of culti- vation. The township was among the last to be organized. M. Mackey, S. Ritter and E. Starr constituted the first board of trustees. The first offi- . cial meetings of the board were held at Mackey's school-honse. The first school-house in the township was erected on section 5, and is known as the Smith school-house. There is a cemetery located on section 15. The township officers at present are:
Trustees-O. Broomfield, Lewis Ahrens and Andrew Houghton.
Assessor-Timothy Hagerty.
Clerk-T. Mahony.
There is a German Lutheran Church located in the township, on the farm of Mr. Lewis Ahrens. The building was erected during the summer of 1876, at a cost of $1,800. The church was organized the same year, and at present has a membership of thirty.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
The boundary of this township corresponds exactly with the boundary of congressional township number 84, range 25 west. It was organized in 1857. In March, 1858, the boundaries were changed, but it extended to the north line of the county, and continued to include the territory now composing Harrison township until the organization of the latter in 1871. The first township officers were as follows:
Trustees-Milan Zenor, John Lundy and Samuel Musgrove.
Clerk-Charles Hunt.
Assessor- John Mitchell.
The first official meetings of the board were held at the house of Thomas Eads. A cemetery was laid ont in 1854, which is still in use, called Mitch- ell's Grove cemetery. The first school-honse was built in November, 1858. At present the township composes one district, which is subdivided into nine subdistricts. At the last assessment land was valued at from seven to fifteen dollars; horses, from fifteen to thirty dollars per head, and cattle at from eight to twenty dollars apiece. There are nine road-districts in the township, and a tax of five mills on the dollar is annually levied for road purposes. The officers of the township at present are:
Trustees-H. B. Murray, David Davis and A. J. Huston.
Justices of the peace-Thomas Laddoris and Moses Baker.
Constables-Louis Dingnart and B. S. Anderson.
Clerk-C. R. Holcomb.
The township is almost level, and is the highest point of land in the county. There is scarcely any timber, except in the northeast corner. Much of the land in this township was originally set aside as swamp land. The marshes have been drained, and the most of the land is now under cultivation. When this township becomes thoroughly settled, it will be found to contain less waste land than any other township in the county. The railroad enters the township near the southeast corner, and runs a lit- tle north of west across the entire width of the township. The revenues derived by taxation of the road are very important for school and other
553
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
purposes. There is no station or depot along the road in the bounds of the township, which seems unaccountable.
Among the first settlers of the township was Milan Zenor, who came from Indiana and settled on section 12. He came in the spring of 1851. The following year J. Mitchell and Thomas Eads settled in the township; W.m. Zenor came in 1854. In 1855 Michael Zenor was married at the house of Wm. Zenor, Judge Montgomery officiating. This was probably the first marriage ceremony performed in the township. The first death was that of Mary J. Zenor which occurred in 1854. She was eleven years old and was buried at Ontario. Sarah Patterson, a daughter of Milan and Amanda Zenor, was born in 1853. This was probably the first birth in the township.
The first religious services held in the township were at the house of Milan Zenor; they were conducted by Rev. Willis Reynolds, a United Brethren minister. The first physician who practice in that settlement was Dr. Mathers, from Polk City. The first school was taught by William Bell; there were eleven pupils in attendance; the school continued, three months and the salary of the teacher was $55.00 for the term. Mr. Bell afterward returned to Ohio. The first school-house was erected in 1856 by Mr. Bell and Milan Zenor; the house cost twenty-five dollars.
The first settlers of Jackson township experienced all the hardships and endured all the privations incident to pioneer life. Those who remained have established comfortable homes and are now in affluent circumstances.
COLFAX TOWNSHIP.
This township formerly was a part of Des Moines township and was or- ganized into a separate township in 1871. At the last general election the following township officers were elected:
Trustee-John Jordan.
Clerk-W. T. Boyd.
Assessor-Joshua MeLaren.
Thomas A. Duckworth and Samnel A. Croy were the first settlers, the latter having come from Ohio in the spring of 1860 and settled on section 13. The first religious services were held in a log school-house by Samuel A. Croy, a Christian minister. A church of this denomination was organ- ized several years ago. No church has been erected, the meetings being held in a school-house. The first school was taught by John T. Croy in the house of S. A. Croy; sixteen pupils were in attendance, and the teacher received $30.00 per month as wages. When Mr. Croy first settled in the county he was snow-bound for about six weeks and was compelled to use the fence rails for fuel.
GARDEN TOWNSHIP.
Among the last settled portions of the county is that part that now com- prises the above named township. It was originally a part of Douglas township and embraced all that country in township 82 east of the Des Moines river to the line of Story county, and it was not till 1872 that the subdivision was made; and it was in the fall of that same year that the first election was held under the name of Garden township. It was held at
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
a school-house in subdistrict No. 8. Among the early settlers of the soil of this part of Boone county were Holeraft Keigley, Bagwell Irwin and Thrapp; but the main part of the settlers have come in since 1867, and are of foreign descent, principally Swedes. A large portion of the lands are at present in the hands of non residents and cultivated by renters. A portion of the soil is very fertile and is well cultivated; some of the country is very flat and marshy, but as it gradually comes into the posses- sion of permanent settlers is rapidly being improved and will soon become a very desirable farming districts.
The following township officers were elected at the last general elec- tion :
Assessor-George Thrapp.
Clerk-William Tebus.
Trustee Joseph Keneson. Constable-Charles Bassett.
Garden Prairie post-office is located in this township, on section 4. A small creek traverses the township from north to south through the mid- dle of the township, which in places is skirted with small belts of timber.
The civil townships of the county as now constituted will doubtless re- main for some time. After noting so many changes, the last one of the number furnishes an appropriate topic for a conclusion. May the time be not far distant when the entire county will become a garden and its pros- perity be permanent.
*
BIOGRAPHICAL.
DES MOINES TOWNSHIP.
A LLEMAN, DR. L. J .; among the physicians of Boone, no one has a better reputation for skill than the subject of this sketch; he was born in Fayette, Seneca county, New York, on the 12th day of De- cember, 1842; his early life was that of a farmer boy; he was educated at the High School or Academy in Waterloo; he commenced reading medicine at the age of seventeen with Dr. O. S. Patterson, of Water- loo, as his preceptor; he attended lectures in the medical department of the University of New York City, and was examined and ready to graduate in 1862, but not being of age, did not receive his diploma un- til the next year; after practicing a short time in Waterloo he entered the army in 1863 as assistant sur- geon of the First New York veteran cavalry and served in that capacity until the regiment was mustered out in September, 1865; after he left the army, he came to Boone and is the oldest physician in years of prac- tice here; he is well known through- out the county, and the respect shown him is as wide as his ac- quaintance; he is as much of a stu- dent now as he ever was, and devotes his leisure to reading his medical periodicals and other scientific works and, hence, is constantly progress- ing in knowledge and as a practi- tioner in the confidence of the peo- ple; he has been twice married; his first wife was Miss Margaret O'Neil,
of Waterloo, N. Y .; married in 1866, dying in June, 1868, leaving one child: H. Maggie; he married for his second wife Miss Florence L. Cole- man, in 1870; she was a resident of Boone, but a native of New York; they have two children by this un- ion: Grace B. and George N .; lost one son : Joseph Coleman.
ANTHONY, JAMES, barber, Boone; was born in Schenectady, New York, on the 1st day of Octo- ber, 1830; he learned his trade in his native place, and resided there until 1854, when he removed to Chicago and worked at his business until the outbreak of the rebellion; he then accompanied W. Cumback and Major Scott, of the pay depart- ment, for eighteen months, and then enlisted in the Eighteenth colored infantry of Missouri, and served un- til the close of the war, when he re- turned to Chicago; February 11th, 1868, he started for Omaha, Neb- raska, but when he arrived in Boone inducements were offered him, which led to his making it his home, and in the prosecution of his business has been very successful, and has the largest patronage of any shop in town; he was married to Miss Mary Black, a native of Louisville, Ken- tncky, in 1858; they have a family of seven children living: Thomas, William, James, Henry, Harriet Fred, and an infant unnamed.
B ARKLEY, A. J., abstracter and dealer in real estate, Boone;
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
was born near Lisbon, in Linn coun- ty, March 27, 1842, and lived there until fourteen years of age and then came to this county and settled in Dodge township; his early life was that of a farmer boy and he followed it as an occupation until the out- break of the rebellion when he en- listed in the Thirty-second Iowa in- fantry, in 1862; having been de- prived of school advantages in early life and having a desire for an edn- cation, he availed himself of his leisure time while in the army in the study of mathematics, and made rapid progress; after his return from the army he attended Cornell Col- lege, at Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and re- mained there until the death of his father, and other members of his family necessitated his return; in the fall of 1866 he announced him- self as a candidate for recorder and was elected two successive terms and, while holding the office, he made abstracts of the land of Boone county, intending to dispose of them, but not meeting with a satisfactory sale, he made use of them, and en- gaged in the sale of real estate; he also, during this time, served as deputy sheriff four years ; he is emi- nently a self-made man, and but few have a better record or have achieved more grand results from a small and discouraging beginning; reared as he was with scarcely any school facili- ities he has acquired by reading, study and personal observation since he attained to manhood such knowl- edge as has given him a prominent place in society; he is a good illus- tration of what an industrious man can accomplish; being of quick per- ception, clear judgment and possess- ing a high sense of honor he has secured the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens; he was mar- ried in November, 1866, to Miss Henrietta Trickey, a native of Can- ada.
BARNES, J. O., merchant and
manufacturer, Boone; an eminently self-made man and prominent mer- chant, whose brief biography gives but an imperfect narrative, was born in Franklin county, New York, on the 8th day of September, 1843; he resided here until seventeen years of age and learned the trade of harness maker and carriage trimmer, and in 1860 came to McGregor, Iowa, and worked at his trade; in 1868 he came to this city and still followed his trade as an occupation; but he saw in the young town a chance for profit and success in a new enter- prise, viz .: the manufacture of gloves and mittens, he at once embarked in the occupation, first in a small way and increasing as his trade was es- tablished, until at the present time he manufactures over one hundred different styles, and from medium to the best grades; he has his own tannery for dressing deer skins and a thoroughly competent fur dresser; his trade has doubled each year, and he comes far short of supplying the demands for his goods; his reputa -. tion as a business man is irreproach- able; his mannfactory is the only one in the country west of Glovers- ville, New York, that manufactures a full line; he is one of the fortunate individuals who almost invariably succeed in what they undertake; in connection with his glove manufac- tory, he carries a full line of hats, caps and gentlemens' furnishing goods; he married Miss Josephine Burg- hardt in 1868; she was born in De- Kalb county, Illinois; Mr. Barnes is purely a self-made man; he came. here without funds or favor with which to pave his pathway to suc- cess, and his example is a worthy one for the young men of Boone county to emulate.
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