USA > Iowa > Cedar County > The history of Cedar County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. : a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 50
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The sixth annual meeting was held at the Court House, October 17, 1877, at which the usual interest was manifested.
At this time, the following resolutions were passed :
Resolved, That the eligibility to membership be so enlarged as to admit all persons who became permanent residents of the county prior to or during the year 1846.
Resolved, That hereafter the annual meeting of the Association be held at Tipton, on the first Wednesday of June of each year.
The following officers were elected : President, Samuel Yule; Vice Presi- dents, Henry Hardman, Samuel P. Higginson, Richard C. Knott, Abner Stebbins, Edward M. MacGraw ; Treasurer, John Ferguson ; Secretary, Wm. H. Tuthill.
The seventh annual meeting of the Association occurred June 5, 1878, in which a large nuniber of members participated. Besides the usual interesting reminiscences of members, Rev. Edward B. Cousins delivered an eloquent, able and interesting address. A resolution of thanks was passed and a copy of the address requested to be placed on record among the archives of the Society.
William Baker was elected President, the other officers remaining as before.
At this meeting the following named persons were present, all of whom claimed homes in Cedar County prior to the admission of Iowa as a State, the year of their settlement or birth being given in regular chronological order :
In 1836 .- Henry Hardman, W. A. Rigby, Lydia Rigby (his wife), Par- melia Knott, William M. Knott, William Baker, Jolın Baker, J. J. Porter.
In 1837 .- Samuel Yule, Thomas E. Mathews, John Safley, John Ferguson and wife, William Coutts, H. D. Brown.
In 1838 .- Asa Young, Sarah Bunker, O. M. Culver, Luther Bradley, Brazilda Bradley, David McCroskey, Nancy McCroskey.
In 1839 .- Charles Foreman, Margaret Foreman, John Casebeer, Gordon Dallas, Wm. C. Long and wife, Dorothy Tuthill, Silas Hardman (born in county).
In 1840 .- Wm. Emery, Gilbert Johnson, James Safley, Moses Bunker, John Culbertson, Margaret Culbertson, J. W. Brown, Mary C. Brown (his wife), Ellen McClure, Rawley Ford, W. H. Tuthill, John S. Tuthill.
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HISTORY OF CEDAR COUNTY.
In 1841 .- Mary J. Bates, Eliza J. Knott, Barbara C. Culver (wife of O. M. Culver), Anna Dallas, Rev. E. B. Cousins (born in the county).
In 1842 .- Sarah Baker, George Safley, Andrew Walker, Orlando Howe, Margaret M. Walker (born in the county).
In 1843 .- Lurenda Casebeer, Mrs. D. Goodrich, Catherine Thompson, Mrs. Mary Walters, Mrs. Jane Keith.
In 1844 .- Mrs. Amanda Dolan, Jolin Finefield.
In 1845 .- Nancy Mathews, Elizabeth Weaver, Benjamin Weaver, Mrs. Angeline Walter (formerly Angeline Weaver).
In 1846 .- Neliemiah Storey, Jane Storey, Henry Walters, Belinda Baker (wife of William Baker), William Neely, W. H. Rigby, S. M. Storey, George Beatty (born in the county), Noah Walters.
CEDAR COUNTY BIBLE SOCIETY.
This is one of the oldest societies in the State of Iowa. Of its founding, and subsequent operations, we have the following account furnished by William H. Tuthill, of Tipton. Extract from minutes of the society.
" On the 27th of September, 1842, at the instance of the Rev. Julius Field, agent of the parent society, a few well disposed persons feeling an interest in the Bible cause, met at the house of Henry Hardman, Esq., for the purpose of forming a Bible Society for Cedar County, an auxiliary to the American Bible Society, in the manner pointed out by that institution. Although but a small number of persons attended the meeting, yet with a spirit of unanimity and a confiding hope that the cause they were about to embark in, would, by the kind aid of Divine Providence, be successful, they completed the organiza- tion of the Cedar County Bible Society by adopting the auxiliary constitution of the present society and electing a complete board of officers. As a matter of historical interest, I have transcribed the names of the officers then elected, which were as follows : Daniel Hare, President ; John Ferguson, Henry Hard- man, William H. Tuthill, Solomon Aldrich, John P. Cook, Vice Presidents ; Rev. Uriah Ferree, Secretary ; Elisha E. Edwards, Treasurer; John Boydston and Richard E. Knott, Executive Committee.
" A regular annual meeting was held at Tipton, on the 1st of September, 1844, when the Rev. Ebenezer Alden, Jr., pastor of the First Congregational Church, in Tipton, delivered an address, and at the election of officers, William H. Tuthill, was clected Secretary.
" The society has been judiciously and carefully managed, and has success- fully carried out the objects for which it was organized. It has repeatedly made thorough exploration of the county, and supplied the destitute with the Bible."
The officers for the present year are : President, William Lee ; Vice Presi- dents, Dr. Samuel Ensign, L. D. Ingman, Walter Shearer, Laurie Tatum, Harry Bagley ; Secretary and Treasurer, William H. Tuthill : Depository at the post office bookstore of Alonzo Shaw.
It is interesting to add that William H. Tuthill has acted as Secretary of the society for thirty-four years and through his management, in a great meas- ure, the society has met with prosperity.
RAILROAD UNDERTAKINGS.
When the first settlers came to Cedar County in May, June and July of 1836, there were no roads of any kind to guide them to the site of their new homes. A pocket compass, the North Star, the wind or the course of the streams
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HISTORY OF CEDAR COUNTY.
were their only guides. Before Walton came first in 1835, to select his claim and build a cabin, the prairie grasses and prairie flowers had scarcely, if ever, been disturbed by the feet of invading white men. In those days there were but few railroads in any part of the United States. The immigrants and land hunters came by wagon, on foot or on horseback ; the ferries across the streams were rude and of the most primitive order. Sometimes, wagons were transported across the rivers in small Indian canoes, that were lashed together at a width to accommodate the width of the wagons ; the wheels of one side of the wagon were placed in one of the canoes, and the wheels of the other side in the other canoe, and then "paddled " across. The horses or oxen were swam by the side of a third canoe, while a second or a third trip would be made in " setting over " the family of immigrants. This was true as to the smaller streams, as of Rock River, Illinois, but the width and force of the current of the Mississippi rendered the crossing of that river by such means too hazardous and dangerous to be under- taken. As the country settled, the needs of the pioneers to increase, stores and trading places to grow up, goods and merchandise were hauled by wagons from the nearest landing places on the Mississippi River to whatever point they were consigned in the interior. Goods purchased in New York, were shipped around via New Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi to Keokuk, Fort Madison, Mus- catine, Burlington, Davenport or Dubuque. And there are instances on record, where goods destined for Galena and other points in that part of Illinois, and in the vicinity of Dubuque, were sbipped via the Lakes, and then by Mackinaw boats, Green Bay and the Wisconsin (originally the Ou-is-con-sin) River to the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien, and so on to the nearest point of destination or consignment.
In those days, and until railroads crossed the Mississippi River and followed the settlements into the interior, freighting and staging was a prosperous busi- ness, and many foundations for large fortunes were commenced by men and companies who engaged in that line of business. Frink and Walker's Stage Lines-their old four-horse Concord coaches-are still remembered by many of the early settlers, by whom their advent was hailed with as much joy and pleas- ure as was the coming of the first train of steam-drawn cars in later years. The arrival of the first four-horse stage coach at Tipton in 1854, set the entire town agog with excitement. What a hero-a man to be envied-was the driver. Many were the young men who sought no higher fame than to be a four-horse stage driver! And in fact, it made many of the fathers and men in middle-life feel wonderfully proud when, for the first time, they took a seat in one of those old coaches to be whirled away toward the East! Whew ! What a long breath they drew. How they looked around them with a self-satisfied air as they took a seat and waited for the stage to start. How they nodded their heads and waved their hands at envious friends as the driver gathered up the reins, cracked lis whip and dashed away! But may be they don't go far till the horses almost mired and the stage completely "stuck " in a slough or mud-hole. Then the passengers had to light out and help " pry " the wheels out of the inud. Per- chance, they came to a " bad place " in the roads, where the empty stage was a load for four good horses, then again the passengers had to get out and foot it. That was traveling with a stage, and sometimes with a fence rail or pole on one's shoulder to be ready for a " sticking" emergency. But such days of travel are passed.
Among the men who engaged in the freighting business was D. P. Clapp, who is still a resident of Tipton. Some pains has been taken to gather from Mr. Clapp a few figures in regard to his freighting transactions from 1853 to
& M Kent MASSILLON TOWNSHIP
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HISTORY OF CEDAR COUNTY.
the completion of the Tipton and Stanwood Railroad, in 1872, which will enable the reader to form some idea of the amount of freight handled, the number of miles traveled, etc.
Mr. Clapp engaged in the hauling of freight from Muscatine and Daven- , port to Tipton until the railroad was completed and a receiving depot established at Wilton, and then from Wilton to Tipton, very often carrying goods, wares, merchandise, etc., both ways. And when the Northwestern road was com- pleted, and the Clarence and Stanwood depots established, his trips were often divided between Wilton and those places. It is estimated that Mr. Clapp made two hundred trips each year, from 1853 to 1872 (nineteen years), aggre- gating 3,800 trips, and that at each trip he carried 2,000 pounds of freight, which would make a grand aggregate of 7,600,000 pounds of freight delivered in Tipton by this one freighter. Averaging again each trip at 25 miles of travel per day, in one year he traveled 5,000 miles, and in nineteen years, the enormous distance of 95,000 miles, or over three and a half times the distance around the globe ! Mr. Clapp was always reliable and faithful, rain or shine, and always came and went on time.
After the first settlements were made, in 1836, and glowing reports of the great natural richness and beauty of the country began to go back to the neigh- borhoods of the old homes, immigration began to increase, and grew in volume from year to year, until the land was all occupied. In 1854, the heavy rush of immigration came to Iowa. As an instance of the magnitude of the immigra- tion during that year, it was stated on unquestioned and undoubted authority that in one single month 1,743 wagons passed a given point near Peoria, Illinois, all of which were en route for Iowa. Estimating five persons to a wagon, which is a fair average, the grand aggregate was 8,715 persons. That was by one single road. Taking the numerous other roads, and making a reasonable estimate, there is but little reason to doubt that during the Spring, Summer and Fall months of 1854, at least 50,000 men, women and children found their way to Iowa.
With such an immigration, backed up by a soil of unsurpassed wealth and fertility, railroads became a necessity. In the face of such facts, and a dispo- sition to speculate-to make the most out of nothing-so prevalent among men, it is no wonder that some of the railroad schemes were the basest kind of swindles, conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity. Nor is it any wonder that, with the wealth and growth of Cedar County, speculation should single out this county as a desirable field for "pluckings," or that it should become a kind of head center for speculative operations.
About 1852, the people here began to agitate the necessity of building a railroad. As time increased, the agitation increased. Wild-cat operators were alert listeners, and quick to take advantage of the eager and honest desire of the people to secure railroad connection with the outside world.
LYONS IOWA CENTRAL RAILROAD.
This was the pioneer railroad scheme in Iowa. The company was organ- ized under the general laws of the State. The charter provided for the build- ing of a railroad from Lyons, on the Mississippi River, via De Witt, Tipton, Iowa City and Fort Des Moines to Council Bluffs, on the Missouri River-dis- tance about 308 miles-and dividing the State nearly equally north and south.
When the plans of this company were fully matured, its representatives came to Tipton and asked Cedar county tax payers to aid in the enterprise to
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HISTORY OF CEDAR COUNTY.
the amount of $50,000. In response to this request, S. A. Bissell, County Judge, on the 1st of March, 1853, issued the following order :
Ordered, That the question be submitted to the decision of the legal voters of Cedar County, Iowa, whether the said county will aid to construct a railroad to run through the county by subscribing $50,000 to the capital stock of the Lyons Iowa Central Railroad Company, said amount to be expended only in the event of said railroad being constructed and running cen- trally throughi said county, and only to be employed in the construction of the same within the limits of the county. The payment of the amount to be thus subscribed to be provided as follows, to wit : The county to issue her bonds for the sum of $50,000, payable in twenty years, with interest at the rate of six per cent. per annum, payable semi-annually ; the principal and interest of the same to be liquidated by an annual tax to be continued from year to year until the whole amount is paid, of ten and one-half mills on the dollar of the county valuation, as shown by the assessment roll. The form in which this question shall be taken shall be as follows : The vote in favor of the question shall be written or printed "For the Lyons Railroad ;" the vote against the measure shall be written or printed "Against the Lyons Railroad." And said measure shall be submitted and voted upon at the regular election on the 4th day of April next.
The proposition carried, and on the 2d day of May, 1853, Judge Bissell caused the following entry to be made on his "docket :
It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that, at an election held in Cedar County on the first Monday of April, a majority of the votes cast werc in favor of Cedar County issuing bonds to the amount of $50,000 to aid in the construction of the Lyons Iowa Central Railroad, there- fore it is considered by the Court that such vote being a majority of all the legal votes cast for and against the proposition aforesaid, the Court orders that upon its being made satisfac- tory to the Court that said railroad will be constructed centrally through Cedar County, that the said County subscribe $20,000 to the capital stock of said railroad company, and that the same be paid for by the county issuing twenty bonds of $1,000 each, with interest at the rate of six per cent. per annum, payable in twenty years, and that in accordance with the decision of the proposition aforesaid, that the principal and interest of said bonds be paid by an annual tax of ten and one-half mills on the dollar of the valuation, as shown by the assessment, to continue from year to year until the whole of the principal and interest on said bonds is paid ; and it is further considered that the County Judge make arrangements to secure the expenditure of the money raised by the sale of the said bonds, within the limits of Cedar County, all of which is in accordance with the proposition decided by the voters aforesaid.
S. A. BISSELL, Judge.
Of this railroad undertaking and what became of it, Judge Tuthill furnishes the following details :
The advent of the Lyons Iowa Central Railroad Company in February, 1853, with a nom- inal capital of $15,000,000, proposing to construct and operate a railroad from Lyons, on the Mississippi River, to Council Bluffs, on the Missouri, running centrally through Cedar County, was, for a time, the great sensation among Cedar County citizens.
While the fever was at the highest, a vote of the people was hiad in which it was agreed that the County should issue $50,000 in bonds to aid the company in this under- taking. Some time after grading had been commenced at and near Tipton (June, 1853) a demand was made on the county for the bonds ; but inasmuch as some ugly rumors respecting the solvency of the company had circulated pretty freely ; that the company had no actual capi- tal; that there were no real stockholders ; that there was not a single man among the officers, directors and managers, who, individually, had sufficient capital or credit to build a mile of road ; that the mode adopted to raise the money that had already been expended in grading was by issue and sale or hypothecation of their own bonds, which had already become greatly depreciated ; that the President of the company was a myth, and had never been seen in Iowa ; that Henry l'. Adams, Esq., one of the Directors, was financial agent of the company empow- ered to negotiate the bonds and raise the money ; that he was also the contractor to grade and tic the road between Lyons and Iowa City, and therefore had the power to obtain money by sale and hypothecation of bonds, &c., and pay it over to himself as contractor, caused some hesita- tion as to the propriety of Cedar County parting with her bonds to the company unless satisfac- torily assured that the road would be built, and the County Judge, Hon S. A. Bissell, retained Wm. H. Tuthill, Esq., as counsel for the county, who immediately gave his opinion that the county should not issue any bonds to the company until the road was completed to Tipton, or unless the company would give the county good security that it would be completed.
Judge Bissell, unfortunately for the financial welfare of the county, had too strong a pressure brought to bear on him by the friends of the company to refuse to issue the bonds, but compromised the matter by issuing $20,000 then, and promising to issue the balance afterward.
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HISTORY OF CEDAR COUNTY.
Some time afterward, a formal demand was made for the remaining $30,000, but as it had then become notorious that the company was embarrassed, the demand was refused, and the company procured from Judge Leffingwell an alternate mandamus on the county to show cause why the bonds demanded had been refused. The county appeared before Judge Leffingwell by Wm. HI. Tuthill and Wm. G. Woodward as its attorneys, and upon their motion the mandamus was vacated on the ground that it was returnable in vacation.
This course was taken in consequence of positive information having been obtained by the Attorney of the county that the R. R. Company was so near the end of its existence that it would not probably survive until the next term of Court, and the information proved so far true that in one short year from its inception the Lyons Iowa Central Railroad Company expired, loaded with indebtedness, and having no visible assets, save the earthworks occasionally seen here and there upon the prairie between Lyons and lowa City.
The indignant bondholders of the company, believing themselves victimized by an out- rageous swindle, appointed an Investigating Committee to make a thorough investigation of the affairs of the company, and recommend such course of action as might be deemed advisable, which Committee, after a protracted and laborious research and scrutiny, reported that the work of construction, etc., was commenced early in the Spring of 1853, and was prosecuted with con- siderable force from that time until April, 1854, or for about one year from the time it was com- menced, when the entire work was suspended in consequence of the financial embarrassment and failure of the company.
That the total amount expended by the company on the road in grading, building culverts, etc., was about $225,000, as estimated by Allen Black, Esq., a competent engineer, employed by the Committee, as follows :
Between Lyons and the Wapsipinicon River. $145,000
Between Wapsipinicon River and Tipton. 30,000
Between Tipton and Iowa City 50,000
Total.
$225,000
That at the time of the commencement of the work, the company issued 800 of its own bonds of $1,000 each, with a deed of trust duly executed to George S. Robbins, Esq., of the city of New York, covering the first division of 100 miles of the road. In order to more effectually carry out the arrangement and facilitate the negotiation or hypothecation of these bonds, it was deemed advisable to appoint a Treasurer, to hold his office in New York. W. E. Caldwell was appointed such Treasurer and his office located in the Merchants' Exchange, New York.
These bonds were negotiated and hypothecated, from time to time, by the financial agent of the company, for the purpose of raising money-$100.000 being obtained from the Cochituate Bank, of Boston, for which 250 of the bonds were pledged as collateral security.
It was stated by officers of the company that 300 of the bonds were paid over to the con- tractors, but the particulars of the transaction could not be ascertained. One hundred and sev- enty bonds were pledged to different individuals as security for loans of money, which were mostly made at rates varying from 33 to 60 per cent. of the par value of the bonds.
The company also received county bonds from two counties, viz .: from Johnson Co., Iowa, $50,000, and from Cedar County, $20,000, but the committee were unable to ascertain what became of these county bonds, or that anything whatever had been received by the company for them.
In addition to sums realized by the sale or hypothecation of bonds, a wholesale issue of negotiable paper was made through their New York office, in the shape of acceptances of the company, of which some $670,000 were negotiated, and of this amount $410,000 remained unpaid at the time of its failure.
The Committee say that during the last three months of the existence of the company, the amount of money that passed through the Treasurer's hands was about $1,100,000, a sum very nearly sufficient to complete the first division of the road, had it been faithfully applied for that purpose.
It will very naturally be asked, " What has become of this large amount raised, compared with the amount expended on the road ?"
The presumption is conclusive that large amounts remain in the hands of some one or more persons unaccounted for ; but the Committee do not desire to make specific charges against any one, for it can avail nothing, inasmuch as all the parties in any way connected with these transactions have become apparently insolvent, and charge their misfortunes either upon their connections with the company or each other. Nothing short of a searching legal investigation will ever develop the facts, if they can even be obtained in that way.
TIPTON RAILROAD COMPANY-TIPTON AND STANWOOD.
The Tipton Railroad Company was organized by Tipton people in 1858. The object was to construct a railroad from Tipton north to the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska, or, as it is now called, the Chicago & North-Western Railway. The
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HISTORY OF CEDAR COUNTY.
articles of incorporation were dated August 10, 1858, and filed for record August 12. 1858. The capital stock was $200,000, divided into shares of $50. William H. Tuthill was the first President of the company, and Joseph K. Snyder, Secretary. Work was commenced in the Fall of 1858, as the "stubs" of the old order book show that in December of that year sundry orders were drawn by the Secretary on the Treasurer, for labor, etc. The grading to the Northwestern was partially completed during the year 1859, and then rested in abeyance until 1867, when it was fully completed. Some time after this company was organized, the Muscatine people organized a company to construct a railroad from Wilton to Tipton, which was to be known as the Muscatine Branch of the Tipton Railroad, and work was commenced thereon. At nearly the same time the Anamosa people organized a company to extend the road commenced by Tipton from the North-Western Railway to Anamosa. In 1865, these three companies were consolidated under the name of the Muscatine, Tipton & Anamosa Railroad Company, with a capital stock of $1,500,000, divided into shares of $100 each. The articles of incorporation are dated November 12, 1865, and were filed for record in the office of the Recorder of Cedar County November 28, 1865. After this consolidation the Muscatine company changed their starting point from Wilton to Muscatine, and in 1867, almost the entire route from Muscatine to the North-Western Railway was graded and made in readiness for the ties and iron. In 1872, the people of Tipton interests, determined to have a railroad, made an arrangement with the management of the North-Western Railway Company by which that company undertook to complete and operate a road between Stanwood and Tipton. The parties having control of the old graded line, agreed to give the grade to the North-Western Company, and the Tipton people agreed to give the necessary depot grounds in Tipton, and also guaranteed the right of way to Stanwood. In establishing their grade, however, the new management discarded the old grade from Gordon Dallas' place north to Stanwood, leaving the old grade to the west. As soon as the preliminary arrangements were settled to the satisfac- tion of both parties, work was commenced and vigorously prosecuted to completion. The first train of cars arrived at Tipton on Thanksgiving day, 1872, since when the road has been continuously and successfully operated. The business of the company is locally represented by J. M. Gray as ticket and freight agent. The first conductor was Alonzo Weeks; the present conductor is Al. Bangs.
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