USA > Iowa > Iowa County > The history of Iowa County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 74
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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.
notwithstanding, they were determined, and ere long the sky was lit up by the flames; this time the stacks of the barn-burners were destroyed for miles up and down the river. The flames made dreadful work, and this ended the barn-burners. At this time Mr. Stoner returned to Ohio and brought out with him six families, and several men without families. He had settled at Marengo because it was unsafe for him to move out to the settlement where he now lives, by reason of the Indians, who were kept from the settlement at Marengo by the soldiers who were camped along the ridge sonth, at the place called the Soldiers' Spring. Mr. Stoner was married, on the 13th day of June, 1847, to Miss Martha E. Rosenberger, who is still living, and is a lady of refinement and intelligence. She has shared all her husband's hardships and sorrows, and enjoyed his prosperity. They have a splendid home, the farm consisting of 360 acres of fine land, all well improved, with good house and splendid barn. Besides. Mr. Stoner has several shares in the National Bank of Marengo, and an interest in a grist mill in Green Valley, besides he has given his children homes. He has been engaged in the milling business; and had the first saw mill in the county, and sawed all the Inmber for fences and houses in the neighborhood. He has kept store, and at one time run a steam grist inill in Genoa Bluffs. He has bought and shipped, or rather driven, a large amount of stock out of this county. for in his younger days, and when he was in this kind of business, he had to drive all his stock to Iowa City. At one time lie went to Iowa City, when the land office was located there, to enter some land, withont a cent of money, and asked in the office if there was a man there who would enter forty acres of land for him and give him a bond for a deed and one year in which so pay for it, when a Dr. Bower said he would enter eighty acres and take his note, which was done. These gentlemen had never met before, and never bnt once afterward.
T' RACY, C. B .- Formerly partner with Mr. Gridley in the hardware busi- ness in Victor. Was born in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, in the year 1840. His mother removed while he was very young to Illinois and set- tled near Chicago, where they remained but a short time and removed to Monmouth, where Mr. Tracy was principally brought up and educated and learned the trade of a tinner. He started into business for himself at Avon, Illinois, where he continued to do business for about two years and removed to Kewanee, where he also became engaged in business and re- mained about eighteen months, and removed to Iowa. Settled in Victor and became a partner of Mr. Gridley, with whom he continued for about six years, but failing health compelled him to quit business and seek a different climate. He made three trips to Denver, Colorado, in hope of restoring his health and finally sold his interest in the store and moved his family to Denver, but the disease had so fastened itself upon him that a cure was impossible and he died January 1, 1874, at Denver and his fam- ily returned to Victor. Mrs. Tracy, whose maiden name was Spencer, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but during her infancy her par- ents removed to Hartford, Connecticut, where she was brought up. She was educated in the schools of Hartford and at the age of twenty-four years she was married to Mr. Tracy. By this nuion they had two children : Millie (who is now a member of the high school at Victor) and Mattie (who is a member of the grammar school). Mr. Tracy was a member of the Masonic fraternity.
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HARTFORD TOWNSHIP.
W ALLICK, JOHN-Dealer in agricultural implements and stock, Victor. Is one of the oldest and best known of any of our business men. Was born on the 27th day of March, 1837, in Holmes county, Ohio, where he was brought up on a farm and educated in the common schools of the country. He continued to live on the same farm on which he was born until he was twenty-eight years of age and came directly to Iowa and settled in Victor in the spring of 1865. At the time Mr. W. came here there were five houses, and one store kept by Wesley Hunt. Mr. Wallick built the first grain-house, the one now owned by Mr. N. M. Drunmond and which is still used for the same purpose. He also started the first lumber yard and established the first agricultural implement house and bought nearly all the stock which was shipped form Victor in the early history of the town. He is still dealing in stock and implements. He was married on the last day of June, 1860, to Miss Elizabeth A. Rockwell, of Millersburg, Hohnes county, Ohio, who is still living. By this union they have five children: Ida M., William P., George G., James P. and Nannie B. besides Julia (who died at the age of four months).
WHITWORTH, H .- Groceries, boots and shoes, Victor. Was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on the 20th day of September, 1849, in which city he was brought up and lived until he was about nineteen years of age. During his younger days he was dependent upon himselt for his livelihood and learned the trade of carder and spinner in the woolen mills of the Wetherds Brothers, who were large contractors for the government during the war. He staid with this firm until after the war, when, in 1869, he came West and found employment with Jordan & Carpenter, of Des Moines. Being brought up in a southern city, where there were no free schools, his education was very limited and he felt the need of a more thorough education and in 1873 he went to Quincy, Illinois, and entered school, where he remained about thirteen months. He then went to Lew- istown, Illinois, where he engaged in his business with Worley & Proctor, with whom he continued until the year 1874, when he returned to Quincy and entered school again and remained until he graduated. Being out of employment he wrote to several parties and secured work at St. Joseph, Missouri, setting up machinery in a woolen mill, where he was engaged but a short time, when he received word that his services were required as a salesman with Mr. Deffinbough, of Marengo, with whom he remained in that capacity for about six months. He became a partner and went to Williamsburg with a stock of goods, where he remained until 1876, when he sold out and returned home and took in the centennial. In the fall he returned to Iowa and was employed for a short time with Mr. Deffinbough, after which he started for himself at Grinnell, where he staid one year. In 1878 he came to Victor, where he has been in business ever since and by honesty and integrity has succeeded in building up a fine trade. He was married on the 9th of April, 1878, to Miss Georgia Watson, of Hunts- ville, Logan county, Ohio, who is still living and by whom he has two children, both girls: Edna and an infant unnamed. Mr. Whitworth owns his own store building, which is a fine business room 20x76 feet and carries a nice stock of goods.
WIGTON, LEWIS-Farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Victor. Was born on the seventh day of March, 1834, in Butler connty, Pennsylvania, where he was brought up to labor on the farm, receiving such an education as the common schools of that day could give. When he was about twenty-
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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.
two years of age, he removed to Iowa and settled in Johnson county where he continued to live until the war broke out, when he enlisted in company K, Twenty-second Iowa, being mustered into the service on the twenty- second day of August, 1862. On the fifteenth of September the regiment left Iowa City for the land of chivalry, via Davenport and St. Louis. It is next to impossible, in a work of this kind, to follow this regiment through all their marches until their return, but suffice it to say that there was no regiment from Iowa, unless it be the Twenty-eighth, which did as much traveling, both by land and water, as did the Twenty-second. He was en- gaged in the battles of Champion's Hill, Black River Bridge, Siege and Charge of Vicksburg, Siege of Jackson, Mississippi, Opequan, Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, Virginia. Was married on the fifteenth of March, 1859, to Miss Jemima Thompson, who was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, on the eighth day of December, 1837. She is the cousin of the Hon. Wm. G. Thompson, who is now the representative of the Fifth district of Iowa in the Congress of the United States. Is a lady of refine- ment and taste. By this union they had six children: Emma R., Mary J., Laura S., Olive, May and an infant not named; and one son who died while his father was in the army. Mr. Wigton went into the army as a private and was promoted to first sergeant; he received a wound in his right hand during a fire while trying to extinguish the flames, from which he has lost the entire use of one of his fingers. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M. society.
WILLIAMS, O. F .- Notary public and insurance agent. The subject of this sketch is doing a nice insurance business in Ladora, in which he makes a specialty of the State Insurance Company of Des Moines, while he represents several other companies. He is a live and active business man, and in connection with his insurance business he has quite a business as a collector. He was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, on the thirteenth of April, 1851, where he only lived a short time when his parents removed to Illinois and settled in McDonough county, and here on the farm young Williams was brought up, and educated in the common schools, until the year 1863, when his parents removed to Iowa, and settled in Keokuk county. Here young Williams continued to labor on the farm, and attend school in the winter time until he was prepared to teach school. when he engaged in that business, having had no other opportunities than those furnished by the common schools and the county normal, of which he had attended two in Keokuk and two in Iowa counties. He followed this business in connec- tion with farming three or four years. when, in December. 1878, he came to this place and became engaged in the insurance business, which he has ever since followed, not only in Ladora but he travels to other towns. He was married on the twenty-sixth of January, 1873, to Miss Eliza J. McConsbo of Keokuk county, who is still living, and by whom he has four children: Beatrice L., Bertha M., Bessie M. and Roscoe V.
WILKINS, CAPT. J. E .- Salesman for W. W. Orris. Was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 5th day of April, 1830, where he continued to live until he was twenty-one years of age, being brought up and educated on the farm, and in the common schools of that county, and the subject of this sketch acquired a fine practical education, and at the age above men- tioned he went to Illinois and stopped in La Salle county. During that . winter he taught school in Bureau county and in the spring of 1852, went overland to California, where he remained five years and then returned. to
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Illinois and became engaged in the grocery business at Geneseo, which he continued until the war broke out, when, in 1862, he entered the One Hun- dred and Twelfth Illinois infantry volunteers as the first lieutenant of com- pany I, which he only filled for a short time, being promoted to captain of his company on the 20th of September, 1862, which position he filled with credit to himself until the close of the war. His regiment was sent to Mis- souri in the fall of 1862 and spent the winter of 1862 and 1863 in bush- whacking in Missouri. And, in the spring of 1863, he was sent to East Tennessee, where they were engaged in fighting Forrest and others. On the 26th of September, 1863, while engaged in one of these skirmishes he was captured and taken to Libby Prison, where he remained until May, 1864, and then while they were being removed to Andersonville, he with others, cut a hole in the side of one of the box cars and made their escape. After wandering twenty days and nights in the mountains and forests of Georgia he reached the Federal lines, a wreck of his former self. He was- sent to the hospital where he remained for a short time. On the 3d day of August, 1864, he joined his command at Dalton, Georgia, and from this on. to the capture of Atlanta, he was engaged almost every day, participating in many of the hard fought battles of that campaign. After the capture of Atlanta his corps, the Twenty-third, was sent back with General Thomas to take care of General Hood, and was engaged in the battles of Columbia, Franklin and Naslıville, after which his command was ordered East, and went to Alexandria and were engaged at Fort Fisher and Andersonville and on down to Wilmington. Was honorably discharged at Chicago, Illinois, about the first of July, 1865, and then returned to Geneseo, Illinois, and engaged in business at Oakley, where he remained until 1870, when he re- moved to this place, where he has ever since lived. He was married on the. 4th of July, 1860, to Carrie Gilbert of Geneseo, Illinois, who is still living and by which union they have five children: Harry E., James E., Vance A., Anna B., and Clara E.
WILSON, JOHN-Was born in Genesee county, New York, July 15, 1825, and when three years old his parents moved to Allegany county, of the same State, where he worked on the farm and in the pinery for his brother from the time he was old enough until he was of age. He made his home with his parents until he was twenty-three, having purchased 30. acres of land which he cleared and farmed during the farming seasons and lumbered in the pinery during winters. In 1851 he sold his property in Allegany county and bought more land in the same county near Black Creek Corners, where he lived until 1824, when he went to Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where he bought a hotel called the Half-way House, half way between Towanda, Pennsylvania, and Owego, New York, living there until the spring of 1861, when he sold out and went to Illinois, where. he farmed as a renter and worked by the month until the fall of 1863 when he came to Iowa and settled in Tama county where he again farmed as a renter until the fall of 1866, when he came to Iowa county and purchased the farm he is now living on, one mile west of Ladora. His farm consists. of 240 acres and is all under cultivation. In 1848 he married Mary C. Biles of Bradford county, Pennsylvania. They have seven children: Sa- rah (the wife of R. Horton of Iowa county), Charles H. (living near the homestead), John Q. (of Iowa county), Ida B. (wife of Frank Ingraham of Honey Creek township), Frank, Samuel S., and Fred Lewis (who is living at home). He is a staunch Republican, originally being a Whig, and has
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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.
held the office of justice of the peace in his township for seven years, and that of township trustee for four years, and township assessor two years.
WILSON, A. C .- Farmer and stock-raiser. Was born where the city of Davenport now stands, on the 9th of December, 1838, his father being the surveyor who laid out the first town plat of the city. Here he continued to reside until the year 1866, receiving his education in the common schools of this county and at the Wesleyan University at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In the year 1863, he enlisted in the Twentieth Iowa, with which regiment he remained until June, 1865, when he returned to Iowa and became en- gaged in painting, which business he followed as a journeyman until the year 1870, working in nearly all the towns and cities in eastern Iowa. In 1870 he came to Victor and became engaged in agricultural pursuits, and from that to the restaurant business which he has followed until recently. He was married in 1873 to Miss Mary Wheeler, of Victor, who is still liv- ing, and by whom he has two children: Inez B. and Harrie M. He owns a nice farm in Poweshiek county.
WILSON, GEO. W .- Victor. Among the many prominent citi- zens of this city none are more worthy of special mention in connection with the city of Victor than the subject of this sketch. No man living, or dead, ever did so much for the building up of Victor as he. He was its founder and has been its warm friend since. He built the present depot and presented it, together with seven acres of land, and the right of way to the railroad company. Was born in Salem, Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 1st day of January, 1828, where he was brought up and educated in the schools of that city, receiving an academic education, which pre- pared him for entrance into the freshman class of the Williamstown Col- lege, at Williamstown, Massachusetts (the same in which Gen. Garfield afterward graduated), where he remained four years, graduating regularly in the year 1850. After his graduation he returned to his native city and studied law one year, was then elected justice of the peace, and appointed postmaster, which positions he held while he continued to live in Salem. In the year 1864 he came west and entered the land on which Victor is now situated, but did not remove until the year 1861, when the railroad was about to be built to this point. He removed to this place permanently and laid out the town, and made the liberal gifts before mentioned to the railroad company. Well may he be called the father of Victor. He estab- lished the first scales that were ever built here, and was the first regular station agent for the railroad company, which positions he held for two years from May 1862. In 1864 he was drafted into the army and became connected with company F, Fifteenth Iowa, which he joined at Atlanta, Georgia, on the 14th day of. November, 1864, just in time to witness the great conflagration of that city before Sherman started on his ever memor- able march to the sea, which he accompanied, and was present at the tak- ing of Savannah and at the surrender of Johnson to Sherman. Was mus- tered out of the service and honorably discharged at Newark, New Jer- sey, on the 2d day of September, 1865, when he returned to Victor, where he has ever since lived to enjoy the respect and confidence of all who know him. He was married on the 1st day of October, 1849, at Salem, Ohio, to Miss Louisa I. Black a lady of refinement, having received an academic education at Salem, and spent some time in teaching. She is still living
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.
and devotes herself to the care of her home and children, of whom she has three: Mary L., Genett M. (now Mrs. William D. Simpson), William H. (a young gentleman of nineteen years).
CHAPTER IV.
TROY TOWNSHIP.
Statistical-Physical Features -- Early Settlers-Naturalization-Thomas Hanson-Organiza- tion-Churches-American Congregational-Welsh Congregational-Methodist -- Schools -Williamsburg -- Societies-Masonic-Legion of Honor-Cemeteries-The Law of Bor- rowing-Terrible Prairie Fire-Biographical.
STATISTICAL.
THIS is one of the four central townships of Iowa county. It is bounded north by Hilton, east by York, south by Fillmore and west by Pilot, and exactly corresponds to the congressional township No. 79, range 10. There are therefore just thirty-six square miles or 23,040 acres of area in this town- ship. The population according to the census of 1880, was 955, in 1870, 862, having increased during the last decade 93 souls. The number of polls in 1880, was 193, and the number of votes polled at the election for President of the United States, November 2, 1880, was 186, James A. Gar- field receiving 131 votes, W. S. Hancock 52 votes and James B. Weaver 3. There are cattle to the number of 1,918, horses, 607; mules, 17; sheep, 347; swine, 4,376. This is a large stock raising township. The value of real estate amounts to $205,939. Personalty $60,269.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Old Man's Creek is the principal water-course, it runs completely through the township from the northwest to the southeast corner. This historical stream rises in Pilot township and flows east and south passing Williams- burg, through the southern tier of sections in York township, thence into Johnson county and discharges its waters into Iowa River about eight miles below Iowa City. It was on the banks of this creek that the first settlements in this part of Iowa county were made, and in fact only a short distance south of the stream, in what is now Greene township, Mr. Edward Ricord settled in March, 1840, the first settlement made in Iowa county. The surface of Troy is rolling, mostly good prairie, but some rough land and timber along Old Man's Creek.
EARLY SETTLERS.
Evan D. Evans, Richard Pugh and William Evans were the first white set- tlers in Troy township. They all came from the same State and settled at the same time. They all settled in section fifteen in the late fall of 1844. They were of Welsh descent, coming from Wales to America in the year 1840. Evan and William were brothers, and by marriage Richard Pugh became their brother-in-law. These three young men were married near Cincinnati, and very soon thereafter started west to the then wild and sparsely populated Territory of Iowa. They came by boat from Cincinnati to Burlington, then hired an ox-team to bring them on, arriving at the aforesaid place, in
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HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY.
what is now Troy township, in the cold weather of the fall of 1844. They hastily constructed a rude hut just south of the road at the center, near the east line of section 15, township 79, range 10 west of the 5th principal meridian. In this primitive habitation the three families lived during the winter 1844-5. This was the first house in Troy township. The next spring Richard Pugh's house was built of logs just east of the center of section fif- teen, this was the second house built in Troy township. Then William Evans built a log house near Old Man's Creek, a little west of the other two in section fifteen, this was the third house in Troy township.
Richard Pugh had a family of three children, all of whom are still living. Mr. Pugh died about twenty-two years ago and was buried in the ceme- tery in section fifteen, which was afterward called "Oak Hill Cemetery." His widow still lives. William Evans reared a family of ten children, and died in the spring of 1870, and was buried near the remains of Richard Pugh. His widow lives in Williamsburg.
Evan D. Evans reared a family of five, four of whom are still living, three sons and two daughters, one daughter is dead. The head of the family died in 1873, and was buried in the cemetery, in section fifteen. His widow, three sons and a daughter yet live in Troy township. Jane, David E., John R., William R. and Jane E. are the names of the children.
Jane Evans was the first white child born in the township. She was born in 1845, and died in 1848. David E. Evans, the eldest son, was the first white boy born in Troy township. He was born December 31, 1847.
NATURALIZATION.
The following will be found of interest to those who knew Mr. Evans:
" And now; to-wit., the 24th day of May, 1847, came Evan Evans into open court, and thereupon the court being satisfied that the said Evans has resided within the limits of and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the terms of five years; and also appeared in open court, Thomas Han- son, who being duly sworn, testified that Evan Evans has resided for more than one year in the Territory of Iowa, and that he has during that time behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the constitution of the United States, and disposed to the good order of the same and the said Evans having declared on oath that he does absolutely renounce all allegiance to every foreign prince, potentate and sovereignty, and particularly the Queen of Great Britain whereof he was a subject, was thereupon declared by the court duly naturalized and admitted to all the rights and privileges of a citizen of the United States of America."
Thomas Hanson and Stephen Hanson were the next settlers in Troy. They settled in the spring of 1845 on section twenty-three. Thomas Han- son was born in Ireland in the year 1809, and in the year 1831 came to America, landing in the United States; he soon engaged at work in a stone quarry near Troy, New York. Here he worked three years, then spent one winter in Charleston, South Carolina. He lived in Ohio from 1837 to 1845, then came to Iowa and settled on southeast quarter of section 23, township 79, range 10. Thomas Hanson married before he came to Iowa Territory and has here reared a family of six boys.
These sons are all married except the youngest, and all are an honor to an honorable and upright father. Their names are Michael, John, Hugh, Stephen, Thomas and Edward.
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Mr. Hanson when his sons in succession married gave each eighty acres of land and now each is in good circumstances. Thomas Hanson has been one of the leading citizens of Iowa county, since its organization in 1845. He took an active and reliable interest in the rapid growth of Iowa county. He still lives on his old farm, and though bereft of his wife, the faithful partner of his youthful days and sharer in all the hardships inci- dent to a new and unsubdued country, the light of his joy, the solace of his grief, he has remarkably preserved his mental vigor and genial Irish char- acter. He is a remarkable man for his retentive memory-the store of prac- tical information he possess. May his days yet be many and his final re- ward be among the blessed. Some say that his son Hugh Hanson was the first white boy in Troy township, being born July 2, 1846.
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