USA > Iowa > Jackson County > The history of Jackson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion history of the Northwest, history of Iowa miscellaneous matters, &c > Part 64
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" This, Mr. President, is, in brief, what we have done toward permanently organizing an 'Old Settlers' Association.' As to the causes which prompted these meetings and led to this organization, I do not know that I can tell you so well; because I cannot tell you why it is that old associations become so endeared to us. Why we love to meet with those we knew years ago, and talk over with them the toils and hardships we endured with them in frontier life, and, above all, the joyous pleasures of those early days. For the old settler will tell you the free and joyous pleasures of frontier life are not to be com- pared with the scheming, calculating, commercial air which even the pleasures of to-day assume ; and while we talk over this long ago, recalling this happy incident and that, naming in pleasant remembrance this one and that one who have crossed the 'dark river,' a field of thought and contemplation is opened up to us, which all have felt and reverence, but which we cannot tell. It has a home in every heart, but no tongue to give it utterance. We know the sky that canopied us a quarter of a century or more ago was brighter and clearer than that of to-day ; that the friendships and associations of that long ago are nearer to our hearts than those of recent date, and as we wander back over these early scenes and dwell in silent thoughit upon the thousand varied recol- lections of former days, we find there is an inner chamber, a holy of holies, in the heart, kept sacred to the memories of early life, where recent friendships and recent associations, however dear and enjoyable to us, can never enter, never intrude. And I apprehend it is this reverence of the heart for the recol- lections of the past which we understand but cannot tell, which prompted and which will, I think, perpetuate our annual gatherings.
" Old settlers, let us revive these recollections, and pledge anew the friend- ships we have cherished so long. The objects of our Association are two-fold- the cultivation of the social virtues, and the collection of such historic inci- dents pertaining to the early settlement of our county as should be deemed
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
worthy of preservation. Our meetings have been replete with fruits of the former, and we are better and happier for it. But it is a matter of regret that, heretofore, the collection of material for the history of the settlement and development of our county has been so much neglected. Our carly pioneers are passing rapidly from among us, each one, perhaps, bearing with him a part of the material which constitutes the history of our county. If this material were properly collected and culled by this Association, its aggregate would undoubtedly be of great interest to those who are to succeed us. I am aware the headlong haste of the world to-day, and the magnitude of the commercial, mechanical and political interests of the times are so absorbing, it is difficult to get down to smaller things. Yet it is equally true these great interests are but aggregations of small interests ; that our own great State stands to-day the proudest of the proud, but that our county is a distinct part of this State, and among the earliest of its settled portions.
" How proper it is then, at these annual meetings-these pauses in our onward journey, when we turn, as it were, to look back upon the paths we have traveled-to gather up, as mementos for those who are to follow us, a few of the flowers that cheered and gladdened us on the way."
The eloquent gentleman continued by referring to the blessings of our times, and finished his discourse with the following sentiment :
" While I have been rambling and disconnected in my thoughts, I return with the conclusion that our lots have been cast in a happy age, and our lives have been spent in a glorious land. Let us transmit to our children, untar- nished, and purer and brighter than when we found them, the trusts and privi- leges we enjoy as citizens of Iowa, citizens of the United States."
After this address, old times were talked over, and many a hearty langh went up from "ye old settler," as some good by-gone joke was resurrected from the, past and told over again, with spice added. After a bountiful supper, the company indulged in a good, old-fashioned dance. and kept it up till the early dawn.
ยท There have been several of these gatherings, and they are looked for- . ward to with very pleasant anticipations by all who have ever attended one.
The following are the names of those who belong to the club, and the date of their coming to Bellevue :
W. A. Warren, 1836; Samuel S. Simpson, 1840; Horatio G. Crary, 1837 ; Mahlon G. Hyler. 1842; Joseph Kelso, 1846; Andrew Woods, 1845; George W. Lewis, 1842; Arnold Reiling, 1838 ; Thomas Hood Davis, 1843 : James J. Reed, 1848; Eli Cole, 1848; John Muncy, 1852; Frank Schlecht, 1850; T. J. Pearce, 1838; Jerry Jonas, 1834;, B. F. Stucky, 1835; James Fulkerson, 1849; David Harris, 1843; Edward H. Porter, 1847; Nick Robb, 1850; Lucius B. Potter, 1842; D. J. Watkins, 1846; A. Kirkadden, 1843; Wilson Reeves, 1848; P. Shipler, 1851; Patrick Far- rell, 1841 ; Charles Bousch, 1848; John Efferdine, born in Jackson County, April 9, 1838 ; Hannah A. Efferdine, 1837; W. A. Magannis, 1852; W. A. Weber, 1839 ; George Hoy, 1851 ; James Clark, 1839; John D. Miller. 1842; Alexander Reed, 1833; W. H. Reed, -; Daniel Sanborn, 1839; George F. Dyas, 1834; William Dyas, 1833; Henry Rollins, 1839; Theo- dore Neeman, 1838; Catherine Nicholson, 1844; Mary Dyas, 1839; John Simmons, 1842 ; Mary J. Sublett, 1834; Henry Ernst, 1842; John C. Ellis. 1852; Asa Simmons, 1842; Mrs. Fanning, 1852; Mrs. Simpson, 1840; Dr. Lawrence Miller, 1850.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
BELLEVUE PIONEERS.
Among the early settlers of Bellevue, now deceased, who, in their life- times, took prominent parts in the history, and lent their energy and enterprise to the advancement of its material wealth, were the following :
John D. Sublett, one of the early pioneers of this Western country, was born in Kentucky November 8, 1806, and, as early as 1825, removed to South- ern Illinois, and soon after to Galena. He carried on the hotel business there, and kept the only first-class hotel in the place, in those early days. He came to Bellevue in 1836, and, in connection with John D. Bell, built the first saw- mill in the place. He was a man of decided character, and an exemplary citi- zen. He was one of the men who took a prominent part in ridding the coun- try of the outlaws who infested Bellevue in the early days, and was one of the first to volunteer his help to the Sheriff in arresting the thieves. He fought in the battle of April 1, 1840. He built the Sublett House, in 1852, now called the Bower House. He held several town offices, and was greatly lamented at his death, which took place in February, 1853. He left a wife and five children.
John D. Bell came here in 1835, and was a partner of Mr. Sublett in the first saw-mill built here. He was a man of a great deal of energy and force of character. He caused the town to be laid out in 1835, and was the first Post- master when an office was established here, in 1836. He took a very promi- nent part in the Bellevue fight, volunteering his services among the first. He raised a large family, who have scattered over the Western country. He died some years ago near Dubuque. As already mentioned, he had the honor of having this town named after him, it being called " Bellview " in early times.
Capt. Elbridge Gerry Potter was one of the early settlers of Bellevue, coming here in 1842, and locating in the valley west of the town. He culti- vated this beautiful tract of land, and soon made it one of the finest farms in the State. He gave the name of " Paradise " to his place, and it is well named, for a more beautiful place would be hard to find. He built the flouring- mills in Bellevue known as the Jasper Mill, and did an extensive business in the manufacture of flour, and continued the same until 1871, when he sold out to Kilborn & Co., who now run the mills. He was a hard-working, self-rely- ing man, doing his own thinking upon all subjects. He did not belong to any church, having been an avowed atheist from childhood, his belief being all con- tained in the Golden Rule. In politics, he was a Whig and Republican, but never held any office other than County Commissioner of St. Clair County, Ill.
BLACK HAWK'S CAMP.
There are a few places of interest about Bellevue that are worthy of men- tion. One place within the city limits is very interesting on account of the history connected with it. It was the site of Black Hawk's camping-ground. About three hundred yards northeast of the present depot, on the bank of the river, is plainly to be seen the embankment thrown up around the council-room of Black Hawk and his warriors ; also the headquarters of Black Hawk. The council-room was 22x40 feet, and the headquarters twenty feet square. They were in perfect preservation as late as 1834. They were built of poles twelve feet high, and inclosed and covered with bark. The council-room seats were composed of round poles with the bark peeled off, and extended around the whole building at a proper height. The entrance was on the bank of the river.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
The point where it is located commands one of the finest views of the river, both up and down, that can be had. Where the depot now stands, about twenty acres had been cultivated by the Indians, and the cornstalks were still visible in 1834.
SCHOOLS.
We find that our forefathers believed in the good effect of common-school education, for no sooner did they settle in a new country and break the land and build a log hut, than they forthwith sent for a schoolmaster. that their children might be taught to read, write and cipher. Their teachers were often possessed of but little education, but with the assumption of great learning and the unsparing use of the rod, they succeeded in instilling some knowledge of the three " R's" into the young minds of the rising generation. Such evidently was the belief of the pioneers of this place, for although the first settler did not come here till 1833, and the settlement was very slow, yet as early as 1837, with but few families here, it was decided that they must have a school, and a schoolmistress was procured in the person of Mrs. Laura Mallard, who opened a school in a little log cabin which stood on Front street, near where Capt. Hyler's store now stands. She taught there for some time when the school was moved to a small building on the lot where Mr. Bower's dwelling now stands, and, in fact, his house is made partially of this old schoolhouse. Here for many years a subscription school was conducted, and the foundation of many an education was laid, which, in after years, helped its possessor to fight life's battles with success. Even after a public-school system was established, did these subscription schools continue their work.
In 1840, the Legislature of the Territory passed an act making provision for the establishment of public schools, and such schools were established here, and continued their labors under the same authority until the adoption of the new State Constitution, in 1858.
In 1857, the Bellevue Academy was formed, which was designed to be a high school for those who had finished their course of studies in the District School, but at the time of the establishment of the Graded Schools provided for in the new Constitution, it was abandoned, and the following communication will explain the disposition of its effects :
The District Bourd of Directors, to the Trustees of Bellevue .Icademy :
GENTLEMEN-Being desirous of having the schoolroom and the furniture for District pur- poses, we propose to you that we will employ Miss E. Cresy, provided you will transfer her to our services ; and, further, will purchase your furniture at cost when authorized to do so by a vote of the District, provided you allow us the use of said furniture free from rent, we being responsible for any damage while in our charge.
STATE OF IOWA, JACKSON COUNTY-SS .:
P. L LAKE, President.
I, W. A. Maginnis, Secretary of the Board of Academy Trustees, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original proposition made to and accepted by said Board. W. A. MAGINNIS, Sec'y. of Board of Academy Trustees.
The Board of Directors allowed the bill of the Bellevue Academy at $118, upon the 3d day of August, 1858.
The first Board of Directors of the District Township of Bellevue were: P. L. Lake, President ; W. A. Maginnis, Vice President ; D. J. Watkins, Sec -. retary ; T. H. Davis, Sub-Director.
At a meeting for the purpose of fixing the boundaries between the Bellevue District and the Township District, held at Dr. Cowden's office. March 26, 1859, the following boundaries were agreed upon :
Beginning at the Mississippi River at the intersection of the line between Sections 28 and 33, in Township 86 north, Range 5 east of the Principal Meridian : thence west in said section
544
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
line to the quarter-section corner between Sections 30 and 31; thence north to the center of Section 30; thence west to the quarter-section corner on the west side of Section 30; thence north on the township line to the corner of Sections 19, 24, 25 and 30; thence west on section line three-fourths of a mile ; thence north two miles to the south line of Section 12; thence east on the south line of Section 12 half a mile ; thence north half a mile ; thence east to the Mis- sissippi River ; thence down said river to the place of beginning.
The Directors arranged the tax levy, the grading of the schools, formation of subdistricts and made rules for the government of the schools.
The first books adopted by the Board for the use of the schools were the series published by McGuffey and Ray.
Among the rules adopted were : That all boys who were not attending school would be kept out of the schoolyard during school hours ; and that all pupils getting intoxicated should be excluded from the school until the teacher was satisfied that such pupil would refrain from such practice.
The amount of tax estimated by the Board to be levied iu 1859, for teacher's fund, was one mill on the dollar ; for schoolhouse fund, a half-mill on the dollar.
The following report presented at a meeting of the Board, August 25, 1862, shows the condition of the school at that time : Number of persons in the dis- trict between the ages of five and twenty-one years, males, 162; females, 244 ; total, 406; number of schools, 1; number of teachers, 3; number of school buildings, 1; about 304 different pupils attended during the year ; average attendance, 110; average cost per week, per pupil, 152 cents ; aggregate amount paid teachers during the year, $680; amount of teacher's fund in district treasury, $192; 1 brick schoolhouse worth $4,000; the branches taught were arithmetic, reading, grammar. geography, algebra, philosophy, history, orthog- raphy and writing.
July 25, 1862, the Western Lodge, No. 15, I. O. O. F., made a present of their fund, amounting to $1,000, to the School Board for the benefit of the teacher's fund, stipulating that the principal should be invested and the interest only used. This generous gift was accepted, and the fund enjoys the benefit at the present time.
In 1865, the question whether German should be taught in the schools, was submitted to popular vote, and was decided in the affirmative, and that branch was added to the course of studies.
The Principals since 1859 have been as follows: 1859, David H. Cowden ; 1860, J. P. Edie ; 1861-62, W. L. Redmond; 1863-64, O. N. Odell; 1865, Edward Ford: 1866, William M. Bragg ; 1867-68, George C. Johnson ; 1869, Miss E. Munger : 1870-75, John McLeod; 1876-78, C. E. Smith ; 1878, D. D. Ford ; 1879, J. C. Murray.
The Teachers elected are: J. C. Murray, Principal, $80 per month ; Miss Jennie A. Dorr, $35 per month ; Miss Rosa Heaton, $30 per month : Mrs. M. A. Bockins, $40 per month.
NEWSPAPERS.
Bellevue has had quite a number of newspapers, if the variety of titles by which papers that have been published here could be taken as an indication of their number ; but a glance at the dates of those of different names will satisfy any one that it is not in the number of papers that Bellevue has had, as it is the variety of names the same paper has been called, for at no time in its history have more than two local papers been published at the same time, and most of the time only one paper has had an existence.
The following are some of the titles which have appeared at the head of the local paper : Western Democrat, Jackson County Press, Bellevue Banner,.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Bellevue Argus, Bellevue Journal, Iowa Republic, Jackson County Leader, Bellevue Leader.
The first paper published here was the Western Democrat, which was moved in from Andrew, and was published by J. B. Dore, in 1852. He sold out, that year. to P. Moriarty, who changed the name to Jackson County Press, and continued its issue for several years.
The following gentlemen have since published a paper here, under some of the above titles : Cotton, Furry, Helms, Odell, W. A. Warren, Beardsley & Bauman, S. S. Simpson edited a paper for Odell, Pollock, Demming, Elliott, Evans & Bradley, Evans.
An unfortunate feature of this multitude of editorial talent has been that, in the many changes, the files of the different papers have not been preserved, and to-day it is impossible to find a complete file of any paper. Thus the record of past events has been destroyed, except as it is found in the minds of the actors in past scenes.
POST OFFICE.
The post office was first established in Bellevue in 1836, and John D. Bell, the gentleman who has the honor of having the town named after him, was the first Postmaster. The mails in those days were not as extensive as now, nor were the conveyances by which they were carried so expeditious as now, but the early settlers looked with as eager longing for the coming of the man on horseback, with the mail-bag thrown over the horse's back, as we do now for the regular daily mails, and perhaps with greater anxiety, for then but one mail a week was carried, and that a "through mail " from Davenport to Dubuque. This was the arrangement until 1845, when the mail was changed to three times a week, and the good citizens of Bellevue thought then that the march of improvement was making rapid strides. These mails were carried in this manner till 1850, when a daily mail was established. This continued till 1856, when the mail packets carried the mail daily till 1872. Then the railroad was built, and now Bellevue rejoices in the possession of two daily mails each way.
A mail route was established between Bellevue and Andrew, which carried the mails three times a week on horseback, in 1845. In 1850, a tri-weekly mail was carried from Galena to Andrew, in coaches. Then, in 1860, it was changed to a tri-weekly from, Bellevue to Maquoketa. and, in 1875, a daily mail by coach was put on between Bellevue and Maquoketa, and is now carried so.
The following gentlemen have been Postmasters since the first establishment of the post office here, and they held in the order named : John D. Bell, H. S. Allen, Z. Jennings, William T. Wynkoop, John Foley, G. W. McNulty, W. T. Hays, N. T. Wynkoop, B. Pollock, G. W. McNulty.
BANKS.
The first banking-house in Bellevue was opened by two gentlemen under the style of Hall & Styles, and commenced business in 1859. They continued business for some time, when the bank of Kelso & Redmond was established. They continued together for some time, when they separated and each opened a bank, one under the name of J. Kelso, and the other of W. L. Redmond & Co., but this latter firm gave up the business some time ago.
The present banking-houses are : The bank of Bellevue, owned by B. W. Seward, of which Mr. Andrew Wood is Cashier, and the banking house of J. Kelso.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
HOTELS.
Bellevue was but two years old when she arose to the dignity of possessing a hotel. It was opened by Peter Dutell, in 1835. It was a two-story frame building, containing seven sleeping-rooms. The building was about sixteen by thirty feet in size, and then stood on Front street, about half-way from the steamboat landing to Dorchester's Mills. Dutell kept the house about a year, when J. L. Kirkpatrick took it and ran it till 1838. Then W. W. Brown was its proprietor, and, under his administration, many were its nightly broils and drunken orgies, for in this house did the band of horse-thieves and highway robbers have their rendezvous, and Brown was their leader. Here was where they took refuge on the memorable 1st day of April, 1840, and resisted the citizens. Here was fought the Bellevue war, in which several were killed and the robbers were defeated. Brown was killed in this fight, and the hotel was kept open but a little while afterward.
Mrs. Palmer opened a hotel in 1836, in a frame building on Front street. The hotel is now called the Jackson House. She enjoyed a good degree of patronage, and the building has been used for hotel purposes ever since.
The Sublett House was built in 1853, by I. S. Sublett, who died before finishing it, and Eli Cole completed the building. It is a commodious struct- ure, containing twenty-seven rooms, and is situated on Second street, near the corner of State. The first proprietor was Bruce Haslep, who has since been killed in Denver, Colo. The proprietorship has gone through several hands till now, under the name of the Bower House, it enjoys the reputation of being the leading hotel in this part of the county. The present proprietor is Mr. N. O. Ames, an old hotel man and an affable gentleman, of whom it may be said in all truthfulness : " He knows how to keep a hotel."
The other hotels which now provide for the traveling public, are the Mer- chants' Hotel, which, till a few years ago, was a private residence, but now, under the proprietorship of Mr. Hilger, the sojourner in Bellevue may there find a good place to stop and will be well taken care of. The Central House, also, has a good reputation, Mr. Weck being its proprietor. The Jackson House is a quiet, neat little house on Front street. and is well kept.
CEMETERIES.
The first public burying-ground used by the citizens of Bellevue was in the west part of town, and appears now on the map as Lot 487 and Lots 31 and 32, on Gammel's Addition. Here were placed the bodies of most of those who fell in the Bellevue war, both citizens and outlaws. There is no stone to mark the resting-place of some thirty or forty others interred here, for the place has been desecrated, and the ground which every instinct tells us should be sacred, is now unhallowed by the mark of the furrow. A field of corn now grows over the first cemetery of Bellevue. This burial ground was abandoned in 1849. Previous to this time, the Bellevue Town Cemetery was purchased, containing between two and three acres, situated in the northern part of town. The first interment on these grounds was that of Lucinna, the young daughter of Will- iam Jonas, who died in 1839. In 1871, an addition, containing a quarter of an acre, was purchased, and is laid out in lots.
The Catholic Church also has a place of burial, bought from the United . States Government in 1846. It contains four acres. and under its sod have been laid those who died in the Catholic faith.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Some of the other churches have private burial grounds in the lower part of town.
THE COURT HOUSE.
The Court House was built in 1845 by Dohaney & Jones. It is situated in the center of the square bounded by Third, State, Fourth and Court streets. It is a two-story brick building, with belfry. The main building is 61x42 feet. There have been two wings added, each 40x24 feet. The south wing was built in 1870, and the north wing in 1872. The building is valued at $4,500. Since the removal of the county seat from Bellevue, the building has been used for school purposes.
ANDERSONVILLE PRISONERS.
There are in Bellevue many who fought during the war of the rebellion, on the Union side, who, besides the hardships natural in an army, endured many trials that it would seem impossible for men to bear, if we did not know that men did bear them. The horrors of Andersonville have been written about so many times that we are all familiar with the sickening details. The following gentlemen survived, and are residents of Bellevue : M. Altfilesch, Antoine Weinshenk, Thomas Long, William C. Bovard, Theodore Martin, John Miller, H. G. Millman, Charles Schmoger. Their regiment was captured near Jones- boro, Ga., while on an expedition to cut off Bragg's retreat, but, their forces not making connections with others who were sent to help them, they were sur- rounded and captured, and sent to Andersonville Prison. Some of the above made their escape, and endured untold misery before they reached the Union lines. The balance stayed until they were exchanged.
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