USA > Iowa > Warren County > The history of Warren 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 &c > Part 39
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But there were certainly some occasions when the settlers were not in the least degree affected by anything in the nature of bashfulness. When their rights were threatened or invaded they had "muscles of iron and hearts of
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flint." It was only when brought together for merely social purposes that they seemed ill at ease. If any emergency arose, or any business was to be attended to, they were always equal to the occasion.
CLAIM CLUBS.
During the early settlement of all this portion of country, while the dif- ferent lands were being claimed and taken up, the greater part of the first settlers banded themselves together for mutual protection in organizations called "claim clubs," to prevent the encroachment of land speculators, "professional claim jumpers," and various kinds of intruders who had no intention of settling here and enduring their share of the hardships and labor involved in opening up and improving a new country.
It was a perilons act for any one outside of these claim clubs to take a claiin in any of the more desirable parts of the county, lest he should settle upon or interfere with some club-member's previous claim or interest, and if such a thing did occur, no matter how innocent he may have been as to his intentions of intruding, in all such cases the non-initiated could do nothing but give up his claim, improvements and all, either peaceably or through compulsion of the combined force of the club, and resignedly seek elsewhere for lands. If he did not feel like submitting to this treatment, his only hope was to join the club for protection and advice, and thus be admitted to the secrets of its plan of working.
In many instances these claim clubs did good service when the enforce- ment of law and order seemed otherwise impossible, in protecting settlers in their rights of home and property. While on the other hand, doubtless, a good many honest and innocent persons were caused to suffer serious loss and inconvenience through the workings and sometimes unfair means of these clubs.
The very best intentioned organizations and individuals sometimes make mistakes in running to extremes, and canse injury to others by that which was only originally intended to be beneficial. Especially is this the case where so many different minds and dispositions are united to govern one organization.
So it was, to a greater or less extent, with these early claim clubs. While the chief design in their work was the mutual protection and benefit of all the members, and the proper settlement and development of the country, the injudicious, selfish members sometimes caused the institution of means that resulted in the injury and oppression of the innocent.
But professional claim jumpers were plentiful, as well as very shrewd and persistent in their modes of working to get the advantage, and these organized clubs seemed to prove the only effectual checkmates for them. In this respect, therefore, the latter accomplished a good work and afforded a formidable defense.
These clubs existed in almost every community, and were by no means a new institution when first introduced here. The claim rights of settlers were then regulated by what was called the claim law, which had its origin in Jefferson county, and was in a certain sense sanctioned by the legislature of 1839.
The plan of organization was very simple. A captain was selected, and each member of the club signed a pledge in the form of by-laws. And these by-laws form a curiosity well worth reading.
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
BY-LAWS.
WHEREAS: Self-protection, the acquiring and peaceable possession of property are essen- tial to the happiness and prosperity of the people; and
WHEREAS: Reckless claim jumpers and invidious wolves in human form are prowling through the county for the purpose of robbing the settler of his claim and of the means of support; therefore, be it
Resolved, 1. That we pledge ourselves to protect every member of this club in his rights of claim, or against the pre-emption of adverse parties, without fear of the world, the flesh or the devil.
2. That no person shall be allowed to pre-empt, or to purchase from government any claim of a member of the club, without the unequivocal consent of the member.
3. That the filing of any intention to pre-empt, in contravention of the right of any member hereof, shall be regarded as an attempt to deprive one member of his rights under the eternal fitness of things, and we pledge ourselves one to another to meet the offender on the home stretch with logic of life or death.
4. That a committee of three be raised, whose duty shall be to hear and adjust any dis- putes, evasions or disagreements that may arise with members of this club, or any case where claims of members are in dispute with outside, adverse claimants, of every character whatever.
5. That we pledge ourselves to sustain and uphold our committees and appointments in the performance of their several duties, and to enforce their decisions and adjudications to the very letter with force and arms if necessary.
6. That a cordial invitation is hereby extended to every citizen of the county to sign these articles of by-laws, and assist in their faithful execution and enforcement.
There was a Claim Association in a portion of Polk county and Warren, in what was termed the "Three Rivers Settlement." Of the first organi- zation Allen Hall was captain, and James Laverty and Alex. Ginder were officers.
Later another association was organized in the neigliborhood of Indianola, of which Alex. Ginder was captain, and Allen Brooks and Harrison Jordon secretaries. The former company had two or three violations of their rules, the latter but one. Of this one Colonel P. P. Henderson thus speaks in a letter:
"I remember that Eunion Williams made a claim some two miles south- west of Ackworth, put him up a good hewed-log honse, had some fifteen acres fenced and broken. Morman Haworth, who now lives near the place, entered the forty acres on which the improvements of Williams were made. As soon as the fact was made known we were called together at the residence of Thomas Feagins, and Morman Haworth was summoned to be present. He came. Samnel Haworth, Alexander Ginder and David Lair were appointed a committee to inform Haworth of his violation of the rules, and for him to make liis defense if he had any. He refused to make any answer at first, but at the sight of the 'tar-bucket' and feathers he came to terms. The committee, or jury, decided that Haworth should deed bim the land, and wait one year for his pay, taking the land as security. He was allowed nothing for his trouble, only the $1.25 per acre."
These rules of these organizations were intended only for the protection of bona fide settlers, and not for that of speculators in claims, and the rights of the settlers were well guarded, and justice done to the claimant and to the purchaser, according to the rules of the associations, so that land speculators never interfered with the rights of the settlers.
Some of the organizations were kept up years after all the lands were taken up, as vigilance committees, for protection against horse-thieves.
There was also a similar association at Hartford, of which the captain was Eli Fouts.
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
PIONEER LIFE.
All the experience of the early pioneers of this county goes far to con- firm the theory that, after all, happiness is pretty evenly balanced in this world. They had their privations and hardships, but they had also their own peculiar joys. If they were poor they were free from the burden of pride and vanity; free, also, from the anxiety and care that always attend the possession of wealth. Other people's eyes cost them nothing. If they had few neighbors, they were on the best of terms with those they had. Envy, jealousy and strife had not crept in. A common interest and a com- mon sympathy bound them together with the strongest ties. They were a little world to themselves, and the good feeling that prevailed was all the stronger because they were so far removed from the great world of the East.
There was a peculiar sort of free-masonry among the pioneers. New- comers were made welcome, and ready hands assisted them in building their homes. Neighbors did not even wait for an invitation or request to help one another. Was a settler's cabin burned or blown down ? No sooner was the fact known throughout the neighborhood than the settlers assem- bled to assist the unfortunate one to rebuild his home. They came with as little hesitation, and with as mnuch alacrity, as though they were all mem- bers of the same family and bound together by ties of blood. One man's interest was every other man's interest also. Now this general state of feeling among the pioneers was by no means peculiar to this county, although it was strongly illustrated here. It prevailed generally through- out the West during the time of the early settlement. The very nature of things taught the settlers the necessity of dwelling together in this spirit. It was their only protection. They had come far away from the well- established reign of law, and entered a new country where the civil author- ity was still feeble, and totally unable to afford protection and redress grievances. Here in Warren county the settlers lived for quite a time before there was a single officer of the law in the county. Each man's protection was in the good will and friendship of those about him, and the thing any man might well dread was the ill will of the community. It was more terrible than the law. It was no uncommon thing in the early times for hardened inen, who had no fear of jails or penitentiaries, to stand in great fear of the indignation of a pioneer community.
For the first six years after the first settlement Warren county was in the earliest stage of pioneer life. All that can be known of this period is drawn solely from tradition. The county was yet unorganized, and there is not a page of record of any kind to be found of the history of the county during this time. Most of the men who lived here during that time have departed, and the few that remain have their memories obscured by the mists of thirty years.
In those days the people took no care to preserve history-they were too busily engaged in making it. Historically speaking, those were the most important years of the county, for it was then the foundation and corner stones of all the county's history and prosperity were laid. Yet this period was not remarkable for stirring events. It was, however, a time of self- reliance, and brave, persevering toil, of privations cheerfully endured through faith in a good time coming. The experience of one settler was just about the same as that of others. They were almost invariably poor, they faced the same hardships and stood generally on an equal footing.
Ino, Dota jacks
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
The people of this county were more fortunate than the early settlers of most other counties, in that the first mill built anywhere in the country was in their own borders, and a distance of not more than thirty miles from the farthest point in the new settlement. They have, therefore, had few of those experiences of going seventy-five miles to mill, as have those of the others, as this (Parmelee's) mill was both a saw and grist-mill, and for a long time made the meal, flour and Inmber for all the region now included in Warren, Madison, Polk and Dallas counties, and sometimes for settlers living even in more distant parts.
To a good extent, this inill, on account of its convenient location and ca- pacity for grinding, stopped the rush of travel to Oskaloosa from all the country now known as Central Iowa, especially of all those who had found it necessary to go there for milling purposes and breadstuffs; and being the only mill in all these parts as a consequence it was crowded night and day with anxious customers, each desiring to get his grist done first so as to re- turn home.
On account of the great rush of work it had to do, and possibly because it was not built and run altogether in the most systematic and commend- able manner, this mill finally got so completely out of repairs that they were compelled to stop running it. This brought a sad state of affairs for the settlers in the communities and country around abont, who were now in the habit of getting all their grinding and sawing done at this place.
Something must be done to put it in running order again so as to accom- modate the customers.
Finally Judge L. D. Burns, the pioneer mill-wright, was sent for to put it to rights again, and after a two weeks siege of as thorough repairing as the circumstances and conveniences would permit, the mill was again found in running order, to the delight of the owner and the eminent satisfaction of his numerous and dependent customers.
And in order that our younger readers may more fully understand the hardships endured by the settlers in other counties we append Judge Burns' narrative of the difficulties attending the break down, and the joy at the completion of the repairs:
"The miller, poor Mordecai Disney, seemed to be overwhelmed with trouble, at times, to know what to do amid the babble around him, and this deserving class of people are apt to get, as a general thing, more cursings than blessings anyhow.
" Poor Disney had learned to make the most of his position under ordi- nary pressure, but this was rather too much for his trained equanimity, and he would get off, now and then, some of the most chilling expletives that we ever heard.
" This mill was finally run down with constant overwork and no care, and it became so relaxed that it stopped business altogether. This was a ter- rible blow to the settlers, and its stoppage implied the going away off to Oskaloosa for breadstuffs.
"Several machinists were called in but the patient got worse and worse. We were finally called to the sick bed of the frontier mill in consultation. We found the patient completely prostrated, its nervous system was sadly out of sorts. We administered alteratives and cardiacs. The patient, under this radical treatment, and in the course of two weeks, got entirely well and was ready to go to work again with increased vitality. But, alas! when we
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
were ready to try the ability of the convalescent mill to eat corn, we were brought to realize the fact that
" 'Life is a dream of a few brief acts, The actors shift, the scene is often changed. Pauses and revolutions intervene, The mind is set to many and varied tune And jars and plays in harmony by turns.'
"John D. Parmelee was not in calling distance to come and see the ex- patient survive. John had put in most of his time, during the sickness and convalesence of the mill, np at the Fort as a zealous votary of the fiery god Bacchus. The excellent woman and wife, Mrs. Parmelee, sent Jack, an old bachelor domestic, to go up to the Fort and bring John D. home ' to see the mill start.' Jack went, but delayed his coming. Another messen- ger was sent by the good woman to hasten Jack's return. The second messenger found John D. and Jack on a protracted 'bust,' deaf to all en- treaty. Jolin refused to come home to 'see the mill start.' The second messenger, too, was soon overcome by the furious god, and joined in the debauch. The miller, Mordecai Disney, was finally sent up to the Fort to bring back the three loyal disciples of jolly Jolin Barleycorn. He was suc- cessful, and John D. saw ' the mill start' out with new life and vigor, to his perfect satisfaction, muttering all the while to himself:
" 'There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries.'
"Suddenly John D. yelled out at the top of his voice, ' see boys, how she chaws.' "
Going to mill in those days, when there were no roads, no bridges, no ferry-boats, and scarcely any convenience for traveling, was no small task where so many rivers and treacherous streams were to be crossed, and such a trip was often attended with great danger to the traveler when these streams were swollen beyond their banks. But even under these circum- stances some of the more adventurous and ingenious ones, in cases of emer- gency, found the way and means by which to cross the swollen streams and succeed in making the trip. At other times, again, all attempts failed them, and they were compelled to remain at home until the waters subsided, and depend on the generosity of their fortunate neighbors.
The year 1848 was, generally, a fruitful, prosperous one for the county. Careful preparation and faithful efforts had been made, during this and the previous year, by almost every one present, for securing a crop for the har- vest of this year, which would be at least sufficient to supply all the settlers and their now increasing stock with all the essentials of living, and, if pos- sible, have some to spare for those coming in, so that the community would be supplied with breadstuffs and common home products, without going so far from the settlements to secure these necessaries at high prices and with gaeat difficulty of transporting.
For this faithful labor and careful preparation the settlers were bounti- fully and almost universally rewarded with a fruitful harvest, and with an excellent quality of grain and other products raised.
This was, of course, a great source of encouragement as well as comfort
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HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
to those in this new country, and gave them sufficient assurance that they could very readily be able not only to comfortably support themselves, but could raise quite a surplus to sell to the new-comers for cash with which to purchase the groceries, clothing and other essential articles for family use and farm improvements.
By this means, also, emigration was encouraged and greatly increased, which brought in more or less money, created a demand for more and more supplies such as could be raised. abundantly by any and every settler, in- creased the number of settlements, and made quite an extensive and en- couraging home market for the surplus of all that was raised. Thus the work progressed with eminent satisfaction to all concerned, and made the early settlers feel that the day was not far distant when they would not be more dependent upon their old neighbors further east, than those wlio were settling the lands further west on the Missouri slope were dependent on them, and when Warren would be proudly numbered with the older counties of the State.
During this year (1848) the population of the county was more than doubled, and the amount of civilization and improvement was more than trebled, greatly increasing the convenience and comfort of the settlers. Small stocks of goods, consisting of the essential commodities, were being brought in, and pioneer stores or common supply posts were beginning to be established right at home. Schools and church privileges were being talked of, and the necessary steps taken to secure them in due time, and, taking it all together, the year 1848 was one of the eventful years in the early settlement and history of Warren county.
And it was fortunate indeed that the harvest of 1848 was so bountiful, and the general advancement in improvement so great, for the winter which followed was a fearful one, and brought one of the heaviest snow storms that ever has been known here. Without the preparation and plen- tiful product of the past year, that winter would have been the sad occasion of a great deal of suffering in these parts and all along the frontier.
The snow commenced early in November, before the ground had become frozen, covering the earth with a heavy coat of white, and continued at a depth of nearly three feet on the ground until toward the last of the fol- lowing February. It came in heavy driving storms, after intervals of a few days cessation off and on, all winter, often coming with such driving, drifting force as to render it impossible for the settlers to venture out or to get from place to place without danger of being lost or frozen to death.
There being yet comparatively few settlers in the county, and not a great deal of marketing to be done, or foreign trading to be transacted, travel was not sufficient to keep the ways opened or form a beaten track in any direc- tion. And if anyone found it necessary to venture out and distance from home, the driving winds on those great unobstructed prairies only filled up his tracks with the drifting snow almost as fast as he made them, so he was unable to follow the same track in return.
The inhabitants of the pioneer cabins were completely snow-bound all winter, never venturing ont only in cases of absolute necessity, and then it was at the peril of their lives, or at least of frosted ears and toes, especially if they had any great distance to go. It afforded splendid opportunities for enjoying the inestimable blessings of home life to those who were fortunately
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favored with any such earthly luxuries, but to those who were not thus favored it was certainly a terrible winter.
It was no unusual thing to make several unsuccessful attempts, through desperate blockades of snow-drifts, in order to reach a mill with a few bushels of corn as a load. Many still relate with delight-and yet with an air of triumph and astonishment at having endured such trials-how that they have made three or four such vain attempts successively to carry off a grist or haul a load of corn from another neighborhood, but each time became so overwhelmed in the snow-drifts that they found it impossible to go further on their errand, and were compelled to dig their way out of the drifts, and retrace their tracks back as best they could to their humble cabins, which were nearly covered in the drifts, and scarcely visible to the wandering traveler at any great distance from home.
The settlers generally aimed to take advantage of the milder weather to go to mill, and get their extra provision and inail matter, and other neces- sary errands, always clubbing together as much as possible on such occa- sions, and allowing the stronger, hardier ones, who were the best fitted, and, perhaps, the most delighted, to undertake such an excursion, to go on these distant errands for the neighborhood, while the more feeble and dependent ones remained to take care of matters at home.
This all worked very well, with comparative comfort and satisfaction to those who had been fortunate in raising a crop during the past summer, and exercised forethought and precaution enough to lay in a supply ahead during the better days to serve them through the stormy, blustering weather.
And though the heavy snow banks did block them in from getting to mill for several weeks, they could live at home in comparative happiness and contentment on their abundance of boiled corn and hominy, or exercise their genius and skill in trying to invent some new plan of grinding or grating their corn, and preparing their home products for a palatable diet. But for those new-comers, who had arrived late in the fall, and especially for those who had come in just before the heavy fall of snow came, so that they had no time or opportunity for making preparation for the approach- ing storm and cold weather, this winter was a most terrible and gloomy one.
They could not get away any distance to supply themselves with corn or any of the necessaries of comfortable living, on account of the heavy snow and driving winds, and, as a general thing, they had no great supply of these things on hand. Their only hope and relief in this extremity was to depend on their generous and more fortunate neighbors, who had been there long enough to have raised and harvested a crop, both for supplies for their families and their stock.
And, in all such appeals in cases of emergency, those seeking aid and relief seldom, if ever, failed to have their requests granted abundantly, with cheerfulness on the part of their more favored neighbors, and most generally witliont remuneration.
One of the greatest difficulties and severest trials these new-comers had to undergo during that hard winter was that of procuring the necessary food and shelter for their stock which they had brought along with which to make a comfortable commencement on improvement during the coming year. This stock necessarily suffered a great deal during the cold and stormy weather from want of sufficient food and shelter, and much of it
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died from hunger and constant exposure, causing serious loss and incon- venience to the owners.
In the absence of hay, corn, stalk-fields and straw-piles in this extremity the settlers were obliged to cut down lind and elm trees in the most con- venient and sheltered places, from the tops and branches of which the hungry stock could browse, as a substitute for the more nutritious food, and behind whose bushy tops the poor animals could find a partial shelter from the chilling winter winds. In this way many of the settlers who came in late succeeded in bringing the most of their stock through the hard winter, but could not have endured the siege much longer, as they found in the spring that there was not much more vitality and locomotive power than was absolutely necessary on the part of these dumb brutes to enable them to get around and graze upon the new grass sufficiently to recruit their diminished strength and wasted bodies.
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