Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1, Part 5

Author: Patrick B. Wolfe
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 829

USA > Iowa > Clinton County > Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1 > Part 5

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.

finally settled, the sturdy "first settler" of Clinton county began his farming operations, by cutting with a scythe a good supply of hay. In this work he drew on the muscles of a genuine Green Mountain Yankee, David S. Osborn, whom he picked up in a cabin near Meredosia, where he was engaged in hunt- ing, trapping and trading with the Indians. They cut and put up the first hay crop known in this section of Iowa, and it was stacked on the ground where it grew. This out of the way. Mr. Buell commenced to cut cord-wood, which he expected to dispose of to the steamboats the next season.

In L. P. Allen's history of Clinton county, published in 1878, the author gives the following concerning some of pioneer Buell's early experiences :

"Having no vegetables, and other supplies running low, in the fall of 1835 he went down to St. Louis to purchase his necessary winter supplies, such as potatoes, onions, fish, flour, meat, etc. The potatoes he purchased of a Mr. Armstrong who lived at Sand Prairie, between Cardova and Meredosia, and who had raised a 'sod crop' of these vegetables. For these he paid sixty cents a bushel, and, with his man Carson, they loaded forty bushels into a pirogue and started homeward, but just as they reached the mouth of the Cat- tail slough, their boat was capsized and his potatoes were planted on the bot- tom of the slough. Nothing daunted, and quite satisfied with results in view of the fact that they had saved their lives by clinging to their overturned boat, they ran up and down the shore until they had warmed themselves and 'drained' their clothing of the surplus water, and then returned to Mr. Arm- strong's for another load, with which they reached home safely during the night.

"The next effort was to procure a team, and Mr. Buell went down to Cordova to a Mr. Allen's, where he expected the loan of an Indian pony to go to Monmouth, Illinois, where there was comparatively an old settlement, and where he had heard there were many cattle for sale. While eating breakfast here, he saw a party of men driving a fine yoke of oxen, three cows and three calves on their way to Galena. Following along, Mr. Buell entered into con- versation with the owner of the stock, learned that he was a disgusted pioneer. who had buried his wife, got the ague, and was pushing for the land district to sell out his stock and return home in the East. Mr. Buell purchased the whole outfit, paying fifty dollars a yoke for the best yoke of oxen; forty dol- lars for each of the other yoke of cattle, and twenty dollars per head for the cows and calves at their sides. Reaching the river where Fulton is now, the stock was made to swim the Mississippi, and, so far as can be learned, were the first work and domestic stock in Clinton county. Having constructed a

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large ox-sled, he hauled his hay-cocks together and stacked them. That win- ter was a very open one and no snow fell to remain, during the entire winter. Mr. Buell was therefore compelled to snake his cord wood over bare ground on his ox-sled to the river bank. In the spring of 1836 he commenced his first breaking."

To illustrate the hardships endured by the early settlers, the following is given : Soon after getting into his cabin with his family, Mrs. Buell and her infant son and the only child, who was a year and a half of age, were both taken ill. Before leaving St. Louis, Mr. Buell had procured a small chest of medicines, with a little manuscript book of prescriptions. There was no phy- sician nearer than fifty miles. He used his best skill and judgment, but the little boy died, and with only his hired man, Carson, they made a rude coffin, and, aided by George W. Harlan, they carried the first born of the family (as dear to those heart-stricken pioneer parents as though embalmed in a rosewood casket ), deposited the remains of the sweet-faced babe beneath the nodding plumes of native trees and covered his form beneath the prairie sod and virgin soil. The wife grew daily worse and all hope seemed gone, when Mr. Buell left her in charge of his man Carson and went to Elk River, to an Indian camp. Making known what he wanted, two squaws came down with him, and after carefully examining his wife, they went out and dug various roots, which they prepared into a tea, very weak at first, then stronger, and adminis- tered it to her. For six long weary days and nights they watched by her bedside with sleepless vigilance. When she commenced to recover, they re- turned to their own home and camp. In relating this strange, sad story, Mr. Buell remarked, "I would not pass through another such ordeal for the whole state of Iowa."

During the years 1837-38 Mr. Buell hauled wheat and pork to Chicago, where he received the sum of forty cents a bushel for wheat and two dollars and twenty-five cents a hundred for his dressed pork. He loaded back with salt, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per barrel. The trip, with a horse team, took him eight days.

CONDUCT OF THE INDIANS.

"Human nature is about the same the world over," has been said by a noted American journalist, and it was proven true in the case to be here nar- rated about a drunken Indian at the Buell cabin home. For some time after the first settlement in this county was effected by the whites, there was a band of Sacs and Foxes camped on Elk river. They frequently visited Buell's

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place, as he could talk their language and always treated them fairly, and they were friendly to him and exchanged venison and other game for such things as he had which they wanted.

But, when they went down to "New York" (where Clinton now stands) and obtained a supply of whisky at Bartlett's store, they would start home and stop at Buell's, sometimes for the night, and his room was well filled and the floor entirely covered with the half-drunken red skins. At one of these visits, they had put their guns and tomahawks overhead and laid down to sleep, but in the morning one of their number demanded whisky of Mr. Buell. He was told that there was none in the cabin, but the Indian became enraged and, tak- ing down his rifle, with threats began to load it. Mr. Buell, wife and hired man Carson were all there were to contend against fifteen Indians getting over the effects of "fire-water." The Indian would bite the ball and make a feint at crowding it into the rifle. He was assured by Mr. Buell that he would kill him if he put down the ball. At last the ball went down, when instantly, Mr. Buell seized a frying-pan and knocked him senseless on the cabin floor. His comrades took him away without any interference on his part. For some time Mr. Buell lived in daily fear that the trouble was not yet ended, for Indian wars have come from far less serious incidents. One day, while he was chopping wood, the Indian suddenly appeared behind him. But his mis- sion was one of peace. He said, "Too much whisky; served right." Upon reaching home, the pioneer found that the bad Indian had been there and left a bucket of fine honey. They were ever after friends. This Indian came to reason out that he was in error and had the moral courage and fortitude to confess his fault-a thing very hard for many a white man to do.

Being the pioneer in the county, Mr. Buell naturally became prominent in public affairs. Besides being a member of the first board of county com- missioners here, he held various other public positions; yet this was not to his liking. In 1837 he traveled over the county, circulating a petition for a mail route through Clinton county. It extended from Fulton, Lyons, to De Witt and to Gower's Ferry, on the Cedar river. This was established and a horse- back mail service granted, this being the first in the county.

This truly worthy pioneer lived to see his county rank high among the ninety and nine of Iowa, and accumulated considerable property, but, better than riches in gold and lands, he had the confidence of all within the radius of his acquaintance. His death occurred March 4, 1889, at the age of eighty- eight years.

From manuscripts prepared by Daniel H. Pearce, who died in Clinton in 1878, the following is traced concerning the early settlers of the county :

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Mr. Pearce came here in October, 1838, at a time when the footprints of the red man had scarcely been obliterated. Many Indians still lingered about their old haunts, but soon they pressed on farther westward, retreating from the bustle of the white man's tread and activity. All Iowa was then styled the "Black Hawk Country" and steamboat captains would put people off any place and they were satisfied just so they set foot on Black Hawk land; verily they could not well go astray any place along the western bank of the Father of Waters.

The first claim made where Clinton now stands was made by Joseph M. Bartlett. He sold, however, in the early spring of 1838 to Capt. C. G. Pearce, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Col. Beal Randall, of Baltimore. Previous to this Bartlett had laid out a town here and named it New York, and had estab- lished a ferry at Whiteside Point, in Illinois. This was before the government survey, for the United States surveyor makes a notation of "New York" in his field notes. The plat of the city was extensive, for hundreds of stakes, marking the many streets and lots, were subsequently plowed up by farmers.

Mr. Pearce said in his article : "The land not being in the market, it was held by claim-titles, alias 'Squatter's Sovereignty.' . One reason why this country did not settle up more rapidly was on account of these 'claim-titles,' by which land speculators held large bodies of choice lands as 'squatters,' and which they held against the actual settler, until bought off. This also led to interminable brawls. Some of the chivalry, or gentlemen of elegant leisure, followed the business of making claims and selling them to emigrants as they came through. As soon as a new settler arrived, the above named gentry would ascertain his 'pile,' by some means best known to themselves. They would then have a claim to suit the new-comer's purpose and purse, and, if he demurred paying anything to them, contending that his right to the public land was as good as theirs, they would very soon convince him of his error. He would be summoned to appear before a justice of the peace as a trespasser, or, as they called it, a 'claim jumper.' The magistrate issuing the summons belonged to the fraternity, and the poor settler would have to sell out or leave. and, even if he went, would have to go a poorer if not sadder man.

"Our justice courts were a mere farce. The laws of Michigan were pre- tended to be used as a legal guide; but the party who furnished the most whisky would, as a matter of course, always gain the suit.

"I had one experience along this line, wherein I produced a United States patent for a tract of land, yet the jury gave the cause against us, and the justice (?) issued a writ, to dispossess us of our property."

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"Colonel Randall, one of the town proprietors, kept a small store where Flournoy's warehouse later stood. The principal commodities kept were whisky, Doctor Sappington's Pills for ague, and tobacco, all of which were more or less used as antidotes for ague. The Colonel's store was the general resort for the surrounding country. Here they would congregate, hold caucuses, talk politics, take a little whisky for fear of ague, and sometimes indulge in a free-for-all-fight!

"Some enterprising genius had plowed a furrow on the section line be- tween townships 81 and 82, to some indefinite place towards sundown, fol- lowing the surveyor's mark, and this was the only road we had leading into the interior of the county. Crossing the small water courses was frequently a rather hazardous undertaking. We were sometimes fortunate in finding a fallen tree or drift log, on which we could cross, coon fashion, but more fre- quently swim. There was no settlement, after leaving the river, for a dis- tance of twenty miles ; at Round Grove, near present De Witt, A. G. Harrison had built a small log house, at the grove's edge.

"The names of the old settlers in this immediate vicinity were Noble Perrin, T. K. Peck and Robert Thomas. J. L. Pearce, whose interest in the town site of 'New York' our family subsequently purchased, and Colonel Ran- dall, never considered themselves real citizens.

"The old Perrin homestead stood on the bank of the river, between where (in 1879) the railroad bridge and W. J. Young's saw-mill stood. The old Bartlett house and store was near the Farmers mills, and the old Pearce 'mansion,' stood near the Clinton Lumber Company's mills. The only land- mark that remains (1877) is the old well.

"Little Rock Island, in its primitive state, was indeed a beautiful spot. Memory still loves to linger around its stately trees. Here was our sugar camp, where, each springtime, we manufactured our supply of sugar for the coming year. The hand of improvement (I had almost said of desecration) has stripped it of its beauty, and left it in its nakedness.

"A ferry was run from Albany to Camanche. It was an old mud-scow, propelled by sweeps, and it was considered a good half day's work to cross over the stream and return. Some years later a horse-power boat was employed. This innovation created quite a sensation in this community, and the time of the trip from shore to shore, was often the basis for wagers among the sport- ing gentlemen; these trips varied from five to thirty minutes, according to the wind and weather conditions."

At an old settlers' meeting held in Clinton in 1878, an autograph list of old settlers was obtained and the same can be relied upon, and should settle

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many a dispute, for these pioneers wrote their names with date of coming to this county, in a book provided for that purpose, and this record was, during his lifetime, kept sacred by one of the pioneer band, J. R. Pearce. The list made at the first meeting of the society was as follows, the first date given being that of their location in the territory, the second being the date of their location in Clinton county :

MALE SETTLERS.

James D. Bourne, June, 1833; September, 1836.

Elijah Buell, July, 1835 ; July, 1835. Franklin K. Peck, February, 1837; February, 1837.

John R. Pearce, November, 1837; March, 1845.

Daniel Hess, June, 1838; June, 1838.

C. L. Dutcher, June, 1841 ; June, 1841.

G. A. Griswold, June, 1839; July, 1839. William Roberts, September, 1837; September, 1837. Ira Stockwell, April, 1840; April, 1840.

Herman B. Shaff, March, 1830; March, 1839. Sheldon Wood, October, 1842; October, 1842. George N. Thomas, July, 1844; July, 1844. Charles Thomas, October, 1837; October, 1837. Jonathan N. Pearce, November, 1838; November, 1838. George P. Baker, June, 1838; June, 1838. Sam. T. Perrin, March, 1837; March, 1837. David Hess, June, 1839; June, 1839. Jackson Knapp, June, 1839; June, 1839. Jesse N. Seeley, October, 1843; October, 1843. Aylett Rains Cotton, May, 1844; May, 1844. Christ C. Roberts, September, 1837; September, 1837. William D. Follett, August, 1837; August, 1837. C. L. Seymour, March, 1838; March, 1838.

NAMES OF LADIES.

Eunice R. Lake, November, 1838; November, 1838. Frances Hess, June, 1840; August, 1843. Tryphena C. Snyder, November, 1838; November, 1838. Hannah P. Pearce, October, 1837; March, 1845.

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CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA.

Jane V. Wilkes, June, 1844; June, 1844. Sarah J. Roberts, September, 1837; September, 1837. Jane T. Baker, February, 1837; February, 1837. Hannah Dutcher, August, 1842; August, 1844. Mary J. Strahn, November, 1846; November, 1846. Emma E. Cone, May, 1842 ; May, 1842. Jane B. Harrison, March, 1837; March, 1839. Frances P. Hart, November, 1846; November, 1846.

Frances E. Peck, March, 1838; March, 1838. Almyra Seymour, May, 1841 ; May, 1841. Teressa O. Thomas, July, 1844; July, 1844. Mary F. Knapp, September, 1837; September, 1837. Maggie A. Wilson, June, 1841 ; June, 1841.

Having thus given the general first settlement of Clinton county, the reader is referred to the various township histories, in which the first comers to the special sections of the county, as the sub-divisions were entered and used for actual settlement, will be found, so far as is possible to obtain the facts at this late date.

Seventy-five years ago, my state, You were fair-yes, very fair; There were no furrows on your brow, No silver in your hair. The blush of early womanhood Was on your rounded cheek, The wild flowers on your bosom Exhaled their fragrance sweet.

Dear was the old log cabin, Down by the riverside; 'Round it we children romped, In it the baby died. Narrow were its windows, But they let the sunshine in Through curtains of wild roses, That climbed and shaded them.

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The cabin sleeps in ruins, The ivy from the roof has fled, The mould is its only monument, All but memories sweet are dead. And as the years around us gather At life's end and eventide, We'll think then of the cabin Down by the river's side.

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OLD WELTON COLONY.

The following is the preface of a booklet describing this colony :

"During the winter of 1849 a Mr. George Sheppard came to Hull, Eng- land, and by delivering several lectures on the grand opportunity afforded by emigrating to Iowa, United States of America, a state where the advantage for health, wealth and beauty are spread out in every direction, was given with such force of argument that a social society was formed to join in the purchas- ing of a tract of land to be divided each in quantity according to his purchase, with an additional forty for a village center, each to have an acre as he chooses, · Mr. Sheppard coming with us in our selection."

Then follows what is termed in the historic booklet (made up largely of poems concerning the settlement, after the journey had been made across the Atlantic) "The Start":

"On the 15th day of May, 1850, our colony gathered together on the good ship 'Columbus' at Liverpool for New York, U. S. A., and after six weeks voyage we arrived in the bay of New York, and after the incidents of an emigrant landing and getting our luggage started we each took our choice of routes for our destination, Davenport, Iowa. All arriving safe and arrang- ing with Cook & Sargent, land agent and bankers, we started to seek our loca- tion, with the assistance of Mr. Sheppard. We located in Clinton county, six miles of the Jackson county line, on the then stage route between Davenport and Dubuque, nine miles northwest of De Witt, the then county seat, a small town with log cabin tavern. A fertile tract of oak openings, with prairie intermingled, and by social agreement purchased about two thousand acres of land, dividing up according to our amount of purchase, leaving forty acres set out in one-acre lots as a village center. each purchaser having as he choose. Our village was located on a hill inclining to the south, commanding a beauti- ful view east and southeast, with the timber to the south and west. The stage running through the village, which we named Welton; the name suggested by

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Mrs. Buck, who came with her husband, Mr. Joseph Buck, and eight children- five boys and three girls; Mr. Thomas Wright, wife and daughter, he as a veterinary doctor; Mr. Samuel Cortis, his brother John and sister, with her husband, Mr. Horsley, and several young men; and Mr. Thomas Dunn, who later moved to Rock Island; also myself and wife, who had the glad pleasure and happiness of having the first baby in the colony, who is now Mrs. (Char- lotte) O. W. Joiner, well beloved by all who know her. I located on the brow of the hill and was successful in trading for some lots joining mine and also fortunate in getting a splendid well of water through the circumstances of which my home grew up to be a roadside tavern where the weary traveler could rest on his journey, feed and sleep. I sold out later and moved to the very small town of Maquoketa, helping its growth and am here yet. Welton village has died out and goes by the name of 'Old Welton,' but it leaves many happy memories mixed with many trials and hardships, and so is life.

"W. CUNDILL, SR., July, 1903."

Then follows an original poem by Mr. Cundill :

THE ENGLISH EMIGRANT OF 1850.

Where wild deer through the copse and forest roam,

And prairie wolves the moon of midnight bay,

Where winds swept wildly o'er the Indian's home

And shone, with gladdening warmth, the sun's bright ray,

We cast our lot, perchance to break The slender thread of life by grief or want; Or yet perchance our future home to make

'Midst prospects dreary and with money scant.

The distant hills to us threw out their charm And undisturbed the prairies calmly lay. Where modern civilizing influences warm To life, and love, and happiness today. Out on the bosom of this far-off land Fair Iowa her boundary had spread, Waiting for husbandry's industrious hand To turn her fertile soil with plow and spade; The summer sun threw out her radiant light, The breezes gently rippled o'er the hills, The valley 'neath our feet with flowers bright

Cheered our lone hearts, 'gainst memory's sorrowing ills.

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The conflict of the world was seldom brought Within the compass of our listening ear, Where, as the weeds to vegetate and rot, We passed our home life from year to year. While sitting 'neath our frail constructed home Upon the hillside slope 'midst scattering trees, Our hopes would dream of pleasures yet to come, As thoughts would wander back beyond the seas; And when the summer's heat and lightning came And prairie fires spread hill and vale aflame And bird and beast seemed wild and terror spread O'er the whole neighborhood in very dread. Then would we pray for hearth and home once more Among our friends upon our native shore. And when the autumn's wealth of golden grain In stack or crib was sheltered from storm and rain, And cattle roamed at will o'er prairie wide And found their calm repose at eventide Beneath the sheltering trees, whose rugged arms Lent to the scene their weird protective charm, And evening sunset gave its crimson flood Or warmth resplendent o'er the distant wood. The housewives round the well with empty pail Would gather on the porch the news to tell Of letters just received, or pleasures fled, Of young friends married, of old friends dead, And laugh and weep, and laugh again in tears While wandering back through all the early years, Of home life and of parents left at home, While sigh would follow sigh, as thoughts would roam O'er pleasures past and hardships yet to come. When prairies wide were clad in drifting snow, And winter wind across the hilltop blew ; Men thought 'twas tough the winter chores to do, To tramp across the wilderness of snow To get their wood to keep the cook stove warm; And yet the health and toughness lent a charm To cheer the winter days and break the thoughts Dead hopes a weary sadness might have brought.

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So round the stove, as evening came, they'd gather, And tell their tales again so often told, And pass the pipe and cup like times of old.

Where fires spread wild and where the drifting snow Looked cheerless to the heart, farms are dotted now ;

Cities now grow as if a magic wand Had touched the electric spring of human life;

The hum of honest toil spreads o'er the land,

And screaming o'er the rails in angry strife The iron horse brings to our once far west

The commerce of the land from o'er the sea;

Bringing us social comforts, peace and rest, To live in happiness, contentment, ease,

. While in the vale the church spire guides the way Where weary hearts in love can kneel and pray, And on the farm side hills-our country's pride, The schoolhouse stands life's younger thoughts to guide.

The following is a true copy of a part of a letter written back to friends, by George Sheppard, in August, 1850:

"The scene of our operations is in Clinton county, which you are aware is north of Scott county, and is on the banks of the Mississippi. Its features are high, rolling and fertile and perhaps the most healthy of all the river counties. Its beauty is unsurpassed. Our location is eight miles north of Dewitt the capital of the county, and in due time, when a road shall have been constructed, will be sixteen miles from Camanche, a town on the Mississippi. To the north of us ten miles is Maquoketa, a thriving village having good stores, flour and saw mills, woolen mills and other appliances. The military and mail road from Davenport to Dubuque runs through our settlement. We have no water power except by digging, when it can be obtained in a few feet, with numerous springs interspersed to water the cattle. We have purchased one thousand seven hundred and sixty acres, comprising a good admixture of wood and prairie. The village is being formed on the high road on the brow of a pretty hill.

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Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1, Part 5

Author: Patrick B. Wolfe Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 829

Author: Patrick B. Wolfe
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 829