Biographical and historical record of Greene and Carroll counties, Iowa. Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Cleveland, with accompanying biographies of each; portraits and biographies of the governors of the state and a concise history of the two counties and their cities and villages, Part 72

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 728

USA > Ohio > Greene County > Biographical and historical record of Greene and Carroll counties, Iowa. Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Cleveland, with accompanying biographies of each; portraits and biographies of the governors of the state and a concise history of the two counties and their cities and villages > Part 72
USA > Ohio > Carroll County > Biographical and historical record of Greene and Carroll counties, Iowa. Containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States from Washington to Cleveland, with accompanying biographies of each; portraits and biographies of the governors of the state and a concise history of the two counties and their cities and villages > Part 72

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).

" Resolred, That the clerk be authorized to issue orders upon the certificate of either member of the Board when such certificate is given for any ordinary township business or matters which do not directly interest the

county, and also to issue orders upon certifi- cates for scalps of animals without aetion of the Board."

Their second act was to authorize the clerk to sell at auction the supplying of wood for the clerk's office, and the third was to appoint Amos Basom and Levi Higgins justices of the peace. This was all the business trans- acted at the January term. At the April session, besides the allowance of bills, orders were passed authorizing the clerk to buy fuel, lights, stationery, etc .; fixing the legal day " for supervisors, clerks and other county officers whose pay is by the day at six hours constant and diligent labor"; appointing Will- iam H. Price judge of probate for the unex- pired term of Judge Shriner; allowing the clerk 82 a day for actual work, and appoint- ing Robert Hill agent of the county to pro- enre the swamp lands belonging to the county from the Government, and fixing his compen- sation at 1 per cent. of the proceeds of the sale of said lands.

At the June session the tax levy was fixed as follows: For State purposes, one and one- half mills; for county purposes, four mills: for schools, two mills; poll tax, fifty cents; for school-honse purposes in sub-district No. 2 in Jasper Township school district, five mills; same in sub-district No. 1, five mills ; for contingent expenses, one and one-half mills; for incidental expenses in sub-district No. 2, Newton Township, one mill. This meeting occurred during the first glow of en- thusiasmn which was aroused in the loyal North by the call of President Lincoln for volunteer soldiers to suppress the slave-hold- ers' rebellion, and although the population of Carroll County was only about 250, and recruiting could not be carried on on a very extensive scale, still the citizens were too patriotic to make no ontward show of loyalty. This reflection will explain the following en-

647

EARLY AND CIVIL HISTORY.

try on the records of the Board, though it reads oddly enough at this time:

"A petition was numerously signed pray- ing to the Supervisors to appropriate the sum of $25.00, or as much as would be needed, to purchase a flag, drums and fife; and the same was granted and the clerk ordered to issue a warrant for the same."

In Jannary, 1862, Mr. Ribble retired from the board, and Levi Higgins took his place, the other member being Mr. Cretsinger. Mr. Ribble was appointed swamp land agent in the place of Robert IIill. In April fol- lowing the board decided to allow each fam- ily, a member of which had gone to the war, $25. This sum was at once paid to Jacob Davis, Mrs. S. A. Davis, John Monroe, Amos Rhoades and Cyrus Rhoades. In Oc- tober following the same bounty was paid to R. Haney and James F. McLuen.

In February, 1863, Crockett Ribble was given the contract for building a saw and grist-mill at Nile's Grove (Coon Rapids). This was the first mill in the county, and it is said that the county issued some $6,000 of warrants on its account.

It was in this year that the county sold to the American Emigrant Company 21,840 acres of swamp land selected by Franklin H. Whitney. All the county received in return was 83,500 in money, and the promise of a certain number of immigrants. This transac- tion has not been regarded as at all creditable to the county, in the light of subsequent his- tory, and it is small consolation to know that other counties suffered in the same way. The titles to much of this land were long in dis- pute, and the result was a hindrance to the development of the county's resources.

Union Township was erected December 8, 1863, in the following resolution:

" Resolved, That there be a new township set off' from the east end of Newton Town-

ship, bounded and described as follows: Commencing at the northeast corner of sec- tion one, township 83, range thirty-three; thence west to the northwest corner of sec- tion four, same township; thence south to the southwest corner of section sixteen, town- ship eighty-two, range thirty-three; thence west to the northwest corner of section nine- teen, same township; thence south to the southwest corner of section thirty-one; thence east to the Greene County line; and thence north to the place of beginning.

" Resolved, That the election in said Union Township shall be held at the school-house in snb-district No. 4, in said township, at the time of the next general election, November 1, 1864."

As thus delimited, the township was very different in shape and size to that since given it. It was made to include all of the present township, except the northwest six sections (5, 6, 7, 8, 17 and 18), and the east two- thirds of what is now Highland. Union was the first township created by the Board of Supervisors, and made the three townships in the county. Newton had previously included the southern half of Carroll County, and Jasper the northern half.

At this same session of the Board, the bounty to eulisted and drafted men was raised to $100. In June, 1864, the bounties were equalized by paying $75 additional to those who had received $25.

The salaries of the county officers in those days were not large. During the first few years the county judge, clerk of the district court and treasurer and recorder received $50 annually each, paid in quarterly install- ments. Subsequently the treasurer and recorder was given $20 a month, and in 1864 the clerk and the treasurer and recorder were allowed $30 a month.

In January, 1865, the Board held a special

648

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.

meeting and decided to issue $4,800 in bonds to raise money to pay volunteers under the last call of the Government. Recruiting ceased soon after, however, owing to the close of the war.

In September, 1866, Union Township was enlarged and made to include all of town- ships 82 and 83, range 33 (the present town- ships of Highland and Union). Orrin Jer- ome, John Hupp, Sr., and Elijah S. Wine were appointed judges of the next election.

An interesting bit of history for future reading was made at the December meeting of the Board, 1866, in the shape of a back salary grab. A petition was presented to the Board signed by Crockett Ribble, Amos Rhoades, Alva Chambers, J. B. Hampton, G. W. Hunter, Isaac Ferguson and others, in the following words:

" The petition of the undersigned citizens of Carroll County would respectfully repre- sent that whereas the within named county officers have not nor do not receive a suffi- cient compensation for their labor, and whereas the law gives authority to the Board of Supervisors of any county to increase the salary of county officers by appropriation to make good any deficiency, now therefore we would respectfully solicit the Honorable Board to appropriate to the following officers the sums set opposite their respective names: William H. Price, County Judge, $150 for 1866; La Fayette McCurdy, County Treas- urer, $75 per month from January 1, 1866; William Gilley, Clerk of the District Court, $25 per month additional, to commence the Ist of January, 1863, and to so continue; Dr. Thomas Elwood, Recorder, $100 for 1866."

The petition was granted and the clerk authorized to issue warrants for the amounts mentioned.

In January following, $500 was appropri- ated for William Gilley " as a mark of re-

speet for impartial and gentlemanly condnet," and $1,000 for Crockett Ribble, who had been out of office more than a year, but had served four years as treasurer. Two supervisors also were presented with $150 each, and a third with $75. Lafayette McCurdy, ex- treasurer, was also allowed $500 to "equal- ize his pay with the other officers."

Without discussing the sufficiency of the previous salaries, it may be said by way of comment that increasing a salary for time that has gone by, the services being per- formed and the compensation already re- ceived, has never been regarded with favor by conscientious citizens. When a similar act was passed by Cougress, a few years later, for the benefit of Government officers, the latter were forced by moral pressure to refund the bonuses thus received from the treasury, and were, besides, many of them ruined poli- tically. The famous salary-grab of Congress was proportionally on a smaller scale than that carried out in Carroll County. It is safe to say that no such a scheme could be engi- neered to snecess in any locality where news- papers are printed and published. It was two years after that before the first paper was started in Carroll County.

It will be noticed that the time was nearly expired for which the salaries were thus in- creased, and in one case the increase ex- tended back four years. It is a matter of common knowledge that the affairs of Carroll County were for several years administered carelessly and extravagantly, if not corruptly, and it was this policy that burdened the county with a debt that at one time exceeded 8160,000. Much of this was .compromised, so barefaced were the frauds, but still the county treasury has unnecessarily suffered, to a large extent. The older citizens, who are familiar with the facts, speak of these things with sorrow. It is to the credit of

649

EARLY AND CIVIL HISTORY.

the county and its voting population that the community has been redeemed from such rule, the debt paid, and affairs are now condneted with commendable economy.

It may not be generally known that Carroll County anticipated the United States Gov- ernment in passing a timber-culture law. The Board did enaet such an one in June, 1867, by the terms of which the county ad- vanced $25 per acre (in county warrants worth about 40 cents on the dollar) to set- tlers who would plant and cultivate four to five acres of timber in each forty aeres of prairie, or not less than fifteen acres of tim- ber on each 160 aeres of prairie. The aet was made to extend over three years, and the connty was to be seenred by mortgage, to be released in five years, if all the conditions had been complied with. Such lands were also to be free from taxation. This liberal enactment was not taken advantage of to any great extent.

The fourth township created in the county was named Carroll, and dates from June, 1867. It was then bonnded as follows: Be- ginning at the Crawford County line, at the southwest corner of section 18, township 83, range 36; thenee east to the southeast corner of section 16, township 83, range 34; thenee dne north to the northeast corner of section 4, same township; thence due east to the township line, between ranges 33 and 34; thence north to the northeast corner of see- tion 1, township 84, range 34; thenee west to the northwest corner of seetion 6, town-

ship 84, range 36; thence south on the county line to the place of beginning. These lines included the present townships of Arcadia, Carroll and Grant, the north half of Wash- ington and Roselle, and the northwest quar- ter of Pleasant Valley. A. J. Delany, Robert Hill and John J. Mccollum were appointed judges of the first election. The petition to

organize this township was signed by forty. eight persons, and as they included almost every legal voter, their names are here given as a nearly complete list of the early settlers of the territory mentioned, nearly one-third of the county:

Thomas Willey, J. B. Hampton, W. P. Ilayes. Patrick logan, R. H. Wilson, Will- iamı Connell. David Cain, James T. Beatty, John Hill, Aaron Peterson, M. Boman, John Brnel, T. Clausen, Patrick Brade, Patrick O'Brien, J. E. Cox, J. Willson, R. O. Robin- son, Louis R. Eby, William McCabe, W. HI. Wrenn, Michael Conley, Michael Ward, Arthur Delany, William Bannister, Hugh Beatty, Henry Baily, Pat. Fleming, William W. Teitsort, George Clark, P. C. Waldren, John J. MeCollum, O. L. Kidder, William Connors, George A. Wilson, C. H. Teitsort, John O'Brien, Christopher Lenon, Augustus Lutz, William H. Ingraham, Jacob Arriens, Freia Brenel, A. II. Arriens, Thomas Cole- man, William Connors and J. Sherman.

The first liquor permit in the county was granted in 1867, at Carrollton, to Dr. Thomas Elwood. He was given a permit to " buy and sell intoxieating liquors for the term of one year, for mechanical, medieinal, eulinary and sacramental purposes, in quantities less than five gallons-also malt liquors as a beverage."

Three new townships were created August 5, 1867, the year that the Chicago & North- western Railroad came through the county and brought a considerable increase in popu- lation. These were each just one congress- ional township in size, and this plan has been since followed, so that there are now just as many eivil as congressional townships -sixteen. The townships ereeted in 1867, with the names of the petitioners for organi- zation, were as follows:

Glidden, township 84, range 33: Enos

650

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.

Butrick, B. Salisbury, Samuel Duckett, R. Caldwell, John T. Williams, Uriah Gibson, 1 .. B. Manlsby, Robert Dickson, W. A. Stros- nider, William Dunphy, Isaac Sprague, Pat- rick Gorrey, C. W. Butrick, Samuel Spurgeon, A. H. Gibson, Thomas Hirons, G. Gibson, S. W. Lanck. A. Stevens, A. Salisbury, William Short, M. L. Peters, John Hancock, A. B. Wattles, Augustus Jones, Edwin Stone, D. K. Butrick and Abraham Spurgeon.

Sheridan, township 85, range 34: Samuel Kelley, J. W. Athey, S. Johnson, Milton Bonner, James W. Beebe, Mark Brooks, George F. Browning, Cyreno C. Dnel, P. Roby, - Barton, H. Prickett. --- Bonner and - Stone.

Jasper, township 85, range 33: Rufus Fra- zier, J. W. Morlan, D. J. Pitkins, Elijah Priekett, William Laporte, Daniel Cooper, H. Hastings, Levi Higgins, J. William Hobbs, William Ochampaugh, S. Bush, H. Ribble, G. W. Higgins, Simeon Ochampangh and J. H. Ochampaugh.

REMOVAL OF COUNTY SEAT.

A petition signed by sixty-seven promi- nent citizens of the county was presented to the Board of Supervisors in August, 1867, calling for a vote on the removal of the county seat from Carrollton to the new town of Carroll, which had been laid out on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, just com- pleted east and west through the county. The petition represented:

"That the present county seat of Carroll County is not convenient to the majority of [the citizens of ] said county. That it is not centrally located, but on the contrary is situ- ated in a remote part of the county, thereby causing great inconvenience to the majority of the citizens in the transaction of necessary business. And your petitioners further repre- sent that they desire to have the county seat

re-located at Carroll City, for the following reasons, to wit:

"First, That Carroll City is situated with- in one mile and a half of the geographical center of the said county, and it is a situation on the Northwestern Railroad, affording an easy access to the citizens of a large portion of said county.

" Second, That a majority of the qualified voters reside at and near the said Carroll City, and that said Carroll City is rapidly increasing in permanent population.

" Third, That the construction company have promised to furnish the grounds neces- sary for the erection of county buildings, and requisite for the transaction of county busi- ness, if the county seat shall be changed to Carroll City, thereby securing to the eonnty commodious grounds in the most central portion of the county free of expense.

"Fourth, That your petitioners believe that affording in-comers the easiest facility iu transacting county business at a place cen- trally located, and situated on the railroad, will tend to increase the price of property within the county, and invite settlers to it.

" Fifth, That eventually the increasing de- mands of business and the influx of popula- tion will necessitate the removal of the county seat to a more central portion of the county; and we believe that it is wise to make the change now, in view of the growth of the said county in wealth and pop- ulation, and fix permanently upon a place. Central location and railroad facilities will remove all objections in the transaction of county business, both to the old and new settlers, especially that the county has had a generous offer of the necessary grounds free of expense.

" Your petitioners therefore pray that your honorable Board order a vote to be taken be- tween said Carroll City and Carrollton, the

651

EARLY AND CIVIL HISTORY.

presenteonnty seat, at the next general election, to take place on the second Tuesday of Octo- ber next, for the purpose of determining the removal of said county seat to said Carroll City, and your petitioners will ever pray."

The petition was granted, and at the elec- tion eighty-eight votes were east for the re- moval, to thirty for retaining it at Carrollton. It was not expected that the citizens of the latter place would submit to it without a protest, and this came to the Board in the form of a petition signed by seven citizens of Carrollton (Thomas Elwood, J. G. W. Char- michael, H. J. P. Miller, William Fuel, G. W. Hunter, J. B. Hampton and G. H. Shutz), and dated April 27, 1868, reading as follows:

" We, the undersigned petitioners, would respectfully represent in our humble opinion to your Honorable Body,

" First, That the petition to re-locate the county seat of this county was not aceording to law.

" Second, The legal voters of this county did not have legal notice from the proper county officers that there was to be a vote taken to remove the county seat.

"Third, The name of the town where " . petitioners for removal of the county seat asked to have the county seat re-located was Carroll City and some, if not all, of the tiekets handed to the legal voters of this county had printed or written on them Car- roll City for the re-location of the county seat, and we find that according to our county records we have not got any such town in our county as Carroll City.

" These, gentlemen, are only a part of the wrongs perpetrated on us by the untimely re- moval of this county seat. We, your peti- tioners, would beg of you to consider well before aeting. Do not bow to a railroad in- terest. We know they are mighty, but

Carroll County and we Carroll Countiens [sie] are more mighty than they."

The supervisors refused to consider the wounded feelings of the Carrollton property owners, and the county records, furniture, ete., were ordered to be removed to Carroll City at 10 o'clock on the morning of April 28, 1868. Theneeforward Carrollton declined until now it is little more than a reminis- eence. At Carroll the records were deposited and offices opened in a house leased to the county by William Gilley, at $50 per month. John Monroe and John J. MeCollum were appointed a committee to assist the elerk in the removal.

NEW TOWNSHIPS.

In January, 1870, seetions 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 3 and 10, township 83, range 34, were taken from Newton and annexed to Carroll Township.

In June following the northern of the two townships hitherto ineluded in Union, was set off and named Richland. The petitioners were Stephen D. Culbertson, Oliver Horton, William L. Culbertson, Aaron Livingston, Curtis Durlan, John A. Wood, Charles H. Lee, George Conner, Perry Knight, D. G. Stevens, L. C. Coryell, P. D. Coryell and J. T. Stevens.

At the same session township 85, range 35, and township 85 and range 36, were set off from Sheridan and organized as Kniest Township, Mount Carmel being designated as the voting place.

In September, 1870, townships 83, range 35, and 83, range 36, were set off from Car- roll and Newton and organized as Roselle Township. The petitioners were: Barlow Kelsey, Ben. A. Clarke, Sam. Todd, Joseph James, Sr., C. Hussey, Joseph Buckhart, J. A. Coppedge, L. R. Coppedge and L. Todd. Areadia was set off in 1871, the petitioners

----------

652

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY.

being Joseph H. Vieno, C. Johnson, R. II. Winter, Thomas F. Donglass, James Hanna, Francis Hanna, Isaac N. Voris, L. J. Lamson, C. R. Palmer, J. II. Hubbard, D. J. MeDou- gall, J. W. Bishop and W. E. Kennedy. Arcadia is township 84, range 36, and was previously a part of Carroll Township.

Leech Township, afterward changed to Eden, was set off from Newton in 1871, and then included what is now Warren in addi- tion to the present township of Eden, town- ship 82, range 35, and township 82, range 36. The petitioners were: E. P. Marsh, A. G. Leech, George R. Bennett, Thomas C. Wolfe, C. Emmons, E. J. Emmons, J. W. Ilart, B. L. Hart, Orrin Jerome, Henry Bosworth, A. Miskimins, George W. Lewis, David Zebrung, Herbert A. Bennett, G. S. Ilart, O. D. Hart, Stephen D. Smith, II. T. Altby, S. P. Ilart, Z. E. Atteberry and J. L. Atteberry.

Wheatland, township 85, range 36, was set off' from Kniest in May, 1872. It ocenpies the northwestern corner of Carroll County. The petitioners were: William Arts, C. Bru- ning, Charles E. Florencourt, F. F. Floren- court, II. M. Kreins, Frank Hoogestraat, Rudolph Parmenborg, Frank Wegmann, Ber- nard Wegmann, Henry Emenbaek, John Stork and Fred Reirnond.

Grant, township 84, range 34, except see- tions 18, 19 and 30, was set off from Carroll in May, 1872. The petitioners were: Isaac Mohler, S. M. Moore, N. D. Thurman, Daniel Harrison, Jesse Marity, John Tabon, William Harrison, Henry Conboy, John Mehrongs, Herman Hesslingh, William Becker, John Daiker, Jeidel Glocheisen, Mens II. Memjen und Van Tuttle.

Washington, township 83, range 36, was set off from Roselle in September, 1872. The petitioners were: Ira M. Lewis, L. G. Hopkins, M. L. Hopkins, W. II. Ferrin, S.

Priest, S. T. Boynton, W. F. Steigerwalt, William I. Hilles and E. Hilles.

Pleasant Valley, township 83, range 34, was set off in 1873, but no petition is on file.

Warren, the youngest of the sixteen town- ships, was set off from Eden in 1875. It is township 82, range 36.

FIRST COURT.

The first distriet eourt was held November 23, 1858, by llon. M. F. Moore, district judge. The first grand jury were: Cornelius Higgins, Benjamin Teller, Matthew Borders, Lafayette MeCurdy, Crockett Ribble, Robert Morris, William Short, Robert Dickinson, Elijah Puckett, Cyrus Rhoades, James Colelo, David Scott, David Frazier, Samnel Lyon and Amos Bason. James Colelo was appointed foreman. First case on doeket was Nehe- miah Powers and John Watson es. Cornelins Higgins. Noalı Titus was the first person licensed to practice law in the county.

EARLY RECORDS.

The first marriage license was granted September 16, 1855, to Joseph Ford and Sarah Ochempaugh. They were married September 23, 1856, by A. J. Cain, county judge. First estate administered upon was Wesley HI. Blizzard May 3, 1858. First administrator appointed was James H. Colclo. The first deed was made by Thomas Ford to Nancy Ford, for the east half of section 17, township 85, range 33, September 3, 1855, and acknowledged by A. J. Cain, comty judge.

INDIANS.

Many Indians lingered in this region, or visited it annually, for some years after settle- ment began. There was some complaint of thieving, but as the Indians had learned the I power of the whites in war, they were prudent,

EARLY AND CIVIL HISTORY.

653

and very few settlers had any tronble with them.

The old Indian trail known as the War Path, or the dividing line between the Sioux and Pottawattamie Indian's hunting grounds, runs through townships 82, 83, 84 and 85, range 36, in this county. It is plainly visi- ble, and is as straight as an arrow. It was a death penalty for an Indian of one tribe to cross the path and be found hunting on the lands of the other.

An early settler relates that an old Indian chief told him there was onee a terrible Indian battle fought near Crescent Lake, about one mile sonth of Carroll Center, between Sioux and Pottawattamie Indians. There had been a fend for a long time exist- ing between the two tribes in regard to the infringement of the law in relation to the hunting grounds by disloyal Indians. The Sioux determined to exterminate the Potta- wattamies. A large party of the latter were eneamped near Crescent Lake, in the grove of timber. One morning a powerful party of the Sioux attacked them, and a terrible and bloody battle ensned, resulting in the death of all the Sioux warriors, and all but three of the Pottawattamies. The remains of the dead warriors were left to be eaten by the wolves, or rot, and their bones to bleach on the prairie, until the annual prairie fires consumed them.

GAME, ETC.

When the first settlers came, deer, elk and antelope were not plentiful, the Indians hav- ing hunted them down and thinned their numbers. Still, venison could be had withi- out much trouble, and deer became annually more plentiful for several years. Antelopes were occasionally seen, but soon disappeared.

Wild turkeys and prairie chickens were abundant, and it was not difficult to bag

several of either kind of birds in a couple of hours; but the pioneer hunters preferred to hunt for deer, and when in search for this game would not condeseend to shoot at a turkey. As a pioneer quaintly expresses it, " When they went deer-hunting they didn't go turkey-hunting."

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1887 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 728

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 728