Early Settlement cont.
294
Washington. Dr. Teeple
was an enterprising and industrious
individual, and soon became one of
the most prominent citizens of the
county. He held a number of prominent
offices, among others, that of representative
to the territorial legislature, and
his house was the place where the
first election in the township was
held, in 1840. In 1841 Dr. Teeple
removed to Iowa City, where he soon
afterward died.
During the latter
part of the year 1839 A. H. Haskell,
Charles Haskell, and Abraham Owens
took a claim on English river in section
18, township 77, range 6. The two
former individuals were from Rhode
Island; A. H. Haskell was a married
man, the other two were without families.
There was a good mill site on this
claim, which they immediately determined
to take advantage of and erect a mill.
During the following winter they collected
quite an amount of timber and prepared
the frame for a mill. During the following
March English river became so swollen
as to overflow its banks and some
of the timber was carried off by the
current, while there was immediate
danger of the whole frame being carried
off. Charles Haskell and Abraham Owens
got into a skiff in order to rescue
some of the timber from the current,
and while doing this the skiff was
capsized and both occupants were thrown
in the river. Owens succeeded in getting
to the shore half drowned, and Haskell
perished in the river and his friends
were unsuccessful in attempting to
recover the body. Some two and a half
years afterward, in August, 1842,
a man by the name of George Cline
noticed a dog burrowing in the ground
near the river, about half a mile
below the dam-site; upon examination
he discovered the skeleton of a man,
which proved to be the remains of
Charles Haskell. The skeleton was
carefully exhumed placed in a coffin
and buried near the present site of
the Sutton mm. The death of Charles
Haskell is supposed to have been the
first which occurred in that part
of the county.
A. H. Haskell
and Owens proceeded with the erection
of the mill but did not complete it.
They sold their claim in 1841 to Mr.
N. McClure and left the county.
In 1839 a claim
was taken and a cabin erected on the
present site of Riverside by a man
of the name of Wm. Duvall. His claim
included a splendid grove of oak timber,
perhaps the best in that part of the
county. Duvall occupied his claim
til11842, when he sold out and left
the county.
O. D. Gillam took
a claim in section 11, township 77,
range 7, and built a cabin, into which
he moved with his family in 1839.
He was a native of Virginia, from
where he removed to Des Moines county,
Iowa, whence he again removed to this
county. He was elected justice of
the peace at the first election in
1840. In 1843 he sold his claim and
removed from the county. The same
year, Nixon Scott came from Virginia
and settled in section 9, township
77, range 6. He lived there about
two years and then left. The same
year, Absalom Tansey, from Indiana,
formerly from North Carolina, settled
in section 17, township 77, range
6.
In the spring
of 1839; Reuben B. Davis settled on
section 32, township 77, range 6.
The settlement which he begun was
near a creek which was named in his
honor, Davis creek, and still bears
that name. He came originally from
New Jersey, and settled in Des Moines
county, this State. He was a member
of the denomination called Seventh
Day Baptists, and by occupation was
what may be termed "jack of all
trades." When he moved into his
cabin his family consisted of his
wife and two children. In 1840 he
erected what in those days passed
for a frame house, and was probably
295
the first of the kind
erected in that section of county.
It was 16x36 feet, weatherboarded
with shaved clapboards, floored with
split puncheons, covered with shingles,
a stone chimney in the center, and
two fire-places. The house was originally
intended for a tavern, as the military
road leading north was laid out about
this time; it passed near the dwelling
and the owner anticipated quite a
run of custom from the travelers who
were to throng this thoroughfare.
Although the military road did not
prove to be as much thronged as was
anticipated, the tavern did a fair
business during, the following four
years, as it was a popular resort
for travelers and claim hunters.
In the fall of the same year E. C.
Fairchild and two sons-in-law, G.
McDaniel, and L. W. Day came from
Ohio and took claims in sections 33
and 34 of the same township. McDaniel
built a cabin on section 33 and moved
into it with his family the same fall;
the others spent the winter in Illinois
and moved to the county in the spring
of 1840.
James Summers settled on section 31;
Abraham Owens settled on section 21,
and built a cabin which he caned Point
Comfort. Richard Slaughter took a
claim in section 11, range 7; John
Treft took a claim on section 24;
he was elected first constable at
the election of 1840. These four last
named individuals were unmarried men
and did not occupy their claims for
more than a year or two when they
left the country.
During the year
1840 the population of the north part
of the county was more than doubled.
Among those who came that year were
John R. Hawthorn and family, consisting
of a wife and three children. He came
from Pennsylvania and settled on section
31, township 77, range 6. He was a
soldier in the war of 1812, and entered
the land where he settled with a warrant,
which he received for his services
as a soldier in that War. He was a
Presbyterian by profession, and by
occupation a farmer.
John Holland came
from Georgia and settled on section
36. He was a Baptist by profession,
by occupation a farmer and Thompsonian
doctor.
R. McReynolds settled on section 36.
He was a farmer and a preacher; he
belonged to the Baptist church and
preached the first sermon in that
part of the county at the house of
R. B. Davis. He also married the first
couple in June of that year. The couple
were Frank Forbes and Elizabeth Holland.
H. S. Guy, from
Des Moines county, formerly from New
York, settled on section 33; he taught
the first school in that part of'
the county in the winter of 1841.
Further west in
what is now English River township,
in the vicinity of Richmond there
were some settlements made prior to
the year 1840. The first man who came
was Cyrus Cox. He was from Ohio and
settled in the spring of 1840 on a
claim about four miles north of Richmond,
afterward known as the Jackson farm.
He now lives in Richmond, and, although
quite old, still does some work at
the carpenter trade, which he has
followed all his lifetime.
The next to come
was a man by the name of Oloughlin,
with two sons by the name of John
and George. They took claims about
a mile southeast of Richmond. There
was a fine grove on one of the claims
and this was for many years known
as Oloughlin's grove. There is a creek
which makes nearly a complete circuit
around the present town of Richmond;
the Olaughlins encamped on the creek
the first night and named it Camp
creek, and the stream still goes by
that name. The elder Oloughlin sold
296
his claim to Gideon
Bear the following year, receiving
for the same a horse; saddle and bridle,
The elder Olaughlin died many years
ago; George sold his claim and moved
west; John, who is a Christian minister
and successful farmer, still resides
in the vicinity of Richmond.
In August, 1839,
Wm. Shaw settled on a claim northeast
of Richmond, near the Johnson county
line, where he still lives. He is
a native of Ohio, and now one of the
wealthiest men in the township. Stephen
B. Cooper, M. G. Cooper and Samuel
B. Cooper, a father and two sons,
came from Michigan in 1839, and settled
about four miles east of Richmond.
The father is dead; one of the sons
still lives on the old claim, while
the other resides in Iowa township.
The first marriage
in the Richmond neighborhood Was that
of George Oloughlin to Elvira Smith.
The first birth was that of their
child, which died about one year afterward,
and was buried near Richmond; this
was the first death in that neighborhood.
The first sermon was preached by a
Methodist preacher of the name of
Micajah Ruder, at the house of Jeremiah
Barton, who lived on the claim now
owned by E. W. Kerr.
This settlement has now become one
of the most important in the county,
and by reason of the fertility of
the soil and enterprising character
of the people is the most desirable
part of the county.
There were few
settlements made west of the present
boundaries of English River township
prior to 1842, as that part was not
included in the purchase of 1837.
The foregoing
account will give some idea of the
condition of the settlements in the
north part of this county in 1840.
There was not enough grain raised
in that neighborhood up to that time
to supply the settlers, and the greater
part of the provisions had to be hauled
from Burlington, which was a distance
of sixty miles from the settlement.
The chief, if not the only, means
of conveying was by ox-teams; and
it required a week's time to complete
the trip. There were at this time
but two teams of horses in that section;
one owned by W. A. Seymour, the other
was the property by John R. Hawthorn;
The nearest mill was located on Skunk
river, in the southwest part of the
county, and usually required from
two days to a week to make the trip,
not that it ever required one week
to go and return, but frequently the
mill would be so crowded that it sometimes
took two or three days before the
miller came around to that particular
grist.
Such, then, was
the condition of the settlements in
the county in 1840, when it was first
thoroughly organized and the various
functions of the municipal machinery
were fully set in operation. Settlements
at that time were scattered generally
over the county, and affairs which
heretofore were in an unsettled and
chaotic condition now began to take
shape, and the county settled down
in a state of permanent prosperity,
Pioneer times had not yet ended, and
there were many hardships to endure
and sacrifices to make. The persons
already mentioned as early settlers,
while they were the first, and probably
endured the greatest hardships, they
by no means controlled the future
policy of the county; they had their
share in these matters, and the names
of several of these first settlers
will be found on the public records
as county officers, yet the men who
did most to shape legislation and
stamp their characters on the permanent
institutions of the county, were those
who came subsequent to 1840, In 1846
Iowa became a State. All that was
done prior to 1840
297
was simply preparatory
or introductory. From 1840'to 1846,
was the formative period of the State,
and what may be said of the State
is likewise true of the county. In
many respects these six years were
the most important in the history
of the County. It was during this
period that Constitutions were adopted,
churches organized and school-houses
erected.
Owing to the difficulties with the
Indians the growth of the county was
slow from 1836 to 1838, at which time
the inhabitants numbered 283. The
Indian difficulties having been disposed
of by the new purchase, and there
being much available timberlands,
the growth during the, next two years
was more rapid, the per cent of increase
in population during these two years
being probably greater than during
the same length of time in the history
of the county. In 1840 the population
was 1,571, or an increase of' almost
five hundred per cent in two years.
A great many of those who settled
during this period were only temporary
and again removed westward after the
treaty of 1842, while nearly all of
them settled in the timber, thus leaving
the best part of the farming lands
unimproved. In fact, the most beautiful
prairies were shunned by early settlers.
Inhabitants of to-day whilst contemplating
the broad prairies, dotted with neat,
commodious dwellings, barns, orchards
and artificial groves, look back with
surprise at the choice of the first
settlers. The uninviting features
of the Western prairies is suggestive
of a poem written of them which many
have read in their boyhood days. The
poem was doubtless written by some
New England pedagogue after returning
from a flying visit to some such a
country as this was in early days:
" 'Oh, lonesome, windy, grassy
place,
Where buffalo and snakes prevail;
The, first with dreadful looking face,
The last with dreadful sounding tail.
I'd rather lie on camel hump.
And be a Yankee doodle beggar,
Than where I never see a stump
And shake to death with fever 'n'
ager.' "
The
settlers who came between 1840 and
1846 not only settled on the best
lands but came to stay, As, a general
thing they were men of good sense,
well educated, industrious, thrifty
and in many cases were, men of considerable
means; men, not driven from the older
settlements by want, but who came
to better their condition. The per
cent. of increase during these years
was not so great, but it represented
a, more permanent population and a
more thrifty class of people. In 1844
the population of the county numbered
3,120, and in 1846 it was 3,483.During
this period there settled in the county
many persons who afterward became
prominently, identified with the history
of the county, and some of whom are
still residing in the same neighborhood
where they first settled. Special
efforts have been taken to gain information
with regard to the leading men of
the county who settled during this
formative period of the county's history,
as well as of some of the more influential
citizens who came since. The most
interesting facts are, those relating
to date of birth, nativity, occupation,
place of residence, positions of honor
and trust held now or in times past,
time of coming to the county, date
of marriage, names of children, etc.,
all of which will be found arranged
in alphabetical order in a biographical
record further on.
298
It
is the object, however, at the present
stage of the work to mention the names
of certain ones who came to the county
from 1840 to 1846 and show what part
they performed in the development
of the material resources of the county
and point out their influence in originating,
directing and controlling the moral,
intellectual and social enterprises
which constitute the distinctive characteristics
of the county and distinguish it as
being the most radical and progressive
in the State. It is admitted that
this stage of our work brings us down
to a period in the memory of many
now living: Many events of that period
however are becoming indistinct; these
we hope to rescue from the confusion
of speculation and place them, arranged
in analytical order, in the imperishable
receptacle of the printed page. The
importance of this is all the more
apparent from the fact that the number
of, those who lived here in those
times is rapidly diminishing and the
memory of such becoming, year by year,
more indistinct.
It is generally
admitted that a higher moral sentiment
and intellectual culture prevail in
this county than in most of the counties
of the State. This is not accidental;
it is the necessary and legitimate
result of some cause which must be
sought for in the formative period
of the county's history. It is universally
admitted that nothing is so potent
in its influence to shape the moral
and intellectual condition of society
as religious belief. In a record containing
the names of one hundred persons who
settled during the period before referred
to we find that nearly seventy-five
per cent, or about three-fourths of
these names, represented communicants
of the United Presbyterian Church.
The policy of this church in encouraging
education, the earnestness of its
individual members in enforcing strict
family discipline and the persistent
inculcation of moral truth would necessarily
bear fruit, which now appears in elegant
and commodious church buildings, educational
institutions, both elementary and
academical, an intellectual community
and a high moral sentiment.
In 1841 Dr. G.
C. Vincent, a minister of the United
Presbyterian Church came to the county.
He was originally from Washington
county, Pennsylvania. Upon arriving
in the county he settled at the county-seat,
and with the restless energy which
characterized the labors of the pioneer
clergyman, he set to work disseminating
religious truth, not entirely unmixed
with some wholesome political doctrine.
We make the following extract from
an article from Dr. Vincent's pen,
entitled "Early Recollections
of Washington County," which
appeared some years ago in the local
press:
"About this
time the anti-slavery controversy
began to wax warm. In a public address
which I heard Mr. Caldwell make he
complained that usually his preacher
was rather prosy, but when he touched
upon the slavery question became heated
as if Nebuchadnezzar's furnace was
in him. On that occasion Dr. Maley
was his colleague. They both came
to our town. They both came to our
town, as Maley expressed it, to settle
this business and have no more trouble
about it. Though very much indisposed
I went to the meeting and heard these
gentlemen, and after they had spoken
made a few remarks, excused myself
and left. The people present with
one consent left with me. The strangers
were much disappointed, as what I
had said touched their sensibilities
and it was thought that they would
have spoken better.
"The town
and most of the county were in determined
hostility to the anti-slavery sentiment
and its discussion. Not only because
it threatened to disturb political
elections, but they did without affectation
hate the
299
'nigger.' Many of these
I am happy to say, when rebe1lion
threatened the life of the Nation,
laid aside their petty prejudices
and proved themselves patriots as
well as men.
"We were
visited by anti-slavery lecturers
at various times. The most distinguished
of these was William T. Allen, of
Alabama, who had been a student at
Lane Seminary at Cincinnati, and one
who had fled when freedom of speech
had been denied at that institution.
He was a most effective lecturer,
and by the power which he exercised
over his audience was hated, and when
public feeling became excited it rose
beyond restraint and we had a mob.
Yes, a mob in Washington! We peaceably
assembled in our own place of worship,
and about 8 o'clock in the evening
the windows. at the east end of the
church were broken in with clubs and
eggs and other missiles to the disturbance
and bespattering of those present.
"This was
an era in our history. Our sentiments
had been long hated by certain parties,
according to whose judgment this was
the best way to meet and suppress
them. We would naturally conclude
that the world was wiser than to resort
to such means as would aid the cause
in question and react with such fearful
effect upon wrong doers. But there
is a certain blindness and infatuation
about a wicked cause which results
in open violence, even against the
better judgment of the perpetrators.
"These parties
would not meet us in open discussion,
but used means privately to inflame
the minds of the ignorant and of each
other against the person of the reformers,
as though truth and right were personal
matters. These persons did so in respect
to religion. In little knots in the
dram-shops and on the corners, especially
on Sabbath, while the better class
were worshiping God, these were talking
profanely and devising how they might
suppress and counteract our testimony."
"Of this
opposition we were well aware, though
some of the most active agitators
seldom spoke in such a way as to secure
correction, or even contradiction,
on the part of those who knew how
to answer them.
"In view
of the persistence and perseverence
[perseverance] of these loose and
infidel sentiments I thought it my
duty to introduce a course of Sabbath
evening lectures on the evidence of
Christianity. Of course I presented
the common arguments, internal and
external, and probably animadverted
on the opposition with some pungency.
It was evidently so felt and understood
by those who had been most forward.
One of them remarked to my friend,
James. Dawson, 'if there were any
more such preaching against infidelity,
there was going to be blood, and right
there.'
"My friend
very firmly but kindly replied, that
was to be expected. The like had often
occurred in connection with the same
cause before. These threats and these
demonstrations revealed nothing new
in the way of intimidation. But they
did show that the conflict carried
on, on the same ground where Washington
now stands, was desperately in earnest,
on both sides. It seems that the cause
of truth waxed stronger and that of
error weaker and weaker. How could
it otherwise be? Look at it. Here,
on the one hand, were the sincere
worshipers of God, conscientiously
observing the Sabbath. Men and women
of sense and of moral uprightness
observing the sacraments of the Lord's
house and pledging themselves to do
justly, love mercy and walk humbly
with God. Now, where are the others
and how employed? Skulking in dark
corners, uttering to each other profane
jests, illy concealing that malice
which constitutes the venom of the
Old
300
Serpent, the enemy of
all righteousness. 'Anyone could guess
which is the strong party and which
will fly ignominiously from the field."
A number of others came in company
with Dr. Vincent, among others a relative
by the name of Isaac Crawford. Dr.
Crawford settled in the vicinity of
the town which bears his name. He
died years ago, but his son, John
W. Crawford, still resides in the
vicinity of the town which bears his
father's name.
John Dodds was
born in Ireland in 1815; visited Crawfordsville
in 1849, and liking the country bought
land where he settled the following
year.
Solomon McCulley
was born in Ohio in 1820; came to
Crawford township in 1844 where he
lived for some time. While there he
married Miss Sarah Ritchey, the first
white female who settled in the county.
Mr. McCulley now lives in Washington.
Fred Schwaebe
was born in Prussia in 1812. He settled
at Crawfordsville in 1845. This gentleman,
besides being an early settler, has
been more or less identified with
the business interests of Crawfordsville
from the first.
George Allen was
born in Pennsylvania in 1802. He settled
in the vicinity of Crawfordsville
in 1845. His house stood on the road
leading from the latter place to Mt.
Pleasant. He kept a hotel at the place
of residence for a number of years.
He was a very estimable and public-spirited
man. He died April 6, 1877.
David Crawford
was born in Ohio in 1832, and moved
to the neighborhood of Crawfordsville
in September, 1844. In 1845 he removed
to the present bounds of Oregon township
where he still lives. He came by boat
to Burlington in company with the
rest of his father's family. A box
was forgotten and left on the boat
and Mr. Crawford says be waited at
Burlington till the boat went to Dubuque
and returned. When the boat came back
he found the box all right. The great
solicitude the family had about the
box is accounted for from the fact
that it contained two feather-beds
and between the beds was another box,
a small one, containing four thousand
dollars. Upon coming to the county
the Crawfords bought some eigh [eight]
or nine hundred acres of land, lying
mostly in Crawford and Oregon townships.
J. L. L. Terry
settled in the vicinity of Ainsworth
in 1844. He had visited the county
and selected his claim long before,
having come to the county in connection
with a surveying party as early as
1837. Mr. Terry now resides in Washington,
Among others who settled in that neighborhood
between 1840 and '45 were John and
William Marsden, A. Jeffrey, W. H.
Jenkins, Thomas and Woodford Marr
and E. W. El1sworth. John Marsden
is dead, Wm. Marsden still lives in
the same neighborhood; W. H. Jenkins
afterwards became county treasurer
and is now dead; Jeffrey still resides
in the same neighborhood; Ellsworth
left for another location years ago.
Isaac M. Whitsol
was born in Pickaway county, Ohio,
in 1811. He came to the county in
1841 and settled on a claim in section
11, township 77, range 7, where he
still lives. Thomas Tucker had built
a small sawmill on Crooked creek,
in section 10, township 74, range
7. Mr. Whitsol bought the mill and
operated it for some fifteen years.
Ralph Stafford was born in Ohio, 1808;
he came to the county in 1846 and
settled in Marion township. He still
owns his original claim and resides
in Washington.
Samuel Wood was born in Licking county,
Ohio, in 1824. He emi-
301
grated to Iowa in 1845
and soon after settled in the vicinity
of Holcomb's mill. He still resides
in Marion township.
Wm. Scranton was
born in Indiana in the year 1831.
He came with his father to Washington
county and settled in Marion township.
He now resides in Clay township on
a claim made by William Craven. He
was visiting at the house of John
G. Stewart, in Frank1in township,
in 1872, when his child was lost.
Early in January,
1841, a gentleman settled at Brighton
by the name of I. R. Friend. He was
a native of Massachusetts and had
been bred a man of business. He was
born in the year 1817, and, although
a comparatively young man at the time
of coming to Iowa, he had met with
reverses in trade and came West to
repair his fortunes. It was fortunate
for the country that such a man came
at that time. He was not the first
merchant of Brighton, but he was the
first one of the county who threw
enough enterprise and energy into
business to make a good home market
for produce and at the same time establish
a trade in this, as well as adjoining
counties. After conducting business
on a small scale for a number of years,
in which he succeded [succeeded] far
beyond his expectations, he at length
embarked in more daring and expensive
operations. He erected a pork-packing
establishment and began the business
of buying and packing hogs. The packing
establishment was located in the northeast
part of Brighton near the present
site of Edwards & Son's livery
stable. He followed the business some
five years, packing from six to seven
thousand head annually. The prices
paid ranged from $1.25 to $2.00 per
cwt., net. During the latter part
of winter the pork was hauled to Burlington
in wagons and sleds, and in the spring
was shipped to St. Louis and New Orleans.
. Mr. Friend also engaged in the grain
trade heavily, and purchased as much
as ten thousand bushels of wheat annually.
Part of the wheat he had made into
flour and shipped down Skunk river
on a flat-boat and from there on the
Mississippi river to St. Louis. Shipping
produce on flat-boats down Skunk river
was a very hazardous business. The
first attempt in that line was made
by Gilbert Lewell. In 1843 this gentleman
rigged a boat and loaded it chiefly
with beef and pork. The destination
was St. Louis, and the boat with its
cargo proceeded safely till arriving
at Wilson's mill, when the boat struck
the dam and went to pieces. The cargo
was a total loss, the crew barely
escaping with their lives.
The next attempt
was made by William Compton, who constructed
a boat and loaded it with corn and
potatoes. His boat got through all
right and the cargo was disposed of
at the St. Louis market at a sufficient
advance to leave the shipper quite
a margin for his, venture. This was
in 1844. The next year Mr. Friend
and a man by the name of Heaton loaded
up two flat-boats. Heaton's boat was
loaded with a cargo of sixteen hundred
bushels of wheat. Friend's cargo consisted
of four hundred and fifty barrels
of flour. Each craft bad a crew of
four hands beside a pilot. There were
arrangements on the boat for boarding
the crew and they were paid thirty-seven
and a half cents a day and boarded.
They jumped seven dams between [between]
Brighton and the mouth of Skunk river
and made the trip in safety, arriving
at St. Louis where they disposed of
their cargoes at quite a profit. It
required three weeks to make the round
trip. The trip required more time
from the fact that they tied up every
night for fear of accidents. The trip
on the Mississippi was easy and comparatively
free from danger, the chief difficulty
being on the Skunk river in jumping
the
302
dams and eluding the
snags which were numerous along that
part of the route. In jumping the
dam at Wilson's mill, where Lewell's
boat went to pieces a few years previous,
one of their boats came within a few
inches of striking a corner of the
mill, in which case the boat would
have gone to pieces and the cargo
would have been lost.
The last boating that
was done was by G. M. Fisher and G.
W. McCullough. They constructed a
boat and having loaded it with corn,
wheat, oats, potatoes, brooms, etc.,
set out for St. Louis; between Brighton
and Deedsville, now Merrimack, their
boat struck a snag and sunk; the cargo,
valued at $2,000, was a total loss.
In after years trips were frequently
made to St. Louis in skiffs with little
difficulty.
Daniel Elliott
settled in Brighton township in 1846.
He visited the county the year previous
and bought the claim then held by
Jeremiah Gordon. He resided on that
claim until about ten years ago when
he removed to Brighton, where he now
resides. Mr. Elliott is a native of
Ohio and is nearing his three score
years and ten. With him came to the
county quite a number of individuals
from the same neighborhood, among
others, .J. P. Hamilton, Alexander
Hamilton and David Robertson; some
of them still live in the vicinity
of Brighton.
William B. Lewis
was born in Kentucky in 1806; made
a trip to Iowa in 1840 and visited
the Brighton neighborhood. He made
the entire distance of four hundred
and fifty miles on horseback in ten
days. After looking at the country
he returned to his home in Kentucky
where he remained for a number of
years. In 1844 he came back to Iowa,
this time to stay. He bought a claim
in Brighton township, north of Skunk
river, and the following year moved
his family on it, where he still resides.
Mr. Lewis has
been quite an active and influential
citizen of the county. In 1860 his
fellow-citizens honored him with the
office of State senator. He served
out his term of office with satisfaction
to his constituents and credit to
himself. He has also served his township
by discharging the duo ties of various
offices to which he has been elected.
On the 25th day of November, 1878,
he celebrated his golden wedding.
There were about one hundred and fifty
guests present and the occasion was
one of great enjoyment.
The following also settled in and
around Brighton between 1840 and 1846:
S. G. Rhodes, settled in 1843; R.
S. Mi11s, in 184:1; Jacob Dillon,
in 1843; J. R. Shields, in 1844; D.
B. Dey, in 1845; J. E. Hoagland, in
1843; James H. Smith, in 1846; James
Frederick, in 1841; W. D. Hoagland,
in 1840.
One of the most
enterprising and talented citizens
that has settled in the .southwestern
part of the county settled on Dutch
creek in 1844, and after living there
about one year removed to Brighton,
where he now resides. Reference is
had to the Honorable O. H. Prizer.
He was born in Pennsylvania in the
year 1815, and is a fair representative
of a certain class of men who, borne
forward by a restless spirit of enterprise,
left the well-improved -country of
the East where they were in comfortable,
if not affluent circumstances, and
pushed out into the almost untrodden
wilds of the West to found homes and
win fortunes. In 1850 Mr. Prizer joined
the innumerable caravan which moved
to the golden sands of the Pacific
and after spending .some two years
returned to his former home at Brighton.
It may be said that, notwithstanding
his brief absence in California, for
thirty-five years, Mr. Prizer has
been a, resident of Washington county
and acted a leading
303
part in its history.
He was chosen at the election of 1879
to represent the <county in the
State senate and those who know the
gentlemen best have the greatest confidence
in his ability to make a brilliant
record in the coun<cils of the
State.
Joseph Keck, a native
of Pennsylvania, came to Iowa in 1843,
and settled in Washington. Some time
previous Norman Everson settled in
Washington. Like Mr. Prizer, these
men came West, not because they failed
to find employment for their varied
talents amid the busy scenes of their
Eastern homes; such rare talent for
business as they possessed finds ready
employment anywhere. They came West
because they believed that there was
a better opening in the new and rapidly
developing country west of the Mississippi.
It was well for this country that
such men did come. Amid the stirring,
active and almost reckless push of
business speculation every community
needed just such enterprising yet
safe men of business, with cool heads
yet active brains who could safely
pilot the finances over this stormy
sea of speculation and yet keep up
with the onward march of improvement.
Mr. Keck began as a cabinet-maker;
Mr. Everson started a school teacher.
The former after successfully passing
through the vicissitudes of every
business enterprise in which he embarked
at length arrived at a position at
the head of one of the most substantial
and popular financial institutions
in the State; the latter having entered
one of the most honored of the learned
professions in which he was more than
usually successful, and having done
probably more than other man to improve
the city has in late years abandoned
the practice of law in order to accept
the position made vacant by the retirement
of the former to private life.
The name of Chilcote
is familiar to anyone who has long
been a resident of Washington county.
Representatives of this family came
to the county in 1843. They were from
Ohio and came of a thrifty and active
line of ancestors. Some of them settled
in the town and some in the country,
and all have taken an active part
in all the enterprises which constitute
the history of the county.
In 1842 Henry
Parr, John Vincent, Thomas Vincent,
Robert Allen and William Robertson
settled in Washington. They were from
Pennsylvania and came by boat from
Wheeling to Burlington. They all became
prominent citizens of the county.
Vincent afterward moved to a farm
in the vicinity of Brighton where
he still resides. Allen remained in
Washington for a short time and then
took a claim some -three miles southwest
of town. Here he erected a commodious
house where travelers were frequently
entertained, and which was for years
known as the Allen House. He now resides
near Brighton, and is a part owner
of the Brighton Mills.
Daniel Yockey
was born in Pennsylvania in 1818.
He came to Washington in 1842. Afterward
he embarked in the lumber trade, in
which he is still engaged in Brighton.
Mr. Yockey was an active anti-slavery
agitator in early days, and relates
some interesting incidents transpiring
in the county during the time when
the underground railroad was in operation.
John Kilgore, who settled in the county
in 1845, also assisted runaway slaves
to make their escape. Some interesting
incidents relating to this matter
will appear in a subsequent chapter.
Mr. Allen and his brother erected
the old court-house on the public
square in Washington. He was also
for some years engaged in the marble
business, and put up the first tombstone
in Washington cemetery; it was erected
for R. R. Walker, one of the first
merchants of Washington.
304
About the year 1840
a family by the name of Anderson settled
in the vicinity of Washington. The
head of the family was Baalam Anderson,
who was born in Virginia in 1793.
He served under Gen. Harrison during
the war of 1812. He was a tanner by
trade and until coming to Washington
followed that business. When he came
to the county he bought a claim, of
Presley Saunders, of Mt. Pleasant,
for which he paid two hundred dollars.
Several of his descendants have been
leading citizens of the county, some
of whom still reside here; his widow
Willmine Anderson still resides in
the old neighborhood; she is now approaching
her ninetieth anniversary.
Clark Alexander
settled in Washington in 1845. He
was employed for some time in the
various offices of the county; he
died in 1853. After the death of Alexander,
his widow married James McKee, an
early settler. Mr. McKee died in 1873
and his widow, Mrs. Sarah McKee, still
resides in Washington.
William Corbin
was born in Kentucky in 1805. He came
to Iowa and settled four miles southeast
of Washington in the year 1841. Mr.
Corbin was a soldier in the Black
Hawk war, and many exciting events
which occurred in that war are still
fresh in his memory. He still lives
on the claim which he originally took
southeast of Washington.
Mrs. Jane Curry
is still living in Washington. Her
maiden name was Mitchell. In company
with her husband, Moses Curry, she
came to Washington in 1842. Her daughter,
Mrs. Dr. Anderson, was born in the
year 1844, and she is probably the
oldest native of Washington still
residing in the town. Mr. Moses Curry
helped to lay the foundation of the
first church built in town. It went
by the name of the Seceder Church.
Mr. Curry died in October, 1844.
Robert McConnell
is a native of the Emerald Isle and
one of the early settlers of the county.
He first settled in Pennsylvania.
From there he came to Iowa and settled
in Washington county in 1845. For
one year he lived on a farm belonging
to Mr. Kilgore. The next year he moved
on the land previously purchased about
three miles southeast of Washington,
where he still resides.
Whoever lived
in Washington county in early days
knew of a man by the name of Basil
Williams. He came to Washington in
1844. He was deputy sheriff for a
number of years. During his connection
with the sheriff's office William
McCauley was arrested for murder,
and owing to the insecure condition
of the jail it was no small matter
to answer for the security of prisoners.
Mr. Williams also for a number of
years was engaged in teaming. He made
regular trips from Washington to Burlington
and return.
Fred. L. Rehkopf
is a representative of that class
of emigrants, who next to native born
Americans have done most to develop
the material resources of the country.
He was born in Germany in 1819. He
first went to New Orleans, then came
to Washington in 1843. After being
here a short time became discouraged
and removed to Memphis, and after
a residence in the latter place of
some ten years he again returned to
Washington, where he still resides.
Samuel Conner,
a native of Pennsylvania, settled
in Washington in 1844. He first was
employed by Mr. Samuel H. Joy, who
had the contract of building the old
Seceder Church. The church had been
completed one story high the previous
fall, but the persons having the matter
in charge
305-306
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on image to view full size.
Nat Boden(r)
307
concluded to add another
story for school purposes. Mr. Conner
is still a resident of Washington.
The town of Washington
presented quite an animated appearance
during' the years 1841 and 1842. At
this time numerous buildings were
in course of erection. B. P. Baldwin,
who came to the town in 1841 and who
is a carpenter by trade, could probably
tell more about such 'matters than
any other man now living at the county-seat.
Among others who settled in and about
Washington, au ring the period now
referred to, the following are worthy
of mention: James Lemon, Richard B.
McMillan, Wm. Benson, Samuel B. Coulter,
and Andrew Spillard.
Between the years
1840 and 1846 there was a heavy immigration
into the north part of the county.
There was probably a larger per cent
of increase in that section during
that period than in any other part
of the county.
William M. Gwin,
who settled in the vicinity of Richmond
in 1843, still resides on his original
claim. He has probably lived in the
State longer than any other inhabitant
of the county, he having come to Des
Moines county in 1835. Mrs. Mary Bear,
Mrs. Martha Snyder and Mrs. Elizabeth
Adams, sisters of Mr. Gwin, are also
very early settlers, they having come
to the county about the same time.
Absalom Bush settled on a claim one
mile west of Richmond in the year
1846; he says there were but three
houses in the town at that time.
J. F. Hamilton
was born in Western Virginia in 1805.
He settled in section 4, township
77, range 7, in 1844. He still resides
on his original claim.
Ephraim Adams
came from Ohio in 1842 and settled
in the north part of the county near
the Johnson county line, in the region
at one time cal1ed "Snake Hollow."
He still resides at the same place.
Eli H. Adams came
in 1840. He still resides a few miles
west of Richmond, where he first settled.
John S. Maple
was born in Pennsylvania in 1810.
He visited the county in 1845 and
while here bought a farm of a gentleman
by the name of Wright, some three
miles west of Richmond. The next year
he moved to the claim. He now resides
in Lime Creek township where he is
engaged in farming and milling. Upon
moving to the county he brought with
him a son, named Simon G., then two
years old, who still resides in the
same neighborhood.
Presley Figgins was born in Ohio in
1805. He removed to Iowa in company
of T. B. Davis and settled on a claim
near Richmond. When he settled in
that neighborhood there were but six
families living south of English river;
they were the families of Gideon Bear,
"Paddy Connelly," Elijah
Lander, John Hobbs, John Oloughlin,
and George Oloughlin.
Peter Sharp settled
southeast of Richmond in 1846. He
afterward removed to Richmond, where
he still lives.
Thomas B. Dawson
came to the county in 1840, and bought
a claim of one Hill, giving for it
a horse, saddle and bridle, valued
at $75. This claim included the land
upon which Richmond is located. He
laid out the town during the first
year of his residence in the county,
and since then has laid out two additions
to the town.
Leander C. Dawson
came to the county with his father,
and settled some distance east of
Richmond, where he now resides.
308
William S. Britton settled
in the northwest part of English River
township, in 1842. He still resides
on the original claim.
Michael Ween was
born in Germany in 1815; came to the
United States of America in 1836.
After roaming about for some time
he settled in the Northwest part of
the county in May, 1841. He has followed
the blacksmithing business a large
portion of the time since coming to
the county. John Shilling, a native
of Alsace, France, settled in Iowa
township in 1842. He afterward moved
to English River township.
Brantley Bray
settled in the northeast part of the
county in 1843. He has lived on the
same spot of ground ever since coming
to the county. Austin Bray and Madison
Lander settled in the same county
the same time.
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