History of Linn County Iowa Part 31

September 7, Uriah Rumbaugh to Mary Ann Sutton, by Rev. John P. Fay.

September 12, John Thompson to Mary Rogers, by Rev. E. Skinner.

September 17, John Ringer to Barbary Hershey, by Rev. S. K. Young.

September 17, Wm. B. Penn to Elizabeth S. Pearson, by Rev. Orlin S. Harding.

September 28, George Howard to Lovinia I. Grigg, by Joseph Leonard, J. P.

September 28, James Pennington to Elizabeth Pence, by Rev. A. Manson.

September 30, Isaac Kinley to Mary A. Houghton, by Rev. J. V. Dewitt.

October 5, Ira Neal to Mary Fink, by Francis McShane, J. P.

October 8, John T. Stewart to Charlotte L. Barter, by Rev. Rufus Ricker.

October 8, Wm. Reynolds to Lucretia Vannote, by Rev. Asher Cattrell.

October 10, Lowell Daniels to Harriet S. Weare, by Rev. A. Manson.

October 12, James W. McAfee to Rachel Beerley, by Rev. A. Manson.

October 12, Richard Scott to Priscilla c.o.x, by Rev. John P. Fay.

October 13, Thos. W. Stephens to Sarah E. Fenlaw, by Rev. John Hindman.

October 17, James Vanness to Nancy A. Whipple, by Rev. J. V. Dewitt.

October 22, John N. Smith to Charlotte Smith, by Rev. Rufus Ricker.

October 23, Cyrus Ross to Mary A. Stoddard, by Rev. A. Manson.

October 24, Charles Cameron to Mary Pardee, by James M. Berry, Co. Judge.

November 2, Morgan L. Parsons to Sarah Beckner, by Rev. A. Manson.

November 2, John Pugh to Charlotte Thurston, by Daniel Albaugh, J. P.

November 2, Samuel M. W. Hindman to Jane McAlester, by J. Shanklin, J. P.

November 5, John B. Leigh to Elizabeth A. Leigh, by Rev. Alfred Peek.

November 7, Killion Lichteberger to Martha Gidons, by Rev. Williston Jones.

November 8, Elson Ford to Mary McQueen, by John B. McQueen, J. P.

November 9, Harvey Cook to Sarah Carnaga, by Rev. J. V. Dewitt.

November 9, Samuel H. McClure to Ellen Fay, by A. J. Ward, J. P.

November 9, Charles Cary to Christina Whitmire, by John Weare, J. P.

November 12, Charles Hahn to Almira Wolfe, by Rev. Asher Cattrell.

November 19, Manley Morgan to Sarah Barber, by Wm. P. Gordon, J. P.

November 20, John Holman to Rebecca Tarlow, by Rev. E. Skinner.

November 21, Geo. K. Mifford to Eunice A. Austin, by J. M. Berry, co. judge.

November 22, Peter Fritz to Barbary Kale, by James Coleman, J. P.

November 23, Elijah W. Gregg to Polly A. Barkley, by A. P. Risley, J. P.

November 23, Thomas W. Wells to Martha I. Combs, by Rev. N. A. McConnell.

November 28, John Morrison to Ellen Tedford, by Benj. Harris, J. P.

November 29, Orrin E. Thomas to Irene Nuckolls, by Rev. Rufus Ricker.

December 7, Edw. Bedell to Mary Hampton, by Joseph Leonard, J. P.

December 7, Robert Rogers to Mary Jane Thompson, by Rev. E. Skinner.

December 12, Wm. H. Coombs to Harriet A. Brown, by J. M. Berry, co. judge.

December 19, Sidney Williams to Celia Oxley, by Rev. Rufus Ricker.

December 25, Daniel Cavin to Mary H. Ellsworth, by Rev. Samuel Goodale.

December 28, Geo. W. Garretson to Almira Corporan, by W. P. Gardner, J. P.

Dec. 31, Wm. H. H. Flemming to Ann E. Eliza Eastman, by Thos. Taylor, J. P.

---- Jesse Beechley to Harriet Craig, by Rev. G. B. Bowman.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE "OLD SEM", CORNELL COLLEGE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOWMAN HALL, CORNELL COLLEGE]

1855

January 3, John O. White to Mary A. Metkeff, by Levi H. Mason, J. P.

January 3, Enoch Irish to Rhoda J. Dodd, by Rev. J. S. Fullerton.

January 4, David Stambaugh to Sophia Boyce, by Thomas G. Lockhart, J. P.

Jan. 9, Ladurnia Larrabee to Amanda S. Renfrew, by Rev. Williston Jones.

January 24, Greenberry Daniels to Susan Doty, by Rev. Elias Skinner.

January 25, Jonathan Simpson to Isabella McCaughey, by Rev. Daniel Runkle.

January 27, Wm. Croghan to Cornelia Ellis, by Wm. P. Gardner, J. P.

January 28, Thomas Skales to Lucy Serton, by Rev. Rufus Ricker.

January 31, Henry Ogan to Charlotte Cress, by Thomas Taylor, J. P.

February 19, Jas. Richardson to Elmira Blanchard, by J. M. Berry, co. judge.

March 1, Wm. Wilson to Jane Thompson, by Rev. Daniel Runkle.

March 9, Jacob Cress to Lucy Ann Porter, by Thomas Taylor, J. P.

---- Wm. Winsor to Rachel Leatherman, by John Plummer, J. P.

---- George Justin to Sarah Chandler, by John Plummer, J. P.

---- A. I. Allen to Ann Eliza Kaufman, by Rev. J. T. Tate.

---- James Biggs to Margaret Mitch.e.l.l, by Rev. Rufus Ricker.

---- Byron Rice to Hannah C. Colder, by Rev. C. C. Townsend.

CHAPTER XVIII

_Historic Roads and Other Monuments_

In the early days it was essential to establish means of communication between points. Where there were no navigable rivers the legislatures, and even congress, pa.s.sed certain acts establis.h.i.+ng roads. The Territorial legislature which met in Burlington in 1838 and 1839 among many other road laws approved the following pa.s.sed January 25, 1839:

"That Isaac [Israel] Mitch.e.l.l, of Linn county, Iowa, John G.

Fay, of Cedar county, and Jonathan Pettibone, of Muscatine county, be and are hereby appointed commissioners to lay out a road commencing at Bloomington, Muscatine county, thence to Rochester and Cedar county and thence to the county seat of Linn county. That said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at Burlington on the first Monday of May next to discharge their duties."--Section 3, p. 461, Laws of Iowa.

"It is further enacted that Alfred Carter, Warren Stiles and A. F. Russell, of Scott county, be and are hereby appointed commissioners to lay out a territorial road commencing at Davenport, Scott county, thence to Hickory Grove, thence to Poston's Grove, thence to Red Oak Grove, thence to Pioneer Grove, thence to Big Linn Grove, thence to the seat of justice of Linn county, said commissioners to meet, or a majority of them, to discharge their duties at Davenport on the first Monday of May next."--Section 8, p. 462, Laws of Iowa.

A number of these laws were pa.s.sed laying out what were known as "territorial and state roads." For example, there was the well known Dubuque-Iowa City road pa.s.sing through Anamosa, Springville, and Mount Vernon. Then there were the two well known roads pa.s.sing through Marion, one known as the Toledo road running nearly directly west of Cedar Rapids to Toledo, and a road much travelled in the early day; the other road branched from the Toledo road about four miles west of the city and was an angling road known in this county as the Marengo road, the State road, as well as the Des Moines road, which also was laid out over high ground in nearly a straight angling line to Marengo, and then west through Brooklyn, Grinnell, and Newton to Des Moines. This road was used much by the forty-niners crossing the state for the gold fields of California, and now and then some farmer has picked out of his field where the old road has been changed little horse shoes, shoes used for oxen, hammers and hatchets, and other utensils which had been left or lost by the early gold seekers.

There were two roads between Cedar Rapids and Marion well known in the early days, one called the old Marion road and the other running about where the street railway now runs.

Another road which was much used in the early days was known as the Cedar Rapids and Center Point road. It was much travelled by all people from the north part of the county.

Another road was the Marion-Mt. Vernon road, as well as the Western road, and the Mt. Vernon-Ivanhoe Bridge road leading to Iowa City.

The Code of 1851, referring to the State roads, directs that these roads shall be maintained by the respective counties but that such State roads shall not be discontinued or diminished in size.--Sections 557, 558, Code of Iowa, 1851.

At this time roads were under the supervision of the county court.

Later they came under the supervision of the county supervisors.

For many years it was believed that a certain hill overgrown by trees near the Milwaukee tracks in the edge of Kenwood had been a fortification erected by the United States government in the early days for defending the settlers from Indian attacks.

A school house was later erected on or near this locality and was known as "Ft. George School House." Many of the old settlers remembered this locality and called it the old fort. An investigation was made and the following letter written by Samuel W. Durham explains itself: