History of Linn County Iowa Part 58

Game was abundant in those days and this helped the pioneer during the long cold winters. Large herds of deer were often seen along the timber near the river and on the prairies. Wolves were too plentiful to suit the settler as they prowled around his cabin during the night and carried off poultry whenever the chance offered. Panthers were rarely seen but were too numerous for the more timid in those days. Often cattle and hogs were missing and their loss was attributed to the work of the panther. The early settlers of Spring Grove towns.h.i.+p did not escape the discomforts of the average pioneer. Their houses were, at the best, rudely constructed of logs, and the stoves used in those days were very poor. Many of the old settlers have informed me that their coffee, when they were lucky enough to secure it, was often frozen after being placed on the breakfast table.

The first settlement was on the north side of the Wapsipinicon river around two springs. One of them was in a grove in Newton towns.h.i.+p, Buchanan county, and the other one a short distance southeast in a grove in our towns.h.i.+p. To distinguish them the early pioneers called them the Upper and Lower Spring Grove. The name of Spring Grove then came in general use for the entire settlement and was adopted by our settlers as the name of their towns.h.i.+p.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A VIEW OF CEDAR RAPIDS FROM THE ISLAND]

[Ill.u.s.tration: RAILROAD YARDS AT CEDAR RAPIDS]

The first settler in Spring Grove towns.h.i.+p was Leonard Austin, who with his family settled in section one of our towns.h.i.+p in the spring of 1845, and erected the first building from rough unhewn logs taken from the timber surrounding his building site. Mr. Austin was followed by A.

J. Ward, who with his family settled near Mr. Austin during the fall of that year. Two years later, in 1847, Josiah Walton and Rev. Wm.

Phillips settled as near neighbors to these hardy pioneers. These were soon followed by the Reeces, Holmans, Longs, McPikes, Peytons, Carsons, Whisenands, McKees, Fays, and Waltons, who settled in the northern part of our towns.h.i.+p and in the southern part of Newton towns.h.i.+p in Buchanan county, and who are remembered as the early pioneers.

The early settlers of the southeastern part of the towns.h.i.+p were the Bices, Andersons, Saxtons, Leathermans, Plummers, Swaims, Frank Dorr, E. B. Fisher, b.u.mgardners, Benedicts, McBurneys, Nutting, Carpenters, and Jordans. These settlers formed part of a settlement that extended into Jackson towns.h.i.+p. They located there during the early part of the '50s. About the same time the western part of the towns.h.i.+p south of the Wapsipinicon river was settled. Those early settlers were Edwin Jeffreys, A. G. Kibbe, Elmer and J. E. Atwood, father and son, Chas.

Cook and sons, Edwin, Enos, George, and Charles, and George Parkhurst.

All these early pioneers took an active part in helping to develop the new country.

In regard to religious wors.h.i.+p the people of Spring Grove may be likened to the Puritans of the early colonial period, as among the earliest settlers came Rev. Wm. Phillips, a minister of the gospel who at first conducted meetings in his own home, and later became a "circuit rider," holding meetings every Sunday either in some private house or in a school house. The Christian organization that is now at Troy Mills was organized by Henry Holman during the summer of 1853 in John W. McKee's house near what is now Troy Mills. Mr. Holman preached the first sermon and continued as pastor until the organization was strong enough to secure a minister to take charge of the work. Isaac Holman, now a resident of Troy Mills, and a son of Henry Holman, was the first superintendent of the Sunday school organized in the towns.h.i.+p. Rev. N. A. McConnell, of Marion, was one of the ablest ministers of the early period, and would face the worst storms of the season in order to keep his appointment. The people living in the southeastern part of the towns.h.i.+p at first held services in private houses until the West Prairie school house was erected, where for several years they had a place for wors.h.i.+p. They now have a splendid church near the West Prairie school house.

The first justice of the peace of Spring Grove towns.h.i.+p was John Plummer, but the best known justices of the peace of the early times were Elmer Atwood, Josiah Walton, and Wm. Bleakley. While the people of those days were not free from strife among themselves, yet they were obliged to band together to free themselves from a worse evil--the horse thief. The people finally with the help of the neighboring settlers took the law in their own hands and dealt summary justice to the offenders. One of these thieves was followed by a posse to his camp on the Buffalo creek in Buchanan county, and on his refusal to surrender he was shot to death. This put a stop to the stealing.

In politics the people of Spring Grove always took an active part, and for a long time claimed to be the banner republican precinct of the state. During the Civil war the republicans of West Prairie erected a flag pole on the bare prairie near where now stands the West Prairie church and raised the Stars and Stripes aloft and kept the flag there until long after the war closed. At one election during the Civil war not a democratic vote was cast. It was said that there were a few democrats in the towns.h.i.+p but they chose to stay at home rather than stand the jeers that were sure to a.s.sail them if they voted.

Troy Mills, the only village in the towns.h.i.+p, was founded in 1853, when a dam was built across the river at that place and a saw mill built.

This mill continued to run about ten years when the present mill was erected. The mill did a flouris.h.i.+ng business grinding all kinds of grain, but of late years has only been used as a grist mill. Jordon Long brought the first stock of goods to Troy Mills, amounting to ten dollars. Meeting with success in selling these, he turned all his attention to carrying on a general store which he conducted for more than forty years. Dr. John Dix and E. C. Downs started the first drug store in the town but soon sold out. E. N. Beach, one of the best known men in the northern part of Linn county, came to Troy Mills at an early day and started a drug store and has conducted the same to the present time. Dr. E. Wilson was the only doctor in our towns.h.i.+p for several years and enjoyed a lucrative practice. The first blacksmith shop was started by Elmer and John E. Atwood in 1854, who conducted the same for nearly thirty years.

Only a few of the old settlers remain who helped to transform the wilds into what it is today. Those now living here, who came in the early '50s, are David Reece, Isaac Holman, John E. Attwood, Mrs. Edwin Jeffries, Isaac Bice, Enos and Charles Cook. The others have either moved away or pa.s.sed into that great beyond from which no traveler returns.

WAs.h.i.+NGTON TOWNs.h.i.+P

Was.h.i.+ngton towns.h.i.+p was early settled, for it is stated on good authority that Bartimus McGonigle settled near what later became Center Point in 1839. Some of the early settlers were Dr. S. M. Brice, John Osborn, Tom Lockhart, W. A. Thomas, James Down, Sam Stewart, E. B.

Spencer, Alex Nevin, D. S. Way, Milt Squires, Will Cress, Jacob Thomas, Robert Osborn, Jonathan Dennison, Alex Thomas, Jas. Chambers. These came as early as 1842, a number coming in in 1839 and 1840. The following came before 1846: Thos. Fee, Isaac Berry, J. L. Benham, Levi Martin, L. Hollenbeck.

The town was laid out in 1848 by Andrew Bottorf. A re-survey was later made as of 1854, and done by J. McArthur for Dr. S. M. Brice and J. R.

Grubb.

Most of the buildings in the town date from the time of the second plat, when the place began to thrive in earnest. Dr. Brice ran a store which was later sold to A. A. Adams. In 1855 Dr. J. P. Wilson opened a drug store. L. Hollenbeck also opened a general store in 1854. J. M.

Bartleson, W. S. Bliss, and John Carr were also early settlers, Carr and Bartleson running a store for many years.

The locality in and around Center Point, then, is one of the first settled in the county. The early settlers were enterprising and the newcomers were made welcome. No doubt the close proximity to the river and the abundance of timber in this locality made the place inviting to the new settlers who needed above everything else timber for use in building and for fuel. The railroad which the people had expected many years did not get into town till in 1873, and was continued the following spring. For the purpose of securing this railroad Was.h.i.+ngton towns.h.i.+p voted $16,000, being about a five per cent tax.

In Was.h.i.+ngton towns.h.i.+p lived and died many years ago John Osborn, a revolutionary soldier, who is buried in Center Point cemetery.

CHAPTER x.x.xIV

_Lisbon and the United Brethren Church_

In narrating the history of Linn county mention must be made of that body of devoted men and women who early laid the foundations of the United Brethren church in this portion of what sixty years ago was the far west. The members of this christian body have had an important and conspicuous part in the history of our county. Their leaders have not only been men of piety, but they have also been men of ability, builders of commonwealths. Their work has been of a permanent character, and the descendants of these pioneer people are today doing grandly the work so n.o.bly begun seventy years ago.

We cannot do better here than to quote largely from the _Historical Souvenir of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ at Lisbon, Iowa, 1836-1904_, by Rev. Cyrus J. Kephart, published in 1904 by the Lisbon _Herald_:

THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH IN IOWA

The work of the United Brethren in Christ in Iowa began, as far as known, with the labors of Rev. Christian Troup, a member of the Wabash Conference, who came to Iowa as a missionary in 1836,[N] and settled upon what is now a part of the site of Mount Vernon. He afterwards traded his 160 acre claim for a yoke of oxen, and settled near the Cedar river, on what is now known as the Horn farm. Here he pa.s.sed through all the privations of a frontier life. His daughter, Mrs. Pate, states that for a considerable time he and his family ground the corn for their bread on an old-fas.h.i.+oned coffee mill nailed to the side of a tree.

Rev. Troup's field as a missionary extended from the city of Dubuque to Henry county. His preaching places were wherever he could find an opportunity to speak to the people. Thus he sowed the seed that afterward ripened into many an active Christian life.

One of his appointments was near Ivanhoe, in a log house of only two rooms. Here standing in the low doorway he would speak first to those gathered in one room, then stooping, for he was a tall man, he would pa.s.s his head into the other room and speak to those there.

He died in 1850 and was buried in the cemetery that then occupied the lot where the house of Mrs. Mary Hoover now stands in Lisbon. When the cemetery was changed his remains were removed to the present Lisbon cemetery.

In 1838 Rev. John Burns, a local preacher, settled in Lee county, and began preaching at various points. Rev. Christian Troup and he seem to have been the pioneers of the United Brethren in Christ in Iowa.

The first society was organized at the home of "Father" Edington, probably somewhere in Henry county, in October, 1841. This, however, was several years after Christian Troup began his work in the community in which Lisbon now stands.

The first United Brethren quarterly conference west of the Mississippi was held at the home of Mr. Gibson near the present site of Lisbon, May 10, 1842. It was attended by Christian Troup, F. R. S. Byrd, Ira B.

Ryan, Lewis Hoffman, "Father" Edington, and others. Ira B. Ryan was licensed to preach, and Christian Troup was chosen presiding elder.

Another similar meeting was held in Henry county on September 10th of the same year. Considerable annual conference business was transacted at this meeting.

A third meeting of the same character was held, probably in the southern part of the state in March, 1843, there being present a presiding elder of the Wabash Conference, of the territory of which Iowa at that time was a part. At this meeting there were reported thirteen organized societies, with one hundred and ninety-four members in Iowa.

The first annual conference of the United Brethren in Iowa, and the first west of the Mississippi, convened at Columbus City, May 19, 1844, Bishop Henry k.u.mler, Jr., presiding. It was called the Iowa Branch of the Wabash Conference.

The next annual conference convened at the home of Wm. Thompson, in Louisa county, August 14, 1845, Bishop John Russell, presiding. At this session the Iowa conference was formally organized.

Other early conferences were held as follows:

At Columbus City, August 31, 1846, Bishop J. J. Glossbrenner, presiding.

At the home of Wm. Thompson, Louisa county, August 24, 1847, Bishop Wm.

Hanby, presiding.

At the home of John s.h.i.+vely, Henry county, September 1, 1848, Bishop Wm. Hanby, presiding.

At the Hershey school house near Lisbon, August 23, 1849, Bishop David Edwards, presiding.

During these years the preachers in charge of the territory including Lisbon were:

1843-44 John Peters.

1844-45 Christian Troup.

1845-47 J. W. Sterling.

1847-48 Luther McVay.

1848-49 Luther McVay, with John DeMoss, a.s.sistant.