"An Interesting Early History of Decatur County"

by Mrs. O.N. Kellogg

Contributed by Elizabeth Redman, Leon Library
and Bob Bixby of Decatur County Museum
 
Harriet N. Clark married Hon. Ozro Northrup Kellogg in Crawford County, Ohio. They came to Decatur County, Iowa in October of 1848 and settled at Garden Grove. O.N. opened the county's first hotel, The California House, The Kellogg's daughter, Josephine, was the first child of "gentile" parentage born in Decatur County. O.N. Kellogg died of diabetes and "nervous prostration" on October 22, 1855, leaving to mourn his passing a widow Harriet and children Homer, Josephine, Eugene, Florence and Murray. ~ "Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa." p. 471. 1887.

Himena V. Hoffman wrote: "Harriet Kellogg completed her history of Decatur County written for the most part between 1870 and 1880." ~ "The History of Decatur County Iowa 1839-1970" p. 134. 1970.

Coordinator's Note: Mrs. Kellogg wrote these pages over 130 years ago. Some of the terminology is by no means politically correct by today's standards. Mrs. Kellogg's words are a reflection of a time and place that once existed in Decatur County, the times during which Mrs. Kellogg lived.

Forward & Chapter One
"First Settler Iowa Territory, State Line Unsettled, Statue Law, Personal Reminiscences"
SURNAMES: Arnold, Kellogg, Notson, Roberts, Scott, Sigler, Winkles, Winters

Chapter Two
"Prosperity On Sugar Creek, Removed to This County, Mrs. Scott Trades with the Indians,
Annuities, Scott Indicted, Residence in Four Counties and Two States While in the Same Domicile"
SURNAME: Scott

Chapter Three
"Items In Relation to the First Settlement of Garden Grove, Extracts From the Journal of Orson
Pratt, Sr., A Mormon Elder and Historian, In the Millennial Star, Volumes XI and XII"
SURNAMES: Bent, Pratt, Smith, Young

Chapter Four
"Garden Grove an Oasis, Artillery Grove, Grave Hollow, Dr. Roberts Induces Immigration of
Permanent Settlers, Snowed In"
SURNAMES: Brown, Davis, Duncan, Kellogg, Roberts

Chapter Five
"The Old Log Church, Settlers Buy Mormon Claims, The First Entry of Land in the County"
SURNAMES: Black, Carson, Carter, Davis, Evans, Fitch, Kellogg, Knapp, Ladd, McDaniel, Mills, Thompson

Chapter Six
"'La! The Poor Indian, Lady Surprised, Squaws Swap, Indian Proposes A Trade, Chief"
SURNAMES: Burns

Chapter Seven
"Early Settlers in the Disputed Tract, A Hermit, Indian Burying Ground, Freak of Electricity,
First Death Among the Settlers of '48, Indian Tragedy"
SURNAMES: Bennett, Dickinson, Faulkner, Hatfield, Leveridge, McDaniel, Perry, Scott, Thompson, Winkles, Wood

Chapter Eight
"The State Line Is Permanently Located, The Settlements Re-Inforced, Wild Fruit, The First Church
Organization, County Organized, County Seat Located, State Road Located"
SURNAMES: Allen, Bair, Burrell, Chase, Davis, Dickinson, Duncan, Eckton, Ellis, Gordon, Hamilton, Hatfield, Howard, Kellogg, Logen, Miller, Morgan, Notson, Oney, Perkins, Price, Renfros, Roberts, Scott, Smith, Stanley, Still, Summers, Vanderpool, Walker, Westcott, Willis, Winters, Wood

Chapter Nine
"Church Organization, Club Lane, Death of Early Settlers"
SURNAMES: Arnold, Baker, Briggs, Brown, Clark, Davis, Doze, Farrar, Harbour, Hayden, Jordan, Kepper, Knapp, Morgan,
Northrup, Oney, Patterson, Piper, Roberts, Stanley, Still, Thomas

Chapter Ten
"The Hungarian Settlement, Their History, Their Pioneer Experiences"
First portion of the manuscript is missing.

Chapter Eleven
"Court House, First Session of the District Court, First Hotel, The California House, Reminiscences"
SURNAMES: Black, Blades, Brumfield, Leachman, McKay, Moad, Munroe, Notson, Stanley

Chapter Twelve
"Another Inn Built, First Frame Building, The Indians, The Settlers, Orchard Nursery, Baptist
Church South"
SURNAMES: Arnold, Avis, Blakey, Briggs, Clark, Davis, Dawes, Gibson, Hatfield, Lee, Patterson, Price, Scott, Shane, Stanley,
Thompson, Vanderpool, Vichey, Wescott

Chapter Thirteen
"Report of East Grand River Association, Baptist, County Seat Moved"
SURNAMES: Brown, Clark, Davis, DUncan, Earle, East, Finley, Mercer, Oney, Patterson, Rockhold, Stanley, Stewart,
Thompson, Warner, Weldon, Winn

Chapter Fourteen
"Presbyterians, Land Opened For Market Along Line, Dr. D. Fitch, Methodist Church Built
in Decatur City"
SURNAMES: Baker, Black, Briggs, Britton, Edgington, Evans, Finley, Fitch, Garrett, Hayden, Houston, Johnson, Logan,
McBroom, McNeil, Notson, Parker, Patterson, Richmond, Scott, Shaw, Shields, Stanley, Still, Thompson, Vanderpool,
Westcott, Williams, Winters

Chapter Fifteen
"The Arnold Family, First Piano, Fourth of July Celebration, Presbyterian Organization"
SURNAMES: Arnold, Bachelder, Brengle, Brown, Burns, Carrithers, Chamberlin, Davis, Hawley, Henning, Irven, Jackson,
Johns, Johnson, Kasson, Knapp, Lennett, McNeil, Moore, Poweritz, Shepard, Varga, Willis

Chapter Sixteen
"Rev. Shields, Permanent Presbyterian Organization, Christian Church, New Families"
SURNAMES: Blair, Burt, Chase, Curry, Davis, Eals, Gardner, Holiday, Hughes, Islets, Johnson, Judd, Kendrick, Lillard, Mather,
Metier, Porter, Pryor, Rea, Rice, Roby, Shields, Smith, Stiles, Thatcher, Thompson, Varga, Witter, Woodbury

Chapter Seventeen
"Third Term of Court, Officials, New Arrivals, Home Burns, Son Killed, Saw Mill Built"
SURNAMES: Bowen, Boyce, Brown, Chase, Cherry, Culver, Davis, Dawes, Farquhar, Hastings, Hufford, Jensen, Johnson,
Kellogg, Lea, Marshall, McMurray, Miller, Moad, Pataterson, Poweritz, Reck, Scott, Smith, Vanderpool, von Laer,
Wafford, Winters

Chapter Eighteen
"Rev. Cary Arrives, New School Burns, The First Full-Time Preacher, Mr. Rawls, Leon Circuit
Self-Supporting, Stephen Arnold Arrives"
SURNAMES: Arnold, Cary, Dickinson, Knapp

Chapter Nineteen
"More of the Early Settlers, 1,000 Acre Farm, Improvements"
SURNAMES: Clark, Daly, Dickinson, Ekton, Hatfield, Leveridge, Loving, McDaniel, McDonald, Pitman, Snook, Wilcos, Wood,
Woodmansee

Chapter Twenty
"Two Women Freeze To Death, First Settler in High Point"
SURNAMES: Burrell, Doze, Hankins, Roberts, Rockhold, Scott, Stanley, Ujhazi, Varga

Chapter Twenty-One
"Early Settlers, M.E. Churches, Garden Grove School Rebuilt, Woolen Factory Built At Leon"
SURNAMES: Armstrong, Arnold, Baker, Brengle, Browning, Burns, Bumgarner, Chase, Flangan, Hall, Hastings, Hawley, Hine,
Jennings, Jordan, Kellogg, Knapp, Lillard, Meacham, McBride, McKibben, Mudgett, Notson, Patterson, Piper, Robets, Sales,
Sanders, Shaw, Simmons, Sparling, Stearns, Tharp, Vail, Westcott, Winters, Woodbury, Wolverton, Young

Chapter Twenty-Two
"Letter Regarding Dr. Paul Caster, Healer"
SURNAMES: Bush, Caster

Chapter Twenty-Three
"Mormons At Pleasanton, Revelations of the K. of G.C., Drought, Pioneer Experiences,
Arrival of the Dunkards"
SURNAMES: Caster, Chandler, Finley, Garber, Lunbeck, Moffett, Phipps, Ujhazi

Chapter Twenty-Four
"The Grange Movement, Railroad Service, Long Creek Settlers"
SURNAMES: Akers, Alexander, Albaugh, Andrews, Backus, Blades, Boord, Botkins, Branamer, Buffum, Bullard, Burke, Burns,
Cameron, Campbell, Cane, Chase, Cox, Craig, Creed, Dailey, Daws, Delap, Dickinson, Engle, Evans, Frazee, Gammill,
Gammon, Gardner, Henderson, Hinds, Holden, Jackson, Jewett, Johnson, Kellogg, LaForge, Laney, Leeper, Lentz, Lillie,
Lloyd, McCann, Meadows, Miller, Nostrand, Osborn, Parries, Pence, Poole, Ramsey, Richard, Ryan, Scott, Shiner, Smith,
Spencer, Springer, Stephens, Stewart, Styles, Tash, Thomas, Walters, Ward, Wasson, Waters, Watson, West, Wrightman,
Yost

Chapter Twenty-Five
"The Blowing Up of the Court House ad Attempted Robbery"
SURNAMES: Blackus, Bullock, Kellogg, Varga

Chapter Twenty-Six
"Concerning Settlers In Southern Part of County, Organization of First Temperance Society at
Garden Grove"
SURNAMES: Bartelow, Davis, Ekton, Hamilton, Hurst, Loving, Macy, Snook

Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Motto of the Chapter of Temperance - "Labor, Love and Truth"
 
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