"An Interesting Early History of Decatur County"

by Mrs. O.N. Kellogg
 
Chapter Thirteen

REPORT OF EAST GRAND RIVER ASSOCIATION-BAPTIST-COUNTY SEAT MOVED
 
The Baptist denomination of Decatur County, Iowa, organized their first church in Eden township, A.D. 1850, and named the church, New Garden, afterwards changed the location and name to Leon. In 1872 another church was organized and still assembles at Bethel, Eden township. At the present date, 1874, some seven or eight other churches at different points in the county have been organized. The membership now numbers in the county near three hundred. J. T. Mercer was moderator of East Grand River Association for 1874.

In the Spring of 1852 there was quite a general dissatisfaction throughout the southern and central portions of the county in regard to the county seat, and the informal manner in which it was located furnished a plausible pretext for attempting its removal.

New Buda, Long Creek and Nine Eagles, being west of the center, were well satisfied with the location at Decatur City, while Garden Grove being in the northeast corner of the county of course could have no aspirations in the direction of the county seat except in the event of a new county being formed and in view of such possible contingency in the distant future, it was for their interest to support the location west of the center.

Jonathan Creek was at this time quite a settlement and the disaffected portion of the county formed a coalition with them, which was good policy, as the event proved that they held the balance of power. A location at the geographical center of the county was talked of, but it was repugnant to the feelings of almost everyone to go into the brush to build a county seat when there was plenty of beautiful prairie available and it soon became apparent that “Greencastle” had but few friends. Its central position was the only thing in its favor. That point, however, was a good one, since the location once made at center, it could never afterwards be removed and where such location is possible much trouble is avoided.

Mrs. Thompson practiced cutting men's clothing in those days, having learned of her mother while assisting her with her family sewing and, as there was not a tailor within a great many miles, it was a convenience to the settlers which was highly appreciated. While planning and cutting out garments for Mr. Stewart on the eve of the election, when a vote of the county was to be taken, she said to him, “Your claim is as near the center of the county as there is any good prairie. Why not locate it there? Independence is a taking name. Our fathers fought and bled and died for Independence. They will say, “Hurrah for Independence'.” Whether acting upon the advice or a pre-conceived plan of his own, we know not. Certain it was, however, that his claim became the location that received the majority of votes. It is a mile and a quarter northeast of the center of the county.

This election was the first in the precinct and was held at Oney's. John Patterson, Alfred M. Stanley, and Harrison Weldon were judges of the election. The voters were there early and the judges were all ready but nobody came forward to deposit his vote. They waited patiently and finally Mr. Patterson ventured a remonstrance against such waste of time, as he had come intending to cast his vote immediately and return to his work, being anxious to do so at the earliest possible moment, but Dr. Thompson would be a deficiency of officers of the election. Having stayed in the emergency as a matter of duty, he wanted to see the rest of the company doing their duty, but in vain his perplexity. It transpired, however, in due course of time, that messengers had been sent to Jonathan Creek to watch the proceedings there, and when they returned and reported, voting went on briskly enough. Independence (Leon) received a majority of five votes.

Dr. Thompson was at that time county judge and it developed upon him to go to the land office at Chariton and enter the land upon which the county seat was located. The settlers collected fifty dollars to buy forty acres, and the doctor bought forty himself. He also intended entering several other small tracts, either adjoining or contiguous to the county seat and had bought warrants for that purpose at the land office when dinner was announced and, while he ate his dinner, a Mr. Earle, a dealer in land warrants, entered every piece that the doctor had selected except the eighty which he secured before going to dinner. In July of '52 Doctor Thompson built a house and moved into town, if it could be called a town with only one house in it. Cleveland, Clark and Winn built a store soon after.

Both these houses remained on the old foundations and a goodly town had gradually been built up in the intervening years. It was several months after the location of the town that a mail route was arranged as to accommodate it and, in the meantime, the mail matter destined for that point was left at the nearest house, on the Chariton, Garden Grove and New Buda route, and the settlers took it “turn about” after going after it as we used to do when Princeton, Mo., and afterward Chariton, Iowa, were our nearest post offices, the difference in distance, however, was greatly in their favor.

After we had been snowed in three months, Harvey Duncan and Bob Rockhold, old residents of the north Missouri, came up on horseback to see how we were getting on and Amasa Davis and John Brown took their track and went to Princeton, Mo., and got the mail from Garden Grove. This was the last of March. In a few days my husband went with a sled and horses to Missouri to lay in a supply of flour, pork and lard for the summer and when he got back as far as the creek it was bank full, the snow having melted off. The ice was floating in great blocks and he got a pole and steered a block against the bank and got his horses on, one at a time, and poled them over, then went back and got his load over some way, whether with or without a sled I do not recollect. Such is pioneering.

In 1853 a mail route and post office were established. Jacob Warner was the first postmaster. He was succeeded by Doctor Finley at Leon. The name, Independence, proved to be an unfortunate one as there was another post office of the same name in the State, which occasioned much confusion and annoyance. Uncle Tommy East, who lived near, was much proposed calling it South Independence, but the length was an objection, and out of compliment to him, Easton was talked of. There happened to be a young man present when the subject was under discussion who had lately come from Mexico and had been familiar with the name of Leon. He proposed that and it took with the crowd at once being short, easy to write, and not likely to become common.

As it has borne that name twenty years and the town has survived many disasters, prominent among which is the falling of the first court house in 1855 during a storm and the burning of the second in 1874, the probability is that the town and name will continue to be identified with the growth and prosperity of one of the very best counties of our beautiful Iowa.
 
 
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