Home Keokuk County IAGenWeb Free genealogy records

What's New | Bios | Birth/Marr/Death | Cemeteries | Census | Courts | Directories/Lists | History | Land & Property | Military | Photos & Postcards | Resources | Schools

Early Settlements Every nation does not possess an authentic account of its origin, neither do all communities have the correct data whereby it is possible to accurately predicate the condition of their first beginnings. Nevertheless, to be intensely interested in such things is characteristic of the race, and it is particularly the province of the historian to deal with first causes. Should these facts, as is often the case, be lost in the mythical tradition of the past, the chronicler invades the realm of the ideal, and compels his imagination to paint the missing picture. The patriotic Roman, was not content till he had found the "First Settlers" and then he was satisfied, although they were found in the very undesirable company of a she bear, and located on a drift, which the receding waters of the Tiber had permitted them to preempt. One of the advantages pertaining to a residence in a new country, and the one possibly least appreciated, is the fact that we can go back to the first beginnings. We are thus enabled not only to trace results to their causes but also to grasp the facts which have contributed to form and mould these causes. We observe that a State or county has attained a certain position, and we at once try to trace out the reasons for this position in its early settlement and surroundings, in the class of men by whom it was peopled and in the many chances and changes which have wrought out results in all the recorded deeds of mankind. In the history of Keokuk county, we may trace its early settlers to their homes in the Eastern States and in the countries of the Old World. We may follow the course of the hardy "Woodman of the "Buckeye" or the "Hoosier" State on his way west to "grow up up with the country" trusting only to his strong arm and his willing heart to work out his ambition of a home for himself and wife, and a competence for his children. Yet again, we may see the path worn by the Missourian in his new experience in a land which to him was a land of progress, far in advance of that southern soil upon which he had made his temporary home, in his effort to adapt himself to new conditions. We may see here the growth which came with knowledge, and the progress which grew upon him with progress around him, and how his better side developed. The pride of Kentucky blood, or the vain glorying of the Virginia F. F. V's, was here seen in an early day only to be modified in its advent from the crucible of democracy when servitude was eliminated from the solution. Yet others have been animated with the impulse to "move on," after making themselves part of the community, and have sought the newer parts of the extreme West, where civilization had not penetrated, or return to their native soil. We shall find little of that distinctive New England character which has contributed so many men and women to other portions of our State and the West, but we shall find many an industrious native of Germany or the British Isles, and a few of the industrious and economical French—all of whom have contributed to modify types of men already existing here. With confidence that general results will prove that there is much of good in everything, and that a justice almost poetic has been meted out to the faults and follies, to the foibles and the virtues of the early settlers of this county, we may now enter upon their story. As before stated, prior to October 21, 1838, the whites were not allowed to settle in any part of the territory now embraced in the boundaries of Keokuk county. At that time the United States came into possession of territory before held by the Indians; this new territory embraced within its bounds a small portion of what is now Keokuk county, including nearly all of the southeastern (Richland) township, and about half of the first, and a small portion of the second townships north of it. Upon this "strip," as has already been shown, the whites were then entitled to settle. This, however, cannot be taken as the date of first settlement; prior to that time a number of claims had been made and improvements commenced. The treaty had been made, and although, theoretically, this was forbidden ground, and the pioneers could at best but take a position on the border line and view at a distance the promised land, yet, practically, the country was open for exploration some months sooner, and the more adventuresome land-viewers and claim-seekers crossed over, looking at the country and marking the best localities, in order that they might be the better prepared to make an intelligent selection before settling a permanent claim. Early in the spring of this year a claim had been taken and a permanent settlement began. From this time, therefore, must be traced the history of Keokuk county, and at that time must be dated the "first settlement." The First Settlers In some counties there is great uncertainty as to who was the veritable "First Settler." In Keokuk county no such dispute is likely ever to occur. All accounts agree in attributing this distinction to Mr. Aaron Miller, who, together with his son, John Miller took claims and settled in the immediate vicinity of the present site of Richland. The first habitation erected was a cabin built by Mr. Miller, near the present residence of Mr. Isaac Davis. Mr. Miller is now dead; so is his son, John Miller, but his son-in-law Wm. Scearcy, still lives in an adjoining township. In the fall of the same year a few others came, and in the spring of 1839 Robert Pringle, James Higginbotham, Wm. Lewis, Wm. Bristow, John Wasson, Mitchell Gill and James M. Smith, came from the same neighborhood in Indiana, and settled near to and east of the present site of Richland. Some of these still live near where they originally settled; some are dead, while others, after remaining a number of years, again fell in with the tide of emigration and have been borne westward. Mr. Bristow is the oldest settler in the county who still resides on his original claim. He knows all that is comprehended in the meaning of the word "Pioneer," and has experienced all the trials and hardships incident to frontier life. Notwithstanding this, Mr. Bristow is still robust and healthy, and thanks to a more than ordinarily vigorous constitution, has not known a day during the past forty years when he was not able to attend to his affairs of business. Mr. Smith was prominently identified with the organization of the county, and became a member of the first board of county commissioners. Prominent among those who came during the years 1839-40 were the following: Joseph Kellum, Joab Bennett, five brothers by the name of Brown, to-wit: Jerry, Bowzier, William, Talton and Monroe; Jerry Kendall, James Roy, Henry Hardin, Peter Perry, James Miller, Wm. Miller, Elijah Searcy, David Myers, Richard Quinton, Horace Bagley, Wm. Lewman, James Lewman, Elias Whetston, Theodore Cox; and three brothers: William, John, and Ross Franklin; and four brothers: Henry, Thomas, Joel, and Pleasant Pringle; S. P. Bristow, Cyrus Jordan, Jacob Wimer, Mr. Troxel, Ed. Fayes, Robert Blacker, J. O. Casterline, and J. J. Franklin. Mr. Kellum became the first Probate Judge of the county. Mr. Quinton was one of the delegates to the first constitutional convention; and others of the afore-mentioned gentlemen became, in one way and another, prominently associated in the early development and organization of the county. Prominent among those on the north side of the river were Harvey Stevens and the Hendersons, Dr.Worthington, Dr. Mealy, William Grimsley, Wm. Shockley, John Baker, Wesley Goss, James Junkin, E. B. Holmes, Robert Alexander, John Crill, Sr., Ed. Cooley, and Michael Hornish. Not many of the settlers of the spring of 1839 came early enough to raise a crop that season. A few, however, with their long team of oxen and wooden mould-board plows, turned the sod and raised some sod corn, which helped them much in getting their stock through the winter. Most of the people, however, had to depend on prairie hay for feed for their stock which they had driven from the States, and which were by the long journey reduced to great poverty. The result was that much of this stock died during the winter, and the teams with which they were compelled to begin the spring work were not in a condition to do the vast amount of work consequent upon the opening of farms. Their bread was made of cornmeal and water. Their meat was such as they were able to procure by the use of their trusty rifles. Flour was scarce and dear, and they had to go to Burlington to procure it. Two of these early settlers deserve to be especially mentioned: William Scearcy and Jacob Wimer. The former still resides in the county. Although he is now quite aged, and his life one of trial and hardship, yet his step is still elastic and his mind clear and memory reliable. A short sketch of his early life will be interesting to the reader and eminently proper in this place. We will let him tell his own story: "My father, Robert Scearcy, was born in Virginia in the year 1782, and died and was buried in this township April 18, 1857. My mother's name was Mary Spivey. They were married in North Carolina, and were the parents of thirteen children: ten girls and three boys, I being the fifth child. I was born in Buncombe county, North Carolina, in the year 1813. When quite young my parents moved to Warren county, Tennessee, where we remained until the fall of 1829, when we started for Indiana, but owing to sickness we did not reach our destination until the spring of 1830; stayed a while in Morgan county, Indiana, and from there to Sangamon county, lllinois, where I was married April 7, 1836, to Sarah Miller (daughter of Aaron Miller, who was the first settler in this county, and died several years ago in this township). The same spring after I was married, myself and wife, in company with two brother-in-laws, John and James Miller and their families, started for Iowa, and being the first emigrants with teams that came west farther than Lockridge, we followed the township line from there by the marks on the trees in the timber, and the stakes and mounds on the prairies, until we reached what is now known as Pleasant Plain, in Jefferson county. The land at that time had not been surveyed out in smaller subdivisions than townships, and was not yet in market. I purchased a claim of 160 acres and adjoining my claim I laid out that town, consisting of 300 lots. The town of Brighton, in Washington county, was located the same fall. I broke about twelve acres of prairie that spring, during which time we lived in a tent. The greater part of the summer we spent in breaking prairie on the north side of Skunk river. A great many emigrants came in without families, would take claims and hired us to break a few acres—just sufficient to hold their claims until they should return in the fall, agreeing to pay us for the work when they returned; but they did not come back, and we found that we had done our work for nothing—lost it all. "While on the north side of the river we lived in an Indian ''wigwam'' made of bark. Here is where Wapello and his tribe lived at that time. They had quite a town, and some of them had small patches of ground that they cultivated, raising some corn and a few vegetables. It was a great sight to the Indians to see the prairie plow turning the sod over. The little fellows would follow us day after day, watching the plowing process. The Indians, as a general thing, treated us kindly enough, but seemed to look upon us with a kind of jealousy. They were great fellows for whisky at all times, but on special occasions they made whisky a special resort. On the occasion of the death of one of Wapello's sons, the old chief himself swam across the river, procured a barrel of whisky, floated it across the river, and such a time as they had I never witnessed before or since: Men, women and children beastly drunk for several days, some shouting the war whoop, some crying and wailing, and some sleeping—one continuous uproar as long as the whisky lasted. "After laying out the town of Pleasant Plain, I made a sale of lots and sold about five hundred dollars worth, some desirable ones going as high as forty dollars. The land not yet being in market, I could make no deeds, but gave bonds for deeds to be made as soon as I should get deeds from the government, taking their notes, to be paid when they received the deeds. "The only ferries we had to cross the river was our wagons; we had no other means of crossing except by swimming the teams, wagons and all. In the fall we went back to Sangammon county, Ill., expecting to return in the spring, as our provisions were all gone, and no means of securing a supply for the winter, as we had no money and could not have bought supplies if we had money. Owing to sickness in my family, I did not return to Iowa until the spring of 1839. When I came to Pleasant Plain I found the Quakers had taken advantage of my absence and 'jumped' my claim, town and all, and as I could not legally hold it, they would not give it up, nor pay me anything for what I had done. So I came on west and settled in Richland township, where Moses Mendenhall now lives. David Myers took a claim adjoining on the south, and although there was not a solitary house between him and Fairfield, yet he had not room enough. He crowded me out, and I abandoned that claim and settled another, the one which J. C. Johnson now lives on. I lived around in that vicinity until the spring of 1843. On the 30th day of April I moved into Jackson township, although, according to the treaty, we were not allowed to settle on this purchase until the first day of May. I commenced staking out my claim early the next morning. William Brown, who was then living at Blue Point, tried to frighten me away from the claim, threatening to mob me; but having actual possession first, I held the claim, on which I have lived ever since. The first year I fenced forty acres, broke out thirty acres of sod and put it in corn, on which I raised a good crop—plenty to do me and some to sell. I raised as good potatoes and cabbage as I have ever raised since. I planted the corn before I fenced the ground, made the rails and fenced it during the summer. I laid out in my corn many nights with a sod for a pillow, watching the cattle off my crop, and this barefooted; when rattlesnakes were as numerous as the grasshoppers and squirrels—and have actually killed them in the dark. I lived in a tent that summer, and in the fall I built a cabin. "A great deal of trouble was caused to settlers on account of 'claim jumping;' when the land came into market there were a great many poor men who had not money to pay for their land, and others more able would enter the land at the office, and had it not been for a kind of club law gotten up by the settlers for their own protection, probably much more distress would have been than really was. "The first church organization in this county was by Andrew P. Tannehill, building on Spainshower's foundation, in the fall of 1843; organized the Baptist church. "The first school taught in the township was by a man by the name of Brown, in a log cabin near where John Dare now lives. "I have raised a family of ten children: six boys and four girls, all of whom are still living; and they are all here, except one daughter who lives in Kansas. "I professed religion in the year 1819 and joined the Baptist church, of which I have been a member ever since. "Politically, I am a Democrat, alway have been, and always expect to be; my first vote being cast for Martin Van Buren for President. "In looking over the county now, and contrasting its appearance with thirty-five years ago, what a remarkable change we discover: then a vast ocean of prairie, upon miles and miles of which nothing could be seen but the native grass, interspersed with groves, belts of timber, rivulets and streams, inhabited only by the red skins and wild animals. Now, how different! The white man has made his mark here. All over this country, what was then one vast wild prairie, we see, we might say, one continuous farm, separated only by roads and fences. In looking over those few years past, it seems that such a change could not have taken place in so short a time. Then we had our log cabin school houses, with split logs or fence rails for seats. Then we had preaching in our log cabins, and people were not ashamed to ride in an ox wagon four or five miles to meeting, and if they were not able to wear shoes they did not hesitate to go barefoot and without any coat. They went to meeting for the enjoyment of true religion, and had no fears of being insulted by Mr. Etiquette or Madame Fashion." Jacob Wimer settled in the vicinity of Richland in the year 1839. He proved to be the most valuable accession which had, up to this time, been made to the little colony. He was a man of the most invincible energy, possessed of other striking traits of character, and, moreover, a practical millwright. No one man did more to advance the interests of the early settlers, and to develop the resources of the county, than he. Soon after arriving, Mr. Wimer set about the work of mill building. The first mill in the county was commenced by him in June, 1842, and located on South Skunk river, near the confluence of the two streams. It was completed in the following February. The mill was built about five rods west of the boundary line of the original Black Hawk purchase. In selecting the site he found that he could not erect the mill to advantage unless he put it on the Indian side of the line. The trespass was but a few steps, and he supposed that it would work no injury to the red man. But the red man came and pointed out to him the line between Che-mo-ke-man and Mus­qua-ke. Mr. Wimer was apparently too dull of comprehension to understand the import of the Indians' protestations, and went on with his mill. The red skins had learned too much of freedom in their own wild forests, to be thns (sic) encroached upon, and regarded in a diplomatic manner a trespass of fifty yards as equal to the inundation of the whites to the very center of their hunting grounds. The consequence was that they appealed to the United States authorities, and a troop of dragoons was dispatched to drive Mr. Weimer off the forbidden ground and burn his buildings. One morning, shortly after the completion of the mill, these epauletted gentlemen bore down upon Mr. Wimer. This gentleman, however, was not altogether taken by surprise, as he had certain intimations of the raid upon his premises. He had, accordingly, prior to the arrival of the dragoons, removed all vestiges of the boundary line, for several miles on either side of the river. When the dragoons arrived they rode up to the side of the stream on the south bank of the river, and there hitched their horses. Thereupon the whole squad crossed upon the ice, each man having girted at his side an immense sword, which trailed on the ground. at his side. The officer, in a very pompous style, started up to Mr. Wimer and said: "Do you know, sir, where you are?" Mr. Wimer met his gaze firmly, and in a very decided manner replied: "I think I do, sir." The officer then stated to Mr. Wimer that the mill was on the Indian's land, and his instructions were to destroy it, and his imperative duty was to obey. This was a critical moment for the millwright. He had invested all his means in the mill, and looking at the building and then at the officer, scarcely knew what to say. He could not for a moment entertain the thought that years of toil and labor should be in vain, and that this structure which represented that toil and labor should be demolished merely to satisfy the caprices of a few savages, and that too at a time when it was known that they would, as they did, sell out as soon as a treaty could be concluded. After exhibiting his machinery to the party, and making himself as agreeable as his unsafe condition would permit, he cooly requested the dragoons to accompany him about one hundred yards west of the mill, where, pointing to each side of the river, he called attention to marks and notches on the trees, and turning to the commander remarked: "You see, sir, I knew where I was, and we need not disturb one another," at the same time he gave him a look which seemed to say: "Do you comprehend my meaning?" Whether the dragoon captain believed this to be the true line or not, at least he pretended that he did, and venting a few oaths upon the swarthy faces for causing them a cold and needless ride, called off his men and departed, to the great relief of the mill owner. Soon after this circumstance Mr. Wimer sold the mill to Mr. L. B. Hughes, and removed to a mill site on North Skunk river, where he began the erection of what was afterward known as the "Whisler Mills." After these mills were nearly completed, he sold an interest in them to Mr. J. B. Whisler. Shortly after the mills were completed he sold the remainder of his interest to Mr. Whisler, and removed to Mahaska county, where he commenced the erection of the Union Mills, on North Skunk, finishing them about two years afterward. Some time having elapsed, he sold this mill, and returned to Keokuk county, and built what was known as the Wimer Mill, on South Skunk. A sawing attachment was put up in this mill by Mr. Abrams soon after. Mr. Harvey Ray, of Burlington, who, up to this time, had furnished burrs for most of the mills in southeastern Iowa, said that this mill was the best grist mill in the State. In 1857 Mr. Wimer moved to Ray county, Missouri, and erected another large grist and sawmill, and also conducted a large farm. In 1859 he again returned to Keokuk county, having sold out in Missouri, and this time purchased the Goodheart mill, on North Skunk, about one mile from Lancaster. After Mr. Wimer bought this mill he repaired it and remodeled its machinery, and then sold it to Mr. Austin Jacobs. He then moved to a farm near Lancaster, declaring his intention of retiring from the milling business, but subsequently removed to Oregon, where he was at last accounts following his old business. Mr. Wimer was a man of great benevolence, and many still living in the county have reason to remember him with feelings of gratitude. In public enterprises, whether for a charitable object, a church building, a bridge, or any other thing to enhance the general good, Mr. Wimer was always among the most liberal; and yet modest, not taking one-half the alms he gave to keep the other half sounding. Soon after he purchased the last mill there was a great scarcity of breadstuffs; just preceding the harvest many of the best prepared farmers were closely pushed to obtain the staff of life. During this time Mr. Wimer freely distributed to the more necessitous class all the toll and other grain he could control. It is gratifying to know that Mr. Wimer is but one representative of a large class of men who lived in this county at an early day, and who did so much to mould the character of the people and develop the resources of the country. We have been thus concise and yet explicit in the account of these representative men because we deem it important, and the reader can judge from the history of one of them, so graphically and intelligently given in his own language, what manner of men they were. It will be observed that we have here no rude adventurers, driven out from their fellows by crime or melancholy; nor hunters or fishermen, too indolent to work; but we see intelligent, industrious men, who felt the lack of all those blessings which adhere to older civilization, yet strong enough to break away from them. Men who were ambitious to make their own future, and thus make the future of the country in which they settled. It will be perceived from what has been said of them, that they immediately upon their arrival proceeded to work; that they broke prairie, built mills, erected houses, exterminated noxious animals—in short, they were the forerunners of that thrift and industry and content which have made the county great and populous and wealthy, as well as intelligent and progressive in all the arts of higher civilization. The first settlers of Keokuk county were, therefore, men who were worthy to be among her citizens of today. The forerunners who carried civilization into the wilderness were of such a cast, of such a nature, of such strength and industry, of such ability and such a character, that the best of today might yet follow where they would lead, confident that they would work for the upbuilding of the county, and that nothing of dishonor would come to them through their leaders. It would be interesting could we but go back, even in fancy, to the condition of affairs when these men first saw this county in 1839. Could we but have seen the sublimity of this great and fertile region, where but few, even of the red men, were then living; could we but imagine what were the thoughts, hopes, ambitions, purposes of these pioneers, as they recalled the rocky hills and mountains of their native States, and compared them with these prairies, waving with naught but the luxuriant growth of wild grasses, the noble forests, of these water courses, all fulfilling the natural conditions of comfort and wealth for man, and only waiting his advent to blossom as the rose with the productions of a civilized race, we might have seen, as they saw, that here, "wild in woods, the noble savage ran," with all that there could be of nobility in his untaught, or rather ill-taught, and treacherous nature, and that suddenly the face of the white man was seen in the forest, surveying its unimproved wealth, and preparing the way for a mightier and greater people. The taciturn, grunting savage heard the unwanted sound of laughter in regious where that melody might not have been heard since the long forgotten days of the mound builders, and he prepared to move further afield, away from his aggressive and more powerful brother. The sound of the ax and the crash of falling timber spoke of new life and animation. For the newcomer in all this wild region there was in every bubbling spring a music sweet as the voices of children. The ripple of the lonely river, flashing against its sides, gave prophecy of towns to spring up amid the sterner sounds of daily toil for a rich reward, in which all natural forces must become tributary to man's well being. The first white child born in the limits of Keokuk county was probably J. F. Searcy, who was born December 15, 1840. An older son of Mr. Wm. Searcy was but three months old when brought to the county. Transcribed by Pat Wahl. Early Settlements Every nation does not possess an authentic account of its origin, neither do all communities have the correct data whereby it is possible to accurately predicate the condition of their first beginnings. Nevertheless, to be intensely interested in such things is characteristic of the race, and it is particularly the province of the historian to deal with first causes. Should these facts, as is often the case, be lost in the mythical tradition of the past, the chronicler invades the realm of the ideal, and compels his imagination to paint the missing picture. The patriotic Roman, was not content till he had found the "First Settlers" and then he was satisfied, although they were found in the very undesirable company of a she bear, and located on a drift, which the receding waters of the Tiber had permitted them to preempt. One of the advantages pertaining to a residence in a new country, and the one possibly least appreciated, is the fact that we can go back to the first beginnings. We are thus enabled not only to trace results to their causes but also to grasp the facts which have contributed to form and mould these causes. We observe that a State or county has attained a certain position, and we at once try to trace out the reasons for this position in its early settlement and surroundings, in the class of men by whom it was peopled and in the many chances and changes which have wrought out results in all the recorded deeds of mankind. In the history of Keokuk county, we may trace its early settlers to their homes in the Eastern States and in the countries of the Old World. We may follow the course of the hardy "Woodman of the "Buckeye" or the "Hoosier" State on his way west to "grow up up with the country" trusting only to his strong arm and his willing heart to work out his ambition of a home for himself and wife, and a competence for his children. Yet again, we may see the path worn by the Missourian in his new experience in a land which to him was a land of progress, far in advance of that southern soil upon which he had made his temporary home, in his effort to adapt himself to new conditions. We may see here the growth which came with knowledge, and the progress which grew upon him with progress around him, and how his better side developed. The pride of Kentucky blood, or the vain glorying of the Virginia F. F. V's, was here seen in an early day only to be modified in its advent from the crucible of democracy when servitude was eliminated from the solution. Yet others have been animated with the impulse to "move on," after making themselves part of the community, and have sought the newer parts of the extreme West, where civilization had not penetrated, or return to their native soil. We shall find little of that distinctive New England character which has contributed so many men and women to other portions of our State and the West, but we shall find many an industrious native of Germany or the British Isles, and a few of the industrious and economical French—all of whom have contributed to modify types of men already existing here. With confidence that general results will prove that there is much of good in everything, and that a justice almost poetic has been meted out to the faults and follies, to the foibles and the virtues of the early settlers of this county, we may now enter upon their story. As before stated, prior to October 21, 1838, the whites were not allowed to settle in any part of the territory now embraced in the boundaries of Keokuk county. At that time the United States came into possession of territory before held by the Indians; this new territory embraced within its bounds a small portion of what is now Keokuk county, including nearly all of the southeastern (Richland) township, and about half of the first, and a small portion of the second townships north of it. Upon this "strip," as has already been shown, the whites were then entitled to settle. This, however, cannot be taken as the date of first settlement; prior to that time a number of claims had been made and improvements commenced. The treaty had been made, and although, theoretically, this was forbidden ground, and the pioneers could at best but take a position on the border line and view at a distance the promised land, yet, practically, the country was open for exploration some months sooner, and the more adventuresome land-viewers and claim-seekers crossed over, looking at the country and marking the best localities, in order that they might be the better prepared to make an intelligent selection before settling a permanent claim. Early in the spring of this year a claim had been taken and a permanent settlement began. From this time, therefore, must be traced the history of Keokuk county, and at that time must be dated the "first settlement." Pioneer Life  The account of early settlements as has already been narrated extends from the time of the first settlement, in the spring of the year 1839, to the time of the admission of the State into the Union, in the autumn of 1846. The account therefore embraces a period of less than eight years from the first settlement on the "old strip," and less than four years from the time when authority was first given to settle that portion of the county west. During these years the first settlement of Keokuk county was in the earliest stage of pioneer life. All that can be known of this period must be drawn chiefly from tradition. In those days the people took no care to preserve history—they were too busily engaged in making it. Historically speaking, those were the most important years of the county, for it was then the foundation and cornerstones of all the county's history and prosperity were laid. Yet this period was not remarkable for daring events. It was, however, a time of self-reliance and brave, persevering toil; of privations cheerfully endured through faith in a good time coming. The experience of one settler was just about the same as that of others. They were almost invariably poor, they faced the same hardships and stood generally on an equal footing. All the experience of the early pioneers of this county goes far to confirm the theory that, after all, happiness is pretty evenly balanced in this world. They had their privations and hardships, but they had also their own peculiar joys. If they were poor they were free from the burden of pride and vanity; free, also, from the anxiety and care that always attend the possession of wealth. Other people's eyes cost them nothing. If they had few neighbors, they were on the best of terms with those they had. Envy, jealousy and strife had not crept in. A common interest and a common sympathy bound them together with the strongest ties. They were a little world to themselves, and the good feeling that prevailed was all the stronger because they were so far removed from the great world of the East. There was a peculiar sort of free-masonry among the pioneers. Newcomers were made welcome, and ready hands assisted them in building their homes. Neighbors did not even wait for an invitation or request to help one another. Was a settler's cabin burned or blown down? No sooner was the fact known throughout the neighborhood than the settlers assembled to assist the unfortunate one to rebuild his home. They came with as little hesitation, and with as much alacrity, as though they were all members of the same family, and bound together by ties of blood. One man's interest was every other man's interest also. Now this general state of feeling among the pioneers was by no means peculiar to this county, although it was strongly illustrated here. It prevailed generally throughout the West during the time of the early settlement. The very nature of things taught the settlers the necessity of dwelling together in this spirit. It was their only protection. They had come far away from the well-established reign of law and entered a new country where the civil authority was still feeble, and totally unable to afford protection and redress grievances. Here in Keokuk county the settlers lived for quite a time before there was a single officer of the law in the county. Each man's protection was in the good will and friendship of those about him, and the thing any man might well dread was the ill will of the community. It was more terrible than the law. It was no uncommon thing in the early times for hardened men, who had no fears of jails or penitentiaries, to stand in great fear of the indignation of a pioneer community. Owing to the fact that one of the early settlers was an energetic millwright, he employed all his energy and what means he possessed in erecting mills at a few of the favorable mill-sites, which abound in the county, yet going to mill in those days, when there were no roads, no bridges, no ferry-boats, and scarcely any convenience for traveling, was no small task, where so many rivers and treacherous streams were to be crossed, and such a trip was often attended with great danger to the traveler when these streams were swollen beyond their banks. But even under these circumstances some of the more adventurous and ingenious ones, in cases of emergency, found the way and means by which to cross the swollen streams and succeed in making the trip. At other times, again, all attempts failed them, and they were compelled to remain at home until the waters subsided, and depend on the generosity of their fortunate neighbors. An interesting comparison might be drawn between the conveniences which now make the life of the farmer a comparatively easy one, and the almost total lack of such conveniences in early days. A brief description of the accommodations possessed by the first tillers of this soil will be now given. Let the children of such illustrious sires draw their own comparisons, and may the results of these comparisons silence the voice of complaint which so often is heard in the land. The only plows they had at first were what they styled "bull plows." The mould-boards were generally of wood, but in some cases they were half wood and half iron. The man who had one of the latter description was looked upon as something of an aristocrat. But these old "bull plows" did good service, and they must be awarded the honor of first stirring the soil of Keokuk county. It was quite a time after the first settlement before there was a single store in the county. Rude fire-places were built in the cabin chimneys, and they served for warmth, cooking and ventilation. The first buildings in the county were not just like the log cabins that immediately succeeded them. These latter required some help and a good deal of labor to build. The very first buildings constructed were a cross between "hoop cabins" and Indian bark huts. As soon as enough men could be got together for a "cabin raising" then log cabins were in style. Many a pioneer can remember the happiest time of his life as that when he lived in one of these homely but comfortable and profitable old cabins. A window with sash and glass was a rarity, and was an evidence of wealth and aristocracy which but few could support. They were often made with greased paper put over the window, which admitted a little light, but more often there was nothing whatever over it, or the cracks between the logs, without either chinking or daubing, was the dependence for light and air. The doors were fastened with old-fashioned wooden latches, and for a friend or neighbor or traveler the string always hung out, for the pioneers of the west were hospitable, and entertained visitors to the best of their ability. It is noticeable with what affection the pioneers speak of their old log cabins. It may be doubted whether palaces ever sheltered happier hearts than those homely cabins. The following is a good description of these old land-marks, but few of which now remain: "These were of round logs notched together at the corners, ribbed with poles and covered with boards split from a tree. A puncheon floor was then laid down, a hole cut out in the end and a stick chimney run up. A clapboard door is made, a window is opened by cutting out a hole in the side or end about two feet square, and it is finished without glass or transparency. The house is then 'chinked' and 'daubed' with mud made of the top soil. The cabin is now ready to go into. The household and kitchen furniture is adjusted, and life on the frontier is begun in earnest. The one-legged bedstead, now a piece of the furniture of the past, was made by cutting a stick the proper length, boring holes at one end one and a-half inches in diameter, at right angles, and the same sized holes corresponding with these in the logs of the cabin the length and breadth desired for the bed, in which are inserted poles. Upon these poles, clapboards are laid, or lind bark is interwoven consecutively from pole to pole. Upon this primitive structure the bed is laid. The convenience of a cook stove was not thought of then, but instead the cooking was done by the faithful housewife in pots, kettles and skillets, on and about the big fireplace, and very frequently over and around, too, the distended pedal extremities of the legal sovereigns of the household, while the latter were indulging in the luxury of a cob pipe, and discussing the probable results of a contemplated elk hunt up and about Walled Lake. These log cabins were really not so bad, after all. The living in those days was not such as to tempt the epicure to leave his comfortable luxuries, or even necessities, in the East in order to add to the population of the country. Flour was at first unknown and meal was scarce. They had corn bread in those days "as was corn bread," such as many a resident of the county of this day knows nothing of ; and the pone made by the grandmothers of the young people of the present day was something for pride. Before the country became supplied with mills which were of easy access, and even in some instances afterward, hominy-blocks were used; these now exist only in the memory of the oldest settlers, but as relics of the "long ago" a description of them will not be uninteresting: A tree of suitable size, say from eighteen inches to two feet in diameter, was selected in the forest and felled to the ground. If a cross-cut saw happened to be convenient, the tree was "butted"—that is, the kerf end was sawed off so that it would stand steady when ready for use. If there were no cross-cut saw in the neighborhood strong arms and sharp axes were ready to do the work. Then the proper length, from four to five feet, was measured off' and sawed or cut square. When this was done the block was raised on end and the work of cutting out a hollow in one of the ends was commenced. This was generally done with a common chopping ax. Sometimes a smaller one was used. When the cavity was judged to be large enough, a fire was kindled in it and carefully watched till the ragged edges were burned away. When completed the hominy-block somewhat resembled a druggist's mortar. Then a pestle or something to crush the corn was necessary. This was usually made from a suitably sized piece of timber with an iron wedge attached, the large end down. This completed the machinery and the block was ready for use. Sometimes one hominy-block accommodated an entire neighborhood and was the means of staying the hunger of many mouths. It is sometimes remarked that there were no places for public entertainment till later years. The fact is there were many such places; in fact, every cabin was a place of entertainment and these hotels were sometimes crowded to their utmost capacity. On such an occasion, when bed-time came, the first family would take the back part of the cabin and so continue filling up by families until the limit was reached. The young men slept in the wagons outside. In the morning those nearest the door arose first and went outside to dress. Meals were served on the hind end of a wagon, and consisted of corn bread, buttermilk and fat pork, and occasionally coffee to take away the morning chill. On Sundays, for a change, they had bread made of wheat "tread out" by horses on the ground, cleaned with a sheet and pounded by hand. This was the best the most fastidious could obtain, and this only one day in seven. Not a moment of time was lost. It was necessary that they should raise enough sod corn to take them through the coming winter, and also get as much breaking done as possible. They brought with them enough corn to give the horses an occasional feed in order to keep them able for hard work, but 'in the main they had to live on prairie grass. The cattle got nothing else than grass. In giving the bill of fare above we should have added meat, for of this they had plenty. Deer would be seen daily trooping over the prairie in droves of from twelve to twenty, and sometimes as many as fifty would be seen grazing together. Elk were also found, and wild turkeys and prairie chickens without number. Bears were not unknown. Music of the natural order was not wanting, and every night the pioneers were lulled to rest by the screeching of panthers and the howling of wolves. When the dogs ventured too far out from the cabins at night they would be driven back by the wolves, chasing them up to the very cabin doors. Trapping wolves became quite a profitable business after the State began to pay a bounty for wolf scalps. One of the peculiar circumstances that surrounded the early life of the pioneers was a strange lonliness (sic). The solitude seemed almost to oppress them. Months would pass during which they would see scarcely a human face outside their own families. The isolation of these early days worked upon some of the settlers an effect that has never passed away. Some of them say that they lived in such a lonely way when they first came here that afterward, when the county began to fill up, they always found themselves bashful and constrained in the presence of strangers. But when the people were once started in this way the long pent-up feelings of joviality and sociability fairly boiled over, and their meetings frequently became enthusiastic and jovial in the highest degree. It seems singular to note bashfulness as one of the characteristics of the strong, stalwart settlers, but we are assured by the old settlers themselves that this was a prominent characteristic of the pioneers. And some of them declare that this feeling became so strong during the early years of isolation and lonliness (sic) that they have never since been able to shake it off. But there were certainly some occasions when the settlers were not in the least degree affected by anything in the nature of bashfulness. When their rights were threatened or invaded they had "muscles of iron and hearts of flint." It was only when brought together for merely social purposes that they seemed ill at ease. If any emergency arose, or any business was to be attended to, they were always equal to the occasion. On occasions of special interest, such as elections, holiday celebrations or camp-meetings, it was nothing unusual for a few settlers who lived in the immediate neighborhood of the meeting to entertain scores of those who had come from a distance. There was a grove on Mr. Scearcy's claim, and this was a favorite place for holding camp-meetings. It was no unusual thing for Mr. Scearcy and his estimable lady to feed hundreds for days in succession during the progress of these meetings, free of charge. This circumstance is given to illustrate the boundless generosity which prevailed in those days. Scores of other instances could be adduced, showing that at least in this particular we live in degenerate days. Rough and rude though the surroundings may have been, the pioneers were none the less honest, sincere, hospitable and kind in their relations. It is true as a rule, and of universal application, that there is a greater degree of real humanity among the pioneers of any country than there is when the country becomes older and richer. If there is an absence of refinement that absence is more than compensated in the presence of generous hearts and truthful lives. They are bold, courageous, industrious, enterprising and energetic. Generally speaking, they are earnest thinkers and possessed of a diversified fund of useful, practical information. As a rule they do not arrive at a conclusion by means of a course of rational reasoning, but nevertheless have a queer way of getting at the facts. They hate cowards and shams of every kind, and above all things falsehood and deception, and cultivate an integrity which seldom permits them to prostitute themselves to a narrow policy of imposture. Such were the characteristics of the men and women who pioneered the way to the country of the Sac and Fox Indians. Those who visited them in their homes in a social capacity were made as welcome as if they were the members of the same household. To tender them pay in return for their hospitality was only to insult the better feelings of their nature. If a neighbor fell sick and needed care or attention the whole neighborhood was interested. If a house was to be raised every man "turned out," and often the women too, and while the men piled up the logs that fashioned the primitive dwelling-place the women prepared the dinner. Sometimes it was cooked by big log fires near the site where the cabin was building. In other cases it was prepared at the nearest cabin and at the proper hour was carried to where the men were at work. If one man in the neighborhood killed a beef, a pig, or a deer, every other family in the neighborhood was sure to receive a piece. One of the few remaining pioneers has remarked: "In those days we were neighbors in a true sense. We were all on an equality. Aristocratic feelings were unknown and would not have been tolerated. What one had we all had, and that was the happiest period of my life. But to-day, if you lean against a neighbor's shade tree he will charge you for it. If you are poor and fall sick you may lie and suffer almost unnoticed and unattended, and probably go to the poor-house; and just as like as not the man who would report you to the authorities as a subject of county care would charge the county for making the report." Of the old settlers some are still living in the county, in the enjoyment of the fortunes they founded in the early times, "having reaped a hundredfold." Others have passed away, and many of them will not long survive. Several of them have gone to the far West, and are still playing the part of pioneers. But wherever they may be, and whatever fate may betide them, it is but truth to say that they were excellent men as a class and have left a deep and enduring impression upon Keokuk county and the State. "They builded better than they knew." They were, of course, men of activity and energy or they would never have decided to face the trials of pioneer life. They were almost invariably poor, but the lessons taught them in the early days were of such a character that few of them have remained so. They made their mistakes in business pursuits like other men. Scarcely one of them but allowed golden opportunities, for pecuniary profit at least, to pass by unheeded. What are now some of the choicest farms in Keokuk county were not taken up by the pioneers, who preferred land of very much less value. They have seen many of their prophecies fulfilled and others come to naught. Whether they have attained the success they desired their own hearts can tell. To one looking back over the situation at that time from the present standpoint of progress and comfort, it certainly does not seem very cheering; and yet, from the testimony of some of these same old settlers themselves, it was the most independent and happy period of their lives. At that time it certainly would have been much more difficult for those old settlers to understand how it could be possible that thirty-two years hence the citizens at the present stage of the county's progress would be complaining of hard times and destitution, and that they themselves, perhaps, would be among that number, than it is now for us to appreciate how they could feel so cheerful and contented with their meager means and humble lot of hardship and deprivation during those early pioneer days. The secret, doubtless, was that they lived within their means, however limited, not coveting more of luxury and comfort than their income would afford, and the natural result was prosperity and contentment, with always room for one more stranger at the fireside, and a cordial welcome to a place at their table for even the most hungry guest. During the first three years, and perhaps not until some time afterward, there was not a public highway established and worked on which they could travel; and as the settlers were generally far apart, and mills and trading points were at great distances, going from place to place was not only very tedious but attended sometimes with great danger. Not a railroad had yet entered Chicago, and there was scarcely a thought in the minds of the people here of such a thing ever reaching the wild West; and if thought of, people had no conception of what a revolution a railroad and telegraph through here would cause in the progress of the country. Then there were less than 5,000 miles of railroad in the United States, and not a mile of track laid this side of Ohio, while now there are over 100,000 miles of railroads extending their trunks and branches in every direction over our land. Supplies in those days came to this Western country entirely by river and wagon transportation. Mail was carried to and fro in the same way, and telegraph dispatches were transmitted by the memory and lips of emigrants coming in or strangers passing through. In the autumn of 1846, when Iowa ceased to be a territory and became a State, Keokuk county likewise was entering upon a new career. Roads were being laid out and worked and temporary bridges constructed in different localities for the convenience of travel. Schools and school-houses were rapidly increasing, and conveniences of public worship multiplied. Manufactories of various kinds began to be talked of by the more enterprising men of some capital, and the general work of improvement and civilization progressed most encouragingly. The emigration to the unsettled regions further west made a good market for all kinds of farm produce at the very doors of the settlers. Mills as well as markets had come to the very doors of the pioneers of Keokuk county, and the county may be said to have entered upon its career of permanent prosperity. But the distinctively pioneer times had gone. With all their hardships and all their joys, they were a thing of the past. Transcribed by Pat Wahl. Early Reminiscences of Men and Things The first sheriff of Keokuk county was George W. Hayes. He was a very eccentric individual, and some of his peculiarities, as exhibited during the days of his official dignity, are cleverly delineated by one who then knew him: In weather hot or cold, wet or dry, he always wore the insigna of his office in the shape of an old blue blanket overcoat. To see him the first time was to know him at any other time or place. We had occasion one day to place in his hands a subpoena in which several persons were defendants. To avoid the repetition of all their names, we added, as is usual after the first name, the abbreviation, et al., meaning, also others. In the course of a week, Hayes returned the writ, declaring that neither he, nor any other of the witnesses he had notified, were acquainted with or knew anything of this man et al. Some time in the spring of 1847 there was a political meeting at Lancaster for the purpose of appointing delegates to a congressional convention. The meeting was held in a new building being erected by Whisler and Mitts, for a store room, and was attended by about twenty-five persons. About the close of the meeting a shower of rain came up, attended with vivid lightning, and terrific thunder. One bolt came down, striking the front end of the house where the meeting was assembled, killing two men and a horse. Joshua Bennett, one of the persons killed, was standing just beside the door, and between it and the counter; Charles Payton, the other one, was standing somewhat on the other side of the door, holding a large horse by a chain halter; some were seated on the counter and others on benches; others were standing up, and one gentleman within a foot of Payton. There was no warning, no getting out of the way, no refuge or flight from the lightning shaft. One terrible crash, mingled with the sound of breaking of window glass, and a sulphureous odor was the first thing realized. Bennett and Payton gently and slowly sank to the floor, and for the first minute or two their eyes indicated perfect mental intelligence, but breathing had ceased, and the fire of mortality had gone out. Every effort known to those present was resorted to for the purpose of restoring them, but to no purpose, and in fifteen minutes they were quite livid. One of the characteristic features of Lancaster in early days was its liberty pole. It was erected by a man of the name of Allen, who had been a seafaring man. The pole was one hundred feet high, and was made to represent the main-mast of a ship. It had four platforms at various elevations from the ground, and these communicated with each other by means of rope ladders. In 1855 the top blew off, and finally the pole was cut off at the base. Many readers will remember this pole, and the mention of it will call back to their minds many fond recollections of that wonderful little town, which once played such an important part in the history of the county. In early clays the mail facilities were not what they now are; even in the more populous sections of the country, and in the chief metropolis of the nation, were the facilities much inferior to what they now are at any ordinary railway station in the far West. The first mail received at Sigourney, February 7, 1845, consisted of one paper for Wm. B. Thompson, one paper for S. A. James, and some post-office blanks. The mail-carrier was John H. Bragg, who made semi-monthly trips from Washington to Oskaloosa, via Sigourney. There were no postage stamps used, the amount of postage being marked on the letter, which amount could be paid either by the person sending the letter or the one receiving it. The postage on an ordinary letter was five, ten, twelve and a-half, twenty-five, and thirty-seven and a-half cents, according to the distance sent. Letters would sometimes be months in reaching their destination, and then when they did arrive the person to whom they were directed would have great difficulty sometimes to raise enough money to pay the back postage. Gen. James A. Williamson, at present Register of the General Land Office at Washington, and formerly of this county, averred at an old settlers' meeting, held at Sigourney a few years since, that in those days he walked twenty miles to borrow twenty-five cents in order to lift a delicate missive from his sweetheart in Indiana. In the summer of 1845 Dr. B. F. Weeks located in Sigourney. He was a bachelor, nearly forty years of age. In his earlier days the course of true love did not run smooth, and a cloud seemed to hang over him. His intimate friends were few but warm. He had first studied law in the East, and then came to Illinois. Whatever his love affair was, it evidently caused a change in the whole course of his life. He changed his life programme, came to Iowa and studied medicine. After corning to Sigourney he had a very successful practice. On the 16th of July, 1846, he was taken suddenly ill at the house of Maxon Randall. A son of Mr. Randall came to Sigourney for Mr. James, who was soon at his bed-side. The latter says that he found him calm and composed, but firm in his opinion that he would not long survive. At the earnest solicitation of Mr. James, a messenger was sent for Dr. Stone, who resided in Washington; but at a quarter of one the same afternoon, being fully conscious, and with a prayer upon his lips of "Lord, receive my spirit!" he breathed his last. In the winter of 1851 and '52, the typhoid fever made its appearance at Lancaster. It baffled the skill of the best physicians, and quite a number of deaths ensued; among them were John Baker, at that time county judge, and B. P. Shawhan, county recorder. The next winter it reappeared with equal fatality, and after selecting its victims as suddenly disappeared. In the summers of 1854 and 1855 the cholera visited Lancaster, and proved fatal in many instances. During the summer of 1855 exaggerated reports of the sick and dead list were circulated, producing so much alarm that scarcely a farmer ventured into the town for weeks after it had subsided. For all these diseases there was apparently no local cause, the town being on a high, rolling prairie, and no stagnant ponds anywhere in the vicinity. One of the first merchants of the county, and the first to engage in business in Sigourney, was B. F. Edwards. He was an old bachelor; had habits of great economy, and gathered up all the nails, buttons, bits of old iron, pins and the like. The under side of his coat lappel was always literally padded with pins. When the feet of his socks would not bear any further darning, he would cut them off and lay by the legs, and to such an extent had he saved these, that he actually obtained the cognomen of "Sock-legs." In the autumn of that year he sold out and migrated to or near St. Louis. A. W. Blair, the first attorney in Sigourney, came over from Oskaloosa in the fall of 1844, preferring the former place because of the competition, two lawyers having already located at the latter place. He was a short, heavy set young man, with a good brain, somewhat cultivated, but came to our place greatly discouraged by poverty and the "chills," both of which clung to him all winter. He was a native of North Carolina, and how he ever got out of the limits of the State where the summit of ambition is to say "gimme chaw tobacker," has never been found out. But he had somehow drifted to Bloomington, Ind., attended law school, and was really well qualified to become a lawyer. His location here, however, at that time, looked as unpropitious as the building of a steam saw-mill in the middle of a large prairie. He remained long enough, though, to cut out considerable timber. When the Mexican war broke out Blair went to Mexico, and for a year was a cavalry scout along the frontier, on the Rio Grande. Returning, he purchased, with the assistance of Dr. Lowe, of Burlington, an outfit for the "Fort Des Moines Star," the first newspaper published in Des Moines; but before the first number of his paper was issued, and in the early part of the year 1849, he was carried off by an epidemic fever then sweeping over the country, and with a half-dozen other young men went overland to the then newly-discovered gold fields of California. He left his press in charge of Barlow Granger, which eventually fell into the hands of Curtis Bates, formerly of Iowa City, a very good man, who was afterward the first of that successive line of thirteen defeated candidates for Governor, beaten by James W. Grimes. Blair finally settled down at Watsonville, a town about fifty miles south of San Francisco, where, if he had permitted it, he might have been elected to Congress. A few years ago he removed to Reno, Nevada, where he now probably resides. He never married, but continued to be the life of social gatherings; almost a lady's man, and delighted to put himself on easy and familiar terms with all the school-children. A short time prior to the election in August, 1845, late in the evening "a solitary horseman might have been seen" slowly wending his way toward the capital of Keokuk county. He had been bewildered and missed the direct route from Oskaloosa to Sigourney, and was none other than Gen. Lowe, afterward Governor of the State, who was then canvassing the State as a candidate for delegate to Congress against A. C. Dodge, of Burlington. An audience to justify an extensive speech could not be obtained on such short notice, and the few who did gather together had to content themselves with a general war talk from the candidate, and on leaving the next day he left the people very much pleased with his graceful manners and frank deportment. While the first court-house was being built in Sigourney, a young man appeared at the clerk's office and obtained that paper which permits to be united in one two willing hearts. He departed with all the joy beaming through his face that a gold digger might expose when approaching a rich placer. On the next day he suddenly returned, with face wan as Adam when walking out of Eden; he had lost his pocket-book containing his marriage license, and after long search had returned to know what could be done. Thompson was present, and, giving the clerk a wink, as well as a twinkle of the eye, at once took up the conversation. He informed the young man that he had known of one case, and had heard of two others of the same kind; that the only course left him was to go to Bloomington and before Judge Williams make affidavit of the loss, upon which the judge would send an order directing the clerk to issue another. Upon this announcement the mercury in the young man's face fell at least twenty degrees. Tears came to his relief, and in most doleful accents he shadowed forth the disappointment to be caused by the delay; they were to be wedded on the following day, and, beside, before his return many of the good things of the table might be spoiled or badly damaged. Such, in fact, were his feelings that the clerk was constrained to interpose, and agreed to take the responsibility of a re-issue. Thereupon Joel Landreth, afterward Rev. Joel Landreth, left the clerk's office the second time inspired by high hope of conjugal bliss.  Transcribed by Pat Wahl. The Old Settlers'Association The Old Settlers' Association of Keokuk county was organized in 1878. The following is the constitution: Constitution of the Keokuk County Old Settlers' Association adopted July 29, 1878. Article I. This organization shall be called the Keokuk County Old Settlers' Association. Article II. The officers shall consist of a president, five vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer and an executive committee of five. The committee to be chosen from among the youngest members of the association, and whose duty it shall be to provide places of meeting for the association; to see that members needing care shall receive the same, and to have the general management of the affairs to the association. The duty of the officers shall be those usually devolving upon such officers. Article III. All old settlers who came to the county prior to 1858, and who are now residents of the county, may become members of the association by signing the constitution. Article IV. The Secretary shall keep a record of the name, age and residence of each member, together with the year in which he or she came to Iowa; and upon the death of a member he shall enter in a book—kept for that purpose—a suitable obituary notice, and report such death to the meeting at the next annual meeting. Article V. The actual expenses of the association shall be defrayed by a pro rata assessment upon its members, and by voluntary contributions. Article VI. There shall be an annual meeting of the association, and such called meetings as the executive committee may deem necessary, and at each annual meeting the association shall determine the time and place of the next annual meeting. Article VII. This constitution may be altered or amended by a two-thirds vote at any annual meeting of the association. The first reunion of the old settlers of the county, under the auspices of this association, was held at Sigourney, on the 10th of September, 1878. It was estimated that over seven thousand people were present on that occasion. The address of welcome was delivered by the president, Judge S. Harned. Gen. James A. Williamson delivered a lengthy address, a large part of which is published in a former part of this work. Short addresses were made by Capt. Heath and Col. Mackey, and S. A. James, the secretary .of the association, read a number of letters in response to invitations. Five minute speeches were then made by quite a number of old settlers, among whom were Maxon Randall, A. J. McNabb, A. H. Smith, Wm Bristow, Elijah McClanahan, George W. Hayes, Wm. Scearcy, Thos. H. Hicklin, D. N. Henderson, Win. Small, D. H. Drake and N. Littler. Among the relics gathered on short notice we note the following: A 'coon, as an emblem of olden times, property of Wm. Covey. Spinning wheel, seventy-five years old, used by Mrs. Martin, great grandmother of Miss Ella Eckley. Report of the commissioners appointed to decide the county-seat war between Lancaster and Sigourney, locating it at Sigourney. An oil-painting, seventy-five years old, painted by Rev. Josiah Fisher, representing an evening view of his residence at Blackwell, Maine. Needle-work on satin, seventy-five years old, property of Mrs. Thomas Beatty. Hammer with which A. Covey made the first scouring plow ever used in Keokuk county. Carpet-satchel, owned by Stephen A. Douglas, traded for in 1839, by William Jackson, Sen., at Burlington, Iowa. Oil-painting by Rev. J. Fisher, October 20, 1820. Old Ledger, owned by Milo Holcomb in 1836—property of Mrs. Buck. "Western Friend,"first newspaper published in the county, at Lancaster, 1854 Vol. 1 No. 1, by J. N. & J. L. Paschal—property of J. W. Havens. Old-fashioned rolls—the kind our mothers carded—Wm. Veitch. Old spinning-wheel. Cradle in which Joe Shawhan was rocked in 1838. High chair for child, 68 years old--property of Mrs. E. Baker. Old cultivator shovel, made in 1815—Joel Long. Flat-iron, purchased in 1846 by Joel Long. Wolf-trap, made in 1844, by A. Covey. This trap caught the big wolf at the forks of Skunk River, in February, 1844, this being the sixteenth wolf caught in that month. Broad-ax, used by the Mann family in the Cedar creek settlement in 1843. Old-fashioned Dutch oven, property of Mrs. R. Buck. A challenge to fight a duel, to Samuel A. James and one Robinson, written by W. J. Heald, dated April 8th, 1848. Silver ladle, 75 years old—property of B. R. Hogin. Cow-bell, 50 years old—property of Mrs. R. Buck. Powder-horn from an ox that hauled A. Covey to this country in 1843. Pocket-book, 78 years old—property of A. E. Lowe. Indian spear-head. Saucer from which Uncle Billy Wait was fed catnip tea when a baby, 64 years ago. Old 'Testament, printed in 1668, property of William Jackson, Sen. Flute, made in 1674, and brought to this country in 1750—property of F. Knape. Sword, presented to Simon Deming when colonel of Ohio militia, 50 years ago. Wool cards, 1835—Wm. Veitch. Indian battle-ax—H. C. Adams. Old book, printed in 1762—William Jackson. Bottle, brought to this country from Ireland by Mrs. Wm. Wait's grandparents, 100 years ago. Indian pipe, found on a battle-field in northern Arkansas—Wm. Jackson. Moccasins—Wm. Jackson. Spoons, curiously wrought from horn, taken from a battle-field in northern Arkansas—Wm. Jackson. Profile pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Dibilbiss, great-grandparents of Mrs. M. Warrington. Profile pictures, same lady's great-grand aunt, and in some way related to H. C. Adams. Old mortar, property of Mrs. E. B. Kerr, has been in the family 50 years. Tom Eckley's spelling book - 50 years old. Transcribed by Pat Wahl.

Site Terms, Conditions & Disclaimer