Ringgold County, land of prairie flowers, high tough grasses, and densley wooded valleys, was opened for settlement in 1843. In 1847 the boundaries of the county were established, but it was not until 1859 that the area was divided into four townships. The southwest quarter of the county was called West Fork. The present townships were formed ten years later, and Benton Township was named in honor of Senator Thomas BENTON of Missouri.

Settlement was negligible until 1854.

Town of the earliest settlers in the township were the TURNERS - Josiah and Bazzel. Both first entered government land in 1854, and subsequent purchases, mostly from the government, totaled approximately 1,000 acres each.

Bazzel married Mary A. DALE, daughter of Jesse DALE, who also entered land in 1854.

DALE had come to Iowa from Kentucky in 1853. Enroute from Kentucky, he had lived for a number of years in Indiana and Illinois where he engaged in acquiring land and selling to settlers. While in Illinois, he was conscripted for service in the Black Hawk War. He settled near Bedford [Taylor County, Iowa] and in the next few years bought about 800 acres of government land in Benton Township. He died at the home of his son-in-law, Bazzel TURNER, in Bedford in 1890.

In 1855, John D. CARTER, Thomas DRYDEN, William LUDHAM, Edward KUHN, and John CUNNINGHAM entered land in the township.

John D. CARTER first entered land in Section 27, and eventually acquired a large farm just south of where Maloy now stands. He was elected sheriff of Ringgold County and served two years before enlisting in the Union Army. He returned to the farm in 1865 and later was elected to the Board of Supervisors.

Thomas DRYDEN also arrived in 1855 entering land in Sections 15, 17, 18, 19, 13, 14. DRYDEN School, formerly located in Section 13, was named for him.

On June 17, 1855, William LUDHAM homesteaded in Section 14; and on June 21 of the same year Edward KUHN from Pennsylvania settled on land adjoining his in Section 23. Neither developed the land, and in 1870 it was sold to William LAMBERT "excepting three acres of land" where St. Mary's Cemetery now stands.

John CUNNINGHAM settled in Section 15 and 17. The family moved on to Colorado in 1873. Sixteen-year-old Anna remained behind and married Jeremiah SHAY.

J. L. ALLOWAY was another very early settler. The exact date of his entry is unknown, but in an assessor's book for 1859, he is listed as having paid taxes on 300 acres. The last surviving member of the family, T. E. ALLOWAY, lived on the remaining 40 acres of the farm until his death in the 1940's.

J. L. NEWTON settled in the southwestern part of the county in 1859. In 1865 he moved to Mormantown (Blockton) where he operated a grist mill and steam saw [mill] for 18 months. He returned to the farm in Section 30 and lived there until his death. The youngest of his children, Monroe, lived just east of the home farm until his death in the middle thirties.

Also in 1859 John DALE purchased land in Sections 19, 20, 29, and 30 from his father Jesse DALE, and in 1865 purchased 300 acres in Section 17 from Bazzel TURNER.

In 1863 Luke SHAY traded 400 arcres in Jefferson Township to Josiah TURNER for 800 acres in Section 20 and 21 in Benton Township about three-quarters of a mile west of the present location of Maloy. After acquiring the TURNER farm he lived there until 1867 when he purchased an adjoining farm from John DALE. He continued to buy and sell land until his death in 1896.

He was the father of five sons and one daughter, most of whom remained in the Maloy area. Each of the sons acquired more land and fathered more sons until there were so many SHAYS in the area that it became known as SHAY'S Settlement. The only descendants still living in the county are Robert T. SHAY, Robert E. SHAY and his four sons, and Maxine SHAY CARR.

Philip JARVIS, a superintendent and builder of bridges, has the distinction of being the only authentic inventor in the township. Born in Ohio, he came to Ringgold County in 1865. He was the inventor of the JARVIS patent for bridges, patented March 4, 1879, and of the JARVIS wagon brake, patented March 2, 1890.

George LEMLEY arriving in 1868, purchased 340 acres in Section 4, 9 and 10.

David LEMLEY, coming one year later from Mount Morris, Greene County, Pennsylvania, with his wife Melissa, settled in Section 10. The LEMLEY children were James Vincent, born in 1866 in Pennsylvania, Myrtle Emma, and Clara Credala ("The LEMLEY" girls").

Jed BEAMER also settled in the township in 1865. He was a stage driver between Mount Ayr and Clarinda until the line was discontinued in 1869.

Jonathon PARKHURST arrived in 1867 and settled on a farm on the State Road. In 1870 he moved to Section 7, which was then unimproved. He remained there until he moved to Maloy shortly before his death.

In 1865, J. R. STEVENSON entered land in Sections 19 and 30. He was from Greene County, Pennsylvania, and led the way for a group of settlers from that place. Although of German parentage, they were more often referrred to as "Pennsylvania Dutch."

Thomas STEELE entered land in 1871, and married Rebecca STEVENSON, daughter of J. R. STEVENSON. In 1873, Mr. STEVENSON conveyed to Thomas and Rebecca STEELE 80 acres in Section 30. This was the beginning of the STEELE farm which was designated a Century Farm in 1973. It was then owned by Dan STEELE of Cedar Falls.

J. M. STEPHENSON startted purchasing land in the township in 1872. He was a missionary Baptist and a Democrat. He had two children, James Allen and Myrtle (Mrs. Minor SAMS).

Jacob LEPLEY joined the others in 1874. His son, John J., who was born in Burlington in 1862, attended Lone Star School, and in his turn farmed extensively in the township. He was the father of six children: Roy, Mary, Emma Lou, Lee, Agnes, and Merle.

Samuel HARTLEY, born in 1805, was over 70 years of age at the time of his migration. He had a large family, all girls but one. Most of his daughers and sons-in-law accompanied him.

Will GERARD, husband of HARTLEY'S daughter Elizabeth Ann, was one who accompanied the HARTLEYS. He was a descendant of the GERARDS for whom GERARD'S Ford in Pennsylvania was named.

Vincent WORTHINGTON was another son-in-law who joined the migration. In addition to his wife Nanna, he was accompanied by his brother Lorenzo. Vincent was the father of five sons and still has several descendants in the county.

All of the above were from Greene County, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the Irish population was steadily increasing. Some settled in nearby Grant Township or across the line in Taylor County.

William LAMBERT passed through southern Iowa in 1859 entroute from Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan, to the gold fields of Cripple Creek, Colorado. He returned to Iowa with brother Joe in 1870, and in 1872 purchased land in Section 14 and 23 from Edward KUHN and William LUDHAM. His mother and sisters, Rosa and Margaret, joined him. This farm receved recognition as a Centry Farm in 1983 when owned by four granddaughters of his sister Rosa, who had married Thomas SHAY. William's descendants still living in the township are Regina MULLIN LYNCH and daughters Joyce LYNCH WEEHLER and Joan LYNCH JACKSON and families.

James O'CONNOR, another Irishman, came to the township in 1875 with his wife and his brother Tom. He became a large land owner and lived on his farm south of Maloy until 1910. He moved into Maloy and built the house recently occupied for 50 years by John and Mary WARIN. His son John owned and operated the farm for many years. John's daughter, Mary McDONALD, divides her time between Maloy and St. Louis.

W. A. MATTHEWS drove an ox team from Wisconsin for his brother-in-law in 1870 and 1871. MATTHEWS decided to stay and purchased land in Section 9. His descendants lived on the farm for many years.

The WARING family came from Painesville, Ohio, in 1873 and settled on a farm about three miles west of Maloy. There were three children in the family, one of whom, Benjamin, became a doctor and practiced medicine in Maloy from 1887 till 1908. The elder WARINGS moved on to Colorado.

So ends the saga of some of the people who dared the wilderness in search of a better life for themselves and families.

Luke HART, of St. Louis, Missouri and New Haven, Connecticut, paid fitting tribute to them all in a speech before the Old Timer's Reunion in Mount Ayr in 1945. He referenced to his grandparents, Luke and Julia SHAY.

He said, "Their career was typical of that of other pioneer families. It is one of sacrifices made, of hardships endured, and ultimate success won by hard, patient, and persevering effort."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Some of those mentioned are discussed at greater length in the Family Section.

SOURCE: Maloy, Iowa Centennial History: 1887 - 1987 Pp. 4-5. 1987.

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2011