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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER VI -- PIONEERS (CONT'D)GALLAND'S GROVE SETTLEMENT BY LATTER-DAY SAINTS[The author acknowledges himself under great obligations to Elder C. J. Hunt, of Independence, Missouri, bishop of the Latter-Day Saints district, in which Galland’s Grove is situated, and also to Thomas N. Franklin, of Harlan, for valuable assistance and information rendered in the compilation and writing of this article. ] About one-half of what is now known as Grove township was, at one time, covered by a heavy natural grove, the largest in the county. It was in this grove, known as Galland’s Grove, that the first permanent settlement in the county was made in the late forties. It derived its name from the name of the first family to make settlement there, Abel Galland and his son coming to this place in 1848. The editor of this history is under obligations to Mrs. Eliza Worley, of Deloit, Crawford county, Iowa, and to Thomas N. Franklin, of Harlan, Iowa, for the following information in a letter from Mrs. Worley: “Isaac Galland, a brother of Abel Galland, came from Indiana to Lee county in 1827, coming to and giving his name to what is now the town of Galland at the head of the government canal above Keokuk. My father, B. F. Galland, the oldest son of Isaac Galland, gave me the information contained in this letter; he was the last of the family to pass away, living to the age of ninety years, dying in 1911. Isaac Galland has a daughter, Mrs. Eliza S. White, of La Crosse, Wisconsin. She is the first white child born in Iowa. Abel Galland, in company with his son, William, settled in what is now known as Galland’s Grove, Shelby county, in 1848. Coming from Indiana in 1831, he settled in Van Buren county and took the first white settler’s claim there. He laid out the town of Farmington in said county. He afterwards lived in Lee county, and then moved to Council Bluffs in 1846.” This same Isaac Galland, then an elder in the Mormon (Latter-Day Saints) church, in February, 1839, wrote Governor Robert Lucas, of Iowa, inquiring whether his church people would be permitted to purchase lands and settle in the territory of Iowa. The reply of Governor Lucas was characteristic and manly. He informed Mr. Galland that there was no authority that could constitutionally deprive them of that right; that they were citizens of the United States and entitled to the same political rights and legal protection as other citizens; that their religious opinions had nothing to do with ‘our political transactions.’ Isaac Galland published, in 1840, a book called ‘Galland’s Iowa Emigrant.’ In this work he gives much of the history of territorial Iowa, then including what is now Minnesota and half of the present Dakotas. He seems to have had a touch of sarcasm in this work, for he says in the introductory chapter: ‘It would seem that thus far each individual who presumed to write on the subject has entertained an idea that nothing deserving of notice had occurred in Iowa until he himself arrived.’ ” The early settlers of Galland’s Grove, among the first pioneers of the county, were principally Latter-Day Saints, who were seeking new homes after the disruption of the church at Nauvoo, Illinois, and the scattering of its members throughout Iowa and other states. A brief account of the history of this people, their religious creed and the conditions and circumstances which led to their settlement in western Iowa, and particularly in Galland’s Grove, will, it is believed, not be out of place in this connection. The origin of this religious sect and the claims of Joseph Smith, who was instrumental in organizing the church, known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, are, by many, very imperfectly understood. It was claimed by Joseph Smith that, in answer to earnest prayer for spiritual light and wisdom, he received revelations from God and visitations of heavenly messengers, as did the prophets in Old and New Testament times. He claimed that in fulfillment of Bible prophecy an angel of the Lord came to earth and ordained him and Oliver Cowdery by laying on of hands, and directed them and others, after baptism, to organize the church. In obedience to this command the church was organized at Palmyra, New York, April 6, 1830. In solemn assembly the church affirmed the principles of the gospel taught by Christ and His apostles as recorded in the Bible and, in addition thereto, declared a belief in the Book of Mormon, in which, it is claimed, is given a historical, doctrinal and prophetical account of a pre-historic civilization on the American continent from the dispersion at the Tower of Babel to the fifth century of the Christian era, a period of more than twenty-five hundred years. In church organization they followed closely the New Testament plan, having apostles, prophets, seventies, patriarchs, or evangelists, pastors or high priests, bishops, elders, priests, teachers and deacons. The church soon gathered into its folds people from various walks of life—the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlearned, until they numbered many thousands. A large number of the members soon emigrated from New York to Kirtland, Ohio, where they built up a great commonwealth and erected a beautiful temple, which still stands and is still used by the disciples of this faith for divine worship. From this place missionaries went as far west as Missouri. Later many laymen, with their families, followed and established for themselves homes in the northern and western parts of that state. Unlike most of their neighbors, they were opposed to slave traffic, and as a consequence they were forced to abandon their homes in Missouri. They emigrated from there to Illinois, where thousands found peace, protection and prosperity for a time. The principal settlement was made in Hancock county, where, on the bank of the Mississippi river, they built the city of Nauvoo—the “City Beautiful,” which was, in 1843, the pride of the state. It was at Carthage, near Nauvoo, that their prophet and leader, Joseph Smith, was killed, in 1844. The church membership then numbered nearly two hundred thousand. The convictions of this people continued strong in opposition to the slave-holding system of the Southern states and was one of the direct causes of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyram. Of their untimely death ex-Governor Ford, in this history of Illinois (pages 7 and 8), says: “It was cold-blooded murder, and the persons who committed the crime ought to have been made to answer for it.” The death of the martyrs caused disruption in the church. Brigham Young, one of the twelve apostles, contrary to the laws of the organization, claimed the right to leadership. Many public meetings were held in which he was denounced as a usurper and a tyrant not worthy of membership, because of having violated the laws of God and the church. But he succeeded in inducing a fraction of the membership to follow him to Utah, where he later introduced the doctrine of polygamy and established a church of his own, but retaining the name of the original church. Owing to the strong pro-slavery element in southern Illinois, near Nauvoo, and a growing prejudice and jealously on the part of many of the citizens in that part of the state against the Latter-Day Saints on account of their political and religious views, the church became disorganized and its members scattered over many different states and territories. As a class they were peaceable and law-abiding and, although persecuted and driven from place to place, many continued steadfast in their faith in God. They not only refused to follow Brigham Young in his hegira from Nauvoo to Utah, but strongly denounced him and the doctrines introduced by him. H. H. Bancroft, the great American historian, in his book, page 164, has this to say of the Latter-Day Saints, many of whom moved to Iowa: “But when the testimony on both sides is carefully weighed, it must be admitted that the Mormons (Latter-Day Saints) in Missouri and Illinois were, as a class, a more moral, honest, temperate, hard-working, self-denying and thrifty people than the gentiles by whom they were surrounded.” It was owing to this general disruption on the church at the death of the martyrs and the subsequent scattering of its members throughout the various states and territories,that brought many to western Iowa in 1848, 1849, and the early fifties. After crossing the state from its eastern boundary, traversing its rich valleys and fertile slopes, crossing its trackless prairies, fording its running streams in their “prairie schooners” drawn by oxen, many of the Latter-Day Saints found homes in Pottawattamie, Harrison, Crawford and Shelby counties. Their homes were made in the sheltering forests that skirted the streams. In that early day, when the country had no better means of transportation than could be furnished by the historic “prairie schooner,” drawn by a yoke of oxen, or possibly a span of horses, it became absolutely necessary that these early pioneers make their homes where nature had provided protection against the severity of the Iowa blizzards, by means of her natural groves and where they could have the timber for fuel and the logs for building their rude primitive dwellings. Because this grove, the largest in the county, afforded the shelter and the material indispensable to the early settler it was chosen by these Latter-Day Saints as a place in which to settle and establish permanent homes. They were soon breaking the virgin soil, felling the native trees out of which to build their log houses for dwellings, for public school buildings and places for religious services. Closely following these first improvements came the saw-mill and the grist-mill, in some instances the two combined into one, to which the early pioneer brought his bag of corn or wheat and waiting until it was ground, returned with his grist from his own grain after there had been deducted therefrom the miller’s toll.
Below: First Church Erected in Shelby County. Built of logs by the Latter-day Saints at Galland's Grove.  Click on image to enlarge Above left, Elder John A. McIntosh, One of the First Missionaries of Galland's Grove. Right, Elder Thomas Dobson. Of the Latter-day Saints Church at Galland's Grove. The earliest missionary worker in Shelby County.
The members of the Latter-Day Saints church were beginning to rise above the gloom and depression occasioned by the death of their prophet and the disorganization of the church; conferences were held, and in 1852 a reorganization of the church was effected, missionaries were again sent out to preach and to again build up the church. Galland’s Grove furnished a large number of these early missionaries, among whom were Elders John A. McIntosh, Alexander McCord, Eli Clothier, Ralph Jenkins, Sr., John Hawley and others. The Galland’s Grove branch, or local church, was organized by Elders W. W. Blair and E. C. Briggs October 21, 1859, with thirteen members, viz: William Vanausdall, Uriah Roundy, Rena Roundy, John A. McIntosh, Melinda McIntosh, Alexander McCord, Sibyl McCord, Elizabeth J. Williamson, Alexander Hunt, Mary Hunt, Lewis Jackson, Elizabeth Thomas and Alexander Black. The only surviving charter member is Mrs. Melinda McIntosh, the aged widow of Elder John A. McIntosh and the mother of Alexander Black, who died in June of this present year, 1914. The first president or local pastor of the Galland’s Grove branch, or local church organization, was Elder William Vanausdall, the father of Mrs. Sarah Roundy, the widow of Asael Roundy. Since that time others of the early settlers among this people have succeeded him in this office as follows: Uriah Roundy (the father of Hon. Washington Roundy and Asael Roundy), Benjamin Crandall, John B. Hunt, John A. McIntosh, John B. Swain, Robert Ford, John Hawley, Ralph Jenkins, Sr., Absolom Kuykendall, Eli Clothier, Milton Lynch, Ingwert Hansen, Alfred Jackson, Chancy Williamson, Jacob L. Gunsolley, John H. Young, Romanan Wight, Oliver E. Holcomb, Joseph H. Greenwood and David S. Baughman. Those who, in pioneer days, occupied the office of branch clerk are Andrew G. Jackson, Nathan Lindsey, Oliver E. Holcomb, Sr., John Pett and James Pearsall. The Galland’s Grove branch is one of the oldest local church organizations in the Reorganized Church. It is the oldest branch in the district bearing its name, which was organized October 6, 1863, and comprised the counties of Shelby, Crawford, Audubon, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, and Sac. Later changes were made in the boundaries of this district, so it now comprises twenty-one counties as follows: Shelby, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Guthrie, Audubon, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Buena Vista, Palo Alto, Clay, Cherokee, Dickinson, Webster, Calhoun, Sac, Ida, O’Brien, Emmet, Osceola and Kossuth. This district, comprising these twenty-one counties, has always been known as the Galland’s Grove district, taking its name from this early settlement of Latter-Day Saints in the northwest corner of the county. The first president of this district was Elder John A. McIntosh and among those of the early pioneers who succeeded him in this office might be mentioned Elders Thomas Dobson, Alexander McCord, Eli Clothier, Jonas W. Chatburn, W. W. Whiting, Charles E. Butterworth, James M. Baker, David M. Rudd and James C. Crabb. The first bishop’s agent for this district was Elder John Pett, of Galland’s Grove branch, who served in this office from 1873 to 1897, when he was succeeded by Elder Charles J. Hunt, who was ordained as bishop of the district in the year 1900. For over twenty years the Latter-Day Saints of Galland’s Grove held their religious services in a log building and many of these old-time saints have delighted in telling of the pleasant memories of the spiritual feasts enjoyed within its humble walls. Through the courtesy of Charles J. Hunt, bishop of the Galland’s Grove district, and Thomas N. Franklin, or Harlan, we are able to present a picture of the first church building erected in the county. It was built in Galland’s Grove in the early fifties, of unhewed logs, roofed with split clapboards, rived from straight-grained logs cut in three or four-foot lengths. These clapboards were held in place on the building by means of poles lying across them, lengthwise of the building, and fastened at either end, as, at that time, they had no nails with which to nail them on. Through Bishop Hunt and Mr. Franklin we have obtained half-tone portraits of Elder John A. McIntosh, the first president of the Galland’s Grove district, and Elder Thomas Dobson, who, according to public records in the county clerk’s office, performed the first marriage ceremony in the county. Some of the members of the Latter-Day Saints church at Galland’s Grove have attained distinction and eminent positions in the councils of the general church, among whom might be mentioned Heman C. Smith, who was chosen as one of the twelve apostles in 1887, and was afterwards made historian for the general church, which position he still occupies; and his brother, Hyram O. Smith, who is now one of the patriarchs and evangelical ministers to the church. The Latter-Day Saints of Shelby county and their descendants have furnished a representative in the General Assembly of Iowa in the person of Hon. Washington Roundy; a sheriff, in Thomas W. Chatburn; a coroner and members of the board of supervisors in Jonas W. Chatburn; members of said board in John A. McIntosh, John B. Swain, Alexander McCord and other officers. The Galland’s Grove district of the Latter-Day Saints held its quarterly conference October 22 -24, 1909, in the church at Galland’s Grove. This conference was also the occasion for commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the branch of the church of Galland’s Grove. The church was beautifully decorated and many of the leading men of the church were present, including Elder E. C. Briggs, a man seventy-four years of age, who helped to organize the branch at Galland’s Grove and who had been a missionary for more than fifty years, and also Elder J. W. Wright, of Lamoni, Iowa.
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