Bellesfield, Samuel
Amazing - Business Card found -- (above scans)
(Following is a portion of his father, Peter's published biography)
Peter Bellesfield, his wife, Elizabeth, their sons, David and Samuel, who had served in the Civil War, and their daughters, Emily and Alice, left Janesville, Wisconsin in the spring of 1868 by ox team for the West. They arrived in Sioux County, Iowa, at Calliope (the county seat then near Hawarden) in August 1868.
There were forty acres of land on the Rock River that were still open for homesteading in Sioux Township Section 34 Southeast quarter located four miles west and one and one-half miles south of Rock Valley. About two weeks after they had filed on the land and located on it, Peter took sick and passed away. This was the first death of a white person in Sioux County. His courageous wife and family stayed there, proved up on the land, and received the land patent from the government.
The two sons, David and Samuel, built a long cabin and afterwards a frame house which was the first house built in Sioux Township. It was not intended for a hotel, but really became one, as many early settlers and travelers through the country found food and shelter there. It became known as the “Bellesfield Halfway House.” Their home was also a stagecoach stop.
As there were no bridges in those days, the river was forded except when the water was high and then canoes were used. A place in the river near the Bellesfield home which could be forded was known as the “Bellesfield Ford” for miles around. In 1872, David and Samuel reduced the pioneers’ problem of crossing the river by building a ferry boat, which they operated for years until bridges were built. The Bellesfield boys also built a “Spring House” in the Rock River which their mother used for keeping the cream, butter, and eggs.
Once the James boys, coming back from Northfield, Minnesota following the rivers along the way, stopped at the Bellesfield farm asking for food and water for their horses. Mrs. Bellesfield had just finished baking bread, and the James boys bought a loaf.
Sometimes hundreds of Indians would visit the locality where the Bellesfields lived. The Indians were partly civilized and as trustworthy as white people. There was generally a United States government guide, a halfbreed Indian, with them. On one occasion, a band of about three hundred Indians, strung out as was their custom, came from the west on their way to Pipestone, Minnesota, for a meeting with other tribes. They traveled on ponies and the old Indians and the children were carried in baskets woven between two poles, one end of the poles fastened to a pony and the other end dragging on the ground. As the basket was woven in between the ends, it made a comfortable “springy” vehicle. While the Bellesfield family was always a little uneasy when the Indians were in the area, they never bothered the family in any way.
Another early day encounter was with the wolves. Once when Emily Bellesfield was on her way home one evening after spending a few hours visiting her neighbor, she was approaching the timber and in the road stood a large wolf. She tried to frighten it away, but to no avail, so she was compelled to make a large circuit in order to pass the wolf to reach home. The next day hunters went after the wolf in force and succeeded in dispatching it.
The Bellesfields kept a post office, about one-half block from their house, by the name of Irene which served pioneers in that area.
David Bellesfield was an early day land surveyor. Samuel Bellesfield operated a star mail and stage route between LeMars, Iowa and Luverne, Minnesota. Samuel also operated many types of threshing machines in what is now the Rock Valley Community.
Samuel, who in the Rock Valley vicinity was the best known member of the Peter Bellesfield family, married Sarah Griffin about 1872. The two and their older children lived on the Bellesfield homestead until December of 1880 when they moved to Rock Valley. They built a house on Lot 8 of Block 11. Mrs. H. Reit (1805 13th Street) lives on this site and in the house at the present time. Here they reared their children – Effie, Millie, Clarence Brown, Ruie Ann, Cynthia, Amy, and Wilmer.
After moving into town, Samuel and Sarah helped to organize a group for the purpose of starting a church and Sunday School. At first, the church services and Sunday school classes were held in the school house, which later was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Dischler. This Sunday school had the first Christmas tree in the community. Mr. Howard Shipman and Samuel Bellesfield went to Sheldon to get the tree. Capt. A.D. Burnell served as Santa Claus for the occasion. From this beginning a church was built in 1882 (Methodist).
The family witnessed many interesting experiences. In the spring of 1881, they saw the old mill go down the river by flood. Many times they related how on January 12, 1888, clouds rose out of the West which looked like the wildest tornado clouds, but proved to be one of the worst blizzards to sweep this section of the country. They placed heavy articles of furniture against the door to keep it from blowing in.
Samuel retired from the threshing business to move houses. He was widely known as the “Pioneer House Mover.” Among the buildings he moved were hotels and an elevator, even taking the elevator across the Sioux River from Elm Springs to Fairview. He operated this business until late in 1916, when he was forced to retire on account of ill health. He passed away in March 1917, and is buried in the Rock Valley Cemetery.
Samuel Bellesfield Obituary:
Rock Valley Bee, Rock Valley, IA
Friday, April 6, 1917
SAMUEL BELLESFIELD Samuel Bellesfield, for forty-nine years a resident of Sioux County was born at Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, March 10, 1846, and died at his home in Rock Valley, March 29, of cancer of the bowels, aged seventy-one years and nineteen days. In 1851 when about five years old, he with his parents came to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he grew to manhood.
When the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in Company E. eighth Wisconsin Infantry, in 1862 and served three years, being in active service at the siege of Vicksburg. He spent sometime at Memphis and Mobile with the troops, going back to Madison, Wisconsin in 1865 to be mustered out of service after the close of war.
In May of 1868 the family left Janesville, by overland route, reaching Caliope, Iowa, two months later, July 23, where they stopped to secure medical aid for his father, Peter Bellesfield, who was taken sick on their way, and soon afterward died. They then located on a homestead, on the Rock River, in what is known now as Sioux township, passing through the pioneer hardships and experiencing the grasshopper days.
For a number of years he with his brother David Bellesfield, operated a ferry boat on the Rock river. They also kept a wayside inn, their place being halfway between LeMars to Sioux Falls by stage route and many were the weary travelers who found a place of refuge here, on their journey through the country and while there the James boys passed through on their way to Northfield, Minn.
In the year of 1869 the Irene postoffice was established, after which the subject of this sketch, drove stage carrying mail from LeMars to Luverne, for three years. He also carried mail from Worthington, Minn., to Valley Springs, S. Dak., but only for a short time.
He was married to Miss Sarah Griffin March 29, 1874, and departed this life on their forty-third wedding anniversary. To this union were born seven children, two boys and five girls, namely; Mrs. Effie Hamilton, Becker, Minn.; C. B. Bellesfield, Paullina, Iowa; Mrs Millie Firman, Perth, N. Dak.; Mrs. R. C. Kurvink Flandreau, S.D.; Mrs. Amy Ortman, Miss Cynthia Bellesfield and Wilmer Bellesfield of Rock Valley.
In Dec. I880 he moved his family to Rock Valley, where he continued to reside up to the time of his death.
For a time he engaged in the threshing business being at that time an expert in the trade. Later he engaged in the house moving business and was known throughout Northwest Iowa as the Pioneer House Mover.
About the first building he moved was a house on the old Buck Wheelock place south of Hudson, to the town of Hudson, then called Eden. He proved himself an expert at the business, which he followed for thirty-eight years, moving elevators across rivers, which many people once thought could never be done.
Last November he felt the ravages of the fatal disease coming upon him and disposed of his moving apparatus to Kipley & Reimers, of Alvord, and since that time he failed fast.
In January he decided to enter the Battle Mountain Sanitarium, at Hot Springs, S D. for treatment, but to no avail, so he returned home. About two weeks after his return, he seemed to get better and was able to get out of doors occasionally, until a week before his demise, he grew worse, and failed rapidly until the end.
All that medical skill and loving hands could do was administered but the voice of God was calling and he passed peacefully to the Great Beyond Thursday noon.
Besides his life companion and children, he leaves to mourn his death, one sister, Mrs. Alice Thorpe of Sioux Falls. S. D., and fourteen grandchildren.
He was a member of the Jerry Busk G.A.R. Post of this city.
Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon from the Methodist church, conducted by Rev. Wm. P. Webb, pastor of the church. He was laid to rest in the Valley View Cemetery.
Many are the friends, who extend their heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved ones in their time of trial and sorrow.
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CARD OF THANKS. We wish to thank the many friends and neighbors, who so kindly assisted us during the sickness and death of our husband, father and brother, also for the beautiful floral tributes, which were appreciated very much. We assure you it shall never be forgotten.
~Mrs. Sarah Bellesfield and family
~Mrs. Alice Thorpe
