A HISTORY OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT
—OF—
LAFAYETTE AND HOWARD TOWNSHIPS,
STORY COUNTY, IOWA,
BY R. W. BALLARD, ESQ.,
AN OLD AND TRIED CITIZEN OF THE COUNTY AS WILL HEREAFTER APPEAR.
"STORY CITY, Iowa, April 1886."
" The first men looking for a location above John H. Keigley's were in the spring of 1852 from Appanoose county, Iowa, (but formerly from Indiana, as most of the early settlers were,) were Robert Bracken, George and Daniel Prime, John, Jesse and Samuel Smith, and viewing the county up near what is now Story City. Mr. Bracken and George Prime liking it well thought they would move in in the fall, but the Smiths and Daniel Prime thought they would look farther, consequently went west into Kansas and Nebraska, and not liking it west as well as they did here, returned late in the fall to find their claims (as Bracken and Geo. Prime made claims) taken possession of by three families of Quakers who came in the last of August. They came from the south, stopping over a few days with Wm. Arra Smith who lived where he now does, he being the only settler between Squire Corey's and Keigley's, there being too many for the Quakers and being non-residents they left, and leaving the first settlement to be made by Robert and William Bracken, George and Daniel Prime, John, Jesse and Samuel Smith, all men of families who located in what became Lafayette Township, this county, none of them living here at present, and only Robert Bracken residing here till death. They located on the following lands : Robert Bracken on nw ¼ sec. 18, 85-23 ; Samuel Smith on the se ¼ of same section ; Jesse Smith on the ne ¼ sec. 19, 85-22 ; John Smith the se ¼ sec. 13, 85-24 ; George Prime on ne ¼ of the same section ; Daniel Prime on nw ¼ sec. 6. 85-23. Following them came in the year 1853 James C. Smith (father of the former Smith), bringing three more sons with him, James, Isaac and Fletcher, and a son-in-law, Isaac Blades, Jonah Griffith, H. L. Boyes, Joseph Brouhard, who located on the following lands : Isaac Smith at Bear Grove, where he killed a black bear that gave the creek and grove their name, on