Pioneers of Marion County by Wm. M. Donnel, 1872

Part II, Chapter XXIII

Liberty Township - Its Geography and early History - Names of first Settlers - Martin Neel -
A Precious Burden - Economy - Horace Lyman - Fording Soap Creek - Stanford Doud -
Starvation - Adventure with the Indians - Weak feed and hard work

Liberty Township occupies the southeast corner of the county, and may be described technically as town 74, range 18. It is bounded on the north by Clay, on the east by Mahaska county, on the south by Monroe county, and on the west by Indiana township.

The principal streams running through it are North and South Cedar, and their main direction is from southwest to northeast through nearly the center of the township, and unite before leaving it. Between these streams, and on both sides of them, are heavy bodies of timber; and these, with the numerous smaller groves distributed throughout the township, make about an equal proportion of timber and prairie.

Along the Cedar, principally South Cedar, are large bodies of coal lands. Some of these mines that have been opened and worked, are apparently inexhaustable, and measure from eight to twelve feet in thickness. They are supposed to be the richest and most extensive coal mines in the State, and are thought enough of to justify the building of a railroad between Chariton and Oskaloosa, by way of these coal fields, for the shipment of the mineral.

In 1846 one of these coal veins, in section 32, was found to be on fire, and continued to burn till it was extinguished by the heavy and constant rains of the wet season of ‘51. How long it had been on fire before it was discovered, is not known.

This township was the first one organized, or declared a township, by the Board of County Commissioners, the date of this transaction being April 15th, 1846. During the fall of that year the first election was held at the house of Rhoderick Peck, where Thos. Anspach now lives, on the northeast quarter of section 9. But there is no preserved record of this election, and any particulars relating to it are not remembered. The earliest one on the first day of April, 1850, at the residence of Martin Neel, about a mile east of where Marysville now is. At this election 31 votes were cast, and the following named persons elected: Andrew McGender and Isaac Willsey, constables; Daniel Sampson, Isaac Willsey and Wm. H. Brobst, trustees; Joseph Brobst, clerk; and Horace Lyman, treasurer.

The names of most of those who came and settled in the township at an earlier date, are Horace Lyman, Stanford Doud, Martin Neel, David Haymaker, Silas Brown, Benj. Spilman, David Gushway, Lewis Johes, Jacob Hendricks, and Andrew McGruder, in 1843; Thurston Day, and Wm. Simms, in 1844; James Rousseau, and Isaac Willsey, in 1845; and Wm. Bridges, and H. H. Mitchell, in 1846.

Martin Neel was a native of Kentucky. At precisely what date he settled in Liberty is not known, but it is supposed by the oldest inhabitants to have been previous to the extinction of the Indian title. He made his claim and place of residence on Cedar bottom, not far from the present site of Marysville. The land is now owned and occupied by Daniel F. Leiby.

During his early residence here, Mr. Neel suffered many of the privations incident to pioneer life. At one time it was found necessary for him to go to Burlington for a short time, to work for money to purchase such articles as were sorely needed, leaving his wife and two children in their isolated, wilderness home, without any known neighbors within a distance of many miles, except Indians. At the end of two weeks Mr. N. returned with half a bushel of meal that he had carried on foot from Burlington! It was a precious burden.

Clothing was often a scarce article with the early pioneers, and it was found necessary to practice the strictest economy in the use of it. It so happened at one time that Mr. Neel had but one pair of pants, and his wife but one dress; and, as there was no apparent prospect of obtaining a change soon, they prudently decided to save what they had by using it as little as possible. It was warm weather, and they could dispense with any surplus amount of covering without suffering any serious inconvenience therefrom, besides, like Adam and Eve, they had no neighbors to behold their condition, or at least they supposed they had not. But in this they were slightly mistaken, for one day when Martin was at work on his claim, in his every-day suit of only a shirt, he happened to observe the approach of a lady at a distance. Horrified at the thought of being so discovered in his semi-nude condition, he made a hasty retreat to the house, announced the approach of the visitor, and the modest pair had barely time to dress ere the visitor arrived. She introduced herself as Mrs. Howard who had just settled in the neighborhood, and had called to make their acquaintance. After this Mr. Neel did not deem it prudent to go pantless.

The family moved to Missouri many years ago, and the last that was heard of Mr. Neel, he was an officer in the rebel army.

Horace Lyman was born in New York, from whence he was moved to Kentucky when quite young. From there he went to Ohio, and from Ohio, to Van Buren county, Iowa, in 1839. From there, in company with Stanford Doud, he came to this county, in April 1843, and camped on Cedar, near what is still known as Hymaker’s Mill, where he marked out a claim, built a bark shanty for a temporary shelter, and make his claim in due order on the first day of May. In the autumn following he sowed some wheat, and then, during the winter of 1844, in partnership with Doud and Haymaker, after which Doud sold his interest to Lyman and Haymaker.

It was not until sometime in ‘45 that Mr. Lyman succeeded in moving his family to his new home; and, during the time previous to this he was compelled to make frequent journeys to his old place in Van Buren county, for provisions, going on horseback, and carrying such equipage as was needed for camping out. As has been heretofore stated, the roads then were little better than Indian trails, and the streams unbridged; these journeys were attended with more or less danger, particularly during high waters. On one occasion, in attempting to ford a small stream called Soap Creek, the animal he was riding sank out of sight, forcing him to abandon it in the middle of the stream and struggle for his life. Encumbered as he was, Mr. L. scarcely hoped to escape drowning; but by such exertions as are made only when life is at stake, he reached the shore opposite where he had entered the stream. When the horse rose to the surface he spied his master and followed him. Alonzo Doud, who was in company with Mr. Lyman on this occasion, hesitated to enter any large stream till it should be proved safe to do so by Mr. L. going in advance. Fording Soap Creek was not safe, but Doud had either to go back alone or make the adventure. He chose the latter as the safer and succeeded even better than his companion.

Mr. Lyman now lives near the western border of Mahaska Co., to which place he moved in ‘64. He is now an extensive farmer and stock dealer.

Stanford Doud came from Ohio to Van Buren Co., Iowa, in ‘42, and to this township and county in the spring following, in company with a person named Henry Polly. On first entering the purchase they met with some opposition by the dragoons, and were at one time hotly pursued and narrowly escaped being captured by them. But they persisted in remaining in the country till they should be permitted to make permanent settlement, and when the time came to do so, they also made choice of and secured a claim in that beautiful strip of country near Haymaker’s mill.

At one time, during their sojourn in this then wilderness, they ran short of provisions. Strange as it may seem, game was exceedingly scarce just then. The Indians had swept the country of everything of the kind. Having anticipated a lack of provisions in time, as they supposed to procure a supply from the settlements below, they had sent a man down the river in a canoe to bring it up. But for some reason or other the messenger was delayed. Having waited, looked, and hoped for his return till almost at the point of starvation, the grim prospect admonished them that they must prepare to leave the country or die there. As they must have some means of conveyance, they concluded to dig out a canoe. This was work for men already weakened by hunger; but they went about it at once, lest their strength should so fail them that they should be unable to complete it. In the mean time one of them had killed a ground hog, which they cooked the best they could and ate without salt, which, tough and unpalatable as it was, gave them some relief.

While working at the canoe they were visited by a small party of Indians, who at first manifested much friendship by hand-shaking and conversation. Mr. Doud, though little inclined, as hungry people are, to make himself agreeable to a squad of treacherous warriors, prudently deemed it advisable to humor them. But Polly was sulky and worked away at the canoe, not deigning to look up or pay the least attention to the Indian who was trying to give him some instructions about the shape of that part of the vessel he was at work on. This want of respect or appreciation on the part of Polly so enraged the Indian that the latter took up his gun with the evident intention of shooting the offender, accompanying the act with the threatening words “nippo smokeman” (kill whiteman). Mr. Doud understood enough of the language to know what this meant, and to respond in an equally threatening manner, at the same time pointing his own rifle at the would-be-assassin, “nippo socee.” This was a critical situation for the half starved men. Mr. D. knew very well that if one of them was killed the murderers would scarcely deem it prudent to let the other escape as evidence against them. But the prompt interference had the desired effect. The chief of the party bade his subordinate to desist, and they all took their departure, leaving our heroes to finish their work in peace. Fearing another visitation as much as the famine that threatened them, they got the vessel afloat so soon as it would do to float at all, and reached their destination in safety, but much reduced by starvation.

After getting well recruited, Mr. Doud returned to his claim and made such improvements thereon as enabled him to move his family to it in 1844. After many years residence here, he returned to his old home in Van Buren county, where he still lives.

Andrew McGruder settled near Hamilton in 1843. During the early part of his pioneer life he and his family suffered a full share of the hardships and privations incident thereto. For a time while making rails to improve his claim he made three hundred per day and fed on nothing but milk.

We might mention others who were early settlers in this township, whose names are not on the list. These were principally temporary settlers. Among them were three young men named Peck, Pyatt, and Sadorus, who made claims in the north part of the township, on which they made some improvements, but soon sold out, returned to Illinois, and from thence went to California.

Transcribed by Mary E. Boyer, 12/06, reformatted by Al Hibbard 12 Oct 2013.