Chapter Nineteen

HISTORY OF ADAMS, BLACK OAK AND CEDAR TOWNSHIPS.

ADAMS.

This township took its name from President Adams. The first survey line were made by William and Alvin Burt in July and August, 1843. It originally formed a part of Monroe township, but was re-surveyed by Deputy Surveyor Stiles S. Carpenter in October 1847, and made an independent township.

The first justice of the peace in, the township was Matthew P. Crowder, father of Dr. W. L. Crowder, of Oskaloosa. The first school was taught by A. N. Atwood in a cabin belonging to Squire Crowder.

Among the old settlers were Gideon Daugherty, William Vermilyea, A. Ruby, Adin McDonough, John Ruby, Joel Briney, Adam Victor, Elijah Busby, James Roberts and the Mc Lansborough family.

Back in the very early years an incident occurred in this township which illustrates the type of life of the early settler. James Roberts found himself one year with well filled cribs of corn, while his neighbors for miles around were destitute or had only a scanty supply, there being a general failure in the crops the previous year. Roop's distillery was in operation in, Oskaloosa and was materially injured by the failure of the corn crop. Learning of Mr. Roberts good fortune, Mr. Roop sent to the Roberts farm a dozen or more wagons and instructed the foreman to bring the corn in regardless of the price, as they must have the corn to keep the mills going. Mr. Roberts informed the teamsters that while he had more corn than he could possibly use himself, many of his neighbors had none, and would undoubtedly suffer if the corn left the neighborhood. While his neighbors had nothing to buy with, he had made up his mind that it was his duty to loan them all a sufficient quantity until they should be able to raise a crop. The pioneer who related this incident stated that his father borrowed one hundred bushels and returned the same quantity the next year. Many others availed themselves of Mr. Roberts generosity, and the surplus supply of grain was used for the beneficent purpose of bringing happiness to the homes of the new settlers.

The first church in the township was a Methodist organization formed in the house of J ohn Ruby in 1846.

The village of Lacey located on the Iowa Central Railroad on the western border of the township, has a Methodist Episcopal church, postoffice, general store, a grain elevator, and forms the center of an enterprising community.

The South Skunk river forms the southern boundary and Middle creek flows diagonally across the township toward the southeast. These two streams have favored quite an abundant growth of timber arid given the township an abundant supply of water. The township has one hundred and forty-nine farms, whose lands are valued at $233,066, with value of personal property at $39,340, and a population of 1,000 persons.

BLACK OAK.

Black Oak township was partly surveyed in 1843 by United States Surveyor W. A. Burt and completed in 1845 by W. L. D. Ewing, who afterward became governor of the state of Illinois. At an early day there is said to have been a black oak grove on sections 8, 9 and 16, from which the township took its name. It is watered by Muchakinock creek and Skunk river. This township originally belonged to Jackson township, which extended at one time. as far north as Poweshiek county.

C. Chipman taught the first school in the township and Dr. James H. Warren held the first religious services at his own home. Dr. Warren emigrated to Iowa from Jefferson county, Tennessee, and settled in Lee county in 1841. Coming to this county in 1843, he settled in Black Oak township, being one of its earliest settlers. Those who came with him up from Lee county were John B. Hamilton, Robert Hamilton, Harry Miller, Green T. Clark and Henry McPherson. This company seem to have been "sooners," or early comers, as the dragoons would not allow them to pass Libertyville, the border of the New Purchase, with their teams until May 1st. They therefore left their wagons and families and packed their horses with what they supposed was enough provisions to last them until May 1st. On the 26th of April they reached the prairie on which Pella is now located. Here they camped for a time, intending to stake off claims on that inviting highway, but after contemplating the subject for awhile they concluded, just like almost all of the early comers, that it was too far from timber to be settled in many years, So they selected claims three miles to the southeast, nearer the timberlands. Their supplies running short, they sent Green T. Clark back to bring up the wagons. Before he had time to arrive they were entirely out of eatables, and resorted to hunting in earnest, to supply their wants. One of two things they must do, find something to eat or starve: Robert Hamilton concluded he could best succeed in finding a turkey, and Henry Miller thought his quickest returns would be in locating a bee tree. Both were successful. Added to this piece of good fortune their wagons and supplies came the next day.

Dr. Warren returned to Mahaska county in 1847. He was among the first ministers of the Methodist Episcopal church in the county, and he never tired in ministering to the spiritual and medicinal wants of his large practice. He was especially successful in the management of miasmatic diseases. Those who were with him and shared the privations of his pioneer life, loved him best. It is an enviable record for a man to make when his faults are completely hidden by his virtues. Such is the record of Dr. Warren as it has come down to us.

Among the early settlers in Black Oak township were John Gillespie, William, Jacob and John Majors, Aaron Folk, Richard Quinton, William Owens, Henry Groves, John Randall, Fielding Betz, John Shoemake, Wesley Moreland and Jacob Miller.

Leighton, a village located in the southeast part of the township, was laid out February 9, 1865. The town was named for William Leighton, who, with John W. Carver, were the projectors of the new village, and at that time lessees of the Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad, running through the place. It has never had a large growth, but furnishes a good market and trading point for the wealthy community surrounding it.

Black Oak has 163 farms, whose lands are valued at $276,143, with personal property valued at $63,913, and a population of 1,200 persons.

CEDAR.

The township lines of Cedar t,ownship were run by Alvin Burt in the fall of 1843. It is· mostly prairie. There is some timber in the northeastern part of the township and also along Cedar creek, which crosses the southwest corner of the township, flowing to the southeast. When the author first saw this part of the county, in 1865, it was an unbroken prairie with scattered settlements. In passing from Skunk river to Eddyville, crossing Cedar and Harrison townships, we traveled eight miles without passing a dwelling. While seldom out of sight of farm hornes they were not located on the traveled highway. It took many years for the settlers to learn that the rich prairie farms held the wealth of the land.

Samuel McFall settled on section II in 1844 and built the first schoolhouse in 1846, where his nephew, Joseph McFall, taught a subscription school, the first in the township.

In the spring of 1844 religious meetings were held in the house of Samuel Barbee, near where the Concert Methodist Episcopal church was afterwards built in 1856 at a cost of $1,700. This church has been the center of active Christian work for more than a half century. The names of the church officers at the time the building was erected were Joseph Paul, David Mills, John Zaring, Gideon McFall, M. Kinsman, David Beck, F. W. Lindsley, Thos. Paul and Jas. Wright. The church was dedicated January 3, 1858, by Rev. Cowles, of Oskaloosa.

William Morrow was the first justice of the peace in the township. George Lentz, J Q. White, Christian Wild, Nicholas Allender,Joseph and Smith Aldridge, G. B. McFall and their families were among the old settlers. In 1855 Wright & Winnett built and operated a quite extensive steam flouring mill on the farm known as the John Pugh place, northwest of Fremont. John D. Cochran now has the frame built into a barn. About ten years later the machinery of the mill was sold and removed to Wisconsin.

Cedar, located on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road, in the west part of the township, is a growing village with good shipping facilities. It has a number of fine homes.

Cedar township has 247 farms with lands valued at $254,651, and personal property valued at $67,414, and a population of 1,800 persons.

FREMONT.

Fremont is one of the oldest villages in the county. It was laid out by William Morrow in 1848, and named in honor of John C. Fremont, who, according to current belief, with a party of explorers on their way westward in the late '40s, had camped for a time, most likely at McEwen's Springs, a mile north of Fremont. General Fremont afterward became the first candidate of the republican party for President. Mr. Morrow built the first dwelling house and store building and opened a stock of general merchandise. Its postoffice was established in 1848 with its founder as postmaster. Before the days of railroads Fremont was quite an important town, being located on the "divide" which was then a well known and much traveled highway for overland emigration as well as teaming and staging from the river. In the '50s and early '60s J. H. White operated a quite extensive saw mill in Fremont which contributed much to the building up of that part of the county. Elisha Vance owned a large tan yard. In those years merchants with general stocks were John Q. White, Charles Adams, Solomon Vvay, Lee & Cochran and Thomas Rankin. Simon Felsenthal ran an exclusive clothing store, and Peter Shepper was the druggist of the place. Nicholas Allender, John B. Raines, Phillip Akerman and James Hodson were the blacksmiths. The latter added to his popularity as a workman by making cow bells for the neighborhood. Fifty years ago the village blacksmith was looked to for a thousand things which are now turned out by machinery.

Jonathan Buzzard, Jacob Brown, George Lentz and Edwin Allen were wagon-makers, and the two cabinet-makers were Jacob Goehring and Christian Weil. Coffins were all made from native walnut lumber, because of its durability, and seldom kept in stock, as now, but made to order. Accompanying the order for a coffin was the length of the corpse to be buried in feet and inches. The cabinet-maker took his tools and rough lumber and worked night and day to have all in readiness for the funeral.

We are told that during the war period business in Fremont was almost paralyzed. With the coming of the Iowa Central Railroad in 1871, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy some years later, its merchants have had a prosperous trade. Its present excellent schoolhouse was built in 1890. An extensive tile factory is owned and operated by Walter Dawson.

The Fremont Gazette is the only edited newspaper of the place. In the year 1902 a fire destroyed a good number of frame business buildings in the place. These were at once replaced by brick structures which have added much to the substantial appearance of the town. Canon & Gunn began business in Fremont in 1873, carrying a stock of general merchandise and also in after years doing a banking business. The partnership continued for thirty-one years.

Fremont has four churches, Baptist, Christian, Methodist Episcopal and Presbyterian. S. R. Canon relates that in the early years his brother! William S. Canon, secured from Col. James Thompson, of Fairfield, the contract for carrying the weekly mail over one of the star routes of the period. The mail for seven postoffices was carried in a mail sack on horseback. Leaving Fairfield the rider stopped at the following postoffices: Brookville, Abingdon, Marysville, Waugh's Point (now Hedrick), Fremont, Cherry Grove, south of White Oak in this county, and Oskaloosa. There was often not more than a hat full of mail to distribute. Almost no papers were taken. Fremont now has a population of about five hundred and fifty persons.