Chapter Thirty Five

SOME INTERESTING FACTS GATHERED FROM THE OLD COUNTY RECORDS.

The oldest records in possession of the county auditor appear on two quires of fool's-cap paper, fastened together with strong linen thread, the thread being doubled to make it more secure. This precious old document of ninety-six pages is written in the clear, plain hand writing of Micajah T. Williams, the county clerk. Most of his life Mr. Williams wrote with a quill pen of his own manufacture and it is fair to conclude that these old records were made with the quill carefully plucked from the wing of a wild turkey or goose, both of which were abundant in the early days. The ink used was most likely a home manufactured article but it is not materially obscured when we count the lapse of sixty years. Every item is spaced and numbered and bears the stamp of Mr. Williams well known conventional and exact manner of stating things. The first page starts out as follows:

"Mahaska county, Iowa Territory, May 13, 1844. Be it remembered that on this day Robert Curry and Abraham S. Nichols, having heretofore been duly elected county commissioners of said county, met at the county seat of the above named county for the purpose of holding a called session of the commissioners' court of said county, Wilson Stanley, the other commissioner, not being present. Court was called and opened by the two commissioners who were present, and adjourned until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock." The next item is dated Tuesday morning, May 14, 1844, 9 o'clock.rand relates to the qualifying of Wilson Stanley, the third commissioner. The board then proceded to select a grand jury and petit jurors for the first term of the district court which was held in Oskaloosa on the third Monday of the following July. The names of the grand jurors selected were as follows: James Vance, John Argabright, John Rose, Aaron D. Bowers, Richard Parker, Adam Cline, Michael S. Morris, Osee Mathews" George W. Jones, Jefferson Chitwood, Wellington Naseman, William Bean, James Heckinba tam, James Compstock, Adam Storts, William Welch, John Shelledy, Harmon Davis, John B. Steward, Brantly Stafford, Jacob Crane, Alexander May and John Vance.

The following persons were selected to serve as petitjurors for the same term of court: John Newell, Samuel Peters, John D. Baldwin, Thomas Brooks, Alfred Seevers, William Bovell, Robert Hammond, Thomas Fancher, Jacob Nordike, James Seevers, William D. Brown, James Ross, Alfred Hood, Solomon Barbee, Pleasant Parker, Green T. Clark, John P. Majors, Joseph H. Benedict, Thomas Williams, Isaac Parker, Wesley H. Freel, Robert Curry, Jr., and Benjamin Thomas.

The decision and the oath of the locating commissioners of the seat of justice are the next items of record. Then follow the boundaries of the twelve precincts into which Mahaska county and the adjoining territory to the west and north of it were divided for election purposes. We give them in the order and almost in the exact language in which they appear on this old home-made record.

White Oak Grove.-Ordered by the board that the following boundaries compose the first precinct for holding election. That townships number fourteen west and seventy-four and seventy-five north shall form said precinct and the place of holding elections shall be at the house of Henry Bond.

Muchankinock-That township seventy-four north, fifteen west and that part of township seventy-four north of sixteen west, which lies east of Rice's creek, shah form the second precinct. Place of holding the election at James Vance's.

Oskaloosa.-That township number seventyfive north, and fifteen west, and all that part of township seventy-five north of sixteen west, that lies east of Rice's creek, shall form said third precinct, and the place of election at Oskaloosa.

Harrisburg.-That township seventy-four and seventy-five north and seventeen west, and that part of seventy-four and seventy-five north and sixteen west, and lying west of Rice's' creek shall form the fourth precinct, and the place of election at G. W. Jones', in Harrisburg.

North Fork Precinct.-That township seventy-six and seventy-seven north, fourteen and fifteen west, shall form said fifth precinct, and the place of holding election to be fixed by the sheriff.

Skunk River Precinct.-Thattownship number seventy-six and seventy-seven north of sixteen west shall form the sixth precinct, and the place of holding election shall be fixed by the sheriff.

Black Oak Grove Precinct.-That township number seventy-six and seventy-seven north, seventeen west, shall form the seventh precinct, and the place of holding election shall be fixed by the sheriff.

Lake Prairie Precinct-That township seventy-six and eighteen township west, and the place of holding election at the home of Levi Brainbridge.

White Breast Precinct.-That all the unsurveyed territory which lies west of Mahaska county except that part which lies north of John Mikesell and attached to Mahaska county for election purposes, shall form the ninth precinct, and the place of holding elections at the house of Edward Billips.

Cedar Precinct.-That township number seventy-four and seventy-five and eighteen west, shall form the tenth precinct, and the place of holding elections at the house of George Henry.

Poweshiek Precinct.-That the west half of Powesheik county. and all the unsurveyed territory lying west of said county and attached to Mahaska for election purposes, and north of John Mikesell; shall form the eleventh precinct, the place of holding elections shall be fixed by the sheriff.

Poweshiek Precinct, No. 2.-That all the east half of Poweshiek county shall form the twelfth precinct, and the place of holding e1ectionto be fixed by the sheriff.

Then follow various orders for small sums issued by the board to sundry persons for services rendered. The names of the judges of election in the different precincts and an order naming the 28th day of June, 1844, when the sale of town lots should take place. At this meeting it was also ordered that sealed bids would be received by the board of commissioners until the first day of July for the building of a courthouse at the new county seat. David Stump, county surveyor, was directed to survey and plat two hundred and ninety-two in lots and twenty-one out lots which should form the inclosure of the county seat. 

M. T. Williams was appointed agent for the board when not in session and his duties defined, "To attend to the surveying and platting of said town and to such other business as may by him be deemed necessary." For this service the record shows that Mr Williams received the sum of $7.50. In making these sales the clerk inserted a clause in each certificate issued by him to the purchaser which provided that said commissioners should not be required to make a deed for the property until they should obtain a title to the same from the United States. At a later meeting the record shows that "David Stump be allowed the sum of. $78.75 for surveying the town of Oskaloosa, out of the funds accruing from the sale. of said lots." At a meeting of the board, May 25, 1844, we have the order of the board that a grocery license shall be allowed to grocery-keepers in said county for the sum of $25 per year, and at the same proportion for a shorter period." G. W. Jones & Company, Oskaloosa's first merchants, are allowed an order of $1.75 for stationery furnished the board. Doubtless this old homemade record forms a part of this bill. The terms on which lots were sold was that oneeighth should be paid in cash and the remainder be paid in two equal annual payments.

W. A. Delashmutt, the first assessor of the county, was allowed the sum of Soo for his services for appraising the property of said county. William D. Canfield, the first tavern-keeper, was allowed. the sum of $5 for "boarding the hands while surveying town lots."

The amount of personal property reported in the year 1844 was $46,661. A tax of fifty cents on each $100 had been issued, making a collectable fax of $233.30. Tax on 498 polls at fifty cents each, $249.00; with a territorial tax of one-half mill on the dollar, $23.33; total amount collectable tax, $505.63.

On October 8, 1844, road viewers were appointed by the board to confirm the survey of a road leading from. the northwest corner of the public square to Duncan's Mill. This commission was to meet on October 18, with David Stump, the county surveyor, and layout said road as the law directed.

A large number. of the orders issued by the county board of commissioners in 1844 were for services rendered by sundry citizens for work done on the Brighton road, the Fairfield road, the Eddyville road and the Iowa City road, as well as for other public highways. The meeting of January 6, 1845, opens with a long list of orders for the bounty on wolf scalps, which are kept up through the year.

Other curious records to this generation such as the ear marks for the purpose of distinguishing cattle, hogs and sheep on the range. Pleasant Parker chose a swallow fork in each ear; William Jolly, a crop off the right ear; Samuel McFall, a swath crop off the left ear.

On September 25, 1845, the board appointed A. D. Jones to superintend the mason work and Christmas Heatherington to superintend the carpenter work on the jail built in Oskaloosa. The contract had been let to William G. Lee. The amount of expenditures of Mahaska county for the year closing December 31, 1845, was $857.46.

On April 13, 1846, a license was granted to Joseph Tally to keep a ferry across the Des Moines river at Tally's ford, on the payment of an annual fee of $5 to the county clerk. He was authorized to charge the following rates:

Two horses and wagon, thirty-seven and one half cents; four horses and wagon, fifty cents; man and horse, eighteen and three-fourths cents; single horse, ten cents; cattle, per head, eight cents; sheep and hogs, per head, five cents; and footman, ten cents.

It seems that one of the good citizens of the county had been shamefully maltreated by excessive taxation, and we find this alleviating record:

"Ordered that Robert Wilson be released of twenty-nine cents of his tax, which was assessed to him for the year 1845." This looks like a small sum to bring before the county commissioners, but when we remember that the twenty-nine cents would purchase almost onefourth of an acre of Mahaska county land, the transaction is given a new setting.

On January 6, 1846, we find the following:

"Ordered that the road from Oskaloosa to Duncan's Mill be recorded and declared a public highway." A similar record is made of the road leading east to the line of Keokuk county and west to Auburn; and several other roads iri the county which had been recently established. Order No. 595, read: "Allowed G. W. Jones $2.75 for furnishing candles and stationery for the use of court." Elsewhere we learn that candles were worth sixteen cents per pound. Many of the orders in these year were for services which accord with the beginning of things in a new settlement, such as road viewers, chain carriers, surveying, road grading and the like.

The receipts for grocery license for the year 1845 were $100; for ferry, $10; fines, $10. The amount of county orders paid and cancelled by G. W. Bad, county treasurer, for the year ending December 31, 1846, was $360.14.

January 7, 1848, M. T. WilIiams filed with the board of commissioners his annual report as the agent for the sale of town lots. we give it in part: "The undersigned agent by your appointment for the sale of lots in Oskaloosa would respectfully report that since the 5th day of January, A. D. 1847, the date of my last settlement, I have sold thirty-eight lots amounting to the sum of $622.00." This would give an average of $16.37 per lot.

On the same date G. W. Baer, county treasurer, .makes his report. One item may be of interest: "I have coIlected on the tax list for 1846 in alI to this date, including interest, $559.89."

It was ordered by the board of commissioners on April 10, 1848, "That all licenses issued for the purpose of retailing intoxicating liquors in Mahaska county, shall be thirty-three and one-third dollars."

The records above referred to are known as the minute books of the board of commissioners. One of these old blank books had been well preserved, but used for a time as a scrap book. It had evidently been brought from the east with the family effects, and necessity had converted it into a more dignified service. Necessity is often a good mother to modest men and women. It calls out the splendid capabilities of heart and life, all unknown because unused.

There are a series of blank books in the office of the county auditor called road books. Book number one is dated December, A. D. 1844, and describes the "Territorial road commencing at a point on the old Indian boundary line in Des Moines township, in Jefferson county, where a territorial road from Fort Madison in the county of Lee, passing through the counties of Van Buren and Jefferson terminates, on said boundary line on the nearest and best. route to Agency City, in the county of Wapello, thence to Dahlonega, in said county, and from thence to the county east of Mahaska county, making the whole distance of said road from the old county line thirty-seven miles and twenty-two chains." Then follows a quite minute description of the entire route, making specific mention of' what the traveler would pass. Timber, sloughs, prairie, creeks, ridges, etc. Stations are numbered from the starting point, distances in miles, chains and links between stations. The kind of trees on which the bearings were recorded nearest to the mileposts, such as white oak, sweet oak, wild cherry, white elm, red oak, black walnut, hickory, etc. The survey was made by David Stump, who surveyed the town of Oskaloosa.

A similar minute description is given of the survey of a territorial road commencing at the west door of the capitol of the territory, in Iowa City, in Johnson county, and covering a distance of sixty-seven miles and thirty-four chains to the east boundary of the public square in Oskaloosa. We have not been able to learn much of the life of this early surveyor, but his careful records have raised him in our estimation as a man of the strictest fidelity and more: than ordinary ability in his chosen work. Extracts and comments on these old records might be extended indefinitely. These will serve to show something of what the. pioneers had to contend with as they received this good land from the hand of nature. One thing will impress the reader; the patience, painstaking care, and unselfish spirit of these toilers.