CHAPTER XI.

In the summer of 1844, when I was teaching school in the Brazelton neighborhood near Mt. Pleasant, one evening just as I was leaving the school-house for my boarding place, two women came along on horseback. Each had a pair of saddle-bags thrown across her horse, and a bag or bundle hanging on the horn of the saddle. They halted a little and spoke to me. I immediately became interested in them and we entered into conversation. They informed me that they were trying to reach Trenton that evening; had come from somewhere in Illinois that day, and had crossed the Mississippi at Burlington. I asked them where they lived. One of them said, "We are sisters and live away up in the New Purchase." We became more interested in each other when I told them about my relatives who were also living in the New Purchase. They were well acquainted with my relatives, and as I walked along the road and talked with them they told me about their husbands and children, and how they came to go back to Illinois where they moved from to Iowa. Business and pleasure combined had taken them back to the old neighborhood after living a year in the wilds of the New Purchase. Their husbands had to take care of their claims and, crops, and they were brave enough to make the journey alone and on horseback. One of those ladies was Mrs. Newton Seevers, who said she had two daughters old enongh to keep house for their father in her absence. The other lady was Mrs. John W. Cunningham. She lived nearer my uncle's and could tell me much about them. Those women had a genuine, respectable, kindly appearance which drew me toward them, and made an impression on me at once which has lasted through all these years. There seemed to be little prospect at that time of my ever seeing them again, though Mrs. Cunningham remarked when we parted, "I wish you would come up to the New Purchase and teach school, for I have a boy and two little girls that I would like to send to school to you." We bade each other goodbye, all expressing the pleasure it had given us to have met in so unlooked for a way, and hoped that we would meet again.

Circumstances which I have already related brought me to the New Purchase, and not long after my arrival I became well acquainted with the Cunningham family. A warm friendship was established between that family and myself which has lasted until the present day. The boy, Joseph, and his sisters, Lizzie and Ella, were among my pupils in "Mahaska's first school." Mr. Cunningham was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and was much better informed than the average pioneer settler. The whole family had gentle manners, and dispensed so hospitably their plain new country fare that it was a solid pleasure to visit them. Mr. Cunningham had a fine claim situated about two miles east of Oskaloosa. Mr. Charles Chick owns and lives on that place now. Joseph Cunningham died in early manhood. Lizzie and Ella grew to be lovely and handsome women. Lizzie married a gentlemen by the name of Barr and lives in Illinois. Ella married Dr. J. F. Smith. a Virginian, a successful business man and an honorable gentleman. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham have long since been gathered to their fathers. I have seen the fourth generation of that family, and all are a credit to their worthy ancestors.

Mrs. Seevers has been a widow for many years. She is now well on toward ninety, but quite well preserved, both pbysicalJy and mentally. Her home is with her son Thomas Seevers, who is one of Oskaloosa's most prosperous business men. Thomas Seevers owns and lives in one of the most beautiful. homes in the city.

There were three families of Seeverses who came to Mahaska County and made and located on claims near Oskaloosa in 1843. Newton Seevers, the father of Thomas, whom I have mentioned, and James Seevers, his brother. Newton's claim was less than a mile directly east of the town, while James owned and lived on a fine claim about a mile southeast. Alfred Seevers, a cousin of Newton and James, was located on a fine claim east of Newton's. George Seevers, brother to Alfred, was unmarried when he came, but soon went back to Ohio and married a splendid girl. He brought her to Iowa and settled on his claim, part of which is now known as Park Place. James and Newton were from Virginia, but Alfred and George were from Ohio. Those Seevers brothers paid much attention to fruit raising. I think they had the first apples of anybody in the county. Some two or three years after the first settling of the country about Oskaloosa, Robert Seevers, a brother to Alfred and George, came with his family from Ohio, and bought a beautiful place a mile or so from town to the southwest; where he and his wife are living to-day. Robert Seevers, as well as his brothers, has paid much attention to fruit growing, and has always been authority on apples.

When Robert Seevers and his wife came to Mahaska County they were the proud parents of three sons, very small boys then, but now are middle aged men and all: prominent citizens of Oskaloosa. George, the eldest, is a prominent attorney; Byron, the second, is called "the scholar," and Will, the third, is called one of Oskaloosa's best business men. These scions of the house of Seevers must be possessed of judgment, personal attractions, luck, or something, for every last one of them married splendid women. Robert Seevers is over ninety years old, but is still vigorous both in body and mind. These Seeverses, James, Newton, Alfred, George and Robert, were the old set, who were men of families, and among the first settlers about Oskaloosa. Like others that I have mentioned, they lived in log cabins and patiently and honestly endured the hardships and privations attending the settling of this part of Iowa. The wives of those Seeverses were not lacking in judgment, patient endurance and helpfulness - the qualities necessary to enable their husbands to succeed in opening up a new country. I was acquainted with everyone of them and know what I am talking about. While the Seevers men
were breaking prairie, splitting rails and planting out orchards, the Seevers women were not only cooking, washing and mending, but were planting gardens and raising chickens. Besides what was absolutely necessary, they whitewashed their cabin walls, planted and cultivated the old-fashioned flowers and trained morningglory vines about their cabin doors, which gave to their rustic homes a look of sweetness and attractiveness often lacking in moden and expensive homes. Those Seevers men were fine-looking, manly men, honorable and highspirited, intelligent and honest. The kind of men who give credit to any community. With their other commendable qualities they happened to have the good sense to choose superior women for their wives. If any of the present generation of the Seevers family should become unworthy citizens, they can't blame it to the example of those worthy ancestors.

I have known five generations of the Seevers family. Mr. Henry Seevers, the father of James and Newton, came here and spent the summer of 1846 with his sons. He was from Winchester, Virginia, and was a typical Virginia gentleman. He wore a black broadcloth swallowtailed coat, silk hat, and carried a gold-headed cane. He must have been well advanced in years, but was erect and walked with a fine step. He was tall and distinguished looking, affable, friendly, with the most gentle manners. I met him frequently, and used to think his children and grandchildren must feel very proud of him. He went with the rest of the men in this region on the 4th of July to Fairfield to attend the land sales, where I think the Seeverses all entered the claims they occupied at the first.

James Seevers and Rebecca, his wife, had six sons and one daughter. William H., the eldest, was a bright young man; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in an early day. He rose step by step in his profession until he reached a place on the Supreme Bench of Iowa. Three years ago he died, honored and lamented, not only by the whole community in which he had lived, but by the State. In early life he married Miss Caroline Lee, a young lady of more than ordinary intelligence, and possessing many noble traits of character. She survives him, and also five of their children, who are prosperous and respected members of society.

As one drives about the town of Oskaloosa, ever and anon they pass an elegant home owned and occupied by some member of the Seevers family. I have known the Seeverses in their rude and rustic cabins, and have lived to see many of them living in luxury and elegance; but whether they dwell in mansion or log cabin, their dignity and self respect has always commanded the respect of their neighbors. The character which riches and honors do not puff up, nor poverty degrade.

Mr. James Seevers' beautiful daughter, Virginia, in September, 1845, was married to Micajah T. Williams, whom I have before mentioned as the first man I saw in Oskaloosa. I think they were the handsomest couple I ever saw. The little frame house where they first went to housekeeping stands there yet, looking small, shabby, and dilapidated; but I remember well a time when we young folks all thought it nice indeed. I don't think there were more than half a dozen frame dwelling houses in Oskaloosa when Micajah and Virginia went to housekeeping in that little frame house of two rooms. How sweet and cozy and comfortable that little home looked, with its new rag carpet, and bed so nicely made up with
a pretty patch-work quilt and snowy pillows! The little new cooking stove with its bright tin furniture - every I piece placed in just what seemed exactly the right place. Talk about "high art." Some of those women who helped to found the town of Oskaloosa, away back in the forties, were artists without knowing it. How plain I can see everything in the unpretentious home of that handsome young couple, though to see it I must look back with the mind's eye over more than half a century. They lived in that cottage several years, but not without making several small additions to the same, which rendered it what was thought comfortable and convenient in that early day. Their two charming daughters were born in that cottage, but before they became young ladies their parents had purchased and occupied what was at that time one of the most imposing and substantial houses
in Oskaloosa. . There the daughters, Alice and Beulah Joselle, the pride of their parents and of Oskaloosa, grew to charming, accomplished, and beautiful womanhood. They were daintily brought up, and had every advantage of education by schools and travel, with the inheritance of beauty, grace, and good sense from their parents. They were not spoiled by high social position and flattering attention.

Alice, when quite young, married Mr. George Bennett, a talented young man of good family. Alice has been a widow many years. George, the husband of her youth, like many another bright young man from Iowa, sleeps his last sleep on the shore of the mighty Pacific. Beulah, their only daughter and only child, is a young lady now and is endowed with a fine mind and many noble traits of character. Beulah Joselle, "Jo", as we always called her, beautiful, queenly Jo, whose manners were dignified, though kind, gentle, though affable toward all, with never an unkind word for any. A queen among Oskaloosa's many lovely daughters, she married Judge L. C. Blanchard, one of Oskaloosa's most prominent citizens; a statesman, a successful business man and an honored member of society. Judge Blanchard  made for his charming wife an elegant home, but after a few years of happy wedded life that beautiful and peaceful home was broken into by that relentless reaper who is no respecter of homes nor individuals. The honored, the respected, the idolized Jo was by a weeping multitude followed to the city of the dead. In that same silent city, under a spreading oak, with a great boulder at their feet, lie side by side, Micajah and Virginia Williams. On that great boulder is chiseled the name, "Micajah T. Williams. "

John White was one of the men who staked off his claim before daylight on the morning of May 1st, 1843, adjoining what was afterward the county seat, Oskaloosa. John White, John Montgomery, Felix Gesford, D. W. Canfield and others had stealthily spied out the ground and had agreed upon their respective claims. They were not afraid of each other infringing, but of unknown parties who might be hidden around like themselves. Those men staked out their claims peaceably. John White's claim lay immediately north of what was chosen as the "town quarter." The U. S. government reserves the privilege of choosing a quarter section of land anywhere on the public domain to locate a county seat upon. John Montgomery happened to select and stake out the very quarter the commissioners wanted afterward for the county seat. Mr. Montgomery had to give up his favorite piece of land and take claims elsewhere. Mr. M. was nicely fixed in the way of land, about which I will have more to say after a while.

John White built a cabin on his claim, said cabin being located about a mile directly north of the public square in Oskaloosa. There he brought his family - wife and two children - early in the Spring of 1844. Not long after, a little girl was born to them whom they named "Anestatia." I presume Anestatia was the first white child born anywhere around here. Anestatia died when she was six or seven years old. Mr. and Mrs. White had a son Edmond and a daughter Mary when they came to Mahaska County. John White was an energetic and shrewd business man. His prosperity soon began to be talked about through the country. I often heard the remark, "How well John White is getting along," or "If John White keeps on as he is goig he will soon be the richest man in the county." Their prophecies and surmises turned out to be true, for John White, when he died, December 24th, 1870, was by far the wealthiest man in the county. The Whites didn't get rich by pinching and saving. They always, from the very first, had the best the country could afford. Mrs. White's neatness and cleanliness became a proverb throughout this region. The first time I ever was in her house I was overwhelmed with the supreme cleanliness of everything in that log cabin. I just stood and stared. I had seen many cozy, clean cabins, but had never seen anything that equaled that. The walls and joists and boards overhead were whitewashed as white as snow; the two beds were dressed in counterpanes as white as white could be, and the pillow cases were snowy white and looked like they were just from under the iron. Every piece of tinware shone like silver, and her brass kettle like burnished gold; the and irons in the wide fireplace were polished, the ashes taken up clean and the hearth swept to perfection; there were two or three strips of rag carpet on the floor, but a considerable space was bare, but those bare puncheons were scoured until they were in a state of cleanliness not often witnessed.

Mrs. White's morning work was not entirely completed when I arrived that morning, so she went on and finished her dishes; and just as she put the last plate in the cupboard, she brought out a pan full of broken sandstone, remarking as she showed it to me: "John was down on the creek yesterday and he came across this fine, soft sandstone, and thinking it would be just the thing to scour with, he brought a lot of it home." She then proceeded to pound up a lot of that sandstone until it assumed the consistency of fine sand. Then she gathered up every tin pan, bucket, coffee pot, and tin cup in the house, and went to work on them with that sand. She finished the tin things, and then the brass kettle was made to take on a polish not often seen outside of Mrs. White's kitchen. After all that she tackled the wooden bread bowl and gave it a thorough scouring. I sat and gazed with admiration and amazement. I thought everything in that cabin was as clean and shining as it could be before she began. I said, "Mrs. White, I think you excel any woman I ever saw in making things shine." "Oh!" she said, "If you think I am a good housekeeper, you ought to have seen my mother's housekeeping. She kept her shovel and tongs and tea-kettle handle polished like silver all the time." Mrs. White didn't limit her beautifying of things to the inside of her cabin, but kept a nicely swept door-yard, trained morning glories and cypress vines about her windows, and out in front she cultivated a great billowy mass of pinks and bachelor buttons, and marigolds and four o'clocks, of every shade and color. Mrs. White could make of a cabin in the wilderness a veritable bower of beauty.

The Whites were not like many others who came in the very early days, poor and barely able to exist, but were quite well-to-do when they lived in Jefferson County. Mr. White once told me that he was worth four thousand dollars in money and other property when he came to Mahaska County. If he did outstrip his fellows in the race for wealth, he had a better start than almost any man I knew of the early settlers. As I said before, they didn't get rich by scrimping and denying themselves the ordinary comforts of life. Mr. White, from the beginning, provided bountifully for his family. If the necessaries in the way of food were not to be obtained around here, he went off somewhere else and got them. They entertained hospitably and bountifully. Mrs. White was not only the best of housekeepers as regards carefulness and cleanliness, but was an exquisite cook. The day I went there and she amazed me so with her neatness and shiningness of everything, I stayed and took dinner with them. Her dinner was served with a taste and skill as unusual as were her other housekeeping performances. The snowy, home made linen table cloth, with every crease made by the iron distinctly marked. The delicious great big slices of fried ham, placed in the platter in a way to look the most tempting, with cream gravy poured over. A dish heaped up with mashed potatoes, with a hollow place on top wherein was a big lump of butter. Biscuit tender, white, and puffy, the making of which, I think, is a lost art. A great roll of golden butter-not a little thin slice but a big roll, so artistically printed it seemed a pity to cut into it. Old - fashioned Java coffee, the kind which has gone, clear out of fashion. If we had the same kind of coffee to-day, I don't think my "French chef" could excel in making coffee such as Mrs. White served at that unpretentious dinner in her log cabin. I have visited Mrs. White in her elegant home, furnished with every luxury of modern times; have dined at her board, glittering with cut glass and burnished silver; but none of it impressed me like the exquisite taste and skill displayed in beautifying her cabin home, and the superb cooking she did by that old-fashioned fire-place.

Many years ago Mr. White built an elegant home on the spot where their log cabin stood, and furnished it with everything beautiful from garret to cellar. As they went from room to room in that splendid home they went with sad hearts. A long row of little graves in the Old Cemetery tells the story. Their elegant home, broad acres, stocks, bonds, silver and gold were no bar against that relentless reaper who claimed one after another of those lovely children, sparing none but baby Jennie. I
remember a conversation I once had with Mrs. White, when Jennie was a baby in her arms, and she only had one other child left, Iowa, who was a young, bright, happy-looking girl. Mrs. White had a settled sadness in her face as she talked of one child after another that had been taken. To divert her mind from her bereavement, I commenced talking about her home and complimenting her on her beautiful surroundings. She looked around with a sigh, and replied: "0, yes; I have everything I desire in house and furniture and husband, but my children have been taken one by one, until I only have these two left, and I am looking for them to be taken from me as all the rest have been." Happy Iowa was snatched away in her youth, and the sorrowing parents saw another mound of earth added to the already numerous group. But Jennie, the baby, was spared.

John White was a good-looking man, a little less than six feet high, was active and quick in his movements; his hair was dark brown, his eyes blue-gray; he was a kind and obliging neighbor, was without affectation and the patronizing airs some men assume when they have outstripped their fellows in the race for wealth. There is an addition to Oskaloosa, laid out by John White, and called "White's Addition."

Mr. White was always prosperous, and sound financially. At the time of his death he was successfully carrying on the banking business. About the time of Mr. White's death, two young men, brothers, Israel and Ernest Gibbs, came from New England to Oskaloosa and established themselves in the business of banking. They were not only fine business men, but handsome and distinguished-looking. Israel married one of Oskaloosa's fairest daughters, Miss Lucy Dodge, who is not only fair, but lovely in character. When John White died, Jennie, his little daughter, was hardly beyond childhood. When she became a young lady, her manners were pleasing, her face was fair, and she married Mr. Ernest Gibbs, who is and always has been a successful business man.

Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs have one daughter, Nellie, a bright and sparkling girl; she is handsome; like her grandmother once was. Mr. Ernest Gibbs has done much for the improvement of Oskaloosa; he has built many substantial business houses and numerous handsome dwellings. The poor of Oskaloosa and vicinity have reason to bless Ernest and Jennie Gibbs, for they have been fed and clothed and sheltered and warmed by these kind-hearted and benevolent citizens.