Pioneer Feats of Caleb Lamb, Olive Kennedy

LAMB, KENNEDY

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 9/18/2010 at 10:54:26

Mrs. E. H. Maytag Tells…….

Pioneer Feats of Caleb Lamb, Olive Kennedy

(Editor’s Note: The information for the following story on Olive Jane Kennedy and her husband, Caleb Lamb, who came to what is known Newton in 1842 by covered wagon was furnished by Mrs. E. H. Maytag. Mrs. Maytag, the former Ora B. Kennedy, spent her early childhood living with the Lambs. Mrs. Lamb was her aunt and told her many true tales of early Newton. The story reflects the true pioneer spirit of our early settlers.)

A long bumpy covered wagon trip from Virginia brought Olive Jane Kennedy to Iowa in 1842 as a 14-year-old bride of Caleb Lamb.

This young lady of Irish extraction was to become one of Newton’s most loved pioneer women known by everyone as “Aunt Jane.” She is probably the only woman who received the honor of having a Newton street named for her.

When Aunt Jane arrived in what was to become Newton some 15 years later, it was only a settlement consisting of 13 families. The covered wagon train which Aunt Jane came in did not cross a railroad or bridge after leaving Columbus, O. Travel was slow for there were no charted roads to follow, only dusty trails, and sometimes not even those. They crossed the Mississippi at Davenport where Aunt Jane road her horse side-saddle as it swam across. The wagons were floated across by placing logs underneath them. In the same group as Aunt Jane was a young man named Fred Hubbell Sr., who later became one of Des Moines’ leading citizens.

Three such caravans of covered wagons were coming into Iowa at the time with the Kennedy’s traveling in the second one. Upon entering Iowa they learned that the first contingent of wagons was attacked by Tama Indians. Their route was changed and they entered Newton from the south coming through the area which is now Pella. Later it was learned that the third train was also attacked.

Olive and her husband, Caleb Lamb, who later was known to become a captain in the union army during the Civil war, received a land grant and settled on the area on which the present junior high building now stands.

Game was so plentiful in the area that the Lamb’s had to build a fence around their property to keep deer and other game out of their garden. It was common for Aunt Jane to lean a rifle on the backyard fence and bag deer as they came to drink from a small spring which ran through the area at the time. Buffalo were plentiful by going just be
yond Fort Des Moines to the west.

Later the ground owned by the Lambs was donated to the town for a site on which to build a school. It was the first school house in Newton.

In early 1860 the Lambs began building a brick home which turned out to be the biggest mansion in Newton. It was the first brick home built in Newton and third in the state of Iowa. The other two were located at Clinton and Dubuque.

The hand-made bricks for the home were hauled by ox team from Clinton, which had the only brick yard in the state.

The construction of the home was abruptly stopped when the Southerners fired on Ft. Sumpter starting the Civil War. A roof was hastily put on the unfinished home which had only the first story completed, and in true patriotic fashion both Mr. and Mrs. Lamb, along with two sons, went off to war.

Mrs. Lamb served as a nurse during the conflict. It was hard work. They not only did the cooking and cleaning, they also cared for the sick and wounded. Many a time the gritty Aunt Jane held a lantern for surgeons as they cut limbs off soldiers without anesthetic.

The lambs survived the war and on their return to Newton added the second story to their brick home. The cost of the home was $10,000, a stupendous amount in the 1860’s.

This home, which was the pride of Newton, still stands. It is now the nurses’ home by the present Skiff Memorial hospital.

According to Mrs. Maytag, this structure still contains some personal property of Aunt Jane. It is in the form of a strongbox imbedded in a cornerstone on the north side of the building and it contains both union and Confederate money as well as several pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Lamb and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant taken during the Civil War. It is also believed to contain a copy of an old newspaper.

The fact that Mrs. Lamb was a woman of strong convictions with an ability to carry them out is readily observed when she literally destroyed a “Blind Pig” in Newton in 1855. (A Blind Pig is an establishment that carried on illicit sale of liquor.)

It all began when Aunt Jane, a woman devoutly against alcoholic drink in any form, found out that a downtown merchant was selling liquor. She also learned that the merchant kept the stuff in the cellar, the only entrance to which was a trap door located on the ground floor.

This was enough and she flew into action.

One afternoon the enterprising Aunt Jane invited a dozen of her prominent lady friends over to her home for a tea requesting that each bring a hatchet along as well as wear an apron. She never told them beforehand what the weapons were for, but they were soon to learn.

When all assembled, Aunt Jane revealed her plan to march on the merchant in force. They agreed, and carrying their hatchets under their aprons, marched to the proprietor. Sensing trouble, he grabbed a chair, placed it on the trap door, and sat down – but not for long.

Aunt Jane’s hatchet was waving over his head as he nimbly hopped off. While six of the ladies kept the bewildered proprietor at bay, the remaining six proceeded down the stairway.

After flailing way with their hatchets for a time they found themselves ankle deep in whiskey, probably the only encounter with firewater during their lives.

The man with the ill-famed establishment was out of business.

Aunt Jane must have gotten her spunk and spirit from her father, Jesse Kennedy, who was quite a figure around Newton in his day.

The elder Kennedy owned a hotel, the first in Newton, situated where the Agnew Monument company is now located. It was a three-story frame building, southern style, with porches on teach floor. It was called the Clifton House. He also had a stable located one block south of where the Jasper County bank now stands. It was there horses for the stages where changed.

The stable was the last stop for the stage coach which ran as far west as Des Moines at the time. Stages came two and three at a time, the old story of having more protection from the possible attack by Indians.

The stages had no regular time schedule for arrival but Aunt Jane, who ran the establishment for her father, had a unique way of getting the news of their arrival ahead of time.

From atop the third floor of the hotel, she could see the dust stirred up by the stages many miles away. By the time they arrived in Newton, Aunt Jane saw that food was ready for the weary drivers and travelers.

Although Jesse Kennedy came from the south, he was a true Northerner and was set against slavery. His home would have been held in ill repute by his former Southern friends had they known that he helped run an underground for escaped slaves. Jesse hid them in his stables during the day. The runaway slaves traveled only by night and remained in hiding during the day.

Only once is it known that Jesse Kennedy got into any trouble with his underground activities, and he settled the situation forcefully in typical Kennedy fashion.

Hiding in the hayloft in Jesse’s stable at the time were three colored persons, John, Clem, and Lettie Miller, Brothers and sister. Their master from Missouri came through Newton for his runaways and stopped at the stables, demanded his slaves, and pulled a gun on Jesse.

Jesse said two words, loud and clear, “GETOUT.”

The master stood his ground – temporarily.
Jesse grabbed a horse whip and the surprised master was the recipient of a sound lashing before he could gather his wits.

He departed hurriedly and was never seen in Newton again.

The millers decided to stay and were among the first colored residents in Newton. Lettie proved to be an immaculate housekeeper and kept house for D. J. Eberhart, Myra Hanke’s father, for a period of 29 years. She was affectionately called Aunt Lettie.

Getting back to Aunt Jane, she always carried a small ivory handled pistol and knew how to use it.

One such occasion came when she was carrying home money from the post office and express office for her son, Henry, who operated it. She always carried the money home instead of her son because of the chance of his being robbed. The money was carried in a pouch which she concealed in her bosom.

Coming home one evening with the day’s receipts she encountered a strange man who demanded the money. Quick as a flash the intruder found himself staring into the barrel of Aunt Jane’s ivory handled weapon.

He stuck around just long enough to hear Aunt Jane say, “If you don’t get, I’ll take you to the mayor’s house.”

Aunt Jane’s husband, Caleb, was a builder and constructed the first brick building downtown. It still stands and is where Power Drug store is now located. The next oldest brick structure is what is now McLaughlin-Johnson Jewelry store.

Aunt Jane lived to be 82 years old passing away in 1910. Her grave is in Newton Union Cemetery.
~ The Newton Daily News, Saturday, August 10, 1957

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