STEVER, Miss Louisa Jane

STEVER, PARKS, MCLEAN, MITCHELL, LONG, BLACK, GLASGOW, AXLINE, VAN NOSTRAND, WEST

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 7/12/2006 at 13:14:31

"Fairfield Daily Ledger", Wed., Feb. 12, 1936, Pg. 5, Col. 5

MISS LOUISA JANE STEVER, LAST OF ORIGINAL PIONEER STEVERS TO COME FROM PENNSYLVANIA IN 1844.

Traveled Here by Ox Cart and Boat When Three Years of Age.

Miss Louisa Jane STEVER, who died here Tuesday at the age of nearly 95, was the last of the original pioneer STEVER family that moved to Jefferson County in 1844, just eight years after the county was settled by white people.

Miss STEVER was but three years old when her father and mother, Adam and Betsy STEVER, traveled from Cassville, Huntingdon County, Penn., to Fairfield in 1844. She was born in Cassville on Feb. 18, 1841. The trip was made by ox cart to the Ohio River, by boat to St. Louis, and then up the Mississippi to Keokuk, and then overland to Fairfield.

The family came to this vicinity because a short time earlier a brother of Mrs. Adam STEVER, John PARKS, pioneered in the Richwoods community and later moved closer to the present site of Fairfield because of more advantageous timber and water supplies.

The Adam STEVERs lived in covered wagons for a time on land which they took west of the present location of Fairfield. As soon as possible they built a log cabin and later burned the brick and cut log sills to build the brick house on Highway 34 west of Fairfield where Mr. and Mrs. William STEVER now live.

Shortly after settling there, Adam STEVER, Daniel McLEAN and H. B. MITCHELL were named by the territorial governer to lay out a territorial road, which is now Highway 34.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Adam STEVER, listed in order, were: Mrs. Catherine LONG, Miss Margaret, Solomon, George, Mrs. Rachel BLACK, Mrs. Ann Mary GLASGOW, John, Mrs. Almira AXLINE, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Louisa Jane, Adam Jr., and Dr. David STEVER. David was born after the family moved to this vicinity. Miss Louisa Jane STEVER was the last member of this pioneer family.

Solomon, her brother, was the father of Miss Mary L. STEVER and Mrs. L. W. VAN NOSTRAND, both of this city.

Miss Louisa Jane was a pioneer school teacher of this county. Before teaching school, and while she herself a pupil, she was the champion speller of this county and traveled far and wide to compete in spelling "bees". Among the schools at which she taught were Hollenbeck near Batavia, Center No. 2, Center No. 8, and Center No. 10. Her family recounts that while teaching near Batavia she would walk home every Friday evening. Her brothers would hitch up a team and take her back to school on Monday mornings.

After only John, Elizabeth and Louisa Jane were left, the three lived in Fairfield for a time. Later the two women went to live with Mrs. E. M. WEST, 306 East Madison Street, where they stayed the rest of their lives.

Mr. and Mrs. Adam STEVER were pioneer members of the Fairfield Lutheran Church. Shortly before his last illness, Mr. STEVER, in 1858, while he was 57 years of age, helped get lumber from Keokuk with which to build the first Lutheran church here.

Funeral services for Miss STEVER will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thusday from the Hoskins Funeral Home, with Dr. W. F. Rex in charge.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.