DAWSON, Peyton

DAWSON, COLVIN, STODDARD, KENNEDY, SARTORE, HOGLAN

Posted By: Ron Garmoe <PapaRG@aol.com>
Date: 1/11/2005 at 15:35:42

DAWSON, Peyton

Peyton Dawson, one of the honored pioneers of Lee County, is a resident of Cedar Township and as a fine representative of that brave and courageous band who first ventured into the country beyond the Mississippi with the determination to establish a home, is held in deep veneration and respect. Not alone ???? this, however, is Mr Dawson thus esteemed, ????or his excellent personal traits of character which have gained for him the reputation of an honest man and a good citizen.
Mr Dawson is a native of Shelby County, Ky, born on the 5th of March, 1819. His father, Elijah Dawson, and his grandfather, John B. Dawson, were both natives of Virginia, and the latter, a boy ???? George Washington. He also served as a ???? under the father of his country, and during the last years of his life enjoyed the benefits of a pension from his government. John B. Dawson removed from his native state to Kentucky in about 1816, and settled in Shelby County where he lived for sixteen years. Then in 1832, he removed to Illinois and located near Jacksonville where he passed the last years of his life and was buried with military honors, the troops of that military post being then under the command of Gen JJ Harding.
Elijah Dawson, the father of our subject, was reared in his native state of Virginia and when a young man, went to Prince William County as overseer of a plantation belonging to a Mr George, whose granddaughter, Miss Anna Colvin, he afterwards married. In 1815 he removed to Kentucky with his wife and two children, and leased land in Shelby County. The whole distance, 700 miles through the wilderness, was made with teams, and after a residence of about seventeen years in Kentucky, Elijah Dawson once more pulled up stakes , and repeating his former experiment set out over land for Illinois. They cooked and camped by the wayside as before, and settled upon Morgan County as their first location. Mr D purchasing land about five miles from Jacksonville. His purchase was unimproved, and he at once set about establishing his family comfortably in a by no means modern dwelling, and then began to prepare the soil for the first crop. Here they lived until the farm was brought to a good condition and saleable, and then Elijah Dawson sold his second homestead, and probably with the desire of Daniel Boone for “more room” determined to cross the Father of Waters and establish himself beyond the Mississippi. This journey, like the others, was made over land with teams, accompanied by his family and household possessions. The stopped for one year in West Point, and afterwards removed to the present site of Summitville, being the first to make settlement in that region. Their cabin stood on the prairie a quarter of a mile north of where the town now stands. Mr D purchased a claim of 300 acres on the “half-breed” tract, built a double log house, and remained there until his death, which occurred in September, 1845.
The mother of our subject, before her marriage, was Miss Anna Colvin, of Prince William County, Va. She remained the faithful companion of her husband in all his wonderings and removals, and fulfilled the duties of a pioneer’s wife with courage and patients. She crossed the Mississippi with her husband and children, and passed her last days on the old homestead near Summitville. She and her husband were separated by death for only the short space of 24 hours, after which she followed him to the better land. The day following the death of the mother, the devoted household experienced a third affliction in the death of a sister. Eliza E., an interesting little girl of eleven years old. The three were buried in one grave.
Peyton Dawson of our sketch was the fourth child of his parents, and was twelve years old when the family removed from Kentucky to Illinois. He remembers all the interesting incidents connected with the overland journey, and entered into the spirit of the adventure with boyish enthusiasm. He assisted his father in the duties around the homestead, and as his mother was in ill health for nearly three years, he was largely occupied in household duties. He came to Iowa with his parents, and after they had been here one year he was married and commenced life on his own account. He purchased a claim of 200 acres of land which is now included in the County Farm in Jackson Township. There was a great deal of uncertainty in connection with these claims in the half-breed tract, and Mr D had purchased his claim of a Mormon from Nauvoo, by whom he was assured that the title was perfect. He learned, however, before he moved upon it that it was to be “jumped”. He called his neighbors to his assistance, and put up a log cabin in a hurry and moved into it. After being there two weeks, two men called upon him and ordered him to leave, but he took down his gun and made the same suggestion to them, which they followed unconditionally. The following week a company of eighty men came to his place, and, halting a short distance away, sent a delegation of twelve to parley with the occupant of the new cabin. When they found that he would not be bullied but would fight to the death, they retreated, and he afterward “held the fort” unmolested.
Two years later Mr Dawson sold his eighty acres and built a double log house on the spot now occupied by the county house. This he occupied for one year, then sold out and removed to Jefferson County, and after a year spent at the latter place came to Lee County. Then, after the death of his parents, he purchased the old homestead and occupied it until 1851, when he sold this also, and two years later purchased the farm which he now owns and occupies. Mr Dawson possessed considerable of the adventurous spirit of his father, and seemed to delight in taking up a piece of wild land and opening up a farm out of the wilderness. His last purchase was also wild prairie, upon which he erected a small frame house, which has since given place to a commodious farm residence. The homestead is now supplied with good barns and outhouses, amply suitable for the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. He is the possessor of 176 acres of finely improved land and pasture, and besides this owns forty acres of valuable timber in Van Buren County.
Mr Dawson was married in 1842 to Miss Ellen A. Stoddard, a native of New Hampshire. Mrs Helen Dawson only lived five years after her marriage, and became the mother of three children, one son and two daughters: Eliza E. became the wife of James Kennedy, the present Assessor of Cedar Township; Martha A. and E. P. are deceased. The second wife of Mr Dawson, to whom he was married in 1818, was Miss Sarah Sartore, of New York. She was born in Allegany County, NY, Jan 26, 1826, and is the daughter of Zebulon and Nancy A. (Hoglan) Sartore, both natives of New Jersey. They immigrated from their native state of Iowa in 1845, and located in Summerville, where Mr D purchased a tract of land and improved a farm, upon which he lived until 1851, and then sold out and removed to Clarke County, where both parents passed the remainder of their lives.
By the second marriage of our subject have been born the following: Wesley lives in Henry County, Iowa; Linsey M. in Cedar Township; the next was a daughter, Lucinda J.; Commodore and Isadore were twins and the two youngest are William Sherman and Minnie Bell. Mr and Mrs Dawson are prominently connected with the Christian Church, and Mr D, who cast his first vote for Gen Harrison for President, is a staunch supporter of the Republican party.

Bio was published in what is most likely, the Lee County History and Bios, page 348

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