John C. Judy

BARNETT, COONEY, ELKINS, JUDY, MOYER, PATTERSON, TSCHUDI

Posted By: John Stuekerjuergen (email)
Date: 7/7/2024 at 07:25:37

John Judy, Hardships of One of the Earliest Settlers of Lee County

Family Name Judy was Originally “Tschudi”

Early Settlement & Marriage in Ohio:
John Christian Judy Sr. (1793-1862) was of Swiss ancestry. The family’s surname had evolved from such forms as Tschudi, Tschudy, and Tschudin. John was born in Pennsylvania but, at an early age, moved to Montgomery County, Ohio. John was an early settler of that county and, in 1814, married Elizabeth Moyer (1795-1850(?)). The couple engaged in farming.

Homesteading in Illinois:
In 1825, John, Elizabeth, and their three surviving children (George, Henry, and Christina) moved westward to the vicinity of Springfield, Illinois. They settled on undeveloped land and, through backbreaking work and other hardships experienced by all pioneers, created a home and productive farmland.

During the Blackhawk War of 1832, John served in the Illinois militia, specifically the Sangamon Regiment under Captain William Elkins and/or Captain William Barnett.

After his military service, John returned to farming. While so employed, John heard that the resolution of the Blackhawk War had opened up land west of the Mississippi to new settlers. John, always a frontiersman, was interested.

Crossing the Mississippi:
In 1834 John Judy, without his family, crossed the Mississippi and purchased 160 acres in what is now the west end of Ft. Madison. At that time, it was part of the Michigan Territory and the settlement consisted of only four houses and the remains of the old fort. John then returned home to Illinois and, in the fall of 1834, brought his son, Henry, to Lee County. One of the first things Henry said he did was to clean out the abandoned well at the old fort, as the Indians had tossed rocks into it. Henry also helped put up 400 tons of prairie hay for the dragoon garrison at Fort Des Moines (now Montrose). All of the hay had to be cut by scythe.

John and Henry remained in the vicinity of old Ft. Madison through that winter. In the spring, they were joined by Elizabeth and their other children. All told, John and Elizabeth were believed to have had nine children, of which at least three died in infancy or childhood. Names of the nine: George, Henry, John, Michael, William, Christina, Abigail, Eliza, and Polly.

Final move to West Point Township:
The Judy family stayed on that land for four years before selling out. They then established a new homestead along Sugar Creek in what is now Section 32 of West Point Township. Reportedly, 40 acres of their land were received from the government through a soldier’s land grant. Similar to their Illinois property, this land was unimproved—virgin timber and unbroken prairie. The family cut wood for a home, likely at the edge of a timber. They constructed the necessary outbuildings and fences, and “broke” the prairie for planting.

The Judy family had frequent contact with Indians, and conversed with the Sauk war chief, Black Hawk. Of necessity, the Judy men were expert with both ax and rifle. They passed along stories of hunting deer and wild turkey, of logrolling, shooting matches, and raisings of log houses and barns.

Neighbors band together to save Judy's land:
All early settlers of Lee County were legally regarded as squatters, as they had not paid for their land. There were no homestead laws, not even pre-emption laws. After the Iowa Territory was formed in 1838, the federal government announced the public sale of land in Lee County. The sale was conducted by township.

The announcement of the sale caused fear among the settlers. First, it required them to raise large sums to purchase the land they already occupied. Second, it created the very real possibility that the land they had worked so hard to clear and develop could be sold out from under them. To reduce the likelihood of that happening, the settlers in West Point Township met and adopted their own bylaws under which each family could purchase up to 320 acres of the land they had already improved and occupied. They also designated a bidder whose job it was to protect their interests.

An additional complication: It was known that most of the settlers' existing tracts did not align with the newly drawn plat maps, and therefore some reconciling would be required.

On the day the West Point Township lands were to be sold in Burlington, it was cold and rainy. Early in the morning, John Judy approached the man assigned to place bids for the settlers. John was distraught, as his source of funds had fallen through at the last hour. Because he was not able to submit a bid, an outsider from Virginia had stepped in with a successful bid.

When the township settlers heard about this, they marched on the Burlington hotel in which the Virginian was staying. Their intention was to confront him and force him to withdraw his bid. Fortunately, William Patterson of West Point reached the Virginian’s room before the mob and convinced him to abandon his bid. That provided “Squire Judy” additional time to raise funds to purchase his land. The settlers of West Point Township had held together.

Trivia: Three children of John and Elizabeth Judy married children of Dr. Matthew Cooney, a neighbor. Christina Judy married Matthew Cooney in 1842. Henry Clay Judy married Rebecca Cooney in 1843. Abigail Judy married John Knight Cooney in 1853.