John Melrose (1817-1884) Alternate

HANNA, MELROSE

Posted By: Eileen Reed
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:07:00

No Hope—From George Melrose we learn that no hope is entertained for improvement in the case of “Uncle” John Melrose, of Goldfield. He is suffering from a cancer in the head and it is thought the end is near.

The Wright County Monitor --- Clarion, Iowa
Wednesday, March 26, 1884
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Dead. –After months of intense suffering death came to the relief of “Uncle” John Melrose, of Goldfield, on Monday eve, and today he will be laid to rest in the beautiful cemetery at that place. “Uncle” John was one of the pioneers of this county, and by his honorable, upright course won the respect of all with whom he came in contact. Among those who knew him best his memory will long be fondly cherished and his good deeds often thought of with pride.

The Wright County Monitor --- Clarion, Iowa
Wednesday, April 2, 1884
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It is our painful duty to record the death of one of our oldest and most respected citizens. John Melrose. He moved here from Black Hawk county in 1857 and has since been a resident of Goldfield. He started a general merchandise store the year he came, freighting his goods from Waterloo. He continued in this business for twenty years and he was generally known as an honest, unsuspicious, fair dealing man, which won for him the. appellation "Old Honest John" He always identified himself on the side of right and in the interest of the community. He was a firm supporter of the temperance movement. During the 27 years he lived here he made but few enemies and many friends, enjoying the confidence of the people in a marked degree. He was many times elected justice of the peace, and township clerk, which office he held at the time of his death. He leaves a wife and six children, four boys and two girls. Three of the boys are respected young men whose interests are also identified with the growth and prosperity of our town. No citizen of Goldfield had a more enviable reputation for disinterested uprightness than Mr. Melrose and the whole community join their sympathy with the bereaved family He was buried on Wednesday in our beautiful cemetery. –Goldfield Gazette

The Boone Valley Gazette --- Eagle Grove, Iowa
Thursday, April 3, 1884
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A pioneer of Waterloo township, who took an active part in the early settlement and of whom history records but little, was John Melrose. This sturdy frontiersman was a brother of the late Mrs. Geo. W. Hanna and was born in Edwards county, Illinois, about the year 1817, the exact date of his birth being unknown. July 16, 1845, he arrived at the future townsite of Waterloo in company with Geo. W. Hanna, the latter's wife and two children, the party comprising Waterloo township's first permanent settlers. The trip was made overland with an ox team. The emigrants expected to find white men here, but none were in evidence and the first day, after pitching camp, Hanna went on foot up the east bank of the river and Melrose took down stream in search of the supposed settlement. Both returned to camp that night without having discovered a trace of white men.

Judge John Q. Hanna of Blackwell, Texas who was one of the younger members of the party, in referring to John Melrose writes:

"Uncle John left Illinois in May, 1845, with father and mother. They drove oxen and loose cattle and crossed the Mississippi on a horse ferry at Davenport on July 4 of that year. That fall Uncle John went back to Rock River to get some cattle we had left there and the day he arrived at Rock Island he witnessed the hanging of one of Col. Davenport’s murderers. He was a single man at that time and lived with father and mother for a year or two. Then he. took up land, built a log house and kept batch. I liked to visit him–he could make the best 'corn dodger’ that I ever tasted. I think that his first location was on what Is now known as 'Downing Place’ and he also had quite a tract of timber land back toward the river. His cabin stood not far from the present Oak Ridge schoolhouse. About 1856 or '57. he began to make trips out into the Wright county country and he and father started a peddling wagon and established a store at Goldfield. Uncle John run the store and in a short time bought father out. He was deputy sheriff when Black Hawk was attached to Buchanan county for judicial purposes and was also the first assessor of Waterloo township, being elected to that office April 1, 1854. He was straight and had no use for a crook; he was always helping the down dog. To write the history of Uncle John would be almost like writing the history of Iowa during his time. He did his part in everything worth doing.”

Melrose was active in the county seat fight in Black Hawk county and also took an active part In politics in the early days of Wright county and in securing the establishment of the county seat at Goldfield, where It remained for ten years. He possessed the easy going habits characteristic of many pioneers, locking his store to carry the mail or help in the hay field or harvest. He would loan his customers the keys, trust 'most anyone, and would sell traveling settlers goods on credit upon the strength of a promise to "pay you when we come back."

In 1864, while assisting the sheriff of Wright county in an attempt to arrest a party of horse thieves, Melrose was shot in the back of the neck by one of the gang, the bullet coming out below the ear. The sheriff's posse was poorly armed and another member was shot thru the lung. Melrose was armed with a dilapidated shotgun, which missed fire, and he was retreating from the scrimmage when stricken down. He recovered from the wound and died near Goldfield in the early '80's. He married after locating in Wright county. His first wife died and he married again. His second wife is still living in that county. Three sons, Charles, residing at Jasper, Minn.; Myron, at Lehigh, la., and William, at Hedrick, Ia., survive the father.

The Courier --- Waterloo, Iowa
Thursday, December 31, 1914