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1914 History of Boone County
Chapter XXII
Marcy Township

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The south one-third of the present township of Marcy was originally contained in Pleasant Township and the north two-thirds in Boone Township. These divisions continued from August 6, 1849, to March 8, 1852. At the last named date Berry Township was created, established and named by S. B. AlcCall, who was elected county judge at the August election in 1851. The south two-thirds of the present township of Marcy was contained in Berry Township, while the north one-third still made up a part of Boone Township. Under these divisions the county government continued, so far as it related to the present Township of Marcy, until the 5th of April, 1858. On that date Marcy Township was organized and named by Judge McCall. The township as laid out at that date contained all of the territory in its present boundaries and all of the present Township of Beaver and the south tier of sections of the present Township of Yell. Marcy Township remained within the boundaries given it by Judge McCall from April 5, 1858, to January, 1871, at which date it was reduced to its present boundaries. The township contains about seven sections more than a congressional township. This is caused by the incline of the river to the east, taking the seven sections just mentioned ofif the southwest corner of Worth Township, thus making Marcy rank among the large townships of the county. In the early settlement the township was well supplied with timber. There were about six sections along the Des Moines River which were entirely covered with heavy and valuable timber. Phillip Livingston, of Moingona, recently gave out the information that the piles used in the construction of the first bridge built across the Missouri River between the cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs were cut off of the timber land of Marcy Township and shipped over the Northwestern Railroad to the Missouri River. Mr. Livingston was at that time station agent at Moingona and he bought the piles and shipped them. Thousands of railroad ties and thousands of cords of wood were taken from these lands and shipped to other parts. The result of this is that native timber in Marcy is scarce compared with what it once was. Coal has been found in large quantities in Marcy. The upper veins in the north part of the township have to some extent been worked out and abandoned but those in the south part have not yet been developed. The gravel beds of central and south Marcy are still undeveloped. At some time in the future these coal fields and gravel beds will be worked and utilized. South of Moingona, on section 18, are nine small mounds which have attracted attention from the early settlement of the township. These mounds are more fully mentioned in the article in another part of this work under the heading of The Prehistoric Race. Marcy has but few creeks and mention of these will be found in another article in this work. The soil of this township is very fertile and this places it among the chief agricultural townships of the county. The northeast corner of Marcy Township is a very historic part of the county. Years before any settlement in the county was made the remains of a camp of French and Indians - half-breeds - were discovered here on the beautiful bottom land bv the early explorers of the county. Among those who became interested in the story of the half-breed Indian village was Col. L. W. Babbitt. In the fall of 1843 he and a company of hunters and trappers came to this beautiful bottom on a hunting expedition. It was claimed bv some that a part of his reason for coming here was to investigate the remains of the camp, or village, above mentioned, as well as to hunt and trap. It is also claimed that he found here some tools and utensils used for various purposes, which are used by a more civilized people than the Indians. Colonel Babbitt could not have come here at the date mentioned on a hunting and trapping expedition without a permit from Captain Allen, who at that time was the chief government officer at Fort Des Moines. This he must have done, for Colonel Babbitt was above being an intruder. He remained here from the fall of 1843 to the spring of 1844. Just how many relics he collected from the ruins of the half-breed village is not known, but it is claimed that he took to the markets a good amount of furs, pelts and venison hams. Shortly after tiie date of this hunting and trapping tour, Colonel Babbitt located at Burlington, where he became a leading citizen of that citv and did much in aid of its improvement. Late in the '50s he moved to Council Bluffs and there became the editor of the Council Bluffs Bugle - a democratic newspaper - which was an influential journal of Western Iowa. The little log house which he built in the beautiful bottom to shelter in during his stay remained there until the spring of 1851. In the great freshet of that year Colonel Babbitt's hunting shanty was carried away. Although Colonel Babbitt was the first one to build a house in the county, he had no intention of becoming a permanent settler. The first entry of land in Marcy Township was made by Michael Gregg, in April, 1849. At that date he became the owner of the southeast quarter of section 30, township 82, range 26. The second entry was made by P. F. Repp, in May, 1849, by which he became the owner of the southeast quarter of section 32, township 82, range 26. The third entry was made December, 1849, by J. C. Culbertson, who at that date became the owner of the southwest quarter and the north half of the southeast quarter of section 32, township 82, range 26. The first settler in Marcy Township was David Noah. He settled on the beautiful bottom in section 36, township 84, range 27, in 1848. After this settlement was made the fertile region of bottom land on which Colonel Babbitt located his hunting camp in the fall of 1843 was called Noah's Bottom. The records show that David Noah, the first settler of Marcy Township, voted at the first election in 1849 and that he was the plaintiff in a law suit at the first term of the District Court in 1851. In the spring of 1852 he moved to Oregon. In 1849 Col. John Rose settled on this rather famous bottom and he lived there the remainder of his life. In a few years after locating here the name was changed to Rose's Bottom and that name still applies to it. Col. John Rose was the first justice of the peace in Marcy Township. The names of David Noah and James Turner appear in the list of voters in 1849. W. H. C. Jenkins, William Sparks, Gordon Allen; Thomas, James and Levi Shaw; James and William Canfield; David and John Sparks; Elisha Bennett, Amos Rose, James and Joshua Stumbo, Jesse Williams, William P. Berry, Zachariah McCall, John A. Crawley, Willis Holoway were among the first settlers of the township. Marcy Township has three town plats on file as shown by the records at the county seat. The first of these was Quincy, which was laid out by Jerome Gordon and Thomas Shaw, in section 14. It was laid out November 2, 1854, being the first town platted on the west side of the river. This town failed to build up as its proprietors had hoped. There is a Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest one in the township, standing on the site of Quincy and also a schoolhouse. For about three years Doctor Grinnell practiced medicine at Quincy and built up a good practice. This is all the headway it ever made toward being a town. MOINGONA The town which ranked the highest in importance of any which the township has had in its borders is Moingona. It was a product of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and of the coal mines in its immediate yicinity. It was laid out July 6, 1866, and a railway station was established there. It put on a quick growth and in a short time became a place ot considerable importance. Much coal was mined and shipped from Moingona. It had a numerous mining population and for a while had a population of about one thousand. For a number of years Moingona was incorporated and maintained a city government. The town is located on section 12, township 83, range 27. It has three churches - Swedish Lutheran, Swedish Mission and Presbyterian. It also has maintained a good school building and a number of fairly good business houses. When the coal veins were worked out there and the railroad straightened its line and crossed the river four miles above Moingona, the time of its prosperity came to a close, its business greatly declined and the town found it necessary to surrender its charter. The Presbyterian Church at that place has been discontinued and the building has recently been purchased by Reverend Crawford, of Boone. The road bed, which for many years ran around by Moingona, is still kept in repair and two trains run over this road each day. Mr. Livingston claims that Moingona still has a population of 300. COAL VALLEY Coal Valley was the third of the towns platted in Marcy Township. It was laid out by Amos Elliott, in September, 1867, and is located on section 2, township 83, range 27. It was intended to be a miners' town only and while the supply of coal lasted it was a place of considerable activity. Coal in abundance was for several years mined and shipped from Coal Valley. But when the mines were worked out the miners moved to other places to obtain work and the place ceased to be a town of business interest. Very few people live there now, but it is nearer the geographical center of the county than any town within its borders. Besides the three churches in Moingona and the one at Quincy already spoken of, there are three other churches in Marcy I'ownship. One of these is a Freewill Baptist denomination, which has a brick building, situated in the southeast corner of Section 36, Township 83, Range 27. There is also a Methodist Episcopal Church with a frame building, situated near the northwest corner of Section 36, Township 83, Range 27, and a Swedish Lutheran Church, situated near the northeast corner of Section 30, Township 83, Range 27. It will be seen from the above that there are four churches in the rural part of the township, which is more than any other township in the county has. William Sparks was an early settler of the township and a Baptist minister. He took up a claim in the early settlement of the township, made a good farm upon it and lived there the remainder of his life. He spent all of his spare time preaching in various parts of the county. He was a man much respected and it was mainly through his efiforts that the Baptist Church was established in Marcy Township. Among his religious co-workers were Andrew Toliver, David Sparks, Joseph Staley, Barton Wire, Jesse Williams, Samuel Williams and others. Those who worked for the upbuilding of the Methodist Episcopal Church were Elisha Bennett, Daniel Noland, James Stumbo, James Miller and John Williams and their families. A large per cent of the settlers of the west part of Marcy Township are Swedish people. They have made good farms, erected good buildings upon them and have nice homes. Their church is verv well supported and is in a prosperous condition. The Town of Ogden has extended its corporate limits so as to include a part of Section 6, in the northwest corner of Marcy Township. There are thirteen schoolhouses and thirteen school districts, including that of Moingona. This shows that Marcy Township is well equipped for educational purposes. Among the educators may be mentioned John F. Curran, John L. Cunningham, Caroline and Emily Holloway, John Hand, M. T. Harlan, W. H. King, Ida McCall and Annette McCall, who have in the past done good educational work. The present teachers are all doing good work in the public schools, which is highly appreciated. The old Moingona line of the Northwestern Railroad runs across the northeast corner of the township, but the new line does not touch it. The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad runs across the extreme northwest corner of tlie township and these are all tlic railroads within its borders. In the early '60s there was a postoffice at Quincy. But like all country postofficcs it was a different matter to get a citizen to act as postmaster. After two or three years the postoffice at Quincy was discontinued. There has been a postoffice at Moingona from 1866 to the present time. This is the only postoffice in the township. There is an incident known to some of the citizens of the south pan of Marcy Township well worthy of mention here. A citizen of that part moved to the State of Arkansas, taking with him a very large dog, which he prized very highly. After he reached the end of the journey and had located he arose one morning and found that his dog was gone. This brought sorrow upon the family. Search and inquiry throughout the neighborhood were made but no tidings of the dog could be found. All hope of ever hearing of this much prized animal had passed from the owner and his family. But in about ten days a letter came from the former home in Marcy Township, stating that the dog had returned, verv tired, with very sore feet and much reduced in flesh. The date of his arrival given in the letter when compared with that of his departure proved that the dog was seven days making the 700 mile trip from Arkansas to his former home in Marcy Township. The dog must have traveled day and night, getting little nourishment along the route. Taking all of the circumstances in thought it was a wonderful trip for a dog to make. In the number of her citizens who have been honored with county offices Marcy has no good reason to complain. W. H. C. Jenkins, Jesse Williams and Abel Carlson have each held the office of county supervisor two terms. Phillip Livingston has held the office of clerk of the District Court three terms. Harry Selby held the office of superintendent one term and G. W. Lloyd held the same office one term, and G. A. Holm held the office of county recorder two terms. The first marriage in the township was that of William McCall and Sarah Rose. William McCall was a son of Montgomery McCall and a brother of Capt. S. B. McCall, the organizing sheriff of Boone County. The bride was a daughter of Col. John Rose, who has already been mentioned in this sketch. Mr. McCall died about a year ago but Mrs. McCall is still living. The first death in Marcy Township was that of an Irishman, who died in the fall of 1849. He belonged to a party of surveyors and was much respected by them and by the settlers with whom he became acquainted. He was buried on a high point of land in Section 2 and his grave can still be seen there. There were some incidents related as having taken place at the death and burial of this man which, if true, were of a supernatural character. The people of Marcy have, as a rule, been agreeable and law-abiding. But there were a few crimes committed within its borders which were much lamented by a large majority of the people. In 1872 a difficulty occurred between Jackson Williams and G. W. Hays, which resulted in the death of Williams. A public highway passed near Hays and there being a slough which made the road impassable, people were in the habit of laying down the fence and driving through the field. Hays objected to this and one evening he put up the fence, drove the stakes into the ground and weighted them down with heavv rails. Williams came along next morning with a team and not daring to venture through the slough tore down the fence and was in the act of driving through when Hays made his appearance and assaulted Williams with a knife, inflicted wounds from which he died. Hays was indicted and tried at the October term of court. The jury found him guilty of manslaughter and he was sentenced to a term of two years in the penitentiary and to pay a fine of $100. April 20, 1877, a shocking murder and suicide occurred at Moingona. One George Merrington, of that place, had for a year or two been desperately in love with Mrs. Abbie B. Gronow, a young widow. Merrington was not encouraged in his advances of love making and he brooded over his terrible disappointment until he finally determined upon killing both the object of his love and himself, which frightful determination was carried out at the time stated. No one was a witness of the affair. Pistol shots were heard at the residence of Mrs. Gronow, and a brother-in-law of the lady, Morgan by name, went to the house to see what was the matter. When near the house, about one rod from the front gate, he found Mrs. Gronow in a dying condition, with two bullet holes through her head. A few paces from where the woman lay, Merrington was found wallowing in his blood with a bullet hole through his head. Mrs. Gronow was about twenty-seven years old, an accomplished and intelligent lady, universally respected and admired by all who knew her. In 1891 a family trouble which ended in murder occurred at the Phipps home in the south part of the township. It appears that Mr. Phipps, the head of the family, returned from town in a state of intoxication and while in this condition got into a quarrel with his wife. He was in the act of striking her when a sixteen-year-old son seized a gun which was in the room and discharged its contents into the person of his father, from the effects of which he died. The boy was sent to the reform school at Eldora. In the spring of 1912 a shooting affair occurred at Moingona, which terminated in the death of a man named Martin. A week or so before the shooting occurred a man named Biggs was married to a young lady at or near Moingona. A small company of men and youths were organized to go and salute the young couple. Martin was made captain of this little company of men, and after the salutations and congratulations were over, Biggs gave one of the party some money to buy refreshments with. Martin was much insulted because the money was not turned over tn him. In a few days Martin and Biggs met in Boone. Martin being under the influence of liquor, began to abuse Biggs. Biggs kept out of the way of Martin while in Boone. That evening they took the train to Moingona, and on arriving there Biggs started home, but Martin overtook him and became very abusive and aggressive. Biggs took from his pocket a revolver and fired, inflicting a wound upon Martin, from which he died in a short time. Biggs was indicted, tried, convicted and sent to prison for a number of years. The following is the list of men who went from Marcy Township to the army during the Civil war: John McCall, W. D. Phipps, Samuel Williams, Jonathan Fruit, Levi Shaw, Zachariah McCall, William Shaw, William Lawton, Jesse Bennett, Oliver Hollowav and Joshua Bennett. The population of Marcv Township is given in the last census as 925. The township has perhaps gained considerable since then. There is one church in the township which was not mentioned in the regular order. This was the last church organized in the township. This organization and the erection of the church building was accomplished through the efforts of Reverend Crawford, of the Bible College of Boone. The building is but a short distance from the Methodist Episcopal Church Building, which is situated on the northeast corner of Section 35, Township 83, Range 27. The present township officers are as follows: Trustees, Ernest Hedstrom, Adil Treloar and C. O. Anderson; clerk, A. A. Nystrom; assessor, C. |. Lydon; justice of the peace, Phillip Livingston.

Source: History of Boone County, Iowa
N. E. Goldthwait, Supervising Editor
Illustrated, Volume I
Chicago, Pioneer Publishing Company
1914

Transcribed by Lynn Diemer-Mathews and uploaded August 1, 2024.

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