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1914 History of Boone County
Chapter XXVI
Peoples Township

Years before Peoples became a township of itself, it was made the component part of other townships on various occasions. At the time of the organization of the county it was a part of Pleasant Township. When Berry Township was organized and named by Judge McCall, March 8, 1852, the present Township of Peoples was included within its borders. This division continued until February 21, 1856, at which date Union Township was organized and named by John B. Montgomery, who was at that time county judge. The boundaries of Union Township as then fixed included the west one-third of the present territory of Peoples Township, while the east two-thirds of it still made up a part of Berry Township. This division continued until March 6, 1858, at which date the Township of Berry was discontinued and Cass Township was laid out and named by Judge Samuel B. McCall, who succeeded Judge Montgomery in 1857. Cass Township contained the east two-thirds of the present Township of Peoples until 1871. In that year the townships of Cass and Union were reduced to their present boundaries and Peoples Township was established and named. The first permanent settler was David Peoples, who had located within the present borders of the township in 1855. This was long before the township was established or named. From the time he located here, March 6, 1858, Mr. Peoples was a citizen of Berry Township. From the last-named date to May 12, 1871, he was a citizen of Cass Township. Peoples is the only township in the county named in honor of one of its settlers, a distinction which places much emphasis upon the name of David Peoples. There was one settler who preceded Mr. Peoples. This was Joseph Dart, who located on the bank of the Little Beaver in Section 33, in the year 1854, but he did not become a permanent settler. W. W. Wade, Jeremiah Williams and Alonzo Bettis were the first settlers in the northeast part of the township. While the east two-thirds of the township was a part of Cass, W. W. Wade held the office of justice of tlic peace. The first marriage in the township was that of Enos Rhoads to Henrietta Peoples, on the 26th day of March, 1860. William Sparks, the pioneer Baptist minister of Marcy Township, officiated. The first births were those of Albert B. and Alfred B. Wade, twin sons of W. W. and Lucy Wade, on January 12, 1857. The first death was that of Albert B. Wade, one of the twin sons of W. W. and Lucy Wade, above mentioned, which occurred November 2, 1857. The first schoolhouse was built in Section 12 in the spring of 1857. This house was erected by the donations and labor of the people who needed it and who would make any reasonable sacrifice for the education of their children. The first school taught in the township was in this schoolhouse by Martha J. Page, one of the pioneer lady teachers of the county. The first sermon was preached in this schoolhouse by Rev. William Sparks, whose services were then in demand in numerous places in the county, and they were always given free of charge. The first postoffice was located on the southwest corner of Section 12. It was called Prairie Hill and was established in 1867. Alonzo Bettis was the first postmaster. Everything thus far written under this heading occurred before Peoples Township was organized and named. The settlers mentioned in the foregoing and their neighbors of that time suffered the hardships and privations in common with the other frontier settlers. Like the other pioneers they had to haul their supplies a long distance, going many miles to find good mills, and living without any mail facilities such as the people now have and enjoy. Peoples Township settled up very slowly until the close of the Civil war. Many homeseekers then came, and it was not many years until all the land was changed from prairie sod to fertile farms. The only thing in the way of a stream in Peoples Township is the Little Beaver. With the exception of a few scattering willows and white elms along this little stream there is no native timber in the township. This little stream is mentioned in an article found elsewhere in this work under the heading of The Small Streams of Boone Countv. There are no towns within the boundaries of Peoples Township, nor has any effort been made by any of its citizens to lay out and build a town. There is not a railroad that touches anv of its borders. The Milwaukee east and west line runs near its south border, but nowhere touches it. Peoples is exclusively an agricultural township. Its surface is nearly level, its soil is rich, its drainage is good and the result is that it produces crops of all kinds in abundance. From a state of nature only a few years ago the township has been changed to a solid block of nice farms and beautiful homes, all of which present a nice and inviting appearance. These homes, these farms and their products of grain, hay, horses, cattle, hogs and poultry all speak well for the industry, energy and intelligence of its men and women. Among those who became citizens of the township mav be mentioned Levi and William Colvin, Capt. Marion Brooks, James R. and John B. Swain, Miles Becket, Duncan Grant, Enos Rhoads, J. G. Spurrier, Fred Miller and many others equally prominent, whose names cannot be mentioned for the want of space. That Peoples Township has manifested a friendly attitude toward public education is evidenced by the nine school districts and the nine schoolhouses that stand within its borders. Their schools are up-to-date and the equal of any in the county. The first general election in Peoples Township was held at Elkhorn schoolhouse, October 10, 1871, at which time the following officers were elected: Justices of the peace, W. W. Strickling and W. W. Wade; trustees, J. G. Vernon, J. F. Craig and E. H. Smith; clerk, James R. Swain; constables, M. Shepherd and J. P. Colvin. At this election there were eighty-two votes cast. The population of the township at that time was 300. On the 4th of July, 1868, the people of the township celebrated Independence Day at Peoples schoolhouse. This is a common thing in a country township. The first official meeting of the township trustees was held at the house of J. B. Swain in Section 16, on the 3d of February, 1872. In the way of holding county offices the records show that the people of this township have been more aspiring than any of the neighboring townships. The first citizen of Peoples Township to be honored with a county office was Levi Colvin. He was elected a member of the first board of county supervisors under the law which reduced the membership of the board from one member for each township to three members for the whole county. It was at the first session of this board of supervisors that the organization of the townships of the county was completed. It was Levi Colvin who named Peoples Township. His father-in-law, David Peoples, was the first settler of that township. Mr. Colvin said it was right and proper that the township be named in his honor. Mr. Vontrees and Mr. Page, the other members of the board, also thought so, and, therefore, the official sanction to that name was given. William Colvin, J. G. Spurrier, Miles Becket and Duncan Grant each filled two terms as treasurer of Boone County. Capt. Marion Brooks had two terms in the Legislature and Schuyler Spurrier had two terms in the clerk's office. No coal mines have yet been developed in Peoples Township and no claim has yet been made that the township or any part of it is underlaid with coal. There are some of the veterans of the Civil war who are citizens of Peoples Townshipand who came from other states. Tlieir names, of course, do not appear in the roster of those who went from Boone County. As Peoples Township was not organized until after the Civil war, the names of those who lived in its present boundaries at the time of enlistment will be found in the list of Cass or Union townships. There are two churches in Peoples Township. One of these is a Baptist Church, the other a Methodist Episcopal. The Baptist Church first organized was a branch of the Perry Church in 1874. In 1879 it was reorganized as an independent church. The original members were E. R. Swain and wife, David Peoples and wife, Levi Colvin and wife, James R. Swain and others. Their church building is located on the northwest corner of Section 8, Township 82, Range 27. They have services every Sunday, with a membership of forty, and a good Sunday school. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1875. The original members were Daniel Woods and wife, John Kirby and wife, Nathaniel Noland and wife, Richard Grant and wife, Enos Rhoads and wife, Mrs. L. Spurrier, Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. A. Porter. The church building was erected in 1875 and is located on the corner of Section 15, Township 82, Range 27. They have a fair sized membership and a Sunday school, but they have no local preacher. It is at present supplied from Bouton. The construction of the church was largely done through the work and energy of Capt. Marion Brooks and G. M. Burrington. These men hauled the frame timbers from the Des Moines River and hewed them out ready to be placed in the building - a start which secured its completion. Captain Brooks still lives at the home where he settled in 1867 and he owns 400 acres of fine land. Years after the erection of the church, G. M. Burrington moved to Perry and died there. The present township officers are as follows: Trustees, Marion Burrell, Emanuel Burk and Miles Peoples; clerk, Mathew Francis; assessor, James R. Swain. The township has no justice of the peace and no constables, and they say they need none because they have no lawsuits and do not commit any crimes. This is a fine record. One of the trustees in the above list is a descendant of the Peoples family, which has the honor of being the first one to settle in the township and it also has the honor of the name of the township. It speaks well of this family that one of its descendants is yet called into service in the transaction of the business of the township. It must be noted also that in the above list of township officers appears the name of James R. Swain, who is the assessor of the township. At the first election held in the township, October 10, 1871, James R. Swain was elected township clerk. It is said that Mr. Swain has held more township offices than any other citizen of Peoples. That he was among the list of the first officers chosen and is still an officer of the township is a compliment to Mr. Swain.

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 15, 2024.

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