Pioneer Days
Of Bremer County, Iowa
Compiled from Letter to the Waverly Democrat
by Col. W. V. Lucas
Santa Cruz, Cal.
Appended by
Harry Hazlett
L. C. Oberdorf
H. B. Miller

June, 1918
Waverly Democrat
Waverly, Iowa

3-4 Introduction
5-7 Col. W. V. Lucas Writes Of Things Almost Unknown To The Present Generation
8-10 Tribute To Two Deceased Old Settlers And Other Interesting Data
11-12 Fourth Of July Celebration In 1856
13-17 Unique Characters And Meetings
17-20 Hardships And Weather Conditions Pioneers Had To Contend With
20-24 More About The Hard Winters, And Some Other Things
24-26 Building One Of The First Rural Schools
26-28 More Unique Characters
28-31 Marketing, Educational, And Religious Difficulties
31-34 Hard Times In 1859
35-36 What Happened To Some Of The New Towns
36-43 Boom Spirit Strikes Bremer County And Towns Are Established
43-45 Lafayette Township Pioneers
45-48 Bremer County’s First Newspapers And Their Publishers
48-52 Politics And Politicians Of The Pioneer Days
53-55 Bremer County Treasury Robbed
55-56 Horse Thieves A Burden To Pioneers
56-57 Near-Tragedy In Vicinity Of Irma
58-59 Market And Sale Problems Of Early Settlers
59-61 Odd Characters And Beginning Of Civil War Days
61-67 Early Members Of The Legal Profession
67-70 Bremer County’s First Doctors And Ministers
70-71 Suicide Mysteries
71 Survivors Of The War Of 1812
71-73 More About Churches
73-75 Political Situation Preceeding The Civil War
75-77 Soldiers Who Went To The Front
77-82 Few Slackers During The Civil War
82-83 Campaigning For A Railroad
84-85 Bremer County’s First Fair
85-87 Waverly’s First Railroad Brings Prosperity
88 Organization Of Lodges
88-89 Why Bremer County Is Small
89-96 Men Who Made Good And Helped Make History
96-97 Naming Of Bremer County Townships
97-99 But Few Old Settlers Remain
99-102 Col. Lucas Winds Up His Story

CHAPTER II.

103-107 Harry Hazlett Supplies Interesting Data Concerning Col. Lucas; Pays Beautiful Tribute To A Friend.
107-111 Interesting Stories Of Unique Characters Among The Early Settlers Of Waverly.
111-115 The Presidential Campaigns Of ’56 And Political Campaigns After The War. The Comets Of ’58 And ’61.
116-117 The Days When Wheat Was The Principal Crop, And Men Who Bought It. Early Newspaper Men.
118-126 The Days When Fishing Was Good, And Some Of The Men Who Indulged In The Sport
127-133 Interesting Notes Of Early-Day Lawyers. Charles Plunkett At Head Of Theatrical Profession
133-134 First Thanksgiving In Waverly By Mrs. Jennie Harmon Case

CHAPTER III.

135-142 Harmon Miller Contributes Interesting Experiences Of His Boyhood And Early Days In Bremer County

CHAPTER IV. By L. C. Oberdorf

143-145 Indians; Days When The Red Men Reigned Supreme. Winnebagos In This Section Of Iowa.
145-151 Some Of The “First Things” In Bremer County
151 Brief Account of the First Settlement and Organization of the Various Townships:
151-152 Dayton Township
152-153 Douglas Township
153-154 Franklin Township
154-155 Frederika Township
155-156 Fremont Township
156-157 Jackson Township
158-159 Jefferson Township
159-160 Lafayette Township
160-161 Le Roy Township
161-162 Maxfield Township
163-164 Polk Township
164-165 Sumner Township
166 Warren Township
167 Washington Township and Waverly
168-170 City of Waverly
170 Methodist Episcopal Church
171 Baptist Church
171 St. Mary’s Catholic Church
172 Presbyterian Church
172 Evangelical Church
172 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
173 Congregational Church
173 St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
174 The German Evangelical Peace Church
174 St. John’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church
175-176 Conclusion

 

 

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Pioneer Days of Bremer County -- Table of Contents