West Branch Times, West Branch, Iowa, Thursday, September 26, 1902
Transcribed, as written, by Sharon Elijah, September 7, 2018
FIFTY YEARS OF HISTORY
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF GOWER TOWNSHIP, CEDAR COUNTY, IOWA
By A. W. Jackson
Chapter VIII
At the breaking out of the civil war Gower township was quite thinly populated and much of the land was yet vacant. However, she sent to the Union army her full quota and more of men, nearly all of them near or under 21 years of age. I herewith present the names of 56 men who enlisted in the service from Gower and there are undoubtedly others whose names have been for the moment forgotten. Here is the list so far as I have been able to obtain it.
J. C. Gruwell, H. I. Gruwell, T. A. Gruwell , B. T. Gruwell, Daniel Gruwell, Isaac Gruwell, Blair Wolf, George Heppenstall, Isaac E. Dickson, Jefferson Shaw, A. R. Ohl, J. F. Strahl, James Thompson, Ed. Wright, R. M. Ward, Thos. Moore, Simon Dickson, R.E. Campbell, Philip Bailey, Jesse Bailey, William Bailey, Anderson Lee, James Lee, George Sanger, John Sanger, John Hardin, Henman Hardin, James Lewis, William Gowen, Jackson Evans, Jerry Evans, Wm. Marshall, N. W.Gaskill, Isaac G. Hawley, Cyrus Macy, James Craighead, Joshua Collins, Joseph Echoff, Amos Plummer, John Albin, James Ward, Sr. , James Ward, Jr., Edward Ward, Samuel Phillips, Jacob Hoffman, Josiah Hoffman, William Boyce, Nicholas Boyce, D. C. Frisbie, Nelson Wright, Joseph Macy, Josiah Keisler, James Miller, Caleb Brogan, Alsinas Smith, Peter Jasperson.
Of these Messrs. H. I. Gruwell, I. E. Dickson, S. J. Shaw, A. R. Ohl, R. M. Ward, James Lewis, Amos Plummer, and Peter Jasperson enlisted in 1861 to assist in quelling the outbreak of the Sioux Indians in the then northwest. They were encamped at Iowa City for some time and finally moved to the front, marching all the way to Ft. Randall on foot. Here they became a part of the command of Gen. Sully. They saw no severe service, and after the Indians had become “good” the command was mustered out at Sioux City, I believe. Nearly every man of the number re-enlisted in the volunteer army and remained in the service until the close of the war, serving as garrisons for the forts of the northwest. All the others went south to aid in suppressing the rebellion. Some of them achieved high honor in the service of their country, as I have before recounted; some returned at the close of hostilities and resumed the duties of peaceful citizens, while a number met with death on southern battlefields.
These soldier boys represented the bone and sinew of the land. While they were at the front there were left to carry on the farm practically only the extreme old men, the women and boys too young for war. It was a sorrowful time in Gower, as well as elsewhere throughout the country. A large part of the farm work was carried on by women. A friend tells me that he was present on two different occasions in different years during the progress of the war when Thos. Collins was operating a threshing machine. Mr. Collins was the only man on the job. All the other help were women.
About 1867 a wave of “gold fever” spread over the township and everybody was talking of Pike’s Peak and the Eldorado of the west. Thos. Collins was badly afflicted. He raised $2,000 in good and lawful money. With it he bought 2 yoke of oxen and two mammoth wagons which he fitted up lavishly. He was going to the peak, load it up and bring it home. He had plenty of advisers and many stood ready to accompany him on the expedition. From the volunteers he made liberal selection of kindred spirits. Among the number was David E. Mackey, ex-mayor and postmaster of West Branch, and his brother, Jos. Humphrey and several others whose names have escaped me. In due time they were off, Mr. Collins paying all the freight. After crossing the Missouri river their courage began to wane. Mr. Collins came home but the others pushed on. Shortly after he left they divided, one party led by D. E. Mackey heading for the Black Hills while Humphrey took the trail for Denver. Arriving there he disposed of the oxen and outfit. Upon reaching the Black Hills Mackey and his party got excited over the proximity of the Indians. They dumped themselves into a flat boat and floated down the Missouri to civilization, upon reaching which they made a bee line for home. Humphrey and his party never came back. Not a soul of the original party ever saw Pike’s Peak. Humphrey never accounted for the oxen and chariots which he sold. Mr. Collins always figured that he was $2,000 loser on the deal.
As to the erection of the first Roman Catholic church near Cedar Valley and the attendant circumstances, I have been unable to obtain definite information, although diligent inquiry has been made. At this time there is a large and commodious church about a mile west of town, with a rich and flourishing congregation. Rev. Father Galligan of Tipton is the priest in charge.
In the early 70’s the township had among its citizenship one Wm. E. Holloway, an eccentric character who ostensibly resided on a part of the farm now owned by Jens Peterson, although he and his numerous brood did much traveling about, “sponging” their food and shelter wherever possible. William was a member of the Society of Friends and often felt that he was moved by the spirit to break spiritual bread. His discourses consisted of a job lot of “hairy nothings,” generally more forcible than either elegant or eloquent. He was somewhat of a thorn in the flesh to his brethren, as well as a bore to everybody, and was remonstrated with by those in authority times without number, but with no effect. Finally upon a certain “First day” at the conclusion of an impassioned religious exhortation, he publicly charged certain individuals with “going about telling falsehoods.” He afterwards prepared an original notice and caused it to be served upon seventeen officers and heads of families at Honey Grove and upon Samuel Abbots, Tristan Coggeshall and wife and William Oliphant and wife at West Branch, appointed a meeting at West Branch on a certain day, when he would prove his charges. I have a copy of this notice. It was drawn by Thomas M. Bishop, justice of the peace, and was affirmed to before him September 23, 1872. It covers four pages of a foolscap sheet, and upon it John P. Varney, constable, makes due return as to service. His fees are endorsed at $10.50. Whether he ever got them, or whether the “appointed meeting” was ever held, I don’t know. I do remember that shortly after this Samuel Macy and some other brethren filed a charge of vagrancy against William upon which he was arrested, tried, convicted and incarcerated in the Tipton jail for a considerable time. Upon his release he entered suit against the county for false imprisonment and malicious persecution in the sum of $100,000, more or less, which is still hanging fire in the courts, I suppose, as William could never raise dust enough to pay the filing fee. After his release, however, he still went up down the earth, absorbing heat and assisting charitable friends in disposing of ready-made victuals. At one place where he put up for a week he gave the man of the house an order on the treasurer of Cedar county for $2500, and was otherwise very prodigal of his substance.
William and his offspring drifted down to Brighton, where the people caught his time very readily without the aid of a stop watch. They made up a purse and shipped him so far away that he will never get back.
The sketch which I set out to write has been prolonged to twice the length intended, but in all probability it is far from incomplete. It has been written at odd moments and may appear crude and disconnected in the view of a thorough historian. I only hope that I have been able to interest some people yet in active life who were participants in pioneer incidents and times, and that through the medium of this rambling sketch deeds and incidents have been made of permanent record for the benefit of those who will after us. So with this number I close the series and give way to the excellent corps of correspondents with which THE TIMES is so happily favored.
