Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 327
MATTHEW HALL

Matthew HALL (Portrait), one among the earliest pioneers of Harrison County, and now a resident of Woodbine, settles on section 30, of what is now Douglas Township, and in Twelve-Mile Grove, during the month of April, 1853, where he bought a claim of one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which was a rude log cabin. On the 24th of April he commenced to clear off some timber, and succeeded in clearing four acres, which he farmed that year, and upon what he raised from this he subsisted the following winter. After two years he built a hewed log house 18x20 feet, in which the family lived for two years, then added a frame kitchen 10x20 feet, in which they lived until 1872, when he built a 16x20 frame upright, one and a half stories high. Our subject's farm now consists of two hundred acres. When he came to the country land was not yet in the market, but he "squatted" on land which in the spring of 1855 he entered, and lived upon the same until the spring of 1881, and then moved to Woodbine, where he purchased a residence, now one of the most desirable places in the town. Having spent many years at hard labor, and the health of his wife not being good, he very wisely removed to town, to take life easier. He now has three farms, all rented to good tenants. Mr. HALL has loaned some money since about 1859, for which he has never asked but ten per cent., which in these days of Shylocks and "money changers, " who have exacted thirty, forty, and even fifty per cent. for the use of their money, speaks very much to the honor and character of our subject.

During the hard winter of 1856-7 there ere hundreds of deer in and about Twelve-Mile Grove, and it was no trouble for an ordinary dog to run them down and capture them, as these nimble-footed, small-limbed creatures in their flight, would almost invariably break through the sharp crust of the deep snows.

In the autumn of 1855, a party of six men, with a team, were driving hogs to Council Bluffs, and they came to Mr. HALL's in the evening for the purpose of remaining over night. At this time Mr. HALL was living in the cabin, which was 14x16 feet in dimensions, and the family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. HALL, their daughter, and a brother-in-law and sister of Mrs. HALL's Joseph and Catherine HARRY, and yet they found room to store away these six men, who slept in one bed on the floor. The cabin was provided with a fireplace, built of logs and lined inside with sod, and they put a large "back-log" on before going to bed, and one of the jambs caught fire, but as one of the men had his feet close to the fire it woke him up, thus preventing what might have been a disastrous occurrence.

Mr. HALL early in life made it a rule never to go in debt; when he did not have the money the family practiced self-denial; many times Mr. HALL has gathered red-root leaves, which they used as a substitute for tea, and they have browned wheat and dried carrots for coffee.

In the fall of 1857 there was a buffalo came from the south to our subject's place and broke down a gate and commenced feeding at a stack of oats, where-upon Mr. HALL got his rifle, and being only fifty or sixty yards from him, could have killed the animal, but his good wife begged him not to shoot, as she was afraid he would do no more than cripple the and enrage the buffalo, which would then make a fight, and Mr. HALL, half believing it might be a tame buffalo belonging to some one in the vicinity, did not shoot; however, it was killed about two miles east of there by George Mefferd, who was with a party of men who gave it chase. This was the only buffalo ever seen by white men in Harrison County.

To return to the earlier years of our subject, it should be stated that he was born in Northumberland County, England, and at the town of Hexham, on the Tyne, May 1, 1819. His parents were poor people, who made their living by hard work, and our subject remained with them until about twelve years of age, when he went to live with an uncle in Weardale, West Gate, in the county of Durham, England, at whose place he remained four years, on a farm. He then returned to Northumberland County and lived with a family two years, spent six months at his uncle's and then went to Lead Mill and hauled lead ore from Silver Tongue mine to Healyfield smelt mills. He next went to East Gate, in the county of Durham, and worked a farm labor a year, and the following season worked at Walishwalls for a year, and then went to a place called Riding Barns, where he worked on a farm for three years. The following year he worked at Shotly Bridge, after which he engaged to work in the Consett Iron Works, remaining three years. Here he was horse-keeper and onsetter in a coal mine. His work was performed eighty fathoms under ground. His next work was firing a stationary engine at a blast furnace at these mines, remaining one year, then fired a locomotive on the Stockton and Darlington railroad one year, after which he went to firing on the Great Western Railroad, at the town of Swindon. This road was a seven-foot gauge, and by faithfully performing his work he was promoted to be engineer, and remained with the company until January 23, 1851, when he sailed for America on the vessel "George W. Burns," and was ten weeks making the voyage to New Orleans, landing in that city March 10. After remaining there a few days he took a steamboat for Council Bluffs (at that time known as Kanesville). Soon after his arrival he bought a claim near Cresent City, on the Little Pigeon. On this claim stood a log cabin, and there had been some breaking done. He bought two yoke of steers and two cows, and paid $110 for the claim of eight acres. After purchasing this claim and stock his money was exhausted, and the first dollar he received in this country was for a book he sold. He had no wagon, but bought a sled for twenty-five cents, and loaned it to a neighbor to go to mill with, and he broke one of the runners, when our subject was without a vehicle. So he and his neighbor, Robert KIRKWOOD, a Scotchman, who was without a wagon, took a crosscut saw and sawed eight wheels from off a walnut tree, then made a pair of trucks for each of the, and by attaching the two "fearfully and wonderfully made" parts, two wagons were completed, one of which was the first wagon Mr. HALL ever owned, and was perhaps as strong, as well as odd looking, as anything of the kind ever used in the land of Egypt. But he thought himself rich in having such a conveyance.

The oxen Mr. HALL owned were not broken in a first-class manner, and when he went to plow one would lie down, which required an application of the ironwood whip in order to facilitate the agricultural pursuits. Mr. HALL remained on this claim from May, 1851, until 1853, when he sold his claim for $80, and then came to Harrison County.

Mr. HALL was united in marriage March 25, 1847 at New Castle, Northumberland County, Englad, to Miss Jane BELL, by whom one child Mary J., was born March 3, 1848.

Mrs. HALL died in England July 27, 1849 and December 29, 1850 our subject was married to Elizabeth a BOUSTEAD, who died February 12, 1883.

Mr. HALL was married to his present wife, Ellen WHITE, April 26, 1883. She was born in Houghton, Hampshire, England, March 13, 1837. She spent most of her life in Italy, France, Germany and London, coming to this country in 1872, and residing in Council Bluffs until the date of her marriage to Mr. HALL.

In his religious belief our subject is in full sympathy with the Latter Day Saints Church, uniting with the same in England in 1847, but has never believed in polygamy as practied by the Utah Mormons.

Mrs. HALL united with this church November 26, 1887. Her father, Richard WHITE, was born in England, and died at Newberry, Berkshire County, December 17, 1871, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. Her mother, Elizabeth (BEVIS) WHITE, died in England March 11, 1867, at the age of sixty-three years.

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