FIRST EVENTS IN THE COUNTY.

CHAPTER VII.

Extracted from the History of Harrison County Iowa
Chicago
National Publishing Company
1891

In the history of every county, the “first events” are sought out and looked upon with no small degree of interest.  And while there is no class of historic items so difficult for the painstaking and honest historian to collect and compile (to entire satisfaction of all), yet a work of this character would not be looked upon as complete, without at least an honest endeavor to bring these matters up and place them on the pages of history.  This task is never an easy one, and in this county, is made still harder, owing to the fact that the first settlement was made by the Mormons, who were driven from Illinois and Missouri, from 1844 to 1847, a number of thousands of whom dissented from the Brigham Young branch of the church—left him on account of the practice of polygamy and became the first settlers in the western tier of Iowa counties.  It will be understood that many Mormons remained within the bounds of what is now Harrison County, for several years and then removed to other localities.  Very likely some of the first births, deaths, marriages, schools, etc., occurred with them, as a guide to the coming historian.  But as near as it is possible to trace the first happenings of this county, the subjoined may be considered quite reliable, as the early “Gentile” population, as well as the earliest Latter Day Saints, or “Mormon” people, have been consulted in the compilation of this chapter.

To establish the fact as to who was the first white man to locate in this county, as is often the case, there has gone through a thorough sifting process resulting about as follows:  It should first be understood that there may a first man to locate; a first man to remain a permanent settler, and there may also be those who remained in the county, a short time, whose names are almost forgotten, but who preceded any men generally believed to be the “first settlers.”  It seems certain that Daniel Brown and family came with the Mormon exodus to Florence, Nebraska in the fall of 1846, and found what suited his fancy best for a home location, where the village of Calhoun was subsequently platted.  During the month of January, 1847, Mr. Brown came back to this spot and partly built him a log cabin and split some rails.  During the month of March in 1847, his daughter, Mrs. Hammond, a married lady was taken sick at Florence, where the family still remained, and Brown was sent for and went home.  His daughter died in the month of March and the early part of April the same year, 1847, his daughters claim, he brought his family to Calhoun the spot chosen for a future home.  Now there seems to be no evidence that there had yet been any person to locate in the county.  A few weeks later he left the family and went to Missouri, returning after harvest.  Upon July 10, 1847, the same year in which Daniel Brown effected settlement un April, came Uriah Hawkins and his family.  They located on Section 20, in Cass Township, and there the family have remained ever since.  Uriah Hawkins, the head of the family, died in the month September, 1869.  See Personal sketch of the Hawkins family.

The next settlement was made by the following persons:  Barney Bros. in the autumn of 1847, in Cass Township.  They remained only a few years, sold and moved away.  In the year 1848, came John Reynolds and family, who finally located in Boyer Township, but lived in a rude pole house at the west side of Bigler’s Grove, in Magnolia Township, one winter, but in St. John’s Township from 1848-1852.  John Harris settled in 1848 at the beautiful grove bearing his name; Amos S. Chase came that year and wintered in 1848-49 in Clay Township, feeding his stock in the rush beds, near the Missouri River.  Silas W. Condit was a settler in 1848, also.  In 1849, came Orville M. Allen and Alonzo Hunt.  These were all Mormon believers, except perhaps the last named.  Reynolds, Chase, Condit and Allen became permanent residents of the county.

The first land in the county bought from the Government was purchased at $1.25 per acre, by Daniel Brown, at the Council Bluffs land office in December, 1852.  It was an eighty-acre tract, where Calhoun afterward stood.

Several of the first events, in family relocation, took place in pioneer Daniel Brown’s family.

The first birth in the county was that of Jerome Brown, who was born in October, 1848. 

The first death was that of a Mormon child at Harris’ Grove, in the winter of 1848-49.

The earliest marriage of a couple, where either one who lived within the county, was that of William Brown to a lady in Pottawattamie County, in 1849.  About the same time Alonzo Hunt married a lady in Union Township.

The first marriage license in Harrison County was the one issued by Judge Stephen King to John Jones and Elizabeth Outhouse, June 9, 1853.  August 1, of that same year, the same official united Samuel McGavren and Mary Harden as man and wife.

The first female child born, of which any positive account can be had, was Amy Anplin Chase, the daughter of Amos S. and Sarah Chase.  The date of her birth was October 30, 1850.

A term of school (private subscription) was taught in the winter of 1849-50, in a log building erected for such purpose, on the bluff overlooking the old village plat of Calhoun.  Ten scholars were in attendance.  The Brown and Allen families furnished the entire school.  The teacher was a Mrs. James Cummings the wife of a Mormon missionary, who at the time was in England.  She now resides in Utah.  Dr. Robert McGavren taught a school on section 35, “Tennessee Hollow,” St. John’s Township, the winter of 1850-51.  There was a term of school taught by Judge Stephen King in Cass Township, during the winter of 1852-53, within an old Mormon cabin, at Six Mile Grove.  James McCurley taught in an old Mormon cabin on section 6, of Union Township, in the winter of 1851-52.

The first district school was taught at Elk Grove, in the fall of 1853, by Miss Silvia Harris, now Mrs. B. F. LaPorte, of Logan.

The first district school building was erected by John Thompson, in 1853.  It stood near the residence of C. I. Cutler in Magnolia Township.  Hon. T. B. Neeley was first to teach therein.  This was a hewed log structure and what lumber there was used was brought by ox-teams from the Reel sawmill on the Pigeon River, in Pottawattamie County.

The first religious services aside from Mormon meetings (if they had any) were by the Methodist people, under the leadership of Rev. Mr. Tarkington, in 1851-52, at Harris Grove.  Prominent among the members were the Reeder family.

The first Fourth of July celebration was held at Harris’ Grove in 1852.  They were not possessed of a flag, but were full of pioneer patriotism.  The speakers for the occasion were Judge Stephen King and L.D. Butler.

The first County Fair was held in 1858, at Magnolia.  One of the drawing cards was a foot race between Judge King and Phineas Cadwell, which created much amusement.

The First attorney in Harrison County, who practiced, was “Dick” Humphrey, who commenced as soon as there was anything to practice on in 1853.

The first physician was the “Bog-hay” doctor Libbies Coons.  The first regular practitioner was Dr. Robert McGavren, who resided in Pottawattamie County, until 1858, near the line.

The first banking concern of the county was that of William Pelan & P. D. Mickel, established in March, 1869, at Missouri Valley.

The first exclusive hardware store within the county was that owned and operated at Woodbine, by A. & G. B. Cadwell, beginning with 1867.

The first grain shipping point and regular market was at Woodbine, in 186.

The first post-office was established at Magnolia, in 1854, with “Dick” Humphrey as Postmaster.

The first newspaper in Harrison County was the Harrison County Flag, established at Calhoun in 1858, by Hon. Isaac Parrish.  It only had three issues and was removed to Magnolia, sold to Capt. William Hill, and called the Magnolia Republican, after a short time.

The first orchard planted out, was (probably) the experiment of Asher Servis, in Cass Township, who in 1863, took the apple premiums at the county fair.  His trees were set out just prior to the Civil War.

The first mill in the county to do business was built in 1854, on the Willow River, near Magnolia, by Judge Jonas Chatburn and Stephen Mahoney.  It stood on section 34, and was propelled by the waters of the Willow.  It was a combined saw and “corn-cracker” mill. See Magnolia history.  There had been a mill put on Allen Creek, west from Magnolia, by a man named Allen, but on account of too little water, it was abandoned.  It was built a year or so prior to Chatburn & Mahoney’s mill.

The first District Court of Harrison County was held in May, 1855, by the Judge S. H. Riddle.  The first case on the docket was “William Kennedy vs. D. Pate.”  The total” number of cases was four, one being criminal. 

The following served as the first Grand Jury:  Creed Saunders, James Garnett, Joh Conger, Chester Staley, H. Lockling, T. Meadows, P.R. Shupe, Thomas Sellers, S. A. Lyman, Solomon Barnett, John Deal, J. H. Holton, Silas Rice, D. E. Brainard.  The last named served as foreman.

The first person naturalized in the county was John Jeffray, and the second was Thomas Thompson.

The first regular train of cars through the county passed over the Chicago & Northwestern Railway in 1867.

The first citizen of the county to enlist in the Union Army, during the Civil War was H. C. “(Clay) Harshbarger, now of Boyer Township.

The first county officers elected for Harrison County were:  Stephen King, County Judge; William Dakan, Prosecuting Attorney; John Thompson, School Fund Commissioner; George W. White, Surveyor; William Cooper, Clerk; P.G. Cooper, Treasurer and Recorder.

The first assessment made in the county was made by William “(Bill)”Cooper, acting as Deputy Treasurer for P. G. Cooper.  He also collected the taxes (of those that had the money to pay) at the same time he made the assessment.

The first criminal case tried, was that of State vs. Aaron Earnest, charged with larceny; and the first petit Jury in the county, in a court of record, was had in this case.  They were as follows; Isaac Ellison, Thomas B. Neeley, Jacob Mintun, George W. White, H. H. Lockling, James Hendrickson, George Thorpe, Warren White, Eli Coon, G. Feril, Andrew Allen and E. T. Hardin.  They soon brought in a verdict of “not guilty.”

The first brick kiln burned in the county was that “fired up” by Lorenzo Kellogg, in 1857.  From some of these pioneer brick, he erected the first brick residence in the county.  It stood on section 27, of Harrison Township, and was built in 1857.

The first man initiated into a Masonic lodge in Harrison County, was William Hefford, a resident then, and still residing in Magnolia Township.  The date was April, 1858.

The first person to be buried by Masonic honors and rites was Hon. Isaac Parrish, August 17, 1860.  He was also the first to represent the Magnolia lodge at the Grand Lodge.