Jefferson County Online
A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects
1880 Events in Review


"The Fairfield Ledger" used to print a review of the previous year's news events, giving a run-down of important goings-on. The listing presented here is for the year 1880. Items noted might include Marriages, Anniversaries, property sales, the amount of rainfall in a storm, conditions of local roads... any number of a variety of newsworthy items. It offers a peek into yesteryear and a view of much simpler times. Enjoy this walk into the past!


"The Fairfield Ledger"
Wednesday, January 5, 1881
Front Page, Columns 6, 7, and 8

CHRONOLOGICAL.
The Year's Events as Gleaned from The Ledger Files.

JANUARY.

1. New Year's calls; the charity ball; close of guards' fair; 14 prisoners in the county jail.
2. Death of Mrs. Sarah A. Poinsett; Miss Irland's readings.
3. Severe storm; 1.60 inches rain; wild fowl flying; weather warm.
4. Week of prayer begins.
5. Judge Blanchards court convenes; James Graham died; Union school opened with 492 pupils; meeting of board of supervisors.
6. Winter term of Parsons College began; roads in town and country almost impassable.
7. LEDGER appears in a new dress.
9. Death of Jacob Comegys at Mt. Pleasant; Elliott & Thompson's safe blown open by burglars.
10. Young ladies enjoyed a Leap Year party at Dr. Blair's; annual election of the Jefferson County Agricultural Association.
11. Union church services.
13. Marriage of Lieut. McCrackin, U. S. N. and Miss Anna Farmer.
16. Miss Laura Heflin died; sudden death of A. H. Huss; Helen Potter's "Pleiades;"
17. Circuit court adjourned; death of 'Squire Axline; a terrific powder explosion, narrow escape of three miners at Perlee; abandonment of old court house decided upon.
20. Marriage of Jos. R. McCrackin to Miss Madge Hughes, at Adel, Iowa; almost a fatal case of poisoning of Westfall and wife.
21. Death of Mrs. Isaac R. Montgomery.
23. Herschel Rodgers had a hand crushed in a hay press; large prairie wolf killed near town.
24. Burns party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Mohr.
25. Attempted suicide at the First M. E. Church; death of David Dana.
26. Removal of county offices to new location in Slagle & Acheson's block; temperance meeting at Wells' Hall; Ft. Madison R. R. surveying party near Beckwith.
28. Dissolution of grocery firm of Unkrich & Jones, Unkrich continues the business; Mr. and Mrs. D. P. Stubbs entertained a large number of young people at their home.
29. The presentation of "Pinafore" by our amateurs; Mr. James Fulton died near Glasgow.
31. Library report for January, number of visitors, 2,227, number of persons taking out books, 274, number of books taken out, 915 volumes.


FEBRUARY.

1. Death of little Nellie Crawford.
2. Bad roads and cold weather find almost a fuel famine; Leggett & McKemey moved their law office.
3. G. A. Rutherford and A. J. Sheridan--a new law firm.
8. 37th annual meeting of the Jefferson County Bible society.
9. Lecture of Hon. Wm. Parsons on the Iliad, Troy and Greece; miners at Perlee on a strike.
11. New location, new firm, Inghram & Scrantom.
15. Sheriff Chester has an unusual number of tramps.
14. Henry Smith assaulted and robed (sic) near the square.
18. Frederick Funston had a narrow escape from death on a railroad crossing.
22. Death of Mrs. Laura Calhoun.
24. Commencement and end of special term of district court; Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton lectures.
26. Marriage of Jas. A. Beck to Miss Etta McKesson; new firm of Thorne & Gage.
28. Capt. James Fee died, aged 85; Treasurer West collects $10,435.98 in taxes.


MARCH.

1. City and school elections; district court meets.
9. Strike ended at Perlee.
13. The Lutheran church completed; R. H. Knight shot; end of March district court.
15. Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Culbertson entertained friends.
17. Harry M. Wertz died.
18. Death of Mrs. P. H. Howlett.
19. The 27th annual meeting of stockholders of library association; exhibition of the preparatory department of parsons college.
20. John Dillon comedy company.
21. Suicide of Harry Davis.
22. Democrats select delegates to their state convention.
26. Death of S. S. Walkup at Perlee; an old Fairfield boy, Ancil Briggs, died at Knoxville.
29. Farmers are busy sowing wheat and oats.
30. An old resident, Mr. Samuel Langdon, died in Cedar township; William Dunlavy, a freight brakeman, meets with a serious accident near Libertyville.


APRIL.

2. At the city council meeting, the "ties that bind" were sundered by the vote of Mayor McCrackin and W. S. Hennecker was elected marshal; Drs. P. N. Woods and S. F. Hammond formed a partnership; death of Mrs. Mary A. Acheson.
8. Meeting of the board of supervisors.
10. Henry C. Rock died; republican convention for the selection of delegates to the state convention.
14. Children gathering wild flowers.
15. Marriage of Charles G. Gallager, of Glendale, Ohio, to Miss M. Grace Temple.
16. Fairfield orchestra amateur musical entertainment; ending of special term of district court.
17. Death of Alphonso Ingalls.
18. A terrible storm, the wind blew a perfect gale and rain fell in great sheets.
20. Anniversary of tornado of 1878; James Henderson, Sr., a Perlee miner was hurt by falling slate.
21. Iowa Presbytery in session, in this city.
22. Death of Mrs. Catherine Gift.
24. Farmers are busy planting corn; course of lectures by Prof. James Young before the senior and junior classes of Parsons College closed; death of Mrs. Thos. L. H. Cole.


MAY.

1. Inter Ocean circus.
2. LEDGER Office enlarged.
5. Target shoot of militia at Columbus Junction.
9. William Groff killed himself with a shot gun; death of a prominent citizen and brave soldier, Major A. R. Pierce, at Lockridge.
13. 80th anniversary of President Gillette's birthday; strawberries in market.
14. Lecture by Dr. Hays at the Presbyterian church; accidental poisoning of C. O. Dougherty, near Ashland; death of John Harper.
15. Date for contest in Freshman class to decide contestants for the faculty prize.
17 and 18th. Dr. Gillette lectured to the senior class on the History of the Constitution.
22. Vacation of Senior class; young people had a picnic on the Des Moines.
25. Opening of Risk and Hufstedler's new store; W. W. Cole's circus.
26. The LEDGER's twenty-seventh year since the senior editor entered upon the proprietorship; severe storm, 2.05 inches of rain fell in little over an hour.
28. The spring term of Union school closed.
29. The people of Polk township voted upon the question of aiding Ft. M. & N. R. R; no tax: vote standing 67 to 185; county towns observe Decoration day; Uncle Tom's Cabin.
30. Decoration day at Fairfield.


JUNE.

1. D. B. Wilson sells store to Frank W. Voorhies; 13th annual convention of the Jefferson Co. S.S. Association, at Pleasant Plain.
8. Death of Isaac R. Montgomery; Miss Eliza McCrackin received appointment as manager of city telegraph office.
11. First anniversary of the literary societies of Parsons College.
14. Parsons College commencement week; President Gillette's Baccalaureate address; Junior exhibition.
15. Class day exercises; the board of trustees held their annual meeting.
16. Exercises of the graduating class.
18. Charlie Alter shot at Cheyenne; three prisoners escaped from jail.
22. Presbyterians invite Rev. T. D. Ewing, of Kittanning, Pa., to their pastorate.
26. Republican county convention.
27. Sudden death of R. F. McCashlin; shooting at Whitfield of Simon Waltman by Agent C. B. Hawley.


JULY.

1. Wool crop almost all in; harvest hands in demand.
2. Fred. Turner meets with accident in The LEDGER office.
3. Fairfield celebration was small, but Libertyville and Perlee make up for it.
6. Republican judicial convention met at Oskaloosa and nominated C. W. Slagle.
8. Examination of Agent Hawley for the shooting of Waltman, at Whitfield.
11. Sudden death of Mrs. Robt. A. Young.
12. Mercury runs to 99° in the shade.
14. Jefferson county census returns completed; 1880, 17,629; 1870, 15,825; Spencer Bros. sold restaurant to Sampson & Acheson.
15. J. D. Riddle's new shoe store in.
16. A Polander named Kaski, living near Pleasant Plain, met with a reaper accident.
18. Death of Miss Laura Mendenhall.
19. J. D. Walker received serious injuries by falling from a reaper near Libertyville.
20. Marriage of Prof. A. C. Potter to Miss Delta White, in California.
22. The greatest show on earth--Barnum's.
25. Dennis Kilfoy stabbed.
27. New drug firm of Higley & Hampson; Vote Bros. dissolved partnership.
29. Annual meeting of the Iowa press association, at Cedar Rapids; marriage of Fred. Moore, of Batavia, to Miss Anna Jones.
30. Foot rest company organized.


AUGUST.

2. Seventh annual session of the Jefferson county normal institute.
7. Democratic and greenback conventions for selection of delegates.
10. Assault on M. F. Vance.
11. Nomination of D. P. Stubbs by greenback congressional convention at Mt. Pleasant.
15. August Dedrickson, a Swede, died suddenly in Lockridge.
17. Dr. J. W. Young, of Bloomfield, lectured before the normal institute.
18. Free Methodist camp meeting near Batavia.
19. Nomination of M. A. McCoid by congressional convention at Burlington.
21. Republican convention for nominating county officers.
24. Silver wedding of William Hedge and wife.
25. Allen & Co. sold grocery stock to Geo. S. Long; new firm, Richardson & Co.; from 24th to 29th, 2.66 inches of rain fell.
26. Odd Fellows' re-union; marriage of John C. Huston to Etta Chase; death of Miss Lizzie Bond.


SEPTEMBER.

1. County fair postponed.
2. Marriage of W. E. Johnson, Centerville, to Miss Sadie Shaffer; Potter Sisters at opera house; President Hayes and party go west on C., B. & Q.
6. Circuit court convenes.
8. Marriage of C. M. Junkin to Grace Slagle.
10. Sudden death of Dr. W. W. Cottle; silver wedding of Rev. J. M. McElroy and wife, in Batavia; accident to John Galvin.
13. Sudden death of Saml. C. Farmer.
14. Fall term of Parsons College began; inauguration ceremonies of president, Rev. T. D. Ewing.
18. Democratic nominating convention.
21. First number of DAILY LEDGER.
22. Thorne & Gage's store room enlarged.
23. Nomination of W. B. Culbertson by democratic congressional convention, at Burlington.
25. Black & Burkhart's saw-mill burned; greenback convention.
27. Annual encampment of militia at the fair grounds.
28. Marriage of H. J. Alexander and Miss Jennie King, at Silver Creek, N. Y.
30. Old soldiers' re-union.


OCTOBER.

1. Close of the second regiment encampment and old soldiers' reunion. J. P. C. Poulton died at Cheyenne.
5. First day of county fair.
6. Fairfield manufacturing Co. at work; races at the fair grounds; death of Miss Junia Rodgers, Beloit, Kansas.
7. Close of fair. Last number of DAILY LEDGER.
13. Street Railroad Company organized in town.
14. Old Settlers' reunion; Senator Kirkwood's meeting; Mrs. Maggie Jordan and Mr. and Mrs. Brown entertain friends at their home.
19. Judge Sherman's meeting.
20. Mrs. Malinda Templeton died.
21. Marriage of Dr. J. B. Monfort to Miss Effie Ramsay.
29. Death of Mrs. R. H. Moore.
30. Fairfield township republican convention.
31. Mrs. Jane M. Barr died.


NOVEMBER.

1. First "hop" of "Forest City Quadrille Club;" republican "lovefeast" at opera house; Culbertson's address at court-house; suicide by hanging of Joseph Simes in Des Moines township.
2. Election day; Wm. Enderle, a C., B. & Q. brakeman, killed at depot.
3. District court met.
4. Congressman McCoid and Clerk Jaques gave a supper to a number of their friends at Sampson & Acheson's.
6. Republican jubilee.
10. Completion of the Armstrong monument.
13. Culbertson's tenement house destroyed by fire.
14. Gustave J. Kritzler killed by cars at Lockridge.
16. Marriage of Joseph M. Whitham to Annie Campbell near this city.
17. Berger concert at opera house; "Epizoot" has reached Fairfield.
20. Mrs. Violet Howell died in Round Prairie township; crystal wedding of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Maxwell; closing of district court.
21. Mercury 6° below zero.
24. Cutting ice begins.
25. Union Thanksgiving services at the Presbyterian Church; Thanksgiving reunion of the Jordans; reading club met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. M. S. Crawford.


DECEMBER.

1. C. B. & Q. improvements finished.
4. C. B. & Q. narrow escape from wreck.
6. Death of Mrs. Elizabeth J. Temple at Chariton.
7. Mrs. Mary A. McLean died.
12. Mr. James O. Mount died at Abingdon, Ill.
15. Marriage of Thomas Griffith, of Red Oak, to Mary C. Negus of this city.
17. Exhibition of Aldine Literary Society.
18. Silver wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Parker B. Grafton.
21. Lecture of Dr. Lorimer.
22. Fall term of Parsons College closed; a brakeman, Chas. Collins, killed on the C., B. & Q.
23. Death of Mrs. R. C. Brewer.
24. Christmas eve celebrated at city churches.
25. Reunion of Demarce family.
27. Golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. John Spielman; death of R. W. Bickford.
28. A blizzard--thermometer marks 24° below zero; LEDGER completes its 30th year.
31. Rainfall for year 29.30 inches.



This page was created on 14 April 2024 and is copyrighted. The page and/or its linked data may be copied and used for personal purposes but can not be republished nor used for commercial purposes without the author's written permission.

I am the County Coordinator and the Webmaster, the one who is responsible for the IAGenWeb project for Jefferson County, Iowa. Please contact me if you would like to contribute to this database or if you note any problems with these pages.

Return to the Jefferson County Main Page