A FACT A DAY ABOUT IOWA CITY
THE STOVER INFLUENCE IN JOHNSON COUNTY
Linked
with the early history of Iowa City and Johnson County is the name of
Jeremiah Stover, one of the first settlers, farmers, stock-raisers
and educators of the community. He was a native of Richmond, Indiana,
where he was born 110 years ago. He came hither in 1838. His father,
Joseph Stover, whom he accompanied, crossed the Iowa river and settled
first in Iowa county, east of Lytle City. In 1840, “Jerry” proceeded to
Iowa City, and took possession of the farm, near the old
fairgrounds…long afterward the acreage tilled by his younger brother,
Jacob Y. Becoming a teacher in 1842-1843, Jeremiah was an
instructor in the first school house ever built here. This was on Buck
Creek, in the present Pleasant Valley township. It was on James
Walker’s claim and was styled the Walker school house.
The
magnificent structure was 16 by 16, was windowless and deskless, and
had split slabs for seats; and a puncheon floor and mud fire place and
mud chimney. The old “King” school, over the line in the present
Fremont township, was close by. Mr. Stover taught 13 youngsters,
for the munificent sum of $1.50 for each 3 months’ term. The
parents of the pupils, or the young folks, themselves, provided the
wood that went into the old mud fireplace to keep the scholars and
teacher from freezing.
Jeremiah’s father became one of the first
nonagenarians (if not the very first) in the county, for Joseph Stover
passed away the year before the centennial celebration in 1875, at the
age of 95. One of his sisters, Sarah Stover Warren, wed Joseph Wallace,
who was drowned in the Iowa river, while fording, in 1856. Another
sister, Mary, married Benjamin Ritter, in 1837…being the first bride to
be “led to the altar” in Johnson County. Jeremiah came from a family of
warriors. His father, a native Virginian, served in the War of 1812;
and his grandfather, also born in the Old Dominion, was with George
Washington two years, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis.
Jeremiah
voyaged to California, as a gold hunter, in 1849, going by way of New
Orleans and the Isthmus of Panama. It was a terribly interrupted
and prolonged trip, however. His ship was all but wrecked in the Gulf
of Mexico, in a violent storm. It was driven out of its course,
and Mr. Stover, after escaping drowning narrowly, was finally landed at
Chagres, South America, whence h e proceeded to California, where he
arrived in April, 1850.
(Source: Iowa City Press Citizen, Sat, Jun 22, 1929, pg. 6)
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