CAIRO and HOPE FARM

pg 302

The history of Hope Farm and Cairo properly belong together. Hope Farm was located on the land now owned by John Bretz, east of Cairo. It was started by the Isetts, Dr. Samuel R. Isett and J. Wilson Isett; they settled in that neighborhood probably as early as 1837. J. Wilson Isett had a store at Hope Farm as early as 1839. It is said that the first school in this vicinity was located about a quarter of a mile east of Hope Farm. The early school teachers were Elijah Lathrop and Veazy P. Bunnell, and they probably taught there in 1838 and 1839, although the exact date cannot be stated. Frank Griswold, now a resident of Wapello went to school there, as did also the late Mrs. Weaver, mother of Hon. H. O. Weaver, of Wapello.

The postmasters at Hope Farm were as follows:

Samuel Isett, appointed February 22, 1840; James W. Isett, appointed December 29. 1840; Franklin Griswold, appointed August 18, 1843; John Marshall, appointed March 25, 1844; Joseph B. Nichols, appointed January 14, 1850; Thomas J. R. Ellis, appointed October 4, 1850. The post office at Hope Farm was discontinued March 23, 1856.

The postmasters at Cairo down to war times were as follows:

John Marshall, appointed July 1, 1856; Jefferson W. Davis, appointed April 18, 1857; David McKinley, appointed March 13, 1858; Alonzo D. Hickok, February 20, 1865. It can be safely assumed that practically all of these postmasters were store keepers at the time they held the post office.

There was a hotel in Cairo called the Louisa House, kept by Mrs. Lucy Hummeston, afterward Forbes. Mrs. Hummeston first kept hotel and called it the Louisa House, on the farm where Leslie Nichols now lives; the old sign of the hotel was taken to Cairo and used there. Mrs. Hummeston was a daughter of Franklin Griswold, who with his brother were among the very earliest settlers in Marshall township; the brother, Ira Griswold, framed the Wapello Mill when it was first erected.

Aside from the early store keepers and those already mentioned, the pioneer settlers of Marshall township were Richard Slaughter, George Key, Nixon Scott, Richard Restine, John Sellers, Annanias Simpkins. H. M. Ochiltree, whose name is connected with the history of Morning Sun, first settled on a piece of land in Marshall township. A little later came Robert Niccolls, John N. Baldrige and Oliver Benton; also Abraham Hill, who built what was known as Hill's Mill on Long creek near the Dan McKay farm. Another early settler was Christopher Fox, the grandfather of Mrs. Ralph Butler, who was quite a character in his day and had seen active service in the Black Hawk war. In the early '60s Jesse Vanhorn was prominent in Cairo, and had much to do with building the Cairo church. He also erected a grist mill on Long creek about three miles down the creek from the Derbin mill. About this same time M. M. Carson was running a pump factory at Cairo.

This was also the home of Rev. F. F. Kiner, who will be remembered as one of the supervisors who were taken to Des Moines by the United States ...

pg 304

... marshal. Mr. Kiner came here from Jefferson county shortly after the war was over; he was a soldier and wrote a book describing his life in prison.

Following is what the records show as to the laying out of Cairo and its additions:

CAIRO

was laid out by James H. Marshall on the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 28, township 74 north, range 4 west, surveyed by W. S. Kremer, June 15, 1865.

Vanhorn & Kiner's addition to Cairo surveyed by William C. Blackstone, county surveyor, April 23, 1869. The plat does not state where the addition is situated.

Marshall's addition to Cairo, laid out by John S. Marshall, October 4, 1866, and surveyed by William C. Blackstone, said to be laid out on the north side of Cairo proper.

Vanhorn's addition to Cairo, laid out by Jesse Vanhorn, April 12, 1875, in the south half of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 28, 74-4.

The population of Cairo has usually been included in Marshall township, but it was given separately in the census of 1880. At that time it was 123.

---