IAGenWeb - Marion County |
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Many thanks to Mary E. Boyer, who graciously transcribed these chapters for IAGenWeb Marion County (December 2006).
When this history was written the views of most people, including the author, toward Native Americans and Black Americans were very different from those we now find acceptable. Some passages in this work are, therefore, shocking and offensive more than 135 years later. I considered omitting them, but genealogists are concerned not only to discover the facts about their ancestors, but also to understand the times in which they lived. Just as we admire our ancestors' courage and resourcefulness in settling a new country, so must we recognize that they generally shared the prejudices and incivilities of their time.
PART II: TOWNSHIP HISTORIES
Chapter I
Preliminary Remarks - Clay - Its Geography and Early History - First Birth, David Durham -
Francis A. Barker, Thomas Young, G. G. Harsin - Weak Diet - A Little Adventure
Chapter II
Clay Township Continued - Wild Bees - Trapping Wolves - A Wolf Story - Hunting Stray Horses -
Indian Treating the Dead - Postoffice and Postmaster - Small-pox
Chapter III
Lake Prairie Township - Its Geography and Early History - Names of first Settlers -
Wellington Nossaman - Stump Mill - Pottery - Col. Alley - Shooting Affray -
The Mathewses - First Birth - Wm. Welch - Keokuk, Iowa - An Adventure
Chapter IV
Lake Prairie Continued - George Gillaspy - James L. Warren - Indian Worship -
Short of Provisions - Tribute to the Memory of Dr. Warren
Chapter V
Lake Prairie Continued - Thomas Tuttle - The Buffingtons - A Sad Accident -
Jacob B. Brown - First Religious Societies - First Orchard
Chapter VI
Lake Prairie continued - The Holland Colony - Organization in Holland - Voyage -
Sojourn at St. Louis - Selecting the Location - Early Life in Pella - First Township Officers -
Church Organization - First Hotel, Post Office, School, etc. - Amsterdam - Leersdam - Death of Henry P. Scholte
Chapter VII
Red Rock Township - Its Geography and Early History - John D. Bedell - Red Rock Village - The Flood of '51
Chapter VIII
Red Rock Township and Village, continued - Drunken Squaws - Pray or Treat - Schoolmaster in a Fix -
A Justice’s Bet - An Indian Voter - A Female Justice -“Old Blank,” and How He Lost his Nose -
Stealing Honey - Nearly a Fight - Shooting - A Narrow Escape from Hanging - A Black Joke
Chapter IX
Red Rock Township continued - Names of some of the Early Settlers -
John H Mikesell’s Indian Dress, Decorations,&c - Kish-ke-kosh - His partiality for Clean Victuals -
His Politeness - Feeding the Indians - Scooti!
Chapter X
Red Rock Township continued - Conflict About a Stolen Saddle - Combative Squaws - A Skirmish
Chapter XI
Red Rock Township continued - Moving the Indians - Bewildered - Kisk-ke-kosh Institutes a Reform -
Moving Pasishamone - Fast Traveling - A Religious Feast - Religious Services at a Death Bed -
Funeral - A Burnt Offering of Whiskey
Chapter XII
Red Rock Township continued - Claiborn Hall - Elias Prunty - An Adventure - A Difficulty Overcome -
A Milling Trip - Killing Wolves - Another Indian Thanksgiving
Chapter XIII
Red Rock Township Continued - Joel B. Worth - A Critical Situation - Sickness and Loss -
A Tough Joke - David Worth - A Prairie Fire - James A. Chestnut
Chapter XIV
Red Rock Township Continued - Stealing on Indian Credit - A Search Warrant -
Mock Trial of a Horse Thief - Lynching Horse Thieves
Chapter XV
Red Rock Township Continued - The History of a Couple of Claim Battles
Chapter XVI
Red Rock Township Continued - First Preachers - Pardo, the Missionary - His Adventure at Red Rock -
Poor Success with the Indians - Anecdotes of Spurlock - First District School in the North Part of the Township
Chapter XVII
Red Rock Township Concluded - Saw and Flouring Mills - A False Alarm - School Houses, Etc. - Census
Chapter XVIII
Summit - Geography and History - Names of First Settlers - James Price - The Wilsons and Others -
A Conflict with Indians - A Veteran Coffee Mill - A “Settlers Rights” Difficulty -
First P. O. - First Sunday School - Day School - Otley
Chapter XIX
Polk - Geography and Early History - “White Breast” - Death of White Breast -
Names of Early Settlers - First Schools - First Preaching - First Saw Mill - Richard R. Watts -
John Babcock - Destitution - Rouseau and Coalport
Chapter XX
Knoxville - Geography and Early History - Names of First Settlers - John M. Jones -
Wooden Bowls - An Indian Visitation - John Conrey - Fight with Wolves -
Landon J. Burch - A Rough Experience in Pioneer Life
Chapter XXI
Knoxville Township Continued - Conrad Walters - First Church Organization - First Preaching -
Sleepy Hearer - First School Teacher - Knoxville - First Steam Saw Mill -
A Scene in the Early History of Knoxville City - John Shearer -
A Pioneer School - A Critical Situation - Another - Tyler Overton
Chapter XXII
Union Township - Geography and Early History - Township Officers -
Names of First Settlers - Simeon Reynolds - A One-man Garrison - A Family Council -
Andrew Startz - Hill Milling Adventure - A Dog Trial and a Big Drunk - Samuel Teters - Sickness and Privation -
A Long Walk - A Successful Wolf Hunt - Saving the Corn - Borrowing - The First School Teacher
Chapter XXIII
Liberty Township - Its Geography and early History - Names of first Settlers - Martin Neel -
A Precious Burden - Economy - Horace Lyman - Fording Soap Creek - Stanford Doud -
Starvation - Adventure with the Indians - Weak feed and hard work
Chapter XXIV
Liberty Township continued - First Grain Mills - First Post Office - First School taught -
First Sub-district Organized - A Claim Difficulty - Hamilton - "Juke's Ruin" -
Whisky and Water - Marysville - Marysville Miner - Dixonville - Flight of the Goods
Chapter XXV
Indiana Township - Its Geography and Early History - Names of Early Settlers - Alexander May -
A Milling Expedition - Eleven Miles to borrow Meal - George Henry - Out of Provisions and Money -
Working on Sunday - In a Storm - Mush and Milk - Only Potatoes - A Perilous Adventure
Chapter XXVI
294 Indiana Township Continued - David Sweem - Straitened Circumstances - A Night in the Wilderness - Unknown Remains - A Lost Traveler - Indiana P. O. - First School - First Preaching - First Wedding - A Romantic Incident - A Claim Difficulty - Attica - James Barker - He fights the Dragoons.
Chapter XXVII
Perry Township - Geography and Early History - Lead Ore - Names of Early Settlers - Asa Hughs - The Brans Family - A Wild Cat Adventure - Hezekiah Gay - Bennington - E. H. Baker - Some of his Peculiarities - Lucky Duck Shooting - A Woman's Adventure with a Deer - First Preachers and School Teachers - Census
Chapter XXVIII
Swan Township - Its Geography and Early History - First Election - Names of First Settlers -
First Birth and First Marriage - C. M. Thomas - Daniel Hunt - First School - First Orchard -
First Preachers - Andrew Schirner - A Severe Crisis - Wheeling - Lynching the Castners.
Chapter XXIX
Pleasant Grove Township - Its Geography and Early History - Early Settlers - Denem Halsey -
Yoest Spalti - First Prairie Broken - First Orchard Planted - John P. Glenn -
First Religious Society of the Christian Denomination and Others - First Birth - G. Logan -
William F. Jordan - Claim Contest - The First Mercantile Transaction - First Schools - Pleasantville
Chapter XXX
Washington Township - Geography and Early History - Names of First Settlers - Hiram Moon -
An Adventure in the Snow - Allen Pearson - Joseph Pershall - A Toilsome Milling Expedition -
Land Excitement - First Church Organizations - First School - New Town, or Gosport - Columbia
Chapter XXXI
Franklin Township - Geography and Early History - Early Settlers - John Clark -
Milling Adventure - Nathan Nichols - His Death - Peter Rowe - First Orchards -
First Church Organizations - First School House - Caloma
Chapter XXXII
Dallas Township - Its Geography and Early History - An Incident Connected with the First Election -
Names of Early Settlers - Nicholas Helms - The First Mill - First Marriage and Birth -
Thomas Kirton - An Adventure Through the Snow - Destruction of Wild Game - The Bauer Brothers -
Peter Yrentz - Hiram Teakel - Henry Harstman - Church Organizations - First School -
Newbern - Dallas Town - A Hunting Adventure - Conclusion