MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA SCHOOL NEWS

Source: Muscatine Journal, Saturday, September 22, 1900, p. 2
Submitted by Pam Jackman on September 23, 2010

FORTUNES OF SCHOLARS OF 1867

They Are Scattered Abroad in the Land
To Some Fame Has Come
Careers Have Been Checkered and Varied.

Written by Mrs. Alice Walton Beatty
Fruitland, Muscatine Island, Iowa

Hopewell’s School History.

When we read the letter of Mr. Chas. McNall giving the list of pupils of that first term of our district school which was taught in a frame building, my husband and his brother, John Beatty, were discussing the fates of the various pupils, and one remarked “What a good idea it would be to write it all out for Charley.” This suggestion resulted in writing it for the Journal. Some of the curious facts noticed are that as far as is known only two of the boys are still bachelors and all of the girls were married. There were thirty-one boys and thirty girls in attendance during the winter of 1867. What a contrast to the rural schools of the present time! Six couples were married who were “specials” while they were pupils of that term. It was right after the civil war and the big soldier boys attended to make up their lost time, for the State Legislature had passed a special act allowing them to do so even if over school age. Of course, the larger girls then found a little more education very desirable.

During the spring of 1876 I began my career as a school ma’am in the same school house teaching the children and younger brothers and sisters of those whose fates are indicated in this article. Stored away in a box of relics is a list of the pupils of that spring school and perhaps in the coming winter an opportunity may arise for its resurrection. Even the quarter of a century has brought most interesting changes. We also possess “the teachers desk” over which Mr. Furnas taught. We prize it because three of our family stood behind it as school teachers. It is a veritable curiosity being a simple table without any drawer to hold the teacher’s belongings. It is about a foot wide, four feet long and was mounted upon stilts. When it became our property its legs were shortened some ten inches or more and it is still the height of an ordinary table. The school house itself was destroyed by fire on Christmas night, 1892.

The History

Charles Furnas, the teacher, lives in the suburbs of Letts, Iowa. He was permitted to celebrate with his noble wife their golden wedding, but a very short time previous to her death. At this bereavement the sympathy of all those pupils’ hearts went out to him.

Hannah R. Westervelt married Irving Law, and died in Kansas, leaving three children, two girls and one of whom is now Mrs. Eva Richley of Odessa, Port Louisa township. The other daughter was adopted by a family named Bennett in Kansas or Nebraska. The son, Anson Law, now lives in Illinois. Irving Law was killed by the bursting of a fly wheel on a steam wood saw. Hannah and Irving did part of their courting in that school and had the usual mishaps of lovers. Irving persuaded John Beatty to write some conciliatory letters to Hannah for him that produced the desired effect.

Augusta H. Rummery married Charles Law, who died in West Liberty and she is Mrs. Will Joy, of Armour, Pawnee county, Nebraska. She has three children.

Elizabeth Featherstone is Mrs. Julius Farnsworth, of Sweetland Center, Iowa and has quite a large family of young children.

George Rummery lives in Muscatine county, on Muscatine Island, with a large family of children around his table. His first wife was his schoolmate, Araminta Cole. Her two surviving children are Mrs. Chester Smith and Mrs. Hardin Reed, of Illinois. The maiden name of his present wife was Miss Mary Miller.

Charles E. McNall is married, living at Lebanon, Kansas.

Judson McNall married Ellen P. Bomer, and another pupil and they live in Tama county, Iowa, and have a number of children.

Sidney A. Rummery married Ellen Cotrell, of Nichols, Iowa, and now resides in the Elisha Beatty homestead east of the Sand Mound on Muscatine Island. They have one son and three daughters, the eldest of which is now Mrs. Isaac Grimer.

George A. McNall was killed in Colorado by the caving in of a well.

Frank O. Walton is still a bachelor and resides on the old home place east of the Sand Mound.

James Wiggins died in youth.

Morris Wilson also died while a young boy.

John W. Bowley live in Muscatine.

Bradley E. Law married a Miss Davenport, and is now at home in Riverside, Iowa. Recently he made a trip back to the Island with five of his boys, and their mother, in a prairie schooner. He left a number of his children at home to keep house.

Aiden T. Dickerson married a Columbus Junction lady and lives in Musserville, Muscatine, Iowa.

Fannie Wamsley married Addison Hopson, an upper Islander. They made their home at the west side of the Sand Mound, where she died and left two children, a daughter Alice, now Mrs. William Placke, Jr., and a son, Frank.

Isabelle Funk married Phillip DeCamp, of Letts, Iowa. At present they are settled near the Muscatine Island church and their family comprises six sons and a daughter.

Mary M. Byrne, familiarly called Maggie, is a mother superior of a Catholic order of sisters at Troy, New York. Her sister Hemma Byrne is also a member of the same order and is with her.

Mary J. McKinney married Al. Countryman, another Island boy. They have one daughter.

Webb McNall married his school mate Anna E. Humbarger. He is now a Kansas politician of considerable notoriety.

John P. Bomer is married and lives in Seattle, Washington.

David Andrew Featherston died in early youth.

Mary E. Wiggins married Frank Law another pupil. And now lives in Denver. Col. Frank is dead and their child Clark still lives.

Maria Standard was the step-sister of John and Teresa Galbreath. This family went to Kansas.

Rhoda Bowley married Sidney Carter, of Sweetland Center, Iowa, but has moved into the City of Muscatine.

Andelia Jarvis is Mrs. Charles H. Wilson of Hopewell, and is the mother of two sons and two daughters.

Caroline Bomer is married in Tama county, Iowa.

Eben P. Bomer married a Miss Searl and lives on a farm near Brooklyn, Iowa. They have three children.

Charles H. Bowley is married, living in Muscatine.

Peter J. Byrne wonders with Frank Walton “why still so lonely and when last heard from was yet unmarried. He is a cattle dealer at Bancroft, Iowa.

Frank Byrne keeps a first-class hotel at Wapello, Iowa. His wife is a sister of R. P. Hawkins, editor of the Wapello Republican. They have two little daughters.

Albert W. Jarvis married Mattie Tucker, a later resident of Hopewell. Two children, a son and daughter survived the death of their father.

Albert Martin married Laura Wilson a school mate. They built their nest near the school house in Hopewell, where they reared a family of seven young Martins. Two daughters, Mrs. Wm. Fitzsimmons and Miss Bertha, and five sons, one of which is married.

Joseph Bomer is married, living in Des Moines, Iowa.

Addie Funk married William Richards, not of Hopewell, yet an Islander and lives near the Island church. They have three sons and three daughters.

Frankie A. Tracy is Mrs. Dunham, of Muscatine.

William Wiggins went to Red Cloud, Nebraska.

Mary I. Walton became Mrs. Jacob McIntyre, and lives in a cosy little home not far from Hopewell school house.

S. Alice Wilson is Mrs. Edward Fry and lives on the old homestead at Bowley corner of Hopewell district. Two sons and four daughters are their children.

Mary Elizabeth Storms married Walter J. Craddock and left at her death three children, a son and two daughters, one of them being Mrs. George Fry.

Nellie McNall went to Kansas with her parents.

The families of Usher, Lickwiler and Bivens with children in that school are lost sight of entirely.

John Beatty’s wife was Miss Mary Rosborough, of Moline, Illinois. One little daughter graces their home at the sound end of the Sand Mound.

James Beatty and the writer of this article concluded to go up and down life’s hill together and have also established their home at the sound end of the Sand Mound, where all the old pupils will find a welcome whenever they shall return to the scenes of their youthful days.

On Labor Day Mr. George Foss said to us, “I was very glad and yet saddened to read Charley McNall’s letter. I was pleased to see that old list again and yet sorrowful to note life’s changes. I would like to know what became of them all.”