Zearing, Iowa 1956 History

ship. The assault on Charles Ingram in the Zearing depot in 1883 resulted in Cyrus P. Bean, township constable, being called into action.

Justice of the peace was an important office in the township in the pioneer days. There are many references in the records concerning the work of James M. Price as justice of the peace. The township assessor was a very important official for many years. In 1956, the assessor is a deputy from the county assessor's office.

The greatest problem facing township officials in the days of long ago was the road problem. The township was dotted with ponds in those days. The mud was very black and very sticky. The pioneer trustees had to start from the beginning. In later years the automobile complicated the problem. There wasn't enough money to do the job all at once. Mile after mile was gradually added to the township road system.

In spite of the many jokes about the poll tax system, it was important in early road building. Township residents could work their poll tax on the township roads. The township road boss had charge of the workers. He was hired by the trustees.

A great deal of the early road work was done by volunteer labor. I can remember when the farmers in our neighborhood graveled a half mile of road. There wasn't any machinery to spread the gravel evenly. So there was a dip between the loads. I enjoyed driving my father's Model T over the road at the terrific speed of twenty-five miles per hour. It was a pleasing sensation.

A partial list of the men who served Lincoln township follows:

We have listed the township officials only when we found their names in the record books. We could not compile a complete list because of the missing records.