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1860 - 1861
Decorah Republican Subcribers.

Source: Decorah Republican June 6, 1901 P 4 C 1

this page was last updated on Thursday, 01 April 2021


A "REPUBLICAN", RELIC.

House Cleaning Unearths its first Subscription List.—A Glance at its Contents.

A little job of house cleaning in this office last Friday, opened up a lot of old-time account books, among which were two treasures. One was the subscrlptlon list, and financial record attendant upon the erection In 1861 of the old Congregational church building of this city. It is especially valuable because so many of the subscriptions were payable In work, and the record shows fully what each one did. This book is referred to In a little story told elsewhere. The other “find’' is the first subscription list opened for this paper. It ran from April, I860, to the end of 1861, and a review of it almost makes one feel like he who

“Treads alone some banquet hall deserted."

On the Decorah list there appear 257 names, and of these only the following 37 are now residents.

Barfoot, B.T.Gibson, R. F.Lomen, A. O.Stringer, Jas.
Bollis, LeviGoddard, C, N,Marsh, J. J.Thomas, A. D.
Brandish, A.Golz, Chas.Merrill, M H.Thomas, H. R.
Curtin, JohnGreer, JohnMiller, NorrisThompson, K.
Easton, W. L. & Son (J. H.)Haugen, P. E.Pelt, John VanTreat, S. C.
Ellingson, O. W.Hiller, C. F.Puntney, Wm.Weiser, Bros, (E. l.)
Ervin, S. B.Hislop, Thos.Roney, PeterWilson, S. O.
Ferren, A. C.Jacobson, Rev. A.Scott, E. R.
Finn, JohnKoren, Rev. V.Seavey, A. G.
Francis, G. F.Larsen, Prof.Stiles, John

There are also the following now resident elsewhere:

NameCurrent Residence
Adams, Rev. E.Waterloo.
Averill, H. K.Plattsburg, N. Y.
Comstock, FredLittleton, Col.
DeCow, JohnOsslan.
Dickerman, C. E.St. Paul.
Howard, M. H.Dripping Springs, Texas
Merrill, Geo.Saratoga, Iowa.
Phelps, Geo.Cheltenham, England
Simpson, Jas. ENorfolk, Neb.

At other post offices the shrinkage is even greater. Out of 54 names on the Burr Oak list, only three remain, or are among the living, that we can recall. These three are Thos. Rice, H. C. Palmer and Hiram Manning, now of Salt Lake City, At Hesper, C. B. Pike and Ben J. Tabor are the only known survivors out of nearly sixty names. Of fourteen names at Castalia, not one remains, Spillville carried but one came, and that is J. J. Haug, the well known supervisor from the second district. Of ten at Ossian H. P. Nicholson Is the only survivor. At Frankvllle out of thirty-seven, we can locate only C. A. McClintock, still on tho old farm, and J. M. Lennon and M Sherry, now Decorahites.

Tlme has proved nearly as fatal to post offices as to people. Following is a full list of all existing offices then appearing: Decorah, Bluffton, Burr Oak, Calmar, Castalia, Hesper, Frankville, Freeport, Fort Atkinson, Spillville, Old Mission, Ossian, Plymouth Rock, Locust Lane, and then the following, which it will be difficult for most persons to locate.

Proud’s, a neighborhood office, the first P O in Highland Township. Winnesheik, east of Castalia, near county line, Williamantic, In Fremont township. Twin Springs, near Kendallvllle. Morgan. In Orleans township. Canoe, In Canoe Townshlp, and we think at Finney’s on the Burr Oak road. Burr Oak Springs, in the corner of township. Moneek, on Yellow River, or Sec. 1 of Bloomfield township. Aquilla Grove, In Pleasant township, Elliota, on State line above Burr Oak. It died soon after Canton was born. Now Oregon was the county seat of Howard before the railroad came, and Cresco said "I grow.”

In those days Freeport was quite a thriving town, and it gave us a list of more than a score, among them being the names of Thomas and D. N. Hoyt, and D. C. Bacon, now residing at Newtown, Conn. Calmar was then but a hamlet, and of the 'list of six names not one now remains. At that time Plymouth Rock, with its mill privilege, was quite a business center, and it gave us over twenty names, to compare with the one now on the books A similar condition existed at Bluffton; but that village has hold its own fairly well. A glance over the page devoted to it reveals the following stand-bys, who are still readers of the REPUBLICAN: Almon Rice, C. V. Punteney, living In Cresco, Dr, Geo. Bolles, removed to Madison, S. D., and Chris Collier, living at Romona, S. D.

Please, contact the County Coordinator to submit additions or corrections.

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this page was last updated on Thursday, 01 April 2021