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Audubon County |
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CHAPTER V.THE FIRST SETTLERS.From History of Audubon Co., Iowa (1915)
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THE HAMLINS.A man named Hamlin, perhaps John, lived in Suffolk county, New Jersey, as appears from the records of birthplaces of his children. He was twice married and probably died in New Jersey. His children by his first wife were: Nathaniel, who built the first house in Columbus, Ohio; John, who is referred to in the following paragraph; Richard, who went to Vermont. By a second wife, there were two children, James, who settled in Lewis county, Kentucky, and a daughter. John Hamlin, son of John ( ?) above named, was born in Huntington, New Jersey, July 2, 1759, and married Mrs. Rosannah (Hayes) Lard, widow of James Lard. By a former husband she had a son, James, who was adopted by Mr. Hamlin. They moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania; thence to Delaware county, Ohio. The journey was by flatboat down the Ohio river. Later they lived at the Salt Licks, Lewis county, Kentucky. He was a Revolutionary soldier from Sussex county, New Jersey: Private in Captain Hulick's company under General Dickensen, one month, 1776; private in Captain Benjamin McCullough's company, under General Dickensen, three months, 1776-7; private in Captain Lock's company, under General Dickensen, one month, 1777; private in Captain Hiler's company, one month, 1777; private in Captain Ward's company, three months, 1777. He was a powerful man physically and a noted athlete and fighter in his day, few men being his equals in personal encounter. He died at Columbus, Ohio, when over eighty years of age. His children were: James, adopted, married Sally, daughter of Reuben Hamlin; William (see record of him in the following paragraph): Eleanor, married her cousin, Charles, son of Nathaniel Hamlin. William Hamlin, son of John, was born in Lewis county Kentucky, on July 9, 1791. He married there, February 3, 1811, Mary, daughter of James and Sarah (Golden) Smith, who was born in New Jersey, May 21, 1786. He was a farmer. He built a log cabin at the Salt Licks, Kentucky, and afterwards a more pretentious dwelling, where he lived and reared a family. In later years he was deputy sheriff. He was a private in Captain Seward's company, under General Shelby, Kentucky militia, August 28 to November 3, 1814. These were mounted troops, each man furnishing his own horse and equipment. His half-brother, James (Lard) Hamlin, served with him. His father accompanied them; having been an old soldier, he said he would go along to take care of the boys. They participated in the battle of the Thames in Canada, under General Harrison, in which Col. Dick Johnson led an attack against the Indians under Tecumseh. A personal encounter ensued between Colonel Johnson and Tecumseh, who shot at each other, and the colonel fell wounded. Capt. James Johnson, who was present, saw his brother fall and supposed he was killed; he then attacked Tecumseh, who fell mortally wounded. It is not settled who was the slayer of Tecumseh. Nathaniel Hamlin told the writer that he had heard his father say that he was present at the fight, and that he personally captured the headdress and tomahawk of Tecumseh as trophies on that occasion. On the return from Canada, the father, John Hamlin, fell sick, and was conveyed home in a horse-litter, which required so much attention that he (William) neglected his baggage, and the trophies were stolen from him, as he supposed, and were lost. William Hamlin was a strong man, with black hair and eyes and red whiskers. He died at Salt Lick on November 25, 1837. His widow went to live with her son, William, at Bethel, Ohio, then at Homer, Illinois, and came to Audubon county with him in 1851. She located the land warrant for the military service of her husband on the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 7, and the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter and the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 8, in township 77, range 36, on Buck creek, now Pymosa township, Cass county, Iowa. A patent was issued to her for the same on September 20, 1861, signed by Abraham Lincoln, President. She lived with her son, William, at what was known as the Barney Harris place, on Buck creek, and at Exira. She returned to Ohio and Kentucky in 1865 with her daughters, Mrs. Beck and Mrs. Glasgow, but came back to Audubon county in 1867. Here she lived with her son Nathaniel until her death, June 30, 1866, aged over one hundred years. To William and Mary Hamlin the following children were born in Lewis county, Kentucky: Rosanna, born on January 18, 1812, married Hiram M. Beck; Nathaniel, March 13, 1814, married Margaret Poage; James, April 1, 1815, married Eliza Shearer; John, September 3, 1816, died on October 28, 1826; Sarah, January 12, 1818, married James H. Denham; Christiana, December 7, 1819, married Dawson Glasgow; William Parker, November 14, 1821, married Justenia Lafargee; Mary, March 23, 1823, married John Johnson. We have given the lineage of the Hamlins and the record of the children of William Hamlin with greater particularity, because several of the family were among the early settlers of Audubon county. |
