HISTORY OF AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA

by H. F. Andrew, ed.,1915

DEDICATION, AUTHOR'S FOREWARD, PREFACE------------------------------------- 8-11

HISTORICAL INDEX------------------------------------------------------------------------------13-23

BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX

HISTORICAL

CHAPTER I -- GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, ETC.----------------------------------------- 33

Location of Audubon County -- Area -- Natural Features -- Native Grasses -- Prairie Fires -- The Soil -- The Rivers and Water System -- Timber and Groves -- The Indians -- Their Habits, Customs and Sports -- Incidents Concerning the Relations of the Red Men and the Whites -- An Indian Apollo -- Wild Animals -- A Hunter's Paradise -- A Pen Picture of Early Times Here -- Names of Rivers and Places.

CHAPTER II -- ORGANIZATION OF AUDUBON COUNTY--------------------------- 46

How Named -- Legislative Enactments Relating to Creation of the County -- Subsequent Changes in Boundaries -- An Injustice to Audubon County -- First County Election -- Locating the County Seat -- Political Organizations -- Congressional Districts -- Senatorial Districts -- Representative Districts -- Judicial Districts -- Constitutional Convention District -- Civil Townships -- County Seat Aspirations -- Organization of New Townships -- Unsatisfactory Boundaries -- Subsequent Changes -- Pioneer Conditions and Improvements -- Live Stock -- First Death in the Settlement -- Mills.

CHAPTER III -- OFFICIAL ROSTER------------------------------------------------------ 63

Representatives in Congress -- Judges of the District Court -- Judges of the Circuit Court -- Attorney-General -- State Senators -- Reporesentatives in Legislature -- County Judges -- Treasurers and Recorders -- Clerks of Court -- County Attorneys -- County Auditors -- County Treasurers -- County Recorders -- Sheriffs -- Superintendents of School -- County Surveyors -- Coroners -- Soldier Relief Commission -- Boards of Supervisors.

CHAPTER IV -- SETTLEMENT OF AUDUBON COUNTY------------------------ 68

Before the Settlement -- The Morman Trail -- Government Surveyors -- First Settlement -- The Actual First Settler -- Settlers Who Came Before 1861 -- Old Settlers Now Residing in the County -- The Homesteaders -- Railroad Lands -- Squatters -- Contentions with the Railroads -- First Events -- Early Marriages -- First Settlers in the Several Townships.

CHAPTER V -- THE FIRST SETTLERS---------------------------------------------- 82

The Hamlin Family -- Nathaniel Hamlin -- William P. Hamlin -- The Jenkinses -- Dr. Samuel M. Ballard -- David Edgerton -- Reuben Carpenter -- The Heaths -- A Noted Character -- The Herricks -- Hon. Daniel M. Harris -- The Lewises -- Rev. Richard C. Meek -- The Hallocks -- Other Prominent Pioneers of the County.

CHAPTER VI -- GOVERNMENT SURVEYS AND LAND ENTRIES--------- 135

Date and Location of Surveys, and by Whom Made -- Surveyors' Notes -- Original Entries of Government Lands -- Some Early Conveyances of Land.

CHAPTER VII -- POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS---------------------- 138

Origin of First Settlers -- Trend of First Elections -- Much Local Excitement in Early Campaigns -- Tricky Politics -- County-Seat Contests and Other Noteworthy Events.

CHAPTER VIII -- COUNTY SEATS AND COUNTY SEAT CONTESTS------ 144

Dayton Chosen the County Seat -- Sale of Town Lots -- Holding of the First Court -- First Court Officers -- First Jury -- Petition for Removal of County Seat to Viola -- Efforts to Move it to Hamlin -- "Woods Rats" -- Contest Between Exira and Audubon -- Intemperate Newspaper Editorials -- Election for New Court House.

CHAPTER IX -- RAILROADS, HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION----- 159

Old Morman Trail and Other Early Highways -- Laying Out of State and County Roads -- Bridges -- Modern Road-building -- Railroads -- Hack Lines, Stages and Mail Lines.

CHAPTER X -- AUDUBON COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR------------------- 164

Population in 1865 -- Union Soldiers from this County -- Drafts -- Organization of a Local Militia Company -- Muster Rolls -- The Audubon County Rifle-men -- War-time Incidents.

CHAPTER XI -- THE BAR OF AUDUBON COUNTY------------------------- 173

List of Audubon County Lawyers, Past and Present, with Residences and Periods of Practice.

CHAPTER XII -- THE MEDICAL PROFESSION------------------------------ 175

List of Physicians, Past and Present, Who Have Practiced in Audubon County, with Residences andn Periods of Practice.

CHAPTER XIII -- THE PRESS----------------------------------------------------- 177

The First Newspaper -- Papers at Exira, Audubon, Gray, Hamlin and Kimballton.

CHAPTER XIV -- BANKS AND BANKING------------------------------------- 184

First Bank in Audubon County -- Banking Institutions at Exira, Audubon, Gray, Brayton, Kimballton and Hamlin Station.

CHAPTER XV -- CHURCHES AND RELIGION--------------------------------- 186

The Country Church -- Religious Spirit Among the Pioneers -- First Religious Work in Audubon County -- Establishment of Classes and Their Development Into Churches -- The Great Sunday Meetings -- Congregational Churches -- Methodist Episcopal Churches -- Presbyterian Churches -- United Brethren -- Evangelical Association -- Friedman's Evangelical Church -- Christian Churches -- Evangelical Lutheran Church (German) -- German Lutheran Church [German Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church, Lincoln Twp., German Lutheran Church, Audubon] -- Danish Lutheran Church -- Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church -- Seventh-day Adventist Churches -- Baptist Churches -- Church of Christ, Scientist -- Catholic Churches -- Recapitulation of Church Statistics.

CHAPTER XVI -- AUDUBON COUNTY SCHOOLS-------------------------- 238

The First School in the County -- Location of Some Early County Schools -- First County Institute -- County Superintendents -- Children of School Age, 1905 -- School Statistics for 1914 -- Present Splendid Condition of Schools -- What School Houses Should Be.

CHAPTER XVII -- LODGES AND FRATERNAL SOCIETIES-------------- 245

Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the Appendant Orders -- Independent Order of Odd Fellows -- Knights of Pythias -- Grand Army of the Republic -- Woman's Relief Corps -- Sons of Veterans -- The Danish Brotherhood in America -- Danish Sisters' Society in America -- Modern Woodmen of America -- Ancient Order of United Workmen -- Knights of the Maccabees -- Brotherhood of American Yeoman.

CHAPTER XVIII -- TOWNS AND VILLAGES---------------------------------- 256

Exira -- Audubon -- Brayton -- Oakfield -- Gray -- Hamlin -- Kimballton -- Ross -- Obsolete Towns.

CHAPTER XIX -- THE DANES---------------------------------------------------- 290

First Dane Settler in Audubon County -- List of Early Danish Settlers, with Places and Dates of Settlement -- Desirable Immigrants -- Building Elkhorn College-- Towns in the Danish Neighborhood-- Worthy Citizens.

CHAPTER XX -- AUDUBON COUNTY STATISTICS---------------------- 296

Present Postoffices -- Obsolete Postoffices -- Census Statistics, 1856 -- Improved Lands -- Occupations -- Population of the County by Years -- Population by Townships -- Male Population, by Years -- Voters, by Years -- Nativity of Population -- Natives of Iowa -- Occupations, 1895 -- Farm Productions -- Census, 1905.

BIOGRAPHICAL MENTION
(Bios begin on pg. 305 with Charles Van Gorder.)

INDEX OF PHOTOS/VIEWS

Transcribed April 2013 from the History of Audubon County, Iowa, by H. F. Andrews, ed., Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1915, pp. 13-15.