Bailey, S. V. (Samuel Vaughn)

BAILEY

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 6/27/2019 at 18:21:32

S. V. Bailey
Lamoni's Passing Parade.
Joseph H. Anthony. Blair Printing Co. p. 30. ca. 1948.

In those days when the railroad companies began to broaden theirlines in southern Iowa there was the usual indecision and uncertainty which surrounds any new venture, especially where it involves acquiringand surveying new land for right-of-ways and the laying of steel tracks across the virgin prairie through those sections of the country, to enable them to serve the greatest number of people and at the same time bring the greatest amount of business to the company.

The new town of Lamoni was very much in its infancy when the C.B.&Q. Company extended a branch of its lines into this new section of country. But evidently the new town was not considered of sufficient importance to divert any of the previously laid plans, and work was already in progress in constructing a road bed, the right-of-way of which was laid out in a course taking a northwesternly direction, passing some two miles east of Lamoni toward the town of Mount Ayr.

It was while this work was in progress that a group of the railway officials who were on a tour of inspection of the new project were accosted by a resident of the new town who introduced himself as S. V. bailey and who straightway endeavored to interest them in changing the course of the proposed line so that it might include Lamoni along with the other towns it proposed to serve. It is said the gentlemen representing the company were quite indifferent to his proposal and intimated that it would be impossible for the new community to provide the necessary inducements to interest them to make the change in their plans, and as the conversation continued they became positive of the uselessness of its consideration. But Samuel Bailey was not one to be discouraged easily and was just as positive that these requirements could be met; and he insisted they grant the opportunity to prove to them that he was right.

He was just one man against several during this discussion, but he stood his ground and met their arguments point for point until finally - probably as the easiest way out of the argument - they agreed to submit a proposition to the residents of the new town for their consideration. Once that decision was reached Samuel Bailey hastened back to town and passed the word around, and in a short time he had enlisted the aid of several residents of the locality, who secured a sufficient number of signers to contribute the necessary money and land to met the requirements of the railroad company. Consequently the line to Mount Ayr by way of Lamoni was completed a short time later and in time this line was extended to Grant City, finally joining a branch line which in the meantime had been constructed through Albany and thus completed rail connections from Chariton to St. Joseph, Missouri.

As a monument to Samuel V. Bailey's persistence and sincerity of purpose the old deserted railroad grade is still visible two miles east of town where work was abruptly halted that particular day in 1880, and through the efforts of one man the line took a new course which assured the new town a chance for development that it never would have had under the original plan; and to this man should go the credit for playing such a vital part in shaping the destiny of the community.

Knowing Samuel Bailey as I learned later to know him, I can more easily form a mental picture of the important part he played in this drama of the prairies. He was a man of forceful personality, with an in born determination to carry to completion any undertaking he chose to sponsor, and this one related to a matter that was very close to his heart. He had come to this region because he was vitally interested in the fortune of the Reorganized Latter Day Saint movement, which had chosen this location and fostered the founding of the town of Lamoni in the hope of making it a center to which the scattered remnants of the original church might be drawn and formulated into a new working unit that would continue the development of the plans outlined by the original church under Joseph Smith. He had brought his family to this community that they might have a part in this development and he was determined that his children along with those of his brethren and others of the settlement, might share all the adages the community could provide. He realized full well that before these advantages could be obtained the new town and community must be developed, and he possessed unlimited faith that this development would be forthcoming; therefore, he was determined to do all in his power to hasten its realization.

When I first became a visitor in the Bailey home it was in those days when Will and Clara were pretty much in the newlywed class and Samuella and Vaughn were just youngsters in high school. Mrs. Bailey was a kind, motherly soul who instantly made one feel at home no matter when or how often one came, but my first impression of the head of the house was that he was hard as nails, yet before long I learned that there was a kindly side to his nature that was encouraging and inviting. With him there was no compromising between right and wrong. If a thing was right there was no question about it and to participate in it was upbuilding and inspirational, but if, on the other hand, any phase of it was questionable, then it was wrong and should not be tolerated. As a youngster it was difficult for me to understand the interpretation he gave to many of our youthful activities, but with the coming of mature years I realize that there was much wisdom in the advice he had to offer. I know now he was trying to help us learn some things which it seems come to us only the hard way.

He possessed an uncanny sense of perception and upon numerous occasions apprehended our participation in certain neighborhood pranks when we thought we had covered our tracks so completely that no one could possibly suspicion us. And when his son, disregarded his wishes and participated in a hunting expedition on the Sabbath, during which he met with a minor accident, and he went to great length telling about the details of the incident and the fact that Vaughn and I were close friends, I could not help but feel that, in accordance with the old saying, he was chastising his son over my shoulder.

Christian people, he said, are instructed to respect the Lord’s day and keep it holy. And going hunting on Sunday is certainly not respecting that command. If a man in business respects the rules of that business he will be successful in it, but if he wantonly disregards those rules he is headed for speedy bankruptcy. The same is true in spiritual activities. They also are governed by definite regulations, and while it may seem a very small offense to go hunting on Sunday, yet one infraction often leads to another, and if we finally disregard enough of those rules, the spiritual incentive which is the source of the best that is in us dies and from then on our efforts are shallow and purposeless for then the light that we should receive from this source has burned out.

Of course, these were not his exact words, but they convey the thought as I remember it, and then he went on to name some individuals who in his opinion had allowed their lights to go out, and the passing of the years has convinced me Uncle Sam’s philosophy was not altogether a fallacy, and today I have a keen appreciation for his advice and the interest he displayed in my development. In many respects he was very much a father to me in those days following the loss of my own father, and the significance of his words has increased with the passing of the years. He had cast his lot with the reorganization of a sect that had suffered disintegration and almost complete annihilation. The mistakes and disappointments at Nauvoo were still fresh in the minds of those of his generation and he was determined that these same pitfalls must be avoided if the new organization was to succeed.

He was a man of indomitable courage in his stand for the ideals he felt to be worth while, a pioneer builder of the material Lamoni and a worker for the spiritual uplift and the development of character in those who were to be Lamoni citizens. Judged by present-day psychological standards his methods of child training would probably be considered rather severe, yet he knew the secret of winning the respect and confidence of all who came under his influence. A glance at the list of his descendants, noting the number of Samuels, Vaughns and Samuellas named in his honor, even to the fourth and fifth generations, gives indisputable proof of the high esteem and respect accorded him by those who knew him best. His years in this community were fruitful and exemplary, and the many favorable memories we have of him are conducive to the respect of all as we think of him as one of the substantial and reliable pioneers of Lamoni’s passing parade.

NOTE: Samuel was born September 29, 1830 and died March 25, 1908. He was married to Sarah Jane Corless, born August 27, 1841, and died February 11, 1926. They were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni IA.

Transcription by Jean Belzer, February 20, 2003