Crees, Cyrus Family

CREES, HANEY, COPPERSMITH, BECK, KOGER, KIER

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 10/5/2020 at 05:59:14

The Cyrus Crees Family
Reflections of Grand River, Iowa 1881-1981, p. 1181

Henry H. Crees (b. in Pa., Nov. 30, 1786) and Mary Magdaline Haney were united in marriage (sic) on Feb. 14, 1805. To this union were born 11 children, the sixth of whom was Joseph Crees (b. Oct. 5, 1814), the perpetuator of the Crees family in Decatur County. Joseph was married to Catherine Ann Coppersmith (b. March, 1812) and started a home and family in Allegheny County, Pa. Henry died July 29, 1847.

In the following year Mary Magdaline, accompanied by Joseph and four of his brothers (and families), started west. They settled in Jefferson County, Ia., in 1848; but the brothers soon scattered to separate parts of Iowa: one in the vicinity of Fort Dodge and one in Wayne County (the father of Phil Crees, who resided in Grand River for several years, and Joe Crees, who resided in Lineville).

Joseph and family, his mother, and brother Henry (b. Jan. 11, 1823) came to Decatur County in the fall of 1854. Settling in the northwestern part of Decatur Twp., they built a log cabin about 60 rods east of the township line on the south bank of the Grand River for the winter. In the following spring they built a log house on higher ground in the N.W. corner of the south one-half of the N.W. one-fourth of Sec. 6, Decatur Township, and lived there for 3 years, later relocating 1/4 mile west, where they lived and died.

Joseph bought land from the government and from the Indians, acquiring a considerable amount. (There were many Indians living here at this time, and Joseph's children had more Indian playmates than white). Joseph gave each of his eight children 80 acres of land as they became of age or married. Joseph broke land with 8 yoke of oxen and a plow that cut and turned a 36-inch furrow.

In the meantime Henry, Jr., and his mother located on the S. E. 1/4 of Sec. 34, Richland Township, which is now known as Shewmaker Park. Henry married Mary E. Beck, daughter of John H. Beck (a resident of Decatur Township). After Henry's mother died (Aug. 19, 1866) and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, he moved to Kansas.

Joseph, Senior, was a man of many trades. He owned and operated the first sawmill and the first threshing machine in his neighborhood. They were run by horse power. He quarried limestone for building stone and burnt limestone in the kilns for lime and plaster. The quarry was some 50 rods northeast of the present old brick house (where the river ran at that time). The rock house that his son Fred built was made from rock that Joseph had quarried. He also made and burnt brick. His son Michel built a brick house from his brick. The first community school was a log building which was replaced by a brick building, the brick made by Joseph, Senior. This was called the Diamond School, which stood southwest across the road from the present ...... home. Joseph, Senior, got his clay for brick out of the river bank some 400 feet southeast of the brick house. Joseph also quarried rock and burnt lime at the ford 1/2 mile west of the present .....home.

Joseph and Catherine Ann lived and died in the faith of the United Brethern Church. Catherine died on Jan. 30, 1885; Joseph, on May 2, 1897. Both were buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

John Frederick Crees (b. Jan. 12, 1840) was the third child of Joseph and Catherine Ann. Early in life, Fred became familiar with the many pursuits in which his father delved. In his early manhood Fred traveled extensively, making two trips across the plains, returning the first time by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Fred enlisted and served with the 34th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Co. 1, during the Civil War. After serving one year, he was wounded and honorably discharged.

Having received his 80 acres some time before (the land his parents had first built on), Fred turned his attention from was to agriculture and, for many years, was engaged in farming. In addition to growing the usual crops, he raised, bought, fed, and sold many head of livestock annually while operating some 600 acres in the N. W. corner of Decatur Twp.

Fred married Margaret A. Koger, daughter of Jordan and Elizabeth Koger (residents of Decatur Township) in 1867. They started housekeeping in the log cabin built by his father in 1854. They later built a limestone house where the brick house now stands. Most of their children were born in this stone house. After the stone house burned, the family moved back to the log cabin while a new brick house (which is still standing) was built.

Fred and Margaret reared 10 children. Both were active members of the Methodist Church in Grand River Township, known as Maple Grove.

Cyrus Crees (b. Jan. 3, 1870) was the second child of Fred and Margaret Crees. He attended the community school (spring and fall) until he was 15 years old. (There was no school during the cold winter months as it was impossible to heat the log building that stood where the brick Diamond School House later was built).

Early in life Cyrus learned farming, logging, and sawmill work. After his schooling he worked for his father and saved his money to buy a driving team and buggy. He married Delia Kier (b. Dec. 12, 1873), and started housekeeping in the log cabin his grandfather had built in the fall of 1854. There, their first child, Glenn A. was born on Oct. 12, 1893.

Cyrus then moved to a tract of land his father had bought in Sec. 10, Grand River Twp., where a new house had been built. He cleared and broke sod for farmland while Delia piled and burned brush. Donald E. was born there, Sept. 28, 1895; Ester Fay, Aug. 29, 1900; and Forrest, Aug. 26, 1903.

Cyrus' mother died July 23, 1905; and his father moved to Grand River that fall. Cyrus and his family then moved onto the home place that same fall. Samuel Frederick was born there May 13, 1906; Forrest died Jan. 2, 1907; and Paul Bryan was born May 2, 1908.

Cyrus homesteaded 160 acres in Perkins Co., S. Dak., in 1909, moving in the winter of 1909-1910 on an emigrant train with several other famlies from Grand River. The women and children went by passenger train. Glen and Don went with their father on the freight train. Cyrus shared a freight car with Frank Redman. The winter was extremely severe; the passenger train was stuck in one snow drift for 2 weeks. They unloaded from the train at Hettinger, N. Dak., 60 miles north of their homestead.

Cyrus and family stayed 18 months and improved on their claim; but because of hard winters, drought and grasshoppers in summer, prairie fires, wild horses, and other natural disasters, they came back to Iowa in the fall of 1911, moving back onto his father's home place early in 1912. He bought the 80 acres on which Paul now lives in 1912 and moved onto it in March, 1916.

The children Cyrus and Delia recall the ensuing years with fond memories, especially ones of the river. The Grand River of early days was much wider and deeper, with sloping banks that were solid. Gravel and rock covered the bottom with long stretches of limestone. There was no mud in the river or on the banks, and sand bars were prevalent. It was common practice to wait for winter to move heavy freight when the river was frozen over, and the freight could be moved over the ice. Paul and his brother Sammie and sister Esther spent many happy hours digging mussels from the sandbars of Grand River (1912-1916) as well as fishing from its banks.

Cyrus and Delia were faithful members of the Maple Grove Church all their lives. Delia died on Jan. 2, 1956; Cyrus, on Feb. 15, 1967. They were laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery.

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Per Mary Cone Stewart: Henry Crees died at Creesesville, IA, now known as Batavia and is buried there along with two sons of J and CA, Cyrus 1846-1848 and Henry 1841-1851.

Transcription for IAGenWeb.org, Decatur County