Settlers & Old Pioneers Festival
1872

Transcribed for Clayton co. IAGenWeb by Audrey Haught, March 2016

Quick links to the townships on this page:
Jefferson * Farmersburg * Monona * Elk * Read * Lodomillo

Cass, Clayton, Marion, Giard, Garnavillo & Mendon townships are on page 2
(no lists were found for the remaining townships)

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Proclamation To the Pioneers and Old Settlers of Clayton County, Iowa

Having been frequently reminded during the past five years to issue an active agency, in convening a social gathering of the Early Settlers of Clayton County. I have (after a careful consideration of the matter) concluded to issue the following Proclamation, and for my authority in doing so, I submit the following statement:

I became a permanent resident of that part of the Black Hawk Purchase, now known as Clayton County, on the twenty-first day of May, 1835, and have been a continuous resident of the County from that time until now, being a period of thirty-six years and seven months, at the date of this instrument. There is now no man living in the County who was here when I came, and who has been a continuous resident of it until now; all are dead, or have left the County. On the 4^th day of July, 1835, I could call by name every white man, woman and child, living in the county. They numbered then about fifty-three persons. The last census of the county makes its population exceed twenty-seven thousand.

Now by virtue of these says, I do hereby issue and make public the following

PROCLAMATION

It is ordered that a Festival and gathering of the Pioneers and Old Settlers of Clayton County, be convened at Elkader, on the 15^th day of February, 1872, and that said gathering may have character and respectability, and may be made worthy of mention by the future historians of the County.

I do hereby nominate and appoint, as a committee, to control the direction and management of said festival and gatherings, Mrs. Victor Carter, Mrs. Timothy Davis, Mrs. Elisha Boardman, Michael Uriell, and Henry B. Carter.

And said committee are herewith invested with full power and authority to determine upon such progrmme, and to take such action in the matter as to them shall seem best calculated to achieve the object here south to be attained. They shall have power to appoint subordinate committees, and to define their duties. They shall have power to decide all questions of privilege and order, and such decisions shall be final and conclusive. Said committee shall have no power to annul or set aside the following requirements, to wit:

Those persons who have resided in the county a quarter of a century, and not thirty years, are to be regarded as “Old Settlers”.
Those who have resided in the county thirty years and upwards are to be regarded as “Pioneers”.

All Pioneers attending the Festival, will wear a red rosette of red ribbon upon the right breast of the coast or vest.
Those belonging to the Old Settlers, a white rosette upon the left breast of the coat or dress.
Any person born in the county, and entitled to one of the above ribbons, will unite with it a blue ribbon, which will indicate that they were born on the Territorial Border.

The children of Pioneers, or Old Settlers, born in the county and not twenty-five years old, will wear a blue ribbon around the right arm above the elbow.
Grandchildren of Pioneers or Old Settlers will wear upon the left arm a rosette composed of the three ribbons, red, white and blue.

All persons attending the Festival and not entitled to a ribbon will be regarded as distinguished guest.

Those citizens only, who reside or do business in Elkader are respectfully invited to aid the committee, as above, with such donations of provision, personal assistance or other aid as may be acceptable to them, in order that the historian of coming years, may record to, their exclusive credit, the honor of the occasion.

That the supper of the Festival may be made to recall some of the reminiscences of border life and be made fully acceptable to those Pioneers and Old Settlers who may be present and there should be a reasonable supply of roasted coon and corn bread and that these luxuries may exhibit evident avidness of border skill, in their preparation for the banquet, I hereby appoint Horace D. Brownson, of Elkader, to superintend and direct this department of the Festival, and I further nominate and appoint Robert Tompkins, (late editor of the McGregor News) poet laureate of the Festival with instructions to prepare a suitable song of five verses to be sung on the occasion and adapted to the tune of “Auld Lang Sine,” such song will be reported to the committee for their approval and acceptance.

And I do further nominate and appoint Henry Gifford, Clayton’s pioneer preacher of the border, to officiate on the occasion in the delivery of a suitable prayer, of the old fashioned, Turkey River, common sense kind. To be free from all Beecherism, or other strange unorthodox ideas, but such as to the Lord will be enabled to understand without the aid of an interpreter.

Given under my hand this, the 21^st day of December, A.D., 1871
Eliphalet Price

~published in the Clayton County Journal, January 3, 1872

Old Settlers’ Reunion

In pursuance of the proclamation of Judge Price fixing the Old Settler Festival at Elkader on the 11^th of June, 1872, the Committee appointed in that proclamation met at Elkader and made the preliminary arrangements for the same. As officers for the occasion they have chosen the following gentlemen:

The Vice Presidents above named were also appointed a Committee to procure the names of Old Settlers, their children and grandchildren, in their respective townships, and to forward the lists as soon as possible to the Committee of Arrangements at Elkader, in care of R.C. Price.

The Old Settlers will include all those who have resided 25 years within Clayton County on the 11^th of next June. It is hoped that the Committee will properly classify the Old Settlers and their children that there may be no mistakes made in publication.

~published in the Clayton County Journal, February 21, 1872

Old Settlers’ Festival

In another place we publish a conspicuous program of the approaching Festival of the Pioneers and Old Setters of Clayton County. It will be the grandest, most imposing event that has ever transpired within the boundaries of Clayton County. If the weather proved fair the old settlers and pioneers and their children will come in from far and near. In every section of the country from which we have heard the people are enthusiastic and will come in mass. Music, dancing speaking and social feeling will run higher on that day than ever before know in the history of the County; and a grand sight will it be to see the thousands who will be here, feasting on the magnificent Ox which we be roasted for the occasion. A proud and happy day it will be indeed, for the old pioneers to meet again the friends of yore and rehear the old tales of harder life in which they were the actors and heroes. There will be no politics, no sectarian strife on that day – all will be one – happy in each other’s presence, happy in the realization of this day, happy in the conscious as of the great changes which have taken place since their first advent into this County. And thousands of others who will come, will look on with joy to see the old folks mingle again as in days gone by

Come, then, old and young, and participate in the Pioneer Festival.

~published in the Clayton County Journal, June 5, 1872

Overview of the Festival

We have no real telling of just how many Pioneers, Old Settlers were present, but that out of the 6,000 people assembled , 1,000 were Pioneers and Old Settlers, including of course their children and grand-children. The old pioneers in the County who were present were the following:
Wm Walker
W [illegible],
Wm Quigley
E. Price
Lewis Coley
Chas. Howard
E. Price was the oldest.

~published in the Clayton County Journal, June 12, 1872

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Jefferson township

The names of Pioneers, Old Settlers, and their children living in the township of Jefferson .....

Names of Pioneers:
Willard Knight
Ellphalet Price

Names of Old Settlers:

Old Settlers Born in the County:
Caroline Dimer
Henry Aulwes
John Stoeffler
Charles Bishop

Names of Children of Old Settlers:

Names of Grandchildren of Old Settlers:

~published in the Clayton County Journal, February 28, 1872


Farmersburg township

The names of Pioneers, Old Settlers, and their children living in the township of Farmersburg, prepared by J. Francis .....

Names of Children of Old Settlers:

~published in the Clayton County Journal, March 6, 1872


Monona township

The following list has been carefully prepared by Hon. P.P. Olmsted .....

Names of Children of Old Settlers:

Names of Grandchildren of Old Settlers:

~published in the Elkader Journal, March 27, 1872


Elk township

Reported by M. W. Lovett, Esq .....

Names of Pioneers:
Elizabeth Rulen

Names of Children of Pioneers:
John E. Ross
Elizabeth Ross
Alace Ross
Squire Ross
Hora Rulen
Philla Rulen

Old Settlers Born in the County:

Names of Children of Old Settlers:

Names of Grandchildren of Old Settlers:

~published in the Clayton County Journal, April 3, 1872


Read township

Reported by M. Uriell Esq. .....

Names of Pioneers:
Henry Gifford
Lucitta Gifford
M. Uriell
Jms Uriell
Jno Uriell

Names of Old Settlers:

Names of Children of Pioneers:

Names of Children of Old Settlers:

Names of Grandchildren of Old Settlers:
R B Nichols
Henry A Nichols
WM A Nichols
Many A Nichols
Effa L Parsons
Ida May Parsons

~published in the Clayton County Journal, April 3, 1872


Lodomillo township

Reported by F.C. Madison, Esq .....

~published in the Clayton County Journal, April 10 1872

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