LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Ohap..r.(?::;_|. copyright No._ 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
i\i^ 
 
 27 \900 
 
Thomas Gorrell Phillips. 
 
JK^, .^gj*a 
 
 Semira Ann Phillips. 
 
D 
 
 A Little Knowledge Acquired Under Difficulties— Tippecanoe 
 AND Tyler, too — The National Road— Paw-paws— America's Black 
 Forest— Apple Butter Boiling — St. Mary's in the Woods— Scott's 
 Tavern— A Gentleman in the Rough— First Glimpse of Iowa— 
 Paton Wilson— Colonels and Esquires— Not Dangerous— New 
 Purchase — First View of Oskaloosa— Mahaska's First School- 
 First Organization of Methodist Church— Killing a Bear- 
 Quakers— A Blazed Path— Going to Meeting in Ox Wagon— The 
 First Fire in Oskaloosa— First Editors of Oskaloosa Herald— 
 The Bear Dance— Coal -Harrison Township — The War— Sorghum 
 —Soldiers' Aid Society— Our Neighbors and Our Own Precious 
 Dead— Many and Varied Reminiscences. 
 
 % Ssmira L f 
 
 Herald Print, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 1900. 
 
72274 
 
 c;OPYRIGHT, 1900, 
 
 BY 
 
 S EMIR A A. PHILLIPS. 
 
 l-it>iary of Confli '- 
 
 ''wo Copies Beceif' 
 JUL 27 1900 : 
 
 Copyright entry 
 
 SECOND COPY. 
 Delivered to 
 
 ORDER DIVISION, 
 
 JUL 28 1900 
 
 •v 
 
To Effie Hoffman RogerSf 
 
 Whose words of encouragement and 
 faith in my ability led to the story of 
 "Mahaska's First School," this un- 
 varnished story is affectionately ded- 
 icated by Mahaska's first teacher. 
 
 The Author. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 The minds of children and young" people generally 
 are so much taken up with the present that they are not 
 greatly interested in things that happened and the people 
 who lived long ago. Mahaska county's boys and girls 
 are no exception to the rule. But to some of them a 
 time will come when they will have become mature men 
 and women, and will have lain off childish things and 
 childish thoughts. Now when they hear old people tell 
 of their early experiences it sounds old fogyish and unin- 
 teresting; they wonder why father and grandfather and 
 other old folks want to be forever talking about living in 
 log cabins and breaking prairie, old looms and spinning 
 wheels; but where is the man or woman forty or fifty 
 years old who would not sieze with delight and read with 
 intense interest any true account of their ancestors, es- 
 pecially if they were good people? How they would like 
 to know what kind of looking people their great grand- 
 fathers and their great grandmothers were, what their 
 habits were, how they lived, how they got married and 
 how they buried their dead. 
 
14 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Every school boy and girl has heard much of the 
 early life,' habits, struggles and ])rivations of Lincoln and 
 Garfield and others who have risen to great eminence, 
 but know nothing of their own grandfathers and grand- 
 mothers. Many a good honest man or woman "who could 
 not find it in their nature to do a mean or dishonorable 
 thing, never think of how much they ought to thank the 
 Lord that they sprang from God-fearing, honest, honor- 
 able and industrious ancestors. Perhaps Timothy had 
 never thought of his indebtedness to his grandmother, 
 Lois, and his mother, Eunice, for the gifts within him 
 until Paul called his attention to it. Solomon said: 
 "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he 
 is old he will npt depart from it." They often depart 
 from their parents' training when they are young, they 
 sow wild oats, but after a while they find the crop not 
 profitable; they begin to be dissatisfied; in fact, they 
 have been dissatisfied all along, so when they find them- 
 selves growing old they begin to look back, to admire, 
 and finally fall into the faith and habits of their old fath- 
 ers and mothers. 
 
 I once knew a young man whose parents were hon- 
 est, industrious farmers — not rich, but well-to-do. They 
 were old-fashioned Methodists. This young man, when 
 about twenty, left home and went west to make a for- 
 tune. He was energetic and shrewd, and from a hired 
 laborer he rose to a great contractor, made much money 
 and sent many handsome presents to his parents and sis- 
 ters. On one of his visits home, after being absent 
 many years, he called to see me. He was a fine, gentle- 
 manly-looking man, with the manners of one who had 
 
REMINISCENCES. 15 
 
 seen much of the world. I was rejoiced to see him, and 
 after telling- him how glad I was to see him and how well 
 he looked, 1 said: "Now^ David, tell me about some of 
 your experiences and some of the sig'hts you have seen." 
 "Well," he began, "I have made and lost several for- 
 tunes, have been from Alaska to Terra Del Fuego, have 
 seen nearly every principal city on the continent of 
 America, have been among- the coffee plantations of Bra- 
 zil and the sugar plantations of Cuba. I have been as- 
 sociated with every kind of people in the western world; 
 have been in all climates, have wandered throug-h orange 
 groves and vast vineyards of California. Well, it's not 
 worth while to try to tell of half I have seen and exper- 
 ienced. But whether among the great cities or vast 
 plantations of the western continent, my thoughts ever 
 and anon, would dart back to the humble, peaceful, un- 
 pretentious Christian home away back in Iowa, where I 
 knew my old father and mother, brothers and sisters, 
 morning and night gathered around the family altar and 
 with simple faith asked God to give them their daily 
 bread and watch over the wandering one so far away; and 
 now, after wandering up and down, and seeing so much 
 of the world, I have come to the conclusion that much of 
 it is vanity and vexation of spirit, and I would have been 
 happier if I had have settled down in Iowa and lived 
 more like my parents have lived. In my intercourse 
 with men and affairs I have learned much which I would 
 not have obliterated from my mind, 
 
 ''I love to think of the oceans, islands, valleys and 
 mountains which delight the vision. The luxuriant trop- 
 ical foliage and flowers are pleasant to remember, but 
 
16 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 nothing now gives me the pleasure that the thought does 
 that I sprang from and had the example of honest, hon- 
 orable, Christian parents. I have had in my employ 
 hundreds of men, have dug down hills and filled up val- 
 leys, have tunneled through mountains and spanned 
 chasms, have had conflicts without and conflicts within, 
 but amidst it all I never quite lost my faith in God and 
 the religion of my old father and mother. These 
 thoughts come to us when we begin to discover that 
 time is fleeting and we are nearing the place where we 
 will begin to go down the hill of life.'" 
 
 Some one has said that "forty is the old age of youth 
 and forty is the youth of old age." 
 
 I remember a time when every man or woman I knew 
 was older than myself; now nearly every mau and woman 
 I know are younger than myself, (^nly here and there a 
 feeble, bent and white-haired man or woman who have 
 seen the snows of more winters or the waving corn and 
 green meadows of more summers than I have. 
 
 I have seen a time when I thought a person old at 
 forty. I have lived to see the time when men and women 
 who are not beyond forty seem hardly to have arrived at 
 mature manhood or womanhood. 
 
 Three score and eleven years seem a time late in life 
 to undertake the task of writing for the perusal of the 
 present generation my recollections of the early settling 
 of Mahaska County, and their ancestors w^ho were the 
 early settlers, but that is what I propose to do if the Lord 
 spares my life and mental faculties. 
 
 Many of my friends and acquaintances seem to think 
 that I have a clearer recollection of the early days and 
 
REMINISt'ENCES. 17 
 
 events than some others who have been here quite as 
 long-, and have urg"ed me to write, until I have finally 
 "screwed my courag'e up to the sticking" place." 
 
 So many thing's come looming" up in my mind I can 
 hardly decide on what to tell first. x\way back in the 
 forties and early fifties I knew nearly every man, woman 
 and child in and around Oskaloosa. A few of them are 
 left here and there, but only a few, and if I don't tell the 
 story of the times when everybody lived in log" cabins, 
 who will? 
 
 Oskaloosa has grown to be a considerable city, but 
 there is another considerable city not far away, a silent 
 city, many of whose inhabitants are the men and w^omen 
 who with honest purpose, courag'e and pluck helped to 
 make this g"rand and glorious country what it is to-day. 
 Here and there a block of g'ranite or a marble slab have 
 carved in them a few- letters and fig"ures, telling" their 
 names, when they were born and when they died. Some 
 haven't even that — only a little mound overg"rown with 
 g"rass. I wish I could tell to this g"eneration the hero- 
 ism, hardships and self-denial endured by many of the 
 inhabitants of that silent city. As I drive about the 
 streets of that city I seem to be living" in the past. The 
 friends of my youth are lying on every hand. I stop and 
 make them a little visit, and think of the times we 
 laughed and talked and ate and sometimes wept tog"ether. 
 
 I dislike very much to have the pronoun ''I" appear 
 so often in my story, but don't know how to avoid it and 
 tell my story at all. I am mixed up with mucli of it in 
 one way or another, and in telling of other people's af- 
 fairs I must of necessity tell some of my own. The cap- 
 
18 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 ital "I'' business has been worrying me ever since I be- 
 gan to think seriously of writing this story. I have 
 tried to think of some way to tell my recollections of the 
 people and unwritten events of the early days without 
 using the obnoxious "I,'" but have not succeeded. So I 
 have given it up, and concluded to let the "I's" come in 
 wherever they seem to be needed. My object is to tell a 
 true story of the early days and make things as plain as 
 I can. I have great respect and admiration for the peo- 
 ple who first settled this wilderness. When I think of 
 the character of those early settlers I feel that they 
 were chosen of the Lord to lay the foundation of things 
 in this goodly land. 
 
 The greater number of the earliest settlers of Ma- 
 haska County were from Ohio and Indiana; some were 
 from Illinois, a few from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ken- 
 tucky iind Tennessee. Ohio furnished the greater num- 
 ber. The Ohio people are proud of their native State, 
 and with good reason. Some of the best people I ever 
 knew are from Ohio. Virginia is called the "mother of 
 presidents,'' but the way things look now they will soon 
 be calling Ohio ''the mother of presidents." 
 
 The old Hoosier State is not very far behind in brains 
 and good citizenship, though I can remember a time when 
 Indiana was the subject of many jokes and uncompli- 
 mentary remarks. But since Morton was governor and 
 the Hoosiers acquitted themselves so honorably in the 
 civil war, and General Lew Wallace wrote "Ben Hur," 
 and James Whitcomb Riley has cliarmed the English- 
 speaking world with the incomparable products of his 
 brain and pen, Indiana has gone several steps higher on 
 
REMINISCENCES. 19 
 
 the social ladder. Indiana never did deserve the scoffs 
 and sneers and unkind epithets which used to be heaped 
 upon her. ''Posey County'"' was a by-word much used 
 by persons who were altogether ignorant of the beauty 
 of its scenery, richness of its soil, and the grand old hero 
 for whom the county was named. But that is the way of 
 the world. States, like people, are sometimes thought 
 to be of little account until they by accident or other- 
 wise perform some heroic deed. Many a wordy battle 
 have I had with those scoffers, trying to defend my na- 
 tive State. My first recollections are of the little gravel- 
 ly creeks, springs of clear, delicious cold water rushing 
 out of hillsides and forming little brooks and tiny water- 
 falls, then meandering away off" through meadows or 
 woods, and finally losing themselves in the greater creek. 
 
 The great tall poplars, sugar trees and beech, and 
 the paw-paw bushes growing along its banks; the old log 
 school-house where I first went to school when I was 
 only three years old. I can shut my eyes and see the old 
 Webster spelling-book with its pictures of the boy in the 
 apple tree and the milk maid and her pail of milk, spilled 
 and running all over the ground. Iowa is a grand State, 
 with charming" kuidscapes and many other splendid quali- 
 ties, but where is the man or woman living in Iowa whose 
 childhood and youth were spent in Indiana or Ohio, who 
 does not sometimes long for the sugar-making times in 
 the spring, and the gorgeous red and yellow foliage of 
 the sugar trees in October? I don't suppose they would 
 thank me for my sympathy, but I sometimes feel a X'eal 
 pity for the boys and girls who have never known the su- 
 preme delight of gathering around a kettle of sugar oiit 
 
20 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 in a camp when it is just ready to "stir ott'," armed with 
 a tin cup of cold water and a paddle. We didn't mind mud 
 and slush and wet feet, which always went along with 
 sugar-making. 
 
 Indiana was new in my childhood, but not too new to 
 have big apple trees and peach trees and pear trees. 
 Every farmer had an orchard, but if they had a big crop 
 of fruit there was no market for it worth naming unless 
 they dried their fruit. What a splendid time the young 
 people used to have at apple cuttings and apple butter 
 boilings. No well-regulated family was without their 
 barrel of apple butter. Ai^ple butter was made by boil- 
 ing down cider made of sweet apples to about one-third 
 of the original quantity, then peeling and quartering and 
 coring great mellow rambos and pippins, then putting 
 them in that condensed cider, which was kept boiling 
 continuously until the mass was done. The apples could 
 not all be put in at once, but had to be added at intervals 
 and stirred every moment from first to last. If the stir- 
 ring was neglected for ever so short a time it was sure 
 to stick to the bottom of the big copper kettle and burn. 
 Some of those kettles held fifty gallons. It was consid- 
 ered a great calamity to have one burned, for they cost 
 an immense sum. I knew an old Pennsylvania German 
 who was the envied possessor of one of those great ket- 
 tles. He was a kind neighbor and would lend it all 
 around, but always with the injunction, ''be sure and not 
 let the butter stick.'' An apple butter stirrer always 
 went with the kettle. This stirrer consisted of a handle 
 many feet long, with a board with many big auger holes 
 in it, firmly fixed at one end in an upright position and 
 
REMINISCENCES. 21 
 
 long" enoug"h to reach from the top to the bottom of the 
 kettle. By this means the persons operating it could 
 stand several feet away from the fire and smoke. 
 
 Usually at these "functions" a boy and girl would take 
 hold of that long handle and stir together, and when one 
 couple would stir awhile another couple would relieve 
 them. What an opportunity that w^as for we boys and 
 girls to talk ''nothings.'''' We talked as learnedly as we 
 knew how about the last spelling school, who was the 
 best speller, and who was g(^ing to "choose up" at the 
 next one. I mean the boys and girls of my age, from 
 twelve to fifteen, were the ones most interested in spell- 
 ing schools. There was a set a little older who, perhaps 
 were engaged in more serious conversation. 
 
 I attended a country school once whose teacher was 
 a young man who enjoyed spelling schools as much as 
 any of us; he allowed us to choose up and spell every 
 Friday afternoon. The boys played ball every day dur- 
 ing the noon recess; they chose up to play ball as well as 
 to spell. There was a big, good-natured boy in that 
 school whose name was Jordan Pike. Jordan was al- 
 ways first choice in the ball game, but in spelling school 
 was alwavs last. 
 
22 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The time I am writing- about was in the early forties. 
 The country had not recovered from the financial crash 
 of thirty-seven. Many families who had been accus- 
 tomed to the comforts of life were reduced to poverty. 
 Merchants were frequently sold out by the sheriff, and 
 many distressing things happened. I was too young" and 
 full of hope and bu(^yant spirits to comprehend or be 
 much worried over the state things were in, and another 
 reason was, I had never been used to anything like afflu- 
 ence. But I had, what I think now was better than 
 wealth — I had health and energy and an intense desire 
 to be educated. I had great reverence for scholars and 
 people who knew things. I was not afraid of anything 
 but disgrace. My people were of Quaker stock who be- 
 lieved in justice. In my childhood I was taught that 
 nothing- was disgraceful but actual meanness in one's 
 self. Opportunities for acquiring an education were 
 ]ioor, especially for poor people, though the poor were 
 not very poor nor the rich very rich in Indiana fifty-seven 
 years ago. The rich could send their daughters away 
 
REMINISCENCES. 23 
 
 off to boarding-school, but the poor had to do as best they 
 could. I never had the benefit of a public or free school. 
 Not many years after the time of which I am writing" 
 many of the young people I used to know in Indiana were 
 sent to Earlham, but when I left they were just talking 
 about building Friends' Boarding School, which was aft- 
 erward called Earlham. But now from Maine to Cali- 
 fornia and from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico 
 can be found persons who at some time in their lives 
 have been students at Earlham. 
 
 In 1839 the citizens of the little town not far from 
 where I lived built what was thought to be a very im^")os- 
 ing structure — brick and two stories high. It was 
 adorned with a portico with immense doric columns 
 reaching from floor to roof. The first story was used as 
 town hall and public assembly room, for almost any kind 
 of meeting — literary, political or religious. The upper 
 story was one great big school-room; this edifice was 
 called a "Seminary." As soon as the Seminary was 
 completed a gentleman by the name of Samuel K. Hosh- 
 our opened a school in that upper room. Mr. Hoshour's 
 fame as a teacher had reached our ears before he came. 
 He taught all branches usually taught in that day, and 
 many which were not usually taught in that region. His 
 teaching ranged from the Third Reader to Higher Math- 
 ematics, Latin, Greek, French and German. I never 
 heard any one say that he was not master of all. I was 
 wild to go to that school. I lived a little too far away to 
 walk, and to hire my board in town was out of the ques- 
 tion. Tuition alone was ^1.50 a term, and that seemed 
 an immense sum. A dollar then was as hard to raise as 
 
24 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 twenty is now, much as people talk ab(Hit hard times in 
 th's year of our Lord 1898. 
 
 It was finally agreed upon among us to have me 
 work for my board in some family, if one could be found 
 near the school who was willing" to take me in. I was 
 less than fifteen years old, but was healthy and strong 
 and willing to do any kind of drudgery to pay my way if 
 I could only have the privilege of going to that school. 
 I found a family w^illing to board me for the amount of 
 work I could do morning's and evenings, Saturdays and 
 Sundays. This family lived only three blocks from the 
 school. They were very respectable and proper peo})le, 
 but not much given to }Kirting with their worldly posses- 
 sions wdthout receiving full compensation for the same. 
 I was given a comfortable bed and good food, for which 
 I thought then, and liave thought ever since, I fully 
 compensated them. I washed the dishes after every 
 meal, did the washing an:l ironing, fed and milked the 
 cow, carried the milk down cellar and carried it up again. 
 I did all the scrubbing and carried the water uj) a long 
 flight of steps. Besides tlie things I have named, I per- 
 formed fully half the labor in making thirty yards of rag 
 carpet. I never had the nerve to attempt to carry my 
 books home and study in the evening, for the carpet rags 
 were always awaiting my attention when the supper 
 dishes were disposed of. The lady was an excellent 
 housekeeper, and everything had to be done at the proper 
 time. How I (hd want to study my lessons in the even- 
 ing, but she managed me so adroitly I never dared by 
 word or hint to suggest the thought. The family retired 
 regularly at half-past nine o'clock. I would have been 
 
REMINISCENCES. 2o 
 
 glad to have had the privileg-e of studying- my lessons 
 after the work was done, but the lii-e was covered up, 
 and to have burned a candle after that hour was an ex- 
 travagance }iot permitted in that house, 
 
 I would carr}^ my books and slate home on Friday 
 evenings and study as much as I could on Sunday, but 
 sometimes I wanted to see my mother and little brothers 
 so much that I would take the "near cut" and walk 
 home on Sunday. I say ''widk, "' l)ut it was run a good 
 deal of the way. This "near cut'' was through fields 
 and woods and meadows, and necessitated climbing many 
 staked and ridered fences. I didn't mind that, for I 
 never knew in those days what it was to be tired. 
 
 I can see, even now, how pleased my mother looked 
 when I came Hying in; how^ interested she \yb^ in every- 
 thing I had to tell. I wotdd tell her how well I was get- 
 ting on in school, keeping up with my classes, and what 
 a wonderful man Mr. Hoshour was, and the many things 
 he told us about which I had never heard spoken of in a 
 school before. And then I would tell her how well I 
 was getting on with the housework at Mr. Nero's; they 
 treated me kindly and found no fault with my work. 
 
 Once she said to me: "Child, thee studies at night, 
 don't thee?'' 
 
 I said: "No, we are making a rag carpet, and work 
 at that of nights." 
 
 I remember well the look of pain which came in her 
 face. She sat a little while without saying anything; 
 then with a look of tender sympathy she only said, "well, 
 child, do the l)est thee can and thee will come out all 
 right." 
 
26 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 How fast those Sunday afternoons would fly, and 
 how soon the time would come when I would know I 
 must hurry l)ack to milk the cow. 
 
 Some of our iieig"hbors found fault with me— said I 
 was selfish. They said I ought to stay at home and help 
 my mother instead of fooling- my time away at school. 
 I remember one woman in particular who took it upon 
 herself to give me a piece of her mind on the subject. 
 Having gone to her house one day on an errand, I found 
 her in the yard vigorously stirring something in a large 
 iron kettle hanging over a fire which was sending out 
 huge volumes of smoke seemingly in every direction. 
 As I drew near I saw that '"Melinda" (as we called her) 
 was making soap, mid that vigorous stirring was to pre- 
 vent its boiling over. Melinda didn't see me until I was 
 at her side, for her face was hidden in the depths of a 
 long slat sun-bonnet. When she looked up her eyes were 
 red and streaming with tears, from the efl:'ects of that 
 "contrary fire," as Melinda called it. She didn't stop to 
 say "how de do," but in a sharp tone sang out: 
 
 "Take that gourd luid bring me some lye, quick!'' 
 I didn't Jose any time in snatching up that big 
 crooked-handled gourd and flying to the ash-hopper and 
 dipping up about two quarts of lye and handing it to 
 Melinda. She siezed and dashed the whole of it into 
 that boiling soap, which immediately settled down to 
 more gentle motions, when Melinda remarked, ''I believe 
 this soap's done, and you take hold and help me lift it 
 off." I did as she desired, but as soon as the kettle was 
 safely deposited on the ground Melinda began a tirade 
 which I have not forgotten, although it has been nearly 
 
REMINISCENCES. 27 
 
 sixty years ag^o. Melinda was one of those persons who 
 believed in saying" just wliat they thoug'ht, reg"ardless of 
 anybody's feelings. She had the reputation of being" 
 able to accomplish more work in a g"iven time than any 
 woman in the neig"hborhood. She spun and wove the 
 cloth for all the winter clothing" for her family, the flax 
 and tow for all the sheets, tablecloths and tow^els they 
 used. She tended the g"arden herself and raised hun- 
 dreds of chickens. She enjoyed tlie distincti(m of having" 
 the first peas, new potatoes and fried chicken of any- 
 body in the neig"hborhood. She didn't pay much atten- 
 tion to raising" flowers, but g"ourds were a specialty 
 with her. Every Summer, gourds of all sizes and 
 lengths of handle could be seen growing on vines trained 
 over her garden fence. Melinda would divide her gourds 
 with her less thrifty neighbors. I think she even delight- 
 ed in being generous in that respect, but at the same 
 time would snap out the remark: "If you was any ac- 
 count you could raise 'em yourself." 
 
 I used to think Melinda could make gourds serve 
 more purposes than any woman I ever saw. She used 
 one enormous gourd for holding salt, another for soap, 
 another for storing away her garden seeds; a beautiful 
 long-handled, clean gourd w^hich would hold about a 
 quart was always to be seen in the water bucket, and 
 another like it was always hanging at the spring, and 
 one of convenient size for dipping lye when slie made 
 soap; which brings me back to what I was going to tell 
 about the lecture Melinda gave me. She never stopped 
 her work when a neighbor called, but w^ent right on with 
 anything she happened to be doing. Work never inter- 
 
28 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 fered with her talkmg". As soon as the soap settled 
 down and stopped boilini^', she took up a gourd and com- 
 menced dipping" it out and pouring" it into a barrel. At 
 the same time she commenced talking to me in this wise: 
 
 "See, here, my girl! They say you are going to 
 town and go to school in that big Siminary, where a lot 
 of proud, lazy, stuck-up boys and girls are trying to get 
 smarter than their parents. I thought you had more 
 sense than to fool your t'me away going to school. You 
 had better stay at home and help your mother spin and 
 weave, for I would like to know what good it is going to 
 do you or any other girl to study all the nonsense I hear 
 they do in that school." 
 
 "You can read your Bible, can't youV" 
 "You can read writing, can't you?" 
 "You can write a letter can't you?" 
 "What more do you want?" 
 
 "I think you ought to be ashamed to go away and 
 leave all the work for your mother to do." 
 
 If I had been disposed to answer her questions I 
 could not have found an opportunity, she ])lied them in 
 such haste. And then, she didn't expect a reply. 
 
 Melinda's scoring didn't effect me one way or the 
 other, not even to make me angry. The neiglibors used 
 to say: "Melinda's bark is worse than her bite." 
 
 I kept watching the soap-dipping, and w^ondering if 
 she would stop talking when she stopped dipping. She 
 did stop long enough to take a breath after straightening 
 up from her work, but just then the baby, that had 
 been asleep in his cradle in the house, began to scream. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 29 
 
 That seemed ta sug"g"est another idea, which was a clinch- 
 er to her other arg'uments, so she Ijroke out a^^ain and 
 her last thrust was: 
 
 ''Now, I'd like to know what g^ood g^eography and 
 grammar is going to do you when you get married and 
 have a lot of children to take care of." 
 
 I couldn't think of anything' else to say, so I re- 
 plied* "if that should ever happen I might be able to 
 teach my children."" 
 
 When I was ready to leave, Melinda gave me a hand- 
 some straight-handled gourd to take to my mother. 
 
 Melinda was something of a "Mrs. Poyser/' '*One 
 of those women as is better than their word." And as 
 Bartle Massey remarked, "Sound at the core, but sets 
 one's teeth on edge." 
 
30 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I had more faith in my mother's opinions than I had 
 in the opinions of all the neighbors put together. I fin- 
 ished that term of school, and the next winter went an- 
 other term, making altogether six months I attended 
 Mr. Hoshour's school. I have been glad every day for 
 more than half a century that I had that privilege and 
 blessing, even if it was brought about through great 
 tribulation. 
 
 How well I remember everything that came within 
 my sight and hearing in that long ago time. The Wil- 
 liam Henry Harrison campaign, with the "Tip and Tyler" 
 shouts and songs. 
 
 About the time of the presidential election I visited 
 some relatives who lived about twenty-five miles from 
 my home. The journey nearly all the way was along the 
 national road. That road was lined with houses, many of 
 them log cabins, nearly every one displaying some emblem 
 or devise, supposed to represent General Harrison's he- 
 roic battle at Tippecanoe, or some other scene of Indian 
 warfare or pioneer life. What was most in vogue was a 
 
REMINISCENCES. • 31 
 
 miniature lo|4" cabin, miniature hard cider barrel on which 
 was hung" a miniature gourd, and all placed where the 
 traveling public could not fail to see, generally on top of 
 the house. I don't think we were out of the sound of 
 "Tippecanoe and Tyler too'' the whole twenty-five miles. 
 
 When I arrived at my uncle's home I found visiting- 
 there the loveliest young Quaker lady, Mrs. Kenworthy, 
 with the prettiest little baby in her arms; he had great 
 blue eyes and red cheeks, and had on a long white dress. 
 As soon as I disposed of my wraps I asked Mrs, Ken- 
 worthy if I might take the baby. She handed him to me 
 and he was not one bit afraid. I carried him about the 
 room and out in the kitchen, sat down and rocked him, 
 held him up to the window and let him look out at the 
 chickens — did all the things that girls at the age I was 
 then, usually do in such cases. 
 
 I asked Mrs. Kenworthy how old he was, and she 
 said "six months." Then I asked her what his name 
 was; she said, "his name is William." I have never 
 seen the lovely, serene face of William's mother since 
 that November day in 1840, She was long since laid to 
 rest among her people in the unpretentious Quaker 
 burying ground. But William, who began life among 
 the shouts and songs and music of brass bands, firing of 
 cannon and parade with flags and banners, log cabins, 
 and everybody shouting themselves hoarse for "Tippe- 
 canoe and Tyler too," must in his infancy have imbibed 
 the spirit of the times. When William grew to young 
 manhood it was discovered that he was gifted with the 
 power of orator}^ and could tell of heroic deeds in a 
 manner to thrill and electrify his hearers. Near half a 
 
32 • MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 century after the time when his baby ears and eyes heard 
 and gazed with wonder at the noise and parade made by 
 those who wanted "Old Tippecanoe" elected President 
 of the United States, William Kenworthy was known 
 from one end of the land to the other as the brilliant 
 speaker and advocate of ''Old Tippecanoe's" grandson 
 for the same high honor. 
 
 William Kenworthy has been for many years a lead- 
 ing attorney of Oskaloosa, has been reading clerk in the 
 house of congress, and has occupied other prominent and 
 responsible places. Mr. Kenworthy is a portly, hand- 
 some and distinguished-looking man, with some unde- 
 scribable traits which we who are of Quaker stock and 
 have been brought up among Quakers carry with us as 
 long as we live, no matter where we go. 
 
 I, like other school-girls, had a special girl friend 
 whom I loved more than any other girl who was not re- 
 lated to me by ties of blood. We sat at the same desk 
 at Hoshour's school. Our families were neighbors and 
 old friends, and Mary Newby and I were closer friends 
 than sisters usually are. 
 
 Not long after the great William Henry Harrison 
 campaign there began to be much talk among our neigh- 
 bors about Iowa Territory. Tw^o of them, one my friend 
 Mary's father, traveled all the way to low^a and back 
 again on horseback. His glowing account of Iowa's rich 
 prairie soil and other good qualities put others in the no- 
 tion of moving to that great country, where the land was 
 already cleared, and where they would not have to cut 
 down and burn hundreds of immense trees in order to 
 have one little field. When I think now of the great 
 
REMINISCENCES. 33 
 
 stately poplars, walnut and sug^ar trees which I have 
 seen sacrificed, it bring-s a pang" of regret. 
 
 I sometimes wish that one hundred miles square of 
 that great wilderness of immense beauties, streams and 
 rocks, hills, valleys and g"reat towering trees festooned 
 with graceful vines had have been left a little more like 
 God made them. Then this United States of America 
 would have her "Black Forest" as charming and full of 
 wonders as that of Germany and Switzerland. I would 
 have the center of my imaginary "Black Forest," or 
 National Park, in Bartholomew County, at a place which 
 used to be called "The Haw Patch/' What wonders it 
 would contain! The "Knobs," with their great chest- 
 nut trees, spring gushings out of a hundred hillsides and 
 rocky cliffs, gravelly brooks and tiny waterfalls, and 
 vast caves full of nature's wonders — these and many 
 other interesting things in the South, bordering on the 
 Ohio river and extending many miles out from the same. 
 Then there are the famous stone quarries about Bedford, 
 the mineral springs near Knightstown, the red-buds, the 
 spice bushes, the haw trees, the paw-paw bushes every- 
 where. Very few of the giants of the American "Black 
 Forest" had been dishonored by a blow from a settler's 
 ax when my ancestors moved from North Carolina and 
 settled in the dense forests of Southern Indiana. Some 
 Indians were there, but I don't remember of ever hear- 
 ing of an Indian cutting down a big tree. Bears and 
 deer and wolves and panthers and raccoons and o'pos- 
 sums roamed at will through this wilderness of gigantic 
 trees and almost impenetrable undergrowth. There were 
 no |)rairies in that "Black Forest," 
 
34 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Thirty years don't seem Icng" to those of us whom 
 the Lord has permitted to see the Winter's snows and 
 Summer's flowers and fruits of more than twice thirty 
 years. Many things can be done and many changes made 
 in thirty years. In that time farms had been made, or- 
 chards were bearing an abundance of fruit, mills were 
 plentiful, churches and school-houses had been erected, 
 and people were just getting where they began to look 
 like living, in Indiana, when the talk began about the 
 rich, black soil of Illinois and Iowa Territory. Many 
 who had lost much in the crisis thought they could see 
 a way to mending their broken fortunes, some to make 
 their first start; but anyway, many families put all their 
 worldly goods in wagons and moved to Iowa. My friend 
 Mary's people, among the rest, came in forty-two and 
 settled on a large tract of land in the Mississippi bottom 
 above Fort Madison. 
 
 In the Autumn of forty-three my parents had dis- 
 posed of all their possessions which they could not bring 
 in two wagons, and like many others, had a teax'ful time 
 
REMINISCENCES. 35 
 
 when we bade farewell to our neio'hbors and started on 
 what seemed a long" journey. We soon dried our tears 
 and began to be interested in scenes along- the way. We 
 soon found ourselves on that once famous highway, ''The 
 Cumberland Road," ambitious Young America's "Apian 
 Way," commonly known as "The National Road." This 
 wonderful thoroughfare was projected by the govern- 
 ment and built at the government's expense, or as much 
 of it as foas built. The great financial crisis of thirty- 
 seven put a quietus on that stupendous undertaking. 
 The original plan was to make a road wide and straight 
 from Cumberland, Maryland, to St. Louis. St. Louis 
 was the "far west" then. It was to be made level and 
 macadamized the whole way. Hills were to be digged 
 down and valleys filled up. Streams and chasms were 
 to be spanned by covered bridges. It was supposed that 
 anybody fortunate enough to own land on that road was 
 to be envied. Towns sprang up all along, so near to- 
 gether they often ran into one another. Much rivalry 
 existed between those villages. Raysville and Knights- 
 town were rivals. Knightstown was on high ground on 
 one side of a little stream called Blue River, and Rays- 
 ville was on the bottom, or lowlands, on the other side. 
 They were both located and named before the road had 
 been leveled. Those towns were built principally along 
 one street, and that street was the National Road; they 
 seemed to flourish about equally for a while, and each 
 was jealous of the other. But when they came to dig 
 down the hill east of Raysville and fill up the valley, the 
 grade reached to the height of the second story win- 
 dows, which necessitated building a long flight of steps 
 
36 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 from their front g-ates to the street. Not only that, but 
 in digging- that big hill down they struck a spring well 
 up toward the top which sent out a volume of water that 
 went rushing down one side of that high grade, and in 
 front of the houses, which not only necessitated the high 
 steps, but a bridge to cross the stream to reach them. 
 
 I was only a child then, but remember well how the 
 Knightstown people jeered and chuckled and crowed 
 over the Raysville people. They took special delight in 
 driving along that high grade and looking down on their 
 unfortunate neighbors. Knigtstown, I presume, can 
 boast of two thousand inhabitants, but Raysville has 
 gone into oblivion. Raysville was named in honor of the 
 man who was governor of Indiana at that time. Knights- 
 town was named in honor of the man whom the govern- 
 ment employed as chief engineer in the construction of 
 that great highway. Jonathan Knight was a wealthy and 
 honored citizen of Washington County, Pennsylvania. 
 He was the grandfather of Miss Lizzie Knight, of Oska- 
 loosa; Mrs. Ella Stone, and Mrs. Virginia Knight Logan, 
 who has gained distinction as a singer. Fred Logan, her 
 son, has quite a reputation as a musical composer. Mrs. 
 Virginia Knight Logan is a handsome woman and has 
 charming manners. John Knight, one of Oskaloosa's 
 prominent horticulturists, is a grandson of Jonathan 
 Knight. 
 
 The plan was to macadamize the whole length of the 
 national road, but it was abandoned before much macad- 
 amizing was done in Indiana, only a little way out from 
 the larger towns, Richmond, Indianapolis and Terra 
 Haute. That road was horrid in the Spring, but in Au- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 37 
 
 tumn, when the weather was dry, it was like one g-rand 
 pavement. How many A^irg-inians, Pennsylvanians and 
 Ohioans have traveled on that road in the thirties, bound 
 for Illinois! I used to sit on the doorstep when I was a 
 child and watch the great Pennsylvania wagons go by 
 with their long teams of horses; some would have four, 
 some six, and sometimes I have seen eight horses to one 
 wagon, and every horse would have a row of bells over 
 the hames. The driver would sit on the near wheel 
 horse, with long whip. I can see them yet, swaying 
 from side to side, as they slowly and contentedly wended 
 their way. One day I concluded I would count the 
 "mover wagons," as we called them, that went by. I 
 sat and watched all day long, and counted one hundred 
 and twenty, and I only counted the mover wagons. I 
 didn't count the stage coaches, though they were always 
 a delight to we children. A long train of cars now don't 
 begin to interest children as the old stage coach used to 
 interest us. How important and grand those stage driv- 
 ers used to look, dashing into town, sitting on a high 
 seat, with four matched horses on the gallop. 
 
 The stage driver would blow his horn and crack his 
 whip in a way which made all the boys around envious, 
 and determined to be stage drivers when they grew up. 
 The stage coach in that day was a grand affair, always 
 painted a bright red, and ornamented with scroll work of 
 yellow. They had immense, strong, curved springs back 
 and front, which kept them continually rocking back- 
 ward and forward if the road was at all uneven. Be- 
 sides, there was a great leather-covered place at the back 
 called the "boot," where trunks and other baggage was 
 
38 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 carried. The driver always carried the mail-bags at his 
 feet, for there was a place at his feet made for that ex- 
 press purpose. The stages would come in full of passen- 
 gers and sometimes four or five on top. The driver 
 would dash up to the post-office door where the post- 
 master was always standing ready to catch the mail- 
 pouch. How dextrously the driver would toss that pouch! 
 Then whirl his horses' heads toward Gary's tavern, throw 
 the lines to the hostler, jump off of his high perch, and 
 with the rest of the passengers stalk into the bar-room 
 and call for a drink. That is the way they did in 
 Knightstown in 1835. 
 
 In traveling over that great highway, almost the en- 
 tire width of the State of Indiana, we were hardly ever 
 out of sight of a tavern. Not only in the villages along 
 the way, but anywhere between might be seen a high 
 post with a more or less pretentious sign swinging back 
 and forth, with inscription thereon informing travelers 
 of the proprietor's willingness to entertain both man and 
 beast. 
 
 We started on that momentous journey on October 
 22nd, 1843. The days were lovely, hazy Indian Summer 
 days; the nights were soft, smoky nights. The road was 
 perfect —hard as iron and level as a floor. Our gait was 
 so slow we had plenty of time to see everything that was 
 to be seen. Sometimes a great walnut or hickory-nut 
 tree stood beside the road, the ground beneath covered 
 with nuts. We never had to look far for a stone to crack 
 nuts with; they were lying around handy. . I have not 
 forgotten the great, soft, yellow pawpaws we found right 
 
REMINISCENCES. 39 
 
 by the road, just west of Indianapolis, in the White River 
 bottom. Everything" of that kind was free to whoever 
 chose to take it. The beech trees had taken on every 
 shade of brown, the sugar trees every shade of yellow 
 and red. Scenery all along- the road was charming". At 
 least it was to me, who at that time was too young and 
 full of health and hope to see anything but the bright 
 side of things. 
 
 I thought it delightful to sleep in a tent and cook by 
 a log-heap fire. In our company were some unerring 
 marksmen who would kill squirrels enough through the 
 day to make a stew sufficient for all our suppers. The 
 trees seemed to be full of squirrels, and dozens of them 
 could be seen running along the fence of every cornfield 
 we passed. That state of things lasted until we had 
 crossed the Wabash River at Terra Haute. We then left 
 the National road and turned a northwesterly direction, 
 drove a few miles and camped at a place in a thick beech 
 woods, within a few rods of where was being built a 
 brick structure which we were told was a Catholic Con- 
 vent. Part of the building" was near enough completion 
 to open a school, which was already in progress. I 
 thought it a very uninviting place. There was no fence 
 about it, and great beech trees had been cut down and 
 were lying all about that brick house, with their great 
 sprangly tops so thick it looked like the place would be 
 hard to reach. There were stumps and brush and masses 
 of chips where, I presume, can be seen to-day a beautiful 
 lawn and all other evidences of culture, for I now hear 
 that place spoken of as "St. Mary's in the Woods." 
 
40 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Soon after leaving "St. Mary's in the Woods," the 
 prairies of Illinois began to strike our vision. Paris was 
 the first town we came to in Illinois. Paris was on the 
 edge of a prairie. As soon as we passed the last house 
 on the west side of Paris we came to a prairie ten miles 
 across, without a single house. My first thought on see- 
 ing that open prairie so close to town was wonder that 
 they didn't have it all in fields of corn; but that feeling 
 soon wore off as I saw more and more of the grand prairie. 
 Our Indian Summer suddenly changed from a mellow 
 haze to a leaden sky auid a damp, chilling wind. That 
 state of the weather overtook us on the afternoon of the 
 day we went througli Paris and commenced to cross that 
 ten mile prairie. 
 
 We had been pretty well informed regarding the 
 roads and stopping places through Illinois. We knew 
 there was a stopping place called Scott's Tavern, just at 
 the edge of the timber, ten miles west of Paris. We had 
 been told before we started, and several times on the 
 way, that Scott's Tavern was a suspicious place; rumors 
 were afloat that people had been robbed there. We felt 
 a little wary, but darkness came upon us about the time 
 we reached this place of unsavory repute. It was too 
 cold to camp out, there was not another house near, so 
 we took the chances of being robbed and murdered, and 
 boldly went in and asked for shelter and the privilege of 
 cooking in their kitchen. All was granted in a kindly 
 manner. I don't know what the others thought, but I 
 kept thinking about the rumors we had heard, and look- 
 ing about to see if I could discover any evidence of our 
 being in a den of robbers. I didn't see anything which 
 
REMINISCENCES. 41 
 
 looked at all suspicious. There were two young women 
 in the family, Mr. Scott's daughters, who kindly showed 
 us where to find the things we wanted in doing our cook- 
 ing. After our supper was over the young ladies invited 
 us into their sitting-room, which was a large room with 
 wide fireplace, where a cheerful fire was burning. Old 
 Mr. Scott was a widower. A very plain-looking bache- 
 lor son, whom he called "Tommy," and the two daugh- 
 ters, constituted the family. This was Sunday night, 
 and a young gentleman whom they called Mr. Price, 
 came in and spent the evening. Presently they took 
 down from a shelf som.e singing books, one the "Missouri 
 Harmony," and began to sing some of the good old hymns 
 I had been used to hearing and singing, too. 
 
 Mr. Scott was a fine-looking old white-haired man, 
 and looked more like a Methodist preacher than what my 
 idea was of a robber. After they had sang one piece the 
 old gentleman looked around at me and said, "young 
 lady, don't you sing?" I told him I did. Then the 
 young folks invited me to join them in singing, which I did, 
 and we sang and sang. The next morning when we were 
 bidding them good-bye that old man held onto my hand all 
 the time he was making this nice little speech: "Young 
 lady, you are a mighty good singer, and I hope when you 
 get to Iowa you will go to church whenever you have 
 a chance, and be a good girl; and I wouldn't wonder if 
 you made a mighty fine woman, and would marry some 
 nice young man out there." "Tommy" was standing by, 
 so the old man finished by saying: "If you will stay with 
 us you may have Tommy." 
 
42 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Our journeying through Illinois was not marked 
 with any important event — just plodding" along over prai- 
 ries, and occasionally a small grove or a larger body of 
 timber. I don't think we passed through a town, not 
 even a small village, between Paris and Springfield. If 
 there were any towns between, our line of travel did not 
 lead through them. Occasionally we would pass by 
 a very fine farm, with tolerably good buildings, and there, 
 like the rest of the way, movers could obtain food for 
 themselves and teams, and shelter and hospitable treat- 
 ment from those rugged, good-hearted farmers and their 
 families. Not many orchards had begun to bear fruit, 
 but sometimes we would see a few apples on small trees, 
 which looked very tempting to us who had been used to 
 having all the apples we wanted. But now we were in a 
 country where we couldn't climb over the fence and take 
 all the apples we wanted without anybody caring or 
 thinking we were trespassing. That was in corn gather- 
 ing time, and long rows of rail pens piled high with great 
 ears of yellow corn were to be seen on every farm we 
 passed, or when we stopped at one of those fine farms. 
 They had corn and hay and bacon in abundance to sell to 
 movers. That, I ])resume, was the way they disposed of 
 their surplus crops. The road was literally lined with mov- 
 ers. I don't remember ever hearing of one of those farm- 
 ers asking an exorbitant price for anything they had to 
 sell, nor for the privilege of sleeping and cooking in their 
 houses. Movers usually camped out, but if the weather 
 was too inclement for camping, a family could have that 
 privilege for twenty-five cents. That was the regular 
 price all along the road. When I look now at the map of 
 
REMINISCENCES. 43 
 
 Illinois I see the places where we plodded over that long- 
 stretch of sparsely-inhabited rich country, all checkered 
 over with marks which represent railroads, and little 
 rings which represent towns, crowding each other all 
 over the map. 
 
 The next town we came to after leavings Springfield 
 was Virginia. Virginia was a very small village, but the 
 country about there was grand: sugar trees abounded, 
 and that alone would hide a multitude of faults with me. 
 A few miles east of Virginia was a very large frame 
 house standing out on a bare prairie without a tree or 
 shrub or vine to relieve the barrenness. It was just a 
 great big unpainted, uninviting looking house. There 
 was no swinging sign to tell of the fact, but we were in- 
 formed that this imposing structure was known far and 
 near as "Dutches Tavern.'' and the proprietor thereof 
 owned many hundreds of acres surrounding that uninvit- 
 ing house. Since then a town has g^rown around that 
 nucleus and is known as Ashland. In the little valley 
 between those sand dunes a few miles east of Beardstown 
 were groves of persimmon trees full of delicious ripe per- 
 simmons. They seemed to be public property, so we 
 helped ourselves. We crossed the great sluggish Illinois 
 River in a ferry-boat at Beardstown. That ferry-boat 
 was propelled by an old blind horse, whose continuous 
 tramping on a wheel placed at one side of the boat fur- 
 nished the propelling power which moved that ponderous 
 craft and carried us without accident across that mighty 
 river. That, I think, might appropriately be termed a 
 ''one horse power." When I read of the "tread-mill" 
 punishment inflicted on the once aesthetic Oscar Wilde, 
 
44 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 I thoug"ht of that poor old blind horse rowing' us over 
 the Illinois River. Where we crossed, and as far up and 
 down as we could see, that river was speckled with 
 ducks. We camped that night near the river, four miles 
 above Beardstown, and it was the same there, myriads of 
 ducks. They seemed to be tame, for I saw men and boys 
 out on the water in skiffs; the men would shoot, but 
 their shooting" hardly seemed to cause a ripple among" 
 the ducks. As I write I keep thinking what a bonanza a 
 scene like that would be now to my neighbor, Dr. Clark, 
 and to Dwight Jackson, Joe Stumps, Al. Mendenhall, 
 Dr. Morgan, and many more of Oskaloosa's nimrods 1 
 could name, who come in with a look of triumph on their 
 faces, after plodding all day down in Skunk River bot- 
 tom, if they are fortunate enough to bring in three or 
 four ducks apiece. 
 
 The country between Beardstown and Carthage was 
 sparsely settled. We didn't see a comfortable-looking 
 farm-house the whole way from Beardstown to Fort 
 Madison. We passed through Rushville, which was a 
 very small place, with a few frame houses, but the great- 
 er number were log cabins. I saw several log houses in 
 Springfield. There was a beautiful creek which we 
 crossed several times between Rushville and Carthage, 
 along which was fine timber. We camped one night on 
 that creek in a cluster of sugar trees, which made us 
 think of home. There was one "mighty hunter" in our 
 party who knew the signs and sounds of every wild thing 
 in the woods, and was always looking out for game. 
 That evening just as we stopped for the night he snatched 
 up his gun, remarking, "I heard some turkeys back yon- 
 
REMINISCENCES. • 45 
 
 der." He hurried away and we presently heard the 
 sound of his ritle. In a few minutes he came walking 
 very leisurely toward the camp, holding a great big gob- 
 bler by the heels. To roast him was out of the question, 
 but my mother and another lady in the company dressed 
 him, cut him up and stewed him in a pot by the log-heap 
 fire that night, and the next morning we all ate turkey 
 for breakfast. 
 
 We heard many stories of highway robbery having 
 been committed along that road, especially in that long 
 stretch of almost uninhabited forest. It was said that a 
 gang ot thieves infested the country, whose headquarters 
 and hiding place was in the Mormon town of Nauvoo. 
 We felt a little shaky that night, but no harm came to us. 
 The day we left that camping place we went through 
 Carthage. I went into a store in Carthage to make a 
 small purchase, and that was the first time I heard 
 twelve and a half cents called a "bit.'' I asked the clerk 
 to explain to me what he meant by "bit." He looked 
 disgusted at my ignorance, and laid a coin on the counter 
 and asked me what I called that. I told him we some- 
 times called it a "levy," but the more proper name was 
 twelve and a half cents. He ended the dialogue by say- 
 ing, "I guess bit is about as proper as levy." 
 
 That day a gentleman overtook us who was driving 
 a ]:>air of handsome gray horses to a light wagon. He 
 kept along with our party till night, and stopped at the 
 same farm house. He, like nearly everybod}^. else we 
 chanced to meet, was sociable; inquired where we were 
 "bound for" and where we came from. We told him who 
 we were, and where we came from, and that we were 
 
46 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 "bound for" Iowa. He told us his name was Isaac 
 Frost and he lived in Iowa, near Fort Madison, and was 
 well acquainted with our friends, the Newbys. Mr. 
 Frost was an honest-looking", tall, manly-looking" young 
 man. The last day had come before reaching' Iowa; the 
 morning was fine, and the thought that we w^ere going to 
 see and cross the mighty Mississippi that day sent a 
 thrill of joy through our hearts. Mr. Frost might have 
 trotted off with his dashing horses and empty wag"on, 
 and left us far behind, but he kept along" wdth us, and 
 after we had gone some distance he said to me and an- 
 other g"irl in our company: ''Girls, won't you take a seat 
 in my wagon V I want to show you the first glimpse of 
 Iowa and the great 'Father of Waters.' " We accepted 
 his kind offer, and were engaged in talking about Iowa, 
 our old friends, a little sense and a good deal of nonsense, 
 when suddenly Mr. Frost stopped his team, and pointing 
 toward the west, exclaimed: "Girls, do you see that 
 smoky streak away over yonder'?" We said, '"Yes; what 
 is it?" He said, "That is Iowa." We wanted to know 
 what made it look smoky. He replied: "I can't explain 
 the phenomenon, but in this country, when you see a 
 smoky line like that, you may know it means land1)eyond 
 a river." 
 
 I presume Mr. Frost would have driven us all the 
 way to the river, but we happened to have sense enough 
 to suggest that he, perhaps, would like to travel a little 
 faster than our teams did, and we would join our people, 
 then he could go as fast as he liked. He was a great 
 manly gentleman in the rough. He sprang out, then 
 handed us out, and we thanked him for the kindness he 
 
REMINISCENCES. 47 
 
 had shown us. He bowed and smiled, sprang to his seat, 
 looked back and bowed again, cracked his whip and 
 dashed off toward Iowa. I have never seen Mr. Frost 
 since that day, but my friends, the Newbys, said he was 
 just as nice as he seemed. 
 
48 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 What excitement there was among" us young" folks 
 when the mig"hty Mississippi did at last come into view. 
 I wondered what made the water seem to be hig"her than 
 the ground where we were. We were all cal'ried across 
 in a steam ferry-boat, and the first Iowa soil we touched 
 was that river brink at Fort Madison. That was on the 
 7th day of November, 1843. I was prepared to be pleased 
 with everything in Iowa. The first building" which 
 loomed up in sight was the penitentiary, the most impos- 
 ing" structure in the villag"e of Fort Madison; it was just 
 a villag"e then. 
 
 We drove about three miles up the river to our old 
 friends', Gabriel and Rebecca Ne why's home, in the 
 Green Bay Bottom, where my schoolmate and dear 
 friend, Mary, and I fell in each other's arms and wept 
 for joy. Our mothers did the same. What a time we 
 had that night talking" about old times in Indiana, and we 
 telling about all the old friends and neighbors we all 
 knew so well. There were several other children in the 
 family, l)ut Mary was the oldest and my special friend. 
 
REMINISCENCES. ^ 49 
 
 though I loved all of them. We found our friends, the 
 Newbys, living- in a log house at the foot of the bluffs, 
 their immense corn-fields stretching away off toward the 
 great Mississippi. The bluff's were covered with a vari- 
 ety of trees, and in the bottom near the bluff's were great 
 sugar trees, and oaks and elms as tall and majestic-look- 
 ing as those we had left behind. Mr. Newby had been 
 one of the rich men in Indiana. They lived in and 
 owned the finest farm-house in all that region, and he 
 owned several farms, a large flouring-mill, a store in 
 town, the finest barn in the country, horses, carriages, 
 and every kind of farming implement used in that day. 
 Besides all that, their house was furnished with the most 
 expensiv^e furniture there was to be seen in that neigh- 
 borhood. Mr. and Mrs. Newby were whole-souled, hon- 
 orable people, and the children were "chips of the old 
 block.'' The crisis of thirty-seven wrought his financial 
 ruin, or nearly so. He managed to save enough out of 
 the wreck to locate his family where land was cheap in 
 the Green Bay Bottoms. A few articles of furniture that 
 once adorned their elegant home could be seen in their 
 log cabin of two rooms. They all were cheerful and in 
 good spirits. Mary said to me: "Semira, you don't see 
 us in as fine a home as you used to, but we are just as 
 happy as we were there." 
 
 Those people were brave and full of pluck. Not 
 only that, but they were endowed with bright minds. 
 One of the daughters in after years was called a charm- 
 ing writer, and it was said of one of the sons, by a man 
 who knew what he was talking about, "Tom wields a 
 graceful pen/' Every one of those children were en- 
 
50 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 dowed with brains, honor and common sense. The father 
 and mother and two of those gifted children sleep near 
 the great Mississippi. The mighty pacific beating its 
 rock-bound shores, sounds an eternal requium over the 
 grave of sparkling, brilliant "Tom.'' 
 
 Mary, my schoolmate and best-beloved friend of my 
 young girlhood, married one of God's noblemen, an intel- 
 ligent Christian farmer. Mary has no daughters, but is 
 mother of eight sons. Not only the proverbial seventh 
 son is a doctor, but she has two doctors among her sons. 
 Mary, like myself, I presume, regales her children and 
 grandchildren with stories of spelling-schools, sugar- 
 making, apple butter boiling and Hoshour's school. 
 
 In 1843 Fort Madison was new, but the little town, 
 and as much of the country about as we had seen, espec- 
 ially the Green Bay Bottom, had a charming and go- 
 ahead look, and there was the great Mississippi river and 
 there were our old neighbors. I wanted to stop there, 
 but it was ordered otherwise; there was another tearful 
 parting, when the next morning we started for Salem. 
 We thought then that we would visit and see each othei 
 often, but I never saw a member of that family for twen- 
 ty years after that parting among the sugar trees in the 
 Green Bay Bottom. 
 
 After climbing the long, high, steep Mississippi bluff 
 and passing through some fine woods, we came out on 
 the open prairie, and it was prairie almost without a tree, 
 until we reached my uncle's house, a mile east of Salem. 
 We passed by many fine farms, but small and uncomfort- 
 able-looking buildings. The day was cloudy and chilly 
 
REMINISCENCES. 51 
 
 and a northeast wind was blowing'. The roads were good 
 and we were so elated with the prospect of seeing" our 
 kinfolks before night that we didn't mind the weather 
 very much. I had come to Iowa full of buoyant spirits 
 and prepared to like everything, but that day as we plod- 
 ded along through some long stretches of prairie, with- 
 out a house or tree, or anything to relieve the monotony, 
 I couldn't help thinking they looked bleak and brown and 
 bare. That was the 8th of November, and the greenness 
 had all gone out of those otherwise beautiful, undulating 
 native meadows. 
 
 There was a joyful meeting and a time of embracing 
 w^hen we reached my uncle's house. My mother and her 
 sister had not met for many years, and I can see them 
 yet, as they threw their arms around each other and shed 
 tears of unfeigned joy. I had heard much about my 
 uncle and aunt, Aaron and Delilah Cox, but had only seen 
 them twice since I was old enough to remember them. 
 They lived a long way from us in Indiana, and besides, 
 they had been in Iowa several years. They had seven 
 children; the oldest, Eliza Ann, was fifteen; Elizabeth 
 was next, then William, then James, then Deborah, then 
 Mary Ellen, then the baby, Edmond. Aunt Delilah was 
 a Quaker, a concientious. Christian Quaker, and was not 
 satisfied to live away from her kind of people. Uncle 
 Aaron was not a member of any denomination, but was 
 an honest, honorable, moral, kind-hearted man; kind to 
 his wife and children and ready to do his duty as a citi- 
 zen. I had always heard him spoken of as possessing all 
 those qualities, and when I became better acquainted 
 with him I had reason to know it was all true. 
 
52 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 We had not been long in my uncle's house before we 
 learned that they were going to move to the "New Pur- 
 chase," about seventy-five miles northwest of Salem. 
 We were much astonished and sorry, for we expected to 
 locate near Salem. Uncle and aunt had just returned 
 from a trip to the "New Purchase," where they had 
 bought a claim and were going to move there in the 
 Spring. We thought they had a fine location where they 
 were; their house was on high ground overlooking Salem, 
 their timber was not far away, and their prairie land was 
 just rolling enough to be all right for cultivation. My 
 uncle had bought a large tract of land there, but on a 
 great portion of it the title was defective, and he had 
 lost it, which had disgusted him with the place. The 
 man he bought of was a scoundrel and not responsible. 
 
 This "New Purchase" had, they told us, on the first 
 day of May last been opened up to settlers, and a number 
 of first-class people had made claims and quite a number 
 were already living on their claims. My aunt was a 
 close observer and a good talker. She expatiated on the 
 beauties of the country, especially on a place called "The 
 Narrows," where the timbers bordering on the Des 
 Moines and the timbers bordering on the Skunk rivers 
 were not more than a mile apart. She w^ent on to say: 
 "The timber and prairie are more evenly divided, there 
 are no great patches of scrubby oak and hazel brush be- 
 tween the prairies and the main timber, like there is 
 here, but the clean prairie extends up to the big timber, 
 and the trees stand out clear, like an orchard; there are 
 many small streams and springs; they can have a good 
 well by digging fifteen feet, and there is plenty of stone. 
 
. REMINISCENCES. 53 
 
 I have heard there is thought to be stone coal. There is 
 already a small settlement of 'Friends,' and there is a 
 prospect of more coming" in. I like our claim; there is 
 timber on the north and timber on the west. They say 
 the reason there is so little brush along the edges of the 
 timber is the Indians kept it burned off. The Indians 
 have just left there. I saw Indian trails which looked 
 like they had been used lately." 
 
 We rented a little cabin and spent the winter in Sa- 
 lem. Salem was not a very attractive place at that time, 
 whatever it may have become since. It was located in a 
 fine farming country, but the little town of Salem seemed 
 to be built right down in the mud; it had a public square 
 like nearly all other Iowa towns, and the two or three 
 little stores, the tavern and several small dwelling houses 
 were locacted immediately on that square, without a 
 walk of any kind, not even a board laid down to prevent 
 the mud being carried in the houses. 
 
 Nearly all the inhabitants of Salem and the country 
 round about were either Quakers or Methodists. The 
 Quakers had a log meeting-house where they held meet- 
 ing regularly, though the house was cold and uncomfort- 
 able; that meeting-house was used as a school-house, too, 
 when I was there. The Methodists held their meetings 
 in private houses, not only prayer and class-meetings, 
 but Sunday preaching. Those people did not seem to 
 think it any hardship to hustle around of a Sunday morn- 
 ing and put their one room in order for meeting. What 
 I mean by order was to get the beds made up and the 
 dishes washed and seats fixed for the congregation; they 
 
54 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 had some boards leaning against the back of the house 
 which were kept for that express purpose. They bor- 
 rowed chairs from their neighbors if they lacked. It 
 was nothing unusual to see the dinner -pot by the fire 
 with pork and turnips therein, cooking away while the 
 meeting was going on. Brother Simpson or Brother Al- 
 len Johnson, one or the other, preached there nearly 
 every Sunday. When the meeting would break up, the 
 boards and other temporary seats would be taken out, 
 and the woman of the house would spread her table as 
 best she could with broken forks and any kind of odds 
 and ends of old cracked plates and cups, make some cof- 
 fee and biscuit, invite the preacher, and perhaps two or 
 three others, to eat dinner with them. 
 
 Quakers predominated in and around Salem. Many 
 of them owned large bodies of land and raised immense 
 crops of corn. The tavern was owned and kept by a 
 family of Quakers b}^ the name of Pickering. The Pick- 
 erings were remarkably tall people and much above the 
 average in intelligence. Aquilla, the son of that Salem 
 tavern-keeper, was a young man then. I saw him fre- 
 quently in the winter of '43 and '44, but never again un- 
 til I saw him moving about in the throng in the Yearly 
 Meeting grounds at Oskaloosa, soliciting patronage for 
 the organ of the Friends' church, The Clwisfian Worker^ 
 of which my brother was editor. If these lines are ever 
 read by a Quaker, he or she will know who I am talking 
 about. Aquilla Pickering was a very fine -looking man. 
 When I saw him moving about in that vast multitude in 
 the yearly meeting grounds, I thought of Saul, the son 
 of Kish, for he was a head and shoulders above every 
 
REMINISCENCES. 55 
 
 other man. Early in the Spring of 1844 my uncle and 
 family moved to the "New Purchase." and we moved 
 four miles north of Salem and not far from a beautiful 
 rocky creek called Cedar. There were lots of sugar 
 trees on Cedar. One day I went with some other young 
 people to a sugar camp where a man was making sugar. 
 He had some sugar about ready to "stir off" in a big iron 
 kettle. It had that tempting, yellow, blubbering, puffing 
 look which sugar always has when it is about done; the 
 man had a great big ladle in his hand and was dipping up 
 and down in that tempting-looking mass, and I thought 
 he would surely offer us some of it, but we were doomed 
 to disappointment. If he had been making soap he 
 would not have been farther from asking us to taste it. 
 
56 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Paton Wilson was a prominent citizen of that neigh- 
 borhood; in fact, he was well known through all that re- 
 gion. He owned a large scope of that country and was 
 a member of the Territorial Legislature. I remember 
 Mr. Wilson as a strong, robust man, not far from fifty 
 years old, with a pleasant way of treating young people. 
 He was easily approached, and at the same time one felt 
 that he was a superior person and a leader among men. 
 He and his wife were excellent neighbors, as we had rea- 
 son to know. The Wilsons ministered to the sick and 
 helped the less thrifty in various ways, without seeming 
 to think they were doing anything unusual or remarka- 
 ble. One evening soon after I went to that neighbor- 
 hood one of the Wilson girls asked me to go with her to 
 see a sick man who lived about a half a mile away. As 
 we were about to start, Mrs. Wilson came out of the 
 kitchen with a good-sized basket rounded up with some- 
 thing which we couldn't see, for a nice linen towel was 
 spread over it and tied down with a string. As she hand- 
 ed it to us she said: "Girls, you may be needed there to 
 
REMINISCENCES. o7 
 
 sit up, for Allen is very low. I have put some thing's 
 in this basket for Celia and the children; if there 
 is nobody else there you had better stay all night : you 
 will find a dried apple-pie at the bottom, which you can 
 eat if you g^et hung^ry in the nig"ht. Give the rest to 
 Celia, and tell her when she needs anything" to send me 
 word. I don't think that poor man is going to live long. " 
 
 Ursula Wilson and I went tripping" across a field and 
 over a little strip of prairie to the miserable little cabin 
 where that poor man was dying. It was nearly dark, 
 and when we entered we could hardly see the poor, for- 
 lorn-looking woman crouched down by the fireplace with 
 a little child in her arms: another little pitiful-looking" 
 child about four years old was standing by her. Ursula 
 sat the basket down and spoke to the woman, who seemed 
 hardly to have life enough to notice us. The cabin was 
 like many others thereabout. Only one room, a very 
 small window in one side, a door on the other, a very 
 much botched-up stone fireplace and chimney. 
 
 Ursula was one of the kind of girls who take in the 
 situation, and didn't stand on ceremony. She threw off 
 her bonnet and shawl, took up the wooden poker and 
 stirred the dying chunks, and soon had a blaze which 
 lighted that miserable hovel sufficiently to enable us to 
 see in one corner a poor, scantil3"-f urnished bed on which 
 was lying a poor, emaciated creature with his knees 
 drawn up with rheumatism, and set, so that he couldn't 
 possibly straighten them down. Poor Allen was past 
 taking nourishment. Though we offered it to him, he 
 could do nothing but moan and motion it away. The 
 
58 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 hearth was made of flat stones of irregular shape and 
 very poorly put together. The floor was loose, and rat- 
 tled as we walked over it. Another bed, like to the one 
 on which the sick man lay, was in another corner; three 
 or four splint-bottom chairs, a square rickety table, a 
 few cooking utensils, and a very meager supply of dishes 
 constituted the furnishings of that wretched abode. 
 Ursula asked the woman if she expected any one there 
 that night to sit up, to which she replied: "Wash. Lyon 
 was here to-day and he said he would come to-night and 
 stay awhile. Ursula took the towel off and laid the con- 
 tents of the basket on the table — all except the dried 
 apple pie; she spread the towel over that, and placed the 
 basket on the shelf where the three or four plates and 
 cups were kept. Ursula said not a word as she took 
 from that basket a loaf of salt- rising bread, a piece of 
 bacon, a roll of butter, a bowl of plum sauce, a package 
 of sugar, another of coffee, and two tallow candles. 
 When she was sure she had placed everything on the ta- 
 ble her mother intended for Celia, she said: "Here are 
 some things mother sent you, thinking perhaps you had 
 very little time to do cooking, and these would help you 
 a little." The poor woman may have felt grateful, but 
 she didn't seem to know how to express her gratitude. 
 We urged her to go to bed with her children; we would 
 watch by her husband and call her if necessary. She 
 acted on our advice, but before doing so she and her little 
 girl each ate a big slice of that bread spread with butter 
 and plum sauce. 
 
 I lighted one of the candles and looked around for 
 a candle-stick, but finding none, I improvised by wrapping 
 
REMINISCENCES. 59 
 
 a rag- around the unlig-hted end and sticking it in the 
 mouth of a jug- which 1 found under the table. That 
 night was not very cold, but too cold to do without fire, 
 Ursula and I went out and looked for wood to replenish 
 the fire. We found some scattered around but it was not 
 very plentiful. Just as we were in the act of picking up 
 that scanty supply of wood, a gentleman came walking- 
 toward us. Ursula introduced him to me as Mr. Lyon. 
 The first thing Mr. Lyon did was to snatch up an axe and 
 go to chopping on a log". We went in the house and 
 presently Mr. Lyon came in with a tremendous armful of 
 wood and deposited it in the corner of the fire-place, 
 which was at least six feet wide. He laid two or three 
 sticks on the fire, then went to the sick man. I will 
 never forget the tenderness in his voice as he bent over 
 that sick man and asked him if he knew him and wasn't 
 there something- he wanted? He tenderly adjusted the 
 poor man's pillow and shabb}^ quilt, then sat down by the 
 fire and entered into a conversation with us. He had a 
 pleasant, honest looking- face, dark hair and eyes, was a 
 little above medium height: altogether he w^as a manly 
 looking- man. He replenished the fire occasionally 
 through the night, brought in a bucket of water, and 
 some time during- the night Ursula took down that dried 
 apple pie and we three ate it. 
 
 That man x\llen, like many others in that region, had 
 come a few years before when land could be bought very 
 low. He had a little money, bought a quarter section of 
 unimproved land, built the cabin which I have described, 
 broke some prairie, made rails and fenced a considerable 
 field. He worked early and late, exposed to cold and 
 
60 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 heat and rain and dew. Some men could have done all 
 that and came out apparently sound, but Allen broke 
 down, and when I first saw him he had been a whole year 
 confined to his bed, and was dying" amidst those wretched 
 surrounding's. His poor worn-out wife hardly had life 
 enoug"h left to feel sorrow or joy or g^ratitude. 
 
 A few days after that memorable nig"ht, I attended 
 his burial. There was a kind of a crude carpenter and 
 cabinet-maker not far away who had a shop in his home 
 and made cofiins. This cabinet-maker's name was Whit- 
 acre. I remember seeing" he and his son bring" in the 
 coffin for Allen. It was a respectable looking coffin, but 
 hardly deep enough to take in those poor bent knees, and 
 they had to press them down to g"et the lid on. Mr. 
 Whitacre then took a hammer and great big" nails and 
 fastened down the lid of that coffin. I had seen coffin- 
 lids fastened down with screws and a screw driver, but 
 never before nor since have I seen a poor dead body shut 
 up in a way that looked and sounded so horrible to me as 
 that did. I looked around and wondered how that poor 
 wife must feel on hearing that cruel pounding" on her 
 husband's coffin. The poor, shabbily-dressed, forlorn- 
 looking creature was sitting by the corner of the fire- 
 place with tears streaming down her face, and her little 
 frightened-looking children were crouching down by her. 
 The Wilsons and Mr. Lyon were there, and several 
 others, with wagons to go with them to the grave. Mr. 
 Wilson furnished a wagon to take the corpse, and Mrs. 
 Wilson brought a clean white sheet to spread over the 
 coffin as it was being taken to the grave. Mr. Wilson's 
 hired man drove the team and the Wilsons took the poor 
 
REMINISCENCES. (31 
 
 woman in with tliem, and after the funeral they took 
 them to their own home and kept them for days. 
 
 The people about there, even those whi) were called 
 ''well off,''' had v^ery few of the comforts of life. Some 
 had large bodies of land, big prairie plows, long- strings 
 of oxen, and thousands of bushels of corn. But only 
 Mr. Wilson's and two other families that I became ac- 
 quainted with had so much as a strip of rag carpet on 
 their floors. Everybody cooked by a fire-place;' not even 
 the Wilsons had a cooking stove. There were ledges of 
 stone along Cedar Creek that looked almost like they had 
 been laid up by a mason, and they were so easily taken 
 out that everybody had a stone chimney and a big stone 
 hearth. Timber was plentiful along that creek, and 
 everybody who owned a prairie farm also had a piece of 
 timber on the creek. Skunk river was only a mile or 
 two away. 
 
 I soon became quite well acquainted with Mr. Lyon, 
 who knew the country and the people all over Henry 
 County. When he learned that I had taught one term of 
 school in Indiana, and w^ould like to teach a school some- 
 where about there if I could get one, he offered to assist 
 me. In a day or two after, he came to see me and said 
 he thought he had found the place. Just north of Mt. 
 Pleasant was a splendid neighborhood, where they want- 
 ed a teacher; there was a good school-house, and that 
 was considered one of the best country schools he knew 
 of. There were no public schools or school fund then, 
 but the neighborhood had organized themselves into a 
 school district and had appointed two prominent citizens 
 
62 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 to act as directors, to examine and employ teachers. 
 Mr. Lyon had seen those directors and talked with them 
 about me; they told him to have me draw up an ag^ree- 
 ment and come to see them, bring'ing' the article with me. 
 Mr. Lyon proposed to g"o with me and introduce me to 
 said directors. This w^as in March, 1844, and that was 
 an early Spring*. The prairies were green and trees be- 
 g"inning" to put out in March. Mr. Lyon appointed a day 
 to g"o, and I went to work to brush up in my grammar 
 and geography. One of those directors was Esquire 
 McMillen and the other Esquire Smith. Esquire McMil- 
 len was also called ''Colonel.'' I felt a little afraid of 
 those high-sounding titles, but kept my courage up as 
 well as I could, and went on with my nouns and verbs 
 and moods and tenses, &c. I felt pretty confident of my 
 ability in the rudiments of arithmetic, and geography 
 didn't worry me, for I had learned to sing my geography, 
 and had every body of water, peninsula, cape, isthmus, 
 mountain, island and capital in the knowQ world at my 
 tongue's end. I was not called upon to teach grammar 
 in the school 1 taught in Indiana, but I didn't know what 
 abstruse sentences those titled and supposed-to-be learned 
 directors might call on me to parse. 
 
 When the morning came on which I was to start on 
 that momentous trip, I was up bright and early, dressed 
 myself to look as well as possible, then had a handsome 
 black horse which w^e called "Coby" saddled. About 
 the time I was ready to go Mr. Lyon came dashing up on 
 a handsome bay. I was at home in the saddle in those 
 days, and was not afraid to jump ditches nor any other 
 thing that usually came in the way of horseback riders. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 63 
 
 It was a bri^rht Spring' morning" and the road was fine. 
 Farmers were plowing and sowing" oats, cattle were graz- 
 ing" on the prairies, and birds w^ere singing. I w^as young 
 and the world looked so bright, that I would have been 
 very happy had it not been for the dread of the ordeal I 
 thought I would have to go through in being examined 
 by those august school directors. Mr. Lyon seemed to 
 know every man, woman, and child along the road. He 
 was a pleasant talker, and interested and amused me by 
 telling their history and relating incidents and anecdotes 
 of his own experience since coming to Iowa. I had never 
 seen Skunk river, and when we came in sight of it I was 
 surprised to see a river so wide and clear and shallow as 
 that classic stream is in Henry county. The water w^as 
 clear as crystal, running over a rocky and gravelly bed. 
 It wasn't more than knee deep to our horses. There 
 was a large mill just above the ford, and the water pour- 
 ing over the dam made a sound I always like to hear. 
 Mr. Lyon informed me that was ''Wilson's Mill"; not 
 Mr. Paton Wilson but another Wilson. After we crossed 
 Skunk river our road led through some fine woods. We 
 crossed a creek called Big creek which seemed to me was 
 "big" enough to be called a river. After going through 
 the woods bordering on Big creek we came out on the 
 open prairie and in sight of Mt. Pleasant. The town 
 stood out in bold relief, and the country all around looked 
 charming. The prairies had been burned off, the grass 
 was coming up, and it had the appearance of a great 
 smooth-mown lawn. As we passed through the town I 
 noticed a clean, respectable look all about the houses 
 and streets. There were churches and many comfortable 
 
64 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 looking dwelling's. Everything I saw in or about Mt. 
 Pleasant had to me the appearance of respectability and 
 thrift. 
 
 After we had passed Mt. Pleasant and gone perhaps 
 a mile, Mr. Lyon pointed to a farm-house a little way 
 ahead, and remarked: ''That is (.'olonel McMillen's." I 
 felt that the time had come for me to brace up, and "put 
 my best foot foremost." I had told Mr. Lyon on the 
 way that I was afraid I would be so embarrassed when 
 the Colonel began putting me through what I supposed 
 would be a fearful ordeal that I wouldn't be able to tell 
 the little I did know. We rode up to the gate, alighted 
 from our horses, and as we started toward the door Mr. 
 Lyon remarked: "Don't you worry; you will get along 
 all right.'' His words gave me courage. We went into 
 what seemed to be the sitting-room, met two ladies, one 
 an elderly, pleasant-looking lady, whom Mr. Lyon intro- 
 duced as Mrs. McMillen, and the young lady as Miss 
 McMillen. They received us politely and asked us to be 
 seated, but Mr. Lyon hastened to inform them that we 
 wished to see the Colonel on business. The young lady 
 ushered us into an adjoining room and into the presence 
 of the Colonel, who was sitting by a table which was cov- 
 ered with papers and writing material. The Colonel be- 
 ing a justice of the peace, I took that to be his office. 
 He was writing when we went in, but looked up, and rec- 
 ognizing Mr. Lyon, arose and shook his hand. Mr. Lyon 
 then introduced me. I ottered the Colonel my hand, 
 which he grasped in a manner sufficiently cordial to dis- 
 pel to some degree my fears. Colonel McMillen was a 
 dignified, elderly gentleman, dark-complexioned, his hair 
 
REMINISCENCES. 65 
 
 sprinkled with gray. After making" a few remarks to Mr. 
 Lyon about the weather, he addressed me in this wise: 
 "Well, Miss Hobbs, you, I presume, are the young lady 
 that Mr. Lyon has been telling me about, who would like 
 to teach school for usV I answered, "That is what I 
 ca-me to see you about, and if you think me capable, and 
 w^e can agree on terms, I will be pleased to teach your 
 school. '' I proceeded to show him the article I had draw^n 
 up. He adjusted his glasses, read it over carefully, then 
 looking me straight in the face, said: "Young lady, did 
 you write this?" I said, "Yes, sir, I wrote it.'' In my 
 article I proposed to teach reading, spelling, writing, 
 geography, arithmetic, and English grammar. He reached 
 up to a shelf above his table and took down a book which 
 I could see was a "Kirkham's grammar.'' He opened 
 the book at the author's preface, handed it to me, and 
 asked me to read. I read a few paragraphs, about half a 
 page, when he remarked, "That will do." I handed the 
 book to him. He took it, turned a few leaves, and then 
 came the questioning, which I had been looking forward 
 to with fear and trembling. I was pretty familiar with 
 Kirkham's grammar and noticed that he opened the book 
 at any easy place, and where the answers as well as the 
 questions were before him. He kept his eyes on the book 
 as he proceeded to propound the following' questions: 
 What is grammar? What is orthography? What is a 
 noun? What is a verb? When I had answered the fore- 
 going questions seemingly to the Colonel's satisfaction, 
 he then proceeded to examine me in geography. His 
 •questions were as follows: What is the name of the 
 country we live in? What is the capital of the United 
 
66 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 States? What is the longest river in the United States? 
 What is an island? He asked another question or two 
 about as difficult, and then seemed to think he had gone 
 far enough to satisfy himself that I was qualified to teach. 
 He wrote a note and sealed it, directed to "Thomas 
 Smith, Esq.," handed it to me and told me to give that 
 to Esquire Smith. He further said: "The 'Squire's 
 daughter. Miss Jane Smith, taught our school last sum- 
 mer and took her pay in farm produce, and if you will do 
 the same, providing Esquire Smith is satisfied with your 
 qualifications when you talk with him, I think we can 
 give you a large school. Money is scarce and hard to 
 obtain, and business is carried on here by exchanging 
 one commodity for another. You can trade your produce 
 to the merchants in Mt. Pleasant for dry goods. Every 
 one of your patrons will agree to deliver the produce to 
 any mercantile house you may designate in the town. 
 There is plenty of farm produce but very little money in 
 this region." 
 
REMINISCENCES. (57 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 We took leave of the McMillens, and as we were 
 leaving the house Mr. Lyon, in a low tone remarked to 
 me: "That examination was a stunner, wasn't itV' We 
 mounted our horses and dashed across the prairie about 
 a mile, to the residence of Esquire Smith, which was a 
 respectable-looking hewed log house. We found the 
 'Squire sitting by a cheerful log-heap lire. He met us 
 with such cordial, smiling politeness that my fears were 
 dispelled at once and I felt that he would be my friend. 
 I handed him the letter I had brought from the Colonel, 
 which he immediately proceeded to open and read. I 
 watched the expression on his face as he read, and con- 
 cluded it boded no ill to me. After he had finished read- 
 ing the letter he bowed and smiled and went on to say: 
 "The Colonel, I see, has examined you in the branches 
 you propose to teach, and is satisfied that you are quali- 
 fied to teach our school. I am willing to abide by his 
 judgment, and don't think it necessary to question you 
 farther. If you are willing to teach on the terms he sug- 
 gested, we will consider the matter settled, and you may 
 
68 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 begin teaching on the first day of April. I came to their 
 terms, left the articles with Esquire Smith, and in a few 
 days he sent me word that he had succeeded in getting 
 twenty-eight scholars subscribed, and he thought several 
 more would come in. I was to receive one dollar and 
 fifty cents per scholar in produce. Esquire Smith thought 
 the most of my patrons could pay in corn-meal at the 
 market price in the town of Mt. Pleasant, and said pat- 
 rons would deliver the same. In my talk with Esquire 
 Smith he told me of a family living near the school-house 
 who he felt sure would board me and take their pay in 
 such things as I received for teaching. I was not well 
 pleased with the kind of pay I was to receive, but having 
 to make my own living I realized that I couldn't always 
 have things just as I liked. I was glad to be employed 
 to teach the school, even on those terms. 
 
 I was too young then to analyze my thoughts, ideas, 
 and desires, but I know now — I was honest, proud, ambi- 
 tious, energetic, and to make a dollar any way but in a 
 straightforward and honorable manner never entered my 
 mind. Young as I was T had observed that there were 
 few occupations a woman who had to make her living 
 could engage in and be respected. A girl in those days 
 who was supposed to be well enough educated, and was 
 employed to teach, was considered worthy of a higher 
 place socially than one who spun and wove and cooked 
 and washed for people out of her own home. She may 
 not have been more worthy, but "public opinion'' acted 
 like she was. I was not afraid of spinning, nor cooking, 
 nor washing, but I was afraid of that terrible tyrant, 
 "public opinion." Of course I was greatly relieved and 
 
REMINISCENCES. 69 
 
 pleased to have g-one through that dreaded examination 
 with so little trouble, but I can't say that it g-ave me a 
 very exalted opinion of the erudition of those school di- 
 rectors. I think now they were about as much afraid of 
 me as I was of them. Colonels and Esquires in those 
 days were not always very scholarly. I was so giad it 
 was all over that I went home with alig^ht heart and kind 
 feeling-s toward everybody. But on the way Mr. Lyon 
 would look at me in a quizzical way and say: "What did 
 you say a noun was?" or "What did you say the capital 
 of the United States was?" And when we reached Skunk 
 River and were standing- in the river letting- our horses 
 drink, he looked up and down the stream, then remarked: 
 "The river is pretty low now." I said, "yes, but don't 
 it g-et pretty hig-h sometimes?" "Yes," he said, "and I 
 was just thinking that about the time your school will be 
 out, the river in all probability will be up, and you can 
 put all your farm produce on a flat-boat and send it down 
 the river to New Orleans." I told him if he didn't stop 
 making fun of me, as soon as we got to the top of the 
 hill I would run off and leave him, for I knew my horse 
 could outrun his. He replied: "I don't know about that, 
 but our horses are tired, and I guess we had better not 
 run a race until some other time, but I'll stop, if that is 
 the way you take my suggestions." 
 
 We rode on. talking about the merits of our horses, 
 the pleasant trip we had had, and the beauties of the 
 country, until we arrived at my home, where Mr. Lyon 
 sprang from his horse, led my horse up to a stump and 
 assisted me to alight. I didn't need any assistance but 
 it was considered the polite thing to do that way. I in- 
 
70 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 vited him to come in and take supper with us, but he 
 declined. We stood and talked for a moment and I 
 thanked him for his kindness to me, for I did consider 
 that he had been a friend and I felt grateful. He re- 
 marked that it had given him much pleasure and he had 
 enjoyed the day, he thought, quite as much as I 
 had. As he finished the last remark he sprang into his 
 saddle and turned his horse's head as if to leave. I was 
 just about starting to the house when he called me back, 
 and with a very sober look said: "I have been thinking 
 that the amount of truck you will have to dispose of will 
 overstock the market in Mt. Pleasant, and you will be 
 obliged to resort to the flat-boat, and in that case you 
 will want a pilot, and I am. the man." At that he gave 
 his horse a cut with his whip and went dashing off. Be- 
 fore we retired that night I think I told my mother every- 
 thing relating to that day's experience, not omitting the 
 most trivial details. She was deeply interested, as she 
 always was in everything which concerned me. 
 
 The next day I went over to Wilson's and told them 
 about it. Mr. Wilson said, "T know all the men in that 
 neighborhood and if you were to hunt Iowa over you 
 couldn't find a better." 
 
 When the time came for me to begin my school, my 
 friend Mr. Lyon proposed to go with me and see me 
 safely landed at my boarding-place, Mr. Kesler's. I 
 gladly accepted his kind offer, and we enjoyed another 
 trip over prairies, woods, river, and creeks. He never 
 once, the whole way, referred to * 'nouns", "capitals", 
 nor "flat-boats". Esquire Smith had arranged every- 
 thing in regard to my boarding. The Keslers received 
 
REMINISCENCES. 71 
 
 me so kindly that I felt at home with them right away. 
 Mrs. Kesler was a very energ-etic woman, a good house- 
 keeper, and an excellent cook. She wanted to do much 
 more for my comfort than I wanted her to do. Mr. 
 Kesler was a gentle, quiet, unassuming man. He and 
 his wife were both devout Methodists. The school-house 
 was not more than forty rods from the Kesler home, and 
 in one of the prettiest places I ever saw in Iowa. Just 
 across the road was a camp-meeting ground in a beautiful 
 grove of oak and hickory trees, and a gravelly, rocky 
 little creek crossed the road only a few rods away. That 
 place had been settled about ten years, and many of the 
 first settlers were comfortably fixed for low^a. 
 
 On Monday morning, the first day of April, 1844, I 
 commenced my school. Mr. Kesler had made a fire in 
 the stove, and when I went in I found a clean, pleasant 
 looking school-house. It was a log house but was white- 
 washed and had good windows and door, and for that day, 
 good writing-desks and seats. The outlook was charm- 
 ing. The grass was coming up all about, the trees were 
 putting out, and that little brook so near that I could see 
 it from the school-house door, and hear the water rippling 
 over its gravelly bottom. 
 
 In a little while the scholars began to come in. I 
 think there were thirty the first day, their ages ranging 
 from five to twenty-two years; some of them several 
 years older than myself. My eighteenth birthday oc- 
 curred while I w^as teaching that school. I soon discov- 
 ered that none of them were far enough advanced to give 
 me any uneasiness. I went to work with the determina- 
 tion to do my very best to please the parents and instruct 
 
/2 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 their children. If they were not pleased with my work 
 they never let me know it. In a small way I followed 
 Mr. Hoshour's plan of teaching', which was to instruct 
 my pupils correctly in the rudiments, but not confine 
 myself to text-books alone. I knew very little of ancient 
 or modern history, but the little I did know I gave them 
 the benefit of, which in my crude judg-ment would instil 
 in them a taste for reading" and finding out things for 
 themselves. 
 
 All the families in that neighborhood were orderly, 
 respectable and moral; nearly all members of some relig- 
 ious denomination, and meetings were held nearly every 
 Sunday in the school-house or at the camp-ground. That 
 neighborhood was known far and near as the Brazelton 
 neighborhood. The Brazeltons were the most prominent 
 family therein, and seemed to be allied by blood or mar- 
 riage to most of the elite of the town of Mt. Pleasant, 
 the Wallaces, Sanderses, Porters and Paines. The Wal- 
 laces, Henderson and Frank, I was told, were brothers of 
 Governor Wallace, who was the first governor I remem- 
 ber anything about in Indiana. They were tall, manly, 
 distinguished-looking men. Henderson Wallace was a 
 son-in-law of Colonel Samuel Brazelton. One of the San- 
 derses was a brother-in-law. Alvin Sanders was a young 
 unmarried man then, and kept a store of general mer- 
 chandise in Mt. Pleasant. He was afterward Governor 
 of Nebraska, and has the distinction of being the father- 
 in-law of Russell Harrison. Alvin Sanders was a fine- 
 looking man and a gentleman in every sense of the word. 
 The eldest daughter of the house of Brazelton was the 
 wife of Asberry Porter, a lawyer and leading politician 
 
REMINISCENCES. 73 
 
 in Henry County. Nearly aill the men about Mt. Pleas- 
 ant whom I have mentioned were politicians, and were 
 "Whigs," and would have voted for Henry Clay if they 
 had have had the chance. But Iowa was a Territory 
 then. The Territorial Legislature and county offices 
 engaged their attention at that time. I became acquaint- 
 ed with those people and many others at the homes of 
 the Brazeltons and Keslers. Both families entertained 
 hospitably. I remember well the big fire-place in the 
 Brazelton kitchen, with crane and hooks of every neces- 
 sary length. What a lot of pots and kettles could be 
 hung on that long crane, and be swung out and back 
 again over the lire at the cook's pleasure! What splendid 
 biscuit, salt-rising and corn bread could be baked on that 
 big hearth in skillets and ovens with coals placed under- 
 neath and on the lids! Great strong andirons to hold the 
 wood in place. A strong pair of tongs and shovel stood 
 against the jamb, and hooks for lifting pots, and hooks 
 for lifting lids, hung on nails in convenient places. There 
 were cooking stoves in that da3^ but I don't remember 
 one in the Brazelton neighborhood. 
 
 Not only religious services were held in the school- 
 house, but every alternate Saturda}^ afternoon a young 
 gentleman by the name of Shadel taught a singing school 
 which was patronized by all the young people about there. 
 We sang what was called "patent notes" and used books 
 called "Mason's Sacred Harp" and "Methodist Har- 
 monist." Two of Mr. Shadel's sons, Horace and Henry, 
 are musicians and well known, not only in Oskaloosa but 
 many other towns. These young men have the reputa- 
 
74 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 tion of being- honorable men, and of possessing- much 
 musical talent. 
 
 I had no trouble with my scholars, and was treated 
 with kindness by their parents and the young men and 
 women of the neig-hborhood. I had what young- people 
 call a "good time," until one day about two weeks before 
 my school closed I received a letter saying- my mother 
 was sick. I dismissed my school, borrowed a horse, and 
 went to see her. I stayed with her three days, when she 
 seemed so much better all thought she would be well in a 
 few days. I went back and finished my school. A few 
 of my patrons paid me in money, notwithstanding I had 
 agreed to take all in "produce". One man I remember 
 in particular, Mr. Heaton, who sent two lovely little 
 girls, Sarah and Lottie, to my school. Mr. Heaton had 
 a saw mill on Big Creek. He said: "I will pay you in 
 money; I don't like to ask you to take lumber." With 
 Mr. Kesler's kind assistance I managed to dispose of some 
 of my assets in the shape of farm produce, but a con- 
 siderable quantity was yet on my hands when my school 
 closed. This residue consisted principally of corn meal. 
 I was fortunate enough to trade it to Mr. Alvin Sanders 
 for dry goods. I remember with what fear and trem- 
 bling I approached Mr. Sanders when I went to his store 
 to propose that exchange of commodities. When I had 
 stated the amount of corn meal I wished to dispose of he 
 looked a little surprised, hesitated at first, and intimated 
 that he feared the amount of that commodity I wished to 
 dispose of would more than meet the requirements of the 
 citizens of Mt. Pleasant. I think he noticed my embar- 
 rassment, and the kindness of his heart prompted him to 
 
REMINISCENCES. 75 
 
 take the whole of it and take the chances of disposing- of 
 it. I have always felt grateful to Mr. Sanders for that 
 act of kindness. I was rejoiced and not at all surprised 
 in after years to learn that he had "gone on to fortune 
 and to fame." 
 
76 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 When I was about closing- my school and other busi- 
 ness, word came to me that my mother was very sick. I 
 went to her as quick as I could and found her very sick 
 indeed. The Wilsons, as was their true nature, were and 
 had been* doing" all they could for her comfort. One day 
 the end came. She died in peace, even thoug^h it was in 
 a wretched log cabin on a bare prairie, her children stand- 
 ing- around her, frantic with g-rief. I can never forget 
 the heart-broken sobs of my little brothers, Calvin and 
 William. How dreary the world seemed when a little 
 procession of those neighbors in farm wagons followed 
 her one morning to the Friends' burying-ground at Sa- 
 lem, where we stood by the grave until those kind people 
 had thrown on the last spadeful of earth and shaped it 
 into a mound over all that was mortal of our beloved 
 mother. More than half a century the prairie grass has 
 been growing, and the prairie winds have been singing a 
 requiem over that humble grave. Generations have 
 passed sway and other generations have come upon the 
 scene and taken their places, since that day on which that 
 
REMINISCENCES. 77 
 
 terrible truth, "My mother was dying!" flashed upon my 
 mind; as the years go by, and that day in August which to 
 me is apart from all other da3'^s in the year, I live over again 
 that terrible experience. That sad scene with all its sur- 
 rounding's is photographed on my memory, and has never 
 faded out in all the years that have come and gone; that 
 cabin with its dingy walls, the white home made counter- 
 pane on my mother's bed, the locust tree before the door, 
 with the breeze lifting up its leaves, my little brothers, 
 helpless, weeping, and the faces of kind neighbors who 
 wept with us, form a picture which time has not dimmed. 
 My mother was a Christian and died rejoicing, though 
 all around her were weeping. I am thirty years older 
 than my mother was when the Lord took her to himself. 
 I have read the writings of many authors who have given 
 to the world what are supposed to be the best thoughts 
 and ideas and teaching to young girls; have observed 
 and thought much myself, but my mother's advice and 
 counsel to me stands good to-da}^, and is what my best 
 judgment approves. The principles she taught me are 
 the principled which I try to instil into the mind of every 
 young girl who comes under my influence. My mother 
 was kind to the sick, and when she was sick and dying, 
 kind people came to help and comfort her. 
 
 Paton and Hannah Wilson have long been sleei)ing 
 under the sod. If these lines ever fall into the hands of 
 any of their children, grand-children, or great-grand- 
 children, I want them to know that there is one at least 
 who has never ceased to be grateful for the help and 
 kindness shown her and hers in that time of sorrow. The 
 Wilsons stand prominently in my memory, but they are 
 
78 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 not all the noble-hearted people who have a warm place 
 in my heart. There was a lovely Christian Quaker lady, 
 Rachel Bond, whose words of tender sympathy and kind 
 acts I have not forgotten. And Mr. Lyon, true to his 
 kindly instincts, was ready and willing- to do anything in 
 his power to lighten our grief. Mr. Lyon has always 
 been held in grateful remembrance by me. The reader, 
 if there ever is a reader of this story, may think there 
 ought to be a sequel to Mr. Lyon's and my rather ro- 
 mantic acquaintance, but there is no sequel. My story 
 is without a plot, and is only an attempt to tell a straight- 
 forward and true story of my recollections of long ago. 
 
 After my mother was gone I soon realized that I 
 could not afford to sit down and nurse my grief and be- 
 moan my bereavement; something practical had to be 
 thought of. The Wilsons, as the}^ had been doing all 
 along, stood by us, and were planning a way to send me 
 and my little brothers to our relatives in Indiana, when 
 four days after my mother's death my uncle and aunt, 
 Aaron and Delilah Cox, came. They had not heard of 
 my mother's death until they reached that neighborhood. 
 They had come with teams to take to the "New Pur- 
 chase" a considerable portion of their household goods 
 and other things, left when they moved in the Spring. 
 They proposed different arrangements for us. That was 
 before the days of telegraphy, and postal service was so 
 poor and uncertain that to send a letter to the wilds of 
 the "New Purchase" was a thing that one could have no 
 assurance would ever reach its destination. 
 
 When my uncle and aunt took in the situation they 
 both, with one accord, offered me a home in their family, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 79 
 
 and said they were sure the people in their settlement 
 would emplo}'^ me to teach their children. At the same 
 time it was arranged to send my little brothers to our 
 relatives in Indiana. The parting from my little brothers 
 added another pang to my great sorrow. I thought of 
 course in some way I would see them again before a very 
 great while : but when 1 saw them again they were young 
 men and I was living in Oskaloosa, married, and had two 
 little boys of my own. That good uncle and aunt did and 
 said all they could to comfort me. They didn't seem to 
 think they were making any sacrifice in taking me into 
 their family, as one of their own children. I was too 
 young and inexperienced in regard to the care of provid- 
 ing for a family to full}^ appreciate their great kindness. 
 In after years, when I had seen and learned more of the 
 world, I looked back to that act of pure-hearted kindness 
 with wonder and gratitude. 
 
 My uncle had two wagns, one drawn by a pair of 
 horses and the other by two yoke of oxen; both wagons 
 were pretty well tilled. The ox wagon was what was 
 called an old Pennsylvania wagon, with long bed ex- 
 tending far out in front and back. That wagon was piled 
 high with various things, among others a quantity of llax 
 which had been broken in a flax-break, but not hacheled 
 or swingled. Many families in that day raised flax; they 
 broke it, swingled it, hacheled it, spun it and wove it by 
 hand. In those days I was called a good spinner; I loved 
 to spin flax and used to be an expert in spinning thread. 
 They used to say that my verse in the Bible was a true 
 proverb: "She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her 
 hands hold the distaff." — Prov. xxxi, 19. 
 
80 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 I never enjoyed any work more than spinning tiaxon 
 one of those little wheels we sometimes see now placed 
 in a parlor or elegant guest chamber as a choice orna- 
 ment. I had the pleasure in the winter (^f '44 and '45 of 
 helping my aunt spin the flax that was brought to the 
 "New Purchase" on that big Pennsylvania wagon. My 
 uncle had provided a comfortable place for my aunt and 
 me in the other wagon, but after we had traveled one day 
 and reached what was erroneously called the "edge of 
 civilization," I obtained leave of my uncle to ride on that 
 pile of flax. It was up high in air and I had a charming 
 view of that wide expanse of unbroken, green, waving, 
 undulating prairie. After we had left Fairfield and gone 
 a few miles west we realized that we were in a place 
 where, as far as we could see, no long string of oxen with 
 massive plow had ever turned a furrow. The tall blue- 
 stem grass, the yellow and purple prairie blossoms were 
 being swayed to and fro by the mild August breeze. We 
 could see the Skunk River timber away off to the right 
 of us, with now and then a point extending out toward 
 that great mass of undisturbed grass and blossoms. The 
 road had been traveled so little the grass was not worn 
 out in it. Travelers had nothing to obstruct their way. 
 They could drive just where they chose, though they 
 kept along what was called "The Divide." By so doing 
 they missed the few hills and hollows and sloughs they 
 would have encountered near the timber. We traveled 
 miles and miles without seeing any sign of a human hab- 
 itation. After a while our road led us to one of those 
 points of timber where was located a very poor looking 
 log cabin and a few acres enclosed by a very poor fence. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 81 
 
 About this cabin was a cluster of plum and crab apple 
 trees which almost hid the cabin from view\ I might say, 
 "A rural cot embowered 'neath nature's primeval foliage" 
 but anything so poetical and romantic would be mis- 
 leading. It wouldn't give one the true picture of that 
 poor, crude cabin built in the brush, where was just 
 enough cut down to make a place for said cabin. The 
 crab apple and plum trees were all right in their native 
 state, but with dead brush and sticks and chips all around 
 and under them, the sight was not very inviting. A A^ery 
 sour, unsociable looking woman was sitting before the 
 cabin door, under one of those crab apple trees, spinning 
 flax on a little wheel. My aunt and I walked up near her 
 and spoke to her. She didn't stop spinning, just barely 
 nodded to us. We asked her for water. Her only answer 
 was, "You can get water over there in the slough," mo- 
 tioning with her head the direction. We noticed a dim 
 path leading that way, followed it and directly came to 
 the slough, where we found a hole dug in the side, full of 
 not very good water. It slaked our thirst though, and 
 we went back and thanked her. She just nodded a very 
 slight nod with the same sour look on her face, her feet 
 keeping the same vigorous motions on the pedal of her 
 wheel and her hands manipulating the flax. We made no 
 more efforts to be sociable but went back to our wagons, 
 climbed in and journeyed on. That was late in the after- 
 noon. When night came we had reached another point 
 w^here we camped. That was the last night before reach- 
 ing my uncle's home. That last camping place I after- 
 ward heard called "Waugh's Point". The next morning 
 we were up and on our way a little after sunrise. I 
 
82 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 climbed up on that big wagon, and from that elevated 
 seat had an unobstructed view of that charming land- 
 scape; that undisturbed great native meadow. Some 
 groves could be seen off toward the Skunk river, and 
 away over toward the Des Monies. Not a human habita- 
 tion was to be seen ; not an animal, except occasionally 
 in the distance we would see a deer or wolf scampering 
 off toward one of those groves. 
 
 The last morning of that journey, which I little 
 thought would result in events and circumstances of so 
 much importance to me, was one of those delightfully cool 
 mornings which sometimes occur in August. I was seat- 
 ed on my airy perch, taking in the never-tiring scene and 
 breathing the fresh morning air, when suddenly a gen- 
 tleman on horseback rode up beside the wagon. I recog- 
 nized him in a moment as an acquaintance I had made 
 while in the Brazelton neighborhood, Dr. Theodore Por- 
 ter. I wondered if he wouldn't be amused at seeing me in 
 so unromantic a situation. The doctor slackened his pace 
 to suit the plodding gait of our oxen and kept by us for 
 a mile or two, all the time treating me with as great def- 
 erence as if I had been a princess mounted on a triumphal 
 car. He told me he was going to locate in, or had located 
 in the new town of Oskaloosa, and was surprised to see 
 me on my way to that region. I asked him about the 
 town and people, and in reply to my questions he said: 
 "There are perhaps a dozen houses in the town, and as 
 good a class of people coming in as you will find any- 
 where. There is a family named Seevers, a Mr. Williams, 
 a gentleman by the name of Edmondson, all first-class 
 peo])le, and a family by the name of Phillips, who are all 
 
REMINISCENCES. 83 
 
 sing"ers. I never heeird better vocal music than was made 
 by the Phillips family." The doctor, after saying many 
 more complimentary things about the people around Os- 
 kaloosa, and expatiating on the beauty and natural ad- 
 vantages of the country about the Narrows, and saying 
 he would call on me in my new home in the near future, 
 bade us good morning and started oft: on a brisk trot to- 
 ward Oskaloosa. 
 
 Our oxen, patient and plodding, kept on in the even 
 tenor of their way, occasionally reaching out and snatch- 
 ing a bite of blue-stem grass by the roadside. We came 
 in sight of "White Oak Point,'' where my uncle said 
 there were a few families settled; we couldn't see the 
 houses, as we kept out on the ''divide," When we were 
 not far from White Oak Point I looked away toward the 
 west, or a little north of west, and saw what seemed to 
 be a narrow gap between two points of timber. 1 called 
 my uncle's attention to the scene, and asked him what 
 that place was. He replied: "I was wondering if you 
 had noticed that. That is 'The Narrows,' you have 
 heard so much about, and that 'gap,' as you call it, is 
 where Oskaloosa is located, but the houses are so few 
 and little and the grass so high, you will have to get a 
 good deal nearer than this before you can see it. The 
 timber you see on your right hand is Skunk River timber 
 and that on the left is Des Moines River timber. After 
 going through 'The Narrows' the prairie widens out 
 again and is interspersed with groves, and the country 
 above is just as beautiful as this which you have been 
 carrying on so about.'" 
 
 When we were within three or four miles of my 
 
84 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 uncle's place, he and my aunt began pointing- out places 
 which loomed up in sight, and telling me who owned and 
 lived at different groves — nobody had ventured far out on 
 the prairie at that time. Away off to the southwest a 
 beautiful grove stood out conspicuously and could be 
 seen a long way oft'. "That," my uncle said, "is one of 
 the finest places on that side of the prairie and belongs 
 to a man by the name of Lewis Rhinehart." Another 
 place which stood out "high and dry" was called the 
 "Parker grove." Now it is the McKinley farm. We 
 left that main drive and turning to the right into a track 
 much less traveled, were directly in a region of prairie 
 all interspersed with the most beautiful groves of droop- 
 ing elms and lind trees. They were all surrounded with 
 a border of crab apple and plum trees. My uncle, point- 
 ing toward the north, said: "About two miles over in 
 that direction is Skunk river, and on the bluff' is an Indian 
 village called 'Kishkekash.' There are no Indians there 
 now, but some of their bark huts are still there, and a 
 family of white people by the name of Bean own a claim 
 there and are living in one of those 'wigwams'." Pres- 
 ently we began to see fields of corn and some very small 
 and crude cabins tucked in the edges of the groves. My 
 aunt remarked, ' 'Now we are getting into our settlement 
 and I will show thee where some of our neighbors Ifve." 
 Pointing to a grove to the east she said: "There is where 
 Poultney Loughridge lives." Then pointing west she 
 remarked: "Thee sees that big grove over there? That 
 is where Thomas Stafford lives, and a little farther on his 
 son Brantley lives. Brantley's wife, Rachel, is a relative 
 of ours, Rachel's brother, Sammy Coffin, lives about 
 
REMINISCENCES. _ 85 
 
 four miles west of our house. Our cousin, Dr. Seth 
 Hobbs, lives about a mile and a half from our house, 
 southwest.'' She kept on telling- me about their neigh- 
 bors until we came to a cornfield where the road was 
 along- the fence, and away at the end of the held and close 
 to a body of timber was a cabin which we could plainly 
 see as we drove along- the fence. I asked her whose field 
 it was. She replied, "This is our field and that is our 
 house." "Well," I said, "Aunt Delilah, I think you have 
 the prettiest place of all." It was a pretty place and 
 seemed so nicely located. There was beautiful timber to 
 the west and north of their house, and the cabin was just 
 out from the edg-e of the timber. Their field of corn just 
 in roasting ear lay oft" toward the south. 
 
 There was great joy in the family when we arrived. 
 My cousins had seen us coming down the road and all 
 came running to see their father and mother. They were 
 surprised to see me, but welcomed me in a hearty, child- 
 like way. But when Aunt Delilah said, "Aunt Mary is 
 dead and Semira has come to live with us," joy was mixed 
 with sorrow and tears came in our eyes. Uncle and aunt 
 questioned the children about the way they had gotten 
 along in their absence. They had all been well and noth- 
 ing serious had happened. As we went toward the house 
 we saw a young looking woman standing in the yard with 
 a little child in her arms. My aunt shook hands with her 
 and then introduced us in this wise: "Semira, this is our 
 nearest neighbor, Amanda Martin; and Amanda, this is 
 my niece, Semira Ann Hobbs." Aunt Delilah was a gen- 
 uine Quaker of the old stamp and never said Mr., Mrs., 
 nor Miss to anybody. I don't think iVunt Delilah ever 
 
86 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 did but one thing- in her life which was forbidden by the 
 discipline of her church, and that was ''to marry out of 
 meeting'." I don't think anybody ever blamed her for 
 that. If she had had her ])ick and choice of all the young 
 Quakers in the State of Indiana, she could not have found 
 a more pure-minded aiid honorable man for a husband 
 than Aaron Cox. Both my uncle and aunt were exceed- 
 ingly conscientious, just and honest. I had a home in 
 their family for more than a year and was never made to 
 feel that I was not welcome. They were quite as well 
 fixed for living as any family in that new settlement. 
 Their cabin had but one room, but that room was larger 
 than cabins generally were. I think now it was eighteen 
 feet wide and twenty feet long. I know they had in it 
 four ordinary sized beds, and a trundle-bed which was 
 kept under one of the big beds in the day time and drawn 
 out at night for the children. The style of bedstead 
 used then was so high from the floor to the bed rail that 
 there was ample room under a bed to store many trunks 
 and chests and boxes and bundles. It was customary to 
 hang a valance around which hid all these unsightly 
 things. Women in that day and stage of the country's 
 history learned how to manage and utilize room. My 
 uncle's cabin had a very large fire-place, six feet wide at 
 least. That fire-place was built up, back and jambs with 
 stone and mud. The top of the chimney was of mud and 
 split staves or sticks. The floor was puncheon and the 
 roof clap-boards. There was a door in the south, a small 
 window in the west end by the fire-place, and another 
 small window in the north. My aunt had a loom and all 
 other necessaries for makinir cloth. While the weather 
 
REMINISCENCES. 87 
 
 was warm the loom was kept in a shed at the back of the 
 house. That shed had a clap-board roof, and the floor 
 was of elm tree bark laid flat on the ground with the 
 roug-h side up. My uncle and aunt were both good man- 
 agers and could make the best of their crude surroundings. 
 They had plenty in the wilderness. 
 
 They had moved to this place in March and the time 
 I am talking about was August. They had to go a long 
 way to procure flour and corn-meal: I think the nearest 
 mill was in Jefferson County. My uncle and aunt and 
 every child that was old enough were workers, and had 
 raised a splendid garden. That fresh, new, mellow soil 
 without a single weed, would produce a crop without 
 much tending; they had cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, 
 beans, and had the only sweet potatoes around there. 
 All through the cornfield the ground was yellow with 
 pumpkins; m}^ aunt had not neglected to bring a supply 
 of garden seeds when they came in the Spring. About a 
 dozen rows of corn nearest the house were hanging full 
 of beans of the "cut short" variety. Besides the neces- 
 sary and useful, my cousins, Eliza Ann and Elizabeth, 
 had a bed of old-fashioned flowers — marigolds, four- 
 o'clocks, larkspurs, touch-me-nots, and some morning- 
 glory vines running up strings by the cabin door. Fruit 
 was the thing missed most, and if my aunt had not 
 brought a quantity of dried apples we would have been 
 without. Blackberries grew in the woods about there, 
 but at the time I am talking about the blackberry season 
 was over. Crab-apples were plenty, but sugar was a lux- 
 ury both scarce and dear, and crab-apples even in that 
 day wei'e not greatly relished without being sweetened. 
 
88 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 My aunt, and I presume most of her neig'hbors, had a lit- 
 tle sugar carefully put away to be used only in emergen- 
 cies, but we got along very well without sugar. My 
 uncle kept four cows and we had more milk and butter 
 than we could use. There was no market anywhere in 
 reach, and what we couldn't use was given to the pigs. 
 I remember how lavishly my aunt would put butter in 
 everything she cooked, especially her roasting-ear pud- 
 dings. One of Aunt Delilah's roasting-ear puddings, 
 spread all over with the kind of butter she made, was a 
 whole meal itself. We had one of those puddings every 
 night for supper as long as the roasting-ears lasted. 
 
 My uncle, as I have said, was not a member of any 
 religious denomination, but had a profound res])ect for 
 sacred things, especially for my aunt's views and strict 
 adherence to the customs of the church of which she was 
 a member. We never sat down to our meals, no matter 
 how plain, without observing the little spell of silent 
 reverence practiced among Friends. I had been brought 
 up among Friends, or Quakers, and knew all about their 
 habits, but at that time and for a long time after, I had 
 never heard a vocal grace at one of their tables. But 
 all Friends who were worthy of the name observed the 
 custom of bowing their heads in silent reverence and 
 thanksgiving to God before partaking of their meals. 
 No long and devout utterance of vocal prayer and thanks- 
 giving at table ever seemed more solemn to me than the 
 silent grace of the Quakers. When they buried their 
 dead they stood solemnly around the grave, not shunning 
 the heart-piercing sound of clods falling on the coffin-lid, 
 but waitnig until the last spadeful of earth was placed 
 
REMINISCENCES. 89 
 
 and fashioned into a smooth, shapely mound by some 
 kind and sympathetic neighbor who, when the last gentle 
 pat was given, would quietly step back, and leaning on 
 his spade, would wait with the others the few moments 
 of reverent, solemn silence which always followed the 
 burial of their dead. 
 
 The people in that neighborhood were nearly all mem- 
 bers of some religious denomination, or had a member- 
 ship before they carn,e, but no church had been organized 
 nor any religious meetings held. The Staft'ords, the 
 Stanleys, the Arnolds, and my aunt Delilah, were 
 Quakers. The Martins (H. P., usually called Patterson), 
 and Silas, his brother, and their wives, were members of 
 the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Poultney Lough- 
 ridge and family were United Presbyterians. Several 
 denominations were represented, but only a few repre- 
 sented any one. But however their religious tenets may 
 have differed as neighbors, they dwelt together in har- 
 mony. They were kiad and helpful to each other and 
 hospitable to strangers. There seemed to be no such 
 feeling as jealousy, nor any disposition to take advantage 
 of each other. Every one of those families owned a good 
 claim and had obtained them honestly. 
 
90 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A time was appointed, May 1st, 1843, when men were 
 allowed to come in and select claims. One man might 
 hold a claim embracing- half a section. There were four 
 men, Poultney Loughridge. John McAllister, Edwin and 
 Robert Michell, all related either by blood or marriage, 
 who came a little before the time, but made friends both 
 with the Indians and dragoons. They selected four 
 claims, without designating who should be the possessor 
 of any particular one. All those claims had both timber 
 and prairie and were thought by them to be about equal 
 in value. When they were surreptitiously "spying out 
 the land" they cut a set of house-logs; they did not go 
 to sleep on the night of April 30th, in '43, but the moment 
 the hands of somebody's watch pointed to the hour of 
 twelve, they gathered up their stakes and torches and be- 
 fore daylight on the morning of the first of May their 
 claims were all staked or blazed out. Then they drew 
 lots and every man drew the very claim he wanted. That 
 same day (May 1st, '43) they made of those logs so 
 stealthily cut a cabin on Mr. Loughridge's claim, which 
 
REMINISCENCES. 91 
 
 was said to be the first house ever built in Maliaska 
 County. My uncle, in the fall of '43, bought Mr. John 
 McAllister's claim, which had on it the cabin I have men- 
 tioned. The land on which that immense crop of pump- 
 kins grew amidst a forest of corn was broken in '43. My 
 uncle had broken another lot of ground in the spring 
 which had produced a big crop of what was called "sod 
 corn." And such a crop of turnips! big and juicy and 
 tender and sweet. I wonder why we never have such 
 turnips nowV I came near forgetting to mention the 
 melons. My uncle had a patch of watermelons, and 
 muskmelons of the nutmeg variety. If one just threw 
 the seed away on that rich, clean, mellow ground, a big 
 crop would come of it. My uncle was a man who pro- 
 vided for his family, and my aunt was one of the women 
 "who looked well to the ways of her household." They 
 had an interesting family. Eliza Ann, the eldest, was a 
 staid and steady girl, practical, and not given to joking. 
 She was a blond, with an abundance of golden brown 
 hair which laid in wavy ripples all over her head without 
 the aid of any device in the way of crimping apparatus. 
 Eliza Ann and I got on well together, were always good 
 friends. She was a serious, matter-of-fact sort of a girl, 
 the kind that the neighbors all have a word of praise for. 
 Elizabeth was my bosom friend. Her faults were few 
 and her virtues many. She was what in these days would 
 be called a bright girl. She grew to be a bright woman, 
 and to-day is one of the brightest women I know. To me 
 she is a "joy forever." 
 
 In a short time I became acquainted with some of the 
 neighbors. I soon became quite good friends with the 
 
92 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Martins — Patterson and Amanda, as we called them. 
 They were young people then, had only been married two 
 or three years, and had one baby, Mary, who is Mrs. 
 Matt. Crozier and a grandmother now. Patterson and 
 Amanda had come in the summer of '43, They had a 
 claim adjoining my uncle's, and were living on that claim 
 in a little cabin about a quarter of a mile north in the 
 woods. They were very kind to me from the first. Many 
 pleasant little visits 1 had with them in their humble 
 cabin. I think it was the very first Sunday after I came 
 to my uncle's that Patterson and Amanda came along in 
 the early afternoon and told us that Mr. Loughridge had 
 given out word among the neighbors that any who wished 
 to do so could come to his house and hold some kind of 
 religious meeting. I ran in, put on my straw bonnet, and 
 joined the Martins. We walked across my uncle's field, 
 climbed a staked and ridered fence, and then came into a 
 dim road which led toward Mr. Loughridge's house, which 
 was that "first cabin" and in appearance much like all 
 other cabins about there. One room with all the appur- 
 tenances for cooking, eating, and sleeping, and arranged 
 about as snugly as possible. When Mr. Martin introduced 
 me, Mr. and Mrs. L. shook hands with me cordially, and 
 made some pleasant remarks about my being a new addi- 
 tion to the community. We sat and waited awhile but 
 nobody else came. Mr. Loughridge read a chapter from 
 the Bible and Mrs. Loughridge had in her hand a book of 
 Psalms. She led in singing, and as the Martins and my- 
 self were not familiar with their kind of singing, she and 
 Mr. L. had it all to do. When they had sung, Mr. L. said, 
 "Let us pray.'' We all knelt and Mr. L. prayed. They 
 
REMINISCENCES. 93 
 
 sang another Psalm and then Mr. L. asked Mr. Martin to 
 pray. Mr. Martin prayed, while we all knelt again. That 
 ended the services. 
 
 Mr. Loughridge was a tall, broad-shouldered, manly, 
 honest-looking man, with what is called red, or "sandy" 
 complexion; Mrs. L's complexion was much like her hus- 
 band's, but not quite so dark. All their children had 
 complexions mc^re or less like their parents. The Lough- 
 ridges were worthy and substantial citizens. The chil- 
 dren of these worthy people, some of them grand-parents 
 long ago, have done honor to the covenenter stock from 
 which they sprnag. Two of their sons are ministers. 
 Albert, the baby, born in that crude and humble cabin, 
 has spent years as a Christian missionary in India. 
 
 Not long after the time I have been telling about, 
 two or three more families of Quakers settled in that 
 neighborhood, and some time in the Autumn of '44 those 
 Quakers met at the house of Thomas Stafford and organ- 
 ized themselves into a "meeting," and for many months 
 met every Sunday at Thomas Stafford's house and held 
 their meetings of silent worship. There was no minister 
 among them. I often attended those meetings, where 
 not a word was spoken, but all sat for one hour in silent 
 meditation. 
 
 Thomas Staff'ord was the rich man of the neighor- 
 hood. I have heard it said, and presume it is true, that 
 he was worth more money than any man in the county; 
 that is, he had mere actual cash. I was told by persons 
 who were supposed to know, that he received eighteen 
 thousand dollars in cash for his farm in Tippecanoe 
 County, Indiana, and had all that money at his disposal 
 
94 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 when he came to the "New Purchase" in '43. Eighteen 
 thousand dollars seemed an immense sum then. It was 
 a foundation for an immense fortune in a country of such 
 possibilities as this country possessed at that time. 
 Thomas Stafford and wife were elderly people then; their 
 family of nine children were all g^rown and all married 
 but two, William and Elam. William w^as married in the 
 Spring of '45 to Eliza Stanley. Elam was the Dr. Staf- 
 ford whom everybody in this country knows. He mar- 
 ried Sallie Stanley, sister to Eliza, William's wife. Those 
 Stanley girls were daughters of John Stanley, a Quaker, 
 who owned and lived on a very line farm, or claim, near 
 the "deserted village" of Kishkekash, on the bluffs of 
 Skunk River. Mr. Stanley had two other daughters, 
 Edith and Ann, now Mrs. Conner and Mrs. Gray. Eliza 
 died many years ago. Every one of them were excellent 
 women. 
 
 I had been at my uncle's several days, and had n(jt 
 seen my other relatives, Dr. Seth Hobbs and his wife 
 Elizabeth. The doctor had made, or bought a claim in 
 '43, built a cabin, decided to make that his home, practice 
 medicine, and at the same time improve his land. The 
 doctor, in the Spring of '44, went back to his old home 
 in Southern Indiana, married "the girl he left behind 
 him," and brought her to his cabin in the wilderness. 
 
 Aunt Delilah and I decided one day to visit these 
 relatives. We had a pleasant walk and a pleasant talk 
 along the road. They called it a mile and a quarter. The 
 road or path, part of the way, was along a ravine with 
 woods on one side and a little prairie or glade on the 
 other. Golden rod and thousands of other yellow bios- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 95 
 
 soms lined the path. The path looked strange and I re- 
 marked to my amit: ''This is a fmmy road, so narrow 
 and worn down so deep." Aunt Delilah laughed and said: 
 "Why, child! I forgot to tell thee: we are in a regular 
 Indian trail. This was their main trail from their village 
 on Skunk river to another village on the Des Moines, and 
 the reason the track is so narrow and worn is that they 
 always ride their ponies single file, no matter how many 
 they string out, one after another, and keep in the same 
 track. This trail has been traveled by Indians nobody 
 knows how long." When we started, aunt said, "Semira, 
 we had better take a good-sized, strong stick, for we 
 might come onto a rattlesnake; they are plentiful about 
 here." We armed ourselves with sticks but had no occa- 
 sion to use them, for we didn't see a snake the entire 
 way. Our cousins lived in the woods but had a field 
 cleared and fenced, wherein was growing a luxuriant 
 crop of corn and vegetables. The doctor and his wife 
 seemed overjoyed to see us — and how happy and con- 
 tented they were! The doctor was a carpenter, along 
 with his other accomplishments, and had made their cabin 
 look very cozy and comfortable. The puncheon floor was 
 fitted neatly at the joints; and on one side of the room 
 was a lot of shelves, very neatly put up, and filled with 
 the doctor's bottles and medicine jars. There were more 
 little home-made, convenient things in that cabin than 
 any I saw. The doctor's taste ran in that way and his 
 wife was like him. They both had the faculty of making 
 the most and best of everything about them. Elizabeth 
 had a big pine box for a cooking table, placed in a way to 
 use the inside for her cooking utensils; had a calico 
 
96 MABASKA COUNTY 
 
 curtain hung in front of said box; some shelves in a cor- 
 ner for her dishes; wooden hooks placed here and there 
 on the wall and about the fire-place to hang things on. 
 They had two beds, and like the others around there util- 
 ized the space underneath to stow away trunks, boxes, 
 and bundles. The doctor had nearly all the practice for 
 many miles around, for he was the only doctor there was 
 in that region. There was a Dr. Boyer, who lived ten or 
 twelve miles away on the Des Moines river, who doctored 
 ague patients on that river, while Dr. Hobbs dosed out 
 Peruvian bark to the ague afflicted on the Skunk. Dr. 
 Porter had just come to the newly located county seat, 
 Oskaloosa. Dr. Hobbs knew something about nearly 
 everybody in the country. The doctor's wife and I 
 planned to go on horseback some day to Oskaloosa. To- 
 ward evening aunt and I went home along the Indian 
 trail, after having spent a pleasant day. 
 
 I hadn't been in that neighborhood long, when Uncle 
 Aaron began talking to his neighbors about building a 
 school-house and employing me to teach. Nearly every 
 family anywhere near who had children old enough to go 
 to school fell in with my uncle's proposition, which was 
 to meet on an appointed day and build a cabin, similar to 
 the other cabins about, and have me teach school in it. 
 
 My cousins. Dr. Hobbs and wife, made it so pleasant 
 for me ^it their house that I visited them often. The 
 doctor was an educated man and had a fund of general 
 information. He attended medical lectures at Lexington, 
 Ky. He knew Henry Clay and his family, and was often 
 at their home, ''Ashland." I used to make the doctor 
 tell about their library, their dining-room, their grounds, 
 
R*]MINISCENCES. 97 
 
 and iust what kind of looking" people Mr. and Mrs. Clay 
 were. Henry Clay encourag"ed the young" medical students 
 to visit him. He would invite them into his library, and 
 there set them at their ease by his tact and g-enuine g-ood 
 breeding. Then he would branch off on some subject 
 both instructive and entertaining". One day when I was 
 at the doctor's his wife, Elizabeth, and I made all our ar- 
 rang"ements to visit the new county seat. The doctor 
 had been there often, but his wife and I had never seen 
 the town. My uncle had a handsome black horse called 
 "Phillis'' and Aunt Delilah w^as the possessor of a side- 
 saddle. They g"ave me the privileg"e of using" that horse 
 and saddle as often as necessary. 
 
 On the appointed day. w^hich was the 14th of Septem- 
 ber, 1844, I rode Phillis over to the doctor's. The doctor 
 had a very g"ood horse which he saddled for his wife. We 
 dressed ourselves in pretty good style and early in the 
 afternoon were ready to mount our steeds and be off. 
 The doctor being" a gallant gentleman, went out in front 
 of the fence where a big stump stood handy and assisted 
 us to mount. After we were seated in our saddles, the 
 doctor seemed to think there might be something" not al- 
 together safe, so he took hold of my horse's bridle, ex- 
 amined the throat-latch, then examined the surcingle, 
 thought it not quite tight enough and drew it up another 
 notch; then, giving my horse a gentle stroke dowai his 
 mane, and ending by stri})ping his foretop through his 
 hand, he went over the same performance with his wife's 
 horse. After the doctor had adjusted our surcingles and 
 bridles to his satisfaction, he then proceeded to give us 
 directions how to find Oskaloosa. He pointed to a dim 
 
98 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 road which led out south a little way (w^e couldu't see 
 far ahead in the timber) and then he began: ''Now, girls, 
 after you cross that slough turn to the right, follow along 
 where you see the trees blazed, and pretty soon you will 
 come to a road where people have been hauling rails and 
 wood; keep on that road until you come to a creek, where 
 you will see some logs lying lengthwise in the creek as a 
 kind of bridge; go slow and you will get over all right; 
 after you have crossed the creek (which is about dry 
 now) keep straight on the plainest road you see, which 
 will take you through timber a half a mile or so; when 
 you have gotten to the top of the hill after crossing the 
 creek, you can then begin to see the open prairie; just 
 ketp on until you come to a road v/hich looks like it had 
 been traveled a good deal; that road is right on the 
 divide; when j^ou come to that road turn to the right, 
 and be sure you keep in the main track, and when you 
 have gone about two miles you will have reached the 
 town of Oskaloosa. You will find two stores in.Oskaloosa. 
 One has a red flannel cloth hanging, out by the door, and 
 the other has a sign (m the top with the word 'Grocery' 
 on it." 
 
 We followed the doctor's directions and found every- 
 thing, trees blazed, logs thrown in the bottom of the 
 creek which had very little water in it, and all just as he 
 had told us. When v*^e reached the prairie and that 
 much- traveled road, and turned to the right, no town 
 was in sfght, so vv^e rode on and talked, and admired the 
 charming scenery all about us. I was looking at some 
 beautiful groves over south, when my companion sudden- 
 ly threw up her hands and exclaimed, "Oskaloosa!" 
 
REMINISCENCES. 99 
 
 We stopped, sat on our horses and gazed. I think we 
 were near where Mr. William Burnside now lives when 
 we made the discovery. I had seen many crude and in- 
 significant-looking- towns, but Oskaloosa was the crudest 
 and the poorest looking town T ever saw. The country 
 all around was all that could be desired in prairie, lying 
 high and dry, tall grass waving, and the most beautiful 
 groves here and there, looking like they were just invit- 
 ing people to come and live in them. We saw one log 
 house some little distance to the right of the road which 
 we afterward learned was Mr. Alfred Seevers'. There 
 was another log house over to the left which was daring 
 enough to stand on the bare prairie without a single tree 
 within a half mile. This place seemed to be about a mile 
 from the little cluster of cabins called Oskaloosa. That, 
 we w^ere informed, was Mr. James Seevers' place. After 
 we had discovered Oskaloosa we sat and gazed at it for 
 perhaps five minutes. How squatt}^ those little bits of 
 cabins looked, with not a thing to relieve the barrenness 
 except the tall blue-stem grass. From some of them 
 could be seen smoke issuing from a joint of stovepipe 
 protruding through a clapboard roof. The doctor had 
 told us how we would know the business houses. He 
 said: ''You will, on first going into town, see a small log 
 house with a red flannel cloth hanging out by the door. 
 That is Smith & Cameron's store. A little farther over 
 you will see a cabin with a sign on top, fastened to a 
 weight-pole, on which is painted in large letters the word 
 'Grocery.' That establishment is owned by the Jones 
 Brothers & Grossman." 
 
 As we sat gazing at the prospect before us, I counted 
 
 Vf 
 
100 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 the houses. It wasn't hard to do, for every house stood 
 out distinctly from every other house. There were just 
 fifteen of those rude dwellings and business places on 
 September 14, 1844. We came in town from a south- 
 easterly direction and kept looking- for that red flannel 
 sign. Didn't see it at first, as we came in on the wrong 
 side of the house. That house, Smith & Cameron's, was 
 on lot one, block tw^enty-eight, old plat. Its front was 
 toward the square, wdiere there was a great log elevated 
 on forks or posts, with many big wooden pegs driven into 
 it in a convenient way for hitching horses. As we entered 
 the town we saw no human being, man, woman, or child, 
 but as we rode up to the store and just around the corner, 
 where we could see that flaming scarlet sign, a gentleman 
 came out of the store door. My first thought on seeing 
 that gentleman was, ''What a splendid looking man, and 
 what a poor little town!" He w^as, I thought, as fine a 
 looking specimen of young manhood as I had ever seen. 
 He was tall, with stately bearing, handsome and distin- 
 guished looking. He came toward us, bowed and smiled, 
 led our horses up to a big box of lime (I could see the 
 lime through the cracks), assisted us to alight, and then 
 invited us to walk into the store. He led our horses to 
 that hitching place, threw the bridles over some of those 
 pegs, and then harried into the store. He was making 
 an effort to display some of the w^ares offered for sale in 
 the store, when another gentleman came in at the back 
 door. The first gentleman immediately gave up his ef- 
 forts to show goods and turned all over to the second 
 gentleman, who w^e were soon made to understand was 
 one of the projn-ietors. I bought a pair of shoes which 
 
UEMINiSCENCKS. 101 
 
 I thought would be the kind to walk over hazel stubs 
 with, my companion made some purchases, and then we 
 walked over to the other mercantile house with the sign 
 of "Grocery" on top. That house stood on lot six, block 
 twenty, old plat. Neither of those houses carried a very 
 heavy stock of goods, but quite enough to supply the de- 
 mand. We left the town without knowing the names of 
 any of the three gentlemen we had met. 
 
 But when we told the doctor about our adventures 
 and described the gentlemen to him, he could tell us just 
 who they were. "That line looking young man whom 
 you met lirst is Mica j ah T. Williams: he is a lawyer and 
 clerk of the court. The one you dealt with is Leper 
 Smith, one of the proprietors; his family lives in one of 
 those little cabins. The man you saw at the sign of 
 'Grocery' was Mr. A. D. Jones, another lawyer, not one 
 of the proprietors, but another Jones altogether." We 
 asked the doctor how those lawyers came to be clerking 
 in those stores. "O," he said, "I can explain that easy 
 enough. You see, they have come to Oskaloosa to lo- 
 cate, and the place is so new, and accommodations for 
 any who have not come prepared to take care of them- 
 selves is so poor, they have to do any way they can. 
 Those young lawyers make the stores their stopping 
 places through the day. They get their meals and a place 
 to sleep in some of those cabins amongst the families. 
 They will all divide their last bit of corn bread with a 
 young fellow who wants to locate in the town." 
 
 The doctor had bought some lots in the town and liad 
 been there often and knew nearly everybody. At the 
 first sale of lots in Oskaloosa Dr. Hobbs bouglit lot 3, 
 
102 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 block 28, o. p., which is on the south side of the square. 
 He also bought lots 5 and 6, block 17, o. p., which is now 
 the elegant home of Major McMullin 
 
 By the middle of September, 1841, there were a good 
 many families settled about all through Mahaska County. 
 Over on the Des Moines River and on the six mile prairie 
 were the Boyers, the DeLashmutts, the Wilsons and the 
 Nortons. Up north and west along the Skunk River 
 timber were the Coffins, Samuel and John; the Troys, 
 the Pad gets, the Liters, and about the "centre," just 
 north of Oskaloosa, were the Springers, the Bonds, the 
 Rolands, the Ewings, and not far southeast of the centre 
 was a numerous family by the name of McMurray. Mr. and 
 Mrs. McMurray had five sons and three daughters, nearly 
 all grown and none married. Different denominations 
 were represented. The Cumberland Presbyterians 
 seemed to predominate. The McMurrays were Cumber- 
 land Presbyterians. Smith & Cameron, of the store with 
 the red flag, and several others in and around Oskaloosa 
 were members of that church. The McMurrays had 
 come from Illinois in '43, had lived in a little cabin like 
 the others, but at the time I am speaking of had just fin- 
 ished a hewed log house, and while it was brand new and 
 the weather was pleasant they proposed to hold an all- 
 day meeting on Sunday, September 15th. They sent 
 away down to Jefferson, or Van Buren County, for a 
 noted minister whom they called "Uncle Johnny Berry." 
 The McMurrays managed to send word to all parts of 
 the county that there would be meeting at their house on 
 tliat day. My friends, Patterson and Amanda Martin, 
 invited me to go with them to that meeting. They were 
 
REMINISCENCES. 103 
 
 g-oing- in an ox-wagon, and if I would accept a seat in 
 that humble vehicle they w^ould be happy to have me do 
 so. I gdadly accepted their kind offer, and when Patter- 
 son and Amanda and little ''Mary" came along that Sun- 
 day morning" they found me dressed in my black silk 
 dress, straw bonnet and long black lace veil. 
 
 I supposed I would see the greater part of the inhab- 
 itants of Mahaska County there that day, and for that 
 reason I wanted to make as good an appearance as possi- 
 ble. I wondered if the people generally would go in ox 
 wagcms. I thought a g"Ood many would, as people rode 
 about in this new place in any kind of rig they happened 
 to have. They were not very particular about the kind 
 of a team they drove, or vehicle they rode in. If the 
 team was gentle and the wagon strong, that w^as all they 
 required. Those clumsy wagons and ox teams were in- 
 dispensable in opening up a new country. I think very 
 few of those men and women who had come with the pur- 
 pose of making homes in the wilderness, came wdth any 
 thought of being dissatisfied, disgusted, or surprised at 
 the most commonplace and crude way of living and trav- 
 eling about. It seemed to be the natural order of things; 
 the people accepted it and went on. I don't think Pat- 
 terson, Amanda, little Mary or I felt any twinges of pride 
 worry us, or thouglit seriously of the fitness or unfitness 
 of things as we sat in those splint-bottom, straight-backed 
 chairs in that long wagon bed. 
 
 As we slowly moved along near that Indian trail 
 through groves and glades and little native meadows, 
 our thoughts were of the great number of strange people 
 we were likely to see at that meeting. Y7e hoped also to 
 
104 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 enjoy the preaching", shiging, and praying. The Martins 
 had not had any such privileg-e of worship for months. 1 
 was glad of any kind of a meeting' to go to. Tliough our 
 oxen were of the patient, well behaved kind, they would, 
 as we passed throug-h masses of yellow and purple blos- 
 soms and long- stemmed grass, reach out and snatch a 
 mouthful of the tempting- stuft" occasionally, in spite of 
 Mr. Martin's gentle taps with the ox-gad and his "wo 
 haw. Buck!" and ''gee, Brin!'' The distance was not 
 great, only two and one-half miles, and we were among 
 the first to arrive. The McMurrays, who had a house 
 full of grown sons, and who were polite and accommo- 
 dating, took us in the new log house and gave Amanda 
 and I some very comfortable seats. They had jirovided 
 seats for a large number of people. There were two beds 
 in the room and a table for the minister with a Bible and 
 Hymn Book on. The balance of the space in the new log 
 house was filled with benches made of jDuncheons. The 
 one Amanda and I occupied was placed along the side of 
 a bed, which made a comfortable back to lean against, 
 and besides that, was so placed that we could see every 
 one who came in without more than turning our heads a 
 little. The people kept coming in, and in a few minutes 
 the house was about full. I could see that the yard was 
 full. Among the early comers who procured a seat in the 
 house was Micajah Williams, the distinguished looking 
 young man whom I had seen the day before, and who had 
 treated the other young lady and myself with such Ches- 
 terfieldian politeness. Mr. Williams brought with him a 
 young lady whom I had not seen. She, I thought, was 
 one of the handsomest girls I ever saw. Her complexion 
 
REMINISCENCES. 105 
 
 was fair as fair could be, with just enoug"h piuk in her 
 cheeks. Her eyes were blue, her hair a lig-ht brown, and 
 her mouth was simply perfect, while her form was lithe 
 and willowy. Persons who read this may think I am ex- 
 aggerating, but if anybody who knew Mica j ah Williams 
 and Virginia Seevers in '44 ever reads this, they will say, 
 "She is telling the. truth.'' I sat there and wondered 
 how two such elegant and charming looking young people 
 ever happened to find each other out in this almost un- 
 broken wilderness. 
 
 Presently another person of somewhat striking ap- 
 pearance stepped in the door and stood a few moments as 
 if looking for a seat, when some one made room for him 
 just by the door. As he stood in the door I glanced him 
 up and down, and in much less time than it takes me to 
 write it, I decided in my mind that he w^as a young man 
 of the sort which suited my taste. He was a little less 
 than six feet high, well formed, symmetrically built, and 
 graceful in his movements. Had dark brown hair, a little 
 inclined to curl, large gray eyes, an honest and fearless 
 expression about his face. • He was what I thought a 
 manly looking young man. 
 
 In the meantime the ministers and others were pre- 
 paring to begin the services. The McMurray boys were 
 all members of the church, and were prominent singers 
 in meetings like that. They gathered about the preach- 
 ers, who w^ere on the other side of the room from where 
 I sat, and watched the people come in. Directly they be- 
 gan singing that good old hymn, "Coronation,'" and were 
 making it fairly ring. My attention at first was attracted 
 to their singing, but liearing the most charming, soft, 
 
lOB MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 mellow bass I had ever heard, I looked around and per- 
 ceived that those mellow tones were made by the voice 
 of my g"ray-eyed champion. There was more singing and 
 more listening by me to that mellow bass; more admiring 
 beautiful Virginia Seevers and that young "Apollo," 
 Micaiah Williams. 
 
 There was a very respectable looking congregation. 
 They seemed to have gone down into their boxes and 
 chests and drawn out their old-fashioned finery, shaken 
 it, brushed it, and donned it for the occasion, Mr. Berry 
 preached, Mr. Jolly prayed, and the congregation sang, 
 led by the McMurrays. The forenoon services were 
 ended, and a recess of two hours was announced, the 
 congregation being dismissed with an earnest invitation 
 to attend the afternoon meeting. The McMurrays invited 
 Mr. and Mrs. Martin and myself to take dinner with 
 them and we accepted the kind invitation. As soon as 
 the meeting was out 1 walked out in the yard, and was 
 surprised to see so many people all through the grove. 
 Horses and oxen were hitched everywhere, and there 
 were a great many heavy lumber wagons. I had expected 
 to see a good many people, but not quite such a crowd. 
 They soon began to disperse. Among others, I saw that 
 young "Apollo'' and the beautiful Virginia mount their 
 steeds and go flying off over the prairie toward Oskaloosa. 
 I met my old acquaintance, Dr. Porter, and had a friendly 
 interview with him. He seemed to know a good many of 
 the people. I asked him who that beautiful young lady 
 was with Mr. Williams. He said, "She is Miss Seevers, 
 daughter of Mr. James Seevers, who lives about a mile 
 southeast of town. I have not made her acquaintance, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 107 
 
 but she is a beauty, isn't she?'' I asked who that young 
 g-entleman was, designating- the one with the line bass 
 voice. "Oh!" he said, ''Do you remember the Phillips 
 family I told you about the morning I overtook you away 
 down the road?" "Yes, I remember." "Well," he went 
 on to say, "That is Mr. Gorrell Phillips, the eldest son 
 of A. G. Phillips. The family live adjoining town, or 
 where we expect to have a town. They are edl singers, 
 and we think are about right generally." In walking 
 about the grounds surrounding the McMurray home, I 
 met a handsome, well dressed young woman with a baby 
 in her arms. Se had beautiful yellow hair, brown eyes, 
 a clear complexion, and was nice looking generally. I 
 went up to her and engaged in conversation. We were 
 all sociable and didn't stand on ceremony then, and I told 
 her who I was and she told me that she was Mrs. John 
 White, and lived about a mile north of Oskaloosa. Her 
 baby's name, she said, was "Anestatia." She invited me 
 to visit her. I thanked her and assured her that I would 
 do so if the opportunity ever came. 
 
 The cabin which had formerly been the sole residence 
 of the McMurray family was near the hewed-log house, 
 and was used now as kitchen and dining room. It had, 
 like others of its kind, a very w^ide fire-place, where the 
 cooking was done. Sarah McMurray was the young lady 
 of the family and was a "host within herself." That 
 day, with very little assistance, she prepared and served 
 an excellent dinner to at least twenty persons besides 
 their own family. I wondered then, and have wondered 
 ever since, at the grace and ease with which she fed that 
 multitude. To watch her seat one table full after another. 
 
108 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 and bring" on such bountiful supplies of good, wholesome 
 food, one would have thought there was no end to her re- 
 sources. Cooking for a multitude by a log heap fire in 
 one of those wide fire-places may now, I think, be reck- 
 oned one of the "lost arts." That was my first acquaint- 
 ance with Sarah McMurray, but not by any means the 
 last. I knew her well for many years. She w^as as capa- 
 ble of entertaining a room-full at repartee as she was of 
 serving a dinner to a multitude under difficnlties, and as 
 ready to minister to the sick w4th fevers as she was to in- 
 dulge in repartee. She not only relieved her mother of 
 all household cares and made all her own handsome 
 dresses (she did have handsome, nice-fitting dresses even 
 then), but prepared dainties, cleaned up the cabins, cut, 
 made, and mended the clothes for the children of sick 
 mothers down on the Skunk river bottom. 
 
 The afternoon meeting at Mc Murray s was not so 
 well attended as that in the morning, but there was a 
 good audience of quiet, earnest, well-behaved people. 
 Mr. Jolly preached, and one good old Christian lady whom 
 the McMurrays called "Aunt Polly Mathews," became 
 so happy during the meeting she shouted for joy. When 
 that meeting ended, we again seated ourselves in our 
 splint-bottomed chairs in that long wagon, after having 
 bidden good-bye and thanked the McMurrays for their 
 kind and hospitable treatment. "Buck" and "Brin," 
 those patient yoke -fellows, seemed to have spent the day 
 in quiet contentment, chained to a sapling, in the shade 
 near the outskirts of the grove. They had not, while the 
 rest of us were feasting, been allowed to fast, for soon 
 after our arrival Mr. Martin liad placed at tlieir disposal 
 
RE^IINISCENCES. 109 
 
 a sh{^ck of new mown g'rass procured from a slough near 
 by. Evidently the supply of g"rass had more than met 
 the dem.ands of hung^er, for while "Buck" was patiently 
 standing" holding up his end of the yoke, "Brin'' had lain 
 down on the remainder of that nutritious provender and 
 was quietly chewing his cud. Mr. Martin, after unfasten- 
 ing the chain from the sapling", took his gad, gave a 
 gentle tap or two, spoke a few words which these docile 
 animals seemed to understand, for they leisurely came up 
 and took their respective places by the wagon tongue. 
 Mr. Martin hooked one end of the chain in the yoke, 
 fastened the other to the houns, then climbed in, seated 
 hhnself, and gave the signal to "Buck" and "Brin" which 
 started us back through groves and glades, tall trees and 
 yellow blossoms, to our homes, where we arrived just as 
 the sun was going down on that eventful and pleasant 
 September day. That evening I related to my uncle and 
 aunt and cousins all incidents of the meeting- and trip, 
 which amused and interested them. Dear Aunt Delilah 
 was interested in all my affairs, and I confided all my 
 little joys and sorrows to her as I used to do to my mother. 
 She was like a mother to me and gave me her counsel 
 and sympathy. The next morning I was to begin teach- 
 ing "Mahaska's first school." 
 
no MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Mrs. Effie Hoffman Rog-ers was comity superintendent 
 of schools in Mahaska County in 1893. One day she came 
 to my house and informed me that she was going- to ask 
 me to do something-, and would not take "No" for an 
 answer. I wondered what it could be. She proceeded 
 to tell me of a scheme she had originated; she went on 
 to say: "I am going to hold Normal in Penn College, 
 which will begin in three weeks. I am going to request 
 three Oskaloosa ladies, on different days of the session, 
 to give a talk to the teachers and students, each on a dif- 
 ferent subject. The ladies that I have chosen are Mrs. 
 Judge Blanchard, Miss Mary Loring, and yourself. What 
 I want you to talk about is Mahaska's first school, and 
 the progress made since in schools, facilities for teach- 
 ing, and educational work generally in Mahaska County. 
 You taught the first school and you are the one to tell 
 about it. You are supposed to know the facts and to be 
 able to tell them more correctly than any other person. 
 Mrs. Blanchard and Miss Loring have consented and I 
 am not going to let you go until you consent." I told 
 
MAHASKA COUNTY 111 
 
 her I never could do that in the world. If I should under- 
 take to make a speech before the talent and brains 
 assembled in an institution like that, I would blunder and 
 stammer and make such a failure that she and all the rest 
 would be sorry I had undertaken it. She kept on urging' 
 me until the thought came to me, ''I might write it up 
 and read my story, if that would do." I told her my 
 thought and she said, ''That will do."' I promised to do 
 the best I could and she went away. ■ In a few days the 
 program was out with my name down for a ''talk". I felt 
 that I couldn't back out after that. So I wrote the story 
 of "Mahaska's first school" as well and as truthfully as 
 I could do it now, and vrill in this story give it just as I 
 read it to that assembly in Penn College on June 27, 1893: 
 
 MAHASKA'S FIRST SCHOOL. 
 
 Fifty years sounds like a long time to the young; 
 1843 seems to young people of to-day like a time away in 
 the dim past. It don't seem so long ago to those who 
 were young men and young women then. In 1843 a con- 
 siderable tract of as iine land as the eye of man ever be- 
 held (of which Mahaska County vos a part) had been 
 purchased by the United States from the Indians. The 
 Indians having on the first day of May of that year 
 peaceably retired to lands further west, this charming 
 region was open to settlement by civilized white people. 
 A number of families from the settlements near the Miss- 
 issi])pi river took advantage of this opportunity to make 
 for themselves homes. That was before the day of the 
 telegraph. There was not a railroad within hundreds of 
 miles of this grand region. Yet somehow its fame had 
 reached the ears of men and women away in the eastern 
 
112 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 states and in the middle states, whose hearts were brave, 
 fortunes small, and children many. Some of those hon- 
 est, courageous, intelligent sons and daughters of Illi- 
 nois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia packed 
 their few household goods into wagons, bade farewell to 
 the scenes of their childhood, the old familiar meeting 
 house, the school house, and with horses or ox teams 
 slowly wended their way toward this lovely but unculti- 
 vated garden. Some of these men left their families in 
 the inhabited portions of the territory whilst they staked 
 out their claims and built log" cabins. One room sufficed 
 for a family, small or larg'e. Some of these families even 
 lived for a while in bark huts which had been left by the 
 Indians, where beads were lying about in such quantities 
 that children picked them up by the pint. 
 
 Kishkekosii is not found on the map of Mahaska 
 County to-day. But that "deserted village" once had an 
 existence on the bluffs overlooking the classic Skunk. 
 Near the deserted village was a deserted burying ground, 
 where in shallow graves in a sitting posture were found 
 skeletons of Indians of long ago. The young doctor of 
 the settlement, being archeologically inclined, helped 
 himself to one of these skeletons; his purpose, no doubt, 
 being the advancement of science. To the south and 
 west of this village lay a stretch of country, prairie, in- 
 terspersed with groves, the beauty of which in its prim- 
 itive state no pen can truly describe. These groves of 
 lind and drooping elms, bordered with a fringe of crab 
 apple and plum trees, just as God planted them, had a 
 beauty all their own. This charming place chanced to 
 be discovered by some of God's noblemen brave, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 113 
 
 broad-shouldered, manly men. The wives of these men 
 were brave, too. The most of these pioneer men and 
 women had been accustomed to the ordinary comforts of 
 life, but they accepted the situation cheerfully. The 
 men staked out their claims, built rude log" cabins, broke 
 their ground, made rails and fenced their fields, planted 
 their crops, and" went to work to establish homes and 
 provide for their families. These families brought their 
 religion with them. In nearly every one of these rude 
 cabins was erected an altar to the living God. When 
 they gathered around their tables scantily supplied with 
 coarse food, they bowed their heads and gave thanks. 
 There were no houses of worship except "God's first 
 temples," these beautiful groves. Nor was there on 
 September 1, 1844, a school-house in all this region called 
 Mahaska County. 
 
 Sometime in August of that year a young lady came 
 to accept the offered shelter of a home in the family of 
 a relative who had settled in that neighborhood. This 
 young lady had taught two terms of school. Said young 
 lady had ciphered as far as the single rule of three, knew 
 a little about Kirkham's grammar, something about geog- 
 raphy, could write a fair hand, had been first choice at 
 spelling schools, and had been known to spell down a 
 whole school. Heads of families in this primitive settle- 
 ment straightway set about devising means whereby they 
 might avail themselves of the service of the learned 
 young woman as instructor to their children. In order 
 to accomplish this it was necessary to erect a school- 
 house. Although the official surveyors had not as yet 
 designated the section lines, those men had guessed 
 
114 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 about where they were, and had staked off their claims 
 accordinj^dy. Each sixteenth section having been donated 
 by the g-overnment to the pul)lic for school purposes, was 
 in this case taken advantage of. This sixteenth section 
 was covered mostly with timber — oak, elm, and lind, with 
 lind predominating. Lind trees are not only beautiful to 
 look upon, but easy to chop and split. One man who 
 particularly felt an interest in having a school-house, and 
 in this young girl also, went around and invited five or 
 six others to join him in the enterprise. They readily 
 acquiesced, set a day to commence, repaired to the woods 
 on the border of the sixteenth section, taking with them 
 axes, mauls, wedges, froes, augers, saws, and br-oad axes. 
 They then proceeded to chop down some lind trees, not 
 taking time to hew them, but built a cabin of round logs, 
 leaving the bark on. They rived out boards of oak to 
 cover it, putting weight-poles on to hold the boards in 
 place. The floor, benches, and writing desk were made 
 of puncheon. Puncheons are made of logs, split and 
 made smooth on one side by hewing with a broad axe. 
 Some of these early settlers had become experts in hew- 
 ing puncheons and riving clap-boards. This "temple of 
 learning" was supplied with a sod chimney, a hearth long 
 and wide; not made with stone or brick, but with rich, 
 black loam. A log was sawed out of one side of the 
 house, leaving a space eight or ten feet long, for the pur- 
 pose of admitting light. One of these primitive carpen- 
 ters, with a pocket knife, whittled out sticks the proper 
 length, then placed them in an upright position at regular 
 distances apart along this opening. Glass being a luxury 
 not easily obtained, oiled foolscap paper was pasted over 
 
REMINISCENCES. 115 
 
 this improvised window sash. In laying" the foundation 
 of this edifice the architects were particular to observe 
 the points of the compass. A door was made by sawing 
 out log's to the proper heighth and width. No shutter 
 was provided, only an opening- looking- toward the south. 
 When the sun shone there was no trouble in telling- when 
 noon came. 
 
 In order that things mig-ht be done in a business-like 
 manner, an article of agTeement was drawn up which 
 read something- like the following: 
 
 ''Articles of agreement made and entered into this, 
 the ninth day of September, one thousand, eight hundred 
 and forty-four, between Semira A. Hobbs of the first part, 
 and the undersigned subscribers of the second part, 
 for the consideration of the compensation hereinafter 
 named, the party of the first part agrees to teach a term 
 of school embracing thirteen weeks, beginning on Mon- 
 day, September sixteenth, one thousand, eight hundred 
 and forty-four. The party of the first part further agrees 
 to keep good order to the best of her ability, and teach 
 the following branches, namely: spelling, reading, writing, 
 arithmetic, geograph}^, and English grammar, for the 
 sum of one dollar and twenty-five cents i^er scholar. The 
 party of the second part, for the faithful performance of 
 the above promises, agree to pay the above named sum, 
 to- wit: one dollar and twenty-five cents, for as many as 
 are attached to our names. 
 
 "Aaron Cox, 6. 
 "Nathan Coontz, 3. 
 "Brantley Stafford, 1. 
 "poultney loughridge, 5. 
 "John Cunningham, 3." 
 
IK) MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 The 16th was ushered in with a charming- morning. 
 The sun rose bright and clear. Everything looked aus- 
 picious—even the corn blades and pumpkin vines looked 
 glad. There was a hurrying and scurrying among the 
 girls and boys to find their books and slates, which had 
 so long been unused. Then this young girl teacher with 
 six pupils, all members of the same family, with a basket 
 of corn bread, some dried apple pie and a bottle of milk, 
 went tripping over prairie and through groves to the new 
 school-house a mile and a quarter away. How clean and 
 white that puncheon floor looked, how mellow the light 
 through that oiled paper window, how clean of any speck 
 of ashes or soot that sod fire-place. Directly there could 
 be seen coming from different directions, bearing their 
 dinner baskets and books, groups of bright, healthy, hap- 
 py-looking children. These children came supplied with 
 such books as happened to be in their home; several 
 kinds of spellers, almost as many kinds of readers as 
 there were children who could read. One of the larger 
 girls brought an Olney's geography and atlas. That 
 atlas had a map in it called the "Map of the United 
 States," but on that map was no Minnesota, no Dakota, 
 no Nebraska, no Kansas, no New Mexico, nor Colorado, 
 nor Wyoming, nor Idaho, nor Montana, nor Utah, nor 
 Nevada, nor Arizona, nor any State called Washington 
 or California. This map was kind of three-cornered: at 
 the upper left hand corner, bordering on the Pacific 
 Ocean, wa-i a rather narrow looking strip called Oregon 
 Territory. Between the Missouri River and the Rocky 
 Mountains was a great almost blank space designated 
 "uninhabited," and supposed to be uninhabitable. That 
 
REMINISCENCES, ll7 
 
 young" girl teacher with those crude facilities did her 
 best to instruct those boys and g-irls in the rudiments of 
 what is called a "common school" education. . Every one 
 of them were well-behaved, obedient children, tried hard 
 to learn and made creditable advancement. That was 
 one of Iowa's typical Falls. The prairies and sloughs 
 were covered with yellow and purple blossoms. The 
 g-roves with their borders of sumach and hazel were 
 aglow with all the shades of green and red and yellow 
 and brown. Deer and rabbits scamper over prairie and 
 slough, then darting into the thick groves were soon out 
 of sight. Those pioneers were good marksmen, and 
 along with their corn bread had venison and prairie 
 chicken in abundance. One evening on returning from 
 school the teacher was informed that the head of the 
 family had kflled a bear. 
 
 The warm, hazy Indian Summer days lasted till away 
 toward the last of November. But there came a time 
 eventually when the sky was leaden and the northeast 
 winds brought flakes of snow, which would sift through 
 the chinks in the roof and walls, would scurry around 
 and find their way in through that open door. When the 
 cold became severe one of the kind, thoughtful mothers 
 sent a coverlet to hang over the door. There was no 
 lack of fuel, as there were great big chips, the result of 
 that puncheon hewing, and plenty of dry sticks lying all 
 about which made splendid fires. That big dirt hearth, 
 by much tramping of little feet, in course of time became 
 sunken to the depth of eight or ten inches below the 
 level of the floor, the edge of which made a convenient 
 seat, where the scholars could keep their feet warm and 
 
118 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 at the same time study their lessons. The teacher occu- 
 pied a more dig-nified seat, as a straig'ht-backed splint- 
 bottomed chair had been provided for her. 
 
 The last two or three of the thirteen weeks seemed 
 to drag- along* pretty slow, but teacher nor scholars ever 
 hinted at such a thing- as giving up. These boys and 
 g-irls had pluck. They kept warm if they could, but did 
 not whine if they were a little cold. They were used to 
 cold houses, with only a fireplace, where the face would 
 burn while the back would freeze. That was the order 
 of thing's generally. There was not a stove of any kind 
 in the whole community. The corn bread was baked in 
 skillets with coals underneath and coals on the lid. The 
 meat and turnips were boiled in pots set on the fire. The 
 hospitality extended to strangers in those little log- cab- 
 ins would amaze the dwellers in Oskaloosa's homes to- 
 day. Some of the boys and g-irls who were a part of that 
 little group which composed that humble school, have 
 joined the great majority. They who remain are old peo- 
 ple now — some are g-rand fathers and g-randmothers. All 
 are useful and respectable members of society, the kind 
 we call the bone and sinew of the countr3^ Great things 
 have often grown from very humble beginnings. That 
 crude log cabin school-house with its oiled paper win- 
 dows, puncheon floor and sod chimney, its little band of 
 scholars and undeveloped teacher formed the nucleus 
 around which have grown substantial school-houses with 
 all the facilities for teaching- on nearly every section of 
 land in Mahaska County. Not only the country district 
 school, but high schools with scholarly teachers, and col- 
 leges with a corps of professors of which Oskaloosa may 
 
REMINISCENCES. 119 
 
 justly be proud. That first school was a small affair, but 
 was in keeping- with other things. Thing-s g-enerally 
 were small and crude and humble. 
 
 About two and a half miles to the west of the spot 
 whereon was located this much mentioned school, there 
 was .a very diminutive villag-e. This villag^e did as other 
 villag"es are said to have done. It nestled, not in moun- 
 tain nooks, by babbling- brooks, but in the prairie grass. 
 Each one of the fifteen log- cabins seemed to be cuddled 
 down in a nest of its own trying to hide in a species of 
 grass known as "blue stem." This village, when first 
 seen by that much mentioned teacher, on Saturday before 
 the opening of that school, was only three months old, 
 but had been christened "Oskaloosa." These first im- 
 pressions of Oskaloosa were made from a view, taken 
 when half a mile or more away. On coming into the town 
 there was found to be in one of these little log cabins a 
 store of general merchandise with a piece of red flannel 
 hung out by the door to designate the kind of business 
 carried on within. When Oskaloosa was visited a month 
 later, dozens of frame houses had been built and occupied. 
 Charles Purvine had built and was keeping a tavern (they 
 did not call them hotels then) where the Downing House 
 is now. A. J. Davis, the Montana millionaire, had a store 
 on the north side of the square. Wm. B. Street had a 
 store on the west side. There were two blacksmith shops 
 and one tailor shop. All this in October, 1844. The 
 people who founded Oskaloosa were rustlers. Most of 
 the men and women who first occupied those little log 
 cabins were intelligent, high-souled, and full of pluck. 
 Oskaloosa's daughters of to-day may be more scholarly, 
 
120 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 but no more honorable and modest than her girls of 
 '44. The young men who came with little money but 
 lots of brains, have made their way to fortune and to fame. 
 Some of the children and grandchildren of those early 
 log cabin dwellers are to-day among Oskaloosa's most re- 
 spected and influential citizens. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 121 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 In the summer of 1844, when I was teaching school 
 in the Brazelton neig^hborhood near Mt. Pleasant, one 
 evening- just as I was leaving- the school-house for my 
 boarding- place, two women came along- on horseback. 
 Each had a pair of saddle-bags thrown across her horse, 
 and a bag- or bundle hang-ing on the horn of the saddle. 
 They halted a little and spoke to me. I immediately be- 
 came interested in them and we entered into conversa- 
 tion. They informed me that they w^ere trying- to reach 
 Trenton that evening; had come from somewhere in Illi- 
 nois that day, and had crossed the Mississippi at Bur- 
 lington. I asked them where they lived. One of them 
 said, "We are sisters and live away up in the New Pur- 
 chase." We became more interested in each other when 
 I told them about my relatives who were also living- in 
 the New Purchase. They w^ere well acquainted with my 
 relatives, and as I walked along the road and talked with 
 them they told me about their husbands and children, and 
 how they came to go back to Illinois where they moved 
 from to Iowa. Business and pleasure combined had taken 
 
122 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 them back to the old neighborhood after living a year in 
 the wilds of the New Purchase. Their husbands had to 
 take care of their claims and crops, and they were brave 
 enough to make the journey alone and on horseback. 
 One of those ladies was Mrs. Newton Seevers, who said 
 she had two daughters old enough to keep house for their 
 father in her absence. The other lady was Mrs. John W. 
 Cunningham. She lived nearer my uncle's and could tell 
 me much about them. Those women had a genuine, 
 respectable, kindly appearance which drew me toward 
 them, and made an impression on me at once which has 
 lasted through all these years. There seemed to be little 
 prospect at that time of my ever seeing them again, 
 though Mrs. Cunningham remarked when we parted, "I 
 wish you would come up to the New Purchase and teach 
 school, for I have a boy and two little girls that I would 
 like to send to school to you." We bade each other good- 
 bye, all expressing the pleasure it had given us to have 
 met in so unlooked-for a way, and hoped that we would 
 meet again. 
 
 Circumstances which I have already related brought 
 me to the New Purchase, and not long after my arrival I 
 became well acquainted with the Cunningham family. A 
 warm friendship was established between that family and 
 myself which has lasted until the present day. The boy, 
 Joseph, and his sisters, Lizzie and Ella, were among my 
 pupils in "Mahaska's first school." Mr. Cunningiiam 
 was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and was 
 much better informed than the average pioneer settler. 
 The whole family had gentle manners, and dispensed so 
 hospitably their plain new country fare that it was a solid 
 
REMINISCENCES. 123 
 
 pleasure to visit them. Mr. Cunningham had a fine claim 
 situated about two miles east of Oskaloosa. Mr. Charles 
 Chick owns and lives on that place now. Joseph Cun- 
 ning-ham died in early manhood. Lizzie and Ella grew to 
 be lovely and handsome women. Lizzie married a gen- 
 tlemen by the name of Barr and lives in Illinois. Ella 
 married Dr. J. F. Smith, a Virginian, a successful busi- 
 ness man and an honorable gentleman. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cunningham have long since been gathered to their 
 fathers. I have seen the fourth generation of that fam- 
 ily, and all are a credit to their worthy ancestors. 
 
 Mrs. Seevers has been a widow for many years. She 
 is now well on toward ninety, but quite well preserved, 
 both physically and mentally. Her home is with her son 
 Thomas Seevers, who is one of Oskaloosa's most pros- 
 perous business men. Thomas Seevers owns and lives in 
 one of the most beautiful homes in the city. 
 
 There were three families of' Seev^erses who came to 
 Mahaska County and made and located on claims near 
 Oskaloosa in 1843. Newton Seevers, the father of Thomas, 
 whom I have mentioned, and James Seevers, his brother. 
 Newton's claim was less than a mile directly east of the 
 town, while James owned and lived on a fine claim about 
 a mile southeast. . Alfred Seevers, a cousin of Newton 
 and James, was located on a line claim east of Newton's. 
 George Seevers, brother to Alfred, was unmarried when 
 he came, but soon went back to Ohio and married a splen- 
 did girl. He brought her to Iowa and settled on his 
 claim, part of which is now known as Park Place. James 
 and Newton were from Virginia, but Alfred and George 
 were from Ohio. Those Seevers brothers paid much 
 
124 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 attention to fruit raising-. I think they had the first apples 
 of anybody in the county. Some two or three years after 
 the first settling of the country about Oskaloosa, Robert 
 Seevers, a brother to Alfred and George, came with his 
 family from Ohio, and bought a beautiful place a mile or 
 so from town to the southwest, where he and his wife are 
 living- to-day. Robert Seevers, as well as his brothers, 
 has paid much attention to fruit growing-, and has always 
 been authority on apples. 
 
 When Robert Seevers and his wife came to Mahaska 
 County they were the proud parents of three sons, very 
 small boys then, but now are middle ag-ed men and all 
 prominent citizens of Oskaloosa. Georg-e, the eldest, is 
 a prominent attorney; Byron, the second, is called "the 
 scholar," and Will, the third, is called one of Oskaloosa's 
 best business men. These scions of the house of Seevers 
 must be possessed of judg-ment, personal attractions, 
 luck, or something-, for every last one of them married 
 splendid women. Robert Seevers is over nhiety years 
 old, but is still vig-orous both in body and mind. These 
 Seeverses, James, Newton, Alfred, George and Robert, 
 were the old set, who were men of families, and among- 
 the first settlers about Oskaloosa. Like others that I 
 have mentioned, they lived in log" cabins and patiently 
 and honestly endured the hardships and privations at- 
 tending the settling- of this part of Iowa. The wives of 
 those Seeverses were not lacking in judg-ment, patient 
 endurance and helpfulness — the qualities necessary to 
 enable their husbands to succeed in opening- up a new 
 country. I was acquainted with every one of them and 
 know what I am talkinjr about. While the Seevers men 
 
REMINISCENCES. 125 
 
 were breaking" prairie, splitting" rails and planting out 
 orchards, the Seevers women were not only cooking", 
 washing" and mending", but were planting" g"ardens and 
 raising" chickens. Besides what was absolutely neces- 
 sary, they whitewashed their cabin w^alls, planted and 
 cultivated the old-fashioned flowers and trained morning"- 
 glory vines about their cabin doors, which gave to their 
 rustic homes a look of sweetness and attractiveness often 
 lacking in moden and expensive homes. Those Seevers 
 men were fine-looking", manly men, honorable and high- 
 spirited, intelligent and honest. The kind of men wdio 
 give credit to any community. With their other com- 
 mendable qualities they happened to have the good sense 
 to choose superior women for their w4ves. If any of the 
 present generation of the Seevers family should become 
 unworthy citizens, they can't blame it to the example of 
 those worthy ancestors. 
 
 I have known five generations of the Seevers family. 
 Mr. Henry Seevers, the father of James and Newton, 
 came here and spent the summer of 1846 with his sons. 
 He was from Winchester, Virginia, and was a typical Vir- 
 ginia gentleman. He w^ore a black broadcloth swallow- 
 tailed coat, silk hat, and carried a gold-headed cane. He 
 must have been well advanced in years, but was erect and 
 walked with a firm step. He w^as tall and distinguished 
 looking, aft'able, friendly, with the most gentle manners. 
 I met him frequently, and used to think his children and 
 grandchildren must feel very proud of him. He went 
 with the rest of the men in this region on the 4th of July 
 to Fairfield to attend the land sales, where I think the 
 Seeverses all entered the claims they occupied at the first. 
 
126 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 James Seevers and Rebecca, his wife, had six sons 
 and one daughter. William H., the eldest, was a bright 
 young" man; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 
 an early day. He rose step by step in his profession until 
 he reached a place on the Supreme Bench of Iowa. Three 
 years ago he died, honored and lamented, not only by the 
 whole community in which he had lived, but by the State. 
 In early life he married Miss Caroline Lee, a young lady 
 of more than ordinary intelligence, and possessing many 
 noble traits of character. She survives him, and also 
 five of their children, who are prosperous and respected 
 members of society. 
 
 As one drives about the town of Oskaloosa, ever and 
 anon they pass an elegant home owned and occupied b}'' 
 some member of the Seevers family. I have known the 
 Seeverses in their rude and rustic cabins, and have lived 
 to see many of them living in luxury and elegance; but 
 whether they dwell in mansion or log cabin, their dignity 
 and self respect has always commanded the respect of 
 their neighbors. The character which riches and honors 
 do not puff up, nor poverty degrade. 
 
 Mr. James Seevers' beautiful daughter, Virginia, in 
 September, 1845, was married to Micajah T. Williams, 
 whom I have before mentioned as the first man I saw in 
 Oskaloosa. I think they were the handsomest couple I 
 ever saw. The little frame house where they first went 
 to housekeeping stands there yet, looking small, shabby, 
 and dilapidated; but I remember well a time when we 
 young folks all thought it nice indeed. I don't think 
 there were more than half a dozen frame dwelling houses 
 in Oskaloosa when Micajah and Virginia went to house- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 
 
 127 
 
 keeping in that little frame house of two rooms. How 
 sweet and cozy and comfortable that little home looked, 
 with its new rag carpet, and bed so nicely made up with 
 a pretty patch- work quilt and snowy pillows! The little 
 new cooking stove with its bright tin furniture — every 
 piece placed in just what seemed exactly the right place. 
 Talk about "high art." Some of those women who 
 helped to found the town of Oskaloosa, away back in the 
 forties, were artists without knowing it. How plain I 
 can see everything in the unpretentious home of that 
 handsome young couple! though to see it I must look 
 back with the mind's eye over more than half a centery. 
 They lived in that cottage several years, but not w^ithout 
 making several small additions to the same, which ren- 
 dered it wdiat was thought comfortable and convenient in 
 that early day. Their two charming daughters were born 
 in that cottage, but before they became young ladies 
 their parents had purchased and occupied what was at 
 that time one of the most imposing and substantial houses 
 in Oskaloosa. There the daughters, Alice and Beulah 
 Joselle, the pride of their parents and of Oskaloosa, 
 grew to charming, accomplished, and beautiful woman- 
 hood. They were daintily brought up, and had every ad- 
 vantage of education by schools and travel, w^ith the 
 inheritance of beauty, grace, and good sense from their 
 parents. They were not spoiled by high social position 
 and flattering attention. 
 
 Alice, when quite young, married Mr. George Ben- 
 nett, a talented young man of good family. Alice has 
 been a wddow many years. George, the husband of her 
 youth, like many another bright young man from low^a, 
 
128 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 sleeps his last sleep on the shore of the mighty Pacific. 
 Beulah, their only daug'hter and only child, is a young 
 lady now and is endowed with a fine mind and many no- 
 ble traits of character. Beulah Joselle, "Jo," as we 
 always called her, beautiful, queenly Jo, whose manners 
 were dignified, though kind, gentle, though affable to- 
 ward all, with never an unkind word for any. A queen 
 among Oskaloosa's many lovely daughters, she married 
 Judge L. C. Blanchard, one of Oskaloosa's most promi- 
 nent citizens; a statesman, a successful business man 
 and an honored member of society. Judge Blanchard 
 made for his charming wife an elegant home, but after a 
 few years of happy wedded life that beautiful and peace- 
 ful home was broken into by that relentless reaper who 
 is no respecter of homes nor individuals. The honored, 
 the respected, the idolized Jo was by a weeping multi- 
 tude followed to the city of the dead. In that same si- 
 lent city, under a spreading oak, with a great boulder at 
 their feet, lie side by side, Micajah and Virginia Williams. 
 On that great boulder is chiseled the name, "Micajah T. 
 Williams." 
 
 John White was one of the men who staked oft' his 
 claim before daylight on the morning of May 1st, 1843, 
 adjoining what was afterward the county seat, Oskaloosa. 
 John White, John Montgomery, Felix Gesford, D. W. 
 Canfield and others had stealthily spied out the ground 
 and had agreed upon their respective claims. They were 
 not afraid of each other infringing, but of unknown par- 
 ties who might be hidden around like themselves. Those 
 men staked out their claims peaceably. John White's 
 claim lay immediately north of what was chosen as the 
 
REMINISCENCES. 129 
 
 ''town quarter." The U. S. government reserves the 
 privileg-e of choosing- a quarter section of land anywhere 
 on the public domain to locate a county seat upon. John 
 Montg"omery heippened to select and stake out the very 
 quarter the commissioners wanted afterward for the 
 county seat. Mr. Montgomery had to give up his favor- 
 ite piece of land and take claims elsewhere. Mr. M. 
 was nicely fixed in the way of land, about which I will 
 have more to say after a while. 
 
 John White built a cabin on his claim, said cabin be- 
 ing located about a mile directly north of the public 
 square in Oskaloosa. There he brought his family — wife 
 and two children —early in the Spring of 1844. Not long 
 after, a little girl was born to them whom they named 
 "Anestatia." I presume Anestatia was the first white 
 child born anywhere around here. Anestatia died when 
 she was six or seven years old. Mr. and Mrs. White had 
 a son Edmond and a daughter Mary when they came to 
 Mahaska County. John White was an energetic and 
 shrewd business man. His prosperity soon began to be 
 talked about through the country. I often heard the 
 remark, "How well John White is getting along," or "If 
 John White keeps on as he is going he will soon be the 
 richest man in the ccmnty." Their prophecies and sur- 
 mises turned out to be true, for John White, wdien he 
 died, December 24th, 1870, was by far the wealthiest man 
 in the county. The Whites didn't get rich by pinching 
 and saving. They always, from the very first, had the 
 best the country could afford. Mrs. White's neatness 
 and cleanliness became a proverb throughout this region. 
 The first time I ever was in her house I was overwhelmed 
 
130 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 with the supreme cleanliness of everything in that log 
 cabin. I just stood and stared. I had seen many cozy, 
 clean cabins, but had never seen anything that equaled 
 that. The walls and joists and boards overhead were 
 whitewashed as white as snow; the two beds were dress- 
 ed m counterpanes as white as white could be, and the 
 pillow cases were snowy white and looked like they were 
 just from under the iron. 'Every piece of tinware shone 
 like silver, and her brass kettle like burnished gold; the 
 andirons in the wide fireplace were polished, the ashes 
 taken up clean and the hearth swept to perfection; there 
 were two or three strips of rag carpet on the floor, but a 
 considerable space was bare, but those bare puncheons 
 were scoured until they were in a state of cleanliness not 
 often witnessed. 
 
 Mrs. White's morning work was not entirely com- 
 pleted when I arrived that morning, so she went on and 
 finished her dishes; and just as she put the last plate in 
 the cupboard, she brought out a pan full of broken sand- 
 stone, remarking as she showed it to me: "John was down 
 on the creek yesterday and he came across this fine, soft 
 sandstone, and thinking it would be just the thing to 
 scour with, he brought a lot of it home." She then pro- 
 ceeded to pound up a lot of that sandstone until it as- 
 sumed the consistency of fine sand. Then she gathered 
 up every tin pan, bucket, coffee pot, and tin cup in the 
 house, and went to work on them with that sand. She 
 finished the tin things, and then the brass kettle was made 
 to take on a polish not often seen outside of Mrs. White's 
 kitchen. After all that she tackled the wooden bread 
 bowl and gave it a thorough scouring. I sat and gazed 
 
REMINISCENCES. 131 
 
 with admiration and amazement. I thought everything 
 in that cabin was as clean and shining as it could be be- 
 fore she began. I said, "Mrs. White, I think you excel 
 any woman I ever saw in making things shine." "Oh!" 
 she said. "If you think I am a good housekeeper, you 
 ought to have seen my mother's housekeeping. She 
 kept her shovel and tongs and tea-kettle handle polished 
 like silver all the time." Mrs. White didn't limit her 
 beautifying of things to the inside of her cabin, but kept 
 a nicely swept door-yard, trained morning glories and 
 cypress vines about her windows, and out in front she 
 cultivated a great billowy mass of pinks and bachelor 
 buttons, and marigolds and four o'clocks, of every shade 
 and color. Mrs. White could make of a cabin in the 
 wilderness a veritable bower of beauty. 
 
 The Whites were not like many others who came in 
 the very early days, poor and barely able to exist, but 
 w^ere quite well-to-do when they lived in Jefferson County. 
 Mr. White once told me that he was worth four thousand 
 dollars in money and other property when he came to 
 Mahaska County. If he did outstrip his fellows in the 
 race for wealth, he had a better start than almost any 
 man I knew of the early settlers. As I said before, they 
 didn't get rich by scrimping and denying themselves the 
 ordinary comforts of life. Mr. White, from the begin- 
 ning, provided bountifully for his family. If the neces- 
 saries in the way of food were not to be obtained around 
 here, he went off somewhere else and got them. They 
 entertained hospitably and bountifully. Mrs. White was 
 not only the best of housekeepers as regards carefulness 
 and cleanliness, but was an exquisite cook. The day I 
 
132 MAHASKx^ COUNTY 
 
 went there and she amazed me so with her neatness and 
 shiningness of everything, I stayed and took dinner with 
 them. Her dinner was served with a taste and skill as 
 unusual as were her other housekeeping- performances. 
 The snowy, home made linen table cloth, with every 
 crease made by the iron distinctly marked. The delicious 
 g-reat big slices of fried ham, placed in the platter in a 
 way to look the most tempting, with cream gravy poured 
 over. A dish heaped up with mashed potatoes, with a 
 hollow place on top wherein was a big lum]) of butter. 
 Biscuit tender, white, and puffy, the making of which, 
 I think, is a lost art. A great roll of golden butter — not 
 a little thin slice but a big roll, so artistically printed it 
 seemed a pity to cut into it. Old-fashioned Java coffee, 
 the kind which has gone clear out of fashion. If we had 
 the same kind of coffee to-day, I don't think my "French 
 chef" could excel in making coffee such as Mrs. White 
 served at that unpretentious dinner in her log cabin. I 
 have visited Mrs. White in her elegant home, furnished 
 wdth every luxury of modern times; have dined at her 
 board, glittering with cut glass and burnished silver; but 
 none of it impressed me like the exquisite taste and skill 
 displayed in V)eautifying her cabin home, and the superb 
 cooking she did by that old-fashioned fire-place. 
 
 Many years ago Mr. White built an elegant home on 
 the spot where their log cabin stood, and furnished it 
 with everything beautiful from garret to cellar. As they 
 went from room to room in that splendid home they went 
 with sad hearts. A long row of little graves in the Old 
 Cemetery tells the story. Their elegant home, broad 
 acres, stocks, bonds, silver and gold w^ere no bar against 
 
REMINISCENCES. 133 
 
 that relentless reaper who claimed one after another of 
 those lovely children, sparing- none but baby Jennie. I 
 remember a conversation I once had with Mrs. White 
 when Jennie was a baby in her arms, and she only had 
 one other child left, Iowa, who was a young", l)rig]it, hap- 
 py-looking- girl. Mrs. White had a settled sadness in her 
 face as she talked of one child after another that had 
 been taken. To divert her mind from her bereavement 
 I commenced talking about her home and complimenting 
 her on her beautiful surroundings. She looked around 
 with a sig-h, and replied: "O, yes; I have everything I 
 desire in house and furniture and husband, but my chil- 
 dren have been taken one by one, until I only have these 
 two left, and I am looking- for them to be taken from me 
 as all the rest have been." Happy Iowa was snatched 
 away in her youth, and the sorrowing parents saw an- 
 other mound of earth added to the already numerous 
 group. But Jennie, the baby, was spared. 
 
 John White was a g-ood-looking man, a little less 
 than six feet high, was active and quick in his move- 
 ments; his hair was dark brown, his eyes blue-gray; he 
 was a kind and obliging neighbor, was without affecta- 
 tion and the patronizing airs some men assume when 
 they have outstripped their fellows in the race for 
 wealth. There is an addition to Oskaloosa, laid out by 
 John White, and called ''White's Addition." 
 
 Mr. White was always prosperous, and sound finan- 
 cially. At the time of his death he was successfully car- 
 rying on the banking business. About the time of Mr. 
 White's death, two young men, brothers, Israel and 
 Ernest Gibbs, came from New England to Oskaloosa and 
 
134 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 established themselves in the business of banking-. They 
 were not only fine business men, but handsome and dis- 
 tinguished-looking'. Israel married one of Oskaloosa's 
 fairest daug^hters, Miss Lucy Dodg-e, who is not only 
 fair, but lovely in character. When John White died, 
 Jennie, his little daug-hter, was hardly beyond childhood. 
 When she became a young lady, her manners were pleas- 
 ing, her face was fair, and she married Mr. Ernest Gibbs, 
 who is and always has been a successful business man. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs have one daughter, Nellie, a 
 bright and sparkling girl; she is handsome, like her 
 grandmother once was. Mr. Ernest Gibbs has done much 
 for the improvement of Oskaloosa; he has built many 
 substantial business houses and numerous handsome 
 dwellings. The poor of Oskaloosa and vicinity have rea- 
 son to bless Ernest and Jennie Gibbs, for they have been 
 fed and clothed and sheltered and warmed by these kind- 
 hearted and benevolent citizens. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 
 
 135 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 When I beg^an my story, my purpose was to relate 
 my recollections of the early settlers, their heroism in 
 battling- with the hardships and privations they were 
 compelled to meet in converting" the wilderness into the 
 grand and glorious land we see to-day. My idea was to 
 give to the present generation a plain and true account 
 of the way things appeared to me in that long ago time. 
 But I find myself continuaUy wanting to tell about the 
 children and grandchildren of those honest pioneers who 
 have done and are still doing honor to themselves and to 
 their worthy ancestors. 
 
 This part of Iowa did not have for its first white set- 
 tlers a lot of thieves and schemers. There may have 
 been a few of that sort, but if there were I can't think 
 of any just now. All that I knew, and I knew a good 
 many, were honest and obliging, willing that their neigh- 
 bors should enjoy all the rights they claimed for them- 
 selves. They were generally God-fearing, Christian 
 people, and had faith in God and in one another. The 
 first settlers in the town of Oskaloosa, and the country 
 
136 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 immediately surrounding it, were the people I knew most 
 about in the pioneer days. There were little groups of 
 settlers here and there all over the county, I knew the 
 reputation of almost all, and was personally acquainted 
 with many of those who were among the first to make 
 homes in the wilderness. There was Dr. Warren, who 
 lived in the extreme western part of the county; he prac- 
 ticed medicine, and was well spoken of as a physician, 
 and was a grand, good man. He was a devout Metho- 
 dist, and would go a long way to attend a religious meet- 
 ing, especially Methodist. He was a licensed preacher, 
 but did not take a regular circuit. 
 
 In 1845, when there was not a meeting-house in Ma- 
 haska County, the first court-house was built at the 
 northwest corner of the public square in Oskaloosa, on 
 what was called the "eye-tooth lot." Not long after it 
 was finished, the Methodists held quarterly meeting 
 therein. As is the custom among Methodists, they held 
 what is called an experience, or speaking meeting. In 
 that day it was their habit at those meetings to testify, 
 or relate their religious experience, especially their con- 
 version and the circumstances leading up to the same. 
 There were Methodists here and there all over the coun- 
 ty, or wherever there were a few families living near 
 enough together to call each other neighbors. The 
 Methodist folks from those remote settlements, as well 
 as those near by, were at that meeting. Those people — 
 strangers one to another -had come from difl:erent States 
 and different localties; many of them had not had a priv- 
 ilege like that for months. I saw many faces there I 
 had never seen before; many were shabbily dressed, 
 
REMINISCENCES. io< 
 
 women came with smibonnets on, and some with little 
 babies in their arms; men in threadbare old-fashioned 
 clothes. But honesty and earnestness of purpose were 
 plain to be seen in their faces, though brown with expos- 
 ure to sun and prairie winds. T can see them yet, though 
 more than half a hundred years have come and gone 
 since I sat with tears in my eyes and listened to the art- 
 less stories, told with simple eloquence, of the time, 
 place and circumstances which led to their giving their 
 hearts to the Lord and finding peace to their souls. I 
 remember one young woman in particular. I didn't know 
 who she was then, and I don't know yet, but in my mind 
 I see her as she stood up in that meeting with a calico 
 sunbonnet on and a little baby in her arms, and with 
 tears streaming down her face, told about giving her 
 heart to God at a camp-meeting back in Indiana, and that 
 He had kept her in peace, though far from her old home 
 and from meeting, living with only her husband and baby 
 in a cabin a long way from neighbors. She went on to 
 say: "If it was not for my faith in God I don't know what 
 I would do. Wolves howl around my house and rattle- 
 snakes crawl in my yard. Often when my husband is 
 away from morning till night, breaking prairie or making 
 rails, I am compelled to leave my baby and go away off 
 to a slough to get water. When I start I lift my heart to 
 God and say, 'Lord, please to take care of my baby, ' and 
 the Lord has always taken care of me and my baby. I 
 have suffered no harm, though I have met many a rattle- 
 snake on my way to the slough." When that woman had 
 ceased speaking I saw tears in the eyes of many a rugged, 
 sun-burned man. 
 
138 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 After many others had testified, Dr. Warren rose up 
 and made a speech which I have not forgotten; neither 
 have I forgotten the way he appeared to me that day. 
 He was near six feet high, with dark brown hair, and 
 gray eyes with a tenderness in their expression. There 
 was a look about him of chivalrous manliness that women 
 are not afraid to meet, though they were alone in a wil- 
 derness. His voice and look were the kind that children 
 instinctively take to; but what he said was this: 
 
 "My Christian friends, brothers and sisters, I find 
 myself a stranger in a company who seem to be strangers 
 to each other; many of us never saw each other's faces 
 until we came to this meeting. We seem to have come 
 to this meeting with a common purpose — that of worship- 
 ing the God and Father of us all, and of having our spir- 
 itual strength renewed. We have come to this new coun- 
 try from various States and various localities; the places 
 of our nativity are widely separated from each other; 
 there are scarcely two families from the same neighbor- 
 hood. I have listened with much interest to the stories 
 told by one and another, of your conversion, faith and 
 Christian experience. As you talked, this thought came 
 to me. No matter how diversified our homes and sur- 
 roundings, whether among the tall poplars and clear, 
 gravelly streams of Ohio and Indiana, the blue grass 
 meadows of Kentucky, the wide prairies of Illinois, the 
 hills and springs of Tennessee, or the New Purchase of 
 Iowa, the religion of Jesus Christ is the same. Forsaking 
 sin, resolving deep down in the heart to serve God, and 
 trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ are followed by the 
 same results, no matter where. I will go from this meet- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 139 
 
 ing with my heart full of thankfulness. May the Lord 
 continue to bless and keep you all." 
 
 Dr. Warren was an educated Christian gentleman; 
 he went, after a long and useful life, to an honored grave. 
 Some of his children and grandchildren are citizens of 
 Mahaska County to-day, and are valuable members of 
 society. Dr. Warren's son, Robert Warren, is now a cit- 
 izen of Des Moines, but his boyhood, his young manhood, 
 and his mature manhood days, clear on to the days when 
 men arrive at the place where they begin to go down the 
 hill of life, were spent in Mahaska County. Robert 
 Warren has been a member of the State Legislature, and 
 in many w^ays honored with the confidence of Mahaska's 
 citizens. Robert Warren is a man amongst men; he is a 
 fine-looking man, rather tall and well-proportioned, and 
 like 'his father, at first sight one would feel that he was a 
 man to be trusted. 
 
 Not long after coming to Mahaska County I heard 
 that the Rev. Allen Johnson was in this region, and 
 about two weeks after I began teaching that first school, 
 I was told that Bro. Johnson was going to preach in Os- 
 kaloosa. I borrowed my uncle's black horse, Phillis, and 
 came on a new road to Oskaloosa. Bro. Johnson preach- 
 ed in an unfinished and unoccupied log house. There 
 was no floor, but the walls were up, a clapboard roof on, 
 and a door sawed out. From somewhere, I presume 
 away down in Jefferson or Van Buren County, Mr. Can- 
 field, the owner of said house, must have gotten the 
 plank of which some seats were improvised, and a sort 
 of raised platform at one end. I have learned since that 
 the first court ever held in the county was held in that 
 
140 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 house, and that platform was the judge's bench. Rev. 
 Johnson preached from that rostrum that day to an audi- 
 ence of perhaps thirty persons. He told us he would 
 preach two weeks from that day at the house of Dr. 
 Weatherford, where he proposed to organize a Methodist 
 society, or class. The house where Bro. Johnson preach- 
 ed on that 29th of September, 1844, stood on Lot 5, Block 
 20, o. p., Oskaloosa. Dr. Weatherford's house was on 
 Lot 7, Block 19, o. p., Oskaloosa. When that meeting 
 was out and I had gone out of the house, I met my old 
 acquaintance, Dr. Porter, who was very polite and pro- 
 posed to assist me in mounting my horse, which was 
 hitched up by Smith & Cameron's store. The doctor had 
 much to tell me as we walked along toward Phillis, about 
 Oskaloosa's prospects and possibilities. I remember 
 with what pride he pointed to a pile of lumber on the 
 east side of the public square, saying, "We are going to 
 have a tavern. Mr. Charles Purvine is going to build 
 right away, and won't that be a Godsend to we young 
 fellows? And not only to us, but to the people we have 
 been sponging on?" "I guess you have not been spong- 
 ing very bad," I replied. "I don't know what else to 
 call it," he said, "for here are Cage Williams, A. D. 
 Jones, Esquire Edmundson and myself without a roof to 
 cover our heads. If the people in these little cabins you 
 see around here didn't shelter us and feed us and let us 
 have a place to hang around in we would have to leave, 
 or camp out on the prairie and go hungry. Of course, 
 we try to compensate them, but we all feel like we are 
 contracting a bigger debt of gratitude than we can ever 
 pay." "That seems to ])e the natural order of things, " 
 
REMINISCENCES. 141 
 
 I replied, "my uncle and aunt take in everybody that 
 come along", make beds on the floor, feed them and their 
 teams, and I never hear them say anything' about debts 
 of gratitude." "Well," said the doctor, '"if there are 
 not a whole-souled lot of people around here, I don't 
 know wdiere you would gx) to And them."" 
 
 I climbed on a box, the doctor led Phillis up beside 
 it, I took my seat in the saddle and joined my friend, 
 Patterson Martin. He had found a much shorter road to 
 Oskaloosa than the one the doctor's wife and I traveled 
 on our first visit. 
 
 I never think of those early times without remem- 
 bering- the unfeigned friendship and kindness of Patter- 
 son and Amanda Martin. Little Mary, who was a baby 
 when I first knew them, is the wife of Mat Crozier, one 
 of Mahaska's prosperous farmers, and has a house full of 
 sons and daughters of her own. John N. Martin, the 
 second child of Patterson and Amanda Martin, Captain 
 Martin now, served his country throug-h the war of the 
 rebellion, and is a respected citizen of Oskaloosa. Pat- 
 terson Martin sleeps in Forest Cemetery. His devoted 
 wife had a handsome monument erected to his memoiy, 
 and his children plant flowers on his g"rave. His widow, 
 Amanda, owns and occupies with her son Byron a valua- 
 ble little farm and a comfortable and pretty cottag-e, not 
 far from the place where they built their first cabin. 
 
 Amanda Martin, one of the very few of we old set- 
 tlers who are left to tell the story of the early days, is 
 bent with ag^e and broken in health, but she, by great 
 effort, comes to see me often. I am always glad to see 
 her, and every time we meet we have a talk about the 
 
142 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 people and the things of long- ago. In all the fifty-five 
 years that she has gone in and out among the people of 
 this region, no one can truthfully say a word of harm of 
 Amanda Martin. She was a self-sacrificing wife and 
 mother, a kind and obliging neighbor, an humble Chris- 
 tian. Her children have reason to be proud of the mother 
 who has lived in one neighborhood more than half a cen- 
 tury, and all that time had the confidence and respect of 
 her neighbors. 
 
 Amanda Martin came with her husband and baby to 
 the New Purchase in 1843, lived in the crudest of crude 
 cabins, and endured all the hardships of first settlers. 
 At first their shanty was hardly a bar against the wolves 
 that made night hideous with their howling. Deer were 
 so plentiful they were often seen near their house; in 
 those days deer were sometimes run down by dogs. One 
 day Mr. Martin's dogs ran two deer close to their house; 
 they were so near worried out that Mr. Martin killed 
 them with an ax. That was late in the Autumn of 1844. 
 I remember how excited he was when he came to my 
 uncle's house, bringing a great big piece of venison and 
 relating his adventures. We were surprised, for that 
 was an unusual feat, even in that time of plenty, in the 
 way of game. 
 
 There was a family by the name of Coontz, living not 
 far from my uncle's. Their children all went to my 
 school. One day, not far from the time Mr. Martin had 
 slaughtered the two deer, Mrs. Coontz came running 
 with all her might, bare-headed and screaming: 
 
 "Mr. Cox; a bear! Mr. Cox; a bear!" 
 
 Uncle Aaron, as soon as he caught her meaning, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 143 
 
 snatched his ritle from its wooden hooks above the cabin 
 door, slung" on his powder horn and proceeded to follow 
 Mrs. Coontz. She managed to tell him on the way that 
 she had heard a pig squealing- down by the cornfield fence, 
 and on investigation found one of their shoats in the 
 grasp of a bear. She called Mr. Coontz, who came with 
 his gun and two dogs, at sight of which the bear ran up 
 a tree. Uncle and Mrs. Coontz hurried to the scene, 
 found Mr. Coontz with gun in hand, but afraid to shoot 
 lest he should miss the bear and be attacked himself by 
 that ferocious beast. Uncle Aaron was a sure shot. The 
 dogs were making a big fuss, and the bear was away up 
 on a limb of a dead tree, quietly watching things down 
 below. Uncle took aim, fired, and brought the bear 
 down, wounded. Both dogs jumped ' on the bear, which 
 was not too badly wounded to make resistance. Mr. 
 Coontz, to help the dogs out, seized a club to facilitate 
 matters, but in his excitement struck one of his dogs the 
 blow intended for the bear, which laid the dog out for a 
 while. My uncle in the meantime had loaded his gun 
 again, and the second shot put a quietus on the bear. 
 Uncle was a modest man, never taking any glory to him- 
 self, and when he was sure the bear was dead he walked 
 off home, leaving the Coontzes in undisputed possession. 
 But the next morning Mr. Coontz came over, bringing a 
 great big roast out of that bear's shoulder. It wasn't a 
 large bear, but was fat. In that day bear's oil was 
 thought to be an excellent oil for the hair. My cousins, 
 Eliza Ann and Elizabeth, and myself cut a lot of fat off 
 of that roast and rendered it out. We girls put the oil 
 in a bottle and held it in common. 
 
144 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 While I am talking" about game I want to tell about 
 the prairie chickens. My uncle had some shock corn out 
 in the Winter of '44 and '45, and thousands of prairie 
 chickens would light in that field. My cousins, William 
 and James, made traps and caug^ht hundreds of them. 
 Prairie chicken is splendid meat, and nothing- can excel 
 the gravy on corn-bread, but we realized that Winter that 
 there was such a thing as having too much of a g^ood 
 thing. How well I remember how pleased and triumph- 
 ant those boys used to look as they came from their traps 
 with both hands full of chickens. 
 
 In the Autumn of '44, when I was teaching that first 
 school, and.the Winter following, I went to Oskaloosa as 
 often as I had opportunity and could find an excuse for 
 g-oing". That g^ood uncle would let me ride Phillis when 
 I didn't g-o in a wagon or sled with the Martins. My 
 third trip was to the meeting- given out by Bro. Johnson 
 as the time and place he expected to org-anize a class, or 
 society of Methodists. I had learned the w^ay and was 
 not afraid. That Sabbath morning, October loth, 1844, 
 I mounted Phillis and went alone through woods and 
 sloughs and glades and across Spring Creek. I had 
 learned 'to watch out for blazed trees. For fear the 
 young generaticm will not know what ""blazed" means in 
 the way we used the word, I will explain. It was chop- 
 ping 'out a big chip, or peeling bark oft' of trees along a 
 dim road. 
 
 When in 1894 the fiftieth anniversary of that first or- 
 ganization of the Methodist Church had rolled around, 
 the Methodist people of Oskaloosa proposed to and did 
 hold a jubilee celebration lasting eight days. They gath- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 
 
 145 
 
 ered all the history relating to the church, both ancient 
 and modern, which they could depend upon as being" cor- 
 rect, and produced the same in one way or another at 
 that meeting. Letters were received and reminiscences 
 related. Rev. E. H. Waring, once pastor of the church 
 in Oskaloosa, but now retired, was one of the prime 
 movers in getting up that jubilee celebration. He came 
 one day to see me and told me about it and requested me 
 to write an account of the first organization of the Meth- 
 odist Church in Oskaloosa, and read it on anniversary 
 day. I knew I was the only person in all this country 
 who was there and witnessed that crude and humble be- 
 ginning. I remembered well the day, and almost all the 
 people, and nearly every circumstance connected with it, 
 I promised Mr. Waring to write as true an account as I 
 could, and read it on the day designated. I give here 
 just what I read on that fiftieth anniversary of the organ- 
 ization of the Methodist Church in Oskaloosa. 
 
 Reminiscences of the Early Days. 
 
 [BY MRS. T. G. PHILLIPS.] 
 
 Some of us who have arrived at the age of three 
 score years can, by turning our thoughts back to child- 
 hood and early youth, see with the mind's eye a plain, 
 unpretentious home where dwelt our parents, brothers 
 and sisters. W"e remember with what pure delight we 
 slaked our thirst at the spring which bubbled out of the 
 hillside, forming a little brook which wandered oft" through 
 the meadow, its banks lined with mint and rushes. The 
 orchard with big apple trees whose limbs were bending 
 down with great red apples; the great, tall poplar trees 
 
146 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 looking" so grand and holding- their heads clear above the 
 beech and sugar trees; the old meeting-house where we 
 were wont to assemble on Sunday; the school-house 
 where we w^ere taug^ht "the three R's," and besides "the 
 three R's," a little of Eng-lish Grammar and Geog^raphy. 
 
 About 1837 we began to hear a country talked of 
 w^est of the Mississippi River called "Blackhawk's Pur- 
 chase." A little later on we heard it called Iowa Terri- 
 tor}'-. We heard wondrous stories of its broad prairies, 
 rich soil and beautiful rivers. About that time there oc- 
 curred a great financial crisis which led to the breaking 
 of many home ties. Young men with small fortunes, be- 
 sides health and pluck, bade farewell to parents and 
 sweetheart; older men with families, whose earthly pos- 
 sessions, great or small, had been partially or wholly 
 swept away by the panic, by one means or another made 
 their way to Iowa Territory. Some of us remember a 
 time in the early forties, when our household goods were 
 piled into big wagons, the neighbors coming to bid us 
 good-bye, the four horses or long string of oxen hitched 
 to the wagon, the tearful parting with relatives and 
 neighbors, the last look at the old home, the crack of the 
 driver's whip, when we began to journey tow^ard what 
 seemed to us a far-off country. 
 
 The journey to some of us was delightful. The 
 warm, happy, Indian Summer days; the mellow^ nights, 
 just cool enough to make camping out pleasant; the pop- 
 lars and beech and sugar trees arrayed in all the gor- 
 geous coloring which a typical October can give in Ohio 
 and Indiana; the crossing of big prairies in Illinois; the 
 sluggish Illinois River, where were thousands upon thou- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 147 
 
 sands of ducks, and finally the great "Father of Waters," 
 are thmg"s which do not fade out of the minds of people 
 of ordinary intelligence. The bluffs along the west bank 
 of the great river were covered with oak, elm, hickory, 
 and many other kind of trees and shrubs. To the west 
 were great prairies, interspersed with groves and tra- 
 versed by creeks and rivers whose banks were lined with 
 various kinds of trees, festooned with vines whose grace 
 of foliage cannot be described with pen or portrayed with 
 artist's brush. The newcomer found everything here to 
 make a prosperous, rich and beautiful country. Farms 
 were opened, towns sprang up near the Mississippi, and 
 before long the pioneer was found building his cabin and 
 turning over the prairie sod as much as fifty miles west 
 of the great river. In 1843 another purchase of lands 
 was made by the United States government from the In- 
 dians. This purchase embraced, among others, what is 
 now Mahaska Count}^ While the Indians were still here, 
 hunters and other adventurers had discovered a grand 
 region lying between the Des Moines and Skunk Rivers. 
 In journeying up through this region they beheld all 
 about them a most charming prospect. Up the divide a 
 vast native meadow, with tall grass waving and flowers 
 blooming, groves to the right of them, groves to the left 
 of them, a vista of green sward in front of them. Look- 
 ing to the northwest could be seen what seemed to be 
 the timbers bordering the Des Moines and the timbers 
 bordering the Skunk, each reaching out an arm as if try- 
 ing to clasp hands across the billowy mass of green. It 
 was found that the Des Moines and Skunk Rivers drew 
 nearer each other at this place than in all their meandering 
 
148 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 course toward the g"reat Father of Waters. Those early- 
 discoverers thoug-ht "Narrows'' an appropriate name, so 
 they called this place "The Narrows." 
 
 On the 1st day of May, 1843, white peo])le were given 
 the privilege of coming into this charming place and se- 
 lecting claims Vvdiereon to make homes for themselves. 
 There was not quite such a rush to get in here as there 
 was to enter the Cherokee Strip, but there was something 
 of a rush. Men staked out their claims by torchlight, 
 and when daylight came on the first day of May all the 
 land around and about The Narrows was claimed by some- 
 body. Many families came and settled about through 
 the country in '43. Some lived in tents, some in rudely- 
 constructed log cabins, and some even lived for a time in 
 the bark huts left by the Indians. The people who first 
 located on the "Six Mile" prairie thought, and with rea- 
 son, that they had found the very garden spot of the 
 country. There were several Methodist families among 
 the first who settled on the Six Mile prairie, and it is said 
 that the very first sermon ever preached in Mahaska 
 County w^as by a young Methodist preacher named Lewis, 
 in somebody's cabin on the Six Mile prairie. 
 
 Those early settlers soon began to speculate and 
 maneuver about the location of the county seat. The 
 geographical center of what is now Mahaska County is 
 about two miles north of the place then called The Nar- 
 rows. The Six Mile prairie people w^anted the county 
 seat, the Center people wanted it, and the Narrows peo- 
 ple wanted it. The Narrows could boast of having one 
 residence and one other small cabin, with a sign on top on 
 which was painted in large letters the word, "Grocery," 
 
REMINISCENCES. 149 
 
 The residence was occupied by Perry Crossmaii and wife, 
 Mrs. Jones, who w^as Mr. Grossman's mother-in-law (a 
 lady possessing much nativ^e wit and shrewdness), and 
 her two sons, George W. and John W. Jones. Mrs. Jones 
 also had a handsome young daughter, Sarah, who is now 
 Mrs. McWilliams, and a citizen of Oskaloosa. The Com-- 
 mercial House, with the sign of grocery on top, was not 
 a wholesale establishment, but did a retail business, not 
 only in groceries, but in what is called "general mer- 
 chandise." Mr. Grossman and the Jones brothers were 
 sole owners and proprietors, and enjoyed without compe- 
 tition the entire trade of The Narrows. When the com- 
 missioners who were appointed to locate the county seat 
 came in the Spring of '44 they found hospitable enter- 
 tainment at the Grossman- Jones residence. There they 
 made their headquarters while examining the ditl'erent 
 points claiming to be the best locations. 
 
 That was an early Spring, and by the first of May 
 the groves and prairies looked lovely. The commission- 
 ers looked at Six Mile; they looked at the Genter, and 
 were rather favorably impressed with that place, not 
 only on account of its being the geographical center of 
 the county, but on account of the many beautiful groves. 
 Among those groves were a number of slight depressions 
 which we called "sloughs.''' At that time they were all 
 clothed in green and looking their best. After examining 
 all points they assembled at the Grossman-Jones resi- 
 dence to talk it over and make their decision. Mrs. 
 Jones was present during their deliberations and eagerly 
 listening to their remarks, heard one gentleman say: 
 "The Genter is a desirable location on account of those 
 
150 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 groves being" clustered in there so nicely. Why, the 
 Center has seven groves." Mrs. Jones, on hearing this 
 remark, took the liberty of making the following speech: 
 "Gentlemen, you say the Center has seven groves; well, 
 sure enough it has seven groves; but did you notice that 
 mixed up with those seven groves are ten sloughs'?" 
 One of the commissioners remarked: "Mrs. Jones is 
 about right. " The others thought so, too, and that is 
 the way the county seat came to be located at The Nar- 
 rows. This was on Saturday, the 11th day of May, 1844. 
 
 The new county seat was named "Oskaloosa." A 
 quarter section of land was selected, surveyed and laid 
 off into town lots; these lots were offered for sale to the 
 highest bidder. Several were sold, but bids were so low 
 the sale was stopped for a while. Very soon some log 
 houses were commenced. The first court was held in an 
 unfinished log house. On September 14th, 1844, there 
 were just fifteen little log cabins in Oskaloosa. The first 
 sermon preached by a Methodist in Oskaloosa was on 
 Sunday, September 29th, 1844. Allen Johnson was the 
 preacher. He announced at that meeting that he would 
 on October 13th, hold a meeting at the home of Dr. 
 Weatherford, at which meeting he proposed to organize 
 a class, or society. He requested all who held letters of 
 membership in the M. E. Church to take them with them. 
 By that time several Methodist families had located in 
 Oskaloosa. Dr. Weatherford's house was a log cabin of 
 one room about 15 by 18 feet in size, and was located on 
 Lot 7, Block 19, in the town of Oskaloosa. The weather 
 generally was lovely that fall, but that particular Sunday 
 was cloudy. There was a chilliness in the air which 
 
REMINISCENCES. 151 
 
 made one think all the time that it was going to snow; 
 but it didn't snow. Dr. Weatherford and his wife made 
 their one room as comfortable as they could for the meet- 
 ing; some fifteen or twenty persons had gathered thei'e 
 by eleven o'clock. The doctor was only a brother-in-law 
 to the church, but he had skirmished around among the 
 neighbors and borrowed chairs enough to almost seat the 
 entire congregation: as many as could, sat on the bed. 
 In the wide fireplace a heap of logs were blazing which 
 sent a glow of warmth over the faces of that little group. 
 The coffee pot and sauce -pans hung on the wall; the 
 water-bucket with gourd dipper sat on a box; some blue- 
 edged plates ornamented a shelf on the wall. That state 
 of things seems amusing to people of to-day, but that 
 earnest group of worshipers never thought of being 
 amused. Brother Johnson came in, warmed his hands, 
 took off his overcoat, seated himself by the little table 
 where a Bible and hymn-book had been placed, sat in 
 silence a few moments, then proceeded to open the meet- 
 ing by reading a hymn. He informed the congregation 
 that the hymn would be sung in common meter, and 
 would some brother please lead in singing? We will 
 sing without lining. 
 
 "O, for a thousand tongues to sing 
 My great Redeemer's praise.'' 
 
 Brother William G. Lee led the singing. There were 
 good singers in Oskaloosa, even then. The whole con- 
 gregation knelt while Bro. Johnson prayed; he preached, 
 then invited all who wished to join by letter or by giving 
 him their hand to come forward. Some twelve or four- 
 teen persons then formed the little band which consti- 
 
152 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 tuted the beginning of the Methodist Church in Oska- 
 loosa. Among those who that day gave their letter or 
 their hands to Bro. Johnson, were Dr. William G. Lee 
 and wife, Samuel Gossage and wife, George Jennison and 
 wife, Mrs. Mary Weatherford, Mrs. Hannah Phillips, 
 and the writer of this, who was then Semira A. Hobbs. 
 The others I cannot recall. After that little organiza- 
 tion, meetings were held regularly in one little cabin and 
 another until the court house was built, which was the 
 next year, 1845. 
 
 In these days of fine churches, with cushioned pews 
 or opera chairs, carpets, pipe organs and electric lights, 
 young people smile at the idea of holding meetings in lit- 
 tle log cabins lighted with a tallow candle or a grease 
 lamp made in a piepan; but we who lived here fifty years 
 ago and helped to lay the foundation of Iowa's present 
 greatness, saw^ nothing ludicrous in those crude and hum- 
 ble beginnings. Heavenly meetings were held in those 
 little cabins. For a Methodist preacher, in those days, 
 training in a Theological school was not thought to be 
 necessary, but to be soundly converted, feel a call to 
 preach, and have a tolerable education were the main re- 
 quirements. Some of that class foiind their way into the 
 wilds of the New Purcliase fifty years ago, and with an 
 eloquence born of faith and an earnest desire to serve 
 God and save souls, stirred and melted the hearts of their 
 hearers. Souls were converted and shouts of joy were 
 heard. Prayers and old-fashioned Methodist songs and 
 love feast meetings, where the brethren and sisters 
 would meet and relate their Christian experiences, made 
 those little log cabins seem "Heavenly places." 
 
REMINISCENCES. 153 
 
 All the good people who first came and helped to 
 make this country great and prosperous were not Meth- 
 odists, though a considerable portion of them were Meth- 
 odists of the old stamp. The first church erected in Os- 
 kaloosa was by the Cumberland Presbyterians. In the 
 very early days they were more numerous than any other 
 denomination. They built their church in 1846, and at 
 that time had a large membership, but in 1849 so many of 
 them went to California their church here was almost 
 broken up. Other branches of the Presbyterian Church 
 were represented by good and substantial families, whose 
 children and grandchildren are among Mahaska's best 
 citizens to-day. There were a few Baptists here, and in 
 the Spring of 1845 there was a society organized in Smith 
 & Cameron's new" frame store building, on Lot 1, Block 
 28, o. p., Oskaloosa. Mr. Post weis the minister. 
 
 The red man's bark huts were still standing in Kish- 
 kekosh, and his footprints scarcely washed out by the 
 rain, when a little colony of Quakers appeared on the 
 scene and located on one of the most beautiful and fer- 
 tile spots to be found in Mahaska County. Quakers are 
 and always have been Orthodox in principle, devout in 
 their allegiance to Christ. Quakers were first to discover 
 that women had brains; the first to emancipate women 
 from church slavery and place them side by side with 
 men in the ministry and all affairs of church. Among 
 their fundamental principles are freedom and justice. 
 Quakers make good citizens. They establish and carry 
 on good schools, and add to the prosperity of any com- 
 munity wherein they establish themselves in any consid- 
 erable numbers. They never permitted their members 
 
154 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 to buy and sell men and women. No denomination has 
 done more to enhance business, prosperity, education 
 and moral culture in Mahaska County than the Quakers. 
 
 Much is said in these days about the sacrifices made 
 by the families of early settlers. They did break sod, 
 make rails, cook, eat and sleep all in one room; they 
 sometimes went many miles in order to procure corn 
 meal to make bread, which things were somewhat incon- 
 venient, but there was very little sacrifice about it. If 
 we who were the actors on that early stage were making" 
 sacrifices, we were not conscious of it. Not many of us 
 had been accustomed to luxuries before we came. Those 
 who had been accustomed to better things before they 
 came, seemed to accept the situation cheerfully. I don't 
 remember of hearing any talk of "sacrifice" in the early 
 days. We had many things which in these days are called 
 luxuries; we had wild turkey and quail, and venison and 
 prairie chicken; we had blackberries and wild gooseber- 
 ries and strawberries, and an endless variety of plums. 
 There was very little suffering for want of food. 
 
 The more I think about the pioneer men and women 
 the more I admire their character. I can hardly recall a 
 man or woman among them who was not honest, honor- 
 able, brave, hospitable, high-souled. The most of them 
 have joined the great majority, but if we look about 
 us we will see some of Mahaska's best citizens among 
 their descendants. 
 
 Saturday, October 13, 1894. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The next time I went to Oskaloosa was some time 
 toward the last of November. There was g"oing- to be 
 meeting- in Purvine's tavern, held by the Cumberland 
 Presbyterians. The Martins being members of that 
 church, and as was their custom, informed me of the 
 meeting- and proposed going; but when the Sunday morn- 
 ing came, Patterson came by my uncle's and informed us 
 that something had happened which prevented Amanda 
 from going, but he had decided to walk, and knew a near- 
 er cut to town than any we had gone before. Phillis was 
 at my disposal, as usual, so I mounted Phillis, and Pat- 
 terson walked ahead, along that newly-blazed path I fol- 
 lowed. We crossed Spring Creek near the place where 
 the bridge on the road to Carbonado is now. We came 
 through timber the most of the way. On reaching the 
 open prairie the most charming view opened out to my 
 vision that I had seen in Mahaska County, and I had seen 
 a good many. Just after leaving the main timber our 
 road led between two small groves. The leaves had fall- 
 en — every tree stood out clear of any undergrowth of 
 
156 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 hazel or other bushes. There was none of that kind of 
 small growth around there, and I thought of what my 
 Aunt Delilah had said about that particular feature of 
 the New Purchase, when we first came to Iowa. Just 
 after passing those groves we were out on the broad open 
 prairie. One of those groves was long known as "Picnic 
 Grove." The one just west of it has been known to Os- 
 kaloosa people by different names: "The Phillips Grove," 
 "The Hawkins Grove," and so forth, and now an ugly coal 
 shaft disfigures the spot once so beautiful. A little way 
 to the southwest the little village of Oskaloosa loomed 
 up, not as I had seen it a few weeks before, but instead 
 of only a few log cabins there seemed to be dozens of 
 frame houses, all painted white. Off to the north was 
 that most beautiful of all places around Oskaloosa, when 
 in its native state. Gently sloping to the east, a back- 
 ground to the north of fine timber, at the foot of the slope 
 to the west ran a babbling little brook, whose banks were 
 lined with willows and other trees which delight the eye. 
 That spot which looked so charming to me on that No- 
 vember Indian Summer day, afterwards was the first 
 home of myself and the husband of my youth. I had no 
 idea who the owner was when I ft'rst saw it, but the place 
 had a fascination, and I just gazed and thought "How 
 beautiful!" No wonder I had some cloudy foresight into 
 the future, for there my young husband and I went to 
 housekeeping; there my two sons were born; there sleep 
 my precious dead, and there I expect to sleep my last, 
 long sleep. Although nearly fifty-five years have come 
 and gone, I remember all that scene of charming land- 
 scape, and my thoughts as it broke upon my vision, as 
 
REMINISCENCES. ] 57 
 
 clearly as if it was j^esterday. The way Mr. Martin 
 looked as he walked along ahead. Mr. Martin was a 
 small man, but he vralked with a quick, elastic step. 
 Very little liad been said as we wended our way alon<^ 
 that l)lazed path, as he was g"enerally a rod or two ahead, 
 but when that scene and the town loomed up in plain 
 sight, he turned around and remarked, with a look of 
 pride in his face: "Oskaloosa is beginning to look like a 
 town, ain't it?" 
 
 When we came into the town we saw that a number 
 of houses had been built around the public square. On 
 the north side of the square was what seemed a very long 
 store building with a store already in it; how fine it 
 looked. That store was owned by A. J. Davis, the man 
 over whose millions there has been so mmch litigation in 
 Montana. George Jennison and a boy named Frank 
 Reeves had charge of the store. Another frame building 
 which was painted white had just been built on the w^est 
 side of the square was ov^aied and occupied as a store of 
 general merchandise by Wm. B. Street. Of course I 
 didn't see those people and their stocks of goods that 
 Sunday, but afterwards. 
 
 Mr. Charles Purvine had his tavern up on the east 
 side of the square and there w^as where the meeting was 
 held. The house was only weatherboarded and covered; 
 there was no floor, and only studding where the parti- 
 tions were going to be. The workmen's benches were in 
 and shavings about on the gTound. That was an old- 
 fashioned frame with hewed sills and posts, and the joists 
 or sleepers were not in for the floor. The ground was 
 bare all inside of the house; seats were improvised of 
 
158 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 blocks with planks laid on them. A row of young" men 
 sat on a carpenter's work-bench, with shaving-s thick 
 around their feet. John W. Jones was among" those who 
 sat on the work-bench. The house was full of people 
 and they had come from far and near. A number were 
 there from Six Mile, as a funeral sermon in memory of a 
 Mr. Wilson, who had died several months before on Six 
 Mile, was to be preached by Rev. Baxter Bonham. 
 
 It seems to have been thought by some ministers in 
 that day, that to cause violent weeping and wailing 
 among the audience, especially the friends of the dead, 
 was the proper thing to do in preaching a funeral sermon. 
 Mr. Bonham seems to have been of the class who enter- 
 tained this idea. He came to that meeting prepared to 
 operate on the tender sympathies of his audience. His 
 supply of touching incidents was great; his emotional 
 eloquence not only set his audience to weeping, but set 
 him to weeping himself, and he fell into such a fit of 
 weeping that he was compelled to stop talking and just 
 stand there and weep. The situation became embarrass- 
 ing, so much so that after a few moments he apologized 
 to the audience, informing them that his love for the de- 
 ceased was so great and his grief so intense that he could 
 not restrain his tears. 
 
 By the time winter had fairly set in, Mr. Purvine had 
 his tavern in running order, and was prepared to enter- 
 tain the traveling public and all those doctors and law- 
 yers who were homeless. That tavern was a story and a 
 half with four good-sized rooms on the first floor and one 
 big room up stairs with six beds in it. Mr. Purvine's 
 was the first tavern built in Oskaloosa, though Mr. Can- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 159 
 
 field did keep what was called a tavern a little while. 
 The Canflelds kept the judg"e and lawyers who held court 
 the Summer before. Many funny incidents used to be 
 related of the Canfields' tribulations in trying" to provide 
 for that functon. Mr. Pur vine kept that tavern only a 
 few months, wdien in the Summer of 1845 he sold out to 
 Jerry Brown and Thomas J. Willis. ^ Mr. Willis was not 
 married, but held a valuable claim some three or four 
 miles east of town, which he traded to Mr. Purvine in 
 that tavern deed. W^hen I first came to Mahaska County 
 Mr. Willis and Mr. Wm. B. Campbell were keeping bach- 
 elors' hall jointly, both improving claims. If they were 
 not adjoining, they were very near tog^ether. Mr. Camp- 
 bell is one of the few who live where they first settled. 
 He married Miss Sarah Lucetta Dunl)ar in 1847. They 
 have always been respected and useful members of soci- 
 ety. Their son, Walter Campbell, is an honorable and 
 prosperous business man and a respected citizen of Oska- 
 loosa. Walter Campbell's wife, who was Miss Mollie 
 Moreland, is one of Oskaloosa's brig"htest women. 
 
 Mrs. Jerry Brown, wife of Mr. Willis' partner, died 
 soon after moving into the tavern. Mr. Willis went to 
 the Galena lead mines, w^here his health failed and he 
 died in 1846. The Purvine tavern was on the g^round 
 where the Downing House now stands, Lot 5, Block 19, o. p. 
 That hostelry changed owners frequently in the first few 
 years of its existence. In 1852 Mr. J. M. White pur- 
 chased it and for a while it was kept by Mr. Hug^h Mc- 
 Neely, w^ho, in partnership with John R. Needham, in 
 1850 printed the first newspaper ever printed in Oska- 
 lo(?sa. That was the beginning of Tlie Oskaloosa Herald. 
 
160 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 I read the first issue of that paper and have read nearly 
 every one since. That first issue of Tli? Herald was a 
 small affair, but fully up to other things in that early day. 
 I remember well how eagerly I seized that little sheet 
 and never stopper! until I had read every advertisement 
 and everything else on it. I was so proud to know that 
 Oskaloosa could afford a newspaper. In these days when 
 newspapers are lying about in heaps and piles in almost 
 every house, my thoughts go back to a time when we 
 hardly ever saw a newspaper; when by any chance one 
 would fall into my hands I would read it over and over 
 again. Though some of the articles therein were too 
 deep for my comprehension I would read them any way. 
 
 In the Autumn of 1844, when I was teaching that 
 first school, Tom Springer sent me a periodical called 
 The lUuininafed Magazine^ and published in London. 
 Mr. Springer was the eldest son of Matthew Springer, 
 one of the men who located a claim at Mahaska Center 
 in 1843, thinking the county seat would be located there. 
 The Springers were people of more than ordinary intelli- 
 gence, not satisfied with the commonplace, and possessed 
 of force of character.- Matthew Springer was an enter- 
 taining talker, an unselfish, kind-hearted man. His chil- 
 dren were bright, intelligent and respectable. T<mi, 
 when a young man, learned the printing trade in Indiana. 
 I was not very well acquainted with him personally, but 
 used to hear people speak of him as a talented young 
 man, and when he was kind enough to send me that mag- 
 agine, no wonder I was pleased and felt flattered. I 
 kept that magazine for years laid away among my few 
 sacred keepsakes, but finally some ruthless hand ele- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 161 
 
 stroyed it. That bring"s to my mind an incident which 
 happened j^ears ag"(3. I had carefully saved for years 
 every number of a literary paper which I prized very 
 much for the short articles therein, written by Henry 
 Ward Beecher, Fanny Fern, and other spicy writers. I 
 contemplated, when I should find a convenient season, 
 cutting" out those g"ems of wit and wisdom and ])lacing' 
 them in a scrap-book. I had, folded them and arrang^ed 
 them in regular order, tied them securely in bundles and 
 put them away on a shelf in a closet up-stairs. I had 
 placed them in perfectly even la3^ers, wrapped a string- 
 around the short way and then around the long way and 
 tied it g-ood and tig"ht, for I had a vague idea that there 
 were persons even in this intelligent reg^ion who didn't 
 value one old newspaper more than another. I felt that 
 I had guarded my treasure safely against any such unap- 
 preciative creatures. But, alas! I w^as doomed to disap- 
 pointment. One day I had a Negro man and his wdfe 
 cleaning my upper rooms. After leaving them alone sev- 
 eral, hours I went up-stairs to see how" they were getting 
 along. I found them busily engaged in polishing win- 
 dows, and my treasured papers all over the floor in torn 
 piles and wads, a ruined mass. I could have cried with 
 vexation, and when I tried to explain to them the ruin 
 they had wrought, they gazed at me in blank astonish- 
 ment, and all they had to say was: "Why, Missus, we 
 nevah knowed dem dah ole papahs wuz any 'count only 
 ter rub winders!" Tom Springer's Ilhuainated Maga?:ine 
 went something in the same way. 
 
 The articles in that magazine were on subjects en- 
 tirely too abstruse to be understood by a mind so crude 
 
162 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 as mine was then, thoug"h I remember one article in which 
 the writer commented very satirically on the ceremony 
 which had just occurred at the christening- of one of the 
 little princes, son of Queen Victoria. He told of the fab- 
 ulous sums ex]3ended on that infant's honiton lace robes 
 which had been prepared expressly for that occasion, in 
 which his sponsors renounced the world, the flesh and 
 the devil. The writer seemed to think that honiton lace 
 robes costing thousands of pounds was a pretty expensive 
 outfit in which to renounce the world. 
 
 Tom Springer went to California in the early time of 
 gold excitement, was editor and proprietor of a paper 
 there, and at one time was State printer. I knew Mat- 
 thew Springer in Indiana when I was a little girl. The 
 Springers were descendants of the "whale fishers" of 
 Nantucket, the Coffins, Macys, and so forth. Persons 
 versed in the history of the early settling of America 
 knaw what manner of people those Nantucket whale fish- 
 ers were— enterprising, fearless, brave and honest. "A 
 law unto themselves." Matthew Springer was born in 
 the 18th century, was married three times and had three 
 sets of children. Not long ago I had the pleasure of 
 meeting the son of his old age, Matthew, Jr., and his 
 charming wife. I could see in Matthew, Jr., the looks 
 and the tastes of the old stock. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Boswell, an aged lady whom everybody 
 loves and calls ''Aunt Sade," a niece of Matthew Springer 
 Sr., has for more than forty-eight years been an honored 
 citizen of Oskaloosa. A pillar in the Methodist Church 
 and truly a "Mother in Israel." Mrs. Boswell is the 
 daughter of Job Springer, who was sheriff of Jasper 
 
REMINISCENCES. . 163 
 
 County, Iowa, in the early days. Mrs. David Evans, an- 
 other daughter of Job Springer, lives in Newton now and 
 is a lovely lady. ''Aunt Sade" has never been blessed 
 with a child of her very own, but has nursed, brought up, 
 cared for and loved more orphaned brothers and sisters, 
 nieces and nephews than any woman I ever knew. Her 
 house has been a refuge for the homeless, whether of her 
 ow^n kin or not. Her hands, her voice, her means have 
 been employed in words of comfort and acts of benevo- 
 lence. Aunt Sade is a woman of many gifts; she is many 
 sided, and can adapt herself to almost any circumstance. 
 She is at home wdth the cultured, the wealthy, the 
 learned, and can, if occasion requires, mingle with the 
 lowly and destitute, and even the criminal without at all 
 losing her self-respect or self-possession. Her husband, 
 Isaac Boswell, has been sleeping many years in Forest 
 Cemetery. I remember well when they came to Oska- 
 loosa, a young and handsome couple, full of life and hope 
 and honest purpose. They lived and w^orked together in 
 harmony. Aunt Sade has endured her lonely widow^hood 
 with patience, courage and Christian resignation. She 
 is away past three score and ten, and is just waiting for 
 the Lord to take her where we think she will find treas- 
 ure upon treasure. 
 
 In the Fall of 1843 Mr. A. G. Phillips, of Morgan 
 County, Illinois; having heard much of the beauty and 
 natural advantages of the New Purchase, decided to come 
 and see for himself if the glowing stories he had heard 
 were true. When he came he found an old acquaintance 
 in the person of Felix Gessford the possessor of a very 
 fine claim, which he proposed to sell, and Mr. Phillips 
 
164 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 bought it. That claim embraced a half section, which 
 was the amount of land one man was allowed to hold as a 
 claim. By some means he procured eighty acres more 
 adjoining which he held for his oldest son until the son 
 would be of age, which would be on February 18th, 1844, 
 Mr. Phillips' claim embraced much of what is thought to 
 be the most beautiful part of Oskaloosa— the southeast- 
 ern, eastern and northeastern portion; it also included 
 what is now Forest Cemetery. In the early Spring of 
 '44 Mr. Phillips and wife, with their family of four sons 
 and three daughters, came in wagons to Iowa Territory, 
 arriving at the place called The Narrows, on April 22nd. 
 There was just one house then on the spot where Oska- 
 loosa now stands. One of their w^agons was drawn by 
 four yoke of oxen, the other by two horses. The horse 
 wagon carried the tent, bed, cooking utensils, and in which 
 the family rode when they desired to do so. They drove 
 some loose cattle through, and had some extra horses on 
 which the children rode when they chose to. The ox 
 wagon, which would hold almost as much as a railroad 
 car, contained their household furniture, farming imple- 
 ments, and as they supposed, enough provisions to last 
 the family until they could raise a crop. Mr. Phillips 
 had lain in a large supply of breadstuff, bacon and dried 
 apples, bushels of corn meal and six barrels of flour, all 
 six barrels being intact when they ended their journey 
 and called out "whoa" to that long string of oxen, on the 
 spot where Oskaloosa's park, or public square, now is. 
 
 There were a number of families living within two or 
 three miles in different directions, who it seems had all 
 heard that the Phillipses were coming, and had bread, or 
 
REMINISCENCES. 165 
 
 the material to make bread. Those families had come 
 the year before and many of them were out of bread. The 
 Phillips boys had hardly g"otten their oxen mihitched and 
 turned out to graze when their father called them to come 
 and unload a barrel of Hour and knock in the head, for 
 people were standing" around waiting" for Hour, or meal, 
 or something" to make bread of, with pans, buckets and 
 pillow cases. When they had deposited the barrel on the 
 fresh, clean grass, Watson, one of the sons, took an axe, 
 broke in the head, imd laid that white, temipting mass 
 open to their view. One tall, slim fellow from "Hoosier 
 Bend," exclaimed: 'STeemeses River! that makes my mouth 
 water. I haint tasted a biscuit for six months!'' 
 
 Mr. Phillips, as he stood by enjoying the scene and 
 the remarks made by one and another, said: "Now, Wat, 
 g"et something to dip this out with, and gentlemen, come 
 on and be helped." Wat went to the wagon and got a 
 half-gallon tin cup and commenced dipping into that flour 
 and pouring into their various receptacles. They kept 
 on coming and Wat kept on dipping until that barrel was 
 empty. Mr. Phillips asked no question in regard to name 
 or location, but permitted each man to take as much as 
 he wanted. Nobody counted the tinfuls nor said any- 
 thing about weighing, but just put flour into their pans, 
 buckets and sacks until they said enough. I have heard 
 the Phillipses say that they believe every ounce of that 
 flour was returned, though some of it was a long time 
 coming. A year and a half after that flour episode a 
 man came one day to the Phillips home, bringing about 
 a gallon of flour in a pillow case. They had no recollec- 
 tion of the man, l)ut he informed them that he was one of 
 
166 MAHxVSKA COUNTY 
 
 the persons who had borrowed flour of them on the day 
 of their arrival, and this was the first opportunity they 
 had had of returning it, and he was much oblig^ed to 
 them. The Phillipses lived in their tent and wagons a 
 few days, while the boys repaired to the timber down on 
 Spring Creek and cut and hewed a set of house-logs. 
 
 When it was known that they were ready to raise 
 their house nearly all the men in the country volunteered 
 to help them, and stood by them until the house was 
 ready to live in. Their first floor was of bark peeled oft' 
 of big elm trees in great big strips and laid flat on the 
 ground with the rough side up. That was rather a poor 
 floor, but was better than the bare ground. The Phil- 
 lipses brought a large cooking-stove with them, which 
 was placed in that cabin. The pipe was not very safely 
 fixed in the clapboard roof, and one day the stovepipe 
 became overheated and set the roof on fire, which threat- 
 ened to render the family roofiess, but they were fortu- 
 nate enough to extinguish the fire before any great dam- 
 age was done. I have heard it said that was the first 
 cooking-stove brought to Oskaloosa. 
 
 There was no Oskaloosa then, but the town was loca- 
 ted soon after the Phillips family came, which was a 
 source of great rejoicing, not only to that famil}^ but to 
 everybody who owned claims round about The Narrows. 
 When Mr. James Seevers heard that the commissioners 
 had selected this spot he threw up his hat and exclaimed: 
 "Proud Mahaska!" and that is the way Proud Mahaska 
 originated. Mr. Seevers was a quiet, undemonstrative 
 man, but that was an occasion on which he felt called 
 upon to do something a little out of the usual way. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 167 
 
 Mr. Phillips first built his house in one of those 
 groves, the one I went into ecstacies over on that Sunday 
 morning' when Mr. Martin was piloting me over that new 
 road to Oskaloosa. Early in the Fall after the town 
 was located and a road was laid out leading east from the 
 town, called the Fairfield road, and running through Mr. 
 Phillips' land, he moved his house nearer town and on 
 that road. His land did not quite touch the original 
 town quarter, but was not far from it. The place where 
 he placed his house was what is now the intersection of 
 Sixth Street and Second Avenue. He added another log 
 house to it with a covered entry between; the family 
 were then the proud possessors of a double log house. I 
 can't think of another family in all this region who had 
 two rooms at that time, except the McMurrays. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Phillips and some of the other families 
 around felt that their children ought to be having the 
 advantages of a school. So the Phillipses permitted the 
 east room of that house to be used for that purpose, and 
 in the winter of '44 and '45 a gentleman by the name of 
 Caldwell taught in that room the very first school ever 
 taught on the ground where the town of Oskaloosa now 
 stands. In the Summer of 1845 James Johnson, a brother 
 of Allen Johnson, the minister, taught a school in an un- 
 finished frame house belonging to Levi Smith. That 
 house was located on Lot 2, Block 28, o. p., or more defi- 
 nitely speaking, on the lot where Howard's grocery and 
 the Blue Front are. In 1845 I taught a school in the 
 same house I taught the first school in. I began on the 
 first Monday in April and taught three months on the 
 same terms I tausrht the first. Several families had 
 
168 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 moved in that Spring' and my school was increased in 
 numbers. 
 
 In the Winter of '44 and '45 the government survey- 
 ors used that school-liouse for a camp. I don't think 
 they asked anybody's permission, but just took posses- 
 sion. I don't know how they managed to sleep in that 
 cold place, but they did sleep there and cook by that sod 
 fireplace. When I went back to teach in the Spring there 
 were many evidences of the house having been inhabited. 
 There were streaks of tallow on the walls, the drippings 
 from candles which had been fastened there with jack- 
 knife or forked stick. Evidently they had used my 
 writing-desk for a kitchen table, for those puncheons 
 once so clean and white I found all covered* with spots of 
 grease. Their ruthlessness, or the wintry blasts, had 
 played havoc with my oiled paper windows. Not a pane 
 was left intact. Only a few liuttering strips of greasy 
 paper were left clinging to that ingeniously-constructed 
 window sash. 
 
 On my visits to Oskaloosa I had become acquainted 
 with nearly all the first settlers in the town and all around. 
 It wasn't much trouble to get acquainted then. Folks 
 didn't stand on ceremony, but were glad to get acquainted 
 any way they could. I don't mean to convey the idea 
 that there was no discriminating between respectability 
 and disregard for the decencies of life, but no one was 
 shunned on account of poverty or for having little book 
 learning. The greater number of the first settlers were 
 poor and became poorer as regards food and raiment be- 
 fore they began to reap the fruits of their early struggles. 
 The most of them were fairly well educated for that day, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 169 
 
 but occasionally could be found men and women of real 
 worth who could neither read nor write. 
 
 There were no beggars here in early days. People 
 would borrow of their neighbors and return the things 
 borrowed, but to beg was a thing too degrading to be 
 thought of. To offer a family food or clothing as a gift 
 because they were thought to be too poor to provide for 
 themselves would have been considered an offense. They 
 were too high-spirited to be counted objects of benevo- 
 lence. They would rather have worn patches and lived 
 on corn bread and turnips. When Oskaloosa had four or 
 five hundred inhabitants and two taverns, the landlady 
 of one was talking to another lady about the great waste 
 of food in her house. She said, "In my pantry is nearly a 
 barrel of bread, not mouldy, only dry; we can't use it 
 and it seems too good to feed to pigs." The other lady 
 said, "Can't you give it to somebody?.' The landlady re- 
 plied, "I would be glad to give it away, but I don't know 
 a family in this town I would dare to offer it to." I had 
 read and heard of beggars, but I had kept house for 
 twenty-five years before there ever was a beggar came to 
 my door, with the exception of a few straggling Indians. 
 
 There were no mills in this region for a year or two 
 after the country began to be settled, and when the 
 people began to run out of bread somebody would go 
 with a big ox wagon aw^ay down toward the Mississippi 
 river and bring back a big lot of corn meal and perhaps 
 a small quantity of flour. In that way they supplied a 
 whole neighborhood, and when the supply would run low 
 again somebody else would go. By the time the second 
 crop of corn was raised there were two mills on Skunk 
 
170 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 river, each about four miles from Oskaloosa. One was 
 built by a man by the name of Duncan and the other by a 
 man named Comstock. Mr. Comstock's son, Captain 
 Comstock, lives now near the place where that mill was 
 built. A few years ago Captain Comstock laid out and 
 improved a beautiful park along the river, and called it 
 "Riverside Park." He made circuitous drives, had boats 
 on the river, built a boat-house and pavilions, and did 
 many other things for the accommodation and pleasure 
 of his patrons. 
 
 The Mr. Bonham whom I have mentioned as the man 
 who delivered that memorable funeral oration was a son- 
 in-law of John Cameron, who was a prominent minister 
 in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Mr. Cameron 
 and his numerous family came to Oskaloosa in 1845. He 
 had ten daughters and one son. That son, Thomas Cam- 
 eron, was one of the proprietors of the firm of Smith & 
 Cameron, who established one of the first stores; some 
 say the first. Others have told me that the Jones Broth- 
 ers were the first. I know that on my first visit to Oska- 
 loosa both of these mercantile houses were among the 
 fifteen cabins which I counted. Mrs. Cameron's daugh- 
 ters were nearly all married. The whole set, sons-in-law 
 and all, came to Oskaloosa in the course of a year or two 
 after the first settlement. Mrs. Purvine, wife of the 
 first tavern keeper, was Mrs. Cameron's daughter. The 
 whole Cameron family without a single exception, sons- 
 in-law and daughter-in-law, were members of the same 
 church. Mr. Berry, one of the sons-in-law, built the 
 front part of the house where Dr. Wiley lived; which was 
 one of the first, if not the first, brick house built in Oska- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 171 
 
 loosa. They all came here with the purpose of locating- 
 permanently, but in 1848 gold was discovered in Cali- 
 fornia. In that gold excitement, with others, the whole 
 Cameron family except one daughter, Mrs. Lister, sold 
 out and in 1849 went across the plains to California. 
 
 The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was strong for 
 so new a county. They had the only church building' in 
 Oskaloosa, and when the Cameron family all went off at 
 once it came near breaking up the society. That church 
 was located on Lots 5 and 6, Block 36, O. P. Patterson 
 Martin and his brother, Silas, furnished the timber, hewed 
 the sills, and hauled and placed them on the ground for 
 that church. I remember seeing them in the summer of 
 1846 hauling those long sills from what was called "Skunk 
 river timber." Dr. Hugg owns that house now and has 
 converted it into a pretty and comfortable dwelling". The 
 members of that church were ambitious enough to want 
 a bell, and a bell was procured in Keokuk and hauled 
 from there in a two-horse wagon, and it was so arranged 
 on a frame that it rang all the way from Keokuk to Oska- 
 loosa. We heard the bell ringing as it came up the lane 
 just east of town. We all went out to the fence to see 
 what it meant, and I well remember the look of pride on 
 that driver's face as he passed the gazing group. 
 
 One of the prominent families among the first inhab- 
 itants was the Jones family. Mrs. Jones, an elderly 
 lady, was a widow with an unmarried son and a daughter. 
 John W. Jones was a handsome young man; tall and 
 straight, with dark hair and eyes. His eyes always had 
 a twinkle, for he was brim-full of mischief and humor 
 and always had a joke ready. The Joneses were all tall 
 
172 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 and straight and handsome, with dark hair and eyes and 
 fine complexions. George W. Jones was married before 
 he came and his wife was a handsome woman. These 
 brothers were together in business and were successful 
 merchants in Oskaloosa for many years. John W. was 
 elected state treasurer during the war of the rebellion. 
 For many years the homes of these brothers were in Des 
 Moines, where both died a few years ago. Mrs. Jones, 
 their mother, died in Oskaloosa in the Autumn of 1845. 
 Sarah, the daughter, was a young girl when they came 
 here. She was as fair as a lily, and as witty and pos- 
 sessed of as much genuine, solid humor as her brother 
 John. She married Mr. Samuel McWilliams. Mrs. Mc- 
 Williams has been a widow many years, but is blessed 
 with three charming daughters and a son, Gus McWil- 
 liams, a talented young business man, who recently re- 
 signed a lucrative position in an honorable and responsible 
 business to enlist in one of Uncle Sam's fighting squad- 
 rons. Mrs. McWilliams has reason to be proud of her 
 daughters, who were all wise enough to choose fine bus- 
 iness men for husbands. Two of them are engaged in 
 raising citrons and other fruits near Tampa, Florida. 
 Mrs. McWilliams' eldest daughter, Ellen, was one of the 
 bright girls of Oskaloosa College in its palmiest days. 
 Her school days were hardly over when she was married 
 to Mr. Chamberlain, who was not only possessed of 
 wealth as regards this world's goods, but is endowed 
 with honor and every other quality which goes to make a 
 manly man. They are a broad minded pair and have 
 traveled much. Mrs. Chamberlain, as I said before, was 
 a brisrht irirl in school; but when she laid aside her school 
 
REMINISCENCES. 173 
 
 books and united her life and future prospects with that 
 excellent man, Mr. Chamberlain, mental culture with her 
 had only fairly beg-un. She has gone on from one degree 
 of development to another until we find 'her at what is 
 termed "middle age'' a spicy writer, and a brilliant 
 talker before audiences of brilliant men and women. Mrs. 
 Mc Williams, though well advanced in years, is a stately 
 looking woman, and can relate more incidents of the 
 early days than anybody I know; especially if there was 
 a ludicrous side to the event she relates it in an amusing- 
 style. 
 
 There were a great many families came and settled 
 in Oskaloosa in 1845. The Hetheringtons; Dr. Owen, 
 who was a practicing physican here for forty years; Geo. 
 Baer and family, whose son John Baer is a citizen of 
 Oskaloosa to-day. George Baer was a tailor by trade, 
 and built ■ and occupied a small frame shop on the west 
 side of the square. That shop w^as burned in the first 
 fire which ever occurred in the town. The Roops also 
 came in '45. Benjamin Roop and wife came here with a 
 family of five daughters and one son. David Roop was 
 the son. Mary, the eldest daughter, married R. R. Har- 
 bour, a mechanic, a bricklayer by occupation. It w^as 
 soon discovered that Mr. Harbour was a young man of 
 more than ordinary mental ability. He was elected to 
 the State Senate soon after Iowa became a State. One 
 of Mr. Harbour's sons, whom we all called "Jetf" when 
 a boy, is now on the editorial staff of the "Youth's Com- 
 panion" and resides in Boston. Another son of the Har- 
 bours is a member of the Senate in Utah. The Harbour 
 children are all bright. 
 
174 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Benjamin Roop and family came from Ohio, and it 
 is said they only had a few dollars when they landed in 
 Oskaloosa. Mr. Roop was an energetic and shrewd bus- 
 iness man, and in a very few years had erected ^nd was 
 running- a large distillery and flouring mill. The distillery 
 has Jong since gone into oblivion, but the flouring mill 
 stands there yet grinding wheat for the multitude, and 
 is now known as "Siebel's Mill." Mr. Roop in the late 
 forties built what was thought then to be a fine two-story 
 and basement frame dwelling on North A street. That 
 house is now owned and occupied by a family by the 
 name of Avey. Mr. Roop flourished and grew rich so 
 fast that in two or three years after he built near his mill 
 a very large and commodious brick dwelling house. That 
 house was built in the early fifties, and was at that time 
 supposed to be one of the finest private residences in 
 Iowa. It has changed owners many times, and has been 
 occupied by many different parties as a hotel. Mr. 
 Roop's daughters were every one practical, sensible, 
 splendid women. 
 
 In 1845 Orson Kinsman built a two-story frame on 
 the southwest corner of the square (Lot 8, Block 20) for 
 a tavern, and called it "The Oskaloosa House." Mr. 
 Kinsman kept that house about a year and then sold it in 
 the Spring of '46 to Wm. Dart, from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. 
 Mr. Dart kept a drug store in one room of that hotel, 
 which was the first drug store in Oskaloosa. Before that 
 the doctors kept a stock of medicine by them. Mr. Dart 
 sold that hostelry in a year or so to Mr. John N. Kins- 
 man, a brother to Orson. Property changed hands fre- 
 quently in those days. If anybody wanted to sell there 
 
REMINISCENCES 175 
 
 was no troul)le in finding" a pnrcliaser. John N. Kins- 
 man's fnll name was John Newton Kinsman, and he was 
 one of the commissioners that located tlie town of New- 
 ton, county seat of Jasper County, and Newton was 
 named after Mr. Kinsman. Mr. and Mrs. John N. Kins- 
 man were excellent peo])le, honored and beloved by all 
 wdio knew them; they sleep side by side in White Oak 
 cemetery. 
 
 Mr. A. S. Nichols came in 1844 and built a dwelling" 
 house and blacksmith shop on West Hig-h avenue. He 
 worked at his trade in the early days and made money. 
 Mrs. Nichols' sister, Mrs. Shepherd, a handsome young" 
 widow, came to Oskaloosa in the early times. She and 
 her two little boys had a home with the Nicholses. Mrs. 
 Shepherd married Dr. Porter, and they both died many 
 years ag^o. One of Mrs. Shepherd's sons. Will Shepherd, 
 has long" been a resident of San Buena Ventura, Cali- 
 fornia. He is a lawyer and was once in partnership with 
 Hon. John F. Lacey, and has several times been in the 
 newspaper business. Mrs. Shepherd, who w^as Miss 
 Theodocia Hall, daug'hter of Judg^e Hall, a prominent man 
 in Iowa years ago, but who has long" since passed aw^ay. 
 Mrs. Shepherd is a niece of Mrs. Judge Seevers, and is 
 a florist of national reputation; notices of her work, her 
 bulbs and flowers, are frequently to be seen in the news- 
 papers. Time brings about strange revolutions in fami- 
 lies and communities as well as nations. The Roops who 
 did so much in the early days to build up Oskaloosa are 
 scattered here and there, and not one of the original 
 family are citizens of Oskaloosa to-day. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Roop and some of their children sleep their last sleep. 
 
176 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 In the early summer of 1845, when I had finished my 
 second term of school in that much mentioned first school- 
 house and collected a few dollars, I made a visit to Oska- 
 loosa; my main object being" to invest these few dollars 
 in dry goods for my own personal use and adornment. A 
 good plain road had been cleared out by that time and 
 the distance shortened, so that it was a small matter to 
 walk to town, which I did with ease. I was then staying" 
 with my cousins, Dr. Hobbs and wife. Their home w^as 
 on what is known as the "Wing farm" now, and a part of 
 the Carbonado coal lands. When I started on that trip 
 to town it was a perfect summer morning. The birds 
 were singing as I tripped through the woods and crossed 
 that little babbling brook called Spring Creek. When I 
 had climbed the hill, there I was, with Oskaloosa spread 
 out in full view. Oskaloosa had spread out and looked 
 like a pretty big town. The Smiths, the Camerons, the 
 Weatherfords, the Joneses, the Purvines, and others had 
 treated me with great kindness and had invited me time 
 and again to visit them. About the first person I met on 
 
REMINISCENCES. 177 
 
 reaching" the square was Dr. Weatherford, who gave me 
 such a cordial invitation that I went liome with him. 
 Mrs. Weatherford was a lovely lady, full of genuine hos- 
 pitality. They had just moved into their new frame 
 house on the west side of the square. The house had 
 three rooms and was on the ground where the Golden 
 Eagle clothing store now is. After dinner I visited A. 
 J. Davis' store, bought two calico dresses and a pair of 
 picnic mits. Then I visited Mr. James Johnson's 
 school, wdiich was kept in an unfinished dwelling-house 
 on the south side of the public square. Mr. Johnson's 
 school was composed of about twenty scholars. x\t that 
 school I met Rachel Phillips, a young girl about thirteen, 
 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Phillips. I had become 
 a little acquainted with Rachel and her older sister, Mar- 
 tha, on my previous visits to Oskaloosa. Rachel asked 
 me how long I was going to be in town. I told her I 
 was going home the next morning, and she exacted of me 
 a promise to call at their house, as my road led by it. 
 I had met so many pleasant people and had such a pleas- 
 ant time, that when I started out the next morning I had 
 forgotten my promise to Rachel until I was just by the 
 house. When it came to my mind I turned about and 
 started toward the house, where I met Mr. Phillips just 
 coming out. He met me in the most friendly manner, 
 shook hands, led me in and introduced me to his wife, 
 who was friendly like the rest. Martha and Rachel, 
 their father and mother all joined in an urgent invitation 
 to stay and take dinner with them and not go home until 
 late in the afternoon. Martha and Rachel, before I had 
 entirely decided to stay, commenced relieving me of my 
 
 12 
 
178 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 wraps and bundles, and as a further inducement told me 
 that Mary Mosier was coming to spend the afternoon and 
 help them quilt, and we would have a splendid time. 
 The quilt was hanging- in the frames, and I thought I 
 was a good quilter, and liked to quilt, so I stayed. The 
 Phillipses were originally from Kentucky, and had lived 
 in a neighborhood of Kentuckians in Illinois. They were 
 possessed of the typical Kentucky hospitality. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Phillips were not old people, though they had 
 grown-up children. They both were between forty and 
 fifty. 
 
 Musical instruments such as are seen in almost every 
 house now were unknown to the "New Purchase" folks 
 then, but people could sing without instruments. Mr. 
 Phillips was one of the old-time singing teachers. He 
 was a good singer and all his family could sing. At the 
 time I am speaking of he was leader of a society of 
 young people who met every Friday evening at -the 
 court house to practice singing, and that was the young 
 people's chief means of entertainment. I hadn't been 
 there long that day when Mr. Phillips broughts out a pile 
 of music books and proposed that we have some singing. 
 He told one of the girls to go and tell her brothers to 
 come in. Those brothers were young men. The elder, 
 Thomas Gorrell, was called ''Gorrell," and the other, 
 John Watson, was never called anything but "Wat" in 
 the family. I had seen those young men at church but 
 had not become acquainted with them more than just to 
 speak. Gorrell was the young man whose voice had at- 
 tracted my attention at the McMurray meeting the year 
 before. Those young men were engaged in walling a 
 
REMINISCENCES. 179 
 
 well with rock a little way from the house. Rachel came 
 back and reported that the boys demurred; said their 
 clothes were all covered with mud, and they were not in 
 a suitable plight to meet a strang-e young lady. Their 
 father said, "Tell them to come along and never mind the 
 mud.'' I thought it my time to say something, so I said: 
 "Rachel, tell your brothers not to mind me; I don't ex- 
 pect men to be dressed in their Sunday clothes when they 
 are walling wells." They came in then and we all sang. 
 The young men seemed a little ill at ease on account of 
 their muddy clothes, and after we had sung a few pieces 
 they hitched up a team and went to Skunk river for 
 more rock. 
 
 After dinner Mary Mosier came and we four girls 
 gathered around that quilt; we laughed and talked and 
 quilted. Mary Mosier was rather a bright girl, and the 
 daughter of a widow who owned and lived on a claim just 
 south of town. Their house was on the hill just south- 
 east of "South Spring Mill." There was no mill there 
 then, but the big spring was there. Mary Mosier mar- 
 ried M. T. Peters, a young lawyer located in Oskaloosa. 
 Mr. Peters was an industrious and smart young attorney, 
 and was making a good start in his profession; but when 
 gold was discovered in California he was siezed with the 
 gold fever, packed up, and with his wife and baby crossed 
 the plains to California. 
 
 The day which I have been telling about and its 
 seeming trivial occurrences which I have related, lead to 
 things of much more importance to me and many others 
 than I ever dreamed of when I called at the Phillips 
 home that summer morning. After we had talked a 
 
J 80 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 while, and sang" a while, and the boys had gone to Skunk 
 river for stone, Mr. Phillips asked me if I would like to 
 teach a school in Oskaloosa. I replied, "If I could get a 
 school and a place to teach, I would be glad to do so," 
 He said, "There will be no trouble about that. 1 know 
 of a house which is unoccupied, the Methodist parsonage: 
 I will furnish live pupils, which will be a good beginning, 
 and there are several families who will patronize your 
 school. If you say you will teach, T will get the house 
 and the scholars." I had never had things in that line 
 made quite so easy. Before I left that afternoon things 
 were all arranged. I was to come to their house the 
 next Friday, have my article ready, go to the singing at 
 the court house with the family, stay all nig'ht, and Sat- 
 urday all the arrangements for my school w^ould be made. 
 I told Mr. Phillips I felt under obligations to him and 
 was thankful for his kindness, when he replied: "I don't 
 want you to think I am doing- this disinterestedly. I feel 
 that you will be doing me as great a favor in teaching my 
 children as I am doing you in assisting you to get 
 the school." When I mentioned a boarding-place, 
 they all said I should board there: that their family was 
 j)retty large, but one more wouldn't make much differ- 
 ence. When I started home late in the afternoon the 
 girls went with me nearly a mile. We sat down on the 
 grass and talked a while, and in that talk it was ag-reed 
 that when I came up on Friday, Martha and I would 
 spend the afternoon with Mary Mosier and go from there 
 to the singing society in the court house. 
 
 I went on home with my mind full of the day's 
 events. I was charmed with the Phillips family; their 
 
REMINISCENCES. 181 
 
 g^enuine whole-souled sociability and hospitality just 
 suited me. I saw so little of the youn<;" men that day 
 that I didn't think much about them. But the father, 
 mother, and daufj^hters! In fact, when I went that morn- 
 ing" the young" men in the family never entered my mind: 
 I only thought of the girls. When I told the doctor and 
 his wife of my adventure, they were pleased and con- 
 gratulated me. The next day I v/ent over to my uncle's 
 and told them all about it and they were jileased, too. 
 
 I wrote my article of agreement, placing' my price 
 at two dollars per scholar, as Mr. Phillips had advised 
 me to do, made one of my calico dresses, and when the 
 next Friday morning" came, donned that new calico dress 
 and hied me away to Oskaloosa where I found the Phil- 
 lips family expecting" me and ready to greet me with a 
 cordial welcome. Mr. Phillips took my article, went out 
 in town and in an hour or two came back with nine schol- 
 ars subscribed besides his own. John White, Stephen 
 Gessford, Henry Blackburn, D. S. Canfieid and Leper 
 Smith had signed the article. Then I took it and went 
 to Esquire Edmundson and Dr. Weatherford, who both 
 became my patrons, and I had the promise in ''black and 
 white" of seventeen scholars. Some others declined to 
 sign the article, but said they would send their children 
 to school and I could keep an account of the time. I 
 don't know how that Methodist parsonage came to be 
 vacated, but it was and I taught that school in it free of 
 rent. I suppose it was considered common property. It 
 was a good deal better than the first school-house; it had 
 one glass window, a very good door, and a fireplace lined 
 with stone and a stone hearth. Mr. Phillips had some 
 
182 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 benches put in and a slanting shelf for a writing-desk 
 placed along the side of the window ways. That little 
 log house was about fifteen feet square, the logs were 
 hewed and the puncheon floor was quite nicely fitted 
 down. The Methodist tolks had taken pains to make 
 their minister's home as nice as any cabin in the country. 
 There was a well near the door, too, which everybody 
 didn't have then. That building was located on the 
 northeast corner of the intersection of A Avenue and 
 Third Street. Dr. Beaudry's elegant home is located on 
 the spot where that cabin stood. 
 
 The families who lived nearest the school were the 
 Hetheringtons. who lived in a log house at the intersec- 
 tion of A Avenue and Third Street, and the Edmundson 
 family who lived on the lot where the Catholic Church is 
 located, Lots 7 and 8, Block 18, o. p., Oskaloosa. The 
 Edmundsons lived in a cabin with wide fireplace, lined 
 with stone. The chimney from the fireplace up was 
 made of mud and sticks. I was taken into the Phillips 
 family to board, and everything being satisfactorily ar- 
 ranged I began my school on Monday, September 8th, 
 1845. There were five of the Phillips children in my 
 school. There were Martha, Rachel, Sam, Joan and 
 James, usually called "Jim." Everybody knows where 
 the John White place is. Well, Edmond and Mary White 
 were there promptly every morning, coming diagonally 
 across hills and hollows about a mile. Edmond died at 
 twenty-five, and Mary wiis thirteen when she died. Two 
 of the Canfield children, Ellen and Oscar, Henry Black- 
 burn's two little girls, Hettie and Cassie, Leper Smith's 
 daughter Euphemia, three of the Gessford children. Dr. 
 
REMINISCENCES 183 
 
 Weatherford's daug-hter Mary and son Willie, some of 
 the Hethering-ton children and the Camerons dropped in 
 occasionally, but the little Edmundson boys, Jimmie and 
 Willie, were there every day. Their father, William Ed- 
 mundson, Esquire Edmundson as he was called, was one 
 of the best known and most respected of Mahaska's first 
 settlers. He was appointed justice of the peace in the 
 beginning- of thing's here, and was elected Mahaska's first 
 sheriff. I heard Mr. Edmundson spoken of often before 
 I ever saw him, and everybody seemed to have a word of 
 praise for him who mentioned his name. 
 
 While I was teaching that school I became quite well 
 acquainted with the whole family. It consisted of Mat- 
 thew and William Edmundson, who were both widowers: 
 their mother, Mrs. Edmundson, who was a very ag-ed lady, 
 or at least we young- folks thoug"ht her quite ag'ed. We 
 thought everybody old if they were past fift}^ Most 
 people called her "Grandmother Edmundson" wlien 
 speaking- of her, and when addressing her called lier 
 "grandmother." I don't think I assumed that liberty, 
 but when I had occasion to address her I let "Mrs. Ed- 
 mundson'' suffice. Then there were Mrs. Edmundson's 
 unmarried daughter, Margaret; Matthew's daughter, 
 Mary, a girl some twelve or thirteen years old; and Wil- 
 liam's two little boys, Jimmie and Willie. The Edmund- 
 son home being- on my road to school and also on my way 
 to town, I often called in and had many a pleasant and 
 profitable visit with Mrs. Edmundson and her daughter. 
 Mrs. Edmundson was one of the brig-htest and most in- 
 teresting old ladies I ever met. She had had a wonder- 
 ful and varied experience which she would relate in an 
 
184 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 entertaining" manner. She was born in Greenbriar 
 County, Virginia, in 1768. She went to Kentucky when 
 a girl and rode all the way on horseback. I have heard 
 her tell of the hardships they endured in the first settling- 
 of Kentucky, where they were weeks without bread, and 
 lived in a state of terror for fear of being" devoured by 
 wild beasts or massacred by the Indians. Mrs. Edmund- 
 son was well on toward eighty when I first became ac- 
 quainted with her, but showed no sign of imbecility. She 
 had fed her mind and taken an interest in youngs people 
 and the things which were happening in the world, and 
 by so doing had retained her mental faculties. I used to 
 tell her that her grandsons were among" the nicest be- 
 haved bo3^s I ever saw, and that I never had occasion to 
 reprove them in school. She would reply, "Well, they 
 ought to be good boys, for they had as nice a mother as 
 boys ever had, but they were so young" Vv^hen she died that 
 they will not rember much about her." 
 
 The mother of these little boys was a Miss Depew, 
 sister of Wesley Depew, who in the early days was a cit- 
 izen of Oskaloosa. Another Depew, brother to Wesley 
 and Mrs. Edmundson, married a sister of Micajah Wil- 
 liams. He made a claim immediately north of the orig-- 
 inal "town quarter." That Mr. Depew died in the early 
 days and never improved any part of his land. It was 
 owned by his heirs a great many years, and went by the 
 name of the "Depew^ eig"hty." The children, Jimmie 
 and W^illie, must have been very young when their mother 
 died, for she died before their father came to Mahaska 
 County in 1843. 
 
 William Edmundson was rather tall, slender, and 
 
RExMINISCENCES. 185 
 
 straight. His complexion was neither li<rht nor dark; his 
 manners were g'entle, never loud nor boisterous, digni- 
 fied yet easily approached; he was well informed, an in- 
 teresting- talker but a good listener, and was witty without 
 being sarcastic. When another was talking, he didn't 
 interrupt him or her in the middle of a sentence, but po- 
 litely waited until they were through. He was generous 
 and obliging, and was the owner of the only buggy in 
 Oskaloosa at the tirrie of which I am writing. He would 
 lend it to the young fellows to take their girls driving, 
 and when Micajah T. Williams and Virginia Seevers were 
 married they made their bridal trip to Mt. Pleasant in 
 that buggy. 
 
 Mr. Edmundson was a Kentuckian, with the charac- 
 teristics attributed to the gentlemen of the ''Blue grass 
 region.'' He was polite and courteous to laidies, but 
 paid no special attention to any; yet he was ready to 
 render any little kindness to his young men friends who 
 did. I have heard it said that he was the possessor of 
 the only respectable overcoat in the town in the winter 
 of '44 and '45, and would lend it around among his less 
 fortunate young friends. The young men of the town 
 were in the liabit of congregating in A. J. Davis' store 
 on winter evenings, and when Mr. Edmundson would 
 come in from his official trips around and through the 
 country he was sure to find some young fellow there who 
 wanted to go to see his girl, waiting for that overcoat. 
 He became so accustomed to supplying that particular 
 want that immediately upon entering that resort he, 
 without an}^ ceremon}^, would smilingly doff' that useful 
 article of wearing apparel and hand it over to the one 
 
186 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 whose turn it seemed to be to wear it. Frank Reeves, 
 a handsome, brig-ht and witty boy, some eighteen or nine- 
 teen years old, was a clerk in Mr. Davis' store. Frank 
 was a g^eneral favorite and was permitted to say about 
 what he pleased. When one of those young- fellows on a 
 winter evening would walk into the store and look about 
 and seem to be restless, Frank was ^pt to remark: "Be 
 patient, Mr. , I think the Squire will be in soon. I 
 
 am expecting' him every minute." 
 
 The Edmundson family stands out conspicuously 
 among- my recollections of the days when Oskaloosa was 
 an infant. Matthew was quiet in his ways, but was an 
 intellig"ent Christian g^entleman. His daughter Mary 
 married Mr. Frank Alumbaugh, who it was said could 
 repeat volumes of poetry from memory, and was a poet 
 himself. I once went to hear John G. Saxe read some of 
 his own productions. Mr. Alumbaugh was in the audi- 
 ence, and after Mr. Saxe had finished his proposed read- 
 ings Mr. Alumbaugh requested him to recite his "Proud 
 Miss McBride." Mr. Saxe remarked: "To please the 
 gentleman I will try it, though it has been so long since 
 I thought of that particular effort I am not sure that I 
 can repeat the lines correctly, but feeling confident that 
 I understand the author's meaning, I will make the 
 effort." He did make the eft'ort, but after reciting a 
 verse or two he halted; he had forgotten his lines. Mr. 
 Alumbaugh came to the rescue and kindly prompted him. 
 Then without another failure he finished "Proud Miss 
 McBride." 
 
 Mrs. Edmundson, mother of Matthew and William, 
 died in her ninety-fifth year. She was not only an inter- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 187 
 
 estiiig" talker, but was endowed with great good sense. 
 She was a devout member of the Christian Church. I 
 presume she had much to do with shaping the characters 
 of her grandsons, James and William, who have done 
 honor to their ancestors. James is and has for many 
 years been one of Council Bluffs' most prominent and 
 successful citizens; he is a man of jjleasing manners, line 
 taste and highly cultivated mind. He and his charming 
 wife are enjoying the historic scenes and wonders on the 
 other side of the Atlantic, and at the present writing 
 (June 29, 1898), are somewhere in Europe, Asia or Africa. 
 I received a paper from him the otlier day printed in 
 Rome. William chose the science of medicine as a pro- 
 fession, and I understand that he is a successful practi- 
 tioner in Denver, Colorado. I never think or hear of 
 their success without a feeling of pride. I don't take to 
 myself the credit of having done much toward shaping 
 the characters of these Edmundson brothers, but when 
 anybody speaks of them in my presence I am pretty apt 
 to mention their once having gone to school to me. 
 James and William are all that are left of that interesting 
 family. When I drive about the winding ways of Forest 
 Cemetery, the spot so sacred and so dear to many of us, 
 I see on its eastern slope, neath the shade of native oaks 
 and elms, a massive gray stone, beautifully carved. On 
 every side are beautifully-polished panels, whereon are 
 engraved letters and Hgures telling the passers-by the 
 names, the dates of birth, and the dates of death of var- 
 ious members of the Edmundson familv. 
 
188 MAHASKA COUNTY. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Majors family came in 1844 from Morgan County, 
 Ills., near the place where the Phillipses came from, and 
 made a large claim in the extreme west part of Mahaska 
 County. Mr. Majors died soon after they came, leaving 
 a widow and a large family of children. Their two sons, 
 Jacob and John P., were men. Their widowed daughter, 
 Mrs. Louisa Majors Lyons, came with them. There was 
 another daughter, Nancy, a young lady. There were two 
 sons and two daughters not grown. 
 
 The Phillips family and the Majors family were 
 friends in Illinois, and after coming to the "New Pur- 
 chase" their friendly relations continued. The young 
 people sometimes visited each other, though the Majorses 
 lived some fourteen miles west of Oskaloosa. They 
 didn't have carriages and buggies then, but almost every 
 young man owned a good horse, saddle, and bridle. The 
 girls thought nothing of mounting a spirited horse and 
 cantering off fourteen or fifteen miles over the prairies. 
 After I had taught a week of that school, and it was Sat- 
 urday, Sept IHth, the Phillips young people, or Gorrell 
 
REMINISCENCES. 189 
 
 and Martha, proposed to visit the Majorses and invited 
 me to ^o with them. I was anxious enough to go, but 
 felt a little reluctance in thrusting myself on entire 
 strangers. I mentioned that fact, but they assured me 
 that any friend of theirs would be more than welcome at 
 the ^Majors home. It was soon settled, for I was very 
 glad of a chance to go; and another thing was, I had be- 
 gun to think that Gorrell Phillips was a pretty nice young 
 man. After the matter of my going had been settled, 
 Gorrell said, ''I will go and see Johnson Edgar, as he has 
 been wanting to make the acquaintance of Nancy Majors, 
 and I will invite him to go with us." Gorrell Hew off up 
 town and was back in a little bit. Johnson was more 
 than pleased and would be ready to join us when the time 
 came to go. Johnson Edgar was a nice young man, a 
 carpenter by trade; was a brother to Mrs. A. S. Nichols 
 and an uncle to Rev. Snowden — a man well known in 
 Iowa, and highly esteemed as a minister in the Congre- 
 gational Church. Mr. vSnowden looks much like his uncle, 
 Johnson Edgar. 
 
 Mr. Phillips owned several good horses. Among 
 them was a high-headed, spirited bay which they called 
 "Bill,^' which Mr. Phillips offered to me. I said, "Per- 
 haps Martha will want Bill." Bill was my choice, but I 
 didn't want to seem anxious about it. "Oh, no," said 
 Mr. Phillips, "Martha claims 'Kit' and wouldn't ride any 
 other." "Kit" was a fine sorrel mare with a heavy fore- 
 top which always seemed to be hanging over her eyes. I 
 asked Gorrell one day why he didn't trim Kit's foretop; 
 it looked like it was in the way of her seeing. "Oh, no," 
 he said, "That would spoil her looks. It always parts in 
 
190 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 the rig-ht place and don't interfere with her seeing-. "" 
 GorrelKs horse was a fiery young- chestnut sorrel named 
 "Tinker." Tinker had never had harness on, and was 
 only used as a saddle horse. He was young and wild and 
 tricky, and was hard to mount, but Gorrell was a fine 
 horseman and felt safe enough when once on his back, 
 though as soon as he struck the saddle Tinker would rear 
 and pitch and jump and look like he was going to do 
 something terrible, but never succeeded in unseating his 
 rider. When the time came for us to start on that wild 
 ride, Mr. Johnson Edgar was there on a handsome black 
 horse with more gentle manners than Tinker, but full of 
 life and ready enough to go. 
 
 About three o'clock in the afternoon we all mounted 
 our horses, the family all standing out by the fence to 
 see us off. While Tinker was getting over his tantrum, 
 Mr. Phillips came and examined our girths and surcingles 
 to be sure that all was safe, then said, ''Now, girls, when 
 you get out of town you needn't be afraid to let your 
 horses go; you can't hurt them." We didn't need en- 
 couragement to let our horses go, but I suppose Mr. 
 Phillips wanted to let us know that he didn't care how 
 fast we ran his horses. When Tinker had settled down to 
 a respectabe gait, Gorrell and I took the lead. Bill bowed 
 his neck, held his head high in the air, and assumed a 
 stately step; but with all his airs, wasn't dangerous. 
 
 Our horses were all on their mettle, but we managed 
 to keep them at a moderate gait as we rode along Main 
 Street on the south side of the public square where sev- 
 eral of (mr young men friends were sitting in front of the 
 stores. The town of Oskaloosa at that time was of such 
 
REMINISCENCES. 191 
 
 narrow limits that a thing of so much importance as that 
 equestrian excursion was very soon known by the most 
 remote inhabitant. We were not at all surprised — in 
 fact, we expected to see men, women and children out to 
 see the procession. Our spirits were so buoyant and we 
 were on such excellent terms with ourselv^es, and were 
 expecting" such a good time that we imagined everybody, 
 especially those young men in front of the stores, were 
 looking on us with eyes of envy. After leaving the town 
 we only passed two houses before reaching the Majors 
 place. One was Judge White's, about a mile out south- 
 west, on the place which has since become a coal mining 
 town called Acme, and a little cabin in a grove about five 
 miles out, a little south of west. The road wound about 
 on the high ground and was one unbroken stretch of 
 prairie all that fourteen miles. The little cabin which 
 we saw was some distance from the road and we could 
 just see its clapboard roof above the bushes. I never 
 knew who lived there. There was a plain road all the 
 way, though it had not been traveled sufficiently to wear 
 out the grass entirely. The sloughs were not washed 
 into deep gutters then, but were covered with sod; there 
 was not a field nor fence between Judge White's farm and 
 the Majors ])lace, but one unbroken stretch of undulating 
 prairie. People had their choice of ground to travel on. 
 
 There was quite a settlement about where the Majors 
 lived — not near neighbors, but in that region. On that 
 September day the weather was all that could be desired, 
 and the road was splendid all the way. Occasionally we 
 would come to a long piece of level road, then we would 
 give our horses a tap with the whip and away we would 
 
192 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 go on a full runfor perhaps a mile; then we would slow 
 up for a little while until we came to another level stretch 
 and off we would go again. With all that dashing and 
 running, no accident happened to us. We never raised 
 the sweat on our horses, nor did they seem tired when 
 we reached the Majors farm, which we did a long time 
 before night. We dashed over that fourteen miles of 
 charming prairie solitude without meeting a single human 
 being, nor even any tame animal. Once we saw two deer 
 scampering over toward the Des Moines river timber, and 
 a gray wolf jumped out of the grass a little way ahead 
 of us and v/ent loping over toward the north. Gorrell 
 said, ''If I was out here alone on_ Tinker, with a good 
 club, I would run that wolf down and kill it." I remarked 
 to him: "I think that would be something of a feat to 
 run a wolf down with a horse." "Oh!" he said, ''That 
 has been done often; I killed one that way myself. I was 
 down toward White Oak grove on Tinker one morning 
 hunting our oxen. I had an ox-whip with a long lash and 
 a short club of a handle, when a wolf jumped up just in 
 front of me and started out on the prairie on a long lope, 
 I let Tinker out and he fairly flew after that wolf. I 
 wound that whip-lash around my arm and siezed that club 
 of a handle in my hand. We soon began to gain on that 
 wolf, and when we had run about a mile we were right on 
 him. Tinker struck him with his fore-feet and the wolf 
 commenced snapping at the horse's legs. I reached 
 down and struck him a blow on the head with that club 
 which stunned him; then Tinker and I soon flnished him." 
 
 The Majorses were not expecting us, but received us 
 with all the demonstrations of hospitality and smiling 
 
REiAIINISCENCES. 193 
 
 friendliness that was possible to show visitors. Mrs. 
 Majors, with her sons and daughters, all came out to 
 meet us, and when Mr, Edg^ar and I were introduced, re- 
 ceived us like we had been their dearest friends. If I 
 had had any misgiving's about being an intruder they 
 would have been dispelled at once. The Majors famil}^ 
 were the most comfortably fixed for living of any famil}^ 
 I had yet seen in this wild, new country. There was a 
 look of comfort and restf ulness all about the place. They 
 had a great big liouse with one immense room down 
 stairs, and some kind of arrangement for sleeping above. 
 That big room had in it four beds all made up nicel}^ with 
 snowy pillows and clean patchwork quilts. The walls 
 were whitewashed as white as snow; there was no' carpet 
 on the floor, but tlie puncheons were scrubbed as clean 
 as a floor could be made. There were plenty of old- 
 fashioned splint- bottomed chairs, a shelf on the wall with 
 a looking-glass above it: a Bible and some other books 
 were on the shelf. Under the shelf was a table with a 
 clean white cloth spread on it, where was a glass pitcher 
 in which was placed an immense boquet of old-fashioned 
 flowers intermingled with sprigs of asparagus. I glanced 
 about that room and thought, "how clean and fresh and 
 comfortable everything looks." A little way from that 
 big log house was another of less pretentions which was 
 used as a kitchen and dining-room; there was the big 
 wide fireplace with crane and hooks, and when we were 
 all invited out to supper we were seated at a long table 
 with snowy cloth and a supper good enough for a king. 
 The Majors home outside and in was a scene of rustic 
 beauty. The masses of morning-glories and c\'press 
 
 13 
 
194 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 vines and flower beans climbed and wound themselves in 
 fantastic shapes about the windows and clear up to the 
 eaves. 
 
 The Majors women, like the most of farmers' wives 
 and daughters in that day, spun and wove. The old- 
 fashioned loom was a rather unsightly piece of furniture, 
 but seemed to be indispensable in a well regulated far- 
 mer's home. I had seen many a loom-house, but never 
 one quite so unique as the Majors'. Just a roof w^as 
 built out from the kitchen, and in place of the sides being 
 enclosed with lumber or any other solid kind of wall, 
 morning-glory vines were trained all around except an 
 opening for a door. Instead of an unsightly shed, that 
 loom-house was made a bower of rustic beauty. I think 
 I never saw anywhere but in the Majors garden so many 
 of the old-fashioned flowers. There hadn't been frost 
 enough to kill them, though it was near the middle of 
 September. The Majors men took as much pride and 
 pains to make that rustic home attractive as did the 
 women. The men did not neglect the more substantial 
 things pertaining to farming. Their immense fields of 
 big, tall corn, with long ears hanging, and yellow pump- 
 kins almost covering the ground, gave evidence that 
 something had been done besides raising flowers. It was 
 easy to raise corn and pum]ikins and morning-glories in 
 that day, for the ground was new and rich and mellow, 
 without a single weed to be seen anywhere. 
 
 Gorrell, Martha, and I enjoyed ourselves amazingly, 
 but Mr. Edgar's visit was somewhat interfered with by 
 Miss Nancy Majcn's having to divide her attentions be- 
 tween himself and another young gentleman who seemed 
 
REMINISCENCES. 195 
 
 to have gone there with the self-same purpose. The 
 other gentleman, whose name was Clark, was a very fine 
 looking young man; was tall and straight, wdth dark hair 
 and eyes; was dressed in a nicely fitting and handsome 
 suit of black broadcloth. I thought him a handsimie man. 
 Mr. Clark lived somewhere in that region and perhaps 
 lives there yet, with that nice dark hair all turned white. 
 For all I know his children and grandchildren may be 
 living about him, and he with spectacles on may be spend- 
 ing these summer mornings in an easy chair on his porch, 
 reading about Cervera's awful defeat and Hawaii's an- 
 nexation. I have never seen Mr. Clark from that day to 
 this, and I don't think Mr. Edgar made any more visits 
 to the Majors place, but married another girl. He has 
 long been sleeping with his fathers. 
 
 We young folks spent the evening out in the yard and 
 among the flowers, talking nonsense which we imagined 
 was the most brilliant repartee. When the time came to 
 retire, we were taken into that big room which we found 
 all partitioned off with white curtains. Each one of those 
 four beds was in a cozy little room all to itself. The 
 Majors women seemed to be equal to any emergency. I 
 never go into a sleeping car without being reminded of 
 that night at the Majors place. Sometimes my young- 
 lady friends get me to telling about the way people lived 
 and managed in those days of crudeness, when men and 
 w^omen and children all lived and slept in a single room. 
 I tell them that the people who first settled this part of 
 Iowa had good sense, good principles, and lots of tact, 
 and could adapt themselves to circumstances. Women 
 whose circumstances made it necessary for them to live in 
 
196 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 a cabin of one room were as modest and self-respecting' 
 as they are to-day in elegant homes where every individ- 
 ual member of a household has his or her own room. In 
 those pioneer times when people did as they could and 
 not as they would, men were imbued with the kind of 
 chivalry which forbids the thought of taking advantage 
 of circumstances such as I have reference to. The chiv- 
 alry which shields and protects- women; the chivalry that 
 women admire in men. 
 
 The government surveyors were encamped in the 
 Majors neighborhood at the time we were there. A young 
 man belonging to the surveying party was taken sick and 
 was brought to the Majors home and Dr. Warren sent for. 
 I have not forgotten Dr. Warren's kind voice and gentle 
 ways as he bent over emd talked to that sick young man; 
 nor those Majors men's tenderness toward him. Mrs. 
 Majors had him placed in one of her snowy soft feather 
 beds, and she and her daughters brought dainty things to 
 tempt his appetite. After spending a day and a night at 
 that charming and hospitable home, we again mounted 
 our steeds and had another wild and daring ride back to 
 Oskaloosa. 
 
 The reason we saw so few people and habitations on 
 that long ride was, our road was out on the open prairie. 
 In that early day, people settled in or near the timber; no 
 one ventured far out on the prairie. They knew the land 
 was all right, but in winter prairies were bleak, and the 
 northwest winds were piercing where there was not a 
 tree to break their force. The first settlers were obliged 
 to Imild their houses of logs, use wood for fuel and make 
 rails to fence their farms. They had to build strong 
 
REMINISCENCES. 107 
 
 staked and ridered fences. Many of the early settlers 
 had long' strings of oxen to break the sod; 4;hose oxen 
 were turned loose when not at work, to get their living 
 wherever the prairie grass suited them best; it took a 
 mighty strong fence to keep those oxen out of a corn- 
 field. There were no laws then to prevent stock of all 
 kinds from running at large. All that could be done on 
 that line was to make their fences as high and strong as 
 the}^ could; under those circumstances the nearer they 
 were to timber the better. No matter how beautiful the 
 prairie looked, how rich the soil, or how well the land lay 
 for cultivation, to live in a little cabin away out where 
 there was not a tree to break the force of wintry storms 
 nor shade one from Summer's scorching heat, was not a 
 situation to be desired. But little by little, settlers 
 ventured out on that charming expanse of rolling prairie 
 and in a few years, from the Des Moines timber to the 
 Skunk, the country was dotted over with houses and fields 
 and tiny groves. It don't take long for trees to grow 
 big enough to shade a house in this countr3\ If we 
 should start out one of these Summer mornings t(^ drive to 
 what was once the Majors place, it would be through 
 lanes bordering a paradise of farms, with not only com- 
 fortable homes, but homes of architectural beauty, 
 surrounded by grassy lawns, kept like velvet, V\ith 
 borders and beds of flowers all about, and graceful vines 
 trained over shady, coz}^ verandas. Orchards of big, 
 thrifty apple trees, full of apples, with not a dead limb 
 nor caterpillar's nest to be seen in them; great fields of 
 clover, red and fragrant; immense fields of waving corn 
 just "laid by," when if you look as far as you can see be- 
 
198 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 tween the rows— just from under the plow- not a weed 
 to be seen, only the fresh, clean, mellow soil. There are 
 fields of wheat, and fields of oats, and fields of potatoes, 
 and pastures with herds of Jersey cows, some busily nip- 
 ping- grass, others lazily chewing- their cuds under clumps 
 of trees. There are great pens of black hogs looking- so 
 much alike one can't tell them apart. Great big" sub- 
 stantial barns and every kind of an out-house which it is 
 possible to want. And besides all that, you would hardly 
 think you were in a prairie country, trees are so numer- 
 ous. This state of bounteous thrift does not alone 
 abound on the way to the place once the Majors home, 
 but in every direction; no matter which way you g"0 you 
 can see the same evidences of prosperity. A state of 
 beauty, comfort and luxury the first inhabitants never 
 dreamed of. 
 
 But I must go back to my school in that little cabin, 
 the Methodist Parsonage, in September, 1845. The first 
 great event after beginning that school was our first visit 
 to the Majors ])lace; the next was Oskaloosa's first fire. 
 On Wednesday, September 17th, as I was going- to my 
 dinner, and had just reached the stile at the Phillips 
 home, I heard a commotion up in town, and on looking 
 around I saw flames leaping up from a house on the west 
 side of the square. I called to the folks in the house 
 and told them a house was on fire. I didn't g-o in, but 
 went up town as fast as I could g-o, and found Dr. Weath- 
 erford's house all in flames and their household goods 
 piled and scattered about on the ground, the clock all 
 broken to pieces. The nearest well was on the lot where 
 the Merchants House now is (Lot 8, Block 21, o. p.. city 
 
REMINISCENCES. lV)9 
 
 of Oskaloosa.) Men were running here and there in a 
 state of frenzy; some ran to tlie stores and siezed all the 
 buckets they could find, and commenced carrying" water 
 from that well; the ground was clear between the burning 
 burning and the w^ell I have mentioned. The first house 
 south of the fire was Wm. B. Street's store, a small frame 
 building; they kept throwing water on it and by hard 
 work saved it. The house just north was George Baer's 
 tailor shop, which was quite close; it took fire and was 
 soon past saving. The house just north of the tailor 
 shop was a cabinet shop, built of logs, and owned by a 
 man named Parish Ellis. That was also entirely con- 
 sumed. George W. and John W. Jones had a long frame 
 store on the corner where Baldauf's store is now; that 
 was scorched and began to blaze, but was saved with lit- 
 tle damage. When I got to the fire I siezed a bucket 
 and carried water as fast as I could. I was run- 
 ning with a bucket of water when I met John Jones who 
 snatched it out of my hand. I saw him run and dash it 
 on their store just as the weatherboarding began to blaze. 
 The Jones store was saved. John used to tell Gorrell 
 that my bucket of water saved it. I don't deserve that 
 credit, but John's gallantry was great. Just before that 
 fire a Mrs. Wright had bought that house of Dr. Weath- 
 erford, and I think they had some litigation over it. 
 
 Mrs. Wright at the time owned and lived in a one- 
 story frame house just back of Pickett's drug store. 
 That same house is there to-day. She was a widow with 
 two daughters — Anna and Levy. Perhaps her name was 
 "Olivia," but I never heard her called anything but 
 Levy. After that fire had sul)sided I noticed Anna 
 
200 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Wright looking- at the ruins as complacently as if nothing- 
 serious had happened. She had a book under her arm. 
 I went up to her and asked her what she was reading; 
 she handed me the book and I saw it was ''The Wander- 
 ing Jew," a book much talked of then. Anna married 
 Henry Temple, a young lawyer of Oskaloosa, and Levy 
 married Isaac Dickerson, a merchant. They all left Os- 
 kaloosa long .ago, and when I last heard of them they 
 were citizens of Atlantic, Iowa. 
 
 As 1 was going home from that fire I met Virginia 
 Seevers and her cousin. Miss Anna Wilkins, who had seen 
 the fire from their home a mile away and had come to see 
 the ruins. The next morning Gorrell came in with an 
 excited look and exclaimed: 
 
 "What do you think! Cage and Virginia were mar- 
 ried this morning and have gone to Mt. Pleasant!'" A 
 wedding in those days was not attended with much cere- 
 mony. 
 
 My school went along smoothly. We young folks 
 assembled every Friday morning at the court-house and 
 Mr. Phillips led us in singing. We attended meeting 
 every Sunday, as there were services held by one denom- 
 ination or another regularly in the court-house, which 
 was the only public building of any kind in the town until 
 the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was built, which 
 was in 1846. Young men displayed their gallantry by 
 escorting the girls to and from those singing schools. 
 Gorrell and I soon become quite good friends, and he 
 never let me lack for an escort. Our friendship before a 
 great while culminated into something more serious, and 
 before that scliool closed we were engaged to be married. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 201 
 
 When my school closed I went back to the home of my 
 relatives, where I made my simple and un])retentious 
 wedding- outfit, and on Sunday night, January 18th, 1846, 
 we were married by the Rev. Thomas Kirkpatrick, a 
 Methodist minister who was holding a two days' meeting 
 in that court-house. No invitations were issued to that 
 wedding. We just went in, walked up tov/ard the ros- 
 trum, where the minister met us, and the marriage cere- 
 mony was performed before the religious services began. 
 I think I could tell this story better if it was about some 
 one else. 
 
 Gorrell's father and mother received me into their 
 family just like one of their very own children, and we 
 lived with them until the next October. My mother-in- 
 law was one of the loveliest women I ever knew; she was 
 gentle, kind and unselfish, a Methodist of the old stamp. 
 Her maiden name was Hannah Sinclair, The Sinclairs 
 were all Methodists from away back. Her brother John 
 Sinclair was a pioneer Methodist preacher in Illinois 
 along with Peter Cartwright, Peter Acres, and others 
 whose trials and hardships and eccentric preaching- are 
 matters of history, and no doubt had much to do in mak- 
 ing Hlinois the great State it is to-day and her people the 
 great people they are to-day. Through fire and flood, 
 cold and hunger and self-denial, they sowed the seeds of 
 righteous heroism which no doubt to-day is bearing fruit 
 a hundred fold. 
 
202 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 So many thing's which I want to tell happened in 
 that year (1846) I can hardly decide on the thing to tell 
 first. The Mexican war began, but no volunteers were 
 called for in this region. Facilities for getting news 
 were so poor that we didn't hear of a battle until it had 
 been over for days. My father-in-law was quite well in- 
 formed for that day, and something of a politician; he 
 would get hold of a newspaper occasionally, and we all 
 would gather around him eager to hear while he read the 
 war news to us. I remember how he grieved when he 
 heard of the death of Gen. Harden: he and Gen. Harden 
 were friends in Illinois. 
 
 Stephen A. Douglas was beginning to be known 
 through the country as a brilliant young and rising poli- 
 tician. Mr. Phillips knew him well, and used to regale 
 us with stories of Douglas' smart sayings in debating so- 
 cieties and other occasicms when he was a delicate strip- 
 ling and a mechanic who made spinning-wheels in Jack- 
 sonville. Mr. Phillips admired Mr. Douglas and liked 
 him, but would have liked him better if he had been a 
 
REMINISCENCES. 203 
 
 whig". Mr. Phillips was a whig; and in the summer of 
 '46 was a candidate on the whig ticket for Judge of Pro- 
 bate, but was defeated by John White. As there was no 
 printing office anywhere in reach, the tickets had to be 
 written. I think I wrote all the whig tickets used in the 
 county at that election. I became very tired of that 
 monotonous work, but my father-in-law kept me at it for 
 three or four days, and wouldn't allow me to stop until I 
 had written whig tickets all over one side of about a 
 quire of foolscap paper. After I was supposed to have 
 written enough I cut them all apart and did them up in 
 packages to be sent out to all the voting places in the 
 county. All that work was gratuitous, such a thing as 
 remuneration never entering my mind; and to think that 
 after all that writing, and writing, and writing whig 
 tickets, my father-in-law was beaten. John White, the 
 successful candidate, lived about a mile southwest of 
 town. In 18.53 Judge White was thrown from a sulky or 
 gig and his leg was broken A day or two after, Dr. 
 Hopkins amputated it and he died in two or three days 
 after the operation. 
 
 In the Spring of 1846 there was a great exodus of 
 Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois. Their Prophet, Joseph 
 Smith, was killed in '44 by a mob, and the whole set were 
 ordered to leave the State. They were given time to 
 dispose of their effects and pack up and go to some other 
 country. Some of their shrewd and wise ones had dis- 
 covered a country beautiful and productive away to the 
 southwest, where they supposed they could go and settle 
 and live and practice their peculiar religious rites with- 
 out being disturbed by the laws of any State. So in the 
 
204 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Spring" of '46 they made a grand rush for what they called 
 the ''Promised Land/' For weeks in that Spring" and 
 early Summer, train after train of those people with their 
 white covered wagons could be seen slowly wending- their 
 way along the lane by my father-in-law's house and 
 through Oskaloosa. If one chanced to speak to one of 
 them they didn't seem at all inclined to be sociable, but 
 were uncommunicative, sullen and morose. They often 
 boug-ht corn of Mr. Phillips, but were not inclined to 
 talk only of the business in hand. "They were seeking 
 a country" where, when they reached it, "they builded 
 better than they knew.'' 
 
 One rainy, muddy evening in that Spring- a colony of 
 Swedes, about fifty in number, came driving- up and 
 wanted shelter. They were a forlorn looking set, and 
 some of them were sick. Not one could speak a word of 
 Eng-lish, except a man who was conducting" them to their 
 destination, and another young man who was fine-looking- 
 and had princely manners. He had golden hair and com- 
 plexion like a g-irl, was tall, straight and dig-nified and 
 looked like a lord among a lot of beggars. The man who 
 was conductor and interpreter informed us that this 
 lordly-looking young man belonged to a Swedish family 
 of wealth and high social standing, who had come to 
 America with the rest on a tour of inspection. Mr. Phil- 
 lips had a large barn just finished, where all those people 
 slept that night except one woman who was sick. Mr. 
 Phillips had a hadsome three-year-old filly, and in the 
 morning that lordly-looking young man got his eye on 
 her and proposed to purchase her. When Mr. Phillips 
 told him he could have her for fifty dollars he just handed 
 
REMINISCENCES. 205 
 
 him fifty dollars in brig"ht ^old pieces, mounted his filly 
 and rode off. Those people, I heard, settled somewhere 
 northwest of what was then called Ft. Des Moines. They 
 were the first Swedes I ever saw. I have a pretty g'ood 
 opinion of Swedes and Norwegians, but liave not forg'ot- 
 ten my first experience with them, and the time we had 
 cleaning- out the mud after that set had gone. 
 
 One of the prominent events of that Summer was the 
 kmd sales, which occurred on the Fourth of July. Al- 
 most every man who ovv^ned a claim had a sack of silver 
 coin buried or hidden in some way under their puncheon 
 floors. How carefully they watched over and kept their 
 little hoard. Some actually denied themselves and fam- 
 ilies what now would be called the necessaries of life, in 
 order to keep intact that little hoard. They knew to a 
 cent just how much it contained, and knew that on that 
 they were dependent for food, raiment and shelter; or at 
 least for the land on which to produce those thing's. I 
 have known families to deny themselves flour, sugar and 
 cott'ee rather than break in on that bag- of silver under 
 the floor. It was g'oing to take just so much to enter 
 their land, and that amount must be kept intact whether 
 they had biscuit and coffee or not. 
 
 So on the morning of the third of Jul}^ nearly all the 
 men in the south part of Mahaska County dug up their 
 precious hidden treasures and started for Fairfield. The 
 most of the men in Oskaloosa went whether they were 
 going to enter land or not. Claim law^s were in vogue, 
 and every man carried a stout hickory club to defend 
 himself and neighbors against over-bidders. My father- 
 in-law went and entered between three hundred and four 
 
206 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 hundred acres lying- along the east side of Oskaloosa. 
 That land extended nearly as far south as the Rock 
 Island depot and north almost to Spring Creek. What 
 is generally thought to be the most beautiful part of Os- 
 kaloosa is on that land. 
 
 My husband's claim was eig-hty acres; the north 
 forty of that eighty is now Forest Cemetery. My hus- 
 band had done the amount of work required on his claim 
 in order to preempt, so he preempted his eighty, and 
 the next year exactly to a day went to Fairfield and 
 entered it at a dollar and a quarter an acre. He bor- 
 rowed the money from the school fund commissioner, pay- 
 ing- ten per cent interest on the same, and in addition to 
 the one hundred dollars which was necessary to secure 
 the eighty acres, he was compelled to borrow five dollars 
 more to pay his expenses in making the trip to the land 
 office. Money then was scarce and hard to obtain; people 
 managed to live by trading- one commodity for another. 
 Nearly all the money in the country was paid out for 
 land to the government, and that had not been in circula- 
 tion. The money obtained from the sale of sixteenth sec- 
 tions went into the school fund and was loaned out, there 
 being no regulations for a long- time to use it for school 
 purposes. I used to heeu' it said that the sixteenth sec- 
 tions nearly always happened to be valuable land. 
 
 The first school whose teachers were })aid with 
 money drawn from the school fund was taug-ht in the 
 two-story brick school-house called "Gospel Ridge" 
 school, in 1855. The first man elected as principal was a 
 Mr. Goshorn, who died soon after accepting the position. 
 He died in a house which stood on the southwest corner 
 
REMINISCENCES 207 
 
 of First Avenue and Seventh Street, where Esquire 
 Weaver lives. James Loughridj^e was the next principal. 
 In 1855 Mr. Phillips, my father-in-law, had one hun- 
 dred acres of land fenced and in cultivation; an immense 
 staked and ridered fence enclosed the whole of it. A 
 wide lane called the "Fairfield Road" divided it in about 
 equal portions. My husband, his brother Wat and a 
 hired man made all those rails, hauled them out and 
 built that fence, high enough and strong enough to keep 
 out any prairie-breaking team, no matter how breachy. 
 That hired man came to Mr. Phdlips in the Spring of '45 
 and olfered to do any kind of work on the farm for his 
 board and washing and seven dollars a month in cash. 
 Mr. Phillips hired him and kept him several months; the 
 family used to say they never saw a better worker nor a 
 more honorable man. The most of that hundred acres 
 was broken in '44 and w^as just right for a crop in '45, 
 which was a good season. The weather was favorable 
 for early planting in the Spring, the Summer had just 
 enough of rain, and frost stayed away long enough in the 
 Fall for corn and everything else to mature. 
 
 The Phillipses had an immense crop of corn, acres 
 in shock and thousands of bushels in great high rail pens. 
 It was easy to raise corn then — twice plowing was suffi- 
 cient. The ground was new and rich and mellow, with 
 not a weed to be seen; there were no weeds here to speak 
 of for three or four years. I used to pine for the sight 
 of a plaintain or a dandelion, and if I had come across a 
 sprig of dog fennel by the roadside I think I would have 
 gotten down and worshiped it. My heart fairly leaped 
 with joy when I first saw a little patch of blue grass and 
 
208 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 white clover. But before many years the streets in the 
 little town of Oskaloosa were bordered with as luxuriant 
 a growth of smartweed and dog- fennel as I had been ac- 
 customed to seeing in the little towns in the old "Hoosier 
 State."' In 1816 there was another bountiful crop raised 
 of corn and wheat and oats, and such gardens and melons 
 and pumpkins! There were few cattle and hogs to eat 
 the corn, and no market to speak of where that great 
 amount of stuff could be turned into money. My father- 
 in-law kept what was called a wagon yard, and disposed 
 of some of his surplus C()rn and oats to travelers, l)ut 
 much of it was wasted. 
 
 When I drive about the outskirts of Oskaloosa now 
 and see boys by the dozen engaged in weeding onions in 
 immense gardens, I think of a time when acres of onions 
 could have been raised by merely leveling the ground 
 and sowing the seed. No boys were needed to pull 
 weeds; there would have been nothing but the clean 
 ground, and every individual onion standing out and 
 spreading itself. Wouldn't John Knight and the Kem- 
 bles think they had a bonanza if their ground was like 
 that nowV I don't mean to say that the ground is not 
 rich to-day, for it is, but weeds will grow. 
 
 Gorrell and I expected to go to housekeeping in the 
 Spring, but father Phillips persuaded us to wait till Fall, 
 wdien his barn would have been finished, the crop se- 
 cured, and the boys, Gorrell and Watt, could then build 
 us a little log house on our eighty acre claim. We all got 
 along nicely at father Phillips', but how we did look for- 
 ward to the time when we would have a home of our own. 
 We knew our hcmie would have to be very scantily fur- 
 
REMINISCENC ES. 209 
 
 nished, but we didn't mind tliat; homes generally in those 
 days were humble and scantily furnished. Neither of 
 us had ever been accustomed to luxuries, and were con- 
 tent to begin in a very humble way. We were young 
 then, and full of hope and energy; the world was before 
 us, and we had each other. We would often walk down 
 and look over the ground, and finally selected the spot 
 where our house was to be built. The place we selected 
 was not a wise choice, though it was the prettiest place 
 in all the country — a charming body of timber to the 
 north, the ground sloping to the east and to the west, a 
 little clear brook at the foot of that western slope, and 
 over the hill a stretch of prairie and groves which at sun- 
 set was like a picture. To the south was a view of open 
 prairie, and we could stand on that spot and see all over 
 the little town of Oskaloosa. After that big barn was 
 finished, the corn laid by, the wheat and oats stacked and 
 the prairie hay cut and put in the barn, Gorrell and Wat 
 went down into the timber and cut and hewed logs for 
 our house. Wat was a natural mechanic and could do 
 almost anything in the construction of a house as crude 
 as that. Wat made the shingles to cover it, by hand. 
 That house was a little more pretentious than many at 
 that time, as it had a shingled roof and a brick chimney. 
 R. R. Harbour built the chimney, which was a good one, 
 had a nice fireplace and did not smoke. The floor, too, 
 was made of plank instead of puncheon. Some saw-mills 
 had by that time been built about through the country 
 and a rough kind of lumber could be obtained. Our floor 
 was of green oak plank just laid down without nailing. 
 There was a door in the south and one in the north, one 
 
 14 
 
210 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 window in the south of nine panes of g^lass. There were 
 cracks between the logs, but Gorreli fitted in pieces of 
 wood to till them up, then g^ot sand and lime and made 
 mortar and plastered the cracks over until the wall was 
 quite smooth and tight. I said that Gorreli did that plas- 
 tering, but will take that back, as I did part of it myself. 
 I was so much interested in the building of that house I 
 would go and look on and w^atch the progress of things, 
 and when he commenced putting on that mortar, I as usual 
 was hanging around. No one was there but ourselves, 
 and I pro])osed to help him. He made some objection, 
 but I persisted, took up the trowel and commenced laying 
 on the mortar. I found it such delightful work that I 
 just kept on, and wouldn't let him have the trowel, but 
 kept calling out "mort" until I had plastered as high as 
 I could reach. We didn't suppose there was a human 
 being in a half mile of us, when suddenly we heard a 
 horse's hoofs, and on looking • around we beheld John 
 White sitting on his horse, whose head was fairly inside 
 the door. "Hello!" said Mr. White, and seeing me with 
 trowel in hand, wanted to know if I was helping to build 
 the house, said he had thought all along that Gorreli had 
 done well in marrying, but didn't imagine I was a house- 
 builder, with all my other qualifications. He must have 
 noticed our embarrassment, which instead of making him 
 change the subject, led him on more and more in his 
 quizzing remarks. 
 
 I went down the branch below Hosier's spring and 
 dug some white clay out of the bank and made a white- 
 wash and applied it to the walls of my little log house, 
 which made it as white as snow. I did that whitewashing 
 
REMINISCENCES. 211 
 
 before we moved into the house. When that white clay 
 iirst came out of the bank it was almost as hard as rock, 
 but a few days' soaking" in water reduced it to the proper 
 consistency. One day I went alone to that little new 
 house and applied that solution to the walls as high up 
 as I could reach when standing on the floor, then I made 
 a scaffold of the logs which had been sawed out to make 
 the doors, climbed up on it and finished it to the (I was 
 going to say "ceiling," but there was no ceiling, only 
 joists between the floor and roof), but I whitewashed to 
 the top of the logs. It soon dried, and looked so white 
 and clean, and I felt so proud of my work I just stood 
 and gazed and admired, and kept thinking, ''Won't Gor- 
 rell think this is nice?" The next day I took him down 
 to look at it. Gorrell always praised anything I did, and 
 when I showed him those white walls he couldn't say 
 enough nice things. He would look around the room, 
 and then look at me and break out with more praises. 
 
 On the 14th of October, 1846, we moved into our little 
 new cabin home. Though we had so few of what are 
 called the necessaries of life, and none of what could by 
 any means be considered luxuries, I think we were as 
 happy as any young husband and wife ever were, even if 
 started out in life surrounded with elegant home and ele- 
 gant appointments. I discovered long ago that happi- 
 ness does not depend on fine houses, fine furniture nor 
 fine clothes. It didn't take us long to arrange our furni- 
 ture; we had no carpet to tack down, but I did wish I 
 had a strip or two of rag carpet. We set our bed up, 
 which was quite respectable-looking, with nice pillows 
 and patch-work quilt, and a clean, starched calico valence, 
 
212 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 which stood out all around the bottom like a ruffle. 
 There was a great deal of room under a bed in those 
 days. It was a g"ood thing", too, that that style prevailed, 
 for many unsightly things could be tucked under the bed 
 and hidden by the valence. We learned in those days 
 how to utilize room, and boxes and bundles could be 
 stored away under the bed. Our cupboard consisted of 
 some shelves without a door; there were strips to hold 
 the plates up at the back of the shelves. I had some 
 very pretty plates and didn't fail to set every individual 
 plate so it would show to the best advantage; my cups 
 and saucers, too, were made to show their best. I did 
 have some pretty cups and saucers, and I am sure I 
 would think them pretty to-day. They were decorated 
 and had handles, were a mulberry color and a pretty 
 shape. I had a set of knives and forks of which I was 
 very proud. The handles were made of buck's horn, 
 were of irregular shape, no two having the same curve. 
 I think I was more anxious to have a respectable table 
 than I was about any other detail of housekeeping. A 
 box with curtain in front served the joint purpose of 
 kitchen table and pot closet. I cooked by the fireplace, 
 which was nothing new to me, as I was raised that way. 
 When we commenced housekeeping we found ourselves 
 without many things which seemed to be necessary. I 
 had no rolling-pin at first, but had immense ears of corn, 
 so I rolled my biscuit out with an ear of corn. I can 
 shut my eyes now and see the prints of the grains in the 
 dough. I did my washing at first in a dishpan and bucket; 
 we carried water up that long slope from the little brook, 
 but with it all we managed to be quite comf oi'table ; we 
 
REMINISCENCES. 213 
 
 were well and strong and not afraid of work. The fnture 
 looked bright, and we had no heartaches or fears about 
 making a living. We were so satisfied with each other 
 that it required but little besides to make us happy. 
 
 Our house was located just where the prairie and 
 timber meet. The woods back of our house was a dense 
 forest almost unbroken to Skunk River. We used to 
 hear wolves howl at night, but never thought of being 
 afraid of them. I never heard of them attacking any- 
 body about here. I was more afraid of snakes than any- 
 thing else. I killed many a rattlesnake about on that 
 ridge. One day as I was going out of the back door a 
 rattlesnake was crawling toward the house and not more 
 than two feet away from the door. It coiled and rattled 
 —that sound always so terrifying. I would have killed 
 it myself if nobody had been there but me, but Gorrell 
 was and he put a quietus on it. It was nothing unusual 
 then to hear of snakes crawling into people's cabins, but 
 I never heard of any one being bitten around here by 
 snakes crawling into their houses. I heard of a few out 
 on the prairie being l)itten, but of only one person dying 
 from rattlesnake bite in this part of Iowa, and that was 
 a Mrs. Gray, in Harrison township. A little McAllister 
 girl was bitten on the foot by a rattlesnake in the Lough- 
 ridge neighborhood in 1844. Her people applied such 
 remedies as they had at hand, but before Dr. Hobbs got 
 there she was unconscious and badly swollen. He saved 
 her life by wrapping her from head to foot in a poultice 
 made of corn meal and cold water. The poultice was 
 changed often and the child got well and is living to-day. 
 Dr. Hobbs told me about it himself. The subject of 
 
214 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 snakes is not a pleasant subject to write about, nor talk 
 about, nor think about, but as they played a conspicuous 
 part in the early settling of this country. I thought it 
 proper to make some mention of them. 
 
 Wild turkeys were thick about in the woods and 
 sometimes would come close to our house. We had a 
 pen of corn out by the stable, and one day when I was 
 alone I heard that peculiar sound which turkeys make. 
 I opened the door gently and on looking out I beheld that 
 corn pen covered with turkeys and about a dozen others 
 walking about on the ground. I stood still and watched 
 them a little while before they discovered me, but when 
 they did get a glimpse of me they hied themselves off 
 down through the grove. Quails were plentiful about in 
 the woods and groves. One flock in particular" made 
 their headquarters about our corn pen that first Fall. 
 Gorrell made a trap and first and last caught the whole 
 flock, numbering sixteen. I don't think a flock of quails 
 ever behaved as satisfactorily to their captors as that 
 flock did. There were always two, and never more than 
 three, found in that trap at one time. Gorrell and I al- 
 ways had each a quail. If there were three I generally 
 gave Gorrell the extra one, though he would insist on 
 dividing. 
 
 Our cooking utensils consisted of a tea kettle, a cof- 
 fee pot, a skillet and a kettle, which answered the pur- 
 pose of boiling, baking, stewing and roasting. We didn't 
 have a great variety of things to cook, but the corn bread 
 I used to bake in that skillet would make a Kentuckian's 
 mouth water to-day. No corn bread in these days baked 
 in any of the modern ranges is half so good as that baked 
 
REMINISCENCES. 21.5 
 
 in a skillet by an old-fashioned fireplace. We used to 
 think a dinner without corn bread was not a dinner at all. 
 Dyspepsia and indigestion were words which very few 
 people knew the meaning" of in '46 — I mean Mahaska 
 people. Some words which were in common use and per- 
 fectly well understood by every man, woman and child 
 in this region in '46 are fast becoming obsolete, or going 
 into desuetude. For instance: "Egg bread,"' "light 
 pone," ''johnny cake," "hoe cake," "lye hominy." Not 
 long ago a gentleman asked me what kind of a plant hom- 
 iny grew on, and was it cultivated in this country? 
 
 Oskaloosa to-day can boast of many institutions never 
 dreamed of by her inhabitants^ in '46. Among them a 
 society or organization whose object is to look after and 
 relieve the city's poor, who are supposed to be worthy of 
 benevolent consideration. This society is managed by 
 the women of the city. A committee from each ward 
 looks after the wants of its respective ward. My friend. 
 Miss Leoni McMillen, being one of a committee, when 
 on a tour of investigation came upon a family who had 
 applied for help. Miss McMillen inquired into their 
 needs, when the woman of the house informed lier that 
 they wanted some first-class canned peaches, some 
 oranges, raisins, granulated sugar, coffee and tea, porter- 
 house steak and a sack of flour — she preferred "Pills- 
 bury's Best." After Miss McMillen had taken her order 
 for the foregoing articles she suggested that she send 
 them some corn meal, when the woman informed her that 
 her family couldn't eat corn bread. "Can't eat corn 
 bread!" Miss McMillen exclaimed in indignant astonish- 
 ment. "Madam, I want to say to you that the bone and 
 
216 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 sinew of this country were raised on corn bread, and if 
 you can't eat corn bread now, you had better go hungry 
 until you can eat it. Can't eat corn bread! Why, the 
 men who fought to save our country were glad to get 
 corn bread." 
 
REMINISCENCES. ' 217 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 In the early days, anywhere in Oskaloosa and ahnost 
 anywhere in the vicinity, a g^ood well of water could be 
 obtained by digg^ing from fifteen to twenty feet, and 
 when our little home was located on that beautiful spot 
 we had no thoug'ht that there would be any difficulty in 
 finding water, as others had done. But when Gorrell 
 got ready to dig" a well he and Wat supposed they would 
 have it completed in three or four days, but disappoint- 
 ment awaited them. As soon as Wat had g^one throug^h 
 the rich, black loam he struck a dry, hard clay. They 
 expected to strike a vein of water down about twenty 
 feet, but they dug" and drew out that dry hard clay until 
 they had gone fifty feet straight down in the g-round 
 without striking- a drop of water; then they encountered 
 a slate stone so hard the fire would fiy from the pick as 
 they tried to dig. Gorrell had an old well-digg^er come 
 and give his opinion of the prospect. The old well-dig- 
 ger's opinion was, there were several feet of that hard 
 slate, and immediately under that slate was a vein or 
 strata of coal, and if they found water at all it would not 
 
218 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 be good. So after all that hard work of digg-ing' straight 
 down through clay as hard as rock without the least 
 prospect of finding water, the thing had to be abandoned. 
 We were disgusted with the thought of a coal bank on our 
 place — we had no use for coal. Nobody but blacksmiths 
 had any use for coal, and they could find all they wanted 
 by digging in a hillside or bluff down on Spring Creek or 
 Muchakinock. There was plenty of wood around here, 
 and what did anybody but a blacksmith want with that 
 dirty, foul-smelling stuff? So at intervals, as Gorrell 
 found time, he would shovel the clay and slate back into 
 that hole until it was all filled up. The failure to get 
 water took a good deal of the charm off of that charming 
 spot. Hauling and carrying water became irksome after 
 a while, and we decided to move our house to a grove 
 near the southeast corner of our south forty, where we 
 knew we could get a well of water. 
 
 When the country was first settled, people died and 
 had to be buried, many more in proportion to the number 
 than now. In those days water was so near the surface 
 in most places that a grave was apt to have water in it 
 when a body was placed therein. That seemed horrible 
 to us, and when that well was dug and the ground found 
 so dry, the thought naturally came to us that it would be 
 just the place for a cemetery. We often talked about it, 
 but had no idea of selling the land for any purpose, es- 
 pecially for a cemetery. We expected that to be our 
 home as long as we lived, but we talked so much about 
 its being a proper place for that purpose that I got to 
 imagining I could see graves all over that ridge, and on 
 those gentle slopes to the east and to the west and down 
 
REMINISCENCES. 219 
 
 in the grove to the north. Sometimes I would be alone 
 all day and have nothing to do but sew carpet rags and 
 piece quilts and think and imag"ine. I never was what 
 people call "lonesome." If I had no other company I 
 could enjoy myself very well communing" with my own 
 thoughts. 
 
 When we first went to housekeeping we had no land 
 fenced; ten acres had been broken the year before, and 
 Gorrell made rails and fenced it after we had moved; he 
 raised his first crop of corn on his father's farm and gath- 
 ered it after we went to our own home. The days were 
 getting short and the evenings cool, and when I would be 
 looking for him in the evening I would have a bright fire 
 burning in the fireplace and open the door so he could see 
 it as he drove up with his load of corn. I would have the 
 supper all ready to take up, biscuit or cora bread in the 
 skillet, coffee boiling on the coals, and if we didn't have 
 quails we had sausage. We didn't have a cow at first, 
 but mother Phillips kept us supplied with milk and cream; 
 she was always good and never forgot her children. How 
 my heart would bound with gladness when I would look 
 out and see my husband coming. I would throw a shawl 
 over my head and run out to meet him, get in the wagon 
 and help him throw the corn out; then while he was put- 
 ting his horses in the stable and feeding, I would run in 
 and get my supper on the table, and see that the fire 
 looked all right. I always expected a compliment and 
 never failed to get one. A bright fire sending a glow all 
 around on the whitewashed walls of our little humble 
 home, and a smoking supper on the table gave a look of 
 cheerfulness and comfort which was sure to be apprecia- 
 
220 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 ted by my husband, and he never failed to let me know 
 how much pleasure it gave him. Little acts of kindness 
 and little words of praise are the things w^hich go a great 
 way in making a happy home. 
 
 As I have already stated, the failure to get water 
 made us decide to move our house where we should have 
 built it in the first place. Though not quite so handsome 
 a location, it was nearly a half a mile nearer town. We 
 found plenty of water, splendid and soft, at twenty feet. 
 We were much attached to that first home, and many 
 pleasant memories lingered around it. There we first 
 set up a home of our own, and there our two little boys 
 were born. We lived there more than three years before 
 we could find time and courage to tear down our house 
 and move it away. After we moved away and the place 
 became a common, with blue grass growing all about 
 there, it was still beautiful. The town cows, with their 
 many-toned and discordant bells, cropped the grass, and 
 when they had satisfied their appetite, laid down and 
 chewed their cuds in the shade of the beautiful oaks 
 which used to adorn our front yard. 
 
 A year or so ago David Evans and I were talking 
 about the beauty of that place when he said to me: 
 
 "Years ago when I was a young man, one day when 
 I had been away down nearly to Skunk River, in coming 
 home 1 walked up through the woods, and as I came to 
 that spot I looked about and thought I had never seen a 
 more beautiful place. I was tired and threw myself 
 down on the grass to rest. There was a gentle breeze 
 blowing, birds were singing in the trees above me, and 
 as 1 lay there I thought, this is the spot where I want to 
 
RExMINISCENCES. 221 
 
 be buried/"' When that place was being laid out and sold 
 in little plots of ground for homes for the dead, Mr. 
 Evans purchased the lot on which he had lain that da}', 
 and now he and his wife lie side by side on the very 
 spot where once the little log house stood which was our 
 first home. 
 
 There is a portion of Mahaska County lying to the 
 southwest of Oskaloosa, fertile and beautiful, called "Six 
 Mile Prairie." Six Mile Prairie was not allprairie, but 
 bordered around and dotted here and there with some fine 
 groves of timber, and the beautiful Des Moines River 
 touches its southwestern limit. That grand and rich ex- 
 panse of prairie and the wonderfully productive land on 
 the border of that wide and clear and pebbly-bedded 
 river attracted the attention of some of the shrewdest 
 and solidist men who came to the New Purchase to make 
 for themselves 'homes in 1813. Dr. Boyer located on a 
 claim of that valuable bottom land and from time to time 
 added to his possessions until he owned hundreds and 
 hundreds of acres of the most valuable farming land in 
 all this region. The Dr. and Mrs. Boyer were young 
 people when they came, with two small children. They 
 lived in a cabin like the rest at first, but before many 
 years built and moved into a two-story brick house, which 
 at that time was talked of far and near as a very preten- 
 tious residence. Dr. Boyer was not only a fine business 
 man, but an educated man and a highly-esteemed physi- 
 cian and had an extensive practice. 
 
 The Dr. became wealthy, but I don't think a great 
 amount of his wealth was acquired by the practice of 
 medicine, for I have often heard it said he would go 
 
222 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 miles and miles through storms of rain and drifts of snow 
 — would, like Ian McLaren's ""Dr. McClure,'' risk his life 
 in crossing" swollen streams, go cold and hungry in trying 
 to relieve the sick and suffering, when he never did and 
 never expected to receive a cent of pay. Dr. and Mrs. 
 Boyer raised a large family of sons and daughters. They 
 stuck to the home they first made in the Des Moines 
 bottom. The Dr. died a few years ago, but Mrs. Boyer 
 lives there still, and though well along in years she is^ in 
 full possession of all her mental faculties. Mrs. Boyer 
 is honored, respected and loved by a large circle of 
 neighbors and acquaintances; she has too noble a nature 
 to be puffed up with wealth; she is genial, generous, and 
 has been for more than fifty years what is called a valu- 
 able neighbor. Her children, grandchildren and great- 
 grandchildren may well rise up and call her blessed. 
 Her sons are fine business men. F. D. and T. H. Boyer, 
 sons of hers, carry on an extensive trade in clothing, F. 
 D. in Oskaloosa and T. H. in Sioux City. People of 
 Sioux City call T. H. Boyer the finest-looking man in 
 their town. Dr. and Mrs. Boyer's oldest daughter is the 
 wife of one of Oskaloosa's most esteemed citizens and 
 best business men, Mr. J. R. Barnes. Mr. Barnes is 
 cashier of the Mahaska County State Bank. F. D., 
 "Frank," as we call him, is not only a successful busi- 
 ness man, but has a heart so full of kindness he can't 
 turn a deaf ear to those who go to him for sympathy or 
 more substantial help. His wife, too, is never too busy 
 nor too tired to fly to the bedside of a sick neighbor. 
 Her deft hands know just what to do and just how to 
 soothe the suffering. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 223 
 
 Van B. Delashmutt was another one of the substan- 
 tial men who came in '43, and was wise enoug"h to secure 
 a larg^e tract of that wonderful production, Des Moines 
 bottom land. He built his house where one could look 
 out of the front door and see that river, could look across 
 and see a border of trees festooned with wild grape vines 
 which, when let alone, take on varied and beautiful 
 shapes. In the early times, when there was no fruit but 
 wild fruit, we went with great baskets to the Des Moines 
 River, in the Delashmutt neighborhood, and gathered 
 bushels of wild grapes and plums. 
 
 Mr. Delashmutt was a Virginian, from that part of 
 the "Old Dominion" where there were big mountains, 
 big trees and big broad-shouldered men with big souls. 
 He belonged to the latter class, as I have often heard his 
 neighbors assert. One of his daughters married Judge 
 J. A. L. Crookham, a prominent citizen of Oskaloosa. 
 She died when a young woman, leaving two children, 
 William and Elizabeth Euclid. "Euclid," as she is usu- 
 ally called, is a bright, well-informed, scholarly woman, 
 and has for several years been a teacher in Portland, 
 Oregon. William Delashmutt, Van Delashmutt's oldest 
 son, is an honorable, respected citizen of Oskaloosa; he 
 was a man when his father came in '43, and remembers 
 and can relate more incidents of the early settling than 
 any man I know. The Boyers and Delashmutts, have 
 from the first settling of Mahaska County to the present 
 day been prominent families. 
 
 When one hears the Six Mile Prairie spoken of they 
 are sure to associate it with the name of Wilson. Sever- 
 al families of Wilsons, more or less distantly related, 
 
224 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 came in 1843 and took possession of large bodies of the 
 public domain, situated in that region so famed for its 
 beauty and fertility. The Wilsons, like the Boyers and 
 Delashmutts, it seems, knew when they had a good thing 
 and were wise enough to hold on to it. In driving about 
 through that region of line farms, ever and anon one 
 comes to a substantial, thrifty-looking and well-kept 
 place, belonging to one or another of the Wilsons. One 
 of the Wilsons whom I hear called "Tom," has a fine 
 farm and a fine house on the river's brink, where he 
 raises corn which is simply immense, and melons rivaling 
 the tropics. In coming from the Tom W^ilson place to- 
 ward Oskaloosa one sees another of the kind of farms 
 which delight the eye and makes one feel that this is in- 
 deed a land of plenty. Milo Wilson lives there with his 
 intelligent wife and eight sons, surrounded by fields fairly 
 groaning with their burden of that king of Iowa's pro- 
 ductions, and smiling fields of clover. Not far from 
 Milo Wilson's and near the northern boundary of Six 
 Mile Prairie lives another family of Wilsons, Mr. Blake 
 Wilson, his charming wife and two bright children, and 
 with them Mrs. Wilson, mother of Milo and Blake. 
 
 This morning, which is the 7th day of August, 1898, 
 my son Quincy and I proposed taking a drive. After 
 Quincy had harnessed our good old horse "Jim" to the 
 phaeton and we were seated therein, Quincy said: "Now, 
 mother, where shall we drive?" I proposed that we 
 drive out to Blake Wilson's. ''Jim" is in his twenty-first 
 year, has been a faithful servant in our family for more 
 than fourteen years, and in all that time has never been 
 known to balk nor kick nor run away, nor anything unbe- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 225 
 
 coming' in a horse. He never comes to a railroad track 
 that he don't look up and down to see if a train is coming-. 
 If a train happens to be coming- he will stop at a proper 
 distance and wait quietly until it has passed. Jim is of 
 ancient and aristocratic lineage. Some of his ancestors 
 were of pure "Barb" stock, which accounts for his sagac- 
 ity, and also accounts for his being as nimble as a colt 
 at his advanced age. Jim never did a hard day's work in 
 his life, but willingly takes us wherever we want him to. 
 So this morning we turned his head toward Beacon, 
 which is the nicest mining town about here. Many years 
 ago a good class of Welsh people emigrated to America 
 and settled in and around Beacon, among them being four 
 brothers named Price, Jenkin, Joshua, Watkin and John 
 R. These, with many others, were quick to see the pos- 
 sibilities of acquiring wealth in this land of beauty and 
 vast resources. The coal which we used to think of so 
 little account was not overlooked by them, nor the rich 
 farming lands above it. The Price brothers were edu- 
 cated men, and had the faculty of turning both their 
 mental and physical powers to account in many branches 
 of business. Many massive stone abutments where fine 
 bridges span Iowa's rivers are the work of the Prices. 
 They have built hundreds of miles of railroad, have held 
 county offices, run stores and made successful farmers. 
 Qnincy and I passed the Joshua Price farm to-day, where 
 a substantial brick residence and barns and other out- 
 buildings are so numerous one would almost take it for a 
 village. 
 
 Not far from Beacon, and just after reaching the top 
 of Muchakinock hill we come to the edge of Six Mile 
 
 15 
 
226 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Prairie. It was there a scene of beauty met our gaze. 
 To the right, to the left, in front of us, lay an expanse of 
 green richness which no tongue nor pen nor artist's brush 
 can truly describe. On one side a vast field of great tall 
 corn, the blades so green they were fairly black, and as 
 far as we could see down the road, were great long ears 
 protruding from the stalks, dressed in their red and white 
 silk. Wheat stacks, oat stacks, green meadows and fields 
 of red clover send out a perfume which nothing but clover 
 can give. Herds of Jersey cows were contentedly crop- 
 ping nutritious grass, reminding one of rich cream and 
 yellow butter. My heart swelled with gratitude to the 
 giver of all this beauty and luxury and plenty. I was 
 reading last night about the poor starving, famishing 
 wretches in Spain. The thought came to me: "If those 
 poor hungry creatures could be transported from that 
 land of desolation and set down in the Six Mile Prairie, 
 how like heaven it would seem to them." 
 
 Away over to the southwest was that smoky line 
 which we all know means "over a. river." Farm houses 
 neat and commodious, surrounded by orchards, gardens 
 and flowers, loom up in various directions. Just in front 
 of us in plain view is a farm ; the lay of the land is per- 
 fect, the pleasant-looking residence, the substantial barn, 
 and every other building seems to be in exactly the right 
 place. That is Blake Wilson's. We were on the main 
 road to one of the Des Moines river bridges, but we 
 turned into a lane which led to Mr. Wilson's house. As 
 we neared the gate we were struck with the neatness of 
 the barn-yard, the lawn around the house, and even in 
 the lane outside the grass was shorn and not a weed was 
 
REMINISCENCES. 227 
 
 allowed to raise its head along the fence. The grass on 
 the lawn had been cut with a lawn-mower and was like 
 velvet, with no scraggly ends about the fence, nor flower 
 beds nor porch. Every tree and post stood out clean; 
 no straggling spears of grass were left about their roots. 
 
 Young Mrs. Wilson saw us as we drove up to the 
 gate, and came flying out, her face beaming with hospi- 
 tality. We informed her that we had only come to make 
 a short call. T just wanted to talk a little with her 
 mother about the early days on "Six Mile." Quincy 
 hitched Jim to a post, then went to the barn to find Mr. 
 Blake. Mrs. Blake and I went in the house, and I never 
 sat down until I had seen all the rooms down stairs. 
 There was no attempt at display, but everything looked 
 orderly, cozy, comfortable and restful. Presently Mrs. 
 Wilson, Sr., came in and we let our tongues run for about 
 an hour, me asking questions and she answering, all 
 about her experiences in the beginning of things on the 
 "Six Mile.'' Mrs. Wilson is over eighty years old, but 
 don't look like she was near that old. She moves about 
 with ease, her eyes are bright, her hair is a beautiful iron 
 gray, abundant for one of her age, and lies in waves. 
 Her mental faculties don't seem at all impaired, and she 
 is an interesting talker. She, with her husband and 
 young family came from Virginia in '42, stopped in Wash- 
 ington County the first year, came to Mahaska County 
 and the Six Mile Prairie in '43, and moved into a cabin 
 without a floor. The first night a pouring rain wet every- 
 thing and flooded the house; they dug a ditch across the 
 room to let the water out. They were glad to get corn 
 bread, and sometimes lived on hominy, but with it all she 
 
228 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 never become discourag-ed nor low-spirited. Her experi- 
 ences in those times of hardship and privation were like 
 many others. 
 
 Mr. Wilson died in 1872, leaving his family well pro- 
 vided for. Mrs. Wilson is well situated in her declining- 
 years. While we were talking her g^randson came in, a 
 brig-ht little boy of some seven or eig^ht years. She 
 called him to her and introduced him to me, then said: 
 "Here is a boy who has never g-iven his grandmother a 
 saucy word nor an unkind look." Both Mrs. Wilsons and 
 I went out on the lawn where were beds and borders of 
 flowers — not many of the old-fashioned kind we used to 
 love so much, but beg^onias, g-eraniums, pansies, and many 
 others with great long scientific names never heard of by 
 Six Mile people in the forties. Pretty rocks and shells 
 from the Des Moines River were arranged around the 
 edges with delicate ferns growing between. While we 
 were admiring the various colors and shades of the 
 bright-faced pansies, Quincy brought Mr. Wilson up from 
 the barn, who, with face beaming all over with good wilt 
 and good humor, grasped my hand, gave it a hearty 
 shake, then immediately set about gathering and arrang- 
 ing for me a boquet of those beautiful flowers. I was 
 surprised to see the skill and taste which he displayed in 
 arranging those flowers. One would have thought he 
 had been brought up a florist, but it was just his innate 
 perception of beauty and harmony. When he had finished 
 the boquet and presented it to me with the gallantry of a 
 Chesterfield, he invited me to walk to the garden to see 
 his California beans, which certainly were a curiosity, — 
 whether useful or not remains to be determined. But it 
 
REMINISCENCES. ^29 
 
 does look curious to see a bean start out away up toward 
 the top of a pole, and grow and grow so long- that its 
 point drags the ground. That is the way Mr. Blake 
 Wilson's California beans are threatening to do. I told 
 Mr. Wilson he ought to sketch that scene as it appeared 
 from the point where we were standing. He seemed to 
 have so much of the artist in himself I was sure he could 
 do it. 
 
 The country northwest of Oskaloosa and border- 
 ing on the Skunk River timber was seized by some of the 
 same sort of men I have been trying to tell about, who 
 came in '4'^ and '44. There were the Troys, the Liters, 
 the Padgetts, the Coffins, Samuel and John, all of whom 
 made claims,- and with their families endured the same 
 kind of crude living I have so often described. Their 
 little cabins were built along the edge of the timber, with 
 plenty of prairie for farming lying to the south. There 
 were numerous groves a little way out from the main 
 timber, which made that region attractive in its primeval 
 state. The land, like all other land in this region, was 
 rich and lay well for farming. John Coffin and Samuel 
 were brothers. Their land joined. Both had families, 
 each having several children. John Coffin was killed by 
 a horse in the summer of 1852, and was buried in the 
 Friends' burying ground at Spring Creek. His wife 
 Eleanor remained on the farm where they first settled and 
 brought up her children, who are respected and useful 
 members of society. 
 
 I knew more about Samuel Coffin and his family than 
 any I have mentioned of the early inhabitants of that 
 neighborhood. Though Samuel Coffin was a distant rela- 
 tive of mine, I never met him until the fall of '44. He 
 
230 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 then was about thirty-six years old, tall and straight and 
 full of vigor, pluck and energy. He had all the qualities 
 necessary in battling with the hardships which attend 
 the settling of a new country. He was honest, honor- 
 able and brave. His ancestors were Nantucket whale- 
 fishers, who were not afraid of small things, and Samuel 
 Coffin inherited many of the traits of character which 
 those hardy seaman were said to have possessed. They 
 were said to be fearless, honorable, with an innate prin- 
 ciple of justice pervading their whole nature. They 
 were a "law unto themselves.'" I think Samuel Coffin 
 possessed every trait which I have mentioned, and all 
 his old neighbors will agree with me in saying: If 
 Samuel Coffin ever did a mean or dishonorable act, he 
 did violence to his own nature. He provided well for 
 his own household, and was always ready to help a friend 
 or neighbor if he found them in trouble. Samuel Coffin 
 was a fine looking man when in his prime. His hair and 
 eyes were dark. There was a look of strength and genu- 
 ineness in his face which inspired one with confidence. 
 Even when in trouble himself, he could always find a 
 comforting word for those who sought his sympathy and 
 help. A man like Samuel Coffin is a blessing to any 
 neighborhood. His wife Sophia, who came with him to 
 this fair wildness, and shared with him the inconvenience 
 of a little cabin in a new country, was a handsome 
 woman, with dark hair and dark blue eyes, and a com- 
 plexion like cream and roses, which the prairie winds even 
 could not spoil. She was not only handsome, but a 
 lovely, gentle, sweet-spirited woman. 
 
 My husband and I, in the early times would mount 
 
REMINISCENCES. 231 
 
 our horses and g"o dashing- over the hills and hollows, 
 many a time to Samuel and Sophia Coffin's, where we 
 were sure to be received with a smiling- welcome from 
 both. Samuel would take Gorrell off to look at his big- 
 corn and his pigs, and after a while they would come 
 back with their arms full of great luscious melons. While 
 our husbands were looking at the crops, I would help 
 Sophia g'et dinner, and such quantities of fried chicken 
 and cream g-ravy and peas and potatoes, and hot biscuit 
 and honey and butter and coffee with good rich cream, 
 we would have on the table in that little cabin when our 
 husbands returned. We hardly ever saw an apple and 
 never a peach in those days, but when the time of year 
 came around we had melons and blackberries and plums. 
 It was not unusual in those days to find a hollow tree 
 wherein was a colony of bees and g'reat quantities of 
 honey. I have heard of hundreds of pounds of honey 
 being- found in a single tree in the Skunk river timber. 
 It was a fortunate thing- for the early settlers that the 
 Lord sent the bees on ahead to prepare that excellent 
 substitute for sug-ar. Money and sug-ar both were scarce 
 then. Wild grapes, wild plums and wild blackberries 
 abounded in the timber along- Skunk river, but none of 
 them make very good pies or sauce without being sweet- 
 ened, and that honey just fixed things. Many a black- 
 berry cobbler have I seen and tasted, which had been 
 sweetened with the product of those bee-trees. Samuel 
 Coffin was not only a successful farmer and cattle raiser 
 and pig- raiser, but could find a bee-tree if there hap- 
 pened to be one any where in his region. When a man 
 found a bee-tree he would cut his name or initials on it. 
 
232 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 and it was about as dangerous to "jump" a bee-tree as it 
 was to "jump" a claim. 
 
 Samuel and Sophia Coffin had an iateresting family, 
 four sons and three daughters, bright, handsome chil- 
 dren. They added to their acres and other possessions, 
 and were beginning to be comfortably fixed, when death 
 broke into that happy family and took the beautiful and 
 gentle wife and mother. 
 
 After seeing the last spade full of earth placed and 
 made into a mound over all that was mortal of the wife 
 of his youth, that strong man, with a heavy heart, went 
 back to his desolate home and sat down among his 
 motherless children and wept. His heart was sad, the 
 world looked dark, all joy seemed to have departed, never 
 to return, but before long he began to realize that he 
 could not afford to sit and nurse his grief, as there was a 
 family of children, some of them mere babies, who had 
 to be provided for. His cares were doubled. He had to 
 fill the place of father and mother too, but he possessed 
 great strength of character, could surmount difficulties 
 that many a man would sink under. He cast his own 
 griefs and heart-aches in the back-ground and went on 
 toiling and planning and doing the best he could for his 
 •own family and any others who came in his way and 
 needed assistance. After a year or two he married Susan 
 Lister, a daughter of Henry Lister, an old settler in 
 Oskaloosa. Susan was a good girl, good looking and a 
 conscientious Christian. To that union were born nine 
 children, five daughters and four sons. Although Samuel 
 Coffin had an unusually numerous family to support, they 
 were all well provided for. Every one of his eight 
 
REMINISCENCES. 2S3 
 
 daug^hters grew to respectable womanhood, and I have 
 been told, married good men. Hampton Cruzen, one of 
 Mahaska's prosperous farmers who died a year or two 
 ago, married Sarah, the oldest. Eliza, the next, is the 
 wife of Mr. Stephen Pomeroy. another of Mahaska's suc- 
 cessful farmers and respected citizens. Mary, the beauty 
 of them all, married Mr. Carl Barr, and is living- in Ft. 
 Madison. When I say that Mary is the beauty, I don't 
 mean that the others are not g"ood looking-, for every one 
 of them are more than ordinarily good looking". But 
 Mary was decidedly handsome. Several of that numer- 
 ous household have joined the great majority, their 
 graves are as widely separated as are the living mem- 
 bers. 
 
 Samuel and John Coffin, like all the other Coffins in 
 the United States, are descendants of Tristram and 
 Diones Coffin, who came from England in 1642 and settled 
 at Salisbury in Massachusetts. In 1660 Tristram Coffin 
 and nine others purchased the island of Nantucket. 
 There they settled in that year and not long after en- 
 gaged in the whale-fishing business. Those Nantucket 
 people followed that business successfully through sev- 
 eral generations. They traversed every known sea, (I 
 mean all the oceans) and sold their cargoes in every sea- 
 port in Europe and many other parts of the world. One 
 visiting Nantucket to-day can see in those quaint old 
 houses, relicts in the way of elegant furniture, paintings, 
 china and silver ware brought by those whale -fishers to 
 their wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. In course 
 of time the little island of Nantucket became so thickly 
 inhabited with Coffins and Maceys, and Gardners and 
 
234 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Starbucks and Michells and Folgers and Russells and so 
 forth, that they began to find homes and busmess in 
 other parts of the western hemisphere. There is said to 
 be twenty-five thousand persons in the United States 
 who can trace their lineage directly to Tristram and 
 Diones Coffin, those first settlers on that island. It is 
 said also that all the Coffins in this country are of that* 
 family. One William Coffin, a great grandson of Tris- 
 tram, and whose wife was Priscilla Paddock, emigrated 
 to North Carolina not very long before the Revolutionary 
 war. These were the ancestors of Samuel and John, 
 whom I have been telling about. The Coffins are great 
 people to keep track of their lineage and most of them 
 reverence their ancestors, and many of the family names 
 are kept going from generation to generation. Priscilla 
 is a name common among the Coffins. I have heard that - 
 Priscilla Paddock was a very superior woman and of an 
 excellent family, therefore in every generation of Coffins 
 since her time there has been many Priscillas. Mrs. 
 Priscilla Prine, of Oskaloosa, a very excellent and in- 
 telligent lady, is a daughter of John Coffin. Samuel 
 Coffin was a Christian and died in peace at the age of 
 seventy one years, honored and respected by all who 
 knew him. The largest funeral procession ever seen in 
 Mahaska county was said to be the one that followed the 
 remains of Samuel Coffin to their last resting place in 
 Forest cemetery. 
 
 Erastus and Thomas, sons of Samuel Coffin, own and 
 occupy farms and have commodious residences not far 
 from the old homestead where they were brought up. 
 Frank, another son, lives in Nebraska. I hear that 
 
REMINISCENCES. 235 
 
 Frank is not only a prosperous farmer, but is a man 
 amongst men. Samuel, the youngest of that numerous 
 family, was a little boy when his father died, but now a 
 tall, fine looking man, and people say is a veritable "chip 
 off the old block." He lives in Colorado and is engaged 
 in railroading. I was not at all surprised to hear a good 
 report of "little Sammy" as we used to call him, for I 
 had reason to know that he was an honest and honorable 
 little boy. 
 
236 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 If we drive out west from Oskaloosa on the Pella 
 road, almost immediately on quitting- the town, we will 
 beg-in to enter what is known as the Prine neighborhood, 
 and as we drive on we can see here and there and yonder 
 fine houses, g-reat barns, big- pastures wherein are herds 
 of big- fat cattle. Many of these fine places which show 
 such evidences of thrift belong- to one or another of the 
 Prines. The old set of Prines, Henry, Dan and Kin 
 Prine, came in an early day when land was cheap. They 
 boug-ht large tracts of that beautiful rolling prairie, 
 whereon was only the wild prairie grass and flowers. 
 They broke the sod, fenced their broad acres, and in the 
 course of time planted immense orchards, builded fine 
 houses and barns, and now their children and grand- 
 children are living and flourishing all about them. 
 
 Beautiful and commodious houses and well kept 
 lawns, bright with flowers and surrounded with maples 
 and elms adorn the place where once was A. G. Phillips' 
 double log house, big barn, log stables, and long row of 
 corn -pens. The house was on the south side of the lane 
 
REMINISCENCES. 237 
 
 and opposite was a great gate with immense posts 
 painted red. Above these posts a sign was erected, 
 high enough for any wagon to pass under, whereon was 
 painted in letters large enough to be seen a long way off 
 the words ''Wagon Yard," which meant a place where 
 people traveling in wagons could find a stopping place 
 and could procure, not only provender for their teams, 
 but shelter and food for themselves. If they chose they 
 could find plenty of room to cami) and boil their coffee 
 on a fire made on the ground. People with various pur- 
 poses in traveling and of various degrees of intelligence 
 and culture often made Mr. Phillips' house a stopping 
 place. I remember one gentleman in particular who was 
 traveling in a two-horse wagon loaded with tobacco 
 which he was wholesaling to merchants or storekeepers 
 in the little towns which were springing up through the 
 country. This gentleman's name was Henderson and 
 was from Illinois. Mr. Henderson seemed to be about 
 fifty years old, was rather heavy set, strong looking and 
 had a fine head and face. His first appearance at my 
 father-in-law's was on a Saturday, and he remained over 
 Sunday. It did'nt take long for us to discover that he 
 was no ordinary man. My father-in-law soon engaged 
 liim in conversation, and the rest of us listened and 
 stared. They talked on politics, they talked of the 
 church, they talked about the Mexican war and its prob- 
 able consequences, they talked about the half-breed 
 tract and the legal intricasies attending it. Mr. Hender- 
 son made several trips through here and always managed 
 to come on Saturday and stay over Sunday. One Sunday 
 in the summer of '47, when my husband and I were living 
 
238 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 in our little log house, down on that beautiful ridge, my 
 father-in-law brought Mr. Henderson to our house and I 
 prepared dinner for them. I felt that I was entertaining 
 a very brilliant man, or that a very brilliant man was 
 entertaining me, for while I fried the chicken and pre- 
 pared the best of everything else I could muster up for 
 dinner, I Was listening to the wise and brilliant things 
 that man was saying with the greatest interest. I don't 
 think he took much notice of me, for I felt myself too 
 ignorant to take any part in the conversation. If he di- 
 rected a remark to me I could only say "yes sir" or "no 
 sir," and simper and turn red in the face. But I could 
 listen, and did listen, which I think now was better than 
 to have tried to carry on a conversation with a man who 
 possessed such a vast amount ot knowledge and was so 
 capable of instructing those who were willing to listen. 
 Mr. Henderson, we learned, had been a noted political 
 speaker in Illinois, had been a candidate on the Whig 
 ticket for lieutenant-governor, but was defeated. In one 
 of Mr. Henderson's trips through Iowa he stopped in 
 Iowa City. 
 
 The legislature was in session, and one of its mem- 
 bers who happened to know something about Mr. Hen- 
 derson's ability as a speaker, invited him to visit the 
 body, introduced him to some of the members and hinted 
 that he was able to interest an audience and so forth, 
 whereupon he was invited to give a talk, which he did, 
 and it was said not only interested, but electrified the 
 whole house. After it was over, Asberry Porter slapped 
 Micajah Williams on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Cage! 
 Did you ever see such a common looking old codger that 
 
REMINISCENCES. 239 
 
 could say so many smart things?" Mr. Henderson was 
 dressed in a suit of home-made jeans, but did not apolo- 
 gize for his plain dress nor his seemingly humble 
 occupation. 
 
 In the summer of 1847 the people in and around 
 Oskaloosa were thrown into a state of excitement and 
 expectation, on hearing that a large colony of Hollanders 
 were coming through here and were going to settle and 
 build a town on the divide about eighteen miles north- 
 west of Oskaloosa. We were told that these people were 
 a very pious set of protestant Christians who had left 
 their native country on account of religious persecution. 
 We knew very little of Holland and Hollanders. I mean 
 the people generally. A few of us had learned from our 
 geographies that Holland was a country of canals and 
 much of its land had been reclaimed from the sea, and 
 every foot was utilized and cultivated until Holland was 
 one vast garden and net work of water-ways, outside of 
 its towns and cities. We had some vague recollections 
 of having heard or read of Holland being a place of 
 refuge for those who were persecuted for their religious 
 belief. It seemed a little strange that Holland people 
 should be seeking refuge among us for the same cause. 
 Not many of us had ever seen a Hollander, and when 
 they came along the road in various kinds of wagons 
 drawn by various kinds of teams, we gazed in wonder at 
 their quaint and unfamiliar ap23earance. Their dress 
 was strange to us. Women were perched upon high piles 
 of queer looking chests and boxes and trunks, many of 
 them wearing caps, but no bonnets. Some of the men, 
 and women too, wore wooden shoes, which was entirely 
 
240 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 new to us. We were prepared to think well of this peo- 
 ple, for we had heard only good of their character. We 
 had been told that they were an honest, moral, industri- 
 ous. God-fearing people, and from that time to the present 
 have never heard it disputed. Many of them stopped at 
 my father-in-law's place to purchase provender for their 
 teams. Some took meals with us, some camped out in 
 the lane or barnyard. But whether they had their meals 
 in the house, or by a camp fire, or simply took a lunch in 
 their hands and sat on the wagon tongue to eat it, not 
 one of them failed to bow their heads and give thanks. 
 In the winter following there was much passing up 
 and down the road in quest of supplies for the colony. 
 They would come in to warm, take off their wooden shoes 
 by the fire, throw a shovel full of coals and hot ashes in 
 each shoe, shake them around, throw the fire out, slap 
 on their shoes again, light their pipes and be ready for 
 another spell of battling with cold. All these Hollanders 
 had money, some had a good deal, and they all seemed 
 to know the best way to invest it. That colony was an 
 organized body. Mr. H. P. Scholte was their president. 
 He was a fine looking man, and looked like a leader of 
 men. He was not only their leader in temporal affairs, 
 but was their minister. People used to speak of Mr. 
 Scholte as the Hollander's "Prophet, Priest and 
 King." Soon after the founding of the town of Pella, 
 Mr. Scholte built and occupied near the center what in 
 that day was thought to be a very fine house, and back 
 of it laid out a garden, covering many acres. Fruit 
 trees, ornamental trees and flowering shrubs were taste- 
 fully arranged by a landscape gardner. Wide walks and 
 
REMINISCENC ES. 241 
 
 narrow paths traversed it throughout. The useful was 
 interming'led with the ornamental. Evenly planted and 
 carefully tended squares of cabbage and rows of peas 
 were ornamented with boarders of flowers. A place like 
 that would be called a park in these days. The fame of 
 "Scholte's garden'' spread far and near, and persons for 
 miles around would drive to Pella on purpose to see it. 
 
 Some of the Holland families who came to Pella in 
 the beginning were wealthy, educated and cultivated, 
 among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Bosquet and their boys, 
 Peter and Henry. Those boys as I recollect them forty- 
 six years ago were perfect models of good breeding. 
 Their mother was a handsome and a lovely lady. I have 
 been told by one who knows, that every member of that 
 colony brought with them from their native home, a 
 certificate of good character. It was'nt long before their 
 superior farming and gardening began to be noticed and 
 talked about, and many slovenly farmers were induced 
 to make more out of their rich lands through the example 
 of those frugal and thrifty Hollanders. They were not 
 only industrious and prosperous but were hospitable. I 
 used to hear it said that in every Hollander's house the 
 coffee pot was always on the fire and every stranger or 
 neighbor who entered was offered a cup of hot coffee and 
 some kind of cakes, no matter what time of day it was. 
 Those people made the journey from their native land to 
 the land of their adoption through great tribulation. 
 Many died at sea, and with aching hearts they witnessed 
 the burying of precious ones in the deep, deep sea. But 
 they were a people of faith, the kind of faith which gave 
 courage to endure almost all things. We used to wonder 
 
 16 
 
242 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 at the pluck, the endurance and the patience of those 
 people. I think every observing person who has watched 
 their progress and methods from that first colony's ar- 
 rival to the present time will say the Hollanders have 
 been no detriment to this country. Every man of them 
 took the oath of allegiance to the United States soon 
 after they came. Many of them enlisted in the army 
 and fought bravely in the war of the rebellion. They 
 learned long ago how to manage the rich Iowa soil and 
 their magnificent farms with commodious buildings reach 
 out miles and miles in every direction from Pella. They 
 were quick to learn the language and ways of Ameri- 
 cans, have engaged in many kinds of business and been 
 successful. Have been elected to and faithfully filled 
 offices of trust. I have one now in my mind, Mr. Stephen 
 DeCook, who has served several terms as county com- 
 missioner, with credit to himself and to his constituents. 
 Mr. DeCook carries in his right arm the effects and scars 
 of a rebel bullet. He is one of Mahaska's successful 
 farmers. Is an all around manly man — fine looking — • 
 rather tall with broad shoulders. An honest face. Mr. 
 DeCook is a Christian gentleman and a man of peace. Is 
 always on the right side of every moral or political 
 question. He is not given to controversy, but if at- 
 tacked is fully able to give a reason for the faith within 
 him. He has a nice family and provides well for his own 
 household, but is not forgetful in entertaining strangers. 
 He could'nt very well do any other way for the blood of 
 the Huguenot runs in his veins, his ancestors having 
 taken refuge in the Netherlands from persecution in 
 France. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 243 
 
 Even among" those Pilgrims who had fled from relig- 
 ious persecution in Holland and were professed lovers 
 of Democracy, there were deg^rees in the social scale. 
 The wealthy and educated and more refined were ex- 
 clusive. They broug^ht their ideas of social position with 
 them. The social line between master and servant, or 
 employer and employed, was much moi-e marked than 
 with Americans of this new western country. A young 
 lady who belong^ed to a family of "upper ten" Hollanders 
 once said to me: "I never worked in Holland for it was 
 considered disgraceful there for a lady to work, but in 
 America I find it is thought to be disgraceful for a lady 
 not to work. ' ' 
 
 Late in the forties and early in the fifties, to Oska- 
 loosa's inhabitants were added many worthy and inter- 
 esting people. In the autumn of 1847, Smith & Cameron 
 having- sold out their store, a young man by the name of 
 John Rhodes, from Virginia, came and opened out a 
 store in the room formerly occupied by them at the 
 southeast corner of the public square on the ground 
 where Will Neagle's store is now. Mr. Rhodes kept a 
 store of general merchandise. In addition to the things 
 usually kept in a store at that time, he created a little 
 sensation by displaying a small stock of ready made 
 clothing for men. That being the first time such goods 
 had been ottered for sale in Oskaloosa. Mr. Rhodes had 
 tact in displaying his goods and drawing customers. He 
 was a tall, fine looking man, was genial and full of good 
 humor — was polite and kind to- everybody. He soon 
 made friends of all the young men about town, and they 
 would congregate in his store of evenings and he would 
 
244 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 entertain them with plantation songs, play on the banjo 
 and make things interesting generally. I don't think 
 Oskaloosa citizens had ever heard "Uncle Ned," "Sus- 
 anna," "Nellie Bly" nor "I'm Just from Old Virginia" 
 until Mr. Rhodes introduced those choice bits of song 
 and melody. But not long after boys could be heard on 
 the streets whistling and singing snatches of Mr. Rhodes' 
 songs. 
 
 In those days ladies did their shopping in the day 
 time; they never ventured in a store at night unless the 
 case was a very urgent one. But men would congregate 
 in the stores, on winter evenings especially, gather 
 around the stove and have a social time. Mr. Rhodes' 
 store was made especially attractive for such gatherings. 
 I never heard of anything more harmful being done in 
 those meetings, than playing on the banjo, singing 
 negro songs and telling funny stories. 
 
 In a year or two Mr. Rhodes went back to Virginia, 
 married the girl he was engaged to before he came, 
 brought her to Oskaloosa, but before long they left here. 
 Mr. Rhodes was doing a good business, but I have heard 
 that Mrr. Rhodes was not content to live in a small place 
 like Oskaloosa. 
 
 To us who had trodden down the wild prairie grass 
 in the public square and streets of Oskaloosa, and seen 
 it grow from a dozen of the smallest and crudest log 
 cabins to a town of eight or ten hundred people in three 
 or four years, it seemed like a town of some consequence 
 and we were proud of it, and jealous of its reputation. 
 We had very little sympathy with anybody who made 
 disparaging remarks about our town, or didn't think it 
 a good enough place for anybody to live. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 245 
 
 A number of substantial and intellig^ent people came 
 and located in and about Oskaloosa along about the time 
 I am telling' of —from '47 to '52. Among- others was D. 
 W. Loring. He came here when a young man, engaged 
 in mercantile business, was a steady, unpretending, in- 
 telligent young man. There was no foolishness about 
 him. He attended strictly to business and from the first 
 was prosperous. I have known Mr. Loring for nearly 
 half a century, and in all these years have never know^n 
 or heard of his doing a dishonorable act. 
 
 _ After Mr. Loring had been in business here two or 
 three years he went back to his old home in Ohio and 
 was married to Miss Mary Soule, and straightway 
 brought her to Oskaloosa. Mrs. Loring was strikingly 
 handsome. Her form was graceful and willowy, her eyes 
 were brown and sparkling, and an abundance of the most 
 beautiful golden-brown hair adornod her shapely head. 
 She was dignified without being haughty. Her tastes 
 were* all refined, her manners gracious. Mrs. Loring 
 was an educated, well-informed, lovely Christian lady. 
 Mr. Loring perhaps had what was called "a good start in 
 a new country," but he and his young wife went to 
 housekeeping in a small house, with not more than three 
 or four rooms, but before many years they were estab- 
 lished in a substantial and commodious residence fur- 
 nished with comfort and luxuries, among which is one of 
 the largest and most select private libraries in Oskaloosa, 
 and that is saying a good deal, for there are many fine 
 private libraries in Oskaloosa. 
 
 Mr. Loring has now retired from active business, 
 but for more than forty years was one of Oskaloosa' s 
 
246 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 leading" merchants, having the confidence of all classes, 
 especially Mahasiva county's substantial farmers. When 
 one went to his store, he could always be found at his 
 desk. I never heard of his being" in financial trouble. 
 Many young" men have learned g"ood business habits by 
 working in Mr. Loring-'s store. Although Mr. Loring 
 has always had the reputation of being an honest, 
 straightforward, level-headed business man, it was not 
 at the expense of the culture of his own mind nor of the 
 minds of his family. When the business of the day was 
 over, he walked straight to his home, where, surround- 
 ed by his interesting family, he enjoyed "a feast of 
 reason and flow of soul."' Mr. Loring supplied his family 
 with valuable books and high class literature. They all 
 read and were well informed. When they surrounded 
 their beautiful and daintily spread table, they made it a 
 rule, or naturally fell into the habit of discussing ques- 
 tions of scientific, religious, historic or literary interest, 
 which rendered their meals a double feast. A talented 
 gentleman, who was also a minister once remarked to 
 me that Mrs. Loring was an exceedingly well informed 
 lady, especially in the Holy scriptures. Although Mr. 
 Loring has made what is called a success in life, he has 
 enjoyed the confidence and respect of the whole com- 
 munity where he has lived so many years. He has had 
 to drink of the "cup of sorrow." Has seen the wife of 
 his youth fade away and go out of his home forever, and 
 not long after all that was mortal of his gifted and gentle 
 daughter. Mary was laid beside her mother. One 
 solace is left to him in his declining years, his son Frank 
 - his only living child. Frank Loring is a young busi- 
 
REMINISCENCES 247 
 
 ness man of unblemished reputation. The home, with 
 its beautiful grounds, which Mr. Loring- has owned and 
 occapied for so many years, was once the home of Mr. 
 A. F. Seeberg^er, who came to Oskaloosa in the fifties 
 and engaged in the hardware business on the north side 
 of the square where Huber c^ Kalbach's store is to-day. 
 A more highly-resjiected business man nor a more pol 
 ished gentleman ever graced the town of Oskaloosa than 
 Mr. Seeberger. He remained here a few years, then 
 went to Chicago where he still resides and is one of the 
 prominent citizens of that wonderful city. He is the 
 Mr. Seeberger who was treasurer of the World's Colum- 
 bian Exposition in 1893. 
 
 In 1846 an elderly couple came to Oskaloosa and pur- 
 chased several pieces of property. They were Mr. and 
 Mrs. Willard Cobb. They bought and occupied the house 
 on Lots 7 and 8 in Block 29, o. p., Oskaloosa. Mr. Jolly, 
 a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, built that house 
 and sold it to Mr. Cobb. Mr. Jolly and family went 
 across the plains to Oregon in 1847 with ox teams. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Cobb's children were all married when they 
 came to Oskaloosa except tvv^o daughters, Paulina and 
 Emma Cobb, who were young ladies then. Paulina Cobb 
 married Wm. B. Street, whom I have mentioned before 
 as one of Oskaloosa's first merchants. Their only child. 
 Miss Ida Street, is a graduate of O. H. S. and also of 
 Vassar College. Ida Street is a gifted and charming- 
 young woman whom (Oskaloosa is proud to claim as one 
 of her daughters. Mrs. L. L. Hull, who is mistress of 
 one of the most beautiful homes on East High Avenue, 
 is also a grand-daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willard Cobb. 
 
S4S MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Mr. Wm. Dart, a son-in-law of Willard Cobb, also came 
 to Oskaloosa in 1846 and bought the "Oskaloosa House" 
 of (I think) Orson Kinsman. Mr. and Mrs. Dart kept 
 it a little while, then sold it to John N. Kinsman, who in 
 
 1851 sold it to A. G. Phillips, who in the Spring of 1852 
 sold it to his son, T. G. Phillips. In 1853 T. G. Phillips 
 sold it to Samuel McMurray and J(jhn Prest. Mr. Wil- 
 lard Cobb bought Lot 1, Block 31, o. p., in 1846; a cabin 
 was standing thereon and the Cobbs lived in that cabin a 
 little while in the Summer of '46, until the Jolly family 
 could vacate the better house. Mr. and Mrs. Cobb are 
 buried in White's cemetery, usually called the "Old 
 Cemetery." 
 
 The California gold fever had not subsided, when in 
 
 1852 A. G. Phillips went across the plains by ox team to 
 California. Before starting he sold the undivided two- 
 thirds of the south forty feet of Lot 8, Block 20, o. p., 
 Oskaloosa, to his son, T. G. Phillips, and the undivided 
 one-third of the same he deeded to his wife, Martha 
 Phillips. Mr. A. G. Phillips never returned from Cali- 
 fornia, but died and was buried there. The reason I am 
 so minute in my story of those people and places is this: 
 Many of Oskaloosa's young real estate men when getting 
 up abstracts of title come to me for information about 
 the people who lived here long ago and the property 
 they owned, 
 
 Mr. Daniel Ogilvie was the first man to open out a 
 store exclusively of ready-made clothing. He occupied 
 the house at first on the west side of the public square 
 formerly occupied by Wm. B. Street; but immediately 
 preceding Mr. Ogilvie's occupancy a Mr. James Quinn 
 
REMINISCENCES. 249 
 
 had a stock of books and stationery in that room. Mr. 
 Quinn and his wife were charming people, but the busi- 
 ness w^as not satisfactory so he went back to Muscatine. 
 Mr. Ogilvie and family came in 185'>, bought the house 
 at the northwest corner of A iV venue and Third Street, 
 which was one of the finest locations and pleasantest 
 houses in Oskaloosa at that time. They improved and 
 added to their house until it was commodious and very 
 comfortable. Mrs. Ogilvie and her sisters. Misses Mary 
 and Maggie Young, had a way of making everything 
 about them pretty and attractive. They were not only 
 charming housekeepers, but were hospitable, generous, 
 and charming in their manners. Everybody liked to go 
 to Ogilvie's, and their friends were legion. They enter- 
 tained bountifully, and with a grace which made their 
 guests feel at ease. They never said anything flat or 
 insipid, and their wit and repartee kept one interested 
 and amused from first to last. Lizzie Ogilvie, who was a 
 baby when her parents came to Oskaloosa, grew to be a 
 bright and popular young lady, inheriting the taste and 
 skill in making things pretty and attractive which were 
 so marked in her mother and aunts. One day Mrs. Ogil- 
 vie took me to Lizzie's room just to show it to me. I 
 just stood and gazed and admired the order and beauty 
 which was everywhere. All those beautiful pieces of 
 embroidery and that perfect neatness were the work of 
 Lizzie's hands. I thought I had never seen a room quite 
 so pretty. For many years Mr. Ogilvie was a prominent 
 and successful business man, having a large store on the 
 north side of the square; but some 24 or 25 years ago he 
 moved to Denver, Colorado, where he died soon after 
 
250 Ad A MASK A COUNTY 
 
 settling there. The Ogilvies didn't have to begin in a 
 log cabin and rough it like the rest of us, who first set- 
 tled in Oskaloosa, but were well-to-do when they came. 
 Their house was nicely furnished, their table was boun- 
 tifully supplied with all the good things the town and 
 county afforded, and their meals were served on snowy 
 linen and exquisite china, such as few in those days could 
 afford. Mrs. Ogilvie and her sisters were self-respect- 
 ing and unaffected in manner — liad none of what is 
 termed "company manners." The}^ were generous, be- 
 nevolent and helpful. 
 
 Mrs. Ogilvie resides in Denver, near her daughter 
 Lizzie, whose husband, Mr. Croft, is a prominent railroad 
 man. I hear her spoken of as a model wife and mother. 
 What used to be Miss Mary Young is now the wife of 
 Judge Mann, a prominent citizen of Golden, Colorado, 
 where she presides in a home made beautiful by her taste 
 and skill. Maggie, Mrs. Babcock, lives in Pueblo, Colo- 
 rado, and has been a widow many years. 
 
 Ever and anon those charming ladies visit Oskaloosa, 
 their old home, where they are welcomed by hosts of old 
 time friends. Mr. Milton Young, a brother of Mrs. 
 Ogilvie's, came to Mahaska county when a young man 
 and by industry and honest dealing has accumulated a 
 competence. He is now a citizen of Oskaloosa, where 
 he and his excellent wife and children own and occupy 
 one of Oskaloosa's line homes. Mr. Young came in the 
 fifties and through all these years has been an honorable 
 citizen of unblemished reputation. 
 
 Andrew Young, another brother, was the first of 
 that family to locate in Oskaloosa. He was a young man 
 
Reminiscences. 251 
 
 of honor and business ability. When the war of the re- 
 bellion broke out Andrew Youn*;' was one of the first of 
 Oskaloosa's splendid young" men to enlist in the army, 
 and one of the first of Oskaloosa's splendid young" men 
 to sacrifice his life in defense of his country. Andrew 
 Young- fell at the battle of Belmont. 
 
 Between 1844 and 185() the old tavern built by 
 Charles Purvine on lot 5, block 19, O. P., Oskaloosa, had 
 many owners, many proprietors and many names. Some- 
 times it was not kept as a tavern at all, but was rented 
 to various families as a dwelling'. I can think of several 
 families who have occupied that historic old house, not 
 as tavern keepers; among- them Leper Smith, George 
 Roland, Johnson Edgar and Christian Houtz, and others. 
 Sometimes two or three families would occupy it at the 
 same time. That was along in 184(3 and 1847 when peo- 
 ple were coming in so fast they were glad to find any 
 place to shelter them. In 1848 the Porter brothers 
 bought it and fitted it up and kept it as a hotel for a short 
 time; then a man named Paine kept it a little while. In 
 1851 a family by the name of Sooy from Montezuma pur- 
 chased the house and undertook to keep a house of en- 
 tertainment for the accommodation of the traveling pub- 
 lic, but it w^as not a success. Then the Stanleys, a nice 
 family, were there a short time. The Cvertons, very 
 good people, went in and went out. Mr. J. M. White 
 purchased the house in 1853 and rented it to Hugh Mc- 
 Neely, who was one of the first proprietors of the Oxl-a- 
 looxK IlemJil. Mr. McNeely only stayed a year or so, 
 then a Mr. Eastman was, I think, the next to tr}^ his 
 hand at running that much occupied hostelry. I have 
 
252 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 mentioned a few, but not near all the people who in the 
 years from 1844 to 1855 catered to the wants of travelers 
 and others desiring- food and shelter in that house. The 
 name of the house was changed nearly as often but not 
 quite, as its ov/ners and proprietors. "Mahaska House," 
 "Iowa House," "Porter House" and "Eag-le Hotel" were 
 some of the names painted on a board and hung- on a hig^h 
 post out in front far enoug^h for the stag^es and other 
 vehicles to pass between. 
 
 After ten or twelve years of sudden chang^es of pro- 
 prietors, names and reputation, there was a stop to that 
 precarious shifting about. Mr. F. L. Downing", who 
 came to Oskaloosa from London, Ohio, in 1856, purchased 
 the house a ad grounds belong^ing" thereto from Mr. 
 Jerome M. White. Mr. and Mrs. Downing" understood 
 their business. They soon brought order out of chaos, 
 and neatness out of confusion. Mrs. Croney and her 
 daughter Caroline were members of the Downing" family. 
 Mrs. Croney was a host within herself, and her excellent 
 ideas and deft fing"ers added to Mr. and Mrs. Downing's 
 knowledge and ability soon made that much-abused house 
 inviting, attractive and popular. Mr. Downing thought 
 it best to give the house a new name, so he named it 
 "Madison House," They were model hotel-keepers, Mr. 
 Downing being called "the prince of landlords." He 
 made some additions, thoroughly repaired the old part, 
 furnished it comfortably and respectably from one end to 
 the other and always kept it in first-class order. Their 
 table was always supplied with the very best the town 
 and county afforded, and their meals were faultless. No 
 matter at what labor or expense, the Downings always 
 
REMINISCENCES. 253 
 
 kept the Madison House in excellent order. Both Mr. 
 and Mrs. Downing- were not only persons of good taste, 
 but were g^enial, friendly and hospitable. Their hotel 
 was popular. They made money and added to their pos- 
 sessions. 
 
 Mrs. Croney, Mrs. Downing's mother, w^as a promi- 
 nent factor in making that hostlery an attractive place. 
 Her room was one of the coziest and most charming" 
 places imaginable for the ladies about town to drop into 
 and enjoy a pleasant chat. She and her daughter Caro- 
 line always had something amusing or interesting to re- 
 late, as their needles flew in and out of some useful or 
 ornamental piece of work. Mrs. Croney was a devout 
 Methodist, and while she was stitching away would often 
 bring tears to her listeners' eyes as she would relate the 
 sayings of this or that preacher of the by-gone days, or 
 incidents she had witnessed in revivals in the days of her 
 youth. Mrs Croney lived and died in the faith, and as I 
 drive about in Forest Cemetery my old horse "Jim" is 
 sure to stop by a marble slab while I read thereon the 
 name of Lydia Croney, which always brings to my mind 
 incidents I have heard her relate in that charming, cozy 
 room in the Madison House. Her daughter Caroline was 
 a handsome girl. She married Mr. Stephen F. Downing, 
 a brother of F. L. They own and occupy a comfortable 
 and pretty home in one of the finest locations about Os- 
 kaloosa. Stephen Downing is a trusted and successful 
 commercial traveler and one of the most genial of men. 
 Stephen and Caroline have three daughters. Cora, the 
 oldest, is the wife of Mr. Ed Howard, an intelligent and 
 prosperous young business man of Oskaloosa. Cora is 
 
254 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 handsome, sparkling, and a model housekeeper. There 
 are no brighter children in Oskaloosa than her little 
 daughter Hazel and her son Bailey. There is not a home 
 on the outskirts of Oskaloosa where one can have a finer 
 view. of the town than at the home of Stephen and Caro- 
 line Downing. Their place was beautiful as I saw it be- 
 fore a white man had ever cut down a tree or turned a 
 shovel full of soil. Utilit^^ neatness and good taste seem 
 to be inherent in the Dovs^iing and Croney blood. Kate 
 and Mabel, the young ladies of that house, like their 
 mother and grandmother, know how^ to make everything 
 about them useful and attractive. Their rooms are filled 
 with their handiwork and borders of flowers adorn their 
 grounds. 
 
 Charles Croney, Mrs. Croney's son, was not much 
 beyond boyhood when the war of the rebellion broke out, 
 but he enlisted in the army, went through the war with- 
 out getting killed or seriously wounded, but came home 
 broken in health. He died a few years ago in Washing- 
 ton, D. C, leaving a wife and daughter, who live there 
 still. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Downing's daughter Ollie and son 
 D wight were little children when their parents came to 
 Oskaloosa and they grew to womanhood and manhood in 
 Oskaloosa. Ollie married Mr. John Lord, a very su- 
 perior young man. They went to California years ago. 
 D wight chose the law as a profession, married one of 
 Oskaloosa' s nicest and best girls, Miss Grace Durfee, 
 and settled down in the town where he was brought up, 
 and enjoys the reputation of being a reliable, honest and 
 painstaking business man. He looks like his father, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 255 
 
 which is saying" a good deal. Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Down- 
 ing were a handsome and disting-nished looking conple. 
 They were not only leaders in the hotel business, but 
 were leaders in society. Their happy manners and good 
 taste made them favorites among the fashionable. Their 
 benevolence and kindness of heart made them loved by 
 the needy and unfortunate. When Sarah Croney Down- 
 ing was still young" and time had made no wrinkles in that 
 fair face, death, that ruthless reaper, who is no respecter 
 of persons, broke into that family, and that charming 
 wife and mother and friend was his victim. Mrs. Down- 
 ing^'s death was not only a sad bereavement to her im- 
 mediate family, but her wide circle of friends. Very 
 many of Oskaloosa's best jDeople felt her death to be a 
 personal loss to themselves. Though Mrs. Downing- had 
 much to make life dear and this world look bright, she 
 died in the hope and faith of a better life beyond. I can 
 never forg^et the earnest praj^ers and comforting" words 
 uttered by the dying" bed of that suffering" w^oman, by 
 that sweet, saintly Quaker lady, Mary Jane Cook, who 
 has since g-one to her reward, and who knows but Sarah 
 Downing" was one of the first of the redeemed ones to 
 greet her on the "shining shore?" Mrs. Downing"'s fun- 
 eral occurred on the fifth day of Aug"ust, 1869, at the 
 First M. E. church in Oskaloosa. Multitudes from all 
 classes gathered in and about the church, the fashion- 
 able and prosperous to sympathize with the bereaved 
 family and manifest their respect for a departed comrade, 
 the poor and lowly to weep for one who had fed and 
 clothed and sheltered them. The Rev. E. H. Waring, 
 under whose ministry Mrs. Downing was converted, con- 
 
256 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 ducted the funeral services. In his discourse, among 
 other things I remember of his saying: "Among all my 
 acquaintances I know of no Christian lady who had so 
 wide a circle of friends." Mr. Downing was a devoted 
 husband. All through his wife's lingering and painful 
 sickness everything that money could purchase or love 
 invent was lavished on her. Mr. Downing rented the 
 Madison house to Messrs. Vermillion and Ong. Some 
 two or three years after he married Miss Eunice Dart, a 
 daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Albert Dart, of Oskaloosa. 
 Miss Eunice was a popular and handsome young lady. 
 
 In 1874 Mr. Downing moved the Madison house away, 
 and on the ground where it stood erected a three-story 
 brick hotel he named The Downing House. The Down- 
 ing House seemed very complete and grand to Oskaloosa 
 people then, and we were proud of it. Not long after 
 Mr. Downing built the Downing House his health began 
 to fail. He visited various watering places and health 
 resorts, hoping to regain his health, but was not mater- 
 ially benefited. He wouldn't give up, but kept going. 
 One morning feeling unusually depressed, he took the 
 train and fiew off to Colfax. In a few hours a dispatch 
 came to his family, saying, "Mr. Downing is dying!" 
 Not long after, another dispatch came, saying, "Mr. 
 Downing is dead!" His family was heart-broken — his 
 friends shocked and grieved. 
 
 In one of the most beautiful lots in Forest Cemetery 
 two graves lie side by side. At the head a tall marble 
 monument, on which is carved the dates of the birth and 
 death of Foster and Sarah Downing. On the same lot is 
 another grave on which the grass has been growing for 
 
REMINISCENCES. 257 
 
 many years, and there on a marble slab the same kind of 
 a little story is told, only it is Lydia Croney. ''They 
 were united in life, and in death they are not parted." 
 
 All the time I have been writing about the Downings 
 I kept thinking- about the McMullins. Major McMullin 
 and Mr. Downing were in business together many years, 
 and when I think of one I am sure to think of the other. 
 Mrs. Downing and Mrs. McMullin were very intimate 
 friends, too. When Major and Mrs. McMullin and their 
 little daughter Sallie came to Oskaloosa it was Mr. Mc- 
 Mullin. There had been no war in his lifetime to make 
 Majors, and Captains, and Colonels, and Generals of our 
 men as there was not long after. The McMullins came 
 from Ohio, where so many of Oskaloosa's nice people 
 came from. They came in 1855, not quite early enough 
 to live in a log cabin, but they lived in some houses not 
 overly good or roomy at first, but wherever they lived, 
 everything about them was made as neat and pretty as 
 it was possible for them to be made. It didn't take the 
 citizens of Oskaloosa long to discover that the McMul- 
 lins were superior people. They soon drew hosts of 
 friends around them composed of Oskaloosa's best citi- 
 zens. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. McMullin have been worthy and 
 valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church for 
 more than forty years. Their seats are never vacant 
 unless they are unavoidably detained from attending. 
 They are not very loud in their professions, but are al- 
 ways ready to do their full share in maintaining the 
 church. Maj. and Mrs. McMullin are exceedingly hos- 
 pitable. They entertain with a grace and ease not often 
 
 17 
 
258 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 attained. One reason why things move along" so charm- 
 ingly in that elegant and dainty home is this: There is 
 perfect harmony between husband and wife. Their 
 tastes are alike, there is no jarring nor discord. I have 
 heard it said by persons who know well their habits, that 
 there is never an unkind or disrespectful word spoken 
 by one to the other. When the war of the rebellion 
 came Maj. McMullin was one of the first of Oskaloosa's 
 strong and brave and patriotic young men to enlist in the 
 army. He was in many hard fought battles. He was 
 promoted and commissioned Majorat Pittsburg Landing. 
 He came out of the war alive by the ''skin of his teeth" 
 carrying a scar made by a rebel bullet. Among others 
 of the Major's good qualities, he had sense enough to 
 save his money and when the war was over he had the 
 means to go into a good business and fix himself and 
 family to live in comfort. Sallie was a gentle child. She 
 grew to be a sweet-spirited and gentle young lady. She 
 married Mr. J. R. Noble, but while yet a young woman, 
 those worthy and tender parents saw the eyes forever 
 closed to the things of this world, and the daughter they 
 had loved so much and so tenderly brought up, laid to 
 rest in Forest cemetery, leaving to their care three little 
 daughters. Not many little girls left motherless are 
 blessed with so good a home, kind treatment and proper 
 training as they receive at the hands of those worthy 
 grandparents, Major and Mrs. McMullin. 
 
KEMINISCENCES. 259 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 When I begin writing about the friends I have known 
 so long and so well I can hardly find a place to stop. I 
 want to follow them up from generation to generation. 
 When I began this story my purpose was to tell as true 
 a story, as I could of the days when all, or nearly all, of 
 this beautiful and grand country was an unbroken wilder- 
 ness; of its fir^sf settlers and their heroism. I wanted 
 this generaticm to understand how people — some of them 
 their ancestors, could live in log huts away from 
 churches and schools and railroads, with little to wear 
 and coarse food to eat, and yet be good and great. But 
 I find myself wandering away from my first object and 
 saying a good deal about a generation that was unborn 
 when these scenes were being enacted. Some of Oska- 
 loosa's most brilliant and prosperous business and pro- 
 fessional men are, sons of these pioneers, and many of 
 her brightest, best, and most charming women are their 
 daughters. Some of them I have known from their child- 
 hood, some I have held in my arms when they were 
 babies. Their parents and grandparents were my friends, 
 
260 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 and friends of the husband of my youth. It will not be 
 thoug^ht strange that I feel an interest and want to tell 
 about their children. So few of the first settlers are left 
 I have to depend on my own memory for nearly all I 
 have to say about them. Some were seized with the gold 
 fever and went across the plains to California with ox 
 teams late in the forties and early in the fifties. Some 
 moved away to other new places and never came back. 
 Some are sleeping in Forest cemetery, among them my 
 own precious dead. 
 
 I love to think of the early days and people. I love 
 to talk about them, and I am glad to have the privilege 
 and inclination to write about them. I want these splen- 
 did young men and women in Cskaloosa and the country 
 round about, who are descended from those courageous, 
 self-sacrificing early settlers to know that they are not 
 so altogether self-made as they may possibly think they 
 are. Book learning and polish may be acquired, but 
 brains, honor and courage have to be born in people. 
 Nearly every one of the people who firi^t settled around 
 here were endowed with brains, courage and honor. 
 What they lacked was opportunity. The best part of 
 their lives were spent in toiling to make the opportunity 
 of which their descendants are reaping the benefit. But 
 I see, if I don't mind I will fall into a habit T detest, 
 namely, "moralizing." It's too much like explaining a 
 joke. To tell the story and let the reader do his or her 
 own moralizing I think is better. 
 
 When I was a young girl my home was on the border 
 of a neighborhood composed of people of German ex- 
 traction, who had emigrated from Pennsylvania and set- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 261 
 
 tied there when Indiana was new. "They were called 
 Pennsylvania "Dutch.'' They were thrifty, honest, good 
 neighbors and all round good citizens. As far as my 
 knowledge goes the Pennsylvania Germans are good citi- 
 zens anywhere. 
 
 The family I want to talk about now is of that old 
 and respectable stock. Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Kalbach, 
 with some of their older children came from Pennsyl- 
 vania and located in Oskaloosa in 1851. They, like the 
 majority of Oskaloosa's new comers in that day, had but 
 little means, and lived in houses of small dimensions at 
 first. Their family increased until there were four sons 
 and five daughters, who were brought up to be industri- 
 ous, self-reliant and self-respecting. The children were 
 all well educated, nearly, if not altogether in Oskaloosa's 
 public schools, Although for several years Mr. Kal- 
 bach' s means were limited, and his family numerous, by 
 honest industry and good management, he not only main- 
 tained his family respectably, but laid by enough to 
 enable him to embark in a lucrative business. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Kalbach had the great good sense to live within 
 their means. They were rather quiet people, but their 
 habits and manners were of the kind which command the 
 respect of their neighbors. Mr. Kalbach engaged in the 
 lumber business, and was prosperous from the first. He 
 has retired now from active business, but two of his sons, 
 John and George Kalbach, are carrying on the lumber 
 business extensively and profitably. John, the eldest of 
 Mr. Kalbach's sons, married Miss Louise Patterson, an 
 excellent young lady. Their home is one of the nicest 
 in the city. Their son Warren is a fine looking young 
 
S6^ MASASKA COUNTY 
 
 man, works in his father's office and bids fair to become 
 a fine business man, like his father and uncles. Their 
 daughters, Helen and Annette, are charming- girls. 
 
 A few years ago Mr. John Kalbach made the regular 
 round of sight-seeing in Europe. While on that trip he 
 favored us with some charming and very interesting let- 
 ters. When he came home somebody asked him what 
 pleased him most of all the things he saw on that trip. 
 His reply was: "The sight which delighted me most 
 was the group standing on the lawn to greet me when I 
 reached my home." 
 
 George Kalbach is the only unmarried one of the 
 family. He has traveled much, and his letters from 
 abroad, especially from South America, were entertain- 
 ing, instructive and written in a pleasing style. John 
 and George Kalbach certainly have always been looked 
 upon as intelligent, level-headed business men, but who 
 was looking for the literary ability shown in the letters 
 both of these gentlemen favored us with while traveling 
 in foreign lands? William, another of the Kalbach broth- 
 ers, in partnership with Mr. Chas. Huber (another of 
 Oskaloosa's fine business men and good citizens), is doing 
 an extensive business in hardware, both wholesale and 
 retail. Mr. William Kalbach is also president of the 
 Oskaloosa National Bank. He married one of Oskaloo- 
 sa's nicest girls, Miss Nellie Seevers, daughter of Judge 
 and Mrs. W. H. Seevers. 
 
 Z. T. Kalbach, "Taylor," as we always called him, 
 married Miss Rose Cole, a charming girl. Taylor located 
 and launched out in business in the town of New Sharon, 
 and like the rest of the Kalbach men, was not only very 
 
REMINISCENCES. 1^63 
 
 prosperous, but. a valued citizen. But Taylor, in the 
 pride of young" manhood, was cut down by death. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Kalbach's five daughters every one grew to 
 womanhood — honored, admired, and loved by all who 
 knew them, especially by those who knew them best. 
 The Kalbach lot is one of the prettiest in Forest Cem- 
 etery. There Taylor and Emma sleep, where a few 
 months ag"o the beloved mother of that excellent family 
 was laid to rest. 
 
 Though Isaac Kalbach's home is one of the most ele- 
 gant and substantial in the city of Oskaloosa, and his 
 sons and his daughters are so near, and pleasantly locat- 
 ed, and are so kind and thoughtful of their father's com-^ 
 fort, yet she who was the wife of his youth, the mother 
 of his children, the one wlio shared his joys and griefs 
 for more than half a century has gone out of that home, 
 leaving a void nothing can ever fill; though Isaac Kal- 
 bach has had to drink of that l^itter cup which nearly ail 
 must drink sooner or later, he has much to comfort liim 
 and to be thankful for in his declining years — more than 
 usually falls to the lot of man. His daughters and his 
 daughters-in-law are all that he could desire in daughters; 
 his sons and sons-in-law are honorable and prosperous 
 men. Not long ago a gentleman who knows them well, 
 said to me: ''The Kalbachs can make money witliout re- 
 sorting to questionable methods." 
 
 Christian Iloutz, another of the Pennsylvania Ger 
 man stock, with his wife and only child Ev^aline, came 
 and located in Oskaloosa in 1847. Mr. Houtz bouglit a 
 tract of land adjoining the town on the east, where he 
 built a comfortable home, surrounding it with fruit trees, 
 
264 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 vines and flowers. Mrs. Houtz had fine roses when fine 
 roses were rare in this country; she had other fine 
 flowers too. I think the Houtzes and the Fredericks 
 were the first tamilies anywhere about Oskaloosa to 
 propog-ate and cultivate dahlias, g-eraniums and fine 
 roses. Mr. Houtz built that home in 1848. It stands 
 there yet, a good and respectable residence. Mrs. 
 Houtz died early in the seventies, but Mr. Houtz lived 
 to an advanced age. They both died in the house they 
 built in -'48. Mr. Houtz laid out an addition to Oska- 
 loosa, which is known as Houtz's addition. His land in- 
 creased in value as the town grew; he became quite 
 wealthy, and when he died he left a considerable estate. 
 
 Evaline was a bright little girl, and grew up to be a 
 bright young lady. She married John R. Needham, a 
 popular young lawyer, who was elected to the State 
 Senate in 1852. He was Lieutenant Governor during the 
 war of the rebellion. . By virtue of his office Mr. Need- 
 ham was speaker of the house. When Ft. Donaldson 
 fell, and a dispatch came telling of the same, it was 
 handed to Mr. Needham. After glancing it over, he 
 called the attention of the house and with joy beaming 
 all over his face, he proceeded to read to that eager 
 assembly: 
 
 "Our Troops Victorious! 
 
 Ft. Donaldson has Fallen!" 
 
 It is said that such a scene was never enacted in 
 Iowa's Legislature before nor since. One big shout went 
 up. Tears of joy sprung to their eyes. They grasped 
 each other's hands. They embraced, they laughed, they 
 wept. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 265 
 
 John R, Needham was the first editor of the Oska- 
 loom Herald^ which was the first newspaper published in 
 Oskaloosa. Mr. Needham died of consumption, when 
 comparatively a young" man. leaving" two children, Minnie 
 and Willie. Mrs. Evaline Houtz Needham is still a citi- 
 zen of Oskaloosa, and is considered one of the best-in- 
 formed women in the town. She is an inveterate reader, 
 and her knowledg"e of prominent people and events is 
 something wonderful. Mrs. Needham spends much of 
 her time in one or another of the cities or watering places 
 in the east. Her winters are usually spent in Washing- 
 ton, D. C. She sometimes favors her home papers with 
 letters telling" of the interesting places she has visited 
 and the prominent and interesting people she has met. 
 Mrs. Needham is a graceful writer. When she was Eva- 
 line Houtz and a little girl in school her essays were re- 
 markably well written. Mrs. Needham is a fine-looking 
 woman, has a young" face and not a gray hair, though she 
 has grand-daughters who are young ladies. Her daugh- 
 ter Minnie was a bright and studious child, was one of 
 the first to graduate from Oskaloosa High School, and 
 was quite proficient in music. She married Mr. W. R. 
 Lacey, a prominent young attorney, and is now mistress 
 of one ot the finest homes in Oskaloosa, where she and 
 her husband and daughters entertain their hosts of 
 friends in the most delightful manner. Every room, 
 nook and corner is furnished in an elegant, comfortable 
 and restful manner. The daughters charm one with 
 music, and the choicest of literature greets the eye on 
 every hand. Their conservatory is filled with the choic- 
 est plants and flowers, and their grounds are a bower of 
 
266 MAHASKA COUNT V 
 
 beauty. Broad verandas festooned with graceful vines 
 and surrounded with ferns, beg-onias and palms make one 
 almost imagine they are in the tropics. Their grounds 
 reach from street to street, and are pretty on all sides, 
 with no unsightly places at all. 
 
 W. R. Lacey is a successful attorney, a careful busi- 
 ness man and is steadily adding to his possessions. Mrs. 
 Needham's son, William Houtz Needham, was a bright 
 and handsome boy, and when he reached young man- 
 hood, was tall, broad-shouldered and handsome; was well 
 educated, studied law, was admitted to the bar, began 
 practicing his profession with bright prospects of suc- 
 cess. He was courteous in his manners towards every- 
 body, and everybody was his friend. He married Miss 
 Ella Moore, daughter and only child of Mr. and Mrs. 
 H. C. Moore, one of Oskaloosa's most accomplished 
 young ladies. Those worthy young people had just 
 taken possession of their beautiful home when the young 
 husband was stricken with typhoid fever. Its progress 
 was rapid: in a few days William H. Needham was no 
 more. 
 
 Colonel W. W. Chapman, who was a delegate to 
 congress from Iowa when it was a territor}^ once re- 
 sided in Oskaloosa. He, with his family, came here in 
 the spring of 184(). They occupied a rambling kind of 
 log cabin on the south side of High street about where 
 the Narrow Guage depot stands. Some wag had given 
 it the name of "Ft. Baker." An eccentric sort of man 
 who was called "Colonel" Baker had built and occupied it 
 when Oskaloosa was first a town. I don't know why he was 
 called ''Colonel." I don't know why Chapman was called 
 
REMINISCENCES. 267 
 
 Colonel, but he was. That was even before the Mexican 
 war. Colonel Chapman was a brother-in-law to Van B. 
 Delashmutt. He was a lawyer, a devout Methodist and 
 a very nice man. In the spring" of 1847 Col. Chapman 
 and family moved to Portland, Oregon, He crossed the 
 plains with ox teams. 
 
 I am sure Col. Chapman owned the largest library 
 of anybody in the county when they lived here. I know 
 I gazed with wonder and astonishment to see so many 
 books in a little dark cabin, 
 
 .John Montgomery was one of the first to stake out a 
 claim in Mahaska county on the first day of May, 1843. 
 He with John White, Felix Gessford and W. D. Canfield 
 were hidden somewhere on the night of April 30.. They 
 didn't go to sleep, but waited until the hands of some- 
 body's watch pointed to the figure XII; then they grab- 
 bed their torches and sharpened sticks and flew around 
 the land they had been secretly spying out. Mr. Mont- 
 gomery had chosen about the nicest piece of land to be 
 found anywhere —right on the divide. The government 
 reserves the privilege of taking a quarter section of land 
 anywhere on the public domain if they want to locate a 
 county seat, no matter who claims it. So the commis- 
 sioners who located Oskaloosa, liked Mr. Montgomery's 
 claim and pounced on it, and laid out the town, with a 
 public square — not exactly in the center of the town, but 
 exactly on top of the ridge, where the waters from the 
 north side find their way to Skunk river, and the waters 
 from the south side find their way to the Des Moines. 
 Mr. Montgomery had land left after giving up that 
 splendid quarter, and was allowed a claiai at the south- 
 
268 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 west corner of town, besides, he had a splendid tract 
 adjoining the town quarter on the south. On these lands 
 Mr. Montgomery has laid out what is known as Mont- 
 gomery's first and second additions to Oskaloosa. Mr. 
 Montgomery has a comfortable home at the corner of 
 First Street and Third Avenue. He is one of the very 
 few persons who own and occupy a home on the claim 
 they staked out on the first day of May, 1843. Mr. 
 Montgomery has owned many valuable pieces of prop- 
 erty, and still owns a good deal in the town and country 
 round about. He is now old and feeble and much broken, 
 but keeps his lawn and garden in good order with liis 
 own hands. He has been twice married, and both wives 
 were excellent women. They sleep in Old Cemetery. 
 His three sons and one daughter are married and gone. 
 His young lady daughters, Laura and Jessie, keep the 
 inside of their home in as good order as the father does 
 the outside. Mr. Montgomery is the oldest settler of 
 Oskaloosa now living in the town, and the only one living 
 of the men who drove stakes around their claims in this 
 region on May 1st, 1843. Mr. Montgomery has always 
 been an honest, liberal and kind-hearted man. 
 
 After the Mexican war was over and terms of peace 
 adjusted, there was a considerable scope of territory 
 added to the United States. Our people didn't seem to 
 think "expansion" a bad thing then, and M^hen some new 
 maps of the United States were made, with seven or 
 eight hundred miles more of our domain bordering on 
 the Pacific Ocean, and a vast territory to the southwest, 
 our country assumed a better shape, was better propor- 
 tioned. I always liked to study maps, and never look on 
 
REMINISCENCES. 269 
 
 a map of our country without a feeling of pride, nor with- 
 out seeing with the mind's eye the maps used when I 
 went to scliool; that long stretch of Atlantic sea coast 
 and the little strip on the Pacilic. But after the Mexican 
 war was over it w^as squared out to about the right shape. 
 In July, 1848, about the time matters were fairly ad- 
 justed between the United States and Mexico, gold in 
 that newly acquired country was discovered in great 
 quanities. The news flew from one end of the land to 
 the other. There was great excitement among the peo- 
 ple, even here in Mahaska county and Oskaloosa. Nearly 
 all of our young men, and some who were not very young, 
 were ready to sacrifice all they possessed for a California 
 outfit. A California outfit for three or four men con- 
 sisted of three yoke of oxen, a wagon, loaded with flour, 
 bacon, coffee, tea, sugar and dried apples, with the 
 necessary condiments, enough to last five or six months; 
 bedding and two suits of substantial clothes. Yes, and 
 each man must have a gun and a supply of amunition. 
 Some of our young men were willing and glad to ex- 
 change a quarter section of good land for such an out 
 fit. What was a quarter section of land in Iowa com- 
 pared with the bags of gold they were going to pick up 
 in California? They could go out there and in a year or 
 two come back with gold enough to buy a township. 
 Such wonderful stories were told us of fortunes being 
 picked up, sometimes in a day, that half the people, 
 women as well as men, were crazy to go. 
 
 The agricultural and horticultural resources of that 
 grand country were scarcely thought of — it was nothing 
 but gold. In the Spring of 1849 a large company of Os- 
 
270 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 kaloosa people and others from the country round, more 
 or less comfortably fixed for the trip, started on that 
 long and tedious journey across the plains. The end of 
 civilization was ''Kanesville,'' a small town or trading" 
 point on the Missouri River, since known by the name of 
 Council Bluffs. Immediately on crossing that river the 
 plains began, which stretched away off to the West for 
 hundreds and hundreds of miles, a barren waste, only in- 
 habited by Indians and buffalo, and nobody seemed to 
 think it ever would be inhabited by anything else — noth- 
 ing would grow there but buifalo grass. Some whole 
 families, and many of our splendid young men were in 
 that train which left Oskaloosa for California in the 
 Spring of '49, and on the spot where the great town of 
 Omaha now^ stands, and that wonderful Inter-State Ex- 
 position is now being held, \<dth tears in their eyes they 
 looked across that mighty, muddy river and bade fare- 
 well to Iowa and to civilization. They then cracked 
 their whips and started across the plains. 
 
 Some of the families went with the intention of stay- 
 ing and making California their home, among them John 
 Cameron, the good old Cumberland Presbyterian preach- 
 er, with his wife, eight daughters, one son, six sons-in- 
 law, one daughter-in-law and a host of grandchildren. 
 Every one of that numerous family, old enough to know 
 what piety meant, were pious people, and I have heard, 
 had worship every night and morning on that long and 
 perilous journey. I think, all that went in that first 
 company from Oskaloosa lived to get through. But some 
 of those strong young men who started with such glow- 
 ing expectations, never came back. James and Th(mias 
 
UEMINiSCENC ES. 27 1 
 
 McMurray, two excellent young- men, ^Yere cut down 
 by death in young- manhood. Their bones are resting-, 
 perhaps, in lonely g-raves in California. Rolla Smith, a 
 fine young- man, tall and straigiit as an arrow, and Dr. 
 Sampsell. a brilliant young physician, after working- in 
 the g-old mines a year or two, with, no one knows wdiat 
 success, boarded a vessel at San Francisco to come home, 
 but vessel nor young- men v/ere ever heard of after. 
 Stephen Edwards went to California with the Camerons, 
 worked in the mines a few years, then went to the Wil- 
 lamette Valley in Oreg-on, engaged in farming- and is now 
 a wealthy retired old bachelor of Eugene City. 
 
 Some of those stalwart young men who went in that 
 train of 40ers, lived to return to their friends and homes. 
 Perhaps none of them brought a very great amount of 
 gold, but they all brought with them a much greater 
 amount of knowledge than they had when they started 
 awa}^ California was a good place to learn. Brilliant 
 and scholarly men from all over the eastern states were 
 digging gold along the creeks. Scholars, statesmen, 
 poets, actors and politicians were mixed up with the un- 
 learned prairie breaker from Iowa, or the hoop pole mer- 
 chant from Illinois. The graduate from Yale washed 
 out gold by the side of the champion corn-husker on the 
 Wabash. The man who could recite every line of 
 "Hamlet' ' from memory, had for his partner the man who 
 could make more rails in a day than any man on Skunk 
 river. 
 
 The Nantucket whale fisher who had sailed on every 
 ocean and knew every seaport in the world, bunked with 
 the young fellow whose ambition had been to carry up 
 
272 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 the truest corner in a log cabin and hew a puncheon the 
 smoothest. Not all of our boys who went in '49 were 
 unlettered and unlearned. Some of them were as bright 
 as a new silver dollar, and could hold their own any- 
 where, but others had not had the advantages of schools 
 and knew little of what was in books. But most of them 
 had been brought up in a school of honor and could be 
 trusted with uncounted gold. 
 
 x\fter their day's work had been done on the creek, 
 this mixture of learned and unlearned would gather 
 about the fire in their cabins, or shanties, and talk — they 
 would talk of the countries they had seen, the books they 
 had read, the speeches they had heard delivered by great 
 statesmen and orators, the sermons heard by this or that 
 bishop, the acts of congress, the different peoples of dif- 
 ferent countries, with their ditferent characteristics, and 
 a hundred other things. Our unsophisticated prairie 
 breakers, corn buskers and hoop-pole cutters, listened, 
 "caught on," and by that means and their own observa- 
 tion gained a store of knowledge. When they came 
 home it was easy to be seen they had acquired a self- 
 possession and ease of manner, could talk fluently of 
 courts and laws, and empires and republics, and the dif- 
 ferent races inhabiting the different parts of the world, 
 and so forth. They were as bright as the new gold coin 
 in their pockets. 
 
 We lost many excellent citizens in the great exodus 
 to California in 184U and 1850, but their places were soon 
 filled by other excellent people. While there was a rush 
 to California to find gold, there was a rush to Iowa to 
 find farms, and suitable locations for many other kinds 
 
REMINISCENCES. 273 
 
 of business. Many of our prominent people came and 
 settled here about that time, and among- others, Judge 
 J. A. L. Crookham, who came here a young- man, and 
 long before he was an old man he had acquired fortune 
 and fame. 
 
 Early in the fifties Mr. and Mrs. Jerome M. White 
 came from Ohio and located in Oskaloosa. Mr. White 
 opened out a store of g-eneral merchandise on the south 
 side of the public square and did a good business. He 
 was a many-sided business man, and could make things 
 g-o in whatever line he chose to direct his efforts. He 
 could sell goods, he could deal in horses, he could buy 
 and sell lots, could build a house, move in, could sell it 
 and move out again a little quicker than anybody I knew. 
 Many of Oskaloosa's nice and valuable places were once 
 the property of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. White. The lots 
 upon which Mr. Hostetter's eleg-ant residence now stands 
 was once their home. Thoug-h the house Mr. White 
 built and occupied on that ground in 1854 was thought to 
 be quite pretentious, it w^as long- since torn down and 
 moved away. They once owned the ground and occupied 
 a small frame house where Mr. McNeill's fine livery barn 
 is now. That little frame house was moved away over 
 on a hill on East C avenue Luid is standing- there to-day. 
 I often drive by it, but never without thinking- of the 
 happy times my husband and myself have enjoyed in that 
 little old house with those charming people. My husband 
 and I became acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. J. M. White 
 very soon after they came to Oskaloosa, and a strong- 
 friendship, such a friendship as only occurs between two 
 families a few times in a whole lifetime, was formed be- 
 
 18 
 
274 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 tween us. The kind of friendship which neither time, 
 nor distance, nor prosperity, nor adversity, nor any other 
 creature lias ever broken. 
 
 We were all young- away back in 1852; our hearts 
 were light, the world looked bright, and everything- 
 had a charm. My husband would hitch his chestnut 
 sorrels to his wag^on in the Summer, and we would go 
 out tog"ether on the Spring Creek hills and g^ather black- 
 berries. In September we would drive over to the Des 
 Moines and come home loaded down with wild g^rapes and 
 plums. On the Fourth of July we would invite a few 
 friends to join us and we would hie away to the banks of 
 that beautiful river and have a "pic-nic" so full of inci- 
 dents—they are fresh in our memories to-day! On Winter 
 nights our song's rningled with the jing^le of sleigh-bells as 
 we swiftly glided over the snowy ]3rairies or on the streets 
 of the little town of Oskaloosa. We sang, we joked, we 
 laughed! Nobody could tell more funny stories than 
 Jerome, and nobody could tell them better. "Jerome 
 and Lizzie" seemed to be a part of ourselves. It was al- 
 ways a joy to see them come into our house, or for us to 
 go to theirs. How much there was in a Summer or a 
 Winter then! 
 
 The prairies with their native grasses and Howxrs, 
 the groves scattered here and there with their borders of 
 hazel bushes, crab apples and crimson sumach; the great 
 feathery bunches of golden rod and purple chrysanthe- 
 mums, those beauties just completed the border, purple 
 and gold. Nature knows how to arrange colors; the river 
 wdth banks atangle with trees and vines, made us joy- 
 ous, yet we hardly knew why. But we were young then, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 275 
 
 and full of life and health and energy; little perplexities 
 and annoyances were soon forgotten. The time when 
 any of our little band would close their eyes forever on 
 all that looked so bright, seemed vague and far away. 
 Though we have been bereft of dear ones and had many 
 a sorrow, we love to think and talk of the friends of long 
 ago and of the by-gone da3^s. Our pleasure was not al- 
 together in the frivolous; even if we were young, we en- 
 joyed many a talk of the more serious and practical side 
 of life. 
 
 Mr, and Mrs. White were bright, educated and cul- 
 tured people, and were gifted with a high sense of honor. 
 Mrs. White had the distinction of being the possessor of 
 the first piano ever brought to Oskaloosa, which was in 
 the Summer of 1853. At that time they owned the hotel 
 where the Downing is now, and Hugh McNeely was its 
 proprietor. Mr. and Mrs. White took their meals at the 
 hotel, but had rooms at our house — we never stayed apart 
 very long in those days. We owned and occupied a two- 
 story house at that time on the ground where the Bashaw 
 Livery is now, Lot 5, Block 20, o. p., Oskaloosa. Mr. 
 and Mrs. White occupied the east room up-stairs, and 
 when that piano came and was being taken up to that 
 room, it created a sensation. A crowd gathered about 
 the door and gazed in wonder. Many of them had never 
 seen a piano. 
 
 Mrs. White was born and brought up in Brownsville, 
 Penn. She practiced on that piano when she was Lizzie 
 Copeland. When Mrs. White was a little girl she went 
 to school with James G. Blaine and his cousins, the Gil- 
 lespie girls. Her father was prominent in that part of 
 
276 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Pennsylvania as a journalist and politician, and was a 
 member of the State Senate. He used to visit his daug^h- 
 ter and her hasband in Oskaloosa. Mr. Copeland was 
 one of the finest-looking men and most elegant gentle- 
 men I ever met. 
 
 In 1854 or 1855 a town was laid out on the Missouri 
 River and called Sioux City. Mr. White, ccmceiving the 
 idea that Sioux City was going to be a great place, 
 rushed out there and bought a large tract of land in and 
 around the town. It wasn't long until those dear friends 
 of ours hied them away over miles and miles of unbroken 
 and uninhabited country, to the little village w^hich it 
 was expected was going to be the metropolis of the 
 northwest. Sioux City was making a fair start toward 
 greatness when the financial crash of 1857 gave it a back- 
 set. The war of the rebellion coming on soon after gave 
 it another backset. Mr. White abandoned his specula- 
 tions in corner lots and went to the war. When the war 
 was over, instead of going back to Sioux City, they loca- 
 ted at Atchison, Kansas, where they made for themselves 
 a lovely home on the Missouri bluff just above that city. 
 I thought that home a charming place. Every room was 
 just the right size and shape. Their grounds were one 
 mass of fine fruits and flowers, and there was the most 
 delightful view up and down the river from their broad 
 veranda. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. White have no children, so when they 
 feel disposed to take a trip they take one. They spent 
 the whole winter in New Orleans during the Exposition, 
 and they spent another winter in Florida. They visit 
 the Federal Capital frequently. Mrs. White sometimes 
 
REMINISCENCES 277 
 
 favors her home papers with spicy and interesting" let- 
 ters, and she is perfectly capable of doing that kind of 
 thing. She is a brilliant woman. Some five or six years 
 ago they decided to spend a winter on the Pacific Coast. 
 They went to Seattle, and made up their minds to spend 
 the rest of their natural lives in a suburb of that city, as 
 they had at last found the garden spot of the earth. 
 
 A lady asked me not long ago if I remembered an 
 entertainment which was given here a long time ago, 
 called the "bear party," or the "bear supper,'' "it was 
 something with Jieav to it." To which I replied: "I 
 should say I did remember it, for I was there and par- 
 took of a good-sized piece of that bear." "Do tell me 
 about it," she remarked. Then I proceeded to tell her 
 the following story of that function: 
 
 Away back in the early fifties some old and very dear 
 friends of ours, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. White, owned the old 
 frame hotel where the Downing House now stands, and for 
 a tenant and proprietor they had one Hugh McNeely, a 
 gentleman possessing various gifts and accomplishments. 
 He was one of the first proprietors of the "Oskaloosa 
 Herald." His talents as a journalist were sometimes 
 displayed in the editorial columns of that paper. Mr. 
 McNeely was versatile; he was vivacious; he was full of 
 resources! After he had ceased to cater to the mental 
 appetites of the resident public, he tried his hand at 
 catering to the physical appetites of the traveling public. 
 As a caterer Mr. McNeely was a success — for a while. 
 His table fairly groaned with, the weight of good things 
 spread thereon. To sit down to a dinner at that hostelry, 
 where roast pig, roast turkey, venison and peach-cobbler 
 
S7B MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 was served, was nothing- unusual. Mr. McNeely was 
 gifted with wonderful powers of conversation. There 
 seemed to be no limit to his resources in that respect. 
 He knew about all that was known in that day, and he 
 seemed willing and anxious to give his guests the benefit 
 of his knowledg-e. His log^ic was something- wonderful, 
 and he could argue on any side of a question with equal 
 clearness. His guests gazed, and listened with astonish- 
 ment: 
 
 "And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew, 
 "•How one small head could carry all he knew." 
 
 Our friend, Mr. Jerome White, had a wonderful liking 
 for pets, in the way of wild animals. He bought a young 
 deer and succeeded in making it very tame. It would 
 come up to them and eat out of their hands. They al- 
 lowed that deer great liberty, it was so tame. Everybody 
 about town knew that deer, but to make sure no one 
 would mistake it for a wild deer when it might chance to 
 be grazing on the common, Mrs. White fastened a piece 
 of red flannel around its neck. But with all that, some 
 one was ruthless enough to shoot that deer. 
 
 Mr. White's next attempt at taming a wild animal for 
 the solid pleasure of its society was with a badger. The 
 badger was not a success; boys would come around and 
 poke sticks at it, which didn't seem to be particularly 
 enjoyed by the badger, however much it may have been 
 enjoyed by the boys. So one day the badger became 
 desperate, broke his chain, and escaped to parts unknown. 
 These misfortunes happened to Mr. White in the year 
 1852. He was almost inconsolable when the badger made 
 his escape, but in a few months after, some time in the 
 
REMINISCENCES. 279 
 
 summer of 1853, he met a man somewhere who had for 
 sale a larg^e black bear, already sufficiently domesticated 
 to be led by a chain. Mr. White purchased the bear and 
 was happy. He had him taken around to the back-yard 
 of his hotel, had the chain made fast to a stake, and the 
 bear was placed in Mr. McNeely's care. Mr. McNeely 
 was delighted. His foresight was keen. A great feast 
 and a great "hit" in the hotel business loomed up before 
 his mental vision. Game of other kinds was quite plen- 
 tiful, but a whole bear served at one meal was something 
 unusual. And that was what Mr. McNeely mentally 
 proposed to do, if Mr. White could be induced to have 
 that bear slain. Mr. McNeely knew his powers of per- 
 suasion; he would manage it. That bear soon became 
 so accustomed to seeing a crowd of men and boys around 
 that he paid no attention to them, but just kept on eating. 
 He fared sumptuously every day; devoured great quan- 
 tities of food from Mr. McNeely's table, and waxed fatter In 
 and fatter. Mr. McNeely did not "reckon without his 
 host," for in course of time, after many persuasions and 
 logical arguments, Mr. White was led to see that a great 
 bear feast would not only be a bonanza for Mr. McNeel}^ 
 in the hotel business, but w^ould advertise the house and 
 thereby bring him a purchaser. In those days every- 
 body's property was for sale or trade. Speculation w^as 
 rife in Oskaloosa; so Mr. White consented to have the 
 bear sacrificed, but it was "stipulated in the bond" that 
 Mrs. White should retain a considerable portion of the 
 oil. Pure bear's oil at that time was valuable. It was 
 supposed to add greatly to the beauty of the hair, and 
 was much used for that purpose. I remember seeing a 
 
^80 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 young man in church one day whose hair was so com- 
 pletely saturated with bear's oil that it fairly dripped off. 
 
 Mr. McNeely did not swerve from his purpose. A 
 week or two before Christmas he made know^n to the cit- 
 izens of Oskaloosa and surrounding- country, that a func- 
 tion such as had never been witnessed nor enjoyed by 
 society in this part of Iowa would be given at the Eagle 
 Hotel, on December 24th, 1853. Dinner would be served 
 at 3:30 p. m. The cuisine would surpass anything ever 
 attempted in this community. Many rare viands would 
 be served at that banquet, but wdiat was most unique, a 
 large black bear would be slaughtered and the whole of 
 it placed before the guests, prepared in every manner 
 known to the cuisine art. After dinner the dining-room 
 would be cleared and those who chose to do so could 
 "trip the light fantastic toe." 
 
 When the afternoon of the 24th arrived, the ellfe of 
 Oskaloosa and country 'round began to arrive, and soon 
 the Eagle Hotel was filled to overflowing. Mr. McNeely 
 did all, and more than he had led the people to think he 
 would do. The bear was fine; the banquet was a grand 
 success financially, and every other way. Everybody 
 went away more than satisfied. They had had all the 
 bear meat they wanted. As the bear was the principal 
 feature of the entertainment, some of the young men 
 called it the "Bear party," and some were rude enough 
 to call it the "Bear dance." Tliat bear was large and fat, 
 and when he come to be slaughtered and dressed, such 
 quantities of "y;?//-^ bear's oil" I don't think had ever 
 been seen by the "oldest inhabitant." It took a great 
 big kettle to hold it. Mrs. White was an expert in what- 
 
nEMlNlSCENCES. 281 
 
 ever she undertook, and she made a success in rendering 
 that oil, as she did of everything else, and gallons of nice 
 clear oil was the result. After she had given me a great 
 big bottle full, and had shared liberally with her other 
 friends, she had quantities of it left. 
 
 Mrs. White had a brother living here, a young gen- 
 tleman, Mr. Tern Copeland. Though I have not men- 
 tioned him before in this story, he was one of us, and 
 was generally, like Mr. and Mrs. White, mixed up in all 
 our social affairs. Tern was engaged to a young lady in 
 Brownsville, Penn. The ceremony was to take place in 
 the Spring of 1854. There being an excellent tailor in 
 Oskaloosa, and Mr. Copeland being fastidious in dress, 
 employed this tailor to make his wedding suit, of black 
 broadcloth; everything belonging to that suit was perfect. 
 When he brought it home from the tailor, his sister, Mrs. 
 White, assisted him in folding every individual piece and 
 placing them in his trunk. After those wedding gar- 
 ments, and some other articles belonging to Mr. Cope- 
 land's wardrobe were all neatly folded and placed in that 
 trunk, there seemed to be a little space left, where some- 
 thing else might be put in. The packing was supposed 
 to be done, and Fern went off down town, but as Mrs. 
 White was putting on the finishing touches, she fell to 
 soliloquizing: "This trunk is not packed tight at all; it 
 had just as well be as full as it will hold, as any other 
 way — in fact, I know it will be better to have things 
 packed in ais close as they can be— won't be near so apt 
 to jostle around and get mussed. I'm going to send a 
 lot of that bear's oil to the folks at Brownsville. Won't 
 it surprise them to get a bottle of bear's oil from me and 
 
282 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 learn that I rendered that oil my own self? I imagine I 
 hear their remarks about Lizzie frying out bear's oil away 
 in the wilds of Iowa. But they will be glad enough to 
 get it. 
 
 Let me see! There's Aunt Charlotte, I'll send her a 
 bottle. I imagine I see her trying to put some of it on 
 Uncle Josie's hair, and Uncle Josie saying: "Ah, Char- 
 lotte, go away with that foolishness!" I'll send Jennie 
 Seawright a bottle, and oh, there's Lib Gillespie! I'll 
 send her a bottle; I believe I'll send her two bottles with 
 a note saying: "You can, if you choose, present this to 
 that delectable cousin of yours, Jim Blaine, with the 
 compliments of the chief' manager of the Bear's Oil Fac- 
 tory, situated near the mighty Skunk." I'll write a note 
 and fasten it around each bottle, and be particular to in- 
 form each one that I know this oil to be absolutely pure. 
 So she proceeded to fill up some bottles with bear's oil 
 and cork them, as she supposed, so tight that not a drop 
 could escape. Then she slipped them down in the cor- 
 ners of the trunk. Then everything was packed and 
 ready for Tern to start oft" to get married. 
 
 My husband frequently made trips to Keokuk with a 
 two-horse wagon and would haul back a load of goods. 
 There were no railroads. Sometimes several gentlemen 
 having business in Keokuk would go with him and return 
 by stage. It was on one of these trips, as Mr. Copeland 
 was starting on that momentous journey, that he, with 
 several other gentlemen, accompanied him to Keokuk. 
 Mr. Phillips drove a spirited team and drove fast, paying 
 little attention to ruts and rough places, regardless of 
 the damage which might accrue to Mr. C.'s trunk. They 
 
REMINISCENCES. 283 
 
 joked and told funny stories and had a lively time, and 
 when they reached Keokuk Mr. Copeland found that his 
 boat would not go down the river for a day or two. He 
 and Mr. Phillips roomed together at a hotel. When they 
 awoke in the morning Mr. Copeland looked out of the 
 window and remarked, "Well, this is a fine morning, and 
 as I am going to be in the city all day I think I will dress 
 up and be somebody. I will run out and get shaved, and 
 you just wait; I will be back directly and dress up and 
 let you see how I will look in my '"standing up'' suit. 
 Mr. Phillips waited. Pretty soon Tern came back look- 
 ing the very picture of happiness. He went to his trunk, 
 unlocked it, raised the lid, when — Oh, horrors! The 
 stoppers had come out and that bear's oil had run all 
 over his wedding clothes. I think I will not record the 
 remarks he made when he found utterance. He was for- 
 tunate in finding somebody in Keokuk who was skillful 
 enough to remove the bear's oil from that elegant wed- 
 ding suit, so he went on to Brownsville and was married 
 to Miss Libbie Duncan, and straightway brought her to 
 Oskaloosa. We had many a laugh at his expense over 
 that bear's oil calamity. 
 
284 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 As T have remarked before, along- in the early fifties 
 there was much buying and selling- and building- and 
 moving-. My husband and I boug"ht and sold and moved 
 nearly as often as Mr. and Mrs. White did. In the 
 Spring- of 1852 we bought the Oskaloosa House and 
 moved from our farm, where we had first gone to house- 
 keeping, into that hostlery, kept it one year, then sold it 
 to Samuel McMurray and John Prest. In the Spring of 
 1853 we bought and moved to the place where the Bashaw 
 Livery barn now is. In April, 1854, we traded that place 
 to John N. Kinsman for what we thought the nicest home 
 in the suburbs of Oskaloosa. It contained about three 
 acres of land, a frame house of five rooms, a cellar, good 
 stable, lots of fruit trees and shade trees. It was about 
 half way between the public square and our farm. The 
 house stood on the spot where Mr. Esgen's elegant resi- 
 dence is now; was moved after we sold it to a place a 
 little farther west, and is now the home of Mrs. O'Hara. 
 That house was built and owned and all those trees 
 planted by Charles Blackburn. Mr. Blackburn was an 
 
REMINISCENCES. 285 
 
 Engiishman, and was a carpenter by trade. He was a 
 brother to Henry Blackburn, who was once treasurer of 
 Mahaska County. Charles Blackburn and family went 
 to California in 1852. When we moved there in the 
 Spring of 1854 our nearest neighbors were the Hobsons, 
 who lived on an acre lot which I heard him say he paid 
 one hundred dollars tor. That lot has since been subdi- 
 vided and part of it is occupied by the handsome resi- 
 dences of Colonel McNeill and Thomas Seevers. When 
 we moved to that place Wm. T. Smith was building' the 
 brick house where Mrs. Judg"e Johnson now lives. In a 
 few months Mr. Smith and family moved in, then they 
 were our nearest neig"hbors. They were charming neigh- 
 bors and very superior people, and to drop in and spend 
 an evening with them was a joy. Their conversation 
 was not a string of platitudes. When they talked they 
 said something. They had two little children. Omer 
 was a baby, and Laura, who is now Mrs. Byron V. Seev- 
 ers, and one of Oskaloosa's most intellectual and cultured 
 women, was then a little girl three or four years old. 
 She never romped and played, liked children usually do, 
 but was the quietest little lady I ever saw. 
 
 When we lived at that place the forty acres where 
 the boulevard and so many nice residences now are was 
 a common, where our cows and pigs grazed and rooted 
 at their own pleasure. The first house buUt on that forty 
 was in 1856 by the Macons; the house is there yet, at the 
 southeast corner of Eighth Street and C Avenue. There 
 were three brothers of the Macons, very brilliant and 
 fine-looking men. One was a doctor, the others lawyers. 
 They only lived in Oskaloosa a few years. The house 
 
286 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 they built was thought to be very elegant at the time. 
 That house for many years was the home of the saintly 
 Mary Jane Cook. Many houses were built in 1854 and 
 1855. between our house and the town proper. The 
 "Gospel Ridge" school-house was built in 1854, and the 
 first school strictly under school laws was opened in that 
 school-house in the Spring of 1855. There w^ere several 
 candidates for the position of principal. My brother, 
 Calvin W. Pritchard, who had come to visit me, among 
 the rest. He was just from Earlham College, Richmond, 
 Indiana. My brother failed to get the place. The suc- 
 cessful man was a Mr. Goshorn, who only lived a couple 
 of months. He died in a house which stood where Esquire 
 Weaver lives, corner Seventh Street and First Avenue. 
 In the course of a year or two many families had built 
 houses and settled about us. Among others was a Mr. 
 and Mrs. John Lacey, who came from Virginia, and for 
 a time occupied a house in our neighborhood. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lacey were unostentatious, common sense kind of 
 people. Mr. Lacey was a brick layer by occupation. 
 Oskaloosa was growing so rapidly that Mr. Lacey found 
 plenty to do in his line. 
 
 They had three sons— James, John F., and William 
 R. James, the eldest, had not quite reached the age 
 when a boy begins to be called a young man. John and 
 Will were lads in their early teens. Those Lacey boys 
 were bright without being pert. They assisted their 
 father in his business, and went to the public school 
 when they had a chance. I never heard of their sowing 
 a crop of wild oats, therefore they have not had the ne- 
 cessity of reaping what is generally thought to be an 
 
REMINISCENCES. 287 
 
 unprofitable crop. ]Mr. and Mrs. John Lacey were pos- 
 sessed of g-ood principles, good judg-ment, and were 
 patriotic. When the war of the rebellion came, they 
 saw their sons, James and John F., like many others of 
 Mahaska's splendid young men, march away, filled with 
 the fire of patriotism, to that terrible confiict. James 
 Lacey's young life was sacrificed on tlie altar of his 
 country. He sleeps in Forest Cemetery, where rest his 
 father and mother, John and Eleanor Lacey. John F. 
 Lacey looks just like his father looked at his age. John 
 F. was only twenty years old when he went to the war. 
 He sutfered hunger and thirst and cold and heat and 
 loathsome prisons. He was in many terrible battles, 
 where rebel bullets fiew thick around him, but some way 
 he escaped those bullets, and when the war was over he 
 came home all safe and sound, covered with honor. He 
 studied law, was admitted to the bar, and from the first 
 was prosperous in his profession. He didn't wait until 
 he got rich, but went right oft' and married Miss Mattie 
 Newell, one of Oskaloosd.'s popular and bright girls. 
 John F. Lacey has gone on from one degree of prosper- 
 ity and popularity to another through all these years. He 
 was a member of the Iowa Legislature before he was 
 thirty. From the first day his shingle was hung out as 
 attorney-at-law he has been considered one of the most 
 prominent attorneys in the town. He was able to build 
 and furnish an elegant home when elegant homes in Oska- 
 loosa were few and far between. That home to-day is 
 one of the fine places of which Oskaloosa can boast of 
 so many. Not only the people of Mr. Lacey's own town 
 and county love to honor him, but the Sixth District has 
 
288 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 repeatedly chosen him to represent them in Congress. 
 They have never had reason to be ashamed of his acts in 
 that responsible position. Mr. and Mrs. Lacey are hos- 
 pitable almost to a fault and charming- entertainers. 
 They are not only that, but are what we all understand to 
 mean good neighbors. I know what I am talking about 
 when I say they are good neighbors. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. John F. Lacey would get out of bed at 
 any hour in the night, no matter how cold or stormy or 
 sleety, and go, if necessary, to the relief of a sick neigh- 
 bor or neighbor's child, without seeming to think they 
 had done anything worth speaking of. Wealth, nor 
 honor, nor attention in high places have any power to 
 take that manly and womanly tenderness out of their 
 hearts. They know from experience w^hat it is to be 
 bereft. Four bright, and beautiful, and happy children 
 once filled their home with love and joy and hopes which 
 come to the hearts of tender and alfectionate parents. 
 There were Nellie and Ray and Katie and Bernice. But 
 death broke into that worthy and happy family. Ray and 
 Katie, within a few days of each other, were taken from 
 their lovely home on earth to Him who said: "Suffer the 
 little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for 
 of such is the Kingdom of God." There is a beautiful 
 spot in Forest Cemetery where two little graves lie side 
 by side shaded by native forest trees. The birds of many 
 summers have come and sang a requiem over the spot 
 where lie all that is mortal of Ray and "Dumpsie." 
 
 Nellie married Mr. James B. Brewster, son of Dr. 
 Brewster, a prominent citizen of Oskaloosa. James B. 
 Brewster is a bright young business man, who from his 
 
REMINISCENCES. 289 
 
 boyhood has been a favorite among Oskaloosa's people. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Brewster now live in San Francisco, and 
 from what our soldier boys say, dispense hospitality much 
 on the Lacey style. Bernice is a charming young lady, 
 and is having what girls of her age call a good time in 
 Washington. Mr. and Mrs. John F. Lacey have seen 
 much of our own country, and have twice made extensive 
 tours through Europe. Mrs. John F. Lacey is a talented 
 woman, knows what is going on in the world, and when 
 it comes to state affairs is about as bright as her husband, 
 which is saying a good deal. 
 
 A gentleman who was well acquainted with Iowa, 
 her towns and prominent citizens, was once talking to me 
 about the peculiarities of different towns. He said: 
 "Towns, like people, have each an individuality.'' Then 
 he went on to say: "Knoxville has more good singers 
 than any town of its size I know. Fairfield has more 
 reading people and reading circles in proportion to the 
 number of its inhabitants, and Grinnell's hobby is tem- 
 perance."" He mentioned a number of other Iowa towns 
 and the habits and tastes of their people. I asked him, 
 "What about Oskaloosa?" "Well," he said, "Oskaloosa 
 has more brilliant and well-informed women and beautiful 
 lawns than any town of its size in the State of Iowa." 
 
 There are scores of brilliant and well-informed 
 women in Oskaloosa. Some I have already mentioned in 
 this story, but some I have not mentioned. There is Mrs. 
 Albert W. Swalm. For all around scholarship, breadth 
 of knowledge, gentle manners, and general level-headed- 
 ness, she has no superior among all the superior women 
 of my acquaintance, and I know a good many, "The 
 
 19 
 
290 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he 
 shall have no need of spoil." Her husband, Albert W. 
 Swalm, is a man of whom Oskaloosa's people feel proud. 
 We old settlers remember when his father, after a linger- 
 ing sickness, died and left a wife and family of small 
 children almost penniless. Albert was a brave boy, not 
 afraid nor ashamed to do anything in his power that was 
 honest and honorable to maintain himself and help his 
 widowed mother. People were not long in discovering 
 that Albert W. Swalm was a boy of more than ordinary 
 ability. He was employed in a printing office, which is 
 a good place for a boy to learn. He went to the war and 
 came home with an honorable record. He engaged in 
 newspaper business, and directly papers from all over 
 Iowa were copying smart things from "Al" Swalm's 
 paper. He was a success in the newspaper business and 
 was a success financially, but his greatest achievement 
 was in winning Miss Pauline Given for his wife. Albert 
 W. Swalm has the confidence and respect of his fellow 
 citizens, and has been chosen to fill many positions of 
 honor and trust. By sheer force of character he has 
 risen step by step until he has been given the position of 
 United States Consul at Montevideo. His letters from 
 that far-away place are full of his old-time, original say- 
 ings which strike one where and when they are not ex- 
 pecting to be struck. He always had the faculty of 
 saying things in a way that nobody else ever thought of. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Swalm own one of Oskaloosa's nice and 
 commodious homes, with one of those lawns my friend 
 was talking about. Their daughter and only child, Nina, 
 is a very talented girl, inheriting the level-headed sense 
 of her parents. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 291 
 
 Mr. Swalm's house is in a neighborhood of fine houses 
 and fine lawns. There is John Kalbach's and the Seev- 
 erses, Will Kalbach's, Will Hawkins', and Mrs. Ninde's 
 charming place — all along there. No wonder they call 
 that place "Paradise Block." If I should name all the 
 grand and elegant homes in that part of Oskaloosa, the 
 catalogue would fill a page. To drive by those places 
 when roses are in bloom, and the grass is so evenly shorn 
 that not a straggling spire is to be seen about the roots 
 of any of those fine trees, is a joy. To me it is a joy 
 mingled with sadness. I remember a time when that 
 beautiful place was a field, enclosed with a high staked 
 and ridered rail fence, and my young husband plowed the 
 ground and marked it off in rows and I followed him and 
 dropped corn. Yes, I have droppe'd the corn and my 
 husband plowed it and raised a magnificent crop on "Par- 
 adise Block" and "Elvyn Place," and where dozens of 
 fine mansions are standing now. That was more than 
 half a century ago. Such beautiful grounds, and homes 
 of such architectural beauty had never entered my imag- 
 ination. Two of the finest residences which were in Os- 
 kaloosa when I dropped that corn are here to-day and 
 are standing on the same places they stood on then. If 
 any of Oskaloosa's young folks would like to see them, I 
 can tell them exactly where they are to be found. One 
 is the first house east of the Salvation Army Barracks, 
 and the other is the first house north of Pickett's drug 
 store, on First Street. I hope those old houses will not 
 be torn down nor moved away while I live, there are so 
 many pleasant recollections connected with them. The 
 house on First Street was owned in the very early days 
 
292 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 by a Mrs. Wrigiit; her daug-hter Anna was married to 
 Henry Temple in that house on the 18th of January, 184(3, 
 the same day that I was married. Weddings in this re- 
 gion in those days were not attended with much cere- 
 mony. But Mrs. Wright went a little beyond the usual 
 custom by inviting quite a number of guests to her 
 daughter's wedding. 
 
 But I must go back to the place where I planted 
 corn. I want to tell something more about the Judge 
 Seevers place and its twin, the Ninde mansion. I re- 
 member when the Judge Seevers home was tht fine place 
 of Oskaloosa, though it was thought to be almost out of 
 town. It was the first house erected in this region with 
 Mansard, or French roof, or approaching modern archi- 
 tecture. When I drove by it not long ago and saw those 
 handsome verandas torn down, and piles of brick on that 
 lovely lawn, I wondered what they wanted to change it 
 for. It had always looked so grand, so solid and so per- 
 fect. But the thought came to me, "One generation 
 passeth away and another followeth," with more ad- 
 vanced ideas and tastes. The new generation want new 
 things. Four generations have inhabited that stately 
 home at the same time. James Seevers, the Judge's 
 father, and Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Seevers' mother, occupied 
 honored places in that home for many years, before they 
 were called to a "home not made with hands, eternal in 
 the heavens." I thought as I drove by of the compli- 
 mentary things I had heard said, of tenderness and rev- 
 erence shown that aged father and mother by Judge and 
 Mrs. Seevers and their children. With only a driveway 
 between, the beautiful grounds of the Seevers and Ninde 
 
UE M IN ISC ENC ES . . t>98 
 
 places reach from street to street, in one expanse of 
 well-kept lawn, shaded by fine trees. Mrs. Ninde's resi- 
 dence, like its mate, is well back from the street, and 
 while not quite so elaborate in its architecture, is hand- 
 some, commodious, solid, and is the picture of comfort 
 and restfulness. 
 
 Henry P. Ninde came to Oskaloosa with his wife and 
 family of small children something over thirty years ago 
 with rather small means, but was just in the prime of 
 life, and was full of energy and the very picture of 
 healthy, vigorous manhood. Mr. Ninde was a fine look- 
 ing man, rather tall, and had a pleasant word and smile 
 for everybody. He was a worker who not only sought to 
 provide well for his own family but was an earnest pro- 
 moter of every public enterprise — moral, educational, or 
 financial, for the advancement of Oskaloosa. He worked 
 to locate railroads in Oskaloosa, worked for the perfect- 
 ing of our public schools, and was a prominent factor in 
 locating and establishing Penn College. I think his 
 daughter was the first graduate from that institution. 
 Although Mr. Ninde labored much for the public good, 
 his heart and affections were in his own home. He loved 
 his family and was proud of them. 
 
 Mr. Ninde and my husband were at one time in bus- 
 iness together. They were always warm friends and had 
 many confidential talks. One day my husband, on coming 
 home from their office, remarked to me, "Well, I had a 
 long talk with Henry to-day about our families and per- 
 sonal affairs. Henry thinks his wife and children are 
 about right, and I guess they are. He said in our talk 
 to-day, 'H ever a man was blessed with wife and chil- 
 
294 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 clreii, I am that man. Every individual member of my 
 family are all that I could desire.' " 
 
 Mr. Ninde was quite successful in business. In a 
 few years he was able to purchase the ground and build 
 the fine house I have been trying" to describe, and besides 
 he owned many other pieces of property in and around 
 Oskaloosa. To the surprise of everybody that strong 
 man was cut down by death in the midst of his days. On 
 a massive granite block in Forest Cemetery are some 
 words and figures which tell the passer-by when Henry 
 P. Ninde was born and when he died. His son Linden is 
 sleeping near by, and Summer's blossoms shed their fra- 
 grance o'er their graves. Linden Ninde gave up his 
 young life in the very bloom of youth, but not before he 
 had shown himself to be a fine business man and a de- 
 voted son and brother. 
 
 Mrs. Ninde is a lovely lady, interesting and intelli- 
 gent, honored and respected by her neighbors and all 
 who are favored with her acquaintance. Though bereft 
 of a devoted husband and a devoted son, Mrs. Ninde is 
 blessed with five lovely daughters, every one of whom a 
 mother might well be proud, and a son whose generous 
 acts and lavish kindness toward his mother and sisters 
 deserve stronger words of praise than I am capable of 
 expressing. I have read in fiction, perhaps, of sons and 
 brothers as generous, capable, and filial. But in real 
 life I have never known but one Elvyn Ninde. He is a 
 great traveller, and has visited and done a successful 
 business in every civilized and almost every uncivilized 
 country on the face of the earth. He has accumulated 
 wealth, and has gathered trophies, valuable, beautiful. 
 
IIEMINISCENC ES. 295 
 
 and curious, from every part of every continent and 
 from the isles of the sea. He has spent his wealth lav- 
 ishly, not only in beautifying- and making- comfortable 
 and eleg-ant his mother's home, but his given his sisters 
 every advantag-e of education. After lavishing- wealth 
 and luxuries on his mother and sisters until they had all 
 that heart could wish, he turned his attention and ener- 
 g-ies to improving- the town. A park laid out and g-raded 
 and planted in trees at great expense, a long- row of 
 stylish and commodious dwelling-s with terraced g-rounds 
 of g-reat beauty, is the result. That part of Oskaloosa 
 which we all admire and feel proud of is very api)ropri- 
 ately named "Elvyn Place." 
 
 Dr. M. L. Jackson came and located in Oskaloosa in 
 1853 when he was a very young- man, a dentist by profes- 
 sion. Though he was young he had already, by good 
 business sense, sober habits and industry, acccumulated 
 means sufficient to make a fair start in the little town of 
 Oskaloosa. In 1852 A. G. Phillips, my father-in-law, 
 went to California, leaving four of his younger children, 
 who became members of our family. They were: Joan, 
 James, Sinclair and Louellin. Joan, whom we called 
 "Jo," was a lovely girl, handsome, sweet and womanly. 
 Not long after Dr. Jackson hung out his shingle in Oska- 
 loosa he began to come to our house a courting, and when 
 Jo was only a little more than eighteen years old, on 
 November 1st, 1855, she and Dr. Jackson were married. 
 We were living then in what we called the Charley Black- 
 burn house, which I have already mentioned, and the 
 wedding occurred in the house in which Mrs, O'Hara 
 lives. The marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. 
 
296 maSaska county 
 
 Erwin Carson, a Presbyterian minister. Dr. Jackson 
 was a tall, fine-looking man; everybody called him a 
 handsome man. Jo was handsome, too. Though more 
 than forty years have come and gone, I can see her as 
 she looked then, with fair hair, fair complexion, pink 
 cheeks and a pleasant smile. The Dr. and Jo straight- 
 way went to housekeeping in a small house a little way 
 up the street, west of our house. That street, which is 
 now A Avenue was then called Liberty Street. The Dr. 
 has always been careful and prosperous in business; has 
 always loved his home and provided bountifully for his 
 family. In a few years he built a beautiful and commo- 
 dious home on East High Avenue, which at that time 
 was the handsomest place in that part of town, where 
 are so many nice places now. The Dr. took much pains 
 in beautifying his grounds, and Jo was a model house- 
 keeper. Their three sons and two daughters have grown 
 to be men and women in that home; some have married 
 and left the home where they were born, to make homes 
 for themselves. Harry, the eldest, was tall and hand- 
 some, with the most pleasing manners. 
 
 Some ten or twelve years ago Harry and his brother 
 Dwight, being seized with the spirit of adventure, went 
 with Elvyn Ninde to Australia. Dwight came home in 
 three or four years full of knowledge and experience, 
 but all that is mortal of handsome, smiling Harry lies 
 buried in an Episcopal cemetery in that far away country. 
 
 Gertrude, the oldest daughter, who was idolized by 
 her parents, and had a happy and light-hearted girlhood, 
 married Oscar Green, one of the solid business men of 
 Fort Dodge, Iowa. Oscar and Gertrude have two of the 
 
REMINISCENCES. 297 
 
 smartest little boys that ever was. They can tell more 
 about the wars oar country has eng-aged in than any boys 
 of their age I ever knew. They are nice boys, and have 
 nice names, Robert and Richard. Gertrude is a model 
 mother, and Oscar is a son that Dr. Jackson is justly 
 proud of. 
 
 Dwight and Will are fine looking men, are tall and 
 straight, and are bright and capable business men. The 
 Dr. and Jo traveled life's journey and shared each 
 other's joys and griefs for more than forty years. But a 
 time came when that devoted wife and mother went out 
 of that home she had so g^racefully adorned, never to re- 
 turn. The husband, whose life from young manhood up 
 had been a life of devoted tenderness to wife and chil- 
 dren, was faithful to the end. He and their sons and 
 daughters left nothing undone which love could devise. 
 Lizzie, the youngest daughter and petted child, was un- 
 tiring in devotion and kindness to her sick mother, and 
 now she alone is left to comfort her father in that home 
 once so full of life. 
 
 D wight and Will have launched out in business for 
 themselves. Will, the youngest, who looks like his father 
 did when a young man, is not married, but Dwight, after 
 waiting until he was bordering on old bachelorhood, mar- 
 ried Miss Myrtle Dixon, a young lady possessing many 
 amiable traits of character. 
 
 When I think of the time when Dr. Jackson was a 
 young man, there comes to my mind many other young 
 men who were his friends and associates in the days when 
 life looked bright, fame and fortune were just a little 
 way ahead, and death seemed far away. There were 
 
208 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Samuel A. Rice and his brother, Elliott Rice, William 
 Loug-hridge, Joseph F. Smith, William Wells, Dr. Rhine- 
 hart, Philip Myers, Dr. Hopkins, John R. Needham, Fos- 
 ter L. Downing-, Jesse Loring^ and John Jones — not one 
 of them of the commonplace or mediocre sort of young 
 men. Whether in a business or professional line, every 
 one made his mark. They were among the men who 
 were the pride of Oskaloosa in her young days. But 
 where are they now? Those young men who started out 
 in life with Dr. Jackson and were his associates in young 
 manhood have, every one that I have mentioned, joined 
 the great majority. Most of their names can be found 
 carved on marble shaft or granite block in Forest Ceme- 
 tery, our sacred city of the dead. Their graves have 
 been covered with the grass of many summers and the 
 snows of many winters. 
 
 There is a spot in Forest Cemetery where sleeps 
 one who in childhood, on that very spot, with her little 
 brothers ran and played and laughed and gathered nuts 
 and wild flowers. A bending willow growls there now, 
 under whose sweeping branches is a slab of granite 
 
 whereon is carved: 
 
 Joan Phillips Jackson, 
 
 Wife of Dr. M. L. Jackson, 
 
 Born, August 9th, 1837, 
 
 Died, March 19th, 1896. 
 
 I have mentioned a good many of Oskaloosa's nice 
 houses, nice lawns, and nice people, but have only noticed 
 a few in comparison to the number. If I should tell of 
 half the nice places I know with their pretty surround- 
 ings, my story would reach a great length. 
 
IIEMINISCENCES. 290 
 
 Mr. L. L. Hull has done much toward making" thing's 
 pretty in and around Oskaloosa. He owns and occupies 
 one of the finest homes on East High avenue, which he 
 keeps in such a high state of neatness and order that it 
 is a pleasure to drive by and look at it. Mr. Hull owns 
 many houses in town, and all are so well kept that one 
 who knows him and his tastes could drive about the city 
 and pick out the places belong-ing to him. Mr. Hull 
 brought the first lawm mower to Oskaloosa, and is entitled 
 to the credit of setting the example of beautifying lawns 
 by using that implement. He has been a successful bus- 
 iness man. Having come from Virginia to Oskaloosa 
 when a young man away back in the sixties, with only a 
 few hundred dollars, he is now one of the wealthy men 
 of the town. He married Miss Eliza Cobb, grand- 
 daughter of Willard Cobb and niece of Mrs. Dart and 
 Mrs. Street, whom I have mentioned before in this story. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hull are both fine looking, what one would 
 call distinguished looking persons. Mr. Hull is one of 
 the directors of Forest Cemetery, and has done much to- 
 ward making that place so sacred to many of us, and the 
 beautiful place that it is. Lena, only daughter and only 
 child of Mr. and Mrs. Hull, was taken from her home on 
 earth to that "house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens," when a beautiful little girl of ten years. No 
 spot in Forest Cemetery is more lovingly cared for nor 
 more beautifully adorned than the spot where in her mar- 
 ble bed sleeps little Lena Hull. I give Mr. Hull credit, 
 which he justly deserves, for a large share in making 
 things attractive in and around Oskaloosa. 
 
 But there is another man who, away back in the early 
 
300 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 fifties, had the means and the taste and the energ-y, and 
 had much to do with making- "Paradise Block" and its 
 neighbors the charming places their owners enjoy, and 
 we all admire to-day. That man is Wm. T. Smith. Mr. 
 Smith owned several acres of land in what was then the 
 suburbs of Oskaloosa. He built a house which we thought 
 very stately and elegant, and it was for that day. Mrs. 
 Judge Johnson owns and lives in it now. It is a nice 
 home even in this day of nice homes. We were Mr. 
 Smith's neighbors for about two years, and we thought 
 the land lay about right all around there, just as nature 
 made it. We thought it had about the proper slope and 
 didn't need any digging" down or filling up. There was a 
 gentle slope to the west and off to the east it was level. 
 Mr. Smith's house was only a little below the highest 
 point on his land, but he seemed to think it would add to 
 the beauty of his grounds to be leveled up on the west 
 and north. There were no trees there then, only bare 
 prairies. Directly after Mr. Smith moved in his new 
 house, he set a man to hauling dirt and placing it on the 
 west side of his house, and as long- as we lived there he 
 kept one team, and sometimes several teams, hauling 
 dirt from the east end of his land and piling it on the 
 west. Month in and month out that dirt hauling went 
 on. I don't think Mr. Smith expected it would be quite 
 such a job when he begun; but after beginning, it was 
 hard to find a stopping-place. I had never seen a private 
 enterprise on quite so extensive a scale. I used to think 
 of the time when I was a child, and watched men digging- 
 down hills and filling up valleys in building the national 
 road in Indiana. After Mr. Smith had gotten the grounds 
 
REMINISCENCES. 301 
 
 about his house sufficiently filled and leveled, he had the 
 place which is now called ''Paradise Block" raised sev- 
 eral feet higher than it was in its natural state. Then 
 he planted trees all over and around that block. They 
 were beautiful trees, some of rare varieties. He also 
 planted many rare trees about his own home. Mr. Hull, 
 too, may thank Mr. Smith for some of the rare trees of 
 which he is so proud. 
 
 I don't believe that John Kalbach, nor Albert Swalm, 
 nor Henry Wetherell, nor Dr. Crowder, nor James Atch- 
 ison, nor L. L. Hull, nor lots of others around there are 
 as grateful as they ought to be to Mr. Smith for making 
 Paradise Block and surroundings the high and dry and 
 attractive place they are so proud of. One man spends 
 his time, his energies, and his money in planting trees 
 and beautifying grounds — another enjoys the fruits 
 thereof. The dwellers on Paradise Block swing in their 
 hammocks, read their newspapers, and smoke their 
 cigars in the shade of the trees on those fine grounds, 
 just as like as not without giving a thought to the man 
 who planned and made them so charming. 
 
 When we lived in tlie Charley Blackburn house and 
 in the neighborhood of what is now Paradise Block, the 
 street which is now called A Avenue did not reach our 
 place, but merged into the Iowa City road a block or two 
 west of our house, and in order to straighten that street 
 and make it run parallel with High Street the city bought 
 thirty feet off of our front yard, which made Wm. T. 
 Smith's grounds extend that much farther north. I don't 
 know how Mr. Smith fixed it with the city. A part at 
 least, of Mr. Achison's and Mr. Hull's fine places, w^as 
 
302 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 once the Iowa City road. Somewhere near the north- 
 west corner of John Kalbach's fine grounds was a high 
 post on which was a sign informing the traveling public 
 that it was sixty-eight miles to Iowa City. In order that 
 the wayfaring man might know which way to go to reach 
 the capital of Iowa, a hand was painted on the signboard 
 with the index finger pointing east. 
 
 Our grounds extended west to that little creek or 
 slough with the willow fringed banks. Just across the 
 slough west, was a grassy place of a few acres, all open 
 common, and while we lived there, in 1855 or 1856, Jim 
 Lane, with four hundred men, camped there a day and a 
 night. They were on their way to Kansas to fight "Bor- 
 der Rulfains." What exciting times those were! Mis- 
 souri and Arkansas sending men to Kansas to vote and 
 fight for slavery. New England and many of the North- 
 western states sending men to Kansas to vote and fight 
 against slavery, or against making Kansas a slave state. 
 But I am not going to talk of politics. I couldn't say 
 anything worth mentioning if I should try. I only wanted 
 to tell that Jim Lane and his men had camped close to 
 our house. I don't suppose that Mr. L. L. Hull knows 
 that an ''army with banners" once had their white tents 
 spread over the ground where those nice tenant houses 
 of his are, with their pretty lawns, for that happened 
 long before he came to Osbaloosa. 
 
REMINISCENCES ^U)3 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 I think it was in 3850 that two families came and lo- 
 cated in Oskaloosa who were originally from Tennessee, 
 but lived for a while before coming" to Oskaloosa on 
 farms a few miles east of Pella. Mr. John Shoemake 
 and Mr. Wesley Moreland were brothers-in-law. Both 
 men were full of business and did much to improve the 
 town. At one time Mr. Moreland was in partnership 
 with Mr. A. G. Phillips in a store of general merchandise. 
 Their store was at the southwest corner of the public 
 square, on the ground where Boyer's clothing store now 
 is. Property and business changed hands very frequent- 
 ly about that time. In 1852 Mr. Moreland and Mr. Shoe- 
 make each built for themselves what at that time was 
 thought to be very line brick residences, on Second Ave- 
 nue West. They are respectable residences to-day. The 
 Shoemake house is owned and occupied by Mr. Henry 
 Stafford, and the Moreland house is owned by Mrs. 
 Mariah Rhinehart. 
 
 Mrs. Moreland was a sister of John Shoemake, and 
 also of M. L. Shoemake, who came from Tennessee when 
 
304 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 a boy, and has been a resident of Oskaloosa more than 
 forty years. He owns an elegant home, and his wife is 
 said to be one of the finest housekeepers in this region. 
 Mr, John Shoemake built the house which has been the 
 Frankel home for many years. John Shoemake died of 
 consumption more than thirty years ago, leaving a wife 
 and two daughters, Virginia and Pony. 
 
 Mr. Moreland was at one t'me treasurer-recorder of 
 Mahaska County. He was prosperous in business and 
 owned many valuable pieces of property, but reverses 
 came to liim in the financial crash of 1857. When the 
 war came he enlisted in the army; he died in St. Louis 
 from sickness contracted in the service of his country, 
 leaving his wife in straightened circumstances, with five 
 children, none of them grown. 
 
 Mrs. Moreland was brave, honest, honorable and in- 
 dustrious. Through great tribulation she educated her 
 children. They were all bright and capable. John Wes- 
 ley, who looks just like his father, is a capable news- 
 paper man, and Mollie, now Mrs. Walter Campbell, is 
 one of the brightest women in Oskaloosa. Her husband, 
 Mr. Walter Campbell, is one of the nicest young business 
 men to be found anywhere. Mrs. Moreland has always 
 had many friends, and her children idolize lier. 
 
 Among many other valuable places owned by More- 
 land and Shoemake, was a large and valuable feirm in 
 Harrison township, known as the ''Rhinehart farm'' sit- 
 uated in sections 8 and 9, about five miles a little south- 
 east of Oskaloosa. That claim was located in 1843 by Mr. 
 Thomas Brooks. Mr. Brooks soon sold the claim to Louis 
 Rhinehart, from Adams C(^unty, Illinois. Mr. Rhinehart 
 
REMINISCENCES. 305 
 
 had a numerous family (3f sons and daughters, all worthy, 
 respectable and thrifty people. In 1854 Mr. Rhinehart 
 sold his farm to Judg"e Rhinehart, from Ohio, and went 
 to Oregon. Judge Rhinehart and the other Rhineharts 
 were not related. Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rhinehart were 
 the parents of thirteen children, who all went to Oregon 
 with them except one daughter, Mrs. Thomas Ratlilf, 
 who remained in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ratliff are 
 sleeping in Forest Cemetery. They died in Harrison 
 township, where theyhad lived for many years, respected 
 by all their neighbors. Their eldest daughter, Ellen, 
 married Valentine Brubaker, who is a successful farmer 
 and much respected citizen of Harrison township. Ellen 
 died in a year or two after she and Mr. Brubaker were 
 married, leaving an infant son, Edward, who has a family 
 of his own now, and is said to possess the honesty and 
 good farming sense of all the Brubakers, Rhineharts and 
 Ratliffs combined, which is saying a good deal for the 
 boy. Maggie, another daughter of Thomas Ratliff, mar- 
 ried Mr. William Stephenson. She and her husband are 
 charming people and have a charming home just south of 
 Oskaloosa. Lizzie, another daughter who married Mr. 
 Thomas Harper, is a fine looking woman, and is as su- 
 perior in character as she is in looks. Thomas Ratlitf 
 has two sons, James and John. James lives in Louisiana. 
 John is a citizen of Oskaloosa, but is about to emigrate 
 with his excellent family to Oregon and make his home 
 among his rich Rhinehart relations. 
 
 Mr. Louis Rhinehart died in Oregon fifteen years 
 ago; his wife is still living but is away up in the nineties. 
 She has seen her great, great-grandchildren. I was told 
 
 20 
 
306 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 recently by one of her grandsons that she had more than 
 four hundred descendants and that she had seen seven 
 generations of her family, counting her own grandpar- 
 ents. All of her thirteen children lived to be married 
 and raise families. I never heard an evil report of a sin- 
 gle member of that numerous family, Mr. and Mrs. Louis 
 Rhinehart lived in Harrison township ten years. All of 
 their children lived there. Three daughters and one son 
 were married before they went to Oregon. All were 
 good, substantial citizens, attended strictly to their own 
 business and were thrifty. 
 
 James Rhinehart, a lawyer who came from Ohio 
 early in the fifties, purchased Louis Rhinehart's farm, 
 lived there a year or two, then moved to Oskaloosa and 
 was soon after elected county judge. He was a shrewd 
 business man and when he died, some twenty years ago, 
 left a considerable estate to his three daughters, Mrs. 
 Jane Johnson, Mrs. Minerva McKinley, Mrs. Letitia 
 Smith and the heirs of his son. Dr. S. E. Rhinehart. Dr. 
 Rhinehart came to Oskaloosa when a young man, was a 
 popular physician and a much respected citizen. He mar- 
 ried one of Mahaska's handsomest girls. Miss Maria 
 Davis. Dr. Rhinehart died of consumption in the prime 
 of mature manhood, Mrs. Letitia Smith and her family 
 moved to Colorado years ago. Mrs. Johnson (now Mrs. 
 Ballinger) and Mrs, McKinley, reside in Oskaloosa, They 
 are lovely women, I don't know where a woman can be 
 found who deserves the gratitude of her neighbors more 
 than Mrs, McKinley. Who of Oskaloosa's noble women 
 have ever been so capable and so ready to respond to 
 the needs of the sick, sorrowing and dying as Mrs, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 307 
 
 Minerva McKinleyV Dr. Rhinehart lived on the Rhine- 
 hart farm a year or so after his father moved to town. 
 In the Summer or early Autumn of 1855, while Dr. Rhine- 
 hart was living there, my husband and I drove down 
 there one day. We found everything looking lovely. 
 Peaches were ripe. I had never seen so many peaches 
 going to waste. There were great big peach trees around 
 the yard and around the garden and a long row along the 
 edge of the apple orchard. The trees were bending over 
 with the weight of great velvety peaches, and the ground 
 under them was literally covered. Great Shanghai chick- 
 ens were walking about under the trees pecking at those 
 delicious peaches. They would peck a little on one great, 
 red, mellow peach, then leave it and take a bite out of 
 another. Mrs. Rhinehart was making peach butter and 
 the doctor had gone to town 'with a wagon load of 
 peaches. We asked Mrs. Rhinehart to sell us a bushel, 
 which she did. We gathered them ourselves and had 
 pick and choice. We came away thinking that plenty 
 abounded on the Rhinehart farm. About that time Mr. 
 Frank Farmer, brother-in-law to Messrs. Moreland and 
 Shoemake, came from Tennessee and purchased that 
 farm from Judge Rhinehart. Mr. Farmer lived there a 
 few months, but became homesick. Moreland and Shoe- 
 make took the farm oft' of his hands and let him go back 
 to the hills of Tennessee. 
 
 In the Autumn of 1856 my husband bought the Rhine- 
 hart farm from these gentlemen. We rented our nice 
 home to Mr. A. F. Seeberger and on the 11th of Novem- 
 ber, 185(), moved to the Rhinehart farm. That wonderful 
 crop of peaches and other evidences of thrift around 
 
308 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 there made us think it a veritable paradise. We traded 
 our farm on the border of Oskaloosa in that deal. The 
 winter of '55 and '56 was an extremely severe one and all 
 those peach trees were killed, root and branch. 
 
 The Winter of '56 and' 57 was a severe one. A deep 
 snow lay (m the ground all Winter, and the cold weather 
 lasted until away late in the Spring-, On the 7th day of 
 May, 1857, the ground was frozen hard. My husband 
 sowed wheat about the 17th of May. He hesitated about 
 sowing so late in the Spring, but he never raised so good 
 a crop of wheat before nor since ; it was simply superb. 
 Our folks began planting corn on the 21st of May. The 
 plum trees were in blossom. I used to keep a record of 
 things of that kind, and have observed that the ground 
 is alw^ays right for ]3lanting corn when the plum trees 
 were in blossom. While I think of it I want to say that 
 the first frost which appeared in the Fall of 1857 was on 
 October 16th. I have never known frost to hang back 
 like that in Iowa since. 
 
 We knew several families in the Rhinehart neighbor- 
 hood before we went there to live. Mr. Wm. Bean and 
 family, whose farm joined ours on the south, were excel- 
 lent neighbors. They came from Adams County, Illinois, 
 in 1843, and lived at first in a wigwam on Skunk River in 
 the Indian village of Kishkekosh. They sold their claim 
 on Skunk River in '44, and bought Samuel Tibbetts' claim 
 in Harrison Township. Mr. and Mrs. Bean, like nearly 
 everybody else in the Rhinehart neighborhood, were 
 Methodists of the old-fashioned kind; their oldest daugh- 
 ter, Emily, married Mr. John M. Loughridge, who after- 
 wards became a Methodist minister. Anna, the second 
 
Reminiscences. 309 
 
 daughter, married the Rev. George Clark, a minister also 
 in the Methodist Church. Dr. Samuel Clark and Miss 
 Nannie Clark, of Oskaloosa, are their only living- chil- 
 dren. Mrs. Anna Bean Clark was a handsome, bright, 
 sweet-spirited Christian lady. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bean had two daughters, charming 
 girls, when we first went to the Rhinehart neighborhood. 
 They were beginning to be called "young ladies" when I 
 first became acquainted with them. Jennie married a 
 Mr. Lindley, and Armilda married a Mr. Orton. They 
 both went to Nebraska long ago. They (the Beans) had 
 three sons: James, the oldest, who went to Pike's Peak 
 when gold was first discovered there; I think he went in 
 '59 or '60. I hear that Thomas, the second son, is chief 
 of police in San Francisco, and a grand man. Will, tlie 
 youngest, is a fine-looking, intelligent man, and a much- 
 respected citizen of Council Bluffs. Thomas and William 
 were not much older than my little boys, Orlando and 
 Quincy, when we became their neighbors. They went 
 to school together in the old log school-house; they 
 coasted and hunted rabbits together in Winter, and v/hen 
 a little older would .test the speed and mettle of their 
 horses when sent out on the prairie of a summer evening 
 to bring home the cows. 
 
 Among the first settlers in that region was a family 
 by the name of Edwards, who were formerly from New 
 Jersey. They came in '43. Mr. Britton Edwards died a 
 few years after, leaving a wife, one daughter and two 
 grown sons. Sarah Elizabeth, the daughter, married 
 John Rhinehart, son of Louis Rhinehart. Thomas Ed- 
 wards, one of the sons, married Miss Barbara Rhinehart, 
 
310 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 sister to John. Stephen, the other son, went to Califor- 
 nia m '49. He never married and is living in Oregon; a 
 rich, retired old bachelor. Mrs. Edwards the mother, 
 was related to our family by marriage. She made her 
 home with her son, Thomas Edwards, and when he went 
 to Oregon in 1854 she went with him. 
 
 While they were living in Harrison Township Mrs. 
 Edwards often came to Oskaloosa to visit us. The great- 
 er part of her conversation during those visits was about 
 a boy who was a member of her son's family, whom she 
 called "Pierce Ratliff." Pierce Ratlitt", in her estima- 
 tion, was all that could be desired in a boy. He was a 
 manly boy. He was an honest, obliging, good-hearted 
 boy, never shirked a duty, was respectful to elderly peo- 
 ple," was kind to everybody, was bright and witty. In 
 fact, he was the life of the household. Mrs. Edwards 
 would regale us by the hour in relating the smart and 
 nice things which Pierce Ratliff said and did. Thomas 
 Edwards sold his farm, and in the Spring of 1854 went 
 with his father-in-law and the rest of that numerous fam- 
 ily of Rhineharts to Oregon. Thomas Edwards had a 
 sale just before leaving, and my husband and I wishing 
 to make some purchases at that sale, drove down there. 
 Men and boys, women and girls, were there from all over 
 the country. I knew some of them, but many were 
 strangers. The yard was full, the porch was full, and 
 people were all about in the house. The women of the 
 family were in the kitchen preparing an elaborate dinner. 
 I was in the sitting-room conversing with some ladies 
 when a boy came in with two books in his hand which 
 looked like school books. He remarked to a gentleman 
 
REMINtSCENCES. 311 
 
 as he walked to a bureau and put them in a drawer, "I 
 am going" to take these with me." The boy attracted my 
 attention, though I had no idea who he was. There was 
 something- in his voice and manners which led me to think 
 he was no ordinary or commonplace boy. He had an 
 honest, open, intelligent face, and something in his voice 
 and the few words he spoke struck me at once. I was 
 interested in the boy and wondered who he could be. 
 The boy went out and mingled with the crowd, and I 
 went to the kitchen where Mrs. Edwards was, pointed 
 the boy out to her and asked her if she knew who that 
 boy was. I have not forgotten the pleased look which 
 came into her face as she glanced from the boy back to 
 me and said, "Why that is Pierce Ratliff, the boy you 
 have heard me talk so much about." When Mr. Edwards 
 went to Oregon the l)oy Pierce went with him and drove 
 an ox team across the plains. 
 
 When we first went to that neighborhood to live we 
 had for neighbors a family by the name of Loper, who 
 were excellent neighbors. Mrs. Loper was a woman of 
 great kindness of heart and full of energy. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Loper had several children, among them a boy 
 about the age of my Quincy, whom they called Jolm. 
 John Loper is Colonel of the 51st Iowa Regiment, now in 
 the Philippine Islands. 
 
 M. M. B. Davis, from Maine, owned a fine farm not 
 far from ours, where he and his mother lived in a cozy, 
 comfortable home. Everything about them was orderly, 
 and one could see the evidence of Yankee thrift at a 
 glance. Directly after we became his neighbor, Mr. 
 Davis was married to Miss Ida Earl, a lovely and culti- 
 
312 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 vated lady from New York. One baby after another 
 came to them, until they had four sons and one daughter. 
 Ida Augusta, the daughter, is a charming woman and a 
 lovely character. There is Will and Harry and John and 
 Fred, all nice men. I have known every one of them 
 from their infancy, and never heard of one of them doing 
 a mean trick in their lives. Mr. Davis provided bounti- 
 fully for his family and was one of the tenderest sons, 
 husbands and fathers I was ever acquainted with. Mrs. 
 Davis possessed much strength of character, though 
 her body was frail. Her children, every one of them, 
 were models of kindness. They never slacked in loving 
 tenderness to that frail little mother, and when she fell 
 asleep to wake no more, her four sons laid her tenderly 
 to rest in a beautiful spot in Forest Cemetery. I never 
 drive by the Davis lot in our city of the dead without 
 thinking of the time that I stood by and saw those four 
 sons place their mother gently in her last resting-place. 
 
 Mr. Davis came with hTs parents from Maine to Iowa 
 in 1848. His father died soon after coming to Iowa. 
 His mother lived many years and was one of the lovliest 
 old ladies that anybody ever saw. Her home, as long as 
 she lived, was with that son and his family, every mem- 
 ber of which treated her w^ith the most unfeigned tender- 
 ness. Mr. Davis was not only a model of kindness in his 
 own family, but w^as an exceedingly kind and obliging 
 neighbor. Their home was a charming place to visit. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davis were well informed, were good talk- 
 ers. A dinner prepared by Mrs. Davis was a marvel of 
 dainty cooking and she honored her guests by serving 
 them on rare pieces of old Dutch china brought from 
 
REMINISCENCES. 313 
 
 Holland by her ancestors. Her mother was a Vanderbilt, 
 Ida Augusta, the lovely daug^hter of that house, possesses 
 the taste and skill of her excellent lady mother, as well 
 as the hospitable and tender ways of her father. 
 
 When we went to the Rhinehart farm in November, 
 1856, the country between our place and the little villag^e 
 of Fremont, ten miles east, was almost an unbroken ex- 
 panse of prairie. If the sun was shining" in the late after- 
 noon we could stand on our front porch and see that vil- 
 lag"e. There was one house in a grove of cottonwood 
 trees some four or five miles away in that direction which 
 loomed up in plain view. There, lived a family by the 
 name of Haskell— elderly people, with several grown-up 
 sons. W. W. Haskell, a lawyer and citizen of Oskaloosa, 
 is one of those sons. Mr. and Mrs. Haskell were intelli- 
 g"ent Christian people. Mr. Haskell had read and thought 
 much; was an entertaining- talker. When I hear his 
 granddaughters, Edith and Carrie Haskell, so highly 
 spoken of as scholarly girls, I think of that grandfather, 
 whose words of wisdom I listened to with delight forty 
 years ago. 
 
 That ten mile stretch of prairie which in 185() we 
 thought was going to be a free pasture for flocks and 
 herds for ages to come, was, in the course of five or six 
 years, dotted over with farmhouses, groves and young 
 orchards. Great fields of waving grain were to be seen 
 where a short time before was a vast, native meadow. 
 What great prairie fires we used to see out east, between 
 our house and Fremont. There would seem to be a rim 
 of fire miles and miles long. People who were called 
 smart used to say that prairie would never be settled up; 
 
314 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 it was too flat, and another thing" was, it was too far 
 from timber. We used to wonder why Mr. Haskell went 
 away out there to live when there was so much land near 
 the timber. The Rhinehart farm, the Bean farm, the 
 Morrow farm and the Stuart farm each had a background 
 of fine timber, with the best of prairie land for farming". 
 About a half a mile northwest of our house, and near the 
 northwest corner of our land, was the Rhinehart school- 
 house - a miserable log" hut — but the only public building" 
 of any kind for miles around. There school was taug"ht, 
 relig"ious meetings were held, and sometimes the honest 
 yoemen of Harrison township met there and cast their 
 ballots for township officers. School laws have been 
 changed since then, but at one of these elections my hus- 
 band was made school director, which office he held for 
 two or three years. A young man came to our house 
 one day and applied for the school. He was so young" he 
 hardly looked to be able to govern a lot of big, rough 
 boys. He was only nineteen but had taught one term of 
 school successfully. Robert Wesley McBride was his 
 name. His father was a soldier in the Mexican war and 
 died from the effects of exposure in the same and he was 
 making his way as best he could. Mr. Phillips knew his 
 family to be very superior people, and the boy Wesley 
 looked all right, so Mr. Phillips employed him to teach 
 the Rhinehart school in the winter of 1860 and 1861. 
 Wesley McBride boarded with us while he was teaching 
 that school. He proved to be capable of teaching all that 
 he proposed to teach. He was quiet and modest, never 
 tried to make a display of his knowledge, but we soon 
 discovered that he had read much, was well-informed and 
 
REMINISCENCES. 315 
 
 exceeding-ly level-headed. He was al tog-ether trustwor- 
 thy, and was the very soul of honor. Was not at all in- 
 clined to push himself forward but at the same time was 
 self-respecting-. He had the manners of a g-entleman 
 and the brains of a statesman, or the kind of brains a 
 statesman needs. He was not strong physically, but 
 when the war of the rebellion broke out, was wild to go 
 in the army, but was rejected on account of physical dis- 
 ability. But before the war was over he managed some 
 way to join the army. I don't know what his position 
 was, but he remained until the war was over, then went 
 to Washing-ton, D. C, studied law, was admitted to the 
 bar, began practicing law in Waterloo, Indiana, and was 
 prosperous from the first. Was elected Judg-e, was a 
 candidate for Supreme Judg-e and was defeated, but was 
 afterward appointed by Governor Hovey to fill a place 
 made vacant by the death of one of the Supreme Judg-es. 
 Robert Wesley McBride is now a prominent and success- 
 ful attorney at law in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. 
 
 One day, after we had lived in the Rhinehart neigh- 
 borhood two or three years, Jennie Bean came flying 
 over to our house with the news that Pierce Ratliff had 
 come back from California and was with his mother and 
 brothers, who i-esided in Oskaloosa. In a few days this 
 paragon of a boy, whom everybody had a word of praise 
 for, came down to visit his old friends. Everybody in 
 the neighborhood who had lived there when Pierce went 
 to Oregon were his friends and were glad to welcome him 
 back. The Bean girls, .Jennie and Armilda, brought him 
 over to our house. I remember with what pride Jennie 
 Bean introduced him to my husband and myself. We 
 
31B MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 had heard so many nice things about Pierce Ratlilf tliat 
 we were prepared to like him. A friendship such as only 
 happens once or twice in a lifetime immediately sprung 
 up between him and our family. He bought a farm in 
 the neighborhood, and he and his widowed mother be- 
 came our neighbors. Mrs. Ratliff, Pierce's mother, was 
 a part of the salt of the earth. She lived up to the gold- 
 en rule, and I think she sometimes exceeded it, for she 
 would do more kind acts for her neighbors than she ever 
 wanted them to do for her. 
 
 Pierce, as I have before stated, went to Oregon when 
 a boy, with Mr. Thomas Edwards. He stayed in Oregon 
 a year or two, then with some other young fellows went 
 to California, packing their provisions and all the rest of 
 their worldly goods on mules. I have heard him relate 
 in an interesting and amusing manner his adventures on 
 that tiresome and uncomfortable journey. They went 
 through rain and mud and slush and many other trying 
 things on their way to "the land of gold." Pierce was a 
 boy of nerve and energy and honesty of purpose. He 
 made friends among the miners who washed out gold 
 along the creeks in Northern California. Pierce's edu- 
 cational advantages had not been great when a boy, his 
 book learning being confined to the crude country schools 
 of Adams County, Illinois. His mother was left a widow 
 with seven children, Pierce being the youngest, and only 
 one year old when his father died. Mrs. Ratliff's family 
 consisted of four sons and three daughters. The sons 
 were Thomas, John, James and Pierce. The daughters 
 were Mary Ann, Elizabeth and Sallie. Mary Ann mar- 
 ried Mr. Charles Gilmer, of Adams Countj^ Illinois, who 
 
REMINISCENCES. 317 
 
 was a son of Dr. Gilmer, who was a hig^hly-respected and 
 prominent citizen of that county. Elizabeth married Mr. 
 Robert Gilmer, a planter from Louisiana, and a relative 
 of the doctor's. Sallie^ a handsome young girl, w^ent to 
 live in the family of her brother-in-law and sister, near 
 Shreevesport, Louisiana, where she married a southern 
 gentleman by the name of Nicholson. James, their 
 brother, when a young man, also went south and estab- 
 lished himself in business in the city of Shreevesport. 
 They all lived in ease and luxury until the war of the re- 
 bellion wrought havoc with their fortunes, as well as 
 with many others who espoused the cause of the confed- 
 eracy. 
 
 Mr. Nicholson, Sallie's husband, went into the Con- 
 federate army, was severely wounded, and died soon 
 after the war was over. After Mr. Nicholson's death 
 Sallie came to Iowa with her two lovely children, Mattie 
 and Robert, where she made an extended visit with her 
 mother and brothers. Mattie and Robert are married 
 and have families of their own now. Mrs. Nicholson 
 pined for the Sunny South and is now living on a planta- 
 tion in Louisiana. 
 
 Thomas Ratlift' and family came to Iowa in an early 
 day and when there were none of Mrs. Ratliff's family 
 left in their old home in Illinois except herself and her 
 boy Pierce, they came too to Harrison township, where I 
 first introduced them to the reader. While Pierce was 
 in Oregon and California his mother's home was with her 
 son Thomas' family. Pierce Ratliff, though a mere boy, 
 and possessed of nothing but a healthy body, good sense, 
 pluck and an honest heart when he went away, came 
 
318 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 back to his g-ood old mother with several thousand dol- 
 lars in bright g^old coin. I think everybody in the neig^h- 
 boihood was glad when it was known that Pierce had 
 boug"ht a farm and he and his mother were established 
 among us as citizens of the Rhinehart neighborhood. 
 How clean and comfortable and cozy they lived, Pierce 
 and his mother. Pierce was not much beyond boyhood 
 when he came home from California. What a jolly, rol- 
 licking, witty, g^ood natured boy he was. He had come 
 home full of knowledge of things and people and coun- 
 tries, and how he used to entertain and amuse us with 
 his peculiar style of relating events. It was wisdom in- 
 terspersed with wit. I never heard him say a flat thing, 
 nor did he ever spoil a joke for his own or relations' sake. 
 I have heard him relate his experience, when a boy and 
 engaged in the hoop-pole trade, in a manner which would 
 convulse a whole room-full. 
 
 Though my husband was a good many years his 
 senior, a friendship sprang up l)etween them at first 
 which v/as of the kind that lasts. I used to call them 
 "John Halifax and Phineas Fletcher." The friendship 
 between Pierce Ratliff and our family was more like that 
 of Phineas and the Halifaxes than anything I ever knew. 
 We came near having everything in common. Pierce 
 would have gotten up at the hour of midnight and gone 
 through mud and slush and rain, or any other thing, if it 
 had been necessary, to relieve any of our family. Any 
 member of our family would have done the same for him 
 or his mother. That family and ours shared each other's 
 joys and sorrows. If Pierce had chosen to come to our 
 house every day in the week, and sit at our board, he 
 
REMINISCENCES. 319 
 
 would have been a welcome guest every time. Pierce 
 was not a member of any church organization when he 
 came among us, though he was honest and honorable in 
 all his dealings and had a tender heart. He was a man 
 of peace and treated every one with kindness. By nature 
 he was a man of fine feelings, and his regard for the feel- 
 ings of others was peculiarly evident. At the same time, 
 if unjustly attacked, he was and is to-day capable of the 
 most stinging sarcasm. He lacks a great deal of being a 
 coward, and stands by what he says. 
 
 The majority of the heads of families in the neigh- 
 borhood were members of some church, Methodists most- 
 ly. The only place they had to worship, except private 
 houses, which were mostly little log cabins, was that 
 poor, unsightly, uncomfortable school-house. But poor 
 and cold and crude as it was, the Lord blessed his chil- 
 dren who assembled there to worship. A few of the 
 members were pretty comfortably fixed, but the majority 
 were living in poor quarters. They had land, and were 
 struggling to get fixed to liv^e, but that was in the earlij 
 days. Some of the earliest settlers — the Beans, for in- 
 stance, who were thrifty people — had a good home, a fine 
 orchard, and many other comforts when such things were 
 scarce. 
 
 But I must go back to the old school-house where 
 the humble and unpretentious were wont to assemble in 
 their plain and shabby attire and worship God without 
 any feeling of restraint or embarrassment. I can think 
 of a number of them who were full of the Holy Spirit. 
 Their plain, unvarnished stories of faith and love to God 
 and man ring in my ears even now. Nearly all of them 
 
320 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 have gone to their reward. There was one woman in par- 
 ticular, wlio a few months ago, at the age of seventy- 
 nine, laid down her burden of poverty, toil and affliction 
 and took up her abode in one of the mansions prepared 
 for the faithful. That woman was Mrs. Lydia Noe. 
 Everybody called her "Aunt Lydia." She possessed 
 very little of what are called the good things of this world, 
 but was so full of faith and the Holy Spirit she was al- 
 ways rejoicing. She used to say to me, "Sister Phillips, 
 when I think of my Heavenly home and the joys laid up 
 for me there, I get in a hurry to go." I could write a 
 whole chapter of "Aunt Lydia's" exhortations, prayers 
 and talks in love-feast meetings. She was unlearned in 
 what the world calls learning, but she knew how to take 
 hold of God's promises and how to cast her burden on 
 the Lord. 
 
REMINISCENCES '.\2\ 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Rhinehart society belonged to the Eddyville 
 circuit. The circuit preacher resided in Eddyville. His 
 appointments at the Rhinehart school-house were usual- 
 ly on every alternate Sunday, but occassionally he would 
 hold a series of meetings in the neighborhood. Those 
 protracted meetings were usually held in the winter and 
 if school was being taught the people would congregate 
 in the school-house of evenings, and in the daytime 
 would meet at one or another of the small and unpreten- 
 tious homes of that neighborhood. 
 
 Rev, Samuel Hestwood was once pastor of the Eddy- 
 ville circuit. He came about the time the war of the re- 
 bellion broke out. Not long after coming, he held a pro- 
 tracted meeting in the Rhinehart neighborhood. He was 
 a good man, a good singer and a forceful preacher. The 
 older members seemed to "take a new start for the 
 Kingdom." A number of the young people became con- 
 verted — among them our friend, Pierce Ratliff. What 
 joy there was that day in that little, plain congregation, 
 when Pierce — jolly, good-hearted Pierce, who was the 
 
 21 
 
322 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 life ()i the neighborhood and a favorite with every body- 
 rose np and told, with joy beaming" in his face and tears 
 streaming down his cheeks, that God, for Christ's sake 
 had forgiven his sins. What a thrill ran through that 
 little company of worshipers! Every face beamed with 
 joy. I can never forget the glad look on the face of his 
 saintly old mother as she went about shaking hands with 
 everybody and thanking the Lord for converting her son. 
 And Brother Hestwood, how happy he looked when 
 Pierce, in giving his testimony, said: ''Mr. Hestwood, 
 I thank the Lord for permitting me to hear your preach- 
 ing. You convinced me that I ought to be a Christian 
 every time I heard you preach." Then he went on to 
 say, "Ever since this meeting began I have felt that I 
 ought to give my heart to God and lead a new and better 
 life. Early this morning I went away down a slough west 
 of my house and when I had reached a place where I 
 thought nobody but God could hear me, I fell on my 
 knees, I wrestled with my convictions, my pride and my 
 love of the world. I told God all about it and promised 
 then and there if He would for Christ's sake forgive my 
 sins, I would serve Him all the days of my life. When I 
 arose from my knees I felt that the burden of sin was 
 taken from my soul and I was a new creature in Christ 
 Jesus." 
 
 The next time that Pierce was at our house after 
 that memorable meeting, we looked out and saw Gorrell 
 coming up the lane. Pierce got up and walked quickly 
 down to meet him. I watched them until they met, when 
 Pierce threw his arms around Gorrell's neck and there 
 they stood embracing each other, "John and Phineas." 
 
REMINISCENCES. 323 
 
 I stood in the kitchen door and watched those strong, 
 manly men as they came toward the house. Tears of joy 
 and sympathy were in my own eyes as I saw the tears 
 and look of tenderness in theirs. They both w^ere strong, 
 manly men, w^ould scorn to go back on their word, were 
 square in their dealings, never took advantage of the 
 helpless nor of widows and orphans, even when they 
 made no pretentions to being Christians. 
 
 They had been honest and honorable boys, but some- 
 thing beyond that had come to them. That something, 
 while it made them none the less manly, gave them tiie 
 courage to stand up for Christ and accept the Kingdom 
 of Heaven as little children. They had a new exper- 
 ience, a touch of the Spirit which was in Christ. That 
 day when we sat down to dinner. Pierce asked a bless- 
 ing. He always had a good, honest face, but after the 
 experience I have been telling about, his face fairly 
 shone. How well he talked in meeting. He had the gift 
 naturally of expressing his thoughts clearly and inter- 
 estingly. He never said anything that sounded flat or 
 insipid, no matter what his subject was, and especially 
 when he would rise up in a religious meeting we all felt 
 sure we were going to hear something interesting, in- 
 structive and to the point. Many predicted that Pierce 
 would be a preacher. In one sense, he was a preacher 
 from the time he was converted. Some of the ministers 
 and many others, members of the church, used to say to 
 him: "Brother Ratliff, you ought to be a minister." 
 His reply usually was, "Oh, I couldn't preach, I am not 
 good enough, and if I was good enough I am not well 
 enough educated.'' He always regretted not having had 
 
324 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 better advantages of educati(jn in his youth, and after he 
 came from California and he and his mother settled down 
 to living on a farm, the way never seemed to be open for 
 him to go to school. He was a prosperous farmer, made 
 money and added to his acres. Was liberal in his dona- 
 tions to the church and to the poor. 
 
 There was a very poor family living in our neighbor- 
 hood. One morning Pierce was driving down the lane. 
 There was snow on the ground. The man was over in 
 the field gathering corn. Pierce stopped to speak to 
 him, and as the man came toward him he observed his 
 bare toes sticking out of his ragged shoes. As the poor 
 man came toward him smiling, Pierce said, "Why, man, 
 aren't your feet nearly frozen?" "I don't mind it much," 
 said the man, whereupon Pierce put his hand down in his 
 pocket, took out some money and handed it to him, say- 
 ing: "Stop gathering that corn and go right straight 
 down to Eddyville and get yourself a pair of boots." 
 Then Pierce drove on. That is just one of many kind 
 acts performed by Pierce Ratliff. He had a kind heart 
 and a good mind, much as he talked about his want of 
 book learning. He lacked a good deal of being ignorant. 
 Being a close observ^er of men and things, he was quite 
 well informed. I used to think he understood what he 
 read the best of anybody I ever knew who made so little 
 pretensions to being learned. But whether he be called 
 learned or unlearned, he possessed the instincts of a gen- 
 tleman, and as he has gone along life's journey he has 
 managed to find out a great deal about some things and 
 a little about a great many things. 
 
 Pierce stuck to the faith, led class meetings and 
 
REMINISCENCES. 325 
 
 prayer meeting's, and was never absent from meeting- 
 unless unavoidably detained. He and his good old saint- 
 ly mother continued to live together on his farm until 
 Pierce began to be called an old bachelor. But finally 
 he became acquainted with, courted and married a hand- 
 some, accomplished young lady. Miss Addie F. Thomas. 
 He and his young wife idolized each other. He made for 
 her a nice home, furnished with many comforts. Pierce 
 had been a good son, a good brother, a good friend, and 
 true to that noble manliness born in him, was a devoted 
 husband. How often they used to come flying into our 
 house to see Gorrell and me, with joy beaming all over 
 their faces. But that dream of happiness was cut short 
 by death. Addie, the happy young wife, was suddenly 
 snatched away by that uncompromising reaper, who paid 
 no attention to the breaking- heart of the stricken hus- 
 band nor the pitiful wailing of his little motherless baby. 
 How vividly that terrible day is stamped on my memory ! 
 A large mirror fell from the wall and' was shivered into a 
 thousand pieces. I had scarcely gotten the glass swept 
 up when there was a ring at my door. I went to the 
 door and there stood a boy with a telegram. I tore it 
 open and read: 
 
 "Come at Once. Addie is Very Sick. 
 
 "Pierce." 
 
 I immediately began preparing- to goto them, hoping- 
 all the time that Pierce in his fright had thought things 
 more serious than they really were. But as I was hur- 
 rying to the train I met Taylor Kalbach coming from 
 there. I knew from the look or tenderness in his face 
 that something terrible had happened. We halted a mo- 
 
326 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 ment, and all that he said was: "She is dead!" Then we 
 hurried on. 
 
 How my heart ached for Pierce and how I dreaded 
 to meet him. I found him walking the floor, wringing 
 his hands in the agony of despair. There Addie lay, 
 cold and white and still. Kind friends had done all that 
 it was possible to do. Neither the agonizing prayers of 
 the heart-broken liusband, the skill of physicians, nor 
 the sympathy and efforts of friends could keep back that 
 terrible messenger. The young life had gone out; there 
 Addie lay, so white and so still, dressed as I had seen 
 her thirteen months before, when she and Pierce stood 
 hand in hand while Brother Pillsbury pronounced them 
 husband and wife. Addie was an only child, idolized by 
 her parents. I went into another room, where I found 
 her father sitting in silent, motionless, tearless grief. 
 Her mother, who happened at that time to be many miles 
 away, was notified by telegram of her daughter's serious 
 illness. She flew^ as fast as railroad trains could carry 
 her, but when she arrived that beloved daughter was 
 cold and still. 
 
 I can never forget the agonizing grief of that mother. 
 These terrible sorrows come — we can't tell why. Per- 
 haps it will all be revealed to us some time. Addie was 
 laid to rest in Forest Cemetery, and in a few months a 
 little grave was made close to hers. Pierce had "moved 
 heaven and earth" in trying to keep their baby boy, but 
 it was not to be. The Lord took him. On that self -same 
 day that baby's aged and saintly grandmother, Margaret 
 Wade Ratlilf , entered into the rest prepared for the just. 
 I love to think of the life of that honest, unpretentious, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 327 
 
 unselfish Christian woman. I sometimes tell Pierce that 
 he ougiit to thank the Lord for his having- sprung- from 
 such an honorable and Christian stock. I was intimately 
 acquainted with that saintly woman for a quarter of a 
 century, and in all those years I never knew her to do an 
 act or sciy a word which I thoug-ht was sinful. She was 
 not a long-faced, canting Christian, who was always see- 
 ing- something" in others to condemn, but was charitable, 
 cheerful, hospitable, and was not g-iven to seeing- faults 
 in others. She was exceedingly obliging to her neigh- 
 bors, without seeming to think she had done anything' 
 out of the ordinary, or usual. The man who was born of 
 a woman with a character like hers, and had the example 
 of a life like hers all through his boyhood and early man- 
 hood, surely has something to be grateful for. 
 
 Pierce chose one of the beautiful spots in Forest 
 Cemetery wherein to lay his precious dead. There lie 
 his young wife, his baby and his mother. By the 
 mother's side lies all that is mortal of her son John, who 
 many years ago met a sudden and tragic death by being 
 thrown from a horse. John was as charming and at- 
 tractive in his manners as his brother Pierce. A gray 
 granite monument is there to tell who are the occupants 
 of that lovely, shady, grassy spot. All the Summer 
 through the grass is kept shorn and flowers bloom on the 
 graves. 
 
 Pierce has endured many sore trials and fiery or 
 deals, but with it all has steadfastly clung to his faith in 
 Christ. He has been an active business man, has made 
 much money, and might have been wealthy if his heart 
 had been less tender and less inclined to respond to the 
 
328 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 calls of Christian work and the needy poor. Some years 
 ago he was engaged as a traveling salesman for a large 
 agricultural implement house in Minneapolis, which busi- 
 ness kept him on the road and in hotels, where he was 
 continually coming in contact with infidels, agnostics and 
 scoffers at the religion of Jesus Christ, and at the teach- 
 ing of the Bible. I used to wonder if he would withstand 
 the scoff's and jeers, criticisms and cunning sophistry a 
 Christian is compelled to hear on railroad trains, in the 
 offices of hotels, and the many circumstances surrounding 
 a man engaged as a traveling salesman, and come out of 
 it all with his faith unshaken. I must confess I some- 
 times felt afraid he would not. But I might have "given 
 to the winds my fears," for God gave him grace to stand 
 up for Christ and defend the faith whenever and where - 
 ever he heard it defamed. Instead of growing weaker 
 in the faith he came out stronger. When in the city he 
 worked in missions, talked on the street, and whenever 
 an opportunity was presented, held up Christ and salva- 
 tion to the ungodly. He has given much to foreign mis- 
 sions, and is now conducting a mission in Sioux City, 
 where he resides and is in business. 
 
 Pierce Ratliff is a self-made man, if any man can 
 truly be called self-made. He started out when a boy, 
 withftut money or influential friends; he worked for 
 twenty-five cents a day. The time came when he could 
 command fifteen hundred dollars a year as a traveling 
 salesman. Pierce Ratliff has shown himself a hero in 
 more than one instance and on more than one occasion. 
 I was talking with a gentleman not long ago who crossed 
 the plains in 1854 in the same train in which Pierce Rat- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 329 
 
 liff went and drove an ox team for Thomas Edwards. 
 He eng-ag-ed to drive that team throug-h, and do anything- 
 else which mig^ht come up and need doing- in the way of 
 guarding their teams and other animals which they were 
 driving through to Oregon. The gentleman remarked 
 during our talk that Pierce, though a mere boy, never 
 shirked a duty no matter how irksome or how dangerous. 
 The gentleman went on to say: "Pierce never seemed to 
 be afraid to undertake anything which was necessary to 
 be done. When we came to Green River we found the 
 stream deep and swift and cold. The teams and wagons 
 were taken across in a ferry-boat, and the loose cattle 
 were made to swim the stream. It was necessary for 
 some one to mount a horse and keep in the stream to 
 make the cattle take and keep the proper direction. It 
 looked like taking a great risk; the rest hesitated, but 
 Pierce mounted a horse and lunged right in. He soon 
 found himself in great peril. The river swift and cold, 
 the cattle frightened and swimming in every direction, 
 and he and his horse in the midst and in great peril. He 
 found himself and horse being carried down that raging 
 torrent in spite of all he could do. He slid off the 
 horse, thinking he would be in less danger, but that 
 raging, seething torrent carried him on and on. He was 
 in the very jaws of death, but was lighting for life with 
 all the nerve and muscle he possessed. When almost 
 exhausted and ready to give it up, he struck a bar, and 
 with almost superhuman strength threw himself on that 
 bar more dead than alive; the company were wrought up 
 to the highest pitch; they ran down and along the bank, 
 some, shouting to give him courage and others trying to 
 
330 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 throw him ropes, but with it all he had to save himself." 
 I have heard Pierce i:elate that terrible experience. 
 Every act of his life passed before his mind like a pano- 
 rama and when he struck that bar he put forth every 
 particle of strength in his body. Pierce made a terrible 
 struggle for his life in Green river, but would risk his 
 life for what some would consider a trifling matter. 
 When on that adventurous journey they had to be con- 
 tinually on the watch for Indians after they crossed the 
 Missouri river. Indians would steal their cattle and 
 horses if they had a chance. In spite of all their watch- 
 fulness, one morning a lot of their stock was gone. Part 
 of their team was gone, which was a calamity indeed. 
 So some of them must follow those Indians and, if pos- 
 sible, recover their oxen. Some of the men volunteered 
 to undertake that perilous adventure. Pierce Ratliff 
 among the rest. They mounted their horses and struck 
 out. A little colt belonging to the herd which they were 
 taking, or trying to take to Oregon, followed, as its 
 mother had been pressed into the service. 
 
 They found the trail over which the cattle had been 
 driven by the Indians, followed it up, and after going, as 
 they supposed, some eight or ten miles, discovered some 
 of their cattle grazing on the prairie. Near by was a 
 ravine lined with willows where they had good reason to 
 suppose the Indians who had driven off their stock were 
 in hiding. Some of the men got around the cattle in 
 sight and started them toward the camp. Others skir- 
 mished around among the willows (the little colt among 
 the rest) hoping to find the balance of their property, all 
 the time in mortal fear of being picked off by those 
 
REMINISCENCES. 331 
 
 treacherous Indians. Those who had gone on called 
 back to them to come on and let the rest go. They 
 started to join the others, but as they were leaving that 
 dangerous ground a pitiful wail was heard. The poor 
 little colt had become entangled in the willows, and just 
 under a bank some three or four feet high, and was making 
 desperate efforts to climb the bank. Pierce was one of 
 those who had been venturing among the willows. He 
 felt, as well as the rest, that they were in danger, but 
 the pitiful cries of that poor little colt touched his heart. 
 He turned back, sprang off his horse, seized the colt by 
 the head and drew it up the bank. It scampered off to 
 overtake the others and Pierce mounted his horse and 
 moved off on short notice too. When he joined the others 
 he was told by some of them that he was the biggest 
 fool they ever saw to take the chance of being shot and 
 scalped by an Indian to save a colt that wasn't worth ten 
 dollars. Pierce's reply was, "I may be a fool, but I 
 couldn't go off and leave anything begging so pitifully 
 for help as that colt was. " ' 
 
332 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Very few people lived their lives out on the claims 
 they made on the first of May, 1843. But now and then 
 an aged man or woman may be found living- on the iden- 
 tical spot where their first cabin was built in that long- 
 ago time. There was Harry Brewer, who came with sev- 
 eral others (all of whose names I have forg^otten except 
 Ephriam Munsel.) Mr. Brewer, Mr. Munsel and two or 
 three others, located claims close tog"ether, on the 
 g^rounds and in the neighborhood where the little town of 
 Givin now stands. 
 
 Little did they know or think or care anything about 
 the rich veins of coal underlying the whole of that beau- 
 tiful farming land. All they thought of was getting their 
 land in condition to raise something to eat, and a cabin 
 to shelter them. They knew that coal was all about 
 there, they could see it cropping out of the banks along 
 the Muchakinock and its little tributaries, but what did 
 they want with coal? They had no use for the black, 
 foul smelling stutf. Who ever dreamed then that a time 
 would come when tliat beautiful scenery would be 
 
REMINISCENCES. 333 
 
 disfi<^ured with great, ugly coal shafts and immense piles 
 and ridges of unsightly, black, smoking slack, A black- 
 smith shop was a necessity wherever a little settlement 
 was made. Somebody would dig into a hillside and get 
 enough to supply them. That was about all the use peo- 
 ple here had for coal in '43 and '44. There was plenty 
 of wood along the rivers to supply the wants of the early 
 settlers. We knew very little about coal at first. .Where 
 I came from blacksmith shops used charcoal. The only 
 coal I ever saw before coming to Iowa was a piece about 
 the size of a hen's egg", brought by a young man who had 
 been to Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, attending school. Said piece 
 of coal was placed as a curio on his father's mantel shelf 
 and shown to the neighbors when they came in, and its 
 use explained. Blacksmiths had to use coal and black- 
 smiths were a necessity— people had to get their horses 
 shod and their big prairie plows sharpened and their iron 
 wedges sharpened, and if they broke the shovel or tongs 
 in putting on a big backlog or forestick, it took a black- 
 smith to mend them. 
 
 Besides the Brewers and Munsells, there were the 
 Harper brothers, John, William, Jacob and Archer, Mr. 
 James Bowen, Mr. Andrew Baughman, the Olneys and 
 many others, all in that region and all owning tracts of 
 land, rich and productiv^e. Corn, wheat, oats, clover and 
 timothy grew luxuriantly on all these lands. But before 
 many years they began to discover that there was a mine 
 of wealth deep down under their fields and orchards and 
 under everything else around there. There soon began 
 to be a demand for coal, in a small way. When that big 
 prairie toward Fremont began to be settled up, the pec- 
 
334 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 pie used coal. They found it cheaper than wood and 
 easier to obtain. Those people out there used to haul 
 from Bowen's bank, which was said to turn out the best 
 coal in that reg"ion. 
 
 In course of time a railroad was built from Keokuk 
 to Des Moines; then the Iowa Central, both roads run- 
 ning through that neighborhood I have mentioned. A 
 railroad company bought nearly all the farms around 
 there, paying what seemed then to be fabulous prices for 
 the same. Those mines of coal were opened up on a 
 large scale, managed by two brothers, W. A. and H. W. 
 McNeill — big-souled, brainy business men. The mining 
 town of Muchakinock sprang up. Hundreds of men were 
 soon working under the ground. Their houses soon 
 lined the creek and dotted the hills. Instead of a wagon 
 load being hauled away from there occasionally, thous- 
 ands of tons were shipped out daily. 
 
 The McNeills were the kind of men to make business 
 go. They have not only done much toward developing 
 the vast coal fields of Mahaska County, but have built 
 handsome residences and substantial business houses in 
 Oskaloosa. Our people are indebted to the McNeills for 
 much of our town and county's prosperity. Colonel Mc- 
 Neill, a brother, came later. He, too, is a fine business 
 man. He owns and occupies one of the handsome homes 
 in Oskaloosa. H. W. McNeill built one of the most ele- 
 gant and expensive suburban homes anywhere in this 
 part of Iowa. Oskaloosa people are proud of "Park 
 Place," and take pleasure in driving their visitors 
 through its winding ways, where are to be seen neatly- 
 shorn hedges, velvety grass plats, pond, fountain, rose 
 
REMINISCENC ES. 335 
 
 garden, vines, ferns and flowers, besides trees great atid 
 small. Park Place is an ideal and a charming home. 
 
 The McNeill brothers have made much money in an 
 honorable business way, are very liberal, and make mag- 
 nificent presents to their relatives, no matter how re- 
 mote. They are not only generous with their owm kin, 
 but give bountifully to hundreds and thousands of needy 
 poor. Besides many other gifts, they used to donate a 
 turkey to each miner's family in their employ for their 
 Christmas dinner. 
 
 When the coal companies offered the people about 
 Givin and Muchakinock a hundred dollars an acre for their 
 land they nearly all sold out. I can't think of any who 
 kept their farms and old homesteads except Wm. Harper 
 and Harry Brewer. Harry Brewer died several years 
 ago, but Mrs. Brewer, the wife of his youth, is living on 
 the spot where their claim cabin stood in 1843. Mrs. 
 Brewer is well preserved, retains her mental faculties 
 perfectly, has a very clear recollection of the early times 
 and can relate scenes and events of that long ago time in 
 a clear and interesting manner. She tells about the 
 cabin in which they lived the first winter having no win- 
 dow; when she sewed on cold winter days she had to sit 
 almost in the fireplace, where she could thread her needle 
 by the light which came down the chimney. Some of 
 Mrs. Brewer's sons are successful business men in Oska- 
 loosa and have good substantial homes. Their sister 
 Emily, who married a Mr. Grew, was a lovely girl and is 
 a noble and lovely woman. 
 
 Farmers who did not sell out and out to the coal 
 companies have found a market for their products in the 
 
336 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 mining" towns which are to be seen in every direction 
 from Oskaloosa. Great fields of waving grain, orchards 
 and meadows flourish on the ground beneath which are 
 thousands of men digg"ing" and hauling out that valuable 
 coal. Long trains of cars loaded with that useful com- 
 modity are sent east, west, north and south. Railways 
 are run by it, and the dwellers on the vast woodless 
 plains of Northwestern Iowa and the Dakotas are 
 warmed by fires made of coal from Mahaska County. 
 When we come to think of it, Mahaska County has many 
 things which are considered essential in making up the 
 necessaries and comforts of a home. Her natural re- 
 sources are numerous, her soil deep and rich, producing 
 immense crops of grains, grasses, vegetables and fruits. 
 
 Great veins or strata of coal underlie all this fine 
 farming land. Both the Des Moines and Skunk rivers 
 run diagonally through the county. They, with their 
 numerous tributaries and many fine springs, make it a 
 well watered county: and besides that, one can have a 
 well almost anywhere by digging. In the bluffs along 
 our rivers and creeks limestone and sandstone abound, 
 suitable for building purposes. There is an abundance 
 of clay suitable for making ordinary brick, tiling and 
 pottery, and an unlimited amount of the kind of which 
 paving brick is made. If anybody wants to see paving 
 brick that will stand almost anything on earth, let them 
 come to Oskaloosa. I can speak for the paving in front 
 of my house, which is on South Market Street, a street 
 used as much for heavy hauling and fast driving as any 
 street in the city. I have seen sparks fly from the hoofs 
 of horses as they have gone tearing along on this 
 
REMINISCENCES. 337 
 
 pavement, but have never seen a brick misplaced nor 
 even a corner chipped off, though it has been down over 
 four years. I seem to be doing- a little unintentional ad- 
 vertising- for the people who make the brick and those 
 who do the paving. But let it g"o. If I knew who they 
 were I mig^ht mention their names. Come to think of it, 
 I do know one man who is engaged in making paving 
 brick just at the edge of town. That man is Mr. Will 
 Hawkins, a highly respected citizen of Oskaloosa, whose 
 excellent wife is a daughter of Isaac Kalbach and sister 
 of the Kalbach men who are counted among the honor- 
 able business men — the bone and sinew of Oskaloosa's 
 citizens. 
 
 Will Hawkins is a descendant of Quaker ancestors of 
 whom no one need be ashamed. His parents, Isaac and 
 Ruth Hawkins, came to Oskaloosa from Ohio many years 
 ago when Will was a little boy. His brother, Seth Hawk- 
 ins, is, and has been from young manhood up, a much re- 
 spected member of society. These Hawkins men have 
 five sisters, Mrs. George Terrell, Mrs. Joseph Arnold, 
 Mrs. Charles Johnson, Mrs. Anna Barton and Miss Lou 
 Hawkins, every one superior and cultured women. Isaac 
 Hawkins, their father, died soon after coming to Oska- 
 loosa, but Ruth, his gentle, sweet-spirited wife, survived 
 him many years. But now she too is sleeping in the si- 
 lent city of the dead. Abram and Jane Hawkins, near 
 relatives of the other Hawkins family, came and settled 
 in Oskaloosa more than thirty years ago. A more serene 
 and charming old couple it was never my pleasure to 
 meet. Their genial bow and pleasant smile "haunts me 
 still" as I, on summer evenings, drive by their once 
 
338 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 charming" home. I miss the bow of friendly recognition 
 and Ivincdy smile which used to greet me as I was wont to 
 see that beloved and saintly couple sitting on their ve- 
 randa embowered in vines and flowers. A holy peace 
 seemed to rest on those placid faces, though they had 
 known sorrows They had seen their manly sons and 
 sparkling daughters, while in the bloom of young man- 
 hood and young womanhood, fall asleep, to wake no 
 more. Uncle Abram and Aunt Jane, as everybody called 
 them, endured their bereavement with Christian resig- 
 nation. A peace the world knew not of was theirs. 
 Now they lie side by side in Forest Cemetery. A gray 
 granite stone marks the spot where among their sons and 
 daughters they are sleeping their long, last sleep. Two 
 sons survive them, William and Eli Hawkins, who are 
 prominent business men in Oskaloosa. 
 
 If I had led anyone to suppose that I was going to 
 tell a ■ connected story or relate events in the order in 
 which they occurred, I would feel like apologizing for 
 flying from one subject to another having so little bear- 
 ing on each other. But I find if I tell the things I want 
 to tell, I must tell them just when I happen to think 
 of them. 
 
 I must go back to Harrison township where we lived 
 on the Rhinehart farm from the 11th of November, 1856, 
 to November 9th, 1868. Many things happened during 
 those twelve years. The great financial crash of 1857, 
 which made times so hard, and money so hard to obtain 
 that some families came near suffering for the bare nec- 
 essaries of life; some could scarcely get corn bread. 
 There came nearer being a famine than anything that 
 
REMINISCENCES. 339 
 
 ever happened to Iowa. Corn a dollar a bushel and no 
 money. In the summer of 1858 there was so much rain 
 the crops were ruined. The roads were almost impass- 
 able. The rivers and creeks overflowed their bottom- 
 lands. The town of Eddyville was innundated, or a g^ood 
 portion of it was. The Des Moines river bridg'e, the 
 pride of the town, w^as partially carried off by the flood. 
 If there was another bridg^e spanning the Des Moines 
 river at that time, I don't know where it was. When the 
 river was too hig^h to ford, it was crossed in ferry boats. 
 
 Mr. William Fredrick and family lived about three 
 miles south of us. They had come from Ohio in 1844. 
 Mr. Fredrick was called a rich man. He bougdit a large 
 tract of land; I think he was said to own nine hundred 
 acres all in one body. He kept a large flock of sheep. 
 The first dandelions I ever saw in Mahaska County grew 
 on the common where Mr. Fredrick pastured his sheep. 
 It was said that the seed was brought from Ohio in the 
 wool on the backs of those sheep. I remember how de- 
 lighted I was to see those yellow blossoms, reminding me 
 of my childhood days. Mr. Fredrick raised immense 
 crops of the biggest and yellowest corn I ever saw. He 
 brought the seed from Ohio. In a year or two every far- 
 mer around had that kind of corn. It was known as the 
 Fredrick corn all over the country. Mr. Fredrick was a 
 very peculiar man. If he didn't like people he was not 
 slow in letting them know it. At the same time he was 
 generous to those he liked, especially to the worthy 
 poor. He happened to have a large amount of corn on 
 hand when corn was selling at a dollar a bushel, but 
 when the poor went to him to buy for bread or seed he 
 
340 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 would only take twenty-five cents. Mrs. Fredrick was a 
 lady of refined tastes; was a lover of flowers. When rare 
 shrubs, roses and other flowers were almost unknown in 
 this new country, she had a garden full, brought from 
 her old home in Ohio. The first time I went to see her, 
 which was in the Spring of '57, she had my buggy filled 
 with slips from those choice plants. Mrs. Fredrick died 
 in the Fall of '57. 
 
 When the Fredricks came to Iowa they had two sons, 
 young men, George and William, and three daughters, 
 Mrs. Dr. C. G. Owen, Miss Clementina Fredrick, who 
 afterward married Mr. Sidney Smith, and Miss Cassie 
 Fredrick. George and William both died in early man- 
 hood. Mrs. Electa Owen died a few years later in Oska- 
 loosa. Mrs. Sidney Smith and Miss Cassie are all that 
 are left of that family. A few years after Mrs. Fredrick 
 died, Mr. Fredrick married Mrs. Reigart, a superior 
 lady. Mrs. Reigart had two charming daughters, Miss 
 Kate and Miss Vena Reigart. I remember well what a 
 sensation the advent of these handsome and accomplished 
 girls created among the young men of our neighborhood. 
 But none of them succeeded in winning either of them. 
 Kate married somebody and went to Chicago to live. 
 Vinnie is the wife of Colonel Hammond, a prominent 
 banker and an esteemed citizen of Oskaloosa, and has 
 bright and accomplished daughters of her own. The 
 second Mrs. Fredrick preceded her husband to the other 
 shore. Mr. Fredrick lived to a great age, away up in 
 the nineties. He died while on a visit to his daughter, 
 Mrs. Smith, in Kansas. That terrible conflict, the war 
 of the rebellion, began and ended while we were citizens 
 
REMINISCENCES. 341 
 
 of Harrison township. We were still feeling- the pres- 
 sure of the crash of '57 when that awful war broke out. 
 Money was still scarce, dry goods and groceries were 
 high, and when the war was really upon us, things were 
 higher. 
 
 People who had been thought well to do wore shab- 
 by, patched and threadbare clothes. Coit'ee, tea and 
 sugar sold at enormous prices. Nearly everybody re- 
 sorted to some kind of substitute for coffee. We got 
 along pretty well on coffee made of parched rye. But 
 for sugar and molasses there was no substitute until the 
 Lord sent us the sorghum. Sorghum was never known 
 in this country until about the time the war began. At 
 first, no one here knew how to make a very good article 
 of sorghum molasses, but they soon learned t(^ make 
 what we thought a very fair syrup. Esquire Sam Vance 
 became an expert on that necessary commodity. I re- 
 member how proud I was when two barrels of that sac- 
 charine product were brought and unloaded at my door: 
 When a thing which is essential to the living of His 
 children fails, the Lord sends something to supply that 
 need. 
 
 When the Nantucket and New Bedford whale fishers 
 could no longer supply lighting and lubricating oil to 
 answer the demands of this country with its steadily in- 
 creasing population and inventions, the God and Father 
 of us all ]iermitted his children to discover deep down in 
 the earth great reservoirs of petroleum and stores of gas. 
 When that terrible conflict between the north and the 
 south came, and almost shut off the supply of sugar and 
 molasses which we were wont to receive from our south- 
 
342 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 ern neighbors, so cheap and so plentifully, the same kind 
 Providence sent us the sorghum. It was surprising how 
 soon the people learned to make a fine quality of molas- 
 ses, and how pleased and satisfied we were with our jars 
 of crab-apple sauce, plum butter and blackberry jam 
 made with sorghum molasses. Esquire Vance was sup- 
 posed to be the champion sorghum-maker in that region, 
 but there were others who were not slow in the business. 
 ''Uncle Jake" Noe, for instance, a neighbor of ours, car- 
 ried on the business to a considerable extent. Uncle 
 Jake had a sorghum-mill of the regulation sort, propelled 
 by a horse of uncertain age which they called "Colonel." 
 Colonel in early life had been afflicted with a disease 
 known as "big head." Though he had recovered from 
 that malady, his head was still out of proportion to the 
 rest of his body. Colonel would not have been called 
 fleet, nor symmetrical, nor spirited, yet if a boy kept at 
 his heels with a cane stalk and gave him a lick occasion- 
 ally he would keep that sorghum mill going pretty stead- 
 ily from morning till night. 
 
 Uncle Jake was kind-hearted and liberal and patient. 
 He permitted all the boys around to congregate at his 
 sorghum factory of evenings, and with his own boys have 
 all the fun they chose to have, which is saying a good deal. 
 There were my own boys, the Bean boys, and the Barber 
 boys, every one of them bubbling over with fun. Uncle 
 Jake supervised the boiling himself, and when he would 
 have an installment of molasses to dip out he would say: 
 "Now, boys, git your paddles ready, and as soon as I git 
 the batch dipped out you kin jist pitch in and scrape the 
 pan," whereat a general licking of paddles and smart 
 
REMINISCENCES. 343 
 
 remarks would begin. The Noe boys were noted for a 
 dry wit peculiarly their own. That sorghum making 
 gave to our children a pleasure something like their par- 
 ents experienced when children, as they congregated at 
 the sugar camps in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The 
 Noes came from Indiana, the region where Edward 
 Eggleston found the material for his story of "The 
 Hoosier School-master." I didn't live far from there 
 myself, and can testify that Edward Eggleston and James 
 Whitcomb Riley know what they are talking about. 
 
 More than three score years have come and gone 
 since I, with other happy children, played 'neath the 
 shade of big beech and sugar trees not far from the little 
 town of Greenfield. "Long afore we knowed who Santa 
 Glaus wuz" we waded in gravelly- bedded creeks, peeled 
 great flakes of moss from logs which had been lying for 
 generations undisturbed, until we stripped them of their 
 mossy coats to make carpets for our play-houses and 
 beds for our dolls. Little girls of Mahaska have many 
 beautiful things never dreamed of when I was a child, 
 but they have no such moss as we had. 
 
344 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The war of the rebellion to our young school boys 
 and g'irla seems as vague and far away as the war of the 
 rev^olution did to me when I was a school girl. I have 
 seen many old people in my childhood, and can remember 
 them well, who had lived all through that war. My own 
 grandmother lived near and heard the firing at the battle 
 of Guilford Court-house in North Carolina. My people 
 •were Quakers and didn't do much fighting, though they 
 did a good deal of nursing among the sick and wounded 
 soldiers. My great grandfather and my great great 
 grandfather lived near that battle ground, and their 
 houses were made hospitals for the wounded American 
 soldiers. William Coffin, my great great grandfather, 
 married Priscilla Paddock, daughter of a Nantucket 
 whale fisher. The Coffins, her descendants, were proud 
 of the Paddock blood. Many daughters among them 
 have borne the name of Priscilla in honor of that excel- 
 lent lady. I wonder if Priscilla Coffin Prine has ever 
 been told that she is a lineal descendant of the much- 
 esteemed Priscilla Paddock Coffin. Those old survivors 
 
REMINISCENCES. 345 
 
 of the revolution were rich in folk lore, and used to re- 
 late to us children stories of pirates and tories and witch- 
 es until we were afraid to go to bed in the dark. 
 
 When another generation appears on the scene the 
 survivors of the civil war will be as few and far between 
 as the old revolutionary people were in my youth. That 
 terrible war among our own people is fresh in the minds 
 of many of us yet, though some of our brilliant young 
 men and women were born long since that awful conflict 
 ended. Even that brilliant young senator, Beveridge, 
 began life since that war. I read the charming speech 
 which he delivered in the United States Senate the other 
 day, and now I am prouder than ever of my native state. 
 
 I am not quite done with Harrison Township and the 
 things which happened there between 1856 and 1869. 
 The war and many things attending it loom up before my 
 mental vision. That war wonderfully transformed things. 
 Our nerves were strung up to the greatest tension week 
 in and week out. Sluggish people became energetic; 
 stingy people became liberal. Nearly all of our neigh- 
 bors were loyal — a copperhead stood no show around 
 there. I took it upon myself to propose forming a Sol- 
 diers' Aid Society among the women and girls of the 
 neighborhood. Nearly all seemed anxious to go into it, 
 and willing to do what they could. A meeting was ap- 
 pointed at the residence of Mr. Wm. Bean for the pur- 
 pose of organizing said society. We met, were organ- 
 ized, your humble servant was chosen president, Mrs. 
 Mary A. Ratliff vice president. Miss Eliza Stuart secre- 
 tary, and Mrs. Z. Loper treasurer. It is no wonder that 
 Col. John Loper is a brave soldier and a man amongst 
 
346 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 men; his mother was "a host within herself." Our soci- 
 ety met at one or another of the houses in the neighbor- 
 hood one afternoon in each week. I look back to that 
 time and wonder at the unselfishness practiced by all of 
 us. Times had been hard, we had practiced economy, 
 our wardrobes and household linen had ran low, but loy- 
 alty and anxiety about the sick and wounded soldiers was 
 so great any of us would have given the last sheet or 
 table cloth if by so doing any suffering soldier would 
 have been made more comfortable. We worked faith- 
 fully, made bandages, lint, pillows and hospital garments. 
 We packed those articles in great boxes, in the center of 
 which we placed many things which we hoped would 
 tempt the appetite of our poor, sick soldiers. In one of 
 those boxes I placed a can containing twelve dozen nice, 
 fresh eggs, packed in bran. Those eggs were donated 
 by Mrs. Andrew Baughman, and many a sick soldier who 
 hadn't had an egg for months was made glad. 
 
 When we were ready to make up a box to send away 
 some of us would canvass the country all around for do- 
 nations and nearly everybody would gladly give what 
 they could. I made a circuit like that and was surprised 
 at the liberality of people who had little of this world's 
 goods. When I got home with my buggy loaded down 
 with dainty and useful things, I told my folks I had only 
 met one man who wanted to argue. He braced himself 
 and began by saying: "The government provides for the 
 crippled soldiers and all the good truck you send down 
 thar is grabbed up by the officers, whereupon I interrupt - 
 him. rude as it was, by remarking that I had no time to 
 discuss that question, and drove on. All through that 
 
REMINISCENCES. 347 
 
 war we worked and prayed, we prayed and worked. 
 That was a time when the souls of men and women too 
 were tried. How we loved and reverenced the boys in 
 blue. No matter what we had thoug^ht of them before, 
 when we saw them with Uncle Sam's uniform on they 
 were all rig^ht, nothing" was too good for them. The 
 railroad and telegraph line had only reached Eddyville 
 then and our soldier boys, when starting" to the war, had 
 to go there to take the train. One day my husband was 
 coming out of Eddyville on horseback. About a half a 
 mile this side he met a soldier walking as fast as he 
 could and almost out of breath. Mr. Phillips took in the 
 situation at once, dismounted, handed the soldier the 
 bridle saying: "Jump on this horse and put him through. 
 Perhaps you can make the train. Hitch him around 
 there somewhere, I'll walk back and get him." The sol- 
 dier looked grateful, said "Thank you, " then flew as fast 
 as that horse could go. Mr. Phillips walked back to the 
 station. The train had gone, the soldier had "made it." 
 The horse was "hitched around there somewhere." Mr. 
 Phillips never knew who that soldier was. It was 
 enough to know he was a soldier. 
 
 When I think of that mighty conflict, I think of it as 
 a four years of praying and weeping and working. The 
 tears come to my eyes now as I think of our splendid men 
 and boys as we used to see them go away so full of nerve 
 and pluck and patriotism, to endure all manner of hard- 
 ships and die, if need be, for their country and their 
 country's flag. The day the 3.3d Iowa left, my husband 
 and boys came to Oskaloosa to see them oft'. I was at 
 home all day alone. I was thinking all the time of those 
 
348 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 brave and splendid men and boys, their wives, mothers, 
 sisters and sweethearts. After a while I heard the band 
 away over on the Eddyville road. I knew what it meant. 
 All the rest of that day I could do nothing but walk about 
 the house and yard and weep and think, "They will never 
 all come back; they will never all come back." 
 
 Mr. Gilchrist, Dawson's father, was in that regi- 
 ment, a great, broad-shouldered, honest-faced man, just 
 in the prime of life and as sound as a dollar. He com- 
 mitted his wife and children to the care of the Father 
 above, then went down into the jaws of death, a sacrifice 
 on the altar of his country like many another whom I 
 could mention. Yet I sometimes hear it said that this or 
 that veteran of that awful war is drawing a pension un- 
 deservedly. How anyone can think a man could leave 
 his comfortable home and the dear ones therein, face 
 shot and shell, sleep in the mud, wake and find himself 
 frozen to the ground, endure hunger, thirst and loath- 
 some prisons, and many other things terrible to contem- 
 plate, and not be willing that this rich government should 
 pay them a good sized pension, is something I cannot un- 
 derstand. Who endured that without the effects being 
 left in his body? I want every man and boy who enlisted 
 in Uncle Sam's army, and is living today, to receive a 
 pension. If they escaped the enemy's bullets it was not 
 because they did not stand up to be shot at. 
 
 Nearly all the boys in our neighborhood who were 
 old enough enlisted in the army. There were the Ellis 
 boys, the Ball boys, the Zorns boys, John Phillips, B. 
 Noe, Gary Buntin, Jesse Barber, Man and Sam Yeric, 
 Hamline Doll and others, all in the Rhinehart neighbor- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 349 
 
 hood. Jesse Barber and Gary Buntin died serving" their 
 country. They both were excellent young men. I re- 
 member well when Jesse Barber was converted. He was 
 always a g^ood boy, had an honest face, but that night at 
 the old log school-house his face fairly shone. He had 
 asked the pra3^ers of the church and knelt at the altar. 
 After a while he stood up, and looking straight up, ex- 
 claimed: "Glory be to God! I see the heavens opening-!" 
 I don't think a person in that audience doubted Jesse's 
 sincerity. Word came to us that Jesse Barber died be- 
 lieving" and rejoicing in Christ. I used to hear it said by 
 the pessimistic sort, before the war had beg^un, but was 
 threatening", that war was so demoralizing" that a man 
 who was once a soldier was never fit for anything" else. 
 I often think of the talk I used to hear of that kind when 
 I look about and see many of our best citizens and suc- 
 cessful business men who were soldiers in that war, some 
 of them from first to last. 
 
 I don't think that Wm. Shaw would be considered 
 ■ very badly demoralized, nor James Loug"hridg"e, nor Ste- 
 phen DeCook, nor Captain Evans, nor Major McMuUin, 
 nor John F. Lacey, nor Judge Ryan, nor the McNeill 
 brothers, nor Capt. John H. Warren, nor Wm. R. Cowan, 
 nor Albert Swalm, nor Captain Woodruff, nor Major S. 
 H. M. Byers. O, they loom up before my mind so thick 
 and fast, I will have to stop or my list will be as long as 
 the list of those who voted the other day in favor of ex- 
 pelling the bigamist Roberts from the House of Repre- 
 sentatives. I am grateful to each and every one who 
 was brave and loyal enough to face the unutterable hard- 
 
350 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 ships, which often meant death itself, in defending our 
 country and our country's honor. 
 
 Our men were gentlemen when they went into the 
 army, and they were gentlemen when they came out. 
 Many were wrecks physically, but I can't think of one 
 who became a wreck morally or intellectually. Many of 
 our wealthy farmers and business men were soldiers, and 
 some have made themselves famous as writers of books. 
 There is Robert Kissick, a soldier all through the rebel- 
 lion, who has written a book which by critics is called a 
 valuable work. Mr, and Mrs. Kissick are both gifted 
 with more than ordinary ability. Their sons are bright 
 boys, and two of them were in the 51st Iowa Regiment. 
 One, their precious Edwyn, laid down his young life for 
 his country in the Philippine Islands. All that was mor- 
 tal of Edwyn Kissick was brought over that vast expanse 
 of ocean and land and laid to rest in our peaceful city of 
 the dead, where sleeps his brother Ralph. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kissick have one daughter, Irene, who is one of the 
 nicest and brightest little ladies that I know. 
 
 There is Major S. H. M. Byers, who went to the war 
 from Oskaloosa, a mere boy in years, and while enduring 
 the horrors of loathsome rebel prisons managed by 
 stealth to send to the world outside, soul-stirring songs, 
 the product of his brain, which were sung from one end 
 of the land to the other. And still his genius shines 
 brighter and brighter. The products of Major Byers' 
 brain and pen are honored with a place in periodicals of 
 the highest order of literature in our land. We were 
 proud to have Major and Mrs. Byers for neighbors and 
 citizens of our town. They are hospitable, cultured, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 351 
 
 g"ifted, and have the most charming^ manners. We were 
 loth to lose the Byerses, but congratulate Des Moines 
 society on having gained so valuable an addition. It is 
 not surprising that Major Byers is a gentleman with tal- 
 ents of a superior order. The blood of the Virginia Mar- 
 shalls flows in his veins, and "blood will tell." They 
 have one son, Lawrence, of whom it is said, "he is a 
 promising young attorney." Major Byers while abroad 
 procured many valuable works of art, a number of which, 
 through his liberality, adorn the halls of Penn College. 
 Another of our solid and much-esteemed families have 
 taken up their abode in the city of Des Moines, the 
 Frankels, Mrs. Frankel, her four manly sons and her 
 lovely and accomplished daughter. Rose. Somewhere 
 near forty years ago Mr. Isaiah Frankel came to Oska- 
 loosa and opened out a store of ready made clothing. 
 His means were not great, his store was small at first, 
 but he, like the most of his people, was a man of great 
 business ability, and was a born merchant. He pros- 
 pered in whatever he undertook. He dealt in wool, he 
 engaged in banking, but all the time his clothing store 
 was going on and gradually growing larger and finer. 
 He bought houses and lands; he built substantial and 
 handsome business houses; he purchased one of the (at 
 that time) nicest homes in the town of Oskaloosa. He 
 remodeled and added to until that home was one of the 
 most comfortable and commodious homes in the town. 
 Their lawn was a thing of beauty. 
 
 Not long after Mr. Frankel became established in 
 business, he was married to Miss Babetta Sheuerman, 
 wha through all the years she has lived among us has 
 
352 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 been a blessing and an ornament to Oskaloosa's society. 
 No nobler character ever g-raced our town nor was more 
 appreciated and admired by our people. Her benevo- 
 lence and kindness was far reaching-. Her words of wis- 
 dom charmed the intellectual and cultured. The sick 
 and the poor found in her a g"enuine, sympathizing-friend. 
 She made her home the abode of hospitality. She beau- 
 tified everything about her. Mrs. Frankel is not only a 
 noble character, but is a stately and dignified lady. 
 
 Mr. Frankel was shrewd and brainy, but was honor- 
 able in his dealings, was a valuable citizen and did much 
 to build up our town. By proper management and strict 
 attention to business, he became one of the wealthiest 
 men in Oskaloosa. He died a few years ago, respected 
 and lamented by the whole community and especially by 
 his neighbors. Henrietta, Mr. and Mrs. Frankel's old- 
 est daughter, is the wife of Mr. Pfeifer, a prominent 
 merchant of Oskaloosa. Mrs. Pfeifer is a cultured and 
 refined lady. The Frankels were my neighbors for more 
 than thirty years. I have known all of their six chil- 
 dren from babyhood to young manhood and young wom- 
 anhood. There are Anselm, Manassa, Nathan and Henry; 
 every one fine looking and manly young men bearing the 
 evidences of good breeding whenever and wherever one 
 chances to meet them. They seem to be endowed with 
 the business sense which made their father a success. 
 We were sorry to lose the Frankels as neighbors and 
 citizens, but pleased to hear of their success as business 
 men in their magnificent store in Des Moines. Persons 
 employed by the Frankel Brothers speak of the manly 
 way they deal with their employees. They put on no 
 
REMINISCENCKS. DoS 
 
 supercilious airs, but act in a respectful and manly way 
 tov/ard all. I think what I have said about the Frankel 
 family would be endorsed by every one of their old neigh- 
 bors. We feel the removal of that excellent family from 
 our neig'hborhood a personal loss to each and every one 
 of us. 
 
 Away back in 1855 there was an unusual exodus from 
 Ohio to low^a. I can think of a number of families that 
 came that year. Some of them I have already mentioned, 
 but there are some who have been prominent and valu- 
 able citizens through all these years whom I have not 
 yet spoken of. There was John Lofiand, his handsome 
 young wife and baby George. What a handsome couple 
 they were. They soon drew many of Oskaloosa's best 
 people about them and made many friends. They were 
 people of fine taste and charming manners. In course 
 of time two more sons were added to their family. Then 
 there were George. Frank and Charlie. When the civil 
 war broke out, Mr. Lofiand was one who bade adieu to 
 his beloved and charming wife and his three bright little 
 boys, donned a soldier's uniform and went off down to 
 the swamps and canebrakes of the South to be shot at. 
 He escaped Rebel bullets, though in many places of 
 great peril. John Lofiand was a brave man, he acquitted 
 himself with honor and came home a Colonel. For many 
 years Col. John Lofiand served his country as internal 
 revenue collector. He had many thrilling adventures 
 with "moonshiners" while in that office. George died on 
 his twentieth birthday in Denver, where he had gone to 
 seek relief from lung trouble. George died suddenly. 
 Just a day or two before the dispatch came telling of his 
 
 23 
 
354 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 death, his father came to our house with joy beaming- all 
 over his face He had just received a letter from George 
 saying he was getting on nicely - was almost well — 
 thought he would go to work in a day or two. Then 
 came that tenible message: 
 
 "George is Dead. Horace Fisher will go to 
 
 OSKALOOSA with THE REMAINS." 
 
 The night they were expecting the train which would 
 bring their precious dead boy, several of their friends, 
 my husband and myself amcmg the rest, waited and 
 watched with the stricken family. The night was cold, 
 a deep snow lay on the ground. I remember how dis- 
 cordant the sleigh-bells sounded as they went jingling 
 along the street. Away in the night some one came to the 
 door, and in a gentle and saddened voice, said: "They 
 are here." When the casket was brought in and opened, 
 there lay George, looking peaceful as a sleeping child. 
 On his breast, placed there by some tender hand, was a 
 hyacinth, as fresh as if just plucked from the stem. 
 
 More than a quarter of a century has passed since 
 that sad night, but that scene of grief- stricken parents 
 and brothers is fresh in my memory yet. George Lof- 
 land was laid to rest in Forest Cemetery. A few years 
 ago his father, the once stalwart, manly-looking Colonel 
 Lofland, was laid to rest by his side, Mrs. Lofland, sad 
 and bereft, like many of us, is living in a comfortable and- 
 pretty home. She has many friends and her sons are 
 models ot kindness. Frank and Charlie are fine looking, 
 and very superior business men — moral and sober in 
 their habits, gentlemanly and kind in their manners. 
 Frank Lofland married Miss Bena Siebel, daughter of 
 
REMINISCENCES. 355 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. John Siebel. The Siebels have been citi- 
 zens of Oskaloosa for nearly forty years; have always 
 been among- her substantial and highly respected fam- 
 ilies. Mr. Siebel is the owner of Oskaloosa' s largest 
 flouring mill, which was built and run for several years 
 by Benjamin Roop. 
 
 More than fifty years ago I stood in my cabin door 
 and watched the first volume of smoke that ever poured 
 from its great chimney stack. I felt so proud of Oska- 
 loosa when I saw that great mill sending forth smoke 
 and steam. It seemed immense to us who had witnessed 
 Oskaloosa's growth from the wild prairie to the dignity 
 of having a great steam mill. 
 
 Frank Lofiand, when a boy, was a clear-headed, 
 trustworthy business boy. He is a clear-headed busi- 
 ness man, and is said to be going on to fortune. Frank 
 looks like his father but Charlie looks like his mother. 
 Charlie Lofiand married Miss Minnie Little, daughter of 
 Mr. and Mrs. H. I. Little, and sister to the Little Bros., 
 who everybody here knows are hustlers, bright and pleas- 
 ant men to deal with. Mrs. Minnie Little Lofiand is a 
 niece of the McNeills. She and Charlie have three chil- 
 dren who are said to be interesting, charming and very 
 bright. They could not help being bright with the blood 
 of all the Lofiands, Littles and McNeills in their veins. 
 Charlie Lofiand has for many years been a capable and 
 trusted officer in the Oskaloosa National Bank. He and 
 his charming family own and occu])y one of the handsom- 
 est and most commodious homes on East High Avenue, 
 one of the streets noted for fine homes. Their lawn is 
 simply superb. Mrs. Charlie Lofiand is a charming 
 
356 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 woman. Iler manners are gracious, her voice is a de- 
 light. Singing runs in the Little and McNeill blood. 
 Mrs. Col. Lofland has reason to be very proud of her 
 sons, her daughters-in-law and her grandchildren. 
 
 Mrs. Lofland, like so many Ohio ladies that I know, 
 is an exquisite housekeeper. She makes everything 
 about her pretty and attractive. Her plants, her flowers; 
 her lawn, ever3^thing inside and outside of her house, is 
 arranged in the very prettiest fashion. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 357 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Oskaloosa never had what is called a "boom," l)ut 
 has just gone on in the "even tenor of its way," grow- 
 ing" a little every year, sometime a little faster than other 
 times. There have always been good and substantial 
 people in Oskaloosa from the time the first settler built 
 his log cabin in the place called The Narrows, down to 
 the present time. If our town and country ever had a 
 boom, it was from 1850 to 1856. Along in those years, if 
 anybody wanted to sell, all they had to do was to make 
 it known. There was no trouble in finding a purchaser. 
 There was no such thing to be seen then as a card tacked 
 on a house with "to rent" printed on it. Any sort of a 
 house could be rented without advertising. Many of the 
 new comers from Ohio and elsewhei'e, who had been used 
 to better things, were glad to find shelter in one room, 
 and a poor room at that. 
 
 I can think of many families who came here about 
 that time. The heads of many of those families have 
 entei'ed the vast beyond, and some are still among us. 
 The children of some of those who have gone before are 
 
358 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 with US still, and are g-ood citizens. There are the Down- 
 ings, the Lorings, the Kalbachs, the Cowans, the Mc- 
 Mullins, the Laceys, the Rhineharts, the Ketners, and 
 many others I could mention. 
 
 Among" the "many others" are the Myerses, Mr. J. C. 
 Myers and wife and baby Alice, who came to Oskaloosa 
 from Cincinnati in 1855. The Myerses come to stay. 
 They were what we called "well off" when they came, 
 but money could not procure for them a better place to 
 g-o to housekeeping" in than a little unfinished doctor's 
 office which stood on the ground where McNeill's livery 
 barn now is. The owner of that property then w^as Dr. 
 Cnsick, a brother-in-law to Mitch Wilson. Mr. Myers 
 was a carpenter and his first job was to fix the window 
 and door of that office so the cows and pigs which were 
 grazing- and rooting in the streets at will could not have 
 access thereto. 
 
 The Myerses did not stay long- in their small quar- 
 ters, but straightway boug-ht a lot northwest of the square 
 and built a nice, comfortable home. That property was 
 owned afterwards by the Blattners. Mr. Myers many 
 years ago purchased lots 7 and 8, Block 29, o. p., w^hich 
 at that time was one of the most desirable homes in Os- 
 kaloosa. There they lived in comfort and luxury; there 
 their three daughters, Alice, Clara and Emma, passed a 
 ■happy childhood. There Alice was married to Mr. Case, 
 a young man of good family, from Indianapolis, Indiana, 
 to which place she went a happy bride. In a fewyears 
 Alice returned to her father's house a widow, with two 
 bright little daughters. She is now the wife of Mr. 
 John J. Targgart, and is living in Monroe, Iowa. Clara 
 
REMINISCENCES. 359 
 
 and Emma were both handsome girls. Their parents 
 were well-to-do and gave their daughters the advantage 
 of a good education. Their home was handsomely fur- 
 nished, and those girls, like their mother, had the faculty 
 of making everything about them pretty and attractive. 
 Look where one would in that home, some beautiful piece 
 of fancy work, wrought by the skillful hands of those 
 daughters, met the eye. 
 
 They made their home a center of attraction for the 
 young people of the town, and nothing that would add to 
 the happiness of their children was withheld by Mr. and 
 Mrs. Myers. To see their children joyous was their joy. 
 But there came a time in that home in which was wont to 
 be heard the ring of merry voices and the sounds of mirth, 
 when it was broken into by death, who is no respecter of 
 homes or persons. Clara, handsome, happy, light-heart- 
 ed Clara, went out of that home to return no more. They 
 made her a grave in a lovely spot in Forest Cemeter\% 
 whereon the snows of a score of Winters have lain as a 
 mantle, and the birds of a score of Summers have sung 
 and twittered. Blossoms send out their fragrance from 
 the spot where rests all that is mortal of Clara M3^ers. 
 
 Emma, the youngest daughter, married Mr. A. T, 
 Barnes; "Tim,'' as everybody calls him, a son of Mr. 
 and Mrs. John Barnes, residents of Oskaloosa. Tim is 
 doing a fine business in general merchandise in the town 
 of Leighton, nine miles west of Oskaloosa. Emma has 
 an eye for the beautiful and is called a superb house- 
 keeper. Her table is a marvel of taste, her cooking 
 daintiness itself. 
 
 Mr. J. C. Myers has always been an honorable, in 
 
360 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 dustrious, careful and prosperous business man. He 
 has, by honest dealing and good management, accumu- 
 lated a considerable fortune. Mr. and Mrs. Myers seem 
 to be of one mind and one purpose. Both knov/ how 
 best to use their honestly earned dollars. The poor are 
 not suffered to go hungry or cold if in reach of the 
 Myerses. They are the most kind and obliging neigh- 
 bors. No one receives his pay grudgingly who works 
 for them. If they happen to owe anybody, they take su- 
 preme delight in paying every last cent, if not a little 
 more. There is a happy medium, not often attained, be- 
 tween extravagance and stinginess. But Mr. and Mrs. 
 Myers have just exactly struck it. They take care of 
 all they have but spend their money wisely. 
 
 To have the privilege of living in a neighborhood of 
 upright and honest people is a blessing which the Lord 
 has permitted me to enjoy for twenty-five years, con- 
 secutively. When I say neighborhood, I mean the peo- 
 ple living within a block or two of each other. There 
 are several families, or remnants of families, within that 
 limit, who liave been here all these years. We have 
 gone in and out among each other — some have gone out 
 never to return. There was David Evans and his wife, 
 diagonally across the street, who twenty-nine years ago 
 lived in the same cottage which stands there today. Two 
 l)right children played about their house, Mae and Carl. 
 Two more came to them after, Dula and Walter. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Evans were upright and honorable, took great 
 pains and were successful in bringing their children up 
 with the ideas which make successful and respected men 
 and women. Mae is a charming woman, a fine scholar, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 361 
 
 and fills one of the most important positions in Oska- 
 loosa's hig-h school. Dula is a student in a school of art 
 in the city of Chicago, with prospects of success in that 
 profession. She, like her sister Mae, has from childhood 
 bore an untarnished reputation. Carl and Walter are 
 careful and successful young merchants in the town of 
 their nativity. Mrs. Evans preceded her husband only a 
 few months to the other shore. They died in peace and 
 are lying side by side in Forest Cemetery on the identical 
 spot where my young husband and I first went to house- 
 keeping. Their children own and occupy the house 
 where they were born. Mr. Evans built the block known 
 as the Evans block, which belongs to his estate. 
 
 This is a neighborhood of old folks— a few young 
 folks are sprinkled in — Dr. Clarks, the Neagles and 
 Kents, for instance. The Dr. and his excellent wife have 
 a handsome home, a well-kept lawn, and the very pret- 
 tiest elm tree in all the town. Its trunk is straight, its 
 top is wide-spreading, without a dead branch to mar its 
 beauty. The Dr. may claim ownership, but he can't 
 enjoy the symmetry and shade of that great old tree a 
 bit more than his neighbors. Mrs. Ketner and I were 
 saying this very day that on Summer afternoons it sent 
 its cooling shadow across the street to our homes and 
 gave us more pleasure than it did the real owners. Men 
 and women cannot live to themselves alone, neither can 
 they have a monopoly on their great big trees. 
 
 Just a little way down the street is the home of Mr. 
 and Mrs. R. P. Bacon, which in Summer is a bower of 
 beaut3\ That place don't wait for Summer, but before 
 Summer comes their tulip beds are ablaze with gorgeous 
 
362 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 coloring. Mr. and Mrs. Bacon seem to have gathered 
 from every clime all the beautiful shrubs and flowers that 
 will flourish in this climate. Mr. and Mrs. Bacon are 
 intelligent and interesting. Both love and tend their 
 flowers, read books by the best authors, go on in the even 
 tenor of their way year after year, without seeming to 
 grow older. Their tastes are alike and they are of one 
 mind and purpose. Their forty or more years of married 
 life seem to have been one continuous honeymoon. Every 
 Sunday morning they can be seen wending their way to 
 the house of God. It is no wonder they don't grow old. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bacon have lived in Mahaska County since 
 their youth. Mrs. Bacon is a sister to Mrs. Baugh, wife 
 of the Rev. John M. Baugh, who has been a popular min- 
 ister in the Presbyterian Church of Oskaloosa for more 
 than twenty years. 
 
 Mr. Baugh is a cultured gentleman of fine mind and 
 manners, and has fine social qualities, though in his 
 boyhood he knew what plowing corn and living in log 
 cabins meant. He relates in an amusing way the exper- 
 iences of his boyhood. There were several of the Baugh 
 brothers, and all attained prominence in one way or an- 
 other. George Baugh has been many times elected 
 mayor of Oskaloosa. Thomas Baugh, another brother, 
 was a physician in high standing, and when his death oc- 
 curred a few years ago many of Oskaloosa's citizens felt 
 that an honored citizen, a useful and good man had been 
 taken from us. 
 
 Rev. John Baugh and his excellent family own and 
 occupy one of the most charming homes on East First 
 Avenue, one of the prettiest streets in town. Who that 
 
REMINISCENCES. 363 
 
 has an eye for the beautiful does not linger and gaze 
 with delight when passing that charming, vine-covered 
 home ? 
 
 I realize that my story of reminiscenses is assuming 
 great length, much greater than I dreamed of in the be- 
 ginning, but there are so many nice people whose char- 
 acters I admire and who have shown me great kindness, 
 I want to tell about them. It is hard to find a stopping 
 place. The house just across the street west of mine was 
 built by Dr. J. Y. Hopkins during the war of the rebel- 
 lion, or rather by Mrs. Hopkins, who was a woman of ^ 
 much executive ability. The doctor went to the war and 
 Mrs. Hopkins built that house while he was gone. Dr. 
 Hopkins was counted among Oskaloosa's most learned 
 and successful practitioners. In 1868 the Hopkinses sold 
 that substantial and commodious home to Mr. D. M. 
 Walton, who with his excellent wife occupy that home 
 today. They came from Waynesburg, Penn. The Wal- 
 tons are well-to-do; are excellent neighbors. Mr. Wal- 
 ton is a gentleman of the old school, always kind and po- 
 lite. Mrs. Walton's girlhood home was in Canton, Ohio. 
 She is a charming lady, full of benevolence, and can in- 
 terest one by the hour. Mr. Walton has been an invalid 
 for many years and her kindness and tender care of him 
 through it all has won for her the respect and admira- 
 tion of all her neighbors. Mr. Walton's eyesight failed 
 many years ago. He was compelled to retire from ac- 
 tive business; has borne his great affliction with patience 
 and Christian resignation. I can remember when he 
 was tall, erect and capable of holding his own with the 
 best business man in the country. But now he is aged 
 
364 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 and feeble, being several years past four score, and is 
 frequently prostrated with the infirmities of age. His 
 faithful wife reads to him, cheers him with words of 
 kindness and nurses him back to his usual health. Mrs. 
 Walton is a handsome woman as well as charming in 
 manner. I told Mr. Walton one day I w^as sorry he 
 couldn't see her, for as the years go by she grows hand- 
 somer. 
 
 Mrs. Col. Pond, a sister of Mrs. Walton's, makes her 
 an extended visit occasionally. Her visits are hailed 
 with delight by the neighbors. Mrs. Pond, too, was 
 brought up in the town of Canton, Ohio, where she was 
 a teacher many years. She once chaperoned a bevy of 
 girls on a tour through Europe, Miss Ida Saxton, who is 
 now the wife of President McKinley, among the rest. 
 Mrs.. Pond is a lady of fine mind, great good sense and 
 charming manners. Her society is delightful, her con- 
 versation entertaining and instructive. She has traveled 
 much, has met and become acquainted with many promi- 
 nent people besides President McKinley and his family, 
 who were her near neighbors and intimate friends. Mrs. 
 Pond is exceedingly well informed; is dignified without a 
 particle of haughtiness. To have the privilege of the 
 society of a lady like Mrs. Pond is a pleasure indeed. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Eli Ketner lived just across the street 
 from me twenty-nine years ago, and they live there to- 
 day. They have a very comfortable and cozy home, 
 where they sit in their easy chairs, read their news- 
 papers, and wait for the change which will soon come to 
 us all. When we first became such near neighbors each 
 family had two sons — strong, robust young men, full of 
 
REMINISCENCES. 365 
 
 life and brig-ht expectations. Will and Charlie Ketner 
 were in school in Iowa University. Charlie's health 
 failed, he left schoc^l and went into business in Minne- 
 sota, but before long- he came home to his father's house, 
 and after ling-ering- for months in great ]iain he died in 
 peace and was laid to rest in Forest Cemetery. Will fin- 
 ished a full course in school, graduated in medicine, then 
 took Miss Mary Pearson, a splendid young- woman, for 
 his wife. Their home is in Colorado, where I hear they 
 are prospering-, and have a pleasant home, brightened by 
 two splendid sons and two splendid daughters, and pre- 
 sided over by a gentle, intelligent, Christian mother. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ketner have ahvays been well-to-do, 
 and have provided for the proverbial rainy day. They 
 attend strictly to their own, and very little to other- peo- 
 ple's business. They, like the rest of us, know what it 
 is to have their home made desolate by the hand of death. 
 Only a few months ago their beloved and only daughter, 
 Mrs, Mary Smith, while seemingly in the prime of life, 
 was suddenly called to join the great majority. I think 
 it has been six years since Mr. and Mrs. Ketner passed 
 the fiftieth anniversary of their journey together. 
 
 In the next house but one below the Ketner place 
 live Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Stevens, who invited their 
 friends, neighbors and kin folks to their home to cele- 
 brate with them their golden wedding, in the month of 
 May, 1893, and yet on any pleasant Sabbath morning Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stevens can be seen walking side by side, their 
 faces turned toward the Presbyterian Church. They, 
 like Mr. and Mrs. Ketner, live alone and are still able to 
 take care of themselves. Both the Ketners and the Ste- 
 
366 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 venses came from Ohio to Oskaloosa away back in the 
 fifties. 
 
 As I have ah'eady remarked, this is a neighborhood 
 of old folks. I don't think another can be found in Oska- 
 loosa where so many men and women are living in two 
 blocks of each other who have passed the three score and 
 ten mark. There are lots of great grandfathers and 
 great grandmothers in the two square limit. Mr. Walton 
 has seen the fourth generation long ago. Dr. and Mrs. 
 Clark's babies, Anna Lois and George Hadley. not only 
 have a grandfather and a grandmother Hadley, but a 
 great grandfather Hadley, all living so near together 
 that one cannot tell where the Dr. Clark lawn ends and 
 the Hadley lawn begins. 
 
 Mrs. Thomas Newell, who has a cozy home and a 
 nicely-kept lawn which is bright with flowers every Sum- 
 mer, is great grandmother to little Dorris Brewster, 
 granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Lacey. 
 
 Mrs. Norris, who is away past ninety, lives only a 
 block from me. She is a sweet-spirited, saintly woman, 
 retains her mental faculties, and is ready to depart when 
 the Master calls. No mother w^as ever blessed with a 
 more devoted daughter than is Mrs. Norris. Mary Nor- 
 ris is a model of affectionate tenderness — an interesting, 
 intelligent woman. Their cozy cottage is the abode of 
 peace, and that mother and daughter are all the world to 
 each other. 
 
 Oskaloosa was founded by superior people and has 
 always held her own in that respect. Several of them 
 are dwelling in my two- block limit. I am afraid I am 
 not going to have time and space to say all that I want to 
 
REMINISCENCES. 367 
 
 say about them. There is Mr. Frank E. Smith and his 
 bright and handsome wife, who have a family of bright 
 children. Lena, the oldest, is a capable business girl and 
 has gentle manners. Nye, their first born son, was a 
 member of the 51st Iowa regiment, crossed the mighty 
 Pacific to fight Spaniards and Filipinos. Nye acquitted 
 himself with credit and his parents, brothers and sisters, 
 had the joy of seeing him come home safe and sound. 
 Mr. Frank E. Smith has been known by Mahaska's peo- 
 ple ever since he was a bo}^ Everybody around thought 
 him a tip-top boy, and since arriving at man's estate he 
 has had the confidence of all who knew him. He has 
 been many times elected to fill important offices and was 
 never known to betray the trust placed in him. Mr. 
 Smith is an honorable, capable, obliging business man; 
 an unassuming, manly man; a gentleman; all of which I 
 can testify to from personal knowledge. 
 
 Dr. Pardun and his wife have been my neighbors for 
 many years. They have one of the prettiest places in 
 Oskaloosa. Their house is elegant. Their walks, their 
 lawn, their flowers, their trees, everything about their 
 premises, is in the best order it could be. Mrs. Pardun 
 has the reputation all over this end of town of being the 
 most scrupulously orderly person to be found anywhere. 
 She is a nice neighbor and an intelligent woman. The 
 doctor has an infirmary and is what is called a mag- 
 netic healer. He is an honest, upright man, has no evil 
 to say of anybody, but attends strictly to his own busi- 
 ness. Dr. Pardun has an extensive practice, not only 
 among our own citizens but many come to him to be 
 treated from abroad. 
 
368 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 Doctors are numerous in my neighborhood, there are 
 already four in less than two blocks, and I am told that 
 another is soon to be my next door neighbor, Dr. Ripley 
 Hoffman, son and partner of Dr. D. A. Hoffman, who has 
 been a successful physician in Oskaloosa and all over 
 Mahaska County for nearly forty years. He had a good 
 practice from the first and still has the confidence of 
 hundreds of our citizens. Though the weight of j^ears 
 is beginning to tell, the "Old Dr.,"" as he is called, can 
 be seen almost any day, wrapped and tucked up in his 
 buggy, striking out in the country to see some patient 
 who thinks that no other doctor can relieve their aches 
 and pains as readily as Dr. Hoffman. 
 
 Dr. Hoffman, with his wife and four children, came 
 from Ohio and located in Oskaloosa in 1801. They were 
 a remarkably fine-looking couple. The Dr. was a tall, 
 manly-looking man, with broad shoulders and a strong 
 face. Mrs. Hoffman has always had scores of friends, 
 was an elegant-looking lady forty years ago and is an 
 elegant-looking lady to-day. Dr. Ripley, "Rip," as he 
 is usually called, the one who is going to be my neighbor, 
 is about as popular a doctor as his father is. Dr. Hoff'- 
 man Sr. and his wife have a home on First Avenue East, 
 a complete, pleasant home, surrounded by one of Oska- 
 loosa' s typical lawns, which in Summer is bright with 
 roses. That home is also the home of their widowed 
 daughter, Mrs. Effie Hoffman Rogers, a lady possessed 
 of many admirable qualities, among which are kindness, 
 self-reliance and unaffected manners. Mrs. Rogers has 
 been county superintendent of public schools, w^hich re- 
 sponsible position she filled with credit to herself and 
 satisfaction to her constituents. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 369 
 
 Edgar, Dr. and Mrs. Hoffman's oldest son, is a tiller 
 of the soil, preferred farming- to a profession. He and 
 his worthy wife and bright children occupy and cultivate 
 a fine farm four or five miles west of Oskaloosa. John, 
 the next son, is a lawyer, practicing his chosen profes- 
 sion in Great Falls, Montana. Ripley, as I have before 
 stated, is the doctor. The Dr. and Mrs. Hoffman are 
 grandparents many times over and, I have heard it said, 
 have a bevy of mighty smart grandchildren. 
 
 Edgar married the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mc- 
 Cabe, who came from the city of Dublin, Ireland, and lo- 
 cated in Mahaska County nearly half a century ago. 
 Both having been bred and brought up in the higher 
 walks of life, were highly accomplished and exceedingly 
 well educated. The doctor, who died several years ago, 
 was said to be very learned in his profession, and not 
 only that, but was wont to be • styled a "walking en- 
 clyclopedia. " In addition to his literary attainments, Dr. 
 McCabe was a distinguished looking gentleman. Mrs. 
 McCabe is a lady possessed of many and varied accom- 
 plishments; scholarly, exceedingly well informed in both 
 ancient and modern history, literature of the day and 
 poetry of the long ago, brilliant in reparte, a fine per- 
 former on the piano, writes and speaks French like a na- 
 tive (it is said by those who know.) Her faculty for con- 
 versing in the purest English is not surpassed. I told 
 her one day that I had never known but one except her- 
 self who had the faculty of expressing every shadow of a 
 thought in the purest English, and that other was Henry 
 Ward Beecher. Mrs. Swalm uttered a truth when she 
 said, "In all the wide, wide world, there is but one Mary 
 
 24 
 
370 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 McCabe. " The Dr. and Mrs. McCabe have some inter- 
 esting-, bright and witty sons and daughters. Maggie is 
 a superior young lady in many respects and Will has the 
 reputation of being a young man of honor, who was 
 never known to do a mean thing nor say a flat one. 
 Francis, another son, is engaged on the staif of the Neui 
 York World. Louis, another son, fine looking and gen- 
 tlemanly in manner, is filling a responsible and lucrative 
 position as train dispatcher in the city of Fort Worth, 
 Texas. 
 
 Mrs. Baker is another of my old neighbors not 
 counted among the "old set,'' though she is a grand- 
 mother. Her daughter and only child, Margery, mar- 
 ried Mr. Rominger, a young attorney of Bloomfield, 
 Iowa, who is said to be a young man of ability and moral 
 character. Mrs. Baker spared neither pains nor money 
 in giving her daughter the advantages of an education. 
 Margery attained quite a reputation as an elocutionist. 
 Mrs. Baker has been a widow many years. Her husband, 
 Erwin Baker, was a scholar and much esteemed citizen. 
 Has filled the position of county superintendent; was 
 what is called an educator. Mr. Baker provided boun- 
 tifully for his family and left them in comfortable cir- 
 cumstances. Mrs. Baker has a comfortable, well-fur- 
 nished home, has many valuable books, is a reader, re- 
 tains what she reads and is interesting in conversation. 
 Mrs. Baker's home is on South First Street, only a block' 
 from mine, where she has lived more than a quarter of a 
 century. Margery was born there and there she was 
 married. 
 
 Immediately aci'oss the street to the east of Mrs. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 371 
 
 Baker's place is the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hos- 
 tetter, one of the very nicest places in the town. Their 
 house is a model house. Their lawn is beautiful and al- 
 w^ays kept in perfect trim. The Hostetters are not old 
 folks but they have a charming- way of greeting- w^e old 
 folks when we chance to meet them. 
 
 Mrs. Rhinehart's fine home is close by and she, too, 
 has a nice lawn, all of which I can see from my window. 
 In looking over these homes of architectural beauty, 
 with their vine-covered verandas surrounded with plats 
 of velvety grass and bright flowers, my mind sometimes 
 g-oes back to a time half a century ag-o when those lovely 
 lawms, cement walks, paved streets with little green 
 parks along their sides, was John Montg-omery's corn- 
 field, surrounded by a great high staked and ridered 
 rail fence. 
 
 Among the young people of my neighborhood are 
 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kent. They both come from good 
 families and are scholarly. Mr Kent was at one time 
 principal of Oskaloosa's public schools, and was elected 
 to the office of county superintendent and served one 
 term. I never heard that he did not fill both places sat- 
 isfactorily. Mr. and Mrs. Kent have a little son whom 
 they call Forest. It is not often that one has seen six 
 generations of one family, but I have seen and known six 
 g-enerations of that family. I have seen little Forest's 
 great g-reat great grandmother. 
 
 The Neagle young- people live in my neighborhood — 
 Will and Jim and Lizzie. They have lived in Oskaloosa 
 nearly all their lives. Lizzie keeps house for her broth- 
 ers, who are business men of untarnished reputation. 
 
372 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 They are fine-looking" young men and have faultless man- 
 ners. Lizzie Neagle is a charming girl, tall and hand- 
 some, with the manners of a well-bred lady. The par- 
 ents of these worthy young people have long been sleep- 
 ing" in Forest Cemetery. I used to know their mother, 
 who was one of the loveliest ladies I ever met. As these 
 stately sons and daughter pass my door I often think, 
 how proud their mother would have been to see them as 
 I see them. 
 
 I see John Montgomery mowing his lawn; he has 
 been cleaning up his garden and lawn for two or three 
 days. This is April 2bth, 1900. Every Spring for many 
 years I have seen Mr. Montgomery employed in the 
 same way. As I watch him feebly pushing that lawn- 
 mower I think of a time fifty-six years ago when he was 
 a strong, energetic, stalwart young man, holding the 
 handles of a great prairie plow which was being drawn 
 by four yoke of oxen. He was one of the company of 
 four or five who staked out their claims at The Narrows 
 so early in the morning of May first, 1843. 
 
 Mr. Montgomery is the only man living of that eager 
 group, and the only man that I can think of in Oska- 
 foosa or in miles around (unless, possibly, William B. 
 Campbell, who lives three or four miles east of town, was 
 one) who was on the ground in the beginning. 
 
 Those pioneers are nearly all gone. Their places of 
 burial are as diversified as were their homes before 
 they found this garden spot of Iowa. John White 
 was the only one who lived and died and was buried on 
 the land they took possession of on that memorable first 
 of May. Mr. Canfield started to Oregon in 1846 or 1847. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 373 
 
 I heard that he was killed by Indians and his wife and 
 daug-hter Ellen taken captives. Felix Gessford died not 
 long- ago at Bentonsport, Iowa. 
 
 A. G. Phillips went to California in 1852 and all that 
 is mortal of one who was so prominent a factor in Oska- 
 loosa's start in life lies buried in Calaveras Co., Califor- 
 nia. When I introduced the Phillipses to the reader, 
 there were nine sons and daughters in that family, their 
 ages ranging- from twenty-six down to baby Ella, who 
 now is the wife of Capt. J. R. C. Hunter, an honorable 
 man and a gentleman. Their home is in Webster City, 
 Iowa. They are grandparents man}^ times over. Sin- 
 clair, the next older, married Flora Collins, sister to 
 Mrs. Shara, Mrs. Washburn and Miss Myra Collins, who 
 have been engaged in Oskaloosa's schools for many 
 years. They are all highly cultured ladies. Sinclair 
 died in 1885 in Audubon Co., Iowa, leaving a wife and 
 several children. Hazel, who lives with her aunts, the 
 Collins ladies, is Sinclair's daughter. We are all proud 
 of Hazel; she is well educated, has nice manners and is a 
 first-class girl generally. Her aunts have g-iven her op- 
 portunities and shown her g"reat kindness. 
 
 James, the next, lives in Oklahoma. I have already 
 mentioned Mrs. Jackson (Jo). Sam, the next older than 
 Joan, was a handsome and smart boy. When he was 
 only seventeen years old, in 1852, he went to California, 
 where he died and was buried at San Jose. Rachel, the 
 next, was a g"irl of superior mind and developed into an 
 intellectual, superior, tactful woman, full of resources 
 and charming- in manners. Rachel married Mr. Robert 
 Tomlinson, who died years ago. Rachel's home for many 
 
374 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 years has been in Washington, D. C. Martha, who was 
 an excellent young lady, married Dr. A. C. Cunningham 
 in 1848. They settled in Knoxville when that town was 
 very new. Martha died in 1868 leaving three little 
 daughters. Florence, who is the wife of Mr. William 
 Gamble, is an intelligent and interesting woman. Alice 
 is the wife of a Mr, Culver, a fine business man of Knox- 
 ville and Lola is now Mrs. Phelps, of the same place. 
 All are superior women. 
 
 Watson, the next older than Martha, married Lois 
 Ramey. They went to California thirty years ago, loca- 
 ted in Calaveras County, where in 1899 Watson died and 
 was buried. His wife Lois and two daughters survive 
 him. Gorrell was next, and the eldest son in the Phillips 
 family. Elizabeth, who is the oldest of that family, 
 was the wife of Nathaniel Lindsay, and was married be- 
 fore the Phillipses came to Iowa. She still lives near 
 the place where she and her husband went to house- 
 keeping; she is eighty years old and has been a widow 
 nearly forty years. Watson and Lois were married in 
 in 1846, the same year that Gorrell and I were married. 
 We all went to housekeeping at nearly the same time, 
 Watson and Lois on a forty joining ours on the east; how 
 happy and light-hearted we were. I don't think anything 
 more serious happened to mar our happiness than a little 
 jealousy on my part because Lois' tomatoes would ripen 
 before mine did, and she always had better luck with 
 chickens. 
 
 Watson sold his beautiful land — part of it being the 
 forty acres where Mr. Kalbach's fine home, the Matti- 
 sons, the Kemble greenhouse, and so many other fine 
 
REMINISCENCES. o/O 
 
 places are now — to the Majors brothers, Jacob and John 
 P., the same Majorses I have ah'eady mentioned. And 
 just here I want to say that the Phillips family all 
 thought Jacob Majors was greatly wronged in a difficulty 
 he had with some parties in the early days regarding a 
 claim. A frenzied mob went to his home, destroyed his 
 stock and growing crops and shamefully abused him. I 
 don't suppose there was one in ten of that mob knew 
 what the grievance was, and yet some parties about 
 twenty years ago compiled a book called "A History of 
 Mahaska County,'' in which they treated in a flippant 
 manner that savage and brutal outrage on a good citizen 
 and a decent man. 
 
 Amos Gorrell Phillips was born near Chillicothe, 
 Ohio, October 6th, 1796. His parents, Thomas and 
 Martha Gorrell Phillips, emigrated to that new place 
 from near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1 795. Amos was 
 the youngest of twelve children. The family moved to 
 Kentucky when he was a boy, where in 1819 he was mar- 
 ried to Hannah Sinclair, who was the mother of all the 
 ten children I have mentioned. Mrs. Phillips died No- 
 vember 19th, 1847. They had four children when they 
 left Kentucky and settled in Morgan County, Illinois, in 
 1832. They lived there twelve years, then came to this 
 place, and purchased all those broad acres I have so 
 often mentioned, thinking there was enough for all his 
 boys. Not one of them own a rod of that fine land, save 
 a little square plot in Forest Cemetery, where my pre- 
 cious dead are sleeping. 
 
376 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Mr. A. G. Phillips was a friend of Judge J. A. L. 
 Crookbam, who came and located in Oskaloosa away 
 back in the forties. Mr. Phillips bad been a pupil in a 
 school taug-bt by Mr. Crookbam 's father in Southern 
 Ohio in the early part of this century. The elder Crook- 
 liam was said to be the most learned man in all that re- 
 gion. I have heard it said that he would have been 
 called a g"reat scholar anywhere. There were some su- 
 perior families living in Southern Ohio, even in that early 
 time, who were ambitious to have their sons instructed 
 in the higher branches of learning. Many a bright boy 
 who in manhood became famous, was for his start on the 
 road to fame indebted to instruction received at the feet 
 of that modern ''Aristotle of the Wilderness." That 
 learned man was father of a numerous family, all posses- 
 sing more than ordinary ability. J. A. L. Crookbam is a 
 lawyer, and had been a citizen of Oskaloosa only a short 
 time when he was elected county judge. He is now re- 
 tired on account of the infirmities of age, but was a suc- 
 cessful attorney at law for nearly a half century. He, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 377 
 
 like nearly all the Crookhams, is a financier, has accum- 
 ulated a considerable fortune, and has always been a 
 prominent factor in the business affairs and politics of 
 the town and county. 
 
 Judge Crookham is a man of noble impulses, and 
 always has a kind word to say of everybody. Many 
 young men have read law in his office and received in- 
 struction in the same from him, my son Orlando among 
 the rest. Judge Crookham has an individuality, and has 
 always been called eccentric, but his eccentricities are 
 not of the kind that hurt people. He is honorable, just 
 and charitable. Judge Crookham has been twice mar- 
 ried, has three sons and two daughters. The scholarly 
 propensities of their illustrious grandfather seem to have 
 descended to the third generation. Elizabeth Euclid and 
 Sara, the daughters, are among the most learned of Oska- 
 loosa's brilliant daughters; both, after receiving a good ed- 
 ucation in our schools, graduated from Holyoke. Elizabeth 
 Euclid has taught for years in the schools of Portland, 
 Oregon, has traveled much and been twice in Europe. 
 Both are practical women as well as learned. Sara, too, 
 has taught abroad, but came home to assist her mother 
 in nursing her invalid father, and not long ago was mar- 
 ried to Mr. Rufus Davis, one of Oskaloosa's very best 
 young men. Mr. Davis is clerk of Mahaska County and 
 has the reputation of being a superior young business 
 man. Judge Crookham is now four score, was less than 
 thirty when he opened up a little office on the south side 
 of the square. He has known nearly all the Mahaska 
 people I have mentioned and if he was able to read my 
 story, would say, "I know what she is talking about." 
 
378 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 I have reason to think and speak kindly of the peo- 
 ple of Mahaska County. From my youth up, whether in 
 prosperity or adversity, health or sickness, joy or sor- 
 row, they have shown me g"reat kindness. When the hus- 
 band of my youth, after we had traveled life's journey 
 tog"ether for almost half a century, closed his eyes for- 
 ever on the thing's of earth and darkness and desolation 
 surrounded me, they came to me with tender words of 
 sympathy, they filled my house with flowers. The same 
 kind acts were repeated when but a few weeks after that 
 g"reat bereavement my bright grandson Willie was taken 
 from us. Willie and his sisters, Daughter and Anne, my 
 son Orlando's children, had lived with me and been like 
 my own ever since their gentle mother died, twelve 
 years ago. In less than one year death had claimed four 
 of my dear ones; husband, grandson Willie, sister Jo and 
 my beloved and only brother Calvin. Each dear one has 
 his or her own place in our hearts. That brother was 
 one of the truest men I ever knew. How I used to look 
 forward to the times when he would visit us. How we 
 enjoyed talking over our own special affairs, not particu- 
 larly interesting to any but just our two selves. But 
 one morning, it was the 30th of May, Decoration day, 
 1896, I received a telegram saying: 
 
 "There is no Hope. Prepare for the Worst." 
 In the afternoon I received another saying: 
 "Father Died at 4 p. m. Edwin." 
 
 The dear brother whom I had loved so much had 
 entered the great beyond. From boyhood up he had 
 been a conscientious and devout Christian. He was pas- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 379 
 
 tor of Friends church at Kokomo, Inch, where he died. 
 He was laid to rest by the side of the wife of his youth in 
 Wilming-ton, Ohio. Esther, his present wife, a woman of 
 fine mind and strong Christian character, and four manly 
 sons survive him. I never knew a more devoted husband 
 and father than Calvin W. Pritchard. 
 
 Death had not broken into our immediate family un- 
 til my husband and I had traveled thirty-six years of 
 life's journey together. We had been so happy and 
 proud of our two little boys, Orlando and Quincy. How 
 their father loved them. They didn't cease playing, 
 cower and shrink off in a corner when they saw their 
 father coming, nor was that father ever too tired to take 
 his little boys in his loving arms or have them climb on 
 his knee. He was a chivalrous, manly man, always true 
 to his word. It meant something to him when he plighted 
 his troth at the marriage altar. The woman whose right 
 hand was held in his when the solemn words were spoken, 
 "until death shall separate you," was always the first 
 lady in the land to him. No word or hint of anything 
 but death separating us was ever uttered between us. 
 Such words, to us, would have seemed akin to blasphemy. 
 When our sons had grown to young manhood and Orlan- 
 do, after reading law and being admitted to the bar, 
 opened out an office and began practicing law, he went 
 to Delaware, Ohio, where he had been a student in the 
 Wesleyan University, and married Miss Sallie J. New- 
 hall, a beautiful and gentle young lady, and brought her 
 to our home, where she was received with open arms. 
 Sallie was modest and unassuming and not at all vain, 
 though she was very beautiful. Her complexion was 
 
380 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 like cream and roses, dark brown hair and g"reat liquid 
 brown eyes. We all loved her and were very proud of 
 our daughter. She made many friends. There was 
 never an unkind word between us, though we were to- 
 gether almost daily for fifteen years. Sallie was a 
 sweet-spirited Christian woman and when death came 
 was not afraid to die. Four children were born to Or- 
 lando and Sallie. 
 
 Semira Jane, whom we have always called Daughter, 
 was named for her grandmothers. John Gorrell, "Jackie" 
 as we called him, was the next. The first grave made on 
 our little square of ground in Forest Cemetery was for 
 dear, bright, handsome "Jackie," who had been with us 
 a little less than six years when the Lord took him. 
 Anne Lee was the next, now a tall, handsome, fine look- 
 ing woman married to Mr. Jenkin Davis, an energetic 
 young business man of Oskaloosa. Two sons have been 
 born to Jenkin and Anne, which makes me a great grand- 
 mother. William Phillips Davis, my first great grandson, 
 is handsome and smart, we think, and tries to do every- 
 thing he sees anybody else do. John Quincy, his little 
 brother, after a brief stay with us, was laid beside his 
 grandmother and little uncle "Jackie." William Lacey, 
 "Willie," the last of Orlando and Sallie's four children, 
 was only eight years old when his mother died. Willie 
 died September 15, 1895. He was a bright, energetic, 
 manly boy. He, too, sleeps among his kin. 
 
 Daughter was a sweet and lovely child, was her 
 grandpapa's darling, though he dearly loved all his 
 grandchildren. Daughter was the first, and the first 
 little girl to come into our family. She has developed 
 
REMINISCENCKS. 381 
 
 into a noble, intellig^ent, j^i'actical and handsome woman. 
 Three years ago she was married to Mr. David William 
 Woodruff, son of Captain Woodruff, of Oskaloosa. Mr. 
 Woodruff is a fine-looking- young business man, full of 
 energy, and a fine mechanic. Daughter and her husband 
 live with me, and they relieve me (»f many cares and 
 treat me with great kindness. 
 
 Mr. Moody, the great evangelist, once said: "If you 
 want your hearts filled with love, take the New Testa- 
 ment and look for, read and study all the passages which 
 speak of love, and the first you know your hearts will be 
 full of love.'' 
 
 I have tried to tell a true story of the times when 
 Mahaska was a wilderness — of the pioneers, and many 
 who came later. I have written and thought so much 
 about their noble traits and deeds, that if I ever thought 
 they had any faults, I have forgotten them. I have en- 
 deavored to tell my story "with charity toward all and 
 malice toward none." It is a good thing to "cast the 
 beam out of one's own eye.'' 
 
 This simple and unpretentious story has assumed 
 much greater length than I had any thought of its doing 
 when I began to tell it. I hope it will be received in the 
 spirit in which it was told. Much of it has been told 
 with an aching heart, and with tears blinding my eyes, 
 in the dead hours of night, in loneliness, in desolation, 
 with thoughts ever and anon flying to the little square of 
 earth in Forest Cemetery where so many of my precious 
 dead are sleeping, and where by the husband of my youth 
 and my beloved son Quincy I will soon be sleeping myself. 
 
382 MAHASKA COUNTY 
 
 My noble, great-hearted Quincy, who loved his 
 mother with all his true, manly nature. Whom I 
 thought would be the solace of my old age, the stay of 
 my declining years. Quincy was in all my plans for the 
 future, but he went out from his home one night with a 
 tender word of leave-taking, expecting to be back in a 
 few hours, as was his habit; but in a few hours he was 
 brought home to his mother with eyes closed forever to 
 the things of earth, and the voice we all loved so much 
 to hear, forever stilled. We don't know what terrible 
 shocks of grief we can endure until we are compelled to 
 endure them. When I was told that a stroke of apo- 
 plexy had ended the life of my precious son, I thought I 
 would be stricken myself. I kept looking for it to come, 
 but the stroke did not come. The Lord gave me grace 
 to bear that terrible blow, and to go on with my story, a 
 considerable part of which had been written and read to 
 that dear son, who would laugh and say: "Mother, it 
 takes you a long time to reach Mahaska County, but go 
 on; it's all right." His brothers of the Masonic order, 
 of which he was a member and to which he was much at- 
 tached, came to me in that time of deep sorrow with 
 tender sympathy and kind acts which I hope never to 
 become ungrateful enough to forget. Those noble 
 friends watched by his lifeless body, they manifested 
 the greatest respect, they followed him to the grave and 
 tenderly laid him to rest with the rites peculiar to their 
 order. 
 
 Since I began this story, in January, 1898, some of 
 the old settlers have lain down life's burdens and have 
 entered into rest. There was Mrs. Brewer, one of the 
 
REMINISCENCES. 383 
 
 brig-htest women of her age I ever knew; and Aunt Sade 
 Boswell, who had endeared herself to many Oskaloosa 
 people; and D. W. Loring, who was an honored citizen 
 of Oskaloosa to the day of his death — just the other day 
 he crossed the dark river. 
 
 I have witnessed the gradual development of this 
 goodly land from wild woods and wild prairies to beauti- 
 ful, cultivated farms; from the crudest kind of log cabins 
 to elegant mansions, such as we never dreamed of in the 
 early days; from no school-houses nor churches at all to 
 such magnificent structures as are to be seen all over 
 Oskaloosa, in her houses of worship and temples of 
 learning. 
 
 I did not plan to finish my story on Oskaloosa's 
 fifty-sixth birthday, but that is what I have done. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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