Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-07-07

- OA"i s'hu Di' AO'VJoy uiOu AL CuS
fall of ls47. In June, 1s4e, the col
ony was increased by the arrival of
Asa Blood, Senior and Junior, Elijah
and Anthony Beardsley, and Mr..
Babbitt. DR.. Brewer removed to In
dependence also that year, having
been elected Clerk of County Com
missioners the year before, and con-
sequently being required to be at the
county seat. John Obenchain had
settled in the spring of 1s4e, miles
north Of Independence, on the farm
now occupied by G. Dickson. Isaac
Hathaway also settled on section SO,
80, 9, about miles east of Independ-
ence; Thos. Barr, miles north of
Independence; Samuel and Orlando
Sufficool, VIM. Bunce, Daniel Gree
ley and VIM. Greeley at Greeley's
Grove; John Scott on what is now
known as the Smyser farm; Jacob
Minton, VIM. Minton, and Gamaliel
Walker on Pine Creek; B. D. Spring.
er half way between Independence
and Quasqueton, on the place vacated
by Johnson; Thos. E. Mckinney on
Pine Creek; a Mr.. Trogden on the
west side of the river about 5 miles
above Quasqueton; and some fifteen
or twcnty others mostly at or in the
vicinity Of Quasqueton, among them
DIS. Davis, Geo. l. and Jas. Cummins,
Chas. Robbins, Benz. Congdon and
others, not forgetting to mention
Hamilton Megonigle, who came from
the banks of the Juniata in Pcnnsyl-
vania, regular, careless, jovial, free
hearted, back-woodsman, who was
known to everybody, and loved to be
called "Old Juny."
The tax-list for ls47 shows 81
resident tax payers. Among them
are Thomas Barr, Samuel and Orlan-
do Sufficool, William Bunce, |. F.
Hathaway, John Boon, Gamaliel
Walker, William Blddinger, N. G..
Parker, Samuel Caskey, Ami II.
Trask, Thomas w. Close, Samuel
Sherwood, and Edward Brewer, who
are still living and residents of the
county. The same tax-list shows
that there were then sixty forty-acre
tracts of land entered in the county,
being little less than four sections.
The valuation of all property, real
and personal, was $2l, 700, and total
tax $l67.4O. OF the 81 residents IA
were voters. The total moneys and
credits assessed were s3,775 of
which w. w. Hadden had s2,67O.-
There were 249 head of cattle, All
hogs, 6s horses, AZ wagons, 642
sheep, and not one mule. Few of
the settlers INDUCED in the luxuries
of watches, for there seems to have
been but six in the whole county,
The mills and machinery at Quasque-
ton had at this time become the prop
erty of d. S. Davis and were valued
at $4,000. The saw mill at Inde-
pendence is put down at 5000. w.
w. MADDEN paid the highest tax, the
enormous sum of $2239.
The first election of which | find
any record, was in August, ls47.-
The county was then divided into
two election precincts, one called
"Quasqueton" and the other "Center"
precinct. John Scott, Frederick
Kessler, and B. D. Springer, were
elected County Commissioners, and
Edward Brewer, clerk; and it is q
conclusive proof Of his worth and
ability that he continued to hold that
Office % years. On the 4th of Oc-
tober, ls47, the County Commission
ers held their first meeting at the
house of Edward Brewer in Inde-
pendence. Their first official act
was to divide the county into three
Commissioners Districts. The 1st
district comprised all the north halt
of the county. The south half was
divided by line running north and
south about Il miles west of Quas-
queton.
Three road petitions were presented.
and viewers appointed at that ses.
sion. One from Independence east
to county line. One from Indepen-
dence east to intersect the territorial
road from Marion to Fort Atkinson,
and one from Quasqueton to Inde-
pendence on the west side Of the
river 1t was ordered also that a
surveyor be employed to lay off a
town and county seat. On Novem-
ber Sd, ls47, the Commissioners met
and caused eight blocks of lots on
the southeast / of southeast / Sec
ton "a, to be laid off as the village
>pf Independence, and the county
seat. The land was still government
land and not entered by the county
until January, ls49, though it was
legally pre-empted and thus secured
to the county in January, ls4s. The
lots were ten rods IN length by five
in width, and the price fixed for them
was IS each. In January ls4s also
the three roads first petitioned for,
were declared public highways.
Up to that time there had been no
regularly laid out roads in the coun-
ty, except a territorial road from Mari
on to Fort Atkinson, crossing the
river at Quasqueton, and running
thence nearly north through the
county passing near where is now
the village of Winthrop. This was
known as the EMISSION" road. And
another from Marion to the north
line of the State laid out in ls46,
crossing the river at the same place
and passing about two miles east of
Independence, at the edge of the
timber. The settlers followed such
routes as suited their convenience,
from house to house and from neigh
borhood to neighborhood. Indian
trails crossed the prairie from stream
to stream, leading to fording places,
and we'll worn paths led up and down
the river, touching, surely, every bub-
bling spring. Such trails, which re-
cent settlers suppose to be mere cat
tie paths, can be pointed out i'll many
places even to this day by the pion-
GERS.
Though in the spring of ls4s sew
eral families came to Independence
the prevalence of fever and ague
was so discouraging that not only
they, but most Of those who came
earlier. left the place. either in the