The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-07-20

in 1854 road was located from j Il. Hol-
lens place, near the Iowa River, run
ming north-westerly to James Laughlin's
house in Carlton township. May Both,
1854, the Blackhawk and Toledo road was
located by the way of Toledo and Buck
ingham to Blackhawk County, and road
from Burners mill in Toledo township to
Salt Creek was located on July 10Th, 1854.
The Cedar Rapids and Eldora State road
by way of Wolf Greek settlement was To-
Gated July LIST, 1866 Also, 2 road from
Vinton to Newton, ria Toledo on July
Goth, 1866. Showing the enterprise and
determination of our people to have our
county open to travel and free commu.
nication.
Although her streams were poorly bridg-
ed, yet they were passable at times and
indicated the routes to market and to the
settlements. While following the loca-
ton Of these roads, mail routes were es-
tablished TO different points.
One mail route was established through
northern Tama from Vinton to Albion in
the spring of 1857 which gave them bet.
ter mail facilities, while Toledo was reach.
ed in due time in the year 1854,
COUNTY SEAT. &C.
In the fall of 1858, Hon. James P. Carl
ton, Dist. Judge of the 4th Judicial Dis
trict appointed Joseph NJ. Furgeson OF
Marshall county, and r. B. Ogden of
Poweshiek county.commissioners 10 locate
a seat of Justice for Tama county. They
met at the house of John G. VermilYa, on
October Goth of that year and proceeded
to examine a location for site. They
first examined quarter section north Of
Burners mill which was thought to be too
far north. They finally examined and
located the town on present site. 1t be-
ing on the sw4 set and WI SET and ST nw4
set of section IS and ST nwt nct of Sec
ton 20 in township So, range IS, west, and
named the town Toledo" The court
house was built in 1854. The first house
| in Toledo was log cabin built by Geo.
Weare. The first frame building was
built by T. j. Staley, for dwelling house,
| and the first store was opened by John
Zehruing, who was also the first post mas
ter in Toledo. Indiantown was laid out by
William Taylor, in the year 1851, and con-
sisted of few log cabins The first store
opened for trade was by Ruggles & Moore.
ba 70 I'D
made the objective point for the settlers
coming into the county.
In northern Tama the town of West
Union was laid out by Christopher Hes
ter, in the fall of 1855, and he opened the
first store III the place.
MARRIAGES, &C.
The first marriage in the county was
that of Myron Blodgett to Miss Sarah
Cronk, August 18th, 1858, and the happy
couple were united by John G. Vermilya,
county judge. The End marriage, was
that of Frederick L. Knott to Miss
Martha Taylor, October 10th, 1858, the
cermony being performed by Rev. S. W.
Ingham, who now resides among US ripe
with many years of useful labor.
The first death in the county, was
Franklin, son of David F. and Catharine
Bruner who died September 10Th, 1852.
The End death as near as Can be ascer-
tanned, was that of Miss Mariah Blodgett,
near Indiantown, who died in the early
spring of 1858.
VIM. p. IlitchRer had daughter born
to him on December 1st, 1852, in northern
Tama, which was probably the first birth.
The log cabin of Alexander Fowler, Tin
what is now York Township burned
down in the fall of 1858 which was the
first fire and destruction of property.
The first county warrants Nos. !, 2, 8,
4, amounting to $3.50 were issued to
David F. Bruner for services as assessor
of Howard township on October 18th, 1881
The first saw mill erected in the county
was built by Daniel Dean on 70 mile
creek, in northern Tama, in 1852, and the
next year in the spring. Christopher
Bruner erected one near Toledo, on Deer
CICek, Ill IlOHdlu LOW
The first Touring mill was erected by
Mr. Bruner late in the winter of the year
1854.
The first practising physicians in the
county were W. A. Daniel, Tallman
Chase, Hiram Pattec and L. II. Shugart
The first newspaper was started in
Tama county in tue spring of 1856 and
called the Toledo Tri5une, with NJ. V. B.
Kenton as Editor. In the fall of that year
the paper passed into the possession of
DIR. Henry T. Badly and 7. Walter Jack
son, Esq, who ran it for two months,
when Jackson sold his interest to Joshua
Burley. In few weeks the whole inter-
est passed into the interest of Bolens &
Sewers, who continued its publication
until the fall of 1858, when n. c. Wieting
Esq, purchased it and ably conducted its
columns for s consecutive years, when he
sold out in the year 1865, and the Office
was removed to Belle PLANE. The paper
was republican organ most of the time,
and all the time that it was edited by Mr..
Wieting.
The first democratic paper was in the
county during the political campaign of
1860, by A. ]. Kinney, but was discontinue
ed soon after the election.
SCHOOLS.
Among the first schools opened in
lama county was one in Buckingham
township, in the summer Of 1854, Miss
Rachel Wood, teacher. The first school
house was built in the spring of 1856
The first school ia Howard township was
organized in the summer Of 1868, Mrs. T.
N. Skinner being teacher, tn wife CT n
pioneer minister. The first school in In
diantown was opened in the summer of
1886, and Chauncy J. Stevens was the
teacher, tnow our county clerk.l The
first scheol in Toledo was opened in the
spring of 1855 with jeremiah Harden as
teacher. The old school house stood near
where the present buildings are now To-
Gated
CHURCHES, &C.
The frst religious organization was
held at the house of Norman L. Osborn, in
Perry township in the latter part of May,
1853, and was organized by the Rev s.
w. lngham, ST., who preached the first
sermon at the time and who appointed Ira
Taylor class leader. The meeting was
held on the present site of Traer. The
organization was under the auspices of