Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-09-05


the Clarence house. He sold it three
years later to Dyer and Chesterman to
what sold the land There was no
bridge, the ford was below the dam, the
banks were steep, and when hauling
rails the oxen used to run down, causing
the rails to slide off. In cold weather
they would be covered with ice, so that
one would have to get into the river,
load up again, and in going up the OPP
pOsite bank they would slide off again, |
and this would be repeated day after
day.
Father bought three acres of corn in
the field from George Acres. The snow
fell in October and lay until January,
SO our first experience of corn husking
was in the snow. How glad we were
when we hauled home the last load. |
Levings burlington and family moved
in that fall ami bought out George
Acres. They were good neighbors.
| That winter our COW and all the stock
VIC brou. ht from Illinois strayed off. A
man was hired to hunt them up, but
some of them we never got, and what
we got in the spring cost more for their
keep and expenses than they were
worth. So we were without butter
unless some of the neighbors could
spare few pounds occasionally, which
we were glad to pay for. They were
very kind in giving us milk. Henry
Acres had been here since 1850, 80 they
had raised crop enough for themselves
and little to sell, We could always
| get beef and pork by the quarter or
half when he butchered, but butter
| opfi Hcur 1raro h rdar fN tvof
After winter set in it was dreary,
the snow was so deep, no school, no
church, no near neighbors, very seldom
a team passing, and this after life in q
large city and attendance at u graded
school with hundreds of pupils. DO
you wonder we were hOmesick.
4 We brought full supply of good
books with us and we had weekly
paper, SO after the candle was lit and
quilt hung over the door to keep out
the wind we spent the long winter
evenings reading aloud to each other
, But spring came and father and brother
| went to Illinois after the goods and
granduncle.
When granduncle came in, sat down
and looked at the surroundings he
!, lifted up his hands and exclaimed:
1920 acres of land and not chair in the
house,
Our nearest postotlice was Delhi,
where we bought good many things,
: but father used to go to Dubuque once
s a year for a load of groceries, and 1t
took nearly four days. There were nc
bridges on the roads and plenty OF
: sloughs, rayines and gulleys. That fall
about 200 Pottowatomie Indians
camped just south of the railroad
!. They stayed three days shot a numbe
70 of deer and other game. The women
y employed themselves in making bas
kets, sewing beads and narrow ribbons
e, on blankets and other garments. They
o. were peaceable, and were a source o!
for miles to see them.
In the spring of 1853 o. p. Reevel
" moved liz and settled on what is nov
H. the north side of Main street. The,
i, lived in shanty and then built tn
~ house opposite where Mr.. Styles nov
lives.
OF We now began to feel more at home
oy and during that year number of set
IN tiers moved in.
- In the fall the marriageof MIR. Brow
~ and Miss Rhoda Fowles took place o.
he what is now the Hutchinson farm
ct across the river. DR.. Acres was just
r. ice and performed the ceremony. Th
neighbors were invited from far ant
near There was fine supper an
n dancing was kept up till late houl
III This was the first merrymaking l al
m. tended in America The groom afte1
- wards built house on the lot no,
ef' owned by Mrs. George Toogood.
ng About this time schoolhouse wa
built near the Quaker mill and we ha
,as preaching occasionally, sometime
- Baptist and sometimes Methodist.
'rs. hired, who boarded around. / ofte
Its visited the school. 1 was young,
IN than she, but she must have had hig
- opinion of my ability, as she ofte
'ef invited. me to make speech to I'll
= school. l declined with thanks, but
used to write the headlines of the cor
books for her.
In the fall father had the ague. "
had had no experience with the disea
and thought he would die; went for u
ay, doctor, who broke it up, and in tW
OF weeks it came on again. Then n
zee, brother took it and they shook de
out about for a long time.
ng, Dr. Acres laid out town across tt
river from the Quaker mill. 1t VI
rel called Delaware Center Edison Me
zee rll and jerome Doolittle moved in, g
o up blacksmith and wagon shop, al
zen A. r. LOOMS opened up gener
the store in which the postofiice was.
md In 1866 Dyer & Chesterman bong
lad 1850 acres from father and located Il
me town: lots were sold cheap and settle
me began to build
uld The Baptist church was organized
uld April, 1856, at the residence of o.
Der Reeves now occupied by the family
the Joel Bailey. The Congregation
oOd church was organized in the fall of t
same year.
vas All denominations worshiped +
his some time in the school house standil
Ian where the central school does now.
to From this time the population
nd creased rapidly.
ms Thus ends some of the early expe
my ences of city family in new COUNT
the Mrs. Mcintosh is daughter of t
vas late Allan Loye.--ED.]
10 q ---
, to Progress During Last Ralf Centul
as IN SEYMOUR sQuInEs.
ms. 1t was during the last days of October, Il
her that our family, father, mother and nine C
ing dren. three girls and six boys, started from
vas town OF Newark, Tioga county. N. ", for W
Aid. was theh caiiea tne lar ~est. We CAME
off teams to lthica, from there to Buffalo by ca
ght boat a lye days trip. AT Buffalo we eros
t q Lake ERIE, TWO nights ana one Jay then too
,pi- tram on the Michigan Central TO Lake MichiI
1t which we crossed to Chicago, then not a
ed large city, nor line looking one; In fact 1t
per perfect mud hole. we went by cars from
the cago 10 Marengo, III. mat was as1ar west
,ily the railroad was built at that time.
u, NV father loupllt two woke of four wear
,ial steers that mad been worked about three we
no In breaking team and hired a man by the ma
ext OF Long who had u horse team and cove
Dur wagon TO 90 with us to Anamosa iii Jones co
md ty, Iowa.
ON The roads were terrible. the wagon frequeI
the going TO the hubs in mud and getting stuck,
tho we called il. and had to pry around the whe