Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-11
"a Ball Players Career It's Title
Asrsialltown Figures Promi-
nently in It.
The Early Days Of This City and
the First Game Of the Sport as
Played Here.


generations the career Of her Ada,"
and her residents will doubtless be in
;tercsted In the new publication. which
deals largely in its Introductory With the
early affairs here-tke days when the |
town was a mere village of a few strag-
Cling nuts and Indian tepees. THE game
at Marshalltown" is also referred to in
the exhaustive story of the life of the
author, for it was in Marshalltown that
Ada Arson played his first ball. The
first chapter Of the publication. dealing
With the birthplace and ancestry OF
Capt. Arson. is of interest to every citi-
zen who now, claims the city as his
home, and is in part as follows:
The town Of Marshalltown, county
seat Of Marshall county, in the great
state of Iowa, is now handsome and
flourishing place Of some $1,000 or Il, 900
inhabitants. I have not had time re-
Gently to take the census myself, and so
can not be expected to certify exactly
as to how many men. women and chill
drcn are contained within its corporate
limits.
At the time first appeared upon the
scene, however, the town. was in de-
cidedly embryonic state, and outside of
some half-dozen white families that had
|squatted there 1t boosted of no inhabi-
tants save Indians of the Pottawatta-
ME tribe. whose wigwams, or tepees,
We're scattered here and there upon the
prairie and along the banks of the river
tina. then, as now was not navigabie for
anything much larger than fat-bot-
toned scow.
THE first log cabin that was erected
in Marshalltown was built by my faith
err, Henry Arson. who is still living, a
hale and hearty old man, whose only
trouble seems to be. according to his
own story, that he is getting too fleshy
and that he finds it more difficult TO get
about than he used to.
He and his father. Warren Arson, his
grandfather, Jonathan Arson, and his
great-grandfather, Silas Arson. We're.
Ian born in Duchess county, New York,
land were direct descendants of two
brothers who came to this country from
England some time in the seventeenth.
century. They traced their lineage back
Ito William Arson. Esq, of Lincoln's
Inn, an eminent barrister in the reign
of James T.. who purchased the man
| sion of Shuzsborough, in the county of
IStanord. and, even farther pack, 10 Ad-5
miral Arson, a high admiral of the Eng
fish navy, who was one of the first of
that daring band of sailors which cir
/ COMMUNICATED the globe and helped to
Hay the foundation of England's present
4 greatness
\ II have said that we We're direct de-
i scendants of one OF two brothers The
lother Of the original Ansons 1 am not so
proud of, and for this reason: He re-.
'Itaiiled the family name until therevolu-
.litionary war broke out, when he sided
with the king and became known as a
tory. Then. not wishing to bear the
]name of his brother, who had espoused
the cause Of the colonists. he changed
4 his name to Austin, and some of his de-
scendants my father has met on more
THAN one occasion in his travels.
My mothers maiden name was Jean
S|3ette Rice and she like my father, was
4 of English descent, so you can see how
little Swedish blood there is in my
i veins, in spite of the nickname Of 'the
A Swede. that was often applied to me
during my ball-playing career, and
which was, I fancy, given me more be-
y cause OF my light hair and rudy COM
lplexion than because of any Swedish
characteristics.
a paragraph on the emigration OF
Hon. Henry Arson to the west proceeds
4 the following: He finally homesteaded
a tract of land on the site Of the pres
ent town of Marshalltown, which he laic
out and gave the name that II now
bears. This, for a time, was known as
Marshall 1t being named after the
town of Afarshallin Michigan. but Wher
Re,.
. covered that there was already a post
Office OF that same name in the state
and so the word town was added, ant
4 MarshalltoMn it became, the names An
!. son, Ansontown. and Ansonville having
: all been thought of and rejected. Hat
j 1.-The name OF .Ansonia' occurred at tha
: time to my fathers mind, however. l d,
!, not think that either Marshall or Mar
: shalltown would have ever been its it'll
/ lon the map.
1T was not so very long after tn,
!. completion of my fathers log cabin
which stood on what is now Marshall
Towns Main street, thnt l, the frs
white child born there. came into tn
world, the exact date of my advent be
; ling April II. 1852. Ny brother, Sturgi
. Arson, who is two years my senior, wa
born at the old home in Michigan, an
8 had still another brother, Melville, VIII
: died while was yet a small boy Sc
n at the time Of which write, there wer
h three babies in the house, all Of Their
n boys, and the youngest and most trou
y blesome of the lot.
d Tho death of his mother is referred t.
!. and that is followed by a short refer
: ence to the towns growth, the increas
d In white settlers and troubles with tn
{ indiana Old Johnny Green, the chic
e OF the Indians here at that time. who's
8 death is remembered by many of Mar
d shalltown's older citizens and who's
I skull was believed by the late DR.. Wat
8 ers to have been unearthed in the ea
!. cavations made in building the Soldier
]. Home. Is referred to. Capt. Arson the
: passes to his school life in this city, an
= from that to the times he played hook
4 ley" to play zone old cat" and 'soa
ball. The game Of base ball was the
In its infancy" he says, land while
e WAS being played to some extent cas-
!, ward of US the craze had az yet nj
u reached MarshalltoWt. II arrived thel
]. later and II struck The town with bot