Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-09-05
"reminiscences of Early DAYS.

BY NJ. JENNIE (NoBLE) ROBINSON.
My father, d. B. Noble with Lorenzo Multi
ken, came from Ontario county. N. ". to Iowa
in the fall of 1872. and settled in the north part
of what is now Delaware county, Iowa was
then territory.
He bought farm Of Mr.. Lull on which was
o house built by Lull My grandfather, Bohan
Noble, took a farm just north of his. In the
wlnter Of 1886 lie went to Cattaraugus county,
N. ", aud in April of the same year was mar
ried to Minerva Peet and started for Iowa by
train arriving in June at the home awaiting his
bride, where together they worked and toiled
and suffered the hardshlps of pioneer life. 1t
was lovely farm, Just at the edge of Turkey
Timber, with spring and stream OF living water
near the log house-they were all log houses i'll
those days, The nearest neghbor OH the south
was a Mr.. Clark. living at Eads' Grove, a little
later Mr.. Eads located there, giving the grove
the name.
The nearest flour mill was ut Dubuque where
they went for supplies, riding after IN OK team.
After few years q postoilice was established
which was named Yankee Settlement, and kept
in father Nobies' house. Grandfather Bohan
Noble was postmaster and my mother was dep
uty postmistress. About that time union store
was started, frame addition built on our
house and dry goods and groceries were sold.
Father carried the mall from our place to
| Colesburg.
About the year IS4s a party Of Indians APP
peared on the hill from the east on ponies. ar.
| rayed mostly III war paint, and giyingthe Indian
war whoop. My mothers fright can be imag-
| ined but not described, as father and uncle A.
G. Noble. with others, were working In a field In
| the direction from which the Indians came and
| thinking they had perhaps killed them and
come to burn the house and murder her and her
infant daughter. Mr.. VIM. Richards and wife,
an elderly couple, lived In part Of the house
at the time and he was sick III bed. He said lie
thought he had waited until the Indians were all
gone before he came to Iowa. Mother, N her
fright, decided to hide In the smoke house. Then
| the dread OF being burned alive caused her to
| fee to the prairie, but knowing she would be
pursued she turned back sick at heart, but dc.
Gliding to subnrit to her fate and face the red.
skins. While she was considering the matter
the Indians had rode up behind the corncrib and
| seemed to be holding u cOnnch Of war. When
| the men came over the hill from The field aud
Uncle Albert asked Big Foot, tho chief, "What
are you doing here, soaring the wOmen?" Big
| Foot tlourished his gun around Ills head, but
uncle told him to puccachee or he would have
| fifty men after him In ten minutes. aid drove
them off with an OK whip, they being more
afraid of a whip than u gun. They were the
Pawnee Indians, and would occasionally come
through hunting.
| My fathers house was like a tavern for friends
and relatives, who would come aud stop few
days or weeks, and sometimes months until they
could get home and settle. The latch string
\ was always out.
The Congregational church was organized In
ls49 or 1850. The first minister was Rev. Asa
Turner. Mother was q charter member, few, II
| any of whom are now living.
| Among the first events connected With the
early history of Edgewood. one of Importance.
the breaking of the first furrow by j. >. Bel
knap. WHO was barefooted and used aii ok team
He planted the ground to corn and ploulshed II
with long yoke with an OK on each sideiof the
row. Mr.. Belknap afterwards became preslden,
Of the Delaware County Bank.
F.B. Poet, our honored president built the
first store building.
part of our log house was used for a school
room. Augustus Davis taught one winter. Later
a school house was built and Miss Maggie G0odel
was the first teacher In the new house. In q few
years a school was established at Almoral. H
N. Gates. Congregational minister, was the
first teacher and Almoral had 3 famous brass
band. Among the members were j. D. Durham