Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-14
owned and maintained by the Old Set.
tiers association of Jefferson county.
The House AS 1t Was.

owned and maintained by the Old Set
tiers association of Jefferson county.
The House AS it Was.
From the accompanying cuts an idea
the present appearance of the Bonni-
field cabin, built in 1888 by Rhodham
Bonnifeld, father of w. B. Bouuifleld,
ST., of this city, may be obtained, but
its condition when first built may be
only described in words and these can
but feebly illustrate the crude form of
architecture, extant in those early
days.
The addition at the side of the house
shown i'll one of the cuts was not part
of the original building but was con-
structed in 1889 by one of the sons of
Mr. Bonnifield as place to study in.
The logs which composed it's walls
were hand hewn with broad ak.
The flooring of the building was
made of whipsawed walnut boards
The roof was made of rived and shaved
walnut shingles. The gable ends of
the building were formed by split
boards
The fire place, in one of the cuts it's
position may be noted, was made of
fiat rock quarried in the neighborhood,
and the chimney was made of sticks,
| it being impossible to obtain bricks
for this purpose The windows were
Of the old fashioned kind, each con-
tanning six very small lights.
The doors were of whip sawed wal
nut lumber, battened style. The latch
string was used.
The walls were finished with lime
and sand and then washed. Originally
there was porch in front of the build
/ ing taking in that amount Of the front
| length of the house bounded by the
| the outer edge of the two windows
4 The hugh fire place was used for both
heating and cooking purposes, there
being no stove in the pioneer house,
hold.
History of An Early Day.
Rhodham Bonnifeld, builder of this
/ famous cabin, was the father of w. B
Bonnifeld Sa., of this city, presi
dent of the First National bank. Mr.
Bonnifeld in a recent letter to the
Historical Society of the Old Settlers
association of Jefferson sounty tells in
the following manner of his recollec
tion Of the early pioneer life:
in 1885 my father, Rhodham Bonni-
| field, and his brother Arnold Travelled
from their home in West Virginia, t.
Missouri on horseback to spy out tho
new country, which was just then com
ing into more extended notice. They
were delighted with the looks of things
the wide expanse of prairies, and i'm.
menselv rich country through which
| they passed. led them to believe tina
all this western country was destined
1 to become a land flowing with mill
and honey
In 1885 my father got all his fam.
lily together, which consisted of twelve
children and started with all but ons
for the Black Hawk Purchase. Thi:
one left behind was brother William
who was attending Allegheny college
4 at Meadville Pa.
Travelled in Virginia Schooner.
! THE only means of conveyance thel
was by team. We had what was callec
a Virginia schooner, which consisted
of four horses and a wagon. with bee
standing up in the air higher than YOU
could reach. The driver rode the nea
horse and drove the two forward
horses with an occasional jerk Of tn
lines and command Of 'Gee-Haw' W.
had also a spring wagon for the wo
men and children to ride in or all thos'
who did not choose to walk.
I'm this way we travelled through
i Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. We trav
eled over the National Pike. This Pix
/ was newly made with broken stone
spread thickly over it, and to proven
4 teams from seeking the smoother por
lions of it, men We're stationed alon:
it with logs placed SO as to keep tn
teams on the rough rocks all the time
Thus our travel over the National Pill.
was kind of zigzag travel all tn
way.
i w, finally reached Clayton, a littl
4 town two miles east of Quincy, Ill
j there we stopped for the winter. NJ,