Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-03

A. II. Morris, one of Stockports old
est and most respected citizens and
past eighty years Of age, tells in an in
teresting account Of his early life,
some Of the hardships and experiences
endured by :he pioneers who came to
Iowa In the early days. The story is
contained in letter to The Courier
written in answer to request for an
account of his life. The quaint style of
the story lends to it's charm. A picture
Of the pioneer and his venerable wife
who has shared his company for fifty
six years, was sent with the letter and
is shown elsewhere in this issue. The
letter follows: 49,
Editor Courier:
Some time ago you asked for some
one to write sketch Of the Early
Days in Iowa" thought I would write
you a story in the form of moving
picture. In the first scene, I can see a
river, beautiful little river-the Cum
berland by name, and on the north side
of the river, | see farm with a log
house, an orchard with red streaked
apples. a blue birds nest in an old dead
tree. There Is creek coming out Of
the mountain from the north, joining
the river to the west of the house.
There is good spring on the creek
few rods west | can see mountains
southwest, across the river. there Is an
other house in which an uncle lived. In
the second scene I can see a family,
ready to move-the oxen are hitched
to the big covered wagon, with several
loose horses, some saddle horses, some
colts and two COWS. On one of the
largest horses sitting with a baby boy
one year old-my youngest brother in
my mothers lap. The old neighbors
Nh1 CT
then moves off and l can see little
brindle dog sitting in the door yard by.
tree looking after us. You know there
is a strong friendship between boy
and d dog. This was in 1888. We went
westward down the river, past Cum
berland Ford, camping out on good
nights and in farm houses on bad ones.
We passed through the famous. blue
grass country of Kentucky to the Ohio,
river, through Indiana and Illinois to
the Mississippi at FIT. Madison. 1t would
make you laugh to see the boat that
brought us across the river. 1t was run
by horse power and was worked by an
incline wheel on which the horse tired.
One part of the wheel was in the wa
ter. Talk about heroines, will you?
When a middle-aged woman will ride
and carry q child on horse back most Of
the way Of the 700 miles.
we CulIle oul lHlS sue Ol w eSL
on Sugar creek, in Lee county, (Black-
hawk purchase) and stayed there from
June 10. 1888, coming to Van Buren,
county in September, stopping in a log
cabin north Of the Spencer cemetery.
We lived in a cabin sixteen feet
square, ten of us. My Oldest sister and
her husband and little daughter, dur
inc the summer had made their home
in Clark county. Missouri. Well, we
were some crowded, but we had bread.
milk, wild turkeys and sometimes ven-
son to eat. Corn was scarce and pretty
high. There was a Mrs. Thomas, a |
widow, living near us, that had two
1i~ daughters. who didn't like to work
very well. They had to crate meal
sometimes for bread.
To save meal. they stirred pumpkin
md mixed with the meal. to save so
much grating. This was called pumpkin
read and it vent pretty well-if you
ldnt use too muCn pumpkin. The joke
vas. they used so much pumpkin that |
hey had to eat it with a spoon. .:
The first winter father and my older |
brother made rails for the neighbours,
,ut in the meantime father had bought |
claim-the same is part of S. A. Har-
ms farm now. The land had not yeti
come into market but the sales were