OF Johnson County, Iowa, CONTAINING A ? HISTORY OF THE COUNTY, AND ITS TOWNSHIPS, CITIES AND VILLAGES FROM 1836 to 1882. TOGETHER WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF MANY ENTERPRISING FARMERS, MERCHANTS, MECHAN- THE MOST IMPORTANT LAWS; THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; ITS ORGANIZATION; ITS POLITICAL AND RELIG- IOUS HISTORY; AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE AND STOCK-RAISING; WAR RECORD; TOWN- SHIP HISTORIES; CHURCHES; SCHOOLS; RAILROADS AND BUSINESS ENTER- IOWA CITY, IOWA. PREFACE. The writer of this HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY is under obligations to several persons for their friendly co-operation, and in some cases very especial and valuable assistance in preparing matter for our use, or furnishing documents, taking us to a personal inspection of historic scenes and localities, etc., without which we could not have succeeded in making so valuable and complete a work as is here now presented. Hon. Henry Felkner furnished us, in his own handwriting, his well written sketch of the pioneer days, in which he was himself so prominent an actor in the affairs of the young community. Hon. John P. Irish said with a plump, hearty welcome: "There's all my newspaper files; and there's my library; take anything you want, whenever you want it, and as long as you want it-all I ask is that YOU BRING IT BACK!" Col. S. C. Trowbridge, who is himself a walking encyclopedia of early history, and has more old historic documents tucked away for time of need than any five other men in the county, was more than generous in his kind and helpful assistance in finding old documents and records which we wanted; and in many ways his friendly offices were most valuable, for all which the whole county as well as ourselves owe him lasting thanks. Others who took some pains to assist us either with their own writing, or with books, records, documents, reports, transcripts, etc., that were really needful, were: Prof. T. S. Parvin; President J. L. Pickard; ex-Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood; Prof. Samuel Calvin; Prof. G. Hinrichs; Mr. Bohumil Shimek, a University student from Jefferson township; M. W. Cook, of Oxford; Mrs. Mary Hamilton, of Clear Creek, assisted by Bryan Dennis, Hon. George Paul, and others of the old, old settlers; A. G. Runyon, of Penn township; LeGrand Byington, of Lucas township; Postmaster Jacob Ricord; County Auditor, A. Medowell; Clerk of District Court, Stephen Bradley; Wm. H. Fleming, of Des Moines, who was for ten or twelve years private Secretary to successive Governors of Iowa, and is now preparing a volume of state census and all civil statistics by counties and townships; and to the venerable Hon. Edward Langworthy, of Dubuque. Also to the superintendents of the State Blind Asylum, Deaf Mute Asylum and the Penitentiary at Fort Madison, for full and prompt response to our inquiries after Johnson county people in those state institutions. Some of the other controling officers of state institutions either paid no regard to our request, or else flatly refused to give us the information desired. The labor of preparing a full history of this county has been very great, for there is a great amount of real history here, more, perhaps, than in any other county in the state, owing to the State Capital, State University, and other institutions having had their beginnings here. |