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Available Sources Records 1875 A. T. Andreas Atlas
Logo by Ginger Cisewski |
Buckskin Joe - The Phillips family lived in Cascade when the cholera broke out in 1849. The father went to Dubuque for supplies, was stricken with the plague and died before reaching home. The mother had difficulty supporting Joel and his sister so when a Mormon preacher came through in 1851 depicting the beauties and advantages of Salt Lake, the mother bundled up her children and joined the wagon train in Council Bluffs with about 39 other people. The party reached Plum Creek, a deep gorge in the sand hills, without accident. Here, a band of Indians met them and demanded Strang, the preacher. It seems, that coming east in the spring, he had shot and scalped a squaw and her papoose, and these lndians demanded revenge. Strang persuaded the party to stand by him, a shot was fired, and the fight was on. The whites were outnumbered and were massacred, with the exception of two girls by the name of Henderson who had attracted the eyes of the Indians. Thinking that Joel was their brother, he was also taken alive. In 1863 Joel rescued the girls and took them to a hotel in Denver, intending to restore them to their former home. However, they had both married chiefs, and had five and six children respectively, all of whom had been massacred in the Chivington holocaust before the girls' eyes, and having been thoroughly imbued with the love for savage freedom, they committed suicide by hanging. Jo was 14 when taken by the Sioux and quickly adapted himself to life on the prairie. He learned their language, and all the tricks of savagery. No one could beat him in throwing the lasso, in hurling the tomahawk, or the use of the bow and arrow. He knew what roots were edible and where to find them. He learned how to catch a rattlesnake, fasten its head under a forked stick and torment it until it was mad with passion, then seize a dog, tear his liver from his body and let the snake bury its fangs in it. The warm liver swells up, turns green and decays. An arrow point dipped in the resulting substance inflicts an incurable wound. Jo became an expert rifle shot in addition to his skill with the bow and arrow. With his Indian education complete, he struck out for the settlements. But with all his knowledge of woodcraft, he ran into the Comanches. He stayed with them until he learned their language and when he left, then he ran into the Mohawks. His experiences well qualified him for talks he gave before Scientific associations of Iowa on the Mound-Builders. In 1867 he found his way back to Cascade seeking old friends, but no one knew him. He could hardly talk English and almost everyone had forgotten him. He left his home town to serve as a guide under General Sully. The Peter Gaul Family - Mary Ahlers was born in Muenster, Westphalen, Germany on Sept. 29, 1835. Peter Gaul was born in Pratz, Luxemburg on Feb. 9, 1823. Previous to his marriage, he had returned to Luxemburg and brought his twin brother and a colony from there. They settled in and around a land grant some 20 miles west of Dubuque and named the town Luxemburg. Peter Gaul had been given a patent to the "Old Homestead" signed by President James K. Polk in 1847; (this land has been in the family ever since; from Peter Gaul, it was transferred to his youngest son, Nick. It was on this land that the first log house was built, and it was there that Peter Gaul brought his bride. Thirteen children were born to their union: John; Henry, who died in infancy; Peter; Joseph; Margaret; Mary; Henry; Clara; Nicholas; Josephine; Theresa; Catherine; and Elisabeth. Nine of these children married, and the third generation counted 85 children, 56 still living. Counting those who have entered the relationship by marriage who were living at the time of the Centennial Celebration, there were 2 of the second generation, 96 of the third generation, 344 of the fourth generation, and 179 of the fifth generation; a total of 621. Peter Gaul died on Sept. 28, 1852. Source: 1967 Atlas of Dubuque County Compiled by the Title Atlas Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota The Fangmann Family - The Fangmann Family, regarded as one of the earlier settlers of Dubuque County, was originally made up of 4 brothers from Shirefeld, Oldenburg, Germany. Two of the brothers, Franz H. and F. Joseph immigrated to this country by route of Bremen, Germany, and landed in New Orleans on Aug. 13, 1846. The two brothers worked their way up to New Vienna by way of the Mississippi and through Dubuque. Having settled in New Vienna, the brothers had many interesting experiences. They accepted a work position for $30 per year. Later, they worked in a brick yard for $10 per month, and some time later, they bought 40 acres of land for $1.25 per acre, and built a log house on it. In May, 1847, the other two brothers, J. Henry and Herman H., left their native country, landing at Montreal in Aug., 1848. They bought a herd of oxen for 910 to break prairie land which they had bought for $2.00 per acre. Their first breaking plow, a valuable piece of machinery, was purchased from Galena for $5.00. Also, for a short time, Joseph and Henry engaged in manufacturing bricks for $3.00 per thousand. The Fangmanns had the distinction of owning the first house, for which they paid $75. They also obtained a small cart and then a lumber wagon. In 1866, the Fangmann brothers purchased the first buggy in the community. Mr. Joseph Fangmann lived to an age of 99. Source: 1967 Atlas of Dubuque County Compiled by the Title Atlas Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota (The above history was submitted by Mrs. Veronica Recker.)
Carrie Ott - Carrie Ott was born in Dubuque about 1880 (87 years old in 1967) ago of French parents, who were engaged in truck farming on Sageville Road. Carrie began helping her parents in the Farmers Market at the age of 12. This means that was active in the market for 75 years, and always at the some location. Carrie and her husband, Laurence Ott, took over the stand in 1910. In those days, all of their produce was brought to the market in a horse-drawn wagon, and during some of the more spectacular floods, they transported the vegetables to market by boat. Carrie's husband was killed in 1938, when lightning struck a knife he was using to cut lettuce. She estimated that in her 75 years on the market, she conservatively sold 105,000 bushels of tomatoes to say nothing of corn, beans, peppers and other vegetables. Source: 1967 Atlas of Dubuque County Compiled by the Title Atlas Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota Sylvester Bills Preston - Mr. Sylvester Bills Preston, his wife, Anna, and their children came to the Mines of Spain area in 1836, at which time they could only settle on this land by being issued mineral claims. It wasn't until 1847 that they could eventually buy their land from the government for $1.25 per acre. Due to this particular area, the government would not sell any land to settlers before 1847, because the government wanted to hold on to this very productive lead yielding property. In 1839, Sylvester B. Preston, known as Sylvester the 1st, wrote an article on what the land was like when he first settled on the land. At his home called "Cottage Hill," he wrote that "prairie grass grew so tall that one riding on horse back could not well see over it". This article describing Mosalem in the 1839 era is found in the 1906 Atlas of Dubuque County. Another article called "Mosalem Today" was written by another Preston girl, Bertha Preston Smith, in 1906, and is also found in this old Atlas. Both of these articles give very good descriptions of Mosalem from the first settlement period to 1906. The Prestons eventually had 10 homesteads on their original 747 acres with one 112 acre parcel still remaining and is now the oldest Century Farm in Iowa. Preston family members are still on this farm and claim 153 years in the family ownership. The Preston family would lease out portions of their land in claims to the miners in the 1840 to 1860s. It is still not known how much work was actually done by the Indians or the first white miners. One sidehill slope has 320 such surface mine pits. Primitive smelters also are found within these pit mine areas. Many years have passed now, and these holes still seem to remain much the same as they were worked. Gerta Preston Hartman wrote a book called Preston, Thy Affectionate Family, With Love in 1987. Gustav SCHROEDER - Gustav came to the U.S. in 1857, from Prenzlau, Prussia, which is in the Vorpommern area of Germany & served in the Civil War, in 17th Missouri infantry. At 1860 census, he lived in the home of C. W. BITTMAN, who is already listed in the 1880 version of the bios. C. W. was uncle to Catherine BITTMAN. Gustav is listed as "Clerk". He is also listed for the first time in the Dubuque City Directory this year. He probably worked for C.W. in the grocery he would later take over from him. Gustav enlisted, at age 26, on 10/1/1861 as a Fifth Sergeant. "Mustered" 12/19/1861. He was promoted three more times, achieving the rank of 2nd Sergeant by 12/1/1862. He became a citizen on Feb. 27, 1867 in District Ct. in Dubuque. In 1865, he married Catherine. Gustav is well documented in the Dubuque City Directories until his death, after which Catherine is listed at the same address as his widow. The 1883 Directory shows that he took a new partner; the listing is "Schroeder & Hoerner (Gus. Sch- & G.A. Hoe--)@ 1476 Clay." Gustav's obituary says he was at work only a few days before his death. After his death, the Schroeder grocery business was apparently sold. The age of the family home at 1450 Iowa is unknown, but Catherine and Gustav were living in it well before Gustav died in it in 1887. The home was passed onto his son Henry, and Gustav's grandson still lives there in 2002. Henry's brother Edward Wendell SCHROEDER, who was a Secretary to the Archbishop of Dubuque in 1943. Edward Wendell was a well known musician, and his father was Edward J. SCHROEDER, who founded the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra & served as a Professor of Music at Loras College for over 50 years. Most of the SCHROEDERs in this family are buried in Linwood Cemetery. C.W. BITTMAN served on the Board of Linwood during the 1870s, soon after its founding. Submitted by Jean SCHROEDER ROBERSON June 5, 2002. The Thomas Wallace Family - A letter written to Mr. William Wallace, Sr., of Bankston, Iowa, in 1944, by his uncle, John Wallace, formerly of Zion City, Ill., gives some very interesting historical facts about the grandfather of Wm. Wallace of Bankston. His grandfather, Thomas Wallace, was an immigrant to this country in the early 1800s. The letter tells that Tom Wallace was born on Jan. 6, 1806, on the banks of the Black Water River in County Cork, Ireland, and that he come to the United States during the John Quincy Adam's administration (1825-29), and lived in the State of New York. His first work in this country was helping to build the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad. It was the first railroad in the United States. The cars on the level places were pulled by horses, but on the hillsides, they were pulled by long cables worked by engines. Finally, a small contraption of an engine was imported from England which was able to pull the cars on the level, and on the hillsides, and could travel at the then unheard of speed of 8 miles per hour. After the work on the railroad had been finished, Tom Wallace started off for a place on the banks of the Mississippi River, called Galena, where he had planned to find work in the lead mines. The mine owners had advertised in the East for workers. He traveled the entire distance on foot. He recalled finding a group of white settlers at a little fort called Little Port in Illinois. It is now called Waukegon. But after his long and dangerous journey, Tom Wallace never worked in the mines. Instead, he swam the Mississippi River to Dubuque, and got work there with a government surveying gang. He helped with the first government survey work in Iowa. This extended from Dubuque to Correctionville. When the surveying job was finished, Tom Wallace bought a patch of land on what is now a part of Main Street in Dubuque. He planted corn there and it grew to be 18 feet high. A Scotchman, named McClurg, offered him 160 acres of land all cleared and ready to plant for his land in Dubuque. They traded and Wallace moved to a farm 3 miles north and 1/2 mile west of Zwingle, Iowa. He lived there for a few years, but wasn't satisfied, so he sold his land there and bought a form on the west bank of Little's Creek, which is east of where the South Garryowen Church is now and southwest of Otter Creek Church. Tom Wallace was married to Elizabeth Ann Conklin of Ohio, by a French priest named Father Paridine. Wallace had met Miss Conklin in Ohio on his way from New York to Dubuque. They lived in the South Garryowen area and raised a family of 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls. Four of their sons, Jim, Frank, Dave and Dick went to Oklahoma and got in the race for claims when the United States opened what was known as the Cherokee Strip. Jim and Dave were appointed as U. S. Marshals in Oklahoma Territory at that time. Jim Wallace, father of William A. Wallace, Bankston, lost his first wife while they were in Oklahoma. Later he returned to Jackson County and traveled from there to New York City on a bicycle. There he boarded a ship and sailed to Ireland, where he married his second wife, Mary Ellen Dennehy of County Cork. The bicycle which Mr. Wallace rode to New York on was an import from England, and the first one ever seen in Jackson County. The wheels were made entirely of steel. Jim Wallace brought his second wife to the United States and they made their home in Jackson County. After their first 2 children were born, they decided to go to Oklahoma. They traveled in a covered wagon with their two young sons, Tommy and William A. They remained in Oklahoma about two years, then returned by covered wagon to Garryowen. There they settled and raised a family of 5 boys and 3 girls. The boys were: Tom, William A., Jim, Jerry, and Dave. The girls were: Mary, Annie, and Lucy. Source: 1967 Atlas of Dubuque County Compiled by the Title Atlas Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota (The above history was submitted by William A. Wallace.) Biographies currently available at the Dubuque Public Library.
The following families may have moved together as a group. They are all from Dubuque County Iowa and all went to Franklin County, Kansas. Found in FRANKLIN Co KS C. D. CRANE, merchant, was born in Batavia, N. Y., in 1833. He learned to be a practical miller in his youth, and followed that business for some years in the State of Iowa. In 1859 he crossed the plains to California, where he followed milling at Knight's Ferry for some eighteen months. Returning East to Iowa, he carried on extensive flouring mills at Cascade for about six years. In the spring of 1869 Mr. Crane came to Ottawa, Kan. Was for two years engaged in milling business at this place in the firm of H. D. Crane & Co., after which he engaged in dry-goods business, etc. in company with T. R. Wilkerson, under style of Crane & Wilkerson. This firm dissolved some five years later and Mr. Crane now carries on a large dry-goods, notions, etc., carrying an average stock of $15,000, and is one of the leading enterprising merchants of this city. Found in FRANKLIN Co KS F. E. CRANE, manufacturer and dealer in lightning rods, is a native of Cascade, Iowa, and there he learned the trade of tinner. Some seven years later he went to West Union, Iowa, where he was engaged for some time in selling lightning rods. He came to Kansas in 1878, located in Ottawa, and has since been engaged in the lightning rod business. For two years he represented Rayburn, Hunter & Co., of Chicago; since then he has been also engaged in manufacturing rods, making from 135,000 to 150,000 feet of rod annually. He has in his employ some eighteen men. On September 9, 1882, he purchased an interest in the Mammoth Livery Stables, and that business is now conducted under style of Bangs & Crane. They are also extensive dealers in horses, mules, etc. Found in FRANKLIN Co KS H. D. CRANE, of H. D. Crane & Co., proprietors of Excelsior Mills, was born in Genesee County, N. Y., March 7, 1831, removing with his parents to Dubuque County, Iowa, in 1848. Two years later he began business life, being employed in the Cascade Mills, where he remained for fifteen years; then he and his brother, C. D. Crane, rented and conducted the mills for several years. He came to Ottawa, Kan., in 1869, and at once engaged in milling business in company with his brother and A. J. Wightman. These mills are still known as the Ottawa Mills. In '71 C. D. Crane sold out his interest, and the two remaining partners conducted the business up to about July 1880. Shortly afterwards Mr. Crane formed a partnership with M. M. Shiras and John B. Shaffer, and built the Excelsior Mills, which are conducted under the style of H. D. Crane & Co. Found in FRANKLIN Co KS ALPHEUS J. WIGHTMAN, treasurer of Franklin County; was born in Granville, Licking Co., Ohio, January 12, 1829, and was employed as a clerk in the postoffice and general store at that place for several years. In 1849 he removed to Dubuque, Iowa and six months later crossed the plains to California, where he followed mining for two years, returning to Cascade, Iowa, where he farmed until he came to Ottawa, Kansas, in 1869. He built the Ottawa Mills, in company with H. D. Crane, continuing in that business until 1880. Mr. Wightman has always since his arrival in this State been identified with farming pursuits. He at present owns 321 acres in this county. He has represented the Third ward in the City Council for the past ten years, and was elected County Treasurer in November, 1881, entering upon his duties in October, 1882. |
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