Слике страница
PDF
ePub

THE

HISTORY

OF

DELAWARE COUNTY,

IOWA,

CONTAINING

I History of the County, its Sities, Gowns, &c.,

A Biographical Directory of its Citizens, War Record of its Vol-
unteers in the late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics,
Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, His-

tory of the Northwest, History of Iowa, Map

of Delaware County, Constitution of the

United States, Miscellaneous
Matters, &c.

ILLUSTRATED.

CHICAGO:

WESTERN HISTORICAL COMPANY,

SUCCESSORS TO H. F. KETT & CO.

K..

[blocks in formation]

PREFACE.

ESS than fifty years ago, Delaware County, now so densely populated and replete with all the elements of an enlightened civilization, was the undisturbed home of the Sacs and Foxes. Less than half a century has rolled into eternity since the Indian title to any portion of the soil of Iowa was extinguished, and the Black Hawk Purchase permitted the resistless tide of emigration Westward to flow across the Mississippi.

Only a little more than forty years have elapsed since the roving, restless BENNETT built the first rude log cabin and the first brave and hardy pioneers settled on the beautiful prairies of Delaware. But these fleeting years have been full of eventful changes -of history. To gather, compile and preserve that history for transmission to posterity as one of the almost countless chapters in the annals of this great country, has been the purpose of this work.

The task has been an arduous and responsible one. Several years had passed, after the first permanent settlements by KIBBEE, the LIVINGSTONS, the NICHOLSONS, BAILEY, the KEELERS, EADS, PENN, AUBREY, JACKSON and others, before any written records were made; indeed, prior to 1850, the records of Delaware were very incomplete and many valuable papers pertaining to that period have been lost. Of those who came prior to 1842, only a few remain to greet those who now come to write their history. Memories fail with the accumulating burdens of years, and events that were fresh and vivid in memory ten or fifteen years ago are now so nearly forgotten that they are recalled with difficulty.

In the absence of written records, it has often occurred that different individ have given sincere and honest but nevertheless conflicting accounts of the same events, and it has been a task of great delicacy to harmonize these conflicting statements and draw therefrom reasonable and approximately correct conclusions. This part of the work has been performed with much care and with the single purpose of ascertaining the truth and of recording events as they actually transpired. How well it has been performed the reader must judge. It will be strange indeed, if, in the multiplicity of names, dates and events, no errors shall be detected. The compilers do not dare hope that in all its numerous and varied details, this work is absolutely correct, nor is it expected that it is beyond criticism. But the publishers hope and believe that it will be found measurably correct and generally accurate and reliable. Unwearied and studious care has been constantly exercised, in the hope of making it a standard work of reference as well as a volume of interest to the general reader.

Such as it shall be found, however, our work is done-our offering completed, and it remains for us to tender our grateful acknowledgments to the people of Delaware County

« ПретходнаНастави »