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Pioneers of Marion County D Alexander B. Donnel was born in Pennsylvania, March 20, 1806, and immigrated to Ohio in 1818, and from thence to Iowa in 1844. In '45 he purchased land in company with S. S. Roberts, with whom he had been associated in business for several years. In '49 he, in company with many others, started for California, and died near Fort Kearney, in June. Other members of the family, some of them still living in the township, settled here in 1848,and the mother died early in the spring of '56, aged about 80 years. Soon after the settlement of this family here, a report got abroad that they intended to enter a number of claims in the neighborhood, and this brought the club together to enforce mutual protection in case such was the design. But upon visiting the residence of the supposed intruders in a body, and with such warlike threats as were thought necessary to frighten them into compliance with the rules supposed to be indispensable to "settler's rights," yet without avail, it was discovered that it was not the intention to interfere with the just title of any claimant. Failing to bring the enemy to any more definite terms, the club adjourned, and this was about the last demonstration of the kind made by them. Stanford Doud came from Ohio to Van Buren Co., Iowa, in '42, and to this township and county in the spring following, in company with a person named Henry Polly. On first entering the purchase they met with some opposition by the dragoons, and were at one time hotly pursued and narrowly escaped being captured by them. But they persisted in remaining in the country till they should be permitted to make permanent settlement; and when the time came to do so, they also made choice of and secured a claim in that beautiful strip of country near Haymaker's mill. At one time, during their sojourn in this then wilderness, they ran short of provisions. Strange as it may seem, game was exceedingly scarce just then. The Indians had swept the country of everything of the kind. Having anticipated a lack of provisions in time, as they supposed to procure a supply from the settlements below, they had sent a man down the river in a canoe to bring it up. But for some reason or other the messenger was delayed. Having waited, looked, and hoped for his return till almost at the point of starvation, the grim prospect admonished them that they must prepare to leave the country or die there. As they must have some means of conveyance, they concluded to dig out a canoe. This was work for men already weakened by hunger; but they went about it at once, lest their strength should so fail them that they should be unable to complete it. In the mean time one of them had killed a ground hog, which they cooked the best they could and ate without salt, which, tough and unpalatable as it was, gave them some relief. While working at the canoe they were visited by a small party of Indians, who at first manifested much friendship by hand-shaking and conversation. Mr. Doud, though little inclined, as hungry people are, to make himself agreeable to a squad of treacherous warriors, prudently deemed it advisable to humor them. But Polly was sulky and worked away at the canoe, not deigning to look up or pay these least attention to the Indian who was trying to give him some instructions about the shape of that part of the vessel he was at work on. This want of respect or appreciation on the part of Polly so enraged the Indian that the latter took up his gun with the evident intention of shooting the offender, accompanying the act with the threatening words "nippo smokeman,' (kill whiteman.) Mr. Doud understood enough of the language to know what this meant, and to respond in an equally threatening manner, at the same time pointing his own rifle at the would-be-assassin, "nippo socee." This was a critical situation for the half starved men. Mr. D. knew very well that if one of them was killed the murderers would scarcely deem it prudent to let the other escape as evidence against them. But the prompt interference had the desired effect. The chief of the party bade his subordinate to desist, and they all took their departure, leaving our heroes to finish their work in peace. Fearing another visitation as much as the famine that threatened them, they got the vessel afloat so soon as it would do to float at all, and reached their destination in safety, but much reduced by starvation. After getting well recruited, Mr. Doud returned to his claim and made such improvements thereon as enabled him to move his family to it in 1844. After many years residence here, he returned to his old home in Van Buren county, where he still lives. But most distinguished among those who settled in the township in '43, was David Durham, a brief sketch of whom may be in order here: Mr. D. was born in Belfast, Maine, July 7th, 1792, and immigrated to Ohio in 1828. He started on the 3d of September, and reached Dovertown, Morgan county, Ohio, on the 10th of October, where he located, and opened a farm. But, after being engaged in this business four or five years, he went to the salt works on the Muskingum river, and engaged as a laborer to Sennet Ramey, who, a year or two later, appointed him superintendent of his salt works. After serving in this capacity for some time, he purchased an establishment and went into the salt business on his own account. But owing to the plentifulness of the commodity, together with limited means of shipping it down the Muskingum in scows and canoes, and transportation by land in wagons, the business proved unprofitable, and he failed to meet all the payments on the property. This was in 1836, when money matters became close and precarious. Abandoning the salt works he then employed himself for one season in transporting flour and salt to and from Zanesville by flat boats and scows. Early in '37 he moved to Zanesville, where he engaged in various occupations, till the autumn of that year, when he moved to McClain county, Illinois. But not being able to settle there as he desired, with a large family, he moved again the spring following, and stopped in what is now Jefferson county, Iowa. Here his companion, Nancy Durham, who had shared his varied fortune for more than twenty years, died, April 13, 1839. After about five years' residence in Jefferson county, Mr. Durham moved to Clay township, where he took and occupied a claim till he secured a title from the government in 1847. During his residence here, Mr. Durham was elected a member of the Board of County Commissioners, as stated in another place, and carried the first mail between Oskaloosa and Knoxville. After a long and somewhat eventful life, attended with many conflicts with fickle fortune, having at last secured a competence and a resting place for himself and children, he departed this life, March 15, 1866, aged about seventy years. Mr. Durham was much respected for his noble traits of character, being of an amiable disposition, kind and obliging to all who had occasion to apply to him for help, in time of need. His departure was, therefore, lamented by a numerous circle of friends and acquaintances, but not as those who mourn without hope. [Pages 132 to 133]: A little adventure may be worth relating in concluding this chapter: In March, 1845, Jasper Koons and wife, crossed to the north side of the Des Moines river on the ice, going on a visit, and left Eliza J. Durham, then quite a young woman, and now Mrs. D. D. Miller, in the care of his house and two small children, on the south side of English. Expecting to return soon, the parents did not leave Miss D. and the little ones as well provided for as would have been required in case of a long absence. But on the third day of their absence the ice began to break up on the river, rendering it impossible for the Koons to return. So early one morning Mr. K. came to the bank, opposite Durhan's and called over to inform Mr. D. of the unprovided and isolated situation of Eliza and the children, and requested that some one should look after them till he should be able to get home. Father Durhan took a pony and proceeded to the rescue immediately. He found English broken up and not very safe to ford; but the case was one of emergency, and he made no delay. He found the sufferers without provisions or fire, and during the night previous, though the weather was quite cool, they had had no fire. But how to remedy the difficulty was the most difficult part of it. The pony would not be likely to bear two grown persons in safety over such a flood, to say nothing of the addition of the two children to the cargo, and he had not been so well trained to the business as to make one or more voyages through the ice-cold flood without a pilot, or at least without some humane incentive, though it was quite possible that he was as unselfish as any brute of his kind. But it is said that "where ever there is a will there is a way,' out of almost any strait. Though there may be many exceptions to the truth of this proverb, it is true in a majority of cases, and it was in this. Eliza thought of the bed-cord, and proceeded to change it from its appropriate use to that of a tow line for pony. Being prepared for the adventure she tied one end of the cord to the halter. Mr. D. then took the children up and made the crossing, his sister paying out as they went. She then tugged away at the tow line, and Foster urged, till the unwilling vessel was compelled to launch again, and Miss D. soon joined the others in safety. During the memorable flood of 1851, Mr. Durham and his family took refuge in their ferry boat, as it was moored along the side of the house where they remained till a place could be provided for them on dry land. To get out of fire
was no uncommon circumstance in those early days, and persons have been
known to go several miles to get a supply. Matches were not convenient,
and it was not every house that could be provided with them. |