Vol. 1 of the 1914
CHAPTER XXIX
On the second day of March, 1857, township 87,
range 5, was established and called Hazel Green. The territory within its
limits was separated from
James H. Squires and S. S. Squires left
the State of
Preston Midkiff
was here as early as 1853 coming from what is now
Christopher L. Flint, a native of the
State of
Other early settlers were
Bradley Crozier and James Sheppard, who located on
section 1, in 1853, and a man by the name of Shellhammer
settled on a tract of land not far from Flint's, on the north.
James Wilson arrived in Hazel Green Township in 1854.
Gustavus Merriam was a settler
of 1855, coming from Massachusetts with his
family in that year. He long resided on section 26.
Jacob Mangold,
a worthy pioneer of this township, was born in Switzerland and came to the county
in 1855. He entered land on section 33 and resided there many years, a respected citizen of the community. R. W.
Morse settled here in 1856. He was a local minister of the United Brethren Church.
John Chrystal
was born in Scotland, immigrated to the United States in 1856 and
settled in Delhi Township on section 35. He removed from Delhi to Hazel Green
Township in 1864 and located on a line tract of 320 acres on section 8. His brother, David, who
came soon after, was an ardent republican until his death, September 4, 1910.
Another early settler was Thomas Guthrie, who
arrived in the county in 1856. A son, William S., served in the First Cavalry
during the Civil war, and Albert A. in the
Fourth. Thomas L. was a member of Company K, Twenty-first Iowa
Infantry.
Joseph A. Thomas
was one of the largest landowners of Hazel Green Township.
He was born in Connecticut and came to Delaware County in 1862 and bought 160 acres of land
on section 16, Hazel Green Township. Previously he had driven a flock of 950
sheep from Michigan to Iowa, the
largest flock except one in Iowa at that
time. He kept this flock for seven years. He accumulated large tracts
of land both in Hazel Green and Adams townships, being able to buy a farm almost yearly from the sheep industry, general
farming and dairying. Some years ago
he erected the Thomas creamery on land which eventually became part of
the townsite of Ryan. He was also postmaster at that enterprising
little village and a stockholder in the bank.
Newton Green was one of the early settlers of
Delaware County, coming from Maryland in
1846 with his family, a member of which was Newton Green, Jr. They settled in Union Township on a farm and
there the elder Green died in 1883. The younger man in 1868 purchased land in section 24, Hazel
Green Township, on which he moved in
that year. He enlisted in Company K, Twenty-first Iowa Infantry, and was a good soldier.
The birth of Sarah Shellhammer,
in the spring of 1853, was the first in the community;
that of Matthew Sheppard, October 15, 1853, was the second.
The first school taught in
A. R. Dickey started a small general store at
the hamlet of Hazel Green in 1878 and soon
thereafter had a creamery in operation in a small way.
The Presbyterian Church was organized in
Becky
Teubner, Contributor
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