1914
Delaware Co., IA History Vol. 1
CHAPTER XXXI
On petition
of George W. Stewart and O. S. Boggs,
township 90, range 5, was created
Honey Creek Township
lies in the northern tier and is bounded on the west by Richland
Township, on the south by Delaware Township, on the east by Elk and on the north by Clayton County. Honey
Creek, with its tributary, Lindsay
Creek, drains the larger part of its
territory. In the west half of section 35, Honey Creek wanders in a broad
valley bounded by rocky cliffs twenty-five feet high. The township is generously supplied with gravel,
particularly along the valleys of the creeks. This is a good farming community
and as far as the eye can reach, fine modern homes make a vista which
is indicative of the
wealth and progress of their owners.
William Bennett was not only the
first settler in this township,
but also the first person to take up a habitation and assume the customs
of the white man in Delaware County.
Bennett was a hunter and trapper and, in the winter of 1834-35 built a cabin
in section
35, on the banks of Honey Creek. In
the following summer he and his
family occupied their new home and took up the course of life that
comes to the pioneer. His wife,
Elizabeth, was a daughter of William
Eads, and the abortive site for the
county's capital was named Elizabeth,
in honor of Mrs. Bennett, having been the first white woman to settle in
Delaware County. However, the Bennett family left the county in the spring of 1838, and for that reason
futile efforts were made to wrest from Bennett the distinction of being the
first settler. He certainly was in the community long enough to become
acclimated at least and to acquire a residence for political purposes. Bennett
with his family returned to Eads Grove in the fall of 1840, but only remained until the summer of 1841,
when his restless spirit prompted him
to seek other scenes of activity. He thereupon went over into Buchanan County,
built a cabin on the "Wapsie" and was the first white settler, so it is said, in that county. On April 16, 1842, he laid out a town, employing
Joel Bailey as the surveyor. This town he called Democracy. The name was
afterward changed to Quasqueton, and here Bennett built a mill in 1843; that
same year he again moved, this time to Dubuque.
The pioneer, Bennett, had not long been gone,
in the early part of 1838, when William Eads and family took up their residence
in the cabin left vacant by the son-in-law. This cabin was in the timber, a
beautiful tract of woodland, which afterwards became known as Eads' Grove. It
was here that another son-in-law of Eads, John Hinkle, located with his family
about this time. Hinkle later settled further north, near the site
of York, in what afterwards was called Hinkle's Grove. William Eads was quite
prominent in the early days of the county and put forth every effort to
establish the county seat at Eads’ Grove. He accomplished his aim but his
triumph lasted only a short time and the
fruits of victory were wrested from him.
B. T. Lonsberry entered land in the
vicinity of Eads' Grove in 1839, on April 4, and on the 12th Eleazer Frentress
entered land there, which was long occupied by the family. Frentress also
entered land at Hinkle’s Grove. This same year Robert B. Hutson, John Clark and
Michael H. Hingst settled near Eads’ Grove.
Daniel Brown, said to have been the first
blacksmith in the county, located at Eads’ Grove in 1840. Among others who sought
homes here in the year just named
were Robert Gamble and William Evans.
In 1841 Alexander Brown and Morris Reed
settled near Eads’ Grove.
D. H. Thornburg was a settler here when
there was not a dozen families in the whole county. He came in 1841 from Ohio
and settled in Honey Creek Township.
R. N. Steele was a native
of New York, where he married Elizabeth A. Alger in 1837. With his wife he arrived in
Delaware County in 1843 and settled on section 1, Honey Creek Township, on a
farm consisting of 200 acres, which he brought
to a high state of cultivation. This was his home for many years. His son,
Hiram E. Steele, was a veteran of the War of the rebellion.
Derastus J. and O. E. Noble came with their
parents from the State of New York in 1845
and located on section 1, in this township.
One of the early settlers in Honey Creek
Township was H. B. Alger. He was a native
of New York and emigrated to the West in 1845, locating that year on section 1, Honey Creek Township.
George W. Martin and James Martin, with their
parents, left the Buckeye state in 1845 and after many days in traveling they
reached Delaware County, where they settled
on section 26, in Honey Creek Township. The Martins were among the leading and most prosperous farmers of
this section.
George H. Bliss removed
from the State of Illinois to Iowa in 1849 and settled on a farm consisting of
forty-seven acres, in section 33, Honey Creek Township.
John Bliss came with his parents at the same time.
Orin S. Boggess, a
native of New York, immigrated to Illinois and in 1850 arrived in Honey Creek
Township, probably settling on section 28, where his widow and two children
resided for some time.
J. H. Clark came to Delaware County in
1853, where he married Esther A. Howland in
1865.
Selden F. Bush also
came in the '50s. He was a native of Herkimer County, New York, and settled on
section 4 in 1853, where he lived many years and improved a fine farm.
Lewis G. Clute came to Iowa from the State of
New York in September, 1853, and first
rented land in Honey Creek Township. He was married in 1859 and in 1862
bought a farm.
James H. Barr located on section 6 in
1855. William Barr and family settled here
in 1856.
George W. Belknap, son of Joseph Belknap, was
born in Edgewood, Honey Creek Township,
in 1855, married Mary Worley in 1874, and located in Milo Township.
William Parker settled in Honey Creek Township in 1855. He
entered land on section 20, which he improved and made his home for a
number of years. In 1858 Mr. Parker married Lucretia T. Larrabee.
Wallace Johnson, with his
family, settled in this township in
1856, coming from the State of New
York.
J. E. Eldridge
settled on a farm in section 6, in June, 1856. He married Augusta
Fitzsimmons in 1857. Mr. Eldridge was a veteran of the Civil war.
J. J. Eaton
came with his parents to this township
and settled on section 13. He enlisted in the Civil war and was
honorably discharged in 1864. He became a very good citizen.
N. R. Nichols, an early settler, left his home
in the East for the prairies of Iowa and located
on section 18, in this township, in 1857. Mr. Nichols died in 1864.
John M. Coolidge
was born in Honey Creek Township, March 5, 1857. He was the eldest son of Zena
E. Coolidge, one of the oldest
settlers of this township and one
who took a lively interest in all that pertains to the improvement of the
county in which he lives.
John F. Graham was born in Nova Scotia. He
immigrated to this county in 1858 and settled on
section 17. Mr. Graham became one of the prominent farmers of his
community and served as a member of the board of supervisors.
Truman R. McKee was one of the quasi pioneers of Delaware County, having settled in this township in 1859, selecting a tract of land on section 20,
where he improved a farm of 120 acres. Mr. McKee was a veteran of the Civil war
and a noted drummer.
DEFUNCT TOWN
OF YORK
In the year 1851 George W. Stewart, who had
settled on section 9 in 1855, laid
out a town on part of his land and named the "future great" York. On the site was a house which he had built
the year of his arrival, and in this modest structure he lived and opened a small general store in
1855. In December of that year, a post
office was established and Mr. Stewart was placed in charge. He also entertained travelers who desired
accommodations. At one time the place
contained three or four mercantile
concerns and the hope was entertained that
York one day would grow to larger proportions, but the Davenport & St. Paul
Railroad came to Edgewood and blasted the hopes of all here, and the Town of
York is now but a memory. In 1873 a schoolhouse was built near the edge of
town, but in 1875 the post office was discontinued. To the south of York, on
section 33, is Thorpe, a station on the Chicago Great Western.
EdgEwood
The greater part of this town lies in
Clayton County. The place got its origin from the
settlements made here and in the
vicinity by people who came from the
far eastern states. Among these were
Lorenzo Mulliken and Daniel B. Noble, natives of the State of New York. They
located in the edge of Turkey timber, on section 1, in the spring of 1842. In a
short while they had for neighbors Henry W. Lyon and family, who moved to Eads'
Grove the following spring.
Nelson Steele and family came in the fall
of 1843 and in 1844, Samuel Mulliken, father of Lorenzo, and his family became
a part of the colony.
By this time the locality
became known as the "Yankee Settlement.” Elder N. W. Bixby and wife arrived in 1846. He was a clergyman of
the Freewill Baptist Church and both the Bixbys held religious services in the
homes of the pioneers. It is said Mrs. Ruby Bixby could preach more
interestingly and strenuously than her husband and was much ''smarter”. R. J. Bixby, now one of the most prominent citizens of Edgewood, was a son of these excellent
pioneers.
The first house erected in the future
village was put up by Joseph S. Belknap in the spring of 1849. In this building
he kept a store and also made his residence. He was the founder of
"Yankee Settlement," or
Edgewood. At the time there was only
one settler near the place on the Clayton County side-John Gibson, who arrived
in 1846.
The "Yankee Settlement'' postoffice was established on section 1, January 12, 1848,
and Bohan Noble was the postmaster.
In
1852, Mr. Belknap opened his store, the first in the village. He also kept
tavern. Mr. Belknap built several houses in 1853 and 1854, and in
one of them, which was on the
A Congregational Church
was organized and a building
erected in 1854. The first pastor was Rev. H. N. Gates. Rev. A. Graves
came to this charge in 1857 and was followed, in 1862, by Rev. L. P. Matthews.
Within a few years no regular pastor was engaged and the church was attended by
a minister from Manchester.
The first schoolhouse was
built in 1855. The first hotel was kept by Joseph Belknap.
The name was changed
from "Yankee Settlement'' to
Becky
Teubner, Contributor
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