History
of Tama County, Iowa
Springfield, Ill., Union Publishing Company, 1883.
T - W
Unless otherwise noted, bios
were submitted by Dick Barton.
NELSON USHER and his son-in-law, Volney Carpenter, came in 1852, the former entering the south half of the southwest quarter of section 4, and also a part of the northwest quarter of section 9, in Perry township. He sold in 1854, and went west. His son-in-law, Carpenter, followed him and at last accounts were both in Oregon.
ANTHONY WILKINSON
During the fall of the same year, 1849, another party made their appearance and became citizens of Tama county. These where the Wilkinsons, consisting of the mother, three brothers, Anthony, Robert, and William, and three sisters, who all settled in township 82, range 13 - now Salt Creek. Their arrival in Tama county was on the 14th day of October, 1849; they came from Coshocton county, Ohio . Anthony and William had been soldiers in the Mexican war and had just received their "land warrants," which they in due time located. The brother Robert purchased land near them in the same township. They immediately commenced building a hewn log cabin on the southwest quarter of section 21, which was then owned by Robert. In the "Reminiscence Chapter: will be found an interesting account of their settlement by Anthony Wilkinson. Anthony and William still live in Salt Creek township, the oldest living settlers in Tama county.
Anthony Wilkinson was born in Ireland , July 28, 1817 . At the age of fourteen he came with his parents to America , spending the first three years clerking in a store in Prince George county, Maryland , after which he joined his parents in Ohio , where they had settled on a farm. Shortly after, he commenced work at the carpenter trade and followed that business the greater part of the time until coming to Tama county in 1849, as stated. Here he located land on sections 19 and 20, where he still resides. November, 1850, he married Miss Sarah A. Graham, a native of Ohio . They have a family of seven children - Milton B., Albert A., Lincoln P., Grant, Thomas, Mary A. and Edith. In 1846, Mr. Wilkinson enlisted and served under General Taylor in the Mexican war. After eight months of active service he was taken prisoner by the Mexicans and suffered untold distress and exposure for seven months. After the seige and surrender of the City of Mexico, he was liberated on parole. He now owns a fine farm of 357 acres, but pays special attention to the raising of fine stock. He is highly respected as a man and citizen.
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THE WILKINSON PARTY
[By Anthony Wilkinson]
Anthony Wilkinson in company with his father, mother, two brothers, William and Robert, and three sisters, Rebecca, Jane and Mary, left Lewisville , Coshocton county, Ohio , about the 20th of September, 1849 , bound for Tama county, Iowa , by way of the Ohio canal to Portsmouth , Ohio , thence by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Muscatine , Iowa . The water being very low, they found steam boat transportation hard to obtain, hence they were nearly three weeks in getting to Muscatine . Arriving there, they hired teams to carry them to Iowa City . There they rented a house for their parents and sisters to stop, while the three brothers prepared to go on to Tama county and build a cabin for the family use. They purchased a yoke of oxen and having brought a wagon with them, they took such things as were necessary for their purpose, and started on the second day after reaching Iowa City , and in three days reached their destination, viz., on the 14th of October, 1849 ; and there began a settlement and improvement on land on which two of them Anthony and William still live, in Salt Creek township.
Arriving at our future homes, we set to work and made a shanty with logs, covered it with grass, set up a stove and prepared for hard work and rough living, thirteen miles from a settlement, no road and of course no travelers to see, save now and then a straggling Indian, who would grunt at us and go on. We labored at our cabin building for two weeks. When needing some provisions, Robert went to the settlement at Honey Creek (now Koszta) and while there, heard that a new comer at Iowa City had died suddenly about ten days before; on his return, and stating what he had heard, we thought best that one should go to Iowa City and see how the family were. Accordingly next morning Robert started on foot, and on arriving there, found that on the morning of the fourth day after we left for Tama, father had been stricken with apoplexy, while seated at breakfast, and died in half an hour.
This sudden bereavment was a sad discouragement to the female portion of the family, being all alone among entire strangers, and no chance of communicating with us, they hardly knew what to do, and who would wonder if they thought of the old home, but Robert made them as comfortable as possible and returned to work; meantime we were getting our house well under way and in two more weeks we hired teams to bring the family from Iowa City to Honey Creek, from there we got them home with our own team.
The first settlement was made on the southwest quarter of section 21, township 82, range 13, west, and owned by Robert, where we all lived together for the first year. In that year Anthony built a cabin on the southwest quarter of section 20, and in November, 1850, was married and moved into it.
We got a team of five yoke of oxen and broke prairie, working together for two years. In October, 1851, death again visited us, our sister, Rebecca died, and again, in August, mother died; about two years later Jane and Mary were married. Jane is now living in Richland township, and Mary is living near Houston , Texas . Robert died September 29, 1872 , on his farm in Salt Creek.
In the early years of our residence here, we had a great many difficulties to encounter, but this is a part of the price of cheap lands and must be looked for by the pioneers in every part of the country. Up to 1858, we had to go to Iowa City or Cedar Rapids to mill and market, and usually took three to four days. On such trips we usually camped out, sleeping in or under our wagons; but had roads and no bridges frequently made traveling interesting. On one occasion in the month of March, I had been to Iowa City to mill and coming home I had to stay over night some four or five miles east of Marengo. The frost was coming out but the ice was still in the creeks. It rained during the night, and I had to ford a creek about a mile from there I staid. On getting to it I found it very high, and I knew if the ice had gone out, it would swim the team, and I might be detained for days, so I unhitched my team, took one horse and rode in to see if I could cross, the horse could barely go through without swimming, so I at once got ready to ford. I got some sticks, laid them across the top of my wagon box, piled my load of flour and other goods on top, took out my end gates to let the wagon go through the water easier, and drove in, afraid every moment to find the ice break under me, but it held us up, but I had not got entirely out of the water, when, looking behind me, I saw the ice I had just crossed on, come to the surface and float off. Had it given way while I was on it, it is hard to tell what the consequence to me would have been. On another occasion, I had to cross the Iowa river , and, being on foot, I crossed at Honey Creek in a dug-out, but in the evening was some six miles west of there, near the mouth of Salt Creek, but there was no boat and the river quite full. I must get home and did not want to travel six miles away from there to get a boat, so I went into the timber, found some pieces of dry cotton-wood, carried them to the river, placed three of them in the water, side by side, fastened them together with a grape-vine, laid two other pieces across them , then one on top of them lengthwise of my raft to sit on, got a small pole to
steer with, then got on to my raft to see if it would float with me, which it did nicely. So I pushed out in the current and by working across as much as I could while floating down stream, I landed on the other side in about twenty rods, and saved at least twelve miles travel, but at the risk of a good ducking, if no worse. But settlers began to come in rapidly after the first two or three years and we got things more convenient.
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The first Drainage Commissioner, for Tama county, was Anthony Wilkinson, one of the very first settlers in the county. He was elected in April, 1854.
WILLIAM WILKINSON, also a native of Ireland , was born August 3, 1820 . When fourteen years of age, he came with his parents to America , and located on a farm in Ohio , where he remained until 1847, when he enlisted and went with General Scott to Mexico , participating in the Mexican war. He served eighteen months and on receiving his discharge, returned to Ohio . In 1849, he came to Iowa , finally locating in Salt Creek township, Tama county, on section 21, where he has since made his home. In 1852, he married Miss Sarah Hollepeter, of Ohio . They have had a family of twelve children - Theressie J., Harriet L., Francis E., Charles A., William E., (dead) Josiah A., Martha E., Harry O., Robbie (deceased) Kate A., Mabel E., and Reeba A. He has a large farm and is highly respected as a citizen.
William Worden was born in the town of Andes , Delaware county, New York , April 7, 1832 . He is the second son of Thomas and Maria (Nichols) Worden, who were both natives of Delaware county, New York. His parents emigrated to Illinois and settled in Ogle county, when he was quite young. There were four children in the family at this time – Ira, William, Henry and Jane, all of whom were born in Delaware county, New York. There were eight children born to them in Illinois – John, Milton H., Ann, Sikes, Mayhew, Wayne, Harriet and Newton W. Mrs. Worden is still living in Ogle county, her husband having died a few months ago. The subject of this sketch spent his younger days in the district school and helping his father on the farm. He was married January 10, 1856, to Miss Sarah Tennis, who was born August 12, 1836, at Morgan Prairie, Indiana. Eleven children have been born unto them, eight of whom are now living – Thomas, born October 21, 1856; Dutcher, born February 9, 1858; Elmer, born May 13, 1861; Wallace, born May 6, 1865; Hattie, born October 6, 1869; Nettie, born August 20, 1872; Hayes, born August 30, 1875; and Willie, born June 17, 1878. Elsworth, twin brother to Elmer, died November 29, 1876; Winnie, born in Perry, May 28, 1867; died January 31, 1880. Henry was born in Illinois, and died when one and a half years old. In 1865, Mr. Worden came to Iowa, and located in Tama county. He purchased land on section 13, in Perry township, and erected the house in which he now lives. He has a well improved farm.
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