Most of the following
information was reprinted from Rip Van Winkle Centennial Book.
Mechanicsville’s
Pioneer Families
James Boyles-James Wilson Charles Brown
Herbert Eagerty Claudis Ferguson
H.E. Gibeaut Myron Wells
Gleason
James Charles High Edna
Bernadeen Helme
Richard Jackson, Jr. John
T. Johnson
Thomas McAllister Adam
Krumroy
John Ezekiel McKibben The Moffit Family
Mr. & Mrs. Harland Maurer William Kohl
William Page Catheus (Cass)
F. Platner
Dr. F.M. Wilson William
S. Rate
Charles Puffer Gilliland
Family
Martin Van Buren Scott William
R. Robinson
Scott Family John Thimmes, Sr.
Allen James Siver Chas.
E. Wheeler
A group of early settlers came from
During
the year 1857 David Dorwart became the owner of a tract of land situated east
of the original village, but not immediately joining the eastward boundary of
the same. An unplotted parcel of about
40 rods in width lay between the village and the Dorwart purchase which was at
that time termed the Iroquois tract and was owned by John Onstott. Dr. Dorwart completed an arrangement with the
Northwestern Railroad shortly after the Iroquois land came into his
possessions, whereby 40 acres of the tract were to be plotted as a village
site, the railroad receiving for its compensation every alternate lot. In order to unite the 2 plots and secure the
harmonious development of both, Mr. Onstott at once surveyed the strip of land
between his own village and the new site which consisted of about 20 acres,
thereby extending the general plot so as to include 120 acres.
The
railroad then located its depot on the present site instead of on a point
originally suggested in the original plan.
Thus the village plot was made and as then made, it still remains.
As the
village was made up of hard working men, carpenters, masons, wheel wrights,
John Onstott decided “Mechanics” and –ville would make a good name for the
“village”, so thus it was named and still remains. Mechanicsville with a population at one time
of around 1,200, but at present, 1974, it has a population of 1,010 people.
Stores
began to be built as the village soon began to grow. Small homes were built and John Onstott built
a one room school house. Most of these
first cabins were built without any certain dimensions, without nails, screws,
bars of iron of any description. Most
cabins had fireplaces and were often built without lime. Yet everyone lived happily. Schools and churches continued to be built as
more people joined the first settlers.
There were several 2 story buildings made of brick and stone plus many
one story wood buildings. They were
built on a 2 block area running east and west.
Many of the wooden buildings have either burned or been torn down and
new cement and brick buildings replaced them.
On
The council met for its first session
One of the first ordinances they passed prohibited the
townspeople from letting their horses, mules and hogs roam the streets as the
hogs wallowed in the mud on the streets and the animals were hard on the lawns
and gardens.
There was much difficulty getting people to abide by the
law, and several of the marshals resigned when the pressure became so great
because of divided feeling regarding prosecution for allowing animals to run at
large.
An ordinance to provide against riding or driving on
the sidewalks or pavement:
Be it
ordained by the mayor and council of the town of
1st
That if any person or persons shall hitch, tie or fasten any horse, mule or
other animal so as to stand upon any pavement or sidewalk or shall ride or lead
any animal thereon or drive any carriage, buggy, wagon or vehicle thereon, such
person shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined a sum not less than One Dollar,
nor more than Five Dollars at the discretion of the Mayor and costs of suit
together with any damages shown to have accrued from such trespass. Damages accruing to said pavements or
sidewalks shall be recovered by action before the Mayor or any court having
jurisdiction of such cases.
2nd
This ordinance shall be in force and effect from and after its passage and
publication as provided in ordinance No. 1 of said town. (Passed May 26, 1891, published May 27, 1881)
This is one of the early ordinances of the Town of
Mechanicsville’s Pioneer Families
Just as every family has its early beginnings, in a
man and a woman, so every Community owes its origins to the families which
settle, established homes, businesses, schools and churches.
It has rightly been said that “we grown on the backs of
giants.” The men and women, who chose
our land to people, were pioneer, giant types.
They came to a new land, inhabited by unknown others. They left communities, friends, and often times families, and established life to break new, untried
paths. A vision of a good and prosperous
life sustained them in the face of uncertainty, hardship and the unknown.
On the occasion of our hundred and twenty years of
Mechanicsville life we salute some of those pioneers. And they join us in the memories of days gone
by, and look with us into the futures of our tomorrows.
Among
the early settlers of this community was James Boyles, a Native of
Pennsylvania, who settled on 120 acres in
Their son, David, married Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of
James Wilson.
James Wilson was also a native of
Matilda, Elizabeth, MaryAnn,
Samuel and Jacob. The
David and Elizabeth Wilson Boyles were the parents of four
daughters: Nora (Mrs. John Jackson),
Alice (Mrs. W.J. Glasgow), Nancy (Mrs. Leslie Rhoads) and Inez (Mrs. Frank
Boyles). Inez Boyles operated a
restaurant here for many years. She is
now a resident of the Cedar Manor Nursing Home in Tipton.
Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Glasgow were the parents of three
children: W.D. Glasgow, Inez (Mrs. Leander Crock) and Evelyn (Mrs. Weldon
Woods).
Three of the Crock children, Jack, Herb and Mrs. Betty Hart
all reside in the Mechanicsville vicinity.
Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Woods are the parents of
The
Brown families of Mechanicsville date back 120 years to their forbearers in
Charles Brown and Maria Smith were the coachman and the
cook for a physician in
First, Charles proposed marriage to Maria, the cook. She hedged a little by protesting,
"Charles, you don't want me. I am
ten years older than you and I have false teeth." Charles replied, "I don't care--I love
you just the same." So they were married, and in 1846 (the
year
When they arrived at the east bank of the
Charles and Maria Born's resources were exhausted; he
arrived with 25 cents in his pocket. He
was given work by Mr. Stein on his farm.
Mr. Stein was the grandfather of the late Claude Stein, who was the
brother-in-law of Mrs. Retha Houle, who presently resides in
Mechanicsville. Mr. Stein was blind, so
he hired Maria to read to him.
In two years, Charles and Maria bought their farm of about
120 acres for $1.25 per acre. It was
purchased from land dealers who bought government land and sold it to incoming
pioneers. Farm land further north near Mechanicsville was selling for 50 cents
per acre, but Charles felt it important to live near a water source.
They raised two sons, Henry and William. A daughter, Emily, died in childhood.
Henry married Elizabeth Ehresman and was the father of
Charles Brown, now retired at Stanwood; also Emily, now deceased, who married
Christopher Kerslake. Emily was the
mother of Roland Kerslake of
William, the youngest son of Charles and Maria, married Sarah
Hunter and they had one child, George E., who is retired but continues to live
on the farm five miles southwest of Mechanicsville. He and his wife, Mary Puffer Brown, have six
sons and one daughter: Three sons are
operating Brown Farms, Inc: David, Joel
and Robert. Robert is married to Dixie
Davis and they have one daughter, Jennifer.
The other children are
George had sisters and brothers who are now deceased.
A name
from those early years, with no known descendants, is that of a Gill
Burleigh. It is recalled that during the
Civil War, Mr. Burleigh was a United States Indian agent in the
A native of
When his brother, John died, Mr. Burleigh sold the farm
west of Mechanicsville.
Subsequently he built a small house on
After his wife's death, Mr. Burleigh took his two daughters
and moved to Southern Pines,
Mr. Burleigh returned to Mechanicsville a number of times
to look after business interest and to visit friends. His last trip was in 1918; while here he
became ill and was taken to a hospital in
Joseph Davidson was born and reared in
A son George Davidson was born in 1853 in
George Davidson's son, Harry Davidson, married Verna
Guthrie and they were the parents of two childre: Kathleen and Verle, both deceased. Verle married Lillian Connor and they were
the parents of two children: Verlynn,
Joseph was born in 1854, also in
Don married Jean Shrope and they are the parents of a
daughter, Mary Jo.
Robert married Joye Scott and they are the parents of four
children: Barbara, Nancy (Mrs. Brooks
Haesemeyer) Susan and Scott.
Herbert Eagerty was born and
lived his entire life in Mechanicsville.
At an early age he entered the dry goods business established in 1860 by
his father. "Bert" was known
by all and the Eagerty store was a town landmark.
The Eagerty estate sale held
In
1848 Claudis Ferguson and four brothers came from
That same year Claudis returned to
Irene had one son, Ray, who died in the 1940's. Oliver lived on the home farm until 1916 when
he moved southeast of Mechanicsville.
He was married to Budget Nolan, and they were the parents of four
boys: Elmer, who did in 1910; Glen,
Lawrence and Claude, all deceased.
Claude had three
children: Tom, Mary Lord and Jean
Netolicky, all of
A son, James C. Ferguson, married Oceana Brookman who was
from
Wallick,
Dorothy Herring of Mechanicsville and Ruther Peterson of
Cedar Rapids are children, living in the area, of the Morris Ferguson family.
The history of Mechanicsville would not be complete
without mention of a man who contributed much to the community as Mr. Harry E.
Gibeaut. Mr. Gibeaut was born and reared
in Mechanicsville. By hard work and thrift
he was able to gain an education, graduating from the local high school and the
Mr. Gibeaut occupied a unique place in the community and
was held in high esteem by all who knew him.
Myron Wells Gleason was an early settler in
They had five children before she died in 1856. Mr. Gleason then married Hannah Strahorn in
1856 and they were the parents of three children. (The Strahorn families were also early
settlers.)
One of the sons, Frank K. Gleason, told his son, Glen
Gleason, about the Indians that camped at the fork of the creek that ran
through the farm now owned by the George Browns. The Indians got the measles one year; they
became overheated in the teepees and jumped in the creek to cool off. Many of them died as a result of the sudden
chilling.
Glen also recalls the first telephone in
Mechanicsville. It was in the
drugstore. If anyone in the town received
a call, everyone came to listen to the conversation. There was only one wire strung on the poles
and it was often knocked out by electrical storms until someone thought of
putting a spare wire above the one in use to catch the lightning.
Myron Gleason died in 1893 and is buried in
James Charles High migrated
from
The family moved four years later to
Pioneer Flour Mill was
erected in 1872 by James Charles High who came from a family of millers.
Charles Wilson High, son of James Charles High and Betsy
Wilson, married Anginline Colby in November of 1886. Miss Colby was the daughter of Julius and
Mary Colby.
They made their first home at the Mill Pond with Charles
High carrying on the milling operation for a number of years. Later
the family moved to a farm near
In 1902 the family moved to
Charles and Anginline High continued to farm the home place
until 1911 when they moved to Mechanicsville.
Here Charles and his son, Julius, operated a grocery store in
Mechanicsville for three years. In 1920
they razed the old Boozer Photography
Studio and proceeded to build
a modern brick garage building in the north side of
This building was occupied by the McCasline Service and the
Cedar Theater. The Theater was operated
by Alice and Peter
Klimek. The building was later sold to High Lamont
and became the Lamont Dealership.
Charles High died
Charles High still owns and
farms the homestead.
Eda
Bernadeen Helme, a resident of Mechanicsville for over 25 years, was born in
After finishing high school in Saugatuck
October, 1915.
In 1917 Miss Helme answered the call of our country and in
December of that year she was on her way across the
Following her service in
Miss Helme's grandparents were pioneers in
While still farming near Buchanan, Mr. Rate started the
manufacturing of husking gloves as well as cotton flannel gloves. He hired as many local people as possible,
but the business
grew so that it was found
necessary to move to Iowa City were he established the E.F. Rate & Sons
glove factory. Many
Mr. and Mrs. Rate, as well as their daughter and husband,
Mr. and Mrs. Helme, enjoyed long and full lives, each of the succumbing well
after reaching their 80th birthday. And
the farm south of Buchanan is still in the hands of a Rate descendent. (Presented by Eloise Helme McLaughlin, niece
of Eda B. Helme)
Richard Jackson, Jr. was born
Richard Jackson, Jr. was married to Margaret Crystal Mois,
John
T. Johnson and Susan Mowery were married March, 1858 and lived on their homestead
two and a half miles south of Mechanicsville until Mr. Johnson passed away in
November, 1896. They were the parents of a. daughter, Artaresa Johnson Miller,
and five sons: Albert, Wilson, Oliver, Frank and James and a son who died in infancy.
Mrs. Johnson continued to live on the farm with her youngest son, James until
1898 when he married Cora A. Wagaman. In that year she established her home in
Tipton where she lived until her death in 1914.
James
Johnson bought the family farm from his father’s estate in 1914 where they
lived until his wife’s death.
Mr. and Mrs. James Johnson
were the parents of a daughter, Lola Marie, who was married to Forest Shrope
August, 1921 and since 1928 have lived on the Johnson family farm.
Mr.
and Mrs. Forest Shrope were the parents of three daughters: Margaret (Mrs.
Robert Tonne), Jean (Mrs. Don Davidson), and Marie (Mrs. James Phillips,
deceased). There are five grandchildren: Mrs. Kathryn Tonne Lamont, Merle and
Lyle Tonne, Mary Jo Davidson and Jeff Phillips, and two great-grandchildren:
John and Chris Lamont.
O.B.
Judd came to Mechanicsville in 1864 from the area of
He
built a small house on the farm, and then returned to
He was considered one of the
wealthiest men in
Mr. Judd
was a man interested in his community. Included in his activities was the
promotion of the Tn-County Fair which was held in
Mechanicsville and helping to establish the
One
of the Judds’ daughters married a local physician, Dr. N.E. Hubbel. The other
daughter married Parley
Sheldon, who was a banker and
business man in
Martin
Kahler, father of Charles B. Kahler, came to the Mechanicsville area at the
close of the Civil War. He had enlisted in the Union Army, the 115th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, at the age of 19. He came to
In
the late 1860’s he married Sarah Edith McKay, daughter of Rachel and David
McKay. The McKays had come to Mechanicsville from
Martin
Kahler and his wife, Sarah E. McKay Kahler, moved to the farm north of
Mechanicsville in 1874. The farm is still owned by his descendants. Their three
children were Charles B., Clara E. Kahler Risley, and Ray.
Charles B. Kahler was born in
1870 and died in 1955. He spent his entire life of 85 years in and near
Mechanicsville. He married Dora H. Smith on
Mr.
Kahler was educated in rural schools near Mechanicsville and graduated with one
of the first classes. He often told of clearing trees and brush from the fields
with axes and teams of horses, and of fencing fields with “stake and rider” log
fencing or by planting hedge (Osage orange) fences. He also told of the Indians
who traveled each summer to camp on the banks of Pioneer Creek. They hunted
roots and berries in the timber and begged produce from the settlers.
Rattlesnakes, wolves and prairie chickens were a common sight in those pioneer
times. He would also point out traces of an old wagon road crossing a timber
pasture and continuing on into neighboring fields and tell of the night
settlers fled down the road toward Mechanicsville to escape the devastation of
a tornado that had swept through the White Oak community. As a young man, he
had often joined ice skating parties on the mill pond north of Mechanicsville.
Charles
and Dora Kahler were the parents of twin daughters who died in infancy and
another daughter, Adria (Mrs. Leon Ralston), who received her education in the
Mechanicsville schools, graduating with the class of 1933. She was married to
Leon D. Ralston in 1942. Leon Ralston’s maternal grandparents, August (Gus)
Pieper and Mollie Cameron Pieper, were descendants of pioneer
Niece
McAllister and his wife, Nancy Craig McAllister, left
Elizabeth McCluskey, Mary
(Mrs. Samuel S. Pfautz) and Margaret (Mrs. Oliver Ferguson).
Thomas
McAllister was nearly 30 years old when he established his home in
Thomas
and Elizabeth McAllister had seven children:
John, Bernard, Mary, Nancy, Elizabeth, James and Agnes, who was adopted
at the age of 11. Agnes married Lewis E. Hudachek and they became the
parents of two children, John and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Hudachek lived on the
McAllister farm until 1964 when they moved out of state. Mrs. Agnes Hudachek
died in 1968.
Adam
Krumroy, the son of Francis Krumroy, was born
During
the year 1877 he married Lydia Kohl of Jones County and, for 32 years, they
lived on the farm homestead until they moved to Mechanicsville in 1908.
Mrs.
Lydia Krumroy was born
They
were the parents of five daughters and three sons, all deceased: Clemma (Mrs.
Bert Humbert), Ida (Mrs. Joe Kohl), Gertie (Mrs. Dave Minish), Grace (Mrs. Ira
Hempy),
Mr. Krumroy died
John
Ezekiel McKibben was born
John
E. McKibben was united in marriage to Anna Louise Cook,
The son, Glen McKibben
married Nancy Ann Jackson, and they make their home in Mechanicsville.
Alexander
Moffit was born
The
elder Moffits and six of their younger children started the journey early in
1840. They came by ship to
In
April, 1852, Alexander and his brother, Francis, set out for
Alexander
Moffit married Martha Poteet, a neighbor’s daughter, in 1859. Of the 11
children born to this marriage, eight survived infancy.
In
1880, Mr. Moffit purchased his first purebred
On
Alexander
Moffit maintained a lifelong interest in public affairs. Politically he was a
Republican; he held various township and school offices; was a member of the
Cedar County Board of Supervisors; and was a member of the States’ 16th General
Assembly. He was an active member of the Presbyterian church of Mechanicsville.
In
1867, a brick home was built about one half mile east of Highland Crossing. The
brick for the home was brought from
Alexander
Moffit died in November, 1919. He was preceded in death by his wife, Martha on
Although Mr.
and Mrs. Maurer were not born in Mechanicsville, no one had more interest in
the activities and history of Mechanicsville. With the help of Mr. Maurer, Mrs.
Maurer kept a scrap book of the two for over 50 years. A good deal of the
information which appears in the centennial history came from this scrap book,
thanks to the Maurer’s.
They
both were members of many town groups and were willing to lend a helping hand
to all. Mr. Maurer was a lawyer. He also
served as postmaster from 1923 to 1936.
Duane
Kohl was born near
On
On
Four sons and one daughter
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kohl: Oscar,
who was a businessman in Clinton, father of Albro and Hazel; Joseph, who was a
farmer; Thomas also a farmer and father of Glen; Alvin, who was a druggist and
pharmacist, and father of
Harrison Kohl is the
Executive Director of the Sun Bowl.
A
few interesting experiences happened to Laura Kohl. She fell in a cistern while
living in her home where her daughter, the late Mae Staab Hatcher, lived. The
cistern was behind a small house where the John Jackson’s lived as neighbors.
The house was located where the Methodist Sunday School building stands. It is
believed she was rescued by firemen and recovered after being given a drink of
whiskey.
One
other time she was struck down while crossing the street to visit a friend. The
driver of the vehicle turned out to be a preacher from
When
she was 77 years old, Mrs. Kohl presented a quilt to President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. The flag quilt with all the stars and stripes of the American flag was
pieced together with hundreds of tiny stitches. The President received it on
his 53rd birthday. Laura received a note of thanks from his private secretary,
M. A. Lehand, saying he was delighted to accept the quilt, and more than
grateful for the spirit which prompted her to send it.
One
of our early pioneer families was that of Duncan McNee. As a boy of 12 he had
journeyed with his parents from
In
the spring of 1837 he walked to
He returned to
The
families weathered the
Peter
purchased a 160 acre farm in 1873 and in 1875 was married to Lavina Rate. Five
children were born to this marriage: Maggie, Ida, Grover, Harry and Rudolph.
The sole survivor is Rudolph McNee who lives south of Mechanicsville. He was
married to Mina Jackson now deceased and they were the parents of 2 children,
Opal,
Included
among the McNee story and traditions are the following:
They
have three deeds for the land originally claimed by Duncan McNee, signed by
three presidents: Tyler, Polk and Zachary Taylor.
In the year 1897 a thief
broke into the house while the Peter McNee family was at the Cedar County Fair
in Tipton and stole $800 of their life savings. Again, in the year 1936 a thief
entered the same house occupied by the Rudolph McNee family while they were
attending the Cedar County Fair.
On
occasion, Indians would come to the McNee home, three wagon loads at a time and
beg for food, up to the turn of the century. When given eggs and loaves of home
baked bread they would peacefully leave.
J.
W. Thomas was born in 1827 in the state of
Jonathan P. (Paul) married
Frances Angell in 1920 and to them were born three daughters: Bettie (Mrs.
Jerry Hedin,
Paul
died in 1965; earlier that same year
William
Champe Page was born in
As an adventurous young man,
he went as a Second Lieutenant with General William Wallsen’s ill-fated expeditionary
force to
Upon
his return to the
After the War, he moved to
His first wife and young
adopted daughter became ill and died.
Following
his banking years, William Page was a member of the mercantile firm of Page,
Fritz and Bennett. Then in 1890, he built the Page Hotel.
In
1895 he married Miss Alice Furman, and together they operated the hotel whose
clientele consisted mainly of traveling salesmen. It was a popular stopping
place for traveling men until the advent of the automobile and paved roads.
Mrs. Page’s meals, especially Sunday dinners, attracted many people to the
hotel.
Mr.
William Page died in 1910; Mrs. Page continued to operate the Page Hotel until
her health failed. Later it was converted to the Page Apartments by their
daughter, Mrs. F.M. Wilson.
Cass
Platner, born
Cass
and Margaret Jane were the parents of two children, Mary Eda and Howard Ellison
Platner.
Mary was born
Howard
Ellison Platner was born
Edith
Jeanette Platner married Donald E. Puffer of Mechanicsville on
Mildred
Arlene Platner married James Robert Ross of Mechanicsville on
Herbert
Miller Platner married Genevieve M. Crock of Tipton on
Helen
Marie Platner married Glen U. Farrington of Mechanicsville
In
the spring of 1912, Dr. F. M. Wilson came to Mechanicsville to practice
veterinary medicine. Previously he had graduated from the
The
first two years of his practice were quite difficult in comparison with modern
day practice. His means of transportation were horses and buggy and the country
roads of today. He covered a rather large territory and his work varied from
handling a ton animal to trimming the beak of a parakeet.
Besides his practice he found
time for public service, serving one term as mayor, several terms on the town
council, 13 years on the local school board and six years on the
During
World War I, Dr. Wilson enlisted in the Veterinary Corps and served in
He
returned home in 1919 and resumed his practice. He was active in the
organization of the American Legion Post in Mechanicsville and was its second
commander. Dr. Wilson practiced his profession for 62 years in the
Mechanicsville Community. He was interested in veterinary association work, and
was president of the Eastern Iowa Veterinary Association in 1931 and of the
State Association in 1939. He also served on the Executive Board of the
A.V.M.A. and was on the board of State
Veterinary Medical Examiners
for several years.
In
1927 he was married to Pagie V. Page. They are the parents of two daughters,
Mrs. William Woods (
William S Rate came to
In 1840 he moved to
Later he bought 160 acres of
prairie land in
Mr. Rate was a stone cutter
by trade and would walk to
Mr. Rate died in 1906 and his
wife and daughters, Selena and Esther, ran the farm until 1921. Then, at the request of his mother, Mr. and
Mrs. Fred Rate and family moved to the farm home. Fred Rate died in 1954; since that time his
daughter, Pauline, her husband, Lester, and son Allen, have been farming the
place. The Fred Rate daughters, Pauline
(Mrs. Lester Achenbach) and Nona Rate inherited the farm at his death.
Mr. and Mrs. William S. Rate
were the parents of twelve children, and many of their descendants still live
in this community. Some of the
grandchildren and great-grandchildren include Rudolph McNee, Roland McNee, and
Edward Jack.
Charles Puffer was the first
of the family to live in Mechanicsville.
He came to
Authernail G.W. Puffer was
the eldest son of Charles Puffer. He
married Arminda Boyles in 1874 and they were the parents of Ray, Mabel and
Everette.
Ray married Chloie Brock and
they farmed west of Mechanicsville until the time of their retirement. They became the parents of two children,
Mildred and Raymond. Mildred was married
to Lloyd Kohl and they were parents of three children: Delmar, married to Marilyn Blood - their
children, Samuel, Daniel, Anna Marie, Andrew, Nathaniel and Jacob; Marilyn,
married Rev. John Crawford - their children, Steven, Linda and Nancy; and
Audrey, married to Dwayne Christensen - their children, Denise and David. Raymond married Helen Slater, their children:
Kaylene, married to Francis Massaro - one son, Michael; Douglas, married to
Iris Carr - one daughter, Heather Dawn.
Mabel was married to Claude
A. Harper and they reside on a wheat ranch in eastern
Everette was married to Grace
Kohl in 1905 and they lived in the house then located near the creek on the
homestead. In 1913 they built the
present home, and the older structure was moved north of this residence. They were the parents of three children:: Mary, Julia, and Donald.
Mary was married to George
Brown, parents of
Julia was married to Edward
Jack, parents of: Patricia, married to Charles Coon, parents of Arminda,
Timothy and Jason; Susan, married to Robert Sullivan, parents of Rodney, Sara
and Andrew; Barbara; Michael, married to Gail Wolrab, parents of Tasha and
Zachary.
Fourth Generation of Puffers to
live on the homestead is the present occupants, Donald and Edith Platner
Puffer. They are the parents of two
sons: Phillip married to Jacquelyn Colton, parents of Wade and Matthew; and
Steven, married to Jacqueline Wilson, parents of Craig and Aaron.
Samuel Gilliland came to
Dan Gilliland, son of Samuel
Gilliland, lived in Mechanicsville and owned the "Electric Light
Distributing System" know as the Gilliland Electric Co. The electric plant was operated on the
Gilliland property, now owned by his granddaughter, Mrs. Alberta Krumroy. Dan Gilliland married Florence Brogan and
they had three children, Haven Gilliland, Ethel Gilliland Norris and Maude
Gilliland Stoffel.
After Mr. Gilliland's death,
the management of the electric plant was continued by his son, Haven. He entered the armed services in 1916 and at
that time Mr. Gilliland's son-in-law, Clarence Norris, leased the electric
plant, later purchasing it and in 1934 he sold it to the Iowa Railway and Light
Company.
Haven Gilliland and Maude
Gilliland Stoffel have passed away. This
third child, Mrs. Ethel Norris, still resides in Mechanicsville.
Most of the Onstott’s who
came to Pioneer Grove and
They brought their young families
with them and settled in and around Pioneer Grove which at that time included
the west part of the town.
John Onstott, one of the
pioneers from Ohio, was interested in getting a town started and with a Mr. D.
Comstock invested in small plots of ground which they sold to those who wished
to stay here and establish homes. Mr.
Onstott had two sons, Jacob Henry and John.
Jacob Henry remained here and John moved on to
John Onstott was a carpenter
by trade and was instrumental in getting a one room school built at the west
end of Pioneer Grove. He cut all the
shingles for this building by hand.
Jacob Henry was married to a
local girl, Julia Rogers. They had no
children. He was a local businessman and
was primarily interested in farm implements.
Peter Onstott also came here
in 1851 with his wife, Emily E. Gibeaut, and a growing family. He acquired 800 acres of land southeast of
Mechanicsville. They had nine children,
but when an epidemic of scarlet fever hit the country, some of the children
died. The five remaining brothers were:
Jacob L., Peter, John, Charles and Elmer.
As each son married, the
parents gave each a homestead of 120 acres, reserving 200 acres for
themselves. At one time, there were 27
children belonging to these five brothers.
The brothers built a school house on one corner of Charles Onstott's
land and it was called "the
There are only four living
Onstott children; and one remains in Mechanicsville, Bertha (Mrs. John I.
Cook).
They settled in the area
south of Mechanicsville in 1856; Edwin on the farm now owned by Delmar Kohl,
and David on the farm now owned by P.K. and Inez Pearson. Their first "home" was a barn they
built on the Edwin Rhoads farm. This
barn is still standing after these many years.
David Rhoads built a two story home on the farm and this home is now in
its fifth generation of inhabitants.
David's son, Eugene, was born in this house in 1879; his daughter Inez
Pearson lived in it; and her son, Donald and his three children, Cynthia,
Dennis and Craig now make their home in the original house, five generations!
Edwin and David Rhoads were
later joined by two brothers, Samuel and Cornelius, and two sisters. David is the only Rhoads whose descendants
live in the Mechanicsville area.
David Rhoads was born in
In 1872 he married Catherine
Armentrout and they became the parents of seven children: Samuel, David, Harry, Joseph, Herman, Eugene
and Anna.
Charles E. Rhoads married Ida
Statler and they were the parents of
Frank married Ena Hickerson
and, after living on the Edwin Rhoads farm for several years, retired and now
resides in
Howard married Eloise
Gallmeyer and they have one son, Cary, who is married to Judy Peterson and they
are the parents of two children, Pam and Jeff.
Samuel Rhoads, David's son,
married Ida Cook and they were the parents of two sons, Elwood and Lee.
Elwood married Velma
Bleasdale and they have two sons, David,
Lee is residing in
Eugene Rhoads was married to Amanda
Spencer and they had one daughter, Inez.
Inez married P.K. Pearson and they have one son, Donald R. who married
Jo Ann Thumma. Donald has three
children: Cynthia, Dennis and Craig.
Anna Rhoads, only daughter of
David, was married to Cecil Overbaugh and they were the parents of three
children:
Horace married Florence
Anthony and they live southeast of Mechanicsville.
Donald R. Married Helen
Stanerson and they are the parents of four children: Donald,
Louis Sievers was born in
Louis and Hannah Sievers came
to
Henry Sievers remained in his
parent's home and farmed the home place until his retirement. He died of injuries received when he was
struck by a car in December, 1943 in
The Henry W. Sievers Memorial
building is named in his honor.
Among the early settlers of Pioneer Grove to our
northwest, few, if any, had more descendants residing in the community and
He was born
On this homestead, Pryor and Ruth Scott reared six of their
children. Their first home was log
cabin, and their water came from a spring located along the ridge south about
340 rods away. The Scotts had a neighbor
about three quarters of a mile to the southeast, Abner Stebbins, who settled in
1836 on land where Robert Holladay now lives.
It is on this farm that the first cemetery in Pioneer Grove was started
and still remains today.
The land for the original schoolhouse was given by Pryor
Scott, and that first school still stands.
It is located on the Wilbur Colby farm occupied by Douglas Willey. Three generations of the Scott family
attended this school.
In 1837,
So ardent a Democrat was he, that he named two of his sons
after Democratic Presidents, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. His political activities were by no means
limited to naming his sons after presidents.
Pryor Scott served in the Iowa State Legislature.
Pryor and Ruth Scott are the ancestors of many families of
the area including the family names of Fairly, Ellison, Platner, Kohl, Scott,
Vanderbilt, Ross,
The Scott children were:
Margaret born 1826 married J. Samuel Fairly, and after his death married
Bill Albaugh; Mary born 1827, married Samuel Ellison; Jan born 1829 died in
1832; Joseph born 1831, married Margaret Boyles; Henry born 1832, married Mariah
Todd; Martha F. born 1834, married Squire Mackey; James P. born 1836; Rachel
born 1838; Martin Van Buren born 1840, married Sarah Owens; Andrew Jackson born
1845; and Ruth born 1848 married Joseph Owens.
At one time, Mr. Scott owned approximately 1,000 acres of
land. Some of the original land Mr.
Scott acquired from the government has continued to be owned by his
descendants. He gave each of his sons
and one daughter a farm, all approximately three to five miles northwest of
Mechanicsville.
Mrs. Ruth Scott died in 1874 after 50 years of
marriage. In 1875, Mr. Scott married
Mary Ruble. To this union were born two
children, Notley and Grace. Thus in two
generations, these two men, Pryor Scott, born in 1798 and his son Notley Scott,
born in 1878 bridged the historical periods from the administration of John
Adams to that of the late Lyndon B. Johnson, before Notley died in September,
1965. In fact, when Pryor Scott was
born, George Washington was still alive, although no longer President. Pryor Scott died in 1888 in his 90th
year and is buried in Rose Hill cemetery.
Mrs. Mary Ruble Scott died in 1928.
Martin Van Buren Scott, known
as "Van," was born
Sara and Van were the parents
of six children: Walter (1894-1950), who
married Anna McQuowen, had one child, Alma, now Mrs. Harold G. Davis of
They were the parents of
three children: Hope and Van Arthur;
both died in infancy; and John Merle of Mechanicsville. Merle married Violet Hempy in 1928 and their
children are: Alberta of Mechanicsville,
who married Vern Svoboda, their children being Wayne, Joy and Sallly; Verla of
Cedar Rapids, who married Gerald R. Pollock, their children being Anne and
John; Patricia of Pittsburgh, Pa., who married James McGlasson, their children
being Laura and Robert.
William R. Robinson was born
In August, 1862, William R.
Robinson enlisted with the
After being honorably
discharged in 1865, he settled in
One son, William married
Edith Ilsley, and they made their home on the Robinson family farm. Their family consisted of seven children;
Gorman, Corrine (Mrs. Marvin Betcher,
All six of the Robinson's
sons are engaged in farming in the Mechanicsville community; all live within
nine miles of the family farm.
Joseph Scott was born to
Colonel Pryor Scott and Ruth in 1861. They lived on the Scott farm in
Jim Scott married Ella
Vanderbilt,
Frank Scott and his sister,
Margaret, lived on the home place until moving to Mechanicsville. Margaret met a tragic death when a gas stove
exploded. Ruth Scott married John
Vanderbilt. Ten children were born to
this family,
Joe Vanderbilt married Bertha
Robinson where Billy made his home.
Arthur Vanderbilt married
Pearl Krumroy. Neva Vanderbilt married George
Ross; three children were born to this family, these included, Robert, Ruth
Ann, and Nancy. Robert married Arlene
Platner and they had two daughters, Kaylene and Jo Ann; Kaylene married Terry
Worby and Ruth Ann married Max Fiala and they have one son, Joey;
Laura Scott married Duane
Kohl in 1874. Five children were born to
this family; these included Joe, Tom, Alvin, Oscar and Mae. Oscar married Rose Carr and they had one son,
Albro and one daughter, Hazel. Albro
married Bertha Meyers and they had one daughter, Mary Jane. Mary Jane married Robert Mullan and they had
five sons, Steve, John, Pat, Mark and Mike.
Hazel Kohl married Smith and
they had one daughter, Rosemary.
Rosemary married Ronald Shaffer and they had two daughters, Donn and
Micky.
Tom Kohl married Laura
Albaugh and they had one son, Glen. Glen
married Francis Albaugh and they have one son, Tim.
Joe Kohl married Ida Krumroy,
they adopted a son, Paul. No information
is available on Alvin H. Kohl, deceased.
Mae Kohl married Fred Staab
and they had one daughter, Mary. Mary
married Charles Butler.
George Scott, born
Hurley Scott married Gladys
Koppenhaver; 2 daughters, LaVaughn and Joye and 1 son, Roxy, were born to this
family.
LaVaughn Scott married
Milford Pruess; 4 sons, Robert, Tom, Terry and Ricky, and 1 daughter, Carol,
were born to this family.
Robert married Brenda
Lukehart and 1 son, Chris and 1 Daughter Sue Ann, were born to this family.
Tom married Sharon Doerman
and 1 daughter, Michele and 1 son, Matthew was born to this family.
Joye Scott married Robert
Davidson, 3 daughters, Barbara, Nancy, Susan and 1 son, Scott were born to this
family.
Roxy Scott married Marlene
Weber; two daughters, Sandra and Debby and one son, Ricky, were born to this
family.
The Scott name will be
carried on by Roxy Scott and John D. Scott and sons.
Paul and Merle Thimmes
currently farm the Scott homestead.
The Thimmes farm
located northwest of Mechanicsville has been in the family for 122 years. It was purchased on
In 1880, Martha Jane
Kohl and John Thimmes, Sr. who had migrated to the area from
John and Martha Jane
Thimmes retired from farming and moved to Mechanicsville in 1909. For a number of years Mr. Thimmes owned and
operated a meat market and later a theater in Mechanicsville.
Leo and Maggie Thimmes
purchased the family farm from John Thimmes, Sr. on
Lola Thimmes married
Elmer Bixler had a son David (unmarried), and daughter
Verna Married Sherrill
Baker and had two sons Gary and Sherrill, Jr.
Sherrill married Sally and had two daughters.
In 1855 Eli Henry West and
some other men came from
He returned to
Sallie West drove her own
team of
The Family lived in the
little house until a new school was built.
Then Eli bought the old school and moved it with a 12 horse hitch to
their farm. He remodeled it and they made
it their home. It is presently standing
today.
Eli Henry West, Jr. known as
"Tanner" was about seven months old when they arrived in
Mechanicsville. They lived on the farm
until their father died in September, 1896.
At that time, the farm was sold and divided among the children.
Eli Henry, Jr., married Nancy
Keith and they made their home in Mechanicsville. He trapped and sold hides (which accounts for
his nickname) and drilled wells. It was
he who drilled the first well in
Pete's brother, Roy West and
his wife, Ruth, also made their home in the Mechanicsville area.
George D. West was born in
Mechanicsville and has lived most of his life here. He married Reva Newhard and they had two
children: Donald R. West resides in
Roy D. Stoffel was born in Mechanicsville,
where he always made his home. In 1900
he took over the shoe store which was established in 1876 by his father, Henry
Stoffel.
This store and the adjoining
men's clothing store owned by
His hobby was growing
flowers.
Allen James Siver, when a
young man of 16 or 17, rode a train from
The family of Alice Hannum
came west from
Allen and Cora Siver had 3
sons, James Otis Siver, who lives on a farm in southern
Descendants of James Otis
Siver now living in Mechanicsville are, his son, Floyd Otis Siver; grandsons,
David Allen and Howard Eric Siver and great-grand-daughter, Susanne Marie
Siver; granddaughter, Janet Siver Taylor, and great-grandchildren, Robert,
Clifford, Vicky and Sandra Taylor.
Chas. E. Wheeler, a native of
Mechanicsville, studied law and began his practice here in 1874.
His first case was as a
defender of Bob Johnson in famous Jones County Calf Case. "Charley," as he was called,
represented Mr. Johnson through the entire litigation which lasted 20
years. The case was tried in seven
different counties; was four times appealed in the Iowa Supreme Court entailing
fees that amounted to $75,000 for an army of lawyers; and concluded with a
final judgment for $1,000 and court costs amounting to $2,886.84.
When the trials were over Mr.
Wheeler breathed a sigh of relief, and would accept for his fee only a broken
down horse and $100 in cash.
Mr. Wheeler moved from
Mechanicsville to Tipton and later to
The first
independent school district for Mechanicsville was set aside in 1853. The one room school was built at what is now
the west edge of town by John Onstott.
George Whistler was the first public instructor in this school.
In 1866 a lawsuit settled a dispute and the first board of
education were elected for Mechanicsville’s first independent school
district. E.J. Rigby was selected as
principal and Ellen Culver as a teacher in the intermediate department. There was no instruction above the 8th
grade. The old Presbyterian Church
standing just north of the present school was used for additional
classrooms. Mechanicsville’s next school
was a two story frame structure which faced south on the present school
site. This building now stands on the
Forest Johnson farm east of Mechanicsville.
The bell was not placed on the building but was situated in a wooden
tower near the building with the rope run through the second story windows
making it hading for ringing.
During the 1850-1875 the population increased to such an
extent that a new and larger facility was needed. A 3 story brick building was erected at a
cost of $10,000. The cornerstone from
this building was saved and placed in the lower entrance of the present
structure. In 1875 the bell was moved
from its separate tower and placed in a tower on the roof of this new 3 story
building. An interesting feature in the
construction of this building was the Mansard roof.
In 1907 the district purchased for playgrounds all ground
lying immediately south of the schoolhouse to the railroad for $1,200. In March of 1908 the voters cast their
ballots for a new building. Construction
began in the spring of 1908 and was ready for use in the fall of that same
year. Until the building was ready,
primary classes were held in the Methodist church, the city hall house the
elementary and upper grades and the high school used rooms over Cranford’s
furniture store.
The new building was designed for elementary and high
school and did not have a gym or auditorium.
In 1917 a petition was signed by 174 voters stating that
territory surrounding the town should be incorporated with the present
district. The proposed consolidation was
defeated. Three years late the matter
was proposed again with territory covered about ½ as large. This measure passed and the district was
consolidated in 1920.
In 1915 domestic science and manual training rooms were
equipped, the library was improved and new bleachers were placed on the
athletic field at their present site.
Consolidation brought with it crowded conditions and the
1908 building was no longer adequate. In
1926 an addition was voted at a cost of $64,000. The new addition would contain the gym, auditorium,
classrooms and superintendent’s office.
The gym is recognized as having a unique floor and in 1926 was one of
the best in the state.
In 1952 an additional building was added. This was built across the street east of the
regular school building. This housed the
vocational agricultural, home economics and music department and provided
garage space for the buses.
In 1959 the state department warned that all small schools
must increase their enrollment and curriculum or lose their state aid. A steering committee was organized and
reorganization plans were studied.
In 1961 it was decided that most feasible plan would be to
combine the Mechanicsville and Stanwood schools into one district. This was voted on and passed thus forming the
new
In 1968 a new art room, library and offices were added to the
entrance of the old buildings of 1908 and 1926, with the cornerstones of both
buildings left in the walls of the offices on the first floor.
In 1974 it was decided that the tower holding the bell was
no longer repairable and this was removed.
At present the bell is stored in the school basement. The Alumni
Association has appointed a committee to work out a plan to display the bell as
a memoriam to the Mechanicsville Education System. The bell has called many of us, our children
and grandchildren into the halls of the
Records show that track was the earliest form of
competitive school sport. Our school
history records many outstanding athletes:
Jack Kohl, 1904, broad jump and sprints events; David Walshire, discus
throw, hammer throw, shot put and high jump; Carl Thomas, weigh and discus
throwing; Leo Miller, 440 and 880 yard dash and mile run; Herbert Andre, pole
vault.
Jack Kohl, Clement Wilson, Leo Miller and Carl Thomas were
known as the best relay team in this section.
In 1907 Clement Wilson and Everett Ferguson attended the
national Meet in
Baseball was on schedule with the 1912-13 team winning a
state championship.
Football was played from 1922 until 19332 with the team of
1923 being the most outstanding.
Basketball was first played outdoors, later moved to the
Sturges’ Opera house and then to the new gym in 1926. Competitive basketball for girls started in
1938.
Don Gemberling, coach and high school principal, found the
“M” relays, which drew large crowds from many areas in eastern
1868
T.C. McClelland
1869
Wm. H. Sharp
1870
T.C. McClelland
1871
T.C. McClelland
1872
J.W. Dould
1873
C.T.Wheller
1874
A. Armentrout
1875
T.C. McClelland
1876
A. Armentrout
1877
N.S. Hubbel
1878
To 1899 no record
1899 L.L. Kennedy
1900 G.E. Mattison
1902 L.L. Kennedy
1906 O.H. Helmer
1910 Len Hines
1912 W.A. Jackson
1914 Len Hines
1916 W.J.Dallas
1920 F.M. Wilson
1922 John Secor
1924 Forest P. Hines
1928 John Secor
1930 W.J. Dallas
1932 John DeWald
1934 Frank Miller; Mrs. Emma Miller was
appointed Mayor after the death of her husband in Dec of 1939.
1940 H.D. Nicoll
1946 Buell Pieper
1948 J.C. Houle
1950 Earl Miller
1952 A.W. Cruse.
J. Philip Sorensen was appointed Mayor in September after the death of
A.W. Cruse.
1959 J. Philip Sorensen
1964 E.H. Littig
1966 Cecil Smay
1970 Philip Nies. Clarence Maher appointed Mayor after Philip
Nies resigned in June.
1971 Clarence Maher
1972 Thomas Railsback
1980 Larry Butler
1992 Bruce Kern
1996 Kirk Wenndt. Calvin Paup was appointed Mayor after Kirk
Wenndt resigned
2002 Steven B. Joy
2004
J.H.
Onstott
A.F.
Fairchild
H.J.
Maurer
C.W.
Norris
E.M.
Baxter
W.E.
Davis
Wayne
Smith
Archibald
Butler
Elizabeth
Ward
Betty
Fuller
Carol
Balster
Marilyn
Skow
Linda
Coppess
The first paving of streets was done in Mechanicsville
in 1925. This was
In 1959
Shive Engineering Company,
A long legal
battle followed that made national papers and the project was not completed
until July of 1964.
The town
applied for federal funds for assistance in the construction of a sanitary
sewer system and sewage construction of a sanitary sewer system and sewage
treatment plant in August 1938. The
request was denied. On