awkeye heritage

HAWKEYE HERITAGE A PUBLICATION OF THE IOWA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

Volume 55, Issue 1 Fall 2021

HAWKEYE HERITAGE FALL 2021

VOLUME 55, NUMBER 1

PRICE MEMBERS $5.00 NON-MEMBERS $9.00

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Editor Sue Claman

Editorial Committee

Carl Nollen

_______

IGS Staff

Librarian Anthony Cupp

IGS Executive Board - 2021 President, Nancy Kirchner 1st Vice President, Lois Trinity 2nd Vice President, vacant Secretary, Stacy Weaver Treasurer, Sheri Snodgrass Hawkeye Heritage is published by the Iowa Genealogical Society (IGS).

Hawkeye Heritage

Table of Contents

Iowa Counties and Regions .................................................................. 2 Iowa Genealogical Society Chapters ................................................... 3 Research Assistance .............................................................................. 5 My Great Uncle, Private Ira Schantz 1894-1918 ............................... 6 Old Bones and Old Stones .................................................................. 21 Iowa Civil War Veterans Buried in DeKalb County, Illinois............. 28 Isabella Smith – A British Home Child ............................................... 31 Book Review .......................................................................................... 38 Iowa Pioneer, Century & Statehood Certificates .............................. 39 Name Index ............................................................................................ 42

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Hawkeye Heritage Volume 55, Issue 1 Fall 2021

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Iowa Counties and Regions

Region Representatives on Board of Directors

Region 1 Robin Schneiderman

Region 6 Jeanine Wichman Region 11 Ron Gruber

Region 2 Verlaine Ockenfels

Region 7 Alan Neve Region 12 Susan Olson

Region 3 Pat Border Region 8 Mo Wilkins Region 13 Marjorie Bunsting

Region 4 Judi Pohorsky Region 9 Deborah Barker Region 14 Linda & Mary Cae Madden

Region 5 Vacant Region 10 Saundra Leininger Region 15 Mary Ealy

Region 16 Vacant


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Iowa Genealogical Society Chapters Adair Co. Anquestors % Greenfield Library Box 328 Greenfield IA 50849-0328

Ankeny Gen Soc 1607 NW Northwood Dr Ankeny IA 50023-1090

Appanoose Co. Gen Society PO Box 684 Centerville IA 52544-0684

Audubon Co Gen Society %B Duvall 505 Brayton St Audubon IA 50025-1301

Benton Co. Genealogical Society 1808 9th Ave Belle Plaine IA 52208-1215

(Blackhawk) North East Iowa Gen Society PO Box 2274 Waterloo IA 50704-2274

Boone Co. Gen Society PO Box 453 Boone IA 50036-0453

Bremer Co. Gen Society % B Kimball 824 N Cherry St Shell Rock IA 50670-9616

Buchanan Co. Gen Society 103 4th Ave. SE Independence IA 50644-0004

Buena Vista Co. Gen Society 221 W Railroad St Storm Lake IA 50588-2448

Butler Co. Gen Society 714 Elm St Allison IA 50602-9727

Carroll Co Gen Society PO Box 21 Carroll IA 51401-0021

Cass Co. Gen Society % Public Library 507 Poplar St Atlantic IA 50022-1241

Cedar Co. Gen Society PO Box 52 Tipton IA 52772-0052

(Cerro Gordo) North Central Gen Society PO Box 237 Mason City, IA 50402-0237

Cherokee Co. Tree Stompers 4820 M Avenue Meriden IA 51037-7001

Chickasaw Co. Gen Society Box 434 New Hampton IA 50659-0434

Clarke Co. Gen Society 300 S Fillmore St Osceola IA 50213-1414

(Clay) Iowa Lakes Gen Society %Public Library, 21 East 3rd St Spencer IA 51301-4131

Clayton Co. Gen Society PO Box 846 Elkader IA 52043-0846Clinton Co./Gateway Gene Society PO Box 2256 Clinton, IA 52733-2256Crawford Co. Gen Society % Norelius Library, 1403 1st Ave S Denison IA 51442-2014Dallas Co. Gen Society PO Box 264 Dallas Center IA 50063-0264

Davis Co. Gen Society PO Box 94 Bloomfield IA 52537-0094

Delaware Co. Gen Society 304 N Franklin St Manchester IA 52057-1520

Des Moines Co. Gen Society PO Box 493 Burlington IA 52601-0493

Iowa Lakes Gen Society 21 E 3rd St Spencer IA 51301-3235

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Emmet Co Gene Society % Pub Library 613 Central Ave Estherville IA 51334-2294

Fayette Co / Oelwein Area Gen Society PO Box 389 Oelwein IA 50662-0389

Fayette Co. Gen Society 100 N Walnut St West Union IA 52175-1347

Franklin Co. Gen Society % Hampton Library, 4 S Federal St Hampton IA 50441-1934

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Greene Co. Gen Society PO Box 133 Jefferson IA 50129-0133

Guthrie Co. Gen Society PO Box 96 Jamaica IA 50128-0096

Hamilton Heritage Hunters Gen Society 2209 350th st Stanhope IA 50246-7518

Hancock Co. Gen Society PO Box 81 Klemme IA 50449-0081

Harrison Co. Gen Society PO Box 263 Woodbine IA 51579-0263

Howard-Winneshiek Co. Gen Society PO Box 362 Cresco IA 52136-0362

Humboldt Co. Gen Society 30 6th St N Humboldt IA 50548-1736

Ida Co. Genealogical Society 1111 S Main St Ida Grove IA 51445-1708

Iowa Co. Gen Society PO Box 207 North English IA 52316-0207

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(Keokuk) Keo-Mah Genealogical Society 209 A Ave E Oskaloosa IA 52577-2807

Lee Co. Gen Society Of Iowa PO Box 303 Keokuk IA 52632-0303


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(Lee) Old Fort Genealogical Society PO Box 1 Fort Madison IA 52627-0001

Genealogical Society Of Linn Co. PO Box 175 Cedar Rapids IA 52406-0175

Louisa Co. Genealogical Committee 722 N Chestnut St Wapello IA 52653-1009

Lucas Co. Gen Society % Public Lib 803 Braden Ave Chariton IA 50049-1742

Madison Co. Genealogical Society PO Box 26 Winterset IA 50273-0026

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Marion Co. Gen Society PO Box 385 Knoxville IA 50138-0385

Marshall Co. / Central Iowa Gen Society PO Box 945 Marshalltown IA 50158-0945

Mills Co. Gen Society % Glenwood Library, 109 N Vine St Glenwood IA 51534-1516

Monona Co. Gen Society Po Box 91 Smithland IA 51056-0091

Monroe Co. Gen Society 203 Benton Ave E Albia IA 52531-2036

Montgomery Co. Gen Society 705 Washington Ave Red Oak IA 51566-2439

Muscatine Co. Gen Society 323 Main St Muscatine IA 52761-2867

(O'Brien & Osceola) Iowa Lakes Gen Society % Public Library, 21 E 3rd St Spencer IA 51301-3235

Palo Alto Co. Gen Society % Public Library, 707 N Superior Emmetsburg IA 50536-1022

(Plymouth Co.) Northwest Iowa Gen Society 46 1st St SW Le Mars IA 51031-3696

Laurens Genies/Pocahontas Co. 273 N 3rd St Laurens IA 50554-1215

Pocahontas Genies 14 2nd Ave NW Pocahontas IA 50574-1611

(Polk Co) Ankeny Gen Society 1607 NW Northwood Dr Ankeny IA 50023-1090

(E. Pottawattamie) Botna Valley Gen Society PO Box 693 Oakland IA 51560-0693

Pottawattamie Co. Gene Society PO Box 394 Council Bluffs IA 51502-0394

Poweshiek Co. Historical & Gen Society PO Box 280 Montezuma IA 50171-0280

Scott Co. Gen Society PO Box 3132 Davenport IA 52808-3132

Greater Sioux Co. Gen Society 102 S Main Ave Sioux Center IA 51250-1536

Story Co. Gen Society PO Box 692 Ames IA 50010-0692

Tama Co Historical Soc & Genealogical Lib 200 N Broadway St Toledo IA 52342-1308

Taylor Co. Gen Society PO Box 8 Gravity IA 50848-0008

Union Co. Gen Society % Gibson Library, 200 W Howard St Creston IA 50801-2331

Van Buren Co. Gen Society PO Box 160 Keosauqua IA 52560-0160

Wapello Co. Gen Society PO Box 163 Ottumwa IA 52501-0163

Warren Co. Gen Society P O Box 151 Indianola IA 50125-0151

Washington Co. Gen Society PO Box 446 Washington IA 52353-0446

Wayne Co. Gen Society % Lecompte Library, 110 S Franklin Corydon IA 50060-1518

Webster Co. Gen Society 424 Central Ave Rm 134 Fort Dodge IA 50501-3738

Lime Creek/Winnebago Co. 115 East "L" St Forest City IA 50436-1499

(Winneshiek Co) Decorah Genealogy Assoc. 808 River St Decorah IA 52101-2134

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Wright Co. Gen Society 714 3rd St NE Clarion IA 50525-1144

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My Great Uncle, Private Ira Schantz 1894-1918 A personal loss from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 remembered during the Covid-19 pandemic of

2020-2021

Renee (Love) Cue 20 Aug 2021

The Great War, or World War I as we now think of it, was devastating to families and communities all over the world. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920, occurring at the same time, was spread by the troop movements in the war which exacerbated the death toll for all sides. I have had time to reflect on this very personal loss for my family, Ira Schantz, my great-uncle on my mother’s side, in World War I as we wait, in and out of quarantine, during the Covid-19 pandemic that currently affects the world.

Ira was born on 1 Sep 1894; the same day and month as my oldest son Jeremy. He was the oldest son of Peter Rich and Catherine (Mast) Schantz. Ira was born into a Mennonite family in rural Crawfordsville, Washington County, southeastern Iowa. With a current population of around 270, it has been a solid farming community since before Iowa became a state in 1846. My Schantz ancestors first came to the area before 1860 and I have close family that reside in and around Crawfordsville.

The diagram above illustrates how I am related to Ira, his parents, and siblings via my

mother.

My great-grandparents were farmers who relied on their oldest son and his work on the farm. Since Ira died 44 years before I was born, most of the information that I have learned about his life, service and death in World War I came via articles available from the small-town newspapers in Washington, Henry, and Louisa counties in Iowa.

The Selective Service Act was enacted 18 May 1917, about six weeks after the United States formally entered the First World War. On 5 Jun 1917, the first national day of registration for men between the ages of 21 and 30, Ira, aged 22, registered for the draft. The Schantz family worshiped at Eicher Emmanuel Mennonite Church in rural southern Washington County, Iowa. Ira’s World War I draft registration card included that special information filled in on Line 12:

“Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?” Ira specified: Member Mennonite Church.


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“Ira Schantz,” U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: Iowa; Registration County: Washington; Roll: 164 3362 Accessed Jun 2021 via Ancestry.com, 2005, Provo, UT, USA

The Mennonite religion originated in the sixteenth century during the Reformation with foundational beliefs around the separation of church and state. Mennonites were prohibited from participating in warfare. As pacifists, doctrine was that they should practice non-resistance, even in the case of self-defense.

When the draft was instituted in World War I, there was a great deal of public and political backlash for anyone opposed to military conscription. Conscientious objector status posed a unique, direct challenge to the military duties of citizenship. The Selective Service Act of 1917 contained specific exemptions for “well-recognized religious sects or organizations at present organized and existing and whose existing creed or principles forbid its members to participate in war in any form…but no person so exempted shall be exempted from service in any capacity that the President shall declare to be non-combatant.”1

Despite the language of the Act and the fact that Mennonites had served in non-combatant alternatives in prior wars and conflicts, Mennonite leaders were not successful in persuading the U.S. government to generally accept conscientious objector status and define the terms of alternative service for Mennonite conscripts. In addition, there were several other pieces of wartime legislation that gave the government extraordinary wartime powers. Of the Mennonites who declined service in the United States, about 10% were court-martialed and sentenced to Leavenworth for an average of over twenty years, 60% accepted alternative service, and 30% remained in military camps until the end of the war.2

Ira’s younger brother, my great-uncle David Christian Schantz 1900-1951, registered for the draft on the third national day of registration on 12 September 1918 for men aged 18 through 45. Question 12, “Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?,” was no longer on the Registration Card.

1 Selective Service Act, 1917, An Act to authorize the President to increase temporarily the Military Establishment, approved May 18, 1917, Public Law No. 12, 65th Congress, H.R. 3545, U.S. Statutes at Large, XL, Part 1, p 78. 2 Eberle, Donald. “The Plain Mennonite Face of the World War One Conscientious Objector,” Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies, Volume 3 Issue 2 (2015): 175-201.


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When Ira’s draft number came up in July 1918, Ira did not decline service or make a conscientious objector claim to the local draft board to seek alternative service. Eicher Church was a part of the more progressive General Conference Mennonite Church. They were more assimilated and open to participation in society. For example, Ira owned an automobile. We know this because he got into an accident with a Mennonite cousin! In an Old Order Mennonite congregation, a man would be at risk of being expelled if they served in the military. The General Conference congregations did not apply those sanctions.

On 23 Jul 1918, a large crowd of around 10,000 gathered in Washington, Iowa to send off the 161 young men to basic training with parades, speeches, and picnics. Ira was one of the young men that boarded the Burlington Railroad line at 6:30 p.m. headed for Camp Pike, Arkansas. The article below describes a festive scene with an optimism that the patriotic young men would come home heroes. The article went on to list all of the men that were on their way to Camp Pike, Arkansas that afternoon. Camp Pike is now known as Camp Joseph T. Robinson and serves as a 33,000-acre training facility for the Army National Guard. It is also the headquarters for the Arkansas National Guard.3

According to the Arkansas National Guard Museum, “After arriving at the camp all new soldiers were restricted to barracks for a ten-day quarantine to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. After completing the quarantine the soldiers were issued uniforms and began training. The majority of the soldiers stayed in two story wooden structures. Sleeping quarters were on the top floor and consisted of approximately 100 cots arranged in single rows along the two outer walls and down the middle. Each cot had a mattress filled with straw. Located on the first floor were a mess hall and a squad room. All cots and mattress were moved outside each day, weather permitting, and the floors were scrubbed.”4

3 “Camp Pike, Arkansas, during World War I,” World War I, Arkansas, Arkansas Digital Archives, Accessed 22 Jul 2021, https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/exhibits‐online‐ww1/27/. 4 “World War I Why Camp Pike Was Located Here,” Arkansas National Guard Museum, Accessed 22 Jul 2021, https://arngmuseum.com/history/history‐of‐the‐post/world‐war‐i/.

“Ira Schantz, Automobile Damage Suit,” Washington Democrat, published in Washington, Iowa on Tuesday, March 27th, 1917, 4. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage-preservation.com/.


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“Washington County Folks are Getting the War Spirit” Washington Democrat, published in Washington, Iowa,

July 23, 1918, 1. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage‐preservation.com/.


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Once the troops completed training at Camp Pike, they moved to Camp Merritt near Hoboken, New Jersey. With the local families’ permission, the newspapers published letters from the soldiers. Ira’s parents shared several of the letters that Ira wrote home while waiting to be deployed to France. It is a bittersweet experience to find the joy in being able to directly read Ira’s words to “Dear Folks” while knowing that Ira was not going to return to a life with family, church and community in Crawfordsville, Iowa. Ira’s letters were full of reassurances that things were going well for him in the Army. From the clothes and uniforms to comments on the food, he always ends the letters with the best address to reach him. Ira, a man of the farm, got a chance to experience New York City prior to shipping out to France. “Would like to stay there for a week or two...It is the same after dark as in the day time.”

Ira wrote every day from his initial time in Camp Merritt and asked for letters back. In a letter written on September 10th, Ira reported that he was healthy, probably because he knew there was concern with what was going on with the Spanish Flu. By that time, America was in quarantine, “Have never been sick since I left home. Eat 3 meals every day and sometimes 4. With love to all, Ira Schantz”5

“From Ira Schantz, Letter 1” Wayland News, published in Wayland, Iowa,

12 Sep 1918, 1. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage‐preservation.com/.

“From Ira Schantz, Letter 2,” Wayland News,

1.

5 “From Ira Schantz”, Wayland News, published in Wayland, Iowa, 26 Sep 1918, 1. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage-preservation.com/.


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Image from Wikipedia, USS Pocahontas (ID‐3044) US Naval Historical Center ‐

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 68722‐A Accessed 22 Jun 2021,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pocahontas_(ID‐3044).

On 15 Sep 1918, Private Ira Schantz and his fellow soldiers of the Camp Pike August Automatic Replacement Draft Company #21 Infantry, set sail from Hoboken, New Jersey for France aboard the WWI Troop Transport Ship Pocahontas.6

According to the Evening Journal in Washington, Iowa, Ira’s parents received word from their son that he had arrived “safely overseas” around 4 Oct 1918.7

6 The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92; Roll or Box Number: 529 U.S, Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 Repository – Ancestry.com Accessed Jun 2021.

7 “Local News”, Evening Journal, published in Washington, Iowa 4 Oct 1918, 3. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage-preservation.com/.


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Ira never fought in the Great War. Shortly after arriving in France, on 7 Oct 1918, at age 24, Ira succumbed to complications from the Spanish Flu in a hospital in Brest, France. His parents received word on 9 Nov 1918, just two days prior to Armistice Day ending World War I, of Ira’s death. The newspaper article reporting his death identified his date of death as 11 Oct 1918 but that date was later updated to 7 Oct 1918 based on his Army Burial Card.

The article mentions compatriots of Ira that had also succumbed to the flu and concern for the other Washington County boys. The four dead soldiers included Ira, William Kellerhals, Dan Reeves, and Merton Topping.

“Ira Schantz, Soldier,” Washington Democrat,

published in Washington, Iowa on Tuesday,

November 12, 1918, 1. Accessed via

https://seiowa.advantage‐preservation.com/.


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The commemorative book Washington County in the World War, published in 1920, identifies the soldiers that lost their lives in the Great War. A count reveals that 25 of the 40 men who died from Washington County succumbed to the Spanish Flu or complications, like bronchial pneumonia.8

Matthews, J.T. “Ira Schantz” in Washington County in the World War, Pictorial and Biographical Review of Washington County’s most generous and patriotic contribution to the Great Victory of Democracy, 1 Jan 1920, 17. Accessed 22 Jun 2021. http://iagenweb.org/washington/wwibook.pdf.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe in recent history. “It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.” The virus was particularly lethal for those under age 5, 20 to 40, and over 65 which is why it so thoroughly devastated the troops.9

The pandemic virus was named the Spanish Flu because it was first in Spain that the media reported the affliction and mortality that wreaked havoc as a result of this plague. Spain was neutral in World War I; most countries in Europe and in the United States were under strict media restrictions and blackouts and would not report on the impact of the flu or on what was happening with outbreaks occurring in the military camps. As

8 Matthews, J.T., Washington County in the World War, Pictorial and Biographical Review of Washington County’s most generous and patriotic contribution to the Great Victory of Democracy, 1 Jan 1920, Accessed 22 Jun 2021. http://iagenweb.org/washington/wwibook.pdf

9 “1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus),” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Accessed 22 Jun 2021 https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html


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with our current pandemic, the current theory is that the Spanish Flu started in China as a novel virus, most likely originating in wild waterfowl.10 The Great War impacted where and how quickly the pandemic spread. Military training camps, troop trains, and transport ships put troops closely together and fired the spread of infection.11

We don’t yet know the full extent of the current Covid-19 pandemic infection and mortality. At the time of this writing, August of 2021, at least 4,400,284 people have died of Covid-19 world wide,12 624,213 in the United States.13 We are still in the midst of the pandemic. While the United States has vaccines available for people over 12 years old, the vaccination rate varies widely across the country and a surge of a new variant has brought a new round of infection and death. In our current time, much like 1918, there is a lot of conflict and contention about the cause, the severity, and the best response to stop the spread of the disease. This article in The Wellman Advance, 17 Oct 1918, reads eerily like the articles from 2020 regarding how the pandemic spread:

“No matter what particular kind of germ causes the epidemic, it is now believed that influenza is always spread from person to person, the germs being carried with the air along with the very small droplets of mucus, expelled by coughing or sneezing, forceful talking, and the like by one who already has the germs of the disease.”14

Then, as in our current world, the pandemic was devastating. It is estimated that between three and six percent of the entire global population died of the Spanish Flu. In the Great War, an estimated 43,000 servicemen mobilized died of influenza as a result of the flu. Of the US soldiers who died in Europe, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy. In addition, based on the overall number of people who died, the average lifespan in the U.S. was estimated to lower by 10 years.15

The entire world was in mourning from war and disease. In Iowa, approximately 93,000 people were infected with the virus and 6,000 died. During the fall of 1918, the state was quarantined, as was most of the United States. With infection and deaths at a lower rate than the rest of the world, Iowa’s population of approximately 2.4 million was spared the overall devastation seen in the military and in more densely populated areas.16

In comparison, with the assistance of modern medicine and vaccines, our current world-wide death toll from Covid-19 is estimated to be around 0.06% of the population. Iowa has fared poorly in this pandemic and the state is currently encountering a rise in cases. It is rated a Very High Risk level for the spread of Covid. As of this writing, the state population of approximately 3.155 million people has 392,970 confirmed cased and

10 Taubenberger, Jeffrey K., Kash, John C., and Morens, David M. ,”The 1918 influenza pandemic: 100 years of questions answered and unanswered,” Science Translational Medicine, published 24 Jul 2019, Volume 11, Issue 502. Accessed 22 Jun 2021, https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/11/502/eaau5485. 11 Billings, Molly, “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918,” Human Virology at Stanford, Jun 1997 modified RDS February, 2005, Accessed 22 Jun 2021, https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/. 12 “Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,” World Health Organization, WHO,. Accessed 20 Aug 2021. https://www.who.int 13 “COVID Data Tracker,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,CDC, Accessed 20 Aug 2021, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home 14 “Uncle Sam’s Advice on Flu” The Wellman Advance, Wellman, Iowa, Published in Wellman, Iowa on Thursday, October 17, 1918, 8. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage-preservation.com/. 15 Billings, Molly, “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918,” Human Virology at Stanford, Jun 1997 modified RDS February, 2005, Accessed 22 Jun 2021, https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ 16 “The 1918 Flu 100 Years Later,” Iowa Department of Public Health, April 2018 Accessed 22 Jun 2021 http://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/33/100%20Years%20Infographic%20Original_final.pdf


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6,226 deaths.17 At this point, the Iowa overall death rate is 0.2% of the population or about 3 times higher than the worldwide average.

Ira’s body was initially buried in the American City cemetery in the Lambézellec neighborhood of Brest, a city on the western French coast. My great-grandparents were contacted by the War Department in 1920 and asked if they would like him returned for burial at home. Ira’s remains were sent home on the U.S. Army Transport Service USS Princess Matoika from Brest, France on 19 Jun 1920, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey on 21 Jul 1920.18

U.S. WWI Burial Cards, the National Archives Record Group: RG 92 Roll: 0830001‐0831673

SCHANTZ Army Serial Number 3801670, Accessed 22 Jun 2021, Fold3.com

17 “Tracking Coronavirus in Iowa: Latest Map and Case Count”, New York Times, Updated Aug 20, 2021. Accessed 20 Aug 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/iowa‐covid‐cases.html. 18 The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92; Roll or Box Number: 268 U.S, Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 Repository Accessed Jun 2021, Ancestry.com


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With Ira’s return to Iowa, a funeral service, attended by hundreds of people including seventy soldiers of the World War in uniform, was held at Eicher Church on Sunday, 1 Aug 1920. He was interred at the Eicher Cemetery following the service. A complete account of the service was published in the local Washington newspaper.

“The pall bearers were Ira’s boyhood acquaintances and friends. All were overseas men. They were Howard Cochran, Eddie Alliman, William Schantz, Wilbur Eicher, Carl Frey, and Dwight Messenger.”

His pallbearers were local fellow soldiers from the Great War; at least four were cousins.


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Miller, Alex R., “Ira Schantz Given Fitting Burial at the Eicher Church,” Washington Democrat, Published in Washington, Iowa, 4 Aug

1920, 1. Accessed via https://seiowa.advantage‐preservation.com/.


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Crawfordsville continues to honor Ira’s memory. On Vine Street is a building housing the Post Office and the Crawfordsville Schantz-Mitchell American Legion Post 593.

There are so many things I never got a chance to know about my great-uncle. Ira was not married and lived at the family home when he was drafted and left for the war effort. Did he have a sweetheart? What did he think of the war? He farmed with his father; was he planning on buying a farm of his own? Ira was 13 years older than my grandfather, Wilbur Schantz, who was only 11 years old when his big brother died in France. Like many of us, I didn’t think to talk to my grandfather, Wilbur, before he died and record his recollections of Ira. The articles and information available in the local newspapers are an invaluable resource as I seek to learn more about my family’s history.

Ira Schantz Gravestone, Eicher Cemetery north of Wayland,

Washington County, Iowa, 15 Jun 2015 41°10'42.1"N

91°37'34.6"W Photo from the private collection of Renee Cue.

Schantz- Mitchell American Legion Post 593, Crawfordsville, Iowa, 18 Oct 2019 Photo from the private collection of Sonya Love-Smith.


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Certificate of Honor for Ira Schantz signed by Woodrow Wilson sent to Peter R and Catherine (Mast) Schantz

circa 1919. From the private collection of Renee Cue


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Ira’s parents received the certificate displayed above signed by President Woodrow Wilson as a memento and thank-you for his service. I have the honor of being the custodian of this heirloom for this generation. Ira’s life was cut short but our family’s remembrance lives on.

COPYRIGHT © 2021 by Renee Cue


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Old Bones and Old Stones By Elodie Opstad

The old city cemetery in Indianola, Iowa, is a specific section inside the Indianola I.O.O.F. Cemetery. Located a half-mile south of the intersection of Highways 65/69 and 92, the cemetery has an east and west side with separate entrances.

Turning west and entering, a paved road bears left and then straightens. Traveling two-thirds the length of the grounds, or as the paved road begins a decline, take the gravel road on the left leading up to a small white shed. Behind this shed is the old city cemetery, the final resting place of many Warren County early settlers.

The first documented burial inside these grounds was in 1848 for “F.B. Ford,” but there isn’t a marker or recorded location. The oldest gravestones are dated 1851 with most epitaphs bearing death dates before 1900. While these predominately marble stones have undergone multiple repairs in the last 150+ years, many were fallen, broken and buried in 2018.

Writing an article for the Indianola Record-Herald about the repair and “uprighting” of a distinctive gravestone funded by our local funeral homes, there was interest in a cemetery tour. Several months later, despite a cold wet October weekend, attendees generously donated towards repairs.

This level of enthusiasm led to a project overseen by the Indianola Parks & Recreation Community Foundation in collaboration with the Indianola I.O.O.F., owners of the cemetery. Specific businesses were approached and contributed, providing the underpinning for a grant from the Warren County Philanthropic Partnership. Additional tours with actors portraying the lives of our early settlers added to project’s coffers, which totaled $9,995.

The work of repairing and resurrecting commenced the summer of 2019 and continues today. As part of the project, the Indianola I.O.O.F. implemented a restoration fee into their charge schedule, creating an on-going funding source for repairing the old and fallen.

Repairing the Fallen

Broken and falled stones are excavated, brushed clean and evaluated. Large pieces and fragments resting against a neighbor or in another row are matched and stacked in their proper location. This work brings unending surprise and discovery, satisfying all childhood fantasies of being an archeologist.

Assembling the pieces, a before picture is taken and brightly colored utility flag planted at the location. A document is prepared with row number, deceased name, engraved information and picture alongside.

This document is given to our local memorial works. Repairs initiate after Memorial Day and continue through late autumn as time and weather allows. The goal is getting stones upright, up and off the ground. Marble is soft and deterioration accelerates when a stone is flat and open to weather. Manmade intrusions (riding mowers, weed-whackers) are also hazardous.

Generally, our repairs include:

• Uprighting an intact stone on a new or old base • Fitting broken fragments together and uprighting (new or old base) • Placing pieces of an incomplete stone into a concrete slab for uprighting


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Unfortunately, there are gravestones laying in the ground bordered by a ring of cement. These long-ago repairs prevent removal and uprighting. With the engraved face vulnerable to weather, these stones also crack and sink into the ground. Our only defense is keeping grass and weeds from burying the prone stones.

Decades ago, tall stones cracking at the base and toppling were repaired by burying much of the remaining length. While this technique hides a sizeable portion of dates and inscriptions, they remain wonderfully preserved. Finding a stone in this condition that is upright and secure, we leave it alone. Our focus is getting the fallen upright.

At the end of the year, a picture is taken of each repair and incorporated into

the original project document, which is provided to Indianola Memorial Works for invoicing. Generally, 25-40 stones are repaired every year and cost $75-$250 per stone. Average cost is $125. In the past three years, over one-hundred gravestones have been resurrected in the old city cemetery section. The grounds are noticeably transformed with entire families

standing upright and side-by-side.

Tour Composition

Our tours incorporate gravestone symbols, an explanation of repairs, known history of the individual and their relationship with neighboring stones. Tours are free but donations are encouraged and tax-deductible through the Iowa Community Parks & Recreation Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization. Our format is meant to engage, entertain and enlighten.

The root source of information is the Cemetery & Death Records of Warren County, Iowa, compiled by the Warren County Genealogical Society in 1980. Cemetery records were lost in 1905, making this 598-page volume the most complete record of deaths, burials and grave locations. The value of this work cannot be over-emphasized, and it’s being updated by a new generation of volunteers. Other information sources include:

• Online digitized newspapers (1857-1922) made available by the Warren County Historical Society (www.warrenhistory.org)

• History of Warren County, Iowa, published in 1879 by Des Moines Union Historical Company • Familysearch.org & Findagrave.org (census reports, mortality schedule, death certificates,

marriage, war and pension records, family trees) • Google searches and YouTube repair/preservation demonstrations

Tour “Tasting”

After following directions to the small white shed, stand in front of the door and walk forty feet to find Sarah A. Ford:

Row 28


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FORD Sarah A. d Dec 16 1917, age 90y 13d Born in Ohio on Dec 23, 1827, Sarah Ann Short came to Iowa in 1850 when it was a wilderness. In her life of ninety years, she saw the railroad and telegraph arrive in Indianola with news sent and received almost instantaneously across an overhead wire. Sarah experienced electricity, the automobile and while the radio wasn’t a household item, she surely knew of this wonderous invention. Her stone, broken in half and on the ground for decades, inspired this project.

Sarah’s stone is not among the oldest, but is a fine old stone with shoulders, variety of fonts and centerpiece rose, symbol of condolence and sorrow. Her stone was repaired in 2019 using epoxy specifically designed for granite and marble monuments. It was recently cleaned with D/2 Biological Solution™ to remove mold, algae and lichen attached to the engraved surface. Next to Sarah are several family members. Any relationship to “F.B. Ford” remains unknown.

FORD Joseph M. no dates on stone Co K 44th Ia Inf. Gov’t monument Sarah married Joseph Ford in 1856. He served in the Civil War, as indicated by his government-issued monument. Joseph survived the war then died in 1873 at seventy years. He was twenty-four years older than Sarah.

FORD Joseph son of J. & S.A. d Aug 29, 1862 age 10m 18d An infant son of Joseph & Sarah. FORD John son of J. & S.A. d Aug 28 1868, age 1y Another son lost in infancy. While missing a fragment, the epoxy is stronger than marble, keeping the stone upright.

FORD Almon son of J. & A. d May 26 1856, age 24y 5m 11d Another son, but with Jospeh’s first wife Abigail. This stone has been repaired.

FORD Martha dau of J. & A., d Nov 29, 1865 age 16y 4m 13d Daughter of Joseph and Abigail. FORD Abigail wf of J , d Dec 26, 1855 age 53y 7m 22d Abigail, Joseph’s first wife, died the month following their daughter Martha. Joseph married Sarah Ann Short the next year, which was the year Almon died.

Sarah Ann (Short) Ford married her second husband, Thomas Palmer Shaw, in 1881. He was a veteran of the Civil War, serving in the 37th Iowa Infantry (Greybeard) Regiment. This particular regiment of the Great Army of the Republic (GAR) didn’t have an age requirement. He joined at sixty years of age.


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Thomas P. Shaw is buried without a documented location. He’s deserving of a government-issued monument and placement can be reasonably reckoned. The tall obelisk to the west (Row 27) in front of Sarah has an open book on top (Bible), symbol of religious devotion. This is the monument of Thomas’ son, J.G. Shaw and wife Minerva. Could Thomas P.

Shaw lay in the open ground beside his son and in front of Sarah?

One final comment about Sarah’s stone, it doesn’t include “Shaw.” Sarah Ann (Short)

Ford Shaw died of old age in Indianola at the home of her son, Ira Ford. Her obituary was titled “Mrs. Sarah Shaw ” and finding it in our digitized newspapers took luck with an advanced search using “Sarah” inside a very narrow date range.

With the loss of cemetery records, it’s unknown how many settlers rest in the open grassy areas where dips and swells indicate occupied ground. When first established, the city cemetery was considered public space without ownership, organization or record-keeping. As a consequence, rows are crooked and irregular.

In June 1868, the Indianola-Journal complained about the cemetery’s wretched condition: “Weeds and brush have grown up, and the whole has a wilderness-appearance.” A few years later domestic animals were running amok on the grounds. In May 1888, the Advocate-Tribune reported someone digging a grave and finding the plot already occupied. This triggered a woman’s group forming with the purpose of improving and organizing the grounds.

In April 1898, the Cemetery Improvement Association placed a newspaper notice requesting help to identify friends and family in unmarked graves. These women accomplished their goal and relinquished control of their records in 1900. Unfortunately, the records were lost around 1905. An unsubstantiated story about a fire in the cemetery office persists today.

Proceed seven rows west (Row 21), just beyond the blue-gray “White Bronze” monument of Thomas and Mary Stradley. It is actually molten zinc poured into precast molds. Customers selected the symbols they wanted from a catalog. These monuments experienced popularity between 1880-1900. They were less costly than marble, which might have contributed to their decline. Grieving the loss of a loved one, people didn’t feel they were spending enough.

Notice the “White Bronze of Des Moines, Iowa,” stamped at the base. There’s a story this monument held a whiskey bottle accessible by unscrewing a particular panel.

White Bronze monuments don’t appear to age but they are quite brittle. Keeping an apron of cement around their perimeter is a good idea.

Look for the tall thin rectangular stone of Nancy Bryan (one row west and six feet south from the Stradley monument):

Row 21 BRYAN Nancy wf (wife) of Luke born Dec 21 1822 died Oct 1 1856 age 33y 9m 10d With a weeping willow at its center surrounded by engraved detail giving the impression of a stained-glass window, Nancy Bryan died young and


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loved. The weeping willow is the symbol of sadness and perpetual mourning.

After 165-years, this ornate marble stone still has a readable inscription: Nor pain nor grief nor anxiousness, Can reach this peaceful sleeper here. While Nancy’s husband, Luke Bryan, moved away, there are family members fifteen feet south in the same row.

BRYAN James born Mar 27 1789 died July 19 1871 (age 82yrs) James Bryan was Luke’s father, and this stone was recently repaired. Finding someone with a birth date in the late 1700s isn’t unusual in this section of the cemetery. Some early settlers were actually old.

BRYAN Margaret wf of James died March 18 1855 age 58y 11m 16d (born 1797) Together, Margaret and James raised six boys (Luke, Peter Gad, Lot, James Malachi, Caleb, Daniel) followed by two girls, Deborah & Eliza.

The inscription on Margaret’s stone is faded and might best be deciphered after a rain in the absence of bright sunlight. Taking an iPhone picture and editing (contract, brilliance, color) might reveal words. Rubbings, using tracing paper and a soft pencil, can capture phrases. Inscriptions tend to be lightly engraved, making them the first to disappear.

BRYAN Lot died Mar 11, 1852 age 21y 10m 3d Lot Bryan’s marble has a softer consistency. Broken for years, the first three lines of his inscription seemed undecipherable. “Googling” the last three lines revealed the entire verse, which could then be read and confirmed: Go home my friends, and cease from tears, I must lie here til Christ appears, Repent in time while, time you have, There is no repentance in the grave.

From the inscription, Lot Bryan might have possessed a rebellious streak. Knowing something about his brothers reinforces the idea. According to the 1879 history of Warren County, younger brother James Malachi provoked the only duel in county history. Advising two younger boys about settling a disagreement, they walked twenty paces before launching an arrow at each other. One lad was hit in the forehead and

severely injured. There was talk of arresting James Malachi Bryan but the befallen boy regained consciousness after several days.

Another brother, Peter Gad Bryan, an esteemed lawyer and statesman, was responsible for Polk County returning a strip of land they appropriated along Warren County’s northern border. The land was returned in 1853, but a compromise in the legislative deal left our county with a jagged northeast corner.

P. Gad Bryan didn’t lack self-esteem and confidence. He enjoyed pontificating in the courtroom and is buried with his family in the old IOOF section. That section begins east of the white shed and is almost as old as the city cemetery.

Continuing past Lot Bryan, there the two Murray children and then another small stone:

TAYLOR P Gad Bryan Infant son of J.R. and M.G. died Jan 4 1860, age 4m 20d P.Gad Bryan Taylor resides in the same row as the Bryans, but is unrelated. His father, John Rush Taylor, was born in 1830 and emigrated to Iowa with his parents in 1848. John married and farmed near Hartford, along the Des Moines River, where there was an “inexhaustible coal mine,” according to the 1879 history of Warren County.


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John held the office of township clerk and assessor and was a great admirer of P. Gad Bryan to name his first-born after the statesman. Little P. Gad Bryan Taylor rests here among friends, with his parents and brother residing at the Hartford Cemetery.

Moving along, we have the Nicholls family:

NICHOLLS Alexander son of J & KA d April 20 1855 age 3y 11m 13d NICHOLLS Josephine died Dec 20 1853 age 1yr NICHOLLS Amelia died Feb 5 1855 died 18y 27d Broken and repaired stone. NICHOLLS Isaiah died May 17 1860 (born 1833, died at 27 years) In 1858, Isaiah and his partner ran a “Tri-weekly Hack” between Indianola and Des Moines carrying the mail. At the time, a “Hack” meant a horse suitable for riding and pulling carriages, not gaining access to a computer without permission.

The inscription on Isaiah’s stone reads: Pause Stranger as you pass by, As you are now so once was I, As I am now so will you be, Prepare for death and follow me. The 1860 hand-written Iowa Mortality Schedule for Warren County indicates Isaiah died from Erysiphelas (bacterial infection of the skin). Penicillin, the first antibiotic, wasn’t available until 1945.

The index finger pointing upward shows a path to Heaven. Isaiah’s stone shows the outside hand. Others show the inside with curled fingers, palm and thumb. The hand and cuff appear delicate on this young man’s stone. Others look distinctly masculine.

Who is doing the pointing? Is it Isaiah, his mother Kiziah, or the hand of God?

NICHOLLS Kiziah wf of James

Kiziah was the mother of these children. Husband James was involved in the platting of Indianola in 1849. He died many years later at his daughter’s house in Kansas City and is buried there.

Kiziah’s stone had too many missing parts so the pieces were set into a concrete slab on a new base.

Looking east, there are stones with wonderful willows. Each different and likely carved by a different artist. Gravestones are rarely signed, but when a stonecutter’s name is found, usually near the base, perhaps they felt a swell of pride and wanted to attach their name?

Stepping a row west, find James Green and daughter Jane. Their stones show variety of fonts and lettering styles. James Green was recently repaired and resurrected. His stone was cleaned five days ago with D/2 Biological Solution™. It will continue improving, or self-cleaning.


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Wandering these grounds, find a set of clasped hands. Are they man and wife or the deceased shaking the hand of God? Inside a handshake, you may notice an index finger pointing downward, the sign of untimely death.

Look for doves in flight or precious lamb, both symbolic for a child’s death.

Multiple symbols can occupy a stone: drapes setting the stage for shaking hands with a Bible underneath.

Symbols tell something about the person and what

loved ones want remembered.

This concludes our tour sample with more stones and stories residing at the Indianola I.O.O.F. Cemetery. We don’t consider ourselves experts in this work, but rather persons growing in experience and new discoveries. Everyone involved, from groundskeepers to historians to preservationists, finds this work rich and rewarding. We hope our story inspires preserving and maintaining the precious remains of your early settlers.

Elodie Opstad and her husband Sandy have lived in Indianola for only the last thirty-two years. Elodie writes an opinion column for the Indianola Independent-Advocate based on local history and current events. She enjoys giving cemetery tours and is grateful to everyone supporting this project; most notably the Indianola I.O.O.F. (especially Keith, Charlie & Cathy, and Rex), Indianola Community Foundation, Warren County Historical Society, and Indianola Parks & Recreation..


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Iowa Civil War Veterans Buried in DeKalb County, Illinois

by

David C. Bailey, Sr.

This is the ninth in a series of articles documenting Iowa Civil War veterans buried in Illinois. Earlier efforts covered those veterans buried in DuPage,19 Kane,20 LaSalle,21 McDonough,22 Pike,23 Stark,24 and Will Counties25 as well as Chicago’s Mount Greenwood Cemetery.26 DeKalb County was formed on 4 March 1837, out of Kane County, Illinois. It was named for Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb, a German hero of the American Revolution. Located in north central Illinois, it is bounded on the north by Boone and McHenry Counties, on the east by Kane and Kendall Counties, on the south by LaSalle County and on the west by Ogles and Lee Counties. In addition to numerous smaller towns and villages, it contains all or part of the cities of DeKalb, Genoa, Sandwich and Sycamore.

Illinois made two formal attempts to catalogue the gravesites of all veterans buried in the state. The first effort came when the Illinois General Assembly mandated in 1927 and 1929 that Illinois publish a Roll of Honor as an aid to patriotic and veteran organizations honoring deceased veterans on Memorial Day.27 The Grand Army of the Republic, United Spanish-American War Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans of the World War, and the 33rd Division War Veterans Association were among the various organizations that gathered the information. While containing over 72,000 names, the record was incomplete. Through legislation passed by the 68th General Assembly, the Illinois Veterans’ Commission was charged with compiling and publishing a list of all members of the Armed Forces buried in the State of Illinois, thus updating the results of the original 1929 project. That list, published by county, was to include the names, burial places and other related information for those veterans buried in Illinois prior to 1 July 1955.28

The information contained in this paper is for those Iowa Civil War veterans that were identified in the latter of the above noted projects as being buried in DeKalb County, Illinois. Because that work depended on information held and supplied by local cemetery associations, historical societies, etc., it is sometimes incomplete or inaccurate. Military service was verified by matching information provided in that source with published rosters, pension records, veterans’ hospital records, veterans’ organization (i.e. the GAR) records and other military sources. While this process is often straight forward, incomplete information, alternate name spellings, the use of aliases, service in multiple units, incomplete cemetery records and the inclusion of incorrect military units in

19 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Soldiers Buried in DuPage County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 45(1) (Spring 2011): 4-15. 20 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Soldiers Buried in Kane County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 53(1) (Spring 2019): 6-12. 21 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Soldiers Buried in LaSalle County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 54(1) (Spring 2020): 38-43. 22 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Veterans Buried in McDonough County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 50(1) (Summer 2016): 22-24. 23 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Veterans Buried in Pike County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 50(1) (Summer 2016): 20-22. 24 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Soldiers Buried in Stark County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 48(4) (Winter 2014): 29-31. 25 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Soldiers Buried in Will County, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 53(1) (Spring 2019): 20-23. 26 Bailey, David C., Sr. “Iowa Civil War Veterans Buried in Mount Greenwood Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.” Hawkeye Heritage 48(3) (Fall 2014): 23-26. 27 Illinois. General Assembly. “Roll of Honor. Record of Burial Places of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Army Nurses of All Wars of the United States Buried in the State of Illinois.” Springfield, IL: Illinois General Assembly, 1929. 28 Illinois. Illinois Veterans’ Commission. Honor Roll. Will County, State of Illinois. Springfield, IL: Illinois Veterans’ Commission, 1956.


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previously compiled lists can lead to some interesting “mysteries” requiring significant research. Updated service information is provided in order to correct errors or fill gaps in the source noted above. Birth and death dates are provided when available. Membership in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) is noted where available.

Algernon S. Barker – born about 1837 in Ohio; enrolled 14 August 1862; mustered in 26 August 1862 as Private, Company F, 22nd Iowa Infantry; wounded 1 May 1863 at Port Gibson, Mississippi; transferred 30 September 1864 to 90th Company, 2nd Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps, then Company C, 4th Veteran Reserve Corps; mustered out 17 July 1865;29 died 12 April 1904 in DeKalb County, Illinois; buried Fairview Cemetery, DeKalb, Illinois.30

Harmon Colvin – born 1837 in New York;31 enrolled 11 August 1862; mustered in 3 October 1862 as Private, Company F, 27th Iowa Infantry; captured 9 April 1864 at Pleasant Hill, Louisiana; exchanged 24 November 1864; mustered out 8 August 1865;32 member Barnes GAR Post #395 in Kingston, Illinois;33 died 19 March 1913 at Kingston, Illinois; buried Kingston Cemetery, Kingston, Illinois.34

John H. Hall – born about 1837 in New York; enrolled 1 April 1862; mustered in 23 April 1862 as Private, Company H, 17th Iowa Infantry; promoted Corporal 10 January 1863; wounded 16 May 1863 at Champion Hill, Mississippi; captured 13 October 1864 at Tilton, Georgia; mustered out 15 April 1865;35 member Sandwich GAR Post #510 in Sandwich, Illinois;36 died 12 December 1891; buried Oak Ridge Cemetery, Sandwich, Illinois.37

Hiram S. Heberling – born 25 December 1839 in Pennsylvania;38 enrolled 5 May 1861; mustered in 30 July 1861 as Private, Company B, 1st Iowa Cavalry; promoted Sergeant 1 January 1863; re-enrolled as a Veteran Volunteer 27 December 1863; promoted 2nd Lieutenant 4 August 1864; mustered out 15 February 1866;39 member Columbia GAR Post # 706 in Chicago, Illinois;40 died 12 February 1913 in Jackson County, Iowa; buried Genoa Township Cemetery, Genoa, Illinois.41

James N. Kirtland – born about 1838 in Illinois; enrolled 12 July 1861; mustered in 18 July 1861 as Private, Company I, 6th Iowa Infantry; died 6 March 1865 at Chicago, Illinois;42 buried Pratt’s Oak Lawn Cemetery, Sandwich, Illinois.43

29 Iowa. Adjutant General. Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866. Des Moines, Iowa: E. H. English, 1908-1911, Vol. 3, p. 584 & “Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in the Veteran Reserve Corps,” Fold3. 30 “DeKalb County, Illinois Deaths, 1843-1992,” Ancestry & “Illinois Soldier Burial Places, 1774-1974,” FamilySearch. 31 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 3, p. 1147 & Find a Grave, Memorial # 74837378. 32 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 3, p. 1147. 33 Northcott, Dennis & Brooks, Thomas. Grand Army of the Republic Department of Illinois Transcription of the Death Rolls, 1879-1947. St. Louis: Missouri, Dennis Northcott, 2003, p. 91. 34 “Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900,” Fold3 & Find a Grave, Memorial # 74837378. 35 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 3, p. 55. 36 Grand Army of the Republic Department of Illinois Transcription of the Death Rolls, 1879-1947, p. 189. 37 Find a Grave, Memorial # 50840426. 38 “United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940,” FamilySearch & Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 88. 39 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 88. 40 Grand Army of the Republic Department of Illinois Transcription of the Death Rolls, 1879-1947, p. 204. 41 “Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990,” FamilySearch & Find a Grave, Memorial # 135260261. 42 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 1, p. 853.


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Henry McDonald – born about 1846 in Ohio; enrolled 18 May 1864; mustered in 1 June 1864 as Private, Company I, 44th Iowa Infantry; mustered out 15 September 1864;44 died 13 February 1902; buried Oakwood Cemetery, DeKalb, Illinois.45

William W. Olmstead – born about 1838 in New York;46 enrolled 11 August 1862; mustered in 23 August 1862 as Private, Company K, 21st Iowa Infantry; mustered out 15 July 1865;47 died 19 February 1876; buried Shabbona Grove Cemetery, Shabbona Grove, Illinois.48

James W. Paxton – born 1841 in Virginia;49 enrolled and mustered in 26 September 1861 as Private, Company D, 3rd Iowa Cavalry; promoted Corporal 1 September 1862; re-enrolled as a Veteran Volunteer 1 February 1864; promoted Sergeant 9 April 1864 and 1st Sergeant 18 June 1865; discharged 15 July 1865 to accept promotion as 1st Lieutenant, Company G, 138th United States Colored Infantry; mustered out 6 January 1866;50 died 1887; buried Greenwood Cemetery; Rockford, Illinois.51 (Note: His inclusion on this list is incorrect. Although the Illinois Honor Roll claims he is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Sycamore, Illinois, he is actually buried in Winnebago County. He has a cenotaph in the Elmwood Cemetery.52)

Charles G. Penniman – born 16 October 1840 in New Hampshire;53 enrolled 8 May 1861; mustered in 30 July 1861 as Private, Company B, 1st Iowa Cavalry; mustered out 9 May 1864;54 died 29 October 1895; buried Pine Mound Cemetery, Northville Township, LaSalle County, Illinois.55 (Note: His inclusion on this list is incorrect. Although the Illinois Honor Roll states he is buried in DeKalb County, he is actually buried in LaSalle County.)

Dier Sheley – born about 1829 in Ohio; entered service 25 September 1861; mustered in 23 November 1861 as Private, Company B, 4th Iowa Cavalry; discharged 26 February 1863;56 died 12 July 1893; buried North Kingston Cemetery, Genoa, Illinois.57

Albert H. Wemple – born 1841;58 enrolled 21 May 1861; mustered in 8 June 1861 as Private, Company K, 3rd Iowa Infantry; mustered out 11 July 1864;59 member Potter GAR Post #12 in Sycamore, Illinois;60 died 11 October 1919; buried Elmwood Cemetery, Sycamore, Illinois.61

43 Find a Grave, Memorial # 53224291. 44 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 5, p. 1250. 45 “Illinois Soldier Burial Places, 1774-1974” & Find a Grave, Memorial # 155836562. 46 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 3, p. 525 & Find a Grave, Memorial # 24791168. 47 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 3, p. 525. 48 “Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1861-1904,” Ancestry & Find a Grave, Memorial # 24791168. 49 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 575 & Find a Grave, Memorial # 27262848. 50 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 575 & “Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served the United States Colored Troops: 56th – 138th USCT Infantry, 1864-1866,” Fold3. 51 Find a Grave, Memorial # 27262848. 52 Find a Grave, Memorial # 128483898. 53 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 148 & Find a Grave, Memorial # 34025724. 54 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 148. 55 Find a Grave, Memorial # 34025724. 56 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 4, p. 801. 57 “Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1861-1904” & Find a Grave, Memorial # 52242622. 58 Find a Grave, Memorial # 144679359. 59 Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, Vol. 1, p. 398. 60 Grand Army of the Republic Department of Illinois Transcription of the Death Rolls, 1879-1947, p. 494. 61 “Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933,” FamilySearch & Find a Grave, Memorial # 144679359.


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Isabella Smith – A British Home Child

D W Bartholmy

Part 1: Honoring our Ancestors

This is a human-interest story from the 1870s about poverty, survival, and Victorian government solutions. It’s also about oral history being shaped to omit details many would have saw as demeaning at the time. During an eleven-month period my cousin and myself focused on our great grandmother after twenty plus year old research was proven wrong. Key to climbing the brick wall was deciphering handwriting in the comment column of a census record leading to the conclusion she was a British Home Child. This led to the finding our “Scottish” great grandmother was actually from England. We found she was one of four girls ages 9-12 from Hanwell (West London) admitted to Saint Saviour’s Union workhouse in Surrey (Central London) on 12 June 1873. They were discharged 25 June 1873 to Canada. The four girls along with about 75 other British Home Children were passengers on the Polynesian departing Liverpool 26 June 1873 and arriving 06 July 1873 in Quebec City. From there they went to a distribution home in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario operated by Maria Rye. As for being Scottish, it is likely she lived with a second-generation family from Scotland. Her son knew several details about the family and described her relationship as a helper, maid, or family friend. He also believed his mother was born in Edinburgh and immigrated with the family as a young girl. It is quite likely her children were not aware of significant details of her past. If her husband was aware, he did not pass the information along to their children who were ages 3 to 15 at the time of her death. Based on the workhouse admission record, I suspect her mother was a widow unable to take cares of her daughter.

I find it amazing Victorian England had a process in place that only took 24 days from a child’s admission to a workhouse to arrival in Canada where they were indentured to a host family. The boys for farm labor and the girls as domestic help. Due to a labor shortage there were 7-10 applications for each child. This was a program born of good intentions with few safe guards and many failures for the children.

It’s estimated 11% of Canadians are descendants of the over 100,000 children exported between 1869 and 1939. Only a small percentage of the children were true orphans and most parents were not notified until after their children were sent overseas. It’s only in the last 20 years the stigma associated with these children has been lifted and their stories brought to light on a significant scale.

An interesting side note, Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin the English comic actor was a pauper inmate at the Central London School District in Hanwell during the 1890s. Both the 1871 and 1881 census list approximately 1200 pauper inmates at this school.

To find the key detail needed to jump start your brick wall; review and question the information you have, collaborate, practice humility and persistence.

Part 2: The Research Process


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This research project began by defining the brick wall as “The origin of Isabella Smith, wife of Wm Downey”. The ‘4 Whats’ was the organizational tool used as a research plan template which consists of outlining:

What I know – Verified and sourced information

What I think I know - Unverified, nonspecific, estimated, or oral history What life events I want to learn about – BMD, emigration, etc.

What archives may contain the records for the life events - FamilySearch Wiki is an excellent starting point

The research log consisted of appending pertinent information at the bottom of the ‘4 Whats’. Although informal, it worked and was referred too frequently. The research plan and log were stored in Family Tree Maker ‘Research Notes’ for Isabella Smith.

Investigation started with Canadian church records leading to the church she was married in and the location of the Anglican Church and United Church Archives both located in Toronto. It was determined the church records were not likely to provide detailed information to bringing down the brick wall, but are sources for future research.

A first time subscription to Find My Past identified a group of children including an Isabella Smith age 14 on the 1875 Waldensian passenger list embarking from Glasgow destined for Quebec City. The children’s final destination was listed as Belleville, Ontario which fit very well with oral history. About this time, I asked my cousin for help with a translation of the comment column in the 1881 census since I could only read the middle word. Her response was “Miss Rye’s emigrant, that’s the way they wrote the double s”. This turned out to be the key to the brick wall and opened up a totally new area of research on British Home Children.

The Facebook group for British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association provided guidance which led to the following response from Quarrier’s in Scotland:

I have been able to perform a search for Isabella Smith however I am unable to locate any records.

From the passenger list I can see that around 67 children were migrated however only 51 of those children were from William Quarrier’s homes. The rest of the party was made up from Mr Muir’s Home in Leith and Ms Blackie’s Home in Edinburgh. Having looked at the passenger list I can see that 36 boys and 15 Girls came from Quarriers homes and it would be my assumption that those 51 would make up the first 51 names on the passenger list.

As your Great Grandmother’s name appears quite far down the list my assumption based on the fact, I have no records for her would be that she may have been living in Ms Blackie’s Home in Edinburgh.

The children were headed to the Marchmont distribution home in Belleville. The first thing learned about the numerous distribution homes in Canada is very few records survive. However, an Australian web site for a maritime museum was found to have had a Marchmont history book on loan from a private archive in London. The London archive did have a transcript of her birth record identifying her parents, confirming she was born in Edinburgh, and she had been living in Ms Blackie’s Home for girls. She had a 17-year-old sister who arrived a few weeks later with another group of children. The Marchmont records have details about her treatment which I would consider typical. The reports suggest she was unhappy and at one point did run away to


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be with her sister. Reports would come back saying she was thriving and doing well. Both sisters were married in Toronto and were living in different cities in New York in 1900 where Isabella had been reunited with her mother. She did not have any children. Technically, children coming through Marchmont would be considered Annie Macpherson emigrants.

A well-respected researcher, Gail Collins (deceased March 16, 2020), was found that had done extensive investigation into Miss Rye’s emigrants which is summarized in the British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association BHC Registry and Library and Archives Canada database of BHC. She believed my great grandmother was listed as Mary Smith on the 1873 Polynesian passenger list and in the 1871 census as a pauper inmate in the Central London School District in Hanwell. An Isabella Smith born in 1861 was found in an Ancestry.com.uk database London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records 1764-1930 by my cousin. After careful review of the London workhouse discharge record and handwritten passenger list, it was concluded Isabella Smith on the discharge record and Mary Smith on the passenger list are the same person. This is based on strong circumstantial evidence the four girls listed on the 25 June 1873 discharge papers were traveling together as passengers on the Polynesian leaving Liverpool on 26 June 1873. See the section on Conflicting Evidence Resolution below.

Because of multiple errors on the passenger list, I’m skeptical Isabella ever went by Mary. It is speculative the Mary Smith in the 1871 census as a pauper inmate in the Central London School District in Hanwell is the subject individual. (The 1871 census is available on Find My Past.)

The only other Canadian record found is from Doyle who performed inspections which resulted in a list of Miss Rye's Children, dated February 1, 1878. In the comment section for Isabella Smith it states “Co. Durham” which is consistent with where she would have been living.

Current research is focused on accessing admission/discharge and creed records for the Central London School District in Hanwell held by the London Metropolitan Archives. Goal is to finding her birth record.

Part 3: The Genealogical Proof Standard – Conflicting Evidence Resolution & Proof Statement

Project title: The origin of Isabella Smith, wife of Wm Downey

Background: At the start of this project no Canadian records had been found giving Isabella Smith’s full birth date and location. Oral history from her son, Samuel Downey, indicates she came to Canada as a young girl with a family named Beith (or similar surname) and was born in Edinburgh Scotland. Her granddaughter wrote a story in 1978 about her father, William R Downey, that states his mother was born in Arrochar Scotland [source 1]. Canadian records give conflicting information about her birth year. The records consistently state she was born in England. The Downey family lived in Bowmanville, Durham Co., Ontario.

Conflicting Evidence Resolution:

Is Mary Smith on the Polynesian passenger list the same person discharged from the London workhouse?


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After careful review of the complete passenger list [source 10] my conclusion is they are the same person which agrees with the researchers that contributed to the BHCARA British Home Children Registry [source 11] and the Library and Archives Canada Home Children Records [source 12].

The London workhouse records list the 4 girls discharged 25 June 1873 as Mary Macarthy b. 1861, Isabella Smith b. 1861, Mary Ann Neville b. 1863, and Eliza Goodwin b. 1861. The passenger list identifies the 4 girls in sequence as Mary McCarthy age 10, Mary Smith age 12, Mary O’Neville age 9, and Jane O’Neville age 12. The initial passenger list was likely made in Liverpool. The children would have started their journey by train of about 200 miles from London to Liverpool the day before. It is easy to imagine a very chaotic situation resulting in errors with approximately 80 children boarding a ship. The next day the ship was in Londonderry before heading to Canada. The British Home Children Registry and Library and Archives Canada database addresses the name issue by listing the girls as Mary MCCARTHY, Isabella Mary SMITH, Mary NEVILLE, and Jane Elizabeth GOODWIN.

Scottish origin based on Oral history

No evidence was found to support oral history she was born in Scotland. The 1881 census [source 3], 1882 marriage registration [source 4], 1891 census [source 5], and 1899 death registration [source 6] list her place of birth as England. Based on oral history it is speculation she may have lived with a Scottish family named Beith (or similar surname). The 1881 and 1891 censuses [sources 3 & 5] lists her religion as Canadian Presbyterian and Free Church which suggest a Scottish connection.

Year of birth

Inconclusive. The workhouse admission record [source 13] gives her birth year as 1861. This would be considered one of the more reliable sources. Her grave maker [source 2] gives her birth year as 1863. The marker was place 40 years after her death when husband died in 1938 and would be considered one of the less reliable sources. Even the two death notices in the newspaper [sources 7 & 8] give different ages.

Conclusion:

Compelling evidence supports Isabella Smith is a British Home Child. On 12 June 1873 she was admitted to the St Saviour’s Union workhouse in London [source 13]. On 25 June 1873 she had breakfast in the workhouse before being discharge to Canada [source 14]. She would have traveled by train to Liverpool where she boarded the ship Polynesian departing Liverpool 26 June 1873 and arrived 06 July 1873 in Quebec City [source 10]. From Quebec City the group of approximately 80 British Home Children traveled to Our Western Home located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on behalf of Maria Rye [sources 11 & 12] where they were assigned to host families.

The Doyle report list of Miss Rye's Children dated February 1, 1878 comment section for Isabella Smith it states “Co. Durham” [source 9]. The 1881 census [source 3] has her living in Durham County Ontario and notes she is a Miss Rye’s emigrant.


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Source 1: "Shifting Scenes Carter County Area" published 1978, page 199-200. WILLIAM R. "SHORTY" DOWNEY

Source 2: findagrave.com/memorial/38993204 Grave marker photo - Isabella Smith (1863-1899)

Source 3: "Canada Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVXT-GW7 : 20 May 2019), Isabella Smith in household of Mark Munday, Darlington, Durham, Ontario, Canada; from "1881 Canadian Census." Database with images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing Mark Munday, citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

Source 4: "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMJX-KV3 : 11 March 2018), William Geo Downey and Isabella Smith, 06 Aug 1882; citing registration , Whitby, Ontario, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,869,759.

Source 5: "Canada Census, 1891," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW2L-Z4P : 3 August 2016), Isabella Downey, Bowmanville, Durham West, Ontario, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148134. Source 6: "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKW7-T6X : 27 April 2019), Isabella Downey, 25 May 1899; citing Alnwick, Co.S Of Northumberland And Durham, Ontario, , Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,854,391.

Source 7: Canadian Statesman newspaper (May 31, 1899) Death Notice: DOWNEY - In Bowmanville on Thursday May 25, Isabella, Beloved Wife of Wm. Downey, age 36 years.

Source 8: Canadian Statesman newspaper (Feb 28, 1900) Death Notice: May 25 - Isabella Downey, 37, (cause of death) not known. Source 9: Library and Archives Canada -RG17 Vol 214, #22013 Doyle report - Record Title: W. J. Wills with alphabetic list of Miss Rye's Children


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Source 10: Library and Archives Canada - Passenger Lists for the Port of Quebec City and Other Ports, 1865-1922 https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/passengerlists/passenger-lists-quebec-port-1865-1900/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=271310&

Ship: Polynesian, departed Liverpool 26 June 1873 and arrived 06 July 1873 in Quebec, passenger Mary Smith age 12 and 3 other girls from St Saviour’s Union workhouse.

Source 11: BHCARA British Home Children Registry http://www.britishhomechildrenregistry.com/ Isabella Mary Smith Source 12: Library and Archives Canada - Home Children Records https://www.bac- lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/home-children-1869-1930/immigrationrecords/Pages/search.aspx Isabella/Mary SMITH, Database Item Number: 164496

Source 13: Ancestry.com.uk – London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records 1764-1930 St Saviour’s Union workhouse admission 12 June 1873 for Isabella Smith


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Source 14: Ancestry.com.uk – London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records 1764-1930 St Saviour’s Union workhouse discharge 25 June 1873 for Isabella Smith


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Book Review Carl Nollen, [email protected]

Irish Emigrants in North America

By David Dobson, St. Andrews and Dundee, Scotland

Clearfield Co, by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore Maryland

In six volumes: Part One, Two, Three, 1994, 28 pgs, 1995, 27 pgs, 1995, 29 pgs

Part Four and Five, 1998, 56 pgs, 1999. 29 pgs.

Part Six, 2003, 131 pgs.

Part Seven, 2008, 112 pgs.

Part Eight, 2014, 107 pgs.

Part Nine, 2018, 103 pgs.

These slim volumes have two important features not found in most printed immigration records. They are emigration records from sources in Great Britain and other places, and there are one or more lines of detail about each person, not just a list of names and dates. Furthermore, they list people who came to North America in the 18th Century and the 19th Century before the time of the famine years which began in 1846. Each listing includes a reference to the source of the record, which sources are found at the end of each part.

Part One concentrates on soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars who settled in Canada.

Part Two tells that the first successful emigration from Ireland to New England was in 1718.

The emphasis in this volume is on settlement in Canada, North Carolina, and the Virgin Islands.

Part Three lists obscure sources in Canada such as the Hudson Bay Record Society and the Annals of Megantic County (Quebec).

Part Four expands information on many. Listed, for example, for Thomas Hanley, the birth year for him and wife, the names and birth years for their six children, where they came from in Ireland, the port in England and the date they left, the name of the ship, port of entry and arrival date. Many immigrants were servants and some time later absconded from their masters, listing the date & the master’s name. Sources include newspapers on the east coast of the United States.

Part Five begins with a map of Ireland “during the reign of James II” (late 17th Century).

Part Six includes as sources, gravestone inscriptions from both sides of the Atlantic, nine archives and 13 publications, mainly newspapers and magazines. One of the many indentured servants listed was Thomas Hailey, born 1725, 5 feet 8 inches tall, who absconded from Dr. William Lynn in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on 20 July 1746, as reported in both the Maryland Gazette and Virginia Gazette. Thomas and William Jacobs, from Ireland, landed from the Mary Ann on 8 August 1817, settled in Yonge, Ontario, on 6 October 1817.

Part Seven continues with expanded sources. John Johnson, in Connecticut, son of John Johnson (1805-1861) and his wife Sarah (1813-1873), Bangor Abbey gravestone. There were some women listed. Dorcas Langton, second daughter of James Langton of Brurec, County Limerick, married James Bell, eldest son of George Bell in Leith, Scotland, in San Francisco on 3 June 1854. We know that European countries expelled people they didn’t want. For example, Owen and Randal McDonnell,


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(each) a rebel who surrendered to the Government and was taken to Dublin to be ‘transported beyond the seas’ 9 October 1669. (Source, Calendar of State Papers, Ireland).

Part Eight “gathers up information from obscure or inaccessible sources concerning individuals who vacated Ireland for the promise of the New World between roughly 1670 and 1830. (It) sheds light upon 1300 Irish men and women not named in earlier volumes.”

It may seem unusual that an emigrant from Ireland would come to the United States and become a Loyalist. Here’s one: Andrew Coulter, born in Ireland, to America as a soldier of the 46th Regiment in 1757, a farmer at Fort George by 1764, a loyalist soldier from 1777 to 1783, settled at Carlisle Bay, Canada, by 1787, a Loyalist claim.

Part Nine. Mr. Dobson writes a new introduction for his latest volume, but doesn’t say if there will be more books in this series. He says Oliver Cromwell dispatched shiploads of Irish prisoners of war to the Caribbean and some of them and their descendants made their way to the mainland colonies. Over a thousand emigrants not listed in previous volumes are found here.

William Lalor, a farmer in Wisconsin, letters, 1843-1884. Source, National Library, Ireland.

Similarly, Owen Mansfield, in Iroquois County, Illinois, letters, 1874-1875 to his brother George Patrick Lattin Mansfield (1820-1889), of Morristown Lattin, County Kildare. Same source in Ireland. It is evident here that Owen’s letters to his brother in Ireland were saved and given to the National Library in Ireland. This tells us about sources we may not consider. When some family members do not emigrate, they write letters back and forth which may have been saved and given to a library or archive overseas. Here’s another entry: John Dougherty, a cordwainer from Dublin, a soldier of the 58th Regiment of Foot, was found guilty of robbing an officers’ quarters in Quebec and was sentenced to 1000 lashes. (Do you suppose this was actually done? In the same day?)

Many emigrants in this series lived in Canada or the West Indies. How many lived in the United States or have an Iowa connection is impossible to say. Regardless, the details on these people is interesting history.

Iowa Pioneer, Century & Statehood Certificates The IOWA CERTIFICATE project is available for anyone whose ancestor was in Iowa during specific time periods. Sources of proof can be census, county history, Bible record, land record, etc. The completed application and copies of proof are filed at the library for the patrons’ use.

Application for Certificates

The Iowa Genealogical Society issues certificates to persons who are directly descended from Iowa Pioneers. Applications must prove direct descent and prove that the ancestor settled in Iowa

By 1846, to receive a Statehood Certificate;

By 1856, to receive a Pioneer Certificate;

More than 100 years prior to the date of application, for a Century Certificate.

Applicants may apply for certificates to be issued to themselves or to other persons. The person to whom the certificate is issued need not currently live in Iowa.

The purpose of the Certificate Program is to recognize families with Iowa roots, encourage people to undertake genealogical research, and to provide genealogical resources for researches in our library.


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The information and application are available at the library or by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to IGS. You may also find the information and application on our website http://www.iowagenealogy.org/library/research/ . The cost is $10.00 per certificate for members of IGS and $10.00 for non-members. The certificate is suitable for framing.

Following are the certificates issued August 2010 through December 2010.

Century Certificates Direct ancestor has been in Iowa for the last 100 or more years.

Dorsey, Richard; born 28 Dec 1843 in New York; died 09 Mar 1922 in Mitchell Co., IA. Spouse was Bridget Gavican.

Eagen, William; born 1843 in Waukesha Co., WS; died 11 Jun 1899 in Mitchell Co., IA. Spouse was Catherine Riordan.

Gavican, Bridget; born 16 Jun 1850 in Will Co., Il; died 04 Jun 1924 in Mitchell Co., IA. Spouse was Richard Dorsey.

Hein, Friedrich Ludwig August; born 20 Nov 1862 in Germany; died 31 Jul 1951 in Blackhawk Co., IA. Spouse was Emma Buss.

Johnson, Anders Peter; born 03 Apr 1849 in Ostergotland, Sweden; died 05 Aug 1941 in Wrigth Co., IA. Spouse was Wilhelmine E. Bechtel.

Kenner, Perry; born 1917 in Blackhawk Co., IA; died 1991 in Butler Co., MO. Spouse was Martha Ann Staton.

Klostermann, Helen; born 1798 in Prussia; died 08 May 1876 in Marshall Co.,IA. Spouse was Anton Thmmel.

Pratt, Marshall Lincoln; born 1811 in Massachusetts; died 06 Mar 1879 in Otoe Co., NE. Spouse was Frederica Thummel.

Speicher, Vallie; born 03 Aug 1872 in Berks Co., PA; died 29 Jun 1944 in Mitchell Co., IA. Spouse was Edward Groff.

Thummel, Anton; born 1796 in Prussia; died 08 Jun 1876 in Marshall Co.,IA. Spouse was Helen Kostermann.

Thummel, Frederica; born 1820 in Prussia; died 30 Sep 1880 in Otoe Co., NE. Spouse was Marshall Lincoln Pratt.

Pioneer Certificates Direct ancestor was in Iowa in 1856 or before.

Conner, George; born 24 Jan 1830 in Monroe Co., OH; died 20 Feb 1900 in Carroll Co., IA. Spouse was Melissa Sigler.

Doud, Philemon; born 06 Sep 1801 in Rutland Co., VT; died 09 1891 in Jasper Co., IA. Spouse was Louisa Hayden.

Jones, Thomas Forsythe; born 05 Oct 1802 in Fayette Co., PA; died 25 May 1833 in Story Co., IA. Spouse was Jane Culbertson.

King, Sr., Michael H.; born 23 Dec 1835 in County Cavan, Ireland; died 30 May 1902 in Polk Co,. IA. Spouse was Rose Ann Cassady.


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Knouf, Richard E.; born 1826 in Bedford Co., PA; died 25 Nov 1902 in Adair Co., IA. Spouse was Sarah Jane Riley.

Riley, Sarah Jane; born 16 Dec 1830 in Ohio; died 13 Dec 1905 in Adair Co., IA. Spouse was Richard E. Knouf.

South, Aaron C.; born 1813 in New Jersey; died Oct 1881 in Fayette Co., IA. Spouse was Angeline Billings.

Zoller, Johann Frederick; born 24 Feb 1809 in Wurtteemberg, Germany; died 23 Jul 1880 in Winnesheik Co. , IA. Spouse was Anna Katharina Eberlin.

Statehood Certificates Direct ancestor was in Iowa by 1846.

Beebe, Jeremiah; born 11 Nov 1806 in Ontario Co., NY; died 01 Sep 1865 in Monroe Co., IA. Spouse was Fernetta Chidester.

Conner, George; born 24 Jan 1830 in Monroe Co., OH; died 20 Feb 1900 in Carroll Co., IA. Spouse was Melissa Sigler.

Holmes, Cynthia Melinda; born 25 Mar 1842 in Delaware Co., IA; died 27 May 1923 in Delaware Co., IA. Spouse was Theodore L. Holmes.

Joseph, Jones; born abt. 1805 in Allegheny Co., PA; died 12 Oct 1886 in Buchanan Co., MO. Spouse was Nancy Calhoun.

Schlicht, Mathias; born 14 Apr 1809 in Germany; died 08 Nov 1878 in Boone Co., IA. Spouse was Mary Pauline Penrod.


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Name Index Alliman, Eddie, 16 Barker, Algernon S., 29 Bechtel, Wilhelmine E., 41 Beebe, Jeremiah, 42 Bell, George, 40 Bell, James, 40 Billings, Angeline, 42 Bryan, James, 25 Bryan, James Malachi, 25 Bryan, Lot, 25 Bryan, Luke, 25 Bryan, Margaret, 25 Bryan, Nancy, 24 Bryan, Peter Gad, 25 Buss, Emma, 41 Calhoun, Nancy, 42 Cassady, Rose Ann, 42 Chaplin, Sir Charles Spencer, 32 Chidester, Fernetta, 42 Cochran, Howard, 16 Colvin, Harmon, 29 Conner, George, 41, 42 Coulter, Andrew, 40 Culbertson, Jane, 42 Dorsey, Richard, 41 Doud, Philemon, 42 Dougherty, John, 40 Downey, Samuel, 34 Downey, William R, 34 Downey, Wm, 32 Eagen, William, 41 Eberlin, Anna Katharina, 42 Eicher, Wilbur, 16 Ford, Abigail, 23 Ford, Almon, 23 Ford, F.B., 21 Ford, Ira, 24 Ford, John, 23 Ford, Joseph, 23 Ford, Joseph M., 23 Ford, Martha, 23 Ford, Sarah A, 23 Frey, Carl, 16 Gavican, Bridget, 41 Goodwin, Eliza, 34 Green, James, 27 Green, Jane, 27 Groff, Edward, 41 Hailey, Thomas, 39 Hall, John H., 29 Hanley, Thomas, 39 Hayden, Louisa, 42 Heberling, Hiram S., 30 Hein, Friedrich Ludwig, 41 Holmes, Cynthia Melinda, 42 Holmes, Theodore L., 42 Jacobs, Thomas, 39 Jacobs, William, 39

Johnson, Anders Peter, 41 Johnson, John, 39 Johnson, Sarah, 39 Jones, Thomas Forsythe, 42 Joseph, Jones, 42 Kellerhals, William, 12 Kenner, Perry, 41 King, Sr., Michael H, 42 Kirtland, James N., 30 Klostermann, Helen, 41 Knouf, Richard E, 42 Lalor, William, 40 Langton, Dorcas, 39 Langton, James, 39 Lynn, Dr. William, 39 Macarthy, Mary, 34 Macpherson, Annie, 33 Mansfield, George Patrick Lattin, 40 Mansfield, Owen, 40 McDonald, Henry, 30 McDonnell, Owen, 40 McDonnell, Randal, 40 Messenger, Dwight, 16 Neville, Mary Ann, 34 Nicholls, Alexander, 26 Nicholls, Amelia, 26 Nicholls, Isaiah, 26 Nicholls, Josephine, 26 Nicholls, Kiziah, 26 Olmstead, William W., 30 Paxton, James W., 30 Penniman, Charles G., 30 Penrod, Mary Pauline, 42 Pratt, Marshall Lincoln, 41 Quarrier, William, 33 Reeves, Dan, 12 Riley, Sarah Jane, 42 Riordan, Catherine, 41 Rye, Maria, 31, 35 Schantz, Catherine (Mast), 6 Schantz, David Christian, 7 Schantz, Ira, 6, 10, 11 Schantz, Peter Rich, 6 Schantz, Wilbur, 18 Schantz, William, 16 Schlicht, Mathias, 42 Shaw, J.G., 24 Shaw, Minerva, 24 Shaw, Thomas Palmer, 23 Sheley, Dier, 31 Short, Sarah Ann, 23 Sigler, Melissa, 41, 42 Smith, Isabella, 32, 34 Smith, Mary, 33 South, Aaron C, 42 Speicher, Vallie, 41 Staton, Martha Ann, 41 Stradley, Mary, 24


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Stradley, Thomas, 24 Taylor, John Rush, 26 Taylor, P Gad Bryan, 26 Thmmel, Anton, 41 Thummel, Frederica, 41

Topping, Merton, 12 von Robais, Johann, 28 Wemple, Albert H., 31 Zoller, Johann Frederick, 42

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