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(57) APPENDIX 3: A FEW REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER
DAYS (x302)
A Few Reminiscences of Pioneer Days
By Thomas Hughes.
To illustrate some features of life in a pioneer mansion we will relate
two incidents which occurred in the Cottonwood Settlement when first settled in
1856.
Rev. Rich. Davis, the pioneer Welsh minister, was wont to go occasionally from
South Bend to this settlement to preach and would be entertained by our
hospitable friend D. P. Davis. The bed occupied by our minister, like all the
beds of the period. was provided with a canopy of white sheeting, which served
the double purpose of a bed room in the one-roomed shanty and a protection from
mosquitoes in summer and cold in winter, During the night a heavy shower of
rain came up and in the morning when our ministerial brother awoke he noticed
that the sheet which formed the roof of the canopy sagged down as though
something heavy was in it. Rev. Davis reached up his hand to feel what was
there, when suddenly one corner of the sheet gave way and about a tub full of
water was deposited squarely on his head, giving him such a baptism as would
satisfy the strictest des- ciple of immersion. The rain had leaked through the
roof and had been caught by the waterproof sheet. It was not an uncommon sight
in those days during a storm to find the family huddled under the table while
the beds and floor were covered with pans and kettles to catch the drippings
from the roof. But the sides of the cabin were often no better than its roof as
our second incident shows, The first settlers of Horeb neighborhood were
gathered one Sunday for a religious service at the shanty of John Shields. The
old pioneer, Rich. Morgan, came among others and sat on a nail keg against the
wall. Rev. Jenkin Jenkins was preaching very earnestly on the descent of the
spirit and Morgan was leaning for- ward and listening intently. Right above his
head there was a large hole between the logs where a chink had fallen out. A
large fat hen suddenly flew up into this hole and after surveying the people
for a moment hopped down squarely on Mr. Morgan's head and stood there poised
like a spread eagle on a liberty pole. Either through interest in the sermon or
surprise at the fowl, Morgan sat motionless with the hen on his head for a few
moments. The young folks began to giggle and even Mr. Jenkins could not refrain
from a smile as he remarked that “we must not imagine that every bird which may
alight upon us is a dove" and so turned the incident to an illustration
for his sermon. No wonder the snow, the rain and the mosquitoes found their way
into those pioneer cabins, though the mosquitoes of the period were of the size
of geese, as our old friend John Walters once declared them to be.
It was an easy matter in those early days, before roads had been made, to lose
one's way in the thick tangled forest. It was a cloudy afternoon and beginning
to grow dark as one of Judson's pioneers passed a deserted logger's shanty a
little distance from him in the forest. A light snow had fallen and our
traveler was hurrying to get out of the woods before the darkness fully settled
down, when he suddenly came upon the footprints of a man in the snow, and glad
of anything to guide him followed them. After going some distance he noticed
the footprints of two persons and again of three and four persons. He kept
hurrying on and the further he went the larger the track grew, but the strange
part of the mat- ter was that our pioneer did not get out of the timber, which
he knew was not over a mile in width. It worried him - could it be that this
path led up the river lengthwise of the timber. He stopped and struck off at
right angles to the path to investigate when, Lo! there stood before him that
logger's shanty he had noticed at nightfall some four or five hours before. He
concluded to stay in it the balance of the night. Next morning he discovered a
few rods distant a well beaten path encircling the shanty. It was the path he
himself had made the night before.
Rev. Jenkin Jenkins was taking a load of produce to market along one of those
old time highways. He had just managed to get around an exceptionally bad mud
hole and was resting his horses on the other side when a stranger drove up
behind and shouted to Mr. Jenkins in a rather rude manner if there was
"good bottom" to that mud hole. Jenkins eyed him over and answered
"Yes." The man drove in and his wagon immediately sank almost out of
sight. He swore and demanded of Mr. Jenkins why he told him there was good
bottom there. "Well," answered Jenkins, "there is good bottom
there, too, but you ain't half way down to it yet."
When the Indian outbreak occurred there lived in the western part of the Welsh
settlement a religious enthusiast, who declared it was doubting God's
providence to flee, for if it had been foreordained that he should be killed,
flight would not save him, and if otherwise the Lord was sure to care for him,
so be refused to leave with the rest. Next morning early, however, who should
his neighbors see at South Bend, but their friend J. On being asked what made
him change his mind so suddenly, he answered: "Well, I read in the Bible
that, ,”where two or three are gathered together, the Lord will be in their
midst, but I was left alone, and there was no assurance that God was there any
more." No roster of the names of the South Bend company mentioned on page
78 was ever kept
(0859
“Wednesday (20 August 1862) morning the Mankato company
and about thirty members of the South Bend company went up to New Ulm to hear
the news and aid, if necessary, in its defense.)
John Zimmerman was captain, Jehile Cheney was first lieutenant and Miner
Porter second lieutenant. The names of the Welsh members, as near as we can
learn, are as follows:
THOSE WHO WENT TO NEW ULM.
Dackens, Edward
Davis Jr., David P.
Davis, David P.
Davis, David S.
Davis, David T.
Davis, Eben P.
Davis, Henry P.
Davis, John S.
Edwards, Hugh.
Edwards, Hugh H.
Edwards, Owen.
Edwards, Wm.
Evans, D. C.
Jones, John C.
Jones, John S.
Jones, Wm.
Jones, Wm. D.
Jones, Wm. J.
Roberts, John R.
Thomas, David
Thomas, Richard
Thomas, Wm. T.
Wigley, Joshua
Wigley, Richard.
THOSE DETAILED TO GUARD SOUTH BEND.
Davis, Evan
Evans, David D.
Evans, John D.
Jones, Edward
Jones, Humphrey
Jones, Thos. J. (Bryn Llys)
Owens, Geo.
Price, Edward
Price, Rowland W.
Pritchard, R. S.
Pugh, John
Thomas Jr., Edward
Williams, Robt. R.
Williams, Wm.
The names of the Butternut Valley Guards mentioned on page 109, who enlisted in
the state militia for thirty days and were stationed at the "Big
Barn" in Cambria were as follows:
(0873 “Sept. 20th
twenty-two Welshmen of Cambria (then called Butternut Valley) enlisted as a
militia company for thirty days and built a fort two or three rods west of
David E. Bowen's barn (which barn was then in existence and known as the
"Big Barn") in the center of Section 28, of Cambria. The state
furnished the company arms, ammunition and rations and they rendered service in
protecting the frontier, caring for the stock left at the deserted farms, and
cutting hay for winter.”)
GEO W. PORTER Captain.
JAMES MORGAN, First Lieutenant
WM. P. JONES, Second Lieutenant
PRIVATES
Davis, David A.
Davis, Thos. Y.
Jenkins, Rev. Jenkin
Jenkins, Wm. E.
Lewis, Morris
Lloyd, Thos. D.
Morris, David.
Owens, Geo.
Price, David.
Shields, John
Thomas, Rice
Thomas, Thos.
Thomas, David
Walters, David.
Walters, Stephen.
Williams, Hugh R.
Williams. Wm. J.
We wish space had permitted us to give a history of this interesting company.
The fact, however, that such diverse elements as composed that organization, were
cooped up together for a month is sufficient guaranty of a lively time. In the
first place there was that momentous question, "What had they enlisted
for," which was new every morning and fresh every evening. Was it to guard
the country from the Indians.or was it to cut hay for their stock? In the
morning: "Should they spend the time in military drill or should they
devote it to cutting hay?" In the evening: "Should they rest or stand
guard?" Then there were sufficient questions of theology, politics and
"who were having the best rations" to fill in the time between. It
was a jolly crowd. Some say the company did one good thing, however, they made
enough noise to keep the Indians scared away. One dark night there was a cry of
"Indians" and there was silence in the camp for the space of half a
minute, when Rev. Jenkins declared he saw one and fired at him. Taking another
squint through the port hole he saw another Indian and fired again, After the
reverend gentleman had blazed away for half an hour, it was discovered that his
Indian was a fence post, which stood near the fort.
One day Rev. Jenkins took his oxen and wagon to his home, two miles west of the
fort, after his library and a few things. He had got everything loaded and was
starting back, when he noticed, what he supposed to be, two Indians on a knoll
near by watching him. He pounded the oxen into a gallop and the Indians came
after him on the run, brandishing their weapons and uttering their war whoops.
It was a mad race for life. Books flew out of the wagon in every direction
until the land was literally sowed with knowledge, but Jenkins won the race.
There was a great stir in camp when he arrived with his tale of
"Indians" A squad was sent out to reconnoitre. A short distance out
they met Rice Thomas and David Walters in a badly winded condition. They had
been chasing after Jenkins to catch a ride.
When Dane's company returned to Mankato after enlisting at Ft. Snelling in
Augtist, 1862, just after the Sioux massacre began, they brought with them
sealed orders which on being opened, directed them to impress all the horses
they needed. The boys at once sallied out for the liveries and hotel barns and
streets, taking all they could find. It happened that afternoon that Hon. Thos.
M. Pugh was out driving with his best girl. He had a splendid gray horse and
was speeding along Front street in Mankato at a 2.40 gait, when Jim Hooser, one
of the soldiers, saw him and dashing out into the street hailed him. Tom
innocently reined up his nag and Jim began to pat and praise the horse, to
which Tom raised no objection. Before Tom was aware, however, Jim managed to
slip the horse out of the buggy and the harness, and was off on his back in a
twinkling, leaving Tom still holding the lines atached to the empty harness. To
say Tom was surprised is putting it much too mild, and no one knows what might
have happened if a few of Jim’s comrades had not gone, at his request, to
explain to Tom and pull his buggy to the side of the street.
END
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