Shell Rock Township

Shell Rock Township

The township bearing this name is one of the southeastern of Freeborn county, lying contiguous to Iowa on the south, London township on the east, Freeman on the west, and Hayward on the north. It is a full congressional township, containing 23,040 acres. Shell Rock is mostly a prairie town. The surface is generally rolling, but there are no hills or bluffs sufficiently abrupt to be detrimental to agriculture. The soil is a light loam, well adopted to the prevailing mode of agriculture. The name of the town was taken from that of the river, Shell Rock, which flows through the eastern part from north to south.

The township has a number of cemeteries. A Lutheran Church and cemetery are in section 12, and a Methodist Episcopal Church is in section 29.

Early Settlement.. This township witnessed the first actual settlement ever made in Freeborn county. The story of this settlement by Ole Colbjornson Livdalen is told elsewhere.

In September, 1855, John Stanley, a native of the New Eng¬ land States, but then from California, took a claim on the cor¬ ner of sections 19, 20, 29 and 30. He brought with him quite a herd of cattle ; but as he had but little very poor hay, it is claimed that all of the stock died. Stanley remained three or four years. He then went east and brought back with him the Smiths, Hugh John and James A., natives of Canada, who both took claims. D. R. Young and Ed. Ripley came about this time also.

Then in the spring of 1856, came the next settler, in the person of William Beighley, who had been here the year previous, accom¬ panied by his brother Jacob, T. J. Gordon, and E. Maybee. In April, 1856, he again made his appearance upon the scene, and bought the claim which Livdalen had settled on. In May his brothers, Jacob and S. P. Beighley, came with teams, bringing WillianUs family, and they at once selected claims, the former in sections 32 and 33, and the latter in 33 and 28. With this party came J. B. Gordon, who selected his claim in section 30, west of the river ; but when his father, T. J. Gordon, a native of Pennsyl¬ vania, arrived in the fall and took up a claim in section 28. In the summer of 1856, Rev. Walter Stott came. A little later in the season - 1856 - James Allen came in and settled in section 30, on the town line, and remained for about one year when he disposed of it to Peter Beighley, and finally went to

Tennessee. The latter named also took a claim in section 32, where he lived until the time of his death, in 1872 or 1873. Andrew J. Lang also came in 1850. Chris. Oleson, a Norwegian, late from Pennsylvania, located on a farm in sections 31 and 32, in June, 1856. Fie was a blacksmith by trade. The McCalls lived here a time before settling in Nunda.

In the spring of 1857, Warren Barber, a native of New York, came and settled within the limits of the township, in section 29. Other Beighleys came the same year.

But in the meantime the northern portion of the township began its evolutions toward civilization, and by the time of the last mentioned arrival it counted a goodly number as a neighbor¬ hood. Early in the spring of 1855, William Rice came from Wis¬ consin and commenced the settlement in the northern part of the township by taking a claim in section 8. In the spring of the following year William went to St. Nicholas, in Albert Lea town¬ ship, and started a hotel there under the sign of "St. Nicholas Hotel." He was mail carrier for the village, and on one of his trips, December 3, 1856, he got lost, and after wandering about for three days brought up at Plymouth; but he was so badly frozen that he died in a few days. This was the second death in Freeborn county. Almost immediately following Rice, a little colony from Wisconsin made their appearance and swelled the Shell Rock settlement, arriving in June, 1855. This party con¬ sisted of Gardner Cottrell and family, George Gardner and fam¬ ily, Madison Rice, with his mother and her family. C. T. Knapp and family, and a couple of others whose names have been for¬ gotten. The first mentioned, Gardner Cottrell, stopped for a time on the Rice place, which he soon after took for himself and remained upon it for about one year, when he opened the first store in Shell Rock village. George Gardner located upon section 6, where he remained until 1880, when he went to Northwood. Madison Rice, with his mother, settled in section 8, and here remained until after the war, when he took up his goods and chattels and removed to Wisconsin. Mr. Knapp was not behind the rest of the party, and immediately after his arrival took a farm in section 36, just over the line in Albert Lea township. Here he lived until 1877, when he removed to the village of Shell Rock, and in the year following opened a meat market. The Andrews family, among whom may be mentioned Oliver, William, Clark and James, settled on and over the line in Hayward.

The next spring - 1856 - F. L. Cutler and John Smith came, arriving in May. Butler was an eastern man, coming from Iowa to this place, and bought the claim settled by Gardner. He finally, after service in the Minnesota First during the war, sold his place and went to Freeborn, and from there drifted down to Missouri. He was quite a sport and jockey, and took great delight in fast horses. John Smith took land on both sides of the town lines of Shell Rock and Freeman. About this time came Joseph Marvin, John Wood, and John Eddy. In May, 1856, Anthony C. Trow, a native of New Hampshire, came from Mitchell county, Iowa, and after looking over the country finally located on sec¬ tion 17. He selected a quarter of the same section for his brother, Elisha, who arrived the same month and settled, remaining a couple of years and then moved away. Joseph Marvin and his son-in-law, Daniel R. Young, natives of Massachusetts, arrived on the 10th day of July, 1856, and selected claims. At about the same time, came Aszel Young, Uriah Grover, Henry Cottrell, Henry Thurston, Henry Lacy, John Corning, and Robert Budlong, who all secured homes. On July 11, 1856, A. H. Bartlett made his appearance, and the village of Shell Rock, through his energy and capable management, sprung into existence. He became one of the prominent public men of Freeborn county. E. P. Skinner and Mr. Beattie arrived in early days, and taking a good deal of land, commenced speculating and continued for many years.

In 1857, A. M. Burnham arrived and he erected the first bridge across the Shell Rock river. With him came a number from Albert Lea. Willard F. Marvin also came during this year. The population grew very rapidly and the country settled with a good class of inhabitants. An idea of the ingress can be formed from the fact that in 1857, 100 votes were cast at the general election. Geo. Hyatt came this year also.

Early Events. Early in the spring of 1854, the first child born in the county was a daughter to Ole Colbjornson Livdalen. An¬ other early birth was that of Susan, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. William Beighley, April 13, 1857.

A girl was born to Mr. and Airs. James Luff, who lived in the village of Shell Rock, in the spring of 1857. They kept a tavern. In November, 1855, AYillie Andrews, son of Oliver and Mary Andrews, who the July previous had located in the township of Hayward, was born, being the second white child, and the first male born in Freeborn county. The first marriage in the county took place here early in 1857 or late in the year previous, being that of Hannibal Bickford and Maria Colby. The ceremony was performed by William Andrews, Esquire. December 21, 1858, Mrs. Fannie Andrews, wife of t William Andrews, died and was buried in Greemvood cemetery. William Rice, one of the first settlers in the township, died early in December, 1856, from the results of an exposure in a blizzard. Byron Packard and Charles Walker died about December 20 of the same year, having been frozen while making a trip to Shell Rock city.

Shell Rock occupies a high post of honor in many of the events of our early settlement. One of the first Commissioners, Wm. Andrews, was appointed from this town, and he became the first chairman of the County Board. It was here that the first schoolhouse was erected, June, 1857, in the district now known as 49. The building was a frame, also the first of the kind put up. Here the first patriotic demonstration was made, as early as 1857, ana we may add, that here also, the first suit was tried, being a case of one Boulton against C. T. Knapp, before Justice Andrews, in the spring of 1857, in which A. H. Bartlett appeared as attorney for both parties. As already noticed, Shell Rock was the scene of the first election, November 4, 1856, when the whole county constituted but one precinct, and forty-four votes indicated nearly the total strength of our adult male population.

Township Organization. The township was organized May 11, 1858, and the first officers elected were William Andrews, C. S. Tarbell and Henry Thurston.

Cemeteries. Hoyt Will Cemetery is situated upon a high rise of land in the northeastern part of section 24, containing something less than one acre, which was laid out in 1872. The first burial here occurred in 1867 and was that of Daniel S. Hovt, who donated the land for the cemetery. Dane Cemetery is located in the southeastern corner of section 12, having been laid out in 1878, and the same year the remains of Mrs. Mary Nelson were deposited here, making the first interment. Greenwood Cemetery is located in section 5, township 101, range 20. The first trustees were A. G. Morgan, Ed. Erickson and Jay Bartlett. It was surveyed by Frank H. Fisk. It was filed for record December 8, 1910.