David and Lydia Sweet married in Champaign County, Ohio, and in May 1838 came to Iowa with a party of nine families who reached the Iowa River from Jefferson County, Indiana. They settled near Lone Tree in Fremont Township, but David died within a few years, in 1844 by the 1883 history or 1845 by the 1912 one, leaving Lydia with five small children and a farm not yet paid for, which she paid off before her death in 1884. Both sons went to California: William Thomas Sweet spent six months crossing by ox team in 1852 and stayed seventeen years, and Caleb Joshua Sweet mined there from 1853 to 1859. Caleb then served in Company G of the 2nd Iowa Cavalry, was captured at Booneville, Mississippi, in 1862, and was held at Mobile, Macon and Libby prison before his parole. The three daughters married into the Walker, Cray and Maxwell families. Every fact below is cited to a public-domain Johnson County history.
Where the family starts
David Sweet and Lydia (Russell) Sweetborn 1801Most recent in our records
Angeline (Sweet) Maxwellborn 1842Tap a name to jump to that person.
Settled in Fremont Township, near Lone Tree
Gold seeker and Fremont Township farmer
WILLIAM T. SWEET, farmer, post-office, Lone Tree; was born in Champaign county, Ohio, March 29, 1832, and is a son of David and Lydia Sweet, who came to Johnson county in 1838. Here the subject of our sketch spent his boyhood days, and in 1852 he and Thomas Miller went to California, driving an ox team, they being six months on the road. He remained there seventeen years, and followed mining and farming, freighting, etc. In 1869 he returned to Johnson county, where he has since resided, and now owns 160 acres of land. He was married May 25, 1875, to Miss Mary E. Hillhouse, a native of Illinois, she being a daughter of John C. Hillhouse. They have four children: David, born April 2, 1876; William C, born February 5, 1878; Louisa A., born June 5, 1880, and Joshua F., born May 5, 1882. Mr. Sweet is a member of the A. F. & A. M. No. 4, Iowa City, also of the A. O. U.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Civil War veteran; farmer on the original homestead
CALEB J. SWEET, farmer and stock-raiser, post-office. Lone Tree; was born in Champaign county, Ohio, February 12, 1834. He is a son of David and Lydia Sweet, who came to this county in 1838 and settled, where Mrs. Swe.et and the subject of our sketch still lives in section 6, Fremont township. Mr. Sweet dying September 19, 1844; he was born January 27, 1801, and Mrs. Sweet was born January 1, 1801. Mrs. Sweet was left with five small children to make a living for, and farm not paid for, but she finished paying it oti and still enjoy-s good health, sight and memory. The subject of this sketch went to California in 1853 across the plains, and followed mining until 1859, when he returned by way of the Isthmus and New York. He enlisted in company G, Second Iowa Cavalry, at Davenport, in a Muscatine company, and served three years and one month; he was taken prisoner at Booneville, Miss, and was in the prisons at Mobile, Alabama, Macon, Georgia, and also at Libby prison, where he was paroled after being a prisoner four months and twenty days. Since the war he has been paying his attention to farming and raising stock, and now owns 620 acres of land; he feeds considerable stock every year. He has never married.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Wife of Henry Walker
Wife of Zephaniah Stout Cray
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