John T. Smith

As printed in 1890

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mr. Smith is the son of Reuben and Nancy (Farmer) Smith, who were engaged in farming and fruit raising in that section of Mardand. His paternal grandfather was a Spanish creole, born in Louisiana, near New Orleans, and was one of the first that settled down on the Chesapeake Bay. His maternal grandfather, was a native of Shropshire, England, who came to America about the year 1800.

John T. received a good common school education in the days of his youth and remained at home until attaining man's estate. Starting out in life for himself he came Westward, and locateti for sometime at McConnell's Grove, Ind., about twenty-live miles west of Lafa3'ette. From there he went to Chicago, and thence to St. Louis, Mo. From the latter city, he came to Monona County, in 1865, and here took a homestead of eigiity acres of land on section 12, Ashton Township, to which he has since added some forty acres on section 13. With him came a man by the name of James Williams, who soon became discouraged, and removed to Dubuque. Mr. Smith immediately broke about forty acres of land, and erected a log cabin, and commenced the development of his place.

During the War of the Rebellion, Mr. Smith was in the employ of the Government, having charge of the corral at Ridgeway, Kan., during 1862. In 1863, he had charge of a government train, and in 1864, commanded the post train at Ft. Scott. In the spring of 1867, he crossed the plains for Denver, Col., for B. Stratton, a freighter, in whose employ he continued about three months.

The succeeding year he was engaged in the same line of business for himself, and then came back to the farm. Ilis crop that year was consider.ably injured by the grasshoppers, so, renting his farm, he returned to Denver, and in that city and Omaha made his living for about a year and then returned to Monona County, where he has since made his home.

John T. Smith was united in marriage in May, 1858, with Miss Lydia Taylor, a native of Blackhawk County, Iowa, who died in 1860, leaving one child, Charles O., who is engaged in farming in Wright County, Minn.

(OHN S. EGGiLESTON. one of the enterprising firm of Joslin, Eggleston & Son, who are carrying on a large and increasing trade in general merchandise at Maple Landing, was born in Essex County, N. Y., June 8, 1831, and is the son of Rodney and Eliza Eggleston. When he was about seven years of age, he was taken by his parents to Hamilton County, Ohio, where he acquired the elements of a good practical common-school education. In the fall of 1844, with the family, he removed to Sangamon County, Ill., where he grew to manhood. At the age of twenty-one years he went to Logan County, in the same State, where he was engaged until the fall of 1853, in learning the tinner's trade. Returning to Sangamon County, on the death of his father, for three years he carried on the farm, but in 1856, on the death of the.surviving parent, rumored to Douglas County, In.

But the sale pall of civil war rolling over our country, in response to a call for men with whicii to repel its dark tide, Mr. Eggleston enlisted, December, 1, 1801, in Company I, Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry, and was mustered into the service at Joneshorough. After campaigning through Kentucky and Tennessee, the regiment of which he was a part, being a portion of the Sixteenth Army Corps, took a part in the famous siege of Vicksburg. On the re-organization of the armies of the Tennessee and Cumberland, the Fifty-fourth was assigned to the Seventh Corps and took part in the campaign against and capture of Little Rock, Ark., where they had a sharp engagement with the rebel. Gen. Price, capturing about sixteen hundred prisoners. During the winter our subject assisted in the erection of Ft. Steele, and then veteranized, going home on the usual thirty-day furlough. On re-assembling at Mattoon, Ill., the commander of their regiment received a telegram to come to Charleston, Coles County, where there was trouble. The settlers on Big Creek, being mostly Copperheads, knowing that the boj'S, a part of their regiment at Charleston, had no guns, their arms being at Mattoon, came into the town with shot guns covered up in their wagons. It being court week the soldiers were in the court-house yard waiting for the train, when fire was opened upon them by these cowardly traitors, from nearly ever corner of the street, killing nine of them and wounding as many more. On the arrival of the rest of the regiment, a short time after, they found that most of the farmers had got out of town with the exception of three that the citizens had captured, who were turned over to the military authorities. One of these made a break for liberty, and endeavoring to run into the store of a loyal man, the latter came forward to close the door, when our soldiers fired, killing them both. After staying there a few days and capturing thirty-six of the copperheads, who were sent to Blackwell's Island, the boj'S started south, and on their arrival at Cairo, were sent to Puducah, Ky., after the rebel. Gen. Forrest. After this, in an engagement that took place in Arkansas, eight companies of the regiment, after a fight which lasted all day, losing thirty-six killed and fifty wounded, were captured by Gen. Shelby who started with them for Texas. For four days they marched night and day with nothing to eat, but he finally turned the prisoners loose, paroliing them, his men taking all their clothes, leaving many of them without shoes. They were five hundred miles from the Union lines, from which they were separated by a country desolated by war, but Mr. Eggleston and two others, after incredible hardships, reached Pilot Knob in six weeks, the first of any to arrive at that point. At Benton Barracks, St. Louis, they were properly exchanged, and January 1. 1865, again reported for duty, and Mr. Eggleston participated in llie skirmish at Pine Bluff. The war living over he was mustered out of the service, receiving his discharge at Springfield, Ill., October 15, 1865. He returned to Douglas County, where he had left his family, and where he lived until April, 1866, when he started by team for Monona County. lie landed here May 12, and for the first year he was employed in hauling slabs and bark to the steamboat landing at Tieville and continued at the sawmill in various capacities until the S[bring of 1869. After working on n rented place, he removed to his own farm on section 15, 83, 46, where he remained until February, 1885, when he sold out and engaged in the mercantile business at Maple Landing.

Mr. Eggleston was married, November 11. 1854, in Sangamon County, Ill., to Miss Mary Jividen, a native of Jackson County, Ya., and the daughter of Ezekiel and Martha (Hendricks) Jividen. They have two children: Alice V. now Mrs. George R. Joslin; and Charles F. a member of the firm of

Joslin, Eggleston (fe Sou.

As printed in History of Monona County, Iowa; containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies of all the Gove (1890). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.