HISTORY OF JACKSON CO. IOWA. COPY IN MY POSSESSION. JACOB HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES IN 6TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY DEC 1 1856-JAN 29 1857. IN
1844 WENT TO CAMDEN ILLINOIS AND BUILT A MILL. NEXT YEAR RETURNED TO PA
FOR WIFE AND CHILDREN. IN 1846 LEFT OF IOWA. SON ABRAHAM WAS 3 MO. OLD.
BROUGHT 40 ACRES FROM JOSHUA BEARD. REARED IN EVANGELICAL CHURCH.
LEGAL PAPER WRITTEN BY JACOB WHERE HE RECEIVED MONEY FROM HIS FATHER JOHN TOBUY LAND IN ILL. OR IOWA. HAVE A COPY OF LETTER FROM SISTER TO JACOB TELLING HIM OF FATHER JOHN DEATH.
A JOSEPH E. SHIRK AGE 22 WAS LIVING WITH THEM IN 1850.
Death Register, copy in my possession. Said he lived in Spring Brook.
Probate Papers, copy in my possession includes will written in 1877.Obit in Bellevue Leader Feb 23 1882. Copy in my possession.
Said he came in 1851 and located near Bellevue and engatged in the milling business until 1857 when he emigrated to Kansas. But did not remain owing to pro slavery. He returned and settled in Slabtown, where he resumed milling and remained until his death. Funeral by a methodist minister from Preston.Cemetery is located in Gordon Reed's farm 2 miles east of Springbrook on hyway E17 left side of road. Two cedar trees are located there. Town was known as old Spring Brook. Cemetery was behind the M.E. church. I visited Cemetery in 1990 and it was in bad shape but visited it again in 2000 and it has now been fenced in but stones are worse. None left standing but piled in piles. Even the big Levan stone has the top knocked off. Joshua is on one side and Rebecca on the other. I have the footstone of Joshua with his initials on it. His says Joshua Levan died Feb 19 1882 age 72 yr 6 mo 6 days. Nothing is left of the old town but an old general store. In a history said in 1900 the ME church was converted into a blacksmith shop by Christ Spiser. Cemetery was about a 1/4 mile from the church. It was established July 24 1846 as a post office and thefirst postman was George Cubbage. Store build in 1864.
His son JD history says he worked in Fountain Mills in Washington Twp which was owned by his father. Also says he worked at the old Young mill for 8 yrs. This mill was located on Brush Creek. 1867 Plat map shows it in sec 29. Joshua history says he had a mill on brush creek for 9 yrs. Are they the same mill? Also a mill history says their was a mill call Washington Mill, is that Joshuas in Washington or Slabtown?
DEEDS:MARCH 23 1855 40 ACRES SEC 29 TWP 85 RANGE 4E
JUNE 30 1855 80 ACRES SEC 29 TWP 85 RANGE 4E
OCT 11 1854 39.95 ACRES SEC 30 TWP 85 RANGE 5E
13 June 1856 Bk L p.537 sold to Jas McCord NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Sec 25 Twp 85 Range 3
5 Jan 1957 bought from John Curry Bk N P. 143 SC NE by NE NE Sec 31 twp 85 Range 4
1 Mar 1859 bought Bk O P.272 SE by SE Sec 33 T 85 Range 3
Joshua sold to Francis Oct 16 1877 Bk 40 page 437 Sec 33 T 85 Range 3
10 Mar 1862 Rebecca grantee from Joshua grantor Bk Q page 240 N 1/2 NE sec 20 T84 R 4
6 Apr 1861 bought from Kennedy Bk P page 537
26 Dec 1857 bought Bk N page 144 30 acres SE sec 22 T 85 Range 3
12 Feb 1859 Bk O page 273
Joshua bought 25 June 1853 Bk U page 432 NE NE sec 25 T 85 Range 4 40 acres
Joshua sold 24 Sept 1855 Bk U page 433 NE NE sec 25 T 85 Range 4 40 acres
Rebecca sold to Getty Carr 16 July 1864 Bk W page 597 N 1/2 NE Sec 20 T 84 Range 4 80 acres
Rebecca sold to Joshua for $7000 the following land 3 Feb 1877: sec 31 and 29 in T 85 Range 4, 33, 22 that lie south of town of Andrew and west of Main St. T 85 range 3 and T 85 Range 5 sec 29 excepting lots # 20,25,73 that appear on the map of the village of Washington and except 1 1/2 acres sold to G. Witte and !/2 acre sold to C. Herbert.History says came to Jackson county in 1851 and engaged in milling in Jackson Twp. in 1879 residing in Washingronville, PO Bellevue. This place no longer exists. Found it on old plat map in Washington Twp, Jackson Co. T85 Sec 29. I think it was also called Slabtown as there is no reference anywhere of this area except on plat map. Another plat map shows a slabtown school in the same area. located on road 407 Ave off E 17. An book called "Saga of Slabtown and Old Spring Brook and Springbrook, says Slabtown located 2 1/2 miles south of Main St of "Old Spring Brook" There was located there an sawmill and school. Disappeared after the 1920's. Didn't say anything about Levan.
LETTERS IN MY POSS. FROM EDITH LEVAN FLINT. SHE DESCRIBE FAMILY AND GIVES
NAMES AND DATES OF FAMILY MEMBERS.CENSUS: 1860 JACKSON TWP JACKSON CO IOWA
JOSHUA AGE 50, REBECCA AGE 50, ALMIRA AGE 18, FRANCIS AGE 15, EMMA AGE 12
MARY AGE 9 BORN IOWACHILDREN: THE TWO UNNAMED CHILDREN ARE FROM COUNTY HISTORY SAYS THERE WERE
NINE CHILDREN FOUR BOYS AND FIVE GIRLS, SIX OF THE CHILDREN ARE STILL LIVING
THREE BOYS AND THREE GIRLS IN 1879
History of Jackson Co. Iowa 1879, copy in my Possession. Says her maiden name was Derr, a native of Lehigh co, Wisenburg Pa. They were marrried Nov 1 1829. She died in Feb 1877. They had 9 children six of them still living.
OBIT. Feb 14, 1977 Most of it is missing with a torn page. But says Mrs. Rebecca Levan wife of Joshua Levan, died at her residence in Washington township last Friday of lung fever in the 68 year of her age. Tried to get the original paper but it is missing at the Bellevue Leader.Her stone in ME church, Springbook cemetery Rebecca wife of Joshua Levan Sr. Dau of Jacob Derr of Lehigh Co. PA. Born Nov 1809 and died 9 Feb 1877.
CENSUS: 1850 NORRISTOWN MONTGOMERY CO. PA
WARD U.