50. JASPER COUNTY, IOWA

Section I: History and Geography

History

Jasper County was formed in 1846 from the unorganized Mahaska Territory. The county and its county seat were named after two Revolutionary War soldiers who served under General Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox.” The county was named after William Jasper and the town was named after a Sergeant Newton.

Jasper County is primarily an agricultural county. The topography is high and rolling. It is within the watersheds of the North and South Skunk Rivers. Early settlers dammed the rivers for their grain mills. There are coal deposits in the townships south of Newton. There was extensive coal mining in Palo Alto, Fairview and Richland Townships after the Civil War and into the early twentieth century.

The first white settlement was in 1843 near present day Monroe. The first settlers trickled in during the 1850’s, then more extensively after the Civil War. Most of the settlers came from within other portions of the United States. In 1875, only 7% of Jasper County’s population was foreign born. At that time, 40% of the county residents had been born in Iowa. The area around Sully and Lynnville had settlers from the Netherlands.

Newton, the county seat was incorporated in 1857. The first courthouse was built there in 1847. The current courthouse, built in 1911 and is the county’s third courthouse. Newton in on the main line of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Foundries and brickyards were among the first industries. F.L. Maytag began manufacturing farm implements in 1897. In 1897 the company started making wood tub washing machines to take up some of the slack during the winter. The washing machine venture proved to be a success, and the Maytag Company eventually dropped their farm implement business in favor of making washing machines.

Boundaries

Jasper County is located in central Iowa. It is surrounded by the following counties: West – Polk Co., North – Story and Marshall Cos., NE – Tama Co., East – Poweshiek Co., South – Mahaska and Marion Cos., and SW – Warren Co.

Current towns and communities (Zip codes given for towns having Post Offices)

Town/Community Township Population

1890 1990

Baxter 50028 Independence 225 938

Colfax 50054 Washington 957 2,462

Galesburg Elk Creek 100

Ira 50127 Independence 20

Kellogg 50135 Kellogg 700 626

Killduff 50137 Buena Vista 50

Lambs Grove Newton 212

Lynnville 50153 Lynn Grove 261 393

Mingo 50168 Poweshiek 100 252

Monroe 50170 Fair View 952 1,739

Newburg Hickory Grove 200

Newton 50208 Newton 2,564 14,799

Prairie City 50228 Des Moines 684 1,366

Reasoner 50232 Palo Alto 100 191

Sully 50251 Lynn Grove 150 841

Valeria Poweshiek 100 69

Abandoned towns

Town Township Town Township

Historical Society & Associations

Section III: Records – records may be found at the record sites abbreviated after each entry. See Section II for complete record site information.

· Federal: 1850, 1854, 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 (microfilm) [IGSL] , [ISHL] ; selected years: [NPL] ;1850, 1852, 1856 (transcriptions) [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Births: (from 1880) originals, [JCCH] . (1880 - 1930), microfilm [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Marriages: (from 1846) originals, [JCCH] ; (1846-1907), microfilm [IGSL] , [ISHL] ; marriage index (1839-1895) microfilm [IGSL] ; transcribed marriage records (1849- 1899) [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Deaths: (from 1880) originals, [JCCH] ; (1880 - 1910), microfilm [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Jasper Co Gen Soc: Mortality Schedules of Jasper County 1850-1880 (1987): [ISHL]

· Guardians: (1883-1964) microfilm [IGSL] ; administrators, executors, guardians (1856-1869) microfilm [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Jasper Co. Genealogical Society: Jasper Co. cemeteries (1994), 2 vol. [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Long: Maps showing location of cemeteries by towship in Jasper County (1974): [ISHL]

· Meredith, et al: History of the First Presbyterian Church, Newton 1855-1955 (1955): [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Centennial Committee: Bethany United Methodist Church, Baxter (1969): [ISHL]

· Nyhouse: History of the Kilduff Circuit of the Methodist Church 1850-1940, n.d.: [ISHL]

· Bicentennial Committee: Monroe Methodist Church baptisms 1871-1899 : [ISHL]

· Poage: Background and history of the Community Congregational Christian Church, Baxter 1885-1960 (1960): [ISHL]

· Woodrow: A centry of industrial progress in Newton (1961) [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· History of Warren Grove School, Fairview Township 1874-1966: [ISHL] , [IGSL]

· Biographical Pub Co.: Portrait and Biographical Record of Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Co. (1894) [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Weaver, editor: Past and Present of Jasper County, Iowa, 2 Vol. (1912): [IGSL]

· Works Progress Administration: Inventory of Jasper Co. archives (1938): [IGSL] , [ISHL]

· Baxter Centennial Committee: Recollections and Sketches of Norwest Jasper… (1972)

· Lynnville Centennial Committee: Lynnville Centennial 1875-1975 (1975): [IGSL]

· Prairie Home Guild: Prairie City Iowa – proud of our past … (1992): [ISHL]

· Centennial Book Committee: Pioneers past and present of Newburg 1878-1978 (1978): [ISHL]

· Iowa Genealogical Society: Hawkeye Heritage articles through 1993, [IGSL] (Entries indicate year, issue no. and page no.)

- Hartnett’s Funeral Home, Colfax 1898-1919 (1989) 4:187; 1904-1915 (1990) 2:87

· The following Jasper County publications are for sale through the Iowa Genealogy Society. See the Iowa Genealogical Society Webpage for availability and details.

Section IV: Credits

We wish to acknowledge the contributions made by members of the Jasper County Genealogical Society, the Jasper County Courthouse, the Iowa State Historical Society and volunteers at the Iowa Genealogical Society in providing data contained in this research guide. Their efforts have been of immeasurable help in gathering this information.