1884-85 Iowa Gazeteer

From the "Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1884-1885
[Note: Some names spelled incorrectly. Alternative spellings, if known, are within brackets]

ELY   
A village on the B., C.R. & N. Railway, in Putnam township, Linn county, 125 [185] miles from Des Moines, 15 south of Marion, the county seat, and 9 southeast of Cedar Rapids, the nearest banking point.  Settled in 1871, it contains a Methodist Episcopal church and public schools, and ships grain and produce.  Population, 400.  Tel., W.U. Exp., Am.  Mail, daily.  J. Moorehead, postmaster.

Joseph Woitishek was born in Moravia in 1837.
In 1853 he and his family arrived in Galveston,
Texas and made their way up the Mississippi,
coming to Hoosier Grove (now Ely) in 1854.
There he bought land and farmed. Later he
operated   a  general store and  was involved
in the grain  trade. (Vavra Family Collection)
Biss, F C, meat market
Cutler & Stansbury, physicians
Devault, J L, railroad and express agent
Devault J W, jeweler
Fuhrmeister & Wortishek, grain   [Woitishek, Woitisek]
Hanus J. and Sons, undertaker
Healy L M, hotel, livery and meats
Holeck, Joseph, saddler  [Holec or Holets]
Horak, Anton, blacksmith
Janko John, lumber
Jonas J. shoemaker
Krall Frank, general store
Kronek John, saloon
Lawrence J, hardware   [Lorenc]
Lorence John, constable   [Lorenc]
Moorehead J. Druggist, Grocer, Notary and Agent Telephone Co.
Neibert F, shoemaker
Poduska Frank, saloon
Stepanek J, blacksmith
Tichy Frank, saloon
Walanta W, harness maker   [Valenta]
Wortishek Joseph, general store    [Woitishek, (Voitisek]

SHUEYVILLE   
A village in Jefferson township, Johnson county, 180 miles east of Des Moines, 16 northwest of Iowa City, the county seat, 4 1/2 southwest of Ely, on the B., C.R. & N. Railway, the nearest railroad station, and 10 south of Cedar Rapids, the nearest banking point, from whence it recives a daily mail by stage.  Settled in 1850, it contains Evangelical and United Brethren churches, a public school and ships grain and produce.  Population, 125.  Clay Bowersox, postmaster.
Henry Carse was a a blacksmith in Shueyville for 58 years.
He was born in Wayne County, Ohio in 1832 and came to
Shueyville in the 1860s. (ECHS Collection)

Albert Mrs. B, dressmaker
Albert Miss Ella, teacher
Albert Miss Emma, teacher
Bock Jacob, teacher
Bowersox Bros, sorghum mnfrs.
Bowersox Clay, General Store
Bowersox J S, teacher
Cars H, blacksmith   [Carse]
Crowell Rev A (United Brethren)
Crowell Miss Lizzie, teacher
Crowell Mrs Mary, milliner
Curtis Albert, teacher
Clay Bowersox, born 1857
and reared near Shuevyille.
He attended Western college,
taught school,farmed and
operated the Shueyville general
store starting in 1882.
(ECHS Collection)
Fordice J K, barber
Frazee __, physician
Graham T, notary
Kepheart Rev. H (United Brethren)   [Kephart]
Kepheart & Crowell, sorghum mnfrs.   [Kephart]
Netoliksy V, saloon   [Netolicky]
Potter Miss Etta, teacher
Pudil F, blacksmith
Verba Anton, constable   [also Vrba]
Walter Parris, book agent
Williams Miss Bell, teacher
Williams C C, carpenter



WESTERN COLLEGE (now Western)
An incorporated town in College township, Linn county, 180 miles east of Des Moines, 15 southwest of Marion, the county seat, and 9 south of Cedar Rapids, the nearest railroad station and banking point, from whence it received a daily mail by stage; fare, 25 cents.  Settled in 1855, it contains a church of the United Brethren, and ships grain produce, and live stock.  Population 200.  I. N. Potter, postmaster
Moses Bollenbaugh and his wife Sarah (Miller)
settled in Western College about 1857. He was the
town's first postmaster and operated a hotel there for
twenty-five years. He and his wife were married for
over 70 years. (Leo & Irma Modracek Collection)

Anderson T B, carpenter
Ballenbaugh G W, constable   [Bollenbaugh]
Ballenbaugh M, hotel propr.    [Bollenbaugh]
Jansa F & J, boots and shoes
Johnston E, teacher
Johnston J Y, justice and notary public
Kaufman Jacob, notary public
Lindsey Rev J (United Brethren)
Nesmith J H, insurance agt.
Potter I N, General Store
Slansbury G W & Culler, physicians   [Stansbury]
Snyder G W, hardware
Stewart A F, mngr J B Marin & Co's creamery
Stirsky A & Son, boots and shoes
Vavricek Anton, blacksmith and feed mill  [Vavrichek]