Post # 20 Life In Iowa 1838

 

    This account comes from the History Of Johnson County  page 305

      “Early in the summer of 1838, Patrick Smith moved into the claim cabin whch stood on the bank of the Iowa river, in the town site of Napoleon, the first county seat.  Mrs Smith was the sister of Philip Clark, and she gave birth to a daughter sometime in August 1838 in that cabin.  It is remembered that her delivery was lingering and tedious; that she lay in great suffering about two days;  Mr. Towbridge had got onto his horse and started to Bloomington (Muscatine) for a doctor, but was called back by the news that the child was born.  Some Indian women of Wapashasheik’s village had heard that the “white squaw’s” condition, and immediately gathered wild herbs or roots from which they made a deconction and gave her to drink;  and in a few minutes thereafter she was safely delivered.  When Towbridge was going to the stock range to catch his horse he met some of the Indian men and told them why he must hurry and get his horse and ride to Bloomington for a doctor; they told their midwife women about it- and the result was as above stated.

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   By the way, the picture is our family- we took it on our one and only family vacation.