1884-1885 Iowa State Gazetteer/ Business Directory

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. 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] 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, harnessmaker [Valenta] Wortishek Joseph, general store [Woitishek, Woitisek]	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)
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. 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 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	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) Clay Bowersox was born in 1857 and reared near Shuevyille. He attended Western college, taught school and farmed. He operated the general store in Shueyville starting in 1882. (ECHS Collection)
WESTERN COLLEGE 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 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] Back	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)