Here is a sampling of the early Jackson County names I have also found in the Galena area: Gear, Kirkpatrick, Moss, Hillyard, Hunt, Seamands, Cox, Neville, McKinley, Sutton, Harris, Bullock, Forbes, Lafayette, Rice, Armstrong, Barger, Noble, Bullerdick, Carpenter, Gordon, Reiling, Woolweever, Younker and Warren. There are bound to be more.
In the 1820’s and 1830’s, Galena was the main hub and marketplace for the area then known as the Upper Mississippi Lead Mining District (LMD), also known as the Fever River mines. This area roughly encompassed Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties in Wisconsin; Dubuque, Clayton and Allamakee counties in Iowa; and Stephenson and Jo Daviess counties in Illinois. (See the map.)
The mass migration to these mines was similar to the California Gold Rush. In 1825, there were only 200 people in Galena. But its population exploded by more than 50 times in the following three years due to the mining boom. By 1828, Galena could boast of over 10,000 residents. The mining boom there lasted from about 1810 to 1846 when many of lead mines were playing out. Then, in 1849, the California gold rush drew away many of the remaining miners. Jo Daviess Co. GenWeb has a very nice site with an index to lots of Galena newspaper articles: http://jodaviess.ilgenweb.net/
On pages 126-127 of Volume I of the 1910 History of Jackson County Iowa is an excerpt entitled “Early Jackson County Settlers previously enrolled in Illinois Regiments,” taken from Harvey Reid’s The Military History of Jackson County. Not all these men were from the Galena area, but many were. The 1910 History can be found for free on Google Books at: http://books.google.com/books?id=HHwUAAAAYAAJ&lr=.
Here is a short review of the early political history of what is now Jackson County, Iowa.
1805 - 1836 – The county was part of Michigan Territory which included all of present day Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota and eastern areas of North and South Dakota. (follow the link for a map) - Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_territory
1832 - Jackson County was included as part of the Black Hawk Purchase.
1834 - Iowa, still as part of Michigan Territory, was divided into only two counties along a line running straight west from the present-day Scott-Muscatine county line. South of that line was Des Moines Co. North of that line was Dubuque County, which included what would become Jackson Co.
1836 - Dubuque Co. became part of Wisconsin Territory. In the 1836 census, Jackson Co. is listed as part of Dubuque Co., Wisconsin Territory.
1837 - Dubuque Co., Wisconsin Territory was divided into 14 counties, including present-day Jackson, Clinton and Jones Counties in Iowa.
1838 – On July 4th, Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory. (see map) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_territory (1838 However, in the 1838 census, Jackson Co. is still listed as part of Wisconsin Territory.
1840 – The 1840 Federal Census shows Jackson County as part of Iowa Territory.
1846 – On December 28th, Iowa became the 29th state in the Union.
*** Be sure to check out this fascinating site of county formation maps. http://www.genealogyinc.com/iowa/maps/ It will show you, by year and in maps, the step-by-step formation of the county.
Have Fun!
© 2011 LuAnn Goeke
