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Photos from the Appanoose County Historical Society's
First Annual
Cemetery Tours

~ West End of Oakland Cemetery ~

On Saturday, June 11, 2005, the Appanoose County Historical Society held it's first annual walking tour that was a retreat into Appanoose County's past! Local historians told the life stories of ten prominent or noteworthy residents of Appanoose County - Governor Drake, William Bradley, and many others. The tour started at the Chapel and wound around the western end of the cemetery.

Here is an overview of the tour, with all of the personal profiles researched and provided by Gary Craver, Appanoose County's leading historian.

You can click on most of these images
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Gravesites visited included William Bradley's. Narrator John Holeman related the rags to riches story of this prominent Centerville resident. William Bradley was born December 18, 1825 near Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . He was left an orphan and had very little formal schooling. He worked on a farm for three years then took a job carrying mail from Washington to Georgetown , Pennsylvania . In the early 1850’s he began peddling out of a wagon. He made trips through southern Iowa including Centerville . At Winterset, he met Miss Amanda T. Campbell and they were married in 1855. They had four children, David Campbell, Olive, James and William Jr. In 1856 he moved to Centerville erecting a store on the west side of the square. In 1858 he opened a bank in a small frame building on the northwest side of the square. In 1862 he reorganized his bank and received a charter in 1863 for the First National Bank. In 1964 the bank was consolidated with the Iowa Trust and Savings Bank, under the Iowa Trust name. In the same year a new building was constructed west of the square. William Bradley died May 15, 1896 .

Local historian and author, Bill Heusinkveld, treated the crowd with a first person re-enactment of the colorful actor Corse Payton, and also shared the story of Corse Payton's half sister, Mary Gibbs Spooner, at the Spooner gravesite. Corse Payton was born in Centerville on December 18, 1866 , the son of Joseph Payton and Elizabeth Swearingen-Manson. The name Corse was given him by his father who had served in the Civil War under General John M. Corse in the Sixth Iowa Infantry. He received his education in Centerville Schools. At a young age he left home in search of excitement and joined a traveling circus. A few months later he decided to return home and with his brother organized a theater stock company, known as “Corse Payton’s Comedy Company.” In 1897 he built the “Armory Opera House”, later known as the “Drake Avenue Theater” in Centerville . In 1900 after years of trouping through the Middle West he arrived in Brooklyn , New York and bought a theater for $5,000 and named it Payton’s Lee Avenue . There he originated the “ 10-20-30 cent” scale of prices and gave two shows a day. The repertoire over fifteen years numbered more than 300 plays. In most cases they were new productions, fresh from Broadway. Mary Pickford, Ed Wynn, the Gish sisters and many others served their apprenticeships in his company. During these years his name was familiar to everyone on Broadway. He became known as “ America ’s Best Bad Actor”. He first married Miss Etta Reed, who was a star in his company during the early 1900’s. She died in 1915. He then married Henrietta Brown. She died in 1958. Corse died in Brooklyn , New York on February 23, 1934 .

Mary Gibbs Spooner was born in Centerville on April 5, 1855 the daughter of Thomas Gibbs Manson and Elizabeth Swearingen. She married Spurge Spooner on March 23, 1872 . They were the parents of two daughters, Edna May and Cecil and a son, Robert. After their marriage they both appeared in several local amateur theatrical performances. They then joined a traveling theatrical company. In 1887 they organized the “Spooner Comedy Company,” that included Spurge, Mary and their children. They opened at Hale, Missouri and for the next six years traveled without closing as far east at Massachusetts and west to Denver . After the death of her husband, Spurge, on February 20, 1900 Mary took charge of the company. She brought the company then known as “The Spooners” to the Park Avenue Theater in Brooklyn, New York. This house proved inadequate and a larger theater, Hyde and Behman’s Bijou was occupied for many seasons. The Spooners operating as a stock company, later appeared on Broadway at the Fifth Avenue Theater and the Lincoln Square Theater. Mary died in New Canaan , Connecticut on April 12, 1940 .

The next site to be visited was that of Thomas Fee. Jim Senior, who is a direct descendent of Thomas Fee, was on hand to explain the life and times of his great grandfather. Thomas M. Fee, was born in Feesburg, Brown County , Ohio on April 18, 1839 , the son of Thomas J. Fee and Sarah Hastings. He received a common education and later attended the academy at Perry , Illinois . The family lived in Indianapolis one winter, then in Pike County , Illinois , and then as a young man he went to Ottumwa , Iowa . He became a teacher at Shibbleys Point , Missouri , later being principal of the Ottumwa Schools and reading law there in the office of Colonel S. W. Summers. He came to Centerville in May 1862 and entered the law practice. With the Civil War in progress he suspended his law practice and enlisted in the Union Army. He was commissioned as Captain in Company G 36th Iowa Infantry on October 4, 1862 , this being Francis M. Drake’s Regiment. He was captured and taken P. O. W. on April 25, 1864 at Mark's Mills, Arkansas . He was imprisoned at Tyler , Texas , escaping but being recaptured. After ten months he was taken to New Orleans and exchanged at Saint Charles , Arkansas on February 25, 1865 . He was mustered out on August 24, 1865 in Devall's Bluff, Arkansas . After the war he returned to Centerville and again began his law practice. He was elected superintendent of schools then district attorney for four years in 1874. In 1894 he was elected to the district bench, being reelected four years later but resigning a year before his term expired to give attention to his law practice forming a partnership with his son Thomas G. Fee. He married Miss Priscilla Sedwick. He died in Centerville on April 13, 1910 .

The group was entertained again by Bill Heusinkveld, who had worked for the Iowa Southern Utilities Company for over 40 years, to present the contributions made by Frank Payne, pioneer of the Interurban Railway in Appanoose County, among his many other endeavors. Frank S. Payne was born in Mount Pleasant , Iowa on August 16, 1869 , where he passed his boyhood days and attended school. He graduated from the High School at Bushnell , Illinois at the age of 15. From there he entered Iowa Wesleyan at Mount Pleasant , Iowa , graduating in 1892, He then entered Northwestern Law School at Chicago , Illinois and completed his course in 1894. In the same year he was admitted to the bar in both Iowa and Illinois and in the fall of that year located at Centerville , where he began the practice of law. He married Miss Grace Dickinson on October 8, 1896 at Mount Pleasant . In the fall of 1899 he was elected, as a Republican, to the Iowa House of Representatives, serving in 1900. He was re-elected in 1901, serving in 1902. He served as an attorney for the Citizen’s Electric Light and Gas Company in Centerville and in 1902 was elected president of the company that in the same year purchased the horse drawn line and built the electric railway in Centerville . In 1905 the company became Centerville Light and Traction and Iowa Southern Utilities in 1916. He died, in Centerville , on April 13, 1933 .

Dr. Brad & Dewey McConville, who have the great fortune of living in the home built by William and Mary Vermilion, gave a wonderful re-enactment of the couple. William F. Vermilion was born in Mercer County , Kentucky on October 18, 1830 , the son of Joel Vermilion and Nancy Shaw. He attended Rush Medical College in Chicago and moved to Appanoose County , Iowa around 1857. At Iconium he began the practice of medicine until 1861 when he enlisted in the Civil War and organized Company F, Thirty-Sixth Iowa Infantry and was commissioned as Captain. He was mustered out with his regiment August 12, 1865 at DeValls Bluffs, Arkansas . Upon his return to Appanoose County , Iowa he read law with Captain Thomas M. Fee and after his admission to the bar he and Captain Fee formed a partnership. In 1869 Captain Vermilion was elected to the Iowa State Senate, as a Republican, serving one term in 1870. In 1871, a partnership was formed with Judge Amos Harris, which continued until 1876, when a new partnership was formed with Colonel Eugene C. Haynes which continued until 1880. The firm then became known as Vermilion, Haynes and Vermilion and in 1884 it was Vermilion and Vermilion. In February 1894 Hosford E. Valentine was admitted to the firm. William married Miss Mary Kemper in 1859. They had a son Charles W. Vermilion. William died in Centerville on December 28, 1894 . A book, about William and Mary Vermilion, “Love Amid the Turmoil, the Civil War Letters of William and Mary Vermilion” was written by Donald C. Elder III and published in 2003.

Again, the crown was favored by another re-enactment by Dr. Brad McConville of Appanoose County's most famous and generous resident, Governor Francis M. Drake. Francis Marion Drake was born in Rushville , Illinois on December 30, 1880 , the son of John Adams and Harriet J. O'Neal In 1837 the family moved to Fort Madison , Iowa and in 1846 to Davis County , where his father founded the town of Drakeville and Francis attended the district school. In 1855 he organized a wagon train and crossed the plains to California . He returned to Iowa in 1853, and in 1854 drove one hundred milk cows across the plains and mountains to California . This time he undertook to return by sea and was wrecked in the Yankee Blade when eight hundred lives were lost. With the other survivors he returned to San Francisco and made a safe passage to New York in the Golden Gate . He then engaged in business in Drakeville and in 1859 in Unionville. He married Miss Jane Lord in 1855. They had seven children, Harriet, Jennie, Eva, Francis, John, George and Mary. He served in the Civil War in the 36th Iowa Infantry. He was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel in August 1862 and was mustered out as Brigadier General. He was severely wounded and taken P.O.W. on April 25, 1864 at Mark's Mills, Arkansas . After leaving the service he practiced law and engaged in the promotion of railroad enterprises in Iowa , Indiana and Illinois . He founded Drake University in Des Moines and was its principal benefactor. In 1895 he was elected Iowa Governor, as a Republican, serving one term 1896 - 1898. He built the Drake Public Library that was dedicated in January 1903. He died in Centerville on November 20, 1903 . Drake Avenue is named in his honor.

Another fascinating story is that of Susannah McKee. Gary Craver has studied her life to great length, and shared her story with the group. Susannah Thompson McKee, known as the first business woman of Centerville , was born near Danville , Illinois on August 28, 1837 . She married Alexander McKee in 1851. Alexander was born in Belfast , Ireland on March 27, 1830 . They had seven children, Robert, William, Jennie, Mary, Charles, Nettie and Frank. They along with their five living children moved from Fairfield, Iowa to Centerville in April 1865, where Susannah constructed the "Jefferson House Hotel," later known as the "Continental Hotel," on the east side of the Centerville Square. Susannah later built a three story brick hotel on this site that burned in the early morning of February 9, 1893 . While alerting her guests she was trapped on the third floor. In an attempt to save her life she jumped from a third story window and died from her injuries later that day. The hotel was rebuilt on the same foundation and was completed in the fall of 1893. It was operated by their son Frank until it was sold in 1903. Alexander later moved to California where he died on January 14, 1917 . He was returned to Centerville for burial.

Another noteable resident of Appanoose County was Madison M. Walden. Greg Fenton, Appanoose County Historical Society Vice President related the story to the group. Madison Miner Walden was born in Adams County , Ohio on October 6, 1836 . He moved to Iowa in 1852 where he attended the Denmark Academy in Lee County and Wesleyan College at Mount Pleasant . He graduated from Wesleyan University , Delaware , Ohio , in 1859. He married Miss Francis (Fanny) Holt on October 24, 1861 . They were the parents of a daughter, Mary and two sons, Albert and Henry, who all died as young children. He served in the Union Army as captain in the Sixth Iowa Regiment and the Eighth Iowa Regiment, from May 1861 to May 1865. He taught school and published the “Centerville Citizen” 1865-1874. He was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1866 and 1867. He served in the Iowa State Senate in 1868 and 1869. He was Lieutenant Governor of Iowa in 1870 and was elected, as a Republican, to the Forty-second United States Congress, March 4, 1871-March 3, 1873. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and coal mining in Centerville . He was appointed chief clerk in the office of the United States Solicitor of the Treasury in 1889 and served until his death in Washington, D. C. on July 24, 1891 .

Always a delight to listen to, author Enfys McMurry introduced the group to James R. Wooden. James R. Wooden was born December 20 1826 , at Gosport , Indiana , the son of Robert M. and Malinda Willhoit Wooden. He married Miss America R. Hartsock on December 13, 1846 . They were the parents of two sons, Edward, born in Indiana and Charles R., born in Centerville . He entered the merchandising business in Indiana in 1852. He had an ambition to come farther west, however, and came to Centerville on September 7, 1856 , starting in business here as a merchant soon after his arrival. He first opened his store in the Squire Waddlington building which stood on the corner where Cosby’s is now located on the west side of the square. After two years he moved his business to the north side of the square where until recently Ace Hardware was located. There he prospered as he built up a large business. He called his store the “Hoosier Store” out of compliment to his home state. After about thirty years of merchandising during a part of which time his son, Albert was identified with him, he disposed of his store interests and devoted his attention more to money loaning, farm property and banking. At one time he owned large tracts of Appanoose county real estate, but gradually disposed of his large acreage. He was one of the early vice-presidents of the First National Bank. Later he operated the Citizens Savings Bank, which later became the Wooden Savings Bank. When the present Appanoose County Courthouse was being built he donated the clock for the courthouse clock tower in appreciation for the business success that Centerville had brought to him. He died in Centerville on August 2, 1916 .

The tour was rounded out by visiting the gravesite of Johnathon Stratton, the man who gave Centerville it's wonderful town plat. Enfys McMurry, who is currently authoring a book about the roots of the Centerville Square, was the perfect person to tell the group about this amazing man. Jonathan Foster Stratton was born in Erie , Pennsylvania in January 1801. At the age of eleven he worked with his father in a saw mill and by special order of Commodore Perry they sawed the lumber of which the flag-ship Lawrence and the Niagara were constructed, the two ships being made famous by the part they took in the memorable battle of Lake Erie, a pivotal event in the War of 1812. He resided in Erie , Pennsylvania until 1824 when he moved to the territory of Michigan and was employed as a surveyor to lay out the town of Ann Arbor and the city of Jackson . He married Miss Laura Foister in 1837. They had two sons, Edward T. and Charles F. & a daughter Claudine. In 1840 he emigrated to the territory of Iowa , then a wilderness, crossing the Mississippi at Nauvoo , Illinois and stopping at Montrose during the winter. In the spring of 1841 he moved to Saint Francisville , Missouri where he remained until 1843 when he moved to Appanoose County locating near Cincinnati , where he took a claim and built a cabin but finding he was on the disputed strip between Iowa and Missouri he abandoned the claim & moved to near where Unionville , Iowa now stands. In 1846 he was employed by the Appanoose County Commissioners to survey & lay out the town of Centerville , then called Chaldea . He held the first office of Clerk of Court in Appanoose County . He died in Centerville on August 8, 1884 . His funeral was held on the Centerville Town Square that he had surveyed 38 years earlier. His home, that he constructed, known as the “Stratton House” at Haynes & Washington is said to be the oldest house in Centerville . It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.