Untitled Document

MRS. NANCY HARTZELL

Mrs. Michael Hartzell. whose maiden name was Nancy Werman Steuffer, was born near Blairsville, Pa., October 5, 1816, a daughter of John Steuffer, and the twelfth born in a family of fifteen children. When she was fourteen years old she united with the Methodist church, and continued a faithful Christian until her death. On May 5, 1836, she married Michael Hartzell, and a few days thereafter the young couple started off for what was then called the "far west." At that early date there were no railroads, fast steamers, telegraphs or telephone by means of which communication could be maintained between different points. The only carriers were messengers, the fleetest of whom were stalwart Indians. Horses with pack saddles, ox carts or wagons, canal boats, flat boats and slow running freight boats on the larger rivers were the only methods of transportation. The postage at that time on a letter from Blairsville to the settlements on the Mississippi river, was twenty-five cents.

A large assembly of friends met at the boat landing to speed the young couple on their long and dangerous journey. They loaded their few household goods on a canal boat and hade farewell to the companions and scenes of childhood, and took up the burden of mature years, their destination being Rock Island county,Ill. Mr. Hartzell knew something of their new home for he had gone to Stevenson, the previous year and begun a log house in preparation for his bride.

They journeyed by canal boat and steamer to St. Louis, Mo., where they took passage on one of the then thought palatial steamers, of the good old days of yore, which have been so often celebrated in song and story. This steamer carried them safely up the Mississippi river to the pioneer settlement at Stevenson, now Rock Island city, after a voyage of three weeks. It was the custom at that time for the people to run down to the landing whenever a steamer arrived, and among those thus assembled when Mrs. Hartzell landed, she found a few of her friends who had come on before her, and the sight of their familiar faces assisted her in overcoming her homesickness.

The first home of the Hartzells was a log cabin near the river which they occupied until the two story log house commenced by Mr. Hartzell upon his previous trip, was completed. This was the first house of two stories in the settlement. The Father of Waters served as a wash tub for Mrs. Harwell's clothes and she hung them on the bushes along the shore to dry. The first Sunday she and her husband were in Stevenson they saw some strange men appearing to be searching for some place, and when Mr. Hartzell went out and spoke to them, they said they were looking for a church. As there was no place of religious worship in the settlement, he invited them into his cabin and they all held a social prayer meeting. This was the beginning of Methodism in Stevenson. Later on Mr. Hartzell organized the first Methodist class which in time developed into the First Methodist Church of Rock Island. The seventy-fifth anniversary of this event was celebrated in Rock Island, October 26-29, 1911. The names of the strange men who were responsible for the prayer meeting out of which grew the powerful church of today, are not given. It has been suggested that they might have been angels, or at least actuated by a spirit worthy of angels.

The home life and privation of the Hartzells were similar to those of other pioneer families. Mrs. Hartzell baked her bread in iron kettles before the open fire. Upon one occasion, she used to relate, that after working all Saturday and baking eight loaves of bread, she was visited by a party of hungry strangers and these loaves were all consumed by her visitors. She added that when she saw the results of her hard work so disappear "I just had to cry.'' This was not an unusual occurrence, however, for in those days the Hartzell home was regarded as an open house for the strangers and circuit riders and soon its reputation spread among the Indians.

One time when Mrs. Hiirtzell was alone, a party of Indians stopped to beg something to eat and she gave them a whole baking of bread which she had just finished and had placed on a walnut chest, used as a table to cool. Upon another occasion she gave an Indian a meal in a new iron kettle. 'When he was through eating he insisted upon carrying off the kettle to his squaw. Once when Mr. Hartzell was treating an Indian to some of the bread, the latter offered to trade Mr. Hartzell a number of ponies for the white squaw, and when. Mr. Hartzell declined, he raised his bid with a pair of blankets.

In 1842 Mr. aud Mrs. Hartzell united with the Methodist Church of Moline. She was a mem ber of the National Women's Christian Temperance Union, and was one of the "Crusaders" and in 1873 led a party of Christian women into a saloon at Five Points and conducted a prayer meeting there. After the death of her husband, August 20, 1899, Mrs. Hartzell lived with her children in Moline and Quincy, Ill., Kansas City, Kas., and Alhambra, Cal., but finally returned to Moline, where she spent tbe declining years of her long life with her daughter, Mrs. Margaret Holt, dying there October 14, 1909.

She was the mother of thirteen children, seven of whom were living at the time of her demise: Mrs. Margaret Holt who is of Moline, Ill.; J. C. Hartzell who is a bishop in the African missionary field; Mrs. Sena Wallace who is a national lecturer and organizer for the Women's Christian Temperance Union, is an able speaker and a very bright woman whose home is in Kansas City, Kas.; Mrs. Eva Hayes, who is also of Kansas City, Kas.; Mrs. Alice McCoy of Moline,Ill.; Mrs. Lillie Drury who is of Hampton, Ill., and Mrs. Stella Jaques who is of Alhambra, Cal. Mrs. Hartzell left thirty-six grandchildren, thirty-one great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois

Submitted by W. Caudell

Illinois Ancestors

112006BMKF