, the husband of Mary Dillingham Bunker (the three times great-aunt of Jay Hannah), was born in Rising Sun, Ohio Co., IN on Feb 25, 1831 and married Mary (with whom he had 8 children: Frances Josephine, James Edwin, Almira Catherine "Katy", Margaret Ann, Clara Elizabeth, Minerva Eldora "Dora", Martha Jane "Mattie" and Mary) in Warren Co., IA on Apr 10, 1853.
He died on Jun 15, 1928 in Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co., Iowa.
Salem News August 21, 1924
HENRY COUNTY OLD TIMERS
The New London Journal is running a series of articles on old timers,and we take the following published in regard to William Shannon whoisquite well known in Salem.
William Shannon was the third white man to make his home in Henrycounty. There is no mistake about this for Mr. Shannon at the age of 95still lives in Mt. Pleasant where almost a century ago when he came toLowell was only a prairie.
During these ninety years this old settler has made his home in Henrycounty, first living in Lowell, in 1880 conducted a grocery and hardwarestore in New London and later moved to Mt. Pleasant, where he stilllives, and hopes to spend his last years.
Mr. Shannon came to Lowell with his brother-in-law, in the fall of1834 from Hamilton county, Ohio. The first white man to settle thereduring the spring of the same year. They traveled by boat and landed inBurlington, when there were only three log cabins there. In the pioneerdays the settlers sought water and timber, so they located a shortdistance up the river from Lowell.
In the early days it required a strong constitution to survive thehardships. Their first cabin was 10 by 12 feet with a loft upstairs. Asa boy Mr. Shannon had the room in the loft. His bed consisted of drygrass. The first three years the only food was corn pone. During theseyears they never tasted sugar, coffee, milk, butter, meat, salt, flour orlard. They went to Burlington where they bought the only two sacks ofcorn obtainable, of this they made corn pone and lived on it until theyraised a crop of corn the following year. it was Shannon's job to crushthe corn before each meal.
Each year more settlers came and the third year four families somehowgot fifty dollars and sent a man back to Illinois to buy cows. He wasgone six weeks and returned with four cows, costing eight dollars each,one bull costing two dollars. They then had a feast with corn pone,milkand butter. For six years they had no gun with which to kill wild game.The sixth year they sent east for a gun, and Mr. S. with it killed thefirst two deer shot in Henry county. From that time on they had plentyof wild chickens, turkeys, and deer. All the neighbors used the gun. Hisbrother-in-law had cleared what he called two acres. In the fall thedeer would jump overly the fence and eat the corn before it ripened enoughto pick. They tried to get a deer by placing the handle of a large knifein a hole drilled in a post. A rail was dropped to entice the deer toenter there. The knife was placed where they thought the deer wouldland, hoping it would stab the deer. During the night the deer wouldenter the patch without coming near the knife.
The cooking utensils consisted of one skillet, frying pan, iron kettleand one pone oven. The dishes consisted of tin cups.
In those days there were no papers. The Burlington Gazette whichisnow in its 78th year had not issued its first number. To mail a letterat Burlington cost 25 cents. There were no wagon roads or railroads. Mr.Shannon worked on the first plank road from Burlington to New Londonandalso the first railroad. He built the first fence in Baltimoretownship. Each year the Indians would come and camp near Skunk river atLowell. Mr. .Shannon saw the famous chief, Black Hawk three differenttimes. Laws and police officers were unknown. The whites were so gladto see each other they had no desire to quarrel. The Indians were alsoas sociable as the whites are now.
In 1845 the first mill was started at Lowell and from that time onsettlers flocked into the county. Of the 25 families coming here afterMr. Shannon, only two are living. Mrs. Kilbourn and Mrs. SarahArchibald. At the age of 14 Mr. Shannon ran away from his brother-in-lawbecause of cruel treatment. Up to that time he had never possessed apair of stockings or shoes. He had an old shirt and ragged pants. Hisparents died when he was a child. When he was 22 was married and at25doctors said he had tuberculosis and could not live. He was unable towalk without assistance. An old gray haired colored woman cured himbyplacing a salt pork overly his chest at night, giving him cold sage tea anda blood purifier. Believes this is the best cure even today.
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