Adam Peter Noel
(1800..1887)
Adam Peter Noel, the son
of Joseph
Noel, was born June 10, 1800 in
Westmoreland
County,Pennsylvania. He
married Susannah Lindsay
on May 18, 1834. In 1835
he moved with
his wife, her family and his
brothers, Joseph, John,
and Peter to
Stephenson, Illinois (now Rock
Island, Illinois). He
helped to build
Fort Armstrong. Later that year
he moved across the river
to Davenport,
Iowa. He was a farmer and
a prosperous business-man
in Davenport.
He had four children,
Margaret, John, Joseph,
and Sarah.
Adam Noel's obituary
(Davenport Democrat,
I believe) " Death of
Old Settler Another Scott
county old
settler has gone the way of all
the earth. Adam Noel,
died yesterday
afternoon at 6 1/2 o'clock, at
his residence on Locust
street, aged
72 years. Was born June 10th
1800, in Westmoreland
county, Pa.,
removed to what was then styled
the new purchase in the
year 1835,
locating in Dubuque county,
Wisconsin territory, now
Scott county
Iowa. He built his cabin in
what is sometimes and
better known
among old settlers as Mitchell's
Grove, a few hundred feet
north of
"Mercy Hospital", in the course
of a year or so he
entered 160 acres
at $1.25 per acre, running from
the present Brady street
to Gaines
street, and from Locust street
north, on a portion of
which ground
is the present Scott County Fair
Grounds. He laid out two
additions
to the city, the first on the west
side of Brady street, the
second on
the east side and along Harrison
street. The family
consists of the
aged widow and four grown up
children, viz. Two sons,
John T. Noel
and Joseph A. Noel, and two
daughters, one of whom is
the wife
of Gallus Woeber, of our city,
the other the wife of
Charles R. Holmes,
a resident of St. Louis.
Adam Noel was a mechanic,
being a carpenter
and also a chair-maker,
having established quite
a large furniture
manufactory in
Pennsylvania, which he
sold when struck
with the "Western Fever".
His first business was
working as a
carpenter at old Fort Armstrong,
on Rock Island, and
although he ranked
among the farmers of our
county, never farmed
until here. he
lived and died in full faith with the
Roman Catholic Church,
being a member
of Ste. Marguerite's church,
from which his funeral
takes place
to-morrow. He was all his life a firm,
reliable member of the
Democratic party.
The "Old Settlers" will take
charge of the funeral
service, and
will meet in a body at the residence
of the family, corner of
Harrison and
Locust streets, at 8 1/2 o'clock,
promptly.
" Now to Harvey Noel's
notes, most
of which can be substantiated with
local Davenport records.
City directories
over the years listed Adam
Noel as farmer, owner of
wagon works,
and later wagon and carriage
manufacturing firm (A.
Noel Buggies
and Wagons). Also had a sawmill
at the foot of Harrison
street. Adam
and brothers, John and Peter,
rafted lumber from
Wisconsin down to
the mill, to be used for houses
built in Noel addition
and wagons.
John Noel, Adam's brother, was
listed in the early
directories as
a carpenter and stone mason, as was
brother Peter. John
eventually, and
according to half-cousins in
Latrobe, PA, went on to
Montrose, Mo.
where he owned a pig farm.
A family anecdote to pass
on to you-
Harvey says "An anecdote that I
expect best describes the
conditions
out on the frontier at that time was
passed down as Noel lore
as told by
Great Grandmother Susan
(Adam' wife) when she
stayed at the
farm of son J.T. Noel during the
summer months when she
was up from
St. Louis or later when she
returned to Davenport.
She related
that she saw a band of Indians
approaching the house and
followed
instructions by ringing the large
cast iron bell as a call
for help.
Remember this was 1836 or '37.
Then she hung the baby in
its basket
from the ceiling of the vegetable
storage under the floor,
and
threw
a rug down to cover the trap door
and placed the table and
chairs on
it. Praying the baby would sleep
through the ordeal. She
watched from
the window for help or the return
of her husband. She
waited, waited,
waited. No one. Then in the distance,
riding his white horse,
appeared their
good friend Antone LeClare.
He spoke 5 languages and
many Indian
dialects and had been an
interpreter for the army
and government
when the land was bought from
the Indians in '27. In
fact, he was
half-Indian and when the treaty was
signed by the Chief,
Antone LeClare
received 600 acres where the east
side of Davenport, Iowa
now stands-
1200 acres where Moline, Illinois is
and 1200 acres at
LeClare, Iowa. Antone
was a pious man, good friend
and in later years was
the witness
for that baby, Jane, at her wedding to
Gallus Woeber." .
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