The town of Solon had first been founded by John West and H.H. Kerr who surveyed the site back in 1840. Nothing much happened to the little town until almost ten years later when Kerr and P.B. Anders platted it and named it Solon in memory of one of Andres' son.
The pioneer settlement grew into an established community in the early years before its official incorporation. During this growth period the following businesses, churches and services were available:
1841 - first log cabin school house built to replace first school held in the home of Mrs. Fannie Pratt.
1842 - H.H. Kerr, first postmaster, handled mail from his home.
1843 - John Brakel opens first business, a blacksmith shop.
1845 - Big Grove township was established by Johnson County.
1855 - First Methodist Church was established.
1855 - Palmer House stage coach headquarters building was erected.
1857 - Big Grove whiskey agency was discountinued [sic] by Johnson County.
1858 - First Catholic Church was established.
1873 - A flour and saw mill was built by Akerly and Carney.
1876 - The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern railway comes through Solon.
In 1882, the first newspaper, called the "Solon Reaper", was published. A village history reported that a bank was started by David Randall and that a grain elevator and creamery had been built.
A business directory published in the 1883 history of Johnson County lists five dry goods and grocery stores, one hardware store, a drug store, one harness maker, one implement dealer and grain buyer, one furniture store, two lumber dealers, two liveries, two blacksmiths, one wagon maker, one confectionery and book store, two meat markets, one shoe maker, one brewery, five saloons and four physicians.
The first telephone in Solon was a single line connecting the Samuel Payne farm to the general store in Solon. Payne clerked at the store and used the line to communicate with his wife about such things as when dinner would be ready. A telephone system serving town and country residents was established in 1880."
Back to menu
Portion of Big Grove Township(Date TBD):
Some of the surnames found elsewhere at this website are shown on the map.
They include:
J. Smith
D.H. Smith
Charles W. McCune
J. Brakel
A.W. Blain
John White
Charles Pratt
E. Payne
William Payne
J. Brown
Back to menu
(From Johnson County rolls, for those names found also in the 1840 and 1850 U.S. Census for Big Grove Township)
Adams, Moses A.
Blain, A.W.
Brakel, John
Clark,Timothy
Connell[sic], Presley
DeBoice, William H.
Dennis, Milton
Devault, Strawder
Esterbrook, Porter
Fackler, Samuel
Felkner, Henry
Fowler, Hiram
Gibson, James M
Kerr, H.H.
McCune, Charles
McDonald, E.J.
McDowell, Henry
McGrew, Jesse
Newcomb, Alphonso B.
Nicholson, Henry
Payne, Evan
Payne, James
Payne,William Jr.
Pinnegar, Jo
Pratt, Ephraim
Pratt, Charles
Robinson, James Y.
Sanders, Cyrus
Sells, Anthony
Smith, Daniel B.
Smith, David Doke
Smith, William
Stetzer, Rudolph
Templeman, Moses
Trimble, Francis
West, Orson
2. Aurner, Clarence Ray. Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History
(Cedar Rapids: Western Histoical Press, 1912-13) pp. 164, 309.
3. 1838 Wisconsin Territorial Census for Johnson County, Iowa, comp.
Ronald Vern Jackson (Bountiful, UT: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1981)
4. 1844 Iowa State Census, Johnson County, transcription at
5. Petit Jurors, Johnson County District Court 1858 Special Term, sheriff's summons, 9 Aug 1858; Johnson County, Iowa Miscellaneous Records, item #1, microfilm 985414, LDS.
6. "Johnson County, Iowa, Military Service Eligible Males, 1848," reproduced at .
7. 1839 signatory to Constitution and Laws of the Claims
8. 1830 U.S. Census, Chautauqua County, New York, Ripley, p. 137,
9. Although reference 1 (above) attributes the name "Solon" to one of Ander's sons, the 1850 census does not show such a son in Ander's household. Perhaps the child had died by then. Alternatively, the origin of the name "Solon" might reflect the hometown of one of the founders, ae, Solon, Cortland County, New York.
10. "Hamilton H. Kerr," 35th Annual Reunion: Old Settlers of Johnson County (Iowa City: Iowa Citizen Publishing Company, Printers, 1901)
11. 1850 U.S. Census, Johnson County, Iowa, Big Grove Precinct, 8 Oct 1850, NARA microfilm M432, Roll 208.
12. Iowa District Court Records, Johnson County, 1839-1841 Second Judicial District, Iowa State Historical Society, Box 2, LDS microfilm 989168, item #1.
13. Index to 1830 U.S. Census, New York, Ronald Vern Jackson (Bountiful, UT: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1977)
14. 1840 U.S. Census Iowa, Johnson County, comp. Rowena T. Obert (Salt Lake City, UT, 1968)
15. Probate Records, Johnson County, IA, LDS FHL microfilm 985944.
16. World Connect, Rootsweb.com at wcrootsweb.com
17. LDS FHL
18. Wilbur D. Cannon Papers, 1860-1915, State Historical Society of Iowa, Special Collection, Iowa City, Iowa City Library Manuscripts, BL 71.
19. Wilbur D. Cannon,Iowa City mansion in series on historic
landmarks of Iowa city, Iowa Press Citizen, Aug. 1-4, 2004, Iowa City.
20. Index to 1820 U.S. Census, Ohio, Ronald Vern Jackson (Bountiful, UT: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1971)
21. "Women of Big Grove," comp. Jacob Risora, Johnson County, Iowa Miscellaneous Records, item #1, LDS Film 985414.
22. Dr. James Griffith birth calculated from age given in obituary, Chicago Tribune, 28 April 1884, p. 3.
23. Griffith/Hall, Knox County Probate Court Marriage Records 1808-1838, p. 117, LDS Film 1294304.
24. Mrs. Elizabeth Griffith birth calculated from age given in obituary, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep 1891, p. 3. Elizabeth Griffith, Chicago city Board of Health Death Certificate 1891-5219.
25. James Griffith, Chicago City Board of Health Death Certificate 1884-39938.
26. Alpheus H. Harlan, History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family (np,1914)
27. James Griffith, Certificate 3117, Iowa City Land office, 16 Sep 1850, patent 1 Apr 1850, nw 1/4 se 1/4 sec 22, T81N R6W, Johnson county Recorder Bk. 6, p. 218.
28. U.S. 1860 Census Johnson County, IA, Newport Twp., NARA microfilm M653, 2d filming, roll 327, p. 541, Household 365.
29. Marriages of Johnson County, IA, 1839--1867, Vol. 3, p. 142, Johnson County Recorder, Iowa City.
30. Marriages of Johnson County, IA, 1839--11867, Book 3, p. 22, Johnson County Recorder, Iowa City.
31. 1870 U.S. Census, Johnson County, IA, Newport Twp., NARA microfilm M593, Roll 400
32. Johnson County, IA District Court, Guardianships 1851-1938, UGS 1990, microfilm 1705134, item #1.
33. Johnson County Probate Records, Vol. 8, p. 201, LDS FHL microfilm roll 985947.
34. Johnson County Probate Index, Vol. 1, 1840-1883, UGS microfilm 985942.
35. 1870 U.S. Census, Johnson County, IA, Iowa City, p. 7, NARA microfilm M593, Roll 400.
36. LDS FHL. (No documentary sources cited for this submittal).
37. 1830 U. S. Census, New York, Chautauqua County, Ellery,
38. 1825 New York State Census, Chautauqua County, Ellery,
39. 1820 U. S. Census, New York, Chautauqua County, Chautauqua,
40. Elliot Storke, History of Cayuga County, New York, 1789-1897( Syracuse: D. Mason, 1879), p. 260.
41. Cyrus Sanders and Henry Felkner, "Unfinished History of Johnson County," manuscript, Iowa State Historical Society, Iowa City, Iowa.
42. Iowa State Census 1854 transcribed at
43. Willliam Monroe Spurrier, International Genealogical Index (IGI), LDS FHL.
44. Irvin Weber, "Solon History," in "History of Johnson County Iowa," Iowa Press Citizen, 24 Sep 1975, p. 2; see also Solon Reaper, 28 July 1982; and Aurner (2 above), Leading Events..., p. 164.
45. Johnson County Recorder, Iowa City, Iowa
46. Iowa Writers ProgramHistory of Johnson County, Iowa<\/em>,State of Iowa Work Projects Administration, 1941.
47. Yearbook of Old Settler's Association of Johnson County, IA, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
www.rootsweb.com/~iajohnso/JCmilitary1848.htm
Association of Johnson County, Iowa, adopted 9 Mar 1839 as transcribed at
www.kinyon.com/iowa/claim/constitution.htm
trans. Virginia Barden and Lois Barris, Chautauqua County Genealogical
Society, 1995, at:
www.rootsweb.com/~nychauta/CENSUS/Ripl1820.htm
p. 322, trans. Jay Priest, Chautauqua County Genealogical Society:
www.rootsweb.com/~nychauta/CENSUS/Elle1830.html
p. trans. Mrs. Lester Lewison, NSDAR
www.rootsweb.com/~nychauta/CENSUS/Elle1825.html
p. 55,trans. Virginia Barden and Lois Barris, Chautauqua County
Genealogical Society, 1995, at:
www.rootsweb.com/~nychauta/CENSUS/Chau1820.htm
iagenweb.org/census/johnson/1854/IA-1854-BigGrove.txt