Notes for James Wasson PARIS

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Notes for James Wasson PARIS

Contributor writes:

Addison Paris Farm 1849 - 1975

Wasson and Mary Paris with their twelve children came to Iowa in 1849. They settled in Fox River Township one mile west of the little town of Paris, named in their honor, but because of postal regulations it is now called Bunch.

They lived in a log cabin until they could get their house built. The house still stands and is in good condition. It belongs to a member of the family, John Herteen.

Along the south side of the farm could be seen the ruts made by the stagecoaches.

A quarter mile east of the home is the Paris Cemetery. Wasson and Mary are buried there, as are members of four other generations.

The daughters of Wasson and Mary were Jency, Emily, Bonnie, Ann and Eliza, and the sons were, Jackson, Morgan, Wesley, Hardin, Jimmy, Steven and Abner. Six of the sons were in the services of our country. One in the Mexican War and the others in the Civil War. My grandfather, Abner, being the youngest was kept at home to help take care of the family.

They all returned to Davis County and settle on farms with the exception of Jimmy who lived in Bloomfield. Jackson married Mary Stufflebeam. They had four sons; Stephen, Aaron, John, and Lewis. Three daughters Bell Swaim, Minnie Hopkins and Emaline Boyer.

Jackson accumulated a large amount of land. When the rock Island Railroad came through Bunch, Jackson donated the land.

Abner married Lemira Udell a teacher who came to Appanoose County about the same time the Paris family came to Davis. They stayed on the home place. They had three sons, Overton, Addison, and Lafayette. Overton was a bachelor teacher and also raised fine Shire horses. Addison married Alice Hoover who was making her home with her uncle, Johnathan Boyer who was Post Master in Bloomfield from 1861 to 1879. He was also Express Agent. Alice was a teacher of piano and organ.

Addison had a general store in Bunch for many years. He was the first Express Agent and was appointed Post Master in 1899.

Add was always interested in anything that improved the neighborhood or the county. He and his son Clyde were instrumental in getting Lake Wapello. They drew up the plans and presented them to the proper people.

During World War II word came to Add's grandson, Clyde Benge was a prisoner of the Japs. At the age of 72 Add went to work in the Blue Print room at the ship yards in Portland. He worked till the end of the war. He bought the first U.S. Bond when the shipyard was canvassed. Russell Swearington, Jr. another grandson was wounded in Europe.

Add had two sons Clyde and Francis. Four daughters, Chloe Benge, Gladys Woolard, Sada Swearington and Ruth Frazer.

Lafe [sic Lafayette Paris] married Clare Coltrain. They had two sons, Claude and Linden and two daughters Esther Dudley and Verona Morrison.

Abner's daughters were; Mary Coltrain, Rosa Herteen, Lemina Lippert, Emma Wycoff and Sadie Davis.

Rosa and Lemina were teachers before their marriage.

Rosa's son John Herteen is the last owner of the old home.

Very few of the Paris family now living in Davis County are, Lionel Herteen, his two sons, Philip and Don. Philips two sons, Roger and Rand, Lily Herteen Hunter, Gladys Woolard, Jack and Joe Woolard and Joe's son Bradley. All descendants of Abner.

Cynthia Spurgeon and her children, Doug and Samantha descendants of Jackson.

Pearl Paris a descendant of Steve Paris.

{Two pictures attached but not reproducible.]

[Family of four, seated, very young children]

[Middle aged man-smoking pipe]

[This article was obtained from family members who could not give a source to author or original publication. It is presented as part of the family lore but is undocumented in any way form this editors viewpoint.]

SOURCE: Unknown author and publication, Family Member Submittal

Contributor writes:

A Town Named Paris (Bunch)

By Robert Krotz
(Register Staff Writer)

PARIS (BUNCH), IA. - This is probably the only town in Iowa with two names. It owes it schizophrenic personality to the stubbornness of the U.S. Post Office and the Rock Island Railroad.

About 100 years ago, a local resident named Jackson Paris donated land for the Rock Island Railroad to build tracks and a depot here. The depot and the town that grew around it were named Paris.

About 20 years later, Paris became big enough for a post office, but postal officials told the town fathers they would have to come up with another name.

A town in Linn County had already registered with the post office as Paris.

So the town was renamed Bunch, because if they did, they would have to change all their timetables and other records. Postal officials refused to recognize Paris because doing so would mean changing their records.

So, the railroad station remained Paris, the post office was named Bunch, and the town was known as Paris (bunch).

To add further confusion, Davis county legal plats have always called the town Paris, and residents of Paris (Bunch) have called their town bunch.

There railroad eventually pulled its tracks out of Paris and the Post Office closed its Bunch office, leaving Paris (bunch) with neither a railroad nor a post office.

Now, all that remains here are a few old house and an antique filled general store, operated by Mr. And Mrs. Harvey Quigley.

Quigley, 66, who has lived here the last 52 years, says the problem of Paris (Bunch) is about to resolve itself.

"In a couple of years this will be a ghost town." He says.

"There may be some advantages to living here, but just off hand, I can't think of any."

[The 1930 Federal Census shows Harvey Quigley as a clerk in a store in Fox River Township, Davis County, his approximate birth year was 1906 according to the census. Adding the age of 66 shown above dates this article to approximately 1968.]

SOURCE: Des Moines Register, About 1968

Contributor writes:

[Handwritten dates at the bottom of the Des Moines Register article}

Bunch, Davis County, Iowa
Established June 19, 1873
Discontinued Nov. 7, 1881
Reestablished Sept. 1890
Discontinued Feb. 15, 1954

SOURCE: Photocopy of Des Moines Register article and handwritten notes, author unknown

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