Thank you Bill. That was very helpful information about the early ferry activity in Wapello. It gives me some clues to work with. Vicky ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Hansen <whansen@netins.net> Date: Sunday, June 8, 2003 8:07 am Subject: Re: [IAWAPELL] Early Wapello Co Ferryman > I checked through some information I have and could not find a > reference to > a ferry owned by a person named MARTIN. That is, perhaps, not > unusual. At > one time there were as many as four ferries running on the Des > Moines River > between Ottumwa and what was then Port Richmond (later part of > South Ottumwa > and now simply part of the city of Ottumwa). > > It seems that the ferry locations were later the same places where > bridgeswere constructed. There was a ferry in the general area of > the Vine Street > bridge, the Market Street bridge, and a ferry went to Turkey > Island. The > ferries were the only means to cross the river until the 1870s. > However the > first totally permanent bridge was not constructed until 1892. > > The earliest ferry owner that I can find was Tay Sinnamon in 1852, > howeverthere was more than likely someone prior to that. The > Richmond ferry went > from Port Richmond to Central Addition, then to Wapello and Main > streets.The Richmond ferry was purchased by John Overman and is > still known to many > as the Overman Ferry. The ferry by Turkey Island was owned by a > man named > Ford. I don't know much else about him. > > Bill Hansen > Ottumwa, Iowa > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >