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Tribute to Josina
A grassy knoll overlooking the
rolling Benton County countryside will be the scene for the rededication of a
grave marker for one of the county's first ladies, Josina Van
Metre.
Ceremonies by the Daughters of the American Revolution and
the Van Horne Centennial book committee will be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 14 at the
Van Metre family cemetery, 1 1/2 miles west of the Blairstown-Van Horn corner on
U.S. Highway 30. The public is invited to attend.
The Van Metre family was part of the first wave of settlers
who came to Union Township in Benton County in 1854. Josina and her
husband John came to Iowa from West Virginia and built a log cabin near Prairie
Creek on the south side of the Cedar Rapids - Toledo stagecoach road now known
as U.S. 30. They called their 275 - acre timber areas
"Pickaway."
Van Metre was a circuit riding judge. Their home was a
haven for the poor and distressed and became a hospice for those traveling the
stagecoach west.
The Van Metres had nine sons and two daughters.
The bronze marker on Josina's grave was originally unveiled
by the Daughters of the American Revolution on Oct. 18, 1936. Vandals
demolished and made off with the marker about 10 years ago. About five
years ago the marker was found along a creek about 25 miles from the cemetery by
conservation workers.
Also to be honored in the ceremonies will be Capt. J.M. Van
Metre, a Civil War veteran and son of Josina. A white iron cross will be
unveiled at his gravesite and a wreath will be laid. A 21-gun salute will
be staged by American Legion post from Keystone and Van Horne to honor his
memory and that of his mother. Josina's father served in the Revolutionary
War.
Note: Josina and John were
from West Virginia but moved to Pickaway County, Ohio before coming to Benton
County, Iowa.
From the "Eastern Iowa
Byway", Sept. 7, 1980.
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