QUAIFE HISTORY

 Authoress: Ethel Quaife Bergh – Editor Maurice Quaife, Grand Marais, Mn

On a farm two miles south of a little village called Dover (but later changed to Ionia) in Chickasaw County, Iowa, were born the children of Charles Alfred Quaife and Alice Elizabeth Day Quaife:

They were named:                   Born                               Died

Grandfather, Charles Alfred Quaife, was born at Dugway, NY near Oswego, and was brought to Iowa in 1856 when he was 5 years old. He was born November 3, 1851, married on October 1, 1875, resided in Ionia, Iowa and died in Ionia on May 25, 1930. His parents, John and Dianah (Moreton) Quaife Jr., left England in 1840 for America with five or six children. They were silk ribbon weavers in Stockingford, England, and came to America to seek better advantages for their children. During their sojourn in New York in different factory cities in which they worked, the urge came to move westward; and they located on a little farm between New Hampton and Ionia, Iowa, near the Wapsipinicon River. Having been weavers all through their earlier years, they found it difficult to make a success of farming and after the death of (Maurice Quaife / Ethel Bergh’s) great grandfather, John Quaife Jr., on March 18, 1866, Grandfather Charles A. Quaife with his mother and brother Albert Quaife, moved to Bradford, Iowa. Grandfather attended the Bradford academy; the academy building still stands (on the east side of the road) south of the “Little Brown Church in the Vale” at Nashua, Iowa. Grandfather Charles Quaife taught school for several years, in the winter, and also farmed.

 Grandmother Alice Elizabeth Day Quaife, daughter of Frederick A. and Elizabeth Cudworth Day, was born near Ionia, Iowa. In early years she attended school taught by her mother and later she went to the Ionia Public School. Alice Day and Charles Quaife were married on October 1, 1875.

 Grandmother Alice Day Quaife’s grandmother (Flavia Fuller) was a descendant of Dr. Samuel Fuller of the Mayflower. Mrs. Flavia Fuller was a doctor. She was present for the birth of Fannie A., Walter, Harry, Arthur, Charles and Elvin Quaife. Grandmother Alice Day Quaife died June 23, 1905, at the farm home in Ionia, IA.

 In the Public Library, Lower 36 Soho Square, London, there is a dictionary of family names by Mark Antony. In this dictionary it is found that people by the name of Quaife were residents of East Sussex and West Kent, England for hundreds of years. Until the last 150 years, the name has been spelled Coyf; Coyfe; Coife; or Cyaff. Tradition says that the ancestor of the family came from France into England with William the Conqueror in 1066; and that at the historic Battle of Hastings wore a hood in place of the usual helmet ‘unde momen” (Latin “Whence the name” It is worthy of notice that the name ”Caperown” the old French word for “hood” is found in the roll of the participants of the great battle; This roll is in the “Battle Abbey”. (Note by C. M. Goodrich – Page 160 – Creasy’s Battles – 1851 – “Battle of Hastings”) (The ruins of Battle Abbey at this hour attest the place where Harold’s army was posted; and the high altar of the abbey stood on the very spot where Harold’s own standard was planted during the fight, and where the carnage was the thickest. Immediately after his victory, William vowed to build an abbey on the site; and a fair and stately pile soon rose there, where for many ages the monks prayed and said masses for the souls of those where were slain in the battle, whence the abbey took its name.) The Quaife family has long resided near Battle, the scene of the  exploits of “the first known Quaife to reach the shores of old England.” C.M.G.

“I, Aunt Fannie visited Battle in 1933 and met Prof. James Quaife, historian, and Mr. Charles Quaife, a seed dealer. I also found two Quaife graves, 150 years old in the church cemetery.”

The children of Charles Quaife and his brother Albert Quaife attended the same school. The brothers farms joined one another. The majority of the school children were Quaife’s’, and until the building was moved away, it was known as the Quaife school. I (Ethel) remember it as a white painted building; it was a red-painted one earlier. It had all the usual characteristics of the early daily school house – double desks; one stove in the center, water carried by a delegation of two students from a well a quarter of a mile down the road at Briggs place, and distributed by one student to all the students from one tin cup.

Out of these two Quaife families, all children became high school graduates but one; 13 attended college; 3 became doctors of medicine, 1 became a doctor of history, 11 became teachers and 2 became college professors.

Grandfather Quaife was a great story teller. As a boy, Indians camped on the Wapsipinicon near their home. His mother fed them pancakes when they visited, and in return they brought wild game. As she prepared the pancakes, she had to step in and around the Indians, who always insisted on sitting on the floor. Great-grandmother never pulled her window shades at night for this might cause them to believe she feared them. Many nights the Indians came to look. When grandfather would be gone, great-grandmother was almost frightened to death , when she would see two or three faces of the Indians against the window panes.

Grandfather Quaife (Charles Quaife) when a lad, had a lovely Maltese cat which he loved dearly. The cat disappeared and lengthy searching found no cat. One evening, much later, as Great-grandmother, great-grandfather, and grandfather came from town, driving their oxen team, two blanketed Indians opened the gate. In place of the Indians going with great-grandfather to unhitch the oxen, they followed them into the house. Great-grandmother lighted the candles, and started supper preparations. The Indians planted themselves on the floor, looked at one another, grinned and kept their hands beneath their blankets, which caused her to fear that they had knives. When great-grandfather came inside, the Indians showed forth a nice warm cap with earlaps made by their squaws from Grandfathers cat’s fur. Grandfather was sad as he saw the cap, and the Indians were disappointed that he didn’t act pleased. Great-grandmother gracefully told them how nice she thought it was and that she knew her little boy would like it.

Grandfather Charles Quaife would write Indian stories for the New Hampton Courier newspaper. I know of only one clipping, I have of such,(and haven’t located it yet but feel it is in the attic in a scrapbook) This was written when I was a girl at home.

Caravans of gypsies, during the Charles Quaife’s children childhood were often in the neighborhood. The caravan would often consist of 8 to 10 covered wagons, and several horses trailing behind. These nomads would camp by rivers or farm home fences and remain several days, begging by day and stealing by night. No one would know how much hay, oats, and corn were stolen for the gypsy horses and chickens. Aunt Fannie has reported how one group had a large black iron kettle, and she saw them put several chickens in to took, with feathers on! She assumed it wasn’t a scalding of feathers process and also hoped the “innards” had been removed. I recall hearing the story often told about how the Charles Quaife home was entered, dresser drawers ransacked, and the money taken by the gypsies when the Quaife’s were gone.

Grandfather Charles Quaife had 500 acres of land to farm, so the Quaife boys had lots of hard labor to give. At one time Grandmother had 600 chickens. The boys had 26 cows to milk by hand.

Grandmother Quaife passed away in June 1905 at the age of 46. Aunt Bess was then 9 years old.