This hand colored lithograph published by N. Currier between 1835 and 1856 depicts the signing and adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress. Photo retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/91795009/
May/June 2026 (Volume 18, Issue 3)
By Valerie Van Kooten
As you can imagine, the terms “America 250” and “Iowa” do not seem to go together that well. After all, Iowa would not become a territory until the 1830s, or a state until 1846. How could a war between Great Britain and 13 fledging colonies on the East Coast in the late 18th century affect what we now call Iowa?
Well, you might be surprised at the trickle-down effect.
This official facsimile of the Declaration of Independence created by printer William Stone was donated to the State Historical Society of Iowa in 1947 by an Iowan whose descendent—Matthew Thornton—was the last original signer of the document. While the printing plate used for this print copy dates to 1823, the copy itself was made in 1843. This was the last time the plate was used to make prints prior to its retirement and placement in the National Archives. It will be on display in the State Historical Building’s Research Center in Des Moines, June 3 through Aug. 1. Visit history.iowa.gov/visit/research-centers. Photo of 1843 copy of the United States Declaration of Independence held by the State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, courtesy of Iowa PBS
By the time of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the Meskwaki and Sauk tribes had fully moved into what is now Iowa, as well as into parts of Illinois and Missouri. The Ioway and Sioux inhabited the state as well, with the three tribes finding themselves parts of intertribal wars over territory. Other tribes, including the Omaha, Otoe and Pawnee, dipped in and out of the state on hunting forays.
But the war happening in the East had an effect on these tribes. According to Lance Foster in “The Indians of Iowa,” the 1700s and early 1800s were marked by terrible wars among the Sioux, Sauk, Meskwaki, Omaha, and Ioway for what are now Iowa lands. In addition, “…alliances with the French, British, or Americans—forged in earlier wars, such as the French and Indian War—became the basis for intensified intertribal conflicts.” As westward expansion pushed forward, there was less land to go around for the indigenous tribes.
Land Bounty Warrants
Once the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803, the nation turned its eyes to the West. All that land and the promise it gave to land-hungry settlers! Land bounty warrants were government-issued certificates (1775–1855) granting veterans free public land as compensation for military service, particularly during the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Mexican-American War (1846-1848). Veterans applied for these warrants and could either settle the land or sell/transfer the warrants.
And so, Iowa ends up as the place where 41 known Revolutionary War veterans are buried, as well as more than 1,000 War of 1812 veterans. Why Iowa has this many when surrounding states have one or none, is unclear.
But one of these Revolutionary War veterans, Cato Mead—a Black man—brought with him to our state a fascinating story.
To learn more about America250 Iowa and to discover what is happening in a community near you or to plan an Iowa road trip to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, visit history.iowa.gov. The State Historical Society of Iowa also is the administrator of the America250 Iowa Facebook and X social media platforms. The state’s website includes links to a variety of Iowa organizations. (See this issue’s Publisher’s Perspective). Another online resource is America250, the national, nonpartisan, U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission charged by Congress to lead celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Visit the official website at america250.org. Photo courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, logo by Lindsay Keast
Mead joined the 4th Connecticut Regiment in 1777, when he was only 14 years old. Mead was evidently a runaway slave, as an ad that was published in the local Norwich Packet at that time offered a reward for his return. Mead survived the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and the muddy misery of Valley Forge—as well as a siege of smallpox—before settling in Clinton, N.Y., where he and his wife farmed. Later, the family moved to Ohio and farmed there. A curious newspaper article in the Sept. 18, 1827, Weekly Franklin Repository from Chambersburg, Pa., recounts that Mead had his leg amputated due to a “fungous exostises”—a complication from a wound he received during his service in the Revolutionary War years 45 years before.
You would think that a man in his 70s, who just had his leg amputated would be content to stay in place. But his biggest move was yet to come.
At age 78, Mead stood before an Iowa judge in Lee County and swore that he had fought for the United States and that he was receiving a pension. He settled in Lee County, dying in April 1846, just a few months before Iowa became a state.
Mead is the only known Black Revolutionary War veteran buried west of the Mississippi River. The exact location of his grave is unknown, but in 1969 the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a marker in Montrose Cemetery in Montrose to honor this patriot.
Veterans Buried in Iowa
Other Revolutionary War veterans came to Iowa, each with his own story, and many have descendants living in Iowa today.
One of those descendants is Mike Rowley of Des Moines, who did not know about his Revolutionary War ancestor until 2005, after doing some genealogy work and then tracking down Matrom Mathew Elmore (1757-1840), his fifth great-grandfather on his mother’s side, in census records. Eventually, it led him to a small cemetery on a farm in Lee County, where Elmore is buried.
The Revolutionary War Monument was placed on the Iowa Statehouse grounds in 2002, with each veteran engraved on it. The Sons of the American Revolution, of which Mike Rowley is a member, took part in the dedication of the 41st name—Matrom Mathew Elmore—that was added to the monument during a ceremony in 2025. Photo Courtesy of Mike Rowley
Elmore was a native of Virginia who volunteered and served no fewer than four times between 1779 and 1782 in Virginia and Kentucky. He appears on the Iowa Territory census of 1840 and is thought to be the first regular Baptist preacher in Lee County in the 1830s.
Rowley has a passion for putting stones on the graves of unmarked veterans and is active in many history organizations, including the Iowa Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. “My family never talked about it, and I’m not sure any of them even knew,” Rowley said. “Like a lot of history, it happens, it gets told, it gets forgotten, and it needs to be found again.”
The Revolutionary War Monument was placed on the Iowa Statehouse grounds in 2002, with each veteran engraved on it. As new veterans are discovered and verified, they are added to the monument. Elmore is the newest name and was dedicated during a ceremony in 2025.
Members of the Abigail Adams Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Des Moines, Iowa, unveiled its America 250! Revolutionary War Patriot marker at Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines during a ceremony in 2024. The marker was funded by members of the Abigail Adams Chapter, which was founded in 1893. Photos courtesy of Abigail Adams Chapter Facebook page
TO READ THE ENTIRE STORY AND OTHER FASCINATING STORIES ABOUT IOWA HISTORY, subscribe to Iowa History Journal.