April 16, 1785 – Johnson County pioneer – Pleasant Arthur – is born in Bedford, Virginia.
Pleasant marries Agnes Timberlake in 1810 (Hillsboro, Ohio) and moved to Iowa City in the early 1840’s. In 1841, Arthur purchased John D. Able’s ferry businesses, making him a pretty popular fellow. You see, up until 1841 when visionaries like Arthur started their ferryboat services, the only way to cross the Iowa River was by swimming, walking on the ice, or paddling a canoe. By 1845, Arthur’s son-in-law – Gilman Folsom – took over the ferry business while also serving the good people of Iowa City as a full-time lawyer.
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