SEARCH JONES HISTORY

Monticello – If inert objects could speak, an interesting historical tale could be related by an old brick and wooden house now occupied by the Fred Ortgies family, one and one-half miles southwest of Langworthy in Jones County.

Seventy years ago this house was the home of Romant Batchelder, who sympathized with the government to free the slaves and helped operate the “Underground Railroad” to Galena, Ill. So closely did he abide by his pledge to secrecy in the transportation of slaves that even his family and neighbors knew nothing of the strange happenings at his home until many years later.

A “runner” from West Branch, where John Brown operated, brought the slaves to Batchelder’s home in the night. He never knew who brought the slaves to him or to whom he gave them.

The Negroes would spend the night in straw piles and other hideaways which were supplied with necessities by Batchelder. The next morning they would be taken on another long lap of the journey. Before daylight, Batchelder would start out in an old wagon for Dubuque on pretense of transporting furniture, but in reality his cargo consisted of unfortunate human beings who were escaping to free soil.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 1930s
Submitted by Sharon Oltmanns.
Note: Col. William T. Shaw had a land patent on this property in 1856.

Sharon Oltmanns adds: "I emailed Gertrud Ortgies Tobiason about this article. Her father was Fred Ortgies. She gave me permission to send these comments to you and to use her name. You can add them on the website with the article."

Per Gertrud Ortgies Tobiason:

“The story that my father told me is that the slaves were placed in a windowless dirt cellar under the main bedroom of the home. There had been a trap door under the bedroom carpeting, which was evidenced by the cut of the floor boards, which he showed us. Later that part of the basement was enlarged and used for storage, and a door cut from the main basement to access it.

"This is the information which was passed on to my father when he purchased the house. I do remember the floor where the trap door was located.

“The walls on the original section were so thick that we had very deep window sills and a wonderful place for house plants. In the winter, it was so easy to keep warm with those thick walls and with the addition of storm windows in the winter. It made it such a comfortable place in winter, and on the other hand, also cool in summer. A kitchen had been added without that kind of construction, so it was not as comfortable, so it was always nice to go into the dining room, living room, or bedrooms.”