Drakesville was founded by John Adams Drake in 1846. Originally the town was called Drakeville, the s was added in later years but I have not been able to document the date of that change. John married Harriet Jane O’Neal and they had two sons. John Hamilton Drake was born in Drakevillle, became a banker in Albia, Iowa and was later killed in the Civil War. Their son Francis Marion Drake was a Brigadier General in the Civil War. Francis was a banker and lawyer in Centerville, Iowa. Drake University was named for him and he was elected Governor of Iowa in 1895.