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HISTORICAL 


ENCYCLOPEDIA 


OF 


ILLINOIS 


--  fy  j  EDITED   BY 

Newton    Bateman,   LL.  D. 


Pall  Selbv,  A.M. 


AND   HISTORY  OF 


SCHUYLER   COUNTY 


KDIlF.n   B\ 

Howard    F,    Dyson 


ILLUSTRATED 


C  H  I  C  A  (i  O  : 
M  U  N  S  E  I.  L     r  U  B  I.  I  S  H  I  X  G     C  O  M  1'  A  N  Y 

r  U  1!  I.  I  S  H  E  R  S 
I  9  i>  S 


H  


I':nlcred  according  to  act  of  Congicss  in  the  years 
1894,  1899  and  1900  by 

WILLIAM     VV.     M  UN'S  ELL 

In  the  office  of  the   Libratian  of  Congress  at  Washington 


I     / 


", 

Wjl«AyLMA4sAtfV 

'I'i^^e^"!^^' 

ik^mnilCKy        ^'"^ 

TERRITORY  DRAINED  BY  THE 'ILLINOIS  RIVER. 


THE  NE'vV   YoKii 

PUBLIC  LIBRAP>Y 

ASTOR,  LKNOX 
TTLDEN    FO"Nr)AT;'-'N- 


J^J7^^«.c^fewte^< 


PREFACE. 


Why  publish  this  book?  There  should  be  many  and  strong  reasons  to  warrant  such  an 
undertaking.  Are  there  such  reasons?  What  considerations  are  weighty  enough  to  have 
induced  the  publishers  to  make  this  venture?  and  what  special  claims  has  Illinois  to  such  a 
distinction?  These  are  reasonable  and  inevitable  inquiries,  and  it  is  fitting  they  should 
receive  attention. 

In  the  first  place,  good  State  Histories  are  of  great  importance  and  value,  and  there  is 
abundant  and  cheering  evidence  of  an  increasing  popular  interest  in  them.  This  is  true  of 
all  such  works,  whatever  States  may  be  their  subjects;  and  it  is  conspicuously  true  of  Illi- 
nois, for  the  following,  among  many  other  reasons :  Because  of  its  great  prominence  in  the 
early  history  of  the  West  as  the  seat  of  the  first  settlements  of  Europeans  northwest  of  the 
Ohio  River — the  unique  character  of  its  early  civilization,  due  to  or  resulting  from  its  early 
French  population  brought  in  contact  with  the  aborigines — its  political,  military,  and  educa- 
tional prominence — its  steadfast  loyalty  and  patriotism — the  marvelous  development  of  its 
vast  resources — the  number  of  distinguished  statesmen,  generals,  and  jurists  whom  it  has 
furnished  to  the  Government,  and  its  grand  record  in  the  exciting  and  perilous  conflicts  on 
the  Slavery  question. 

This  is  the  magnificent  Commonwealth,  the  setting  forth  of  whose  history,  in  all  of  its 
essential  depai'tments  and  features,  seemed  to  warrant  the  bringing  out  of  another  volume 
devoted  to  that  end.  Its  material  has  been  gathered  from  every  available  source,  and  most 
carefully  examined  and  sifted  before  acceptance.  Especial  care  has  been  taken  in  collecting 
material  of  a  biographical  character ;  facts  and  incidents  in  the  personal  history  of  men  identi- 
fied with  the  life  of  the  State  in  its  Territorial  and  later  periods.  This  material  has  been 
gathered  from  a  great  variety  of  sources  widely  scattered,  and  much  of  it  quite  inaccessible 
to  the  ordinary  inquirer.  The  encyclopedic  form  of  the  work  favors  conciseness  and  com- 
pactness, and  was  adopted  with  a  view  to  condensing  the  largest  amount  of  information 
within  the  smallest  practicable  space. 

And  so  the  Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Elinois  was  conceived  and  planned  in  the  belief 
that  it  was  needed;  that  no  other  book  filled  the  place  it  was  designed  to  occupy,  or  fur- 
nished the  amount,  variety  and  scope  of  information  touching  the  infancy  and  later  life  of 
Illinois,  that  would  be  found  in  its  pages.  In  that  belief,  and  in  furtherance  of  those  ends, 
the  book  has  been  constructed  and  its  topics  selected  and  written.  Simplicity,  perspicuity, 
conciseness  and  accuracy  have  been  the  dominant  aims  and  rules  of  its  editors  and  writers. 
The  supreme  mission  of  the  book  is  to  record,  fairly  and  truthfully,  historical  facts;  facts  of 
the  earlier  and  later  history  of  the  State,  and  di-awn  from  tlie  almost  innumerable  source' 
connected  with  that  history ;  facts  of  interest  to  the  great  body  of  our  people,  as  well  as  to 
scholars,  officials,  and  other  special  classes;  a  book  convenient  for  reference  in  the  school, 
the  nffice,  and  the  home.     Hence,  no  attempt  at  fine  writing,  no  labored,  irrelevant  and 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

long-drawn  accounts  of  matters,  persons  or  things,  which  really  need  but  a  few  plain  words 
for  then-  adequate  elucidation,  will  be  found  in  its  pages.  On  the  other  hand,  perspicuity 
and  fitting  development  are  never  intentionally  sacrificed  to  mere  conciseness  and  brevity. 
Whenever  a  subject,  from  its  nature,  demands  a  more  elaborate  treatment — and  there  are 
many  of  this  character — it  is  handled  accordingly. 

As  a  rule,  the  method  pursued  is  the  separate  and  topical,  rather  than  the  chronological, 
as  being  more  satisfactory  and  convenient  for  reference.  That  is,  each  topic  is  considered 
separately  and  exhaustively,  instead  of  being  blended,  chronologically,  with  others.  To  pass 
from  subject  to  subject,  in  the  mere  arbitrary  order  of  time,  is  to  sacrifice  simplicity  and 
order  to  complexity  and  confusion. 

Absolute  freedom  from  error  or  defect  in  all  cases,  in  handling  so  many  thousands  of 
items,  is  not  claimed,  and  could  not  reasonably  be  expected  of  any  finite  intelligence;  since, 
in  complicated  cases,  some  element  may  possibly  elude  its  sharpest  scrutiny.  But  every 
statement  of  fact,  made  herein  without  qualification,  is  believed  to  be  strictly  correct,  and 
the  statistics  of  the  volume,  as  a  whole,  are  submitted  to  its  readers  with  entire  confidence. 

Considerable  space  is  also  devoted  to  biographical  sketches  of  persons  deemed  worthy  of 
mention,  for  their  close  relations  to  the  State  in  some  of  its  varied  interests,  political,  gov- 
ernmental, financial,  social,  religious,  educational,  industrial,  commercial,  economical,  mili- 
tary, judicial  or  otherwise;  or  for  their  supposed  personal  deservings  in  other  respects.  It 
is  believed  that  the  extensive  recognition  of  such  individuals,  by  the  publishers,  will  not  be 
disapproved  or  regi-etted  by  the  public;  that  personal  biography  has  an  honored,  useful  and 
legitimate  place  in  such  a  history  of  Illinois  as  this  volume  aims  to  be,  and  that  the  omission 
of  such  a  department  would  seriously  detract  from  the  completeness  and  value  of  the  book. 
Perhaps  no  more  delicate  and  difficult  task  has  confronted  the  editors  and  publishers  than 
the  selection  of  names  for  this  part  of  the  work. 

While  it  is  believed  that  no  unworthy  name  has  a  place  in  the  list,  it  is  freely  admitted 
that  there  may  be  many  others,  equally  or  possibly  even  more  worthy,  whose  names  do  not 
appear,  partly  for  lack  of  definite  and  adequate  information,  and  partly  because  it  was  not 
deemed  best  to  materially  increase  the  space  devoted  to  this  class  of  topics. 

And  so,  with  cordial  thanks  to  the  publishers  for  the  risks  they  have  so  cheerfully 
assumed  in  this  enterprise,  for  their  business  energy,  integrity,  and  determination,  and  their 
uniform  kindness  and  courtesy ;  to  the  many  who  have  so  generously  and  helpfully  promoted 
the  success  of  the  work,  by  their  contributions  of  valuable  information,  interesting  reminis- 
cences, and  rare  incidents;  to  Mr.  Paul  Selby,  the  very  able  associate  editor,  to  whom 
especial  honor  and  credit  are  due  for  his  most  efficient,  intelligent  and  scholarly  services ;  to 
Hon.  Harvey  B.  Ilurd,  Walter  B.  Wines,  and  to  all  others  who  have,  by  word  or  act, 
encouraged  us  in  this  enterprise — with  grateful  recognition  of  all  these  friends  and  helpers, 
the  Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois,  with  its  thousands  of  topics  and  many  thousands  of 
details,  items  and  incidents,  is  now  respectfully  submitted  to  the  good  people  of  the  State, 
for  whom  it  has  been  prepared,  in  the  earnest  hope  and  confident  belief  that  it  will  be  found 
instructive,  couveuient  and  useful  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed. 


THE  NEW  YO'='K 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


iTrLDE-..  ■  "■ 


PREFATORY    STATEMENT. 


Since  the  bulk  of  the  matter  contained  in  this  volume  was  practically  completed  and 
ready  for  the  press,  Dr.  Newton  Bateman,  who  occupied  the  relation  to  it  of  editor-in-chief, 
has  passed  beyond  the  sphere  of  mortal  existence.  In  jilacing  the  work  before  the  public,  it 
therefore  devolves  upon  the  undersigned  to  make  this  last  prefatory  statement. 

As  explained  by  Dr.  Bateman  in  his  preface,  the  object  had  in  view  in  the  preparation 
of  a  "Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois"  has  been  to  present,  in  compact  and  concise  form, 
the  leading  facts  of  Territorial  and  State  history,  from  the  arrival  of  the  earliest  French 
explorers  in  Illinois  to  the  present  time.  This  has  included  an  outline  history  of  the  State, 
under  the  title,  "Illinois,"  supplemented  by  special  articles  relating  to  various  crises  and  eras 
in  State  history;  changes  in  form  of  government  and  administration;  the  history  of  Consti- 
tutional Conventions  and  Legislative  Assemblies ;  the  vaa-ious  wars  in  which  Illinoisans  have 
taken  part,  with  a  summary  of  the  principal  events  in  the  history  of  individual  military 
organizations  engaged  in  the  Civil  War  of  1861-65,  and  the  War  of  1898  with  Spain;  lists  of 
State  officers.  United  States  Senators  and  Members  of  Congress,  with  the  terms  of  each;  the 
organization  and  development  of  political  divisions;  the  establishment  of  charitable  and 
educational  institutions ;  the  growth  of  public  improvements  and  other  enterprises  which 
have  marked  the  progress  of  the  State ;  natural  features  and  resources ;  the  history  of  early 
newspapers,  and  the  growth  of  religious  denominations,  together  with  general  statistical 
information  and  unusual  or  extraordinary  occurrences  of  a  local  or  general  State  cliaracter — 
all  arranged  under  topical  heads,  and  convenient  for  ready  reference  by  all  seeking  informa- 
tion on  these  subjects,  whether  in  the  family,  in  the  office  of  the  professional  or  business 
man,  in  the  teacher's  study  and  the  school-room,  or  in  the  public  library. 

While  individual  or  collected  biogi-aphies  of  the  public  men  of  Illinois  have  not  been 
wholly  lacking  or  few  in  number — and  those  already  in  existence  have  a  present  and  con- 
stantly increasing  value — they  have  been  limited,  for  the  most  part,  to  special  localities  and 
^particular  periods  or  classes.  Rich  as  the  annals  of  Illinois  are  in  the  records  and  chaj-acter 
of  its  distinguished  citizens  who,  by  their  services  in  the  public  councils,  upon  the  judicial 
bench  and  in  the  executive  chair,  in  the  forum  and  in  the  field,  have  reflected  honor  upon 
the  State  and  the  Nation,  there  has  been  hitherto  no  comprehensive  attempt  to  gather 
together,  in  one  volume,  sketches  of  those  who  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  creation  and 
upbuilding  of  the  State.  The  collection  of  material  of  this  sort  has  been  a  task  requiring 
patient  and  laborious  research ;  and,  while  all  may  not  have  been  achieved  in  this  direction 
that  was  desirable,  owing  to  the  insufficiency  or  total  absence  of  data  relating  to  the  lives  of 
many  men  most  prominent  in  public  affairs  during  the  period  to  which  tliey  belonged,  it  is 
still  believed  that  what  has  been  accomplished  will  be  found  of  permanent  value  and  be 
appreciated  by  those  most  deeply  interested  in  this  phase  of  State  history. 

The  large  number  of  topics  treated  has  made  brevity  and  conciseness  an  indispensable 
feature  of  the  work ;  consequently  there  has  been  no  attempt  to  indulge  in  graces  of  style  or 

5 


6  P  li  E  F  A  T  0  E  Y    S  T  A  T  E  M  E  N  T  . 

elaboration  of  narrative.  The  object  has  been  to  present,  in  simple  language  and  concise 
form,  facts  of  history  of  interest  or  value  to  those  who  may  choose  to  consult  its  pages. 
Absolute  inerrancy  is  not  claimed  for  every  detail  of  the  work,  but  no  pains  hjis  been 
spared,  and  every  available  authority  consulted,  to  arrive  at  complete  accuracy  of  statement. 

In  view  of  the  important  bearing  which  railroad  enterprises  have  had  upon  the  extraor- 
dinary development  of  the  State  within  the  past  fifty  years,  considerable  space  has  been  given 
to  this  department,  especially  with  reference  to  the  older  lines  of  railroad  whose  history  has 
been  intimately  interwoven  with  that  of  the  State,  and  its  progress  in  wealth  and  population. 

In  addition  to  the  acknowledgments  made  by  Dr.  Bateman,  it  is  but  proper  that  I 
should  express  my  personal  obligations  to  the  late  Prof.  Samuel  M.  Inglis,  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  and  his  assistant,  Prof.  J.  II.  Freeman;  to  ex-Senator  John 
M.  Palmer,  of  Springfield ;  to  the  late  Hon.  Joseph  Medill,  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Tribune"  ; 
to  the  Hon.  James  B.  Bradwell,  of  "The  Chicago  Legal  News";  to  Gen.  Green  B.  Kaum, 
Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  and  Dr.  Garrett  Newkirk,  of  Chicago  (the  latter  as  author  of  the  [irin- 
cipal  portions  of  the  article  on  the  "Underground  Railroad") ;  to  the  Librarians  of  the  State 
Historical  Library,  the  Chicago  Historical  Library,  and  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  for 
special  and  valuable  aid  rendered,  as  well  as  to  a  large  circle  of  correspondents  in  different 
parts  of  the  State  who  have  courteously  responded  to  requests  for  information  on  special 
topics,  and  have  thereby  materially  aided  in  securing  whatever  success  may  have  been 
attained  in  the  work. 

In  conclusion,  I  cannot  omit  to  pay  this  final  tribute  to  the  memory  of  my  friend  aud 
associate.  Dr.  Bateman,  whose  death,  at  his  home  in  Galesburg,  elsewhere  'recorded,  was 
deplored,  not  only  by  his  associates  in  the  Faculty  of  Knox  College,  his  former  pupils  and 
immediate  neighbors,  but  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  State. 

Although  his  labors  as  editor  of  this  volume  had  been  substantially  finished  at  the  time 
of  his  death  (and  they  included  the  reading  and  revision  of  every  line  of  copy  at  that  time 
prepared,  comprising  tlie  larger  proportion  of  the  volume  as  it  now  goes  into  tlie  hands  of 
the  public),  the  enthusiasm,  zeal  and  kindly  appreciation  of  the  labor  of  others  which  he 
brought  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  have  been  sadly  missed  in  the  last  stages  of  prepara- 
tion of  the  work  for  the  press.  In  the  estimation  of  many  who  have  held  his  scholarship 
and  his  splendid  endowments  of  mind  and  character  in  the  highest  admbation,  his  con- 
nection with  the  work  will  be  its  strongest  commendation  and  the  surest  evidence  of  its 
merit. 

With  myself,  the  most  substantial  satisfaction  I  have  in  dismissing  the  volume  from  my 
hands  and  submitting  it  to  the  judgment  of  the  public,  exists  in  the  fact  that,  in  its  prepara- 
tion, I  have  been  associated  with  such  a  co-laborer— one  whose  abilities  commanded  uni- 
versal respect,  and  whose  genial,  scliolarly  character  and  noble  qualities  of  mind  and  heart 
won  the  love  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  whom  it  had  been  my 
privilege  to  count  as  a  friend  from  an  early  period  in  his  long  and  useful  career. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Abraham  Lincoln  {Frontispiece) 1 

Annex  Central  Hospital  for  Insane,  Jacksonville 84 

Asylum  for  Feeble-Minded  Children,  Lincoln 237 

Bateman,  Newton  (Portrait) 3 

Board  of  Trade  Building,  Chicago 277 

"Chenu  Mansion,"  Kaskaskia  (1898),  where  La  Fayette  was  entertained  in  1825  ....   315 

Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences 394 

Chicago  Drainage  Canal 94 

Chicago  Historical  Society  Building 394 

Chicago  Post  Office  (U.  S.  Gov.  Buihling)    88 

Chicago  Public  Buildings     395 

( Chicago  Thoroughfare-!      80 

Chicago  Thoroughfares     93 

Chief  Chicagou  (Portrait) 246 

Comparative  Size  of  Cf  reat  Canals 95 

Day  after  Chicago  Fire 92 

Early  Historic  Scenes,  Chicago 170 

Early  Historic  Scenes,  Chicago  (No.  2) 171 

Engineering  Hall,  University  of  Illinois 280 

Experiment  Farm,  University  of  Illinois 12 

Experiment  Farm,  University  of  Illinois — The  Vineyard 13 

Experiment  Farm,  University  of  Illinois — Orchard  Cultivation 13 

First  Illinois  State  House,  Kaskaskia  (1818) 314 

Fort  Dearborn  from  the  West  (1808) 246 

Fort  Dearborn  from  Southeast  (1808) 247 

Fort  Dearborn  (1853) 247 

General  John  Edgar's  House,  Kaskasia 315 

Henry  de  Tonty  (Portrait) 246 

House  of  Governor  Bond,  Old  Kaskaskia  (1891) 315 

House  of  Chief  Ducoign,  the  last  of  the  Kaskaskias  (1893) 314 

Home  for  Juvenile  Female  Offenders,  Geneva 2^^' 

Illinois  Eastern  Hospital  for  Insane,  Kankakee ^^ 

Ilhnois  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  Quincy *38 

Illinois  State  Normal  University,  Normal ^^'^ 

Illinois  State  Capitol  (First),  Kaskaskia     ■^■*" 

Illinois  State  Capitol  (Second),  Vandalia     ■'"^•' 

lUinois  State  Capitol  (Third),  Springfield     '^•i'' 

Illinois  State  Capitol  (Present),  Springfield     ^^1 

Illinois  State  Building,  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  1893 601 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary,  Joliet '    ' 

Illinois  State  Penitentiary— Cell  Honse  and  Women's  Prison ^07 

Illinois  State  Reformatory,  Pontiac 

7 


8  LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Institution  for  Deaf  and  Dumb,  Jacksonville 300 

Interior  of  Koom,  Kaskaskia  Hotel  (1893)  where  La  Fayette  Banquet  was  held  in  1825  314 

Institution  for  the  Blind,  Jacksonville 301 

Kaskaskia  Hotel,  where  La  Fayette  was  feted  in  1835  (as  it  appeared,  1893)   314 

La  Salle  (Portrait) 246 

Library  Building,  University  of  Illinois 334 

Library  Building — Main  Floor — University  of  Illinois 335 

Lincoln  Park  Vistas,  Chicago     120 

Map  of  Burned  District,  Chicago  Fire,  1871   276 

Map  of  Grounds,  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  1893 600 

Map  of  Illinois FoUoivmg  Title  Page 

Map  of  Illinois  River  Valley 

McCormick  Seminary,  Chicago 362 

Monuments  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 90 

Monuments  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 206 

Monuments  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 207 

Natural  History  Hall,  University  of  Illinois 151 

Newberry  Library,  Chicago 394 

Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Elgin 402 

Old  Kaskaskia,  from  Garrison  Hill  (as  it  appeared  in  1893) 314 

Old  State  House,  Kaskaskia  (1900) 315 

Pierre  Menard  Mansion,  Kaskaskia  (1893) 314 

Eemnant  of  Old  Kaskaskia  (as  it  appeared  in  1898) 315 

Scenes  in  South  Park,  Chicago     604 

Selby,  Paul  (Protrait)     5 

Slieridan  Road  and  on  the  Boulevards,  Chicago     121 

Soldiers'  Widows'  Home,  Wilmington 439 

Southern  Illinois  Normal,  Carbondale 505 

Southern  Illinois  Penitentiary  and  Asylum  for  Incurable  Insane,  Chester 492 

University  Hall,  University  of  Illinois 150 

University  of  Chicago 363 

University  of  Illinois,  Urbana.      (Group  of  Buildings) 540 

University  of  Illinois,  Urbana.     (Group  of  Buildings) 541 

View  from  Engineering  Hall,  University  of  Illinois 281 

View  on  Principal  Street,  Old  Kaskaskia  (1891) 315 

Views  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago 91 

Views  of  Drainage  Canal 96 

Views  of  Drainage  Canal  97 

War  Eagle  (Portrait) 246 

Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  Watertown 403 

World's  Fair  Buildings    605 


PREFACE 


The  History  of  Schuyler  County  here  presented  was  prepared  for  publication 
in  connection  with  an  edition  of  the  "Encyclopedia  of  Illinois"  and  the  biographical 
department  of  the  former,  and  while  written  independently  of  each  of  these,  it  is, 
in  a  way,  a  connecting  link  between  them. 

It  has  been  our  purp(.se  to  embody  in  this  history  of  the  county  all  the  essential 
facts  regarding  the  early  settlement  of  Schuyler  County,  the  mode  of  life  of  the 
early  pioneers,  and  a  detailed  account  of  the  civil  history  to  the  present  time. 

In  this  endeavor  to  faitlifully  chronicle  the  history  of  the  county  we  have  made 
use  of  such  material  as  has  previously  been  published,  but  whenever  possible  we 
have  verified  facts  by  consulting  original  documents,  and  have  added  much  new 
material  gleaned  from  the  files  of  old  county  papers  and  dusty  court  records.  We 
have  also  received  valuable  aid  from  many  of  the  old  pioneer  residents,  and  it 
grieves  us  to  know  that  a  number  of  them  are  not  now  alive  to  read  the  printed 
page ;  but  the  chronicle  of  facts  given  us  will  serve  to  enlighten  future  genera- 
tions in  the  noble  qualities  of  the  pioneer  residents  of  Schuyler  County. 

The  record  of  events  in  the  lives  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  their  trials,  struggles 
and  triumphs  is  well  worthy  of  careful  study  by  the  youth  of  the  present  day,  for 
these  noble  patriots  unconsciously  framed  the  destiny  of  our  imperial  State  and 
their  memory  should  ever  be  revered. 

The  business  management  of  this  publication  rests  solely  with  the  publishers, 
who  have  had  long  and  successful  experience  i.n  the  publication  of  works  of  this 
character,  and  to  whom  credit  is  due  for  the  thoroughly  excellent  form  of  a  com- 
bined history  of  the  State  and  Schuyler  County,  and  the  interesting  biographical 
chapter  in  connection  therewith. 


INDEX 

CHAPTER  I. 

PERIOD  OF  EXPLORATION. 

First  Exploration  in  Illinois— The  Mission  Not  One  of  Conquest— Louis 
Joliet  and  Father  Jacques  Marquette  First  to  Visit  the  Illinois  Coun- 
try in  1673 — The  Illinois  River  Found  to  Be  the  Indian  Elysium- 
Military  Occupation  Made  by  La  Salle,  Tonti  and  Father  Hennepin, 
at  Fort  Creve  Coeur.  in  i68(>-Lapse  of  More  than  a  Century  Before 
Settlements  Were  Made  in  Schuyler  County 617-618 

CHAPTER  II. 

ABORIGINAL  OCCUPANTS. 

Iqdian  Tribes  in  the  Illinois  Country — Characteristics  and  Tribal  Rela- 
tions— Archaeological  Conditions  as  Described  by  Dr.  J.  F.  Snyder — 
The  Mound  Builders — Indian  Relics  Found  Along  the  Illinois  River 
— Tribes  Composing  the  Illinois  Confederacy — Kindly  Greeting  Ex- 
tended to  Joliet  and  Marquette — Illinois  as  a  Battle  Ground  in  the 
War  of  i8i2 — Region  Between  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers 
Invaded  by  Illinois  and  Missouri  Rangers— Kickapoo  Indians  in 
Possession  When  First  Settlers  Came  Towards  Schuyler  County — 
Their  Friendly  Attitude  to  the  New  Comers — Rev.  Chauncey  Ho- 
bart's  Description  of  an  Indian  Visit — ^His  Story  of  Be-kik-a-nin-ee — 
Indian  \'illage  on  the  Site  of  the  Present  City  of  Rushville — The 
Indians'  Farewell  Journey  to  the  North  in  1826 618-622 

CHAPTER  III. 

EVOLUTION  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Prehistoric  Inhabitants  of  the  Illinois  Country— Region  Coveted  by 
Spain,  France  and  England— -De  Soto  Discovery  of  the  Mississippi 
Basis  of  the  Spanish  Claim— Destiny  of  Illinois  Country  Determined 
on  European  Battlefields,  the  Plains  of  Abraham  and  by  the  George 
Rogers  Clark  Conquest— Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and  Prairie  du  Rocher, 
the  Center  of  French  Colonization— County  of  Illinois  Created  by 
Act  of  Virtjinia  in  1778— The  Northwest  Territory  Organized  by 
Ordinance  "of  1787— Subsequent  Geographical  Changes— Illinois 
Admitted  as  a  State  in  1818— Northern  Boundary  Question— Won- 
derful Foresight  Shown  by  Delegate  Nathaniel  Pope— The  Military 


Tract — County  Organizations — Schuyler  County  Successively  Parts 
of  Pike  and  Fulton  Counties — The  County  Created  by  Act  of  the 
Legislature  January  13,  1825 — Its  Boundaries  and  Area — Brown 
County  Detached  in  1839 — ^McDonough  County  Created  by  Act  of 
1826,  but  Remains  Under  Jurisdiction  of  Schuyler  County  until  1830.  622-625 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES— TOPOGRAPHY. 

Natural  Characteristics  of  the  General  Land  Surface — Geographical 
Location  and  Topography — 'Area  and  Elevation — Extent  of  Tillable 
and  Untillable  Land — The  Alluvian  Bottom  Lands — Rich  Silt  De- 
posits Made  by  Inland  Streams — Natural  Beauty  and  Fertility  of  the 
Soil— Inland  Lakes  and  Marshes — Reclaiming  the  Prairie — Water 
Courses — History  of  Crooked  Creek — Climatic  Conditions — Rainfall.  625-627 

CHAPTER  V. 

GEOLOGY  AND  FLORA. 

Geological  Reports  of  the  County  Compiled  by  A.  H.  Worthen,  State 
Geologist,  in  1858 — Geological  Formations — Mineral  Resources  of 
Schuyler  County  Include  Coal  and  Zinc — The  Latter  Not  Developed 
— Valuable  Deposits  of  Stone  and  Clay — ^List  of  Trees,  Shrubs  and 
Flowers  of  Schuyler   County 627-633 

CHAPTER  VI. 

WILD  ANIMALS,  BIRDS  AND  REPTILES. 

Indian  Tradition  of  the  Destruction  of  Many  Species  of  Animals  That 
Once  Roamed  the  Prairies  of  Schuyler — Early  Settlers  Found  Deer, 
Wolves  and  Fur-Bearing  Animals  Plentiful — Constant  Warfare  Ex- 
terminated Many  Species — Reptiles  a  Scourge  that  the  Pioneers  had 
to  Contend  With — Snake  Dens  Raided  and  Thousands  of  Reptiles 
Killed — Bird  Life  in  Schuyler  County — Song  and  Game  Birds 633-639 

CHAPTER  MI. 

PIONEER  SETTLERS. 

Joliet  and  Marquette  I'irst  White  \isitors  to  Schuyler  County  in  1673 — 
First  Record  of  White  Men  in  the  County  Furnished  by  Government 
Surveyors  in  181 5-17 — Schuyler  County  a  Honey  and  Bees-Wa.x 
Producing  Region — First  Permanent  Settlement  Made  b\-  Calvin  Ho- 
bart,  February  ig,  1823 — Story  of  His  Migration  to  Schuyler  County 
—  Pioneer  Hospitality  in  a  Crowded  Cabin — Six  Cabins  iUiilt  in  the 
County  in  1823 — Coming  of  a  Backwoods  Methodist  Preacher  and 
First  Religious  Services — Settlers  Who  Arrived  in  1824  and  1825 — 
Foreign  Settlers  in  the  County — Indians  Still  in  the  County,  but 
Peaceful — ^Tlie\  are  Driven  Out  by  Settlers  Without  Combat — Some 
First  Events 639-643 


CHAPTER  Vlir. 

CIVIL  HISTORY. 

Ten  New  Counties  in  the  Alilitary  Tract  Created  by  Act  of  January  13, 
1825 — Original  Area  and  Boundaries  of  Schuyler  County— Other 
Territory  Under  Temporary  Jurisdiction  of  the  New  County — First 
County-Seat  Named  Beardstown — First  Election  and  First  Board  of 
Commissioners — Other  County  Officers — County-Seat  Changed  to 
Rushville  in  1826 — Early  County  Revenues — Financial  Statement  of 
1827 — First  Election  Precincts — Elections  in  1828 — Brown  Countv 
Set  Oiif  in  1839 — ^A  County-Seat  Contest — Changes  Under  Constitu- 
tion of  1848 — County  Court  Holds  Jurisdiction  Over  County,  1849- 
54 — Township  Organization  Adopted  in  1853 — List  of  Townships..   643-648 


CHAPTER  IX. 

LAND  TITLES— SURVEYS  AND  SURVEYORS. 

Methods  Under  French  and  British  Control — Origin  of  Land  Titles  in 
America — Fraudulent  Land  Grants — Days  of  British  Rule — A  Dis- 
credited Indian  Land  Grant  of  1773 — Land  Titles  Made  a  Political 
Issue  in  1828 — The  Military  Tract  Bounty  Lands — Original  Survey 
Made  in  Schuyler  County  in  18 15-17 — Litigation  Over  Land  Titles — 
State  Laws  Passed  to  Make  Titles  Valid — Location  of  Records — 
System  of  Government  Surveys — Early  Surveyors  and  Hardships 
They  Met — Errors  in  Original  Surveys — Perpetuating  Monuments — 
Swamp  Lands,  Surveys  and  Sales — Plans  for  Drainage  and  Present 
Conditions 648-654 


CHAPTER  X. 

PIONEER  LIFE. 

Hardships  and  Privations  Encountered  by  the  Early  Settler — Whence 
He  Came  and  Routes  of  Travel — St.  Louis  the  Nearest  Cash  Market 
— 'Nearest  Postoffice  and  Physician — Importance  of  the  Rifle  in 
Pioneer  Life — Bee-Hunting  as  a  Source  of  Revenue — Early  Indus- 
tries and  Business  Enterprises — First  Settlers  Shun  the  Prairies — 
First  Steamer  Ascends  the  Illinois  in  1828 — Farming  as  the  First 
Industry — Furs  and  Peltries  as  a  Substitute  for  Money — Early  Farm 
Implements — Methods  of  Cultivation  and  Harvesting  of  Crops — ^Days 
of  the  Corn  Grater  and  Wooden  Mortar— Where  the  First  Mills 
Were  Located — Part  Borne  bv  the  Pioneer  Women  in  Early  Domes- 
tic and  Industrial  Life— Two  Tvpes  of  Societ) — Sports  and  Pastimes 
—An  Early  Wedding  and  the  Infair— Coming  of  the  Preacher  and 
Days  of  the  Camp-Meeting 654-658 


CHAPTER  XL 

INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

Some  Pioneer  Manufacturing  Industries  of  Schuyler  County — Hat  and 
Chair  Factories — Tanneries  and  Importance  of  Their  Products  to  the 
Early  Settler— First  Carding-  Mill  in  Rushville— A  Wagon  Factory 
Established  in  the  Early  'Forties— The  Ramsey  Flouring  Mill — The 
Coopering  Industry — Woolen  Mills,  Knitting  and  Spinning  Factory 
— Brick-Making — Cigar  Factories — Coal  Mining  a  Prospective 
Industry — Fisheries  and  Their  Products — Manufactures  from  Mus- 
sel-Shells a  Growing  Industry 658-661 

CHAPTER  XII. 

MERCANTILE  AND  BANKING  INTERESTS. 

Commercial  and  Industrial  Conditions  at  an  Early  Day — Methods  of 
Barter  and  Trade — St.  Louis  an  Early  Market — Furs,  Honey  and 
Bees- Wax  as  a  Legal  Tender — -First  Merchant  in  Schuyler  County- 
Others  of  a  Later  Period — The  Career  of  Thomas  W.  Scott — Busi- 
ness Houses  in  Rushville  in  1834 — Coming  of  the  First  Steamboat  up 
the  Illinois — Spanish  and  French  Currency — Rapid  Progress  Be- 
tween 1830  and  1835 — The  Panic  of  1837 — Prices  of  Agricultural 
Products  and  Dry  Goods — Statistics  of  the  Packing  Industry — Bank- 
ing History — Uncertain  Values  of  Paper  Currency — First  Bank 
Established  in  Rushville  in  1861 — Its  Founders  and  Officers — 
Changes  and  Present  Officers — Other  Banking  Institutions  in  Schuy- 
ler County — Officers  and  Principal  Stock-Holders 661-666 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

COUNTY  BUILDINGS. 

Evolution  of  Present  County  Buildings — Advancement  From  the  Primi- 
tive Log  Cabin  to  the  Handsome  Structures  of  Today — First  Court 
House,  a  One-Room  Log  Building,  Erected  in  1826 — First  Jail 
Building— Second  Court  House  Erected  in  1830 — Second  County 
Jail  of  1838  Replaced  by  a  Stone  Structure  in  1857 — The  Present 
Court  Flouse  Completed  in  1882 — Fourth  Jail  Built  in  1902 — De- 
scription of  Present  Court  House — List  of  Documents  Deposited  in 
Corner  Stone — County  Farm  Purchased  in  1855 — Its  Present  Value 
Estimated  at  $25,000 666-669 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

COLTRTS  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 

Schuyler  County  Organized  in  the  Formative  Period  of  State  Histon.' — 
Type  of  Early  Judges  and  Members  of  the  Bar — First  Circuit  Court 
Held  in  Cabin  of  Samuel  Turner  at  the  Original  Beardstown  in  No- 
vember, 1825 — John  York  Sawyer  First  Presiding  Judge — Promi- 
nent Attorneys  Present — List  of  Grand  and  Petit  Jurors — Some  of 


the  Cases  Tried — A  Barrel  of  Honey  Serves  as  Lawyer's  Fee  in  First 
Case — Court  Customs  of  Those  Days — Some  Reminiscences  of 
Second  Court  Term — Changes  Made  in  Judicial  Circuit — List  of 
Judges  Who  Have  Presided  in  Schuyler  County  Courts— Judge 
Richard  M.  Young,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  T.  Lyle  Dickey  and  Others 
—  Prominent  Lawyers  Who  Have  Practiced  at  Schuyler  County  Bar 
— Probate  Court  and  Judges .' 660-672 


CHAPTER  XV. 

POLITICS  AXD  PUBLIC  OFFICERS. 

Early  Politics  in  Illinois — Formation  of  New  Political  Parties — Senti- 
ment in  Schuyler  County  Favorable  to  Gen.  Jackson  in  1828 — Whigs 
Carry  the  County  in  1840  and  1848 — Birth  of  the  "Know  Nothing" 
Party — Organizers  of  Republican  Party  in  Schuyler  County — Sena- 
torial Campaign  of  1858 — Lincoln's  Visit  to  Rushville — Presidential 
\"ote  From  i860  to  1904 — Congressional  Representatives — State 
Senators  and  Representatives — Delegates  Who  Have  Represented 
Schuyler  County  in  Constitutional  Conventions — 'County  Officers 
from  1823  to   1906 672-678 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HIGHWAYS— POST  ROUTES— RAILROADS. 

Development  of  Highways — Laying  Out  of  Road  from  Rushville  to 
Rock  Island — Early  Reads  in  Schuyler  County — First  Post  Routes 
—  Inauguration  of  Rural  Mail  Routes — Ferries  and  Bridge  Sites — ■ 
Mill-Seats — Their  History  and  Location — First  County  Bridge  Over 
Crooked  Creek  Completed  in  1830 — First  Railroad  Planned  in  1836 
— County  Voted  $150,000  in  Railroad  Bonds — Railroad  Built  to 
Rushville  in  iS(x) — Telephone  Construction — List  of  Telephone  Lines 
Now   m  Operation 678-683 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TOWN-SITE  BOOMS— ABANDONED  VILLAGES. 

Town-Site  Boomers  in  Schuyler  County  Active  in  183C)— Towns  Platted 
and  Advertised  in  Eastern  Cities— Attractions  Furnished  to  Emi- 
grants from  the  East— Check  Produced  by  the  Panic  of  1837— A 
Specimen  of  Town  Advertising— Importance  Attributed  to  the  La 
Moine  River  as  a  Navigable  Stream— The  Brooklyn  of  Today- 
Long  List  of  Abandoned  Towns  and  Villages— Interesting  Remnus- 
cences  of  Seventy  Years  ago 683-687 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
CITY  OF  RUSHNILLE— DE\ELOPiMEi\T. 

Village  Founded  in  1826 — First  County-Seat  Named  Beardstown— Seat 
of  Justice  Changed  to  Rushville  February  20,  1826— Is  First  Named 
Rushton— First  Sale  of  Lots — Town  Incorporated  as  a  Village  -May 
10,  1831— Hearty  Welcome  Extended  to  Newcomers — Rev.  John 
Scripps'  Contribution  to  Village  History— First  Election  and  First 
Village  Officers — Three  Epochs  of  Twenty-Five  Years  Each  in  Rush- 
ville History— First  Residents  and  First  Industries— Business 
Houses  in  1834— Impressions  of  a  \'isitor  in  1833 — Growth  Re- 
tarded by  Panic  of  1836-37— Early  Stage  Routes— Failure  of  Inter- 
nal Improvement  Sclieme— Mercantile  and  Manufacturing  Enter- 
prises 1850-75— Former  Citizens  of  Rushville  Who  Rose  to  Distinc- 
tion  Rushville    of    Today — Municipal    History — City    Incorporated 

Under  General  Charter  Law  in  May,  1898— List  of  Mayors  From 

1898  to  Present  Time 687-692 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

TOWNSHIP  HISTORY. 

Sketches  of  Individual  Townships  in  Schuyler  County— Bainbridge, 
Birmingham,  Brooklvn,  Browning,  Buena  Vista,  Camden.  Frederick, 
Hickory,  Huntsville,  Littleton,  Oakland,  Rushville  and  Woodstock 
Townships — Geographical  Location  and  Characteristics — First  Set- 
tlers, Whence  They  Came  and  Where  They  Located- Fiwt  Churches 
and  First  Schools — Local  Improvements  and  Important  Events — 
Population  in  1900 692-707 

CHAPTER  XX. 

GENERAL  CHURCH  HISTORY. 

Christian  Character  of  Early  Settlers  in  Schuyler  County — Levin  Green 
Preaches  the  First  Sermon  in  the  County  in  November,  1823 — 
Sketch  of  Flis  Career— Rev.  John  Scripps,  One  of  the  First  Meth- 
odist Ministers  in  Illinois,  Located  in  Rushville  in  1831— A  Metho- 
dist Church  Organized  in  Rushville  in  1828— Session  of  Illinois  Con- 
ference Held  in  Rushville  in  1836— Episcopal  Convention  of  Illinois 
Meets  Here  in  1838  and  1842— Early  History  of  Church  Denomi- 
nations and  Prominent  Clerg\men  Who  Have  Officiated  in  Schuyler 
Countj' 707-712 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

SCHUYLER  COUNTY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

First  School  District  in  Schuyler  County  Laid  Out  July  22,  1825— First 
Free  School  Law  Enacted  the  Same  Year— \Vm.  H.  Taylor  the  First 
Teacher  in  the  County— Attempt  to  Establish  Free  Schools  in  1826 
Proves  a  Failure— Jonathan  D.  Manlove's  Reminiscences  of  an  Early 


Pioneer  School — The  Period  of  Subscription  Schools  and  Their 
Early  Teachers — Some  Christmas-Day  Lockouts — State  Charter 
Granted  Rushville  Union  School  District  March  30,  1869 — History  of 
Rushville  Schools  —  List  of  School  Superintendents  —  Township 
School  History — Growth  and  Development  of  Education  in  the 
County 712-717 

CHAPTER  XXn. 

SCHUYLER  PRESS— PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Prominent  Part  Played  by  the  Newspaper  Press  in  Connection  With 
History — Its  Value  as  a  Record  of  Local  Facts  and  Events — Type 
of  Men  Who  Were  Early  Editors  and  Difficulties  Which  Confronted 
Them — Rushville's  First  Newspaper — The  Rushville  Journal  and 
Military  Tract  Advertiser  Established  in  1835 — Its  Founders  and 
First  Editor — Subsequent  Changes  in  Name,  Ownership  and  Edi- 
torial Management — Topics  Which  Absorbed  the  Attention  of  the 
Early  Editor — Prominence  Given  to  Politics  and  General  News — 
Prairie  Telegraph  Rushville's  First  Permanent  Paper — Established 
July  8,  1848 — Its  Subsequent  History — The  Times  and  Citizen 
Founded  in  1856 — History  of  Other  Local  Journals 717-720 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Rushville  Lodge  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Organized  in  1842— Is  the  First  Fra- 
ternal Organization  in  Schuyler  County  and  Ninth  of  the  Order  in 
the  State— Other  Fraternities  in  the  County— Knights  Templar,  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Willard  Encampment,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Grand  Armv  of  the  Republic,  Modern  Woodmen,  Royal 
Knights,  Mystic  Workers  and  Order  of  Eagles— Dates  of  Organiza- 
tionf  Charter  Members  and  First  Officers— Other  Items  of  Personal 
and   Lodge    History 720-723 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

MILITARY  AFFAIRS— STATE  MILITIA. 
Place  of  Militarism  in  History— Soldiers'  Bounty  Lands— Citizens  of 
Schuyler  County  Who  Served  in  Wars  of  the  Revolution  and  1812— 
Some  Earlv  Applications  for  Pensions-Schuyler  County  Mihtia  and 
Reminiscences  of  Muster  Days-Some  Militia  Officers-First  Inde- 
pendence Day  Celebration-Toasts  and  Responses-Effort  to  Organ-  _ 
ize  an  Artillery  Company  m  1858 /-.W- 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

The  Militarv  Tract  a  Field  of  Military  Operations-The  Black  Hawk 
InvS-of  i83.-It  is  Brought  to  a  Speedv  ^Tountv"  Who  Took 
Government  Action-Some  Citizens  of  Schuvler  County  Who  Took 
Part  in  the  Campaign-Second  Commg  of  Black  Hawk  n  1832- 
Gov    Reynolds'  Call   for  Volunteers  is  Promptly  Met-Ltardstown 


the  Rendezvous  of  Troops — O.  H.  Browning's  Diary — Rushville  on 
the  Line  of  ^larch — Panic  Caused  by  the  Stilhnan  Defeat — Rev. 
Chauncey  Hobarts  Account — Two  Companies  from  Schuyler 
County — Story  of  the  Lincoln-Moore  Wrestling  Match — A  Military 
Order — iVIuster  Roll  of  Schuyler  County  Volunteers 726-731 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

THE  MEXICAX  WAR. 

War  Due  to  .\nne.xation  of  Te.xas  Approved  by  Citizens  of  Schuyler 
County — Gov.  Ford's  Call  for  Volunteers  is  Answered  by  Double  the 
Xumber  Called  for — Schuyler  and  Brown  County  Volunteers  Unite 
to  Form  Company  E,  First  Regiment  Illinois,  LInder  Command  of 
Col.  John  J.  Hardin — The  Regiment,  After  Being  Mustered  in  at 
Alton,  BL,  Removes  Successively  to  Xew  Orleans,  Matagorda  Bay 
and  San  Antonio,  Texas — Advance  to  the  Rio  Grande  Preceding  the 
Battle  of  Euena  Vista — List  of  Schu\ler  County  Soldiers  Killed  in 
That  Battle — Muster  Rolls  of  Company  E  and  Independent  Cavalry 
Company — Members  of  the  Latter  Who  Died  in  the  Service 73^-734 


CHAPTER  XX\"11. 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLIOX. 

Patriotism  of  Schuyler  County  Citizens  Shown  in  Struggle  for  Preser- 
vation of  the  L'nion — Causes  Which  Led  to  the  Conflict — Schuyler 
County  Politically  Democratic — Party  Prejudice  Wiped  Out  by  the 
Firing  on  Fort  Sumter — Senator  Douglas'  Eloquent  Appeal  for  the 
Union  and  its  Effect  on  the  Democratic  Party — The  County  Fills  its 
Quota  of  Troops — Attempted  Assassination  of  Provost-^Iarshal  Dr. 
Slack — Service  Rendered  by  Ladies'  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies — Muster 
Roll  of  \'olunteers  from  Schuyler  County,  with  Regiments  and  Com- 
panies in  Which  they  Served — Some  Thrilling  Experiences  of  the 
War  Period — Brilliant  Defense  of  Buzzard's  Roost  Gap  by  Capt. 
Hymer's  Little  Band — Col.  Leonidas  Horney's  Gallantry  and  Heroic 
Death 734-748 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

SPAXISH-AMERICAX  WAR. 

American  Sympathy  for  the  \'ictims  of  Spanish  Oppression  in  Cuba — 
Destruction  of  American  Battleship  Maine,  in  Havana  Harbor,  Results 
in  Declaration  of  War — Organization  of  a  Company  of  X'olunteers  in 
Schuyler  County — It  Becomes  a  Part  of  Col.  J.  O.  Anderson's  Pro- 
visional Regiment,  but  Fails  to  See  Active  Service — List  of  Officers 
- — A  Schuyler  County  Graduate  of  West  Point  Who  Saw  Service  in 
Cuba,  China  and  the  Philippines — Career  of  Lieut.  Harold  Hammond 
— Other  Citizens  of  Schuyler  County  who  Rendered  Active  Service  in 
Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines 748-750 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  MORMONS  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Coming  of  the  Mormons  to  Illinois  in  1839 — They  Locate  at  Commerce 
and  Change  the  Name  to  Nauvoo — ^Sketch  of  Joe  Smith  and  the 
Founding  of  the  Sect — ^Expulsion  from  _Missouri  Precedes  their 
Coming  to  Illinois — Their  Entrance  Into  and  Influence  in  State  Poli- 
tics— Extraordinary  Powers  Granted  in  Nauvoo  City  Charter  Serve 
as  Protection  to  Criminals — Clash  with  "the  Gentiles" — Summoning 
of  Troops  from  Schuyler  and  McDonough  Counties — Gov.  Ford's 
Account  of  the  Situation — Arrest  of  the  Smiths  and  their  Assassina- 
tion in  Hancock  County  Jail — Panic  in  Western  Illinois — -Deputy 
U.  S.  Marshal  Benson's  Statement — Gov.  Ford's  Experience  as  Vio- 
lator of  a  Rushville  Village  Ordinance — Mormons  Expelled  from 
Illinois  in  1846,  Found  a  New  Community  at  Salt  Lake 750-755 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

CRIMINAL  TRIALS  AND  EXECUTIONS. 

David  Morgan  Executed  for  Murder  on  Jan.  31,  1832 — Thomas  Ford, 
Afterwards  Governor  of  Illinois,  First  Prosecuting  Attorney — - 
Character  Sketch  of  the  Murderer  by  Rev.  John  Scripps — David  and 
Elias  McFadden,  of  jMcDonough  County,  Executed  July  6,  1835 — 
The  Execution  a  Public  One — Prisoners  Borne  to  the  Gallows  on 
their  Coffins  Attended  by  a  Military  Guard— Fielding  Frame,  a  • 
Schuyler  County  Murderer,  Executed  at  Carthage,  111.,  May  i8„  1839.  755-758 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

PHENOMENA— CALAMITOUS  EVENTS. 

Storms,  Floods  and  Epidemics— The  Deep  Snow  of  1830-31— Central 
and  Northern  Illinois  Covered  with  Frozen  Crystals  to  a  Depth  of 
Four  Feet— Hardships  Endured  by  the  Settlers  and  Destructive 
Effects  on  Domestic  Animals  and  Wild  Game— A  Contemporaneous 
Description  by  a  Jacksonville  Paper— Sudden  Freeze  of  1836— The 
Flood  of  1844— \'niage  of  Erie  Wiped  Out  of  Existence— Disastrous 
Tornadoes  of  1856  and  1881— Other  Earlier  and  Later  Visitations— 
The  Falling  Stars  of  1833,  and  a  Memorable  Meteoric  Scene  of  1876 
—Cholera  Epidemics  of"  1834  and  1841— List  of  Victims  of  Each  Vis- 
itation  

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

The  Part  of  Biography  in  General  History— Citizens  of  Schuyler  County 
and  Outlines  of  Personal  History— Personal  Sketches  Arranged  in 
Encyclopedic  Order '    5-97s 


758-763 


PORTRAITS 


Avery.  Philander     022 

Avery,  Mrs.  Philander  628 

Ball.  Amos  W 634 

Ballou.  .John  A 640 

Ballou,  Mrs.  John  A 646 

Bottenberg.  Thomas  E 652 

Brines,  Elizabeth  C 604 

Brines,  John  T 658 

Darnell.  John  M 672 

Demaree.  Wm.  L.  and  Family 078 

DeWitt,  Cyrus  L 690 

DeWitt,  James     0S4 

Dieterich.   William    H 006 

Dyson,  Edwin    702 

Dyson,  George    718 

Dyson,  Howard  F 010 

Foote,  George  H 724 

Haber,  Thomas  and  Family 730 

Hunter,  George  R 736 

Lawler,  George   E 742 

Lawler,  Mrs.   George   E 742 

Logsdon,  Jacob    748 

Logsdon,  Mrs.   Jacob    748 

Logsdon,  Perry     754 

Manyx,    Mary 700 


McKee.    William 760 

Miller.  John  H 772 

Miller,  Mrs.  John  II 778 

Moore.  James     784 

Moore.  John  D 790 

Moore,  Mrs.  John  D 790 

Jloore,  Lewis  R 802 

Rebman,  Benjamin  F SOS 

Rebraan,  Mrs.  B.  F 814 

Rodewald,   Adolphus  P 820 

R.van,  Edward  J 826 

Snyder,  Madison  0 832 

Snyder,  Mrs.  Madison  0 832 

Steele.  George  B 838 

Teel,  Hersehel  V 844 

Thompson,  Charles  W 850 

Thompson.  Delia  K 856 

Thompson,  J.  Arthur   886 

Thompson,  James  D 862 

Thompson.  Mrs.  James  D 868 

Thompson,  Margaret  J 880 

Thompson,  William  J 874 

l^son,    William 892 

Ynrbrough,  James     898 

Yarbrough,  J.  Edwena  904 


I  L  L  U  S  T  R  A  T  1  O  X  S 


Christian  Church  710 

Court  House    (Old)    712 

Court  House  (1882)    6(5,-, 

Map  of  Schuyler  County 016 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  '.....  708 

Old  High  School  Building  712 

Presbyterian  Church 710 

Washington  School    -jo 

Webster  High  School  7jo 


Historical  Encyclopedia  of  Illinois. 


ABBOTT,  (Lient..GoT.)  Edward,  a  British 
officer,  who  was  commandant  at  Post  Vincennes 
(called  by  the  British,  Fort  Sackville)  at  the 
time  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  captured  Kaskas- 
kia  in  1778.  Abbott's  jurisdiction  extended,  at 
least  nominally,  over  a  part  of  the  "Illinois 
( 'ountry . ' '  Ten  days  after  the  occupation  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  Colonel  Clark,  having  learned  that 
Abbott  had  gone  to  the  British  headquarters  at 
Detroit,  leaving  the  Post  without  any  guard 
except  that  furnished  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
village,  took  advantage  of  his  absence  to  send 
Pierre  Gibault.  the  Catholic  Vicar-General  of  Illi- 
nois, to  win  over  the  people  to  the  American 
cause,  which  he  did  so  successfully  that  they  at 
once  took  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  the  Ameri- 
can flag  was  run  up  over  the  fort.  Although 
Fort  Sackville  afterwards  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  British  for  a  time,  the  manner  of  its  occupa- 
tion was  as  much  of  a  surprise  to  the  British  as 
that  of  Kaskaskia  itself,  and  contributed  to  the 
completeness  of  Clark's  triumph.  (See  Clark, 
Col.  George  Rogers,  also,  Gibault,  Pierre.)  Gov- 
ernor Abbott  seems  to  have  been  of  a  more 
humane  character  than  the  mass  of  British 
officers  of  his  day,  as  he  wrote  a  letter  to  General 
Carleton  about  this  time,  protesting  strongly 
against  the  employment  of  Indians  in  carrying 
on  warfare  against  the  colonists  on  the  frontier, 
on  the  ground  of  humanity,  claiming  that  it  was 
a  detriment  to  the  British  cause,  although  he 
was  overruled  by  his  superior  officer.  Colonel 
Hamilton,  in  the  steps  soon  after  taken  to  recap- 
ture Vincennes. 

ABINGDON,  second  city  in  size  in  KnoxCounty, 
at  the  junction  of  the  Iowa  Central  and  the 
Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads;  10 
miles  .south  of  Galesburg,  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected by  electric  car  line ;  has  city  waterworks, 
electric  light  plant,  wagon  works,  brick  and  tile 
works,  sash,  blind  and  swing  factories,  two  banks. 


three  weekly  papers,  public  library,  fine  high 
school  building  and  two  ward  schools.  Hedding 
College,  a  flourisliing  institution,  under  auspices 
of  the  M.  E.  CImrch,  is  located  here.  Population 
(1900).  3,023;  (est.  1904),  3.000. 

ACCAULT,  Michael  (Ak-ko),  French  explorer 
and  companion  of  La  Salle,  who  came  to  the 
■"Illinois  Country"  in  1780,  and  accompanied 
Hennepin  when  the  latter  descended  the  lUiuous 
River  to  its  mouth  and  then  ascended  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  vicinity  of  the  present  city  of  St. 
Paul,  where  they  were  captured  by  Sioux.  They 
were  rescued  by  Greysolon  Dulhut  (for  whom 
the  city  of  Duluth  was  named),  and  having  dis- 
covered the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  returned  to 
Green  Bay.     (See  Hennepin.) 

ACKERMAN,  WilUam  K.,  RaUway  President 
and  financier,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan. 
29,  1833,  of  Knickerbocker  and  Revolutionary 
ancestry,  his  grandfather,  Abraham  D.  Acker- 
man,  having  served  as  Captain  of  a  company  of 
the  famous  "Jersey  Blues,"  participating  with 
"Mad"  Anthony  Wayne  in  the  storming  of  Stonj' 
Point  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  while  his 
father  served  as  Lieutenant  of  Artillery  in  the 
War  of  1813.  After  receiving  a  high  school  edu- 
cation in  New  York,  Mr.  Ackermau  engaged  in 
mercantile  busine.ss,  but  in  lSr>2  became  a  clerk 
in  the  financial  department  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  tlie  service  of 
the  Company  in  1860,  he  successively  filled  the 
positions  of  Secretary,  Auditor  and  Treasurer, 
imtil  July,  1876,  when  he  was  elected  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  a  year  later  promoted  to  the  Presidency, 
voluntarily  retiring  from  this  position  in  August, 
1883,  though  serving  some  time  longer  in  the 
capacity  of  Vice-President.  During  the  i)rogress 
of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago 
(1893-93)  Mr.  Ackerman  served  as  Auditor  of  the 
Exposition,  and  was  City  Comptroller  of  (Chicago 
under    the  administration    of     Mayor    Hopkins 


10 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


(1893-95).  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society,  ami  lias  rendered  valuable 
service  to  railroad  history  by  the  issue  of  two  bro- 
chures on  the  "Early  History  of  Illinois  Rail- 
roads," and  a  "Historical  Sketch  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad." 

ADAMS,  John,  LL.l).,  educator  and  pnilan- 
thropist,  -vvas  born  at  Canterbury,  Conn.,  Sept.  18, 
1773;  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1795;  taught 
for  several  years  in  his  native  place,  in  Plain- 
field,  N.  J.,  and  at  Colchester,  Conn.  In  1810  he 
became  Principal  of  Phillips  Academy  at  An- 
dover,  Mass.,  remaining  tliere  twenty-three 
years.  In  addition  to  his  educational  duties  he 
participated  in  the  organization  of  several  great 
charitable  associations  which  attained  national 
importance.  On  retiring  fi-om  Phillips  Academy 
in  1833,  he  removed  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  where, 
four  years  afterward,  he  became  the  third  Prin- 
cipal of  Jacksonville  Female  Academy,  remaining 
six  j-ears.  He  then  became  Agent  of  the  Ameri- 
can Sunday  School  Union,  in  the  course  of  the 
next  few  years  founding  several  hundred  Sun<lay 
Schools  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  LL.D.  from  Yale  College  in 
1854.  Died  in  Jacksonville,  April  24,  1863.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  father  of  Dr.  William 
Adams,  for  forty  years  a  prominent  Presbyterian 
clergyman  of  New  York  and  for  seven  years  (1873- 
80)  President  of  Union  Tlieological  Seminary. 

ADAMS,  John  MeGreg:or,  manufacturer,  was 
born  at  Londonderrj',  N.  H.,  March  11,  1834,  the 
son  of  Rev.  Jolm  R.  Adams,  who  served  as  Chap- 
lain of  the  Fifth  Maine  and  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty- first  New  York  Volunteers  during  the 
Civil  War.  Mr.  Adams  was  educated  at  Gorham, 
Me.,  and  Andover,  Mass.,  after  which,  going  to 
New  Y'ork  City,  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  dry- 
goods  house  at  §150  a  year.  He  next  entered  the 
ofRce  of  Clark  &  Jessup,  hardware  manufacturers, 
and  in  1858  came  to  Chicago  to  represent  the 
house  of  Morris  K.  Jessup  &  Co.  He  thus  became 
associated  with  the  late  John  Crerar,  the  firm  of 
Jessup  &  Co.  being  finally  merged  into  that  of 
Crerar,  Adams  &  Co.,  which,  with  the  Adams  & 
Westlake  Co.,  have  done  a  large  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  railway  supplies.  Since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Crerar,  Mr.  Adams  has  been  princi- 
pal manager  of  the  concern's  vast  manufacturing 
business. 

ADAMS,  (Dr.)  Sanuiel,  physician  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Brunswick,  Me.,  Dec.  19,  1806, 
and  educated  at  Bowdoin  College,  where  he 
graduated  in  both  the  dejiartments  of  literature 
and  of  medicine.     Then,   having  practiced  as  a 


physician  several  years,  in  1838  he  assumed  the 
chair  of  Natural  Philosophy,  Chemistry  and 
Natural  History  in  Illinois  College  at  Jackson- 
ville, 111.  From  1843  to  1845  he  was  also  Pro- 
fessor of  Materia  Jledica  and  Therapeutics  in  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  same  institution,  and, 
during  his  connection  with  the  College,  gave 
instruction  at  different  times  in  nearly  every 
branch  embraced  in  the  college  curriculum, 
including  the  French  and  German  languages. 
Of  uncompromising  firmness  and  invincible  cour- 
age in  his  adherence  to  principle,  he  was  a  man 
of  singular  modesty,  refinement  and  amiability 
in  private  life,  winning  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  especially 
the  students  who  came  under  his  instruction.  A 
profound  and  thorough  scholar,  he  possessed  a 
refined  and  exalted  literary  taste,  which  was 
illustrated  in  occasional  contributions  to  scien- 
tific and  literary  periodicals.  Among  productions 
of  his  pen  on  philosoi)hic  topics  may  be  enumer- 
ated articles  on  "The  Natural  History  of  Man  in 
his  Scrii)tural  Relations;"  contributions  to  the 
"Biblical  Rejxjsitory"  (1844);  "Auguste  Comte 
and  Positivism"  ("New  Englander,"  1873),  and 
"Herbert  Spencer's  Proposed  Reconciliation  be- 
tween Religion  and  Science"  ("New  Englander," 
1875).  His  connection  with  Illinois  College  con- 
tinued until  his  death,  April,  1877 — a  period  of 
more  than  thirty -eight  years.  A  monument  to 
his  memory  has  been  erected  through  the  grate- 
ful donations  of  his  former  pupils. 

ADAMS,  George  Everett,  lawyer  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, born  at  Keene,  N.  H.,  Jime  18,  1840; 
was  educated  at  Harvard  College,  and  at  Dane 
Law  School,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  graduating  at  the 
former  in  1860.  Early  in  life  he  settled  in  Chi- 
cago, where,  after  some  time  spent  as  a  teacher 
in  the  Chicago  High  School,  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  His  first  post  of  pub- 
lic responsibility  was  that  of  State  Senator,  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  1880.  In  1882  he  was 
chosen,  as  a  Republican,  to  represent  the  Fourth 
Illinois  District  in  Congress,  and  re-elected  in 
1884,  "86  and  '88.  In  1890  he  was  again  a  candi- 
date, but  was  defeated  by  Walter  C.  Newberry. 
He  is  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Newberry 
Library. 

ADAMS,  James,  pioneer  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Conn.,  Jan.  26,  1803;  taken  to  Oswego 
Coimty,  N.  Y.,  in  1809,  and,  in  1821,  removed  to 
Springfield,  111.,  being  the  first  lawyer  to  locate 
in  the  future  State  capital.  He  enjoyed  an  ex- 
tensive practice  for  the  time ;  in  1823  was  elected 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  took  part  in  the  Winne- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


11 


bago  and  Black  Hawk  wars,  was  elected  Probate 
Judge  in  1841,  and  died  in  office,  August  11,  1843. 

ADAMS  COUNTY,  an  extreme  westerly  county 
of  the  State,  situated  about  midway  between  its 
northern  and  southern  extremities,  and  bounded 
on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi  River.  It  was 
organized  in  1825  and  named  in  honor  of  John 
Quincy  Adams,  tlie  name  of  Quincy  being  given 
to  the  county  seat.  The  United  States  Census  of 
1890  places  its  area  at  830  sq.  m.  and  its  popula- 
tion at  61,888.  The  soil  of  the  county  is  fertile 
and  well  watered,  the  surface  diversified  and 
hilly,  especially  along  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  and 
its  climate  equable.  The  wealth  of  the  county  is 
largely  derived  from  agriculture,  although  a 
large  amount  of  manufactui-ing  is  carried  on  in 
Quincy.      Population  (1900),  67,058. 

ADDAMS,  John  Huy,  legislator,  was  born  at 
Sinking  Springs,  Berks  County,  Pa.,  July  \2, 
1833;  educated  at  Traj^peand  Upper  Dublin,  Pa., 
and  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller  in  his  youth, 
which  he  followed  in  later  life.  In  1844,  Mr. 
Addams  came  to  Illinois,  settling  at  Cedarville, 
Stephenson  County,  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
and  built  a  saw  and  grist  mill  on  Cedar  Creek. 
In  18.54  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from 
Stephenson  County,  serving  continuously  in  that 
body  by  successive  re-elections  until  1870 — first  as 
a  Whig  and  afterwards  as  a  Republican.  In  186.5 
he  established  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Free- 
port,  of  which  he  continued  to  be  the  president 
until  his  death,  August  17,  1881. — Miss  Jane 
(Addams), philanthropist, the  founderof  tlie  "Hull 
Hoase, "  Cliicago,  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Addams. 

ADDISON,  village,  Du  Page  County;  seat  of 
Evangelical  Lutheran  College,  Normal  School 
and  Oi-phan  Asylum  ;  has  State  Bank,  stores  and 
public  school      Pop.  (1900),  091;  (1904),  014. 

ADJUTAXTS-OENERAL.  The  office  of  Adju- 
tant-General for  the  State  of  Illinois  was  first 
created  by  Act  of  the  Legislature,  Feb.  2,  180.5. 
Previous  to  the  War  of  tlie  Rebellion  the  position 
was  rather  honorary  than  otherwise,  its  duties 
(except  during  the  Black  Hawk  War)  and  its 
emoluments  being  alike  unimportant.  The  in- 
cumljent  was  simply  the  Chief  of  the  Governor's 
Staff.  In  1861,  the  post  became  one  of  no  small 
importance.  Those  who  held  the  office  during 
the  Territorial  period  were:  Elias  Rector,  Robert 
Morrison,  Benjamin  Stephenson  and  Wm.  Alex- 
ander. After  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State 
up  to  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  the  duties 
(which  were  almost  wholly  nominal)  were  dis- 
charged by  Wm.  Alexander,  1819-21 ;  Elijah  C. 
Berry,  1821-28;  James  W.  Berry,   1828-30;   Mases 


K.  Anderson,  1839-57;  Thomas  S.  Mather,  1838-61. 
In  November,  1861,  Col.  T.  S.  Mather,  who  had  held 
the  position  for  three  years  previovis,  resigned  to 
enter  active  service,  and  Judge  Allen  C.  Fuller 
was  appointed,  remaining  in  office  until  January 
1,  1805.  The  first  appointee,  un<ler  the  act  of 
1865,  was  Isham  N.  Haynie,  who  lield  office 
until  his  death  in  1869.  The  Legislature  of  1.SI19, 
taking  into  consideration  that  all  the  Illinois 
volunteers  had  been  mustered  out,  and  that  the 
duties  of  the  Adjutant-General  had  been  materi- 
ally le.ssened,  reduced  the  proportions  of  the 
department  and  curtailed  the  appropriation  for 
its  support.  Since  the  adoption  of  the  military 
code  of  1877,  the  Adjutant-General's  office  has 
occupied  a  more  important  and  conspicuous  posi- 
tion among  the  departments  of  the  State  govern- 
ment. The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have 
held  office  since  General  Haynie,  with  the  date 
and  duration  of  their  respective  terms  of  office : 
Hubert  Dilger,  1869-73;  Edwin  L.  Higgins, 
1873-75;  Hiram  Hilliard,  1875-81;  Isaac  H.  Elliot, 
1881-84;  Joseph  W.  Vance,  1884-93;  Albert  Oren- 
dorff,  1893-90,  C.  C.  Hilton,  1896-97;  Jasper  N. 
Reece,  1897  — . 

AGRICULTURE.  Illinois  ranks  high  as  an 
agricultural  State.  A  large  area  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  State,  because  of  the  absence  of 
timber,  was  called  by  the  early  settlers  "the 
Grand  Prairie."  Upon  and  along  a  low  ridge 
lieginning  in  Jackson  County  and  running  across 
the  State  is  the  prolific  fruit-growing  district  of 
Southern  Illinois.  Tlie  bottom  lands  extending 
from  Cairo  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  are 
of  a  fertility  seemingly  inexhaustible.  The  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  State  is  best  adapted  to  corn, 
and  the  southern  and  southwestern  to  the  culti- 
vation of  winter  wheat.  Nearly  three-fourths  of 
the  entire  State — some  42,000  square  miles — is  up- 
land prairie,  well  suited  to  the  rai.sing  of  cereals. 
In  the  value  of  its  oat  crop  Illinois  leads  all  the 
States,  that  for  1891  being  831,100,674,  with  3,068,- 
930  acres  under  cultivation.  In  the  production 
of  corn  it  ranks  next  to  Iowa,  the  last  cen.sus 
(1890)  showing  7,014,336  acres  under  cultivation, 
and  the  value  of  the  crop  being  estimated  at 
§86,905,510.  In  wheat-raising  it  ranked  seventh, 
although  the  annual  average  value  of  the  crop 
from  1880  to  1890  was  a  little  less  than  920.000,- 
000.  As  a  live-stock  State  it  leads  in  the  value  ol 
horses  ($83,000,000),  ranks  second  in  the  produc- 
tion of  swine  ($30,000,000),  third  in  cattle-growing 
(§32,000,000),  and  fourth  in  dairy  products,  the 
value  of  milch  cows  being  estimated  at  .$24,000,- 
000.     (See  also  Farmers'  Institute.) 


13 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


AGRICULTURE,    DEPARTMENT     OF.       A 

department  of  the  State  administration  wliich 
grew  out  of  the  organization  of  the  Illinois  Agri- 
cultural Society,  incoriX)rated  by  Act  of  the 
Legislature  in  1853.  The  first  appropriation  from 
the  State  treasury  for  its  maintenance  was  .51,000 
per  annum,  "to  be  expended  in  the  promotion  of 
mechanical  and  agricultural  arts."  The  first 
President  was  James  N.  Brown,  of  Sangamon 
County.  Simeon  Francis,  also  of  Sangamon,  was 
the  first  Recording  Secretary ;  John  A.  Kennicott 
of  Cook,  first  Corresponding  Secretary ;  and  John 
Williams  of  Sangamon,  first  Treasurer.  Some 
thirty  volumes  of  reports  have  been  issued,  cover- 
ing a  variety  of  topics  of  vital  interest  to  agri- 
culturists. The  department  has  well  equipped 
offices  in  the  State  House,  and  is  charged  with 
the  conduct  of  State  Fairs  and  the  management 
of  annual  exhibitions  of  fat  stock,  besides  the 
collection  and  dissemination  of  statistical  and 
other  information  relative  to  the  State's  agri- 
cultural interests.  It  receives  annual  reports 
from  all  County  Agricultural  Societies.  The 
State  Board  consists  of  three  general  oftic^ers 
(President,  Secretary  and  Treasurer)  and  one 
representative  from  each  Congressional  district. 
The  State  appropriates  some  $20,000  annually  for 
the  prosecution  of  its  work,  besides  which  there 
is  a  considerable  income  from  receipts  at  State 
Fairs  and  fat  stock  shows.  Between  §20,000  and 
§2.^,000  per  annum  is  disbursed  in  premiums  to 
competing  exhibitors  at  the  State  Fairs,  and  some 
$10, 000  divided  among  County  Agricultural 
Societies  holding  fairs. 

AKERS,  Peter,  D.  1).,  Methodist  Episcopal 
clergyman,  born  of  Presbyterian  parentage,  in 
Campbell  County,  Va.,  Sept.  1,  1790;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and,  at  the  age 
of  IG,  began  teaching,  later  pursuing  a  classical 
course  in  institutions  of  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina.  Having  removed  to  Kentucky,  after  a 
brief  season  spent  in  teaching  at  Mount  Sterling 
in  that  State,  he  began  the  study  of  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1817.  Two  years  later  he 
began  the  publication  of  a  paper  called  "The 
Star,''  which  was  continued  for  a  short  time.  In 
1831  he  was  converted  and  joined  the  Methodist 
church,  and  a  few  months  later  began  preaching. 
In  1832  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and,  after  a  year 
spent  in  work  as  an  evangelist,  he  assumed  the 
Presidency  of  McKendree  College  at  Lebanon, 
remaining  during  1833-34;  then  established  a 
"manual  labor  school"  near  Jacksonville,  which 
he  maintained  for  a  few  years.  From  1837  to 
18.52  was  spent  as  stationed  minister  or  Presiding 


Elder  at  Springfield,  Quincy  and  Jacksonville.  In 
the  latter  year  he  was  again  apixiinted  to  the 
Presidency  of  McKendree  College,  where  he 
remained  five  years.  He  was  then  (18.")7)  trans- 
ferred to  the  Slinnasota  Conference,  but  a  year 
later  was  compelled  by  declining  health  to  assume 
a  superannuated  relation.  Returning  to  Illinois 
about  186.5,  he  served  as  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Jacksonville  and  Pleiusant  Plains  Districts,  but 
was  again  compelled  to  accept  a  superannuated 
relation,  making  Jacksonville  his  home,  where 
he  died,  Feb.  21.  1886.  While  Presiilent  of  Mc- 
Kendree College,  he  published  his  work  on  "Bib- 
lical Chronology,"  to  which  he  had  devoted  many 
previous  years  of  his  life,  and  which  gave  evi- 
dence of  great  learning  and  viist  researcli.  Dr. 
Akers  was  a  man  of  profound  convictions,  exten- 
sive learning  and  great  ekxjuence.  As  a  pulpit 
orator-  and  logician  he  probably  had  no  superior 
in  the  State  during  the  time  of  his  most  active 
ser\-ice  in  the  denomination  to  which  he  telonged. 

AKIX,  Edward  C,  lawyer  and  Attorney -Gen- 
eral, was  born  in  Will  County,  111.,  in  18.52,  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Joliet  and  at  Aiui 
Arbor,  Mich.  For  four  years  he  was  ])aying  and 
receiving  teller  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Joliet,  but  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878  and 
has  continued  in  active  practice  since.  In  1887  he 
entered  upon  his  political  career  as  tlie  Republi- 
can candidate  for  City  Attorney  of  Joliet,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  over  700  votes,  although 
the  city  was  usuallj'  Democratic.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  the  canilidate  of  his  party  for 
State's  Attorney  of  Will  County,  and  was  again 
elected,  leading  the  State  and  county  ticket  by 
800  votes — being  re-elected  to  the  same  office  in 
1892.  In  1895  he  was  the  Republican  nominee 
for  Mayor  of  Joliet,  and,  although  opposed  by  a 
citizen's  ticket  headed  by  a  Republican,  was 
elected  over  his  Democratic  competitor  by  a  deci- 
sive majority.  His  greatest  popular  triumph  was 
in  1896,  when  he  was  elected  Attorney-General 
on  the  Republican  State  ticket  by  a  plurality 
over  his  Democratic  opponent  of  132,2-18  and  a 
majority  over  all  competitors  of  111,2.55.  His 
legal  abilities  are  recognized  as  of  a  very  high 
order,  while  his  personal  popularity  is  indicated 
by  his  uniform  succe.ss  as  a  candidate,  in  the 
face,  at  times,  of  strong  political  majorities. 

ALBAXY,  a  village  of  Whiteside  County,  lo- 
cated on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  (Rock  Island 
branch).     Population  (1890),  611;  (1900),  621. 

ALBION,  county-.seat  of  Edwards  County, 
on  Southern  Railway,  midway  between  St.  Louis 


\9i^i0^^i^^^^^^^^^       '^^'^^^ 


KXl'KKnilOXT  FAKM   I  THE  VINEYAKI )  i    IM  VEKSI  IV  OK  1  l.i.I  Xd  IS. 


EXPERIMENT   FARM    (ORCHARD   CLLTIVATIO.X)    UNIVERSITY   OF   ILLINOIS. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


13 


aud  Louisville;  seat  of  Southern  Collegiate  In- 
stitute; has  plant  for  manufacture  of  vitrified 
shale  paving  brick,  two  newspapers,  creamery, 
flouring  mills,  and  is  important  shipping  point 
for  live  stock;  is  in  a  rich  fruit-growing  district; 
has  five  churches  and  splendid  public  schools. 
Population  (1900),  1,162;  (est.  1904),  1,500. 

ALCORN,  James  Lusk,  was  born  near  Gol- 
oonda.  111.,  Nov.  4,  1816;  early  went  South  and 
held  various  offices  in  Kentucky  and  Mississippi, 
including  member  of  the  Legislature  in  each; 
was  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  State  Conven- 
tions of  1851  and  1861,  and  by  the  latter  appointed 
a  Brigadier-General  in  the  Confederate  service, 
but  refused  a  commission  by  Jefferson  Davis 
because  his  fidelity  to  the  rebel  cause  was 
doubted.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  one  of 
the  first  to  accept  the  reconstruction  policy ;  was 
elected  United  States  Senator  from  Mississippi  in 
1865,  but  not  admitted  to  his  seat.  In  1869  he 
was  chosen  Governor  as  a  Republican,  and  two 
years  later  elected  United  States  Senator,  serving 
until  1877.     Died,  Dec.  20,  1894. 

ALDRICH,  J.  Frank,  Congressman,  was  born 
at  Two  Rivers,  Wis.,  April  6,  1853,  the  son  of 
William  Aldrich,  who  afterwards  became  Con- 
gressman from  Chicago ;  was  brought  to  Chicago 
in  1861,  attended  the  public  schools  and  the  Chi- 
cago University,  and  graduated  from  the  Rensse- 
laer Polytechnic  Institute,  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  1877, 
receiving  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  linseed  oil  business  in  Chicago. 
Becoming  interested  in  politics,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners 
of  Cook  Count}-,  serving  as  President  of  that  body 
during  the  reform  period  of  1887;  was  also  a 
member  of  the  County  Board  of  Education  and 
Chairman  of  the  Chicago  Citizens'  Committee, 
appointed  from  the  various  clubs  and  commer- 
cial organizations  of  the  city,  to  promote  the  for- 
mation of  the  Chicago  Sanitary  District.  From 
May  1,  1891,  to  Jan.  1.  1893,  he  was  Commissioner 
of  Public  Works  for  Chicago,  when  he  resigned 
his  office,  having  been  elected  (Nov.,  1892)  a 
member  of  the  Fifty  third  Congress,  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  from  the  First  Congressional 
District;  was  re-elected  in  1894,  retiring  at  the 
close  of  the  Fifty -fourth  Congress.  In  1898  he 
was  appointed  to  a  position  in  connection  with 
the  office  of  Comptroller  of  the  Currency  at 
Washington. 

ALDRICH,  William,  merchant  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Greenfield,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  20,  1820. 
His  early  common  school  training  was  supple- 
mented by  private  tuition  in  higher  branches  of 


mathematics  and  in  surveying,  and  by  a  term  in 
an  academy.  Until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  26 
years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  teaching, 
but,  in  1846,  turned  his  attention  to  mercantile 
pursuits.  In  1851  he  removed  to  Wisconsin, 
where,  in  addition  to  merchandising,  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  and  woodenware, 
and  where  he  also  held  several  important  offices, 
being  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  three  years. 
Chairman  of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors 
one  year,  besides  serving  one  term  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. In  1860  he  removed  to  Cliicago,  where  he 
embarked  in  the  wholesale  grocery  biLsiness.  In 
1875  he  was  elected  to  the  Cit}'  Council,  and,  in 
1876,  chosen  to  represent  his  district  (the  First)  in 
Congress,  as  a  Republican,  being  re  elected  in  1878, 
and  again  in  1880.  Died  in  Fond  du  Lafl,  Wi3., 
Dec.  3,  1885. 

ALEDO,  county-seat  of  Mercer  County;  is  in 
the  midst  of  a  rich  farming  and  bituminous  coal 
region;  fruit-growing  and  stock-raising  are  abio 
extensively  carried  on,  and  large  quantities  of 
these  commodities  are  shipped  here;  has  two 
newspapers  and  ample  school  facilities.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  1,601;  (1900),  2,081. 

ALEXANDER,  John  T.,  agriculturist  and 
stock-grower,  was  born  in  Western  Virginia, 
Sept.  15,  1820;  removed  with  his  father,  at  six 
years  of  age,  to  Ohio,  and  to  Illinois  in  1848. 
Here  he  bought  a  tract  of  several  thousand  acres 
of  land  on  the  Wabash  Railroad,  10  miles  east  of 
Jacksonville,  which  finally  developed  into  one  of 
the  richest  stock-farms  in  the  State.  After  the 
war  he  became  the  owner  of  the  celebrated 
"SuUivant  farm,"  comprising  some  20,000  acres 
on  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railroad  in 
Champaign  County,  to  which  he  transferred  his 
stock  interests,  and  although  overtaken  by  re- 
verses, left  a  large  estate.    Died,  August  22,  1876. 

ALEXANDER,  Milton  K.,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Elbert  County,  Ga.,  Jan.  23,  1796;  emigrated 
with  his  father,  in  1804,  to  Tennessee,  and,  while 
still  a  boy,  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812, 
serving  under  the  command  of  General  Jackson 
until  the  capture  of  Pensacola,  when  he  entered 
upon  the  campaign  against  the  Seminoles  in 
Florida.  In  1823  he  removed  to  Edgar  County, 
111.,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  and  agricultural 
pursuits  at  Paris;  serving  also  as  Postmaster 
there  some  twenty-five  years,  and  as  Clerk  of  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court  from  1826  to  '37. 
In  1826  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Coles, 
Colonel  of  the  Nineteenth  Regiment,  Illinois 
State  Militia;  in  1830  was  Aide-de-Camp  to  Gov- 
ernor Reynolds,  and,  inl832,  tiwk  part  in  the  Black 


14 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Hawk  War  as  Brigadier-General  of  the  Second 
Brigade,  IlUnois  Volunteers.  On  the  inception  of 
the  internal  improTement  scheme  in  183T  he  was 
elected  by  the  Legislature  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Commissioners  of  Public  Works,  serving 
until  the  Board  was  abolished.  Died,  July  7,  1856. 
ALEXANDER,  (Dr.)  William  M.,  pioneer, 
came  to  Southern  Illinois  previous  to  the  organi- 
zation of  Union  County  (1818),  and  for  some  time, 
while  practicing  his  profession  as  a  physician, 
acted  as  agent  of  the  proprietors  of  the  town  of 
America,  which  was  located  on  the  Ohio  River, 
on  the  first  high  ground  above  its  junction  with 
the  Mississippi.  It  became  the  first  county-seat 
of  Alexander  County,  which  was  organized  in 
1819,  and  named  in  his  honor.  In  1820  we  find 
him  a  Representative  in  the  Second  General 
Assembly  from  Pope  County,  and  two  years  later 
Representative  from  Alexander  County,  when  he 
became  Speaker  of  the  House  during  the  session 
of  the  Third  General  Assembly.  Later,  he 
removed  to  Kaskaskia,  but  finally  went  South, 
where  he  died,  though  the  date  and  place  of  his 
death  are  unknown. 

ALEXANDER  COUNTY,  the  extreme  southern 
county  of  the  State,  being  bounded  on  the  west 
by  the  Mississipppi,  and  south  and  east  by  the 
Ohio  and  Cache  rivers.  Its  area  is  about  230 
square  miles  and  its  population,  in  1890,  was  16,- 
563.  The  first  American  settlers  were  Tennessee- 
ans  named  Bird,  who  occupied  the  delta  and  gave 
it  the  name  of  Bird's  Point,  wliich.  at  the  date  of 
the  Civil  War  (1861-65),  had  been  transferred  to 
the  Missouri  shore  opposite  the  mouth  of  tlie  Ohio. 
Other  early  settlers  were  Clark,  Kennedy  and 
Philips  (at  Mounds),  Conyer  and  Terrel  (at  Amer- 
ica), and  Humphreys  (near  Caledonia).  In  1818 
Shadrach  Bond  (afterwards  Governor),  John  G. 
Comyges  and  others  entered  a  claim  for  1800  acres 
in  the  central  and  northern  part  of  the  county, 
and  incorporated  the  "City  and  Bank  of  Cairo." 
The  history  of  this  enterprise  is  interesting.  In 
1818  (on  Comyges'  death)  the  land  reverted  to  the 
Government;  but  in  1835  Sidney  Breese,  David  J. 
Baker  and  Miles  A.  Gilbert  re-entered  the  for- 
feited bank  tract  and  the  title  thereto  became 
vested  in  the  "Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company," 
which  was  chartered  in  1837,  and,  by  purchase, 
extended  its  holdings  to  10,000  acres.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1819;  the  first  county- 
seat  being  America,  wliich  was  incorporated  in 
18-20.      Poimlation  (1900).  19,384. 

ALEXIAN  BROTHERS'  HOSPITAL,  located 
at  Chicago;  established  in  1860,  and  under  the 
management  of  the  Alexian  Brothers,  a  monastic 


order  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  was 
originally  opened  in  a  small  frame  building,  but  a 
better  edifice  was  erected  in  1868,  only  to  be  de- 
stroyed in  the  great  fire  of  1871.  The  following 
year,  through  the  aid  of  private  benefactions  and 
an  appropriation  of  $18,000  from  the  Chicago  Re- 
lief and  Aid  Society,  a  larger  and  better  hospital 
was  built.  In  1888  an  addition  was  made,  increas- 
ing the  accommodation  to  150  beds.  Only  poor 
male  patients  are  admitted,  and  these  are  received 
without  reference  to  nationalitj'  or  religion,  and 
absolutely  without  charge.  The  present  medical 
staff  (1896)  comprises  fourteen  physicians  and  sur- 
geons. In  1895  the  close  approach  of  an  intra- 
mural transit  line  having  rendered  the  building 
unfit  for  hospital  purposes,  a  street  railway  com- 
pany purchased  the  site  and  buildings  for  $2.50,- 
000  and  a  new  location  has  been  selected. 

ALEXIS,  a  village  of  Warren  County,  on  the 
Rock  Island  &  St.  Louis  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway,  12  miles  east  of 
north  from  Monmouth.  It  has  manufactures  of 
brick,  drain-tile,  pottery  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments; is  also  noted  for  its  Clydesdale  horses. 
Population  (1880),  398;  (1890),  .562;  (1900),  915. 

ALGONqriNS,  a  group  of  Indian  tribes. 
Originally  their  territory  extended  from  about 
latitude  37°  to  53°  north,  and  from  longitude  25° 
east  to  15°  west  of  the  meridian  of  Washington. 
Branches  of  the  stock  were  found  by  Cartier  in 
Canada,  by  Smith  in  Virginia,  by  the  Puritiins  in 
New  England  and  by  Catholic  missionaries  in  the 
great  basin  of  the  Mi.ssi.ssippi.  One  of  the  prin- 
cipal of  their  five  confederacies  embraced  the 
Illinois  Indians,  who  were  found  within  the 
State  by  the  French  when  the  latter  discovered 
the  country  in  1673.  They  were  hereditary  foes 
of  the  warlike  Iroquois,  by  whom  their  territory 
was  repeatedly  invaded.  Besides  the  Illinois, 
other  tribes  of  the  Algonquin  family  who  origi- 
nally dwelt  within  the  present  limits  of  Illinois, 
were  the  Foxes,  Kickapoos,  Miamis,  Menominees, 
and  Sacs.  Although  nomadic  in  their  mode  of 
life,  and  subsisting  largely  on  the  sjxiils  of  the 
chase,  the  Algonquins  were  to  some  extent  tillers 
of  the  soil  and  cultivated  large  tracts  of  maize. 
Various  dialects  of  their  language  have  been 
reduced  to  grammatical  rules,  and  Eliot's  Indian 
Bible  is  published  in  their  tongue.  The  entire 
Algonquin  stock  extant  is  estimated  at  about 
95,000,  of  whom  some  35,000  are  within  the  United 
States. 

ALLEN,  William  Joshua,  jurist,  was  born 
June  9,  1829,  in  AVilson  County,  Tenn. ;  of  Vir- 
ginia ancestrv  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.     In  early 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


15 


infancy  he  was  brougnt  by  his  parents  to  South- 
ern Illinois,  where  his  father.  Willis  Allen,  be- 
came a  Judge  and  member  of  Congress.  After 
reading  law  with  his  father  and  at  the  Louisville 
Law  School,  young  Allen  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  settling  at  Metropolis  and  afterward  (1853) 
at  his  old  home,  Marion,  in  Williamson  County. 
In  1855  he  was  appointed  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  Illinois,  but  resigned  in  1859  and  re- 
sumed private  practice  as  partner  of  Jolin  A. 
Logan.  The  same  year  he  was  elected  Circuit 
Judge  to  succeed  his  father,  who  had  died,  but  he 
declined  a  re-election.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Conventions  of  1862  and  1869,  serv- 
ing in  both  bodies  on  the  Judicial  Committee  and 
as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  Bill  of 
Rights.  From  1864  to  1888  he  was  a  delegate  to 
every  National  Democratic  Convention,  being 
chairman  of  the  Illinois  delegation  in  1876.  He 
has  been  four  times  a  candidate  for  Congress,  and 
twice  elected,  serving  from  1862  to  1865.  During 
this  period  he  was  an  ardent  opponent  of  the  wai 
policy  of  the  Government.  In  1874-75,  at  the 
solicitation  of  Governor  Beveridge,  he  undertook 
the  prosecution  of  the  leaders  of  a  bloody  "ven- 
detta" which  had  broken  out  among  his  former 
neighbors  in  Williamson  County,  and,  by  his  fear- 
less and  impartial  efforts,  brought  the  offenders  to 
justice  and  assisted  in  restoring  order.  In  1886, 
Judge  Allen  removed  to  Springfield,  and  in  1887 
was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  to  succeed 
Judge  Samuel  H.  Treat  (deceased)  as  Judge  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Illinois.     Died  Jan.  26,  1901. 

ALLEN,  Willis,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who 
removed  to  Williamson  Coimty,  111.,  in  1829  and 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1834  he  was  chosen 
Sheriff  of  Franklin  County,  in  1838  elected  Rep- 
resentative in  the  Eleventh  General  Assembly, 
and,  in  1844,  became  State  Senator.  In  1841, 
although  not  yet  a  licensed  lawyer,  he  was  chosen 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the  old  Third  District, 
and  was  shortly  afterward  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  was  chosen  Presidential  Elector  in  1844,  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847, 
and  served  two  terms  in  Congress  (1851-55).  On 
March  2,  1859,  he  was  commissioned  Judge  of  the 
Twenty-sixth  Judicial  Circuit,  but  died  three 
months  later.  His  son,  William  Joslaua,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  latter  office. 

ALLERTON,  Samuel  Waters,  stock-dealer  and 
capitalist,  was  born  of  Pilgrim  ancestry  in 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  May  26,  1829.  His 
youth  was  spent  with  his  father  on  a  farm  in 
Yates  Count V.  N.  Y..  but  alwut  18.52  he  engaged 


in  the  live-stock  business  in  Central  and  Western 
New  York.  In  1856  he  transferred  his  operations 
to  Illinois,  shipping  stock  from  various  points  to 
New  York  City,  finally  locating  in  Chicago.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  projectors  of  the  Chicago 
Stock-Yards,  later  .securing  control  of  the  Pitts- 
burg Stock-Yards,  also  becoming  interested  in 
yards  at  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Jer.sey  City  and 
Omaha.  Mr.  Allerton  is  one  of  the  founders  and 
a  Director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago, 
a  Director  and  stockholder  of  tlie  Cliicago  City 
Railway  (the  first  cable  line  in  that  city),  the 
owner  of  an  extensive  area  of  highly  improved 
farming  lands  in  Central  Illinois,  as  also  of  large 
tracts  in  Nebraska  and  Wyoming,  and  of  valuable 
and  productive  mining  properties  in  the  Black 
Hills.  A  zealous  Republican  in  politics,  lie  is  a 
liberal  supporter  of  the  measures  of  that  party, 
and,  in  1893,  was  the  unsuccessful  Republican  can- 
didate for  Mayor  of  Chicago  in  opposition  to 
Carter  H.  Harrison. 

ALLOUEZ,  Claude  Jean,  sometimes  called 
"The  Apostle  of  the  West,"  a  Jesuit  priest,  was 
born  in  France  in  1620.  He  reached  Quebec  in 
1658,  and  later  explored  the  country  around 
Lakes  Superior  and  Michigan,  establishing  the 
mission  of  La  Pointe,  near  where  Ashland,  Wis., 
now  stands,  in  1665,  and  St.  Xavier,  near  Green 
Bay,  in  1669.  He  learned  from  the  Indians  the 
existence  and  direction  of  the  upper  Mississippi, 
and  was  the  first  to  communicate  the  informa- 
tion to  the  authorities  at  Montreal,  which  report 
was  the  primary  cause  of  Joliet's  expedition.  He 
succeeded  Marquette  in  charge  of  the  mission  at 
Kaskaskia,  on  the  Illinois,  in  1677,  where  he 
preached  to  eight  tribes.  From  that  date  to  1690 
he  labored  among  the  aborigines  of  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin.     Died  at  Fort  St.  Joseph,  in  1690. 

ALLYN,  (Rev.)  Robert,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Ledyard,  New  London  County, 
Conn.,  Jan.  2.5,  1817,  being  a  direct  descend- 
ant in  the  eighth  generation  of  Captain  Robert 
Allyn,  who  was  one  of  the  fir.st  settlers  of  New 
London.  He  grew  up  on  a  farm,  receiving  his 
early  education  in  a  country  school,  supple- 
mented by  access  to  a  small  public  library,  from 
which  he  acquired  a  good  degree  of  familiarity 
with  standard  English  writers.  In  1837  he 
entered  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown, 
Conn.,  where  he  distinguished  himself  as  a 
mathematician  and  took  a  high  rank  as  a  linguist 
and  rhetorician,  gradiiating  in  1841.  He  im- 
mediately engaged  as  a  teacher  of  mathematics 
in  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  Ma.ss., 
and,   in  1846,  was  elected  principal  of  the  school. 


IG 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


meanwhile  (1843)  becoming  a  licentiate  of  the 
Providence  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  From  1848  to  18.54  he  served  as  Princi- 
pal of  the  Providence  Conference  Seminary  at 
East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  when  he  was  appointed 
Commissioner  of  Public  Schools  of  Rhode  Island 
— also  serving  the  same  year  as  a  Visitor  to  West 
Point  Military  Academy.  Between  18.57  and  1859 
he  filled  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages  in  the 
State  University  at  Athens,  Ohio,  when  he  ac- 
cepted the  Presidency  of  the  Wesleyan  Female 
College  at  Cincinnati,  four  years  later  (1803) 
becoming  President  of  McKendree  College  at 
Lebanon,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  1874. 
That  position  he  resigned  to  accept  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  University 
at  Carbondale,  whence  he  retired  in  1892.  Died 
at  Carbondale,  Jan.  7,  1894.  _ 

ALTAMONT,  Effingham  County,  is  intersecting 
point  of  the  Vandalia,  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois, 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  S.  W.,  and  Wabash  Railroads, 
being  midway  ami  highest  point  between  St. 
Louis  and  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  was  laid  out  in 
1870.  The  town  is  in  the  center  of  a  grain,  fruit- 
growing and  stock-raising  district ;  has  a  bank, 
two  grain  elevators,  flouring  mill,  tile  works,  a 
large  creamery,  wagon,  furniture  and  other  fac- 
tories, besides  churches  and  good  schools.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  1,044,  11900),  1,33.5. 

ALTGELD,  John  Peter,  ex-Judge  and  ex-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  in  Prussia  in  1.848,  and  in  boy. 
hood  accompanied  his  parents  to  America,  the 
family  settling  in  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  16  he 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth 
Ohio  Infantry,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war 
His  legal  education  was  acquired  at  St.  Louis  and 
Savannah,  Mo.,  and  from  1874  to  '78  he  was 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  Andrew  Coimty  in  that 
State.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
devoted  himself  to  professional  work.  In  1884  he 
led  the  Democratic  forlorn  hope  as  candidate  for 
Congress  in  a  strong  Republican  Congressional 
district,  and  in  1886  was  elected  to  the  bench  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  but  resigned 
in  Augast,  1891.  The  Democratic  State  conven- 
tion of  1892  nominated  him  for  Governor,  and  he 
was  elected  the  following  November,  being  the 
first  foreign-lxirn  citizen  to  hold  that  office  in  the 
history  of  the  State,  and  the  first  Democrat 
elected  since  1852.  In  1896  he  was  a  prominent 
factor  in  the  Democratic  National  Convention 
which  nominated  William  J.  Bryan  for  Presi- 
dent, and  was  also  a  candidate  for  re-election  to 
the  office  of  Governor,  but  was  defeated  by  John 
R.  Tanner,  the  Republican  nominee. 


ALTON,  principal  city  in  Madison  County 
and  important  commercial  and  manufacturing 
point  on  Mississippi  River,  25  mileb  north  of 
St.  Louis;  site  was  first  occupied  as  a  French 
trading-post  about  1807,  the  town'  proper  lieing 
laid  out  by  Col.  Rufu.s  Easton  in  1817;  principal 
business  houses  are  located  in  the  valley  along 
the  river,  while  the  re.sidence  portion  occupies 
the  bluffs  overlooking  the  river,  sonietinie.s  rising 
to  the  height  of  nearly  250  feet.  The  city  has 
extensive  glass  works  employ-ng  (1903)  4,000 
hands,  flouring  mills,  iron  foundries,  manufac- 
tories of  agricultural  implements,  coal  cars,  min 
ers'  tools,  shoes,  tobacco,  lime,  etc.,  besides 
several  banks,  numerous  churches,  schools,  and 
four  newspajiers,  three  of  them  daily.  A  monu- 
ment to  tlie  memory  of  Elijah  P  Lovejoy,  who 
fell  while  defending  his  press  against  a  pro-slav- 
ery mob  in  1837.  was  erected  in  .\lton  Cemetery, 
1896-7,  at  a  cost  of  §30,000.  contributed  by  the 
State  and  citizens  of  Alton.  Population  (1890), 
10,294;  (1900),  14,210. 

ALTOX  PEXITEXTIARY.  The  earliest  pun- 
ishments imposed  upon  public  offenders  in  Illi- 
nois were  by  public  flogging  or  imprisonment  for 
a  short  time  in  jails  rudely  constructed  of  logs, 
from  which  escape  was  not  difficult  for  a  prisoner 
of  nerve,  strength  and  mental  resource.  The 
inadequacy  of  such  places  of  confinement  was 
soon  perceived,  but  popular  antipathy  to  anj' 
increase  of  taxation  prevented  the  adoption  of 
any  other  policy  until  1827.  A  grant  of  40,000 
acres  of  saline  lands  was  made  to  the  State  by 
Congre.ss,  aiul  a  considerable  portion  of  the  money 
received  from  their  sale  was  appropriated  to  the 
establishment  of  a  State  penitentiary  at  Alton. 
The  sum  set  apart  proved  insufficient.and,  in  1831, 
an  additional  appropriation  of  §10,000  was  made 
from  the  State  treasury.  In  1833  the  prison  was 
ready  to  receive  its  first  inmates.  It  was  built  of 
stone  and  had  but  twenty-four  cells.  Additions 
were  made  from  time  to  time,  but  by  1857  the 
State  determined  ujiou  building  a  new  peniten- 
tiary, which  was  located  at  Joliet  (see  Xorthem 
Penitentiary),  and,  in  1860,  the  last  convicts  were 
transferred  thither  from  Alton.  Tlie  Alton  prison 
was  conducted  on  what  is  known  as  "the  Auburn 
plan"  —  associated  labor  in  silence  by  day  and 
separate  confinement  by  night.  The  manage- 
ment was  in  the  hands  of  a  "lessee,"  who  fur- 
nished supplies,  employed  guards  and  exercised 
the  general  powers  of  a  warden  luider  the  super- 
vision of  a  Commissioner  appointed  by  the  State, 
and  who  handled  all  the  products  of  convict 
labor. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


17 


ALTON  RIOTS.  (See  Lovejoij.  Elijah  Par- 
risli.) 

ALTONA,  town  of  Knox  County,  on  C,  B.  &  Q. 
R.  R  ,  16  miles  northeast  of  Galesburg;  has  an 
endowed  pubh'c  library,  electric  light  system, 
cement  sidewalks,  four  churches  and  good  school 
system.     Population  (1900),  633. 

ALTON  &  SAN(;AM0N  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago  <&  Alton  Railroad.) 

AMBOY,  city  in  Lee  County  on  Green  River,  at 
junction  of  Illinois  Central  and  C,  B.  &  Q.  Rail- 
roads, 95  miles  south  by  west  from  Chicago;  has 
artesian  water  with  waterworks  and  fire  protec- 
tion, city  park,  two  telephone  systems,  electric 
lights,  railroad  repair  shops,  two  banks,  two 
newspapers,  seven  churches,  graded  and  high 
schools;  is  on  line  of  Northern  Illinois  Electric 
Ry.  from  De  Kalb  to  Dixon ;  extensive  bridge 
and  iron  works  located  here.     Pop.  (  1900),  1,836. 

AMES,  Edward  Raymond,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  born  at  Aniesville,  Athens  County,  Ohio, 
May  30,  1806;  was  educated  at  the  Ohio  State 
University,  where  he  joined  the  M.  E.  Church. 
In  1828  he  left  college  and  became  Principal  of 
the  Seminary  at  Lebanon,  111.,  which  afterwards 
became  McKendree  College.  While  there  he 
received  a  license  to  preach,  and,  after  holding 
various  charges  and  positions  in  the  church,  in- 
cluding membership  in  the  General  Conference 
of  1840,  '44  and  '53,  in  the  latter  year  was  elected 
Bishop,  serving  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  Baltimore,  April  25,  1879. 

ANDERSON,  Galusha,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Bergen,  N.  Y.,  March  7,  1S33; 
graduated  at  Rocliester  University  in  1854  and  at 
the  Theological  Seminary  there  in  1856;  spent 
ten  years  in  Baptist  pastoral  work  at  Janes vi  lie, 
Wis. ,  and  at  St.  Louis,  and  seven  as  Professor  in 
Newton  Theological  Institute,  Mass.  From  1873 
to  '80  he  preached  in  Brooklyn  and  Chicago;  was 
then  chosen  President  of  the  old  Chicago  Univer- 
sity, remaining  eight  years,  when  he  again  be- 
came a  pastor  at  Salem,  Mass.,  but  soon  after 
assumed  the  Presidency  of  Denison  University, 
Ohio.  On  the  organization  of  tlie  new  Chicago 
University,  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Homiletics 
and  Pastoral  Theology,  which  he  now  liolds 

ANDERSON,  George  A.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  bom  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  March 
11,  1853.  Wlien  two  years  old  he  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Hancock  County,  111  He  re- 
ceived a  collegiate  education,  and,  after  studying 
law  at  Lincoln,  Neb.,  and  at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  settled 
at  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  began  practice  in  1880. 
In  1884  he  was  elected   City   Attorney  on   the 


Democratic  ticket,  and  re-elected  in  1885  without 
opposition.  The  following  year  he  was  the  suc- 
cessful candidate  of  his  party  for  Congress,  which 
was  his  last  public  service.  Died  at  Quincy, 
Jan.  31,  1896. 

ANDERSON,  James  C,  legislator,  was  bom  in 
Henderson  County,  111.,  August  1,  1845;  raised  on 
a  farm,  and  after  receiving  a  common-school 
education,  entered  Monmouth  College,  but  left 
early  in  the  Civil  War  to  enlist  in  the  Twentieth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he  attained 
the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant.  After  the  war  he 
served  ten  years  as  Sheriff  of  Henderson  County, 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  General 
Assembly  in  1888,  "90,  '93  and  '96,  and  served  on 
the  Republican  "steering  committee"  during  the 
session  of  1893.  He  also  served  as  Sergeant-at- 
Arms  of  the  Senate  for  the  session  of  1895,  and 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Con- 
vention of  1896.     His  home  is  at  Decorra. 

ANDERSON,  Stinson  H.,  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor, was  born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  in  1800; 
came  to  Jefferson  County,  111.,  in  liis  youth,  and, 
at  an  early  age,  began  to  devote  his  attention  to 
breeding  fine  stock;  served  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  as  a  Lieutenant  in  1832,  and  the  same  year 
was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Eighth 
General  Assembly,  being  reelected  in  1834.  In 
1838  he  was  chosen  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the 
ticket  with  Gov.  Thomas  Carlin,  and  soon  after 
the  close  of  his  term  entered  the  United  States 
Army  as  Captain  of  Dragoons,  in  this  capacity 
taking  part  in  the  Seminole  War  in  Florida. 
Still  later  he  served  imder  President  Polk  as 
United  States  Marshal  for  Illinois,  and  also  held 
the  position  of  Warden  of  the  State  Penitentiary 
at  Alton  for  several  years.  Died,September,  1857. — 
William  B.  (Anderson),  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  at  Mount  Vernon,  111.,  April  30,  1830; 
attended  the  common  schools  and  later  studied 
surveying,  being  elected  Surveyor  of  Jefferson 
County,  in  1851.  He  studied  law  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1858,  but  never  practiced,  pre- 
ferring the  more  quiet  life  of  a  farmer.  In  1856 
he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  and  re-elected  in  1858.  In  1861  he 
entered  the  volunteer  service  as  a  private,  was 
promoted  through  the  grades  of  Captain  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  to  a  Colonelcy,  and,  at  the 
close  of  the  -.rar,  was  brevetted  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. In  1868  he  was  a  candidate  for  Presidential 
Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  was  a  member 
of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70, 
and,  in  1871,  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  to 
fill  a  vacancv.   In  1874  he  was  electeil  to  the  Forty 


18 


HISTOEICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


fourth  Congress  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  lu 
1893  General  Anderson  was  appointed  b}-  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  Pension  Agent  for  Illinois,  con- 
tinuing in  that  position  four  years,  when  he 
retired  to  private  life. 

ANDRUS,  Rev.  Reuben,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Rutland,  Jefferson  County, 
N.  Y.,  Jan.  29,  1834;  early  came  to  Fulton 
County,  111.,  and  spent  three  years  (1844-47)  as  a 
student  at  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville,  but 
graduated  at  McKendree  College.  Lebanon,  in 
1849;  taught  for  a  time  at  Greenfield,  entered  the 
Methodist  ministry,  and,  in  18."iO,  founded  the  Illi- 
nois Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomington,  of 
which  he  became  a  Professor;  later  re-entered 
the  ministry  and  held  charges  at  Beardstown, 
Decatur,  Quincy,  Springfield  and  Bloomington, 
meanwhile  for  a  time  being  President  of  Illinois 
Conference  Female  College  at  Jacksonville,  and 
temporary  President  of  Quincy  College.  In  1867 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Indiana  Conference  and 
stationed  at  Evansville  and  Indianapolis;  from 
1873  to  "7.5  was  President  of  Indiana  Asbury  Uni- 
versity at  Greencastle.  Died  at  Indianapolis, 
Jan.  17,  1887. 

ANNA,  a  city  in  Union  County,  on  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  36  miles  from  Cairo;  is  center 
of  extensive  fruit  and  vegetable-growing  district, 
and  largest  .shipping-point  for  these  commodities 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  It  has  an  ice 
plant,  pottery  and  lime  manufactories,  two  banks 
and  two  ne\v.spapers.  The  Southern  (111.)  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  is  located  here.  Population 
(1890),  3,39.-);  (1900),  3,018;  (est.  1904),  3,000. 

ANTHONY,  Elliott,  jurist,  was  born  of  New 
England  Quaker  ancestry  at  Spafford,  Onondaga 
County,  N.  Y.,  June  10,  1.S37;  was  related  on 
the  maternal  side  to  the  Chases  and  Phelps  (dis- 
tinguished lawyers)  of  Vermont.  His  earlj-  years 
were  spent  in  labor  on  a  farm,  but  after  a  course 
of  preparatory  study  at  Cortland  Academy,  in 
1847  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  in  Hamilton 
College  at  Clinton,  graduating  with  honors  in 
1850.  The  next  year  he  began  the  study  of  law, 
at  the  same  time  giving  instruction  in  an  Acad- 
emy at  Clinton,  where  he  had  President  Cleve- 
land as  one  of  his  pupils.  After  admission  to  the 
bar  at  Oswego,  in  18.-)1,  he  removed  West,  stop- 
ping for  a  time  at  Sterling.  111.,  but  the  following 
year  located  in  Chicago.  Here  he  compiled  "A 
Digest  of  Illinois  Reports" ;  in  1858  was  elected 
City  Attorney,  and,  in  1863,  became  solicitor  of 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  (now  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern).  Judge  Anthony 
served  in  two  State  Constitutional  Conventions — 


those  of  1862  and  1869-70— lieing  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Executive  Department  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Committee  on  Judiciary  in  the  latter. 
He  was  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Con- 
vention of  1880,  and  was  the  same  year  elected  a 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Chicago,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1886,  retiring  in  1892,  after  which  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  being 
chiefly  eniploj'ed  as  consulting  counsel.  Judge 
Anthonj'  was  one  of  the  founders  and  incoq)o- 
rators  of  the  Chicago  Law  Institute  and  a  member 
of  the  first  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Chicago 
Public  Library;  also  served  as  President  of  the 
State  Bar  Association  (1894-95),  and  delivered 
several  iiniK)rtant  historical  addresses  before  that 
body.  His  other  most  important  productions 
are  volumes  on  "The  Constitutional  History  of 
Illinois,"  "The  Story  of  the  Empire  State"  and 
"Sanitation  and  Navigation."  Near  the  close  of 
his  last  term  upon  the  bench,  he  spent  several 
months  in  an  extended  tour  through  the  princi- 
pal countries  of  Europe.  His  death  occurred, 
after  a  protracted  illness,  at  his  home  at  Evans- 
ton.  Fob.  34,  1898. 

ANTI-NKKKASKA  EDITORIAL  CONVEPf- 
TIOX,  a  jKilitical  body,  which  convened  at 
Decatur,  Feb.  22,  1856,  pursuant  to  the  suggestion 
of  "The  Morgan  Journal,"  then  a  weekly  paper 
published  at  Jacksonville,  for  the  purpose  of  for- 
mulating a  policy  in  opix)sition  to  the  principles 
of  the  Kansas- Nebraska  bill.  Twelve  editors 
were  in  attendance,  as  follows:  Charles  H.  Ray 
of  "The  Chicago  Tribune";  V.  Y.  Ralston  of 
"The  Quincy  Whig";  O.  P.  Wharton  of  "The 
Rock  Island  Advertiser";  T.  J.  Pickett  of  "The 
Peoria  Reimblican" ;  George  Schneider  of  "The 
Chicago  Stiiats  Zeitung"  ;  Charles  Faxon  of  "The 
Princeton  Post";  A.  N.  Ford  of  "The  Lacon  Ga- 
zette"; B.  F.  Shaw  of  "The  Dixon  Telegraph" ;  E. 
C.  Daugherty  of  "The  Rockford  Register"  ;  E.  W. 
Blaisdell  of  "The  Rockford  Gazette";  W.  J. 
Usrey  of  "The  Decatur  Chronicle";  and  Paul 
Selby  of  "The  Jacksonville  Journal."  Paul  Selby 
was  chosen  Chairman  and  W.  J.  Usrey,  Secre- 
tary. The  convention  adopted  a  platform  and 
recommended  the  calling  of  a  State  convention 
at  Bloomington  on  May  29,  following,  appointing 
the  following  State  Central  Committee  to  take  the 
matter  in  charge :  W.  B.  Ogden,  Chicago ;  S.  M. 
Church,  Rockford ;  G.  D.  A.  Parks,  Joliet ;  T.  J 
Pickett,  Peoria;  E.  A.  Dudley,  Quincy;  William 
H.  Herndon,  Springfield;  R.  J.  Oglesby,  Deca- 
tur; Joseph  Gillespie,  Edwardsrille;  D.  L.  Phil- 
lips, Jonesboro;  and  Ira  O.  Wilkinson  and 
Gustavus  Koerner  for  the  State-at- large.     A  bra- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


19 


ham  Lincoln  was  present  and  participated  in  the 
consultations  of  the  committees.  All  of  these 
served  except  Messrs.  Ogden,  Oglesby  and  Koer- 
uer,  the  two  former  declining  on  account  of  ab- 
sence from  the  State.  Ogden  was  succeeded  by 
the  late  Dr.  John  Evans,  afterwards  Territorial 
Governor  of  Colorado,  and  Oglesby  by  Col.  Isaac 
C.  Pugh  of  Decatur.  (See  Bloomington  Conven- 
tion of  isse. ) 

APPLE  RIVER,  a  village  of  Jo  Daviess 
County,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  31  miles 
east-northeast  from  Galena.  Population  (1880), 
636;  (1890),  573;  (1900),  576. 

APPLINGTON,  (Maj.)  Zenas,  soldier,  was  born 
in  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  34,  1815;  in  1837 
emigrated  to  Ogle  County,  111.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed successively  the  occupations  of  farmer, 
blacksmitli,  carpenter  and  merchant,  finally 
becoming  the  founder  of  the  town  of  Polo.  Here 
he  became  wealthy,  but  lost  much  of  his  property 
in  the  financial  revulsion  of  1857.  In  1858  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and,  during  the 
session  of  1859,  was  one  of  the  members  of  that 
body  appointed  to  investigate  the  "canal  scrip 
fraud"  (which  see),  and  two  years  later  was  one  of 
the  earnest  supporters  of  the  Government  in  its 
preparation  for  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  The 
latter  year  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Seventh 
Illinois  Cavalry,  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
Major,  being  some  time  in  command  at  Bird's 
Point,  and  later  rendering  important  service  to 
General  Pope  at  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10. 
He  was  killed  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  May  8,  1863, 
while  obeying  an  order  to  charge  upon  a  band  of 
rebels  concealed  in  a  wood. 

APPORTIONMENT,  a  mode  of  distribution  of 
the  counties  of  the  State  into  Districts  for  the 
election  of  members  of  the  General  Assembly 
and  of  Congress,  which  will  be  treated  under 
separate  heads: 

Leqisl.\tive. — The  first  legislative  apportion- 
ment was  provided  for  by  the  Constitution  of 
1818.  That  instrument  vested  the  Legislature 
with  power  to  divide  the  State  as  follows:  To 
create  districts  for  the  election  of  Representatives 
not  less  than  twenty  seven  nor  more  than  thirty- 
six  in  number,  until  the  population  of  the  State 
should  amount  to  100,000;  and  to  create  sena- 
torial districts,  in  number  not  less  than  one-third 
nor  more  than  one-half  of  the  representative  dis- 
tricts at  the  time  of  organization. 

The  schedule  appended  to  the  first  Constitution 
contained  the  first  legal  apportionment  of  Sena- 
tors and  Representatives.  The  first  fifteen 
counties  were    allowed    fourteen    Senators    and 


twenty-nine  Representatives.  Each  county 
formed  a  distinct  legislative  district  for  repre- 
sentation in  the  lower  house,  with  the  number  of 
members  for  each  varying  from  one  to  three; 
while  Johnson  and  Franklin  were  combined  in 
one  Senatorial  district,  the  other  counties  being 
entitled  to  one  Senator  each.  Later  apportion- 
ments were  made  in  1831,  '36,  '31,  '36,  '41  and  '47. 
Before  an  election  was  held  under  the  last,  how- 
ever, the  Constitution  of  1848  went  into  effect, 
and  considerable  changes  were  effected  in  this 
regard.  The  number  of  Senators  was  fixed  at 
twenty-five  and  of  Representatives  at  seventy- 
five,  until  the  entire  population  should  equal 
1,000,000,  when  five  members  of  the  House  were 
added  and  five  additional  members  for  each  500,- 
000  increase  in  population  until  the  whole  num- 
ber of  Representatives  reached  100.  Tliereafter 
the  number  was  neither  increased  nor  dimin- 
ished, but  apportioned  among  the  several  coun- 
ties according  to  the  number  of  white  inhabit- 
ants. Should  it  be  found  necessary,  a  single 
district  might  be  formed  out  of  two  or  more 
counties. 

The  Constitution  of  1848  estabhshed  fifty-four 
Representative  and  twenty-five  Senatorial  dis- 
tricts. By  the  apportionment  law  of  1854,  the 
number  of  the  former  was  increased  to  fifty-eight, 
and,  in  1861,  to  sixty-one.  The  number  of  Sen- 
atorial districts  remained  unchanged,  but  their 
geographical  limits  varied  under  each  act,  while 
the  number  of  members  from  Representative 
districts  varied  according  to  population. 

The  Constitution  of  1870  provided  for  an  im- 
mediate reapportionment  (subsequent  to  its 
adoption)  by  the  Governor  and  Secretary  of 
State  upon  the  basis  of  the  United  States  Census 
of  1870.  Under  the  apportionment  thus  made, 
as  prescribed  by  the  schedule,  the  State  was 
divided  into  twenty-five  Senatorial  districts  (each 
electing  two  Senators)  and  ninety-seven  Repre- 
sentative districts,  with  an  aggregate  of  177  mem- 
bers varying  from  one  to  ten  for  the  several 
districts,  according  to  poi)ulation.  This  arrange- 
ment continued  in  force  for  only  one  Legislature 
—that  clio.sen  in  1870. 

In  1873  this  Legislature  proceeded  to  reappor- 
tion the  State  in  accordance  with  the  ])riiiciple  of 
"minority  representation,"  which  had  teen  sub- 
mitted as  an  independent  section  of  the  Constitu- 
tion and  adopted  on  a  separate  vote.  This 
provided  for  apportioning  the  State  into  fifty-one 
districts,  each  being  entitled  to  one  Senator  and 
three  Representatives.  Tlie  ratio  of  representa- 
tion in  the  lower  house  was  ascertained  hv  divid- 


20 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  the  entire  population  by  153  and  each  county 
to  be  allowed  one  Representative,  provided  its 
population  reached  three-fifths  of  the  ratio ;  coun- 
ties having  a  population  equivalent  to  one  and 
three-fifths  times  the  ratio  were  entitled  to  two 
Representatives;  while  each  county  with  a  larger 
population  was  entitled  to  one  additional  Repre- 
sentative for  each  time  the  full  ratio  was  repeated 
in  the  number  of  inhabitants.  Apportionments 
were  made  on  this  principle  in  1872,  '83  and  "93. 
Members  of  the  lower  house  are  elected  bienni- 
ally; Senators  for  four  years,  those  in  odd  and 
even  districts  being  chosen  at  each  alternate 
legislative  election.  The  election  of  Senators  for 
the  even  (numbered)  districts  takes  place  at  the 
same  time  with  that  of  Governor  and  other  State 
officers,  and  that  for  the  odd  districts  at  the  inter- 
mediate periods. 

Congressional. — For  the  first  fourteen  years 
of  the  State's  history,  Illinois  constituted  but  one 
Congressional  district.  The  census  of  1830  show- 
ing sufficient  population,  the  Legislature  of  1831 
(by  act,  approved  Feb.  13)  divided  the  State  into 
three  districts,  the  first  election  under  this  law 
being  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  August,  1832. 
At  that  time  Illinois  comprised  fifty-five  coun- 
ties, which  were  apportioned  among  the  districts 
as  follows;  First  —  Gallatin,  Pope,  Johnson, 
Alexander,  Union,  Jackson,  Franklin,  Perry, 
Randolph,  Monroe,  Washington,  St.  Clair,  Clin- 
ton, Bond,  Madison,  Macoupin;  Second — White, 
Hamilton,  Jefferson,  Wayne,  Edwards,  Wabash, 
Clay,  Marion.  Lawrence,  Fayette,  Montgomery, 
Shelby,  Vermilion,  Edgar,  Coles,  Clark.  Craw- 
ford; Third  —  Greene,  Morgan,  Sangamon, 
Macon,  Tazewell,  McLean,  Cook,  Henry,  La 
Salle,  Putnam,  Peoria,  Knox,  Jo  Daviess,  Mercer, 
MoDonough,  Warren,  Fulton,  Hancock,  Pike, 
Schuyler,  Adams,  Calhoun. 

The  reapportionment  following  the  census  of 
1840  was  made  by  Act  of  March  1,  1843,  and  the 
first  election  of  Representatives  thereunder 
occurred  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  following 
August.  Forty-one  new  counties  had  been  cre- 
ated (making  ninety -six  in  all)  and  the  nmnber 
of  districts  was  increased  to  seven  as  follows: 
First  —  Alexander,  Union,  Jackson,  Monroe, 
Perry,  Randolph,  St.  Clair,  Bond,  Washington, 
Madison;  Second  —  Johnson,  Pope,  Hardin, 
Williamson,  Gallatin.  Franklin,  White,  Wayne, 
Hamilton.  Wabash,  Massac.  Jefferson.  Edwards, 
Marion;  Third  —  Lawrence.  Richland,  Jasper, 
Fayette,  Crawford,  Effingham,  Christian,  Mont- 
gomery, Shelby,  Moultrie.  Coles.  Clark,  Clay, 
Edgar,   Piatt,  Jlacon,   De  Witt;     Fourth— Lake, 


McHenry,  Boone,  Cook,  Kane,  De  Kalb,  Du  Page, 
Kendall,  Will,  Grundy,  La  Salle,  Iroquois, 
Livingston,  Champaign,  Vermilion,  McLean, 
Bureau;  Fifth  —  Greene,  Jersey,  Calhoun,  Pike, 
Adams,  Marquette  (a  part  of  Adams  never  fully 
organized).  Brown,  Schuyler,  Fulton  Peoria, 
Macoupin;  Sixtli  —  Jo  Daviess,  Stephenson, 
Winnebago,  Carroll,  Ogle,  Whiteside,  Henry, 
Lee,  Rock  Island,  Stark,  Mercer,  Henderson, 
Warren,  Knox,  McDonough,  Hancock;  Seventh 
— Putnam,  Marshall,  Woodford,  Cass,  Tazewell, 
Mason,  Menard,  Scott,  Morgan,  Logan,  Sangamon. 

The  next  Congressional  apportionment  (August 
22,  18.")2)  divided  the  State  into  nine  districts,  as 
follows — the  first  election  under  it  being  held  the 
following  November:  First  —  Lake,  McHenry, 
Boone,  "Winnebago,  Stephenson,  Jo  Daviess,  Car- 
roll, Ogle;  Second  —  Cook,  Du  Page,  Kane,  De 
Kalb,  Lee,  Whiteside,  Rock  Island;  Third  — 
Will,  Kendall,  Grundy,  Livingston,  La  Salle, 
Putnam,  Bureau,  Vermilion,  Iroquois,  Cham- 
paign, JIcLean,  De  Witt;  Fourth  —  Fulton, 
Peoria,  Knox,  Henry,  Stark,  Warren,  Mercer, 
Marshall,  Mason,  Woodford,  Tazewell;  Fifth 
— Adams,  Calhoun,  Brown,  Schuyler,  Pike,  Mc- 
Donough, Hancock,  Henderson;  Sixth — Morgan, 
Scott,  Sangamon,  Greene,  Macoupin,  Montgom- 
ery, Shelby,  Christian,  Cass,  Menard,  Jersey; 
Seventh— Logan,  Macon,  Piatt,  Coles,  Edgar, 
Moultrie,  Cumberland,  Crawford,  Clark,  Effing- 
ham, Jasper,  Clay,  Lawrence,  Richland,  Fayette; 
Eighth  —  R;indolph,  Monroe,  St.  Clair,  Bond, 
Madison,  Clinton,  Washington.  Jefferson,  Mar- 
ion; Ninth — Alexander,  Pulaski,  Ma.ssac,  Union, 
Johnson,  Pope,  Hardin,  Gallatin,  Saline,  Jack- 
son, Perry,  Franklin,  Williamson,  Hamilton, 
Edwards,  White,  Wayne,  AVabash. 

The  census  of  1860  showed  that  Illinois  was 
entitled  to  fourteen  Representatives,  but  through 
an  error  the  apportionment  law  of  April  24,  1861, 
created  onh-  thirteen  districts.  Tliis  wa,s  com- 
pensated for  by  providing  for  the  election  of  one 
Congressman  for  the  State-at-large.  The  districts 
were  as  follows:  First— Cook,  Lake;  Second— 
McHenry,  Boone,  Winnebago,  De  Kalb,  and 
Kane;  Third— Jo  Daviess,  Stephenson,  White- 
side, Carroll,  Ogle,  Lee;  Fourth— Adams,  Han- 
cock, Warren,  Mercer,  Henderson,  Rock  Island; 
Fifth— Peoria,  Knox,  Stark,  ilarshaU,  Putnam. 
Bureau,  Henry;  Sixth— La  Salle,  Grundy,  Ken- 
dall, Du  Page.  Will,  Kankakee;  Seventh  — 
Macon,  Piatt,  Champaign,  Douglas,  Jloultrie, 
Cumberland,  Vermilion.  Coles,  Edgar,  Iroquois, 
Ford;  Eighth— Sangamon,  Logan.  De  Witt.  Mc- 
Lean, Tazewell,  Woodford,  Livingston ;    Ninth — 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


21 


Fulton,  Mason,  Menard,  Cass,  Pike,  McDonough, 
Schuyler,  Brown ;  Tenth  —  Bond,  Morgan,  Cal- 
lioun,  Macoupin,  Scott,  Jersey,  Greene,  Christian, 
Montgomery,  Slielby ;  Eleventh  —  Marion,  Fay- 
ette, Richland,  Jasper,  Clay,  Clark,  Crawford, 
Franklin,  Lawrence,  Hamilton,  Effingham, 
Wayne,  Jefferson;  Twelftli— St.  Clair,  Madison, 
Clinton,  Monroe,  Washington,  Randolph; 
Thirteenth — Alexander,  Pulaski,  Union,  Perry, 
Johnson,  Williamson,  Jackson,  Massac,  Pope, 
Hardin,  Gallatin,  Saline,  White,  Edwards, 
Wabash. 

The  next  reapportionment  was  made  July  1, 
1872.  The  Act  created  nineteen  districts,  as  fol- 
lows: First — The  first  seven  wards  in  Chicago 
and  thirteen  towns  in  Cook  County,  with  the 
county  of  Du  Page;  Second — Wards  Eighth  to 
Fifteenth  (inclusive)  in  Chicago;  Third — Wards 
Sixteenth  to  Twentieth  in  Chicago,  the  remainder 
of  Cook  County,  and  Lake  County;  Fourth — 
Kane,  De  Kalb,  McHenry,  Boone,  and  Winne- 
bago; Fifth — Jo  Daviess,  Stephenson,  Carroll, 
Ogle,  Whiteside;  Sixth  —  Henry,  Rock  Island, 
Putnam,  Bureau,  Lee;  Seventh — La  Salle,  Ken- 
dall, Grundy,  Will ;  Eiglith — Kankakee,  Iroquois, 
Ford,  Marshall,  Livingston,  Woodford;  Ninth- 
Stark,  Peoria,  Knox,  Fulton;  Tenth  —  Mercer, 
Henderson,  Warren,  McDonough,  Hancock, 
Schuyler:  Eleventh  —  Adams,  Brown,  Calhoun, 
Greene,  Pike,  Jersey ;  Twelfth — Scott,  Morgan, 
Slenard,  Sangamon,  Cass,  Christian ;  Thirteenth — 
Mason,  Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan,  De  Witt;  Four- 
teenth— Macon,  Piatt,  Champaign,  Douglas,  Coles, 
Vermilion;  Fifteenth — Edgar,  Clark,  Cumber- 
land, Shelby,  Moultrie,  Effingham,  Lawrence, 
Jasper,  Crawford;  Sixteenth  —  Montgomery, 
Fayette,  Washington,  Bond,  Clinton,  Marion, 
Clay;  Seventeenth  —  JIacoupin,  Madison,  St. 
Clair,  Monroe ;  Eigliteenth  —  Randolph,  Perry, 
Jackson,  Union,  Johnson,  Williamson,  Alex- 
ander, Pope,  Massac,  Pulaski;  Nineteentli — 
Richland,  Wayne,  Edwards,  White,  Wabash, 
Saline,  Gallatin,  Hardin,  Jeilerson,  Franklin, 
Hamilton. 

In  1883  (by  Act  of  April  39)  the  number  of  dis- 
tricts was  increased  to  twenty,  and  the  bound- 
aries determined  as  follows :  First — Wards  First 
to  Fourth  (inclusive)  in  Chicago  and  thirteen 
towns  in  Cook  County;  Second — Wards  5th  to 
7th  and  part  of  8th  in  Chicago;  Third— Wards 
Otli  to  14th  and  part  of  8th  in  Cliicago ;  Fourth 
—The  remainder  of  the  City  of  Chicago  and  of 
the  county  of  Cook;  Fifth  —  Lake,  McHenry, 
Boone,  Kane,  and  De  Kalb ;  Sixth— Winnebago, 
Stephenson,    Jo    Daviess,     Ogle,     and    Carroll; 


Seventh  — Lee,  Wliiteside,  Henry,  Bureau,  Put- 
nam; Eiglith— La  Salle,  Kendall  Grundy,  Du 
Page,  and  Will;  Ninth  —  Kankakee,  Iroquois, 
Ford,  Livingston,  Woodford,  Marshall:  Tenth— 
Peoria,  Knox,  Stark,  Fulton ;  Eleventh— Rock 
Island,  Mercer,  Henderson,  Warren,  Hancock, 
McDonough,  Schuyler;  Twelfth —Cass,  Brown, 
Adams,  Pike,  Scott,  Greene,  Calhoun,  Jersey; 
Thirteenth  — Tazewell,  Mason,  Menard,  Sanga- 
mon, Morgan,  Christian;  Fourteenth  —  McLean, 
De  Witt,  Piatt,  Macon,  Logan ;  Fifteenth  — 
Coles,  Edgar,  Douglas,  Vermilion,  Champaign; 
Sixteenth  —  Cumberland,  Clark,  Jasper,  Clay, 
Crawford,  Richland,  Lawrence,  Wayne,  Edwards, 
Wabash ;  Seventeenth  —  Macoupin,  Montgomery, 
Moultrie,  Shelby,  Effingham,  Fayette;  Eight- 
eenth— Bond,  Madison,  St.  Clair,  Monroe,  Wash- 
ington; Nineteenth  —  Marion,  Clinton.  Jefferson, 
Saline,  Franklin,  Hamilton,  White,  Gallatin,  Har- 
din ;  Twentieth  —  Perry,  Randolph,  Jackson, 
Union,  Williamson,  Johnson,  Alexander,  Pope, 
Pulaski,  Massac. 

The  census  of  1890  showed  the  State  to  be  entit- 
led to  twenty -two  Representatives.  No  reap- 
portionment, however,  was  made  until  June, 
1893,  two  members  from  the  State-at-large  being 
elected  in  1892.  The  existing  twenty-two  Con- 
gressional districts  are  as  follows:  The  first 
seven  districts  comprise  the  counties  of  Cook  and 
Lake,  the  latter  lying  wholly  in  the  Seventh  dis- 
trict; Eighth  —  McHenry,  De  Kalb,  Kane,  Du 
Page,  Kendall,  Grundy;  Ninth  —  Boone,  Winne- 
bago, Stephenson,  Jo  Daviess,  Carroll,  Ogle,  Lee : 
Tenth — Whiteside,  Rock  Island,  Mercer,  Henry, 
Stark,  Knox ;  Eleventh  —  Bureau,  La  Salle, 
Livingston,  Woodford;  Twelfth— Will,  Kanka- 
kee, Iroquois,  Vermilion:  Thirteenth — Ford,  Mc- 
Lean, DeWitt,  Piatt,  Chami)aign,  Douglas;  Four- 
teenth —  Putnam,  Marshall,  Peoria,  Fulton, 
Tazewell,  Mason;  Fifteenth— Henderson,  War- 
ren, Hancock,  McDonough,  Adams,  Brown, 
Schuyler ;  Sixteenth  —  Cass,  Morgan,  Scott, 
Pike,  Greene,  Macoupin,  Calhoun,  Jersey; 
Seventeenth— Menard,  Logan,  Sangamon,  Macon, 
Christian ;  Eighteenth— Madison,  Montgomery, 
Bond,  Fayette,  Shelby,  Moultrie;  Nineteenth- 
Coles,  Edgar,  Clark,  Cumberland,  Effingham, 
Jasper,  Crawford,  Richland,  Lawrence;  Twenti- 
eth —  Clay,  Jefferson,  Wayne,  Hamilton,  Ed- 
wards, Wabasli,  Franklin,  White,  Gallatin, 
Hardin;  Twenty- first— Marion,  Clinton,  Wash- 
ington, St.  Clair,  Monroe,  Randolpli,  Perry; 
Twenty-second  —  Jackson,  Union,  Alexander, 
Pulaski,  Johnson,  Williamson,  Saline,  Pope, 
Massac.     (See  also  Representatives  ii>.  Congress. ) 


22 


IIISTORK'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ARCHER,  William  B.,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  Ohio,  in  1792,  and  talien  to  Ken- 
tucky at  an  early  day.  where  he  remained  until 
1817,  when  his  family  removed  to  Illinois,  finally 
settling  in  what  is  now  Clark  County.  Although 
pursuing  the  avocation  of  a  farmer,  he  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  men  in 
tliat  part  of  the  State.  On  the  organization  of 
Clark  County  in  1819,  he  was  appointed  the  first 
County  and  Circuit  Clerk,  resigning  the  former 
office  in  1820  and  the  latter  in  1822.  In  1824  he 
was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  two  years  later  to  the  State 
Senate,  serving  continuously  in  the  latter  eight 
years.  He  was  thus  a  Senator  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Black  Hawk  War  (1832),  in  which  he 
served  as  a  Captain  of  militia.  In  1834  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor; 
>vas  appointed  by  Governor  Duncan,  in  183.5,  a 
■nember  of  the  first  Board  of  Commissioners  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal;  in  1838  was 
returned  a  .second  time  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
.sentatives  and  re-elected  in  1840  and  "46  to  tlie 
same  body.  Two  years  later  (1848)  he  was  again 
elected  Circuit  Clerk,  remaining  until  18.52,  and 
In  1854  was  an  Anti-Nebraska  Whig  candidate 
for  Congress  in  opposition  to  James  C.  Allen. 
Although  Allen  received  the  certificate  of  elec- 
tion, Archer  contested  his  riglit  to  the  seat,  with 
the  result  that  Congress  declared  the  seat  vacant 
and  referred  the  iiuestion  back  to  tlie  people.  In 
a.  new  election  held  in  August.  1856,  Archer  was 
defeated  and  Allen  elected.  He  held  no  public 
office  of  importance  after  this  date,  but  in  1856 
was  a  delegate  to  the  first  Republican  National 
Convention  at  Philadelphia,  and  in  that  body  was 
an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
whose  zealous  friend  and  admirer  he  was.  for  the 
office  of  Vice-President.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
active  promoters  of  various  railroad  enterprises 
m  that  section  of  the  State,  especially  the  old 
c'hicago  &  Vincennes  Road,  the  first  projected 
southward  from  the  City  of  Chicago.  His  con- 
nection with  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  was 
die  means  of  giving  his  name  to  Archer  Avenue, 
a  somewhat  famous  thorouglifare  in  Chicago 
fle  was  of  tall  stature  and  great  energy-  of  cliar- 
dcter,  with  a  tendency  to  entliusiasm  that  com- 
municated itself  to  others.  A  local  history  has 
said  of  him  that  "he  did  more  for  Clark  Coimty 
than  any  man  in  his  day  or  since,"  although  "no 
consideration,  pecuniary  or  otherwise,  was  ever 
given  him  for  his  services."  Colonel  Archer  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  Marsliall,  the  county-.seat 
of  Clark  County,  Governor  Duncan  being  associ- 


ated with  him  in  the  ownership  of  the  land  on 
which  the  town  was  laid  out.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Clark  County,  August  9,  1870,  at  the 
age  of  78  yeiirs. 

ARCOLA, incorporated  city  in  Douglas  County, 
158  miles  south  of  Chicago,  at  junction  of  Illinois 
Central  and  Terre  Haute  branch  Vandalia  Rail- 
road ;  is  center  of  largest  broom-corn  producing 
region  in  the  world;  has  city  waterworks,  with 
efficient  volunteer  fire  department,  electric  lights, 
telephone  system,  grain  elevators  and  broom- 
corn  warehouses,  two  banks,  three  newsi)apers, 
nine  churches,  library  building  and  excellent  free 
school  system.     Pop.  (1890),  1,733;  (1900),  1,995. 

ARENZ,  Francis  A.,  pioneer,  was  bom  at 
Blankenberg,  in  the  Province  of  the  Rhein, 
Prussia,  Oct.  31,  1800;  obtained  a  good  education 
and,  while  a  young  man,  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  his  native  country.  In  1827  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and,  after  sjjending  two 
years  in  Kentucky,  in  1829  went  to  Galena,  where 
he  was  engaged  for  a  short  time  in  the  lead 
trade.  He  took  an  early  opportunity  to  become 
naturalized,  and  coming  to  Beardstovvn  a  few 
months  later,  went  into  mercliandising  and  real 
estate;  also  became  a  contractor  for  furnishing 
supplies  to  the  State  troops  during  the  Black  Hawk 
War.  Beardstown  being  at  the  time  a  rendezvous 
and  sliipping  point.  In  1834  he  began  the  publi- 
cation of  "Tlie  Beardstown  Clironicle  and  Illinois 
Bounty  Land  Register,"  and  was  the  projector  of 
the  Beardstown  &  Sangamon  Canal,  extending 
from  the  Illinois  River  at  Beardstown  to  Miller's 
Ferrj'  on  the  Sangamon,  for  which  he  secured  a 
special  charter  from  the  Legislature  in  1836.  He 
had  a  survey  of  the  line  made,  but  the  hard  times 
prevented  the  beginning  of  the  work  and  it  was 
finally  abandoned.  Retiring  from  the  mercantile 
business  in  1835,  he  located  on  a  farm  six  miles 
southeast  of  Beardstown,  but  in  1839  removed  to 
a  tract  of  land  near  the  Morgan  County  line 
which  he  had  bought  in  1833,  and  on  which  the 
present  village  of  Arenzville  now  stands.  This 
became  the  center  of  a  thrift}-  agricultural  com- 
munity composed  largely  of  Germans,  among 
whom  he  exerci.sed  a  large  influence.  Resuming 
the  mercantile  business  here,  he  continued  it 
until  about  1853,  when  he  sold  out  a  considerable 
part  of  his  possessions.  An  ardent  Whig,  he  was 
elected  as  such  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Four- 
teenth General  Assembly  (1844)  from  Morgan 
County,  and  during  the  following  session  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  the  passage  of  an  act  by  which 
a  strip  of  territory  three  miles  wide  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Morgan  County,  including  the  village 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


23 


of  Arenzville,  and  which  had  been  in  dispute, 
was  transferred  by  vote  of  the  citizens  to  Cass 
County.  In  18.53  Mr.  Arenz  visited  his  native 
land,  by  appointment  of  President  Fillmore,  as 
bearer  of  dispatches  to  the  American  legations  at 
Berlin  and  Vienna.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Illinois  State  Agricultural  Society  of  18.53, 
and  served  as  the  Vice-President  for  his  district 
until  his  death,  and  was  also  the  founder  and 
President  of  the  Cass  County  Agricultiu-al  Soci- 
ety.    Died,  April  2,  18.5fi. 

ARLINGTON,  a  village  of  Bureau  County,  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  92 
miles  west  of  Chicago.  Population  (1880),  447; 
(189n),  436:  (1900),  400. 

ARLINCiTON  HEIGHTS  (formerly  Dunton),  a 
village  of  Cook  County,  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway,  22  miles  northwest  of  Chicago ; 
is  in  a  dairying  district  and  has  several  cheese 
factories,  besides  a  sewing  machine  factory, 
hotels  and  churches,  a  graded  school,  a  bank  and 
one  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  995;  (1890), 
1,424;  (1900),  1,380. 

ARMOUR,  Philip  Danforth,  packer.  Board  of 
Trade  operator  and  capitalist,  was  born  at  Stock- 
bridge,  Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  May  16,  1832. 
After  receiving  the  benefits  of  such  education  as 
the  village  academy  afforded,  in  1852  he  set  out 
acro.ss  the  Plains  to  California,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years,  achieving  only  moderate  suc- 
cess as  a  miner.  Returning  east  in  1856,  he  soon 
after  embarked  in  the  commission  business  in 
Milwaukee,  continuing  until  1863,  when  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  John  Plankinton 
in  the  meat-packing  business.  Later,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  brothers — H.  O.  Armour  having 
already  built  up  an  extensive  grain  commission 
trade  in  Chicago — he  organized  the  extensive 
packing  and  commission  firm  of  Armour  & 
Co.,  with  branches  in  New  York,  Kan.sas  City 
and  Chicago,  their  headquarters  being  removed 
to  the  latter  place  from  Milwaukee  in  1875. 
Mr.  Armour  is  a  most  industrious  and  me- 
thodical business  man,  giving  as  many  hours 
to  the  superintendence  of  business  details  as  the 
most  industrious  day-laborer,  the  result  being 
seen  in  the  creation  of  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  prosperous  firms  in  the  countr}'.  Jlr. 
Armour's  practical  benevolence  has  been  demon- 
strated in  a  munificent  manner  by  his  establish- 
ment and  endowment  of  the  Armour  Institute 
(a  manual  training  school)  in  Chicago,  at  a  cost 
of  over  $3,250,000,  as  an  offshoot  of  the  Armour 
Mission  founded  on  the  bequest  of  his  deceased 
brother.  Joseph  F.  Armour.     Died  Jan.  0,  I'.IOl. 


ARMSTRONG,  John  Strawn,  pioneer,  born  in 
Somerset  County,  Pa.,  May  29,  1810,  the  oldest  of 
a  family  of  nine  sons;  was  taken  by  his  parents 
in  1811  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  he  .spent 
his  childhood  and  early  youth.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  his  mother  a  sister  of  Jacob 
Strawn.  afterwards  a  wealthy  stock-grower  and 
dealer  in  Morgan  County.  In  1829,  John  S.  came 
to  Tazewell  County,  111.,  but  two  years  later 
joined  the  rest  of  his  family  in  Putnam  (now 
Marshall)  County,  all  finally  removing  to  La 
Salle  County,  where  the}'  were  among  the  earli- 
est settlers.  Here  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  1834. 
where  he  continued  to  reside  over  fifty  years, 
when  he  located  in  the  village  of  Sheridan,  but 
early  in  1897  went  to  reside  with  a  daughter  in 
Ottawa.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  has  been  a  prominent  and  influential  farm- 
er, and,  in  the  later  years  of  his  life,  has  been 
a  leader  in  "Granger"  politics,  being  Master  of  his 
local  "Grange,"  and  also  serving  as  Treasurer  of 
the  State  Grange. — George  Washington  (Arm- 
strong), brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  upon 
the  farm  of  his  parents,  Joseph  and  Elsie  (Strawn) 
Armstrong,  in  Licking  Coimty,  Ohio,  Dec.  9, 
1812;  learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver  with  his 
father  (who  was  a  woolen  manufacturer),  and  at 
the  age  of  18  was  in  charge  of  the  factory 
Early  in  1831  he  came  with  his  mother's  family 
to  Illinois,  locating  a  few  months  later  in  La 
Salle  Coimty.  In  1832  he  served  with  his  older 
brother  as  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  "War,  was 
identified  with  the  early  steps  for  the  constmc- 
tion  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  finallj'  be- 
coming a  contractor  upon  the  section  at  Utica, 
where  he  resided  several  years.  He  then  returned 
to  the  farm  near  the  present  village  of  Seneca, 
where  he  had  located  in  1833,  and  where  (with 
the  exception  of  his  residence  at  Utica)  he  has 
resided  continuously  over  .sixty-five  years.  In 
1844  Mr.  Armstrong  was  elected  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Fom-teenth  General  A.ssembly, 
also  served  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1847  and,  in  18.58,  was  the  unsuccessful  Democratic 
candidate  for  Congress  in  opposition  to  Owen 
Love  joy.  Re-entering  the  Legislature  in  1860  as 
Representative  from  La  Salle  County,  he  servetl 
in  that  body  by  successive  re-elections  until  1^*68. 
proving  t>ne  of  its  ablest  and  most  influential 
members,  as  well  as  an  accomplished  parliamen- 
tarian. Mr.  Armstrong  was  one  of  the  origuial 
promoters  of  the  Kankakee  &  Seneca  Rialroad.— 
William  E.  (Armstrong),  third  brother  of  this 
family,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  Oct. 
25    1814;   (%i,me  to  Illinois  witli   the  rest  of  the 


34 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


family  in  1831,  and  resided  in  La  Salle  County 
until  1841,  meanwhile  serving  two  or  three  terms 
as  Sheriff  of  the  county.  The  latter  year  he  was 
appointed  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  locate  the 
county-seat  of  the  newly-organized  county  of 
Grundy,  finally  becoming  one  of  the  founders  and 
the  first  permanent  settler  of  the  town  of  Grundy 
— later  called  Morris,  in  honor  of  Hon.  I.  N.  Mor- 
ris, of  Quincy,  111,  at  that  time  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal. 
Here  Mr.  Armstrong  was  again  elected  to  the 
oflSce  of  Sheriff,  serving  several  terms.  So  ex- 
tensive was  his  influence  in  Grundy  County,  that 
he  was  popularly  known  as  "The  Emperor  of 
Grundy."  Died,  Nov.  1,  18.50.— Joel  W.  (Arm- 
strong), a  fourth  brother,  was  born  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  Jan.  6,  1817 ;  emigrated  in  boyhood 
to  La  Salle  County,  111. ;  served  one  term  as 
County  Recorder,  was  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  for  a  number  of  years  and  the  first 
Postmaster  of  his  town.  Died,  Dec.  3,  1871. — 
Perry  A.  (Armstrong),  the  seventh  brother  of 
this  historic  family,  was  born  near  Newark.  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio,  April  1.5,  1823,  and  came  to  La 
Salle  County,  111.,  in  18151.  His  opportunities  for 
acquiring  an  education  in  a  new  country  were 
limited,  but  between  work  on  the  farm  and  serv- 
ice as  a  clerk  of  his  brother  George,  aided  by  a 
short  term  in  an  academy  and  as  a  teacher  in 
Kendall  County,  he  managed  to  prepare  himself 
for  college,  entering  Illinois  College  at  Jackson- 
ville in  1843.  Owing  to  failure  of  health,  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  his  plan  of  obtaining  a  col- 
legiate education  and  returned  home  at  the  end 
of  his  Freshman  year,  but  continued  his  studies, 
meanwhile  teaching  district  schools  in  the  winter 
and  working  on  his  mother's  farm  dvu'ing  the 
crop  .season,  until  184.5,  when  he  located  in  Mor- 
ris, Grundy  County,  opened  a  general  store  and 
was  appointed  Postmaster.  He  has  been  in  pub- 
lic position  of  some  sort  ever  since  he  reached  his 
majorit)',  including  the  offices  of  School  Trustee, 
Postmaster,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Supervisor, 
County  Clerk  (two  terms).  Delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1862,  and  two  terms  as 
Repi-e.sentative  in  the  General  Assembly  (1862-64 
and  1872-74).  During  his  last  session  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  he  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
revision  of  the  statutes  under  the  Constitution  of 
1870,  framing  some  of  the  mo.st  important  laws 
on  the  statute  book,  while  participating  in  the 
preparation  of  others.  At  an  earlier  date  it  fell 
lo  his  lot  to  draw  up  the  original  charters  of  the 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island,  the  Illiaois  Central,  and 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads.     He 


has  also  been  prominent  in  Odd  Fellow  and 
Masonic  circles,  having  been  Grand  Master  of  the 
first  named  order  in  the  State  and  being  the  old- 
est 32d  degree  Mason  in  Illinois ;  was  admitted  to 
the  State  bar  in  1864  and  to  that  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  in  1868,  and  has  been 
Master  in  Chancery  for  over  twenty  consecutive 
years.  Mr.  Armstrong  has  also  found  time  to  do 
some  literary  work,  as  shown  by  his  history  of 
"The  Sauks  and  Black  Hawk  War,"  and  a  num- 
ber of  poems.  He  takes  much  pleasure  in  relat- 
ing reminiscences  of  jnoneer  life  in  Illinois,  one 
of  which  is  the  story  of  his  first  trip  from 
Ottawa  to  Chicago,  in  December,  1831,  when  he 
accompanied  his  oldest  brother  (William  E. 
Armstrong)  to  Chicago  with  a  sled  and  ox- 
team  for  salt  to  cure  their  mast-fed  jxirk,  the 
trip  requiring  ten  days.  His  recollection  is,  that 
there  were  but  three  white  families  in  Chicago 
at  that  time,  but  a  large  number  of  Indians 
mixed  with  half-breeds  of  French  and  Indian 
origin. 

ARNOLD,  Isaac  "S.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  near  Cooperstown.  N.  Y.,  Nov.  30,  IS13, 
being  descended  from  one  of  the  companions  of 
Roger  Williams.  Thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
at  an  early  age,  he  was  largely  "self-made."' 
He  read  law  at  Cooperstown,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  183.5.  The  next  year  he  removed  to 
Chicago,  was  elected  the  first  City  Clerk  in  1837, 
but  resigned  before  the  close  of  the  year  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois  in  1841.  He  soon 
established  a  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  and  served 
for  three  terms  (the  Thirteenth,  Fourteenth  and 
Twentieth)  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. In  1844  he  was  a  Presidential  Elector  on 
the  Polk  ticket,  but  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise,  with  the  legislation  regarding  Kan- 
sas and  Nebraska,  logically  forced  him,  as  a  free- 
soiler,  into  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  by 
which  he  was  sent  to  Congress  from  1801  to  186.5. 
While  in  Congress  he  prepared  and  delivered  an 
exhaustive  argument  in  support  of  the  right  of 
confiscation  by  the  General  Government.  After 
the  expiration  of  his  last  Congressional  term,  Mr. 
Arnold  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  April  24,  1884.  He  was  of  schol- 
arly instincts,  fond  of  literature  and  an  author  of 
repute.  Among  his  best  known  works  are  his 
"Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln"  and  his  "Life  of 
Benedict  Arnold." 

ARRIXGTON,  Alfred  W.,  clergyman,  lawyer 
and  author,  was  born  in  Iredell  County,  N.  C, 
September,  ISIO,  being  the  son  of  a  Whig  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  that  State.     In  1829  he  was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


as 


received  on  trial  as  a  Methodist  preacher  and 
became  a  circuit-rider  in  Indiana ;  during  1833-33 
served  as  an  itinerant  in  Missouri,  gaining  much 
celebrity  by  his  eloquence.  In  1834  he  began  the 
study  of  law,  and  having  been  admitted  to  the 
bar,  practiced  for  several  years  in  Arkansas, 
where  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  and,  in  18-14, 
was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Presidential  Elec- 
tor. Later  he  removed  to  Texas,  where  he  served 
as  Judge  for  six  years.  In  1856  he  removed  to 
Madison,  Wis.,  but  a  year  later  came  to  Chicago, 
where  he  attained  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  dying 
in  that  city  Dec.  31,  1867.  He  was  an  accom- 
plished scholar  and  gifted  writer,  having  written 
much  for  "The  Democratic  Review"  and  "The 
Southern  Literary  Messenger, "  over  the  signature 
of  "Charles  Summerfield, "  and  was  author  of  an 
"Apostrophe  to  Water,"  which  he  put  in  the 
mouth  of  an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher,  and 
which  John  B.  Gough  was  accustomed  to  quote 
with  great  effect.  A  volume  of  his  poems  with  a 
memoir  was  published  in  Chicago  in  1869. 

ARROWSMITH,  a  village  of  McLean  County, 
on  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railwaj',  30  miles 
east  of  Bloomington ;  is  in  an  agricultural  and 
stock  region;  has  one  newspaper.  Population 
(1890),  430;  (1900),  317. 

ARTHURj  village  in  Moultrie  and  Douglas 
Counties,  at  junction  of  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illi- 
nois and  Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  Division  Vandalia 
Line;  is  center  of  broom-corn  belt;  has  two 
banks,  a  weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1900), 
858;  (est.  1904),  1,000. 

ASAY,  Edward  (i.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Sept.  17,  1835;  was  educated  in  private 
schools  and  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church ;  later  spent  some  time  in  the 
South,  but  in  1S53  retired  from  the  ministry  and 
began  the  study  of  law,  meantime  devoting  a  part 
of  his  time  to  mercantile  business  in  New  York 
City.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856,  remov- 
ing the  same  year  to  Chicago,  where  he  built  up 
a  lucrative  practice.  He  was  a  brilliant  speaker 
and  became  eminent,  especially  as  a  criminal 
lawyer.  Politically  he  was  a  zealous  Democrat 
and  was  the  chief  attorney  of  Buckner  S.  Morris 
and  others  during  their  trial  for  conspiracy  in 
connection  with  the  Camp  Douglas  affair  of  No- 
vember, 1864.  During  1871-73  he  made  an  ex- 
tended trip  to  Europe,  occupying  some  eighteen 
months,  making  a  second  visit  in  1883.  His  later 
years  were  spent  chiefly  on  a  farm  in  Ogle 
County.     Died  in  Chicago,  Nov.  24,  1898. 

ASBURY,  Henry,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Harri- 
son (now  Robertson)  County,   Ky.,   August    10, 


1810 ;  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  making  the  jour- 
ney on  horseback  and  finally  locating  in  Quincy, 
where  he  soon  after  began  the  study  of  law  with 
the  Hon.  O.  H.  Bro  vning;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1837,  being  lor  a  time  the  partner  of  Col. 
Edward  D.  Bak3r,  afterwards  United  States 
Senator  from  Oregon  and  finally  killed  at  Ball's 
Bluff  in  1863.  In  1849  Mr.  Asbury  was  appointed 
by  President  Taylor  Register  of  the  Quincy  Land 
Office,  and,  in  1864-65,  served  by  appointment  of 
President  Lincoln  (wlio  was  his  close  per.sonal 
friend)  as  Provost-Marshal  of  the  Quincy  dis- 
trict, thereby  obtaining  the  title  of  "Captain," 
by  which  he  was  widely  known  among  his 
friends.  Later  he  served  for  several  years  as 
Registrar  in  Bankruptcy  at  Quincy,  which  was 
his  last  official  position.  Originally  a  Kentucky 
Whig,  Captain  Asbury  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois,  acting  in  co- 
operation with  Abram  Jonas,  Archibald  Williams, 
Nehemiah  Bushnell,  O.  H.  Browning  and  others 
of  his  immediate  neighbors,  and  with  Abraliam 
Lincoln,  with  whom  he  was  a  frequent  corre- 
spondent at  that  period.  Messrs.  Nicolay  and 
Hay,  in  their  Life  of  Lincoln,  award  him  the 
credit  of  having  suggested  one  of  the  famous 
questions  propounded  by  Lincoln  to  Dougla.s 
which  gave  the  latter  so  much  trouble  during 
the  memorable  debates  of  1858.  In  1886  Captain 
Asbury  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death,  Nov.  19,  1896. 

ASHLAND,  a  town  in  Cass  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the 
Baltimore  &  Oliio  South-Western  Railroad,  31 
miles  west-northwest  of  Springfield  and  300 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  It  is  in  the  midst  of 
a  rich  agricultural  region,  and  is  an  important 
shipping  point  for  grain  and  stock.  It  has  a 
bank,  three  churches  and  a  weekly  newspaper. 
Coal  is  mined  in  the  vicinity.  Population  (1880), 
609;  (1890),  1,045;  (1900),  1,301. 

ASHLEY,  a  city  of  Washington  County,  at 
intersection  of  Illinois  Central  and  Louisville  & 
Nashville  Railways,  63  miles  east  by  soutlieast  of 
St.  Louis;  is  in  an  agricultural  and  fruit  growing 
region;  has  some  manufactures,  electric  liglit 
plant  and  excellent  granitoid  sidewalks.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  1,035;  (1900),  953. 

ASHMORE,  a  village  of  Coles  County,  on  the 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
way, 9  miles  east  of  Charleston ;  lias  a  newspaper 
and  considerable  local  trade.  Population  (1890), 
446,  (1900),  487;  (1903),  530. 

ASHTON,  a  village  of  Lee  Coimty,  on  the  Chi- 
cago &  North-Western  Railroad,  84  miles  west  of 


26 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Cliicago;  has  one  newspaper.     Population  (1880), 
646;  (1890),  680;  (1900),  776. 

ASPIXW.\LL,  Homer  F.,  farmer  and  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Stephenson  Connty,  111.,  Nov.  15, 
1846,  educated  in  the  Freeport  high  school,  and, 
in  early  life,  spent  two  years  in  a  wholesale 
notion  store,  later  resuming  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer.  After  holding  various  local  offices,  in- 
cluding that  of  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervis- 
ors of  Stephenson  County,  in  1893  Mr.  Aspinwall 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  and  re-elected  in 
1896.  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  Sijanish- 
American  War  in  1898,  he  was  appointed  by 
President  McKinley  Captain  and  Assistant 
Quartermaster  in  the  Volunteer  Army,  but 
before  being  assigned  to  dutj-  accepted  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonelcy of  tiie  Twelfth  Illinois  Pro- 
visional Regiment.  When  it  became  evident  that 
the  regiment  would  not  be  called  into  the  service, 
he  was  a.ssigned  to  the  command  of  the  "Mani- 
toba," a  large  transport  steamer,  which  carried 
some  12,000  soldiers  to  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  with- 
out a  single  accident.  In  view  of  the  approach- 
ing session  of  the  Forty-first  General  Assembly, 
it  being  ajtparent  that  the  war  was  over,  Mr. 
Aspinwall  applied  for  a  discharge,  which  was 
refused,  a  20-days"  leave  of  absence  being  granted 
instead.  A  discharge  was  finally  granted  about 
the  middle  of  February,  when  he  resumed  his 
seat  in  the  Senate.  5Ir.  Aspinwall  owns  and 
operates  a  large  farm  near  Freeport. 

ASSUMPTION, a  town  in  Christian  County,  on 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  23  miles  south  by 
west  from  Decatur  and  9  miles  north  of  Pana. 
It  is  situated  in  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal  min- 
ing district,  and  has  two  banks,  five  churches,  a 
public  scliool,  two  weekly  papers  and  coal  mines. 
Population  (1880),  706;  (1890),  1,076;  (1900),  1,702. 
ASTORIA,  town  in  Fulton  County,  on  Rock 
Island  &  St.  Louis  Division  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R. ; 
has  city  waterworks,  electric  light  plant,  tele- 
phone exchange,  three  large  grain  elevators, 
pressed  brick  works;  six  churches,  two  banks, 
two  weekly  papers,  city  hall  and  park,  and  good 
schools;  is  in  a  coal  region;  business  portion  is 
built  of  brick.     Pop.  (1890),  1,357;  (1900),  1,684. 

ATCHISOX,  TOPEKA  &  SANTA  FE  RAIL- 
WAT  COMPANY.  This  Company  operates  three 
subsidiary  lines  in  Illinois— the  Chicago,  Santa 
Fe  &  Califoi-nia,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa 
Fe  in  Chicago,  and  the  Jlississippi  River  Rail- 
road &  Toll  Bridge,  whicli  are  operated  as  a 
through  line  between  Chicago  and  Kansas  City, 
with  a  branch  from  Ancona  to  Pekin,  111.,  hav- 
ing an  aggregate  operated  mileage  of  515  miles,  of 


which  295  are  in  Illinois.  The  toUil  earnings  and 
income  for  the  yejir  ending  June  30,  1895,  were 
§1,298,600,  while  tlie  openiting  expenses  and  fixed 
charges  amounted  to  §2,360,706.  The  accumu 
lated  deficit  on  the  whole  line  amounted,  June  30, 
1894,  to  more  thar.  §4,500,000.  The  total  capitali 
zation  of  the  whole  line  in  1895  was  §52,775,251. 
Tlie  parent  road  was  cliartered  in  1859  ivnder  the 
name  of  the  Atchison  &  Topeka  Railroad ;  but  in 
1863  was  changed  to  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railroad.  The  construction  of  the  main 
line  was  begun  in  1859  and  completed  in  1873. 
The  largest  number  of  miles  operated  was  in 
1893,  being  7,481.65.  January  1,  1896,  the  road 
was  reorganized  under  the  name  of  The  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Riiilway  Company  (its  present 
name),  whicli  succeeded  by  purchase  under  fore- 
closure (Dec.  10,  1895)  to  the  property  and  fran- 
chises of  the  Atchison,  To])eka  and  Santa  Fe 
Rivilroad  Comijany.  Its  mileage,  in  1895,  was 
6,481.65  miles.  The  executive  and  general  officers 
of  the  system  (1898)  are: 

Aldace  F.  Walker,  Chairman  of  the  Board. 
New  York;  E.  P.  Ripley,  President,  Chicago;  C. 
M.  Higginson,  Ass"t  to  the  President,  Chii^go; 
E.  D.  Kenua,  1st  Vice-President  and  General 
Solicitor,  Chicago;  Paul  Morton,  2d  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Chicago;  E.  Wilder,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer, Topeka;  L.  C.  Deming,  Assistant  Secretarj", 
New  York ;  II.  W.  Gardner,  Assistant  Treasurer, 
New  York;  Victor  Morawetz,  General  Counsel, 
New  York;  Jno.  P.  Whitehead,  Comptroller, 
New  York;  H.  C.  Whitehead,  General  Auditor, 
Chicago;  W.  B.  Biddle,  Freight  Traffic  Manager, 
Chicago;  J.  J.  Frey,  General  Manager,  Topeka; 
H.  W.  Mudge,  General  Sui)erintendent,  Topeka; 
W.  A.  Bissell,  Assistant  Freight  Traffic  Manager, 
Chicago:  W.  F.  Wliite,  Passenger  Traffic 
Manager,  Chicago;  Geo.  T.  Nicholson,  Assistant 
Passenger  Traffic  Manager,  Chicago;  W.  E. 
Hodges,  General  Purchasing  Agent,  Cliicago; 
James  A.  Davis,  Industrial  Commissioner,  Chi- 
cago ;  James  Dun,  Chief  Engineer,  Topeka,  Kan. ; 
John  Player,  Superintendent  of  Machinery, 
Topeka.  Kan. ;  C.  W.  Kouns,  Superintendent  Car 
Service.  Topeka,  Kan. ;  J.  S.  Hobson,  Signal 
Engineer.  Topeka;  C.  G.  Sholes,  Superintendent 
of  Telegraph,  Topeka,  Kan. ;  C.  W.  Ryus,  General 
Claim  Agent,  Topeka;  F.  C.  Gay,  General  Freight 
Agent,  Topeka;  C.  R.  Hudson,  Assistant  General 
Freight  Agent,  Topeka;  W.  J.  Black,  General 
Passenger  Agent,  Cliicago;  P.  Walsh,  General 
Baggage  Agent,  Chicago. 

ATHENS,  an  incorporated  city  and  coal  mining 
town  in  Menard  County,  on  the  Chicago,  Peoria 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


27 


&  St.  Louis  R.  R.,  north  by  northwest  of  Spring- 
field. It  is  also  the  center  of  a  prosperous  agri- 
cultural and  stock-raising  district,  and  large 
numbers  of  cattle  are  shipped  there  for  the  Chi- 
cago market.  The  place  has  an  electric  lighting 
plani,  brickyards,  two  machine  shops,  two  grain 
elevators,  five  churches,  one  newspaper,  and  good 
schools.  Athens  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
Central  Illinois.  Pop.  (1890),  944;  (1900),  1,535. 
ATKINS,  Smith  D.,  soldier  and  journalist,  was 
born  near  Elmira,  N.  Y. ,  June  9,  1836 ;  came  with 
liis  father  to  Illinois  in  1846,  and  lived  on  a  farm 
till  18.50;  was  educated  at  Rock  River  Seminary, 
Mount  Morris,  meanwhile  learning  the  printer's 
trade,  and  afterwards  established  "The  Savanna 
Register"  in  Carroll  County.  In  1854  he  began 
the  study  of  law,  and  in  1860,  while  practicing  at 
Freeport,  was  elected  Prosecuting  Attorney,  but 
resigned  in  1861,  being  the  first  man  to  enlist  as  a 
private  soldier  in  Stephenson  County.  He  served 
as  a  Captain  of  the  Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteers 
(three-months'  men),  re-enlisted  with  the  same 
rank  for  three  years  and  took  part  in  the  capture 
of  Fort  Donelson  and  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  serv- 
ing at  the  latter  on  the  staff  of  General  Hurlbut. 
Forced  to  retire  temporarily  on  account  of  his 
health,  he  next  engaged  in  raising  volunteers  in 
Northern  Illinois,  was  finally  commissioned  Col- 
onel of  the  Ninety-second  Illinois,  and,  in  June, 
1863,  was  assigned  to  command  of  a  brigade  in 
the  Army  of  Kentucky,  later  serving  in  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland.  On  the  organization  of  Sher- 
man's great  "March  to  the  Sea,"  he  efficiently 
cooperated  in  it,  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General 
for  gallantry  at  Savannah,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  by  special  order  of  President  Lincoln,  was 
brevetted  Major-General.  Since  the  war.  Gen- 
eral Atkins"  chief  occupation  has  been  that  of 
editor  of  "The  Freeport  Journal,"  though,  for 
nearly  twenty-four  years,  he  served  as  Post- 
master of  that  city.  He  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  erection  of  the  Stephenson  County  Sol- 
diers' Monument  at  Freeport,  has  been  President 
of  the  Freeport  Public  Library  since  its  organiza- 
tion, member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  since 
1895,  by  appointment  of  the  Governor  of  Illinois, 
one  of  the  Illinois  Commissioners  of  the  Chicka- 
mauga  and  Cliattanooga  Military  Park. 

ATKINSON,  village  of  Henry  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway,  39  miles 
east  of  Rock  Island ;  has  an  electric  light  plant,  a 
bank  and  a  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890), 534;  (1900),  762. 

ATLANTA,  a  city  of  Logan  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  20  miles  .southwest  of 
Blooraington.     It  stands  on  a  high,  fertile  prairie 


and  the  surrounding  region  is  rich  in  coal,  as. 
well  as  a  productive  agricultural  and  stock-rais- 
ing district.  It  has  a  water-works  .system,  elec- 
tric liglit  plant,  five  churches,  a  graded  school,  a 
weekly  paper,  two  banks,  a  flouring  mill,  and  is 
the  headquarters  of  the  Union  Agricultural  So- 
ciety established  in  1860.    Population  (f90()).  1 ,270. 

ATLAS,  a  hamlet  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Pike  County,  10  miles  southwest  of  Pittsfiekl  and 
three  miles  from  Rockport,  the  nearest  station  on 
the  Quincy  &  Louisiana  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Biirlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  Atlas  has  an  in- 
teresting history.  It  was  settled  by  Col.  William 
Ross  and  four  brothers,  who  came  here  from 
Pittsfleld,  Mass.,  in  the  latter  part  of  1819,  or 
early  in  1820,  making  there  the  first  settlement 
within  the  present  limits  of  Pike  County.  The 
town  was  laid  out  by  the  Rosses  in  1833,  and  the 
next  year  the  county-seat  was  removed  thither 
from  Coles  Grove — now  in  Calhoun  County — but 
which  had  been  the  first  county-seat  of  Pike 
County,  when  it  comprised  all  the  territorj'  lying 
north  and  west  of  the  Illinois  River  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  and  the  Wisconsin  State  line. 
Atlas  remained  the  county-seat  until  1833,  when 
the  seat  of  justice  was  removed  to  PittsfieH. 
During  a  part  of  that  time  it  was  one  of  the 
most  important  points  in  the  western  part  of  the 
State,  and  was,  for  a  time,  a  rival  of  Quincy. 
It  now  has  only  a  postoffice  and  general  store. 
The  population,  according  to  the  census  of  1890, 
was  52. 

ATTORNEYS-GENERAL.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  Attorneys- General  of  Illinois  imder  the 
Territorial  and  State  Governments,  down  to  the 
present  time  (1899),  with  the  date  and  duration  of 
the  term  of  each  incumbent: 

Territori.\Ij — Benjamin  H.  Doyle,  July  to  De- 
cember, 1809;  John  J.  Crittenden,  Dec.  30  to 
April,  1810;  Thomas  T.  Crittenden,  April  to 
October,  1810;  Benj.  M.  Piatt,  October,  1810-13; 
William  Mears,  181.3-18. 

State— Daniel  Pope  Cook,  March  5  to  Dec.  14, 
1819;  William  Mears,  1819-21;  Samuel  D.  Lock- 
wood,  1821-23;  James  Turney,  1823-29;  George 
Forquer,  1829-33;  James  Semple,  1833-34;  Niuian 
W.  Edwards,  1834-35;  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr., 
183.5-30;  Walter  B.  Scates,  1836-37;  Usher  F. 
Linder.  1837-38;  George  W.  Ohiey.  1838-39;  V.'ick- 
liffe  Kitchell,  1839-40;  Josiah  Lamborn,  1840-43; 
James  Allen  McDougal,  1843-46;  David  B.  Camp- 
bell, 1846-48. 

The  Constitution  of  1848  made  no  provision  for 
the  continuance  of  the  office,  and  for  nineteen 
years    it  remained    vacant.     It  was    re-created, 


28 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


however,  by  legislative  enactment  in  1S67,  and 
on  Feb.  28  of  that  year  Governor  Oglesby 
appointed  Robert  G.  IngersoU,  of  Peoria,  to  dis 
charge  tlie  duties  of  the  position,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  do  until  1869.  Subsequent  incumbents 
of  the  office  have  been :  Wasliington  Buslmell, 
1869-73;  James  K.  Ed.sall,  18T3-81 ;  James  McCart- 
ney, 1881-85;  George  Hunt,  1880-93;  M.  T.  Moloney, 
1893-97;  Edward  C.  Akin,  1897  — .  Under  the 
first  Constitution  (1818)  the  office  of  Attorney- 
General  was  filled  by  appointment  by  the  Legisla- 
ture; under  the  Constitution  of  1848,  as  already 
stated,  it  ceased  to  exist  until  created  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  of  1867,  but,  in  1870,  it  was  made 
a  constitutional  office  to  be  filled  by  popular 
election  for  a  term  of  four  years. 

ATWOOD,  a  village  lying  partlj'  in  Piatt  and 
partly  in  Douglas  County,  on  the  Cincinnati, 
Hamilton  &  Dayton  R.  R.,  37  miles  east  of  Deca- 
tur. The  region  is  agricultural  and  fruit-grow- 
ing; the  town  has  two  banks,  an  excellent  school 
and  a  newspaper.     Pop   (1890),  530;  (1900),  698. 

ATWOOD,  Charles  B.,  architect,  was  born  at 
Millbury,  Mass.,  May  18,  1849;  at  17  began  a  full 
course  in  architecture  at  Harvard  Scientific 
School,  and,  after  graduation,  received  prizes  for 
public  buildings  at  San  Francisco,  Hartford  and 
a  number  of  other  cities,  besides  furnishing 
designs  for  some  of  the  finest  private  residences 
in  the  country.  He  was  associated  with  D.  H. 
Burnham  in  preparing  plans  for  the  Columbian 
Exposition  buildings,  at  Chicago,  for  the  World's 
Fair  of  1893,  and  distinguished  himself  by  i)ro- 
ducing  plans  for  the  "Art  Building,"  the  "Peri- 
stj'le,"  the  "Terminal  Station"  and  other 
prominent  structures.  Died,  in  the  midst  of  his 
highest  successes  as  an  architect,  at  Chicago, 
Dec.  19,  1895. 

AUBURN,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County,  on 
tlie  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  15  miles  south  of 
Springfield ;  has  some  manufactories  of  flour  and 
farm  implements,  besides  tile  and  brick  works, 
two  coal  mines,  electric  light  plant,  two  banks, 
several  churches,  a  graded  school  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.     Pop.  (1890),  874;  (1900),  1,281. 

AUDITORS  OF  PUBLIC  ACCOUNTS.  The 
Auditors  of  Public  Accounts  under  the  Terri- 
torial Government  were  H.  H.  Maxwell,  1813-16; 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  181G17;  Robert  Blackwell,  (April 
to  August),  1817;  Elijah  C.  Berry,  1817-18.  Under 
the  Constitution  of  1818  the  Auditor  of  Public 
Accounts  was  made  appointive  by  the  legislature, 
without  limitation  of  term ;  but  by  the  Constitu- 
tions of  1848  and  1870  the  office  was  made 
elective  by  the  people  for  a  term  of  four  years. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  State  Auditors 
from  the  date  of  the  admission  of  the  State  into 
the  Union  down  to  the  present  time  (1899),  witli 
the  date  and  duration  of  the  term  of  each: 
Elijah  C.  Berry,  1818-31;  James  T.  B.  Stapp, 
183135;  Levi  Davis,  1835-41;  James  Shields, 
184143;  William  Lee  D.  Ewiug  x843-46;  Thomas 
H  Campbell,  1846-57;  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  1857-64; 
Orlin  H.  Minei,  186469;  Charles  E.  Lippincott, 
1869  77;  Thomas  B.  Needles,  1877-81;  Cliarles  P. 
Swigert,  1881-89;  C.  W.  Pavey,  1889-93;  David 
Gore.  1893-97 ;  James  S   .McCuUough,  1897  — . 

AUGUSTA,  a  village  in  Augusta  township, 
Hancock  County,  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad.  36  miles  northeast  of  Quincry. 
Wagons  and  brick  are  the  principal  manufac- 
tures. The  town  has  one  newspaper,  two  banks, 
three  churches  and  a  graded  school.  The  sur 
rounding  country  is  a  fertile  agricultural  region 
and  aboun<ls  in  a  good  quality  of  bituminous 
coal.  Fine  qualities  of  potter's  clay  and  mineral 
paint  are  obtained  here.  Population  (1890), 
1,077;  (1900),  1,149. 

AUGUSTANA  COLLEGE,  an  educational  insti- 
tution controlled  by  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
denominatiorr,  located  at  Rock  Island  and  founded 
in  1863.  Besides  preparatory  and  collegiate  de- 
partments, a  theological  school  is  connected  with 
the  institution.  To  the  two  first  named,  young 
women  are  admitted  on  an  equality  with 
nren.  More  than  500  students  were  reported  in 
attendance  in  1896,  about  one-fourth  being 
%vomen.  A  majority  of  the  latter  were  in  the 
preparatorj'  (or  academic)  department.  The  col- 
lege is  not  endowed,  but  owns  property  (real 
and  i>ersonal)  to  the  value  of  $250,000.  It  has  a 
library  of  12,000  volumes. 

ALTRORA,  a  city  and  important  railroad  cen- 
ter, Kane  County,  on  Fo.\  River,  39  miles  south- 
west of  Chicago;  is  location  of  principal  shops  of 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.,  has  fine 
water-[)0wer  and  many  successful  manufactories, 
including  extensive  boiler  works,  iron  foundries, 
cotton  and  woolen  mills,  flour  mills,  silver-plat- 
ing works,  corset,  saslr  and  door  and  carriage 
factories,  stove  and  smelting  works,  establish- 
ments for  turning  out  road-scrapers,  buggy  tops, 
and  wood-working  machinery.  The  city  owns 
water- works  and  electric  light  plant;  has  six 
banks,  four  daily  and  several  weekly  papers, 
some  twenty-five  churches,  excellent  schools  and 
handsome  public  library  building;  is  connected 
by  interurban  electric  lines  with  the  principal 
towns  and  villages  in  the  Fox  River  valley. 
Population  (1890),  19,688;  (1900),  24,147. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


29 


AUSTIN,  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  in  Cook  County. 
It  is  accessible  from  that  city  by  either  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railway,  or  by  street 
railway  lines.  A  weekh-  newspaper  is  issued,  a 
graded  school  is  supported  (including  a  high 
school  department)  and  there  are  numerous 
churches,  representing  the  various  religious 
denominations.  Population  (1880),  1,3.59;  (1890), 
4,031.     Annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1899. 

AUSTI\  COLLEGE,  a  mi.xed  school  at  Effing- 
ham. 111.,  founded  in  1890.  It  has  eleven  teachers 
and  reports  a  total  of  312  pupils  for  1897-98—163 
males  and  1.50  females.  It  has  a  library  of  2,000 
volumes  and  reports  propertj-  valued  at  §37,000. 

AUSTRALIAN  BALLOT,'  a  form  of  ballot  for 
popular  elections,  thus  named  because  it  was 
first  brouglit  into  use  in  Australia.  It  was 
adopted  by  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  in 
1891,  and  is  applicable  to  the  election  of  all  public 
officers  except  Trustees  of  Schools,  School  Direct- 
ors, members  of  Boards  of  Education  and  officers 
of  road  districts  in  counties  not  under  township 
organization.  Under  it,  all  ballots  for  the  elec- 
tion of  '.  Sicers  (except  those  just  enumerated) 
are  required  to  be  printed  and  distributed  to  the 
election  officers  for  use  on  the  day  of  election,  at 
public  cost.  These  ballots  contain  the  names. 
on  the  same  sheet,  of  all  candidates  to  be  voted 
for  at  such  election,  such  names  having  been 
formally  certified  previouslj'  to  the  Secretary  of 
State  (in  the  case  of  candidates  for  offices  to  be 
voted  for  by  electors  of  the  entire  State  or  any 
district  greater  than  a  single  county)  or  to  the 
County  Clerk  (as  to  all  others),  bj'  the  presiding 
ofiicer  and  secretary'  of  the  convention  or  caucus 
making  such  nominations,  when  the  party  repre- 
sented cast  at  least  two  per  cent  of  the  aggregate 
vote  of  the  State  or  district  at  the  preceding  gen- 
eral election.  Other  names  may  be  added  to  the 
ballot  on  the  petition  of  a  specified  number  of  the 
legal  voters  under  certain  prescribed  conditions 
named  in  the  act.  The  duly  registered  voter,  on 
presenting  himself  at  the  poll,  is  given  a  copy  of 
the  official  ticket  by  one  of  the  judges  of  election, 
upon  which  he  proceeds  to  indicate  his  prefer 
ence  in  a  temporary  booth  or  closet  set  apart  for 
his  use,  by  making  a  cross  at  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn of  candidates  for  whom  he  wishes  to  vote,  it 
he  desires  to  vote  for  all  of  the  candidates  of  the 
.same  party,  or  by  a  similar  mark  before  the  name 
of  each  individual  for  whom  he  wishes  to  vote,  in 
case  he  desires  to  distribute  his  support  among 
the  candidates  of  different  parties.  The  object  of 
the  law  is  to  secure  for  the  voter  secrecy  of  the 
ballot,  with  independence  and  freedom  from  dic- 


tation or  interference  by  others  in  the  exercise  of 
his  right  of  suffrage. 

AVA,  a  town  in  Jackson  County  (incorporated 
as  a  city,  1901),  on  the  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad 
(Cairo  &  St.  Louis  Division),  75  miles  south- 
southeast  from  St.  Louis.  It  has  two  banks  and 
two  newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  807;  (1900),  984. 

AVON,  village  of  Fulton  County,  on  C,  B  &  Q. 
R.  R. ,  20  miles  south  of  Galesburg;  has  drain- 
pipe works,  two  factories  for  manufacture  of 
steam- and  hot-water  heaters,  two  banks  and  two 
newspapers,  agricultural  fair  Iield  here  amm- 
ally.     Population  (1900),  809;  (1904,  est.),  1.000. 

ATER,  Benjaiiiin  F.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Kingston,  N.  H.,  April  23,  182.5,  graduated  at 
Dartmouth  College  in  1846,  studied  law  at  Dane 
Law  School  (Harvard  University),  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  began  practice  at  Manchester, 
N.  H.  After  serving  one  term  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Legislature,  and  as  Prcsecuting  Attorney 
for  Hillsborough  County,  in  18.57  became  to  Chica- 
go, soon  advancing  to  the  front  rank  of  lawyers 
then  in  practice  there ;  became  Corporation  Counsel 
in  1861,  and,  two  years  later,  drafted  the  revised 
city  charter.  After  the  close  of  his  official  career, 
he  was  a  member  for  eight  years  of  the  law  firm  of 
Beckwith,  Aver  &  Kales,  and  afterwards  of  the 
firm  of  Ayer  &  Kales,  until,  retiring  from  general 
practice,  Mr.  Ayer  became  Solicitor  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  then  a  Director  of  the  Companj-, 
and  is  at  present  its  General  Counsel  and  a  potent 
factor  in  its  management. 

AYERS,  Marshall  Paul,  banker,  Jacksonville, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  July  27,  1823; 
came  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  with  his  parents,  in 
1830,  and  was  educated  there,  graduating  from 
Illinois  College,  in  1843,  as  the  classmate  of  Dr. 
Newton  Bateman.  afterwards  President  of  Knox 
College  at  Galesburg,  and  Rev.  Thomas  K. 
Beecher,  now  of  Elmira,  N.Y.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  became  the  partner  of  his  father  (David 
B.  Ayers)  as  agent  of  Mr.  John  Grigg,  of  Philadel- 
phia, who  was  the  owner  of  a  large  body  of  Illi- 
nois lands.  His  father  dying  in  1850,  Mr.  Ayers 
succeeded  to  the  management  of  the  business, 
about  75,000  acres  of  Mr.  Grigg's  unsold  lands 
coming  under  his  charge.  In  December,  1852, 
with  the  assistance  of  Messrs.  Page  &  Bacon,  bank- 
ers, of  St.  Louis,  he  opened  the  first  bank  in  Jack- 
sonville, for  the  sale  of  exchange,  but  which 
finally  grew  into  a  bank  of  deposit  and  lias  been 
continued  ever  since,  being  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  solid  institutions  in  Central  Illinois.  In 
1870-71,  aided  by  Philadelphia  and  New  York 
capitalists,  he  built  the  "Illinois  Farmers"  Rail- 


30 


HISTOPiK'AL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


road"  between  Jacksonville  and  Waverlj,  after- 
wards extended  to  Virden  and  finallj-  to  Centralia 
and  Mount  Vernon.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  the 
Jacksonville  Southeastern  Railwaj',  though  Sir. 
Ayers  has  had  no  connection  with  it  for  several 
years.  Other  business  enterprises  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  are  the  Jacksonville  Gas  Com- 
pany (now  including  an  electric  light  and  power 
plant),  of  which  he  has  been  President  for  forty 
years;  the  "Home  Woolen  Mills"  (early  wiped 
out  by  fire),  sugar  and  paper-barrel  manufacture, 
coalmining,  etc.  About  1877  he  purchased  a 
body  of  33,600  acres  of  land  in  Champaign  County, 
known  as  "Broadlands."  from  John  T.  Alexander, 
an  extensive  cattle-dealer,  who  had  become 
heavily  involved  during  the  years  of  financial 
revulsion.  As  a  result  of  this  transaction,  Mr. 
Alexander's  debts,  which  aggregated  §1,000,000, 
were  discharged  within  the  next  two  years.  Mr. 
Ayers  has  been  an  earnest  Republican  since  the 
organization  of  that  party  and,  during  the  war, 
rendered  valuable  service  in  assisting  to  raise 
fimds  for  the  support  of  the  operations  of  the 
Christian  Commission  in  the  field.  He  has  also 
been  active  in  Sunday  School,  benevolent  and 
educational  work,  having  been,  for  twenty  years, 
a  Trustee  of  Illinois  College,  of  which  he  has 
been  an  ardent  friend.  In  1846  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Laura  Allen,  daughter  of  Rev.  John 
Allen,  D.  D.,  of  Huntsville,  Ala.,  and  is  the  father 
of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  living. 

BABCOCK,  Amos  C,  was  born  at  Penn  Yan, 
N.  Y.,  Jan.20,  1828,  the  son  of  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  that  State ;  at  the  age  of  18,  having 
lost  his  father  by  death,  came  West,  and  soon 
after  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  partner- 
ship with  a  brother  at  Canton,  111.  In  1854  he 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  one  vote,  as  an  Anti- 
Nebraska  ^Vhig,  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Nine- 
teenth General  Assembly,  and,  in  the  following 
session,  took  part  in  the  election  of  United  States 
Senator  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Lyman 
Trumbull.  Although  a  personal  and  political 
friend  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  Mr.  Babcock,  as  a  matter 
of  policy,  cast  his  vote  for  his  townsman,  William 
Kellogg,  afterwards  Congressman  from  that  dis- 
trict, until  it  was  apparent  that  a  concentration 
of  the  Anti-Nebraska  vote  on  Trumbull  was 
necessary  to  defeat  the  election  of  a  Democrat. 
In  1862  he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
the  first  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the 
Fourth  District,  and,  in  1863.  was  commissioned 
by  Governor  Yates  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Third  Illinois  Volunteers,  but  soon  resigned. 
Colonel  Babcock  served  as  Delegate-at  large  in 


the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1868. 
which  nominated  General  Grant  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  the  same  year  was  made  Chairman  of 
the  Republican  State  Central  Committee,  also 
conducting  the  campaign  two  years  later.  He 
identified  himself  with  the  Greeley  movement  in 
1872,  but,  in  1876,  was  again  in  line  with  his 
party  and  restored  to  his  old  position  on  the  State 
Central  Committee,  serving  until  1878.  Among 
business  enterprises  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected was  the  extension,  about  1854,  of  the  Buda 
branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  from  Yates  City  to  Canton,  and  the 
erection  of  the  State  Capitol  at  Aastin,  Tex., 
which  was  undertaken,  in  conjunction  with 
Abner  Ta\-lor  and  J.  V.  and  C.  B.  Farwell,  about 
1881  and  completed  in  1888,  for  which  the  firm 
received  over  3,000,000  acres  of  State  lands  in  the 
"Pan  Handle"  portion  of  Texas.  In  1889  Colonel 
Babcock  took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago,  which 
continued  to  be  his  home  until  his  death  from 
apoplexy,  Feb.  25,  1899. 

BABCOCK,  Andrew  J.,  soldier,  was  born  at 
Dorchester,  Norfolk  Countj'.  Mass.,  Jul}-  19,  1830; 
began  life  as  a  coppersmith  at  Lowell;  in  1851 
went  to  Concord,  N.  H.,  and,  in  18.56,  removed  to 
Springfield,  111.,  where,  in  18.59,  he  joined  a  mili- 
tary company  called  the  Springfield  Greys,  com- 
manded bj'  Capt.  (afterwards  Gen. )  John  Cook,  of 
which  he  was  First  Lieutenant.  This  company 
became  the  nucleus  of  Company  I,  Seventh  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  which  enlisted  on  Mr.  Lincoln's 
first  call  for  troops  in  April,  1861.  Captain  Cook 
having  been  elected  Colonel,  Babcock  succeeded 
him  as  Captain,  on  the  re-enlistment  of  the  regi- 
ment in  July  following  becoming  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and,  in  March,  1862,  being  promoted  to 
the  Colonelcy  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  service 
rendered  at  Fort  Donelson."  A  year  later  he  was 
compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  impaired 
health.     His  home  is  at  Springfield. 

BACON,  George  E.,  lawyer  and  legislator,  born 
at  Madison,  Ind.,  Feb.  4,  1851;  was  brought  to 
Illinois  b}-  his  parents  at  three  years  of  age,  and, 
in  1876,  located  at  Paris,  Edgar  County;  in  1879 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  held  various  minor 
offices,  including  one  term  as  State's  Attorney. 
In  1886  he  was  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the 
State  Senate  and  re-elected  four  years  later,  but 
finally  removed  to  Aurora,  where  he  died,  July  " 
6,  1896.  Mr.  Bacon  was  a  man  of  recognized 
ability,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that,  after  the  death 
of  Senator  John  A.  Logan,  he  was  selected  by  his 
colleagues  of  the  Senate  to  pronounce  the  eulogy 
un  the  deceased  statesman. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


31 


BAGBT,  John  C,  jurist  and  Congressman,  was 
born  at  Glasgow,  Ky.,  Jan.  3-1,  1819.  After  pas- 
sing through  the  common  schools  of  Barren 
County,  Ky.,  he  studied  civil  engineering  at 
Baoon  College,  graduating  in  1840.  Later  he 
read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845. 
In  1846  he  commenced  practice  at  Rushville,  111., 
confining  himself  exclusively  to  professional  work 
until  nominated  and  elected  to  Congress  in  1874, 
by  the  Democrats  of  the  (old)  Tenth  District.  In 
188.1  he  was  elected  to  the  Circuit  Bench  for  the 
Sixth  Circuit.     Died,  April  4,  1896. 

BAILEY,  Joseph  Mead,  legislator  and  jurist, 
was  bom  at  Middlebury,  Wyoming  Coimty,  N.  Y., 
June  32,  1833,  graduated  from  Rochester  (N.  Y.) 
University  in  1854,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  that  city  in  1855.  In  August,  1856,  he 
removed  to  Freeport,  111.,  where  he  soon  built  up 
a  profitable  practice.  In  1866  he  was  elected  a 
Representative  in  the  Twenty  fifth  General 
Assembly,  being  re-elected  in  1868.  Here  he  was 
especially  prominent  in  securing  restrictive  legis- 
lation concerning  railroads.  In  1876  he  was 
chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  for  his  district  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  In  1877  he  was  elected  a 
Judge  of  the  Thirteenth  judicial  district,  and 
reelected  in  1879  and  in  1885.  In  January, 
1878,  and  again  in  June,  1879,  he  was  assigned  to 
the  bench  of  the  Appellate  Court,  being  presiding 
Justice  from  June,  1879,  to  June,  1880,  and  from 
June,  1881,  to  June,  1882.  In  1879  he  received 
the  degree  of  LL.D.  from  the  Universities  of 
Rochester  and  Chicago.  In  1888  he  was  elected 
to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Died  in 
office.  Oct.  16.  1895. 

BAILHACHE,  John,  pioneer  journalist,  was 
born  in  the  Island  of  Jersey,  Ma^-  8,  1787;  after 
gaining  the  rudiments  of  an  education  in  his 
mother  tongue  (the  French),  he  acquired  a  knowl- 
edge of  English  and  some  proficiency  in  Greek 
and  Latin  in  an  academy  near  bis  paternal  home, 
when  he  spent  five  years  as  a  printer's  apprentice. 
In  1810  he  came  to  the  United  States,  first  locat- 
ing at  Cambridge.  Ohio,  but,  in  1813,  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  "The  Fredonian"  at  Chillicothe 
(then  the  State  Capital),  soon  after  becoming  sole 
owner.  In  1815  he  purchased  "The  Scioto  Ga- 
zette" and  consolidated  the  two  papers  imder  the 
name  of  "The  Scioto  Gazette  and  Fredonian 
Chronicle."  Here  he  remained  until  1828,  mean- 
time engaging  temporarily  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness, also  serving  one  term  in  the  Legislature 
(1820),  and  being  elected  Associate  Jastice  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Ross  County.  In 
1828  he  removed  to  Columbus,  assuming  charge 


of  "The  Ohio  State  Journal,"  served  one  term  as 
Mayor  of  the  city,  and  for  three  consecutive 
years  was  State  Printer.  Selling  out  "The  Jour- 
nal" in  1836,  he  cauie  west,  the  next  year  becom- 
ing part  owner,  and  finally  sole  proprietor,  of  "The 
Telegraph"  at  Alton,  111.,  which  he  conducted 
alone  or  in  association  with  various  partners  until 
1854,  when  lie  retired,  giving  his  attention  to  the 
book  and  job  branch  of  the  business.  He  served  as 
Representative  from  Madison  County  in  the  Thir- 
teenth General  Assembly  (1843-44).  As  a  man 
and  a  journalist  Judge  Bailhache  commanded  the 
highest  respect,  and  did  much  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  journalism  in  Illinois,  "Tlie  Tele- 
graph," during  the  period  of  his  connection  with 
it,  being  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  State. 
His  death  occurred  at  Alton,  Sept.  3,  1857,  as  tlie 
result  of  injuries  received  the  day  previous,  by 
being  thrown  from  a  carriage  in  which  lie  was 
riding.— Maj.  William  Henry  (Bailhache),  son  of 
the  pi'eceding,  was  born  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio, 
August  14,  1836,  removed  with  his  fatlier  to  Alton, 
111.,  in  1836,  was  educated  at  Shurtleff  College, 
and  learned  the  printing  trade  in  the  office  of 
"The  Telegraph,"  under  the  direction  of  his 
father,  afterwards  being  associated  \vith  the 
business  department.  In  1855,  in  partnership 
with  Edward  L.  Baker,  he  became  one  of  the 
proprietors  and  business  manager  of  "The  State 
Journal"  at  Springfield.  Dming  the  Civil  War 
he  received  from  President  Lincoln  the  appoint- 
ment of  Captain  and  Assistant  Quartermaster, 
serving  to  its  close  and  receiving  the  brevet  rank 
of  Major.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  journal- 
ism and  was  associated  at  different  times  with 
"The  State  Journal"  and  "The  Quincy  Whig," 
as  business  manager  of  each,  but  retired  in  1873 ; 
in  1881  was  appointed  by  President  Arthur, 
Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  at  Santa  Fe.,  N.  M., 
remaining  four  years.  He  is  now  (1899)  a  resi- 
dent of  San  Diego,  Cal.,  where  he  has  been 
engaged  in  newspaper  work,  and,  under  the 
administration  of  President  McKinley,  has  been 
a  Special  Agent  of  the  Treasury  Department. — 
Preston  Heath  (Bailhache),  another  son,  was 
born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  Feb.  21,  1835,  served  as 
a  Surgeon  during  the  Civil  War,  later  became  a 
Surgeon  in  the  regular  army  and  has  held  posi- 
tions in  marine  hospitals  at  Baltimore,  Washing- 
ton and  New  York,  and  has  visited  Eiu-ope  in  the 
interest  of  sanitaiy  and  liospital  .service.  At 
present  (1899)  he  occupies  a  prominent  position 
at  the  headquarters  of  the  United  States  Marino 
Hospital  Sei-vice  in  Washington.— Arthur  Lee 
(Bailhache),  a  tliird  son,  born  at  Alton.  111.,  April 


32 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


12,  1839;  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  was 
employed  in  the  State  commissary  service  at 
Camp  Yates  and  Cairo,  became  Adjutant  of  the 
Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  died  at 
Pilot  Knob,  Mo.,  Jan.  9,  1862,  as  the  result  of 
disease  and  exposure  in  the  service. 

BAKER,  David  Jewett,  lawyer  and  United 
States  Senator,  was  born  at  East  Haddam,  Conn. , 
Sept.  7,  1792.  His  family  removed  to  New  York 
in  1800,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  during  boy- 
hood, but  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in 
1816,  and  three  years  later  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  In  1819  he  came  to  Illinois  and  began  prac- 
tice at  Kaskaskia,  where  he  attained  prominence 
in  his  profession  and  was  made  Probate  Judge  of 
Eandolph  County.  His  opposition  to  the  intro- 
duction of  slavery  into  the  State  was  so  aggres- 
Bive  that  his  life  was  frequently  threatened.  In 
1830  Governor  Edwards  appointed  him  United 
States  Senator,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Senator  McLean,  but  he  served  only  one  month 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  John  M.  Robinson, 
who  was  elected  by  the  Legislature.  He  was 
United  States  District  Attorney  from  1833 
to  1841  (the  State  then  constituting  but 
one  district),  and  thereafter  resumed  private 
practice.  Died  at  Alton,  August  6,  1869. 
—Henry  Southard  (Baker),  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, was  born  at  Kaskaskia,  111.,  Nov.  10, 
182-i,  received  his  preparatory  education  at  Shurt- 
leff  College,  Upper  Alton,  and,  in  1843,  entered 
Brown  University,  R.  I.,  graduating  therefrom 
in  1847;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1849,  begin- 
ning practice  at  Alton,  the  home  of  his  father, 
Hon.  David  J.  Baker.  In  1854  he  was  elected  as  an 
Anti-Nebraska  candidate  to  the  lower  branch  of 
the  Nineteenth  General  Assemblj-,  and,  at  the 
subseciuent  session  of  the  CJeneral  As,sembly,  was 
one  of  the  five  Anti -Nebraska  members  whose 
uncompromising  fidelity  to  Hon.  Lyman  Trum- 
b\ill  resulted  in  the  election  of  the  latter  to  the 
United  States  Senate  for  the  first  time — the  others 
being  his  colleague.  Dr.  George  T.  Allen  of  the 
House,  and  Hon.  John  M.  Palmer,  afterwards 
United  States  Senator,  Burton  C.  Cook  and  Nor- 
man B.  Judd  in  the  Senate.  He  served  as  one  of  the 
Secretaries  of  the  Republican  State  Convention 
held  at  Bloomington  in  May,  18.56,  was  a  Repub- 
lican Presidential  Elector  in  1864,  and,  in  180.5, 
became  Judge  of  the  Alton  City  Court,  serving 
until  1881.  In  1876  he  presided  over  the  Repub- 
lican State  Convention,  served  as  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention  of  the  same 
year  and  was  an  imsuccessful  candidate  for 
Congress  in  opposition  to  William  R.  Morrison. 


Judge  Baker  was  the  orator  selected  to  deliver 
the  address  on  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of  the 
statue  of  Lieut. -Gov.  Pierre  Menard,  on  the 
capitol  grounds  at  Springfield,  in  January,  1888. 
About  1888  he  retired  from  practice,  dying  at 
Alton,  March  5,  1897.  —  Edward  L.  (Baker), 
second  son  of  David  Jewett  Baker,  wjis  bom  at 
Kaskaskia,  111.,  June  3,  1829;  graduated  at  Shurt- 
leff  College  in  1847 ;  read  law  with  his  father  two 
years,  after  which  he  entered  Harvard  Law 
School  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Spring- 
field in  1855.  Previous  to  this  date  Jlr.  Bjiker  had 
become  associated  with  William  H.  Bailhache,  in 
the  management  of  '"The  Alton  Dailj-  Telegraph," 
and,  in  July,  1855,  they  purcha-sed  "The  Illinois 
State  Journal,"  at  Springfield,  of  which  Mr. 
Baker  assumed  the  editorship,  remaining  until 
1874.  In  1869  he  was  ap|X)inted  United  States 
Assessor  for  the  Eighth  District,  serving  until 
the  abolition  of  the  office.  In  1873  he  received 
the  app<jintment  from  President  Grant  of  Consul 
to  Buenos  Ayres.  South  America,  and,  a.ssuming 
the  duties  of  the  office  in  1874,  remained  there 
for  twenty-three  years,  proving  himself  one  of 
the  most  capable  and  eflicient  officers  in  the  con- 
sular service.  On  the  evening  of  the  20th  of 
June,  1897,  when  Jlr.  Baker  was  about  to  enter  a 
railway  train  already  in  motion  at  the  station  in 
the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres.  he  fell  under  the  cars, 
receiving  injuries  which  necessitated  the  ampu- 
tation of  his  right  arm,  finally  re.sulting  in  his 
death  in  the  hospital  at  Buenos  Ayres,  July  8, 
following.  His  remains  were  brought  home  at 
the  Government  expense  and  interred  in  Oak 
Ridge  Cemetery,  at  Springfield,  where  a  monu- 
ment has  since  been  erected  in  his  honor,  bearing 
a  tablet  contributed  by  citizens  of  Buenos  Ayres 
and  foreign  representatives  in  that  city  express- 
ive of  their  respect  for  his  memorj'. — David 
Jewett  (Baker),  Jr.,  a  third  son  of  David  Jewett 
Baker,  Sr.,  was  bom  at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  20,1834; 
graduated  from  Shurtlefl  College  in  1854,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856.  In  November  of 
that  year  he  removed  to  Cairo  and  began  prac- 
tice. He  was  Mayor  of  that  city  in  1864-65,  and, 
in  1809,  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Nineteenth 
Judicial  Circuit.  The  Legislature  of  1873  (by  Act 
of  March  28)  having  divided  the  State  into 
twenty-six  circuits,  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Twenty -sixth,  on  June  2,  1873.  In  August,  1878, 
he  resigned  to  accept  an  appointment  on  the 
Supreme  Bench  as  successor  to  Judge  Breese, 
deceased,  but  at  the  close  of  his  term  on  the 
Supreme  Bench  (1879),  was  re-elected  Circuit 
Judge,  and  again  in  1885.     During  this  period  he 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


33 


served  for  several  years  on  the  Appellate  Bench. 
In  1888  lie  retired  from  the  Circuit  Bench  by 
resignation  and  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  a  term  of  nine  years.  Again, 
in  1897,  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election,  but 
was  defeated  by  Carroll  C.  Boggs.  Soon  after 
retiring  from  the  Supreme  Bench  he  removed  to 
Cliicago  and  engaged  in  general  practice,  in 
partnership  with  his  son,  John  W.  Baker.  He 
fell  dead  almost  in.stantly  in  his  ofBce,  March  13, 
1899.  In  all.  Judge  Baker  had  spent  some  thirty 
years  almost  continuously  on  the  bench,  and  had 
attained  eminent  distinction  both  as  a  lawyer  and 
a  jurist. 

BAKER,  Edward  Dickinson,  soldier  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  in  London, 
Eng.,  Feb.  24,  1811;  emigrated  to  Illinois  while 
yet  in  his  minority,  first  locating  at  Belleville, 
afterwards  removing  to  Carrollton  and  finally  to 
Sangamon  County,  the  last  of  which  he  repre- 
sented in  the  lower  house  of  the  Tenth  General 
Assembly,  and  as  State  Senator  in  the  Twelfth 
and  Thirteenth.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  as 
a  Whig  from  the  Springfield  District,  but  resigned 
in  December,  184G,  to  accept  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Fourth  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  in  the 
Mexican  War,  and  succeeded  General  Shields  in 
command  of  the  brigade,  when  the  latter  was 
wounded  at  Cerro  Gordo.  In  1848  he  was  elected 
to  Congress  from  the  Galena  District;  was  also 
identified  with  the  construction  of  the  Panama 
Railroad;  went  to  San  Francisco  in  18.53,  but 
'ater  removed  to  Oregon,  where  he  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate  in  1860.  In  1861  he 
resigned  the  Senatorship  to  enter  the  Union 
army,  commanding  a  brigade  at  the  battle  of 
Ball's  Bluff,  where  he  was  killed,  October  21.  1861. 

BAKER,  Jeliu,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was 
born  in  Fayette  Coimty,  Ky.,  Nov.  4.  1822.  At 
an  early  age  he  removed  to  Illinois,  making  his 
home  in  Belleville,  St.  Clair  County.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  McKendree  College.  Although  he  did 
not  graduate  from  the  latter  institution,  he 
received  therefrom  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M. 
in  18.>S,  and  that  of  LL.  D.  in  1882.  For  a  time 
he  studied  medicine,  but  abandoned  it  for  the 
study  of  law.  From  1861  to  186.5  he  was  Master 
in  Chancery  for  St.  Clair  County.  From  186.5  to 
1869  he  represented  the  Belleville  District  as  a 
Republican  in  Congress.  From  1876  to  1881  and 
from  1882  to  1885  he  was  Minister  Resident  in 
Venezuela,  during  the  latter  portion  of  his  term 
of  service  acting  also  as  Consul-General.  Return- 
ing home,  he  was  again  elected  to  Cougi'ess  (1886) 


from  the  Eigliteenth  District,  but  was  defeated 
for  re-election,  in  1888,  by  William  S.  Forman, 
Democrat.  Again,  in  1896,  having  identified 
himself  with  the  Free  Silver  Democracy  and 
People's  Party,  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Twentieth  District  over  Everett  J.  Murphy, 
the  Republican  nominee,  serving  until  March  3, 
1899.  He  is  the  author  of  an  annotated  edition 
of  Montesquieu's  "Grandeur  and  Decadence  of 
the  Romans." 

BALDWI\,  Elmer,  agriculturist  and  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  Marcli 
8,  1806;  at  16  years  of  age  began  teaching  a  coun- 
try school,  continuing  this  occupation  for  several 
years  during  the  winter  months,  while  working 
on  his  fatlier's  farm  in  the  summer.  He  then 
started  a  store  at  New  Milford,  which  he  man- 
aged for  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  on  account 
of  his  health  and  began  farming.  In  1833  he 
came  west  and  purchased  a  considerable  tract  of 
Government  land  in  La  Salle  County,  where  the 
village  of  Farm  Ridge  is  now  situated,  removing 
thither  with  his  family  the  following  year.  He 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  fourteen  con- 
secutive terms,  as  Postmaster  twenty  years  and 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  La 
Salle  County  six  years.  In  1856  he  was  elected 
as  a  Republican  to  tlie  House  of  Representatives, 
was  re-elected  to  the  same  office  in  1866,  and  to 
the  State  Senate  in  1872,  serving  two  years.  He 
was  also  appointed,  in  1869,  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Public  Charities,  serving  as  President  of 
the  Board.  Mr.  Baldwin  is  author  of  a  "Hi.s- 
tory  of  La  Salle  County,"  which  contains  much 
local  and  biogi-aphical  history.  Died,  Nov.  18, 
1895. 

BALDWIN,  Tlieron,  clergyman  and  educa- 
tor, was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn.,  July  21,  1801; 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1827;  after  two 
years"  study  in  the  theological  school  there,  was 
ordained  a  home  missionary  in  1829,  becoming 
one  of  the  celebrated  "Yale  College  Band,"  or 
"Western  College  Society,"  of  which  he  was  Cor- 
responding Secretary  during  most  of  his  life.  He 
was  settled  as  a  Congregationalist  minister  at 
Vandalia  for  two  years,  and  was  active  in  pro- 
curing tlie  charter  of  Illinois  College  at  Jack.son- 
ville,  of  which  he  was  a  Trustee  from  its 
organization  to  his  death.  He  served  for  a 
number  of  years,  from  1831,  as  Agent  of  the 
Home  Missionary  Society  for  Illinois,  and,  in 
1838,  became  the  first  Principal  of  Monticello 
Female  Seminary,  near  Alton,  which  he  con- 
ducted five  years.  Died  at  Orange,  N.  J.,  April 
10,  1870. 


34 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


BALLARD,  Addison,  merchant,  was  born  of 
Quaker  parentage  in  Warren  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember, 1833.  He  located  at  La  Porte,  Ind., 
about  1841,  where  he  learned  and  pursued  the 
carpenter's  trade;  in  1849  went  to  California, 
remaining  two  years,  when  he  returned  to  La 
Porte;  in  IS.'JS  removed  to  Chicago  and  embarked 
in  the  lumber  trade,  which  he  prosecuted  until 
1887,  retiring  with  a  competency.  Mr.  Ballard 
served  several  years  as  one  of  the  Commissioners 
of  Cook  County,  and,  from  1876  to  1883,  as  Alder- 
man of  the  City  of  Chicago,  and  again  in  the 
latter  office,  1894-9G. 

BALTES,  Peter  Joseph,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop 
of  Alton,  was  born  at  Ensheim,  Rhenish  Ba- 
varia, April  7,  1837;  was  educated  at  the  colleges 
of  the  Holy  Cross,  at  Worcester,  Mass. ,  and  of  St. 
Ignatius,  at  Chicago,  and  at  Lavalle  University, 
Montreal,  and  was  ordained  a  priest  in  18.53,  and 
consecrated  Bishop  in  1870.  His  diocesan  admin- 
istration was  successful,  but  regarded  by  lu« 
priests  as  .somewhat  arbitrary.  He  wrote  numer- 
ous pastoral  letters  and  brochures  for  the  guidance 
of  clergy  and  laity.  His  most  important  literary 
work  was  entitled  "Pastoral  Instruction,"  first 
edition,  N.  Y.,  187.5;  second  edition  (revised  and 
enlarged),  1880.     Died  at  Alton,  Feb.  1.5,  1886. 

BALTIMORE  &  OHIO  SOUTHWESTERN 
RAILWAY.  This  road  (constituting  a  part  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  system)  is  made  up  of  two 
principal  divisions,  the  first  extending  across  the 
State  from  East  St.  Louis  to  Belpre,  Ohio,  and  the 
second  (known  as  the  Springfield  Division)  extend- 
ing from  Beardstown  to  Shawneetown.  The  total 
mileage  of  the  former  (or  main  line)  is  .537 
miles,  of  which  147,'/2  are  iy  Illinois,  and  of  the 
latter  (wholly  within  Illinois)  338  miles.  The 
main  line  (originally  known  as  tlie  Ohio  &  Mis- 
sissippi Railwaj')  was  chartered  in  Indiana  in 
1848,  in  Ohio  in  1849,  and  in  Illinois  in  1851.  It 
was  constructed  by  two  companies,  the  section 
from  Cincinnati  to  the  Indiana  and  Illinois  State 
line  being  known  as  the  Eastern  Division,  and 
that  in  Illinois  as  the  Western  Division,  the 
gauge,  as  originally  built,  being  six  feet,  but 
reduced  in  1871  to  standard.  The  banking  firm 
of  Page  &  Bacon,  of  St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco, 
were  the  principal  financial  backers  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  line  was  completed  and  opened  for 
traffic.  May  1,  1857.  Tlie  following  year  the  road 
became  financiall_v  embarrassed;  the  Eastern  Di-. 
vision  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  in 
1860.  while  the  Western  Division  was  sold  under 
foreclosure,  in  1863,  and  reorganized  as  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  Railway  under  act  of  the  Illinois 


Legislature  passed  in  February,  1861.  The  East- 
ern Division  was  sold  in  January,  1867;  and,  in 
November  of  the  .same  year,  the  two  divisions 
were  consolidated  under  the  title  of  the  Ohio  & 
Mississippi  Railway. — The  Springfield  Division 
was  the  result  of  the  consolidation,  in  December, 
1869,  of  the  Pana,  Springfield  &  Northwestern 
and  the  Illinois  &  Southeastern  Railroad — each 
having  been  chartered  in  1867 — the  new  corpo- 
ration taking  the  name  of  the  Springfield  &  Illi- 
nois Southeastern  Rtiilroad,  under  which  name 
the  road  was  built  and  oi)ened  in  March,  1871.  In 
1873,  it  was  placed  in  tlio  hamls  of  receivers;  in 
1874  was  sold  under  foreclosure,  and,  on  March 
1,  1875,  pas.sed  into  the  hands  of  the  Oliio  &  Mis- 
sissippi Railway  Company.  In  Novemlwr,  1876, 
the  road  was  again  placed  in  the  liantLs  of  a 
receiver,  but  was  restored  to  the  Company  in  1884. 
— In  November,  1893,  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  was 
consolidated  with  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western Railroad,  which  was  the  suct^essor  of  the 
Cincinnati,  Washington  &  Baltimore  Riiilroad, 
the  reorganized  Company  taking  the  name  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  R^iilway  Com- 
pany. The  total  capitalization  of  the  road,  as 
organized  in  1898,  was  $84,770,531.  Several 
brandies  of  the  main  line  in  Indiana  and  Ohio  go 
to  increase  the  aggregate  mileage,  but  being 
wholly  outside  of  Illinois  are  not  taken  into  ac- 
count in  this  statement. 

BALTIMORE  &  OHIO  &  CHICAGO  RAIL- 
ROAD,  part  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad 
System,  of  which  only  8.31  out  of  365  miles  are  in 
Illinois.  The  principal  oljject  of  the  company's 
incorporation  was  to  secure  entrance  for  the 
Baltimore  &  Oliio  into  Chicago.  The  capital 
stock  outstanding  exceeds  §1,. 500,000.  The  total 
capital  (including  stock,  funded  and  floating  debt) 
is  §30,339,166  or  §76,728  per  mile.  The  gross 
earnings  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1898,  were 
$3,38  ".,016  and  the  operating  expenses  §2,493,452. 
The  income  and  earnings  for  the  portion  of  the 
line  in  Illinois  for  the  same  period  were  $209,208 
and  the  e.xpenses  $208,096. 

BANGS,  Mark,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Franklin 
County,  Mass.,  Jan.  9,  1822;  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  a  farm  in  Western  New  York,  and,  after 
a  year  in  an  institution  at  Rochester,  came  to 
Chicago  in  1844,  later  spending  two  j-ears  in  farm 
work  and  teaching  in  Central  Illinois.  Return- 
ing east  in  1847,  he  engaged  in  teaching  for 
two  j'ears  at  Springfield,  Ma-ss.,  then  spent 
a  year  in  a  dry  goods  store  at  Lacon,  111. 
meanwhile  jirosecuting  his  legal  studies,  lii 
1851    he    began    practice,   was  elected   a  Judgi 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


35 


of  the  Circuit  Court  in  1859;  served  one  session 
as  State  Senator  (1870-73) ;  in  1873  was  ap- 
pointed Circuit  Judge  to  fill  the  unexpired 
term  of  Judge  Richmond,  deceased,  and,  in  1875, 
was  appointed  by  President  Grant  United  States 
District  Attorney  for  the  Northern  District, 
remaining  in  office  four  years.  Judge  Bangs  was 
also  a  member  of  the  first  Anti-Nebraska  State 
Convention  of  Illinois,  held  at  Springfield  in  18.54; 
in  1803  presided  over  the  Congressional  Conven- 
tion which  nominated  Owen  Lovejoy  for  Congress 
for  the  first  time ;  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  "Union  League  of  America,"  serving  as  its 
President,  and,  in  1868,  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention  which  nominated  General 
Grant  foi  President  for  the  first  time.  After 
retiring  from  the  ofl5ce  of  District  Attorney  in 
1879,  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  is  still 
(1898)  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

B.VNKSOX,  .Andrew,  pioneer  and  early  legis- 
lator, a  native  of  Tennessee,  settled  on  Silver 
Creek,  in  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  four  miles  south 
of  Lebanon,  about  1808  or  1810,  and  subsequently 
removed  to  Washington  County.  He  was  a  Col- 
onel of  "Rangers"  during  the  War  of  1813,  and  a 
Captain  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1833.  In 
1833  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from 
Washington  County,  serving  four  years,  and  at 
the  session  of  1832-33  was  one  of  tliose  who  voted 
agamst  the  Convention  resolution  which  had  for 
its  object  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Iowa  Territory,  but  died,  in 
1853,  while  visiting  a  son-in-law  in  Wi.sconsin. 

BAPTISTS.  The  first  Baptist  minister  to  set- 
tle in  Illinois  was  Elder  James  Smith,  who 
located  at  New  Design,  in  1787.  He  was  fol- 
lowed, about  1796-97,  by  Revs.  David  Badgley  and 
Joseph  Chance,  who  organized  the  first  Baptist 
church  within  the  limits  of  the  State.  Five 
churches,  having  four  ministers  and  111  mem- 
bers, formed  an  association  in  1807.  Several 
causes,  among  them  a  difference  of  views  on  the 
slavery  question,  resulted  in  the  division  of  the 
denomination  into  factions.  Of  these  perhaps 
the  most  numerous  was  the  Regular  (or  Jlission- 
ary)  Baptists,  at  the  head  of  which  was  Rev.  John 
M.  Peck,  a  resident  of  tlie  State  from  1833  imtil 
his  death  (1858).  By  1835  the  sect  had  grown, 
until  it  had  some  350  churches,  with  about  7,500 
members.  These  were  under  the  ecclesiastical 
care  of  twenty-two  Associations.  Rev.  Isaac 
McCoy,  a  Baptist  Indian  missionary,  preached  at 
Fort  Dearborn  on  Oct.  9,  1835,  and,  eight  years 
later.  Rev.  Allen  B.  Freeman  organized  the  first 
Baptist  society  in  what  was  then  an  infant  set- 


tlement. By  1890  the  number  of  Associations 
had  gi-own  to  forty,  with  1010  churches  891 
ministers  and  88,88-4  members.  A  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Seminary  was  for  some  time  supported  at 
Morgan  Park,  but,  in  1895,  was  absorbed  by  the 
University  of  Chicago,  becoming  the  divinity 
school  of  that  institution.  The  chief  organ  of  the 
denomination  in  Illinois  is  "Tlie  Standard."  pub- 
lished at  Chicago. 

BARBER,  Hiram,  was  bom  in  Warren  County, 
N.  Y.,  March  34,  1835.  At  11  years  of  age  he 
accompanied  his  family  to  Wisconsin,  of  which 
State  he  was  a  resident  until  1866.  After  gradu- 
ating at  the  State  University  of  Wisconsin,  at 
Madison,  he  studied  law  at  the  Albany  Law 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  practice.  After 
serving  one  term  as  District  Attorney  of  his 
county  in  Wisconsin  (1861-63),  and  Assistant 
Attorney-General  of  the  State  for  1865-66,  in 
the  latter  year  he  came  to  Cliicago  and,  in  1878, 
was  elected  to  Congress  by  the  Republicans  of 
the  old  Second  Illinois  District.  His  home  is  in 
Chicago,  where  he  holds  the  position  of  Master  in 
Chancery  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County. 

BARDOLPH,  a  village  of  McDonough  County, 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  7 
miles  northeast  of  Macomb;  lias  a  local  paper. 
Population  (1880),  409;  (1890),  447;  (1900),  387. 

BARXSBACK,  (Jeorgre  Frederick  Julius,  pio- 
neer, was  born  in  Germany,  July  35,  1781 ;  came 
to  Philadelphia  in  1797,  and  soon  after  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  became  an  overseer;  two  or 
three  years  later  visited  his  native  country,  suf- 
fering shipwreck  en  route  in  the  English  Channel ; 
returned  to  Kentucky  in  1802,  remaining  imtil 
1809,  when  he  removed  to  what  is  now  Madison 
(then  a  part  of  St.  Clair)  County,  111. ;  served  in 
the  War  of  1813,  farmed  and  raised  stock  until 
1834,  when,  after  a  second  visit  to  Germany,  he 
bought  a  plantation  in  St.  Francois  County,  Mo. 
Subsequently  becoming  disgusted  with  slavery, 
he  manumitted  his  slaves  and  returned  to  Illinois, 
locating  on  a  farm  near  EdwardsviUe,  where  lie 
resided  until  his  death  in  1869.  Mr.  Barnsback 
served  as  Representative  in  the  Fourteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1844-46)  and,  after  returning  from 
Springfield,  distributed  his  salary  among  the  poor 
of  Madison  County.— Julius  A.  (Barnsback),  his 
son,  was  born  in  St.  Francois  Coimty,  Mo.,  May 
14,  1836;  in  1846  became  a  merchant  at  Troy, 
Madison  Coimty;  was  elected  Sheriff  in  1860;  in 
1804  entered  the  service  as  Captain  of  a  Company 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fortieth  Illinois  Vohin- 
teers  (100-days'  men);  also  served  as  a  member  or 
the  Twenty -fourth  General  .Vssembly  (1865). 


36 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


BARNUM,  William  H.,  lawyer  and  ex-Judge, 
was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  13, 
1840.  When  he  was  but  two  years  old  his  family 
removed  to  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  where  he  passed 
his  boyhood  and  youtli.  His  preliminary  educa- 
tion was  obtained  at  Belleville.  III.,  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.,  and  at  the  Michigan  State  University'  at 
Ann  Arbor.  After  leaving  the  institution  last 
named  at  the  end  of  the  sophomore  year,  he 
taught  school  at  Belleville,  still  pursuing  his  clas- 
sical studies.  In  1863  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Belleville,  and  soon  afterward  opened  an  office 
at  Chester,  wliere,  for  a  time,  he  held  the  office 
of  Master  in  Chancery.  He  removed  to  Chicago 
in  1867,  and,  in  1879,  was  elevated  to  the  bench 
of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court.  At  the  expi- 
ration of  his  term  he  resumed  private  practice. 

BARRERE,  firanville,  was  born  in  Highland 
County,  Ohio.  After  attending  the  common 
schools,  he  acquired  a  higher  education  at  Au- 
gusta, Ky.,  and  Marietta,  Ohio.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  his  native  State,  but  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Fulton  County,  111.,  in  1856.  In 
1873  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Congress  and  was  elected,  representing  his  dis- 
trict from  1873  to  187,'5,  at  the  conclusion  of  his 
term  retiring  to  private  life.  Died  at  Canton, 
111.,  Jan.  13,  1889. 

BARRIXfiTON,  a  village  located  on  the  north- 
ern border  of  Cook  County,  and  partly  in  Lake, 
at  the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
and  the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Railway,  33  miles 
northwest  of  Chicago.  It  has  banks,  a  local  paper, 
and  several  cheese  factories,  being  in  a  dairying 
district.     Population  (1890),  848;  (I'JOO),  1,162. 

BARROWS,  John  Henry,  D.  D.,  clergyman 
and  educator,  was  born  at  Meiiina,  Mich.,  July 
11,  1847;  graduated  at  Mount  Olivet  College  in 
1867,  and  studied  theology  at  Yale,  Union  and 
Andover  Seminaries.  In  1869  he  went  to  Kansas, 
where  he  spent  two  and  a  half  years  in  mission- 
ary and  educational  work.  He  then  (in  1873) 
accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Congregational 
Church  at  Springfield,  111.,  where  he  remained  a 
year,  after  which  he  gave  a  year  to  foreign  travel, 
visiting  Europe,  Egypt  and  Palestine,  during  a 
part  of  the  time  supplying  the  American  cliapel 
in  Paris.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States  he 
spent  six  years  in  pastoral  work  at  Lawrence  and 
East  Boston,  Mass.,  when  (in  November,  1881)  he 
assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Chicago.  Dr.  Barrows  achieved  a 
world-wide  celebrity  by  his  services  as  Chairman 
of  the  "Parliament  of  Religions,''  a  branch  of  the 
"World's  Congress  Auxiliary,"   held  during  the 


World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago  in 
1893.  Later,  he  was  appointed  Professorial  Lec- 
turer on  Comparative  Religions, under  lectureships 
in  connection  with  tlie  University  of  Cliicago  en- 
dowed by  Mrs.  Caroline  E.  Haskell.  One  of  these, 
established  in  Dr.  Barrows'  name,  contemplated 
a  series  of  lectures  in  India,  to  be  delivered  on 
alternate  years  with  a  similar  course  at  the  Uni- 
versity. Courses  were  delivered  at  the  University 
in  1895-96,  and,  in  order  to  carry  out  the  purposes 
of  the  foreign  lectureship,  Dr.  Barrows  found  it 
necessary  to  resign  his  pastorate,  wliich  he  did  in 
the  spring  of  1896.  After  spending  the  summer 
in  (iermany,  the  regular  itinerary  of  the  round- 
the-world  tour  began  at  London  in  the  latter  part 
of  November,  1896,  ending  with  his  return  to  the 
United  States  by  way  of  San  Francisco  in  May, 
1897.  Dr.  Barrows  was  accompanied  by  a  party 
of  personal  friends  from  Chicago  and  elsewhere, 
the  tour  embracing  visits  to  the  principal  cities 
of  Southern  Europe,  Egypt,  Palestine,  China  and 
Japan,  with  a  somewhat  protracted  stay  in  India 
during  the  winter  of  1896-97.  After  his  return  to 
the  United  States  he  lectured  at  the  University 
of  Chicago  and  in  many  of  the  principal  cities  of 
the  country,  on  the  moral  and  religious  condition 
of  Oriental  nations,  but,  in  1898,  was  offered 
the  Presidency  of  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  which 
he  accepted,  entering  upon  his  duties  early  in 
1899. 

BARRY,  a  city  in  Pike  County,  founded  in 
1836,  on  tlie  Wabash  Railroad,  18  miles  east  of 
Hannibal,  Mo.,  and  30  miles  southeast  of  Quincy. 
The  surrounding  country  is  agricultural.  The 
city  contains  flouring  mills,  porkpacking  and 
poultry  establishments,  etc.  It  has  two  local 
papers,  two  banks,  tliree  churches  and  a  high 
school,  besides  schools  of  lower  grade.  Popula- 
tion (1880).  1,393;  (1890),  1,3.54;  (1900),  1,643. 

BARTLETT,  Adolplius  Clay,  merchant,  was 
born  of  Revolutionary  ancestry  at  Stratford, 
Fulton  County,  N.  Y. ,  June  33, 1844 ;  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  Danville  Academy 
and  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  N.  Y.,  and,  coming 
to  Chicago  in  1863,  entered  into  the  employment 
of  the  hardware  firm  of  Tuttle,  Hibbard  &  Co., 
now  Hibbard,  Spencer,  Bartlett  &  Co.,  of  which, 
a  few  years  later,  he  became  a  partner,  and  later 
Vice-President  of  the  Company.  Mr.  Bartlett 
has  also  been  a  Trustee  of  Beloit  College,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Home  for  the  Friendless  and 
a  Director  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  and 
the  Metropolitan  National  Bank,  besides  being 
identified  with  various  other  business  and  benevo- 
lent associations. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


37 


BASCOM,  (Rev.)  Flavel,  D.  D.,  clergyman, 
was  born  at  Lebanon.  Conn.,  June  8,  1804;  spent 
his  boyhood  on  a  farm  until  17  years  of  age,  mean- 
while attending  the  common  schools;  prepared 
for  college  under  a  private  tutor,  and,  in  1824, 
entered  Yale  College,  graduating  in  1828.  After  a 
year  as  Principal  of  the  Academy  at  New  Canaan, 
Conn.,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  theology 
at  Yale,  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1831  and,  for 
the  next  two  years,  served  as  a  tutor  in  the  liter- 
ary department  of  the  college.  Then  coming  to 
Illinois  (1833),  he  cast  his  lot  with  the  "Yale 
Band,"  organized  at  Yale  College  a  few  years 
previous ;  spent  five  years  in  missionary  work  in 
Tazewell  County  and  two  years  in  Northern  Illi- 
nois as  Agent  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society, 
exploring  new  settlements,  founding  churches 
and  introducing  missionaries  to  new  fields  of 
labor.  In  1839  lie  became  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  remaining  until 
1849,  when  he  assumed  the  pastorship  of  the  First 
Presbj'terian  Church  at  Galesburg,  this  relation 
continuing  until  1856.  Then,  after  a  year's  serv- 
ice as  the  Agent  of  the  American  Missionary 
Association  of  the  Congregational  Church,  he 
accepted  a  call  to  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Princeton,  where  he  remained  until  1869,  when 
he  took  charge  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Hinsdale.  From  1878  he  served  for  a  consider- 
able period  as  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Illinois  Home  Missionary  Society; 
was  also  prominent  in  educational  work,  being 
one  of  the  founders  and,  for  over  twenty-five 
years,  an  officer  of  the  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary,  a  Trustee  of  Knox  College  and  one  of 
the  founders  and  a  Trustee  of  Beloit  College, 
Wis.,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
in  1869.  Dr.  Bascom  died  at  Princeton,  II!  , 
August  8,  1890. 

BATAVIA,  a  city  in  Kane  County,  on  Fox 
River  and  branch  lines  of  tlie  Chicago  &  North- 
western and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroads,  35  miles  west  of  Chicago;  has  water 
power  and  several  prosperous  manufacturing 
establishments  employing  over  1,000  operatives. 
The  city  has  fine  water-works  supplied  from  an 
artesian  well,  electric  lighting  plant,  electric 
street  car  lines  with  interurban  connections,  two 
weekly  papers,  eight  churches,  two  public 
schools,  and  private  hospital  for  insane  women. 
Population  (1900),  3,871;  (1903,  est.),  4,400. 

BATEMAN,  Newton,  A.  M.,  LL.B.,  educator 
and  Editor-in-Chief  of  the  "Historical  Encyclo- 
pedia of  Illinois."  was  born  at  Fairfield,  N.  J., 
July  27.  1823.  of  mixed  English  and  Scotch  an- 


cestry; was  brouglit  by  his  parents  to  Illinois  in 
1833;  in  his  youth  enjoyed  only  limited  educa- 
tional advantages,  l)ut  graduated  from  Illinois 
College  at  Jacksonville  in  1843,  supporting  him- 
self during  his  college  course  who''y  by  his  own 
labor.  Having  contemplated  entering  the  Cluis- 
tian  ministry,  he  spent  the  following  year  at  Lane 
Theological  Seminary,  but  was  com[)elled  to 
withdraw  on  account  of  failing  health,  wlien  he 
gave  a  year  to  travel.  He  then  entered  upon  liis 
life-work  as  a  teacher  by  engaging  as  Princijjal 
of  an  English  and  Classical  School  in  St.  Louis, 
remaining  there  two  years,  when  he  accepted  tlie 
Professorship  of  Mathematics  in  St.  Charles  Col- 
lege, at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  continuing  in  that 
position  four  years  (1847-51).  Returning  to  Jack- 
sonville, III,  in  the  latter  year,  he  assumed  the 
principalship  of  the  main  public  school  of  that 
city.  Here  he  remained  seven  years,  during  four 
of  them  discharging  the  duties  of  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  for  Morgan  County.  In  the 
fall  of  1857  he  became  Principal  of  Jacksonville 
Female  Academy,  but  the  following  year  was 
elected  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, having  been  nominated  for  the  ofl^ice  by  the 
Republican  State  Convention  of  1858,  which  put 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  nomination  for  the  United 
States  Senate.  By  successive  re-elections  he  con- 
tinued in  this  office  fourteen  years,  serving  con- 
tinuously from  1859  to  1875,  except  two  years 
(1863-05),  as  tlie  result  of  his  defeat  for  re-election 
in  1802.  He  was  also  endorsed  for  the  same  office 
by  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in  1856,  but 
was  not  formally  nominated  by  a  State  Conven- 
tion. During  his  incumbency  the  Illinois  com- 
mon school  system  was  developed  and  brought  to 
the  state  of  efficiency  which  it  has  so  well  main- 
tained. He  also  prepared  some  seven  volumes  of 
biennial  reports,  portions  of  which  have  been 
republished  in  five  different  languages  of  Europe, 
besides  a  volume  of  "Common  Scliool  Decisions," 
originally  published  by  authority  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  of  wliich  several  editions  have 
since  been  issued.  This  volume  has  been  recog- 
nized by  the  courts,  and  is  still  regarded  as 
authoritative  on  the  subjects  to  which  it  relates. 
In  addition  to  his  official  duties  during  a  part  of 
this  period,  for  three  years  he  served  as  editor  of 
"The  Illinois  Teacher,"  and  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee of  three  which  prepared  the  bill  adopted 
by  Congi-ess  creating  the  National  Bureau  of 
Education.  Occupying  a  room  in  the  old  State 
Capitol  at  Springfield  adjoining  that  used  as  an 
office  by  Abraham  Lincoln  during  the  first  candi- 
dacy of  tlie  latter  for  the  Presidency,  in  1860,  a 


38 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


close  intimacy  sprang  u])  between  the  two  men, 
which  enabled  tlie  "School-master,"  as  Mr.  Lin- 
coln playfully  called  the  Doctor,  to  acquire  an 
insight  into  the  character  of  the  future  emanci- 
pator of  a  race,  enjoyed  by  few  men  of  that  time, 
and  of  which  he  gave  evidence  by  his  lectures 
full  of  interesting  reminiscence  and  eloquent 
appreciation  of  the  high  character  of  the  "Martyr 
President."  A  few  months  after  his  retirement 
from  the  State  Superintendency  (1875),  Dr.  Bate- 
man  was  offered  and  accepted  the  Presidency  of 
Knox  College  at  Galesburg,  remaining  until  1^93, 
when  he  voluntarily  tendered  his  resignation. 
This,  after  having  been  repeatedly  urged  upon 
the  Board,  was  finally  accepted ;  but  that  body 
immediately,  and  by  unanimous  vote,  appointed 
him  President  Emeritus  and  Professor  of  Mental 
and  Moral  Science,  under  which  he  continued  to 
discharge  his  duties  as  a  special  lecturer  as  his 
health  enabled  him  to  do  so.  During  his  incum- 
bency as  President  of  Knox  College,  he  twice 
received  a  tender  of  the  Presidency  of  Iowa  State 
University  and  the  Chancellorship  of  two  other 
important  State  institutions.  He  also  served,  by 
appointment  of  successive  Governors  between  1877 
and  1891,  as  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Health,  for  four  years  of  this  period  being  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board.  In  February,  1878,  Dr.  Bate- 
man,  unexpectedly  and  without  solicitation  on  his 
part,  received  from  President  Hayes  an  appoint- 
ment as  "Assay  Commissioner"  to  examine  and 
test  the  fineness  and  weight  of  United  States 
coins,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
act  of  Congress  of  June  22,  1874,  and  discharged 
the  duties  assigned  at  the  mint  in  Pliiladelphia. 
Never  of  a  very  strong  physique,  which  was 
rather  weakened  bj'  his  privations  while  a  stu- 
dent and  his  many  years  of  close  confinement  to 
mental  labor,  towards  the  close  of  his  life  Dr. 
Bateman  suffered  much  from  a  chest  troul)le 
which  finally  developed  into  "angina  pectoris," 
or  heart  disease,  from  which,  as  the  result  of  a 
most  painful  attack,  he  died  at  his  home  in  Gales- 
burg, Oct.  21,  1897.  The  event  produced  the 
most  profound  sorrow,  not  only  among  his  associ- 
ates in  the  Faculty  and  among  the  students  of 
Knox  College,  but  a  large  number  of  friends 
throughout  the  State,  who  had  known  him  offi- 
cially or  personall}',  and  had  learned  to  admire 
his  many  noble  and  beautiful  traits  of  character. 
His  funeral,  which  occurred  at  Galesburg  on 
Oct.  25,  called  out  an  immense  concourse  of 
sorrowing  friends.  Almost  the  last  labors  per- 
formed by  Dr.  Bateman  were  in  the  revision  of 
matter  for  this  volume,  in  which  he  manifested 


the  deepest  interest  from  the  time  of  his  assump- 
tion of  the  duties  of  its  Editor-in-Chief.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  his  work  in  this  field  was  practically 
complete.  Dr.  Bateman  had  been  twice  married, 
first  in  1850  to  Miss  Sarah  Dayton  of  Jacksonville, 
who  died  in  1857,  and  a  second  time  in  October, 
1859.  to  Miss  Annie  N.  Tyler,  of  Massachusetts 
(but  for  some  time  a  teacher  in  Jacksonville 
Female  Academy),  who  died.  May  28,  1878.— 
Clifford  Kiish  (Bateman),  a  son  of  Dr.  Bateman 
by  his  first  marriage,  was  born  at  Jacksonville, 
March  7,  1854,  graduated  at  Amherst  College  and 
later  from  the  law  department  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege, New  York,  afterwards  jirosecuting  his 
studies  at  Berlin,  Heidelberg  and  Paris,  finally 
l>ecoming  Profes.sor  of  Administrative  Law  and 
Government  in  Columbia  College — a  position 
especially  created  for  him.  He  had  filled  this 
position  a  little  over  one  year  wlien  his  career — 
which  was  one  of  great  promise — was  cut  short  by 
death,  Feb.  0,  1883.  Three  daughters  of  Dr.  Bate- 
man survive — all  the  wives  of  clergj-men. — P.  S. 

BATES,  Clara  Doty,  author,  was  torn  at  Ann 
ArlKjr,  Mich.,  Dec.  22,  193ft;  published  her  first 
book  in  1868;  the  next  year  married  Morgan 
Bates,  a  Chicago  publisher;  wrote  much  for 
juvenile  periodicals,  l)esides  stories  and  poems, 
.some  of  the  most  popular  among  the  latter  being 
"Blind  Jakey"  (1868)  and  ".5:sop"s  Fables"  in 
verse  (1873).  She  was  the  collector  of  a  model 
library  for  children,  for  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  1«93.     Died  in  Chicago,  Oct.  14,  1895. 

B.\TES,  Erastiis  Newton,  soldier  and  State 
Treasurer,  was  born  at  Plainfield,  JIass.,  Feb.  29, 
1828,  being  descended  from  Pilgrims  of  the  Ma}'- 
flower.  When  8  years  of  age  he  was  brought  by 
his  father  to  Ohio,  where  the  latter  soon  after- 
ward died.  For  several  years  he  lived  with  an 
uncle,  ])reparing  himself  for  college  and  earning 
money  by  teaching  and  manual  Labor.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Williams  College,  Mass.,  in  1853,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  New  York  City, 
but  later  removed  to  Jliunesota,  where  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1856  and  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1857. 
In  1859  he  removed  to  Centralia,  111.,  and  com- 
menced practice  there  in  August,  1862;  was  com- 
mis.sioned  Major  of  the  Eightieth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  being  successively  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Colonel,  and 
finally  brevetted  Brigadier-General.  For  fifteen 
months  he  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  escaping  from 
Libby  Prison  only  to  be  recaptured  and  later 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Union  batteries  at  Mor- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


39 


ris  Island,  Charleston  harbor.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and,  in  1868,  State 
Treasurer,  being  re-elected  to  the  latter  office 
under  the  new  Constitution  of  1870,  and  serving 
until  January,  1873.  Died  at  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  May  29,  1898,  and  was  buried  at  Spring- 
field. 

BATES,  tileorg'e  C,  lawyer  and  politician,  was 
born  in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  and  removed  to 
Michigan  in  1834;  in  1849  was  appointed  United 
States  District  Attorney  for  that  State,  but  re- 
moved to  Cahfornia  in  1H'>0.  where  he  became  a 
member  of  the  celebrated  "Vigilance  Committee" 
at  San  Francisco,  and,  in  1856,  delivered  the  first 
Republican  speech  there.  From  1861  to  1871,  he 
practiced  law  in  Chicago;  the  latter  year  was 
appointed  District  Attorney  for  Utah,  serving 
two  years,  in  1878  removing  to  Denver,  Colo., 
where  he  died,  Feb.  11,  1886.  Mr.  Bates  was  an 
orator  of  much  reputation,  and  was  selected  to 
express  the  thanks  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to 
Gen.  B.  J.  Sweet,  commandant  of  Camp  Douglas, 
after  the  detection  and  defeat  of  the  Camp  Doug- 
las conspiracy  in  November,  1864 — a  duty  which 
he  performed  in  an  address  of  gieat  eloquence. 
At  an  early  day  he  married  the  widow  of  Dr. 
Alexander  Wolcott,  for  a  number  of  years  previ- 
ous to  1830  Indian  Agent  at  Chicago,  his  wife 
being  a  daughter  of  John  Kinzie,  the  first  white 
settler  of  Chicago. 

BATH,  a  village  of  Mason  County,  on  the 
Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St. 
Louis  Railway,  8  miles  south  of  Havana.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  439;  (1890),  384;  (1900),  330. 

BAYLIS,  a  corpoiate  village  of  Pike  County, 
on  the  main  line  of  the  Wabash  Railway, 40  miles 
southeast  of  Quinc-y ;  lias  one  newspaper.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  368;  (1900),  340. 

BAYLISS,  Alfred,  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  was  born  about  1840,  served  as  a 
private  in  the  First  Michigan  Cavalry  the  last 
two  years  of  the  Civil  War,  and  graduated  from 
Hillsdale  College  (Mich.),  in  1870,  supporting 
himself  during  his  college  course  by  work  upon  a 
farm  and  teaching.  After  serving  three  years  as 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  La  Grange 
County,  Ind.,  in  1874  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
entered  upon  the  vocation  of  a  teacher  in  the 
nortliern  i)art  of  the  State.  He  served  for  some 
time  as  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  the  city  of 
Sterling,  afterwards  becoming  Principal  of  the 
Township  Higii  School  at  Streator.  where  he  was, 
in  1898,  when  he  received  the  nomination  for  the 
office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, to  which  he  was  elected  in  November  follow- 


ing by  a  plurality  over  his  Democratic  opponent 
of  nearly  70,000  votes. 

BEARD,  Thomas,  pioneer  and  founder  of  the 
city  of  Beardstown,  111.,  was  born  in  Granville, 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1795,  taken  to 
Northeastern  Ohio  in  1800,  and,  in  1818,  removed 
to  Illinois,  hving  for  a  time  about  Edwardsville 
and  Alton.  In  1820  he  went  to  the  locality  of 
the  present  city  of  Beardstown,  and  later  estab- 
;ished  there  the  first  ferry  across  tlie  Illinois 
River.  In  1827,  in  conjunction  with  Enoch 
March  of  Morgan  County,  he  entered  the  land  on 
which  Beardstown  was  platted  in  1829.  Died,  at 
Beardstown.  in  November,  1849. 

BEARDSTOWN,  a  city  in  Cass  County,  on  the 
Illinois  River,  being  the  intersecting  point  for 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  and  the  Chi- 
cago, Burhngton  &  yuincy  Railways,  and  tlie 
northwestern  terminus  of  the  former.  It  is  1 1 1 
miles  north  of  St.  Louis  and  90  miles  south  of 
Peoria.  Tliomas  Beard,  for  whom  the  town  was 
named,  settled  here  about  1820  and  soon  after- 
wards established  the  first  ferry  across  the  Illi- 
nois River.  In  1827  the  land  was  patented  by 
Beard  and  Enoch  March,  and  the  town  platted, 
and,  during  the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1832,  it 
became  a  principal  base  of  supplies  for  the  Illi- 
nois volunteers.  The  city  has  six  churches  and 
three  schools  (including  a  high  school),  two  banks 
and  two  daily  newspapers.  Several  branches  of 
manufacturing  are  carried  on  here — flouring  and 
saw  mills,  cooperage  works,  an  axe-handle  fac- 
tory, two  button  factories,  two  stave  factories, 
one  shoe  factory,  large  machine  shops,  and  others 
of  less  importance.  The  river  is  spanned  here  by 
a  fine  railroad  bridge,  costing  some  §300,000. 
Population  (1890),  4,226;  (1900),  4,827. 

BEAUBIEN,  Jean  Baptiste,  the  second  per- 
manent settler  on  the  site  of  Chicago,  was  bora 
at  Detroit  in  1780,  became  clerk  of  a  fur-trader  0:1 
Grand  River,  married  an  Ottawa  woman  for  hir- 
first  wife,  and,  in  1800,  had  a  trading-post  at  Mil- 
waiikee,  which  he  maintained  until  1818.  Ha 
visited  Chicago  as  early  as  1804,  bought  a  cabin 
there  soon  after  the  Fort  Dearborn  massacre  of 
1813,  married  the  daughter  of  Francis  La  Fran-- 
boise,  a  French  trader,  and,  in  1818,  became) 
agent  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  having 
charge  of  trading  posts  at  Mackinaw  and  else- 
where. After  1823  he  occupied  the  buildin;.; 
known  as  "the  factory,"  just  outside  of  Fort  Dear- 
born,  which  had  belonged  to  the  Government, 
but  removed  to  a  farm  on  the  Des  Plaines  in  1840. 
Out  of  the  ownership  of  this  building  grew  his 
claim  to  the  right,  in  18.35,  to  enter  .seventy-five 


40 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


acres  of  land  belonging  to  the  Fort  Dearborn 
reservation.  The  claim  was  allowed  by  the  Land 
Office  officials  and  sustained  by  the  State  courts, 
but  disallowed  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  after  long  litigation.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  revive  this  claim  in  Congress  in 
1878,  but  it  was  reported  upon  adversely  by  a 
Senate  Committee  of  which  the  late  Senator 
Tlioinas  F.  Bayard  was  chairman.  Mr.  Beaubien 
was  evidently  a  man  of  no  little  prominence  in 
his  day.  He  led  a  companj'  of  Chicago  citizens 
to  the  Black  Hawk  War  in  1832,  was  appointed 
by  the  Governor  the  first  Colonel  of  Jlilitia  for 
Cook  County,  and,  in  18.")0,  was  commissioned 
Brigadier-General.  In  18.18  he  removed  to  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  and  died  there,  Jan.  .'),  186:!.— Mark 
(Beaubien),  a  5-ounger  brother  of  Geu.  Beaubien, 
was  born  in  Detroit  in  1800,  came  to  Chicago  in 
182G,  and  bought  a  log  house  of  James  Kinzie,  in 
which  he  kept  a  hotel  for  some  time.  Later,  he 
erected  the  first  frame  building  in  Chicago,  which 
was  known  as  the  "Sauganash,"  and  in  which  he 
kept  a  hotel  until  1834.  He  also  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, but  was  not  successful,  ran  the  first 
ferry  across  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago 
River,  and  served  for  many  years  as  lighthouse 
keeper  at  Chicago.  About  1834  the  Indians  trans- 
ferred to  him  a  reservation  of  640  acres  of  land  on 
the  Caluinet,  for  which,  some  forty  years  after- 
wards, he  received  a  patent  which  had  been 
signed  by  Martin  Van  Buren — he  having  previ- 
ously been  ignorant  of  its  existence.  He  was 
married  twice  and  had  a  family  of  twenty-two 
children.  Died,  at  Kankakee,  111.,  April  16,  1881. 
— Madore  B.  (Beaubien),  the  second  son  of 
General  Beaubien  by  his  Indian  wife,  was  born 
on  Grand  River  in  Michigan,  July  1,5,  1809,  joined 
his  father  in  Chicago,  was  educated  in  a  Baptist 
Mission  School  where  Niles,  Mich.,  now  stands; 
was  licensed  as  a  merchant  in  Chicago  in  1831, 
but  failed  as  a  business  man;  served  as  Second 
Lieutenant  of  the  Maperville  Company  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  and  later  was  First  Lieutenant 
of  a  Chicago  Company.  His  first  wife  was  a 
white  woman,  from  whom  he  separatsd,  after- 
wards marrying  an  Indian  woman.  He  left  Illi- 
nois with  the  Pottawatomies  in  1840,  resided  at 
Council  Bluffs  and,  later,  in  Kansas,  being  for 
many  years  the  official  interpreter  of  the  tribe 
and,  for  some  time,  one  of  six  Commissioners 
employed  by  the  Indians  to  look  after  their 
affairs  with  the  United  States  Government. — 
Alexander  (Beaubien),  son  of  General  Beau- 
bien by  his  wliite  wife,  was  born  in  one  of  the 
buildings  belonging  to  Fort  Dearborn,  Jan.   28, 


1822.  In  1840  he  accompanied  his  father  to  his 
farm  on  the  Des  Plaines,  but  returned  to  Chicago 
in  1862,  and  for  years  ])ast  has  been  employed  on 
the  Chicago  |>olice  force. 

BEIJB,  William,  Governor  of  Ohio,  was  l)orn 
in  Hamilton  Cciunty  in  tliat  State  in  1S02;  taught 
school  at  North  Bend,  the  home  of  William  Henry 
Harrison,  studied  law  and  practiced  at  Hamilton ; 
served  as  Governor  of  Ohio,  1846-48;  later  led  a 
Welsh  colony  to  Tennes-see,  but  left  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  removing  to  Winnebago 
County,  III,  where  he  had  purcduused  a  large 
body  of  land.  He  was  a  man  of  unc-ompromising 
loyalty  and  high  principle ;  serveil  as  Examiner 
of  Pensions  by  appointment  of  President  Lincoln 
and,  in  1868,  took  a  prominent  jiart  in  the  cam- 
paign which  resulted  in  (Jraut's  first  election  to 
the  Presidency.  Died  at  Rockford,  Oct.  23,  1873. 
A  daughter  of  Governor  Bebb  married  Hon. 
John  P.  Reynolds,  for  many  years  the  Secretary 
of  the  Illinois  State  Agricultural  Society,  and, 
during  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
Director-in-Chief  of  the  Illinois  Board  of  World's 
Fair  Commis,sioners. 

BECKER,  Charles  St.  >'.,  ex  State  Treasurer, 
was  born  in  Crcrmany.  June  14.  1840,  and  brought 
to  this  country  by  his  parents  at  the  age  of  11 
years,  the  family  settling  in  St.  Clair  County,  111. 
Early  in  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Twelfth 
Missouri  regiment,  and,  at  the  battle  of  Pea 
Ridge,  was  so  severe!)-  wounded  tliat  it  was 
found  nece.ssary  to  amputate  one  of  his  legs.  In 
1806  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  St.  Clair  County, 
and,  from  1872  to  1880,  he  served  as  clerk  of  the 
St.  Clair  Circuit  Court.  He  also  served  several 
terms  as  a  City  Councilman  of  Belleville.  In  1888 
he  was  elected  State  Treasurer  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  serving  from  Jan.  14,  1889,  to  Jan.  12,  1891. 

BECKWITH,  Corydon,  lawyer  and  jurLst,  was 
born  in  Vermont  in  1823,  and  educated  at  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  and  Wrentham,  Mass.  He  read  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  St.  Albans,  Vt., 
where  he  pra<'tioed  for  two  years.  In  18.53  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  and,  in  January,  1864,  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Yates  a  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  to  fill  the  five  remaining  months 
of  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Caton,  who  had 
resigned.  On  retiring  from  the  iK-nch  he  re- 
.sumed  private  practice.     Died,  August  18,  1890. 

BECKWITH,  Hiram  Williams,  lawyer  and 
author,  was  born  at  Danville,  111.,  March  5.  1833. 
Mr.  Beckwith's  father,  Dan  W.  Beckwith,  a  pio- 
neer settler  of  Eastern  Illinois  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  city  of  Danville,  was  a  native  of 
Wvalusiug,  Pa.,  where  he  vvas  born  about  1789, 


HISTOIUCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OE    ILLINOIS. 


his  mother  being,  in  her  girlhood,  Hannah  York, 
one  of  the  survivors  of  the  famous  Wyoming 
massacre  of  17T8.  In  1817,  the  senior  Beckvvith, 
in  company  with  liis  brother  George,  descended 
the  Ohio  River,  afterwards  ascending  tiie  Wabash 
to  where  Terre  Haute  now  stands,  but  finally 
locating  in  what  is  now  a  part  of  Edgar  County, 
111.  A  j-ear  later  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Danville.  Having 
been  emploj'ed  for  a  time  in  a  surveyor's 
corps,  he  finally  became  a  surveyor  himself,  and, 
on  the  organization  of  Vermilion  County,  served 
for  a  time  as  County  Surveyor  by  appointment  of 
the  Governor,  and  was  also  employed  by  the 
General  Government  in  surveying  lands  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State,  some  of  the  Indian 
reservations  in  that  section  of  the  State  being 
set  off  by  him.  In  connection  with  Guy  W. 
Smith,  then  Receiver  of  Putilic  Moneys  in  the 
Land  Office  at  Palestine,  111.,  he  donated  the 
ground  on  which  the  county-seat  of  Vermilion 
County  was  located,  and  it  took  the  name  of  Dan- 
ville from  his  first  name — '"Dan."  In  1830  he 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture for  the  District  composed  of  Clark,  Edgar, 
and  Vermilion  Counties,  then  including  all  that 
section  of  the  State  between  Crawford  County 
and  the  Kankakee  River.  He  died  in  183.5. 
Hlrani,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  thus  left 
fatherless  at  less  than  three  years  of  age,  received 
only  such  education  as  was  afforded  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  period.  Nevertheless,  he 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  Danville  office  of 
Lincoln  &  Lamon,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  18.54,  about  the  time  of  reaching  his  majority. 
He  continued  in  their  office  and,  on  the  removal 
of  Lamon  to  Bloomington  in  18.59,  he  succeeded 
to  the  business  of  the  firm  at  Danville.  Mr. 
Lamon — who,  on  Mr.  Lincoln's  accession  to  the 
Presidency  in  1861,  became  Marshal  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia — was  distantly  related  to  Mr. 
Beckwith  by  a  second  marriage  of  the  mother  of 
the  latter.  While  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  Mr.  Beckwith  has  been  over  thirty 
years  a  zealous  collector  of  records  and  other 
material  bearing  upon  the  early  history  of  Illinois 
and  the  Northwest,  and  is  probably  now  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  most  complete  and  valuable 
collections  of  Americana  in  Illinois.  He  is  also 
the  autlior  of  several  monographs  on  historic 
themes,  including  "The  Winnebago  War,"  "The 
Illinois  and  Indiana  Indians,"  and  "Historic 
Notes  of  the  Northwest,"  published  in  the  "Fer- 
gus Series,"  besides  having  edited  an  edition  of 
"Reynolds'  History  of  Illinois"  (published  by  the 


same  firm),  which  he  has  enriched  by  the  addition 
of  valuable  notes.  During  1895-96  he  contributed 
a  series  of  valuable  articles  to  "The  Chicago 
Tribime"  on  various  features  of  early  Illinois  and 
Northwest  history.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Fifer  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library, 
serving  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  1894, 
and  was  re-appointed  to  the  same  position  by 
Governor  Tanner  in  1897,  in  each  case  being 
chosen  President  of  tlie  Board. 

BEECHER,  Charles  A.,  attorney  and  railway 
solicitor,  was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y., 
August  37,  1829,  but,  in  1836,  removed  with  his 
family  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  he  lived 
upon  a  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  18  years. 
Having  taken  a  course  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University  at  Delaware,  in  1854  he  removed  to 
Illinois,  locating  at  Fairfield,  Wayne  County, 
and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his 
brother,  Edwin  Beecher,  being  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  1855.  In  1867  he  united  with  others  in  the 
organization  of  the  Illinois  Southeastern  Rail- 
road projected  from  Shawneetown  to  Edgewood 
on  the  Illinois  Central  in  Effingham  County. 
Tliis  enterprise  was  consolidated,  a  year  or  two 
later,  with  the  Pana,  Springfield  &  Northwest- 
ern, taking  the  name  of  the  Springfield  &  Illinois 
Southeastern,  under  which  name  it  was  con- 
structed and  opened  for  traffic  in  1871.  (This 
line — wliich  Mr.  Beecher  served  for  some  time 
as  Vice-President — now  con.stitutes  the  Beards- 
town  &  Shawneetown  Division  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Southwestern.)  The  Springfield  &  Illi- 
nois Southeastern  Company  having  fallen  into 
financial  difficulty  in  1873,  Mr.  Beecher  was 
appointed  receiver  of  the  road.  and.  f<ir  a  time, 
had  control  of  its  operation  as  agent  for  the  l)oncl- 
holders.  In  1875  the  line  was  conveyed  to  the 
Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Oliio),  when  Mr.  Beecher  became 
General  Counsel  of  the  controlling  corporation, 
so  remaining  until  1888.  Since  that  date  lie  lias 
been  one  of  the  assistant  counsel  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  system.  His  present  home  is  in  Cincin- 
nati, although  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  one  of  the 
most  important  railway  enterprises  in  Southern 
Illinois.  In  politics  Mr.  Beecher  has  always  been 
a  Republican,  and  was  one  of  the  few  in  Wayne 
County  who  voted  for  Fremont  in  1856.  and  for 
Lincoln  in  1860.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Republican  State  Central  Committee  of 
Illinois  from  1860  for  a  period  of  ten  or  twelve 
years. 


« 


IIISTOIIK'AL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


BEECHER,  Edward,  D.  D.,  clergyman  and 
educator,  was  born  at  East  Hampton,  L.  I., 
August  27,  1803— the  son  of  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher 
and  the  elder  brother  of  Henry  Ward ;  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1823,  taught  for  over  a  year  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  studied  theology,  and  after  a 
year's  service  as  tutor  in  Yale  College,  in 
1826  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Park  Street 
Congregational  Church  in  Boston.  In  1830 
he  became  President  of  Illinois  College  at 
Jacksonville,  remaining  until  18-14,  when  he 
resigned  and  returned  to  Boston,  serving  as 
pastor  of  the  Sjilem  Street  Church  in  that 
city  until  IS.jli,  also  acting  as  .senior  editor  of 
"The  Congregationalist"  for  four  years.  In  1850 
he  returned  to  Illinois  as  pastor  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Galesburg.  continuing 
imtil  1871,  when  he  removed  to  Brooklj'n,  where 
he  resided  without  pastoral  charge,  except  1885- 
89,  when  he  was  pastor  of  the  Parkville  Congre- 
gational Church.  While  President  of  Illinois 
College,  that  institution  was  exposed  to  mucli 
hostile  criticism  on  account  of  his  outspoken 
opposition  to  slavery,  as  shown  by  his  particijja- 
tion  in  founding  the  first  Illinois  State  Anti- 
Slavery  Society  and  his  eloquent  denunciation  of 
the  murder  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy.  Next  to  his 
brother  Henry  Ward,  he  was  probably  the  most 
powerful  orator  belonging  to  that  gifted  family, 
and,  in  connection  with  his  able  associates  in  the 
faculty  of  the  Illinois  College,  assisted  to  give 
that  institution  a  wide  reputation  as  a  nurserj' 
of  independent  thought.  Up  to  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  he  was  a  prolific  writer,  his 
productions  (besides  editorials,  reviews  and  con- 
tributions on  a  variety  of  subjects)  including 
nine  or  ten  volumes,  of  which  the  most  impor- 
tant are:  "Statement  of  Anti  Slavery  Principles 
and  Address  to  the  People  of  Illinois"  (1837); 
"A  Plea  for  Illinois  College";  "History  of  the 
Alton  Riots"  (1838);  "The  Concord  of  Ages" 
(1853);  "The  Conflict  of  Ages"  (1854);  "Papal 
Conspiracy  Exposed"  (1854),  besides  a  number 
of  others  invariably  on  religious  or  anti-slavery 
topics.     Died  in  Brooklyn,  July  28,  1895. 

BEECHER,  William  H.,  clergyman  —  oldest 
son  of  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher  and  brother  of 
Edward  and  Henry  Ward — was  born  at  East 
Hampton,  N.  Y.,  educated  at  home  and  at  An- 
dover,  became  a  Congregationalist  clergyman, 
occupying  pulpits  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  Batavia, 
N.  Y.,  and  Cleveland,  Ohio;  came  to  Chicago  in 
his  later  years,  dying  at  the  home  of  his  daugh- 
ters in  that  city,  June  23.  1889. 

BEGfiS,  (Rev.)  Stephen  R.,  pioneer  Methodist 


Episcopal  preacher,  was  born  in  Buckingham 
County,  Va.,  March  30,  1801.  HLs  father,  who 
was  opposed  to  slavery,  moved  to  Kentucky  in 
1805.  but  remained  there  only  two  years,  when  he 
removed  to  Clark  County,  Ind.  The  son  enjoyed 
but  poor  educational  advantages  here,  obtaining 
his  education  chiefly  by  his  own  effort.s  in  what 
he  called  "Brush  College."  At  the  age  of  21  he 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  during  the  next  ten  years  traveling 
difl'erent  circuits  in  Indiana.  In  1831  he  was 
appointed  to  Chicago,  but  the  Black  Hawk  War 
coming  on  immediately  thereafter,  he  retired  to 
Plainfield.  Later  he  traveled  various  circuits  in 
Illinois,  until  1868,  when  he  was  superannuated, 
occupying  his  time  thereafter  in  writing  remi- 
niscences of  his  early  hi.story.  A  volume  of  this 
character  published  by  him,  was  entitled  "Pages 
from  the  Early  History  of  the  West  and  North- 
west." He  died  at  Plainfield,  111.,  Sept.  9,  1895. 
in  the  95th  year  of  his  age. 

BEIDLER,  Henry,  early  settler,  was  born  of 
German  extraction  in  Bucks  County.  Pa.,  Nov. 
27,  1812;  came  to  Illinois  in  1843,  settling  first  at 
Springfielil,  where  he  carried  on  the  grocery 
business  for  five  j-ears,  tljen  removed  to  Chicago 
and  engageil  in  the  lumber  trade  in  connection 
with  a  brother,  afterwards  carrying  on  a  large 
lumber  manufacturing  business  at  Muskegon, 
Mich.,  which  proved  very  profitable.  In  1871 
Mr.  Beidler  retired  from  the  lumber  trade,  in- 
vesting largely  in  west  side  real  estate  in  the  city 
of  Chicago,  which  appreciated  rapidly  in  value, 
making  him  one  of  the  most  wealthy  real  estate 
owners  in  Chicago.  Died,  March  16,  1893. — Jacob 
(Beidler),  brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in 
Bucks  County,  Penn.,  in  1815;  came  west  in 
1842,  first  began  working  as  a  carpenter,  but 
later  engaged  in  the  gr(x;erj'  business  with  his 
brother  at  Springfield,  111. ;  in  1844  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  he  was  joined  by  his  brother  four 
years  later,  when  they  engaged  largely  in  the 
lumber  trade.  Mr.  Beidler  retired  from  business 
in  1891,  devoting  his  attention  to  large  real  estate 
investments.  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to 
religious,  educational  and  benevolent  institutions. 
Died  in  Cliicago,  March  15.  1898. 

BELFIELD,  Henry  Holmes,  educator,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  Nov.  17.  1837;  was  educated 
at  an  Iowa  College,  and  for  a  time  was  tutor  in 
the  same ;  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  served 
in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland,  first  as  Lieuten- 
ant and  afterwards  as  Adjutant  of  the  Eighth 
Iowa  Cavalry,  still  later  teing  upon  the  staff  of 
Gen.    E.   M.    McCook.   an<l    taking  i)art    in   the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


43 


Atlanta  and  Nashville  campaigns.  While  a 
prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels  he  was  placed 
under  fire  of  the  Union  batteries  at  Charleston. 
Coming  to  Chicago  in  1866,  he  served  as  Principal 
in  various  public  schools,  including  the  North 
Division  High  School.  He  was  one  of  the  earli- 
est advocates  of  manual  training,  and,  on  the 
establishment  of  the  Chicago  Manual  Training 
Scliool  in  1884,  was  appointed  its  Director — a 
position  which  he  has  continued  to  occupy. 
During  1891-92  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe  by 
appointment  of  the  Government,  to  investigate 
the  school  systems  in  European  countries. 

BELKNAP,  Hugh  Rei(l,e.\-Member  of  Congress, 
was  born  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  Sept.  1,  1860,  being 
the  son  of  W.  W.  Belknap,  for  some  time  Secre- 
tary of  War  under  President  Grant.  After 
attending  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
he  took  a  course  at  Adams  Academy,  Quincy, 
Mass.,  and  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  when 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad,  where  he  remaine<l  twelve  years  in. 
various  departments,  finally  becoming  Chief 
Clerk  of  the  General  Manager.  In  1892  he  retired 
from  this  position  to  become  Superintendent  of 
the  South  Side  Elevated  Raih-oad  of  Chicago. 
He  never  held  any  political  position  until  nomi- 
nated (1894)  as  a  Repubhcan  for  the  Fifty-fourth 
Congress,  in  the  strongly  Democratic  Third  Dis- 
trict of  Chicago.  Although  the  returns  showed 
a  plurality  of  thirty-one  votes  for  his  Democratic 
opponent  (Lawrence  McGann),  a  recount  proved 
him  elected,  when,  Mr.  McGann  having  volun- 
tarily withdrawn,  Mr.  Belknap  was  unanimously 
awarded  the  seat.  In  1896  he  was  re-elected 
from  a  District  usually  strongly  Democratic, 
receiving  a  plurality  of  590  votes,  but  was 
defeated  by  his  Democratic  opponent  in  1898,  retir- 
ing from  Congress,  JIarch  3,  1899,  when  he  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  Paymaster  in  the  Army 
from  President  McKinley,  with  the  rank  of  Major. 
BELL,  Robert,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Lawrence 
County,  111. ,  in  1829,  educated  at  Mount  Carmel 
and  Indiana  State  University  at  Bloomington, 
graduating  from  the  law  department  of  the 
latter  in  185.');  while  yet  in  his  minority  edited 
"The  Mount  Carmel  Register,"  during  1851-52 
becoming  joint  owner  and  editor  of  the  same 
with  his  brother,  Victor  D.  Bell.  After  gradu- 
ation he  opened  an  office  at  Fairfield,  Wayne 
County,  but,  in  1857,  returned  to  Mount  Carmel 
and  from  1864  was  the  partner  of  Judge  E.  B. 
Green,  imtil  the  appointment  of  the  latter  Chief 
Justice  of  Oklahoma  by  President  Harrison  in 
1890.     In  1869  Mr.   Bell  was  apjjointed    County 


Judge  of  Lawrence  County,  being  elected  to  tlie 
same  office  in  1894.  He  was  also  President 
of  the  Illinois  Southern  Railroad  Company 
until  it  was  merged  into  the  Cairo  &  Vincennes 
Road  in  1867;  later  became  President  of  the  St. 
Louis  &  Mt.  Carmel  Railroad,  now  a  i)art  of  the 
Louisville,  Evan.sville  &  St.  Louis  line,  and 
secured  the  construction  of  the  division  from 
Princeton,  Ind.,  to  Albion,  111.  In  1876  he  vi.sited 
California  as  Special  Agent  of  the  Treasury 
Department  to  investigate  alleged  frauds  in  the 
Revenue  Districts  on  the  Pacific  Coast;  in  1878 
was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congress  on 
the  Republican  ticket  in  the  strong  Democratic 
Nineteenth  District;  was  appointed,  the  same 
year,  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Central 
Committee  for  the  State-at-large,  and,  in  18S1, 
officiated  by  appointment  of  President  Garfield, 
as  Commissioner  to  examine  a  section  of  the 
Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  in  New  Mexico. 
Judge  Bell  is  a  gifted  stump-speaker  and  is  known 
in  the  southeastern  jiart  of  the  State  as  the 
"Silver-tongued  Orator  of  tlie  Wabash." 

BELLEVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  St.  Clair 
County,  a  city  and  railroad  center,  14  miles  south 
of  east  from  St.  Louis.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest 
towns  in  the  State,  having  been  selected  as  tlie 
county-seat  in  1814  and  platted  in  1815.  It  lies 
in  tlie  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal-bear- 
ing district  and  contains  numerous  factories  of 
various  descriptions,  including  flouring  mills,  a 
nail  mill,  glass  works  and  shoe  factories.  It  has 
five  newspaper  establishments,  two  being  Ger- 
man, which  issue  daily  editions.  Its  commercial 
and  educational  facilities  are  exceptionally  good. 
Its  population  is  largely  of  German  descent. 
Population  (1890),  15,361;  (1900),  17,484. 

BELLEVILLE,  CENTRALIA  &  EASTERN 
RAILROAD.  (See  Lonisrille.  Emnsnlle  &  St. 
Louis  (Consolidated)  Railroad.) 

BELLEVILLE  &  CAROM)ELET  RAILROAD, 
a  short  line  of  road  extending  from  Belleville  to 
East  Carondelet,  111.,  17.3  miles.  It  was  cliartered 
Feb.  20,  1881,  and  leased  to  the  St.  Louis,  Alton 
&  Terre  Haute  Railroad  Company,  Jime  1,  1883. 
The  annual  rental  is  §30,000,  a  sum  equivalent  to 
the  interest  on  the  bonded  debt.  Tlie  cajiital 
stock  (1895)  is  §500,000  and  the  lionded  delit  §485,- 
000.  In  addition  to  tlie.se  sums  the  floating  debt 
swells  tlie  entire  capitalization  to  S995,054  or  $57,- 
317  per  mile. 

BELLEVILLE  &  ELDORADO  RAILROAD, 
a  road  50.4  miles  in  length  running  from  Belle- 
ville to  Duquoin,  111.  It  was  chartered  Feb.  22, 
1861,  and  completed  Oct.  31,   1871.     On  July  1, 


44 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


1880,  it  was  leased  to  tlie  St  Louis,  Alton  & 
Terra  Haute  Railroad  Company  for  4S6  years,  and 
has  since  been  operated  by  tliat  corporation  in 
connection  with  its  Bellerille  brancli,  from  East 
St.  Louis  to  Belleville.  At  Eldorado  the  road 
intersects  the  Cairo  &  Vincennes  Railroad  and 
the  Shawneetown  brancli  of  the  St.  Louis  & 
Southeastern  Railroad,  operated  by  the  Louisville 
&  Npshville  Railroad  Company.  Its  capital 
stock  (189."))  is  81,000,000  and  its  bonded  debt 
§.5.'iO,000.     The  corporate  office  is  at  Belleville. 

BELLEVILLE  &  ILLINOISTOWN  RAILROAD. 
(See  St.  Liiiiis.  Alton  d-  Tern-  Haute  Hailroad.) 

BELLEVILLE  &  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 
RAILROAD,  a  road  (laid  with  steel  rails)  run- 
ning from  Belleville  to  Du(|uoin,  111.,  56.4  miles 
in  length.  It  was  chartered  Feb.  15,  1857,  and 
completed  Deo.  15,  1873.  At  Duquoin  it  connects 
with  the  Illinois  Central  and  forms  a  short  line 
between  St.  Louis  and  Cairo.  Oct.  1.  186(3,  it  was 
leased  to  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  Company  for  999  years.  The  capital 
stock  is  §1,693,000  and  the  bonded  debt  §1,000,- 
000.     The  corpoiate  office  is  at  Belleville. 

BELLJIONT,  a  village  of  Wabash  County,  on 
the  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis  Riiilway,  9 
miles  west  of  Mount  Carmel.  Population  (1880), 
350;  (1890),  487;  (1900),  624. 

BELT  RAILWAY  COMPANY  OF  CHICAGO, 
THE,  a  corporation  chartered,  Nov.  22,  1882,  and 
the  lessee  of  the  Belt  Division  of  the  Chicago  & 
Western  Indiana  Railroad  (which  see).  Its  total 
trackage  (all  of  standard  gauge  and  laid  with  06- 
pound  steel  rails)  is  93.26  miles,  distributed  as  fol- 
lows: Auburn  Junction  to  Chicago,  Jlilwaukee  & 
St.  PaulJunction,  15.9  miles;  branches  from  Pull- 
man Junction  to  Irondale,  111.,  etc.,  5.41  miles; 
second  track,  14.1  miles;  sidings,  57.85  miles. 
The  cost  of  construction  has  been  8524, 549 ;  capi- 
tal stock,  81,200,000.  It  has  no  funded  debt. 
The  earnings  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1895, 
were  8556,847,  the  operating  expenses  8378,012, 
and  the  ta.xes  851,009. 

BELVIDERE,an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Boone  County,  situated  on  the  Kishwau- 
kee  River,  and  on  two  divisions  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railroad.  78  miles  west-northwest 
of  Chicago  and  14  miles  east  of  Rockford;  is  con- 
nected with  the  latter  city  by  electric  railroad. 
The  city  has  twelve  churches,  five  graded  schools, 
and  three  banks  (two  national).  Two  daily  and 
two  semi-weekly  papers  are  published  here.  Bel- 
videre  also  has  very  eonsideral)le  manufacturing 
interests,  including  manufactories  of  sewing  ma- 
chines,   bicycles,    automobiles,    besides    a    large 


milk-conden.sing    factory   and    two    creameries. 
Population  (1890),  3,867;  (1900),  6,937. 

BEMENT,  a  village  in  Piatt  County,  at  inter- 
section of  main  line  and  Chicago  Division  of 
Wabash  Railroad,  20  miles  east  of  Decatur  and 
166  miles  southsouthwe.sl  of  Chicago;  in  agri- 
cultural and  stock-raising  district;  has  three 
grain  elevators,  broom  factory,  water-works,  elec- 
tric-light plant,  four  churches,  two  banks  and 
weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1890),  1,129;  (1900),  1,484. 

BEXJ.VJIIN,  Renben  Moore,  lawyer,  born  at 
Chatham  Centre,  Columbia  County,  N.  Y.,  June 
29,  1833;  was  educated  at  Amherst  College,  Am- 
herst, Mass. ;  spent  one  year  in  the  law  depart- 
ment of  Uarvanl,  another  as  tutor  at  Amherst 
and,  in  18.56,  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  where,  on 
an  examination  certificate  furnished  by  Abraham 
Lincoln,  lie  was  licensed  to  practice.  The  first 
public  office  held  by  Mr.  Benjamin  was  that  of 
Delegate  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1869-70,  in  which  he  took  a  prominent  part  in 
shaping  the  provisions  of  the  new  Constitution 
relating  to  corporations.  In  1873  he  was  chosen 
County  Judge  of  McLean  County,  by  reiieated 
re-elections  holding  the  position  until  1886,  when 
he  resumed  private  practice.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  law 
department  of  Wesleyan  University  at  Blooming- 
ton,  a  part  of  the  time  being  Dean  of  the  Faculty ; 
is  also  the  author  of  several  volumes  of  legal 
text-lKjoks. 

BENNETT  MEDICAL  COLLEGE,  an  Eclectic 
Medical  School  of  Chicago,  incorporated  by 
special  charter  and  opened  in  the  autumn  of 
1868,  Its  first  sessions  were  held  in  two  large 
rooms;  its  faculty  consisted  of  seven  professors, 
and  there  were  thirty  matriculates.  More  com- 
modious quarters  were  secured  the  following 
year,  and  a  still  better  home  after  the  fire  of  1871, 
in  which  all  the  college  property  was  destroyed. 
Another  change  of  location  was  made  in  1874. 
In  1890  the  projierty  then  owned  was  sold  and  a 
new  college  building,  in  connection  with  a  hos- 
pital, erected  in  a  more  quiet  quarter  of  the  city. 
A  free  dispensary  is  conducted  bj'  the  college. 
The  teaching  faculty  (1896)  consists  of  nineteen 
professors,  with  four  assistants  and  demonstra- 
tors. Women  are  admitted  as  pupils  on  etjual 
terms  with  men. 

BENT,  Charles,  journalist,  was  bom  in  Chi- 
cago, Dec.  8,  1844,  but  removed  with  his  family, 
in  1856,  to  Morrison,  Whiteside  County,  where, 
two  years  later,  he  became  an  apprentice  to  the 
printing  business  in  the  office  of  "The  Whiteside 
Sentinel."     In  June,  1864,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


45 


in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fortietli  Illinois  (100- 
days'  regiment)  and,  on  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  service,  re-enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty -seventh  Illinois,  being  mustered  out  at 
Savannah,  Ga.,  in  January,  1866,  with  the  rank 
of  Second  Lieutenant.  Then  resuming  his  voca- 
tion as  a  printer,  in  July,  18(>7,  he  purchased  the 
office  of  "The  Whiteside  Sentinel,"  in  which  he 
learned  his  trade,  and  has  since  been  the  editor  of 
that  paper,  except  during  1877-79  while  engaged 
in  writing  a  "History  of  Whiteside  County." 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  local  Grand  Army 
Post  and  served  on  the  staff  of  the  Department 
Commander ;  was  Assistant  Assessor  of  Internal 
Revenue  during  1870-73,  and,  in  1878,  was  elected 
as  a  Republican  to  the  State  Senate  for  White- 
side and  Carroll  Counties,  serving  four  years. 
Other  positions  held  by  him  include  the  office  of 
City  Alderman,  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Canal  Commissioners  (1883-85)  and  Commissioner 
of  the  Joliet  Penitentiary  (1889-93).  He  has  also 
been  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Central 
Committee  and  served  as  its  Chairman  1886-88. 

BENTON,  county-seat  of  Franklin  County,  on 
III.  Cent,  and  Chi.  &  E.  111.  Railroads;  has  electric- 
light  plant,  water-works,  saddle  and  harness  fac- 
tory, two  banks,  two  flouring  mills,  shale  brick 
and  tile  works  (projected),  four  churclies  and 
three  weekly  papers.  Pop.  (1890),  939;  (1900),  1,341. 

BERDAN,  James,  lawyer  and  County  Judge, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  July  4,  1805,  and 
educated  at  Columbia  and  Yale  Colleges,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  the  class  of  1834.  His 
father,  James  Berdan,  Sr. ,  came  west  in  the  fall 
of  1819  as  one  of  the  agents  of  a  New  York 
Emigration  Society,  and,  in  January,  18'20,  visited 
the  vicinity  of  the  pre.sent  site  of  Jacksonville, 
111.,  but  died  soon  after  his  return,  in  part  from 
exposure  incurred  during  his  long  and  arduous 
winter  journey.  Thirteen  years  later  (1832)  his 
son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  came  to  the  same 
region,  and  Jacksonville  became  his  home  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  Berdan  was  a  well- 
read  lawyer,  as  well  as  a  man  of  high  principle 
and  sound  culture,  with  pure  literary  and  social 
tastes.  Althougli  possessing  unusual  capabilities, 
his  refinement  of  character  and  dislike  of  osten- 
tation made  him  seek  rather  the  as.sociation  and 
esteem  of  friends  than  public  office.  In  1849  he 
was  elected  County  Judge  of  Morgan  County, 
serving  by  a  second  election  imtil  1857.  Later 
lie  was  Secretary  for  several  years  of  the  Tonica 
&  Petersburg  Railroad  (at  that  time  in  course  of 
construction),  serving  until  it  was  merged  into 
the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  &  Chicago  Railroad, 


now  constituting  a  part  of  the  Jacksonville  di- 
vision of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad;  also 
served  for  many  years  as  a  Trustee  of  Illinois 
College.  In  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  was,  for 
a  considerable  period,  the  law  partner  of  ex-Gov- 
ernor and  ex-Senator  Richard  Yates.  Judge 
Berdan  was  the  ardent  political  friend  and 
admirer  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  well  as  an  inti- 
mate friend  and  frequent  correspondent  of  tlie 
I)oet  Longfellow,  besides  being  the  correspondent, 
during  a  long  period  of  his  life,  of  a  number  of 
other  prominent  literary  men.  Pierre  Irving, 
the  nephew  and  biographer  of  Washington  Irving, 
was  his  brother-in-law  tlirough  tlie  marriage  of  a 
favorite  sister.  Judge  Berdan  died  at  Jackson- 
ville, August  24.  1884. 

BERGEN,  (Rev.)  John  (J.,  pioneer  clergyman, 
was  born  at  Hightstown,  N.  J.,  Nov.  27,  1790; 
studied  theologj-,  and,  after  two  years'  service  as 
tutor  at  Princeton  and  sixteen  years  as  pastor  of 
a  Presbyterian  church  at  Madison,  N.  J.,  in  1828 
came  to  Springfield,  111.,  and  assisted  in  the 
erection  of  the  first  Protestant  church  in  the 
central  part  of  the  State,  of  which  he  remained 
pastor  until  1848.  Died,  at  Springfield,  Jan. 
17,  1872. 

BERGOREN,  Augrustus  W.,  legislator,  born  in 
Sweden,  August  17,  1840;  came  to  the  United 
States  at  16  years  of  age  and  located  at  Oneida, 
Knox  County.  111.,  afterwards  removing  to  Gale.s- 
burg;  held  various  offices,  including  that  of 
Sheriff  or  Knox  County  (1873-81),  State  Senator 
(1881-89) — serving  as  President  X)ro  tern,  of  the 
Senate  1887-89,  and  was  Warden  of  the  State 
penitentiary  at  Joliet,  1888-91.  He  was  for  many 
years  the  very  able  and  efficient  President  of  the 
Covenant  Mutual  Life  Association  of  Illinois,  and 
is  now  its  Treasurer. 

BERCilER,  (Rev.)  J,  a  secular  priest,  born  in 
France,  and  an  early  missionary  in  Illinois.  He 
labored  among  the  Tamaroas,  being  in  charge  of  the 
mission  at  Caliokia  from  1700  to  his  death  in  1710, 

BERRY,  Orville  F.,  lawyer  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  McDonough  County,  111.,  Feb.  16,  18.52; 
early  left  an  orphan  and.  after  working  for  some 
time  on  a  farm,  removed  to  Carthage,  Hancock 
County,  where  he  read  law  and  was  ailmitted  to 
the  bar  in  1877;  in  1883  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Carthage  and  twice  re-elected ;  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1888  and  '93,  and,  in  1891,  took  a 
prominent  part  in  securing  the  enactment  of  the 
compulsory  education  clause  in  the  common 
school  law.  Mr.  Berry  presided  over  the  Repub- 
lican State  Convention  of  1S96,  the  same  year  was 
a  candidate  for  re-election  to  the  State  Senate, 


46 


HISTOIilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


but  the  certificate  was  awarded  to  his  Democratic 
competitor,  who  was  declared  elected  by  104 
plurality.  On  a  contest  before  the  Senate  at  the 
first  session  of  the  Fortieth  General  Assembly, 
the  seat  was  awarded  to  Mr.  Berry  on  the  ground 
of  illegality  in  the  rulings  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  aflfecting  the  vote  of  his  opponent. 

BERRY,  (Col.)  William  W.,  lawyer  and  sol- 
dier, was  born  in  Kentucky.  Feb.  22,  1834,  and 
educated  at  Oxford,  Ohio.  His  home  being  ther 
in  Covington,  he  studied  law  in  Cincinnati,  and, 
at  the  age  of  23,  began  practice  at  Louisville,  Ky. , 
being  married  two  years  later  to  Miss  Georgie 
Hewitt  of  Frankfort.  Early  in  1861  he  entered 
the  Civil  War  on  the  Union  side  as  Major  of  the 
Louisville  Legion,  and  subsequently'  served  in 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  marcliing  to  the 
sea  with  Sherman  and,  during  the  period  of  his 
service,  receiving  four  wounds.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  offered  the  position  of  Gov- 
ernor of  one  of  the  Territories,  but,  determining 
not  to  go  further  west  than  Illinois,  declined. 
For  three  years  he  was  located  and  in  practice  at 
Winchester,  111.,  but  removed  to  Quincy  in  1874, 
where  he  afterwards  resided.  He  always  took  a 
warm  interest  in  politics  and,  in  local  affairs, 
was  a  leader  of  his  party.  He  was  an  organizer  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  Post  at  Quincy  and  its  first  Com- 
mander, and,  in  1884-85,  served  as  Commander  of 
the  State  Department  of  the  G.  A.  R.  He  organ- 
ized a  Young  Men's  Republican  Club,  as  he 
believed  that  the  young  minds  should  take  an 
active  part  in  politics.  He  was  one  of  the  com- 
mittee of  seven  appointed  by  the  Governor  to 
locate  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  for  Illinois, 
and,  after  spending  six  months  inspecting  vari- 
ous sites  offered,  the  institution  was  finally 
located  at  Quincy;  was  also  Trustee  of  Knox 
College,  at  Galesburg,  for  several  years.  He  was 
freqviently  urged  by  his  party  friends  to  run  for 
public  office,  but  it  was  so  much  against  his 
nature  to  ask  for  even  one  vote,  that  he  would 
not  consent.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Quincy, 
much  regretted.  May  6,  1805. 

BESTOR,  (ieorge  C,  legislator,  born  in  Wash- 
ington City,  April  11,  1811;  was  assistant  docu- 
ment clerk  in  the  House  of  Representatives  eight 
years;  came  to  Illinois  in  1835  and  engaged  in 
real-estate  business  at  Peoria;  was  twice  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  of  that  city  (1842  and  1861) 
and  three  times  elected  Mayor ;  served  as  finan- 
cial agent  of  the  Peoria  &  Oquawka  (now  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad),  and  a  Director  of 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw ;  a  delegate  to  the 
Whig    National    Convention    of    1852;    a  State 


Senator  (18,58-62),  and  an  ardent  friend  of  Abra- 
ham   Lincoln.     Died,    in    Wa.shington.   May   14, 

1872,  while  prosecniting  a  claim  against  the 
Government  for  the  construction  of  gunboats 
during  the  war. 

BETHALTO,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  25  miles  north  of  St.  Louis.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  028;  (1890),  879;  (1900),  477. 

BETHANY,  a  village  of  Moultrie  County,  on 
Peoria  Division  HI.  Cent.  Railroad,  18  miles  south- 
east of  Decatur ;  in  farming  district ;  lias  one  news- 
paper and  four  churches.  Pop. ,  mostly  American 
born,  (1890),  088;  (1900),  873;  (1903,  est.),  900. 

BETTIE  STl  ART  INfSTITLTE,  an  institu 
tion  lor  young  ladies  at  Springfield,  111.,  founded 
in  1808  by  Mrs.  Mary  McKee  Homes,  who  con- 
ducted it  for  some  twenty  years,  until  her  death. 
Its  report  for  1898  shows  a  faculty  often  instruct- 
ors and  125  pupils.  Its  property  is  valued  at 
$23,500.  Its  course  of  instruction  embraces  the 
preparatory  and  classical  branches,  together  with 
music,  oratory  and  fine  arts. 

BEVERIIKJE,  James  H.,  State  Treasurer, 
was  born  in  Washington  Comity,  N.  Y.,  in  1828; 
served  as  State  Treasurer,  1805-67,  later  acted  as 
Secretary  of  the  Commission  which  built  the 
State  Cai)itol.  His  later  years  were  spent  in 
.superintending  a  large  dairy  farm  near  Sandwich, 
De  Kalb  County,  where  he  died  in  January,  1896. 

BEVERHMiE,  John  L.,  ex-Governor,  was  bom 
in  Greenwich  N.  Y.,  July  6,  1824;  came  to  Illi- 
nois, 1842,  and,  aft«r  spending  some  two  years  in 
Granville  Academy  and  Rock  River  Seminary, 
went  to  Tenne.ssee,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching 
while  studying  law.  Having  been  admitted  to 
the  bar,  he  returned  to  Illinois  in  1851,  first  locat- 
ing at  Sycamore,  but  three  years  later  established 
himself  in  Chicago.  During  the  first  year  of  the 
war  he  assisted  to  raise  the  Eighth  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Cavalry,  and  was  commissioned  first  as  Cap- 
tain and  still  later  Major;  two  years  later 
became  Colonel  of  the  Seventeenth  Cavalry, 
which  he  c^ommanded  to  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  mustered  out,  Februarj-,  1860,  with  the 
rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General.  After  the  war 
he  held  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  Cook  County  four 
years;  in  1870  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate. 
and,  in  the  following  year.  Congressman-at-large 
to  succeed  General  Logan,  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate;    resigned  this  office  in  Januarj-. 

1873,  having  been  elected  Lieutenant-Governor, 
and  a  few  weeks  later  succeeded  to  the  govern- 
orship by  the  election  of  Governor  Oglesby  to  the 
United  States  Senate.    In  1881  he  was  appointed 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


47 


by  President  Arthur,  Assistant  United  States 
Treasurer  for  Chicago,  serving  until  after  Cleve- 
land's first  election.  His  present  home  (1898),  is 
neiir  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

BIENVILLE,  Jean  Baptiste  le  Moyne,  Sieur 
de,  wiis  born  at  Montreal,  Canada,  Feb.  23,  1680, 
and  was  the  French  Governor  of  Louisiana  at  the 
time  the  Illinois  country  vras  included  in  that 
province.  He  had  several  brothers,  a  number  of 
wliom  played  important  parts  in  the  early  history 
of  the  province.  Bienville  first  visited  Louisi- 
ana, in  company  with  his  brother  Iberville,  in 
1698,  their  object  being  to  establish  a  French 
colony  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  The 
first  settlement  was  made  at  Biloxi,  Dec.  6,  1699, 
and  SanvoUe,  another  brother,  was  placed  in 
charge.  The  latter  was  afterward  made  Governor 
of  Louisiana,  and,  at  his  death  (1701),  he  was 
succeeded  by  Bienville,  wlio  transferred  the  seat 
of  government  to  Mobile.  In  1704  he  was  joined 
by  his  brother  Chateaugay,  who  Ijrouglit  seven- 
teen settlers  from  Canada.  Soon  afterwards 
Iberville  died,  and  Bienville  was  recalled  to 
France  in  1707,  but  was  reinstated  the  following 
year.  Finding  the  Indians  worthless  as  tillers  of 
the  soil,  he  seriously  suggested  to  the  home  gov- 
ernment the  expediency  of  trading  off  the  copper- 
colored  aborigines  for  negroes  from  the  West 
Indies,  three  Indians  to  be  reckoned  as  equiva- 
lent to  two  blacks.  In  1713  Cadillac  was  sent  out 
as  Governor,  Bienville  being  made  Lieutenant- 
Governor.  The  two  quarreled.  Cadillac  was 
superseded  by  Epinay  in  1717,  and,  in  1718,  Law's 
first  expedition  arrived  (see  Company  of  the 
West),  and  brought  a  Governor's  commission  for 
Bienville.  The  latter  soon  after  founded  New 
Orleans,  which  became  the  seat  of  government 
for  the  province  (which  then  included  Illinois),  in 
1723.  In  January,  1724,  he  was  again  summoned 
to  France  to  answer  charges;  was  removed  in 
disgrace  in  1736,  but  reinstated  in  1733  and  given 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant-General.  Failing  in  vari- 
ous expeditions  against  the  Chickasaw  Indians, 
he  was  again  superseded  in  1743,  returning  to 
France,  wliere  he  died  in  17G8. 

BlttGS,  William,  pioneer.  Judge  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  Maryland  in  1753,  enlisted  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  and  served  as  an  officer 
under  Colonel  George  Rogers  Clark  in  the  expe- 
dition for  the  capture  of  Illinois  from  the  British 
in  1778.  He  settled  in  Bellefontaine  (now  Monroe 
County)  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
Sheriff  of  St.  Clair  County  for  many  years,  and 
later  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Judge  of  the  Court 
of    Common    Pleas.     He    also    represented     his 


county  in  the  Territorial  Legislatures  of  In- 
diana and  Illinois.  Died,  in  St.  Clair  County, 
in  1827. 

BIGGSVILLE,  a  village  of  Henderson  County, 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 
15  miles  northeast  of  Burlington ;  has  a  hank  and 
two  newspapers;  considerable  grain  and  live- 
stock are  shipped  here.  Population  (1880),  358; 
(1890),  487;  (1900),  417. 

BIG  MUDDY  RIVER,  a  stream  formed  by  the 
union  of  two  branches  which  rise  in  Jefferson 
County.  It  runs  south  and  southwest  through 
Franklin  and  Jackson  Counties,  and  enters  the 
Mississippi  about  five  miles  below  Grand  Tower. 
Its  length  is  estimated  at  140  miles. 

BILLINGS,  Albert  Merritt,  capitalist,  was 
born  in  New  Hampsliire,  April  19,  1814,  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  State  and 
Vermont,  and,  at  the  age  of  22,  became  Slieriff  of 
Windsor  County,  Vt.,  Later  he  was  proprietor 
for  a  time  of  the  mail  stage  coach  line  between 
Concord,  N.  H. ,  and  Boston,  but,  liaving  sold  out. 
invested  his  means  in  the  securities  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  and  became 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Chicago. 
In  the  '50's  he  became  associated  witli  Cornelius 
K.  Garrison  in  the  People's  Gas  Company  of  Chi- 
cago, of  whicli  he  served  as  President  from  1859 
to  1888.  In  1890  Mr.  Billings  became  extensiveh- 
interested  in  the  street  railway  enterprises  of  Sir. 
C.  B.  Holmes,  resulting  in  his  lieooming  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  street  railway  system  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  valued,  in  1897,  at  .$3,000,000.  In  early 
life  he  had  been  associated  with  Commodore 
Vanderbilt  in  the  operation  of  the  Hud.son  River 
steamboat  lines  of  the  latter.  In  addition  to  his 
other  business  enterprises,  he  was  principal 
owner  and,  during  the  last  twenty-five  years  of 
his  life,  Pre.sident  of  the  Home  National  and 
Home  Savings  Banks  of  Chicago.  Died,  Feb.  7, 
1897,  leaving  an  estate  valued  at  several  millions 
of  dollars. 

BILLINGS,  Henry  W.,  was  born  at  Conway, 
Ma.ss.,  July  11,  1814,  graduated  at  Amherst  Col- 
lege at  twenty  years  of  age,  and  began  the  study 
of  law  with  Judge  Foote,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  two  years  later  and  practiced 
there  some  two  years  longer.  He  then  removed 
to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  later  resided  for  a  time  at 
Waterloo  and  Cairo.  111.,  but.  in  1S45.  settled  at 
Alton;  was  elected  Mayor  of  that  city  in  1851, 
and  the  first  Judge  of  the  newly  organized  City 
Court,  in  1859,  .serving  in  this  position  six  years. 
In  1869  he  was  elected  a  Delegate  from  Madison 
County  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 


48 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


1869-70,  but  died  before  tbe  expiration  of  the  ses- 
sion, on  April  19,  1870. 

BIRKBECK,  Morris,  earlj'  colonist,  was  born 
in  England  about  1762  or  1763,  emigrated  to 
America  in  1817,  and  settled  in  Edwards  County, 
111.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  and  in- 
duced a  large  colony  of  English  artisans,  laborers 
and  farmers  to  settle  upon  the  same,  founding 
the  town  of  New  Albion.  He  was  an  active,  un- 
corapromLsing  opponent  of  slavery,  and  was  an 
important  factor  in  defeating  the  scheme  to  make 
Illinois  a  slave  State.  He  was  appointed  Secre- 
tary of  State  by  Governor  Coles  in  October,  1824, 
but  resigned  at  the  end  of  three  months,  a  hostile 
Legislature  having  refused  to  confirm  him.  A 
strong  writer  and  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
press,  his  letters  and  published  works  attracted 
attention  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe. 
Principal  among  the  latter  were:  "Notes  on  a 
Journey  Through  France"  (1815);  "Notes  on  a 
Journey  Through  America"  (1818),  and  "Letters 
from  Illinois"  (1818).  Died  from  drowning  in 
1825,  aged  about  63  years.  (See  Slavery  and 
Slave  Laws  ) 

BISSELL,  William  H.,  first  Republican  (iov- 
ernor  of  Illinois,  was  born  near  Cooperstown, 
N.  Y.,  on  April  25,  1811,  graduated  in  medicine  at 
Philadelphia  in  1835,  and,  after  practicing  a  short 
time  in  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  removed  to  Jlon- 
roe  County,  111.  In  1840  he  was  elected  a  Repre- 
sentative in  the  General  Assembly,  where  he  soon 
attained  high  rank  as  a  debater.  He  studied  law 
and  practiced  in  Belleville,  St.  Clair  County,  be- 
coming Prosecuting  Attorney  for  that  county  in 
1844.  He  served  as  Colonel  of  the  Second  Illinois 
Volunteers  during  the  Mexican  War,  and  achieved 
distinction  at  Buena  Vista.  He  represented  Illi- 
nois in  Congress  from  1849  to  1855.  being  first 
elected  as  an  Independent  Democrat.  On  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,  he  left  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and,  in  1856,  was  elected  Governor  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  Wliile  in  Congress  he  was 
challenged  by  JeSerson  Davis  after  an  inter- 
change of  heated  words  respecting  the  relative 
courage  of  Northern  and  Southern  soldiers, 
spoken  in  debate.  Bissell  accepted  the  challenge, 
naming  muskets  at  thirty  paces.  Mr.  Davis's 
friends  objected,  and  the  duel  never  occurred. 
Died  in  office,  at  Sprin.gfield,  111.,  March  18,  1860. 

BLACK,  John  Charles,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
born  at  Lexington,  Miss.,  Jan.  29,  1839,  at  eight 
years  of  age  came  with  his  widowed  mother  to 
Illinois;  while  a  student  at  Wabash  College,  Ind,, 
in  April,  1861,  enUsted  in  the  Union  army,  serv- 
ing gallantl}-  and  with  distinction  until  Aug.  15, 


1865,  when,  as  Colonel  of  the  37th  III.  Vol.  Inf.,  he 
retired  with  the  rank  of  BrevetBrigadier-tieneral ; 
was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  in  1857,  and  after  i)ractic- 
ing  at  Danville,  Champaign  and  Urbana.  in  1885 
was  appointed  Commissioner  of  Pensions,  serving 
until  1889.  when  he  removed  to  Chicago;  served  as 
Congressman-at-large  (1893-95),  and  U.  S.  District 
Attomej'  (1895-99);  Commander  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  of  the  G.  A.  R.  (Department  of 
Illinois);  was  elected  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Grand  Army  at  the  Grand  Encampment,  1903. 
Gen.  Black  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.M. 
from  his  Alma  Mater  and  that  of  LL.  D,  from  Knox 
College;  in  January,  1904,  was  appointed  by 
President  Roosevelt  member  of  the  U.  S.  Civil 
Service  Commission,  and  cho.sen  its  President. 

BLACK BIRX  IMVEKSITV,  located  at  Car- 
linville,  Macoupin  County.  It  owes  its  origin  to 
the  ellorts  of  Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn,  who,  having 
induced  friends  in  the  East  to  unite  with  him  in 
the  purchase  of  Illinois  lands  at  Government 
price,  in  1837  conveyed  16,056  acres  of  these 
lands,  situated  in  ten  different  counties,  in  trust 
for  the  founding  of  an  institution  of  learning, 
intended  particularly  "to  qualify  young  men  for 
the  gospel  mini.stry."  The  citizens  of  Carlinville 
donateil  funds  wherewith  to  purchase  eighty 
acres  of  hind,  near  that  city,  as  a  site,  which  was 
included  in  the  deed  of  trust.  The  enterprise 
lay  dormant  for  many  years,  and  it  was  not  until 
1857  that  the  institution  was  formally  incorpo- 
rated, and  ten  j-ears  later  it  was  little  more  tlian 
a  high  school,  giving  one  course  of  instruction 
considered  particularly  adapted  to  prospective 
students  of  theolog)'.  At  present  (1898)  there 
are  about  110  students  in  attendance,  a  faculty 
of  twelve  instructors,  and  a  theological,  as  well  as 
preparatory  and  collegiate  departments.  The 
institution  owns  property  valued  at  §110,000,  of 
which  §.50,000  is  represented  by  real  estate  and 
§40,000  by  endowment  funds. 

BLACK  HAWK,  a  Chief  of  the  Sac  tribe  of 
Indians,  reputed  to  have  been  born  at  Kaskaskia 
in  1707.  (It  is  aLso  claimed  that  he  was  born  on 
Rock  River,  as  well  as  within  the  present  limits 
of  Hancock  County.)  Conceiving  that  his  people 
had  been  wrongfully  despoiled  of  lands  belonging 
to  them,  in  1832  he  inaugurated  what  is  com- 
monl}-  known  as  the  Black  Hawk  War.  His 
Indian  name  was  Makabainiishekiakiak,  signifj-- 
ing  Black  Sparrow  Hawk.  He  was  ambitious,  but 
susceptible  to  flattery,  and  while  ha\-ing  many  of 
the  qualities  of  leadership,  was  lacking  in  moral 
force.  He  was  always  attached  to  British  inter- 
ests, and  unquestionably  received  British  aid  of  a 


HISTORKAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


49 


substantial  sort.  After  his  defeat  he  was  made 
the  ward  of  Keokuk,  another  Chief,  which 
humiliation  of  liis  pride  broke  his  heart.  He  died 
on  a  reservation  set  apart  for  him  in  Iowa,  in 
1838,  aged  71.  His  body  is  said  to  have  been 
exhumed  nine  months  after  death,  and  his  articu- 
lated skeleton  is  alleged  to  have  been  preserved 
in  the  rooms  of  the  Burlington  (la.)  Historical 
Society  until  18.55,  wlien  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
(See  also  Black  Ilavk  War:  Aj)i>endix.) 

BLACKSTONE,  Timothy  B.,  Railway  Presi- 
dent, was  born  at  Branford,  Conn.,  March  28, 
1829.  After  receiving  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, supplemented  by  a  course  in  a  neigliboring 
academy,  at  18  he  began  the  practical  study  of 
engineering  in  a  corps  employed  by  the  New 
York  &  New  Hampshire  Railway  Company,  and 
the  same  year  became  assistant  engineer  on  the 
Stockbridge  &  Pittsfield  Railway.  While  tluis 
employed  he  applied  himself  diligently  to  the 
study  of  the  tlieoretical  science  of  engineering, 
and,  on  coming  to  Illinois  in  1851,  was  qualified 
to  accept  and  fill  the  position  of  division  engineer 
(from  Bloomington  to  Dixon)  on  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railway.  On  the  completion  of  the  main 
line  of  that  road  in  1855,  he  was  appointed  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Joliet  &  Chicago  Railroad,  later 
becoming  financially  interested  therein,  and 
being  chosen  President  of  the  corporation  on  the 
completion  of  the  line.  In  January,  1864,  the 
Chicago  &  Joliet  was  leased  in  perpetuity  to  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Company.  Mr.  Black- 
stone  tlien  became  a  Director  in  the  latter  organi- 
zation and,  in  April  following,  was  chosen  its 
President.  This  office  he  filled  uninterruptedly 
until  April  1,1899,  when  the  road  passed  into  the 
hands  of  a  syndicate  of  other  lines.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  tlie  Union 
Stock  Yards  Company,  and  was  its  President  from 
1864  to  1868.  His  career  as  a  railroad  man  was  con- 
spicuous for  its  long  service,  tlie  uninterrupted 
success  of  his  management  of  the  enterprises 
entrusted  to  his  Iiands  and  his  studious  regard  for 
the  interests  of  stockliolders.  This  was  illustrated 
by  the  fact  that,  for  some  thirty  years,  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad  paid  dividends  on  its  preferreil 
and  common  stock,  ranging  from  6  to  8  J.j  per  cent 
per  annum,  and,  on  disposing  of  his  stock  conse- 
quent on  the  transfer  of  the  line  to  a  new  corpora- 
tion in  1899,  Mr.  Blackstone  rejected  offers  for  his 
stock — aggregating  nearly  one-tliirdof  the  whole 
—which  would  have  netted  him  $1,000,000  in 
excess  of  the  amount  received,  because  lie  was 
unwilling  to  use  his  position  to  reap  an  advantage 
over  smaller  stockholders.     Died,  Mav  20,  1900. 


BLACKWELL,  Robert  S.,  lawyer,  was  born 
at  Belleville,  111.,  in  1823.  He  belonged  to  a 
prominent  family  in  the  early  history  of  the 
State,  his  father,  David  Blackwell,  who  was  also 
a  lawyer  and  settled  in  Belleville  about  1819, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  Second  General 
Assembly  (1820)  from  St.  Clair  County,  and  also 
of  the  Fourth  and  Fifth.  In  April,  1823,  lie  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Coles  Secretary  of  State, 
succeeding  Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  after- 
wards a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  wlio  liad 
just  received  from  President  Monroe  the  apiioint- 
ment  of  Receiver  of  Pulilic  Moneys  at  the 
Edwardsville  Land  Office.  Mr.  Blackwell  served 
in  the  Secretary's  office  to  October,  1824,  during 
a  part  of  the  time  acting  as  editor  of  "The  Illinois 
Intelligencer,"  which  liad  been  removed  from 
Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia,  and  in  which  he  strongly 
opposed  the  policy  of  making  Illinois  a  slave 
State.  He  finally  died  in  Belleville.  Robert 
Blackwell,  a  brother  of  David  and  the  uncle  of 
tlie  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  joint  owner  with 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  of  "The  Illinois  Herald"'— after- 
wards "The  Intelligencer"  —  at  Kaskaskia,  in 
1816,  and  in  April,  1817,  succeeded  Cook  in  the 
office  of  Territorial  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts, 
being  himself  succeeded  by  Elijah  C.  Berry,  who 
had  become  his  partner  on  "The  Intelligencer,"' 
and  served  as  Auditor  until  the  organization  of 
the  State  Government  in  1818.  Blackwell  &  Berry 
were  chosen  State  Printers  after  the  removal  of 
the  State  capital  to  Vandalia  in  1820,  serving  in 
this  capacity  for  some  years.  Robert  Blackwell 
located  at  "Vandalia  and  .served  as  a  member  of 
the  House  from  Fayette  County  in  the  Eighth 
and  Ninth  General  Assemblies  (1832-36)  and  in 
the  Senate,  1840-42.  Robert  S.— the  son  of  David, 
and  the  yoimger  member  of  this  somewhat 
famous  and  historic  family — whose  name  stands  at 
the  head  of  this  paragraph,  attended  the  common 
schools  at  Belleville  in  his  boj'hood,  but  in  early 
manhood  removed  to  Galena,  where  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits.  He  later  studied  law 
with  Hon.  O.  H.  Browning  at  Quincy,  beginning 
practice  at  Rushville.  where  he  was  associated 
for  a  time  with  Judge  Minshall.  In  1832  lie 
removed  to  Chicago,  having  for  liis  first  partner 
Corydon  Beckwith.  afterwards  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  still  later  being  associated  with  a  number 
of  prominent  lawyers  of  that  day.  He  is  de- 
scribed by  his  liiographers  as  "an  able  lawyer,  an 
eloquent  advocate  and  a  brilliant  scholar." 
"Blackwell  on  Tax  Titles,  "from  his  pen,  has  been 
accepted  by  tlie  profession  as  a  high  authority  on 
that  branch  of  law.     He  also  published  a  revision 


50 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Statutes  in  1858,  and  began  an  "Abstract 
of  Decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court,"  wliich  had 
reached  the  third  or  fourth  volume  at  his  deatli, 
May  16,  1863. 

BLAIR,  William,  merchant,  was  born  at 
Homer,  Cortland  County,  N.  Y.,  May  20,  1818, 
being  descended  through  five  generations  of  New 
England  ancestors.  After  attending  school  in 
the  town  of  Cortland,  which  became  his  father's 
residence,  at  the  age  of  14  he  obtained  employ- 
ment in  a  stove  and  hardware  store,  four  years 
later  (1836)  coming  to  Joliet,  III.,  to  talce  charge 
of  a  branch  store  whicli  the  firm  liad  established 
there.  The  next  year  he  purcliased  the  stock  and 
continued  the  business  on  his  own  account.  In 
August,  1842,  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
established  the  earliest  and  one  of  the  most 
extensive  wholesale  hardware  concerns  in  that 
city,  with  which  he  remained  connected  nearlj- 
fifty  years.  During  this  period  he  was  associated 
with  various  partners,  including  C.  B.  Nelson, 
E.  G.  Hall,  O.  W.  Belden,  James  H.  Horton  and 
others,  besides,  at  times,  conducting  the  business 
alone.  He  suffered  by  the  fire  of  1871  in  common 
with  other  business  men  of  Chicago,  but  promptly 
resumed  business  and,  within  tlie  next  two  or 
three  years,  liad  erected  business  blocks,  succes- 
sively, on  Lake  and  Randolph  Streets,  but  retired 
from  business  in  1888.  He  was  a  Director  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank  of  Chicago  from  its 
organization  in  186.5,  as  also  for  a  time  of  the 
Atlantic  &  Pacific  Telegraph  Company  and  the 
Chicago  Gaslight  &  Coke  Company,  a  Trustee  of 
Lake  Forest  University,  one  of  the  Managers  of 
the  Presbyterian  Hospital  and  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society.  Died  in  Chicago, 
May  10,  1899. 

BLAKELT,  David,  journalist,  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Vt.,  in  1834;  learned  the  print- 
er's trade  and  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Vermont  in  1857.  He  was  a  member  of  a  musical 
family  which,  under  the  name  of  "Tlie  Blakely 
Family,"  made  several  successful  tours  of  the 
"West.  He  engaged  in  journalism  at  Rochester, 
Minn.,  and,  in  1862,  was  elected  Secretary  of 
State  and  ex-oflficio  Superintendent  of  Scliools, 
serving  until  1865,  wlien  lie  resigned  and,  in 
partnership  with  a  brother,  bought  "The  Chicago 
Evening  Post,"  with  which  he  was  connected  at 
the  time  of  the  great  fire  and  for  some  time  after- 
ward. Later,  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and 
became  one  of  the  proprietors  and  a  member  of 
the  editorial  staff  of  "The  St.  Paul  Pioneer-Press." 
In  his  later  years  Mr.  Blakely  was  President  of 
the  Blakely  Printing  Company,  of  Chicago,  also 


conducting  a  large  printing  busin&ss  in  New 
York,  which  was  his  residence.  He  was  manager 
for  several  years  of  the  celebrated  Gilmore  Band 
of  mu-sicians,  and  also  instrumental  in  organizing 
the  celebrated  Sousa's  Band,  of  which  he  was 
manager  >ip  to  the  time  of  his  decease  in  New 
York,  Nov.  7,  1S96. 

BLAKEMAN,  Curtiss,  sea-captain,  and  pioneer 
settler,  came  from  New  England  to  Madison 
County,  111.,  in  1819,  and  settled  in  what  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  "Marine  Settlement,"  of 
which  he  was  cne  of  the  founders.  TliLs  settle- 
ment, of  which  the  present  town  of  Marine  (first 
called  Madison)  was  the  outcome,  took  its  name 
from  the  fact  tliat  several  of  the  earlj-  settlers,  like 
Captain  Blakeman,  were  sea-faring  men.  Captain 
Blakeman  became  a  prominent  citizen  and  repre- 
sented Madi-son  County  in  the  lower  branch  of 
the  Tliird  and  Fourth  General  Assemblies  (1822 
and  1824),  in  the  former  being  one  of  the  opponents 
of  the  pro-slavery  amendment  of  the  Constitution. 
A  son  of  his,  of  tlie  same  name,  was  a  Represent- 
ative in  tlie  Thirteenth,  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth 
General  As.semblies  from  Madison  County. 

BLANCHARD,  Jonathan,  clergyman  and  edu 
cator,  was  born  in  Rockingham,  Vt.,  Jan.  19, 
1811;  graduated  at  Middlebury  College  in  1832; 
then,  after  teaching  some  time,  spent  two  years 
in  Andover  Theological  Seminarj',  finally  gradu- 
ating in  theolog}-  at  I^ne  Seminary,  Cincinnati, 
in  1838,  where  lie  remained  nine  years  as  pastor 
of  the  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city. 
Before  this  time  he  liad  become  interested  in 
various  reforms,  and,  in  1843,  was  sent  as  a 
delegate  to  the  second  'World's  Anti-Slavery 
Convention  in  London,  serving  as  the  American 
Vice-President  of  that  body.  In  1846  he  assumed 
the  Presidency  of  Knox  College  at  Galesburg, 
remaining  until  1858,  during  his  connection 
with  that  institution  doing  much  to  increase  its 
capacity  and  resources.  After  t%vo  years  spent  in 
pastoral  work,  lie  accepted  (1860)  the  Presidency 
of  'Wheaton  College,  which  he  continued  to  fill 
until  1882,  when  he  was  chosen  President  Emer- 
itus, remaining  in  this  position  until  liis  death, 
May  14,  1892. 

BLAyDIXSVILLE,  a  toivn  in  McDonough 
County,  on  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  'Warsaw  Rail- 
road, 26  miles  southeast  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  and 
64  miles  west  by  south  from  Peoria.  It  Ls  a  .ship- 
ping point  for  the  grain  grown  in  the  surrovind- 
ing  country,  and  has  a  grain  elevatoi  and  steam 
flour  and  saw  mills.  It  also  has  banks,  two 
weekly  newspapers  and  several  churches.  Popu- 
lation ()°"'''"   877;  (1900).  995. 


llISTOlilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


51 


BLANET,  Jerome  Van  Zandt,  early  physician, 
borji  at  Newcastle,  Del.,  May  1,  1820;  was  edu- 
cated at  Princeton  and  graduated  in  medicine  at 
Philadelphia  when  too  young  to  receive  his 
diploma ;  in  1843  came  west  and  joined  Dr.  Daniel 
Brainard  in  founding  Rush  Medical  College  at 
Chicago,  for  a  time  filling  three  chairs  in  that 
institution ;  also,  for  a  time,  occupied  the  chair  of 
Chemistry  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  Northwest- 
ern University.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  Sur- 
geon, and  afterwards  Medical  Director,  in  the 
army,  and  was  Surgeon-iu-Chief  on  the  staff  of 
General  Sheridan  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of 
Winchester ;  after  the  war  was  delegated  by  the 
Government  to  pay  off  medical  officers  in  the 
Northwest,  in  this  capacity  disbvu-sing  over  §600,- 
000 ;  finally  retiring  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.     Died,  Dec.  11,  1874. 

BLATCHFORD,  Eliphalet  Wickes,  LL.D., 
son  of  Dr.  John  Blatchford,  was  born  at  Stillwater, 
N.  Y. ,  May  31,  1836;  being  a  grandson  of  Samuel 
Blatchford,  D.D.,  who  came  to  New  York  from 
England,  in  1795.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Lan- 
singburg  Academy.  New  York,  and  at  Marion 
College,  Mo.,  finally  graduating  at  Illinois  College, 
Jacksonville,  in  the  class  of  1845.  After  graduat- 
ing, he  was  employed  for  several  years  in  the  law 
oflSces  of  his  uncles,  R.  M.  and  E.  H.  Blatchford, 
New  York.  For  considerations  of  health  he  re- 
turned to  the  West,  and,  in  1850,  engaged  in  b\isi- 
ness  for  himself  as  a  lead  manufacturer  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo. ,  afterwards  associating  with  him  the 
late  Morris  Collins,  imder  the  firm  name  of  Blatch- 
ford &  Collins.  In  1854  a  branch  was  established 
in  Chicago,  knowm  as  Collins  &  Blatchford.  After 
a  few  years  the  firm  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Blatch- 
ford taking  the  Chicago  business,  which  has 
continued  as  E.  W.  Blatchford  &  Co  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  While  Mr.  Blatchford  has  invariably 
declined  political  offices,  he  has  been  recognized 
as  a  staunch  Republican,  and  the  services  of  few 
men  have  been  in  more  frequent  request  for 
positions  of  trust  in  connection  with  educational 
and  benevolent  enterprises.  Among  the  numer- 
ous positions  of  this  character  which  he  has  been 
called  to  fill  are  those  of  Treasurer  of  the  North- 
western Branch  of  the  United  States  Sanitary 
Commission,  during  the  Civil  War,  to  which  he 
devoted  a  large  part  of  his  time ;  Trustee  of  Illi- 
nois College  (1866-75);  President  of  the  Cliicago 
Academy  of  Sciences ;  a  member,  and  for  seven- 
teen years  President,  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  Chicago  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary ;  Trustee  of 
the  Chicago  Art  Institute ;  Executor  and  Trustee 
of  the  late  Walter  L.  Newberry,  and,  since  its 


incorporation.  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  The  Newberry  Library;  Trustee  of  the  John 
Crerar  Library;  one  of  the  founders  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Chicago 
Manual  Training  School;  life  member  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society;  for  nearly  forty 
years  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary;  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Chicago  an  officer  of  the  New  England 
Congregational  Church;  a  corporate  member  of 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions,  and  for  fourteen  years  its  Vice- 
President;  a  charter  member  of  the  City 
Missionary  Society,  and  of  the  Congregational 
Club  of  Chicago;  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Union  League,  the  University,  the  Literary  and 
the  Commercial  Clubs,  of  which  latter  he  has 
been  President.  Oct.  7,  1858,  Mr.  Blatchford  was 
man-ied  to  Miss  Mary  Emily  Williams,  daughter 
of  John  C.Williams,  of  Chicago.  Seven  children — 
four  sons  and  three  daughters — have  blessed  this 
union,  the  eldest  son,  Paul,  being  to  day  one  of 
Chicago's  valued  business  men.  Mr.  Blatchford's 
life  has  been  one  of  ceaseless  and  successful 
activity  in  business,  and  to  him  Chicago  owes 
much  of  its  prosperity.  In  the  giving  of  time 
and  money  for  Christian,  educational  and  benevo- 
lent enterprises,  he  has  been  conspicuous  for  hLs 
generosity,  and  noted  for  his  valuable  counsel  and 
executive  ability  in  carrying  these  enterprises  to 
success. 

BLATCHFORD,  John,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Now- 
field  (now  Bridgeport),  Conn.,  May  24,  1799; 
removed  in  childhood  to  Lansingburg,  N.  Y., 
and  was  educated  at  Cambridge  Academy  and 
Union  College  in  that  State,  graduating  in  1820. 
He  finished  his  theological  course  at  Princeton, 
N.  J.,  in  1823,  after  which  he  ministered  succes- 
sively to  Presbyterian  churches  at  Pittstown  and 
Stillwater,  N.  Y.,  in  1830  accepting  the  pastorate 
of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Bridge- 
port. Conn.  In  1836  he  came  to  the  We.st.  spend- 
ing the  following  winter  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  and, 
in  1837,  was  installed  the  first  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  where  he 
remained  until  compelled  by  faiUng  health  to 
resign  and  return  to  the  East.  In  1841  he  ac- 
cepted the  chair  of  Intellectual  and  Moral  Phi- 
losophy at  Marion  College,  Mo.,  subsequently 
assmning  the  Presidency.  The  institution  having 
been  purchased  by  the  Free  Masons,  in  1844.  he 
removed  to  West  Ely,  Mo.,  and  thence,  in  1847. 
to  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  resided  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  His  death  occurred  in  St. 
Louis,   April  8,   1855.     The   chm-ches   he  serve.l 


52 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


testified  strongly  to  Dr.  Blatohford's  faithful, 
acceptable  and  successful  performance  of  his 
ministerial  duties.  He  was  married  in  1825  to 
Frances  Wickes,  daughter  of  Eliplialet  Wickes, 
Esq.,  of  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  N,  Y. 

BLEDSOE,  Albert  Taylor,  teacher  and  law- 
yer, was  born  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  Nov,  9,  1809; 
graduated  at  West  Point  Military  Academy  in 
1830,  and,  after  two  years'  service  at  Fort  Gib- 
son, Indian  Territory,  retired  from  the  army  in 
1833.  During  1833-34  he  was  Adjunct  Professor 
of  Mathematics  and  teacher  of  French  at  Kenyon 
College,  Oliio,  and,  in  1835-36,  Professor  of 
Mathematics  at  Miami  University.  Then,  hav- 
ing studied  theolog}',  he  served  for  several  years 
as  rector  of  Episcopal  churches  in  Ohio.  In  1838 
he  settled  at  Springfield,  111.,  and  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  remaining  several  years,  when  lie 
removed  to  Washington,  D.  C.  Later  he  became 
Professor  of  Matliematics,  first  (1848-54)  in  the 
University  of  Mississippi,  and  (1854-61)  in  the 
University  of  Virginia.  He  then  entered  the 
Confederate  service  with  the  rank  of  Colonel, 
but  soon  became  Acting  Assistant  Secretary  of 
War;  in  1863  visited  England  to  collect  material 
for  a  work  on  the  Constitution,  which  was  pub 
lished  in  1866,  when  he  settled  at  Baltimore, 
where  he  began  the  publication  of  "The  Southern 
Review,"  which  became  the  recognized  organ  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  Later 
he  became  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  gained  considerable  reputation  for  eloquence 
during  his  residence  in  Illinois,  and  was  tlie 
author  of  a  number  of  works  on  religious  and 
political  subjects,  the  latter  maintaining  the 
right  of  secession;  was  a  man  of  recognized 
ability,  but  lacked  stability  of  character.  Died 
at  Ale.xandria,  Va.,  Dec.  8.  1877. 

BLODGETT,  Henry  Williams,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Amherst,  Mass.,  in  1831.  At  the  age  of  10 
years  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois, 
where  he  attended  the  district  schools,  later 
returning  to  Amherst  to  spend  a  year  at  the 
Academy.  Returning  home,  he  spent  the  years 
1839-42  in  teaching  and  survej'ing.  In  1842  he 
began  the  study  of  law  at  Cliicago,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845,  and  beginning  prac- 
tice at  Waukegan,  III,  where  he  has  continued 
to  reside.  In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  Legislature  from  Lake  County,  as 
an  anti-slavery  candidate,  and,  in  1858,  to  the 
State  Senate,  in  the  latter  serving  four  years. 
He  gained  distinction  as  a  railroad  solicitor,  being 
employed  at  different  times  by  the  Chicago  & 
Nortliwestern,    the   Cliicago,  Milwaukee    &    St. 


Paul,  the  Michigan  Southern  and  the  Pittsburg 
&  Fort  Wayne  Companies.  Of  the  second  naoned 
road  lie  was  one  of  the  projectors,  procuring  its 
charter,  and  being  identified  with  it  in  the  sev- 
eral capacities  of  Attorney,  Director  and  Presi- 
dent. In  1870  President  Grant  appointed  him 
Judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the 
Northern  District  of  Illinois.  This  jxisition  he 
continued  to  occu])y  for  twenty-two  years,  resign- 
ing it  in  1892  to  accept  an  appointment  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  as  one  of  the  counsel  for  tlie 
United  States  before  the  Behring  Sea  Arbitrators 
at  Paris,  wliicli  was  his  last  official  service. 

BLOOML\(iDALE,  a  vilUvge  of  Du  Page  County, 
30  miles  west  by  north  from  Chicago.  Population 
(1880),  326;  {1S90),  463;  (1900),  335. 

BLOOMINGTON,  the  county -seat  of  McLean 
County,  a  flourishing  city  and  railroad  renter,  69 
miles  northeast  of  Springfield  ;  is  in  a  rich  agri- 
cultural and  coal-mining  district.  Besides  car 
shops  and  repair  works  employing  some  2,000 
hands,  there  are  manufactories  of  stoves,  fur- 
naces, plows,  flour,  etc.  Nurseries  are  numerous 
in  the  vicinity  and  horse  breeding  receives  much 
attention.  The  city  is  the  seat  of  Illinois  Wes- 
leyan  University,  has  fine  public  schools,  several 
newspapers  (two  published  daily),  besides  educa- 
tional and  other  publications.  The  business  sec- 
tion suffered  a  disastrous  fire  in  1900,  but  has  been 
rebuilt  more  substantially  than  before.  The  prin- 
ci])al  streets  are  [Jitved  and  electric  street  cars  con- 
nect with  Normal  (two  miles  distant),  the  site  of 
the  "State  Normal  University"  and  "Soldiers'  Or- 
phans' Home. "    Pop.  (1890).  20,284 ;  (1900),  23.286. 

BL00MI\(;T0>  COWEXTION  OF  ISoB. 
Althougli  not  formally  called  as  sucli,  this  was 
the  first  Republican  State  Convention  held  in 
Illinois,  out  of  wliicli  grew  a  permanent  Repub- 
lican organization  in  the  State.  A  mass  conven- 
tion of  those  opposed  to  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise  (known  as  an  "Anti-Nebraska 
Convention")  was  held  at  Springfield  during  the 
week  of  the  State  Fair  of  18.54  (on  Oct.  4  and  5), 
and,  althougli  it  adopted  a  platform  in  harmony 
with  the  i)rinciples  which  afterwards  became  the 
foundation  of  the  Republican  party,  and  appointed 
a  State  Central  Committee,  besides  putting  in 
nomination  a  candidate  for  State  Treasurer— the 
only  State  officer  elected  that  year — the  organi- 
zation was  not  perpetuated,  the  State  Central 
Committee  failing  to  organize.  The  BkMjmington 
Convention  of  18.56  met  in  accordance  with  a  call 
issued  by  a  State  Central  Committee  appointed 
by  the  Convention  of  Anti-Nebraska  editors  held 
at  Decatur  on  February  32,  1856.     (See  Anti^^eb- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


53 


raska  Editorial  Convention.)  The  call  did  not 
even  contain  the  word  "Republican,"  but  was 
addressed  to  those  opposed  to  the  principles  of 
the  Nebraska  Bill  and  the  policy  of  the  existing 
Democratic  administration.  The  Convention 
met  on  May  29,  185(5,  the  date  designated  by  the 
Editorial  Convention  at  Decatur,  but  was  rather 
in  the  nature  of  a  mass  than  a  delegate  conven- 
tion, as  party  organizations  existed  in  few  coun- 
ties of  the  State  at  that  time.  Consequently 
representation  was  very  unequal  and  followed  no 
systematic  rule.  Out  of  one  hundred  counties 
into  which  the  State  was  then  divided,  only 
seventy  were  represented  by  delegates,  ranging 
from  one  to  twenty-flve  each,  leaving  thirty 
counties  (embracing  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
southern  part  of  the  State)  entirely  unrepre- 
sented. Lee  County  had  the  largest  representa- 
tion (twenty-five),  Morgan  County  (the  home  of 
Richard  Yates)  coming  next  with  twenty  dele- 
gates, while  Cook  County  had  seventeen  and 
Sangamon  had  five.  The  whole  number  of 
delegates,  as  shown  by  the  contemporaneous 
record,  was  269.  Among  the  leading  spirits  in 
the  Convention  were  Abraham  Lincoln,  Archi- 
bald Williams,  O.  H.  Browning,  Richard  Yates, 
John  M.  Palmer,  Owen  Lovejoy,  Norman  B. 
Judd,  Burton  C.  Cook  and  others  who  afterwards 
became  prominent  in  State  politics.  The  delega- 
tion from  Cook  County  included  the  names  of 
John  Wentworth,  Grant  Goodrich,  George 
Schneider,  Mark  Skinner,  Charles  H.  Ray  and 
Charles  L.  Wilson.  The  temporary  organization 
was  effected  with  Archibald  Williams  of  Adams 
County  in  the  chair,  followed  by  the  election  of 
John  M.  Palmer  of  Macoupin,  as  Permanent 
President.  The  other  officers  were:  Vice-Presi- 
dents— John  A.  Davis  of  Stephenson;  William 
Ross  of  Pike;  James  McKee  of  Cook;  John  H. 
Bryant  of  Bureau;  A.  C.  Harding  of  Warren; 
Richard  Yates  of  Morgan;  Dr.  H.  C.  Johns  of 
Macon;  D.  L.  Phillips  of  Union;  George  Smith 
of  Madison;  Thomas  A.  Marshall  of  Coles;  J.  M. 
Ruggles  of  Mason  ;  G.  D.  A.  Parks  of  Will,  and  John 
Clark  of  Schuyler.  Secretaries — Henry  S.  Baker 
of  Madison;  Charles  L.  Wilson  of  Cook;  John 
Tillson  of  Adams;  Washington  Bushnell  of  La 
Salle,  and  B.  J.  F.  Hanna  of  Randolph.  A  State 
ticket  was  put  in  nomination  consisting  of 
William  H.  Bissell  for  Governor  (by  acclama- 
tion) ;  Francis  A.  Hoffman  of  Du  Page  County, 
for  Lieutenant-Governor;  Ozias  M.  Hatch  of 
Pike,  for  Secretary  of  State ;  Jesse  K.  Dubois  of 
Lawrence,  for  Auditor;  James  Miller  of  McLean, 
for  Treasurer,  and  William  H.  Powell  of  Peoria, 


for  Superintendent  of  Public  In.struction.  Hoff- 
man, having  been  found  ineligible  by  lack  of  resi- 
dence after  the  date  of  naturalization,  withdrew, 
and  his  place  was  subsequently  filled  by  the 
nomination  of  John  Wood  of  Quincy.  The  plat- 
form adopted  was  outspoken  in  its  pledges  of 
unswerving  loyalty  to  the  Union  and  opposition 
to  the  extension  of  slavery  into  new  territory.  A 
delegation  was  appointed  to  the  National  Con- 
vention to  be  held  in  Philadelphia  on  June  17, 
following,  and  a  State  Central  Committee  was 
named  to  conduct  the  State  campaign,  consisting 
of  James  C.  Conkling  of  Sangamon  County; 
Asahel  Gridley  of  McLean;  Burton  C.  Cook  of 
La  Salle,  and  Charles  H.  Ray  and  Norman  B. 
Judd  of  Cook.  The  principal  speakers  of  the 
occasion,  before  the  convention  or  in  popular 
meetings  held  while  the  members  were  present  in 
Bloomington,  included  the  names  of  O.  H.  Brown- 
ing, Owen  Lovejoy,  Abraham  Lincoln,  Burton 
C.  Cook,  Richard  Yates,  the  venerable  John 
Dixon,  founder  of  the  city  bearing  his  name,  and 
Governor  Reeder  of  Pennsylvania,  who  had  been 
Territorial  Governor  of  Kansas  by  appointment 
of  President  Pierce,  but  had  refused  to  carry  out 
the  policy  of  the  administration  for  making 
Kansas  a  slave  State.  None  of  the  speeches 
were  fully  reported,  but  that  of  Mr.  Lincoln  has 
been  universally  regarded  by  those  who  heard  it 
as  the  gem  of  the  occasion  and  the  most  brilliant 
of  his  life,  foreshadowing  his  celebrated  "house- 
divided-against-itself"  speech  of  June  17,  1858. 
John  L.  Scripps,  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Demo- 
cratic Press,"  writing  of  it,  at  the  time,  to  his 
paper,  said:  "Never  has  it  been  our  fortune  to 
listen  to  a  more  eloquent  and  masterly  presenta- 
tion of  a  subject.  .  .  .  For  an  hour  and  a  half  he 
(Mr.  Lincoln)  held  the  assemblage  spellbound  by 
the  power  of  his  argument,  the  intense  irony  of 
his  invective,  and  the  deep  earnestness  and  fervid 
brilliancy  of  his  eloquence.  When  he  concluded, 
the  audience  sprang  to  their  feet  and  cheer  after 
cheer  told  how  deeply  their  hearts  liad  teen 
touched  and  their  souls  warmed  up  to  a  generous 
entliusiasm."  At  the  election,  in  November 
following,  although  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  President  carried  the  State  by  a  plurality  of 
over  9,000  votes,  the  entire  State  ticket  put  in 
nomination  at  Bloomington  was  successfid  by 
majorities  ranging  from  3,000  to  20,000  for  the 
several  candidates. 

BLUE  ISLAND,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on 
the  Calumet  River  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific,  the  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  and 
the  Illinois  Central  Railways,  15  miles  .south  of 


54 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Chicago.  It  has  a  liigh  scliool,  clmrches  and  two 
newspapers,  besides  brick,  smelting  and  oil  works. 
Population  (1890).  3.521;  (1900),  6,114. 

BLUE  ISL.VND  RAILROAD,  a  short  line  3.96 
miles  in  length,  lying  wholly  within  Illinois; 
capital  stock  §35,000;  operated  by  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company.  Its  funded  debt 
(1895)  was  $100,000  and  its  floating  debt,  §3,779. 

BLUE  MOUND,  a  town  of  Macon  County,  on 
the  Wabash  Railway,  14  miles  southeast  of  De- 
catur; in  rich  grain  and  live-stock  region;  has 
three  grain  elevators,  two  banks,  tile  factory  and 
one  newspaper.      Pop.  (1890),  696;    (1900),  714. 

BLUFFS,  a  village  of  Scott  County,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Quincy  and  Hannibal  branches  of 
the  Wabash  Railway,  52  miles  west  of  Spring- 
field; has  a  bank  and  a  newspaper.  Population 
(1880),  162;  (1890).  421;  (1900),  539. 

BOAL,  Robert,  M.D.,  physician  and  legis- 
lator, born  near  Harrisburg,  Pa,,  in  1806;  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Ohio  when  fi\Te  years 
old  and  educated  at  Cincinnati,  graduating  from 
the  Ohio  Medical  College  in  1828;  settled  at 
Lacon,  III.,  in  1836,  practicing  there  until  1862, 
when,  having  been  appointed  Surgeon  of  the 
Board  of  Enrollment  for  that  District,  he  re- 
moved to  Peoria.  Other  public  positions  held  by 
Dr.  Boal  have  been  those  of  Senator  in  the 
Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  General  Assemblies 
(1844-48),  Representative  in  the  Nineteenth  and 
Twentieth  (1854-58),  and  Trustee  of  the  Institu- 
tion for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at  Jacksonville, 
remaining  in  the  latter  position  seventeen  years 
under  the  successive  administrations  of  Gov- 
ernors Bi.ssell,  Yates,  Oglesby,  Palmer  and  Bever- 
idge — the  last  five  years  of  his  service  being 
President  of  the  Board.  He  was  also  President 
of  the  State  Jledical  Board  in  1882.  Dr.  Boal 
continued  to  practice  at  Peoria  until  about  1890, 
when  he  retired,  and,  in  1893,  returned  to  Lacon 
to  reside  with  his  daughter,  the  widow  of  the 
late  Colonel  Greenbury  L.  Fort,  for  eight  years 
Representative  in  Congress  from  the  Eighth 
Di.strict. 

BOARD  OF  ARBITRATION,  a  Bureau  of  the 
State  Government,  created  by  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature, approved  August  2,  1895.  It  is  appointed 
by  the  E.xecutive  and  is  composed  of  three  mem- 
bers (not  more  than  two  of  wliom  can  belong  to 
the  same  political  party),  one  of  whom  must  be 
an  employer  of  labor  and  one  a  member  of  some 
labor  organization.  The  term  of  oflSce  for  the 
members  first  named  was  fixed  at  two  years; 
after  March  1,  1897,  it  is  to  be  three  years,  one 
member  retiring  annually.     A  compensation  of 


•§1,500  per  annum  is  allowed  to  each  member  of 
the  Board,  while  the  Secretary,  who  must  also  be 
a  stenographer,  receives  a  salary  of  §1,200  per 
annum.  When  a  controversj'  arises  between  an 
individual,  firm  or  corporation  employing  not  less 
than  twenty-five  per.sons,  and  his  or  its  employes, 
application  may  be  made  by  the  aggrieved 
party  to  the  Board  for  an  inquiry  into  the 
nature  of  the  disagreement,  or  both  parties  may 
unite  in  the  submission  of  a  case.  The  Board  is 
required  to  visit  the  locality,  carefully  investi- 
gate the  cause  of  the  dispute  and  render  a  deci- 
cion  as  soon  as  practicable,  the  same  to  be  at  once 
made  public.  If  the  application  be  filed  by  the 
employer,  it  must  be  accompanied  by  a  stipula- 
tion to  continue  in  business,  and  order  no  lock-out 
for  the  space  of  three  weeks  after  its  date.  In 
like  manner,  complaining  employes  must  promise 
to  continue  peacefully  at  work,  under  existing 
conditions,  for  a  like  period.  The  Board  is 
granted  power  to  send  for  persons  and  papers  and 
to  admini.ster  oaths  to  witnes.ses.  Its  decisions 
are  binding  upon  applicants  for  six  months  after 
rendition,  or  until  either  party  shall  have  given 
the  other  sixty  days'  notice  in  writing  of  his  or 
their  intention  not  to  be  bound  thereby.  In  case 
tlie  Board  shall  learn  that  a  disagreement  exists 
between  employes  and  an  employer  having  less 
than  twenty-five  persons  in  his  employ,  and  that 
a  strike  or  lock-out  is  serioiLsly  threatened,  it  is 
made  the  duty  of  the  body  to  put  it-self  into 
communication  with  both  employer  and  employes 
and  endeavor  to  effect  an  amicable  settlement 
between  them  by  mediation.  The  absence  of  any 
provision  in  the  law  prescribing  jjenalties  for  its 
violation  leaves  the  observance  of  the  law,  in  its 
present  form,  dependent  upon  the  voluntary 
action  of  the  parties  interested. 

BOARD  OF  EQUALIZATION,  a  body  organ- 
ized under  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  approved 
March  8,  1867.  It  first  consisted  of  twenty-five 
members,  one  from  each  Senatorial  District. 
The  first  Board  was  appointed  by  the  Governor, 
holding  office  two  years,  afterwards  becoming 
elective  for  a  term  of  four  years.  In  1872  the 
law  was  amended,  reducing  the  number  of  mem- 
bers to  one  for  each  Congressional  District,  the 
whole  number  at  that  time  becoming  nineteen, 
with  the  Auditor  as  a  member  ex-officio,  who 
usually  presides.  From  1884  to  1897  it  consisted 
of  twenty  elective  members,  but,  in  1897,  it  was 
increased  to  twenty-two.  The  Board  meets 
annually  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  Aagu.st.  The 
abstracts  of  the  property  assessed  for  taxation  in 
the  several  counties  of  the  State  ara  laid  before 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


55 


it  for  examination  and  equalization,  but  it  may 
not  reduce  the  aggi'egate  valuation  nor  increase 
it  more  than  one  per  cent.  Its  powers  over  the 
returns  of  the  assessors  do  not  extend  beyond 
equalization  of  assessments  between  counties. 
The  Board  is  required  to  consider  the  various 
classes  of  property  separately,  and  determine 
such  rates  of  addition  to  or  deduction  from  the 
listed,  or  assessed,  valuation  of  each  class  as  it 
may  deem  equitable  and  just.  The  statutes  pre- 
scribe rules  for  determining  the  value  of  all  the 
classes  of  property  enumerated — personal,  real, 
railroad,  telegraph,  etc.  The  valuation  of  the 
capital  stock  of  railroads,  telegraph  and  other 
corporations  (except  newspapers)  is  fixed  by  the 
Board.  Its  consideration  having  been  completed, 
the  Board  is  required  to  summarize  the  results  of 
its  labors  in  a  comparative  table,  which  must  be 
again  examined,  compared  and  perfected. 
Reports  of  each  annual  meeting,  with  the  results 
reached,  are  printed  at  the  expense  of  the  State 
and  distributed  as  are  other  public  documents. 
The  present  Board  (1897-1901)  consists  by  dis- 
tricts of  (1)  George  F.  McKnight,  (3)  John  J. 
McKenna,  (3)  Solomon  Simon,  (4)  Andrew  Mc- 
Ansh,  (.'))  Albert  Oberndorf,  (6)  Henry  Severin, 
(7)  Edward  S.  Taylor,  (8)  Theodore  S.  Rogers, 
(9)  Charles  A.  Works,  (10)  Thomas  P.  Pierce,  (11) 
Samuel  M.  Barnes,  (12)  Frank  P.  Martin,  (13) 
Frank  K.  Robeson,  (14)  W.  O.  Cadwallader,  (15) 
J.  S.  Cruttenden,  (16)  H.  D.  Hirshheimer,  (17) 
Thomas  N.  Leavitt,  (18)  Joseph  F.  Long,  (19) 
Richard  Cadle,  (20)  Charles  Emerson,  (21)  John 
W.  Larimer,  (22)  William  A.  Wall,  besides  the 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  as  ex-officio  member 
— the  District  members  being  divided  politically 
in  the  proportion  of  eighteen  Republicans  to  four 
Democrats. 

BOARD  OF  PUBLIC  CHARITIES,  a  State 
Bureau,  created  by  act  of  the  Legislature  in 
1869,  upon  the  recommendation  of  Governor 
Oglesby.  The  act  creating  the  Board  gives  the 
Commissioners  supervisory  oversight  of  the 
financial  and  administrative  conduct  of  all  the 
charitable  and  correctional  institutions  of  the 
State,  with  the  exception  of  the  penitentiaries, 
and  they  are  especially  charged  with  looking 
after  and  caring  for  the  condition  of  the  paupers 
and  the  insane.  As  originally  constituted  the 
Board  consisted  of  five  male  members  who  em- 
ployed a  Secretary.  Later  provision  was  made 
for  the  appointment  of  a  female  Commissioner. 
The  office  is  not  elective.  The  Board  has  always 
carefully  scrutinized  the  accounts  of  the  various 
State  charitable  institutions,  and,  under  its  man- 


agement, no  charge  of  peculation  against  any 
otficial  connected  with  the  same  has  ever  been 
substantiated ;  there  have  been  no  scandals,  and 
only  one  or  two  isolated  charges  of  cruelty  to 
inmates.  Its  supervi.sion  of  tlie  county  jails  and 
almshouses  has  been  careful  and  conscientious, 
and  has  resulted  in  benefit  alike  to  the  tax-payers 
and  the  inmates.  Tlie  Board,  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1898,  consisted  of  the  following  five  mem- 
bers, their  terms  ending  as  indicated  in  paren- 
thesis: J.  C.  Corbus  (1898),  R.  D.  Lawrence 
(1899),  Julia  C.  Lathrop  (1900),  William  J.  Cal- 
houn (1901),  Ephraim  Banning  (1902).  J.  C.  Cor- 
bus was  President  and  Frederick  H.  Wines. 
Secretary. 

BOtfABDUS,  Charles,  legislator,  was  born 
in  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  March  28,  1841,  and 
left  an  orphan  at  six  years  of  age ;  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  began  working  in  a  store 
at  12,  and,  in  1862,  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-first  New  York  Infantry,  being  elected 
First  Lieutenant,  and  retiring  from  the  service 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel  "for  gallant  and  meritori- 
ous service"  before  Petersburg.  While  in  the 
service  he  participated  in  some  of  the  most 
important  battles  in  Virginia,  and  was  once 
wounded  and  once  captured.  In  1872  he  located 
in  Ford  County,  111.,  where  he  has  been  a  success- 
ful operator  in  real  estate.  He  has  been  twice 
elected  to  the  House  of  Representatives  (1884  and 
'86)  and  three  times  to  the  State  Senate  (1888, 
'92  and  '96),  and  has  served  on  the  most  important 
committees  in  each  house,  and  has  proved  him- 
self one  of  the  most  useful  members.  At  tlie 
session  of  1895  he  was  chosen  President  pro  tern. 
of  the  Senate. 

BOGGS,  Carroll  C,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Wayne  County, 
III.,  Oct.  19,  1844,  and  still  resides  in  his  native 
town;  has  held  the  offices  of  State's  Attorney, 
County  Judge  of  Wayne  County,  and  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Second  Judicial  Circuit, 
being  assigned  also  to  Appellate  Court  duty.  In 
June.  1897,  Judge  Boggs  was  elected  a  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  to  succeed  Judge  David  J. 
Baker,  his  term  to  continue  until  1906. 

BOLTWOOD,  Henry  L.,  the  son  of  WiUiam 
and  Electa  (Stetson)  Boltwood,  was  born  at  Am- 
herst, Mass.,  Jan.  17,  1831;  fitted  for  college  at 
Amherst  Academy  and  graduated  from  Amherst 
College  in  1853.  While  in  college  he  taught 
school  every  winter,  commencing  on  a  salary  of 
S4  per  week  and  "boarding  round"  among  the 
scholars.  After  graduating  he  taught  in  acad- 
emies at  Limerick,  Me.,  and  at   Pembroke  and 


56 


IILSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Derry,  N.  H.,  and  in  the  high  school  at  Law- 
rence, Mass. ;  also  served  as  School  Commissioner 
for  Rockingham  County,  N.  H.  In  1864  lie  went 
into  the  service  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  in 
the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  remaining  until  the 
close  of  the  war ;  was  also  ordained  Chaplain  of  a 
colored  regiment,  but  was  not  regularly  mustered 
in.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  employed 
as  Superintendent  of  Schools  at  Griggsville,  111., 
for  two  years,  and,  while  there,  in  1867,  organ- 
ized the  first  township  high  school  ever  organized 
in  the  State,  where  he  remained  eleven  years.  He 
afterwards  organized  the  township  high  school  at 
Ottawa,  remaining  there  five  years,  after  which, 
in  1883,  he  organized  and  took  charge  of  the 
township  high  school  at  Evanston,  where  he  has 
since  been  employed  in  his  profession  as  a  teacher. 
Professor  Boltwood  has  been  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education  and  has  served  as  President 
of  the  State  Teachers'  A.ssociation.  As  a  teacher 
he  has  given  special  attention  to  English  language 
and  literature,  and  to  history,  being  the  author 
of  an  English  Grammar,  a  High  School  Speller 
and  "Topical  Outlines  of  General  History," 
liesides  many  contributions  to  eilncational  jour- 
nals. He  has  done  a  great  deal  of  institute  work, 
both  in  Illinois  and  Iowa,  and  has  been  known 
somewhat  as  a  tariff  reformer. 

BOND,  Lester  L.,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Raven- 
na, Ohio,  Oct.  27,  1829;  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  an  academy,  meanwhile  laboring 
in  local  factories;  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  18.'>3,  the  following  year  coming  to 
Chicago,  where  he  has  given  his  attention  chiefly 
to  practice  in  connection  with  patent  laws.  Mr. 
Bond  .served  several  terms  in  the  Cliicago  City 
Council,  was  Republican  Presidential  Elector  in 
18G8,  and  served  two  terms  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly—1866-70. 

BOND,  Shadrach,  first  Territorial  Delegate  in 
Congress  from  Illinois  and  first  Governor  of  the 
State,  was  born  in  Maryland,  and,  after  being 
liberally  educated,  removed  to  Kaskaskia  while 
Illinois  was  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  first  Territorial 
Legislature  (of  Indiana  Territory)  and  was  the 
first  Delegate  from  the  Territory  of  Illinois  in 
Congress,  serving  from  1812  to  1814.  In  the 
latter  year  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys;  he  also  held  a  commission  as  Captain  in 
the  War  of  1812.  On  the  admission  of  the  State, 
in  1818,  he  was  elected  Governor,  and  occupied 
the  executive  chair  until  1822.  Died  at  Kaskas- 
kia, April  13, 1832.— Shadrach  Bond,  Sr.,  an  uncle 
of  the  preceding,  came  to  Illinois  in  1781  and  was 


elected  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County  (then 
comprehending  all  Illinois)  to  the  Territorial 
Legislature  of  Northwest  Territory,  in  1799,  and, 
in  1804,  to  the  Legislative  Council  of  the  newly 
organized  Territory  of  Indiana. 

BOND  COUNTY,  a  small  county  lying  north- 
east from  St.  Louis,  liaving  an  area  of  380  square 
miles  and  a  population  1000)  of  10,078.  The 
first  American  settlers  located  here  in  1807,  com- 
ing from  the  South,  and  building  Hill's  and 
Jones's  forts  for  protection  from  the  Indians. 
Settlement  was  slow,  in  1816  there  being  scarcelj' 
twenty-five  log  cabins  in  the  county.  The 
county  seat  is  Greenville,  where  the  first  cabin 
was  erected  in  181.5  by  George  Davidson.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1818,  and  named  in 
honor  of  Gov.  Shadrach  Bond.  Its  original 
limits  included  the  present  comities  of  Clinton, 
Fayette  and  Montgomery.  The  first  court  was 
held  at  Perryville,  and,  in  May,  1817,  Judge 
Jesse  B.  Thomas  presided  over  the  first  Circuit 
Court  at  Hill's  Station.  The  first  court  house 
was  erected  at  Greenville  in  1822.  The  county 
contains  good  timber  and  farming  lands,  and  at 
some  points,  coal  is  found  near  the  surface. 

BONNEY,  Charles  Carroll,  lawyer  and  re- 
former, was  born  in  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  4, 
1831 ;  eilucated  at  Hamilton  Academy  and  settled 
in  Peoria,  111.,  in  18.50,  where  he  pursued  the 
avocation  of  a  teacher  wliile  studying  law;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  18.52,  but  removed  to  Chi- 
cago in  1860,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
practice;  served  as  President  of  the  National 
Law  and  Order  League  in  New  York  in  1885, 
being  repeatedly  re-elected,  and  has  also  been 
President  of  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association,  as 
well  as  a  member  of  the  Anierican  Bar  Associa- 
tion. Among  the  reforms  which  he  has  advo- 
cated are  constitutional  prohibition  of  special 
legislation ;  an  extension  of  equity  practice  to 
bankruptcy  and  other  law  proceedings;  civil  serv- 
ice pensions;  State  Boards  of  labor  and  capital, 
etc.  He  has  also  published  some  treatises  in  book 
form,  chiefly  on  legal  questions,  besides  editing 
a  volume  of  "Poems  by  Alfred  W.  Arrington, 
with  a  sketch  of  his  Character"  (1869.)  As  Presi- 
dent of  the  World's  ('ongresses  Auxiliary,  in  1893, 
Mr.  Bonney  contributed  largely  to  the  success  of 
that  very  interesting  and  important  feature  of 
the  great  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago. 

BOONE,  Levi  D.,  M.  D.,  early  physician,  was 
born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  December,  1808 — a 
descendant  of  the  celebrated  Daniel  Boone;  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  Transylvania 
University  and  came  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  at  an 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


early  day,  afterwards  locating  at  Hillsboro  and 
taking  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  as  Captain  of 
a  cavalry  company;  came  to  Chicago  in  1836  and 
engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  later  resuming 
the  practice  of  his  profession;  served  several 
terms  as  Alderman  and  was  elected  Mayor  in 
18.55  by  a  combination  of  temperance  men  and 
Know- Nothings;  acquired  a  large  property  by 
operations  in  real  estate.  Died,  February, 
1883 

BOOIVE  COUNTY,  the  smallest  of  the  "north- 
ern tier"  of  counties,  having  an  area  of  only  290 
square  miles,  and  a  population  (lUOO)  of  15,791. 
Its  surface  is  chiefly  rolling  prairie,  and  the 
principal  products  are  oats  and  corn.  The  earli- 
est settlers  came  from  New  York  and  New  Eng- 
land, and  among  them  were  included  Medkiff, 
Dunham,  Caswell,  Cline,  Towner,  Doty  and 
Whitney.  Later  (after  the  Pottawattomies  had 
evacuated  the  country),  came  the  Shattuck 
brothers,  Maria  Hollenbeck  and  Mrs.  Bullard, 
Oliver  Hale,  Nathaniel  Crosby,  Dr.  Whiting,  H. 
C.  Walker,  and  the  Neeley  and  Mahoney  families. 
Boone  County  was  cut  off  from  Winnebago,  and 
organized  in  1837.  being  named  in  honor  of  Ken- 
tucky's pioneer.  The  first  frame  house  in  the 
county  was  erected  by  S.  F.  Doty  and  stood  for 
fifty  years  in  the  village  of  Belvidere  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Kishwaukee  River.  The  county-seat 
(Belvidere)  was  platted  in  1837,  and  an  academy 
built  soon  after.  The  first  Protestant  church 
was  a  Baptist  society  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
Dr.  King. 

BOURBONjVAIS,  a  village  of  Kankakee  County, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  5  miles  north  of 
Kankakee.     Population  (1890),  510;  (l'J(MI).  .595. 

BOUTELL,  Henry  Sherman,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  March  14, 
1856,  graduated  from  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity at  Evanston,  111.,  in  1874,  and  from  Harvard 
in  1876;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Illinois  in 
1879,  and  to  that  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  in  188.5.  In  1884  Mr.  Boutell  was 
elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Thirty-fourth 
General  Assembly  and  was  one  of  the  "103"  who, 
in  the  long  struggle  during  the  following  session, 
participated  in  the  election  of  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan  to  the  United  States  Senate  for  the  last 
time.  At  a  special  election  held  in  the  Sixth 
Illinois  District  in  November,  1897,  he  was 
elected  Representative  in  Congress  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  sudden  death  of  his  pred- 
ecessor. Congressman  Edward  D.  Cooke,  and  at 
the  regular  election  of  1898  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  position,  receiving  a  plurality  of  1,116  over 


his  Democratic  competitor  and  a  majority  of  719 
over  all. 

BOUTON,  Nathaniel  fS.,  manufacturer,  was 
born  in  Concord,  N,  H.,  May  14,  18'38;  in  his 
youth  farmed  and  taught  school  in  Connecticut, 
but  in  1852  came  to  Chicago  and  was  employed 
in  a  foundry  firm,  of  which  he  soon  afterwards 
became  a  partner,  in  tlie  manufacture  of  car- 
wheels  and  railway  castings.  Later  he  became 
associated  with  the  American  Bridge  Company's 
works,  which  was  sold  to  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company  in  1857,  when  he  bought  the 
Union  Car  Works,  which  he  operated  until  1863. 
He  then  became  the  head  of  the  Union  Foundry 
Works,  which  liaving  been  consolidated  with 
the  Pullman  Car  Works  in  1886,  he  retired, 
organizing  the  Bouton  Foundry  Company.  Mr. 
Bouton  is  a  Republican,  was  Commissioner  of 
Public  Works  for  the  city  of  Chicago  two  terms 
before  the  Civil  War,  and  served  as  Assistant 
Quartermaster  in  the  Eiglity-eighth  Illinois 
Infantry  (Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment) 
from  1863  until  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

BOYD,  Thomas  A.,  was  born  in  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  June  35.  1830,  and  graduated  at  Marshall 
College,  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  at  the  age  of  18; 
studied  law  at  Chambersburg  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Bedford  in  his  native  State,  where 
he  practiced  until  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois. In  1861  lie  abandoned  his  practice  to  enlist 
in  the  Seventeenth  Illinois  Infantry,  in  which  he 
held  the  position  of  Captain.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Levvistown,  and 
in  1866,  was  elected  State  Senator  and  re-elected 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  1870,  serving  in 
the  Twenty-fifth,  Twenty-sixth  and  Twenty- 
seventh  General  Assemblies.  He  was  also  a 
Republican  Representative  from  his  District  in 
the  Forty-fifth  and  Forty-sixth  Congresses 
(1877-81).     Died,  at  Lewistown,  May  28,  1897. 

BRACEVILLE,  a  town  in  Grundy  County,  61 
miles  by  rail  southwest  of  Chicago.  Coal  mining 
is  the  principal  industry.  The  town  has  two 
banks,  two  churches  and  good  public  schools. 
Population  (1890),  3,150;  (1900),  1,669. 

BRADFORD,  village  of  Stark  County,  on  Buda 
and  Rusliville  brancli  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway;  is  in  excellent  farming  region 
and  has  large  grain  and  live-stock  trade,  excel- 
lent high  school  building,  fine  churches,  good 
hotels  and  one  newspaper.      Pop.  (1900),  773. 

BRADSBY,  William  H.,  pioneer  and  Judge, 
was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Va.,  July  13,  1787. 
He  removed  to  Illinois  early  in  life,  and  was  the 
first  postmaster  in  Washington  County  (at  Cov- 


58 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


ington),  the  first  school-teacher  and  the  first 
Circuit  and  County  Clerk  and  Recorder.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  Probate  and  County 
Judge.  Besides  being  Clerk  of  all  the  courts,  he 
was  virtually  County  Treasurer,  as  he  had  cus- 
tody of  all  the  county's  money.  For  several 
years  he  was  also  Deputy  United  States  Surveyor, 
and  in  that  capacity  surveyed  much  of  tlie  south 
part  of  the  State,  as  far  east  as  Wayne  and  Clay 
Counties.  Died  at  Nashville,  111  ,  August  21, 
1839. 

BRADWELL,  James  Bolesworth,  lawyer  and 
editor,  was  born  at  Loughborough,  England,  April 
16,  1828,  and  brought  to  America  in  infancy,  his 
parents  locating  in  1829  or  '30  at  Utica,  N.  Y.  In 
1833  they  emigrated  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  but  the 
following  year  removed  to  Wheeling,  Cook 
County,  settling  on  a  farm,  where  the  younger 
Bradwell  received  his  first  lessons  in  breaking 
prairie,  splitting  rails  and  tilling  the  soil.  His 
first  schooling  was  obtained  in  a  country  log- 
school-house,  but,  later,  he  attended  the  Wilson 
Academy  in  Chicago,  where  he  had  Judge  Lo- 
renzo Sawyer  for  an  instructor.  He  also  took  a 
course  in  Knox  College  at  Galesburg,  then  a 
manual-labor  school,  supporting  himself  by  work- 
ing in  a  wagon  and  plow  shop,  sawing  wood, 
etc.  In  May,  1853,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Myra 
Colby,  a  teacher,  with  whom  he  went  to  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  the  same  year,  where  the}-  engaged 
in  teaching  a  select  school,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  meanwhile  devoting  some  attention  to 
reading  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  there, 
but  after  a  stay  of  less  than  two  years  in  Mem- 
phis, returned  to  Chicago  and  began  practice. 
In  1861  he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Cook 
County,  and  reelected  four  years  later,  but 
declined  a  re-election  in  1869.  The  first  half  of 
his  term  occurring  during  the  progress  of  the 
Civil  War,  he  had  the  opportunity  of  rendering 
some  vigorous  decisions  which  won  for  him  the 
reputation  of  a  man  of  courage  and  inflexible 
independence,  as  well  as  an  incorruptible  cham- 
pion of  justice.  In  1872  lie  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  Twentj-eighth  General 
Assembly  from  Cook  County,  and  re-elected  in 
1874.  He  was  again  a  candidate  in  1882,  and  by 
many  believed  to  have  been  honestly  elected, 
though  his  opponent  received  the  certificate.  He 
made  a  contest  for  the  seat,  and  the  majority  of 
the  Committee  on  Elections  reported  in  his 
favor;  but  he  was  defeated  through  the  treach- 
ery and  suspected  corrujition  of  a  professed  polit- 
ical friend.  He  is  the  author  of  the  law  making 
women  eligible  to  school   offices  in  Illinois  and 


allowing  them  to  become  Notaries  Public,  and 
has  always  been  a  champion  for  equal  rights  for 
women  in  the  professions  and  as  citizens.  He 
was  a  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Illinois  Militia,  in  1848;  presided 
over  the  American  Woman's  Suffrage  Associa- 
tion at  its  organization  in  Cleveland ;  has  been 
President  of  the  Chicago  Press  Club,  of  the  Chi- 
cago Bar  Association,  and,  for  a  number  of  years, 
the  Historian  of  the  latter;  one  of  the  founders 
and  President  of  the  Union  League  Club,  besides 
being  associated  with  many  other  social  and 
business  organizations.  At  present  (1899)  he  is 
editor  of  "The  Chicago  Legal  News,"  founded  by 
his  wife  thirty  years  ago,  and  with  which  he  has 
been  identified  in  a  bu-siness  caj^acity  from  its 
establishment. — Myra  Colby  (Bradwell),  thew^ife 
of  Judge  Bradwell,  was  born  at  Manchester,  Vt., 
Feb.  12,  1831 — being  descended  on  her  mother's 
side  from  the  Chase  family  to  which  Bishop 
Philander  Chase  and  .Salmon  P.  Cha.se,  the  latter 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  by  appointment  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  belonged.  In  infancy  she  was  brought 
to  Portage,  N.  Y.,  where  she  remained  until  she 
was  twelve  years  of  age,  when  her  family  re- 
moved west.  She  attended  school  in  Kenosha, 
Wis.,  and  a  seminary  at  Elgin,  afterwards  being 
engaged  in  teaching.  On  May  18,  18.^2,  she  was 
married  to  Judge  Bradwell,  almost  immediately 
going  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  where,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  her  husband,  she  conducted  a  select  school 
for  some  time,  also  teaching  in  the  public  schools, 
when  they  returned  to  Chicago.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  Civil  War  she  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field  and  their 
families  at  home,  becoming  President  of  the 
Soldiers'  Aid  Society,  and  was  a  leading  spirit  in 
the  Sanitary  Fairs  held  in  Chicago  in  1863  and  in 
1865.  After  the  war  she  commenced  the  study 
of  law  and,  in  1868,  began  the  pubUcation  of 
"The  Cliicago  Legal  News,"  with  which  she  re- 
mained identified  until  her  death — also  publishing 
biennially  an  edition  of  the  session  laws  after 
each  session  of  the  General  Assembly.  After 
passing  a  most  creditable  examination,  applica- 
tion was  made  for  her  admission  to  tlie  bar  in 
1871,  but  denied  in  an  elaborate  decision  rendered 
by  Judge  C.  B.  Lawrence  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State,  on  the  sole  ground  of  sex,  as 
was  also  done  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  in  1873,  on  the  latter  occasion 
Chief  Justice  Chase  dissenting.  She  was  finally 
admitted  to  the  bar  on  March  28,  1892,  and  was 
the  first  lady  member  of  the  State  Bar  Associ- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


59 


ation.  Other  organizations  with  wliich  she  was 
identified  embraced  tlie  Illinois  State  Press 
Association,  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Sol- 
diers' Home  (in  war  time),  the  "Illinois  Industrial 
School  for  Girls"  at  Evanston,  the  Washingtonian 
Home,  the  Board  of  Lady  Managers  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  and  Chairman  of 
the  Woman's  Committee  on  Jurisprudence  of  the 
World's  Congress  Auxiliary  of  1893.  Although 
much  before  the  public  during  the  latter  years  of 
her  life,  she  never  lost  the  refinement  and  gi-aces 
which  belong  to  a  true  woman.  Died,  at  her 
home  in  Chicago,  Feb.  14,  1894. 

BRAIDWOOD,  a  city  in  Will  County,  incorpo- 
rated in  18C0;  is  58  miles  from  Chicago,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad;  an  important  coal- 
mining point,  and  in  the  heart  of  a  rich 
agricultural  region.  It  has  a  bank  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.    Population  (1890),  4,641 ;  (1900),  3.279. 

BRANSON,  Nathaniel  W.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Jacksonville,  111.,  May  29,  1837;  was  educated  in 
the  private  and  public  schools  of  that  city  and  at 
Illinois  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1857 ;  studied  law  with  David  A.  Smith,  a  promi- 
nent and  able  lawyer  of  Jacksonville,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1800,  soon  after 
establishing  himself  in  practice  at  Petersburg, 
Menard  County,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided. 
In  1867  Mr.  Branson  was  appointed  Register  in 
Bankruptcy  for  the  Springfield  District  —  a  po- 
sition which  he  held  thirteen  years.  He  was  also 
elected  Representative  in  the  General  Assembly 
in  1872,  by  re-election  in  1874  serving  four  years 
in  the  stormy  Twenty-eighth  and  Twenty -ninth 
General  Assemblies ;  was  a  Delegate  from  Illinois 
to  the  National  Republican  Convention  of  1876, 
and  served  for  several  years  most  efficiently  as  a 
Trustee  of  the  State  Institution  for  the  Blind  at 
Jacksonville,  part  of  the  time  as  President  of  the 
Board.  Politically  a  conservative  Republican, 
and  in  no  sense  an  office-seeker,  the  official  po- 
sitions which  he  has  occupied  have  come  to  him 
unsought  and  in  recognition  of  his  fitness  and 
capacity  for  the  proper  di.scharge  of  their  duties. 

ItRAYMAN,  Mason,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  May  23,  1813;  brought  up 
as  a  farmer,  became  a  printer  and  edited  "The 
Buffalo  Bulletin,"  1834-35;  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1836;  removed  west  in 
1837,  was  City  Attorney  of  Monroe,  Mich.,  in  1838 
and  became  editor  of  "The  Louisville  Adver- 
tiser" in  1841.  In  1842  he  opened  a  law  office  in 
Springfield,  111.,  and  the  following  year  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Ford  a  commissioner  to 
adjust  the  Mormon  troubles,  in  which  capacity 


he  rendered  valuable  service.  In  1844-45  he  was 
appointed  to  revise  the  statutes  of  the  State. 
Later  he  devoted  much  attention  to  railroad 
enterprises,  being  attorney  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  1851-55;  then  projected  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railroad  from  Bird's  Point,  ojiposite 
Cairo,  into  Arkansas,  which  was  partially  com- 
pleted before  the  war,  and  almost  wholly  de- 
stroyed during  that  period.  In  1861  he  entered 
tlie  service  as  Major  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  taking  part  in  a  number  of  the  e;irly 
battles,  including  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh; 
was  promoted  to  a  colonelcy  for  meritorious  con- 
duct at  the  latter,  and  for  a  time  served  as 
Adjutant-General  on  the  staff  of  General  McCler- 
nand;  was  promoted  Brigadier-General  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  at  the  close  of  the  war  receiving 
the  brevet  rank  of  Major-General.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  devoted  considerable  atten- 
tion to  reviving  his  railroad  enterprises  in  the 
Soutli;  edited  "The  Illinois  State  Journal," 
1872  73;  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  was  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  Idaho  in  1876,  serving  four 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Ripon,  Wis. 
Died,  in  Kansas  City,  Feb.  27,  1895. 

BREESE,  a  village  in  Clinton  County,  on 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  S.  W.  RaiKva}',  39  miles  east  of 
St.  Louis ;  has  coal  mines,  water  system,  bank  and 
weekly  newspaper.    Pop.  (1890),  808,  (1900),  1,571. 

BREESE.  Sidney,  statesman  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Whitesboro,  N  Y.,  (according  to  the 
generally  accepted  authority)  July  15,  1800. 
Owing  to  a  certain  sensitiveness  about  his  age  in 
his  later  years,  it  has  been  exceedingly  difficult 
to  secure  authentic  data  on  the  subject ;  but  his 
arrival  at  Kaskaskia  in  1818,  after  graduating  at 
Union  College,  and  his  admission  to  the  bar  in 
1820,  have  induced  many  to  believe  that  the  date 
of  his  birth  should  be  placed  somewhat  earlier. 
He  was  related  to  some  of  the  most  prominent 
families  in  New  York,  including  the  Livingstons 
and  the  Morses,  and,  after  his  arrival  at  Kaskas- 
kia, began  the  study  of  law  with  his  friend  Elias 
Kent  Kane,  afterwards  United  States  Senator. 
Meanwhile,  having  served  as  Postmaster  at  Kas- 
kaskia, he  became  Assistant  Secretary  of  State, 
and,  in  December,  1820,  superintended  the  re- 
moval of  the  archives  of  that  office  to  'Vandalia, 
the  new  State  capital.  Later  he  was  appointed 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  serving  in  that  position 
from  1822  till  1827,  when  he  became  United 
States  District  Attorney  for  Illinois.  He  was 
the  first  official  reporter  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
i.ssuing  its  first  volume  of  decisions;  served  as 
Lieutenant-Colonel    of    volunteers    during    the 


60 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Black  Hawk  "War  (1832);  in  1835  was  elected  to 
the  circuit  bench,  and,  in  1841,  was  advanced  to 
the  Supreme  bench,  serving  less  than  two  years, 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  to  wliich  he  was  elected  in  1843  as 
the  successor  of  Richard  M.  Young,  defeating 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  in  the  first  race  of  the  latter 
for  the  office.  While  in  the  Senate  (1843-49)  he 
served  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Lands,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  suggest  the 
construction  of  a  transcontinental  railway  to  the 
Pacific.  He  was  also  one  of  the  originators  and 
active  promoters  in  Congress  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  enterprise.  He  was  Speaker  of  the 
Illinois  House  of  Representatives  in  18.51 ,  again 
became  Circuit  Judge  in  1855  and  returned  to 
the  Supreme  bench  in  1857  and  served  more  than 
one  term  as  Chief  Justice,  the  last  being  in 
1873-74.  His  home  during  most  of  his  public  life 
in  Illinois  was  at  Carlyle.  His  death  occurred 
at  Pinckneyville,  June  28,  1878. 

BRENTANO,  Lorenzo,  was  bom  at  Mannheim, 
in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany,  Nov. 
14,  1813;  was  educated  at  the  Universities  of 
Heidelberg  and  Freiburg,  receiving  the  degree  of 
LL.D.,  and  attaining  high  honors,  both  profes- 
sional and  political.  He  was  successively  a 
member  of  the  Baden  Chamber  of  Deputies  and 
of  the  Frankfort  Parliament,  and  always  a  leader 
of  the  revolutionist  party.  In  1849  he  became 
President  of  the  Provisional  Republican  Gov- 
ernment of  Baden,  but  was,  before  long,  forced 
to  find  an  asylum  in  the  United  States.  He  first 
settled  in  Kalamazoo  Count)-,  Mich.,  as  a  farmer, 
but,  in  1859,  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Illinois  bar,  but  soon  entered  the 
field  of  journalism,  becoming  editor  and  part 
proprietor  of  "The  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung."  He 
held  various  public  offices,  being  elected  to  the 
Legislature  in  1862,  serving  five  years  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  was  a 
Republican  Presidential  Elector  in  18C8,  and 
United  States  Consul  at  Dresden  in  1872  (a  gen- 
eral amnesty  having  been  granted  to  the 
participants  in  the  revolution  of  1848),  and 
Representative  in  Congress  from  1877  to  1879. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  Sept.  17,  1891. 

BRIDGEPORT,  a  town  of  Lawrence  County, 
on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad, 
14  miles  west  of  Vincennes,  Ind.  It  has  a  bank 
and  one  weekly  paper.     Population  (1900),  487. 

BRIDGEPORT,  a  former  suburb  (now  a  part  of 
the  city)  of  Cliicago,  located  at  the  junction  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  with  the  South 
Branch   of   the   Chicago  River.     It  is   now   the 


center  of  the  large  slaughtering  and  packing 
industry. 

BRIDGEPORT  &  SOUTH  CHICAGO  RAIL- 
WAY. (See  Chicago  <£•  Xortliern  Pacific  Railruad.) 

BRIGHTON,  a  village  of  Macoupin  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the 
Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis  branch  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railways;  coal  is  mined 
here;  lias  a  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  691; 
(1890),  G97;  (I'JlK)),  1)00. 

BRIMFIELD,  a  town  of  Peoria  County,  on  the 
Buda  and  Ru.sli >ille  branch  of  the  Cliicago.  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railway.  38  miles  south  of 
Buda;  coal-mining  and  farming  are  the  chief 
industries.  It  has  one  weekly  paper  and  a  bank. 
Population  (1880),  832;  (1890),  719;  (1900J,  077. 

BRISTOL,  Frank  Milton,  clergj-man,  was  bom 
in  Orleans  County,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  4,  1851;  came 
to  Kankakee,  111.,  in  boyhood,  and  having  lost 
his  father  at  12  years  of  age,  spent  the  following 
years  in  various  manual  occupations  until  about 
nineteen  years  of  age,  when,  having  been  con- 
verted, he  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
ministry.  Tlirough  the  aid  of  a  benevolent  lady, 
he  was  enabled  to  get  two  years'  (1870-72)  instruc- 
tion at  the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evans- 
ton,  afterwards  supporting  himself  by  preaching 
at  various  points,  meanwliile  continuing  his 
studies  at  the  University  until  1877.  After  com- 
pleting his  course  he  served  ;is  pastor  of  some  of 
the  most  prominent  Methodist  churches  in  Chi- 
cago, his  last  charge  in  the  State  being  at  Evans- 
ton.  In  1897  he  was  transferred  to  Washington 
City,  becoming  pastor  of  the  Metroixjlitan  M.  E. 
Clmrch,  attended  by  President  McKinley  Dr. 
Bristol  is  an  author  of  some  repute  and  an  orator 
of  recognized  ability. 

BROADWELL,  Norman  M.,  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Morgan  County,  111.,  August  1,  1825;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  at  McKendree 
and  Illinois  Colleges,  but  compelled  by  failing 
health  to  leave  college  without  graduating;  spent 
some  time  in  the  book  business,  then  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  a  view  to  benefiting  his 
own  health,  but  finally  abandoned  this  and,  about 
1850,  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  oflBce  of 
Lincoln  &  Herndon  at  Springfield.  Having  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  he  practiced  for  a  time  at 
Pekin,  but,  in  1854,  returned  to  Springfield, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  1860 
he  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  Sangamon  Coimty,  serving 
in  the  Twenty  second  General  As.sembly.  Other 
offices  held  by  him  included  those  of  Coimty 
Judge  (1863-65)  and  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Spring- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


61 


field,  to  wliich  last  position  he  was  twice  elected 
(1867  and  again  in  1869).  Judge  Broad  well  was 
one  of  the  most  genial  of  men,  popular,  high- 
minded  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings.  Died, 
in  Springfield,  Feb.  28,  1893. 

BROOKS,  John  Flavel,  educator,  was  born 
in  Oneida  County,  New  York,  Dec.  3,  1801; 
graduated  at  Hamilton  College,  1838;  studied 
three  years  in  the  theological  department  of  Yale 
College;  was  ordained  to  the  Presbyterian  min- 
istry in  1831,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  the  service 
of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society. 
After  preaching  at  Collinsville,  Belleville  and 
other  points,  Mr.  Brooks,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  celebrated  "Yale  Band,"  in  18.37  assumed  the 
principalship  of  a  Teachers'  Seminary  at  Waverly, 
Morgan  County,  but  three  years  later  removed  to 
Springfield,  where  he  established  an  academy  for 
both  sexes.  Although  finally  compelled  to 
abandon  this,  he  continued  teaching  with  some 
interruptions  to  within  a  few  years  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1886.  He  was  one  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  Illinois  College  from  its  foundation  up  to 
his  death. 

BROSS,  William,  journalist,  was  born  in  Sus- 
sex County,  N.  J.,  Nov.  14,  1813,  and  graduated 
with  honors  from  Williams  College  in  1838,  hav- 
ing previously  developed  his  physical  strength 
by  much  hard  work  upon  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal,  and  in  the  lumbering  trade.  For 
five  years  after  graduating  he  was  a  teacher,  and 
settled  in  Chicago  in  1848.  Th  jre  he  first  engaged 
in  bookselling,  but  later  embarked  in  journalism. 
His  first  publication  was  "The  Prairie  Herald,"  a 
religious  paper,  which  was  discontinued  after 
two  years.  In  1852,  in  connection  with  John  L. 
Scripps,  he  founded  "The  Democratic  Press," 
which  was  consolidated  with  "The  Tribune"  in 
1858,  Mr.  Bross  retaining  his  connection  with  the 
new  concern.  He  was  always  an  ardent  free- 
soiler,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  great  future  of 
Chicago  and  the  Northwest.  He  was  an  enthusi- 
astic Republican,  and,  in  1856  and  1860,  served  as 
an  effective  campaign  orator.  In  1864  he  was 
the  successful  nominee  of  his  party  for  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor. This  was  his  only  official  position 
outside  of  a  membership  in  the  Chicago  Common 
Council  in  1855.  As  a  presiding  officer,  he  was 
dignified  yet  affable,  and  his  impartiality  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  no  appeals  were  taken 
from  his  decisions.  After  quitting  public  life  he 
devoted  nuich  time  to  literary  pursuits,  deliver- 
ing lectures  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 
Among  his  best  known  works  are  a  brief  "His- 
tory of  Chicago,"  "History  of  Camp  Douglas," 


and  "Tom  Quick."     Died,  in  Chicago,  Jan.  27, 
1890. 

BROWN,  Henry,  lawyer  and  historian,  was 
born  at  Hebron,  Tolland  County,  Conn.,  May  13. 
1789 — the  son  of  a  commissary  in  the  army  of 
General  Greene  of  Revolutionary  fame;  gradu 
ated  at  Yale  College,  and,  when  of  age,  removed 
to  New  York,  later  studying  law  at  Albany, 
Canandaigua  and  Batavia,  and  being  admitted  to 
the  bar  about  1813,  when  he  settled  down  in 
practice  at  Cooperstown;  in  1816  was  appointed 
Judge  of  Herkimer  County,  remaining  on  tlie 
bench  until  about  1824.  He  tlien  resumed  prac- 
tice at  Cooperstown,  continuing  until  1S36,  wlaen 
he  removed  to  Chicago.  Tlie  following  year  he 
was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  serving  two 
years,  and,  in  1842,  became  Prosecuting  Attorney 
of  Cook  County.  During  this  period  he  was 
engaged  in  writing  a  "History  of  Illinois,"  which 
was  published  in  New  York  in  1844  This  was 
regarded  at  the  time  as  the  most  voluminous  and 
best  digested  work  on  Illinois  history  that  had  as 
yet  been  published.  In  1846,  on  assuming  the 
Presidency  of  tlie  Chicago  Lyceum,  he  delivered 
an  inaugural  entitled  "Chicago,  Present  and 
Future,"  which  is  still  preserved  as  a  striking 
prediction  of  Chicago's  future  greatness.  Origi- 
nally a  Democrat,  he  became  a  Freesoiler  in  1848. 
Died  of  cholera,  in  Chicago,  May  16,  1849. 

BROWN,  James  B.,  journalist,  was  bom  in 
Gilmanton,  Belknap  Coimty,  N.  H.,  Sept.  1, 
1833 — his  father  being  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture and  Selectman  for  his  town.  The  son  was 
educated  at  Gilmanton  Academy,  after  which  he 
studied  medicine  for  a  time,  but  did  not  gradu- 
ate. In  1857  he  removed  West,  first  settling  at 
Dunleith,  Jo  Daviess  County,  111.,  where  he 
became  Principal  of  the  public  schools;  in  1861 
was  elected  County  Superintendent  of  Schools 
for  Jo  Daviess  County,  removing  to  Galena  two 
years  later  and  assuming  the  editorship  of  "The 
Gazette"  of  that  city.  Mr.  Brown  al-so  served  as 
Postmaster  of  Galena  for  several  years.  Died, 
Feb.  13,  1896. 

BROWN,  James  N.,  agriculturist  and  stock- 
man, was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  1, 
1806;  came  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  in  1833, 
locating  at  Island  Grove,  where  he  engaged 
extensively  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
served  as  Representative  in  the  General  Assem- 
blies of  1840,  '42,  '46,  and  '52,  and  in  the  last  was 
instrumental  in  securing  the  incorporation  of  the 
Illinois  State  Agricultural  Society,  of  %vhich  he 
was  chosen  the  first  Presiilent,  being  reelected  in 
1854.     He  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  grow- 


62 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ers  of  blooded  cattle  in  the  State  and  did  much  to 
introduce  them  in  Central  Illinois ;  was  also  an 
earnest  and  influential  advocate  of  scientific 
education  for  the  agricultural  classes  and  an 
efficient  colaborer  with  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner,  of 
Jacksonville,  in  securing  the  enactment  by  Con- 
gress, in  1863,  of  the  law  granting  lands  for  the 
endowment  of  Industrial  Colleges,  out  of  which 
grew  the  Illinois  State  University  and  institu- 
tions of  like  character  in  other  States.  Died, 
Nov.  16,  1868. 

BROWN,  William,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born 
Jime  1,  1819,  in  Cumberland,  England,  his  par- 
ents emigrating  to  this  country  when  he  was 
eight  years  old,  and  settling  in  Western  New 
York.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Rochester, 
in  October,  1845,  and  at  once  removed  to  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  where  he  commenced  practice.  In  18.53 
he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  the  Four- 
teenth Judicial  Circuit,  and,  in  1857,  was  chosen 
Mayor  of  Rockford.  In  1870  he  was  elected  to 
the  bench  of  the  Circuit  Court  as  successor  to 
Judge  Sheldon,  later  was  promoted  to  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  was  re-elected  successivelj"  in 
1873,  in  '79  and  "85.  Died,  at  Rockford,  Jan.  1.5, 
1891. 

BROWN,  William  H.,  lawyer  and  financier, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  Dec.  20,  1796;  spent 
his  boyhood  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  studied  law,  and, 
in  1818,  came  to  Illinois  with  Samuel  D.  Lock- 
wood  (afterwards  a  Justice  of  the  State  Supreme 
Court),  descending  the  Ohio  River  to  Shawnee- 
town  in  a  flat-boat.  Mr.  Brown  visited  Kaskas- 
kia  and  was  soon  after  appointed  Clerk  of  the 
United  States  District  Court  by  Judge  Nathaniel 
Pope,  removing,  in  1820,  to  Vandalia,  the  new 
State  capital,  where  he  remained  until  1835.  He 
then  removed  to  Chicago  to  accept  the  position  of 
Cashier  of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  State  Bank 
of  Illinois,  wliich  he  continued  to  fill  for  many 
years.  He  served  the  city  as  School  Agent  for 
thirteen  years  (1840-53),  managing  the  citj-'s 
school  fund  through  a  critical  period  with  great 
discretion  and  success.  He  was  one  of  the  group 
of  early  patriots  who  successfully  resisted  the 
attempt  to  plant  slavery  in  Illinois  in  1823-24; 
was  also  one  of  the  projectors  of  the  Chicago  & 
Galena  Union  Railroad,  was  President  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society  for  seven  years  and 
connected  with  many  other  local  enterprises. 
He  was  an  ardent  personal  friend  of  President 
Lincoln  and  served  as  Representative  in  the 
Twenty -second  General  Assembly  (1860-62). 
While  making  a  tour  of  Europe  he  died  of  paraly- 
sis at  Amsterdam,  June  17,  1867. 


BROWN    COUNTY,  situated   in   the  western 

part  of  the  .State,  with  an  area  of  300  square 
miles,  and  a  population  (1890)  of  11,951;  was  cut 
off  from  Schuyler  and  made  a  separate  county  in 
May,  1839,  being  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Jacob 
Brown.  Among  the  pioneer  settlers  were  the 
Vandeventers  and  Hambaughs,  John  and  David 
Six,  William  McDaniel,  Jeremiah  Walker, 
Willis  O'Neil,  Harry  Lester,  John  Ausmus  and 
Robert  H.  Curry.  Tlie  county-seat  is  Mount 
Sterling,  a  town  of  no  little  attractiveness. 
Other  prosperous  villages  are  Jlound  .Station  and 
Ripley.  The  chief  occupation  of  the  i)eoi)Ie  is 
farming,  although  there  is  some  manufacturing 
of  lumber  and  a  few  potteries  along  the  Illinois 
River.     Population  (1900),  11,557. 

BROWNE,  Francis  Fisher,  editor  and  author, 
was  born  in  South  Halifax,  Vt.,  Dec.  1,  1843,  tlie 
son  of  William  Goldsmith  Browne,  wlio  was  a 
teacher,  editor  and  author  of  the  song  "A  Hun- 
dred Years  to  Come."  In  childhood  he  was 
brought  by  liis  parents  to  Western  Massachusetts, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  learned 
tlie  printing  trade  in  his  father's  newspaper 
office  at  Cliicopee,  Mass.  Leaving  school  in  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-sixth  Regiment  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteers,  in  which  he  ser\'ed  one 
year,  chiefly  in  North  Carolina  and  in  the  jVrmy 
of  the  Potomac.  On  the  discharge  of  his  regi- 
ment he  engaged  in  the  study  of  law  at  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  entering  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  in  1806,  but  abandoning 
his  intenton  of  entering  the  legal  profession, 
removed  to  Chicago  in  1867,  where  he  engaged  in 
journalistic  and  literary  i)ursuits.  Between  1869 
and  '74  he  was  editor  of  "The  Lakeside  Monthly," 
when  lie  became  literary  editor  of  "The  Alliance," 
but,  in  1880,  he  established  and  assumed  the 
editor.ship  of  "The  Dial,"  a  purely  literary  pub- 
lication which  has  gained  a  high  reputation,  and 
of  which  he  has  remained  in  control  continuously 
ever  since,  meanwhile  serving  as  the  literary 
adviser,  for  many  years,  of  the  well-known  p»ib- 
lishing  house  of  McClurg  &  Co.  Besides  his 
joirrnaUstic  work,  Mr.  Browne  has  contributed 
to  the  magazines  and  literary  anthologies  a  num- 
ber of  short  lyrics,  and  is  the  author  of  "The 
Everyday  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln"  (1886),  and 
a  volume  of  poems  entitled,  "Volunteer  Grain" 
(1893).  He  also  compiled  and  edited  "Golden 
Poems  by  British  and  ^Vnierican  Authors"  (1881); 
"The  Golden  Treasury  of  Poetry  and  Prose" 
(1886),  and  the  "Laurel  Crowned"series  of  stand- 
ard poetry  (1891-92).  Mr.  Browne  was  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  of  the  Congress  of  Authors  in 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


63 


the  World's  Congress  Auxiliary  held  in  con- 
nection with  The  Columbian  Exposition  in 
1893. 

BROWNE,  Thomas  €.,  early  jurist,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  studied  law  there  and,  coming  to 
Sliawneetown  in  1812,  served  in  the  lower  branch 
of  the  Second  Territorial  Legislature  (1814-10) 
and  in  the  Council  (1816-18),  being  the  first  law- 
yer to  enter  that  body.  In  1815  he  was  appointed 
Prosecuting  Attorney  and,  on  the  admission  of 
Illinois  as  a  State,  was  promoted  to  tlie  Supreme 
bench,  being  re-elected  by  joint  ballot  of  the 
Legislature  in  1825,  and  serving  continuously 
until  the  reorganization  of  the  Supreme  Court 
under  the  Constitution  of  1848,  a  period  of  over 
thirty  years.  Judge  Browne's  judicial  character 
and  abilities  have  been  differently  estimated. 
Though  lacking  in  industry  as  a  student,  he  is 
represented  by  the  late  Judge  Jolm  D.  Caton, 
who  knew  him  personally,  as  a  close  thinker  and 
a  good  judge  of  men.  While  seldom,  if  ever, 
accustomed  to  argue  questions  in  the  conference 
room  or  write  out  his  opinions,  he  had  a  capacity 
for  expressing  himself  in  short,  pungent  sen- 
tences, which  indicated  that  he  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable ability  and  had  clear  and  distinct  views 
f)f  his  own.  An  attempt  was  made  to  impeach 
him  before  the  Legislature  of  1843  "for  want  of 
capacity  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  oflHce," 
but  it  failed  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote.  He 
was  a  Whig  in  politics,  but  had  some  strong  sup- 
porters among  Democrats.  In  1822  Judge  Browne 
was  one  of  the  four  candidates  for  Governor— in 
the  final  returns  standing  tliird  on  the  list  and,  by 
dividing  the  vote  of  the  advocates  of  a  pro-slavery 
clause  in  the  State  Constitution,  contributing  to 
the  election  of  Governor  Coles  and  the  defeat  of 
the  pro-slavery  party.  (See  Coles,  Edward,  and 
Slavery  and  Slave  Laws. )  In  the  latter  part  of 
his  official  term  Judge  Browne  resided  at  Ga- 
lena, but,  in  1853,  removed  with  his  son-in-law, 
ex-Congressman  Joseph  P.  Hoge,  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  where  he  died  a  few  years  later— 
probably  about  1856  or  1858. 

BROWNING,  Orville  Hickman,  lawyer.  United 
States  Senator  and  Attorney-General,  was  born 
in  Harrison  County,  Ky.,  in  1810.  After  receiv- 
ing a  classical  education  at  Augusta  in  his  native 
State,  he  removed  to  Quincy,  111.,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1831.  In  1833  he  served 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  from  1836  to  1843, 
was  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  serving  in  both 
houses.  A  personal  friend  and  political  adherent 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  he  aided  in  the  organization 
of    the    Repuldican     party   at     the     memorable 


Bloomington  Convention  of  1856.  As  a  delegate 
to  the  Chicago  Convention  in  1860,  he  aided  in 
securing  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination,  and  was  a 
conspicuous  supporter  of  the  Government  in  the 
Civil  War,  In  1861  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Yates  United  States  Senator  to  fill  Senator 
Douglas'  unexpired  term,  serving  until  1863,  In 
1866  he  became  Secretary  of  the  Interior  by  ap- 
pointment of  President  Jolmson,  also  for  a  time 
discharging  the  duties  of  Attorney-General. 
Returning  to  Illinois,  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70,  wliich 
was  his  last  participation  in  public  affairs,  his 
time  thereafter  being  devoted  to  his  profe.ssion. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  Quincy,  111.,  August  10, 
1881. 

BRY.VN,  Silas  Llllard,  legislator  and  jmist, 
liiirn  in  Culpepper  County,  Va.,  Nov  4,  1822;  was 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  and  came  west  in 
1840,  living  for  a  time  with  a  brother  near  Troy, 
Mo.  Tlie  following  year  he  came  to  Marion 
County,  111.,  where  he  attended  school  and 
worked  on  a  farm;  in  1845  entered  McKendree 
College,  graduating  in  1849,  and  two  years  later 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  supporting  himself 
meanwhile  by  teaching.  He  settled  at  Salem 
111.,  and,  in  1852,  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  t<3 
tlie  State  Senate,  in  which  body  he  served  for 
eight  }-ears.  being  re-elected  in  18.56.  In  1861  lie 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Second  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  again  chosen  in  186T,  his  second 
term  expiring  in  1873.  While  serving  as  Judge, 
he  was  also  elected  a  Delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1869-70.  He  was  an  unsuc- 
cessful candidate  for  Congi-ess  on  the  Greeley 
ticket  in  1872.  Died  at  Salem,  March  30,  1880.— 
William  Jenning.s  (Bryan),  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  at  Salem,  111.,  March  19,  1860.  The  early 
life  of  young  Bryan  was  spent  on  his  fatlier's 
farm,  but  at  the  age  of  ten  years  he  began  to 
attend  the  public  school  in  town ;  later  spent  two 
years  in  Whipple  Academy,  .the  preparatory 
department  of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville, 
and,  in  1881,  graduated  from  the  college  proper  as 
the  valedictorian  of  his  class.  Then  he  devoted 
two  years  to  the  study  of  law  in  tlie  Union  Law 
School  at  Chicago,  meanwhile  acting  as  clerk  and 
studying  in  the  law  oflice  of  ex-Senator  Lyman 
Trumbull.  Having  gi-aduated  in  law  in  1883,  he 
soon  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Jacksonville  as  the  partner  of  Judge  E.  P. 
Kirby,  a  well-known  lawyer  and  prominent 
Republican  of  that  city.  Fom-  years  later  (1887) 
found  him  a  citizen  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  which  has 
since  been  his  liome.     He  took  a  prominent  part 


64 


IIISTOIUCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


in  the  politics  of  Nebraska,  stumping  the  State 
for  the  Democratic  nominees  in  1888  and  '89,  and 
in  1890  received  the  Democratic  nomination  for 
Congress  in  a  district  which  had  been  regarded 
as  strongly'  Republican,  and  was  elected  bj'  a 
large  majority.  Again,  in  1893,  he  was  elected 
by  a  reduced  majority,  but  two  years  later 
declined  a  renomination,  though  proclaiming 
himself  a  free-silver  candidate  for  the  United 
States  Senate,  meanwhile  officiating  as  editor  of 
"The  Omaha  World-Herald."  In  July,  1896,  he 
received  the  nomination  for  President  from  the 
Democratic  National  Convention  at  Chicago,  on 
a  platform  declaring  for  the  "free  and  unlimited 
coinage  of  silver"  at  tlie  ratio  of  sixteen  of  silver 
(in  weight)  to  one  of  gold,  and  a  few  weeks  later 
was  nominated  by  the  "Populists"  at  St.  Louis 
for  the  same  office — being  the  youngest  man  ever 
put  in  nomination  for  the  Presidency  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Government.  He  conducted  an 
active  personal  campaign,  speaking  in  nearlj- 
every  Northern  and  Middle  Western  State,  but 
was  defeated  by  liis  Republican  opponent,  Maj. 
William  SIcKinley.  5Ir.  Bryan  is  an  easy  and 
fluent  speaker,  possessing  a  voice  of  miusual 
compass  and  power,  and  is  recognized,  even  by 
his  political  opponents,  as  a  man  of  pure  personal 
character. 

BRYAN,  Thomat<  Barbour,  lawyer  and  real 
estate  operator,  was  born  at  Alexandria,  Va., 
Dec.  22,  1828,  being  descended  on  the  maternal 
side  from  the  noted  Barbour  family  of  that 
State;  graduated  in  law  at  Harvard,  and,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  settled  in  Cincinnati.  In 
1852  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  acquired  ex- 
tensive real  estate  interests  and  built  Bryan 
Hall,  which  became  a  popular  place  for  en- 
tertainments. Being  a  gifted  speaker,  as  well 
as  a  zealous  Unionist,  Mr.  Bryan  was  chosen 
to  deliver  the  address  of  welcome  to  Senator 
Douglas,  when  that  statesman  returned  to 
Chicago  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  in  1861. 
During  the  progress  of  the  war  he  devoted  his 
time  and  his  means  most  generously  to  fitting  out 
soldiers  for  the  field  and  caring  for  the  sick  and 
wounded.  His  services  as  President  of  the  great 
Sanitary  Fair  in  Chicago  (186.5),  where  some 
$300,000  were  cleared  for  disabled  soldiers,  were 
especially  conspicuous.  At  this  time  he  became 
the  purchaser  (at  153,000)  of  the  original  copy  of 
President  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
which  had  been  donated  to  the  cause.  He  also 
rendered  valuable  service  after  tlie  fire  of  1871, 
though  a  heavy  sufferer  from  that  event,  and  was 
a  leading  factor  in  securing  the  location  of  the 


World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago  ii:  1890, 
later  becoming  Vice  Presiilent  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  and  making  a  vi.sit  to  Europe  in  tlie 
interest  of  the  Fair.  After  the  war  Mr.  Bryan 
resided  in  Washington  for  some  time,  and,  by 
apjiointment  of  President  Hayes,  served  as  Com- 
missioner of  the  District  of  Columbia.  Posses-sing 
refined  literary  and  artistic  tastes,  he  has  done 
much  for  the  encoui-agement  of  literature  and 
art  in  Chicago.  His  home  is  in  the  suburban 
village  of  Elmhurst.— Charles  Page  (Bryan),  son 
of  the  preceding,  lawyer  and  foreign  minister, 
was  born  in  Cliioago,  Oct.  2,  1855,  and  educated 
at  the  University  of  Virginia  and  Columbia  Law 
Scliool;  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1878,  and 
the  following  year  removed  to  Colorado,  wliere 
he  remained  four  years,  while  there  serving  in 
both  Houses  of  the  State  Legislature.  In  1883  he 
returned  to  Chicago  and  became  a  member  of  the 
First  Regiment  of  tlie  Illinois  National  Guard, 
serving  upon  tlie  staff  of  both  Governor  Oglesby 
and  Governor  Fifer;  in  1890,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature  from  Cook  County,  being  re- 
elected in  1892,  and  in  1894;  was  also  the  first 
Commissioner  to  visit  Europe  in  the  interest  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  on  his  return 
serving  as  Secretary  of  the  Exjwsition  Commis- 
sioners in  1891-92.  In  the  latter  part  of  1897  he 
was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  Minister 
to  Cliina,  but  before  being  confirmed,  early  in 
1898,  was  assigned  to  the  United  States  mission  to 
the  Republic  of  Brazil,  where  he  now  is.  Hon. 
E.  n.  Conger  of  Iowa,  who  had  previously  been 
appointed  to  the  Brazilian  mission,  being  trans- 
ferred to  Pekin. 

BRY.VM,  John  Howard,  pioneer,  brother  of 
William  Cullen  Bryant,  the  poet,  was  bom  in 
Cummington,  Ma.ss.,  July  23,  1807,  educated  at 
the  Rensselaer  Polyteclinic  Institute  in  Troy, 
N.  Y, ;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1831,  and  lield  vari- 
ous offices  in  Bureau  County,  including  that  of 
Representative  in  the  General  ^Vssembly,  to  which 
he  was  elected  in  1842,  and  again  in  1858.  A 
practical  and  enterprising  farmer,  he  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Illinois  State  Agricultural  Society 
in  its  early  history,  as  also  with  the  movement 
which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  industrial 
colleges  in  the  various  States  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Republican  party  and  a  warm 
personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln,  being  a 
member  of  the  first  Republican  State  Convention 
at  Bloomington  in  1856,  and  serving  as  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue  bj- appointment  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln in  1862  64.  In  1873  Mr  Bryant  joined  in  the 
Liberal  Republican  movement  at  Cincinnati,  two 


HISTORICAL    ENC;YCL0PEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


65 


years  later  was  identified  witli  the  "Independent 
Reform"  part}',  but  has  since  cooperated  with 
the  Democratic  party.  He  has  produced  two 
volumes  of  poems,  published,  respectively,  in  18.5,5 
and  188,5,  besides  a  number  of  public  addresses. 
His  home  is  at  Princeton,  Bureau  County. 

BUCK,  Hiram,  clergyman,  was  born  in  Steu- 
ben County,  N.  Y.,  in  1818;  joined  the  Illinois 
Methodist  Episcopal  Conference  in  1843,  and  con- 
tinued in  its  service  for  nearly  fifty  years,  being 
much  of  the  time  a  Presiding  Elder.  At  his 
death  he  bequeathed  a  considerable  sum  to  the 
endowment  funds  of  the  Wesleyan  University  at 
Bloomington  and  the  Illinois  Conference  College 
at  Jacksonville  Died  at  Decatur,  111.,  August 
22,  1892. 

BUDA,a  village  in  Bureau  County,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  tlie  main  line  with  the  Buda  and  Rush- 
ville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  and  tlie  Sterling  and  Peoria  branch  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwe.stern,  13  miles  southwest 
of  Princeton  and  117  miles  we.st-southwest  of 
Chicago;  has  excellent  water-works,  electric- 
light  plant,  brick  and  tile  factory,  fine  churches, 
graded  school,  a  bank  and  one  newspaper 
Dairying  is  carried  on  quite  extensively  and  a 
good-sized  creamery  is  located  here.  Population 
(1890),  990;  (1900),  873. 

BUFORD,  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  banker  and 
soldier,  was  born  in  Woodford  County.  Ky.,  Jan. 
13,  1807;  graduated  at  West  Point  Military  Acad- 
emy, 1827,  and  served  for  some  time  as  Lieutenant 
of  Artillery;  entered  Harvard  Law  School  in 
1831,  served  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Natural  and 
Experimental  Philosophy  there  (1834-35),  then 
resigned  his  commission,  and,  after  some  service 
as  an  engineer  upon  public  works  in  Kentucky, 
established  himself  as  an  iron-founder  and  banker 
at  Rock  Island,  111.,  in  1857  becoming  President 
of  the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Railroad.  In  ISIJl 
he  entered  the  volunteer  service,  as  Colonel  of 
the  Twenty-seventh  Illinois,  serving  at  various 
points  in  W^estern  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  as 
also  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  at  Helena, 
Ark.,  where  he  was  in  command  from  Septem- 
ber, 1863,  to  Slarch,  1865.  In  the  meantime,  by 
promotion,  he  attained  to  the  rank  of  Major- 
General  by  brevet,  being  mustered  out  in  August, 
186.5.  He  subsequently  held  the  post  of  Special 
United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs 
(1868),  and  that  of  Inspector  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  (1867-69).     Died,  March  28,  1883. 

BULKLEY,  (Rev.)  Justus,  educator,  was  born 
at  Leicester,  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  July  2;'., 
1819,    taken   to   Allegany   County,    N.    Y.,   at  3 


years  of  age,  where  he  remained  until  17,  attend 
ing  school  in  a  log  school-house  in  the  winter  and 
working  on  a  farm  in  the  sununer.  Ilis  family 
then  removed  to  Illinois,  finally  locating  at 
Barry,  Pike  County.  In  1842  he  entered  the 
preparatory  department  of  ShurtlelT  College  ivt 
Upper  Alton,  graduating  there  in  1847.  He  was 
immediately  made  Principal  of  the  preparatory 
department,  remaining  two  years,  when  he  was 
ordained  to  the  Baptist  ministry  and  became 
pastor  of  a  church  at  Jer.seyville.  Four  years 
later  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics 
in  Shurtleff  College,  but  remained  only  two 
years,  when  he  accepted  the  pastorship  of  a 
church  at  Carrollton,  which  he  continued  to  fill 
nine  years,  when,  in  1864,  he  was  called  to  a 
church  at  Upper  Alton.  At  the  expiration  of 
one  year  he  was  again  called  to  a  professorship 
in  Shurtleff  College,  this  time  taking  the  chair  of 
Church  History  and  Church  Polity,  which  he 
conanued  to  fill  for  a  period  of  thirty-four  years: 
also  .serving  for  a  time  as  Acting  President  dur 
ing  a  vacancy  in  that  office.  During  this  period 
lie  was  frequently  called  upon  to  preside  as  Mod- 
erator at  General  Associations  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  lie  became  widely  known,  not  only 
in  that  denomination,  but  elsewhere.  Died  at 
Upper  Alton,  Jan.  16,  1899. 

BULL,  Lorenzo,  banker,  Quincy,  III.  was  born 
in  Hartford,  Conn.,  March  21,  1819,  being  the 
eldest  son  of  Lorenzo  and  Elizabeth  Goodwin 
Bull.  His  ancestors  on  both  sides  were  of  the 
party  who,  under  Thomas  Hooker,  moved  from 
the  vicinity  of  Boston  and  settled  Hartford  in 
1634.  Leaving  Hartford  in  the  spring  of  1833,  he 
arrived  at  Quincy,  111.,  entirely  without  means, 
but  soon  after  secured  a  position  with  Judge 
Henry  H.  Snow,  who  then  held  most  of  the 
county  offices,  being  Clerk  of  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court.  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court, 
Recorder,  Judge  of  Probate,  Notary  Public  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  Here  the  young  clerk 
made  himself  acquainted  \i-ith  tlie  people  of  the 
comity  (at  that  time  few  in  number),  with  the 
land-system  of  the  comitry  and  with  the  legal 
forms  and  methods  of  procedure  in  the  courts. 
He  remained  with  Judge  Snow  over  two  years, 
receiving  for  his  services,  the  first  year,  six  dol- 
lars per  month,  and,  for  the  second,  ten  dollars 
per  month,  besides  his  board  in  Judge  Snow's 
family.  He  next  accepted  a  situation  with 
Messrs.  Holmes,  Brown  &  Co.,  then  one  of  the 
most  prominent  mercantile  houses  of  the  cit}-, 
remaining  through  various  changes  of  the  firm 
until  1844,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with 


66 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


his  brother  umier  the  firm  name  of  L.  &  C.  II. 
Bull,  and  opened  a  store  for  the  sale  of  hardware 
and  crockery,  which  was  the  first  attempt  made 
in  Quincy  to  separate  the  mercantile  business 
into  different  departments.  Disposing  of  their 
business  in  18G1,  the  firm  of  L.  &  C.  H.  Bull 
embarked  in  the  private  banking  business,  which 
they  continued  in  one  location  for  about  thirty 
years,  when  they  organized  the  State  Savings 
Loan  &  Trust  Company,  in  which  lie  held  the 
position  of  President  until  1898,  when  he  retired 
Mr.  Bull  has  always  been  active  in  promoting  the 
improvement  and  growth  of  the  city ,  was  one  of 
the  five  persons  who  built  most  of  the  horse  rail- 
roads in  Quincy,  and  was,  for  about  twenty  years, 
President  of  the  Company.  The  Quincy  water- 
works are  now  (1898)  owned  entirely  by  himself 
and  his  son.  He  has  never  sought  or  held  political 
office,  but  at  one  time  was  the  active  President  of 
five  distinct  business  corporations.  He  was  also 
for  some  five  years  one  of  the  Trustees  of  Illinois 
College  at  Jacksonville.  He  was  married  in  1844 
to  Miss  Margaret  H.  Benedict,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Wm.  M.  Benedict,  of  Milbury,  Mass..  and  they 
have  five  children  now  living.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  his  religious  associations  are  with 
the  Coixgregational  Church.  —  Charles  Henry 
(Bull),  brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in 
Hartford,  Conn.,  Dec.  IG.  1822,  and  removed 
to  Quincy,  111.,  in  June,  1837.  He  commenced 
business  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store,  where 
he  remained  for  seven  years,  when  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  brother,  Lorenzo  Bull, 
in  the  hardware  and  crockery  business,  to 
which  was  subsequently  added  dealing  in 
agricultui-al  implements.  This  business  was 
continued  until  the  year  1861,  when  it  was 
sold  out,  and  the  brothers  established  them- 
selves as  private  bankers  under  the  same  firm 
name.  A  few  years  later  they  organized  the 
Merchants'  and  Farmers'  National  Bank,  which 
was  mainly  owned  and  altogether  managed  by 
them.  Five  or  six  years  later  this'  bank  was 
wound  up,  when  they  returned  to  private  bank- 
ing, continuing  in  this  business  until  1891,  when 
it  was  merged  in  the  State  Savings  Loan  & 
Trust  Company,  organized  under  the  laws  of 
Illinois  with  a  capital  of  §300,000,  held  equally 
by  Lorenzo  Bull,  Charles  11.  Bull  and  Edward  J. 
Parker,  respectively,  as  President,  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  Cashier.  Near  the  close  of  1898  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Quincy  was  merged  into 
the  State  Savings  Loan  &  Trust  Company  with 
J.  H.  Warfield,  the  President  of  the  former,  as 
President  of  the  consolidated  concern.     Mr.  Bull 


was  one  of  the  parties  who  originally  organized 
the  Quincy.  Missouri  &  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany in  1809— a  road  intended  to  be  built  from 
Quincy,  111.,  across  the  State  of  Mis.souri  to 
Brownsville,  Neb.,  and  of  which  he  is  now 
(1898)  the  Presi<lent,  the  name  having  been 
changed  to  the  Quincy,  Omaha  &  Kansas  City 
Railway.  He  was  also  identified  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  system  of  street  railways  in 
Quincy,  and  continued  active  in  their  manage- 
ment for  about  twenty  years.  He  has  been 
active  in  various  other  public  and  private  enter- 
prises, and  lias  done  much  to  advance  the  growth 
and  pro.si)erity  of  the  city. 

BUNKER  mLL,a  city  of  Macoupin  County,  on 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  37  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis;  has 
elertrii'-lightiiig  plant,  telephone  service,  coal 
mint^  flouring  mill,  wagon  and  various  other 
manufactories,  two  banks,  two  newspapers,  opera 
house,  numerous  churches,  public  library,  a  mili- 
tary academy  and  fine  public  schools,  and  many 
hand.some  residences;  is  situated  on  high  ground 
in  a  rich  agricultural  and  dairying  region  and  an 
inqiortant  shijiping-point.     Pop.  (1900),  1,279. 

UrXN,  Jacob,  banker  and  manufacturer,  was 
born  in  Hunterdon  County,  N.  J.,  in  1814:  came 
to  Springfield  in  1830,  and,  four  years  later,  began 
business  as  a  grocer,  to  which  he  afterwards 
added  that  of  private  banking,  continuing  until 
1S7S.  During  a  part  of  this  tune  his  bank  was 
one  of  the  best  known  and  widely  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  solid  institutions  of  its  kind  in 
the  State.  Though  crippled  by  the  financial 
re\-ulsion  of  1873-74  and  forced  investments  in 
depreciated  real  estate,  he  paid  dollar  for  dollar. 
After  retiring  from  banking  in  1878,  he  assumed 
charge  of  the  Springfield  Watch  Factory,  in 
which  he  wiis  a  large  stockholder,  and  of  which 
he  became  the  President.  Mr.  Bunn  was,  be- 
tween 1800  and  1870,  a  principal  stockholder  in 
"The  Chicago  Republican"  (the  predecessor  of 
"The  Inter-Ocean"),  and  was  one  of  the  bankers 
who  came  to  the  aid  of  the  State  Government  with 
financial  assistance  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War.  Died  at  Springfield,  Oct.  10,  1897.— John  W. 
(Bunn),  brother  of  the  preceding  and  successor 
to  the  grocerj-  busine.ss  of  J.  &  J.  W.  Bunn,  has 
been  a  prominent  busine.ss  man  of  Springfield, 
and  served  :is  Treasurer  of  the  State  Agricultural 
Board  from  18.-;8  to  1898,  and  of  the  HUnois  Uni- 
versity from  its  establishment  to  1898. 

BUNSEN,  George,  German  patriot  and  educa- 
tor, was  born  at  Frankfort-on-the-ifaine,  Ger- 
many, Feb  18,  1794,  and  educated  in  his  native 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


67 


city  and  at  Berlin  University;  while  still  a 
student  took  part  in  the  Peninsular  War  %vhich 
resulted  in  the  downfall  of  Napoleon,  but  resum- 
ing his  studies  in  1816,  graduated  three  years 
later.  He  then  founded  a  boys'  school  at  Frank- 
fort, which  he  maintained  fourteen  years,  when, 
having  been  implicated  in  the  republican  revolu 
tion  of  1833,  he  was  forced  to  leave  the  country, 
locating  the  following  year  on  a  farm  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.  Here  he  finally  became  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools,  served  in  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847.  was  elected  School 
Commissioner  of  St.  Clair  County,  and,  having 
removed  to  Belleville  in  18.55,  there  conducted  a 
private  school  for  the  instruction  of  teachers 
while  discharging  the  duties  of  his  office;  later 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  State  School 
Board,  serving  until  1860,  and  taking  part  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni 
versity,  of  which  he  was  a  zealous  advocate.  He 
was  also  a  contributor  to  "The  Illinois  Teacher," 
and,  for  several  years  prior  to  his  death,  served 
as  Superintendent  of  Schools  at  Belleville  without 
compensation.     Died,  November,  1872. 

BURCHARD,  Horatio  C,  ex -Congressman,  was 
born  at  Marshall,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  23, 
182.5;  graduated  at  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y.,  in 
18.50,  and  later  removed  to  Stephenson  County, 
111.,  making  his  home  at  Freeport.  By  profes- 
sion he  is  a  lawyer,  but  he  has  been  also  largely 
interested  in  mercantile  pursuits.  From  1857  to 
1860  he  was  School  Commissioner  of  Stephenson 
County  ;  from  1863  to  1866  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature,  and  from  1869  to  1879  a  Representa- 
tive in  Congress,  being  each  time  elected  as  a 
Republican,  for  the  first  time  as  the  successor  of 
E.  B.  Washburne.  After  retiring  from  Congress, 
he  served  for  six  years  (1879-85)  as  Director  of  the 
United  States  Mint  at  Philadelphia,  with  marked 
ability.  During  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion at  Chicago  (1893),  Mr.  Burchard  was  in 
charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Awards  in  connection 
with  the  Mining  Department,  afterwards  resum- 
ing the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Freeport. 

BURDETTE,  Robert  Jones,  journalist  and 
humorist,  was  born  iu  Greensborough,  Pa.,  July 
30,  1844,  and  taken  to  Peoria,  111.,  in  early  life, 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Forty-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteers  and  served  to  the  end  of  the 
war ;  adopted  journalism  in  1869,  being  employed 
upon  "Tlie  Peoria  Transcript"  and  other  papers 
of  that  city.  Later  he  became  associated  with 
"The  Burlington  (Iowa)  Hawkeye,"  upon  which 
he  gained  a  wide  reputation  as  a  genial  humor- 


ist. Several  volumes  of  his  sketches  have  been 
published,  but  in  recent  years  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  chiefly  to  lecturing  with  occasional 
contriliutions  to  the  literary  press. 

BUREAU  COUNTY,  set  off  from  Putnam 
County  in  1837.  near  the  center  of  the  northern 
half  of  the  State,  Princeton  being  made  the 
county-seat.  Coal  had  been  discovered  in  1834, 
there  being  considerable  quantities  mined  at 
Mineral  and  Selby.  Sheffield  also  has  an  impor- 
tant coal  trade.  Public  lands  were  offered  for  sale 
as  early  as  183.5,  and  by  1844  had  been  nearly  all 
sold.  Princeton  was  platted  in  1832,  and.  in  1890, 
contained  a  population  of  3,396.  The  county  has 
an  area  of  870  square  miles,  and,  according  to  the 
census  of  1900,  a  population  of  41,112.  The  pio- 
neer settler  was  Henry  Thomas,  who  erected  the 
first  cabin,  in  Bureau  township,  in  1828.  He  was 
soon  followed  by  the  Ament  brothers  (Edward, 
Justus  and  John  L. ) ,  and  for  a  time  settlers  camo 
in  rapid  succession,  among  the  earliest  being 
Amos  Leonard.  Daniel  Dimmick,  John  Hall, 
William     Hoskins,    Timothy    Perkins,    Leonard 

Roth,  Bulbona  and  John  Dixon.     Serious 

Indian  disturbances  in  1831  caused  a  hegira  of 
the  settlers,  some  of  whom  never  returned.  In 
1833  a  fort  was  erected  for  the  protection  of  the 
whites,  and,  in  1836,  there  began  a  new  and  large 
influx  of  immigrants.  Among  other  early  set- 
tlers were  John  H.  and  Arthur  Bryant,  brothers 
of  the  poet,  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

BUREAU  OF  LABOR  STATISTICS,  estab- 
lished in  1879,  being  an  outgrowth  of  the  agitation 
and  discontent  among  the  laboring  classes,  which 
culminated  in  1877-78.  The  Board  consists  of 
five  Commi.ssioners,  who  serve  for  a  nominal 
compensation,  their  term  of  office  being  two 
years.  They  are  nominated  by  the  Executive 
and  confirmed  by  the  Senate.  The  law  requires 
that  three  of  them  shall  be  manual  laborers  and 
two  employers  of  manual  labor.  The  Bureau  is 
charged  with  the  collection,  compilation  and 
tabulation  of  statistics  relative  to  labor  in  Illi- 
nois, particularly  in  its  relation  to  the  commer- 
cial, industrial,  social,  educational  and  sanitary 
conditions  of  the  working  classes.  The  Com- 
mission is  required  to  submit  biennial  reiX)rts. 
Those  already  published  contain  much  informa- 
tion of  value  concerning  coal  and  lead  mines, 
convict  labor,  manufactures,  strikes  and  lock- 
outs, wages,  rent,  cost  of  living,  mortgage 
indebtedness,  and  kindred  topics. 

BURGESS,  Alexander,  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Quincy,  was  born  at 
Providence,  R.   I.,  Oct.   31.   1819.     He  graduated 


68 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


from  Brown  University  in  1838  and  from  the 
General  riieological  Seminary  (New  York)  in 
1841.  He  was  made  a  Deacon,  Nov.  3.  1842.  and 
ordained  a  priest,  Nov.  1,  1843.  Prior  to  his  ele- 
vation to  the  episcopate  he  was  rector  of  various 
parishes  in  Maine,  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  at 
Springfield,  Mass.  He  represented  the  dioceses 
of  Maine,  Long  Island  and  Massachu.setts  in  the 
General  Conventions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  from  1844  to  1877,  and,  in  the  latter  year, 
was  President  of  the  House  of  Deputies.  Upon 
the  death  of  his  brother  George,  Bishop  of  Maine, 
he  was  chosen  by  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  to  suc- 
ceed him  but  declined  When  the  diocese  of 
Quincy  111.  was  created,  he  was  elected  its  first 
Bishop,  and  consecrated  at  Christ  Church,  Spring- 
field, Mass  .  on  Jlay  15,  1878.  Besides  publishing 
a  memoir  of  his  brother.  Bishop  Burgess  is  the 
author  of  several  Sunday-school  question  books, 
carols  and  hymns,  and  has  been  a  contributor  to 
periodical  church  literature.  His  residence  is  at 
Peoria 

BURLEY.  Arthur  Gilnmn,  merchant,  was  born 
at  Exeter,  N.  U..  Oct.  4,  1812,  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  local  schools,  and,  in  1835,  came 
West,  locating  in  Chicago.  For  some  two  years 
he  served  as  clerk  in  the  boot,  shoe  and  clothing 
store  of  John  Holbrook.  after  which  he  accepted 
a  position  with  his  half-brother,  Stephen  F.  Gale, 
the  proprietor  of  the  first  book  and  stationery 
store  in  Chicago.  In  1838  he  invested  his  savings 
in  a  bankrupt  stock  of  crockerj-,  purchased  from 
the  old  State  Bank,  and  entered  upon  a  business 
career  which  was  continued  uninterruptedly  for 
nearly  sixty  years.  In  that  time  Mr.  Burley 
built  up  a  business  which,  for  its  extent  and 
success,  was  unsurpassed  in  its  time  in  the  West. 
His  brother  in-law.  Mr.  John  Tyrrell,  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  in  1852,  the  business  there- 
after being  conducted  under  the  name  of  Burley 
&  Tyrrell,  with  Mr.  Burley  as  President  of  the 
Company  until  his  death,  which  occurred,  August 

27,  1897.— Augustus  Harris  (Burley),  brother  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  at  Exeter,  N.  H.,  March 

28,  1819 ;  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
State,  and,  in  his  youth,  was  employed  for  a 
time  as  a  clerk  in  Boston.  In  1837  he  came  to 
Chicago  and  took  a  position  as  clerk  or  salesman 
in  the  book  and  stationery  store  of  his  half- 
brother,  Stephen  F.  Gale,  subsequently  became  a 
partner,  and,  on  the  retirement  of  Mr  Gale  a 
few  years  later,  succeeded  to  the  control  of  the 
business.  In  1857  he  disposed  of  his  book  and 
stationery  business,  and  about  the  same  time 
became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Merchants' 


Loan  and  Trust  Company,  with  wliich  he  has 
been  connected  as  a  Director  ever  since.  Mr. 
Burley  was  a  member  of  the  volunteer  fire  depart- 
ment organized  in  Chicago  in  1841  Among  the 
numerous  public  positions  held  by  him  may  be 
mentioned,  member  of  the  Board  of  PublicWorks 
(1867-70),  the  first  Superintendent  of  Lincoln  Park 
(1869).  Representative  from  Cook  County  in  the 
Twenty  seventh  General  Assembly  (1870-72).  City 
Comptroller  during  the  administration  of  Mayor 
Medill  (1872-73),  and  again  undar  Mayor  Roche 
(1887),  and  member  of  the  City  Cotmcil  (1881-82). 
Politically,  Jlr.  Burley  lias  been  a  zealous  Repub- 
liciin  and  served  on  the  Chicago  Union  Defense 
Committee  in  the  first  year  of  the  Civil  War,  and 
was  a  delegate  from  the  State-at^large  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  at  Baltimore  in 
1864,  which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the 
Presidency  a  second  time. 

Ul'RNHAJI,  Dauiel  Hudson,  architect,  was 
lK>rn  at  Henderson,  N.  Y..  Sept.  4,  1846;  came  to 
Chicago  at  9  years  of  age;  attended  private 
scli(X)ls  and  the  Chicago  High  School,  after  which 
he  spent  two  years  at  Waltham,  Mass..  receiving 
special  instruction;  returning  to  Chicago  in  1867, 
he  was  afterwards  associated  with  various  firms. 
About  1873  he  formed  a  business  connection  with 
J.  W.  R(x)t,  architect,  which  extended  to  the 
death  of  the  latter  in  1891.  The  firm  of  Burnham 
&  Root  furnished  the  plans  of  a  large  nmnber  of 
the  most  con.spicuous  business  buililings  in  Chi- 
cago, but  won  their  greatest  distinction  in  con- 
nection with  the  construction  of  buildings  for  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  of  which  Mr. 
Root  was  Supervising  Architect  previous  to  his 
death,  while  Mr.  Burnham  was  made  Chief  of 
Construction  and,  later.  Director  of  Works.  In 
this  capacity  his  authority  was  almost  absolute, 
but  was  used  with  a  discretion  tliat  contributed 
greatly  to  the  succe.ss  of  the  enterprise. 

BURR,  Albert  G.,  former  Congressman,  was 
born  in  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  8,  1829; 
came  to  Illinois  about  1833  with  his  widowed 
mother,  who  settled  in  Springfield.  In  early  life 
he  became  a  citizen  of  Winchester,  where  he  read 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  also,  for  a  time, 
following  the  occupation  of  a  printer.  Here  he 
was  twice  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1860  and  1862),  meanwhile  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1862.  Having  removed  to  Carrollton, 
Greene  County,  he  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  to 
the  Fortieth  and  Forty-first  Congresses  (1866  and 
1868).  serving  until  Alarch  4,  1871.  In  August, 
1877,   he  was    elected    Circuit    Judge    to    fill    a 


HISTOEK'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


G9 


vacancy  and  was  re-elected  for  the  regular  term 
in  June,  1879,  but  died  in  office,  June  10,  1882. 

BURRELL,  Orlando,  member  of  Congress,  was 
born  in  Bradford  County,  Pa. ;  removed  with  Ids 
parents  to  White  County,  111.,  in  1834,  growing 
up  on  a  farm  near  Carmi ;  received  a  common 
school  education;  in  \8'>0  went  to  California, 
driving  an  ox-team  across  the  plains.  Soon  after 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  (1861)  he  raised  a 
company  of  cavalry,  of  which  he  was  elected 
Captain,  and  which  became  a  part  of  the  First 
Regiment  Illinois  Cavalry;  served  as  County 
Judge  from  1873  to  1881,  and  was  elected  Sheriff 
in  1886.  In  1894  he  was  elected  Representative 
in  Congress  as  a  Republican  from  the  Twentieth 
District,  composed  of  counties  which  formerly 
constituted  a  large  part  of  the  old  Nineteenth 
District,  and  which  had  uniformly  been  repre- 
sented by  a  Democrat.  He  suffered  defeat  as  a 
candidate  for  re  election  in  1896. 

BURROUGHS,  John  Curtis,  clergj-man  and 
educator,  was  born  in  Stamford,  N.  Y. ,  Dec.  7, 
1818;  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1843,  and 
Madison  Theological  Seminary  in  1846.  After 
five  years  si)ent  as  pastor  of  Baptist  churches  at 
Waterford  and  West  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  1852  he 
assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Chicago;  about  1856  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Chicago  University,  then  just 
established,  having  previously  declined  the 
presidency  of  Shurtleff  College  at  Upper  Alton. 
Resigning  his  position  in  1874,  he  soon  after 
became  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, and,  in  1884,  was  elected  Assistant  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Schools  of  that  city,  serving 
until  his  death,  April  21,  1892. 

BUSET,  Samuel  T.,  banker  and  ex-Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Greencastle,  Ind.,  Nov.  16, 
1835;  in  infancy  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Urbana,  111.,  where  he  was  educated  and  has 
since  resided.  From  1857  to  1859  he  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  but  during  1860-61 
attended  a  commercial  college  and  read  law.  In 
1862  he  was  chosen  Town  Collector,  but  resigned 
to  enter  the  Union  Army,  being  commissioned 
Second  Lieutenant  by  Governor  Yates,  and 
assigned  to  recruiting  service.  Having  aided  in 
the  organization  of  the  Seventy-sixth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  he  was  commissioned  its  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  August  12,  1862 ;  was  afterward  promoted 
to  the  colonelcy,  and  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Chicago,  August  6,  1865,  with  the  rank  of  Brevet 
Brigadier-General.  In  1866  he  was  an  Unsuccess- 
ful candidate  for  the  General  Assembly  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and  for  Trustee  of  the  State 


University  in  1888.  From  1880  to  1889  he  was 
Mayor  and  President  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  Urbana.  In  1867  he  opened  a  private  bank, 
which  he  conducted  for  twenty-one  years.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Fif- 
teentli  Illinois  District,  defeating  Joseph  G.  Can 
non,  ReiJublican,  by  wliom  he  was  in  turn 
defeated  for  the  same  office  in  1892. 

BUSHNELL,  a  flourishing  city  and  manufac- 
turing center  in  McDonougli  County,  11  niiles 
northea.st  of  Macomb,  at  the  junction  or  two 
branches  of  tlie  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
with  the  Toledo,  Peoiia  &  Western  Railroads;  has 
numerous  manufactories,  including  wooden 
pumps,  flour,  agricultural  implements,  wagons 
and  carriages,  tank  and  fence-work,  rural  mail- 
boxes, mattresses,  brick,  besides  egg  and  poultry 
packing  houses;  also  has  water- works  and  elec- 
tric hghts,  grain  elevators,  three  banks,  .several 
churches,  graded  public  and  high  schools,  two 
newspapers  and  a  public  Hbrary.  Pop.  (1900),  2,490. 

BUSHNELL,  Nehemiah,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
tlie  town  of  Westbrook,  Conn.,  Oct.  9,  ISIH, 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1835,  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837,  coming  in 
December  of  the  same  year  to  Quincy,  III.,  wliere. 
for  a  time,  he  assisted  in  editing  "The  Whig" 
of  that  city,  later  forming  a  partnership  with 
O.  H.  Browning,  which  was  never  fully  broken 
until  his  death.  In  his  practice  he  gave  mucli 
attention  to  land  titles  in  the  "Military  Tract"'; 
in  1851  was  President  of  the  portion  of  the  North- 
ern Cross  Railroad  between  Quincy  and  Gales- 
burg  (now  a  part  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy),  and  later  of  the  Quincy  Bridge  Companj- 
and  the  Quincy  &  Palmyra  (Mo.)  Railroad.  In 
1873  he  was  elected  by  the  Republicans  the 
"minority"  Rejiresentative  from  Adams  County 
in  the  Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly,  but 
died  during  the  .succeeding  session,  Jan.  31,  1873. 
He  was  able,  high-minded  and  honorable  in  public 
and  private  life. 

BUSHNELL,  Washington,  lawyer  and  Attor- 
ney-General, was  born  in  Madison  County,  N.  Y., 
Sept.  30,  1825;  in  1837  came  with  his  father  to 
Lisbon,  Kendall  County,  111. ,  where  he  worked  on 
a  farm  and  taught  at  times ;  studied  law  at  Rough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
established  himself  in  practice  at  Ottawa,  IlL 
The  public  positions  held  by  him  were  those  of 
State  Senator  for  La  Salle  County  (1861-69)  and 
Attorney  General  (1869-73);  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1864, 
besides  being  identified  with  various  business 
enterprises  at  Ottawa.     Died,  Jmie  30,  1885. 


70 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


BUTLER,  William,  State  Treasurer,  was  born 
iu  Adair  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  lo,  1797;  during  the 
war  of  1813,  at  the  age  of  16  years,  served  as  the 
messenger  of  the  Gorernor  of  Kentucky,  carrying 
dispatches  to  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison  in 
the  field;  removed  to  Sangamon  County,  IU.,  in 
1828,  and,  in  1836,  was  ajipointed  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court  by  Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan.  In 
1859  he  served  as  foreman  of  the  Grand  Juiy 
which  investigated  the  "canal  scrip  frauds" 
charged  against  ex-Governor  Matteson,  and  it 
was  largely  through  his  influence  that  the  pro- 
ceedings of  that  body  were  subsequently  pub- 
lished in  an  official  form.  During  the  same  year 
Governor  Bissell  appointed  him  State  Treasurer 
to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of 
James  Miller,  and  lie  was  elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1860.  Mr.  Butler  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he  efficiently 
befriended  in  the  early  struggles  of  the  latter 
in  Springfield.  He  died  in  Springfield.  Jan.  11, 
1876. 

BUTTERFIELl),  Justin,  early  la\vyer,  was 
born  at  Keene,  N.  11.,  in  1790.  He  studied  at 
Williams  College,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  in  1812.  After  some  years 
devoted  to  practice  at  Adams  and  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  N.  Y.,  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  where 
he  attained  a  high  rank  at  the  bar.  In  183.5  he 
settled  in  Chicago  and  soon  became  a  leader  in 
Ills  profession  there  also.  In  1841  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Harrison  United  States  District  At- 
torney for  the  District  of  Illinois,  and,  in  1849,  by 
President  Taylor  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Office,  one  of  his  chief  competitors  for  the 
latter  place  being  Abraham  Lincoln.  This  dis- 
tinction he  probably  owed  to  the  personal  influ- 
ence of  Daniel  Webster,  then  Secretarj'  of  State, 
of  whom  Mr.  Butterfield  was  a  psrsonal  friend 
and  warm  admirer.  While  Commissioner,  he 
rendered  valuable  service  to  the  State  in  securing 
the  canal  land  grant.  As  a  lawyer  he  was  logical 
and  resourceful,  as  well  as  witty  and  quick  at 
repartee,  yet  his  chief  strength  lay  before  the 
Court  rather  than  the  jurj'.  Numerous  stories 
are  told  of  his  brilliant  sallies  at  the  bar  and 
elsewhere.  One  of  the  former  relates  to  his 
address  before  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  of  the 
United  States  Court  at  Springfield,  in  a  habeas- 
corpus  case  to  secure  the  release  of  Joseph  Smith, 
the  Mormon  prophet,  who  was  under  arrest  under 
the  charge  of  complicity  in  an  attempt  to  assassin- 
ate Governor  Boggs  of  Missouri.  Rising  to  begin 
his  argument,  Mr.  Butterfield  said;  "I  am  to 
address  the  Pope"  (bowing  to  the  Court),  "sur- 


rounded by  angels"  (bowing  still  lower  to  a  party 
of  ladies  in  the  audience),  "in  the  presence  of 
the  holy  apostles,  in  behalf  of  the  prophet  of 
the  Lord."  On  another  occasion,  being  asked  if 
he  was  opposed  to  the  war  with  Me.xico,  he 
replied,  "I  opposed  one  war" — meaning  his 
opposition  as  a  Federalist  to  the  War  of  1812 — 
"but  learned  the  folly  of  it.  Henceforth  I  am  for 
war,  pestilence  and  famine."  He  died,  Oct.  25, 
1855. 

BVFOIll),  William  H.,  physician  and  author, 
was  born  at  Eaton,  Ohio.  March  20,  1817;  in  1830 
came  with  his  widowed  mother  to  Crawford 
County,  111.,  and  began  learning  the  tailor's 
trade  at  Palestine;  later  studied  medicine  at 
Vinoennes  and  practiced  at  different  points  in 
Indiana.  Meanwhile,  having  graduated  at  the 
Ohio  Medical  College,  Cincinnati,  in  18.50,  he 
assumed  a  professorship  in  a  Medical  College  at 
Evansville,  Ind. ,  also  editing  a  medical  journal. 
In  1S57  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  ac- 
cepted a  chair  in  Rush  Medical  College,  but  two 
years  later  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Chicago  Medical  College,  where  he  remained 
twenty  years.  He  then  (1879)  returned  to  Rusli, 
assuming  the  chair  of  Gynecology.  In  1870  he 
assisted  in  founding  the  Woman's  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Chicago,  remaining  President  of  the 
Faculty  and  Board  of  Tru-stees  until  his  death. 
May  21,  1890.  He  published  a  number  of  medical 
works  which  are  regarded  as  standard  bj'  the 
profession.  t)esides  acting  as  a.ssociate  of  Dr.  N.  S. 
Davis  in  the  editorship  of  "The  Chicago  Medical 
Journal"  and  as  editorinchief  of  "The  Medical 
Journal  and  Examiner,"  the  successor  of  the 
former.  Dr.  Byford  was  lield  in  the  highest 
esteem  as  a  physician  and  a  man,  both  by  the 
general  public  and  his  professional  associates. 

BYROX,  a  village  of  Ogle  County,  in  a  pictur- 
esque region  on  Rock  River,  at  junction  of  the 
Chicago  Great  Western  and  the  Chicago,  Jlil- 
waukee  &  St.  Paul  Railways  83  miles  west-north- 
west from  Chicago;  is  in  rich  farming  and  dairy- 
ing district;  has  two  banks  and  two  weekly 
papers.    Population  (1890),  698;  (1900),  1,015. 

C.VBLE,  a  town  in  Mercer  County,  on  the  Rock 
Island  &  Peoria  Railroad,  26  miles  south  by  east 
from  Rock  Island.  Coal-mining  is  the  principal 
indu.stry,  but  there  are  also  tile  works,  a  good 
quality  of  clay  for  manufacturing  purposes  being 
found  in  abundance.  Population  (1880),  572, 
(1890).  1.27G;  (1900).  697. 

CABLE,  Benjamin  T.,  capitalist  and  jwlitician, 
was  born   in  Georgetown,   Scott    County.    Ky.. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


71 


August  11,  1853.  When  he  was  three  years  old 
his  father's  family  removed  to  Rock  Island,  111., 
where  he  has  since  resided.  After  passing 
througli  the  Rock  Island  public  schools,  lie  matric- 
ulated at  the  University  of  Michigan,  graduating 
in  June,  1876.  He  owns  extensive  ranch  and 
manufacturing  property,  and  is  reputed  wealthy ; 
is  also  an  active  Democratic  pohtician,  and  influ- 
ential in  his  party,  having  been  a  member  of  both 
the  National  and  State  Central  Committees.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Eleventh 
Illinois  District,  but  since  1893  has  held  no  public 
office. 

C.VBLE,  Ransom  R.,  railway  manager,  was 
born  in  Athens  Count}',  Ohio,  Sept.  23,  1834. 
His  early  training  was  mainly  of  the  practical 
sort,  and  by  the  time  he  was  17  years  old  he  was 
actively  employed  as  a  Imnberman.  In  1857  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  first  devoting  Iiis  attention 
to  coal-  mining  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rock 
Island.  Later  he  became  interested  in  the  pro- 
jection and  management  of  railroads,  being  in 
turn  Superintendent,  \"ice-President  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Railroad.  His 
next  position  was  that  of  General  JIanager  of  the 
Rockford,  Rock  Island  &  St.  Louis  Railroad.  His 
experience  in  these  positions  rendered  him  famil- 
iar with  both  the  scope  and  the  details  of  railroad 
management,  while  his  success  brouglit  him  to 
tlie  favorable  notice  of  those  who  controlled  rail- 
way interests  all  over  the  country.  In  1876  lie 
was  elected  a  Director  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railway.  In  connection  with 
this  company  he  has  held,  successively,  the 
offices  of  Vice-President,  Assistant  to  the  Presi- 
dent, General  Manager  and  President,  being  cliief 
executive  officer  since  1880.  (See  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railway.) 

CAHOKIA,  the  first  permanent  white  settle- 
ment in  Illinois,  and,  in  French  colonial  times, 
one  of  its  principal  towns.  French  Jesuit  mis- 
sionaries established  the  mission  of  the  Tamaroas 
here  in  1700,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of 
"Sainte  Famille  de  Caoquias,"  antedating  the 
settlement  at  Kaskaskia  of  the  same  year  by  a 
few  montlis.  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia  were 
jointly  made  the  county-seats  of  St.  Clair  Count)', 
wlien  tliat  county  was  organized  by  Governor  St. 
Clair  in  1790.  Five  years  later,  when  Randolph 
County  was  set  off  from  St.  Clair,  Caliokia  was 
continued  as  the  county-seat  of  the  parent 
county,  so  remaining  until  the  removal  of  tlie 
seat  of  justice  to  Belleville  in  1814.  Like  its 
early  rival,  Kaskaskia,  it  has  dwindled  in  impor- 
tance until,  in  1890,  its  population  was  estimated 


at  100.  Descendants  of  the  early  French  settlers 
make  up  a  considerable  portion  of  the  present 
population.  The  site  of  the  old  town  is  on  the 
line  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Rail- 
road, about  four  miles  from  East  St.  Louis. 
Some  of  the  most  remarkable  Indian  mounds  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  known  as  "the  Cahokia 
Mounds,"  are  located  in  the  vicinity.  (See  Mound- 
Builders,  Works  of  the.) 

CAIRXES,  Abraham,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  in 
1816  settled  in  that  part  of  Crawford  County,  111., 
which  was  embraced  in  Lawrence  County  on  tlie 
organization  of  the  latter  in  1831.  Mr.  Cairnes 
was  a  member  of  the  House  for  Crawford  County 
in  the  Second  General  Assembly  (1820-22),  and 
for  Lawrence  County  in  the  Third  (1833-24),  in 
the  latter  voting  against  the  pro-slavery  Conven- 
tion scheme.  He  removed  from  Lawrence 
County  to  some  point  on  the  Mississippi  River  in 
1826,  but  further  details  of  his  history  are  un- 
known. 

CAIRO,  the  county-.seat  of  Alexander  County, 
and  the  most  important  river  point  between  St. 
Louis  and  Memphis.  Its  first  charter  was  ob- 
tained from  the  Territorial  Legislature  by  .Shad- 
rach  Bond  (afterwards  Governor  of  Illinois),  John 
G.  Comyges  and  others,  who  incorporated  the 
"City  and  Bank  of  Cairo. "  The  company  entered 
about  l,800ai:res,  but  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Comy- 
ges, the  land  reverted  to  the  Government.  The 
forfeited  tract  was  re-enttred  in  183.)  b}'  Sidney 
Breese  and  others,  who  later  transferred  it  to  the 
"Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company,"  a  corporation 
chartered  in  1837,  which,  by  purchase,  incre;ised 
its  holdings  to  10,000  acres.  Peter  Stapleton  is 
said  to  have  erected  the  first  house,  and  John 
Hawley  the  second,  within  the  town  limits.  In 
consideration  of  certain  privileges,  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  has  erected  around  the  water 
front  a  substantial  levee,  eighty  feet  wide.  Dur- 
ing tlie  Civil  War  Cairo  was  an  important  base 
for  military  operations.  Its  population,  according 
to  the  census  of  1900,  was  12,566.  (See  also.4fer- 
ander  Conntij.) 

CAIRO  BRIIMJE,  THE,  one  of  the  triumphs  of 
modern  engineering,  erected  by  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  Company  across  the  Ohio  River, 
opposite  the  city  of  Cairo.  It  is  the  longest 
metallic  bridge  across  a  river  in  the  world,  being 
thirty-three  feet  longer  than  the  Tay  Bridge,  in 
Scotland.  The  work  of  construction  was  begun, 
July  1,  1887,  and  uninterruptedly  jirosecuted  for 
twenty-seven  montlis,  being  completed,  Oct.  29. 
1889.  The  first  train  to  cross  it  was  made  up  of 
ten    locomotives    coupled     together.     The     ap- 


73 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


proaches  from  both  the  Illinois  and  Kentucky 
shores  consist  of  iron  viaducts  and  well-braced 
timber  trestles.  The  Illinois  viaduct  approach 
consists  of  seventeen  spans  of  150  feet  each,  and 
one  span  of  106 'i  feet.  All  these  rest  on  cylin- 
der piers  filled  with  concrete,  and  are  additionally 
supported  by  piles  driven  within  the  cylinders. 
The  viaduct  on  the  Kentucky  shore  is  of  similar 
general  construction.  The  total  number  of  spans 
is  twenty-two — twenty-one  being  of  150  feet  each, 
and  one  of  106>4:  feet.  The  total  length  of  the 
metal  work,  from  end  to  end,  is  10,650  feet, 
including  that  of  the  bridge  proper,  which  is 
4  644  feet.  The  latter  consists  of  nine  through 
spans  and  three  deck  spans.  The  through  spans 
rest  on  ten  first-class  masonry  piers  on  pneumatic 
foundations.  The  total  length  of  the  bridge, 
including  the  timber  trestles,  is  20,461  feet — about 
3j-i  miles.  Four-fifths  of  the  Illinois  trestle 
work  has  been  filleil  in  with  earth,  while  that  on 
the  southern  shore  has  been  virtually  rejilaced  by 
an  embankment  since  the  completion  of  the 
bridge.  The  bridge  proper  stands  104.42  feet  in 
the  clear  above  low  water,  and  from  the  deepest 
foundation  to  the  top  of  the  highest  iron  work  is 
248.94  feet.  The  total  cost  of  the  work,  including 
the  filling  and  embankment  of  the  trestles,  has 
been  (1805)  between  .$3,250,000  and  §3.500,000. 

CAIRO,  TIXCEXXES  &  CHICAGO  RAIL- 
ROAD,  a  division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway,  extending  from 
Danville  to  Cairo  (261  miles),  with  a  branch  nine 
miles  in  length  from  St.  Francisville,  111.,  to  Vin- 
ceunes,  Ind.  It  was  chartered  as  the  Cairo  & 
Vincennes  Railroad  in  1867,  completed  in  1872, 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  in  1874,  sold 
under  foreclosure  in  January,  1880,  and  for  some 
time  operated  as  the  Cairo  Division  of  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway.  In  1889, 
having  been  surrendered  by  the  Wabash,  St. 
Louis  &  Pacific  Railway,  it  was  united  with  the 
Danville  &  Southwestern  Railroad,  reorganized  as 
the  Cairo,  Vincennes  &  Chicago  Railroad,  and, 
in  1890,  leased  to  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chi- 
cago &  St.  Louis  Railway,  of  which  it  is  known 
as  the  "Cairo  Division."  (See  Cleveland,  Cincin- 
nati, Chicaijo  &  St.  Louis  RaHifciy.) 

CAIRO  ic  ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD.  (See  St. 
Loitis  d:  Cairo  Railroad  and  Mobile  ct  Ohio  Rail- 
"•<'.'/• ) 

CAIRO  &  VINCENNES  RAILROAD.  (See 
Cairo,  Vi7icennes  d-  Chicago  Railroad.) 

CALDWELL,  (Dr.)  George,  early  physician 
and  legislator  (the  name  is  spelled  both  Cadwell 
and  Caldwell  in  the  eariv  records),  was  born  at 


Wethersfield,  Conn  .  Feb.  21,  1773,  and  received 
his  literary  education  at  Hartford,  and  his  pro- 
fessional at  Rutland,  Vt.  He  married  a  daughter 
of  Hon.  Matthew  Lyon,  who  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  who  served  two  terms  in  Congress 
from  Vermont,  four  from  Kentucky  (180311), 
and  was  elected  the  first  Delegate  in  Congre.ss 
from  Arkansas  Territory,  but  died  before  taking 
his  seat  in  August,  1822.  Lyon  was  also  a  resi- 
dent for  a  time  of  St.  Louis,  and  was  a  candidate 
for  Delegate  to  Congress  from  Missouri  Territory, 
but  defeated  by  Edward  Hempstead  (.see  Hemp- 
stead, Edward).  Dr.  Caldwell  descended  the 
Ohio  River  in  1799  in  company  with  Lyon's 
family  and  liis  brother-in-law,  John  Messinger 
(see  Messitjger,  John),  who  afterwards  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  St.  Clair  County,  the  party 
locating  at  Eddyville,  Ky.  In  1802,  Caldwell 
and  Me.ssinger  removed  to  Illinois,  landing  near 
old  Fort  Chartres,  and  remained  some  time  in 
the  American  Bottom.  The  former  finally 
located  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  a  few 
miles  above  St.  Louis,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  and  held  various  public  offices,  includ- 
ing those  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  County 
Judge  for  St.  Clair  County,  as  also  for  Madison 
County  after  the  organization  of  the  hitter.  He 
served  as  State  Senator  from  Madison  County 
in  the  First  and  Second  General  Assemblies 
(1818-22),  and,  having  removed  in  1820  within  the 
limits  of  what  is  now  Morgan  County  (but  still 
earlier  embraced  in  Greene),  in  1822  was  elected 
to  the  Senate  for  Greene  and  Pike  Counties^ 
the  latter  at  that  time  embracing  all  the  northern 
and  northwestern  part  of  the  State,  including 
the  county  of  Cook.  During  the  following  ses- 
sion of  the  Legislature  he  wiis  a  sturdy  opponent 
of  the  sclieme  to  make  Illinois  a  sliive  State.  His 
home  in  Morgan  County  was  in  a  locality  known 
as  "Swinerton's  Point,"  a  few  miles  west  of 
Jacksonville,  where  he  died,  August  1,  1826. 
(See  Slai-ery  and  Slave  Laus.)  Dr.  Caldwell  (or 
Cadwell.  as  he  was  widely  known)  commanded 
a  high  degree  of  respect  among  early  residents  of 
Illinois.  Governor  Reynolds,  in  his  "Pioneer 
History  of  Illinois,"  says  of  him:  "He  was 
moral  and  correct  in  his  public  and  private  life, 
.  .  .  was  a  respectable  physician,  and  always 
maintained  an  unblemished  character." 

CALHOUN,  John,  pioneer  printer  and  editor, 
was  born  at  Watertown.  X.  Y.,  April  14,  1808; 
learned  the  printing  trade  and  practiced  it  in  his 
native  town,  also  working  in  a  type-foundry  in 
Albany  and  as  a  compositor  in  Troy.  In  the  fall 
of  1833  he  came  to  Chicago,  bringing  with  him 


HISTOUICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


73 


an  outfit  for  the  publication  of  a  weekly  paper, 
and,  on  Nov,  26,  began  the  issue  of  "The  Chicago 
Democrat" — the  first  paper  ever  published  in  tliat 
city.  Mr.  Calhoun  retained  the  management  of 
the  paper  three  years,  transferring  it  in  Novem- 
ber, 1836,  to  John  Wentworth,  who  conducted  it 
until  its  absorption  by  "The  Tribune"  in  July, 
1861.  Mr.  Calhoun  afterwards  served  as  County 
Treasurer,  still  later  as  Collector,  and,  finally,  as 
agent  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in  procur- 
ing right  of  way  for  the  construction  of  its  lines. 
Died  in  Chicago,  Feb.  20,  18.59. 

CALHOUN,  John,  surveyor  and  politician,  was 
born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.  14,  1806;  removed  to 
Springfield,  111.,  in  1830,  served  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War  and  was  soon  after  appointed  County 
Surveyor.  It  was  under  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  by  Ids 
appointment,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  served  for 
some  time  as  Deputy  Surveyor  of  Sangamon 
Countj'.  In  1838  Calhoun  was  chosen  Represent- 
ative in  the  General  Assembly,  but  was  defeated 
in  1840,  though  elected  Clerk  of  the  House  at  the 
following  session.  He  was  a  Democratic  Presi- 
dential Elector  in  1844,  was  an  unsuccessful 
candidate  for  the  nomination  for  Governor  in 
1846,  and,  for  three  terms  (1849,  '50  and  'ol), 
served  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Springfield.  In 
18,52  he  was  defeated  by  Richard  Yates  (after- 
wards Governor  and  United  States  Senator),  as  a 
candidate  for  Congress,  but  two  years  later  was 
appointed  by  President  Pierce  Surveyor  General 
of  Kansas,  where  he  became  discreditably  con- 
spicuous by  his  zeal  in  attempting  to  carry  out 
the  policy  of  the  Buchanan  administration  for 
making  Kansas  a  slave  State — especially  in  con- 
nection with  the  Lecompton  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, with  the  election  of  which  he  had  much 
to  do,  and  over  which  he  presided.  Died  at  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  Oct  25.  18.59. 

CALHOUN,  William  J.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  Oct.  5,  1847.  After  residing  at 
various  points  in  that  State,  his  family  removed 
to  Ohio,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  until  1864, 
when  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Nineteenth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  to  the  end  of 
the  war.  He  participated  in  a  number  of  severe 
battles  while  with  Sherman  on  the  march  against 
Atlanta,  returning  with  General  Thomas  to  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.  During  the  last  few  months  of  the 
war  he  served  in  Texas,  being  mustered,  out  at 
San  Antonio  in  that  State,  though  receiving  his 
final  discharge  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  After  the 
war  he  entered  the  Poland  Union  Seminary, 
whei-e  he  became  the  intimate  personal  friend  of 
Ma.i.  William  McKinley,  who  was  elected  to  the 


Presidency  in  1896.  Having  graduated  at  the 
seminary,  he  came  to  Areola,  Douglas  County, 
111.,  and  began  the  study  of  law,  later  taking  a 
course  in  a  law  school  in  Chicago,  after  which  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  (187.5)  and  estabUshed 
himself  in  practice  at  Danville  as  the  partner  of 
the  Hon.  Joseph  B.  Mann.  In  1882  Mr.  Calhoun 
was  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the  lower  branch 
of  the  Thirty-third  General  As.sembly  antl,  during 
the  following  session,  ]iroved  himself  one  of  the 
ablest  members  of  that  body.  In  May,  1897,  Mr. 
Calhoun  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  a 
special  envoy  to  investigate  the  circumstances 
attending  the  death  of  Dr.  Ricardo  Ruiz,  a  nat- 
uralized citizen  of  the  United  States  who  had 
died  while  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards 
during  the  rebellion  then  in  progress  in  Cuba. 
In  1898  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Inter- 
State  Commerce  Commission  to  succeed  William 
R.  Morrison,  whose  term  had  exjjired. 

CALHOUN  COUNTY,  situated  l>etween  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers,  just  above  tlieir 
junction.  It  has  an  area  of  260  square  miles, 
with  a  population  (1900)  of  8,917;  was  organized 
in  182.5  and  named  for  John  C.  Callioun.  Origi- 
nally, the  county  was  well  timbered  and  the 
early  settlers  were  largely  engaged  in  lumbering, 
which  tended  to  give  the  population  more  or  less 
of  a  migratory  character.  Much  of  the  timber 
has  been  cleared  off,  and  the  principal  business 
in  later  years  has  been  agriculture,  although  coal 
is  found  and  mined  in  paying  quantities  along 
Silver  Creek.  Tradition  has  it  that  the  aborig- 
ines foimd  the  precious  metals  in  the  bed  of  this 
stream.  It  was  originally  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  Military  Tract  set  apart  for  the 
veterans  of  the  War  of  1812.  The  physical  con- 
formation of  the  coimty's  surface  exhibits  some 
peculiarities.  Limestone  bluifs.  rising  some- 
times to  the  height  of  200  feet,  skirt  the  banks  of 
both  rivers,  while  through  the  center  of  the 
county  runs  a  ridge  dividing  the  two  watersheds. 
Tlie  side  valleys  and  the  top  of  the  central  ridge 
are  alike  fertile.  The  bottom  lands  are  very 
rich,  but  are  liable  to  inundation.  The  county- 
seat  and  principal  town  is  Hardin,  with  a  popula- 
tion (1890)  of  311. 

CALLAHAN,  Ethelbert,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  near  Newark,  Ohio,  Dec.  17,  1829; 
came  to  Crawford  County,  111.,  in  1849,  where  he 
farmed,  taught  school  and  edited,  at  different 
times,  "The  Wabash  Sentinel"  and  "The  Marsliall 
Telegraph."  He  early  identified  himself  witli 
the  Republican  party,  and,  in  1864,  was  the 
Republican   candidate   for  Congress  in  his  dLs- 


74 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


trict ;  became  a  member  of  the  first  State  Board 
of  Equalization  by  appointment  of  Governor 
Oglesby  in  1807;  served  in  the  lower  house  of  the 
General  Assembly  during  the  sessions  of  18;5,  '91, 
93  and  '95,  and,  in  1893-9,'),  on  a  Joint  Committee 
to  revise  the  State  Revenue  Laws.  He  was  also 
Presidential  Elector  in  1880,  and  again  in  1888. 
Mr.  Callahan  was  admitted  to  the  bar  when  past 
30  years  of  age,  and  was  President  of  the  State 
Bar  Association  in  1889.  His  home  is  at  Robinson. 
CALUMET  RIVER,  a  short  stream  the  main 
body  of  which  is  formed  by  the  union  of  two 
branches  which  come  together  at  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  which  Hows 
into  Lake  Michigan  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
Indiana  State  line.  The  eastern  branch,  known 
as  the  Grand  Calumet,  flows  in  a  westerly  direc- 
tion from  Northwestern  Indiana  and  unites  with 
the  Little  Calumet  from  the  west,  'ili  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  main  stream.  From  the  south- 
ern limit  of  Chicago  the  general  course  of  tlie 
stream  is  north  between  Lake  Calumet  and  Wolf 
Lake,  which  it  serves  to  drain.  At  its  mouth, 
Calumet  Harbor  has  been  constructed,  which 
admits  of  the  entrance  of  vessels  of  heavy 
draught,  and  is  a  shipping  and  receiving 
pf)int  of  importance  for  heavy  freight  for 
the  Illinois  Steel  Works,  the  Pullman  Palace 
Car  Works  and  other  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  that  vicinity.  The  river  is  regarded  as 
a  navigable  stream,  and  has  been  dredged  by  the 
General  Government  to  a  depth  of  twenty  feet 
and  300  feet  %vide  for  a  distance  of  two  miles, 
with  a  depth  of  .sixteen  feet  for  the  remainder  of 
the  distance  to  the  forks.  The  Calumet  feeder 
for  the  Illinois  and  Jlichigan  Canal  extends  from 
the  west  branch  (or  Little  Calumet)  to  the  canal 
in  the  vicinity  of  AVillow  Springs.  The  stream 
was  known  to  the  earh-  French  explorers  as  "the 
Calimic,"  and  was  sometimes  confounded  by 
them  with  the  Chicago  River. 

CALUMET  RIVER  RAILROAD,  a  short  line. 
4.43  miles  in  length,  lying  wholly  within  Cook 
County.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company 
is  the  lessee,  but  the  line  is  not  operated  at  present 
(1898).  Its  outstanding  capital  stock  is  §68,700. 
It  has  no  funded  del)t,  but  has  a  floating  debt  of 
§116,357,  making  atotal  capitalization  of  S18.j,087. 
This  road  extends  from  One  Hundredth  Street  in 
Chicago  to  Hegewisch,  and  was  chartered  in  1883. 
(See  Pennsylvania  Railroad.) 

CAMBRIDtJE,  the  county-seat  of  Henry 
County,  about  160  miles  southwest  of  Chicago, 
on  the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Railroad.  It  is  situ- 
ated   in    a    fertile    region     chiefly   devoted     to 


agriculture  and  stock-raising.  The  city  is  a  coa- 
siderable  grain  market  and  has  some  manufac- 
tories. Some  coal  is  also  mined.  It  has  a  public 
library,  two  newspapers,  three  banks,  good 
schools,  and  handsome  public  (county)  buildings. 
Population  (1880),  1,203;  (1890),  United  States 
census  report,  9-10;  (1900),  \,'M'>. 

C.\MER(>>',  .Juriies,  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
minister  and  pioneer,  w.is  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1791,  came  to  Illinois  in  1810,  and,  in  1818,  settled 
in  Sangamon  Countj-.  In  1839  he  is  said  to  have 
located  where  the  town  of  New  Salem  (after- 
wards associated  with  the  early  history  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln)  was  built,  and  of  which  he  and 
James  Rutledge  were  the  founders.  He  is  also 
said  to  have  ofTiciated  at  the  funeral  of  Ann 
Rutledge,  with  whose  memory  Mr.  Lincoln's 
name  has  teen  tenderly  associated  by  his  biog- 
raphers. Mr.  Cameron  subse(iuently  removed 
successively  to  Fulton  County,  111.,  to  Iowa  and 
to  California,  dying  at  a  ripe  old  age,  in  the  latter 
State,  about  1878. 

CAMP  DOUiJL.VS,  a  Federal  military  camp 
established  at  Chicago  early  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  located  tetween  Thirty-first  Street  and 
College  Place,  and  Cottage  Grove  and  Forest 
Avenues.  It  was  originally  designed  and  solely 
used  as  a  camp  of  instruction  for  new  recruits. 
Afterwards  it  wiis  utilized  as  a  place  of  confine- 
ment for  Confederate  prisoners  of  war.  (For 
plot  to  literate  the  latter,  together  with  other 
similar  prisoners  in  Illinois,  see  Camp  Douglas 
Consjnracy. ) 

CAMP  DOUGLAS  CONSPIRACY,  a  plot  formed 
in  18G4  for  the  literation  of  tlie  Confederate 
prisoners  of  war  at  Chicago  (in  Camp  Douglas), 
Rock  Island,  Alton  and  Springfield.  It  was  to  be 
but  a  preliminar3-  step  in  the  execution  of  a 
design  long  cherished  by  the  Confederate  Gov- 
ernment, viz.,  the  seizing  of  the  organized  gov- 
ernments of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  the 
formation  of  a  Northwestern  Confederacy, 
through  the  cooperation  of  the  "Sons  of  Lib- 
erty.'' {See  Secret  Treasonable  Societies.)  Three 
peace  commissioners  (Jacob  Thompson,  C.  C. 
Clay  and  J.  P.  Holcomb),  who  had  been  sent 
from  Richmond  to  Canada,  held  frequent 
conferences  with  leaders  of  the  treasonable 
organizations  in  the  North,  including  Clement  L. 
Vallandigham,  Bowles,  of  Indiana,  and  one 
Charles  Walsh,  who  was  head  of  the  movement 
in  Chicago,  with  a  large  number  of  allies  in  that 
city  and  scattered  throughout  the  States.  The 
general  management  of  the  affair  was  entrusted 
to  Capt.  Thomas  H.  Hines,  who  had  teen  second 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


in  command  to  the  rebel  Gen.  Jolm  Morgan  dur- 
ing his  raid  north  of  the  Ohio  River,  while  Col. 
Vincent  Marmaduke.  of  Missouri,  and  G.  St.  Leger 
Grenfell    (an    Englishman)     were     selected     to 
carry  out  the  military  program.     Hines  followed 
out  his  instructions  with  great  zeal  and  labored 
indefatigably.     Thompson's    duty    was    to    dis- 
seminate incendiary  treasonable  literature,  and 
strengthen  the  timorous  "Sons  of  Liberty"  by 
the  use  of  argtiment  and  money,  both  he  and  his 
agents  being  lavishly  supplied  with   the   latter. 
There  was  to  be  a  draft  in  July,  1864,  and  it  was 
determined    to  arm  the   "Sons  of    Liberty"   for 
resistance,  the  date  of  uprising  being  fixed   for 
July  20.     This  part  of  the  scheme,  however,  was 
finally  abandoned.     Captain  Hines  located  him- 
self at  Chicago,  and  personally  attended  to  the 
distribution  of  funds  and  the  purchase  of  arms. 
The  date  finally  fixed  for  the  attempt  to  liberate 
the  Southern  prisoners  was  August  29.  1864,  when 
the   National   Democratic     Convention    was    to 
assemble    at     Chicago.     On    that     date    it    was 
expected  the  city  would  be  so  crowded  that  tlie 
presence  of  the  promised  force  of  "Sons"  would 
not  excite  comment.     The  program  also  included 
an  attack  on  the  city  by  water,  for  which  pur- 
pose reliance  was  placed  upon  a  horde  of  Cana- 
dian refugees,  under  Capt.  John  B.   Castleman. 
There  were  some  26,  .500  Southern  prisoners  in  the 
State  at  this  time,  of  whom  about  8,000  were  at 
Chicago,  6,000  at  Rock  Island,  7,500  at  Spring- 
field, and  5,000  at  Alton.     It  was  estimated  that 
there  were  4,000  "Sons  of  Liberty"  in  Chicago, 
who  would    be  largely  reenforced.     With  these 
and  the  Canadian  refugees  the  prisoners  at  Camp 
Douglas  were  to  be  liberated,  and  the  army  thus 
formed  was  to  march  upon  Rock  Island,  Spring- 
field and  Alton.     But  suspicions  were  aroased, 
and  tlie  Camp  was  reenforced  by  a  regiment  of 
infantry  and  a  battery.     The  organization  of  the 
propo.sed  a.ssailing  force  was  very  imperfect,  and 
the  great  majority  of  those  who  were  to  compose 
it  were  lacking  in  courage.     Not  enough  of  the 
latter  reported  for  service  to  justifj'  an  attack. 
and  the  project  was  postponeil.     In  the  meantime 
a  preliminary  part  of  the  plot,  at  least  indirectly 
connected  with  the  Camp  Douglas   conspiracy, 
and  which  contemplated  the  release  of  the  rebel 
officers  confined   on  Johnson's    Island   in    Lake 
Erie,  had  been  "nipped  in  the  bud"  by  tlie  arrest 
of  Capt.  C.  H.  Cole,  a  Confederate  officer  in  dis- 
guise, on  the  19th  of  September,  just  as  he  was 
on  the  point  of  putting  in  execution  a  scheme  for 
seizing  the  United  States  steamer  Michigan  at 
Sandusky,  and  putting  on  board  of  it  a  Confeder- 


ate crew.    November  8  was  the  date  next  selected 
to  carry  out  the  Chicago  sclieme — the  day  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  second  election.     The  same  pre- 
liminaries were  arranged,  except  that  no  water 
attack  was  to  be  made.     But  Chicago  was  to  be 
burned    and    flooded,    and    its    banks    pillaged. 
Detachments  were  designated  to  apply  the  torcli, 
to  open  fire  plugs,  to  levy  arms,  and  to  attack 
banks.     But  representatives  of  the  United  States 
Secret  Service  liad  been  initiated  into  the  "Sons 
of  Liberty,"  and  the  plans  of  Captain  Hines  and 
his  associates  were  well  known  to  the  authori- 
ties.    An  efficient    body  of   detectives  was  put 
upon  their  track  by  Gen.  B.  J.  Sweet,  the  com- 
mandant at  Camp  Douglas,  although  some  of  the 
most  valuable  service  in  running  down  the  con- 
spiracy and  capturing  its  agents,  was  rendered 
by  Dr.  T.  Winslow  Ayer  of  Cliicago,  a  Colonel 
Langhorne  (an  ex-Confederate  who    had    taken 
the  oath  of  allegiance  without  the  knowledge  of 
some  of  the  parties  to  the  plot),  and  Col.  J.  T. 
Shanks,  a  Confederate  prisoner  who  was  known 
as  "The  Texan."     Both  Langhorne  and   Shanks 
were  appalled  at  the  horrible  nature  of  the  plot 
as  it  was  unfolded  to  them,  and  entered  with 
zeal  into  the   effort  to  defeat    it.     Shanks  was 
permitted  to  escape  from  Camp  Douglas,  thereby 
getting  in  communication  with  the  leaders  of  the 
plot  who  assisted  to  conceal  him,  while  he  faith- 
fully apprised  General  Sweet  of  their  plans.     On 
the  night  of  Nov.  6 — or  rather  after  midnight  on 
the  morning  of  the  7th — General  Sweet  caused 
simultaneous  arrests  of  the  leaders  to  be  made  at 
their    hiding-places.     Captain    Hines    was    not 
captured,   but   the  following  conspirators  were 
taken  into  custody :  Captains  Cantrill  and  Trav- 
erse;  Cliarles  Walsh,  the   Brigadier-General   of 
the  "Sons  of  Liberty,"  who  was  sheltering  them, 
and  in  whose  barn  and  house  was  found  a  large 
quantity  of  arms  and  military  stores;  Cols.  St. 
Leger    Grenfell,    W.    R.    Anderson    and    J.    T. 
Shanks;    R.    T.    Semmes,    Vincent    Marmaduke, 
Charles  T.   Daniel  and    Buckner    S.  Morris,  the 
Treasurer    of    the    order.     They  were    tried  by 
Military  Commission  at  Cincinnati  for  conspir- 
acy.    Marmaduke   and   Morris  were    acquitted; 
Anderson   committed   suicide  during  the   trial; 
Walsh,  Semmes  and  Daniels  were  sentenced  to 
the  penitentiary,  and  Grenfell  was  sentenced  to 
be  hung,  although  his  sentence  was  afterward 
commuted  to  life  imprisonment  at  the  Dry  Tortu- 
gas,   where   he    mysteriously  disappeared    some 
years  afterward,  but  whether  he  escaped  or  was 
drowned  in  the  attempt  to  do  so  has  never  been 
known.     The    British    Government    had     made 


76 


HLSTOUICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


repeated  attempts  to  secure  his  release,  a  brotJier 
of  his  being  a  General  in  the  British  Army. 
Daniels  managed  to  escape,  and  was  never  recap- 
tui'ed,  while  Walsh  and  Semmes,  after  under- 
going brief  terms  of  imprisonment,  were 
pardoned  by  President  Johnson.  The  subsequent 
history  of  Shanks,  who  played  so  prominent  a 
part  in  defeating  the  scheme  of  wholesale  arson, 
pillage  and  assassination,  is  interesting.  While 
in  prison  he  had  been  detailed  for  sen'ice  as  a 
clerk  in  one  of  the  offices  under  the  direction  of 
General  Sweet,  and,  while  thus  employed,  made 
the  acquaintance  of  a  young  lady  member  of  a 
lo3'al  family,  whom  he  afterwards  married. 
After  the  exposure  of  the  contemplated  uprising, 
the  rebel  agents  in  Canada  offered  a  reward  of 
81.000  in  gold  for  the  taking  of  his  life,  and  he 
was  bitterly  persecuted.  The  attention  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  was  called  to  the  service  rendered 
by  him,  and  sometime  during  186.5  he  received  a 
commission  as  Captain  and  engaged  in  fighting 
the  Indians  upon  the  Plains.  The  efficiency 
shown  by  Colonel  Sweet  in  ferreting  out  the  con- 
spiracy and  defeating  its  consummation  won  for 
him  the  gratitude  of  the  people  of  Chicago  and 
the  whole  nation,  and  was  recognized  by  the 
Government  in  awarding  him  a  commission  as 
Brigadier-General.  (See  Benjamin  J.  Sweet. 
Camp  Douglas  and  Secret  Treasonable  Societies.) 

CAMPBELL,  Alexander,  legislator  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  at  Concord,  Pa.,  Oct.  4,  1814. 
After  obtaining  a  limited  education  in  the  com 
mon  schools,  at  an  early  age  he  secured  employ- 
ment as  a  clerk  in  an  iron  manufactory.  He  soon 
rose  to  the  position  of  superintendent,  managing 
iron-works  in  Pennsylvania.  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
.souri.  until  18.50,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  at  La  Salle.  He  was  twice  (18.53  and 
18.53)  elected  ^layor  of  that  city,  and  represented 
his  county  in  the  Twenty-first  General  Assembly 
(1859).  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  and  served 
one  term  (1875-77)  as  Representative  in  Congress, 
being  elected  as  an  Independent,  but,  in  1878,  was 
defeated  for  re-election  by  Philip  C.  Hayes, 
Republican.  Mr,  Campbell  was  a  zealous  friend 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and,  in  1858,  contributed 
liberally  to  the  expenses  of  the  latter  in  making 
the  tour  of  the  State  during  tiie  debate  with 
Douglas  He  broke  with  the  Republican  party 
in  1874  on  the  greenback  issue,  which  won  for 
him  the  title  of  "Father  of  the  Greenback."  His 
deatli  occurred  at  La  Salle,  August  9,  1898. 

CAMPBELL,  Antrim,  early  lawyer,  was  born 
in  New  Jersey  in  1814;  came  to  Springfield,  111.. 


in  1838;  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  for 
Sangamon  County  in  1849,  and,  in  1861,  to  a 
similar  position  by  the  United  Stat«s  District 
Court  for  that  di.strict.     Died,  August  11,  1868. 

CAMPBELL,  James  R.,  Congressman  and  sol- 
dier, was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  111.,  May  4, 
1853,  his  ancestors  being  among  the  first  settlers 
in  that  section  of  the  State;  was  educated  at 
Notre  Dame  University,  Ind.,  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1877 ; 
in  1878  purchased  "The  McLeansboro  Times," 
which  he  has  since  conducted ;  was  elected  to  the 
lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1884,  and 
again  in  "86,  ailvanced  to  the  Senate  in  1888,  and 
re-elected  in  '92.  During  his  twelve  years' 
experience  in  the  Legislature  he  participated,  as 
a  Democrat,  in  the  celebrated  Logan-Morrison 
contest  for  the  L^nited  States  Senate,  in  1885,  and 
assisted  in  the  election  of  Gen.  Jolin  M.  Palmer 
to  the  Senate  in  1891.  At  the  close  of  his  last 
term  in  the  Senate  (1896)  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress from  the  Twentieth  District,  receiving  a 
plurality  of  2,851  over  Orlando  Burrell,  Repub- 
lican, who  had  been  elected  in  1894.  On  the 
second  call  for  troops  issued  by  the  President 
during  the  Spani-sh-American  War,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell organized  a  regiment  which  was  mustered  in 
us  the  Nintli  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  of 
whi(;h  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  and  assigned 
to  the  corps  of  Gen.  Fitzhugh  Lee  at  Jackson- 
ville, Fla.  Although  his  regiment  saw  no  active 
service  during  the  war,  it  was  held  in  readiness 
for  that  purpose,  and,  on  the  occupation  of  Culia 
in  December,  1898,  it  became  a  part  of  the  army 
of  occupation.  As  Colonel  Campbell  remained 
with  his  regiment,  he  took  no  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  last  term  of  the  Fifty-fifth  Con- 
gress, and  was  not  a  candidate  for  re-election  in 
1.898. 

CAMPBELL,  Thompson,  Secretary  of  State 
and  Congressman,  was  born  in  Chester  County, 
Pa.,  in  1811 ;  removed  in  childhood  to  the  western 
part  of  the  State  and  was  educated  at  Jefferson 
College,  afterwards  reading  law  at  Pittsburg. 
Soon  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  removed 
to  Galena,  111. ,  where  he  had  acquired  some  min- 
ing interests,  and,  in  1843,  was  appointed  Secre- 
tary of  State  by  Governor  Ford,  but  resigned  in 
1.S46.  and  became  a  Delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1847;  in  1850  was  elected  as  a 
Democrat  to  Congress  from  the  Galena  District, 
but  defeated  for  re-election  in  1853  by  E.  B. 
Washburne.  He  was  then  appointed  by  President 
Pierce  Commissioner  to  look  after  certain  land 
grants  by  the  Mexican  Government  in  California, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


77 


removing  to  that  State  in  1853,  but  resigned  this 
position  about  1835  to  engage  in  general  practice. 
In  1859  he  made  an  extended  visit  to  Europe 
witli  liis  family,  and,  on  his  return,  located  in 
Chicago,  the  following  year  becoming  a  candidate 
for  Presidential  Electorat-large  on  the  Breckin- 
ridge ticket;  in  18G1  returned  to  California,  and, 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  became  a 
zealous  champion  of  the  Union  cause,  bj'  his 
speeches  exerting  a  powerful  influence  upon  the 
destiny  of  the  State.  He  also  served  in  the  Cali- 
fornia Legislature  during  the  war,  and,  in  1864, 
was  a  member  of  the  Baltimore  Convention 
which  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency 
a  second  time,  assisting  most  ably  in  the  subse- 
quent campaign  to  carry  the  State  for  the  Repub- 
lican tick'et.     Died  in  San  Francisco,  Dec.  6,  1868. 

CAMPBELL,  William  J.,  lawyer  and  politi- 
cian, was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1850.  When 
he  was  two  years  old  his  father  removed  to 
Illinois,  settling  in  Cook  County.  After  pa.ssing 
through  the  Chicago  public  schools,  Mr.  Camp- 
bell attended  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  studied  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875.  From  that  date  he 
was  in  active  practice  and  attained  prominence 
at  the  Chicago  bar.  In  1878  he  was  elected  State 
Senator,  and  was  re-elected  in  1882,  serving  in  all 
eight  years.  At  the  sessions  of  1881,  '83  and  '85 
he  was  chosen  President  pro  tempore  of  the 
Senate,  and,  on  Feb.  6,  1883,  he  became  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor upon  the  accession  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Hamilton  to  the  executive  office  to 
succeed  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  who  had  been  elected 
United  States  Senator.  In  1888  he  represented 
the  First  Illinois  District  in  the  National  Repub- 
lican Convention,  and  was  the  same  year  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Republican  National  Committee 
for  Illinois  and  was  re-elected  in  1883.  Died  in 
Chicago,  March  4,  1896.  For  several  years 
immediately  preceding  his  death,  Mr.  Campbell 
was  the  chief  attorney  of  the  Armour  Packing 
Company  of  Chicago. 

CAMP  POINT,  a  village  in  Adams  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  and  the  Wabash  Railroads,  33  miles  east- 
northeast  of  Quincy.  It  is  a  grain  center,  has 
one  flour  mill,  two  feed  mills,  one  elevator,  a 
pressed  brick  plant,  two  banks,  four  churches,  a 
high  school,  and  one  newspaper.  Population 
(1890),  1,150;  (1900),  1,260. 

CANAL  SCRIP  FRAUD.  During  the  session 
of  the  Illinois  General  Assembly  of  1859,  Gen. 
Jacob  Fry,  who,  as  Commissioner  or  Trustee,  had 
been  associated   with  the    construction   of    the 


Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  from  1837  to  1845, 
had  his  attention  called  to  a  check  purporting  to 
have  been  i.s.sued  by  the  Commissioners  in  1839, 
which,  upon  investigation,  he  became  convinced 
was  counterfeit,  or  had  been  fraudulently  issued. 
Having  communicated  his  conclusions  to  Hon. 
Jesse  K.  Dubois,  the  State  Auditor,  in  charge  of 
the  vi'ork  of  refunding  tlie  State  indebtedness,  an 
inquiry  was  instituted  in  the  office  of  the  Fimd 
Commissioner — a  position  attached  to  the  Gov- 
ernor's office,  but  in  the  charge  of  a  secretary — 
which  developed  the  fact  that  a  large  amount  of 
these  evidences  of  indebtedness  had  been  taken 
up  through  that  office  and  bonds  issued  therefor 
by  the  State  Auditor  under  the  laws  for  funding 
the  State  debt.  A  subsequent  investigation  by  the 
Finance  Committee  of  the  State  Senate,  ordered 
by  vote  of  that  body,  resulted  in  the  discovery 
that,  in  May  and  August,  1839,  two  series  of 
canal  "scrip"  (or  checks)  had  been  issued  b}-  the 
Canal  Board,  to  meet  temporary  demands  in  the 
work  of  construction  —  the  sum  aggregating 
§269,059 — of  which  all  but  §316  had  been  redeemed 
within  a  few  years  at  the  Chicago  branch  of  the 
Illinois  State  Bank.  The  bank  officers  testified 
that  this  scrip  (or  a  large  part  of  it)  had,  after 
redemption,  been  held  by  them  in  the  bank  vaults 
withovit  cancellation  until  settlement  was  had 
with  the  Canal  Board,  when  it  was  packed  in 
boxes  and  turned  over  to  the  Board.  After  hav- 
ing lain  in  the  canal  office  for  several  years  in 
this  condition,  and  a  new  "Trustee"  (as  the 
officer  in  charge  was  now  called)  having  come 
into  the  canal  office  in  1853,  this  scrip,  with  other 
papers,  was  repacked  in  a  shoe-box  and  a  trunk 
and  placed  in  charge  of  Joel  A.  JIatteson,  then 
Governor,  to  be  taken  by  him  *o  Springfield  and 
deposited  there.  Nothing  further  was  known  of 
these  papers  until  October,  1854,  when  §300  of  the 
scrip  was  presented  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Fund 
Commissioner  by  a  Springfield  banker,  and  bond 
issued  thereon.  This  was  followed  in  185G  and 
1857  by  larger  sums,  until,  at  tlie  time  the  legis- 
lative investigation  was  instituted,  it  was  found 
that  bonds  to  the  amount  of  §323,182.66  had  been 
issued  on  account  of  principal  and  interest. 
With  the  exception  of  the  8300  first  presented,  it 
was  shown  that  all  the  scrip  so  funded  had  been 
presented  by  Governor  Matteson,  either  while  in 
office  or  subsequent  to  his  retirement,  and  the 
bonds  issued  therefor  delivered  to  him— although 
none  of  the  persons  in  whose  names  the  issue  was 
made  were  known  or  ever  afterward  discovered. 
The  developments  made  by  the  Senate  Finance 
Committee    led  to  an   ofl'er  from    Matteson  to 


78 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


indemnify  the  State,  in  which  lie  stated  that  he 
liad  "unconsciously  and  innocently  been  made 
the  instrument  through  whom  a  gross  fraud  upon 
the  State  had  been  attempted."  He  therefore 
gave  to  the  State  mortgages  and  an  indemnif  jnng 
bond  for  the  sum  shown  to  have  been  funded  by 
him  of  this  class  of  indebtedness,  upon  which  the 
State,  on  foreclosure  a  few  years  later,  secured 
judgment  for  $255,000,  although  the  property  on 
being  sold  realized  only  §238,000.  A  further 
investigation  by  the  Legislature,  in  1861,  revealed 
the  fact  that  additional  issues  of  bonds  for  similar 
scrip  had  been  made  amounting  to  §105,340,  for 
which  the  State  never  received  any  compensa- 
tion. A  search  through  the  State  House  for  the 
trunk  and  box  jjlaced  in  the  hands  of  Governor 
Matte.son  in  1853,  wliile  the  official  investigation 
was  in  progress,  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the 
trunk  in  a  condition  showing  it  had  been  opened, 
but  the  box  was  never  found.  The  fraud  was 
made  tlie  subject  of  a  protracted  investigation 
by  the  Grand  Jury  of  Sangamon  County  in  May, 
1859,  and,  although  the  jury  twice  voted  to  indict 
Governor  Matteson  for  larceny,  it  as  often  voted 
to  reconsider,  and,  on  a  third  ballot,  voted  to 
"ignore  the  bill." 

CANBY,  Richard  Sprig:^,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Green  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  30,  1808;  was  educated 
at  Miami  University  and  admitted  to  the  bar, 
afterwards  serving  as  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
member  of  the  Legislature  and  one  term  (1847-49) 
in  Congress.  In  1863  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
locating  at  Olney,  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Judicial  Circuit  in  1867,  resuming 
practice  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  1873. 
Died  in  Richland  County,  July  27,  1895.  Judge 
Canby  was  a  relative  of  Gen.  Edward  Richard 
Spriggs  Canby,  who  was  treacherously  killed  by 
the  Modocs  in  California  in  1873. 

CANNON,  Joseph  G.,  Congressman,  was  born 
at  Guilford,  N.  C,  May  7,  1836,  and  removed  to 
Illinois  in  early  youth,  locating  at  Danville,  Ver- 
milion County.  By  profession  he  is  a  lawyer, 
and  served  as  State's  Attorney  of  "Vermilion 
County  for  two  terms  (1861-68).  Incidentally, 
he  is  conducting  a  large  banking  business  at 
Danville.  In  1872  he  was  elected  as  a  Republican 
to  the  Forty -third  Congress  for  the  Fifteenth  Dis- 
trict, and  has  been  re-elected  biennially  ever 
since,  except  in  1890,  when  he  was  defeated  for 
the  Fifty-second  Congress  by  Samuel  T.'Busey, 
his  Democratic  opponent.  He  is  now  (1898) 
serving  his  twelfth  term  as  the  Representative 
for  the  Twelfth  Congressional  District,  and  has 
been  re-elected  for  a  thirteenth  term  in  the  Fiftv- 


sixth  Congress  (1899-1901).  Mr.  Cannon  has  been 
an  influential  factor  in  State  and  National  poli- 
tics, as  shown  bj^  the  fact  that  he  has  been  Chair- 
man of  the  House  Committee  on  Approiiriations 
during  the  im])ortant  sessions  of  the  Fiftj'-fourth 
and  Fifty-liflli  Congresses. 

CANTON,  a  flourishing  city  in  Fulton  County, 
12  miles  from  the  Illinois  River,  and  28  miles 
southwest  of  Peoria.  It  is  the  commercial  me- 
tropolis of  one  of  the  largest  and  richest  counties 
in  the  "corn  belt" ;  also  has  abundant  supplies 
of  timter  and  clay  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
There  are  coal  mines  within  the  municipal  limits, 
and  various  manufacturing  establishments. 
Among  the  princii)al  outputs  are  agricultural 
implements,  flour,  brick  and  tile,  cigars,  cigar 
boxes,  foundry  and  machiue-shop  products,  fire- 
arms, brooms,  and  marble.  The  city  is  lighted 
by  gas  and  electricity,  has  water-works,  fire  de- 
partment, a  public  library,  six  ward  schools  and 
one  high  schoo'.,  and  three  newspapers.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  5.604;  (1900),  6,564. 

CAPl'S,  Jabez,  pioneer,  was  born  in  London, 
England,  Sept.  9,  1796;  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1817,  and  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  in  1819. 
For  a  time  he  taught  school  in  what  is  now 
called  Round  Prairie,  in  the  present  County  of 
Sangamon,  and  liiter  in  Calhoun  (the  original 
name  of  a  part  of  the  city  of  Springfield),  having 
among  his  pupils  a  number  of  those  who  after- 
wards became  prominent  citizens  of  Central 
Illinois.  In  1836,  in  conjunction  with  two  part- 
ners, he  laid  out  the  town  of  Mount  Pulaski,  the 
original  county-seat  of  Logan  County,  where  he 
continued  to  live  for  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
and  where,  during  its  later  period,  he  served  as 
Postmaster  some  fifteen  years.  He  also  served  as 
Recorder  of  Logan  County  four  years.  Died, 
April  1,  1896,  in  the  100th  year  of  his  age. 

CARBONDALE,  a  city  in  Jackson  County, 
founded  in  18.52.  57  miles  north  of  Cairo,  and  91 
miles  from  St.  Louis.  Three  lines  of  railway 
center  here.  The  chief  industries  are  coal-min- 
ing, farming,  stock-raising,  fruit-growing  and 
lumbering.  It  has  two  preserving  plants,  eight 
churches,  two  weekly  papers,  and  four  public 
schools,  and  is  the  seat  of  the  Southern  Illinois 
Normal  University.  Pop.(1890),  2,382;  (1900),  3,318. 
CARBONDALE  &  SHAWNEETOWN  RAIL- 
ROAD, a  short  line  17'4.'  miles  in  length,  ex- 
tending from  Marion  to  Carbondale,  and  operated 
by  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad 
Company,  as  lessee.  It  was  incorporated  as  the 
Murphy sboro  &  Shawneetown  Railroad  in  1867; 
its  name  changed  in  1869  to  The  Carbondale  & 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


79 


Shawneetown,  was  opened  for  business,  Dec.  31, 
1871,  and  leased  in  1886  for  980  years  to  the  St. 
Louis  Soutliern,  through  which  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Rail- 
road, and  by  lease  from  the  latter,  in  1890,  became 
apart  of  the  Illinois  Central  System  (which  see). 

CAREY,  Williniu,  lawyer,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Turner,  Maine,  Dec.  29,  1826 ;  studied  law  with 
General  Fessenden  and  at  Yale  Law  School,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Maine  in  1856,  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  in 
1857,  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  on  motion  of  Hon.  Lyman  Trumbull,  in 
1873.  Judge  Carey  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1809-70  from  Jo 
Daviess  County,  and  the  choice  of  the  Republicans 
in  that  body  for  temporary  presiding  officer; 
was  elected  to  the  next  General  Assembly  (the 
Twenty -seventh),  serving  as  Chairman  of  the 
House  Judiciary  Committee  through  its  four  ses- 
sions; from  1873  to  1876  was  United  States  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  Utah,  still  later  occujjying 
various  offices  at  Deadwood,  Dakota,  and  in  Reno 
County,  Kan.  The  first  oSice  lield  by  Judge 
Carey  in  Illinois  (that  of  Superintendent  of 
Schools  for  the  city  of  Galena)  was  conferred 
upon  him  through  the  influence  of  John  A.  Raw- 
lins, afterwards  General  Grant's  chief-of-staff 
during  the  war,  and  later  Secretary  of  War — 
although  at  the  time  Mr.  Rawlins  and  he  were 
politically  opposed.  Mr.  Carey's  present  resi- 
dence is  in  Chicago. 

CARLIN,  Thomas,  former  Governor,  was  born 
of  Irish  ancestry  in  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  July 
18,  1789;  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1811,  and  served 
as  a  private  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  as  a  Captain 
in  tlie  Black  Hawk  War.  While  not  highly  edu- 
cated, he  was  a  man  of  strong  common  sense, 
high  moral  standard,  great  firmness  of  character 
and  unfailing  courage.  In  1818  he  settled  in 
Greene  County,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Sheriff; 
was  twice  elected  State  Senator,  and  was  Regis- 
ter of  the  Land  Office  at  Quincy,  when  he  was 
elected  Governor  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in 
1838.  An  uncompromising  partisan,  lie  never- 
theless commanded  the  respect  and  good-will  of 
his  political  opponents.  Died  at  his  home  in 
Carrollton,  Feb.  U,  18.52. 

CARLIN,  William  Passmore,  soldier,  nephew  of 
Gov.  Thomas  Carlin,  was  born  at  Rich  Woods, 
Greene  County,  111.,  Nov.  24,  1829.  At  the  age 
of  21  he  graduated  from  the  United  States  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  West  Point,  and,  in  1855,  was 
attached  to  the  Sixtli  United  States  Infantry  as 
Lieutenant.     After  several  years  si)ent  in  Indian 


fighting,  he  was  ordered  to  California,  where  he 
was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  and  assigned  to 
recruiting  duty.  On  August  15,  1861,  he  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Thirty-eiglitli  Illi- 
nois Volunteers.  His  record  during  the  war  was 
an  exceptionally  brilliant  one.  He  defeated  Gen. 
Jefi'.  Thompson  at  Fredericktown,  Mo.,  Oct.  21, 
1861 ;  commanded  the  District  of  Southeast  Mis- 
souri for  eighteen  months ;  led  a  brigade  under 
Slocum  in  the  Arkansas  camiiaign ;  served  with 
marked  distinction  in  Kentucky  and  Mississippi ; 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  battle  of  Stone 
River,  was  engaged  in  the  TuUahoraa  campaign, 
at  Chattanooga,  Lookout  Mountain  and  Mission- 
ary Ridge,  and,  on  Feb.  8,  1864,  was  commis- 
sioned Major  in  the  Sixteenth  Infantry.  He  also 
took  part  in  the  Georgia  campaign,  aiding  in  the 
capture  of  Atlanta,  and  marching  with  Sherman 
to  the  sea.  For  gallant  service  in  the  assault  at 
Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  Sept.  1,  1804,  he  was  made 
Colonel  in  tlie  regular  army,  and,  on  Marcli  13, 
1865,  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  meritori- 
ous service  at  Bentonville,  N.  C,  and  Major- 
General  for  services  during  the  war.  Colonel 
Carlin  was  retired  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General  in  1S93.     His  home  is  at  Carrollton. 

CARLINVILLE,  tlie  county-seat  of  Macoupin 
County;  a  city  and  raiboaii  junction.  57  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis,  and  38  miles  soutliwest  of 
Springfield.  Blackburn  University  (wliicli  see) 
is  located  liere.  Tliree  coal  mines  are  operated, 
and  tliere  are  brick  works,  tile  works,  and  one 
newspaper.  The  city  has  gas  and  electric  liglit 
plants  and  water-works.  Population  (1880), 
8,117,  (1890),  3,293;  (1900),  3,.502. 

CARLYLE,  the  county-seat  of  Clinton  County, 
48  miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  located  on  tlie  Kaska.s- 
kia  River  and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern 
Railroad.  The  town  has  churches,  parocliial  and 
public  schooLs,  water-works,  lighting  plant,  and 
manufactures.  It  has  a  flourishing  seminary  for 
young  ladies,  three  weekly  papers,  and  a  public 
library  connected  with  the  high  school.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  1,784;  (1900),  1,874. 

CARMI,  the  county-seat  of  White  County,  on 
the  Little  Wabash  River,  124  miles  east  of  St. 
Louis  and  38  west  of  Evansville,  Ind.  The  sur- 
rounding country  is  fertile,  yielding  both  cereals 
and  fruit.  Flouring  mills  and  lumber  manufac- 
turing, including  the  making  of  staves,  are  the 
chief  industries,  though  the  city  has  brick  and 
tile  works,  a  plow  factory  and  foimdry.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  2,512;  (1890),  2,785:  (1900),  2,939. 

CARPENTER,  Milton,  legi.slator  and  State 
Treasurer;  entered  upon  public  life  in  Illinois  as 


80 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Representative  in  the  Nintli  General  Assembly 
(1834)  from  Hamilton  County,  serving  by  succes- 
sive re-elections  in  the  Tenth,  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth.  While  a  member  of  the  latter  (1841) 
he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  to  the  office  of 
State  Treasurer,  retaining  this  position  imtil  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848,  when  he  was 
chosen  his  own  successor  bj-  popular  vote,  but 
died  a  few  days  after  the  election  in  August, 
1848.  He  WHS  buried  in  what  is  now  known  as 
the  "Old  Hutchinson  Cemetery"  —  a  burying 
ground  in  the  west  part  of  the  city  of  Springfield, 
long  since  abandoned — wliere  his  remains  still  lie 
(1897)  in  a  grave  unmarked  by  a  tombstone. 

CARPENTER,  Philo,  pioneer  and  early  drug- 
gist, was  born  of  Puritan  and  Revolutionary 
ancestry  in  the  town  of  Savoy,  Mass.,  Feb.  27, 
1805 ;  engaged  as  a  druggist's  clerk  at  Troy,  N.  Y. , 
in  1828,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1832,  wliere  he 
established  himself  in  the  drug  business,  which 
was  later  extended  into  other  lines.  Soon  after 
his  arrival,  he  began  investing  in  lands,  which 
have  since  become  immensely  valuable.  Mr. 
Carpenter  was  associated  with  the  late  Rev. 
Jeremiah  Porter  in  the  organization  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  but,  in  18.51, 
witlidrew  on  account  of  dissatisfaction  with  the 
attitude  of  some  of  the  representatives  of  that 
denomination  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  identify- 
ing liimself  with  the  Congregationalist  Churcli, 
in  which  he  had  been  reared.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  founders  and  most  liberal  benefactors  of 
the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  to  which  he 
gave  in  contributions,  during  his  life-time,  or  in 
bequests  after  his  death,  sums  aggregating  not 
far  from  Slild.OOO.  One  of  the  Seminary  build- 
ings was  named  in  his  honor,  "Carpenter  Hall." 
He  was  identified  with  various  other  organiza- 
tions, one  of  the  most  important  being  the  Relief 
and  Aid  Society,  which  did  such  useful  work 
after  the  fire  of  1871.  By  a  life  of  probity,  liber- 
ality and  benevolence,  he  won  the  respect  of  all 
classes,  dying.  August  7.  1886. 

CARPENTER,  (Mrs.)  Sarah  L.  Warren,  pio- 
neer teacher,  born  in  Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  1, 
1813;  at  the  age  of  13  she  began  teaching  at  .State 
Line.  N.  Y. ;  in  1833  removed  with  her  parents 
(Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Warren)  to  Chicago,  and 
soon  after  began  teaching  in  what  was  called  the 
"Yankee  settlement,"  now  the  town  of  Lockport, 
Will  County.  She  came  to  Chicago  the  following 
year  (1834)  to  take  the  place  of  assistant  of  Gran- 
ville T.  Sproat  in  a  school  for  boys,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  teacher  paid  out  of  the  public 
funds  in  Chicago,   though  Miss  Eliza    Cliappell 


(afterwards  Mrs.  Jeremiah  Porter)  began  teach- 
ing the  cliildren  about  Fort  Dearborn  in  1833 
Miss  Warren  married  Abel  E.  Carpenter,  whom 
she  survived,  dying  at  Aurora,  Kane  Countj". 
Jan.  10,  1897.- 

CARPEXTERSVILLE,  a  village  of  Kane 
County  and  manufacturing  center,  on  Lake  Ge- 
neva brancliof  theChicago&  Northwe.stern  Kail- 
road.  6  miles  north  of  East  Elgin  and  about  48 
miles  from  i  liicago.   Pop.  (1890),  7.54;  (1900).  1.002. 

CARR,  Clark  E.,  lawyer,  ixilitician  and  diplo- 
mat, was  born  at  Boston,  Erie  County,  N.  Y.. 
May  20,  1836;  at  13  years  of  age  accompanied  Ids 
father's  family  to  Galesburg,  HI.,  where  he  spent 
several  years  at  Knox  College.  In  1857  he  gradu 
ated  from  the  Albany  Law  School,  but  on  return- 
ing to  Illinois,  soon  einbiirked  in  politics,  his 
affiliations  being  uniformly  with  the  Republican 
party.  His  first  office  was  that  of  Postma.ster  at 
Galesburg,  to  which  he  was  apiMiinted  by  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  in  1861  and  wliicli  he  held  for 
twenty-four  years.  He  wa.s  a  tried  and  valued 
assistant  of  (Jovernor  Yates  during  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  serving  on  the  staff  of  tlie  latter 
with  tlie  rank  of  Colonel.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  National  Convention  of  his  party  at  Baltimore 
in  1864,  wliich  renominated  Lincoln,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  campaigns  of  that  year,  as  well 
as  those  of  1868  and  1872.  In  1869  he  purchased 
"The  Galesburg  Republican,"  which  he  edited 
and  published  for  two  years.  In  1880  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Republican  nomi- 
nation for  Governor ;  in  1884  was  a  delegate  to  tlie 
Republican  National  Convention,  from  the  State- 
at-large,  and,  in  1887,  a  candidate  for  the  caucus 
nomination  for  L'nited  States  Senator,  which  was 
given  to  Charles  B.  Farwell.  In  1888  he  was 
defeated  in  the  Republican  State  Convention  as 
candidate  for  Governor  by  Joseph  W.  Fifer.  In 
1889  President  Harrison  appointed  Iiim  Minister 
to  Denmark,  which  post  he  filled  with  marked 
abilit}-  and  credit  to  the  countrj-  until  his  resig 
nation  was  accepted  by  President  Cleveland, 
when  he  returned  to  his  former  home  at  Gales- 
burg. While  in  Denmark  he  did  much  to 
promote  American  trade  with  that  country. 
especially  in  the  introduction  of  American  corn 
as  an  article  of  food,  which  has  led  to  a  large 
increase  in  the  annual  exportation  of  this  com- 
modity to  Scandinavian  markets. 

CARR,  Eugene  A.,  soldier,  was  bom  in  Erie 
County,  N.  Y.,  May  20,  1830,  and  graduated  at 
West  Point  in  18.50,  entering  the  Mounted  Rifle^s. 
Until  18G1  he  was  stationed  in  the  Far  West,  ami 
engaged  in  Indian  fighting,  earning  a  First  Lieu 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


81 


tenancy  through  his  gallantry.  In  1861  he 
L'ntereJ  upon  active  service  under  General  Lyon, 
in  Southwest  Missouri,  taking  part  in  the  engage- 
ments of  Dug  Springs  and  Wilson's  Creek, 
winning  the  brevet  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  In 
September,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of 
the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  served  as  acting 
Brigadier-General  in  Fremont's  hundred-day 
expedition,  for  a  time  commanding  the  Fourth 
Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Southwest.  On  the 
second  day  at  Pea  Ridge,  although  three  times 
wounded,  he  remained  on  the  field  seven  hours, 
and  materially  aided  in  securing  a  victory,  for 
his  bravery  being  made  Brigadier-General  of 
Volunteers.  In  the  summer  of  1863  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major  in  the  Regular 
Army.  During  the  Vicksburg  campaign  he  com- 
manded a  division,  leading  the  attack  at  Magnolia 
Church,  at  Port  Gibson,  and  at  Big  Black  River, 
and  winning  a  brevet  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  in 
the  United  States  Army.  He  also  distinguished 
himself  for  a  first  and  second  assault  upon  taking 
Vicksburg,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1863,  com- 
manded the  left  wing  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps  at 
Corinth.  In  December  of  that  year  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Department  of  Arkan.sas, 
where  he  gained  new  laurels,  being  brevetted 
Brigadier-General  for  gallantry  at  Little  Rock, 
and  Major-General  for  services  during  the  war. 
After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  he  was  stationed 
chiefly  in  the  West,  where  he  rendered  good  serv- 
ice in  the  Indian  campaigns.  In  189-1  he  was 
retired  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  and 
has  since  resided  in  New  York. 

CARRIEL,  Henry  F.,  M.D.,  alienist,  was  born 
at  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  and  educated  at  Marlow 
Academy,  N.  H.,  and  Wesleyan  Seminary,  Vt. ; 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York  City,  in  1857,  and  immedi- 
ately accepted  the  position  of  Assistant  Physician 
in  the  New  Jersey  State  Lunatic  Asylum, 
remaining  until  1870.  Meanwhile,  however,  he 
visited  a  large  number  of  the  leading  hospitals 
and  asylums  of  Europe.  In  1870,  Dr.  Carriel 
received  the  appointment  of  Superintendent  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Jacksonville,  a  position  which  he  continued  to 
fill  until  1893,  when  he  voluntarily  tendered  to 
Governor  Altgeld  his  resignation,  to  take  effect 
July  1  of  that  year.— Mrs.  Mary  Turner  (Carriel), 
vi-ife  of  Dr.  Carriel,  and  a  daughter  of  Prof. 
Jonathan  B.  Turner  of  Jacksonville,  was  elected 
a  Trustee  of  the  University  of  Illinois  on  tlie  Repub - 
lican  ticket  in  1896,  receivingaplurality  of  148,o:39 
over  Julia  Holmes  Smith,  her  highest  competitor. 


CARROLL  COUNTY,  originally  a  part  of  .To 
Daviess  County,  but  set  apart  and  organized  in 
1839,  named  for  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrolltou.  The 
first  settlements  were  in  and  around  .Savanna. 
Cherry  Grove  and  Arnold's  Grove.  The  first 
County  Commissioners  were  Messrs.  L.  H.  Bor 
den.  Garner  Moffett  and  S.  M.  Jersey,  who  held 
their  first  court  at  Savanna,  April  13,  1839.  In 
1843  the  county  seat  vvas  changed  from  Savanna 
to  Mount  Carroll,  where  it  yet  remains.  Town- 
ships were  first  organized  in  18o0,  and  tlie 
development  of  the  county  has  steadily  pro 
gressed  since  that  date.  The  surface  of  tlie  land 
is  rolling,  and  at  certain  points  decidedly  pictur- 
esque. The  land  is  generally  good  for  farming. 
It  is  well  timbered,  particularly  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Area  of  the  county,  440  .square  miles; 
population,  18,963.  Mount  Carroll  is  a  pleasant, 
prosperous,  wide-awake  town,  of  about  2,000 
inhabitants,  and  noted  for  its  excellent  pubho 
ami  private  schools. 

CARROLLTON,  the  county-seat  of  Greene 
County,  situated  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  and  the  Quincy,  Carrolltou  &  St. 
Louis  Railroads,  33  miles  north-northwest  of 
Alton,  and  34  miles  south  by  west  from  Jackson- 
ville. The  town  has  a  foundry,  carriage  and 
wagon  factory,  two  machine  shops,  two  flour 
mills,  two  banks,  six  churches,  a  high  school,  and 
two  weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1890), 
2,258;  (1900),  2,355. 

CARTER,  Joseph  N.,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ky.,  March 
13,  1843;  came  to  Illinois  in  boyhood,  and,  after 
attending  school  at  Tuscola  four  years,  engaged 
in  teaching  until  1863,  when  he  entered  Illinois 
College,  graduating  in  1866;  in  1808  graduated 
from  the  Law  Department  of  tlie  University  of 
Michigan,  the  next  year  establishing  himself  in 
practice  at  Quincy,  where  he  has  since  resided 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Thirty-first  and  Thirty- 
second  General  Assemblies  (1878-82),  and,  in 
June,  1894,  was  elected  to  tlie  seat  on  the  Supreme 
Bench,  wliich  he  now  occupies 

CARTER,  Tlionias  Henry,  United  States  Sena- 
tor, born  in  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  Oct,  30,  1854; 
in  his  fifth  year  was  brouglit  to  lllinoi,"i,  his 
father  locating  at  Pana,  where  he  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools ;  was  employed  iu  farming, 
railroading  and  teaching  several  years,  then 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and.  in 
1882,  removed  to  Helena,  Mont.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  practice;  was  elected,  as  a  Republican 
the  last  Territorial  Delegate  to  Congress  from 
Idalio  and  the  first  Representative  from  the  new 


82 


HISTOEICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


State;  was  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land 
Office  (1891-93),  and.  iu  1895,  was  elected  to  tlie 
United  States  Senate  for  the  term  ending  in  1901 
In  1893  he  was  chosen  Chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican National  Comniittee,  serving  until  the  St. 
Louis  Convention  of  1896. 

CARTERVILLE,  a  city  in  Williamson  Comity, 
10  miles  by  rail  northwest  of  Marion.  Coal  min- 
ing is  the  principal  industry.  It  has  a  bank,  five 
clmrohes,  a  public  .school,  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper. Population  (1880),  093:  (1890),  969;  (1900), 
1,749;  (1904,  est.),  3,000. 

CARTHAGE,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Hancock  County,  13  miles  east  of  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincyand  the  Wa- 
basli  Railroads;  has  water- works  electric  lights, 
three  banks,  four  trust  companies,  four  weekly 
and  two  semi-weekly  papers,  and  is  the  seat  of  a 
Lutheran  College.    Pop.  (1890),  1.654:  (1900),  2,104. 

CARTHAGE  COLLEGE,  at  Carthage,  Hancock 
County,  incorporated  in  1871;  has  a  teaching 
faculty  of  twelve  members,  and  reports  158  pupils 
— sixty-eight  men  and  ninety  women — for  1897-98. 
It  has  a  library  of  5,000  volumes  and  endowment 
of  533,000.  Instruction  is  given  in  the  classical, 
scientific,  musical,  fine  arts  and  business  depart- 
ments, as  well  as  in  preparatory  studies.  In  1898 
tliis  institution  reported  a  property  valuation  of 
$41,000,  of  which  $35,000  was  in  real  estate. 

CARTHAGE  &  BURUNGTON  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.) 

CARTWRIGHT,  James  Henry,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  was  born  at  Maquoketa,  Iowa, 
Dec.  1,  1843  —  the  son  of  a  frontier  Methodist 
clergyman  J  was  educated  at  Rock  River  Semi- 
nary and  the  University  of  Michigan,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1867;  began  practice  in  1870  at 
Oregon,  Ogle  County,  which  is  still  his  home ;  in 
1888  was  elected  Circuit  Judge  to  succeed  Judge' 
Eustace,  deceased,  and  in  1891  assigned  to  Appel- 
late Court  duty ;  in  December,  1895,  was  elected 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  to  succeed  Justice 
John  M.  Bailey,  deceased,  and  re-elected  in 
1897. 

CARTWRIGHT,  Peter,  pioneer  Methodist 
preacher,  was  l)orn  in  Amherst  County,  Ta., 
Sept.  1,  1785,  and  at  the  age  of  five  years  accom- 
panied his  father  (a  Revolutionary  veteran)  to 
Logan  Coimty,  Ky.  The  country  was  wild  and 
unsettled,  there  were  no  schools,  the  nearest  mill 
was  40  miles  distant,  the  few  residents  wore 
homespun  garments  of  flax  or  cotton ;  and  coffee, 
tea  and  sugar  in  domestic  use  were  almost  un- 
known. Methodist  circuit  riders  soon  invaded 
the  district,  and,  at  a  camp  meeting  held  at  Cane 


Ridge  in  1801,  Peter  received  his  first  religious 
impressions.  A  few  montlis  later  he  abiindoned 
his  reckless  life,  sold  his  racehorse  and  abjured 
gambling.  He  began  preaching  immediately 
after  liis  conversion,  and,  in  1803,  was  regularly 
received  into  the  ministry  of  the  Metliodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  although  only  18  years  old.  In 
1823  he  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Sangamon 
County,  then  but  sparsely  settled.  In  1828,  and 
again  in  1833,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
whei-e  his  homespun  wit  and  undaunted  courage 
stiKid  him  in  good  stead.  For  a  long  series  of 
}-e;irs  he  attended  annual  conferences  (usuallj'  as 
a  delegate),  and  was  a  conspicuous  figure  at 
camp-meetings.  Although  a  Democrat  all  liis 
life,  he  was  an  uncompromising  antagonist  of 
slavery,  and  rejoiced  at  the  division  of  his 
denomination  in  1844.  He  was  also  a  zealous 
supporter  of  the  Government  during  the  Civil 
War.  In  1846  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  was  defeated  by 
Abraliam  Lincoln.  He  wiis  a  powerful  preacher, 
a  tireless  worker,  and  for  fifty  years  served  as  a 
Presiding  Elder  of  his  denomination.  On  the 
lecture  i>latforni,  hisquaintness  and  eccentricity, 
together  with  his  ine.xhaustible  fund  of  personal 
anecdotes,  insured  an  interested  audience. 
Numerous  stories  are  told  of  his  physical  prowess 
in  overcoming  unruly  characters  whom  he  had 
failed  to  convince  by  moral  suasion.  Inside  the 
churcli  he  was  equally  fearless  and  outspoken, 
and  his  strong  common  sense  did  much  to  pro- 
mote the  success  of  tlie  denomination  in  the 
West.  He  died  at  his  home  near  Pleasiint  Plains, 
Sangamon  County,  Sept.  25,  1872.  His  principal 
published  works  are  "A  Controversy  with  the 
Devil"  (1853),  "Autobiograpliy  of  Peter  Cart- 
wright"  (1856),  "The  Backwoods  Preacher" 
(London,  1869),  and  several  works  on  Methodism. 
CARY,  Eugene,  lawyer  and  insurance  manager, 
was  born  at  Boston,  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  30, 
1835;  began  teaching  at  sixteen,  meanwhile 
attending  a  select  school  or  academy  at  intervals; 
studied  law  at  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  liuffalo, 
N.  Y.,  18.55-56;  served  as  City  Attorney  and 
later  as  County  Judge,  and,  in  1861,  enlisted  in 
the  First  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  serv- 
ing as  a  Captain  in  the  Army  of  the  Cuniterland, 
and  the  last  two  years  as  Judge-Advocate  on  the 
staff  of  General  Rousseau.  After  the  war  he 
settled  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  held  the 
office  of  Judge  of  the  First  District,  but  in  1871 
he  was  elected  to  the  City  Council,  and,  in  1883, 
was  the  High-License  candidate  for  Mayor  in 
opposition  to  Mayor  Harrison,  and  believed  by 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


83 


many  to  have  been  honestly  elected,  but  counted 
out  b}'  the  machine  methods  then  in  vogue. 

CASAD,  Anthony  Wayne,  clergyman  and  phy- 
sician, was  born  in  Wantage  Township,'  Sussex 
County,  N.  J.,  May  2,  1791 ;  died  at  Summerfield, 
III.,  Dec.  16,  18.57.  His  father,  Rev.  Thomas 
Casad,  was  a  Baptist  minister,  who,  with  his 
wife,  Abigail  Tingley,  was  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Sussex  County.  He  was  descended 
from  Dutch-Huguenot  ancestry,  the  family  name 
being  originally  Cossart,  the  American  branch 
having  been  founded  by  Jacques  Cossart,  who 
emigrated  from  Leyden  to  New  York  in  1663. 
At  the  age  of  19  Anthony  removed  to  Greene 
County,  Ohio,  settling  at  Fairfield,  near  the  site 
of  the  present  city  of  Dayton,  where  some  of  his 
relatives  were  then  residing.  On  Feb.  6,  1811,  he 
married  Anna,  eldest  daughter  of  Captain  Samuel 
Stites  and  Martha  Martin  Stites,  her  mother's 
father  and  grandfather  having  been  patriot  sol- 
diers in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  Anthony 
Wayne  Casad  served  as  a  volunteer  from  Ohio  in 
the  War  of  1812,  being  a  member  of  Captain 
Wm.  Stephenson's  Company.  In  1818  he  re- 
moved with  his  wife's  father  to  Union  Grove,  St. 
Clair  County,  111.  A  few  years  later  lie  entered 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  during  18'31-23  was  stationed  at  Kaskaskia 
and  Buffalo,  removing,  in  18'33,  to  Lebanon, 
where  he  taught  school.  Later  lie  studied  medi- 
cine and  attained  considerable  prominence  as  a 
practitioner,  being  commissioned  Surgeon  of  the 
Forty-ninth  Illinois  Infantrj'  in  183.5.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  McKendree  College  and  a 
liberal  contributor  to  its  support;  was  also  for 
many  years  Deputy  Superintendent  of  Schools  at 
Lebanon,  served  as  County  Surveyor  of  St. 
Clair  County,  and  acted  as  agent  for  Harper 
Brothers  in  the  sale  of  Southern  Illinois  lands. 
He  was  a  prominent  Free  Mason  and  an  influ- 
ential citizen.  His  youngest  daughter,  Amanda 
Keziah.  married  Rev.  Colin  D.  James  (which  see). 

CASET,  a  village  of  Clark  County,  at  the  inter- 
section of  the  Vandalia  Line  and  the  Chicago  & 
Ohio  River  Railroad,  ;j.">  miles  southwest  of  Terre 
Haute.     Population  (1890),  844;  (1900),  1,500. 

CASEY,  Zadoc,  pioneer  and  early  Congressman, 
was  born  in  Georgia,  March  17.  1796,  the  young- 
est son  of  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War  who 
removed  to  Tennessee  about  1800.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  came  to  Illinois  in  1817,  bringing 
with  him  his  widowed  mother,  and  settling  in 
tlie  vicinity  of  the  present  city  of  Mount  Vernon, 
in  Jefferson  County,  where  he  acquired  great 
prominence  as  a  politician  and  became  the  head 


of  an  influential  family.  He  began  preaching  at 
an  early  age,  and  continued  to  do  so  occasionally 
through  his  political  career.  In  1819,  he  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  organization  of  Jefferson 
County,  serving  on  the  first  Board  of  County 
Commissioners;  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  the  Legislature  in  1820,  but  was  elected 
Representative  in  18'32  and  re-elected  two  years 
later ;  in  1826  was  advanced  to  the  Senate,  serv- 
ing until  1830,  when  lie  was  elected  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  and  during  his  incumbency  took  part 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  On  March  1,  1833,  he 
resigned  the  Lieutenant-Governorship  to  accept 
a  seat  as  one  of  the  tliree  Congressmen  from 
Illinois,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  a  few 
months  previous,  being  subsequently  re-elected 
for  four  consecutive  terms.  In  1842  he  was 
again  a  candidate,  but  was  defeated  by  John  A. 
McClernand.  Other  public  positions  held  by  him 
included  those  of  Delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1862,  Representative  in 
the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  General  Assem- 
blies (1848-52),  serving  as  Speaker  in  the  former. 
He  was  again  elected  to  the  Senate  in  1860,  but 
died  before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  Sept.  4, 
1862.  During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  was 
active  in  securing  the  right  of  way  for  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  Railroad,  the  original  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi division  of  the  Baltimore,  Ohio  &  South- 
western. He  commenced  life  in  poverty,  but 
acquired  a  considerable  estate,  and  was  the  donor 
of  the  ground  upon  which  the  Supreme  Court 
building  for  the  Southern  Division  at  Mount 
Vernon  was  erected.— Dr.  Newton  R.  (Casey), 
son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  Jan.  27,  1826,  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  local  schools  and  at  Hills- 
boro  and  Mount  Vernon  Academies;  in  1843 
entered  the  Ohio  University  at  Athens  in  that 
State,  remaining  until  1845,  when  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine,  taking  a  course 
of  lectures  the  following  year  at  the  Louisville 
Medical  Institute;  soon  after  began  practice, 
and,  in  1847,  removed  to  Benton,  111.,  returning 
the  following  year  to  Mount  Vernon.  In 
1856-57  he  attended  a  second  course  of  lectures  at 
the  Missouri  Medical  College,  St.  Louis,  the  latter 
year  removing  to  Moimd  City,  where  he  filled  a 
number  of  positions,  including  that  of  Mayor 
from  1859  to  1864,  when  he  declined  a  re-election. 
In  1860,  Dr.  Casey  served  as  delegate  from  Illi- 
nois to  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  and,  on  the  establishment  of 
tlie  United  States  Government  Hospital  at  Mound 
Citv.  i:i  1861,  lU'tc'l  f'^-  some  time  as  a  volunteer 


84 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDLV   OF   ILLINOIS. 


surgeon,  later  serving  as  Assistant  Surgeon.  In 
1866,  he  was  elected  Representative  in  tlie 
Twenty-fifth  General  Assembly  and  re-elected  in 
1868,  when  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Democratic 
candidate  for  Speaker  in  opposition  to  Hon.  S.  51. 
Cullom;  also  again  served  as  Representative  in 
the  Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly  (1872-74). 
Since  retiring  from  public  life  Dr.  Casey  has 
given  his  attention  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion.— Col.  Thomas  S.  (Casey),  another  son,  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  April  6,  1832, 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  McKend- 
ree  College,  in  due  course  receiving  the  degree  of 
A.M.  from  the  latter;  studied  law  for  tliree 
years,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1854 ;  in  1860, 
was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  the  Twelfth 
Judicial  District;  in  September,  1863.  was  com- 
missioned Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  was  mustered  out 
May  16,  1863,  having  in  the  meantime  taken  part 
in  the  battle  of  Stone  River  and  other  important 
engagements  in  Western  Tennessee.  By  this 
time  his  regiment,  having  been  much  reduced 
in  numbers,  was  consolidated  with  the  Sixtieth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  In  1864,  he  was 
again  elected  State's  Attornej',  serving  until 
1808;  in  1870,  was  chosen  Representative,  and,  in 
1873,  Senator  for  the  Mount  Vernon  District  for 
a  term  of  four  years.  In  1879,  he  was  elected  Cir- 
cuit Judge  and  was  immediately  assigned  to 
Appellate  Court  duty,  soon  after  the  expiration  of 
his  term,  in  188.5,  removing  to  Springfield,  where 
he  died,  March  1,  1891. 

CASS  COUNTY,  situated  a  little  west  of  the 
center  of  the  State,  with  an  area  of  360  square 
miles  and  a  population  (1900)  of  17,222 — named 
for  Gen.  Lewis  Cass.  French  traders  are  believed 
to  have  made  the  locality  of  Beardstown  their 
headquarters  about  the  time  of  the  discovery  of 
the  Illinois  country.  The  earliest  permanent 
white  settlers  came  about  1820,  and  among  them 
were  Thomas  Beard,  Martin  L.  Lindsley,  John 
Cetrough  and  Archibald  Job.  As  early  as  1831 
there  was  a  horse-mill  on  Indian  Creek,  and,  in 
1827,  M.  L  Lindsley  conducted  a  school  on  the 
bluffs.  Peter  Cartwright,  the  noted  Methodist 
missionary  and  evangelist,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
preacliers,  and  among  the  pioneers  may  be  named 
Messrs.  Robertson,  Toplo,  McDonald,  Downing, 
Davis,  Sliepherd,  Penny,  Bergen  and  Hopkins. 
Beardstown  was  the  original  county-seat,  and 
during  both  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mormon 
troubles  was  a  depot  of  supplies  and  rendezvous 
for  troops.  Here  also  Stephen  A.  Douglas  made 
his  first  political  speech.     The  site  of  the  town, 


as  at  present  laid  out,  was  at  one  time  sold  by 
Mr.  Downing  for  twenty-five  dollars.  The 
cormty  was  set  off  from  Morgan  in  1837.  The 
principal  towns  are  Beardstown.  Virginia,  Chand- 
lerville,  Ashland  and  Arenzville.  The  county- 
seat,  formerly  at  Beardstown,  wits  later  removed 
to  Virginia,  where  it  now  is.  Beardstown  was 
incorporated  in  1837,  with  about  700  inhabitants. 
Virginia  was  platted  in  1836,  but  not  incorporated 
until  1842. 

CASTLE,  Orlando  Lane,  educator,  was  bom  at 
Jericho,  Vt.,  July  26,  1822;  graduated  at  Denison 
University,  Ohio,  1846;  spent  one  year  as  tutor 
there,  and,  for  several  years,  had  charge  of  the 
public  schools  of  Zanesville,  Ohio.  In  1858,  he 
accepted  the  chair  of  Rhetoric,  Oratory  and 
Belles-Lettres  in  Shurtleff  College,  at  Upper 
Alton,  111.,  remaining  until  his  death,  Jan.  31, 
1892.  Professor  Castle  received  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.  from  Deni.son  University  in  1877. 

CITHEIIWOOD,  Mary  Hartwell,  author,  was 
born  (Hartwell)  in  Luray,  Ohio.  Dec.  16,  1844. 
educated  at  the  Female  College,  Granville,  Ohio, 
where  she  graduated,  in  1868,  and,  in  1887,  w;i.s 
married  to  James  S.  Catherwood,  with  whom  she 
resides  at  Iloopeston,  III.  Mrs.  Catherwood  is  the 
author  of  a  number  of  works  of  fiction,  which 
have  been  accorded  a  high  rank.  Among  her 
earlier  productions  are  "Craque-o'-Doom"  (1881), 
"Rocky  Fork"  (1882),  "Old  Caravan  Days" 
(1884),  "The  Secrets  at  Roseladies"  (1888),  "The 
Romance  of  DoUard"  and  "The  Bells  of  St. 
Anne"  (1889).  During  the  past  few  j'ears  she 
has  shown  a  predilection  for  subjects  connected 
with  early  Illinois  history,  and  has  published 
popular  romances  un<ler  the  title  of  "The  Story 
of  Tonty,"  "The  White  Islander,"  "The  Lady  of 
Fort  St.  John,"  "Old  Kaskaskia"  and  "The  Chase 
of  Sant  Castin  and  other  Stories  of  the  French 
in  the  New  World." 

C.VTOX,  John  Dean,  early  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  bom  in  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  March  19, 
1812.  Left  to  the  care  of  a  widowed  mother  at 
an  early  age,  his  childhood  was  spent  in  {wverty 
and  manual  labor.  At  13  he  was  set  to  learn  a 
trade,  but  an  infirmity  of  sight  comj)elled  him  to 
abandon  it.  After  a  brief  attendance  at  an 
academy  at  Utica,  where  he  studied  law  between 
the  ages  of  19  and  21,  in  1833  he  removed  to 
Chicago,  and  shortly  afterward,  on  a  visit  to 
Pekin,  was  examined  and  licensed  to  practice  by 
Judffe  Stephen  T.  Logan.  In  1834,  he  was  elected 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  served  as  Alderman  in 
1837-38,  and  sat  upon  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court  from  1842  to  1864,  when  he  resigned,  hav- 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


85 


ing  served  nearly  twenty-two  years.  During 
this  period  he  more  tlian  once  occupied  the  posi- 
tion of  Chief  Justice.  Being  embarrassed  by  the 
financial  stringency  of  1837-38,  in  the  latter  year 
he  entered  a  tract  of  land  near  Plainfield,  and, 
taking  his  family  with  him,  began  farming. 
Later  in  life,  while  a  resident  of  Ottawa,  he 
became  interested  in  the  construction  of  telegraph 
lines  in  the  West,  which  for  a  time  bore  his  name 
and  were  ultimately  incorporated  in  the  "West- 
ern Union,"  laying  the  foundation  of  a  large 
fortune.  On  retiring  from  the  bench,  he  devoted 
himself  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  his  private 
affairs,  to  travel,  and  to  literary  labors.  Among 
his  published  works  are  "The  Antelope  and  Deer 
of  America,"  "A  Summer  in  Norway,"  "Miscel- 
lanies," and  "Early  Bench  and  Bar  of  Illinois." 
Died  in  Chicago,  July  30,  189.5. 

CATARLT,  Alfred  W.,  early  lawyer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  Connecticut,  Sept.  15,  1793; 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1813,  and,  in 
1823,  came  to  Illinois,  first  settling  at  Edwards- 
ville,  and  soon  afterwards  at  CarroUton,  Greene 
County.  Here  he  was  elected  Representative  in 
the  Fifth  General  Assembly  (1820),  and  again  to 
the  Twelfth  ( 1840) ;  also  served  as  Senator  in  the 
Thirteenth,  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  A.ssemblies 
(1842-48),  acting,  in  1845,  as  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners to  revise  the  statutes.  In  1844,  he  was 
chosen  a  Presidential  Elector,  and,  in  1846,  was  a 
prominent  candidate  for  the  Democratic  nomi- 
nation for  Governor,  but  was  defeated  in  conven- 
tion by  Augustus  C.  French.  Mr.  Cavarly  was 
prominent  both  in  his  profession  and  in  the 
Legislature  while  a  member  of  that  body.  In 
1853,  he  removed  to  Ottawa,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  Oct.  25,  1876. 

CESTERVILLE  (or  Central  City),  a  village  in 
the  coal-mining  district  of  Gi-undy  County,  near 
Coal  City.     Population  (1880),  673;  (1900),  290. 

CENTRAL  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE, 
established  under  act  of  the  Legislature  passed 
March  1,  1847,  and  located  at  Jacksonville,  Mor- 
gan County.  Its  founding  was  largely  due  to  the 
philanthropic  efforts  of  Miss  Dorothea  L.  Di.x, 
who  addressed  the  people  from  the  platform  and 
appeared  before  the  General  Assembly  in  behalf 
of  this  class  of  unfortunates.  Construction  of 
the  building  was  begun  in  1848.  By  1851  two 
wards  were  ready  for  occupancy,  and  the  first 
patient  was  received  in  November  of  that  year. 
The  first  Superintendent  was  Dr.  J.  M.  Higgins, 
who  served  less  than  two  years,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  H.  K.  Jones,  who  had  been  Assist- 
ant   Superintendent,       Dr.    Jones    remained    as 


Acting  Superintendent  for  several  months,  when 
the  place  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Dr. 
Andrew  McFarland  of  New  Hampshire,  his 
administration  continuing  until  1870,  when  he 
resigned  on  account  of  ill-health,  being  succeeded 
by  Dr.  Henry  F.  Carriel  of  New  Jersey.  Dr. 
Carriel  tendered  his  resignation  in  1893,  and, 
after  one  or  two  further  changes,  in  1897  Dr. 
F.  C.  Winslow,  who  had  been  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent under  Dr.  Carriel,  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  institution.  The  original  plan  of  construc- 
tion provided  for  a  center  building,  five  and  a 
half  stories  high,  and  two  wings  with  a  rear 
extension  in  which  were  to  be  the  chapel,  kitchen 
and  employes'  quarters.  Subsequently  these 
wings  were  greatly  enlarged,  permitting  an 
increase  in  the  number  of  wards,  and  a-s  the 
exigencies  of  the  institution  demanded,  appropri- 
ations have  been  made  for  the  erection  of  addi- 
tional buildings.  Numerous  detached  buildings 
have  been  erected  witliiu  the  past  few  years,  and 
the  capacity  of  the  institution  greatly  increased 
— "The  Annex"  admitting  of  the  introduction  of 
many  new  and  valuable  features  in  the  classifica- 
tion and  treatment  of  patients.  The  number  of 
inmates  of  late  years  has  ranged  from  1,200  to 
1,400.  The  counties  from  which  patients  are 
received  in  this  institution  embrace:  Rock 
Island,  Mercer,  Henry,  Bureau,  Putnam,  Mar- 
shall. Stark,  Knox,  Warren,  Henderson,  Hancock, 
McDonough,  Fulton,  Peoria,  Tazewell,  Logan, 
Mason,  Menard,  Cass,  Schuyler,  Adams,  Pike, 
Calhoun,  Brown,  Scott,  Morgan,  Sangamon, 
Christian,  Montgomery,  Macoupin,  Greene  and 
Jersey. 

CENTRALIA,  a  city  and  railway  center  of 
Marion  County,  250  miles  south  of  Chicago.  It 
forms  a  trade  center  for  the  famous  "fruit  belt" 
of  Southern  Illinois;  has  a  number  of  coal  mines, 
a  glass  plant,  an  envelope  factory,  iron  foundries, 
railroad  repair  shops,  flour  and  rolling  mills,  and 
an  ice  plant ;  also  has  water- works  and  sewerage 
system,  a  fire  department,  two  daily  papers,  and 
excellent  graded  schools.  Several  parks  afford 
splendid  pleasure  resorts.  Population  (1890), 
4  763;    (1900),   0,721;   (1903,  est.),  8,000. 

CENTRALIA  &  ALTAMONT  RAILROAD. 
(See  Centralia  d-  Chester  Riiilniail) 

CENTRALIA  &  CHESTER  RAILROAD,  a  rail- 
way line  wholly  within  the  State,  extending 
from  Salem,  in  Marion  County,  to  Chester,  on  the 
Mississippi  River  (91.6  miles),  with  a  lateral 
branch  from  Sparta  to  Roxborough  (5  miles),  and 
trackage  facilities  over  the  Illinois  Central  from 
the  branch  junction  to  Centralia  (2.9  miles)— 


86 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


total,  99.5  miles.  The  original  line  was  ehartered 
as  the  Centralia  &  Chester  Railroad,  in  December, 
1887,  completed  from  Sparta  to  Coulterville  in 
1889,  and  consolidated  the  same  year  with  the 
Sparta  &  Evausville  and  the  Centralia  &  Alta- 
mont  Railroads  (projected);  line  completed 
from  Centralia  to  Evansville  early  in  1894.  The 
branch  from  Sparta  to  Rosborough  was  built  in 
1895,  the  section  of  the  main  line  from  Centralia 
to  Salem  (14.9  miles)  in  1896,  and  that  from 
Evansville  to  Chester  (17.6  miles)  in  1897-9S. 
The  road  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver. 
June  7,  1897,  and  the  expenditures  for  extension 
and  equipment  made  under  authority  granted  by 
the  United  States  Court  for  the  issue  of  Receiver's 
certificates.  The  total  capitalization  is  §2,374,- 
841,  of  which  5978,000  is  in  stocks  and  ?948,000  in 
bonds. 

CENTRAL  MILITARY  TRACT  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.) 

CERRO  OORDO,  a  town  in  Piatt  County,  13 
miles  by  rail  east-northeast  of  Decatur.  The  crop 
of  cereals  in  the  surrounding  country  is  sufficient 
to  support  two  elevators  at  Cerro  CJordo,  which 
has  also  a  flouring  mill,  brick  and  tile  factories, 
etc.  Tliere  are  tliree  churches,  graded  schools,  a 
bank  and  two  newspaper  offices.  Population 
(1890),  939;  (1900),  1,008. 

CHADDOCK  COLLEGE,  an  institution  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Quincy,  111.,  incorporated  in  1878;  is  co-educa- 
tional, has  a  faculty  of  ten  instructors,  and 
reports  127  students — 70  male  and  57  female — in 
the  classes  of  1895-96.  Besides  the  usual  depart- 
ments in  literature,  science  and  the  classics, 
instruction  is  given  to  classes  in  theology,  music, 
the  fine  arts,  oratory  and  preparatory  studies.  It 
has  property  valued  at  $110,000.  and  reports  an 
endowment  fund  of  §8,000 

CHAMBERLIN,  Thomas  Crowder,  geologist 
and  educator,  was  born  near  Mattoon,  111.,  Sept. 
25,  1845;  graduated  at  Beloit  College,  Wisconsin, 
in  1866:  took  a  course  in  Michigan  University 
(1868-69);  taught  in  various  Wisconsin  institu- 
tions, also  discharged  the  duties  of  State 
Geologist,  later  filling  the  chair  of  Geology  at 
Columbian  University,  Washington,  D.  C.  In 
1878,  he  was  sent  to  Paris,  in  charge  of  the  edu- 
cational exliibits  of  Wisconsin,  at  the  Interna- 
tional Exposition  of  tliat  year — during  his  visit 
making  a  special  study  of  the  Alpine  glaciers. 
In  1887,  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Wisconsin,  serving  until  1892,  when  he 
became  Head  Professor  of  Geology  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago,  where  he  still  remains.     He  is 


also  editor  of  the  University  "Journal  of  Geol- 
ogy" and  President  of  the  C'hieago  Academy  of 
Sciences.  Professor  Chamberlin  is  author  of  a 
number  of  volumes  on  educational  and  scientific 
subjects,  chiefly  in  the  line  of  geology.  He 
received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  Beloit  College  and  Columbian 
University,  all  on  the  .same  date  (1887). 

CH.VMl'.VIGN.a  flourishing  city  in  Champaign 
County.  128  miles  southwe,st  of  Chicago  and  83 
miles  northeast  of  Springfield ;  is  the  intersecting 
point  of  three  lines  of  railway  and  connected 
with  the  adjacent  city  of  Urbana.  the  county- 
seat,  by  an  electric  railway.  The  University  of 
Illinois,  located  in  Urbana,  is  contiguous  to  the 
city.  Champaign  has  an  excellent  sy.stem  of 
water-work.s,  well-paved  streets,  and  is  lighted  by 
both  gas  and  electricity.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try is  agricultural,  but  the  city  ha.s  manufac- 
tories of  carriages  and  machines.  Three  papers 
are  published  here,  besides  a  college  weekly  con- 
ducted by  the  students  of  the  University.  The 
Burnliam  Hospital  and  the  Garwood  Old  Ladies' 
Home  are  located  in  Champaign.  In  the  resi- 
dence portion  of  the  city  there  is  a  handsome 
park,  covering  ten  acres  and  containing  a  notable 
jiiece  of  bronze  statuary,  and  several  smaller  parks 
in  other  section.s.  There  are  several  hand.some 
churches,  and  excellent  schools,  both  public  and 
private.     Population   (1890),   5,839;    (1900),  9,098. 

CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  eastern 
half  of  the  central  belt  of  the  State;  area,  1,008 
square  miles;  population  (1900),  47,622.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1833,  and  named  for  a 
county  in  Ohio.  The  physical  conformation  is 
flat,  and  the  soil  rich.  The  county  lies  in  the 
heart  of  what  was  once  called  the  "Grand 
Prairie."  Workable  seams  of  bituminous  coal 
underlie  the  surface,  but  overlying  quicksands 
interfere  with  their  operation.  The  Sangamon 
and  Kaskaskia  Rivers  have  their  sources  in  this 
region,  and  several  railroads  cross  the  county. 
The  soil  is  a  black  muck  underlaid  by  a  yellow 
clay.  Urbana  (with  a  population  of  5,708  in 
1900)  is  the  county -seat.  Other  important  points 
in  the  county  are  Champaign  (9.000),  Tolono 
(1,000).  and  liantoul  (1,200).  Champaign  and 
Urbana  adjoin  each  other,  and  the  grounds  of  the 
Illinois  State  University  extend  into  each  corpo- 
ration, being  largely  situated  in  Champaign. 
Large  drifted  masses  of  Niagara  limestone  are 
found,  interspersed  with  coal  measure  limestone 
and  sandstone.  Alternating  beds  of  clay,  gravel 
and  quicksand  of  the  drift  formation  are  found 
beneath  the  subsoil  to  the  depth  of  150  to  300  feet. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


87 


CHAMPAIGN,  HAVANA  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Illinois  Central  Railroad.) 

CHANDLER,  Charles,  physician,  was  born  at 
West  Woodstock,  Conn.,  July  3,  1806;  graduatetl 
with  the  degree  of  M.D.  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  and, 
in  1839,  located  in  Scituate,  R.  I. ;  in  1833,  started 
with  the  intention  of  settling  at  Fort  Clark  (now 
Peoria),  111.,  but  was  stop])ed  at  Beardstown  by 
the  "Black  Hawk  War,"  finally  locating  on  the 
Sangamon  River,  in  Cass  County,  where,  in  1848, 
he  laid  out  the  town  of  Chandlerville — Abraham 
Lincoln  Ijeing  one  of  the  surveyors  who  platted 
the  town.  Here  he  gained  a  large  practice, 
which  he  was  compelled,  in  his  later  years,  par- 
tially to  abandon  in  consequence  of  injuries 
received  while  prosecuting  his  profession,  after- 
wards turning  his  attention  to  merchandising 
and  encouraging  the  development  of  the  locality 
in  which  he  lived  by  promoting  the  construction 
of  railroads  and  the  building  of  schoolhouses  and 
churches.  Liberal  and  public-spirited,  his  influ- 
ence for  good  extended  over  a  large  region. 
Died,  April  7,  1879. 

CHANDLER,  Henry  B.,  newspaper  manager, 
was  bom  at  Frelighsburg,  Quebec,  July  12,  1836 ; 
at  18  he  began  teaching,  and  later  took  charge  of 
the  business  department  of  "The  Detroit  Free 
Press";  in  1861,  came  to  Chicago  with  Wilbur  F. 
Storey  and  became  business  manager  of  "Tlie 
Chicago  Times";  in  1870,  di.sagreed  with  Storey 
and  retired  from  newspaper  business.  Died,  at 
Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  18,  1896. 

CHANDLERVILLE,  a  village  in  Cass  County, 
on  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  7 
miles  north  by  east  from  Virginia,  laid  out  in 
1848  by  Dr.  Charles  Chandler,  and  platted  by 
Abraham  Lincoln.  It  has  a  bank,  a  creamery, 
four  churches,  a  weekly  newspaper,  a  Hour  and  a 
saw-mill.     Population  (1890),  910;  (1900),  940. 

CHAPIN,  a  village  of  Morgan  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Wabash  and  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads,  10  miles  west  of 
Jacksonville.     Population  (1890),  450;  (1900),  514. 

CHAPPELL,  Charles  H.,  railway  manager, 
was  born  in  Du  Page  County,  111.,  March  3,  1841. 
With  an  ardent  passion  for  the  railroad  business, 
fit  the  age  of  16  he  ol)tained  a  position  as  freight 
brakeman  on  tlie  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  being  stea<lily  promoted  through  the 
ranks  of  conductor,  train-master  and  dispatcher, 
until,  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  24,  he  was  appointed 
General  Agent  of  the  Eastern  Division  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy.  Other  railroad 
positions  which  Mr.  Chappell  has  since  held  are : 
Superintendent  of  a  division  of  the  Union  Pacific 


(1869-70) ;  Assistant  or  Division  Superintendent 
of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  or  some  of 
its  branches  (1870-74) ;  General  Superintendent 
of  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  (1874-76); 
Superintendent  of  the  Western  Division  of  the 
Wabash  (1877-79).  In  1880,  he  accepted  tlie 
position  of  Assistant  General  Superintendent  of 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  being  advanced  in 
the  next  three  years  through  the  grades  of 
General  Superintendent  and  Assistant  General 
Manager,  to  that  of  General  Manager  of  the 
entire  system,  which  he  has  continued  to  fill  for 
over  twelve  years.  Quietly  and  without  show  or 
display,  Mr.  Chappell  continues  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties,  assisting  to  make  the  system  with 
which  he  is  identified  one  of  tlie  most  succe.ssfiil 
and  perfect  in  its  operation  in  the  whole  country. 
CHARLESTON,  the  county-seat  of  Coles 
County,  an  incorporated  city  and  a  railway  junc- 
tion, 46  miles  west  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  It  lies 
in  the  center  of  a  farming  region,  yet  has  several 
factories,  including  woolen  and  flouring  mills, 
broom,  plow  and  carriage  factories,  a  foundry 
and  a  canning  factory.  Three  newspapers  are 
published  here,  is.suing  daily  editions.  Population 
(1890),  4,135;  (1900),  5,488.  The  Eastern  State 
Normal  School  was  located  here  in  1895. 

CHARLESTON,  NEOGA  <k  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Toledo.  St.  Louis  <f-  Kansas  Citij 
Railroad.) 

CHARLEVOIX,  Pierre  Francois  Xavier  de, 
a  celebrated  French  traveler  and  an  early 
explorer  of  IlUnois,  born  at  St.  Quentin,  France, 
Oct.  29,  1682.  He  entered  the  Jesuit  Society, 
and  while  a  student  was  sent  to  Quebec 
(1695),  where  for  four  years  he  was  instructor  in 
the  college,  and  completed  his  divinity  studies. 
In  1709  he  returned  to  France,  but  came  again  to 
Quebec  a  few  years  later.'  He  ascended  the  St. 
Lawrence,  sailed  through  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie, 
and  finally  reached  the  Mi.ssissippi  by  way  of  the 
Illinois  River.  After  visiting  Cahokia  and  the 
surrounding  county  (1720-21),  he  continued  down 
the  Blississippi  to  New  Orleans,  and  returned  to 
France  by  way  of  Santo  Domingo.  Besides  some 
works  on  religious  subjects,  he  was  the  author  of 
histories  of  Japan,  Paraguay  and  San  Domingo. 
His  great  work,  however,  was  the  "History  of 
New  France,"  which  was  not  published  until 
twenty  years  after  his  death.  His  journal  of  his 
American  explorations  appeared  about  the  .same 
time.  His  history  has  long  been  cited  by 
scholars  as  authority,  but  no  English  translation 
was  made  until  1865.  when  it  was  undertaken  bv 
Shea.     Died  in  France,  Feb.  1,  1761. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


CHASE,  Philander,  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop,  was  born  in  Cornish,  Vt.,  Dec  14,  1775, 
and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  1795.  Although 
reared  as  a  Congregatioualist,  he  adopted  the 
Episcopal  faith,  and  was  ordained  a  priest  in 
1799,  for  several  years  laboring  as  a  missionary 
in  Northern  and  Western  New  York.  In  1805, 
he  went  to  New  Orleans,  but  returning  North  in 
1811,  spent  six  years  as  a  rector  at  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  then  engaged  in  missionary  work  in  Ohio, 
organizing  a  number  of  parishes  and  founding  an 
academy  at  Worthington;  was  consecrated  a 
Bishop  in  1819,  and  after  a  visit  to  England  to 
raise  funds,  laid  the  foundation  of  Kenyon 
College  and  Gambler  Theological  Seminary, 
named  in  honor  of  two  English  noblemen  who 
had  contributed  a  large  portion  of  the  funds. 
Diflferences  arising  with  some  of  his  clergy  in 
reference  to  the  proper  use  of  the  funds,  he 
resigned  both  the  Bishopric  and  the  Presidency 
of  the  college  in  1831.  and  after  three  years  of 
missionary  labor  in  5Iicliigan,  in  1835  was  chosen 
Bishop  of  Illinois.  Making  a  second  visit  to 
England,  he  succeeded  in  raising  additional 
funds,  and,  in  1838,  founded  Jubilee  College  at 
Robin's  Nest,  Peoria  County,  III.,  for  which  a 
charter  was  obtained  in  1847.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  religious  zeal,  of  indomitable  perseverance 
and  the  most  successful  pioneer  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  West.  He  was  Presiding  Bishop 
from  1843  imtil  his  death,  which  occurred  Sept. 
20,  1852.  Several  volumes  appeared  from  his  pen, 
the  most  important  being  "A  Plea  for  the  West" 
(1826),  and  "Reminiscences:  an  Autobiography, 
Comprising  a  Historj-  of  the  Principal  Events  in 
the  Author's  Life"  (1848). 

CHATHAM,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County,  on 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  9  miles  south  of 
Springfield.     Population  (1890),  482;  (1900),  029- 

CHATSWORTH,  town  in  Livingston  County, 
on  111.  Cent,  and  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Rail- 
ways, 79  miles  east  of  Peoria;  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  district;  has  two  banks,  three  grain 
elevators,  five  churches,  a  gi-aded  school,  two 
weekly  papers,  water  works,  electric  lights,  paved 
streets,  cement  sidewalks,  btick  works,  and  other 
manufactories.     Pop.  (1890).  827;  (1900),  1,038. 

CHEBAJiSE,  a  town  in  Iroquois  and  Kankakee 
Counties,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  64 
miles  south-southwest  from  Chicago;  the  place 
has  two  banks  and  one  newspaper.  Population 
(1880),  728;  (1890).  G16;  (1900).  .5.55. 

CHENEY,  Charles  Edward,  Bishop  of  the  Re- 
formed Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was  born  in 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  12,  18.36;  graduated  at 


Hobart  in  1857,  and  liegan  study  for  the  ministry 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Soon  after 
ordination  he  became  rector  of  Christ  Church, 
Chicago,  and  was  prominent  among  those  wlio, 
under  the  leadership  of  Assistant  Bishop  Cum- 
mins of  Kentucky,  organized  the  Reformed  Epis- 
copal Church  in  1873.  He  was  elected  Missionary 
Bishop  of  the  Northwest  for  the  new  organiza- 
tion, and  was  consectated  in  Christ  Church, 
Chicago,  Dec.  14,  1873. 

CHENEY,  John  Yance,  author  and  librarian, 
was  born  at  Groveland,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  29,  1848, 
though  the  family  home  was  at  Dorset,  Vt.. 
where  he  grew  up  and  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation. He  acquired  his  academic  training  at 
Manchester,  Vt.,  and  Temple  Hill  Academy, 
Genesee,  N.  Y.,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1865,  later  becoming  Assistant  Principal  of  the 
same  institution.  Having  studied  law,  lie  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  successively  in  Massachusetts 
and  New  York;  but  meanwhile  having  written 
considerably  for  the  old  "Scribner's  Montlily" 
(now  "Centurj-  Magazine"),  while  under  the 
editorship  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  lie  gradually 
adopted  literature  as  a  profession.  Removing  to 
the  Pacific  Coast,  he  took  charge,  in  1887,  of  the 
Free  Public  Library  at  San  Francisco,  remaining 
until  1894,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of 
Librarian  of  the  Newberry  Librarj-  in  Chicago, 
as  successor  to  Dr.  William  F.  Poole,  deceased. 
Besides  two  or  three  volumes  of  verse,  Mr.  Cheney 
is  the  author  of  numerous  essays  on  literary 
subjects.  His  published  works  include  "Tliistle- 
Drift,"  poems  (1887);  "Wood-Blooms,"  poems 
(1888),  "Golden  Guess,"  essaj-s  (1892);  "That 
Dome  in  Air,"  essays  (1895);  "Queen  Helen," 
poem  (1895)  and  "Out  of  the  Silence,"  poem 
(1897).  He  is  also  editor  of  "W<xxl  Notes  Wild," 
by  Simeon  Pease  Cheney  (1892),  and  Caxton  Club's 
edition  of  Derby's  Phoenixiaiia. 

CHENOA,  an  incorjxjrated  city  of  McLean 
County,  at  the  intersecting  point  of  the  Toledo, 
Peoria  &  Western  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
roads, 48  miles  east  of  Peoria,  23  miles  northeast 
of  Bloomington,  and  102  miles  south  of  Chicago. 
Agriculture,  dairj-  farming,  fruit-growing  and 
coal-mining  are  the  chief  industries  of  the  sur- 
rounding region.  The  city  also  has  an  electric 
light  plant,  waterworks,  canning  works  and  tile 
works,  besides  two  banks,  seven  churches,  a 
graded  school,  two  weekly  papers,  and  telephone 
systems  connecting  with  the  surrounding  coun- 
try.    Population  (1890),  1,226;  (1900),  1,512. 

CHESBROUGH,  EUis  Sylvester,  civil  engineer, 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Jul}'  6,  1813;  at  the 


CHICAGO  THOROXTIHFAHES. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


89 


age  of  thirteen  was  chainman  to  an  engineering 
party  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  being 
later  employed  ou  other  roads.  In  1837,  he  was 
appointed  senior  assistant  engineer  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Louisville,  Cincinnati  &  Charles- 
ton Railroad,  and,  in  1846,  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Boston  Waterworks,  in  1850  becoming  sole  Com- 
missioner of  the  Water  Department  of  that  city. 
In  185.'),  he  became  engineer  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Sewerage  Commissioners,  and  in  that  capacity 
designed  the  sewerage  system  of  the  city — also 
planning  the  river  tunnels.  He  resigned  the 
iffice  of  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  of 
Chicago  in  1879.  He  was  regarded  as  an  author- 
ity on  water-supply  and  sewerage,  and  was  con- 
sulted by  the  officials  of  New  York,  Boston, 
Toronto,  Milwaukee  and  other  cities.  Died, 
August  19.  1886. 

CHESNUT,  John  A.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, Jan.  19,  1816,  his  father  being  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  but  of  Irish  descent.  John  A. 
was  educated  principally  in  his  native  State,  but 
came  to  Illinois  in  18-36,  read  law  with  P.  H. 
Winchester  at  Carlinville,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1837,  and  practiced  at  Carlinville  until 
1855,  when  he  removed  to  Springfield  and  engaged 
in  real  estate  and  banking  business.  Mr.  Ches- 
nut  was  as.sociated  with  many  local  business 
enterprises,  was  for  several  years  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb  at  Jacksonville,  also  a  Trustee  of  the 
Ilhnois  Female  College  (Methodist)  at  the  same 
place,  and  was  Supervisor  of  the  United  States 
Census  for  the  Sixth  District  of  Illinois  in  1880. 
Died,  Jan.  14,  1898. 

CHESTER,  the  county-seat  of  Randolph 
County,  situated  on  the  Mississippi  River,  76 
miles  south  of  St.  Louis.  It  is  the  seat  of  the 
Southern  Illinois  Penitentiary  and  of  the  State 
Asylum  for  Insane  Convicts  It  stands  in  the 
heart  of  a  region  abounding  in  bituminous  coal, 
and  is  a  prominent  shipping  point  for  this  com- 
modity ;  also  has  quarries  of  building  stone.  It 
has  a  grain  elevator,  flouring  mills,  rolling  mills 
and  foundries.  Population  (1880),  2,580;  (1890), 
2,708,  (1900),  2,832. 

CHETLAIN,  Augnstns  Louis,  soldier,  was  born 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Dec.  26,  1824,  of  French  Hugue- 
not stock — his  parents  having  emigrated  from 
Switzerland  in  1823,  at  first  becoming  members 
of  the  Selkirk  colony  on  Red  River,  in  JIanitoba. 
Having  received  a  common  school  education,  he 
became  a  merchant  at  Galena,  and  was  the  first 
to  volunteer  there  in  response  to  the  call  for 
troops  after  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter,  in 


1861,  being  chosen  to  the  captaincy  of  a  company 
in  the  Twelfth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers, 
whicli  General  Grant  had  decUned;  participated 
in  tlie  campaign  on  the  Tennessee  River  which 
resulted  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson  and  the 
battle  of  Shiloli,  meanwhile  being  commissioned 
Lieutenant-Colonel ;  also  distinguished  himself  at 
Corinth,  where  he  remained  in  command  until 
May,  1863,  and  organized  tlie  first  colored  regi- 
ment raised  in  the  West.  In  December,  1863,  he 
was  promoted  Brigadier-General  and  placed  in 
charge  of  the  organization  of  colored  troops  in 
Tennessee,  serving  later  in  Kentucky  and  being 
brevetted  Major-General  in  January,  1864.  From 
January  to  October,  1865,  he  commanded  the 
post  at  Memphis,  and  later  the  District  of  Talla- 
dega, Ala.,  until  January,  1866,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  General  Chetlain 
was  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  District 
of  Utah  (1867-69),  tlien  appointed  United  States 
Consul  at  Brussels,  serving  until  1872,  on  his 
retm-n  to  the  United  States  establishing  himself 
as  a  banker  and  broker  in  Chicago. 

CHICAGO,  the  county-seat  of  Cook  County, 
chief  city  of  Illinois  and  (1890)  second  city  in 
population  in  the  United  States. 

Situation. — The  city  is  situated  at  the  south- 
west bend  of  Lake  Michigan,  18  miles  north  of 
the  extreme  southern  point  of  the  lake,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  River;  715  miles  west  of 
New  York,  590  miles  north  of  west  from  Wash- 
ington, and  260  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis. 
From  the  Pacific  Coast  it  is  distant  2,417  miles. 
Latitude  41°  52'  north;  longitude  87°  35' west  of 
Greenwich.     Area  (1898),  186  square  miles. 

Topography. — Chicago  stands  on  the  dividing 
ridge  between  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Lawreice 
basins.  It  is  502  feet  above  sea-level,  aud  its 
highest  point  is  some  18  feet  above  Lake  Michi- 
gan. The  Chicago  River  is  virtually  a  bayou, 
dividing  into  north  and  south  brandies  about  a 
half-mile  west  of  the  lake.  The  surrounding 
country  is  a  low,  flat  prairie,  but  engineering 
science  and  skill  have  done  much  for  it  in  tlie 
way  of  drainage.  The  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
terminates  at  a  point  on  the  south  branch  of 
the  Chicago  River,  within  the  city  limits,  and 
unites  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  with  those 
of  the  Illinois  River. 

Commerce. — The  Chicago  River,  with  its 
branches,  affords  a  water  frontage  of  nearly  60 
miles,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  utilized  for 
the  shipment  and  xmloading  of  grain,  lumber, 
stone,  coal,  merchandise,  etc.  Anrther  navigable 
stream  (the  Calumet  River)  also  lies  within  the 


90 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


corporate  limits.  Dredging  has  made  the  Clii- 
eago  River,  with  its  branches,  navigable  for 
vessels  of  deep  draft.  The  harbor  has  also  been 
widened  and  deepened.  Well  constructed  break- 
waters protect  the  vessels  l.ving  inside,  and  the 
port  is  as  safe  as  any  on  the  great  lakes.  The 
city  is  a  port  of  entry,  and  the  tonnage  of  vessels 
arriving  tliere  exceeds  that  of  any  other  port  in 
the  United  States.  During  1897,  9,1.56  vessels 
arrived,  with  an  aggregate  tonnage  of  7,209,443, 
while  9,201  cleared,  representing  a  tonnage  of 
7,185.324.  It  is  the  largest  grain  market  in  the 
world,  its  elevators  (in  1897)  having  a  capacity 
of  33, 550, 000  bushels. 

According  to  the  reports  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
tlie  total  receipts  and  shipments  of  grain  for 
the  year  1898 — counting  flour  as  its  grain  equiva- 
lent in  bushels — amounted  to  323,097,453  bushels 
of  the  former,  to  289,920,028  bushels  of  the  latter. 
The  receipts  and  shipments  of  various  products 
for  the  year  (1898)  were  as  follows: 


Flour  (bbls.)     . 
Wheat  (bu.)     .     . 
Corn         "    .     .     . 
Oats         "... 
Rye  "... 

Barley  "  .  .  . 
Cured  Meats  (lbs.) 
Dressed  Beef  "  . 
Live-.stock —  Hogs 
Cattle 
"  Sheep 


Receipts. 

5,316,195 

35,741,5.55 

127,420,374 

110,293,647 

4.935.308 

18,116,594 

229,005,246 

110,286,6.52 

9,360.968 

2.480.632 

3,502,378 


Shipments. 

5,032.236 

38,094,900 

13(t.397.681 

85.057,636 

4,453,384 

6,7.55,247 

923,627.722 

1,060. S.59.808 

1,334.768 

864,408 

545,001 


Chicago  is  also  an  important  lumber  market, 
the  receipts  in  1895,  including  shingles,  being 
1,562,527  M  feet.  As  a  center  for  beef  and  pork- 
packing,  the  city  is  without  a  rival  in  the  amount 
of  its  products,  there  having  been  93,459  cattle 
and  760,514  hogs  packed  in  1894-95.  In  bank 
clearings  and  general  mercantile  business  it 
ranks  second  only  to  New  York,  while  it  is  also 
one  of  the  chief  manufacturing  centers  of  the 
country.  The  census  of  1890  shows  9,9.59  manu- 
facturmg  establishments,  with  a  capital  of  $292,- 
477,038;  employing  203,108  hands,  and  turning 
out  products  valued  at  8632,184,140.  Of  the  out- 
put by  far  the  largest  was  that  of  the  slaughter- 
ing and  meat-packing  establishments,  amounting 
to  §203,825,092;  men's  clothing  came  next  ($33,- 
517,326);  iron  and  steel,  831,419,8.54;  foundry  and 
machine  shop  products,  $29,938,616;  planed 
lumber,  817,604,494.  Chicago  is  also  the  most 
important  live-stock  market  in  the  United  States. 
The  Union  Stock  Yards  (in  the  southwest  part  of 
the  city)  are  connected  with  all  railroad  lines 
entering  the  c'ty.  and  cover  many  hundreds  of 


acres.  In  1894,  there  were  received  8,788,049 
auimals  (of  all  descriptions),  valued  at  §148,057,- 
626.  Chicago  is  also  a  primary  market  for  hides 
and  leather,  the  production  and  siiles  being  both 
of  large  proportions,  and  the  trade  in  manufac- 
tured leather  (notably  in  boots  and  shoes) 
exceeds  that  of  anj-  otlier  market  in  the  country. 
Ship-building  is  a  leiiding  industry,  as  are  also 
brick-making,  distilling  and  brewing. 

Tkanspout.\tion,  etc. — Besides  being  the  chief 
port  on  the  great  lakes,  Chicago  ranks  .second  to 
no  otlier  American  city  as  a  railwaj'  center.  The 
old  "Galena  &  Chicago  Union,"  its  first  railroad, 
was  operated  in  1849,  and  within  three  years  a 
substantial  advance  had  been  scored  in  the  way 
of  steam  transiwrtation.  Since  then  the  multi- 
plication of  railroad  lines  focusing  in  or  passing 
through  C'liif:ago  has  been  rapid  and  steady.  In 
1895  not  less  than  thirty -eight  distinct  lines  enter 
the  city,  although  these  are  operated  by  only 
twenty-two  companies.  Some  2,600  miles  of 
railroad  track  are  laid  within  the  city  limits. 
Tlie  number  of  trains  daih-  arriving  and  depart- 
ing (suburban  and  freiglit  included)  is  about 
2,000.  Intraiuunil  transportation  is  afforded  by 
electric,  steam,  cable  and  horse-car  lines.  Four 
tunnels  under  the  Chicago  River  and  its  branches, 
and  numerous  bridges  connect  the  various  divi- 
sions of  the  city. 

History.— Point  du  Sable  (a  native  of  San 
Domingo)  was  admittedly  the  first  resident  of 
Chicago  other  than  the  aborigines.  The  French 
missionaries  and  explorers — Marquette,  Joliet, 
La  Salle,  Hennepin  and  others — came  a  century 
earlier,  their  explorations  beginning  in  1673. 
After  the  expulsion  of  the  French  at  the  close  of 
the  French  and  Indian  War,  the  territory  passed 
under  Britisli  control,  though  French  traders 
remained  in  this  vicinity  after  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  One  of  these  named  Le  Mai  followed 
Point  du  Sable  al)out  1796,  and  was  himself  suc- 
ceeded by  John  Kinzie.  the  Indian  trader,  who 
came  in  1803.  Fort  Dearborn  was  built  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  in  1804  on  land 
acquired  from  the  Indians  by  the  treaty  of 
Greenville,  concluded  by  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne 
in  1795,  but  was  evacuated  in  1812,  when  most  of 
the  garrison  and  the  few  inhabitants  were  massa- 
cred by  the  savages.  {See  Fort  Dearborn.)  The 
fort  was  rebuilt  in  1816,  and  another  settlement 
established  around  it.  The  first  Government 
survey  was  made,  1829-30.  Earh-  residents  were 
the  Kinzies,  the  Wolcotts,  the  Beaubiens  and  the 
Millers.  The  Black  Hawk  War  (1832)  rather 
aided  in  developing  tlie  resources  and  increasing 


o 


O 

o 


o  B 
o 


b 


6 


■5   « 

I  ? 

z 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


01 


the  population  of  the  infant  settlement  by  draw- 
ing to  it  settlers  from  the  interior  for  purposes  of 
mutual  protection.  Town  organization  was 
effected  on  August  10,  1832,  the  total  number  of 
votes  polled  being  28.  The  town  grew  rapidly 
for  a  time,  but  received  a  set-back  in  the  financial 
crisis  of  1837.     During  May  of  that  year,  how- 


ever, a  charter  was  obtained  and  Chicago  became 
a  city.  The  total  number  of  votes  cast  at  that 
time  was  703.  The  census  of  the  city  for  tlie  Ist 
of  July  of  that  year  showed  a  population  of  4,180. 
The  following  table  shows  the  names  and  term 
of  office  of  the  chief  city  officers  from  1837  to 
1899: 


1837 
1838 
1839 
1940 
1841 
1842 
1843 
1H44 
1845 
1S46 
1S47 
1H48 
1849 
1850 
1861 
18.52 
1853 
1854 
1855 
1856 
1857 
1858 
1859 
l»(iO 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 
18S5 
18116 
1867 
1868 
1869 
1870 
1871 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1875 
1878 

1877-78 
1879  80 
1881-82 
1883-84 
1885-86 
1887-88 
1889-90 
1891  92 
1893-94 

1895-96 
1897-98 
1899 


City  Clsrk. 


I.  N.  Arnold,  Geo.  Davis  (1) 

Oeo.  Davis 

Wm.  H.  Brackett 

Thomaa  Hoyne 

Thomas  Hoyne 


Wm.  B.  Ogdeo 

Buckner  8.  Morris . 
Benj.  W,  Raymond 
Alexander  Lloyd.. 
F.  C.  Sherman..  . . 

BenJ.  W.  Raymond J.  Curtis 

Augustus  Garrett James  M.  Lowe 

Au^  (iarrett,Alson  S.8herman(4)  E.  A.  Rucker, 
Aug.Garrett.AlsonS.9herman(4) 

JohnP.Chapin 

James  Curtiss    

James  H.  Woodworth 

James  H.  Woodworth  

Jarae.s  Curtiss 

Walter  S,  ( iurnee 

Walters.  Gurnee 

Charles  M.  Gray 

Ira  L.  Mllliken 

Levi  D.  Boone 

Thomas  Dyer 

John  Wentworth 

John  C.  Haines 

JohnC.  Haines 

John  Wentworth 

Julians  Rumsey 

F.  O.  Sherman  

F.  O.  Sherman 

F.  C.  Sherman 

John  B.  Rice  

JohnB.  Rice 

John  B.  Rico 

John  B.  Rice 

John  B  Rice  (8) 

R.  B.   Mason 

R.  B.   Mason 

Joieph  Meillll 

Joseph  Medlll 

Harvey  D.  Colvin 
Harvey  D.  Colvin 


Cttv  attorney. 


E.  A.  Rucker,Wm.S.Brown(5) 

Henry  B.Clarke 

Henry  B-  Clarke 

Sidney  Abeil 

Sidney  A  hell 

Sidney  Abell 

Henry  W.  Zimmerman  ...... 

Henry  W.  Zimmerman 

Henry  W.  Zimmerman 

Henry  W.  Zimmerman 

Henry  W.Zimmerman 

Henry  W.  Zimmerman 

H.  Kreisman 

H.  Kreisman 

H.  Kreisman 

Abraham  Kobn 

A.J.   Marble 

A.J.  Marble 

H.W.Zimmerman 

H.  W.  Zimmerman 

Albert  H.  Bodman 

Albert  H.  Bodman 

Albert  H.  Bodman 

Albert  II.  Bodman 

Albert  H.  Bodman  

Charles  T.  Hotchkiss 

Charles  T.  Hotchkiss 

Charles  T.  Hotchkiss 

Charles  T.  Hotchkiss 

Jos.  K.  C.  Forrest 

Jos.  K.  C.  Forrest 


Monroe  Heath,(9)   H.  D.  Colvin, 

Thomas  Hoyne Ca.spar  ButJ. 

Monroe  Heath Caspar  Butz 

Carter  H.  Harrison P.J.Howard 

Carter  H.  Harrison IP.  J.  Howard 

Carter  H.  Harrison John  G.  Neumelster   ... 

Carter  H   Harrison C.  Herman  Plautz 

John  A.  Roche p.  W.  Nickerson 

Dewitt  C,  Cregler Franz  Amberg. 

Hempstead  Washburne James  R.  B.  Van  Cleave 

Garter     H.    Harrison,    Geo.     B 


N.  B.  Jndd 

N.  B. Judd 

Samuel  L.  Smith 

Mark  Sltinner 

Geo.  Maiiierre 

Henry  Brown 

G.  Manierre.  Henry  BrowniS) 

Henry  W.  Clarke 

Henry  W.  Clarke 

Charles  II .  Larrabee 

Patrick  Ballingall 

Giles  Spring 

O   R.  W.  Lull 

Henry  H.  Clark 

Henry  H.  Clark 

Arno  Voss 

Arno  Voss 

Patrick  Ballingall 

J.  A.  Thompson 

J.  L    Marsh 

John  C.  Miller 

Elliott  Anthony 

Geo.  F.  Crocker 

John  Lyle  King 

Ira  W.  Buel 

Geo.  A.  Meech 

Francis  Adams 

Francis  Adams 

Daniel  D.  Dri-scoll 

Daniel  D.  Driscoll 

Hasbrouck  Davis 

Hasbrouck  Davis 

Hasbrouck  Davis 

Israel  N.  Stiles 

Israel  N.  Stiles 

Israel  N.  Stiles 

Israel  N.  Stiles 

Egbert  Janiieson 

Egbert  Jamieson 


R.S.  Tnthlll 

R.S.  Tuthlll 

Julius  S.  Grinnell 

Julius  S.  Grinnell 

Julius  S.  Grinnell 

Hempstead  Washburne 

Hempstead  Washburne 

Geo.  F.Sugg 

Jacob  J.  Kern,G.A.Trude{101 


City  Treasijrkb. 


Swift.iUl  John  P.  Hopklns.(ll) 

lOeo.  B.  .Swift 

Carter  H.  Harrison.  Jr 

Carter  H.  Harrison,  Jr 


Chas.  D  Gastfleld 

James  R.  B.  Van  Cleave  . 

William  Loeffler 

William  Loellter 


Geo.  A.  Trude.... 

Roy  O.  West 

Miles  J.  Devine.. 
Andrew  J.  Ryan  . 


Hiram  Pearsons. 

Hiram  Pearsons. 

Geo.  W.  Dole. 

W.  8.  Gurnee,  N.  H.  Bollea(2) 

N.  H.  Bdlles. 

F,  C.  Sherman. 

Walter  S.  Gurnee. 

Walter  S.  Gurnee. 

Wm.  L.  Church. 

Wm.  L  Church. 

Andrew  Getzler. 

Wm.  L.  Church. 

Wm,  L.  t'hurch. 

Edward  Manierre. 

Edward  Manierre. 

Edward  Manierre. 

Edward  Manierre. 

Uriah  1'.  Harris. 

Wm.  F   De  Wolf. 

O.  J.  Rose. 

C.  N.  Holden. 

Alonzo  Harvey. 

AJonzo  Harvey. 

Alonzo  Harvey ,C.W.Hant(«) 

W.  H.  Rice. 

P.  H.  Cutting.  W.H.Rice(7) 

David  A.  Gage. 

David  A.  Gage. 

A.G.  Throop. 

A.G.  Throop. 

Wm   F.  Wentworth. 

Wm.  F.  Wentworth. 

Wm.  F.  Wentworth. 

David  A.  Gage. 

David  A.  Gage. 

David  A.  Oage. 

David  A.  Gage. 

Daniel  O'llara. 

Daniel  O'Hara. 

Clinton  Brlggs. 
Chas.  B.  Larrabee. 
W.  C.  Seipp. 
Rudolph  Brand. 
John  M.  Dunphy. 
Wni.  M.  Devine. 
C.  Herman  Plautz. 
Bernard  Roesing. 
Peter  Kiolbassa. 

Michael  J.  Branifleld. 
Adam  Wolf. 
Ernst  Hummel. 
Adam  Ortseifen. 


(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) 
(S) 
(6) 
(7) 
(8) 

(9) 


(10) 
lU) 


I  N.  Arnold  rtsigned.  and  Geo.  Davis  appointed,  October,  1837. 
Gurnee  resigned.  Bolles  appointed  his  successor.  April   1840 

Manierre  resigiieil.  lirown  appointed  his  successor,  July.  184.i.  

ElcJuon  of  Garreti  .l.rlared  illegal,  and  Sherman  elected  at  new  election,  held  April,  1814. 

Brown  appoint. '1  to  till  vacancy  caused  by  resignation  of  Rucker. 

Harvey  resigned  and  Hunt  appointed  to  till  vacancy.  ,,.m  „„„ 

Cutting  having  failed,  to  qualify.  Rice,  wjbo  was  "l^Jj^f^^X?,  the  persons  in  office  at  beginning  of  1869  remaining  In  office 


Legislature  changed  date  of  election  from  April  to  I 
to  Decemlier  of  that  year. 


r  election  held  until  April   1876.    TJ<"  order  'or  a  new 


City  organized  under  general  Incorporation  Act  in  'J'5,./"^"^"V^vlu>h  cave  kmaiority  to  Thomas  Hoyne.  The  Council 
election  omitted  the  olBce  of  Ma.vor,  yet  a  PW"!''^'    «"!'^ '»^^'  t"''^^  declaring  Hoyne  duly  elected. 

then  in  office  refused  to  canva^is  tins  vote,  but  ''», »''' >=X,  r^^,"  Yj^  .f'ht  to  ^  over;"   Hoyne  then  made  a  contest 

Colvin,  the  incumbent,  refused  to  '*""«■■'*"'''«;;  ''.;;«;,J'^;"J^fur'de'y^ig  the  claims  of  both  contestants,  when  a  new 
for  the  office,  which  resulted    u  ■?  'i''™'";  ..^y. ''  ;i^^''''J''Xich  Xinroe^Heath  was  elected,  serving  out  the  tern,, 
election  was  ordered  by  the  City  Council,  July  '-•  1™;  "JL""  ^  Trnje  was  appointed  to  serve  out  the  remainder  of  the 

City  Attorney  Kern,  having  resigned  Novemljer  21, 1892,  Geo.  A.  rruae  was  appu.ure 

term.  .      .   .   „  ,  k.-  na   isnt   the  ritv  Council  at  its  next   meeting  {November  6,  1893) 

1893,  John  P.  Hopkins  was  elected  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Mayor  Uarrisuii. 


92 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


The  Fire  of  1871.— The  city  steadily  grew  in 
beauty,  population  and  commercial  importance 
until  1871.  On  Oct.  9  of  that  year  occurred  the 
"great  fire"  the  story  of  which  has  passed  into 
history.  Recuperation  was  speedy,  and  the  2,100 
acres  burned  over  were  rapidly  being  rebuilt, 
when,  in  1874,  occurred  a  second  conflagration, 
although  by  no  means  so  disastrous  as  that  of 
1871.  The  city's  recuperative  power  was  again 
demonstrated,  and  its  subsequent  development 
has  been  phenomenal.  The  subjoined  statement 
shows  its  growth  in  population : 


1837 
1840 
1850 
18G0 
1870 
1880 
1890 
1900 


4,179 

4,470 

28,269 

112,162 

298.977 

.'-.03.185 

1.099.850 

1,098.575 


Notwithstanding  a  large  foreign  population  and 
a  constant  armj'  of  unemployed  men.  Chicago 
has  witnessed  only  three  disturbances  of  the 
peace  by  mobs — the  railroad  riots  of  1877,  the 
Anarchist  disturbance  of  1880,  and  a  strike  of 
railroad  employes  in  1894. 

Municipal  Administkation.  —  Chicago  long 
since  outgrew  its  special  charter,  and  is  now- 
incorporated  under  the  broader  provisions  of  the 
law  applicable  to  "cities  of  the  first  class,"  under 
which  the  city  is  virtually  autonomous.  The 
personnel,  drill  and  equipment  of  the  police  and 
fire  departments  are  second  to  none,  if  noi  supe- 
rior to  any,  to  be  found  in  other  American  cities. 
The  Chicago  River,  with  its  branches,  divides  the 
city  into  three  principal  divisions,  known  respec- 
tively as  North,  South  and  West.  Each  division 
has  its  statutory  geographical  boundaries,  and 
each  retains  its  own  distinct  townsliip  organiza- 
tion. This  system  is  anomalous;  it  has,  how- 
ever, both  assailants  and  defenders. 

Public  Improvements. — Chicago  has  a  fine 
system  of  parks  and  boulevards,  well  developed, 
well  improved  and  well  managed.  One  of  the 
parks  (Jackson  in  the  South  Division)  was  the 
site  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition.  The 
water  supplj'  is  obtained  from  Lake  Michigan  by 
means  of  cribs  and  timnels.  In  this  direction 
new  and  better  faoiUties  are  being  constantly 
introduced,  and  the  existing  water  system  will 
compare  favorably  with  that  of  any  other  Ameri- 
can city. 

Architecture.— The  public  and  office  build- 
ings, as  well  as  tlie  business  blocks,  are  in  some 
instances  classical,  but  generally  severely  plain. 


(Jranite  and  other  varieties  of  stone  are  used  in 
the  City  Ilall,  County  Court  House,  the  Board  of 
Trade  structure,  and  in  a  few  commercial  build- 
ings, as  well  iis  in  many  private  residences.  In 
the  business  part  of  the  city,  however,  steel, 
iron,  brick  and  fire  clay  are  the  materials  most 
largely  employed  in  construction,  the  exterior 
walls  teing  of  brick.  The  most  approved 
metliods  of  fire-proof  building  are  followed,  and 
tlie  "Chicago  construction"  has  been  recognized 
anil  adopted  (with  modifications)  all  over  the 
United  States.  Office  buildings  range  from  ten 
to  sixteen,  and  even,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Masonic 
Temple,  twenty  stories  in  height.  Most  of  them 
are  sumptuous  as  to  the  interior,  and  many  of  the 
largest  will  each  accommodate  3,000  to  5,000 
occupants,  including  tenants  and  their  employes. 
In  the  residence  sections  wide  diversity  may  be 
seen ;  the  chaste  and  the  ornate  styles  being  about 
equally  poiJular.  Among  the  handsome  public, 
or  .semi-public  buihiiugs  may  be  mentioned  the 
Public  Library,  the  Newberry  Library,  the  .\rt 
In.stitute,  the  Armour  Institute,  the  Academy  of 
Sciences,  tlie  Auditorium,  the  Board  of  Trade 
Building,  the  Masonic  Temple,  and  several  of  tlie 
railroad  depots. 

Education  and  Libraries.  —  Chicago  lias  a 
public  school  system  unsurpassed  for  excellence 
in  any  other  city  in  the  country.  According  to 
tlie  report  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  1898,  the 
city  had  a  total  of  221  primary  and  grammar 
schools,  besides  fourteen  high  schools,  employing 
5,268  teachers  and  giving  instruction  to  over 
236,000  pupils  in  the  course  of  the  year.  The 
total  expenditures  during  the  year  amounted  to 
§6,785,601,  of  which  nearly  $4,500,000  was  on 
account  of  teachers'  salaries.  The  city  has 
nearly  S7,.500,000  invested  in  school  buildings. 
Besides  pupils  attending  public  schools  there  are 
about  100,000  in  attendance  on  private  and 
parochial  schools,  not  reckoning  students  at 
higher  institutions  of  learning,  such  as  medical, 
law,  theological,  dental  and  pharmaceutical 
schools,  and  the  great  University  of  Chicago. 
Near  the  city  are  also  the  Northwestern  and  the 
Lake  Forest  Universities,  the  former  at  Evanston 
and  the  latter  at  Lake  Forest.  Besides  an  exten- 
sive Free  Public  Library  for  circulating  and  refer- 
ence purposes,  maintained  bj-  public  taxation, 
and  embracing  (in  1898)  a  total  of  over  235,000 
volumes  and  nearly  50,000  pamphlets,  there 
are  the  Library  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society 
and  the  Newbenw  and  Crerar  Libraries — the  last 
two  the  outgrowth  of  posthumous  donations  by 
public-spirited  and  liberal  citizens — all  open  to 


UAV  AFTEU  ClIICACO  KIUK 


CHICAGO  TIloi;oi'r;iIF.\RES. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


93 


the  public  for  purposes  of  reference  under  certain 
conditions.  This  list  does  not  include  the  exten- 
sive library  of  the  University  of  Chicago  and  those 
connected  with  the  Armour  Institute  and  the 
public  schools,  intended  for  the  use  of  the  pupils 
of  these  various  institutions. 

CHICAGO  BOARD  OF  TRADE,  one  of  the 
leading  commercial  exchanges  of  the  world.  It 
was  originally  organized  in  the  spring  of  1843  as 
a  voluntary  association,  with  a  membership  of 
eighty-two.  Its  primary  object  was  the  promo- 
tion of  the  city's  commercial  interests  by  unity 
of  action.  On  Feb.  8,  1849,  the  Legislature 
enacted  a  general  law  authorizing  the  establish- 
ment of  Boards  of  Trade,  and  under  its  provisions 
an  incorporation  was  effected — a  second  organi- 
zation being  effected  in  April,  18.50.  For  several 
years  the  association  languished,  and  at  times  its 
existence  seemed  precarious.  It  was,  however, 
largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  introduction 
of  the  system  of  measuring  grain  by  weight, 
which  initial  step  opened  the  way  for  subsequent 
great  improvements  in  the  methods  of  handling, 
storing,  inspecting  and  grading  cereals  and  seeds. 
By  the  close  of  18,56,  the  association  had  overcome 
the  difficulties  incident  to  its  earlier  years,  and 
the  feasibility  of  erecting  a  permanent  Exchange 
building  began  to  be  agitated,  but  the  project  lay 
dormant  for  several  years.  In  1856  was  adopted 
the  first  system  of  classification  and  grading  of 
wheat,  which,  though  crude,  formed  the  founda- 
tion of  the  elaborate  modern  system,  which  has 
proved  of  such  benefit  to  the  grain-growing 
States  of  the  West,  and  has  done  so  much  to  give 
Chicago  its  commanding  influence  in  the  grain 
markets  of  the  world.  In  1858,  the  privilege  of 
trading  on  the  floor  of  the  Exchange  was  limited 
to  members.  The  same  year  the  Board  began 
to  receive  and  send  out  daily  telegraphic  market 
reports  at  a  cost,  for  the  first  year,  of  §500,000, 
which  was  defrayed  by  private  subscriptions. 
New  York  was  the  only  city  with  which  such 
communication  was  then  maintained.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1859,  a  special  charter  was  obtained,  confer- 
ring more  extensive  powers  upon  the  organization, 
and  correspondingly  increasing  its  efficiency.  An 
important  era  in  the  Board's  history  was  the 
Civil  War  of  1861-65.  During  this  struggle  its 
attitude  was  one  of  undeviating  loyalty  and  gener- 
ous patriotism.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 
were  contributed,  by  individual  members  and 
from  the  treasury  of  the  organization,  for  the  work 
of  recruiting  and  equipping  regiments,  in  caring 
for  the  wounded  on  Southern  battlefields,  and 
•Providing  for  the  families  of  enlisted  men.     In 


1864,  the  Board  waged  to  a  successful  issue  a  war 
upon  the  irredeemable  currency  with  wliich  the 
entire  West  was  then  flooded,  and  secured  such 
action  by  the  banks  and  by  the  railroad  and 
express  companies  as  compelled  its  replacement 
by  United  States  legal-tender  notes  and  national 
bank  notes.  In  1865,  handsome,  large  (and,  as 
then  supposed,  permanent)  quarters  were  occu- 
pied in  a  new  building  erected  by  the  Chicago 
Chamber  of  Commerce  under  an  agreement  with 
the  Board  of  Trade.  This  structure  was  destroyed 
in  the  fire  of  October,  1871,  but  at  once  rebuilt, 
and  made  ready  for  re-occupancy  in  preciselj' 
one  year  after  the  destruction  of  its  predeces.sor. 
Spacious  and  ample  as  these  quarters  were  then 
considered,  the  growing  membership  and  inc^reas- 
ing  business  demonstrated  their  inadequacy 
before  the  close  of  1877.  Steps  looking  to  the 
erection  of  a  new  building  were  taken  in  1881, 
and,  on  May  1,  1885,  the  new  edifice — then  the 
largest  and  most  ornate  of  its  class  in  the  world 
— was  opened  for  occupancy.  The  membership 
of  the  Board  for  the  year  1898  aggregated  con- 
siderably in  excess  of  1,800.  The  influence  of  the 
association  is  felt  in  every  quarter  of  the  com- 
mercial world. 

CHICAGO,  BURLINGTON  &  NORTHERN 
R.A.ILROAD.  (See  Chicago,  Burlington  <fc 
Quincy  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO,  BURLINGTON  &  QUINCY  RAIL- 
ROAD (known  as  the  "Burlington  Route")  is 
the  parent  organization  of  an  extensive  system 
which  operates  railroads  in  eleven  Western  and 
Northwestern  States,  furnishing  connections 
from  Chicago  with  Omaha,  Denver,  St.  Paid  and 
Minneapolis,  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City,  Chey- 
enne (Wyo. ),  Billings  (Mont.),  Deadwood  (So. 
Dak,),  and  intermediate  points,  and  having  con- 
nections by  affiliated  roads  with  tlie  Pacific  Coast. 
The  main  line  extends  from  Chicago  to  Denver 
(Colo.),  1,025.41  miles.  The  mileage  of  the 
various  branches  and  leased  proprietary  lines 
(1898)  aggregates  4,627.06  miles.  The  Company 
uses  207.23  miles  in  conjunction  with  other 
roads,  besides  subsidiary  standard-gauge  lines 
controlled  through  the  ownership  of  securities 
amounting  to  1,440  miles  more.  In  addition  to 
these  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  controls 
179  miles  of  narrow-gauge  road.  The  wliole 
number  of  miles  of  standard-gauge  road  operateii 
by  the  Burlington  system,  and  known  as  thfe 
Burlington  Route,  on  June  30,  1899,  is  estimated 
at  7,419,  of  which  1,509  is  in  Illinois,  all  but  47 
miles  being  owned  by  the  Company.  Tlie  system 
in  Illinois  connects  many  important  commercial 


94 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


points,  including  Chicago,  Aurora,  Galesburg, 
Quincy,  Peoria,  Streator,  Sterling,  Memlota,  Ful- 
ton, Lewistown,  Rushville,  Geneva,  Keithsburg, 
Rock  Island,  Beardstown,  Alton,  etc.  The  entire 
capitalization  of  the  line  (including  stock,  bonds 
and  floating  debt)  amounted,  in  1898,  to  §234,884,- 
600,  which  was  equivalent  to  about  §33,000  per 
mile.  The  total  earnings  of  the  road  in  Illinois, 
during  the  fi.scal  year  ending  June  30,  1898, 
amounted  to  §8,734,997,  and  tlie  total  disburse- 
ments of  the  Company  within  the  State,  during 
the  same  period,  to  §7,469,4.56.  Taxes  paid  in 
1898,  §377,968.  — (History).  The  first  section  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  was 
constructed  under  a  charter  granted,  in  1849,  to 
the  Avuora  Branch  Railroad  Company,  the  name 
being  changed  in  18.53  to  the  Chicago  &  Aurora 
Railroad  Company.  The  line  was  completed  in 
1853,  from  the  junction  with  the  old  Galena  & 
Chicago  Union  Railroad,  30  miles  west  of  Chi- 
cago, to  Aurora,  later  being  extended  to  Mendota. 
In  1855  the  name  of  the  Company  was  changed 
by  act  of  the  Legislature  to  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy.  The  section  between  Mendota  and 
Galesburg  (80  miles)  was  built  under  a  charter 
granted  in  1851  to  the  Central  Military  Tract 
Railroad  Company,  and  completed  in  1854.  July 
9,  1856,  the  two  companies  were  consolidated 
under  the  name  of  the  former.  Previous  to  this 
consolidation  the  Company  had  extended  aid  to 
the  Peoria  &  Oquawka  Railroad  (from  Peoria  to 
the  Mississippi  River,  nearly  opposite  Burlington, 
Iowa),  and  to  the  Northern  Cross  Railroad  from 
Quincy  to  Galesburg,  both  of  which  were  com- 
pleted in  1855  and  operated  by  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy.  In  18.57  the  name  of  the 
Northern  Cross  was  changed  to  the  Quincy  & 
Chicago  Railroad.  In  1860  the  latter  was  sold 
under  foreclosure  to  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  and,  in  1863.  the  Peoria  &  Oquawka  was 
acquired  in  the  same  way — the  former  constitut- 
ing the  Quincy  branch  of  the  main  line  and  the 
latter  giving  it  its  Burlington  connection.  Up 
to  1863,  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  used 
the  track  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Rail- 
road to  enter  the  city  of  Chicago,  but  that  j-ear 
began  the  construction  of  its  Une  from  Aurora  to 
Chicago,  wliich  was  completed  in  1864.  In  1873 
it  acquired  control,  by  perpetual  lease,  of  the 
Burlington  &  Mis.souri  River  Road  in  Iowa, 
and,  in  1880.  extended  this  line  into  Nebraska, 
now  reaching  Billings,  Mont.,  with  a  lateral 
branch  to  Deadwood,  So.  Dak.  Other  branches 
in  Illinois,  built  or  acquired  by  this  corporation, 
include  the  Peoria  &  Hannibal ;  Carthage  &  Bur- 


lington ;  Quincy  &  Warsiiw ;  Ottawa,  Chicago  & 
Fox  River  Valley;  Quincy,  Alton  &  St.  Louis, 
and  the  St.  Louis,  Rock  Island  &  Chicago.  The 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Northern — known  as  the 
Northern  Division  of  the  Cliicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  —  is  an  important  part  of  the  system, 
furnishing  a  connection  between  St.  Louis  on 
the  south  and  St.  Paul  and  Minnejipolis  on  the 
north,  of  which  more  than  half  of  the  distance  of 
.583  miles  between  terminal  points,  is  in  Illinois. 
The  latter  division  was  originally  chartered,  Oct. 
21,  1885,  and  constructed  from  Oregon.  111.,  to  St. 
Paul,  Minn.  (319  miles),  and  from  Fulton  to 
Savanna,  111.  (16.72  miles),  and  opened,  Nov.  1, 
1886.  It  was  formallj'  incorixsrated  into  tlie 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  line  in  1899.  In 
June  of  the  .same  year  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  also  acquired  by  purchase  the  Keokuk  & 
Western  Railroad  from  Keokuk  to  Van  Wert. 
Iowa  (143  miles),  and  the  Des  Moines  &  Kansa-s 
City  Rfiilway,  from  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  to  Gaines- 
ville, Mo.  (113  miles). 

CHICAGO,  DANVILLE  ii  VINCENNES  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago  d"  Eastern  Illinois  Hail- 
road.  ) 

CHICAGO  DRAINAGE  CANAL,  a  channel  or 
waterway,  in  course  of  construction  (1892-99) 
from  the  Chicago  River,  within  the  limits  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  to  Joliet  Lake,  in  the  Des  Plaiues 
River,  about  12  miles  aliove  the  junction  of  the 
Des  Plaines  with  the  Illinois.  The  primary  object 
of  the  channel  is  the  removal  of  the  sewage  of 
the  city  of  Chicago  and  the  proper  drainage  of 
the  region  comprised  within  wliat  is  called  the 
"Sanitary  District  of  Chicago."  The  feasibility 
of  connecting  the  waters  of  Lake  Micdiigan  by 
way  of  the  Des  Plaines  River  with  tho.se  of  the 
Illinois,  attracrted  the  attention  of  the  earliest 
French  explorers  of  this  region,  and  was  com- 
mented u])on,  from  time  to  time,  by  them  and 
their  successors.  As  early  as  1808  the  subject  of 
a  canal  uniting  Lake  Michigan  with  the  Illinois 
was  discu-ssed  in  a  report  on  roads  and  canals  by 
Albert  Gallatin,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
and  the  project  was  touched  U]X>n  in  a  bill  relat- 
ing to  the  Erie  Canal  and  other  enteqirises,  intro- 
duced in  Congress  in  1811.  The  measure  continued 
to  receive  attention  in  the  press,  in  Western 
Territorial  Legislatures  and  in  official  reports, 
one  of  the  latter  being  a  rejx)rt  by  John  C.  Cal- 
houn, as  Secretary  of  War,  in  1819,  in  which  it  is 
spoken  of  as  "valuable  for  military  purposes." 
In  1832  Congress  passed  an  act  granting  the 
right  of  way  to  the  State  through  the  public 
lands  for  such  an  enterprise,  which  was  followed. 


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ILLINOIS*  MISSISSIPPI 

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ILLINOIS^MICHIGAN 


COMPARATIVE   SIZE   OF   NOTED  CANALS. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


95 


five  J-ears  later,  by  a  grant  of  lands  for  the  pur- 
pose of  its  construction.  The  work  was  begun  in 
1836,  and  so  far  completed  in  1848  as  to  admit  of 
the  passage  of  boats  from  the  Chicago  basin  to  La 
Salle.  (See  Illinois  &  Micliigan  Canal.)  Under 
an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  in  1865,  the  work 
of  deepening  the  canal  was  undertaken  by  the 
city  of  Chicago  with  a  view  to  furnishing  means 
to  relieve  the  city  of  its  sewage,  the  work  being 
completed  some  time  before  the  fire  of  1871.  This 
scheme  having  failed  to  accomplish  the  object 
designed,  other  measures  began  to  be  considered. 
Various  remedies  were  proposed,  but  in  all  the 
authorities  were  confronted  with  the  difficulty 
of  providing  a  fund,  under  the  provisions  of  the 
Constitution  of  1870,  to  meet  the  necessary  cost 
of  construction.  In  the  closing  months  of  the 
year  1885,  Hon.  H.  B.  Hurd,  who  had  been  a 
member  of  a  Board  of  "Drainage  Commission- 
ers," organized  in  1855,  was  induced  to  give 
attention  to  the  subject.  Having  satisfied  him- 
self and  others  that  the  difficulties  were  not 
insurmountable  with  proper  action  by  the  Legis- 
lature, the  City  Council,  on  Jan.  27,  1886,  passed 
a  resolution  authorizing  the  Mayor  to  appoint  a 
Commission,  to  consist  of  "one  expert  engineer  of 
reputation  and  experience  in  engineering  and 
sanitary  matters,"  and  two  consulting  engineers, 
to  constitute  a  "drainage  and  water-supply  com- 
mission" for  the  purpose  of  investigating  and 
reporting  upon  the  matter  of  water-supply  and 
disposition  of  the  sewage  of  the  city.  As  a 
result  of  this  action,  Rudolph  Hering,  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  appointed  expert  engineer  by  Mayor 
Harrison,  with  Benezette  Williams  and  S.  G. 
Artingstall,  of  Chicago,  as  consulting  engineers. 
At  the  succeeding  session  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly (1887),  two  bills — one  known  as  the  "Hurd 
bill"  and  the  other  as  the  "Winston  bill,"  but 
both  drawn  by  Mr.  Hurd,  the  first  contemplating 
doing  the  work  by  general  taxation  and  the  is.sue 
of  bonds,  and  the  other  by  special  assessment — 
were  introduced  in  that  body.  As  it  was  found 
that  neither  of  these  bills  could  be  passed  at  that 
session,  a  new  and  shorter  one,  which  became 
known  as  the  "Roche- Winston  bill,"  was  intro- 
duced and  passed  near  the  close  of  the  .session. 
A  resolution  was  also  adopted  creating  a  com- 
mission, consisting  of  two  Senators,  two  Repre- 
sentatives and  Mayor  Roche  of  Chicago,  to  further 
investigate  the  subject.  The  later  act,  just 
referred  to,  provided  for  the  construction  of  a  cut- 
off from  the  Des  Plaines  River,  which  would 
divert  the  flood-waters  of  that  stream  and  the 
North  Branch   into  Lake  Michigan  north  of  the 


city.  Nothing  was  tlone  under  thi;s  act.  however. 
At  the  next  session  (1889)  the  commission  made  a 
favorable  report,  and  a  new  law  was  enacted 
embracing  the  main  features  of  the  Hurd  bill, 
though  changing  the  title  of  the  organization  to 
be  formed  from  the  "Metropolitan  Town,"  as 
proposed  by  Mr.  Hurd,  to  the  "Sanitary  Dis- 
trict." The  act.  as  passed,  provided  for  the 
election  of  a  Board  of  nine  Trustees,  their  powers 
being  confined  to  "providing  for  the  drainage  of 
the  district,"  both  as  to  surplus  water  and  sew- 
age. Much  opposition  to  the  measure  had  been 
developed  during  the  pendency  of  the  legislation 
on  the  subject,  especially  in  the  Illinois  valley, 
on  sanitary  grounds,  as  well  as  fear  of  midsum- 
mer flooding  of  the  bottom  lands  which  are 
cultivated  to  some  extent ;  but  this  was  overcome 
by  the  argument  that  the  channel  would,  when 
the  Des  Plaines  and  Illinois  Rivers  were  improved 
between  Joliet  and  La  Salle,  furnish  a  new  and 
enlarged  waterway  for  the  passage  of  vessels 
between  the  lake  and  the  Mississippi  River,  and 
the  enterprise  was  indorsed  by  conventions  held 
at  Peoria,  Memphis  and  elsewhere,  during  the 
eighteen  months  preceding  the  passage  of  the 
act.  The  promise  ultimately  to  furnish  a  flow  of 
not  less  than  600,000  cubic  feet  per  minute  also 
excited  alarm  in  cities  situated  upon  the  lakes, 
lest  the  taking  of  so  large  a  volume  of  water  from 
Lake  Michigan  should  affect  the  lake-level 
injuriously  to  navigation;  but  these  apprehen- 
sions were  quieted  by  the  assurance  of  expert 
engineers  that  the  greatest  reduction  of  the  lake- 
level  below  the  present  minimum  would  not 
exceed  three  inches,  and  more  likely  would  not 
produce  a    perceptible  effect. 

At  the  general  election,  held  Nov.  5,  1889, 
the  "Sanitary  District  of  Chicago"  was  organ- 
ized by  an  almost  unanimous  popular  vote 
— the  returns  showing  70,958  votes  for  the 
measure  to  243  against.  The  District,  as  thus 
formed,  embraces  all  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
north  of  Eighty-seventh  Street,  with  forty- 
three  square  miles  outside  of  the  city  limits 
but  within  the  area  to  be  benefited  by  the 
improvement.  Though  the  channel  is  located 
partly  in  Will  County,  the  district  is  wholly  in 
Cook  and  bears  the  entire  expense  of  construc- 
tion. The  first  election  of  Trustees  was  held  at  a 
special  election,  Dec.  12,  1889.  the  Trustees  then 
electeil  to  hold  their  offices  for  five  years  and 
until  the  following  November.  The  second 
election  occurred,  Nov.  5,  1895,  when  the  Board, 
as  now  constituted  (1899),  was  chosen,  viz.  ■ 
William  Boldenweck,  Joseph  C.  Braden,  Zina  R. 


96 


HISTOIilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Carter,  Bernard  A.  Eckliart,  Alexander  J.  Jones, 
Thomas  Kelly,  James  P.  Mallette,  Thomas  A. 
Smyth  and  Frank  Wenter.  The  Trustees  have 
power  to  sell  bonds  in  order  to  procure  funds  to 
prosecute  the  work  and  to  levy  taxes  upon  prop- 
erty within  the  district,  under  certain  limitations 
as  to  length  of  time  the  taxes  run  and  the  rate 
per  cent  imposed.  Under  an  amendment  of  the 
Drainage  Act  adopted  by  the  Legislature  in  1897, 
the  rate  of  assessment  upon  property  within  the 
Drainage  District  is  limited  to  one  and  one-half 
per  cent,  up  to  and  including  tlie  year  1899,  but 
after  that  date  becomes  one-half  of  one  per  cent. 
The  bed  of  the  channel,  as  now  in  process  of 
construction,  commences  at  Robey  Street  and  the 
South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River,  5.8  miles 
from  Lake  Michigan,  and  extends  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  to  the  vicinity  of  Summit, 
where  it  intersects  the  Des  Plaines  River.  From 
this  point  it  follows  the  bed  of  that  stream  to 
Lockport,  in  Will  County,  wliere,  in  consequence 
of  the  sudden  depression  in  the  ground,  the  bed  of 
the  channel  comes  to  the  surface,  and  where  the 
great  controlling  works  are  situated.  This  has  made 
necessary  the  excavation  of  about  thirteen  miles 
of  new  channel  for  the  river — which  runs  parallel 
with,  and  on  the  west  side  of,  the  drainage  canal 
— besides  the  construction  of  about  nineteen 
miles  of  levee  to  separate  the  waters  of  the 
canal  from  the  river.  The  following  statement 
of  the  quality  of  the  material  excavated  and  the 
dimensions  of  the  work,  is  taken  from  a  paper  by 
Hon.  H.  B.  Hurd,  vmder  the  title,  "The  Chicago 
Drainage  Channel  and  Waterway,"  published  in 
the  sixth  volume  of  "Industrial  Chicago"  (189G): 
"Through  that  portion  of  the  channel  between 
Cliicago  and  Smnmit,  which  is  being  constructed 
to  produce  a  flow  of  300,000  cubic  feet  per  minute, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  sufficient  to  dilute  sew- 
age for  about  the  present  population  (of  Chicago), 
the  width  of  the  channel  is  110  feet  on  the  bot- 
tom, with  side  slopes  of  two  to  one.  This  portion 
of  the  channel  is  ultimately  to  be  enlarged  to  the 
capacity  of  600,000  cubic  feet  per  minute.  The 
bottom  of  the  channel,  at  Robey  Street,  is  24.448 
feet  below  Chicago  datum.  The  width  of  the 
channel  from  Summit  down  to  the  neighborhood 
of  Willow  Springs  is  202  feet  on  the  bottom,  with 
the  same  side  slope.  The  cut  through  the  rock, 
which  extends  from  the  neighborhood  of  Willow 
Springs  to  the  point  where  the  channel  runs  out 
of  ground  near  Lockport.  is  160  feet  wide  at  the 
bottom.  The  entire  depth  of  the  channel  is 
substantially  the  same  as  at  Robey  Street,  vrith 
the  addition  of  one  foot  in  40,000  feet.     The  rock 


portion  of  the  channel  is  constructed  to  the  fvill 
capacity  of  600,000  cubic  feet  per  minute.  From 
the  point  where  the  channel  runs  out  of  ground 
to  Joliet  Lake,  t.here  is  a  rapid  fall;  over  this 
slope  works  are  to  be  constructed  to  let  the  water 
down  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  damage  Joliet. " 

Ground  was  broken  on  the  rock-cut  near 
Lemont,  on  Sept.  3,  1892,  and  work  has  been  in 
progress  almost  constantly  ever  since.  The  prog- 
ress of  the  work  was  greatly  obstmcted  during 
the  year  1898,  by  difficulties  encountered  in  secur- 
ing the  right  of  way  for  the  discharge  of  the 
waters  of  the  canal  through  the  citj-  of  Joliet. 
but  these  were  compromised  near  the  close  of  the 
ye;vr,  and  it  was  anticipated  that  the  work  would 
be  prosecuted  to  completion  during  the  year 
1899.  From  Feb.  1,  1890,  to  Dec.  31,  1898,  the 
net  receipts  of  the  Board  for  the  prosecution  of 
the  work  aggregated  $28,257,707,  while  the  net 
expenditures  had  amounted  to  §28,221  8ft4.57.  Of 
the  latter,  §20,099,284.67  was  charged  to  construc- 
tion account,  §3,156,903.12  to  "land  account" 
(including  right  of  way),  and  §1,222,092.82  to  the 
cost  of  maintaining  the  engineering  department. 
When  finished,  the  cost  will  reach  not  less  tlian 
§35,000,000.  These  figures  indicate  the  stupen- 
dous character  of  the  work,  which  bids  fair  to 
stand  without  a  rival  of  its  kind  in  modem 
engineering  and  in  the  results  it  is  expected  to 
acliieve. 

CHICAGO  (JREVT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 
The  total  mileage  of  this  line,  June  30,  1898,  was 
1,008  miles,  of  which  1.52..52  miles  are  operated 
and  owned  in  Illinois.  The  line  in  this  State 
extends  west  from  Chicago  to  East  Dubuque,  the 
extreme  terminal  [xjints  being  Chicago  and 
Slinneapolis  in  the  Northwest,  and  Kansas  City 
in  the  Southwest.  It  has  several  branches  in  Illi 
nois,  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  and  trackage  arrange- 
ments with  several  lines,  the  most  iniiwrtant 
being  with  the  St.  Paul  &  Northern  Pacific  (10.56 
miles),  completing  the  connection  between  St. 
Paul  and  Minneapolis;  with  the  Illinois  Central 
from  East  Dubuque  to  Portage  (12.23  miles),  and 
with  the  Chicago  &  Northern  Pacific  from  Forest 
Home  to  the  Grand  Central  Station  in  Chicago. 
The  company's  own  track  is  single,  of  standard 
gauge,  laid  with  sixty  and  seventy-five-pound 
steel  rails.  Grades  and  curvature  are  light,  and 
the  equipment  well  maintained.  The  outstand- 
ing capital  stock  (1898)  was  §52,019,0-54;  total 
capitalization,  including  stock,  bonds  and  miscel- 
laneous indebtedness,  §57,144,245.  (HISTORY).  The 
road  was  chartered,  Jan.  5,  1892,  under  the  laws 
of  Illinois,   for  the  purpose  of  reorganization  of 


'%fai^^fttii<a*'^5i&'i. 


VIEWS   OF   DRAINAGE   CANAL. 


VIEWS   OF   DRAINAGE   CANAL. 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


97 


the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Kansas  City  Railway 
Company  on  a  stock  basis.  During  1895,  the 
De  Kalb  &  Great  Western  Railroad  (5.81  miles) 
was  l)uilt  from  De  Kalb  to  Sycamore  as  a  feeder 
of  this  line. 

CHICAGO,  HARLEM  &  BATAVIA  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago  &  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road. ) 

CHICAGO,  HATANA  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Illinois  Central  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY,  organized, 
April  24,  18.56,  for  the  purposes  of  (1)  establishing 
a  library  and  a  cabinet  of  antiquities,  relics,  etc. ; 
(2)  the  collection  and  preservation  of  historical 
manuscripts,  documents,  papers  and  tracts;  (3) 
the  encouragement  of  the  discovery  and  investi- 
gation of  aboriginal  remains,  particularly  in  Illi- 
nois; (4)  the  collection  of  material  illustrating 
the  growth  and  settlement  of  Chicago.  By  1871 
the  Society  had  accumulated  much  valuable 
material,  but  the  entire  collection  was  destroyed 
in  the  great  Chicago  fire  of  that  year,  among  the 
manuscripts  consumed  being  the  original  draft 
of  the  emancipation  proclamation  by  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  nucleus  of  a  second  collection  was 
consumed  by  fire  in  1874.  Its  loss  in  this  second 
conflagration  included  many  valuable  manu- 
scripts. In  1877  a  temporary  building  was 
erected,  which  was  torn  down  in  1892  to  make 
room  for  the  erection,  on  the  same  lot,  of  a 
thoroughly  fire-proof  structure  of  granite, 
planned  after  the  most  approved  modern  systems. 
The  new  building  was  erected  and  dedicated 
under  the  direction  of  its  late  President,  Ed- 
ward G.  Mason,  Esq..  Dec.  12,  1896.  The  Society's 
third  collection  now  embraces  about  twenty-five 
thousand  volumes  and  nearly  fifty  thousand 
pamphlets;  seventy-five  portraits  in  oils,  witli 
other  works  of  art;  a  valuable  collection  of 
mauuscript  documents,  and  a  large  museum  of 
local  and  miscellaneous  antiquities.  Mr.  Charles 
Evans  is  Secretary  and  Lilirarian. 

CHICAGO  HOMEOPATHIC  MEDICAL  COL- 
LEGE, organized  in  1876,  with  a  teaching  facultj' 
of  nineteen  and  forty-five  matriculates.  Its  first 
term  opened  October  4,  of  that  year,  in  a  leased 
building.  By  1881  the  college  had  outgrown  its 
first  quarters,  and  a  commodious,  well  appointed 
structure  was  erected  by  the  trustees,  in  a  more 
desirable  location.  The  institution  was  among 
the  first  to  introduce  a  graded  course  of  instruc- 
tion, extending  over  a  period  of  eigliteen  vears. 
In  1897,  the  matriculating  class  numbered  over  200. 

CHICAGO  HOSPITAL  FOR  WOMEN  AND 
CHILDREN, located  at  Chicago,  and  founded  in 


1865  by  Dr.  Mary  Harris  Thompson.  Its  declared 
objects  are:  "To  afford  a  home  for  women  and 
children  among  the  re.spectable  poor  in  need  of 
medical  and  surgical  aid;  to  treat  the  same 
classes  at  home  by  an  assistant  pliysician;  to 
afford  a  free  dispensary  for  the  same,  and  to 
train  competent  nurses."  At  the  outset  the 
hospital  was  fairly  well  sustained  througli  pri- 
vate benefactions,  and,  in  1870,  largely  througli 
Dr.  Thompson's  efforts,  a  college  was  organized 
for  the  medical  education  of  women  exclusively. 
(See  Northwestern  University  Woman's  Medical 
School.)  The  hospital  building  was  totally 
destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871,  but  temporary 
accommodations  were  provided  in  another  section 
of  the  city.  The  following  year,  with  the  aid  of 
§25,000  appropriated  by  the  Chicago  Relief  and 
Aid  Society,  a  permanent  building  was  pur- 
chased, and,  in  1885,  a  new,  commodious  and  well 
planned  building  was  erected  on  the  same  site,  at 
a  cost  of  about  ?75,000. 

CHICAGO,  MADISON  &  NORTHERN  RAIL- 
ROAD,  a  line  of  railway  231.3  miles  in  length,  140 
miles  of  which  lie  within  Illinois.  It  is  operated 
by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  and  is 
known  as  its  "Freeport  Division."  The  par  value 
of  the  capital  stock  outstanding  is  .$50,000  and  of 
bonds  .53,.500,000,  while  the  floating  debt  is 
$3,620,698,  making  a  total  capitalization  of 
§6,170,698,  or  .$26,698  per  mile.  (See  also  Illinois 
Central  Railroad. )  This  road  was  opened  from 
Chicago  to  Freeport  in  1888. 

CHICAGO  MEDICAL  COLLEGE.  (See  Nm-th- 
western  University  Medical  College.) 

CHICAGO,  MILWAUKEE  &  ST.  PAUL  RAIL- 
WAT,  one  of  the  great  trunk  lines  of  the  North- 
west, having  a  total  mileage  (1898)  of  6,153.83 
miles,  of  which  317.94  are  in  Illinois.  The  main 
line  extends  from  Chicago  to  Minneapolis,  420 
miles,  although  it  has  connections  with  Kansas 
Citj',  Omaha,  Sioux  City  and  various  points  in 
Wiscon.sin,  Iowa  and  the  Dakotas.  The  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company  enjoys 
the  distinction  of  being  the  owner  of  all  the  lines 
operated  by  it,  though  it  operates  245  miles  of 
second  tracks  owned,  jointly  with  other  lines. 
The  greater  part  of  its  track  is  laid  with 
60,  75  and  85-lb.  steel  rails.  The  total  capital 
invested  (1898;  is  §220,005,901,  distributed  as 
follows:  capital  stock,  $77,845,000;  bonded  debt, 
$135,285,500;  other  forms  of  indebtedness, 
S5,.572,401.  Its  total  earnings  in  Illinois  for 
1898  were  §5,205,244,  and  the  total  expendi- 
tures, 83,320,248.  The  total  number  of  em- 
ployes in  Illinois  for  1898  was  2,293,   receiving 


98 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    01'    ILLINOIS. 


$1,746,827.70  in  aggregate  compensation.  Taxes 
paid  for  tlie  .same  year  amounted  to  §151,285. — 
(History).  The  Cliicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  was  organized  in  1863  under  the  name 
of  the  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway.  The  Illi- 
nois portion  of  the  main  line  was  built  under  a 
charter  granted  to  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  Company,  and  the  Wisconsin  por- 
tion under  charter  to  the  Wisconsin  Union  Rail- 
road Company;  the  whole  built  and  opened  in 
1872  and  purchased  by  the  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  Company.  It  subsequently  acquired  by 
purchase  several  lines  in  Wisconsin,  the  wliole 
receiving  the  present  name  of  the  line  by  act  of 
the  Wisconsin  Legislature,  passed,  Feb.  14,  1874. 
The  Chicago  &  Evan.ston  Railroad  was  chartered, 
Feb.  16,  1S61,  built  from  Chicago  to  Calvary  (10.8 
miles),  and  opened,  Maj- 1,  1885;  was  consolidated 
with  the  Chicago  &  Lake  Superior  Riiilroad, 
under  the  title  of  the  Chicago,  Evanston  &  Lake 
Superior  Railroad  Companj-,  Dec.  22,  1885,  opened 
to  Evanston,  August  1,  1886,  and  purcliased,  in 
June,  1887,  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  Companj-.  Tlie  Road,  as  now 
organized,  is  made  up  of  twenty-two  divisions 
located  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
North  and  South  Dakota,  Missouri  and  Michigan. 

CHICAGO,  PADITCAH  &  .MEMPHIS  RAIL- 
ROAD (Projected),  a  road  chartered,  Dec.  19, 
1893,  to  run  between  Altaniont  ami  Jletropolis, 
111.,  152  miles,  with  a  branch  from  Johnston  City 
to  Carbondale,  20  miles — total  length,  172  miles. 
The  gauge  is  standard,  and  the  track  laid  with 
sixty-pound  steel  rails.  By  Feb.  1,  1895,  the  road 
from  Altamont  to  Clarion  (100  miles)  was  com- 
pleted, and  work  on  the  remainder  of  the  line  has 
been  in  progress.  It  is  intended  to  connect  with 
the  Wabash  and  the  St.  Louis  Southern  systems. 
Capital  stock  authorized  and  subscribed,  §2.500,- 
000;  bonds  issued,  $1,575,000.  Funded  debt, 
authorized,  §15.000  per  mile  in  five  per  cent  first 
mortgage  gold  bonds.  Cost  of  road  up  to  Feb.  1, 
1895,  §20,000  per  mile ;  estimated  cost  of  the  entire 
line,  §2,000,000.  In  December,  1898,  this  road 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Illinois  Railroad  Company,  and  is  now  operated  to 
Marion,  in  Williamson  County.  (See  Chicago  & 
Eastern  Illinois  Ilailvoad.) 

CHICAGO,  PEKIX  A  SOUTHWESTERX  RAIL- 
ROAD, a  division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Ptail- 
road.  chartered  as  the  Chicago  &  Plainfield 
Railroad,  in  1859 ;  opened  from  Pekin  to  Streator 
in  1873,  and  to  Mazon  Bridge  in  1876 ;  sold  under 
foreclosure  in  1879,  and  now  constitutes  a  part  of 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  svstem. 


CHICAGO,  PEORIA  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD 
CO.MPANY  (of  Illinois;,  a  corjjoration  operating 
two  lines  of  railroad,  one  extending  from  Peoria 
to  Jacksonville,  an<l  the  other  from  Peoria  to 
Springlield,  with  a  connection  from  the  latter 
place  (in  1895),  over  a  leased  line,  with  St.  Louis. 
The  total  mileage,  as  officially  reixjrted  in  1895, 
was  208.06  miles,  of  wliich  166  were  owned  by 
the  coriKsration.  (1)  The  orfginal  of  the  Jackson- 
ville Division  of  this  line  was  the  Illinois  River 
Railroad,  oj)ened  from  Pekin  to  Virginia  in  1859. 
In  October,  1863,  it  was  sold  under  foreclosure, 
an<l,  early  in  1864,  was  transferred  by  the  pur- 
chasers to  a  new  corporation  called  the  Peoria, 
Pekin  &  Jacksonville  Railroad  Company,  by 
whom  it  was  extended  the  same  year  to  Peoria, 
and,  in  1869,  to  Jacksonville.  Another  fore- 
closure, in  1879,  resulted  in  its  sale  to  the 
creditors,  followed  by  consolidation,  in  1881, 
with  the  Wabasli,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway. 
(2)  The  Springfield  Division  was  incorporated  in 
1869  as  the  Springfield  &  Xorthwestem  Railway ; 
construction  was  begun  in  1872,  and  road  opened 
from  Springfield  to  Havana  (45.20  miles)  in 
December,  1874,  and  from  Havana  to  Pekin  and 
Peoria  over  the  track  of  the  Peoria,  Pekin  & 
Jacksonville  line.  The  same  year  the  road  was 
leiLsed  to  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomlngton  &  West- 
ern Railroad  Company,  but  the  lease  was  for- 
feited, in  1875,  and  the  road  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  receiver.  In  1881,  together  ^vith  the 
Jacksonville  DivLsion,  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway,  and  by 
that  company  operated  as  the  Peoria  &  Spring- 
field Ilailroad.  The  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific 
liaving  defaulted  and  gone  into  the  liands  of  a 
receiver,  Ixjth  the  Jacksonville  and  the  Spring- 
field Divisions  were  reorganized  in  Febniary, 
1887,  under  the  name  of  the  Cliicago,  Peoria  & 
St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  placed  under  control  of 
the  Jacksonville  Southeastern  Railroad.  A 
reorganization  of  the  hitter  took  place,  in  1890, 
under  the  name  of  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville  & 
St.  Louis  Railway,  and,  in  1893,  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  receivers,  and  was  severed  from  its 
allied  lines.  The  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad  remained  under  the  management  of  a 
separate  receiver  imtil  January,  1896,  when  a 
reorgjinization  was  effected  under  its  present 
name — "The  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road of  Illinois."  The  lease  of  the  Springfield 
&  St.  Louis  Division  having  expired  in  Deceni- 
Ijer,  1895,  it  ha.s  also  been  reorganized  as  an 
independent  corporation  under  the  name  of  the 
St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Northern  Railway  (which see) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


0!) 


CHICAGO  RIVER,  a  sluggish  stream,  draining 
a  narrow  strip  of  land  between  Lake  Michigan 
and  the  Des  Plaines  River,  the  entire  watershed 
drained  amounting  to  some  470  square  miles.  It 
is  formed  by  the  union  of  the  "North"  and 
the  "South  Branch,"  which  unite  less  than  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  mouth  of  the  main  stream. 
At  an  early  daj*  the  former  was  known  as  the 
"Guarie"  and  the  latter  as  "Portage  River."  The 
total  length  of  the  North  Branch  is  about  20  miles, 
only  a  small  fractionof  which  is  navigable.  The 
South  Branch  is  shorter  but  offers  greater  facilities 
for  navigation,  being  lined  along  its  lower  por- 
tions with  grain-elevators,  lumber-yards  and 
manufactories.  The  Illinois  Indians  in  early  days 
found  an  easy  portage  between  it  and  the  Des 
Plaines  River.  The  Chicago  River,  with  its 
branches,  separates  Chicago  into  three  divisions, 
known,  respectively,  as  the  "North"  the  "South'' 
and  the  "West  Divisions."  Drawbridges  have 
been  erected  at  the  principal  street  crossings 
over  the  river  and  both  branches,  and  four 
tunnels,  connecting  the  various  divisions  of  the 
city,  have  been  constructed  under  the  river  bed. 

CHICAGO,  ROCK  ISLAND  &  PACIFIC  RAIL- 
WAT,  formed  by  the  consolidation  of  various 
lines  in  1880.  The  parent  corporation  (The 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad)  was  chartered 
in  Illinois  in  18.51,  and  the  road  opened  from  Chi- 
cago to  the  Mississippi  River  at  Rock  Island  (181 
miles),  July  10,  18.54.  In  1852  a  company  was 
chartered  under  the  name  of  the  Mississippi  & 
Missouri  Railroad  for  the  extension  of  the  road 
from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Missouri  River.  The 
two  roads  were  consolidated  in  1866  as  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad,  and  the 
extension  to  the  Missouri  River  and  a  junction 
with  the  Union  Pacific  completed  in  1869.  The 
Peoria  &  Bureau  Valley  Railroad  (an  important 
feeder  from  Peoria  to  Bureau  Junction  —  46.7 
miles)  was  incorjjorated  in  1853,  and  completed 
and  leased  in  perpetuity  to  the  Chicago  &  Rock 
Island  Railroad,  in  1854.  The  St.  Joseph  &  Iowa 
Railroad  was  purchased  in  1889,  and  the  Kansas 
City  &  Topeka  Railway  in  1891.  The  Company 
has  financial  and  traffic  agreements  with  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Texas  Railway,  extending 
from  Terral  Station,  Indian  Territory,  to  Fort 
Worth,  Texas.  The  road  also  has  connections 
from  Chicago  with  Peoria;  St.  Paul  and  Minne- 
apolis; Omaha  and  Lincoln  (Neb);  Denver,  Colo- 
rado 'Springs  and  Pueblo  (Colo. ),  besides  various 
points  in  South  Dakota,  Iowa  and  Southwestern 
Kansas.  The  extent  of  the  lines  owned  and 
operated  by  the  Company  ( '  'Poor's  Manual, "  1898) , 


is  3,568.15  miles,  of  which  236.51  miles  are  in 
Illinois,  189.  .52  miles  being  owned  by  the  corpo- 
ration. All  of  the  Company's  owned  and 
leased  lines  are  laid  with  steel  rails.  The  total 
capitalization  reported  for  the  same  year  was 
§116,748,211,  of  which  $50,000,000  was  in  stock 
and  §58,830,000  in  bonds.  The  total  earnings  and 
income  of  the  line  in  Illinois,  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1898,  was  §5,851,875,  and  the  total 
expenses  §3,401,165,  of  wliich  §233,129  was  in  the 
form  of  taxes.  The  Company  has  received  under 
Congressional  grants  550,194  aci-es  of  land,  exclu- 
sive of  State  grants,  of  which  there  had  been  sold, 
up  to  March  31,  1894,  548,609  acres. 

CHICAGO,  ST.  PAUL  &  FOND  DU  LAC  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Chicago  &  A'orthwestern  Railu-ay.) 

CHICAGO,  ST.  PAUL  &  KANSAS  CITY  RAIL- 
WAY.    (See  Chicago  Great  Wfxtcrn  Railway.) 

CHICAGO,  ST.  LOUIS  &  PADUCAH  RAIL- 
WAT,  a  short  road,  of  standard  gauge,  laid  with 
steel  rails,  extending  from  Marion  to  Brooklyn, 
m.,  53.64  miles.  It  was  chartered,  Feb.  7,  1887, 
and  opened  for  traffic,  Jan.  1,  1889.  The  St. 
Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad  Company  Ls 
the  lessee,  having  guaranteed  principal  and  inter- 
est on  its  first  mortgage  bonds.  Its  capital  stock 
is  §1,000,000,  and  its  bonded  debt  §3,000,000, 
making  the  total  capitalization  about  §56,000  per 
mile.  The  cost  of  the  road  was  §2,9.50,000;  total 
incumbrance  (1895),  §3,016,715. 

CHICAGO  TERMINAL  TRANSFER  RAIL- 
ROAD, the  succes.sor  to  the  Chicago  &  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad.  The  latter  was  organized  in 
November,  1889,  to  acquire  and  lease  faciUties  to 
other  roads  and  transact  a  local  business.  The 
Road  under  its  new  name  was  chartered,  June  4, 
1897,  to  purchase  at  foreclosure  sale  the  property 
of  the  Chicago  &  Northern  Pacific,  soon  after 
acquiring  the  property  of  the  Chicago  &  Calmnet 
Terminal  Railway  also.  The  combination  gives 
it  the  control  of  84.53  miles  of  road,  of  which 
70.76  miles  are  in  Illinois.  The  line  is  used  for 
both  passenger  and  freight  terminal  purposes, 
and  also  a  belt  line  just  outside  the  citj'  limits. 
Its  principal  tenants  are  the  Chicago  Great  West- 
ern, the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  the  Wisconsin  Central 
Lines,  and  the  Chicago,  Hammond  &  Western 
Railroad.  The  Company  also  has  control  of  the 
ground  on  which  the  Grand  Central  Depot  is 
located.  Its  total  capitalization  (1898)  was  §44,- 
553,044.  of  which  §30,000,000  was  capital  stock 
and  §13,394.000  in  the  form  of  bonds. 

CHICAGO  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINART,  organ- 
ized. Sept.  26,  1854.  by  a  convention  of  Congre- 
gational ministers  and  laymen  representing  seven 


^ifPfi^ 


\\y 


100 


HLSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Western  States,  among  which  was  Illinois.  A 
special  ami  liberal  charter  was  granted,  Feb.  If), 
18.5.5.  Tlie  Seminary  has  always  been  under 
Congregational  control  and  supervision,  its 
twenty-four  trustees  being  elected  at  Triennial 
Conventions,  at  which  are  represented  all  tlie 
churches  of  that  denomination  west  of  the  Ohio 
and  east  of  the  Rooky  Mountains.  The  institu- 
tion was  formally  opened  to  students,  Oct.  6, 
18.58,  with  two  professors  and  twenty-nine 
matriculates.  Since  then  it  has  steadily  grown 
in  both  numbers  and  influence.  Preparatory  and 
linguistic  schools  have  been  added  and  the 
faculty  (1896)  includes  eight  professors  and  nine 
minor  instructors.  The  Seminary  is  liberally 
endowed,  its  productive  assets  being  nearly 
$1,000,000,  and  the  value  of  its  grounds,  build- 
ings, library,  etc.,  amounting  to  nearly  §.500,000 
more.  No  charge  is  made  for  tuition  or  room 
rent,  and  there  are  forty-two  endowed  scholar- 
ships, the  Income  of  which  is  devoted  to  the  aid 
of  needy  students.  The  buildings,  including  the 
library  and  dormitories,  are  four  in  number,  and 
are  well  constructed  and  arranged. 

CHICAGO  &  ALTON  RAILROAD,  an  impor 
tant  railway  running  in  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis,  with  numerous 
branches,  extending  into  Missouri,  Kansas  and 
Colorado.  The  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  proper 
was  constructed  under  two  charters — the  first 
granted  to  the  Alton  &  Sangamon  Railroad  Com- 
pany, in  1847,  and  the  second  to  the  Chicago  & 
Mississippi  Railroad  Company,  in  1852.  Con- 
struction of  the  former  was  begun  in  18.52,  and 
the  line  opened  from  Alton  to  Springfield  in 
18.53.  Under  the  second  corporation,  the  line  was 
opened  from  Springfield  to  Bloomington  in  1851, 
and  to  Joliet  in  1856.  In  1855  a  line  was  con- 
structed from  Chicago  to  Joliet  under  the  name 
of  the  Joliet  &  Chicago  Railroad,  and  leased  in 
perpetuity  to  the  present  Company,  wliich  was 
reorganized  in  1857  under  the  name  of  the  St. 
Louis,  Alton  &  Chicago  Railroad  Companj-.  For 
some  time  connection  was  had  between  Alton 
and  St.  Louis  by  steam-packet  boats  running  in 
connection  with  the  railroad ;  but  later  over  the 
line  of  the  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railroad — 
the  first  railway  line  connecting  the  two  cities — 
and,  finally,  by  the  Company's  own  line,  which 
was  constructed  in  1864.  and  formally  opened 
Jan.  1,  1865.  In  1861,  a  company  with  the 
present  name  (Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Com- 
pany) was  organized,  which,  in  1862.  purchased 
the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Chicago  Road  at  fore- 
closure sale.     Sfeveral    branch    lines  have  since 


been  acquired  by  purcliase  or  lease,  the  most 
important  in  the  State  being  the  line  from 
Bloomington  to  St.  Louis  by  way  of  Jacksonville. 
This  was  chartered  in  1851  under  the  name  of  the 
St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  &  Chicago  Railroad,  was 
opened  for  business  in  Januarj',  1808,  and  having 
been  diverted  from  the  route  upon  which  it  was 
originally  projected,  was  completed  to  Blooming 
ton  and  leased  to  the  Chicago  &  Alton  in  1868. 
In  1884  this  branch  was  absorbed  by  the  main 
line.  Other  important  branches  are  the  Kansas 
City  Branch  from  Koodhouse,  crossing  the  Jlis- 
sissippi  at  Louisiana,  Mo. ;  the  Wasliington 
Branch  from  Dwight  to  Washington  and  Lacon, 
and  the  Cliicago  &  Peoria,  by  wliich  entrance  is 
obtaineil  into  the  city  of  Peoria  over  the  tracks 
of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western.  The  whole 
number  of  miles  operated  (1898;  is  843.54,  of 
which  580.73  lie  in  Illinois.  Including  double 
tracks  and  sidings,  the  Company  lias  a  total 
trackage  of  1,186  miles.  The  total  capitalization, 
in  1898,  was  $32,793,972,  of  which  §22,230,600  was 
in  stock,  and  §0,694,8.50  in  bonds.  The  total 
earnings  and  income  for  the  year,  in  Illinois,  were 
§5,022,315,  and  the  operating  and  other  expenses, 
§■1,272,207.  Tliis  road,  under  its  management  as 
it  existed  up  to  1898,  has  been  one  of  the  most  uni- 
formly successful  in  the  country.  Dividends 
have  been  paid  semiannually  from  1863  to  1884, 
and  ([uarterly  from  1884  to  1896.  For  a  number 
of  years  previoas  to  1897,  the  dividends  had 
amounted  to  eight  per  cent  per  annum  on  both 
preferred  and  common  stock,  but  later  had  been 
reduced  to  seven  per  cent  on  account  of  short 
crops  along  the  line.  The  taxes  paid  in  1898 
were  §341,040.  The  surplus,  June  30,  1895, 
exceeded  two  and  three-quarter  million  dollars. 
The  Chicago  &  Alton  was  the  first  line  in  the 
world  to  put  into  service  sleeping  and  dining  cars 
of  the  Pullman  model,  which  have  since  been  so 
widely  adopted,  as  well  as  the  first  to  run  free 
reclining  chair-cars  for  the  convenience  and 
comfort  of  its  passengers.  At  the  time  the 
matter  embraced  in  this  volume  is  undergoing 
final  revision  (1899),  negotiations  are  in  progress 
for  the  purcliase  of  this  historic  line  by  a  syndi- 
cate representing  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  the 
Missouri  Pacific,  the  Union  Pacific,  and  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  systems,  in  whose 
interest  it  will  hereafter  be  operated. 

CHICAGO  &  AURORA  RAILROAD,  (See 
Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  EASTERN  ILLINOIS  RAIL- 
ROAD. This  company  ojierates  a  line  516.3  miles 
in  length,  of  which  278  miles  are  within  Illinois. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


101 


The  main  line  in  this  State  extends  southerly 
from  Dolton  Junction  (17  miles  south  of  Chicago) 
to  Danville.  Entrance  to  the  Polk  Street  Depot 
in  Chicago  is  secured  over  the  tracks  of  the 
Western  Indiana  Railroad.  The  company  owns 
several  important  branch  lines,  as  follows :  From 
Momence  Junction  to  the  Indiana  State  Line; 
from  Cissna  Junction  to  Cissna  Park ;  from  Dan- 
ville Junction  to  Shelbyville,  and  from  Sidell  to 
Eossville.  The  system  in  Illinois  is  of  standard 
gauge,  about  108  miles  being  double  track.  The 
right  of  way  is  100  feet  wide  and  well  fenced. 
The  grades  are  light,  and  the  construction 
(including  rails,  ties,  ballast  and  bridges),  is 
generally  excellent.  The  capital  stock  outstand- 
ing (1893)  is  $13,594,400;  funded  debt,  618,018,000; 
floating  debt,  §916,381;  total  capital  invested, 
$32,570,781;  total  earnings  in  Illinois,  §3,592,072; 
expenditures  in  the  State,  §2,595,631.  The  com- 
pany paid  the  same  year  a  dividend  of  six  per 
cent  on  its  common  stock  (§286,914),  and  reported 
a  surplus  of  §1,484,763.  The  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Illinois  was  originally  chartered  in  1865  as  the 
Chicago,  Danville  &  Vincennes  Railroad,  its  main 
line  being  completed  in  1872.  In  1873,  it  defaulted 
on  interest,  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1877, 
and  reorganized  as  the  Chicago  &  Nashville,  but 
later  in  same  year  took  its  present  name.  In 
1894  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Chicago  & 
Indiana  Coal  Railway.  Two  spurs  (5.27  miles  in 
length)  were  added  to  the  line  in  1895.  Early  in 
1897  this  line  obtained  control  of  the  Chicago, 
Paducah  &  Memphis  Railroad,  which  is  now 
operated  to  Marion,  in  Williamson  County.  (See 
Chicago,  Paducah  &  3Iemphis  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  GRAND  TEUNK  RAILWAY.  Of 
the  335.27  miles  of  the  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk 
Railroad,  only  30.65  are  in  Illinois,  and  of  the 
latter  9.7  miles  are  operated  under  lease.  That 
portion  of  the  line  within  the  State  extends  from 
Chicago  easterly  to  the  Indiana  State  line.  The 
Company  is  also  lessee  of  the  Grand  Junction 
Railroad,  four  miles  in  length.  The  Road  is 
capitalized  at  §6,600,000,  has  a  bonded  debt  of 
§12,000,000  and  a  floating  debt  (1895)  of  §2,271,425, 
making  the  total  capital  invested,  $20,871,425. 
The  total  earnings  in  Illinois  for  1895  amounted 
to  §660,393;  disbursements  within  the  State  for 
the  .same  period,  §345,233.  The  Chicago  &  Grand 
Trunk  Railway,  as  now  constituted,  is  a  consoli- 
dation of  various  lines  between  Port  Huron, 
Mich.,  and  Chicago,  operated  in  the  interest  of 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  of  Canada.  The  Illi- 
nois section  was  built  under  a  charter  granted  in 
1878  to  the  Chicago  &  State  Line  Railway  Com- 


pany, to  form  a  connection  with  Valparaiso,  Ind. 
This  corporation  acquired  the  Chicago  &  South- 
ern Railroad  (from  Chicago  to  Dolton),  and  the 
Chicago  &  State  Line  Extension  in  Indiana,  all 
being  consolidated  under  tlie  name  of  the  North- 
western Grand  Trunk  Railroad.  In  1880,  a  final 
consolidation  of  these  lines  with  the  eastward 
connections  took  place  under  the  present  name — 
the  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  Railway. 

CHICAGO  &  GREAT  EASTERN  RAILWAY. 
(See  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway.) 

CHICAGO  &  GREAT  SOUTHERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evanaville  Railway. ) 

CHICAGO  &  ILLINOIS  SOUTHERN  RAIL- 
WAY. (See  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville  Rail- 
way. ) 

CHICAGO  &  MISSISSIPPI  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago  &■  Alton  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  NASHVILLE  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago  &  Eaatern  Illinois  Railroad.) 

CHICAGO  &  NORTHERN  PACIFIC  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago  Terminal  Transfer  Rail- 
road. ) 

CHICAGO  &  NORTHWESTERN  RAILWAY, 
one  of  the  great  trunk  lines  of  the  country,  pene- 
trating the  States  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Michi- 
gan, Iowa,  Minnesota  and  North  and  South 
Dakota.  The  total  length  of  its  main  line, 
branches,  proprietary  and  operated  lines,  on  May 
1,  1899,  was  5,076.89  miles,  of  which  594  miles  are 
operated  in  Illinois,  all  owned  by  the  company. 
Second  and  side  tracks  increase  the  mileage 
to  a  total  of  7,217.91  miles.  The  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway  (proper)  is  operated  in 
nine  separate  divisions,  as  follows:  The  Wis- 
consin, Galena,  Iowa.  Northern  Iowa,  Madison, 
Peninsula.  Winona  and  St.  Peter,  Dakota  and 
Ashland  Divisions  The  principal  or  main  lines 
of  the  "Northwestern  System,"'  in  its  entirety, 
are  those  which  have  Chicago,  Omaha,  St.  Paul 
and  Minneapolis  for  tlieir  termini,  though  their 
branches  reach  numerous  important  points 
within  the  States  already  named,  from  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  on  the  east  to  Wyoming  on  the 
west,  and  from  Kansas  on  the  south  to  Lake 
Superior  on  the  north.— (History.)  The  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railway  Company  was 
organized  in  1859  under  charters  granted  by  the 
Legislatures  of  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  during 
that  year,  under  which  the  new  company  came 
into  possession  of  the  rights  and  franchises  of  the 
Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  latter  road  was  the  outgro%vth  of 
various  railway  enterprises  which  had  been  pro 


102 


IirSTOKICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF-^    ILLINOIS. 


jected,  chartered  and  partly  constructed  in  "Wis- 
consin and  Illinois,  between  1848  and  1855, 
including  the  Madison  &  Beloit  Railroad,  the 
Rock  River  Valley  Union  Railroad,  and  the  Illi- 
nois &  Wisconsin  Railroad — the  last  named  com- 
pany being  chartered  by  the  Illinois  Legislature 
in  1851,  and  authorized  to  build  a  railroad  from 
Chicago  to  the  Wisconsin  line.  The  Wisconsin 
Legislature  of  1855  authorized  the  consolidation 
of  the  Rock  River  Valley  Union  Railroad  with  the 
Illinois  enterprise,  and,  in  March,  1855,  the  con- 
solidation of  these  lines  was  perfected  under  the 
name  of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac 
Railroad.  During  the  first  four  years  of  its  exist- 
ence this  company  built  176  miles  of  the  road,  of 
which  seventy  miles  were  between  Chicago  and 
the  Wisconsin  State  line,  with  the  sections  con- 
structed in  Wisconsin  completing  the  connection 
between  Chicago  and  Fond  du  Lac.  As  the  result 
of  the  financial  revulsion  of  1857,  the  corporation 
became  financially  embarrassed,  and  the  sale  of  its 
property  and  franchises  under  the  foreclosure  of 
1859,  already  alluded  to,  followed.  This  marked 
the  beginning  of  the  present  corporation,  and.  in 
the  next  few  years,  by  the  construction  of  new 
lines  and  the  purchase  of  others  in  Wisconsin  and 
Northern  Illinois,  it  added  largely  to  the  extent 
of  its  lines,  both  constructed  and  projected.  The 
most  important  of  these  was  the  union  effected 
with  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad, 
which  was  formally  consolidated  with  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  in  1864.  The  history  of 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  is  interesting  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  it  was  one  of  the  earliest 
railroads  incorporated  in  Illinois,  having  been 
chartered  by  special  act  of  the  Legislature  during 
the  "internal  improvement"  excitement  of  1836. 
Besides,  its  charter  was  the  only  one  of  that 
period  under  which  an  organization  was  effected, 
and  although  construction  was  not  begun  under 
it  until  1847  (eleven  years  afterward),  it  was  the 
second  railroad  constructed  in  the  State  and  the 
first  leading  from  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  the 
forty  years  of  its  history  the  growth  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  has  been  steady,  and  its 
success  almost  phenomenal.  In  that  time  it  has 
not  only  added  largely  to  its  mileage  by  the  con- 
struction of  new  lines,  but  has  absorbed  more 
lines  than  almost  any  other  road  in  the  country, 
until  it  now  reaches  almost  every  important  city 
in  the  Northwest.  Among  the  lines  in  Northern 
Illinois  now  constituting  a  part  of  it.  were  several 
which  had  become  a  part  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago 
Union  before  the  consolidation.  These  included 
a  line  from  Belvidere  to  Beloit,  Wis. ;  the  Fox 


River  Valley  Railroad,  and  the  St.  Charles  & 
Mississippi  Air  Line  Itailroad — all  Illinois  enter 
prises,  and  more  or  less  closely  connected  with 
the  development  of  the  State.  The  total  capi- 
talization of  the  line,  on  June  30,  1898,  was 
$200,968,108,  of  which  $66,408,821  was  capi- 
tal stock  and  $101,603,000  in  the  form  of 
bonds.  The  earnings  in  the  State  of  Illinois, 
for  the  same  period,  aggregated  §4,374,923, 
and  the  expenditures  $8,713,593.  At  the  present 
time  (1899)  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  is  build- 
ing eight  or  ten  branch  lines  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Minnesota  and  South  Dakota.  The  Northwestern 
System,  as  such,  comprises  nearly  3.000  miles  of 
road  not  included  in  the  preceding  statements  of 
mileage  and  financial  condition.  Although  owned 
by  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Company,  they 
are  managed  by  different  officers  and  under  other 
names.  The  mileage  of  the  whole  system  covers 
nearly  8.000  miles  of  main  line. 

CHICAGO  &  SPRIN4JFIELD  RAILROAD. 
(See  lUhiois  Central  Railnxid. ) 

CHICAGO  &  TEXAS  RAILROAD,  a  line 
seventy-three  miles  in  length,  extending  from 
Johnston  City  by  way  of  Carbondale  westerly  to 
the  Mississippi,  thence  southerly  to  Cape  Girar- 
deau. The  line  was  originally  operated  by  two 
companies,  under  the  names  of  the  Grand  Tower 
&  Carbondale  and  the  Grand  To%ver  &  Cape  Girar- 
deau Railroad  Companies.  The  former  was 
chartered  in  1882,  and  the  road  built  in  1885;  the 
latter,  chartered  in  1889  and  the  line  opened  the 
same  year.  They  were  consolidated  in  1893,  and 
operated  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago  &  Texas 
Railroad  Company.  In  October,  1897,  the  last 
named  line  was  tninsferred,  under  a  twenty-five 
year  lease,  to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, by  whom  it  is  operated  aa  its  St.  Louis  & 
Cape  Girardeau  division. 

CHICAGO  &  WESTERN  INDIANA  RAIL- 
RO.iD.  The  main  line  of  this  road  extends  from 
Chicago  to  Dolton,  111.  (17  miles),  and  affords  ter- 
minal facilities  for  all  lines  entering  the  Polk  St. 
Depot  at  Chicago.  It  has  branches  to  Hammond, 
Ind.  (10.28  miles);  to  Cragiu  (15.9  miles),  and  to 
South  Chicago  (5.41  miles) ;  making  the  direct 
mileage  of  its  branches  48.59  miles.  In  addition, 
its  second,  third  and  fourth  tracks  and  sidings 
increase  the  mileage  to  204.79  miles.  The  com- 
pany was  organized  June  9,  1879;  the  road  opened 
in  1880,  and,  on  Jan.  26,  1882,  consolidated  with 
the  South  Chicago  &  W^estern  Indiana  Railroad 
Company,  and  the  Chicago  &  Western  Indiana 
Belt  Riiilway.  It  also  owns  some  8.50  acres  in  fee 
in   Chicago,    including  wharf    property   on    the 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


103 


Chicago  River,  right  of  way,  switch  and  transfer 
yards,  depots,  the  Indiana  grain  elevator,  etc. 
The  elevator  and  the  Belt  Division  are  leased  to 
the  Belt  Railway  Company  of  Chicago,  and  the 
rest  of  the  property  is  leased  conjointly  by  the 
Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois,  the  Chicago  &  Grand 
Trunk,  the  Chicago  &  Erie,  the  Louisville,  New 
Albany  &  Chicago,  and  the  Wabash  Railways 
(each  of  which  owns  $1,000,000  of  the  capital 
stock),  and  by  the  Atchisozi,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe. 
These  companies  pay  the  expense  of  operation 
and  maintenance  on  a  mileage  basis. 

CHICAGO  &  WISCONSIN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Wisconsin  Central  Lines.) 

CHILDS,  Robert  A.,  was  born  at  Malone, 
Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  March  23,  1845,  the  son 
of  an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher,  who  settled 
near  Belvidere,  Boone  County,  111.,  in  18.52.  His 
home  having  been  broken  up  by  the  death  of  his 
mother,  in  1854,  he  went  to  live  upon  a  farm.  In 
April,  1861,  at  the  age  of  16  years,  he  enlisted  in 
the  company  of  Captain  (afterwards  General) 
Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  which  was  later  attached  to 
the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteers.  After  being 
mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  entered 
school,  and  graduated  from  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  Universitj  in  1870.  For  the  following  three 
years  he  was  Principal  and  Superintendent  of 
public  schools  at  Amboy,  Lee  County,  meanwhile 
studying  law,  and  being  admitted  to  the  bar.  In 
1873,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Chicago,  making  his  home  at  Hinsdale.  After 
filling  various  local  offices,  in  1884  he  was 
chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and,  in  1892,  was  elected  by  the  narrow 
majority  of  thirty-seven  votes  to  represent  the 
Eighth  Illinois  District  in  the  Fifty-third  Con- 
gress, as  a  Republican. 

CHILLICOTHE,  a  city  in  Peoria  County,  situ- 
ated on  the  Illinois  River,  at  the  head  of  Peoria 
Lake;  is  19  miles  northwest  of  Peoria,  on  the 
Peoria  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  the  freight  division  of  the 
Atkinson,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  It  is  an 
important  shipping-point  for  grain ;  has  a  can- 
ning factory,  a  button  factory,  two  banks,  five 
churches,  a  high  school,  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers.    Population  (1890),  1,632;  (1900),  1,699. 

CHINIQUT,  (Rev.)  Charles,  clergyman  and 
reformer,  was  born  in  Canada,  July  30,  1809,  of 
mixed  French  and  Spanish  blood,  and  educated 
for  the  Romish  priesthood  at  the  Seminary  of  St. 
Nicholet,  where  he  remained  ten  years,  gaining  a 
reputation  among  his  fellow  students  for  extraor- 
dinary  zeal  and  piety.       Having  been  ordained 


to  the  priesthood  in  1833,  he  labored  in  various 
churches  in  Canada  until  1851,  when  he  accepted 
an  invitation  to  Illinois  with  a  view  to  building 
up  the  church  in  the  Mississipi)i  Vallej'.  Locat- 
ing at  the  junction  of  the  Kankakee  and  Iroquois 
River.s,  in  Kankakee  County,  he  was  the  means 
of  bringing  to  that  vicinity  a  colony  of  some 
5,000  French  Canadians,  followed  by  colonists 
from  France,  Belgium  and  other  European 
countries.  It  lias  been  estimated  that  over 
50,000  of  this  class  of  emigrants  were  settled  in 
Illinois  within  a  few  years.  The  colony  em- 
braced a  territory  of  some  40  .square  miles,  with 
the  village  of  St.  Ann's  as  the  center.  Here 
Father  Chiniquy  began  his  labors  by  erecting 
churches  and  schools  for  the  colonists.  He  soon 
became  dissatisfied  with  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  exercise  of  arbitrary  authority  by  the  ruling 
Bishop,  then  began  to  have  doubts  on  the  question 
of  papal  infallibility,  the  final  result  being  a 
determination  to  separate  himself  from  the 
Mother  Church.  In  this  step  he  appears  to  have 
been  followed  by  a  large  proportion  of  the  colo- 
nists who  had  accompanied  him  from  Canada,  but 
the  result  was  a  feeling  of  intense  bitterness 
between  the  opposing  factions,  leading  to  nmch 
litigation  and  many  criminal  prosecutions,  of 
which  Father  Chiniquy  was  the  subject,  though 
never  convicted.  In  one  of  these  suits,  in  which 
the  Father  was  accused  of  an  infamous  crime, 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  counsel  for  the  defense, 
the  charge  being  proven  to  be  the  outgrowth  of 
a  conspiracy.  Having  finally  determined  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  Protestantism,  Father 
Chiniquy  allied  himself  with  the  Canadian  Pres- 
bytery, and  for  many  years  of  his  active  clerical 
life,  divided  his  time  between  Canada  and  the 
United  States,  having  supervision  of  churches  in 
Montreal  and  Ottawa,  as  well  as  in  this  country. 
He  also  more  than  once  visited  Europe  by  special 
invitation  to  address  important  religious  bodies 
in  that  country.  He  died  at  Montreal,  Canada, 
Jan.  10,  1899,  in  the  90th  year  of  his  age. 

CHOUART,  Medard,  (known  also  as  Sieur  des 
Groseilliers),  an  early  French  explorer,  suppo.sed 
to  have  been  born  at  Touraine,  France,  about 
1631.  Coming  to  New  France  in  early  youth,  he 
made  a  voyage  of  discovery  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  Radisson,  westward  from  Quebec,  about 
1654-56,  these  two  being  believed  to  have  been 
the  first  white  men  to  reach  Lake  Superior. 
After  spending  the  winter  of  1658-59  at  La 
Pointe,  near  where  Ashland,  Wis.,  now-  stands, 
they  are  believed  by  some  to  have  discovered  the 
Upper  Mississippi  and  to  have  descended    that 


104 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


stream  a  long  distance  towards  its  mouth,  as 
tliey  claimed  to  have  reached  a  much  milder 
climate  and  heard  of  Spanish  ships  on  the  salt 
water  (Gulf  of  Mexico).  Some  antiquarians 
credit  them,  about  this  time  (10o9),  with  having 
visited  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Cliicago. 
They  were  the  first  explorers  of  Northwestern 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and  are  also  credited 
with  having  been  the  first  to  discover  an  inland 
route  to  Hudson's  Bay,  and  with  being  tlie 
founders  of  the  original  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
Groseillier's  later  histoiy  is  unknown,  but  he 
ranks  among  the  most  intrepid  explorers  of  the 
"New,  World"  about  the  middle  of  the  seventh 
century. 

CHRISMA^.  a  city  of  Edgar  County,  at  the 
inter.section  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Clii- 
cago  et  St.  Louis  and  the  Cincinnati.  Hamilton  & 
Dayton  Railroads.  '24  miles  south  of  Danville ;  has 
a  pipe-wrench  factory,  grain  elevators,  and 
storage  cribs.     Population  (1890),  820:  (1900),  90.5. 

CHRISTIAN  COUXTT,  a  rich  agricultural 
county,  lying  in  the  "central  belt."  and  organized 
in  1839  from  parts  of  !Macon,  Jlontgomerj-, 
Sangamon  and  Shelbj'  Counties.  The  name  first 
given  to  it  was  Dane,  in  honor  of  Nathan  Dane, 
one  of  tlie  framers  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  but 
a  political  prejudice  led  to  a  change.  A  pre- 
ponderance of  early  settlers  having  come  from 
Christian  County,  Ky..  this  name  was  finally 
adopted.  The  surface  is  level  and  the  soil  fertile, 
the  northern  half  of  the  count}-  being  best 
adapted  to  corn  and  the  southern  to  wheat.  Its 
area  is  about  710  square  miles,  and  its  population 
(1900),  was  32,790.  The  life  of  the  early  settlers 
was  exceedingly  primitive.  Game  was  abun- 
dant; wild  honey  was  used  as  a  substitute  for 
sugar;  wolves  were  troublesome;  prairie  fires 
were  frequent;  the  first  mill  (on  Bear  Creek) 
could  not  grind  more  than  ten  bushels  of  grain 
per  daj-,  by  horse-power.  The  people  hauled  their 
corn  to  St.  Louis  to  exchange  for  groceries.  The 
first  store  was  opened  at  Robertson's  Point,  but 
the  county-seat  was  established  at  Taylorville.  A 
great  change  was  wrought  in  local  conditions  by 
the  advent  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  which 
passes  through  the  eastern  part  of  tlie  county. 
Two  other  railroads  now  pass  centralh'  through 
the  county — the  "Wabash"  and  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Southwestern.  The  principal  towns  are 
Taylorville  (a  railroad  center  and  thriving  to^vn 
of  2,829  inhabitants),  Pana,  Jlorrisonville,  Edin- 
burg.  and  Assumption. 

CHrRCH.  Lawrence  S.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Xunda,  X.  Y.,  in  1820;  passed  his 


youth  on  a  farm,  but  having  a  fondness  for  study, 
at  an  early  age  began  teaching  in  winter  with  a 
view  to  earning  means  to  prosecute  his  studies  in 
law.  In  1.843  he  arrived  at  ilcllenrj-,  then  the 
county-seat  of  McHenry  County,  111.,  having 
walked  a  part  of  the  way  from  New  A'ork,  paying 
a  portion  of  his  exjjenses  by  the  delivery  of  lec- 
tures, lie  soon  after  visited  Springfield,  and 
having  been  examined  before  Judge  S.  II.  Treat, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  On  the  removal  of  the 
county-seat  from  McHenry  to  Woodstock,  he 
removed  to  the  latter  place,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  to  the  end  of  his  life.  A  member  of  the 
Wliig  party  up  to  18,56,  he  was  that  year  elected 
as  a  Rei)ublican  Representative  in  the  Twentieth 
General  Assembly,  serving  by  re-election  in  the 
Twenty-first  and  Twenty-second;  in  18G0,  was 
supported  for  tlie  nomination  for  Congress  in  the 
Northwestern  District,  but  was  defeated  by  Hon. 
E.  B.  Washburne;  in  1862,  aided  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Ninety-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and 
was  commissioned  its  Colonel,  but  was  compelled 
to  resign  before  reaching  the  field  on  account  of 
failing  health.  In  186C  he  was  elected  County 
Judge  of  McIIenry  Count}',  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and, 
in  1869  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1.S69-70. 
Died,  July  23,  1870.  Judge  Church  was  a  man  of 
liigh  principle  and  a  speaker  of  decided  ability. 

CHURCH,  Seldcn  Marvin,  capitalist,  was  born 
at  Ea.st  Haddam,  Conn.,  March  4,  1804;  taken  by 
his  father  to  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  in  boyhood, 
and  grew  up  on  a  farm  there,  but  at  the  age  of 
21,  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged 
in  teaching,  being  one  of  the  earliest  teachers  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city.  Then,  having 
spent  some  time  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  in  183.5  he  removed  to  Illinois,  first 
locating  at  Geneva,  but  the  following  year 
removed  to  Rockford,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  1841,  he 
w:is  appointed  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Rock- 
ford  by  the  first  President  Harrison,  remaining 
in  ofBce  three  years.  Other  offices  held  by  liim 
were  those  of  County  Clerk  (1843-47),  Delegate  to 
the  Second  Constitutional  Convention  (1847), 
Judge  of  Probate  (1849-.57),  Representative  in 
the  Twenty-third  General  Assembly  (1863-6,5), 
and  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Public  Charities 
by  appointment  of  Governor  Palmer,  in  1869, 
being  re-appointed  by  Governor  Beveridgo.  in 
1873,  and,  for  a  part  of  the  time,  serving  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board.  He  also  served,  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  Secretary  of  War,  as  one  of  the 
Commissioners  to  assess  damages  for  the  Govern- 
ment improvements  at  Rock  Island  and  to  locate 


mSTOIlICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


105 


the  Government  bridge  between  Rock  Island  and 
Davenport.  Dui-ing  the  latter _years  of  his  life  he 
was  President  for  some  time  of  the  Rockford 
Insurance  Company ;  was  also  one  of  the  origina- 
tors, and,  for  many  years.  Managing  Director  of 
the  Rockford  Water  Power  Company,  which  has 
done  so  much  to  |)romote  the  prosperity  of  that 
city,  and,  at  the  time  of  liis  death,  was  one  of  the 
Directors  of  the  Winnebago  National  Bank.  Died 
at  Rockford,  .June  2:),  1892. 

CHURCHILL,  George,  early  printer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  at  Hubbardtown,  Rutland 
County,  Vt.,  Oct.  11,  1789;  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  his  youth,  thus  imbibing  a  taste  for 
literature  which  led  to  his  learning  the  printer's 
trade.  In  1806  he  became  an  apprentice  in  the 
office  of  the  Albany  (X.  Y.)  "Sentinel,"  and, 
after  serving  his  time,  worked  as  a  journeyman 
printer,  thereby  accmnulating  means  to  purchase 
a  half-interest  in  a  small  printing  office.  Selling 
this  out  at  a  loss,  a  year  or  two  later,  he  went  to 
New  York,  and,  after  working  at  the  case  some 
five  months,  started  for  the  West,  stopping  en 
route  at  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg  and  Louisville. 
In  the  latter  place  he  workeil  for  a  time  in  the 
office  of  "The  Courier,"  and  still  later  in  that  of 
"The  Correspondent,"  then  owned  by  Col.  Elijah 
C.  Berry,  who  subsequently  came  to  llliuois  and 
served  as  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts.  In  1817 
he  arrived  in  St.  Louis,  but,  attracted  by  the  fer- 
tile soil  of  Illinois,  determined  to  engage  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  finally  purchasing  land  some 
six  miles  southeast  of  Edwardsville,  in  Madison 
County,  where  he  continued  to  reside  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  In  order  to  raise  means  to 
improve  his  farm,  in  the  spring  of  1819  he 
worked  as  a  compositor  in  the  office  of  "The 
Missouri  Gazette" — the  predecessor  of  "The  St, 
Louis  Republic."  While  there  he  wrote  a  series 
of  articles  over  the  signature  of  "A  Farmer  of  St. 
Charles  County,"  advocating  the  admission  of 
the  State  of  Missouri  into  the  Union  without 
slavery,  which  caused  considerable  excitement 
among  the  friends  of  that  institution.  During 
the  same  year  he  aided  Hooper  Warren  in 
establishing  his  paper,  "The  Spectator,"  at 
Edwardsville,  and,  still  later,  became  a  frequent 
contributor  to  its  columns,  especially  during  the 
campaign  of  1823-24,  which  resulted,  in  the  latter 
year,  in  the  defeat  of  the  attempt  to  plant  slavery 
"in  Illinois.  In  1822  he  was  elected  Represent- 
ative in  the  Third  General  Assembly,  serving  in 
that  body  by  successive  re-elections  vmtil  1833. 
His  re-election  for  a  second  term,  in  1824.  demon- 
strated that  his  vote  at  the  preceding  session,  in 


opposition  to  the  scheme  for  a  State  Convention 
to  revise  the  State  Constitution  in  the  interest  of 
slavery,  was  approved  by  his  constituents.  In 
1838,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  serving 
four  j'ears,  and,  in  1844,  was  again  elected  to  the 
House — in  all  serving  a  period  in  both  Houses  of 
sixteen  years.  Mr,  Churchill  was  never  married. 
He  was  an  industrious  and  systematic  collector  of 
historical  records,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death  in 
the  summer  of  18T2,  left  a  mass  of  documents  and 
other  historical  material  of  great  value.  (See 
Slavei'y  and  Slave  Laws;  Warren,  Hooper,  and 
Coles,  Edward.) 

CLARK  ((Jen.)  George  Rogers,  soldier,  was 
born  near  Monticello,  Albemarle  County,  Va., 
Nov.  19,  1753.  In  his  younger  life  he  was  a 
farmer  and  surveyor  on  the  upper  Ohio.  His 
first  experience  in  Indian  fighting  was  under 
Governor  Dunmore,  against  the  Shawnees  (1774). 
In  1775  he  went  as  a  surveyor  to  Kentucky",  and 
the  British  having  incited  the  Indians  against 
the  Americans  in  the  following  year,  he  was 
commissioned  a  Major  of  militia.  He  soon  rose 
to  a  Colonelcy,  and  attained  marked  distinction. 
Later  he  was  commissioned  Brigadier-General, 
and  planned  an  expedition  against  the  British 
fort  at  Detroit,  whicli  was  not  successful.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1777,  in  consultation  with  Gov. 
Patrick  Henry,  of  Virginia,  he  planned  an  expe- 
dition against  Illinois,  which  was  caiTied  out 
the  following  year.  On  July  4,  1778,  he  captured 
Kaskaskia  without  firing  a  gun,  and  other 
French  villages  surrendered  at  discretion.  The 
following  February  he  set  out  from  Kaskaskia  to 
cross  the  "Illinois  Country"  for  the  purpose  of 
recapturing  Vincennes,  which  had  been  taken  and 
was  garrisoned  by  the  British  under  Hamilton, 
After  a  forced  march  characterized  by  incredible 
suffering,  his  ragged  followers  effected  the  cap- 
ture of  the  post.  His  last  important  military 
service  was  against  the  savages  on  the  Big 
Miami,  whose  villages  and  fields  he  laid  waste. 
His  last  years  were  passed  in  sorrow  and  in  com- 
parative penury.  He  died  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
Feb.  18,  1818,  and  his  remains,  after  reposing  in  a 
private  cemetery  near  that  city  for  half  a  cen- 
tury, were  exhumed  and  removed  to  Cave  Hill 
Cemetery  in  1869.  The  fullest  history  of  General 
Clark's  expedition  and  his  life  will  be  found  in 
the  "Conquest  of  the  Country  Nortliwest  of  the 
Ohio  River,  1774-1783,  and  Life  of  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark"  (2  volumes,  1896),  by  the  late 
William  H.  Englisli,  of  Indianapolis. 

CL.iRK,  Horace  S.,  lawyer  and  politician,  was 
born  at  Huntsburg,   Ohio,   August  12,  1840.     At 


106 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  age  of  15,  coming  to  Chicago,  he  found 
employment  in  a  livery  stable ;  later,  worked  on 
a  farm  in  Kane  County,  attending  school  in  the 
winter.  After  a  year  spent  in  Iowa  City  attend- 
ing the  Iowa  State  University,  he  returned  to 
Kane  County  and  engaged  in  the  dairy  business, 
later  occupying  himself  with  A-arious  occupations 
in  Illinois  and  Jlissouri,  but  finally  returning  to 
his  Ohio  liome,  where  he  began  the  stud}'  of  law 
at  Circleville.  In  1801  he  enlisted  in  an  Ohio 
regiment,  rising  from  the  ranks  to  a  captaincy, 
but  was  finally  compelled  to  leave  the  service  in 
consequence  of  a  wound  received  at  Gettysburg. 
In  1865  he  settled  at  Mattoon,  111.,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868.  In  1870  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Legislature  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  but  was  elected  State  Senator 
in  1880,  serving  four  years  and  proving  liini.self 
one  of  the  ablest  speakers  on  the  floor.  In  1888 
he  was  chosen  a  delegate-at-large  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention,  and  has  long  been  a  con- 
spicuous figure  in  State  politics.  In  1896  he  was 
a  prominent  candidate  for  the  Republican  nomi- 
nation for  Governor. 

CLARK,  John  M.,  civil  engineer  and  merchant, 
was  born  at  "White  Pigeon,  Mich.,  August  1,  1836; 
came  to  Chicago  with  his  widowed  mother  in 
1847,  and,  after  five  years  in  the  Cliicago  schools, 
served  for  a  time  (1852)  as  a  rodman  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  After  a  course  in  the 
Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Troy,  N.  Y., 
where  he  graduated  in  1856,  he  returned  to  the 
service  of  the  Illinois  Central.  In  1859  he  went  to 
Colorado,  where  he  was  one  of  the  original 
founders  of  the  city  of  Denver,  and  chief  engi- 
neer of  its  first  water  supply  company.  In  1862 
he  started  on  a  surveying  expedition  to  Arizona, 
but  was  in  Santa  Fe  when  that  place  was  captured 
by  a  rebel  expedition  from  Texas;  was  also 
present  soon  after  at  the  battle  of  Apache  Caiion, 
when  the  Confederates,  being  defeated,  were 
driven  out  of  the  Territory.  Returning  to  Chi- 
cago in  1864.  he  became  a  member  of  the  whole- 
sale leather  firm  of  Gray,  Clark  &  Co.  The 
official  positions  held  by  3Ir.  Clark  include  those 
of  Alderman  (1879-81),  Member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  Collector  of  Customs,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Harrison,  in  1889, 
and  President  of  the  Chicago  Civil  Service  Board 
by  appointment  of  Mayor  Swift,  under  an  act 
passed  by  the  Legislature  of  1895,  retiring  in  1897. 
In  1881  he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Mayor 
of  Chicago,  but  was  defeated  by  Carter  H.  Harri- 
son. Mr.  Clark  is  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Crerar 
Library,  named  in  the  wiU  of  Mr.  Crerar. 


CLARK  COUNTY,  one  of  the  eastern  counties 
of  the  State,  south  of  the  middle  line  and  front- 
ing upon  the  "Wabash  River;  area,  510  square 
miles,  and  population  (1900),  24,033;  named  for 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark.  Its  organization  was 
effected  in  1819.  Among  the  earliest  pioneers 
were  John  Bartlett,  Abraliam  AVashburn,  James 
AVhitlock,  James  B.  Anderson,  Stephen  Archer 
and  Uri  Manly.  The  county  seat  is  Marshall,  tlie 
site  of  which  was  purcliased  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  1833  by  Gov.  Joseph  Duncan  and  Col. 
William  B.  Archer,  the  latter  becoming  sole  pro- 
prietor in  1835,  in  which  year  the  first  log  cabin 
was  built.  Tlie  original  county-seat  was  Darwin, 
and  the  change  to  Marshall  (in  1849)  was  made 
only  after  a  hard  struggle.  The  soil  of  the 
county  is  rich,  and  its  agricultural  products 
varied,  embracing  com  (the  chief  staple),  oats, 
potatoes,  winter  wheat,  butter,  sorghum,  honey, 
maple  sugar,  wool  and  ])ork.  "Woolen,  flouring 
and  lumber  mills  exist,  but  tlie  manufacturing 
interests  are  not  extensive.  Among  the  promi- 
nent towns,  besides  Marshall  and  Darwin,  are 
Casey  (population  844),  Martinsville  (779),  West- 
field  (510),  and  York  (294). 

CLAY,  Porter,  clergyman  and  brother  of  the 
celebrated  Henry  Clay,  Wiis  born  in  Virginia, 
Marcli,  1779;  in  early  life  removed  to  Kentucky, 
studied  law,  and  was,  for  a  time.  Auditor  of 
Public  Accounts  in  that  State;  in  1815,  was  con- 
verted and  gave  himself  to  the  Baptist  ministry, 
Icx'atiiig  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  spent 
most  of  his  life.     Died,  in  1850. 

CLAY  CITY,  a  village  of  Clay  County,  on  the 
Baltimore  it  Oliio  Southwestern  Railroad,  12 
miles  west  of  OIney  ;  has  one  newspaper,  a  bank, 
and  is  in  a  grain  and  fruit-growing  region. 
Population  (1890),  612;  (1900).  907;  (1903).   1,020. 

CL.VY  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeastern 
ijuarter  of  tlie  State;  has  an  area  of  470  square 
miles  and  a  ix)pulatioml900)  of  19,553.  It  was 
named  for  Henry  Clay.  The  first  claim  in  the 
county  was  entered  by  a  Mr.  Elliot,  in  1818,  and 
soon  after  settlers  begivn  to  locate  homes  in  the 
county,  although  it  was  not  organized  until  1824. 
During  the  same  year  the  pioneer  settlement  of 
Maysville  was  made  the  countj'-seat,  but  immi- 
gration continued  inactive  until  1837,  when 
many  settlers  arrived,  headed  by  Judges  Apper- 
son  and  Hopkins  and  Messrs.  Stanford  and  Lee, 
who  were  soon  followed  by  the  families  of  Coch- 
ran, McCuUom  and  Tender.  The  Little  Wabash 
River  and  a  number  of  small  tributaries  drain 
the  county.  A  light-colored  sandy  loam  consti- 
tutes the  greater  part  of  the  soil,  although  "black 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


107 


prairie  loam"  appears  here  and  there.  Raihoad 
facilities  are  limited,  but  sufficient  to  accommo- 
date the  county's  requirements.  Fruits, 
especially  apples,  are  successfully  cultivated. 
Educational  advantages  are  fair,  although  largely 
confined  to  district  schools  and  academies  in 
larger  towns.  Louisville  was  made  the  county- 
seat  in  1842,  and,  in  1890,  had  a  population  of 
637.  Xenia  and  Flora  are  the  most  important 
towns. 

CLAYTON,  a  town  in  Adams  County,  on  the 
Wabash  Railway,  28  miles  east-northeast  of 
Quincy.  A  branch  of  the  Wabash  Railway  ex- 
tends from  this  point  northwest  to  Carthage,  111., 
and  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  another  branch  to 
Quincy,  111.  The  industries  include  flour  and  feed 
mills,  machine  and  railroad  repair  shops,  grain 
elevator,  cigar  and  harness  factories.  It  has  a 
bank,  four  churches,  a  high  school,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.     Population  (1890),  1,038;  (1900),  990. 

CLEAVER,  William,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Lon- 
don, England,  in  1815;  came  to  Canada  with  his 
parents  in  1831,  and  to  Chicago  in  1834;  engaged 
in  business  as  a  chandler,  later  going  into  the 
grocery  trade ;  in  1849,  joined  the  gold-.seekers  in 
California,  and,  six  years  afterwards,  established 
himself  in  the  southern  part  of  the  present  city 
of  Cliicago,  then  called  Cleaverville,  where  he 
served  as  Postmaster  and  managed  a  general 
store.  He  was  the  owner  of  considerable  real 
estate  at  one  time  in  what  is  now  a  densely 
populated  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  Died  in 
Chicago,  Nov.  13,  1896. 

CLEMENTS,  Isaac,  ex-Congressman  and  Gov- 
ernor of  Soldiers"  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Danville, 
111.,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ind.,  in  183T; 
graduated  from  Asbury  University,  at  Green- 
castle,  in  1859,  having  supported  himself  diu-ing 
his  college  course  by  teaching.  After  reading 
law  and  being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Greencastle, 
he  removed  to  Carbondale,  111.,  where  he  again 
found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  teaching  in  order 
to  purchase  law-books.  In  July,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  commis- 
sioned Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  G.  He 
was  in  the  service  for  three  years,  was  three 
times  wounded  and  twice  promoted  "for  meri- 
torious service."  In  June,  1867,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Register  in  Bankruptcy,  and  from  1873 
to  1875  was  a  Republican  Representative  in  the 
Forty-third  Congress  from  the  (then)  Eighteenth 
District.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican SUte  Convention  of  1880.  In  1889,  he 
became  Pension  Agent  for  the  Di-strict  of  Illinois, 
by  appointment  of   President  Harrison,  serving 


until  1893.  In  the  latter  part  of  1898,  he  was 
appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Soldiers' 
Orphans'  Home,  at  Normal,  but  served  only  a 
few  months,  when  he  accepted  tlie  position  of 
Governor  of  the  new  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home, 
at  Danville. 

CLEVELAND,  CINCINNATI,  CHICAGO  &  ST. 
LOUIS  RAILWAY.  The  total  length  of  this  .sys- 
tem (1898)  is  1,807.34  miles,  of  which  478.39  miles 
are  operated  in  Illinois.  That  portion  of  the  main 
line  lying  within  the  State  extends  from  East  St. 
Louis,  northeast  to  the  Indiana  State  line,  181 
miles.  The  Company  is  also  the  lessee  of  the 
Peoria  &  Eastern  Railroad  (133  miles),  and  ojie;-- 
ates,  in  addition,  other  lines,  as  follows:  The 
Cairo  Division,  extending  from  Tilton,  on  tlie 
line  of  the  Wabash,  3  miles  southwest  of  Dan- 
ville, to  Cairo  (3.59  miles)-  the  Chicago  Division, 
extending  from  Kankakee  southeast  to  the 
Indiana  State  line  (34  miles) ;  the  Alton  Branch, 
from  Wann  Junction,  on  the  main  hue,  to  Alton 
(4  miles).  Be.sides  these,  it  enjoys  with  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  joint  owner- 
ship of  the  Kankakee  &  Seneca  Railroad,  which 
it  operates.  The  system  is  uniformly  of  standard 
gauge,  and  about  280  miles  are  of  double  track. 
It  is  laid  with  heavy  steel  rails  (sixty-five,  sixty- 
seven  and  eighty  jjounds),  laid  on  white  oak  ties, 
and  is  amply  ballasted  with  broken  stone  and 
gravel.  Extensive  repair  shops  are  located  at 
Mattoon.  The  total  capital  of  the  entire  system 
on  June  30,  1898 — including  capital  stock  and 
bonded  and  floating  debt— was  §97,149,361.  The 
total  earnings  in  Illinois  for  the  year  were 
$3,773, 193,  and  the  total  expenditures  in  tlie  State 
§3,611,437.  The  taxes  paid  the  same  yetir  were 
§124,196.  The  history  of  this  sy.stem,  .so  far  as 
Illinois  is  concerned,  begins  with  the  consolida- 
tion, in  1889,  of  the  Cincinnati,  Indianaix)lis,  St. 
Louis  &  Chicago,  the  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Cin- 
cinnati &  Indianapolis,  and  the  Indianapolis  & 
St.  Louis  Railway  Companies.  In  1890,  certain 
leased  lines  in  Illinois  (elsewhere  mentioned) 
were  merged  into  the  system.  (For  history  of 
the  several  divisions  of  this  system,  see  St.  Louis, 
Alton  &  Terre  Hante,  Peoria  &  Eastern,  Cairo 
A  Vinccnnes,  and  Kankakee  <&  Seneca  Railroads.) 

CLIMATOLOGY.  Extending,  as  it  does,  througli 
six  degrees  of  latitude,  Illinois  alfords  a  great 
diversity  of  climate,  as  regards  not  only  the 
range  of  temperature,  but  also  the  amount  of 
rainfall.  In  both  particulars  it  exhibits  several 
points  of  contrast  to  States  lying  between  the 
same  parallels  of  latitude,  but  nearer  the  Atlan- 
tic.    The  same  statement  ai)plies,  as  well,  to  all 


108 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  North  Central  and  the  Western  States. 
Warm  winds  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  come  up 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  impart  to  vegetation 
in  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  a  stimulat- 
ing influence  which  is  not  felt  upon  the  seaboard. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  great  barrier  to 
the  descent  of  the  Arctic  winds,  which,  in 
winter,  sweep  down  toward  the  Gulf,  depressing 
the  temperature  to  a  point  lower  than  is  custom- 
ary nearer  the  seaboard  on  the  same  latitude. 
Lake  Michigan  exerts  no  little  influence  upon  the 
climate  of  Chicago  and  other  adjacent  districts, 
mitigating  both  summer  heat  and  winter  cold. 
If  a  comparison  be  instituted  between  Ottawa 
and  Boston — tlie  latter  being  one  degree  farther 
north,  but  570  feet  nearer  the  sea-level — the 
springs  and  summers  are  found  to  be  about  five 
degrees  warmer,  and  the  winters  tla-ee  degrees 
colder,  at  the  former  point.  In  comi)aring  the 
East  and  West  in  respect  of  rainfall,  it  is  seen 
that,  in  the  former  section,  the  same  is  pretty 
equally  distributed  over  the  four  seasons,  while 
in  the  latter,  spring  and  summer  may  be  called 
the  wet  season,  and  autumn  and  winter  the  dry. 
In  the  extreme  West  nearly  three-fourths  of  the 
yearly  precipitation  occurs  during  the  growing 
season.  This  is  a  climatic  condition  higlily 
favorable  to  the  gi-owth  of  grasses,  etc.,  but 
detrimental  to  the  growth  of  trees.  Hence  we 
find  luxuriant  forests  near  the  seaboard,  and,  in 
the  interior,  grassy  plains.  Illinois  occupies  a 
geographical  position  wlaere  these  great  climatic 
changes  begin  to  manifest  themselves,  and  where 
the  distinctive  features  of  the  prairie  first  become 
fully  apparent.  The  annual  precipitation  of 
rain  is  greatest  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State, 
but,  owing  to  the  higher  temperature  of  that 
section,  the  evaporation  is  also  more  rapid.  The 
distribution  of  the  rainfall  in  respect  of  seasons 
is  also  more  unequal  toward  the  south,  a  fact 
which  may  account,  in  part  at  least,  for  the 
increased  area  of  woodlands  in  that  region. 
Wliile  Illinois  lies  within  the  zone  of  southwest 
winds,  their  flow  is  affected  by  conditions  some- 
what abnormal.  The  northeast  trades,  after 
entering  the  Gulf,  are  deflected  by  the  mountains 
of  Mexico,  becoming  inward  breezes  in  Texas, 
southerly  winds  in  the  Lower  ilississippi  Valley, 
and  south%vesterly  as  they  enter  the  Upper 
Valley.  It  is  to  this  aerial  current  that  the  hot, 
moist  smnmers  are  attributable.  The  north  and 
northwest  winds,  which  set  in  with  the  change 
of  the  season,  depress  the  temperature  to  a  point 
below  that  of  the  Atlantic  slope,  and  are 
attended  with  a  diminished  precipitation. 


CLIXTON,  the  county-seat  of  De  Witt  County, 
situated  SJi  miles  south  of  Bloomington,  at  inter- 
section of  the  Springfield  and  the  Champaign- 
Havana  Divisions  with  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Kailroad;  lies  in  a  productive  agricultural 
region;  has  machine  shops,  flour  and  planing 
mills,  brick  and  tile  works,  water  works,  electric 
lighting  plant,  piano-case  factory,  banks,  three 
newspapers,  six  churches,  and  two  public  schools. 
Population  (1890),  2.598;  (1900),  4,452. 

CLIXTO\  COUNTY,  organized  in  1824,  from 
portions  of  Washington,  Bond  and  Fayette  Coun- 
ties, and  named  in  honor  of  De  Witt  Clinton.  It 
is  situated  directly  east  of  St.  Louis,  has  an  area 
of  494  square  miles,  and  a  population  (1900)  of 
19,824.  It  is  drained  by  the  Kaskaskia  River  and 
bj'  Shoal,  Crooked,  Sugar  and  Beaver  Creeks.  Its 
geological  formation  is  similar  to  that  of  other 
counties  in  the  same  section.  Thick  layers  of 
limestone  lie  near  the  surface,  with  coal  seams 
underlying  the  same  at  varying  depths.  Tlie 
.soil  is  varied,  being  at  some  ixjints  black  and 
loamy  and  at  others  (under  timber)  decidedly 
claj-ey.  Tlie  timber  has  been  mainly  cut  for  fuel 
because  of  the  inherent  difficulties  attending 
coal-mining.  Two  railroads  cross  the  county 
from  ea.st  to  west,  but  its  trade  Ls  not  imiwrtant. 
Agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation,  corn,  wheat 
and  oats  being  the  staple  products. 

CLOri),  Xewton,  clergyman  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  180.5,  and,  in  1827, 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Waverly,  Morgan 
County,  111.,  where  he  pursued  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer,  as  well  as  a  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  also  becauje  prominent  as  a  Demo- 
cratic politician,  and  sensed  in  no  less  than  nine 
sessions  of  the  General  Assemblj-,  besides  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  of  which  he 
was  chosen  President.  He  was  first  elected 
Representative  in  the  Seventh  Assembly  (1830), 
and  afterwards  served  in  the  House  during  the 
sessions  of  the  Ninth,  Tenth,  Eleventh,  Thir- 
teenth, Fifteenth  and  Twenty-seventh,  and  as 
Senator  in  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth.  He 
was  also  Clerk  of  the  House  in  1844-45,  and, 
having  been  elected  Representative  two  years 
later,  was  chosen  Speaker  at  the  succeeding  ses- 
sion. Although  not  noted  for  any  specially 
aggressive  qualities,  his  consistency  of  character 
won  for  him  general  respect,  while  his  frequent 
elections  to  the  Legislature  prove  him  to  have 
been  a  man  of  large  influence. 

CLOWRY,  Robert  C,  Telegraph  Manager,  was 
born  in  183S;  entered  the  service  of  the  Illinois  & 
Mis-sissippi  Telegraph  Company  as  a  messenger 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


109 


boy  at  Joliet  in  1852,  became  manager  of  the 
office  at  Lockport  six  months  later,  at  Springfield 
in  1853,  and  chief  operator  at  St.  Louis  in  1854. 
Between  1859  and  '63,  he  held  highly  responsible 
positions  on  various  Western  lines,  but  the  latter 
year  was  commissioned  by  President  Lincoln 
Captain  and  Assistant  Quartermaster,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  United  States  military  lines  with 
headquarters  at  Little  Rock,  Ark. ;  was  mustered 
out  in  May,  1866,  and  immediately  appointed 
District  Superintendent  of  Western  Union  lines 
in  the  Southwest.  From  that  time  his  promotion 
was  steady  and  rapid.  In  1875  he  became 
Assistant  General  Superintendent ;  in  1878,  Assist- 
ant General  Superintendent  of  the  Central  Divi- 
sion at  Chicago:  in  1880,  succeeded  General 
Stager  as  General  Superintendent,  and,  in  1885, 
was  elected  Director,  member  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  and  Vice-President,  his  terri- 
tory extending  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific. 

COAL  AND  COAL-MIMNG.  Illinois  contains 
much  the  larger  portion  of  what  is  known  as  the 
central  coal  field,  covering  an  area  of  about 
37,000  square  miles,  and  underlying  sixtj-  coun- 
ties, in  but  forty-five  of  which,  however,  opera- 
tions are  conducted  on  a  commercial  scale.  The 
Illinois  field  contains  fifteen  distinct  seams. 
Those  available  for  commercial  mining  generally 
lie  at  considerable  depth  and  are  reached  by 
shafts.  The  coals  are  all  bituminous,  and  furnish 
an  excellent  steam-making  fuel.  Coke  is  manu- 
factured to  a  limited  extent  in  La  Salle  and  some 
of  the  southern  counties,  but  elsewhere  in  the 
State  the  coal  does  not  yield  a  good  marketable 
coke.  Neither  is  it  in  any  degree  a  good  gas 
coal,  although  used  in  some  localities  for  that 
purpose,  rather  because  of  its  abundance  than  on 
account  of  its  adaptability.  It  is  thought  that, 
with  the  increase  of  cheap  transportation  facili- 
ties, Pittsburg  coal  will  be  brought  into  the  State 
in  such  quantities  as  eventually  to  exclude  local 
coal  from  the  manufacture  of  gas.  In  the  report 
of  the  Eleventh  United  .States  Census,  the  total 
product  of  the  Illinois  coal  mines  was  given  as 
12,104.273  tons,  as  against  6,115,377  tons  reported 
by  the  Tenth  Census.  The  value  of  the  output 
was  estimated  at  §11,735,203,  or  §0.97  per  ton  at 
the  mines.  The  total  number  of  mines  was 
stated  to  be  1,072,  and  the  number  of  tons  mined 
was  nearly  equal  to  the  combined  yield  of  the 
mines  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  The  mines  are 
divided  into  two  classes,  technically  known  as 
"regular"  and  "local."  Of  the  former,  there 
were  3.58,  and  of  the  latter,  714     Tliese  35.S  regular 


mines  employed  23,934  men  and  boys,  of  wliom 
21,3.")0  worked  below  ground,  besides  an  oliice 
force  of  389,  and  paid,  in  wages,  §8,694,397.  The 
total  capital  invested  in  tliese  358  mines  was 
§17,030,351.  According  to  the  report  of  the  State 
Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  for  1898,  881  mines 
were  operated  during  the  year,  employing  35,026 
men  and  producing  18,599,299  tons  of  coal,  which 
was  1,473,459  tons  less  than  the  preceding  year — 
the  reduction  being  due  to  the  strike  of  1897. 
Five  counties  of  the  State  produced  more  than 
1,000,000  tons  each,  standing  in  tlie  following 
order:  Sangamon,  1,763,863;  St.  Clair,  1,600,752; 
Vermilion,  1,520,099;  Macoupin,  1,264,920;  La 
Salle,  1,165,490. 

COAL  CITY,  a  town  in  Grundy  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway,  29  miles 
by  rail  south-southwest  of  Joliet.  Large  coal 
mines  are  operated  here,  and  the  town  is  an  im- 
portant shipping  point  for  their  product.  It  has  a 
bank,  a  weekly  new.spaper  and  five  churches. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,672 ;  (1900),  2.007 ;  (1903),  about  3,000. 

COBB,  Emery,  capitalist,  was  born  at  Dryden, 
Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  August  20,  1831;  at  16, 
began  the  study  of  telegraphy  at  Ithaca,  later 
acted  as  operator  on  Western  New  York  lines, 
but,  in  1852,  became  manager  of  the  office  at 
Chicago,  continuing  until  1805,  the  various  com- 
panies having  meanwhile  been  consolidated  into 
the  Western  Union.  He  then  made  an  extensive 
tour  of  the  world,  and,  although  he  had  intro- 
duced the  system  of  transmitting  monej'  by 
telegraph,  he  declined  all  invitations  to  return  to 
the  key-board.  Having  made  large  investments 
in  lands  about  Kankakee,  wliere  he  now  resides, 
he  has  devoted  much  of  liis  time  to  agriculture 
and  stock-raising:  was  also,  for  many  years,  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  Presi- 
dent of  the  Short-Horn  Breeders'  Association, 
and,  for  twenty  years  (1873-93),  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 
He  has  done  much  to  improve  the  city  of  his 
adoption  by  the  erection  of  buildings,  the  con- 
struction of  electric  street-car  lines  and  the 
promotion  of  manufactures. 

COBB,  Silas  B.,  pioneer  and  real-estate  opera- 
tor, was  born  at  Montpelier,  Vt.,  Jan.  23,  1813; 
came  to  Chicago  in  1833  on  a  schooner  from  Buf- 
falo, the  voyage  occup3'ing  over  a  month.  Being 
without  means,  he  engaged  as  a  carpenter  upon  a 
building  which  James  Kinzie,  the  Indian  trader, 
was  erecting ;  later  he  erected  a  building  of  his 
own  in  which  he  started  a  harness-shop,  which 
he  conducted  successfully  for  a  number  of  years. 
He    has   since    lieen    connected  with  a  number 


no 


HISTOUICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  business  enterprises  of  a  public  character, 
including  banks,  street  and  steam  railways,  but 
his  largest  successes  have  been  achieved  in  the  line 
of  improved  real  estate,  of  which  he  is  an  exten- 
sive owner.  He  is  also  one  of  the  liberal  bene- 
factors of  the  University  of  Chicago,  "Cobb 
Lecture  Hall,"  on  the  campus  of  that  institution, 
being  the  result  of  a  contribution  of  his  amount- 
ing to  §1,50,000,    Died  in  Chicago,  April  5,  1900. 

COBDEX,  a  village  in  Union  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  42  miles  north  of  Cairo 
and  1")  miles  south  of  Carbondale.  Fruits  and 
vegetables  are  extensively  cultivated  and  shipped 
to  northern  markets.  This  region  is  well  tim- 
bered, and  Cobden  has  two  box  factories  employ- 
ing a  considerable  number  of  men;  also  has 
several  churches,  schools  and  two  weekly  papers. 
Population  (1890),  994;  (1900,)  1,034. 

COCHRAN,  William  Granville,  legislator  and 
jurist,  was  born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Nov.  13, 
1844;  brought  to  Moultrie  County,  111.,  in  1849, 
and,  at  the  age  of  17,  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers, 
serving  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  three  years 
as  a  private.  Returning  home  from  the  war,  he 
resumed  life  as  a  farmer,  but  early  in  1873  began 
merchandising  at  Lovington,  continuing  this 
business  three  years,  when  he  began  the  study  of 
law;  in  1879.  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has 
since  been  in  active  practice.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly,  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the 
Senate  in  1890,  but  was  re-elected  to  the  House 
in  1894,  and  again  in  1896.  At  the  special  session 
of  1890,  he  was  chosen  Speaker,  and  was  similarlj' 
honored  in  1895.  He  is  an  excellent  parliamen- 
tarian, clear-headed  and  just  in  his  rulings,  and 
an  able  debater.  In  June.  1897,  he  was  elected 
for  a  six  years"  term  to  the  Circuit  bench.  He  is 
also  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Soldiers'  Orphans' 
Home  at  Normal. 

CODDI>'(ii,  lohabod,  clergyman  and  anti- 
slavery  lecturer,  was  born  at  Bristol,  N.  Y..  in 
1811;  at  the  age  of  17  he  was  a  popular  temper- 
ance lecturer;  while  a  student  at  Middlebury, 
Vt. ,  began  to  lecture  in  opposition  to  slavery ; 
after  leaving  college  served  five  years  as  agent 
and  lecturer  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Society;  was 
often  exposed  to  mob  violence,  but  always  retain- 
ing his  self-control,  succeeded  in  escaping 
serious  injury.  In  1842  he  entered  the  Congrega- 
tional ministry  and  held  pastorates  at  Princeton, 
Lockport,  Joliet  and  elsewhere;  between  18.>4 
and  "58,  lectured  extensively  through  Illinois  on 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  issue,  and  was  a  power  in 


the  organization  of  the  Republican  party.     Died 
at  Baraboo.  Wis.,  June  17,  18GG. 

CODY,  Hiram  Hitchcock,  lawyer  and  Judge; 
born  in  Oneida  County,  X.  Y.,  June  11,  1824;  was 
partially  educated  at  Hamilton  College,  and,  in 
1843,  came  with  his  father  to  Kendall  Coimty, 
111.  In  1847,  he  removed  to  Naperville,  where 
for  six  }-ears  he  served  as  Clerk  of  the  County 
Commissioners'  Court.  In  18.51  he  was  admitted 
to  the  b;ir;  in  18C1,  was  elected  County  Judge 
with  practical  unanimit}',  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70,  and, 
in  1874,  w;is  elected  Judge  of  the  Twelfth  Judi- 
cial Circuit.  His  residence  (189C)  was  at  Pasa- 
dena. Cal. 

COLCHESTER,  a  <'ity  of  McDonough  County, 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Riiilroad. 
midway  between  Galesburg  and  yuincy ;  is  the 
center  of  a  rich  farming  and  an  extensive  coal- 
mining region,  producing  more  than  100.000  tons 
of  coal  annually.  A  su|)erior  quality  of  potter's 
clay  is  ako  uiineu  and  shipi)ed  extensively  to 
other  points.  The  city  has  brick  and  drain-tile 
works,  a  bank,  four  churches,  two  public  schools 
and  two  weekly  papers.  Population  (1890), 
1,643;  (1900),  1,635. 

COLES,  Edward,  the  second  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  bom  in  Albemarle  County,  Va., 
Dec.  15,  1786,  the  son  of  a  wealthy  planter,  who 
had  been  a  Colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  War; 
was  educated  at  Hampden-Sidney  and  William 
and  Mary  Colleges,  but  comjielled  to  leave  before 
graduation  by  an  accident  which  interrupted  his 
studies;  in  1809,  became  the  private  secretary  of 
President  Madison,  remaining  six  years,  after 
which  he  made  a  trip  to  Russia  as  a  special  mes- 
senger by  appointment  of  the  President.  He 
earl}-  manifested  an  interest  in  the  emancipation 
of  the  slaves  of  Virginia.  In  1815  he  made  his 
first  tour  through  the  Northwest  Territory,  going 
as  far  west  as  St.  Louis,  returning  three  j'ears 
later  and  visiting  Kaskaskia  while  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1818  was  in  session.  In 
April  of  the  following  year  he  set  out  from  his 
Virginia  home,  accompanied  by  his  slaves,  for 
Illinois,  traveling  by  wagons  to  Brownsville,  Pa., 
where,  taking  flat-boats,  he  descended  the  river 
with  his  goods  and  servants  to  a  point  below 
Louisville,  where  they  disembarked,  journeying 
overland  to  Edwardsville.  While  descending  ■ 
the  Ohio,  he  informed  his  slaves  that  thej'  were 
free,  and,  after  arriving  at  their  destination, 
gave  to  each  head  of  a  family  160  acres  of  land. 
This  generous  act  was,  in  after  years,  made  the 
ground  for  bitter  persecution  by  his  enemies.     At 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Ill 


Edwardsville  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
Register  of  the  Land  Office,  to  which  he  had 
been  appointed  by  President  IMonroe.  In  1823 
he  became  the  candidate  for  Governor  of  those 
opposed  to  removing  the  restriction  in  the  State 
Constitution  against  the  introduction  of  slavery, 
and,  although  a  majority  of  the  voters  then 
favored  the  measure,  he  was  elected  by  a  small 
plurality  over  his  highest  competitor  in  conse- 
quence of  a  division  of  the  opposition  vote 
between  three  candidates.  The  Legislature 
chosen  at  the  same  time  submitted  to  the  people 
a  proposition  for  a  State  Convention  to  revise  the 
Constitution,  which  was  rejected  at  the  election 
of  1824  by  a  majority  of  1,668  in  a  total  vote  of 
11,612.  While  Governor  Coles  had  the  efficient 
aid  in  opposition  to  the  measure  of  such  men  as 
Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Congressman  Daniel 
P.  Cook,  Morris  Birkbeck,  George  Forquer, 
Hooper  Warren,  George  Churchill  and  others,  he 
was  himself  a  most  influential  factor  in  protecting 
Illinois  from  the  blight  of  slavery,  contributing 
his  salary  for  his  entire  term  ($4,000)  to  that  end. 
In  1825  it  became  his  duty  to  welcome  La  Fay- 
ette to  Illinois.  Retiring  from  office  in  1826,  he 
continued  to  reside  some  years  on  his  farm  near 
Edwardsville,  and,  in  1830,  was  a  candidate  for 
Congress,  but  being  a  known  opponent  of  Gen- 
eral Jackson,  was  defeated  by  Joseph  Duncan. 
Previous  to  1833,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  married  during  the  following  year,  and 
continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death,  July  7, 
1868,  having  lived  to  see  the  total  extinction  of 
slavery  in  the  United  States.  (See  Slavery  mid 
Slave  Laws.) 

COLES  COUJfTY,  originally  a  part  of  Crawford 
County,  but  organized  in  1831,  and  named  in 
honor  of  Gov.  Edward  Coles.-lies  central  to  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  State,  and  embraces  520 
.square  miles,  with  a  population  (1!)00)  of  34,146. 
The  Kaskaskia  River  (sometimes  called  the 
Okaw)  runs  througli  the  nortliwestern  part  of  the 
county,  but  the  principal  stream  is  the  Embarras 
(Embraw).  The  chief  resource  of  the  people  is 
agriculture,  although  the  county  lies  within  the 
limits  of  the  Illinois  coal-belt.  To  the  north  and 
west  are  prairies,  while  timber  abounds  in  the 
southeast.  The  largest  crop  is  of  corn,  although 
wheat,  dairy  products,  potatoes,  hay,  tobacco, 
sorghum,  wool,  etc.,  are  also  important  products. 
Broom-corn  is  extensively  cultivated.  Manufac- 
turing is  carried  on  to  a  fair  extent,  the  output 
embracing  sawed  lumber,  carriages  and  wagons, 
agricultural  implements,  tobacco  and  snuff,  boots 
•ind  shoes,   etc.     Charleston,  the  county  seat,  is 


centrally  located,  and  has  a  number  of  handsome 
public  buildings,  private  residences  and  business 
blocks.  It  was  laid  out  in  1S31,  and  incorporated 
in  1865;  in  1900,  its  population  was  5,488. 
Mattoon  is  a  railroad  center,  situated  some  130 
miles  east  of  St.  Louis.  It  has  a  population  of 
9,622,  and  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
grain  and  live-stock.  Other  principal  towns  are 
Ashmore,  Oakland  and  Lerna. 

COLFAX,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on  the 
Kankakee  and  Bloomingtou  branch  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  23  miles  nortlieast  of  Blooming- 
ton.  Farming  and  stock-growing  are  the  leading 
industries;  has  two  banks,  one  newspaper,  three 
elevators,  and  a  coal  mine.     Pop.  (IIIOO).  1,153. 

COLLEGE  OF  PHYSICIANS  AXD  SURGEONS, 
located  at  Chicago,  and  organized  in  1881.  Its 
first  term  opened  in  September,  1882,  in  a  build- 
ing erected  by  the  trustees  at  a  cost  of  §60,000, 
with  a  faculty  embracing  twenty-five  professors, 
with  a  sufficient  corps  of  demonstrators,  assist- 
ants, etc.  The  number  of  matriculates  was  152. 
The  institution  ranks  among  the  leading  medical 
colleges  of  the  West.  Its  standard  of  qualifica- 
tions, for  both  matriculates  and  graduates,  is 
equal  to  those  of  other  first-class  medical  schools 
throughout  the  country.  The  teaching  faculty, 
of  late  years,  has  consisted  of  some  twenty-five 
professors,  who  are  aided  by  an  adequate  corps  of 
assistants,  demonstrators,  etc. 

COLLEGES,  EARLY.  The  early  Legislatures  of 
Illinois  manifested  no  little  unfriendliness  toward 
colleges.  The  first  charters  for  institutions  of 
this  character  were  granted  in  1833,  and  were  for 
the  incorporation  of  the  "Union  College  of  Illi- 
nois," in  Randolph  County,  and  the  "Alton  Col- 
lege of  Illinois,"  at  Upper  Alton.  The  first 
named  was  to  be  under  the  care  of  the  Scotch 
Covenanters,  but  was  never  founded.  The 
second  was  in  the  interest  of  the  Baptists,  but 
the  charter  was  not  accepted.  Both  these  acts 
contained  jealous  and  unfriendly  restrictions, 
notably  one  to  the  effect  that  no  theological 
department  should  be  established  and  no  pro- 
fessor of  theology  employed  as  an  instructor,  nor 
should  any  religious  test  be  applied  in  the  .selec- 
tion of  trustees  or  the  admission  of  pupils.  The 
friends  of  higher  education,  however,  made  com- 
mon cause,  and,  in  1835,  secured  the  passage  of 
an  "omnibus  bill"  incorporating  four  [)rivate 
colleges— the  Alton;  the  Illinois,  at  Jacksonville; 
the  McKendree,  at  Lebanon,  and  the  Jonesboro. 
Similar  restrictive  provisions  as  to  theological 
teaching  were  incorporated  in  these  charters,  and 
a  limitation   was  placed    upon    the  amount  of 


112 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


property  to  be  owned  by  any  institution,  but  in 
many  respects  the  law  was  more  liberal  than  its 
predecessors  of  two  years  previous  Owing  to 
the  absence  of  suitable  preparatory  schools,  these 
institutions  were  compelled  to  maintain  prepara- 
tory departments  under  the  tuition  of  the  college 
professors.  The  college  last  named  above  (Jones- 
boro)  was  to  have  been  founded  by  the  Christian 
denomination,  but  was  never  organized.  The 
three  remaining  ones  stand,  in  the  order  of  their 
formation,  McKendree,  Illinois,  Alton  (afterward 
Shurtleff) ;  in  the  order  of  graduating  initial 
classes  —  Illinois,  McKendree,  Shurtleff.  Pre- 
paratory instruction  began  to  be  given  in  Illinois 
College  in  1829,  and  a  class  was  organized  in  the 
collegiate  department  in  1831.  The  Legislature 
of  183.5  also  incorporated  the  Jacksonville  Female 
Academy,  the  first  school  for  girls  chartered  in 
the  State.  From  this  time  forward  colleges  and 
academies  were  incorporated  in  rapid  succession, 
many  of  them  at  places  whose  names  have  long 
since  disappeared  from  the  map  of  the  State.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  there  developed  a  strong 
party  in  favor  of  founding  what  were  termed, 
rather  euphemistically,  "llanual  Labor  Col- 
leges." It  was  believed  that  the  time  which  a 
student  might  be  able  to  "redeem"  from  study, 
could  be  so  profitably  emjjloyed  at  farm  or  shop- 
work  as  to  enable  him  to  earn  his  own  livelihood. 
Acting  upon  this  theory,  the  Legislature  of  1835 
granted  charters  to  the  "Franklin  Manual  Labor 
College,"  to  be  located  in  either  Cook  or  La  Salle 
County;  to  the  "Burnt  Prairie  Manual  Labor 
Seminary,''  in  White  Count}',  and  the  "Chatham 
Manual  Labor  School,"  at  Lick  Prairie,  Sanga- 
mon County.  University  powers  were  conferred 
upon  the  institution  last  named,  and  its  charter 
also  contained  the  somewhat  extraordinary  pro- 
vision that  any  sect  might  establish  a  professor- 
ship of  theology  therein.  In  1837  six  more 
colleges  were  incorporated,  only  one  of  which 
(Knox)  was  successfully  organized.  By  1840, 
better  and  broader  viaws  of  education  had 
developed,  and  the  Legislature  of  1841  repealed 
all  prohibition  of  the  establishing  of  theological 
departments,  as  well  as  the  restrictions  previously 
imposed  upon  the  amount  and  value  of  property 
to  be  owned  by  private  educational  institutions. 
The  whole  number  of  colleges  and  seminaries 
incoi-porated  under  the  State  law  (1896)  is  forty- 
three.  (See  also  Illinois  College,  Knox  College, 
Lake  Forest  Vnii'ersity.  McKendree  College,  Mon- 
mouth College,  Jacksonville  Female  Seminary, 
Monticello  Female  Seminary,  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, Shurtleff  College.) 


COLLIER,  Robert  Laird,  clergyman,  was  bom 
in  Salisbm-y,  Md.,  August  7,  1837;  graduated  at 
Boston  University,  1858;  soon  after  became  an 
itinerant  Methodist  minister,  but,  in  1866,  united 
with  the  UiTitarian  Church  and  officiated  as 
pastor  of  churches  in  Chicago,  Boston  and  Kan- 
sas City,  besides  supplying  pulpits  in  various 
cities  in  England  (1880-85).  In  1885,  he  was 
appointed  United  States  Consul  at  Leipsic,  but 
later  served  as  a  special  commissioner  of  the 
Johns  Hopkins  University  in  the  collection  of 
labor  statistics  in  Europe,  meanwhile  giiining  a 
wide  reputation  as  a  lecturer  and  magazine 
writer.  His  published  works  include:  "Every- 
Day  Subjects  in  Sunday  Sermons"  (1869)  and 
"Meditations  on  the  Essence  of  Christianity" 
(1876).     Died  near  ids  birthplace,  July  27,  1890. 

COLLINS,  Frederick,  manufacturer,  was  bom 
in  Connecticut,  Feb.  24,  1804.  He  was  thej'oung- 
est  of  five  brothers  who  came  with  their  parents 
from  Litchfield,  Conn  ,  to  Illinois,  in  1822,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Unionville — now  CoUins- 
ville  —  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Madison 
Countj".  They  were  enterprising  and  public- 
spirited  business  men,  %vho  engaged,  quite 
extensively  for  the  time,  in  various  branches  of 
manufacture,  including  Hour  and  whisk}-.  This 
was  an  era  of  progress  and  development,  and 
becoming  convinced  of  the  injurious  character 
of  the  latter  Itranch  of  their  business,  it  was 
promptly  abandoned.  Tlie  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  later  associated  with  liis  brother  Michael  in 
the  pork-packmg  and  grain  business  at  Naples, 
the  early  Illinois  River  terminus  of  the  Sangamon 
&  Jlorgan  (now  Wabash)  Railroad,  but  finally 
located  at  Quincy  in  1851,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  manufacturing  business  for  many  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  high  business  probity  and  religious 
principle,  as  well  as  a  determined  opponent  of  the 
institution  of  slavery,  as  shown  by  tlie  fact  that 
he  was  once  subjected  by  his  neighbors  to  the 
intended  indignity  of  being  hung  in  effigy  for  the 
crime  of  assisting  a  fugitive  female  slave  on  the 
road  to  freedom.  In  a  speech  made  in  1834,  in 
commemoration  of  the  act  of  emancipation  in  the 
West  Indies,  he  gave  utterance  to  the  following 
prediction :  "Methinks  the  time  is  not  far  distant 
when  our  own  country  will  celebrate  a  day  of 
emancipation  within  her  own  borders,  and  con 
sistent  songs  of  freedom  shall  indeed  ring 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land." 
He  lived  to  see  this  propliecy  fulfilled,  dying  at 
Quincy,  in  1878.  Mr.  ColUns  was  the  candidate  of 
the  Liberty  Men  of  Illinois  for  Lieutenant-Gov 
ernor  in  1842. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


113 


COLLIXS,  James  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Cambridge,  Washington  County,  N.  Y., 
but  taken  in  early  life  to  Vernon,  Oneida  County, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  After  spending  a 
couple  of  years  in  an  academy,  at  the  age  of  18 
he  began  the  study  of  law,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1834,  and  as  a  counsellor  and  solicitor  in 
1827,  coming  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1833,  mak- 
ing a  part  of  the  journey  by  the  first  stage-coach 
from  Detroit  to  the  present  Western  metropolis. 
After  arriving  in  Illinois,  he  spent  some  time  in 
exploration  of  the  surrounding  country,*  but 
returning  to  Chicago  in  1834,  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  Judge  John  D.  Caton,  who  had 
been  his  preceptor  in  New  York,  still  later  being 
a  partner  of  Justin  Butterfield  under  the  firm 
name  of  Butterfield  &  Collins.  He  was  con- 
sidered an  eminent  authority  in  law  and  gained 
an  extensive  practice,  being  regarded  as  espe- 
cially strong  in  chancery  cases  as  well  as  an  able 
pleader.  Politically,  he  was  an  uncompromising 
anti-slavery  man,  and  often  aided  runaway 
slaves  in  securing  their  liberty  or  defended  others 
who  did  so.  He  was  also  one  of  the  original 
promoters  of  the  old  Galena  &  Chicago  Union 
Railroad  and  one  of  its  first  Board  of  Directors. 
Died,  suddenly  of  cholera,  while  attending  court 
at  Ottawa,  in  1854. 

COLLINS,  Loren  C,  jurist,  was  born  at  Wind- 
sor, Conn.,  August  1,  1848;  at  the  age  of  18 
accompanied  his  family  to  Illinois,  and  was 
educated  at  the  Northwestern  University.  He 
read  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon 
built  up  a  remunerative  practice.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1878,  and  through 
his  ability  as  a  debater  and  a  parliamentarian, 
soon  became  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  on 
the  floor  of  the  lower  house.  He  was  re-elected 
in  1880  and  1883,  and,  in  1883,  was  chosen  Speaker 
of  the  Thirty-third  General  Assembly.  In 
December,  1884,  he  was  appointed  a  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
created  by  the  resignation  of  Judge  Barnum,  was 
elected  to  succeed  himself  in  1885,  and  re-elected 
in  1891,  but  resigned  in  1804,  since  that  time 
devoting  his  attention  to  regular  practice  in  the 
city  of  Chicago. 

COLLINS,  William  H.,  retired  manufacturer, 
born  at  CoUinsville,  III,  March  20,  1831;  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Illinois 
College,  later  taking  a  course  in  literature, 
philosophy  and  theology  at  Yale  College ;  served 
as  pastor  of  a  Congregational  church  at  La  Salle 
several  years ,  in  1858,  became  editor  and  propri- 
etor of  "Tlie  Jacksonville    Journal,"  which    he 


conducted  some  four  years.  The  Civil  War  hav- 
ing begun,  he  then  accepted  the  chaplaincy  of 
the  Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  but 
resigning  in  1863,  organized  a  company  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Volunteers,  of  which 
he  was  chosen  Captain,  participating  in  the 
battles  of  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain  and 
Missionary  Ridge.  Later  he  served  on  the  staff 
of  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer  and  at  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps  liead(iuarters,  until  after  the  fall  of 
Atlanta.  Tlien  resigning,  in  November,  1864,  he 
was  appointed  by  Secretary  Stanton  Provost- 
Marshal  for  the  Twelfth  District  of  Illinois,  con- 
tinuing in  this  service  until  the  close  of  1865, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  business 
as  head  of  the  Collins  Plow  Company  at  Quincy. 
This  business  he  conducted  successfully  some 
twenty-five  years,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Collins 
has  served  as  Alderman  and  Mayor,  ad  interim, 
of  the  city  of  Quincy ;  Representative  in  the 
Thirty-fourth  and  Thirty-fifth  General  Assem- 
blies— during  the  latter  being  chosen  to  deliver 
the  eulogy  on  Gen.  John  A.  Logan ;  was  a  promi- 
nent candidate  for  the  nomination  for  Lieutenant 
Governor  in  1888,  and  the  same  year  Republican 
candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Quincy  District; 
in  1894,  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  State 
Senator  in  Adams  County,  and,  though  a  Repub- 
lican, has  been  twice  elected  Supervisor  in  a 
strongly  Democratic  city. 

COLLINSVILLE,a  city  on  the  southern  border 
of  Madison  County,  13  miles  (by  rail)  east-north- 
east of  St.  Louis,  on  the  "Vandalia  Line"  (T.  H. 
&  I.  Ry.),  about  11  miles  south  of  Edwardsville. 
The  place  was  originally  settled  in  1817  by  four 
brothers  named  Collins  from  Litchfield,  Conn., 
who  established  a  tan-yard  and  erected  an  ox-mill 
for  grinding  corn  and  wheat  and  sawing  lumber 
The  town  was  platted  by  surviving  members  of 
this  family  in  1836  Coal-raining  is  the  principal 
industry,  and  one  or  two  mines  are  operated 
within  the  corporate  limits.  The  city  has  zinc 
works,  as  well  as  flour  mills  and  brick  and  tile 
factories,  two  building  and  loan  associations,  a 
lead  smelter,  stock  bell  factory,  electric  street 
railways,  seven  churches,  two  banks,  a  high 
school,  and  a  newsiiaper  office.  Population 
(1890),  3,498:  (1900),  4,031;  (1903,  est.),  7,500. 

COLLYEB,  Robert,  clergyman,  was  born  at 
Keighly,  Yorkshire,  England,  Dec.  8,  1823;  left 
school  at  eight  years  of  age  to  earn  his  living  in 
a  factory ;  at  fourteen  was  apprenticed  to  a  black- 
smith and  learned  the  trade  of  a  hammer-maker. 
His  only  opportunity  of  acquiring  an  education 
during  this  period,  apart  from  private  study,  was 


114 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  a  night-school,  which  he  attended  two  winters. 
In  1849  he  became  a  local  Methodist  preacher, 
came  to  the  United  States  the  ne.xt  year,  settling 
in  Penn.sylvania,  where  he  pursued  his  trade, 
preaching  on  Sundays.  His  views  on  tlie  atone- 
ment having  gradually  been  changed  towards 
Uuitarianisra,  Iiis  license  to  preach  was  revoked 
by  the  conference,  and,  iu  18."i9,  lie  united  with 
the  Unitarian  Church,  having  alreadj-  won  a 
wide  reputation  as  an  eloquent  public  speaker. 
Coming  to  Chicago,  he  began  work  as  a  mission- 
ary, and,  in  1860,  organized  the  Unity  Church, 
beginning  with  seven  members,  though  it  has 
since  become  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  influ- 
ential churches  in  the  city.  In  1879  he  accepted 
a  call  to  a  chm'ch  in  New  York  City,  wliere  he 
still  remains.  Of  strong  anti-slavery  views  and 
a  zealous  Unionist,  he  served  during  a  part  of  the 
Civil  War  as  a  camp  inspector  for  the  Sanitary 
Commission.  Since  the  war  he  has  repeatedly 
visited  England,  and  has  exerted  a  wide  influence 
as  a  lecturer  and  pulpit  orator  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic.  He  is  the  author  of  a  number  of 
volumes,  including  "Nature  and  Life"  (1860); 
"A  Man  in  Earnest:  Life  of  A.  H.  Conant"  (1868); 
"A  History  of  the  Town  and  Parish  of  likely"' 
(1886),  and  "Lectures  to  Young  Men  and  Women" 
(1886). 

COLTON,  Chauncey  Sill,  pioneer,  was  born  at 
Springfield,  Pa.,  Sept.  21,  1800;  taken  toMassaclm- 
setts  in  childhood  and  educated  at  Monson  in  that 
State,  afterwards  residing  for  many  years,  dur- 
ing his  manhood,  at  Monson,  Maine.  He  came  to 
Illinois  in  1836,  locating  on  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Galesburg,  where  he  built  the  first  store 
and  dwelling  house;  continued  in  general  mer- 
chandise some  seventeen  or  eighteen  years,  mean- 
while associating  his  sons  with  Inm  in  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  C.  S.  Colton  &  Sons.  Mr. 
Colton  was  associated  with  tlie  construction  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Raib-oad  from 
the  beginning,  becoming  one  of  the  Dii-ectors  of 
the  Company;  %vas  also  a  Director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Galesburg,  the  first  organizer 
and  first  President  of  the  Farmers"  and  Mechan- 
ics' Bank  of  that  city,  and  one  of  the  Trustees  of 
Knox  College.  Died  in  Galesburg,  July  27,  1885. 
— Fraufis  (Colton),  son  of  the  preceding;  born 
at  Monson,  Elaine,  May  24,  1834,  ca,me  to  Gales- 
burg with  his  father's  family  in  1836,  and  was 
educated  at  Knox  College,  graduating  in  1855, 
and  receiving  the  degree  of  A.M.  in  18.58,  After 
graduation,  he  was  in  partnership  with  his  father 
some  seven  years,  also  served  as  Vice-President 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Galesburg,  and.  in 


1866,  was  appointed  by  President  Johnson  United 
States  Consul  at  Venice,  remaining  there  until 
1809.  The  latter  year  he  became  the  (Jeneral 
Passenger  Agent  of  the  Union  Pacific  Kailioad, 
continuing  in  that  position  until  1871,  meantime 
visiting  China,  Japan  and  India,  and  establishing 
agencies  for  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
ways in  various  countries  of  Europe.  In  1873  lie 
succeeded  his  father  as  President  of  the  Farmers' 
and  Mechanics'  Bank  of  Galesburg,  but  retired  in 
1884,  and  the  same  year  removed  to  Washington, 
D.  e.,  wliere  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Colton  is 
a  large  land  owner  in  some  of  the  Western  States, 
especially  IC-msas  and  Nebraska. 

COLl'MBI.V,  ;;  town  of  Monroe  County,  on 
Mobile  A:  Ohio  Railroad,  15  miles  south  of  St. 
Louis;  lias  a  machine  shop,  large  flour  mill, 
brewery,  five  cigar  factories,  electric  light  plant, 
telephone  system,  stone  quarry,  five  churclies, 
and  public  school.    Pop.  (1900),  1,197 ;  (1903),  1,205. 

t'OMP.VXY  OF  THE  WEST,  THE,  a  company 
formed  iu  France,  iu  August,  1717,  to  develop 
the  resources  of  "New  France,"  in  which  the 
"Illinois  Country"  was  at  that  time  included. 
At  the  head  of  the  company  was  the  celebrated 
John  Law,  and  to  him  and  his  as,sociates  the 
French  monarch  granted  extraordinary  powers, 
both  governmental  and  commercial.  They  were 
given  the  exclusive  right  to  refine  the  precious 
metals,  iis  well  as  a  monopoly  in  the  trade  in 
tobacco  and  slaves.  Later,  the  company  became 
known  as  the  Indies,  or  East  Indies,  Companj-, 
owing  to  the  king  having  granted  them  conces- 
sions to  trade  with  the  East  Indies  and  China. 
On  Sept.  27,  1717,  the  Royal  Council  of  France 
declared  that  tlie  Illinois  Country  should  form  a 
part  of  tlie  Province  of  Louisiana ;  and,  under  the 
shrewtl  management  of  Law  and  his  associates, 
immigration  soon  increased,  as  many  as  800 
settlers  arriving  in  a  single  year.  The  directors 
of  the  company,  in  the  exercise  of  their  govern- 
mental powers,  appointed  Pierre  Duque  de  Ik)is 
briant  Governor  of  the  Illinois  District.  He 
proceeded  to  Kaskaskia,  and,  within  a  few  miles 
of  tliat  settlement,  erected  Fort  Chartres.  (See 
Fort  Chartres. )  The  policy  of  the  Indies  Company 
was  energetic,  and.  in  the  main,  wise.  Grants  of 
commons  were  made  to  various  French  villages, 
and  Caliokiii  and  Kaskaskia  steadily  grew  in  size 
and  population.  Permanent  settlers  were  given 
grants  of  land  and  agriculture  was  encouraged. 
These  grants  (which  were  allodial  in  their  char- 
acter) covered  nearly  all  the  lands  in  that  part  of 
the  American  Bottom,  lying  between  the  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Kaskaskia  Rivers.     Many  grantees 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


115 


held  their  lands  in  one  great  common  field,  each 
proprietor  contributing,  pro  rata,  to  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  surrounding  fence.  In  1721  the  Indies 
Companj-  divided  tlie  Province  of  Louisiana  into 
nine  civil  and  military  districts.  That  of  Illinois 
was  numerically  the  Seventh,  and  included  not 
only  the  southern  half  of  the  existing  State,  but 
also  an  immense  tract  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
extending  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  embrac- 
ing the  present  States  of  Missouri,  Kansas,  Iowa 
and  Nebraska,  besides  portions  of  Arkansas  and 
Colorado.  Tlie  Commandant,  witli  his  secretary 
and  the  C'ompanj''s  Commissary,  formed  the 
District  Council,  the  civil  law  being  in  force.  In 
1732,  the  Indies  Company  surrendered  its  charter, 
and  thereafter,  the  Governors  of  Illinois  were 
appointed  directly  by  the  French  crown. 

CONCORDIA  SEMIX.VRY,  an  institution  lo- 
cated at  Springfield,  founded  in  1879;  the  succes- 
sor of  an  earlier  institution  under  the  name  of 
Illinois  University.  Theological,  scientific  and 
preparatory  departments  are  maintained,  al- 
though there  is  no  classical  course.  The  insti- 
tution is  under  control  of  the  German  Lutherans. 
The  institution  reports  .512.5,000  worth  of  real 
property.  The  members  of  the  Faculty  (1898) 
are  five  in  number,  and  there  were  about  171 
students  in  attendance. 

CONDEE,  Leander  D.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Athens  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  26,  1847;  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Coles  County.  111. ,  at  the  age  of 
seven  years,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  St.  Paul's  Academy.  Kan- 
kakee, taking  a  special  course  in  Michigan  State 
University  and  graduating  from  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  latter  in  1868.  He  then  began  prac- 
tice at  Butler,  Bates  County,  Mo.,  where  he 
served  three  years  as  City  Attorney,  but,  in  1873, 
returned  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Hyde  Park  (now 
a  part  of  Chicago),  where  he  served  as  City 
Attorney  for  four  consecutive  terms  before  its 
annexation  to  Chicago.  In  1880,  he  was  elected 
as  a  Republican  to  the  State  Senate  for  the 
Second  Senatorial  District,  serving  in  the  Thirty- 
second  and  the  Thirty-third  General  Assemblie.s. 
In  1892,  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  Judge 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  but  was 
defeated  with  the  National  and  tlie  State  tickets 
of  that  year,  since  when  he  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  regular  practice,  maintaining  a  high  rank 
in  his  profession. 

CON(i!ER,  Edwin  Hurd,  lawyer  and  diploma- 
tist, was  born  in  Knox  County,  111.,  March  7,  1843; 
graduated  at  Lombard  University,  Galesburg,  in 
1862.   and  immediately  thereafter  enlisted  as  a 


private  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Second  Illinois 
Volunteers,  serving  through  the  war  and  attain- 
ing the  rank  of  Captain,  besides  being  brevetted 
Major  for  gallant  service.  Later,  he  graduated 
from  the  Albany  Law  School  and  practiced  for  a 
time  in  Galesburg,  but,  in  1808,  removed  to  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  stock-raising  and 
banking ;  was  twice  elected  County  Treasurer  of 
Dallas  County,  and,  in  1880,  State  Treasurer, 
being  re-elected  in  1882 ;  in  1886,  was  elected  to 
Congress  from  the  Des  Moines  District,  and  twice 
re-elected  (1888  and  '90),  but  before  the  close  of 
his  last  term  was  appointed  by  President  Harri- 
son Minister  to  Brazil,  serving  until  1893.  In 
1896,  he  served  as  Presidential  Elector  for  the 
State-at-large,  and,  in  1897,  was  re-appointed 
Minister  to  Brazil,  but,  in  1898,  was  transferred 
to  China,  where  (1899)  he  now  is.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded at  Rio  Janeiro  bj'  Charles  Page  Bryan  of 
Illinois. 

COXOREGATIONALISTS,  THE.  Two  Congre- 
gational ministers  —  Rev.  S.  J.  Mills  and  Rev. 
Daniel  Smith — visited  Illinois  in  1814,  and  spent 
some  time  at  Kaskaskia  and  Shawneetown,  but 
left  for  New  Orleans  without  organizing  any 
churches.  The  first  church  was  organized  at 
Mendon,  Adams  County,  in  1833,  followed  br- 
others during  the  same  year,  at  Naperville,  Jack- 
sonville and  Quincy.  By  1836,  the  number  had 
increased  to  ten.  Among  the  pioneer  ministers 
were  Jabez  Porter,  who  was  also  a  teacher  at 
Quincy,  in  1828,  and  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  in  1830, 
wlio  became  pastor  of  the  first  Quincy  church, 
followed  later  by  Revs.  Julian  M.  Sturtevant 
(afterwards  President  of  Illinois  College),  Tru- 
man M.  Post,  Edward  Beecher  and  Horatio  Foc''.. 
Other  Congregational  ministers  who  came  to  f^e 
State  at  an  early  day  were  Rev.  Salmon  Gridley, 
who  finally  located  at  St.  Louis;  Rev.  John  M. 
Ellis,  who  served  as  a  missionary  and  was  instru- 
mental in  founding  Illinois  College  and  the  Jack- 
sonville Female  Seminary  at  Jacksonville;  Rev.s. 
Thomas  Lippincott,  Cyrus  L.  Watson,  Xheron 
Baldwin,  Elisha  Jenney,  William  Kirby,  the  two 
Lovejoys  (Owen  and  Elijah  P.),  and  many  more 
of  whom,  either  temporarily  or  permanently, 
became  associated  with  Presbyterian  churches. 
Although  Illinois  College  was  under  the  united 
patronage  of  Presbyterians  and  Congregational - 
ists,  the  leading  spirits  in  its  original  establish- 
ment were  Congregationalists,  and  the  same  was 
true  of  Knox  College  at  Galesburg.  In  183,'),  at 
Big  Grove,  in  an  unoccupied  log-cabin,  was 
convened  the  first  Congregational  Council,  known 
in  the  denominational   history  of    tl:c  State  as 


116 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


that  of  Fox  River.  Since  then  some  twelve  to 
fifteen  separate  Associations  have  been  organized. 
By  1890,  the  development  of  the  denomination 
had  been  sucli  that  it  had  280  churclies,  support- 
ing 313  ministers,  with  33,126  members.  During 
that  year  the  disbursements  on  account  of  chari- 
ties and  home  extension,  by  the  Illinois  churches, 
were  nearly  81,000,000.  The  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary,  at  Chicago,  is  a  Congregational  school 
of  divinity,  its  property  holdings  being  worth 
nearly  §700,000.  "The  Advance"  (published  at 
Cliicago)  is  the  chief  denominational  organ. 
(See  also  Religious  Denominations. ) 

CONGRESSIONAL  APPORTIONMENT.  (See 
Apportionment,  Congressional;  also  Rej)resent- 
atives  in  Congress. ) 

CONKLING,  James  Cook,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  Oct.  13,  1816 ;  graduated  at  Prince- 
ton College  in  1835,  and,  after  studying  law  and 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Morristown,  N.  J.,  in 
1838,  removed  to  Springfield,  111.  Here  his  first 
business  partner  was  Cyrus  Walker,  an  eminent 
and  widely  known  lawyer  of  his  time,  while  at  a 
later  period  he  was  associated  with  Gen.  James 
Shields,  afterwards  a  soldier  of  the  Mexican  War 
and  a  United  States  Senator,  at  different  times, 
from  three  different  States.  As  an  original 
Whig,  Mr.  Conkling  early  became  associated 
with  Abraham  Lincoln,  whose  intimate  and 
trusted  friend  he  was  through  life.  It  was  to 
him  that  Mr.  Lincoln  addressed  his  celebrated 
letter,  which,  by  liis  special  request,  Mr.  Conk- 
ling read  before  the  great  Union  mass-meeting  at 
Springfield,  held,  Sept.  3,  1803,  now  known  as  the 
"Lincoln-Conkling  Letter."'  Mr,  Conkling  was 
chosen  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Springfield  in  1844, 
and  served  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Seven- 
teenth and  the  Twenty-fifth  General  Assemblies 
(1851  and  1867).  It  was  largely  due  to  his  tactful 
management  in  the  latter,  that  the  first  appropri- 
ation was  made  for  the  new  State  House,  which 
established  the  capital  permanently  in  that  city. 
At  the  Bloomington  Convention  of  1856,  where 
the  Republican  party  in  Illinois  may  be  said  to 
have  been  formally  organized,  with  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  three  otliers,  he  represented  Sangamon 
County,  served  on  the  Committee  on  Resolutions, 
and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  State  Central 
Committee  which  conducted  the  campaign  of 
that  year.  In  1860,  and  again  in  1864,  his  name 
was  on  the  Republican  State  ticket  for  Presiden- 
tial Elector,  and,  on  both  occasions,  it  became  his 
duty  to  cast  the  electoral  vote  of  Mr,  Lincoln's 
own  District  for  him  for  President.  The  intimacy 
of  personal  friendship  existing  between  him  and 


Mr.  Lincoln  was  fittingly  illustrated  by  his  posi 
tion  for  over  thirty  years  as  an  original  member 
of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association.  Other 
public  positions  lield  by  him  included  those  of 
State  Agent  during  the  Civil  War  by  appointment 
of  Governor  Yates,  Trustee  of  the  State  University 
at  Champaign,  and  of  Blackburn  University  at 
Carlinville,  as  also  that  of  Postmaster  of  the  city 
of  Springfield,  to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1890, 
continuing  in  office  four  years.  High-minded 
and  honorable,  of  pure  personal  character  and 
strong  religious  convictions,  public-spirited  and 
liberal,  probably  no  man  did  more  to  promote 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  citj'  of  Spring- 
field, during  the  sixty  years  of  his  residence  there, 
than  he.  His  death,  as  a  result  of  old  age, 
occurred  in  that  city.  March  1,  1899. —Clinton  L. 
(Conkling),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in 
Springfield,  Oct.  16,  1843;  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1864,  studied  law  with  his  father,  and 
was  licensed  to  practice  in  the  Illinois  courts  in 
IMCit!,  and  in  the  United  States  courts  in  1867. 
After  practicing  a  few  years,  he  turned  his  atten 
tion  to  manufacturing,  but,  in  1877,  resumed 
practice  and  lias  proved  successful.  He  has 
devoted  much  attention  of  late  years  to  real 
estate  business,  and  has  represented  large  land 
interests  in  this  and  other  States.  For  many 
years  lie  was  Secretary  of  the  Lincoln  Slonument 
As.sociation,  and  has  served  on  the  Board  of 
County  Supervisors,  which  is  the  onlj-  political 
office  he  has  held.  In  1897  he  was  the  Repub- 
lican nominee  for  Judge  of  the  Springfield  Cir- 
cuit, hut,  although  confessedly  a  man  of  the 
highest  probity  and  ability,  was  defeated  in  a 
district  overwhelmingly  Democratic. 

CONNOLLY,  James  Austin,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  March  8, 
1843;  went  with  his  parents  to  Ohio  in  1850, 
where,  in  1858-59,  he  served  as  Assistant  Clerk  of 
the  State  Senate:  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  that  State  iu  1861,  and  soon  after 
removed  to  Illinois;  the  following  year  (1862)  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-third  Illinois  Volunteers,  but  was 
successively  commissioned  as  Captain  and  Major, 
retiring  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  In  1873  he  was  elected  Representative 
in  the  State  Legislature  from  Coles  County  and 
re-elected  in  1874;  was  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois 
from  1876  to  1885.  and  again  from  1889  to  1893; 
in  1886  was  appointed  and  confirmed  Solicitor  of 
the  Treasury,  but  declined  the  olfice;  the  same 
year  ran  as  the  Republican  candidate  for  Con- 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


117 


gress  in  the  Springfield  (then  the  Thirteenth) 
District  in  opposition  to  Wni.  il.  Springer,  and 
was  defeated  by  less  than  1,000  votes  in  a  district 
usually  Democratic  by  3,000  majority.  He 
declined  a  second  nomination  in  188S,  but.  in  1894, 
was  nominated  for  a  third  time  (tliis  time  for  the 
Seventeenth  District),  and  was  elected,  as  he  was 
for  a  second  term  in  1896.  He  declined  a  renomina- 
tion  in  1898,  returning  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Springfield  at  the  close  of  the  Fifty-fifth 
Congress. 

CONSTABLE,  Charles  H.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Chestertown,  JId.,July  6,  1817;  educated  at  Belle 
Air  Academy  and  the  University  of  Virginia, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1838.  Then,  liaving 
studied  law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  came  to 
Illinois  early  in  1840,  locating  at  Mount  Carmel, 
Wabash  County,  and,  in  1844,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  for  the  district  composed  of  Wabash, 
Edwards  and  Waj'ne  Counties,  serving  until  1848. 
He  also  served  as  a  Delegate  in  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1847.  Originally  a  Whig,  on  the 
dissolution  of  that  party  in  1854,  he  became  a 
Democrat ;  in  18.56,  served  as  Presidential 
Elector-at-large  on  the  Buchanan  ticket  and, 
during  the  Civil  War,  was  a  pronounced  oppo- 
nent of  the  policy  of  the  Government  in  dealing 
with  secession.  Having  removed  to  Marshall, 
Clark  Count}',  in  1852,  he  continued  the  practice 
of  his  profession  there,  but  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  in  1861,  serving  until  his  death, 
which  occurred,  Oct.  9,  1865.  While  holding 
court  at  Charleston,  in  March,  1863,  Judge  Con' 
stable  was  arrested  because  of  his  release  of  four 
deserters  from  the  army,  and  the  holding  to  bail, 
on  the  charge  of  kidnaping,  of  two  Union  oflScers 
who  had  arrested  them.  He  was  subsequently 
released  by  Judge  Treat  of  the  United  States 
District  Court  at  Springfield,  but  the  aflfair  cul- 
minated In  a  riot  at  Charleston,  on  March  23,  in 
which  four  soldiers  and  three  citizens  were  killed 
outright,  and  eight  persons  were  wounded. 

CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTIONS.  Illinois 
lias  had  four  State  Conventions  called  for  the 
purpose  of  formulating  State  Constitutions.  Of 
these,  three— those  of  1818,  1847  and  1869-70— 
adopted  Constitutions  which  went  into  effect, 
while  the  instrument  framed  by  the  Convention 
of  1862  was  rejected  by  the  people.  A  synoptical 
history  of  each  will  be  found  below : 

Convention  of  1818. — In  January,  1818,  the 
Territorial  Legislature  adopted  a  resolution 
instructing  the  Delegate  in  Congress  (Hon. 
Natlianiel  Pope)  to  present  a  petition  to  Congress 
requesting  the  passage  of  an  act  authorizing  the 


people  of  Illinois  Territory  to  organize  a  State 
Government.  A  bill  to  this  effect  wa.s  intro- 
duced, April  7,  and  became  a  law,  April  18,  follow- 
ing. It  authorized  the  people  to  frame  a 
Constitution  and  organize  a  State  Government- 
apportioning  the  Delegates  to  be  elected  from 
each  of  the  fifteen  counties  into  which  the  Ter- 
ritory was  then  divided,  naming  the  first  Monday 
of  July,  following,  as  the  day  of  election,  and  the 
first  5Ionday  of  August  as  the  time  for  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Convention.  The  act  was  conditioned 
upon  a  census  of  the  people  of  tlie  Territory  (to 
be  ordered  bj-  the  Legislature) ,  showing  a  popu- 
lation of  not  less  than  40,000.  The  census,  as 
taken,  showed  the  required  population,  but,  as 
finally  corrected,  this  was  reduced  to  34,620 — 
being  the  smallest  with  which  any  State  was  ever 
admitted  into  the  Union.  The  election  took 
place  on  July  6,  1818,  and  the  Convention  assem- 
bled at  Kaskaskia  on  August  3.  It  consisted  of 
thirty-three  members.  Of  these,  a  majority  were 
farmers  of  limited  education,  but  with  a  fair 
portion  of  hard  common-sense.  Five  of  the 
Delegates  were  lawyers,  and  these  undoubtedly 
wielded  a  controlling  influence.  Jesse  B. 
Thomas  (afterwards  one  of  the  first  United 
States  Senators)  presided,  and  Elias  Kent  Kane, 
also  a  later  Senator,  was  among  the  dominating 
spirits.  It  has  been  asserted  that  to  the  latter 
should  be  ascribed  whatever  new  matter  was 
incorporated  in  the  instrument,  it  being  copied 
in  most  of  its  essential  provisions  from  the  Con- 
stitutions of  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Indiana.  The 
Convention  completed  its  labors  and  adjourned, 
August  26,  the  Constitution  was  submitted  to 
Congress  by  Delegate  John  McLean,  without  the' 
formality  of  ratification  by  the  people,  and  Illi- 
nois was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State  by 
resolution  of  Congress,  adopted  Dec.  3,  1818. 

Convention  of  1847. — An  attempt  was  made  in 
1823  to  obtain  a  revision  of  the  Constitution  of 
1818,  the  object  of  the  chief  promoters  of  the 
movement  being  to  secure  the  incorporation  of  a 
provision  autliorizing  tlie  admission  of  slavery 
into  Illinois.  The  passage  of  a  resolution,  by  the 
necessary  two-thirds  vote  of  both  Houses  of  the 
General  Assembly,  submitting  the  proposition  to 
a  vote  of  the  people,  was  secured  by  the  most 
questionable  methods,  at  the  session  of  1833,  but 
after  a  heated  campaign  of  nearly  two  years,  it 
was  rejected  at  the  election  of  1824.  (See 
Slavery  and  Slave  Laws;  also  Coles,  Edward.) 
At  the  session  of  1840-41.  another  resolution  on 
the  subject  was  submitted  to  the  people,  but  it 
was   rejected   by   the    narrow  margin   of    1.039 


118 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


votes.  Again,  in  1845,  the  question  was  submit- 
ted, and,  at  tlie  election  of  1S4G,  was  approved. 
The  election  of  delegates  occuiTed,  April  19,  184T, 
and  the  Convention  met  at  Springfield,  June  19, 
following.  It  was  composed  of  163  members, 
ninety-two  of  whom  were  Democrats.  The  list 
of  Delegates  embraced  the  names  of  many  who 
afterwards  attained  high  distinction  in  public 
affairs,  and  the  bod}',  as  a  whole,  was  represent- 
ative in  character.  The  Bill  of  Rights  attached 
to  the  Constitution  of  1818  was  but  little  changed 
in  its  successor,  except  by  a  few  additions, 
among  which  was  a  section  disqualifying  any 
person  who  had  been  concerned  in  a  duel  from 
holding  office.  The  earlier  Constitution,  how- 
ever, was  carefully  revised  and  several  important 
changes  made.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned 
the  following;  Limiting  the  elective  franchi.se 
for  foreign-born  citizens  to  those  who  liad 
become  naturalized ;  making  the  judiciary  elect- 
ive; requiring  that  all  State  officers  be  elected 
by  the  people;  changing  tlie  time  of  the  election 
of  the  Executive,  and  making  him  ineligible  for 
immediate  re-election;  various  curtailments  of 
the  power  of  the  Legislature;  imposing  a  two- 
mill  tax  for  paj'ment  of  the  State  debt,  and  pro- 
viding for  the  establishment  of  a  sinking  fund. 
The  Constitution  framed  was  adopted  in  conven- 
tion, August  31,  1847;  ratified  by  popular  vote, 
March  6,  1848,  and  went  into  effect,  April  1,  1848. 
CONVENTIO.\  OF  1863. —The  proposition  for 
holding  a  third  Constitutional  Convention  was 
submitted  to  vote  of  the  people  by  the  Legislature 
of  18.59,  endorsed  at  the  election  of  1860,  and  the 
election  of  Delegates  held  in  November,  1861.  In 
the  excitement  attendant  upon  the  early  events 
of  the  war,  people  paid  comparatively  little 
attention  to  the  choice  of  its  members.  It  was 
composed  of  forty-five  Democrats,  twenty-one 
Republicans,  seven  "fusionists"  and  two  classed 
as  doubtful.  The  Convention  assembled  at 
Springfield  on  Jan.  7,  1863,  and  remained  in  ses- 
sion until  March  34,  following.  It  was  in  many 
respects  a  remarkable  body.  The  law  providing 
for  its  existence  prescribed  that  the  meml>ers. 
before  proceeding  to  business,  should  take  an 
oath  to  support  the  State  Constitution.  This  the 
majority  refused  to  do.  Their  conception  of 
their  powers  was  such  that  they  seriously  deliber- 
ated upon  electing  a  United  States  Senator, 
assumed  to  make  appropriations  from  the  State 
treasury,  claimed  the  right  to  interfere  with 
military  affairs,  and  called  upon  the  Governor 
for  information  concerning  claims  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  which  the  Executive  refused  to 


lay  before  them.  The  instrument  drafted  pro- 
posed numerous  important  changes  in  the  organic 
law,  and  was  generally  regarded  as  objectionable. 
It  was  rejected  at  an  election  held,  June  17,  1863, 
by  a  majority  of  over  16,000  votes 

Convention  of  1869-70.— The  second  attempt 
to  revise  the  Constitution  of  1848  resulted  in 
submission  to  the  people,  by  the  Legislature  of 
18()7,  of  a  proposition  for  a  Convention,  which  was 
approved  at  the  election  of  1868  by  a  bare  major- 
ity of  704  votes.  The  election  of  Delegates  was 
provided  for  at  the  next  session  (1869),  the  elec- 
tion held  in  November  and  the  Convention 
assembled  at  Springfield,  Dec.  13.  Charles 
Hitchcock  was  chosen  President,  John  Q.  Har- 
mon, Secretary,  and  Daniel  Shepard  and  A.  II. 
Swain,  First  and  Second  Assistants.  There  were 
eighty-five  members,  of  wliom  forty-four  were 
Republicans  and  forty-one  Democrats,  although 
fifteen  had  Ijeen  elected  nominally  as  "Independ- 
ents." It  was  an  assemblage  of  some  of  the 
ablest  men  of  the  State,  including  representatives 
of  all  the  learned  professions  except  the  clerical, 
besides  merchants,  farmers,  bankers  and  journal- 
ists. Its  work  was  completed  May  13,  1870,  and 
in  the  main  good.  Some  of  the  principal  changes 
made  in  the  fundamental  law,  as  proixised  by  the 
Convention,  were  the  following:  The  prohibi- 
tion of  special  legislation  where  a  general  law 
may  be  made  to  cover  the  necessities  of  the  case, 
and  the  absolute  prohibition  of  such  legislation 
in  reference  to  divorces,  lotteries  and  a  score  of 
other  matters;  prohibition  of  the  pa.s.sage  of  anj' 
law  relejising  any  civil  division  (district,  county, 
city,  township  or  town)  from  the  pa3'ment  of  its 
just  proportion  of  any  State  tax;  recommenda- 
tions to  the  Legislature  to  enact  laws  upon 
certain  specified  subjects,  such  as  liberal  home- 
stead and  exempticm  rights,  the  construction  of 
ilrains.  the  regulation  of  charges  on  railways 
(which  were  declared  to  be  public  highways), 
etc.,  etc. ;  declaring  all  elevators  and  storehouses 
I)ublic  warehou.ses,  and  providing  for  their  legis- 
lative inspection  and  supervision.  The  mainte- 
nance of  an  "efficient  system  of  public  schools" 
was  made  obligatory  upon  the  Legislature,  and 
the  appropriation  of  any  funds — State,  municipal, 
town  or  district  —  to  the  support  of  sectarian 
schools  was  prohibited.  The  principle  of  cuniu 
lative  voting,  or  "minority  representation,"  in 
the  choice  of  members  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives was  provided  for,  and  additional  safe 
guards  thrown  around  the  passage  of  bills.  The 
ineligibility  of  the  Governor  to  re-election  for  a 
second  consecutive  term   was  set  aside,  and  a 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


119 


two-thirds  vote  of  the  Legislature  made  necessary 
to  override  an  executive  veto.  The  list  of  State 
officers  was  increased  by  the  creation  of  the 
offices  of  Attorney-General  and  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  these  having  been  previ- 
ously provided  for  only  by  statute.  The  Supreme 
Court  bench  was  increased  by  the  addition  of 
four  members,  making  the  whole  number  of 
Supreme  Court  judges  seven;  Appellate  Courts 
authorized  after  1874,  and  County  Courts  were 
made  courts  of  record.  The  compensation  of  all 
State  officers — executive,  judicial  and  legislative 
■ — was  left  discretionary  with  the  Legislature, 
and  no  limit  was  placed  upon  the  length  of  the 
sessions  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  instru- 
ment drafted  by  the  Convention  was  ratified  at 
an  election  held,  July  6,  1870,  and  went  into  force, 
August  8,  following.  Occasional  amendments 
have  been  submitted  and  ratified  from  time  to 
time.  (See  Constitutwiis.  Elections  and  Repre- 
sentafion;  also  Minority  Re2)re.'<entation.) 

COXSTITUTIOXS.  Illinois  has  had  three  con- 
stitutions— that  of  1870  being  now  (1898)  in  force. 
The  earliest  instrument  was  that  approved  by 
Congress  in  1818,  and  the  first  revision  was  made 
in  1847 — the  Constitution  having  been  ratified  at 
an  election  held,  March  5,  1848,  and  going  into 
force,  April  1,  following.  The  term  of  State 
officers  has  been  uniformly  fixed  at  four  years, 
except  that  of  Treasurer,  which  is  two  years. 
Biennial  elections  and  sessions  of  the  General 
Assembly  are  provided  for,  Senators  holding  their 
seats  for  four  years,  and  Representatives  two 
}ears.  The  State  is  required  to  be  apportioned 
after  each  decennial  census  into  fifty-one  dis- 
tricts, each  of  which  elects  one  Senator  and  three 
Representatives.  The  principle  of  minority  rep- 
resentation has  been  incorporated  into  the 
organic  law,  each  elector  being  allowed  to  cast  as 
many  votes  for  one  legislative  candidate  as  there 
are  Representatives  to  be  chosen  in  his  district; 
or  ho  may  divide  his  vote  equally  among  all  the 
three  candidates  or  between  two  of  them,  as  he 
may  see  fit.  One  of  the  provisions  of  the  Consti- 
tution of  1870  is  the  inhibition  of  the  General 
Assembly  from  passing  private  laws.  Munici- 
])alities  are  classified,  and  legislation  is  for  all 
cities  of  a  class,  not  for  an  individual  corpora- 
tion. Individual  citizens  with  a  financial  griev- 
ance must  secure  payment  of  their  claims  under 
the  terms  of  some  general  appropriation.  The 
sessions  of  the  Legislature  are  not  limited  as  to 
time,  nor  is  there  any  restriction  upon  the  power 
of  the  Executive  to  summon  extra  se.ssions. 
(See  also  Constitutional  Conventions;  Elections; 


Governors  and  other  State  Officers;  Judicial 
System;  Suffrage,  Etc.) 

COOK,  Burton  C,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  in  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  May  11,  1819; 
completed  his  academic  education  at  the  Collegi- 
ate Institute  in  Rochester,  and  after  studying 
law,  removed  to  Illinois  (}835),  locating  first  at 
Hennepin  and  later  at  Ottawa.  Here  he  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and,  in  1846,  was 
elected  by  the  Legislature  State's  Attorney  for 
the  Ninth  Judicial  District,  serving  two  j-ears, 
when,  in  1848,  he  was  re-elected  by  the  people 
under  the  Constitution  of  that  year,  for  four 
years.  From  18.)2  to  1800,  he  was  State  Senator, 
taking  part  in  the  election  which  resulted  in 
making  Lyman  Trumbull  United  States  Senator 
in  18.55.  In  1861  he  served  as  one  of  the  Peace 
Commissioners  from  Illinois  in  the  Conference 
which  met  at  Washington.  He  may  be  called 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Republican  party  in 
this  State,  having  been  a  member  of  the  State 
Central  Committee  appointed  at  Bloomington  in 
18.56,  and  Chairman  of  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1862.  In  1804,  lie  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, and  re-elected  in  1866,  '08  and  '70.  but 
resigned  in  1871  to  accept  the  .solicitorsliip  of  the 
Northwestern  Railroad,  which  he  resigned  in 
1886.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  serving  as  a  delegate  to  both  the  National 
Conventions  which  nominated  him  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  presenting  his  name  at  Baltimore  in 
1864.  His  death  occurred  at  Evanston,  August 
18,  1894. 

COOK,  Daniel  Pope,  early  Congressman,  was 
born  in  Scott  County,  Ky.,  in  179.5,  removed  to 
Illinois  and  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Kaskas- 
kia  in  1815.  Early  in  18113,  he  became  joint  owner 
and  editor  of  "The  Illinois  Intelligencer,'  and  at 
the  same  time  served  as  Auditor  of  Public 
Accounts  by  appointment  of  Governor  Edwards; 
the  next  year  (1817)  was  sent  by  President  Mon- 
roe as  bearer  of  dispatches  to  John  Quiucy  Adams, 
then  minister  to  London,  and,  on  Ids  return,  was 
appointed  a  Circuit  Judge.  On  the  admission  of 
the  State  he  was  elected  the  first  Attorney- 
General,  but  almost  immediately  resigned  and, 
in  September,  1819,  was  elected  to  Congress,  serv- 
ing as  Representative  until  1827.  Having  married 
a  daughter  of  Governor  Edwards,  he  became  a 
resident  of  Edwardsville.  He  was  a  conspicuous 
opponent  of  the  |)roposition  to  make  Illinois  a 
slave  State  in  1823-24,  and  did  much  to  prevent 
the  success  of  that  scheme.  He  also  bore  a 
prominent  part  while  in  Congress  in  securing  the 
donation  of  lands   for  the  construction   of  the 


120 


HISTOraCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  He  was  distinguished 
for  his  eloquence,  and  it  was  during  his  first 
Congressional  campaign  that  stump-speaking  was 
introduced  into  the  State.  Suffering  from 
consumption,  he  visited  Cuba,  and,  after  return- 
ing to  his  home  at  Edwardsville  and  failing  to 
improve,  he  went  to  Kentuckj-,  where  he  died, 
Oct.  16,  1837.— John  (Cook),  soldier,  born  at 
Edwardsville,  111.,  June  12,  1825,  the  son  of 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  the  second  Congressman  from 
Illinois,  and  grandson  of  Gov.  Ninian  Edwards, 
was  educated  by  private  tutors  and  at  Illinois 
College ;  in  1855  was  elected  Mayor  of  Springfield 
and  the  following  year  Slieriff  of  Sangamon 
County,  later  serving  as  Quartermaster  of  the 
State.  Raising  a  company  promptly  after  the 
firing  on  Fort  Sumter  in  18G1,  he  was  commis- 
sioned Colonel  of  the  Seventh  Illinois  Volunteers 
— the  first  regiment  organized  in  Illinois  under 
the  first  call  for  troops  by  President  Lincoln ;  was 
promoted  Brigadier-General  for  gallantry  at  Fort 
Donelson  in  Marcli,  18G2;  in  1864  commanded  the 
District  of  Illinois,  with  headquarters  at  Spring- 
field, being  mustered  out,  August,  1865,  with  the 
brevet  rank  of  Major-General.  General  Cook  was 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly from  Sangamon  County,  in  1868.  During 
recent  years  his  home  has  been  in  Michigan. 

COOK  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  northeastern 
section  of  the  State,  bortlering  on  Lake  Michigan, 
and  being  the  most  easterly  of  the  second  tier  of 
counties  south  of  the  Wisconsin  State  line.  It 
has  an  area  of  890  square  miles ;  population  (1890). 
1,191,922;  (1900),  1,838,735;  county-seat,  Chicago. 
The  county  was  organized  in  1831,  having  origi- 
nally embraced  the  counties  of  Du  Page,  Will, 
Lake,  McHenry  and  Iroquois,  in  addition  to  its 
present  territorial  limits.  It  was  named  in 
honor  of  Daniel  P.  Cook,  a  distinguished  Repre- 
sentative of  Illinois  in  Congress.  (See  Cuok, 
Daniel  P. )  The  first  County  Commissioners  were 
Samuel  Miller,  Gholson  Kercheval  and  James 
Walker,  who  took  the  oath  of  ofiice  before  Justice 
John  S.  C.  Hogan,  on  March  8,  1831.  William 
Lee  was  appointed  Clerk  and  Archibald  Ch-bourne 
Treasurer.  Jedediah  Wormley  was  first  County 
Surveyor,  and  three  election  districts  (Chicago, 
Du  Page  and  Hickory  Creek)  were  created.  A 
scow  ferry  was  established  across  the  Soutli 
Branch,  with  Mark  Beaubien  as  ferryman.  Only 
non-residents  were  required  to  pay  toll.  Geolo- 
gists are  of  the  opinion  that,  previous  to  the 
glacial  epoch,  a  large  portion  of  the  county  lay 
under  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan,  which  was 
connected  with  the  Mississippi  by  the  Des  Plaines 


River.  This  tlieory  is  borne  out  by  the  finding 
of  stratified  beds  of  coal  and  gravel  in  the  eastern 
and  southern  portions  of  the  county,  either  under- 
lying the  prairies  or  assuming  the  form  of  ridges. 
The  latter,  geologi.sts  maintain,  indicate  tlie  exist- 
ence of  an  ancient  key,  and  they  conclude  that, 
at  one  time,  the  level  of  the  lake  was  nearly  forty 
feet  higher  than  at  present.  Glacial  action  is 
believed  to  have  been  very  effective  in  establish- 
ing surface  conditions  in  this  vicinity.  Lime- 
stone and  building  stone  are  quarried  in  tolerable 
abundance.  Athens  marble  (white  when  taken 
out,  but  growing  a  rich  yellow  through  exp(5sure) 
is  found  in  the  southwest.  Isolated  beds  of  peat 
have  also  been  found.  The  general  surface  is 
level,  although  undulating  in  some  portions.  The 
soil  near  the  lake  is  sandy,  but  in  the  interior 
becomes  a  black  mold  from  one  to  four  feet  in 
depth.  Drainage  is  afforded  by  the  Des  PLiines, 
Chicago  and  Calumet  Rivers,  which  is  now  being 
improved  by  the  construction  of  the  Drainage 
Canal.  Manufactures  and  agriculture  are  the 
principal  indu.stries  outside  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago.    (See  also  Chicago.) 

COOK  COUMY  HOSPITAL,  located  in  Chi- 
cago and  under  control  of  the  Commissioners  of 
Cook  County.  It  was  originally  erected  by  the 
City  of  Chicago,  at  a  cost  of  §80,000,  and  was 
intended  to  be  used  as  a  hospital  for  patients 
suffering  from  infectiou-s  diseases.  For  several 
years  the  building  was  unoccupied,  but,  in  1858, 
it  was  leased  by  an  association  of  physicians,  who 
opened  a  hospital,  with  the  further  purpose  of 
affording  facilities  for  clinical  instruction  to  the 
students  of  Rush  Medical  College.  In  1803  the 
building  was  taken  by  the  General  Government 
for  military  purposes,  being  used  as  an  eye  and 
ear  hospital  for  returning  soldiers.  In  1865  it 
reverted  to  the  City  of  Chicago,  and,  in  1866,  was 
purchased  by  Cook  County.  In  1874  the  County 
Commissioners  purchased  a  new  and  more  spa- 
cious site  at  acost  of  §145,000,  and  began  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  thereon.  The  two  principal 
pavilions  were  completed  and  occupied  before  tlie 
close  of  1875;  the  clinical  amphitlieater  and 
connecting  corridors  were  built  in  1876-77,  and  an 
administrative  building  and  two  additional 
pavilions  were  added  in  1882-84.  Up  to  that  date 
the  total  cost  of  the  buildings  had  been  §719,574, 
and  later  additions  and  improvements  have 
swelled  the  outlay  to  more  than  §1,000.000.  It 
accommodates  about  800  ])atients  and  constitutes 
a  part  of  the  county  machinery  for  the  care  of 
the  poor.  A  certain  number  of  beds  are  placed 
under  the  care  of  homeopathic  physicians.     The 


r-. 
O 


ALONG    SIUnaUAN    KUAli    AM'    ON    Till-:    BOL'LEVAHDS. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


121 


present  (1806)  allopathic  medical  staff  consists  of 
fifteen  physicians,  fifteen  surgeons,  one  oculist 
and  aurist  and  one  pathologist ;  the  liomeopathic 
staff  comprises  five  physicians  and  five  surgeons. 
In  addition,  there  is  a  large  corps  of  internes,  or 
liouse  physicians  and  surgeons,  composed  of 
recent  graduates  from  the  several  medical  col- 
leges, who  gain  their  positions  through  competi- 
tive examination  and  hold  them  for  eighteen 
montlis. 

COOKE,  Edward  Dean,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, born  in  Dubuque  County,  Iowa,  Oct.  17, 
1849;  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
the  high  school  of  Dubuque ;  studied  law  in  that 
citj"  and  at  Columbian  University,  Washington, 
DC.  graduating  from  that  institution  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Washington  in  1873.  Coming  to  Chi- 
cago the  same  year,  he  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  which  he  pursued  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  In  1882  he  was  elected  a 
Representative  in  the  State  Legislature  from 
Cook  County,  serving  one  term ;  was  elected  as  a 
Republican  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  for  the 
Sixth  District  (Chicago),  in  1894,  and  re-elected  in 
1896.  His  death  occurred  suddenly  while  in 
attendance  on  the  extra  session  of  Congress  in 
Washington,  June  24,  1897. 

COOLBAUGH,  William  Findlay,  financier,  was 
born  in  Pike  County,  Pa.,  July  1,  1821;  at  the 
age  of  15  became  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  in 
Philadelphia,  but,  in  1842,  opened  a  branch 
establishment  of  a  New  York  firm  at  Burlington, 
Iowa,  where  he  afterwards  engaged  in  the  bank- 
ing business,  also  serving  in  the  Iowa  State 
Constitutional  Convention,  and,  as  the  candidate 
of  his  party  for  United  States  Senator,  being 
defeated  by  Hon.  James  Harlan  by  one  vote.  In 
1862  he  came  to  Chicago  and  opened  the  banking 
house  of  W.  F.  Coolbaugh  &  Co. ,  which,  in  1865, 
became  the  Union  National  Bank  of  Chicago. 
Later  he  became  the  first  President  of  the  Chi- 
cago Clearing  House,  as  also  of  the  Bankers' 
Association  of  the  West  and  South,  a  Director  of 
the  Board  of  Trade,  and  an  original  incorporator 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  besides  being  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1869-70.  His  death  by  suicide,  at  the  foot  of 
Douglas  Monument,  Nov.  14,  1877,  was  a  shook  to 
tlie  whole  city  of  Chicago. 

COOLEY,  Horace  S.,  Secretary  of  State,  was 
born  in  Hartford.  Conn.,  in  1806,  studied  medi- 
cine for  two  years  in  early  life,  then  went  to  Ban- 
gor. Maine,  where  he  began  the  study  of  law ;  in 
1840  he  came  to  Illinois,  locating  fir.st  at  Rushville 


and  finally  in  the  city  of  Quincy ;  in  1842  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  campaign  which  resulted 
in  the  election  of  Thomas  Ford  as  Governor— also 
received  from  Governor  Carlin  an  appointment  as 
Quartermaster-General  of  the  State.  On  the 
accession  of  Governor  French  in  December,  1846, 
he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State  and  elected 
to  the  same  office  under  the  Constitution  of  1848. 
dying  before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  April  2, 
1850. 

COEBUS,  (Dr.)  J.  C,  pliysician,  was  born  in 
Holmes  County,  Ohio,  in  1833,  received  his  pri 
mary  education  in  the  public  schools,  followed 
by  an  academic  course,  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  Millersburg,  finally  graduating  from 
the  Western  Reserve  Medical  College  at  Cleve- 
land. In  1855  he  began  practice  at  Orville,  Ohio, 
but  the  same  j'ear  located  at  Mendota,  111.,  soon 
thereafter  removing  to  Lee  Countj-,  where  he 
remained  until  1862.  Tlie  latter  year  he  was 
appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Seventy-fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  was  soon  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  Surgeon,  though  com- 
pelled to  resign  the  following  year  on  account  of 
ill  health.  Returning  from  the  army,  he  located 
at  Mendota.  Dr.  Corbus  served  continuously  as  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Public  Charities 
from  1873  until  the  acce.ssion  of  Governor  Altgeld 
to  the  Governorship  in  1893,  when  he  resigned. 
He  was  also,  for  fifteen  years,  one  of  the  Medical 
Examiners  for  his  District  under  the  Pension 
Bureau,  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Republican  State  Central  Committee  for  the 
Mendota  District.  In  1897  he  was  complimented 
by  Governor  Tanner  by  reappointment  to  the 
State  Board  of  Cliarities,  and  was  made  President 
of  the  Board.  Early  in  1899  he  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  the  Eastern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Kankakee,  as  successor  to  Dr.  William 
G.  Stearns. 

CORNELL,  Paul,  real-estate  operator  and  capi- 
talist, was  born  of  English  Quaker  ancestry  in 
Wasliington  County,  N.  Y.,  August  5,  1822;  at  9 
years  of  age  removed  with  his  step-father.  Dr. 
Barry,  to  Ohio,  and  five  years  later  to  Adams 
County,  111.  Here  young  Cornell  lived  the  life  of 
a  farmer,  working  part  of  the  year  to  earn  money 
to  send  himself  to  school  the  remainder;  also 
taught  for  a  time,  then  entered  the  office  of  W.  A. 
Richardson,  at  Rushville,  Sclmyler  County,  as  a 
law  student.  In  1845  he  came  to  Chicago,  but 
soon  after  became  a  student  in  the  law  office  of 
Wilson  &  Henderson  at  Joliet,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  that  city.  Removing  to  Chicago  in 
1847,  he  was  associated ,  successively,  with  the  late. 


122 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Judge  James  H.  Collins  .and 
Messrs.  Skinner  &  Hoyne ;  finally  entered  into  a 
contract  with  Judge  Skinner  to  perfect  the  title  to 
320  acres  of  land  held  under  tax-title  within  the 
present  limits  of  Hyde  Park,  which  he  succeeded 
in  doing  by  visiting  the  original  owners,  thereby 
securing  one-half  of  the  property  in  his  own 
name.  He  thus  became  the  founder  of  the  village 
of  Hyde  Park,  meanwhile  adding  to  his  posses- 
sions other  lands,  which  increased  vastly  in  value. 
He  also  established  a  watch  factory  at  Cornell 
(now  a  part  of  Cliicago),  which  did  a  large  busi- 
ness until  removed  to  California.  Mr.  Cornell 
was  a  member  of  the  first  Park  Board,  and  there- 
fore has  the  credit  of  assisting  to  organize  Chi- 
cago's extensive  park  system. 

CORWIX,  Franklin,  Congressman,  was  born  at 
Lebanon,  Ohio,  Jan.  13,  1818,  and  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  the  age  of  21.  While  a  resident  of  Ohio  he 
served  in  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature,  and 
settled  in  Illinois  in  1857,  making  his  home  at 
Peru.  He  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of 
the  Twenty-fom-th,  Twenty-fifth  and  Twenty- 
sixth  General  Assemblies,  being  Speaker  in  18G7, 
and  again  in  1869.  In  18T2  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  as  a  Republican,  but,  in  1874,  was 
defeated  by  Alexander  Campbell,  who  made  the 
race  as  an  Independent.  Died,  at  Peru,  111.,  June 
15,  1879. 

COUCH,  James,  pioneer  hotel-keeper,  was  born 
at  Fort  Edward,  N.  Y. ,  August  31,  1800;  removed 
to  Chautauqua  County,  in  the  same  State,  where 
he  remained  until  his  twentieth  year,  receiving  a 
fair  English  education.  After  engaging  succes- 
sively, but  with  indififereut  success,  as  hotel-clerk, 
stage-house  keeper,  lumber-dealer,  and  in  the  dis- 
tilling business,  in  1836,  in  company  with  his 
younger  brother,  Ira,  he  visited  Chicago.  They 
both  decided  to  go  into  business  there,  first  open- 
ing a  small  store,  and  later  entering  upon  their 
hotel  ventures  which  proved  so  eminently  suc- 
cessful, and  gave  the  Tremont  House  of  Chicago 
so  wide  and  enviable  a  reputation.  Mr.  Couch 
superintended  for  his  brother  Ira  the  erection,  at 
various  times,  of  many  large  business  blocks  in 
the  city.  Upon  the  death  of  his  brother,  in  1857, 
he  was  made  one  of  the  trustees  of  his  estate,  and, 
with  other  trustees,  rebuilt  the  Tremont  House 
after  the  Chicago  fire  of  1871.  In  April,  1892, 
while  boarding  a  street  car  in  the  central  part  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  he  was  run  over  by  a  truck, 
receiving  injuries  which  resulted  in  his  death 
the  same  day  at  the  Tremont  House,  in  the  92d 
year  of  his  age. — Ira  (Couch),  younger  brother  of 
the   preceding,    was   born   in   Saratoga    County, 


N.  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1806.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  tailor,  and,  in  1826,  set  up 
in  busine.ss  on  his  own  account.  In  1836,  while 
visiting  Chicago  with  his  brother  James,  he 
determined  to  go  into  business  there.  With  a 
stock  of  furnishing  goods  and  tailors'  supplies, 
newly  bought  in  New  York,  a  small  store  was 
opene<i.  This  business  soon  disposed  of,  Mr. 
Couch,  with  his  brother,  obtained  a  lease  of  the 
old  Tremont  House,  then  a  low  frame  building 
kept  as  a  sjiloon  boarding  house.  Changed  and 
refurnished,  this  was  opened  as  a  hotel.  It  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1839,  as  was  also  the  larger 
rebuilt  structure  in  1849.  A  second  time  rebuilt, 
and  on  a  much  larger  and  grander  scale  at  a  cost 
of  .?75,00().  surpassing  anything  the  West  had  ever 
known  before,  the  Tremont  House  this  time  stood 
until  the  Chicago  fire  in  1871,  when  it  was  again 
destroyed.  Mr.  Couch  at  all  times  enjoyed  an 
immense  patronage,  and  was  able  to  accumulate 
(for  that  time)  a  large  fortune.  He  purchased 
and  improved  a  large  number  of  business  blocks, 
then  within  the  business  center  of  the  city.  In 
1853  he  retired  from  active  business,  and,  in  con- 
sequence of  impaired  health,  chose  for  the  rest  of 
his  life  to  seek  recreation  in  travel.  In  the 
winter  of  1857,  while  with  his  family  in 
Havana,  Cuba,  he  was  taken  with  a  fever  which 
soon  ended  his  life.  His  remains  now  rest  in  a 
mausoleum  of  masonry  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chi- 
cago. 

COCLTERVILLE,a  town  of  Randolph  County, 
at  the  crossing  of  the  Centralia  &  Chester  and 
the  St.  Louis  «S:  Paducah  branch  Illinois  Central 
Railways,  49  miles  southeast  of  St.  Louis.  Farm- 
ing and  coal-mining  are  the  leading  industries. 
The  town  has  two  banks,  two  creameries,  and  a 
newspaper      Population  (1890),  598;   (1900),  650. 

COINTIES,  rXORGANIZED.  (See  Unorgan- 
ized Cotuitics.) 

COWDEN,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwest- 
em  and  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western  Rail- 
ways, 60  miles  southeast  of  Springfield.  Con- 
siderable coal  is  mined  in  the  vicinity;  has  a 
bank  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1880), 
350;  (1890),  702;  (1900),  751. 

COWLES,  Alfred,  newspaper  manager,  was 
born  in  Portage  Count}-,  Ohio,  May  13,  1832,  grew 
up  on  a  farm  and,  after  spending  some  time  at 
Michigan  University,  entered  the  office  of  "The 
Cleveland  Leader"  as  a  clerk;  in  1855  accepted  a 
similar  position  on  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  which 
had  just  been  bought  by  Joseph  Medill  and 
others,  finally  becoming  a  stockholder  and  busi- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


123 


ness  manager  of  the  paper,  so  remaining  until  his 
death  in  Chicago,  Dec.  20,  1889. 

COX,  Thomas,  pioneer.  Senator  in  the  First 
General  Assembly  of  Illinois  (1818-32)  from  Union 
County,  and  a  conspicuous  figure  in  early  State 
history ;  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  the  policy  of 
making  Illinois  a  slave  State ;  became  one  of  the 
original  proprietors  and  founders  of  the  city  of 
Springfield,  and  was  appointed  the  first  Register 
of  the  Land  Office  there,  but  was  removed  under 
charges  of  misconduct ;  after  his  retirement  from 
the  Land  Office,  kept  a  hotel  at  Springfield.  In 
1830  he  removed  to  Iowa  (then  a  part  of  Wiscon- 
sin Ten-itory),  became  a  member  of  the  first 
Territorial  Legislatiu-e  there,  was  twice  re-elected 
and  once  Speaker  of  the  House,  being  prominent 
in  1840  as  commander  of  the  "Regulators"  who 
drove  out  a  gang  of  murderers  and  desperadoes 
who  had  got  possession  at  Bellevue,  Iowa.  Died, 
at  Maquoketa,  Iowa,  1843. 

COY,  Irus,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  25,  1832;  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Central  College,  Cortland 
County,  N.  Y.,  graduating  in  law  at  Albany  in 
1857.  Then,  having  removed  to  Illinois,  he 
located  in  Kendall  County  and  began  practice ;  in 
1868  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  and,  in  1872,  served  as  Presidential 
Elector  on  the  Republican  ticket;  removed  to 
Chicago  in  1871,  later  serving  as  attorney  of  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  and  Transit  Company.  Died, 
in  Chicago,  Sept.  20,  1897. 

CKAFTS,  Clayton  E.,  legislator  and  ijolitician, 
born  at  Auburn,  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  July  8, 
1848 ;  was  educated  at  Hiram  College  and  gradu- 
ated from  the  Cleveland  Law  School  in  1868, 
coming  to  Chicago  in  1869.  Mr.  Crafts  served  in 
seven  consecutive  sessions  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly (1883-95,  inclusive)  as  Representative  from 
Cook  County,  and  was  elected  by  the  Democratic 
majority  as  Syieaker,  in  1891,  and  again  in  '93. 

CRAKi,  Alfred  M.,  jurist,  was  born  in  Edgar 
County,  111.,  Jan.  15,  1831,  graduated  from  Knox 
College  in  1853,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
the  following  year,  commencing  practice  at 
Knoxville.  He  held  the  offices  of  State's 
Attorney  and  County  Judge,  and  represented 
Knox  County  in  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1869-70.  In  1873  he  was  elected  to  the  bench 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  as  successor  to  Justice 
C.  B.  Lawrence,  and  was  re-elected  in  '82  and 
'91 ;  his  present  term  expiring  with  the  century. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  has  been 
three  times  elected  in  a  Republican  judicial 
district. 


CRAWFORD,  Charles  H.,  lawyer  and  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  but  reared  in 
Bureau  and  La  Salle  Counties,  111. ;  lias  practiced 
law  for  twenty  years  in  Chicago,  and  been  three 
times  elected  to  the  State  Senate — 1884,  '88  ;ind 
'94 — and  is  author  of  the  Crawford  Primary  Elec- 
tion Law,  enacted  in  1885. 

CRAWFORD  COUNTY,  a  southeastern  county, 
bordering  on  the  Wabash,  190  miles  nearly  due 
south  of  Chicago — named  for  WUliam  H.  Craw- 
ford, a  Secretary  of  War.  It  lias  an  area  of  452 
square  miles;  population  (1900),  19,240.  The 
first  settlers  were  the  French,  but  later  came 
emigrant.';  from  New  England.  The  soil  is  rich 
and  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  corn  and 
wheat,  which  are  the  principal  crops.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1817,  Darwin  being 
the  first  county -seat.  The  present  county-seat 
is  Robinson,  with  a  population  (1890)  of  1,387; 
centrally  located  and  the  point  of  intersection  of 
two  railroads.  Other  towns  of  importance  are 
Palestine  (population,  734)  and  Hutsonville  (popu- 
lation, .582).  The  latter,  as  well  as  Robinson,  is 
a  gi'ain-shipping  point.  The  Embarras  River 
crosses  the  southwest  portion  of  the  county,  and 
receives  the  waters  of  Big  and  Honey  Creeks  and 
Bushy  Fork.  The  county  has  no  mineral 
I'esources,  but  contains  some  valuable  woodland 
and  many  well  cultivated  farms.  Tobacco, 
potatoes,  sorghum  and  wool  are  among  the  lead- 
ing products. 

CREAL  SPRINGS,  a  village  of  William.son 
County,  on  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad ;  has  a  bank  and  a  weekly  paper.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  .5.39;  (1900),  940. 

CREBS,  John  M.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born  in 
Middleburg,  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  April  7,  1830. 
When  he  was  but  7  years  old  his  parents  removed 
to  Illinois,  where  he  ever  after  resided.  At  the 
age  of  21  he  began  the  study  of  law,  and,  in  1852, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  beginning  practice  in 
White  Coimty.  In  1802  he  enlisted  in  the 
Eighty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  receiving  a 
commission  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  participating 
in  all  the  important  movements  in  the  Jlississippi 
Valley,  including  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and 
in  the  Arkansas  campaign,  a  part  of  the  time 
commanding  a  brigade.  Returning  home,  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1806 
he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  was  elected  to  Congress 
in  1868  and  re-elected  in  1870,  and,  in  1880,  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Democratic  State  Convention 
Died,  June  20,  1890. 


124 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


CREIGHTON,  James  A.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
White  County,  111.,  March  7,  1846;  in  childhood 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Wayne  County,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  at  Fairfield  and  at 
the  Southern  Illinois  College,  Salem,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1868.  After  teaching  for  a 
time  while  studying  law,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1870,  and  opened  an  office  at  Fairfield,  but, 
in  1877,  removed  to  Springfield.  In  1885  he  was 
elected  a  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Springfield  Cir- 
cuit, vvas  re-elected  in  1891  and  again  in  1897. 

CRERAR,  John,  manufacturer  and  philanthro- 
pist, was  born  of  Scotch  ancestry  in  New  York 
City,  in  1837 ;  at  18  years  of  age  was  an  employe 
of  an  iron-importing  firm  in  that  city,  subse- 
quently accepting  a  position  with  Morris  K. 
Jessup  &  Co.,  in  the  same  line.  Coming  to 
Chicago  in  1862,  in  partner.sliip  with  J.  McGregor 
Adams,  he  succeeded  to  tlie  I)usiness  of  Jessup  & 
Co.,  in  that  city,  also  becoming  a,  partner  in  the 
Adams  &  Westlake  Company,  iron  manufactur- 
ers. He  also  became  interested  and  an  official  in 
various  other  business  organizations,  including 
the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company,  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad,  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank,  and,  for  a  time,  was  President  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Joliet  Railroad,  besides  being  identified 
with  various  benevolent  institutions  and  associ- 
ations. After  the  fire  of  1871,  he  was  intrusted 
by  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  with 
the  custody  of  funds  sent  for  the  relief  of  suffer- 
ers by  that  calamity.  His  integrity  and  business 
sagacity  were  universally  recognized.  After  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  Chicago,  Oct.  19, 
1889,  it  was  found  that,  after  making  munificent 
bequests  to  some  twenty  religious  and  benevolent 
associations  and  enterprises,  aggregating  nearly 
a  million  dollars,  besides  liberal  legacies  to 
relatives,  he  had  left  the  residue  of  his  estate, 
amounting  to  some  §2,000,000,  for  the  purpose  of 
founding  a  public  library  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
naming  thirteen  of  his  most  intimate  friends  as 
the  first  Board  of  Trustees.  No  more  fitting  and 
lasting  monument  of  so  noble  and  public-spirited 
a  man  could  have  been  devised. 

CRETE,  a  village  of  Will  County,  on  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  30  miles  soufji 
of  Chicago.     Population  (1890),  642;  (1900),  760. 

CROOK,  George,  soldier,  was  born  near  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  Sept.  8,  1828 ;  graduated  at  the  United 
States  Military  Academy,  West  Point,  in  1852,  and 
was  assigned  as  brevet  Second  Lieutenant  to  the 
Fourth  Infantry,  becoming  full  Second  Lieuten- 
ant in  1853.  In  1861  he  entered  the  volunteer 
service  as  Colonel  of  the  Tlurtv-sixth  Oliio  Infan- 


try ;  was  promoted  Brigadier-General  in  1862  and 
Major-Ueueral  in  1864,  l)eing  mustered  out  of  the 
service,  January,  1866.  During  the  war  he 
participated  in  some  of  the  most  important 
battles  in  West  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  fought  at 
Chickamauga  and  Antietam,  and  commanded 
the  cavalry  in  the  advance  on  Richmond  in  the 
spring  of  1865.  On  being  mustered  out  of  the 
volunteer  service  he  returned  to  the  regular 
army,  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Twenty-third  Infantry,  and,  for  several  years,  was 
engaged  in  camixiigns  against  the  hostile  Indians 
in  the  Northwest  and  in  Arizona.  In  1888  he 
was  appointed  Jlajor-General  and,  from  that  time 
to  his  death,  was  in  command  of  the  Military 
Division  of  the  Missouri,  with  headquarters  at 
Chicago,  where  he  died,  March  19,  1890. 

CROSIAR,  Simon,  pioneer,  was  born  near 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
centur}';  removed  to  Ohio  in  1815  and  to  Illinois 
in  1819,  settling  first  at  Cap  au  Gris,  a  French 
village  on  the  Mississippi  just  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Illinois  in  what  is  now  Calhoun  County ; 
later  lived  at  Peoria  (1824),  at  Ottawa  (1826),  at 
Shippingport  near  the  present  city  of  I.,a  Salle 
(1829),  and  at  Old  Utica  (1834);  in  the  mean- 
wliile  built  one  or  two  mills  on  Cedar  Creek  in 
La  Salle  County,  kept  a  storage  and  commission 
house,  and,  for  a  time,  acted  as  Captain  of  a 
steanilmat  plying  on  the  Illinois.     Died,  in  1846. 

CRYSTAL  LAKE,  a  village  in  McHenry 
County,  at  the  intersection  of  two  divisions  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  43  miles 
northwest  of  Chicago.  Population  (1880),  540; 
(1890),  781;  (1900),  950. 

CUBA,  a  town  in  Fulton  Covmty,  distant  38 
miles  west-southwest  of  Peoria,  and  about  8  miles 
north  of  Lewistown.  The  entire  region  (includ- 
ing the  town)  is  underlaid  with  a  good  quality  of 
bituminous  coal,  of  which  the  late  State  Geologist 
Worthen  asserted  that,  in  seven  townships  of 
Fulton  County,  there  are  9,000,000  tons  to  the 
square  mile,  within  1.50  feet  of  the  surface.  Brick 
and  cigars  are  made  here,  and  the  town  has  two 
banks,  a  newspaper,  three  churches  and  good 
schools.  Population  (1890),  1,114;  (1900),  1,198; 
(1903,  school  censu.s;,  1,400. 

CULLEX,  William,  editor  and  Congressman, 
bom  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  March  4,  1826;  while 
yet  a  child  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  20  he  removed  to 
La  Salle  Covmty,  III,  and  began  life  as  a  farmer. 
Later  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Ottawa.  He 
has  served  as  Sheriff  of  La  Salle  Countv,  and  held 


IILSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


125 


other  local  offices^  and  was  for  many  years  a  part 
owner  and  senior  editor  of  "The  Ottawa  Repub 
lican."    From  1881  to  1885,  as  a  Republican,  he 
represented  the  Eighth  Illinois  District  in  Con- 
gress. 

CULLOM,  Richard  Xorthcraft,  farmer  and 
legislator,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Maryland, 
October  1,  1795,  but  earl)'  removed  to  Wayne 
County.  Ky.,  wliere  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Coffey,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  In 
1830  lie  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  near  Wash- 
ington, Tazewell  Count}',  where  he  continued  to 
reside  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Although 
a  farmer  by  vocation,  Mr.  CuUom  was  a  man  of 
prominence  and  a  recognized  leader  in  public 
affairs.  In  1836  he  was  elected  as  a  Whig  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Tenth  General  Assembly,  serving 
in  the  same  body  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  of 
whom  he  was  an  intimate  personal  and  political 
friend.  In  18-tO  he  was  cho.sen  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate,  serving  in  the  Twelfth  and  Thir- 
teenth General  Assemblies,  and,  in  1852,  was 
again  elected  to  the  House.  Mr.  CuUom's  death 
occurred  in  Tazewell  County,  Dec.  4,  1873,  his 
wife  having  died  Dec.  5,  1868.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
CuUoni  were  the  parents  of  Hon.  Shelby  M. 
CuUom. 

CULLOM,  Shelby  Moore,  United  States  Sena- 
tor, was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ky. ,  Nov.  23, 
1829.  His  parents  removed  to  Tazewell  County, 
111.,  in  1830,  where  his  father  became  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  and  attained  prominence  as  a 
public  man.  After  two  years  spent  in  Rock 
River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris,  varied  by  some 
experience  as  a  teaclier,  in  1853  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  went  to  Springfield  to  enter  upon  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Stuart  &  Edwards. 
Being  admitted  to  the  bar  two  years  afterward, 
he  was  almost  immediately  elected  City  Attoi-- 
ney,  and,  in  1856,  was  a  candidate  on  the  Fill- 
more ticket  for  Presidential  Elector,  at  the  same 
time  being  elected  to  the  Twentieth  General 
Assembh'  for  Sangamon  County,  as  lie  was  again, 
as  a  Republican,  in  1860,  being  supported  alike  by 
the  Fillmore  men  and  the  Free-Soilers.  At  the 
session  following  the  latter  election,  he  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House,  which  was  his  first 
important  political  recognition.  In  1862  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Lincoln  a  member  of  the 
War  Claims  Commission  at  Cairo,  serving  in  this 
capacity  with  Governor  Boutwell  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Charles  A.  Dana  of  New  York.  He  was 
also  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate  the  .same 
year,  but  then  sustained  his  only  defeat.  Two 
years  later   (1864)   he  was  a  cundiilate  for  Con- 


gress, defeating  his  former  preceptor,  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart,  being  re-elected  in  1866,  and  again  in 
1868,  the  latter  year  over  B.  S  Edwards.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Con- 
vention of  1873,  and,  as  Chairman  of  the  Illinois 
delegation,  placed  General  Grant  in  nomination 
for  the  Presidency,  holding  the  .same  position 
again  in  1884  and  in  1893;  was  elected  to  the  Illi- 
nois House  of  Representatives  in  1873  and  in  1874, 
being  chosen  Speaker  a  second  time  in  1873,  as  he 
was  the  unanimous  choice  of  his  party  for 
Speaker  again  in  1875;  in  1876  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor, was  re-eiocted  in  1880,  and,  in  1883,  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate  as  successor  to  Hon. 
David  Davis.  Having  liad  two  re-elections  since 
(1889  and  '95),  he  is  now  serving  his  third  term, 
which  will  expire  in  1901.  In  1898,  by  special 
appointment  of  President  McKinley.  Senator 
Cullom  served  upon  a  Commission  to  investigate 
the  condition  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and 
report  a  plan  of  government  for  this  new  division 
of  the  American  Republic.  Other  important 
measures  with  which  his  name  has  been  pronii 
nently  identified  have  been  the  laws  for  the  sup 
pression  of  polygamy  in  Utah  and  for  the  creation 
of  the  Inter-State  Commerce  Commission.  At 
present  he  is  Chairman  of  the  Senate  Committee 
on  Inter-State  Commerce  and  a  member  of  those 
on  Appropriations  and  Foreign  Affairs.  His 
cax'eer  has  been  conspicuous  for  his  long  public 
service,  the  large  number  of  important  offices 
which  he  has  held,  the  almost  unbroken  uniform- 
ity of  his  succe.5s  when  a  candidate,  and  his  com- 
plete exemption  from  scandals  of  every  sort.  No 
man  in  the  history  of  the  State  has  been  more 
frequently  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
and  only  three — Senators  Douglas,  Trumbull  and 
Logan — for  an  equal  number  of  terms;  though 
only  one  of  these  (Senator  Trumbull)  lived  to 
serve  out  the  full  period  for  which  he  was 
elected. 

CUMBERLAND  COUNTY,  situated  in  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  State,  directly  south  of 
Coles  County,  from  which  it  was  cut  off  in  1843. 
Its  area  is  350  sijuare  miles,  and  population  (1900). 
16,134.  The  county-seat  was  at  Greenup  until 
1855,  when  it  was  transferred  to  Prairie  City, 
which  was  laid  off  in  18,54  and  incorporated  as  a 
town  in  1866.  The  present  county -seat  is  at 
Toledo  (population,  1890,  676).  The  Embarras 
River  crosses  the  county,  as  do  also  three  lines  of 
railroad.  Neoga,  a  mining  town,  has  a  popula- 
tion of  829.  The  county  received  its  name  from 
tlie  Cumberland  Road,  which,  as  originally  pro 
jected,   passed    through   it. 


326 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


CUMMINS,  (Rev.)  David,  Bishop  of  the  Re- 
formed Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was 
born  near  Smyrna,  Del.,  Dec.  11,  1822;  gradu- 
ated at  Dickinson  College,  Pa.,  in  1841,  and 
became  a  licentiate  in  the  Methodist  ministry, 
but,  in  1840,  took  orders  in  the  Ei^iscopal 
Church;  afterwards  held  rectorships  in  Balti- 
more, Norfolk,  Richmond  and  the  Trinity 
Episcopal  Church  of  Chicago,  in  1866  being  con- 
secrated Assistant  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of 
Kentucky.  As  a  recognized  leader  of  the  Low- 
Church  or  Evangelical  party,  he  early  took  issue 
with  the  ritualistic  tendencies  of  the  High-Cliurcli 
party,  and,  having  withdrawn  from  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  1ST3,  became  the  first  Bishop  of  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  organization.  He  was  ze;il- 
ous.  eloquent  and  conscientious,  but  overtaxed  his 
strength  in  his  new  field  of  labor,  dying  at  Luth- 
erville,  Md.,  June  26,  1876.  A  memoir  of  Bishop 
Cummins,  by  his  wife,  was  publishedin  1878. 

CUMl'LATIVE  VOTE.  (See  Minority  Hepre- 
sentafioii.) 

CURTIS,  Harvey,  clergyman  and  educator,  was 
boru  In  Adams,  Jeflferson  County,  N.  Y.,  May  30, 
1806;  graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  in 
1831,  with  the  Jiighest  honors  of  his  class ;  after 
three  years  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary, 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Brandon,  Vt.,  in  1836.  In  1841  he 
accepted  an  appointment  as  agent  of  the  Home 
Missionary  Society  for  Ohio  and  Indiana,  between 
1843  and  18.58  holding  pastoi-ates  at  Madison, 
Ind.,  and  Chicago.  In  the  latter  j'ear  he  was 
chosen  President  of  Knox  College,  at  Galesburg, 
dying  there,  Sept.  18,  1863. 

CURTIS,  William  Elroy,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Akron,  Ohio,  Nov.  .5,  1850;  graduated  at 
Western  Reserve  College  in  IS71,  meanwhile 
learnmg  the  art  of  typesetting;  later  served  as  a 
reporter  on  "The  Cleveland  Leader"  and,  in  1872, 
took  a  subordinate  position  on  "The  Chicago 
Inter  Ocean,"  finally  rising  to  that  of  managing- 
editor.  While  on  "The  Inter  Ocean"  he  accom- 
panied General  Custer  in  his  campaign  against 
the  Sioux,  spent  several  months  investigating 
the  "Ku-Klux"  and  "White  League"  organiza- 
tions in  the  South,  and,  for  some  years,  was  "The 
Inter  Ocean"  correspondent  in  Washington. 
Having  retired  from  "The  Inter  Ocean,"  he 
became  Secretary  of  the  "Pan-American  Con- 
gress" in  Washington,  and  afterwards  made  the 
tour  of  the  United  States  with  the  South  and 
Central  American  representatives  in  that  Con- 
gress. During  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
in   Chicago   he   had   general   supervision  of  the 


Latin-American  historical  and  archaeological 
exhibits.  Mr.  Curtis  has  visited  nesirly  every 
Central  and  South  American  country  and  has 
written  elaborately  on  these  subjects  for  the 
magazines  and  for  publication  in  book  form ;  has 
also  published  a  "Life  of  Zachariah  Chandler'' 
and  a  "Diplomatic  History  of  the  United  States 
and  Foreign  Powers"  For  some  time  he  was 
managing  editor  of  "The  Chicago  News"  and  is 
now  (1898)  the  Wasliington  Correspondent  of 
"Tlie  Chicago  Record." 

CUSHMAN,  (Col.)  William  H.  W.,  financier 
and  manufacturer,  was  born  at  Freetown,  Mass., 
May  13,  1813;  educated  at  the  American  Literary, 
Scientific  and  Military  Academj',  Norwicli,  Vt. , 
at  18  begiin  a  mercantile  career  at  Middlebury, 
and,  in  1824,  removed  to  Lii  Salle  County,  III., 
where  he  opened  a  country  store,  also  built  a  mill 
at  Vermilionville;  later  was  identified  with  many 
large  financial  enterprises  whicdi  generally 
proved  successful,  thereby  accumulating  a  for- 
tune at  one  time  estimated  at  §3,000,000.  He  was 
elected  as  a  Democrat  to  the  Thirteenth  and 
Fourteenth  General  Assemblies  (1842  and  '44) 
and,  for  several  years,  held  a  commission  as 
Captain  of  the  Ottawa  Cavalry  (militia).  The 
Civil  War  coming  on.  he  assisted  in  organizing 
the  Fifty-third  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  com- 
missioned its  Colonel,  but  resigned  Sept.  3,  1862. 
He  orgiinized  and  was  principal  owner  of  the 
Bank  of  Ottawa,  which,  in  1865,  became  the  First 
National  Bank  of  that  city;  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  tlie  Hydraulic  Company  and  the  Gas 
Company  at  Ottawa,  built  and  oi)erated  the 
Ottawa  Machine  Shops  and  Foundry,  speculated 
largely  in  lands  in  La  Salle  and  Cook  Counties — 
his  o|)erations  in  the  latter  being  especially  large 
about  Riverside,  as  well  as  in  Chicago,  was  a 
principal  stockliolder  in  the  bank  of  Cush- 
man  &  Hardin  in  Chicago,  had  large  interests  in 
the  luml)er  trade  in  Michigan,  and  was  one  of 
the  builders  of  the  Chicago,  Paducah  &  South- 
western Riiilroad.  The  Chicago  fire  of  1871, 
however,  brought  financial  disaster  upon  him, 
which  finally  dissipated  his  fortune  and  de- 
stroyed his  mental  and  physical  health.  His 
death  occurred  at  Ottawa,  Oct.  28,  1878. 

DALE,  Mictiael  U.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster, Pa.,  .spent  his  childhood  and  youth  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  city,  except  one  year 
in  West  Chester  Academy,  when  he  entered 
Pennsylvania  College  at  Gettysburg,  graduating 
there  in  1835.  He  then  l>egan  the  stud}-  of  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837;  coming  to 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


127 


Illinois  the  following  year,  he  was  retained  in  a 
suit  at  Greenville.  Bond  County,  which  led  to  his 
employment  in  others,  and  finally  to  opening  an 
office  there.  In  1839  he  was  elected  Probate 
Judge  of  Bond  County,  remaining  in  office  four- 
teen years,  meanwhile  being  commissioned  Major 
of  the  State  Militia  in  1844,  and  serving  as  mem- 
ber of  a  Military  Court  at  Alton  in  1847 ;  was  also 
tlie  Delegate  from  Bond  County  to  the  State  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1847.  In  18,53  he  re- 
signed tlie  office  of  County  Judge  in  Bond  County 
to  accept  that  of  Register  of  the  Land  office  at 
Edwardsville,  where  he  continued  to  reside,  lill- 
ing  the  office  of  County  Judge  in  Madison  County 
five  or  six  terms,  besides  occupying  some  subordi- 
nate positions.  Judge  Dale  married  a  daughter 
of  Hon.  William  L.  D.  Ewing.  Died  at  Edwards- 
ville, April  1,  189.5. 

DALLAS  CITY,  a  town  of  Hancock  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
roads, 16  miles  south  of  Burlington.  It  has  man- 
ufactories of  lumber,  buttons,  carriages  and 
wagons,  and  two  weekly  newspapers.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  829;  (1890).  747;  1900),  970. 

DANENHOWER,  John  Wilson,  Arctic  explorer, 
was  born  in  Chicago,  Sept.  30,  1849 — the  son  of 
W.  W.  Danenhower,  a  journalist.  After  passing 
through  the  schools  of  Chicago  and  Washington, 
he  graduated  from  the  United  States  Naval  Acad- 
emy at  Annapolis  in  1870,  was  successively  com- 
missioned as  Ensign,  Master  and  Lieutenant,  and 
served  on  expeditions  in  the  North  Pacific  and  in 
the  Mediterranean.  In  1878  he  joined  the  Arctic 
steamer  Jeannette  at  Havre,  France,  as  second  in 
command  under  Lieut.  George  W.  De  Long;  pro- 
ceeding to  San  Francisco  in  July,  1879,  the 
steamer  entered  the  Arctic  Ocean  by  way  of 
Behring  Straits.  Here,  having  been  caught  in  an 
ice-pack,  the  vessel  was  held  twenty -two  months. 
Lieutenant  Danenhower  meanwliile  being  dis- 
abled most  of  the  time  by  ophthalmia.  The  crew, 
as  last  compelled  to  abandon  the  steamer,  dragged 
their  boats  over  the  ice  for  ninety-five  days  until 
they  were  able  to  launch  them  in  open  water, 
but  were  soon  separated  by  a  gale.  The  boat 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Danenhower  reached 
the  Lena  Delta,  on  the  north  coast  of  Siberia, 
where  the  crew  were  rescued  by  natives,  landing 
Sept.  17,  1881.  After  an  ineffectual  search  on 
the  delta  for  the  crews  of  the  other  two  boats, 
Lieutenant  Danenhower,  with  his  crew,  made 
the  journey  of  6,000  miles  to  Orenburg,  finally 
arriving  in  the  United  States  in  June,  1883.  He 
has  told  the  story  of  the  expedition   in   "The 


Narrative  of  the  Jeannette,"  published  in  1882. 
Died,  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  April  20,  1887. 

DAJfVERS,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on  the 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway.  The  section  is  agricultural.  The  town 
has  a  bank  and  a  newspaper.  Population  (1880), 
460;   (1890),  506;   (1900),  607. 

DAJiVILLE,  tlio  county-seat  of  Vermilion 
County,  on  Vermilion  River  and  on  five  impor- 
tant lines  of  railroad;  in  rich  coal-mining 
district  and  near  large  deposits  of  shale  and 
soapstone,  which  are  ulilized  in  manufacture  of 
sewer-pipe,  paving  and  fire-clay  brick.  T!ie  city 
has  car-shops  and  numerous  factories,  water- 
works, electric  lights,  paved  rtreets,  several 
banks,  twenty-seven  churches,  five  graded  schools 
and  one  high  .school,  and  six  newspapers,  three 
daily.  A  Soldiers"  Home  is  located  three  miles 
east  of  the  city.    Pop.  (1890).  11,491 ;  (1900),  16,3.54. 

DANVILLE,  OLNEY,  &  OHIO  RIVEK  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  ('liiciigo   &  Ohio  Rivur  Railroad.) 

DANVILLE,  IIRBANA,  BLOOMINGTON  & 
PEKIN  RAILROAD.  (See  Peoria  &  Eastern 
Bailroad.) 

D'ARTAIOUIETTE,  Pierre,  a  French  com- 
mandant of  Illinois  from  1734  to  1736,  having 
been  appointed  by  Bienville,  tlien  Governor  of 
Louisiana.  He  was  distinguished  for  gallantry 
and  courage.  He  defeated  the  Natchez  Indians, 
but,  in  an  unsuccessful  expedition  against  the 
Chickasaws,  was  wounded,  captured  and  burned 
at  the  stake. 

DAVENPORT,  George,  soldier,  pioneer  and 
trader,  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  in  1783, 
came  to  this  country  in  1804,  and  soon  aftei 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  army,  witli  the  rani 
of  sergeant.  He  served  gallantly  on  various 
expeditions  in  the  West,  where  he  obtained  a 
knowledge  of  the  Indians  wliich  was  afterward 
of  great  value  to  him.  During  the  War  of  1813 
his  regiment  was  sent  East,  where  he  partici- 
pated in  the  defense  of  Fort  Erie  and  in  other 
enterprises.  In  1815,  his  term  of  enlistment  hav- 
ing expired  and  the  war  ended,  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  contract  commissary.  He  selected 
the  site  for  Fort  Armstrong  and  aided  in  planning 
and  supervising  its  construction.  He  cultivated 
friendly  relations  with  the  surrounding  tribes, 
and,  in  1818,  built  a  double  log  house,  married, 
and  engaged  in  business  as  a  fur-trader,  near  the 
site  of  the  present  city  of  Rock  Island.  He  had 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  savages,  was 
successful  and  his  trading  posts  were  soon  scat- 
tered through  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  In 
1823  he  piloted  the  first  steamboat  through  the 


128 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


upper  Mississippi,  and,  in  1825,  was  appointed  tlie 
first  postmaster  at  Rock  Island,  being  the  only 
white  civilian  resident  there.  In  1826  he  united 
his  business  with  tliat  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, in  whose  service  he  remained.  Although 
he  employed  every  effort  to  induce  President 
Jaclison  to  make  a  payment  to  Black  Hawk  and 
his  followers  to  induce  them  to  emigrate  across 
the  Mississippi  voluntarily,  when  that  Chief 
commenced  hostilities,  Mr.  Davenport  tendered 
his  services  to  Governor  Reynolds,  by  whom  lie 
was  commissioned  Quartermaster-General  with 
the  rank  of  Colonel.  Immigration  increased 
rapidly  after  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  War 
In  1835  a  company,  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
founded  the  town  of  Da\enport,  opposite  Rock 
Island,  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  In  1837 
and  '42  lie  vvas  largely  instrumental  in  negoti- 
ating treaties  by  which  tlie  Indians  ceded  their 
lands  in  Iowa  to  the  United  States.  In  the 
latter  year  he  gave  up  the  business  of  fur-trading, 
having  accumulated  a  fortune  through  hard 
labor  and  scrupulous  integrity,  in  the  face  often 
of  grave  perils.  He  had  large  business  interests  in 
nearly  every  town  in  his  vicinity,  to  all  of  which 
he  gave  more  or  less  personal  attention.  On  the 
night  of  July  4,  1843,  lie  was  assassinated  at  his 
home  by  robbers.  For  a  long  time  the  crime  was 
shrouded  in  mystery,  but  its  perjjetrators  were 
ultimately  detected  and  brought  to  punishment. 
DAVIS,  David,  jurist  and  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Cecil  County,  Md.,  March 
9,  1815;  pursued  his  academic  studies  at  Kenyon 
College,  Oliio,  and  studied  law  at  Yale.  He  settled 
at  Bloomington,  111.,  in  1836,  and,  after  practicing 
law  there  until  1844,  was  elected  to  the  lower  house 
of  the  Fourteenth  General  Assembly.  After 
serving  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847, 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Eighth  Judicial 
Circuit  under  the  new  Constitution  in  1848,  being 
re-elected  in  1855  and  "61.  He  was  a  warm,  per- 
sonal friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  who,  in  1862, 
placed  him  upon  the  bench  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court.  He  resigned  his  high  judicial 
honors  to  become  United  States  Senator  in  1877 
as  successor  to.  Logan's  first  term.  On  Oct.  13, 
1881,  he  was  elected  President  pro  tem.  of  the 
Senate,  serving  in  this  capacity  to  the  end  of  his 
term  in  1885.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Blooming- 
ton,  June  26,  1886. 

DAVIS,  George  K.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Three  Rivers,  Mass.,  Janmiry  3,  1840; 
received  a  common  school  education,  and  a 
classical  course  at  Williston  Seminary,  Easthamp- 
ton,  Mass.     From  1862  to  1865  he  served  in  the 


Union  army,  first  as  Captain  in  the  Eighth 
Massachusetts  Infantry,  and  later  as  Major  in  the 
Third  Rhode  Island  Cavalry.  After  the  war  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  still  resides.  By 
profession  he  is  a  lawyer.  He  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  organization  of  the  Chictigo  militia, 
was  elected  Colonel  of  the  First  Regiment, 
I.  N.  G..  and  was  for  a  time  the  senior  Colonel  in 
the  State  service.  In  1876  he  was  an  unsuccessful 
Republican  t^andidato  for  Congress,  but  was 
elected  in  1878,  and  re-elected  in  1880  and  1883. 
From  1886  to  1800  he  was  Treasurer  of  Cook 
County.  He  took  an  active  and  influential  part 
in  securing  the  location  of  the  World's  Columbian 
E.x])osition  at  Chicago,  and  was  Director-General 
of  the  Exposition  from  its  inception  to  its  close, 
by  his  executive  ability  demonstrating  the  wis- 
dom of  his  selection.     Died  Xov.  25,  1899. 

DAVIS,  HasbruiR-k,  soldier  and  journalist,  was 
born  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  April  23.  1827,  being 
the  son  of  John  Davis,  United  States  Senator  and 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  known  in  his  lifetime 
as  "Honest  John  Davis."  The  son  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1855  and  commenced  the  practice  of 
law,  in  1861  joined  Colonel  Voss  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry,  being  elected 
Lieutenant-Colonel  and,  on  the  retirement  of 
Colonel  Voss  in  1863,  succeeding  to  the  colonelcy. 
In  Mart'h,  1865,  he  was  brevetted  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral, remaining  in  active  service  until  August, 
1865,  when  he  resigned.  After  the  war  he  was. 
for  a  time,  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Post," 
was  City  Attorney  of  the  City  of  Chicago  from 
1867  to  '69,  but  later  removed  to  Massachusetts 
Colonel  Davis  was  drowned  at  sea,  Oct.  19,  1870. 
by  the  loss  of  the  steamship  Cambria,  while  on  a 
voyage  to  Europe. 

DAVIS,  James  M.,  early  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Barren  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  9,  1793,  came  to  Illinois 
in  IS  17,  located  in  Bond  County  and  is  said  to 
have  taught  the  first  school  in  that  county.  He 
bet'ame  a  lawyer  and  a  prominent  leader  of  the 
Whig  party,  was  elected  to  the  Thirteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1842)  from  Bond  County,  and  to 
the  Twenty-first  from  Montgomery  in  1858,  hav- 
ing, in  the  meantime,  become  a  citizen  of 
Hillsboro ;  was  also  a  member  of  the  State  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  1847.  Mr.  Davis  was  a 
man  of  striking  personal  appearance,  being  over 
six  feet  in  height,  and  of  strong  individuality. 
After  the  dissolution  of  the  Whig  party  he  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  Democracy  and  was  an 
intensely  bitter  opponent  of  the  war  policy  of 
the  Government.  Died,  at  Hillsboro,  Sept.  17. 
1866. 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


129 


DATIS,  John  A.,  soldier,  was  born  in  Craw- 
ford County,  Pa.,  Oct.  25,  1823;  came  to  Steplien- 
son  County,  111.,  in  boyhood  and  served  as 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1857 
and  '59;  in  September,  1861,  enlisted  as  a  private, 
was  elected  Captain  and,  on  the  organization  of 
the  Forty-sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  at 
Camp  Butler,  was  commissioned  its  Colonel.  He 
participated  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson, 
and  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  was  desperately 
wounded  by  a  shot  through  the  lungs,  but 
recovered  in  time  to  join  his  regiment  before  the 
battle  of  Corinth,  where,  on  Oct.  4,  18G2,  he  fell 
mortally  wounded,  dying  a  few  days  after.  On 
receiving  a  request  from  some  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, a  few  Jays  before  his  death,  to  accept  a 
nomination  for  Congress  in  the  Freeport  District, 
Colonel  Davis  patriotically  replied:  "I  can  serve 
my  country  better  in  following  tlie  torn  banner 
of  my  regiment  in  the  battlefield." 

DAVIS,  Levi,  lawyer  and  State  Auditor,  was 
born  in  Cecil  County,  Md.,  July  20,  1800;  gradu- 
ated at  Jefferson  College,  Pa.,  in  1828,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Baltimore  in  1830.  The 
following  year  be  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  at 
Vandalia,  then  the  capital.  In  1835  Governor 
Duncan  appointed  .  him  Auditor  of  Public 
Accounts,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature  in  1837,  and  again  in  1838.  In 
1846  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Alton.  He 
attained  prominence  at  the  bar  and  was,  for 
several  years,  attorney  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
and  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad 
Companies,  in  which  he  was  also  a  Director. 
Died,  at  Alton,  March  4,  1897. 

DAVIS,  Xathaii  Smith,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  physi- 
cian, educator  and  editor,  was  born  in  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y. ,  Jan.  9,  1817;  took  a  classical  and 
scientific  course  in  Cazenovia  Seminary ;  in  1837 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  winning  several  prizes  during  his 
course;  the  same  year  began  practice  at  Bing- 
hamton;  spent  two  years  (1847-49)  in  New  York 
City,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago  to  accept  the 
chair  of  Physiology  and  General  Pathology  in 
Rush  Medical  College.  In  1859  he  accepted  a 
similar  position  in  the  Chicago  Medical  College 
(now  the  medical  department  of  Northwestern 
University),  where  he  still  remains.  Dr.  Davis 
has  not  only  been  a  busy  practitioner,  but  a  volu- 
minous writer  on  general  and  special  topics  con- 
nected with  his  profession,  having  been  editor  at 
different  times  of  several  medical  periodicals, 
including  "The  Chicago  Medical  Journal,"  "The 
Medical    Journal    and    Examiner,  "    and    "The 


Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association." 
He  has  also  been  piominent  in  State,  National 
and  International  Medical  Congresses,  and  is  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Northwestern  University, 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society,  the  Illinois  State  Microscopi- 
cal Society  and  the  Union  College  of  Law,  liesides 
other  scientific  and  benevolent  associations. 

DAVIS,  Oliver  L.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  Dec.  20,  1819;  after  being  in  the 
employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company  some 
seven  years,  came  to  Danville,  111.,  in  1841  and 
commenced  studying  law  the  next  year;  was 
elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Seventeenth 
and  Twentieth  General  A.s.semblies,  first  as  a 
Democrat  and  next  (18.50)  as  a  Republican; 
served  on  the  Circuit  Bench  in  1861-66,  and  again 
in  1873-79,  being  assigned  in  1877  to  the  Appellate 
bench.     Died,  Jan.  12,  1892. 

DAWSOX,  John,  early  legislator,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  in  1791;  came  to  lUinois  in  1827,  set- 
tling in  Sangamon  County ;  served  five  terms  in 
the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  (1830, 
'34,  '36,  '38  and  '46),  during  a  part  of  the  time 
being  the  colleague  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He 
was  one  of  the  celebrated  "Long  Nine''  who  repre- 
sented Sangamon  County  at  the  time  of  the 
removal  of  the  State  capital  to  Springfield;  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1847.     Died,  Nov.  12,  18.50. 

DEAF  AND  DUMB.  ILLINOIS  INSTITU- 
TION FOR  EDUCATION  OF,  located  at  Jack- 
sonville, established  by  act  of  the  Legislature, 
Feb.  23,  1839,  and  the  oldest  of  the  State 
charitable  institutions.  Work  was  not  begun 
until  1842,  but  one  building  was  ready  for 
partial  occupancy  in  1846  and  was  completed 
in  1849.  (In  1871  this  building,  then  known 
as  the  south  wing,  was  declared  imsafe,  and 
was  razed  and  rebuilt.)  The  center  building 
was  completed  in  1852  and  the  north  wing  in 
1857.  Other  additions  and  new  buildings  have 
been  added  from  time  to  time,  such  as  new  dining 
halls,  workshops,  barns,  bakery,  refrigerator 
house,  kitchens,  a  gymnasium,  separate  cot- 
tages for  the  sexes,  etc.  At  present  (1893)  the 
institution  is  probably  the  largest,  as  it  is  un- 
questionably one  of  the  best  conducted,  of  its  class 
in  the  world.  The  number  of  pupils  in  1894  was 
716.  Among  its  employes  are  men  and  women  of 
ripe  culture  and  experience,  who  have  been  con- 
nected with  it  for  more  than  a  (juarter  of  a 
century. 

DEARBORN,  Lnther,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Plvmouth,  N.  H.,  March  24,  1820, 


130 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  educated  in  Plymouth  schools  and  at  New- 
Hampton  Academy ;  in  youth  removed  to  Dear- 
born County,  Ind.,  where  he  taught  school  and 
served  as  deputy  Circuit  Clerk;  then  came  to 
Mason  County,  111.,  and,  in  1841.  to  Elgin.  Here 
he  was  elected  SheriflF  and,  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term.  Circuit  Clerk,  later  engaging  in  the 
banking  business,  which  provipg  disastrous  in 
1857,  he  returned  to  Mason  County  and  began  the 
practice  of  law.  He  then  spent  some  years  in 
Minnesota,  finally  returning  to  Illinois  a  second 
time,  resumed  practice  at  Havana,  served  one 
term  in  the  State  Senate  (1876-80);  in  1884 
became  member  of  a  law  firm  in  Chicago,  but 
retired  in  1887  to  accept  the  attorneyship  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  retaining  this  position 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  suddenly  at 
Springfield,  April  5,  1889.  For  the  last  two  years 
of  his  life  Mr.  Dearborn's  residence  was  at 
Aurora. 

DECATUR,  the  county-seat  of  Macon  County; 
39  miles  east  of  Springfield  and  one  mile  north 
of  the  Sangamon  Rivei' — also  an  important  rail- 
way center.  Three  coal  shafts  are  operated  out- 
side the  city.  It  is  a  center  for  the  grain  trade, 
having  five  elevators.  Extensive  car  and  repair 
s'.iops  aie  located  there,  and  several  important 
manufacturing  industries  flourish,  among  them 
three  flouring  mills.  Decatur  has  paved  streets, 
water-works,  electric  street  railways,  and  excel- 
lent public  schools,  including  one  of  the  best  and 
most  noted  high  schools  in  the  State.  Four 
newspapers  are  published  there,  each  issuing  a 
daily  edition.     Pop..  (1890),  16,841;  (1900),  20,754. 

DECATUR  EDITORIAL  C»>VEXTIO>".  (See 
Anti-yebraska  Editorinl  C'viircittiuit. ) 

DECATUR  ic  EASTERN  RAILWAY.  (See 
Indiana,  Decatur  &  ^Vestern  Railway.) 

DECATUR,  MATTOOX  &  SOUTHERX  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville 
Railway. ) 

DECATUR,  SULLIVAN  &  MATTOON  RAIL- 
ROAD.  (See  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville 
Railway.) 

DEEP  SNOW,  THE,  an  event  occurring  in  the 
winter  of  1830-31  and  referred  to  by  old  settlers 
of  Illinois  as  constituting  an  epoch  in  State  his- 
tory. The  late  Dr.  Julian  M.  Sturtevant,  Presi- 
dent of  Illinois  College,  in  an  address  to  the  "Old 
Settlers"  of  Morgan  County,  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  gave  the  following  account  of  it:  "In 
the  interval  between  Christmas,  1830,  and  Janu- 
ary, 1831,  snow  fell  aU  over  Central  Illinois  to  a 
depth  of  fully  three  feet  on  a  level.  Then  came 
a  rain  with  weather  so  cold  that  it  froze  as  it 


fell,  forming  a  crust  of  ice  over  this  three  feet  of 
snow,  neiirly,  if  not  quite,  strong  enough  to  bear 
a  man.  and  finally  over  this  crust  there  were  a 
few  inches  of  snow.  The  clouds  passed  away 
and  the  wind  came  down  ujwn  us  from  the  north- 
west witli  extraordinary  ferocity.  For  weeks— 
certainly  not  less  than  two  weeks — the  mercury 
in  the  thermometer  tube  was  not,  on  any  one 
morning,  higher  than  twelve  degrees  below  zero. 
Tliis  snow-fall  produced  constant  sleighing  for 
nine  weeks."  Other  contemjjoraneous  accounts 
s!iy  that  this  storm  caused  great  suffering  among 
both  men  and  beasts.  The  scattered  settlers,  un- 
able to  reach  the  mills  or  produce  stores,  were 
driven,  in  some  cases,  to  great  extremity  for 
supplies;  mills  were  stopped  by  the  freezing  up 
of  streams,  while  deer  and  other  game,  sinking 
through  the  crust  of  snow,  were  easily  captured 
or  ])erished  for  lack  of  food.  Birds  and  domestic 
fowls  often  suffered  a  like  fate  for  want  of  su-s- 
tena.ice  or  from  the  severity  of  the  cold. 

DEERE,  John,  manufacturer,  was  born  at 
Midillel)iiry,  Vt.,  Feb.  7,  1804;  learned  the  black- 
smith trade,  whicli  he  followed  until  1838,  when 
he  came  west,  settling  at  Grand  Detour,  in  Ogle 
County ;  ten  j-ears  later  removed  tb  Molipe,  and 
there  founded  the  plow-works  which  bear  his 
name  and  of  which  he  was  President  from  1868 
until  his  death  in  1886.— Charles  H.  (Deere),  son 
of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Hancock,  Addison 
County  Vt.,  March  28,  1837;  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Iowa  and  Knox  Acad- 
emies, and  Bell's  Commercial  College,  Chicago; 
became  assistant  and  head  book-keeper,  travel- 
ing and  purchasing  agent  of  the  Deere  Plow 
Corap;iny,  and,  on  its  incorporation,  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  General  Manager,  until  his  father's 
death,  when  he  succeeded  to  the  Presidency.  He 
is  also  the  founder  of  the  Deere  &  Mansur  Corn 
PLinter  Works,  President  of  the  Moline  Water 
Power  Comijany,  besides  being  a  Director  in 
various  other  concerns  and  in  the  branch  houses 
of  Deere  &  Co.,  in  Kansas  City,  Des  Moines, 
Council  Bluffs  and  San  Francisco.  Notwith- 
standing his  immense  business  interests,  Mr. 
Deere  has  found  time  for  the  discharge  of  public 
and  patriotic  duties,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  he 
was  for  years  a  member  and  Chairman  of  the 
State  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics ;  a  Commissioner 
from  Illinois  to  the  Vienna  International  Exj)osi- 
tion  of  1873;  one  of  the  State  Commissioners  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893;  a 
Presidential  Elector  fortheState-at-large  in  1888, 
and  a  delegate  from  his  District  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention  at  St.  Louis,  in  1896. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


131 


.  PEERING,  William,  manufacturer,  was  born 
at  Paris,  Oxford  County,  Maine,  April  26,  1826, 
completed  his  education  at  the  Readfield  high 
school,  in  18-t3,  engaged  actively  in  manufactur- 
ing, and  during  his  time  has  assisted  in  establish- 
ing several  large,  successful  business  enterprises, 
including  wholesale  and  commission  dry-goods 
houses  in  Portland,  Maine,  Boston  and  New  York. 
His  greatest  work  has  been  the  building  up  of  the 
Deering  Manufacturing  Company,  a  main  feature 
of  which,  for  thirty  years,  has  been  the  manu- 
facture of  Marsh  harvesters  and  other  agricultural 
implements  and  appliances.  This  concern  began 
operation  in  Chicago  about  1870,  at  the  present 
time  (1899)  occupying  eighty  acres  in  the  north 
part  of  the  city  and  employing  some  4,000  hands. 
It  is  said  to  turn  out  a  larger  amount  and  greater 
variety  of  articles  for  the  use  of  the  agriculturist 
than  any  other  establishment  in  the  country, 
receiving  its  raw  material  from  many  foreign 
countries,  including  the  Philippines,  and  distrib- 
uting its  products  all  over  the  globe.  Mr.  Deer- 
ing continues  to  be  President  of  the  Company 
and  a  principal  factor  in  the  management  of  its 
immense  business.  He  is  liberal,  public-spirited 
and  benevolent,  and  his  business  career  has  been 
notable  for  the  absence  of  controversies  with  his 
employes.  He  has  been,  for  a  number  of  years, 
one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity at  Evanston,  and,  at  the  present  time,  is 
President  of  the  Board. 

DE  KALB,  a  city  in  De  Kalb  County,  58  miles 
west  of  Chicago.  Of  late  years  it  has  grown 
rapidly,  largely  because  of  the  introduction  of 
new  industrial  enterprises.  It  contains  a  large 
wire  drawing  plant,  barbed  wire  factories,  foun- 
dry, agricultural  implement  works,  machine 
shop,  shoe  factory  and  several  minor  manufac- 
turing establishments.  It  has  banks,  four  news- 
papers, electric  street  railway,  eight  miles  of 
paved  streets,  nine  churches  and  three  graded 
schools.  It  is  the  site  of  the  Nortliern  State  Nor- 
mal School,  located  in  189.5.  Population  (1880), 
1,598;  (1890),  2,579;  (1900), . 1,904;  (1903,  est.),  8,000. 

DE  KALB  COUNTY,  originally  a  portion  of 
La  Salle  County,  and  later  of  Kane ;  was  organized 
in  1837,  and  named  for  Baron  De  Kalb,  the 
Revolutionary  patriot.  Its  area  is  650  square 
miles  and  population  (in  1900),  31,756.  The  land 
is  elevated  and  well  drained,  lying  between  Fox 
and  Rock  Rivers.  Prior  to  1835  the  land  belonged 
to  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  who  maintained 
several  villages  and  their  own  tribal  government. 
No  sooner  had  the  aborigines  been  removed  than 
white  settlers  appeared   in  large  numbers,  and, 


in  September,  1835,  a  convocation  was  held  on 
the  banks  of  the  Kjshwaukee,  to  adopt  a  tempo- 
rary form  of  government.  The  public  lands  in  the 
county  were  sold  at  auction  in  Chicago  in  1843. 
Sycamore  (originally  called  Orange)  is  the 
county-seat,  and,  in  1890,  had  a  population  of 
2,987.  Brick  buildings  were  first  erected  at 
Sycamore  by  J.  S.  Waterman  and  the  brothers 
Mayo.  In  1854,  H.  A.  Hough  established  the 
first  newspaper,  "The  Republican  Sentinel." 
Other  prosperous  towns  are  De  Kalb  (population, 
2,579),  Cortland,  Malta  and  Somonauk.  The  sur- 
face is  generally  rolling,  upland  prairie,  with 
numerous  groves  and  wooded  tracts  along  the 
principal  streams.  Various  lines  of  railroad  trav- 
erse the  county,  which  embraces  one  of  the 
wealthiest  rural  districts  in  the  State. 

DE  KALB  &  (iEEAT  WESTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Chicago  Great  Western  Railway.) 

DELAVAN,  a  thriving  city  in  Tazewell  County, 
on  the  line  of  the  Cliicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  at 
the  point  of  its  intersection  with  the  Peoria  and 
Pekin  Division  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  34 
miles  vvestsoutliwest  of  Bloomington  and  24 
miles  south  of  Peoria.  Grain  is  extensively 
grown  in  the  adjacent  territory,  and  .  much 
shipped  from  Delavan.  Tlie  place  supports  two 
banks,  tile  and  brick  factory,  creamery,  and  two 
weekly  papers.  It  also  has  five  churches  and  a 
graded  school.     Pop.   (1890),  1,176,  (1900),  1,304. 

DEMENT,  Henry  Dodge,  ex-Secretary  of  State, 
was  born  at  Galena,  111.,  in  1840— the  son  of 
Colonel  John  Dement,  an  early  and  prominent 
citizen  of  the  State,  who  held  the  office  of  State 
Treasurer  and  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Conventions  of  1847  and  1870.  Colonel 
Dement  having  removed  to  Dixon  about  1845.  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  there  and  at 
Mount  Morris.  Having  enlisted  in  the  Thirteenth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  in  1861,  he  was  elected 
a  Second  Lieutenant  and  soon  promoted  to  First 
Lieutenant— also  received  from  Governor  Yates  a 
complimentary  commission  as  Captain  for  gal- 
lantry at  Arkansas  Post  and  at  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  where  the  commander  of  his  regiment, 
Col.  J.  B.  Wyman,  was  killed.  Later  he  served 
with  General  Curtis  in  Mississippi  and  in  the 
Fifteenth  Army  Corps  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
After  leaving  the  army  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facturing business  for  some  years  at  Dixon.  Cap- 
tain Dement  entered  the  State  Legislature  by 
election  as  Representative  from  Lee  County  in 
1872,  was  re-elected  in  1874  and,  in  187G,  was  pro- 
moted to  the  Senate,  serving  in  the  Thirtieth  and 
Thirty-first  General  Assemblies.     In  1880  he  w;vs 


132 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


chosen  Secretary  of  State,  and  re-elected  in  1884, 
serving  eight  years.  The  last  public  position  held 
by  Captain  Dement  was  that  of  Warden  of  the 
State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet,  to  which  he  was 
appointed  in  1891,  serving  two  years.  His 
present  home  is  at  Oak  Park,  Cook  County. 

DEMEXT,  John,  was  born  in  Sumner  County, 
Tenn.,  in  April,  1804.  When  13  years  old  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Franklin  County,  of  which  he  was  elected  Sheriff 
in  1826,  and  vi-hich  he  represented  in  the  General 
Assemblies  of  1828  and  '30.  He  served  with 
distinction  during  the  Black  Hawk  War,  having 
previously  had  experience  in  two  Indian  cam- 
paigns. In  1831  he  was  elected  State  Treasurer 
by  the  Legislature,  but,  in  183G,  resigned  this 
office  to  represent  Fayette  County  in  the  General 
Assembly  and  aid  in  the  fight  against  the  removal 
of  the  capital  to  Springfield.  His  ettorts  failing 
of  success,  he  removed  to  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  finally  locating  at  Dixon,  where  he  became 
extensively  engaged  in  manufacturing.  In  1837 
President  Van  Buren  appointed  him  Receiver  of 
Public  Moneys,  but  he  was  removed  by  President 
Harrison  in  1841 ;  was  reappointed  by  Polk  in 
184.5,  only  to  be  again  removed  by  Taylor  in  184!* 
and  reappointed  by  Pierce  in  1853.  He  held  the 
office  from  that  date  until  it  was  abolished.  He 
was  a  Democratic  Presidential  Elector  in  1844; 
served  in  three  Constitutional  Conventions  (1847, 
"62,  and  "70),  being  Temporary  President  of  the 
two  bodies  last  named.  He  was  the  father  of 
Hon.  Denry  D.  Dement.  Secretary  of  State  of  Illi- 
nois from  1884  to  1888.  He  died  at  his  home  at 
Dixon.  Jan.  16,  1883. 

DEXT,  Thomas,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Putnam 
County,  111.,  Nov.  14,  1831;  in  his  youth  was 
employed  in  the  Clerk"s  office  of  Putnam  County, 
meanwhile  studying  law;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1854,  and,  in  1856,  opened  an  oiBce  in  Chi- 
cago; is  still  in  practice  and  has  served  as 
President,  both  of  the  Chicago  Law  Institute  and 
the  State  Bar  Association. 

DES  PLAINES,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and 
the  Wisconsin  Central  Railroads,  17  miles  north- 
west from  Chicago ;  is  a  dairying  region.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  818;  (1890),  986;  (1900),  1,666. 

DES  PLAINES  RIVER,  a  branch  of  the  IlUnois 
River,  which  rises  in  Racine  County.  Wis.,  and, 
after  passing  through  Kenosha  County,  in  that 
State,  and  Lake  County.  111.,  running  nearly 
parallel  to  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan 
through  Cook  County,  finally  unites  with  the 
Kankakee,  about  13  miles  southwest  of  Joliet.  by 


its  confluence  with  the  latter  forming  the  Illinois 
River.  Its  length  is  about  150  miles.  The 
Chicago  Drainage  Canal  is  constructed  in  the 
vallej'  of  the  Des  Plaines  for  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  distance  between  Chicago  and  Joliet. 

l)EWEV,(l)r.)  Richard  S.,  physician,  alienist, 
was  born  at  Forest ville,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  6,  1845;  after 
receiving  his  primary  education  took  a  two  years' 
course  in  the  literarj-  and  a  three  years"  course  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  Michigan  Univer- 
sity at  Ann  Arbor,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1869.  He  tlien  began  practice  as  House  Physician 
and  Surgeon  in  the  City  Hospital  at  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  remaining  for  a  year,  after  which  he 
visited  Europe  inspecting  hospitals  and  sanitary 
methods,  meanwhile  s|)ending  six  months  in  the 
Prussian  military  service  as  Surgeon  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  War.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  lie  tixik  a  brief  course  in  the  University  of 
Berlin,  when,  returning  to  the  United  States,  he 
was  employed  for  seven  years  ;is  Assistant  Physi- 
cian in  the  Northern  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Elgin.  In  1879  lie  was  appointed  Medical  Super- 
intendent of  the  Eastern  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Kankakee,  remaining  until  the  accession  of 
John  P.  Altgeld  to  the  Governorship  in  1893. 
Dr.  Dewey's  reputation  as  a  specialist  in  the 
treatment  of  the  insane  has  stood  among  the 
highest  of  his  class. 

DE  WITT  COUXTY,  situated  in  the  central 
portion  of  the  State ;  has  an  area  of  405  square 
miles  and  a  population  (1900)  of  18.972.  The  land 
was  originally  owned  by  the  Kickapoos  and  Potta- 
watomies,  and  not  until  1820  did  the  first  perma- 
nent wliite  settlers  occupy  this  region.  The  first 
to  come  were  Felix  Jones.  Prettyinan  Marvel, 
William  Cottrell,  Samuel  Glenn,  and  the  families 
of  Scott,  Lundy  and  Coaps.  Previously,  how- 
ever, the  first  cabin  had  been  built  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Farmer  City  by  Nathan  Clearwater. 
Zion  Sliugest  erected  the  eiirliest  grist-mill  and 
Burrell  Post  the  first  saw-mill  in  the  county. 
Kentuckians  and  Tennesseeans  were  the  first  im- 
migrants, but  not  until  the  advent  of  settlers  from 
Ohio  did  permanent  improvements  begin  to  be 
made.  In  1835  a  school  house  and  Presbyterian 
church  were  built  at  Waynesville.  The  county 
was  organized  in  1839,  and — with  its  capital 
(Clinton) — was  named  after  one  of  New  York's 
most  distinguished  Governors.  It  lies  within  the 
great  "corn  belt,'"  and  is  well  watered  bj-  Salt 
Creek  and  its  branches.  Most  of  the  surface  is 
rolling  prairie,  interspersed  with  woodland. 
Several  lines  of  railway  (among  them  the  Illinois 
Central)  cross  the  county.     Clinton  had  a  popu- 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


133 


lation  of  2,598  in  1890,  and  Farmer  City,  1,367. 
Botli  are  railroad  centers  and  have  considerable 
trade. 

DE  WOLF.  Calvin,  pioneer  and  philanthropist, 
was  born  in  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  Feb.  18,  181.5; 
taken  early  in  life  to  Vermont,  and,  at  19  years  of 
age,  commenced  teaching  at  Orwell,  in  that 
State;  spent  one  year  at  a  manual  labor  school 
in  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  and,  in  1837,  came  to 
Chicago,  and  soon  after  began  teaching  in  Will 
County,  still  later  engaging  in  the  same  vocation 
in  Chicago.  In  1839  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  with  Messrs.  Spring  &  Goodrich  and,  in  1843, 
was  admitted  to  practice.  In  1854  he  was 
elected  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  retaining  the 
position  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  winning  for 
himself  the  reputation  of  a  sagacious  and  incor- 
ruptible jiublic  officer.  Mr.  De  Wolf  was  an 
original  abolitionist  and  his  home  is  said  to  have 
been  one  of  the  stations  on  the  "underground 
railroad"  in  the  days  of  slavery.  Died  Nov.  28,  '99. 

DEXTER,  Wirt,  lawyer,  born  at  Dexter,  Mich., 
Oct.  25,  ISol;  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  State  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  N.  Y. 
He  was  descended  from  a  family  of  lawyers,  his 
grandfather,  Samuel  Dexter,  having  been  Secre- 
tary of  War,  and  afterwards  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  in  the  cabinet  of  the  elder  Adams. 
Coming  to  Chicago  at  the  beginning  of  his  profes- 
sional career,  Mr.  Dexter  gave  considerable 
attention  at  first  to  his  father's  extensive  lumber 
trade.  He  was  a  zealous  and  eloquent  supporter 
of  the  Government  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Relief  and  Aid 
Society  after  the  fire  of  1871.  His  entire  profes- 
sional life  was  spent  in  Chicago,  for  several  years 
before  his  death  being  in  the  service  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Company  as 
its  general  solicitor  and  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Died  in 
Chicago.  May  20.  1890. 

DICKEY,  Hugh  Thompson,  jurist,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  May  30,  1811;  graduated  from 
Columbia  College,  read  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  visited  Chicago  in  183G,  and  four 
years  later  settled  there,  becoming  one  of  its 
most  influential  citizens.  Upon  the  organization 
of  the  County  Court  of  Cook  County  in  1845, 
Mr.  Dickey  was  appointed  its  Judge.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1848,  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Seventh 
Judicial  Circuit,  practically  without  partisan 
opposition,  serving  until  the  exjjiration  of  his 
term  in  1853.  He  was  prominently  identified 
with  several  important  commercial  enterprises, 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Library 


Association,  and  one  of  the  first  Trustees  of  the 
Illinois  General  Hospital  of  the  Lakes,  now  Mercy 
Hospital.  In  1885  he  left  Cliicago  to  take  up  his 
residence  in  his  native  city,  New  York,  where  he 
died,  June  2,  1892. 

DICKEY,  Theophilus  Lylc,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Nov.  12,  1812, 
the  grandson  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  gradu- 
ated at  the  Miami  (Ohio)  University,  and  re- 
moved to  Illinois  in  1834,  settling  at  Matiomb, 
McDonough  County,  where  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1835.  In  1836  he  moved  to  Rushville, 
where  he  resided  three  years,  a  part  of  the  time 
editing  a  Whig  newspaper.  Later  he  became  a 
resident  of  Ottawa,  and,  at  the  opening  of  the 
Mexican  V/ar,  organized  a  company  of  volun- 
teers, of  which  he  was  chosen  Captain.  In  1861 
he  raised  a  regiment  of  cavalry  which  was 
mustered  into  service  as  the  Fourth  Illinois 
Cavalry,  and  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel,  taking  an  active  part  in  Grant's  cam- 
paigns in  the  West.  In  1865  he  resigned  his 
commission  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Ottawa.  In  1866  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congressman  for  the 
State-at-large  in  opposition  to  John  A.  Logan, 
and,  in  1868,  was  tendered  and  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  Assistant  Attorney -General  of  the  United 
States,  resigning  after  eigliteen  months'  service. 
In  1873  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and,  in  1874,  was 
made  Corporation  Counsel.  In  December,  1875, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Supreme  Court,  vice  W.  K. 
McAllister,  deceased ;  was  re-elected  in  1879,  and 
died  at  Atlantic  City,  Julv  22,  1885. 

DISCIPLES  OP  CHRIST,  THE,  known  aLso  as 
the  Christian  Church  and  as  "Campbellite.s," 
having  been  founded  by  Alexander  CampbelL 
Many  members  settled  in  Illinois  in  the  early 
30's,  and,  in  the  central  portion  of  the  State,  the 
denomination  soon  began  to  flourish  greatly 
Any  one  was  admitted  to  membership  who  made 
what  is  termed  a  scriptural  confe.ssion  of  faith 
and  was  baptized  by  immersion.  Alexander 
Campbell  was  an  eloquent  preacher  and  a  man  or 
much  native  ability,  as  well  as  a  born  conver- 
sationalist. The  sect  has  steadily  grown  in 
numbers  and  influence  in  the  State.  The  United 
States  Census  of  1890  showed  641  churches  in  the 
State,  with  368  ministers  and  an  aggregate  mem- 
bership of  61,587,  having  550  Sunday  schools,  with 
50,000  pupils  in  attendance.  The  value  of  the 
real  property,  which  included  552  church  edifices 
(with  a  seating  capacity  of  155,000)  ami  30  parson- 
ages, was  81,167,675.  The  denomination  supports 
Eureka  College,  with  an  attendance  of  between 


13-t 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


400  and  500  students,  while  its  assets  are  valued 
at  8150,000.  Total  membership  in  the  United 
States,  estimated  at  750,000. 

DIXON,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county-seat 
of  Lee  County.  It  lies  on  both  sides  of  Rock 
River  and  is  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroads;  is  98  miles  west  of  Chicago.  Rock 
River  furnislies  abundant  water  power  and  tlie 
manufacturing  interests  of  tlie  city  are  very  ex- 
tensive, including  large  plow  works,  wire-cloth 
factory,  wagon  factory;  also  has  electric  light 
and  power  plant,  tliree  shoe  factories,  planing 
mills,  and  a  condensed  milk  factory.  There  are 
two  National  and  one  State  bank,  eleven 
churches,  a  hospital,  and  tliree  new.spapers.  In 
schools  the  city  particularly  excels,  having  sev- 
eral graded  (grammar)  schools  and  two  colleges. 
The  Chautauqua  Assembly  holds  its  meeting  here 
annually.     Population  (1890),  5,161;  (1900),  7,917. 

DIXOX,  John,  pioneer — the  first  white  settler 
in  Lee  County,  111.,  was  born  at  Rye,  West- 
chester County,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  9,  1784;  at  21  removed 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  was  in  bu.siness  some 
fifteen  years.  In  1820  he  set  out  with  his  family 
for  the  West,  traveling  by  land  to  Pittsburg, 
and  thence  by  flat-boat  to  Shawneetown.  Having 
disembarked  his  horses  and  goods  here,  he  pu.shed 
out  towards  the  northwest,  passing  the  vicinity 
of  Springfield,  and  finally  locating  on  Fancy 
Creek,  some  nine  miles  north  of  the  present  site 
of  that  city.  Here  he  remained  some  five  years, 
in  that  time  serving  as  foreman  of  the  first  Sanga- 
mon County  Grand  Jury.  The  new  county  of 
Peoria  having  been  established  in  1825,  he  was 
offered  and  accepted  the  appointment  of  Circuit 
Clerk,  removing  to  Fort  Clark,  as  Peoria  was 
then  called.  Later  he  became  contractor  for 
carrying  the  mail  on  the  newly  established  route 
between  Peoria  and  Galena.  Compelled  to  pro- 
vide means  of  crossing  Rock  River,  he  induced  a 
French  and  Indian  half-breed,  named  Ogee,  to 
take  charge  of  a  ferry  at  a  point  afterwards 
known  as  Ogee's  Ferry.  The  tide  of  travel  to  the 
lead-mine  region  caused  both  the  mail-route  and 
the  ferry  to  prove  profitable,  and,  as  the  half- 
breed  ferryman  could  not  endure  prosperity,  Mr. 
Dixon  was  forced  to  buy  him  out,  removing  his 
family  to  this  point  in  April,  1830.  Here  he 
established  friendly  relations  with  the  Indians, 
and,  during  the  Black  Hawk  War  ,two  years  later, 
was  enabled  to  render  valuable  service  to  the 
State.  His  station  was  for  many  years  one  of 
the  most  important  points  in  Northern  Illinois, 
and  among  the  men  of  national  reputation  who 


were  entertained  at  different  times  at  his  home, 
may  be  named  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor,  Albert  Sid' 
ney  Jolmston,  Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  Jefferson 
Davis,  Col.  Robert  Anderson,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
Col.  E.  D.  Baker  and  many  more.  He  bought  the 
land  where  Dixon  now  stands  in  1835  and  laid  off 
the  town;  in  1838  was  elected  by  the  Legislature 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  and,  in 
1840,  secured  the  removal  of  the  land  office  fronr 
Galena  to  Dixon.  Colonel  Dixon  was  a  delegate 
from  Lee  County  to  the  liepublican  State  Con- 
vention at  Bloomington,  in  May,  1856,  and, 
although  then  considerably  over  70  years  of  age, 
spoke  from  the  same  stand  with  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, his  presence  producing  much  enthusiasm. 
His  death  occurred,  July  0,  1876. 

DOA>'E,  John  Wesley,  merchant  and  banker, 
was  born  at  Thompson,  Windham  County,  Conn., 
March  23.  1833;  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and,  at  22  years  of  age,  came  to  Chicago 
and  opened  a  small  grocery  store  whicli,  by  1870, 
had  become  one  of  the  most  extensive  concerns 
of  its  kind  in  the  Northwest.  It  was  swept  out 
of  existence  by  the  fire  of  1871,  but  was  re-estab- 
lislied  and,  in  1872,  transferred  to  other  parties, 
although  Sir.  Doane  continued  to  conduct  an 
importing  business  in  many  lines  of  goods  used  in 
the  grocery  trade.  Having  become  interested  in 
the  Slerchants'  Loan  &  Trust  Company,  he  was 
elected  its  President  and  has  continued  to  act  in 
that  capacity.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  a 
Director  of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company, 
the  Allen  Paper  Car  Wheel  Company  and  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  was  a  leading 
promoter  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  of 
1893 — being  one  of  those  who  guaranteed  the 
$5,000,000  to  be  raised  bj-  the  citizens  of  Chicago 
to  assure  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

DOLTOX  STATION,  a  village  of  Cook  County, 
on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois,  the  Chicago  & 
Western  Indiana,  and  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroads,  16  miles  south  of 
Chicago;  has  a  carriage  factory,  a  weekl}'  paper, 
churches  and  a  graded  school-  Population  (1880) 
448;  (1890),  1,110;  (1900),  1,229. 

DOXUOLA,  a  village  in  Union  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  14ailroad,  27  miles  north  of  Cairo. 
Population  (1880),  599;  (1890),  733;  (1900),  681. 

DOOUTTLE,  James  Rood,  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Washington 
County,  N.  Y.,  Jan  3,  1815;  educated  at  Middle- 
bury  and  Geneva  (now  Hobart)  Colleges,  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1837  and  practiced  at  Rochester  and 
Warsaw,  N.  Y. ;  was  elected  District  Attorney  of 
Wyoming  County,  N.  Y..  in  1845,  and,  in  1851 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


135 


removed  to  Wisconsin;  two  years  later  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge,  but  resigned  in  185fi,  and 
the  following  year  was  elected  as  a  Democratic- 
Republican  to  the  United  States  Senate,  being 
re-elected  as  a  Republican  in  18G3.  Retiring 
from  public  life  in  1809,  he  afterwards  resided 
chiefly  at  Racine,  Wis.,  though  practicing  in  the 
courts  of  Chicago.  He  was  President  of  the 
National  Union  Convention  at  Philadelphia  in 
18fi6,  and  of  the  National  Democratic  Convention 
of  1873  in  Baltimore,  whicli  endorsed  Horace 
Greeley  for  President.  Died,  at  Edgewood,  R.  I., 
July  37,  1897. 

DORE,  John  Clark,  first  Superintendent  of 
Chicago  City  Schools,  was  born  at  Ossipee,  N.  H., 
March  23,  1833;  began  teaching  at  17  years  of  age 
and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1847; 
then  taught  several  years  and,  in  ISrA,  was 
offered  and  accepted  the  position  of  Superintend- 
ent of  City  Schools  of  Chicago,  but  resigned  two 
years  later.  Afterwards  engaging  in  business, 
he  served  as  Vice-President  and  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trade,  President  of  the  Com- 
mercial Insurance  Company  and  of  the  State 
Savings  Institution ;  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate,  1868-73,  and  has  been  identified  with 
various  benevolent  organizations  of  the  city  of 
Chicago.    Died  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Dec,  14,  1900. 

DOUGHERTY,  Jolin,  lawyer  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  born  at  JIarietta,  Ohio,  May  6, 
1806;  brought  by  his  parents,  in  1808,  to  Cape 
Girardeau,  Mo. ,  where  they  remained  imtil  after 
the  disastrous  earthquakes  in  that  region  in 
1811-12,  when,  his  father  having  died,  his  mother 
removed  to  Jonesboro,  111.  Here  he  finally  read 
law  with  Col.  A.  P.  Field,  afterwards  Secretary 
of  State,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1831  and 
early  attaining  prominence  as  a  successful 
criminal  lawyer.  He  soon  became  a  recognized 
political  leader,  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the 
House  to  the  Eighth  General  Assembly  (1832) 
and  re-elected  in  1834,  '36  and  '40,  and  again  in 
IS.^O,  and  to  the  Senate  in  1843,  serving  in  the 
latter  body  until  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution 
of  1848.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he  was,  in  1858, 
the  Administration  (Buchanan)  candidate  for 
State  Treasurer,  as  opposed  to  the  Douglas  wing 
of  the  party,  but,  in  1861,  became  a  strong  sup- 
porter of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  served  as  Presi- 
dential Elector  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  1864 
and  in  1873  (the  former  year  for  the  State-  at- 
large),  in  1868  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor 
and,  in  1877,  to  a  seat  on  the  criminal  bench, 
serving  until  June,  1879.  Died,  at  Jonesboro, 
Sept.  7,  1879. 


DOUGLAS,  John  M.,  lawyer  and  Railway 
President,  was  born  at  Plattsburg,  Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  August  22,  1819;  read  law  three 
years  in  his  native  city,  then  came  west  and 
settled  at  Galena,  111.,  where  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1841  and  began  practice.  In  18.')6  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  and,  the  following  year, 
became  one  of  the  solicitors  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Raih'oad,  with  which  he  had  been  associateil  as 
An  attorney  at  Galena.  Between  1861  and  1876 
he  was  a  Director  of  the  Company  over  twelve 
years;  from  1865  to  1871  its  President,  and  again 
for  eighteen  months  in  1875-76,  when  he  retired 
permanently.  Mr.  Douglas'  contemporaries  speak 
of  him  as  a  lawyer  of  great  ability,  as  well 
as  a  capable  executive  officer.  Died,  in  Chicago, 
March  25,  1891. 

DOUGLAS,  Stephen  Arnold,  statesman,  was 
born  at  Brandon,  Vt.,  April  33,  1813.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  death  of  his  father  in  infancy, 
his  early  educational  advantages  were  limited. 
When  fifteen  he  applied  himself  to  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  and,  in  1830,  accompanied  his 
mother  and  step-father  to  Ontario  County,  N.  Y. 
In  1832  he  began  the  study  of  law,  but  started  for 
the  West  in  1833.  He  taught  school  at  Win- 
chester, 111. ,  reading  law  at  night  and  practicing 
before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  on  Saturdays.  He 
was  soon  admitted  to  the  bar  and  took  a  deep 
interest  in  politics.  In  1835  he  was  elected  Prose- 
cuting Attorney  for  Morgan  County,  but  a  few 
months  later  resigned  this  office  to  enter  the 
lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  1836.  In  1838  he  was  a  candidate  for 
Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  John  T.'  Stuart,  his 
Whig  opponent;  was  appointed  Secretary  of 
State  in  December,  1840,  and,  in  February,  1841, 
elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  He  was 
elected  to  Congress  in  1843,  '44  and  '46,  and,  in 
the  latter  year,  was  chosen  United  States  Sena- 
tor, taking  his  seat  March  4,  1847,  and  being 
re-elected  in  1853  and  '59.  His  last  canvass  was 
rendered  memorable  through  his  joint  debate,  in 
1858,  before  the  people  of  the  State  with  Abraham 
Lincoln,  whom  he  defeated  before  the  Legisla- 
ture. He  was  a  candidate  for  the  presidential 
nomination  before  the  Democratic  National 
Conventions  of  1852  and  '56.  In  1860,  after  having 
failed  of  a  nomination  for  the  Presidency  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  through  the  operation  of  the 
"two  thirds  rule,"  he  received  the  nomination 
from  the  adjourned  convention  held  at  Baltimore 
six  weeks  later— though  not  until  the  delegates 
from  nearly  all  the  Southern  States  had  with- 
drawn, the  .seceding  delegates  afterwards  nomi- 


136 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


nating  John  C.  Breckenridge.  Although  defeated 
for  the  Presidency  by  Lincoln,  his  old-time 
antagonist,  Douglas  yielded  a  cordial  support  to 
the  incoming  administration  in  its  attitude 
toward  the  seceded  States,  occupying  a  place  of 
honor  beside  Mr.  Lincoln  on  tlie  portico  of  the 
capitol  during  the  inauguration  ceremonies.  As 
politician,  orator  and  statesman,  Douglas  had 
few  superiors.  Quick  in  perception,  facile  in 
exjjedients,  ready  in  resources,  earnest  and 
fearless  in  utterance,  he  was  a  born  "leader  of 
men."  His  shortness  of  stature,  considered  in 
relation  to  his  extraordinary  mental  acumen, 
gained  for  him  tlie  sobriquet  of  the  "Little 
Giant."     He  died  in  Cliicago,  June  3,  18G1. 

DOUGLAS  COUNTY,  lying  a  little  east  of  the 
center  of  the  State,  embracing  an  areii  of  410 
square  miles  and  having  a  population  (1900)  of 
19,097.  Tlie  earliest  land  entry  was  made  by 
Harrison  Gill,  of  Kentucky,  whose  patent  was 
signed  by  Andrew  Jackson.  Another  early 
settler  was  Jolin  A.  Richman,  a  West  Virginian, 
who  erected  one  of  tlie  first  frame  houses  in 
tlie  comity  in  1829.  The  Embarras  and  Kas- 
ka.skia  Rivers  flow  through  the  county,  which  is 
also  crossed  by  the  Wabash  and  Illinois  Centnvl 
Railways.  Douglas  Count}'  was  organized  in 
1857  (being  set  off  from  Coles)  and  named  in 
honor  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  then  United  States 
Senator  from  Illinois.  After  a  sharp  struggle  Tus- 
cola was  made  the  county-seat.  It  has  be(>n 
visited  by  several  disastrous  conflagrations,  but 
is  a  thriving  town,  credited,  in  1890,  with  a 
population  of  1,897.  Other  important  towns  are 
Areola  (population,  1,733),  and  Camargo,  which 
was  originally  known  as  New  Salem. 

DOWNERS  GROVE,  village.  Dii  Page  County, 
on  C.  B.  &  y.  R.  R.,  21  miles  south-southwest  from 
Chicago,  incorporated  1873;  has  water- works,  elec- 
tric lights,  telephone  system,  good  schools,  bank 
and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1890),  960;  (1900),  2,103. 

DOWNING,  Finis  Ewing,  ex-Congressman  and 
lawyer,  was  born  at  Virginia,  111,,  August  24. 
1846 ;  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  pubhc 
and  private  schools  of  his  native  town ;  from  186.5 
was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  until  1880, 
when  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Cass  County,  serving  three  successive  terms ; 
read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Decem- 
ber, 1887.  In  August,  1891,  he  became  interested 
in  "The  Virginia  Enquirer"  (a  Democratic 
paper),  which  he  has  since  conducted;  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  State  Senate  in  1893, 
and,  in  1894,  was  returned  as  elected  to  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Congress  from  the  Sixteenth  District  bv  a 


])lurality  of  forty  votes  over  Gen.  John  I.  Rinaker. 
tlie  ReiHiblican  nominee.  A  contest  and  recount 
of  the  ballots  resulted,  however,  in  awarding  the 
seat  to  General  Kinaker.  In  1896  Mr.  Downing 
was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  Secretary  of 
State,  but  was  defeated  with  the  rest  of  his  ticket. 
DRAKE,  Francis  Marion,  .soldier  and  Governor, 
was  born  at  Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  111., 
Deo.  30,  1830;  early  taken  to  Drakesville,  Iowa, 
which  his  father  founded ;  entered  mercantile 
life  at  Ifl  years  of  age ;  crossed  the  i)Iains  to  Cali- 
fornia in  IS.'JS,  had  experience  in  Indian  warfare 
and,  in  18.59,  established  himself  in  business  at 
Unionville,  Iowa;  served  through  the  Civil  War, 
liecoming  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  retiring  in 
1865  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General  bj- 
brevet.  He  re-entered  mercantile  life  after  the 
war,  was  admitted  to  the  liar  in  1866,  subsequently 
engaged  in  railroiid  building  and,  in  1881,  contrib- 
buted  the  bulk  of  the  funds  for  founding  Drake 
University;  was  elected  Governor  of  Iowa  in 
1895,  .m'rviiig  until  January,  1898. 

DRAPER,  Andrew  Sloan,  LL.U.,  lawyer  and 
educjitor,  wiis  lx)rn  in  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
June  21,  1848 — being  a  descendant,  in  tlie  eighth 
generation,  from  the  "Puritan,"  James  Draper, 
who  settled  in  Boston  in  1647.  In  1855  Mr. 
Drai)er"s  parents  settled  in  Alliany,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  attended  school,  winning  a  scholarship  in  the 
Albany  .Vcademy  in  1803,  and  graduating  from 
that  institution  in  1866.  During  the  next  four 
yeai-s  he  was  employed  in  teaching,  part  of  the 
time  as  an  instructor  at  his  alma  mater;  but,  in 
1871,  graduated  from  the  Union  College  Law 
DeiKirtment,  when  he  begcin  practice.  The  rank 
he  attained  in  the  profession  was  indicated  by 
his  apiK>intment  by  President  Arthur,  in  1884, 
one  of  ihe  Judges  of  the  Alabama  Claims  Com- 
mission, upon  which  he  served  until  the  conclu- 
sion of  its  labors  in  1886.  He  liad  previously 
served  in  the  New  York  State  Senate  (1880)  and. 
in  1884,  w;is  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention,  also  ser\-ing  as  Chairman  of  the 
Republiciin  State  Central  Committee  the  same 
year.  After  his  return  from  Europe  in  1886,  he 
served  iis  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion of  New  York  until  1892,  and,  in  1889,  and 
again  in  1890,  wa-s  President  of  the  National 
As.sociation  of  .School  Superintendents.  Soon 
after  retiring  from  tlie  State  Superintendency  in 
New  York,  he  was  chosen  Superintendent  of 
Public:  Schools  for  the  city  of  Cleveland.  Ohio, 
remaining  in  that  position  until  1894.  when  he 
was  elected  President  of  the  L'niversity  of  Illinois 
at  Champaign,  where  he  now  is.     His  adminis- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


137 


tration  has  been  characterized  by  enterprise  and 
sagacity,  and  has  tended  to  promote  the  popular- 
ity and  prosperity  of  the  institution. 

DRESSER,  Charles,  clergyman,  was  born  at 
Pomfret,  Conn.,  Feb.  34,  1800;  gi-aduated  from 
Brown  University  in  1823,  went  to  Virginia, 
where  he  studied  theology  and  was  ordained  a 
minister  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  In 
1838  he  removed  to  Springfield,  and  became  rector 
of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  there,  retiring  in 
18.')8.  On  Nov.  4,  1843,  Mr.  Dresser  performed  the 
ceremony  uniting  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Mary 
Toild  in  marriage.     He  died,  March  2n.  ISfi.'i. 

DRUMMOJfD,  Thouias,  jurist,  was  born  at 
Bristol  Mills.  Lincoln  County,  Maine,  Oct.  16, 
1809.  After  graduating  from  BowJoin  College,  in 
1830.  he  studied  law  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1833.  He  settled  at 
Galena,  111.,  in  183.5,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  1840-41.  In  18.50  he  was 
appointed  United  States  District  Judge  for  the 
District  of  Illinois  as  successor  to  Judge  Nathaniel 
Pope,  and  four  years  later  removed  to  Chicago. 
Upon  the  division  of  the  State  into  two  judicial 
districts,  in  18.55,  he  was  assigned  to  the  North- 
ern. In  1869  he  was  elevated  to  the  bench  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  and  presided  over 
the  Seventh  Circuit,  which  at  that  time  included 
the  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  In 
1884 — at  the  age  of  75 — he  resigned,  living  in 
retirement  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
Wheaton,  111.,  May  15,  1890. 

DUBOIS,  Jesse  Kilgore,  State  Auditor,  was 
born,  Jan.  14,  1811.  in  Lawrence  County,  111., 
near  Vincennes,  Ind.,  where  his  father,  Capt. 
Toussaint  Dubois,  had  settled  about  1780.  The 
latter  was  a  native  of  Canada,  of  French  descent, 
and,  after  settling  in  the  Northwest  Territory, 
had  been  a  personal  friend  of  General  Harrison, 
under  whom  he  served  in  the  Indian  wars, 
including  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  The  son 
received  a  partial  collegiate  education  at  Bloom- 
ington,  Ind.,  but,  at  34  years  of  age  (1834),  was 
elected  to  the  General  Assembly,  serving  in  the 
same  House  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  being 
re-elected  in  1836,  '38,  and  '42.  In  1841  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Harri-son  Register  of  the 
Land  Office  at  Palestine,  111.,  but  soon  re,signed, 
giving  his  attention  to  mercantile  pursuits  until 
1849,  when  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys  at  Palestine,  but  was  removed  by  Pierce 
in  1853.  He  was  a  Delegate  to  the  first  Repub- 
lican .State  Convention,  at  Bloomington,  in  1856, 
and,  on  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  was 
nominated     for    Auditor    of     Public    Accounts, 


renominated  in  1860  and  elected  both  times.  In 
1864  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  of 
his  party  for  Governor,  but  was  defeated  by 
General  Oglesby,  serving,  however,  on  the 
National  Executive  Committee  of  that  year,  and 
as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  of  1868. 
Died,  at  his  home  near  Springfield,  Nov.  22,  1876. 
— Fred  T.  (Dubois),  son  of  the  preceding,  was 
born  in  Crawford  County,  III,  May  29,  1851; 
received  a  common-school  and  classical  educa- 
tion, graduating  from  Yale  College  in  1872 ;  w;i.s 
Secretar}'  of  the  Illinois  Railway  and  Warehouse 
Commission  in  1875-76;  went  to  Idaho  Territory 
and  engaged  in  business  in  1880,  was  appointed 
United  States  Marshal  there  in  1882,  serving  until 
1886;  elected  as  a  Republican  Delegate  to  the 
Fiftieth  and  Fifty-fir.st  Congresses,  and,  on  the 
admission  of  Idaho  as  a  State  (1890),  became 
one  of  the  first  United  States  Senators,  his  term 
extending  to  1897.  He  was  Chairman  of  the 
Idaho  delegation  in  the  National  Republican 
Convention  at  Minneapolis  in  1892.  and  was  a 
member  of  the  National  Republican  Convention 
at  St.  Louis  in  1896,  but  seceded  from  that  body 
with  Senator  Teller  of  Colorado,  and  has  since 
cooperated  with  the  Populists  and  Free  Silver 
Democrats. 

DUCAT,  Arthur  Charles,  soldier  and  civil 
engineer,  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  Feb.  24. 
1830,  received  a  liberal  education  and  became  a 
civil  engineer.  He  settled  in  Chicago  in  1851, 
and  six  years  later  was  made  Secretary  and  Chief 
Surveyor  of  the  Board  of  Underwriters  of  that 
city.  While  acting  in  tliis  capacity,  he  virtually 
revised  the  schedule  system  of  rating  fire-risks. 
In  1861  he  raised  a  company  of  300  engineers, 
sappers  and  miners,  but  neither  the  State  nor 
Federal  authorities  would  accept  it.  Thereupon 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Twelfth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  but  his  ability  earned  him  rapid 
promotion.  He  rose  through  the  grades  of  Cap- 
tain, Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel,  to  that  of 
Colonel,  and  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  in 
February,  1864.  Compelled  by  sickness  to  leave  the 
army.  General  Ducat  returned  to  Chicago, 
re-entering  the  insurance  field  and  finally,  after 
holding  various  responsible  positions,  engaging 
in  general  business  in  that  line.  In  1875  he  was 
entrusted  with  the  task  of  reorganizing  the  State 
militia,  which  he  performed  ivith  signal  success. 
Died,  at  Downer's  Grove,  111..  Jan.  29.  1896. 

DUELS    AND    AXTI-DUELIXG    LAWS,    Al- 
though a  majority  of  the  population  of  Illinois, 
in  Territorial  days,  came  from  Southern  States  , 
where  the  duel  was  widely  regarded  as  the  proper 


138 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


mode  for  settling  "difficulties"  of  a  personal 
character,  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  so  few  "affairs 
of  honor"  (so-called)  should  have  occurred  on 
Illinois  soil.  The  first  "affair"  of  this  sort  of 
which  either  history  or  tradition  has  handed 
down  any  account,  is  said  to  have  occurred 
between  an  EngUsli  and  a  French  officer  at  the 
time  of  the  surrender  of  Fort  C'hartres  to  the 
British  in  1765,  and  in  connection  with  that 
event.  The  officers  are  said  to  have  fought  with 
small  swords  one  Sunday  morning  near  the  Fort, 
when  one  of  them  was  killed,  but  the  name  of 
neither  the  victor  nor  the  vanquished  has  come 
down  to  the  present  time.  Gov.  John  Reynolds, 
who  is  the  authority  for  the  story  in  his  "Pioneer 
History  of  Illinois,"  claimed  to  have  received  it 
in  his  boyhood  from  an  aged  Frenchman  who 
represented  that  he  had  seen  the  combat. 

An  affair  of  less  doubtful  authenticity  has  come 
down  to  us  in  the  history  of  tlie  Territorial 
period,  and,  although  it  was  at  first  I)l<M)dless,  it 
finally  ended  in  a  tragedy.  This  was  the  Jones- 
Bond  affair,  which  originated  at  Kaskaskia  in 
1808.  Rice  Jones  was  the  'son  of  John  Rice  Jones, 
the  first  English-speaking  lawyer  in  the  "Illinois 
Country."  The  younger  Jones  is  described  as  an 
exceptionally  brilliant  yoimg  man  who,  ha\-ing 
studied  law,  located  at  Kaskaskia  in  1806.  Two 
years  later  he  became  a  candidate  for  Represent- 
ative from  Randolph  County  in  the  Legislature 
of  Indiana  Territory,  of  which  Illinois  was  a  part. 
In  the  course  of  the  canvass  which  resulted  in 
Jones'  election,  he  became  involved  in  a  cjuarrel 
with  Shadrach  Bond,  who  was  then  a  member  of 
the  Territorial  Council  from  the  same  county, 
and  afterwards  became  Delegate  in  Congress 
from  Illinois  and  the  first  Governor  of  the  State. 
Bond  challenged  Jones  and  tlie  meeting  took 
place  on  an  island  in  the  Mississippi  between 
Kaskaskia  and  St.  Genevieve.  Bond's  second 
was  a  Dr.  James  Dunlap  of  Kaskaskia,  who 
appears  also  to  have  been  a  bitter  enemy  of  Jones. 
The  discharge  of  a  pistol  in  the  hand  of  Jones 
after  the  combatants  Iiad  taken  their  places 
preliminary  to  the  order  to  "fire,"  raised  the 
question  whether  it  was  accidental  or  to  be 
regarded  as  Jones'  fire.  Dunlap  maintained  the 
latter,  but  Bond  accepted  tlie  explanation  of  his 
adversary  that  the  discharge  was  accidental,  and 
the  generosity  which  he  dLsplaj-ed  led  to  expla- 
nations that  averted  a  final  exchange  of  shots. 
The  feud  thus  started  between  Jones  and  Dunlap 
grew  until  it  involved  a  large  part  of  the  com- 
munity. On  Dec.  7,  1808,  Dunlap  shot  down 
Jones    in    cold    blood  and   withoiit   warning  in 


the  streets  of  Kaskaskia,  killing  him  instantly. 
The  murderer  fled  to  Texas  and  was  never  heard 
of  about  Kaskaskia  afterwards.  This  incident 
furnishes  the  basis  of  the  most  graphic  chapter 
in  Mrs.  Catherwood's  story  of  "Old  Kaskaskia." 
Prompted  by  this  tragical  affair,  no  doubt,  the 
Governor  and  Territorial  Judges,  in  1810,  framed  a 
stringent  law  for  the  suppression  of  dueling,  in 
whicli,  in  case  of  a  fatal  result,  all  parties  con- 
nected with  the  affair,  as  principals  or  seconds, 
were  held  to  be  guilty  of  murder. 

Governor  Reynolds  furnishes  the  record  of  a 
duel  between  Thomas  Rector,  the  member  of  a 
noted  family  of  that  name  at  Kaskaskia,  and  one 
Joshua  Barton,  supposed  to  have  occurred  some- 
time during  the  War  of  1812,  though  no  exact 
dates  are  given.  This  affair  took  place  on  the 
favorite  dueling  ground  known  as  "Bloody 
Island,"  oi)iK>site  St.  Louis,  so  often  resorted  to 
at  a  later  day,  by  devotees  of  "the  code"  in  Mis- 
souri. Reynolds  says  that  "Barton  fell  in  the 
conflict  " 

The  next  affair  of  which  history  makes  men- 
tion grew  out  of  a  drunken  carousel  at  Belleville, 
in  February,  1819,  which  ended  in  a  duel  between 
two  men  named  Alonzo  Stuart  and  William 
Bennett,  and  the  killing  of  Stuart  by  Bennett. 
The  managers  of  the  affair  for  the  principals  are 
said  to  have  agreed  that  tlie  guns  should  be  loaded 
with  blank  cartridges,  and  Stuart  was  let  into  the 
secret  but  Bennett  was  not.  When  the  order  to 
fire  came,  Bennett's  gun  proved  to  have  been 
loaded  with  ball.  Stuart  fell  mortally  wounded, 
expiring  almost  immediately.  One  report  says 
that  the  duel  wiis  intended  as  a  sham,  and  was  so 
understood  by  Bennett,  who  was  horrified  by  the 
result.  He  and  liis  two  seconds  were  arrested  for 
murder,  but  Bennett  broke  jail  and  fled  to 
Arkansas.  The  seconds  were  tried,  Daniel  P. 
Cook  conducting  the  prosecution  and  Thomas  H. 
Benton  defending,  the  trial  resulting  in  their 
acquittal.  Two  years  later,  Bennett  was  appre- 
liended  by  s<ime  sort  of  artifice,  put  on  his  trial, 
convicted  and  executed — Judge  John  Rej'nolds 
(afterwards  Governor)  presiding  and  pronouncing 
sentence. 

In  a  footnote  to  "The  Edwards  Papers," 
edited  by  the  hite  E.  B.  Washburne,  and  printed 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  HLstorical 
Society,  a  few  years  ago,  Mr.  Washburne  relates 
an  incident  occurring  in  Galena  about  1838,  while 
"The  Northwestern  Gazette  and  Galena  Adver- 
tiser" was  under  the  cliarge  of  Sylvester  M. 
Bartlett,  who  was  afterwards  one  of  the  founders 
of  "The  Quincy  Whig."    The  story,  as  told  by 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


139 


Bi,  Washburne,  is  as  follows:  "David  G.  Bates 
(a  Galena  business  man  and  captain  of  a  packet 
plying  between  St.  Louis  and  Galena)  wrote  a 
short  communication  for  the  paper  reflecting  on 
the  character  of  John  Turney,  a  prominent  law- 
yer who  had  been  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  1828-30,  from  the  District 
composed  of  Pike,  Adams,  Fulton,  Schuyler, 
Peoria  and  Jo  Daviess  Counties.  Turney  de- 
manded the  name  of  the  author  and  Bartlett  gave 
up  the  name  of  Bates.  Turney  refused  to  take 
any  notice  of  Bates  and  then  challenged  Bartlett 
to  a  duel,  wliich  was  promptly  accepted  by  Bart- 
lett. The  second  of  Turney  was  the  Hon.  Joseph 
P.  Hoge,  afterward  a  member  of  Congress  from 
the  Galena  District.  Bartlett's  second  was 
William  A.  Warren,  now  of  Bellevue,  Iowa." 
(Warren  was  a  prominent  Union  officer  during 
the  Civil  War.)  "The  parties  went  out  to  the 
ground  selected  for  the  duel,  in  what  was  then 
Wisconsin  Territory,  seven  miles  north  of  Galena, 
and,  after  one  ineffectual  fire,  the  matter  was 
compromised.  Subsequently,  Bartlett  removed 
to  Quincy,  and  was  for  a  long  time  connected 
with  the  publication  of  'The  Quincy  Whig.'" 

During  the  session  of  the  Twelfth  General 
Assembly  (1841),  A.  R.  Dodge,  a  Democratic 
Representative  from  Peoria  County,  feeling  him- 
self aggrieved  by  some  reflections  indulged  by  Gen. 
John  J.  Hardin  (then  a  Whig  Representative 
from  Morgan  County)  upon  the  Democratic  party 
in  connection  with  the  partisan  reorganization 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  threatened  to  "call  out" 
Hardin.  The  affair  was  referred  to  W.  L.  D. 
Ewing  and  W.  A.  Richardson  for  Dodge,  and 
J.  J.  Brown  and  E.  B.  Webb  for  Hardin,  with 
the  result  that  it  was  amicably  adjusted  "honor- 
ably to  both  parties." 

It  was  during  the  same  session  that  John  A. 
McClernand,  then  a  young  and  fiery  member 
from  Gallatin  County  — who  had,  two  years 
before,  been  appointed  Secretary  of  State  by 
Governor  Carlin,  but  had  been  debarred  from 
taking  the  office  by  an  adverse  decision  of  the 
Supreme  Court  —  indulged  in  a  violent  attack 
upon  the  Whig  members  of  the  Court  based  upon 
allegations  afterwards  shown  to  have  been  fur- 
nished by  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  a  Democratic 
member  of  the  same  court.  Smith  having  joined 
his  associates  in  a  card  denying  the  truth  of  the 
charges,  McClernand  responded  %vith  the  publi- 
cation of  the  cards  of  persons  tracing  the  allega- 
tions directly  to  Smith  himself.  This  brouglit  a 
note  from  Smith  which  McClernand  construed  into 
a  challenge  and  answered  with  a  prompt  accept- 


ance. Attorney-General  Lamborn,  having  got 
wind  of  the  affair,  lodged  a  complaint  with  a 
Springfield  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  resulted 
in  placing  the  pugnacious  jurist  under  bonds  to 
keep  the  peace,  when  he  took  his  departure  lor 
Chicago,  and  the  "affair"  ended. 

An  incident  of  greater  historical  interest  than 
all  the  others  yet  mentioned,  was  the  affair  in 
which  James  Shields  and  Abraham  Lincoln — tlie 
former  the  State  Auditor  and  the  latter  at  that 
time  a  young  attorney  at  Springfield — were  con- 
cerned. A  communication  in  doggerel  verse  liad 
appeared  in  "The  Springfield  Journal"  ridiculing 
the  Auditor.  Shields  made  demand  upon  the 
editor  (Mr.  Simeon  Francis)  for  the  name  of  the 
author,  and,  in  accordance  with  previous  under- 
standing, the  name  of  Lincoln  was  given.  (Evi- 
dence, later  coming  to  light,  showed  that  the  real 
authors  were  Miss  Mary  Todd — who,  a  few  months 
later,  became  Mrs.  Lincoln — and  Miss  Julia  Jayne, 
afterwards  the  wife  of  Senator  Tnimbull. ) 
Shields,  through  John  D.  Whiteside,  a  former 
State  Treasurer,  demanded  a  retraction  of  the 
offensive  matter — the  demand  being  presented  to 
Lincoln  at  Tremont,  in  Tazewell  County,  wliere 
Lincoln  was  attending  court.  Without  attempt- 
ing to  foUovv  the  affair  through  all  its  complicated 
details — Shields  having  assumed  tliat  Lincoln  was 
the  author  without  further  investigation,  and 
Lincoln  refusing  to  make  any  explanation  unless 
the  first  demand  was  withdrawn — Lincoln  named 
Dr.  E.  H.  Merriman  as  his  second  and  accepted 
Shield's  challenge,  naming  cavalry  broadswords 
as  the  weapons  and  the  Missouri  shore,  within 
three  miles  of  the  city  of  Alton,  as  the  place. 
The  principals,  with  their  "friends,"  met  at  the 
appointed  time  and  place  (Sept.  23,  1842,  opposite 
the  city  of  Alton);  but,  in  the  meantime,  mutual 
friends,  having  been  apprised  of  what  was  going 
on,  also  appeared  on  the  ground  and  brought 
about  explanations  which  averted  an  actual  con- 
flict. Those  especially  instrumental  in  bringing 
about  this  result  were  Gen.  John  J.  Hardin  of 
Jacksonville,  and  Dr.  R.  W.  English  of  Greene 
County,  while  John  D.  Whiteside,  W.  L.  D. 
Ewing  and  Dr.  T.  M.  Hope  acted  as  repre.sent- 
atives  of  Shields,  and  Dr.  E.  H.  Merriman, 
Dr.  A.  T.  Bledsoe  and  William  Butler  for  Lincoln. 

Out  of  this  affair,  within  the  next  few  days, 
followed  challenges  from  Shields  to  Butler  and 
Whiteside  to  Merriman ;  but,  altliough  these  were 
accepted,  yet  ovs-ing  to  .some  objection  on  the  part 
of  the  challenging  party  to  the  conditions  named 
by  the  party  challenged,  thereby  resulting  in  de- 
lay, no  meeting  actually  took  place. 


140 


HISTOIIICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Another  affair  which  bore  important  results 
without  ending  in  a  traKedy,  occurred  during  the 
session  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1S4T. 
Tlie  parties  to  it  were  O.  C.  Pratt  and  Thompson 
Campbell  —  both  Delegates  from  Jo  Daviess 
County,  and  both  Democrats.  Some  sparring 
between  them  over  the  question  of  suffrage  for 
naturalized  foreigners  resulted  in  an  invitation 
from  Pratt  to  Campbell  to  meet  him  at  the 
Planters'  House  in  St.  Louis,  with  an  intimation 
that  this  was  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  the 
preliminaries  of  a  duel.  Both  parties  were  on 
hand  before  the  appointed  time,  but  their  arrest 
by  the  St.  Louis  authorities  and  putting  them 
under  heavy  bonds  to  keep  the  peace,  gave  them 
an  excuse  for  returning  to  their  convention 
duties  without  coming  to  actual  hostilities — if 
they  had  such  intention.  This  was  promptly 
followed  by  the  adoption  in  Convention  of  the 
provision  of  the  Constitution  of  1848,  disqualify- 
ing any  person  engaged  in  a  dueling  aflfair,  either 
as  principal  or  second,  from  holding  any  office  of 
honor  or  profit  in  the  State. 

The  last  and  principal  affair  of  this  kind  of 
historic  significance,  in  which  a  citizen  of  Illinois 
was  engaged,  though  not  on  Illinois  soil,  was  that 
in  wliich  Congressman  William  II.  Bi.s.sell,  after- 
wards Governor  of  IlUnois,  and  Jefferson  Davis 
were  concerned  in  February.  1850.  During  the 
debate  on  the  "Compromise  Measures"  of  that 
year.  Congressman  Seddon  of  Virginia  went  out 
of  his  way  to  indulge  in  implied  reflections  uix)n 
the  courage  of  Northern  soldiers  as  displayed  on 
the  battle-field  of  Buena  Vista,  and  to  claim  for 
the  Mississippi  regiment  commanded  by  Davis 
the  credit  of  saving  the  day.  Replying  to  tliese 
claims  Colonel  Bissell  took  occasion  to  <'orrect  the 
Virginia  Congressman's  statements,  and  especi- 
ally to  vindicate  the  good  name  of  the  Illinois  and 
Kentucky  troops.  In  doing  so  he  declared  that, 
at  the  critical  moment  alluded  to  by  Seddon, 
when  the  Indiana  regiment  gave  waj-,  Davis's 
regiment  was  not  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
scene  of  action.  This  was  construed  by  Davis  as 
a  reflection  upon  his  troops,  and  led  to  a  challenge 
which  was  promptly  accepted  by  Bissell,  who 
named  the  soldier's  weapon  (the  common  army 
musket),  loaded  with  l>all  and  buckshot,  with 
forty  paces  as  the  distance,  with  liberty  to 
advance  up  to  ten — otherwise  leaving  the  pre- 
liminaries to  be  settled  by  liis  friends.  The  evi- 
dence manife.sted  by  Bissell  that  he  was  not  to  be 
intimidated,  but  was  prepared  to  face  death 
itself  to  vindicate  his  own  honor  and  that  of  liLs 
comrades  in  the  field,  was  a  surprise  to  the  South- 


ern leaders,  and  they  soon  found  a  way  for  Davis 
to  withdraw  his  challenge  on  condition  that 
Bis.sell  should  add  to  his  letter  of  acceptance  a 
claiLse  awarding  credit  to  the  Mississippi  regi- 
ment for  what  they  actually  did,  but  without  dis- 
avowing or  retracting  a  single  word  he  had 
uttered  in  his  speech.  In  the  meantime,  it  is  said 
that  President  Taylor,  who  was  the  father-in-law 
of  Davis,  having  been  apprised  of  what  was  on 
foot,  had  taken  precautions  to  prevent  a  meeting 
by  instituting  legal  proceedings  the  night  before 
it  was  to  take  place,  though  this  was  rendered 
unnecessarj-  by  the  act  of  Davis  himself.  Thus, 
Colonel  Bissell's  position  was  virtually  (though 
indirectly)  justified  by  his  enemies.  It  is  true, 
lie  was  violently  assailed  by  his  political  opponents 
for  alleged  violation  of  the  inhibition  in  the  State 
Con.stitution  against  dueling,  esjiecially  when  he 
came  to  take  the  Oiith  of  office  as  Governor  of 
Illinois,  seven  years  later;  but  his  course  in  "turn- 
ing the  tables"  agiiinst  his  fire-eating  opponents 
aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  the  North,  while  his 
friends  maintained  that  the  act  having  been 
performed  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  State, 
he  was  technically  not  guiltj-  of  any  violation  of 
the  laws. 

While  the  provision  in  the  Constitution  of  1848, 
against  dueling,  was  not  re- incorporated  in  that 
of  1S70,  the  laws  on  the  subject  are  veiy  strin- 
gent. Besides  im|x>sing  a  penalty  of  not  less  than 
one  nor  more  than  five  years'  imprisonment,  or  a 
tine  not  exceeding  $3,000,  mxm  any  one  who,  as 
principal  or  second,  participates  in  a  duel  with  a 
deadly  weapon,  whether  such  duel  proves  fatal 
or  not,  or  who  sends,  carries  or  accepts  a  clial- 
lenge:  the  law  also  provides  that  any  one  con- 
\-icted  of  such  ofIen.se  shall  te  disqualified  for 
holding  "any  office  of  profit,  tru.st  or  emolument, 
either  civil  or  military,  under  the  Constitution  or 
laws  of  this  State."  Any  person  leaving  the 
State  to  send  or  receive  a  challenge  is  subject  to 
the  same  penalties  as  if  the  offense  had  been 
committed  witliin  the  State;  and  any  person  who 
may  inflict  upon  Iris  antagonist  a  fatal  wound,  as 
the  result  of  an  engagement  made  in  this  State  to 
fight  a  duel  beyond  its  jurisdiction — when  the 
person  so  %vounded  dies  within  this  State — is  held 
to  be  guilty  of  murder  and  subject  to  punishment 
for  the  same.  The  publishing  of  any  person  as  a 
coward,  or  the  applying  to  him  of  opprobrious  or 
abusive  language,  for  refusing  to  accept  a  chal- 
lenge, is  declared  to  be  a  crime  punisliable  by 
fine  or  imprisonment. 

DCFF,   Andrew    D.,  lawyer  and  Judge,    was 
born  of    a  familj-  of  pioneer  settlers  in   Bond 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


141 


County,  111.,  Jan.  24,  1820;  was  educated  in  the 
country  schools,  and,  from  1842  to  1847,  spent  his 
time  in  teaching  and  as  a  farmer.  The  latter 
year  he  removed  to  Benton,  Franklin  County, 
where  he  began  reading  law,  but  suspended  his 
studies  to  enli.st  in  the  Mexican  War,  serving  as  a 
private;  in  1849  was  elected  County  Judge  of 
Franklin  County,  and,  in  the  following  year,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1861  he  was  elected 
.Judge  for  the  Twenty-sixth  Circuit  and  re- 
elected in  1807,  serving  until  1873.  He  also 
served  as  a  Delegate  in  the  State  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1862  from  the  district  composed  of 
Franklin  and  Jackson  Counties,  and,  being  a 
zealous  Democrat,  was  one  of  the  leaders  in 
calling  the  mass  meeting  held  at  Peoria,  in 
August,  1864,  to  protest  against  the  [lolicy  of  the 
Government  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war. 
About  the  close  of  his  last  term  upon  the  bench 
(1873),  he  removed  to  Carbondale,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside.  In  his  later  years  he  be- 
came an  Independent  in  politics,  acting  for 
a  time  in  cooperation  with  the  friends  of 
tentperance.  In  1883  he  was  appointed  by  joint 
resolution  of  the  Legislature  on  a  commission  to 
revise  the  revenue  code  of  the  State.  Died,  at 
Tucson.  Ariz.,  June  2,5,  1889. 

DUNCAN,  Joseph,  Congressman  and  Gov- 
ernor, was  born  at  Paris,  Kj'.,  Feb.  22,  1794,; 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1818,  having  previously 
served  with  distinction  in  the  War  of  1S12,  and 
been  presented  »vith  a  sword,  by  vote  of  Congress, 
for  gallant  conduct  in  the  defense  of  Fort  Stephen- 
son. He  was  commissioned  Major-General  of 
Illinois  militia  in  1823  and  elected  State  Senator 
from  Jackson  County  in  1824.  He  served  in  the 
lower  house  of  Congress  from  1827  to  1834,  when 
he  resigned  his  seat  to  occupy  the  gubernatorial 
chair,  to  which  he  was  elected  the  latter  year.  He 
was  the  author  of  the  first  free-school  law, 
adopted  in  182.5.  His  executive  policy  was  con- 
.servative  and  consistent,  and  his  administration 
successful.  He  erected  the  first  frame  building 
at  Jacksonville,  in  1834,  and  was  a  liberal  friend 
of  Illinois  College  at  that  place.  In  his  personal 
character  he  was  kindly,  genial  and  unassuming, 
although  fearless  in  the  expression  of  his  convic- 
tions. He  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Governor 
in  1843,  when  he  met  with  his  first  political 
defeat.  Died,  at  Jacksonville,  Jan.  15,  1844, 
mourned  bj-  men  of  all  parties. 

DUNCAN,  Thomas,  soldier,  was  born  in  Kas- 
kaskia,  111.,  April  14,  1809;  served  as  a  private  in 
the  Illinois  mounted  volunteers  during  the  Black 
Hawk  War  of  1832 ;  also  as  First  Lieutenant  of 


cavalry  in  the  regular  army  in  the  Mexican  War 
(1846),  and  as  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
during  the  War  of  the  RebeUion,  still  later  doing 
duty  upon  the  frontier  keeping  the  Indians  in 
check.  He  was  retired  from  active  service  in 
1873,  and  died  in  Washington,  Jan.  7,  1887. 

DUNDEE,  a  town  on  Fox  River,  in  Kane 
County.  5  miles  (by  rail)  north  of  Elgin  and  47 
miles  west-northwest  of  Chicago.  It  has  two 
di.stinct  corporations— East  and  West  Dundee— 
but  is  progr&s.sive  and  united  in  action.  Dairy 
farming  is  the  principal  industry  of  the  adjacent 
region,  and  the  town  has  two  large  milk-c;on- 
densing  plants,  a  cheese  factory,  etc.  It  has  good 
water  power  and  there  are  flour  and  saw-milLs, 
besides  brick  and  tile-works,  an.extensive  nurseiy, 
two  banks,  six  churches,  a  handsome  high  school 
building,  a  public  library  and  one  weekly  paper. 
Population  (1890),  2,023;  (1900),  2,765. 

DUNHAM,  John  High,  banker  and  Board  of 
Trade  operator,  was  born  in  Seneca  County, 
N.  Y.,  1817;  came  to  Chicago  in  1844,  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  grocery  trade,  and,  a  few  years 
later,  took  a  prominent  part  in  solving  the  ques- 
tion of  a  water  supply  for  the  city ;  was  elected  to 
the  Twentieth  General  Assembly  (1856)  and  the 
next  year  assisted  in  organizing  the  Merchants' 
Loan  &  Trust  Company,  of  which  lie  became  the 
first  President,  retiring  five  years  later  and  re- 
engaging in  the  mercantile  business.  While 
Hon.  Hugh  McCullough  was  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  he  was  appointed  National  Bank 
Examiner  for  Illinois,  serving  until  1866.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society, 
the  Acaiiemy  of  Sciences,  and  an  early  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade.  Died,  April  28,  1893, 
leaving  a  large  estate. 

DUNHAM,  Ransom  W.,  merchant  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  at  Savoy,  Mass.,  Marcli  21, 
1838;  after  graduating  from  the  High  School  at 
Springfield,  Mass.,  in  1855,  was  connected  with 
the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany until  August,  1860.  In  1857  he  removed 
from  Springfield  to  Chicago,  and  at  the  termina- 
tion of  his  connection  with  the  Insurance  Com- 
pany, embarked  in  the  grain  and  jjrovision 
commission  business  in  that  city,  and,  in  1882, 
was  President  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade. 
From  1883  to  1889  he  represented  the  First  Illinois 
District  in  Congress,  after  the  expiration  of  his 
last  term  devoting  his  attention  to  his  large 
private  business  His  death  took  place  suddenly 
at  Springfield,  Mass.,  August  19,  1896. 

DUNLAP,  George  Lincoln,  civil  engineer  and 
Railway  Superiatendent,  was  born  at  Brunswick, 


U2 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Maine,  in  1828;  studied  mathematics  and  engineer- 
ing at  Gorham  Academy,  and,  after  several 
years'  experience  on  the  Boston  &  Maine  and  the 
New  York  &  Erie  Railways,  came  west  in  1855 
and  accepted  a  position  as  assistant  engineer  on 
what  is  now  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road, finally  becoming  its  General  Superintend- 
ent, and,  in  foui-teen  years  of  his  connection  with 
that  road,  vastly  extending  its  lines.  Between 
1872  and  '79  he  was  connected  with  the  Montreal 
&  Quebec  Railway,  but  the  latter  year  returned 
to  Illinois  and  was  actively  connected  with  the 
extension  of  the  Wabash  system  until  his  retire- 
ment a  few  years  ago. 

DUNLAP,  Henry  M.,  liortif^ulturist  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  Cook  County,  111..  Nov.  14, 
18.53 — the  son  of  M.  L.  Dunlaj)  (the  well-known 
"Rural"),  who  became  a  prominent  horticulturist 
In  Cliampaign  County  and  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  State  Agricultural  Society.  The  family 
having  located  at  Savoy,  Champaign  County, 
about  1857,  the  j-ounger  Dunlap  was  educated  in 
the  University  of  Illinois,  graduating  in  the 
scientific  department  in  1875.  Following  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father,  he  engaged  extensively 
in  fruit-growing,  and  has  served  in  the  office  of 
both  President  and  Secretary  of  the  State  Horti 
cultural  Society,  besides  local  offices.  In  1892  he 
was  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the  State  Senate 
for  the  Thirtieth  District,  was  re-elected  in  189{). 
and  has  been  prominent  in  State  legislation. 

DUNLAP,  Mathias  Lane,  horticulturist,  was 
born  at  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  14,  1814; 
coming  to  La  Salle  County,  111.,  in  1835,  he 
taught  school  the  following  winter;  then  secured 
a  clerkship  in  Chicago,  and  later  became  book- 
keeper for  a  firm  of  contractors  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  remaining  two  j-ears.  Having 
entered  a  body  of  Government  land  in  the  western 
part  of  Cook  County,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
farming,  giving  a  portion  of  his  time  to  survey- 
ing. In  1845  he  became  interested  in  horticulture 
and,  in  a  few  years,  built  up  one  of  the  most 
extensive  nurseries  in  the  West.  In  18.54  he  was 
chosen  a  Representative  in  the  Nineteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  from  Cook  County,  and,  at  the 
following  session,  presided  over  the  caucus  which 
resulted  in  the  nomination  and  final  election  of 
Lyman  Trtinibull  to  the  United  States  Senate  for 
the  first  time.  Politically  an  anti-slavery  Demo- 
crat, he  espoused  the  cause  of  freedom  in  the 
Territories,  while  his  house  was  one  of  the  depots 
of  the  "underground  railroad."  In  1855  he  pur- 
chased a  half-section  of  land  near  Champaign, 
whither   he    removed,  two  years  later,  for    the 


prosecution  of  his  nursery  business.  He  was  an 
active  meml)er,  for  many  years,  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society  and  an  earnest  .supporter  of  the 
scheme  for  the  e.stablishment  of  an  "Industrial 
University,"  which  finally  took  form  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  at  Champaign.  From  18.53  to 
his  death  he  was  the  agricultural  correspondent, 
first  of  "The  Chicago  Democratic  Press,"  and 
later  of  "The  Tribune,"  writing  over  the  nom  de 
l)luine  of  "Rural."     Died,  Feb.  14,  1875. 

DU  PAGE  COUNTY,  organized  in  1839,  named 
for  a  river  which  flows  through  it.  It  adjoins 
Cook  County  on  the  west  and  contains  340  square 
miles.  In  1900  its  population  was  28,196.  The 
county-seat  was  originally  at  Naperville,  which 
w;is  ])latted  in  1842  and  named  in  honor  of  Capt. 
Joseph  Naper,  who  settled  ujwn  the  site  in  1831. 
In  1809  the  count}'  government  was  removed  to 
Wheaton,  the  location  of  Wheaton  College, 
where  it  yet  remains.  Besides  Captain  Naper, 
earl}-  settlers  of  prominence  were  Bailey  Hobson 
(the  pioneer  in  the  township  of  Lisle),  and  Pierce 
Downer  (in  Downer's  Grove).  The  chief  towns 
are  Wheaton  (population,  1,622),  Naperville 
(2,216),  Hinsdale  (1,584),  Downer's  Grove  (960), 
and  Roselle  (450).  Hinsdale  and  Roselle  are 
largely  populated  by  persons  doing  business  in 
Chicago. 

DU  (JUOIN,  a  city  and  railway  junction  in 
Perry  County,  TO  miles  north  of  Cairo;  has  a 
foundry,  machine  shops,  planing-mill.  flour  mills, 
salt  works,  ice  factory,  soda-«ater  factory, 
creamery,  coal  mines,  graded  school,  public 
library  and  four  newspapers.  Papulation  (1890), 
4.052;  (1000),  4.3.53;  (1903,  school  census),  5,207. 

DURBOROW,  Allan  Cathcart,  ex-Congress- 
man, was  iHiru  in  Philadelphia,  Nov.  20,  1857. 
When  five  years  old  he  accompanied  liis  parents 
to  AVilliamsixjrt,  Ind.,  where  he  received  his 
early  education.  He  entered  the  preparatory 
department  of  Wabash  College  in  1872,  and 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Indiana,  at 
Bloomington,  in  1877.  After  two  years'  residence 
in  Indianapolis,  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
engaged  in  business.  Always  active  in  local 
politics,  he  was  elected  by  the  Democrats  in  1890, 
and  again  in  1892,  Representative  in  Congress 
from  the  Second  District,  retiring  with  the  close 
of  the  Fifty-third  Congre.ss.  Mr.  Durborow  is 
Treasurer  of  the  Chicago  ^Vir-Line  Express  Com- 
pany. 

DUSTIN,  (Gen.)  Daniel,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Topsham,  Orange  County.  Vt.,  Oct.  5,  1820; 
received  a  common-school  and  academic  educa- 
tion, graduating  in  medicine  at  Dartmouth  Col- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


143 


lege  in  1846.  After  practicing  tliree  years  at 
Corinth,  Vt. ,  he  went  to  California  in  1850  and 
engaged  in  mining,  but  three  years  later  resumed 
the  practice  of  his  profession  wliile  conducting  a 
mercantile  business.  He  was  subsequently  chosen 
to  the  California  Legislature  from  Nevada 
County,  but  coming  to  Illinois  in  1858,  he 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  at  Sycamore,  De 
Kalb  County,  in  connection  with  J.  E.  Elwood. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in  1861,  he  sold 
out  his  drug  business  and  assisted  in  raising  the 
Eighth  Regiment  Illinois  Cavalry,  and  was  com- 
missioned Captain  of  Company  L.  The  regiment 
was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and, 
in  January,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  Major,  afterwards  taking  part  in  the  battle  of 
Manassas,  and  the  great  "seven  days'  fight" 
before  Richmond.  In  September,  1862,  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  was  mustered  in  at  Dixon,  and  Major 
Dustin  was  commissioned  its  Colonel,  soon  after 
joining  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  After  the 
Atlanta  campaign  he  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  a  brigade  in  the  Third  Division  of  the 
Twelfth  Army  Corps,  remaining  in  this  position 
to  the  close  of  the  war,  meanwhile  having  been 
brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  bravery  displayed 
on  the  battle-field  at  Averysboro,  N.  C.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  Washington,  June  7,  18G5,  and 
took  part  in  the  grand  review  of  the  armies  in 
that  city  which  marked  the  close  of  the  war. 
Returning  to  his  home  in  De  Kalb  County,  he 
was  elected  County  Clerk  in  the  following 
November,  remaining  in  office  four  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  chosen  Circuit  Clerk  and  ex- 
officio  Recorder,  and  was  twice  thereafter 
re-elected— in  1884  and  1888.  On  the  organization 
of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy,  in 
1885,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Oglesby  one 
of  the  Trustees,  retaining  the  position  until  his 
death.  In  May,  1890,  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Harrison  Assistant  United  States 
Treasurer  at  Chicago,  but  died  in  office  while  on 
a  visit  with  his  daughter  at  Carthage,  Mo. ,  March 
30,  1892.  General  Dustin  was  a  Mason  of  high 
degree,  and,  in  1872,  was  chosen  Right  Eminent 
Commander  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  the 
State. 

DWKiHT,  a  prosperous  city  ill  Livingston 
County,  74  miles,  by  rail,  south-southwest  of  Chi- 
cago, 52  miles  northeast  of  Bloomington,  and  22 
miles  east  of  Streator ;  has  two  banks,  two  weekly 
papers,  six  churches,  five  large  warehouses,  two 
electric  light  plants,  complete  water-works  sys- 
tem, and  four  hotels.     The  city  is  the  center  of  a 


rich  farming  and  stock-raising  district.  Dwight 
has  attained  celebrity  as  the  location  of  the  first 
of  "Keeley  Institutes,"  founded  for  the  cure  of 
the  drink  and  morphine  habit.  Population 
(1890),  1,354;  (1900),  2,015.  These  figures  do  not 
include  the  floating  population,  which  is 
augmented  by  patients  who  receive  treatment 
at  the  "Keeley  Institute." 

DYER,  Charles  Tolney,  M.D.,  pioneer  physi- 
cian, was  born  at  Clarendon,  Vt.,  June  12,  1808; 
graduated  in  medicine  at  Middlebury  College,  in 
1830:  began  practice  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1831, 
and  in  Chicago  in  1835.  He  was  an  uncomprom- 
ising opponent  of  slavery  and  an  avowed  sup- 
porter of  the  "underground  railroad,"  and,  in 
1848,  received  the  support  of  the  Free-Soil  party 
of  Illinois  for  Governor.  Dr.  Dyer  was  also  one 
of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  North  Chicago 
Street  Railway  Company,  and  his  name  was 
prominently  identified  with  many  local  benevo- 
lent enterprises.  Died,  in  Lake  View  (then  a 
suburb  of  Chicago),  April  24,  1878. 

EARLVILLE,  a  city  and  railway  junction  in 
La  Salle  County,  52  miles  northeast  of  Princeton, 
at  the  intersecting  point  of  the  Clucago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroads.  It  is  in  the  center  of  an  agricultural 
and  stock-raising  district,  and  is  an  important 
shipping-point.  It  has  seven  churches,  a  graded 
school,  one  bank,  two  weekly  newspapers  and 
manufactories  of  plows,  wagons  and  carriages. 
Population  (1880),  963;  (1890),  1,0.58;  (1900),  1,122. 

EARLY,  John,  legislator  and  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  of  American  parentage  and  Irish 
ancestry  in  Essex  County,  Canada  West,  March 
17,  1828,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Cale- 
donia, Boone  County,  111.,  in  1846.  His  boyhood 
was  passed  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  in  youth 
he  learned  the  trade  (his  father's)  of  carpenter 
and  joiner.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Rockford, 
Winnebago  County,  and,  in  1865,  became  State 
Agent  of  the  New  England  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Company.  Between  1863  and  1866  he  held 
sundry  local  offices,  and,  in  1869,  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Palmer  a  Trustee  of  the  State 
Reform  School.  In  1870  he  was  elected  State 
Senator  and  re-elected  in  1874,  serving  in  the 
Twenty-seventh,  Twenty-eighth,  Twenty-ninth 
and  Thirtieth  General  Assemblies.  In  1873  he 
was  elected  President  pro  tem.  of  the  Senate,  and, 
Lieut-Gov.  Beveridge  succeeding  to  the  executive 
chair,  he  became  ex-officio  Lieutenant-Governor. 
In  1875  he  was  again  the  Republican  nominee  for 
the  Presidency  of  the  Senate,  but  was  defeated 


144 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


by  a  coalition  of  Democrats  and  Independents. 
He  died  wliile  a  member  of  the  Senate,  Sept.  2, 
1877. 

EARTH(ilTAKE  OF  1811.  A  series  of  the 
most  remarkable  earthquakes  in  the  history  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley  began  on  the  night  of 
November  16,  1811,  continuing  for  several  months 
and  finally  ending  with  the  destruction  of  Carac- 
cas,  Venezuela,  in  March  following.  While  the 
center  of  the  earlier  disturbance  appears  to  have 
been  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Madrid,  in  Southeast- 
ern Missouri,  its  minor  effects  were  felt  through 
a  wide  extent  of  country,  especially  in  the 
settled  portions  of  Illinois.  Contemporaneous 
history  states  that,  in  the  American  Bottom,  then 
the  most  densely  settled  portion  of  Illinois,  the 
results  were  very  perceptible.  The  walls  of  a 
brick  house  belonging  to  Mr.  Samuel  Judy,  a 
pioneer  settler  in  the  eastern  edge  of  the  bottom, 
near  Edwardsvillp,  Madison  County,  were  cracked 
by  the  convulsion,  the  effects  being  seen  for  more 
than  two  generations.  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  then 
a  yomig  man  of  23,  living  with  his  father's 
family  in  what  was  called  the  "Goshen  Settle- 
ment," near  Edwardsville,  in  his  history  of  "My 
Own  Times,"  says  of  it:  "Our  family  were  all 
sleeping  in  a  log-cabin,  and  mj'  father  leaped  out 
of  bed,  crying  out,  'The  Indians  are  on  the  house. 
The  battle  of  Tippecanoe  had  been  recently 
fought,  and  it  was  supposed  the  Indians  would 
attack  the  settlements.  Not  one  in  the  family 
knew  at  that  time  it  was  an  earthquake.  The 
next  morning  another  shock  made  us  acquainted 
with  it.  .  .  .  The  cattle  came  running  home 
bellowing  with  fear,  and  all  animals  were  terribly 
alarmed.  Our  house  cracked  and  quivered  so  we 
were  fearful  it  would  fall  to  the  ground.  In  the 
American  Bottom  many  chimneys  were  thrown 
down,  and  the  church  bell  at  Cahokia  was 
sounded  by  the  agitation  of  the  building.  It  is 
said  a  shock  of  an  earthquake  was  felt  in  Kaskas- 
kia  in  1804,  but  I  did  not  perceive  it."  Owing  to 
the  sparseness  of  the  population  in  Illinois  at  that 
time,  but  little  is  known  of  the  effect  of  the  con- 
vulsion of  1811  elsewhere,  but  there  are  numerous 
"sink-holes"  in  Union  and  adjacent  counties, 
between  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers,  which  probably  owe  their  origin  to  this  or 
some  similar  disturbance.  "On  the  Kaskaskia 
River  below  Athens,"  says  Governor  Rej'nolds  in 
his  "Pioneer  History,"  "the  water  and  white  sand 
were  thrown  up  through  a  fissure  of  the  earth." 

EAST  DUBITQUE,  an  incorporated  city  of  Jo 
Daviess  County,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. 17  miles  (by  rail)  northeast  of  Galena.     It 


is  connected  with  Dubuque,  Iowa,  by  a  railroad 
and  a  wagon  bridge  two  miles  in  length.  It  has 
a  grain  elevator,  a  box  factory,  a  planing  mill 
and  manufactories  of  cultivators  and  sand  drills. 
It  has  also  a  bank,  two  churches,  good  public 
schools  and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Pojtulation 
(1880),  I,0;!7;  (1890),  1,069;  (1900),  1,U6. 

EASTON,  (Col.)  Itufiis,  pioneer,  founder  of  the 
city  of  Alton;  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Conn., 
May  4,  1774;  studied  law  and  practiced  two 
years  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y. ;  emigrated  to  St. 
Louis  in  1804,  and  was  commissioned  by  President 
Jefferson  Judge  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana, 
and  also  became  the  first  Postmaster  of  St.  Louis, 
in  1808.  From  1814  to  1818  he  served  as  Delegate 
in  Congress  from  Missouri  Territory,  and,  on  the 
orgiiniziition  of  the  State  of  Missouri  (1821),  was 
apixiinted  Attorney-General  for  the  State,  serving 
until  1826.  His  death  occurred  at  St.  Charles, 
Mo.,  July  5,  1834.  Colonel  Ea.ston's  connection 
with  Illinois  history  is  based  chiefly  upon  the 
fact  that  he  wiis  the  founder  of  the  present  city 
of  Alton,  which  he  Uiid  out,  in  1817,  on  a  tract  of 
land  of  which  he  had  obtained  possession  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Piasa  Creek,  naming  the 
town  for  his  son.  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott, 
prominently  identified  with  the  esirly  history  of 
that  portion  of  the  State,  kept  a  store  for  Easton 
at  Milton,  on  Wood  River,  about  two  miles  from 
Alton,  in  the  early  "  '20's." 

EAST  ST.  I.<)L'is,a  HourLshing  city  in  St.  Clair 
County,  on  the  ea.st  bank  of  the  Missis.sippi  di- 
rectly opposite  St.  Louis;  is  the  terminus  of 
twenty-two  railroads  and  several  electric  lines, 
and  the  leailing  commercial  and  manufacturing 
point  in  Southern  Illinois.  Its  industries  include 
rolling  mills,  steel,  brass,  malleable  iron  and 
glass  works,  grain  elevators  and  flour  mills, 
breweries,  stockyards  and  packing  houses.  The 
city  has  eleven  |)ublio  and  five  parochial  schools, 
one  high  school,  and  two  colleges;  is  well  suj)- 
plied  with  banks  and  has  one  daily  and  four 
weekly  papers.  Population  (1890),  15,169;  (1900), 
29,6.5.5;  (HHIIi,  est  ).   1(1.1100. 

EASTERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  rS'SAXE. 
The  act  for  the  establishment  of  this  institution 
passed  the  General  Assembly  in  1877.  Many 
cities  offered  inducements,  by  way  of  donations, 
for  the  location  of  the  new  hospital,  but  the  site 
finally  selected  was  a  farm  of  250  acres  near  Kan- 
kakee, and  this  was  subsequently  enlarged  by  the 
purchase  of  327  additional  acres  in  1881.  Work 
was  begun  in  1878  and  the  first  patients  received 
in  December,  1879.  The  plan  of  the  institution 
is,   in   many  respects,    unique.     It  comprises   a 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


145 


general  buildine.  three  stories  high,  capable  of 
accommodating  300  to  400  patients,  and  a  number 
of  detaclied  buildings,  teclinically  termed  cot- 
tages, where  various  classes  of  insane  patients  may 
be  grouped  and  receive  the  particular  treatment 
best  adapted  to  ensure  their  recovery.  The  pUms 
were  mainly  worked  out  from  suggestions  by 
Frederick  Howard  Wines,  LL.D.,  then  Secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Public  Cliarities,  and  have 
attracted  generally  favorable  comment  both  in 
this  country  and  abroad.  Tlie  seventy-five  build- 
ings occupied  for  the  various  purposes  of  the 
institution,  cover  a  quarter  section  of  land  laid  off 
in  regular  streets,  beautified  with  trees,  plants 
and  flowers,  and  presenting  all  the  appearance  of 
a  flourishing  village  with  numerous  small  parks 
adorned  with  walks  and  drives.  The  counties 
from  which  patients  are  received  include  Cook, 
Champaign,  Coles,  Cumberland,  De  Witt,  Doug- 
las, Edgar,  Ford,  Grundy,  Iroquois,  Kankakee, 
La  Salle,  Livingston,  Macon,  JIcLean,  Moultrie 
Piatt,  Shelby,  Vermilion  and  Will.  The  whole 
number  of  patients  in  1898  was  2.200,  while  the 
employes  of  all  classes  numl)ered  ."lOO. 

EASTERN  ILLINOIS  NORMAL  SCHOOL,  an 
institution  designed  to  qualify  teachers  for  giving 
instruction  in  the  public  schools,  located  at 
Charleston,  Coles  County,  under  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  passed  at  the  session  of  1895.  The 
act  appropriated  §50,000  for  the  erection  of  build- 
ings, to  which  additional  appropriations  were 
added  in  1897  and  1898,  of  .535,000  and  §,50,000, 
respectively,  with  $.50,216.73  contributed  by  the 
city  of  Charleston,  making  a  total  of  §181,216.72. 
The  building  was  begun  in  1896,  the  corner-stone 
being  laid  on  May  27  of  that  year.  There  was 
delay  in  the  progress  of  the  work  in  consequence 
of  the  failure  of  the  contractors  in  December, 
1896,  but  the  work  was  resumed  in  1897  and 
practically  completed  early  in  1899,  with  tlie 
expectation  that  the  institution  would  be  opened 
for  the  reception  of  students  in  September  fol- 
lowing. 

EASTMAN,  Zebina,  anti-slavery  journalist, 
was  born  at  North  Amherst,  Mass.,  Sept.  8,  1815; 
became  a  printer's  apprentice  at  14,  but  later 
spent  a  short  time  in  an  academy  at  Hadley. 
Then,  after  a  brief  experience  as  an  employe  in 
the  office  of  "The  Hartford  Pearl,"  at  the  age  of 
18  he  invested  his  patrimony  of  some  §2,000  in 
the  estabUshnient  of  "The  Free  Press"  at  Fayette- 
ville,  Vt.  This  venture  proving  unsuccessful,  in 
1837  he  came  west,  stopping  a  year  or  two  at 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  In  1839  he  visited  Peoria  by 
way  of  Chicago,   working  for  a  time  on   "The 


Peoria  Register, "  but  soon  after  joined  Benjamin 
Lundy,  wlio  was  preparing  to  revive  his  paper, 
"The  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation,"  at 
Lowell,  La  Salle  County.  This  scheme  was 
partially  defeated  by  Lundy's  early  death,  but, 
after  a  few  months'  delay,  Eastman,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Hooper  Warren,  began  the  publication 
of  "The  Genius  of  Liberty''  as  tlie  successor  of 
Lundy's  paper,  using  the  printing  press  which 
Warren  had  used  in  the  office  of  "The  Commer 
cial  Advertiser, "  in  Chicago,  a  year  or  .so  before.  In 
1842,  at  the  invitation  of  prominent  xVbolitionists, 
the  paper  was  removed  to  Chicago,  where  it  was 
issued  under  the  name  of  "The  Western  Citizen," 
in  1853  becoming  "The  Free  West."  and  finally, 
in  18.56,  being  merged  in  "The  Chicago  Tribune." 
After  the  suspen.sion  of  "The  Free  West,"  Mr. 
Eastman  began  the  publication  of  "The  Chicago 
Magazine,"  a  literary  and  historical  monthly, 
but  it  reached  only  its  fifth  number  when  it  was 
discontinued  for  want  of  financial  oupport.  In 
18G1  he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
United  States  Consul  at  Bristol,  England,  where 
he  remained  eight  years.  On  his  return  from 
Europe,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Elgin,  later 
removing  to  Maywood,  a  suburb  of  Chicago, 
where  he  died,  June  14,  1883.  During  the  latter 
years  of  his  life  Mr.  Eastman  contributed  many 
articles  of  great  historical  interest  to  the  Chi- 
cago press.  (See  Lwidy.  Benjamin,  and  Warren, 
Hooper. ) 

EBERHART,  John  Frederick,  educator  and 
real-estate  operator,  was  born  in  Mercer  County, 
Pa.,  Jan.  31,  1829;  commenced  teaching  at  16 
years  of  age,  and,  in  1853,  graduated  from  Alle- 
gheny College,  at  Meadville,  soon  after  becoming 
Principal  of  Albright  Seminary  at  Berlin,  in  the 
same  State ;  in  1855  came  west  by  way  of  Chicago, 
locating  at  Dixon  and  engaging  in  editorial  work; 
a  year  later  established  "The  Northwestern 
Home  and  School  Journal,"  which  he  published 
three  years,  in  the  meantime  establishing  and 
conducting  teachers'  institutes  in  Illinois,  Iowa 
and  Wisconsin.  In  1859  he  was  elected  School 
Commissioner  of  Cook  County — a  position  which 
was  afterwards  changed  to  County  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools,  and  which  he  held  ten  years.  Mr. 
Eberhart  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Cook  County  Normal  School. 
Since  retiring  from  office  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the  real-estate  business  in  Chicago. 

ECKHART,  Bernard  A.,  manufacturer  and 
President  of  the  Chicago  Drainage  Board,  was 
born  in  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany),  brought 
to  America  in  infancy  and  reared  on  a  farm  in 


146 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Vernon  County,  Wis. ;  was  educated  at  Milwau- 
kee, and,  in  1868,  became  cleric  in  the  office  of  the 
Eagle  Milling  Company  of  that  city,  afterwards 
serving  as  its  Eastern  agent  in  various  seaboard 
cities.  He  finally  established  an  extensive  mill- 
ing business  in  Chicago,  in  which  he  is  now 
engaged.  In  1884  he  served  as  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Waterway  Convention  at  St.  Paul  and, 
in  1886,  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  serving 
four  years  and  taking  a  prominent  part  in  draft- 
ing the  Sanitary  Drainage  Bill  passed  by  the 
Thirty-sixth  General  Assembly.  He  lias  also  been 
prominent  in  connection  with  various  financial 
institutions,  and,  in  1891,  was  elected  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  was 
re-elected  in  189.5  and  chosen  President  of  tlie 
Board  for  the  following  year,  and  re-elected  Pres- 
ident in  December,  1898. 

EDBROOKE,  Willoufrhby  J.,  Supervising 
Architect,  was  born  at  Deerfield,  Lake  County, 
111.,  Sept.  3,  1843;  brought  up  to  the  architectural 
profession  by  his  father  and  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Chicago  architects.  During  Mayor 
Roche's  administration  lie  held  the  position  of 
Commissioner  of  Public  Works,  and,  in  April, 
1891,  was  appointed  Supervising  Architect  of  the 
Treasury  Department  at  Washington,  in  that 
capacity  supervising  the  construction  of  Govern- 
ment buildings  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion.    Died,  in  Chicago,  Jlarch  26,  1896. 

EDDY,  Henry,  pioneer  lawyer  and  editor, 
was  born  in  Vermont,  in  1798,  reared  in  New 
York,  learned  the  printer's  trade  at  Pittsburg, 
served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was  wounded  in 
the  battle  of  Black  Rock,  near  Buifalo ;  came  to 
Shawneetown,  III.,  in  1818,  where  be  edited  "The 
Illinois  Eriiigrant,"  the  earliest  paper  in  that 
part  of  the  State ;  was  a  Presidential  Elector  in 
1824,  a  Representative  in  the  Second  and  Fif- 
teenth General  Assemblies,  and  elected  a  Circuit 
Judge  in  183.5,  but  resigned  a  few  weeks  Uiter. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  politics.  Usher  F.  Linder,  in 
his  "Reminiscences  of  the  Earlj-  Bench  and  Bar 
of  Illinois,"  says  of  Mr.  Eddy:  "When  he 
addressed  the  court,  he  elicited  the  most  profound 
attention.  He  was  a  sort  of  walking  law  library. 
He  never  forgot  anything  that  he  ever  knew, 
whether  law,  poetry  or  belles  lettres."  Died, 
June  29,  1849. 

EDDT,  Thomas  Mears,  clergyman  and  author, 
was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  7, 
1823;  educated  at  Greensborough,  Ind..  and,  from 
1842  to  1853,  «ias  a  Methodist  circuit  preacher 
in  that  State,  becoming  Agent  of  the  American 
Bible    Society    the    latter  year,   and    Presiding 


Elder  of  the  Indianapolis  district  until  1856,  when 
he  was  apiiointed  editor  of  "Tlie  Northwestern 
Christian  Advocate."  in  Chicago,  retiring  from 
that  position  in  1868.  Ljiter,  he  held  pastorales 
in  Baltimore  and  Wasliington,  and  was  chosen 
one  of  the  Corresponding  Secretaries  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1872.  Dr.  Eddy  was  a  copious  writer  for  tlie 
press,  and,  besides  occasional  sermons,  published 
two  volumes  of  reminLscences  and  personal 
sketclies  of  prominent  Illinoisans  in  tlie  War  of 
the  Rebellion  under  the  title  of  "Patriotism  of 
Illinois"  (1865).  Died,  in  New  York  City.  Oct. 
7,  1874. 

ED(i.VIt,  John,  early  settler  at  Kaskiiskia,  was 
born  in  Ireland  and,  during  the  American  Revo- 
lution, served  as  an  officer  in  the  British  navy, 
but  married  an  American  woman  of  great  force 
of  cliaracter  who  sympatliized  strongly  with  the 
patriot  cau.se.  Having  liecome  involved  in  tlie 
desertion  of  three  British  soldiers  whom  his  wife 
had  promised  to  assist  in  reaching  the  American 
camp,  lie  was  compelled  to  flee.  After  remaining 
for  a  while  in  the  American  army,  during  which 
he  liecame  the  friend  of  General  l^  Fayette,  lie 
sought  safety  by  coming  west,  arriving  at  Kas- 
kaskia  in  1784.  His  property  was  confiscated,  but 
his  wife  succeeded  in  saving  some  §12,000  from 
the  wreck,  with  which  she  joined  him  two  years 
later.  He  engaged  in  business  and  liecame  an 
extensive  land-owner,  being  credited,  during 
Territorial  days,  with  the  ownership  of  nearly 
50,000  acres  situated  in  Randolph,  Monroe,  St. 
Clair,  Madison,  Clinton,  Washington,  Perry  and 
Jackson  Counties,  and  long  known  as  the  "Edgar 
lands."  He  also  purchased  and  rebuilt  a  mill 
near  Kaskiuskia  which  had  belonged  to  a  French- 
man named  Paget,  and  became  a  large  shipper  of 
flour  at  an  early  day  to  the  Southern  markets. 
Wlien  St.  Clair  County  was  organized,  in  1790,  he 
was  appointed  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Common 
Pleas  Court,  and  so  appears  to  have  continued 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  On  the 
establishment  of  a  Territorial  Legislature  for  tlie 
Northwest  Territorj-,  he  was  cliosen,  in  1799,  one 
of  the  niemliers  for  St.  Clair  County — the  Legis- 
lature holding  its  session  at  Chillicothe,  in  the 
present  State  of  Ohio,  under  the  administration 
of  Governor  St.  Clair.  He  was  also  appointed  a 
Major  General  of  militia,  retaining  the  office  for 
many  years.  General  and  Jlrs.  Edgar  were 
leaders  of  society  at  the  old  Territorial  capital, 
and,  on  the  visit  of  La  Fayette  to  Kaskaskia  in 
1825.  a  reception  was  given  at  their  house  to  the 
distinguished    Frenchman,  whose    acquaintance 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


147 


they  had  made  more  than  forty  years  before.  He 
died  at  Kaskaskia,  in  1832.  Edgar  County,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  tlie  State,  was  named  in  honor  of 
General  Edgar.  He  was  Worshipful  Master  of 
tlie  first  Lodge  of  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  in  Illinois,  constituted  at  Kaskaskia  in 
1806. 

EDGAR  COUNTY,  one  of  the  middle  tier  of 
counties  from  north  to  south,  lying  on  the  east- 
ern border  of  the  State;  was  organized  in  1833, 
and  named  for  General  Edgar,  an  early  citizen  of 
Kaskaskia.  It  contains  630  square  miles,  with 
a  population  (1900)  of  28,273.  The  county  is 
nearly  square,  well  watered  and  wooded.  Most 
of  the  acreage  is  under  cultivation,  grain-growing 
and  stock-raising  being  the  principal  industries. 
Generally,  the  soil  is  black  to  a  considerable 
depth,  tliough  at  some  points — especially  adjoin- 
ing the  timber  lands  in  the  east — tlie  soft,  brown 
clay  of  the  subsoil  comes  to  the  surface.  Beds  of 
the  drift  period,  one  hundred  feet  deep,  are  found 
in  the  northern  portion,  and  some  twenty-five 
years  ago  a  nearly  perfect  skeleton  of  a  mastodon 
was  exliumed.  A  bed  of  limestone,  twenty-five 
feet  thick,  crops  out  near  Baldwinsville  and  runs 
along  Brouillefs  creek  to  the  State  line.  Paris,  the 
county-seat,  is  a  railroad  center,  and  lias  a  popu- 
lation of  over  6,000.  Vermilion  and  Dudley  are 
prominent  shipping  points,  while  Chrisman, 
wliich  was  an  unbroken  prairie  in  1872,  was 
credited  with  a  population  of  900  in  1900. 

EDINBURG,  a  village  of  Christian  County,  on 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway,  18 
miles  southeast  of  Springfield;  has  two  banks 
and  one  newspaper.  The  region  is  agricultural, 
though  some  coal  is  mined  here.  Population 
(1880),  .5.51;  (1890),  806;  (1900),  1,071. 

EDSALL,  James  Kirtland,  former  Attorney 
General,  was  born  at  Windliam,  Greene  County, 
N.  Y.,  May  10,  1831.  After  passing  through  the 
common-schools,  he  attended  an  academy  at 
Prattsville,  N.Y.,  supporting  himself ,  meanwhile, 
by  working  upon  a  farm.  He  read  law  at  Pratts- 
ville and  Catskill,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Albany  in  18.52.  The  ne.xt  two  years  he  spent  in 
VVi.sconsin  and  Minnesota,  and,  in  18.5-1,  removed 
to  Leavenworth,  Kan.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  of  that  State  in  1855,  being  a  member 
of  the  Topeka  (free-soil)  body  when  it  was  broken 
up  by  United  States  troops  in  1856.  In  August, 
1856,  he  settled  at  Dixon,  111.,  and  at  once 
engaged  in  practice.  In  1863  he  was  elected 
Mayor  of  that  city,  and,  in  1870,  was  cho.sen  State 
Senator,  serving  on  the  Committees  on  Miuiic- 
ipalities  and   Judiciary  in   the  Twenty  seventh 


General  Assembly.  In  1873  he  was  elected 
Attorney-General  on  the  Republican  ticket  and 
re-elected  in  1876.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
second  term  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago, 
where  he  afterwards  devoted  himself  to  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred,  June  20,  1893. 

EDUCATION 

The  first  step  in  the  direction  of  the  establish- 
ment of  a  system  of  free  schools  for  the  region 
now  comprised  within  the  State  of  Illinois  was 
taken  in  the  enactment  by  Congress,  on  May  20, 
1785,  of  "An  Ordinance  for  Ascertaining  the 
mode  of  disposing  of  lands  in  the  AVestern  Terri- 
tory." This  applied  specifically  to  the  region 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  River,  which  had  been 
acquired  through  the  conquest  of  the  "Illinois 
Country"  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  acting 
under  the  auspices  of  the  State  of  Virginia  and 
by  authority  received  from  its  Governor,  the 
patriotic  Patrick  Henry.  This  act  for  the  first 
time  established  the  present  system  of  township 
(or  as  it  was  then  called,  "rectangular")  surveys, 
devised  by  Capt.  Thomas  Hutchins,  who  became 
the  first  Surveyor-General  (or  "Geographer,"  as 
the  office  was  styled)  of  the  United  States  under 
the  same  act.  Its  important  feature,  in  this  con- 
nection, was  the  provision  "that  there  shall  be 
reserved  the  lot  No.  16  of  every  township,  for  the 
maintenance  of  public  schools  within  the  town- 
ship. "  The  same  reservation  (the  term  "section" 
being  substituted  for  "lot"  in  the  act  of  Jlay  18, 
1796)  was  made  in  all  subsequent  acts  for  the  sale 
of  public  lands — the  acts  of  July  23,  1787,  and 
June  20,  1788,  declaring  that  "the  lot  No.  16  in 
each  township,  or  fractional  part  of  a  township," 
sliall  be  "given  perpetually  for  the  purpose  con- 
tained in  said  ordinance"  (i.  e.,  the  act  of  1785). 
The  next  step  was  taken  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787 
(Art.  III.),  in  the  declaration  that,  "religion, 
morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  for  the 
happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of 
education  shall  forever  be  encouraged."  The 
reseri-ation  referred  to  in  the  act  of  1785  (and 
subsequent  acts)  was  reiterated  in  the  "enabling 
act"  passed  by  Congress,  April  18,  1818,  authoriz- 
ing the  people  of  Illinois  Territorj-  to  organize  a 
State  Government,  and  was  formally  accepted  by 
the  Convention  which  formed  the  first  State 
Constitution.  The  enabling  act  also  set  apart  one 
entire  township  (in  addition  to  one  previously 
donated  for  the  same  purpose  by  act  of  Congress 
in   1804)  for  the  use  of  a  seminary  of  learning, 


148 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


together  with  three  per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds 
of  the  sales  of  public  lands  within  the  State,  "to 
be  appropriated  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  of  which  one- 
sixth  part"  (or  one-half  of  one  per  cent)  "shall 
be  exclusively  bestowed  on  a  college  or  univer- 
sity." Thus,  the  plan  for  the  establishment  of  a 
system  of  free  public  education  in  Illinois  had  its 
inception  in  the  first  steps  for  the  organization  of 
the  Northwest  Territory,  was  recognized  in  the 
Ordinance  of  1787  which  reseri-ed  that  Territory 
forever  to  freedom,  and  was  again  reiterated  in 
the  preliminary  steps  for  the  organization  of  the 
State  Government.  These  several  acts  became 
the  basis  of  that  permanent  provision  for  the 
encouragement  of  education  known  as  the  '"town- 
ship,'.' "seminary"  and  "college  or  university" 
funds. 

Early  Schools. — Previous  to  this,  however,  a 
beginning  had  lieen  made  in  the  attempt  to  estab- 
lish schools  for  the  benefit  of  the  children  of  the 
pioneers.  One  John  Seeley  is  .said  to  have  taught 
the  first  American  school  within  the  territory  of 
Illinois,  in  a  log-cabin  in  Monroe  County,  in  1783, 
followed  by  others  in  the  next  twenty  years  in 
Monroe,  Randolph,  St.  Clair  and  Madison  Covm- 
ties.  Seeley "s  earliest  successor  was  Francis 
Clark,  who,  in  turn,  was  followed  by  a  man 
named  Halfpenny,  who  afterwards  built  a  mill 
near  the  present  town  of  Waterloo  in  Monroe 
County.  Among  the  teachers  of  a  still  later  period 
were  John  Boyle,  a  soldier  in  Col.  George  Rogers 
Clark's  army,  who  taught  in  Randolph  County 
between  1790  and  1800;  John  Atwater,  near 
Edwardsville,  in  1807,  and  John  Messinger,  a  sur- 
veyor, who  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1818  and  Speaker  of  the  first  House 
of  Representatives.  The  latter  taught  in  the 
vicinity  of  Shiloh  in  St.  Clair  County,  afterwards 
the  site  of  Rev.  John  M.  Peck's  Rock  Spring 
Seminary.  The  schools  wliich  existed  during 
this  period,  and  for  many  years  after  the  organi- 
zation of  the  State  Government,  were  necessarily 
few,  widely  scattered  and  of  a  very  primitive 
character,  receiving  their  support  entirely  by 
subscription  from  their  patrons. 

First  Free  School  Law  and  Sales  of 
School  Lands. — It  has  been  stated  that  the  first 
free  school  in  the  State  was  established  at  Upper 
Alton,  in  1821,  but  there  is  good  reason  for  believ- 
ing this  claim  was  based  upon  the  power  granted 
by  the  Legislature,  in  an  act  passed  that  year,  to 
establish  such  schools  there,  which  power  was 
never  carried  into  effect.  The  first  attempt  to 
establish  a  free-school  svstem  for  the  whole  State 


was  made  in  January,  1825,  in  the  passage  of  a 
bill  introduced  by  Joseph  Duncan,  afterward.s  a 
Congressman  and  Governor  of  the  State,  ll 
nominally  api)ropriated  two  dollars  out  of  each  one 
hundred  dollars  received  in  the  State  Treasury, 
to  be  distributed  to  those  who  had  paid  taxes  or 
subscriptions  for  the  support  of  schools.  So 
small  was  the  aggregate  revenue  of  the  State  at 
that  time  (only  a  little  over  §00,000),  that  the 
sum  realized  from  this  law  would  have  been  but 
little  more  than  $1,000  per  year.  It  remained 
practically  a  dead  letter  and  was  repealed  in  1839, 
when  the  State  inaugurated  the  policy  of  selling 
the  seminary  lands  and  borrowing  the  proceeds 
for  the  payment  of  current  expenses.  In  this 
way  43,200  acres  (or  all  but  four  and  a  half  sec- 
tions) of  the  seminary  lands  were  disposed  of, 
realizing  less  than  $60,000.  The  first  sale  of 
township  school  lands  took  place  in  Cjreene 
County  in  1831,  and,  two  years  later,  the  greater 
])art  of  the  school  section  in  the  heart  of  the 
l)rasent  city  of  Chicago  was  sold,  producing 
about  §39,000.  The  average  rate  at  which  these 
sales  were  made,  up  to  1882,  was  §3.78  per  acre, 
and  the  minimum,  70  cents  per  acre.  That 
these  lands  have,  in  very  few  instances,  produced 
the  results  expected  of  them,  was  not  so  much 
the  fault  of  the  system  as  of  those  selected  to 
administer  it — whose  bad  judgment  in  premature 
siiles,  or  whose  complicity  with  the  schemes  of 
speculators,  were  the  means,  in  many  cases,  of 
.S(iuandering  what  might  otherwise  have  furnished 
a  liberal  provision  for  the  support  of  public 
schools  in  many  sections  of  the  State.  Mr.  W.  L. 
PilLsbury,  at  present  Secretary  of  the  University 
of  Illinois,  in  a  paiier  printe<l  in  the  report  of  the 
State  Superintendent  of  PubUc  Instruction  for 
1885-86 — to  which  the  writer  is  indebted  for  many 
of  the  facts  presented  in  this  article — gives  to 
Chicago  the  credit  of  establishing  the  first  free 
schools  in  the  State  in  1834,  while  Alton  followed 
in  1837,  and  Springfield  and  Jacksonville  in  1840. 
Early  Higher  Lvstitutions. — A  movement 
looking  to  the  establishment  of  a  higher  institu- 
tion of  learning  in  Indiana  Territory  (of  which 
Illinois  then  formed  a  part),  was  inaugurated  by 
the  pas.sage,  through  the  Territorial  Legislature  at 
Vincennes,  in  November,  1800,  of  an  act  incorpo- 
rating the  University  of  Indiana  Territorj-  to  be 
located  at  Vincennes.  One  provision  of  the  act 
authorized  the  rai.sing  of  §20,000  for  the  institu- 
tion by  means  of  a  lottery.  A  Board  of  Trustees 
was  promptly  organized,  with  Gen.  William 
Henry  Harrison,  then  the  Territorial  Governor, 
at  its  head ;  but,  beyond  the  erection  of  a  building, 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


149 


little  progress  was  made.  Twenty -one  years 
later  (1827)  the  first  successful  attempt  to  found 
an  advanced  scliool  was  made  by  the  indomitable 
Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  resulting  in  the  establish- 
ment of  his  Theological  Seminary  and  Higli 
School  at  Rook  Springs,  St.  Clair  County,  which, 
in  1831,  became  the  nucleus  of  ShurtlefF  College  at 
Upper  Alton.  In  like  manner,  Lebanon  Semi- 
nary, established  in  1838,  two  years  later 
expanded  into  McKendree  College,  while  instruc- 
tion began  to  be  given  at  Illinois  College,  Jack- 
sonville, in  December,  1839,  as  tlie  outcome  of  a 
movement  started  by  a  band  of  young  men  at 
Yale  College  in  1827 — these  several  institutions 
being  formally  incorporated  by  the  same  act  of 
the  Legislature,  passed  in  1835.  (See  sketches  of 
these  In.stitutions.) 

Educational  Conventions.— In  1833  there 
was  held  at  Vandalia  (then  the  State  capital)  the 
first  of  a  series  of  educational  conventions,  which 
were  continued  somewhat  irregularly  for  twenty 
years,  and  whose  history  is  remarkable  for  the 
number  of  those  participating  in  them  who  after- 
wards gained  distinction  in  State  and  National 
Iiistory.  At  first  these  conventions  were  held  at 
the  State  capital  during  the  sessions  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  when  the  chief  actors  in  them 
were  members  of  that  body  and  State  officers, 
with  a  few  other  friends  of  education  from  the 
ranks  of  professional  or  business  men.  At  the 
convention  of  1833,  we  find,  among  those  partici- 
pating, the  names  of  Sidney  Breese,  afterwards  a 
United  States  Senator  and  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court ;  Judge  S.  D.  Lockwood,  tlien  of  the  Supreme 
Court;  W.  L.  D.  Ewing,  afterwards  acting  Gov- 
ernor and  United  States  Senator ;  O.  H.  Browning, 
afterwards  United  States  Senator  and  Secretary 
of  the  Interior;  James  Hall  and  John  Russell, 
the  most  notable  writers  in  the  State  in  tlieir  day, 
besides  Dr.  J.  M.  Peck,  Archibald  Williams, 
Benjamin  Mills,  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Henrj-  Eddy 
and  others,  all  prominent  in  their  several  depart- 
ments. In  a  second  convention  at  the  same 
place,  nearly  two  years  later,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  Col.  John  J.  Hardin 
were  participants.  At  Springfield,  in  1840,  pro- 
fessional and  literary  men  began  to  take  a  more 
prominent  part,  although  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  were  present  in  considerable  force. 
A  convention  held  at  Peoria,  in  1844,  was  made 
up  largely  of  professional  teachers  and  school 
officers,  with  a  few  citizens  of  local  prominence; 
and  the  same  may  be  said  of  those  held  at  Jack- 
sonville in  1845,  and  later  at  Chicago  and  other 
points.     Various   attempts   were   made   to   form 


permanent  educatit)nal  societies,  finally  result- 
ing, in  December,  1854,  in  the  organization  of  the 
"State  Teacliers"  Instit\ite."'  which,  tliree  years 
later,  took  the  name  of  the  ''State  Teachers" 
Association" — thougli  an  association  of  tlie  s;ime 
name  was  organized  in  1830  iind  continued  in 
existence  several  years. 

St.\te  Superintendent  and  School  Jour- 
nals.—The  appointment  of  a  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction  began  to  be  agitated  as 
early  as  1837,  and  was  urged  from  time  to  time  in 
memorials  and  resolutions  by  educational  conven- 
tions, by  the  educational  press,  and  in  the  State 
Legislature;  but  it  was  not  until  February,  1854, 
that  an  act  was  passed  creating  the  office,  when 
the  Hon.  Ninian  W.  Edwards  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Joel  A.  Matteson,  continuing  in  office  until 
his  successor  was  elected  in  1856.  "The  Common 
School  Advocate"  was  published  for  a  year  at 
Jacksonville,  beginning  with  January,  1837;  in 
1841  "The  Illinois  Common  School  Advocate" 
began  publication  at  Springfield,  but  was  discon- 
tinued after  the  issue  of  a  few  numbers.  In  1855 
was  established  "The  Illinois  Teacher."  This 
was  merged,  in  1873,  in  "The  Illinois  Scliool- 
master, "  which  became  the  organ  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Association,  so  remaining  several  years. 
The  State  Teachers'  Association  has  no  official 
organ  now,  but  the  "Public  School  Journal"'  is 
the  chief  educational  publication  of  the  State. 

Industrial  Education. — In  1851  was  insti- 
tuted a  movement  which,  although  obstructed  for 
some  time  by  partisan  opposition,  has  been 
followed  by  more  far-reaching  results,  for  the 
country  at  large,  tlian  an}-  single  measure  in  the 
history  of  edvication  since  the  act  of  1785  setting 
apart  one  section  in  each  township  for  the  support 
of  public  schools.  This  was  the  scheme  formu- 
lated by  the  late  Prof.  Jonathan  B.  Turner,  of 
Jacksonville,  for  a  system  of  practical  scientific 
education  for  the  agricultural,  mechanical  and 
other  industrial  classes,  at  a  Farmers'  Convention 
held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Buel  Institute  (an 
Agricultural  Society),  at  Granville,  Putnam 
County,  Nov.  18,  1851.  Wliile  proposing  a  plan 
for  a  "State  University""  for  Illinois,  it  also  advo- 
cated, from  the  outset,  a  "University  for  the 
industrial  classes  in  each  of  the  States,"  by  way 
of  supplementing  the  work  which  a  "National 
Institute  of  Science,"  such  as  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  at  Washington,  was  expected  to  accom- 
plish. The  proposition  attracted  the  attention 
of  persons  interested  in  the  cause  of  indiistrial 
education  in  other  States,  especially  in  New 
York  and  some  of  the  New  England  States,  and 


iSO 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


received  their  hearty  endorsement  and  cooper- 
ation. The  Granville  meeting  was  followed  by  a 
series  of  similar  conventions  held  at  Springfield, 
June  8,  1853;  Cliicago,  Nov.  24,  IS.W;  Springfield, 
Jan.  4,  18.53,  and  Springfield,  Jan.  1,  1855,  at 
which  the  scheme  was  still  further  elaborated. 
At  the  Springfield  meeting  of  January,  1852,  an 
organization  was  formed  under  the  title  of  the 
"Industrial  League  of  the  State  of  Illinois,"  with 
a  view  to  disseminating  information,  securing 
more  thorough  organization  on  the  part  of  friends 
of  tlie  measure,  and  the  employment  of  lecturers 
to  address  the  people  of  the  State  on  the  subject. 
At  the  same  time,  it  was  resolved  that  "this  Con- 
vention memorialize  Congress  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  a  grant  of  public  lands  to  establish  and 
endow  industrial  institutions  in  each  and  every 
State  in  the  Union."  It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
this  resolution  contains  the  central  idea  of  the 
act  passed  by  Congress  nearly  ten  years  after- 
ward, making  appropriations  of  public  lands  for 
the  establishment  and  support  of  industrial 
colleges  in  the  several  States,  which  act  received 
the  approval  of  President  Lincoln,  July  2,  1862 — 
a  similar  measure  having  been  vetoed  by  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  in  February,  1859.  The  State 
was  extensively  canvassed  by  Professor  Turner. 
Mr.  Bronson  Murraj'  (now  of  New  York),  the  late 
Dr.  R.  C.  Rutherford  and  others,  in  behalf  of  the 
objects  of  the  League,  and  the  Legislature,  at  its 
session  of  1853,  by  unanimous  vote  in  both  houses, 
adopted  the  resolutions  commending  the  measure 
and  instructing  the  United  States  Senators  from 
Illinois,  and  requesting  its  Representatives,  to 
give  it  their  support.  Though  not  specifically 
contemplated  at  the  outset  of  the  movement,  the 
Convention  at  Springfield,  in  January,  1855,  pro- 
posed, as  a  part  of  the  scheme,  the  establishment 
of  a  "Teachers'  Seminary  or  Normal  Scluxil 
Department,"  which  took  form  in  the  act  pas.sed 
at  the  session  of  1857,  for  the  establishment  of 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Normal.  Although 
delayed,  as  already  stated,  the  advocates  of  indus- 
trial education  in  Illinois,  aided  by  those  of  other 
States,  finally  triumphed  in  1862.  The  lands 
received  by  the  State  as  the  result  of  this  act 
amounted  to  480.000  acres,  besides  subsequent  do- 
nations. (See  University  of  Illinois;  also  Turner, 
Jonathan  Baldwin.)  On  the  foundation  thus 
furnished  was  established,  by  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1867,  the  "Illinois  Industrial  University"' 
— now  the  University  of  Illinois — at  Champaign, 
to  say  nothing  of  more  than  forty  similar  insti- 
tutions in  as  many  States  and  Territories,  based 
upon  the  same  general  act  of  Congress. 


Free-School  System. — While  there  may  te 
sai<i  to  have  been  a  sort  of  free-school  system  in 
existence  in  Illinois  previous  to  18.55,  it  was 
limited  to  a  few  fortunate  districts  possessing 
funds  derived  from  the  .sale  of  school-lands  situ- 
ated within  their  respective  limits.  The  system 
of  free  schools,  as  it  now  exists,  based  upon 
general  taxation  for  the  creation  of  a  permanent 
school  fund,  had  its  origin  in  the  act  of  that 
year.  As  already  shown,  the  ofike  of  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  had  been 
created  by  act  of  the  Legislature  in  February, 
18.54,  and  the  act  of  1855  was  but  a  natural  corol- 
lary of  the  previous  measure,  giving  to  the  people 
a  uniform  system,  as  the  earlier  one  had  provided 
an  oHicial  for  its  administration.  Since  then 
there  have  been  many  amendments  of  the  school 
law,  but  these  have  been  generallj-  in  the  direc- 
tion of  securing  greater  efficiency,  but  with- 
out departure  from  the  principle  of  securing 
to  all  the  children  of  the  State  the  equal 
jirivileges  of  a  common-school  education.  The 
development  of  the  system  began  practically 
about  1857,  and,  in  the  next  quarter  of  a 
century,  the  laws  on  the  subject  had  grown 
into  a  considerable  volume,  wliile  the  number- 
le.ss  decisions,  emanating  from  the  oflfice  of  the 
State  .Su|)erintendent  in  construction  of  these 
laws,  made  up  a  volume  of  still  larger  proportions. 

The  following  comiwirative  table  of  school 
statistics,  for  1860  and  18!)6.  compiled  from  the 
Reports  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  will  illustrate  the  growth  of  the 
system  in  some  of  its  more  important  features: 

18«0.  18M. 

Popul»tlon._ 1,711,951     (est.)  4,250,000 

Nu.  of  Peraooa  of  Schuol  Aye  t  be- 
tween 6  «iid  21 1   »H».«»i                1JW.387 

No  ut  Pupils  enrolled ««7i.247                   8SS.619 

School  Dlsirlcta 8.956                     11.615 

Public  Schools 9.162                   12,623 

GraJed        ••       294                       1,»97 

Public  High  Schools    27J 

-*       S4.-I100I  Houses  built  durtug 

tbevear 557                         267 

W  li.ile  No.  of  School  Houses 8.221                    12.6:« 

No  of  .Male  Teachers 8.225                      7.0.57 

Female  Teachers 6,485                       18,359 

Whole  No.  of  Teachers  In   Public 

SchMls 14.708                     26.416 

UiKhest  Monthly  Wages  paid  Male 

Teachers 1180.00                  I3U0.00 

Hli^hest      Monthly      Wages       paid 

Female  Teachers 75.00                     280.00 

Lowest  Monthly  Wages  paid  Male 

Teachers 8  00                       14.00 

Lowest      Monthly      WaRes      paid 

Female  Teacnera 4.00                       10.00 

.Average  Monthly  Wages  paid  Male 

Teachers 28.82                     «7.76 

Average      Monthly     Wages     paid 

Female  Teachers 18  JO                      60  63 

No.  of  Private  Schools 500                     2,619 

No.  of  Pupils  in  Private  Schools. . . .  29,264                  139,969 
Interest  on  State  and  County  Funds 

received 173,450.38              165,583.63 

Amount  of  Income  from  Township 

Funds 322,852.00              889.614a) 

*Onl7  white  children  were  included  In   these  statistics  for 

1S60. 


■r. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


151 


I860.  1S%. 

Amount  received  from  State  Tax..  $  690,oiio.oo       }  1,000,000.00 
*'              **          "       Special  i)i3- 

trict  Taxes 1,265,137.00          13,13:!,809.61 

Amount  received  froni  Bonda  dur- 
ing tlie  year 517,960.93 

Total  Amount  received  during  the 

year  by  .School  Districts 2,193,455.00         15.607.172.50 

Amount  paid  Male  Teachers 2.772,829.32 

••     Female    •■          ".186.105.67 

Wholeamount  paid  Teachers 1,M2,211.00          9,958,934.99 

Amount    paid     for     new     School 

Houses 348,728,00           1,873,757.25 

Amount  paid  for  repairs  and  im- 
provements    1,070,755.09 

Amount  paid  fur  School  Furniture.  24.837.00             154.836.64 
"           "        "       "       Apparatus  8,563.00             164,298.92 
"          "       "    Books    for    Dis- 
trict Libraries 30,12400                13,664.97 

Total  Expenditures '.....  2.259.868.00          14,614.627.31 

Estimated  value  of  School  Property  13,304,892.00         42,780,267,00 

•■     Libraries..  377,819.00 

"              "              "    Apparatus  607,389.00 

The  sums  annually  disbursed  for  incidental 
expenses  on  account  of  superintendence  and  the 
cost  of  maintaining  the  higher  institutions  estab- 
lished, and  partially  or  wholly  supported  by  the 
State,  increase  the  total  expenditures  by  some 
§600,000  per  annum.  These  higher  institutions 
include  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  at 
Normal,  tlie  Southern  Illinois  Normal  at  Carbon- 
dale  and  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana;  to 
which  were  added  by  the  Legislature,  at  its  ses- 
sion of  189.'5,  the  Eastern  Illinois  Normal  School, 
afterwards  established  at  Charleston,  and  the 
Northern  Illinois  Normal  at  De  Kalb.  These 
institutions,  although  under  supervision  of  the 
State,  are  partly  supported  by  tuition  fees.  (See 
description  of  these  institutions  under  their 
several  titles.)  The  normal  schools — as  their 
names  indicate — are  primarily  designed  for  the 
training  of  teachers,  although  other  clas.ses  of 
pupils  are  admitted  under  certain  conditions, 
including  the  payment  of  tuition.  At  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  instruction  is  given  in  the  clas- 
sics, the  sciences,  agriculture  and  the  mechanic 
arts.  In  addition  to  these  the  State  supports  foiu- 
other  institutions  of  an  educational  rather  than  a 
custodial  character — viz. :  the  Institution  for  the 
Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  and  the  Insti- 
tution for  the  Blind,  at  Jacksonville;  the  Asylum 
for  the  Feeble-Minded  at  Lincoln,  and  tlie  Sol- 
diers' Orphans'  Home  at  Normal.  The  estimated 
value  of  the  property  connected  with  these 
several  in.stitutions,  in  addition  to  the  value  of 
school  property  given  in  the  preceding  table,  will 
increase  the  total  (exclusive  of  permanent  funds) 
to  .547,  l.W,  374. 9.5,  of  which  S4,37.'5,107.9.'>  repre- 
sents property  belonging  to  the  institutions  above 
mentioned. 

Powers  and  Duties  of  Superintendents 
AND  Other  School  Officers. — Each  county 
elects  a  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  visit  schools,  conduct  teachers'  insti- 
tutes, advise  with  teachers  and  school  officers  and 


instruct  them  in  their  respective  duties,  conduct 
examinations  of  persons  desiring  to  become 
teachers,  and  exercise  general  supervision  over 
school  affairs  within  his  count}'.  The  suborili- 
nate  officers  are  Township  Trustees,  a  Township 
Treasurer,  and  a  Board  of  District  Directors  or — 
in  place  of  the  latter  in  cities  and  villages — Boards 
of  Education.  The  two  last  named  Boards  have 
power  to  employ  teachers  and,  generally,  to  super- 
vise the  management  of  schools  in  districts.  The 
State  Superintendent  is  entrusted  with  general 
supervision  of  the  common-school  system  of  the 
State,  and  it  is  his  dutj'  to  advise  and  a.ssist 
County  Superintendents,  to  visit  State  Charitable 
institutions,  to  issue  official  circulars  to  teachers, 
school  officers  and  others  in  regard  to  their  rights 
and  duties  under  the  general  school  code;  to 
decide  controverted  questions  of  school  law,  com- 
ing to  him  by  appeal  from  County  .Superintend- 
ents and  others,  and  to  make  full  and  detailed 
reports  of  the  operations  of  his  office  to  the 
Governor,  bienniall}-.  He  is  also  made  ex-officio 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  and  of  the  several  Normal  Schools, 
and  is  empowered  to  grant  certificates  of  two 
different  grades  to  teachers — the  higher  grade  to 
be  valid  during  the  lifetime  of  the  holder,  and 
the  lower  for  two  years.  Certificates  granted  bj- 
County  Superintendents  are  also  of  two  grades 
and  have  a  tenure  of  one  and  two  years,  respec- 
tively, in  the  county  where  given.  The  conditions 
for  securing  a  certificate  of  the  first  (or  two- 
years')  grade,  require  that  the  candidate  shall  be 
of  good  moral  character  and  qualified  to  teach 
orthography,  reading  in  English,  penmanship, 
arithmetic,  modern  geography,  English  grammar, 
the  elements  of  the  natural  sciences,  the  history 
of  the  United  States,  physiology  and  the  laws  of 
health.  The  second  grade  (or  one-year)  certifi- 
cate calls  for  examination  in  the  branches  just 
enumerated,  except  the  natural  sciences,  physi- 
ology and  laws  of  health ;  but  teachers  employed 
exclusively  in  giving  instruction  in  music,  draw- 
ing, penmanship  or  other  sjiecial  branches,  may 
take  examinations  in  these  branches  alone,  but 
are  restricted,  in  teaching,  to  those  in  which  they 
have  been  examined.  —  County  Boards  are 
empowered  to  establish  County  Normal  Schools 
for  the  education  of  teachers  for  the  common 
schools,  and  the  management  of  such  normal 
schools  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  County  Board 
of  Education,  to  consist  of  not  less  than  five  nor 
more  than  eight  ]>ersons,  of  whom  the  Chairman 
of  the  County  Board  ami  the  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  shall  be  ex-ofiicio  members. 


153 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Boards  of  Education  and  Directors  may  establish 
kindergartens  (wlien  autliorized  to  do  so  by  vote 
of  a  majority  of  the  voters  of  their  districts),  for 
children  between  the  ages  of  four  and  six  years, 
but  the  cost  of  supporting  the  same  must  be 
defrayed  by  a  special  tax. — A  compulsory  pro- 
vision of  the  School  Law  requires  tliat  each  child, 
between  the  ages  of  seven  and  fourteen  years, 
shall  be  sent  to  school  at  least  sixteen  weeks  of 
each  year,  unless  otherwise  instructed  in  the 
elementary  branches,  or  disqualified  by  physical 
or  mental  disability. — Under  the  provisions  of  an 
act,  passed  in  1891,  women  are  made  eligible  to 
any  ofBce  created  by  the  general  or  special  school 
laws  of  the  State,  when  twenty -one  years  of  age 
or  upwards,  and  otherwise  possessing  the  same 
qualifications  for  the  office  as  are  prescribed  for 
men.  (For  list  of  incumbents  in  the  office  of 
State  Superintendent,  see  Su}>erintendents  of 
Public  Instruction.  I 

EDWARDS,  Arthur,  D.D.,  clergjman,  soldier 
and  editor,  was  born  at  Xorwalk,  Oliio,  Nov.  23, 
1834;  educated  at  Albion.  Midi.,  and  the  Wes- 
leyan  University  of  Ohio,  graduating  from  tlie 
latter  in  1858;  entered  the  Detroit  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  the  same  year, 
was  ordained  in  1860  and,  from  18G1  until  after 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  served  as  Chaplain  of 
the  First  Michigan  Cavalry,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  colonelcj'  of  a  cavalry  regiment.  In 
1864.  he  was  elected  assistant  editor  of  "The 
Northwestern  Christian  Advocate"  at  Chicago, 
and,  on  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Eddy  in  1872, 
became  Editor-in-chief,  being  re-elected  every 
four  years  tliereafter  to  the  present  time.  He 
has  also  been  a  member  of  each  General  Confer- 
ence since  1872,  was  a  member  of  the  Ecumenical 
Conference  at  London  in  1881,  and  has  held  other 
positions  of  prominence  within  the  church. 

EDWARDS,  Cyrus,  pioneer  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  Md.,  Jan.  17,  1793;  at  the 
age  of  seven  accompanied  his  parents  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  received  his  primary  education, 
and  studied  law ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  111.,  in  1813,  Ninian  Edwards  (of  whom  he 
was  the  youngest  brother)  being  then  Territorial 
Governor.  During  the  next  fourteen  years  he 
resided  alternately  in  Missouri  and  Kentucky, 
and,  in  1829.  took  up  his  residence  at  Edwards- 
ville.  Owing  to  impaired  health  he  decided  to 
abandon  his  profession  and  engage  in  general 
business,  later  becoming  a  resident  of  Upper 
Alton.  In  1832  he  was  elected  to  tlie  lower  house 
of  the  Legislature  as  a  Whig,  and  again,  in  1840 
and  "60,  the  last  time  as  a  Republican ;  was  State 


Senator  from  1835  to  "39,  and  was  also  the  Whig 
candidate  for  Governor,  in  1838,  in  opposition  to 
Thomas  Carlin  (Democrat),  who  waselected.  He 
served  in  tlie  Black  Hawk  War,  was  a  memljer  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  and  espe- 
cially interested  in  education  and  in  public  chari- 
ties, being,  for  thirty-five  years,  a  Trustee  of 
Shurtleff  College,  to  which  he  was  a  most 
munificent  benefactor,  and  which  conferred  on 
him  the  degree  of  LL.D.  in  18.')2.  Died  at  Upper 
Alton,  Sei)temlier,  1877. 

EDWARDS,  Mnlan,  Territorial  Governor  and 
L^nited  States  Senator,  was  born  in  Jloiitgomery 
County,  Md..  March  17,  1775;  for  a  time  had  the 
celebrated  William  Wirt  as  a  tutor,  completing 
his  course  at  Dickinson  College.  At  the  age  of  19 
he  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  where,  after  squander- 
ing considerable  money,  he  studied  law  and,  step 
by  step,  rose  to  be  Cliief  Justice  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals.  In  1809  President  Madison  appointed 
him  the  first  Territorial  Governor  of  Illinois. 
This  office  lie  held  until  the  admission  of  Illinois 
as  a  State  in  1818,  when  he  was  elected  United 
Sates  Senator  and  re-elected  on  the  completion  of 
his  first  (the  short)  term.  In  1826  he  waselected 
Governor  of  the  State,  his  successful  administra- 
tion terminating  in  1830.  In  1832  he  became  a 
candidate  for  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by 
Charles  Slade.  He  was  able,  magnanimous  and 
incorruptible,  although  cliarged  with  aristocratic 
tendencies  which  were  largely  hereditary.  Died, 
at  his  home  at  Belleville,  on  July  20,  1833,  of 
cholera,  the  disease  having  been  contracted 
through  self-sacrificing  efforts  to  assist  sufferers 
from  the  epidemic.  His  demise  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  entire  State.  Two  valuable  volumes 
bearing  upon  State  history,  comprLsing  liLs  cor- 
respondence with  many  public  men  of  his  time, 
have  been  published;  the  first  under  the  title  of 
"History  of  Illinois  and  Life  of  Ninian  Edwards," 
by  his  son,  tlie  late  Ninian  Wirt  Edward.s,  and 
the  otlier  "The  Edwards  Papers,"  edited  bj' the 
late  Eliliu  B.  Washburne,  and  printed  under  the 
auspiivs  of  tlie  Chicago  Historical  Society. — 
Mnian  Wirt  (Edward.s),  son  of  Gov.  Ninian 
Edwards,  was  born  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  April  15, 
1809,  the  year  his  father  became  Territorial 
Governor  of  Illinois ;  spent  his  boyhood  at  Kas- 
kaskia.  Edwardsville  and  Belleville,  and  was 
educated  at  Transj-lvania  University,  graduating 
in  1833.  He  married  Elizabeth  P.  Todd,  a  sister 
of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  appointed  Attor- 
ney-Genenil  in  1834,  but  resigned  in  1835,  when 
he  removed  to  Springfield.  In  1836  he  was 
elected    to    the     Legislature    from    Sangamon 


HISTOlilUAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


15^ 


County,  as  tlie  colleague  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
being  one  of  the  celebrated  "Long  Nine,"  and 
was  influential  in  securing  the  removal  of  the 
State  capital  to  Springfield,  He  was  re-elected 
to  the  House  in  1838,  to  the  State  Senate  in  1844, 
and  again  to  the  House  in  1848 ;  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847. 
Again,  in  1850,  he  was  elected  to  the  House,  but 
resigned  on  account  of  his  change  of  politics 
from  Whig  to  Democratic,  and,  in  tlie  election  to 
fill  the  vacancy,  was  defeated  by  James  C.  Conk- 
ling.  He  served  as  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  by  appointment  of  Governor  Matte- 
son,  1854-57,  and,  in  1861,  was  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln,  Captain  Commissary  of  Sub- 
sistence, which  position  he  filled  until  June,  1865, 
since  which  time  he  remained  in  private  life.  He 
is  the  author  of  the  "Life  and  Times  of  Ninian 
Edwards"  (1870),  which  was  prepared  at  the 
request  of  the  State  Historical  Society.  Died,  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  2,  1889. — Benjamin  Stevenson 
(Edwards),  lawj'er  and  jurist,  another  son  of  Gov. 
Ninian  Edwards,  was  born  at  Edwardsville,  111., 
June  3,  1818,  graduated  from  Yale  College  in 
1838,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  following 
year.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  subsequently 
became  a  Democrat,  was  a  Delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1863,  and,  in  1868,  vvas 
an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congress  in  opposi- 
tion to  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  In  1869  he  was  elected 
Circuit  Judge  of  the  Springfield  Circuit,  but 
within  eighteen  months  resigned  the  position, 
preferring  the  excitement  and  emoluments  of 
private  practice  to  the  dignity  and  scanty  salary 
attaching  to  the  bench.  As  a  lawyer  and  as  a 
citizen  he  was  universally  respected.  Died,  at 
his  home  in  Springfield,  Feb.  4,  1886,  at  the  time 
of  his  decease  being  President  of  the  Illinois 
State  Bar  Association. 

EDWARDS)  Riehard,  educator,  ex-Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  was  born  in  Cardi- 
ganshire, Wales,  Dec.  23,  1822;  emigrated  with 
his  parents  to  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  began 
life  on  a  farm;  later  graduated  at  the  State 
Normal  Scliool,  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  from 
the  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  receiv- 
ing the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Science  and  Civil 
Engineer;  served  for  a  time  as  a  civil  engineer 
on  the  Boston  water  works,  then  beginning  a 
career  as  a  teacher  which  continued  almost  unin- 
terruptedly for  thirty-five  years.  During  tliis 
period  he  was  connected  with  the  Normal  School 
at  Bridgewater ;  a  Boys'  High  School  at  Salem, 
and  the  State  Normal  at  the  same  place,  coming 
west  in  1857  to  establish  the  Normal  School  at  St. 


Louis,  Mo.,  still  later  becoming  Principal  of  the 
St.  Louis  High  School,  and,  in  1862,  accepting  the 
Presidency  of  the  State  Normal  University,  at 
Normal,  111.  It  was  here  where  Dr.  Edwards, 
remaining  fourteen  years,  accomplished  his 
greatest  work  and  left  liis  deepest  impress  upon 
the  educational  system  of  the  State  by  personal 
contact  with  its  teacher.s.  The  ne.xt  nine  years 
were  spent  as  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
churcli  at  Princeton,  wlien,  after  eighteen 
months  in  the  service  of  Knox  College  as  Finan- 
cial Agent,  he  was  again  called,  in  1886,  to  a 
closer  connection  with  the  educational  field  by 
his  election  to  the  office  of  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  serving  until  1891,  wlien, 
having  failed  of  a  re-election,  he  soon  aftei 
assumed  the  Presidency  of  Blackburn  University 
at  Carlinville.  Failing  health,  however,  com- 
pelled his  retirement  a  year  later,  wlien  he 
removed  to  Bloomington,  which  is  now  (1898) 
his  place  of  residence. 

EDWARDS  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  State,  between  Richland  and 
White  on  the  north  and  south,  and  Wabash  and 
Wayne  on  the  east  and  west,  and  touching  the 
Ohio  River  on  its  southeastern  border.  It  was 
separated  from  Gallatin  County  in  1814.  during 
tlie  Territorial  period.  Its  territory  was  dimin- 
ished in  1834  by  the  carving  out  of  Wabash 
County.  Tlie  surface  is  diversified  by  prairie 
and  timber,  the  soil  fertile  and  well  adapted  to 
the  raising  of  both  wheat  and  corn.  Tlie  princi- 
pal streams,  besides  the  Ohio,  are  Bonpas  Creek, 
on  the  east,  and  the  Little  Wabash  River  on  the 
west.  Palmyra  (a  place  no  longer  on  the  map) 
was  the  seat  for  holding  the  first  county  court. 
in  1815,  John  Mclnto.sh,  Seth  Gard  and  WilHam 
Barney  being  the  Judges.  Albion,  the  present 
county-seat  (population,  937),  was  laid  out  by 
Morris  Birkbeck  and  George  Flower  (emigrants 
from  England),  in  1819,  and  settled  largely  by 
their  countrymen,  but  not  incorporated  until 
1860.  The  area  of  the  county  is  320  square 
miles,  and  population,  in  1900,  10,345.  Grayville, 
with  a  population  of  2,000  in  1890,  is  partly  in 
this  county,  though  mostly  in  White.  Edwards 
County  vvas  named  in  honor  of  Ninian  Edwards 
the  Territorial  Governor  of  Illinois. 

EDWARDSVILLE,  the  county -.seat  of  Madison 
County,  settled  in  1813  and  named  in  honor  of 
Territorial  Governor  Ninian  Edwards;  is  on  four 
lines  of  railway  and  contiguous  to  two  otliers,  18 
miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis.  Edwardsville  was 
the  home  of  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  in 
the  history  of  the  State,  including  Governors  Ed- 


154 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


wards,  Coles,  and  otliers.  It  has  pressed  and 
shale  brickyards,  coal  mines,  flour  mills,  machine 
shops,  banks,  electric  street  railway,  water-works, 
schools,  and  churches.  In  a  suburb  of  the  city 
(LeClaire)  is  a  cooperative  manufactory  of  sani- 
tary supplies,  using  large  shops  and  doing  a  large 
business.  Edwardsville  has  tliree  newspapers, 
one  issued  semi-weekly.  Population  (1890),  3,561 ; 
(1900),  4,l.'i7;  with  suburb  (estimated),  5,000. 

EPFINdJHAM,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Effiugliam  C^ounty,  9  miles  nortlieast  from 
St.  Louis  and  199  southwest  of  Chicago;  lias  four 
papers,  creamery,  milk  condensory,  and  i(;e  fac- 
tory.    Population  (1890).  3,260;  (1900),  3,774. 

EFFINGHAM  COUNTY,  cut  off  from  Fayette 
(and  separately  organized)  in  1831 — named  for 
Gen.  Edward  Effingham.  It  is  situated  in  the 
central  portion  of  the  State,  62  miles  northeast  of 
St.  Louis;  has  an  area  of  490  square  miles  and  a 
population  (1900)  of  20,465.  T.  M.  Short,  I.  Fanchon 
and  William  I.  Hawkins  were  the  first  County 
Commissioners.  Effingham,  the  county-seat,  was 
platted  by  Messrs.  Alexander  and  Little  in  1854. 
Messrs.  Gillenwater,  Hawkins  and  Brown  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers.  Several  Unes  of  rail- 
way cross  the  county.  Agriculture  and  sheep- 
raising  are  leading  industries,  wool  being  one  of 
the  principal  products. 

E6AN,  William  Bradsliaw,  M.D.,  pioneer  phy- 
sican,  was  born  in  Ireland,  Sept.  28,  1808;  spent 
some  time  during  his  youth  in  the  study  of  sur- 
gery in  England,  later  attending  lectures  at  Dub- 
lin. About  1828  he  went  to  Canada,  taught  for 
a  time  in  the  schools  of  Quebec  and  Montreal 
and,  in  1830,  was  licensed  by  the  Medical  Board 
of  New  Jersey  and  began  practice  at  Newark  in 
that  State,  later  practicing  in  New  York.  In 
1888  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  was  early  recog- 
nized as  a  prominent  physician;  on  July  4,  1836, 
delivered  the  address  at  the  breaking  of  ground 
for  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  During  the 
early  years  of  his  residence  in  Chicago,  Dr.  Egan 
was  owner  of  the  block  on  which  the  Tremont 
House  stands,  and  erected  a  number  of  houses 
there.  He  was  a  zealous  Democrat  and  a  delegate 
to  the  first  Convention  of  that  party,  lield  at 
Joliet  in  1843;  was  elected  County  Recorder  in 
1844  and  Representative  in  the  Eighteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1853-54).     Died,  Oct.  37,  1860. 

ELBURN,  a  village  of  Kane  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  8  miles  west 
of  Geneva.  It  has  banks  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper     Population  (1890),  .584;  (1900).  606. 

ELDOR.ADO,  a  town  in  Saline  County,  on  the 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  the 


Louisville  &  Nashville,  and  the  St.  Louis,  Alton 
&  Terre  Haute  Railroads;  has  a  bank  and  one 
newspaper;  district  argicultural.  Population, 
(1900),  1,44.5. 

ELDRIUUE,  Hamilton  X.,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
was  born  at  South  Williamstown,  Mass.,  August, 
1837 ;  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  the  class 
with  President  Garfield,  in  1856,  and  at  Albany 
Law  .School,  in  1857;  soon  afterward  came  to 
Chicago  and  began  practice ;  in  1862  assisted  in 
organizing  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteers,  of  which  he  was  elected 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  before  the  end  of  the  year 
being  promoted  to  the  position  of  Colonel;  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  Arkansas  Post,  Chicka- 
mauga  an<l  in  the  battles  before  Vicksburg. 
winning  the  rank  of  Brevet  Brigadier-General, 
but,  after  two  years'  service,  was  compelled  to 
retire  on  account  of  disability,  being  carried  east 
on  a  stretcher.  Subsecjuently  he  recovered  suffi- 
ciently to  resume  his  profession,  but  died  in 
Chicago,  Dec.  1,  1882,  much  regretted  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  with  whom  he  was  exceedingly 
popular. 

ELECTIONS.  The  elections  of  public  officers 
in  Illinois  are  of  two  general  classes:  (I)  those 
conducted  in  accordance  with  United  States 
laws,  and  (II)  those  conducted  exclusively  tinder 
State  laws. 

I.  To  the  first  class  belong:  (1)  the  election  of 
United  States  Senators;  (2)  Presidential  Elect- 
ors, and  (3  )  Representatives  in  Congress.  1. 
(United  States  Sexatob.s).  The  election  of 
United  States  Senators,  while  an  act  of  the  State 
Legislature,  is  conducted  solely  under  forms  pre- 
scril>ed  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  These 
make  it  the  duty  of  the  Legislature,  on  the  second 
Tuesday  after  convening  at  the  session  next  pre- 
ceding the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  any 
Senator  may  have  been  chosen,  to  proceed  tfi 
elect  his  successor  in  the  following  manner: 
Each  House  is  required,  on  the  day  designated,  in 
open  session  and  by  the  viva  voce  vote  of  each 
member  present,  to  name  some  person  for  United 
States  Senator,  the  result  of  the  balloting  to  be 
entered  on  the  journals  of  the  respective  Houses. 
At  twelve  o'clock  (M.)  on  the  day  following  the 
day  of  election,  the  members  of  the  two  Houses 
meet  in  joint  assembly,  when  the  journals  of  both 
Houses  are  read.  If  it  appears  that  the  same 
person  has  received  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  in 
each  House,  he  is  declared  elected  Senator.  If, 
however,  no  one  has  received  such  majority,  or 
if  either  House  has  failed  to  take  proceedings  as 
required  on  the  preceding  day,  then  the  members 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    (>F   ILLINOIS. 


155 


of  the  two  Houses,  in  joint  assenibh-,  proceed  to 
ballot  for  Senator  by  viva  voce  vote  of  members 
present.  The  person  receiving  a  majority  of  all 
the  votes  cast— a  majority  of  the  members  of 
both  Houses  being  present  and  voting — is  declared 
elected;  otherwise  the  joint  assembly  is  renewed 
at  noon  each  legislative  day  of  the  session,  and  at 
least  one  ballot  taken  until  a  Senator  is  chosen. 
When  a  vacancy  exists  in  the  Senate  at  the  time 
of  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature,  the  same 
rule  prevails  as  to  the  time  of  holding  an  election 
to  fill  it;  and,  if  a  vacancy  occurs  during  the 
session,  the  Legislature  is  required  to  proceed  to 
an  election  on  the  second  Tuesday  after  having 
received  official  notice  of  such  vacancy.  The 
tenure  of  a  United  States  Senator  for  a  full  term 
is  six  years — the  regular  term  beginning  with  a 
new  Congress — the  two  Senators  from  each  State 
belonging  to  different  "classes,"  so  that  their 
terms  expire  alternately  at  periods  of  two  and 
four  years  from  each  other. — 2.  (Presidential 
Electors).  The  choice  of  Electors  of  President 
and  Vice-President  is  made  by  popular  vote 
taken  quadrennially  on  the  Tuesday  after  the 
first  Monday  in  November.  The  date  of  such 
election  is  fixed  by  act  of  Congress,  being  the 
same  as  that  for  Congressman,  although  the  State 
Legislature  prescribes  the  manner  of  conducting 
it  and  making  returns  of  the  same.  Tlie  number 
of  Electors  chosen  equals  the  number  of  Senators 
and  Representatives  taken  together  (in  1899  it 
was  twenty-four),  and  they  are  elected  on  a  gen- 
eral ticket,  a  plurality  of  votes  being  sufficient  to 
elect.  Electors  meet  at  the  State  capital  on  the 
second  Monday  of  January  after  their  election 
(Act  of  Congress,  1887),  to  cast  the  vote  of  the 
State — 3.  (Members  of  Congress).  The  elec- 
tion of  Representatives  in  Congress  is  also  held 
under  United  States  law,  occurring  biennially 
(on  the  even  years)  simultaneously  with  the  gen- 
eral State  election  in  November.  Should  Congress 
select  a  different  date  for  such  election,  it  would 
be  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  to  recognize  it  by 
a  corresponding  change  in  the  State  law  relating 
to  the  election  of  Congressmen.  The  tenure  of  a 
Congressman  is  two  years,  the  election  being  by 
Districts  instead  of  a  general  ticket,  as  in  the 
case  of  Presidential  Electors — the  term  of  each 
Representative  for  a  full  term  beginning  with  a 
new  Congress,  on  the  4th  of  March  of  the  odd 
years  following  a  general  election.  (See  Con- 
gressional Apportionment. ) 

II.  All  officers  under  the  State  Government — 
except  Boards  of  Trustees  of  charitable  and  penal 
institutions  or  the  heads  of  certain  departments, 


which  are  made  appointive  by  the  Governor— are 
elected  by  popular  vote.  Apart  from  county 
officers  they  consist  of  three  classes:  (1)  Legisla- 
tive; (2)  E.xecutive;  (:!)  Judicial  —  which  are 
«hosen  at  different  times  and  for  different  periods. 
1.  (Legislature).  Legislative  officers  consist  of 
Senators  and  Representatives,  chosen  at  elections 
held  on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  of 
November,  biennially.  The  regular  term  of  a 
Senator  (of  whom  there  are  fifty-one  under  the 
present  Constitution)  is  four  years;  twenty-five 
(those  in  Districts  bearing  even  numbers)  being 
chosen  on  the  years  in  which  a  President  anil 
Governor  are  elected,  and  the  other  twenty-six  at 
the  intermediate  period  two  years  later.  Thus, 
one-half  of  each  State  Senate  is  composed  of  what 
are  called  "hold-over"  Senators.  Representatives 
are  elected  biennially  at  the  November  election, 
and  hold  office  two  years.  The  qualifications  as 
to  eUgibility  for  a  seat  in  the  State  Senate  require 
that  the  incumbent  shall  be  2.5  years  of  age, 
while  21  years  renders  one  eligible  to  a  seat  in 
the  House — the  Constitution  requiring  that  each 
shall  have  been  a  resident  of  the  State  for  five 
years,  and  of  the  District  for  which  he  is  chosen, 
two  years  next  preceding  his  election.  (See 
Legislative  Apportionment  and  Minority  Repre- 
sentation.) —  2.  (Executive  Officers).  The 
oflScers  constituting  the  Executive  Department 
include  the  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor, 
Secretary  of  State,  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts, 
Treasurer,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
and  Attorney  General.  Each  of  the.se.  except  the 
State  Treasurer,  holds  office  four  years  and — with 
the  exception  of  the  Treasurer  and  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction — are  elected  at  the 
general  election  at  which  Presidential  Electors 
are  chosen.  The  election  of  State  Superintendent 
occurs  on  the  intermediate  (even)  years,  and  that 
of  State  Treasurer  every  two  years  coincidently 
with  the  election  of  Governor  and  Superintendent 
of  PubUc  Instruction,  respectively.  (See  Execu- 
tive Officers.)  In  addition  to  the  State  officers 
already  named,  three  Trustees  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  are  elected  biennially  at  the  general 
election  in  November,  each  holding  ofiice  fo'' 
six  years.  These  trustees  (nine  in  number), 
with  the  Governor,  President  of  the  State  Boaril 
of  Agriculture  and  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  constitute  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  University  of  Illinois. — 3.  (Judiciary).  The 
Judicial  Department  embraces  Judges  of  the 
Supreme,  Circuit  and  County  Courts,  and  .sucli 
other  subordinate  officials  as  may  be  connected 
with   the    administration    of    ju.stice.     For    the 


156 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


election  of  members  of  the  Supreme  Coiut  the 
State  is  divided  into  seven  Districts,  each  of 
which  elects  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  for 
a  term  of  nine  years.  The  elections  in  five  of 
these  —  the  First,  Second,  Tliird,  Sixth  and 
Seventh — occur  on  the  first  Monday  in  June  every 
ninth  year  from  1879.  the  last  election  having 
occurred  in  June,  1897.  The  elections  in  tlie 
other  t  -vo  Districts  occur  at  similar  periods  of  nine 
years  from  1876  and  1873,  respectively — tlie  last 
election  in  the  Fourth  District  having  occurred 
in  June,  1893,  and  that  in  the  Fifth  in  1891.— 
Circuit  Judges  are  chosen  on  the  first  Slonday  in 
June  every  six  years,  counting  from  1873.  Judges 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County  are  elected 
every  six  years  at  the  Noveuiber  election. — Clerks 
of  the  Supreme  and  Appellate  Courts  are  elected 
■  at  the  November  election  for  six  years,  the  last 
election  liaving  occurred  in  189().  Under  the  act 
of  April  2,  1897.  consolidating  tlie  Supreme 
Court  into  one  Grand  Division,  tlie  number  of 
Supreme  Court  Clerks  is  reduced  to  one,  although 
the  Clerks  elected  in  1890  remain  in  office  and  Iiave 
charge  of  the  records  of  their  several  Divisions 
until  the  expiration  of  tlieir  terms  in  1902.  The 
Supreme  Court  holds  five  terms  annually  at  Spring- 
field, beginning,  respectively,  on  tlie  first  Tuesday 
of  October,  December,  February.  Ai)riland  June. 
(Other  Officers),  (a)  Members  of  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization  (one  for  every  Congres- 
sional District)  are  elective  every  four  years  at 
tlie  same  time  as  Congressmen,  (b)  County 
officers  (except  County  Commissioners  not  under 
township  organization)  hold  office  for  four  years 
and  are  chosen  at  the  November  election  as 
follows:  (1)  At  the  general  election  at  which 
the  Governor  is  chosen  —  Clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  State's  Attorney,  Recorder  of  Deeds  (in 
counties  having  a  population  of  00.000  or  over). 
Coroner  and  County  Surveyor.  (2)  On  inter- 
mediate years— Sheriff.  County  Judge,  Probate 
Judge  (in  counties  having  a  jiopulation  of  70,000 
and  over),  County  Clerk,  Treasurer,  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools,  and  Clerk  of  Criminal  Court  of 
Cook  County,  (c)  In  counties  not  under  town- 
ship organization  a  Board  of  County  Commission- 
ers is  elected,  one  being  chosen  in  November  of 
each  year,  and  each  holding  office  three  years, 
(d)  Under  the  general  law  the  polls  open  at  8 
a.  m.,  and  close  at  7  p.  m.  In  cities  accepting  an 
Act  of  the  Legislature  passed  in  188.),  the  hour  of 
opening  tlie  polls  is  0  a.  m.,  and  of  closing  4  p.  m. 
(See  also  Aiixtrcdiiai  BaUnt.) 

ELECTORS,    (JUALIFICATIOXS    OF.      (See 
Suffrage. ) 


ELGIN,  an  important  city  of  Northern  Illinois, 
in  Kane  County,  on  Fox  River  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern Railroads,  besides  two  rural  electric  lines,  36 
miles  northwest  of  Chicago;  has  valuable  water- 
power  and  over  fifty  manufacturing  establish- 
ments, iiududing  the  National  Watch  Factory  and 
the  Cook  Publishing  Company,  both  among  the 
most  extensive  of  their  kind  in  the  world;  is  also 
a  great  dairy  center  with  extensive  creameries 
and  milk-condensing  work.s.  The  quotations  of 
its  Butter  and  Chee.se  Exchange  are  telegraphed 
to  all  the  great  commercial  centers  and  regulate 
the  prices  of  these  commodities  throughout  the 
country.  Elgin  is  the  seat  of  the  Northern  (Uli- 
noi.s)  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  has  a  handsome 
Government  (po.stoffice)  building,  fine  ]>ublic 
library  and  many  handsome  residences.  It  has 
had  a  rapid  growth  in  the  past  twentj'  years. 
Population  (1890),  17,823;  (1900),  22.433. 

EL(iIX,JOLlET&  EASTERN  RAILWAY.  The 
main  line  of  this  road  extends  west  from  Dyer  on 
the  Indiana  State  line  to  Joliet,  thence  northeast 
to  Waukegan.  The  total  lengtli  of  the  line  ( 1898) 
is  192.72  miles,  of  which  159.93  miles  are  in  Illi- 
nois. The  entire  capital  of  the  i^ompany,  includ- 
ing stock  and  indebtedness,  amounted  (1898),  to 
§13,799,030— more  than  §71,000  per  mile.  Its  total 
earnings  in  Illinois  for  the  same  year  were  $1,212.- 
020,  and  its  entire  expenditure  in  the  State, 
•SI, 1.56,140.  The  company  paid  in  taxes,  the  same 
year,  §48,870.  Brancli  lines  extend  southerly 
from  Walker  Junction  to  Coster,  where  connec- 
tion is  made  with  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  northwesterly 
from  Normantowu,  on  the  main  line,  to  Aurora. 
— (HiSToHY).  The  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Rail- 
way was  chartered  in  l.'<87  and  absorbed  the 
Joliet,  Aurora  &  Northern  Railway,  from  Joliet  to 
Aurora  (21  miles),  which  liad  been  commenced  in 
1880  and  was  completed  in  1888,  with  extensions 
from  Joliet  to  Spaulding,  III.,  and  from  Joliet  to 
McCool,  Ind.  In  January,  1891,  tlie  Company 
purchased  all  the  projierties  and  franchises  of  the 
Gardner,  Coal  City  &  Normantown  and  the 
Waukegan  &  Southwestern  Railway  Companies 
(formerly  operated  under  lease).  The  former  of 
these  two  roads  was  chartered  in  1889  and  ojiened 
in  1890.  The  system  forms  a  belt  line  around 
Chicago,  intersecting  all  railroads  entering  that 
city  from  every  direction.  Its  traffic  is  diieflv 
in  the  transportation  of  freight. 

ELIZABETHTOWX,  the  county-seat  of  Hardin 
County.  It  stands  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio 
River,  44  miles  above  Paducah,  Ky.,  and  about 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


157 


125  miles  southeast  of  Belleville;  has  a  brick  and 
tile  factory,  large  tie  trade,  two  churches,  two 
flouring  mills,  a  bank,  and  one  newspaper.  Pop- 
ulation (1890).  052;  (1900),  668. 

ELKHART,  a  town  of  Logan  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  18  miles  northeast  of 
Springfield ;  is  a  rich  farming  section ;  has  a  coal 
shaft.     Population  (1890),  414;  (1900),  .553. 

ELKIN,  Wllliain  F.,  pioneer  and  early  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  April  13, 
1792;  after  spending  several  years  in  Ohio  and 
Indiana,  came  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  in  1825; 
was  elected  to  the  Si.xth,  Tenth  and  Eleventh 
General  Assemblies,  being  one  of  the  "Long 
Nine"  from  Sangamon  County  and,  in  1861,  was 
appointed  by  his  former  colleague  (Abraham 
Lincoln)  Register  of  the  Land  Office  at  Spring- 
field, resigning  in  1872.     Died,  in  1878. 

ELLIS,  Edward  F.  W.,  soldier,  was  born  at 
Wilton,  Maine,  April  15,  1819;  studied  law  and 
.  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Ohio ;  spent  three  years 
(1849-52)  in  California,  serving  in  the  Legislature 
of  that  State  in  1851,  and  proving  himself  an 
earnest  opponent  of  slavery ;  returned  to  Ohio  the 
next  year,  and,  in  1854,  removed  to  Rockford,  111., 
where  he  embarked  in  the  banking  business. 
Soon  after  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  he  organ- 
ized the  Ellis  Rifles,  which  having  been  attached 
to  the  Fifteenth  Illinois,  he  was  elected  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  regiment ;  was  in  command  at 
the  battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862,  and  was  killed 
while  bravely  leading  on  his  men. 

ELLIS,  (Rev.)  John  Millot,  early  home  mis- 
sionary, was  born  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  July  14,  1793; 
came  to  Illinois  as  a  home  missionary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  an  early  daj",  and  served 
for  a  time  as  pastor  of  churches  at  Kaskaskia  and 
Jacksonville,  and  was  one  of  the  influential 
factors  in  securing  the  location  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege at  the  latter  place.  His  wife  also  conducted, 
for  some  years,  a  private  school  for  young  ladies 
at  Jacksonville,  wliich  developed  into  the  Jack- 
sonville Female  Academy  in  1833,  and  is  still 
maintained  after  a  history  of  over  sixty  years. 
Mr.  Ellis  was  later  associated  with  the  establish- 
ment of  Wabash  College,  at  Crawfordsville,  Ind., 
finally  returning  to  New  Hampshire,  where,  in 
1840,  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  at  East  Hanover. 
In  1844  he  again  entered  the  service  of  the  Soci- 
ety for  Promoting  Collegiate  and  Theological 
Education  in  the  West.     Died,  August  6,  1855. 

ELLSWORTH,  Ephralm  Elmer,  soldier,  first 
victim  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  at  Mechanics 
ville,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  April  23,  1837.  He 
came  to  Chicago  at  an  early  age,  studied  law. 


and  became  a  patent  solicitor.  In  1800  he  raised 
a  regiment  of  Zouaves  in  Chicago,  which  became 
famous  for  the  perfection  of  its  discipline  and 
drill,  and  of  which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel. 
In  1861  he  accompanied  President  Lincoln  to 
Washington,  going  from  there  to  New  York, 
where  he  recruited  and  organized  a  Zouave 
regiment  composed  of  firemen.  He  became  its 
Colonel  and  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Alexan- 
dria, Va.  While  stationed  there  Colonel  Ells- 
worth observed  that  a  Confederate  flag  was 
flying  above  a  hotel  owned  by  one  Jackson. 
Rushing  to  the  roof,  he  tore  it  down,  but  before 
he  reached  the  street  was  shot  and  killed  by 
Jackson,  who  was  in  turn  shot  by  Frank  H. 
Brownell,  one  of  Ellsworth's  men  He  was  the 
first  Union  soldier  killed  in  the  war.  Died,  May 
24,  1801. 

ELMHURST  (formerly  Cottage  Hill),  a  village 
of  Du  Page  County,  on  the  Chicago  Great  Western 
and  111.  Cent.  Railroads,  15  miles  west  of  Chicago; 
is  the  .seat  of  the  Evangelical  Seminary ;  has  elec- 
tric interurban  line,  two  papers,  stone  quarry, 
electric  light,  water  and  sewerage  systems,  high 
school,  and  churches.     Pop.  (1900),  1,728. 

ELMWOOl),  a  town  of  Peoria  County,  on  the 
Galesburg  and  Peoria  and  Buda  and  Rushville 
branches  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  26  miles  west-northwest  of  Peoria;  the 
principal  industries  are  coal-mining  and  corn  and 
tomato  canning ;  has  a  bank  and  one  newspaper. 
Population  (1890),  1,548;  (1900),  1,582. 

EL  PASO,  a  city  in  Woodford  County,  17  miles 
north  of  Bloomington,  33  miles  east  of  Peoria,  at 
the  crossing  Illinois  Central  and  Toledo.  Peoria  & 
Western  Railroads;  in  agricultural  di.strict;  has 
two  national  banks,  three  grain  elevators,  two 
high  .schools,  two  newspapers,  nine  churches. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,353;  (1900),  1,441;  (1903,  est.),  1,600. 
EMBARRAS  RIVER,  rises  in  Champaign 
County  and  runs  .southward  through  the  counties 
of  Douglas,  Coles  and  Cumberland,  to  Newton,  in 
Jasper  County,  where  it  turns  to  the  southeast, 
passing  through  Lawrence  Comity,  and  entering 
the  Wabash  River  about  seven  miles  below  Vin- 
cennes.     It  is  nearly  150  miles  long. 

EMMERSON,  Charles,  jurist,  was  born  at  North 
Haverhill.  Grafton  County,  N.  H.,  April  15,  1811; 
came  to  Illinois  in  1833,  first  settling  at  Jackson- 
ville, whei-e  he  spent  one  term  in  Illinois  College, 
then  studied  law  at  Springfield,  and,  having  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  began  jiractice  at  Decatur, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  except 
three  years  (1847-.50)  during  which  he  resided  at 
Paris,  Edgar  County.     In  1850  he  was  elected  to 


158 


HISTORICAL   ENCVCLOI'EDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


the  Legislature,  and,  in  1853,  to  tlie  Circuit  bench, 
serving  on  tlie  latter  by  re-election  till  1867.  The 
latter  year  he  was  a  candidate  for  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  but  was  defeated  by  the  late 
Judge  Pinkney  H.  Walker.  In  1869  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention, 
but  died  in  April,  1870,  while  the  Convention  was 
still  in  session. 

ENFIELD,  a  town  of  White  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  with 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway,  10 
miles  west  of  Carmi;  is  the  seat  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois College.  The  town  also  lias  a  bank  and  one 
newspaper.  Population  (1880).  717;  (1890).  870; 
(1900).  971;  (1903,  est).  1,000. 

ENGLISH,  Joseph  G.,  banker,  was  born  at 
Rising  Sun,  Ind.,  Dec.  17,  1820;  lived  for  a  time 
at  PerrysvilleandLa  Fayette  in  tliat  Stale,  finally 
engaging  in  merchandising  in  tlie  former;  in 
1853  remo%-ed  to  Danville,  111.,  where  he  formed 
a  partnersliip  with  John  L.  Tincher  in  mercantile 
business;  later  conducted  a  private  banking  busi- 
ness and,  in  1863,  establislied  the  First  National 
Bank,  of  which  he  has  been  President  over  twenty 
years.  He  served  two  terms  as  Mayor  of  Dan- 
ville, in  1872  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization,  and,  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  has  been  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Chicago 
&  Eastern  Railroad.  At  the  present  time  Mr. 
Enghsh.  having  practically  retired  from  busi- 
ness, is  spending  most  of  his  time  in  tlie  West. 

ENOS,  Pascal  PaoU,  pioneer,  was  born  at 
Windsor,  Conn.,  in  1770;  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  1794,  studied  law,  and,  after  spending 
some  years  in  Vermont,  where  he  served  as  High 
Sheriff  of  Windsor  County,  in  September.  1815, 
removed  West,  stopping  first  at  Cincinnati.  A 
year  later  he  descended  the  Oliio  by  flat-lxiat  to 
Shawneetown,  111.,  crossed  the  State  by  land, 
finally  locating  at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  and  later  at 
St.  Louis.  Tlien.  having  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
in  Madison  County.  111.,  he  remained  there  about 
two  years,  wlien,  in  1823,  having  received  from 
President  Monroe  the  appointment  of  Receiver  of 
the  newly  established  Land  Office  at  Springfield, 
he  removed  thither,  making  it  his  permanent 
home.  He  was  one  of  the  original  purchasers  of 
the  land  on  which  the  city  of  Springfield  now 
stands,  and  joined  with  Maj.  Elijah  lies,  John 
Taylor  and  Thomas  Cox,  the  other  patentees,  in 
laying  out  the  town,  to  which  they  first  gave  the 
name  of  Calhoun.  Mr.  Enos  remained  in  office 
through  the  administration  of  President  John 
Quincy  Adams,  but  was  removed  by  President 
Jackson  for  political  reasons,  in  1829.     Died,  at 


Springfield,  April,  1832.— Pascal  P.  (Enos),  Jr., 
eldest  son  of  Mr.  Enos,  was  born  in  St.  Charles, 
Mo.,  Nov.  28,  1816;  was  electeil  Representative  in 
the  General  Assembly  from  Sangamon  County  in 
1852.  and  served  by  apiiointment  of  Ju.stice 
McLean  of  the  Supreme  Court  as  Clerk  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  being  reappointed 
by  Judge  David  Davis,  dying  in  office.  Feb.  17, 
1867. — Ziniri  A.  (Enos),  another  son,  was  born 
Sept.  29,  1821,  is  a  citizen  of  Springfield  — has 
.served  as  County  Surveyor  and  Alderman  of  the 
city. — Julia  R.,  a  daughter,  was  born  in  Spring 
field,  Dec.  20,  1832,  is  the  widow  of  the  late  O.  M. 
Hatch,  Secretary  of  State(  1857-65). 

EPLEK,  Cyrus,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born 
at  Charleston,  Clark  County,  Ind.,  Nov.  12, 
1825;  graduated  at  Illinois  College,  Jackson- 
ville, studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1852,  being  elected  State's  Attorney 
the  same  year;  also  served  as  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly  two  terms  (1857-61; 
and  as  Master  in  Chancery  for  Morgan  County, 
1867-73.  In  1873  he  was  elected  Circuit  Judge 
for  the  Seventh  Circuit  and  was  re-elected 
succe-ssively  in  1879,  '85  and  '91,  serving  four 
terms,  and  retiring  in  1897.  During  his  entire 
professional  and  official  career  his  home  has  been 
in  Jacksonville. 

EiJl'ALITY,  a  village  of  Gallatin  County,  on 
the  Shawneetown  Division  of  the  Louisville  & 
Nashville  Railroad,  11  miles  we.st-northwest  of 
Shawneetown.  It  was  for  a  time,  in  early  days,  the 
county-seat  of  Gallatin  County  and  market  for 
the  salt  manufactured  in  that  vicinity.  Some 
coal  is  mined  in  the  neighborhood.  One  weekly 
jiaper  is  published  here.  Population  (1880),  500; 
(1890),  622;  (1900),  898. 

ERIE,  a  village  of  Whiteside  County,  on  the 
Rock  Island  and  Sterling  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  (Quincy  liailroad,  30  miles  north- 
east of  Rock  Island.  Population  (1880).  .537; 
(1S90).  ,535;  (1900),  768. 

EUREKA,  the  county -seat  of  Woodford  County, 
incorporated  in  18.56,  situated  19  miles  east  of 
Peoria;  is  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  stock-raising  and 
agricultural  district.  The  principal  mechanical 
industry  is  a  large  canning  factory.  Besides 
having  good  grammar  and  high  schools,  it  is  also 
the  seat  of  Eureka  College,  under  the  control  of 
the  Christian  denomination,  in  connection  with 
which  are  a  Normal  School  and  a  Biblical  Insti- 
tute. The  town  has  a  handsome  courthoase  and 
a  jail,  two  weekly  and  one  monthly  paper. 
Eureka  became  the  county-seat  of  Woodford 
County  in  1896,  the  change  from  Metamora  being 


HISTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


159 


due  to  the  central  location  and  more  convenient 
accessibility  of  the  former  from  all  parts  of  the 
county.  Population  (1880),  1,185;  (1890),  1,481; 
(1900),  1,661. 

EUREKA  COLLEGE,  located  at  Eureka,  Wood- 
ford County,  and  chartered  in  1855.  distinctively 
under  the  care  and  supervision  of  the  "Christian" 
or  "Campbellite"  denomination.  The  primary 
aim  of  its  founders  was  to  prepare  young  men  for 
the  ministry,  while  at  the  same  time  affording 
facilities  for  liberal  culture.  It  was  chartered  in 
1855,  and  its  growth,  while  gradual,  has  been 
steady.  Besides  a  preparatory  department  and  a 
business  school,  the  college  maintains  a  collegiate 
department  (with  classical  and  scientific  courses) 
and  a  theological  school,  the  latter  being  designed 
to  lit  young  men  for  the  ministry  of  the  tlenomi- 
nation.  Both  male  and  female  matriculates  are 
received.  In  1896  there  was  a  faculty  of  eighteen 
professors  and  assistants,  and  an  attendance  of 
some  325  students,  nearly  one-third  of  whom 
were  females.  The  total  value  of  the  institution's 
property  is  §1-14,000,  which  includes  an  endow- 
ment of  §45,000  and  real  estate  valued  at  §85,000. 

EUSTACE,  John  V.,  lawyer  and  judge,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia.  Sept.  9,  1821 ;  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1839,  and,' 
in  1842,  at  the  age  of  21.  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
removing  the  same  year  to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death.  In  1856  he  was  elected 
to  the  General  Assembly  and,  in  1857,  became 
Circuit  Judge,  serving  one  term;  was  chosen 
Presidential  Elector  in  1864,  and,  in  March,  1878, 
was  again  elevated  to  the  Circuit  Bench,  vice 
Judge  Heaton,  deceased.  He  was  elected  to  the 
same  position  in  1879,  and  re-elected  in  1885,  but 
died  in  1888,  thi-ee  years  before  the  expiration  of 
his  term. 

EVANGELICAL  SEMINARY,  an  institution 
under  the  direction  of  the  Lutheran  denomina- 
tion, incorporated  in  1865  and  located  at  Elm- 
hurst,  Du  Page  County.  Instruction  is  given  in 
the  classics,  theology,  oratory  and  preparatory 
studies,  by  a  faculty  of  eight  teacliers.  The 
number  of  pupils  during  the  scliool  year  (189.5-96) 
was  133 — all  young  men.  It  has  property  valued 
at  §59,305. 

EVANS,  Henry  H.,  legislator,  was  born  in 
Toronto,  Can.,  March  9,  1836;  brought  by  his 
father  (who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania)  to 
Aurora,  111.,  where  the  latter  finally  became  fore- 
man of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  ma- 
chine shops  at  that  place.  In  1862  young  Evans 
enlisted  in  tlie  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  until  the  close  of  the 


war.  Since  tlie  war  lie  lias  becrome  most  widely 
known  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly,  hav- 
ing been  elected  first  to  the  House,  in  1870,  and 
sub.sequently  to  the  Senate  every  four  years  from 
1880  to  the  year  1898,  giving  him  over  twenty 
years  of  almost  continuous  service.  He  is  a  large 
owner  of  real  estate  and  has  been  prominently 
connected  with  financial  and  other  bu.siness 
enterprises  at  Aurora,  including  the  Aurora  Gas 
and  Street  Railway  Companies;  also  served  with 
the  rank  of  Colonel  on  the  staffs  of  Governors 
Cullom,  Hamilton,  Fifer  and  Oglesby. 

EVANS,  (Rev.)  Jervice  G.,  educator  and  re- 
former, was  born  in  Marshall  County,  111.,  Dec. 
19,  1833;  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  1854,  and,  in  1872,  accepted 
the  presidency  of  Hedding  College  at  Abingdon, 
which  he  filled  for  si.x  years.  He  then  became 
President  of  Chaddock  College  at  Quincy,  but  the 
following  year  returned  to  pastoral  work.  In 
1889  he  again  became  President  of  Hedding  Col- 
lege, where  (1898)  he  still  remains.  Dr.  Evans  is 
a  member  of  the  Central  Illinois  (M.  E.)  Confer- 
ence and  a  leader  in  the  prohibition  movement ; 
has  also  produced  a  number  of  volumes  on  reli- 
gious and  moral  questions. 

EVANS,  John,  M.D.,  physician  and  Governor, 
was  born  at  Waynesville,  Ohio,  of  Quaker  ances- 
try, March  9,  1814;  graduated  in  medicine  at 
Cincinnati  and  began  practice  at  Ottawa,  111., 
but  soon  returned  to  Ohio,  finally  locating  at 
Attica,  Ind.  Here  he  became  prominent  in  the 
establishment  of  the  first  insane  hospital  in  In- 
diana, at  Indianapolis,  about  1841-42,  becoming  a 
resident  of  that  city  in  1845.  Three  years  later, 
having  accepted  a  chair  in  Rush  Medical  College, 
in  Chicago,  he  removed  thither,  also  serving  for 
a  time  as  editor  of  "The  Northwestern  Medical 
and  Surgical  Journal."  He  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Chicago  City  Council,  became  a  successful 
operator  in  real  estate  and  in  the  promotion  of 
various  railroad  enterprises,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Northwestern  University,  at 
Evanston,  serving  as  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  over  forty  years.  Dr.  Evans  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois, 
and  a  strong  personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln, 
from  whom,  in  1862.  he  received  the  appointment 
of  Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Colorado,  con- 
tinuing in  oSice  until  displaced  by  Andi-ew  John- 
son in  1865.  In  Colorado  he  became  a  leading 
factor  in  the  construction  of  some  of  the  most 
important  railroad  lines  in  that  section,  including 
the  Denver,  Texas  &  Gulf  Road,  of  which  he  was 
for    many    years    the    President.     He  was    also 


IGO 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


prominent  in  connection  with  educational  and 
church  enterprises  at  Denver,  which  was  his  home 
after  leaving  Illinois.  Died,  in  Denver,  July  3, 1897. 
EVANSTON,  a  city  of  Cook  County,  situated  13 
miles  north  of  Chicago,  on  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee &  St.  Paul  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroads.     The  original  town  was  incorporated 
Dec.  29,  1863,  and,  in  March,  1809,  a  special  act 
was  passed  by  the  Legislature  incorporating  it  as 
a  city,  but  rejected  by  vote  of  the  people.     On 
Oct.   19,   1872,  the  voljers  of  the  corporate  town 
adopted  village  organizations  under  the  General 
Village  and  City  Incorporation  Act  of  the  siime 
year.     Since  then  annexations  of  adjacent  terri- 
tory to  the  village  of  Evanston  have  taken  place 
as  follows:     In  January,  1873.  two  small  districts 
by  petition;  in  April,  1874,  the  village  of  North 
Evanston  was  annexed  by  a  majority  vote  of  the 
electors   of   both    corporations;    in    April,   1886, 
there  was  another  annexation  of  a  small  out-lying 
district  by  petition;  in  February,  1892,  the  ques- 
tion of  the  annexation  of  South  Evanston  was 
submitted  to  the  voters  of  both  corporations  and 
adopted.     On    March    29,   1892,  the   question  of 
organization  under  a  city  government  was  sub- 
mitted to  popular  vote  of  the  consolidated  corpo- 
ration and  decided  in  the  affirmative,  the   first 
city  election  taking   place  April   19,   following. 
The    population  of   the  original    corporation  of 
Evanston,  according  to  tlie  census  of  1890,  was 
12,072,  and  of  South  Evanston,  3,205,  making  the 
total  population  of  the  new  city  15,967.     Judged 
by  the  census  returns  of  1900,  the  consolidated 
city    has  had    a    healthy   growth    in    the    past 
ten    years,    giving      it,     at     the     end     of     the 
century,  a   population   of   19.2.59.     Evanston   is 
one  of   the  most  attractive  residence    cities  in 
Northern  Illinois  and  famed  for  its  educational 
advantages.     Besides  having  an  admirable  system 
of  graded  and  high  schools,  it  is  the  seat  of  the 
academic    and  theological    departments    of    the 
Northwestern  University,  the  latter  being  known 
as  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.     The  city  has 
well  paved  streets,  is  lighted  by  both  gas   and 
electricity,  and   maintains  its    own    system    of 
water  works.     Prohibition    is    strictly  enforced 
%vithin    the    corporate    limits    under    stringent 
municipal  ordinances,  and  the    charter   of    the 
Northwestern  University  forbidding  the  sale  of 
intoxicants  within  four  miles  of  that  institution. 
As  a  consequence,   it  is  certain  to    attract  the 
most  desirable  class  of  people,  whether  consisting 
of   those    seeking    permanent  homes    or  simply 
contemplating  temporary  residence  for  the  sake 
of  educational  advantages. 


EWIXdi,  William  Lee  DaviilHuii,  early  lawyer 
and  politician,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1795,  and 
came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  first  settling  at 
Shawneetown.     As  early  as  1820  he  appears  from 
a  letter  of  Governor  Edwards  to  President  Mon- 
roe, to  have  been  holding  some  Federal  appoint- 
ment,  presumably  that  of    Receiver    of    Public 
Moneys  in  the  Land  Office  at  Vandalia,  as  con- 
temporary history  shows  tliat,  in  1822.  he  lost  a 
deposit  of  SI. 000  by  the  robbery  of  the  bank  there. 
He  was  also  Brigadier-General  of  the  State  militia 
at  an  early  day,  Colonel  of  tlie  "Spy  Battalion"" 
during  the    Black    Hawk  War,  and,  as    Indian 
Agent,  superintended  the  removal  of   the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  west  of  the  Mississippi.     Other  posi- 
tions held  by  him  included  Clerk  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  two  se.ssions  (1^*26-27  and  1828-29) ; 
Representative  from  the  counties  composing  the 
Vandalia  District  in  the  Seventh  General  Assem- 
bly (1830-31),  when  healso  became  Speakerof  the 
House;  Senator  from    the  same   District  in  the 
Eighth  and  Ninth  General  Assemblies,  of  which 
he  was  chosen  President    pro  temjwre.     While 
ser\Mng    in    this   capacity  he    became  ex-officio 
Lieutenant-Governor  in  consequence  of  the  resig- 
nation of  Lieut. -Gov.   Zadoc  Casey  to  accept  a 
seat  in  Congre.ss,  in  JIarcli,  1833,  and,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1834,  assumed  the  (lovernorship  as  successor 
to  Governor  Reynolds,  who  had  been  elected  to 
Congress  to  fill  a  vacancy.     He  served  only  fifteen 
days  as  Governor,  when  he  gave  place  to  Gov. 
Joseph  Duncan,  who  had   been  elected    in  "due 
course  at  the  previous  election.      A  year  later 
(December,  1835)  he  was  chosen  United  States 
Senator  to  succeed  Elias  Kent  Kane,   who  had 
died  in  office.     Failing  of   a  re-election  to    the 
Senatorship  in  1837,  he  was  returned  to  the  House 
of  Repre.sentatives  from  his  old  district  in  1838, 
as  he  was  again  in  1840,  at  each  session  being 
chosen  Speaker  over  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was 
the  Whig  candidate.     Dropping  out  of  the  Legis- 
lature at  the  close  of  his  term,  we  find  him  at  the 
beginning  of  the  next  se.ssion  (December,  1842)  in 
his  old  place  as  Clerk  of  the  House,  but,  before 
the  close  of  the  session  (in  March,  1843),  appointed 
Auditor  of  Public  Accoimts  as  successor  to  James 
Shields,  who  liad  resigned.    While  occupying  the 
office  of  Auditor,  Mr.  Ewing  died.  March  25,  1846. 
His  public  career  was  as  miique  as  it  was  remark- 
able, in  the  number  and  character  of  the  official 
positions  held  by  liim  within  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  years. 

EXECUTIVE  OFFICERS.  (See  State  officers 
under  heads  of  "Goi-ernor,"  " Lieutenant  Gnv- 
ernor,"  etc.) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


161 


EYE  AND  EAR  IXFIRMARY,  ILLINOIS 
CHARITABLE.  This  institution  is  an  outgrowth 
of  a  private  charity  founded  at  Chicago,  in  1858, 
by  Dr.  Edward  L.  Hohnes,  a  distinguished  Chi- 
cago oculist.  In  1871  tlie  property  of  the  institu- 
tion was  transferred  to  and  accepted  by  tlie  State, 
the  title  was  changed  by  the  substitution  of  the 
word  "Illinois"  for  "Chicago,"  and  the  Infirmary 
became  a  State  institution.  The  fire  of  1871 
destroyed  the  building,  and,  in  1873-74,  the  State 
erected  another  of  brick,  four  stories  in  height, 
at  the  comer  of  West  Adams  and  Peoria  Streets, 
Chicago.  The  institution  receives  patients  from 
all  the  counties  of  the  State,  the  same  receiving 
board,  lodging,  and  medical  aid,  and  (when  neces- 
sary) surgical  treatment,  free  of  charge.  The 
number  of  patients  on  Dec.  1,  1897,  was  160.  In 
1877  a  free  eye  and  ear  dispensary  was  opened 
under  legislative  authority,  which  is  under  charge 
of  some  eminent  Chicago  specialists. 

FAIRBURY,  an  incorporated  city  of  Livings- 
ton County,  situated  ten  miles  southeast  of  Pon- 
tiac,  in  a  fertile  and  thickly -settled  region.  Coal, 
sandstone,  limestone,  fire-clay  aTid  a  micaceous 
quartz  are  found  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
town  has  banks,  grain  elevators,  flouring  mills 
and  two  weekly  new.spapers.  Population  (1880), 
2,140;  (1890),  2,334;  (1900),  2,187. 

FAIRFIELD,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Wayne  County  and  a  railway  junction, 
108  miles  .southeast  of  St.  Louis.  The  town  has 
an  extensive  woolen  factory  and  large  flouring 
and  saw  mills.  It  also  has  four  weekly  papers 
and  is  an  important  fruit  and  grain-shipping 
point.  Population  (1880),  1,391;  (1890),  1,881; 
(1900),  2,838. 

FAIRMOUM,  a  village  of  Vermilion  County, 
on  the  Wabash  Railway,  13  miles  west-southwest 
from  Danville;  industrial  interests  chiefly  agri- 
cultural; has  brick  and  tile  factor}-,  a  coal  mine, 
stone  quarry,  three  rural  mail  routes  and  one 
weekly  paper.     Population  (1890),  649;  (1900),  928. 

FALLOWS,  (Rt.  Rev.)  Samuel,  Bishop  of  Re- 
formed Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was  born  at 
Pendleton,  near  Manchester,  England,  Dec.  13, 
1835 ;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Wisconsin  in 
1848,  and  graduated  from  the  State  University 
there  in  1859,  during  a  part  of  his  university 
course  serving  as  pastor  of  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Madison;  was  next  Vice-President  of 
Gainesville  University  till  1861,  when  he  was 
ordained  to  the  Methodist  ministry  and  became 
pastor  of  a  church  at  Oshkosh.  The  following 
year  he  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the  Thirty- 


second  Wisconsin  Vohmteers,  but  later  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Fortieth  Wisconsin,  of  which 
he  became  Colonel,  in  1865  being  brevetted  Briga- 
dier-General. On  his  return  to  civil  life  lie 
became  a  pastor  in  Milwaukee;  was  appointed 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for 
Wisconsin  to  fill  a  vacancy,  in  1871,  and  was  twice 
re-elected.  In  1874  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomington, 
111.,  remaining  two  years;  in  1875  united  with  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Chu||;h,  soon  after  became 
Rector  of  St.  Paul's  Clmrcli  in  Chicago,  and  was 
elected  a  Bishop  in  1876,  also  assuming  the 
editorship  of  "The  Appeal,"  the  organ  of  the 
church.  He  served  as  Regent  of  the  University 
of  Wisconsin  (1864-74),  and  for  several  years  has 
been  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  State 
Reform  School  at  Pontiac.  He  is  the  author  of 
two  or  three  volumes,  one  of  them  being  a  "Sup- 
plementary Dictionary,"  published  in  1884. 
Bishop  Fallows  has  had  supervision  of  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church  work  in  the  West  and  North- 
west for  several  years ;  has  also  served  as  Chaplain 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  for  the 
Department  of  Illinois  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion, 
and  was  Chairman  of  the  General  Committee  of 
the  Educational  Congress  during  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  of  1893. 

FARIJfA,  a  town  of  Fayette  County,  on  the 
Chicago  Division  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
29  miles  northeast  of  Centralia.  Agriculture  and 
fruit-growing  con.stitute  the  chief  business  of  the 
section;  the  town  has  one  newspaper.  Popula- 
tion (1890).  618;  (1900),  693;  (1903,  est),  800. 

FARMER  CITY,  a  city  of  De  Witt  County,  25 
miles  southeast  of  Bloomington,  at  the  junction 
of  the  Springfield  division  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Peoria  division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cmoin- 
nati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railways.  It  is  a 
trading  center  for  a  rich  agricultural  and  stock- 
raising  district,  especially  noted  for  rearing  finely 
bred  horses.  The  city  has  banks,  two  news- 
papers, churches  of  four  denominations  and  good 
schools,  including  a  high  school.  Population 
(1880),  1,289;  (1890),  1,367;  (1900),  1,664. 

FARMERS'  INSTITUTE,  an  organization 
created  by  an  act,  approved  June  24,  1895,  de- 
signed to  encourage  practical  education  among 
farmers,  and  to  assist  in  developing  the  agricul- 
tural resources  of  the  State.  Its  membership 
consists  of  three  delegates  from  each  county  in 
the  State,  elected  annually  by  the  Farmers' 
Institute  in  such  county.  Its  affairs  are  managed 
by  a  Board  of  Directors  constitvited  as  follows: 
The  Superintendent  of    Public  Instruction,   the 


162 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Professor  of  Agriculture  in  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, and  the  Presidents  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture,  Dairymen's  Association  and  Horti- 
cultural Society,  exofficio,  with  one  member  from 
each  Congressional  District,  chosen  by  the  dele- 
gates from  the  district  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  organization.  Annual  meetings  (between 
Oct.  1  and  March  1)  are  required  to  be  held, 
which  shall  continue  in  session  for  not  less  than 
three  days.  The  topics  for  discussion  are  the 
cultivation  of  crops,  the  care  and  breeding  of 
domestic  animals,  dairy  husbandry,  horticulture, 
farm  drainage,  improvement  of  highways  and 
general  farm  management.  The  reports  of  the 
annual  meetings  are  printed  by  the  State  to  the 
number  of  10,000,  one-half  of  the  edition  being 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Institute.  Suitable 
quarters  for  the  officers  of  the  organization  are 
provided  in  the  State' capitol. 

FARMINGTON,  a  city  and  railroad  center  in 
Fulton  County.  12  miles  north  of  Canton  and  22 
miles  west  of  Peoria.  Coal  is  extensively  mined 
here;  there  are  also  brick  and  tile  factories,  a 
foundry,  one  steam  flour- mill,  and  two  cigar 
manufactories.  It  is  a  large  shipping-point  for 
grain  and  live-stock.  Tlie  town  lias  two  banks 
and  two  newspapers,  five  churches  and  a  graded 
school.   Population  (1890),  1,37.'-);  (1!)0:!.  est.).  2.103. 

FARNSWORTH,  Elon  John,  .soldier,  was  born 
at  Green  Oak,  Livingston  Count)",  Mich.,  in  183T. 
After  completing  a  course  in  the  public  scliools. 
he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  but  left 
college  at  the  end  of  his  freshman  year  (18.58)  to 
serve  in  the  Quarterma.ster"s  department  of  the 
army  in  the  Utah  expedition.  At  tlie  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service  lie  became  a  buffalo  hunter 
and  a  carrier  of  mails  between  the  haunts  of 
civilization  and  the  then  newly -discovered  mines 
at  Pike's  Peak.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he  was 
commissioned  (1861)  Assistant  Quartermaster  of 
the  Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry,  of  which  his  uncle 
was  Colonel.  (See  Farnswurtli.  John  Franklin.) 
He  soon  rose  to  a  captaincy,  distinguishing  him- 
self in  the  battles  of  the  Peninsula.  In  May, 
1863,  he  was  appointed  aid-de-camp  to  General 
Pleasanton,  and,  on  June  29,  1863,  was  made  a 
Brigadier-General.  Four  days  later  he  was  killed, 
wliile  gallantly  leading  a  charge  at  Gettj'sburg. 

FARXSWORTH,  John  FraukUu,  soldier  and 
former  Congressman,  was  Ijorn  at  Eaton,  Canada 
East,  March  2T,  1820;  removed  to  Michigan  in 
1834,  and  later  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Kane 
County,  where  he  practiced  law  for  many  years, 
making  his  home  at  St.  Cliarles.  He  was  elected 
to  Congress  in  18.50.  and  re-elected  in  18.58.     In 


September  of  1861,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel 
of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry  Volunteers,  and 
was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  in  Novemtor, 
1862,  but  resigned,  March  4,  1803,  to  take  his  seat 
in  Congress  to  which  he  had  been  elected  the. 
November  previous,  by  successive  re-elections 
serving  from  1863  to  18T3.  The  latter  years  of 
his  life  were  spent  in  Washington,  where  he  died, 
July  14,  1897. 

FAUWELL,  Cliarles  Itenjainin,  merchant  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  at  Painted  Post, 
X.  Y.,  July  1,  1823;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1838, 
and,  for  six  years,  was  employed  in  surveying 
and  farming.  In  1844  lie  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  and  in  banking,  at  Chicago.  He 
was  elected  County  Clerk  in  18.53,  and  re-elected 
in  1857.  Later  he  entered  into  commerce,  becom- 
ing a  piirtner  with  his  brother.  John  Villiers,  in 
the  firm  of  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  in  1867; 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Cook 
County  in  1808;  and  National  Bank  Examiner  in 
1809.  In  1870  he  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a 
Republican,  was  re-elected  in  1872,  but  was 
defeated  in  1874,  after  a  contest  for  the  seat  which 
was  carried  into  the  House  at  "Washington. 
.\g;iin,  in  1880,  he  was  returned  to  Congress, 
making  three  full  terms  in  that  body.  He  also 
served  for  several  years  as  Chairman  of  the 
Reiiublican  State  Central  Committee.  After  the 
death  of  Gen.  John  A.  Logan  he  was  (1887) 
elected  United  States  Senator,  his  term  expiring 
JIarcli  3,  1891.  Mr.  Farwell  lias  since  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  immense  mercantile  busi- 
ness of  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co. 

FARWELL,  John  Yilliers,  merchant,  was  born 
at  Camiibelltown,  Steubtm  County,  N.  Y.,  July 
29,  182.5,  the  son  of  a  farmer;  received  a  common- 
school  education  and,  in  1838,  removed  with  his 
father's  family  to  Ogle  County,  111.  Here  he 
attended  Mount  Morris  .Seminary  for  a  time,  but, 
in  1845,  came  to  Chicago  without  capital  and 
secured  employment  in  the  City  Clerk's  office, 
then  became  a  book-keeper  in  the  dry-goods 
establishment  of  Hamilton  &  White,  and,  still 
later,  with  Hamilton  &  Day.  Having  thus 
received  his  bent  towards  a  mercantile  career,  he 
soon  after  entered  the  concern  of  Wadsworth  & 
Phelps  as  a  clerk,  at  a  salary  of  §600  a  year,  but 
was  admitted  to  a  partnership  in  1850,  the  title  of 
the  firm  becoming  Cooley,  Farwell  &  Co.,  in  1860. 
About  this  time  Marshall  Field  and  Levi  Z.  Leiter 
became  assot^iated  with  the  concern  and  received 
their  mercantile  training  under  the  supervision 
of  Mr.   Farwell.     In   1865  the  title  of   the  firm 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


163 


became  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  but,  in  1891,  the  fii-m 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  The  J.  V. 
Farwell  Company,  his  brother,  Charles  B.  Far- 
well,  being  a  member.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
has  long  been  a  prominent  factor  in  religious 
circles,  a  leading  spirit  of  the  Young  Men"s 
Christian  Association,  and  served  as  President  of 
the  Chicago  Branch  of  the  United  States 
Christian  Commission  during  the  Civil  War. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  served  as  Presi- 
dential Elector  at  the  time  of  President  Lincoln's 
second  election  in  1864;  also  served  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Grant,  in  1869,  on  the  Board  of 
Indian  Commissioners.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
syndicate  which  erected  the  Texas  State  Capitol, 
at  Austin,  in  that  State ;  has  been,  for  a  number 
of  years,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer  of  the 
J.  V.  Farwell  Company,  and  President  of  the 
Colorado  Consolidated  Land  and  Water  Company. 
He  was  also  prominent  in  the  organization  of  the 
Chicago  Public  Library,  and  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  the  Chicago  Historical  Society 
and  the  Art  Institute. 

FARWELL,  William  Washington,  jurist,  was 
born  at  Morrisville,  Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
5,  1817,  of  old  Puritan  ancestry ;  graduated  from 
Hamilton  College  in  1837,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1841.  In  1848  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  but  the  following  year  went 
to  California,  returning  to  his  birthplace  in  1850. 
In  1854  he  again  .settled  at  Chicago  and  soon 
secured  a  prominent  position  at  the  bar.  In  1871 
he  was  elected  Circuit  Court  Judge  for  Cook 
County,  and,  in  1873,  re-elected  for  a  term  of  six 
years.  During  this  period  lie  sat  chiefly  upon 
the  chancery  side  of  the  court,  and,  for  a  time, 
presided  as  Chief  Justice.  At  the  close  of  his 
second  term  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  as 
a  Republican,  but  was  defeated  with  the  re- 
mainder of  the  ticket.  In  1880  he  was  chosen 
Professor  of  Equity  Jurisprudence  in  the  Union 
College  of  Law  (now  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity Law  School),  serving  until  June,  1893,  when 
he  resigned.     Died,  in  Chicago,  April  30,  1894. 

FAYETTE  COUNTY,  situated  about  60  miles 
south  of  the  geographical  center  of  the  State; 
was  organized  in  1821,  and  named  for  the  French 
General  La  Fayette.  It  has  an  area  of  720  square 
miles;  population  (1900),  28,065.  The  soil  is  fer- 
tile and  a  rich  vein  of  bituminous  coal  underlies 
the  county.  Agriculture,  fruit-growing  and 
mining  are  the  chief  industries.  The  old,  historic 
"Cumberland  Road,"  the  trail  for  all  west-bound 
emigrants,  crossed  the  county  at  an  early  date. 
Perryville  was  the  first  county-seat,  but  this  town 


is  now  extinct.  Vandalia,  the  present  seat  of 
coimty  government  (population,  2,144),  stands 
upon  a  succession  of  hills  upon  the  west  bank  of 
the  Kaskaskia.  From  1820  to  1839  it  was  the 
State  Capital.  Besides  Vandalia  the  chief  towns 
are  Ramsey,  noted  for  its  railroad  ties  and  tim- 
ber, and  St.  Elmo. 

FEEBLE-MINDED  CHILDREN,  ASYLIM 
FOR.  This  institution,  originally  established  as 
a  sort  of  appendage  to  the  Illinois  Institution  for 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  was  started  at  Jacksonville, 
in  1865,  as  an  "experimental  school,  for  the 
instruction  of  idiots  and  feeble-minded  children." 
Its  success  having  been  assured,  the  school  was 
placed  upon  an  independent  basis  in  1871,  and, 
in  1875,  a  site  at  Lincoln,  Logan  County,  covering 
forty  acres,  was  donated,  and  the  erection  of 
buildings  begun.  The  original  plan  provided  for 
a  center  building,  with  wings  and  a  rear  exten- 
sion, to  cost  §124,775.  Besides  a  main  or  adminis- 
tration building,  the  institution  embraces  a 
school  building  and  custodial  hall,  a  hospital  and 
industrial  workshop,  and,  during  the  past  year,  a 
chapel  has  been  added.  It  has  control  of  890 
acres,  of  which  400  are  leased  for  farming  pur- 
poses, the  rental  going  to  the  benefit  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  remainder  is  used  for  the  purposes 
of  the  institution  as  farm  land,  gardens  or  pas- 
tm-e,  about  ninety  acres  being  occupied  by  the 
institution  buildings.  The  capacity  of  the  insti- 
tution is  about  700  inmates,  with  many  applica- 
tions constantly  on  file  for  the  admission  of 
others  for  whom  there  is  no  room. 

FEEHAN,  Patrick  A.,  D.D.,  Aichbishop  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  archdiocese  of  Chicago,  and 
Metropolitan  of  Illinois,  was  born  at  Tipperary, 
Ireland,  in  1829,  and  educated  at  Maj-nooth 
College.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1852,  settling  at  St.  Louis,  and  was  at  once 
appointed  President  of  the  Seminary  of  Caronde- 
let.  Later  he  was  made  pastor  of  the  Church  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception  at  St.  Louis,  where 
he  achieved  marked  distinction.  In  1865  he  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Nashville,  managing  the 
affairs  of  the  diocese  with  great  ability.  In  1880 
Chicago  was  raised  to  an  archiepiscopal  see,  with 
Suffragan  Bishops  at  Alton  and  Peoria,  and 
Bishop  Feehan  was  consecrated  its  first  Arch- 
bishop. His  administration  has  been  conserva- 
tive, yet  efficient,  and  the  archdiocese  has  greatly 
prospered  under  his  rule. 

FELL,  Jesse  W.,  lawyer  and  real-estate  ojiera- 
tor,  was  born  in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  about  1808; 
started  west  on  foot  in  1828,  and,  after  spending 
some  years  at  Steubenville.  Ohio,  came  to  Dela- 


164 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


van,  111.,  in  1832,  and  the  next  year  located  at 
Bloomington,  being  the  first  lawyer  in  that  new 
town.  Later  he  became  agent  for  school  lands 
and  the  State  Bank,  but  failed  financially  in 
1837,  and  returned  to  practice;  resided  several 
years  at  Payson,  Adams  County,  but  returning 
to  Bloomington  in  1855,  was  instrumental  in 
securing  the  location  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  through  that  town,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  towns  of  Clinton,  Pontiac,  Lex- 
ington and  El  Paso.  He  was  an  intimate  personal 
and  political  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  it 
was  to  him  Mr.  Lincoln  addre.ssed  his  celebrated 
personal  biographj';  in  the  campaign  of  1860  he 
served  as  Secretarj-  of  the  Republican  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  ami,  in  1862,  was  appointed  by 
Mr.  Lincoln  a  Paymaster  in  the  regular  army, 
serving  some  two  years.  Mr.  Fell  was  also  a  zeal- 
ous friend  of  the  cause  of  industrial  education, 
and  bore  an  important  part  in  securing  the 
location  of  the  State  Normal  University  at  Nor- 
mal, of  which  city  he  was  the  founder.  Died,  at 
Bloomington,  Jan.  25,  1887. 

FERGUS,  Robert,  earlj'  printer,  was  born  in 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  Augu.st  4,  1815;  learned  the 
printer's  trade  in  his  native  city,  a.s.sisting  in  his 
youth  in  putting  in  type  some  of  Walter  Scott's 
productions  and  other  works  which  now  rank 
among  English  classics.  In  1834  he  came  to 
America,  finally  locating  in  Chicago,  where, 
with  various  partners,  he  pursued  the  business  of 
a  job  printer  continuously  some  fifty  j'ears — 
being  the  veteran  printer  of  Chicago.  He  was 
killed  by  being  run  over  by  a  railroad  train  at 
Evanston,  July  23,  1897.  The  establishment  of 
which  he  vs-as  so  long  the  head  is  continued  by 
his  sons. 

FERXWOOD,  a  suburban  .station  on  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  12  south  of  ter- 
minal station ;  annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1891. 

FERRY,  Elisha  Peyre,  politician,  born  in 
Monroe,  Mich.,  August  9,  1825;  was  educated  in 
his  native  town  and  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  in  1845;  removed  to  Waukegan, 
111.,  the  following  year,  served  as  Postmaster  and, 
in  1856,  was  candidate  on  the  Republican  ticket 
for  Presidential  Elector;  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Waukegan  in  18.59,  a  member  of  the  State  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1862,  State  Bank  Com- 
missioner in  1861-63,  Assistant  Adjutant-General 
on  the  staff  of  Governor  Yates  during  the  war, 
and  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Con- 
vention of  1864.  After  the  war  he  ser*-ed  as 
direct-tax  Commissioner  for  Tennessee;  in  18C9 
was  appointed  Surveyor-General  of  Washington 


Territory  and,  in  1872  and  '70,  Territorial  Got- 
ernor.  On  the  admission  of  Washington  as  a 
State,  in  1889,  he  was  elected  the  first  Governor. 
Died,  at  Seattle,  Wash.,  Oct.  14,  1895. 

FEVRE  RIVEH.  a  small  stream  which  rises  in 
Southern  Wisconsin  and  enters  the  Mis,sissippi  in 
Jo  Daviess  County,  si.\  miles  below  Galena,  which 
stands  upon  its  banks.  It  is  navigable  for  steam- 
boats between  Galena  and  its  mouth.  The  name 
originally  given  to  it  by  early  French  explorers 
was  "Feve"  (the  French  name  for  "Bean"), 
which  has  since  been  corrupted  into  its  present 
form. 

FICKLIX,  Orlando  B.,  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  born  in  Kentucky.  Dec.  16,  1808,  and 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Mount  Carmel,  Wabash 
County,  111.,  in  March,  1830.  In  1834  he  was 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  Ninth  General 
Assembly.  After  serving  a  term  as  State's 
Attorney  for  Wabash  County,  in  1837  he  removed 
to  Charleston,  Coles  County,  where,  in  1838,  and 
again  in  "42,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  as 
he  was  for  the  last  time  in  1878.  He  was  four 
times  elected  to  Congress,  serving  from  1813  to 
'49,  and  from  1851  to  '53 ;  wa,s  Presidential  Elector 
in  1850,  and  candidate  for  the  same  position  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  for  the  State-at- large  in 
1884;  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
National  Conventions  of  1856  and  '60.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1802.     Died,  at  Charleston,  May  5,  1886. 

FIELD,  Alexander  Pope,  early  legislator  and 
Secretary  of  State,  came  to  Illinois  about  the 
time  of  its  admission  into  the  Union,  locating  in 
Union  Count}-,  which  he  represented  in  the  Third, 
Fifth  and  Sixth  General  Assemblies.  In  the 
first  of  these  he  was  a  prominent  factor  in  the 
ejection  of  Representative  Hansen  of  Pike  County 
and  the  seating  of  Shaw  in  his  place,  which 
enabled  the  advocates  of  slavery  to  secure  the 
passage  of  a  resolution  submitting  to  the  people 
the  question  of  calling  a  State  Constitutional 
Convention.  In  1828  he  was  appointed  Secretarj- 
of  State  by  Governor  Edwards,  remaining  in 
office  under  Governors  Reynolds  and  Dun- 
can and  through  half  the  term  of  Governor 
CarUn,  though  the  latter  attempted  to  secure 
his  removal  in  1838  by  the  appointment  of 
John  A.  McClernand  —  the  courts,  however, 
declaring  against  the  latter.  In  November,  1840, 
the  Governor's  act  was  made  effective  by  the 
confirmation,  by  the  Senate,  of  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las as  Secretary  in  place  of  Field.  Douglas 
held  the  office  only  to  the  following  February, 
when  he  resigned  to  take  a  place  on  the  Supreme 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


165 


bench  and  Lyman  Trumbull  was  appointed  4o 
succeed  him.  Field  (who  had  become  a  Wliig) 
was  appointed  by  President  Harrison,  in  1841, 
Secretary  of  Wisconsin  Territorj-,  later  removed 
to  St.  Louis  and  finally  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
was  at  the  beginning  of  the  late  war.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1863,  he  presented  himself  as  a  member  of 
the  Thirty-eiglith  Congress  for  Louisiana,  but 
was  refused  his  seat,  tliough  claiming  in  an  elo- 
quent speech  to  have  been  a  loyal  man.  Died,  in 
New  Orleans,  in  1877.  Mr.  Field  was  a  nephew 
of  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  for  over  thirty  years  on 
the  bench  of  the  United  States  District  Court. 

FIELD,  Eugene,  journalist,  humorist  and  poet, 
was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Sept.  2,  1850.  Left  an 
orphan  at  an  early  age,  he  was  reared  by  a  rela- 
tive at  Amherst,  Mass.,  and  received  a  portion  of 
his  literary  training  at  Monson  and  Williamstown 
in  that  State,  completing  liis  cour.se  at  the  State 
University  of  Missouri.  After  an  extended  tour 
through  Europe  in  1872-73,  he  began  his  journal- 
istic career  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  as  a  reporter  on 
"The  Evening  Journal,"  later  becoming  its  city 
editor.  During  the  next  ten  years  he  was  succes- 
sively connected  witli  newspapers  at  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  and  at  Denver,  Colo., 
at  the  last  named  city  being  managing  editor  of 
"The  Tribune."  In  1883  he  removed  to  Cliicago, 
becoming  a  special  writer  for  "The  Chicago 
News,"  liis  particular  department  for  several 
years  being  a  pungent,  witty  column  with  the 
caption,  "Sharps  and  Flats."  He  wrote  con- 
siderable prose  fiction  and  much  poetry,  among 
the  latter  being  successful  translations  of  several 
of  Horace's  Odes.  As  a  poet,  however,  lie  was 
best  known  through  his  short  poems  relating  to 
childhood  and  home,  which  strongly  appealed  to 
the  popular  heart.  Died,  in  Chicago,  deeply 
mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  admirers,  Nov.  4, 
1895. 

FIELD,  Marshall,  merchant  and  capitalist,  was 
born  in  Conway,  Mass.,  in  1835,  and  grew  upon 
a  farm,  receiving  a  common  school  and  academic 
education.  At  the  age  of  17  he  entered  upon  a 
mercantile  career  as  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  at 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  but,  in  1856,  came  to  Chicago 
and  secured  employment  with  Messrs.  Cooley, 
Wadsworth  &  Co. ;  in  1860  was  admitted  into 
partnership,  the  firm  becoming  Cooley,  Farwell 
&  Co.,  and  still  later,  Farwell,  Field  &  Co.  The 
last  named  firm  was  dissolved  and  that  of  Field, 
Palmer  &  Leiter  organized  in  1865.  Mr.  Palmer 
having  retired  in  1867,  tlie  firm  was  continued 
under  the  name  of  Field,  Leiter  &  Co.,  until  1881, 
when  Mr.  Leiter  retired,  the  concern  being  since 


known  as  Marshall  Field  &  Co.  The  growtli  of 
the  business  of  tliis  great  establisliment  is  shown 
by  the  fact  tliat,  whereas  its  sales  amounted 
before  the  fire  to  some  812.000.000  annually,  in 
1895  tliey  aggregated  840.000,000.  Mr.  Field's 
business  career  has  been  remarkable  for  its  suc- 
cess in  a  city  famous  for  its  successful  business 
men  and  the  vastness  of  their  commercial  oper- 
ations. He  has  been  a  generous  and  discrimi- 
nating patron  of  important  public  enterprises, 
some  of  his  more  conspicuous  donations  being  the 
gift  of  a  tract  of  land  valued  at  8300,000  and 
§100,000  in  cash,  to  the  Chicago  University,  and 
81,000,000  to  the  endowment  of  the  Field  Colum- 
bian Museum,  as  a  sequel  to  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition.  The  latter,  chiefly  through  the 
munificence  of  Mr.  Field,  promises  to  become  one 
of  the  leading  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the 
United  States.  Besides  his  mercantile  interests, 
Mr.  Field  has  extensive  interests  in  various  finan- 
cial and  manufacturing  enterprises,  including 
the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  and  the  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad,  in  each  of  which  he  is 
a  Director. 

FIFER,  JosepU  W.,  born  at  Stanton,  Va.,  Oct. 
28,  1840;  in  1857  he  accompanied  his  father  (who 
was  a  stone-mason)  to  McLean  County,  111.,  and 
worked  at  the  manufacture  and  laying  of  brick. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
was  dangerously  wounded  at  the  assault  on  Jack- 
son, Miss.,  in  1863.  On  the  healing  of  his  wound, 
disregarding  the  advice  of  family  and  friends,  he 
rejoined  his  regiment.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  about  25  years  of  age,  he  entered  the  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Bloomington,  where,  by  dint 
of  hard  work  and  frugality,  while  supporting 
himself  in  part  by  manual  labor,  he  secured  a 
diploma  in  1868.  He  at  once  began  the  study  of 
law,  and,  soon  after  his  admission,  entered  upon  a 
practice  which  subsequently  proved  both  success- 
ful and  lucrative.  He  was  elected  Corporation 
Counsel  of  Bloomington  in  1871  and  State's  Attor- 
ney for  McLean  County  in  1872,  holding  the  latter 
office,  through  re-election,  until  1880,  when  he 
was  chosen  State  Senator,  serving  in  the  Thirty- 
second  and  Thirty-third  General  Assemblies.  In 
1888  he  was  nominated  and  elected  Governor  on 
the  Republican  ticket,  but,  in  1892,  was  defeated 
by  John  P.  Altgeld,  the  Democratic  nominee, 
though  running  in  advance  of  the  national  and 
the  rest  of  the  State  ticket. 

FINERTY,  John  F.,  ex-Congressman  and 
journalist,  was  born  in  Gahvay,  Ireland,  Sept. 
10,   1846.     His  studies  were    mainly  prosecuted 


166 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP    ILLINOIS. 


under  private  tutors.  At  the  age  of  16  he  entered 
the  profession  of  journalism,  and,  in  1864,  coming 
to  America,  .soon  after  enlisted,  serving  for  100 
days  during  the  Civil  War,  in  the  Ninetj-ninth 
New  York  Volunteers.  Subsequently,  liaving 
removed  to  Chicago,  he  was  connected  with  "The 
Chicago  Times"  as  a  special  correspondent  from 
1876  to  1881,  and,  in  1882,  established  "The  Citi- 
zen," a  %veekly  newspaper  devoted  to  the  Irish- 
American  interest,  which  he  continues  to  pub- 
lish. In  1883  he  was  elected,  as  an  Independ- 
ent Democrat,  to  represent  the  Second  Illinois 
District  in  the  Forty-eighth  Congress,  but,  run- 
ning as  an  Independent  Republican  for  re-election 
in  1884,  was  defeated  by  Frank  Lawler,  Democrat. 
In  1887  he  was  appointed  Oil  Inspector  of  Chi- 
cago, and,  since  1889,  has  held  no  public  office, 
giving  his  attention  to  editorial  work  on  his 
paper. 

FISHER,  (Dr.)  Georg'e,  pioneer  physician  and 
legislator,  was  probably  a  native  of  Virginia, 
.  from  which  State  he  appears  to  have  come  to 
Kaskaskia  previous  to  1800.  He  became  very 
prominent  during  the  Territorial  period;  was 
appointed  by  William  Henry  Harrison,  tlien 
Governor  of  Indiana  Territory,  the  first  Sheriff  of 
Randolph  County  after  its  organization  in  1801 ; 
was  elected  from  that  county  to  the  Indiana 
Territorial  House  of  Representatives  in  180.5,  and 
afterwards  promoted  to  the  Territorial  Council ; 
was  also  Representative  in  the  First  and  Third 
Legislatures  of  Illinois  Territory  (1812  and  "16), 
serving  as  Speaker  of  each.  He  was  a  Dele- 
gate to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1818,  but 
died  on  his  farm  near  Kaskaskia  in  1820.  Dr. 
Fisher  participated  in  the  organization  of  the 
first  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  in  Illi- 
nois at  Kaskaskia,  in  1806,  and  was  elected  one 
of  its  officers. 

FISHERIES.  The  fisheries  of  Illinois  center 
chiefly  at  Chicago,  the  catch  being  taken  from 
Lake  Michigan,  and  including  salmon  trout, 
white  fish  (the  latter  species  including  a  lake 
herring),  wall-ej'ed  pike,  three  kinds  of  bass, 
three  varieties  of  sucker,  carp  and  sturgeon.  The 
"fishing  fleet"  of  Lake  Michigan,  properly  so 
called,  (according  to  the  census  of  1890)  con- 
sisted of  forty-seven  steamers  and  one  schooner, 
of  which  only  one — a  steamer  of  twenty-six  tons 
burthen — was  credited  to  Illinois.  The  same 
report  showed  a  capital  of  $36,105  invested  in 
land,  buildings,  wharves,  vessels,  boats  and 
apparatus.  In  addition  to  the  "fishing  fleet"' 
mentioned,  nearly  1,100  sail-boats  and  other  vari- 
eties of   craft   ai'e   employed   in   the    industry. 


sailing  from  ports  between  Chicago  and  Macki 
nac,  of  wliicli,  in  1890,  Illinois  furnislied  94.  or 
abt)ut  nine  per  cent.  All  sorts  of  api)aratus  aie 
u.sed,  but  the  principal  are  gill,  fyke  and  pound 
nets,  and  seines.  The  total  value  of  these  minor 
Illinois  craft,  with  their  equipment,  for  1890,  was 
nearly  §18,000,  the  catch  aggregating  722.830 
pounds,  valued  at  between  §24.000  and  §2.5,000. 
Of  this  draught,  the  entire  quantity  was  either 
sold  fresli  in  Chicago  and  adjacent  market.s,  or 
sliipped,  cither  in  ice  or  frozen.  The  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries  yield  wall  eyed  pike,  pike 
perch,  buffalo  fish,  sturgeon,  paddle  fish,  and 
other  species  available  for  food. 

FITHIAX,  George  W.,  ex -Congressman,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Willow  Hill,  HI,  July  4,  1854. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
scIkxjIs,  and  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  printer  at 
Mount  Carmel.  While  employed  at  the  case  he 
found  time  to  study  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1875.  In  1876  he  was  elected  State's 
Attorney  for  Jasper  County,  and  re-elected  in 
1880.  He  was  prominent  in  Democratic  politics, 
and,  in  1888,  was  elected  on  tlie  ticket  of  tliat 
party  to  represent  the  Sixteenth  Illinois  District 
in  Congress.  He  was  re-elected  in  1890  and 
again  in  1892,  but,  in  1894,  was  defeated  by  his 
Republican  opponent. 

FITHIAN,  (Dr.)  William,  pioneer  physician, 
was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Oliio,  in  1800;  built  the 
first  houses  in  Springfield  and  Urbana  in  that 
State;  in  1822  began  the  study  of  medicine  at 
Urbana;  later  practiced  two  years  at  Meclianics- 
burgh,  and  four  years  at  Urbana,  as  partner  of 
his  preceptor;  in  1830  came  west,  locating  at 
Danville,  Vermilion  Count}',  where  he  became  a 
large  land-owner;  in  1832  sen-ed  with  the  Ver- 
milion County  militia  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
and,  in  1834,  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
Ninth  General  Assembly,  the  first  of  which 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  member;  afterwards 
served  two  terms  in  the  State  Senate  from  the 
Danville  District  (1838-46).  Dr.  Fithian  was 
active  in  promoting  the  railroad  interests  of 
Danville,  giving  the  right  of  way  for  railroad 
purposes  througli  a  large  body  of  land  belonging 
to  him,  in  Vermilion  Count}'.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  various  medical  associations,  and, 
during  his  later  years,  was  the  oldest  practicing 
physician  in  the  State.  Died,  in  Danville,  111., 
April  5,  1890. 

FLAGG,  Gershom,  pioneer,  was  bom  in  Ricli- 
mond,  Vt.,  in  1792,  came  west  In  1816,  settling  in 
Madison  County,  lU.,  in  1818,  where  he  was 
known  as  an  enterprising  farmer  and  a  promineat 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


16< 


and  influential  citizen.  Originally  a  Whig,  he 
became  a  zealous  Republican  on  the  organization 
of  that  party,  dying  in  18")7. — TVillard  Cutting 
(Flagg),  sou.  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Madi- 
son County,  111. ,  Sept  16,  1829,  spent  his  early  life 
on  his  father's  farm  and  in  the  common  schools; 
from  1844  to  '50  was  a  pupil  in  tlie  celebrated 
high  school  of  Edward  Wyman  in  St.  Louis, 
finally  graduating  with  honors  at  Yale  College, 
in  18.J4.  During  his  college  cour.se  he  took  a 
number  of  literary  prizes,  and,  in  his  senior  year, 
served  as  one  of  the  editors  f>f  "The  Yale  Literary 
Magazine."  Returning  to  Illinois  after  gradu- 
ation, he  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm,  engaged 
extensively  in  fruit-culture  and  stock-raising, 
being  the  first  to  introduce  the  Devon  breed  of 
cattle  in  Madison  County  in  1859.  He  was  a 
member  of  tlie  Republican  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1860;  in  1862,  by  appointment  of  Gov. 
Yates,  became  Enrolling  Officer  for  Madison 
County ;  served  as  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue 
for  the  Twelfth  District,  1864-69,  and,  in  1868, 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  a  term  of  four 
years,  and,  during  tlie  last  session  of  his  term 
(1873),  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  revision  of 
the  school  law ;  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
first  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Industrial  Univer- 
sity (now  the  University  of  Illinois)  at  Cham- 
paign, and  reappointed  in  1875.  Mr.  Flagg  was 
also  prominent  in  agricultural  and  horticultural 
organizations,  serving  as  Secretary  of  tlie  State 
Horticultural  Society  from  1861  to  '69,  when  he 
became  its  President.  He  was  one  of  the  origi- 
nators of  the  "farmers'  movement,"  served  for 
some  time  as  President  of  "The  State  Farmers' 
Association,"  wrote  voluminously,  and  delivered 
addresses  in  various  States  on  agricultural  and 
horticultural  topics,  and,  in  1875,  was  elected 
President  of  the  National  Agricultural  Congress. 
In  his  later  years  he  was  a  recognized  leader  in 
the  Granger  movement.  Died,  at  Mora,  MadLson 
County,  111.,  April  5,  1878. 

FLEMINCJ,  Robert  K.,  pioneer  printer,  was 
born  in  Erie  County,  Pa.,  learned  the  printers' 
trade  in  Pittsburg,  and,  coming  west  while  quite 
young,  worked  at  his  trade  in  St.  Louis,  finally 
removing  to  Kaskaskia,  where  he  was  placed  in 
control  of  the  office  of  "The  Republican  Advo- 
cate," wliich  had  been  established  in  1823,  by 
Elias  Kent  Kane.  The  publication  of  "The 
Advocate"  having  been  suspended,  he  revived  it 
in  May,  1835,  under  the  name  of  "The  Kaskaskia 
Recorder,"  but  soon  removed  it  to  Vandalia  (then 
the  State  capital),  and,  in  1837,  began  the  publi- 
cation of  "Tlie  Illinois  Corrector,"  at  Edwards- 


ville.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Kaskaskia 
and  resumed  the  publication  of  "Tlie  Recorder," 
but,  in  1833,  was  induced  to  remove  his  oflice  to 
Belleville,  where  he  commenced  the  publication 
of  "The  St.  Clair  Gazette,"  followed  by  "The  St. 
Clair  Mercury,"  both  of  wliich  liad  a  brief  exist- 
ence. About  1843  he  returned  to  the  newspaper 
business  as  publisher  of  "The  Belleville  Advo 
cate,"  which  he  continued  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  died,  at  Belleville,  in  1874,  leaving  two  sons 
who  have  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
history  of  journalism  in  Southern  Illinois,  at 
Belleville  and  elsewhere. 

FLETCHER,  Jol)i  pioneer  and  early  legislator, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1793,  removed  to  Sanga- 
mon County,  III,  in  1819;  was  elected  Represent- 
ative in  1836,  and,  in  1884,  to  the  State  Senate, 
serving  in  the  latter  body  six  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  famous  "Long  Nine"  which  repre.sented 
Sangamon  County  in  tlie  Tenth  General  Assem- 
bly. Mr.  Fletcher  was  again  a  member  of  the 
House  in  1844-45.  Died,  in  Sangamon  Count)', 
in  1872. 

FLORA,  a  city  in  Harter  Township,  Clay 
County,  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern 
Railroad,  95  miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  and  108  miles 
south-southeast  of  Springfield ;  has  barrel  factory, 
flouring  mills,  cold  storage  and  ice  plant,  three 
fruit-working  factories,  two  banks,  six  churches 
and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1890), 
1,695;  (1900),  2  311  :  (1903,  est),  3,000. 

FLOWER,  George,  early  English  colonist,  was 
born  in  Hertfordshire,  England,  about  1780; 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1817,  and  was  associ- 
ated witli  Morris  Birkbeck  in  founding  the 
"English  .Settlement''  at  Albion,  Edwards 
County,  111.  Being  in  affluent  circumstances,  he 
built  an  elegant  mansion  and  stocked  an  exten- 
sive farm  witli  blooded  animals  from  England 
and  other  parts  of  Europe,  bui,  met  with  reverses 
which  dissipated  his  wealth.  In  common  with 
Mr.  Birkbeck,  he  was  one  of  the  determined 
opponents  of  the  attempt  to  establish  slavery  in 
Illinois  in  1834,  and  did  much  to  defeat  that 
measure.  He  and  his  wife  died  on  the  same  day 
(Jan.  15,  1862),  while  on  a  visit  to  a  daughter  at 
Grayville,  111.  A  book  written  by  him — "History 
of  the  Englisli  Settlement  in  Ed«-ards  County, 
111." — and  published  in  1882,  is  a  valuable  contri- 
bution to  the  early  history  of  that  portion  of  the 
State.— Edward  Fordliams  (Flower),  son  of  the 
preceding,  was  born  in  England,  Jan.  31,  1805, 
but  came  with  his  father  to  Illinois  in  early  life; 
later  he  returned  to  England  and  spent  nearly 
half  a  century  at  Stratford-on-Avon,  where  he 


168 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


was  four  times  chosen  Mayor  of  that  borough 
and  entertained  many  visitors  from  the  United 
States  to  Shakespeare's  birthplace.  Died.  March 
26,  1883. 

FOBES,  Phllena,  educator,  born  in  Onondaga 
County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  10,  1811;  was  educated  at 
Albany  and  at  Cortland  Seminary,  Rochester, 
N.  Y. ;  in  1838  became  a  teacher  in  Monticello 
Female  Seminary,  then  newly  established  at 
Godfrey.  111.,  under  Rev.  Theron  Baldwin,  Prin- 
cipal. On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Baldwin  in  1843, 
Miss  Fobes  succeeded  to  the  principalship, 
remaining  until  18G6,  when  she  retired.  For 
some  years  she  resided  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  but,  in  1886,  she  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  where  she  afterwards  made  her 
home,  notwithstanding  her  advanced  age,  main- 
taining a  lively  interest  in  educational  and 
benevolent  enterprises.  Miss  Fobes  died  at  Phila- 
delphia, Nov.  8,  1898,  and  was  buried  at  New 
Haven,  Conn. 

FOLEY,  Thomas,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  l>orn 
in  Baltimore.  Mil.,  in  1823;  was  ordained  a  priest 
in  1846,  and,  two  years  later,  w;i,s  appointed  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Diocese,  being  made  Vicar-General 
in  1867.  He  was  nominated  Coadjutor  Bishop  of 
the  Chicago  Diocese  in  1869  (Bishop  Duggan  hav- 
ing become  insane),  and,  in  1870,  was  consecrated 
Bishop.  His  administration  of  diocesan  work  was 
prudent  and  eminently  successful.  As  a  man 
and  citizen  he  won  the  respect  of  all  creeds  and 
classes  alike,  the  State  Legislature  adopting 
resolutions  of  respect  and  regret  upon  learning 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Baltimore,  in 
1879. 

FORBES,  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  pioneer 
teacher,  was  born  at  Windham,  Vt. ,  July  26,  1797 ; 
in  his  youth  acquired  a  knowledge  of  survej-ing, 
and,  having  removed  to  Newburg  (now  South 
Cleveland),  Ohio,  began  teacliing.  In  1829  he 
came  west  to  Chicago,  and  having  joined  a  sur- 
veying party,  went  to  Louisiana,  returning  in 
the  following  j-ear  to  Chicago,  which  then  con- 
tained onl)-  three  white  families  outside  of  Fort 
Dearborn.  Having  been  joined  by  liis  wife,  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  what  was  called  the  "sut- 
ler's house"  connected  with  Fort  Dearborn;  was 
appointed  one  of  the  first  Justices  of  the  Peace, 
and  opened  the  first  school  ever  taught  in  Chi- 
cago, all  but  three  of  his  pupils  being  either 
half  breeds  or  Indians.  In  1832  he  was  elected,  as 
a  Whig,  the  first  Sheriff  of  Cook  County ;  later 
preempted  160  acres  of  land  where  Riverside 
now  stands,  subsequently  becoming  owner  of 
some  1,800  acres,  much  of  which  he  sold,  about 


1853,  to  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan  at  $20  per  acre.  In 
1849,  having  been  seized  with  the  "gold  fever," 
Mr.  Forbes  joined  in  the  overland  migration  to 
California,  but,  not  being  successful,  returned 
two  years  later  bj'  way  of  the  Isthmus,  and,  hav- 
ing sold  his  possessions  in  Cook  County,  took  up 
his  abode  at  Newburg,  Ohio,  and  resumed  his 
occupation  as  a  surveyor.  About  1878  he  again 
returned  to  Chicago,  but  survived  only  a  short 
time,  dying  Feb.  17,  1879. 

FORI),  Thomas,  early  lawyer,  jurist  and  Gov- 
ernor, w;is  born  in  Uniontown,  Pa.,  and,  in  boy- 
hood, accompanied  his  mother  (then  a  widow)  to 
Mis-souri,  in  1804.  The  family  soon  after  located 
in  Monroe  County,  111.  Largely  through  the 
efforts  and  aid  of  Ids  half-brother,  George 
Forquer,  he  obtained  a  professional  education, 
became  a  successful  lawyer,  and,  early  in  life, 
entered  the  field  of  politics.  He  served  as  a 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  northern  part 
of  the  State  from  1833  to  1837,  and  was  again 
commissioned  a  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Galena 
circuit  in  1839;  in  1841  was  elevated  to  the  bench 
of  the  State  Supreme  Court,  but  resigned  the 
following  year  to  accept  the  nomination  of  hLs 
part}-  (the  Democratic)  for  Governor.  Ue  was 
regarded  as  upright  in  his  general  policj',  but  he 
had  a  number  of  embarrassing  questions  to  deal 
with  during  his  a<lministration,  one  of  these 
being  the  Mormon  troubles,  in  which  he  failed  to 
receive  the  support  of  his  own  partj-.  He  was 
author  of  a  valuable  'History  of  Illinois,"  (pub- 
lished ix)sthumously).  He  died,  at  Peoria,  in 
greatlj'  reduced  circumstances,  Nov.  3,  1800.  The 
State  Legislature  of  1895  took  steps  to  erect  a 
monument  over  his  grave. 

FORD  COUNTY,  lies  northeast  of  Springfield, 
was  organized  In  1859,  being  cut  off  from  Vermil- 
ion. It  is  shajjed  like  an  inverted  "T,"  and  lias 
an  area  of  490  square  miles;  population  (1900), 
18,359.  The  first  County  Judge  was  David  Pat- 
ton,  and  David  Davis  (afterwards  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court)  presided  over  the  first 
Circuit  Court.  The  surface  of  the  county  is  level 
and  the  soil  fertile,  consisting  of  a  loam  from  one 
to  five  feet  in  depth.  There  is  little  timber,  nor 
is  there  any  outcropping  of  stone.  The  county 
is  named  in  honor  of  (Jovemor  Ford.  The  county- 
seat  is  Paxton,  which  had  a  population,  in  1890,  of 
2,187.  Gibson  City  is  a  railroad  center,  and  has  a 
population  of  1,800. 

FORMAX,  (Col.)  Ferris,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
was  bom  in  Tioga  County.  N.  Y.,  August  25, 
1811 ;  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1832,  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York  in 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


169 


1835,  and  in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in 
1836;  the  latter  year  came  west  and  settled  at 
Vandalia,  111.,  where  he  began  practice;  in  1844 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  the  district 
composed  of  Fayette,  Effingham,  Clay  and  Rich- 
land Counties,  serving    two    years;    before   the 
expiration  of    his  term   (1846)  enlisted    for  the 
Mexican  War,  and  was  commissioned  Colonel  of 
the   Third    Regiment   Illinois   Volunteers,    and, 
after    participating    in  a    number  of    tlie  most 
important    engagements  of    the  campaign,  was 
mustered  out  at  New  Orleans,  in  May,  1847.     Re- 
turning from  the  Mexican  War,  he  brought  witli 
him  and    presented   to   the   State   of   Illinois   a 
six-pound  cannon,  which  had  been  captured  by 
Illinois  troops  on  the  battlefield  of  Cerro  Gordo, 
and  is  now  in  the  State  Arsenal  at  Springfield. 
In  1848  Colonel  Forman  was  cho.sen  Presidential 
Elector  for  the  State-at-large  on  the  Democratic 
ticket ;  in  1849  went  to  California,  where  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  until  1853,  meanwhile  serving 
as  Postmaster  of  Sacramento  City  by  appointment 
of  President  Pierce,   and   later    as  Secretary  of 
State  during  the  administration  of  Gov.  John  B. 
Weller  (1858-60);  in  1861  officiated,  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  California  Legislature,  as  Commis- 
.sioner  on  the    part  of    the    State    in  fixing  the 
boundary  between  California  and  the  Territory 
of  Utah.     After  the  discharge  of  this  duty,  he 
was  offered  the  colonelcy  of  the  Fourth  California 
Volunteer  Infantry,  which  he  accepted,  serving 
about   twenty   months,   when    he    resigned.     In 
1866  he  resumed  his  residence  at  Vandalia,  and 
served  as  a  Delegate  for  Fayette  and  Effingham 
Counties   in   the   Constitutional    Convention    of 
1869-70,  also  for  several  years  thereafter  held  the 
office  of  State's   Attorney  for   Fayette    County. 
Later    he    returned   to    California,  and,  at    the 
latest  date,  was  a  resident   of  Stockton,  in  that 
State. 

FORMAN,  William  S.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Natchez,  Miss. ,  Jan.  20,  1847.  When  he 
was  four  years  old,  his  father's  family  removed  to 
Illinois,  settling  in  Washington  County,  where 
he  has  lived  ever  since.  By  profession  he  is  a 
lawyer,  and  he  takes  a  deep  interest  in  politics, 
local.  State  and  National.  He  represented  his 
Senatorial  District  in  the  State  Senate  in  the 
Thirty-fourth  and  Thirty-fifth  General  Assem- 
blies, and.  in  1888,  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to 
represent  the  Eighteenth  Illinois  District  in  the 
Fifty-first  Congress,  being  re-elected  in  1890,  and 
again  in  '92,  but  was  defeated  in  1894  for  renomi- 
nation  by  John  J.  Higgins,  who  was  defeated  at 
the  election  of  the  same  year  by  Everett  J.  Mur- 


phy. In  1896  Mr.  Forman  was  candidate  of  the 
"Gold  Democracy"  for  Governor  of  Illinois, 
receiving  8,100  votes. 

FOR(JUER,  (ieorge,  early  State  officer,  was 
born  near  Brownsville,  Pa.,  in  1794 — was  the  son 
of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  older  half-brother 
of  Gov.  Thomas  Ford.  He  settled,  with  his 
mother  (then  a  widow),  at  New  Design,  111.,  in 
1804.  After  learning,  and,  for  several  years, 
following  the  carpenter's  trade  at  St.  Louis,  he 
returned  to  Illinois  and  purchased  the  tract 
whereon  Waterloo  now  stands.  Subsequently  he 
projected  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi. For  a  time  he  was  a  partner  in  trade  of 
Daniel  P.  Cook.  Being  unsuccessful  in  business, 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law,  in  whicli  he  attained 
marked  succe.ss.  In  1824  he  was  elected  to  repre- 
sent Monroe  County  in  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, but  resigned  in  January  of  the  following 
year  to  accept  the  position  of  Secretary  of  .State, 
to  which  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Coles, 
as  successor  to  Morris  Birkbeck,  whom  tlie 
Senate  had  refused  to  confirm.  One  ground  for 
the  friendship  between  him  and  Coles,  no  doubt, 
was  the  fact  that  tliey  had  been  united  in  their 
opposition  to  the  scheme  to  make  Illinois  a  slave 
State.  In  1828  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress, 
but  was  defeated  by  Joseph  Duncan,  afterwards 
Governor.  At  the  close  of  the  year  he  resigned 
the  office  of  Secretary  of  State,  but,  a  few  weeks 
later  (January,  1829),  he  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature  Attorney -General.  This  position  he 
held  until  January,  1833,  when  he  resigned,  hav- 
ing, as  it  appears,  at  the  previous  election,  been 
chosen  State  Senator  from  Sangamon  County, 
serving  in  the  Eightli  and  Ninth  General  Assem- 
blies. Before  the  close  of  his  term  as  Senator 
(1835),  he  received  the  appointment  of  Register 
of  the  Land  Office  at  Springfield,  which  appears 
to  have  been  the  last  office  held  by  him,  as  he 
died,  at  Cincinnati,  in  1837.  Mr.  Forquer  was  a 
man  of  recognized  ability  and  influence,  an  elo- 
quent orator  and  capable  writer,  but,  in  common 
with  some  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  tliat  time, 
seems  to  have  been  much  embarrassed  by  the 
smallness  of  his  income,  in  spite  of  his  ability 
and  the  fact  that  he  was  almost  continually  in 
office. 

FORREST,  a  village  in  Livingston  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western 
and  the  Wabash  Railways,  75  miles  east  of  Peoria 
and  16  miles  southeast  of  Pontiac.  Considerable 
grain  is  shipped  from  this  point  to  the  Chicago 
market.  The  village  has  .several  churches  and  a 
gradedschool.  Population  (1880),  375;  (1900).  953. 


170 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


FORREST,  Joseph  K.  C,  journalist,  was  born 
iu  Cork,  Ireland,  Nov.  2G,  1820;  caiue  to  Chicago 
in  1840,  soon  after  securing  employment  as  a 
writer  on  "The  Evening  Journal,"'  and,  later  on, 
"The  Gem  of  the  Prairies,"  the  i)redecessor  of 
"The  Tribune,"  being  associated  with  the  latter 
at  the  date  of  its  establishment,  in  June,  1847. 
During  the  early  years  of  his  residence  in  Chi- 
cago, Mr.  Forrest  spent  some  time  as  a  teacher. 
On  retiring  from  "The  Tribune,"  he  became  the 
associate  of  John  Wentworth  in  the  management 
of  "The  Chicago  Democrat,"  a  relation  which 
was  broken  up  by  the  consolidation  of  the  latter 
with  "The  Tribune,"  in  1861.  He  then  liecame 
the  Springfield  correspondent  of  "The  Trilnme," 
also  holding  a  position  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Yates,  and  still  later  represented  "The  St.  Louis 
Democrat"  and  "Chicago  Times,"  as  Washington 
correspondent;  assisted  iu  founding  "The  Chicago 
Republican"  (now  "Inter  Ocean"),  in  1805,  and, 
some  years  later,  became  a  leading  writer  upon 
the  same.  He  served  one  term  as  Clerk  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  but,  in  his  later  years,  and  up  to 
the  period  of  his  death,  was  a  leading  contributor 
to  the  columns  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  News" 
over  the  signatures  of  "An  Old  Timer"  and  "Now 
or  Never."     Died,  in  Chicago,  June  23,  1896. 

FORKESTON,  a  village  in  Ogle  County,  the 
tenniiui.s  of  the  Chicago  and  Iowa  branch  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  A  Quincj'  Railroad,  and 
point  of  intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railways;  107 
miles  west  by  north  from  Chicago,  and  12  miles 
south  of  Freeport ;  founded  in  18.")4,  incorporated 
by  special  charter  in  1868,  and,  under  the  general 
law,  in  1888.  Fanning  and  sto<'k-rHising  are  the 
principal  industries.  The  village  has  a  bank, 
water-works,  electric  light  plant,  creamery,  vil- 
lage hall,  seven  cliurches,  a  graded  school,  and  a 
newspaper.    Population  (1890),  1.118;  (1900),  1,047. 

FORSYTHE,  Albert  P.,  ex  Congressman,  was 
born  at  New  Richmond,  Ohio,  May  24,  1830; 
received  his  early  education  iu  the  common 
schools,  and  at  Asbury  University.  He  was 
reared  upon  a  farm  and  followed  farming  as  his 
life-work.  During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he 
served  in  the  Union  armj-  as  Lieutenant.  In 
politics  he  early  became  an  ardent  Nationalist, 
and  was  chosen  President  of  the  Illinois  State 
Grange  of  the  Patrons  of  Industry,  in  December, 
187.5,  and  again  in  January,  1878.  In  1878  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  as  a  Nationalist,  but,  in  1880, 
though  receiving  the  nominations  of  the  com- 
bined Republican  and  Greenback  parties,  was 
defeated  by  Samuel  W.  Jloulton,  Democrat. 


FORT,  (Jreenbury  L.,  soldier  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Ohio,  Oct.  17,  1825,  and,  in  1834, 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois.  In  1850  he 
wa-s  elected  Sheriff  of  Putnam  County;  in  18,52, 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and,  having  mean- 
while been  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Lacon,  became 
County  Judge  in  1857,  serving  until  18{>1.  In 
April  of  the  latter  year  he  enlisted  under  the  first 
call  for  troops,  by  re-enlistments  serving  till 
March  24,  1866.  Beginning  as  Quartermaster  of 
his  regiment,  he  served  as  Chief  Quartermaster  of 
the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  on  the  "March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of 
Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General.  On  his 
return  from  the  field,  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  serving  in  the  Twenty-fifth  and  Twenty- 
sixth  (ieueral  .Vssemblies,  and,  from  1873  to  1881, 
as  Representative  in  Congress.  He  died,  at 
Lacon,  June  13.  18.s:i. 

FORT  CHARTRES,  a  strong  fortification 
erected  by  the  French  iu  1718,  on  the  American 
Bottom,  16  miles  northwest  from  Kaskaskia. 
The  soil  on  which  it  stood  was  alluvial,  and  the 
limestone  of  which  its  walls  were  built  was 
([uarried  from  an  adjacent  bluff.  In  form  it  was 
an  irregular  iiuadningle,  surrounded  on  three 
sides  by  a  wall  two  feet  two  inches  thick,  and  on 
the  fourth  by  a  ravine,  which,  during  the  spring- 
time, was  full  of  water.  During  the  jteriod  of 
French  ascendency  in  Illinois,  Fort  Chartres  was 
the  seat  of  government.  .Vbout  four  miles  east 
soon  sprang  up  the  village  of  Prairie  du  Rocher 
(or  Rock  Prairie).  {See  I^airie  du  Rocher.)  .Vt 
the  outbreak  of  the  French  and  Indian  War 
(1756),  the  original  fortification  was  repaired  and 
virtually  rebuilt.  Its  cost  at  that  time  is  esti 
mated  to  have  amounted  to  1,000,000  French 
crowns,  .\fter  the  occupation  of  Illinois  by  the 
British,  Fort  Chartres  still  remained  the  seat  of 
government  until  1772,  when  one  side  of  the 
fortification  was  washed  awaj'  by  a  freshet,  and 
headquarters  were  transferred  to  Kaskaskia 
The  first  common  law  court  ever  held  in  the  5Iis- 
slssippi  Valley  was  established  here,  in  1768,  by 
the  order  of  Colonel  Wilkins  of  the  English 
army.  The  ruins  of  the  old  fort,  situated  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  Rindolph  Count}',  once  con 
stituted  an  object  of  no  little  interest  to  anti- 
quarians, but  the  site  h;is  disappeared  during  the 
past  generation  by  the  encroachments  of  the 
Missis-sippi. 

FORT  DEARBORN,  the    name  of    a    United 

■  States  military  post,  established  at  the  mouth  of 

the  Chicago  River  in  1803  or  1804,  on  a  tract  of 

land  six  miles  square  conveyed  by  the  Indians  in 


^rf^^lg:  lit  i- IT 


-iSS?afe^^)iijgje;ai_ 


EARLY   HISTORIC   SCENES.   CIIICA(;0. 


EAUI.Y  IIISTOPIC  SCENES.  CHICAGO. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


171 


the  treaty  of  Greenville,  coiioluded  by  General 
Wayne  in  1795.  It  originally  consisted  of  two 
block  houses  located  at  opposite  angles  {north- 
west and  southeast)  of  a  strong  wooden  stockade, 
with  the  Commandant's  quarters  on  the  east  side 
of  the  quadrangle,  soldiers'  barracks  on  the  south, 
officers'  barracks  on  the  west,  and  magazine, 
contractor's  (sutler's)  store  and  general  store 
house  on  the  north — all  the  buildings  being  con- 
structed of  logs,  and  all,  except  the  block-houses, 
being  entirely  within  the  enclosure.  Its  arma- 
ment consisted  of  three  light  pieces  of  artillery. 
Its  builder  and  first  commander  was  Capt.  John 
Whistler,  a  native  of  Ireland  who  had  siu'rendered 
with  Burgoyne,  at  Saratoga,,  N.  Y.,  and  who 
subsequently  became  an  American  citizen,  and 
served  with  distinction  througli*ut  the  War  of 
1812.  He  was  succeeded,  in  1810,  by  Capt. 
Nathan  Heald.  As  early  as  1806  the  Indians 
around  the  fort  manifested  signs  of  disquietude, 
Tecumseh,  a  few  years  later,  heading  an  open 
armed  revolt.  In  1810  a  council  of  Pottawato- 
mies,  Ottawas  and  Chippewas  was  held  at  St. 
Joseph,  Mich.,  at  which  it  was  decided  not  to 
join  the  confederacy  proposed  by  Chief  Tecumseh. 
In  1811  hostilities  were  precipitated  by  an  attack 
upon  the  United  States  troops  under  Gen. 
William  Henry  Harrison  at  Tippecanoe.  In 
April,  1812,  hostile  bands  of  Winnebagos  appeared 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Dearborn,  terrifying  the 
settlers  by  their  atrocities.  Many  of  the  whites 
sought  refuge  within  the  stockade.  Within  two 
months  after  the  declaration  of  war  against 
England,  in  1812,  orders  were  issued  for  the 
evacuation  of  Fort  Dearborn  and  the  transfer  of 
the  garrison  to  Detroit.  The  garrison  at  that 
t'me  numbered  about  70,  including  officers,  a 
large  number  of  the  troops  being  ill.  Almcst 
simultaneously  with  the  order  for  evacuation 
appeared  bands  of  Indians  clamoring  for  a  dis- 
tribution of  the  goods,  to  which  they  claimed 
they  were  entitled  under  treaty  stipulations. 
Knowing  that  he  had  but  about  forty  men  able 
to  fight  and  that  his  march  would  be  sadly 
hindered  by  the  care  of  about  a  dozen  women  and 
twenty  children,  the  commandant  hesitated. 
The  Pottawatomies,  through  whose  country  he 
would  have  to  pass,  had  always  been  friendly,  and 
he  waited.  Within  six  days  a  force  of  500  or  600 
savage  warriors  had  assembled  around  the  fort. 
Among  the  leaders  were  the  Pottawatomie  chiefs. 
Black  Partridge,  Winnemeg  and  Topenebe.  Of 
these,  Winnemeg  was  friendly.  It  was  he  who 
had  brought  General  Hull's  orders  to  evacuate, 
and,  as  the  crisis  grew  more  and  more  dangerous. 


he  offered  sound  advice.  He  urged  instantaneous 
departure  before  the  Indians  had  time  to  agree 
upon  a  line  of  action.  But  Captain  Heald 
decided  to  distribute  the  stores  among  the  sav- 
ages, and  thereby  secure  from  them  a  friendly 
escort  to  Fort  Wayne.  To  this  the  aborigines 
readily  assented,  believing  that  thereby  all  the 
whisky  and  ammunition  which  they  knew  to  be 
within  the  enclosure,  would  fall  into  their  hands. 
Meanwhile  Capt.  William  Wells,  Indian  Agent  at 
Fort  Wayne,  had  arrived  at  Fort  Dearborn  with 
a  friendly  force  of  Miamis  to  act  as  an  escort. 
He  convinced  Captain  Heald  that  it  would  be  the 
height  of  folly  to  give  the  Indians  liquor  and  gun- 
powder. Accordingly  the  commandant  emptied 
the  former  into  the  lake  and  destroyed  the  latter. 
This  was  the  signal  for  war.  Black  Partridge 
claimed  he  could  no  longer  restrain  his  young 
braves,  and  at  a  council  of  the  aVjorigines  it  was 
resolved  to  massacre  the  garrison  and  settlers. 
On  the  fifteenth  of  August  the  gates  of  the  fort 
were  opened  and  the  evacuation  began.  A  band 
of  Pottawatomies  accompanied  the  whites  under 
the  guise  of  a  friendly  escort.  They  soon  deserted 
and,  within  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  fort, 
began  the  sickening  scene  of  carnage  known  as 
the  "Fort  Dearborn  Massacre."  Nearly  500 
Indians  participated,  their  loss  being  less  than 
twenty.  The  Miami  escort  fled  at  the  first 
exchange  of  shots.  With  but  four  exceptions 
the  wounded  white  prisoners  were  dispatched 
with  savage  ferocity  and  promptitude.  Those 
not  wounded  were  scattered  among  various  tribes. 
The  next  day  the  fort  with  its  stockade  was 
burned.  In  1816  (after  the  treaty  of  St.  Louis) 
the  fort  was  rebuilt  upon  a  more  elaborate  scale. 
The  second  Fort  Dearborn  contained,  besides  bar- 
racks and  officers'  quarters,  a  magazine  and 
provision-store,  was  enclosed  by  a  square  stock- 
ade, and  protected  by  bastions  at  two  of  its 
angles.  It  was  again  evacuated  in  1839  and 
re-garrisoned  in  1838.  The  troops  vrere  once 
more  withdrawn  in  1831,  to  return  the  following 
year  during  the  Black  Hawk  War.  The  final 
evacuation  occurred  in  1836. 

FORT  (ttAGE,  situated  on  the  eastern  bluffs  of 
the  Kaskaskia  River,  opposite  the  village  of  Kas- 
kaskia.  It  was  erected  and  occupied  by  the 
British  in  1772.  It  was  built  of  heavy,  square 
timbers  and  oblong  in  shape,  its  dimensions  being 
290x251  feet.  On  the  night  of  July  4,  1778,  it  was 
captured  by  a  detachment  of  American  troops 
commanded  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  whc 
held  a  commission  from  Virginia.  The  soldiers, 
with  Simon  Kenton  at  their  head,  were  secretly 


172 


HISTORICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


admitted  to  the  fort  by  a  Pennsylvanian  who 
happened  to  be  within,  and  the  commandant, 
Eocheblave,  was  surprised  in  bed,  while  sleeping 
with  liis  wife  by  his  side. 

FORT  JEFFERSON.  I.  A  fort  erected  by  Col. 
George  Rogers  Clark,  under  instructions  from 
the  Governor  of  Virginia,  at  the  Iron  Banks  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio  River.  He  promised  lands  to  all 
adult,  able-bodied  white  males  who  would  emi- 
grate thither  and  settle,  either  with  or  without 
their  families.  Many  accepted  the  offer,  an<l 
a  considerable  colony  was  established  there. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  Vir- 
ginia being  unable  longer  to  sustain  the  garrison, 
the  colony  was  scattered,  many  families  going  to 
Kaskaskia.  II.  A  fort  in  the  Miami  valley, 
erected  by  Governor  St.  Clair  and  General  Butler, 
in  October,  1791.  Within  thirty  miles  of  the 
post  St.  Clair's  army,  which  had  been  badly 
weakened  through  desertions,  was  cut  to  pie<:es 
by  the  enemy,  and  the  fortification  was  aban- 
doned. 

FORT  MASSAC,  an  early  French  fortification, 
erected  about  ITU  on  the  Ohio  River,  40  miles 
from  its  mouth,  in  what  is  now  Massac  County. 
It  was  the  first  fortification  (except  Fort  St. 
Louis)  in  the  "Illinois  Country,"  antedating 
Fort  Chartres  by  several  years.  The  origin  of 
the  name  is  uncertain.  The  best  authorities  are 
of  the  opinion  that  it  was  so  called  in  honor  of 
the  engineer  who  superintended  its  construction; 
by  others  it  has  been  traced  to  the  name  of  the 
French  Minister  of  Marine ;  others  assert  that  it 
is  a  corruption  of  the  word  '"Massacre,"  a  name 
given  to  the  locality  beeau.se  of  the  ma.s.sacre 
there  of  a  large  number  of  French  soldiers  by  the 
Indians.  The  Virginians  sometimes  spoke  of  it 
as  the  "Cherokee  fort."  It  was  g:vrri.soned  by 
the  French  until  after  the  evacuation  of  the 
country  under  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  Paris. 
It  later  became  a  sort  of  depot  for  American 
settlers,  a  few  families  constantly  residing  within 
and  around  the  fortification.  At  a  very  early 
day  a  military  road  was  laid  out  from  the  fort  to 
Kaskaskia,  the  trees  alongside  being  utilized  as 
milestones,  the  number  of  miles  being  cut  with 
irons  and  painted  red.  After  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment strengthened  and  garrisoned  the  fort  by 
way  of  defense  against  inroads  by  the  Spaniards. 
With  the  cession  of  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States,  in  1803.  the  fort  was  evacuated  and  never 
re-garrisoned.  According  to  the  "American 
State  Papers,"  during  the  period  of  the  French 


occupation,  it  was  both  a  Jesuit  missionary 
station  and  a  trailing  post. 

FORT  SACKVILLE,  a  British  fortification, 
erected  in  1769,  on  the  Wabash  River  a  short 
distance  below  Vincennes.  It  was  a  stockade, 
with  ba.stions  and  a  few  pieces  of  cannon.  In 
1778  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans,  and 
was  for  a  time  commanded  by  Captain  Helm, 
with  a  garrison  of  a  few  Americans  and  Illinois 
French.  In  December,  1778,  Helm  and  one 
private  alone  occupied  the  fott  and  surrendered 
to  Hamilton,  British  Governor  of  Detroit,  who 
led  a  force  into  the  country  around  Vincennes. 

FORT  SHERIIIAX,  United  States  Military 
Po.st,  in  Lake  County,  on  the  Milwaukee  Division 
of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  '24  miles 
noith  of  Chicaj^.  (Highwood  village  adjacent 
on  the  south.)   Poi.ulation  (1^90).  4.")1 :  (1900),  1,.".75. 

FORT  ST.  LOUIS,  a  French  fortification  on  a 
rock  (widely  known  as  "Starved  Rock"),  which 
consists  of  an  isolated  cliff  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Illinois  River  nearly  opiK)site  L'tica,  in  La 
Salle  County.  Its  height  is  between  130  and  140 
feet,  and  its  nearly  round  summit  contains  an 
area  of  about  three-fourths  of  an  acre.  The  side 
facing  the  river  is  nearly  perpendicular  and,  in 
natural  advantages,  it  is  well-nigh  impregnable. 
Here,  in  the  fall  of  1682,  La  Salle  and  Tonty 
began  the  erection  of  a  fort,  consisting  of  earth- 
works, palisades,  store-houses  and  a  block  house, 
which  also  served  as  a  dwelling  and  trading  past. 
A  windlass  drew  water  from  the  river,  and  two 
small  brass  cannon,  mounted  on  a  parapet,  com- 
prised the  armament.  It  was  solemnly  dedicated 
by  Father  Membre,  and  soon  became  a  gathering 
place  for  the  surrounding  tribes,  especially  the 
Illinois.  But  Frontenac  having  l)een  succeeded 
as  Governor  of  New  France  by  De  la  Barre,  who 
was  unfriendly  to  La  Salle,  the  latter  was  dis- 
placed as  Commandant  at  Fort  St.  Louis,  while 
plots  were  laid  to  .secure  his  downfall  by  cutting 
off  his  supplies  and  inciting  the  Iro<^iuoisto  attack 
him.  Lii  Salle  left  the  fort  in  lCi83,  to  return  to 
France,  and,  in  1702,  it  was  abandoned  as  a 
military  post,  though  it  continued  to  be  a  trad- 
ing post  until  1718,  when  it  was  raided  by  the 
Indians  and  burned.     (See  La  Salle.) 

FORT  WAYNE  &  CHICAGO  RAILROAD. 
(See  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railuay.) 

FORT  WAYNE  k  ILUNOIS  RAILROAD.  (See 
New  York.  CIticago  d:  St.  Louis  Railway.) 

FORTIFICATIONS,  PREHISTORIC.  Closely 
related  in  interest  to  the  works  of  the  mound- 
builders  in  Illinois — though,  probablj',  owing  their 
origin  to  another  era  and  an  entirely  different 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


173 


race — are  those  works  which  bear  evidence  of 
having  been  constructed  for  purposes  of  defense 
at  some  period  anterior  to  the  arrival  of  white 
men  in  the  country.  While  there  are  no  works 
in  Illinois  so  elaborate  in  construction  as  those  to 
which  have  been  given  the  names  of  "Fort 
Ancient"  on  the  Maumee  in  Ohio.  "Fort  Azatlan" 
on  the  Wabash  in  Indiana,  and  "Fort  Aztalan'" 
on  Rock  River  in  Southern  Wisconsin,  there  are 
a  number  whose  form  of  construction  shows  that 
they  must  have  been  intended  for  warlike  pur- 
poses, and  that  they  were  formidable  of  their 
kind  and  for  the  period  in  whicli  they  were  con- 
structed. It  is  a  somewlxat  curious  fact  that, 
while  La  Salle  County  is  the  seat  of  the  first 
fortification  constructed  by  the  French  in  Illinois 
that  can  be  said  to  have  had  a  sort  of  permanent 
character  (  see  Fort  St.  Louis  and  Starved  Rock), 
it  is  also  the  site  of  a  larger  number  of  prehistoric 
fortifications,  whose  remains  are  in  sucli  a  state 
of  preservation  as  to  be  clearly  discernible,  than 
any  other  section  of  the  State  of  equal  area.  One 
of  the  most  formidable  of  these  fortifications  is 
on  the  east  side  of  Fox  River,  opposite  the  mouth 
of  Indian  Creek  and  some  six  miles  northeast  of 
Ottawa.  This  occupies  a  position  of  decided 
natural  strength,  and  is  surrounded  by  three  lines 
of  circumvallation,  showing  evidence  of  consider- 
able engineering  skill.  From  the  size  of  the  trees 
within  this  work  and  other  evidences,  its  age  has 
been  estimated  at  not  less  than  1,200  years.  On 
the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Marseilles,  at  the 
rapids  of  the  Illinois,  seven  miles  east  of  Ottawa, 
another  work  of  considerable  strength  existed. 
It  is  also  said  that  the  American  Fur  Company 
had  an  earthwork  here  for  the  protection  of  its 
trading  station,  erected  about  1816  or  '18.  and 
consequently  belonging  to  the  present  century. 
Besides  Fort  St.  Louis  on  Starved  Rock,  the  out- 
line of  another  fort,  or  outwork,  whose  era  has 
not  been  jjositively  determined,  about  half  a  mile 
south  of  the  former,  has  been  traced  in  recent 
times.  De  Baugis,  sent  by  Governor  La  Barre,  of 
Canada,  to  succeed  Tonty  at  Fort  St.  Louis,  is  said 
to  have  erected  a  fort  on  Buffalo  Rock,  on  tlie 
opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Fort  St.  Louis, 
which  belonged  practically  to  the  same  era  as  the 
latter. — There  are  two  points  in  Southern  Illinois 
where  the  aborigines  had  constructed  fortifica- 
tions to  which  the  name  "Stone  Fort"  has  been 
given.  One  of  these  is  a  hill  overlooking  the 
Saline  River  in  the  southern  part  of  Saline 
County,  where  there  is  a  wall  or  breastwork  five 
feet  in  height  enclosing  an  area  of  less  than  an 
acre  in  extent.     The  other  is  on  the  west  side  of 


Lusk's  Creek,  in  Pope  County,  where  a  breast- 
work has  been  constructed  by  loosely  piling  up 
the  stones  across  a  ridge,  or  tongue  of  land,  with 
vertical  sides  and  surrounded  by  a  bend  of  the 
creek.  Water  is  easily  obtainable  from  the  creek 
below  the  fortified  ridge. — The  remains  of  an  old 
Indian  fortification  were  found  by  early  settlers 
of  McLean  County,  at  a  point  called  "Old  Town 
Timber,"  about  1833  to  1825.  It  was  believed 
then  that  it  had  been  occupied  by  the  Indians 
during  the  War  of  1812.  The  story  of  the  Indians 
was,  that  it  was  burned  by  General  Harrison  in 
1813;  though  this  is  imjjrobable  in  view  of  the 
absence  of  any  historical  mention  of  the  fact. 
Judge  H.  W.  Beckwith,  who  examined  its  site  in 
1880,  is  of  the  opinion  that  its  history  goes  back 
as  far  as  17.53,  and  that  it  was  erected  by  tlie 
Indians  as  a  defense  against  the  French  at  Kas- 
kaskia.  There  was  also  a  tradition  that  there 
had  been  a  French  mission  at  this  point. — One  of 
the  most  interesting  stories  of  early  fortifications 
in  the  State,  is  that  of  Dr.  V.  A.  Boyer,  an  old 
citizen  of  Chicago,  in  a  paper  contributed  to  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society.  Although  the  work 
alluded  to  by  him  was  evidently  constructed  after 
the  arrival  of  the  French  in  the  country,  the 
exact  period  to  which  it  belongs  is  in  doubt. 
According  to  Dr.  Boyer,  it  was  on  an  elevated 
ridge  of  timber  land  in  Palos  Township,  in  the 
western  part  of  Cook  County.  He  says:  "I  first 
saw  it  in  1833,  and  since  then  have  visited  it  in 
company  with  other  persons,  some  of  whom  are 
still  living.  I  feel  sure  that  it  was  not  built  dur- 
ing the  Sac  War  from  its  appearance.  ...  It 
seems  probable  that  it  was  tlie  work  of  French 
traders  or  explorers,  as  there  were  trees  a  century 
old  growing  in  its  environs.  It  was  evidently 
the  work  of  an  enlightened  people,  skilled  in  the 
science  of  warfare.  ...  As  a  strategic  point  it 
most  completely  commanded  the  surrounding 
country  and  the  crossing  of  the  swamp  or  'Sag'." 
Is  it  improbable  that  this  was  the  fort  occupied 
by  Colonel  Durantye  in  1095'?  The  remains  of  a 
small  fort,  supposed  to  have  been  a  French  trad- 
ing post,  were  found  by  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Lake  County,  where  the  present  city  of  Waukegan 
stands,  giving  to  that  place  its  first  name  of 
"Little  Fort."  This  structure  was  seen  in  1835 
by  Col.  William  S.  Hamilton  (a  son  of  Alexander 
Hamilton,  first  Secretary  of  the  Treasury),  who 
had  served  in  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  that  year  as  a  Representative  from  Sangamon 
County,  and  was  then  on  his  way  to  Green  Bay, 
and  the  remains  of  the  pickets  or  palisades  were 
visible  as  late  as  1835.     While  the  date  of    its 


174 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


erection  is  unknown,  it  probablj-  belonged  to  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  There  is 
also  a  tradition  that  a  fort  or  trading  post,  erected 
by  a  Frenchman  named  Garay  (or  Guarie)  stood 
on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River  prior 
to  the  erection  of  the  first  Fort  Dearborn  in  1803. 

FOSS,  tieorpe  Edmund,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Vt.,  July  'i, 
1863;  graduated  from  Harvard  University,  in 
1885;  attended  the  Columbia  Law  School  and 
School  of  Political  Science  in  New  York  City, 
finally  graduating  from  the  Union  College  of  I..aw 
in  Chicago,  in  1889,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  began  practice.  He  never  held  any 
political  office  until  elected  as  a  Republican  to 
the  Fifty  fourth  Congress  (1894),  from  the 
Seventh  Illinois  District,  receiving  a  majority  of 
more  than  8,000  votes  over  his  Democratic  and 
Populist  competitors.  In  189G  he  was  again  the 
candidate  of  his  party,  and  was  re-elected  by  a 
majority  of  over  20,000,  as  he  was  a  third  time, 
in  1898,  by  more  than  12,000  majority.  In  the 
Fifty -fifth  Congress  Mr.  Foss  was  a  member  of  tlie 
Committees  on  Naval  Affairs  and  Expenditures  in 
the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

FOSTER,  (Dr.)  John  Herbert,  physician  and 
educator,  was  born  of  Quaker  ancestry  at  Hills- 
borough, N.  H.,  March  8,  1796.  His  early  years 
were  spent  on  his  father's  farm,  but  at  the  age 
of  16  he  entered  an  academy  at  Meriden,  N.  II., 
and,  three  years  later,  began  teaching  with  an 
older  brother  at  Schoharie,  N.  Y.  Having  si)ent 
some  sixteen  years  teaching  and  practicing 
medicine  at  various  places  in  his  native  State,  in 
1832  he  came  west,  first  locating  in  Morgan 
County,  111.  While  there  he  took  part  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  serving  as  a  Surgeon.  Before 
the  close  of  the  year  he  was  compelled  to  come  to 
Chicago  to  look  after  the  estate  of  a  brother  who 
was  an  officer  in  the  army  and  had  been  killed  by 
an  insubordinate  soldier  at  Green  Bay.  Having 
thus  fallen  heir  to  a  considerable  amount  of  real 
estate,  which,  in  subsequent  j"ears,  largely 
appreciated  in  value,  he  became  identified  with 
early  Chicago  and  ultimately  one  of  the  largest 
real-estate  owners  of  his  time  in  the  citj'.  He 
was  an  active  promoter  of  education  during  this 
period,  serving  on  both  City  and  State  Boards. 
His  death  occurred.  May  18.  1874.  in  consequence 
of  injuries  sustained  by  being  throvrn  from  a 
vehicle  in  wlii<'h  he  was  riding  nine  days  previous. 

FOSTER,  John  Wells,  author  and  scientist, 
was  born  at  Brimfield,  Mass..  in  1815,  and  edu- 
cated at  Wesleyan  University.  Conn ;  later  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Ohio,  but 


soon  turned  his  attention  to  scientific  pursuits, 
being  employed  for  several  yeai^s  in  the  geological 
survey  of  Ohio,  during  which  he  investigated  the 
coal-beds  of  the  State.  Having  incidentally 
devoted  considerable  attention  to  the  study  of 
metallurgy,  he  was  employed  about  1844  by 
mining  capitalists  to  make  the  first  systematic 
Kinvey  of  the  Lake  Superior  copper  region,  upon 
which,  in  conjunction  with  J.  D.  Whitney,  he 
made  a  report  which  was  published  in  two  vol- 
umes in  1850-51.  Returning  to  Massachusetts,  he 
participated  in  the  orgiinization  of  the  "American 
Party"  there,  though  we  find  him  soon  after 
breaking  with  it  on  the  slavery  question.  In 
18.j5  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  the 
Springfield  (Mass  )  District,  but  was  beaten  by  a 
small  majority.  In  1858  he  removed  to  Chicago 
and,  for  some  time,  was  Land  Commissioner  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  latter  j'ears  of 
his  life  were  devoted  chiefly  to  archaeological 
researches  and  writings,  also  serving  for  some 
years  as  Professor  of  Natural  History  in  the  (old) 
University  of  Chicago.  His  works  include  "Tlie 
Mississippi  Valley;  its  Phj'sical  Geography,  Min 
eral  Resources,"  etc.  (Chicago,  1869);  "Mineral 
Wealth  and  Railroad  Development,"  (New  York, 
1872) ;  "Prehistoric  Races  of  the  United  States," 
(Chicago,  1873),  besides  contributions  to  numer- 
ous scientific  periodicals.  He  was  a  member  of 
several  scientific  associations  and,  in  1869,  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science.  He  died  in  Hyde  Park, 
now  a  jKirt  of  Chicago,  June  29,  1873. 

FOl'KE,  Philip  B.,  hiwyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Ka.skaskia.  111.,  Jan.  23,  1818;  was 
chiefly  self-educated  and  began  his  career  as  a 
clerk,  afterwards  acting  as  a  civil  engineer ;  about 
1841-42  was  associated  with  the  publication  of 
"The  Belleville  Advocate,"  later  studied  law, 
and,  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  served  as 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  being  re-elected  to  that 
oflice  in  1856.  Previous  to  this,  however,  he  had 
been  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Seven- 
teenth General  Assembly  (1850),  and,  in  IS.W, 
was  elected  as  a  Democrat  to  the  Thirtj-sixth 
Congress  and  re-elected  two  ye;irs  later.  While 
still  in  Congress  he  assi-sted  in  organizing  the 
Thirtieth  Regiment  Illinois  Vohmteers,  of  which 
he  was  commissioned  Colonel,  but  resigned  on 
account  of  ill-health  soon  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
After  leaving  the  army  he  removed  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  was  appointed  Public  Adminis- 
trator and  practiced  law  for  some  time.  He  then 
took  up  the  prosecution  of  the  cotton-claims 
against  the  Mexican  Government,  in  which  he 


IILSTOmCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


175 


was  engaged  some  seven  years,  finally  removing 
to  Washington  City  and  making  several  trips  to 
Europe  in  the  interest  of  these  suits.  He  won 
his  cases,  but  died  soon  after  a  decision  in  his 
favor,  largely  in  consequence  of  overtaxing  his 
brain  in  their  prosecution.  His  deatli  occurred 
in  Washington,  Oct.  3,  1876,  when  he  was  buried  ' 
in  the  Congressional  Cemetery,  President  Grant 
and  a  number  of  Senators  and  Congressmen  acting 
as  pall-bearers  at  his  funeral. 

FOWLER,  Charles  Henry,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  born  in  Burford,  Conn.,  August  11,  1837; 
was  partially  educated  at  Rock  River  Seminary, 
Mount  Morris,  finally  graduating  at  Genesee 
College,  N.  Y.,  in  18.59.  He  tlien  liegan  tlie  study 
of  law  in  Chicago,  but,  changing  his  purpose, 
entered  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  at  Evanston, 
graduating  in  1861.  Having  been  admitted  to 
the  Rock  River  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference 
he  was  appointed  successively  to  Chicago  churches 
till  1872;  then  became  President  of  tlie  North- 
western University,  holding  this  office  four  years, 
when  he  was  elected  to  tlie  editorship  of  "The 
Christian  Advocate"  of  New  York.  In  1884  he 
was  elected  and  ordained  Bisliop.  His  residence 
is  in  San  Francisco,  his  labors  as  Bisliop  being 
devoted  largely  to  the  Pacific  States. 

FOX  RIVER  (of  Illinois)— called  Pishtaka  by 
the  Indians — rises  in  Waukesha  County,  Wis., 
and,  after  running  southward  through  Kenosha 
and  Racine  Counties  in  that  State,  passes  into 
Illinois.  It  intersects  McHenry  and  Kane  Coun- 
ties and  runs  southward  to  the  city  of  Aurora, 
below  which  point  it  flows  southwestward,  until 
it  empties  into  the  Illinois  River  at  Ottawa.  Its 
length  is  estimated  at  220  miles.  The  chief 
towns  on  its  banks  are  Elgin,  Aurora  and  Ottawa. 
It  affords  abundant  water  power. 

FOXES,  an  Indian  tribe.  (See  Sacs  mid 
Foxes. ) 

FRANCIS,  Simeon,  pioneer  journalist,  was 
born  at  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  May  14,  1796, 
learned  the  printer's  trade  at  New  Haven,  and.  in 
connection  with  a  partner,  publislied  a  paper  at 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  In  cou.sequence  of  the  excitement 
growing  out  of  the  abduction  of  Morgan  in  1828, 
(being  a  Mason)  he  was  compelled  to  suspend, 
and,  coming  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  18;31,  com- 
menced the  publication  of  "The  Sangamo"  (now 
"The  Illinois  State")  "Journal"  at  Springfield, 
continuing  his  connection  therewith  until  1805, 
wlien  he  sold  out  to  Messrs.  Bailhache  &  Baker. 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  his  close  friend  and  often 
wrote  editorials  for  his  paper.  Mr.  Francis  was 
active  in  the  organization  of  the  State  Agricul- 


tural Society  (1853),  serving  as  its  Recording 
Secretary  for  several  years.  In  1859  he  moved  to 
Portland,  Ore.,  where  he  published  "The  Oregon 
Farmer,"  and  served  as  President  of  the  Oregon 
State  Agricultural  Society ;  in  1861  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln,  Paymaster  in  the 
regular  army,  serving  until  1870,  when  he  retired 
on  half-pay.  Died,  at  Portland,  Ore.,  Oct.  25, 
1872. — Allen  (Francis),  brother  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  at  Wetliersfield,  Conn.,  April  14,  1815; 
in  1834,  joined  his  brother  at  Springfield,  111.,  and 
became  a  partner  in  the  publication  of  "Tlie 
Journal"  until  its  sale,  in  1855.  In  1861  he  was 
appointed  United  States  Consul  at  Victoria,  B.  C, 
serving  until  1871,  when  he  engaged  in  the  fur 
trade.  Later  he  was  United  States  Consul  at 
Port  Stanley,  Can.,  dying  there,  about  1887. — 
Josiali  (Francis),  cousin  of  the  preceding,  born 
at  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  Jan.  17,  1804;  was  early 
connected  with  "The  Springfield  Journal";  in 
1836  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Athens,  Menard 
County ;  returning  to  Springfield,  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  in  1840,  and  served  one  term  as 
Mayor  of  Springfield.     Died  in  1867. 

FRANKLIN,  a  village  of  Morgan  County,  on 
the  Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  12  miles 
southeast  of  Jacksonville.  The  place  has  a  news- 
paper and  two  banks;  the  surrounding  country 
is  agricultural.  Population  (1880),  316;  (1890), 
578;  (1900),  687. 

FRANKLIN  COUNTY,  located  in  the  south- 
central  part  of  tlie  State;  was  organized  in  1818, 
and  has  an  area  of  430  square  miles.  Population 
(1900),  19,675.  The  county  is  well  timbered  and 
is  drained  by  the  Big  Muddy  River.  The  soil  is 
fertile  and  the  products  include  cereals,  potatoes, 
sorghum,  wool,  pork  and  fruit.  Tlie  county -.seat 
is  Benton,  with  a  population  (1890)  of  939.  The 
county  contains  no  large  towns,  although  large, 
well-cultivated  farms  are  numerous.  The  earli- 
est white  settlers  came  from  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee, and  the  hereditary  traditions  of  generous, 
southwestern  hospitality  are  preserved  among 
the  residents  of  to-day. 

FRANKLIN  GROVE,  a  town  of  Lee  County,  on 
Council  Bluffs  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway,  88  miles  west  of  Chicago. 
Grain,  poultry,  and  live-stock  are  shipped  from 
here.  It  has  banks,  water-works,  liigb  school, 
and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1890),  736; 
(1900),  GH\. 

FRAZIER,  Robert,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who 
came  to  Southern  Illinois  at  an  early  day  ami 
served  as  State  Senator  from  Edwards  County,  in 
the  .Second  and  Third  General  Assemblies,  in  the 


176 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


latter  being  an  opponent  of  the  scheme  to  make 
Illinois  a  slave  State.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and,  at  the  time  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  resided  in  what  afterwards  became 
Wabash  Count}^  Subsequently  he  removed  to 
Edwards  County,  near  Albion,  where  he  died. 
"Frazier"s  Prairie,"  in  Edwards  County,  was 
named  for  him. 

FBEEBUBG,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County,  on 
the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  8 
miles  southeast  of  Belleville.  Population  (1880), 
1,038;  (1890),  8-18;  (ISiOO).  1,214. 

FREEMAJf,  Norman  L.,  lawyer  and  Supreme 
Court  Reporter,  was  born  in  Caledonia,  Living- 
ston County,  N.  Y.,  May  9,  1823;  in  1831  accom- 
panied his  widowed  mother  to  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
removing  six  years  afterward  to  Detroit ;  was  edu- 
cated at  Cleveland  and  Ohio  University,  taught 
school  at  Lexington.  Ky.,  while  studying  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1846;  removed  to 
Shawneetown,  111.,  in  18.51.  was  admitted  to  the 
Illinois  bar  and  practiced  some  eight  years.  He 
then  began  farming  in  Marion  County,  Mo.,  but, 
in  1862,  returned  to  Shawneetown  and,  in  1863, 
was  appointed  Reporter  of  Decisions  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  serving  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Springfield  near  the 
beginning  of  his  sixth  term  in  office,  August  23, 
1894. 

FREE  MASONS,  the  oldest  secret  fraternity  in 
the  State — known  as  the  "Ancient  Order  of  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons" — the  first  Lodge  being 
instituted  at  Kaskaskia,  June,  3,  1806,  with  Gen. 
John  Edgar,  Worshipful  Master;  Michael  Jones, 
Senior  Warden;  James  Calbraith,  Junior  War- 
den ;  William  Arundel,  Secretary ;  Robert  Robin- 
son, Senior  Deacon.  These  are  names  of  persons 
who  were,  without  exception,  prominent  in  the 
early  history  of  Illinois.  A  Grand  Lodge  was 
organized  at  Vandalia  in  1822,  with  Gov.  Shad- 
rach  Bond  as  first  Grand  Master,  but  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Grand  Lodge,  as  it  now  exists,  took 
place  at  Jacksonville  in  1840.  The  number  of 
Lodges  constituting  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois 
in  1840  was  six,  with  157  members ;  the  nimaber 
of  Lodges  within  the  same  jurisdiction  in  189.5 
was  713,  with  a  membership  of  50,727,  of  which 
47,335  resided  in  Illinois.  The  dues  for  1895 
were  .S37,H34.50;  the  contributions  to  members, 
their  widows  and  orphans,  §25,038.41 ;  to  non- 
members,  80,306.38,  and  to  the  Illinois  Masonic 
Orphans"  Home,  §1,315.80. — Apollo  Commandery 
No.  1  of  Knights  Templar — the  pioneer  organi- 
zation of  its  kind  in  this  or  any  neighboring 
State — was  organized  in  Chicago,  May  20,  1843, 


and  the  Grand  Commandery  of  the  order  in  Illi- 
nois in  1857,  with  James  V.  Z.  Blaney.  Grand 
Commander.  In  1895  it  was  made  up  of  sixty- 
five  subordinate  commanderies,  with  a  total 
membership  of  9,355,  and  dues  amounting  to 
§7,7.54.75.  The  principal  officers  in  1895  90  were 
Henry  Hunter  Montgomery,  Grand  Commander; 
John  Henry  Witbeck,  Grand  Treasurer,  and  Gil- 
bert W.  Barnard,  Grand  Recorder.— The  Spring- 
fieKl  Chapter  of  Ro)-al  Arcli-Masons  was  organized 
in  Springfield,  Sept.  17,  1841,  and  the  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  State  at  Jacksonville,  April  9, 
1850,  the  nine  existing  Chapters  being  formally 
chartered  Oct.  14,  of  the  same  year.  The  number 
of  subordinate  Chapters,  in  1895,  was  186,  with  a 
total  membership  of  10,414. — The  Grand  Council 
of  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  in  1894,  embraced  33 
subordinate  Councils,  with  a  membership  of 
2,318. 

FREEPORT,  a  city  and  railwaj-  center,  the 
county-seat  of  Stephenson  County,  121  miles  west 
of  Chicago;  has  good  water-power  from  the  Peca- 
tonicA  River,  with  several  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments, the  output  including  carriages, 
wagon-wheels,  wind-mills,  coffee-mills,  organs, 
piano-stools,  leather,  mineral  paint,  foundry  pro- 
ducts, chicken  incubators  and  vinegar.  The  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  has  shops  here  and  the  city 
has  a  (iovernment  postoflice  building.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  10,189;  (1900),  13,258. 

FREEPORT  COLLEGE, an  institution  at  Free- 
port,  111.,  incorporated  in  1895;  is  co-educational ; 
had  a  faculty  of  six  instructors  in  1896,  with  116 
pupils. 

FREER,  Lemuel  Covell  Paine,  early  lawyer, 
was  born  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  18, 
1815;  came  to  Chicago  in  1836,  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840;  was  a  zealous 
anti-slaverj-  man  and  an  active  supporter  of  the 
(iovernment  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ; 
for  many  years  wiis  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Rush  Medical  College.  Died,  in 
Chicago.  .April  14,  1892. 

FRENCH,  Augustus  C,  ninth  Governor  of 
Illinois  (1846-52),  was  bom  in  New  Hampshire, 
August  2,  1808.  After  coming  to  Illinois,  he 
became  a  resident  of  Crawford  County,  and  a 
lawyer  by  profe-ssion.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Tenth  and  Eleventh  General  Assemblies,  and 
Receiver,  for  a  time,  of  the  Land  Office  at  Pales- 
tine. He  served  as  Presidential  Elector  in  1844, 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  Governor  as  a  Demo- 
crat in  1846  by  a  majority  of  nearly  17,000  over 
two  competitors,  and  was  the  unanimous  choice  of 
his  party  for  a  second  term  in  1848.     His  adminis- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


177 


tration  was  free  from  scandals.  He  was  appointed 
Bank  Commissioner  by  Governor  Matteson,  and 
later  accepted  the  chair  of  Law  in  McKendree 
College  at  Lebanon.  In  1858  he  was  the  nominee 
of  the  Douglas  wing  of  the  Democratic  party  for 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 
ex-Gov.  John  Reynolds  being  the  candidate  of 
the  Buchanan  branch  of  the  party.  Both  were 
defeated.  His  last  public  service  was  as  a  mem- 
ber from  St.  Clair  County  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1863.  Died,  at  Lebanon,  Sept.  4, 
1864. 

FRENCH  AXD  INDIAN  WAR.  The  first 
premonition  of  this  struggle  in  tlie  West  was 
given  in  1698,  when  two  English  vessels  entered 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  to  take  possession 
of  the  French  Territory  of  Louisiana,  which  then 
included  what  afterward  became  the  State  of 
Illinois.  This  expedition,  however,  returned 
without  result.  Great  Britain  was  anxious  to 
have  a  colorable  pretext  for  attempting  to  evict 
the  French,  and  began  negotiation  of  treaties 
with  the  Indian  tribes  as  early  as  1724,  expecting 
tliereby  to  fortify  her  original  claim,  which  was 
based  on  tlie  riglit  of  prior  discovery.  The 
numerous  shiftings  of  the  political  kaleidoscope  in 
Europe  prevented  any  further  steps  in  this  direc- 
tion on  the  part  of  England  until  1748-49,  when 
the  Oliio  Land  Company  received  a  royal  grant 
of  500,000  acres  along  the  Oliio  River,  with  exclu- 
sive trading  privileges.  The  Company  proceeded 
to  explore  and  survey  and,  about  1753,  established 
a  trading  post  on  Loramie  Creek,  47  miles  north 
of  Dayton.  The  French  foresaw  that  liostilities 
were  probable,  and  advanced  their  posts  as  far 
east  as  the  Allegheny  River.  Complaints  by  the 
Ohio  Company  induced  an  ineffectual  remon- 
strance on  the  part  of  Virginia.  Among  the 
ambas.sadors  sent  to  the  French  by  the  Governor 
of  Virginia  was  George  Washington,  who  thus, 
in  early  manhood,  became  identified  with  Illinois 
history.  His  report  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to 
induce  the  erection  of  counter  fortifications  by 
the  British,  one  of  wliich  (at  the  junction  of  the 
Allegheny  and  Monongahela  Rivers)  was  seized 
and  occupied  by  the  French  before  its  completion. 
Then  ensued  a  series  of  engagements  whicli, 
while  not  involving  large  forces  of  men,  were 
fraught  with  grave  consequences,  and  in  which 
the  French  were  generally  successful.  In  1755 
occurred  "Braddock's  defeat"  in  an  expedition  to 
recover  Fort  Duquesne  (where  Pittsburg  now 
stands),  which  had  been  captured  by  the  French 
the  previous  year,  and  the  Government  of  Great 
Britain  determined  to  redouble  its  ert'orts.     The 


final  result  was  the  termination  of  Frencli  domi- 
nation in  the  Ohio  Valley.  Later  came  the  down- 
fall of  French  ascendency  in  Canada  as  the  result 
of  the  battle  of  Quebec ;  but  the  vanquished  yet 
hoped  to  be  able  to  retain  Louisiana  and  Illinois. 
But  France  was  forced  to  indemnify  Spain  for  the 
lo.ss  of  Florida,  which  it  did  by  the  cession  of  all 
of  Louisiana  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi  (includ- 
ing the  city  of  New  Orleans),  and  this  virtually 
ended  French  liopes  in  Illinois.  The  last  nulitary 
post  in  North  America  to  be  garrisoned  by  French 
troops  was  Fort  Chartres,  in  Illinois  Territory, 
where  St.  Ange  remained  in  command  until  its 
evacuation  was  demanded  bv  the  English. 

FRENCH  GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS.  French 
Governors  began  to  be  appointed  by  the  Company 
of  the  Indies  (which  see)  in  1732,  the  "Illinois 
Country"  having  previously  been  treated  as  a 
dependency  of  Canada.  The  first  Governor  (  or 
"commandant")  was  Pierre  Duque  de  Boisbriant, 
who  was  commandant  for  only  three  years,  when 
he  was  summoned  to  New  Orleans  (1725)  to  suc- 
ceed de  Bienville  as  Governor  of  Louisiana.  Capt. 
du  Tisne  was  in  command  for  a  short  time  after 
his  departure,  but  was  succeeded  by  another 
Captain  in  the  royal  army,  whose  name  is  vari- 
ously si)elled  de  Liette,  de  Lielte,  De  Siette  and 
Delietto.  He  was  followed  in  turn  by  St.  Ange 
(the  father  of  St.  Ange  de  Bellerive),  who  died  in 
1742.  In  1733  the  Company  of  the  Indies  surren- 
dered its  charter  to  the  crown,  and  the  Governors 
of  the  Illinois  Country  were  thereafter  appointed 
directly  by  royal  authority.  Under  the  earlier 
Governors  justice  had  been  administered  under 
the  civil  law;  with  the  change  in  the  metliod  of 
appointment  the  code  known  as  the  "Common 
Law  of  Paris"  came  into  effect,  although  not 
rigidly  enforced  because  found  in  many  particu- 
lars to  be  ill-suited  to  the  needs  of  a  new  country. 
Tlie  first  of  the  Royal  Governors  was  Pierre 
d'  Artaguiette,  who  was  ajjpointed  in  1734,  but  was 
captured  while  engaged  in  an  expedition  against 
the  Chicka.saws,  in  1730,  and  burned  at  the  stake. 
(See  D'Artmjniette.)  He  was  followed  bj' 
Alphonse  de  la  Buissoniere,  who  was  succeeded, 
in  1740,  by  Capt.  Benoi.st  de  St.  Claire.  In  1743 
he  gave  way  to  the  Chevalier  Bertel  or  Berthet^ 
but  was  reinstated  about  1748.  The  last  of  the 
French  Governors  of  the  "Illinois  Country"  was 
Louis  St.  Ange  de  Bellerive,  who  retired  to  St. 
Louis,  after  turning  over  the  command  to  Cap- 
tain Stirling,  the  English  officer  sent  to  supersede 
him,  in  1765.  (St.  Ange  de  Bellerive  died,  Dec. 
27,  1774.)  The  administration  of  the  French 
commandants,  while  firm,  was  usually  conserva- 


178 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLIXOLS. 


tive  and  benevolent.  Local  self-government  was 
encouraged  as  far  as  practicable,  and,  wliile  the 
Governors"  power  over  commerce  was  virtually 
unrestricted,  they  interfered  but  little  with  the 
ordinary  life  of  the  people. 

FREW,  Calvin  Haniill,  lawyer  and  State  Sena- 
tor, was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  educated  at 
Finley  (Ohio)  High  School,  Beaver  (Pa.)  Academy 
and  Vermilion  In.stitute  at  Hayesville.  Ohio. ;  in 
1863  was  Principal  of  the  High  School  at  Kalida, 
Ohio,  where  he  began  the  study  of  law,  which  he 
continued  the  next  two  years  with  Messrs.  Strain 
&  Kidder,  at  Monmouth,  111.,  meanwhile  acting 
as  Principal  of  a  high  school  at  Young  America ; 
in  1865  removed  to  Paxton,  Ford  County,  which 
has  since  been  his  home,  and  the  same  year  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  Frew  served  as  Assistant  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools  for  Ford  County  (186,5-68) ;  in  1868 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Twenty-sixth 
General  Assembly,  re-elected  in  1870,  and  again 
in  '78.  While  practicing  law  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  most  imix)rtant  cases 
before  the  courts  in  that  section  of  the  State,  and 
his  fidelity  and  skill  in  their  management  are 
testified  by  members  of  the  bar,  as  well  as 
Judges  upon  the  bench.  Of  late  5'ears  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  breeding  trotting  horses, 
with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of  his  health 
but  not  with  the  intention  of  permanently 
abandoning  his  profession. 

FRY,  Jacob,  pioneer  and  soldier,  was  lM)rn  in 
Fayette  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  20,  1799;  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1819, 
working  first  at  Alton,  but,  in  1820,  took  up  his 
residence  near  the  present  town  of  Carrollton,  in 
which  he  built  the  first  house.  Greene  County 
was  not  organized  until  two  years  later,  and  this 
border  settlement  was,  at  that  time,  the  extreme 
northern  white  settlement  in  Illinois.  He  served 
as  Constable  and  Deputy  Sheriff  (simultaneously) 
for  six  jears,  and  was  then  elected  Sheriff,  being 
five  times  re-elected.  He  served  through  the 
Black  Hawk  War  (first  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  and 
afterwards  as  Colonel),  having  in  his  regiment 
Abraham  Lincoln,  O.  H.  Browning,  John  Wood 
(afterwards  Governor)  and  Robert  Anderson,  of 
Fort  Sumter  fame.  In  1837  he  was  appointed 
Commissioner  of  the  Illinois  &  Micliigau  Canal, 
and  re-appointed  in  1839  and  '41,  later  becoming 
Acting  Commissioner,  with  authority  to  settle  up 
the  business  of  the  former  commission,  which 
was  that  year  legislated  out  of  office.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  Canal  Trustee  by  Governor 
Ford,  and,  in  1.847,  retired  from  connection  with 


canal  management.  In  18.'i0  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  engaged  in  mining  and  trade 
for  three  years,  meanwhile  serving  one  term  in 
the  State  Senate.  In  1857  he  was  appointed  Col- 
lector of  the  Port  at  Chicago  by  Presi<lent  Buch- 
anan, but  wivs  removed  in  1859  because  of  his 
friendship  for  Senator  Douglas.  In  1860  he 
returned  to  Greene  Count}' ;  in  1801,  in  spite  of  his 
advanced  age,  w;is  commissioned  Colonel  of  the 
Si.xty-first  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  later  partici- 
pated in  numerous  engagements  (among  them  the 
battle  of  Shiloli),  was  captured  by  Forrest,  and 
ultimately  compelled  to  resign  because  of  im- 
paired health  and  failing  eyesight,  finally  becom- 
ing totally  blind.  He  died,  June  27,  1881,  "and 
was  buried  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  near  Spring- 
field. Two  of  Colonel  Fry's  sons  achieved  dis- 
tinction during  the  Civil  War. — James  Rarnet 
(Fr)-),  son  of  the  preceding,  wiis  burn  at  Car- 
rollton, 111.,  Feb.  22,  1827;  graduated  at  West 
Point  Military  Academy,  in  1847.  and  was 
assigned  to  artillery  service;  after  a  short  experi- 
ence as  Assistant  Instructor,  joined  his  regiment, 
the  Third  United  States  Artillerj-,  in  Mexico, 
remaining  there  through  1847-48.  Later,  he  was 
employed  on  frontier  and  garrison  dutj',  and 
again  as  Instructor  in  1853-54.  and  as  Adjutant  of 
the  Academy  during  18,54-59;  became  A.ssistant 
Adjutiint-(ieneral,  March  16.  18G1,  then  .served  as 
Chief  of  Staff  to  General  McDowell  and  General 
Buell  (1^61  62).  taking  part  in  the  kUtles  of  Bull 
Run.  Sliiloh  and  Corinth,  and  in  the  campaign  in 
Kentucky;  was  made  Provost-Marshal-General 
(il  the  L'nited  States,  in  March,  1863,  and  con- 
ducted the  drafts  of  that  year,  receiving  the  rank 
of  Brig;idier-General.  April  21.  18G4.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  office  until  August  30,  1860,  during 
which  time  he  put  in  the  army  1,130,021  men, 
arrested  70, .562  deserters,  collected  §26,366.316.78 
and  made  an  exact  enrollment  of  the  National 
forces.  After  the  war  he  served  as  Adjutant- 
General  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  till  June  1., 
1881,  when  he  was  retired  at  his  own  request. 
Besides  his  various  official  reports,  lie  published  a 
"Sketch  of  the  Adjutant-General's  Department, 
United  States  ^Vrmy,  from  1775  to  1875,"  and  "His- 
tory and  Legal  Effects  of  Brevets  in  the  Armies  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  from  their 
origin  in  1692  to  the  Present  Time,"  (1877 1.  Died, 
in  Newport,  R.  I.,  July  11,  1894.— William  M. 
(Fry),  another  son,  was  Provost  Marshal  of  the 
North  Illinois  District  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
rendereil  valuable  service  to  the  Government. 

FULLER,   Allen   Curtis,   lawj-er.    jurist    and 
Adjutant-Genei-al,    was    bom    in    Farmington, 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


179 


Conn.,  Sept.  24,  1822;  studied  law  at  Warsaw, 
N.  Y.,  was  admitted  to  practice,  in  1846  came  to 
Belvidere,  Boone  County,  111.,  and,  after  practic- 
ing there  some  years,  was  elected  Circuit  Judge 
in  1861.  A  few  months  afterward  he  was  induced 
to  accept  the  office  of  Adjutant-General  by 
appointment  of  Governor  Yates,  entering  upon 
the  duties  of  the  office  in  November,  1861.  At 
first  it  was  understood  that  his  acceptance  was 
only  temporary,  so  that  he  did  not  formally 
resign  his  place  upon  the  bench  until  July,  1863. 
He  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  Adjutant- 
General  until  January,  1865,  when,  having  been 
elected  Representative  in  the  General  Assembly, 
he  was  succeeded  in  the  Adjutant-General's  office 
by  General  Isham  N.  Haynie.  He  served  as 
Speaker  of  the  House  during  the  following  ses- 
sion, and  as  State  Senator  from  1867  to  1873 — 
in  the  Twenty-fifth,  Twenty  sixth  and  Twenty- 
seventh  General  As.semblies.  He  was  also  elected 
a  Republican  Presidential  Elector  in  1860,  and 
again  in  1876.  Since  retiring  from  office.  General 
Fuller  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession  and  looking  after  a  large  private 
business  at  Belvidere. 

FULLER,  Charles  E,,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Flora,  Boone  County,  111.,  March  31, 
1849;  attended  the  district  school  until  13  years 
of  age,  and,  between  1861  and  '67,  served  as  clerk 
in  stores  at  Belvidere  and  Cherry  Valley.  He 
then  spent  a  couple  of  years  in  the  book  business 
in  Iowa,  when  (1869)  he  began  the  study  of  law 
with  Hon.  Jesse  S.  Hildrup,  at  Belvidere,  and 
was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  in  1870.  Since  then 
Mr.  Fuller  has  practiced  his  profession  at  Belvi- 
dere, was  Corporation  Attorney  for  that  city  in 
1875-76,  the  latter  year  being  elected  State's 
Attorney  for  Boone  County.  From  1879  to  1891 
he  served  continuously  in  the  Legislature,  first 
as  State  Senator  in  the  Thirty-first  and  Tliirty- 
second  General  Assemblies,  then  as  a  member  of 
the  House  for  three  sessions,  in  1888  being 
returned  to  the  Senate,  where  he  served  the 
next  two  sessions.  Mr.  Fuller  established  a  high 
reputation  in  the  Legislature  as  a  debater,  and 
was  the  candidate  of  his  party  (the  Republican) 
for  Speaker  of  the  House  in  1885.  He  was  also  a 
delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1884.  Mr.  Fuller  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  for  the  Seventeenth  Circuit  at  the 
judicial  election  of  June,  1897. 

FULLER,  Melville  Weston,  eighth  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  was 
born  at  Augusta,  Maine.  Feb.  11,  1833,  graduated 
from  Bowdoin  College  in  1853,  was  admitted  to 


the  bar  in  1855,  and  became  City  Attorney  of  his 
native  city,  but  resigned  and  removed  to  Chicago 
the  following  year.  Through  his  mother's 
family  he  traces  his  descent  back  to  the  Pilgrims 
of  the  Mayflower.  His  literary  and  legal  attain- 
ments are  of  a  high  order.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  strong  Democrat.  He  served  as  a 
Delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1863  and  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1863, 
after  that  time  devoting  liis  attention  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Chicago.  In  1888 
President  Cleveland  appointed  him  Chief  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  since  which  time  he  has 
resided  at  Washington,  although  still  claiming  a 
residence  in  Chicago,  where  he  has  considerable 
property  interests. 

FULLERTOX,  Alexander  N.,  pioneer  settler 
and  lawyer,  bom  in  Chester,  Vt.,  in  1804,  was 
educated  at  Middlebury  College  and  Litchfield 
Law  School,  and,  coming  to  Chicago  in  1833, 
finally  engaged  in  real-estate  and  mercantile 
business,  in  which  he  was  very  successful.  His 
name  has  been  given  to  one  of  the  avenues  of 
Chicago,  as  well  as  associated  with  one  of  the 
prominent  business  blocks.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  that  city.     Died,  Sept.  29,  1880. 

FULTOX,  a  city  and  railway  center  in  White- 
side County,  135  miles  west  of  Chicago,  located 
on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern,  the  Cliicago,  Burlington  & 
Quinc}-,  and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railways.  It  was  formerly  the  terminus  of  a 
line  of  steamers  wliicli  annually  brought  millions 
of  bushels  of  grain  down  the  Mississippi  from 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  returning 
with  merchandise,  agricultural  implements,  etc.. 
but  this  river  trade  gradually  died  out,  having 
been  usurped  by  the  various  railroads.  Fulton 
has  extensive  factories  for  the  making  of  stoves, 
besides  some  important  lumber  industries.  The 
Northern  Illinois  College  is  located  here.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  2. 099;  (1900),  2.085. 

FULTON  COUNTY,  situated  west  of  and  bor- 
dering on  the  Illinois  River;  was  originally  a  part 
of  Pike  County,  but  separately  organized  in  1823 
— named  for  Robert  Fulton.  It  has  an  area  of  870 
square  miles  with  a  population  (1900)  of  46.201. 
The  soil  is  rich,  well  watered  and  wooded.  Drain- 
age is  effected  by  the  IlUnois  and  Spoon  Rivers 
(the  former  constituting  its  eastern  boimdary) 
and  by  Copperas  Creek.  Lewistown  became  the 
county-seat  immediately  after  county  organi- 
zation, and  .so  remains  to  the  present  time  (1899), 
The  surface  of  the  county  at  a  distance  from  the 


180 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


river  is  generally  flat,  although  along  the  Illinois 
there  are  blutfs  risiug  to  the  height  ot  125  feet. 
The  soil  is  rich,  and  underlying  it  are  rich,  work- 
able seams  of  coal.  A  thin  seam  of  cannel  coal 
has  been  mined  near  Avon,  with  a  contiguous 
vein  of  fire-clay.  Some  of  the  earliest  settlers  were 
Messrs.  Craig  and  Savage,  who,  in  1818.  built  a 
saw  mill  on  Otter  Creek;  Ossian  M.  Ross  and 
Stephen  Dewey,  who  laid  off  Lewistown  on  his 
own  land  in  1823.  The  first  hotel  in  the  entire 
military  tract  was  opened  at  Lewistown  by  Tru- 
man Phelps,  in  1827.  A  flat-boat  ferry  across  the 
Illinois  was  established  at  Havana,  in  1823.  The 
principal  towns  are  Canton(pop.(i,.564), Lewistown 
(2,166),  Farmington  (1,375).  and  Vermont  (1.158). 

FULTON  COUNTY  XARKOW-(iAU(JE  RAIL- 
WAY, a  line  extending  from  the  west  bank  of  the 
Illinois  River,  opposite  Havana,  to  Galesburg, 
61  miles.  It  is  a  single-track,  narrow-gauge 
(3-foot)  road,  although  the  excavations  and 
embankments  are  being  widened  to  accommodate 
a  track  of  standard  gauge.  The  grades  are  few, 
and,  as  a  rule,  are  light,  although,  in  one  in.stance, 
the  gradient  is  eighty-four  feet  to  the  mile. 
There  are  more  than  19  miles  of  curves,  the  maxi- 
mum being  sixteen  degrees.  The  rails  are  of 
iron,  thirty-five  pounds  to  the  yard,  road  not 
ballasted.  Capital  stock  outstanding  (1895), 
$636,794;  bonded  debt,  §484,000;  miscellaneous 
obligations,  §462,362;  total  capitalization.  $1,583.- 
156.  The  line  from  Havana  to  Fairview  (31  miles) 
was  chartered  in  1 878  and  opened  in  1880  and  the 
extension  from  Fairview  to  Galesburg  chartered 
in  1881  and  opened  in  1882. 

FUNK,  Ii^aao,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  Ky.,  Nov.  17,  1797;  grew  up  with  meager 
educational  advantages  and,  in  1823,  came  to  Illi- 
nois, finally  settling  at  what  afterwards  became 
known  as  Funk's  Grove  in  McLean  County. 
Here,  with  no  other  capital  than  industry,  per- 
severance, and  integrity,  Mr.  Funk  began  laying 
the  foundation  of  one  of  the  most  ample  fortunes 
ever  acquired  in  Illinois  outside  the  domain  of 
trade  or  speculation.  By  agriculture  and  dealing 
in  livestock,  he  became  the  possessor  of  a  large 
area  of  the  finest  farming  lands  in  the  State, 
which  he  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
leaving  an  estate  valued  at  his  death  at  not  less 
than  S2. 000. 000.  Mr.  Funk  served  three  sessions 
in  the  General  Assembly,  first  as  Representative 
in  the  Twelfth  (1840-42),  and  as  Senator  in  the 
Twenty-third  and  Tweuty-foiuth  (1862-66),  dying 
before  the  close  of  his  last  term,  Jan.  29,  1865. 
Originally  a  "Whig  in  politics,  he  became  a  Repub- 
lican on  the  organization  of  that  party,  and  gave 


a  liberal  and  patriotic  support  to  the  Government 
during  the  war  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 
During  the  session  of  the  Twenty-third  General 
Assembly,  in  February.  1863,  he  delivered  a 
speech  in  the  Senate  in  indignant  comlemnation 
of  the  policy  of  the  anti-war  factionists,  which, 
although  couched  in  homely  language,  aroused 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  friends  of  the  Government 
throughout  the  State  and  won  for  its  author  a 
prominent  place  in  State  history. ^Benjamin  F. 
(Funk),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Funk's 
Grove  Township.  McLean  County,  111.,  Oct.  17, 
1838.  After  leaving  the  district  schools,  he 
entered  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Blooming- 
ton,  but  suspended  his  studies  to  enter  the  army 
in  1862,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Sixty  eighth 
Illinois  Volunteers.  After  five  months'  service 
he  was  honorablj'  discharged,  and  reentered  the 
University,  completing  a  three-years'  course. 
For  three  years  after  graduation  he  followed 
farming  as  an  avocation,  and.  in  1809,  took  up 
his  residence  at  Bloomington.  In  1871  he  was 
chosen  Mayor,  and  served  seven  consecutive 
terms.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention  of  1888,  and  was  the  suc- 
cessful candidate  of  that  party,  in  1892,  for  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  from  the  Fourteenth  Illinois 
District. — Lafajette  (Funk),  another  son  of  Isaac 
Funk,  was  a  Representative  from  McLean  County 
in  the  Thirty  thinl  General  Assembly  and  Sena- 
tor in  the  Thirty-fourth  and  Thirty-fifth.  Other 
sons  who  have  occupied  seats  in  the  same  body 
include  George  W.,  Representative  in  the  Twenty- 
seventh,  and  Duncan  M.,  Representative  in  the 
Fortieth  and  Forty-first  As,semblies  The  Fimk 
family  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  affairs  of 
McLean  County  for  a  generation,  and  its  mem- 
bers have  occupied  many  other  positions  of  im- 
portance and  influence,  besidesthose  named,  under 
the  State,  County  and  municipal  governments. 

GAGE,  Lyman  J.,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
was  born  in  l)e  Kuyter,  Madison  County,  N.  Y., 
June  28,  1836 ;  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  his  native  county,  and,  on  the  removal  of 
his  parents,  in  1848,  to  Rome,  N.  Y.,  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  instruction  in  an  academy.  At 
the  age  of  17  he  entered  the  employment  of  the 
Oneida  Central  Bank  as  office-boy  and  general 
utility  clerk,  but,  two  years  afterwards,  came  to 
Chicago,  first  securing  employment  in  a  planing 
mill,  and,  in  1858.  obtaining  a  position  as  book- 
keeper of  the  Merchants'  Loan  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, at  a  salary  of  $500  a  year.  By  1861  he  had 
been  advanced  to  the  position  of  cashier  of  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


181 


concern,  but,  in  1868,  he  accepted  the  cashiership 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  of  wliich 
he  became  the  Vice-President  in  1881  and,  in 
1891,  the  President.  Jlr.  Gage  was  also  one  of  the 
prominent  factors  in  securing  tlie  location  of  the 
World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  becoming  one  of  the 
guarantors  of  the  §10,000,000  promised  to  be  raised 
by  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  being  finally  chosen 
the  first  President  of  tlie  Exposition  Company. 
He  also  presided  over  the  bankers'  section  of  the 
World's  Congress  Auxiliary  in  1893,  and,  for  a 
number  of  years,  was  President  of  the  Civic  Feder- 
ation of  Chicago.  On  the  assumption  of  the 
Presidency  by  President  McKiuley,  in  March, 
1897,  Mr.  Gage  was  selected  for  the  position  of 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  which  he  has  con- 
tinued to  occupy  up  to  the  present  time  ( 1899). 

U.VLATIA,  a  village  of  Saline  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  40  miles  southeast  of 
Duquoin;  lias  a  bank;  leading  imlustry  is  coal- 
mining.    Population  (1890),  519;  (1900),  642. 

UALE,  Geor§:e  Washington,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
clergyman  and  educator,  was  born  in  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  3,  1789.  Left  an  orphan  at 
eight  years  of  age,  he  fell  to  the  care  of  older 
sisters  who  inherited  tlie  vigorous  character  of 
their  father,  which  they  instilled  into  the  son. 
He  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1814,  and,  hav- 
ing taken  a  course  in  the  Theological  Seminary 
at  Princeton,  in  1816  was  licensed  by  the  Hudson 
Presbytery  and  assumed  the  charge  of  building 
up  new  churches  in  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y., 
serving  also  for  six  years  as  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Adams.  Here  his  labors  were 
attended  by  a  revival  in  which  Charles  G.  Fin- 
ney, the  eloquent  evangelist,  and  other  eminent 
men  were  converts.  Having  resigned  his  charge 
at  Adams  on  account  of  illness,  he  spent  the 
winter  of  1823-24  in  Virginia,  where  his  views 
were  enlarged  by  contact  with  a  new  class  of 
people.  Later,  removing  to  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y.,  by  his  marriage  with  Harriet  Selden  he 
acquired  a  considerable  property,  insuring  an 
income  which  enabled  him  to  extend  the  field  of 
his  labors.  The  result  was  the  establishment  of 
the  Oneida  Institute,  a  manual  labor  school,  at 
Whitesboro,  with  which  he  remained  from  1827 
to  1834,  and  out  of  which  grew  Lane  Seminary 
and  Oberlin  and  Knox  Colleges.  In  1835  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  establishing  a  colony  and  an 
institution  of  learning  in  the  West,  and  a  com- 
mittee representing  a  party  of  proposed  colonists 
was  appointed  to  make  a  selection  of  a  site,  which 
resulted,  in  the  following  year,  in  the  choice  of 
a  location  in  Knox  County,  111.,  including   the 


site  of  the  present  city  of  Galesburg,  which  was 
named  in  honor  of  Mr.  Gale,  as  tlie  liead  of  the 
enterprise.  Here,  in  1837,  were  taken  the  first 
practical  steps  in  carrying  out  plans  which  had 
been  previously  matured  in  New  York,  for  the 
establishment  of  an  institution  which  first 
received  the  name  of  Knox  Manual  Labor  Col- 
lege. The  manual  labor  feature  having  been 
finally  discarded,  the  institution  took  the  name 
of  Knox  College  in  1857.  Mr.  Gale  was  the  lead- 
ing promoter  of  the  enterprise,  by  a  liberal  dona- 
tion of  lands  contributing  to  its  first  endowment, 
and,  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  being 
intimately  identified  with  its  history.  From 
1840  to  '42  he  served  in  the  capacity  of  acting 
Professor  of  Ancient  Languages,  and,  for  fifteen 
years  thereafter,  as  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy 
and  Rhetoric.  Died,  at  Galesburg,  Sept.  31,  1861. 
—William  Selden  (Gale),  oldest  son  of  the  preced- 
ing, was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb. 
15,  1822,  came  with  his  father  to  Galesburg,  111., 
in  1836,  and  was  educated  there.  Having  read 
law  with  the  Hon.  James  Knox,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1845,  but  practiced  only  a  few  years, 
as  he  began  to  turn  his  attention  to  measures  for 
the  development  of  the  country.  One  of  these 
was  the  Central  Military  Tract  Railroad  (now  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy),  of  which  he  was 
the  most  active  promoter  and  a  Director.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of 
Knox  County,  from  the  adoption  of  township 
organization  in  1853  to  1895,  with  the  exception 
of  four  years,  and,  during  the  long  controversy 
which  resulted  in  the  location  of  the  county-seat 
at  Galesburg,  was  the  leader  of  the  Galesburg 
party,  and  subsequently  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  erection  of  public  buildings  there.  Other 
positions  held  by  him  include  the  office  of  Post- 
master of  the  city  of  Galesburg,  1849-53;  member 
of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1862, 
and  Representative  in  the  Twenty-sixth  General 
Assembly  (1870-72);  Presidential  Elector  in  1872; 
Delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
of  1880;  City  Alderman,  1872-83  and  1891-95; 
member  of  the  Commission  apjiointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  in  1885  to  revise  the  State  Revenue 
Laws;  by  appointment  of  President  Harrison, 
Superintendent  of  the  Galesburg  Government 
Building,  and  a  long  term  Trustee  of  the  Illinois 
Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Rock  Island,  by 
appointment  of  Governor  Altgeld.  He  has  also 
been  a  frequent  representative  of  his  party 
(the  Republican)  in  State  and  District  Conven- 
tions, and,  since  1861,  has  been  an  active  and 
leading    member  of   the   Board  of   Trustees   of 


183 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Knox  College.  Mr.  Gale  was  mariieJ,  Oct.  6, 
1845,  to  Miss  Caroline  Ferris,  granddaughter  of 
the  financial  representative  of  the  Galesburg 
Colony  of  1836,  and  has  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living.    Died  Sep.  1 ,  1900. 

GALE?JA,'the  countj'-seat  of  Jo  Daviess  Coxinty, 
a  city  and  port  of  entry,  l.'jO  miles  in  a  direct  line 
west  by  northwest  of  Chicago;  is  located  on 
Galena  River,  about  41.3  miles  above  its  junction 
with  the  Mississippi,  and  is  an  intersecting  point 
for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  A-  Quincy,  tlie  North- 
western, and  tlie  Illinois  Central  Uailioads,  with 
connections  by  stub  with  the  Chicago  Great 
Western.  It  is  built  partially  in  a  valley  and 
partially  on  the  bluffs  which  overlook  the  river, 
the  Galena  River  being  made  navigable  for  ves- 
sels of  deep  draught  by  a  system  of  lockage.  The 
vicinity  abounds  in  rich  mines  of  sulphide  of  lead 
''galena),  from  which  the  city  takes  its  name. 
Galena  is  adorned  by  handsome  public  and  priv- 
ate buildings  and  a  beautiful  i)ark,  in  which 
stands  a  fine  bronze  statue  of  General  Grant,  and 
a  symmetrical  monument  dedicated  to  the  sol- 
diers and  sailors  of  Jo  Daviess  County  who  lost 
their  lives  during  the  Civil  War.  Its  industries 
include  a  furniture  factory,  a  table  factory,  two 
foundries,  a  tub  factory  and  a  carriage  factory. 
Zinc  ore  is  now  being  produced  in  and  near  the 
city  in  large  quantities,  and  its  mining  intere.sts 
will  become  vast  at  no  distant  day.  It  owns  an 
electric  light  plant,  and  water  is  furnished  from 
an  artesian  well  1,700  feet  deep.  Galena  was  one 
of  the  earliest  towns  in  Northern  Illinois  to  be 
settleil,  its  mines  having  been  worked  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Many  men 
of  distinction  in  State  and  National  affairs  came 
from  Galena,  among  whom  were  Gen.  U.  S. 
Grant,  Gen.  John  A.  Rawlins.  Gen.  John  E. 
Smith.  Gen.  John  C.  Smith.  Gen.  A.  L.  Chetlain, 
Gen.  John  O.  Duer,  Gen.  W,  R  Rowley,  Gen.  E. 
D.  Baker,  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne.  Secretary  of 
State  under  Grant,  Hon.  Thompson  Campbell, 
Secretary  of  State  of  Illinois,  and  Judge  Drum- 
mond.     Population  (1890),  .5.68.5;  (1900).  5,005. 

GALENA  &  CHICAGO  UNION  RAILRO.VD. 
(See  Chicago  &■  Northwestern  Railway.) 

GALESBUR(i,the  county-seat  of  Knox  County 
and  an  important  educational  center.  The  first 
settlers  were  emigrants  from  the  East,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  them  being  members  of  a  colony  organ- 
ized by  Rev.  George  W.  Gale,  of  Whitesboro, 
N.  Y. ,  in  whose  honor  the  original  village  was 
named.  It  is  situated  in  the  heart  of  a  rich 
agricultural  district  53  miles  northwest  of  Peoria, 
99  miles  northeast  of  Quincy  and  163  miles  south- 


west of  Chicago;  is  an  important  railway  center, 
being  at  the  jiiiu-tion  of  the  main  line  with  two 
branch  linesof  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy, 
and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroads. 
It  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in  1841,  and  as  a 
city  by  special  charter  in  1857.  There  are  beauti- 
ful parks  and  the  residence  streets  are  well 
shaded,  while  25  miles  of  street  are  paved  with 
vitrified  brick.  The  citj'  owns  a  system  of  water- 
works receiving  its  supply  from  artesian  wells 
and  artificial  lakes,  has  an  efficient  and  well- 
equipped  paid  fire  department,  an  electric  street 
car  system  with  three  suburban  lines,  gas  and 
electric  lighting  systems,  steam-heating  plant, 
etc.  It  also  has  a  numl)er  of  flourishing  mechan- 
ical industries,  including  two  iron  foundries,  agri- 
cultural implement  works,  flouring  mills,  carriage 
and  wagon  work.t  and  a  broom  factory,  besides 
other  industrial  enterprises  of  minor  importance. 
The  manufacture  of  vitrified  paving  brick  is  quite 
e.xtensively  carried  on  at  plants  near  the  city 
limits,  the  city  itself  being  the  shipping-point 
as  well  as  the  point  of  administrative  control. 
The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 
Company  has  shops  and  stockyards  here,  while 
considerable  coal  is  mined  in  the  vicinity.  The 
public  buildings  include  a  courthouse.  Govern- 
ment postoffice  building,  an  opera  house,  nine- 
teen churches,  ten  public  schools  with  a  high 
s(-hool  and  free  kindergarten,  and  a  handsome 
public  library  building  erected  at  a  cost  of  §100,- 
000.  of  which  one-half  was  contributed  by  Mr. 
Carnegie.  Galesburg  enjoys  its  chief  distinction 
as  the  seat  of  a  large  number  of  high  cla,ss  liter- 
ary institutions,  including  Knox  College  (non- 
sectarian),  Lombard  University  (Universalist), 
and  Corpus  Christi  Lyceum  and  University,  and 
St.  Joseph's  Academy  (both  Roman  Catholic). 
Three  interurban  electric  railroad  lines  connect 
Galesburg  with  neighboring  towns.  Pop.  (1890), 
15,264;  (1900),  18.607. 

(JALLATIN  COrNTV,  one  of  three  counties 
organized  in  Illinois  Territory  in  1812 — the  others 
I)eing  Madison  and  Johnson.  Previous  to  that 
date  the  Territory  had  consisted  of  only  two  coun- 
ties, St.  Clair  and  Randolph.  The  new  county 
was  named  in  honor  of  Albert  Gallatin,  then 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  It  is  situated  on  the 
Ohio  and  Wabash  Rivers,  in  the  extreme  south- 
eastern part  of  the  State,  and  has  an  area  of  349 
square  miles;  population  (1900)  "5,836.  The  first 
cabin  erected  by  an  American  settler  was  the 
home  of  Michael  Sprinkle,  who  settled  at  Shaw- 
neetown  in  1800.  The  place  early  became  an 
important  trading  post  and  distributing  ix)int. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   Of   ILLINOIS. 


183 


A  ferry  across  the  Wabash  was  established  in 
1803,  by  Alexander  Wilson,  whose  descendants 
conducted  it  for  more  than  seventy-five  years. 
Although  Stephen  Rector  made  a  Government 
surrey  as  early  as  1807,  tlie  public  lands  were  not 
placed  on  the  market  until  1818.  Shawneetown, 
the  county-seat,  is  the  most  important  town, 
having  a  population  of  some  3,300.  Bituminous 
coal  is  found  in  large  quantities,  and  mining  is 
an  important  industry.  Tlie  prosperity  of  the 
county  has  been  much  retarded  by  floods,  particu- 
larly at  Shawneetown  and  Equality.  At  the 
former  point  the  difference  between  high  and 
low  water  mark  in  the  Ohio  River  has  been  as 
much  as  fifty-two  feet. 

GALLOWAY,  Andrew  Jackson,  civil  engineer, 
was  born  of  Scotcli  ancestry  in  Butler  County, 
Pa.,  Dec.  21,  1814;  came  with  his  father  to  Cory- 
don,  Ind.,  in  1830,  took  a  course  in  Hanover  Col- 
lege, graduating  as  a  civil  engineer  in  1837;  then 
came  to  Mount  Carmel.  White  Count)-,  111. ,  with 
a  view  to  employment  on  projected  Illinois  rail- 
roads, but  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  year,  having 
among  his  pupils  a  number  who  have  since  been 
prominent  in  State  affairs.  Later,  he  obtained 
employment  as  an  assistant  engineer,  serving  for 
a  time  under  William  Gooding,  Chief  Engineer  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal;  was  also  Assistant 
Enrolling  and  Engrossing  Clerk  of  the  State 
Senate  in  1840-41,  and  held  the  same  position  in 
the  House  in  1846-47,  and  again  in  1848-49,  in  the 
meantime  having  located  a  farm  in  La  Salle 
County,  where  the  present  city  of  Streator  .stands. 
In  1849  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  Canal 
Trustees,  and.  in  1851,  became  assistant  engineer 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  later  superin- 
tending its  construction,  and  finally  being  tran.s- 
ferred  to  the  land  department,  but  retiring  in 
1855  to  engage  in  real-estate  business  in  Chicago, 
dealing  largely  in  railroad  lands.  Mr.  Galloway 
was  elected  a  County  Commissioner  for  Cook 
County,  and  has  since  been  connected  with  many 
measures  of  local  importance. 

GALVA,  a  town  in  Henry  County,  45  miles 
southeast  of  Rook  Island  and  48  miles  north- 
northwest  of  Peoria;  the  point  of  intersection  of 
the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  and  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railways.  It  stands  at  the 
summit  of  tlie  dividing  ridge  between  the  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Illinois  Rivers,  and  is  a  manufac- 
turing and  coal-mining  town.  It  has  eight 
churches,  three  banks,  good  schools,  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  The  surrounding  country 
is  agricultural  and  wealtliy,  and  is  rich  in  coal. 
Population  (1890),  2,409;  (1900),  3,683. 


GARDNER,  a  village  in  Garfield  Township, 
Grundy  Coimty,  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road, 65  miles  south-southwest  of  Cliicago  and  26 
miles  north-northeast  of  Pontiac;  on  the  Kanka- 
kee and  Seneca  branch  of  the  "Big  Four,"  and 
the  Elgin.  .Joliet  &  Eastern  R.  R.  Coal-mining 
is  the  principal  industry.  Gardner  has  two 
banks,  four  cliurclies,  a  liigh  school,  and  a  weekly 
paper.     Population  (1890),  1.094;  (1900).  1,036. 

GARI»ER,  COAL  CITY  &  NORMANTOWN 
RAILWAY.  (See  Ehjiii,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Rail 
imy. ) 

GARY,  Joseph  Easton,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  of  Puritan  ancestry,  at  Potsdam,  St.  Law- 
rence County,  N.  Y.,  July  9,  1821  His  early 
educational  advantages  were  such  as  were  fur- 
nished by  district  schools  and  a  village  academy, 
and,  until  he  was  23  years  old,  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  bench.  In  1843  he  removed  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  studied  law.  After  admis- 
sion to  the  bar,  he  practiced  for  five  years  in 
Southwest  Missouri,  thence  going  to  Las  Vegas, 
N.  M.,  in  1849,  and  to  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  in 
1853.  In  1856  he  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  After  seven  years  of  active 
practice  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  Cook  County,  where  he  has  sat 
for  thirty  years,  being  four  times  nominated  by 
both  political  parties,  and  his  last  re-election — for 
a  term  of  six  years,  occurring  in  1893.  He  pre- 
sided at  the  trial  of  the  Chicago  anarchists  in 
1886 — one  of  the  causes  celebres  of  Illinois.  Some 
of  his  rulings  therein  were  sharply  criticised,  but 
he  was  upheld  by  the  com'ts  of  appellate  jurisdic- 
tion, and  his  connection  with  the  case  has  given 
him  world-wide  fame.  In  November,  1888,  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  transferred  him  to  the 
bench  of  the  Appellate  Court,  of  which  tribunal 
he  has  been  three  times  Chief  Justice. 

GASSETTE,  Norman  Theodore,  real-estate 
operator,  wasbornatTownsend.Vt.,  April  21,  1839, 
came  to  Chicago  at  ten  years  of  age,  and,  after 
spending  a  year  at  Shurtletf  College,  took  a  prepar- 
atory collegiate  course  at  the  Atwater  Institute, 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  Nineteenth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers,  rising  in  the  second  year  to  the  rank 
of  First  Lieutenant,  and,  at  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga,  by  gallantry  displayed  while  serving  as 
an  Aid-de-Camp,  winning  a  recommendation 
for  a  brevet  Lieutenant-Colonelcy.  The  war 
over,  he  served  one  term  as  Clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court  and  Recorder,  but  later  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  and  loan  business  as  the  head  of  the  exten- 
sive firm  of  Norman  T.  Ga.ssette  &  Co.     He  was  j. 


184 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Republican  in  politics,  active  in  Grand  Army 
circles  and  prominent  as  a  Mason,  holding  the 
position  of  Eminent  Grand  Commander  of 
Knights  Templar  of  Illinois  on  occasion  of  the 
Triennial  Conclave  in  Washington  in  1889.  He 
also  had  charge,  as  President  of  the  Masonic 
Fraternity  Temple  Association  of  Chicago,  for 
some  time  prior  to  his  decease,  of  the  erection  of 
the  Masonic  Temple  of  Chicago.  Died,  in  Clii- 
cago,  March  26,  1891. 

GATEWOOD,  William  Jefferson,  early  lawyer, 
was  born  in  "Warren  Count}',  Ky.,  came  to 
FrankUn  County,  111.,  in  boyhood,  removed  to 
Shawneetown  in  1823,  where  he  taught  school 
two  or  three  years  while  studying  law;  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1828,  and  served  in  five 
General  Assemblies — as  Representative  in  1830-32, 
and  as  Senator,  1834-42.  He  is  described  as  a  man 
of  fine  education  and  brilliant  talents.  Died, 
Jan.  8,  1842. 

GATJLT,  John  C,  railway  manager,  was  born 
at  Hooksett.  N.  H.,  May  1,  1829;  in  1850  entered 
the  local  freight  office  of  the  JIanchester  &  Law- 
rence Railroad,  later  becoming  General  Freight 
Agent  of  the  Vermont  Central.  Coming  to  Chi- 
cago in  1859,  he  successively  filled  the  positions 
of  Superintendent  of  Transportation  on  the 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union,  and  (after  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  latter  with  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western), that  of  Division  Superintendent, 
General  Freight  Agent  and  Assistant  General 
Manager;  Assistant  General  Manager  of  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul;  General  Mana- 
ger of  the  Wabash  (1879-83);  Arbitrator  for  the 
trunk  lines  (1883-85),  and  General  Manager  of 
the  Cincinnati,  New  Orleans  &  Texas  Pacific 
(1885-90).  when  he  retired.  Died,  in  Chicago, 
August  29,  1891. 

GEXERAL  ASSEMBLIES.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  General  Assemblies  which  have  met 
since  the  admission  of  IlUnois  as  a  State  up  to 
1898 — from  the  First  to  the  Fortieth  inclusive — 
with  the  more  important  acts  passed  by  each  and 
the  duration  of  their  respective  sessions: 

First  General  Assembly  held  two  sessions, 
the  first  convening  at  Kaskaskia,  the  State  Capi- 
tal, Oct.  5,  and  adjourning  Oct.  13,  1818.  The 
second  met,  Jan.  4,  1819,  continuing  to  March  31. 
Lieut-Gov.  Pierre  Menard  presided  over  the  Sen- 
ate, consisting  of  thirteen  members,  while  John 
Messinger  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House, 
containing  twenty-seven  members.  The  most 
important  business  transacted  at  the  first  session 
was  the  election  of  two  United  States  Senators— 
Ninian  Edwards  and  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Sr.— and 


the  filling  of  minor  State  and  judicial  offices.  At 
the  second  session  a  code  of  laws  was  enacted, 
copied  chiefly  from  the  Virginia  and  Kentucky 
statutes,  including  the  law  concerning  "negroes 
and  mulattoes,"  which  long  remained  on  the 
statute  book.  An  act  was  also  passed  apjwinting 
Commissioners  to  select  a  site  for  a  new  State 
Capital,  which  resulted  in  its  location  at  Van- 
dalia.  The  sessions  were  held  in  a  stone  building 
with  gambrel-roof  pierced  by  dormer-windows, 
the  Senate  occupying  the  lower  floor  and  the 
House  the  upper.  The  length  of  the  first  session 
was  nine  days,  and  of  the  second  eighty-seven — 
total,  ninety-six  days. 

Second  General  Assembly  convened  at  Van- 
dalia,  Dec.  4,  1820.  It  consisted  of  fourteen 
Senators  and  twenty-nine  Representatives.  John 
McLean,  of  Gallatin  County,  was  chosen  Speaker 
of  the  House.  A  leading  topic  of  discussion  was 
the  incorporation  of  a  State  Bank.  Money  was 
scarce  and  there  was  a  strong  popular  demand 
for  an  increase  of  circulating  medium.  To 
appease  this  clamor,  no  less  than  to  relieve  traders 
and  agriculturists,  this  General  Assembly  estab- 
lished a  State  Bank  (see  State  Bank),  despite 
tlie  earnest  protest  of  McLean  and  the  executive 
veto.  A  stay-law  was  also  enacted  at  this  ses.sion 
for  the  benefit  of  the  debtor  class.  The  number 
of  members  of  the  next  Legislature  was  fixed  at 
eighteen  Senators  and  thirty-six  Representatives 
— this  provision  remaining  in  force  until  1831. 
The  session  ended  Feb.  15,  having  lasted  seventy- 
four  days. 

TiuRD  General  Assembly  convened,  Dec.  2, 

1822.  Lieutenant-Governor  Hubbard  presided  in 
the  Senate,  while  in  the  organization  of  the 
lower  house,  William  M.  Alexander  was  chosen 
Si)<>aker.  Governor  Coles,  in  his  inaugural, 
called  attention  to  the  existence  of  slavery  in 
Illinois  despite  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  and  urged 
the  adoption  of  repressive  measures.  Both 
branches  of  the  Legislature  being  pro-slavery  in 
sympathy,  the  Governor's  address  provoked 
bitter  and    determined   opposition.     On  Jan.  9, 

1823,  Jesse  B.  Thomas  was  re-elected  United 
States  Senator,  defeating  John  Reynolds,  Leonard 
White  and  Samuel  D.  Ix)ckwood.  After  electing 
Mr.  Thomas  and  choosing  State  ofiicers,  the 
General  As.sembly  proceeded  to  discuss  the  major- 
ity and  minority  reports  of  the  committee  to 
which  had  been  referred  the  Governor's  address. 
The  minority  report  recommended  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  while  that  of  the  majority  favored 
the  adoption  of  a  resolution  calling  a  convention 
to  amend  the  Constitution,  the  avowed  object 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


185 


being  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State.  The  latter 
report  was  adopted,  but  the  pro-slavery  party  in 
the  House  lacked  one  vote  of  the  number  neces- 
sary to  carry  the  resolution  by  the  constitutional 
two-thirds  majority.  What  followed  has  always 
been  regarded  as  a  blot  upon  the  record  of  tlie 
Third  General  Assembly.  Nicholas  Hansen,  who 
had  been  awarded  the  seat  from  Pike  County 
at  the  beginning  of  the  session  after  a  contest 
brought  by  his  opponent,  John  Shaw,  was  un- 
seated after  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  to 
reconsider  the  vote  by  which  he  had  been  several 
weeks  before  declared  elected.  Shaw  having 
thus  been  seated,  the  resolution  was  carried  by 
the  neces,sary  twenty-four  votes.  Jlr.  Hansen, 
although  previously  regarded  as  a  pro-slavery 
man,  had  voted  with  the  minority  when  the 
resolution  was  first  put  upon  its  passage.  Hence 
followed  his  deprivation  of  his  seat.  The  triumph 
of  the  friends  of  the  convention  was  celebrated 
by  what  Gov.  John  Reynolds  (himself  a  conven- 
tionist)  characterized  as  "a  wild  and  indecorous 
procession  by  torchlight  and  liquor."  (See 
Slavery  and  Slave  Lau-s.)  The  session  adjourned 
Feb.  18,  having  continued  seventy-nine  days. 

Fourth  General  Assembly.  This  body  held 
two  sessions,  the  first  being  convened,  Nov.  15, 
1824,  by  proclamation  of  the  Executive,  some 
three  weeks  before  the  date  for  the  regular 
session,  in  order  to  correct  a  defect  in  the  law 
relative  to  counting  the  returns  for  Presidential 
Electors.  Thomas  Mather  was  elected  Speaker 
of  the  House,  while  Lieutenant-Governor  Hub- 
bard presided  in  the  Senate.  Having  amended 
the  law  concerning  the  election  returns  for  Presi- 
dential Electors,  the  Assembly  proceeded  to  the 
election  of  two  United  States  Senators — one  to 
fill  the  imexpired  term  of  ex-Senator  Edwards 
(resigned)  and  the  other  for  the  full  term  begin- 
ning March  4,  1825.  John  McLean  was  chosen 
for  the  first  and  Elias  Kent  Kane  for  the  second. 
Five  circuit  judgeships  were  created,  and  it  was 
provided  tliat  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court 
should  consist  of  four  Judges,  and  that  semi- 
annual sessions  of  that  tribunal  should  be  held  at 
the  State  capital.  (See  Judicial  Department.) 
The  regular  session  came  to  an  end,  Jan.  18,  1825, 
but  at  its  own  request,  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  acting  Governor  Hubbard  re-convened  the 
body  in  special  session  on  Jan.  2,  1826,  to  enact  a 
new  apportionment  law  under  the  census  of  1825. 
A  sine  die  adjournment  was  taken,  Jan.  28,  1826. 
One  of  the  important  acts  of  the  regular  session 
of  1825  was  the  adoption  of  the  first  free-school 
law  in  Illinois,  the  measure  having  been  intro- 


duced by  Joseph  Duncan,  afterwards  Governor  of 
the  State.  This  Legislature  was  in  se.ssiou  a  total 
of  ninety-two  days,  of  which  sixty-five  were 
during  the  first  session  and  twenty-seven  during 
the  second. 

Fifth  General  Assembly  convened,  Dec.  4, 
1826,  Lieutenant-Governor  Kinney  presiding  in 
the  Senate  and  John  McLean  in  the  House.  At 
the  request  of  the  Governor  an  investigation  into 
the  management  of  the  bank  at  Edwardsville  was 
had,  resulting,  however,  in  the  exoneration  of  its 
officers.  The  circuit  judgeships  created  by  the 
preceding  Legislature  were  abrogated  and  their 
incumbents  legislated  out  of  office.  The  State 
was  divided  into  four  circuits,  one  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  being  assigned  to  each.  (See 
Judicial  Department.)  This  General  Assembly 
also  elected  a  State  Treasurer  to  succeed  Abner 
Field,  James  Hall  being  chosen  on  the  ninth 
ballot.  The  Supreme  Court  Judges,  as  directed 
by  the  preceding  Legislature,  presented  a  well 
digested  report  on  the  revision  of  the  laws,  which 
was  adopted  without  material  alteration.  One  of 
the  important  measures  enacted  at  this  session 
was  an  act  establishing  a  State  penitentiary,  the 
funds  for  its  erection  being  obtained  by  the 
sale  of  saline  lands  in  Gallatin  County.  (See 
Alton  Penitentiary;  also  Salt  Manufacture.) 
The  session  ended  Feb.  19  —  having  continued 
seventy-eight  days. 

Sixth  General  Assembly  convened,  Dec.  1, 
1828.  The  Jackson  Democrats  had  a  large  major- 
ity in  both  houses.  John  McLean  was,  for  the 
third  time,  elected  Speaker  of  the  House,  and, 
later  in  the  session,  was  elected  United  States 
Senator  by  a  unanimous  vote.  A  Secretary  of 
State,  Treasurer  and  Attorney-General  were  also 
appointed  or  elected.  The  most  important  legis- 
lation of  the  session  was  as  follows :  Authorizing 
the  sale  of  school  lands  and  the  borrowing  of  the 
proceeds  from  the  school  fund  for  the  ordinary 
governmental  expenses;  providing  for  a  return 
to  the  viva  voce  method  of  voting;  creating  a 
fifth  judicial  circuit  and  appointing  a  Judge 
therefor ;  providing  for  the  appointment  of  Com- 
missioners to  determine  upon  the  route  of  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  to  sell  lands  and  com- 
mence its  construction.  The  Assembly  adjourned, 
Jan.  23, 1829,  having  been  in  session  fifty-four  days. 
Seventh  General  Assembly  met,  Dec.  6, 1830. 
The  newly-elected  Lieutenant-Governor,  Zadoc 
Casey,  and  William  L.  D.  Ewing  presided 
over  the  two  houses,  respectively.  John  Rey- 
nolds was  Governor,  and,  the  majority  of  the 
Senate  being  made  up  of  his  political  adversaries, 


186 


HI8T0RICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


experienced  no  little  difiioulty  in  securing  the 
confirmation  of  liis  nominees.  Two  United 
States  Senators  were  elected:  Elias  K.  Kane 
being  chosen  to  succeed  himself  and  John  M. 
Robinson  to  serve  the  unexpired  term  of  John 
McLean,  deceased.  Tlie  United  States  census  of 
1830  gave  Illinois  three  Representatives  in  Con- 
gress instead  of  one,  and  this  General  Assembly 
passed  a  re-apportioument  law  accordingly.  The 
number  of  State  Senators  was  increased  to 
twenty-six,  and  of  members  of  the  lower  house 
to  fifty-five.  The  criminal  code  was  amended  by 
the  substitution  of  imprisonment  in  the  peni- 
tentiary as  a  penalty  in  lieu  of  the  stocks  and 
public  Hogging.  This  Legislature  also  authorized 
the  borrowing  of  §100,000  to  redeem  the  notes  of 
the  State  Bank  whicli  were  to  mature  the  follow- 
ing yeai'.  The  Assembly  adjourned,  Feb.  16,  lb31, 
the  session  having  lasted  seventy-three  days. 

Eighth  General  Assembly.  The  session 
began  Dec.  3,  1832,  and  ended  March  2,  1833. 
William  L.  D.  Ewing  was  chosen  President  pro 
tempore  of  the  Senate,  and  succeeded  Zadoc 
Casey  as  Lieutenant-Governor,  the  latter  having 
been  elected  a  Representative  in  Congress. 
Alexander  M.  Jenkins  jiresided  over  the  House  as 
Speaker.  This  Legislature  enacted  the  first  gen- 
eral incorporation  laws  of  Illinois,  their  provisions 
being  applicable  to  towns  and  public  libraries. 
It  also  incorporated  several  railroad  companies, 
— one  line  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Illinois 
River  (projected  as  a  substitute  for  the  canal), 
one  from  Peru  to  Cairo,  and  another  to  cross  the 
State,  running  through  Springfield.  Other  char- 
ters were  granted  for  shorter  lines,  but  the  incor- 
porators generally  failed  to  organize  under  them. 
A  notable  inci  dent  in  connection  with  this  session 
was  the  attempt  to  impeach  Theophilus  W.  Smith, 
a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  This  was  the  first 
and  last  trial  of  this  character  in  the  State's  his- 
tory, between  1818  and  1899.  Failing  to  secure  a 
conviction  in  the  Senate  (where  the  vote  stood 
twelve  for  conviction  and  ten  for  acquittal,  with 
four  Senators  excused  from  voting),  the  House 
attempted  to  remove  him  by  address,  but  in  this 
the  Senate  refused  to  conciu'.  The  first  mechan- 
ics' lien  law  was  enacted  by  this  Legislature, 
as  also  a  law  relating  to  the  "right  of  way"  foi- 
"public  roads,  canals,  or  other  public  works.'' 
The  length  of  the  session  was  ninety  days. 

Ninth  General  Assembly.  This  Legislature 
held  two  sessions.  The  first  began  Dec.  1.  1834. 
and  lasted  to  Feb.  13,  1835.  Lieutenant-Governor 
Jenkins  presided  in  the  Senate  and  James  Semple 
was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House  without  oppo- 


sition. Oq  Dec.  20,  John  M.  Robinson  was  re- 
elected United  States  Senator  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  among  the  new  members,  but  took  no  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  discussions  of  the  body.  The 
principal  public  laws  passed  at  this  session  were: 
Providing  for  the  borrowing  of  §500,000  to  be 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  &  Michi- 
gan Canal  ami  the  appointment  of  a  Board  of 
Commissioners  to  supervise  its  expenditure; 
incorporating  the  Bank  of  the  State  of  Illinois; 
and  authorizing  a  loan  of  §12,000  by  Cook  County, 
at  10  per  cent  interest  per  annum  from  the 
county  school  fund,  for  the  erection  of  a  court 
house  in  that  county.  The  second  session  of  this 
Assembly  convened,  Dec.  7,  1835,  adjourning.  Jan. 
18,  1836.  A  new  canal  act  was  passed,  enlarging 
the  Commissioners'  powers  and  pledging  the  faith 
of  the  .State  for  the  repayment  of  money  bor- 
rowed to  aid  in  its  construction.  A  new  appor- 
tionment law  was  also  passed  providing  for  the 
election  of  forty-one  Senators  and  ninety-one 
Representatives,  and  W.  L.  D.  Ewing  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  to  succeed  Elias  K.  Kane, 
deceased.  Tlie  length  of  the  first  session  was 
seventy-five  days,  and  of  the  second  forty -three 
days— total,  118. 

Tenth  General  Assembly,  like  its  predeces- 
sor, held  two  sessions.  The  first  convened  Dec.  5, 
1836,  and  adjourned  March  6,  1837.  The  Whigs 
controlled  the  Senate  by  a  large  majority,  and 
elected  William  II.  Davidson,  of  White  County, 
President,  to  succeed  Alexander  M.  Jenkins,  who 
had  resigned  the  Lieutenant-Governorship.  (See 
Jenkins.  Alcjcander  M.)  James  Semple  was 
re-elected  Speaker  of  the  House,  which  was 
fully  two-tliirds  Democratic.  This  Legislature 
was  remarkable  for  the  number  of  its  members 
who  afterwards  attained  National  prominence. 
Lincoln  and  Douglas  sat  in  the  lower  house,  both 
voting  for  the  same  candidate  for  Speaker — New- 
ton Cloud,  an  independent  Democrat.  Besides 
these,  the  rolls  of  this  Assembly  included  the 
names  of  a  future  Governor,  six  future  United 
States  Senators,  eight  Congressmen,  three  Illinois 
Supreme  Court  Judges,  seven  State  officers,  and 
a  Cabinet  officer.  The  two  absorbing  topics  for 
legislative  discussion  ami  action  were  the  system 
of  internal  improvements  and  the  removal  of  the 
State  capital.  (See  Internal  Improvement  Policy 
and  State  Capital's. )  The  friends  of  Springfield 
finally  effected  such  a  combination  that  that  city 
was  selected  as  the  seat  of  the  State  government, 
while  the  Internal  Improvement  Act  was  passed 
over  the  veto  of  Governor  Duncan.  A  second 
session  of  this  Legislature  met  on  the  call  of  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


187 


Governor,  July  10,  1837,  and  adjourned  July  22. 
An  act  legalizing  the  suspension  of  State  banks 
was  adopted,  but  the  recommendation  of  tlie  Gov- 
ernor for  the  repeal  of  the  internal  improvement 
legislation  was  ignored.  Tlie  length  of  the  first 
session  was  ninety-two  days  and  of  the  second 
thirteen — total  10.5. 

Eleventh  General  Assembly.  This  body 
held  both  a  regular  and  a  special  session.  Tlie 
former  met  Dec.  3.  1838,  and  adjourned  March  4, 
1839.  The  Wliigs  were  in  a  majority  in  botli 
liouses,  and  controlled  the  organization  of  the 
Senate.  In  the  House,  however,  their  candidate 
for  Speaker — Abraham  Lincoln — failing  to  secure 
his  full  party  vote,  was  defeated  by  W.  L.  D. 
Evving.  At  this  session  §800,000  more  was  appro- 
])riated  for  the  "improvement  of  water-ways  and 
the  con.struction  of  railroads, "  all  efforts  to  put  an 
end  to,  or  even  curtail,  further  expenditures  on 
account  of  internal  improvements  meeting  with 
defeat.  An  appropriation  (the  first)  was  made 
for  a  library  for  the  Supreme  Court ;  the  Illinois 
Institution  for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb  was  established,  and  the  further  issuance 
of  bank  notes  of  a  smaller  denomination  than  S5 
was  prohibited.  By  this  time  the  State  debt  had 
increased  to  over  §13,000,000,  and  both  the  people 
and  the  Governor  were  becoming  apprehensive  as 
to  ultimate  results  of  this  prodigal  outlay.  A 
crisis  ai^peared  imminent,  and  the  Governor,  on 
Dec.  9,  1839,  convened  the  Legislature  in  special 
session  to  consider  the  situation.  (This  was  the 
first  session  ever  held  at  Springfield;  and,  the  new 
State  House  not  being  completed,  the  Senate,  the 
House  and  the  Supreme  Court  found  accommo- 
dation in  three  of  the  principal  church  edifices.) 
The  struggle  for  a  change  of  State  policy  at  this 
session  was  long  and  hard  fought,  no  heed  being 
given  to  party  lines.  The  outcome  was  the  vir- 
tual abrogation  of  the  entire  internal  improve- 
ment system.  Provision  was  made  for  the  calling 
in  and  destruction  of  all  unsold  bonds  and  the 
speedy  adjustment  of  all  unsettled  accounts  of 
the  old  Board  of  Public  Works,  which  was  legis- 
lated out  of  office.  The  special  session  adjourned 
Feb.  3,  1840.  Length  of  regular  session  ninety- 
two  days,  of  the  special,  fifty-seven — total,  149. 

Twelfth  General  Assembly.  This  Legisla- 
ture was  strongly  Democratic  in  both  branches. 
It  first  convened,  by  executive  proclamation, 
Nov.  23,  1840,  the  object  being  to  provide  for  pay- 
ment of  interest  on  the  public  debt.  In  reference 
to  this  matter  the  following  enactments  were 
made:  Authorizing  the  hypothecation  of  §300,000 
internal  improvement  bonds,  to  meet  the  interest 


due  Jan.  1,  1841;  directing  the  issue  of  bonds  to 
be  sold  in  the  open  market  and  the  proceeds 
applied  toward  discharging  all  amounts  due  on 
interest  account  for  which  no  otiier  provision  was 
made:  levying  a  special  tax  of  ten  cents  on  the 
§100  to  meet  the  interest  on  the  last  mentioned 
class  of  bonds,  as  it  matured.  For  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Northern  Cross  Railroad  (from  Spring- 
field to  Jacksonville)  another  approi)riation  of 
§100,000  was  made.  The  called  session  adjourned, 
sine  die,  on  Dec.  5,  and  the  regular  se.ssion  began 
two  days  later.  The  Senate  was  presided  over  by 
the  Lieutenant-Governor  (Stinson  H.  Anderson), 
and  William  L.  D.  Ewing  was  chosen  Speaker  of 
the  House.  The  most  vital  issue  was  the  propri- 
ety of  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  charter  of 
the  State  Bank,  with  its  branches,  and  here 
party  lines  were  drawn.  The  Whigs  finally 
succeeded  in  averting  the  closing  of  the  institu- 
tions which  had  suspended  specie  payments,  and 
in  securing  for  those  institutions  the  privilege  of 
issuing  small  bills.  A  law  reorganizing  the  judi- 
ciary was  passed  by  the  majority  over  the  execu- 
tive veto,  and  in  face  of  tlie  defection  of  some  of 
its  members.  On  a  partisan  issue  all  the  Circuit 
Judges  were  legislated  out  of  office  and  five  Jus- 
tices added  to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
The  session  was  stormy,  and  the  Assembly  ad- 
journed March  1,  1841.  This  Legislature  was  in 
session  ninety-eight  days — thirteen  during  the 
special  session  and  eighty -five  during  the  regular. 
Thirteenth  General  Assembly  consisted  of 
forty-one  Senators  and  131  Repre.sentatives ;  con- 
vened, Dec.  5,  1842.  The  Senate  and  House  were 
Democratic  by  two-thirds  majority  in  each. 
Lieut. -Gov.  John  Moore  was  presiding  officer  of 
the  Senate  and  Samuel  Hackelton  Speaker  of  the 
House,  with  W.  L.  D.  Ewing,  who  had  been 
acting  Governor  and  United  States  Senator,  as 
Clerk  of  the  latter.  Richard  Yates,  Isaac  N. 
Arnold,  Stephen  T.  Logan  and  Gustavus  Koerner, 
were  among  the  new  members.  The  exi.sting 
situation  seemed  fraught  with  peril.  The  State 
debt  was  nearly  §14.000.000;  immigration  had 
been  checked ;  the  State  and  Shawneetown  banks 
had  gone  down  and  their  cm'rency  was  not  worth 
fifty  cents  on  the  dollar;  Auditor's  warrants  were 
worth  no  more,  and  Illinois  State  bonds  were 
quoted  at  fourteen  cents.  On  Dec.  18.  Judge 
Sidney  Breese  was  elected  United  States  Senator, 
having  defeated  Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  the 
Democratic  caucus  nomination,  on  the  nineteenth 
ballot,  by  a  majority  of  one  vote.  The  State 
Bank  (in  which  the  State  had  been  a  large  share- 
holder) was  permitted  to  go  into  liquid;aion  upon 


188 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


the  surrender  of  State  bonds  in  exchange  for  a 
like  amount  of  bank  stock  owned  bj-  the  State. 
Tlie  same  conditional  release  was  granted  to  the 
bank  at  Shawneetown.  The  net  result  was  a 
reduction  of  the  State  debt  by  about  83,000,000. 
The  Governor  was  authorized  to  negotiate  a 
loan  of  §1,600,000  on  the  credit  of  the  State,  for 
the  purpose  of  prosecuting  the  work  on  the  canal 
and  meeting  the  indebtedness  already  incurred. 
The  Executive  was  also  made  sole  "Fund  Com- 
missioner" and,  in  that  capacity,  was  empowered 
(in  connection  with  the  Auditor)  to  sell  the 
railroads,  etc.,  belonging  to  the  State  at  public 
auction.  Provision  was  also  made  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  bonds  hypothecated  with  Macalister 
and  Stebbins.  (See  Macalistcr  and  Stebbins 
Bonds.)  The  Congressional  distribution  of  the 
moneys  arising  from  the  sale  of  public  lands  was 
acquiesced  in,  and  the  revenues  and  resources  of 
the  State  were  pledged  to  the  redemption  "of 
every  debt  contracted  by  an  authorized  agent  for  a 
good  and  valuable  consideration."  To  establish 
a  sinking  fund  to  meet  such  obligation,  a  tax  of 
twenty  cents  on  every  §100,  payable  in  coin,  was 
levied.  This  Legislature  also  made  a  re-appor- 
tionment of  the  State  into  Seven  Congressional 
Districts.  The  Legislature  adjourned,  JIarch  0. 
1843,  after  a  session  of  ninety -two  days. 

Fourteenth  Gener.vl  Assembly  convened 
Dec.  2,  1844,  and  adjourned  March  3,  1845,  the  ses- 
sion lasting  ninety-two  days.  The  Senate  was 
composed  of  twenty-six  Democrats  and  fifteen 
Whigs;  the  House  of  eighty  Democrats  and 
thirty-nine  Whigs.  David  Davis  was  among  the 
new  members.  William  A.  Richardson  defeated 
Stephen  T.  Logan  for  the  Speakership,  and  James 
Seniple  was  elected  United  States  Senator  to  suc- 
ceed Samuel  McRoberts,  deceased.  The  canal 
law  was  amended  by  the  passage  of  a  supple- 
mental act,  transferring  the  property  to  Trustees 
and  empowering  the  Governor  to  complete  the 
negotiations  for  the  borrowing  of  §1,600,000  for 
its  construction.  The  State  revenue  being  in- 
suiScient  to  meet  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the 
government,  to  say  nothing  of  the  arrears  of 
interest  on  the  State  debt,  a  tax  of  three  mills  on 
eacli  dollar's  worth  of  property  was  imposed  for 
1845  and  of  three  and  one-half  mills  thereafter. 
Of  the  revenue  thus  raised  in  1845,  one  mill  was 
set  apart  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  State  debt 
and  one  and  one-half  mills  for  the  same  purpose 
from  the  taxes  collected  in  1846  "and  forever 
thereafter." 

Fifteenth  Gener.\l  .\ssembly  convened  Dec. 
7,  1840.     The  farewell  message  of  Governor  Ford 


and  the  inaugural  of  Governor  French  were  lead- 
ing incidents.  The  Democrats  had  a  two-thirds 
majority  in  each  house.  Lieut. -Gov.  Joseph  13. 
Wells  presided  in  the  Senate,  and  Newton  Cloud 
was  elected  Speaker  of  the  House,  the  compli- 
mentary vote  of  the  Whigs  being  given  to  Stephen 
T.  Logan.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  the  whigs  voting  for  Cynis 
Edwards.  State  officers  were  elected  as  follows: 
Auditor,  Thomas  II.  Campbell;  State  Treasurer, 
Stilton  Carpenter — both  by  acclamation;  and 
Hora(;e  S  Cooley  was  nominated  and  confirmed 
Secretary  of  State.  A  new  school  law  was 
enacted ;  the  sale  of  the  Gallatin  County  salines 
was  authorized ;  the  University  of  Chicago  was 
incorporated,  and  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Jacksonville  established;  the  sale  of  the  North- 
ern Cross  Railroad  was  authorized;  District 
Courts  were  established ;  and  provision  was  made 
for  refunding  the  State  debt.  The  Assembly 
adjourned,  March  1,  1847,  after  a  session  of 
eighty-five  dayS. 

Sixteenth  General  Assembly.  This  was  the 
first  Legislature  to  convene  under  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1847.  There  were  twenty-five  members 
in  the  Senate  and  seventy-five  in  the  House. 
The  body  assembled  on  Jan.  1,  1849,  continu- 
ing in  sessicm  until  Feb.  12 — the  session  t)eing 
limited  by  the  Constitution  to  six  weeks.  Zadoc 
Casey  was  chosen  Speaker,  defeating  Richard 
Yates  by  a  vote  of  forty-six  to  nineteen.  After 
endorsing  the  policy  of  the  administration  in 
reference  to  the  Mexican  War  and  thanking  the 
soldiers,  the  Assembly  proceeded  to  the  election 
of  United  States  Senator  to  succeed  Sidney 
Breese.  The  choice  fell  upon  Gen.  James  Shields, 
the  other  caucus  candidates  being  Breese  and 
JlcC^lernand,  while  Gen.  William  F.  Thornton  led 
the  forlorn  hope  for  the  Whigs.  The  principle  of 
the  Wilmot  proviso  was  endorsed.  The  Governor 
convened  the  Legislature  in  special  session  on 
Oct.  22.  .V  (luestion  as  to  the  eligibility  of  Gen. 
Shields  having  arisen  (growing  out  of  his  nativity 
and  naturalization),  and  the  legal  obstacles  hav- 
ing been  removed  by  the  lapse  of  time,  he  was 
re-elected  Senator  at  the  special  session.  Outside 
of  the  passage  of  a  general  law  authorizing  the 
incorporation  of  railroads,  little  general  legisla- 
tion was  enacted.  The  special  session  adjourned 
Nov.  7.  Length  of  regular  session  forty-three 
days ;  special,  seventeen — total  sixty. 

Seventeenth  Gener.vl  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  6,  1851,  adjourned  Feb.  17  —  length  of 
session  forty-three  days.  Sidney  Breese  (ex- 
Senator)  was  chosen  Speaker.     The  session  was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


189 


characterized  by  a  vast  amount  of  legislation,  n<jt 
all  of  which  was  well  considered.  By  joint  reso- 
lution of  both  houses  the  endorsement  of  the 
Wibnot  proviso  at  the  previous  session  was 
rescinded.  The  first  homestead  exemption  act 
was  passed,  and  a  stringent  liquor  law  adopted, 
the  sale  of  liquor  in  quantities  less  than  one  quart 
being  prohibited.  Township  organization  was 
a\ithorized  and  what  was  virtually  free-banking 
was  sanctioned.  The  latter  law  was  ratified  by 
popular  vote  in  November,  1851.  An  act  incorpo- 
rating the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  also 
passed  at  this  session,  the  measure  being  drafted 
by  James  L.  D.  Morrison.  A  special  session  of 
this  Assembly  was  held  in  IS.jS  under  a  call  by 
the  Governor,  lasting  from  June  7  to  the  83d — 
seventeen  days.  The  most  important  general 
legislation  of  the  special  session  was  the  reappor- 
tionment of  the  State  into  nine  Congressional 
Districts.  This  Legislature  was  in  session  a  total 
of  sixty  days. 

Eighteenth  General  Assembly.  The  first 
(or  regular)  session  convened  Jan.  3,  1803,  and 
adjourned  Feb.  14.  The  Senate  was  composed  of 
twenty  Democrats  and  five  Whigs ;  the  House,  of 
fifty-nine  Democrats,  sixteen  Whigs  and  one 
"Free-Soiler. "  Lieutenant-Governor  Koerner 
presided  in  the  upper,  and  ex-Gov.  John  Reynolds 
in  the  lower  house.  Governor  Matteson  was 
inaugurated  on  the  16th ;  Steplien  A.  Douglas  was 
re-elected  United  States  Senator,  Jan.  5,  the 
Whigs  casting  a  complimentary  vote  for  Joseph 
Gillespie.  More  than  450  laws  were  enacted,  the 
majority  being  "private  acts. "  The  prohibitory 
temperance  legislation  of  the  preceding  General 
Assembly  was  repealed  and  the  license  system 
re-enacted.  This  body  also  passed  the  famous 
"black  laws"  designed  to  prevent  the  immigration 
of  free  negroes  into  the  State.  The  sum  of 
$18,000  was  appropriated  for  the  erection  and 
furnishing  of  an  executive  mansion ;  the  State 
Agricultural  Society  was  incorporated;  the  re- 
mainder of  the  State  lands  was  ordered  sold,  and 
any  surplus  funds  in  the  treasury  apjiriipriated 
toward  reducing  the  State  debt.  A  special  session 
was  convened  on  Feb.  9,  1854,  and  adjourned 
March  4.  The  most  important  measures  adopted 
were :  a  legislative  re-apportionment,  an  act  pro- 
viding for  the  election  of  a  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  and  a  charter  for  the  Missis- 
sippi &  Atlantic  Railroad.  The  regular  session 
lasted  forty-three  days,  the  special  twenty-four 
— total,  sixty-seven. 

Nineteenth  Gener.\l  Assembly  met  Jan.  1, 
1855,  and  adjourned  Feb.  15 — the  .session  lasting 


forty-six  days.  Thomas  J.  Turner  was  elected 
Speaker  of  the  House.  The  political  complexion 
of  the  Legislature  was  much  mixed,  anumg  the 
members  being  old-line  Whigs,  Abolitionists, 
Free-Soilers,  Know-Nothings,  Pro-slavery  Demo- 
crats and  Anti-Nebraska  Democrats.  The 
Nebraska  question  was  the  leading  issue,  and  in 
reference  thereto  the  Senate  stood  fourteen 
Nebraska  members  and  eleven  anti-Nebraska ;  the 
House,  thirty-four  straight-out  Democrats,  while 
the  entire  strength  of  the  opposition  was  forty- 
one.  A  United  States  Senator  was  to  be  chosen 
to  succeed  Gen.  James  Shields,  and  the  friends  of 
free-soil  had  a  clear  majority  of  four  on  joint 
ballot.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  caucus  nomi- 
nee of  the  Whigs,  and  General  Shields  of  the  Demo- 
crats. The  two  houses  met  in  joint  session  Feb.  8. 
The  result  of  the  first  ballot  was,  Lincoln,  forty- 
five;  Shields,  forty-one;  scattering,  thirteen; 
present,  but  not  voting,  one.  Mr.  Lincoln's 
strength  steadily  waned,  then  rallied  slightly  on 
the  sixth  and  seventh  ballots,  but  again  declined. 
Shields'  forty-one  votes  rising  on  the  fifth  ballot 
to  forty-two,  but  having  dropped  on  the  next 
ballot  to  forty -one,  his  name  was  withdrawn  and 
that  of  Gov.  Joel  A.  Matteson  substituted.  Mat- 
teson gained  until  he  received  forty-seven  votes, 
which  was  the  limit  of  his  strength.  On  the 
ninth  ballot,  Loncoln's  vote  having  dropped  to 
fifteen,  his  name  was  withdrawn  at  his  own 
request,  his  support  going,  on  the  next  ballot,  to 
Lyman  Trumbull,  an  anti-Nebraska  Democrat, 
who  received'  fifty-one  votes  to  forty-seven  for 
Matteson  and  one  for  Archibald  Williams — one 
meniber  not  voting.  Trumbull,  having  received 
a  majority,  was  elected.  Five  members  had 
voted  for  him  from  the  start.  The.se  were  Sena- 
tors John  M.  Palmer,  Norman  B.  Judd  and  Burton 
C.  Cook,  and  Representatives  Henrj-  S.  Baker  and 
George  T.  Allen.  It  had  been  hoped  that  they 
would,  in  time,  come  to  the  support  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, but  they  explained  that  they  had  been 
instructed  by  their  constituents  to  vote  only  for 
an  anti-Nebraska  Democrat.  They  were  all  sub- . 
sequently  prominent  leaders  in  the  Republican 
party.  Having  inaugurated  its  work  by  accom- 
plishing a  political  revolution,  this  Legislature 
proceeded  to  adopt  several  measures  more  or  less 
radical  in  their  tendency.  One  of  these  was  the 
Maine  liquor  law,  with  the  condition  that  it  be 
submitted  to  popular  vote.  It  failed  of  ratifica- 
tion by  vote  of  the  people  at  an  election  held  in 
the  following  June.  A  new  common  school  law 
was  enacted,  and  railroads  were  required  to  fence 
their  tracks.     The  Assembly  also  adopted  a  reso- 


190 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


lution  calling  for  a  Convention  to  amend  the  Con- 
stitution, but  this  was  defeated  at  the  polls. 

Twentieth  General  Assembly  convened  Jan. 
5,  1857,  and  adjourned,  sine  die,  Feb.  19.  A 
Republican  State  administration,  with  Governor 
Bissell  at  its  head,  had  just  been  elected,  but  the 
Legislature  was  Democratic  in  both  branches. 
Lieut,  Gov.  John  Wood  presided  over  the  Senate, 
and  Samuel  Holmes,  of  Adams  County,  defeated 
Isaac  N.  Arnold,  of  Cook,  for  the  Speakership  of 
the  House.  Among  the  prominent  members  were 
Norman  B.  Judd,  of  Cook;  A.  J.  Kuj-kendall.  of 
Johnson;  Shelby  M.  CuUom,  of  Sangamon;  John 
A.  Logan,  of  Jackson;  William  K.  Morrison,  of 
Monroe ;  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  of  Cook ;  Joseph  Gilles- 
pie, of  Madison,  and  S.  W.  Moulton,  of  Slielby. 
Among  the  important  measures  enacted  by  this 
General  A.ssembly  were  the  following:  Acts 
establishing  and  maintaining  free  schools;  estab- 
lishing a  Normal  University  at  Normal;  amending 
the  banking  law;  providing  for  the  general  incor- 
poration of  railroads ;  providing  for  the  building 
of  a  new  penitentiary;  and  funding  the  accrued 
arrears  of  interest  on  the  public  debt.  Length  of 
session,  forty-six  days. 

Twenty-first  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  3,  18.59,  and  was  in  session  for  fifty-three 
days,  adjourning  Feb.  24.  The  Senate  consisted 
of  twenty-five,  and  the  House  of  seventy-tive 
members.  The  presiding  officers  were; — of  the 
Senate,  Lieut.-Gov  Wood;  of  the  House,  W.  R. 
Morrison,  of  Jlonroe  County,  who  defeated  his 
Republican  opponent.  Vital  Jarrot,  of  St.  Clair, 
on  a  viva  voce  vote.  The  Governor's  message 
showed  a  reduction  of  $1,106,877  in  the  State  debt 
during  two  j-ears  preceding,  leaving  a  balance  of 
principal  and  arrears  of  interest  amounting  to 
§11,138,454.  On  Jan.  6,  1859,  the  Assembly,  in 
joint  session,  elected  Stephen  A.  Douglas  to  suc- 
ceed himself  as  United  States  Senator,  by  a  vote 
of  fifty  four  to  forty-si.\  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 
The  Legislature  was  thrown  into  great  disorder 
in  consequence  of  an  attempt  to  prevent  the 
receipt  from  the  Governor  of  a  veto  of  a  legisla- 
tive apportionment  bill  which  had  been  passed  by 
the  Democratic  majority  in  the  face  of  bitter 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  Republicans,  who 
denounced  it  as  partisan  and  unjust. 

Twenty-second  General  Assembly  convened 
in  regular  session  on  Jan.  7,  1861,  consisting  of 
twenty-five  Senators  and  seventy-five  Represent- 
atives. For  the  first  time  in  the  State's  history, 
the  Democrats  failed  to  control  the  organization 
of  either  house.  Lieut -Gov.  Francis  A.  Hoffman 
presided  over  the  Senate,  and  S.  M.  Cullom,  of 


Sangamon,  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  Hovise,  the 
Democratic  (candidate  being  James  W.  Singleton. 
Thomas  A.  Marshall,  of  Coles  Count}',  was  elected 
President  pro  tern,  of  the  Senate  over  A.  J.  Kuy- 
kendall,  of  Johnson.     The  message  of  the  retiring 
Governor  (John  Wood)  reported  a  reduction  of 
the  State  debt,  during  four  years  of  Republican 
administration,  of    $2,860,402,  and    showed    the 
numl>er  of  banks  to  be  110,  whose  aggregate  cir- 
culation was  §12.320,964.     Lyman  Trumbull  was 
re-elected  United  States  Senator  on  January  10, 
receiving  fifty-four  votes,   to    forty-six  cast  for 
Samuel  S.  Marshall.     Governor  Yates  was  inau- 
gurated, Jan.  14.    The  most  important  legislation 
of  this  session  related  to  the  following  subjects: 
the  separate  proi)erty  rights  of  married  women , 
the  encouragement  of  mining  and  the  support  of 
public  schools ;  the  payment  of  certain  evidences 
of  State  indebtedness;  protection  of  the  purity  of 
the  ballot-box,  and  a  resolution  submitting  to  the 
people  the  question  of  the  calling  of  a  Convention 
to  amend  the  Constitution.    Joint  resolutions  were 
passed  relative  to  the  death  of  Governor  Bissell ; 
to  the  appointment  of  Commissioners  to  attend  a 
Peace  Conference  in  Washington,  and  referring 
to     federal     relations.     The     latter     deprecated 
amendments  to  the  United  States  Constitution,  but 
expressed  a  willingness  to  unite  with  any  States 
which   might    consider    themselves    aggrieved, 
in    petitioning    Congress  to  call    a    convention 
for  the  consideration  of  such  amendments,  at  the 
same  time  pledging  the  entire  resources  of  Illi- 
nois to  the  National  Government  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union  and  the  enforcement  of  the 
laws.     The  regular  session  ended  Feb.  22,  having 
lasted  forty-seven  daj-s. — Immediately  following 
President  Lincohi's  first  call    for  volunteers   to 
suppress  the   rebellion,   Governor   Yates    recon- 
vened the  General  Assembly  in  special  session  to 
consider  and  adopt  methods  to  aid  and  support 
the  Federal  authority  in  preserving  the  Union  and 
protecting  the  rights  anil  property  of  the  people. 
The  two  houses  assembled  on  April  23.     On  April 
25  Senator  Douglas  addressed  the  members  on  the 
issues  of  the  daj-,  in  response  to  an  invitation  con- 
veyed in  a  joint  resolution.     The  special  session 
closed  May  3,  1861,  and  not  a  few  of  the  legislatore 
promptly    volunteered    in    the     Union     army. 
Length  of  the  regular  session,  forty-seven  daj's; 
of  the  special,  eleven — total  fifty -eight. 

Twenty-third  General  Assembly  was  com- 
posed of  twenty-five  Senators  and  eighty-eight 
Representatives.  It  convened  Jan.  5,  1863,  and 
was  Democratic  in  both  branches.  The  presiding 
officer  of  the  Senate  was  Lieutenant-Governor 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


191 


Hoffman;  Samuel  A.  Buckmaster  was  elected 
Speaker  of  the  House  by  a  vote  of  flfty-three  to 
twenty-five.  On  Jan.  13,  William  A.  Richardson 
was  elected  United  States  Senator  to  succeed 
S.  A.  Douglas,  deceased,  the  Republican  nominee 
being  Governor  Yates,  who  received  thirty-eight 
votes  out  of  a  total  of  103  cast.  Much  of  the  time 
of  the  session  was  devoted  to  angry  discussion  of 
the  policy  of  the  National  Government  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  war.  Tlie  views  of  the  oppos- 
ing parties  were  expressed  in  majority  and  minor- 
ity reports  from  the  Committee  on  Federal 
Relations — the  former  condemning  and  the  latter 
upholding  the  Federal  administration.  The 
majority  report  was  adopted  in  the  House  on 
Feb.  12,  by  a  vote  of  fifty-two  to  twenty-eight, 
and  the  resolutions  which  it  embodied  were  at 
once  sent  to  the  Senate  for  concurrence.  Before 
they  could  be  acted  upon  in  that  body  a  Demo- 
cratic Senator — J.  M.  Rodgers,  of  Clinton  County 
— died.  This  left  the  Senate  politically  tied,  a 
Republican  presiding  officer  having  the  deciding 
vote.  Consequently  no  action  was  taken  at  the 
time,  and,  on  Feb.  14,  the  Legislature  adjourned 
till  June  3.  Immediately  upon  re-assembling, 
joint  resolutions  relating  to  a  sine  die  adjourn- 
ment were  introduced  in  both  hou.ses.  A  disagree- 
ment regarding  the  date  of  such  adjournment 
ensued,  when  Governor  Yates,  exercising  the 
power  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Constitution  in 
such  cases,  sent  in  a  message  (June  10,  1863) 
proroguing  the  General  Assembly  until  "the 
Saturday  next  preceding  the  first  Monday  in 
January,  1865."  The  members  of  the  Republican 
minority  at  once  left  the  hall.  The  members  of 
the  majority  convened  and  adjourned  from  day 
to  day  until  June  24.  when,  having  adopted  an 
address  to  the  people  setting  forth  their  grievance 
and  denouncing  the  State  executive,  they  took  a 
recess  until  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  of 
January,  1864.  The  action  of  the  Governor,  hav- 
ing been  submitted  to  the  Supreme  Court,  was 
sustained,  and  no  further  session  of  this  General 
Assembly  was  held.  Owing  to  the  prominence 
of  political  issues,  no  important  legislation  was 
effected  at  this  session,  even  the  ordinary  appro- 
priations for  the  State  institutions  failing.  This 
caused  much  embarrassment  to  the  State  Govern- 
ment in  meeting  current  expenses,  but  banks  and 
capitalists  came  to  its  aid,  and  no  impoi-tant 
interest  was  permitted  to  suffer.  The  total 
length  of  the  session  was  fifty  days — forty-one 
days  before  the  recess  and  nine  days  after. 

Twenty-fourth  Gener.\l  Assembly  convened 
Jan.   2,   1865,  and  remained  in  session  forty-six 


days.  It  consisted  of  twenty-rive  Senators  and 
eighty-five  Representatives.  The  Republicans 
had  a  majority  in  both  houses.  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Bross  presided  over  the  Senate,  and  Allen 
C.  Fuller,  of  Boone  County,  was  chosen  Speaker 
of  the  House,  over  Ambrose  M.  Miller,  Democrat, 
the  vote  standing  48  to  23.  Governor  Yates,  in 
his  valedictory  message,  reported  that,  notwith- 
standing the  heavy  expenditure  attendant  upon 
the  enlistment  and  maintenance  of  troops,  etc., 
the  State  debt  had  been  reduced  .3987,786  in  four 
years.  On  Jan.  4,  1865,  Governor  Yates  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  receiving 
sixty-four  votes  to  fort}'  three  cast  for  James  C. 
Robinson.  Governor  Oglesby  was  inaugurated  Jan. 
16.  The  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  United 
States  Constitution  was  ratified  by  tliis  Legisla- 
ture, and  sundry  special  appropriations  made. 
Among  the  latter  was  one  of  §3,000  toward  the 
State's  proportion  for  the  establishment  of  a 
National  Cemetery  at  Gettysburg;  §25,000  for 
the  purchase  of  the  land  on  which  is  the  tomb 
of  the  deceased  Senator  Douglas;  besides  sums 
for  establishing  a  home  for  Soldiers'  Orphans  and 
an  experimental  school  for  the  training  of  idiots 
and  feeble-minded  children.  The  first  act  for 
the  registry  of  legal  voters  was  passed  at  this 
session. 

Twenty-fifth  General  Assembly.  This 
body  held  one  regular  and  two  special  sessions. 
It  first  convened  and  organized  on  Jan.  7,  1867. 
Lieutenant-Governor  Bross  presided  over  the 
upper,  and  Franklin  Corwin,  of  La  Salle  County, 
over  the  lower  house.  The  Governor  (Oglesby), 
in  his  message,  reported  a  reduction  of  .§2,607,958 
in  the  State  debt  during  the  two  years  preceding, 
and  recommended  various  appropriations  for  pub- 
lic purposes.  He  also  urged  the  calling  of  a  Con- 
vention to  amend  the  Constitution.  On  Jan.  15, 
Lyman  Trumbull  was  chosen  United  States  Sena- 
tor, the  complimentary  Democratic  vote  being 
given-  to  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  who  received  thirty- 
three  votes  out  of  109.  The  regular  session  lasted 
fifty  three  days,  adjourning  Feb.  28.  The  Four- 
teenth Amendment  to  the  United  States  Constitu- 
tion was  ratified  and  important  legislation  enacted 
relative  to  State  taxation  and  the  regulation  of 
public  warehouses ;  a  State  Board  of  Equalization 
of  Assessments  was  established,  and  the  office  of 
Attorney-General  created.  (LTnder  this  law 
Robert  G.  Ingersoll  was  the  first  appointee.) 
Provision  was  made  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
State  House,  to  establish  a  Reform  School  for 
Juvenile  Offenders,  and  for  the  support  of  other 
State  institutions.     The  first  special  session  con- 


192 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


vened  on  June  11,  1S67,  having  been  summoned 
to  consider  questions  relating  to  internal  revenue. 
The  lessee  of  the  penitentiary  having  surrendered 
his  lease  without  notice,  the  Governor  found  it 
necessary  to  make  immediate  provision  for  the 
management  of  that  institution.  Not  having 
included  this  matter  in  his  original  call,  no  ne- 
cessity then  existing,  he  at  once  summoned  a 
second  special  session,  before  the  adjournment 
of  the  fir.st.  This  convened  on  June  14,  remained 
in  session  imtil  Jmie  28,  and  adopted  what  is 
substantially  the  present  penitentiary  law  of  the 
State.  This  General  Assembly  was  in  session 
seventy-one  days — fiftj'-three  at  the  regular, 
three  at  the  first  special  session  and  fifteen  at  tlie 
second. 

Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  4,  1809.  The  Republicans  liad  a  majority  in 
each  house.  The  newly  elected  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, John  Dougherty,  presided  in  the  Senate, 
and  Franklin  Corwin.  of  Peru,  was  again  chosen 
Speaker  of  the  House.  Governor  Oglesby  sub- 
mitted his  final  message  at  the  opening  of  tlie 
session,  sliowing  a  total  reduction  in  the  State 
debt  during  his  term  of  §4,743,821.  Governor 
John  M.  Palmer  was  inaugurated  Jan.  11.  The 
most  important  acts  passed  by  this  Legislature 
were  the  following:  Calling  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  18G9;  ratifying  the  Fifteentli 
Amendment  to  the  United  States  Constitution ; 
granting  well  behaved  convicts  a  reduction  in 
their  terms  of  imprisonment ;  for  the  prevention 
of  cruelty  to  animals;  providing  for  the  regula- 
tion of  freights  and  fares  on  railroads;  estab- 
lisliing  the  Southern  Normal  University;  pro- 
viding for  the  erection  of  the  Northern  Insane 
Hospital;  and  establishing  a  Board  of  Com- 
missioners of  Public  Cliarities.  The  celebrated 
"Lake  PYont  Bill,"  especially  affecting  the 
interests  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  occupied  a 
great  de.al  of  time  during  this  session,  and 
though  finally  passed  over  the  Governor's  veto, 
was  repealed  in  1873.  This  se.ssion  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  recess  which  extended  from  March 
12  to  April  13.  The  Legislature  re-assem- 
bled April  14,  and  adjourned,  sine  die,  April  20, 
having  been  in  actual  session  seventy-four  days. 

Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly  had 
four  sessions,  one  regular,  two  special  and  one 
adjourned.  The  first  convened  Jan.  4,  1871,  and 
adjourned  on  April  17,  having  lasted  104  days, 
when  a  recess  was  taken  to  Nov.  1.5  following. 
The  bod}'  was  made  up  of  fifty  Senators  and  177 
Representatives.  The  Republicans  again  con- 
trolled both  houses,  electing  WiUiam  M.  Smith, 


Speaker  (over  William  R.  Morrison,  Democrat), 
wliile  Lieutenant-Governor  Dougherty  presided  in 
the  Senate.  The  latter  occupied  the  Hall  of  Rep- 
resentatives in  the  old  State  Capitol,  while  the 
Hou.se  held  its  sessions  in  a  new  church  edifice 
erected  by  tlie  Second  Presbyterian  Cluirch. 
John  A.  Logan  was  elected  United  States  Sena- 
tor, defeating  Thomas  J.  Turner  (Democrat)  by  a 
vote,  on  joint  ballot,  of  131  to  89.  This  was  the 
first  Illinois  Legislature  to  meet  after  the  adoption 
of  the  Constitution  of  1870,  and  its  time  was 
mainly  devoted  to  framing,  discussing  and  pass- 
ing laws  recjuired  by  the  changes  in  the  organic 
law  of  the  State.  The  first  special  session  opened 
on  May  24  and  closed  on  June  22,  1871,  continu- 
ing thirty  days.  It  was  convened  by  Governor 
Palmer  to  make  additional  appropriations  for  the 
necessary  expenses  of  the  State  Government  and 
for  the  continuance  of  work  on  the  new  State 
House.  The  ])ur|>ose  of  the  Governor  in  sum- 
moning the  second  special  session  was  to  provide 
financial  relief  for  the  city  of  Cliicago  after  the 
great  fire  of  Oct.  9-11,  1871.  Members  were  sum- 
moned by  special  telegrams  and  were  in  their 
seats  Oct.  13,  continuing  in  session  to  Oct.  24 
— twelve  days.  Governor  Pabner  liad  already 
suggested  a  plan  by  which  the  State  might 
aid  the  stricken  city  witliout  doing  violence 
to  either  the  spirit  or  letter  of  the  new  Con- 
stitution, which  expressly  prohibited  special 
legislation.  Chicago  had  advanced  §2, .500.000 
toward  the  completion  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  under  the  pledge  of  the  State  that  this 
outlay  should  be  made  good.  The  Legislature 
voted  an  aijpropriation  sufficient  to  pay  both 
principal  and  interest  of  this  loan,  amounting,  in 
round  numliers,  to  about  .$3,000,000.  The  ad- 
journed session  opened  on  Nov.  1,5,  1871,  and  came 
to  an  end  on  April  9,  1872 — having  continued  147 
days.  It  was  entirely  devoted  to  considering  and 
adopting  legislation  germane  to  tlie  new  Consti- 
tution. The  total  length  of  all  sessions  of  this 
General  Assembly  was  293  days. 

Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  8,  1873.  It  was  composed  of  fifty -one  Sena- 
tors and  153  Repre.sentatives ;  the  upper  house 
standing  thirty-three  Republicans  to  eighteen 
Democrats,  and  the  lower,  eighty-six  Republicans 
to  sixty-seven  Democrats.  The  Senate  chose 
John  Early,  of  Winnebago,  President  pro  tempore, 
and  Shelby  M.  CuUom  was  elected  Speaker  of  the 
House.  Governor  Oglesby  was  inaugurated  Jan. 
13,  but.  eight  days  later,  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  being  succeeded  in  the  Governor- 
ship   by  Lieut. -Gov.    John    L.    Beveridge.     An 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


193 


appropriation  of  $1,000,000  was  made  for  carrying 
on  the  work  on  the  new  capitol  and  various  other 
acts  of  a  public  character  passed,  the  most  impor- 
tant being  an  amendment  of  the  railroad  law  of 
the  previous  session.  On  May  6,  the  Legislature 
adjourned  until  Jan.  8,  1874.  The  purpose  of  the 
recess  was  to  enable  a  Commission  on  the  Revision 
of  the  Laws  to  complete  a  report.  The  work  was 
duly  completed  and  nearly  all  the  titles  reported 
by  the  Commissioners  were  adopted  at  the 
adjourned  session.  An  adjournment,  sine  die, 
was  taken  March  31,  1874 — the  two  sessions 
having  lasted,  respectively,  119  and  83  days^ 
total  202. 

Twenty-ninth  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan  6,  1875.  While  the  Republicans  had  a  plu- 
rality in  both  houses,  they  were  defeated  in  an 
effort  to  secure  their  organization  through  a 
fusion  of  Democrats  and  Independents.  A.  A. 
Glenn  (Democrat)  was  elected  President  pro  tem- 
pore of  the  Senate  (becoming  acting  Lieutenant- 
Governor),  and  Elijah  M.  Haines  was  chosen 
presiding  officer  of  the  lower  liouse.  The  leaders 
on  both  sides  of  the  Chamber  were  aggressive, 
and  the  session,  as  a  whole,  was  one  of  the  most 
turbulent  and  disorderly  in  the  history  of  the 
State.  Little  legislation  of  vital  importance 
(outside  of  regular  appropriation  bills)  was 
enacted.  This  Legislature  adjourned,  April  15, 
having  been  in  session  100  days. 

Thirtieth  General  Assembly  convened  Jan. 
3 ;  1877,  and  adjourned,  sine  die.  on  May  24.  The 
Democrats  and  Independents  in  the  Senate  united 
in  securing  control  of  that  body,  although  the 
House  was  Republican.  Fawcett  Plumb,  of  La 
Salle  County,  was  chosen  President  pro  tempore 
of  the  upper,  and  James  Shaw  Speaker  of  the 
lower,  hotise.  The  inauguration  of  State  officers 
took  place  Jan.  8,  Shelby  M.  CuUom  becoming 
Governor  and  Andrew  Shuman,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor. This  was  one  of  the  most  exciting  years 
in  American  political  history  Both  of  tlie  domi- 
nant parties  claimed  to  have  elected  the  President, 
and  the  respective  votes  in  the  Electoral  College 
were  so  close  as  to  excite  grave  apprehension  in 
many  minds.  It  was  also  the  year  for  the  choice 
of  a  Senator  by  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  the 
attention  of  the  entire  country  was  directed 
toward  this  State.  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer  was 
the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  caucus  and  John 
A  Logan  of  the  Republicans.  On  the  twenty- 
fourth  ballot  the  name  of  General  Logan  was 
withdrawn,  most  of  the  Republican  vote  going 
to  Charles  B.  Lawrence,  and  the  Democrats  going 
over  to  David  Davis,  who,  although  an  original 


Republican  and  friend  of  Lincoln,  and  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  by  appointment  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, had  become  an  Independent  Democrat.  On 
the  fortieth  ballot  (taken  Jan.  25),  Judge  Davis 
received  101  votes,  to  94  for  Judge  Lawrenx 
(Republican)  and  five  .scattering,  thus  securing 
Davis'  election.  Not  many  acts  of  vital  impor- 
tance were  passed  by  this  Legislature.  Appellate 
Courts  were  established  and  new  judicial  districts 
created;  the  original  jurisdiction  of  county 
courts  was  enlarged;  better  safeguards  were 
thrown  about  miners ;  measures  looking  at  once 
to  the  supervision  and  protection  of  railroads  were 
passed,  as  well  as  various  laws  relating  chiefly  to 
the  police  administration  of  the  State  and  of 
municipalities.  The  length  of  the  session  was 
142  days. 

Thirty-first  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  8,  1879,  with  a  Republican  majority  in  each 
house.  Andrew  Shuman,  the  newly  elected  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, presided  in  the  Senate,  and 
William  A.  James  of  Lake  County  was  chosen 
Speaker  of  the  House.  John  M.  Hamilton  of 
McLean  County  (afterwards  Governor),  was 
chosen  President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate. 
John  A.  Logan  was  elected  United  States  Senator 
on  Jan.  21,  the  complimentary  Democratic  vote 
being  given  to  Gen.  John  C.  Black.  Various 
laws  of  public  importance  were  enacted  by  this 
Legislature,  among  them  being  one  creating  the 
Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics;  the  first  oleomargar- 
ine law;  a  drainage  and  levee  act;  a  law  for  the 
reorganization  of  the  militia;  an  act  for  the 
regulation  of  pawnbrokers;  a  law  limiting  the 
pardoning  power,  and  various  laws  looking 
toward  the  supervision  and  control  of  railways. 
The  session  lasted  144  days,  and  the  Assembly 
adjourned,  sine  die,  May  31,  1879. 

Thirty  SECOND  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  5,  1881,  the  Republicans  having  a  majority 
in  both  branches.  Lieutenant-Governor  Hamil- 
ton presided  in  the  Senate,  William  J.  Campbell 
of  Cook  County  being  elected  President  pro  tem- 
pore. Horace  H.  Thomas,  also  of  Cook,  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  Besides  the  rou- 
tine legislation,  the  most  important  measures 
enacted  by  this  Assembly  were  laws  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  pleuro-pneumonia  among  cattle: 
regulating  the  sale  of  firearms;  providing  more 
stringent  penalties  for  the  adulteration  of  food, 
drink  or  medicine;  regulating  tlie  practice  of 
pharmacy  and  dentistry ;  amending  the  revenue 
and  school  laws;  and  requiring  annual  statements 
from  official  custodians  of  public  moneys.  The 
Legislature  adjourned  May  30,  after  having  been 


194 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  session  146  days,  but  was  called  together  again 
in  special  session  by  the  Governor  on  March  23, 
1683,  to  pass  new  Legislative  and  Congressional 
Apportionment  Laws,  and  for  the  consideration 
of  other  subjects.  The  special  session  lasted 
forty-four  days,  adjourning  May  5— both  sessions 
occupying  a  total  of  190  days. 

Thirty-third  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  3,  1883,  with  the  Republicans  again  in  the 
majority  in  both  houses.  William  J.  Campbell 
was  re-elected  President  pro  tempore  of  the 
Senate,  but  not  until  the  sixty-first  ballot,  six 
Republicans  refusing  to  be  bound  by  the  nomina- 
tion of  a  caucus  held  prior  to  their  arrival  at 
Springfield.  Loren  C.  Collins,  also  of  Cook,  was 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House.  The  comi>liinent- 
ary  Democratic  vote  was  given  to  ThomasM.  Shaw 
in  the  Senate,  and  to  Austin  O.  Sexton  in  the 
House.  Governor  CuUom,  the  Republican  caucas 
nominee,  was  elected  United  States  Senator,  Jan. 
16,  receiving  a  majority  in  each  branch  of  the 
General  Assembly.  The  celebrated  "Harper 
Hgh-License  Bill,"  and  the  first  "Compul.sory 
School  Law"  were  passed  at  this  se.ssion,  the 
other  acts  being  of  ordinary  character.  The 
Legislature  adjourned  June  18.  having  been  in 
session  168  days. 

Thirty-fourth  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  7,  1885.  The  Senate  was  Republican  by  a 
majority  of  one.  there  being  twenty -six  members 
of  that  party,  twenty-four  Demociats  and  one 
greenback  Democrat.  William  J.  Campbell,  of 
Cook  County,  was  for  the  third  time  chosen 
President  pro  tempore.  The  House  stood  seventy- 
six  Republicans  and  seventy-six  Democrats,  with 
one  member — Elijah  M.  Haines  of  Lake  County — 
calling  himself  an  "Indejiendent."  Tlie  contest 
for  the  Speakership  continued  until  Jan.  39, 
when,  neither  party  being  able  to  elect  its  nomi- 
nee, the  Democrats  took  up  Haines  as  a  candidate 
and  placed  liim  in  the  chair,  with  Haines'  assist- 
ance, filling  the  minor  offices  with  their  own 
men.  After  the  inaugiu-ation  of  Governor 
Oglesby,  Jan.  30,  the  first  business  was  the  elec 
tion  of  a  United  States  Senator.  The  balloting 
proceeded  until  May  18,  when  John  A.  Logan  re- 
ceived 103  votes  to  ninety -six  for  Lambert  Tree  and 
five  scattering.  Three  members — one  Republican 
and  two  Democrats — had  died  since  the  opening 
of  the  session ;  and  it  was  through  the  election  of 
a  Republican  in  place  of  one  of  the  deceased 
Democrats,  that  the  Republicans  succeeded  in 
electing  their  candidate.  The  session  was  a 
stormy  one  throughout,  the  Speaker  being,  much 
of  the    time,  at  odds   with  the   House,  and  an 


unsuccessful  effort  was  made  to  depose  him. 
Charges  of  bribery  against  certain  members  were 
pn-forred  and  investigated,  but  no  definite  result 
was  reached.  Among  the  important  measures 
l)ass(!d  by  this  Legislature  were  the  following  •  A 
joint  resolution  providing  for  submi.s.sion  of  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  prohibiting  con- 
tract labor  in  penal  in.stitutions;  providing  by 
resolution  for  tlie  apjwintment  of  a  non-partisan 
Commission  of  twelve  to  draft  a  new  revenue 
code ;  tlie  Crawford  primary  election  law ;  an  act 
amending  the  code  of  criminal  procedure ;  estab- 
lishing a  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  subse- 
([uently  located  at  Quincy ;  creating  a  Live-Stock 
Commission  and  appropriating  §531.712  for  the 
completion  of  the  State  House.  The  Assembly 
adjourned,  sine  die,  June  26,  1885,  after  a  session 
of  171  days. 

Thikty-fifth  Gener.\l  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  5,  1887.  The  Republicans  had  a  majority  of 
twelve  in  the  Senate  and  three  in  the  House. 
For  President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate.  August 
W.  Berggren  was  chosen ;  for  Speaker  of  the 
HoiLse,  Dr.  %Villiam  F.  Calhoun,  of  De  Witt 
County.  The  death  of  General  Logan,  which 
had  occurred  Dec.  26,  1886,  wa-s  officially  an- 
nounced by  Governor  Oglesby  and,  on  Jan.  18, 
Charles  B.  Farwell  was  elected  to  succeed  him  as 
United  States  Senator.  William  R.  Morrison  and 
Benjamin  W.  Goodhue  were  the  candidates  of 
the  Democratic  and  Labor  parties,  respectively. 
Some  of  the  most  important  laws  passed  by  this 
General  Assembly  were  the  following:  Amend 
ing  the  law  relating  to  the  spread  of  contagious 
diseases  among  cattle,  etc. ;  the  Chase  bill  to 
prohibit  book-making  and  pool-selling;  regulat 
ing  tru.st  companies;  making  the  Tru-stees  of 
the  University  of  Hlinois  elective;  inhibiting 
aliens  from  holding  real  estate,  and  forbidding 
the  marriage  of  first  cousins.  An  act  virtually 
creating  a  new  State  banking  system  was  also 
passed,  subject  to  ratification  by  popular  vote. 
Other  acts,  having  more  particular  reference  to 
Chicago  and  Cook  County,  were:  a  law  making 
cities  and  counties  responsible  for  three-fourths 
of  the  damage  resulting  from  mobs  and  riots;  the 
Merritt  con.spiracy  law ;  the  Gibbs  Jurj'  Commis- 
sion law.  and  an  act  for  the  suppression  of 
bucket  shop  gambling.  The  session  ended  June 
15,  1887.  having  continued  163  days. 

Thirty  SIXTH  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  7.  1889.  in  its  first  (or  regular)  se.s.sion.  the 
Republicans  being  largely  in  the  majority.  The 
Senate  elected  Theodore  S.  Chapman  of  Jersey 
County,  President  pro  tempore,   and  the  House 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


195 


Asa  C  Matthews  of  Pike  County,  Speaker.  Mr. 
Matthews  was  appointed  First  Comptroller  of  the 
Treasury  by  President  Harrison,  on  May  9  (see 
Mattheivs,  Asa  C),  and  resigned  the  Speakership 
on  the  following  day.  He  was  succeeded  by 
James  H.  Miller  of  Stark  County.  Shelby  M. 
Cullom  was  re-elected  to  the  United  States  Senate 
on  Januarj'  22,  the  Democrats  again  voting  for 
ex-Gov.  John  M.  Palmer.  The  "Sanitary  Drain- 
age District  Law,"  designed  for  the  benefit  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  was  enacted  at  this  session ;  an 
asylum  for  in.sane  criminals  was  established  at 
Chester ;  the  annexation  of  cities,  towns,  villages, 
etc.,  under  certain  conditions,  was  authorized; 
more  stringent  legislation  was  enacted  relative  to 
the  circulation  of  obscene  literature;  a  new  com- 
pulsory education  law  was  passed,  and  the  em- 
ployment on  public  works  of  aliens  who  liad  not 
declared  their  intention  of  becoming  citizens  was 
prohibited.  This  session  ended.  May  28.  A 
special  session  was  convened  by  Governor  Fifer 
on  July  24,  1890,  to  frame  and  adopt  legislation 
rendered  necessary  by  the  Act  of  Congress  locat- 
ing the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago. 
Mr.  Miller  having  died  in  the  interim,  William  G. 
Cochran,  of  Moultrie  County,  was  chosen  Speaker 
of  the  House.  The  special  session  concluded 
Aug.  1,  1890,  having  enacted  the  following  meas- 
ures ;  An  Act  granting  the  use  of  all  State  lands, 
(submerged  or  other)  in  or  adjacent  to  Chicago,  to 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  for  a  period  to 
extend  one  year  after  the  closing  of  the  Exposi- 
tion; authorizing  the  Chicago  Boards  of  Park 
Commissioners  to  grant  the  use  of  the  public 
parks,  or  any  part  thereof,  to  promote  the  objects 
of  such  Exposition ;  a  joint  resolution  providing 
for  the  submission  to  the  people  of  a  Constitu- 
tional Amendment  granting  to  the  city  of  Chicago 
the  power  (provided  a  majority  of  the  qualified 
voters  desired  it)  to  issue  bonds  to  an  amount  not 
exceeding  §5,000,000,  the  same  to  bear  interest 
and  the  proceeds  of  their  sale  to  be  turned  over 
to  the  Exposition  Managers  to  be  devoted  to  the 
use  and  for  the  benefit  of  tlie  Exposition.  (See 
also  World's  Columbian  E.r2iOsition.)  The  total 
length  of  the  two  sessions  was  150  days. 

Thirty-seventh  General  Assembly  convened 
Jan.  7,  1891,  and  adjourned  June  12  following. 
Lieut. -Gov.  Ray  presided  in  the  Senate,  Milton 
W.  Matthews  (Republican),  of  Urbana,  being 
elected  President  pro  tem.  The  Democrats  had 
control  in  the  House  and  elected  Clayton  E. 
Crafts,  of  Cook  County,  Speaker.  The  most 
exciting  feature  of  the  session  was  the  election  of 
a  United  States  Senator  to  succeed  Charles  B. 


Farwell.  Neither  of  the  two  leading  parties  had 
a  majority  on  joint  ballot,  the  balance  of  power 
being  held  by  three  "Independent"  members  of 
the  House,  who  had  been  elected  as  represent- 
atives of  the  Farmers"  Mutual  Benevolent  Alli- 
ance. Richard  J.  Oglesby  was  the  caucus 
nominee  of  the  Republicans  and  John  M.  Palmer 
of  the  Democrats.  For  a  time  the  Independents 
stood  as  a  unit  for  A.  J.  Streeter,  but  later  two  of 
the  three  voted  for  ex-Governor  Palmer,  finally, 
on  March  11,  securing  his  election  on  the  154th 
ballot  in  joint  session.  Meanwhile,  the  Repub- 
licans had  cast  tentative  ballots  for  Alson  J. 
Streeter  and  Cicero  J.  Lindley,  in  hope  of  draw- 
ing the  Independents  to  their  .support,  but  without 
effective  result.  The  final  ballot  stood— Palmer, 
103;  Lindley,  101,  Streeter  1.  Of  1,296  bills  intro- 
duced in  both  Houses  at  this  session,  only  151 
became  laws,  the  most  important  being;  The 
Australian  ballot  law,  and  acts  regulating  build- 
ing and  loan  associations ;  prohibiting  the  employ- 
ment of  children  under  tliirteen  at  manual  labor; 
fixing  the  legal  rate  of  interest  at  seven  per  cent ; 
prohibiting  the  "truck  system"  of  paying  em- 
ployes, and  granting  the  right  of  sufl'rage  to 
women  in  the  election  of  school  officers.  An 
amendment  of  the  State  Constitution  permitting 
the  submission  of  two  Constitutional  Amend- 
ments to  the  people  at  the  same  time,  was  sub- 
mitted by  this  Legislature  and  ratified  at  the 
election  of  1892.  The  session  covered  a  period  of 
157  days. 

Thirty-eighth  General  Assembly.  This 
body  convened  Jan.  4,  1893.  The  Democrats  were 
in  the  ascendency  in  botli  houses,  having  a 
majority  of  seven  in  the  Senate  and  of  three  in 
the  lower  house.  Joseph  R.  Gill,  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  ex-ofBcio  President  of  the  Senate, 
and  John  W.  Coppinger,  of  Alton,  was  chosen 
President  pro  tem.  Clayton  E.  Crafts  of  Cook 
County  was  again  cho.sen  Speaker  of  the  House. 
The  inauguration  of  tlie  new  State  officers  took 
place  on  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  Jan.  10.  This 
Legislatiu-e  was  in  se.ssion  164  days,  adjourning 
June  16,  1893.  Not  very  much  legislation  of  a 
general  character  was  enacted.  New  Congres- 
sional and  Legislative  apportionments  were 
passed,  the  former  dividing  the  State  into  twenty- 
two  districts;  an  Insurance  Department  was 
created;  a  naval  militia  was  established;  the 
scope  of  the  juvenile  reformatory  was  enlarged 
and  the  compulsory  education  law  was  amendeii. 

Thirty'ninth  General  Assembly.  This 
Legislature  Iield  two  sessions— a  regular  and  a 
special.     The  former  opened  Jan.  9,    1895,  and 


196 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


closed  June  14,  following.  The  political  com- 
plexion of  the  Senate  was — Republicans,  thirty- 
three;  Democrats,  eighteen;  of  the  House, 
ninety -two  Republicans  and  sixty-one  Democrats. 
John  Meyer,  of  Cook  County,  was  elected  Speaker 
of  the  House,  and  Charles  Bogardus  of  Piatt 
County,  President  pro  teni.  of  tlie  Senate.  Acts 
were  passed  making  approjjriations  for  improve- 
ment of  the  State  Fair  Grounds  at  Springfield; 
authorizing  the  establishment  of  a  Western  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  (§100,000);  appropriating 
§100,000  for  a  Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane; 
§05,000  for  an  Asylum  for  Incurable  Insane;  §50,- 
000,  each,  for  two  additional  Normal  Schools^one 
in  Northern  and  the  other  in  Eastern  Illinois; 
§25,000  for  a  Soldiers'  Widows'  Home — all  being 
new  institutions — besides  §15,000  for  a  State 
exhibition  at  the  Atlanta  Expo.sitiou;  §65,000  to 
mark,  by  monuments,  the  position  of  Illinois 
troops  on  the  battlefields  of  Chickamauga,  Look- 
out Jlountiun  and  Missionary  Ridge.  Other  acts 
passed  fixed  the  salaries  of  members  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  at  §1,000  each  for  each  regular 
session;  accepted  the  custody  of  the  Lincoln 
monument  at  Springfield,  authorized  provision 
for  the  retirement  and  pensioning  of  teachers  in 
public  schools,  and  authorized  the  adoption  of 
civil  service  rules  for  cities.  The  si)ecial  session 
convened,  pursuant  to  a  call  by  the  Governor,  on 
June  '.^5,  1895,  took  a  recess.  June  28  to  July  9. 
re-assenibled  on  the  latter  date,  and  adjourned, 
sine  die,  August  2.  Outside  of  routine  legisla- 
tion, no  laws  were  pas.sed  except  one  providing 
additional  necessary  revenue  for  State  purposes 
and  one  creating  a  State  Board  of  Arbitration. 
The  reguLar  session  continued  157  days  and  the 
special  twentj'-nine — total  186. 

Fortieth  General  Assembly  met  in  regular 
session  at  Springfield.  Jan.  0,  1897,  and  adjourned, 
sine  die.  June  4.  The  Republicans  had  a  major- 
ity in  both  branches,  the  House  standing  eight}'- 
eight  Republicans  to  si.xty-three  Democrats  and 
two  Populists,  and  the  Senate,  thirty-nine  Repub- 
licans to  eleven  Democrats  and  one  Populist, 
giving  the  Republicans  a  majority  on  joint  ballot 
of  fifty  votes.  Both  houses  were  promptly  organ- 
ized by  the  election  of  Republican  officers,  Edward 
C.  Curtis  of  Kankakee  County  being  chosen 
Speaker  of  the  Hou.se,  and  Hendrick  V.  Fisher, 
of  Henry  County,  President  pro  tem.  of  the  Sen- 
ate. Governor  Tanner  and  the  other  Republican 
State  officers  were  formally  inaugurated  on 
Jan.  11,  and,  on  Jan.  20,  William  E.  Mason 
(Republican)  was  chosen  United  States  Senator 
to  succeed  John  M.  Palmer,  receiving  in  joint 


session  125  votes  to  seventy-seven  for  John  P. 
Altgeld  (Democrat).  Among  the  principal  laws 
enacted  at  this  session  were  the  following:  An 
act  concerning  aliens  and  to  regulate  the  right  to 
hold  real  estate,  and  prescribing  the  terms  and 
(X)nditions  for  the  convej'ance  of  the  same; 
empowering  tlie  Commissioners  who  were  ap- 
pointed at  the  previous  session  to  ascertain  and 
mark  the  jwsitions  occupied  by  Illinois  Volunteers 
in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Moun- 
tain and  Missionary  Ridge,  to  expend  the  remain 
ing  appropriations  in  their  hands  for  the  erection 
of  monuments  on  the  battle-grounds;  authorizing 
the  appointment  of  a  similar  Commission  to 
ascertain  and  mark  the  positions  held  by  Illinois 
troops  in  the  Uittle  of  Shiloh;  to  reimburse  the 
University  of  Illinois  for  the  loss  of  funds  result- 
ing from  the  Sijaulding  defalcation  and  affirming 
the  liability  of  the  State  for  "the  endowment 
fund  of  the  University,  amounting  to  §4.56,712.91, 
and  for  so  much  in  addition  as  may  be  received 
in  future  from  tlie  sale  of  lands";  authorizing 
the  adoption  of  the  "Torrens  land-title  system"  in 
the  convej'ance  and  registration  of  land  titles  by 
vote  of  the  people  in  anj'  county ;  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  three  Supreme  Court  Districts  of  the 
State  into  one  and  locating  the  Court  at  Spring- 
field; creating  a  State  I5oard  of  Pardons,  and 
prescribing  the  manner  of  applying  for  pardons 
and  commutations.  An  act  of  this  session,  which 
produced  much  agitation  and  led  to  a  great  deal 
of  discussion  in  the  press  and  elsewhere,  was  tlie 
street  railroad  law  empowering  the  City  Council, 
or  other  corporate  authority  of  any  city,  to  grant 
franchises  to  street  railway  companies  extending 
to  fiftj'  years.  This  act  was  repealed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1899  before  any  street  rail- 
way corporation  had  secured  a  franchise  under  it. 
A  special  session  was  called  by  Governor  Tanner 
to  meet  Dec.  7,  1897,  the  proclamation  naming 
five  topics  for  legislative  action.  The  session 
continued  to  Feb.  24,  1898,  only  two  of  the  meas- 
ures named  by  the  Governor  in  his  call  being 
affirmatively  acted  upon.  These  included:  (1)  an 
elaborate  act  prescribing  the  manner  of  conduct- 
ing primary  elections  of  delegates  to  nominating 
conventions,  and  (2)  a  new  revenue  law  regulat- 
ing the  manner  of  assessing  and  collecting  taxes. 
One  provision  of  the  latter  law  limits  the  valuation 
of  property  for  assessment  purposes  to  one-fifth 
its  cash  value.  The  length  of  the  regular  session 
was  150  daj's,  and  that  of  the  special  session 
eighty  days — total,  230  days. 

GENESEO,  a  city  in  Henry  County,  about  two 
miles  south  of  the  Green  River.     It  is  on  the  Chi- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


197 


cago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway,  23  miles 
east  of  Rock  Island  and  75  miles  west  of  Ottawa. 
It  is  in  the  heart  of  a  grain-growjng  region,  and 
has  two  large  grain  elevators.  Manufacturing  is 
also  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent  here, 
furniture,  wagons  and  farming  implements  con- 
stituting the  chief  output.  Geneseo  has  eleven 
churche.s,  a  graded  and  a  high  scliool,  a  col- 
legiate institute,  two  banks,  and  two  new.^papers, 
one  issuing  a  daily  edition.  Population  (1890), 
3,183;  (1900),  8,356. 

GENEVA,  a  city  and  railway  junction  on  Fox 
River,  and  the  county-seat  of  Kane  County;  35 
miles  west  of  Chicago.  It  has  a  fine  courthouse, 
completed  in  1893  at  a  cost  of  5250.000,  and 
numerous  handsome  churches  and  school  build- 
ings. A  State  Reformatory  for  juvenile  female 
offenders  has  been  located  here.  There  is  an  ex- 
cellent water-power,  operating  six  manufac- 
tories, including  extensive  glucose  works.  The 
town  has  a  bank,  creamery,  water-works,  gas 
and  electric  light  plant,  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers. The  surrounding  country  is  devoted  to 
agriculture  and  dairy  farming.  Population 
(1880),  1,239;  (1890),  1,692;  (1900),  2,446. 

GENOA,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County,  on 
Omaha  Division  of  the  Chi.,  Mil.  &  St.  Paul,  the 
111.  Cent  and  Chi.  &  N.W.  Railroads,  59  miles  west 
of  Chicago.  Dairying  is  a  leading  indu.stry ;  has 
two  banks,  shoe  and  telephone  factories,  and  two 
newspapers.     Population  (1890).  634;  (1900),  1,140. 

GEOLOGICAL  FORMATIONS.  The  geological 
structure  of  Illinois  embraces  a  representation, 
more  or  less  complete,  of  the  whole  paleonic 
series  of  formations,  from  the  calciferous  group 
of  the  Lower  Silurian  to  the  top  of  the  coal  meas- 
ures. In  addition  to  these  older  rooks  there  is  a 
limited  area  in  the  extreme  southern  end  of  the 
State  covered  with  Tertiary  deposits.  Over- 
spreading these  formations  are  beds  of  more 
recent  age,  comprising  sands,  clays  and  gravel, 
varying  in  thickness  from  ten  to  more  than  two 
hundred  feet.  These  superficial  deposits  may  be 
divided  into  Alluvium,  Loess  and  Drift,  and  con- 
stitute the  Quaternary  system  of  modern  geolo- 
gists. 

Lower  Siluri.\n  System. — Under  this  heading 
maybe  noted  three  distinct  groups;  the  Calcifer- 
ous, the  Trenton  and  the  Cincinnati.  The  first 
mentioned  group  comprises  the  St.  Peter's  Sand- 
stone and  the  Lower  Magnesian  Limestone.  The 
former  outcrops  only  at  a  single  locality,  in  La 
Salle  County,  extending  about  two  miles  along 
the  valley  of  the  Illinois  River  in  the  vicinity  of 
Utica.     The  thickness  of   the  strata  appearing 


above  the  surface  is  about  80  feet,  thin  bands  of 
Magnesian  limestone  alternating  with  layers  of 
Calciferous  sandstone.  Many  of  the  layers  con- 
tain good  hydraulic  rock,  which  is  utilized  in  the 
manufacture  of  cement.  The  entire  thickness  of 
the  rock  below  the  surface  has  not  been  ascer- 
tained, but  is  estimated  at  about  400  feet.  The 
St.  Peter's  Sandstone  outcrops  in  the  valley  of 
the  Illinois,  constituting  the  main  portion  of  the 
bluffs  from  Utica  to  a  point  beyond  Ottawa,  and 
forms  the  "bed  rock"  in  most  of  the  northern 
townships  of  La  Salle  County.  It  also  outcrops 
on  the  Rock  River  in  the  vicinity  of  Oregon  City, 
and  forms  a  conspicuous  bluff  on  the  Mississippi 
in  Calhoun  County.  Its  maximum  thickness  in 
the  State  may  be  estimated  at  about  200  feet.  It 
is  too  incoherent  in  its  texture  to  be  valuable  as 
a  building  stone,  though  some  of  the  upper  strata 
in  Lee  County  have  been  utilized  for  caps  and 
sills.  It  affords,  however,  a  fine  quality  of  sand 
for  the  manufacture  of  glass.  The  Trenton 
group,  which  immediately  overlies  the  St.  Peter's 
Sandstone,  consists  of  three  divisions.  The  low- 
est is  a  brown  Magnesian  Limestone,  or  Dolomite, 
usually  found  in  regular  beds,  or  strata,  varying 
from  four  inches  to  two  feet  in  thickness.  The 
aggregate  thickness  varies  from  twenty  feet,  in 
the  northern  portion  of  the  State,  to  sixty  or 
seventy  feet  at  the  bluff  in  Calhoun  County.  At 
the  quarries  in  La  Salle  County,  it  abounds  in 
fossils,  including  a  large  Lituites  and  several 
specimens  of  Orthoceras,  Maolurea,  etc.  The 
middle  division  of  the  Trenton  group  consists  of 
light  gray,  compact  limestones  in  the  southern 
and  western  parts  of  the  State,  and  of  light  blue, 
thin-bedded,  shaly  limestone  in  the  northern  por- 
tions. The  upper  division  is  the  well-known 
Galena  limestone,  the  lead-bearing  rock  of  the 
Northwest.  It  is  a  buff  colored,  porous  Dolomite, 
sometimes  arenaceous  and  unevenly  textured, 
giving  origin  to  a  ferruginous,  sandy  clay  when 
decomposed.  The  lead  ores  occur  in  crevices, 
caverns  and  horizontal  seams.  These  crevices  were 
probably  formed  by  shrinkage  of  the  strata  from 
crystallization  or  by  some  disturbing  force  from 
beneath,  and  have  been  enlarged  by  decomposi- 
tion of  the  exposed  surface.  Fossils  belonging  to 
a  lower  order  of  marine  animal  than  the  coral  are 
found  in  this  rock,  a.s  are  also  marine  shells, 
corals  and  crustaceans.  Although  this  limestone 
crops  out  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the  terri- 
tory between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rock  River, 
the  productive  lead  mines  are  chiefly  confined  to 
Jo  Daviess  and  Stephenson  Counties.  All  the 
divisions  of  the  Trenton  group  afford  good  build- 


198 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


iug  material,  some  of  the  rock  being  susceptible 
of  a  high  polish  and  making  a  hamlsonie,  durable 
marble.  About  seventy  feet  are  exposed  near 
Thebes,  in  Alexander  County.  All  through  the 
Soutliwest  this  stone  is  known  as  Cape  Girardeau 
marble,  from  its  being  extensively  quarried  at 
Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.  The  Cincinnati  group 
immediately  succeeds  the  Trenton  in  the  ascend- 
ing scale,  and  forms  the  uppermost  member  of 
the  Lower  Silurian  system.  It  usually  consists  of 
argillaceous  and  sandy  shales,  alt  liougli,  in  the 
northwest  portion  of  the  State,  Magnesian  lime- 
stone is  found  with  the  shales.  The  prevailing 
colors  of  the  beds  are  light  blue  and  drab, 
weathering  to  a  light  ashen  gray.  This  group  is 
found  well  expo.sed  in  the  vicinity  of  Tlieties, 
Alexander  County,  furnishing  a  durable  building 
stone  extensively  used  for  foundation  walls. 
Fossils  are  found  in  profusion  in  all  the  beds, 
many  fine  specimens,  in  a  i)erfect  state  of  preser- 
vation, having  been  exliumed. 

Upper  Silurian  System.— The  Niagara  group 
in  Northern  Illinois  consists  of  brown,  gray  and 
buff  magnesian  limestones,  sometimes  evenly 
bedded,  as  at  Joliet  and  Athens,  and  sometimes 
concretionarj'  and  brecciated.  as  at  Bridgeport  and 
Port  Byron.  Near  Cliicago  tlie  cells  and  jxjckets 
of  this  rock  are  filled  with  petroleum,  but  it  has 
been  ascertained  that  only  the  thirty  upper  feet 
of  the  rock  contain  bituminous  matter.  The 
quarries  in  Will  and  Jersey  Counties  furnish  fine 
building  and  (lagging  stone.  The  rock  is  of  a 
light  gray  color,  changing  to  buff  on  exposure. 
In  Pike  and  Calhoun  Counties,  also,  there  are  out- 
croppings  of  this  rock  and  quarries  are  numerous. 
It  is  usually  evenly  bedded,  the  strata  varying  in 
thickne.ss  from  two  inches  to  two  feet,  and  break- 
ing evenly.  Its  aggregate  thickness  in  Western 
and  Northern  Illinois  ranges  from  fifty  to  150 
feet.  In  Union  and  Alexander  Counties,  in  the 
southern  part  of  tlie  State,  the  Upi)er  Silurian 
series  consists  chiefly  of  thin  bedded  gray  or 
buff -colored  limestone,  silicious  and  cherty,  flinty 
material  largely  preponderating  over  the  lime- 
stone. Fossils  are  not  abundant  in  this  formation, 
although  the  quarries  at  Bridgeport,  in  Cook 
County,  have  afforded  casts  of  nearly  100  species 
of  marine  organisms,  the  calcareous  ix>rtion  hav- 
ing been  washed  away 

DEvo>aAX  System. — This  system  is  represented 
in  Illinois  by  three  well  marked  divisions,  cor- 
responding to  the  Oriskany  sandstone,  the  Onon- 
daga limestone  and  the  Hamilton  and  Corniferous 
beds  of  New  York.  To  these  the  late  Professor 
"Worthen,  for  many  years  State  Geologist,  added, 


although  with  some  hesitancy,  the  black  shale 
formation  of  Illinois.  Although  tliese  comprise 
an  aggregate  .thickness  of  over  500  feet,  their 
exposure  is  limited  to  a  few  isolated  outcroppings 
along  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois.  Mississippi  and 
Rock  Kivers.  The  lower  division,  called  "Clear 
Creek  Limestone,"  is  about  250  feet  thick,  and  is 
only  found  in  the  extreme  southern  end  of  the 
State.  It  consists  of  chert,  or  impure  flint,  and 
thin-bedded  silicomagnesian  limestones,  rather 
com{)act  in  texture,  and  of  buff  or  light  graj' 
to  nearly  white  colors.  When  decomposed  by 
atmosplieric  influences,  it  forms  a  fine  white  clay, 
resembling  common  chalk  in  appearance.  Some 
of  the  cherty  beds  resemble  burr  stones  in  poros- 
ity, and  good  mill-stones  are  made  therefrom  in 
Union  County.  Some  of  the  stone  is  bluish-gray, 
or  mottled  and  crystalline,  capable  of  receiving 
a  high  polish,  and  making  an  elegant  and  durable 
building  stone.  The  Onondaga  group  comprises 
some  sixty  feet  of  quartzo.se  sandstone  and 
stri|)ed  silicious  shales.  The  structure  of  the 
rock  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  St.  Peter's 
Sandstone.  In  the  vicinity  of  its  outcrop  in 
Union  County  are  found  fine  beds  of  jwtter's  clay, 
also  variegated  in  color.  The  rock  strata  are 
about  twenty  feet  thick,  evenly  bedded  and  of  a 
coarse,  granular  structure,  which  renders  the 
stone  valuable  for  heavy  masonry.  The  group 
has  not  been  found  north  of  Jackson  County. 
Large  quantities  of  cliaracteristic  fossils  abound. 
The  focks  composing  the  Hamilton  group  are  the 
most  valuable  of  all  the  divisions  of  the  Devonian 
sy.stem,  and  the  outcrops  can  be  identified  only  by 
their  fossils.  In  Union  and  Jackson  Counties  it  is 
found  from  eighty  to  100  feet  in  thickness,  two 
beds  of  bluish  gray,  fetid  limestone  being  sepa- 
rated by  about  twenty  feet  of  calcareous  shales. 
The  limestones  are  highly  bituniinous.  In  Jersej' 
and  Calhoun  Counties  the  group  is  only  six  to 
ten  feet  thick,  and  consists  of  a  hard,  silicious 
limestone,  passing  at  some  points  into  a  quartzose 
s.indstone,  and  at  others  becoming  argillaceous, 
as  at  Grafton.  The  most  northern  outcrop  is  in 
Rock  Island  County,  where  the  rock  is  concretion- 
ary in  structure  and  is  utilized  for  building  pur- 
poses and  in  the  manufacture  of  quicklime 
Fossils  are  numerous,  among  them  being  a  few 
fragments  of  fishes,  which  are  the  oldest  remains 
of  vertebrate  animals  yet  found  in  the  State. 
The  black  shale  probably  attains  its  maximum 
development  in  Union  County,  where  it  ranges 
from  fifty  to  seventy -five  feet  in  thickness.  Its 
lower  portion  is  a  fine,  black,  laminated  slate, 
sometimes    closely   resembling    the    bituminous 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


199 


shales  associated  with  the  coal  seams,  which  cir- 
cumstance has  led  to  tho  fruitless  expenditure  of 
much  time  and  money.  The  bituminous  portion 
of  the  mass,  on  distillation,  yields  an  oil  closely 
resembling  petroleum.  Crystals  of  iron  pyrites 
are  abundant  in  the  argillaceous  portion  of  the 
group,  which  does  not  extend  north  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Calhoun,  Jersey  and  Pike. 

Lower  Carboniferous  System. —This  is  di- 
visible into  five  groups,  as  follows:  The  Kinder- 
hook  group,  the  Burlington  limestone,  and  the 
Keokuk,  St.  Louis  and  Chester  groups.  Its 
greatest  development  is  in  the  southern  portion 
of  the  State,  where  it  has  a  thickness  of  1,400  or 
1,500  feet.  It  thins  out  to  the  northward  so  rapidly 
that,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Lower  Rapids  on  the 
Mississippi,  it  is  only  300  feet  thick,  while  it 
wholly  disappears  below  Rock  Island.  The  Kinder- 
hook  group  is  variable  in  its  lithological  charac- 
ter, consisting  of  argillaceous  and  .sandy  shales, 
with  thin  beds  of  compact  and  oolitic  limestone, 
passing  locally  into  calcareous  shales  or  impure 
limestone.  The  entire  formation  is  mainly  a 
mechanical  sediment,  with  but  a  very  small  por- 
tion of  organic  matter.  The  Burlington  lime- 
stone, on  the  other  hand,  is  composed  almost 
entirely  of  the  fossilized  remains  of  organic 
beings,  with  barely  enough  sedimentary  material 
to  act  as  a  cement.  Its  maximum  thickness 
scarcely  exceeds  200  feet,  and  its  principal  out- 
crops are  in  the  counties  of  Jersey,  Greene,  Scott, 
Calhoun,  Pike,  Adams,  Warren  and  Henderson. 
The  rock  is  usually  a  light  gray,  buff  or  brown 
limestone,  either  coarsely  granular  or  crystalline 
in  structure.  The  Keokuk  group  immediately 
succeeds  the  Burlington  iu  the  ascending  order, 
with  no  well  defined  line  of  demarcation,  the 
chief  points  of  difference  between  the  two  being 
in  color  and  in  the  character  of  fossils  found.  At 
the  upper  part  of  this  group  is  found  a  bed  of 
calcareo-argillaceous  shale,  containing  a  great 
variety  of  geodes,  which  furnish  beautiful  cabinet 
specimens  of  crystallized  quartz,  chalcedony, 
dolomite  and  iron  pyrites.  In  Jersey  and  Monroe 
Counties  a  bed  of  hj-draulic  limestone,  adapted  to 
the  manufacture  of  cement,  is  found  at  the  top  of 
this  formation.  The  St.  Louis  group  is  partly 
a  fine-grained  or  semi-crystallized  bluish-gray 
limestone,  and  partly  concretionary,  as  aroimd 
Alton.  In  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  State 
the  rock  is  highly  bituminous  and  susceptible  of 
receiving  a  high  polish,  being  used  as  a  black 
marble.  Beds  of  magnesian  limestone  are  found 
here  and  there,  which  furnish  a  good  stone  for 
foundation  walls.     In  Hardin  County,  the  rock 


is  traversed  by  veins  of  fluor  spar,  carrying 
galena  and  zinc  blonde.  The  Chester  group  is 
only  found  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State, 
thinning  out  from  a  thickness  of  eight  hundred 
feet  in  Jackson  and  Randolph  Counties,  to  about 
twenty  feet  at  Alton.  It  consists  of  hard,  gray, 
crystalline,  argillaceous  limestones,  alternating 
with  sandy  and  argillaceous  shales  and  sandstones, 
which  locally  replace  each  other.  A  few  species 
of  true  carboniferous  flora  are  found  in  the  are- 
naceous shales  and  sandstones  of  tliis  group,  the 
earliest  traces  of  pre-historio  land  plants  found  in 
the  State.  Outcrops  extend  in  a  narrow  belt 
from  the  southern  part  of  Hardin  County  to  the 
southern  line  of  St.  Clair  County,  passing  around 
the  southwest  border  of  the  coal  field. 

Upper  Carboniferous  System.— This  includes 
the  Conglomerate,  or  "Mill  Stone  Grit"  of  Euro- 
pean authors,  and  the  true  coal  measures.  In  the 
southern  portion  of  the  State  its  greatest  thick- 
ness is  about  1,200  feet.  It  becomes  thinner 
toward  the  north,  scarcely  exceeding  400  or  .500 
feet  in  the  vicinity  of  La  Salle.  The  word  "con- 
glomerate" designates  a  thick  bed  of  sandstone 
that  lies  at  the  base  of  the  coal  measures,  and 
appears  to.  have  resulted  from  the  culmination  of 
the  arenaceous  sedimentary  accumulations.  It 
consists  of  massive  quartzose  sandstone,  some- 
times nearly  white,  but  more  frequently  stained 
red  or  brown  by  the  ferruginous  matter  which 
it  contains,  and  is  frequently  composed  in 
part  of  rounded  quartz  pebbles,  from  the  size 
of  a  pea  to  several  inches  in  diameter.  When 
highly  ferruginous,  the  oxide  of  iron  cements 
the  sand  into  a  hard  crust  on  the  surface 
of  the  rock,  which  successfully  resists  the  de- 
nuding influence  of  the  atmosphere,  so  that  the 
rock  forms  towering  cliffs  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream  along  which  are  its  outcrops.  Its  thickness 
varies  from  200  feet  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  to  twenty-five  feet  iu  the  northern.  It  has 
afforded  a  few  species  of  fossil  plants,  bvit  no 
animal  remains.  The  coal  measures  of  Illinois 
are  at  least  1,000  feet  thick  and  cover  nearly 
three-fourths  of  its  entire  area.  The  strata  are 
horizontal,  the  dip  rarely  exceeding  six  to  ten 
feet  to  the  mile.  Tlie  formation  is  made  up  of 
sandstone,  shales,  thin  beds  of  lime.stone,  coal, 
and  its  associated  fire  clays.  The  thickness  of 
the  workable  beds  is  from  six  to  twenty-four 
inches  in  the  upper  measures,  and  from  two  to 
five  feet  in  the  lower  measures.  The  fire  clays, 
on  which  the  coal  seams  usually  rest,  probably 
represent  the  ancient  soil  on  which  grew  the 
trees  and  plants  from  which  the  coal  is  formed. 


200 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


When  pure,  these  clays  are  valuable  for  the 
manufacture  of  fire  brick,  tile  and  conxinon 
pottery.  Illinois  coal  is  wholly  of  the  bitumi- 
nous variety,  the  metamorphic  conditions  which 
resulted  in  the  production  of  anthracite  coal  in 
Pennsylvania  not  having  extended  to  this  State. 
Fossils,  both  vegetable  and  animal,  abound  in 
the  coal  measures. 

Tertiary  System. — This  system  is  represented 
only  in  the  southern  end  of  the  State,  where  cer- 
tain deposits  of  stratified  sands,  shales  and  con- 
glomerate are  found,  which  ai>pear  to  mark  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  great  Tertiary  forma- 
tion of  the  Gulf  States.  Potter's  clay,  lignite  and 
silicious  woods  are  found  in  the  formation. 

QUATER.N'ARY  SYSTEM. — This  system  embraces 
all  the  superficial  material,  including  .sands,  clay, 
gravel  and  soil  which  overspreads  the  older  for- 
mations in  all  portions  of  the  State.  It  gives 
origin  to  the  soil  from  which  the  agricultural 
wealth  of  Illinois  is  derived  It  may  be  properly 
separated  into  four  divisions:  Post-tertiary 
sands,  Drift,  Loess  and  Alluvium.  The  first- 
named  occupies  the  lowest  position  in  the  series, 
and  con.sists  of  stratified  beds  of  yellow  sand  and 
blue  clay,  of  variable  thickness,  overlaid  by  a 
black  or  deep  brown,  loamy  soil,  in  which  are 
found  leaves,  branches  and  trunks  of  trees  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation.  Next  above  lie  the 
drift  deposits,  consisting  of  blue,  yellow  and 
brown  claj-s,  containing  gravel  and  boulders  of 
various  sizes,  the  latter  the  water-worn  frag- 
ments of  rocks,  many  of  which  have  been  washed 
down  from  the  northern  shores  of  the  great 
lakes.  This  drift  formation  varies  in  thickness 
from  twenty  to  130  feet,  and  its  accumulations 
are  probably  due  to  the  combined  influence  of 
water  currents  and  moving  ice.  The  subsoil 
over  a  large  part  of  the  northern  and  central 
portions  of  the  State  is  composed  of  fine  brown 
clay.  Prof.  Desquereux  (Illinois  Geological  Sur- 
vey, Vol.  I. )  accounts  for  the  origin  of  thus  clay 
and  of  the  black  prairie  soil  above  it,  by  attribut- 
ing it  to  the  growth  and  decomposition  of  a 
peculiar  vegetation.  The  Loess  is  a  fine  mechan- 
ical sediment  that  appears  to  have  accumulated  in 
some  body  of  fresh  water.  It  consists  of  marly 
sands  and  clays,  of  a  thickness  varying  from  five  to 
sixty  feet.  Its  greatest  development  is  along  the 
bluffs  of  the  principal  rivers.  The  fossils  found 
in  this  formation  consist  chiefly  of  the  bones  and 
teeth  of  extinct  mammalia,  such  as  the  mam- 
moth, mastodon,  etc.  Stone  implements  of 
primeval  man  are  also  discovered.  The  term 
alluvium  is  usually  restricted    to    the    deposits 


forming  the  l>ottom  lands  of  the  rivers  and 
smaller  streams.  They  consist  of  irregularly 
stratified  sand,  clay  and  loam,  which  are  fre- 
(juently  found  in  alternate  laj'ers,  and  contain 
more  or  less  organic  matter  from  decomposed 
animal  and  vegetable  substances.  When  suffi- 
ciently elevated,  they  constitute  the  richest  and 
most  productive  farming  lands  in  the  State. 

UEORfiKTOWX,  a  village  of  Vermilion  County, 
on  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  10  miles  south  of  Danville.  It  has  a 
biink.  telegraph  and  express  office  and  a  news- 
paper.    Population  (IS'.tO),  662;  (1900),  988. 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  SCHOOL,  located  at 
Addison,  Du  Page  County;  incorporated  in  1852; 
has  a  faculty  of  three  instructors  and  reports  187 
pupils  for  1897-98,  with  a  property  valuation  of 
§9,600. 

(iERM.4NT0WX,  a  village  of  Vermili(m  County, 
and  suburb  of  Danville;  is  the  center  of  a  coal- 
mining district  Population  (1880),  540;  (1890), 
1,178;  (1900),  1,782. 

(JEST,  William  11. ,  lawyer  and  ex-Congreas- 
man,  was  born  at  Jack.sonville,  111.,  Jan.  7,  1838. 
When  but  four  years  old  his  parents  removed  to 
Rock  Island,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1860,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1862,  and  has  always  been 
actively  engaged  in  practice.  In  1886  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  by  the  Republicans  of  the 
Eleventh  Illinois  District,  and  was  reelected  in 
1888,  but  in  1890  was  defeated  by  Benjamin  T. 
Cable,  Demwnit. 

GIBAl'LT,  Pierre,  a  French  priest,  supposed  to 
have  been  born  at  New  Madrid  in  wliat  is  now 
Southeastern  Missouri,  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century;  was  Vicar-General  at  Kaskaskia,  with 
ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  over  the  churches  at 
Cahokia,  St.  Genevieve  and  adjacent  points,  at 
the  time  of  the  capture  of  Kaskaskia  by  Col. 
George  Rogers  Clark  in  1778,  and  rendered  Clark 
.  important  aid  in  conciliating  the  French  citizens 
of  Illinois.  He  also  made  a  visit  to  Vincennes  and 
induced  the  people  there  to  take  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance to  the  new  government.  He  even  advanced 
means  to  aid  Clark's  destitute  troops,  but  beyond 
a  formal  vote  of  thanks  by  the  Virginia  I.«gisla- 
ture,  he  does  not  appear  to  have  received  any 
recompense.  Governor  St.  Clair,  in  a  report  to 
Thomas  Jefferson,  then  Secretary  of  State,  dwelt 
impressively  upon  the  value  of  Father  Gibaulfs 
services  and  sacrifices,  and  Judge  Law  said  of 
him,  "Next  to  Clark  and  (Francis)  Vigo,  the 
United  States  are  indebted  more  to  Father 
Gibault  for  the  accession  of  the  States  comprised 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


201 


in  what  was  the  original  Xorthwest  Territory 
than  to  any  other  man."  The  date  and  place  of 
his  death  are  unknown. 

GIBSON  CITY,  a  town  in  Ford  County,  situ- 
ated on  the  Lake  Erie  &  We.stern  Railroad,  34 
miles  east  of  Bloomington,  and  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  the  Wabash  Railroad  and  tlie  Springfield 
Division  of  the  Illinois  Central.  The  |)rincipal 
mechanical  industries  are  iron  works,  canning 
works,  a  shoe  factory,  and  a  tile  factory.  It  has 
two  banks,  two  newspapers,  nine  churches  and 
an  academy.  A  college  is  projected.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  1,803;  (1900),  2,054:  (1903,  est.),  3,165. 

GILL,  Joseph  B.,  Lieutenant-Governor  (1893- 
97),  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Marion,  Williamson 
County,  111.,  Feb.  17,  1862.  In  1868  his  father 
settled  at  Murphysboro,  where  Mr.  Gill  still 
makes  his  home.  His  academic  education  was 
received  at  the  school  of  the  Christian  Brothers, 
in  St.  Louis,  and  at  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal 
University,  Carbondale.  In  1886  he  graduated 
from  the  Law  Department  of  the  Michigan  State 
University,  at  Ann  Arbor.  Returning  home  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  "The  Murphysboro  Inde- 
pendent," which  paper  he  conducted  and  edited 
up  to  January,  1893.  In  1888  he  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  and  re-elected 
in  1890.  As  a  legislator  he  was  prominent  as  a 
champion  of  the  labor  interest.  In  1892  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  serving  from  January, 
1893,  to  '97. 

GILLESPIE,  a  village  of  Macoupin  County,  on 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Cliicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  10  miles  .southwest  of  Litchfield.  This 
is  an  agricultural,  coal-mining  and  stock-raising 
region ;  the  town  has  a  bank  and  a  newspaper. 
Population  (1890),  948;  (1900),  873. 

GILLESPIE,  Joseph,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born  in  New  York  City,  August  22,  1809,  of  Irish 
parents,  who  removed  to  Illinois  in  1819,  settling 
on  a  farm  near  Edwardsville.  After  coming  to 
Illinois,  at  10  years,  he  did  not  attend  school  over 
two  months.  In  1827  he  went  to  the  lead  mines 
at  Galena,  remaining  until  1829.  In  1831,  at  the 
invitation  of  Cyrus  Edwards,  he  began  the  study 
of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837. 
having  been  elected  Probate  Judge  in  1836.  He 
also  .served  during  two  campaigns  (1831  and  '32) 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  He  was  a  Whig  in 
politics  and  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  Legislature,  serving  one  term,  and 
w,as  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  from  1847  to 
1859.     In  1853  he  received  the  few  votes  of  tlie 


Whig  members  of  the  Legislature  for  United  States 
Senator,  in  opposition  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
and,  in  1860,  presided  over  the  second  Republican 
State  Convention  at  Decatur,  at  which  elements 
were  set  in  motion  which  resulted  in  the  nomi- 
nation of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency 
for  the  first  time,  a  week  later.  In  1801  he  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  re-elected  in  1867  for  a  second  term, 
serving  until  1873.  Died,  at  his  home  at  Edwards- 
ville, Jan.  7,  1885. 

GILLETT,  John  Dean,  agriculturist  and  stock- 
man, was  born  in  Connecticut,  April  28,  1819; 
spent  several  years  of  his  youth  in  Georgia,  but, 
in  1838,  came  to  Illinois  by  way  of  St.  Loviis, 
finally  reaching  "Bald  Knob,"  in  Logan  County, 
where  an  imcle  of  the  same  name  resided.  Here 
he  went  to  work,  and,  by  frugality  and  judicious 
investments,  finally  acquired  a  large  body  of 
choice  lands,  adding  to  his  agricultural  operations 
the  rearing  and  feeding  of  stock  for  the  Chicago 
and  foreign  markets.  In  this  he  was  remarkably 
successful.  In  his  later  years  he  was  President 
of  a  National  Bank  at  Lincoln.  At  the  time  of 
his  death,  Augast  27,  1888,  he  was  the  owner  of 
16,500  acres  of  improved  lands  in  the  vicinity  of 
Elkhart,  Logan  County,  besides  large  herds  of 
fine  stock,  both  cattle  and  horses.  He  left  a  large 
family,  one  of  his  daughters  being  the  wife  of 
the  late  Senator  Richard  J.  Oglesbj . 

GILLETT,  Philip  Goode,  specialist  and  edu- 
cator, born  in  Madison,  Ind.,  March  24,  1833;  was 
educated  at  Asbury  University,  Greencastle,  Ind., 
graduating  in  1852,  and  the  same  year  became  an 
instructor  in  the  Institution  for  the  Education  of 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb  in  that  State.  In  1856  lie 
became  Principal  of  the  Illinois  Institution  for 
the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at  Jackson- 
ville, remaining  there  until  1893,  when  he 
resigned.  Thereafter,  for  some  years,  he  was 
President  of  the  Association  fot  the  Promotion  of 
Speech  by  the  Deaf,  with  headquarters  in  Wasli- 
ington,  D.  C,  but  later  returned  to  Jacksonville, 
where  he  has  since  been  living  in  retirement. 

GILLHAM,  Daniel  B.,  agriculturist  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  at  a  place  now  called  Wanda,  in 
Madison  County,  111.,  April  29,  1826— his  father 
being  a  farmer  and  itinerant  Methodist  preacher, 
who  belonged  to  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in 
the  American  Bottom  at  an  early  day.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  conmion 
schools  and  at  McKendree  College,  but  did  not 
graduate  from  the  latter.  In  his  early  life  he 
followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  and  stock- 
grower  in  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  highly 


203 


HISTORICAL    EN'CYCLOPEDIA    UF    ILLINOIS. 


cultivated  portions  of  the  American  Bottom,  a 
few  miles  below  Alton,  but,  in  1872,  removed  to 
Alton,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture in  1866,  serving  eight  years  as  Superin- 
tendent and  later  as  its  President;  was  also  a 
Trustee  of  Shurtleff  College  some  twenty-five 
years,  and  for  a  time  President  of  the  Board.  In 
1870  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the 
Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly,  and  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1882,  serving  a  term  of  four  years 
in  the  latter.  On  the  night  of  March  17,  1890,  he 
was  assaulted  by  a  burglar  in  his  liouse,  receiving 
a  wound  from  a  pistol-sliot  in  consequence  of 
which  he  died,  April  6,  following.  The  identity 
of  his  assailant  was  never  discovered,  and  the 
crime  consequently  went  unpunislied. 

GILMAN,  a  city  in  Iroquois  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  To- 
ledo, Peoria  &  Western  Railways.  81  miles  soutli 
by  west  from  Chicago  and  208  miles  northeast 
of  St.  Louis.  It  is  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the 
richest  corn  districts  of  tlie  State  and  has  large 
stock-raising  and  fruitgrowing  interests.  It  has 
an  opera  liouse,  a  public  library,  an  extensive 
nursery,  brick  and  tile  works,  a  linseed  oil  mill, 
two  banks  and  two  weekly  newspapers.  Arte- 
sian well  water  is  obtained  by  boring  from  90  to 
200  feet     Population  (1890),   1,112;   (1900).  1,441. 

OILMAN,  Arthur,  was  born  at  Alton,  111.,  June 
22,  1837,  the  son  of  Winthrop  S.  Oilman,  of  the 
firm  of  Oilman  &  Oodfrey,  in  whose  wareliouse 
the  printing  prass  of  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  was 
stored  at  the  time  of  its  destruction  by  a  mob  in 
1837 ;  was  educated  in  St.  Louis  and  New  York, 
began  business  as  a  banker  in  1857,  but,  in  1870, 
removed  to  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  connected 
himself  with  "The  Riverside  Press."  Mr.  Oilman 
was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  what  is  known  as 
"The  Harvard  Annex"  in  the  interest  of  equal 
collegiate  advantages  for  women,  and  has  written 
much  for  the  periodical  press,  besides  publishing 
a  number  of  volumes  in  the  line  of  history  and 
English  literature, 

GILMAN,  CLINTON  &  SPRINGFIELD  RAIL- 
ROAD.   (See  niinois  Central  Railroad.) 

GIRARD,  a  city  in  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  25  miles  south  by  west 
from  Springfield  and  13  miles  north-northeast  of 
Carlinville.  Coal-mining  is  carried  on  extensively 
here.  The  city  also  has  a  bank,  five  churches 
and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1880), 
1,024;  (1890),  1,524;  (1900),  1,661. 

GLENCOE,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Milwaukee  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 


em  Railway,  19  miles  north  of  Chicago.     Popu- 
lation (1880),  387;  (1890),  569;  (1000),  1.020. 

GLENN,  Archibald  A.,  ex- Lieutenant-Governor, 
was  born  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  Jan.  30,  1819. 
In  1828  his  father's  family  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  first  in  Vermilion,  and  later  in  Schuyler 
County.  At  the  age  of  13,  being  forced  to 
abandon  school,  for  six  j-ears  he  worked  upon  the 
farm  of  his  widowed  mother,  and,  at  19,  entered 
a  printing  office  at  Rushville,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  compositor.  In  1844  he  published  a 
Whig  campaign  paper,  which  was  discontinued 
after  the  defeat  of  Henry  Clay.  For  eleven 
years  he  was  Circuit  Clerk  of  Brown  County, 
during  which  period  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar ; 
was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
o'  1862,  and  of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization 
from  1868  to  1872.  The  latter  year  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  for  four  years,  and,  in  1875, 
chosen  its  President,  thus  becoming  exofficio 
Lieutenant-Governor.  Ue  early  abandoned  legal 
practice  to  engage  in  banking  and  in  mercan- 
tile investment.  After  the  expiration  of  his  term 
in  the  Senate,  he  removed  to  Kansas,  where,  at 
latest  advices,  he  still  resided. 

GLENN,  John  J.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  bom 
in  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  March  2,  1831 ;  gradu- 
ated from  Miami  L'niversity  in  18.56  and,  in  1858, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind 
Removing  to  Illinois  in  1860,  he  settled  in  Mercer 
County,  a  year  later  removing  to  Monmouth  in 
Warren  County,  where  he  still  resides.  In  1877 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  Cir- 
cuit and  re-elected  in  1879,  '85,  '91,  and  "97. 
After  his  last  election  he  served  for  some  time, 
by  appointment  of  the  .Supreme  Court,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Appellate  Court  for  the  Springfield 
District,  but  ultimately  resigned  and  returned  to 
Circuit  Court  duty.  His  reputation  as  a  cool- 
hea<led,  impartial  Judge  stands  very  high,  and  his 
name  lias  been  favorably  regarded  for  a  place  on 
the  Supreme  Bench. 

GLOYER,  Joseph  Otis,  la\v7er,  was  born  in 
Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  .\pril  13,  1810,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  high-school  at  Aurora  in  that  State 
In  1835  he  came  west  to  attend  to  a  land  case  at 
Galena  for  his  father,  and,  although  not  then  a 
lawyer,  he  managed  the  case  so  successfully  tliat 
he  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  two  others.  This 
determined  the  bent  of  his  mind  towards  the  law, 
to  the  study  of  which  he  turned  his  attention 
under  the  preceptorship  of  the  late  Judge  The- 
ophilus  L.  Dickey,  then  of  Ottawa.  Soon  after 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  the  late  Burton  C.  Cook,  whioh 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


203 


lasted  over  thirty  years.  In  1846  he  was  elected 
as  a  Democrat  to  the  lo.rer  branch  of  the  Fif- 
teenth General  Assembly,  but,  on  the  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise,  he  became  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Republican  party  and  a  close 
friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he  entertained, 
at  the  time  of  his  (Lincoln's)  debate  with  Senator 
Douglas,  at  Ottawa,  in  18.58.  In  1868  he  served 
as  Presidential  Elector  at  the  time  of  General 
Grant's  first  election  to  the  Presidency,  and  the 
following  year  was  appointed  United  States  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  the  Northern  District,  serving 
until  187.5.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Cullom  a  memi)er  of  the  Board  of  Railway 
and  Canal  Commissioners,  of  which  he  afterwards 
became  President,  serving  six  years.  Died,  in 
Chicago,  Dec.  10,  1892. 

tfODFREY,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  5  miles  north  of  Alton. 
It  is  the  seat  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary,  and 
named  for  Capt.  Benjamin  Godfrey,  an  early 
settler  who  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  founding 
that  institution.     Population  (1890),  228. 

GODFREY,  (Capt,)  Benjamin,  sea  captain  and 
philanthropist,  was  born  at  Chatham,  Slass.,  Dec. 
4,  1794;  at  nine  years  of  age  he  ran  away  from 
home  and  went  to  sea,  his  first  voyage  being  to 
Ireland,  where  he  spent  nine  years.  The  War  of 
1812  coming  on,  he  returned  home,  spending  a 
part  of  the  next  three  j-ears  in  the  naval  service, 
also  gaining  a  knowledge  of  the  science  of  navi- 
gation. Later,  he  became  master  of  a  merchant- 
vessel  making  voyages  to  Italy,  Spain,  the  West 
Indies  and  other  countries,  finally,  by  shipwreck 
in  Cuban  waters,  losing  the  bulk  of  his  fortune. 
In  1824  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Matamoras,  Mex.,  where  he  accumulated  a  hand- 
some fortune;  but,  in  transferring  it  (amounting 
to  some  8200,000  in  silver)  across  the  country  on 
pack-animals,  he  was  attacked  and  robbed  by 
brigands,  with  which  that  country  was  then 
infested.  Resuming  business  at  New  Orleans,  he 
was  again  successful,  and,  in  1833,  came  north, 
locating  near  Alton,  111.,  the  next  year  engaging 
in  the  warehouse  and  commission  business  as  the 
partner  of  Winthrop  S.  Gilman,  Tinder  the  name 
of  Godfrey  &  Gilman.  It  was  in  the  warehouse 
of  this  firm  at  Alton  that  the  printing-press  of 
Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  was  stored  wlien  it  was  seized 
and  destroyed  by  a  mob.  and  Lovejoy  was  killed, 
in  October,  1837.  (See  Lovejoy.  Elij<ih  P. )  Soon 
after  establishing  himself  at  Alton,  Captain  God- 
frey made  a  donation  of  land  and  money  for  the 
erection  of  a  young  ladies'  seminary  at  the  village 
of  Godfrey,  fotir  miles  from  Alton.     (See  Monti- 


cello  Female  Seminary.)  The  first  cost  of  the 
erection  of  buildings,  borne  by  him,  was  §.53,000. 
The  institution  was  opened,  April  11,  1838,  and 
Captain  Godfrey  continued  to  be  one  of  its  Trustees 
as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  also  one  of  the  lead- 
ing spirits  in  the  construction  of  the  Alton  & 
Springfield  Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the  Chicago 
&  Alton),  in  which  he  invested  heavily  and  un- 
profitably.     Died,  at  Godfrey,  April  13,  1863. 

GOLCONDA,  a  village  and  county-seat  of  Pope 
County,  on  the  Oliio  River,  80  miles  northeast 
of  Cairo;  located  in  agricultural  and  mining  dis- 
trict; zinc,  lead  and  kaolin  mined  in  the  vicinity; 
has  a  courthouse,  eight  churches,  schools,  one 
bank,  a  newspaper,  a  box  factory,  flour  and  .saw 
mills,  and  a  fluor-spar  factor}'.  It  is  the  termi- 
nus of  a  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
Population  (1890),  1.174;  (1900),  1,140. 

GOLDZIER,  Julius,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Vienna,  Austria,  Jan.  20,  18.54,  and 
emigrated  to  New  York  in  1866.  In  1872  he 
settled  in  Cliicago,  where  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1877,  and  where  he  has  practiced 
law  ever  since.  From  1890  to  1892  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  City  Council,  and,  in 
1892,  was  the  successful  Democratic  candidate 
in  the  Fourth  District,  for  Congress,  but  was 
defeated  in  1894  by  Edward  D.  Cooke.  At  the 
Chicago  city  election  of  1899  he  was  again  re- 
turned to  the  Council  as  Alderman  for  the  Thirty- 
second  Ward. 

GOODIXG,  James,  pioneer,  was  born  about 
1767,  and,  in  1833,  was  residing  at  Bristol,  Ontario 
Coiinty,  N.  Y. ,  when  he  removed  to  Cook  County, 
III.,  settling  in  what  was  later  called  "Gooding's 
Grove,"  now  a  part  of  Will  County.  The  Grove 
was  also  called  the  "Yankee  Settlement,"  from 
the  Eastern  origin  of  the  principal  settlers.  Mr. 
Gooding  was  accompanied,  or  soon  after  joined,  bj- 
three  sons — James,  Jr. ,  William  and  Jasper— and 
a  nephew,  Charles  Gooding,  all  of  whom  became 
prominent  citizens.  The  senior  Gooding  died  in 
1849,  at  the  age  of  82  years.— William  (Gooding), 
civil  engineer,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at 
Bristol,  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  April  1,  1803; 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  by  private 
tuition,  after  which  he  divided  his  time  chiefly 
between  teacliing  and  working  on  tlie  farm  of 
his  father,  James  Gooding.  Having  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  surveying  and  civil 
engineering,  he  obtained  employment  in  1826  on 
the  Welland  Canal,  where  he  remained  three  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Lock- 
port,  N.  Y.,  but  sold  out  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year  and  went  to  Ohio  to  engtige  in  his  profession. 


204 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Being  unsuccessful  in  this,  he  accepted  employ- 
ment for  a  time  as  a  rodman,  but  later  secured  a 
position  as  Assistant  Engineer  on  the  Ohio  Canal. 
After  a  brief  visit  to  his  father's  in  1832,  he 
returned  to  Ohio  and  engaged  in  business  there 
for  a  short  time,  but  the  following  year  joined 
his  father,  who  had  previouslj-  settled  in  a  portion 
of  what  is  now  Will  County,  but  then  Cook,  mak- 
ing the  trip  by  the  first  mail  steamer  around  the 
lakes.  He  at  first  settled  at  "Gooding's  Grove" 
and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1836  he  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  Engineer  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  but,  in  1842,  became  Chief  Engi- 
neer, continuing  in  tliat  position  until  the  com- 
pletion of  the  canal  in  1848,  when  he  became 
Secretary  of  the  Canal  Board.  Died,  at  Lockport, 
Will  County,  in  May,  1878. 

GOODRICH,  (jrant,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Milton,  Saratoga,  County,  N.  Y.,  August 
7,  1811;  grew  up  in  Western  New  York,  studied 
law  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1834,  becoming  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  reputable  members  of 
his  profession,  as  well  as  a  leader  in  many  of  the 
movements  for  the  educational,  moral  and  reli- 
gious advancement  of  the  community.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  First  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Chicago,  an  active  member  of 
the  Union  Defense  Committee  during  the  war,  an 
incorporator  and  life-long  Trustee  of  the  North- 
western University,  and  President  of  the  Board 
of  Tru.stees  of  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  besides 
being  identified  with  many  organizations  of  a 
strictly  benevolent  character.  In  18.")9  Judge 
Goodrich  was  elected  a  Judge  of  the  newly  organ- 
ized Superior  Court,  but,  at  the  end  of  his  term, 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Died, 
March  15,  1889. 

GORE,  David,  ex-State  Auditor,  was  bora  in 
Trigg  County,  Ky.,  April  5.  1827;  came  with  his 
parents  to  Madison  County,  111. ,  in  1834,  and  served 
in  the  Mexican  War  as  a  Quartermaster,  afterwards 
locating  in  Macoupin  County,  where  he  has  been 
extensively  engaged  in  farming.  In  1874  he  was 
an  unsuccessful  Greenback-Labor  candidate  for 
State  Treasurer,  in  1884  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  from  the  Macoupin-Morgan  District,  and, 
in  1892,  nominated  ami  elected,  as  a  Democrat, 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  serving  xintil  1897. 
For  some  sixteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  the  last  two  years  of 
that  period  being  its  President.  His  home  is  at 
CarUnville. 

GOTJDT,  Calvin,  early  printer  and  physician, 
was  born  in  Ohio,  June  2,  1814;  removed  with 
his  parents,   in  childhood,   to  Indianapolis,  and 


in  1832 to  Vandalia,  111.,  where  he  worked  in  the 
State  printing  oflice  and  bindery.  In  the  fall  of 
1833  the  family  removed  to  Jacksonville,  and  the 
following  year  he  entered  Illinois  College,  being 
for  a  time  a  college-mate  of  Richard  Yates,  after- 
wanis  Governor.  Here  he  continued  his  vocation 
•IS  a  printer,  working  for  a  time  on  "Peck's 
Gazetteer  of  Illinois"  and  "Goudy's  Almanac," 
of  wliioh  his  father  was  publisher.  In  association 
with  a  brother  wliile  in  Jacksonville,  he  began 
the  publication  of  "The  Common  School  Advo- 
cate," the  pioneer  publication  of  its  kind  in  the 
Northwest,  which  was  continued  for  about  a 
year.  Later  he  studied  medicine  with  Drs.  Ilenrj- 
and  Merriman  in  Springfield,  finally  graduating 
at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  and,  in  1844, 
Ijegan  practice  at  Taylorville;  in  1847  was  elected 
Probate  Juilge  of  ChrLstian  County  for  a  term  of 
four  years;  in  1851  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  continued  nineteen  years.  In  1856 
lie  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  and,  in  the  session  of  the  following 
year,  w;is  a  leading  supporter  of  the  act  estab- 
lisliing  the  State  Normal  School  at  Normal,  still 
later  serving  for  some  sixteen  years  on  the  State 
Board  of  Education.  Died,  at  Taylorville,  in 
1877.  Dr.  Goudy  was  an  older  brother  of  the  late 
William  C.  Goudy  of  Chicago. 

GOUDY,  William  C,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Indiana,  May  15,  1824;  came  to  Illinois,  with  his 
father,  first  to  Vandalia  and  afterwards  to  Jack- 
sonville, previous  to  1833,  where  the  latter  began 
the  publication  of  "The  Farmer's  Almanac" — a 
well-known  publication  of  that  time.  At  Jack- 
sonville young  Gou<iy  entered  Illinois  College, 
gnidiuitiug  in  1845,  when  he  began  the  study  of 
law  with  Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan,  of  Springfield; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1847,  and  the  next  year 
began  practice  at  Lewistown,  Fulton  County; 
served  as  State's  Attorney  (1852-55)  and  as  State 
Senator  (1856-00);  at  the  close  of  his  term  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  where  he  became  prominent 
as  a  corjjoration  and  railroad  lawyer,  in  1886  be- 
coming General  Solicitor  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad.  During  President  Cleveland's 
first  term,  Mr.  Goudy  was  believed  to  exert  a 
large  influence  with  the  administration,  ami  was 
credited  with  having  been  largely  instrumental 
in  securing  the  appointment  of  his  partner,  Mel- 
ville W.  Fuller,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court.     Died,  April  27,  1893. 

GRAFF,  Josepli  V.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  July  1,  1854;  after 
graduating  from  the  Terre  Haute  high-school, 
spent  one  year  in  Wabash  College  at  Crawfords- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


205 


ville,  but  did  not  graduate;  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Delavan,  111.,  in  1879;  in 
1892  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  at  Minneapolis,  but,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  President  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
never  held  any  public  office  until  elected  to  Con- 
gress from  the  Fourteerith  Illinois  District,  as  a 
Republican,  in  November,  1894.  Mr.  Graff  was  a 
successful  candidate  for  re-election  in  1896,  and 
again  in  '98. 

GRAFTON,  a  town  in  Jerse.v  County,  situated 
on  the  Mississippi  one  and  a  half  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  tlie  Illinoi.?  River.  Tlie  bluffs  are  high 
and  fine  river  views  are  obtainable.  A  fine 
quality  of  fossiliferous  limestone  is  quarried  here 
and  exported  by  the  river.  The  town  has  a 
bank,  three  churches  and  a  graded  school  Pop- 
ulation (1880),  807,  (1890),  927;  (1900),  988. 

GRAIN  INSPECTION,  a  mode  of  regulating 
the  grain-trade  in  accordance  with  State  law,  and 
under  the  general  supervision  of  the  Railroad  and 
Warehouse  Commission.  The  principal  exec- 
utive officer  of  the  dei)artinent  is  the  Chief 
Inspector  of  Grain,  the  expenses  of  whose  adminis- 
tration are  borne  by  fees.  The  chief  business  of 
the  inspection  department  is  transacted  in  Chi- 
cago, where  the  principal  offices  are  located.  (See 
Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission.) 

GRAMMAR,  John,  pioneer  and  early  legislator, 
came  to  Southern  Illinois  at  a  very  early  date  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Third  Territorial 
Council  for  .Tohnson  County  (181618);  was  a 
citizen  of  Union  County  when  it  was  organized 
in  1818,  and  served  as  State  Senator  from  that 
county  in  the  Third  and  Fourth  General  Assem- 
blies (1822-26),  and  again  in  the  Seventh  and 
Eighth  General  Assemblies  (1830-34),  for  the  Dis- 
trict composed  of  Union,  Johnson  and  Alexander 
Counties.  He  is  described  as  having  been  very 
illiterate,  but  a  man  of  much  shrewdness  and 
considerable  influence. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC,  a  fra- 
ternal, charitable  and  patriotic  association, 
limited  to  men  who  served  in  the  Union  army  or 
navy  during  the  Civil  War,  and  received  hon- 
orable discharge.  Its  founder  was  Dr.  B.  F. 
Stephenson,  who  served  as  Surgeon  of  the  Four- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry.  In  this  task  he  had 
the  cooperation  of  Rev.  William  J  Rutledge, 
Chaplain  of  the  same  regiment.  Col.  John  M. 
Snyder,  Dr.  James  Hamilton.  Maj.  Robert  M. 
Woods,  Maj.  Robert  Allen,  Col.  Martin  Flood, 
Col.  Daniel  Grass,  Col.  Edward  Prince,  Capt. 
John  S.  Phelps,  Capt.  John  A.  Lightfoot,  Col. 
B.  F.  Smith,  Maj.  A.  A.   North,  Capt.  Henry  E. 


Howe,  and  Col.  B.  F.  Hawkes,  all  Illinois  veter- 
ans. Numerous  conferences  were  held  at  Spring- 
field, in  this  State,  a  ritual  was  prepared,  and  the 
first  post  was  chartered  at  Decatur,  111.,  April  6, 
1866.  The  charter  members  were  Col.  I.  C.  Pugh. 
George  R.  Steele,  J.  W.  Routh,  Joseph  Prior. 
J.  H.  Nale,  J.  T.  Bishop,  G.  H.  Dunning,  B.  F. 
Sibley,  M.  F.  Kanan,  C.  Reibsame,  I.  N.  Coltrin, 
and  Aquila  Toland.  All  but  one  of  these  had 
served  in  Illinois  regiments.  At  first,  the  work 
of  organization  proceeded  slowly,  the  ex-soldiers 
generally  being  somewhat  doubtful  of  the  result 
of  the  project ;  but,  before  July  12,  1866,  the  date 
fixed  for  the  assembling  of  a  State  Convention  to 
form  the  Department  of  Illinois,  thirty -nine  posts 
had  been  chartered,  and,  by  1869,  there  were  330 
reported  in  Illinois.  By  October,  1866,  Depart- 
ments had  been  formed  in  Illinois,  Indiana,  Iowa, 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and  posts  established 
in  Ohio,  Missouri,  Kentucky,  Arkansas,  Massa- 
chussetts.  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  the  first  National 
Encampment  was  held  at  Indianapolis,  November 
20  of  that  year.  In  1894  there  were  7,500  posts, 
located  in  every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union, 
with  a  membership  of  450,000.  The  scheme  of 
organization  provides  for  precinct.  State  and 
National  bodies.  The  first  are  known  as  posts, 
each  having  a  number,  to  which  the  name  of 
some  battle  or  locality,  or  of  some  deceased  soldier 
may  be  prefixed ;  the  second  (State  organizations) 
are  known  as  Departments;  and  the  supreme 
power  of  the  Order  is  vested  in  the  National  En- 
campment, which  meets  annually.  As  has  been 
said,  the  G.  A.  R.  had  its  inception  in  Illinois. 
The  aim  and  dream  of  Dr.  Stephenson  and  his 
associates  was  to  create  a  grand  organization  of 
veterans  which,  through  its  cohesion,  no  less  than 
its  incisiveness,  should  constitute  a  potential  fac- 
tor in  the  inculcation  and  development  of  patriot- 
ism as  well  as  mutual  support.  While  he  died 
sorrowing  that  he  had  not  seen  the  fruition  of 
his  hopes,  the  present  has  witnessed  the  fullest 
realization  of  his  dream.  (See  Stephenson,  B.  F  ) 
The  constitution  of  the  order  expressly  prohibits 
any  attempt  to  use  the  organization  for  partisan 
purposes,  or  even  the  discussion,  at  any  meeting, 
of  partisan  questions.  Its  aims  are  to  foster  and 
strengthen  fraternal  feelings  among  members ;  to 
assist  comrades  needing  help  or  protection  and 
aid  comrades'  widows  and  orphans,  and  to  incul- 
cate unswerving  loyalty.  Tlie  "Woman's  Relief 
Corps"  is  an  auxiliary  organization,  originating 
at  Portland,  Maine,  in  1869.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  Illinois  Department  Commanders,  chronolog- 


206 


ULSTOUICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ically  arranged:  B.  F.  Stephenson  (ProTisional, 
1866),  John  M.  Palmer  (1866-68),  Thomas  O. 
Osborne  (1869-70),  Charles  E,  Lippincott  (1871), 
Hubert  Dilger  (1872),  Guy  T.  Goukl  (1873),  Hiram 
Hilliard  (1874  76),  Joseph  S.  Reynolds  (1877), 
T.  B.  Coulter  (1878),  Edgar  D.  Swain  (1879-80), 
J.  W.  Burst  (1881),  Thomas  G.  Lawler  (1882), 
S.  A.  Harper  (1883),  L.  T.  Dickason  (1884), 
William  W.  Berry  (1885),  Philip  Sidney  Post 
(1886),  A.  C.  Sweetser  (1887),  James  A.  Sexton 
(1888),  James  S.  Martin  (1889),  William  L.  Distin 
(1890),  Horace  S.  Clark  (1891),  Edwin  Harlan 
(1892),  Edward  A.  Blodgett  (1893),  H.  H. 
McDowell  (1894),  W.  H.  Powell  (189,'j).  William 
G.  Cochran  (1896),  A.  L.  Schimpff  (1897),  John 
C.  Black  (1898),  John  B.  Inman  (1899).  Tlie  fol- 
lowing lUinoisans  liave  heUl  the  iK)sition  of  Com- 
mander-in-Chief: S.  A.  Hurlbut,  (two  terms) 
1866-67;  John  A.  I^gan,  (three  terms)  1868-70; 
Thomas  G.  Lawler,  1894;  James  A.  Sexton,  1898. 

GRAND  PRAIRIE  SE.MIN.VRY,  a  co-educa- 
tional institution  at  Onarga,  Inxiuois  County,  in- 
corporated in  1863 ;  had  a  faculty  of  eleven  teiich- 
ers  in  1897  98.  with  285  pupils— 145  male  and  140 
female.  It  reports  an  endowment  of  §10,000  and 
property  valued  at  §.55,000,  Besides  tlie  u.sual 
classical  and  scientific  departments,  instruction 
is  given  in  music,  oratory,  fine  arts  and  prepara- 
tory studies. 

GRAM)  TOWER,  a  town  in  Jackson  County, 
situated  on  the  Mississippi  River,  27  miles  south- 
west of  Carbondale ;  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Grand  Tower  &  Carbondale  Railroad.  It  received 
its  name  from  a  high,  rocky  island,  lying  in  the 
river  opposite  the  village.  It  has  four  churches, 
a  weekly  newspaper,  and  two  blast  furnaces  for 
iron.     Population  (1890),  624;  (1900),  881. 

GR.\>D  TOWER  &  CAPE  GIR.^RDE.AU 
RAILRO.\D.     (See  Chicago  &  Te.rns  Railruad.) 

GRAND  TOWER  &  CARBONDALE  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Chicago  d"  Teu-as  Railroad.) 

GRANGER,  Flavel  K.,  lawyer,  farmer  and 
legislator,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y., 
May  16,  1832,  educated  in  public  schools  at  Sodus 
in  the  same  State,  and  settled  at  Waukegan,  III., 
in  1853.  Here,  having  studied  law,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1855,  removing  to  McIIenry 
County  the  same  year,  and  soon  after  engaging  in 
the  live-stock  and  wool  business.  In  1872  he  was 
elected  as  a  Republican  Representative  in  the 
Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly,  being  succes- 
sively re-elected  to  the  Twenty-ninth,  Thirtieth 
and  Thirty -first,  and  being  chosen  Temporary 
Speaker  of  the  Twenty-ninth  and  Thirtieth.  He 
is  now  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  for    the 


Eighth  District,  having  been  elected  in  1896.  His 
home  is  at  West  McIIenry. 

GR.ANT,  Alexander  Fraeser,  early  lawyer  and 
jurist,  was  born  at  Inverness,  Scotland,  in  1804; 
came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day  and  located  at 
Shawneetown,  where  he  studied  law  with  Henry 
Eddy,  the  pioneer  lawyer  and  editor  of  tliat  place. 
Mr.  Grant  is  descrilxjd  as  a  man  of  marked  ability, 
as  were  many  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  region. 
In  February,  1835,  he  was  elected  by  the  General 
Assembly  Judge  for  the  Third  Circuit,  as  succes- 
sor to  his  preceptor,  Mr.  Eddy,  but  .served  only  a 
few  months,  dying  at  Vandalia  the  same  year. 

GRANT,  Ulysses  Simpson,  (originally  Hiram 
Ulysses),  Lieutenant  -  General  and  President, 
was  born  at  Point  Pleasant,  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  April  27,  1822  ;  graduated  from  West 
Point  Military  Academy,  in  1843,  and  served 
through  the  Mexican  War.  After  a  short  resi- 
dence at  St.  Louis,  he  became  a  resilient  of  Galena 
in  1860.  His  war-record  is  a  glorious  part  of  the 
Nation's  history.  Entering  the  service  of  the 
State  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Quartermaster- 
General  at  Springfield,  soon  after  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  in  1861,  and  still  later  serving  a.s  a 
drill  uia.ster  at  Camp  Yates,  in  June  following  he 
was  commissioned  by  Governor  Yates  Colonel  of 
the  Twenty-first  Illinois  Volunteers,  which  he 
immediately  led  into  the  field  in  the  State  of 
Missouri ;  was  soon  after  promoted  to  a  Brigadier- 
Generalship  and  became  a  full  Major-General  of 
Volunteers  on  the  fall  of  Forts  Donelson  and 
Henry,  in  February  following.  His  successes  at 
Fort  Gibson,  Raymond,  Cliampion  Hill,  and  Big 
Black  River,  ending  with  the  capture  of  Vick.s- 
burg.  were  the  leading  victories  of  the  Union 
armies  in  1863.  His  successful  defense  of  Chat- 
tanooga was  also  one  of  his  victories  in  the  West 
in  the  siime  year.  Commissioned  a  Major-General 
of  the  Regular  Army  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg, 
lie  became  Lieutenant-General  in  1864,  and,  in 
Marcli  of  that  year,  assumed  command  of  all  the 
Northern  armies.  Taking  personal  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  he  directed  the  cam- 
paign against  Richmond,  which  resulted  in  the 
final  evacuation  and  downfall  of  the  Confederate 
capital  and  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  at 
Appomattox  on  April  8,  1865.  In  July,  1866,  he 
was  made  General — the  office  being  created  for 
him.  He  also  served  as  Secretary  of  War,  ad 
interim,  under  President  John.son,  from  Au- 
gust, 1867,  to  January,  1868.  In  1868  he  was 
elected  President  of  the  United  States  and  re- 
elected in  1872.  His  administration  may  not 
have  been  free  from  mistakes,  but  it  was  charac- 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


207 


terized  by  patriotism  ami  integrity  of  purpose. 
During  1877-79  he  made  a  tour  of  the  world,  being 
received  everywhere  with  the  highest  honors.  In 
1880  his  friends  made  an  unsuccessful  effort  to 
secure  his  renomination  as  a  Presidential  candi- 
date on  the  Republican  ticket.  Died,  at  Mount 
McGregor,  N.  Y.,  July  23,  1885.  His  chief  literary 
work  was  his  "Memoirs"  (two  volumes,  1885-86), 
which  was  very  extensively  sold. 

GRAPE  CREEK,  a  surburban  mining  village  in 
Vermilion  County,  on  the  Big  Vermilion  River 
and  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  six 
miles  south  of  Danville.  The  chief  industry  is 
coal  mining,  which  is  extensively  carried  on. 
Population  (1890).  778;  (1900),  010 

GRATIOT,  Charles,  of  Huguenot  parentage, 
born  at  Lausanne,  Switzerland,  in  1752.  After 
receiving  a  mercantile  training  in  the  counting 
house  of  an  uncle  in  London,  he  emigrated  to 
Canada,  entering  the  employ  of  another  uncle  at 
Montreal.  He  first  came  to  the  "Illinois  Coun- 
try" in  1775,  as  an  Indian  trader,  remaining  one 
year.  In  1777  he  returned  ana  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  David  McRae  and  John  Kay,  two  young 
Scotchmen  from  Jloutreal.  He  established  depots 
at  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  in  1778,  he  rendered 
that  commander  material  financial  assistance, 
becoming  personally  responsible  for  the  supplies 
needed  by  the  penniless  American  army.  When 
the  transfer  of  sovereignty  took  place  at  St. 
Louis,  on  March  10,  1804,  and  Louisiana  Territory 
became  a  part  of  the  United  States,  it  was  from 
the  balcony  of  his  house  that  the  first  American 
flag  was  unfurled  in  Upper  Louisiana.  In  recom- 
pense for  his  liberal  expenditure,  he  was  promised 
30,000  acres  of  land  near  the  present  site  of 
Louisville,  but  this  he  never  received.  Died,  at 
St.  Louis,  April  21,  1817. 

GRAVIEE,  Father  Jacques,  a  Jesuit  mission- 
ary, born  in  France,  but  at  what  date  cannot  be 
stated  with  certainty.  After  some  years  si)ent  in 
Canada  he  was  sent  by  his  ecclesiastical  superiors 
to  the  Illinois  Mission  (1688),  succeeding  Allouez 
as  Superior  two  years  later,  and  being  made 
Vicar-General  in  1691.  He  labored  among  the 
Miamis,  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias — his  most  numer- 
ous conversions  being  among  the  latter  tribe — as 
also  among  the  Cahokias,  Osages,  Tamaroas  and 
Missouris.  It  is  said  to  have  been  largely  through 
his  influence  that  the  Illinois  were  induced  to 
settle  at  Kaskaskia  instead  of  going  south.  In 
1705  he  received  a  severe  wound  during  an  attack 
by  the  Illinois  Indians,  incited,  if  not  actually 
led,  by  one  of  their    medicine  men.     It  is  said 


that  he  visited  Paris  for  treatment,  but  failed 
to  find  a  cure.  Accounts  of  his  death  vary  as 
to  time  and  place,  but  all  agree  that  it  resulted 
from  the  wound  above  mentioned.  Some  of  his 
biographers  assert  that  he  died  at  sea;  others 
that  he  returned  from  France,  yet  suffering  from 
the  Indian  poison,  to  Louisiana  in  February, 
1708,  and  died  near  Mobile,  Ala.,  the  same  year. 

GRAY,  Ellsha,  electrician  and  inventor,  was 
born  at  Barnesville,  Ohio,  August  3,  1835;  after 
serving  as  an  apprentice  at  various  trades,  took  a 
course  at  Oberlin  College,  devoting  especial 
attention  to  the  physical  sciences,  meanwhile 
supporting  himself  by  manual  labor.  In  1805  he 
began  his  career  as  an  electrician  and,  in  1867, 
received  his  first  patent;  devised  a  method  of 
transmitting  telephone  signals,  and,  in  1875,  suc- 
ceeded in  transmitting  four  messages  simultane- 
ously on  one  wire  to  New  York  and  Boston,  a 
year  later  accomplishing  the  same  with  eight, 
messages  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Pro- 
fessor Gray  has  invented  a  telegraph  switch,  a 
repeater,  enunciator  and  type-writing  telegraph. 
From  1869  to  '73  he  was  employed  in  the  manu- 
facture of  telegraph  apparatus  at  Cleveland  and 
Chicago,  but  has  since  been  electrician  of  the 
Western  Electric  Company  of  Chicago.  His  latest 
invention,  the  "telautograph"— for  reproducing 
by  telegraph  the  handwriting  of  the  sender 
of  a  telegram — attracted  great  interest  at  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893.  He  is 
author  of  "Telegraphy  and  Telephony"  and 
"Experimental  Researches  in  Electro-Harmonic 
Telegraphy  and  Telephony." 

GRAY,  William  C,  Ph.D.,  editor,  was  born  in 
Butler  County,  Ohio,  in  1830;  graduated  from 
the  Farmers'  (now  Belmont)  College  in  1850, 
read  law  and  began  secular  editorial  work  in 
1852,  being  connected,  in  the  next  fourteen  years, 
with  "The  Tiffin  Tribune,"  "Cleveland  Herald" 
and  "Newark  American."  Then,  after  several 
years  spent  in  general  publishing  business  in 
Cincinnati,  after  the  great  fire  of  1871  he  came  to 
Chicago,  to  take  cliarge  of  "The  Interior,"  the 
organ  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  he  has 
since  conducted.  The  success  of  the  paper  under 
his  management  affords  the  best  evidence  of  his 
practical  good  sense.  He  holds  the  degree  of 
Ph.D.,  received  from  Wooster  University  in  1881. 

GRAYVILLE,  a  city  situated  on  the  border  of 
White  and  Edwards  Counties,  lying  chiefly  in 
the  former,  on  the  Wabash  River,  35  miles  north- 
west of  Evansville,  Ind.,  16  miles  northeast  of 
Carmi,  and  forty  miles  southwest  of  Vincennes. 
It  is  located  in  the  heart  of  a  heavily  timbered 


208 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


region  and  is  an  important  hard-wood  market. 
Valuable  coal  deposits  exist.  The  industries  in- 
clude floui-,  saw  and  planing  mills,  stave  factories 
and  creamery.  The  city  has  an  electric  light 
and  water  plant,  two  banks,  eight  churches,  and 
two  weekly  papers.     Papulation  (,!!"'•*).  1,948. 

GRAYTILLE  &  MATTOON  RAILROAD.  (See 
Peoria,  Decatur  &  Ei-ansvillc  Railway. ) 

GREATHOUSE,  Lucien,  soldier,  was  born  at 
Carlinville,  111.,  in  1843;  graduated  at  Illinois 
Wesleyan  University,  Bloomingtou,  and  studied 
law ;  enlisted  as  a  private  at  the  beginning  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  and  rose  to  the  Rink  of 
Colonel  of  the  Forty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteers; 
bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  movements  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee;  was  killed  in  battle  near 
AtLanta,  Ga.,  June  21,  1864. 

GREAT  WESTERN  RAILROAD  (of  1843  and 
'49).     (See  Illinois  Central  Jiailroad.) 

GREAT  WESTERN  RAILROAD  (2).  (See 
Wabash  Jiailway.) 

GREEN  RIVER,  rises  in  Lee  County,  and, 
after  draining  part  of  Bureau  County,  Hows  west- 
ward through  Henry  County,  and  enters  Rock 
River  about  10  miles  east  by  south  from  Rock 
Island.     It  is  nearly  120  miles  long. 

GREEX,  William  H.,  State  Senator  and  Judge, 
was  born  at  Danville,  Ky.,  Dec.  8,  1830.  In  1847 
he  accompanied  his  father's  family  to  Illinois, 
and,  for  three  years  following,  taught  schfxil,  at 
the  same  time  reading  law.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1852  and  began  practice  at  Mount 
Vernon,  removing  to  Metropolis  the  next  year, 
and  to  Cairo  in  1863.  In  1858  he  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly,  was 
re-elected  in  1860  and,  two  years  later,  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  four  years.  In 
December,  1865,  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Third  Judicial  Circuit,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
of  Judge  Mulkey,  retiring  with  the  expiration  of 
nis  term  in  1867.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Democratic  Conventions  of  18G0,  '64, 
•68,  '80,  '84  and  '88,  besides  being  for  many  j-ears 
a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee  of  that 
party,  and  also,  for  four  terms,  a  meinter  of  the 
State  Board  of  Education,  of  which  he  has  been 
for  several  years  the  President.  lie  is  at  jiresent 
(1899)  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profe.ssion  at 
Cairo. 

GREENE,  Henry  Sacheveral,  attorney,  was 
born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  July,  1S'J3,  brought 
to  Canada  at  five  years  of  age,  and  from  nine  com- 
pelled to  support  himself,  sometimes  as  a  clerk 
and  at  others  setting  type  in  a  printing  office. 
After  spending  some  time  in  Western  New  York, 


in  1853  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  at  Dan- 
ville, Ind..  with  Hugh  Crea,  now  of  Decatur,  111. ; 
four  years  later  settled  at  Clinton,  DeWitt 
County,  where  he  taught  and  studied  law  with 
Lawrence  Weldon,  now  of  the  Court  of  Claims, 
Wiushington.  In  1859  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Springfield,  on  the  motion  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, and  was  associated  in  practice,  for  a  time, 
with  Hon.  Clifton  H.  Moore  of  Clinton;  later 
served  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  and  one  term 
(1867-69)  as  Representative  in  the  General  As.sem- 
bly.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  the  Legislature 
he  removed  to  Springfield,  forming  a  law  partner- 
ship with  Milton  Hay  and  David  T.  Littler,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Hay,  Greene  &  Littler,  still  later 
becoming  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Greene  & 
Humphrey.  From  the  date  of  his  removal  to 
Springfield,  for  some  thirty  j'ears  his  chief  employ- 
ment was  as  a  corporation  lawyer,  for  the  most 
part  in  the  service  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and 
the  Wabash  Railways.  His  death  occurred  at  his 
home  in  Springfield,  after  a  protracted  illness, 
Feb.  25,  1899.  Of  recognized  ability,  thoroughly 
devoted  to  his  profession,  high  minded  and  honor- 
able in  all  his  dealings,  he  commanded  respect 
wherever  he  was  known. 

GREENE;  William  G>,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Tennessee  in  1812;  came  to  Illinois  in  1822  with 
his  father  (Bowling  Greene),  who  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  Salem,  now  in  Menard  County. 
The  younger  Greene  was  an  intimate  friend  and 
fellow-student,  at  Illinois  College,  of  Richard 
Yates  (afterwards  Governor),  and  also  an  early 
friend  and  admirer  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  under 
whom  he  held  an  apixiiutment  in  Utah  for  some 
years.  He  died  at  Tallula,  Menard  County,  in 
1894. 

GREENFIELD,  a  city  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Greene  County,  on  the  Chicago.  Burlington  & 
Quincy  and  the  Quincy,  Carrollton  &  St  Louis 
Railways,  12  miles  east  of  Carrollton  and  55  miles 
north  of  St.  Louis;  is  an  agricultural,  coal-mining 
and  stock-raising  region.  The  city  has  several 
churches,  public  schools,  a  .seminary,  electric 
light  plant,  steam  flouring  mill,  and  one  weekly 
paper.  It  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
cattle,  horses,  swine,  corn,  grain  and  produce. 
Population  (1890).  1.131;  (1900),  1  08.5. 

GREENE  COUNTY,  cut  ort  from  Madison  and 
separately  organized  in  1821;  has  an  area  of  544 
s<iuare  miles;  population  (I'JOO),  23,402;  named 
for  Gen.  Nathaniel  Greene,  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier. The  soil  and  climate  are  varied  and  adapted 
to  a  diversity  of  products,  wheat  and  fruit  being 
among  the  principal.     Building  stone  and  cla,y 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


209 


are  abundant.  Probably  the  first  English-speak- 
ing settlers  were  David  Stockton  and  James 
Whiteside,  who  located  south  of  Macoupin  Creek 
in  June,  1817.  Samuel  Thomas  and  others 
(among  them  Gen.  Jacob  Fry)  followed  soon 
afterward.  The  Indians  were  numerous  and 
aggressive,  and  had  destroyed  not  a  few  of  the 
monuments  of  the  Government  surveys,  erected 
some  j'ears  before.  Immigration  of  the  whites, 
however,  was  rapid,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  nucleus  of  a  village  was  established  at  Car- 
rollton,  where  General  Fry  erected  the  first  house 
and  made  the  first  coffin  needed  in  tlie  settle- 
ment. This  town,  the  county-seat  and  most 
important  place  in  the  county,  was  laid  off  by 
Thomas  Carlin  in  1821.  Other  flourishing  towns 
are  Whitehall  (population,  1,961),  and  Roodhou.se 
(an  important  railroad  center)  with  a  population 
of  2.360. 

GKEENUP,  villasre  of  Cumbprland  County,  at 
inteisection  of  the  Vandalia  Line  and  Evansville 
branch  III.  Cent.  Ry. ;  in  farming  and  fruit- 
growing region;  has  powder  mill,  bank,  broom 
factory,  five  churches,  public  library  and  good 
scliools.     Population  (1890),  858;  (1900).  1,085. 

GREENVIEW,  a  village  in  Menard  County,  on 
the  Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad,  22  miles  north-northwest  of  Springfield 
and  36  miles  northeast  of  Jacksonville.  It  has  a 
coal  mine,  bank,  two  weekly  papers,  seven 
churches,  and  a  graded  and  high  school.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  1,106;  (1900),  1,019;  (1903),  1,245. 

GREENVILLE,  an  incorporated  city,  the 
county-.seat  of  Bond  County,  on  the  East  Fork  of 
Big  Shoal  Creek  and  the  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  & 
Terre  Haute  Railroad,  50  miles  east-northeast  of 
St.  Louis;  is  in  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal-min- 
ing region.  Corn  and  wheat  are  raised  exten- 
sively in  the  surrounding  country,  and  there  are 
extensive  coal  mines  adjacent  to  the  city.  The 
leading  manufacturing  product  is  in  the  line  of 
wagons.  It  is  the  seat  of  Greenville  College  (a 
coeducational  institution);  has  several  banks  and 
three  weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1890), 
1,868;  (1900),  2,504, 

GREENVILLE,  TREATY  OF,  a  treaty  negoti- 
ated by  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne  with  a  number  of 
Indian  tribes  (.see  Indian  Treaties),  at  Green- 
ville, after  his  victory  over  the  savages  at  the 
battle  of  Maumee  Rapids,  in  August,  1795.  This 
was  the  first  treaty  relating  to  Illinois  lands  in 
which  a  number  of  tribes  united  The  lands  con- 
veyed within  the  present  limits  of  the  State 
of  Illinois  were  as  follows:  A  tract  six  miles 
:(quare    at    the    mouth    of    the    Chicago   River; 


another,  twelve  miles  square,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois  River;  another,  six  miles  square, 
around  the  old  fort  at  Peoria;  the  post  of  Fori 
Massac;  the  150,000  acres  set  apart  as  bounty 
lands  for  the  army  of  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark, 
and  "the  lands  at  all  other  places  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  French  people  and  other  white  set- 
tlers among  them,  the  Indian  title  to  which  has 
been  thus  extinguished. "  On  the  other  hand,  the 
United  States  relinquished  all  claim  to  all  other 
Indian  lands  north  of  the  Ohio,  east  of  tne  Mis- 
sissippi and  south  of  the  great  lakes.  The  cash 
consideration  paid  by  the  Government  was 
$210,000. 

GREGG,  David  L.,  lawyer  and  Secretary  of 
State,  emigrated  from  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  began 
the  practice  of  law  at  Joliet,  111.,  where,  in  1839. 
he  also  edited  "The  Juliet  Courier,"  the  first 
paper  established  in  Will  County.  From  1842  to 
1846,  he  represented  Will,  Du  Page  and  Iroquois 
Counties  in  the  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Gen- 
eral Assemblies;  later  removed  to  Chicago,  after 
which  he  served  for  a  time  as  United  States  Dis- 
trict Attorney;  in  1847  was  chosen  one  of  the 
Delegates  from  Cook  County  to  the  State  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  that  year,  and  served  as 
Secretary  of  State  from  1850  to  1853.  as  successor 
to  Horace  S.  Cooley,  who  died  in  office  the  former 
year.  In  the  Democratic  State  Convention  of 
1852,  Mr.  Gregg  was  a  leading  candidate  for  the 
nomination  for  Governor,  though  finally  defeated 
by  Joel  A.  Matteson;  served  as  Presidential 
Elector  for  that  year,  and,  in  1853,  -.vas  appointed 
by  President  Pierce  Commissioner  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  still  later  for  a  time  acting  as  tlie  minis- 
ter or  adviser  of  King  Kamehamaha  IV,  who  died 
in  1863.  Returning  to  California  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys  at  Carson  City,  Nev.,  where  he  died,  Dec. 
23,  1868. 

GREGORY,  JohL  iHiItvO,  c:lergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  at  Sand  Lake,  Rensselaer  Co., 
N.  Y.,  July  6,  1822;  graduated  from  Union  Col- 
lege in  1846  and,  after  devoting  two  years  to  the 
study  of  law,  studied  theology  and  entered  the 
Baptist  mini.stry.  After  a  brief  pastorate  in  the 
East  he  came  West,  becoming  Principal  of  a 
classical  school  at  Detroit.  His  ability  as  an 
educator  was  soon  recognized,  and,  in  1858,  he 
was  elected  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  in  Michigan,  but  declined  a  re-elec- 
tion in  1863.  In  18.54,  he  assisted  in  founding 
"The  Michigan  Journal  of  Education,"  of  which 
he  was  editor-in-chief.  In  1863  he  accepted  the 
Presidency  of  Kalamazoo  College,  and  four  years 


210 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


later  was  called  to  that  of  the  newly  founded 
University  of  Illinois,  at  Champaign,  where  he 
remained  until  1880.  He  was  United  States 
Commissioner  to  the  Vienna  Exposition  in  1873, 
Illinois  State  Commissioner  to  the  Paris  Exposi- 
tion of  1878,  also  serving  as  one  of  the  judges  in 
the  educational  department  of  the  Philadelphia 
Centennial  of  1876.  From  1882  to  "8.5  he  was  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Com- 
mission. The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Jladison  University  (Hamilton. 
N.  Y.)  in  1866.  While  State  Superintendent  he 
published  a  "Compend  of  School  Laws"  of  Michi- 
gan, besides  numerou.s  addresses  on  educational 
subjects.  Other  works  of  his  are  "Handlx)ok  of 
History"  and  "Map  of  Time"  (Chicago,  1866) ;  "A 
New  Political  Economy"  (Cincinnati,  1882);  and 
"Seven  Laws  of  Teaching"  (Chicago,  1883). 
Wliile  holding  a  chair  as  Professor  Emeritus  of 
Political  Economy  in  the  University  of  Illinois 
during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  lie  resided  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  died,  Oct.  20,  1898. 
By  his  special  request  he  was  buried  on  the 
grounds  of  the  Universit}'  at  Champaign. 

(iiRESH.4M,  Walter  Qainton,  soldier,  jurist 
and  statesman,  was  born  near  Lanesville.  Harri- 
son County,  Ind.,  March  17,  1832.  Two  years  at 
a  seminary  at  Corydon,  followed  by  one  year  at 
Bloommgton  University,  completed  his  early 
education,  which  was  commenced  at  the  common 
schools.  He  read  law  at  Corydon,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853.  In  1860  he  was 
elected  to  the  Indiana  Legislature,  but  resigned 
to  become  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  Tlxirty- 
eighth  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  was  almost 
imme<liatel}-  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
third  Regiment.  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  he 
was  promoted  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship,  and  was 
brevetted  Major-General  on  March  13,  1865.  At 
Atlanta  he  was  severely  wounded,  and  disabled 
from  service  for  a  year.  After  the  war  he  re- 
sumed practice  at  New  Albany,  Ind.  His  polit- 
ical career  began  in  1856,  when  he  stumjied  his 
county  for  Fremont.  From  that  time  until  1892 
he  was  always  prominentlj'  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  In  1866  he  was  an  unsuccess- 
ful Republican  candidate  for  Congress,  and.  in 
1867-68,  was  the  financial  agent  of  his  State 
(Indiana)  in  New  York.  In  1869  President  Grant 
appointed  him  Judge  of  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict Court  for  Indiana.  In  1883  he  resigned  this 
[lositiou  to  accept  the  portfolio  of  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral in  the  Cabinet  of  President  Arthur.  In  July, 
1884,  upon  the  death  of  Secretary  Folger,  he  was 
made  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.     In  Oct.  1884, 


he  was  appointed  United  States  Judge  of  the 
Seventh  Judicial  Circuit,  and  thereafter  made 
his  home  in  Chicago.  He  was  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  the  renomination  of  Grant  in  that  year, 
but  subsequently  took  no  active  personal  part  in 
politics.  In  1888  he  was  the  substantially  miani- 
mous  choice  of  Illinois  Republicans  for  the  Presi- 
dency, but  was  defeated  in  convention.  In  1892 
he  was  tendered  the  Populist  nomination  for 
President,  but  declined.  In  1893  President  Cleve- 
land offered  him  the  portfolio  of  Secretary  of 
State,  which  he  accepted,  dying  in  office  at 
Wasliington,  D.  C,  May  28,  1895. 

GREl'SEL,  Nicholas,  soldier,  was  bom  in  Ger- 
man}*, July  4,  1817,  the  son  of  a  soldier  of  Murat; 
came  to  New  York  in  1833  and  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
in  1835;  served  as  a  Captain  of  the  First  Michigan 
Volunteei's  in  the  Mexican  War;  in  1857,  came  to 
Chicago  and  was  employed  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Riiilroad,  until  the  firing  on 
Fort  Sumter,  wlien  he  promptly  enrolled  himself 
as  a  private  in  a  company  organized  at  Aurora, 
of  which  he  was  elected  Captain  and  attached  to 
the  Seventh  Illinois  (three-months'  men),  later 
being  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Major.  Re-enlisting 
for  three  years,  he  was  commissioned  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  but,  in  August  following,  was  commis- 
sioned Colonel  of  the  Thirtj-sixth  Illinois;  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge  and  Perry  ville 
and  the  campaign  against  Corinth;  compelled  to 
resign  on  account  of  f,iiling  health,  in  February, 
1863,  he  removed  to  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa, 
whence  he  returned  to  Aurora  in  1893.  Died  at 
Aurora,  .\pril  25.  1896. 

tiRIDLEV,  .\.'<ahpl,  lawyer  and  banker,  was 
born  at  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  April  21,  1810;  was 
educated  at  Pompey  Academy  and.  at  the  age  of 
21,  came  to  Illinois,  lociiting  at  Bloomington  and 
engaging  in  the  mercantile  bu.siness,  which  he 
carried  on  quite  extensively  some  eight  years. 
He  served  as  First  Lieutenant  of  a  cavalry  com- 
pany during  the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1832,  and 
soon  after  was  elected  a  Brigadier-General  of 
militia,  thereby  acquiring  the  title  of  "General." 
In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the 
Twelfth  General  Assembly,  and  soon  after  began 
to  turn  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law,  subse- 
quently forming  a  partnership  with  Col.  J.  H. 
Wickizer,  which  continued  for  a  number  of  years. 
Having  been  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1850, 
he  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  two  succeeding 
sessions  of  the  General  Assembly  in  securing  the 
location  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroads  by  way  of  Bloomington:  was 
also,  at  a  later  period,  a  leading  promoter  of  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


211 


Indiana,  Bloomington  &  Western  and  other  lines. 
In  1858  he  joined  J.  Y.  Scauimon  and  J.  H.  Burch 
of  Chicago,  in  the  establishment  of  tlie  McLean 
County  Bank  at  Bloomington,  of  which  he  became 
President  and  ultimately  sole  proprietor ;  also  be- 
came proprietor,  in  1857,  of  the  Bloomington  Gas- 
Light  &  Coke  Company,  which  he  managed  some 
twenty-five  years.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  Republican  cause  in  1856, 
serving  upon  the  State  Central  Committee  during 
the  campaign  of  that  year,  but,  in  1872,  took 
part  in  the  Liberal  Republican  movement,  serv- 
ing as  a  delegate  to  the  Cincinnati  Convention, 
where  he  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  David  Davis 
for  the  Presidency.  Died,  at  Bloomington,  Jan. 
20.  1881. 

GRIER,  (Col.)  DaTld  Perkins,  soldier  and  mer- 
chant, was  born  near  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  in  1837; 
received  a  common  school  education  and,  in 
1852,  came  to  Peoria,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  grain  business,  subsequently,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  erecting  the  first  grain-elevator 
in  Peoria,  with  three  or  four  at  other  points. 
Early  in  the  war  he  recruited  a  company  of  which 
he  was  elected  Captain,  but,  as  the  State  quota 
was  already  full,  it  was  not  accepted  in  Illinois, 
but  was  mustered  in,  in  June,  as  a  part  of  the 
Eighth  Missouii  Volunteers.  With  this  organi- 
zation he  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson,  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  the  siege 
and  capture  of  Corinth.  In  August,  1862,  he  was 
ordered  to  report  to  Governor  Yates  at  Spring- 
field, and,  on  his  arrival,  was  presented  with  a 
commission  as  Colonel  of  the  Seventy-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  retained 
command  up  to  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  During 
that  siege  he  commanded  a  brigade  and,  in  sub- 
sequent operations  in  Louisiana,  was  in  command 
of  the  Second  Brigade,  Fourth  Division  of  the 
Thirteenth  Army  Corps.  Later  he  had  command 
of  all  the  troops  on  Dauphin  Island,  and  took  a 
conspicuous  part  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Morgan 
and  Mobile,  as  well  as  other  operations  in  Ala- 
bama. He  subsequently  had  command  of  a 
division  until  his  muster-out,  July  10,  1865,  with 
the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General.  After  the 
war.  General  Grier  resumed  his  business  as  a 
grain  merchant  at  Peoria,  but,  in  1879,  removed  to 
East  St.  Louis,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  erection 
and  management  of  the  Union  Elevator  there — 
was  also  Vice-President  and  Director  of  the  St. 
Louis  Merchants'  Exchange.  Died,  April  22, 
1891. 

GRIERSOJf,  Benjamin  H.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  July  8,  1826;  removed  in  boyhood 


to  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  and,  about  1850,  to 
Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a 
time  in  teaching  music,  later  embarking  in  the 
grain  and  produce  business  at  Meredosia.  He 
enlisted  promptly  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War,  becoming  Aid-de-camp  to  General  Prentiss 
at  Cairo  during  the  three-months'  service,  later 
being  commissioned  Major  of  the  Sixth  Illinois 
Cavalry.  From  this  time  his  promotion  was 
rapid.  He  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  same 
regiment  in  March,  1862,  and  was  commander  of  a 
brigade  in  December  following.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  nearly  all  the  cavalry  skirmishes  between 
Memphis  and  the  Tennessee  river,  and,  in  April 
and  May,  1863,  led  the  famous  raid  from  La 
Grange,  Tenn.,  through  the  States  of  Mississippi 
and  Louisiana  to  Baton  Rouge  in  the  latter— for 
the  first  time  penetrating  the  heart  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  causing  consternation  among  the 
rebel  leaders,  while  materially  aiding  General 
Grant  s  movement  against  Vicksburg.  This  dem- 
onstration was  generally  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  events  of  the  war,  and  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  whole  country.  In  recog- 
nition of  this  service  he  was,  on  June  3,  1863, 
made  a  Brigadier-General,  and  May  27,  1865,  a 
full  Major-General  of  Volunteers.  Soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war  he  entered  the  regular  army  as 
Colonel  of  the  Tenth  United  States  Cavalry  and 
was  successively  brevetted  Brigadier-  and  Major- 
General  for  bravery  shown  in  a  raid  in  Arkansas 
during  December,  1864.  His  subsequent  service 
was  in  the  West  and  Southwest  conducting  cam- 
paigns against  the  Indians,  in  the  meanwhile 
being  in  command  at  Santa  Fe,  San  Antonio  and 
elsewhere.  On  the  promotion  of  General  Miles 
to  a  Major-Generalship  following  the  death  of 
Maj.-Gen.  George  Crook  in  Chicago,  March  19, 
1890,  General  Grierson,  who  had  been  the  senior 
Colonel  for  some  j'ears,  was  promoted  Brigadier- 
General  and  retired  with  that  rank  in  July  fol- 
lowing.    His  home  is  at  Jacksonville. 

GRItiGS,  Samnel  Chapman,  publisher,  was 
born  in  Tolland,  Conn.,  July  20,  1819;  began 
business  as  a  bookseller  at  Hamilton,  N  Y.,  but 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  established  the 
largest  bookselling  trade  in  the  Northwest.  Mr. 
Griggs  was  a  heavy  loser  by  the  fire  of  1871,  and 
the  following  year,  having  sold  out  to  his  part- 
ners, established  himself  in  the  publishing  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  until  1896,  when  he 
retired.  The  class  of  books  published  by  him 
include  many  educational  and  classical,  with 
others  of  a  high  order  of  merit.  Died  in  Chi- 
cago, April  5,  1897. 


212 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


GRIGGSVILLE,  a  city  in  Pike  County,  on  the 
Wabash  Railroaii,  4  miles  west  of  the  Illinois 
River,  and  50  miles  east  of  Quincy.  Flour,  camp 
stoves,  and  brooms  are  manufactured  here.  The 
city  has  churches,  graded  schools,  a  public 
library,  fair  grounds,  opera  house,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.  Population  (1890),  1,400;  (1900), 
1,404. 

GRIMSHAW,  Jackson,  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  bom  in  Phil.idelphia,  Nov.  32,  1820,  of  Anglo- 
Irish  and  Revolutionary  ancestry.  He  was  par- 
tially educated  at  Bristol  College,  Pa.,  and  began 
the  study  of  law  with  his  father,  who  was  a  lawyer 
and  an  author  of  repute.  His  professional  studies 
were  interrupted  for  a  few  years,  during  which  he 
was  employed  at  surveying  and  civil  engineering, 
but  he  was  aihnitted  to  the  bar  at  Harrisburg.  in 
1843.  Tlie  same  year  he  settled  at  Pittsfield,  111, 
where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
"William  A.  Grimshaw.  In  1857  he  removed  to 
Quincy,  where  he  resided  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Republican 
Convention,  at  Bloomington,  in  IS.IC,  and  was 
twice  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congress 
(1856  and  '5S)  in  a  strongly  Democratic  District. 
He  was  a  warm  jjersonal  friend  and  trusted  coun- 
sellor of  Governor  Yates,  on  whose  staff  he  served 
as  Colonel.  During  1801  the  latter  sent  Sir. 
Grimshaw  to  Washington  with  dis[)atches  an- 
nouncing the  capture  of  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo. 
On  arriving  at  Annapolis,  learning  that  the  rail- 
roads had  l)een  torn  \ip  by  rebel  sympathizers,  he 
walked  from  that  city  to  the  capital,  and  was 
summoned  into  the  presence  of  the  President  and 
General  Scott  with  his  feet  protruding  from  his 
boots.  In  1865  Mr.  Lincoln  appoint«<l  him  Col- 
lector of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Quincy  Dis- 
trict, which  office  he  held  until  18G9.  Died,  at 
Quincy,  Dec.  13,  1875. 

GRIMSHAW,  WllUam  A.,  early  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  his  native  city  at  the  age  of  19;  in  1833  came 
to  Pike  County,  111.,  where  he  continued  to  prac- 
tice until  his  death.  He  served  in  the  State  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1847,  and  had  the  credit 
of  preparing  the  article  in  the  second  Constitution 
prohibiting  dueling.  In  1864  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  National  Convention  which 
nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  President  a  second 
time;  also  served  as  Presidential  Elector  in  1880. 
He  was,  for  a  time,  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at  Jackson 
viUe,  and,  from  1877  to  1882,  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Public  Charities,  being  for  a  time  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board.  Died,  at  Pittsfield,  Jan.  7,  1895. 


GRINNELL,  JuUns  S.,  lawyer  and  ex-Judge, 

was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1842, 
of  New  England  parents,  who  were  of  Freucli 
descent.  He  graduated  from  Middlebury  College 
in  1866,  and,  two  years  later,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.  In  1870  he  removed  to 
Chicago,  wliere  he  soon  attained  a  prominent 
position  at  the  bar;  was  elected  City  Attorney  in 
1879,  and  re-elected  in  1881  and  1883.  In  1884  he 
was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  Cook  County,  in 
which  capacity  he  successfully  conducted  some 
of  the  most  celebrated  criminal  prosecutions  in 
the  history  of  Illinois.  Among  these  may  be 
mentioned  the  cases  against  Joseph  T.  Mackin 
and  William  J.  Gallagher,  growing  out  of  an 
election  conspiracy  in  Chicago  in  1884;  the 
conviction  of  a  number  of  Cook  County  Commis- 
sioners for  accepting  bribes  in  1885,  and  the  con- 
viction of  seven  anarchistic  leaders  charged  with 
complicity  in  the  Haymarket  riot  and  massacre 
in  Chicago,  in  May,  1880 — the  latter  trial  being 
held  in  1887.  The  .same  year  (1887)  he  was 
elected  to  the  Circuit  bench  of  Cook  County,  but 
resigned  his  seat  in  1890  to  become  counsel  for 
the  Chicago  City  Railway.  Died,  in  Chicago, 
June  8,  1898. 

GROSS,  Jacob,  ex-State  Treasurer  and  banker, 
was  born  in  tJermany,  Feb.  11,  1840;  having  lost 
his  father  by  death  at  13,  came  to  the  United 
States  two  j-ears  later,  spent  a  j'ear  in  Chicago 
schools,  learned  the  trade  of  a  tinsmith  and 
clerked  in  a  store  until  August,  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  Eighty-Second  Illinois  Volunteers 
(the  second  "Hecker  Regiment");  afterwards  par- 
ticipated in  some  of  the  most  important  battles 
of  the  war,  including  Chancellorsville,  Gettj's- 
burg,  IxKjkout  Mountain,  Resaca  and  others.  At 
Dallas,  Ga. ,  he  had  his  right  leg  badly  shattered 
by  a  bullet- wound  above  the  knee,  four  successive 
amputations  being  found  necessary  in  order  to 
save  his  life.  Having  been  discharged  from  the 
service  in  February,  1805,  he  took  a  course  in  a 
commercial  college,  became  deputy  clerk  of  the 
Police  Court,  served  three  terms  as  Collector  of 
the  West  Town  of  Chicago,  and  an  equal  number 
of  terms  (12  years)  as  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Cook  County,  and,  in  1884,  was  elected  State 
Treasurer.  Since  retiring  from  the  latter  office, 
Mr.  Gross  has  been  engaged  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness, being  President,  for  several  years,  of  the 
Commercial  Bank  of  Chicago. 

GROSS,  WiUiam  L.,  lawyer,  was  bom  in  Her- 
kimer County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  21,  1839,  c^me  with 
his  father  to  Illinois  in  1844,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Springfield  in  1862,  but  almost  immediately 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


213 


entered  the  service  of  the  Government,  and,  a 
year  later,  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
Captain  and  Assistant  Quartermaster,  and,  under 
command  of  General  Stager,  assigned  to  the 
Department  of  the  Ohio  as  Military  Superintend- 
ent of  Telegraphs.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Gulf, 
taking  control  of  military  telegraphs  in  that 
Department  with  headquarters  at  New  Orleans, 
remaining  until  August,  1860,  meanwhile  being 
brevetted  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel.  For 
the  next  two  years  he  occupied  various  positions 
in  the  civil  telegraph  service,  but,  in  1808,  re.sumed 
tlie  practice  of  law  at  Springfield,  in  conjunction 
with  his  brother  (Eugene  L. )  is.suing  the  first 
volume  of  "Gross'  Statutes  of  Illinois,"  followed 
in  subsequent  j-ears  by  two  additional  volumes, 
besides  an  Index  to  all  the  Laws  of  the  State.  In 
1878  he  was  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the  General 
Assembly  from  Sangamon  County,  and,  in  1884, 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Hamilton  Circuit 
Judge  to  succeed  Judge  C.  S.  Zane,  who  had  been 
appointed  Chief  Justice  of  Utah.  Upon  tlie  organi- 
zation of  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association,  Judge 
Gross  became  its  first  Secretary,  serving  until 
1883,  when  he  was  elected  President,  again  serv- 
ing as  Secretary  and  Treasurer  in  1893-94. 

GROSSCUP,  Peter  Steuger,  jurist,  born  in 
Ashland,  Ohio,  Feb.  15,  1852;  was  educated  in  the 
local  schools  and  Wittenberg  College,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1872;  read  law  in  Boston,  Mass., 
and  settled  down  to  practice  in  his  native  town, 
in  1874.  He  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  a 
Democratic  District  before  he  was  25  years  old, 
but,  being  a  Republican,  was  defeated.  Two 
years  later,  being  thrown  by  a  reapportionment 
into  the  same  district  with  William  McKinley, 
he  put  that  gentleman  in  nomination  for  the  seat 
in  Congress  to  which  he  was  elected.  He  re- 
moved to  Chicago  in  1883,  and,  for  several  j-ears, 
was  the  partner  of  the  late  Leonard  Swett;  in 
December,  1893,  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  Judge  of  the  United  States  District 
Court  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois  as  suc- 
cessor to  Judge  Henry  W.  Blodgett.  On  the 
death  of  Judge  Showalter,  in  December,  1898, 
Judge  Grosscup  was  appointed  his  successor  as 
Judge  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  for  the 
Seventh  Judicial  District.  Although  one  of  the 
youngest  incumbents  upon  the  bench  of  the 
United  States  Court,  Judge  Grosscup  has  given 
ample  evidence  of  his  ability  as  a  jurist,  besides 
proving  himself  in  harmony  with  the  progressive 
spirit  of  the  time  on  questions  of  national  and 
international  interest. 


GRUNDY  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  northeast- 
ern quarter  of  the  State,  having  an  area  of  440 
square  miles  and  a  population  (1900)  of  24,136. 
The  surface  is  mainly  rolling  prairie,  beneath 
which  is  a  continuous  coal  seam,  three  feet  thick. 
Building  stone  is  abundant  (particularly  near 
Morris),  and  there  are  considerable  beds  of  pot- 
ter's clay.  The  county  is  crossed  by  the  Illinois 
River  and  tlie  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  also  by  the 
Rock  Island  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railways. 
The  chief  occupation  of  the  people  is  agriculture, 
although  there  are  several  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments. The  first  \yhite  settler  of  whom  any 
record  has  been  preserved,  was  William  Marquis, 
who  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mazon  in  a 
"prairie  schooner"  in  1828.  Other  pioneers 
were  Colonel  Sayers,  W.  A.  HoUoway,  Alex- 
ander K.  Owen,  John  Taylor,  James  McCartney 
and  Joab  Chappell.  The  first  public  land  sale 
was  made  in  1835,  and,  in  1841,  the  county  was 
organized  out  of  a  part  of  La  Salle,  and  named 
after  Felix  Grundy,  the  eminent  Tennesseean. 
The  first  poUbook  showed  148  voters.  Morris 
was  chosen  the  county-seat  and  has  so  re- 
mained. Its  present  population  is  3,653.  Another 
prosperous  town  is  Gardner,  with  1,100  inhab- 
itants. 

GULLIVER,  John  Putnam,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
clergyman  and  educator,  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  May  12,  1819;  graduated  at  Yale  College, 
in  1840.  and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in 
1845,  meanwhile  serving  two  years  as  Principal 
of  Randolph  Academy.  From  1845  to  1865  he 
was  pastor  of  a  church  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  in 
1865-68.  of  the  New  England  Church,  of  Chicago, 
and,  1808-72,  President  of  Knox  College  at  Gales- 
burg,  111.  The  latter  year  he  became  pastor  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Binghamton, 
N.  Y.,  remaining  until  1878,  when  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  the  "Relations  of  Christianity  and 
Secular  Science"  at  Andover,  holding  this  posi- 
tion actively  until  1891,  and  then,  as  Professor 
Emeritus,  until  his  death,  Jan.  25,  1894.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Corporation  of  Yale  College 
and  had  been  honored  with  the  degrees  of  D.D. 
and  LL.D. 

GURLEY,  TVilllam  F.  E.,  State  Geologist,  was 
born  at  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  June  5,  1854;  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Danville,  111.,  in  1864,  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  city  and  Cornell 
University,  N.  Y.  ;  served  as  city  engineer  of 
Danville  in  1885-87,  and  again  in  1891-93.  In 
July  of  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Altgeld  State  Geologist  as  successor  to  Prof. 
Joshua  Lindahl. 


214 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


HACKER,  John  S.,  pioneer  and  soldier  of  the 
Mexican  War,  was  born  at  Owensburg,  Ky., 
November,  1797;  in  early  life  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  was  employed  in  the  stock  and 
produce  trade  with  New  Orleans.  Having  married 
in  1817,  he  settled  at  Jonesboro,  Union  County, 
111.,  where  he  kept  a  tavern  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  was  also  engaged  some  thirty  years  in 
mercantile  business.  It  is  said  that  he  was 
unable  to  read  until  taught  after  marriage  by  his 
wife,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  woman  of 
intelligence  and  many  graces.  In  1824  he  was 
elected  Representative  in  the  Fourth  General 
Assembly  and,  in  1834,  to  the  State  Senate,  serv- 
ing by  re-election  in  1838  until  1842,  and  being  a 
supporter  of  the  internal  improvement  scheme. 
In  1837  he  voted  for  the  removal  of  the  State 
capital  from  Vamlalia  to  Springfield,  and,  though 
differing  from  Abraham  Lincoln  politically,  was 
one  of  his  warm  personal  friends.  He  served  in 
the  War  of  1812  as  a  private  in  the  Missouri 
militia,  and,  in  the  Mexican  War,  as  Captain  of  a 
company  in  the  Second  Regiment,  Illinois  Volun- 
teers—Col. W.  II.  Bissell's.  By  service  on  the 
staff  of  Governor  Duncan,  he  had  already  obtained 
the  title  of  Colonel.  He  received  the  nomination 
for  Lieutenant-Governor  from  the  first  formal 
State  Convention  of  the  Democratic  piirty  in 
December,  1837,  but  the  head  of  tlie  ticket  (Col. 
J.  W.  Stephenson)  having  withdrawn  on  account 
of  charges  connected  with  his  administration  of 
the  Land  Office  at  Dixon,  Colonel  Hacker  also 
declined,  and  a  new  ticket  was  put  in  the  field 
headed  by  Col.  Thomas  L.  Carlin,  which  was 
elected  in  1838.  In  1849  Colonel  Hacker  made 
the  overland  journey  to  California,  but  returning 
with  impaired  health  in  1852,  located  in  Cairo, 
where  he  held  the  position  of  Surveyor  of  the 
Port  for  three  years,  when  he  was  removed  bj' 
President  Buchanan  on  account  of  his  friendship 
for  Senator  Douglas.  He  also  served,  from  1854 
to  '56,  as  Secretary  of  the  Senate  Committee  on 
Territories  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Senator 
Douglas,  and,  in  185G,  as  Assistant  Doorkeeper  of 
the  Hoiise  of  Representatives  in  Washington.  In 
1857  he  returned  to  Jonesboro  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  practical  retirement, 
dying  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  in  Anna,  May 
18,  1878. 

HADLET,  WllUara  F.  L.,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  near  CoUinsville,  111.,  June 
15.  1847 ;  grew  up  on  a  farm,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  at  McKendree 
College,  where  he  graduated  in  1867.  In  1871  he 
graduated    from    the    Law   Department  of    the 


University  of  Micliigan,  and  established  him 
self  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Edwardsville.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate from  Madison  County  in  1886,  serving  four 
years,  and  was  nominated  for  a  second  term,  but 
declined;  was  a  delegate-at-large  to  the  Repub- 
lican National  Convention  of  1888,  and,  in  1895, 
was  nominated  and  elected,  in  the  Eighteenth 
District,  as  a  Republican,  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Con- 
gress to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Hon.  Frederick  Remann,  who  had  been  elected 
in  1894,  but  died  before  taking  his  seat  Sir. 
Hadley  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  in  1896, 
but  was  prevented  by  protracted  illne.ss  from 
making  a  canvass,  and  suffered  a  defeat.  He 
is  a  son-in-law  of  the  late  Edward  M.  West, 
long  a  prominent  business  man  of  Edwards- 
ville, and  since  his  retirement  from  Congress,  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  his  profession  and  the 
banking  business. 

HAHXEMANX  HOSPITAL,  a  liomeoi>athic  hos- 
pital located  in  Chicago.  It  was  first  opened  with 
twenty  beds,  in  November,  1870,  in  a  block  of 
wooden  buildings,  the  use  of  which  was  given 
rent  free  by  Mr.  J.  Young  Scammon,  and  was 
known  as  the  Scammon  Hospital  After  the  fire 
of  October,  1871,  Mr.  Scammon  deeded  the  prop- 
erty to  the  Trustees  of  the  Hahnemann  Jledical 
College,  and  the  hospital  was  placed  on  the  list 
of  public  charities.  It  also  received  a  donation 
of  $10,000  from  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society, 
besides  numerous  private  benefactions.  In 
April,  1873,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Scammon, 
the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  to  the 
Hahnemann  Hospital,  by  which  designation  it 
has  since  been  known.  In  1893  the  corner  stone 
of  a  new  hospital  was  laid  and  the  building  com- 
pleted in  1894.  It  is  seven  stories  in  height,  with 
a  capacity  for  225  beds,  and  is  equipped  with  all 
the  improved  appliances  and  facilities  for  the 
care  and  protection  of  the  sick.  It  lias  also  about 
sixty  private  rooms  for  paying  patients. 

HAHXTMAXX  MEDICAL  COLLEGE,  located 
in  Chicago,  chartered  in  1834-35,  but  not  organ- 
ized until  1860,  when  temporary  quarters  were 
secured  over  a  drug-store,  and  the  first  college 
term  opened,  with  a  teaching  faculty  numbering 
nine  profe.s.sors,  besides  clinical  lecturers,  demon- 
strators, etc.  in  1866-67  the  institution  moved 
into  larger  quarters  and,  in  1870,  the  comer-stone 
of  a  new  college  building  was  laid.  The  six  suc- 
ceeding years  were  marked  by  internal  dissen- 
sion, ten  of  the  professors  withdrawing  to 
establish  a  rival  school.  The  faculty  was  cur- 
tailed in  numbers  and  re-organized.     In  August, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


215 


1893,  the  corner-stone  of  a,  second  building  was 
laid   with  appropriate   Masonin   ceremonies,    the 
new  structure  occupying  the  site  of  the  old,  but 
being  larger,  better  arranged  and  better  equipped. 
Women  were  admitted  as  students  in  1870-71  and 
co-eJucation  of  tlie  sexes  has  ever  since  continued 
an  established  feature  of    the  institution.     For 
more  than  thirty-five  years  a  free  dispensary  has 
been  in  operation  in  connection  with  the  college. 
HAINES,  John  Charles,  Mayor  of  Chicago  and 
legislator,   was   born  in  Oneida  County,   N.    Y., 
May  26,  1818;  came  to  Chicago  in  1835,  and,  for 
the  next  eleven  years,  was  employed  in  various 
pursuits;  served  three  terms  (1848-54)  in  the  City 
Council;  was  twice  elected  Water  Commissioner 
(1853  and  '56),  and,  in  1858,  was  chosen  Mayor, 
serving  two  terms.     He  aLso  served  as  Delegate 
from  Cook  County  in  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1869-70,  and,  in  1874,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  from  the  First  District,  serving  in 
the  Twenty-ninth  and  Thirtieth  General  Assem- 
blies.    At  the  session  of  1877  he  received  sixty- 
nine  votes   for  the    seat    in  the   United  States 
Senate  to  wliich  Judge  David  Davis  was  after- 
wards elected.     Mr.  Haines  was  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  was  interested  in  the 
old  Chicago  West  Division  Railway  and  President 
of  the  Savings  Institute.     During  his  later  years 
he  was  a  resident  of  Waukegan,   dying    there, 
July  4,    1896. —Elijah    Middlebrook    (Haines), 
brother    of    the    preceding,    lawyer,    politician 
and  legislator,  was  born  in  Oneida  County.  N.  Y. , 
April  21,  1822;  came  to  Illinois  in  boyhood,  locat- 
ing first  at  Chicago,  but,  a  year  later,  went  to 
Lake  County,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
His  education,  rudimentary,  classical  and  profes- 
sional,  was  self-acquired.     He  began  to  occupy 
and  cultivate  a  farm  for  himself  before  attaining 
his  majority;    studied    law,    and,    in   1851,    was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  beginning  practice  at  Wau- 
kegan; in  1860  opened  an  office  in  Chicago,  still, 
however,   making    his  Iiome    .at  Waukegan.     In 
1855  he  published  a  compilation  of  the  Illinois 
township  laws,  followed  by  a  "Treatise  on  the 
Powers  and  Duties  of  Justices  of  the  Peace. "     He 
made  similar  compilations  of  the  township  laws 
of  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  Missouri. 
By  nature  Mr.  Haines  was  an  agitator,  and  his 
career  as  a  politician  both  checkered  and  unique. 
Originally  a   Democrat,   he   abandoned   that  or- 
ganization upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  was  elected  by  the  latter  to  the  Legis- 
lature from  Lake  County  in  1858,  "60  and  '63.     In 
1867  he  came  into  prominence  as  an  anti-monopo- 
list, and  on  this  issue  was  elected  to  the  Consti- 


tutional Convention  of  1869-70.  In  1870  he  was 
again  chosen  to  the  Legislature  as  an  "independ- 
ent, "and,  as  such,  re-elected  in '74,  '82,  '84,  '86  and 
'88,  receiving  the  support,  however,  of  the  Demo- 
crats in  a  District  normally  Republican.  IIo 
served  as  Speaker  during  the  sessions  of  1875  and 
'85,  the  party  strength  in  each  of  these  Assemblies 
being  so  equally  divided  that  he  either  held,  or 
was  able  to  control,  the  balance  of  power.  He 
was  an  adroit  parliamentarian,  but  his  decisions 
were  the  cause  of  much  severe  criticism,  being 
regarded  by  both  Democrats  and  Republicans  as 
often  arbitrary  and  unjust.  The  two  sessions 
over  which  he  presided  were  among  the  stormiest 
in  the  State's  history.  Died,  at  Waukegan,  April 
25,  1889. 

HALE,  Albert,  pioneer  clergyman,  was  born 
at  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  Nov.  29,  1799;  after  some 
j'ears  spent  as  a  clerk  in  a  country  store  at 
Wethersfield,  completed  a  course  in  the  theolog- 
ical department  of  Yale  College,  later  serving  as  a 
home  missionary,  in  Georgia;  came  to  Illinois  in 
1831,  doing  home  missionary  work  in  Bond 
County,  and,  in  1833,  was  sent  to  Chicago,  where 
his  open  candor,  benignity  and  blameless  conduct 
enabled  him  to  exert  a  powerful  influence  over 
the  drunken  aborigines  who  constituted  a  large 
and  menacing  class  of  the  population  of  what 
was  then  a  frontier  town.  In  1839  he  assumed 
the  pastorate  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Springfield,  continuing  that  connection  until 
1865.  From  that  time  until  his  death,  his  life 
was  largely  devoted  to  missionary  work  among 
the  extremely  poor  and  the  pariahs  of  society. 
Among  these  he  wielded  a  large  influence  and 
always  commanded  genuine  respect  from  all 
denoininations.  His  forte  %vas  love  rather  than 
argument,  and  in  this  lay  the  secret  of  his  suc- 
cess.    Died,  in  Springfield,  Jan.  30,  1891. 

HALE,  (Dr.)  Edniu  M,,  physician,  was  burn 
in  Newport,  N.  H.,  in  1829,  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  in  1848  and,  in  1850,  entered  the 
Cleveland  Homeopathic  College,  at  the  end  of  the 
session  locating  at  Jonesville,  Mich.  From  1855 
he  labored  in  the  interest  of  a  representation  of 
homeopathy  in  the  University  of  Michigan. 
When  this  was  finally  accomplished,  he  was 
offered  the  chair  of  T.Iateria  Medica  and  Thera- 
peutics, but  was  compelled  to  decline  in  conse- 
quence of  having  been  elected  to  the  same  position 
in  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Cliicago. 
In  1876  he  made  a  vi.sit  to  Europe,  and,  on  his 
return,  severed  his  connection  with  the  Hahne- 
mann and  accepted  a  similar  position  in  the  Chi- 
cago Homeopathic  College,   where  he   remained 


216 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


five  years  when  he  retired  with  the  rank  of  Pro- 
fessor Emeritus.  Dr.  Ilale  was  the  author  of 
several  volumes  held  in  high  esteem  by  members 
of  the  profession,  and  maintained  a  high  reputa- 
tion for  professional  skill  and  benevolence  of 
character.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Academy  of  Sciences  and  an  honorary  member  of 
various  liome  and  foreign  associations.  Died,  in 
Chicago,  Jan.  18,  1899. 

HALL,  (CoL)  Cyrus,  soldier,  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette County,  III,  August  29,  1823— the  son  of  a 
pioneer  who  came  to  Illinois  about  the  time  of 
its  admission  as  a  State.  He  served  as  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  Third  Illinois  Volunteers  (Col. 
Foreman's  regiment),  during  the  Mexican  War, 
and,  in  1860,  removed  to  Shelbyville  to  engage  in 
hotel-keeping.  The  Civil  War  coming  on,  he 
raised  the  first  company  for  the  war  in  Slielby 
County,  which  was  attached  to  the  Fourteenth 
Illinois  (Col.  John  M.  Palmer's  regiment);  was 
promptly  promoted  from  Captain  to  Major  and 
finally  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  on  the  promotion 
of  Palmer  to  Brigadier-General,  succeeding  to 
command  of  the  regiment.  Tlie  Fourteenth 
Regiment  liaving  been  finJvUy  consolidated  with 
the  Fifteenth,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hall  was 
transferred,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  to  the 
command  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fourth 
Illinois,  which  he  resigned  in  March,  18t>4,  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  gallant  and 
meritorious  service  in  the  field,  in  March,  186.5, 
and  mustered  out  Sept.  16,  1865.  Returning  to 
Shelbyville,  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  ti-ade, 
later  was  appointed  Postmaster,  serving  some  ten 
years  and  until  his  death,  Sept.  6.  18T8. 

HALL,  James,  legislator,  jurist.  State  Treasurer 
and  author,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Augast 
19.  1793;  after  serving  in  the  War  of  1812  and 
spending  some  time  with  Com.  Stephen  Decatur 
in  the  Mediterranean,  in  1815,  he  studied  law, 
beginning  practice  at  Shawneetown,  in  1820. 
He  at  once  assumed  prominence  as  a  citizen,  was 
appointed  State's  Attorney  in  1821,  and  elevated 
to  the  bench  of  the  Circuit  Court  in  1825.  He 
was  legislated  out  of  office  two  years  later  and 
resumed  private  practice,  making  his  home  at 
Vandalia,  where  he  was  associated  with  Robert 
Blackwell  in  the  publication  of  "The  Illinois 
Intelligencer."  The  same  year  (1827)  he  was 
elected  by  the  Legislature  State  Treasurer,  con- 
tinuing in  office  four  years.  Later  he  removed  to 
Cincinnati,  where  he  died,  July  5.  1868.  He  con- 
ducted "The  Western  Monthly  Magazine,"  the 
first  periodical  published  in  Illinois.  Among  his 
published  volumes  may  be  mentioned  "Tales  of 


the  Border,"  "Notes  on  the  Western  States," 
"Sketches  of  the  West,"  "Romance  of  Western 
History,"  and  "History  of  the  Indian  Tribes." 

HAMER,  Thomas,  soldier  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  Union  County,  Pa.,  June  1,  1818;  came 
to  Illinois  in  1846  and  began  business  as  a  mer- 
chant at  Vermont,  Fulton  County ;  in  1862 
assisted  in  recruiting  the  Eighty-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteers  and  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel; 
was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  re- 
turned to  duty  after  partial  recovery,  but  was 
finally  compelled  to  retire  on  accomit  of  disabil- 
ity. Returning  home  he  resumed  business,  but 
retired  in  1878 ;  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  in  1886  and  to  the  Senate  in 
1888,  and  re-elected  to  the  latter  in  1892,  making 
ten  years  of  continuous  service. 

HAMILTON",  a  city  in  Hancock  County,  on  the 
Mississippi  River  opposite  Keokuk,  Iowa;  at  junc- 
tion of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  and  Keokuk 
branch  of  the  Wabash  Railway.  Its  position  at 
the  foot  of  the  lower  rapids  insures  abundant 
water  power  for  manufacturing  purposes.  An 
iron  railroad  and  wagon  bridge  connects  the  Illi- 
nois city  witli  Keokuk.  It  has  two  banks,  elec- 
tric lights,  one  newspaper,  six  churches,  a  high 
school,  and  an  apiary.  The  surrounding  country 
is  a  farming  and  fruit  district.  A  siinitarium 
is  located  here.  Population  (1890),  1,301;  (1900), 
1,344. 

HAMILTON,  John  B.,  M.D,  LL.D.,  surgeon, 
was  born  of  a  pioneer  family  in  Jersey  County, 
111.,  Dec.  1,  1847,  his  grandfather,  Thomas  M. 
Hamilton,  having  removed  from  Ohio  in  1818  to 
Monroe  County,  111.,  where  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born.  The  latter  (Elder 
Benjamin  B.  Hamilton)  was  for  fifty  years  a 
Baptist  preacher,  chiefly  in  Greene  County,  and, 
from  1862  to  '65,  Chaplain  of  the  Sixty  first  Illi- 
nois Volunteers.  Young  Hamilton,  having  re- 
ceived his  literary  education  at  home  and  with  a 
classical  teacher  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  1863 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  and  the  following 
year  attempted  to  enlist  as  a  soldier,  but  was 
rejected  on  account  of  being  a  minor.  In  1869  he 
graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago, 
and,  for  the  next  five  years,  was  engaged  in  gen- 
eral practice.  Then,  having  passed  an  examina- 
tion before  an  Army  Examining  Board,  he  was 
appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the  regular  army 
%vith  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant,  serving  suc- 
cessively at  Jefferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis;  Fort 
Colville,  Washington,  and  in  the  Marine  Hospital 
at  Boston;  in  1879  became  Supervising  Surgeon- 
General  as  successor  to  Gen.  John  M.  Woodworth 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


217 


and,  during  the  yellow-fever  epidemic  in  the 
South,  a  few  years  later,  rendered  efficient  service 
in  checking  the  spread  of  the  disease  by  taking 
cliarge  of  the  camp  of  refugees  from  Jacksonville 
and  other  stricken  points.  Resigning  the  position 
of  Surgeon-General  in  1891,  he  took  charge  of  the 
JIarine  Hospital  at  Chicago  and  became  Pro 
fessor  of  Surgery  in  Rush  Medical  College,  besides 
holding  other  allied  positions;  was  also  editor  of 
"The  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Associ- 
ation "  In  1896  he  resigned  his  position  in  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  United  States  ^Vrmy, 
in  1897  was  appointed  Superintendent  for  the 
Northern  Hospital  for  the  In.sane  at  Elgin,  but 
died,  Dec.  U.  1898. 

HAMILTON,  John  L.,  farmer  and  legislator, 
was  born  at  Newry.  Ireland,  Nov.  9,  1829;  emi- 
grated to  Jersey  County,  111.,  in  1851,  where  he 
began  life  working  on  a  farm.  Later,  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  farmer  in  Mason  and  Macou- 
pin Counties,  finally  locating,  in  1864,  in  Iroquois 
County,  which  has  since  been  his  home.  After 
filling  various  local  offices,  in  1875  he  was  elected 
County  Treasurer  of  Iroquois  County  as  a  Repub- 
lican, and  twice  re-elected  (1877  and  '79),  also,  in 
1880,  being  Chairman  of  the  Republican  County 
Central  Committee.  In  1884  he  was  elected  to 
the  House  of  Representatives,  being  one  of  the 
"103"  who  stood  by  General  Logan  in  the  mem- 
orable Senatorial  contest  of  1885;  was  re-elected 
in  1886,  and  again  returned  to  the  same  body  in 
1890  and  '98 

HAMILTON,  John  Marshall,  lawyer  and  ex- 
Governor,  was  born  in  Union  County,  Ohio,  May 
28,  1847;  when  7  years  of  age,  was  brought  to 
Illinois  by  his  fatlier,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Marshall  County.  In  1864  (at  the  age  of  17j  he 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fortj'-first  Illi- 
nois Volunteers  —  a  100-day  regiment.  After 
being  mustered  out,  he  matriculated  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  (Ohio)  University,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1868.  For  a  year  he  taught  school  at 
Henry,  and  later  became  Professor  of  Languages 
at  the  Wesleyan  (111.)  University  at  Blooming- 
ton.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870,  and  has 
been  a  successful  practitioner  at  the  bar.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  State  Senator  from  McLean 
County,  and,  in  1880,  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the 
ticket  with  Gov.  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  On  Feb.  6, 
1883,  he  was  inaugurated  Governor,  to  succeed 
Governor  Cullom,  who  had  been  chosen  United 
States  Senator.  In  1884  he  was  a  candidate  for 
the  gubernatorial  nomination  before  the  Repub- 
lican State  Convention  at  Peoria,  but  that  body 
selected    ex-Gov.    and    ex-Senator    Richard    J. 


Oglesby  to  head  the  State  ticket.  Since  then 
Governor  Hamilton  has  been  a  prominent  practi- 
tioner at  tlie  Chicago  l)ar. 

HAMILTON,  Richard  Jones,  pioneer  lawyer, 
was  born  near  Danville,  Ky.,  August  31,  1799; 
studied  law  and,  about  1830,  came  to  Jonesboro, 
Union  County,  111.,  in  company  with  Abner  Field, 
afterwards  State  Treasurer;  in  1821  was  appointed 
cashier  of  the  newly  establislied  Branch  State 
Bank  at  Brownsville,  Jackson  County,  but,  in 
1831,  removed  to  Chicago,  Governor  Reynolds 
having  appointed  liim  the  first  Probate  Judge  of 
Cook  County.  At  the  same  time  he  also  held  the 
offices  of  Circuit  and  County  Clerk,  Recorder  and 
Commissioner  of  School  lands — the  sale  of  the 
Chicago  school  section  being  made  under  his 
administration.  He  was  a  Colonel  of  State  militia 
and,  in  1833,  took  an  active  part  in  raising  volun- 
ters  for  defense  during  tlie  Black  Hawk  War; 
also  was  a  candidate  for  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Fifth  Regiment  for  the  Mexican  War  (1847), 
but  was  defeated  by  Colonel  Newby.  In  1856 
he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor on  the  Democratic  ticket.  Died, 
Dec.  26,  1860. 

HAMILTON,  William  Stephen,  pioneer  — son 
of  Alexander  Hamilton,  first  United  States  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury — was  born  in  New  York 
City,  August  4,  1797;  spent  three  years  (1814-17), 
at  West  Point ;  came  west  and  located  at  an  early 
day  at  Springfield,  III. ;  was  a  deputy  surveyor  of 
public  lands,  elected  Representative  from  Sanga- 
mon County,  in  the  Fourth  General  Assembly 
(1824-26);  in  1837  removed  to  the  Lead  Mine 
region  and  engaged  in  mining  at  "Hamilton's 
Diggings"  (now  Wiota)  in  southwest  Wisconsin, 
and  occasionally  practiced  law  at  Galena;  was  a 
member  of  the  Wisconsin  Territorial  Legislature 
of  1843-43,  emigrated  to  California  in  1849,  and 
died  in  Sacramento,  Oct.  9,  1850,  where,  some 
twenty  years  later,  a  monument  was  erected  to 
his  memory.  Colonel  Hamilton  was  an  aid-de- 
camp of  Governor  Coles,  who  sent  him  forward 
to  meet  General  La  Fayette  on  his  way  from  New 
Orleans,  on  occasion  of  La  Fayette's  visit  to  Illi- 
nois in  1825. 

HAMILTON  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  State;  has  an  area  of  440 
square  miles,  and  population  (1900)  of  20,197  — 
named  for  Alexander  Hamilton.  It  was  organ- 
ized in  1831,  with  McLeansboro  as  the  county- 
seat.  The  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling  and 
the  fertile  soil  well  watered  and  drained  by 
numerous  creeks,  flowing  east  and  south  into  the 
Wabash,     which     constitutes     its    southeastern 


218 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


boundary.  Coal  crops  out  at  various  points  in 
the  southwestern  portion.  Originally  Hamilton 
County  was  a  dense  forest,  and  timber  is  still 
abundant  and  saw-raills  numerou.s.  Among  the 
hard  woods  found  are  black  and  white  oak.  black 
walnut,  ash  and  hickory.  The  softer  woods  are 
in  unusual  variety.  Corn  and  tobacco  are  the 
principal  crops,  although  considerable  fruit  is 
cultivated,  besides  oats,  winter  wheat  and  pota- 
toes. Sorghum  is  also  extensively  produced 
Among  the  pioneer  settlers  was  a  Mr.  Auxier  (for 
whom  a  water  course  was  named),  in  181.5;  Adam 
Crouch,  the  BiggerstatTs  and  T  Stelle,  in  1818, 
and  W.  T.  Golson  and  Louis  Baxter,  in  1821. 
The  most  important  town  is  McLeansboro,  whose 
population  in  1890  was  \M'>'). 

H.\MMOXD,  Charles  Goodrich,  Railway  Mana- 
ger, was  born  at  Bolton,  Conn.,  June  4,  1804, 
spent  his  youth  in  Chenango  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  became  Principal  of  the  Whitesboro 
Seminary  (in  which  he  was  partially  educated), 
and  entered  mercantile  life  at  Canandaigua; 
in  1834  removed  to  Michigiin,  where  he  held 
various  offices,  including  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture and  Auditor;  in  18.53  completed  the  con- 
struction of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  (the 
first  line  from  the  East)  to  Chicago,  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  that  city.  In  1855  he  became 
Superintendent  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  but  soon  resigned  to  take  a 
trip  to  Europe  for  the  benefit  of  his  health. 
Returning  from  Europe  in  1869,  he  accepted  the 
Superintendency  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
but  was  compelled  to  resign  by  failing  health,  later 
becoming  Vice-Pre.sident  of  the  Pullman  Palace 
Car  Company.  He  was  Treasurer  of  the  Chicago 
Relief  &  Aid  Society  after  the  fire  of  1871,  and 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Theological 
Seminar}'  (Congregational);  also  President,  for 
several  years,  of  the  Chicago  Home  for  the  Friend- 
less.    Died,  April  15,  1884. 

HAMPSHIRE,  a  village  of  Kane  County,  on 
the  Omalia  Division  of  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee 
tt  St.  Paul  Railway,  51  miles  west-northwest  from 
Chicago.  There  are  brick  and  tile  work.s,  a  large 
canning  factory,  pickle  factory,  and  machine 
shop ;  dairy  and  stock  interests  are  large.  The 
place  has  a  bank,  electric  lights  and  water-works, 
and  a  weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1890),  C96;  (1900),  760. 

HANCOCK  COUNTY,  on  the  western  border  of 
the  State,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi 
River;  was  organized  in  1825  and  named  for  John 
Hancock ;  has  an  area  of  769  square  miles :  popu- 
lation (1900).  32,215.  Its  early  settlers  were 
chiefly  from  the    Middle   and   Southern  States, 


among  them  being  I.  J.  Waggen.  for  nearly  sixty 
years  a  resident  of  Montebello  Township.  Black 
Hawk,  tlie  famous  Indian  Chief,  is  reputed  to 
have  been  born  within  the  limits  of  Camp  Creek 
Townshii),  in  this  county.  Fort  Edwards  was 
erected  on  the  present  site  of  Warsaw,  soon  after 
the  War  of  1812,  but  was  shortly  afterwards  evac- 
uated. Abraham  Lincoln,  a  cousin  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  that  name,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers. 
Among  the  earliest  were  John  Day,  Abraham 
Brewer,  Jacob  Compton,  D.  F.  Parker,  the  Dixons, 
MendenhalLs,  I-ogans,  and  Luther  Whitney. 
James  White,  George  Y.  Cutler  and  Henry  Nich- 
ols were  the  first  Commissioners.  In  1839  the 
Mormons  crossed  the  Mississippi,  after  being 
expelled  from  Missouri,  and  founded  the  city  of 
Nauvoo  in  this  county.  (See  Mormons,  .Vanroo.) 
Carthage  and  Appanoose  were  surveyed  and  laid 
out  in  1835  and  1830.  A  ferry  across  the  Missis- 
sippi was  established  at  Montebello  (near  the 
present  site  of  Hamilton)  in  1829,  and  another, 
two  j-ears  later,  near  the  site  of  old  Fort  Edwards. 
The  county  is  crossed  by  six  lines  of  railway,  has 
a  fine  public  school  system,  numerous  thriving 
towns,  and  is  among  the  wealthy  counties  of  the 
State. 

H.\M)V,  Moses  Purnell,  journalist,  was  bom 
at  Warsaw,  Mo.,  April  14,  1847;  before  he  was 
one  year  old  was  taken  back  to  Maryland,  his 
parents'  native  State.  He  was  educated  at  Ports- 
mouth, Va. ,  and  was  a  student  at  the  Virginia 
Collegiate  Institute  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War,  when  he  joined  the  Confederate  army 
at  the  age  of  seventeen.  When  the  war  ended 
Handy  found  himself  penniless.  He  was  scluxil- 
teacher  and  book-canvasser  by  turns,  meantime 
writing  some  for  a  New  York  paper.  Later  he 
became  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  "The  Christian 
Observer"  in  Richmond.  In  1867,  by  some  clever 
reporting  for  "The  Richmond  Dispatch,"  he  was 
able  to  secure  a  regular  position  on  the  local  staff 
of  that  paper,  quickly  gaining  a  reputation  as  a 
successful  reporter,  and,  in  1869,  becoming  city 
editor.  From  this  time  until  1887  his  promotion 
was  rapid,  being  employed  at  different  times  upon 
many  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
papers  in  the  East,  including  "The  New  York 
Tribune,"  "Richmond  Enquirer,"  and,  in  Phila- 
delphia, upon  "The  Times,"  "The  Press"  and 
"Daily  News."  In  1893,  at  the  request  of  Director- 
General  Davis  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion. Mr.  Handy  accepted  the  position  of  Chief  of 
the  Department  of  Publicity  and  Promotion,  pre 
ferring  this  to  the  Consul-Generalship  to  Egypt, 
tendered  him  about  the  same  time  bv  President 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


219 


Harrison.  Later,  as  a  member  of  the  National 
Commission  to  Europe,  he  did  much  to  arouse  the 
interest  of  foreign  countries  in  the  Exposition, 
For  some  time  after  the  World's  Fair,  he  was 
associate  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Times-Herald." 
In  1897,  having  been  appointed  by  President 
McKinley  United  States  Commissioner  to  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1900,  he  visited  Paris.  Upon 
his  return  to  this  country  he  found  himself  in 
very  poor  health,  and  went  South  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  regain  Ids  lost  strength  and  vigor,  but 
died,  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  Jan.  8,  1898. 

HAJfKS,  Dennis,  pioneer,  born  in  Hardin 
County,  Ky.,  May  lo,  1799;  was  a  cousin  of  the 
mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and,  although  ten 
years  the  senior  of  the  latter,  was  his  intimate 
friend  in  boyhood.  Being  of  a  sportive  disposi- 
tion, he  often  led  the  future  President  in  boyish 
pranks.  About  1818,  he  joined  the  Lincoln  house- 
hold in  Spencer  County,  Ind.,  and  finally  married 
Sarah  Johnston,  the  step-sister  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
the  families  removing  to  Macon  County,  111., 
together,  in  1830.  A  year  or  so  later,  Mr.  Hanks 
removed  to  Coles  County,  where  he  remained 
until  some  three  years  before  his  death,  when  he 
went  to  reside  with  a  daughter  at  Paris,  Edgar 
County.  It  has  been  claimed  that  he  first  taught 
the  youthful  Abraham  to  read  and  write,  and 
this  has  secured  for  him  the  title  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
teacher.  He  has  also  been  credited  with  having 
once  saved  Lincoln  from  death  by  drowning  while 
crossing  a  swollen  stream.  Austin  Gollaher,  a 
school-  and  play-mate  of  Lincoln's,  has  also  made 
the  same  claim  for  himself— the  two  stories  pre- 
sumably referring  to  the  same  event  After  the 
riot  at  Charleston,  111. ,  in  March,  1863.  in  which 
several  persons  were  killed,  Hanks  made  a  visit 
to  President  Lincoln  in  Washington  in  the  inter- 
est of  some  of  the  arrested  rioters,  and.  although 
they  were  not  immediately  released,  the  fact  tliat 
they  were  ordered  returned  to  Charleston  for 
trial  and  finally  escaped  punishment,  has  been 
attributed  to  Hanks'  influence  with  the  President. 
He  died  at  Paris.  Edgar  County,  Oct.  31.  1893,  in 
the  94th  year  of  his  age,  as  the  result  of  injuries 
received  from  being  run  over  by  a  buggy  while 
returning  from  an  Emancipation-Day  celebra- 
tion, near  that  city,  on  the  32d  day  of  September 
previous. 

HANKS,  John,  pioneer,  a  cousin  of  the  mother 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  born  near  Bardstown, 
Ky.,  Feb.  9,  1803;  joined  the  Lincolns  in  Spencer 
County,  Ind.,  in  1822,  and  made  his  home  with 
them  two  years;  engaged  in  flat  boating,  making 
numerous  trips  to  New  Orleans,  in  one  of  them 


being  accompanied  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  then 
about  19  years  of  age,  who  then  had  his  feelings 
aroused  against  slavery  by  his  first  sight  of  a 
slave-mart.  In  1828  Mr.  Hanks  removed  to 
Macon  County,  111.,  locating  about  four  miles 
west  of  Decatur,  and  it  was  partly  through  his 
influence  that  the  Lincolns  were  induced  to  emi- 
grate to  the  same  locality  in  1830.  Hanks  had 
cut  enough  logs  to  build  the  Lincolns  a  house 
when  they  arrived,  and  these  were  hauled  by 
Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  site  of  the  house,  which 
was  erected  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Sangamon 
River,  near  the  present  site  of  Harristown.  Dur- 
ing the  following  summer  he  and  Abraham  Lin- 
coln worked  together  splitting  rails  to  fence  a 
portion  of  the  land  taken  up  by  the  elder  Lincoln 
— some  of  tliese  rails  being  the  ones  displayed 
during  the  campaign  of  1860.  In  1831  Hanks  and 
Lincoln  worked  together  in  the  construction  of  a 
flat-boat  on  the  Sangamon  River,  near  Spring- 
field, for  a  man  named  Off  utt,  which  Lincoln  took 
to  New  Orleans — Hanks  only  going  as  far  as 
St.  Louis,  when  he  returned  home.  In  1832, 
Hanks  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Mexican  War  in 
the  company  commanded  by  Capt.  I.  C.  Pugh. 
afterwards  Colonel  of  the  Fortj'-first  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Civil  War.  lie 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  until  1850. 
when  he  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  three 
years,  returning  in  18.53.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Twenty-first  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  (afterwards  commanded  by  General 
Grant),  but  being  already  59  years  of  age.  was 
placed  by  Grant  in  charge  of  the  baggage-train, 
in  which  capacity  he  remained  two  years,  serving 
in  Missouri.  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  Kentucky, 
Alabama  and  Mississippi.  While  Grant  was  with 
the  regiment.  Hanks  had  charge  of  the  staff  team. 
Being  disabled  by  rheumatism,  he  was  finally 
discharged  at  Winchester,  Tenn.  He  made 
three  trips  to  Cahfornia  after  the  war.  Died, 
July  1.  1891. 

HANNI15AL  &  NAPLES  RAILROAD.  (See 
Wabash  Railroad.) 

HANON,  Martin,  pioneer,  was  bom  near  Nash- 
ville. Tenn.,  April,  1799;  came  with  his  father  to 
Gallatin  County,  Illinois  Territory,  in  1812,  and, 
in  1818,  to  what  is  now  a  portion  of  Christian 
County,  being  the  first  white  settler  in  that 
region.  Died,  near  Sharpsburg.  Christian  County. 
April  5.  1879. 

HANOVER,  a  villHge  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  on 
Apple  River.  U  miles  south-southeast  of  Galena. 
It  has  a  woolen  factory,  besides  five  churches  and 
a  graded  school.     The  Townsliip  (also  called  Han- 


220 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


over)  extends  to  the  Mississippi,  and  has  a  papu- 
lation of  about  1.700.  Population  of  the  village 
(1890).  743:  (1900),  785. 

HARDIN,  tlie  «)unty-seat  of  Calhoun  County, 
situated  in  Hardin  Township,  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Illinois  River,  some  30  miles  northwest  of 
Alton.  It  has  two  churches,  a  graded  school  and 
two  newspaper  offices.  Population  (1880),  500; 
(1890),  311;  (1900).  494. 

HARDIN,  John  J.,  lawyer,  Congressman  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  Jan.  6,  1810. 
After  graduating  from  Transylvania  University 
and  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  began  practice 
at  Jacksonville,  111.,  in  1830;  for  several  years  he 
was  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Morgan  County, 
later  being  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
Legislature,  where  he  served  from  1836  to  '42. 
The  latter  year  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  his 
term  expiring  in  1845.  During  the  later  period 
of  his  professional  career  at  Jacksonville  he  was 
the  partner  of  David  A.  Smith,  a  prominent  law- 
yer of  that  city,  and  had  Richard  Yates  for  a 
pupil.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  War  he 
was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  First  Illinois 
Volunteers  (June  30,  1846)  and  was  killed  on  the 
second  day  of  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista  (Feb.  27, 
1847)  while  leading  the  final  charge.  His  remains 
were  brought  to  Jacksonville  and  buried  with 
distinguished  honors  in  the  cemetery  there,  his 
former  pupil,  Richard  Yates,  delivering  the  fu- 
neral oration. — Gen.  Martin  D.  (Hardin),  soldier, 
son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Jacksonville,  111., 
June  26.  1837 ;  graduated  at  West  Point  Military 
Academy,  in  1859,  and  entered  the  service  as 
brevet  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  Third  Artillery, 
a  few  months  later  becoming  full  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, and,  in  Maj',  1861,  First  Lieutenant. 
Being  assigned  to  the  command  of  volunteer 
troops,  he  passed  through  various  grades  until 
May,  18G4,  when  he  was  brevetted  Colonel  of 
Volunteers  for  meritorious  conduct  at  North 
River,  Va.,  became  Brigadier-General  of  Volun- 
teers, July  2,  1864,  was  brevetted  Brigadier- 
General  of  the  regular  army  in  March,  1865, 
for  service  during  the  war,  and  was  finally  mus 
tered  out  of  the  volunteer  service  in  January, 
1866.  He  continued  in  the  regular  service,  how- 
ever, until  December  15,  1^70,  when  he  was 
retired  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General. 
General  Hardin  lost  an  arm  and  suffered  other 
wounds  during  the  war.  His  home  is  in  Chicago. 
—Ellen  Hardin  (Walworth),  author,  daughter  of 
Col.  John  J.  Hardin,  was  born  in  Jacksonville, 
111.,  Oct.  20,  1833,  and  educated  at  the  Female 
Seminary  in  that  place;  was  married  about  1854 


to  ^lansfield  Tracy  Walworth  (son  of  Chancellor 
R.  II.  Walworth  of  New  York).  Her  husband 
became  an  author  of  considerable  repute,  chiefly  in 
the  line  of  fiction,  but  was  assassinated  in  1873  by 
a  son  who  was  acquitted  of  the  charge  of  murder 
on  the  ground  of  insanity.  Mrs.  Walworth  is  a 
leader  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  and 
has  given  much  attention,  of  late  years,  to  literary 
pursuits.  Among  her  works  are  accounts  of  the 
Burgoyne  Campaign  and  of  the  battle  of  Buena 
Vista — the  latter  contributed  to  "The  Magazine 
of  American  History";  a  "Life  of  Col.  John  J. 
Hardin  and  History  of  the  Hardin  Family," 
besides  a  number  of  patriotic  and  miscellaneous 
poems  and  essays.  She  served  for  several  years 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  was 
for  six  years  principal  of  a  young  ladies'  school 
at  Sar:iti>g.i  Springs,  N.  Y. 

HARDIN  COUNTY,  situated  on  the  southeast 
border  of  the  Stivte,  and  bounded  on  the  east  and 
south  by  the  Ohio  River.  It  has  an  area  of  194 
square  miles,  and  was  named  for  a  county  in 
Kentucky.  The  surface  is  broken  by  ridges  and 
deep  gorges,  or  ravines,  and  well  timbered  with 
oak,  hickory,  elm,  maple,  locust  and  cotton- 
wood.  Corn,  wheat  and  oats  are  the  staple 
agricultural  products.  The  minerals  found  are 
iron,  coal  and  lead,  l>esides  carboniferous  lime- 
stone of  the  Keokuk  group.  EUzabethtown  is 
the  county-seat.  Population  (1880),  6,024;  (1890), 
7,234;  (1900),  7.448. 

HARDING,  Abner  Clark,  soldier  and  Member 
of  Congress,  born  in  E^t  Hampton,  Middlesex 
County,  Conn.,  Feb.  10,  1807;  was  educated  chiefly 
at  Hamilton  Academy,  N.  Y.,  and,  after  practic- 
ing law  for  a  time,  in  Oneida  County,  removed  to 
Illinois,  resuming  practice  and  managing  several 
farms  for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1847  from  Warren  County,  and  of  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Sixteenth  General  Assembly 
(1848-50).  Between  1850  and  1860  he  was  engaged 
in  railroad  enterprises.  In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Eighty-third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  was  commissioned  Colonel  and,  in  less 
than  a  year,  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-General. 
In  1864  he  was  elected  to  Congress  and  re-elected 
in  1866.  He  did  much  for  the  development  of  the 
western  i)art  of  the  State  in  the  construction  of 
railroads,  the  Peoria  &  Oquawka  (now  a  part  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy)  being  one  of 
the  lines  constructed  by  him.  He  left  a  fortune 
of  about  §2,000.000,  and,  before  his  death,  en- 
dowed a  professorship  in  Monmouth  College 
Died,  July  19,  1874. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


221 


HARGBATE,  Willis,  pioneer,  came  from  Ken- 
tucky- to  Illinois  in  1816.  settling  near  Carmi  in 
White  County ;  served  in  the  Third  Territorial 
Legislature  (1817-18;  and  in  the  First  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  (1818-20).  His  business- 
life  in  Illinois  was  devoted  to  farming  and  salt- 
manufacture. 

HARLAN,  James,  statesman,  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  111. ,  August  25,  1820 ;  graduated  at  Asbury 
University,  Ind. ;  was  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  in  Iowa  (1847),  President  of 
Iowa  Wesleyan  University  (18.53),  United  States 
Senator  (185.5-65),  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
(1865-66),  but  re-elected  to  the  Senate  the  latter 
year,  and,  in  1869,  chosen  President  of  Iowa  Uni- 
versity. He  was  also  a  member  of  tlie  Peace 
Conference  of  1861,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Loyalists'  Convention  of  1866;  \n  1873, 
after  leaving  the  Senate,  was  editor  of  "The 
Washington  Chronicle,"  and,  from  1882  to  1885, 
presiding  Judge  of  tlie  Court  of  Commissioners  of 
the  Alabama  Claims.  A  daugliter  of  ex-Senator 
Harlan  married  Hon.  Robert.  T.  Lincoln,  son  of 
President  Lincoln,  and  (1889-93)  United  States 
Minister  to  England.  Mr.  Harlan's  home  is  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.    Died,  Oct.  5,  1899. 

HARLAN,  Justin,  jurist,  was  born  in  Ohio 
about  1801  and,  at  the  age  of  25,  settled  in  Clark 
County,  111. ;  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  of 
1832  and,  in  1835,  was  appointed  a  Justice  of  the 
Circuit  Court ;  was  a  Delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847  and  the  following  year 
was  elected  to  the  Circuit  bench  under  the  new 
Constitution,  being  re-elected  in  1855.  In  1862 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  Indian 
Agent,  continuing  in  office  until  1865;  in  1872 
was  elected-  County  Judge  of  Clark  County. 
Died,  while  on  a  visit  in  Kentucky,  in  March, 
1879. 

HARLOW,  Georgre  H.,  ex-Secretary  of  State, 
born  at  Sacketfs  Harlior,  N.  Y.,  in  1830,  removed 
to  Tazewell  County,  111. ,  in  18.54,  and  engaged  in 
business  as  a  commission  merchant ;  also  served 
a  term  as  Mayor  of  Pekin.  For  many  years  he 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
Early  in  the  '60's  he  was  one  of  seven  to  organize, 
at  Pekin,  the  "Union  League  of  America,"  a 
patriotic  secret  organization  sworn  to  preserve 
the  Union,  working  in  harmony  with  the  war 
party  and  against  the  "Sons  of  Liberty."  In 
1862  he  enlisted,  and  was  about  to  go  to  the  front, 
when  Governor  Yates  requested  him  to  remain  at 
liome  and  continue  his  effective  work  in  the 
Union  League,  saying  that  he  could  accomplish 
more  for  the  cause  in  this  way  than  in  the  field. 


Accordingly  Mr.  Harlow  continued  to  labor  as  an 
organizer,  and  the  League  became  a  powerful 
factor  in  State  politics.  In  18G5  he  was  made 
First  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  State  Senate, 
but  soon  after  became  Governor  Oglesby's  private 
secretary.  For  a  time  he  also  served  as  Inspector- 
General  on  the  Governor's  staff,  and  had  charge 
of  the  troops  as  they  were  mustered  out.  During 
a  portion  of  Mr.  Rummel's  term  (1SG9-73)  as  Secre- 
tary of  State,  he  served  as  Assistant  Secretary, 
and,  in  1872,  was  elected  as  successor  to  Secretary 
Rummel  and  re-elected  in  1876.  While  in  Spring- 
field ho  acted  as  correspondent  for  several  news- 
papers, and,  for  a  year,  was  city  editor  of  "The 
Illinois  State  Journal."'  In  1881  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged  at 
different  periods  in  the  commission  and  real 
estate  business,  but  has  been  retired  of  late  years 
on  account  of  ill  health.     Died  May  16,  1900. 

H.\RPER,  William  H.,  legislator  and  commis- 
sion merchant,  born  in  Tippecanoe  County,  Ind., 
May  4,  1845 ;  was  brought  by  his  parents  in  boy- 
hood to  Woodford  County,  111.,  and  served  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers; 
took  a  course  in  a  commercial  college  and  engaged 
in  the  stock  and  grain-shipping  business  in  Wood- 
ford County  until  1868,  when  he  entered  upon  the 
commission  business  in  Chicago.  From  1872  to 
'75  he  served,  by  appointment  of  the  Governor, 
as  Chief  of  the  Grain  Inspection  Department  of 
the  city  of  Chicago ;  in  1882  was  elected  to  the 
Thirty -third  General  Assembly  and  re-elected  in 
1884.  During  his  first  term  in  the  Legislature, 
Mr.  Harper  introduced  and  secured  the  passage 
of  the  "High  License  Law,"  which  has  received 
his  name.  Of  late  years  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the  grain  commission  business  in  Chicago. 

HARPER,  William  Rainey,  clergyman  and 
educator,  was  born  at  New  Concord,  Ohio,  July 
26,  1856 ;  graduated  at  Muskingum  College  at  the 
age  of  14,  delivering  the  Hebrew  oration,  this 
being  one  of  the  principal  commencement  honors 
in  that  institution.  After  three  years'  private 
study  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  philology 
at  Yale,  receiving  the  degree  of  Ph.D.,  at  the  age 
of  19.  For  several  years  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching,  at  Macon,  Tenn.,  and  Denison  Uni- 
versity, Ohio,  meanwhile  continuing  his  philo- 
logical studies  and  devoting  special  attention  to 
Hebrew.  In  1879  he  accepted  the  chair  of 
Hebrew  in  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Serai- 
nary  at  Morgan  Park,  a  suburb  of  Chicago.  Here 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  tlie  "inductive  method" 
of  Hebraic  study,  which  rapidly  grew  in  favor. 
The  school  by  correspomience  was  known  as  the 


222 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


"American  Institute  of  Hebrew,"  and  increased 
so  rapidly  that,  by  1885,  it  had  enrolled  800  stu- 
dents, from  all  parts  of  the  world,  many  leading 
professors  co-operating.  In  1886  he  accepted  the 
professorship  of  Semitic  Language  and  Literature 
at  Yale  University,  having  in  the  previous  year 
become  Principal  of  the  Chautauqua  College  of 
Liberal  Arts,  and,  in  1891,  Principal  of  the 
entire  Chautauqua  system.  During  the  winters 
of  1889-91,  Dr.  Harper  delivered  courses  of  lec- 
tures on  the  Bible  in  various  cities  and  before 
several  universities  and  colleges,  having  been, 
in  1889,  made  Woolsey  Professor  of  Biblical 
Literature  at  Yale,  although  still  filling  his 
former  chair.  In  1891  he  accepted  an  invitation 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  then  incipient  new  Chi- 
cago University,  which  has  rapidly  increased  in 
wealth,  extent  and  influence.  (See  University 
of  Chicago.)  He  is  also  at  present  (1899)  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education.  Dr. 
Harper  is  the  author  of  numerous  philological 
textbooks,  relating  chiefly  to  Hebrew,  but  ap- 
plying the  "inductive  method"  to  the  study  of 
Latin  and  Greek,  and  has  also  sought  to  improve 
the  study  of  English  along  these  same  lines.  In 
addition,  he  has  edited  two  scientific  periodicals, 
and  published  numerous  monographs. 

HARRIS,  Thomas  L.,  lawyer,  soldier  and  Mem- 
ber of  Congress,  was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn., 
Oct.  29,  i816;  graduated  at  Trinity  College,  Hart- 
ford, in  1841,  studied  law  with  Gov.  Isaac  Toucey, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Virginia  in  1842, 
the  same  year  removing  to  Petersburg.  Menard 
County,  111.  Here,  in  1845,  he  was  elected  School 
Commissioner,  in  1846  raised  a  company  for  the 
Mexican  War,  joined  the  Fourth  Regiment  (Col. 
E.  D.  Baker"s)  and  was  elected  Major.  He  was 
present  at  the  capture  of  Vera  Cruz  and  the 
battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  after  the  wounding  of 
General  Shields  at  the  latter,  taking  command  of 
the  regiment  in  place  of  Colonel  Baker,  who  had 
assumed  command  of  the  brigade.  During  his 
absence  in  the  army  (1846)  he  was  chosen 
to  the  State  Senate;  in  1848  was  elected  to 
the  Thirty-first  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by 
Richard  Yates  in  1850;  was  re-elected  in  1854, 
'56,  and  "58,  but  died  Xov.  24.  1858.  a  few  days  after 
his  fourth  election  and  before  completing  his 
preceding  term. 

HARRIS,  TVllliam  Logan,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  born  near  Mansfield,  Ohio,  Nov.  14,  1817; 
was  educated  at  Norwalk  Seminary,  licensed  to 
preach  in  1836  and  soon  after  admitted  to  the 
Michigan  Conference,  being  transferred  to  the 
Ohio  Conference  in  1840.     In  1845-46  he  was  a 


tutor  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University;  then, 
after  two  years'  pastoral  work  and  some  three 
years  as  Principal  of  Baldwin  Seminary,  in  1851 
returned  to  the  Wesleyan,  filling  the  position 
first  of  Principal  of  the  Academic  Department 
and  then  a  professorship;  was  Secretary  of  the 
General  Conferences  (1856-72)  and,  during  18G0-72, 
Secretary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society ;  in 
1872  was  elected  Bishop,  and  visited  the  Methodist 
Mission  stations  in  China,  Japan  and  Europe; 
joined  the  Illinois  Conference  in  1874,  remaining 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  New  York, 
Sept.  2,  1887.  Bishop  Harris  was  a  recognized  au- 
thority on  Methodist  Church  law,  and  published 
a  small  work  entitled  "Powers  of  the  General 
Conference"  (1859),  and,  in .  connection  with 
Judge  William  J.  Henry,  of  this  State,  a  treatise 
on  "Ecclesiastical  Law."  having  special  refer- 
ence to  the  Methodist  Church. 

nARRISBURG,  county  seat  of  Saline  County, 
on  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railway,  70  miles  northeast  of  Cairo  The 
region  is  devoted  to  agriculture  and  fruit-grow- 
ing, an<l  valuable  deposits  of  salt,  coal  and  iron 
are  found.  The  town  has  flour  and  saw  mills, 
coal  mines,  dairy,  brick  and  tile  works,  carriage 
and  other  wood-working  establishments,  two 
banks  and  three  weekly  newspapers.  Population 
(1890),  1,723;  (1900),  2,202. 

HARRISON,  Carter  Henry,  politician,  Con- 
gressman and  Mayor  of  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Fayette  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  1.5,  1825;  at  the  age  of 
20  years  graduated  from  Yale  College  and  began 
reading  law,  but  later  engaged  in  farming.  After 
spending  two  years  in  foreign  travel,  he  entered 
the  Law  Department  of  Transylvania  University, 
at  Lexington,  Ky.,  and,  after  graduation,  settled 
at  Chicago,  where  he  soon  became  an  operator  in 
real  estate.  In  1871  he  was  elected  a  Commis- 
sioner of  Cook  County,  serving  three  years.  In 
1874  he  again  visited  Europe,  and,  on  his  return, 
was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Democrat,  being 
re-elected  in  1876.  In  1879  he  was  chosen  Mayor 
of  Chicago,  filling  that  office  for  four  succe^ive 
biennial  terms,  but  was  defeated  for  re-election 
in  1887  by  his  Republican  competitor.  John  A. 
Roche.  He  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Governor  in  1888,  but  failed  of  election.  He 
thereafter  made  a  trip  around  the  world,  and.  on 
his  return,  published  an  entertaining  account  of 
his  journey  under  the  title,  "A  Race  with  the 
Sun."  In  1891  he  was  an  Independent  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  the  Chicago  mayoralty,  but 
was  defeated  by  Hempstead  Washburne.  Repub- 
lican.    In  1893  he  received  the  regular  nomina- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


223 


tion  of  his  party  for  the  office,  and  was  elected. 
In  1892,  in  connection  with  a  few  associates,  he 
purchased  the  plant  of  "The  Chicago  Times, ' '  plac- 
ine  his  sons  in  charge.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
character  and  intense  personality,  making  warm 
friends  and  bitter  enemies ;  genial,  generous  and 
kindly,  and  accessible  to  any  one  at  all  times,  at 
either  his  office  or  his  home.  Taking  advantage 
of  this  latter  trait,  one  Prendergast,  on  the  night 
of  Oct.  28,  1893 — immediately  following  the  clos- 
ing exercises  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
—gained  admission  to  his  residence,  and,  without 
the  slightest  provocation,  shot  him  down  in  his 
library.  He  lived  but  a  few  hours.  The  assassin 
was  subsequently  tried,  convicted  and  hung. 

Harrison,  carter  Henry,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
preceding,  was  born  in  Chicago,  April  23,  1860, 
being  a  lineal  descendant  of  Benjamin  Harrison, 
an  early  Colonial  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  lat- 
erally related  to  the  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  of  that  name,  and  to  President 
William  Henry  Harrison.  Mr.  Harri.son  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago,  at  the 
Gymnasium,  Altenburg,  Germany,  and  St.  Igna- 
tius College,  Chicago,  graduating  from  the  latter 
in  1881.  Having  taken  a  course  in  Yale  Law 
School,  he  began  practice  in  Chicago  in  1883, 
remaining  until  1889,  when  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  real  estate.  His  father  having  purchased 
the  "Chicago  Times"  about  1892,  he  became 
associated  with  the  editorship  of  that  paper  and, 
for  a  time,  had  charge  of  its  publication  until  its 
consolidation  with  "The  Herald"  in  189.5.  In 
1897,  he  received  the  Democratic  nomination  for 
Mayor  of  Chicago,  his  popularity  being  shown  by 
receiving  a  majority  of  the  total  vote.  Again 
in  1399,  he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  office, 
receiving  a  plurality  over  his  Republican  com- 
petitor of  over  40.000.  Mayor  Harrison  is  one  of 
the  youngest  men  who  ever   held   the   office. 

HARRISON,  William  Henry,  first  Governor  of 
Indiana  Territory  (including  the  present  State  of 
Illinois),  was  born  at  Berkeley,  Va.,  Feb  9,  1773, 
being  the  son  of  Benjamin  Harrison,  a  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence;  was  educated 
at  Hampden  Sidney  College,  and  began  the  study 
of  medicine,  but  never  finished  it.  In  1791  he 
was  commissioned  an  Ensign  in  the  First  U.  S. 
Infantry  at  Fort  Washington  (the  present  site  of 
Cincinnati),  was  promoted  a  Lieutenant  a  year 
later,  and,  in  1797.  assigned  to  command  of  the 
Fort  with  the  rank  of  Captain  He  had  pre- 
viously served  as  Aidde-Camp  to  Gen.  Wayne, 
by  whom  he  was  complimented  for  gallantry  at 
the  battle  of  Miami.  In  1798  he  was  appointed  by 


President  Adams  Secretary  of  the  Nortliwest 
Territory,  but  resigned  in  1799  to  become  Dele- 
gate in  Congress ;  in  1800  he  was  appointed  Gov- 
ernor of  the  newly  created  Territory  of  Indiana. 
serving  by  reappointment  some  12  years.  During 
his  incumbency  and  as  Commissioner,  a  few  years 
later,  he  negotiated  many  important  treaties 
with  the  Indians.  In  1811  he  won  the  decisive 
victory  over  Chief  Tecumseh  and  his  followers 
at  Tippecanoe.  Having  l)een  made  a  Brigadier- 
General  in  the  War  of  1812,  he  was  promoteil  to 
Major-General  in  1813  and,  as  Commander  of  the 
Army  of  the  Northwest,  he  won  the  important 
battle  of  the  Thames.  Resigning  his  commission 
in  1814,  he  afterwards  served  as  Representative 
in  Congress  from  Ohio  (1816-1819);  Presidential 
Elector  in  1820  and  1824;  United  States  Senator 
(1824-1828),  and  Minister  to  the  United  States  of 
Colombia  (1828-29).  Returning  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  of  Hamilton  County,  serving  twelve 
years.  In  1836  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Whig 
candidate  for  President,  but  vi-as  elected  in  1840, 
dying  in  Washington  City,  April  4,  1841,  just  one 
month  after  his  inauguration. 

HARTZELL,  William,  Congressman,  was  born 
in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  Feb.  20,  1837.  When  he 
was  three  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, and,  four  years  later  (1844)  to  Texas.  In 
18.53  he  returned  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Randolph 
County,  which  became  his  permanent  home.  He 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  but  graduated  at  Mc- 
Kendree  College,  Lebanon,  in  June,  18.59.  Five 
years  later  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  began 
practice.  He  was  Representative  in  Congress  for 
two  terms,  being  elected  as  a  Democrat,  in  1874. 
and  again  in  1870. 

HARVARD,  an  incorporated  city  in  McHenry 
County,  63  miles  northwest  of  Ciiicago  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway.  It  has  elec- 
tric light  plant,  artesian  water  system,  hardware 
and  bicycle  factories,  malt  house,  cold  storage 
and  packing  plant,  a  flouring  mill,  a  carriage- 
wheel  factory  and  two  weekly  papers.  The 
region  is  agricultural.  Population  (1890),  1,967; 
(1900),  3,602. 

HASKELL,  Harriet  Newell,  educator  and  third 
Principal  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary,  was 
bornat  Waldboro,  Lincoln  County,  Maine,  Jan.  14, 
1835;  educated  at  Castleton  Seminary,  Vt.,  and 
Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  Mass.,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1855.  Later,  she  served  as 
Principal  of  high  schools  in  Maine  and  Boston 
until  1862,  when  she  was  called  to  the  prinoijial- 
ship  of  Castleton  Seminary.     She  resi.":ned  this 


224 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


position  in  1867  to  assume  a  similar  one  at  Monti- 
cello  Female  Seminary,  at  Godfrey,  lU.,  where 
she  has  since  remained.  The  main  building  of 
this  institution  having  been  burned  in  Novem- 
ber, 1889,  it  was  rebuilt  on  an  enlarged  and 
improved  plan,  largely  through  the  earnest  efforts 
of  Miss  Haskell.  (See  Monticello  Female  Semi- 
nary. ) 

HATCH,  Ozias  Mather,  Secretary  of  the  State 
of  Illinois  (1857'65),  was  born  at  Hillsborough 
Center,  N.  H.,  April  11,  1814,  and  removed  to 
Griggsville,  111.,  in  1836.  In  1829  he  began  life  as 
a  clerk  for  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocer  in  Bos- 
ton. From  1836  to  1841  he  was  engaged  in  store- 
keeping  at  Griggsville.  In  the  latter  year  he  was 
appointed  Circuit  Court  Clerk  of  Pike  County, 
holding  the  oflSce  seven  years.  In  1858  he  again 
embarked  in  business  at  Meredosia,  111.  In  1850 
he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  serving  one 
term.  An  earnest  anti-slavery  man,  he  was,  in 
1856,  nominated  by  the  newly  organized  Repub- 
lican party  for  Secretary  of  State  and  elected, 
being  re-elected  in  1860,  on  the  same  ticket  with 
Mr.  Lincoln,  of  whom  he  was  a  warm  personal 
friend  and  admirer.  During  the  war  he  gave  a 
zealous  and  effective  support  to  Governor  Yates' 
administration.  In  18G4  lie  declined  a  renonii- 
nation  and  retired  from  political  life.  He  was  an 
original  and  active  member  of  the  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association  from  its  organization  in  1865  to 
his  death,  and,  in  company  with  Gov.  R.  J. 
Oglesby,  made  a  canvass  of  Eastern  cities  to  col- 
lect funds  for  statuary  to  be  placed  on  the  monu- 
ment. After  retiring  from  office  he  was  interested 
10  some  extent  in  the  banking  business  at  Griggs- 
ville, and  wiis  influential  in  securing  the  con- 
struction of  the  branch  of  the  Wabash  Railway 
from  Naples  to  nannil)al.  Mo.  He  was.  for  over 
thirty-five  years,  a  resident  of  Springfield,  dying 
tnere.  March  12,  1893. 

HATFIELD,  (Rev.)  Robert  Miller,  clergy 
man,  was  born  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Westchester 
County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  19,  1819;  in  early  life  enjoyed 
onlj'  such  educational  advantages  as  could  be 
obtained  while  living  on  a  farm ;  later,  was  em 
ployed  as  a  clerk  at  White  Plains  and  in  New 
York  City,  but,  in  1841,  was  admitted  to  the 
Providence  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference,  dur- 
ing the  next  eleven  years  supplying  churches  in 
Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts.  In  1852  he 
went  to  Brooklyn  and  occupied  pulpits  in  that 
vicinity  until  1865.  when  he  assumed  the  pastor- 
ship of  the  Wabash  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Chicago,  two  years  later  going  to  the 
Centenary  Church  in  the  same  city.     He  subse- 


quently had  charge  of  churches  in  Cincinnati  and 
Philadelphia,  but,  returning  to  Illinois  in  1877. 
he  occupied  pulpits  for  the  next  nine  years  m 
Evanston  and  Chicago.  In  1886  he  went  to  Sum- 
merfield  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Brooklyn, 
which  was  his  last  regular  charge,  as,  in  1889.  he 
became  Financial  Agent  of  the  Northwestern 
University  at  Evanston,  of  which  he  had  been  a 
Trustee  from  1878.  As  a  temixirarj'  supply  for 
pulpits  or  as  a  speaker  in  popular  assemblies,  his 
services  were  in  constant  demand  during  this 
period.  Dr.  Hatfield  served  as  a  Delegate  to  the 
General  Conferences  of  1860,  '64,  '76,  '80  and  '84, 
and  was  a  leader  in  some  of  the  most  important 
debates  in  those  bodies.  Died,  at  Evan.ston, 
March  31,  1891. 

HATTO\,  Frank,  journalist  and  Postmaster- 
General,  was  born  at  Cambridge.  Ohio,  April  28, 
1846;  entered  his  father's  new-spaper  oflice  at 
Cadiz,  as  an  apprentice,  at  11  years  of  age,  be 
coming  foreman  and  local  editor;  in  1862,  at  the 
age  of  16,  he  enlisted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Ohio 
Infantry,  but,  in  1864,  was  transferred  to  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eighty-fourth  Ohio  and  commis- 
sionetl  Second  Lieutenant  —  his  service  being 
chiefly  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  but  par- 
ticipating in  Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea.  After 
the  war  he  went  to  Iowa,  whither  his  father  had 
preceded  him,  and  where  he  edited  "The  Mount 
Pleasant  Journal"  (1869-74) ;  then  removed  to  Bur 
lington,  where  he  secured  a  controlling  interest 
in  "The  Hawkeye,"  which  he  brought  to  a  point 
of  great  prosperity ;  was  Postmaster  of  that  city 
under  President  Grant,  and,  in  1881,  became 
First  Assistant  Postmaster-General.  On  the 
retirement  of  Postmaster-General  Gresliam  in 
1884,  he  was  appointed  successor  to  the  latter, 
serving  to  the  end  of  President  Arthur's  adminis- 
tration, being  the  youngest  man  who  ever  held 
a  cabinet  position,  except  Alexander  Hamilton. 
From  1882  to  1884,  Mr.  Hatton  managed  "The 
National  Republican"  in  Washington;  in  1885 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  became  one  of  the 
proprietors  and  editor-in-chief  of  "The  Evening 
Mail";  retired  from  the  latter  in  1887,  and,  pur- 
chasing the  plant  of  "The  National  Republican" 
in  Washington,  commenced  the  publication  of 
"The  Washington  Post,  "with  which  he  was  con- 
nected until  his  death.  April  30,  1894. 

H.WANA,  the  county-seat  of  Mason  County,  an 
incorporated  city  founded  in  1827  on  the  IlUnois 
River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Spoon  River,  and  a 
point  of  junction  for  three  railways.  It  is  a  ship- 
ping-point for  corn  and  osage  orange  hedge 
plants.     A  number  of  manufactories  are  located 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


225 


here.  The  city  has  several  churches,  three  pub- 
lic schools  and  three  newspapers.  Population 
(1890),  2,5'35;  (1900),  3,268. 

HAVANA,  RAXTOUL  &  EASTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Illinois  Central  Railroad. ) 

HAVEN,  Erastas  Otis,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Nov.  1,  1820; 
graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1842, 
and  taught  in  various  institutions  in  Massachu- 
setts and  New  York,  meanwhile  studying  theol- 
ogy. In  1848  he  entered  the  Methodist  ministry 
as  a  member  of  the  New  York  Conference ;  five 
years  later  accepted  a  professorship  in  Micliigan 
University,  but  resigned  in  1856  to  become  editor 
of  "Zion's  Herald,"  Boston,  for  seven  years— in 
that  time  serving  two  terms  in  the  State  Senate 
and  a  part  of  the  time  being  an  Overseer  of  Har- 
vard University.  In  1863  he  accepted  the  Presi- 
dency of  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston, 
111. ;  in  1872  became  Secretary  of  the  Methodist 
Board  of  Education,  but  resigned  in  1874  to 
become  Chancellor  of  Syracuse  University,  N.Y. 
In  1880  he  was  elected  a  Bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Died,  in  Salem,  Oregon,  in 
August,  1881.  Bishop  Haven  was  a  man  of  great 
versatility  and  power  as  an  orator,  wrote  much 
for  the  periodical  press  and  published  several 
volumes  on  religious  topics,  besides  a  treatise  on 
rhetoric. 

HAVEN,  Luther,  educator,  was  born  near 
Framingham,  Mass.,  August  6,  1806.  With  a 
meager  country-school  education,  at  the  age  of 
17  he  began  teaching,  continuing  in  this  occupa- 
tion six  or  seven  years,  after  which  he  spent 
three  years  in  a  more  liberal  course  of  study  in  a 
private  academy  at  Ellington,  Conn.  He  was 
next  employed  at  Leicester  Academy,  first  as  a 
teacher,  and,  for  eleven  years,  as  Principal.  He 
then  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  until  1849, 
when  he  removed  to  Chicago.  After  several 
years  spent  in  manufacturing  and  real-estate 
business,  in  IS'A  he  became  proprietor  of  "The 
Prairie  Farmer,"  of  which  he  remained  in  con- 
trol until  18.58.  Mr.  Haven  took  an  active  interest 
in  pubUc  affairs,  and  was  an  untiring  worker  for 
the  promotion  of  popular  education.  For  ten 
years  following  1853,  he  was  officially  connected 
with  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education,  being  for 
four  years  its  President.  The  comptrollership  of 
the  city  was  offered  him  in  1860,  but  declined. 
During  the  war  he  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the 
Union  cause.  In  October,  1861,  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  Collector  for  the  Port  of 
Chicago,  and  Sub-Treasurer  of  the  United  States 
for  the  Department  of  the  Northwest,  serving  in 


this  capacity  during  a  part  of  President  Johnson's 
administration.  In  1866  he  was  attacked  with 
congestion  of  the  lungs,  dying  on  March  6,  of 
that  year. 

HAWK,  Robert  M.  A.,  Congressman,  was  born 
in  Hancock  County,  Ind.,  April  23,  18.39;  came  to 
Carroll  Covmty,  111.,  in  boy  hood,  where  he  attended 
the  common  schools  and  later  graduated  from  Eu- 
reka College.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army,  was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant,  next 
promoted  to  a  Captaincy  and,  finally,  brevetted 
Major  for  soldierly  conduct  in  the  field.  In  1865 
he  was  elected  County  Clerk  of  Carroll  County, 
and  three  times  re-elected,  serving  from  1865  to 
1879.  The  latter  year  he  resigned,  having  been 
elected  to  Congress  on  the  Republican  ticket  in 
1878.  In  1880  he  was  re-elected,  but  died  before 
the  expiration  of  his  term,  his  successor  being 
Robert  R.  Hitt,  of  Mount  Morris,  who  was  chosen 
at  a  special  election  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

HAWLEY,  John  B.,  Congressman  and  First 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  was  born  in 
Fairfield  County,  Conn.,  Feb.  9,  1831;  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  Illinois  in  childhood,  residing 
in  his  early  manhood  at  Cartilage,  Hancock 
County.  At  the  age  of  23  (1854)  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  began  practice  at  Rock  Island. 
From  1856  to  1860  he  was  State's  Attorney  of 
Rock  Island  County.  In  1861  he  entered  the 
Union  army  as  Captain,  but  was  so  severely 
wounded  at  Fort  Donelson  (1862)  that  he  was 
obliged  to  quit  the  service.  In  1865  Pre.sident 
Lincoln  appointed  liim  Postmaster  at  Rock  Island, 
but  one  year  afterward  he  was  removed  by  Presi- 
dent Johnson.  In  1868  he  was  elected  to  Congress 
as  a  Republican,  being  twice  re-elected,  and,  in 
1876,  was  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Hayes- 
Wheeler  ticket.  In  the  following  year  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Hayes  First  Assistant 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  serving  until  1880, 
when  he  resigned.  During  the  last  six  years  of 
his  life  he  was  Solicitor  for  the  Chicago  &  North  • 
western  Railroad,  with  headquarters  at  Omaha, 
Neb.  Died,  at  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota,  May 
24,  1895. 

HAT,  John,  author,  diplomatist  and  Secretary 
of  State,  was  born  in  Salem,  Ind.,  Oct.  8,  1838,  of 
Scottish  ancestry;  graduated  at  Brown  Univer- 
sity, 1858,  and  studied  law  at  Springfield,  111.,  his 
father,  in  the  meantime,  having  become  a  resi- 
dent of  Warsaw,  111. ;  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  1861,  but  immediately  went  to  Washington  as 
assistant  private  secretary  of  President  Lincoln, 
acting  part  of  the  time  as  the  President's  aid-de- 
camp, also  serving  for  some  time  under  Geneial 


226 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Hunter  andGilmore,  with  the  rank  of  Major  and 
Adjutant-General.  After  President  Lincoln's 
assassination  he  served  as  Secretary  of  Legation 
at  Paris  and  Madrid,  and  as  Charge  d' Affaires  at 
Vienna;  was  also  editor  for  a  time  of  "The  Illi- 
nois State  Journal"  at  Springfield,  and  a  leading 
editorial  writer  on  "The  New  York  Tribune." 
Colonel  Hay's  more  important  literary  works 
include  "Castilian  Days,"  "Pike County  Ballads," 
and  the  ten-volume  "History  of  the  Life  and 
Times  of  Abraham  Lincoln,"  written  in  collabo- 
ration with  John  G.  Nicolay.  In  1875  he  settled 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but,  after  retiring  from  "The 
New  York  Tribune."  made  Washington  liis  home. 
In  1897  Pre.sident  McKinley  appointed  him  Am- 
bassador to  England,  where,  by  his  tact,  good 
judgment  and  sound  discretion  manifested  as  a 
diplomatist  and  speaker  on  public  occasions,  he 
won  a  reputation  as  one  of  the  most  able  and  ac- 
complished foreign  representatives  America  has 
produced.  His  promotion  to  the  position  of 
Secretary  of  State  on  the  retirement  of  Secretary 
William  R.  Day,  at  the  close  of  the  Spanish- 
American  AVar,  in  Septemter,  1898.  followed 
naturallj'  as  a  just  tribute  to  the  rank  which  he 
had  won  as  a  diplomatist,  and  was  universivlly 
approved  tliroughout  the  np.tion. 

HAY,  John  B.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born  at 
Belleville,  111.,  Jan.  8,  1834;  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was 
16  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade.  Subsequently  he  studied  law,  and  won 
considerable  local  prominence  in  his  profession, 
being  for  eight  years  State's  Attorney  for  the 
Twenty-fourth  Judicial  Circuit.  He  served  in 
the  Union  armj-  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
and,  in  1868.  was  elected  a  Representative  in  the 
Forty-first  Congress,  being  re-elected  in  1870. 

HAY,  Milton,  lawyer  and  legislator,  was  born 
in  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  July  3,  1817;  removed 
with  his  father's  family  to  Springfield,  111.,  in 
1832;  in  1838  became  a  student  in  tlie  law  office 
of  Stuart  &  Lincoln;  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1840.  and  began  practice  at  Pittsfield. 
Pike  Couiitj'.  In  18.")8  he  returned  to  Springfield 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Stephen 
T.  Logan  (afterwards  his  father-in-law),  which 
ended  by  the  retirement  of  the  latter  from  prac- 
tice in  1861.  Others  who  were  associated  with 
him  as  partners,  at  a  later  date,  were  Hon.  Shelby 
M.  Cullom,  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer,  Henry  S. 
Greene  and  D.  T.  Littler.  In  1869  he  was  elected 
a  Delegate  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
and.  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Revenue 
and  member  of  the  Judioiarv  Committee,   was 


prominent  in  shaping  the  Constitution  of  1870. 
Again,  as  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the 
Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly  (1873-74),  he 
assisted  in  revising  and  adapting  the  laws  to  the 
new  order  of  things  under  tlie  new  Constitution. 
The  estimate  in  which  lie  was  held  by  his  associ- 
ates is  shown  in  the  fact  that  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Joint  Committee  of  five  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  to  revise  the  revenue  laws  of  the 
State,  which  was  especially  complimented  for 
the  manner  in  which  it  performed  its  work  by 
concurrent  resolution  of  the  two  houses.  A  con- 
servative Republican  in  politics,  gentle  and  unob- 
trusive in  manner,  and  of  cahn,  dispassionate 
judgment  and  uninipeacliable  integrity,  no  man 
was  more  frequently  consulted  by  State  execu- 
tives on  questions  of  great  delicacy  and  public 
importance,  during  the  last  thirty  years  of  his 
life,  than  Mr.  Hay.  In  1881  he  retired  from  the 
active  prosecution  of  his  profession,  devoting  his 
time  to  the  care  of  a  handsome  estate.  Died, 
Sept.  ir,,  1893. 

H.IYES,  Philip  C,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
at  (Jranby,  Conn..  Feb.  3,  1833.  Before  he  was  a 
year  old  his  parents  removed  to  La  Salle  County, 
111.,  where  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  were 
s|)ent  upon  a  farm.  In  1860  he  graduated  from 
Oberlin  College.  Ohio,  and,  in  April,  1861,  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army,  being  commissioned 
successively.  Captain.  Lieutenant-Colonel  and 
Colonel,  and  finally  brevetted  Brigadier-General. 
After  the  war  he  engaged  in  journalism,  becom- 
ing the  publisher  and  senior  editor  of  "The  Morris 
Herald."  a  weeklj*  periodical  issued  at  Morris, 
Grundy  County.  In  1872  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  at  Philadelphia 
which  renominated  Grant,  and  represented  his 
district  in  Congress  from  1877  to  1881.  Later  he 
became  editor  and  part  proprietor  of  "The  Repub- 
lican" at  Jolift.  111.,  but  retired  some  years  since. 

HAYES,  Samuel  Snowden,  lawyer  and  politi- 
cian, was  torn  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Dec.  25,  1820; 
settled  at  Shawneetown  in  1838,  and  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  for  two  years;  then  began  the 
study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1843,  settling  first  at  Mount  Vernon  and  later  at 
Carmi.  He  early  took  an  interest  in  politics, 
stumping  the  southern  counties  for  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  1843  and  '44.  In  1845  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Memphis  Commercial  Convention 
and,  in  1846.  was  elected  to  the  lower  House  of 
the  State  Legislature,  being  re-elected  in  '48.  In 
1847  he  raised  a  company  for  service  in  the 
Mexican  War,  but,  owing  to  its  distance  from 
the  seat  of  government,  its  muster  rolls  were  not 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


227 


received  until  the  quota  of  the  State  had  been 
filled.  The  same  year  he  was  chosen  a  Delegate 
to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  for  White 
County,  and,  in  1848,  was  a  Democratic  Presi- 
dential Elector.  About  1852  he  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  was  afterwards  City  Solicitor  and 
(1862-6.5)  City  Comptroller.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Democratic  Conventions  at 
Charleston  and  Baltimore  in  1860,  and  an  earnest 
worker  for  Douglas  in  the  campaign  which  fol- 
lowed. While  in  favor  of  the  Union,  he  was 
strongly  opposed  to  the  policy  of  the  administra- 
tion, particularly  in  its  attitude  on  the  question 
of  slavery.  His  last  public  service  was  as  a  Dele- 
gate from  Cook  County  to  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1869-70.  His  talents  as  an 
orator,  displayed  both  at  the  bar  and  before  popu- 
lar assemblies,  were  of  a  very  high  order. 

HATMARKET  RIOT,  THE,  an  anarchistic 
outbreak  which  occurred  in  Chicago  on  the 
evening  of  May  4,  1886.  For  several  days  prior, 
meetings  of  dissatisfied  workingmen  had  been 
addressed  by  orators  who  sought  to  inflame  the 
worst  passions  of  their  hearers.  The  excitement 
(previously  more  or  less  under  restraint)  culmi- 
nated on  the  date  mentioned.  Haymarket 
Square,  in  Chicago,  is  a  broad,  open  space  formed 
by  the  widening  of  West  Randolph  Street  for  an 
open-air  produce-market.  An  immense  concourse 
assembled  there  on  the  evening  named ;  inflam- 
matory speeches  were  made  from  a  cart,  which 
was  used  as  a  sort  of  improvised  platform.  Dur- 
ing the  earlier  part  of  the  meeting  the  Mayor 
(Carter  H.  Harrison)  was  present,  but  upon  his 
withdrawal,  the  oratory  became  more  impassioned 
and  incendiary.  Towards  midniglit,  some  one 
whose  identity  has  never  been  tlioroughly  proved, 
threw  a  dynamite  bomb  into  the  ranks  of  the 
police,  who,  under  command  of  Inspector  John 
Bonfield,  had  ordered  the  dispersal  of  the  crowd 
and  were  endeavoring  to  enforce  the  command. 
Simultaneously  a  score  of  men  lay  dead  or  bleed- 
ing in  the  street.  The  majority  of  the  crowd 
fled,  pursued  by  the  officers.  Numerous  arrests 
followed  during  the  night  and  the  succeeding 
morning,  and  search  was  made  in  the  office  of 
the  principal  Anarchistic  organ,  which  resulted 
in  the  discovery  of  considerable  evidence  of  an 
incriminating  character.  A  Grand  Jury  of  Cook 
County  found  indictments  for  murder  against 
eight  of  the  suspected  leaders,  all  of  whom  were 
convicted  after  a  trial  extending  over  several 
months,  both  the  State  and  the  defense  being 
represented  by  some  of  the  ablest  counsel  at  the 
Chicago  bar.     Seven  of  the  accused  were  con- 


demned to  death,  and  one  (Oscar  Neebe)  was 
given  twenty  years'  imprisonment  The  death 
sentence  of  two— Samuel  Fielden  and  Justus 
Schwab — was  subsequently  commuted  by  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  to  life-imprisonment,  but  executive 
clemency  was  extended  in  1893  by  Governor 
Altgeld  to  all  three  of  those  serving  terms  in  the 
penitentiary.  Of  those  condemned  to  execution, 
one  (Louis  Linng)  committed  suicide  in  the 
county-jail  by  exploding,  between  his  teeth,  a 
small  dynamite  bomb  which  he  had  surrepti- 
tiously obtained;  the  remaining  four  (August 
Spies,  Albert  D.  Parsons,  Louis  Engel  and  Adolph 
Fischer)  were  hanged  in  the  county-jail  at 
Chicago,  on  November  14,  1887.  The  affair 
attracted  wide  attention,  not  only  throughout  the 
United  States  but  in  other  countries  also. 

HAYNIE,  Ish&ni  Nicolas,  soldier  and  Adju- 
tant-General, was  born  at  Dover,  Tenn.,  Nov.  18, 
1824;  came  to  Illinois  in  boyhood  and  received 
but  little  education  at  school,  but  worked  on  a 
farm  to  obtain  means  to  study  law,  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  in  1846.  Throughout  the 
Mexican  War  he  served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
Sixth  Illinois  Volunteers,  but,  on  his  return, 
resumed  practice  in  1849,  and,  in  1850,  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Marion  County. 
He  graduated  from  the  Kentucky  Law  School  in 
18.52  and,  in  1856,  was  appointed  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  at  Cairo.  In  1860  he  was  a 
candidate  for  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Doug- 
las ticket.  In  1861  he  entered  the  army  as 
Colonel  of  the  Forty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
which  he  had  assisted  in  organizing.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh, 
and  was  severely  wounded  at  the  latter.  In  1862 
he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congress  as 
a  War  Democrat,  being  defeated  by  W.  J.  Allen, 
and  the  same  j'ear  was  commissioned  Brigadier- 
General  of  Volunteers.  He  resumed  practice  at 
Cairo  in  1864,  and,  in  1865,  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Oglesby  Adjutant-General  as  successor 
to  Adjutant-General  Fuller,  but  died  in  office,  at 
Springfield,  November,  1868. 

HAYWARD  COLLECJE  AND  COMMERCIAL 
SCHOOL,  at  Fairfield,  Wayne  County ;  incorpo- 
rated in  1886;  is  co-educational;  had  160  pupils  in 
1898,  with  a  faculty  of  nine  instructors, 

HEACOCK,  Russell  E.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  in  1770;  having  lost  his 
father  at  7  years  of  age,  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  came  west  early  in  life;  in  1806  was 
studying  law  in  Missouri,  and,  two  years  later, 
was  licensed  to  practice  in  Indiana  Territory,  of 
whicli  Illinois  then  formed  a  part,  locating  first 


228 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


at  Kaskaskia  and  afterwards  at  Jonesboro,  in 
Union  County;  in  1823  went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
but  returned  west  in  1827,  arriving  where  Chi- 
cago now  stands  on  July  4;  in  1828  was  living 
inside  Fort  Dearborn,  but  subsequently  located 
several  miles  up  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago 
River,  where  lie  opened  a  small  farm  at  a  place 
which  went  by  the  name  of  "Heacock's  Point." 
In  1831  he  oljtained  a  license  to  keep  a  tavern,  in 
1833  became  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and,  in  1835, 
had  a  law  oflice  in  tlie  village  of  Chicago.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of  Cook 
County,  invested  liberally  in  real  estate,  but  lost 
it  in  the  crash  of  1837.  He  was  disabled  by  par- 
alysis in  1843  and  died  of  cholera,  June  28,  1849. 
— Reuben  E.  (Heacock),  a  son  of  Mr.  Heacock, 
•was  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1847,  from  Cook  County. 

HE.ILTH,  BOARD  OF,  a  bureau  of  the  State 
Government,  created  by  act  of  May  25,  1877.  It 
consists  of  seven  members,  named  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, who  hold  ofBce  for  seven  years.  It  is 
charged  with  "general  supervision  of  the  inter- 
ests connected  with  the  health  and  life  of  the 
citizens  of  the  State."  All  matters  pertaining  to 
quarantine  fall  within  its  purview,  and  in  this 
respect  it  is  invested  with  a  power  which,  while 
discretionary,  is  well-nigh  autocratic.  The  same 
standard  Iiolds  good,  although  to  a  far  less  ex- 
tent, as  to  its  supervisory  power  over  conta- 
gious disea.ses,  of  man  or  beast.  The  Board  also 
has  a  modified  control  over  medical  practitioners, 
under  the  terms  of  the  statute  popularly  known 
as  the  "Medical  Practice  Act."  Through  its 
powers  thereunder,  it  has  kept  out  or  expelled 
from  the  State  an  army  of  irregular  practition- 
ers, and  has  done  much  toward  raising  the  stand- 
ard of  professional  qualification. 

HEALT,  George  P.  A.,  artist,  was  born  in 
Boston,  July  15,  1808,  and  early  manifested  a 
predilection  for  art.  in  which  he  was  encouraged 
by  the  painter  Scully.  He  struggled  in  the  face 
of  difficulties  until  1836,  when,  having  earned 
some  money  by  his  art,  he  went  to  Europe  to 
study,  spending  two  years  in  Paris  and  a  like 
period  in  London.  In  1855  he  came  to  Chicago, 
contemplating  a  stay  of  three  weeks,  but  re- 
mained until  1867.  During  this  time  he  is  said 
to  have  painted  575  portraits,  many  of  them 
being  likenesses  of  prominent  citizens  of  Chicago 
and  of  the  State.  Many  of  his  pictures,  deposited 
in  the  rooms  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society 
for  safe-keeping,  were  destroyed  by  the  fire  of 
1871.  From  1869  to  "91  his  time  was  spent  chiefly 
in  Rome.     During  his  several  visits  to  Europe  he 


painted  the  portraits  of  a  large  number  of  royal 
personages,  including  Louis  PhilUppe  of  France, 
as  also,  in  this  country,  the  portraits  of  Presidents 
and  other  distinguished  persons.  One  of  his  his- 
torical pictures  was  "Webster  Replying  to 
Hayne,"  in  which  150  figures  are  introduced.  A 
few  years  before  his  death,  Mr.  Healy  donated  a 
large  number  of  his  pictures  to  the  Newberry 
Library  of  Chicago.  He  died  in  Chicago,  June 
24,  1894. 

HEATOJf,  William  Weed,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  at  Western,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y., 
April  18,  1814.  After  completing  his  academic 
studies  he  engaged,  for  a  short  time,  in  teaching, 
but  soon  began  the  study  of  law,  and,  in  1838, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  In 
1840  he  removed  to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  resided 
until  his  deiith.  In  1861  he  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Twenty-second  Circuit, 
and  occupied  a  seat  ujxju  the  bench,  tlurough 
repeated  re-elections,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  Dec.  26,  1877,  while  serving  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ApiK'lhite  Court  for  the  First  District. 

HECKER,  Friedrich  Karl  Franz,  German  pa- 
triot and  soldier,  was  born  at  Baden,  Germany, 
Sept.  28,  1811.  He  attained  eminence  in.  his 
native  country  as  a  lawyer  and  politician ;  was  a 
member  of  the  Baden  Assembly  of  1842  and  a 
leader  in  the  Diet  of  1846-47,  but,  in  1848,  was 
forced,  with  many  of  his  compatriots,  to  find  a 
refuge  in  the  United  States.  In  1849  he  settled 
as  a  farmer  at  Summerfield,  in  St.  Clair  County, 
111.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  politics  and,  being 
earnestly  opix)sed  to  slavery,  ultimately  joined 
the  Republican  party,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
the  campaigns  of  1856  and  '60.  In  1861  he  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  and  was  later  transferred  to  the 
command  of  the  Eighty-second.  He  was  a  brave 
soldier,  and  actively  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Missionary'  Ridge  and  Chancellorsville.  In 
1864  he  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to 
his  farm  in  St.  Clair  County.  Died,  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  March  24,  1881. 

HEDDING  COLLEGE,  an  institution  incorpo- 
rated in  1875  and  conducted  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  Abingdon, 
Knox  County,  111. ;  has  a  faculty  of  seventeen 
instructors,  and  reports  (1895-96),  403  students, 
of  whom  212  were  male  and  181  female.  The 
branches  taught  include  the  sciences,  the  classics, 
music,  fine  arts,  oratory  and  preparatory  courses. 
The  institution  has  fimds  and  endowment 
amounting  to  $55,000,  and  property  valued  »t 
$158,000. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


229 


HEMPSTEAD,  Charles  S.,  pioneer  lawyer  and 
first  Mayor  of  Galena,  was  born  at  Hebron,  Tol- 
land County,  Conn.,  Sept.  10,  1794 — the  son  of 
Stephen  Hempstead,  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution. 
In  1809  he  came  west  in  company  with  a  brother, 
descending  the  Ohio  River  in  a  canoe  from  Mari- 
etta to  Shawneetown,  and  making  his  way  acros.s 
the  "Illinois  Country"  on  foot  to  Kaskaskia  and 
finally  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  joined  another 
brother  (Edward),  vdth  whom  he  soon  began  the 
study  of  law.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  both  Mis-souri  Territory  and  Illinois,  he  re- 
moved to  St.  Genevieve,  where  he  held  the  office 
of  Prosecuting  Attorney  by  appointment  of  the 
Governor,  but  returned  to  St.  Louis  in  1818-19 
and  later  became  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Legis- 
lature. In  1829  Mr.  Hempstead  located  at  Galena, 
111.,  which  continued  to  be  his  home  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  and  where  he  was  one  of  the 
earliest  and  best  known  lawyers.  The  late  Minis- 
ter E.  B.  Washburne  became  a  clerk  in  Mr. 
Hempstead's  law  office  in  1840,  and,  in  1845,  a 
partner.  Mr.  Hempstead  was  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  old  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  Rail- 
road (now  a  part  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern), 
serving  upon  the  first  Board  of  Directors;  was 
elected  the  first  Mayor  of  Galena  in  1841,  and,  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Civil  War,  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  a  Paymaster  in  the  Army. 
Died,  in  Galena,  Dec.  10,  1874.— Edward  (Hemp- 
stead), an  older  brother  of  the  preceding,  already 
mentioned,  came  west  in  1804,  and,  after  holding 
various  positions  at  Vincennes,  Indiana  Territory, 
under  Gov.  William  Henry  Harrison,  located  at 
St  Louis  and  became  the  first  Territorial 
Delegate  in  Congress  from  Missouri  Territory 
(1811-14).  His  death  occurred  as  the  result  of  an 
accident,  August  10,  1817. — Stephen  (Hemp- 
stead), another  member  of  this  historic  family, 
was  Governor  of  Iowa  from  1850  to  '54.  Died, 
Feb.  16,  1883. 

HENDERSON,  Thomas  J.,  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  at  Brownsville,  Tenn.,  Nov.  19,  1824; 
came  to  Illinois  in  1837,  and  was  reared  upon  a 
farm,  but  received  an  academic  education.  In 
1847  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court  of  Stark  County,  and,  in  1849, 
Clerk  of  the  County  Court  of  the  same  county, 
serving  in  that  capacity  for  four  years.  Mean- 
while he  had  studied  law  and  had  been  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1852.  In  1855  and  '56  he  was  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature, 
and  State  Senator  from  1857  to  '60.  He  entered 
the  Union  army,  in  1862,  as  Colonel  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twelfth   Illinois  Volunteers,  and 


served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  brevetted 
Brigadier-General  in  January,  1865.  He  was  a 
Republican  Presidential  Elector  for  the  State  at- 
large  in  1868,  and,  in  1874,  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  the  Seventh  Illinois  District,  serving  con- 
tinuously until  March,  1895.  His  home  is  at 
Princeton. 

HENDERSON,  William  H.,  politician  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  Garrard  County,  Ky.,  Nov.  16, 
1793.  After  serving  in  the  War  of  1812,  he  settled 
in  Tennessee,  where  he  held  many  positions  of 
public  trust,  including  that  of  State  Senator.  In 
1836  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and,  two  years  later, 
was  elected  to  tlie  General  Assembly  as  Repre- 
sentative from  Bureau  and  Putnam  Counties, 
being  reelected  in  1840.  In  1843  he  was  the 
unsuccessful  Whig  candidate  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  being  defeated  by  Jolm  Moore.  In 
1845  he  migrated  to  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1864. 

HENDERSON  COUNTY,  a  county  comprising 
380  square  miles  of  territory,  located  in  the  west- 
ern section  of  the  State  and  bordering  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  The  first  settlements  were  made 
about  1837-28  at  Yellow  Banks,  now  Oquawka. 
Immigration  was  checked  by  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  but  revived  after  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
across  the  Mississippi.  The  county  was  set  off 
from  Warren  in  1841,  with  Oquawka  as  the 
county-seat.  Population  (1880),  10,733;  (1890), 
9,876.  The  soil  is  fertile,  and  underlaid  by  lime- 
stone. The  surface  is  undulating,  and  well  tim- 
bered.    Population  (1000),  10,836. 

HENNEPIN,  the  county-seat  of  Putnam 
County,  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Illinois 
River,  about  28  miles  below  Ottawa,  100  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago,  and  3  miles  southeast  of 
Bureau  Junction.  It  has  a  courthouse,  a  bank, 
two  grain  elevators,  three  churches,  a  graded 
school,  a  newspaper.  It  is  a  prominent  shipping 
point  for  produce  by  the  river.  The  Hennepin 
Canal,  now  in  process  of  construction  from  the 
Illinois  River  to  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of 
Rock  River,  leaves  the  Illinois  about  two  miles 
above  Hennepin.  Population  (1880),  623;  (1890), 
574;  (1900),  .523. 

HENNEPIN,  Louis,  a  Franciscan  (Recollect) 
friar  and  explorer,  born  at  Ath,  Belgium,  about 
1640.  After  several  years  of  clerical  service  in 
Belgium  and  Holland,  he  was  ordered  (1675)  by 
his  ecclesiastical  superiors  to  proceed  to  Canada. 
In  1679  he  accompanied  La  Salle  on  his  explo- 
rations of  the  great  lakes  and  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi. Having  reached  the  Illinois  by  way  of 
Lake  Michigan,  early  in  the  following  year  (1680) , 
La  Salle  proceeded  to  construct  a  fort  on  the  east 


230 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


side  of  the  Illinois  River,  a  little  below  the 
present  site  of  Peoria,  which  afterwards  received 
the  name  of  Fort  CreveCoeur.  In  February, 
1680,  Father  Hennepin  was  dispatched  by  La 
Salle,  with  two  companions,  by  way  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois,  to  explore  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi. Ascending  the  latter  stream,  his  party 
was  captured  by  the  Sioux  and  carried  to  the 
villages  of  that  tribe  among  the  Minnesota  lakes, 
but  finally  rescued.  During  his  captivity  he 
discovered  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  which  he 
named.  After  his  rescue  Hennepin  returned  to 
Quebec,  and  thence  sailed  to  France.  There  he 
published  a  work  describing  La  Salle's  first 
expedition  and  his  own  explorations.  Although 
egotistical  and  necessarily  incorrect,  this  work 
was  a  valuable  contribution  to  history.  Because 
of  ecclesiastical  insubordination  he  left  France 
for  Holland.  In  1697  he  published  an  extraordi- 
nary volume,  in  which  he  set  forth  claims  as  a 
discoverer  which  have  been  wholly  discredited. 
His  third  and  last  work,  published  at  Utrecht,  in 
1698,  was  entitled  a  "New  Voyage  in  a  Country 
Larger  than  Europe."  It  was  a  compilation 
describing  La  Salle's  voyage  to  the  moutli  of  the 
Mississippi.  His  three  works  have  been  trans- 
lated into  twenty-four  different  languages.  He 
died,  at  Utrecht,  between  1702  and  170.5. 

HEXXEPIS  CANAL.  (See  IIlinoiK  &  Missis- 
sippi Canal.) 

HE>'RY,  a  city  in  Marshall  County,  situated  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Illinois  River  and  on  the 
Peoria  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  A 
Pacific  Railway,  33  miles  north-northeast  of 
Peoria.  There  is  a  combination  railroad  and 
wagon  bridge,  lock  and  dam  across  the  river  at 
this  point.  The  city  is  a  thriving  commercial 
center,  among  its  industries  being  grain  eleva- 
tors, flour  mills,  and  a  windmill  factory :  has 
two  national  banks,  eight  churches  and  two 
newspapers.  Population  (1880),  1,728;  (1890) 
1..512;  (1900),  1,687. 

HESRT,  James  D.,  pioneer  and  soldier,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Illinois  in  1822,  locating 
at  EdwardsviUe,  where,  being  of  limited  educa- 
tion, he  labored  as  a  mechanic  during  the  day 
and  attended  school  at  night ;  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, removed  to  Springfield  in  1826,  and 
was  soon  after  elected  Sheriff ;  served  in  the  Win- 
nebago War  (1827)  as  Adjutant,  and,  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War  (1831-32)  as  Lieutenant-Colonel 
and  Colonel,  finally  being  placed  in  command  of 
a  brigade  at  the  battle  of  Wisconsin  and  the  Bad 
Axe,  his  success  in  both  winning  for  him  great 
popularity.     His  exposures  brought  on  disease  of 


the   lungs,   and,   going  South,   he  died  at    New 
Orleans,  March  4,  1834. 

HENRY  COUNTY,  one  of  the  middle  tier  of 
counties  of  Northern  Illinois,  near  the  western 
border  of  the  State,  having  an  area  of  830  square 
miles, — named  for  Patrick  Henry.  The  Ameri- 
can pioneer  of  the  region  was  Dr.  Baker,  who 
located  in  1835  on  what  afterwards  became  the 
town  of  Colona.  During  the  two  years  following 
several  colonies  from  the  eastern  States  settled  at 
different  points  (Geneseo,  Wethersfield,  etc.;. 
The  act  creating  it  was  passed  in  1825,  though 
organization  was  not  completed  until  1837.  The 
first  county  court  was  held  at  Dayton.  Subse- 
quent county -seats  have  been  Richmond  (1837) ; 
Geneseo  (1840);  Morristown  (1842);  and  Cam- 
bridge (1843).  Population  (1870),  36,597;  (1890). 
33,338;  (1900),  40.049. 

HERNDON,  Archer  G.,  one  of  the  celebrated 
"Long  Nine"  members  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  1836-37,  was  born  in  Culpepper  County,  Va., 
Feb.  13,  1795;  spent  his  youth  in  Green  County, 
Ky.,  came  to  Madison  County,  111.,  1820,  and  to 
Sangamon  in  1821,  becoming  a  citizen  of  Spring- 
field in  1825,  where  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
business ;  served  eight  years  in  the  State  Senate 
(1834-42),  and  as  Receiver  of  the  Land  Office 
1842-49.  Died,  Jan.  3,  1867.  Mr.  Herndon  was 
tlie  father  of  William  H.  Herndon,  the  law  part- 
ner of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

HERNDON,  William  H.,  lawyer,  was  bom  at 
Greensburg,  Ky.,  Dec.  25,  1818;  brought  to  Illi- 
nois by  his  father.  Archer  G.  Herndon,  in  1820, 
and  to  Sangamon  County  in  1821 ;  entered  Illinois 
College  in  1836,  but  remained  only  one  year  on 
account  of  his  father's  hostility  to  the  supposed 
abolition  influences  prevailing  at  that  institution ; 
spent  several  j-ears  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Spring- 
field, studied  law  two  years  with  the  firm  of  Lin- 
coln &  Logan  (1842-44),  was  admitted  to  the  bai 
and  became  the  partner  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  so  con- 
tinuing until  the  election  of  the  latter  to  the 
Presidency.  Mr.  Herndon  was  a  radical  oppo- 
nent of  slavery  and  labored  zealously  to  promote 
the  advancement  of  his  distinguished  partner. 
The  offices  he  held  were  those  of  City  Attorney, 
Mayor  and  Bank  Commissioner  under  three  Gov- 
ernors. Some  years  before  his  death  he  wrote, 
and,  in  conjunction  with  Jesse  W.Weik,  published 
a  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  three  volumes — 
afterwards  revised  and  issued  in  a  two-volume 
edition  by  the  Messrs.  Appleton,  New  Y'ork. 
Died,  near  Springfield.  March  18,  1891. 

HERRINGTON,  Augustus  M.,  lawHer  and  poli- 
tician, was  born  at  or  near  Meadville,  Pa.,  in  1823; 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


231 


when  ten  years  of  age  was  brought  by  his  father 
to  Chicago,  the  family  removing  two  years  later 

(1835)  to  Geneva,  Kane  County,  where  the  elder 
Herrington  opened  the  first  store.  Augustus  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844;  obtained  great  promi- 
nence as  a  Democratic  politician,  .serving  as 
Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-at-large  in 
1856,  and  as  a  delegate  to  Democratic  National 
Conventions  in  1860,  "64,  '68,  '76  and  '80,  and  was 
almost  Invariably  a  member  of  the  State  Conven- 
tions of  his  party  during  the  same  period.  He 
also  served  for  many  years  as  Solicitor  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.  Died,  at  Ge- 
neva, Kane    County,  August    14,    1883. — James 

(Herrington),  brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
in  Mercer  County,  Pa.,  Jime  6,  1824;  came  to 
Chicago  in  1833,  but,  two  years  later,  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Geneva,  Kane  County.  In  1843 
he  was  apprenticed  to  the  printing  business  on 
the  old  "Chicago  Democrat"  (John  Wentworth, 
publisher),  remaining  until  1848,  when  he  returned 
to  Geneva,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  being 
also  connected  for  a  year  or  two  with  a  local 
paper.  In  1849  he  was  elected  County  Clerk,  re- 
maining in  office  eight  years;  also  served  three 
terms  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  later  serving 
continuously  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  General 
Assembly  from  1872  to  1886.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  and  a  fre- 
quent delegate  to  Democratic  State  Conventions. 
Died,  July  7,  1890.— James  Herrington,  Sr., 
father  of  the  two  preceding,  was  a  Representative 
in  the  Fifteenth  General  Assembly  (1846-48)  for 
the  District  embracing  the  counties  of  Kane, 
McHenry,  Boone  and  De  Kalb. 

HERTZ,  Henry  L.,  ex-State  Treasurer,  was 
born  at  Copenliagen,  Denmark,  in  1847;  gradu- 
ated from  the  University  of  Copenhagen  in  1866, 
and  after  pursuing  the  study  of  medicine  for  two 
years,  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1869.  After 
various  experiences  in  selling  sewing-machines, 
as  bank-clerk,  and  as  a  farm-hand,  in  1876  Mr. 
Hertz  was  employed  in  the  Recorder's  office  of 
Cook  County;  in  1878  was  record-writer  in  the 
Criminal  Court  Clerk's  office;  in  1884  was  elected 
Coroner  of  Cook  County,  and  re-elected  in  1888. 
In  1892,  as  Republican  candidate  for  State  Treas- 
urer, he  was  defeated,  but,  in  1896,  again  a 
candidate  for  the  same  office,  was  elected  by  a 
majority  of  115,000.  serving  until  1899.  He  is 
now  a  resident  of  Chicago. 

HESING,  Antone  Caspar,  journalist  and  politi- 
cian, was  born  in  Prussia  in  1893;  left  an  orphan  at 
the  age  of  15,  he  soon  after  emigrated  to  America, 
landing  at  Baltimore  and  going  thence  to  Cin- 


cinnati. From  1840  to  1842  he  worked  in  a  gro- 
cery store  in  Cincinnati,  and  later  opened  a  small 
hotel.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick.  In  1860  lie  was  elected  Slieriff  of  Cook 
County,  as  a  Republican.  In  1862  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  "The  Chicago  Staats  Zeituug," 
and  in  1867  became  sole  proprietor.  In  1871  he 
admitted  his  son,  Washington  Hesing,  to  a  part- 
nership, installing  him  as  general  manager. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  March  31,  1895. — Washington 
(Hesing),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  May  14,  1849,  educated  at  Chicago 
and  Yale  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1870.  After  a  year  spent  in  study  abroad,  he 
returned  to  Chicago  and  began  work  upon  "The 
Staats  Zeitung, "  later  becoming  managing  editor, 
and  finally  editor-in-chief.  While  yet  a  young 
man  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Education,  but  declined  to  serve  a 
second  term.  In  1872  he  entered  actively  into 
politics,  making  speeches  in  both  English  and 
German  in  support  of  General  Grant's  Presi- 
dential candidacy.  Later  he  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party,  as  did  his  father,  and,  in  1893, 
was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  the  Chicago  mayoralty,  being 
defeated  by  Carter  H.  Harrison.  In  December, 
1893,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  serving  four 
years.  His  administration  was  characterized  bj' 
a  high  degree  of  efficiency  and  many  improve- 
ments in  the  service  were  adopted,  one  of  the 
most  important  being  the  introduction  of  postal 
cars  on  the  street-railroads  for  the  collection  of 
mail  matter.  In  April,  1897,  he  became  an  Inde- 
pendent candidate  for  Mayor,  but  was  defeated 
by  Carter  H.  Harrison,  the  regular  Democratic 
nominee.     Died,  Dec.  18,  1897. 

HETWORTH,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on 
the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  10  miles  south  of 
Bloomington;  has  a  bank,  churches,  gas  wells, 
and  a  newspaper.     Pop.   (1890),  566;  (1900),  683. 

HIBBARD,  Homer  Nash,  lawyer,  was  bom  at 
Bethel,  Windsor  County,  Vt.,  Nov.  7,  1824,  his 
early  life  being  spent  upon  a  farm  and  in  attend- 
ance upon  the  common  schools.  After  a  short 
term  in  an  academy  at  Randolph,  Vt.,  at  the  age 
of  18  he  began  the  study  of  law  at  Rutland— also 
fitting  himself  for  college  with  a  private  tutor. 
Later,  having  obtained  means  by  teaching,  he 
took  a  course  in  Castleton  Academy  and  Ver- 
mont University,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1850.  Then,  having  spent  some  years  in  teach- 
ing, he  entered  the  Dane  Law  School  at  Harvard, 


232 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


later  continuing  his  studies  at  Burlington  and 
finally,  in  the  fall  of  1853,  removing  to  Chicago. 
Here  he  opened  a  law  office  in  connection  with 
his  old  classmate,  the  late  Judge  John  A.  Jame- 
son, but  early  in  the  following  year  removed  to 
Freeport,  where  he  subsequently  served  as  City 
Attorney,  Master  in  Chancery  and  President  of 
the  City  School  Board.  Returning  to  Chicago  in 
1860,  he  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of 
Cornell,  Jameson  &  Hibbard,  and  still  later  tlie 
head  of  the  firm  of  Hibbard,  Rich  &  Noble.  In 
1870  he  was  appointed  bj'  Judge  Drummond 
Register  in  Bankrui)tcy  for  the  Chicago  District, 
serving  during  the  life  of  the  law.  He  was  also, 
for  some  time,  a  Director  of  the  National  Bank 
of  Illinois,  and  Vice-President  of  the  American 
Insurance  Company.     Died,  Nov.  14.  1897. 

HICKS,  Stephen  (».,  lawyer  and  soldier  of 
three  wars,  was  l)orn  in  Jackson  County,  Ga., 
Feb.  22,  1807 — the  son  of  John  Hicks,  one  of  the 
seven  soldiers  killed  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans, 
Jan.  8.  18I.'>.  Leaving  the  roof  of  a  step-father 
at  an  early  age,  he  found  his  way  to  Illinois, 
working  for  a  time  in  the  lead  mines  near  Galena, 
and  later  at  the  carpenter's  trade  with  an  uncle; 
served  as  a  Sergeant  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
finally  locating  in  Jefferson  County,  where  he 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Here 
he  wa.s  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Twelfth 
General  Assembly  (1840)  and  reelected  succes- 
sively to  the  Tliirteenth  and  Fourteenth.  Early 
in  the  Mexican  War  (184G)  he  recruited  a  com- 
pany for  the  Third  Regiment,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  Captain,  a  year  later  becoming  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  Sixth.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  War  Colonel  Hicks  was  practicing  his 
profession  at  Salem,  Marion  County.  He 
promptly  raised  a  company  which  became  a  part 
of  the  Fortieth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry,  of 
which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel.  The  regi- 
ment saw  active  service  in  the  campaign  in  West- 
ern Teunes.see,  including  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
where  Colonel  Hicks  was  dangerouslj-  wounded 
through  the  lungs,  only  recovering  after  some 
months  in  hospital  and  at  his  home.  He  rejoined 
his  regiment  in  July  following,  but  found  him- 
self compelled  to  accept  an  honorable  discharge, 
a  few  months  later,  on  account  of  disability. 
Having  finally  recovered,  he  was  restored  to  his 
old  command,  and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war. 
In  October,  1SG3,  he  was  placed  in  command  at 
Paducah,  Ky.,  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months,  after  which  he  was  transferred  to  Colum- 
bus. Ky.  While  in  command  at  Paducah,  the 
place    was  desperately    assaulted    by  the    rebel 


Colonel  Forrest,  but  successfully  defended,  the 
rebel  assailants  sustaining  a  loss  of  some  1,200 
killed  and  wounded.  After  the  war  Colonel 
Hicks  returned  to  Salem,  where  he  died,  Dec.  14, 
1869,  and  was  buried,  in  accordance  with  his 
request,  in  the  folds  of  the  American  flag.  Born 
on  Washington's  birthday,  it  is  a  somewhat 
curious  coincidence  that  the  death  of  this  brave 
soKlier  shoulil  liave  occurred  on  the  anniversary 
of  that  of  the  "Father  of  His  Country." 

HKJBEE.  Chauncey  L.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
Ixjrn  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  7.  1821, 
and  settled  in  Pike  County,  111.,  in  1844.  He 
early  took  an  interest  in  politics,  being  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  in  18.54,  and 
two  years  later  to  the  State  Senate.  In  1861  he 
was  elected  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Circuit  Court,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1867,  '73.  and  '79.  In  1877,  and 
again  in  '79,  he  was  assigned  to  the  bench  of  the 
Appellate  Court.     Died,  at  Pittsfield,  Dec.  7,  1884. 

HIti(iIXS,  Van  Hollis,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Genessee  County,  N.  Y.,  and  received  his  early 
education  at  A  uburn  and  Seneca  Falls ;  came  to 
Chicago  in  1837  and,  after  spending  some  time  as 
clerk  in  his  brother's  store,  taught  some  months 
in  Vermilion  County:  then  went  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  spent  a  year  or  two  as  reporter  on  "The 
Mis-souri  ArgiLs,"  later  engaging  in  commercial 
pureuits;  in  1842  removed  to  Iroquois  County, 
111.,  where  he  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar;  in  1845,  established  himself  in  practice  in 
Galena,  served  two  years  as  City  Attorney  there, 
but  returned  to  Chicago  in  1852,  where  he  contin- 
ued to  reside  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  18.58 
he  was  elected  as  a  Republican  Representative  in 
the  Twenty-first  General  Assemblj' ;  served  sev- 
eral years  as  Judge  of  the  Chicago  City  Court, 
and  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  Government 
during  the  War  of  the  RebelUon.  Judge  Higgins 
was  successful  as  a  lawyer  and  busine.ss  man,  and 
was  connected  with  a  number  of  important  busi- 
ness enteqjnses.  especially  in  connection  with 
real-estate  operations ;  was  also  a  member  of  sev- 
eral local  societies  of  a  professional,  social  and 
patriotic  character.  Died,  at  Darien,  Wis.,  April 
17,  1893. 

HIGGINSO\,  Charles  M.,  civil  engineer  and 
Assistant  Railway  President,  was  born  in  Chica- 
go, July  11,  1846 — the  son  of  George  M.Higginson, 
who  located  in  Chicago  about  1843  and  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business;  was  educated  at  the 
Lawrence  Scientific  School,  Cambridge.  Mass., 
and  entered  the  engineering  department  of  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  River  Railroad  in  1867. 
remaining  until  1875.     He  then  became  the  pur- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


333 


chasing  agent  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw 
Railroad,  but,  a  year  later,  returned  to  Chicago, 
and  soon  after  assumed  the  same  position  in  con- 
nection with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy, 
being  transferred  to  the  Auditorship  of  the 
latter  road  in  1879.  Later,  he  became  assistant 
to  President  Ripley  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Line,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Riverside,  111.,  May  6, 
1899.  Mr.  Higginson  was,  for  several  years, 
President  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences, 
and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the 
Young  Jlen's  Christian  Association  of  Chicago. 

HIGH,  James  L.,  lawyer  and  author,  was  born 
at  Belleville.  Ohio,  Oct.  6,  1844;  in  boyhood  came 
to  Wisconsin,  and  graduated  at  Wisconsin  State 
University,  at  Madison,  in  1304,  also  serving  for 
a  time  as  Adjutant  of  the  Forty-nintli  Regiment 
Wisconsin  Volunteers;  studied  law  at  the  Michi- 
gan University  Law  School  and,  in  1867,  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  began  practice.  He  spent  the 
winter  of  1871-73  in  Salt  Lake  City  and,  in  the 
absence  of  the  United  States  District  Attorney, 
conducted  the  trial  of  certain  Mormon  leaders  for 
connection  with  the  celebrated  Mountain  Sleadow 
Mas.sacre,  also  acting  as  correspondent  of  "The 
New  York  Times,"  his  letters  being  widely 
copied.  Returning  to  Chicago  he  took  a  high 
rank  in  his  profession.  He  was  the  author  of 
several  volumes,  including  treatises  on  "The  Law 
of  Injunctions  as  administered  in  the  Courts  of 
England  and  America, "  and  "Extraordinary  Legal 
Remedies,  Mandamus,  Quo  Warranto  and  Prohilii- 
tions,"  which  are  accepted  as  high  authority  with 
the  profession.  In  1870  he  published  a  revised 
edition  of  Lord  Erskine's  Works,  including  all 
his  legal  arguments,  together  with  a  memoir  of 
his  life.     Died,  Oct.  3,  1898. 

HIGHLAND,  a  city  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
Madison  County,  founded  in  1836  and  located  on 
the  Vandalia  line,  32  miles  east  of  St.  Louis.  Its 
manufacturing  industries  include  a  milk-con- 
densing plant,  creamery,  flour  and  planing  mills, 
breweries,  embroidery  works,  etc.  It  contains 
several  churclies  and  schools,  a  Roman  Catholic 
Seminary,  a  hospital,  and  has  three  newspapers — 
one  German.  The  early  settlers  were  Gei  nans 
of  the  most  tlirifty  and  enterprising  classes. 
The  surrounding  country  is  agricultural.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  1,960;  (1890),  1,8.57;  (1900,  decennial 
census),  1,970. 

HIGHLAND  PAEK,  an  incorporated  city  of 
Lake  County,  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  23  miles  north-northwest  of  Chicago. 
It  has  a  salubrious  site  on  a  bluff  100  feet  above 


Lake  Michigan,  and  is  a  favorite  residence  and 
health  resort.  It  has  a  large  hotel,  several 
churches,  a  military  academy,  and  a  weekly 
paper.  Two  Waukegan  papers  issue  editions 
here.     Population  (1890),  3,163;  (1900),  2,806. 

HILDRUP,  Jesse  S.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  bom  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  March  14,  1833  at 
15  removed  to  the  State  of  New  York  and  after- 
wards to  Harrisburg,  Pa. ;  in  1860  came  to  Belvi- 
dere.  111.,  where  he  began  the  practice  of  law, 
also  serving  as  Corporation  Trustee  and  Township 
Supervisor,  and,  during  the  latter  years  of  the 
war,  as  Deputy  Provost  Marshal.  His  first  im- 
portant elective  office  was  tliat  of  Delegate  to  tlie 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1870,  but  he 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly the  .same  year,  and  again  in  1872.  While  in 
the  House  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  legis- 
lation which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Railroad  and  Warehouse  Board.  Mr.  Hildrup 
was  also  a  Republican  Presidential  Elector  in 
1868,  and  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Northern 
District  of  Illinois  from  1877  to  1881.  During 
the  last  few  years  much  of  his  time  has  been 
spent  in  California  for  the  benefit  of  the  health 
of  some  members  of  his  family. 

HILL,  Charles  Augustus,  ex  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Truxton,  Cortland  County,  N.  Y., 
August  28, 1833.  He  acquired  his  early  education 
by  dint  of  hard  labor,  and  much  privation.  In 
1854  he  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Will 
County,  where,  for  several  years,  he  taught 
school,  as  he  had  done  while  in  New  York. 
Meanwhile  he  read  law,  his  last  instructor  being 
Hon.  H.  C.  Newcomb,  of  Indianapolis,  where  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  returned  to  Will 
County  in  1860,  and,  in  1862,  enlisted  in  the 
Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry,  participating  in  the 
battle  of  Antietam.  Later  he  was  commissioned 
First  Lieutenant  in  the  First  United  States  Regi- 
ment of  Colored  Troops,  with  which  he  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  rising  to  the  rank  of 
Captain.  In  1865  he  returned  to  Joliet  and  to  tlie 
practice  of  his  profession,  In  1868  he  was  elected 
State's  Attorney  for  the  district  comprising  Will 
and  Grundy  Counties,  but  declined  a  renomina- 
tion.  In  1888  he  was  tlie  successful  Repubhcan 
candidate  for  Congress  from  the  Eighth  Illinois 
District,  but  was  defeated  for  re-election  in  1890 
by  Lewis  Steward,  Democrat. 

HILLSBORO,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Montgomery  County,  on  the  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway,  67 
miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis.  Its  manufactures 
are  flour,  brick  and  tile,  carriages  and  lianie.ss. 


234 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


furniture  and  woolen  goods.  It  has  a  higli 
school,  banks  and  two  weekly  newspapers.  The 
surrounding  region  is  agricultural,  though  con- 
siderable coal  is  mined  in  the  vicinity.  Popula- 
tion (1880).  2,858;  (1890),  2,.'j00;  (1900),  1,937. 

HINCKLEY,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County,  on 
the  Rochelle  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quinoy  Railroad,  18  miles  west  of  Aurora;  in 
rich  agricultural  and  dairying  region;  has  grain 
elevators,  brick  and  tile  works,  water  system  and 
electric  Ught  plant.     Pop.  (1890),  496;  (1900).  587. 

HINRICHSEN,  William  H.,  ex  Secretary  of 
State  and  ex-Congressman,  wiis  born  at  Franklin, 
Morgan  County,  111.,  May  21,  1K,")0;  educated  at 
the  University  of  Illinois,  spent  four  ye;irs  in  the 
office  of  his  father,  who  was  stfxjk-agent  of  the 
Wabash  Railroad,  and  six  years  (1874-80)  as 
Deputy  Sheriff  of  Morgiin  County;  then  went 
into  the  newspaper  business,  editing  the  Jackson- 
ville "Evening  Courier,"  until  1880,  after  which 
he  was  connected  with  "The  Quincy  Herald,"  to 
1890,  when  he  returned  to  Jacksonville  and  re- 
sumed his  place  on  "The  Courier."  He  was  Clerk 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1891,  and 
elected  Secretary  of  State  in  1892.  serving  until 
January,  1897.  Mr.  Hinrichsen  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee 
since  1890,  and  was  Chairman  of  that  body  dur- 
ing 1894-96.  In  1896  Mr.  Hinriclisen  was  the 
nominee  of  his  party  for  Congress  in  the  Six- 
teenth District  and  was  elected  by  over  6,000 
majority,  but  faileil  to  secure  a  renomination  in 
1898. 

HINSDALE,  a  village  in  Du  Page  County  and 
popular  residence  suburb,  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Itiiilroad,  17  miles  west-south- 
west of  Chicago.  It  has  four  churches,  a  graded 
school,  an  academy,  electric  light  plant,  water- 
works, sewerage  system,  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers     Population  (1890).  1,,584;  (1900),  2,578. 

HITCHCOCK,  Charles,  Lawyer,  was  born  at 
Hanson,  Plymouth  County,  Mass.,  April  4,  1827; 
studied  at  Dartmouth  College  and  at  Harvard 
Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1854, 
soon  afterward  establishing  himself  for  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Chicago.  In  1869  Mr. 
Hitchcock  was  elected  to  the  State  Constitutional 
Convention,  which  was  the  only  important  pub- 
lic office  that  he  held,  though  his  capacity  was 
recognized  by  his  election  to  the  Presidency  of 
that  body.     Died,  May  6,  1881. 

HITCHCOCK,  Luke,  clergyman,  was  born 
April  18,  1813,  at  Lebanon,  X.  Y.,  entered  the 
ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
1834,   and,  after    supplying  various    charges   in 


that  State  during  the  next  five  years,  in  1839 
came  to  Chicago,  liecoming  one  of  the  most 
influential  factors  in  the  Methodist  denomination 
in  Northern  Illinois.  Between  that  date  and 
1860  he  was  identified,  as  regular  pastor  or  Pre- 
siding Elder,  with  churches  at  Dixon,  Ottawa, 
Belvidere,  Rockford,  Mount  Morris,  St.  Charles 
and  Chicago  (the  old  Clark  Street  church),  with 
two  years'  service  (1841-43)  as  agent  of  Rock 
River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris — his  itinerant 
labors  being  interrupted  at  two  or  three  i>eriods 
by  ill-health,  compelling  him  to  assume  a  super- 
annuated relation.  From  1852  to  '80,  inclusive, 
he  was  a  delegate  everj'  four  years  to  the  General 
Conference.  In  1860  he  was  appointed  Agent  of 
the  Western  Book  Concern,  and,  as  the  junior 
representative,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
depository  at  Chicago^in  1868  becoming  the 
Senior  Agent,  and  so  remaining  until  1880.  His 
subsequent  .service  included  two  terms  as  Presid- 
ing Filler  for  the  Dixon  and  Chicago  Districts; 
the  position  of  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago 
Home  Missionary  and  Church  Extension  Society; 
Superintendent  of  the  Wesley  Hospital  (which  he 
assisted  to  organize),  his  last  position  being  that 
of  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Superannu- 
ates' Relief  Association.  He  was  also  influential 
in  securing,  the  establishment  of  a  church  paper 
in  Chicago  and  the  founding  of  the  Northwestern 
University  and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  Died, 
while  on  a  visit  to  a  daughter  at  East  Orange, 
N.  J.,  Nov.  12,  1898. 

HITT,  Daniel  F.,  civil  engineer  and  soldier, 
was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  June  13,  1810 
— the  son  of  a  Methodist  preacher  who  freed  his 
slaves  and  removed  to  Urbana,  Ohio,  in  1814.  In 
1829  the  son  began  the  study  of  engineering  and, 
removing  to  Illinois  the  following  year,  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  Engineer  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  later  being  employed  in  survey- 
ing some  sixteen  years.  Being  stationed  at 
Prairie  du  Chien  at  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War  (1832),  he  was  attached  to  the  Stephenson 
Rangers  for  a  year,  but  at  the  end  of  that  period 
resumed  surveying  and,  having  settled  in  La 
Salle  County,  became  the  first  Surveyor  of  that 
county.  In  1861  he  joined  Colonel  Cushman,  of 
Ottawa,  in  the  organization  of  the  Fifty-third 
Illinois  Volunteers,  was  mustered  into  the  service 
in  March,  1802,  and  commissioned  its  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  The  regiment  took  part  in  various 
battles,  including  those  of  Shiloh,  Corinth  and 
La  Grange,  Tenn.  In  the  latter  Colonel  Hitt 
received  an  injury  by  being  thrown  from  his 
horse  which  compelled  his  resignation  and  from 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


235 


which  he  never  fully  recovered.  Returning  to 
Ottawa,  he  continued  to  reside  there  until  his 
death,  May  11,  1899.  Colonel  Hitt  was  father  of 
Andrew  J.  Hitt,  General  Superintendent  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad,  and 
uncle  of  Congressman  Robert  R.  Hitt  of  Mount 
Morris.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he  allied  himself 
with  the  Republican  party  on  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason  and  prominent  in  Grand  Army  circles. 

HITT,  Isaac  R.,  real-estate  operator,  was  born 
at  Boonsboro,  Md.,  June  3,  1828;  in  1845  entered 
the  freshman  class  at  Asbury  University,  Ind., 
graduating  in  1849.  Then,  removing  to  Ottawa, 
111.,  he  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  farming,  but, 
in  1852,  entered  into  the  forwarding  and  com- 
mission business  at  La  Salle.  Having  meanwhile 
devoted  some  attention  to  real-estate  law,  in  1853 
he  began  buying  and  selling  real  estate  while 
continuing  his  farming  operations,  adding  thereto 
coal-mining.  In  May,  1856,  he  was  a  delegate 
from  La  Salle  County  to  the  State  Convention  at 
Bloomington  which  resulted  in  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois.  Removing 
to  Chicago  in  1860,  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  there;  in  1862  was  appointed  on  a  com- 
mittee of  citizens  to  look  after  the  interests  of 
wounded  Illinois  soldiers  after  the  battle  of  Fort 
Donelson,  in  that  capacity  visiting  hospitals  at 
Cairo,  Evansville,  Paducah  and  Nashville.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  engaged  to  some  extent  in  the 
business  of  prosecuting  soldiers'  claims.  Mr. 
Hitt  has  been  a  member  of  both  the  Cliieago  and 
the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  and,  in  1869, 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Palmer  on  the  Com- 
mission to  lay  out  the  park  system  of  Chicago. 
Since  1871  he  has  resided  at  Evanston,  where  he 
aided  in  the  erection  of  the  Woman's  College  in 
connection  with  the  Northwestern  University. 
In  1876  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  agent 
to  prosecute  the  claims  of  the  State  for  swamp 
lands  within  its  limits,  and  has  given  much  of 
his  attention  to  that  business  since. 

HITT,  Robert  Roberts,  Congressman,  was  born 
at  Urbana,  Ohio,  Jan.  16,  1834.  When  he  was 
three  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  in  Ogle  County.  His  education  was 
acquired  at  Rock  River  Seminary  (now  Mount 
Morris  College),  and  at  De  Pauw  University,  Ind. 
In  1858  Mr.  Hitt  was  one  of  the  reporters  who 
reported  the  celebrated  debate  of  that  year 
between  Lincoln  and  Douglas.  From  December, 
1874,  until  March,  '81,  he  was  connected  with  the 
United  States  embassy  at  Paris,  serving  as  First 
Secretary  of  Legation  and  Charge  d'Affaires  ad 


interim.  He  was  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  in 
1881,  but  resigned  the  post  in  1882,  having  been 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  Sixth  Illinois  Dis- 
trict to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death 
of  R.  M.  A.  Hawk.  By  eight  successive  re-elec- 
tions he  has  represented  the  District  continuously 
since,  his  career  being  conspicuous  for  long  serv- 
ice. In  that  time  he  has  taken  an  important 
part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  House,  serving  as 
Chairman  of  many  important  committees,  not- 
ably that  on  Foreign  Affairs,  of  which  he  has 
been  Chairman  for  several  terms,  and  for  which 
his  diplomatic  experience  well  qualifies  him.  In 
1898  he  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  a 
member  of  the  Committee  to  visit  Hawaii  and 
report  upon  a  form  of  government  for  that  por- 
tion of  the  newly  acquired  national  domain.  Mr. 
Hitt  was  strongly  supported  as  a  candidate  for 
the  United  States  Senate  in  1895,  and  favorably 
considered  for  the  position  of  Minister  to  Eng- 
land after  the  retirement  of  Secretary  Day  in 
1898. 

HOBART,  Horace  R.,  was  born  in  Wisconsin 
in  1839 ;  graduated  at  Beloit  College  and,  after  a 
brief  experience  in  newspaper  work,  enlisted,  in 
1861,  in  the  First  Wisconsin  Cavalry  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  as  Battalion  Quartermaster. 
Being  wounded  at  Helena,  Ark.,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  resign,  but  afterwards  served  as  Deputy 
Provost  Marshal  of  the  Second  Wisconsin  Dis- 
trict. In  1866  he  re-entered  newspaper  work  as 
reporter  on  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  and  later 
was  associated,  as  city  editor,  with  "The  Chicago 
Evening  Post"  and  "Evening  Mail";  later  was 
editor  of  "The  Jacksonville  Daily  Journal"  and 
"The  Chicago  Morning  Courier,"  also  being,  for 
some  years  from  1869,  Western  Manager  of  the 
American  Press  A.ssociation.  In  1876,  Mr.  Hobart 
became  one  of  the  editors  of  "The  Railway  Age" 
(Chicago),  with  which  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  year  1898,  when  he  retired  to  give  his 
attention  to  real-estate  matters. 

HOFFMAN,  Francis  A.,  Lieutenant-Governor 
(1861-65),  was  born  at  Ilerford,  Prussia,  in  1822, 
and  emigrated  to  America  in  1839,  reaching  Chica- 
go the  same  year.  There  he  became  a  boot-black  in 
a  leading  hotel,  but  within  a  month  was  teaching 
a  small  German  school  at  Dunkley's  Grove  (now 
Addison),  Du  Page  County,  and  later  officiating 
as  a  Lutheran  minister.  In  1847  he  represented 
that  county  in  the  River  and  Harbor  Convention 
at  Chicago.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and, 
the  following  year,  entered  the  City  Council. 
Later,  he  embarked  in  the  real-estate  business, 
and,  in  1854,  opened  a  banking  house,  but  was 


236 


niSTOUICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


forced  to  assign  in  1861.  He  early  became  a 
recognized  anti-slavery  leader  and  a  contributor 
to  the  German  press,  and,  in  ISoG,  was  nominated 
for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  first  Republican 
State  ticket  with  William  II.  Bissell,  but  was 
found  ineligible  by  reason  of  his  short  residence 
in  the  United  States,  and  vi-ithdrew,  giving  place 
to  John  Wood  of  Quincy.  In  1800  he  was  again 
nominated,  and  having  in  the  meantime  become 
eligible,  was  elected.  In  1864  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Presidential  Elector,  and 
assisted  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  second  election.  He 
was  at  one  time  Foreign  Land  Commissioner  for 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  acted  as  Consul 
at  Cliicago  for  several  German  States.  For  a 
numlHsr  of  years  past  Mr.  lloffniau  has  been 
editor  of  an  agricultural  paper  in  Southern 
Wisconsin. 

H(KiA\,  John,  clergyman  and  early  politician, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Mallow,  County  of  Cork, 
Ireland,  Jan.  2,  180.~);  brought  in  childhood  to 
Baltimore,  Md.,  and  having  been  left  an  orphan  at 
eight  years  of  age,  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoe- 
maker. In  1826  he  became  an  itinerant  Metho- 
dist preacher,  and,  coming  west  the  same  year, 
preaclied  at  various  points  in  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Missouri,  In  1830  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Mitchell  West,  of  Belleville,  111.,  and  soon 
after,  having  retired  from  the  itinerancy,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  at  Edwardsville  and  Alton. 
In  1836  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
Tenth  General  Assembly  from  Madison  County, 
two  years  later  was  appointed  a  Commissioner  of 
Public  Works  and,  being  re-elected  in  1840,  was 
made  President  of  the  Board;  in  1841  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Harrison  Register  of  the 
Land  Office  at  Dixon,  where  he  remained  until 
1845.  During  the  anti-slavery  excitement  which 
attended  the  assassination  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy 
in  1837,  he  was  a  resident  of  Alton  and  was  re- 
garded by  the  friends  of  Lovejoy  as  favoring  the 
pro-slavery  faction.  After  retiring  from  the 
Land  Office  at  Dixon,  he  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  busi- 
ness. In  his  earh-  political  life  he  was  a  Whig, 
but  later  co-operated  with  the  Democratic  party ; 
in  1857  he  was  appointed  by  President  Buchanan 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  serving  until 
the  accession  of  Lincoln  in  1861 ;  in  1864  was 
elected  as  a  Democrat  to  the  Thirty-ninth  Con- 
gress, serving  two  years.  He  was  also  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Union  (Democratic)  Convention 
at  Philadelphia  in  1866.  After  his  retirement 
from  the  Methodist  itinerancy  he  continued  to 
officiate  as  a  "local"  preacher  and  was  esteemed 


a  speaker  of  unusual  eloquence  and  ability.  His 
death  occurred,  Feb.  5,  1892.  He  is  author  of  sev- 
eral volumes,  including  "The  Resources  of  Mis- 
souri," "Commerce  and  Manufactures  of  St. 
Louis,"  and  a  "History  of  Methodism." 

HOOE,  Joseph  P.,  Congressman,  was  born  in 
Ohio  earlj-  in  the  century  ami  came  to  Galena, 
111.,  in  1836.  where  he  attained  prominence  as  a 
lawyer.  In  1842  he  was  elected  Representative 
in  Congress,  as  claimed  at  the  time  by  the  aid  of 
the  Mormon  vote  at  Xauvoo,  serving  one  term. 
In  1853  he  went  to  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  and  be- 
came a  Judge  in  that  State,  dying  a  few  years 
since  at  the  age  of  over  80  years.  He  is  repre- 
sented to  have  been  a  man  of  much  ability  and  a 
graceful  and  eloquent  orator.  Mr.  Hoge  was  a 
son-in-law  of  Thomiis  C.  Browne,  one  of  the  Jus- 
tices of  the  first  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  who 
held  office  until  1848. 

HOLLISXrit,  fDr.)  John  Hamilton,  physi- 
cian, was  liorn  at  Riga,  N.  Y.,  in  1824;  was 
brought  to  Romeo,  Mich.,  by  his  parents  in  in- 
fancy, but  his  father  having  died,  at  the  age  of  17 
went  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  to  be  educated,  finally 
graduating  in  medicine  at  Berkshire  College, 
Mass.,  in  1847,  and  beginning  practice  at  Otisco, 
Mich.  Two  years  later  he  removed  to  Grand 
Rapids  and,  in  1855,  to  Chicago,  where  he  held, 
for  a  time,  the  position  of  demonstrator  of  anat- 
omy in  Rush  Medical  College,  and,  in  1856,  be- 
came one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Medical 
College,  in  which  he  has  held  various  chairs.  He 
also  served  as  Surgeon  of  Mercy  Hospital  and 
was,  for  twenty  years.  Clinical  Professor  in  the 
same  institution;  was  President  of  the  State 
Medical  Societj-,  and,  for  twenty  years,  its  Treas- 
urer. Other  positions  held  bj'  him  have  been 
those  of  Trustee  of  the  American  Medical  Associ- 
ation and  editor  of  its  journal,  President  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  of  the 
Chicago  Congregational  Club.  He  has  also  been 
prominent  in  Sunday  School  and  church  work  in 
connection  with  the  Armour  Mission,  with  which 
he  has  been  associated  for  manv  vears. 

HOME  FOR  JUVENILE  OFFENDERS,  (FE- 
MALE). The  establishment  of  this  institution 
was  authorized  by  act  of  June  22,  1893.  which 
appropriated  §75,000  towards  its  erection  and 
maintenance,  not  more  tlian  §15.000  to  be  ex- 
pended for  a  site.  (See  also  State  Guardians  fen- 
Girls.)  It  is  designed  to  receive  girls  between  the 
ages  of  10  and  16  committed  thereto  by  any  court 
of  record  upon  conviction  of  a  misdemeanor,  the 
term  of  commitment  not  to  be  less  than  one 
year,  or  to   exceed  minority.     Justices    of   the 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


337 


Peace,  however,  may  send  giris  for  a  term  not 
less  than  three  months.  The  act  of  incorporation 
provides  for  a  commutation  of  sentence  to  be 
earned  by  good  conduct  and  a  prolongation  of 
the  sentence  by  bad  behavior.  The  Trustees  are 
empowered,  in  their  discretion,  either  to  appren- 
tice the  girls  or  to  adopt  them  out  during  their 
minority.  Temporary  quarters  weje  furnislied 
for  the  Home  during  the  first  two  years  of  its 
existence  in  Chicago,  but  permanent  buildings 
for  the  institution  have  been  erected  on  the 
banks  of  Fox  River,  near  Geneva,  in  Kane  County. 

H<)MER,  a  village  in  Cliampaign  County,  on 
tlie  Wabash  R.uhvaj',  20  miles  west-soutliwest 
from  Danville  and  about  18  miles  east-southeast 
from  Champaign.  It  supports  a  carriage  factory ; 
al.so  has  two  banks  several  churches,  a  seminary, 
an  opera  house,  and  one  weekly  paper.  The 
region  is  chiefly  agricultural.  Population  (1880), 
934:  (I8n0),  917;  (1900),  1,080. 

HOMESTEAD  LAWS.  In  general  such  laws 
have  been  defined  to  be  "legislation  enacted  to 
secure,  to  some  extent,  the  enjoyment  of  a  home 
and  shelter  for  a  family  or  individual  by  exempt- 
ing, under  certain  conditions,  the  residence  occu- 
pied by  the  family  or  individual,  from  liability  to 
be  sold  for  the  payment  of  the  debts  of  its  owner, 
and  by  restricting  his  rights  of  free  alienation." 
In  Illinois,  this  exemption  extends  to  the  farm 
and  dwelling  thereon  of  every  householder  hav- 
ing a  family,  and  occupied  as  a  residence, 
whether  owned  or  possessed  under  a  lease,  to  the 
value  of  §1,000.  The  exemption  continues  after 
death,  for  the  benefit  of  decedent's  wife  or  hus- 
band occupying  the  homestead,  and  also  of  the 
children,  if  any,  until  the  youngest  attain  tlie 
age  of  21  years.  Husband  and  wife  must  join  in 
releasing  the  exemption,  but  the  property  is 
always  liable  for  improvements  thereon. — In  1862 
Congress  passed  an  act  known  as  the  "Homestead 
Law"  for  the  protection  of  the  rights  of  settlers 
on  public  lands  under  certain  restrictions  as  to 
active  occupancy,  under  which  most  of  that 
class  of  lands  since  taken  for  settlement  have 
been  purchased. 

HOMEWOOD,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railway,  23  miles  south  of  Chi- 
cago.    Population,  (1900),  353. 

HOOLEV,  Richard  M.,  theatrical  manager, 
was  born  in  Ireland.  April  13,  1833;  at  the  age  of 
18  entered  the  theater  as  a  musician  and,  four 
years  later,  came  to  America,  soon  after  forming 
an  association  with  E.  P.  Christy,  the  originator 
of  negro  minstrelsy  entertainments  which  went 
under  his  name.     In  18-18  Mr.  Hooley  conducted 


a  company  of  minstrels  through  the  principal 
towns  of  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  to 
some  of  the  chief  cities  on  the  continent;  re- 
turned to  America  five  years  later,  and  subse- 
quently managed  houses  in  San  Francisco, 
Pliiladelphia,  Brooklyn  and  New  York,  finally 
locating  in  Chicago  in  186!),  where  he  remained 
the  rest  of  his  life, — his  theater  becoming  one  of 
the  most  widely  known  and  popular  in  the  city. 
Died,  Sept.  8,  1893. 

HOOPESTON,  a  prosperous  city  in  Vermilion 
County  at  the  intersection  of  the  Cliicago  &.  East- 
ern Illinois  and  the  Lake  Erie  &  We.stern  Rail- 
roads, 99  miles  south  of  Chicago.  It  has  grain 
elevators,  a  nail  factory,  brick  and  tile  works, 
carriage  and  machme  shops,  and  two  large  can- 
ning factories,  besides  two  banks  and  one  daily 
and  three  weekly  newspapers,  several  churches, 
a  high  .school  and  a  business  college.  Population 
(1890),  1,911;  (19UU),  3,833;  (1904),  about  4,500. 

HOPKINS,  Albert  J.,  Congressman,  was  born 
in  De  Kalb  County,  111.,  August  15,  1846.  After 
graduating  from  Hillsdale  College,  Mich.,  in  1870, 
he  studied  law  and  began  practice  at  Aurora. 
He  rapidly  attained  prominence  at  the  bar,  and, 
in  1873,  was  elected  .State's  Attorney  for  Kane 
County,  serving  in  that  capacity  for  four  years. 
He  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  high  in  the 
party's  councils,  having  been  Chairman  of  the 
State  Central  Committee  from  1878  to  1880,  and  a 
Presidential  Elector  on  the  Blaine  &  Logan 
ticket  in  1884.  The  same  year  he  was  elected  to 
the  Forty-ninth  Congress  from  the  Fifth  District 
(now  the  Eighth)  and  has  been  continuously  re- 
elected ever  since,  receiving  a  clear  majority  in 
1898  of  more  than  18,000  votes  over  two  competi- 
tors. At  present  (1898)  he  is  Chairman  of  the 
Select  House  Committee  on  Census  and  a  member 
of  the  Committees  on  Ways  and  Means,  and  Mer- 
chant Marine  and  Fisheries.  In  1896  he  was 
strongly  supported  for  the  Republican  nomina- 
tion for  Governor. 

HOUGHTON,  Horace  Hocking,  pioneer  printer 
and  journalist,  was  born  at  Springfield,  Vt.,  Oct. 
26,  1806,  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  at  eight- 
een began  learning  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office 
of  "The  Woodstock  Over.seer"  ;  on  arriving  at  his 
majority  became  a  journeyman  printer  and,  in 
1828,  went  to  New  York,  spending  some  time  in 
the  employment  of  the  Harper  Brothers.  After 
a  brief  season  spent  in  Boston,  he  took  charge  of 
"The  Statesman"  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  but,  in  1834, 
again  went  to  New  York,  taking  with  him  a 
device  for  throwing  the  printed  sheet  otT  the 
press,   which    was   afterwards    adopted    on   the 


23S 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Adams  and  Hoe  printing  presses.  His  next 
move  was  to  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  1834,  thence  by 
way  of  Cincinnati  and  Louisville  to  St.  Louis, 
working  for  a  time  in  the  office  of  the  old  "St. 
Louis  Republican."  He  soon  after  went  to 
Galena  and  engaged  in  lead-mining,  but  later 
became  associated  with  Sylvester  M.  Bartlett  in 
the  management  of  "The  Northwestern  Gazette 
and  Galena  Advertiser,"  finally  becoming  sole 
proprietor.  In  1842  he  sold  out  the  paper,  but 
resumed  his  connection  with  it  the  following 
year,  remaining  until  1863,  when  he  finally  sold 
out.  He  afterwards  spent  some  time  on  tlie 
Pacific  slope,  was  for  a  time  American  Consul  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  but  finally  returned  to 
Galena  and,  during  the  later  years  of  his  life, 
was  Postmaster  there,  dying  April  30,  1879. 

HOVEY,  Charles  Edward,  educator,  soldier 
and  lawyer,  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Vt., 
April  26,  1827 ;  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in 
1852,  and  became  successively  Principal  of  high 
schools  at  Farmington,  Mass.,  and  Peoria,  111. 
Later,  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School  at  Normal,  of  which  he  was 
President  from  18,')7  to  1801 — being  also  President 
of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  (1856),  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  and,  for  some 
years,  editor  of  "The  Illinois  Teacher."  In  Au- 
gust, 1861,  he  assisted  in  organizing,  and  was  com- 
missioned Colonel  of,  the  Thirty-third  Illinois 
Volunteers,  known  as  the  "Normal"  or  "School- 
Masters'  Regiment,"  from  the  fact  that  it  was 
composed  largelj-  of  teachers  and  young  men 
from  the  State  colleges.  In  1802  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General  and,  a  few 
months  later,  to  brevet  Major-General  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  conduct.  Leaving  the  military 
service  in  May,  1'8G3,  he  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Died,  in  Washing- 
ton, Nov.  17,  1897. 

HOWLAXD,  George,  educator  and  author,  was 
born  (of  Pilgrim  ancestry)  at  Conway,  Mass., 
July  30,  1824.  After  graduating  from  Amherst 
College  in  1850,  he  devoted  two  years  to  teaching 
in  the  public  schools,  and  three  years  to  a  tutor- 
ship in  his  Ahna  Mater,  giving  instruction  in 
Latin,  Greek  and  French.  He  began  the  study 
of  law,  but,  after  a  year's  reading,  he  abandoned 
it,  removing  to  Chicago,  where  he  became  Assist- 
ant Principal  of  the  city's  one  high  school,  in 
1858.  He  became  its  Principal  in  1800,  and,  in 
1880,  was  elected  Superintendent  of  Chicago  City 
SchooI&  This  position  he  filled  until  August, 
1891,  when  he  resigned.  He  also  served  as  Trus- 
tee of  Amherst  College  for  several  years,  and  as  a 


member  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Education, 
being  President  of  that  body  in  1883.  As  an 
author  he  was  of  some  note;  his  work  being 
chiefly  on  educational  lines.  He  published  a 
translation  of  the  .^neid  adapted  to  the  use  of 
schools,  besides  translations  of  some  of  Horace's 
Odes  and  portions  of  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey.  He 
was  also  the  author  of  an  English  grammar. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  21,  1892. 

HOYXE,  Philip  A.,  lawyer  and  United  States 
Commissioner,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Nov. 
20,  1824;  came  to  Chicago  in  1841,  and,  after 
spending  eleven  years  alternately  in  Galena  and 
Chicago,  finally  located  permanently  in  Chicago, 
in  1852 ;  in  1853  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Record- 
er's Court  of  Chicago,  retaining  the  position  five 
years;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  March,  1856, 
and  appointed  United  States  Commissioner  the 
same  year,  remaining  in  office  until  his  death, 
Nov.  3,  1894.  Mr.  Hoyne  was  an  officer  of  the 
Chicago  Pioneers  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Union  League  Club. 

HUBB.VRD,  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  pioneer  and 
Indian  trader,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Vt.,  August 
22,  1802.  His  early  youth  was  passed  in  Canada, 
chiefly  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany. In  1818  he  first  visited  Fort  Dearborn,  and 
for  nine  years  traveled  back  and  forth  in  the 
interest  of  his  employers.  In  1827,  having  em- 
barked in  business  on  his  own  account,  he  estab- 
lished several  trading  posts  in  Illinois,  becoming 
a  resident  of  Chicago  in  1832.  From  this  time 
forward  he  became  identified  with  the  history 
and  development  of  the  State.  He  served  with 
distinction  during  the  Black  Hawk  and  Winne- 
bago Wars,  was  enterprising  and  public-spirited, 
and  did  much  to  promote  the  earlj'  development 
of  Chicago.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
from  Vermilion  County  in  1832,  and,  in  1835, 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Duncan  one  of  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  CanaL 
Died,  at  Chicago.  Sept.  14,  1886.  From  the  time 
he  became  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  for  fifty  years, 
no  man  was  more  active  or  pubUc-spirited 
in  promoting  its  commercial  development  and 
general  prosperity.  He  was  identified  with 
almost  every  branch  of  business  upon  which  its 
growth  as  a  commercial  city  depended,  from  that 
of  an  earlj-  Indian  trader  to  that  of  a  real-estate 
operator,  being  manager  of  one  of  the  largest  pack- 
ing houses  of  his  time,  as  well  as  promoter  of 
early  railroad  enterprises.  A  zealous  Republican, 
he  was  one  of  the  most  earnest  supporters  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  campaign  of  1860,  was 
prominently  identified  with  every  local  measure 


mSTOIUCAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


239 


for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union  cause,  and,  for 
a  year,  held  a  commission  as  Captain  in  the 
Eighty-eighth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers, 
known  as  the  "Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment. " 

HUGHITT,  narvin,  Railway  President,  was 
born,  August,  1837,  and,  in  185G,  began  his  rail- 
road experience  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway 
as  Superintendent  of  Telegraph  and  Train-de- 
spatcher.  In  1862  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Company  in  a  similar  capacity, 
still  later  occupying  the  positions  of  Assistant 
Superintendent  and  General  Superintendent,  re- 
maining in  the  latter  from  1865  to  1870,  when  he 
resigned  to  become  Assistant  General  Manager 
of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul.  In  1872 
he  became  associated  with  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad,  in  connection  with  which  he 
has  held  the  positions  of  Superintendent,  General 
Manager,  Second  Vice-President  and  President — 
the  last  of  which  (1899)  he  still  occupies. 

HULETT,  Alta  M.,  lawyer,  was  born  near 
Rockford,  111.,  June  4,  1854;  early  learned  teleg- 
raphy and  became  a  successful  operator,  but  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  teaching  and  the  study  of 
law.  In  1872,  having  passed  the  required  exami- 
nation, she  applied  for  admission  to  the  bar,  but 
was  rejected  on  account  of  sex.  She  then,  in 
conjunction  with  Mrs.  Bradwell  and  others, 
interested  herself  in  securing  the  passage  of  an 
act  by  the  Legislature  giving  women  the  right 
that  had  been  denied  her,  which  having  been 
accomplished,  she  went  to  Chicago,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  began  practice.  Died,  in  Cali- 
fornia, March  27,  1877. 

HUM,  Daniel  D.,  legislator,  was  born  in 
Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  19,  1835,  came  to 
De  Kalb  County,  111.,  in  1857,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  hotel,  mercantile  and  farming  busi- 
ness. He  was  elected  as  a  Republican  Represent- 
ative in  the  Thirty-fifth  General  Assembly  in 
1886,  and  re  elected  in  1888.  Two  years  later  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  re-elected  in 
1894,  and  again  in  1898— giving  him  a  continuous 
service  in  one  or  the  other  branch  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  sixteen  years.  During  the  session 
of  1895,  Senator  Hunt  was  especially  active  in 
the  legislation  which  resulted  in  the  location  of 
the  Northern  Illinois  Normal  Institute  at  De 
Kalb. 

HUNT,  George,  lawyer  and  ex-Attorney-Gen- 
eral, was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in  1841; 
having  lost  both  parents  in  childhood,  came, 
with  an  uncle,  to  Edgar  County,  111.,  in  1855.  In 
July,  1861,  at  the  age  of  20,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry,  re-enlisting  as  a  veteran 


in  1864,  and  rising  from  the  ranks  to  a  captaincy. 
After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  studied  law,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and,  locating  at  Paris,  Edgar 
County,  soon  acquired  a  large  practice.  He  was 
elected  State  Senator  on  the  Republican  ticket  in 
1874,  and  re-elected  in  1878  and  '82.  In  1884  he 
received  his  first  nomination  for  Attorney-Gen- 
eral, was  renominated  in  1888,  and  elected  both 
times,  serving  eight  years.  Among  the  im- 
portant questions  with  which  General  Hunt  had 
to  deal  during  his  two  terms  were  the  celebrated 
"anarchist  cases"  of  1887  and  of  1890-92.  In  the 
former  the  condemned  Chicago  anarchists  applied 
through  their  counsel  to  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  for  a  writ  of  error  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Illinois  to  compel  the  latter  to 
grant  thein  a  new  trial,  which  was  refused.  The 
case,  on  the  part  of  the  State,  was  conducted  by 
General  Hunt,  while  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler  of  Massa- 
chusetts, John  Randolph  Tucker  of  Virginia, 
Roger  A.  Pryor  of  New  York,  and  Messrs.  W.  P. 
Black  and  Solomon  of  Chicago  appeared  for  the 
plaintiffs.  Again,  in  1890,  Fielden  and  Schwab, 
who  had  been  condemned  to  life  imprisonment, 
attempted  to  secure  their  release — the  former  by 
an  application  similar  to  that  of  1887,  and  the 
latter  by  appeal  from  a  decision  of  Judge  Gresham 
of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  refusing  a 
writ  of  habeas  corpus.  The  final  hearing  of 
these  cases  was  had  before  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  in  January,  1892,  General 
Butler  again  appearing  as  leading  counsel  for  the 
plaintiffs — but  with  the  same  result  as  in  1887. 
General  Hunt's  management  of  these  cases  won 
for  him  much  deserved  commendation  both  at 
home  and  abroad. 

HUNTER,  Andrew  J.,  was  born  in  Greencastle, 
Ind.,  Dec.  17,  1831,  and  removed  in  infancy  by 
his  parents,  to  Edgar  County,  this  State.  His 
early  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  Edgar  Academy.  He  commenced 
his  business  life  as  a  civil  engineer,  but,  after 
three  years  spent  in  that  profession,  began  the 
study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
has  since  been  actively  engaged  in  practice  at 
Paris,  Edgar  County.  From  1864  to  1868  he  repre- 
sented that  county  in  the  State  Senate,  and,  in 
1870,  led  the  Democratic  forlorn  hope  in  the  Fif- 
teenth Congressional  District  against  General 
Jesse  H.  Moore,  and  rendered  a  like  service  to  his 
party  in  1882,  when  Joseph  G.  Cannon  was  his 
Republican  antagonist.  In  1886  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Edgar  County  Court,  and,  in  1890, 
was  re-elected,  but  resigned  this  office  in  1892, 
having  been  elected  Congressman  for  the  State- 


240 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


at-large  on  tlie  Democratic  ticket.  He  was  a  can- 
didate for  Congre.ss  from  the  Nineteenth  District 
again  in  189G,  and  was  again  elected,  receiving  a 
majority  of  1,200  over  Hon.  Benson  Wood,  his 
Republican  opponent  and  immediate  predeces.sor. 
HUNTER,  (tien.)~Davi(l,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  July  21,  1802;  graduated  at 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  in  1822, 
and  assigned  to  the  Fifth  Infantry  with  the  rank 
of  Second  Lieutenant,  becoming  First  Lieutenant 
in  1828  and  Captain  of  Dragoons  in  1833.  During 
this  period  he  twice  crossed  the  plains  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  but,  in  1836,  resigned  his  com- 
mission and  engaged  in  business  in  Chicago, 
Re-entering  the  service  as  Paymaster  in  18-12,  he 
was  Chief  Paymaster  of  General  Wool's  command 
in  the  Mexican  War,  and  was  afterwards  stationed 
at  New  Orleans.  Washington,  Detroit,  St.  Louis 
and  on  the  frontier.  He  was  a  personal  friend  of 
President  Lincoln,  whom  he  accompanied  when 
the  latter  set  out  for  Washington  in  February, 
1801,  but  was  disabled  at  Buffalo,  having  his 
collar-bone  dislocated  by  the  crowd.  He  was 
appointed  Colonel  of  the  Sixth  United  States 
Cavalry,  May  14.  1861,  three  daj-s  later  commis- 
sioned Brigadier-General  and,  in  August,  made 
Major-General.  In  the  Manassas  campaign  he 
commanded  the  main  column  of  McDoweirs 
army  and  was  severely  wounded  at  Bull  Run; 
served  under  Fremont  in  Missouri  and  succeeded 
him  in  command  in  November,  1861,  remaining 
until  March,  1862.  Being  transferred  to  the 
Department  of  the  South  in  May  following,  he 
issued  an  order  declaring  the  persons  held  as 
slaves  in  Georgia,  Florida  and  South  Carolina 
free,  which  order  was  revoked  by  President  Lin- 
coln ten  days  later.  On  account  of  the  steps 
taken  by  him  for  the  organization  of  colored 
troops,  Jefferson  Davis  issued  an  order  declaring 
him,  in  case  of  capture,  subject  to  execution  as 
a  felon.  In  Blay,  1864,  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  West,  and,  in 

1865,  served  on  various  courts-martial,  being 
President  of  the  commission  that  tried  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's assassins ;  was  brevetted  Major-General  in 
March,   186.5.   retired  from  active    service  July, 

1866,  and  died  in  Washington,  Feb.  2,  1886.  Gen- 
eral Hunter  married  a  daughter  of  John  Kinzie, 
the  first  permanent  citizen  of  Chicago. 

HURD,  Harvey  B.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Fair- 
field County,  Conn.,  Feb.  24,  1827.  At  the  age  of 
15  he  walked  to  Bridgeport,  where  he  began  life 
as  office-bo}-  in  "The  Bridgeport  Standard,"  a 
journal  of  pronounced  Whig  proclivities.  In 
1844  he  came  to  Illinois,  entering  Jubilee  College, 


but,  after  a  brief  attendance,  came  to  Chicago  in 
1846.  There  he  found  temporary  employment 
as  a  compositor,  later  commencing  the  study  of 
law,  and  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1848.  A 
portion  of  the  present  city  of  Evanston  is  built 
upon  a  248-acre  tract  owned  and  subdivided  by  Mr. 
Hurd  and  his  partner.  Always  in  sympathy 
with  the  old  school  and  most  radical  type  of 
Abolitionists,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  Kan- 
sas-Missouri troubles  of  1856,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  "National  Kansas  Committee" 
appointed  by  the  Buffalo  (N.  Y. )  Convention,  of 
which  body  he  was  a  member.  He  was  chosen 
Secretary  of  the  executive  committee,  and  it  ia 
not  too  nmch  to  say  that,  largely  through  his 
earnest  and  poorly  requited  labors,  Kansas  was 
finall}-  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  free  State. 
It  was  mainly  through  his  efforts  that  seed  for 
planting  was  gratuitously  distributed  among  the 
free-soil  settlers.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Commission  to  revise  the  statutes 
of  Illinois,  a  large  part  of  the  work  devolving 
upon  him  in  consetjuence  of  the  withdrawal  of 
his  colleagues.  The  revision  was  completed  in 
1874,  in  conjunction  with  a  Joint  Committee  of 
Revision  of  both  Houses  appointed  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  1873.  While  no  statutory  revision  has 
been  ordered  by  subsequent  Legislatures,  Mr. 
Hurd  has  carried  on  the  same  character  of  work 
on  independent  lines,  issuing  new  editions  of  the 
statutes  from  time  to  time,  which  are  regarded  as 
standard  works  by  the  bar.  In  1875  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Republican  party  for  a  seat  on 
the  Supreme  bench,  but  was  defeated  by  the  late 
Judge  T.  Lyle  Dickey.  For  several  years  he 
filled  a  chair  in  the  faculty  of  the  Union  College 
of  Law.     His  home  is  in  Evanston. 

Hl'RLBUT, Stephen  A.,  soldier.  Congressman 
and  Foreign  Minister,  was  born  at  Charleston, 
S.  C,  Nov.  29,  1815,  received  a  thorough  liberal 
education,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837. 
Soon  afterwards  he  removed  to  Illinois,  making 
his  home  at  Belvidere.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  in  1848  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  Presidential  Elector 
on  the  Whig  ticket,  but,  on  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  in  1856,  promptly  identified 
himself  with  that  party  and  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembly  as  a 
Republican  in  1858  and  again  in  1860.  During 
the  War  of  the  Rel)ellion  he  served  with  distinc- 
tion from  May,  1861,  to  July,  1865.  He  entered 
the  service  as  Brigadier-General,  commanding 
the  Fourth  Division  of  Grant's  army  at  Pittsburg 
Landing;  was  made  a  Major-General  in  Septem- 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


241 


ber,  1863,  and  later  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  at  Memphis,  and  sub- 
sequently to  the  command  of  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf  (1864-65).  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
served  another  term  in  the  General  Assembly 
(1867),  was  chosen  Presidential  Elector  for  the 
State-at-large  in  1868,  and,  in  1869,  was  appointed 
by  President  Grant  Minister  Resident  to  the 
United  States  of  Colombia,  serving  until  1878. 
The  latter  year  he  was  elected  Representative  to 
Congress,  and  re-elected  two  years  later.  In 
1876  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  as  an 
independent  Republican,  but  was  defeated  by 
William  Lathrop,  the  regular  nominee.  In  1881 
he  was  appointed  Minister  Resident  to  Peru,  and 
died  at  Lima,  March  27,  1882. 

HTJTCHIJfS,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Monmouth, 
N.  J.,  in  1730,  died  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  April  28, 
1789.  He  was  the  first  Government  Surveyor,  fre- 
quently called  the  "Geographer";   was  also  an 


officer  of  the  Sixtieth  Royal  (British)  regiment, 
and  assistant  engineer  under  Bouquet.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  while  stationed  at 
Fort  Chartres,  he  resigned  his  commission  be- 
cause of  his  sympathy  with  the  patriots.  Three 
years  later  he  was  charged  with  being  in  treason- 
able correspondence  with  Franklin,  and  im- 
prisoned in  the  Tower  of  London.  He  is  said  to 
have  devised  the  present  system  of  Government 
surveys  in  this  country,  and  his  services  in  carry- 
ing it  into  effect  were  certainly  of  great  value. 
He  was  the  author  of  several  valuable  works,  the 
best  known  being  a  "Topographical  Description 
of  Virginia." 

HUTSOXVILLE,  a  village  of  Crawford  County, 
on  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railway,  and  the  Wabash  River,  34  miles 
south  of  Paris.  The  district  is  agricultural.  The 
town  has  a  bank  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population 
(1890),  582;  (1900),  743. 


ILLINOIS. 

(general  history.) 


Illinois  is  the  twenty-first  State  of  the  Federal 
Union  in  the  order  of  its  admission,  the  twentieth 
in  present  area  and  the  third  in  point  of  popula- 
tion. A  concise  history  of  the  region,  of  which  it 
constituted  the  central  portion  at  an  early  period, 
will  be  found  in  the  following  pages: 

The  greater  part  of  the  territory  now  comprised 
within  the  State  of  Illinois  was  known  and  at- 
tracted eager  attention  from  the  nations  of  the 
old  world — especially  in  France,  Germany  and 
England — before  the  close  of  the  third  quarter  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  More  than  one  hun- 
dred years  before  the  struggle  for  American  Inde- 
pendence began,  or  the  geographical  division 
known  as  the  "Territory  of  the  Northwest"  had 
an  existence;  before  the  names  of  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  Vermont  or  Ohio  had  been  heard  of, 
and  while  the  early  settlers  of  New  England  and 
Virginia  were  still  struggling  for  a  foothold 
among  the  Indian  tribes  on  the  Atlantic  coast, 
the  "Illinois  Country"  occupied  a  place  on  the 
maps  of  North  America  as  distinct  and  definite 
as  New  York  or  Pennsylvania.  And  from  that 
time  forward,  until  it  assumed  its  position  in  the 
Union  with  the  rank  of  a  State,  no  other  section 
has  been  the  theater  of  more  momentous  and 
stirring  events  or  has  contributed  more  material, 
affording  interest  and  in.stniction  to  the  archaeol- 
ogist,  the  ethnologist   and  the   historian,   than 


that  portion  of  the  American  Continent  now 
known  as  the  "State  of  Illinois." 

The  "Illinois  Country." — What  was  known 
to  the  early  French  explorers  and  their  followers 
and  descendants,  for  the  ninety  years  which 
intervened  between  the  discoveries  of  Joliet  and 
La  Salle,  down  to  the  siuTender  of  this  region  to 
the  English,  as  the  "Illinois  Country,"  is  de- 
scribed with  great  clearness  and  definiteness  by 
Capt.  Philip  Pittman,  an  English  engineer  who 
made  the  first  survey  of  the  Mississippi  River 
soon  after  the  transfer  of  the  French  possessions 
east  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  British,  and  who 
published  the  result  of  his  observations  in  London 
in  1770.  In  this  report,  which  is  evidently  a 
work  of  the  highest  authenticity,  and  is  the  more 
valuable  because  written  at  a  transition  period 
when  it  was  of  the  first  importance  to  preserve 
and  hand  down  the  facts  of  early  French  history 
to  the  new  occupants  of  the  soil,  the  boundaries 
of  the  "Illinois  Country"  are  defined  as  follows: 
"The  Country  of  the  Illinois  is  bounded  by  the 
Mississippi  on  the  west,  by  tlie  river  Illinois  on 
the  north,  by  the  Ouabache  and  Miamis  on  the 
east  and  the  Ohio  on  the  south." 

From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  country  lying 
between  the  Illinois  and  the  Missi.ssippi  Rivers  to 
the  west  and  northwest  of  the  former,  was  not 
considered  a  part  of  the  "Illinois  Country,"  and 


242 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


this  agrees  generally  with  the  records  of  the 
early  French  explorers,  except  that  they  regarded 
the  region  which  comprehends  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Chicago — the  importance  of  which 
appears  to  have  been  appreciated  from  the  first 
as  a  connecting  link  between  the  Lakes  and  the 
upper  tributaries  of  the  rivers  falling  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico — as  belonging  thereto 

Origin  of  the  Name. — The  "Country"  appears 
to  have  derived  its  name  from  Inini,  a  word  of 
Algonquin  origin,  signifying  "the  men,"  eu- 
phemized  by  the  French  into  Illini  with  the 
suffix  ois.  signifying  "trite."  The  root  of  the 
term,  applied  both  to  the  country  and  the  Indians 
occupying  it,  has  been  still  further  defined  as  "a 
perfect  man"  (Haines  on  "Indian  Names"),  and 
the  derivative  has  been  used  by  the  French 
chroniclers  in  various  forms  though  always  with 
the  same  signification — a  signification  of  wliich 
the  earliest  claimants  of  the  appellation,  as  well 
as  their  successors  of  a  different  race,  have  not 
failed  to  be  dulj'  proud. 

Boundaries  and  Area. — It  is  this  region 
wliich  gave  the  name  to  the  State  of  which  it 
constituted  so  large  and  important  a  part.  Its 
boundaries,  so  far  as  the  Wabash  and  the  Ohio 
Rivers  (as  well  as  the  Mississippi  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois)  are  con- 
cerned, are  identical  with  those  given  to  the 
"Illinois  Country"  by  Pittman.  The  State  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Wisconsin ;  on  the  east 
by  Lake  Michigan,  the  State  of  Indiana  and  the 
Wabash  River;  southeast  by  the  Ohio,  flowing 
between  it  and  the  State  of  Kentucky ;  and  west 
and  southwest  by  the  Mississippi,  which  sepa- 
rates it  from  the  States  of  Iowa  and  Missouri.  A 
peculiarity  of  the  Act  of  Congress  defining  the 
boundaries  of  the  State,  is  the  fact  that,  while 
the  jurisdiction  of  Illinois  extends  to  the  middle 
of  Lake  Michigan  and  also  of  the  channels  of  the 
Wabash  and  the  Mississippi,  it  stops  at  the  north 
bank  of  the  Ohio  River ;  this  seems  to  have  been 
a  sort  of  concession  on  the  jiart  of  the  framers  of 
the  Act  to  our  proud  neighbors  of  the  "Dark  and 
Bloody  Ground."  Geographically,  the  State  lies 
between  the  parallels  of  36°  59'  and  42°  30'  north 
latitude,  and  the  meridian  of  10°  30'  and  14°  of 
longitude  west  from  the  city  of  Washington. 
From  its  extreme  southern  limit  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio  to  the  Wisconsin  boundary  on  the  north, 
its  estimated  length  is  385  miles,  with  an  extreme 
breadth,  from  the  Indiana  State  line  to  the  Jlis- 
sissippi  River  at  a  point  between  Quincy  and 
Warsaw,  of  218  miles.  Owing  to  the  tortuous 
course  of  its  river  and  lake  boundaries,  which 


comprise  about  three-fourths  of  the  whole,  its 
physical  outline  is  extremely  irregular.  Between 
the  limits  described,  it  has  an  estimated  area  of 
56,650  sijuare  miles,  of  which  650  square  miles  is 
water — the  latter  being  chiefly  in  Lake  Michigan. 
This  area  is  more  than  one  and  one-half  times 
that  of  all  New  England  (Maine  being  excepted), 
and  is  greater  than  that  of  any  other  State  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  except  Michigan,  Georgia  and 
Florida — Wi-sconsin  lacking  only  a  few  hundred 
square  miles  of  the  same. 

When  these  figiires  are  taken  into  account 
some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  magnificence  of 
the  domain  comprised  within  the  limits  of  the 
State  of  Illinois — a  domain  larger  in  extent  than 
that  of  England,  more  than  one-fourth  of  that  of 
all  France  and  nearly  half  that  of  the  British 
Islands,  including  Scotland  and  Ireland.  The 
possibilities  of  such  a  country,  possessing  a  soil 
unequaled  in  fertility,  in  proportion  to  its  area, 
by  any  other  State  of  the  L^nion  and  with  re- 
sources in  agriculture,  manufactures  and  com- 
merce unsurpassed  in  any  country  on  the  face  of 
the  glol)e,  transcend  all  human  conception. 

Streams  and  Navigation. — Lying  between 
the  Mississippi  and  its  chief  eastern  tributary,  the 
Ohio,  with  the  Wabash  on  the  east,  and  inter- 
8e<^t«d  from  northeast  to  southwest  by  the  Illinois 
and  its  numerous  affluents,  and  with  no  moun- 
tainous region  within  its  limits.  Illinois  is  at  once 
one  of  the  best  watered,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
level  States  in  the  Union.  Besides  the  Sanga- 
mon, Kankakee,  Fox  and  Des  Plaines  Rivers, 
chief  tributaries  of  the  Illinois,  and  the  Kaskaskia 
draining  the  region  between  the  IlUnois  and  the 
Wabash,  Rock  River,  in  the  northwestern  portion 
of  the  State,  is  most  important  on  account  of  its 
valuable  water-power.  All  of  these  streams  were 
regarded  as  navigable  for  some  sort  of  craft,  dur- 
ing at  least  a  portion  of  the  year,  in  the  early 
history  of  the  country,  and  with  the  magnificent 
Mississippi  along  the  whole  western  border,  gave 
to  Illinois  a  larger  extent  of  navigable  waters 
than  that  of  any  other  single  State.  Although 
practical  navigation,  apart  from  the  lake  and  by 
natunil  water  courses,  is  now  limited  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi, IlUnois  and  Ohio — making  an  aggregate 
of  about  1,000  miles — the  importance  of  the 
smaller  streams,  when  the  people  were  dependent 
almost  wholly  upon  some  means  of  water  com- 
munication for  the  transportation  of  heavy  com- 
modities as  well  as  for  travel,  could  not  be 
over-estimated,  and  it  is  not  without  its  effect 
upon  the  productiveness  of  the  soil,  now  that 
water  transportation  has  given  place  to  railroads. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


243 


The  whole  number  of  streams  shown  upon  the 
best  maps  exceeds  280. 

Topography. — In  physical  conformation  the 
surface  of  the  State  presents  the  aspect  of  an 
incUned  plane  with  a  moderate  descent  in  the 
general  direction  of  the  streams  toward  the  soutli 
and  southwest.  Cairo,  at  the  extreme  southern 
end  of  the  State  and  the  point  of  lowest  depres- 
sion, has  an  elevation  above  sea-level  of  about 
300  feet,  while  the  altitude  of  Lake  Michigan  at 
Chicago  is  583  feet.  The  greatest  elevation  is 
reached  near  Scale's  Mound  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  State — 1.257  feet — while  a  spur  from 
the  Ozark  Mountains  of  Missouri,  projected  across 
the  southern  part  of  the  State,  rises  in  Jackson 
and  Union  Counties  to  a  height  of  over  900  feet. 
The  eastern  end  of  this  spur,  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  Pope  County,  reaches  an  elevation  of 
1,046  feet.  South  of  this  ridge,  the  surface  of 
the  country  between  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers  was  originally  covered  with  dense  forests. 
These  included  some  of  the  most  valuable  species 
of  timber  for  lumber  manufacture,  such  as  the 
different  varieties  of  oak,  walnut,  poplar,  ash, 
sugar-maple  and  cypress,  besides  elm,  linden, 
hickory,  honey-locust,  pecan,  hack-berry,  cotton- 
wood,  sycamore,  sassafras,  black-gum  and  beech. 
The  native  fruits  included  the  persimmon,  wild 
plum,  grape  and  paw-paw,  with  various  kinds  of 
berries,  such  as  blackberries,  raspberries,  straw- 
berries (in  the  prairie  districts)  and  some  others. 
Most  of  the  native  growths  of  woods  common  to 
the  south  were  found  along  the  streams  farther 
north,  except  the  cypress  beech,  pecan  and  a  few 
others. 

Prairies. — A  peculiar  feature  of  the  country, 
in  the  middle  and  northern  portion  of  the  State, 
which  excited  the  amazement  of  early  explorers, 
was  the  vast  extent  of  the  prairies  or  natural 
meadows.  The  origin  of  these  has  been  attrib- 
uted to  various  causes,  such  as  some  peculiarity  of 
the  soil,  absence  or  excess  of  moisture,  recent 
upheaval  of  the  surface  from  lakes  or  some  other 
bodies  of  water,  the  action  of  fires,  etc.  In  many 
sections  there  appears  little  to  distinguish  the 
soil  of  the  prairies  from  that  of  the  adjacent 
woodlands,  that  may  not  be  accounted  for  by  the 
character  of  their  vegetation  and  other  causes, 
for  the  luxuriant  growth  of  native  grasses  and 
other  productions  has  demonstrated  that  they  do 
not  lack  in  fertility,  and  the  readiness  with 
which  trees  take  root  when  artificially  propa- 
gated and  protected,  has  shown  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  soil  itself  unfavorable  to  their 
growth.     Whatever  may  have  been  the  original 


cause  of  the  prairies,  however,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  annually  recurring  fires  have  had  much  to 
do  in  perpetuating  their  existence,  and  even 
extending  their  limits,  as  the  absence  of  the  same 
agent  has  tended  to  favor  the  encroachments  of 
the  forests.  While  originally  regarded  as  an 
obstacle  to  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  a 
dense  population,  there  is  no  doubt  that  their 
existence  has  contributed  to  its  rapid  develop- 
ment when  it  was  discovered  with  what  ease 
these  apparent  wastes  could  be  subdued,  and  how 
productive  they  were  capable  of  becoming  when 
once  brought  under  cultivation. 

In  spite  of  the  uniformity  in  altitude  of  the 
State  as  a  whole,  many  sections  present  a  variety 
of  surface  and  a  mingling  of  plain  and  woodland 
of  the  most  pleasing  character.  This  is  espe- 
cially the  case  in  some  of  the  prairie  districts 
where  the  undulating  landscape  covered  with 
rich  herbage  and  brilliant  flowers  must  have 
presented  to  the  first  explorers  a  scene  of  ravish- 
ing beauty,  which  has  been  enhanced  rather  than 
diminished  in  recent  times  by  the  hand  of  culti- 
vation. Along  some  of  the  streams  also,  espe- 
cially on  the  upper  Mississippi  and  Illinois,  and 
at  some  points  on  the  Ohio,  is  found  scenery  of 
a  most  picturesque  variety. 

Animals,  etc. — From  this  description  of  the 
country  it  will  be  easy  to  infer  what  must  have 
been  the  varieties  of  the  animal  kingdom  which 
here  found  a  home.  These  included  the  buffalo, 
various  kinds  of  deer,  the  bear,  pantlier,  fox, 
wolf,  and  wild-cat,  while  swans,  geese  and  ducks 
covered  the  lakes  and  streams.  It  was  a  veritable 
paradise  for  game,  both  large  and  small,  as  well 
as  for  their  native  hunters.  "One  can  scarcely 
travel,"  wrote  one  of  the  earliest  priestly  explor- 
ers, "without  finding  a  prodigious  multitude  of 
turkeys,  that  keep  together  in  flocks  often  to  the 
number  of  ten  hundred."  Beaver,  otter,  and 
mink  were  found  along  the  streams.  Most  of 
these,  especially  the  larger  species  of  game,  have 
disappeared  before  the  tide  of  civilization,  but  the 
smaller,  such  as  quail,  prairie  chicken,  duck  and 
the  different  varieties  of  fish  in  the  streams,  pro- 
tected by  law  during  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
continue  to  exist  in  considerable  numbers. 

Soil  and  Climate. — The  capabilities  of  tlie 
soil  in  a  region  thus  situated  can  be  readily  under- 
stood. In  proportion  to  the  extent  of  its  surface, 
Illinois  has  a  larger  area  of  cultivable  land  than 
any  other  State  in  the  Union,  with  a  soil  of  supe- 
rior quality,  much  of  it  unsurpassed  in  naturai 
fertility.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  "American 
Bottom,"  a  region  extending  a  distance  of  ninety 


244 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


miles  along  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  from 
a  few  miles  below  Alton  nearly  to  Chester,  and 
of  an  average  width  of  five  to  eight  miles.  This 
was  the  seat  of  the  first  permanent  white  settle- 
ment in  the  llissi.ssippi  Valley,  and  portions  of  it 
have  been  under  cultivation  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  without  exhaustion. 
Other  smaller  areas  of  scarcely  less  fertility  are 
found  both  upon  the  bottom-lands  and  in  the 
prairies  in  the  central  portions  of  the  State. 

Extending  through  five  and  one-half  degrees  of 
latitude,  Illinois  has  a  great  variety  of  climate. 
Though  subject  at  times  to  sudden  alternations 
of  temperature,  these  occasions  have  been  rare 
since  the  country  has  been  thoroughly  settled. 
Its  mean  average  for  a  series  of  years  has  been  48° 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  and  56  in  the 
southern,  differing  little  from  other  States  upon 
the  same  latitude.  The  me;in  winter  temper- 
ature has  rangeil  from  25'  in  the  north  to  34'  in 
the  south,  and  the  summer  me<in  from  67  in  the 
north  to  78°  in  the  south.  The  extreme  winter 
temperature  has  seldom  fallen  below  20'  below 
zero  in  the  northern  portion,  wliile  the  highest 
summer  temperature  ranges  from  95'  to  102'. 
The  average  difference  in  temperature  between 
the  northern  and  southern  portions  of  the  State 
is  about  10%  and  the  difference  in  the  progress  of 
the  seasons  for  the  same  sections,  from  four  to  six 
weeks.  Such  a  wide  varietj'  of  climate  is  favor- 
able to  the  production  of  nearly  all  the  grains 
and  fruits  peculiar  to  the  temperate  zone. 

Contest  for  Occcp.^tiox.  —  Three  powers 
early  became  contestants  for  the  supremacy  on 
the  North  American  Continent.  The  first  of 
these  was  Spain,  claiming  possession  on  the 
ground  of  the  discovery  by  Columbus;  England, 
basing  her  claim  upon  the  discoveries  of  the 
Cabots,  and  France,  maintaining  her  right  to  a 
considerable  part  of  the  continent  by  virtue  of 
the  discovery  and  exploration  by  Jacques  Cartier 
of  the  Gulf  and  River  St.  Lawrence,  in  1534-35, 
and  the  settlement  of  Quebec  by  Champlain 
seventy-foxir  years  later.  The  claim  of  Spain 
was  general,  extending  to  both  North  and  South 
America;  and,  while  she  early  established  her 
colonies  in  Mexico,  the  West  Indies  and  Peru, 
the  covmtry  was  too  vast  and  her  agents  too  busy 
seeking  for  gold  to  interfere  materially  with  her 
competitors.  The  Dutch,  Swedes  and  Germans 
established  small,  though  flourishing  colonies,  but 
they  were  not  colonizers  nor  were  they  numeric- 
ally as  strong  as  their  neighlx)rs,  and  their  settle- 
ments were  ultimately  absorbed  by  the  latter. 
Both  the  Spaniards  and  the  French  were  zealous 


in  proselyting  the  aborigines,  but  while  the 
former  did  not  hesitate  to  torture  their  victims 
in  order  to  extort  their  gold  while  claiming  to 
save  their  souls,  the  latter  were  more  gentle  and 
beneficent  in  their  policy,  and,  by  their  kindness, 
succeeded  in  winning  and  retaining  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Indians  in  a  remarkable  degree.  They 
were  traders  as  well  as  missionaries,  and  this  fact 
and  tlie  readiness  with  which  they  adapted  them- 
selves to  the  liabits  of  those  whom  they  found  in 
possession  of  the  soil,  enabled  them  to  make  the 
most  extensive  explorations  in  small  numbers 
and  at  little  cost,  and  even  to  remain  for  un- 
limited periods  among  their  aboriginal  friends. 
On  tlie  other  hand,  the  English  were  artisans  and 
tillers  of  the  soil  with  a  due  proportion  engaged 
in  commerce  or  upon  the  sea;  and,  while  they 
were  later  in  planting  their  colonies  in  Virginia 
and  New  England,  and  less  aggressive  in  the 
work  of  exploration,  they  maintained  a  surer 
foothold  on  the  soil  when  they  had  once  estab- 
lished themselves.  To  this  fact  is  due  the  per 
manence  and  steady  growth  of  the  English 
colonies  in  the  New  World,  and  the  virtual  domi- 
nance of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  over  more  than 
five-sevenths  of  the  North  American  Continent — 
a  result  which  hius  been  illustrated  in  the  history 
of  every  people  that  has  made  agriculture,  manu- 
factures and  legitimate  commerce  the  basis  of 
their  prosperity. 

Early  Explor.vtions. — The  French  explorers 
were  the  first  Europeans  to  visit  the  "Country  of 
the  Illinois,"  and,  for  nearly  a  century,  they  and 
their  successors  and  descendants  held  undisputed 
possession  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the  greater 
part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  is  true  that 
Spain  put  in  a  feeble  and  indefinite  claim  to  this 
whole  region,  but  she  was  kept  too  busy  else- 
where to  make  her  claim  good,  and.  in  1763,  she 
relincjuLshed  it  entirely  as  to  the  Mississippi 
Valley  and  west  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  order  to 
strengthen  herself  elsewhere. 

There  is  a  peculiar  coincidence  in  the  fact  that, 
wliile  the  English  colonists  who  settled  about 
JIassachusetts  Bay  named  that  region  "New 
England,"  the  French  gave  to  their  possessions, 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, the  name  of  "New  France,"  and  the 
Spaniards  called  all  the  region  claimed  by  them, 
extending  from  Panama  to  Puget  Sovmd,  "New 
Spain. "  The  lx)undaries  of  each  were  very  indefi- 
nite and  often  conflicting,  but  were  settled  by  the 
treaty  of  1763. 

As  early  as  1634,  Jean  Nicolet,  coming  by  way 
of    Canada,   discovered    Lake    Michigan  —  then 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


245 


called  by  the  French,  "Lac  des  Illinois" — entered 
Green  Bay  and  visited  some  of  the  tribes  of 
Indians  in  that  region.  In  1641  zealous  mission- 
aries had  reached  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary  (called  by 
the  French  "Sault  Ste.  Marie"),  and,  in  16.58,  two 
French  fur-traders  are  alleged  to  have  penetrated 
as  far  west  as  "La  Pointe"'  on  Lake  Superior, 
where  they  opened  up  a  trade  with  the  Sioux 
Indians  and  wintered  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Apostle  Islands  near  where  the  towns  of  Ashland 
and  Bayfield,  Wis.,  now  stand.  A  few  years  later 
(1665),  Fathers  AUouez  and  Dablon,  French  mis- 
sionaries, visited  the  Cliippewas  on  tlie  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Superior,  and  missions  were  estab- 
lished at  Green  Bay,  Ste.  Marie  and  La  Pointe. 
About  the  same  time  the  mission  of  St.  Ignace 
was  established  on  the  north  shore  of  the  Straits 
of  Mackinaw  (spelled  by  the  French  "Michilli- 
macinac").  It  is  also  claimed  that  the  French 
traveler,  Radisson,  during  the  year  of  1658-59, 
reached  the  upper  Mississippi,  antedating  the 
claims  of  Joliet  and  Marquette  as  its  discoverers 
by  fourteen  years.  Nicholas  Perrot,  an  intelli- 
gent chronicler  who  left  a  manuscript  account  of 
his  travels,  is  said  to  have  made  extensive  explor- 
ations about  the  head  of  the  great  lakes  as  far 
south  as  the  Fox  River  of  Wisconsin,  between 
1670  and  1690,  and  to  have  held  an  important 
conference  with  representatives  of  numerous 
tribes  of  Indians  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  June, 
1671.  Perrot  is  also  said  to  have  made  the  first 
discovery  of  lead  mines  in  the  West. 

Up  to  this  time,  however,  no  white  man  appears 
to  have  reached  the  "Illinois  Country,"  though 
much  had  been  heard  of  its  beauty  and  its  wealth 
in  game.  On  May  17,  1673,  Louis  Joliet,  an  enter- 
prising explorer  who  had  already  visited  the  Lake 
Superior  region  in  search  of  copper  mines,  under 
a  commission  from  the  Governor  of  Canada,  in 
company  with  Father  Jacques  Marquette  and 
five  voyageurs,  with  a  meager  stock  of  provisions 
and  a  few  trinkets  for  trading  with  the  natives, 
set  out  in  two  birch-bark  canoes  from  St.  Ignace 
on  a  tour  of  exploration  southward.  Coasting 
along  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  and  Green 
Bay  and  through  Lake  Winnebago,  the}'  reached 
the  country  of  the  Mascoutins  on  Fox  River, 
ascended  that  stream  to  tlie  portage  to  the  Wis- 
consin, then  descended  the  latter  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi, which  they  discovered  on  June  17. 
Descending  the  Mississippi,  which  they  named 
"Rio  de  la  Conception,"  they  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Des  Moines,  where  they  are  supposed  to  have 
encountered  the  first  Indians  of  the  Illinois 
tribes,    by   whom    they   were    hospitably  enter- 


tained. Later  they  discovered  a  rude  painting 
upon  the  rocks  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
which,  from  the  description,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  famous  "Piasa  Bird,"  which  was  still  to 
be  seen,  a  short  distance  above  Alton,  within  the 
present  generation.  (See  Piasa  Bird,  The 
Legend  of.)  Passing  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri 
River  and  the  pre.sent  site  of  the  city  of  St. 
Louis,  and  continuing  past  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio,  they  finally  reached  what  Marquette  called 
the  village  of  the  Akanseas,  whicli  has  been 
assumed  to  be  identii'al  with  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas,  though  it  has  been  questioned  whether 
they  proceeded  so  far  south.  Convinced  that  the 
Mississippi  "had  its  mouth  in  Florida  or  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico, "  and  fearing  capture  by  the  Spaniards, 
they  started  on  their  return.  Reaching  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois,  tliey  entered  that  stream 
and  ascended  past  the  village  of  the  Peorias  and 
the  "Illinois  town  of  the  Kaskaskias"  —  the 
latter  being  about  where  the  town  of  Utica,  La 
Salle  County,  now  stands — at  each  of  which  they 
made  a  brief  stay.  Escorted  by  guides  from  the 
Kaskaskias,  they  crossed  the  portage  to  Lake 
Michigan  where  Chicago  now  stands,  and  re- 
turned to  Green  Bay,  which  they  reached  in  the 
latter  part  of  September.  (See  Joliet  and  Mar- 
quette. ) 

The  next  and  most  important  expedition  to  Illi- 
nois— important  because  it  led  to  the  first  per- 
manent settlements — was  undertaken  by  Robert 
Cavelier,  Sieur  de  La  Salle,  in  1679.  This  eager 
and  intelligent,  but  finally  unfortunate,  discov- 
erer had  spent  several  years  in  exploration  in 
the  lake  region  and  among  the  streams  south  of 
the  lakes  and  west  of  the  AUeghenies.  It  has 
been  claimed  that,  during  this  tour,  he  descended 
the  Ohio  to  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi ; 
also  that  he  reached  the  Illinois  by  way  of  the 
head  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Chicago  portage, 
and  even  descended  the  Mississippi  to  the  36th 
parallel,  antedating  Marquette's  first  visit  to 
that  stream  by  two  years.  The  chief  authority 
for  this  claim  is  La  Salle's  biographer,  Pierre 
Margry,  who  bases  his  statement  on  alleged  con- 
versations with  La  Salle  and  letters  of  his  friends. 
The  absence  of  any  allusion  to  these  discoveries 
in  La  Salle's  own  papers,  of  a  later  date,  addressed 
to  the  King,  is  regarded  as  fatal  to  this  claim. 
However  this  may  have  been,  there  is  conclusive 
evidence  that,  during  this  period,  he  met  with 
Joliet  while  the  latter  was  returning  "'om  one  of 
his  trips  to  the  Lake  Superior  countrj-.  With  an 
imagination  fired  by  what  he  then  lea/ned,  he 
made  a  visit  to  liis  native  country,  receiving  a 


246 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


liberal  grant  from  the  PVench  Government  which 
enabled  him  to  carry  out  his  plans.     With  the 
aid  of  Henry  de  Tonty,  an  Italian  who  afterward 
accompanied  him  in  his  most  important  expedi- 
tions, and  who  proved  a  most  valuable  and  effi- 
cient co-laborer,  under  the  auspices  of  Frontenac. 
then  Governor  of  Canada,  he  constructed  a  small 
vessel  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  in  which,  with  a 
company  of  thirty-four  persons,  he  set  sail  on 
the  seventh  of  August,  1679,  for  the  West.     This 
vessel  (named  the  "Griffon")  is  believed  to  have 
been  the  first  sailing-vessel  that  ever  navigated 
the  lakes.     His  object  was  to  reach  the  Illinois, 
and  he  carried  with    him  material   for    a  boat 
which  he    intended    to    put    together    on    that 
stream.     Arriving  in  Green  Bay  early  in  Septem- 
ber,  by  way  of  Lake  Huron  and  the  straits  of 
Mackinaw,  he  disembarked  his  stores,  and,  load- 
ing the  Griffon  with  furs,  started  it  on  its  return 
with  instructions,  after  discharging  its  cargo  at 
the  starting  point,  to  join  him  at  the  head  of 
Lake  Michigan.     With  a  force  of  seventeen  men 
and  three  missionaries  in  four  canoes,  he  started 
southward,  following  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  past  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River, 
on    Nov.    1,    1079,   and  reached    the    mouth    of 
the  St.  Joseph  River,  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  lake,  which  had  been  selected  as  a  rendez- 
vous.    Here  he  was  joined  by  Tonty,  three  weeks 
later,   with  a  force  of   twenty  Frenchmen  who 
had  come  by  the  eastern  shore,  but  the  Griffon 
never  was  heard  from  again,  and  is  supposed  to 
have   been   lost  on   the  return   voyage.     While 
waiting  for  Tonty  he  erected  a  fort,  afterward 
called  Fort  Miami.     The  two  parties  here  united, 
and,  leaving  four  men  in  charge  of  the  fort,  with 
the    remaining    thirty-three,    he    resumed    his 
journey  on  the  third  of  December.     Ascending 
the  St.  Joseph  to  about  where  South  Bend,  Ind., 
now  stands,  he  made  a  portage  with  his  canoes 
and  stores  across  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Kan- 
kakee, which  he  descended  to  the  Illinois.     On 
the  first  of  January  he  arrived  at  the  great  Indian 
town  of  the  Kaskaskias,  which  Marquette  had 
left  for  the  last  time  nearly  five  years  before,  but 
found  it  deserted,  the  Indians  being  absent  on  a 
hunting  expedition.     Proceeding  down  the  Illi- 
nois, on  Jan.  4,   1680,   he  passed  through  Peoria 
Lake  and  the  next  morning  reached  the  Indian 
village  of  that  name  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  and 
established   friendly  relations   with    its    people 
Having  determined  to  set  up  his  vessel  here,  he 
constructed  a  rude  fort  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  river  about  four  miles  south  of  the  village. 
With  the  exception  of  the  cabin  built  for  Mar- 


quette on  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River 
in  the  winter  of  1674-75,  this  was  probably  the 
first  structure  erected  by  white  men  in  Illinois. 
This  received  the  name  "Creve-CcBur — "Broken 
Heart" — which,  from  its  subsequent  history, 
proved  exceedingly  appropriate.  Having  dis- 
patched Father  Louis  Hennepin  with  two  com 
panions  to  the  Upper  Mississippi,  by  way  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois,  on  an  expedition  which 
resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  La  Salle  started  on  his  return  to 
Canada  for  additional  assistance  and  the  stores 
which  he  had  failed  to  receive  in  consequence  of 
the  loss  of  the  Griffon.  Soon  after  his  depar- 
ture, a  majority  of  the  men  left  with  Tonty  at 
Fort  Creve-Coeur  mutinied,  and,  having  plundered 
the  fort,  partially  destroyed  it.  This  compelled 
Tonty  and  five  companions  who  had  remained 
true,  to  retreat  to  the  Indian  village  of  the  Illi- 
nois near  "Starved  Rock,"  between  where  the 
cities  of  Ottawa  and  La  SfiUe  now  stand,  where 
he  spent  the  summer  awaiting  the  return  of  La 
Salle.  In  September,  Tonty "s  Indian  allies  hav- 
ing been  attacked  and  defeated  by  the  Iroquois, 
he  and  his  companions  were  again  compelled  to 
flee,  reaching  Green  Baj-  the  next  spring,  after 
having  spent  the  winter  among  the  Pottawato- 
mies  in  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin. 

During  the  next  three  years  (1681-83)  La  Salle 
made  two  other  visits  to  Illinois,  encountering 
and  partially  overcoming  formidable  obstacles  at 
each  end  of  the  journey.  At  the  last  visit,  in 
company  with  the  faithful  Tonty,  whom  he  had 
met  at  Mackinaw  in  the  spring  of  1681.  after  a 
separation  of  more  than  a  year,  he  extended  his 
exploration  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mi.ssis.sippi,  of 
which  he  took  formal  possession  on  April  9,  1682, 
in  the  name  of  "Louis  the  Grand,  King  of  France 
and  Navarre."  This  was  the  first  expedition  of 
white  men  to  pass  down  the  river  and  determine 
the  problem  of  its  discharge  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

Returning  to  Mackinaw,  and  again  to  Illinois, 
in  the  fall  of  1682,  Tonty  set  about  carrying  into 
effect  La  Salle's  scheme  of  fortifying  "The  Rock," 
to  which  reference  has  been  made  under  the 
name  of  "Starved  Rock."  The  buildings  are  said 
to  have  included  store-houses  (it  was  intended  as 
a  trading  post),  dwellings  and  a  block-house 
erected  on  the  summit  of  the  rock,  and  to  which 
the  name  of  "Fort  St.  Louis"  was  given,  while  a 
village  of  confederated  Indian  tribes  gathered 
about  its  base  on  the  south  which  bore  the  name 
of  La  Vantum.  According  to  the  historian, 
Parkuian,  the  population  of  this  colony,  in  the 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


247 


days  of  its  greatest  prosperity,  was  not  less  than 
20,000.  Tonty  retained  his  headquarters  at  Fort 
St.  Louis  for  eighteen  years,  during  which  he 
made  extensive  excursions  throughout  the  West. 
The  proprietorship  of  the  fort  was  granted  to 
him  in  1690,  but,  in  1702,  it  was  ordered  by  the 
Governor  of  Canada  to  be  discontinued  on  the 
plea  that  the  charter  had  been  violated.  It  con  ■ 
tinned  to  be  used  as  a  trading  post,  however,  as 
late  as  1718,  when  it  was  raided  by  the  Indians 
and  burned.  (See  La  Salle;  Tonty;  Hennepin, 
and  Starved  Rock. ) 

Other  explorers  who  were  the  contemporaries 
or  early  successors  of  Marquette,  Joliet,  La  Salle, 
Tonty,  Hennepin  and  their  companions  in  the 
Northwest,  and  many  of  whom  are  known  to  have 
visited  the  "Illinois  Country,"  and  probably  all 
of  whom  did  so,  were  Daniel  Greysolon  du  Lhut 
(called  by  La  Salle,  du  Luth),  a  cousin  of  Tonty, 
who  was  the  first  to  reach  the  Mississippi  directly 
from  Lake  Superior,  and  from  whom  the  city  of 
Duluth  has  been  named ;  Henry  Joutel,  a  towns- 
man of  La  Salle,  who  was  one  of  the  survivors  of 
the  ill-fated  Matagorda  Bay  colony;  Pierre  Le 
Suevir,  the  discoverer  of  the  Minnesota  River, 
and  Baron  la  Hontan,  who  made  a  tour  through 
Illinois  in  1688-89,  of  which  he  published  an 
account  in  1703. 

Chicago  River  early  became  a  prominent  point 
in  the  estimation  of  the  French  explorers  and 
was  a  favorite  line  of  travel  in  reaching  the  Illi- 
nois by  way  of  the  Des  Plaines,  though  probably 
sometimes  confounded  with  other  streams  about 
the  head  of  the  lake.  The  Calumet  and  Grand 
Calumet,  allowing  easy  portage  to  the  Des  Plaines, 
were  also  used,  while  the  St.  Joseph,  from  which 
portage  was  had  into  the  Kankakee,  seems  to 
have  been  a  part  of  the  route  first  used  by  La 
Salle. 

Aborigines  and  Early  Missions. — When  the 
early  French  explorers  arrived  in  the  "Illinois 
Country"  they  found  it  occupied  by  a  number  of 
tribes  of  Indians,  the  most  numerous  being  the 
"Illinois,"  which  consisted  of  several  families  or 
bands  that  spread  themselves  over  the  country  on 
both  sides  of  the  Illinois  River,  extending  even 
west  of  the  Mississippi ;  the  Piankeshaws  on  the 
east,  extending  beyond  the  present  western 
boundary  of  Indiana,  and  the  Miamis  in  the 
northeast,  with  whom  a  weaker  tribe  called  the 
Weas  were  allied.  The  Illinois  confederation 
included  the  Kaskaskias,  Peorias,  Cahokias, 
Tamaroas  and  Mitchigamies — the  last  being  the 
tribe  from  which  Lake  Michigan  took  its  name. 
(See  Illinois  Indians. )    There  seems  to  have  been 


a  general  drift  of  some  of  the  stronger  tribes 
toward  the  south  and  east  about  tliis  time,  as 
Allouez  represents  that  he  found  the  Miamis  and 
their  neighbors,  the  Mascoutins,  about  Green  Bay 
when  he  arrived  there  in  1670.  At  the  same 
time,  there  is  evidence  that  the  Pottawatomies 
were  located  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Superior  and  about  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  (now 
known  as  "The  Soo"),  tliough  within  the  next 
fifty  years  they  had  advanced  southward  along 
the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  until  they 
reached  where  Chicago  now  stands.  Other  tribes 
from  the  north  were  the  Kickapoos,  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  and  Winnebagoes,  while  the  Shawnees 
were  a  branch  of  a  stronger  tribe  from  the  south- 
east Charlevoix,  who  wrote  an  account  of  his 
visit  to  the  "Illinois  Country"  in  1721,  says: 
"Fifty  years  ago  the  Miamis  were  settled  on  the 
southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  a  place 
called  Chicago  from  the  name  of  a  small  river 
which  runs  into  the  lake,  the  source  of  which  is 
not  far  distant  from  that  of  the  River  Illinois." 
It  does  not  follow  necessarily  that  this  was  the 
Chicago  River  of  to-day,  as  the  name  appears  to 
have  been  applied  somewhat  indefinitely,  by  the 
early  explorers,  both  to  a  region  of  country 
between  the  head  of  the  lake  and  the  Illinois 
River,  and  to  more  than  one  stream  emptying 
into  the  lake  in  that  vicinity.  It  has  been  con- 
jectured that  the  river  meant  by  Charlevoix 
was  the  Calumet,  as  his  description  would  apply 
as  well  to  that  as  to  the  Chicago,  and  there  is 
other  evidence  that  the  Miamis,  who  were  found 
about  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River  during 
the  eighteenth  century,  occupied  a  portion  of 
Southern  Michigan  and  Northern  Indiana,  ex- 
tending as  far  east  as  the  Scioto  River  in  Ohio. 

From  the  first,  the  Illinois  seem  to  have  con- 
ceived a  strong  liking  for  the  French,  and  being 
pressed  by  the  Iroquois  on  the  east,  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  Pottawatomies  and  Kickapoos  on  the 
north  and  the  Sioux  on  the  west,  by  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighteenth  century  we  find  them, 
much  reduced  in  numbers,  gathered  about  the 
French  settlements  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kas- 
kaskia  (or  Okaw)  River,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  present  counties  of  Randolph,  Monroe  and  St. 
Clair.  In  spite  of  the  zealous  efforts  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, the  contact  of  these  tribes  with  the 
whites  was  attended  with  the  usual  results — 
demoralization,  degradation  and  gradual  extermi- 
nation. The  latter  result  was  hastened  by  the 
frequent  attacKs  to  which  they  were  exposed 
from  their  more  warlike  enemies,  so  that  by  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  they  were 


248 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


reduced  to  a  few  hundred  dissolute  and  depraved 
survivors  of  a  once  vigorous  and  warlike  race. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  French  occupation, 
there  arose  a  chief  named  Chicagou  (from  whom 
the  city  of  Chicago  received  its  name)  who  ap- 
pears, like  Red  Jacket,  Tecumseh  and  Logan,  to 
have  been  a  man  of  unusual  intelligence  and 
vigor  of  character,  and  to  have  exercised  great 
influence  with  his  people.  In  172.^  he  was  sent  to 
Paris,  where  he  received  the  attentions  due  to  a 
foreign  potentate,  and,  on  his  return,  was  given  a 
command  in  an  expedition  against  the  Chicka- 
saws,  who  had  been  making  incursions  from  the 
south. 

Such  was  the  general  distribution  of  the  Indians 
in  the  northern  and  central  portions  of  the  State, 
within  the  first  fifty  years  after  the  arrival  of  the 
French.  At  a  later  period  the  Kickapoos  ad- 
vanced farther  south  and  occupied  a  considerable 
share  of  the  central  portion  of  the  State,  and  even 
extended  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash.  The 
southern  part  was  roamed  over  by  bands  from 
beyond  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi,  including 
the  Cherokees  and  Chickasaws,  and  the  Arkansas 
tribes,  some  of  whom  were  very  powerful  and 
ranged  over  a  vast  extent  of  country. 

The  earliest  civilized  dwellings  in  Illinois,  after 
the  forts  erected  for  purposes  of  defense,  were 
undoubtedly  the  posts  of  the  fur-traders  and  the 
missionary  stations.  Fort  Miami,  the  first  mili- 
tary post,  established  by  La  Salle  in  the  winter 
of  1679-80,  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph 
River  within  the  boundaries  of  what  is  now  the 
State  of  Michigan.  Fort  Creve-Cueur,  partially 
erected  a  few  months  later  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Illinois  a  fe%v  miles  below  where  the  city  of 
Peoria  now  stands,  was  never  occupied.  Mr. 
Charles  Ballance,  the  historian  of  Peoria,  locates 
this  fort  at  the  present  village  of  Wesley,  in 
Tazewell  County,  nearly  opjxisite  Lower  Peoria. 
Fort  St.  Louis,  built  by  Tonty  on  the  summit  of 
"Starved  Rock,"  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1682. 
was  the  second  erected  in  the  "Illinois  Country," 
but  the  first  occupied.  It  has  been  claimed  that 
Marquette  established  a  mission  among  the  Kas- 
kaskias,  opposite  "The  Rock,"  on  occasion  of  his 
first  visit,  in  September,  1673,  and  that  he  re- 
newed it  in  the  spring  of  1675,  when  he  visited 
it  for  the  last  time.  It  is  doubtful  if  this  mission 
was  more  than  a  season  of  preaching  to  the 
natives,  celebrating  ina,ss,  administering  baptism, 
etc. ;  at  least  the  story  of  an  established  mission 
has  been  denied.  That  this  devoted  and  zealous 
propagandist  regarded  it  as  a  mission,  however, 
is  evident  from  his  own  journal.     He  gave  to  it 


the  name  of  the  "Mission  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception,"  and,  although  he  was  compelled  by 
failing  health  to  abandon  it  almost  immediately, 
it  is  claimed  that  it  was  renewed  in  1677  by 
Father  AUouez,  who  liad  been  active  in  founding 
missions  in  the  Lake  Superior  region,  <ind  tliat  it 
was  maintained  until  the  arrival  of  La  Salle  in 
1680.  The  hostility  of  La  Salle  to  the  Jesuits  led 
to  AUouez'  withdrawal,  but  he  subsequently 
returned  and  was  succeeded  in  1688  by  Father 
(iravier,  whose  labors  extended  from  Mackinaw 
to  Biloxi  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

There  is  evidence  that  a  mission  liad  been 
established  among  the  Miamis  as  early  as  1698, 
under  the  name  "Chicago."  as  it  is  mentioned  by 
St.  Cosme  in  the  report  of  his  visit  in  1699-1700. 
This,  for  the  reasons  already  given  showing  the 
indefinite  use  made  of  the  name  Chicago  as 
applied  to  streams  about  the  head  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, probably  referred  to  some  other  locality  in 
the  vicinity,  and  not  to  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Chicago.  Even  at  an  earlier  date  there 
appears,  from  a  statement  in  Tonty 's  Memoirs,  to 
have  been  a  fort  at  Chicago — probably  about  the 
same  locality  as  the  mission.  Speaking  of  his 
return  from  Canada  to  the  "Illinois  Country"  in 
1685,  he  says:  "I  embarked  for  the  Illinois 
Oct.  30,  1685,  but  being  stopped  by  the  ice,  I 
was  obliged  to  leave  my  canoe  and  proceed  by 
land.  After  going  120  leagues,  I  arrived  at  Fort 
Chicagou.  where  M.  de  la  Durantaye  com- 
manded." 

According  to  the  best  authorities  it  was  during 
the  yeai- 1700  that  a  mission  and  permanent  settle- 
ment was  established  by  Father  Jacques  Pinet 
among  the  Tamaroas  at  a  village  called  Cahokia 
(or  "Sainte  Famille  de  Caoquias"),  a  few  miles 
south  of  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  E^t  St. 
Louis.  This  was  the  first  permanent  settlement 
by  Europeans  in  Illinois,  as  that  at  Kaskaskia  on 
the  Illinois  was  broken  up  the  s;ime  year. 

A  few  montlis  after  the  establishment  of  the 
mission  at  Cahokia  (which  received  the  name  of 
"St.  Sulpice"),  but  during  the  same  year,  the 
Kaskaskias.  having  abandoned  their  village  on 
the  upper  Illinois,  were  induced  to  settle  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  which  bears  their  name,  and 
the  mission  and  village  —  the  latter  afterward 
becoming  the  first  capital  of  the  Territory  and 
State  of  Illinois — came  into  being.  This  identity 
of  names  has  led  to  some  confusion  in  determin- 
ing the  date  and  place  of  the  first  permanent 
settlement  in  Illinois,  the  date  of  Marquette's 
first  arrival  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  Illinois  being 
given  by  some  authors  as  that  of  the  settlement 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


249 


at  Kaskaskia  on  the  Mississippi,  twenty-seven 
years  later. 

Period  of  French  Occupation.— As  may  be 
readily  inferred  from  the  methods  of  French 
colonization,  the  first  permanent  settlements 
gathered  about  the  missions  at  Cahokia  and  Kas- 
kaskia, or  rather  were  parts  of  them.  At  later 
periods,  but  during  the  French  occupation  of  the 
country,  other  villages  were  established,  the 
most  important  being  St.  Philip  and  Prairie  du 
Rocher;  all  of  these  being  located  in  the  fertile 
valley  now  known  as  the  "American  Bottom," 
between  the  older  towns  of  Cahokia  and  Kaskas- 
kia. There  were  several  Indian  villages  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  French  settlements,  and  this 
became,  for  a  time,  the  most  populous  locality  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley  and  the  center  of  an  active 
trade  carried  on  with  the  settlements  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  Large  quantities  of 
the  products  of  the  country,  such  as  flour,  bacon, 
pork,  tallow,  lumber,  lead,  peltries,  and  even 
wine,  were  transported  in  keel-boats  or  batteaus 
to  New  Orleans;  rice,  manufactured  tobacco, 
cotton  goods  and  such  other  fabrics  as  the  simple 
wants  of  the  people  required,  being  brought  back 
in  return.  These  boats  went  in  convoys  of  seven 
to  twelve  in  number  for  mutual  protection,  three 
months  being  required  to  make  a  trip,  of  which 
two  were  made  annually — one  in  the  spring  and 
the  other  in  the  autumn. 

The  French  possessions  in  North  America  went 
under  the  general  name  of  "New  France, "  but  their 
boundaries  were  never  clearly  defined,  though  an 
attempt  was  made  to  do  so  through  Commission- 
ers who  met  at  Paris,  in  1752.  They  were  under- 
stood by  the  French  to  include  the  valley  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  with  Labrador  and  Nova  Scotia,  to 
the  northern  boundaries  of  the  British  colonies ; 
the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes ;  and  the  Valley  of 
the  Mississippi  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Ohio 
westward  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  south  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  While  these  claims  were  con- 
tested by  England  on  the  east  and  Spain  on  the 
southwest,  they  comprehended  the  very  heart  of 
the  North  American  continent,  a  region  unsur- 
passed in  fertility  and  natural  resources  and 
now  the  home  of  more  than  half  of  the  entire 
population  of  the  American  Republic.  That 
the  French  should  have  reluctantly  yielded 
up  so  magnificent  a  domain  is  natural.  And 
yet  they  did  this  by  the  treaty  of  1763,  sur- 
rendering the  region  east  of  the  -  Mississippi 
(except  a  comparatively  small  district  near 
the  mouth  of  that  stream)  to  England,  and  the 
remainder  to  Spain — an  evidence  of  the  straits  to 


which  they  had  been  reduced  by  a  long  series  of 
devastating  wars.  (See  French  and  Indian 
Wars. ) 

In  1712  Antoine  Crozat,  under  royal  letters- 
patent,  obtained  from  Louis  XIV.  of  France  a 
monopoly  of  the  commerce,  with  control  of  the 
country,  "from  the  edge  of  the  sea  (Gulf  of 
Mexico)  as  far  as  the  Illinois."  This  grant  hav- 
ing been  surrendered  a  few  years  later,  was  re- 
newed in  1717  to  the  "Company  of  the  West,"  of 
which  the  celebrated  John  Law  %vas  the  head, 
and  under  it  jurisdiction  was  exercised  over  the 
trade  of  Illinois.  On  September  27  of  the  same 
year  (1717),  the  "Illinois  Country,"  vrhich  had 
been  a  dependency  of  Canada,  was  incorporated 
with  Louisiana  and  became  part  of  that  province. 
Law's  company  received  enlarged  powers  under 
the  name  of  the  "East  Indies  Company,"  and 
although  it  went  out  of  existence  in  1721  with 
the  opprobrious  title  of  the  "South  Sea  Bubble," 
leaving  in  its  wake  hundreds  of  ruined  private 
fortunes  in  France  and  England,  it  did  much  to 
stimulate  the  population  and  development  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley.  During  its  existence  (in  1718) 
New  Orleans  was  founded  and  Fort  Chartres 
erected,  being  named  after  the  Due  de  Chartres, 
son  of  the  Regent  of  France.  Pierre  Duque  Bois- 
briant  was  the  first  commandant  of  Illinois  and 
superintended  the  erection  of  the  fort.  (See  Fort 
Chartres. ) 

One  of  the  privileges  granted  to  Law's  com- 
pany was  the  importation  of  slaves ;  and  under 
it,  in  1721,  Philip  F.  Renault  brought  to  the 
country  five  hundred  slaves,  besides  two  hundred 
artisans,  mechanics  and  laborers.  Two  years 
later  he  received  a  large  grant  of  land,  and 
founded  the  village  of  St.  Philip,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Fort  Chartres.  Thus  Illinois  became 
slave  territory  before  a  white  settlement  of  any 
sort  existed  in  what  afterward  became  the  slave 
State  of  Missouri. 

During  1731  tlie  country  under  control  of  the 
East  Indies  Company  was  divided  into  nine  civil 
and  military  districts,  each  presided  over  by  a 
commandant  and  a  judge,  with  a  superior  coun- 
cil at  New  Orleans.  Of  these,  Illinois,  the  largest 
and,  next  to  New  Orleans,  the  most  populous, 
was  the  seventh.  It  embraced  over  one-half  the 
present  State,  with  the  country  west  of  the  Mis- 
ssisippi,  between  the  Arkansas  and  the  43d  degree 
of  latitude,  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  included 
the  present  States  of  Missouri,  Iowa,  Nebraska, 
Kansas  and  parts  of  Arkansas  and  Colorado.  In 
1732,  the  Indies  Company  surrendered  its  charter, 
and  Louisiana,  including  the  District  of  Illinois, 


250 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


was  afterwards  governed  by  officers  appointed 
directly  by  the  crown.     (See  French  Oovemors.) 

As  early  as  September,  1699,  an  attempt  was 
made  by  an  expedition  fitted  out  by  the  English 
Government,  under  command  of  Captains  Barr 
and  Clements,  to  take  possession  of  the  country 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  on  the  ground 
of  prior  discovery;  but  they  found  the  French 
under  Bienville  already  in  possession  at  Biloxi, 
and  they  sailed  away  without  making  any  further 
effort  to  carry  the  scheme  into  effect.  Mean- 
while, in  the  early  part  of  the  next  century,  the 
English  were  successful  in  attaching  to  their 
interests  the  Iroquois,  who  were  the  deadly  foes 
of  the  French,  and  held  possession  of  Western 
New  York  and  the  region  around  the  headwaters 
of  the  Ohio  River,  extending  their  incursions 
against  the  Indian  allies  of  the  French  as  far  west 
as  Illinois.  The  real  struggle  for  territory  be- 
tween the  English  and  French  began  with  the 
formation  of  the  Ohio  Land  Company  in  1748-49, 
and  the  grant  to  it  by  the  English  Government 
of  half  a  million  acres  of  land  along  the  Ohio 
River,  with  the  exclusive  right  of  trading  with 
the  Indian  tribes  in  that  region.  Out  of  this 
grew  the  establishment,  in  the  next  two  years,  of 
trading  posts  and  forts  on  the  Miami  and  Maumee 
in  Western  Ohio,  followed  by  the  protracted 
French  and  Indian  W^ar,  which  was  prosecuted 
with  varied  fortunes  until  the  final  defeat  of  the 
French  at  Quebec,  on  the  thirteenth  of  Septem- 
ber, 1759,  which  broke  their  power  on  the  Ameri- 
can continent  Among  those  who  took  part  in 
this  struggle,  was  a  contingent  from  the  French 
garrison  of  Fort  Chartres.  Neyon  de  Villiers, 
commandant  of  the  fort,  was  one  of  these,  being 
the  onlj-  survivor  of  seven  brothers  who  partici- 
pated in  the  defense  of  Canada.  Still  hopeful  of 
saving  Louisiana  and  Illinois,  he  departed  with 
a  few  followers  for  New  Orleans,  but  the  treaty 
of  Paris,  Feb.  10,  176.3,  destroyed  all  hope,  for  by 
its  terms  Canada,  and  all  other  territory  east  of 
the  Mississippi  as  far  south  as  the  northern 
boundary  of  Florida,  was  surrendered  to  Great 
Britain,  while  the  remainder,  including  the  vast 
territory  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  was  given  up  to  Spain. 

Thus  the  "Illinois  Country"  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  British,  although  the  actual  transfer  of 
Fort  Chartres  and  the  country  dependent  upon  it 
did  not  take  place  until  Oct.  10,  1760,  when  its 
veteran  commandant,  St.  Ange — who  had  come 
from  Vinceniie-s  to  a.ssume  command  on  the 
retirement  of  Villiers,  and  who  held  it  faithfull}' 
for    the    conqueror  —  surrendered    it    to    Capt. 


Thomas  Stirling  as  the  representative  of  the  Eng- 
lish Government.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  this 
was  the  last  place  on  the  North  American  con- 
tinent to  lower  the  French  flag. 

British  Occupation. — The  delay  of  the  British 
in  taking  possession  of  the  "Illinois  Country," 
after  the  defeat  of  the  French  at  Quel)ec  and  the 
surrender  of  their  possessions  in  America  by  the 
treaty  of  1763,  was  due  to  its  isolated  position 
and  the  difficulty  of  reaching  it  with  sufficient 
force  to  establish  the  British  authority.  The 
first  attempt  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1764, 
when  Maj.  -Vrthur  Loftus,  starting  from  Pensa- 
cola,  attempted  to  ascend  the  Mississippi  with  a 
force  of  four  hun<lred  regulars,  but,  being  met 
by  a  superior  Indian  force,  was  compelled  to 
retreat.  In  August  of  the  same  year,  C»pt 
Thomas  Morris  was  dispatched  from  Western 
Pennsylvania  with  a  small  force  "to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  Illinois  Country."  This  expedition 
got  as  far  as  Fort  Miami  on  the  Maumee,  when  its 
progress  was  arrested,  and  its  commander  nar- 
rowly escaped  death.  The  next  attempt  wa.s 
made  in  176.5,  when  Maj.  George  Croghan,  a  Dep- 
uty Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  whose  name 
has  been  made  historical  by  the  celebrated  speech 
of  the  Indian  Chief  Logan,  was  detailed  from 
Fort  Pitt,  to  visit  Illinois.  Croghan  being  detained, 
Lieut.  Alexander  Frazer,  who  was  to  accompany 
him,  proceeded  alone.  FVazer  reached  Kaskas- 
kia,  but  met  with  so  rough  a  reception  from 
both  the  French  and  Indians,  that  he  thought  it 
advisable  to  leave  in  disguise,  and  escaped  by 
descending  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans. 
Croghan  started  on  his  journey  on  the  fifteenth 
of  May,  proceeding  down  the  Ohio,  accompanied 
by  a  party  of  friendl}'  Indians,  but  having  been 
captured  near  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  he 
finally  returned  to  Detroit  without  reaching  his 
destination.  The  first  British  official  to  reach 
Fort  Chartres  was  Capt.  Thomas  Stirling.  De- 
scending the  Ohio  with  a  force  of  one  hundred 
men,  he  reached  Fort  Chartres.  Oct.  10,  1765,  and 
received  the  surrender  of  the  fort  from  the  faith- 
ful and  courteous  St.  Ange.  It  is  estimated  that 
at  least  one-third  of  the  French  citizens,  includ- 
ing the  more  wealthy  left  rather  than  become 
British  subjects.  Those  about  Fort  Chartres  left 
almost  in  a  body.  Some  joined  the  French 
colonies  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  while  others, 
crossing  the  river,  settled  in  St.  Genevieve,  then 
in  Spanish  territory.  Much  the  larger  number 
followed  St.  Ange  to  St.  Louis,  which  had  been 
established  as  a  trading  post  by  Pierre  La  Clede, 
during  the  previous  year,  and  which  now  received 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


251 


what,  in  these  later  days,  v7onld  be  called  a  great 
"boom." 

Captain  Stirling  was  relieved  of  his  command 
at  Fort  Chartres,  Dec.  4,  by  Maj.  Robert  Farmer. 
Other  British  Commandants  at  Fort  Chartres 
were  Col.  Edward  Cole,  Col.  John  Reed,  Colonel 
Wilkins,  Capt.  Hugh  Lord  and  Francois  de  Ras- 
tel,  Chevalier  de  Rocheblave.  The  last  had  been 
an  officer  in  the  French  army,  and,  having  resided 
at  Kaskaskia,  transferred  his  allegiance  on  occu- 
pation of  the  country  by  the  British.  He  was  the 
last  oflBcial  representative  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment in  Illinois. 

The  total  population  of  the  French  villages  in 
Illinois,  at  the  time  of  their  transfer  to  England, 
has  been  estimated  at  about  1,600,  of  which  700 
were  about  Kaskaskia  and  450  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cahokia.  Captain  Pittman  estimated  the  popu- 
lation of  all  the  French  villages  in  Illinois  and  on 
the  Wabash,  at  the  time  of  his  visit  in  1770,  at 
about  2,000.  Of  St.  Louis — or  "Paincourt,"  as  it 
was  called — Captain  Pittman  said:  "There  are 
about  forty  private  houses  and  as  many  famiUes." 
Most  of  these,  if  not  all,  had  emigrated  from  the 
French  villages.  In  fact,  although  nominally  in 
Spanish  territory,  it  was  essentially  a  French 
town,  protected,  as  Pittman  said,  by  "a  French 
garrison"  consisting  of  "a  Captain-Commandant, 
two  Lieutenants,  a  Fort  JIajor,  one  Sergeant 
one  Corporal  and  twenty  men." 

Action  of  Continental  Congress. — The  first 
official  notice  taken  of  the  "Illinois  Country"  by 
the  Continental  Congress,  was  the  adoption  by 
that  body,  July  13,  1775,  of  an  act  creating  three 
Indian  Departments — a  Northern,  Middle  and 
Southern.  Illinois  was  assigned  to  the  second, 
with  Benjamin  Franklin  and  James  Wilson,  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  Patrick  Henry,  of  Virginia, 
as  Commissioners.  In  April,  1776,  Col.  George 
Morgan,  who  had  been  a  trader  at  Kaskaskia,  was 
appointed  agent  and  successor  to  these  Commis- 
sioners, with  headquarters  at  Fort  Pitt.  The 
promulgation  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1776,  and  the  events  im- 
mediately preceding  and  following  that  event, 
directed  attention  to  the  colonies  on  the  Atlantic 
coast;  yet  the  frontiersmen  of  Virginia  were 
watching  an  opportunity  to  deliver  a  blow  to  the 
Government  of  King  George  in  a  ijuarter  where 
It  was  least  expected,  and  where  it  was  destined 
to  have  an  immense  influence  upon  the  future  of 
the  new  nation,  as  well  as  that  of  the  American 
continent. 

CoL.  George  Rogers  Clark's  Expedition. 
— During  the  year  1777,  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark, 


a  native  of  Virginia,  then  scarcely  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  having  conceived  a  plan  of  seizing 
the  settlements  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  sent 
trusty  spies  to  learn  the  sentiments  of  the  people 
and  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Kaskaskia.  The 
report  brought  to  him  gave  him  encouragement, 
and,  in  December  of  the  same  year,  he  laid  before 
Gov.  Patrick  Henry,  of  Virginia,  his  plans  for 
the  reduction  of  the  posts  in  Illinois.  These  were 
approved,  and,  on  Jan.  2,  1778,  Clark  received 
authority  to  recruit  seven  companies  of  fifty  men 
each  for  three  months'  service,  and  Governor 
Henry  gave  him  $6,000  for  expenses.  Proceeding 
to  Fort  Pitt,  he  succeeded  in  recruiting  three 
companies,  who  were  directed  to  rendezvous  at 
Corn  Island,  opposite  the  present  city  of  Louis- 
ville. It  has  been  claimed  that,  in  order  to 
deceive  the  British  as  to  his  real  destination, 
Clark  authorized  the  announcement  that  the 
object  of  the  expedition  was  to  protect  the  settle- 
ments in  Kentucky  from  the  Indians.  At  Corn 
Island  another  company  was  organized,  making 
four  in  all,  under  the  command  of  Captains  Bow- 
man, Montgomery,  Helm  and  Harrod,  and  having 
embarked  on  keel-boats,  they  passed  the  Falls  of 
the  Ohio,  June  24.  Reaching  the  island  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Tennessee  on  the  28th,  he  was  met 
by  a  party  of  eight  American  hunters,  who  had 
left  Kaskaskia  a  few  daj-s  before,  and  who,  join- 
ing his  command,  rendered  good  service  as 
guides.  He  disembarked  his  force  at  the  mouth 
of  a  small  creek  one  mile  above  Fort  Massac. 
June  29,  and,  directing  his  course  across  the 
country,  on  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  (July  4, 
1778)  arrived  within  three  miles  of  Kaskaskia 
The  surprise  of  the  unsuspecting  citizens  of  Kas- 
kaskia and  its  small  garrison  was  complete.  His 
force  having,  under  cover  of  darkness,  been 
ferried  across  the  Kaskaskia  River,  about  a  mile 
above  the  town,  one  detachment  surrounded  the 
town,  while  the  other  seized  the  fort,  capturing 
Rocheblave  and  his  little  command  without  fir- 
ing a  gun.  The  famous  Indian  fighter  and 
hunter,  Simon  Kenton,  led  the  way  to  the  fort. 
This  is  supposed  to  have  been  what  Captain  Pitt- 
man called  the  "Jesuits'  house,"  which  had  been 
sold  by  the  French  Government  after  the  country 
was  ceded  to  England,  the  Jesuit  order  having 
been  suppressed.  A  wooden  fort,  erected  in  1730, 
and  known  afterward  by  the  British  as  Fort 
Gage,  had  stood  on  the  bluff  opposite  the  town, 
but,  according  to  Pittman,  this  was  burnt  in  1766, 
and  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  was  ever  rebuilt. 
Clark's  expedition  was  thus  far  a  complete  suc- 
cess.    Rocheblave,     proving    recalcitrant,     was 


252 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


placed  in  irons  and  sent  as  a  prisoner  of  war  to 
Williamsburg,  while  his  slaves  were  coatiscated. 
the  proceeds  of  their  sale  being  divided  among 
Clark's  troops.  The  inhabitants  were  easily 
conciliated,  and  Caliokia  liaving  been  captured 
without  bloodshed,  Clark  turned  his  attention  to 
Vincennes.  Through  the  influence  of  Pierre 
Gibault — tlie  Vicar-General  in  charge  at  Kaskas- 
kia — the  people  of  Vincennes  were  induced  to 
swear  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and, 
although  the  place  was  afterward  captured  by  a 
British  force  from  Detroit,  it  was,  on  Feb. 
24,  1779,  recaptured  by  Colonel  Clark,  together 
with  a  bod}-  of  prisoners  but  little  smaller  than 
the  attacking  force,  and  $50,000  worth  of  prop- 
erty.    (See  Clark,  Col  George  Rogers. ) 

Under  Government  of  VmaiNiA. — Seldom 
in  the  history  of  the  world  have  such  imjwrtant 
results  been  achieved  by  such  insignificant  instru- 
mentalities and  with  so  little  sacrifice  of  life,  as 
in  this  almost  bloodless  campaign  of  the  youthful 
conqueror  of  Illinois.  Having  been  won  largely 
through  Virginia  enterprise  and  valor  and  by 
material  aid  furnished  tlirough  Governor  Henry, 
the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates,  in  October, 
1778,  proceeded  to  assert  the  jurisdiction  of  that 
commonwealth  over  the  settlements  of  the  North- 
west, by  organizing  all  the  country  west  and 
north  of  the  Ohio  River  into  a  county  to  be  called 
"Illinois,"  (see  Illinois  County),  and  empowering 
the  Governor  to  appoint  a  "County-Lieutenant  or 
Commandant-in-Chief"  to  exercise  civil  author- 
ity during  the  pleasure  of  the  appointing  power. 
Thus  "Illinois  County"  was  older  than  the  States 
of  Ohio  or  Indiana,  while  Patrick  Henry,  the  elo- 
quent orator  of  the  Revolution,  became  ex-officio 
its  first  Governor.  Col.  John  Todd,  a  citizen  of 
Kentucky,  was  appointed  "County-Lieutenant," 
Dec.  13,  1778,  entering  upon  his  duties  in 
May  following.  The  militia  was  organized, 
Deputy-Commandants  for  Kaskaskiaand  Cahokia 
appointed,  and  the  first  election  of  civil  officers 
ever  had  in  Illinois,  was  held  under  Colonel 
Todd's  direction.  His  record-book,  now  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  shows 
that  he  was  accustomed  to  exercise  powers 
scarcely  inferior  to  those  of  a  State  Executive. 
(See  Todd,  Col.  John.) 

In  1782  one  "Thimothe  Demunbrunt"  sub- 
Bcribed  himself  as  "Lt.  comd'g  par  interim,  etc," 
— but  the  origin  of  his  authority  is  not  clearly 
understood.  He  assumed  to  act  as  Commandant 
until  the  arrival  of  Gov.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  first 
Territorial  Governor  of  the  Northwest  Territory, 
in  1790.     After  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  courts 


ceased  to  be  held  and  civil  affairs  fell  into  great 
disorder.  "In  effect,  there  was  neither  law  nor 
order  in  the  'Illinois  Country'  for  the  seven 
years  from  1783  to  1790." 

During  the  progress  of  the  Revolution,  there 
were  the  usual  rumors  and  alarms  in  the  "Illinois 
Country"  peculiar  to  frontier  life  in  time  of  war. 
The  country,  however,  was  singularly  exempt 
from  any  serious  calamity  such  as  a  general 
massacre.  One  reason  for  this  was  the  friendly 
relations  which  had  existed  between  the  French 
and  their  Indian  neighbors  previous  to  the  con- 
quest, and  which  the  new  masters,  after  the  cap- 
ture of  Kaskaskia,  took  pains  to  perpetuate. 
Several  movements  were  projected  by  the  British 
and  their  Indian  allies  about  Detroit  and  in  Can- 
ada, but  they  were  kept  so  busy  elsewhere  that 
they  had  little  time  to  put  their  plans  into  execu- 
tion. One  of  these  was  a  proposed  movement 
from  Pensacola  against  the  Spanish  posts  on  the 
lower  Mississippi,  to  punish  Spain  for  having 
engaged  in  tlie  war  of  1779,  but  the  promptness 
with  which  the  Spanish  Governor  of  New  Orleans 
proceeded  to  capture  Fort  Manchac,  Baton  Rouge 
and  Natchez  from  their  Britislj  possessors,  con- 
vinced the  latter  that  this  was  a  "game  at  which 
two  could  play."  In  ignorance  of  these  results, 
an  expedition,  750  strong,  composed  largely  of 
Indians,  fitted  out  at  Mackinaw  under  command 
of  Capt.  Patrick  St.  Clair,  started  in  the  early 
part  of  May,  1780,  to  co-operate  with  the  expedition 
on  the  lower  Mississippi,  but  intending  to  deal  a 
destructive  blow  to  the  Illinois  villages  and  the 
Spanish  towns  of  St.  Louis  and  St.  Genevieve  on 
the  way.  This  expedition  reached  St.  Louis,  May 
26,  but  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  having  arrived 
at  Cahokia  with  a  small  force  twenty-four  hours 
earlier,  prepared  to  co-operate  with  the  Spaniards 
on  the  western  shore  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
invading  force  confined  their  depredations  to  kill- 
ing seven  or  eight  villagers,  and  then  beat  a 
hasty  retreat  in  the  direction  they  had  come. 
These  were  the  last  expeditions  organized  to 
regain  the  "Country  of  the  Illinois"  or  capture 
Spanish  posts  on  the  Mississippi. 

Expeditions  .•\o.\ixst  Fokt  St.  Joseph. — An 
expedition  of  a  different  sort  is  worthy  of  mention 
in  this  connection,  as  it  originated  in  Illinois. 
This  consisted  of  a  company  of  seventeen  men, 
led  by  one  Thomas  Brady,  a  citizen  of  Cahokia, 
who,  marching  across  the  country,  in  the  month 
of  October,  1780,  after  the  retreat  of  Sinclair, 
from  St.  Louis,  succeeded  in  .surprising  and  cap- 
turing Fort  St.  Joseph  about  where  I^  Salle  had 
erected  Fort  Miami,  near  the  mouth  of  the  St. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


253 


Joseph  River,  a  hundred  years  before.  Brady 
and  his  party  captured  a  few  British  prisoners, 
and  a  large  quantity  of  goods.  On  their  return, 
while  encamped  on  the  Calumet,  they  were 
attacked  by  a  band  of  Pottawatomies,  and  all 
were  killed,  wounded  or  taken  prisoners  except 
Brady  and  two  others,  who  escaped.  Early  in 
January,  1781,  a  party  consisting  of  sixty-flve 
whites,  organized  from  St.  Louis  and  Cahokia, 
with  some  200  Indians,  and  headed  by  Don 
Eugenio  Pourre,  a  Spaniard,  started  on  a  second 
expedition  against  Fort  St.  Joseph.  By  silencing 
the  Indians,  whom  they  met  on  their  way,  with 
promises  of  plunder,  they  were  able  to  reach  the 
fort  without  discovery,  captured  it  and,  raising 
the  Spanish  flag,  formally  took  possession  in  the 
name  of  the  King  of  Spain.  After  retaining  pos- 
session for  a  few  days,  the  party  returned  to  St. 
Louis,  but  in  negotiating  the  treaty  of  peace  at 
Paris,  in  1783,  this  incident  was  made  the  basis 
of  a  claim  put  forth  by  Spain  to  ownership  of 
the  "Illinois  Country"  "by  right  of  conquest." 

The  Territorial  Period. — At  the  very  outset 
of  its  existence,  the  new  Government  of  the 
United  States  was  confronted  with  an  embarrass- 
ing question  which  deeply  affected  the  interests 
of  the  territory  of  which  Illinois  formed  a  part. 
This  was  the  claim  of  certain  States  to  lands 
lying  between  their  western  boundaries  and  the 
Mississippi  River,  then  the  western  boundary  of 
the  Republic.  These  claims  were  based  either 
upon  the  terms  of  their  original  charters  or  upon 
the  cession  of  lands  by  the  Indians,  and  it  was 
under  a  claim  of  the  former  character,  as  well  as 
by  right  of  conquest,  that  Virginia  assumed  to  ex- 
ercise authority  over  the  "Illinois  Country"  after 
its  capture  by  the  Clark  expedition.  This  con- 
struction was  opposed  by  the  States  which,  from 
their  geographical  position  or  other  cause,  had 
no  claim  to  lands  beyond  their  own  boundaries, 
and  the  controversy  was  waged  with  considerable 
bitterness  for  several  years,  proving  a  formidable 
obstacle  to  the  ratification  of  the  Articles  of  Con- 
federation. As  early  as  1779  the  subject  received 
the  attention  of  Congress  in  the  adoption  of  a 
resolution  requesting  the  States  having  such 
claims  to  "forbear  settling  or  issuing  warrants 
for  unappropriated  lands  or  granting  the  same 
during  the  continuance  of  the  present  (Revolu- 
tionary) War."  In  the  following  year,  New  York 
authorized  her  Delegates  in  Congress  to  limit  its 
boundaries  in  such  manner  as  they  might  think 
expedient,  and  to  cede  to  the  Government  its 
claim  to  western  lands.  The  case  was  further  com- 
plicated by  the  claims  of  certain  land  companies 


which  had  been  previously  organized.  New  York 
filed  her  cession  to  the  General  Government  of 
lands  claimed  by  her  in  October,  1782,  followed 
by  Virginia  nearly  a  year  later,  and  by  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut  in  1785  and  1786.  Other 
States  followed  somewhat  tardily,  Georgia  being 
the  last,  in  1802.  The  only  claims  of  this  charac- 
ter affecting  lands  in  Illinois  were  those  of  Vir- 
ginia covering  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  and 
Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  applying  to  the 
northern  portion.  It  was  from  the  splendid 
domain  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  thus  acquired 
from  Virginia  and  other  States,  that  the  North- 
west Territory  was  finally  organized. 

Ordinance  of  1787, — The  first  step  was  taken  in 
the  passage  by  Congress,  in  1784,  of  a  resolution 
providing  for  the  temporary  government  of  the 
Western  Territory,  and  this  was  followed  three 
years  later  by  the  enactment  of  the  celebrated 
Ordinance  of  1787.  While  this  latter  document 
contained  numerous  provisions  which  marked  a 
new  departure  in  the  science  of  free  government 
— as,  for  instance,  that  declaring  that  "religion, 
morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good 
government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind, 
schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall  forever 
be  encouraged"— its  crowning  feature  was  the 
sixth  article,  as  follows:  "There  shall  be  neither 
slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  the  said 
Territory,  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of 
crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly 
convicted." 

Although  there  has  been  considerable  contro- 
versy as  to  the  authorship  of  the  above  and  other 
provisions  of  this  immortal  document,  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  substantially  the  same  lan- 
guage was  introduced  in  the  resolutions  of  1784, 
by  a  Delegate  from  a  slave  State— Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, of  Virginia —though  not,  at  that  time, 
adopted.  Jefferson  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Congress  of  1787  (being  then  Minister  to  France), 
and  could  have  had  nothing  directly  to  do  with 
the  later  Ordinance;  yet  it  is  evident  that  the 
principle  which  he  had  advocated  finally  received 
the  approval  of  eight  out  of  the  thirteen  States,— 
all  that  were  represented  in  that  Congress— includ- 
ing the  slave  States  of  Virginia,  Delaware,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  (See 
Ordinance  of  17S7.) 

Northwest  Territory  Organized.— Under 
the  Ordinance  of  1787,  organizing  the  Northwest 
Territory,  Gen.  Arthur  St  Clair,  who  had  been  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  was  appointed  the 
first  Governor  on  Feb.  1.  1788,  with  Winthrop 
Sargent,  Secretary,  and  Samuel  Holden  Parsons, 


254 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


James  Mitchell  Varnum  and  John  Cleves 
Symmes,  Judges.  AH  these  were  reappointed  by 
President  Washington  in  1789.  The  new  Terri- 
torial Government  was  organized  at  Marietta,  a 
settlement  on  the  Ohio,  July  15,  1788,  but  it  was 
nearly  two  years  later  before  Governor  St.  Clair 
visited  Illinois,  arriving  at  Kaskaskia,  March  5, 
1790.  The  County  of  St.  Clair  (named  after  him) 
was  organized  at  this  time,  embracing  all  the 
settlements  between  the  Wabash  and  the  Missis- 
sippi. (See  St.  Clair  County.)  He  found  the 
inhabitants  generally  in  a  deplorable  condition, 
neglected  by  the  Government,  the  courts  of  jus- 
tice practically  abolished  and  many  of  the  citizens 
sadly  in  need  of  the  obligations  due  them  from 
the  (jovernment  for  supplies  furnished  to  Colonel 
Clark  twelve  years  before.  After  a  stay  of  three 
months,  the  Governor  returned  east.  In  1795, 
Judge  Turner  held  the  first  court  in  St.  Clair 
County,  at  Cahokia,  as  the  countj'-seat,  although 
both  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia  had  been  named  as 
county-seats  by  Governor  St.  Clair.  Out  of  the 
disposition  of  the  local  authorities  to  retain  the 
official  records  at  Cahokia,  and  consequent  dis- 
agreement over  the  county-seat  question,  at  least 
in  part,  grew  the  order  of  1795  organizing  the 
second  count}'  (Randolph),  and  Kaskjiskia  became 
its  county-seat.  In  1796  Governor  St.  Clair  paid 
a  second  visit  to  Illinois,  accompanied  by  Judge 
Symmes,  who  held  court  at  both  county-seats. 
On  Nov.  4,  1791,  occurred  the  defeat  of  Gov- 
ernor St.  Clair,  in  the  western  part  of  the  present 
State  of  Ohio,  by  a  force  of  Indians  under  com- 
mand of  Little  Turtle,  in  which  the  whites  sus- 
tained a  heavy  loss  of  both  men  and  property — 
an  event  which  had  an  unfavorable  elTect  ujwn 
conditions  throughout  the  Northwest  Territory 
generally.  St.  Clair,  having  resigned  his  com- 
mand of  the  army,  was  succeeded  by  Gen. 
Antliony  Wayne,  who,  in  a  vigorous  campaign, 
overwhelmed  the  Indians  with  defeat.  This 
resulted  in  the  treaty  with  the  Western  tribes  at 
Greenville,  August  3,  1795,  which  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  period  of  comparative  peace  with  the 
Indians  all  over  the  Western  Country.  (See 
Wayne,  (Gen.)  Anthony.) 

First  Territorial  Legislation.— In  1798,  the 
Territory  having  gained  the  requisite  population, 
an  election  of  members  of  a  Legislative  Council 
and  House  of  Representatives  was  held  in  accord- 
ance with  the  provisions  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787. 
This  was  the  first  Territorial  Legislature  organized 
in  the  history  of  the  Republic.  It  met  at  Cincin- 
nati, Feb.  4,  1799,  Shadrach  Bond  being  the 
Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County  and  John  Edgar 


from  Randolph.  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison, 
who  had  succeeded  Sargent  as  Secretary  of  the 
Territorj-,  June  20,  1798,  was  elected  Delegate  to 
Congress,  receiving  a  majority  of  one  vote  over 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  Jr.,  son  of  the  Governor. 

Ohio  and  Indiana  Territories. — By  act  of 
Congress,  Jlay  7.  1800,  the  Northwest  Territory 
was  divided  into  Ohio  and  Indiana  Territories; 
the  latter  embracing  the  region  west  of  the  pres- 
ent State  of  Ohio,  and  having  its  capital  at  "Saint 
Vincent"  (Vincennes).  May  13,  William  Henry 
Harrison,  wlio  liad  been  the  first  Delegate  in  Con- 
gress from  the  Northwest  Territory,  was  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  Indiana  Territory,  which  at 
first  consisted  of  three  counties:  Knox,  St.  Clair 
and  Randolph — the  two  latter  being  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  present  State  of  Illinois.  Their 
aggregate  population  at  this  time  was  estimated 
at  less  than  5,000.  During  his  administration 
Governor  Harrison  concluded  thirteen  treaties 
with  the  Indians,  of  wliich  six  related  to  the  ces- 
sion of  lands  in  Illinois.  The  first  treaty  relating 
to  lands  in  Illinois  was  that  of  Greenville,  con- 
cluded by  General  Wayne  in  1795.  By  this  the 
Government  acquired  six  miles  square  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  River;  twelve  miles  square 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois;  six  miles  sc^uare  at 
the  old  Peoria  fort;  the  post  of  Fort  Ma.ssac;  and 
150.000  acres  assigned  to  General  Clark  and  his 
soldiers,  besides  all  other  lands  "in  possession  of 
the  French  people  and  all  other  white  settlers 
among  them,  the  Indian  title  to  which  had  been 
tlius  extinguished."  (See  Indian  Treaties;  also, 
Greenville,  Treaty  of .) 

During  the  year  1803,  the  treaty  with  France 
for  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  and  West  Florida 
was  concluded,  and  on  March  26,  18W,  an  act  was 
passed  by  Congress  attaching  all  that  [mrtion  of 
Louisiana  lying  north  of  the  thirty -third  parallel 
of  latitude  and  west  of  the  Mississippi  to  Indiana 
Territory  for  governmental  purposes.  This  in- 
cluded the  present  States  of  Arkansas,  Missouri. 
Kansas,  Nebraska.  Iowa,  Minnesota,  the  two 
Dakotas  and  parts  of  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  Mon- 
tana. This  arrangement  continued  only  until 
the  following  March,  when  Louisiana  was  placed 
under  a  separate  Territorial  organization. 

For  four  years  Indiana  Territory  was  governed 
under  laws  framed  by  the  Governor  and  Judges, 
but,  the  population  having  increased  to  the  re- 
quired number,  an  election  was  held,  Sept. 
11,  1804,  on  the  proposition  to  advance  the  gov- 
ernment to  the  "second  grade"  by  the  election  of 
a  Territorial  Legislature.  The  smallness  of  the 
vote  indicated  the  indifference  of  the  people  on 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


255 


the  subject  Out  of  400  votes  cast,  the  proposition 
received  a  majority  of  138.  Tlie  two  Illinois 
counties  cast  a  total  of  142  votes,  of  which  St. 
Clair  furnished  81  and  Randolph  61.  The  former 
gave  a  majority  of  37  against  the  measure  and 
the  latter  19  in  its  favor,  showing  a  net  negative 
majority  of  18.  The  adoption  of  the  proposition 
was  due,  therefore,  to  the  affirmative  vote  in  the 
other  counties.  There  were  in  the  Territory  at 
this  time  six  counties;  one  of  these  (Wayne)  was 
in  Michigan,  which  was  set  off,  in  ISC'),  as  a  sep- 
arate Territory.  At  the  election  of  Delegates  to 
a  Territorial  Legislature,  held  Jan.  3,  180,5,  Shad- 
rach  Bond,  Sr.,  and  William  Biggs  were  elected 
for  St.  Clair  County  and  George  Fisher  for  Ran- 
dolph. Bond  having  meanwhile  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislative  Council,  Shadrach  Bond, 
Jr.,  was  chosen  his  successor.  The  Legislature 
convened  at  Vincennes,  Feb.  7,  180.5,  but  only 
to  recommend  a  list  of  persons  from  whom 
it  was  the  duty  of  Congress  to  select  a  Legislative 
Council.  In  addition  to  Bond,  Pierre  Menard 
was  chosen  for  Randolph  and  John  Hay  for  St. 
Clair. 

Illinois  Territory  Organized.— The  Illinois 
counties  were  represented  in  two  regular  and  one 
special  session  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  dur- 
ing the  time  they  were  a  part  of  Indiana  Terri- 
tory. By  act  of  Congress,  which  became  a  law 
Feb.  3,  1809,  the  Territory  was  divided,  the  west- 
ern part  being  named  Illinois. 

At  this  point  the  history  of  Illinois,  as  a  sepa- 
rate political  division,  begins.  While  its  bounda- 
ries in  all  other  directions  were  as  now,  on  the 
north  it  extended  to  the  Canada  line.  From 
what  has  already  been  said,  it  appears  that  the 
earliest  white  settlements  were  established  by 
French  Canadians,  chiefly  at  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia 
and  the  other  villages  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
American  Bottom.  At  the  time  of  Clark's  in- 
vasion, there  were  not  known  to  have  been  more 
than  two  Americans  among  these  people,  except 
such  hunters  and  trappers  as  paid  them  occasional 
visits.  One  of  the  earliest  American  settlers  in 
Southern  Illinois  was  Capt.  Nathan  Hull,  who 
came  from  Massachusetts  and  settled  at  an  early 
day  on  the  Ohio,  near  where  Golconda  now 
stands,  afterward  removing  to  the  vicinity  of 
Kaskaskia,  where  he  died  in  1806.  In  1781,  a 
company  of  immigrants,  consisting  (with  one  or 
two  excepti<ms)  of  members  of  Clark's  ccjmmand 
in  17T8,  arrived  with  their  families  from  Mary- 
land and  Virginia  and  established  themselves  on 
the  American  Bottom  The  "New  Design"  set- 
tlement, on  the  boundary  line  between  St.  Clair 


and  Monroe  Counties,  and  the  first  distinctively 
American  colony  in  the  "Illinois  Country,"  was 
established  by  this  party.  Some  of  its  members 
afterward  became  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
Territory  and  the  State.  William  Biggs,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Territorial  Legislature,  with 
others,  settled  in  or  near  Kaskaskia  about  1783, 
and  William  Arundel,  the  first  American  mer- 
chant at  Cahokia,  came  there  from  Peoria  during 
the  same  year.  Gen.  John  Edgar,  for  many  years 
a  leading  citizen  and  merchant  at  the  capital, 
arrived  at  Kaskaskia  in  1784,  and  William  Mor- 
rison, Kaskaskia's  principal  merchant,  came  from 
Philadelphia  as  early  as  1790,  followed  some  years 
afterward  by  several  brothers.  James  Lemen 
came  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, and  was  the  founder  of  a  large  and  influ- 
ential famih'  in  the  vicinity  of  Shiloh,  St.  Clair 
County,  and  Rev.  David  Badgley  headed  a  colony 
of  1.54  from  Virginia,  who  arrived  in  1797. 
Among  other  prominent  arrivals  of  this  period 
were  John  Rice  Jones,  Pierre  Menard  (first 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State),  Shadrach 
Bond,  Jr.  (first  Governor),  John  Hay,  John 
Messinger,  William  Kinney,  Capt.  Joseph  Ogle; 
and  of  a  later  date,  Nathaniel  Pope  (afterward 
Secretary  of  the  Territory,  Delegate  to  Congress, 
Justice  of  the  United  States  Court  and  father  of 
the  late  Maj.-Gen.  John  Pope),  Elias  Kent  Kane 
(first  Secretary  of  State  and  afterward  United 
States  Senator),  Daniel  P.  Cook  (first  Attorney- 
General  and  second  Representative  in  Congress), 
George  Forquer  (at  onetime  Secretary  of  State), 
and  Dr.  George  Fisher — all  prominent  in  Terri- 
torial or  State  history.  (See  biographical 
sketches  of  these  early  settlers  imder  their  re- 
spective names.) 

The  government  of  the  new  Territory  wa8 
organized  by  the  appointment  of  Ninian  Ed- 
wards, Governor;  Nathaniel  Pope,  Secretary, 
and  Alexander  Stuart,  Obadiah  Jones  and  Jesse 
B.  Thomas,  Territorial  Judges.  (See  Edwards. 
Ninian.)  Stuart  having  been  transferred  to 
Missouri,  Stanley  Griswold  was  appointed  in 
his  stead.  Governor  Edwards  arrived  at  Kas- 
kaskia, the  capital,  in  June,  1809.  At  that 
time  the  two  counties  of  St.  Clair  and  Randolph 
comprised  the  settled  portion  of  the  Territory, 
with  a  white  population  estimated  at  about  9,000. 
The  Governor  and  Judges  immediately  proceeded 
to  formulate  a  code  of  laws,  and  the  appoint- 
ments made  by  Secretary  Pope,  who  had  preceded 
the  Governor  in  his  arrival  in  the  Territory,  were 
confirmed.  Benjamin  H.  Doyle  was  the  first 
Attorney-General,    but    he    resigned    in    a  few 


•.;5r, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


months,  when  the  place  was  offered  to  John  J. 
Crittenden — the  well-known  United  States  Sen- 
ator from  Kentucky  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  War^but  by  him  declined.  Thomas  T. 
Crittenden  was  then  appointed. 

An  incident  of  the  year  1811  was  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe,  resulting;  in  the  defeat  of  Tecumseh, 
the  great  chief  of  the  Shawnees,  by  Gen.  William 
Henry  Harrison.  Four  companies  of  mounted 
rangers  were  raised  in  Illinois  this  year  under 
direction  of  Col.  William  Kus.sell,  of  Kentucky, 
who  built  Camp  Rus.sell  near  Edwardsville  the 
following  j'ear.  They  were  commanded  by  Cap- 
tains Samuel  Whiteside,  William  B.  Whiteside, 
James  B.  Moore  and  Jacob  Short.  The  memo- 
rable eartluiuake  which  had  its  center  about  New 
Madrid.  Mo.,  occurred  in  December  of  this 
year,  and  was  quite  violent  in  some  portions  of 
Southern  Illinois.     (See  Earthquake  of  As//.) 

War  of  1812. — During  the  following  year  the 
second  war  with  England  began,  but  no  serious 
outbreak  occurred  in  Illinois  until  August,  1812, 
wlien  the  massacre  at  Fort  Dearborn,  where 
Chicago  now  stands,  took  place.  This  had  long 
been  a  favorite  trading  post  of  the  Indians,  at 
first  under  French  occupation  and  afterward 
under  the  Americans.  Sometime  during  1803-04, 
a  fort  had  been  built  near  the  mouth  of  Chicago 
River  on  the  south  side,  on  land  accjuired  from  the 
Indians  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  179.").  (See 
Fort  Dearborn.)  In  the  spring  of  1812  some 
alarm  had  been  caused  by  outrages  committed  by 
Indians  in  the  vicinity,  and  in  the  early  part  of 
August,  Capt.  Nathan  Heald.  commanding  the 
garri.son  of  less  than  seventy-five  men,  received 
instructions  from  Genei^l  Hull,  in  command  at 
Detroit,  to  evacuate  the  fort,  disposing  of  the 
public  property  as  he  might  see  fit.  Friendly 
Indians  advised  Heald  either  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  a  vigorous  defense,  or  evacuate  at  once. 
Instead  of  this,  he  notified  the  Indians  of  his  in- 
tention to  retire  and  divide  the  stores  among 
them,  with  the  conditions  subsequently  agreed 
upon  in  council,  that  his  garrison  should  be 
afforded  an  escort  and  safe  passage  to  Fort 
AVayne.  On  the  14th  of  August  he  proceeded  to 
distribute  the  bulk  of  the  goods  as  promised,  but 
the  ammimition,  guns  and  liquors  were  de- 
stroyed. This  he  justified  on  the  ground  that  a 
bad  use  would  be  made  of  them,  while  the 
Indians  construed  it  as  a  violation  of  the  agree- 
ment. The  tragedy  which  followed,  is  thus  de- 
scribed in  Moses'  "History  of  Illinois:" 

"Black  Partridge,  a  Pottawatomie  Chief,  who 
had  been  on  terius  of  friendship  with  the  whites. 


apiieared  before  Captain  Heald  ami  informed 
him  plainly  that  his  young  men  intended  to 
inil)rue  their  hands  in  the  l)l(>od  of  the  whites; 
that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  restrain  them,  and, 
surrendering  a  medal  he  had  worn  in  token  of 
amity,  closed  by  .saying:  "I  will  not  wear  a 
token  of  peace  while  1  am  compelleil  to  act  as  an 
enemy  '  In  the  meantime  tlie  Indians  were  riot- 
ing upon  the  provisions,  and  becoming  so  aggres- 
sive in  their  bearing  that  it  was  resolved  to  march 
out  the  next  day.  The  fatal  fifteenth  arrived. 
To  each  soldier  was  distributed  twenty-five 
rounds  of  reserved  amnuuiition.  The  baggage 
and  ambulance  wagons  were  laden,  and  the  gar- 
rison slowly  wended  its  way  outside  the  protect- 
ing walls  of  the  fort — the  Indian  escort  of  500 
following  in  the  rear.  What  next  occurred  in 
this  disastrous  movement  is  narrated  by  Captain 
Heald  in  his  re|H)rt.  as  follows:  'The  situation  of 
the  country  rendered  it  neces.sary  for  us  to  take 
the  l)each.  with  the  lake  on  our  left,  and  a  high 
sand  l^ank  on  our  right  at  about  three  hundred 
yards  distance.  We  had  proceeded  alx)Ut  a  mile 
and  a  half,  when  it  was  discovered  (by  Captain 
Wells)  that  the  Indians  were  prepared  to  attack 
US  from  behind  the  liank.  I  immediately  marched 
up  with  the  company  to  the  top  of  the  bank, 
when  the  action  commenced ;  after  firing  one 
round,  we  charged,  and  the  Indians  gave  waj-  in 
front  and  joineii  those  on  our  flanks.  In  about  fif- 
teen minutes  they  got  posse.ssion  of  all  our  horses, 
provisions  and  baggage  of  every  description,  and 
finding  the  Miamis  (who  had  come  from  Fort 
Wayne  with  Captain  Wells  to  act  as  an  escort) 
did  not  assist  us,  I  drew  off  the  few  men  I  had 
left  and  took  possession  of  a  small  elevation  in 
the  oi)en  prairie  out  of  shot  of  the  bjink,  or  any 
other  cover.  The  Indians  did  not  follow  me  but 
assembled  in  a  body  on  top  of  the  bank,  and  after 
some  consultation  among  themselves,  made  signs 
for  me  to  approach  them.  I  advanced  toward 
them  alone,  and  was  met  by  one  of  the  Potta- 
watomie chiefs  called  Black  Bird,  with  an  inter- 
preter. After  shaking  hands,  he  requested  me  to 
surrender,  promising  to  spiire  the  lives  of  all  the 
prisoners.  On  a  few  moments'  consideration  I 
concluded  it  would  be  most  prudent  to  comply 
with  this  request,  although  I  did  not  put  entire 
confidence  in  his  promise.  The  troops  had  made 
a  brave  defense,  but  what  could  so  small  a  force 
do  against  such  overwhelming  numbers?  It  was 
evident  with  over  half  their  number  dead  upon 
the  field,  or  wounded,  further  resistance  would 
be  hopeless.  Twenty-six  regulars  and  twelve 
militia,  with  two  women  and  twelve  children, 
were  killed.  Among  the  shiin  were  Captain 
Wells,  Dr.  Van  Voorhis  and  Ensign  George 
Ronan.  (Captain  Wells,  when  young,  had  lieen 
captured  by  Indians  and  had  married  among 
them.)  He  (WelLs)  was  familiar  with  all  the 
wiles,  stratagems,  as  well  as  the  vindictiveness 
of  the  Indian  character,  and  when  the  conflict 
began,  he  said  to  his  niece  (Mrs.  Heald).  by 
whose  side  he  w;is  standing,  'We  have  not  the 
slightest  chance  for  life ;  we  must  pjirt  to  meet 
no  more  in  this  world.  God  bless  you.'  With 
the.se  words  he  dashed  forward  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fight.  He  refiLsed  to  be  taken  prisoner, 
knowing  what  his  fate  would  be,  wheu  a  young 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


357 


red-skin  cut  him  clown  with  his  tomahawk, 
jumped  upon  liis  body,  cut  out  liis  heart  and  ate 
a  portion  of  it  with  .savage  delight. 

"The  prisoners  taken  were  Captain  Heald  and 
wife,  both  wounded.  Lieutenant  Helm,  also 
wounded,  and  wife,  with  twentj-five  non-com- 
missioned officers  and  privates,  and  eleven  women 
and  children.  The  loss  of  the  Indians  was  fifteen 
killed.  Mr.  Kinzie's  family  had  been  entrusted 
to  the  care  of  some  friendly  Indians  and  were  not 
with  the  retiring  garri.son.  The  Indians  engaged 
in  this  outrage  were  principally  Pottawatomies, 
with  a  few  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  Winnebagoes, 
and  Kickapoos.  Fort  Dearborn  was  plundered 
and  burned  on  the  next  morning."  (See  Fort 
Dearborn:  also  War  of  IS  12.) 

Thus  ended  the  most  bloody  tragedy  that  ever 
occurred  on  the  soil  of  Illinois  with  Americans  as 
victims.  The  place  where  this  affair  occurred, 
as  described  by  Captain  Heald,  was  on  the  lake 
shore  about  the  foot  of  Eighteenth  Street  in 
the  present  city  of  Chicago.  After  the  destruction 
of  the  fort,  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago 
remained  unoccupied  until  1816,  when  the  fort 
was  rebuilt.  At  that  time  the  bones  of  the  vic- 
tims of  the  massacre  of  1812  still  lay  bleaching 
upon  the  sands  near  the  lake  shore,  but  they 
were  gathered  up  a  few  years  later  and  buried. 
The  new  fort  continued  to  be  occupied  somewhat 
irregularly  until  1837,  when  it  was  finally  aban- 
doned, there  being  no  longer  any  reason  for 
maintaining  it  as  a  defense  against  the  Indians. 

Other  Events  of  the  Wak. — The  part  played 
by  Illinois  in  the  War  of  1812,  consisted  chiefly 
in  looking  after  the  large  Indian  population 
within  and  near  its  borders.  Two  expeditions 
were  undertaken  to  Peoria  Lake  in  the  Fall  of 
1812;  the  first  of  the.se,  under  the  direction  of 
Governor  Edwards,  burned  two  Kickapoo  vil- 
lages, one  of  them  being  that  of  "Black  Part- 
ridge," who  had  befriended  the  whites  at  Fort 
DearVjorn.  A  few  weeks  later  Capt.  Thomas  E. 
Craig,  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  militia,  made  a 
descent  upon  the  ancient  French  village  of  Peoria, 
on  the  pretext  that  the  inhabitants  had  har- 
bored hostile  Indians  and  fired  on  his  boats.  He 
burned  a  part  of  the  town  and,  taking  the  people 
as  prisoners  down  the  river,  put  them  ashore 
below  Alton,  in  the  beginning  of  winter.  Both 
these  affairs  were  severely  censured. 

There  were  expeditions  against  the  Indians  on 
the  Illinois  and  Upper  Mississippi  in  1813  and 
1814.  In  the  latter  year,  Illinois  troops  took  part 
with  credit  in  two  engagements  at  Rock  Island — 
the  last  of  these  being  in  co-operation  with  regu- 
lars, under  command  of  Maj.  Zachary  Taylor, 
afterwards  President,  against  a  force  of  Indians 
supported  by  the  British.     Fort  Clark  at  Peoria 


was  erected  in  1813,  and  Fort  Edwards  at  War- 
saw, opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Moines,  at 
the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1814.  A  council 
with  the  Indians,  conducted  by  Governors 
Edwards  of  Illinois  and  Clarke  of  Missouri,  and 
Auguste  Chouteau,  a  merchant  of  St.  Loui.s,  as 
Government  Commissioners,  on  the  Mississippi 
just  below  Alton,  in  July,  1815,  concluded  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  the  principal  Northwestern 
tribes,  thus  ending  the  war. 

First  Territorial  Legislature.— By  act  of 
Congress,  adopted  May  21,  1812,  the  Territory  of 
Illinois  was  raised  to  the  second  grade— i.  e.,  em- 
powered to  elect  a  Territorial  Legislature.  In 
September,  three  additional  counties— Madison, 
Gallatin  and  Johnson — were  organized,  making 
five  in  all,  and,  in  October,  an  election  for  the 
choice  of  five  members  of  the  Council  and  seven 
Representatives  was  held,  resulting  as  follows: 
Councilmen— Pierre  Menard  of  Randolph  County ; 
William  Biggs  of  St.  Clair;  Samuel  Judy  of 
Madison;  Thomas  Ferguson  of  Johnson,  and 
Benjamin  Talbot  of  Gallatin.  Representatives- 
George  Fisher  of  Randolph ;  Joshua  Oglesby  and 
Jacob  Short  of  St.  Clair;  William  Jones  of  Madi- 
son; Philip  Trammel  and  Alexander  Wilson  of 
Gallatin,  and  John  Grammar  of  Johnson.  The 
Legislature  met  at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  2.5,  the  Coun- 
cil organizing  with  Pierre  Menard  as  President 
and  John  Thomas,  Secretary;  and  the  House, 
with  George  Fisher  as  Speaker  and  William  C. 
Greenup,  Clerk.  Shadrach  Bond  was  elected  the 
first  Delegate  to  Congress. 

A  second  Legislature  was  elected  in  1814,  con- 
vening at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  14.  Menard  was  con- 
tinued President  of  the  Council  during  the  whole 
Territorial  period;  while  George  Fisher  was 
Speaker  of  each  House,  except  the  Second.  The 
county  of  Edwards  was  organized  in  1814,  and 
White  in  1815.  Other  counties  organized  under 
the  Territorial  Government  were  Jackson,  Mon- 
roe, Crawford  and  Pope  in  1816;  Bond  in  1817, 
and  Franklin,  Union  and  Washington  in  1818, 
making  fifteen  in  all.  Of  these  all  but  the 
three  last-named  were  organized  previous  to  the 
passage  by  Congress  of  the  enabling  act  author- 
izing the  Territory  of  Illinois  to  organize  a  State 
government.  In  1816  the  Bank  of  Illinois  was 
established  at  Shawneetown,  with  branches  at 
Edwardsville  and  Kaskaskia. 

Early  Towns. — Besides  the  French  villages  in 
the  American  Bottom,  there  is  said  to  have  been 
a  French  and  Indian  village  on  the  west  bank  of 
Peoria  Lake,  as  early  as  1711.  This  site  appears 
to  have  been  abandoned  about  1775  and  a  new 


258 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


village  established  on  the  present  site  of  Peoria 
soon  after,  which  was  inaintaineJ  until  1812, 
when  it  was  broken  up  by  Captain  Craig.  Other 
early  towns  were  Shawneetown,  laid  out  in  1808 ; 
Belleville,  established  as  the  county-seat  of  St. 
Clair  County,  in  1814;  lOdwardsville,  founded  in 
1815;  Upper  Alton,  in  1810,  and  Alton,  in  1818. 
Carmi,  Fairfield,  Waterloo,  Golconda,  Lawrence- 
ville.  Mount  Carmel  and  Vienna  also  belonged  to 
this  period;  while  Jacksonville,  Springfield  and 
Galena  were  settled  a  few  years  later.  Chicago 
is  mentioned  in  "Beck's  Gazetteer"  of  1823,  as  "a 
village  of  Pike  County." 

Admission  as  a  State. — The  preliminary  steps 
for  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State,  were  taken 
in  the  passage  of  an  Enabling  Act  by  Congress, 
April  13,  1818.  An  imjRirtant  incident  in  this 
connection  was  tlie  amendment  of  the  act,  mak- 
ing the  parallel  of  42'  30'  from  Lake  Michigan  to 
the  Mississii)pi  River  the  northern  boundary, 
instead  of  a  line  extending  from  the  snnther." 
extremity  of  the  Lake.  Tliis  was  obtained 
through  the  influence  of  Hon.  Nathaniel  Pope, 
then  Delegate  from  Illinois,  and  by  it  the  State 
secured  a  strip  of  country  fifty -one  miles  in 
width,  from  the  Lake  to  the  Mississippi,  embrac- 
ing what  have  since  become  fourteen  of  the  most 
populous  counties  of  the  State,  including  the  city 
of  Chicago.  The  political,  material  and  moral 
results  which  have  followed  this  important  act, 
have  been  the  subject  of  much  interesting  .dis- 
cussion and  cannot  be  easily  over-estimated. 
(See  Northern  Boundary  Question;  also  Pope, 
Nathaniel.) 

A  not  her  measure  of  great  importance,  w^hich  Jlr. 
Pope  secured,  was  a  modification  of  the  provision 
of  the  Enabling  Act  recjuiring  the  appropriation  of 
five  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  pub- 
lic lands  within  the  State,  to  the  construction  of 
roads  and  canals.  The  amendment  which  he 
secured  authorizes  the  application  of  two-fiftlis 
of  this  fund  to  the  making  of  roads  leading  to  the 
State,  but  i-equires  "the  residue  to  be  appropri- 
ated by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  for  the 
encouragement  of  learning,  of  which  one-sixth 
part  shall  be  exclusively  testowed  on  a  college  or 
university."  This  was  the  beginning  of  that 
system  of  liberal  encouragement  of  education  by 
the  General  Government,  which  has  been  at- 
tended with  such  beneficent  results  in  the  younger 
States,  and  has  reflected  so  much  honor  upon  the 
Nation.  (See  Education;  Railroads,  &nd  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal.) 

The  Enabling  Act  required  as  a  precedent  con- 
dition that  a  censixs  of  the  Territory,  to  be  taken 


that  year,  should  show  a  population  of  40.000. 
Such  a  result  was  shown,  but  it  is  now  confessed 
that  the  number  was  greatly  exaggerated,  the 
true  pojiulation,  as  afterwards  given,  being  34,020. 
.Vccording  to  the  decennial  census  of  1820,  the 
population  of  the  State  at  that  time  was  55,102. 
If  there  was  any  short-coming  in  this  respect  in 
1818,  the  State  has  fully  comi>ensated  for  it  by 
its  unexampled  growth  in  later  years. 

An  election  of  Delegates  to  a  Convention  to 
frame  a  State  Constitution  was  held  July  6  to  8, 
1818  (extending  through  three  days),  thirtj'-three 
Delegates  being  chosen  from  the  fifteen  counties 
of  the  State.  The  Convention  met  at  Kaskaskia, 
August  3,  and  organized  by  the  election  of  Jesse 
B.  Thomas,  President,  and  William  C.  Greenup, 
Secretary,  closing  its  labors,  August  20.  The 
Constitution,  which  was  modeled  largely  upon 
the  Constitutions  of  Kentucky,  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
was  not  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people.  (See 
Co7istitutional  Com-entions,  esiieciallj-  Conven- 
tion of  ISIS. )  Objection  was  made  to  its  accept- 
ance by  Congress  on  the  ground  that  the 
population  of  the  Territory  was  insufficient  and 
that  the  prohibition  of  slavery  was  not  as  ex- 
plicit as  required  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787;  but 
these  arguments  were  overcome  and  the  docu- 
ment accepted  by  a  vote  of  117  yeas  to  34  nays. 
The  only  oflScers  whose  election  was  provided  for 
bj-  popular  vote,  were  the  Governor,  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  Sheriffs,  Coroners  and  County  Commis- 
sioners. The  Secretary  of  State,  State  Treasurer, 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  Public  Printer  and 
Supreme  and  Circuit  Judges  were  all  appointive 
either  by  the  Governor  or  General  Assembly. 
The  elective  franchise  was  granted  to  all  white 
male  inhabitants,  above  the  age  of  21  years,  who 
had  resided  in  the  State  six  months. 

The  first  State  election  was  held  Sept.  17, 
1818,  resulting  in  the  choice  of  Shadrach  Bond 
for  Governor,  and  Pierre  Menard,  Lieutenant- 
Governor.  The  Legislature,  chosen  at  the  same 
time,  consisted  of  thirteen  Senators  and  twenty- 
seven  Representatives.  It  commenced  its  session 
at  Kaskaskia,  Oct.  5,  1818.  and  adjourned  after  a 
session  of  ten  days,  awaiting  the  formal  admis- 
sion of  the  State,  which  took  place  Dec.  3.  A 
second  session  of  the  same  Legislature  was  held, 
extending  from  Jan.  4  to  March  31,  1819. 
Risdon  Moore  was  Speaker  of  the  first  House. 
The  other  State  oflicers  elected  at  the  first  ses- 
sion were  Elijah  C.  Berry,  Auditor ;  John  Thomas, 
Treasurer,  and  Daniel  P.  Cook,  Attorney -General. 
Elias  Kent  Kane,  having  been  appointed  Secre- 
tary of  State  by  the  Governor,  was  confirmed  by 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


259 


the  Senate.  Ex-Governor  Edvrards  and  Jesse  B. 
Thomas  were  elected  United  States  Senators,  tlie 
former  drawing  the  short  term  and  serving  one 
year,  when  he  was  re-elected.  Thomas  served 
two  terms,  retiring  in  18~9.  The  first  Supreme 
Court  consisted  of  Joseph  Pliillips,  Chief  Justice, 
with  Thomas  C.  Browne,  William  P.  Foster  and 
John  Reynolds,  Associate  Justices.  Foster,  who 
was  a  mere  adventurer  without  any  legal  knowl- 
edge, left  the  State  in  a  few  months  and  was 
succeeded  by  "William  Wilson.  (See  State  Officers. 
United  States  Senators,  and  Judiciary.) 

Menard,  who  served  as  Lieutenant-Governor 
four  years,  was  a  noteworthy  man.  A  native  of 
Canada  and  of  French  descent,  he  came  to  Kas- 
kaskia  in  1790,  at  the  age  of  24  years,  and 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He  was  hos- 
pitable, frank,  liberal  and  enterprising.  The  fol- 
lowing story  related  of  him  illustrates  a  pleas- 
ant feature  of  his  character :  "At  one  time  there 
was  a  scarcity  of  salt  in  the  country,  and  Jlenard 
held  the  only  supply  outside  of  St.  Louis.  A 
number  of  his  neighbors  called  upon  him  for 
what  they  wanted ;  he  declined  to  let  them  know 
whether  he  could  supply  them  or  not,  but  told 
them  to  come  to  his  store  on  a  certain  day,  when 
he  would  inform  them.  They  came  at  the  time 
appointed,  and  were  seated.  Menard  passed 
around  among  them  and  inquired  of  each,  'You 
got  monej'?'  Some  said  they  had  and  some  that 
they  had  not,  but  would  pay  as  soon  as  they 
killed  their  hogs.  Those  who  had  money  he 
directed  to  range  themselves  on  one  side  of  the 
room  and  those  who  had  none,  on  the  other.  Of 
course,  those  who  had  the  means  expected  to  get 
the  salt  and  the  others  looked  very  much  dis- 
tressed and  crestfallen.  Menard  then  spoke  up 
in  his  brusque  way,  and  said,  'You  men  who  got 
de  money,  can  go  to  St.  Louis  for  your  salt. 
Dese  poor  men  who  got  no  money  shall  have  my 
salt,  by  gar. '  Such  was  the  man — noble  hearted 
and  large-minded,  if  unpolished  and  uncouth." 
(See  Menard,  Pierre. ) 

Removal  of  the  Capital  to  Vandalia. — 
At  the  second  session  of  the  General  Assembly, 
five  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  select  a 
new  site  for  the  State  Capital.  What  is  now  tlie 
city  of  Vandalia  was  selected,  and,  in  December, 
1820,  the  entire  archives  of  the  State  were  re- 
moved to  the  new  capital,  being  transported  in 
one  small  wagon,  at  a  cost  of  $25.00,  under  the 
supervision  of  tlie  late  Sidney  Breese.  who  after- 
wards became  United  States  Senator  and  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court.     (See  State  Capitals. ) 

During   the    session    of    the    Second  General 


Assembly,  which  met  at  Vandalia,  Dec.  4, 
1820,  a  bill  was  passed  establishing  a  State  Bank 
at  Vandalia,  with  branches  at  Shawneetown, 
Edwardsville  and  Brownsville.  John  McLean, 
who  had  been  the  first  Representative  in  Con- 
gress, was  Speaker  of  the  House  at  this  session. 
He  was  twice  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
though  he  served  only  about  two  years,  dying  in 
1830.     (See  State  Bank.) 

Introduction  of  the  Slavery  Question. — 
The  second  State  election,  which  occurred  in 
August,  1832,  proved  the  beginning  of  a  turbu- 
lent period  through  the  introduction  of  some 
exciting  questions  into  State  politics.  There 
were  four  candidates  for  gubernatorial  honors  in 
the  field:  Chief-Justice  Phillips,  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  supported  by  the  friends  of  Governor 
Bond;  Associate- Justice  Browne,  of  the  same 
court,  supported  by  the  friends  of  Governor 
Edwards;  Gen.  James  B.  Moore,  a  noted  Indian 
fighter  and  the  candidate  of  the  "Old  Rangers," 
and  Edward  Coles.  The  latter  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  who  had  served  as  private  secretary  of 
President  Monroe,  and  had  been  employed  as  a 
special  messenger  to  Russia.  He  had  made  two 
visits  to  Illinois,  the  first  in  1815  and  the  second 
in  1818.  The  Convention  to  form  a  State  Constitu- 
tion being  in  session  at  the  date  of  the  latter 
visit,  he  took  a  deep  intere.st  in  the  discussion  of 
the  slavery  question  and  exerted  his  influence  in 
securing  the  adoption  of  the  proliibitory  article 
in  the  organic  law.  On  April  1,  1819,  he  started 
from  his  home  in  Virginia  to  remove  to  Edwards- 
ville, 111.,  taking  with  him  his  ten  slaves.  The 
journey  from  Brownsville,  Pa.,  was  made  in 
two  flat-boats  to  a  point  below  Louisville,  where 
he  disembarked,  traveling  by  land  to  Edwards- 
ville. While  descending  the  Ohio  River  he  sur- 
prised his  slaves  by  announcing  that  they  were 
free.  The  scene,  as  described  by  him.self,  was 
most  dramatic.  Having  declined  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  privilege  of  leaving  him,  he  took 
them  with  him  to  his  destination,  where  he 
eventually  gave  each  head  of  a  family  ICO  acres 
of  land.  Arrived  at  Edwardsville,  he  assumed 
the  position  of  Register  of  the  Land  OSice,  to 
wliich  he  had  been  appointed  by  President  Mon- 
roe, before  leaving  Virginia. 

The  act  of  Coles  with  reference  to  his  slaves 
established  his  reputation  as  an  opponent  of 
slavery,  and  it  was  in  this  attitude  that  he  stood 
as  a  candidate  for  Governor — both  Phillips  and 
Browne  being  friendly  to  "the  institution," 
which  had  had  a  virtual  existence  in  the  "Illinois 
Country"  from  the  time    Renault  brought   500 


260 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


slaves  to  the  vicinity  of  Kaskaskia,  one  hun- 
dred years  before.  Although  the  Constitution 
declared  that  "neither  slavery  nor  involuntary 
servitude  shall  hereafter  be  introduced  into  the 
State,"  this  had  not  been  effectual  in  eliminating 
it.  In  fact,  while  this  language  was  construed, 
so  long  as  it  remained  in  the  Constitution,  as 
prohibiting  legislation  authorizing  the  admission 
of  slaves  from  without,  it  was  not  regarded  as 
inimical  to  the  institution  as  it  already  existed ; 
and,  as  the  population  came  largely  from  the 
slave  States,  there  had  been  a  rapidly  growing 
sentiment  in  favor  of  removing  the  inhibitory 
clause.  Although  the  pro-slavery  party  was 
divided  between  two  candidates  for  Governor, 
it  had  hardly  contemplated  the  possibility  of 
defeat,  and  it  was  consequently  a  surprise  wlien 
the  returns  showed  that  Coles  was  elected,  receiv- 
ing 2.854  votes  to  2,687  for  Phillips.  2.443  for 
Browne  and  C22  for  Moore  — Coles'  plurality 
being  167  in  a  total  of  8,606.  Coles  thus  became 
Governor  on  less  than  one-third  of  the  popular 
vote.  Daniel  P.  Cook,  who  had  made  the  race 
for  Congress  at  the  same  election  against 
McLean,  as  an  avowed  opponent  of  slavery,  was 
successful  by  a  majority  of  876.  (See  Coles. 
Edward;  also  Cook,  Daniel  Pope. ) 

The  real  struggle  was  now  to  occur  in  the  Legis- 
lature, which  met  Dec.  2,  1822.  The  House 
organized  with  William  M.  Alexander  as  Speaker, 
while  the  Senate  elected  Thomas  Lippincott 
(afterwards  a  prominent  Presbyterian  minister 
and  the  father  of  the  late  Gen.  Charles  E.  Lippin- 
cott), Secretary,  and  Henry  S.  Dodge,  Enrolling 
and  Engrossing  Clerk.  The  other  State  officers 
appointed  by  the  Governor,  or  elected  by  the 
Legislature,  were  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Secretary 
of  State;  Elijah  C.  Berry,  Auditor;  Abner  Field. 
Treasurer,  and  James  Turney.  Attorney-General. 
Lockwood  had  served  nearly  two  years  previously 
as  Attorney-General,  but  remained  in  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State  only  three  months,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  Receiver  for 
the  Land  Office.     (See  Lockwood,  Samuel  Drake. ) 

The  slavery  question  came  up  in  the  Legisla- 
ture on  the  reference  to  a  special  committee  of  a 
portion  of  the  Governor's  message,  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  continued  existence  of  slavery  in  spite 
of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  recommending  that 
steps  be  taken  for  its  extinction.  Majority  and 
minority  reports  were  submitted,  the  former 
claiming  the  right  of  the  State  to  amend  its  Con- 
stitution and  therebj-  make  such  disposition  of 
the  slaves  as  it  saw  proper.  Out  of  this  grew  a 
resolution  submitting  to  the  electors  at  the  next 


election  a  proposition  for  a  convention  to  revise 
the  Constitution.  This  passed  the  Senate  by  the 
necessary  two-thirds  vote,  and,  having  come  up 
in  the  Hou.se  (Feb.  11,  1823),  it  failed  by  a  single 
vote — Nicholas  Hansen,  a  Representative  from 
Pike  Count}',  whose  seat  had  been  unsuccessfully 
contested  by  John  Shaw  at  the  beginning  of  the 
session,  being  one  of  those  voting  in  the  negative. 
The  next  day,  without  further  investigation,  the 
majority  proceeded  to  reconsider  its  action  in 
seating  Hansen  two  and  a  half  months  previ- 
ously, and  Shaw  was  seated  in  Ids  place;  though, 
in  order  to  do  this,  some  crooked  work  was  nec- 
essary to  evade  the  rules.  Shaw  being  seated, 
the  submission  resolution  was  then  passed.  No 
more  exciting  campaign  was  ever  had  in  Illinois. 
Of  live  papers  then  published  in  the  State.  "The 
Edwardsville  Spectator,"  edited  by  Hooper 
AVarren,  opposed  the  measure,  being  finally  rein- 
forced by  "The  Hlinois  Intelligencer,"  which  had 
been  removed  to  Vandalia;  "The  Illinois  Gaz- 
ette," at  Shawneetown,  published  articles  on 
both  aides  of  the  question,  though  rather  favoring 
the  anti-slavery  cause,  while  "The  Republican 
Advocate."  at  Kaskaskia,  the  organ  of  Senator 
Elias  Kent  Kane,  and  "The  Republican,"  at 
Edwardsville,  under  direction  of  Judge  Theophi- 
lus  \V.  Smith,  Emanuel  J.  West  and  Judge 
Samuel  McRoberts  (afterwards  United  States 
Senator),  favored  the  Convention.  The  latter 
paper  was  established  for  the  especial  purpose  of 
supporting  the  Convention  scheme  and  was 
promptly  discontinued  on  the  defeat  of  the  meas- 
ure. (See  Xewspapers,  Early.)  Among  other 
supporters  of  the  Convention  proposition  were 
Senator  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  John  McLean.  Richard 
M.  Young.  Judges  Phillips.  Browne  and  Reynolds, 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  many  more;  while 
among  the  leading  champions  of  the  opposition, 
were  Judge  Lockwood,  George  Forquer  (after- 
ward Secretary  of  State).  Morris  Birkbeck,  ( Jeorge 
Churchill,  Thomas  Mather  and  Rev.  Thomas  Lip- 
pincott. Daniel  P  Cook,  then  Representative  in 
Congress,  was  the  leading  champion  of  freedom 
on  the  stump,  while  Governor  Coles  contributed 
the  salary  of  his  entire  term  (§4,000),  as  well  as 
his  influence,  to  the  support  of  the  cause.  Gov- 
ernor Edwards  (then  in  the  Senate)  was  the  owner 
of  slaves  and  occupied  a  non-committal  position. 
The  election  was  held  August  2.  1824.  resulting  in 
4.972  votes  for  a  Convention,  to  6,640  against  it, 
defeating  the  proposition  by  a  majority  of  1,668. 
Considering  the  size  of  the  aggregate  vote 
(11.612),  the  result  was  a  decisive  one.  By  it 
Illinois  escaped  the  greatest  danger  it  ever  en- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


261 


countered  previous  to  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
(See  Slavery  and  Slave  Lairs.) 

At  the  same  election  Cook  was  re-elected  to 
Congress  by  3,016  majority  over  Shadrach  Bond. 
The  vote  for  President  was  divided  between  John 
Quincy  Adams,  Andrew  Jackson,  Henry  Clay 
and  "William  H.  Crawford — Adams  receiving  a 
plurality,  but  much  below  a  majority.  The  Elect- 
oral College  failing  to  elect  a  President,  the 
decision  of  the  question  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Congressional  House  of  Representatives, 
when  Adams  was  elected,  receiving  the  vote  of 
Illinois  through  its  only  Representative,  Mr.  Cook. 

During  the  remainder  of  his  term,  Governor 
Coles  was  made  the  victim  of  much  vexatious 
litigation  at  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  a  verdict 
being  rendered  against  him  in  the  sum  of  §2,000 
for  bringing  his  emancipated  negroes  into  the 
State,  in  violation  of  the  law  of  1819.  The  Legis- 
lature having  passed  an  act  releasing  him  from 
the  penalty,  it  was  declared  unconstitutional  by 
a  malicious  Circuit  Judge,  though  his  decision 
was  promptly  reversed  by  the  Supreme  Court. 
Having  lived  a  few  years  on  his  farm  near 
Edwardsville,  in  1832  he  removed  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  his 
death  occurring  there,  July  7,  1868.  In  the  face 
of  opprobrium  and  defamation,  and  sometimes  in 
danger  of  mob  violence.  Governor  Coles  per- 
formed a  service  to  the  State  which  has  scarcely 
yet  been  fully  recognized.     (See  Colex,  Edward.) 

A  ridiculous  incident  of  the  closing  year  of 
Coles"  administration  was  the  attempt  of  Lieut. - 
Gov.  Frederick  Adolplius  Hubbard,  after  having 
tasted  the  sweets  of  executive  power  during  the 
Governor's  temporary  absence  from  the  State,  to 
usurp  the  position  after  the  Governor's  return. 
The  ambitious  aspirations  of  the  would-be  usurper 
were  suppressed  by  the  Supreme  Court. 

An  interesting  event  of  the  year  1825,  was  the 
visit  of  General  La  Fayette  to  Kaskaskia.  He 
was  welcomed  in  an  address  by  Governor  Coles, 
and  the  event  was  made  the  occasion  of  much 
festivity  by  the  French  citizens  of  the  ancient 
capital.     {See  La  Fayette.  Visit  of .) 

The  first  State  House  at  Vandalia  having  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  Dec.  9,  1823,  a  new  one  was 
erected  during  the  following  year  at  a  cost  of 
112,381.50,  toward  which  the  people  of  Vandalia 
contributed  .$5,000. 

Edwards'  Admixistr.\tion. — The  State  elec- 
tion of  1826  resulted  in  again  calling  Ninian 
Edwards  to  the  gubernatorial  chair,  which  he 
had  filled  during  nearly  the  whole  of  the  exist- 
ence of  Illinois  as  a  Territory.     Elected  one  of  the 


first  United  States  Senators,  and  re-elected  for  a 
second  term  in  1819,  he  had  resigned  this  office  in 
1824  to  accept  the  position  of  Minister  to  Mexico, 
by  appointment  of  President  Monroe.  Having 
become  involved  in  a  controversy  with  William 
H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  tlie  Treasury,  he 
resigned  the  Mexican  mission,  and,  after  a  period 
of  retirement  to  private  life  for  the  first  time 
after  he  came  to  Illinois,  he  appealed  to  the 
people  of  the  State  for  endorsement,  with  the 
result  stated.  His  administration  was  unevent- 
ful except  for  the  "Winnebago  War,"  which 
caused  considerable  commotion  on  the  frontier, 
without  resulting  in  much  bloodshed.  Governor 
Edwards  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  "old  school 
gentleman"  of  that  period — dignified  and  polished 
in  his  manners,  courtly  and  precise  in  his  address, 
proud  and  an*bitious,  with  a  tendency  to  the 
despotic  in  his  bearing  in  consequence  of  having 
been  reared  in  a  slave  State  and  his  long  connec- 
tion with  the  executive  oflice.  His  early  educa- 
tion had  been  under  the  direction  of  the 
celebrated  William  Wirt,  between  whom  and 
himself  a  close  friendship  existed.  He  was 
wealthy  for  the  time,  being  an  extensive  land 
owner  as  well  as  slave-holder  and  the  proprietor  of 
stores  and  mills,  which  were  managed  by  agents, 
but  he  lost  heavily  by  bad  debts.  He  was  for 
many  years  a  close  friend  of  Hooper  Warren,  the 
pioneer  printer,  furnishing  the  material  with 
which  the  latter  publislied  his  papers  at  Spring- 
field and  Galena.  At  the.expiration  of  his  term 
of  office  near  the  close  of  1830,  he  retired  to  liis 
home  at  Belleville,  where,  after  making  an  un- 
successful campaign  for  Congress  in  1832,  in 
which  he  was  defeated  by  Cliarles  Slade,  he 
died  of  cholera,  July  20.  1833.  (See  Edwards, 
Ni7iian.) 

William  Kinney,  of  Belleville,  who  was  a  can- 
didate for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  ticket 
opposed  to  Edwards,  was  elected  over  Samuel  M. 
Thompson.  In  1830,  Kinney  became  a  candidate 
for  Governor  but  was  defeated  by  John  Reynolds, 
known  as  the  "Old  Ranger."  One  of  the  argu- 
ments used  against  Kinney  in  this  campaign  was 
that,  in  the  Legislature  of  1823,  he  was  one  of 
three  members  who  voted  against  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  on  the  ground  that  "it  (the 
canal)  would  make  an  opening  for  the  Yankees 
to  come  to  the  country." 

During  Edwards'  administration  the  fir.st  steps 
were  taken  towards  the  erection  of  a  State  peni- 
tentiary at  Alton,  funds  therefor  being  secured 
by  the  sale  of  a  portion  of  the  saline  lands  in  Gal- 
latin County.  (See  Alton  Penitentiary.)  The  first 


262 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Commissioners  having  charge  of  its  construction 
were  Shadrach  Bond,  William  P.  McKee  and 
Dr.  Gershom  Jayne — the  last-named  the  father  of 
Dr.  William  Jayne  of  Springfield,  and  father-in- 
law  of  the  late  Senator  Lyman  Trumbull. 

Governor  Reynolds— Bl.\ck  Hawk  War. — 
The  election  of  1830  resulted  in  the  choice  of  John 
Reynolds  for  Governor  over  William  Kinney,  by 
a  majority  of  3,899,  in  a  total  vote  of  49,051, 
while  Zadoc  Casey,  the  candidate  on  the  Kinney 
ticket,  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor.  (See 
Reynolds,  John.) 

The  most  important  event  of  Reynolds'  admin- 
istration was  the  "Black-Hawk  War."  Eight 
thousand  militia  were  called  out  during  this  war 
to  reinforce  1,500  regular  troops,  the  final  result 
being  the  driving  of  400  Indians  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Rock  Island,  which  had  been  the  favor- 
ite rallj'ing  point  of  the  Indians  for  generations, 
was  the  central  point  at  the  beginning  of  this 
war.  It  is  impossible  to  give  the  details  of  this 
complicated  struggle,  which  was  protracted 
through  two  campaigns  (1831  and  1832),  though 
there  was  no  fighting  worth  speaking  of  except 
in  the  last,  and  no  serious  loss  to  the  whites  in 
that,  except  the  surprise  and  defeat  of  Stillman's 
command.  Beardstown  was  the  base  of  o[)era- 
tions  in  each  of  these  wiinpaigns,  and  that  city 
has  probably  never  witne.ssed  such  scenes  of 
bustle  and  excitement  since.  The  Indian  village 
at  Rock  Island  was  de.stroyed,  and  the  fugitives, 
after  being  pursued  through  Northern  Illinois 
and  Southwestern  Wisconsin  without  being 
allowed  to  surrender,  were  driven  beyond  the 
Mississippi  in  a  famishing  condition  and  with 
spirits  completely  broken.  Galena,  at  that  time 
the  emporium  of  the  "Lead  Mine  Region,"  and 
the  largest  town  in  the  State  north  of  Springfield, 
was  the  center  of  great  excitement,  as  the  war 
was  waged  in  the  region  surrounding  it.  (See 
Black  Hau-k  War.)  Although  cool  judges  have 
not  regarded  this  campaign  as  reflecting  honor 
upon  either  the  prowess  or  the  magnanimity  of 
the  whites,  it  was  remarkable  for  the  number  of 
those  connected  with  it  whose  names  afterwards 
became  famous  in  the  history  of  the  State  and 
the  Nation.  Among  them  were  two  who  after- 
wards became  Presidents  of  the  United  States — 
Col.  Zachary  Taylor  of  the  regular  army,  and 
Abraham  Lincoln,  a  Captain  in  the  State  militia 
— besides  Jefferson  Davis,  then  a  Lieutenant  in 
the  regular  army  and  afterwards  head  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy;  three  subsequent  Gov- 
ernors— Duncan,  Carlin  and  Ford — besides  Gov- 
ernor Reynolds,  who  at  that  time  occupied  the 


gubernatorial  chair;  James  Semple,  afterwards 
United  States  Senator;  John  T.  Stuart,  Lincoln's 
law  preceptor  and  partner,  and  later  a  Member 
of  Congress,  tos;iy  nothing  of  man)- others,  who,  in 
after  years,  occupied  prominent  positions  as  mem- 
bers of  Congress,  the  Legislature  or  otherwise. 
Among  the  latter  were  Gen.  John  J.  Hardin; 
the  late  Joseph  Gillespie,  of  Edwardsville;  Col. 
John  Dement:  William  Thomas  of  Jackson- 
ville; Lieut. -Col.  Jacob  Fry;  Henry  Dodge  and 
others. 

Under  the  census  of  1830,  Illinois  became 
entitled  to  three  Representatives  in  Congress 
instead  of  one,  by  whom  it  had  been  represented 
from  the  date  of  its  admi.ssion  as  a  State.  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Casey,  having  been  elected  to 
the  Twenty-third  Congress  for  the  Second  Dis- 
trict under  the  new  apportionment,  on  March  1, 
1833,  tendered  his  resignation  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governorship,  and  was  succeeded  by  William  L. 
D.  Ewing,  Temporary  President  of  the  Senate. 
(See  Apportionment,  Congressional;  Casey,  Zadoc, 
and  Representatives  in  Congress.)  Within  two 
weeks  of  the  close  of  his  term  (Nov.  17,  1834), 
Governor  Reynolds  followed  the  example  of  his 
associate  in  office  by  resigning  the  Governorship 
to  accept  the  seat  in  Congrej-s  for  the  First  (or 
Southern)  District,  which  had  been  rendered 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Hon.  Charles  Slade,  the 
incumbent  in  office,  in  July  previous.  This 
opened  the  way  for  a  new  promotion  of  acting 
Lieutenant-Governor  Ewing,  who  thus  had  the 
distinction  of  occupying  the  gubernatorial  office 
for  the  brief  space  of  two  weeks.  (See  Reynolds. 
John,  and  Slade,  Charles.) 

Ewing  probably  held  a  greater  variety  of 
offices  under  the  State,  than  any  other  man  who 
ever  lived  in  it.  Repeatedly  elected  to  each 
branch  of  the  General  Assembly,  he  more  than 
once  filled  the  chair  of  Speaker  of  the  Hou-se  and 
President  of  the  Senate;  served  as  Acting  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor and  Governor  by  virtue  of  the 
resignation  of  his  superiors;  was  United  States 
Senator  from  1835  to  1837;  still  kiter  became 
Clerk  of  the  House  where  he  had  presided  as 
Speaker,  finally,  in  1843,  being  elected  Auditor  of 
Public  Accounts,  and  dying  in  that  office  three 
years  later.  In  less  than  twenty  yeai-s,  he  held 
eight  or  ten  different  offices,  including  the  high- 
est in  the  State.  (See  Eicing,  William  Lee  David- 
son. ) 

Dcncan's  Administration. — Joseph  Duncan, 
who  had  served  the  State  as  its  only  Represent- 
ative in  three  Congresses,  was  elected  Governor, 
August,   1S34,   over    four    competitors — William 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


263 


Kinney,   Robert  K.   McLaughlin,   James    Evans 
and  W.  B,  Arclier.      (See  Duncan,  Jose2)h.) 

His  administration  was  made  memorable  by 
the  large  number  of  distinguished  men  who 
either  entered  public  life  at  this  period  or  gained 
additional  prominence  by  their  connection  with 
public  affairs.  Among  these  were  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  Stephen  A.  Douglas;  Col.  E.  D.  Baker, 
who  afterward  and  at  different  times  represented 
Illinois  and  Oregon  in  the  councils  of  the  Nation, 
and  who  fell  at  Ball's  Bluff  in  1862;  Orville  H. 
Browning,  a  prospective  United  States  Senator 
and  future  cabinet  officer;  Lieut. -Gov.  John 
Dougherty;  Gen.  James  Shields,  Col.  John  J. 
Hardin,  Archibald  Williams,  Cyrus  and  Ninian 
W.  Edwards;  Dr.  John  Logan,  father  of  Gen. 
John  A.  Logan;  Stephen  T.  Logan,  and  many 
more. 

During  this  administration  was  begun  that 
gigantic  scheme  of  "internal  improvements," 
which  proved  so  disastrous  to  the  financial  inter- 
ests of  the  State.  The  estimated  cost  of  the 
various  works  undertaken,  was  over  $11,000,000, 
and  though  little  of  substantial  value  was  real- 
ized, yet,  iu  18.52,  the  debt  (principal  and  inter- 
est) thereby  incurred  (including  that  of  the 
canal),  aggregated  nearly  §17,000,000.  The  col- 
lapse of  the  scheme  was,  no  doubt,  hastened  by 
the  unexpected  suspension  of  specie  payments 
by  the  banks  all  over  the  country,  which  followed 
soon  after  its  adoption.  (See  Internal  Improve- 
ment Policy,  also  State  Debt.) 

Capital  Removed  to  Springfield. — At  the 
session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1836-37,  an  act 
was  passed  removing  the  State  capital  to  Spring- 
field, and  an  appropriation  of  .550,000  was  made  to 
erect  a  building ;  to  this  amount  the  city  of  Spring- 
field added  a  like  sum,  besides  donating  a  site.  In 
securing  the  passage  of  these  acts,  the  famous 
"Long  Nine,"  consisting  of  A.  G.  Herndon  and 
Job  Fletcher,  in  the  Senate;  and  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, Ninian  VV.  Edwards,  John  Dawson,  Andrew 
McCormick,  Dan  Stone,  William  F.  Elkin  and 
Robert  L.  Wilson,  in  the  House — all  Representa- 
tives from  Sangamon  County — played  a  leading 
part. 

Thk  Murder  of  Lovejoy. — An  event  occurred 
near  the  clo.se  of  Governor  Duncan's  term,  which 
left  a  stain  upon  the  locality,  but  for  which  his 
administration  had  no  direct  responsibility;  to- 
wit,  the  murder  of  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  by  a 
pro-slavery  mob  at  Alton.  Lovejoy  was  a  native 
of  Maine,  who,  coming  to  St.  Louis  in  1827,  had 
been  employed  upon  various  papers,  the  last 
being  "The  St.  Louis  Observer."     The  outspoken 


hostility  of  this  paper  to  slavery  aroused  a  bitter 
local  opposition  which  led  to  its  renioval  to 
Alton,  where  the  first  number  of  "The  Alton 
Observer''  was  issued,  Sept.  8,.  1836,  though  not 
until  one  press  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
material  had  been  destroyed  by  a  mob.  On  the 
night  of  August  21,  1837,  there  was  a  second 
destruction  of  the  material,  when  a  third  press 
having  been  procured,  it  was  taken  from  the 
warehouse  and  thrown  into  the  Mississippi.  A 
fourth  press  was  ordered,  and,  pending  its 
arrival,  Lovejoy  appeared  before  a  public  meet- 
ing of  his  opponents  and,  in  an  impassioned 
address,  maintained  his  right  to  freedom  of 
speech,  declaring  in  conclusion:  "If  the  civil 
authorities  refuse  to  protect  me,  I  must  look  to 
God ;  and  if  I  die,  I  have  determined  to  make  my 
grave  in  Alton."  These  words  proved  prophetic. 
The  new  pre.ss  was  stored  in  the  warehouse  of 
Godfrey,  Gillman  &  Co.,  on  the  night  of  Nov.  6, 
1837.  A  guard  of  sixty  volunteers  remained 
about  the  building  the  next  day,  but  when  night 
came  all  but  nineteen  retired  to  their  homes 
During  the  night  a  mob  attacked  the  building, 
when  a  shot  from  the  inside  killed  Lyman  Bishop. 
An  attempt  was  then  made  by  the  rioters  to  fire 
the  warehouse  by  sending  a  man  to  the  roof.  To 
dislodge  the  incendiary,  Lovejoy,  with  two 
others,  emerged  from  the  building,  when  two  or 
three  men  in  concealment  fired  upon  him,  the 
shots  taking  effect  in  a  vital  part  of  his  body, 
causing  his  death  almost  instantly.  He  was 
buried  the  following  day  without  an  inquest. 
Several  of  the  attacking  party  and  the  defenders 
of  the  building  were  tried  for  riot  and  acquitted 
— the  former  probably  on  account  of  popular 
sympathy  with  the  crime,  and  the  latter  because 
they  were  guiltless  of  any  crime  except  that  of 
defending  private  property  and  attempting  to 
preserve  the  law.  The  act  of  firing  the  fatal 
shots  has  been  charged  upon  two  men — a  Dr. 
Jennings  and  his  comrade.  Dr.  Beall.  The 
former,  it  is  said,  was  afterwards  cut  to  pieces  in 
a  bar-room  fight  in  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  while  the 
latter,  having  been  captured  by  Comanche 
Indians  in  Texas,  was  burned  alive.  On  the 
other  hand,  Lovejoy  has  been  honored  as  a 
martyr  and  the  sentiments  for  which  he  died 
have  triumphed.  (See  Lovejoy,  Elijah  Parish; 
also  Alton  Riots.) 

Carlin  Succeeds  to  the  Governorship.— 
Dimcan  was  succeeded  by  Gov.  Thomas  Carlin, 
who  was  chosen  at  the  election  of  1838  over 
Cyrus  Edwards  (a  younger  brother  of  Gov. 
Ninian  Edwards),  who  was  the  Whig  candidate. 


264 


HISTUUICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


The  successful  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor 
was  Stinson  H.  Anderson  of  Jelferson  County. 
(See  Carlin,  {Gov.)  Thovias;  Anderson,  Slinson  H. ) 

Among  the  members  of  the  Legislature  cliosen 
at  tlxis  time  we  find  the  names  of  Orville  H. 
Browning,  Robert  Blackwell,  George  Churcliill, 
William  G.  Gatewood,  Ebenezer  Peck  (of  Cook 
County),  William  A.  Richardson,  Newton  Cloud, 
Jnsse  K.  Dubois,  O.  B.  Ficklin,  Vital  Jarrot, 
John  Logan,  William  F.  Thornton  and  Archibald 
Williams — all  men  of  prominence  in  the  subse- 
quent history  of  the  State.  Tliis  w;us  the  last 
Legislature  that  assembled  at  Vundalia,  Spring- 
field becoming  the  capital,  July  4,  18:50.  Tlie 
corner-stone  of  the  first  State  capitol  at  Spring- 
field was  laid  with  imposing  ceremonies,  July  4, 
1837,  Col.  E.  D.  Baker  delivering  an  eloquent 
address.  Its  estimated  cost  was  $130,000,  but 
$240,000  was  expended  upon  it  before  its  com- 
pletion. 

.•\n  incident  of  this  campaign  was  the  election 
to  Congress,  after  a  bitter  struggle,  of  John  T. 
Stuart  over  Stephen  A.  Douglas  from  the  Third 
District,  by  a  majority  of  fourteen  votes.  Stuart 
was  re-elected  in  1840,  but  in  1842  he  was  suc- 
ceeded, under  a  new  apiK)rtionment.  by  Col.  John 
J.  Hardin,  while  DougUis,  elected  from  the 
Quincy  District,  then  entered  the  National  Coun 
cils  for  the  first  time. 

Field-McClernand  Contest.  —  An  exciting 
event  connected  with  Carlin's  administration  was 
the  attempt  to  remove  Alexander  P.  Field  from 
the  office  of  Secretary  of  State,  which  he  had 
held  since  1828.  Under  the  Constitution  of  1818. 
this  office  was  filled  by  nomination  by  the  Gov- 
ernor "with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
Senate."  Carlin  nominated  John  A.  McCler- 
nand  to  supersede  Field,  but  the  Senate  refused  to 
confirm  the  nomination.  After  adjournment  of 
the  Legislature,  McClernand  attempted  to  obtain 
possession  of  the  office  by  writ  of  <juo  warranto. 
The  Judge  of  a  Circuit  Court  decided  the  case  in 
his  favor,  but  this  decision  was  overruled  by  the 
Supreme  Court.  A  sj^ecial  session  having  been 
called,  in  November,  1840,  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
then  of  Morgan  County,  was  nominated  and  con- 
firmed Secretary  of  State,  but  held  the  position 
only  a  few  months,  wlien  he  resigned  to  accept  a 
place  on  the  Supreme  bench,  being  succeeded  as 
Secretary  by  Lyman  Trumbull. 

Supreme  Court  Revolctiosized.  —  Certain 
decisions  of  some  of  the  lower  courts  about  this 
time,  bearing  upon  the  suffrage  of  aliens,  excited 
the  apprehension  of  the  Democrats,  who  had 
heretofore  been  in  political  control  of  the  State, 


and  a  movement  was  started  in  the  Legislature 
to  reorganize  the  Supreme  Court,  a  majority  of 
whom  were  Whigs.  The  Democrats  were  not 
unanimous  in  favor  of  the  measure,  but,  after  a 
bitter  struggle,  it  was  adopted,  receiving  a  bare 
majority  of  one  in  the  Ilouse.  Under  this  act 
five  additional  Judges  were  elected,  viz. :  Thomas 
Ford,  Sidney  Breese,  Walter  B.  Scates;  Samuel 
H.  Treat  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas  —  all  Demo- 
crats. Mr.  Ford,  one  of  the  new  Judges,  and 
afterwards  Governor,  has  characterized  this  step 
as  "a  confessedly  violent  and  somewhat  revolu- 
tionary meixsure,  which  could  never  have  suc- 
ceeded except  in  times  of  great  party  excite- 
ment." 

The  great  Whig  mass-meeting  at  Springfield, 
in  June,  1810,  was  an  incident  of  tlie  political 
campaign  of  that  year.  No  such  pojuilar  assem- 
blage had  ever  been  seen  in  the  State  before.  It 
is  estimated  that  20,000  people — nearly  five  per 
cent  of  the  entire  population  of  the  State — were 
present,  including  a  large  delegation  from  Chi- 
cago who  marched  overland,  untier  command  of 
the  late  Maj-Gen.  David  Hunter,  bearing  with 
them  many  devices  so  popular  in  that  memorable 
campaign. 

Ford  Elected  Governor.  — Judge  Thomas 
Ford  became  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor in  1842,  taking  the  place  on  the  ticket  of 
Col.  Adam  W.  Snyder,  who  had  died  after  nomi- 
nation. Ford  was  elected  by  more  than  8,000 
majority  over  ex-Governor  Duncan,  tlie  Whig 
candidate.  John  Moore,  of  McLean  County  (who 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Legislature  for  several 
terms  and  was  afterwards  State  Treasurer), 
was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor.  (See  Ford. 
Thovian:  Snyder,  Adam  W.,  and  Moore,  John.) 

Embarr.\ssino  Questions. — The  failure  of  the 
State  and  the  Shawneetown  banks,  near  the  close 
of  Carlin's  administration,  had  produced  a  condi- 
tion of  business  depression  that  was  felt  all  over 
the  State.  At  the  beginning  of  Ford's  adminis- 
tration, the  State  debt  was  estimated  at  $1.5.6.57,- 
950 — within  abf)Ut  one  million  of  the  highest 
point  it  ever  reached — while  the  total  population 
was  a  little  over  half  a  million.  In  addition  to 
these  drawbacks,  the  Mormon  question  became  a 
source  of  embarrassment.  This  people,  after 
having  been  driven  from  Missouri,  settled  at 
Nauvoo,  in  Hancock  County;  they  increased 
rapidly  in  numbers,  and,  by  the  arrogant  course 
of  their  leaders  and  their  odious  doctrines — 
especially  with  reference  to  "celestial  marriage," 
and  their  assumptions  of  authority — aroused  the 
bitter  hostility  of  neighboring  communities  not 


HISTORICxVL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


2G5 


of  their  faith.  The  popular  indignation  became 
greatly  intensified  by  the  coursa  of  unscrupulous 
politicians  and  the  granting  to  the  Mormons,  by 
the  Legislature,  of  certain  charters  and  special 
privileges.  Various  charges  were  made  against 
the  obnoxious  sect,  including  rioting,  kidnap- 
ing, robbery,  counterfeiting,  etc.,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor called  out  the  militia  of  the  neighboring 
counties  to  preserve  the  peace.  Joseph  Smith — 
the  founder  of  the  sect — with  his  brother  Hyrum 
and  three  others,  were  induced  to  surrender  to 
the  authorities  at  Carthage,  on  the  23d  of  June, 
18-14,  under  promise  of  protection  of  their  per- 
sons. Then  the  charge  was  changed  to  treason 
and  they  were  thrown  into  jail,  a  guard  of  eight 
men  being  placed  about  the  building.  A  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  militia  had  disbanded  and 
returned  home,  while  others  were  openly  hostile 
to  the  prisoners.  On  June  27  a  band  of  150 
disguised  men  attacked  the  jail,  finding  little 
opposition  among  those  set  to  guard  it.  In 
the  assault  which  followed  both  of  the  Smiths 
were  killed,  while  John  Taylor,  another  of 
the  prisoners,  was  wounded.  The  trial  of  the 
murderers  was  a  farce  and  they  were  acquitted. 
A  state  of  virtual  war  continued  for  a  year, 
in  which  Governor  Ford's  authority  was  openly 
defied  or  treated  with  contempt  by  those  whom 
he  had  called  upon  to  preserve  the  peace.  In 
the  fall  of  1845  the  Mormons  agreed  to  leave 
the  State,  and  the  following  spring  the  pilgrim- 
age to  Salt  Lake  began.  Gen.  John  J.  Hardin, 
who  afterward  fell  at  Buena  Vista,  was  twice 
called  on  by  Governor  Ford  to  head  parties  of 
militia  to  restore  order,  while  Gen.  Mason  Bray- 
man  conducted  the  negotiations  which  resulted 
in  the  promise  of  removal.  The  great  body  of 
the  refugees  spent  the  following  winter  at  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Iowa,  arriving  at  Salt  Lake  in  June 
following.  Another  considerable  body  entered 
the  service  of  the  Government  to  obtain  safe  con- 
duct and  sustenance  across  the  plains.  While 
the  conduct  of  the  Mormons  during  their  stay 
at  Nauvoo  was,  no  doubt,  very  irritating  and 
often  lawle.ss,  it  is  equally  true  that  the  dis- 
ordered condition  of  affairs  was  taken  advantage 
of  by  unscrupulous  demagogues  for  dishonest 
purposes,  and  this  episode  has  left  a  stigma 
upon  the  name  of  more  than  one  over-zealous  anti- 
Mormon  hero.     (See  Mormons:  Smith,  Joseph.) 

Though  Governor  Ford's  integrity  and  ability 
in  certain  directions  have  not  been  questioned, 
his  administration  was  not  a  successful  one, 
largely  on  account  of  the  conditions  which  pre- 
vailed at  the  time  and  the  embarrassments  which 


he  met  from  his  own  party.     (See  Ford,  Thomas.) 
Mexican  War.— a  still  more  tragic  chapter 
opened  during  the  last  year  of  Ford's  administra- 
tion, in   the  beginning  of  the  war  with  Mexico. 
Three  regiments  of  twelve  months'  volunteers, 
called  for  by  the  General  Government  from  the 
State  of  Illinois,   were  furnished  with  alacrity, 
and  many  more  men  offered  their  services  than 
could  be  accepted.     The  names  of  their  respective 
commanders— Cols.  John  J.  Hardin,  William  H. 
Bissell  and  Ferris  Forraan — have  been  accorded 
a  high  place  in  the  annals  of  the  State  and  the 
Nation.     Hardin  was  of  an  honorable  Kentucky 
family;  he  had  achieved  distinction  at  the  bar 
and  served  in  the  State  Legislature  and  in  Con- 
gress, and  his  death  on  the  battlefield  of  Buena 
Vista  was  universally  deplored.     (See    Hardin, 
John  J.)    Bissell  afterward  served  with  distinc- 
tion in  Congress  and  was  the  first  Republican 
Governor  of  Illinois,  elected  in  1856.     Edward  D. 
Baker,   then  a  Whig  member  of    Congress,   re- 
ceived authority  to  raise  an  additional  regiment, 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  reputation  as  broad 
as  the  Nation.     Two  other  regiments  were  raised 
in  the  State  "for  the  war''  during  the  next  year, 
led  respectively  by  Col.  Edward  W.  B.  Newby  and 
James  Collins,  beside  four  independent  companies 
of  mounted  volunteers.     The  whole  number  of 
volunteers  furnished  by  Illinois  in  this  conflict 
was   6,123,  of    whom    86    were    killed,  and   182 
wounded,  12  dying  of  their  wounds.     Their  loss 
in   killed   was  greater  than   that   of   any   other 
State,  and  the  number  of  wounded  only  exceeded 
by  those  from  South  Carolina  and  Pennsylvania. 
Among  other  lUinoisans  who  participated  in  this 
struggle,   were   Thomas  L.   Harris,   William  A. 
Richardson,  J.   L.  D.  Morrison,  Murray  F.  Tuley 
and  Charles    C.  P.  Holden,  while    still    others, 
either  in  the  ranks  or  in  subordinate  positions, 
received  the  "baptism  of  fire"  which  prepared 
them  to  win  distinction  as  commanders  of  corps, 
divisions,  brigades  and  regiments  during  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  including  such  names  as  John 
A.    Logan,   Richard    J.    Oglesby,   Benjamin    M. 
Prentiss,  James  D.   Morgan,  W.  H.  L.  Wallace 
(who   fell    at    Pittsburg  Landing),   Stephen  G. 
Hicks.    Michael    K.   Lawler,   Leonard    F.   Ross, 
Lsham    N.    Haynie,    Theophilus     Lyle     Dickey, 
Dudley  Wickersham,  Lsaac  C.  Pugh,  Thomas  H. 
Flynn,  J.  P.  Post,  Nathaniel  Niles,  W.   R.  Morri- 
son, and  others.     (See  Mexican  War.) 

French's  Admi.mstration-Massac  Rebellion. 
—Except  for  the  Mexican  AVar,  which  was  still 
in  progress,  and  acts  of  mob  violence  in  certain 
portionsof  the  State— especially  bv  a  band  of  .self- 


266 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


styled  "regulators"  in  Pope  and  Massac  Counties 
— the  administration  of  Augustus  C.  French, 
which  began  with  the  close  of  the  year  1846.  was 
a  quiet  one.  French  was  elected  at  the  previous 
August  election  by  a  vote  of  58,700  to  36,775  for 
Thomas  M.  Kilpatrick,  the  Whig  candidate,  and 
5,112  for  Rioliard  Kels,  the  Free-Soil  (or  Aboli- 
tion) candidate.  Tlie  Wliigs  held  their  first  State 
Convention  this  year  for  the  nomination  of  a 
State  ticket,  meeting  at  Peoria.  At  tlie  same 
election  Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, defeating  Peter  Cartwright,  the  famous 
pioneer  Methodist  preacher,  who  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate.  At  tlie  session  of  tlie  Legisla- 
ture wliich  followed,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  as  successor 
to  James  Semple. 

New  Convention  Movement.  —  Governor 
French  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  born 
August  2,  1808;  he  had  practiced  his  profe.ssion 
as  a  lawyer  in  Crawford  County,  Iiad  been  a 
member  of  the  Tenth  and  Eleventh  General 
As.semblies  and  Receiver  of  the  Land  Office  at 
Palestine.  Tlie  State  had  now  begun  to  recover 
from  tlie  depression  caused  by  the  reverses  of 
1837  and  subseciuent  j'ears.  and  for  some  time  its 
growth  in  iiopulation  had  been  satisfactory.  The 
old  Constitution,  however,  had  been  felt  to  be  a 
hampering  influence,  especially  in  dealing  witli 
the  State  debt,  and,  as  early  as  1843,  the  question 
of  a  State  Convention  to  frame  a  new  Constitu- 
tion had  been  submitted  to  popular  vote,  but  was 
defeated  bj'  the  narrow  margin  of  1,039  votes. 
The  Legislature  of  1844-45  adopted  a  resolution 
for  resubmission,  and  at  the  election  of  1846  it 
was  approved  by  the  people  by  a  majority  of 
35,326  in  a  total  vote  of  81,352.  The  State  then 
contained  ninety-nine  counties,  with  an  aggregate 
population  of  662,150.  The  asse.ssed  valuation  of 
property  one  year  later  was  §92,206,493,  while 
the  State  debt  was  §16,661,795 — or  more  than 
eighteen  per  cent  of  the  entire  assessed  value  of 
the  property  of  the  State. 

Constitutional  Convention  of  1847.  —  The 
election  of  members  of  a  State  Convention  to 
form  a  second  Constitution  for  the  State  of  Dli- 
nois,  was  held  April  19,  1847.  Of  one  hundred 
and  sixt3"-two  meniters  chosen,  ninety-two  were 
Democrats,  leaving  seventy  members  to  all 
shades  of  the  opposition.  The  Convention 
assembled  at  Springfield,  June  7,  1847;  it  was 
organized  by  the  election  of  Newton  Cloud,  Per- 
manent President,  and  concluded  its  labors  after 
a  session  of  nearly  three  months,  adjourning 
August  31.     The  Couslitutioii  w;is  submitted  to 


a  vote  of  the  people,  March  6,  1848,  and  was  rati 
fied  by  59,887  votes  in  its  favor  to  15,859  against. 
A  special  article  prohibiting  free  persons  of  color 
from  settling  in  the  State  was  adopted  by  49,060 
votes  for,  to  20,883  against  it;  and  another,  pro- 
viding for  a  two-mill  tax,  by  41,017  for,  to  30,586 
against.  The  Constitution  went  into  effect  April 
1,  1848.  (See  Constitutions:  also  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1S47-) 

The  provision  imposing  a  special  two-mill  tax, 
to  bo  applied  to  the  payment  of  the  State  in- 
debtedness, was  the  means  of  restoring  the  State 
credit,  while  that  prohibiting  the  immigration 
of  free  persons  of  color,  though  in  accordance 
with  the  spirit  of  tlie  times,  brought  upon  the 
State  much  opprobrium  and  was  repudiated 
with  emphasis  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
The  demand  for  retrenchment,  caused  by  the 
financial  depression  following  the  wild  legislation 
of  1837,  led  to  the  adoption  of  many  radical  pro- 
visions in  the  new  Constitution,  some  of  which 
were  afterward  found  to  be  serious  errors  open- 
ing the  way  for  grave  abuses.  Among  these 
was  the  practical  limitation  of  the  biennial  ses- 
sions of  the  General  Assembly  to  fortj'-two  days, 
while  the  per  diem  of  members  was  fixed  at  two 
dollars.  The  salaries  of  State  officers  were  also 
fixed  at  what  would  now  be  recognized  as  an 
absurdly  low  figure,  that  of  Governor  being 
§1,500;  Supreme  Court  Judges,  §1,200  each;  Cir- 
cuit Judges,  §1,000;  State  Auditor,  §1,000;  Secre 
tary  of  State,  and  State  Treasurer,  §800  each. 
Among  less  objectionable  provisions  were  those 
restricting  the  right  of  suffrage  to  white  male 
citizens  alxive  the  age  of  2!  years,  which  excluded 
(exce]>t  as  to  residents  of  the  State  at  the  time  of 
the  adoption  of  the  Constitution)  a  class  of 
unnaturalized  foreigners  who  had  exercised  the 
privilege  as  "inhabitants"  under  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1818;  providing  for  the  election  of  all 
State,  judicial  and  county  officers  by  popular 
vote;  prohibiting  the  State  from  incurring  in- 
debtedness in  excess  of  §50,000  without  a  special 
vote  of  the  people,  or  granting  the  credit  of  the 
State  in  ai<l  of  any  individual  association  or  cor- 
poration; fixing  the  date  of  the  State  election 
on  the  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  Novem- 
ber in  every  fourth  year,  instead  of  the  firsf 
Monday  in  August,  as  had  been  the  rule  under 
the  old  Constitution.  The  tenure  of  office  of  all 
State  officers  was  fixed  at  four  years,  except  that 
of  State  Treasurer,  which  was  made  two  years, 
and  the  Governor  alone  was  made  ineligible  to 
immediate  re-election.  The  number  of  members 
of  the  General  Assembly  was  fixed  at  twenty-five 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


26r 


in  the  Senate  and  seventy-five  in  the  House, 
subject  to  a  certain  specified  ratio  of  in- 
crease when  the  population  should  exceed 
1,000.000. 

As  the  Constitution  of  1818  had  been  modeled 
upon  the  form  then  most  popular  in  the  Southern 
States  —  especially  with  reference  to  the  large 
number  of  officers  made  appointive  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, or  elective  by  the  Legislature — so  the  new 
Constitution  was,  in  some  of  its  features,  more  in 
harmony  with  those  of  other  Northern  States, 
and  indicated  the  growing  influence  of  New  Eng- 
land sentiment.  This  was  especially  the  case 
with  reference  to  the  section  providing  for  a  sys- 
tem of  township  organization  in  the  several 
counties  of  the  State  at  the  pleasure  of  a  majority 
of  the  voters  of  each  county. 

Elections  of  1848. — Besides  the  election  for 
the  ratification  of  the  State  Constitution,  three 
other  State  elections  were  held  in  1848,  viz.:  (1) 
for  the  election  of  State  officers  in  August;  (2) 
an  election  of  Judges  in  September,  and  (3)  the 
Presidential  election  in  November.  At  the  first 
of  these.  Governor  French,  whose  first  term  had 
been  cut  short  two  years  by  the  adoption  of  the 
new  Constitution,  was  re-elected  for  a  second 
term,  practically  without  opposition,  the  vote 
against  him  being  divided  between  Pierre  IMenavd 
and  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer.  French  thus  became  his 
own  successor,  being  the  first  Illinois  Governor 
to  be  re-elected,  and,  though  two  years  of  his 
first  term  had  been  cut  off  by  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution,  he  served  in  the  gubernatorial 
office  six  years.  The  other  State  officers  elected, 
were  William  McMurtry,  of  Knox,  Lieutenant- 
Governor;  Horaces.  Cooley,  of  Adams,  Secretary 
of  State;  Thomas  H.  Campbell,  of  Randolph, 
Auditor;  and  Milton  Carpenter,  of  Hamilton, 
State  Treasurer  —  all  Democrats,  and  all  but 
McMurtry  being  their  own  successors.  At  the 
Presidential  election  in  November,  the  electoral 
vote  was  given  to  Lewis  Cass,  the  Democratic 
candidate,  who  received  56,  .300  votes,  to  53,047 
for  Taylor,  the  Whig  candidate,  and  15,774  for 
Martin  Van  Buren,  the  candidate  of  the  Free 
Democracy  or  Free-Soil  party.  Thus,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  State  after  1834,  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  President  failed  to 
receive  an  absolute  majority  of  the  popular  vote, 
being  in  a  minority  of  12,531,  while  having  a 
plurality  over  the  Wliig  candidate  of  3.253.  The 
only  noteworthy  results  in  the  election  of  Con- 
gressmen this  year  were  the  election  of  Col.  E.  D. 
Baker  (Whig),  from  the  Galena  District,  and 
that  of  Maj.  Thomas  L.  Harris  (Democrat),  from 


the  Springfield  District.  Both  Baker  and  Harris 
had  been  soldiers  in  the  Mexican  W^ar,  which 
probably  accounted  for  their  election  in  Districts 
usually  opposed  to  them  politically.  The  other 
five  Congressmen  elected  from  the  State  at  the 
same  time — including  John  Wentworth,  then 
chosen  for  a  fourth  term  from  the  Chicago  Dis- 
trict— were  Democrats.  The  Judges  elected  to 
the  Supreme  bench  were  Lyman  Trumbull,  from 
the  Southern  Division ;  Samuel  H.  Treat,  from 
the  Central,  and  John  Dean  Caton,  from  the 
Northern — all  Democrats. 

A  leading  event  of  this  session  was  the  election 
of  a  United  States  Senator  in  place  of  Sidney 
Bree-se.  Gen,  James  Shields,  who  had  been 
severely  wounded  on  the  battle-field  of  Cerro 
Gordo ;  Sidney  Breese,  who  had  been  the  United 
States  Senator  for  six  years,  and  John  A.  Mo- 
Clernand,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  were 
arrayed  against  each  other  before  the  Democratic 
caucus.  After  a  bitter  conte.st.  Shields  was 
declared  the  choice  of  his  party  and  was  finally 
elected.  He  did  not  immediately  obtain  his  seat, 
however.  On  presentation  of  his  credentials, 
after  a  heated  controversy  in  Congress  and  out  of 
it,  in  which  he  injudiciously  assailed  his  prede- 
cessor in  very  intemperate  language,  he  was 
declared  ineligible  on  the  ground  that,  being  of 
foreign  birth,  the  nine  years  of  citizenship 
required  by  the  Constitution  after  naturalization 
had  not  elapsed  previous  to  his  election.  In 
October,  following,  the  Legislature  was  called 
together  in  special  session,  and,  Shields'  disabil- 
ity having  now  been  removed  by  the  expiration 
of  the  constitutional  period,  he  was  re-elected, 
though  not  without  a  renewal  of  the  bitter  con- 
test of  the  regular  session.  Another  noteworthy 
event  of  this  special  session  was  the  adoption  of 
a  joint  resolution  favoring  the  principles  of  the 
"Wilmot  Proviso.  ■■  Although  this  was  rescinded 
at  the  next  regular  session,  on  the  ground  that  the 
points  at  i.ssue  had  been  settled  in  the  Compi-o- 
mise  measures  of  1850,  it  indicated  the  drift  of 
sentiment  in  Illinois  toward  opposition  to  the 
spread  of  the  institution  of  slaverj-,  and  this  was 
still  more  strongly  emphasized  by  the  election  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  18G0. 

Illinois  Centk.\l  R.\ilro.\d. — Two  important 
measm-es  which  passed  the  General  Assembly  at 
the  session  of  1851,  were  the  Free-Banking  Law. 
and  the  act  incorporating  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company.  The  credit  of  first  suggest- 
ing this  great  thoroughfare  has  been  claimed  for 
William  Smith  Waite.  a  citizen  of  Bond  County, 
111. ,  as  early  as  1835,  although   a  special  charter 


268 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS 


for  a  road  over  a  part  of  this  line  Iiad  been  passed 
by  the  Legislature  in  1834.  \V.  K.  Ackermau.  in 
his  "Historical  Sketch"  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  awards  the  credit  of  originating  this 
enterprise  to  Lieut. -Gov.  Alexander  M.  Jenkins, 
in  the  Legislature  of  1832,  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  and  Speaker  of  the  House  at  the  time. 
He  afterwards  became  President  of  the  first  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  Company,  organized  under 
an  act  passed  at  the  session  of  1836,  which  pro- 
vided for  the  construction  of  a  line  from  Cairo  to 
Peru,  111.,  but  resigned  the  next  year  on  the  sur- 
render by  the  road  of  its  charter.  The  first  step 
toward  legislation  in  Congress  on  this  subject 
was  taken  in  the  introduction,  by  Senator  Breese, 
of  a  bill  in  March,  1843;  but  it  was  not  until  18.")0 
that  the  measure  took  the  form  of  a  direct  grant 
of  lands  to  the  State,  finally  passing  the  Senate 
in  May,  and  the  House  in  September,  following. 
The  act  ceded  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  aiding  in  the  construction  of  a  line  of 
railroad  from  the  junction  of  tlie  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi, with  branches  to  Chicago  and  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  respectively,  alternate  sections  of  land  on 
each  side  of  said  railroad,  aggregating  "2,59,1,000 
acres,  the  length  of  the  main  line  and  branches 
exceeding  seven  hundred  miles.  An  act  incorpo- 
rating the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company 
passed  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  February,  1851. 
The  company  was  thereupon  promptly  organized 
with  a  number  of  New  York  capitalists  at  its 
head,  including  Robert  Schuyler,  George  Gris- 
wold  and  Gouverneur  Morris,  and  the  grant  was 
placed  in  the  liands  of  trustees  to  he  useil  for  the 
purpose  designated,  under  the  pledge  of  the 
Company  to  build  the  road  bj-  July  4,  1854,  and 
to  pay  seven  per  cent  of  its  gross  earnings  into 
the  State  Treasury  perpetually.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  line  was  constructed  through  sections 
of  country  either  sparsely  settled  or  wholly 
unpopulated,  but  which  have  since  become 
among  the  richest  and  most  populous  portions  of 
the  State.  The  fund  already  received  by  the  State 
from  the  road  exceeds  the  amount  of  the  State 
debt  incurred  under  the  internal  improvement 
scheme  of  1837.  (See  Illinois  Central  Railroad.) 
Election  of  1852.— Joel  A.  Matteson  (Demo- 
crat) was  elected  Governor  at  the  November 
election,  in  1852,  receiving  80,'645  votes  to  64,405 
for  Edwin  B.  Webb,  Whig,  and  8,809  for  Dexter 
A.  Knowlton,  Free-Soil.  The  other  State  officers 
elected,  were  Gustavus  Koerner,  Lieutenant- 
Governor;  Alexander  Starne.  Secretary  of  State; 
Thomas  H.  Campbell,  Auditor ;  and  John  Moore, 
Treasurer.     The     Whig     candidates     for     these 


offices,  respectively,  were  James  L.  D.  Morrison, 
Huckner  S.  Morris,  Charles  A.  Betts  and  Francis 
Arenz.  John  A.  Logan  appeared  among  the  new 
members  of  the  House  chosen  at  this  election  as 
a  Representative  from  Jackson  County ;  while 
Henry  W.  Blodgett,  since  United  States  District 
Judge  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois,  and 
late  Counsel  of  the  American  Arbitrators  of  the 
Behring  Seii  Commission,  was  the  onh'  Free-Soil 
member,  being  tlie  Representative  from  Lake 
County.  John  Reynolds,  who  had  been  Gov- 
ernor, a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  Mem- 
ber of  Congress,  was  a  member  of  the  House  and 
was  elected  Speaker.  (See  Webb,  Edwin  B.; 
Knowlton,  Dexter  A.;  Koerner,  Gustai-us;  Starne, 
Alexander;  Moore,  John;  Morrison,  James  L.  D.; 
Morris,  Huckner  S. ;  Arenz,  Francis  A. ;  Blodgett 
Henry  W.) 

Redcctiox  of  State  Debt  Begins.— The 
State  debt  reached  its  maximum  at  the  beginning 
of  Mattesou's  administration,  amounting  to 
$16,724,177,  of  which  §7,259,822  was  canal  debt. 
The  State  hail  now  entered  uix>n  a  new  and  pros- 
[lerous  period,  and,  in  the  next  four  years,  the 
debt  was  reduced  by  the  sum  of  §4,564,840, 
leaving  the  amount  outstanding,  Jan.  1,  1857, 
§12,834,144.  The  three  State  institutions  at 
Jacksonville  —  the  Asylums  for  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb,  the  Blind  and  Insiine — had  been  in  suc- 
cessful operation  several  years,  but  now  internal 
dissensions  and  dissatisfaction  with  their  man- 
agement seriously  interfered  with  their  prosperity 
and  finally  leil  to  revolutions  which,  for  a  time, 
impaired  their  usefulness. 

Kans.^s-Nebraska  Excitement. — During  Mat- 
te.son"s  administration  a  i)eriod  of  political  ex- 
citement began,  caused  by  the  introduction  in 
the  United  States  Senate,  in  January,  1854,  by 
Senator  Douglas,  of  Illinois,  of  the  bill  for  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise — otherwise 
known  as  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  Although 
this  belongs  rather  to  National  history,  the 
prominent  part  played  in  it  by  an  Illinois  states- 
man who  had  won  applause  three  or  four,  years 
before,  by  the  service  he  had  jjerformed  in  secur- 
ing the  passage  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
grant,  and  the  effect  which  his  course  had  in 
revolutionizing  the  politics  of  the  State,  justifies 
reference  to  it  here.  After  a  debate,  almost 
unprecedented  in  bitterness,  it  became  a  law. 
May  30,  1854.  The  agitation  in  Illinois  was 
intense.  At  Chicago,  Douglas  was  practically 
denied  a  hearing.  Going  to  Springfield,  where 
the  State  Fair  was  in  progress,  during  the  first 
week  of  October,  1854,  he  made  a  speech  in  the 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


269 


State  Capitol  in  his  defense.     This  was  replied  to 
by  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  a  private  citizen,  to 
whom  Douglas  made  a  rejoinder.     Speeches  were 
also  made  in  criticism  of  Douglas'  position  by 
Judges  Breese  and  Trumbull  (botli  of  whom  had 
been  prominent    Democrats),   and    other  Demo- 
cratic leaders  were  understood  to  be    readj'  to 
assail  the  champion  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill, 
though  they  afterwards  reversed  their  position 
under  partisan  pressure  and  became  supporters  of 
the  measure.     The  first  State  Convention  of  the 
opponents  of  the  Nebraska  Bill  was  held  at  the 
same  time,  but  the  attendance  was  small  and  the 
attempt  to  effect  a  permanent  organization  was 
not  successful.     At  the  session  of  the  Nineteenth 
General  Assembly,   which  jnet  in  January,   fol- 
lowing,  Lyman  Trumbull  was  chosen  the  first 
Republican  United  States  Senator  from  Illinois, 
in  place  of  General  Shields,  whose  term  was  about 
to  expire.     Trumbull  was  elected  on  tne  tenth 
ballot,   receiving  fifty-one  votes    to   forty-seven 
for  Governor  Matteson,  though  Lincoln  had  led 
on  the  Republican  side  at  every  previous  ballot, 
and  on  the  first  had  come  within  six  votes  of  an 
election.     Although  he  was  then  the  choice  of  a 
large  majority  of  the  opposition  to  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate,   when    Lincoln    saw  that    the 
original  supporters  of  Trumbull  would  not  cast 
their  votes  for   himself,  he   generously  insisted 
that  his  friends  should    support  his  rival,  thus 
determining  the  result.    (See  Matteson,  Joel  A.; 
Trumbull,  Lyman,  and  Lineoln,  Abraham.) 

Decatur  Editorial  Convention.— On  Feb. 
22,  IS.ie,  occurred  the  convention  of  Anti-Neb- 
raska (Republican)  editors  at  Decatur,  which 
proved  the  first  effective  step  in  consolidating 
the  opposition  to  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  into  a 
compact  political  organization.  The  main  busi- 
ness of  this  convention  consisted  in  the  adoption 
of  a  series  of  resolutions  defining  the  position  of 
their  authors  on  National  questions — especially 
with  reference  to  the  institution  of  slavery— and 
appointing  a  State  Convention  to  be  held  at 
Bloomington,  May  29,  following.  A  State  Cen- 
tral Committee  to  represent  the  new  party  was 
also  appointed  at  this  convention.  With  two  or 
three  exceptions  the  Committeemen  accepted  and 
joined  in  the  call  for  the  State  Convention,  which 
was  held  at  the  time  designated,  when  the  first 
Republican  State  ticket  was  put  in  the  field. 
Among  the  distinguished  men  who  participated 
in  this  Convention  were  Abraham  Lincoln,  O.  H. 
Browning,  Richard  Yates,  Owen  Lovejoy,  John 
M.  Palmer,  Isaac  N.  Arnold  and  John  Went 
worth.     Palmer  presided,   while  Abraham    Lin 


coin,  who  was  one  of  the  chief  speakers,  was  one 
of  the  delegates  appointed  to  the  National  Con- 
vention, held  at  Philadelphia  on  the  17th  of  June. 
The  candidates  put  in  nomination  for  State  offices 
were:  William  H.  Bissell  for  Governor;  Francis 
A.  Hoffman  for  Lieutenant-Governor  (afterward 
replaced  by  John  Wood  on  account  of  Hoffman's 
ineligibility) ;  Ozias  M.  Hatch  for  Secretary  of 
State;  Jesse  K.  Dubois  for  Auditor;  James  H. 
Miller  for  State  Treasurer,  and  William  H.  Powell 
for  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  The 
Democratic  ticket  was  composed  of  William  A. 
Richard.son  for  Governor;  R.  J.  Hamilton,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor; W  H.  Snyder,  Secretary  of 
State ;  S.  K.  Casey,  Auditor ;  John  Moore,  Treas- 
urer, and  J.  H.  St.  Matthew,  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction.  The  American  organization 
also  nominated  a  ticket  headed  by  Buckner  S. 
Morris  for  Governor.  Although  the  Democrats 
carried  the  State  for  Buchanan,  their  candidate 
for  President,  by  a  plurality  of  9,1.')9,  the  entire 
Republican  State  ticket  was  elected  by  pluralities 
ranging  from  3,031  to  20.213 — the  latter  being  the 
majority  for  Miller,  candidate  for  State  Treas- 
urer, whose  name  was  on  both  the  Republican  and 
American  tickets.  (See  Anti-Nebraska  Editorial 
Convention,  and  Bloomington  Convention  of 
1S56.) 

Administration  of  Governor  Bissell.  — 
With  the  inauguration  of  Governor  Bissell,  the 
Republican  party  entered  upon  the  control  of  the 
State  Government,  which  was  maintained  with- 
out interruption  until  the  close  of  the  administra- 
tion of  Governor  Fifer,  in  January,  1893 — a  period 
of  thirty-six  years.  On  account  of  physical  disa- 
bility Bissell's  inauguration  took  place  in  the 
executive  mansion,  Jan.  13,  1857.  He  was 
immediately  made  the  object  of  virulent  personal 
abuse  in  the  House,  being  charged  with  perjury 
in  taking  the  oath  of  office  in  face  of  the  fact 
that,  while  a  member  of  Congress,  he  had  accepted 
a  challenge  to  fight  a  duel  with  Jefferson  Davis. 
To  this,  the  reply  was  made  that  the  offense 
charged  took  place  outside  of  the  State  and  be- 
yond the  legal  jurisdiction  of  the  Constitution  of 
Illinois.     (See  Bissell,  William  H. ) 

While  the  State  continued  to  prosper  under 
Bissell's  administration,  the  most  important 
events  of  this  period  related  rather  to  general 
than  to  State  policy.  One  of  these  was  the  deliv- 
ery by  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  Hall  of  Repre- 
sentatives, on  the  evening  of  June  17,  1858,  of  tlie 
celebrated  speech  in  which  he  announced  the 
doctrine  that  "a  house  divided  against  itself  can- 
not stand."     This  was  followed  during  the  next 


270 


lIISTUiacAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


few  months  by  the  series  of  memorable  debates 
between  those  two  great  champions  of  their 
respective  parties — Lincoln  and  Douglas — which 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  whole  land.  The 
result  was  the  re-election  of  Douglas  to  the 
United  States  Senate  for  a  third  term,  but  it 
also  made  Abraham  Lincoln  President  of  the 
United  States.  (See  Lincoln  and  Douglas 
Dehate.i.) 

About  the  middle  of  Bissell's  term  (February, 
1859),  came  the  discovery  of  what  has  since  been 
known  as  the  celebrated  "Canal  Scrip  Fraud." 
This  consisted  in  the  fraudulent  funding  in  State 
bonds  of  a  large  amount  of  State  scrip  which  had 
been  issued  for  temporary  purposes  during  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
but  which  had  been  subsecpiently  redeemed.  A 
legi-slative  investigation  proved  the  amount  ille- 
gally funded  to  have  been  §'223,182.  and  that  the 
bulk  of  the  bonds  issued  therefor — so  far  as  they 
could  be  traced — had  been  delivered  to  ex-Gov. 
Joel  A.  Matteson.  For  this  amount,  with  ac- 
crued interest,  iie  gave  to  the  State  an  indemnity 
bond,  secured  by  real-estate  mortgages,  from 
which  the  State  eventually  realized  §2.i8,000  out 
of  SSSS.OOO  then  due.  Further  investigation 
proved  additional  frauds  of  like  character,  aggre- 
gating Slfi."),34G.  which  the  State  never  recovered. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  prosecute  Matte.son 
criminally  in  the  Sangamon  County  Circuit 
Court,  but  the  gi-and  jury  failed,  by  a  close  vote, 
to  find  an  indictment  against  him.  (See  Canal 
Scrip  Fraud.) 

An  attempt  was  made  during  Bissell's  adminis- 
tration to  secure  the  refunding  (at  par  and  in 
violation  of  an  existing  law)  of  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  SI. 000  bonds  hypothecated  with  Jlacalis- 
ter  &  Stebbins  of  New  York  in  1841.  and  for 
which  the  State  had  received  an  insignificant 
consideration.  The  error  was  discovered  when 
new  bonds  for  the  principal  had  been  issued,  but 
the  process  was  immediately  stopped  and  the 
new  bonds  surrendered — the  claimants  being 
limited  by  law  to  28.64  cents  on  the  dollar.  This 
subject  is  treated  at  length  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. (See  Macali.stcr  A  Stebbins  Bonds.)  Governor 
Bissell's  administration  was  otherwise  unevent- 
ful, although  the  State  continued  to  prosper 
under  it  as  it  had  not  done  since  the  "internal 
improvement  craze"  of  1S37  had  resulted  in  im- 
posing such  a  burden  of  debt  upon  it.  At  the 
time  of  his  election  Governor  Bissell  was  an 
invalid  in  consequence  of  an  injury  to  his  spine, 
from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  died  in 
oflSce.  March  18.   1860.  a  little  over  two  months 


after  having  entered  upon  the  last  year  of  his 
term  of  ofhce.  and  was  succeeded  by  Lieut.-Gov. 
John  Wood,  who  served  out  the  unex])ired  term. 
(See  Ci.sscW,  William  H.:  also  Wood.  John.) 

PoLiTic.\L  Campaign  of  I860.— The  political 
cami)aign  of  1860  was  one  of  unparalleled  excite- 
ment throughout  the  nation,  but  esiwcially  in 
Illinois,  which  became,  in  a  certain  sense,  the 
chief  battle-ground,  furnishing  the  successful 
candidate  for  the  Presidency,  as  well  as  being  the 
State  in  which  the  convention  which  nominated 
him  met.  The  Republican  State  Convention, 
held  at  Decatur,  May  9.  put  in  nomination 
Hichard  Yates  of  Morgan  County,  for  Governor ; 
Francis  A.  Hoffman  for  Lieutenant-Governor, 
O.  M.  Hatch  for  Secretary  of  State,  Jesse  K. 
Dubois  for  Auditor.  William  Butler  for  Treasurer, 
and  Newton  Bateinan  for  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction.  If  this  campaign  was  memorable 
for  its  excitement,  it  was  also  memorable  for  the 
large  number  of  National  and  State  tickets  in  the 
field.  The  National  Republican  Convention 
a.ssembled  at  Chicago.  May  16,  and.  on  the  third 
ballot.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  nominated  for 
President  amid  a  whirlwind  of  enthusiasm  unsur- 
passed in  the  history  of  National  Conventions,  of 
which  so  many  have  been  held  in  the  "conven- 
tion city"  of  the  Northwest.  The  campaign  was 
what  might  have  been  expected  from  such  a 
beginning.  Lincoln,  though  receiving  consider- 
ably less  than  one-half  the  popular  vote,  had  a 
plurality  over  his  highest  competitor  of  nearly 
half  a  million  votes,  and  a  majority  in  the  elect- 
oral colleges  of  fifty-seven.  In  Illinois  he 
received  172,161  votes  to  160,21.')  for  DougUis,  his 
leading  op]K)nent.  The  vote  for  Governor  stood : 
Yates  (Republican),  172,196;  Allen  (Douglas- 
Democrat).  I.J9.253;  Hope  (Breckinridge  Demo- 
crat), 2.049;  Stuart  (American),  1.6'26. 

Among  the  prominent  men  of  different  parties 
who  appeared  for  the  first  time  in  the  General 
Assembly  chosen  at  tliis  time,  were  William  B. 
Og<leu.  Richard  J.  Oglesby.  Washington  Bushnell, 
and  Henry  E.  Dummer,  of  the  Senate,  and  Wil- 
liam R.  Archer,  J.  Russell  Jones.  Robert  H. 
McClellan.  J.  Young  Scanimon.  William  H. 
Brown.  Lawrence  Weldon.  N.  M.  Broadwell.  and 
John  Scholfield.  in  the  House.  Shelby  M.  Cul- 
lom,  who  had  entered  the  Legislature  at  the 
previous  session,  was  re-elected  to  this  and  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House  over  J.  W.  Single- 
ton. Lyman  Trumbull  was  re-elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate  by  the  votes  of  the  Repub- 
licans over  Samuel  S.  Marshall,  the  Democratic 
candidate. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


271 


Beginning  of  the  Rebei-lion.— Almost  simul- 
taneously with  the  accession  of  the  new  State 
Government,  and  before  the  inauguration  of  the 
President  at  Wasliington,  began  that  series  of 
startling  events  which  ultimately  culminated  in 
the  attempted  secession  of  eleven  States  of  the 
Union — the  first  acts  in  the  great  drama  of  war 
which  occupied  the  attention  of  the  world  for  the 
next  four  years.  On  Jan.  14,  1861,  the  new 
State  administration  was  inaugurated ;  on  Feb.  2, 
Commissioners  to  the  futile  Peace  Conven- 
tion held  at  Washington,  were  appoiuteil  from 
Illinois,  consisting  of  Stephen  T.  Logan,  John  M. 
Palmer,  ex-Gov.  John  Wood,  B.  C.  Cook  and  T.  J. 
Turner;  and  on  Feb.  11,  Abraham  Lincoln 
took  leave  of  his  friends  and  neighbors  at  Spring- 
field on  his  departure  for  Washington,  in  that 
simple,  touching  speech  which  has  taken  a  place 
beside  his  inaugural  addresses  and  his  Gettysburg 
speech,  as  an  American  classic.  The  events 
which  followed  ;  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  on  the 
twelftli  of  April  and  its  surrender;  the  call  for 
75,000  troops  and  the  excitement  wliicli  prevailed 
all  over  the  country,  are  matters  of  National  his- 
tory. lUinoisans  responded  with  promptness  and 
enthusiasm  to  the  call  for  six  regiments  of  State 
militia  for  three  months'  service,  and  one  week 
later  (April  21),  Gen.  R.  K.  Swift,  of  Chicago,  at 
the  head  of  seven  companies  numbering  595  men, 
was  en  route  for  Cairo  to  execute  the  order  of  the 
Secretary  of  War  for  the  occupation  of  that 
place.  The  offer  of  military  organizations  pro- 
ceeded rapidly,  and  by  tlie  eighteenth  of  April, 
fifty  companies  had  been  tendered,  while  the 
public-spirited  and  patriotic  bankers  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities  were  offering  to  supply  the  State  with 
money  to  arm  and  equip  the  Iiastily  organized 
troops.  Following  in  order  the  six  regiments 
whicli  Illinois  had  sent  to  the  Mexican  War, 
those  called  out  for  the  three  montlis'  service  in 
1861  were  numbered  consecutively  from  seven  to 
twelve,  and  were  commanded  by  the  following 
officers,  respectively;  Cols.  John  Cook,  Richard 
J.  Oglesby,  Eleazer  A.  Paine,  James  D.  Morgan, 
W.  H.  L.  Wallace  and  John  McArthur,  with 
Gen.  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss  as  brigade  com- 
mander. The  rank  and  file  numbered  4,680  men, 
of  whom  2,000,  at  the  end  of  their  term  of  serv- 
ice, re-enlisted  for  three  years.  (See  War  of  the 
Rebellion. ) 

Among  the  many  who  visited  the  State  Capitol 
in  the  earlj'  montlis  of  war  to  offer  their  services 
to  the  Government  in  suppressing  the  Rebellion, 
one  of  the  most  modest  and  unassuming  was  a 
gentleman  from  Galena  who  brought  a  letter  of 


introduction  to  Governor  Yates  from  Congress- 
man E.  B.  Washburne.  Though  he  had  been  a 
Captain  in  the  regular  army  and  had  seen  service 
in  the  war  witli  Jlexico,  he  set  up  no  pretension 
on  that  account,  but  after  days  of  patient  wait- 
ing, was  given  temporary  employment  as  a  clerk 
in  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General,  Col,  T.  S. 
Mather.  Finally,  an  emergency  having  arisen 
requiring  the  services  of  an  officer  of  military 
experience  as  commandant  at  Camp  Yates  (a 
camp  of  rendezvous  and  instruction  near  Spring- 
field), he  was  assigned  to  the  place,  rather  as  an 
experiment  and  from  necessity  than  from  convic- 
tion of  any  peculiar  fitness  for  the  position. 
Having  acquitted  himself  creditably  here,  he  was 
assigned,  a  few  weeks  later,  to  the  command  of  a 
regiment  (The  Twenty-first  Illinois  Volunteers) 
which,  from  previous  bad  management,  had 
manifested  a  mutinous  tendency.  And  thus 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  the  most  successful  leader  of 
the  war,  the  organizer  of  final  victory  over  the 
Rebellion,  the  Lieutenant-General  of  the  armies 
of  the  Union  and  twice  elected  President  of  tine 
United  States,  started  upon  that  career  which 
won  for  him  the  plaudits  of  the  Nation  and  the 
title  of  the  grandest  soldier  of  his  time.  (See 
Grant,  Ulysses  S.) 

The  responses  of  Illinois,  under  the  leadership 
of  its  patriotic  "War  Governor,"  Richard  Yates, 
to  the  repeated  calls  for  volunteers  through  the 
four  years  of  war,  were  cheerful  and  prompt.  Illi- 
nois troops  took  j)art  in  nearly  every  important 
battle  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  in  many  of 
those  in  the  East,  besides  accompan3-ing  Sher- 
man in  his  triumphal  "March  to  the  Sea."  Illi- 
nois blood  stained  the  field  at  Belmont,  at 
Wilson's  Creek,  Lexington,  Forts  Donelsoa  and 
Henry;  at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Nashville,  Stone  River 
and  Chickamauga;  at  Jackson,  during  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  at  Allatoona  Pass,  Kene.saw  Moun- 
tain, Resaca,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and  Atlanta,  in 
the  South  and  West;  and  at  Chancellorsville, 
Antietam,  Gettysburg,  Petersburg  and  in  the 
battles  of  "the  Wilderness"  in  Virginia.  Of  all 
the  States  of  the  Union,  Illinois  alone,  up  to 
Feb.  1,  1864,  presented  the  proud  record  of  hav- 
ing answered  every  call  upon  her  for  troops 
without  a  draft.  The  whole  number  of  enlist- 
ments from  the  State  under  the  various  calls  from 
1861  to  1865,  according  to  the  records  of  the  War 
Department,  was  255,057  to  meet  quotas  aggre- 
gating 344,496.  The  ratio  of  troops  furnLsheJ  to 
population  was  15.1  per  cent,  which  was  only 
exceeded  by  the  District  of  Columbia  (which 
had  a  large  influx  from  the  States),  and  Kansas 


272 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  Nevada,  each  of  which  had  a  much  larger 
proportion  of  adult  male  population.  The  wliole 
number  of  regimental  organizations,  according 
to  the  returns  in  the  Adjutant  General's  office, 
was  151  regiments  of  infantry  (numbered  con- 
secutively from  the  Sixth  to  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-seventh),  17  regiments  of  cavalry  and  3 
regiments  of  artillery,  besides  9  independent  bat- 
teries. The  total  losses  of  Illinois  troops,  officially 
reported  by  the  War  Department,  were  34,834 
(13.65  per  cent),  of  which  5,874  were  killed  in 
battle,  4,020  died  of  wounds,  22,786  died  of  disease, 
and  2,154  from  other  causes.  Besides  the  great 
Commander-in-Chief,  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
Lieut. -Gen.  Ulysses  S,  Grant,  Illinois  furnished 
11  full  Major-Generals  of  volunteers,  viz.: 
Generals  John  Pope.  John  A.  McCIernand,  S.  A. 
Hurlbut,  B.  M.  Prentiss,  John  M.  Palmer,  R.  J. 
Oglesby,  Jolin  A.  Logan,  John  M.  Schofield,  Giles 
A.  Smith,  Wesley  Merritt  and  Benjamin  H. 
Grierson ;  20  Brevet  Major-GeneraLs ;  24  Brigadier- 
Generals,  and  over  120  Brevet  Brigadier-Generals. 
(See  sketches  of  these  officers  under  their  respec- 
tive names. )  Among  the  long  li.st  of  regimental 
officers  who  fell  upon  the  field  or  died  from 
wounds,  appear  the  names  of  Col.  J.  R.  Scott  of 
the  Nineteenth;  Col.  Thomas  D.  Williams  of  the 
Twenty-fifth,  and  Col.  F.  A.  Harrington  of  the 
Twenty-seventh — all  killed  at  Stone  River;  Col. 
John  W.  S.  Ale.\ander  of  the  Twenty-first;  Col. 
Daniel  (iilmer  of  tlie  Thirty-eighth;  Lieut-Col. 
Duncan  J.  Hall  of  the  Eighty-ninth;  Col.  Timothy 
0"Meara  of  the  Ninetieth,  and  Col.  Holden  Put- 
nam, at  Chickamauga  and  Missionary  Ridge; 
Col.  John  B.  Wyman  of  the  Thirteenth,  at 
Chickasiiw  Bayou;  Lieut. -Col.  Thomas  W.  Ross, 
of  the  Thirty -second,  at  Sliiloh;  Col.  John  A. 
Davis  of  the  Forty -sixth,  at  Hatchie;  Col.  Wil- 
liam A.  Dickerman  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Third,  at  Resaca;  Col.  Oscar  Harmon,  at  Kene- 
saw;  Col.  John  A.  Bross,  at  Petersburg,  besides 
Col.  Mihalotzy,  Col.  Silas  Miller,  Lieut-Col. 
Melancthou  Smith,  Maj.  Zenas  Applington,  Col. 
John  J.  IMudd,  Col.  Matthew  H.  Starr,  Maj.  Wm. 
H.  Medill,  Col.  Warren  Stewart  and  many  more 
on  other  battle-fields.  (Biographical  sketches  of 
many  of  these  officers  will  be  found  under  the 
proper  heads  elsewhere  in  this  volume.)  It 
\s  ould  be  a  grateful  task  to  record  here  the  names 
(  f  a  host  of  otliers,  who,  after  acquitting  them- 
^olves  bravely  on  the  field,  survived  to  enjoy  the 
jilaudits  of  a  grateful  people,  were  this  within 
l!ie  design  and  scope  of  the  present  work.  One 
of  the  most  brilliant  exploits  of  the  War  was  the 
raid  from  La  Grange,  Tenn.,  to  Baton    Rouge, 


La.,  in  May,  1863,  led  by  Col.  B.  H.  Grierson,  of 
the  Sixth  Illinois  Cavalry,  in  co-operation  with 
the  Seventh  under  command  of  Col.  Edward 
Prince. 

CO.VSTITUTIOXAL    CONVENTION      OF     1862.  —  An 

incident  of  a  different  character  was  the  calling 
of  a  convention  to  revise  the  State  Constitu- 
tion, which  met  at  Springfield,  Jan.  7,  1862.  A 
majority  of  this  body  was  composed  of  those 
opposed  to  the  war  policy  of  the  Government, 
and  a  disposition  to  interfere  witli  the  affairs  of 
the  State  administration  and  the  General  Gov- 
ernment was  soon  manifested,  which  was  resented 
by  the  executive  and  many  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
field.  The  convention  adjourned  March  24,  and 
its  work  was  submitted  to  vote  of  the  people, 
June  17,  1862,  when  it  was  rejected  by  a  majority 
of  more  than  16,000,  not  counting  the  soldiers  in 
the  field,  who  were  permitted,  as  a  matter  of 
policy,  to  vote  upon  it,  but  who  were  practically 
unanimous  in  opposition  to  it. 

De.\th  of  Douolas. — A  few  days  before  this 
election  (June  3,  1862),  United  States  Senator 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  died,  at  the  Tremont  House 
in  Chicago,  depriving  the  Democratic  party  of 
the  State  of  its  most  sagacious  and  patriotic 
adviser.     (See  Douglas.  Stephen  A.) 

Legislature  of  1863.— Another  political  inci- 
dent of  this  period  grew  out  of  the  session  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  1863.  Tliis  lx)dy  having 
been  elected  on  the  tide  of  the  political  revulsion 
which  followed  the  Lssuance  of  President  Lin- 
coln's preliminary  Proclamation  of  Emancipation, 
was  Democratic  in  both  branches.  One  of  its 
first  acts  was  the  election  of  William  A.  Richard- 
son United  States  Senator,  in  place  of  O.  H. 
Browning,  who  had  been  appointed  by  Governor 
Yates  to  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Douglas.  This  Legislature  early  showed  a  tend- 
ency to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1862,  by  attempting  to 
cripple  the  State  and  General  Governments  in 
the  prosecution  of  tlie  war.  Resolutions  on  the 
subject  of  the  war,  which  the  friends  of  the 
Union  regarded  as  of  a  most  mischievous  charac 
ter,  were  introduced  and  passed  in  the  House,  but 
owing  to  the  death  of  a  member  on  the  majority 
side,  they  failed  to  pass  the  Senate.  Tliese 
denounced  the  suspension  of  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus;  condemned  "the  attempted  enforcement 
of  compensated  emancipation"  and  "the  transpor- 
tation of  negroes  into  the  State;"  accused  the 
General  Government  of  "usui^jation, "  of  "sub- 
verting the  Constitution"  and  attempting  to 
establish   a  "consolidated    militarj'  despotism;" 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


273 


charged  that  the  war  had  been  "diverted  from  its 
first  avowed  object  to  that  of  subjugation  and 
the  abolition  of  slavery;"  declared  the  belief  of 
tlie  authors  that  its  "further  prosecution  .... 
cannot  result  in  the  restoration  of  the  Union 
....  unless  the  President's  Emancipation  Proc- 
lamation be  withdrawn;"  appealed  to  Congress 
to  secure  an  armistice  with  the  rebel  States,  and 
closed  by  appointing  six  Commissioners  (who 
were  named)  to  confer  with  Congress,  with  a 
view  to  the  holding  of  a  National  Convention  to 
adjust  the  differences  between  the  States.  These 
measures  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Legisla- 
ture to  the  exclusion  of  subjects  of  State  interest, 
so  that  little  legislation  was  accomplished — not 
even  the  ordinary  appropriation  bills  being  passed. 

Legislature  Prorogued.— At  this  juncture, 
the  two  Houses  having  disagreed  as  to  the  date 
of  adjournment,  Governor  Yates  exercised  the 
constitutional  prerogative  of  proroguing  them, 
which  he  did  in  a  message  on  June  10,  declaring 
them  adjourned  to  the  last  day  of  tlieir  constitu- 
tional term.  The  Republicans  accepted  the  result 
and  withdrew,  but  the  Democratic  majority  in 
the  House  and  a  minority  in  the  Senate  continued 
in  session  for  some  days,  without  being  able  to 
transact  any  business  except  the  filing  of  an 
empty  prote.st,  when  they  adjourned  to  the  first 
Monday  of  January,  1864.  The  excitement  pro- 
duced by  this  affair,  in  the  Legislature  and 
throughout  the  State,  was  intense;  but  the  action 
of  Governor  Yates  was  sustained  by  the  Supreme 
Court  and  the  adjourned  session  was  never  held. 
The  failure  of  the  Legislature  to  make  provision 
for  the  expenses  of  the  State  Government  and  the 
relief  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field,  made  it  neces- 
sary for  Governor  Yates  to  accept  that  aid  from 
the  public-spirited  bankers  and  capitalists  of  the 
State  which  was  never  wanting  when  needed 
during  this  critical  period.  (See  Twenty-Tliird 
General  Assembly.) 

Peace  Conventions. — Largely  attended  "peace 
conventions"  were  held  during  this  year,  at 
Springfield  on  June  17,  and  at  Peoria  in  Septem- 
ber, at  which  resolutions  opjiosing  the  "further 
offensive  prosecution  of  the  %var"  were  adopted. 
An  immense  Union  mass-meeting  was  also  held 
at  Springfield  on  Sept.  3,  which  was  addressed 
by  distinguished  speakers,  including  both  Re- 
publicans and  War- Democrats.  An  important 
incident  of  this  meeting  was  the  reading  of  the 
letter  from  President  Lincoln  to  Hon.  James  C. 
Conkling.  in  which  he  defended  bis  war  policy, 
and  especially  his  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
in  a  characteristically  logical  manner. 


Political  Campaign  of  1864.— The  year  1864 
was  full  of  exciting  political  and  military  events. 
Among  the  former  was  the  nomination  of  George 
B.  MoClellan  for  President  by  the  Democratic  Con- 
vention held  at  Chicago,  August  29,  on  a  platform 
declaring  the  wara  "failure"  as  an  "experiment" 
for  re.storing  the  Union,  and  demanding  a  "cessa- 
tion of  hostilities"  with  a  view  to  a  convention  for 
the  restoration  of  peace.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been 
renominated  by  the  Republicans  at  Philadelphia, 
in  June  previous,  with  Andrew  Johnson  as  the 
candidate  for  Vice-President.  The  leaders  of  the 
respective  State  tickets  were  Gen.  Richard  J. 
Oglesby,  on  the  part  of  the  Republicans,  for  Gov- 
ernor, with  "William  Bross,  for  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, and  James  C.  Robinson  as  the  Democratic 
candidate  for  Governor. 

Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy. — For  months 
rumors  had  been  rife  concerning  a  conspiracy  of 
rebels  from  the  South  and  their  sympathizers  in 
the  North,  to  release  the  rebel  prisoners  confined 
in  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago,  and  at  Rock  Island, 
Springfield  and  Alton — aggregating  over  2.'),000 
men.  It  was  charged  that  the  scheme  was  to  be 
put  into  effect  simultaneously  with  the  Novem- 
ber election,  but  the  activity  of  the  military 
authorities  in  arresting  the  leaders  and  seizing 
their  arms,  defeated  it.  The  investigations  of  a 
military  court  before  whom  a  number  of  the 
arrested  parties  were  tried,  proved  the  existence 
of  an  extensive  organization,  calling  itself 
"American  Knights"  or  "Sons  of  Liberty,"  of 
which  a  number  of  well-known  politicians  in 
Illinois  were  members.  (See  Camp  Donrjhts 
Conspiracy.) 

At  the  November  election  Illinois  gave  a  major- 
ity for  Lincoln  of  30,7.')6,  and  for  Oglesby,  for 
Governor,  of  33,67.5,  with  a  proportionate  major- 
ity for  the  rest  of  the  ticket.  Lincoln's  total  vote 
in  the  electoral  college  was  212,  to21  forMcClellan. 

Legislature  of  1805. — The  Republicans  had  a 
decided  majority  in  both  branches  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  1865,  and  one  of  its  earliest  acts  was  the 
election  of  Governor  Yates,  United  States  Sena- 
tor, in  place  of  William  A.  Richardson,  who  had 
been  elected  two  years  before  to  the  seat  formerly 
held  by  Douglas.  This  was  the  last  public  posi- 
tion held  by  the  popular  Illinois  "War  Gov- 
ernor. ' '  During  his  official  term  no  more  popular 
public  servant  ever  occupied  the  executive  chair 
—a  fact  demonstrated  by  the  promptness  with 
which,  on  retiring  from  it,  he  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate.  His  personal  and  political 
integrity  was  never  questioned  by  his  most  bitter 
political  opponents,  while  those  who  hail  known 


274 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


him  longest  and  most  intimately,  trusted  him 
most  implicitly.  The  service  which  he  performed 
in  giving  direction  to  the  patriotic  sentiment  of 
the  State  and  in  marshaling  its  lieroic  soldiers 
for  the  defense  of  the  Union  can  never  bo  over- 
estimated.    (See  Yates,  Rkharxl.) 

Oolesby's  ADMiNisTii.\TiON. — Governor  Ogles- 
by  and  the  other  State  officers  were  inaugu- 
rated Jan.  17,  1865.  Entering  upon  its  duties 
with  a  Legislature  in  full  sympathy  with  it,  the 
new  administration  was  confronted  by  no  such 
difficulties  as  those  with  which  its  predecessor 
had  to  contend.  Its  head,  who  had  been  identi- 
fied with  the  war  from  its  beginning,  was  one  of 
the  first  lUinoisans  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Major-(!eneral,  was  personally  popular  and 
enjo}-ed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  jwople 
of  the  State.  Allen  C.  Fuller,  who  had  retired 
from  a  position  on  the  Circuit  bench  to  accept 
that  of  Adjutant-General,  which  he  held  during 
the  last  three  years  of  the  war,  was  S|)eaker  of 
the  House.  This  Legislature  was  the  first  among 
those  of  all  the  States  to  ratify  the  Thirteenth 
Amendment  of  the  National  Constitution,  abolish- 
ing slavery,  which  it  did  in  lx)th  Uouses.  on  the 
evening  of  Feb.  1,  18G5 — the  same  day  the  resolu- 
tion had  been  finally  acted  on  by  Congress  and 
received  the  sanction  of  the  President.  The 
odious  "black  laws,"  which  had  di.sgraced  the 
State  for  twelve  years,  were  wiped  from  the 
statute-book  at  this  session.  The  Legislature 
adjourned  after  a  session  of  forty-six  daj-s.  leav- 
ing a  record  as  creditable  in  the  disposal  of  busi- 
ness as  that  of  its  predecessor  had  been  discredit- 
able.    (See  Oglesby,  Jiiclictnl  J.) 

Assassination  of  Lincoln. — The  war  was  now 
rapidly  approaching  a  successful  termination. 
Lee  had  surrendered  to  (J  rant  at  Appomattox, 
April  9,  1865,  and  the  people  were  celebrating 
this  event  with  jo3'ful  festivities  through  all  the 
loyal  States,  but  nowhere  with  more  enthusiasm 
than  in  Illinois,  the  home  of  the  two  great 
leaders — Lincoln  and  Grant.  In  the  midst  of 
tliese  jubilations  came  the  assassination  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  by  John  "Wilkes  Booth,  on  the 
evening  of  April  14,  1865,  in  Ford's  Theater, 
Washington.  The  appalling  news  was  borne  on 
the  wings  of  the  telegraph  to  every  corner  of  the 
land,  and  instantly  a  nation  in  rejoicing  was 
changed  to  a  nation  in  mourning.  A  pall  of 
gloom  hung  over  every  part  of  the  land.  Public 
buildings,  business  houses  and  dwellings  in  every 
city,  village  and  hamlet  throughout  the  loj-al 
States  were  draped  with  the  insignia  of  a  univer- 
sal sorrow.     Millions  of  strong  men,  and  tender, 


patriotic  women  who  had  given  their  husbands, 
sons  and  brothers  for  the  defense  of  the  Union, 
wept  as  if  overtaken  by  a  great  personal  calam- 
ity. If  the  nation  mourned,  much  more  did  Illi- 
nois, at  the  taking  otf  of  its  chief  citizen,  the 
grandest  character  of  the  age,  who  had  served 
both  State  and  Nation  with  such  i)atriotic  fidel- 
ity, and  perished  in  the  very  zenitli  of  his  fame 
and  in  the  hour  of  his  country's  triumph. 

The  Funeral.  —  Then  came  the  sorrowful 
march  of  the  funeral  cortege  from  Washington 
to  Springfield  —  the  most  impressive  spectacle 
witnessed  since  the  Day  of  the  Crucifixion.  In 
all  this.  Illinois  bore  a  conspicuous  part,  as  on  the 
fourth  day  of  May,  1865,  amid  the  most  solemn 
ceremonies  and  in  the  presence  of  sorrowing 
thousands,  she  received  to  her  bosom,  near  his 
old  home  at  the  State  Capital,  the  remains  of  the 
Great  Liberator. 

The  part  which  Illinois  played  in  tlie  great 
struggle  has  already  been  dwelt  upon  as  fully  as 
the  scope  of  this  work  will  permit.  It  only 
remains  to  be  said  that  the  patriotic  service  of 
the  men  of  the  State  was  grandly  supplemented 
by  the  equally  patriotic  service  of  its  women  in 
"Soldiers'  Aid  Societies,"  "Sisters  of  the  Good 
Samaritan,"  "Needle  Pickets,"  and  in  sanitary 
organizations  for  the  purpose  of  contributing  to 
the  comfort  and  health  of  the  soldiers  in  camp 
and  in  hospital,  and  in  giving  them  generous 
receptions  on  their  return  to  their  homes.  The 
work  done  by  these  organizations,  and  by  indi- 
vidual nurses  in  the  field,  illustrates  one  of  the 
brightest  pages  in  the  history  of  the  war. 

Election  of  1866. — ^The  administration  of  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  was  as  i)eaceful  as  it  w;is  prosper- 
ous. The  chief  political  events  of  1866  were  the 
election  of  Newton  Bateman,  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction,  and  Gen.  Geo.  W. 
Smith,  Treasurer,  while  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  as 
Representative  from  the  State-at- large,  reentered 
Congress,  from  which  he  had  retired  in  1861  to 
enter  the  L^nion  army.  His  majority  was  un- 
precedented, reaching  55,987.  The  Legislature 
of  1867  reelected  Judge  Trumbull  to  the  United 
States  Senate  for  a  third  term,  his  chief  competi- 
tor in  the  Republican  caucus  being  Gen.  John  M. 
Palmer.  The  Fourteenth  Amendment  to  the 
National  Constitution,  conferring  citizenship 
upon  persons  of  color,  was  ratified  by  this  Legis- 
lature. 

Election  of  1868.— The  Republican  State  Con- 
vention of  1868,  held  at  Peoria,  May  6,  nominated 
the  following  ticket:  For  Governor,  John  M. 
Palmer,  Lieutenant-Governor,  John  Dougherty; 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Secretary  of  State,  Edward  Rummell;  Auditor, 
Charles  E.  Lippincott.  State  Treasurer,  Erastus  N. 
Bates;  Attorney  General,  Washington  Bushnell. 
John  R.  Eden,  afterward  a  member  of  Congress 
for  three  terms,  headed  the  Democratic  ticket  as 
candidate  for  Governor,  with  William  H.  Van 
Epps  for  Lieutenant-Governor. 

The  Republican  National  Convention  was  held 
at  Chicago,  May  21,  nominating  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant 
for  President  and  Schuyler  Colfax  for  Vice- 
President.  They  were  opposed  by  Horatio 
Seymour  for  President,  and  F  P.  Blair  for  Vice- 
President.  The  result  in  November  was  the 
election  of  Grant  and  Colfax,  who  received  214 
electoral  votes  from  26  States,  to  80  electoral 
votes  for  Seymour  and  Blair  from  8  States — three 
States  not  voting.  Grant's  majority  in  Illinois 
was  51,150.  Of  course  the  Republican  State 
ticket  was  elected.  The  Legislature  elected  at 
the  same  time  consisted  of  eighteen  Republicans 
to  nine  Democrats  in  the  Senate  and  fifty  eight 
Republicans  to  twenty-seven  Democrats  in  the 
House. 

P.v.lmer's  Administration.— Governor  Palm- 
er's administration  began  auspiciously,  at  a  time 
when  the  passions  aroused  by  the  war  were  sub- 
siding and  the  State  was  recovering  its  normal 
prosperity.  (See  Palmer,  John  M.)  Leading 
events  of  the  next  four  years  were  the  adoption 
of  a  new  State  Constitution  and  the  Chicago  fire. 
The  first  steps  in  legislation  looking  to  the  con- 
trol of  railroads  were  taken  at  the    session    of 

1869,  and  although  a  stringent  law  on  the  subject 
passed  both  Houses,  it  was  vetoed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor. A  milder  measure  was  afterward  enacted, 
and,  although  superseded  by  the  Constitution  of 

1870,  it  furnished  the  key-note  for  much  of  the 
legislation  since  had  on  the  subject.  The  cele- 
brated "Lake  Front  Bill,"  conveying  to  the  city 
of  Chicago  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  the 
title  of  the  State  to  certain  lands  included  in 
what  was  known  as  the  "Lake  Front  Park,"  was 
passed,  and  although  vetoed  by  the  Governor, 
was  re-enacted  over  his  veto.  This  act  was 
finally  repealed  by  the  Legislature  of  1873,  and 
after  many  years  of  litigation,  the  rights  claimed 
under  it  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany have  been  recently  declared  void  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  The  Fif- 
teenth Amendment  of  the  National  Constitution, 
prohibiting  the  denial  of  the  right  of  suffrage  to 
"citizens  of  the  United  States  ....  on  account 
of  race,  color  or  previous  condition  of  servitude," 
was  ratified  by  a  strictly  party  vote  in  each 
House,  on  March  5. 


The  first  step  toward  the  erection  of  a  new 
State  Capitol  at  Springfield  had  been  taken  in  an 
appropriation  of  §450,000,  at  tlie  session  of  1867, 
the  total  cost  being  limited  to  53,000,000.  A 
second  appropriation  of  86,50,000  was  made  at  the 
session  of  1869.  The  Constitution  of  1870  limited 
the  cost  to  53,500,000,  but  an  act  passed  by  the 
Legislature  of  1883,  making  a  final  appropriation 
of  5531,712  for  completing  and  furnisliing  the 
building,  was  ratified  by  the  people  in  1884.  The 
original  cost  of  the  building  and  its  furniture 
exceeded  54,000,000.     (See  State  Houses. ) 

The  State  Convention  for  framing  a  new  Con- 
stitution met  at  Springfield,  Dec.  13,  1869. 
It  consisted  of  eighty-five  members— forty-four 
Republicans  and  forty-one  Democrats.  A  num- 
ber classed  as  Republicans,  however,  were  elected 
as  "Independents"  and  co-operated  with  the 
Democrats  in  the  organization.  Charles  Hitch- 
cock was  elected  President.  The  Convention 
terminated  its  labors,  May  13,  1870;  the  Constitu- 
tion was  ratified  by  vote  of  the  people,  July  2, 
and  went  into  effect,  August  8,  1870.  A  special 
provision  establishing  the  principle  of  "minority 
representation"  in  the  election  of  Representatives 
in  the  General  Assembly,  was  adopted  by  a 
smaller  vote  than  the  main  instrument.  A  lead- 
ing feature  of  the  latter  was  the  general  restric- 
tion upon  special  legislation  and  the  enumeration 
of  a  large  variety  of  subjects  to  be  provided  for 
under  general  laws.  It  laid  the  basis  of  our 
present  railroad  and  warehouse  laws;  declared 
the  inviolability  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
tax;  prohibited  the  sale  or  lease  of  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal  %vithout  a  vote  of  the  people ; 
prohibited  municipalities  from  becoming  sub- 
scribers to  the  stock  of  any  railroad  or  private 
corporation;  limited  the  rate  of  taxation  and 
amount  of  indebtedness  to  be  incurred ;  required 
the  enactment  of  laws  for  the  protection  of 
miners,  etc.  The  restriction  in  the  old  Constitu- 
tion against  the  re-election  of  a  Governor  as  his 
own  immediate  successor  was  removed,  but  placed 
upon  the  office  of  State  Treasurer.  The  Legisla- 
ture consists  of  204  members— 51  Senators  and  15.T 
Representatives — one  Senator  and  three  Repre- 
sentatives being  chosen  from  each  district.  (Ss-i 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1809-70;  also  Con- 
stitution of  1S70. ) 

At  the  election  of  1870,  General  Logan  was  re- 
elected Congressman-at-Iarge by  24,672  majority; 
Gen.  E.  N.  Bates,  Treasurer,  and  Newton  Bate- 
man,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Legislature  of  1871.— The  Twenty-seventh 
General  Assembly  (1871),  in  its  various  sessions, 


276 


UISTOllIGAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


spent  more  time  in  legislation  than  any  other  in 
the  history  of  the  State — a  fact  to  be  accounted 
for,  in  part,  by  tlie  Chicago  Fire  and  the  exten- 
sive revision  of  the  laws  required  in  consequence 
of  the  adoption  of  the  new  Constitution.  Besides 
the  regular  session,  there  were  two  special,  or 
called,  sessions  and  an  adjourned  session,  cover- 
ing, in  all,  a  period  of  292  days.  This  Legislature 
adopted  the  system  of  "State  control"  in  the 
management  of  the  labor  and  discipline  of  the 
convicts  of  the  State  penitentiary,  which  was 
strongly  urged  by  Governor  Palmer  in  a  special 
message.  (Jeneral  Logan  having  been  elected 
United  States  Senator  at  this  session.  Gen.  John 
L.  Boveridge  was  elected  to  the  vacant  position 
of  Congressman-at-large  at  a  special  election  held 
Oct  4. 

Chicago  Fire  of  1871. — The  calamitous  fire 
at  Chicago,  Oct.  8-9,  1871,  though  belonging 
rather  to  local  than  to  general  State  historj-, 
excited  the  profound  sympathy,  not  only  of  the 
people  of  the  State  and  the  Nation,  but  of  the 
civilized  world.  The  area  burned  over,  including 
streets,  covered  2,124  acres,  with  13,500  buildings 
out  of  18,000,  leaving  92,000  persons  homeless. 
The  loss  or  rfe  is  estimated  at  2.50,  and  of  prop- 
erty at  $187,927,000.  Governor  Palmer  called  the 
Legislature  together  in  special  session  to  act  upon 
the  emergency,  Oct.  13,  but  as  the  State  was  pre- 
cluded from  affording  direct  aid,  the  plan  was 
adopted  of  reimbursing  the  city  for  the  amount 
it  had  expended  in  the  enlargement  of  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal,  amounting  to  !f2, 9.55, 340. 
The  unfortunate  shooting  of  a  citizen  by  a  cadet 
in  a  regiment  of  United  States  troops  organized 
for  guard  duty,  led  to  some  controversy  between 
CJoyernor  Palmer,  on  one  side,  and  the  Ma.vor  of 
Chicago  and  the  military  authorities,  including 
President  Grant,  on  the  other;  but  the  general 
verdict  was,  that,  while  nice  distinctions  between 
civil  and  military  authority  may  not  have  been 
observed,  the  service  rendered  by  the  military,  in 
a  great  emergency,  was  of  the  highest  value  and 
was  prompted  by  the  best  intentions.  (See  Fire 
of  1S71  under  title  Chieago.) 

Political  Campaign  of  1872.— The  political 
campaign  of  1872  in  Illinois  resulted  in  much  con- 
fusion and  a  partial  reorganization  of  parties. 
Dissatisfied  with  the  administration  of  President 
Grant,  a  number  of  the  State  officers  (including 
(^lovernor  Palmer)  and  other  prominent  Repub- 
licans of  the  State,  joined  in  what  was  called  the 
"Liberal  Republican"  movement,  and  supported 
Horace  Greeley  for  the  Presidency.  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  again  became  the  standard-bearer 


of  the  Republicans  for  Governor,  with  Gen.  John 
L.  Beveridge  for  Lieutenant-Governor.  At  the 
November  election,  the  Grant  and  Wilson  (Repub- 
lican) Electors  in  Illinois  received  241,944  votes, 
to  184,938  for  Greeley,  and  3,138  for  O'Conor. 
The  plurality  for  Oglesby,  for  Governor,  was 
40,090. 

Governor  Oglesby's  second  administration  was 
of  brief  duration.  Within  a  week  after  liis  in- 
auguration he  was  nominated  bj-  a  legislative 
caucus  of  liis  party  for  United  States  Senator  to 
succeed  Judge  Trumbull,  and  was  elected,  receiv- 
ing an  aggregate  of  117  votes  in  the  two  Houses 
against  78  for  Trumbull,  who  was  supported  by 
the  party  whose  candidates  he  had  defeated  at 
three  previous  elections.  (.See  Oglesby,  Richard  J. ) 
Lieutenant-Governor  Beveridge  thus  became 
Governor,  filling  out  the  unexpired  term  of  his 
chief.  His  administration  was  high-minded, 
clean  and  honorable.     (See  Beveridge,  John  L.) 

Republican  Reverse  of  1874. — The  election 
of  1874  resulted  in  the  first  serious  reverse  the 
Republican  jwrty  had  experienced  in  Illinois 
since  18C2.  Altliough  Thomas  S.  Ridgway,  the 
Republican  candidate  for  State  Treasurer,  was 
elected  by  a  plurality  of  nearly  35,000,  by  a  com- 
bination of  the  opposition,  S.  M.  Etter  (Fusion) 
was  at  the  same  time  elected  State  Superintend- 
ent, while  the  Fusionists  secured  a  majority  in 
each  House  of  the  General  A.ssembly.  After  a 
protracted  contest,  E.  M.  Haines — who  had  been 
a  Democrat,  a  Republican,  and  had  been  elected 
to  this  Legislature  as  an  "Independent" — was 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House  over  Shelby  M.  Cul- 
lom,  and  A.  A.  Glenn  (Democrat)  was  chosen 
President  of  the  Senate,  thus  becoming  ex-ollicio 
Lieutenant-Governor.  The  session  which  fol- 
lowed— especially  in  the  House— was  one  of  the 
most  turbulent  and  disorderly  in  the  history  of 
the  State,  coming  to  a  termination,  April  15, 
after  having  enacted  very  few  laws  of  any  im- 
portance.    (See  Twenty-ninth  General  Assembly.) 

Campaign  of  1876.— Shelby  M.  Cullora  was  the 
candidate  of  the  Republican  party  for  Governor 
in  1876,  with  Rutlierford  B.  Hayes  heading  the 
National  ticket.  The  excitement  which  attended 
the  campaign,  the  closeness  of  the  vote  between 
the  two  Presidential  candidates  —  Hayes  and 
Tilden — and  the  determination  of  the  result 
through  the  medium  of  an  Electoral  Commission, 
are  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the  present  gener- 
ation. In  Illinois  the  Republican  plurality  for 
President  was  19.631,  but  owing  to  the  combina- 
tion of  the  Democratic  and  Greenback  vote  on 
Lewis  Steward  for  Gov«irnor,   the  majority  for 


BOAKK    (IF   XKAliK    r.riLIUN(;.    (   11 1(  Alio. 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


277 


CuUom  was  reduced  to  0,798.  The  other  State 
officers  elected  were:  Andrew  Shuman,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor; George  U.  Harlow,  Secretary 
of  State;  Thomas  B.  Needles,  Auditor;  Edward 
Rutz,  Treasurer,  and  James  K.  Edsall,  Attorney- 
General.  Each  of  these  had  pluralities  exceeding 
20,000,  except  Needles,  who,  having  a  single  com- 
petitor, had  a  smaller  majority  than  Cullom. 
The  new  State  House  was  occupied  for  the  first 
time  by  the  State  officers  and  the  Legislature 
chosen  at  this  time.  Although  the  Republicans 
had  a  majority  in  the  House,  the  Independents 
held  the  "balance  of  power''  in  joint  session  of 
the  General  Assembly.  After  a  stubborn  and 
protracted  struggle  in  the  effort  to  choose  a 
United  States  Senator  to  succeed  Senator  John  A. 
Logan,  .  David  Davis,  of  Bloomington,  was 
elected  on  the  fortieth  ballot.  He  had  been  a 
Whig  and  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Lincoln,  by 
whom  he  was  appointed  As.sociate  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  tlie  United  States  in  1862.  His 
election  to  the  L'nited  States  Senate  by  the  Demo- 
crats and  Independents  led  to  his  retirement  from 
the  Supreme  bench,  thus  preventing  his  appoint- 
ment on  the  Electoral  Commission  of  1877 — a  cir- 
cumstance which,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  may 
have  had  an  important  bearing  upon  the  decision 
of  that  tribunal.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  term 
he  served  as  President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate, 
and  more  freijuently  acted  with  the  Republicans 
than  with  their  opponents.  He  supported  Blaine 
and  Logan  for  President  and  Vice-President,  in 
1884.     {See  Davis,  David.) 

Strike  op  1877. — The  extensive  railroad  strike, 
in  July,  1877,  caused  widespread  demoralization 
of  business,  especially  in  the  railroad  centers  of 
the  State  and  throughout  the  country  generally. 
The  newly -organized  National  Guard  was  called 
out  and  rendered  efficient  service  in  restoring 
order.  Governor  Cullom's  action  in  the  premises 
was  prompt,  and  has  been  generally  commended 
as  eminently  wise  and  discreet. 

Election  of  1878. — Four  sets  of  candidates 
were  in  the  field  for  the  offices  of  State  Treasurer 
and  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  1878 
— Republican,  Democratic,  Greenback  and  Pro- 
hibition. The  Republicans  were  successful,  Gen. 
John  C.  Smith  being  elected  Treasurer,  and 
James  P.  Slade,  Superintendent,  by  pluralities 
averaging  about  3."),000.  The  .same  party  also 
elected  eleven  out  of  nineteen  members  of  Con- 
gress, and,  for  the  first  time  in  six  years,  secured 
a  majority  in  each  branch  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly. At  the  session  of  this  Legislature,  in  Janu- 
ary following,  John  A.  Logan  was  elected  to  the 


United  States  Senate  as  successor  to  Gen.  R.  J. 
Oglesby,  whose  term  expired  in  March  following. 
Col.  William  A.  James,  of  Lake  County,  served 
as  Speaker  of  the  House  at  this  session.  (Seo 
Smith.  John  Corson:  Sladc,  James  P.;  also  Tliiity- 
first  General  Assemhlij.) 

Campaign  of  1880. — The  political  cami»ign 
of  1880  is  memorable  for  the  determined  struggle 
made  by  the  friends  of  General  Grant  to  secure 
his  nomination  for  the  Presidency  for  a  third 
term.  The  Republican  State  Convention,  begin- 
ning at  Springfield,  May  19,  lasted  three  days, 
ending  in  instructions  in  favor  of  General  Grant 
by  a  vote  of  399  to  28.5.  These  were  nullified, 
however,  bj'  the  action  of  the  National  Conven- 
tion two  weeks  later.  Governor  Cullom  was 
nominated  for  re-election ;  John  M.  Hamilton  for 
Lieutenant-Governor ;  Henry  D.  Dement  for  Sec- 
retary of  State;  Charles  P.  Swigert  for  Auditor; 
Edward  Rutz  (for  a  third  term)  for  Treasurer, 
and  James  McCartney  for  Attorney-General. 
(See  Dement,  Henrij  D.;  Swigert,  Charles  P.; 
Rutz,  Edward,  and MeCartney,  James.)  Ex-Sena- 
tor Trumbull  headed  the  Democratic  ticket  as  its 
candidate  for  Governor,  with  General  L.  B.  Par- 
sons for  Lieutenant-Governor. 

The  Republican  National  Convention  met  in 
Chicago,  June  3.  After  thirty-six  ballots,  in 
which  306  delegates  stood  unwaveringly  by  Gen- 
eral Grant,  James  A.  Garfield,  of  Oliio,  was 
nominated,  with  Chester  A.  Arthur,  of  New 
York,  for  Vice-Pre.sident.  Gen.  Winfield  Scott 
Hancock  was  the  Democratic  candidate  and  Gen. 
James  B.  Weaver,  the  Greenback  nominee.  In 
Illinois,  022,1.50  votes  were  cast,  Garfield  receiv- 
ing a  plurality  of  40,716.  The  entire  Republican 
State  ticket  was  elected  by  nearly  the  same  plu- 
ralities, and  the  Republicans  again  had  decisive 
majorities  in  both  branches  of  the  Legislatm-e. 

No  startling  events  occurred  during  Governor 
Cullom's  second  term.  The  State  continued  to 
increase  in  wealth,  population  and  prosperity, 
and  the  heavy  debt,  by  which  it  had  been  bur- 
dened thirty  years  before,  was  practically  "wiped 
out." 

Election  of  1882.— At  the  election  of  1883, 
Gen.  John  C.  Smith,  who  had  been  elected  State 
Treasurer  in  1878,  was  re-elected  for  a  second 
term,  over  Alfred  Orendorff,  while  Charles  T. 
Strattan,  the  Republican  candidate  for  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  was  de- 
feated by  Henry  Raab.  The  Republicans  again 
had  a  majority  in  each  House  of  the  General 
A.ssembly,  amounting  to  twelve  on  joint  ballot. 
Loren  C.    Collins  was    elected    Speaker   of    the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


House.  In  the  election  of  United  States  Senator, 
\\liich  occurred  at  this  session,  Governor  Culloin 
was  chosen  as  tlie  successor  to  David  Davis,  (Jen. 
John  M.  Pahner  receiving  tlie  Democratic  vote. 
Lieut.-Gov.  John  M.  Ilamilton  thus  became  Gov- 
ernor, nearly  in  the  middle  of  his  term.  (See 
Cidloni,  Shelby  M.;  Hamilton,  John  M.;  Collins, 
Loren  V.,  and  Raab,  Henrij.) 

The  "Harper  High  License  Law,"  enacted  by 
the  Thirty-third  General  Assembly  (1883),  has 
become  one  of  the  permanent  features  of  the  Illi- 
nois statutes  for  the  control  of  the  liquor  traffic, 
and  has  been  more  or  less  closely  copied  in  other 
States. 

Political  C.\mpaic}N  ok  1884.— In  1884,  Gen. 
R.  J.  Oglesby  again  became  the  choice  of  the 
Republican  party  for  Governor,  receiving  at 
Peoria  tlie  consi)icuous  compliment  of  a  nomina- 
tion for  a  third  term,  by  acclamation.  Carter  H. 
Harrison  was  the  candidate  of  the  Democrats. 
The  Rei)ublican  National  Convention  was  again 
held  in  Chicago,  meeting  June  3.  1884;  Gen.  John 
A.  Logan  was  the  choice  of  the  Illinois  Repub- 
licans for  President,  and  wa.s  put  in  nomination 
in  the  Convention  by  Senator  Cullom.  The 
choice  of  the  Convention,  however,  fell  upon 
James  G.  Blaine,  on  the  fourtli  ballot,  his  leading 
competitor  being  President  Arthur.  Logan  was 
then  nominated  for  Vice-President  by  acclama- 
tion. 

At  the  election  in  November  the  Republican 
party  met  its  first  reverse  on  the  National  tattle- 
field  since  1856,  Grover  Cleveland  and  Thomas  A. 
Hendricks,  the  Democratic  candidates,  being 
elected  President  and  Vice-President  by  the  nar- 
row margin  of  less  than  1,200  votes  in  the  State 
of  New  York.  The  re.sult  was  in  doubt  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  the  excitement  throughout  the 
country  was  scarcely  less  inten.se  than  it  had 
been  in  the  close  election  of  18T6.  Tlie  Green- 
back and  Prohibition  parties  both  had  tickets  in 
Illinois,  polling  a  total  of  nearly  23,000  votes. 
The  plurality  in  the  State  for  Blaine  was  2.5,118. 
Tlie  Republican  State  officers  elected  were  Richard 
J.  Oglesby,  Governor;  John  C.  Smith.  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor; Henry  D.  Dement,  Secretary  of 
State ;  Charles  P.  Swigert,  Auditor ;  Jacob  Gross, 
State  Treasurer;  and  George  Hunt,  Attorney- 
General —receiving  pluralities  ranging  from  14,- 
000  to  2.5,000.  Both  Dement  and  Swigert  were 
elected  for  a  second  time,  while  Gross  and  Hunt 
were  chosen  for  first  terms.  (See  Grosn,  Jacob, 
and  Hunt,  George. ) 

Chtcago  Election-  pRArDs.— An  incident  of 
this  election  was  the  fraudulent  attempt  to  se;vt 


Rudolph  Brand  (Democrat)  as  Senator  in  place  of 
Henry  W.  Leman,  in  the  Si.\th  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict of  Cook  County.  The  fraud  was  expo.sed 
and  Joseph  C.  Mackin,  one  of  its  alleged  perpe- 
trators, was  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  four 
years  for  perjury  growing  out  of  the  investiga- 
tion. A  motive  for  this  attempted  fraud  was 
found  in  the  close  vote  in  the  Legislature  for 
United  States  Senator — Senator  Logan  being  a 
candidate  for  re-election,  while  the  Legislature 
stood  102  Republicans  to  100  Democrats  and  two 
Greenbackers  on  joint  ballot.  A  tedious  contest 
on  the  election  of  Speaker  of  the  House  finally 
resulted  in  the  success  of  E.  M.  Haines.  Pending 
the  struggle  over  the  Senatorship,  two  seats  in 
the  House  and  one  in  the  Senate  were  rendered 
vacant  by  death — the  deceased  Senator  and  one  of 
the  Representatives  being  Democrats,  and  the 
other  Representative  a  Republican.  The  special 
election  for  Senator  resulteil  in  filling  the  vacancy 
with  a  new  member  of  the  same  political  faith  as 
his  predecessor;  but  iKitli  vacancies  in  the  House 
were  filled  by  Republicans.  The  gain  of  a  Repub- 
lican meml)er  in  place  of  a  Demo<Tat  in  the 
House  was  brought  about  by  the  election  of 
Captain  AVilliam  H.  Weaver  Representative  from 
the  Thirty-fourth  District  (comixiscd  of  Mason, 
Jlenard,  Cass  and  Schuyler  Counties)  over  the 
Democratic  candidate,  to  fill  the  vacancy  cau-sed 
by  the  death  of  Representative  J.  Henry  Shaw, 
Democrat.  This  was  accomplished  by  what  is 
called  a  "still  hunt"  on  the  part  of  the  Repuli- 
licans,  in  which  the  Democrats,  being  taken  by 
surprise,  suiTered  a  defeat.  It  furnished  the  sen- 
sation not  only  of  the  session,  but  of  special  elec- 
tions generally,  especially  as  every  county  in  the 
District  w;ls  strongly  Democratic.  This  gave  the 
Republicans  a  majority  in  each  House,  and  the 
re-election  of  Logan  followed,  though  not  until 
two  months  had  lieen  consumed  in  the  contest. 
(See  Logan,  John  A.) 

Oglesby's  Third  Term. — The  only  disturbing 
events  during  Governor  Oglesby's  third  term  were 
strikes  among  the  (juarrymen  at  Joliet  and 
Lemont,  in  May,  1885;  by  the  railroad  switchmen 
at  East  St.  Louis,  in  April,  1886,  and  among  the 
employes  at  tlie  Union  Stock-Yards,  in  November 
of  the  same  year.  In  each  case  troops  were  called 
out  and  order  finally  restored,  but  not  until  sev- 
eral persons  liad  been  killed  in  the  two  former, 
and  both  strikers  and  employers  had  lost  heavily 
in  the  interruption  of  business. 

At  the  election  of  1886.  John  R.  Tanner  and 
Dr.  Richard  Edwards  (Republicans)  were  respec- 
tively elected  State  Treasurer  and  State  Superin- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


279 


tendent  of  Public  Instruction,  by  34,816  plurality 
for  the  former  and  29.938  for  the  latter.  (See 
Tanner,  John  R.;  Edwards.  Richard.) 

In  the  Thirty-fifth  General  Assembly,  which 
met  January,  1887.  the  Republicans  had  a  major- 
ity in  each  House,  and  Charles  B.  Farwell  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  in  place  of 
Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  deceased.  (See  Farwell, 
Charles  B. ) 

FiFER  Elected  Governor.  —  The  political 
camjiaign  of  1888  was  a  spirited  one,  though  less 
bitter  than  the  one  of  four  years  previous.  Ex- 
Senator  Joseph  W.  Fifer,  of  McLean  County,  and 
Ex-Gov.  John  M.  Palmer  were  pitted  against  each 
other  as  opposing  candidates  for  Governor.  (See 
Fifer,  Joneph  W.)  Prohibition  and  Labor  tickets 
were  also  in  the  field  The  Republican  National 
Convention  was  again  held  in  Chicago,  June 
20-2.5,  resulting  in  the  nomination  of  Benjamin 
Harrison  for  President,  on  the  eiglith  ballot.  The 
delegates  from  Illinois,  with  two  or  three  excep- 
tions, voted  steadily  for  Judge  Walter  Q. 
Gre.sham.  (See  Gresham,  Walter  Q.)  Grover 
Cleveland  headed  the  Democratic  ticket  as  a 
candidate  for  re-election.  At  the  November  elec- 
tion, 747,683  votes  were  cast  in  Illinois,  giving 
the  Republican  Electors  a  plurality  of  22,104. 
Fifer's  plurality  over  Palmer  was  12, .547,  and  that 
of  the  remainder  of  the  Republican  State  ticket, 
still  larger.  Those  elected  were  Lyman  B.  Ray, 
Lieutenant-Governor;  Isaac  N.  Pearson,  Secre- 
tary of  State;  Gen.  Charles  W.  Pavey,  Auditor; 
Cliarles  Becker,  Treasurer,  and  George  Hunt, 
Attorney-General.  (See  Ray,  Lyman  B.;  Pear- 
son, Lsaae  N.;  Pavey,  Cliarles  W;  and  Becker, 
Charles.)  The  Republicans  secured  twenty-six 
majority  on  joint  ballot  in  the  Legislature — the 
largest  since  1881.  Among  the  acts  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  1889  were  the  re-election  of  Senator 
Cullom  to  the  United  States  Senate,  practically 
w'thout  a  contest ;  the  revision  of  the  compulsory 
education  law,  and  the  enactment  of  the  Chicago 
drainage  law.  At  a  special  session  held  in  July, 
1890,  the  first  steps  in  the  preliminary  legislation 
looking  to  the  holding  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  of  1893  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  were 
taken.     (See  World's  Columbian  E.rjwsition.) 

Republican  Defe.\t  of  1890. — The  campaign 
of  1890  resulted  in  a  defeat  for  the  Republicans  on 
both  the  State  and  Legislative  tickets.  Edward 
S.  Wilson  was  elected  Treasurer  by  a  plurality  of 
9,847  and  Prof.  Henry  Raab,  who  had  been  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction  between  1883  and 
1887,  was  elected  for  a  second  term  by  34,042. 
Though  lacking  two  of  an  absolute  majority  on 


joint  ballot  in  the  Legislature,  the  Democrats 
were  able,  with  the  aid  of  two  members  belonging 
to  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  after  a  prolonged  and 
exciting  contest,  to  elect  Ex-Gov.  John  M. 
Palmer  United  States  Senator,  as  successor  to 
C.  B.  Farwell.  The  election  took  place  on  March 
11,  resulting,  on  the  154th  ballot,  in  103  votes  for 
Palmer  to  100  for  Cicero  J.  Lindley  (Republican) 
and  one  for  A.  J.  Streeter.  (See  Palmer,  John  M. ) 
Elections  of  1892.— At  the  elections  of  1892 
the  Repuljlicans  of  Illinois  sustained  their  first 
defeat  on  both  State  and  National  issues  since 
1856.  The  Democratic  State  Convention  was 
held  at  Springfield,  April  27,  and  that  of  the 
Republicans  on  May  4.  The  Democrats  put  in 
nomination  John  P.  Altgeld  for  Governor; 
Joseph  B.  Gill  for  Lieutenant-Governor ;  WiUiam 
H.  Hiurichsen  for  Secretary  of  State;  Rufus  N. 
Ramsay  for  State  Treasurer;  David  Gore  for 
Auditor ;  Maurice  T.  Moloney  for  Attorney-Gen- 
eral, with  John  C.  Black  and  Andrew  J.  Hunter 
for  Congressmen-at-large  and  three  candidates  for 
Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  can- 
didates on  the  Republican  ticket  were ;  For  Gov- 
ernor, Joseph  W.  Fifer;  Lieutenant-Governor, 
Lyman  B.  Ray ;  Secretary  of  State,  Isaac  N.  Pear- 
son; Auditor,  Charles  W.  Pavey;  Attornej'-Gen- 
eral,  George  W.  Prince;  State  Treasurer,  Henry 
L.  Hertz ;  Congressmen-at-large,  George  S.  Willits 
and  Richard  Yates,  with  three  University  Trus- 
tees. The  first  four  were  all  incumbents  nomi- 
nated to  succeed  themselves.  Tlie  Republican 
National  Convention  held  its  session  at  Minneapo- 
lis June  7-10,  nominating  President  Harrison  for 
re-election,  while  that  of  the  Democrats  met 
in  Chicago,  on  June  21,  remaining  in  session 
until  June  24,  for  the  third  time  choosing,  as  its 
standard-bearer,  Grover  Cleveland,  with  Adlai  T. 
Stevenson,  of  Bloomington,  111.,  as  his  running- 
mate  for  Vice-President.  The  Prohibition  and 
People's  Party  also  had  complete  National  and 
State  tickets  in  the  field.  The  State  campaign 
was  conducteil  with  great  vigor  on  both  sides,  the 
Democrats,  under  the  leadership  of  Altgeld,  mak- 
ing an  especially  bitter  contest  upon  some  features 
of  the  compulsory  school  law,  and  gaining  many 
votes  from  the  ranks  of  the  German-Republicans. 
The  residt  in  the  State  showed  a  plurality  for 
Cleveland  of  20,993  votes  out  of  a  total  873,046— 
the  combined  Prohibition  and  People's  Party  vote 
amounting  to  48,077.  The  votes  for  the  respec- 
tive heads  of  the  State  tickets  were:  Altgeld 
(Dem.),  425,498;  Fifer  (Rep.),  402,059;  Link 
(Pro.),  25,628  ;Barnet  (Peo.).  20,  108— plurality  for 
Altgeld,  23,808.     The  vote  for  Fifer  was  the  high- 


280 


lirsrolilCAL    EN'CYCLOPEDIA    OF    1LLI^■0IS. 


est  given  to  any  Repulilifan  candidate  on  either 
the  National  or  the  Stale  ticket,  leading  that  of 
President  Harrison  hy  nearly  3,400,  while  the 
vote  for  Altgeld,  though  falling  behind  that  of 
Cleveland,  led  the  votes  of  all  his  associates  on  the 
Democratic  State  ticket  with  the  single  exception 
of  Ramsay,  the  Democratic  Candidate  for  Treas- 
urer. Of  the  twenty-two  Representatives  in 
Congress  from  the  State  chosen  at  this  time, 
eleven  were  Republicans  and  eleven  Democrats, 
including  among  the  latter  the  two  Congressmen 
from  the  Stateat-large.  The  Thirty-eighth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  stood  twenty-nine  Democrats  to 
twenty-two  Republicans  in  the  Senate,  and 
seventy-eight  Democrats  to  seventy-five  Republic- 
ans in  the  House. 

The  administration  of  Governor  Fifer — the  last 
in  a  long  and  unbroken  line  under  Republican  Gov- 
ernors— closed  with  the  financial  and  industrial 
interests  of  the  State  in  a  prosi)erou9  condition, 
the  State  out  of  debt  with  an  ample  surplus  in  its 
treasury.     Fifer  was  the  first  i>rivate  soldier  of 
the  Civil  War  to  be  elected  to  the  Governorship, 
though  the  result  of  the  next  two  elections  have 
shown  that  he  was  not  to  be  the  last — lK)th  of  his 
successors  belonging  to  the  sjime  class.    Governor 
Altgeld  was  the  first  foreign-born  citizen  of  the 
State  to  be  elected  Governor,  though  the  State 
has  had  four  Lieutenant-Governors    of    foreign 
birth,  viz.:  Pierre  Menard,   a  French  Canadian: 
John     Moore,    an     Englishman,    and     Gustavus 
Koerner  and  Francis  A.  HolTman,  lioth  Germans. 
Altueld's    Aumixistr.\tion-.  —  The    Thirty- 
eighth  General  Assembly  liegan  its  session,  Jan. 
4,  1893,  the  Democrats  having  a  majority  in  each 
House.     (See  Thirty-eighth    General    Assemlily.) 
The  inauguration  of  the  State  officers  occurred  on 
January   10.     The  most  important    events   con- 
nected with  Governor  Altgeld's    administration 
were  the  AVorld's  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893, 
and  the  strike  of  railway  employes  in  1804.     Both 
of  these  have  been  treated  in  detail  under  their 
proper  heads.     (See  World's  Columbian  E.rposi- 
tion,   and   Labor  Troubles.)     A  serious    disaster 
befell  the  State  in  the  destnuHion  by  fire,  on  the 
night  of  Jan.  3,  189i>,  of  a  portion  of  the  buildings 
connected  w-ith  the  Southern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Anna,  involving  a  loss  to  the  State  of 
nearly  S'200,000,  and  subjecting  the  inmates  and 
officers  of   the  institution  to  great  risk  and   no 
small  amount  of  sulfering.  although  no  lives  were 
lost.     The  Thirty  ninth  General  As.sembly,  which 
met  a  few  days  after  the  fire,  made  an  appropri- 
ation of  §171,970  for  the  re.storation  of  the  build- 
ings destroyed,  and  work  was  begim  immediately. 


The  defalcation  of  Charles  \V.  Spalding,  Treas- 
urer of  the  University  of  Illinois,  which  came  to 
light  near  the  close  of  Governor  Altgeld's  term, 
involved  the  State  in  heavy  loss  (the  exact 
amount  of  which  is  not  even  yet  fully  known). 
and  o])erated  unfortunately  for  the  credit  of  the 
retiring  administration,  in  view  of  the  adoption  of 
a  policy  which  made  the  Governor  more  directly 
responsible  for  the  management  of  the  State  in- 
stitutions than  that  pursued  by  most  of  his  prede- 
cessors. The  (lovernor's  course  in  connection 
with  the  strike  of  1894  was  also  severelj-  criticised 
in  some  quarters,  especially  as  it  brought  him  in 
opposition  to  the  policy  of  the  National  adminis- 
tration, and  exposed  him  to  the  charge  of  sympa- 
thizing with  the  strikers  at  a  time  when  they 
were  regarded  ixs  acting  in  open  violation  of  law. 
Eleition  of  1894.— The  election  of  1894  showed 
as  surprising  a  reaction  against  the  Democratic 
party,  as  that  of  1892  had  been  in  an  opposite 
ilirection.  The  two  State  offices  to  be  vacated 
this  ye<ir — State  Treasurer  and  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction — were  filled  by  the  elec- 
tion of  Republicans  by  unprecedented  majorities. 
The  plurality  for  Henry  WultT  for  State  Treas- 
urer, was  133,427,  and  that  in  favor  of  Samuel  M. 
Inglis  for  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, scarcely  10,000  less.  Of  twenty-two  Repre- 
sentatives in  Congress,  all  but  two  returned  as 
elected  were  Republicans,  and  these  two  were 
unseated  as  the  result  of  contests.  The  Legisla- 
ture stood  thirtj'-three  Republicans  to  eighteen 
Democrats  in  the  Senate,  and  eighty -eight  Repub- 
licans to  sixty-one  Democrats  in  the  House. 

One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  Thirtj-- 
ninth  General  As.sembly,  {it  the  following  session, 
was  the  enactment  of  a  law  fixing  the  compensa 
tionof  members  of  the  General  Assembly  at  SI, 000 
for  each  regular  session,  with  five  dollars  per  day 
and  mileage  for  called,  or  extra,  sessions.  This 
Legislature  also  passed  acts  making  appropriations 
for  the  erection  of  buildings  for  the  use  of  the 
State  Fair,  wliicli  had  teen  permanently  located 
at  Springfield;  for  the  establishment  of  two  ad- 
ditional hospitals  for  the  insane,  one  near  Rock 
Island  and  the  other  (for  incurables)  near  Peoria; 
for  the  Northern  and  Eastern  Illinois  Normal 
Schools,  and  for  a  Soldiers'  Widows"  Home  at 
Wilmington. 

Perm.^sent  Location  of  the  State  Fair. — 
In  consetiuence  of  the  absorption  of  public  atten- 
tion— especially  among  the  industrial  and  manu- 
facturing classes  —  by  the  World's  Columbian 
ExiMjsition,  the  holding  of  the  Annual  Fair  of  the 
Illinois  State  Board  of  Agriculture  for  1893  was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


281 


omitted  for  the  first  time  since  the  Civil  War. 
The  initial  steps  were  taken  by  the  Board  at  its 
annual  meeting  in  Springfield,  in  January  of  that 
year,  looking  to  the  permanent  location  of  the 
Fair ;  and,  at  a  meeting  of  tlie  Board  held  in  Chi- 
cago, in  October  following,  formal  specifications 
were  adopted  prescribing  the  conditions  to  be  met 
in  securing  tlie  prize.  These  were  sent  to  cities 
intending  to  compete  for  the  location  as  the  basis 
of  proposals  to  be  submitted  by  them.  Responses 
were  received  from  the  cities  of  Bloomington, 
Decatur,  Peoria  and  Springfield,  at  the  annual 
meeting  in  January,  1894,  with  the  result  that, 
on  the  eighth  ballot,  the  bid  of  Springfield  was 
accepted  and  the  Fair  permanently  located  at 
that  place  by  a  vote  of  eleven  for  Springfield  to 
ten  divided  between  five  other  points.  The 
Springfield  proposal  provided  for  conveyance  to 
the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  of  153  acres  of 
land — embracing  the  old  Sangamon  County  Fair 
Cirounds  immediately  nortli  of  the  city — besides 
a  cash  contribution  of  §50.000  voted  by  the  San- 
gamon County  Board  of  Supervisors  for  the 
erection  of  permanent  buildings.  Other  contri- 
butions increased  the  estimated  value  of  the 
donations  from  Sangamon  County  (including  the 
land)  to  S139,800,  not  including  the  pledge  of  the 
city  of  Springfield  to  pave  two  streets  to  the  gates 
of  the  Fair  Grounds  and  furnish  water  free,  be- 
sides an  agreement  on  the  part  of  the  electric 
light  company  to  furnish  light  for  two  years  free 
of  charge.  The  construction  of  buildings  was 
begun  the  same  year,  and  the  first  Fair  held  on 
the  site  in  September  following.  Additional 
buildings  have  been  erected  and  other  improve- 
ments introduced  each  year,  until  the  grounds 
are  now  regarded  as  among  the  best  equipped  for 
exhibition  purposes  in  the  United  States.  In  the 
meantime,  the  increasing  success  of  the  Fair 
from  year  to  year  has  demonstrated  the  wisdom 
of  the  action  taken  by  the  Board  of  Agriculture 
in  the  matter  of  location. 

Campaign  of  1896.  — The  jjolitical  campaign 
of  1896  was  one  of  almost  unprecedented  activity 
in  Illinois,  as  well  as  remarkable  for  tlie  variety 
and  character  of  the  issues  involved  and  the 
number  of  party  candidates  in  the  field.  As 
usual,  the  Democratic  and  the  Republican  parties 
were  the  chief  factors  in  the  contest,  although 
there  was  a  w-ide  diversity  of  sentiment  in  each, 
which  tended  to  the  introduction  of  new  issues 
and  the  organization  of  parties  on  new  lines. 
The  Republicans  took  tlje  lead  in  organizing  for 
the  canvass,  holding  their  State  Convention  at 
Springfield  on  April  39  and  30,  while  the  Demo- 


crats followed,  at  Peoria,  on  June  23.  The  former 
put  in  nomination  John  R.  Tanner  for  Governor; 
William  A.  Northcott  for  Lieutenant-Governor; 
James  A.  Rose  for  Secretary  of  State ;  James  S. 
McCuUough  for  Auditor;  Henry  L.  Hertz  for 
Treasurer,  and  Edward  C.  Akin  for  Attorney- 
General,  with  Mary  Turner  Carriel,  Thomas  J. 
Smyth  and  Francis  M.  McKay  for  University 
Trustees.  The  ticket  put  in  nomination  by  the 
Democracy  for  State  officers  embraced  John  P. 
Altgeld  for  re-election  to  the  Governorship;  for 
Lieutenant-Governor,  Monroe  C.  Crawford;  Sec- 
retary of  State,  Finis  E.  Downing;  Auditor, 
Andrew  L.  Maxwell;  Attorney-General,  George 
A.  Trude,  witli  three  candidates  for  Trustees. 

The  National  Republican  Convention  met  at  St. 
Louis  on  June  16,  and,  after  a  three  days'  session, 
put  in  nomination  William  McKinley,  of  Ohio, 
for  President,  and  Garret  A.  Hobart,  of  New 
Jersey,  for  Vice-President;  while  their  Demo- 
cratic opponents,  following  a  policy  which  had 
been  maintained  almost  continuously  by  one  or 
the  other  party  since  1860,  set  in  motion  its  party 
machinery  in  Chicago — holding  its  National  Con- 
vention in  that  city,  July  7-11,  when,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  nation,  a  native  of 
Illinois  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency  in  the 
person  of  William  J.  Bryan  of  Nebraska,  with 
Arthur  Sewall,  a  ship-builder  of  Maine,  for  the 
second  place  on  the  ticket.  The  main  issues,  as 
enunciated  in  the  platforms  of  the  respective 
parties,  were  industrial  and  financial,  as  shown  by 
the  prominence  given  to  the  tariff  and  monetary 
questions  in  each.  This  was  tlie  natural  result  of 
the  business  depression  which  Iiad  prevailed  since 
1893.  While  the  Republican  platform  adhered  to 
the  traditional  position  of  the  party  on  the  tariff 
issue,  and  declared  in  favor  of  maintaining  the 
gold  standard  as  the  basis  of  the  monetary  system 
of  the  country,  that  of  the  Democracy  took  a  new 
departure  by  declaring  unreservedly  for  the  "free 
and  unlimited  coinage  of  both  silver  and  gold  at 
the  present  legal  ratio  of  16  to  1;'"  and  this  be- 
came the  leading  issue  of  the  campaign.  The 
fact  that  Thomas  E.  Watson,  of  Georgia,  who 
had  been  favored  by  the  Populists  as  a  candidate 
for  Vice  President,  and  was  afterwards  formally 
nominated  by  a  convention  of  that  party,  with 
Mr.  Bryan  at  its  head,  was  ignored  by  the  Chi- 
cago Convention,  led  to  much  friction  between 
the  Populist  and  Democratic  wings  of  the  party. 
At  the  same  time  a  very  considerable  body — in 
influence  and  political  prestige,  if  not  in  numbers 
— in  the  ranks  of  the  old-line  Democratic  party, 
refused  to  accept  the  doctrine  of  the  free-silver 


282 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


section  on  the  monetary  question,  and.  adopting 
the  name  of  "Gold  Democrats, '"  put  in  nomination 
a  ticket  composed  of  John  M.  Palmer,  of  Illinois, 
for  President,  and  Simon  B.  Buckner,  of  Ken- 
tucky, for  Vice-President.  Besides  the.se.  the  Pro- 
hibitionists, Nationalists.  Socialist-Labor  Party 
and  "Middle-of-tlie-Road"  (or  "straight-out"; 
Populists,  had  more  or  le.ss  complete  tickets  in  the 
field,  making  a  total  of  seven  sets  of  candidates 
appealing  for  the  votes  of  the  people  on  issues 
assumed  to  be  of  National  importance. 

Tlie  fact  that  the  two  great  parties — Democratic 
and  Republican — established  their  principal  head- 
quarters for  the  prosecution  of  the  campaign  in 
Chicago,  had  the  effect  to  make  that  city  and 
the  State  of  Illinois  the  center  of  political  activ- 
ity for  the  nation.  Demonstrations  of  an  impos- 
ing character  were  held  by  both  piirties.  At  the 
November  election  tlie  Republicans  carried  the 
day  by  a  plurality,  in  Illinois,  of  141,517  for  their 
national  ticket  out  of  a  totiil  of  1,090,809  votes, 
while  the  leading  candidates  on  the  State  ticket 
received  the  following  pluralities:  John  R.  Tan- 
ner (for  Governor),  U3,:i81;  Northcott  (for  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor), 137,3.54;  Rose  (for  Secretary  of 
State),  130.011;  McCullough  (for  Auditor),  138,- 
013;  Hertz  (for  Treasurer),  116.064;  Akin  (for 
Attorney -General),  133.050.  The  Republicans  also 
elected  seventeen  Representatives  in  Congress  to 
three  Democrats  and  two  People's  Party  men. 
The  total  vote  cast,  in  this  campaign,  for  the  "Gold 
Democratic"  candidate  for  Governor  was  ft,  100. 

Gov.  Tanner's  Administration — The  Fortieth 
'  jeneral  Assembly  met  Jan.  6,  1897,  consisting  of 
eighty-eight  Republicans  to  sixty-three  Demo- 
crats and  two  Populists  in  the  House,  and  thirty- 
nine  Republicans  to  eleven  Democrats  and  one 
Populist  in  the  Senate  The  Republicans  finally 
gained  one  nieml>er  in  each  hou.se  by  contests. 
Edward  C.  Curtis,  of  Kankakee  County,  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House  and  Uendrick  V. 
Fisher,  of  Henry  Count}',  President  pro  tem.  of 
the  Senate,  with  a  full  set  of  Republican  officers 
in  the  subordinate  positions.  The  inauguration 
of  the  newly  elected  State  officers  took  place  on 
the  11th,  the  inaugural  address  of  Governor 
Tanner  taking  strong  ground  in  favor  of  main- 
taining the  issues  indorsed  by  the  people  at  the 
late  election.  On  Jan.  20,  William  E.  Mason, 
of  Chicago,  was  elected  L^nited  States  Senator,  as 
the  successor  of  Senator  Palmer,  whose  term  was 
about  to  expire.  Mr.  Mason  received  the  full 
Republican  strength  (125  votes)  in  the  two 
Houses,  to  the  77  Democratic  votes  cast  for  John 
P.  Altgeld.     (See  Fortieth  General  Asse/nbly. ) 


Among  the  principal  measures  enacted  by  the 
Fortieth  General  Assembly  at  its  regular  session 
were;  The  "Torrens  Land  Title  System,"  regu- 
lating the  conveyance  and  registration  of  land 
titles  (which  see) ;  the  consolidation  of  the  three 
Supreme  Court  Districts  into  one  and  locating  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Springfield,  and  the  Allen 
Street-Railroad  Law,  empowering  City  Councils 
and  other  corporate  authorities  of  cities  to  grant 
street  railway  franchises  for  a  period  of  fifty 
years.  On  Dec.  7,  1897,  the  Legislature  met  in 
special  session  under  a  call  of  the  Governor,  nam- 
ing five  subjects  upon  which  legislation  was  sug- 
gested. Of  these  only  two  were  acted  upon 
affirmatively,  viz. :  a  law  prescribing  the  manner 
of  conducting  the  election  of  delegates  to  nomi- 
nating political  conventions,  and  a  new  revenue 
law  regulating  the  assessment  and  collection  of 
taxes.  The  main  feature  of  the  latter  act  is  the 
requirement  that  property  shall  be  entered  upon 
the  books  of  the  assessor  at  its  cash  value,  subject 
to  revision  by  a  Board  of  Review,  the  basis  of 
valuation  for  purposes  of  taxation  being  one-fifth 
of  this  amount. 

The  Spanish-American  War.— The  most  not- 
able event  in  the  historj'  of  Illinois  during  the 
year  1898  was  the  Spanish- American  War,  and 
the  part  Illinois  played  in  it.  In  this  contest 
Illinoisans  manifested  the  same  eagerness  to 
ser\-e  their  country  as  did  their  fathers  and  fel- 
low citizens  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  a  third 
of  a  century  ago.  The  first  call  for  volunteers 
was  responded  to  with  alacrity  by  the  men  com- 
posing the  Illinois  National  Guard,  seven  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  from  the  First  to  Seventli 
inclusive,  besides  one  regiment  of  Cavalry  and 
one  Battery  of  Artillery — in  all  about  9,000  men 
— being  mustered  in  between  May  7  and  May  21. 
Although  only  one  of  these — the  First,  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Henry  L.  Turner  of  Chicago — 
saw  practical  sen-ice  in  Cuba  before  the  surrender 
at  Santiago,  others  in  camps  of  instruction  in  the 
South  stood  ready  to  respond  to  the  demand  for 
their  service  in  the  field.  Under  the  second  call 
for  troops  two  other  regiments — the  Eighth  and 
the  Ninth — were  organized  and  the  former  (com- 
posed of  Afro-Americans  officered  by  men  of 
their  own  race)  relieved  the  First  Illinois  on  guard 
duty  at  Santiago  after  the  surrender.  A  body  of 
engineers  from  Company  E  of  the  Second  United 
States  Engineers,  recruited  in  Chicago,  were 
among  the  first  to  see  service  in  Cuba,  while 
many  Illinoisans  belonging  to  the  Naval  Reserve 
were  assigned  to  duty  on  United  States  war 
vessels,  and  rendered  most  valuable  service  in  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


283 


naval  engagements  in  Cuban  waters.  The  Third 
Regiment  (Col.  Fred.  Bennitt)  a'so  took  part  in 
the  movement  for  the  occupation  of  Porto  Rico. 
The  several  regiments  on  tlieir  return  for  muster- 
out,  after  the  conclusion  of  terms  of  peace  with 
Spain,  received  most  enthusiastic  ovations  from 
their  fellow-citizens  at  home.  Besides  the  regi- 
ments mentioned,  several  Provisional  Regiments 
were  organized  and  stood  ready  to  respond  to  the 
call  of  the  Government  for  their  services  had  the 
emergency  required.  (See  TT'ar,  The  Spanish 
American.) 

Labor  Disturbances.  —  The  principal  labor 
disturbances  in  the  State,  under  Governor  Tan- 
ner's administration,  occurred  during  the  coal- 
miners'  strike  of  1897,  and  the  lock-out  at  the 
Pana  and  Virden  mines  in  1898.  The  attempt  to 
introduce  colored  laborers  from  the  South  to 
operate  these  mines  led  to  violence  between  the 
adherents  of  the  "Miners'  Union"  and  the  mine- 
owners  and  operators,  and  their  employes,  at 
these  points,  during  which  it  was  necessary  to 
call  out  the  National  Guard,  and  a  number  of 
lives  were  sacrificed  on  both  sides. 

A  flood  in  the  Ohio,  during  the  spring  of  1898, 
caused  the  breaking  of  the  levee  at  Shawneetown, 
111.,  on  the  3d  day  of  April,  in  consequence  of 
which  a  large  proportion  of  the  city  was  flooded, 
many  homes  and  business  houses  wrecked  or 
greatly  injured,  and  miich  other  property  de- 
stroyed. The  most  serious  disaster,  however,  was 
the  loss  of  some  twenty-five  lives,  for  the  most 
part  of  women  and  children  who,  being  surprised 
in  their  homes,  were  unable  to  escape.  Aid  was 
promptly  furnished  by  the  State  Government  in 
the  form  of  tents  to  shelter  the  survivors  and 
rations  to  feed  them ;  and  contributions  of  money 
and  provisions  from  the  citizens  of  the  State,  col- 
lected by  relief  organizations  during  the  next  two 
or  three  months,  were  needed  to  moderate  the 
suffering.     (See  Inundations,  Ecmnrkahlc.) 

Campaign  of  1898. — The  political  campaign  of 
1898  was  a  quiet  one.  at  least  nominally  conducted 
on  the  same  general  is.sues  as  that  of  1896,  al- 
though the  gradual  return  of  business  prosperity 
had  greatly  modified  the  intensity  of  interest 
with  which  some  of  the  economic  questions  of 
the  preceding  campaign  had  been  regarded.  The 
only  State  officers  to  be  elected  were  a  State- 
Treasurer,  a  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
and  three  State  University  Trustees — the  total 
vote  cast  for  the  former  being  878,622  against 
1,090,869  for  President  in  1896.  Of  the  former, 
Floyd  K.  Whittemore  (Republican  candidate  for 
State  Treasurer)  received  448.940  to  405,490  for 


M.  F.  Dunlap  (Democrat),  with  24,192  divided 
between  three  other  candidates;  while  Alfred 
Bayliss  (Republican)  received  a  plurality  of 
08,899  over  liis  Democratic  competitor,  with  23,- 
190  votes  cast  for  three  others.  The  Republican 
candidates  for  University  Trustees  were,  of  course, 
elected.  The  Republicans  lost  heavily  in  their 
representation  in  Congress,  though  electing  tliir- 
teen  out  of  twenty-two  members  of  the  Fifty- 
sixth  Congress,  leaving  nine  to  their  Democratic 
opponents,  who  were  practically  consolidated  in 
this  campaign  with  the  Populists. 

Forty-first  General  Assembly.— The  Forty- 
first  General  Assembly  met,  Jan.  4,  1899,  and 
adjourned,  April  14,  after  a  session  of  101  days, 
with  one  exception  (that  of  1875),  the  shortest 
regular  session  in  the  liistory  of  the  State  Gov- 
ernment since  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of 
1870.  The  House  of  Reiiresentatives  consisted  of 
eighty-one  Republicans  to  .seventy -one  Democrats 
and  one  Proliibitionist;  and  the  Senate,  of  thirty- 
four  Republicans  to  sixteen  Democrats  and  one 
Populist — giving  a  Republican  majority  on  joint 
ballot  of  twenty-six.  Of  176  bills  which  passed 
both  Houses,  received  the  approval  of  the  Gov- 
ernor and  became  laws,  some  of  the  more  impor- 
tant were  the  following:  Amending  the  State 
Arbitration  Law  by  extending  its  scope  and  the 
general  powers  of  the  Board;  creating  the  office 
of  State  Architect  at  a  salary  of  $5,000  per  annum, 
to  furnish  plans  and  specifications  for  public 
buildings  and  supervise  the  construction  and 
care  of  the  same ;  authorizing  the  consolidation 
of  the  territory  of  cities  under  township  organi- 
zation, and  consisting  of  five  or  more  Congres- 
sional townships,  into  one  township;  empowering 
each  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  to  emplo}'  a 
private  secretary  at  a  .salary  of  62,000  per  annum, 
to  be  paid  by  the  State;  amending  the  State 
Revenue  Law  of  1898;  authorizing  the  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  parental  or  truant 
schools;  and  emjio^vering  the  State  to  establish 
Free  Employment  Offices,  in  the  proportion  of  one 
to  each  city  of  .50,000  inhabitants,  or  three  in 
cities  of  1,000,000  and  over.  An  act  was  also 
passed  requiring  the  Secretary  of  State,  when  an 
amendment  of  the  State  Constitution  is  to  be 
voted  upon  by  the  electors  at  any  general  elec- 
tion, to  prepare  a  statement  setting  forth  the  pro- 
visions of  the  same  and  furnish  copies  thereof  to 
each  County  Clerk,  whose  dut}-  it  is  to  have  said 
copies  published  and  posted  at  the  places  of  voting 
for  the  information  of  voters.  One  of  the  most 
important  acts  of  tliis  Legislature  was  the  repeal, 
by  a  practically  unanimous  vote,  of  the  Street- 


284 


mSTOUICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


railway  Franchise  Law  of  the  previous  session, 
the  provisions  of  wliicli,  empowering  City  Coun- 
cils to  grant  street-railway  franchises  extending 
over  a  period  of  fifty  years,  liad  been  severely 
criticised  by  a  portion  of  the  press  and  excited 
intense  hostility,  especially  in  some  of  the  larger 
cities  of  the  State.  Although  in  force  nearly  two 
years,  not  a  single  corporation  had  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  franchise  under  it. 

A  Retrospect  and  a  Look  into  The  Future.— 
The  history  of  Illinois  has  been  traced  concisely 
and  in  outline  from  the  earliest  period  to  the 
present  time.  Previous  to  the  visit  of  Joliet  and 
Marquette,  in  1G7:!.  as  unknown  as  Central  Africa, 
for  a  century  it  continued  the  hunting  ground  of 
savages  and  the  home  of  wild  animals  common  to 
the  plains  anil  forests  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
The  region  brought  under  the  influence  of  civili- 
zation, such  as  then  existed,  comprised  a  small 
area,  scarcely  larger  than  two  ordinarily  sized 
counties  of  the  pre.sent  day.  Thirteen  years  of 
nominal  British  control  ( 1765-78)  saw  little  change, 
except  the  exodus  of  a  part  of  the  old  French 
population,  who  preferred  Spanish  to  British  rule. 

The  period  of  development  began  with  the 
occupation  of  Illinois  by  Clark  in  1778.  That 
saw  the  "Illinois  Covmty."  created  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  settlements  northwest  of  the 
Ohio,  expanded  into  five  States,  with  an  area  of 
250,000  square  miles  and  a  iwpulation,  in  1890,  of 
13,500,000.  In  1880  the  jxipulation  of  the  State 
equaled  that  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolution.  The  eleventh  State  in 
the  Union  in  this  respect  in  1850,  in  1890  it  had 
advanced  to  third  rank.  With  its  unsurpassed 
fertility  of  soil,  its  inexhaustible  supplies  of  fuel 
for  manufacturing  purposes,  its  system  of  rail- 
roads, surpassing  in  extent  that  of  anj-  other  State, 
there  is  little  risk  in  predicting  that  the  next 
forty  years  will  see  it  advanced  to  second,  it  not 
first  rank,  in  both  wealth  and  population. 

But  if  the  development  of  Illinois  on  material 
lines  has  been  marvelous,  its  contributions  to  the 
Nation  in  philanthropists  and  educators,  soldiers 
and  statesmen,  have  rendered  it  conspicuous.  A 
long  list  of  these  might  be  mentioned,  but  two 
names  from  the  ranks  of  lUinoisans  have  been,  by 
common  consent,  assigned  a  higher  place  than  all 
others,  and  have  left  a  deeper  impress  upon  the 
history  of  the  Nation  than  any  others  since  the 
days  of  Washington.  These  are,  Ulysses  S.  Grant, 
the  Organizer  of  Victory  for  the  L'nion  arms 
and  Conqueror  of  the  Rebellion,  and  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  Great  Emancipator,  the  Preserver  of 
the  Republic,  and  its  Martyred  President. 


IC73. 

icri- 


1G8I. 


1700 
170O 


17IS. 
17IS 
17.'.1. 

1773. 


1778 
1787. 


1790. 
1711S 
IsOO. 

IMS. 

1818. 
IS-JU. 
18I-2- 
19iS 
183i 
lIxU. 

1^18. 

18riy. 

IWI. 
186a. 

isr,i 
Iv;-, 
Iv>o 
1966. 
1868. 
1870. 


CHRONOLOGICAL    RECORD. 

Important  Events  in  Illinois  History. 

Jollet  and  Marquette  reach  Illinois  from  Green  Bay  by 
way  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  ami  llllools  Rivers. 

X  -Marquette  makes  a  second  visit  to  Illinois  and  spends 
the  winter  on  the  present  site  of  Chicago. 
l.a  Salle  and  Toiity  descend  the  Illinois  to  Peoria  Lake. 
Toiity  twt;liis  the  erection  of  Fort  St.  Louis  on    "  starved 
Hock"  in  La  Salle  County. 

-La  Salle  and  'romy  descend  the  Illinois  and  Jlisslssippl 
Rivers  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  latter,  and  take  jMjssesslon 
I  April  y,  ltW'.;i  In  tilt'  name  of  the  King  of  France 

-First  permanent  French  settlement  in  Illinois  and  Mis- 
sion or  St.  .Snlpice  established  at  Ciihokia. 

—  Kaskaskia  Indians  remove  from  the  Upper  Illinois  and 
locate  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  River.  French 
settlement  established  here  the  same  year  becomes  the 
town  of  Kaskaskia  and  fulure  capital  of  Illinois. 

—The  llrst  Fort  Chartres.  erected  near  Kaskaskia. 

Fort  St.  Louis,  on  tlie  Upper  Illinois,  burned  by  Indiana. 

—  Fort  Chartres  retiullt  and  strengthened. 
The  llllniils  country  surrendered   by  the  French  to  the 
British  uiulcr  the  treaty  of  17fI3 

-I  July  ii  L'ol  Ueorge  Rogers  Clark,  at  the  head  of  an  e.xpe- 
dillon  organized  under  authority  of  Gov.  Patrick  Henry  of 
Virginia,  arrives  at  Kaskaskia.  The  occupatiouof  Illinois 
by  the  .\merlcaii  troops  follows. 

-Illinois  County  created  by  Act  of  the  Virginia  House  of 
l>elegat4».  for  the  goverument  of  the  settlements  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  River. 

Congress  ailopls  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  organizing  the 
Northwest  Terrltorv.  embracing  the  present  states  of 
Ohio.  Indiana.  Illinois.  Michigan  and  Wisconsin. 

— tieneral  Arthur  St.  Clair  appointed  Ooveriiurof  >ortb- 
west  'I'errltory. 

—.St  Clair  County  organized. 

—  Randolph  County  organized. 

—  Northwest  Terrltor>-  divided  Into  Ohio  and  Indiana  Ter- 
rltorli-s.  Illinois  being  embraced  in  the  latter. 

—  Illinois  I'errltory  set  off  from  Indiana,  and  Mnlan 
Kdwards  appointed  tJovernctr 

—I  Dec.  :i'  lllliii.is  admitted  as  aState. 

—  Slate  capital  reinove^l  from  Kaskaskia  to  Vandalla. 
•1\      Unsuccessful   allempt  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State. 

.  April  ill  Oeneral  La  Fayette  visits  Kaskaskia. 

—  Black  Haw  k  War  ^  .  .  .  ^  „.  . 
-I  July  1   Springiield  becomes  the  third  capital  of  the  State 

under  an  .\ct  of  the  Legislature  passed  in  1837. 

—  The  se^-ond  Constitution  adopled- 

—  .\braham  I.huxiln  is  elected  President. 
-War  of  the  Rel>elllon  begins. 
-.Jan.  I>  Linculn  issues  hh)  Bnal  Proclamation  of  Eman- 

clpatlon.  ,_. 

— Lincolirs  second  election  to  the  Presidency. 

.\prli  Ml  Abraham  Lincoln  a3sa.sslnate<l  In  Washlngtoo. 
-.  .Mav  4i   President  Lincoln's  funeral  in  Springiield. 
—The 'War  of  tiie  Reb»'lllon  ends. 
— Oen.  U  s.  Grant  elected  to  the  Presidency. 
—The  third  State  Constitution  adopted. 


POPULATION  OF  ILLINOIS 
At  Eacti  Decennial  Ccn*t«  }rom  1810  to  1900. 


1810  128) 12,282 

1820  (•«) 55.162 

is:*)  rail 157,445 

1840  |14l 476.183 

18S0  ill) 841,470 

XnTE.- Figures  In  parenthesis  indicate  the  rank  of  the  State 
lu  order  of  population. 


1880  (4) 1,711.951 

1870  (41 2,5a!).8ai 

18(!0  (4) 3.077,871 

1890  (3) 3828,351 

1900(3) 4,821  «0 


ILLIXOIS  CITIES 
Having  a  Population  of  10,000  and  Over  (1900). 


Name.  Popnlatlon. 

Chicago 1,698,755 

Peoria 56.100 

Quincy 36.25-- 

Bpringlleld 34.159 

Kockford 31,051 

Joliet 29,353 

East  St   Louis 29.655 

Aurx)ra 24,147 

Bloomlngton 23586 

Elgin 22,433 

Decatur 20.754 

Rock  Island 19,498 

Evaustou 19,239 


Name.  Population. 

Galesburg 18*07 

Belleville 17.481 

MoUne i'^m 

Danville 16,354 

JacksonvUle 151)78 

Altou 14.-210 

Streator 14  fl79 

Kankakee 13,595 

Freeport 13258 

Cairo 12.566 

Ottawa 10.588 

La  Salle..  10.446 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


286 


INDEX. 

TWa  index  relateseiclusively  to  matter  embraced  In  the  article  under  the  title  "Illinois."    Subjects  of  general  State  history 
will  be  rouud  treated  at  length,  under  topical  heads,  in  the  body  of  the  Encyclopedia. 


Admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State,  258. 
Altgeld,  John  P.,  administration  as  Qov- 

ernor.  27y-80;  defeated  for  re-election,  2»1. 
Anderson.  Stinson  H..264, 
Anti-Nebraska  Editorial  Convention.  2ofi. 
Anti-slavery  contest  of  lS'22-24.  defeat  of  a 

convention  scheme,  2(iu. 
Baker,  Col.   E.  D.,    2ti;!;    orator  at  laying 

the  corner-stone  of  State  rapitol,2t»4. 
Bateman,   Newton,  State  Superintendent 

of  Public  Instruction.  270.  •-!74,275. 
Beveridge,    John     L.,   Congressman    and 

Ijienteiiant-Oovernor;  becomes  Governor 

by  resi:<iiatloii  of  Governor  Oglesby, 276. 
Birkbeck,  Morris.  2G0. 
Bissell,  William   H.,  Colonel  In  Mexican 

War.  265;   Governor,  269;  death,  27u. 
Black  Hawk  War.  262. 
Blodgett,  Henry  W.,  Free  Soil  member  of 

the  Legislature.  263. 
Bloomington  Convention  (1856), 269. 
Boisbriant,  first  French  Commandant,  249. 
Bond,  Shadrach,  255;  Delegate  in  Congress, 

2-57;  first  Governor,  258. 
Breese.  Sidney,  269. 
Browne.    Thomas  C,  260. 
Browning,    Orville    H.,   in     Bloomington 

Convention,  269;  U.  S.  Senator.  27;J. 
Cahoklft,  Hr^t  French  settlement  at,  2.52. 
Camp  I  )ougIas  conspiracy,  273. 
Canal  Scrip  Fraud.  270. 
Carlin,  Thomas,  elected  Governor,  263. 
Casey,  Zadoc.    elected     to    Congress;   re- 

fligna  the  Lieutenant-Governorship,  262. 
Charlevoix  visits  Illlnols.247 
Chicago   and   Calumet  Rivers,  importance 

of  in  estimation  of  early  explorers, 247 
Chicago  election  frauds,  278. 
Chicago,  lire  of  1871,276. 
Chicagou,  Indian  Chief  for  whom  Chicago 

was  named,  248. 
Clark,  ('ol.  George  Rogers,  expedition  to 

Illinois;  capture  of  Kaskaskia.  251. 
Coles,    Edward,  emancipates    his    slaves; 

candidate  for  Governor,  2-59;   hia  election, 

260;  persecuted  by  bis  enemies.  261. 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1.h18,  258. 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1347,266. 
Constitutional  Convention  of  18f,2,i^2. 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1870,2*5. 
Cook,   Daniel    P.,  255;    Attorney-General, 

2-58:  elected  to  Congress.  260-61, 
Craig.  Capt.   Thomas,  expedition  against 

Indians  at  Peoria,  257. 
CuUom.Sholby  M.,  Speaker  of  General  As- 
sembly, 270;  elected  Governor,  276;  fea- 
tures of  hia  admniistratlon;  re-elected, 

277;  elected  to  U.  S.  Senate,  278, 
DavlB.  David.  United  States  Senator.  277. 
Douglas,  Stephen  A..  263;  Justice  Supreme 

Court.  264,     U.S.  Senator.  266;    debates 

with  Lincoln.  268-70;  re-elected  U.  S.  Seu- 

ator.  270;  death,  272. 
Duncan,  Joseph.  Governor;   character  of 

his  administration,  262-63. 
Early  towns,  258, 
Earthquake  of  1811,256, 
Edwards.  Ninlan,  Governor  Illinois  Terri- 
tory.   255,    elected    U.  S.  Senator,    259; 

elected    Governor;    adminietratiou    and 

death,  261, 
Ewing,    William   L.    D,,    becomes    acting 

Governor;  occupant  of  many  offices,  262. 
Explnrers,  early  French, 244-5. 
FarvvHl.  Charles  B.,279 
Field- MoClernand  contest,  264. 
Fifer.  Joseph  W..  elected  Governor.  279. 
Fisher,  Dr.  George.  Speaker  of  Territorial 

Houseof  Representatives,  2-57. 
Ford,  Thomas,    Governor;    embarrassing 

questions  of  his  administration,  264. 
Fort  Chartres,  surrendered  to  British,  250. 
Fort  Dearborn  mas^iacre,  256-57. 
FortGage  burned,  251. 
Fort  Massac,  starting  point  on  the  Ohio  of 

Clark's  expedition,  251, 
Fort  St   Louis.  246;  raided  and  burned  by 

Indians,  247 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  Indian  Commissioner 

for  lUinui?!  in  1775.251. 
French.  Augustus  C,  Governor.  265-7. 
French  and  Indiau  War,  250 


French  occupation :  settlement  about  Kas- 
kaskia and  Cahokia,  249. 

French  villages,  population  of  in  1765,251. 

Gibault.  Pierre,  252. 

Grant,  Ulysses  S  ,  arrival  at  Springfield; 
Colonel  of  Twenty-first  Illinois  Volun- 
teers,271;  elected  President.  275. 

Gresham,  Walter  Q-,  supported  byllllnoia 
Republicans  for  the  Presidency,  279. 

Hamilton,  John  M.,  Lieutenant-Governor, 
277:  succeeds  Gov,  Cullora,  278, 

Hansen-Shaw  contest,  260. 

Hardin,  John  J..  263;  elected  to  Congress, 
264;  killed  at  Buena  Vista,  265. 

Harrison,  William  Henry,  first  Governor 
of  Indiana  Territory,  254. 

Henry,  Patrick,  Indian  Commissioner  for 
Illinois  Country;  assists  in  planning 
Clark's  expedition,  251;  ex-offlcio  Gov- 
ernor of  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio 
River 

Illinois,  its  rank  in  order  of  admission  into 
the  Union,  area  and  population.  241 ;  In- 
dian originof  the  name;  boundaries  and 
area;  geographical  location;  navigable 
stream.s,  242;  topography,  fauna  and 
flora,  213;  soil  and  climate,  243-44;  con- 
test for  occupation,  244:  part  of  Louisi- 
ana in  1721.  249:  surrendered  to  the 
British  in  1765,2.51;  under  government  of 
Virginia, 2.52:  part  of  Indiana  Territory, 
251;  Territorial  Goverimient  organized ; 
Ninian  Edwards  appointed  Governor, 
255;  admitted  as  a  State.  258 

Illinois    tfe  Michigan  Canal, 261. 

Illinois  Central  Railroad,  267-68. 

■'Illinois  Country,"  boundaries  defined  by 
Captain  Pittman,  241 ;  Patrick  Henry, 
first  American  Governor,  252. 

Illinois  County  organized  by  Virginia 
House  of  I>elegates,  252. 

Illinois  Territoi;>-  organized;  first  Territo- 
rial officers.  255. 

Indiana  Territory  organized.  254;  first 
Territorial  Legislature  elected.  255, 

Indian  tribes;  location  in  Illinois,  247. 

Internal  improvement  acbeme,  263. 

Joliet,  Louis,  accompanied  by  Marquette, 
visits  Illinois  in  1673,  245. 

Kane,  Elias  Kent,  258. 

Kansas-Nebraska  contest,  268. 

Ka-skasUia  Indians  remove  from  Upper 
Illinois  to  mouth  of  Kaskaskia.  248. 

Kenton,  Simon,  guide  for  Clark's  expedi- 
tion against  Kaskaskia.  251, 

Labor  disturbances,  27u,  280,  283. 

I^a  Fayette,  visit  of,  to  Kaskaskia,  261. 

La  Salle.  expe<litlou  to  Illinois  in  1679-80, 
245;  builds  Fort  Miami,  near  mouth  nf 
St.  Joseph;  disaster  of  Fort  Creve-Cteur; 
erection  of  Fort  St.  Louis. 246. 

Lincoln.  Abraham,  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly,  2i>3;  elected  to  Con- 
gress.  266;  unsuccessful  candidate  for 
the  United  States  Senate;  member  of 
Bloomington  Convention  of  1856; 
"  House-divided-agalnst-itself "  speech, 
269;  elected  President.  270;  departure  for 
Washington,  271;  elected  for  a  second 
term, 273;  assassination  and  funeral, 274, 

Lincoln- Douglas  debates,  270, 

Lockwood,  Samuel  D.,  Attorney-General; 
Secretary  of  State;  opponent  of  pro- 
slavery  convention  scheme,  260. 

Logan.  Gen,  John  A,,  prominent  Union 
soldier, 272:  Congressman-at-large.274-75; 
elected  United  States  Senator,  276;  Re- 
publican nominee  for  Vice-President; 
third  election  as  Senator, 278- 
"LongNine,"263. 

Loui.-iiana  united  With  Illinois.  254. 

Lovejoy,  Elijah  P,  murdered  at  Alton.  263. 

Macalister  and  Stebbins  bonds.  270. 

Marquette.  Father  Jacques  (see  Joliet i; 
his  mission  among  the  Kaskaskias.  248, 

Mason.  William  E..  U.  S  Senator, 2S2. 

McLean.  John.  Speaker;  first  Representa- 
tiveinCongreys;  U,S  Senator:  death, 26,i, 

Menard,  Pierre,   255;    President  of  Terri- 
torial Council,  257;    elected  Lieuteuaut- 
Governor,  258;  anecdote  of ,  259. 
Mexican  War.  265. 


Morgan.  Col.  George,  Indian  Agent  at  Kas- 
kaskia In  1776,  251. 
Mormon  War,  264-65. 
New  Design  Settlement,  255. 
New  France,  244,  249. 
Nirolet.  Jean.  French  explorer,  244-.5. 

Northwfst  Territory  organized;  Gen.  Ar- 
thur St.  Clair  appointed  Governor,  253; 
first  Territorial  Legislature;  separated 
into  Territories  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  254. 

Ogleaby,  Richard  J.,  soldier  in  Civil  War, 
271;  elected  Governor,  274;  second  elec- 
tion; chosen  U.  S.  Senator,  276;  third 
election  to  governorship,  278. 

Ordinance  of  1787.253. 

'■  Paincourt  "  (early  name  for  St  Louis) 
settled  by  French  from  Illinois.  251. 

Palmer,  John  M.,  member  of  Peace  Con- 
ference of  1861,  271;  elected  Governor; 
prominent  events  of  his  administration, 
V:75;  unsucceysfnl  Democratic  candidate 
for  Governor;  elected  U- S.  Senator,  279; 
candidate  for  President,  282, 

Peace  Conference  of  1861.271. 

Peace  conventions  of  1863.273. 

Perrot.  Nicholas,  explorer,  245. 

Pittman,  Capt.  Philip,  defines  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  'Illinois  Country."  241, 

Pope,  Nathaniel,  Secretary  of  Illinois  Ter- 
ritory. 2.J5;  Delegate  in  Congress;  serv- 
ice infixing  northern  boundary,  258. 

Prairies,  origin  of,  243. 

Randolph  County  organized,  251. 

Renault,  PhilipF,,  first  Importer  of  Afri- 
crtn  slaves  to  Illinois.  249, 

Republican  State  Convention  of  1856,269. 

Reynolds,  John,  elected  Governor;  resigns 
to  take  seat  in  Congress,  262;  Speaker  of 
Illinois  House  of  Representatives.  268. 

Richardson,  William  A.,  candidate  for 
Governor,  270:  U,S.  Senator,  272. 

Rnclieblave,  Chevallpr  de,  last  British 
Commandant  in  Illinois.  251;  sent  as  a 
prisoner  of  war  to  Williamsburg,  252. 

Shawneetown  Bank.  257. 

Shawneetown  flood,  283. 

Shields,  Gen.  James, 263;  elected  U,  S,  Sen- 
ator,267;  defeated  for  re-election,  269. 

Southern  Hospital  for  Insane  burned, 2S0. 

Spariish-Amerk-an  War,  2ki, 

Springfield,  third  State  capital,  263;  erec- 
tion of  new  State  capitol  at,  auihorizeu, 
275:  State  Bank, 259. 

St.  Clair,  Arthur,  first  Governor  of  North- 
west Territory,  253;  visits  Illinois.  254. 

St.  Clair  County  organized.  234. 

State  debt  reaches  its  maximum,  268. 

State  Fair  permanently  located,  281. 

Streams  and  navigation,  242. 

Supreme  Court  revolutionized.  264. 

Tanner,  John  R.,  State  Treasurer,  278; 
elected  Governor.  281-2. 

Thomas.  Jesse  B,.  255;  President  of  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1818,  258: 
elected  United  States  Senator,  259. 

Todd.  Col.  John.  County-Lieutenant  of  Illi- 
nois County, 252. 

Tonty,  Henry  de(  see  La  Salle). 

Treaty  with  Indians  near  Alton.  257. 

Trumbull,  Lyman,  Secretary  of  State.  264; 
elected  United  States  Senator.  269-70: 
Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  277. 

Vandalia,  the  second  State  capital,  2.'i9. 

War  of  1812,  256;  expeditions  to  Peoria 
Lake.  257. 

War  of  the  Rebellion;  some  prominent 
Illinois  actors:  number  of  troops  fur- 
nished by  Illinois;  important  battles  par- 
ticipated in,  271  72;  some  officers  who 
fell;,  Grierson  raid.  272. 

Warren,  Hooper,  editor  Edwards\ille 
Spectator,  2<;o. 

Wayne.  Gen.  Anthony. 254. 

Whig  mass-meeting  at  Springfield.  264. 

Wilinot  Proviso,  action  of  Illinoi*  Legisla^ 
tore  upon,  267. 

Wood,  .lolin.  Lieutenant-Governor,  filta 
Bissell's  unexpired  term,  270. 

Yates.  Richard,  at  Bloomington  Conven- 
tion of  1856.  2C9;  Governor. 270;  prorogues 
Legist  aturt!  of  1863;  elected  United  Stales 
Senator.  273. 


286 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ILES,  Elijah,  pioneer  merchant,  was  bom  in 
Kentucky,  March  2S,  1796;  received  the  rudiments 
of  an  education  in  two  winters'  schooling,  and 
began  his  business  career  by  purchasing  100  head 
of  yearling  cattle  upon  which,  after  herding 
them  three  years  in  the  valleys  of  Eastern  Ken- 
tucky, he  realized  a  profit  of  nearly  §3,000.  In 
1818  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  then  a  French  village 
of  2,500  inhabitants,  and,  after  spending  three 
years  as  clerk  in  a  frontier  store  at  "Old  Frank- 
lin," on  the  Missouri  River,  nearly  opposite  the 
present  town  of  Hoonville,  in  1821  luade  a  horse- 
back tour  through  Central  Illinois,  finally  locating 
at  Springfield,  which  had  Just  been  selected  by 
a  board  of  Commissioners  as  the  temporary 
county-.seat  of  Sangamon  County.  Here  he  scxin 
brought  a  stock  of  goods  by  keel-boat  from  St. 
Louis  and  opened  the  first  store  in  tlie  new  town. 
Two  years  later  (1823),  in  conjunction  with 
Pascal  P.  Enos,  Daniel  P.  Cook  and  Thomas  Cox, 
he  entered  a  section  of  land  comprised  within  the 
present  area  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  which 
later  became  the  permanent  county-seat  and 
finally  the  State  capital.  Mr.  lies  became  the 
first  postmaster  of  Springfield,  and,  in  1826,  was 
elected  State  Senator,  served  as  Major  in  the 
Winnebago  "War  (1827),  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
the  Bhick  Hawk  War  (1831-32),  but  was  soon 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  Captain.  In  1830  he 
sold  his  store  to  John  Williams,  who  had  been 
his  clerk,  and,  in  1838-39.  built  the  "..Vmerican 
House,"  which  afterwards  became  the  temporary 
stopping-place  of  many  of  Illinois'  most  famous 
statesmen.  He  invested  largely  in  valuable 
farming  lands,  and,  at  his  death,  left  a  large 
estate.     Died,  Sept.  4,  1883. 

ILLINOIS  ASYLUM  FOR  INCURABLE  IN 
SAJTE,  an  institution  founded  under  an  act  of  the 
General  Assembly,  passed  at  the  session  of  1895, 
making  an  appropriation  of  §65,000  for  the  pur- 
chase of  a  site  and  the  erection  of  buildings  with 
capacity  for  the  accommodation  of  200  patients. 
The  institution  was  located  by  the  Trustees  at 
Bartonville,  a  suburb  of  the  city  of  Peoria,  and 
the  erection  of  buildings  begun  in  1896.  Later 
these  were  found  to  be  located  on  ground  which 
had  been  undermined  in  excavating  for  coal,  and 
their  removal  to  a  different  location  was  under- 
taken in  1898.  The  institution  is  intended  to 
relieve  the  other  hospitals  for  the  Insane  by  the 
reception  of  patients  deemed  incurable. 

ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN  CANAL,  a  water- 
way connecting  Lake  Michigan  with  the  Illinois 
River,  and  forming  a  connecting  link  in  the 
water-route  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 


Gulf  of  Mexico.  Its  summit  level  is  about  580 
feet  above  tide  water.  Its  point  of  beginning  is 
at  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River,  about 
five  miles  from  the  lake.  Thence  it  flows  some 
eight  miles  to  the  valley  of  the  Des  Plaines,  fol- 
lowing the  valley  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kankakee 
(forty -two  miles),  thence  to  its  southwestern 
terminus  at  La  Salle,  the  head  of  navigation  on 
the  Illinois.  Between  these  points  the  canal  has 
four  feeders — the  Calumet,  Des  Plaines,  Du  Page 
and  Kankakee.  It  passes  through  Lockport, 
Joliet,  Morris,  and  Ottawa,  receiving  accessions 
from  the  waters  of  the  Fox  River  at  the  latter 
point.  The  canal  projjer  is  96  miles  long,  and  it 
luis  five  feeders  whose  aggregate  length  is 
twenty-five  miles,  forty  feet  wide  and  four  feet 
deep,  with  four  aqueducts  and  seven  dams.  The 
difference  in  level  between  Lake  Michigan  and 
the  Illinois  River  at  La  Salle  is  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  feet.  To  permit  the  ascent  of  vessels, 
there  are  seventeen  locks,  ranging  from  three 
and  one  half  to  twelve  and  one-half  feet  in  lift, 
their  dimensions  being  110x18  feet,  and  admitting 
the  pas.sjige  of  boats  carrying  150  tons.  At  Lock- 
port,  Joliet,  Du  Page,  Ottawa  and  La  Salle  are 
large  basins,  three  of  which  supply  power  to  fac- 
tories. To  increase  the  water  supply,  rendered 
necessary  by  the  high  summit  level,  pumping 
works  were  erected  at  Bridgeport,  having  two 
thirty-eight  foot  independent  wheels,  each  capa- 
ble of  delivering  (through  buckets  of  ten  feet 
length  or  width)  15,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per 
minute.  These  pumping  works  were  erected  in 
1848,  at  a  cost  of  $15,000,  and  were  in  almost  con- 
tinuous use  until  1870.  It  was  soon  found  tliat 
these  machines  might  be  utilized  for  tlie  benefit 
of  Chicago,  by  forcing  tlie  sewage  of  the  Chicago 
River  to  the  summit  level  of  the  canal,  and  allow- 
ing its  place  to  be  fillied  by  pure  water  from  the 
lake.  This  pumping,  however,  cost  a  large  sum, 
and  to  obviate  this  expense  $2,95.5,340  was  ex- 
pended by  Chicago  in  deepening  the  canal  be- 
tween 1865  and  1871,  so  that  the  sewage  of  the 
south  division  of  the  city  might  be  carried  through 
the  canal  to  the  Des  Plaines.  This  sum  was 
returned  to  the  City  by  the  State  after  the  great 
fire  of  1871.  (As  to  further  measures  for  carrj'- 
ing  off  Chicago  sewage,  see  Chicago  Drainage 
Canal.) 

In  connection  with  the  canal  three  locks  and 
dams  have  been  built  on  the  Illinois  River, — one 
at  Henry,  about  twenty-eight  miles  below  La 
Salle :  one  at  the  mouth  of  Copperas  Creek,  about 
sixty  miles  tielow  Henry:  and  another  at  La 
Grange.     The    object  of   these  works  (the  first 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


287 


two  being  practically  an  extension  of  the  canal) 
is  to  furnish  slack-water  navigation  througli- 
out  the  year.  The  cost  of  that  at  Henry  (8400,000) 
was  defrayed  by  direct  appropriation  from  the 
State  treasury.  Copperas  Creek  dam  cost  §410,831, 
of  which  amount  the  United  States  Government 
paid  $62,360.  The  General  Government  also  con- 
structed a  dam  at  La  Grange  and  appropriated 
funds  for  the  building  of  another  at  Kampsville 
Landing,  with  a  view  to  making  the  river  thor- 
ougldy  navigable  the  year  round.  The  beneficial 
results  expected  from  these  works  have  not  been 
realized  and  their  demolition  is'  advocated. 

History.  —  The  early  missionaries  and  fur- 
traders  first  directed  attention  to  the  nearness  of 
the  waters  of  Lake  Micliigan  and  the  Illinois. 
Tlie  project  of  the  con.struction  of  a  canal  was 
made  the  subject  of  a  report  by  Albert  Gallatin, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  1808,  and,  in  1811,  a 
bill  on  the  subject  was  introduced  in  Congress  in 
connection  with  the  Erie  and  other  canal  enter- 
prises. In  1823  Congress  granted  the  right  of 
waj' across  the  public  lands  "for  the  route  of  a 
canal  connecting  the  Illinois  River  with  the 
south  bend  of  Lake  Michigan,"  which  was  fol- 
lowed five  years  later  by  a  grant  of  300,000  acres 
of  land  to  aid  in  its  construction,  which  was  to 
be  undertaken  by  the  State  of  Illinois.  The 
earliest  surveys  contemplated  a  channel  100  miles 
long,  and  the  original  estimates  of  cost  varied 
between  §639,000  and  §716,000.  Later  surveys 
and  estimates  (1833)  placed  the  cost  of  a  canal 
forty  feet  wide  and  four  feet  deep  at  84,040,000. 
In  1836  another  Board  of  Commissioners  was 
created  and  surveys  were  made  looking  to  the 
construction  of  a  waterway  sixty  feet  wide  at  the 
surface,  thirty-six  feet  at  bottom,  and  six  feet  in 
depth.  Work  was  begun  in  June  of  that  year; 
was  suspended  in  1841 ;  and  renewed  in  1846, 
when  a  canal  loan  of  81,000,000  was  negotiated. 
The  channel  was  opened  for  navigation  in  April, 
1848,  by  which  time  the  total  outlay  had  reached 
86,170,226.  By  1S71,  Illinois  had  liquidated  its 
entire  indebtedness  on  account  of  the  canal  and 
the  latter  reverted  to  the  State.  The  total  cost 
up  to  1879 — including  amount  refunded  to  Chi- 
cago—was 89,513,831,  while  the  sum  returned  to 
the  State  from  earnings,  sale  of  canal  lands,  etc., 
amounted  to  88,819,731.  In  1883  an  offer  was 
made  to  cede  the  canal  to  the  United  States  \ipon 
condition  that  it  should  be  enlarged  and  ex- 
tended to  the  Mississippi,  was  repeated  in  1887, 
but  has  been  declined. 

ILLINOIS  AND  MISSISSIPPI  CANAL  (gener- 
ally known  as  "Hennepin  Canal"),  a  projected 


navigable  water-way  in  course  of  construction 
(1899)  by  the  General  Government,  designed  to 
connect  the  Upper  Illinois  with  the  Mississippi 
River.  Its  object  is  to  furnish  a  continuous 
navigable  water-channel  from  Lake  Jlichigan,  at 
or  near  Chicago,  by  way  of  the  Illinois  &  Michi- 
gan Canal  (or  the  Sanitary  Drainage  Canal)  and 
the  Illinois  River,  to  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River,  and  finally  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Route.  —  The  canal,  at  its  eastern  end, 
leaves  the  Illinois  River  one  and  three-fourths 
miles  above  the  city  of  Hennepin,  where  the 
river  makes  the  great  bend  to  the  south.  Ascend- 
ing the  Bureau  Creek  valley,  tlie  route  passes 
over  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  Illinois  River 
and  the  Mississippi  to  Rock  River  at  the  mouth 
of  Green  River;  thence  by  slack-water  down 
Rock  River,  and  around  the  lower  rapids  in  that 
stream  at  Milan,  to  the  Mississippi.  The  esti- 
mated length  of  the  main  channel  between  its 
eastern  and  western  termini  is  seventy-five  miles 
— the  distance  having  been  reduced  by  changes 
in  the  route  after  the  first  survey.  To  this  is  to 
be  added  a  "feeder"  extending  from  the  vicinity 
of  Sheffield,  on  the  summit-level  (twenty-eight 
miles  west  of  the  starting  point  on  the  Illinois), 
north  to  Rock  Falls  on  Rock  River  opposite  the 
city  of  Sterling  in  Wliiteside  County,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  an  adequate  supply  of  water 
for  the  main  canal  on  its  highest  level.  The 
length  of  this  feeder  is  twenty-nine  miles  and,  as 
its  dimensions  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  main 
channel,  it  will  be  navigable  for  vessels  of  the 
same  class  as  the  latter.  A  dam  to  be  constructed 
at  Sterling,  to  turn  water  into  the  feeder,  will 
furnish  slack-water  navigation  on  Rock  River  to 
Dixon,  practically  lengthening  the  entire  route 
to  that  extent. 

HiSTOUY. — Tlie  subject  of  such  a  work  began  to 
be  actively  agitated  as  early  as  1871,  and,  under 
authority  of  various  acts  of  Congress,  preliminary 
surveys  began  to  be  made  by  Government  engi- 
neers that  year.  In  1890  detailed  plans  and  esti- 
mates, based  upon  these  preliminary  surveys, 
were  submitted  to  Congress  in  accordance  with 
the  river  and  harbor  act  of  August,  1888.  This 
report  becauie  tho  basis  of  an  appropriation  in 
the  river  and  harbor  act  of  Sept.  19,  1890,  for 
carrying  the  work  into  practical  execution. 
Actual  work  was  begun  on  the  western  end  of  the 
canal  in  July,  1892,  and  at  the  eastern  end  in  the 
spring  of  1894.  Since  then  it  has  been  prosecuted 
as  continuously  as  the  appropriations  made  by 
Congress  from  year  to  year  would  permit  Ac- 
cording to  the  report  of  Major  Marshall,  Chief  of 


388 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Engineers  in  charge  of  the  work,  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30,  1898,  the  construction  of  the 
canal  around  the  lower  rapids  of  Rock  River  (four 
and  one-half  miles),  with  three  locks,  three 
swing  bridges,  two  dams,  besides  various  build- 
ings, was  completed  and  that  portion  of  the  canal 
opened  to  navigation  on  April  17.  1895.  In  the 
early  part  of  1899,  the  bulk  of  the  excavation 
and  masonry  on  the  e;vstern  section  was  practi- 
cally completed,  the  feeder  lino  under  contract, 
and  five  out  of  the  eighteen  bridges  required  to 
be  constructed  in  place;  and  it  was  e.stimated 
that  the  wliole  line,  with  locks,  bridges,  culverts 
and  aqueducts,  will  be  completed  within  two 
years,  at  the  farthest,  by  1902. 

Dimensions,  Methods  of  Constkuction,  Cost. 
ETC. — As  alread}'  stated,  the  length  of  the  main 
lihe  is  seventj'-five  miles,  of  which  twenty -eight 
miles  (the  eastern  section)  is  east  of  the  junction 
of  the  feeder,  and  forty-seven  miles  (the  western 
section)  west  of  that  point — making,  with  the 
twenty-nine  miles  of  feeder,  a  total  of  one  hun- 
dred and  four  miles,  or  seven  miles  longer  than 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  The  rise  from  the 
Illinois  River  datum  to  the  summit-level  on  the 
eastern  section  is  accomplished  by  twenty-one 
looks  with  a  lift  of  six  to  fourteen  feet  each,  to 
reach  an  altitude  of  196  feet;  while  the  descent 
of  ninety-three  feet  to  the  low-water  level  of  the 
Mississippi  on  the  western  end  is  accomplished 
through  ten  locks,  varjing  from  six  to  fourteen 
feet  each.  The  width  of  the  canal,  at  the  water 
surface,  is  eighty  feet,  with  a  depth  below  the 
surface-line  of  seven  feet.  The  banks  are  rip- 
rapped  witli  stone  the  entire  length  of  the  canal. 
The  locks  are  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long, 
between  the  quoins,  by  thirty-five  feet  in  width, 
admitting  the  passage  of  vessels  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet  in  length  and  thirty-two  feet  beam 
and  each  capable  of  carrying  six  hundred  tons  of 
freight. 

The  bulk  of  the  meisonry  employed  in  the  con- 
struction of  locks,  as  well  as  abutments  for 
bridges  and  aiiueducts,  is  solid  concrete  manufac- 
tured in  place,  while  the  lock-gates  and  aque- 
ducts proper  are  of  steel— the  u.se  of  tliese 
materials  resulting  in  a  largo  saving  in  the  first 
cost  as  to  the  former,  and  securing  greater  solid- 
ity and  permanence  in  all.  The  concrete  work, 
already  completed,  is  found  to  have  withstood 
the  effects  of  ice  even  more  successfully  than 
natural  stone.  The  smaller  culverts  are  of  iron 
piping  and  the  framework  of  all  the  bridges  of 
steel. 
The  earlier  estimates  placed  the  entire  cost  of 


construction  of  the  canal,  locks,  bridges,  build- 
ings, etc.,  at  §5,008,000  for  the  main  channel  and 
§1,8,58,000  for  the  Rock  River  feeder— a  total  of 
§0,920,000.  This  has  been  reduced,  however,  by 
changes  in  the  route  and  unexpected  saving  in 
the  material  employed  for  masonry  work.  The 
total  expenditure,  as  shown  by  official  reports, 
up  to  June  30,  1898,  was  §1,748,905  13.  The 
amount  expended  up  to  March  1,  1899,  approxi- 
mated §2,500,000,  while  the  amount  necessary  to 
complete  the  work  (exclusive  of  an  unexpended 
balance)  was  estimated,  in  round  numbers,  at 
§3,500,000. 

The  completion  of  this  work,  it  is  estimated, 
will  result  in  a  saving  of  over  400  miles  in  water 
transfwrtation  between  Chicago  and  the  western 
terminus  of  the  canal.  In  order  to  make  the 
canal  available  to  its  full  capacity  between  lake 
points  and  the  Mississippi,  the  enlargement  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  both  as  to  width 
and  depth  of  channel,  will  be  an  indis()ensable 
necessity ;  and  it  is  anticipated  that  an  effort  will 
be  made  to  secure  action  in  this  direction  by  the 
Illinois  Legislature  at  its  next  session.  Another 
expedient  likely  to  receive  strong  support  will  be, 
to  induce  the  General  Government  to  accept  the 
tender  of  the  lUinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and,  by 
the  enlargement  of  the  latter  through  its  whole 
length — or,  from  Lockport  to  the  Illinois  River 
at  La  Salle,  with  the  utilization  of  the  Chicago 
Drainage  Canal — furnish  a  national  water-way 
between  the  lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Slexico  of 
sufliclent  capacity  to  accommodate  steamers  and 
other  vessels  of  at  least  GOO  tons  burthen. 

ILLINOIS  BAND,  THE,  an  association  consist- 
ing of  seven  young  men,  then  students  in  Yale 
College,  who,  in  the  winter  of  1828-29,  entered 
into  a  mutual  compact  to  devote  their  lives  to  the 
promotion  of  Christian  education  in  the  West, 
especially  in  Illinois.  It  was  composed  of  Theron 
Baldwin,  John  F.  Brooks,  Mason  Grosvenor, 
Elisha  Jenney,  William  Kirby,  Julian  M.  Sturte- 
vant  and  Asa  Turner  All  of  these  came  to  Illi- 
nois at  an  early  day,  and  one  of  the  first  results 
of  their  efforts  was  the  founding  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege at  Jacksonville,  in  1829,  with  which  all 
became  a.ssociated  as  members  of  tlie  first  Board 
of  Trustees,  several  of  them  so  remaining  to  the 
close  of  their  lives,  wliile  most  of  them  were  con- 
nected with  the  institution  for  a  considerable 
period,  either  as  members  of  the  faculty  or  finan- 
cial agents — Dr.  Sturtevant  having  been  Presi- 
dent for  thirty-two  years  and  an  instructor  or 
professor  fifty-six  years.  (See  Baldic-in,  Theron; 
Brooks,  John  F.;  and  Sturtevant,  Julian  M.) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


289 


ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  RAILROAD,  a  corpo 
ration  controlling  the  principal  line  of  railroad 
extending  through  the  entire  length  of  the  State 
from  north  to  south,  besides  numerous  side 
branches  acquired  by  lease  during  the  past  few 
years.  The  main  lines  are  made  up  of  three  gen- 
eral divisions,  extending  from  Chicago  to  Cairo, 
111.  (364.73  miles);  from  Ceutralia  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  (340.77  miles),  and  from  Cairo  to  New 
Orleans,  La.  (547.79  miles) — making  a  total  of 
1,253.29  miles  of  main  line,  of  which  705.5  miles 
are  in  Illinois.  Besides  this  the  company  con- 
trols, through  lease  and  stock  ownership,  a  large 
number  of  lateral  branches  which  are  operated 
by  the  company,  making  the  total  mileage 
officially  reported  up  to  Jime  30,  1898,  3,130.21 
miles. — (History.)  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
is  not  only  one  of  the  lines  earliest  projected  in 
the  liistory  of  the  State,  but  has  been  most  inti- 
mately connected  with  its  development.  The 
project  of  a  road  starting  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio  and  extending  northward  through  the  State 
is  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  Lieut. -Gov. 
Alexander  M.  Jenkins  as  early  as  1832;  was 
advocated  by  the  late  Judge  Sidney  Breese  and 
others  in  1833  under  the  name  of  the  Wabash  & 
Mississippi  Railroad,  and  took  the  form  of  a 
charter  granted  by  the  Legislature  in  January, 
1836,  to  the  first  "Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany," to  construct  a  road  from  Cairo  to  a  point 
near  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal.  Nothing  was  done  under  this 
act,  although  an  organization  was  effected,  with 
Governor  Jenkins  as  President  of  the  Company. 
The  Company  surrendered  its  charter  the  next 
year  and  the  work  was  undertaken  by  the  State, 
under  the  internal  improvement  act  of  1837,  and 
considerable  money  expended  without  complet- 
ing any  portion  of  the  line.  The  State  having 
abandoned  the  enterprise,  the  Legislature,  in 
1843,  incorporated  the  "Great  Western  Railway 
Company"  under  what  came  to  be  known  as  tho 
"Holbrook  charter,"  to  be  organized  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Cairo  City  &  Canal  Company, 
the  line  to  connect  the  termini  named  in  the 
charter  of  1836.  via  Vandalia,  Shelbj'ville, 
Decatur  and  Bloomington.  Considerable  money 
was  expended  under  this  charter,  but  the  scheme 
again  failed  of  completion,  and  the  act  was 
repealed  in  1845  A  charter  under  the  same 
name,  with  some  modification  as  to  organization, 
was  renewed  in  1849.— In  January.  1850.  Senator 
Douglas  introduced  a  bill  in  the  United  .States 
Senate  making  a  grant  to  the  State  of  Illinois  of 
alternate   .sections   of   land  along  the  line  of   a 


proposed  road  extending  from  Cairo  to  Dunleithin 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  State,  with  a  branch 
to  Chicago,  which  bill  passed  the  Senate  in  May 
of  the  same  year  and  the  House  in  September, 
and  became  the  basis  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company  as  it  exists  to  day.  Previous  to 
the  passage  of  this  act.  however,  the  Cairo  City 
&  Canal  Company  had  been  induced  to  execute  a 
full  surrender  to  the  State  of  its  rights  and  privi- 
leges under  the  "Holbrook  charter."  This  was 
followed  in  February,  1851,  by  the  act  of  the 
Legislature  incorporating  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  and  assigning  thereto  (under 
specified  conditions)  the  grant  of  lands  received 
from  the  General  Government.  This  grant 
covered  alternate  sections  within  six  miles  of  the 
line,  or  the  equivalent  thereof  (when  such  lands 
were  not  vacant),  to  be  placed  on  lands  within 
fifteen  miles  of  the  line.  The  nvunber  of  acres 
thus  assigned  to  the  Company  was  2,595,000, 
(about  3,840  acres  per  mile),  which  were  con- 
veyed to  Trustees  as  security  for  the  performance 
of  the  work.  An  engineering  party,  organized 
at  Chicago,  May  31,  1851,  began  the  prelim- 
inary survey  of  the  Chicago  branch,  and 
before  the  end  of  the  year  the  whole  line  was 
surveyed  and  staked  out  The  first  contract  for 
grading  was  let  on  March  15,  1853.  being  for  that 
portion  between  Chicago  and  Kensington  (then 
known  as  Calumet),  14  miles.  This  was  opened 
for  traffic.  May  34,  1853,  and  over  it  the  Michigan 
Central,  which  had  been  in  course  of  construction 
from  the  east,  obtained  trackage  rights  to  enter 
Chicago.  Later,  contracts  were  let  for  other 
sections,  some  of  them  in  June,  and  the  last  on 
Oct.  14,  1853.  In  May,  1853,  the  section  from 
La  Salle  to  Bloomington  (61  miles)  was  com- 
pleted and  opened  for  business,  a  temporary 
bridge  being  constructed  over  the  Illinois  near 
La  Salle,  and  cars  hauled  to  the  top  of  the  bluff 
with  chains  and  cable  by  means  of  a  stationary 
engine.  In  July,  1854,  the  Chicago  Division  was 
put  in  operation  to  Urbana.  128  miles ;  the  main 
line  from  Cairo  to  La  Salle  (301  miles),  completed 
Jan.  8,  1855,  and  the  line  from  L.i  S.iUe  to  Dunleitli 
(now  East  Dubuque),  146.73  miles,  on  June  12. 
1855— the  entire  road  (705.5  miles)  being  com- 
pleted, Sept.  27.  1856.— (Financial  Statement.) 
The  share  capital  of  the  road  was  originally 
fixed  at  §17,000,000,  but  previous  to  1869  it  had 
been  increased  to  §25,500,000.  and  during  1873-74 
to  $39,000,000.  The  present  capitalization  (1898) 
is  $163, 353, .593,  of  which  §53.500,000  is  in  stock, 
§.53'680,925  in  bonds,  and  851,367,000  in  miscel 
laneous  obligations.     The  total  cost  of  the  road 


•290 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  Illinois,  as  shown  by  a  report  made  in  1889,  was 
§35,110,609.  By  the  terms  of  its  charter  the 
corporation  is  exempt  from  taxation,  but  in  lieu 
thereof  is  required  to  pay  into  the  State  treasury, 
semi  annually,  seven  per  cent  upon  the  gross 
earnings  of  the  line  in  Illinois.  The  sum  thus 
paid  into  the  State  treasury  from  Oct.  31,  18.'")5, 
when  the  first  payment  of  $29. 7,51.. 59  was  made, 
up  to  and  including  Oct.  31,  1898,  aggregated 
517,315,193.24.  The  last  payment  (October,  1898). 
amounted  to  $334,527.01.  The  largest  payment 
in  the  history  of  the  road  was  that  of  October. 
1893,  amounting,  for  the  preceding  six  months,  to 
§450,170  34.  The  net  income  of  the  main  line  in 
Illinois,  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1898,  was 
§12,299,021,  and  the  total  expenditures  witliin  the 
State  §12,831,161.— (Leased  Lines  )  The  first 
addition  to  the  Illinois  Central  Sjstem  was  made 
in  1807  in  the  acquisition,  by  lease,  of  the  Dubuque 
&  Sioux  Citj-  Railroad,  extending  from  Dubu>iue 
to  Sioux  Falls.  Iowa.  Since  then  it  has  extended 
its  Iowa  connections,  by  the  construction  of  new 
lines  and  the  acquisition  or  extension  of  others. 
The  most  important  addition  to  the  line  outside 
of  the  State  of  Illinois  was  an  arrangement 
eflfected,  in  1872,  with  the  New  Orleans,  Jack.son  & 
Great  Northern,  and  the  Mississippi  Central  Rail- 
roads— with  which  it  previously  had  traflic  con- 
nections— giving  it  Control  of  a  line  from  Jackson, 
Tenn.,  to  New  Orleans,  La.  At  first,  connection 
was  had  between  the  Illinois  Central  at  Cairo  and 
the  Southern  Divisions  of  the  system,  by  means 
of  transfer  steamers,  but  subsequently  the  gap 
was  filled  in  and  the  through  line  opened  to  trafllic 
in  December,  1873.  In  1874  the  New  Orleans, 
Jackson  &  Great  Northern  and  the  Mississippi 
Central  roads  were  cons<.)lidated  un<ler  the  title 
of  the  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis  &  Chicago  Railroad, 
but  the  new  corporation  defaulted  on  its  interest 
in  1876.  The  Illinois  Central,  which  was  the 
owner  of  a  majoritj-  of  the  bonds  of  the  constitu- 
ent lines  which  went  to  make  up  the  New  Orleans. 
St  Louis  &  Chicago  Railroad,  then  acquired 
ownership  of  the  whole  line  by  foreclosure  pro- 
ceedings in  1877,  and  it  was  reorganized,  on  Jan. 
1,  1878,  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago,  St.  Louis 
&  New  Orleans  Railroad,  and  placed  in  cliarge  of 
one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Company. — (Illinois  Branches.)  The  more  im- 
portant branches  of  the  Illinois  Central  within  the 
State  include :  (1)  The  Springfield  Division  from 
Chicago  to  Springfield  (111.47  miles),  chartered 
in  1867,  and  opened  in  1871  as  the  Oilman,  Clinton 
&  Springfield  Railroad :  passed  into  the  hands  of 
a  receiver  in  1873,  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1876, 


and  le;ised,  in  1878,  for  fifty  years,  to  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad :  (2)  The  Rantoul  Division  from 
Leroy  to  the  Indiana  State  line  (66.21  miles  in 
Illinois),  chartered  in  1876  as  the  Havana,  Ran- 
toul &  Eastern  Railroad,  built  as  a  narrow-gauge 
line  and  operated  in  1881 ;  afterwards  changed  to 
standard-gauge,  and  controlled  by  the  Wabash, 
St.  Louis  &  Pacific  until  Ma}-,  1884,  when  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  a  receiver;  in  December  of  the 
.same  year  taken  in  charge  by  the  l)oudholders;  in 
l^^S.")  again  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  and, 
in  October,  1886,  sold  to  the  Illinois  Central;  (3) 
The  Chicago,  Havana  &  Western  Railroad,  from 
Havana  to  Champaign,  with  a  branch  from  White- 
heath  to  Decatur  (total,  131.62  miles),  constructed 
as  the  western  extension  of  the  Indianaixjlis, 
Bloomington  <S  Western,  and  opened  in  1873;  .sold 
under  foreclosure  in  1879  and  organized  as  the 
Champaign,  Havana  &  Western;  in  1880  pur- 
chased by  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific;  in 
1884  taken  possession  of  by  the  mortgage  trustees 
and,  in  Sei)tember,  1886,  sold  imder  foreclosure  to 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad:  (4)  The  Freeport 
Division,  from  Chicago  by  way  of  Freeport  to" 
Madison,  Wis.  (140  miles  in  Illinois),  constructed 
under  a  charter  granted  to  the  Chicago,  Madison 
&  Northern  Railroad  (which  see),  opened  for 
traffic  in  1888,  and  transferred  to  the  Illinois 
Central  Riiilrtuid  Company  in  January,  1889;  (5) 
The  Kankakee  &  Southwestern  (131.26  miles), 
constructed  from  Kankakee  to  Bloomington 
under  the  charters  of  the  Kankakee  &  Western 
and  the  Kankakee  &  Southwestern  Railroads; 
acquired  by  the  Illinois  Central  in  1878,  begun  in 
1880,  and  extended  to  Bloomington  in  1883;  and 
(6)  The  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  (which 
see  under  its  old  name).  Other  Illinois  branch 
lines  of  less  importance  embrace  the  Blue  Island; 
the  Chicago  &  Texas;  the  Mound  City;  the  South 
Chicago;  the  St.  Louis,  Belleville  &  Southern, 
and  the  St.  Charles  Air-Line,  which  furnishes 
an  entrance  to  the  City  of  Chicago  over  an  ele- 
vated track.  The  total  length  of  these  Illinois 
branches  in  1898  was  919.72  miles,  with  the  main 
lines  making  the  total  mileage  of  the  company 
within  the  State  1.624.22  miles.  For  several  years 
up  to  1895  the  Illinois  Central  had  a  connection 
with  St.  Louis  over  the  line  of  the  Terre  Haute  & 
Indianapolis  from  Effingham,  but  this  is  now 
secured  by  way  of  the  Springfield  Division  and 
the  main  Une  to  Pana.  whence  its  trains  pass  over 
the  old  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis — now  the  Cleve- 
land, Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway. 
Between  June  30.  1897  and  April  30,  1898.  branch 
lines  in  the  Southern  States  (chiefly  in  Kentucky 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


291 


and  Tennessee),  to  the  extent  of  670  miles,  were 
added  to  the  Illinois  Central  System.  The  Cairo 
Bridge,  constructed  across  the  Ohio  River  near 
its  mouth,  at  a  cost  of  §3.000,000.  for  the  purpose  of 
connecting  the  Northern  and  Southern  Divisions 
of  the  Illinois  Central  System,  and  one  of  the 
most  stupendous  structures  of  its  kind  in  the 
world,  belongs  wholly  to  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company.     (See  Caii-o  Bridge.) 

ILLINOIS  COLLEGE,  an  institution  of  learn- 
ing at  Jacksonville,  111.,  which  was  the  first  to 
graduate  a  collegiate  class  in  the  historj'  of  the 
State.  It  had  its  origin  in  a  movement  inaugu- 
rated about  1827  or  1828  to  secure  the  location,  at 
some  point  in  Illinois,  of  a  seminary  or  college 
which  would  give  the  youth  of  the  State  the 
opportunity  of  acquiring  a  higher  education. 
Some  of  the  most  influential  factors  in  this  move- 
ment were  already  citizens  of  Jacksimville,  or 
contemplated  becoming  such.  In  January,  1828, 
the  outline  of  a  plan  for  such  an  institution  was 
drawn  up  by  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis,  a  home  missionary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Hon.  Samuel  D. 
Lockwood,  then  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State,  as  a  basis  for  soliciting  subscriptions 
for  the  organization  of  a  stock-company  to  carry 
the  enterprise  into  execution.  The  plan,  as  then 
proposed,  contemplated  provision  for  a  depart- 
ment of  female  education,  at  least  until  a  separate 
institution  could  be  furnished — which,  if  not  a 
forerunner  of  the  co-educational  system  now  so 
much  in  vogue,  at  least  foreshadowed  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Jacksonville  Female  Seminary, 
which  soon  followed  the  founding  of  the  college. 
A  few  months  after  these  preliminary  steps  were 
taken,  Mr.  Ellis  was  brought  into  communication 
with  a  group  of  young  men  at  Yale  College  (see 
"Illitwis  Band")  who  had  entered  into  a  com- 
pact to  devote  their  lives  to  the  cause  of  educa- 
tional and  missionary  work  in  the  West,  and  out 
of  the  union  of  these  two  forces,  soon  afterwards 
effected,  grew  Illinois  College.  The  organization 
of  the  "Illinois"  or  "Yale  Band,"  was  formally 
consummated  in  February,  1829.  and  before  the 
close  of  the  year  a  fund  of  $10,000  for  the  purpose 
of  laying  the  foundation  of  the  proposed  institu- 
tion in  Illinois  had  been  pledged  by  friends  of 
education  in  the  East,  a  beginning  had  been  made 
in  the  erection  of  buildings  on  the  present  site  of 
IlUnois  College  at  Jacksonville,  and,  in  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  the  work  of  instruction  of 
a  preparatory  class  had  been  begun  by  Rev.  Julian 
M.  Sturtevant,  who  had  taken  the  place  of  "avant- 
courier"  of  the  movement.  A  year  later  (1831) 
Rev.  Edward  Beecher,  the  oldest  son  of  the  inde- 


fatigable Lyman  Beecher,  and  brother  of  Henry 
Ward — already  then  well  known  as  a  leader  in 
the  ranks  of  those  opposed  to  slavery — had  be- 
come identified  with  the  new  enterprise  and 
assumed  the  position  of  its  first  President.  Such 
was  the  prejudice  against  "Yankees"  in  Illinois 
at  that  time,  and  the  jealousy  of  theological  influ- 
ence in  education,  that  it  was  not  until  1835  that 
the  friends  of  the  institution  were  able  to  secure 
a  charter  from  the  Legislature.  An  ineffectual 
attempt  had  been  made  in  1830.  and  when  it  was 
finally  granted,  it  was  in  the  form  of  an  "omni- 
bus bill"  including  three  other  institutions,  but 
with  restrictions  as  to  the  amount  of  real  estate 
that  might  be  held,  and  prohibiting  the  organiza- 
tion of  theological  departments,  both  of  which 
were  subsequently  repealed.  (See  Early  Col- 
leges.) The  same  year  the  college  graduated  its 
first  class,  consisting  of  two  members — Richard 
Yates,  afterwards  War  Governor  and  United 
States  Senator,  and  Rev.  Jonatlian  Spillman,  the 
composer  of  "Sweet  Afton."  Limited  as  was  this 
first  output  of  alumni,  it  was  politically  and 
morally  strong.  In  1843  a  medical  department 
was  established,  but  it  was  abandoned  five  years 
later  for  want  of  adequate  support.  Dr.  Beecher 
retired  from  the  Presidency  in  1844,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Sturtevant,  who  continued  in 
that  capacity  until  1876  (thirty-two  years),  when 
he  became  Professor  Emeritus,  remaining  until 
1885 — his  connection  with  the  institution  cover- 
ing a  period  of  fifty-six  years.  Others  who  have 
occupied  the  position  of  President  include  Rufus 
C.  Crampton  (acting),  1876-82;  Rev.  Edward  A. 
Tanner,  1882-92;  and  Dr.  John  E.  Bradley,  the 
incumbent  from  1892  to  1899.  Among  the  earli- 
est and  influential  friends  of  the  institution, 
besides  Judge  Lockwood  already  mentioned,  may 
be  enumerated  such  names  as  Gov.  Joseph  Dun- 
can, Thomas  JIather,  Winthrop  S.  Oilman, 
Frederick  Collins  and  William  H.  Brown  (of 
Chicago),  all  of  whom  were  members  of  the  early 
Board  of  Trustees.  It  was  found  necessary  to 
maintain  a  preparatory  department  for  many 
years  to  fit  pupils  for  the  college  classes  proper, 
and,  in  1866,  Whipple  Academy  was  established 
and  provided  with  a  separate  building  for  this 
piu-pose.  The  standard  of  admission  to  the  col- 
lege course  has  been  gradually  advanced,  keeping 
abreast,  in  this  respect,  of  other  American  col- 
leges. At  present  the  institution  has  a  faculty  of 
15  members  and  an  endowment  of  some  •Sl.'iO.OOO, 
with  a  library  (1898)  numbering  over  15,000  vol- 
umes and  property  valued  at  8360,000.  Degrees 
are    conferred   in   both  classical    and    scientific 


292 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


courses  in  the  college  proper.  The  list  of  alumni 
embraces  some  750  names,  including  many  who 
have  been  prominent  in  State  and  National 
affairs. 

ILLINOIS  COUNTY,  the  name  given  to  the 
first  civil  organization  of  the  territory  northwest 
of  the  Oliio  River,  after  its  conquest  by  Col.  George 
Rogers  Clark  in  1778.  This  was  done  by  act  of 
the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates,  passed  in 
October  of  the  same  year,  which,  among  other 
things,  provided  as  follows:  "The  citizens  of  the 
commonwealth  of  Virginia,  who  are  already  set- 
tled, or  shall  liereafter  settle,  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Ohio,  shall  be  included  in  a  distinct  county 
which  shall  be  called  Illinois  County:  and  the 
Governor  of  this  commonwealth,  with  the  advice 
of  the  Council,  may  appoint  a  County-Lieutenant 
or  Commandant  in-chief  of  the  county  during 
pleasure,  who  shall  take  the  oath  of  fidelity  to 
this  commonwealth  and  the  oath  of  office  accord- 
ing to  the  form  of  their  own  religion.  And  all 
civil  offices  to  which  the  inhabitants  have  been 
accustonie<l,  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  tlie 
peace  and  the  administration  of  justice,  shall  be 
chosen  by  a  majority  of  the  citizens  of  their  re- 
spective districts,  to  be  convened  for  that  purpose 
by  the  County-Lieutenant  or  Commandant,  or  his 
deputy,  and  shall  be  commissioned  by  said 
County-Lieutenant."  As  the  Commonwealth  of 
Virginia,  by  virtue  of  Colonel  Clark's  conquest, 
then  claimed  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  region 
west  of  tlie  Oliio  River  and  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
Illinois  County  nominally  embraced  the  territorj- 
comprised  within  the  limits  of  the  present  States 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wiscon- 
sin, though  the  settlements  were  limited  to  the 
vicinity  of  Kaskaskia.  Vincennes  (in  the  present 
State  of  Indiana)  and  Detroit.  Col.  John  Todd, 
of  Kentucky,  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Patrick 
Henry,  the  first  Lieutenant-Commandant  under 
this  act,  holding  office  two  years.  Out  of  Illinois 
County  were  subsequently  organized  the  follow- 
ing counties  by  "order""  of  Gov.  Arthur  St.  Clair, 
after  his  assumption  of  the  duties  of  Governor, 
following  the  passage,  by  Congress,  of  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1787,  creating  the  Northwest  Territory, 
viz. : 
Name  Cocs-tv-Skat         DateotOboan-ization 


WasWngtOD 

Marietta 

July  27.  1788 

Hamilton 

Clnciunati 
f  Cahokla 

Jan.  4.  17S0 

St.  Clair 

}  Prairie  du  Rocber 
(  Kaskaskia 

April  27,  1790 

Knox 

Post  !?t.  Vlacennea 

June  20.  1790 

Randolph 

Kaskaskia 

Oct.  5,  1795 

Washington,  originally  comprising  the  State  of 
Ohio,  was  reduced,  on  the  organization  of  Hamil- 
ton County,  to    the   eastern   portion,    Hamilton 


Coimty  embracing  the  west,  with  Cincinnati 
(originally  called  "Lo.santiville,"'  near  old  Fort 
Wasliington)  as  the  county  seat.  St.  Clair,  the 
third  county  organized  out  of  this  territory,  at 
first  had  virtually  three  county-seats,  but  divi- 
sions and  jealousies  among  the  people  and  officials 
in  reference  to  the  place  of  deposit  for  the  reconl.s, 
resulted  in  the  issue,  five  years  later,  of  an  order 
creating  the  new  county  of  Randolpli,  the  second 
in  the  "Illinois  Country"" — these  (St.  Clair  and 
Randolph)  constituting  the  two  counties  into 
which  it  was  divided  at  the  date  of  organization 
of  Illinois  Territory.  Out  of  these  events  grew 
the  title  of  "Mother  of  Counties'"  given  to  Illinois 
County  as  the  original  of  all  the  counties  in  the 
five  States  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  while  St.  Clair 
County  inherited  the  title  as  to  tlie  State  of 
Illinois.  (See  Illinois;  also  St.  Clair,  Arthur, 
and  Todd.  (Col  )  John) 

ILLINOIS  FARMERS'  R.VILROAD,  (See 
Jacksonville  &•  .S'?.  Louia  Railway  ) 

ILLINOIS  FEMALE  COLLEGE,  a  flourishing 
institution  for  tlie  e<lucation  of  women,  located 
at  Jacksonville  and  incorporated  in  1847.  While 
essentially  unsectarian  in  teaching,  it  is  con- 
trolled by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination. 
Its  first  charter  was  granted  to  the  "Illinois  Con- 
ference Female  Academy'"  in  1847,  but  four  j-ears 
later  the  charter  was  amended  and  the  name 
changed  to  the  present  cognomen.  The  cost  of 
buililing  and  meager  support  in  early  years 
brought  on  bankruptcy.  The  friends  of  the  insti- 
tution rallied  to  its  support,  however,  and  the 
purchasers  at  the  foreclosure  sale  (all  of  whom 
were  friends  of  Methodist  education)  donated  the 
property  to  what  was  technically  a  new  institu- 
tion. A  second  charter  was  obtaineil  from  the 
State  in  1863,  and  the  restrictions  imposed  uix)n 
the  grant  were  such  as  to  prevent  alienation  of 
title,  by  either  conveyance  or  mortgage.  While 
the  college  has  only  a  small  endowment  fund 
(52,000)  it  owns  $60,000  worth  of  real  property, 
besides  §9,000  invested  in  apparatus  and  library. 
Preparatory  and  collegiate  departments  are  main- 
tained, Ixjth  classical  and  scientific  courses  being 
established  in  the  latter.  Instruction  is  al.so 
given  in  fine  arts,  elocution  and  music.  The 
faculty  (1898)  numbers  15,  and  there  are  about  170 
students. 

ILLINOIS  FEMALE  REFORM  SCHOOL.  (See 
Home  for  Female  Offenders.) 

ILLINOIS  INDIANS,  a  confederation  belong- 
ing to  the  Algonquin  family  and  embracing  five 
tribes,  viz. :  the  Cahokias,  Kaskaskias,  Mitcha- 
gamies,  Peorias  and  Tamaroas.     They  early  occu- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


293 


pied  Illinois,  with  adjacent  portions  of  Iowa, 
Wisconsin  and  Missouri.  Tlie  name  is  derived 
from  mini,  "man,"  the  Indian  plural  "ek"  being 
changed  by  the  French  to  "ois. "  They  were 
intensely  warlike,  being  almost  constantly  in 
conflict  with  the  Winnebagoes,  the  Iroquois, 
Sioux  and  other  tribes.  Thej-  were  migratory 
and  depended  for  subsistence  largely  on  the  sum- 
mer and  winter  hunts.  They  dwelt  in  rudely 
constructed  cabins,  each  accommodating  about 
eight  families.  They  were  always  faithful  allies 
of  the  French,  whom  they  heartily  welcomed  in 
1673.  French  missionaries  labored  earnestly 
among  them — notably  Fathers  Marquette,  Allouez 
and  Gravier  —  who  reduced  their  language  to 
grammatical  rules.  Their  most  distinguished 
Cliief  was  Chicagou,  who  was  sent  to  France, 
where  he  was  welcomed  with  the  honors  accorded 
to  a  foreign  prince.  In  their  wars  with  the 
Foxes,  from  1712  to  1719,  they  suffered  severely, 
their  numbers  being  reduced  to  3,000  souls.  The 
assassination  of  Pontiac  by  a  Kaskaskian  in  1765, 
was  avenged  by  the  lake  tribes  in  a  war  of  ex- 
termination. After  taking  part  with  the  Miamis 
in  a  war  against  the  United  States,  they  partici- 
pated in  the  treaties  of  Greenville  and  Vincennes, 
and  were  gradually  removed  farther  and  farther 
toward  the  West,  the  small  remnant  of  about  175 
being  at  present  (1896)  on  the  Quapaw  reservation 
in  Indian  Territory.  (See  also  Cahokias:  Foxes; 
Iroquois:  Kaskaskias;  Mitchagamies;  Peorias; 
Tamaroas;  and  ^Vi)}nebagoes.) 

ILLINOIS  INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  EDU- 
CATION OF  THE  BLIND,  located  at  Jackson- 
ville. The  institution  had  its  inception  in  a  school 
for  the  blind,  opened  in  that  town  in  1847,  by 
Samuel  Bacon,  who  was  himself  blind.  The 
State  Institution  was  created  by  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature, passed  Jan.  13,  1849,  which  was  introduced 
by  Richard  Yates,  then  a  Representative,  and 
was  first  opened  in  a  rented  Iiouse,  early  in  1850, 
under  the  temporary  supervision  of  Mr.  Bacon. 
Soon  afterward  twenty-two  acres  of  ground  were 
purchased  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city  and  the 
erection  of  permanent  buildings  commenced.  By 
January,  1854,  they  were  ready  for  use,  but  fif- 
teen years  later  were  destroyed  by  fire.  Work  on 
a  new  building  was  begun  without  unnecessary 
delay  and  the  same  was  completed  by  1874. 
Numerous  additions  of  wings  and  shops  have 
since  been  made,  and  the  institution,  in  its  Iniild- 
ings  and  appointments,  is  now  one  of  the  most 
complete  in  the  country.  Instruction  (as  far  as 
practicalile)  is  given  in  rudimentary  English 
branches,   and   in   such   mechanical   trades  and 


avocations  as  may  best  qualify  the  inmates  to  be- 
come self-supporting  upon  their  return  to  active 
life. 

ILLINOIS   MASONIC   ORPHANS'  HOME,  an 

institution  e.stablished  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  of 
Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  furnisliing  a  home  for 
the  destitute  children  of  deceased  members  of  the 
Order.  The  total  receipts  of  the  institution,  dur- 
ing the  year  1895,  were  $29,204.98,  and  the 
expenditures,  $27,258.70.  Tlie  number  of  bene- 
ficiaries in  tlie  Home,  Dee.  31.  1805,  was  (il.  The 
Institution  owns  real  e-state  valued  at  §75,000. 

ILLINOIS  MIDLAND  IJAILROAD,  (See  Tcn-e 
Haute  &  Peiiria  Railroad.) 

ILLINOIS  RIVER,  the  most  important  stream 
within  the  State ;  lias  a  lengtli  of  about  500  miles, 
of  which  about  245  are  navigable.  It  is  formed 
by  the  junction  of  the  Kankakee  and  Des  Plaines 
Rivers  at  a  point  in  Grundy  County,  some  45 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  Its  course  is  west, 
then  southwest,  and  finally  south,  until  it 
empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  20  miles  north 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Mis.souri.  The  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal  connects  its  waters  with  Lake 
Michigan.  Marquette  and  Joliet  ascended  tlie 
.stream  in  1673  and  were  probably  its  first  white 
visitants.  Later  (1679-82)  it  was  explored  by 
La  Salle,  Tonty,  Hennepin  and  others. 

ILLINOIS  RIVER  RAILROAD.  (See  Chicago, 
Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  of  Illinois.) 

ILLINOIS  SANITARY  COMMISSION,  a  vol 
untary  organization  formed  pursuant  to  a  sug- 
gestion of  Governor  Yates,  shortly  after  the 
battle  of  Fort  Donelson  (1862).  Its  object  was 
the  relief  of  soldiers  in  actual  service,  whether  on 
the  march,  in  camp,  or  in  hospitals.  State  Agents 
were  appointed  for  the  distribution  of  relief,  for 
which  purpose  large  sums  were  collected  and  dis- 
tributed. The  work  of  the  Commission  was  later 
formally  recognized  by  tlie  Legislature  in  the 
enactment  of  a  law  authorizing  the  Governor  to 
appoint  "Military  State  Agents,"  who  should 
receive  compensation  from  the  State  treasury. 
Many  of  these  "agents"  were  selected  from  the 
ranks  of  the  workers  in  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
and  a  great  impetus  was  thereby  imparted  to  its 
voluntary  work.  Auxiliary  as.sociations  were 
formed  all  over  the  State,  and  funds  were  readily 
obtained,  a  considerable  proportion  of  wliich  was 
derived  from  "Sanitary  Fairs." 

ILLINOIS  SCHOOL  OF  ACiRICULTURE  AND 
MANUAL  TRAINING  FOR  BOYS,  an  institution 
for  the  training  of  dependent  boys,  organized 
under  the  act  of  March  28,  1895,  which  was  in 


294 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


effect  a  re-enactment  of  the  statute  approved  in 
1883  and  amended  in  1885.  Its  legallj-  defined 
object  is  to  provide  a  home  and  proper  training 
for  such  boj's  as  maj'  be  coniinitted  to  its  charge. 
Comniitinents  are  made  by  tlie  County  Courts  of 
Cook  and  contiguous  counties.  The  school  is 
located  at  Glenwood,  in  the  count}'  of  Cook,  and 
was  first  opened  for  the  reception  of  inmates  in 
1888.  Its  revenues  are  derived,  in  part,  from 
voluntary  contributions,  and  in  part  from  pay- 
ments by  the  counties  sending  boys  to  the  institu- 
tion, whicli  payments  are  fixed  by  law  at  ten 
dollars  jier  month  for  each  Ixjy.  during  the  time 
he  is  actually  an  inmate.  In  1898  nearly  one-half 
of  the  entire  income  came  from  the  former 
source,  but  the  surplus  remaining  in  the  treasury 
at  the  end  of  any  fiscal  year  is  never  large.  The 
school  is  under  the  inspectional  control  of  the 
State  Conamissioners  of  Public  Charities,  as 
though  it  were  an  institution  founded  and  main- 
tained by  the  State.  The  educational  curriculum 
closely  follows  that  of  the  ordinary  grammar 
schools,  pupils  being  trained  in  eight  grades,  sub- 
stantiall}-  along  the  lines  established  in  the  public 
schools.  In  addition,  a  military  drill  is  taught, 
with  a  view  to  developing  physical  strength, 
command  of  limbs,  and  a  graceful,  manly  car- 
riage. Since  the  Home  was  organized  there  have 
been  received  (down  to  1899),  2,333  boys.  The 
industrial  training  given  the  inmates  is  both 
agricultural  and  mechanical, — the  institution 
owning  a  good,  fairly-sized  farm,  and  operating 
well  equipped  industrial  shops  for  the  education 
of  pupils.  A  fair  proportion  of  the  boys  devote 
themselves  to  learning  trades,  and  not  a 
few  develop  into  excellent  workmen.  One  of  the 
purposes  of  the  school  is  to  secure  homes  for  those 
thought  likely  to  prove  creditable  members  of 
respectable  households.  During  the  eleven  years 
of  its  existence  nearly  2,200  boys  have  been  placed 
in  homes,  and  usually  with  the  most  satisfactory 
results.  The  legal  safeguards  thrown  around 
the  ward  are  of  a  comprehensive  and  binding 
sort,  so  far  as  regards  the  parties  who  take  the 
children  for  either  adoption  or  apprenticeship— 
the  welfare  of  the  ward  always  being  the  object 
primarily  aimed  at.  Adoption  is  preferred  to 
institutional  life  by  the  administration,  and  the 
result  usually  justifies  their  judgment.  Many  of 
the  pupils  are  returned  to  their  families  or 
friends,  after  a  mild  course  of  correctional  treat- 
ment. The  system  of  government  adopted  is 
analogous  to  that  of  the  "cottage  plan"  employed 
in  many  reformatory  institutions  throughout  the 
country.     An  "administration   building"  stands 


in  the  center  of  a  group  of  structures,  each  of 
which  has  its  own  individual  name: — Clancy 
Ilall,  Wallace,  Plymouth,  Beecher,  Pope, Windsor, 
Lincoln,  Suunyside  and  Sheridan.  While  never 
a  suppliant  for  benefactions,  the  Home  has  always 
attracted  the  attention  of  philanthropists  who 
are  interested  in  the  care  of  society's  waifs.  The 
average  annual  number  of  inmates  is  about  27.5. 

ILLINOIS  WESLEYAN  IMVERSITY,  the 
leading  educational  institution  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Illinois,  south  of  Chicago;  incorpo- 
rated in  1853  and  located  at  Bloomington.  It  is 
co-educational,  has  a  faculty  of  34  instructors, 
and  reports  1,106  students  iii  1S9G — 158  male  and 
618  female.  Besides  the  usual  literary  and  scien- 
tific departments,  instruction  is  given  in  theology, 
music  and  oratory.  It  also  has  preparatory  and 
busine.ss  courses.  It  has  a  library  of  6,000  vol- 
umes and  reports  funds  and  endowment  aggre- 
gating §187,999,  and  property  to  the  value  of 
53.H0.999. 

ILLINOIS  &  I>DI.\>A  RAILROAD.  (See 
Indiana,  Decatur  it  UV.s7»r»  Ixailiiiiy) 

ILLINOIS  &  SOrXHEASTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Baltimore  <t  Ohio  Svtithircstirn  Railnxtil. ) 

ILLINOIS  &  SOUTHERN  IOWA  RAILROAD. 
(See   ir<if)(;s/i  Railroad.) 

ILLINOIS  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD  &  COAL 
COMPANY.  (See  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St. 
Louis  (consolidated)  Railroad.) 

ILLINOIS  \  WISCONSIN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicar/o  d-  Xortltirestern  Railway.) 

ILLIOPOLIS,  a  village  in  f^angamon  County, 
on  the  Wabash  Railway,  20  miles  east  of  Spring- 
field. It  occupies  a  position  nearly  in  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  State  and  is  in  tlie  heart 
of  what  is  generally  termed  the  corn  belt  of  Cen- 
tral Illinois.  It  has  banks,  several  churches,  a 
graded  school  and  three  newspapers.  Population 
(1880),  686;  (1890),  689;  (1900),  744. 

INDIAN  MOUNDS.  (See  Mound-Builders, 
irorA-.so/  The.) 

INDIAN  TREATIES.  The  various  treaties 
made  by  the  General  Government  with  the 
Indians,  which  affected  Illinois,  may  be  summa- 
rized as  follows:  Treaty  of  Greenville,  August  3, 
179.5_ceded  11,808,409  acres  of  land  for  the  sum 
of  5210,000;  negotiated  by  Gen.  Anthony  AVayne 
with  the  Delawares,  Ottawas,  Miamis,  Wyandots, 
Shawnees,  Pottawatomies,  Chippewas,  Kaskas- 
kias,  Kickapoos,  Piankeshaws  and  Eel  River 
Indians:  First  Treaty  of  Fort  Wayne,  June  7, 
1803— ceded  2,038,400  acres  in  consideration  of 
§4.000;  negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison  with 
the   Delawares,   Kickapoos,    Miamis,   Pottawato- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


295 


mies,  and  Shawnees :  First,  Treaty  of  Vinceunes, 
August  13,  1803— ceded  8,911,850  acres  for  $12,000; 
negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison  with  the  Caho- 
kias,  Kaskaskias  and  Mitcliagamies.  First  Treaty 
of  St.  Louis,  Nov.  3,  1804— ceded  14,803,520  acres 
in  consideration  of  $22,234;  negotiated  by  Gov- 
ernor Harriisou  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes:  Second 
Treaty  of  Vincennes,  Dec.  30, 180.5— ceded  2,676,1.50 
acres  for  §4, 100;  negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison 
with  the  Piankeshaws:  Second  Treaty  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Sept.  30,  1809  — ceded  2,900,000  acres; 
negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison  with  the  Dela- 
wares.  Eel  River,  Jliamis,  Pottawatomies  and 
Weas:  Third  Treaty  of  Vincennes,  Dec.  9,  1809 
—ceded  138,240  acres  for  $27,000;  negotiated  by 
Governor  Harrison  with  tlie  Kickapoos :  Second 
Treaty  of  St.  Louis,  Aug.  24,  1816— ceded  1,418,400 
acres  in  consideration  of  §12,000;  negotiated  by 
Governor  Edwards,  William  Clark  and  A.  Chou- 
teau with  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and  Pottawato- 
mies: Treaty  of  Edwardsville,  Sept.  30,  1818— 
ceded  6,865,280  acres  for  §6,400;  negotiated  by 
Governor  Edwards  and  \.  Chouteau  with  the 
Illinois  and  Peorias:  Treaty  of  St.  Mary's,  Oct. 
2,  1818— ceded  11,000,000  acres  for  $33,000;  nego- 
tiated by  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  and  others  with  the 
Weas:  Treaty  of  Fort  Harrison,  Aug.  30,  1819— 
negotiated  by  Benjamin  Parke  with  the  Kicka- 
poos of  the  Vermilion,  ceding  3,173,120  acres  for 
823,000:  Treaty  of  St.  Jo.seph,  Sept.  20,  1828— 
ceded  990,720  acres  in  consideration  of  .$189,795; 
negotiated  by  Lewis  Cass  and  Pierre  Menard  with 
the  Pottawatomies :  Treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien, 
Jan.  2,  1830— ceded  4,160,000  acres  for  $390,601; 
negotiated  by  Pierre  Menard  and  others  with 
the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and  Pottawatomies: 
First  Treaty  of  Chicago,  Oct.  20,  1832— ceded 
1,536,000  acres  for  $460,348;  negotiated  with 
the  Pottawatomies  of  the  Prairie:  Treaty  of 
Tippecanoe,  Oct.  27,  1832— by  it  the  Pottawato- 
mies of  Indiana  ceded  737,000  acres,  in  consider- 
ation of  $406, 121 :  Second  Treaty  of  Chicago,  Sept. 
26,  1833 — by  it  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and  Pot- 
tawatomies ceded  5,104,960  acres  for  .$7,624,289; 
Treaties  of  Fort  Armstrong  and  Prairie  du  Chien, 
negotiated  1829  and  "32— by  which  the  Winne- 
bagoes  ceded  10,346,000  acres  in  exchange  for 
$5,195,2.52:  Second  Treaty  of  St.  Louis,  Oct.  27, 
1832— the  Kaskaskias  and  Peorias  ceding  1,900 
acres  in  consideration  of  $155,780  (See  also 
Orecnvillc.  T^-raty  of.) 

INDIAN  TRIBES.  (See  Algonquin^:  Illinois 
Indians;  Kasl:a^:kuls:  Kickapoos:  Miamis;  Outa- 
gamiex;  Piankeshaws:  Pottawatomies;  Sacs  and 
Foxes;  Weas;  Wiunchagoes.) 


INDIANA,    BLOOMINOTON     &     WESTERN 

RAILWAY.     (.See  Pco;-iV/  cfc  Eastern  RuHn><i,L) 

INDIANA,  DECATUR  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
WAY. The  entire  length  of  line  is  152.5  miles,  of 
which  75.75  miles  (with  yard-tracks  and  sidings 
amounting  to  8  86  miles)  lie  within  Illinois.  It 
extends  from  Decatur  almost  due  east  to  the 
Indiana  State  line,  and  has  a  single  track  of 
standard  gauge,  with  a  right  of  way  of  100  feet 
The  rails  are  of  steel,  well  adapted  to  the  traffic, 
and  the  ballasting  is  of  gravel,  earth  and  cinders. 
The  bridges  (chiefly  of  wood)  are  of  standard 
design  and  well  maintained.  The  amount  of 
capital  stock  outstanding  (1898)  is  $1,824,000,  or 
11,998  per  mile;  total  capitalization  (including 
stock  and  all  indebtedness)  3,733,983.  The  total 
earnings  and  income  in  Illinois,  $240,850.  (His- 
tory.) The  first  organization  of  this  road  em- 
braced two  companies — the  Indiana  &  Illinois  and 
the  Illinois  &  Indiana — which  were  consolidated, 
in  1853,  under  the  name  of  the  Indiana  &  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company.  In  1875  the  latter 
was  sold  under  foreclosure  and  organized  as  the 
Indianapolis,  Decatur  &  Springfield  Railway 
Company,  at  which  time  the  section  from  Decatur 
to  Montezuma,  Ind.,  was  opened.  It  was  com- 
pleted to  Indianapolis  in  1880.  In  1882  it  was 
leased  to  the  Indiana,  Bloomington  &  Western 
Railroad  Company,  and  operated  to  1885,  when 
it  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  was  sold 
under  foreclosure  in  1887  and  reorganized  under 
the  name  of  the  Indianapolis,  Decatur  &  West- 
ern. Again,  in  1889,  default  was  made  and  the 
property,  after  being  operated  by  trustees,  was 
sold,  in  1894  to  two  companies  called  the  Indiana, 
Decatur  &  Western  Railway  Company  (in  Indi- 
ana) and  the  Decatur  &  Eastern  Railway  Com- 
pany (in  Illinois).  These  were  consolidated  in 
July,  1895,  under  the  present  name  (Indiana, 
Decatur  &  Western  Railway  Company).  In 
December,  1895,  the  entire  capital  stock  was 
purchased  by  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton 
Railway  Company,  and  the  line  is  now  operated 
as  a  part  of  that  system. 

INDIANA,  ILLINOIS  &  IOWA  RAILROAD. 
This  line  extends  from  Streator  Junction  1.8 
miles  south  of  Streator,  on  the  line  of  the  Streator 
Division  of  the  Wabash  Railroad,  easterly  to  the 
Indiana  State  Line.  The  total  length  of  the  line 
is  151.78  miles,  of  which  69.61  miles  are  in  Illi- 
nois. Between  Streator  .Junction  and  Streator, 
the  line  is  owned  by  the  AVabash  Company,  but 
this  company  pays  rental  for  trackage  facilities. 
About  75  per  cent  of  the  ties  are  of  white-oak, 
the  remainder  being  of  cedar ;  the  rails  are  56-lb. 


296 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS 


steel,  and  tlie  ballasting  is  of  broken  stone,  gravel, 
sand,  cinders  and  earth.  A  jwlioy  of  permanent 
improvements  has  been  adopted,  and  is  being 
carried  forward.  The  principal  traffic  is  tlie 
transportation  of  freight.  The  outstanding  capi- 
tal stock  (June  30,  1898)  was  §3,597,800;  tended 
debt,  SI. 800,000;  total  capitalization,  .$,5, .51 7. 739; 
total  earnings  and  income  in  Illinois  for  1898, 
§413,967;  total  expenditures  in  the  State,  S303,- 
344. — (History.)  This  road  was  chartered  Dec. 
27,  1881,  and  organized  bj'  the  consolidation  of 
three  roads  of  the  same  name  (Indiana,  Illinois  & 
Iowa,  respectively),  opened  to  Momence,  111.,  in 
1883.  and  through  its  entire  length,  .Sept.  15.  1883. 

INDIANA  &  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Indiana,  Decatur  d-  Western  Rail- 
way.) 

INDIANA  &  ILLINOIS  RAILROAD.  (See 
Indiana,  Decatur  d-  Wtstern  Railway.) 

INDIANA  &  ILLINOIS  SOUTHERN  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  St.  Louis,  Indianapolia  &  Eastern 
Railroad.) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  BLOO.MINGTON  &  WEST- 
ERN RAILROAD.  (See  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road: also  Peoria  d-  Ka.<<tern  Railroad.) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  DECATUR  &  SPRING- 
FIELD RAILROAD.  (See  Indiana,  Decatur  d- 
Western  Railway.) 

INDIANAPOLIS,  DECATUR  &  WESTERN 
RAILWAY.  (See  Indiana,  Decatur  A-  Western 
Railway.) 

INDIANAPOLIS  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY. 
(See  St.  Louis,  Alton  d-  Terre  Haute  Railroad.) 

INDUSTRIAL  HOME  FOR  THE  BLIND,  a 
State  Institution  designed  to  furnish  the  means 
of  employment  to  dependent  blind  persons  of 
both  sexes,  established  under  authority  of  an  act 
of  the  liCgislature  passed  at  the  session  of  1893. 
The  institution  is  located  at  Douglas  Park  Boule- 
vard and  West  Nineteenth  Street,  in  the  city  of 
Chicago.  It  includes  a  four-story  factory  with 
steam-plant  attached,  besides  a  four-story  build- 
ing for  residence  purposes.  It  was  opened  in 
1894,  and,  in  Deceml)er,  1897,  had  G2  inmates,  of 
whom  13  were  females.  The  Fortieth  General 
Assembly  appropriated  .?13.900  for  repairs,  appli- 
ances, library,  etc.,  and  §8,000  per  annum  for 
ordinary  expenses 

IN6ERS0LL,  Ebon  C,  Congressman,  was  bom 
in  Oneida  County.  X.  Y.,  Dec.  12,  1831.  His  first 
remove  was  to  Paducah,  Ky.,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  education.  He  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar;  removing  this  time  to  Illi- 
nois and  settling  in  Gallatin  County,  in  1842.  In 
1856  he  was  elected  to  represent  Gallatin  Coimty 


in  the  lower  house  of  the  General  ^Vssembly ;  in 
1862  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
for  the  State-at-large,  but  defeated  by  J.  0. 
Allen;  and,  in  1804.  was  chosen  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term  of  Owen  Lovejoy,  deceased,  as  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Thirty-eighth  Congress.  He  was 
re-elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth.  Fortieth  and 
Fortj'-first  Congresses,  his  term  expiring,  March 
4,  1871.  He  was  a  brother  of  Col.  Robert  G. 
Ingersoll,  and  was,  for  some  years,  associated  with 
him  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Peoria,  his  home. 
Died,  in  Washington.  May  31,  1879. 

INGERSOLL,  Robert  Green,  lawj-er  and  sol- 
dier, was  born  at  Dresden,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y., 
August  11,   1833.     His  father,  a  Congregational 
clergyman    of    pronounced    liberal    tendencies, 
removed  to  the  West  in  1843,  and  Robert's  boy- 
liood  was  spent  in  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.     After 
being  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  opened  an  office  at 
Shawueetown,   in  partnership  with    his  brother 
Ebon,  afterwards  a  Congressman  from  Illinois. 
In  1857  they  removed  to   Peoria,  and,   in  1860, 
Robert  G.  was  an  unsuccessful  Democratic  can- 
didate for  Congress.     In  1862   he   was    commis- 
sioned Colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry, 
which  had  been  mustered  in  in  December,  1861, 
and,  in  1864,  identified  himself  with  the  Repub- 
lican piirty.     In  February,  1867,  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Oglesby  the  first  Attorney-General 
of  the  State  under  the  new  law  enacted  that  year. 
As  a  lawyer  and  orator  he  won  great  distinction. 
He  nominated  James  G.  Blaine  for  the  Presidency 
in  the  Republican  Convention  of  1876,  at  Cincin- 
nati, in  a  speech  that  attracted  wide  attention  by 
its  eloquence.     Other    oratorical    efforts    which 
added  greatly  to  his  fame  include  "The  Dream  of 
the    Union    Soldier,"     delivered  at    a    Soldiers' 
Reunion  at  Indianapolis,  his  eulogy  at  his  brother 
Ebon's  grave,  and  his  memorial  address  on  occa- 
sion of  the  death  of  Roscoe  Conkling.     For  some 
twenty  years   he  was  the  most  popular  stump 
orator  in  the  West,  and  his  services  in  political 
campaigns  were  in  constant  request  througliout 
the  Union.     To  the  country  at  large,  in  his  later 
years,   he  was    known    as  an    uncompromising 
assailant  of  revealed  religion,  by  both  voice  and 
pen.     Among  his    liest-known  publications    are 
"The    Gods'     (Washington.     1878);     "Ghosts" 
(1879);    "Mistakes    of    Moses"    (1879);     "Prose 
Poems  and  Selections"   (1884) ;  "The  Brain  and 
the  Bible"  (Cincinnati,  1882).    Colonel  IngersoU's 
home  for  some  twenty  years,  in  the  later  part  of 
his  life,   was  in  the  city  of   Xew  York.     Died, 
suddenly,   from    heart  di:sea.se,   at    his    summer 
home  at  Dobb's  Ferry,  Long  Island,  July  21,  1899 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


297 


INGLIS,  Samuel  M.,  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  born  at  Marietta,  Pa.,  August  15, 
1838;  received  his  early  education  in  Ohio  and, 
in  185G,  came  to  Illinois,  graduating  with  first 
honors  from  the  Mendota  Collegiate  Institute  in 
1861.  The  following  year  he  enlisted  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  but,  hav- 
ing been  discharged  for  disability,  his  place  was 
filled  by  a  brother,  who  was  killed  at  KnoxviUe, 
Tenn.  In  1865  he  took  charge  of  an  Academy  at 
Ilillsboro,  meanwhile  studying  law  with  the  late 
Judge  E.  Y.  Rice;  in  1868  lie  assumed  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  public  schools  at  Greenville, 
Bond  County,  remaining  until  1883,  when  he 
became  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  tlie  Southern 
Normal  University  at  Carbondale,  being  trans- 
ferred, three  years  later,  to  the  chair  of  Literature, 
Rhetoric  and  Elocution,  In  1894  he  was  nomi- 
nated as  the  Republican  candidate  for  State 
.Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  receiving 
a  plurality  at  the  November  election  of  123,593 
votes  over  his  Democratic  opponent.  Died,  sud- 
denly, at  Kenosha,  Wis.,  June  1.  1898. 

INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENT  POLICY,  a 
name  given  to  a  scheme  or  plan  of  internal  im- 
provement adopted  by  the  Tenth  General  Assem- 
bly (1837),  in  compliance  with  a  general  wish  of 
the  people  voiced  at  many  public  gatherings.  It 
contemplated  the  construction  of  an  extensive 
system  of  public  works,  chiefly  in  lines  of  rail- 
road which  were  not  demanded  by  the  commerce 
or  business  of  the  State  at  the  time,  but  which,  it 
was  believed,  would  induce  immigration  and 
materially  aid  in  the  development  of  the  State's 
latent  resources.  The  plan  adopted  provided  for 
the  construction  of  such  works  by  the  State,  and 
contemplated  State  ownership  and  management 
of  all  the  lines  of  traffic  thus  constructed.  The 
bill  passed  the  Legislature  in  February,  1837, 
but  was  disapproved  by  the  Executive  and  the 
Council  of  Revision,  on  the  ground  that  such 
enterprises  might  be  more  successfully  under- 
taken and  conducted  by  individuals  or  private 
corporations.  It  was,  however,  subsequently 
passed  over  the  veto  and  became  a  law,  the  dis- 
astrous effects  of  whose  enactment  were  felt  for 
many  years.  The  total  amount  apprt)priated  by 
the  act  was  810,200,000,  of  which  .$400,000  was 
devoted  to  the  improvement  of  waterways;  $350,- 
000  to  the  improvement  of  the  "Great  Western 
Mail  Route";  89,3,50,000  to  the  con.struction  of 
railroads,  and  §200,000  was  given  outright  to 
counties  not  favored  by  the  location  of  railroads 
or  other  improvements  within  their  borders.  In 
addition,   the  sale  of  §1,000,000  worth  of  canal 


lands  and  the  issuance  of  §500,000  in  canal  bonds 
were  authorized,  the  proceeds  to  be  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  &  Alichigan  Canal, 
§500,000  of  this  amount  to  be  expended  in  1838. 
Work  began  at  once.  Routes  were  surveyed  and 
contracts  for  construction  let,  and  an  era  of  reck- 
less speculation  began.  Large  sums  were  rapidly 
expended  and  nearly  §6,500,000  quickly  added  to 
the  State  debt.  The  system  was  soon  demon- 
strated to  be  a  failure  and  was  abandoned  for 
lack  of  funds,  some  of  the  "improvements" 
already  made  being  sold  to  private  parties  at  a 
heavy  loss.  This  scheme  furnished  the  basis  of 
the  State  debt  under  which  Illinois  labored  for 
many  years,  and  which,  at  its  maximum,  reached 
nearly  §17,000,000.  (See  MacalUster  &  Stebbins 
Bonds;  State  Debt;  Tenth  Oeneral  Assembly; 
Eleventh  General  Assembly.) 

INUNDATIONS,  REMARKABLE.  The  most 
remarkable  freshets  (or  floods)  in  Illinois  history 
have  been  those  occurring  in  the  Mississippi 
River;  though,  of  course,  the  smaller  tributaries 
of  that  stream  have  been  subject  to  similar  con- 
ditions. Probably  the  best  account  of  early 
floods  has  been  furnished  by  Gov.  John  Reynolds 
in  his  "Pioneer  History  of  Illinois," — he  having 
been  a  witness  of  a  number  of  them.  The  first 
of  which  any  historical  record  has  been  pre- 
served, occurred  in  1770.  At  that  time  the  only 
white  settlements  within  the  present  limits  of 
the  State  were  in  the  American  Bottom  in  the 
vicinity  of  Kaskaskia,  and  there  the  most  serious 
results  were  produced.  Governor  Reynolds  says 
the  flood  of  that  year  (1770)  made  considerable 
encroachments  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river 
adjacent  to  Fort  Chartres,  which  had  originally 
been  erected  by  the  French  in  1718  at  a  distance 
of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  main 
channel.  The  stream  continued  to  advance  in 
this  direction  until  1772,  when  the  whole  bottom 
was  again  inundated,  and  the  west  wall  of  the 
fort,  having  been  undermined,  fell  into  the  river. 
The  next  extraordinary  freshet  was  in  1784,  when 
the  American  Bottom  was  again  submerged  and 
the  residents  of  Kaskaskia  and  the  neighboring 
villages  were  forced  to  seek  a  refuge  on  the  bluffs 
— some  of  the  people  of  Cahokia  being  driven  to 
St.  Louis,  then  a  small  French  village  on  .Spanish 
soil.  The  most  remarkable  flood  of  the  present 
century  occurred  in  Jlay  and  June,  1844,  as  the 
result  of  extraordinary  rains  preceded  by  heavy 
winter  snows  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  rapid 
spring  thaws.  At  this  time  tlie  American  Bot- 
tom, opposite  St.  Louis,  was  inundated  from  bluff 
to  bluff,  and  large  steamers  passed  over  the  sub- 


298 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


merged  lands,  gathering  up  cattle  and  other  kinds 
of  property  and  rescuing  the  imperiled  owners. 
Some  of  the  villages  affected  by  this  flood — as 
Cahokia,  Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Kaskaskia — have 
never  full}'  recovered  from  the  disaster.  Another 
considerable  flood  occurred  in  1826,  but  it  was 
inferior  to  those  of  1784  and  1844.  A  notable 
flood  occurred  in  1851,  when  the  Mississippi, 
though  not  so  high  opposite  St.  Louis  as  in  1844, 
is  said  to  have  been  several  feet  higher  at  Quincy 
than  in  the  previous  year — the  difference  being 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  larger  portion  of  the 
flood  of  1844  came  from  the  Missouri  River,  its 
effects  being  most  noticeable  below  the  mouth  of 
that  stream.  Again,  in  1868,  a  flood  did  con- 
siderable damage  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  reach- 
ing the  highest  point  since  1851.  Floods  of  a  more 
or  less  serious  character  also  occurred  in  1876, 
1880  and  again  in  1893.  Although  not  so  high  as 
some  of  those  previously  named,  the  loss  was  pro- 
portionately greater  owing  to  the  larger  area  of 
improved  lands.  The  flood  of  1893  did  a  great 
deal  of  damage  at  East  St.  Louis  to  buildings  and 
railroads,  and  in  the  destruction  of  other  classes 
of  property. — Floods  in  the  Ohio  River  have  been 
frequent  and  very  disastrous,  especially  in  the 
upper  portions  of  that  stream — usually  resulting 
from  sudden  thaws  and  ice-gorges  in  the  early 
spring.  "With  one  exception,  the  highest  flood  in 
the  Ohio,  during  the  present  century,  was  that  of 
February,  1832,  when  the  water  at  Cincinnati 
reached  an  altitude  of  sixty-four  feet  three 
inches.  The  recorded  altitudes  of  others  of  more 
recent  occurrence  have  been  as  follows:  Dec. 
17,  1847  —  sixty -three  feet  seven  inches; 
1862 — fifty-seven  feet  four  inches;  1882 — fifty- 
eight  feet  seven  inches.  The  highest  point 
reached  at  Xew  Albany,  Ind.,  in  1883,  was 
seventy-three  feet — or  four  feet  higher  than  the 
flood  of  1832.  The  greatest  altitude  reached  in 
liistoric  times,  at  Cincinnati,  was  in  1884 — the  re- 
corded height  being  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
excess  of  seventy-one  feet.  Owing  to  the  smaller 
area  of  cultivated  lands  and  other  improvements 
in  the  Ohio  River  bottoms  within  the  State  of 
Illinois,  the  loss  has  been  comparatively  smaller 
than  on  the  Mississippi,  although  Cairo  has  suf- 
fered from  both  streams.  The  most  serious  dis- 
asters in  Illinois  territory  from  overflow  of  the 
Ohio,  occurred  in  connection  with  the  flood  of 
1883,  at  Shawneetown,  when,  out  of  six  hundred 
houses,  all  but  twenty -eight  were  flooded  to  the 
second  story  and  wat«r  ran  to  a  depth  of  fifteen 
feet  in  the  main  street.  A  levee,  which  had  been 
constructed  for  the  protection  of  the  city  at  great 


expense,  was  almost  entirely  destroyed,  and  an 
appropriation  of  §60,000  was  made  by  the  Legis- 
lature to  indemnify  the  corporation.  On  April 
3,  1898,  the  Oliio  River  broke  through  the  levee 
at  Shawneetown,  inundating  the  whole  city  and 
causing  the  loss  of  twenty-five  lives.  Much 
suffering  was  caused  among  the  people  driven 
from  their  homes  and  deprived  of  the  means  of 
subsistence,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  send 
them  tents  from  Springfield  and  supplies  of  food 
by  the  State  Government  and  by  private  contri- 
butions from  the  various  cities  of  the  State.  The 
inundation  continued  for  some  two  or  three 
weeks. — ,Some  destructive  floods  have  occurred 
in  the  Chicago  River — the  most  remarkable,  since 
the  settlement  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  being  that 
of  March  12,  1849.  This  was  the  result  of  an  ice- 
gorge  in  the  Des  Plaines  River,  turning  the 
waters  of  that  stream  across  '"the  divide"'  into 
Mud  I.4ike,  and  thence,  by  way  of  the  South 
Branch,  into  the  Chicago  River.  The  accumula- 
tion of  waters  in  the  latter  broke  up  the  ice, 
which,  forming  into  packs  and  gorges,  deluged 
the  region  between  the  two  rivers.  "Wlien  the 
superabundant  mass  of  waters  and  ice  in  the  Chi- 
cago River  began  to  flow  towards  the  lake,  it  bore 
Ijefore  it  not  only  the  accumulated  pack-ice,  but 
the  vessels  which  had  been  tied  up  at  the  wharves 
and  other  points  along  the  banks  for  the  winter. 
A  contemporaneous  history  of  the  event  says  that 
there  were  scattered  along  the  stream  at  the  time, 
four  steamers,  six  propellers,  two  sloops,  twenty- 
four  brigs  and  fifty-seven  canal  boats.  Tliose  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  stream,  being  hemmed  in 
by  surrounding  ice,  soon  became  a  part  of  the 
moving  mass;  cliains  and  hawsers  were  snapped 
as  if  they  had  been  whipcord,  and  the  whole 
borne  lakeward  in  indescribable  confusion.  The 
bridges  at  Madison,  Randolph  and  Wells  Streets 
gave  way  in  succession  before  the  immense 
mass,  adding,  as  it  moved  along,  to  the  general 
\vreok  by  falling  spars,  crushed  keels  and  crashing 
bridge  timbers.  "Opposite  Kinzie  wharf,"  sa3'S 
the  record,  "the  river  was  choked  with  sailing- 
craft  of  every  description,  piled  together  in  inex- 
tricable confusion."'  While  those  ve,=«els  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river  escaped  into  the  lake  with 
comparatively  little  damage,  a  large  number  of 
those  higher  up  the  stream  were  caught  in  the 
gorge  and  either  badly  injured  or  totally  wrecked. 
The  loss  to  the  city,  from  the  destruction  of 
bridges,  was  estimated  at  §20,000,  and  to  vessels  at 
$88,000 — a  large  sum  for  that  time.  The  wreck 
of  bridges  compelled  a  return  to  the  primitive 
system  of  ferries  or  extemporized  bridges  made 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


299 


of  boats,  to  furnish  means  of  communication 
between  the  several  divisions  of  the  city — a  con- 
dition of  affairs  which  lasted  for  several  months. 
— Floods  about  the  same  time  did  considerable 
damage  on  the  Illinois,  Fox  and  Rock  Rivers, 
their  waters  being  higher  than  in  1838  or  1833, 
which  were  memorable  flood  years  on  these  in- 
terior streams.  On  the  former,  the  village  of 
Peru  was  partially  destroyed,  while  the  bridges 
on  Rock  River  were  all  swept  away.  A  flood  in 
the  Illinois  River,  in  the  spring  of  1855,  resulted  in 
serious  damage  to  bridges  and  other  property  in 
the  vicinity  of  Ottawa,  and  there  were  extensive 
inundations  of  the  bottom  lands  along  that 
stream  in  1859  and  subsequent  years. — In  Febru- 
ary, 1857,  a  second  flood  in  the  Chicago  River, 
similar  to  that  of  1849,  caused  considerable  dam- 
age, but  was  less  destructive  than  that  of  the 
earlier  date,  as  the  bridges  were  more  substan- 
tially constructed. — One  of  the  most  extensive 
floods,  in  recent  times,  occurred  in  the  Mississippi 
River  during  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of 
April  and  early  in  May,  1897.  The  value  of  prop- 
erty destroyed  on  the  lower  Mississippi  was 
estimated  at  many  millions  of  dollars,  and  many 
lives  vrere  lost.  At  Warsaw,  111.,  the  water 
reached  a  height  of  nineteen  feet  four  inches 
above  low-watermark  on  April  24,  and,  atQuincy. 
nearly  nineteen  feet  on  the  28th,  while  the  river, 
at  points  between  these  two  cities,  was  from  ten 
to  fifteen  miles  wide.  Some  25,000  acres  of  farm- 
ing lands  between  Quincy  and  Warsaw  were 
flooded  and  the  growing  crops  destroyed.  At 
Alton  the  height  reached  by  the  w-ater  was 
twenty-two  feet,  but  in  consequence  of  the 
strength  of  the  levees  protecting  the  American 
Bottom,  the  farmers  in  that  region  suffered  less 
than  on  some  previous  years. 

IPAVA,a  town  in  Fulton  County,  on  one  of  the 
branches  o''  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  10  miles  west-.southwest  of  Lewistown, 
and  some  44  miles  north  of  Jacksonville.  Tlie 
count}'  abounds  in  coal,  and  coal-mining,  as  well 
as  agriculture,  is  a  leading  industry  in  the  sur- 
rounding countiy.  Other  industries  are  the 
manufacture  of  flour  and  woolen  goods;  two 
banks,  four  churches,  a  sanitarium,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper  are  also  located  here.  Population 
(1880),  675;  (1890),  667;  (1900),  749. 

IR03V  MANUFACTURES.  The  manufacture 
of  iron,  both  pig  and  castings,  direct  from  the 
furnace,  has  steadily  increased  in  this  State.  In 
1880,  Illinois  ranked  seventh  in  the  list  of  States 
producing  manufactured  iron,  while,  in  1890,  it 
had  risen  to  fourth  place,  Pennsylvania  (which 


produces  nearly  fifty  per  cent  of  the  total  product 
of  the  country)  retaining  the  lead,  with  Ohio  and 
Alabama  following.  In  1890  Illinois  had  fifteen 
complete  furnace  stacks  (as  against  ten  in  1880), 
turning  out  674,506  tons,  or  seven  per  cent  of  the 
entire  output.  Since  then  four  additional  fur- 
naces have  been  completed,  but  no  figures  are  at 
hand  to  show  the  increase  in  production.  During 
the  decade  between  1880  and  1890,  the  percentage 
of  increase  in  output  was  016.53.  The  fuel  used 
is  chiefly  the  native  bituminous  coal,  which  is 
abundant  and  cheap.  Of  tliis,  674,  .506  tons  were 
used;  of  anthracite  coal,  only  38,618  tons.  Of 
the  total  output  of  pig-iron  in  the  State,  during 
1890,  616,659  tons  were  of  Bessemer.  Charcoal 
pig  is  not  made  in  Illinois. 

IRON  MOUIVTAIN,  CHESTER  &  EASTERN 
RAILROAD.  (See  Wabash,  Chester  &  Western 
Railroad. ) 

IROQUOIS  COUNTY,  a  large  county  on  tlie 
eastern  border  of  the  State;  area,  1,120  square 
miles;  population  (1900),  38,014.  In  18.30  two 
pioneer  settlements  mere  made  almost  simultane- 
ovisly, — one  at  Bunkum  (now  Concord)  and  tlie 
other  at  Milford.  Among  tliose  taking  up  homes 
at  the  former  were  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  Benja- 
min Fry,  and  Messrs.  Cartwright,  Thomas,  New- 
comb,  and  Miller.  At  Milford  located  Robert 
Hill,  Samuel  Rush,  Messrs.  Miles,  Pickell  and 
Parker,  besides  the  Co.x,  Jloore  and  Stanley 
families.  Iroquois  County  was  set  off  from  Ver- 
milion and  organized  in  1833, — named  from  the 
Iroquois  Indians,  or  Iroquois  River,  which  flows 
through  it.  The  Kickapoos  and  Pottawatomies 
did  not  remove  %vest  of  the  Mississippi  until 
1836-37,  but  were  always  friendly.  The  seat  of 
government  was  first  located  at  Montgomery, 
whence  it  was  removed  to  Middleport,  and  finally 
to  Watseka.  The  county  is  well  timbered  and 
the  soil  underlaid  by  both  coal  and  building 
stone.  Clay  suitable  for  brick  making  and  the 
manufacture  of  crockery  is  also  found.  The 
Iroquois  River  and  the  Sugar,  Spring  and  Beaver 
Creeks  tlioroughly  drain  the  county.  An  abun- 
dance of  pure,  cold  water  may  be  found  anywhere 
by  boring  to  the  depth  of  from  tliirty  to  eighty 
feet,  a  fact  which  encourages  grazing  and  the 
manufacture  of  dairy  products.  The  soil  is  rich, 
and  well  adapted  to  fruit  growing.  The  prin- 
cipal towns  are  Oilman  (population  1,112),  Wat- 
seka (2,017).  and  Milford  (957). 

IROQUOIS  RIVER,  (sometimes  called  Picka- 
minki,  rises  in  Western  Indiana  and  runs 
westward  to  Watseka.  111. ;  thence  it  flows  north- 
ward throueli    Iroauois   and  part  of   Kankakee 


300 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Counties,  entering  the  Kankakee  River  some  five 
miles  southeast  of  Kankakee.  It  is  nearly  120 
miles  long. 

IRVING,  a  village  in  Montgomery  County,  on 
the  line  of  the  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railroad, 
54  miles  east-northeast  of  Alton,  and  17  miles 
east  by  north  of  TJtchfield;  has  five  churches, 
flouring  and  saw  mills,  creamery,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.     Population  (1890),   630;    (1900),  675. 

ISHAM,  Edward  S.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Bennington,  Vt.,  Jan.  15,  1836;  educated  at 
Lawrence  Academy  and  Williams  College,  Mass., 
taking  his  degree  at  the  latter  in  1857;  was 
admitted  to  the  b;ir  at  Rutland,  Vt.,  in  1858, 
coming  to  Chicago  the  same  year.  Mr.  Isham 
was  a  Representative  in  the  Twenty-fourth 
General  A.ssembly  (1864-66)  and,  in  18«1,  his 
name  was  prominently  considered  for  a  position 
on  the  Supreme  bench  of  the  United  States.  He 
is  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Isham,  Lin- 
coln &  Beale,  which  has  had  the  management  of 
some  of  the  most  important  cases  coming  before 
the  Chicago  courts. 

JACKSOX,  Huntlncrton  Wolcott,  lawyer,  born 
in  Newark,  N.  J  ,  Jan.  28,  1841,  being  descended 
on  the  maternal  side  from  Oliver  Wolcott,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence; 
received  his  education  at  Phillip.s  Academy, 
Andover,  Mass.,  and  at  Princeton  College,  leav- 
ing the  latter  at  the  close  of  his  junior  year  to 
enter  the  army,  and-  taking  part  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg, 
a  part  of  the  time  being  on  the  staff  of  Maj.-Gen. 
John  Newton,  and,  later,  with  Sherman  from 
Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  finally  receiving  the 
rank  of  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  for  gallant  and 
meritorious  service.  Returning  to  civil  life  in 
1865,  he  entered  Harvard  Law  School  for  one 
term,  then  spent  a  year  in  Europe,  on  his  return 
resuming  his  legal  studies  at  Newark,  N.  J. ; 
came  to  Chicago  in  1867.  and  the  following  year 
was  admitted  to  the  bar ;  has  served  as  Supervisor 
of  South  Chicago,  as  President  of  the  Chicago 
Bar  Association,  and  (by  aiipointment  of  the 
Comptroller  of  the  Currency)  as  receiver  and 
attorney  of  the  Third  National  Bank  of  Chicago. 
Under  the  will  of  the  late  John  Crerar  he  became 
an  executor  of  the  estate,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Crerar  Library.  Died  at  Newark, N.  J.,  Jan  3,  1901. 

JACKSON  COUNTY,  organized  in  1816.  and 
named  in  honor  of  Andrew  Jackson;  area,  580 
square  miles;  population  (1900),  33.871.  It  lies 
in  the  southwest  portion  of  the  State,  the  Mis- 
sissippi   River    forming    its    principal    western 


boundary.  The  bottom  lands  along  the  river  are 
wonderfully  fertile,  but  liable  to  overflow.  It  is 
crossed  by  a  range  of  hills  regarded  as  a  branch 
of  the  Ozark  range.  Toward  the  east  the  soil  is 
warm,  and  well  adapted  to  fruit-growing.  One 
of  the  richest  beds  of  bituminous  coal  in  the  State 
crops  out  at  various  points,  varying  in  depth  from 
a  few  inches  to  four  or  live  hundred  feet  below  the 
surface.  Valuable  timber  and  good  building 
stone  are  found  and  there  are  numerous  saline 
springs.  Wheat,  tobacco  and  fruit  are  principal 
crops.  Early  pioneers,  with  the  date  of  their 
arrival,  were  as  follows:  1814,  W.  Boon;  1815, 
Joseph  Duncan  (afterwards  Governor) ;  1817, 
Oliver  Cross,  Mrs.  William  Kimniel,  S.  Lewi.s,  E. 
Ilarrold,  George  Butcher  and  W.  Eakin;  1818, 
the  Bysleys,  >Iark  Bradley,  James  Hughes  and 
John  Barron.  Brownsville  was  the  first  county- 
seat  and  an  important  town,  but  owing  to  a  dis- 
astrous fire  in  1843.  the  government  was  removed 
to  Murphysboro,  where  Dr.  Logan  (father  of  Gen. 
John  A.  Logan)  donated  a  tract  of  land  for 
county-buildings.  John  A.  Logan  was  born  here. 
The  principal  towns  (with  their  respective  popu- 
lation, as  shown  by  the  United  States  Census  of 
1890),  were:  Murphysboro,  3,880;  Carbondale, 
2,382;  and  Grand  Tower,  634. 

JACKSONVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Morgan 
County,  and  an  important  railroad  center;  popu- 
lation (1S9(I)  about  13.0(W.  The  town  was  laid 
out  in  1825.  and  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Andrew 
Jack.son.  The  first  court  house  was  erected  in 
1826,  and  among  early  lawyers  were  Josiah  Lam- 
Iwrn,  John  J.  Hardin,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and 
later  Richard  Yates,  afterwards  the  "War  Gov- 
ernor" of  Illinois.  It  is  the  seat  of  several  im- 
portant State  institutions,  notably  the  Central 
Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  Institutions  for  the 
Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  and  the  Blind — 
besides  private  educational  institutions,  including 
Illinois  College,  Illinois  Conference  Female  Col- 
lege (Methodist),  Jacksonville  Female  Academy, 
a  Business  College  and  others.  The  city  has 
several  banks,  a  large  woolen  mill,  carriage  fac- 
tories, brick  yards,  planing  mills,  and  two  news- 
paper establishments,  each  publishing  daily  and 
weekly  editions.  It  justly  ranks  as  one  of  the 
most  attractive  and  interesting  cities  of  the  State, 
noted  for  the  hospitality  and  intelligence  of  its 
citizens.  Although  immigrants  from  Kentucky 
and  other  Southern  States  predominated  in  its 
early  settlement,  the  location  there  of  Illinois 
College  and  the  Jacksonville  Female  Academy, 
about  1830,  brought  to  it  many  settlers  of  New 
England    birth,    so    that    it    early   came   to    be 


INSTITUTION    FOIt    DEAF   AND   DUMB.   JACKSONVILLE. 


.Main   Building  and  Girls'  Cottage. 
I.XSTITUTION  FOR  TUE  BLIND.  J.\CKSOXVILLE. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


301 


regarded  as  more  distinctively  New  England  in 
the  character  of  its  population  than  any  other 
town  in  Southern  Illinois.     Pop.  (1900),  15,078. 

JACKSONVILLE  FEMALE  ACADEMY,  an 
institution  for  the  education  of  young  ladies,  at 
Jacksonville,  tlie  oldest  of  its  class  in  the  State. 
The  initial  steps  for  its  organization  were  taken 
in  1830,  the  year  after  the  establishment  of  Illinois 
College.  It  may  be  said  to  have  been  an  offshoot 
of  the  latter,  these  two  constituting  the  originals 
of  that  remarkable  group  of  educational  and 
State  Institutions  which  now  exist  in  that  city. 
Instruction  began  to  be  given  in  the  jVcademy  in 
May,  1833,  under  the  principalship  of  Miss  Sarah 
C.  Crocker,  and,  in  1835,  it  was  formally  incorpo- 
rated by  act  of  the  Legislature,  being  the  first 
educational  institution  to  receive  a  charter  from 
that  body;  though  Illinois,  McKendree  and 
Shurtleff  Colleges  were  incorporated  at  a  later 
period  of  the  same  session.  Among  its  founders 
appear  the  names  of  Gov.  Joseph  Duncan,  Judge 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Rev.  Julian  M.  Sturtevant 
(for  fifty  years  the  President  or  a  Professor  of  Illi- 
nois College),  John  P.  Wilkinson,  Rev.  John  M. 
Ellis,  David  B.  Ayers  and  Dr.  Ero  Chandler,  all 
of  whom,  except  the  last,  were  prominently 
identified  with  the  early  history  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege. The  list  of  the  alumnte  embraces  over  five 
hundred  names.  The  Illinois  Conservatory  of 
Music  (founded  in  1871)  and  a  School  of  Fine  Arts 
are  attached  to  the  Academy,  all  being  under  the 
management  of  Prof.  E.  F.  Bullard,  A.M. 

JACKSONVILLE,  LOUISVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS 
RAILWAY.  (See  Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
irinj. ) 

JACKSONVILLE,  NORTHWESTERN  & 
SOUTHEASTERN  RAILROAD.  (See  Jackson- 
ville &  St.  Louis  Railway. ) 

JACKSONVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY. 
Originally  chartered  as  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Rail- 
road, and  constructed  from  Jacksonville  to 
Waverly  in  1870 ;  later  changed  to  the  Jacksonville, 
Northwestern  &  Southeastern  and  track  extended 
to  Virden  (31  miles) ;  in  1879  passed  into  the 
hands  of  a  new  company  under  the  title  of  the 
Jacksonville  Southeastern,  and  was  extended  as 
follows:  to  Litchfield  (1880),  33  miles;  to  Sraith- 
boro  (1882),  29  miles;  to  Centralia  (1883),  29  miles 
— total,  112  miles.  In  1887  a  section  between 
Centralia  and  Driver's  (IGVi  miles)  was  con- 
structed by  the  Jacksonville  Southeastern,  and 
operated  under  lease  by  the  successor  to  that 
line,  but,  in  1893,  was  separated  from  it  under 
the  name  of  the  Louisville  &  St.  Louis  Railway. 
By  the  use  of  five  miles  of  trackage  on  the  Louis- 


ville &  Nashville  Railroad,  connection  was 
obtained  between  Driver's  and  Mount  Vernon. 
The  .same  year  (1887)  the  Jacksonville  Southeast- 
ern obtained  control  of  the  Litchfield,  CarroUton 
&  Western  Railroad,  from  Litchfield  to  Columbi- 
ana on  the  Illinois  River,  and  the  Chicago,  Peoria 
&  St.  Louis,  embracing  lines  from  Peoria  to  St. 
Louis,  via  Springfield  and  Jacksonville.  The 
Jacksonville  Soutlieastern  was  reorganized  in  1890 
under  the  name  of  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville 
&  St.  Louis  Railway,  and,  in  1893,  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  receiver.  The  Chicago,  Peoria  & 
St.  Louis  Divisions  were  subsequently  separated 
from  the  Jacksonville  line  and  placed  in  charge 
of  a  separate  receiver.  Foreclosure  proceedings 
began  in  1894  and,  during  189G,  the  road  was  sold 
under  foreclosure  and  reorganized  under  its  pres- 
ent title.  (See  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road of  Illinois.)  The  capital  stock  of  the 
Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  Railway  (June  30,  1897) 
was  §1,500,000;  funded  debt,  $2,300,000— total, 
$3,800,000. 

JAMES,  Colin  D.,  clergyman,  was  born  in  Ran- 
dolph County,  now  in  West  Virginia,  Jan.  15, 
1808;  died  at  Bonita,  Kan.,  Jan.  30,  1888.  He  was 
the  son  of  Rev,  Dr.  William  B.  James,  a  pioneer 
preacher  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  who  removed  to 
Ohio  in  1812,  settling  first  in  Jefferson  County  in 
that  State,  and  later  (1814)  at  Mansfield.  Subse- 
quently the  family  took  up  its  residence  at  Helt's 
Prairie  in  Vigo  (now  Vermilion)  County,  Ind. 
Before  1830  Colin  D.  James  came  to  Illinois,  and, 
in  1834,  became  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  remaining  in  active  ministerial 
work  until  1871,  after  which  he  accepted  a  super- 
annuated relation.  During  his  connection  with 
the  church  in  Illinois  he  served  as  station  preacher 
or  Presiding  Elder  at  the  following  points:  Rock 
Island  (1834);  Platteville  (1836);  Apple  River 
(1837) ;  Paris  (1838,  '42  and  '43) ;  Eugene  (1839) ; 
Georgetown  (1840);  Shelbyville  (1841);  Grafton 
(1844  and  '45) ;  Sparta  District  (1845-47) ;  Lebanon 
District  (1848-49) ;  Alton  District  (1850);  Bloom- 
ington  District  (1851-52) ;  and  later  at  Jackson- 
ville, Winchester,  Greenfield,  Island  Grove, 
Oldtown,  Heyworth,  Normal,  Atlanta,  McLean 
and  Shirley.  During  1861-62  he  acted  as  agent 
for  the  Illinois  Female  College  at  Jacksonville, 
and,  in  1871,  for  the  erection  of  a  Metho- 
dist church  at  Normal.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  (Eliza  A.  Plasters  of  Living- 
ston) died  in  1849.  The  following  j'ear  he  mar- 
ried Amanda  K.  Casad,  daugliter  of  Dr.  Antliony 
W.  Casad.  He  removed  from  Normal  to  Evans- 
ton    in    1876,    and    from    the    latter   place    to 


302 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Kansas  in  1879.  Of  his  surviving  children, 
Edmund  J.  is  (1898)  Professor  in  tlie  University 
of  Chicago;  John  N.  is  in  charge  of  the  mag- 
netic laboratory  in  the  National  Observatory 
at  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Benjamin  B.  is  Professor 
in  the  State  Normal  ScIkmjI  at  St.  Cloud,  Minn., 
and  George  F.  is  instructor  in  the  Cambridge 
Preparatory  School  of  Cliicago. 

JAMES,  Edmund  Janes,  was  born,  May  21, 
1855,  at  Jacksonville,  Morgan  County,  111.,  the 
fourth  son  of  Rev.  Colin  Dew  James  of  the  Illi- 
nois Conference,  grandson  on  his  mother's  side 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Anthony  Wayne  Ciis^id  and  great- 
grandson  of  Samuel  Stites  (all  of  whose  sketches 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  volume) ;  was  educated 
in  the  Model  Department  of  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  Schfwl  at  Bloomington  (Normal),  from 
whicli  he  graduated  in  June,  1873,  and  entered 
the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  111., 
in  November  of  the  same  year.  On  May  1,  1874, 
he  was  appointed  Recorder  on  the  United  States 
Lake  Survey,  wliere  he  continued  during  one 
season  engaged  in  work  on  the  lower  part  of  Lake 
Ontario  and  the  upper  St.  I..iiwrence.  He  entered 
Harvard  College,  Nov.  2,  1874,  but  went  to 
Europe  in  August,  1875,  entering  the  University 
of  Ilalle,  Oct.  16,  1875,  where  he  graduated, 
August  4,  1877,  with  the  degrees  of  A.M.  and 
Ph.D.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States  he  was 
elected  Principal  of  the  Public  High  School  in 
Evanston,  111.,  Jan.  1,  1878,  but  resigned  in  June, 
1879,  to  accept  a  position  in  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  School  at  Bloomington  as  Professor  of 
Latin  and  Greek,  and  Principal  of  the  High 
School  Department  in  connection  with  the  Model 
School.  Resigning  this  position  at  Christmas 
time,  1883,  he  went  to  Europe  for  study;  accepted 
a  position  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  as 
Professor  of  Public  Administration,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1883,  where  he  remained  for  over  thirteen 
years.  While  here  he  was,  for  a  time,  Secretary 
of  the  Graduate  Faculty  and  organized  the  in- 
struction in  this  Department.  He  was  also 
Director  of  the  Wharton  School  of  Finance  and 
Economy,  the  first  attempt  to  organize  a  college 
course  in  the  field  of  commerce  and  industry. 
During  this  time  he  officiated  as  editor  of  "The 
Political  Economy  and  Public  Law  Series"  issued 
by  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Resigning 
his  position  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  on 
Feb.  1,  1896,  he  accepted  that  of  Professor  of  Pub- 
lic Administration  and  Director  of  the  University 
Extension  Division  in  the  University  of  Chicago, 
where  he  has  since  continued.  Professor  James 
has  been  identified  witli  the  progress  of  economic 


studies  in  the  United  States  since  the  early 
eighties.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  one 
of  the  first  Vice-Presidents  of  the  American 
Economic  Association.  On  Dec.  14,  1889,  he 
founded  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and 
Social  Science  with  headquarters  at  Philadelphia, 
became  its  first  President,  and  has  continued  such 
to  the  present  time.  He  was  also,  for  some  years, 
editor  of  its  publications.  The  Academy  has 
now  become  the  largest  Association  in  the  world 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  economic  and  social 
subjects.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of,  and 
one  of  the  most  frequent  contributors  to,  "Lalor's 
Cyclopii'dia  of  Political  Science";  was  also  the 
pioneer  in  the  movement  to  introduce  into  the 
United  States  the  scheme  of  public  instruction 
known  as  University  E.xtension;  was  the  first 
President  of  the  American  Society  for  the  Exten- 
sion of  University  Teaching,  under  whose  auspices 
the  first  effective  extension  work  was  done  in  this 
country,  and  has  been  Director  of  the  Extension 
Division  in  the  University  of  Chicago  since  Febru- 
ary, 1896.  He  has  been  especially  identified  with 
the  development  of  higher  commercial  education 
in  the  United  States.  From  his  position  as 
Director  of  the  Wharton  School  of  Finance  and 
Economy  he  has  affected  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  this  Department  in  a  most  marked  way. 
He  was  invited  by  the  American  Bankers' 
Association,  in  the  year  1892,  to  make  a  careful 
study  of  the  subject  of  Commercial  Education  in 
Europe,  and  liis  report  to  this  association  on  the 
Education  of  Business  Men  in  Europe,  republished 
by  the  University  of  Chicago  in  the  year  1898, 
has  become  a  standard  authority  on  this  subject. 
Owing  largely  to  his  efforts,  departments  similar 
to  the  Wharton  School  of  Finance  and  Economy 
have  been  established  under  the  title  of  C'ollege 
of  Commerce,  College  of  Commerce  and  Politics, 
and  Collegiate  Course  in  Commerce,  in  the  Uni- 
versities of  California  and  Chicago,  and  Columbia 
University.  He  has  been  identified  with  the 
progress  of  college  education  in  general,  espe- 
cially in  its  relation  to  secondary  and  elementary 
education,  and  was  one  of  the  early  advocates  of 
the  establishment  of  departments  of  education  in 
our  colleges  and  universities,  the  policy  of  which 
is  now  adopted  by  nearly  all  the  leading  institu- 
tions. He  was,  for  a  time.  State  Examiner  of 
High  Schools  in  Illinois,  and  w-as  founder  of  "The 
Illinois  School  Joximal,"  long  one  of  the  most 
influential  educational  periodicals  in  the  State, 
now  changed  in  name  to  "School  and  Home." 
He  has  been  especially  active  in  the  establish- 
ment of  public  kindergartens  in  different  cities, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


303 


and  has  been  repeatedly  offered  the  headship  of 
important  institutions,  among  tlieni  being  the 
University  o£  Iowa,  the  University  of  Illinois, 
and  the  University  of  Cincinnati.  He  has  served 
as  Vice-President  of  the  National  Municipal 
League;  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science,  and  the  American 
Economic  Association,  and  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library ;  is  a 
member  of  tlie  American  Philosophical  Society, 
of  tiie  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  of  the 
National  Council  of  Education,  and  of  the  British 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Thirteen  of 
the  National  Teachers'  Association  on  college 
entrance  requirements;  is  a  member  of  various 
patriotic  and  historical  societies,  including  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Society  of 
the  Colonial  "Wars,  the  Holland  and  the  Huguenot 
Society.  He  is  the  autlior  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred papers  and  monographs  on  various  economic, 
educational,  legal  and  administrative  subjects. 
Professor  James  was  married,  August  22,  1879,  to 
Anna  Margarethe  Lange,  of  Halle,  Prussia, 
daugliter  of  the  Rev.  AVilhelm  Roderich  Lange, 
and  granddaughter  of  the  famous  Professor  Ger- 
lach  of  the  University  of  Halle. 

JAMESON,  John  Alexander,  lawyer  and  jur- 
ist, was  born  at  Irasburgh,  Vt.,  Jan.  35,  1824; 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Vermont  in 
1846.  After  several  years  spent  in  teaching,  he 
began  the  study  of  law,  and  graduated  from  the 
Dane  Law  School  (of  Harvard  College)  in  1853. 
Coming  west  the  same  year  he  located  at  Free- 
port,  111.,  but  removed  to  Chicago  in  1856.  In 
1865  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  Chicago,  remaining  in  office  until  1883. 
During  a  portion  of  this  period  he  acted  as  lec- 
turer in  the  Union  College  of  Law  at  Chicago, 
and  as  editor  of  "The  American  Law  Register." 
His  literary  labors  were  unceasing,  his  most 
notable  work  being  entitled  "Constitutional  Con- 
ventions; their  History,  Power  and  Modes  of 
Proceeding."  He  was  also  a  fine  classical 
scholar,  speaking  and  reading  German,  French, 
Spanish  and  Italian,  and  was  deeply  interested 
in  charitable  and  refc-matory  work.  Died,  sud- 
denly, in  Chicago,  June  16,  1890. 

JARROT,  Nicholas,  early  French  settler  of  St. 
Clair  County,  was  born  in  France,  received  a 
liberal  education  and,  on  account  of  the  disturbed 
condition  there  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  cen- 
turj',  left  his  native  country  about  1T90.  After 
spending  some  time  at  Baltimore  and  New 
Orleans,  he  arrived  at  Cahokia,  111.,  in  1794,  and 


became  a  permanent  settler  there  He  early  be- 
came a  Major  of  militia  and  engaged  in  trade 
with  the  Indians,  frequently  visiting  Prairie  du 
Chien,  St.  Anthony's  Falls  (now  Minneapolis)  and 
the  Illinois  River  in  his  trading  expeditions,  and, 
on  one  or  two  occasions,  incurring  great  risk  of 
life  from  hostile  savages.  He  acquired  a  large 
property,  esf)ecially  in  lands,  built  mills  and 
erected  one  of  the  earliest  and  finest  brick  houses 
in  that  part  of  the  country.  He  also  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Judge  of  the  County 
Court  of  St.  Clair  County.  Died,  in  1823  —Vital 
(Jarrot),  son  of  the  preceding,  inherited  a  large 
landed  fortune  from  his  father,  and  was  an 
enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizen  of  St. 
Clair  County  during  the  last  generation.  He 
served  as  Representative  from  St.  Clair  County 
in  the  Eleventh,  Twentieth,  Twenty-first  and 
Twenty-second  General  Assemblies,  in  the  first 
being  an  associate  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
always  his  firm  friend  and  admirer.  At  the 
organization  of  the  Twenty-second  General 
Assembly  (1857),  he  received  the  support  of  the 
Republican  members  for  Speaker  of  the  House  in 
opposition  to  Col.  W.  R.  Morrison,  who  was 
elected.  He  sacrificed  a  large  share  of  his  prop- 
erty in  a  public-spirited  effort  to  build  up  a 
rolling  mill  at  East  St.  Louis,  being  reduced 
thereby  from  affluence  to  poverty.  President 
Lincoln  appointed  him  an  Indian  Agent,  which 
took  him  to  the  Black  Hills  region,  where  he 
died,  some  years  after,  from  toil  and  e.xposure,  at 
the  age  of  73  years. 

JASPER  COUNTY,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Southern  Illinois,  having  an  area  of  506  square 
miles,  and  a  population  (in  UtOO)  of  20, 160.  It  was 
organized  in  1831  and  named  for  Sergeant  Jasper 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  The  county  was  placed  un- 
der township  organization  in  1860.  The  first  Board 
of  County  Commissioners  consisted  of  B.  Rey- 
nolds, AV.  Richards  and  George  Mattingley.  The 
Embarras  River  crosses  the  county.  The  general 
surface  is  level,  although  gently  undulating  in 
some  portions.  Manufacturing  is  carried  on  in  a 
small  way;  but  the  people  are  principally  inter- 
ested in  agriculture,  the  chief  products  consisting 
of  wheat,  potatoes,  sorghum,  fruit  and  tobacco. 
"Wool-growing  is  an  important  industry.  Newton 
is  the  county-seat,  with  a  population  (in  1890)  of 
1,428. 

JATNE,  (Dr.)  Gershom,  early  physician,  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y. ,  October,  1791 ;  served 
as  Surgeon  in  the  "War  of  1813,  and  came  to  Illinois 
in  1819,  settling  in  Springfield  in  1821 ;  was  one 
of  the  Commissioners  appointed  to  construct  the 


304 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


first  State  Penitentiary  (1827),  and  one  of  the  first 
Commissioners  of  tlie  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal. 
His  oldest  daughter  (Julia  Maria)  became  the 
wife  of  Senator  Trumbull.  Dr.  Jayne  died  at 
Springfield,  in  1807.— Dr.  William  (Jayne),  son  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  in  Springfield,  111.,  Oct.  8, 
1826;  educated  by  private  tutors  and  at  Illinois 
College,  being  a  member  of  the  class  of  1847,  later 
receiving  the  degree  of  A.M.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Phi  Alpha  Society  while  in  that 
institution;  graduated  from  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Missouri  State  University;  in  1860  was 
elected  State  Senator  for  Sangamon  County,  and, 
the  following  year,  was  appointed  by  President 
Lincoln  Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Dakota, 
later  serving  as  Delegate  in  Congress  from  that 
Territory.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  Pension 
Agent  for  Illinois,  also  served  for  four  terms  as 
Mayor  of  his  native  city,  and  is  now  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank,  Springfield 
^  JEFFERSO.V  COUNTY,  a  south-central  county, 
Mit  off  from  Edwards  and  White  Counties,  in 
ISlO,  when  it  was  separatelj-  organized,  being 
named  in  honor  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Its  area  is 
680 square  miles,  and  its  population  (lyOO),  28,133. 
The  Big  Muddy  River,  with  one  or  two  tributa- 
ries, flows;  turough  the  county  in  a  souilierly  direc- 
tion. Aioug  tiie  banks  of  streams  a  variety  of 
hardwood  timber  is  found.  The  railroad  facilities 
are  advantageous  Tne  surface  Is  level  and  the 
soil  rich  Cereals  and  truit  are  easily  produced. 
A  fine  bed  or  limestone  (seven  to  fifteen  feet 
thick)  crosses  the  middle  ot  tne  county.  It  has 
been  quarried  and  rouna  weil  adapted  to  building 
purposes.  The  county  possesses  an  abundance  of 
running  water,  mucli  of  wnlcli  is  slightly  im- 
pregnated with  salt.  The  upper  coal  measure 
underlies  the  entire  county,  but  the  seam  is 
ecarcel}-  more  than  two  reet  thick  at  any  point. 
The  chief  industry  is  agriculture,  though  lumber 
is  manufactured  to  some  extent.  Mount  Vernon, 
the  county -seat,  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in  1872. 
Its  population  in  1890  was  3,233.  It  has  several 
manufactories  and  is  the  seat  of  tlie  Appellate 
Court  for  the  Southern  Judicial  District  of  the 
State. 

JEFFERT,  Edward  Turner,  Railway  President 
and  Man.ager,  born  in  Liverpool,  Eng.,  Ajjril  6, 
1843,  his  father  being  an  engineer  in  tlie  British 
navy ;  about  1850  came  with  his  widowed  mother 
to  Wheeling,  Va  ,  and,  in  1S.')6,  to  Chicago,  where 
he  secured  employment  as  office-boy  in  the 
machinery  department  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  Here  he  finally  became  an  apprentice 
and,  passing  through  .various  grades  of  the  me- 


chanical department,in  May,  1877,  became  General 
Superintendent  of  the  Road,  and,  in  1885,  General 
Manager  of  the  entire  line.  In  1889  he  withdrew 
from  the  Illinois  Central  and,  for  several  years 
past,  has  been  President  and  General  Manager  of 
the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  liailway,  witli  head- 
quarter.s  at  Denver,  Colo.  Mr.  Jeffery's  career  as 
a  railway  man  has  been  one  of  the  most  conspicu- 
ous and  successful  in  the  history  of  American 
railroads 

JENKINS,  .\lexan(Ier  M.,  Lieutenant-Governor 
(1834-30),  came  to  Illinois  in  his  youth  and  located 
in  Jackson  County,  being  for  a  time  a  resident  of 
Brownsville,  the  first  county-seat  of  Jackson 
County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  trade.  Later 
he  studied  law  and  became  eminent  in  his  pro- 
fession in  Southern  Illinois.  In  1830  Mr.  Jenkins 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Seventh  General 
Assembly,  was  re-elected  in  1832,  serving  during 
his  second  term  as  .Speaker  of  the  House,  and  took 
part  the  latter  year  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  as 
Captain  of  a  company.  In  1834  Mr.  Jenkins  was 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  at  the  same  time 
with  Governor  Duncan,  though  on  an  opposing 
ticket,  but  resigned,  in  1836,  to  become  President 
of  the  first  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company, 
which  was  chartered  that  year.  The  charter  of 
the  road  was  surrendered  in  1837,  when  the  State 
had  in  contemplation  the  policy  of  building  a 
system  of  roads  at  its  own  cost  For  a  time  he 
was  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  in  the  Land  Office 
at  Edwardsville.  and,  in  1847,  was  elected  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  that  year. 
Other  positions  held  by  him  included  that  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Third  Judicial 
Circuit,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1859,  and 
re-elected  in  1861,  but  died  in  office,  February  13, 
1864.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  an  uncle  of  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan,  who  read  law  with  him  after  his  return 
from  the  Mexican  War. 

JEXXEV,  William  Le  Baron,  engineer  and 
architect,  born  at  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  Sept.  25, 
1832;  was  educated  at  Phillips  Academy,  An- 
dover,  graduating  in  1849;  at  17  took  a  trip 
around  the  world,  and,  after  a  year  spent  in  the 
Scientific  Department  of  Harvard  College,  took  a 
course  in  the  Ecole  Centrale  des  Artes  et  Manu- 
factures in  Paris,  graduating  in  1856.  He  then 
served  for  a  year  as  engineer  on  the  Tehuantepec 
Railroad,  and,  in  1861,  was  made  an  Aid  on  the 
staff  of  General  Grant,  Ijeing  transferred  the  next 
year  to  the  staff  of  General  Sherman,  with  whom 
he  remained  three  years,  participating  in  many 
of  the  most  important  battles  of  the  war  in  the 
West.     Later,  he  was  engaged  in  the  preparation 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


305^ 


of  maps  of  General  Sherman's  campaigns,  which 
were  published  in  the  "Memoirs"  of  the  latter. 
In  1868  he  located  in  Chicago,  and  has  since  given 
his  attention  almost  solely  to  architecture,  the 
result  being  seen  in  some  of  Chicago's  most 
noteworthy  buildings. 

JERSEY  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  middle  division  of  the  State, 
bordering  on  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers. 
Originally  a  part  of  Greene  County,  it  was  sepa- 
rately organized  in  1839,  with  an  area  of  360  square 
miles.  There  were  a  few  settlers  in  the  county 
as  early  as  1816-17  Jerseyville,  the  county-seat, 
was  platted  in  1834,  a  majority  of  the  early  resi- 
dents being  natives  of,  or  at  least  emigrants  from. 
New  Jersey  The  mild  climate,  added  to  the 
character  of  the  soil,  is  especially  adapted  to 
fruit- growing  and  stock-raising  The  census  of 
1900  gave  the  population  of  the  county  as  14,612 
and  of  Jerseyville,  3,517.  Grafton,  near  the 
junction  of  the  Mississippi  with  the  Illinois,  had 
a  population  of  927.  The  last  mentioned  town  is 
noted  for  its  stone  quarries,  which  employ  a 
number  of  men. 

JERSEYVILLE,  a  city  and  county -seat  of  Jer- 
sey County,  the  point  of  junction  of  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  and  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis 
Railways,  19  miles  north  of  Alton  and  45  miles 
north  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  city  is  in  an  agri 
cultural  district,  but  has  manufactories  of  flour, 
plows,  carriages  and  wagons,  shoe  factory  and 
watch-making  machinery.  It  contains  a  hand- 
some courthouse,  completed  in  1894,  nine 
churches,  a  graded  public  school,  besides  a  sep- 
arate school  for  colored  children,  a  convent, 
library,  telephone  system,  electric  lights,  artesian 
wells,  and  three  papers.  Population  (1890),  3,207; 
(1900),  3,517;  (1903,  est),  4,117. 

JO  DATIESS  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  State ;  has  an  area  of  663  square 
miles;  population  (1900),  24,.533,  It  was  first 
explored  by  Le  Seuer,  who  reported  the  discovery 
of  lead  in  1700.  Another  Frenchman  (Bouthil- 
lier)  was  the  first  permanent  white  settler,  locat- 
ing on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Galena  in 
1820.  About  the  same  time  came  several  Ameri- 
can families ;  a  trading  post  was  established,  and 
the  hamlet  was  known  as  Fredericks'  Point,  so 
called  after  one  of  the  pioneers.  In  1822  the 
Government  reserved  from  settlement  a  tract  10 
miles  square  along  the  Mississippi,  with  a  view  of 
controlling  the  mining  interest.  In  1823  mining 
privileges  were  granted  upon  a  royalty  of  one- 
sixth,  and  the  first  smelting  furnace  was  erected 
the  same  year.     Immigration  increased   rapidly 


and,  inside  of  three  years,  the  "Point"  had  a  popu- 
lation of  150,  and  a  post-office  was  established 
with  a  fortnightly  mail  to  and  from  Vandalia, 
then  the  State  capital.  In  1827  county  organiza- 
tion was  effected,  the  county  being  name.l  in 
honor  of  Gen.  Joseph  Hamilton  Daviess,  who  was 
killed  in  the  Battle  of  Tippecanoe  The  original 
tract,  however,  has  been  subdivided  until  it  now 
constitutes  nine  counties.  The  settlers  took  an 
active  part  in  both  the  Winnebago  and  Black 
Hawk  Wars.  In  1846-47  the  mineral  lands  were 
placed  on  the  market  by  the  Government,  and 
quickly  taken  by  corporations  and  individuals 
The  scenery  is  varied,  and  the  soil  (particularly 
in  the  east)  well  suited  to  the  cultivation  of 
grain.  The  county  is  well  wooded  and  well 
watered,  and  thoroughly  drained  by  the  Fever 
and  Apple  Rivers.  The  name  Galena  was  given 
to  the  county-seat  (originally,  as  has  been  said, 
Fredericks'  Point)  by  Lieutenant  Thomas,  Gov- 
ernment Surveyor,  in  1827,  in  which  year  it  was 
platted.  Its  general  appearance  is  picturesque. 
Its  early  growth  was  extraordinary,  but  later 
(particularly  after  the  growtli  of  Chicago)  it 
received  a  set-back.  In  1841  it  claimed  2,000 
population  and  was  incorporated,  in  1870  it  had 
about  7,000  population,  and,  in  1900,  5,005.  The 
names  of  Grant,  Rawlins  and  E.  B.  Washburne 
are  associated  with  its  history.  Other  important 
towns  in  the  county  are  Warren  (population 
1,327),  East  Dubuque  (1,146)  and  Elizabeth  (659). 

JOHNSON,  Caleb  C,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  Whiteside  County,  111.,  May  23,  1844, 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
Military  Academy  at  Fulton,  111. ;  served  during 
the  Civil  War  in  the  Sixty-ninth  and  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fortieth  Regiments  Illinois  Volunteers ; 
in  1877  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and,  two  years 
later,  began  practice.  He  has  served  upon  the 
Board  of  Township  Supervisors  of  Whiteside 
County;  in  1884  was  elected  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  Thirty-fourth  General 
Assembly,  was  re-elected  in  1886,  and  again  in 
1896.  He  also  held  the  position  of  Deputy  Col- 
lector of  Internal  Revenue  for  his  District  during 
the  first  Cleveland  administration,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention 
of  1888. 

JOHNSON,  (Rev.)  Herrick,  clergj'man  and 
educator,  was  born  near  Fonda,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  21, 
1832;  graduated  at  Hamilton  College,  1857,  and 
at  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  1860 ;  held  Pres- 
byterian pastorates  in  Troy,  Pittsburg  and  Phila- 
delphia ;  in  1874  became  Professor  of  Homiletics 
and    Pastoral    Theology  in  Auburn    Theological 


306 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Seminary,  and,  in  1880,  accepted  a  pastorate  in 
Chicago,  also  becoming  Lecturer  on  Sacred  Rliet- 
oric  in  McCormick  Theological  Seminary.  In 
1883  he  resigned  his  pastorate,  devoting  his  atten- 
tion thereafter  to  the  duties  of  Iiis  professorship. 
He  was  Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian  General 
Assembly  at  Springfield,  in  1882,  and  has  served 
as  President,  for  many  years,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  Board  of  Aid  for  Colleges,  and  of  tlie 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Lake  Forest  University. 
Besides  many  periodical  articles,  he  has  published 
several  volumes  on  religious  subjects. 

JOHNSON,  Hosmer  A.,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  physi- 
cian, was  born  near  Buffalo,  N  Y.,  Oct.  6,  1822; 
at  twelve  removed  to  a  farm  in  Lapeer  County, 
Mich.  In  spite  of  limited  school  privileges,  at 
eighteen  he  secured  a  teachers'  certificate,  and, 
by  teaching  in  the  winter  and  attending  an 
academy  in  the  summer,  prepared  for  college, 
entering  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1840  and 
graduating  in  1849.  In  1850  he  became  a  student 
of  medicine  at  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago, 
graduating  in  1852,  and  the  same  year  becoming 
Secretary  of  the  Cook  County  Medical  Society, 
and,  the  year  following,  associate  editor  of  "The 
Illinois  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal."  For 
three  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
Rush,  but,  in  1858.  resigned  to  become  one  of  the 
founders  of  a  new  medical  school,  which  has  now 
become  a  part  of  Northwestern  University. 
During  the  Civil  War,  Dr.  Johnson  was  Chair- 
man of  the  State  Board  of  Medical  Examiners ; 
later  serving  upon  the  Board  of  Uealth  of  Chi- 
cago, and  upon  the  National  Board  of  Ilealth.  He 
was  also  attending  physician  of  Cook  County 
Hospital  and  consulting  physician  of  the  Chicago 
Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary.  At  the  time 
of  the  great  fire  of  1871,  he  was  one  of  the  Direct- 
ors of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society.  His 
connections  with  local.  State  and  National  Soci- 
eties and  organizations  (medical,  scientific,  social 
and  otherwise)  wero  very  numerous.  He  trav- 
eled extensively,  both  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe,  during  his  visits  to  the  latter  devoting 
much  time  to  the  study  of  foreign  sanitary  con- 
ditions, and  making  further  attainments  in  medi- 
cine and  surgery.  In  1883  the  degree  of  LL.D. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity. During  his  later  years,  Dr.  Johnson  was 
engaged  almost  wholly  in  consultations.  Died, 
Feb.  26,  1891. 

JOHNSON  COUNTY,  Ues  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  State,  and  is  one  of  the  smallest 
counties,  having  an  area  of  only  340  sfjuare  miles, 
and  a  population  (1900)  of  15,067— named  for  CoL 


Richard  M.  Johnson.  Its  organization  dates  back 
to  1812.  A  dividing  ridge  (forming  a  sort  of 
water  shed)  extends  from  e;»st  to  west,  the 
waters  of  the  Cache  and  Bay  Rivers  running 
south,  and  those  of  the  Big  Muddy  and  Saline 
toward  the  north.  A  minor  coal  .seam  of  variable 
thickness  (perhaps  a  spur  from  the  regular  coal- 
measures)  crops  out  here  and  there.  Sandstone 
and  limestone  are  abundant,  and,  under  cliffs 
along  the  bluffs,  saltpeter  has  been  obtained  in 
small  quantities.  Weak  copperas  springs  are 
numerous.  The  soil  is  rich,  the  principal  crops 
being  wheat,  corn  and  tobacco.  Cotton  is  raised 
for  home  consumption  and  fruit-culture  receives 
some  attention.  Vienna  is  the  county-seat,  with 
a  population,  in  1890,  of  828. 

JOHNSTON,  Noah,  pioneer  and  banker,  was 
born  in  Hardy  Count}-,  Va.,  Dec.  20,  1799,  and, 
at  tlie  age  of  12  years,  emigrated  with  his  father 
to  Woodford  County,  Ky.  In  1824  lie  removed 
to  Indiana,  and.  a  few  years  later,  to  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  where  he  began  farming.  He  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  merchandising,  but  proving 
unfortunate,  turned  his  attention  to  politics, 
serving  first  as  County  Coramis.sioner  and  then  as 
County  Clerk.  In  1838  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  for  the  counties  of  Hamilton  and 
Jefferson,  serving  four  years;  was  Enrolling  and 
Engrossing  Clerk  of  the  Senate  during  the  session 
of  1844-45,  and,  in  1846,  elected  Representative  in 
the  Fifteenth  General  Assembly.  The  following 
year  he  was  made  Paymaster  in  the  L'nited  States 
Army,  serving  through  the  Mexican  War;  in 
1852  ser\-ed  with  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Judge 
Hugh  T.  Dickey  of  Chicago,  on  a  Commission 
appointed  to  investigate  claims  against  the  State 
for  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  &  Jlichican 
Canal,  and,  in  1854,  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  the  Third  Division,  being 
elected  to  the  .same  position  in  1801.  Other  posi- 
tions held  by  him  included  those  of  Deput}'  United 
States  Marshal  under  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Polk,  Commissioner  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction of  the  Supreme  Court  Building  at  Mount 
Vernon,  and  Postmaster  of  that  city.  He  was 
also  elected  Representative  again  in  1866.  The 
later  years  of  his  life  were  spent  as  President  of 
the  Mount  Vernon  National  Bank.  Died,  No- 
vember, 1891,  in  his  92d  year. 

JOLIET,  the  county-seat  of  Will  County,  situ- 
ated in  the  Des  Plaines  River  Valley,  36  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago,  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  and  the  intersecting  point  of  five  lines  of 
railway.  A  good  quality  of  calcareous  building 
stone  underlies  the  entire  region,  and  fs  exten- 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


30*. 


si vely  quarried.  Gravel,  sand,  and  clay  are  also 
easily  obtained  in  considerable  quantities. 
Within  twenty  miles  are  productive  coal  mines. 
The  Northern  Illinois  Penitentiary  and  a  female 
penal  institute  stand  just  outside  the  city  limits 
on  the  north,  Joliet  is  an  important  manufac- 
turing center,  the  census  of  1900  crediting  the 
city  with  4.05  establishments,  having  §15,453,136 
capital,  employing  6,523  hands,  paying  §3,957,529 
wages  and  §17,891,836  for  raw  material,  turning 
out  an  annual  product  valued  at  ■537,765,104  TJio 
leading  industries  are  the  manufacture  of  foundry 
and  machine-shop  products,  engines,  agrioultui-al 
implements,  pig-iron.  Be.ssemer  steel,  steel 
bridges,  rods,  tin  cans,  wallpaper,  matches,  beer, 
saddles,  paint,  furniture,  pianos,  and  stoves, 
besides  quarrying  and  stone  cutting.  The  Chi- 
cago Drainage  Canal  supplies  valuable  water- 
power.  The  city  has  many  handsome  public 
buildings  and  private  residences,  among  the 
former  being  four  high  schools.  Government 
postoffice  building,  two  public  libraries,  and  two 
public  hospitals.  It  also  has  two  public  and  two 
school  parks.  Population  (1880),  11,657;  (1890), 
23,254,  (including  suburbs),  34,473;  (1900),  39,353. 

JOLIET,  AURORA  &  NORTHERIV  RAIL- 
WAY.    (See  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Railway.) 

JOLIET,  Louis,  a  French  explorer,  born  at 
Quebec,  Canada,  Sept.  21,  1645,  educated  at  the 
Jesuits'  College,  and  early  engaged  in  the  fur- 
trade.  In  1669  lie  was  sent  to  investigate  the 
copper  mines  on  Lake  Superior,  but  his  most 
important  servioe  began  in  1073,  when  Frontenao 
commissioned  him  to  explore.  Starting  from  the 
missionary  station  of  St.  Ignace,  with  Father 
Marquette,  he  went  up  the  Fox  River  within  the 
present  State  of  Wisconsin  and  down  the  Wis- 
consin to  the  Mississippi,  which  he  descended  as 
far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas.  He  was  the 
first  to  discover  that  the  Mississippi  flows  to  the 
Gulf  rather  than  to  the  Pacific.  He  returned  to 
Green  Bay  via  the  Illinois  River,  and  (as  believed) 
the  sites  of  the  present  cities  of  Joliet  and  Chicago. 
Although  later  appointed  royal  hydrographer 
and  given  the  island  of  Anticosti,  he  never 
revisited  the  Mississippi.  Some  historians  assert 
that  this  was  largely  due  to  the  influential  jeal- 
ousy of  La  Salle.     Died,  in  Canada,  in  May,  1700. 

JOLIET  &  BLUE  ISLAND  RAILWAY,  con 
stituting  a  part  of  and  operated  by  the  Calumet 
&  Blue  Island— a  belt  line,  21  miles  in  length,  of 
standard  gauge  and  laid  with  00-lb.  steel  rails. 
The  company  provides  terminal  facilities  at  Joliet, 
although  originally  projected  to  merely  run  fronx 
that  city  to  a  connection  with  the  Calumet  & 


Blue  Island  Railway.  The  capital  stock  author- 
ized and  paid  in  is  §100,000.  The  comjjany's 
general  oflSces  are  in  Chicago. 

JOLIET  &  KORTHERN  INDIANA  RAIL- 
ROAD, a  road  running  from  Lake,  Ind.,  to  Joliet, 
111.,  45  miles  (of  which  29  miles  are  in  Illinois), 
and  leased  in  perpetuity,  from  Sept.  7,  1854  (the 
date  of  completion),  to  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  which  owns  nearly  all  its  stock. 
Its  capital  stock  is  §300,000,  and  its  funded  debt, 
$80,000.  Other  forms  of  indebtedness  swell  the 
total  amount  of  capital  invested  (1895)  to  §1,- 
143,301.  Total  earnings  and  income  in  Illinois  in 
1894,  §89,017;  total  expenditures,  §63,370.  (See 
Michigan  Central  Railroad.) 

JONES,  Alfred  M.,  politician  and  legi-slator, 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  Feb.  5,  1837,  brought 
to  McHenry  County,  111.,  at  10  years  of  age,  and, 
at  16,  began  life  in  the  pineries  and  engaged  in 
rafting  on  the  Mississippi.  Then,  after  two 
winters  in  school  at  Rockford,  and  a  short  season 
in  teaching,  he  spent  a  year  in  the  book  and 
jewelry  business  at  Warren,  Jo  Daviess  County. 
The  following  year  (18.58)  he  made  a  trip  to  Pike's 
Peak,  but  meeting  disappointment  in  his  expec- 
tations in  regard  to  raining,  returned  almost 
immediately.  The  next  few  years  were  spent  in 
various  occupations,  including  law  and  real 
estate  business,  until  1873,  when  he  was  elected 
to  the  Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly,  ?-nd 
re-elected  two  years  later.  Other  positions 
successively  held  by  him  were  those  of  Commis- 
sioner of  the  Joliet  Penitentiary,  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue  for  the  Sterling  District,  and 
United  States  Marshal  for  the  Northern  District 
of  Illinois.  He  was,  for  fourteen  years,  a  member 
of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee,  dur- 
ing twelve  years  of  that  period  being  its  chair- 
man. Since  1885,  Mr.  Jones  has  been  manager 
of  the  Bethesda  Mineral  Springs  at  Waukesha, 
Wis.,  but  has  found  time  to  make  his  mark  in 
Wisconsin  politics  also. 

JONES,  John  Rice,  first  English  lawyer  in  Illi- 
nois, was  born  in  Wales,  Feb.  11,  1759;  educated 
at  Oxford  in  medicine  and  law,  and,  after  prac- 
ticing the  latter  in  London  for  a  short  time,  came 
to  America  in  1784,  spending  two  years  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  and  Benjamin  Franklin;  in 
1786,  having  reached  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  he 
joined  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark's  expedition 
against  the  Indians  on  the  Wabash.  This  having 
partially  failed  through  the  discontent  and 
de.sertion  of  the  troops,  he  remained  at  Vincennes 
four    years,    part    of  the  time   as   Commissary 


308 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


General  of  the  garrison  there.  In  1790  he  went  to 
Kaskaskia,  but  eleven  years  later  returned  to  Vin- 
cennes,  being  coiniiiissioneil  the  same  year  by 
Gov.  William  Henry  Harrison,  Attorney-General 
of  Indiana  Territory,  and,  in  1805,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  first  Legislative  Council.  He  was 
Secretary  of  the  convention  at  Vincennes,  in 
December,  1802,  which  memorialized  Congress  to 
suspend,  for  ten  years,  the  article  in  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1787  forbidding  slavery  in  the  Northwest 
Territory.  In  1808  he  removed  a  second  time  to 
Kaskaskia,  remaining  two  years,  when  lie  located 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of  Missouri 
(then  the  Territory  of  Louisiana),  residing  suc- 
cesbivel}'  at  St.  Genevieve,  St.  Louis  and  Potosi, 
at  the  latter  place  acquiring  large  interests  in 
mineral  lands.  He  became  prominent  in  Mis- 
souri politics,  served  as  a  member  of  the  Conven- 
tion which  framed  the  first  State  Constitution, 
was  a  prominent  candidate  for  United  States 
Senator  before  the  first  Legislature,  and  finally 
elected  bj-  the  same  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  dying  in  office  at  St.  Louis,  Feb.  1,  1824. 
He  appears  to  liave  enjoyed  an  extensive  practice 
among  the  early  residents,  as  shown  by  the  fact 
that,  the  year  of  his  return  to  Kaskaskia,  lie  paid 
taxes  on  more  than  10,000  acres  of  land  in  Monroe 
County,  to  say  nothing  of  his  possessions  about 
Vincennes  and  his  subsequent  acquisitions  in 
Missouri.  He  also  prepared  the  first  revision  of 
laws  for  Indiana  Territorj-  when  Illinois  com- 
posed a  part  of  it. — Rice  (Jones),  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding by  a  first  marriage,  was  born  in  Wales, 
Sept.  28,  1781;  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents, and  was  educated  at  Transylvania  University 
and  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  taking  a 
medical  degree  at  the  latter,  but  later  studying 
law  at  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  locating  at  Kaskas- 
kia in  1806.  Described  as  a  young  man  of  brilliant 
talents,  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  politics  and, 
at  a  special  election  held  in  September,  1808,  \vas 
elected  to  the  Indiana  Territorial  Legislature,  by 
the  party  known  as  "Divisionists" — i.  e.,  in  favor 
of  the  division  of  the  Territory — which  proved 
successful  in  the  orgauiiuition  of  Illinois  Territory 
the  following  year.  Bitterness  engendered  in 
this  contest  led  to  a  challenge  from  Shadrach 
Bond  (afterwards  first  Governor  of  the  State) 
which  Jones  accepted;  but  the  affair  was  ami- 
cably adjusted  on  the  field  without  an  exchange  of 
shots.  One  Dr.  James  Dunlap,  who  had  been 
Bond's  second,  expressed  dissatisfaction  with  the 
settlement;  a  bitter  factional  fight  was  main- 
tained between  the  friends  of  the  respective 
parties,  ending  in  the  assassination  of  Jones,  who 


was  shot  by  Dunlap  on  the  street  in  Kaskaskia, 
Dec.  7,  1808 — Jones  dying  in  a  few  minutes, 
while  Dunlap  (led.  ending  his  days  in  Texas. — 
(Jen.  John  Rice  (Jones),  Jr.,  another  son,  was 
born  at  Kaskaskia,  Jan.  8,  1792,  served  under 
Capt.  Henry  Dodge  in  the  War  of  1818,  and,  in 
1831,  went  to  Texas,  where  he  bore  a  conspicuous 
part  in  securing  the  independence  of  that  State 
from  Mexico,  dying  there  in  1845 — the  year  of  its 
annexation  to  the  United  States.  —  George 
Wallace  (Jones),  fourth  son  of  John  Rice  Jones 
(1st),  was  born  at  Vincennes,  Indiana  Territory, 
April  12,  1804;  graduated  at  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity, in  1825;  served  as  Clerk  of  the  United 
States  District  Court  in  Missouri  in  182G,  and  as 
Aid  to  Gen.  Dodge  in  the  Black  Hawk  War;  in 
1834  was  elected  Delegate  in  Congress  from 
Michigan  Territory  (then  including  the  present 
States  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa),  later 
serving  two  terms  as  Delegate  from  Iowa  Terri- 
torj',  and,  on  its  admission  as  a  State,  being  elected 
one  of  the  first  United  States  Senators  and  re- 
elected in  18.52;  in  1859,  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  Minister  to  Bogota,  Colombia^ 
but  recalled  in  1861  on  account  of  a  letter  to 
JelTerson  Davis  expressing  sympatliy  witli  the 
cause  of  the  South,  and  was  imprisoned  for  two 
months  in  Fort  Lafayette.  In  1838  he  was  the  sec- 
ond of  Senator  Cilley  in  the  famous  Cilley -Graves 
duel  near  Washington,  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  the  former.  After  liis  retirement  from 
oflfice.  General  Jones'  residence  was  at  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  where  he  died,  July  22,  1896,  in  the  93d 
year  of  his  age. 

JOXES,  Michae  ;  early  politician,  was  a  Penn- 
sylvaniau  by  birth,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  Terri- 
torial days,  and,  as  early  as  1809,  was  Register  of 
the  Land  Office  at  Kaskaskia;  afterwards 
removed  to  Shawneeto\vn  and  represented 
Gallatin  County  as  a  Delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1818  and  as  Senator  in  the 
first  four  General  Assemblies,  and  also  as  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Eighth.  He  was  a  candidate  for 
L^nited  States  Senator  in  1819,  but  was  defeated 
by  Governor  Edwards,  and  was  a  Presidential 
Elector  in  1820.  He  is  represented  to  have  been  a 
man  of  considerable  ability  but  of  bitter  pa.ssions, 
a  supporter  of  the  scheme  for  a  pro-slavery  con- 
stitution and  a  bitter  opponent  of  Governor 
Edwards. 

JOXES,  J.  Russell,  capitalist,  was  born  at 
Conneaut,  Ashtabula  County,  Oliio,  Feb.  17,  1823; 
after  spending  two  years  as  clerk  in  a  store  in  liis 
native  town,  came  to  Chicago  in  1838 ;  spent  the 
next  two  years  at  Rockton,  when  he  accepted  a 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


309 


clerkship  in  a  leading  mercantile  establishment 
at  Galena,  finally  being  advanced  to  a  partner- 
ship, which  was  dissolved  in  1856.  In  1860  he 
was  elected,  as  a  Republican,  Representative  in 
the  Twenty-second  General  Assembly,  and,  in 
March  following,  was  appointed  by  President 
Lincoln  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Northern 
District  of  Illinois.  In  1809,  by  appointment  of 
President  Grant,  he  became  Minister  to  Belgium, 
lemaining  in  office  until  1875,  when  he  resigned 
and  returned  to  Chicago.  Subsequently  he 
declined  the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
but  was  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Chi- 
cago, from  which  he  retired  in  1888.  Mr.  Jones 
served  as  member  of  the  National  Republican 
Committee  for  Illinois  in  18C8.  In  1803  he  organ- 
ized the  West  Division  Street  Railway,  laying 
the  foundation  of  an  ample  fortune. 

JONES,  William,  pioneer  merchant,  was  born 
at  Charlemont,  Mass.,  Oct.  23,  1789,  but  spent  his 
boyhood  and  early  manhood  in  New  York  State, 
ultimately  locating  at  Buffalo,  where  he  engaged 
in  business  as  a  grocer,  and  also  held  various 
public  positions.  In  1831  he  made  a  tour  of 
observation  westward  by  way  of  Detroit,  finally 
reaching  Fort  Dearborn,  which  he  again  visited 
in  1833  and  in  '33,  making  small  investments  each 
time  in  real  estate,  which  afterwards  appreciated 
immensely  in  value.  In  1834,  in  partnership 
with  Byram  King  of  Buffalo,  Mr.  Jones  engaged 
in  the  stove  and  hardware  business,  founding  in 
Chicago  the  firm  of  Jones  &  King,  and  the  next 
year  brought  his  family.  While  he  never  held 
any  important  public  office,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  those  early  residents  of  Chicago 
through  whose  enterprise  and  public  spirit  the 
city  was  made  to  prosper.  He  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  served  in  the  City  Council, 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  city  fire  depart- 
ment, served  for  twelve  years  (1840-52)  on  the 
Board  of  School  Inspectors  (for  a  considerable 
time  as  its  President),  and  contributed  liberally 
to  the  cause  of  education,  including  gifts  of 
$50,000  to  the  old  Chicago  University,  of  which 
he  was  a  Trustee  and,  for  some  time.  President  of 
its  Executive  Committee.  Died,  Jan.  18,  1868.— 
Fernando  (Jones),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Forestville,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  May 
26,  1830,  having,  for  some  time  in  his  boyhood, 
Millard  Fillmore  (afterwards  President)  as  his 
teacher  at  Buffalo,  and,  still  later,  Reuben  E.  Fen- 
ton  (afterwards  Governor  and  a  United  States 
Senator)  as  classmate.  After  coming  to  Cliicago, 
in  1835,  he  was  employed  for  some  time  as  a  clerk 
la.  Government  offices  and  by  the  Trustees  of  the 


Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal;  spent  a  season  at 
Canandaigua  Academy,  N.  Y. ;  edited  a  periodical 
at  Jackson,  Mich.,  for  a  year  or  two,  but  finally 
coming  to  Chicago,  opened  an  abstract  and  title 
office,  in  which  he  was  engaged  at  the  time  of  the 
fire  of  1871,  and  whicli,  by  consolidation  with  two 
other  firms,  became  the  foundation  of  the  Title 
Guarantee  and  Trust  Company,  which  still  plays 
an  important  part  in  the  real-estate  business  of 
Chicago.  Mr.  Jones  has  held  various  public  posi- 
tions, including  that  of  Trustee  of  the  Hospital 
for  the  Insane  at  Jacksonville,  and  has  for  years 
been  a  Trustee  of  the  University  of  Chicago.-Kiler 
Kent  (Jones),  another  son,  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  "The  Gem  of  the  Prairies'"  newspaper,  out 
of  which  grew  "The  Chicago  Tribune";  was  for 
many  years  a  citizen  of  Quincy,  111.,  and  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Republican  State  Central 
Committee,  and,  for  a  time,  one  of  the  publishers 
of  "The  Prairie  Farmer."  Died,  in  Quincy, 
August  30,  1886. 

JO  NESBORO,  the  county -seat  of  Union  County, 
situated  about  a  mile  west  of  the  line  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  It  is  some  30  miles  north 
of  Cairo,  with  wliicli  it  is  connected  by  the  Mobile 
&  Ohio  R.  R.  It  stands  in  the  center  of  a  fertile 
territory,  largely  devoted  to  fruit-growing,  and  is 
an  important  shipping-point  for  fruit  and  early 
vegetables;  has  a  silica  mill,  pickle  factory  a.nd  a 
bank.  There  are  also  four  churches,  and  one 
weekly  newspaper,  as  well  as  a  graded  school. 
Population  (1900),  1,130. 

JOSLTN,  Merritt  L.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1837,  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1839,  his  father  settling  in  McHenry 
County,  where  the  son,  on  arriving  at  manhood, 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  The  latter 
became  prominent  in  political  circles  and,  in 
1856,  was  a  Buchanan  Presidential  Elector.  On 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  allied  himself 
with  the  Republican  party ;  served  as  a  Captain 
in  the  Thirty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and,  in  1804,  was  elected  to  the  Twenty-fourth 
General  Assembly  from  McHenry  County,  later 
serving  as  Senator  during  the  sessions  of  the 
Thirtieth  and  Thirty-first  Assemblies  (1870-80). 
After  the  death  of  President  Garfield,  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Arthur  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  serving  to  the  close  of  the 
administration.  Returning  to  his  home  at  Wood- 
stock, 111.,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and,  since  1889,  has  discharged  the  duties  of 
Master  in  Chancery  for  JIcHenrj'  County 

JOUETT,  Charles,  Chicago's  first  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  1773,  studied  law  at  Cli.T.rlottes- 


310 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


viUe  in  that  State;  in  1802  was  appointed  by 
President  Jefferson  Indian  Agent  at  Detroit  and, 
in  1805,  acted  as  Commissioner  in  conducting  a 
treaty  witli  the  Wyandottes,  Ottawas  and  otlier 
Indians  of  Northwestern  Ohio  and  Michigan  at 
Maumee  City,  Ohio.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year 
he  was  appointed  Indian  Agent  at  Fort  Deartorn, 
serving  tlicre  until  tlie  year  before  the  Fort  Dear- 
born Massacre.  Removing  to  Mercer  Count}-, 
Ky.,  in  1811,  he  was  elected  to  a  Judgeship  there, 
but,  in  1815,  was  reappointed  by  President  Madi- 
son Indian  Agent  at  Fort  Dearborn,  remaining 
until  1818,  when  he  again  returned  to  Kentucky. 
In  1819  he  was  appointed  to  a  United  States 
Judgeship  in  tlie  newly  organized  Territory  of 
Arkansas,  but  remained  only  a  few  months,  when 
he  resumed  his  residence  in  Kentucky,  dying 
there.  May  28.  1834. 
JOrUX.VLIS.'W.  (See  AVifspopers,  Early.) 
JUDD,  Xurmaii  Burl,  lawyer,  legislator.  For- 
eign Minister,  was  born  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  10, 
1815,  where  he  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  In  1836  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  com- 
menced practice  in  the  (then)  frontier  settle- 
ment. He  early  rose  to  a  jxisition  of  prominence 
and  influence  in  public  affairs,  holding  various 
municipal  ofTicas  and  being  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate  from  1844  to  1860  continuously.  In 
1860  he  was  a  Delegate-at-large  to  the  Republican 
National  Convention,  and,  in  1861,  President  Lin- 
coln appointed  him  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to 
Prussia,  where  he  represented  this  country  for 
four  years.  He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Lincoln,  and  accompanied  him  on  his  memorable 
journey  from  Springfield  to  Washington  in  1861. 
In  1870  he  was  elected  to  the  Forty-tirst  Congress. 
Died,  at  Chicago.  Nov.  10,  1878. 

JUDD,  S.  Corninsr,  lawyer  and  politician,  born 
in  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  21,  1827;  was 
educated  at  Aurora  .Vcademy,  taught  for  a  time  in 
Canada  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York 
in  1848;  edited  "The  Syracuse  Daily  Star"  in  1849, 
and,  in  1850,  accepted  a  position  in  the  Interior 
Department  in  Washington.  Later,  he  resumed 
his  place  u|X)n  "The  Star,"  but,  in  1854.  removed 
to  Lewistown,  Fulton  County,  111.,  and  began 
practice  with  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  W  C. 
Goudy.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Chicago,  entering 
into  partnership  with  William  Fitzhugh  White- 
house,  son  of  Bishop  Whitehouse,  and  became 
prominent  in  connection  with  some  ecclesiastical 
trials  which  followed.  In  1860  he  was  a  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Presidential  Elector  and, 
during  the  war,  was  a  determined  opponent  of 
the  war  policy  of  the  Governmient,  as  such  mak- 


ing an  unsuccessful  campaign  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor  in  1864.  In  1885  he  was  appointed 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  serving  until 
1889.     Died,  in  Chicago,  Sept.  22,  1895. 

JUDICIAL  SYSTEM,  THE.  The  Constitution 
of  1818  vested  the  judicial  power  of  the  State  in 
one  Supreme  Court,  and  sucli  inferior  courts  as 
the  Legislature  might  establish.  The  former 
consisted  of  one  Chief  Justice  and  three  Associ- 
ates, appointed  bj-  joint  ballot  of  the  Legislature ; 
but,  until  1825,  when  a  new  act  went  into  effect, 
they  were  required  to  perform  circuit  duties  in 
the  several  counties,  while  exercising  ai>pellate 
jurisdiction  in  their  united  capacity  In  1824  the 
Legi.slature  divided  the  State  into  five  circuits, 
appointing  one  Circuit  Judge  for  each,  but,  two 
years  later,  these  were  legislated  out  of  ortice,  and 
circuit  court  duty  again  devolved  upon  the 
Supreme  Judges,  the  State  being  divided  into 
four  circuits.  In  1829  a  new  act  authorized  the 
appointment  of  one  Circuit  Judge,  who  was 
assigned  to  duty  in  the  territory  northwest  of  the 
Illinois  River,  the  Supreme  Justices  continuing 
to  perform  circuit  duty  in  the  four  other  circuits. 
Tliis  arrangement  continued  until  1835,  when  the 
State  was  divided  into  six  judicial  circuits,  and, 
five  additional  Circuit  Judges  having  been 
elected,  the  Supreme  Judges  were  again  relieved 
from  circuit  court  service.  After  this  no  mate- 
rial changes  occurred  except  in  the  increase  of  the 
number  of  circuits  until  1841,  the  whole  number 
then  being  nine.  At  this  time  political  reasons 
led  to  an  entire  reorganization  of  the  courts.  An 
act  passed  Feb.  10,  1841,  repealed  all  laws  author- 
izing the  election  of  Circuit  Judges,  and  provided 
for  the  appointment  of  five  additional  Associate 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  making  nine  in 
all;  and,  for  a  third  time,  circuit  duties  devolved 
upon  the  Supreme  Court  Judges,  the  State  being 
divided  at  the  same  time  into  nine  circuits. 

By  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848  the 
judiciary  sj'stem  underwent  an  entire  cliange,  all 
judicial  officers  being  made  elective  by  the 
people.  The  Constitution  provided  for  a  Supreme 
Court,  consisting  of  three  Judges,  Circuit  Courts, 
County  Courts,  and  courts  to  be  held  by  Justices 
of  the  Peace.  In  addition  to  these,  the  Legisla- 
tiu-e  had  the  power  to  create  inferior  civil  and 
criminal  courts  in  cities,  but  only  ujwn  a  uniform 
plan.  For  the  election  of  Supreme  Judges,  the 
State  was  divided  into  three  Grand  Judicial  Divi- 
sions. The  Legislature  might,  however,  if  it  saw 
fit,  provide  for  the  election  of  all  three  Judges  on 
a  general  ticket,  to  be  voted  throughout  the 
State-at-large ;  but  this  power  was    never   eier- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


311 


cised.  Appeals  lay  from  the  Circuit  Courts  to  tlie 
Supreme  Court  for  the  particular  division  in 
which  the  county  might  be  located,  although,  by 
unanimous  consent  of  all  parties  in  interest,  an 
appeal  might  be  transferred  to  another  district. 
Nine  Circuit  Courts  were  established,  but  the 
number  might  be  increased  at  the  discretion  of 
the  General  Assembly.  Availing  itself  of  its 
constitutional  power  and  providing  for  the  needs 
of  a  rapidly  growing  community,  the  Legislature 
gradually  increased  the  number  of  circuits  to 
thirty.  The  term  of  office  for  Supreme  Court 
Judges  was  nine,  and,  for  Circuit  Judges,  six 
years.  Vacancies  were  to  be  filled  by  popular 
election,  unless  the  unexpired  term  of  the 
deceased  or  retiring  incumbent  was  less  than  one 
year,  in  which  case  the  Governor  was  authorized 
to  appoint.  Circuit  Courts  were  vested  with 
appellate  jurisdiction  from  inferior  tribunals,  and 
each  was  required  to  hold  at  least  two  terms 
annually  in  each  county,  as  might  be  fixed  by 
statute. 

The  Constitution  of  1870,  without  changing  the 
mode  of  election  or  term  of  office,  made  several 
changes  adapted  to  altered  conditions.  As 
regards  the  Supreme  Court,  the  three  Grand 
Divisions  were  retained,  but  the  number  of 
Judges  was  increased  to  seven,  chosen  from  a  like 
number  of  districts,  but  sitting  together  to  con- 
stitute a  full  court,  of  which  four  members  con- 
stitute a  quorum.  A  Chief  Justice  is  chosen  by 
the  Court,  and  is  usually  one  of  the  Judges 
nearing  the  expiration  of  his  term.  The  minor 
officers  include  a  Reporter  of  Decisions,  and  one 
Clerk  in  each  Division.  By  an  act  passed  in  1897, 
the  three  Supreme  Court  Divisions  were  consoli- 
dated in  one,  the  Court  being  required  to  hold  its 
sittings  in  Springfield,  and  hereafter  only  one 
Clerk  will  be  elected  instead  of  three  as  hereto- 
fore. The  salaries  of  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  are  fixed  by  law  at  55,000  each. 

The  State  was  divided  in  1873  into  twenty -seven 
circuits  (Cook  County  being  a  circuit  by  itself), 
and  one  or  more  terms  of  the  circuit  court  are 
required  to  be  held  each  year  in  each  county  in 
the  State.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  Circuit  Courts 
is  both  original  and  appellate,  and  includes  mat- 
ters civil  and  criminal,  in  law  and  in  equity. 
The  Judges  are  elected  by  districts,  and  hold  office 
for  six  years  In  1877  the  State  was  divided  into 
thirteen  judicial  circuits  (exclusive  of  Cook 
County),  but  without  reducing  the  number  of 
Judges  (twenty- sixl  already  in  office,  and  the 
election  of  one  additional  Judge  (to  serve  two 
years)  was  ordered  in  each  district,  thus  increas- 


ing the  number  of  Judges  to  thirty-nine.  Again 
in  1897  tlie  Legislature  passed  an  act  increasing 
the  number  of  judicial  circuits,  exclusive  of  Cook 
County,  to  seventeen,  while  the  number  of 
Judges  in  each  circuit  remained  the  same,  so 
that  the  whole  number  of  Judges  elected  that 
year  outside  of  Cook  County  was  fifty-one.  The 
salaries  of  Circuit  Judges  are  .S3, 500  per  year, 
except  in  Cook  County,  where  they  are  §7,000. 
The  Constitution  also  provided  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  Appellate  Courts  after  the  year  1874,  hav- 
ing uniform  jurisdiction  in  districts  created  for 
that  purpose.  These  courts  are  a  connecting 
link  between  the  Circuit  and  the  Supreme  Courts, 
and  greatly  relieve  the  crowded  calendar  of  the 
latter.  In  1877  the  Legislature  established  four 
of  these  tribunals:  one  for  the  County  of  Cook; 
one  to  include  all  the  Northern  Grand  Division 
except  Cook  County;  the  third  to  embrace  the 
Central  Grand  Division,  and  the  fourth  the  South- 
ern. Each  Appellate  Court  is  held  by  three  Cir- 
cuit Court  Judges,  named  by  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  each  assignment  covering  three 
years,  and  no  Judge  either  allowed  to  receive 
extra  compensation  or  sit  in  review  of  his  own 
rulings  or  decisions.  Two  terms  are  held  in  each 
District  every  year,  and  these  courts  have  no 
original  jurisdiction. 

Cook  County. — The  judicial  system  of  Cook 
County  is  different  from  that  of  the  rest  of  the 
State.  The  Constitution  of  1870  made  the  county 
an  independent  district,  and  exempted  it  from 
being  subject  to  any  subsequent  redistricting. 
The  bench  of  the  Circuit  Court  in  Cook  County, 
at  first  fixed  at  five  Judges,  has  been  increased 
under  the  Constitution  to  fourteen,  who  receive 
additional  compensation  from  the  county  treas- 
ury. The  Legislature  has  the  con.stitutional 
right  to  increase  the  number  of  Judges  according 
to  population.  In  1849  the  Legislature  estab- 
lished the  Cook  County  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
Later,  this  became  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook 
County,  which  now  (1898)  consists  of  thirteen 
Judges.  For  this  court  there  exists  the  same 
constitutional  provision  relative  to  an  increase  of 
Judges  as  in  the  case  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook 
Count}-. 

JUDY,  Jacob,  pioneer,  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, who,  having  come  to  the  United  States  at 
an  early  day,  remained  some  years  m  Maryland, 
when,  in  1786,  he  started  west,  spending  two 
years  near  Louisville,  Ky.,  finally  arriving  at 
Kaskaskia,  111.,  in  1788.  In  1792  he  removed  to 
New  Design,  in  Monroe  County,  and,  in  1800, 
located  within    the    present    limits  of    Madison 


312 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


County,  where  he  died  in  1807. — Samuel  (Judy), 
son  of  tlie  preceding,  born  August  19,  1773,  wius 
brought  by  his  father  to  Illinois  in  1788,  and  after- 
wards became  prominent  in  political  alTairs  and 
famous  as  an  Indian  fighter.  On  the  organization 
of  Madison  County  he  became  one  of  the  first 
Count}'  Commissioners,  serving  many  years.  Uo 
also  commanded  a  body  of  "Rangers"  in  the 
Indian  campaigns  during  the  War  of  1812,  gain 
ing  the  title  of  Colonel,  and  served  as  a  member 
from  Madison  County  in  the  Second  Territorial 
Council  (1814  l.")).  Previous  to  1811  he  built  the 
first  brick  house  within  the-  limits  of  Madison 
County,  whicli  still  stood,  not  many  years  since, 
a  few  miles  from  Edwardsville.  Colonel  Judy 
died  in  1838. — Jacob  (Judy),  eldest  son  of  Samuel, 
was  Register  of  the  Land  Oflice  at  Edwardsville, 
1845-49. — Thomas  (Judy),  younger  son  of  Samuel, 
was  born,  Dec.  19,  1804,  and  represented  Madison 
County  in  the  Eighteenth  General  Assembly 
(1852-54).     nis  death   occurred  Oct.  4,  1880. 

JUDY,  James  William,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  Ky.,  May  8,  1822— his  ancestors 
on  his  father's  side  being  from  Switzerland,  and 
those  on  his  mother's  from  Scotland ;  grew  up  on 
a  farm  and,  in  1852,  removed  to  Menard  County, 
111.,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  August,  1802, 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  solilier,  was  elected  Cap- 
tain of  his  company,  and,  on  its  incorporation  as 
part  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Volunteers  at  Camp  Butler,  was 
chosen  Colonel  by  acclamation.  The  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fourteenth,  as  part  of  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Cori)s  under  command  of  that  brilliant 
soldier.  Gen.  Wm.  T.  Sherman,  was  attached  to 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  took  part  in  the 
entire  siege  of  Vicksburg,  from  May,  1803,  to  the 
surrender  on  the  3cl  of  July  following.  It  also 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Jackson,  Miss.,  and 
numerous  other  engagements.  After  one  year's 
service,  Colonel  Judy  was  compelled  to  resign  by 
domestic  affliction,  having  lost  two  children  by 
death  within  eight  days  of  each  other,  while 
others  of  his  family  were  dangerously  ill.  On 
his  retirement  from  the  army,  he  became  deeply 
interested  in  thorough  bred  cattle,  and  is  now  the 
most  noted  stock  auctioneer  in  the  United  States 
— having,  in  the  past  thirty  years,  sold  more 
thorough -bred  cattle  than  any  other  man  living 
— his  operations  extending  from  Canada  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  from  Minnesota  to  Texas.  Colonel 
Judy  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  in  1874,  and  so  remained  continu- 
ously until  1890 — except  two  years — also  serving 
a£  President  of  the  Board  from  1894  to  1890.     He 


bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  securing  the  location 
of  the  State  Fair  at  Springfield  in  1804,  and  tlie 
improvements  there  made  under  his  administra- 
tion have  not  l>een  paralleled  in  any  other  State. 
Originally,  and  up  to  1850,  an  old-line  Whig, 
("■olonel  Judy  has  since  been  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican; and  though  active  in  politiciil  cjimpaigns. 
has  never  held  a  political  office  nor  desired  one, 
being  content  with  tlie  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a 
patriotic  private  citizen. 

KAXAX,  Michael  F.,  soldier  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  in  November,  1837, 
at  twenty  years  of  age  removed  to  Macon  County, 
III. ,  and  eng-aged  in  farming.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-first  Illinois  Volun- 
teers (Col.  I.  C.  Pugh's  regiment),  serving  nearly 
four  years  and  retiring  with  the  rank  of  Captain. 
After  the  war  he  served  six  years  as  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  Decatur.  In  1894  he  was  elected  State 
Senator,  serving  in  the  Thirty-ninth  and  Fortieth 
General  Assemblies.  Captain  Kanan  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  a  member  of  the  fir.st  Post  of  the  order  ever 
established — that  at  Decatur. 

KANE,  a  village  of  Greene  County,  on  the 
Jacksonville  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
R;iihvay,  40  miles  south  of  Jack-sonville.  It  has 
a  bank  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1880), 
408;  (1890),  551;  (1900).  588. 

KAXE,  Elias  Kent,  early  United  States  Sena- 
tor, issaid  by  Lanman's  "Dictionary  of  Congress" 
to  have  lieen  born  in  New  York,  June  7,  1796. 
The  late  Gen.  Geo.  W.  Smith,  of  Chicago,  a  rela- 
tive of  Senator  Kane's  by  marriage,  in  a  paper 
read  tofore  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Associatior 
(1895),  rejecting  other  statements  assigning  the 
date  of  the  Illinois  Senator's  birth  to  various 
years  from  1786  to  1796,  expresses  the  opinion, 
based  on  family  letters,  that  he  was  really  bom 
in  1794.  He  was  educated  at  Yale  College,  gradu- 
ating in  1812,  read  law  in  New  York,  and  emi- 
grated to  Tennessee  in  1813  or  early  in  1814,  but, 
before  the  close  of  the  Litter  year,  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  at  Kaskaskia.  His  abilities  were 
recognized  by  his  appointment,  early  in  1818,  as 
Judge  of  the  eastern  circuit  under  the  Territorial 
Government.  Before  the  close  of  the  same  year 
he  ser\-ed  as  a  member  of  the  first  State  Consti- 
tutional Convention,  and  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Bond  the  first  Secretary  of  State  under  the 
new  State  Government,  but  resigned  on  the 
accession  of  Governor  Coles  in  1822.  Two  years 
later  he  was  elected  to  the  General  ^Vssembly  as 
Representative     from     Randolph     County,     but 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


313 


resigned  before  the  close  of  the  year  to  accept  a 
seat  in  the  United  States  Senate,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  1824,  and  re-elected  in  1830.  Before 
the  expiration  of  his  second  term  (Dec.  13,  1835), 
having  reached  the  age  of  a  little  more  than  40 
years,  he  died  in  Washington,  deeply  mourned 
by  his  fellow-members  of  Congress  and  by  his 
constituents.  Senator  Kane  was  a  cousin  of  the 
distinguished  Chancellor  Kent  of  New  York, 
through  his  mother's  family,  while,  on  his 
father's  side,  he  was  a  relative  of  the  celebrated 
Arctic  explorer,  Elisha  Kent  Kane. 

KANE  COUJi'TY,  one'  of  the  wealthiest  and 
most  progressive  counties  in  the  State,  situated  in 
the  northeastern  quarter.  It  has  an  area  of  540 
.square  miles,  and  population  (1900)  of  TS,792; 
was  named  for  Senator  Elias  Kent  Kane.  Tim- 
ber and  water  are  abundant,  Fox  River  flowing 
through  the  county  from  north  to  south.  Immi- 
gration began  in  1833,  and  received  a  new  impetus 
in  1835,  when  the  Pottawatomies  were  removed 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  A  school  was  established 
in  1834,  and  a  church  organized  in  1835.  County 
organization  was  effected  in  June,  1836,  and  the 
public  lands  came  on  the  market  in  1843.  The 
Civil  War  record  of  the  county  is  more  than 
creditable,  the  number  of  volunteers  exceeding 
the  assessed  quota.  Farming,  grazing,  manufac- 
turing and  dairy  industries  chieflj-  engage  the 
attention  of  the  people.  The  county  has  many 
flourishing  cities  and  towns.  Geneva  is  the  county- 
seat.  {See  Aurora,  Dundee,  Eldora,  Elgin,  Geneva 
and  St.  Cliarles. ) 

KANGLET,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway,  three 
miles  northwest  of  Streator.  There  are  several 
coal  shafts  here.     Population  (1900),  1,004. 

KAXKAKEE,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Kanka- 
kee Count}',  on  Kankakee  River  and  111.  Cent. 
Railroad,  at  intersection  of  the  "Big  Four  "  witli 
the  Indiana,  111.  &  Iowa  Railroad,  56  miles  south  of 
Chicago.  It  is  an  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
region,  near  extensive  coal  fields  and  bog  iron 
ore;  has  water-power,  flour  and  paper  mills,  agri- 
cultural implement,  furniture,  and  piano  fac- 
tories, knitting  and  novelty  works,  besides  two 
quarries  of  valuable  building  stone.  The  East- 
ern Hospital  for  the  Insane  is  located  here. 
There  are  four  papers,  four  banks,  five  schools, 
water-works,  gas  and  electric  light,  electric  car 
lines,  and  Government  postoffice  building.  Popu- 
lation (ISDO),  0,025:  (1000),  13,595. 

KAXKAKEE  COUNTY,  a  wealthy  and  popu- 
lous county  in  the  nortlieast  section  of  the  State, 
having  an  area  of  680  square  miles — receiving  its 


name  from  its  principal  river.  It  was  set  apart 
from  Will  and  Iroquois  Counties  under  the  act 
passed  in  1851,  the  owners  of  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Kankakee  contributing  §5,000 
toward  the  erection  of  county  buildings.  Agri- 
culture, manufacturing  and  coal-mining  are  the 
principal  pursuits.  The  first  white  settler  was 
one  Noah  Vasseur,  a  Frenchman,  and  the  first 
American,  Thomas  Durham.  Population  (1880), 
35,04T;   (1890),  28,732;  (I'JOO),  37,154. 

KANKAKEE  RIVER,  a  sluggish  .stream,  rising 
in  St.  Joseph  County,  Ind.,  and  flowing  west- 
southwest  through  English  Lake  and  a  flat  marshy 
region,  into  Illinois.  In  Kankakee  County  it 
unites  with  the  Iroquois  from  the  south  and  the 
Des  Plaines  from  the  north,  after  the  junction 
with  the  latter,  taking  the  name  of  the  Illinois. 

KANKAKEE  &  SENECA  RAILROAD,  a  line 
lying  wholly  in  Illinois,  42.08  miles  in  length.  It 
has  a  capital  stock  of  S10,000,  bonded  debt  of 
$650,000  and  other  forms  of  indebtedness  (1895) 
reaching  §557,629;  total  capitalization,  §1,217,629. 
This  road  was  chartered  in  1881,  and  opened  in 
1882.  It  connects  with  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  and  is  owned  jointly  by 
these  two  lines,  but  operated  by  the  former  (See 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road.) 

KANSAS,  a  village  in  Edgar  County,  on  the 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  and 
the  Chicago  &  Ohio  River  Railways,  156  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis,  104  miles  west  of  Indian- 
apolis, 13  miles  east  of  Charleston  and  11  miles 
west-southwest  of  Paris.  The  surrounding  region 
is  agricultural  and  stock-raising.  Kansas  has  tile 
works,  two  grain  elevators,  a  canning  factory, 
and  railway  machine  shops,  beside  four  churches, 
a  collegiate  institute,  a  National  bank  and  a 
weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  723;  (1890), 
1,037;  (1900),  1,049. 

KASKASKIA,  a  village  of  the  Illinois  Indians, 
and  later  a  French  trading  post,  first  occupied  in 
1700.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  British 
after  the  French-Indian  War  in  1765,  and  was 
captured  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  at  the  head 
of  a  force  of  Virginia  troops,  in  1778.  (See  Clark, 
George  Rogers.)  At  that  time  the  white  inhab- 
itants were  almost  entirely  of  French  descent. 
The  first  exercise  of  the  elective  franchise  in  Illi- 
nois occurred  here  in  the  year  last  named,  and,  in 
1804,  the  United  States  Government  opened  a 
land  office  there.  For  many  years  the  most 
important  commercial  town  in  the  Territor}-,  it 
remained  the  Territorial  and  State  capital  down 


3U 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


to  1819,  wlien  the  seat  of  government  was  re- 
moved to  Vandalia.  Originally  situated  on  tlie 
west  side  of  the  Kaskaskia  River,  some  six  miles 
from  the  Mississippi,  early  in  1899  its  site  had 
been  swept  away  by  the  encroachmtnts  of  the 
latter  stream,  so  that  all  that  is  Veft  of  the  princi- 
pal town  of  Illinois,  in  Territorial  days,  is  simply 
its  name. 

KASKASKI.V  INDI.WS,  one  of  the  five  tribes 
constituting  tlie  Illinois  confederation  of  Algon 
quin  Indians.  About  the  year  1700  they  removed 
from  what  is  now  La  Salle  County,  to  Southern 
Illinois,  where  tliej'  established  themselves  along 
the  banks  of  the  river  which  bears  their  name. 
They  were  finally  removed,  with  their  b-ethren 
of  the  Illinois,  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and,  as  a 
distinct  tribe,  have  become  extinct. 

KASKASKIA  RIVEU,  rises  iti  Champaign 
County,  and  Hows  southwest  through  the  coun- 
ties of  Douglas,  Coles,  Moultrie,  Shelby,  Fayette, 
Clinton  and  St.  Clair,  thence  southward  through 
Randolph,  and  empties  into  the  Mississippi  River 
near  Chester.  It  is  nearly  300  miles  long,  and 
flows  through  a  fertile,  undulating  country,  which 
forms  part  of  the  great  coal  field  of  the  State. 

KEITH,  Edson,  Sr.,  merchant  and  manufac- 
turer, born  at  Barre,  Vt.,  Jan.  28,  1833,  was  edu- 
cated at  home  and  in  the  district  schools;  si)ent 
1850-54  in  Montpelier,  coming  to  Chicago  the 
latter  year  and  obtaining  employment  in  a  retail 
dry-goods  store.  In  1860  he  assisted  in  establish- 
ing the  firm  of  Keith,  Faxon  &  Co.,  now  Edson 
Keith  &  Co. ;  is  also  President  of  the  corporation 
of  Keith  Brothers  &  Co.,  a  Director  of  the  Metro- 
politan National  Bank,  and  the  Edison  Electric 
Light  Company. — Elbrid^e  (i.  (Keith),  banker, 
brother  of  the  preceding,  w;is  Ixjrn  at  Barre,  Vt., 
Jul}'  16,  1840;  attended  local  schools  and  Barre 
Academy ;  came  to  Chicago  in  1857,  the  next  j-ear 
taking  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  house  of  Keith, 
Faxon  &  Co.,  in  1865  becoming  a  partner  and,  in 
1884,  being  chosen  President  of  the  Metropolitan 
National  Bank,  where  he  still  remains.  Mr. 
Keith  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  National 
Convention  of  1880,  and  belongs  to  several  local 
literary,  political  and  social  clubs;  was  also  ono 
of  the  Directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition of  1892-93. 

KEITHSBURli,  a  town  in  Mercer  County  on 
the  Mississippi  River,  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Iowa  Cen- 
tral Railways;  100  miles  west-northwest  of 
Peoria.  Principal  industries  are  fisheries,  ship- 
ping, manufacture  of  pearl  buttons  and  oilers ;  baa 
one  paper.     Pop.  (1900).  1,566;  (1903,  est.),  2,000. 


KELLOGG,  Hiram  Huntiii^tun,  clergyman 
and  educator,  was  born  at  Clinton  (then  Whites- 
town),  N.  Y.,  in  February,  1SU3.  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College  and  Auburn  Seminary,  after 
which  he  served  for  some  years  as  pastor  at 
various  places  in  Central  New  York.  Later,  ho 
established  the  Young  Ladies"  Domestic  Seminaiy 
at  Clinton,  claimed  to  be  the  fir.st  ladies"  .semi- 
nary in  the  State,  and  the  first  experiment  in  the 
country  uniting  manual  training  of  girls  with 
scholastic  instruction,  antedating  Slount  Hoi 
yoke,  Oberlin  and  other  institutions  which  adopted 
this  system.  Color  was  no  bar  to  admission  to 
the  institution,  though  the  daughters  of  some  of 
the  wealthiest  families  of  the  State  were  among 
its  pupils.  Mr.  Kellogg  was  a  co  laborer  with 
Gerritt  Smith.  Beriah  Green,  the  Tappans,  Garri- 
son and  others,  in  the  effort  to  arouse  public  senti- 
ment in  opposition  to  slavery.  In  1836  he  united 
with  Prof,  George  W.  Gale  and  others  in  the 
movement  for  the  establishment  of  a  colony  and 
the  building  up  of  a  Christian  and  anti-slavery 
institution  in  the  West,  which  resulted  in  the 
location  of  the  town  of  Galesburg  and  the  found, 
ing  there  of  Knox  College.  Mr.  Kellogg  was 
chosen  the  first  President  of  the  institution  and, 
in  1841,  left  his  thriving  school  at  Clinton  to 
identify  himself  with  the  new  enterprise,  which, 
in  its  infancy,  was  a  manual  labor  school.  In  the 
West  he  soon  became  the  ally  and  co-laborer  of 
such  men  as  Owen  Lovejoy,  Ichabod  Codding, 
Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer  and  others,  in  the  work  of  extirpat- 
ing slavery.  In  1843  he  visited  England  as  a 
member  of  the  World's  Peace  Convention,  re- 
maining abroad  about  a  year,  during  which  time 
he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Jacob  Bright  and 
others  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  tliat  daj'  in 
England  and  Scotland.  Resigning  the  Presidency 
of  Knox  College  in  1847,  he  returned  to  Clinton 
Seminary,  and  was  later  engaged  in  various  busi- 
ness enterprises  until  1861,  when  he  again  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  and  was  engaged  in  preaching 
and  teaching  at  various  points  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  dying  suddenly,  at  his 
home  school  at  Mount  Forest,  111.,  Jan.  1,  1881. 

KELLOGG,  William  Pitt,  was  born  at  Orwell, 
Vt.,  Dec.  8,  1831,  removed  to  Illinois  in  1848, 
studied  law  at  Peoria,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1854,  and  began  practice  in  Fulton  County.  He 
was  a  candidate  for  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1856  and  1860,  being  elected 
the  latter  year.  Appointed  Chief  Justice  of 
Nebraska  in  1861,  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
colonelcy  of  the  Seventh  Illinois  Cavalry  Fail- 
ing health  caused  liis  retirement  from  the  army 


1. — Old  Kaskaskia  from  Garrison  Hill  (1893).  '2. — Kaskaskia  Hotel,  where  LaFayette  was  fetod  in  182o. 
3. — First  Illinois  State  House,  ISIS.  4. — Interior  of  Room  (  1803).  where  LaFayette  Banquet  was  lield. 
5. — Pierre  Menard  Mansion.     0. — House  of  Chief  l)ucoii:n.  last  of  the  Ca.scasquias  (Kaskaskias). 


1.— Remnant  of  Okl  Kaskaskia  (1S9S).  2.— View  on  rnncipal  Street  (KS91;.  3.— Gen.  John  EJgar's  House 
(1891).  4. — House  of  Gov.  Bond  (1891).  5. — "Clienu  Mansion,"  where  LaFavette  was  entertained,  as  it 
appeared  in  1S9S.     (i.— Old  State  House  (1900). 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


315 


after  the  battle  of  Corinth.  In  1865  he  was 
appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  at  New  Orleans. 
Thereafter  he  became  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
both  Louisiana  and  National  politics,  serving  as 
United  States  Senator  from  Louisiana  from  18G8 
to  18T1,  and  as  Govei-nor  from  1873  to  18T0,  during 
the  stormiest  period  of  reconstruction,  and  mak- 
ing hosts  of  bitter  personal  and  political  enemies 
as  well  as  warm  friends.  An  unsuccessful  attempt 
was  made  to  impeach  him  in  18TC.  In  1877  he  was 
elected  a  second  time  to  the  United  States  Senate 
by  one  of  two  rival  Legislatures,  being  awarded 
his  seat  after  a  bitter  contest.  At  the  close  of  his 
term  (1883)  he  took  his  seat  in  the  lower  house  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  1882,  serving  until  1885. 
While  retaining  his  residence  in  Louisiana,  Mr. 
Kellogg  has  spent  much  of  his  time  of  late  years 
in  "Washington  City. 

KENDALL  COUMY,  a  northeastern  county, 
with  an  area  of  330  square  miles  and  a  population 
(1900)  of  11,467.  The  surface  is  rolling  and  the 
soil  fertile,  although  generally  a  light,  sandy 
loam.  The  county  was  organized  in  1841,  out  of 
parts  of  Kane  and  La  Salle,  and  was  named  in 
honor  of  President  Jackson's  Postmaster  General. 
The  Fox  River  (running  southwestwardly 
through  the  coimfy),  with  its  tributaries,  affords 
ample  drainage  and  considerable  water  power; 
the  railroad  facilities  are  admirable;  timber  is 
abundant.  Yorkville  and  Oswego  have  been 
rivals  for  the  county  seat,  the  distinction  finally 
resting  with  the  former.  Among  the  pioneers 
may  be  mentioned  Messrs.  John  Wilson,  Ed- 
ward Anient,  David  Carpenter,  Samuel  Smith, 
the  Wormley  and  Pierce  brothers,  and  E. 
Morgan. 

KEXDRICK,  Adiii  A.,  educator,  was  born  at 
Ticonderoga,  X.  Y.,  Jan.  7,  1836;  educated  at 
Granville  Academy,  N.  Y.,  and  Middlebury  Col- 
lege; removed  to  Janesville,  Wis.,  in  1857,  studied 
law  and  began  practice  at  Monroe,  in  that  State, 
a  year  later  removing  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  con- 
tinued practice  for  a  short  time.  Then,  having 
abandoned  the  law,  after  a  course  in  the  Theolog- 
ical Seminarj'  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1861  he 
became  pastor  of  the  North  Baptist  Church  in 
Chicago,  but,  in  1865,  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  remained  in  pastoral  work  until  1872, 
when  he  assumed  the  Presidency  of  Shurtleff 
College  at  L'pper  Alton,  111. 

KENNEY,  a  village  and  railway  station  in 
Dewitt  County,  at  the  intersection  of  the  Spring- 
field Division  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the 
Peoria.  Decatur  &  Evansville  Railroads,  36  miles 
northeast  of  Springfield.  The  town  has  two  banks 


and  two  newspapers ;  the  district  is  agricultural. 
Population  (1880),  418;  (1890).  497;  (1900),  584. 

KEXT,  (Rev.)  Aratus,  pioneer  and  Congrega- 
tional missionary,  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn,  in 
1794,  educated  at  Yale  and  Princeton  and,  in  1829, 
as  a  Congregational  missionary,  came  to  the 
Galena  lead  mines — then  esteemed  "a  place  so 
hard  no  one  else  would  take  it."  In  less  than  two 
years  he  had  a  Sunday-school  with  ten  teachers 
and  sixty  to  ninety  scholars,  and  had  also  estab- 
lished a  day-school,  which  he  conducted  himself. 
In  1831  he  organized  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Galena,  of  which  he  remained  pastor 
until  1848,  when  he  became  Agent  of  the  Home 
Missionarj'  Society.  He  was  prominent  in  laying 
the  foundations  of  Beluit  College  and  Rockford 
Female  Seminary,  meanwhile  contributing  freely 
from  his  meager  salary  to  charitable  purposes. 
Died  at  Galena,  Nov.  8,  1869. 

KEOKUK,  (interpretation,  "The  Watchful 
Fox'"),  a  Chief  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  born  on 
Rock  River,  about  1780.  He  had  the  credit  of 
shrewdness  and  bravery,  which  enabled  him 
finally  to  displace  his  rival.  Black  Hawk.  He 
always  professed  ardent  friendship  for  the  whites, 
although  this  was  not  infrequently  attributed  to 
a  far-seeing  policy.  He  earnestly  dissuaded 
Black  Hawk  from  the  formation  of  his  confeder- 
acy, and  when  the  latter  was  forced  to  surrender 
himself  to  the  United  States  authorities,  he  was 
formally  delivered  to  the  custody  of  Keokuk.  By 
the  Rock  Island  treaty,  of  September,  1832,  Keo- 
kuk was  formally  recognized  as  the  principal 
Chief  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  granted  a  reser- 
vation on  the  Iowa  River,  40  miles  square.  Here 
he  lived  until  1845.  when  he  removed  to  Kansas, 
where,  in  June,  1848,  he  fell  a  victim  to  poison, 
supposedly  administered  by  some  partisan  of 
Black  Hawk.  (See  Black  Hawk  and  Black  Hawk 
War.) 

KERFOOT,  Samuel  H.,  real-estate  operator, 
was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Dec.  18,  1823,  and 
educated  under  tlie  tutorship  of  Rev.  Dr.  Muh- 
lenburg  at  St.  Paul's  College,  Flushing,  Long 
Island,  graduating  at  the  age  of  19.  He  was 
then  associated  with  a  brother  in  founding  St. 
James  College,  in  Washington  County,  Md.,  but, 
in  1848,  removed  to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business,  in  which  he  was  one  of  the 
oldest  operators  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Dec.  28, 
1896.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  a  life 
member  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  and  of 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  associated 
with  other  learned  and  social  organizations.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  original  Real  Estate 


316 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  Stock  Board  of  Chicago  and  its  first  Presi- 
dent. 

KEWAKEE,  a  city  in  Henry  County,  on  the 
Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  131 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  Agriculture  and 
coal-miuing  are  chief  iiuhistries  of  tlie  surround- 
ing country.  The  city  contains  eighteen  cliurches, 
six  graded  schools,  a  public  library  of  10,000 
volumes,  three  national  banks,  one  weekly  and 
two  daily  papers.  It  has  extensive  manufactories 
employing  four  to  five  thousand  hands,  the  out- 
put including  tubing  and  soil-pipe,  boilers,  pumps 
and  heating  apparatus,  agricultural  implements, 
etc.  Population  (1890),  4,569;  (1900),  8,382 ;  (1903, 
est.).  10,000. 

KETES,  Willanl,  pioneer,  was  born  at  New- 
fane,  Windsor  County,  Vt.,  Oct.  28,  1792;  spent 
his  early  life  on  a  farm,  enjoying  only  such  edu- 
cational advantages  as  could  be  secured  by  a  few 
mouths'  attendance  on  school  in  winter ;  in  1817 
started  west  by  way  of  Mackinaw  and,  crossing 
Wisconsin  (then  an  unbroken  wilderness),  finally 
reached  Prairie  du  Chien,  after  which  he  spent  a 
year  in  the  "pineries."  In  1819  he  descended  the 
Mississippi  with  a  raft,  his  attention  en  route 
being  attracted  by  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Quincy,  to  which,  after  two  years  spent  in  exten- 
sive exploration  of  the  "Military  Tract"  in  the 
interest  of  certain  owners  of  bounty  lands,  he 
again  returned,  finding  it  still  unoccupied. 
Then,  after  two  years  spent  in  farming  in  Pike 
County,  in  1824  he  joined  his  friend,  the  late 
Gov.  John  Wood,  who  had  built  the  first  house  in 
Quincy  two  j-ears  previous.  Mr.  Keyes  tlius 
became  one  of  the  three  earliest  settlers  of 
Quincy,  the  other  two  being  John  Wood  and  a 
Major  Rose.  On  the  organization  of  Adams 
County,  in  January,  182.5,  he  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  first  Board  of  County  Commission- 
ers, which  held  its  first  meeting  in  his  house. 
Mr.  Keyes  acquired  considerable  landed  property 
about  Quincy,  a  portion  of  which  he  donated  to 
the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  therebj-  fur- 
nishing means  for  the  erection  of  "Willard  Hall" 
in  connection  with  that  institution.  His  death 
occurred  in  Quincy,  Feb.  7,  1872. 

KICKAPOOS,  a  tribe  of  Indians  whose  etli- 
nology  is  closely  i  elated  to  that  of  the  Mascou- 
tins.  The  French  orthographj'  of  the  word  was 
various,  the  early  explorei-s  designating  them  as 
"Kic-a-pous, "  "Kick-a-poux,"  "Kick-abou,"  and 
"Quick-a-pous."  The  significance  of  the  name  is 
uncertain,  different  authorities  construing  it  to 
mean  "the  otter's  foot"  and  the  "rabbit's  ghost," 
according  to  dialect.     From  1602,  when  the  tribe 


was  first  visited  by  Samuel  Champlain,  the  Kioka- 
poos  were  noted  as  a  nation  of  warriors.  They 
fought  against  Christianization,  and  were,  for 
some  time,  liostile  to  the  French,  although  they 
proved  efficient  allies  of  the  latter  during  the 
French  and  Indian  War.  Their  first  formal 
recognition  of  the  authority  of  the  United  States 
was  in  the  treaty  of  Edwardsville  (1819),  in  which 
reference  was  made  to  the  treaties  executed  at 
Vincennes  (180.5  and  1809).  Nearly  a  century 
before,  they  had  left  their  seats  in  Wisconsin  and 
established  villages  along  the  Rock  River  and 
near  Chicago  (1712  l.'i).  At  the  time  of  the 
Kdwardsville  treaty  they  had  settlements  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Wabash,  Embarras,  Kaskaskia, 
Sangamon  and  Illinois  Rivers.  While  they 
fought  bravely  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  their 
chief  military  skill  lay  in  predatory  warfare.  As 
compared  with  other  tribes,  they  were  industri- 
ous, intelligent  and  cleanly.  In  1832-33  they 
were  removed  to  a  reservation  in  Kansas.  Thence 
many  of  them  drifted  to  the  southwest,  join- 
ing roving,  plundering  bands.  In  language, 
manners  and  customs,  the  Kickapoos  closely 
resembled  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  with  whom  some 
etlmologists  believe  them  to  have  been  more  or 
less  closely  connected. 

KILPATRICK,  Thomas  M.,  legislator  and 
soldier,  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  June 
1,  1807.  lie  learned  the  potter's  trade,  and,  at 
the  age  of  27,  removed  to  Scott  County,  111.  He 
was  a  deep  thinker,  an  apt  and  reflective  student 
of  public  affairs,  and  naturally  elo<|uent.  He 
was  twice  elected  to  the  State  Senate  (1840  and 
'44),  and,  in  1846,  was  the  Whig  candidate  for 
Governor,  but  was  defeated  by  Augustus  C. 
French,  Democrat.  In  18.'i0  he  emigrated  to 
California,  but,  after  a  few  years,  returned  to 
Illinois  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  campaigns 
of  1858  and  1860.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Illinois  Volunteers,  for  which  regiment  he 
had  recruited  a  company.  He  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6,  1862,  while  leading  a 
charge. 

KIXDERHOOK,  a  village  and  railway  station 
in  Pike  County,  on  the  Hannibal  Division  of  the 
Wabash  Railway,  13  miles  east  of  Hannibal. 
Population  (1890),  473;  (1900),  370. 

KIXG,  Jolin  LylCj  lawyer,  was  born  in  Madison, 
Ind.,  in  1S2.5 — the  son  of  a  pioneer  settler  who 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hanover  College 
and  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
there,  which  aftcrwanls  became  the  "Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,'' 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


■jl  i 


now  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of 
Chicago.  After  graduating  at  Hanover,  Jlr.  King 
began  the  study  of  law  with  an  uncle  at  Madison, 
and  the  following  year  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar. 
In  1853  he  was  elected  to  the  Indiana  Legislature 
and,  while  a  member  of  that  body,  acted  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  to  present  Louis  Kossuth, 
the  Hungarian  patriot  and  exile,  to  the  Legisla- 
ture ;  also  took  a  prominent  part,  during  the  next 
few  years,  in  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party.  Removing  to  Chicago  in  185C,  he  soon 
became  prominent  in  his  profession  there,  and,  in 
1860,  was  elected  City  Attorney  over  Col.  James  A. 
Mulligan,  who  became  eminent  a  year  or  two  later, 
in  connection  with  the  war  for  the  Union.  Hav- 
ing a  fondness  for  literature,  Mr.  King  wrote  much 
for  the  press  and,  in  1878,  published  a  volume  of 
sporting  experiences  with  a  jiarty  of  professional 
friends  in  the  woods  and  waters  of  Northern  Wis- 
consin and  Michigan,  under  the  title,  "Trouting 
on  the  Brule  River,  or  Summer  Wayfaring  in  the 
Northern  Wilderness."  Died  in  Cliicago,  April  17, 
1893. 

KING,  William  H.,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Clifton 
Park,  Saratoga  County,  N.Y.,  Oct.  31),  1817;  gradu- 
ated from  Union  College  in  184(5,  studied  law  at 
Waterford  and,  having  been  admitted  to  the  bar 
the  following  year,  began  practice  at  the  same 
place.  In  1853  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
held  a  number  of  important  positions,  including 
the  Presidency  of  the  Chicago  Law  Institute,  the 
Chicago  Bar  Association,  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Education,  and  the  Union  College  Alumni 
Association  of  the  Northwest.  In  1870  he  was 
elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Twenty- 
seventh  General  Assembly,  and,  during  the  ses- 
sions following  the  fire  of  1871  prepared  the  act 
for  the  protection  of  titles  to  real  e.state,  made 
necessary  by  the  destruction  of  the  records  in  the 
Recorder's  office.  Mr.  King  received  the  degree 
of  LL.D  from  his  Alma  Mater  in  1879.  Died,  in 
Chicago,  Feb.  C,  1893. 

KINGMAN,  Martin,  was  born  at  Deer  Creek, 
Tazewell  County,  111.,  April  1,  1844;  attended 
school  at  Washington,  111.,  then  taught  two  or 
three  years,  and,  in  June,  1863,  enlisted  in  the 
Eighty-sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  serv- 
ing three  years  without  the  loss  of  a  day — a  part 
of  the  time  on  detached  service  in  charge  of  an 
ambulance  corps  and,  later,  as  Assistant  Quarter- 
master. Returning  from  the  war  with  the  rank 
of  First  Lieutenant,  in  August,  186.5,  lie  went  to 
Peoria,  where  he  engaged  in  business  and  has  re- 
mained ever  since.  He  is  now  connected  with  the 
following   business   concerns:     Kingman  &  Co., 


manufacturers  and  dealers  in  farm  machinery, 
buggies,  wagons,  etc.  ,  The  Kingman  Plow  Com- 
pany, Bank  of  Illinois,  Peoria  Cordage  Company, 
Peoria  General  Electric  Company,  and  National 
Hotel  Companj',  besides  various  outside  enter- 
prises— all  large  concerns  in  each  of  which  he  is  a 
large  stockholder  and  a  Director.  Mr.  Kingman 
was  Canal  Commissioner  for  six  years — tliis  being 
his  only  connection  with  politics.  During  1898  he 
was  also  chosen  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Peoria 
Provisional  Regiment  organized  for  the  Spanish- 
American  War.  His  career  in  connection  with 
the  industrial  development  of  Peoria  has  been 
especially  conspicuous  and  successful. 

KINKADE  (or  Kinkead),  William,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  settled  in  wliat  is  now  Lawrence 
County,  in  1817,  and  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  in  1833,  but  appears  to  have  served  only 
one  session,  as  he  was  succeeded  in  the  Fourth 
General  Assembly  by  James  Bird.  Although  a 
Tennesseean  by  birth,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
aggressive  opponents  of  the  scheme  for  making 
Illinois  a  slave  State,  being  the  only  man  who 
made  a  speech  against  the  pro-slavery  convention 
resolution,  though  this  was  cut  short  by  the 
determination  of  the  pro-conventionists  to  permit 
no  debate.  Mr.  Kinkade  was  appointed  Post- 
master at  Lawrenceville  by  President  John 
Quincy  Adams,  and  held  the  position  for  many 
years.     He  died  in  1846. 

KINMUNDY,  a  city  in  Marion  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  339  miles  south  of 
Chicago  and  34  miles  northeast  of  Centralia. 
Agriculture,  stock-raising,  fruit-growing  and 
coal-mining  are  the  principal  industries  of  the 
surrounding  country.  Kinmundy  has  flouring 
mills  and  brick-making  plants,  with  other 
manufacturing  establishments  of  minor  impor- 
tance. There  are  five  churches,  a  bank  and  a 
weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  1,096; 
(1890),  1,045;  (1900),  1,331. 

KINNEY,  William,  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Illinois  from  1836  to  18:30 ;  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1781  and  came  to  Illinois  early  in  life,  finally 
settling  in  St.  Clair  County.  Of  limited  educa- 
tional advantages,  he  was  taught  to  read  by  his 
wife  after  marriage.  He  became  a  Baptist 
preacher,  was  a  good  stiimp-orator ;  served  two 
sessions  in  the  State  Senate  (the  First  and  Third), 
was  a  candidate  for  Governor  in  1834,  but  was 
defeated  by  Joseph  Duncan;  in  1838  was  elected 
by  the  Legislature  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Public  Works,  becoming  its  President.  Died 
in  1843.— William  C.  (Kinney),  son  of  the  preced- 
ing, was  born  in  Illinois,  served  as  a  member  of 


318 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847  and  as 
Representative  in  the  Nineteenth  General  Assem- 
bly (185")),  and,  in  IHoT,  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Bissell  Adjutant-General  of  the  State, 
dying  in  office  tlie  following  year. 

KINZIE,  John,  Indian-trader  and  earliest  citi- 
zen of  Chicago,  was  born  in  Quebec,  Canada,  in 
1703.  His  father  was  a  Scotchman  named 
McKenzie,  but  the  son  dropped  the  prefix  ''Mc," 
and  the  name  soon  came  to  be  spelled  "Kinzie" 
^an  orthograjihy  recognized  by  tlie  family.  Dur- 
ing his  early  childhood  his  father  died,  and  his 
mother  gave  him  a  stepfatlier  by  the  name  of 
William  Forsytlie.  When  ten  years  old  lie  left 
home  and,  for  three  yeiirs,  devoted  himself  to 
learning  the  jeweler's  trade  at  Quebec.  Fasci- 
nated by  stories  of  adventure  in  the  West,  he 
removed  thither  and  became  an  Indian-trader. 
In  1804  he  established  a  trading  post  at  what  is 
now  the  site  of  Chicago,  being  the  first  solitary 
white  settler.  Later  he  established  other  posts 
on  the  Rock,  Illinois  and  Kankakee  Rivers.  He 
was  twice  married,  and  the  father  of  a  numerous 
family.  His  daughter  Maria  married  Gen. 
David  Hunter,  and  his  daughter-in-law,  Mrs. 
John  H.  Kinzie,  achieved  literary  distinction  as 
the  authoress  of  '"Wau  Bun."  etc.  (N.  Y.  1850.) 
Died  in  Chicago,  Jan.  6,  1828.— John  Harris 
(Kinzie),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Sand- 
wich, Canada,  July  7,  1803,  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  Chicago,  and  taken  to  Detroit  after  the 
massiicre  of  1813,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in 
181G.  Two  years  later  his  father  placed  him  at 
Mackinac  Agency  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, and,  in  1824,  he  was  transferred  to  Prairie 
du  Chien.  The  following  year  lie  was  Sub-Agent 
of  Indian  alTairs  at  Fort  Winnebago,  where  he 
witnessed  several  important  Indian  treaties.  In 
1830  he  went  to  Connecticut,  where  he  was 
married,  and,  in  1833,  took  up  his  permanent  resi- 
dence in  Chicago,  forming  a  partnership  with 
Gen.  David  Hunter,  his  brother-in-law,  in  the 
forwarding  business.  In  1841  he  was  appointed 
Registrar  of  Public  Lands  by  President  Harrison, 
but  was  removed  by  Tyler.  In  1848  he  was 
appointed  Canal  Collector,  and.  in  1849,  President 
Taj'lor  commissioned  him  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys.  In  18G1  he  was  commissioned  Pay- 
master in  the  army  by  President  Lincoln,  which 
office  he  held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
a  railroad  train  near  Pittsburg.  Pa.,  June  21.  1865. 

KIRBY,  Edward  P.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  Putnam  County,  111.,  Oct.  28,  1834— 
the  son  of  Rev.  William  Kirby,  one  of  the  found- 
ers and  early  professors  of    Illinois  College    at 


Jacksonville;  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in 
1854,  then  tauglit  several  years  at  St.  Louis  and 
Jacksonville;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  18U4, 
and,  in  1873,  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Morgan 
County  as  a  Republican;  was  Representative  in 
the  General  Assembly  from  Morgan  County 
(1891-93) ;  also  served  for  several  years  as  Trustee 
of  the  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane  and,  for  a 
long  period,  as  Trustee  and  Treasurer  of  Illinois 
College. 

KIKK,  ((Jen.)  Edwurd  N.,  soldier,  was  born  of 
Quaker  parentage  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  Feb. 
29,  1828;  graduated  at  the  Friends'  Academy,  at 
Mount  Pleasant  in  the  same  State,  and,  after 
teaching  for  a  time,  began  the  study  of  law, 
completing  it  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853.  A  year  later  he 
removed  to  Sterling,  111.,  where  he  continued  in 
his  profession  imtil  after  the  battle  of  the  first 
Bull  Run,  when  he  raised  a  regiment.  The  quota 
of  the  State  being  alrwidy  full,  this  was  not  im- 
mediately accepted ;  but,  after  some  delay,  was 
mustered  in  in  September,  1801,  as  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  with  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  as  Colonel.  In  the  field  he 
soon  proved  himself  a  brave  and  dashing  officer; 
at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  though  wounded  through 
the  shoulder,  he  refused  to  leave  the  field.  After 
remaining  with  the  army  several  days,  inflam- 
matory fever  set  in,  necessitating  his  removal  to 
the  hospital  at  Louisville,  where  he  laj-  between 
life  and  death  for  some  time.  Having  i)artially 
recovered,  in  August,  1862,  he  set  out  to  rejoin 
his  regiment,  but  was  stopped  en  route  by  an 
order  assigning  him  to  command  at  Louisville. 
In  November  following  he  was  commissioned 
Brigadier-General  for  "heroic  action,  gallantry 
and  ability"  displayed  on  the  field.  In  the  last 
days  of  December,  1802,  he  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered to  take  part  in  the  series  of  engjigements 
at  Stone  River,  where  he  was  again  wounded, 
this  time  fatallj-.  He  was  taken  to  his  home  in 
Illinois,  and,  although  he  survived  several 
months,  the  career  of  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
and  promising  soldiers  of  the  war  was  cut  short 
by  his  death,  July  21,  1863. 

KIRKLAND,  Joseph,  journalist  and  author, 
was  born  at  Geneva,  X.  Y.,  Jan.  7,  1830 — the  son 
of  Prof.  William  Kirkland  of  Hamilton  College; 
was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Michigan  in  1835, 
where  he  remained  imtil  1856,  when  he  came  to 
the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1861  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Infantrj-  (three- 
months'  men),  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant, 
but   later   became  Aid-de-Camp  on  the  staff  of 


IIISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


319 


General  McClellan,  serring  there  and  on  the  staff 
of  General  Fitz-John  Porter  until  the  retirement 
of  the  latter,  meanwliile  taking  part  in  the  Pen- 
insular campaign  and  in  the  battle  of  Antietam. 
Returning  to  Chicago  he  gave  attention  to  some 
coal-mining  property  near  Danville,  but  later 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880. 
A  few  years  later  he  produced  his  first  novel, 
and,  from  1890,  devoted  his  attention  solely  to 
literary  pursuits,  for  several  years  being  liter- 
ary editor  of  "The  Chicago  Tribune.'"  His  vi-orks 
— several  of  which  first  appeared  as  serials  in  the 
magazines — include  "Zury,  the  Meanest  Man  in 
Spring  County"  (188.5);  "The  McVeys"  (1887); 
"The  Captain  of  Co.  K."  (1889),  besides  the  "His- 
tory of  the  Chicago  Massacre  of  1812,"  and  "The 
Story  of  Chicago" — the  latter  in  two  volumes.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  had  just  concluded,  in 
collaboration  with  Hon.  John  Moses,  the  work  of 
editing  a  two-volume  "History  of  Chicago."  pub- 
lished by  Messrs.  Mimsell  &  Co.  (189.5).  Died,  in 
Clucago,  April  29,  1894.— Elizabeth  Stansbury 
(Kirkland),  sister  of  the  preceding — teacher  and 
author — was  born  at  Geneva,  N.Y . ,  came  to  Chicago 
in  1867  and,  five  years  later,  established  a  select 
school  for  young  ladies,  out  of  which  grew  what 
is  known  as  the  "Kirkland  Social  Settlement," 
which  was  continued  until  her  death,  July  30, 
1896.  She  was  the  author  of  a  number  of  vol- 
umes of  decided  merit,  written  with  the  especial 
object  of  giving  entertainment  and  instruction  to 
the  young — including  "Six  Little  Cooks,"  "Dora's 
Housekeeping,"  "Speech  and  Manners,"  a  Child's 
"History  of  France,"  a  "History  of  England," 
"History  of  English  Literature,"  etc.  At  her 
death  she  left  a  "History  of  Italy"  ready  for  the 
hands  of  the  publishers. 

KIRKPATRICK,  John,  pioneer  Methodist 
preacher,  was  born  in  Georgia,  wlience  he  emi- 
grated in  1803;  located  at  Springfield,  111.,  at  an 
early  day,  where  he  built  the  first  horse-mill  in 
that  vicinity ;  in  1829  removed  to  Adams  County, 
and  finally  to  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  where  he  died  in 
1845.  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  local  Methodist  preacher  licensed  in  Illinois. 
Having  inherited  three  slaves  (a  woman  and  two 
boys)  while  in  Adams  County,  he  brought  them 
to  Illinois  and  gave  them  their  freedom.  The 
boys  were  bound  to  a  man  in  Quincy  to  learn  a 
trade,  but  mysteriously  disappeared— presumably 
having  been  kidnaped  with  the  connivance  of 
the  man  in  whose  charge  they  had  been  placed. 

KIRKWOOD,  a  city  in  Warren  County,  once 
known  as  "Young  America,"  situated  about  six 
miles  southwest  of  Monmouth,  on  the  Chicago, 


Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad;  is  a  stock-ship- 
ping point  and  in  an  agriiuiltural  region.  The 
town  has  two  banks,  five  cinirches,  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  Pop.  (189U),  949;  (1900),  1,008. 

KISHWAUKEE  RIVER,  rises  in  McHenry 
County,  runs  west  through  Boone,  and  enters 
Rock  River  in  Winnebago  County,  eight  miles 
below  Roekford.  It  is  75  miles  long.  An  afflu- 
ent called  the  South  Kishwaukee  River  runs 
north-northeast  and  northwest  through  De  Kalb 
County,  and  enters  the  Kiskwaukee  in  Winne- 
bago County,  aV)0ut  .eight  miles  southeast  of 
Roekford. 

KITCHELL,  Wickliff,  lawyer  and  Attorney- 
General  of  Illinois,  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
May  31,  1789.  Feb.  29,  1813,  he  was  married, 
at  Newark,  N.  J.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ross, 
and  the  same  year  emigrated  west,  passing 
down  the  Ohio  on  a  flat-boat  from  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  and  settled  near  Cincinnati  In  1814 
he  became  a  resident  of  Southern  Indiana, 
wliere  he  was  elected  sheriff,  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  finally  becom- 
ing a  successful  practitioner.  In  1817  he  removed 
to  Palestine,  Crawford  County,  111.,  where,  in 
1820,  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the  Second 
General  Assembly,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate  from  1828  to  1832.  In  1838  he  re- 
moved to  Hills)joro,  Montgomery  County,  was 
appointed  Attorney-General  in  1839,  serving  until 
near  the  close  of  the  following  year,  when  he 
resigned  to  take  his  seat  as  Representative  in 
the  Twelfth  General  Assembly.  Between  1846 
and  1854  lie  was  a  resident  of  Fort  Madison,  Iowa, 
but  the  latter  year  returned  to  Hillsboro.  During 
his  early  political  career  Mr.  Kitchell  had  been  a 
Democrat ;  but,  on  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Neb- 
raska act.  became  an  earnest  Republican.  Pub- 
lic-spirited and  progressive,  he  was  in  advance  of 
his  time  on  many  public  questions.  Died,  Jan. 
2,  1869. — Alfred  (Kitchell),  son  of  the  preceding, 
lawyer  and  Judge,  born  at  Palestine,  111.,  March 
29,  1820;  was  educated  at  Indiana  State  Univer- 
sity and  Hillsboro  Academy,  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1841,  and,  the  following  year,  commenced 
practice  at  Olney;  was  elected  State's  Attorney 
in  1843,  through  repeated  re-elections  holding  the 
office  ten  years ;  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847  and,  in  1849,  was 
elected  Judge  of  Richland  County ;  later  assisted 
in  establisliing  the  first  newspaper  published  in 
Olney,  and  in  organizing  the  Republican  party 
there  in  1856;  in  1859  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Judicial  Circuit,  serving  one  term. 
He  was  also  influential  in  procuring  a  charter  for 


320 


TITSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  anil  in  the  con- 
struction of"  the  line,  being  an  original  corporator 
and  subsequently  a  Director  of  the  Company. 
Later  he  removed  to  Galesburg,  where  he  died, 
Nov.  11,  1876.— Edward  (Kitchell),  another  son, 
was  born  at  Palestine,  111  ,  Dec.  21,  1829;  was 
educated  at  Hillsboro  Academy  until  1846,  when 
he  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Fort 
Madi.son,  Iowa,  but  later  returned  to  Hillsboro  to 
continue  his  studies;  in  18r)2  made  the  trip  across 
the  plains  to  California  to  engage  in  gold  mining, 
but  the  following  year  went  to  Walla  Walla, 
Washington  Territory,  where  he  opened  a  law 
office;  in  18."i4  returned  to  Illinois,  locating  at 
Olney,  Richland  Count}',  forming  a  partnership 
with  Horace  Hayward,  a  relative,  in  the  practice 
of  law.  Here,  having  taken  position  against  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Comiiromise,  he  became, 
in  185C,  the  editor  of  the  first  Republican  news- 
paper published  in  that  part  of  Illinois  known  as 
"Egypt,"  with  his  brother,  ,Iudge  Alfred  Kitchell, 
being  one  of  the  original  thirty-nine  Republicans 
in  Richland  County.  In  18C3  he  a.ssisted  in 
organizing  the  Ninety-eighth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers  at  Centralia,  which,  in  the  following 
year  having  lx?eu  mounted,  became  a  part  of  the 
famous  "Wilder  Brigjvde."  At  first  he  was  cora- 
missionetl  Lieutenant-Colonel,  but  succeeded  to 
the  comujaud  of  the  regiment  after  the  wounding 
of  Colonel  Funkhouser  at  Chickamauga  in  Sep- 
tember, 1803;  was  finally  promoted  to  the  colo- 
nelcy in  July,  1865,  and  mustere<l  out  with  the 
rank  of  Brigadier-General  by  brevet.  Resuming 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Olney,  he  was, 
in  1866,  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress  in 
a  district  strongly  Democratic;  also  served  as 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  a  short  time 
and,  in  1868.  was  Presidential  Elector  for  the 
same  District.  Died,  at  Olney,  July  11,  1869.— 
John  Wickliff  (Kitchell),  youngest  son  of  Wick- 
liff  Kitchell.  was  born  at  Palestine,  Crawford 
County,  111.,  May  30,  183.5,  educated  at  Hillsboro, 
read  law  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  and  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  that  State.  At  the  age  of  19  years  he 
served  as  Assistant  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives at  Springfield,  and  was  Reading  Clerk 
of  the  same  body  at  the  session  of  1861.  Previous 
to  the  latter  date  he  had  edited. "The  Montgomery 
County  Herald."  and  later,  "The  Charleston 
Courier."  Resigning  his  position  as  Reading 
Clerk  in  1861,  he  enlisted  under  the  first  call  of 
President  Lincoln  in  tlie  Ninth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, ser\-ed  as  Adjutant  of  the  regiment  and 
afterwards  as  Captain  of  his  company.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment  he  established 


"The  Union  Monitor"  at  Hillsboro,  which  he  con- 
ducted until  drafted  into  the  service  in  1864, 
serving  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866  he 
removed  to  Pana  (his  present  residence),  resum- 
ing practice  there;  was  a  candidate  for  the  State 
Senate  the  same  year,  and,  in  1870,  was  the 
Republican  nominee  for  Congress  in  that  District. 

KNICKERBOCKER,  Joshua  C,  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Gallatin,  Columbia  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
20,  1827;  brought  by  his  father  to  .Vlden,  McHenry 
County,  111.,  in  1844,  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  ])lace;  removed  to  Chicago  in 
1860,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1862;  served  on  the  Board  of  Sui)ervisors  and  in 
the  City  Council  and,  in  1868,  wiis  elected  Repre- 
sentative in  the  General  Assembly,  serving  one 
term.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Education  from  1875  to  '77,  and  the  latter 
year  was  elected  Probate  Judge  for  Cook  County, 
serving  until  his  death,  Jan.  5,  1890. 

KXIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS,  a  secret  semi  mill 
tary  and  benevolent  association  founded  in  the 
City  of  Washington,  D.  C,  Feb.  19,  1864,  Justus 
H.  Rathbone  (who  died  Dec.  9,  1889)  being  its 
recognized  founder.  The  order  was  established 
in  Illinois,  May  4,  1869,  by  the  organization  of 
"Welcome  Lodge,  No.  1,"  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 
On  July  1,  1869,  this  Lodge  had  nineteen  mem- 
bers. At  the  close  of  the  year  four  additional 
Lodges  had  been  instituted,  having  an  aggregate 
membership  of  245.  Early  in  the  following  year, 
on  petition  of  these  five  Lodges,  approved  b}'  the 
Grand  Chancellor,  a  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Order 
for  the  State  of  Illinois  was  instituted  in  Chicago, 
with  a  membership  of  twenty-nine  Past  Chancel- 
lors as  repre.sentatives  of  the  five  subordinate 
Lodges — the  total  membership  of  these  Lodges  at 
tliat  date  being  382.  December  31,  1870,  the 
total  membership  in  Illinois  had  increased  to  850. 
June  30,  1895,  the  total  number  of  Lodges  in  the 
State  was  525,  and  the  membership  38.441.  The 
assets  belonging  to  the  Lodges  in  IlUnoLs,  on 
Jan.  1,  1894,  amounted  to  $418,151.77. 

KXOWLTOX,  Dexter  A.,  pioneer  and  banker, 
was  born  in  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y., 
March  3,  1812,  taken  to  Chautauciua  County  in 
infancy  and  passed  his  childhood  and  youth  on  a 
farm.  Having  determined  on  a  mercantile  ca- 
reer, he  entered  an  academy  at  Fredonia,  paying 
his  own  way ;  in  1838  started  on  a  peddling  tour 
for  the  West,  and,  in  tiie  following  year,  settled 
at  Freeport,  111. ,  where  he  opened  a  general  store ; 
in  1843  began  investments  in  real  estate,  finally 
laying  ofT  sundry  additions  to  the  city  of  Free 
port,  from  which  he  realized  large  profits.     He 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


331 


was  also  prominently  connected  with  the  Galena 
&  Chicago  Union  Railroad  and,  in  1850,  became 
a  Director  of  the  Coniiiany,  remaining  in  office 
some  twelve  years.  In  18.52  he  was  the  Free-Soil 
candidate  for  Governor  of  Illinois,  but  a  few  years 
later  became  extensively  interested  in  the  Con- 
gress &  Empire  Spring  Company  at  Saratoga, 
N.  Y. ;  then,  after  a  four  years'  residence  in 
Brooklyn,  returned  to  Freeport  in  1870,  wliere  he 
engaged  in  banking  business,  dying  in  that  city, 
March  10,  1876. 

KKOX,  Joseph,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Blanford, 
Mass.,  Jan.  11,  180.5;  studied  law  with  his 
brother.  Gen.  Alanson  Knox,  in  his  native  town, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1828,  subsequently 
removing  to  Worcester,  in  the  same  State,  where 
he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1837 
he  removed  west,  locating  at  Stephenson,  now 
Rock  Island,  111. ,  where  he  continued  in  practice 
for  twenty-three  years.  During  tlie  greater  part 
of  that  time  he  was  associated  with  lion.  John 
"W.  Drury,  under  the  firm  name  of  Knox  &  Drury, 
gaining  a  wide  reputation  as  a  lawj-er  throughout 
Northern  Illinois.  Among  the  important  cases  in 
which  he  took  part  dm'ing  his  residence  in  Rock 
Island  was  the  prosecution  of  the  murderers  of 
Colonel  Davenport  in  1845.  In  1853  he  served  as  a 
Democratic  Presidential  Elector,  but  in  the  next 
campaign  identified  himself  with  tlie  Republican 
party  as  a  supporter  of  John  C.  Fremont  for  the 
Presidency.  In  ISGO  he  removed  to  Chicago  and, 
two  years  later,  was  appointed  State's  Attorney 
by  Governor  Yates,  remaining  in  office  until  suc- 
ceeded by  his  partner,  Charles  H.  Reed.  After 
coming  to  Chicago  he  was  identified  with  a  num- 
ber of  notable  cases.  His  deatli  occurred,  August 
6,  1881. 

KNOX  COLLEGE,  a  non-sectarian  institution 
for  the  higher  education  of  the  youth  of  both 
sexes,  located  at  Galesburg,  Knox  County.  It 
was  founded  in  1837,  fully  organized  in  1841,  and 
graduated  its  first  class  in  1846.  The  number  of 
graduates  from  that  date  until  1894,  aggregated 
867.  In  1893  it  had  663  students  in  attendance, 
and  a  faculty  of  20  professors.  Its  librarj'  con- 
tains about  6,000  volumes.  Its  endowment 
amounts  to  §300,000  and  its  buildings  are  valued 
at  $150,000.  Dr.  Newton  Bateman  was  at  its 
head  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and.  on  his  res- 
ignation (1893),  John  H.  Finley,  Ph.D.,  became 
its  President,  but  re.signed  in  1899. 

KNOX  COUNTY,  a  wealthy  interior  county 
west  of  the  Illinois  River,  having  an  area  of  720 
square  miles  and  a  population  (lOOO)  of  43,613.  It 
was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.   Henry  Knox.     Its 


territorial  limits  were  defined  by  legislative 
enactment  in  1825,  but  the  actual  organization 
dates  from  1830,  when  Riggs  Pennington,  Philip 
Hash  and  Charles  Hansford  were  named  the  first 
Commissioners.  Knoxville  was  tlie  first  county- 
seat  selected,  and  here  (in  the  winter  of  1830-31) 
was  erected  the  first  court  house,  constructed 
of  logs,  tno  stories  in  height,  at  a  cost  of 
$193.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  agriculture  flour- 
ishes. Tlie  present  county-seat  (1899)  is  Gales- 
burg, well  known  for  its  educational  institutions, 
the  best  known  of  which  are  Knox  College, 
founded  in  1837,  and  Lombard  University, 
founded  in  1851.  A  flourishing  Episcopal  Semi- 
nary is  located  at  Knoxville,  and  Hedding  Col- 
lege  at    Abingdon. 

KNOXVILLE,  a  city  in  Knox  County,  on  the 
Galesburg-Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Raih'oad,  .50  miles  west  of 
Peoria,  and  5  miles  east  of  Galesburg;  was 
formerly  the  county-seat,  and  still  contains  the 
fair  grounds  and  almshouse.  The  municipal  gov- 
ernment is  composed  of  a  mayor,  six  aldermen, 
witli  seven  heads  of  departments.  It  has  electric 
lighting  and  street-car  service,  good  water-works, 
banks,  numerous  churches,  three  public  schools, 
and  is  the  seat  of  St.  Mary's  school  for  girls,  and 
St.  Alban's,  for  boys.  Population  (1890),  1,728; 
(1900),  1,857. 

KOERNER,  Gustavus,  lawyer  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1809,  and 
received  a  university  education.  He  was  a  law- 
yer by  profession,  and  emigrated  to  Illinois  in 
1833,  settling  finally  at  Belleville.  He  at  once 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  soon 
became  prominent  in  politics.  In  1843  he  was 
elected  to  the  General  Assembly,  and  three  years 
later  was  appointed  to  the  bench  of  the  State 
Supreme  Court.  In  1853  he  was  elected  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor on  the  ticket  headed  by  Joel  A. 
Matteson;  but,  at  the  close  of  his  term,  became 
identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  was  a 
staunch  Union  man  during  the  Civil  War,  serving 
for  a  time  as  Colonel  on  General  Fremont's  and 
General  Halleck's  staffs.  In  1863  President  Lin- 
coln made  him  Minister  to  Spain,  a  post  which  lie 
resigned  in  January,  1865.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Chicago  Convention  of  1860  that  nominated 
Lincoln  for  the  Presidency;  was  a  Republican 
Presidential  Elector  in  1868,  and  a  delegate  to  the 
Cincinnati  Convention  of  1873  that  named  Horace 
Greeley  for  the  Presidency.  In  1867  lie  served  as 
President  of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  and,  in  1870,  was 
ele('ted  to  the  Legislature  a  second  time.     The 


322 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


following  year  lie  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
first  Board  of  Railroad  and  Wareliouse  Commis- 
sioners, and  served  as  its  President.  He  is  the 
author  of  "Collection  of  the  Important  General 
Laws  of  Illinois,  with  Comments"  (in  German, 
St.  Louis,  1838);  "From  Spain"  (Frankfort  on- 
the-Main,  186G);  "Das  Deutsche  Element  in  den 
Vereiningteu  Staaten"  (Cincinnati,  1880;  second 
edition,  New  York,  1885) ;  and  a  number  of  mono- 
graphs.    Died,  at  Belleville,  April  9,  1896. 

KOHLS.VAT,  Christian  C,  Judge  of  United 
States  Court,  was  born  in  Edwards  County,  111., 
Jan.  8,  ISM — his  father  being  a  native  of  Germany 
who  settled  in  Edwards  County  in  1825,  while  his 
mother  was  born  in  England.  The  family 
removed  to  Galena  in  1854,  where  young  Kohlsaat 
attended  the  public  schools,  later  taking  a  course 
in  Chicago  University,  after  which  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  In  18G7  he  became  a  reporter  on 
"The  Chicago  Evening  Journal,"  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  the  same  year,  and,  in  18C8,  accepted 
a  position  in  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk,  where 
he  kept  the  records  of  the  Countj-  Court  under 
Judge  Bradwell's  administration.  During  the 
sessions  of  the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly 
(1871-72) ,  he  ser*-ed  as  First  Assistant  Enrolling 
and  Engrossing  Clerk  of  the  House,  after  which 
he  began  practice;  in  1881  was  the  Republican 
nominee  for  County  Judge,  but  was  defeated  by 
Judge  Prendergast;  served  as  member  of  the 
Bo;ird  of  West  Side  Park  Commisisioners,  1884-90 ; 
in  1890  was  appointed  Probiite  Judge  of  Cook 
County  (as  successor  to  Judge  Knickerbocker, 
who  died  in  January  of  tliat  year),  and  was 
elected  to  the  office  in  November  following,  and 
re-elected  in  1894,  as  he  was  again  in  1898.  Early 
in  1899  he  was  appointed,  by  President  McKinley, 
Judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the 
Northern  Di.strict  of  Illinois,  as  successor  to  Judge 
Grosscup,  who  had  been  appointed  United  States 
Circuit  Judge  in  place  of  Judge  Showalter, 
deceased. 

KOHLS.\AT,  Herman  H.,  editor  and  news- 
paper publisher,  was  born  in  Edwards  County, 
111.,  March  22,  1853,  and  taken  the  following  year 
to  Galena,  where  he  remained  until  12  years  of 
age,  when  the  family  removed  to  Chicago.  Here, 
after  attending  the  public  schools  some  three 
years,  he  became  a  cash-lx)y  in  the  store  of  Car- 
son, Pirie  &  Co.,  a  year  later  rising  to  the  position 
of  cashier,  remaining  two  years.  Then,  after 
having  been  connected  with  various  business 
concerns,  he  became  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Blake,  Shaw  &  Co. ,  for  whom  he  had  been 
a  traveling  salesman  some  five  years.     In  1880  he 


became  associated  with  the  Dake  Bakery,  in  con- 
nection with  which  he  laid  the  foundation  of  an 
extensive  business  by  establishing  a  system  of 
restaurants  and  lunch  counters  in  the  business 
portions  of  the  city.  In  1891,  after  a  somewhat  pro- 
tracted visit  to  Europe  Mr  Kohlsaat  bought  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  "The  Chicago  Inter  Ocean," 
but  withdrew  early  in  1894.  In  April,  1895,  he  be- 
came principal  proprietor  of  "The  Chicago  Times- 
Herald,"  as  the  successor  of  the  late  James  W. 
Scott,  who  died  suddenly  in  New  York,  soon  after 
effecting  a  consolidation  of  Chicago's  two  Demo- 
cratic papers,  "The  Times"  and  "Herald,"  in  one 
concern.  Although  changing  the  political  status 
of  tlie  paper  from  Democratic  to  Independent, 
Mr.  Kohlsaat's  liberal  enterprise  has  won  for  it 
an  assured  success.  He  is  also  owner  and  pub- 
lisher of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Post."  His 
wliole  business  career  has  been  one  of  almost 
phenomenal  success  attained  by  vigorous  enter- 
prise and  high-minded,  honorable  methods.  Mr. 
Kohlsaat  is  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of 
the  University  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  continues 
to  be  one  of  the  Trustees. 

KROME,  William  Henry,  lawyer,  bom  of  Ger- 
man parentage,  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  1,  1842; 
in  1851  was  brought  by  his  father  to  Madison 
County,  111.,  where  he  lived  and  worked  for  some 
years  on  a  farm.  He  acquired  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  at  McKendree  College, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1863.  After  sjiend- 
ing  his  summer  months  in  farm  labor  and  teach- 
ing school  during  the  winter,  for  a  year  or  two, 
he  read  law  for  a  time  with  Judge  31.  G.  Dale  of 
.Edwardsville,  and,  in  1866,  entered  the  law 
department  of  Michigan  University,  gradu- 
ating in  1869,  though  admitted  the  year  previous 
to  practice  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  Mr. 
Krome  has  l»een  successively  the  partner  of 
Judge  John  G.  Irwin,  Hon.  W.  F.  L.  Hadley  (late 
Congressman  from  the  Eighteenth  District)  and 
C.  W.  Terry.  Ho  has  held  the  office  of  Mayor  of 
Edwardsville  (1873),  State  Senator  (1874-78),  and, 
in  1893,  was  a  prominent  candidate  before  the 
Democratic  judicial  convention  for  the  nomina- 
tion for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  to  succeed 
Justice  Scholfield,  deceased.  He  is  also  President 
of  the  Madison  County  State  Bank. 

KUEFPyER,  William  C,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  in  1861  Early  in  1865  he  was  com- 
missioned Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  one  of  the 
latest  regiments  organized  for  the  Civil  War,  and 
was  soon  after  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brevet 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


323 


Brigadier-General,  serving  until  January,  1866. 
Later,  General  Kueff ner  studied  law  at  St.  Louis, 
and  having  graduated  in  1871,  established  lumself 
in  practice  at  Belleville,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  a  successful  contestant  for  a 
seat  in  the  Republican  National  Convention  of 
1880  from  the  Seventeenth  District. 

KUYKENDALL,  Andrew  J.,  lawyer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  of  pioneer  parents  in  Gallatin 
(now  Hardin)  County,  III.,  March  3,  1815;  was 
self-educated  chiefly,  but  in  his  early  manhood 
adopted  the  law  as  a  profession,  locating  at 
Vienna  in  Johnson  County,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  to  the  end  of  his  life.  In  1843  he  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  Thirteenth  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  re-elected  two  years  later ;  in 
IS.'JO  became  State  Senator,  serving  continuously 
in  the  same  body  for  twelve  years;  in  1861  en- 
listed, and  was  commissioned  Major,  in  the 
Thirty-first  Illinois  Volunteers  (Gen.  John  A. 
Logan's  regiment),  but  was  compelled  to  resign, 
in  May  following,  on  acount  of  impaired  health. 
Two  years  later  (1864)  he  was  elected  Represent- 
ative in  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress,- serving  one 
term;  and,  after  several  years  in  private  life,  was 
again  returned  to  the  State  Senate  in  1878,  serving 
in  the  Thirty-first  and  Thirty-second  General 
Assemblies.  In  all,  Major  Kuykendall  saw 
twenty  years'  service  in  the  State  Legislature,  of 
which  sixteen  were  spent  in  the  Senate  and  four 
in  the  House,  besides  two  years  in  Congress.  A 
zealous  Democrat  previous  to  the  war,  he  was  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  war  policy  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and,  in  1864,  presided  over  the  "Union" 
(Republican)  State  Convention  of  that  year.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Senate  Finance  Com- 
mittee in  the  se.ssion  of  18.59,  which  had  the  duty 
of  investigating  the  Matteson  "canal  scrip  fraud. " 
Died,  at  Vienna,  111.,  May  11,  1891. 

LABOR  TROUBLES.  1.  The  Railroad 
Strike  of  1877. — By  this  name  is  generally  char- 
acterized the  labor  disturbances  of  1877,  which, 
beginning  at  Pittsburg  in  July,  spread  over  the 
entire  country,  interrupting  tran.sportation,  and, 
for  a  time,  threatening  to  paralyze  trade.  Illi- 
nois suffered  severely.  The  primary  cause  of  the 
troubles  was  the  general  prostration  of  business 
resulting  from  the  depression  of  values,  which 
affected  manufacturers  and  merchants  alike.  A 
reduction  of  expenses  became  necessary,  and  the 
wages  of  employes  were  lowered.  Dissatisfaction 
and  restlessness  on  the  part  of  the  latter  ensued, 
which  found  expression  in  the  ordering  of  a  strike 
among  railroad  operatives  on  a  larger  scale  than 


had  ever  been  witnessed  in  this  country.  In  Illi- 
nois, Peoria,  Decatur,  Braidwood,  East  St.  Louis, 
Galesburg,  La  Salle  and  Chicago  were  the  prin- 
cipal points  affected.  In  all  tliese  cities  angry, 
excited  men  formed  themselves  into  mobs,  which 
tore  up  tracks,  took  possession  of  machine  shops, 
in  some  cases  destroyed  roundhouses,  applied  the 
torch  to  warehouses,  and,  for  a  time,  held  com- 
merce by  the  throat,  not  only  defying  the  law, 
but  even  contending  in  arms  against  the  military 
sent  to  disperse  them.  Tlie  entire  force  of  the 
State  militia  was  called  into  service,  Major- 
General  Arthur  C.  Ducat  being  in  command. 
The  State  troops  were  divided  into  three  brigades, 
commanded  respectively  by  Brigadier-Generals 
Torrence,  Bates  and  Pavey.  General  Ducat 
assumed  personal  command  at  Braidwood,  where 
were  sent  the  Third  Regiment  and  the  Tenth 
Battalion,  who  suppres.sed  tlie  riots  at  that  point 
with  ease.  Col.  Joseph  W.  Stambaugh  and 
Lieut. -Col.  J.  B.  Parsons  were  the  respective 
regimental  commanders.  Generals  Bates  and 
Pavey  were  in  command  at  East  St.  Louis, 
where  the  excitement  was  at  fever  heat,  the 
mobs  terrorizing  peaceable  citizens  and  destroy- 
ing much  property.  Governor  Cullom  went  to 
this  point  in  person.  Chicago,  however,  was  the 
chief  railroad  center  of  the  State,  and  only 
prompt  and  severely  repressive  measures  held  in 
check  one  of  the  most  dangerous  mobs  which 
ever  threatened  property  and  life  in  that  city. 
The  local  police  force  was  inadequate  to  control 
the  rioters,  and  Mayor  Heath  felt  himself  forced 
to  call  for  aid  from  the  State.  Brig. -Gen.  Joseph 
T.  Torrence  then  commanded  the  First  Brigade, 
I.  N.  G.,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago.  Under 
instructions  from  Governor  Cullom,  he  promptly 
and  effectively  co-operated  with  the  municipal 
authorities  in  quelling  tlie  uprising.  He  received 
valuable  support  from  volunteer  companies,  some 
of  which  were  largely  composed  of  Union  veter- 
ans. The  latter  were  commanded  by  such  ex- 
perienced commanders  as  Generals  Reynolds, 
Martin  Beem,  and  O.  L.  Mann,  and  Colonel  Owen 
Stuart.  General  Lieb  also  led  a  company  of 
veterans  enlisted  by  himself,  and  General  Shaff- 
ner  and  Major  James  H.  D.  Daly  organized  a 
cavalry  force  of  150  old  soldiers,  who  rendered 
efficient  service.  The  disturbance  was  promptly 
subdued,  transportation  resumed,  and  trade  once 
more  began  to  move  in  its  accustomed  channels. 
3.  The  Strike  op  1894. — Tliis  was  an  uprising 
which  originated  in  Chicago  and  was  incited  by  a 
comparatively  young  labor  organization  called 
the  American  Railway  Union.    In  its  inception  it 


324 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


was  sympathetic,  its  ostensible  motive,  at  the 
outset,  being  the  righting  of  wrongs  alleged  to 
have  been  suffered  by  employes  of  the  I'uUinan 
Palace  Car  Company.  The  latter  quit  work  on 
May  11,  and,  on  June  22,  the  American  Riiilway 
Union  ordered  a  general  boycott  against  all  rail- 
road companies  hauling  Pullman  cars  after  June 
26.  The  (ieneral  Slanagers  of  the  lines  entering 
Chicago  took  prompt  action  (June  -'>)  looking 
toward  mutual  protection,  protesting  against  the 
propo.sed  boycott,  and  affirming  their  resolution 
to  adhere  to  existing  contracts,  any  action  on  the 
part  of  the  strikers  to  the  contrary  notwithstand- 
ing. Trouble  began  on  the  26th.  The  hauling  of 
freight  wa.s  nece.s.s;irily  soon  discontinued;  sub- 
urban traffic  was  interrupted;  switching  had  to 
be  done  by  iuexi^erienced  liands  under  police  or 
military  protection  (officials  and  clerks  some- 
times throwing  the  levers),  and  in  the  presence  of 
large  crowds  of  law-defj'ing  hoodlums  gathered 
along  the  tracks,  avowedly  through  sympathy 
with  the  strikers,  but  actually  in  the  hope  of 
plunder.  Trains  were  sidetracked,  derailed,  and, 
in  not  a  few  instances,  valuable  freight  was 
burned.  Passengers  were  forced  to  undergo  the 
inconvenience  of  being  cooped  up  for  hours  in 
crowded  cars,  in  transit,  without  food  or  water, 
sometimes  almost  within  sight  of  their  destina- 
tion, and  sometimes  tlireatened  with  death  should 
they  attempt  to  leave  their  prison  houses.  The 
mobs,  intoxicated  by  seeming  success,  finally  ven- 
tured to  interfere  with  the  passage  of  trains 
carrying  the  United  Stiites  mails,  and,  at  this 
juncture,  the  Federal  authorities  interfered. 
President  Cleveland  at  once  ordered  the  protec- 
tion of  all  mail  trains  by  armed  guards,  to  be 
appointed  by  the  United  States  Marslial.  An 
additional  force  of  Deputy  Sheriffs  was  also  sworn 
in  by  the  Sheriff  of  Cook  County,  and  the  city 
police  force  was  augmented.  The  United  States 
District  Court  also  issued  a  restraining  order, 
directed  against  the  officers  and  members  of  the 
American  Railway  Union,  as  well  as  against  all 
other  persons  interfering  with  the  business  of 
railroads  carrying  the  mails.  Ser\-ice  was  readily 
accepted  b}-  the  officers  of  the  Union,  but  the 
copies  distributed  among  the  insurgent  mob  were 
torn  and  trampled  upon.  Thereupon  the  Presi- 
dent ordered  Federal  troops  to  Chicago,  both  to 
protect  Government  property  (notably  the  Sub- 
treasury)  and  to  guard  mail  trains.  The  Gov- 
ernor (John  P.  Altgeld)  protested,  but  without 
avail.  A  few  days  later,  the  Mayor  of  Chicago 
requested  the  State  Executive  to  place  a  force  of 
State  militia  at  his  control  for  the  protection  of 


property  and  the  prevention  of  bloodshed.  Gen- 
eral Wheeler,  with  the  entire  second  division  of 
the  I.  N.  G. ,  at  once  received  orders  to  report  to 
the  municipal  authorities.  The  presence  of  tlie 
militia  greatly  incensed  the  turbulent  crowds, 
yet  it  proved  most  salutarj-.  The  troops  displayed 
e.vemplary  firmness  under  most  trying  circum- 
.stances,  dispersing  jeering  and  threatening 
crowds  by  physical  force  or  bayonet  charges,  tlie 
rioters  being  fired  upon  only  twice.  Gradually 
order  was  restored.  The  disreputable  element 
subsided,  and  wiser  and  more  conser%-ative  coun- 
sels prevailed  among  the  ranks  of  the  strikers. 
Imijediments  to  traffic  were  removed  and  trains 
were  soon  running  as  though  no  interruption  had 
occurred.  The  troops  were  withdrawn  (first  the 
Federal  and  afterwards  those  of  the  State),  and 
the  courts  were  left  to  deal  with  the  subject  in 
accordance  witli  the  statutes.  The  entire  execu- 
tive board  of  the  American  Railwaj"  Union  were 
indicted  for  conspiracy,  but  the  indictments  were 
never  pressed.  The  officers,  however,  were  all 
found  guilty  of  contempt  of  court  in  having  dis- 
obej'ed  the  restraining  order  of  the  Federal 
court,  and  sentenced  to  terms  in  the  county  jail. 
Eugene  V.  Debs,  the  President  of  the  Union,  was 
convicted  on  two  charges  and  given  a  sentence 
of  six  montlis  on  each,  but  the  two  sentences  were 
afterward  made  concurrent.  The  other  members 
of  the  Board  received  a  similar  sentence  for  tliree 
months  each.  All  but  the  Vice-President,  George 
W.  Howard,  served  their  terms  at  Woodstock, 
McHenrj-  County.  Howard  was  sent  to  the  AVill 
County  jail  at  Joliet. 

LACEY,  Lyman,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born  in 
Tompkins  County,  X.  Y.,  May  6,  1832.  In  1837 
his  parents  settled  in  Fulton  County,  111.  He 
graduated  from  Illinois  College  in  18.55  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856,  commencing  practice 
at  Havana,  Mason  County,  the  .same  year.  In 
1862  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to  represent 
the  counties  of  Mason  and  Menard  in  the  lower 
house  of  the  Legislature ;  was  elected  to  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  bench  in  1873,  and  re-elected  in  1879, 
'85  and  '91 ;  also  ser\ed  for  several  years  upon 
the  bench  of  the  Appellate  Court. 

LACON,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Marshall 
County,  situated  on  the  Illinois  River,  and  on  the 
Dwight  and  Lacon  branch  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad,  130  miles  southwest  of  Chicago. 
A  pontoon  bridge  connects  it  with  Sjiarland  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  Illinois.  The  surroimd- 
ing  countrj-  raises  large  quantities  of  grain,  for 
which  Lacon  is  a  shipping  point.  The  river  is 
navigable  by  steamboats  to  this  point.     The  city 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


325 


has  grain  elevators,  woolen  mills,  marble  works, 
a  carriage  factory  and  a  national  bank.  It  also  has 
water  works,  an  excellent  telephone  system,  good 
drainage,  and  is  lighted  by  electricity.  There 
are  seven  churches,  a  graded  school  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  Population  (ISSO),  1,814; 
(1890),  l,64!t,  (1900),  1,G01. 

LA  FAYETTE  (Marquis  del,  VISIT  OF.  An 
event  of  profound  interest  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois, diiring  the  year  1825,  was  the  visit  to  the 
State  by  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette,  who  had 
been  the  ally  of  the  American  people  during 
their  struggle  for  independence.  The  distin- 
guished Frenchman  having  arrived  in  the  coun- 
try during  the  latter  part  of  1824,  the  General 
Assembly  in  session  at  Vandalia,  in  December  of 
that  year,  adopted  an  address  inviting  him  to 
■visit  Illinois.  This  was  communicated  to  La 
Fayette  by  Gov.  Edward  Coles,  who  had  met  the 
General  in  Europe  seven  years  before.  Governor 
Coles'  letter  and  the  address  of  the  General 
Assembly  were  answered  with  an  acceptance  by 
La  Fayette  from  Washington,  under  date  of  Jan. 
16,  1825.  The  approach  of  the  latter  was  made  by 
way  of  New  Orleans,  the  steamer  Natchez  (by 
which  General  La  Fayette  ascended  the  Mis- 
sissippi) arriving  at  the  old  French  village  of 
Carondelet,  below  St.  Louis,  on  the  28th  of  April. 
Col.  William  S.  Hamilton,  a  sou  of  Alexander 
Hamilton,  and  at  that  time  a  Representative  in 
the  General  Assembly  from  Sangamon  Count}', 
as  well  as  an  Aid -de-Camp  on  the  staff  of  Gov- 
ernor Coles,  was  dispatched  from  the  home  of  the 
latter  at  Edwardsville,  to  meet  the  distinguished 
visitor,  which  he  did  at  St.  Louis.  On  Saturday, 
April  30,  the  boat  bearing  General  La  Fayette, 
with  a  large  delegation  of  prominent  citizens  of 
Missouri,  left  St,  Louis,  arriving  at  Kaskaskia, 
where  a  reception  awaited  him  at  the  elegant 
residence  of  Gen.  John  Edgar,  Governor  Coles 
delivering  an  address  of  welcome.  The  presence 
of  a  number  of  old  soldiers,  who  Iiad  fought  under 
La  Fayette  at  Brandywine  and  Yorktown,  consti- 
tuted an  interesting  feature  of  the  occasion.  This 
was  followed  by  a  bancjuet  at  the  tavern  kept  by 
Colonel  Sweet,  and  a  closing  reception  at  the  house 
of  William  Morrison,  Sr  ,  a  member  of  the  cele- 
brated family  of  that  name,  and  one  of  the  lead- 
ing merchants  of  Kaskaskia.  Among  those 
participating  in  the  reception  ceremonies,  who 
were  then,  or  afterwards  became,  prominent 
factors  in  State  history,  appear  the  names  of  Gen. 
John  Edgar,  ex-Governor  Bond,  Judge  Nathaniel 
Pope,  Elias  Kent  Kane,  ex-Lieutenant-Governor 
Menard.  Col.  Thomas  Mather  and  Sidney  Breese, 


a  future  United  States  Senator  and  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  The  boat  left  Kaskaskia  at 
midnight  for  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Governor  Coles 
accompanying  the  party  and  returning  witli  it  to 
Shawneetown,  where  an  imposing  reception  was 
given  and  an  address  of  welcome  delivered  by 
Judge  James  Hall,  on  May  14,  1825.  A  few 
hours  later  General  La  Fayette  left  on  his  way  up 
the  Ohio. 

LAFAYETTE,  KLOOMINUTON  &  MISSIS- 
SIPPI RAILROAJt.  (See  LaAr  Eric  &  Wi'sfci-n 
Railroad. ) 

LAFLIN,  Matthew,  manufacturer,  was  born 
at  Southwick,  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  Dec,  16, 
1803  •,  in  his  youth  was  clerk  for  a  time  in  the 
store  of  Laflin  &  Loomis,  powder  manufacturers, 
at  Lee,  Mass,,  later  becoming  a  partner  in  the 
Canton  Powder  Jlills,  About  1832  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  axes  at  Saugerties,  N,  Y., 
which  proving  a  failure,  he  again  engaged  in 
powder  manufacture,  and,  in  183T,  came  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  finally  established  a  factory — his 
firm,  in  1840,  becoming  Laflin  &  Smith,  and, 
later,  Laflin,  Smith  &  Co,  Becoming  largely 
interested  in  real  estate,  he  devoted  his  atten- 
tion chiefly  to  that  business  after  1849,  with 
great  success,  not  only  in  Chicago  but  else- 
where, having  done  much  for  the  develop- 
ment of  Waukesha,  Wis,,  where  he  erected  one 
of  the  principal  hotels — the  "Fountain  Spring 
House"' — also  being  one  of  the  original  stock- 
holders of  the  Elgin  Watch  Company.  Mr. 
Laflin  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  Government 
during  the  war  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union, 
and,  before  his  death,  made  a  donation  of  $75,- 
000  for  a  building  for  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Sciences,  which  was  erected  in  the  western  part 
of  Lincoln  Park.     Died,  in  Chicago,  May  20.  1897. 

LA  GRANGE,  a  village  in  Cook  County,  and 
one  of  the  handsomest  suburbs  of  Chicago,  from 
which  it  is  distant  15  miles,  .south-southwest,  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  The 
streets  are  broad  and  shaded  and  there  are  many 
handsome  residences.  The  village  is  lighted  by 
electricity,  and  has  public  water-works,  seven 
churches,  a  high  school  and  a  weeklj-  paper. 
Population  (1880).  531;  (1890),  2,314;  (1900),  3,969, 

LA  HARPE,  a  city  in  Hancock  County,  on  the 
Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railway,  70  miles  west 
by  south  from  Peoria  and  20  miles  south-south- 
east of  Burlington,  Iowa,  Brick,  tile  and  cigars 
constitute  the  manufactured  output.  La  Harpe 
has  two  banks,  five  churches,  a  graded  and  a 
high  school,  a  seminary,  and  two  newspapers. 
Population  (1880),  958;  (1890),  1,113;  (1900),  1,591, 


326 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


LAKE  COUNTY,  in  the  extreme  northeast 
corner  of  the  State,  having  an  area  of  490  square 
miles,  and  a  population  (1900)  of  3-4,504.  It  was 
cut  off  from  McHenry  County  and  separately 
organized  in  1839.  Pioneer  settlers  began  to 
arrive  in  1839,  locating  chiefly  along  the  Des 
Plaines  River.  The  Indians  vacated  the  region 
the  following  year.  The  first  County  Commission- 
ers (E.  E.  Hunter,  William  Brown  and  E.  C. 
Berrey)  located  the  county-seat  at  Libertyville, 
but,  in  1841,  it  was  removed  to  Little  Fort,  now 
Waukegan.  The  county  derives  its  name  from 
the  fact  that  some  forty  small  lakes  are  found 
within  its  limits.  The  surface  is  undulating  and 
about  equally  divided  between  sand,  prairie  and 
second  growth  timber.  At  Waukegan  there  are 
several  maufacturing  establishnrents,  and  the 
Glen  Flora  medicinal  spring  attracts  many  in- 
valids. Highland  Park  and  Lake  Forest  are  resi- 
dence towns  of  great  beauty  situated  on  the  lake 
blufT.  populated  largely  by  the  families  of  Chicago 
business  men. 

LAKE  ERIE  A.  MISSISSIPPI  RAILROAD. 
(See  Lake  Erie  &  WeMern  lidilroad.) 

LAKE  ERIE  &  WESTERN  RAILKOAH.  Of 
the  TlO.Gl  miles  which  constitute  the  entire 
length  of  this  line,  only  118.6  are  within  Illinois. 
This  portion  extends  from  the  junction  of  the 
Peoria  &  Pekin  Union  Railway,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Illinois  River  opposite  Peoria,  to  the  Indi- 
ana State  line.  It  is  a  single-track  road  of 
standard  gauge.  About  one-sixth  of  the  line  in 
Illinois  is  level,  the  grade  nowhere  exceeding  40 
feet  to  the  mile.  The  track  is  of  56  and  60-pound 
steel  rails,  and  lightly  ballasted.  The  total 
capital  of  the  ro;id  (1898)— incUuling  §23,680,000 
capital  stock,  §10,87.5.000  bonded  debt  and  a  float- 
ing debt  of  S1.4T9.S09— was  S;J6,034,809,  or  $50,- 
708  per  mile.  The  total  earnings  and  income  in 
Illinois  for  1898  were  Sr)59,743,  and  the  total 
expenditures  for  the  same  period,  $457,713.— 
(History.)  The  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Division 
of  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railroad  was  acquired 
by  consolidation,  in  1880,  of  the  Lafayette,  Bloom- 
ington  &  Mississippi  Railroad  (81  miles  in  length), 
which  had  been  opened  in  1871,  with  certain  Ohio 
and  Indiana  lines.  In  May,  1885,  the  line  thus 
formed  was  consolidated,  without  change  of  name, 
with  the  Lake  Erie&  Mi.ssissippi  Railroad,  organ- 
ized to  build  an  extension  of  the  Lake  Erie  & 
Western  from  Eloomington  to  Peoria  (43  miles). 
The  road  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1886,  and 
the  present  company  organized,  Feb.  9,  1887. 

LAKE  FOREST,  a  city  in  Lake  County,  on 
Lake  Michigan  and  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 


way, 28  miles  north  by  west  from  Chicago.  It  is 
the  seat  of  Lake  Forest  University;  has  four 
schools,  five  churches,  one  bank,  gas  and  electric 
light  system,  electric  car  line,  water  system,  fire 
department  and  hospital.  Population  (1890), 
1,203;  (1900),  2.215;  (1904,  est.),  2,800. 

LAKE  FOREST  IMVEKSITY,  an  institution 
of  learning  comprising  si.v  distinct  schools,  viz.  : 
Lake  Forest  Academy,  Ferry  Hall  Seminary, 
Lake  Forest  College.  Rush  Medical  College,  Clii- 
cago  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  and  the  Chicago 
College  of  Law.  The  three  first  named  are 
located  at  Lake  Forest,  while  the  three  profes- 
sional schools  are  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  The 
college  charter  was  granted  in  1857,  but  the 
in.stitution  was  not  opened  until  nineteen  years 
later,  and  the  professional  schools,  which  were 
originally  independent,  w£re  not  associated  until 
1887.  In  1894  there  were  316  undergraduates  at 
Lake  Forest,  in  charge  of  forty  instructors.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  there  were  in  attendance  at  the 
professional  schools,  1.557  students,  making  a 
total  enrollment  in  the  University  of  1,873. 
While  the  institution  is  affiliated  with  the  Pres- 
byterian denomination,  the  Board  of  Trustees  is 
self-perpetuating.  The  Academj-  and  Seminary 
are  prejKiratory  schools  for  the  two  sexes,  re- 
spectively. Lake  Forest  College  is  co-educational 
and  organized  upon  the  elective  plan,  having 
seventeen  departments,  a  certain  number  of 
studies  being  required  for  graduation,  and  work 
upon  a  major  subject  being  required  for  three 
years.  The  schools  at  Lake  Forest  occupy  fifteen 
buildings,  standing  within  a  campus  of  sixty-five 
acres. 

LAKE  MICIIIG.VX,  one  of  the  chain  of  five 
great  northern  lakes,  and  the  largest  lake  lying 
wholly  within  the  United  States.  It  lies  between 
the  parallels  of  41 '  35'  and  46'  North  latitude,  its 
length  being  about  335  miles.  Its  width  varies 
from  50  to  88  miles,  its  greatest  breadth  being 
opposite  Milwaukee.  Its  surface  is  nearly  600 
feet  above  the  sea-level  and  its  maximum  depth 
is  estimated  at  840  feet.  It  has  an  area  of  about 
20,000  square  miles.  It  forms  the  ea.stem  bound- 
ary of  Wisconsin,  the  western  boundary  of  the 
lower  peninsula  of  Michigan  and  a  part  of  the 
northern  boundary  of  Illinois  and  Indiana.  Its 
waters  find  their  outlet  into  Lake  Huron  through 
the  straits  of  Mackinaw,  at  its  northeast  extrem- 
ity, and  are  connected  with  Lake  Superior  bj-  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  River.  It  contains  few  islands, 
and  these  mainly  in  its  northern  part,  the  largest 
being  some  fifteen  miles  long.  The  principal 
rivers  which  empty  into  this  lake  are  the  Fox, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


327 


Menominee,  Manistee,  Muskegon,  Kalamazoo, 
Grand  and  St.  Joseph.  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
Racine  and  Manitowoc  aie  the  cliief  cities  on  its 
banks. 

LAKE  SHORE  &  MICHIGAN  SOUTHERN 
R A I LW AT.  The  main  line  extends  from  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  to  Chicago,  111.,  a  distance  of  539  miles, 
with  various  branches  of  leased  and  proprietary 
lines  located  in  the  States  of  Michigan,  New 
York  and  Ohio,  making  the  mileage  of  lines 
operated  1,415.63  miles,  of  which  862.15  are  owned 
by  the  company — only  14  miles  being  in  Illinois. 
The  total  earnings  and  income  in  Illinois,  in  1898, 
were  $453,946,  and  the  expenditures  for  the  same 
period,  S360,971. — (History.)  The  company  was 
formed  in  1869,  from  the  consolidation  of  the 
Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  Indiana,  the 
Cleveland,  Painesville  &  Ashtabula,  and  the 
Buffalo  &  Erie  Railroad  Companies.  The  propri- 
etary roads  have  been  acquired  since  the  consoli- 
dation. 

LAMB,  James  L.,  pioneer  merchant,  was  born 
in  Connellsville,  Pa.,  Nov.  7,  1800;  at  13  years  of 
age  went  to  Cincinnati  to  serve  as  clerk  in  the 
store  of  a  distant  relative,  came  to  Kaskaskia,  111., 
in  1820,  and  soon  after  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  with  Thomas  Mather,  who  had  come  to 
Illinois  two  years  earlier.  Later,  the  firm  estab- 
lished a  store  at  Chester  and  shipped  the  first 
barrels  of  pork  from  Illinois  to  the  New  Orleans 
market.  In  1831  Mr.  Lamb  located  in  Springfield, 
afterwards  carrying  on  merchandising  and  pork- 
packing  extensively;  also  established  an  iron 
foundry,  which  continued  in  operation  until  a  few 
years  ago.     Died,  Dec.  3,  1873. 

LAMB,  Martha  J.  R.  >'.,  magazine  editor  and 
historian,  was  born  (Martha  Joan  Reade  Nash)  at 
Plainfield,  Mass.,  August  13,  1829,  received  a 
thorough  education  and,  after  her  marriage  in 
1853  to  Charles  A.  Lamb,  resided  for  eight  years 
in  Chicago,  111.,  where  she  was  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal founders  of  the  Home  for  the  Friendless  and 
Half  Orphan  Asylum,  and  Secretary  of  the 
Sanitary  Fair  of  1863.  In  1866  she  removed  to 
New  York  and  gave  her  after  life  to  literary  work, 
from  1883  until  her  death  being  editor  of  "The 
Magazine  of  American  History,"  besides  furnish- 
ing niunerous  papers  on  historical  and  other  sub- 
jects; also  publishing  some  sixteen  volumes,  one 
of  her  most  important  works  being  a  "History  o^ 
New  York  City,"  in  two  volumes.  She  was  a 
member  of  nearly  thirty  historical  and  other 
learned  societies.     Died,  Jan.  2,  1893. 

LAMBORN,  Josiah,  early  lawyer  and  Attor- 
ne/General;  born  in  Washington  County,  Ky., 


and  educated  at  Transylvania  University;  was 
Attorney -General  of  the  State  by  appointment  of 
Governor  Carliu,  1840-43,  at  that  time  being  a 
resident  of  Jacksonville.  He  is  described  by  his 
contemporaries  as  an  able  and  brilliant  man,  but 
of  convivial  habits  and  unscrupulous  to  such  a 
degree  that  his  name  was  mixed  up  with  a  num- 
ber of  official  scandals.  Separated  from  his 
family,  he  died  of  delirium  tremens,  at  White- 
hall, Greene  County. 

LAMOILLE,  a  village  of  Bureau  County,  on  the 
Mendota-Fulton  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railway,  9  miles  northwest  of  Men- 
dota;  in  rich  fanning  and  stock-raising  region; 
has  a  bank,  three  churches,  fine  school-building, 
and  a  newspaper.      Pop.   (1890),  516;  (1900),  576. 

LAMON,  Ward  Hill,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Mill  Creek,  Frederick  County,  W.  Va.,  Jan.  6, 
1828;  received  a  common  school  education  and 
was  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  time ;  also  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  but  relinquished  it  for  the 
law.  About  1847-48  he  located  at  Danville,  111., 
subsequently  read  law  with  the  late  Judge  Oliver 
L.  Davis,  attending  lectures  at  the  Louisville 
Law  School,  where  he  had  Gen.  John  A.  Logan 
for  a  class-mate.  On  admission  to  the  bar,  he 
became  the  Danville  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
— the  partnership  being  in  existence  as  early  as 
1852.  In  1859  he  removed  to  Bloomington,  and, 
in  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1860,  was  a  zeal- 
ous supporter  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  In  February,  1861, 
he  was  chosen  by  Mr.  Lincoln  to  accompany  him 
to  Washington,  making  the  perilous  night  jour- 
ney through  Baltimore  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  company. 
Being  a  man  of  undoubted  courage,  as  well  as 
almost  giant  stature,  he  soon  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  Marshal  of  the  District  of  Columbia, 
and,  in  the  first  weeks  of  the  new  administration, 
made  a  confidential  visit  to  Colonel  Anderson, 
then  in  command  at  Fort  Sumter,  to  secure 
accurate  information  as  to  the  situation  there. 
In  May,  1861,  he  obtained  authority  to  raise  a 
regiment,  of  which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel, 
remaining  in  the  field  to  December,  when  he 
returned  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  Marshal 
at  Washington,  but  was  absent  from  Washington 
on  the  night  of  the  assassination — April  14,  1865. 
Resigning  his  ofiice  after  this  event,  he  entered 
into  partnership  for  the  practice  of  law  with  the 
late  Jeremiah  S,  Black  of  Pennsylvania.  Some 
years  later  he  published  the  first  volume  of  a  pro- 
posed Life  of  Lincoln,  using  material  which  he 
obtained  from  Mr.  Lincoln's  Springfield  partner. 
William  H.  Herndon,  but  the  second  volume  was 
never  issued.     His  death   occurred  at  Martins- 


328 


KISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


burg,  W.  Va.,  not  far  from  his  birtliplace,  May 
7,  1893.  Colonel  Lainou  married  a  Jaugliter  of 
Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan,  of  Springfield. 

LANARK,  a  city  in  Carroll  County.  19  mile.s  by 
rail  southwest  of  Freeport,  ami  7  miles  ea.st  of 
Mount  CarroU  Tlie  surrounding  country  is 
largely  devoted  to  grain-growing,  and  Lanark 
.  has  two  elevators  and  is  an  important  shipping- 
point.  Manufacturing  of  various  descriptions  is 
carried  on.  The  city  has  two  banks  (one  Na- 
tional and  one  State),  eight  churches,  a  graded 
and  high  school,  and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  1,198;  (1890),  1,295;  (1900),  1,306. 

LAXDES,  Silas  Z.,  e.\-Congres.sman,  was  born 
in  Augusta  County,  Va.,  May  15,  1843.  In  early 
youth  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  this  State  in  August,  1863.  and  lias 
been  in  active  practice  at  Mount  Carmel  since 
1864.  In  1872  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney 
for  Wabash  County,  was  re-elected  in  1876,  and 
again  in  1880.  He  represented  the  Sixteenth  Illi- 
nois District  in  Congre.ss  from  1885  to  1889,  being 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

LANDRIGAN,  John,  farmer  and  legislator,  was 
born  in  County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  in  1832,  and 
brought  to  America  at  one  year  of  age,  his 
parents  stopping  for  a  time  in  New  Jersey.  His 
early  life  was  spent  at  Liifayette,  Ind.  After 
completing  his  education  in  the  seminary  there, 
he  engaged  in  railroad  and  canal  contracting. 
Coining  to  Illinois  in  1858,  he  purcha.sed  a  farm 
near  Albion,  Edwar<ls  County,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  has  been  twice  elected  as  a 
Democrat  to  the  House  of  Representatives  (1868 
and  "74)  and  twice  to  the  State  Senate  (1870 
and  '96),  and  has  been,  for  over  twenty  years, 
a  member  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society — 
for  four  years  of  that  time  being  President 
of  the  Board,  and  some  sixteen  years  Vice-Presi- 
dent. 

LANE,  Albert  (irannis,  educator,  was  born  in 
Cook  County,  HI.,  >I:irch  15,  1841,  and  educated 
in  the  public  sclux>Ls,  graduating  with  the  first 
class  from  the  Chicago  High  School  in  1858.  He 
immediately  entered  upon  the  bu-siness  of  teach- 
ing as  Principal,  but,  in  1869,  was  elected  Sui>er- 
intendent  of  Schools  for  Cook  Count}'.  After 
three  years'  service  as  cashier  of  a  bank,  he  was 
elected  County  Superintendent,  a  second  time,  in 
1877,  and  regularly  every  four  years  thereafter 
until  1890.  In  1891  he  was  chosen  Sui>erintend- 
ent  of  Schools  for  the  city  of  Chicago,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  Sui)erin- 
tendeiit  Howland — a  position  which  he  continued 
to  fill  xintil  the  appointment  of  E.  B.  Andrews, 


Superintendent,  when  he  became  First  Assistant 
Superintendent. 

LAXE,  Edward,  ex-Congressman,  was  born  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  March  27,  1842,  and  became  a 
resident  of  Illint)is  at  the  age  of  16.  After  receiv- 
ing an  academic  education  he  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  bar  in  February, 
1865.  Since  then  he  has  been  a  successful  prac- 
titioner at  Hillsboro.  From  1869  to  1873  he  served 
as  County  Judge.  In  1886  he  was  the  successful 
Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  from  the 
Seventeenth  Illinois  District  and  re-elected  for 
three  successive  terms,  but  was  defeated  by 
Frederick  Reniann  (Republican)  in  1804,  and 
agiiin  by  AV.  F.  L.  Hadley,  at  a  special  election,  in 
1895.  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  Remann. 

LAXPHIER,  Charles  H.,  journalist,  was  born 
at  Ale.\andria,  Va.,  April  14,  1820;  from  4  years 
of  age  lived  in  Washington  City ;  in  18:!6  entered 
the  office  a.s  an  apprentice  of  "The  State  Regis- 
ter" at  Vandalia.  111.,  (then  owned  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  William  Walters).  Later,  the  paper  was 
removed  to  Springfield,  and  Walters,  having 
enlisted  for  the  Mexican  war  in  lH4fi.  died  at  St. 
Louis,  en  route  to  the  field.  Lanphier,  having 
thus  succeeded  to  the  management,  and,  finally, 
to  the  proprietorship  of  the  paper,  was  elected 
public  printer  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and,  in  1847,  took  into  partnership  George 
Walker,  who  acted  as  editor  until  1858.  Mr.  Lan- 
phier continued  the  publication  of  the  {taper  until 
1863,  and  then  sold  out.  During  the  war  he 
was  one  of  the  State  Board  of  Army  Auditors 
apjxiinted  by  Governor  Yates;  was  elected 
Circuit  Clerk  in  1864  and  re-elected  in  1868, 
and,  in  1872,  was  Democratic  candidate  for 
County  Treasurer  but  defeated  with  the  rest  of 
his  party. 

LARCOM,  Lucy,  author  and  teacher,  bom  at 
Beverly,  Ma.ss.,  in  1826;  attended  a  grammar 
school  and  worked  in  a  cotton  mill  at  Lowell, 
becoming  one  of  the  most  popular  contributors  to 
"The  Lowell  Offering,"  a  magazine  conducted  by 
the  factor}-  girls,  thereby  winning  the  acquaint- 
ance and  friendship  of  the  poet  Whittier.  In 
1846  she  came  to  Illinois  and,  for  three  years,  was 
a  student  at  Monticello  Female  Seminary,  near 
Alton,  meanwhile  teaching  at  intervals  in  the 
V  -cinity.  Returning  to  Massachu-setts  she  taught 
for  six  years;  in  1865  established  "Our  Young 
Folks,"  of  which  she  was  editor  until  1874.  Her 
books,  both  poetical  and  prose,  have  taken  a 
high  rank  for  their  elevated  literary  and  moral 
tone.     Died,  in  Boston,  April  17,  1893. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


329 


LARNED,  Edward  Channing,  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Providence,  R.  I.,  July  14,  1820;  graduated  at 
Brown  University  in  1840 ;  was  Professor  of  Matlie- 
niatics  one  year  in  Kemper  College,  Wis.,  then 
studied  law  and.  in  1847,  came  to  Chicago.  He 
was  an  earnest  opponent  of  slavery  and  gained 
considerable  deserved  celebrity  by  a  speech 
which  he  delivered  in  1851,  in  opposition  to  the 
fugitive  slave  law.  He  was  a  warm  friend  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  and,  in  18G0,  made  speeches  in 
his  support ;  was  an  active  member  of  the  Union 
Defense  Committee  of  Chicago  during  the  war, 
and,  in  1861,  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
United  States  District  Attorney  of  the  Northern 
District  of  Illinois,  but  compelled  to  resign  by 
failing  health.  Being  absent  in  Europe  at  the 
time  of  the  fire  of  1871,  he  returned  immediately 
and  devoted  his  attention  to  the  work  of  the 
Relief  and  Aid  Society.  Making  a  second  visit  to 
Europe  in  1872-73,  he  wrote  many  letters  for  the 
press,  also  doing  much  other  literary  work  in 
spite  of  declining  health.  Died  at  Lake  Forest, 
111.,  September,  1884. 

LA  SALLE,  a  city  in  La  Salle  County,  99  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago,  situated  on  the  Illinois 
River  at  southern  terminus  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  and  at  intersection  of  three 
trunk  lines  of  railroads.  Bituminous  coal 
abounds  and  is  extensively  mined ;  zinc  smelting 
and  the  manufacture  of  glass  and  hydraulic  and 
Portland  cement  are  leading  industries;  also  has 
a  large  ice  trade  with  the  South  annually.  It  is 
connected  witli  adjacent  towns  by  electric  rail- 
ways, and  witli  Peoria  by  daily  river  packets. 
Population  (1890),  9,855;  (1900),  10,446. 

LA  SALLE,  Reni  Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de, 
a  famous  explorer,  born  at  Rouen,  France,  in 
1643;  entered  the  Jesuit  order,  but  conceiving 
that  he  had  mistaken  his  vocation,  came  to 
America  in  1G6G.  He  obtained  a  grant  of  land 
about  the  Lachine  Rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
above  Montreal.  It  was  probably  his  intention 
to  settle  there  as  a  grand  seigneur;  but,  becoming 
interested  in  stories  told  him  by  some  Seneca 
Indians,  he  started  two  years  later  in  quest  of  a 
great  waterway,  which  he  believed  led  to  the 
South  Sea  (Pacific  Ocean)  and  afforded  a  short 
route  to  China.  He  passed  through  Lake  Ontario, 
and  is  believed  to  have  discovered  the  Ohio.  The 
claim  that  he  reached  the  Illinois  River  at  this 
time  has  been  questioned.  Having  re-visited 
France  in  1077  he  was  given  a  patent  of  nobility 
and  extensive  land-grants  in  Canada.  In  1079  he 
visited  the  Northwest  and  explored  the  great 
lakes,  finally  reaching  the  head  of  Lake  Michi- 


gan and  erecting  a  fort  near  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Joseph  River.  From  there  he  made  a  portage  to 
the  Illinois,  which  he  descended  early  in  1680  to 
Lake  Peoria,  wliere  he  began  the  erection  of  a 
fort  to  which,  in  consequence  of  the  misfortunes 
attending  the  expedition,  was  given  the  name  of 
Creve-Cceur,  Returning  from  here  to  Canada  for 
supplies,  in  the  following  fall  he  again  appeared 
in  Illinois,  but  found  his  fort  at  Lake  Peoria  a 
ruin  and  his  followers,  whom  he  had  left  there, 
gone.  Compelled  again  to  return  to  Canada,  in 
the  latter  part  of  1681  he  set  out  on  his  third 
expedition  to  Illinois,  and  making  the  portage  by 
way  of  the  Chicago  and  Des  Plaines  Rivers, 
reached  "Starved  Rock,"  near  the  present  city  of 
Ottawa,  where  his  lieutenant,  Tonty,  had  already 
begun  the  erection  of  a  fort.  In  1682,  accom- 
panied by  Tonty,  he  descended  the  Illinois  and 
Mississippi  Rivers,  reaching  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on 
April  9.  He  gave  the  region  the  name  of  Louisi- 
ana. In  1683  he  again  returned  to  France  and 
was  commissioned  to  found  a  colony  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi,  which  he  unsuccessfully 
attempted  to  do  in  1684,  the  expedition  finally 
landing  about  Matagorda  Bay  in  Texas.  After 
other  fruitless  attempts  (death  and  desertions 
having  seriously  reduced  the  number  of  his  colo- 
ni.sts),  while  attempting  to  reach  Canada,  he  was 
murdered  by  his  companions  near  Trinity  River 
in  the  present  State  of  Texas,  March  19,  1687. 
Another  theory  regarding  La  Salle's  ill-starred 
Texas  expedition  is,  that  he  intended  to  establish 
a  colony  west  of  the  Mississippi,  with  a  view  to 
contesting  with  the  Spaniards  for  the  possession 
of  that  region,  but  that  the  French  government 
failed  to  give  him  the  support  which  had  been 
promised,  leaving  him  to  his  fate. 

LA  SALLE  COrXXr,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
counties  in  the  northeastern  section,  being  second 
in  size  and  in  population  in  the  State  It  was 
organized  in  1831,  and  has  an  area  of  1,152  square 
miles;  population  (1900),  87,776.  The  history  of 
this  region  dates  back  to  1675,  when  Marquette 
established  a  mission  at  an  Indian  village  on  the 
Illinois  River  about  where  Utica  now  stands, 
eight  miles  west  of  Ottawa.  La  Salle  (for  whom 
the  county  is  named)  erected  a  fort  here  in  1682, 
which  was,  for  many  years,  the  headquarters  for 
French  missionaries  and  traders.  Later,  the 
Illinois  Indians  were  well-nigh  exterminated 
by  starvation,  at  the  same  point,  which  has  be- 
come famous  in  Western  history  as  "Starved 
Rock."  The  surface  of  the  county  is  undulat- 
ing and  slopes  toward  the  Illinois  River.  The 
soil  is  rich,  and  timber  abounds  on  the  bluffs  and 


330 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


along  the  streams.  Water  is  easily  procured. 
Four  beds  of  coal  underlie  tlie  entire  county,  and 
good  building  stone  is  (juarried  at  a  depth  of  150 
to  200  feet.  Excellent  hydraulic  cement  is  made 
from  the  calciferous  deposit,  Utica  being  espe- 
cially noted  for  this  industrj".  The  First  Ameri- 
can settlers  came  about  the  time  of  Captain  Long's 
survey  of  a  canal  route  (181G).  The  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal  was  located  by  a  joint  corps  of 
State  and  National  engineers  in  1830.  (See  Illi- 
nois &  Michigan  Canal.)  During  the  Black 
Hawk  War,  La  Salle  County  was  a  prominent 
base  of  military  operatif>ns. 

LATHROP,  William,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  (jenesee  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
17,  1825.  His  early  education  w;is  ac<iuired  in 
the  common  schools.  loiter  he  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  commencing  practice  in 
1851,  making  his  home  in  Central  New  York  until 
his  removal  to  Illinois.  In  1856  he  represented 
the  Eockford  District  in  the  lower  house  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and,  in  1870,  was  elected,  as  a 
Republican,  to  represent  the  (then)  Fourth  Illi- 
nois District  in  Congress. 

LA  VANTUM,  the  name  given,  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  .seventeenth  century,  to  the  principal 
village  of  the  Ilhnois  Indians,  situated  on  the 
Illinois  River,  near  the  present  town  of  Utica,  in 
La  Salle  County.     (See  Starved  Rock.) 

LAWLER,  Frank,  was  born  at  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  June  25,  1842.  His  first  active  occupation 
was  as  a  news-agent  on  railroads,  which  business 
he  followed  for  three  years.  lie  learned  the 
trade  of  a  shipcalker,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  Ship-Carpenters'  and  Ship- 
Calkers'  Association.  AVliile  yet  a  young  man  he 
settled  in  Chicago  and,  in  1809,  was  apjwinted  to 
a  clerical  position  in  the  postoffice  in  that  city ; 
later,  served  as  a  letter  carrier,  and  as  a  member 
of  the  City  Council  (1876-84).  In  1884  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  Second  District, 
which  he  represented  in  that  body  for  three  suc- 
cessive terms.  'While  serving  his  last  year  in 
Congress  (1890)  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  Sheriff  of  Cook 
County;  in  1893  was  an  unsuccessful  applicant 
for  the  Chicago  postmastersliip,  was  defeated  as 
an  Independent-Democrat  for  Congress  in  18ft4, 
but,  in  1895,  was  elected  Alderman  for  the  Nine- 
teenth Ward  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  Died,  Jan. 
17,  1896. 

LAWLER,  (Gen.)  Michael  K.,  soldier,  was 
born  in  County  Kildare.  Ireland,  Nov.  16,  1814, 
brought  to  the  United  States  in  1816.  and,  in  1819, 
to  Gallatin  Coimty,  111.,  where  his  father  began 


farming.  The  younger  Lawler  early  evinced  a 
military  taste  by  organizing  a  military  company 
in  1842,  of  wliich  he  served  as  Captain  three  or 
four  years.  In  1 840  he  organized  a  '-ompany  for  the 
Mexican  War,  which  was  attached  to  the  Third 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  (Colonel  Forman's), 
and,  at  the  end  of  its  term  of  enlistment,  raised 
a  company  of  cavalry,  with  which  he  served 
to  the  end  of  the  war — in  all,  seeing  two  and 
a  half  years'  service.  He  then  resumed  the 
peaceful  life  of  a  farmer;  but,  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  rebellion,  again  gave  i)roof  of  his  patri- 
otism by  recruiting  the  Eighteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry — the  first  regiment  organized  in 
the  Eighteenth  Congressional  District^K)f  which 
he  was  commissioned  Colonel,  entering  into  the 
three  years'  service  in  May,  1861.  His  regiment 
took  part  in  most  of  the  early  engagements  in 
Western  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  including  the 
capture  of  Fort  Donelson,  where  it  lost  heavily, 
Colonel  Lawler  himself  being  severelj'  wounded. 
Later,  he  was  in  command,  for  some  time,  at 
.Jackson,  Tenn.,  and,  in  November.  1802,  was  com- 
missioned Brigadier-General  "for  gallant  and 
meritorious  service."  He  was  also  an  active 
participant  in  the  operations  against  Vicksburg, 
and  was  thanked  on  the  field  by  tieneral  Grant 
for  liis  service  at  the  battle  of  Big  Black,  pro- 
nounced by  Charles  A.  Dana  (then  Assistant 
Secretarj-  of  War)  "one  of  the  most  splendid 
exploits  of  the  war."  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg 
he  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Jack.son,  Mi.ss.,  and 
in  the  campaigns  on  the  Teche  and  Red  River,  and 
in  Texas,  aLso  being  in  command,  for  six  months, 
at  Baton  Rouge,  La.  In  March;  1805,  he  was 
brevetted  Major-Genenil,  and  mustered  out, 
January,  1800,  after  a  service  of  four  years  and 
seven  months.  He  then  returned  to  his  Gallatin 
County  farm,  where  he  died,  July  26,  1882. 

LAWLER,  Thomas  G,,  soldier  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  was  bom  in  Liverpool,  Eng.,  April 
7,  1844;  was  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  parents 
in  childhootl,  and,  at  17  years  of  age,  enUsted 
in  the  Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteers,  serv- 
ing first  as  a  private,  then  as  Sergeant,  later 
being  elected  First  Lieutenant,  and  (although 
not  mustered  in,  for  two  months)  during  the 
Atlanta  campaign  being  in  command  of  his  com- 
pany, and  placed  on  the  roll  of  honor  by  order  of 
General  Rosecrans.  He  participated  in  every 
battle  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged,  and, 
at  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  was  the  first 
man  of  his  command  over  the  enemy's  works. 
After  the  war  he  became  prominent  as  an  oi£cer 


HISTOlilCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


331 


of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  organizing  the 
Rockford  Rifles,  in  18T6,  and  serving  as  Colonel  of 
the  Third  Regiment  for  seven  years;  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  at  Rockford  by  President 
Hayes,  but  removed  by  Cleveland  in  1885;  re- 
appointed by  Harrison  and  again  displaced  on  the 
accession  of  Cleveland.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  G.  L.  Nevius  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
which  he  served  as  Commander  twenty-six  years ; 
in  1883  was  elected  Department  Commander  for 
the  State  of  Illinois  and,  in  1894,  Commander-in- 
Chief,  serving  one  year. 

LAWRENCE,  Charles  B.,  jurist,  was  born  at 
Vergennes.  Vt.,  Dec.  17,  1820.  After  two  years 
spent  at  Middlebury  College,  he  enteredi  the 
junior  class  at  Union  College,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  1841.  He  devoted  two  years  to 
teaching  in  Alabama,  and  began  reading  law  at 
Cincinnati  in  1843,  completing  his  studies  at  St. 
Louis,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
began  practice  in  1844.  The  following  year  he 
removed  to  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  was  a  promi- 
nent practitioner  for  ten  years.  The  years 
1856-58  he  spent  in  foreign  travel,  with  the  pri- 
mary object  of  restoring  his  impaired  health.  On 
his  return  home  he  began  farming  in  Warren 
County,  with  the  same  end  in  view.  In  1861  he 
accepted  a  nomination  to  the  Circuit  Court  bench 
and  was  elected  without  opposition.  Before  the 
expiration  of  his  term,  in  1864,  he  was  elected  a 
Justice  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court  for  the 
Northern  Grand  Division,  and,  in  1870,  became 
Chief  Justice.  At  this  time  his  home  was  at 
Galesburg.  Failing  of  a  re-election  in  1873,  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  and  at  once  became  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  Cook  County  bar.  Altliough 
persistently  urged  by  personal  and  political 
friends,  to  permit  his  name  to  be  used  in  connec- 
tion with  a  vacancy  on  the  bench  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  he  steadfastly  declined. 
In  1877  he  received  the  votes  of  the  Republicans 
in  the  State  Legislature  for  United  States  Senator 
against  David  Davis,  who  was  elected.  Died,  at 
Decatur,  Ala.,  April  9,  1883. 

LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  one  of  the  eastern 
counties  in  the  "southern  tier,"  originally  a  part 
of  Edwards,  but  separated  from  the  latter  in 
1821,  and  named  for  Commodore  Lawrence.  In 
1900  its  area  was  360  square  miles,  and  its  popu- 
lation, 16,523.  The  first  English  speaking  settlers 
seem  to  have  emigrated  from  the  colony  at  Vin- 
cennes,  Ind.  St.  Francisville,  in  the  southeast- 
ern portion,  and  Allison  prairie,  in  the  northeast, 
were  favored  by  the  American  pioneers.  Settle- 
ment was  more  or  less  desultory  until  after  the 


War  of  1812.  Game  was  abundant  and  the  soil 
productive.  About  a  dozen  negro  families  found 
homes,  in  1819,  near  Lawrenceville.  and  a  Shaker 
colony  was  established  about  Charlottesville  the 
same  year.  Among  the  best  remembered  pio- 
neers are  the  families  of  Lautermann,  Chubb, 
Kincaid,  Buchanan  and  Laus — the  latter  having 
come  from  South  Carolina.  Toussaint  Dubois, 
a  Frenchman  and  father  of  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  State 
Auditor  (1857-64),  was  a  large  land  proprietor  at 
an  early  day,  and  his  liouse  was  first  utilized  as  a 
court  hou.se.  The  county  is  richer  in  historic 
associations  than  in  populous  towns.  Lawrence- 
ville, the  county-seat,  was  credited  with  86.5 
inhabitants  by  tlie  census  of  1890.  St.  Francis- 
ville and  Sumner  are  flouri.sliing  towns. 

LAWRENCEVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Law- 
rence County,  is  situated  on  the  Embarras  River, 
at  the  intersection  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwe.stern  and  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railways,  9  miles  west  of 
Vinoennes,  Ind.,  and  139  miles  east  of  St.  Louis. 
It  has  a  courthouse,  four,  churches,  a  graded 
school  and  two  weekly  newspapers.  Population 
(1890),  865;    (1900),  1.3U0;  (1903,  est.),  1,600. 

LAWSON,  Victor  F.,  journalist  and  newspaper 
proprietor,  was  born  in  Chicago,  of  Scandinavian 
parentage,  Sept  9,  1850.  After  graduating  at  the 
Chicago  High  School,  he  prosecuted  his  studies 
at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Mass.,  and  at 
Harvard  University.  In  August,  1876,  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  "The  Chicago  Daily  News," 
being  for  some  time  a  partner  of  Melville  E. 
Stone,  but  became  sole  proprietor  in  1888,  pub- 
lishing morning  and  evening  editions.  He 
reduced  the  price  of  the  morning  edition  to  one 
cent,  and  changed  its  name  to  "The  Chicago 
Record."  He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  the  cause  of  popular  education,  and,  in  1888, 
established  a  fund  to  provide  for  the  distribution 
of  medals  among  public  .school  children  of  Chi- 
cago, the  award  to  be  made  upon  the  basis  of 
comparative  excellence  in  the  preparation  of 
es.says  upon  topics  connected  with  American 
history. 

LEBANON,  a  city  in  St.  Clair  County,  situated 
on  Silver  Creek,  and  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwestern  Railroad,  11  miles  northeast  of 
Belleville  and  24  miles  east  of  St.  Louis;  is  lo- 
cated in  an  agricultural  and  coal-mining  region. 
Its  manufacturing  interests  are  limited,  a  flour- 
ing mill  being  the  chief  industry  of  this  charac- 
ter. The  city  has  electric  lights  and  electric 
trolley  line  connecting  with  Belleville  and  St. 
Louis;    also  has  a  bank,   eight    churches,    two 


332 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


newspapers  and  is  an  important  educational  cen- 
ter, being  the  seat  of  McKendree  College,  founded 
in  1828.     Population  (1890),  l.Oafi:  (1900),  1.812. 

LEE  COUXTY,  one  of  the  third  tier  of  counties 
south  of  the  Wisconsin  State  line,  named  for 
Richard  Henry  Lee  of  Revolutionary  fame ;  area, 
740  square  miles;  population  (1900),  29,894.  It 
was  cut  off  from  Ogle  County,  and  separately 
organized  in  1839.  In  1840  the  population  was 
but  little  over  2,000.  Charles  F.  IngaLs,  Nathan 
R.  Whitney  and  James  P,  Dixon  were  the  first 
Countj--Commissioners.  Agriculture  is  the  prin- 
cipal pursuit,  although  stone  quarries  are  found 
here  and  tliere,  notably  at  Ashton.  Tlie  county- 
seat  is  Dixon,  where,  in  1828.  one  Ogee,  a  half- 
breed,  built  a  cabin  and  established  a  ferry  across 
the  Rock  River,  In  1830,  John  Dixon,  of  New 
York,  purchased  Ogee's  interest  for  SI, 800.  Set- 
tlement and  progress  were  greatly  retarded  by 
the  Black  Hawk  War,  but  immigration  fairly  set 
in  in  1838.  The  first  court  house  was  built  in 
1840,  and  the  same  year  the  United  .States  Land 
Office  was  removed  from  Galena  to  Dixon,  Colo., 
John  Dement,  an  early  pioneer,  being  appointed 
Receiver.  Dixon  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in 
1859.  and.  in  1900.  had  a  population  of  7,917. 

LEGISLATIVE  APPORTIOX.'WEXT.  (See 
Apportionment.  Legislative.) 

LEGISLATURE.     (See  General  Assemblies.) 

LELAM),  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on  the 
Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway,  29  miles 
soutliwest  of  Aurora.     Population  (1900),  634. 

LELAM),  Ednin  S.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
born  at  Dennysville,  Me  ,  August  28,  1812,  and 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Dedliam,  Mass.,  in  1834. 
In  1835  he  removed  to  Ottawa,  111.,  and,  in  1839, 
to  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  where  he  practiced  for 
four  j-ears.  Returning  to  Ottawa  in  1843,  he 
rapidly  rose  in  his  profession,  until,  in  1852,  he 
was  elected  to  the  Circuit  Court  tench  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Judge  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  who 
had  resigned.  In  1866  Governor  Oglesby  ap- 
pointed him  Circuit  Judge  to  fill  the  vmexpired 
term  of  Judge  HoUister.  He  was  elected  by 
popular  vote  in  1867,  and  re-elected  in  1873,  being 
assigned  to  the  Appellate  Court  of  the  Second 
District  in  1877.  He  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  genesis  of  the  Republican  party,  whose 
tenets  he  zealously  championed.  He  was  also 
prominent  in  local  affairs,  having  teen  elected 
the  first  Republican  Mayor  of  Ottawa  (1856), 
President  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  County 
Treasurer.     Died.  June.  24.  1889. 

LEMEN,  James,  Sr.,  pioneer,  was  tern  in  Berk- 
eley County,  Va..  Nov.  20,  1760;  served  as  a  soldier 


in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  teing  present  at 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  in  1781 ; 
in  1786  came  to  Illinois,  settling  at  the  village  of 
New  Design,  near  the  present  site  of  Waterloo,  in 
Monroe  County.  He  was  a  man  of  enterprise 
and  sterling  integrity,  and  ultimately  became  the 
head  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
families  in  Southern  Illinois.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  person  admitted  to  the  Baptist 
Church  by  immersion  in  Illinois,  finalh'  becoming 
a  minister  of  that  denomination.  Of  a  familj-  of 
eight  children,  four  of  his  sons  became  ministers. 
Mr.  Lemen's  prominence  was  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  ai)proached  by  .\aron  Burr,  with 
offers  of  large  rewards  for  his  influence  in  found- 
ing that  ambitious  schemer's  projected  South- 
western Empire,  but  the  proposals  were 
indignantly  rejected  and  the  scheme  denounced. 
Died,  at  Waterloo,  Jan.  8,  1822.— Robert  (Lemen), 
oldest  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Berkeley 
County,  \'a. ,  Sept.  25,  1783;  came  with  his  father 
to  Illinois,  and,  after  his  marriage,  settled  in  St. 
Clair  County.  He  held  a  commission  as  magis- 
trate and,  for  a  time,  was  L'nited  States  Marshal 
for  Illinois  under  the  administration  of  John 
Quincy  Adams.  Died  in  Ridge  Prairie,  St.  Clair 
County,  August  24,  I860.— Rev.  Joseph  (Lemen), 
the  second  son,  was  tern  in  Berkeley  County, 
Va.,  Sept.  8,  1785,  brought  to  Illinois  in  1786,  and, 
on  reaching  manhood,  married  Mary  Kinney,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  AVilliam  Kinney,  who  after- 
wards tecame  Lieutenant-Governor  of  tlie  State. 
Joseph  Lemen  settled  in  Ridge  Prairie,  in  the 
nortliern  part  of  St.  Clair  County,  and  for  many 
years  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  Bethel  Baptist 
clmrch.  which  had  teen  founded  in  1809  on  the 
principle  of  opposition  to  human  slavery.  His 
death  occurred  at  his  home,  June  29,  1861. — Rey. 
James  (Lemen),  Jr.,  the  third  son,  was  tern  in 
Monroe  County,  lU.,  Oct.  8,  1787;  early  united 
with  the  Baptist  Church  and  tecame  a  minister 
— assisting  in  the  ordination  of  his  father,  whose 
sketch  stands  at  the  head  of  this  article.  He 
served  as  a  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County  in  the 
first  State  Constitutional  Convention  (1818).  and  as 
Senator  in  the  Second,  Fourth  and  Fifth  General 
Assemblies.  He  also  preached  extensively  in 
Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Kentucky,  and  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  many  churches,  although  his 
laters  were  chiefly  within  his  own.  Mr.  Lemen 
was  the  second  child  of  American  parents  tern  in 
Illinois — Enoch  Moore  teing  the  first.  Died, 
Feb.  8,  1870. — William  (Lemen),  the  fourth  son, 
tern  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  in  1791;  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.     Died  in  Monroe 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


333 


County,  in  1857.— Rev.  Jo»iah  (Lemen),  the 
fifth  son,  born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  August  15, 
1794,  ^vas  a  Baptist  preacher.  Died  near  Du- 
quoin,  July  11,  1867. — Rev.  Moses  (Lemen),  the 
sixth  son,  born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  in  1797; 
became  a  Baptist  minister  early  in  life,  served  as 
Representative  in  the  Sixtli  General  Assembly 
(1828-30)  for  Monroe  County.  Died,  in  Montgom- 
ery County,  111.,  March  5,  1859. 

LEMONT,  a  city  in  Cook  County,  25  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago,  on  the  Des  Plaines  River 
anil  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  A  thick 
vein  of  Silurian  limestone  (Athens  marble)  is 
extensively  quarried  here,  con.stituting  the  chief 
industry.  Owing  to  the  number  of  industrial 
enterprises,  Lemont  is  at  times  the  temporary 
home  of  a  large  number  of  workmen.  The  city 
has  a  bank,  electric  lights,  six  churches,  two 
papers,  five  public  and  four  private  schools,  one 
business  college,  aluminum  and  concrete  works. 
Population  of  the  township  (1890),  5,539;  (1900), 
4,441. 

LE  MOYJfE,  John  V.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  in  1828,  and 
graduated  from  Wasliington  College,  Pa.,  in 
1847.  He  studied  law  at  Pittsburg,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852.  He  at  once  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  continued  a  permanent 
resident  and  active  practitioner.  In  1872  he  was 
a  candidate  for  Congress  on  the  Liberal  Repub- 
lican ticket,  but  was  defeated  by  Charles  B.  Far- 
well,  Republican.  In  1874  he  was  again  a 
candidate  against  Mr.  Farwell.  Both  claimed 
the  election,  and  a  contest  ensued  which  was 
decided  bj-  the  House  in  favor  of  Jlr.  Le  Moyne. 

LEN.V,  a  village  in  Stephenson  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  13  miles  northwest  of 
Freeport  and  38  miles  east  of  Galena.  It  is  in  a 
farming  and  dairying  district,  but  has  some 
manufactures,  the  making  of  caskets  being  the 
principal  industry  in  this  line.  There  are  six 
churches,  two  iianks,  and  two  newspapers.  Pop- 
ulation (1890),  1,270;  (1900),  1,252. 

LEONARD,  Edward  P.,  Railway  President, 
was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1836 ;  graduated  from 
Union  College,  N.  Y.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1858;  served  for 
several  years  as  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  State 
Auditor,  was  afterwards  connected  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  "St.  Louis  Short  Line"  (now  a 
part  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway),  and  was 
private  secretary  of  Governor  Cullom  tluring  his 
first  term.  For  several  years  he  has  been  Presi- 
dent of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railroad, 
with  headquarters  at  Peoria. 


LEROT,  a  city  in  McLean  Count}-,  15  miles 
southwest  of  Bloomington;  has  two  banks,  sev- 
eral churches,  a  graded  .school  and  a  plow  factory. 
Two  weekly  papers  are  published  there.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  1,068;  (1890),  1.2."")8;  (1900),  1,639. 

LEVER l,TT,  Washington  and  Warren,  edu- 
cators and  twin-brothers,  whose  careers  were 
strikingly  similar;  born  at  Brookline,  Mass.,  Dec. 
19,  1805,  and  passed  their  boyhood  on  a  farm ;  in 
1837  began  a  preparatory  course  of  study  under 
an  elder  brother  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  entered 
Brown  University  as  freshmen,  the  next  year,  and 
graduated  in  1832.  Warren,  being  in  bad  health, 
spent  the  following  winter  in  South  Carolina, 
afterwards  engaging  in  teaching,  for  a  time,  and 
in  study  in  Newton  Theological  Seminary,  while 
Washington  served  as  tutor  two  years  in  his 
Alma  Mater  and  in  Columbian  College  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  then  took  a  course  at  Newton, 
graduating  there  in  1836.  The  same  year  he 
accepted  the  chair  of  Mathematics  in  Shurtleff 
College  at  Upper  Alton,  remaining,  with  slight 
interruption,  until  1808.  Warren,  after  suffering 
from  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  same  west  in  the 
fall  of  1837,  and,  after  teaching  for  a  few  months 
at  Greenville,  Bond  County,  in  1839  joined  his 
brother  at  Shurtleff  College  as  Principal  of  the 
preparatory  department,  subsequently  being 
advanced  to  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages, 
which  he  continued  to  occupy  until  June,  1868, 
when  he  retired  in  the  same  year  with  his  brother. 
After  resigning  he  established  himself  in  the  book 
business,  which  was  continued  until  his  death, 
Nov.  8,  1872.  Washmgton,  the  surviving  brother, 
continued  to  be  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  Shurtleff  College,  and  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  Librarian  and  Treasurer  of  the  institu- 
tion.    Died,  Dec.  13,  1889. 

LEWIS  INSTITUTE,  an  educational  institu- 
tion based  upon  a  bequest  of  Allen  C.  Lewis,  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  established  in  1895.  It  main- 
tains departments  in  law,  the  classics,  prepara- 
tory studies  and  manual  training,  and  owns 
property  valued  at  §1,600,000,  with  funds  and 
endowment  amounting  to  $1,100,000.  No  report 
is  made  of  the  number  of  pupils. 

LEWIS,  John  H.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  July  21,  1830. 
When  six  years  old  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Knox  County,  111.,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools,  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1860.  The  .same  year  he  was  elected  Clerk 
of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Knox  County.  In  1874  he 
was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
As.sembly,  and,  in  1880,  was  the  successful  Repub- 


334 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


lican  candidate  for  Congress  from  the  old  Ninth 
District.  In  1883,  he  was  a  candidate  for  re- 
election from  the  same  district  (then  the  Tenth), 
but  was  defeated  by  Nicholas  E.  Worthington, 
his  Democratic  opponent. 

LEWISTOWN,  the  county-seat  of  Fulton 
County,  located  on  two  lines  of  railway,  fifty 
miles  southwest  of  Peoria  and  sixty  miles  north- 
west of  Springfield.  It  contains  Hour  and  s;vw- 
iiiills,  carriage  and  wagon,  can-making, 
duplex-scales  and  evener  factories,  six  churches 
and  four  newspapers,  one  issuing  a  daily  edition; 
also  excellent  public  schools.  Population  (1880), 
1.771;  (1890),  2,16U;  (1900),  2,504, 

LF,XIXGTO>',a  city  in  McLean  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  110  miles  south  of 
Chicago  and  16  miles  northeast  of  Bloomington. 
The  surrounding  region  is  agricultural  and  stock- 
raising,  and  the  town  has  a  flourishing  trade  in 
horses  and  other  live-stock.  Tile  is  manufac- 
tured here,  and  the  town  has  two  banks,  five 
churches,  a  high  scliool  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers.    Population  (1800),  1,187;  (1900),  1,415. 

LIHERTYVILLE,  a  village  of  Lake  County,  on 
the  main  line  of  the  Chicago  &  MadLson  Division 
of  tlie  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway, 
35  miles  north-northwest  of  Chicago.  The  region 
is  agricultural.  The  town  has  some  manufac- 
tures, two  banks  and  a  weekly  paper.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  550;  (1900),  864. 

LIBRARIES.  (Statistical.)— A  report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  for  189.5-96,  on  the 
subject  of  "Public,  Society  and  .School  Libraries 
in  the  United  States,"  presents  some  approximate 
statistics  of  libraries  in  the  several  States,  based 
upon  the  reports  of  librarians,  so  far  as  they 
could  be  obtained  in  reply  to  inquiries  sent  out 
from  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  AViishington. 
As  shown  by  the  statistical  tables  embodied  in 
this  report,  there  were  348  libraries  in  Illinois 
reporting  300  volumes  and  over,  of  which  134 
belonged  to  the  smallest  class  noted, or  those  con- 
taining less  than  1.000  volumes.  The  remaining 
214  were  divided  into  the  following  classes: 

Containing  300,000  and  less  than  500, 000  volumes  1 

100,000  '•  "  300,000  "  2 

50,000  "  "  100,000  "  1 

"          25,000  "  "  50,000  "  5 

10,000  "  "  25.000  "  27 

"            5,000  "  "  10,000  "  34 

1,000  "  "  5,000  "  144 

A  general  classification  of  libraries  of  1,000 
volumes  and  over,  as  to  character,  divides  them 
into,  General,  91 ;  School.  36 ;  College,  43 ;  College 
Society,  7;  Law,  3;  Theological,  7;  State,  2;  Asy- 


lum and  Reformatory,  4 ;  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  2;  Scientific,  6;  Historical,  3;  Soci- 
ety, 8;  Mcilical,  Odd  Fellows  and  Social.  1  each. 
The  total  number  of  volumes  belonging  to  the 
class  of  1.000  volumes  and  over  was  1,822,580  with 
447,168  pamphlets;  and,  of  the  class  between  300 
and  1,000  volumes,  66,992 — making  a  grand  total  of 
1,889,572  volumes.  The  library  Ijelonging  to  the 
largest  (or  300,000)  class,  is  that  of  the  University 
of  Chicago,  reporting  305,000  volumes,  with 
180,000  pamphlets,  wliile  the  Chicago  Public 
Library  and  the  Newberry  Library  belong  to  tlie 
second  class,  l-ejKjrting,  respectively,  217,065  vol- 
umes with  42,000  pamphlets,  and  135,344  volumes 
and  35.654  pamphlets.  (The  report  of  the  Clii- 
cago  Public  Library  for  1898  shows  a  total,  for 
that  year,  of  235,385  volumes  and  44,069  pam- 
phlet-s.) 

As  to  sources  of  support  or  method  of  adminis- 
tration, 42  of  the  class  reporting  1,000  volumes 
and  over,  are  supjxirted  by  taxation ;  27,  by  appro- 
priations by  State,  County  or  City;  20,  from 
endowment  funds;  54.  from  memljership  fees  and 
dues;  10.  from  book-rents;  26.  from  donations, 
leaving  53  to  be  supported  from  sources  not 
stated.  The  total  income  of  131  reporting  on  this 
subject  is  $787,262;  the  aggregate  endowment 
of  17  of  this  cL-uss  is  S2.283.197,  and  the  value  of 
buildings  belonging  to  36  is  estimated  at  S2,98l,- 
575.  Of  the  214  libraries  reporting  1,000  volumes 
and  over,  88  are  free,  28  are  reference,  and  158 
are  both  circulating  and  reference. 

The  free  public  libraries  in  the  State  containing 
3,000  volumes  and  over,  in  1896,  amounted  to  39. 
The  following  list  includes  those  of  this  class  con- 
taining 10,000  volumes  and  over: 

Chicago.  Public  Library       .      .       (1896)  217.065 

Peoria.  "  " 57.604 

Springfield,  "  " 28.639 

Rockford.      "  " 28.000 

Quincv,         "  "    and  Reading  Room  19,400 

Galesburg     "  " 18.4t9 

Elgin,  Gail  Borden  Public  Librarj-        .     .  17,(H)0 

Bloomington.  Withers  "         "  ...  16.068 

Evanston,  Free  "         "  ...  15,515 

Decatur,        "  "        "         .     .     .  14.766 

Belleville,  "         "  ...  14.511 

Aurora,  "         "  ...  14.3.50 

Rock  Island,  "         "  ...  12.634 

JoUet,  "         "  ...  22,325 

The  John  Crerar  Library  (a  scientific  reference 
library) — established  in  the  City  of  Chicago  in 
1894.  on  the  basis  of  a  bequest  of  the  late  John 
Crerar,  estimated  as  amounting  to  fully  $3,000.- 
000 — is  rapidly  adding  to  its  resources,  having, 
in  the  four  years  of  its  history,  acquired  over 
40,000  volumes.     With  its  princely  endowment. 


•HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


335 


it  is  destined,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  to  be 
reckoned  o'ne  of  the  leading  libraries  of  its  class 
in  the  United  States,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most 
modern  and  carefully  selected. 

The  Newberry  and  Chicago  Historical  Society 
Libraries  fill  an  important  place  for  reference  pur- 
poses, especially  on  historical  subjects.  A  tardy 
beginning  has  been  made  in  building  up  a  State 
Historical  Library  in  Springfield ;  but,  owing  to 
the  indifference  of  the  Legislature  and  the  meager 
support  it  has  received,  the  State  which  was,  for 
nearly  a  hundred  years,  the  theater  of  the  most 
important  events  in  the  development  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  has,  as  yet,  scarcely  accomplished 
anything  worthy  of  its  name  in  collecting  and 
preserving  the  records  of  its  own  history. 

In  point  of  historical  origin,  next  to  the  Illinois 
State  Library,  which  dates  from  the  admission 
of  the  State  into  the  Union  in  1818,  the  olde.st 
library  in  the  State  is  that  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary,  which  is  set  down  as  hav- 
ing had  its  origin  in  182.5,  though  this  occurred 
in  another  State.  The  early  State  College  Li- 
braries follow  next  in  chronological  order:  Shurt- 
leff  College,  at  Upper  Alton,  1837 ;  Illinois  College, 
at  Jacksonville,  1829;  McKendree  College,  at 
Lebanon,  1834 ;  Rockford  College,  1849 ;  Lombard 
University,  at  Galesburg,  18.52.  In  most  cases, 
however,  these  are  simply  the  dates  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  institution,  or  the  period  at  which 
instruction  began  to  be  given  in  the  school  which 
finally  developed  into  the  college. 

The  school  library  is  constantly  becoming  a 
more  important  factor  in  the  liberal  education  of 
the  youth  of  the  State.  Adding  to  this  the  "Illi- 
nois Pupils'  Reading  Circle,"  organized  by  the 
State  Teachers'  Association  some  ten  years  ago, 
but  still  in  the  experimental  stage,  and  the  sys- 
tem of  "traveling libraries,"  set  on  foot  at  a  later 
period,  there  is  a  constant  tendency  to  enlarge 
the  range  of  popular  reading  and  bring  the  public 
library,  in  some  of  its  various  forms,  within  the 
reach  of  a  larger  class. 

The  Free  Public  Library  'Law  of  Illinois. 
— The  following  history  and  analysis  of  the  Free 
Public  Library  Law  of  Illinois  is  contributed,  for 
the  "Historical  Encyclopedia,"  by  E.  S.  Willcoi, 
Librarian  of  the  Peoria  Public  Library: 

The  Library  Law  passed  by  the  Legislature 
of  Illinois  in  1872  was  the  first  broadly  planned, 
comprehensive  and  complete  Free  Public  Li- 
brary Law  placed  on  the  statute  book  of  any 
State  in  the  Union.  It  is  true,  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1849,  and  Massacliusetts.  in  1851, 
had  taken  steps  in  this  direction,  with  three  or 
four  brief  sections  of  laws,  permissive  in  their 


character  rather  than  directive,  but  lacking  the 
vitalizing  qualities  of  our  Illinois  law,  in  that 
they  provided  no  sufficiently  specific  working 
method — no  sailing  directions — for  starting  and 
administering  such  free  public  libraries.  They 
seem  to  have  had  no  influence  on  subsequent 
library  legislation,  while,  to  quote  the  language 
of  Mr.  Fletcher  in  his  "Public  Libraries  in 
America,"  "the  wisdom  of  the  Illinois  law,  in  this 
regard,  is  probably  the  reason  why  it  has  been  so 
widely  copied  in  other  States." 

By  this  law  of  1872  Illinois  placed  herself  at  the 
head  of  her  sister  States  in  encouraging  the 
spread  of  general  intelligence  among  the  people; 
but  it  is  also  a  record  to  be  equally  proud  of,  that, 
within  less  than  five  years  after  her  admission  to 
the  Union,  Dec.  3,  1818 — that  is,  at  the  first  ses- 
sion of  her  Third  General  Assembly — a  general 
Act  was  passed  and  approved,  Jan.  31,  1823, 
entitled :  "An  act  to  incorporate  such  persons  as 
may  associate  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  and 
erecting  public  libraries  in  this  State,"  with  the 
following  preamble' 

"Whereas,  a  disposition  for  imiirovement  In  useful 
knowledue  has  manifested  itself  in  various  parts  of  tliis 
State,  by  associating  for  procuriiii;  and  erecting  public 
libraries;  and.  whereas,  it  Is  of  tin-  utmost  importance  to 
the  public  that  the  sources  of  informatiim  should  be  niulti- 
lilied.  and  institutions  for  that  purpose  encouraged  and  pro- 
moted: »Sec.  1.  Be  it  enacted,"  etc. 

Then  follow  ten  sections,  covering  five  and  a 
half  pages  of  the  published  laws  of  that  session, 
giving  explicit  directions  as  to  the  organizing 
and  maintaining  of  such  Associations,  with  pro- 
visions as  enlightened  and  liberal  as  we  could  ask 
for  to-day.  The  libraries  contemplated  in  this  act 
are,  of  course,  subscription  libraries,  the  only 
kind  known  at  that  time,  free  public  libraries 
supported  by  taxation  not  having  come  into 
vogue  in  that  earl}'  day. 

It  is  the  one  vivifying  quality  of  the  Illinois 
law  of  1872,  that  it  showed  how  to  start  a  free 
public  library,  how  to  manage  it  when  started 
and  how  to  provide  it  with  the  necessary  funds. 
It  furnished  a  full  and  minute  set  of  sailing 
directions  for  the  ship  it  launched,  and,  moreover, 
was  not  loaded  down  with  useless  limitations. 

With  a  few  exceptions — notably  the  Boston 
Public  Library,  working  under  a  special  charter, 
and  an  occasional  endowed  library,  like  the  Astor 
Library — all  public  libraries  in  those  days  were 
subscription  libraries,  like  the  great  Mercantile 
Libraries  of  New  York,  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati, 
with  dues  of  from  S3  to  §10  from  each  member 
per  year.  With  dues  at  S4  a  year,  our  Peoria 
Mercantile  Library,  at  its  best,  never  had  oyer 
286  members  in  any  one  year.  Compare  this  with 
our  present  public  membership  of  6,500,  and  it 
will  be  seen  that  some  kind  of  a  free  public 
library  law  was  needed.  That  was  the  conclu- 
sion I,  as  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Peoria  Mer- 
cantile Library,  came  to  in  1869.  We  had  tried 
every  expedient  for  years,  in  the  way  of  lecture 
courses,  concerts,  spelling  matches,  "Drummer 
Boy  of  Shiloh,"  and  begging,  to  increase  our 
membership  and  revenue.  So  far.  and  no  farther, 
seemed  to  be  the  rule  with  all  subscription 
libraries.  They  did  not  reach  the  masses  who 
needed  them  most.     And,  for  this  manifest  rea- 


33o 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


son ;  the  necessary  cost  of  annual  dues  stood  in 
the  way ;  the  women  and  young  people  who 
wanted  soinetliing  to  read,  wlio  thirsted  for 
knowledge,  and  who  are  the  principal  patrons  of 
the  free  publico  library  to-day,  did  not  hold  the 
family  purse-strings,  while  the  men,  who  did 
hold  the  purse-strings,  did  not  j)artiouIarly  care 
for  books. 

It  was  my  experience,  derived  as  a  Director  in 
the  Peoria  Slercantile  Library  when  it  was  still  a 
small,  struggling  subscription  library,  that  sug- 
gested the  need  of  a  State  law  authorizing  cities 
and  towns  to  tax  themselves  for  the  support  of 
public  libraries,  as  tliey  already  did  for  the  sup- 
port of  pul>lic  schools.  When,  in  1870,  I 
submitted  the  plan  to  some  of  my  friends,  they 
pronounced  it  (Quixotic — the  people  would  never 
consent  to  pay  taxes  for  libraries.  To  which  I 
replied,  that,  until  sometime  in  the  '50"s,  we 
had  IK)  free  public  schools  in  this  State. 

1  then  drew  up  tlie  form  of  a  law,  substantially 
as  it  now  stands;  and,  after  submitting  it  to 
Justin  Win.sor,  then  of  the  Boston  I'ublic  Li- 
brary; William  F.  Poole,  then  in  Cincinnati,  and 
William  T.  Harris,  then  in  St.  Louis,  I  placed  it 
in  the  hands  of  my  friend,  Mr.  Samuel  Caldwell, 
in  I)eceml)er,  1870,  who  took  it  with  him  to 
Springfield,  promising  to  do  what  he  could  to  get 
it  througli  the  Legislature,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  from  Peoria.  The  bill  wiis  introduced 
by  Mr.  Caldwell,  March  23,  1871,  as  House  bill 
No.  .563,  and  as  House  bill  No.  563  it  linally 
received  the  Governor's  signature  and  became  a 
law,  March  7,  1872, 

The  essential  features  of  our  Illinois  law  are: 

/.  Tlte  pou-i'r  of  initiative  in  starting  a  free 
})ublic  library  lies  in  the  City  Council,  and  not  in 
an  appeal  to  the  voters  of  the  city  at  a  general 
election. 

It  is  a  weak  point  in  the  English  public  libra- 
ries act  that  this  initiative  is  left  to  the  electors  or 
voters  of  a  city,  and.  in  several  London  and  pro- 
vincial districts,  the  proposed  law  has  been 
repeatedly  voted  down  by  the  verj-  people  it  was 
most  calculated  to  beneifit,  from  fear  of  a  little 
extra  taxation. 

//.  The  amount  of  tax  to  be  levied  is  permissive, 
not  mandatory. 

We  can  trust  to  the  public  spirit  of  our  city 
authorities,  supported  by  an  intelligent  public 
sentiment,  to  provide  for  the  library  needs.  A 
mandatory  law,  requiring  the  levying  of  a  certain 
fixed  percentage  of  the  city's  total  assessment, 
might  invite  extravagance,  as  it  has  in  several 
instances  where  a  mandatory  law  is  in  force. 

///,  The  LUtrary  Hoard  has  exclusive  control  of 
library  appropriations. 

This  is  to  be  interpreted  that  Public  Library 
Boards  are  separate  and  distinct  departments  of 
the  city  administration;  and  experience  has 
shown  that  they  are  as  capable  and  honest  in 
liandling  money  as  School  Boards  or  City 
Councils. 

JV.  Library  Boards  consist  of  nine  members  to 
serve  for  three  years. 

V.  The  meml)ers  of  the  Board  are  appointed  by 
the  Mayor.  .nd>ject  to  the  approval  of  the  City 
Council,  from  the  citizens  at  large  with  reference 
to  their  fitness  for  such  office. 


VI.  An  annual  report  is  to  be  made  by  the 
Board  to  the  City  Council,  stating  the  co)idition 
of  their  trust  on  the  first  day  of  June  of  each 
year. 

Tliis,  with  slight  modifications  adapting  it  to 
villages,  towns  ami  townships,  is,  in  substance, 
the  Free  Public  Library  Law  of  Illinois.  Under 
its  beneficent  operation  ilourisliing  free  public 
libraries  have  been  estabUslied  in  the  principal 
(•ities  and  towns  of  our  State — slowly,  at  first, 
but,  of  late  years,  more  rapidly  as  their  usefulness 
has  become  apparent. 

No  argument  is  now  needed  to  show  the  im- 
portance— the  im|)ei-ative  necessity — of  tlie  widest 
possible  dillusion  of  intelligence  among  the  jjeople 
of  a  free  State.  Knowledge  and  ignorance — the 
one  means  civilization,  the  other,  barbarism. 
Give  a  man  the  taste  for  g<xid  books  and  the 
means  of  gratifying  it,  and  you  can  hardly  fail  of 
making  him  a  better,  happier  man  and  a  wiser 
citizen.  You  place  him  in  contact  with  the  best 
society  in  every  period  of  history;  you  set  before 
him  nobler  examples  to  imitate  and  safer  |)aths 
to  follow. 

AVe  have  no  way  of  foretelling  how  many  and 
liow  great  lienefits  will  accrue  to  society  and  the 
State,  in  the  future,  from  the  comparatively 
modern  introduction  of  the  free  public  library 
into  our  educational  system;  but  when  some 
youthful  Abraham  Lincoln,  poring  over  ^sop's 
Fables,  Weems'  Life  of  Washington  and  a  L'nited 
States  History,  by  the  flickering  light  of  a  pine- 
knot  in  a  log-cabin,  ri.ses  at  length  to  be  the  hope 
and  bulwark  of  a  nation,  then  we  learn  what  the 
world  may  owe  to  a  taste  for  books.  In  the  gen- 
eral spread  of  intelligence  through  our  free 
schools,  our  free  pre.ss  and  our  free  lil)raries,  lies 
our  only  hope  that  our  free  American  institutions 
shall  not  decay  and  perish  from  the  earth. 

"  KnowledRe  Is  the  only  Rood,  Ignorance  the  ODly  evlL" 
"  I.et  knowledge  grow  from  more  to  more." 

LIECTEXAM-GOTERNORS    OF    ILLINOIS. 

The  office  of  Lieutenant-Governor,  created  by  the 
Constitution  of  1818,  has  been  retained  in  each  of 
the  subsefjuent  Constitutions,  being  elective  by 
the  people  at  the  same  time  with  that  of  Gov- 
ernor. The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governors  of  the  State,  from  the  date  of  its 
adinission  into  the  L'nion  to  the  pre.sent  time 
(1899),  with  the  date  and  length  of  each  incum- 
bent's term:  Pierre  Menard,  1818-22;  Adolphus 
Frederick  Hubbard,  1822-26;  William  Kinney, 
1826-30;  Zadoc  Casey,  1830  33;  William  Lee  D. 
Ewing  (succeeded  to  the  office  as  President  of  the 
Senate),  1833-34;  Alexander  M.  Jenkins.  1834-36; 
William  H.  David.son  (as  President  of  the 
Senate),  1836-38;  Stinson  H.  Andei-son,  1838-42; 
John  Moore,  184'2-46;  Joseph  B.  Wells,  1846-49; 
AVilUam  McMurtry,  1849-,53;  Gustavus  Koerner, 
1853-57;  John  AVood,  1857-60;  Tliomas  A.  Mar- 
shall (as  President  of  the  Senate),  Jan.  7-14,  1861 ; 
Francis  A.  Hoffman,  1861-65;  William  Bross, 
1865-69;     John     Dougherty,    1869-73;    John    L. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


337 


Beveridge,  Jan.  13-23,  1873;  John  Early  (as 
President  of  the  Senate),  1873-75;  Archibald  A. 
Glenn  (as  President  of  the  Senate),  1875-77; 
Andrew  Shuman,  1877-81 ;  John  M.  Hamilton, 
J881-83;  William  J.  Campbell  (as  President  of 
the  Senate),  1883-85;  John  C.  Smith,  1885-89; 
Lyman  B.  Ray,  1889-93;  Joseph  B.  Gill,  1893-97; 
William  A.  Northcott,  1897  — . 

LIMESTONE.  Illinois  ranks  next  to  Pennsyl- 
vania in  its  output  of  limestone,  the  United 
States  Census  Report  for  1890  giving  the  number 
of  quarries  as  104,  and  the  total  value  of  the 
product  as  $2,190,604.  In  the  value  of  stone  used 
for  building  purposes  Illinois  far  exceeds  any 
other  State,  the  greater  proportion  of  the  output 
In  Pennsylvania  being  suitable  only  for  flux. 
Next  to  its  employment  as  building  stone,  Illinois 
limestone  is  chiefly  used  for  street-work,  a  small 
percentage  being  used  for  flux,  and  still  less  for 
bridge-work,  and  but  little  for  burning  into  lime. 
The  quarries  in  this  State  employ  3,383  hands,  and 
represent  a  cajjital  of  $3,316,016,  in  the  latter  par- 
ticular also  ranking  next  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
quarries  are  found  in  various  parts  of  tlie  State. 
but  the  most  productive  and  most  valuable  are  in 
the  northern  .section. 

LLNCOLN,  an  incorporated  city,  and  county- 
seat  of  Logan  County,  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton,  tlie  Champaign  and  Havana 
and  the  Peoria,  Decatur  and  Evansville  Divi- 
sions of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad;  is  38  miles 
northeast  of  Springfield,  and  157  miles  southwest 
of  Chicago.  The  surrounding  country  is  devoted 
to  agriculture,  stock-raising  and  coal-mining. 
Considerable  manufacturing  is  carried  on,  among 
the  products  being  flour,  brick  and  drain  tile. 
The  city  has  water-works,  fire  department,  gas 
and  electric  ligliting  plant,  telephone  system, 
machine  shops,  eighteen  churches,  good  schools, 
three  national  banks,  a  public  library,  electric 
street  railways,  and  several  newspapers.  Besides 
po.ssessing  good  schools  it  is  the  seat  of  Lincoln 
University  (a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  institu- 
tion, founded  in  1865)  The  Odd  Fellows' 
Orphans'  Home  and  tlio  Illinois  (State)  Asylum 
for  FeeWe-Minded  Children  are  also  located  here. 
Population  (1S90),  6,725;  (1900),  8,962;  (1903,  est.), 
13,000. 

LINCOLN,  Abraham,  sixteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Hardin  County,  Ky., 
Feb.  12.  1809,  of  Quaker-English  descent,  his 
grandfather  having  emigrated  from  Virginia  to 
Kentucky  about  1780,  where  he  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  in  1784.  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  father  of 
Abraliam,  settled  in  Indiana  in  1816,  and  removed 


to  Macon  County  in  1830.  Abraham  was  the 
issue  of  his  father's  first  marriage,  his  mother's 
maiden  name  being  Nancy  Hanks.  The  early 
occupations  of  the  future  President  were  varied. 
He  served  at  diff'erent  times  as  farm-laborer,  flat- 
boatman,  country  .salesman,  merchant,  surveyor, 
lawyer.  State  legislator,  Congressman  and  Presi- 
dent. In  1833  he  enlisted  for  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  and  was  chosen  Captain  of  his  company 
was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Legislature 
the  same  year,  but  elected  two  years  later 
About  this  time  he  turned  his  attention  to  tiie 
study  of  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1836, 
and.  one  year  later,  began  practice  at  Springfield. 
By  successive  re-elections  he  served  in  the  House 
until  1843,  when  he  declined  a  re-election.  In 
1838,  and  again  in  1840,  he  was  the  Whig  candi- 
date for  Speaker  of  the  House,  on  both  occasions 
being  defeated  by  William  L.  D.  Ewing.  In  1841 
he  was  an  applicant  to  President  William  Henry 
Harrison  for  the  position  of  Commissioner  of  the 
General  Land  Office,  the  appointment  going  to 
Justin  Butterfield.  His  next  official  position  was 
that  of  Representative  in  the  Thirtieth  Congress 
(1847-49).  From  that  time  he  gave  his  attention 
to  his  profession  until  1855,  when  he  was  a  lead- 
ing candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate  in 
opposition  to  the  principles  of  the  Nebraska  Bill, 
but  failed  of  election,  Lyman  Trumbull  being 
chosen.  In  1856,  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  at  Bloom- 
ington,  and,  in  1858,  was  formally  nominated  by 
the  Republican  State  Convention  for  the  United 
States  Senate,  later  engaging  in  a  joint  debate 
with  Senator  Douglas  on  party  issues,  during 
which  they  delivered  speeches  at  seven  different 
cities  of  the  State.  Although  he  again  failed  to 
secure  the  prize  of  an  election,  owing  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  legislative  apportionment  then  in 
force,  which  gave  a  majority  of  the  Senators  and 
Representatives  to  a  Democratic  minority  of  the 
voters,  his  burning,  incisive  utterances  on  the 
subject  of  slavery  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
whole  coimtry,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the 
future  triumph  of  tlie  Republican  party.  Previ- 
ous to  this  he  had  been  four  times  (1840,  '44,  '52, 
and  '56)  on  the  ticket  of  his  party  as  candidate 
for  Presidential  Elector.  In  1860,  he  was  the 
nominee  of  the  Republican  party  for  the  Presi- 
dency and  was  chosen  by  a  decisive  majority  in 
the  Electoral  College,  though  receiving  a  minor- 
ity of  the  aggregate  popular  vote.  Unquestion- 
ably his  candidacy  was  aided  by  internal 
dissensions  in  the  Democratic  party.  His  election 
and   his   inauguration   (on  March  4,   1861)  were 


338 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


made  a  pretext  for  secession,  and  lie  met  the 
issue  with  promptitude  and  firmness,  tempered 
witli  kindness  and  moderation  towards  the  se- 
cessionists. He  was  re-elected  to  the  Presidency 
in  1804,  tlie  vote  in  the  Electoral  College  standing 
312  for  Lincoln  to  21  for  his  oi)ponent,  Gen. 
George  B.  McClellan.  The  history  of  Jlr.  Lin- 
coln's life  in  the  Presidential  chair  is  the  history 
of  the  whole  country  during  its  most  dramatic 
period.  Next  to  his  success  in  restoring  the 
authority  of  the  Government  over  the  whole 
Union,  history  will,  no  doubt,  record  his  issuance 
of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  of  January, 
1863,  as  the  most  important  and  far-reaching  act 
of  his  administration.  And  j-et  to  this  act,  which 
has  embalmed  his  memory  in  the  hearts  of  the 
lovers  of  freedom  and  human  justice  in  all  ages 
and  in  all  lands,  the  world  over,  is  due  liis  death 
at  the  hands  of  the  assassin,  J.  Wilkes  Btxith,  in 
Washington  City,  April  15,  1865,  as  the  result  of 
an  assault  made  upon  him  in  Ford's  Theater  the 
evening  previous — his  death  occurring  one  week 
after  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  the  surrender  of 
Lee's  armj' — just  as  peace,  with  the  restoration  of 
the  Union,  was  assured.  A  period  of  National 
mourning  ensued,  and  he  was  accorded  the  honor 
of  a  National  funeral,  his  remains  being  tinally 
laid  to  rest  in  a  mausoleum  in  Si)ringtield.  His 
profound  sympathy  with  every  class  of  sufferers 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ;  his  forbearance 
in  the  treatment  of  enemies;  his  siigticity  in 
giving  direction  to  public  sentiment  at  home  and 
in  dealing  with  international  (piestions  abroad; 
his  courage  in  prejiaring  the  way  for  the  removal 
of  slavery — the  bone  of  contention  between  the 
warring  sections — have  given  him  a  place  in  the 
affections  of  the  people  beside  that  of  Washington 
liimself,  and  won  for  him  the  respect  and  admi- 
ration of  all  civilized  nations. 

LINCOLN,  Kobert  Todd,  lawyer,  member  of 
the  Cabinet  anil  Foreign  Slinister,  the  son  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  was  born  in  Springfield,  111., 
Augu.st  1,  1843,  and  educated  in  the  home  schools 
and  at  Harvard  University,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  1864.  During  the  last  few  months  of 
the  Civil  War,  he  served  on  the  staff  of  General 
Grant  with  the  rank  of  Captain.  After  the  war 
he  studied  law  and,  on  his  admission  to  the  bar. 
settled  in  Chicago,  finally  becoming  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Lincoln  &  Isham.  In  1880,  he  was 
chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and.  in  March  following,  appointed  Secre- 
tarj-  of  War  by  President  Garfield,  serving  to  the 
close  of  the  term.  In  1889  he  became  Minister  to 
England  by  appointment  of  President  Harrison, 


gaining  high  distinction  as  a  diplomatist.  This 
was  the  last  public  office  held  by  him.  After  the 
death  of  George  M.  Pullman  he  became  Acting 
President  of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company, 
later  being  formally  elected  to  that  office,  w»hich 
(1899)  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Lincoln's  name  has 
been  frequently  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  Republican  nomination  for  the  Presidency, 
but  its  use  lias  not  been  encouraged  by  him. 

LINCOLN  AND  l>Or(;LAS  DEBATE,  a  name 
popularly  given  to  a  scries  of  joint  discussions 
Iwtween  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, lield  at  dilferent  points  in  the  State  during  the 
summer  and  autumn  of  1858,  while  both  were 
candidates  for  the  position  of  United  States  Sena- 
tor. The  places  and  dates  of  holding  these 
discussions  were  as  follows:  At  Ottawa,  August 
21;  at  Freejiort,  August  27;  at  Jonesboro,  Sept. 
15;  at  Charleston,  Sept.  18;  at  Galesburg,  Oct.  7; 
at  Quincy,  Oct.  13;  at  Alton,  Oct.  15.  Immense 
audiences  gathered  to  hear  these  debates,  whicli 
have  become  famous  in  the  ix>litical  history  of 
the  Nation,  and  the  campaign  was  the  most  noted 
in  th:  histo-y  of  any  State.  It  resulted  in  the 
securing  by  Douglas  of  a  re-election  to  the  Senate; 
but  his  answers  to  the  shrewdly -couched  interrog- 
atories of  Lincoln  L^d  to  the  alienation  of  his 
Southern  following,  the  disruption  of  the  Demo- 
cratic partj-  in  1860,  and  the  defeat  of  his  Presi- 
dential aspirations,  with  the  placing  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  prominently  before  the  Nation  as  a 
sagacious  political  leader,  and  his  final  election 
to  the  Presidency. 

LINCOLN  UNIVERSITY,  an  institution  located 
at  Lincoln,  Logan  County,  111.,  incorporated  in 
1865.  It  is  co-educational,  has  a  faculty  of  eleven 
instructors  and,  for  1896-8,  reports  209  pupils — 
ninety -one  male  and  118  female.  Instruction 
is  given  in  the  classics,  the  sciences,  music,  fine 
arts  and  prepiiratory  studies.  The  institution 
has  a  library  of  3,000  volumes,  and  reports  funds 
and  endowment  amounting  to  §60,000,  with 
jjroperty  valued  at  §55,000. 

LINDEK,  Usher  F.,  lawyer  and  politician,  was 
born  in  Elizabethtown.  Hardin  County,  Ky.  (ten 
miles  from  the  birthplace  of  Abraham  Lincoln), 
March  20,  1809;  came  to  Illinois  in  1835,  finally 
locating  at  Charleston,  Coles  County ;  after  travel- 
ing the  circuit  a  few  months  was  elected  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Tenth  General  Assembly  (1836), 
but  resigned  before  the  close  of  the  session  to 
accept  the  office  of  Attorney-General,  which  he 
held  less  than  a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  resigned 
that  also.  Again,  in  1846,  he  was  elected  to  the 
Fifteenth  General  Assembly  and  re-elected  to  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


339 


Sixteentli  and  Seventeenth,  afterwards  giving  his 
attention  to  the  practice  of  liis  profession.  Mr. 
Linder,  in  his  best  days,  was  a  fluent  speaker  with 
some  elements  of  eloquence  which  gave  him  a 
wide  popularity  as  a  campaign  orator.  Originally 
a  Whig,  on  the  dissolution  of  that  party  he 
became  a  Democrat,  and,  in  1860,  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at 
Charleston,  S  C,  and  at  Baltimore.  During  the 
last  four  years  of  his  life  he  wrote  a  series  of 
articles  under  the  title  of  "Reminiscences  of  the 
Early  Bench  and  Bar  of  Illinois,"  which  was  pub- 
lislied  in  book  form  in  18T6.  Died  in  Chicago, 
June  .5,  1876. 

LI>'E(iAR,  David  T.,  legislator,  was  born  in 
Ohio,  Feb.  13,  1830;  came  to  Spencer  County, 
Ind.,  in  1840,  and  to  Wayne  County,  111.,  in  1858, 
afterward  locating  at  Cairo,  where  he  served  as 
Postmaster  during  the  Civil  War ;  was  a  Repub- 
lican Presidential  Elector  in  1872,  but  afterwards 
became  a  Democrat,  and  served  as  such  in  the 
lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembly  (1880-86). 
Died  at  Cairo,  Feb.  2,  1886. 

LIPPINCOTT,  Charles  E.,  State  Auditor,  was 
born  at  Edwardsville,  111. ,  Jan.  26,  1825 ;  attended 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  but  did  not 
graduate;  in  1849  graduated  from  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College,  and  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine at  Chandlerville,  Cass  County.  In  1852  he 
went  to  California,  remaining  there  five  years, 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  anti-slavery  contest, 
and  serving  as  State  Senator  (1853-55).  In  1857, 
having  returned  to  Illinois,  he  resumed  practice 
at  Chandlerville,  and,  in  1861,  under  authority  of 
Governor  Yates,  recruited  a  company  which  was 
attached  to  the  Thirty -third  Illinois  Infantry  as 
Company  K,  and  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
Captain,  having-  declined  the  lieutenant-colo- 
nelcy. Within  twelve  months  he  became  Colonel, 
and,  on  Sept.  16,  1865,  was  mustered  out  as  brevet 
Brigadier-General.  In  1866  he  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  lead  the  Republican  forlorn  hope  as  a 
candidate  for  Congress  in  the  (then)  Ninth  Con- 
gressional District,  largely  reducing  the  Demo- 
cratic majority.  In  1867  he  was  elected  Secretary 
of  the  State  Senate,  and  the  same  year  chosen 
Doorkeeper  of  the  House  of  Representatives  at 
Washington.  In  1868  he  was  elected  State  Audi- 
tor, and  re-elected  in  1872 ;  also  served  as  Perma- 
nent President  of  the  Republican  State  Conven- 
tion of  1878.  On  the  establishment  of  the  Illinois 
Soldiers"  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy,  he  became 
its  first  Superintendent,  assuming  his  duties  in 
March,  1887,  but  died  Sept.  13,  following,  as  a 
result  of  injuries  received  from  a  runaway  team 


while  driving  through  the  grounds  of  the  institu- 
tion a  few  days  previous.  —  Emily  Webster 
Chandler  (Lippincott),  wife  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  March  13,  1833,  at  Chandlerville,  Cass 
County,  111. ,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  Chand- 
ler, a  prominent  physician  widely  known  in  that 
section  of  the  State ;  was  educated  at  Jacksonville 
Female  Academy,  and  married,  Dec.  25,  1851,  to 
Dr.  (afterwards  General)  Charles  E.  Lippincott. 
Soon  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1887,  Mrs.  Lippincott,  who  had  already 
endeared  herself  by  her  acts  of  kindness  to  the 
veterans  in  the  Soldiers"  and  Sailors'  Home,  was 
appointed  Matron  of  the  institution,  serving  until 
her  death,  May  21,  1895.  The  respect  in  which 
she  was  held  by  the  old  soldiers,  to  whose  com- 
fort and  necessities  she  had  ministered  in  hos- 
pital and  elsewhere,  was  shown  in  a  most  touching 
manner  at  the  time  of  her  death,  and  on  the 
removal  of  her  remains  to  be  laid  by  the  side  of 
her  husband,  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery  at  Spring- 
field. 

LIPPINCOTT,  (Rev.)  Thomas,  early  clergy- 
man, was  born  in  Salem,  N.  J.,  in  1791;  in  1817 
started  west,  arriving  in  St.  Louis  in  February, 
1818 ;  the  .same  year  established  himself  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  Milton,  then  a  place  of  some 
importance  near  Alton.  This  place  proving 
unhealthy,  ho  subsequently  removed  to  Edwards- 
ville, where  he  was  for  a  time  employed  as  clerk 
in  the  Land  Ofiice.  He  afterwards  served  as 
Secretary  of  the  Senate  (1822-23).  That  he  was  a 
man  of  education  and  high  intelligence,  as  well 
as  a  strong  opponent  of  slavery,  is  shown  by  his 
writings,  in  conjunction  with  Judge  Samuel  D. 
Lockwood,  George  Churchill  and  others,  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  scheme  for  securing  the  adoption  of 
a  pro-slavery  Constitution  in  Illinois  in  1824.  In 
1825  he  purchased  from  Hoojjer  Warren  "The 
Edwardsville  Spectator,"  which  he  edited  for  a 
year  or  more,  but  soon  after  entered  the  ministry 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  became  an  influ- 
ential factor  in  building  ujj  that  denomination  in 
Illinois.  He  was  also  partly  instrumental  in 
securing  the  location  of  Illinois  College  at  Jack- 
sonville. He  died  at  Pana,  111.,  April  13,  1869. 
Gen.  Charles  E.  Lippincott,  State  Auditor 
(1869-77),  was  a  son  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

LKJUOR  LAWS.  In  the  early  history  of  the 
State,  the  question  of  the  regulation  of  the  sale  of 
intoxicants  was  virtuall)'  relegated  to  the  control 
of  the  local  authorities,  who  granted  license,  col- 
lected fees,  and  fixed  the  tariff  of  charges.  As 
early  as  1851,  however,  the  General  As.sembly, 
with  a  view  to  mitigating  what  it  was  felt  had 


340 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


become  a  growing  evil,  enacted  a  law  popularly 
known  as  the  "quart  law,''  which,  it  was  hoped, 
would  do  away  with  the  indiscriminate  sale  of 
liquor  by  the  glass.  The  law  failed  to  meet  the 
expectation  of  its  fnimers  and  supporters,  and,  in 
1855,  ai)rohil)itory  law  was  submitted  to  the  elect- 
ors, which  was  rejected  at  the  ix)lls.  Since  that 
date  a  general  license  system  has  prevailed,  except 
in  certain  towns  and  cities  where  prohibitory 
ordinances  were  adopted.  The  regulations  gov- 
erning the  traffic,  therefore,  have  been  widely 
variant  in  different  localities.  The  Legislature, 
however,  has  always  possessed  the  same  constitu- 
tional power  to  regulate  the  .sale  of  intoxicants, 
as  aconite,  lienbiine,  .strychnine,  or  otlier  ])oi.sons. 
In  1879  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union  V)egan  the  agitation  of  the  license  question 
from  a  new  standpoint.  In  Slarch  of  that  year,  a 
delegation  of  Illinois  women,  headed  by  Sliss 
Frances  E.  Willard,  pre.sented  to  the  Legislature 
a  monster  petition,  signed  by  80,000  voters  and 
100,000  women,  praj-ing  for  the  amendment  of 
the  State  Constitution,  so  as  to  give  females  above 
the  age  of  21  the  right  to  vote  upon  the  granting 
■  f  licenses  in  the  localities  of  their  residences. 
Miss  Willard  and  Mrs.  J.  Ellen  Foster,  of  Iowa, 
addressed  the  House  in  its  favor,  and  Miss 
Willard  spoke  to  the  Senate  on  the  same  lines. 
The  uieiusure  w;is  defeated  in  the  House  by  a  vote 
of  fifty-five  to  fifty-three,  and  the  Senate  t(X)k  no 
action.  In  1881  the  same  bill  was  introduced 
anew,  but  again  failed  of  passage.  Nevertheless, 
persistent  agitation  was  not  without  its  results. 
In  1883  the  I.#gislature  enacted  what  is  generally 
termed  the  "High  License  I.jiw,"'  by  the  provi- 
sions of  whidi  a  minimum  license  of  ?500  per 
annum  was  imposed  for  the  sale  of  alcoholic 
drinks,  and  §150  for  malt  liquors,  with  the 
authority  on  the  part  of  municiijalities  to  impose 
a  still  liigher  rate  by  ordinance.  This  measure 
was  made  largely  a  pjirtisan  issue,  the  Repub- 
licans voting  almost  solidly  for  it,  and  the  Demo 
crats  almost  solidly  opixjsing  it.  The  bill  was 
promptly  signed  V)y  (Jovernor  Hamilton.  The 
liquor  laws  of  Illinois,  therefore,  at  the  present 
time  are  based  uixin  local  option,  high  license  and 
local  supervision.  The  criminal  code  of  the  State 
contains  the  customary  provisions  res|)ecting  the 
sale  of  stimulants  to  minors  and  other  prohibited 
parties,  or  at  forbidden  times,  but,  in  the  larger 
cities,  many  of  the  provisions  of  the  State  law 
are  rendered  practically  inoperative  by  the 
municipal  ordinances,  or  absolutely  nullified  by 
the  indifference  or  studied  neglect  of  the  local 
officials. 


LITCHFIELD,  the  principal  city  of  Montgom- 
ery County,  at  tlie  intersection  of  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  the  Wabasli  and  the  Illinois 
Central,  with  three  other  short-line  railways,  43 
miles  south  of  Springfield  anil  47  miles  northea.st 
of  St.  Louis.  The  surrounding  country  is  fer- 
tile, undulating  prairie,  in  which  are  found  coal, 
oil  and  natural  g;us.  A  coal  mine  is  operated 
within  the  corporate  limits.  Grain  is  extensively 
raised,  and  Litchfield  has  several  elevators,  flour- 
ing mill.".,  a  can  factory,  briquette  works,  etc. 
The  output  of  the  manufacturing  establishments 
also  includes  foundry  and  machine  shop  prod- 
ucts, brick  and  tile,  brooms,  ginger  ale  and  cider. 
The  city  is  lighted  by  both  gas  and  electricity. 
and  has  a  Holly  water-works  system,  a  public 
library  and  public  parks,  two  banks,  twelve 
churches,  high  and  graded  schools,  and  an  Ur.su- 
line  convent,  a  Catholic  hospital,  and  two 
monthly,  two  weekly,  and  two  daily  periodicals. 
Population  (1890),  5,811;  (1900),  5,918;  (1903. 
est  ),  7,000. 

LirrH FIELD,  CARROLLTOJf  &  WESTERN 
H.VII.IM) AD,  a  line  which  extends  from  Colum- 
biana, on  the  Illinois  River,  to  Barnett,  111.,  51.5 
miles;  is  of  .standard  gauge,  the  track  being  laid 
with  fifty-six  pound  steel  rails.  It  was  opened 
for  business,  in  three  different  sections,  from  1883 
to  1887,  and  for  three  years  was  operated  in  con- 
nection with  the  Jacksonville  Southeastern 
Railway.  In  May,  1890,  the  latter  was  sold  under 
foreclosure,  and,  in  November,  1893,  the  Litch- 
field, CarroUton  &  Western  reverted  to  the 
former  owners.  Six  months  Liter  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  a  receiver,  by  whom  (uj)  to  1898)  it 
has  since  been  operated.  The  general  offices 
are  at  Carlinville 

LITTLE,  George,  merchant  and  biinker,  was 
born  in  Columbia,  Pa.,  in  1808;  came  to  Rush- 
ville.  111.,  in  1830,  embarking  in  the  mercantile 
business,  which  he  prosecuted  sixty  years.  In 
1865  he  established  the  Bank  of  Rushville,  of 
which  he  was  President,  in  these  two  branches  of 
busine.ss  amassing  a  large  fortune.  Died,  March 
5,  1890. 

LITTLE  YEH.MILIO.V  RIVER  rLses  in  Ver- 
milion County,  III.,  and  flows  eastwardly  into 
Indiana,  emptying  into  the  Wabash  in  Vermilion 
Countj-,  Ind. 

LITTLE  W.VBASH  RIVER,  rises  in  Effingham 
and  Cumberland  Counties,  flows  east  and  south 
through  Clay,  Wayne  and  White,  and  enters  the 
Wabash  River  about  8  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  latter.  Its  estimated  length  is  about  180 
miles. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


341 


LITTLER,  David  T.,  lawyer  and  State  Senator. 
was  born  at  Clifton,  Greene  County,  Ohio,  Feb. 
7,  1830 ;  was  educated  in  the  common  .scliools  in 
his  native  State  and,  at  twenty-one,  removed  to 
Lincoln,  111.,  where  he  worked  at  tlie  carpenter's 
trade  for  two  years,  meanwhile  studying  law.  He 
■was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  18G0,  soon  after  was 
elected  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  later  appointed 
Master  in  Chancery.  In  18GG  he  was  ajjpointed 
by  President  Johnson  Collector  of  Internal 
Eevenue  for  the  Eighth  District,  but  resigned  in 
1868,  removing  to  Springfield  the  same  year, 
where  he  entered  into  partnership  with  tlie  late 
Henry  S.  Greene,  Milton  Hay  being  admitted  to 
the  firm  soon  after,  the  partnership  continuing 
until  1881.  In  1882  Mr.  Littler  was  elected 
Representative  in  the  Thirty-fourth  General 
Assembly  from  Sangamon  County,  was  re-elected 
in  1886,  and  returned  to  the  Senate  in  1894,  serv- 
ing in  the  latter  body  four  years.  In  both  Houses 
Mr.  Littler  took  a  specially  prominent  part  in 
legislation  on  the  revenue  question. 

LIVERMORE,  Mary  Ashton,  reformer  and  phi- 
lanthropist, was  born  (Mary  Ashton  Rice)  in 
Bo-ston,  Mass.,  Dec.  19,  1821;  taught  for  a  time  in 
a  female  seminary  in  Charlestown,  and  spent  two 
years  as  a  governess  in  Southern  Virginia;  later 
married  Rev.  Daniel  P.  Livermore,  a  Universalist 
minister,  who  held  pastorates  at  various  places  in 
Massachusetts  and  at  Quincy,  111.,  becoming 
editor  of  "The  New  Covenant"  at  Chicago,  in 
1857.  During  this  time  Mrs.  Livermore  wrote 
much  for  denominational  pai)ers  and  in  assisting 
her  husband;  in  1803  was  appointed  an  agent, 
and  traveled  extensively  in  the  interest  of  the 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  visiting 
hospitals  and  camps  in  the  Mississippi  Valley; 
also  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  great  North- 
western Sanitary  Fair  at  Chicago  in  1863.  Of 
late  years  she  has  labored  and  lectured  exten- 
•  sively  in  the  interest  of  woman  suffrage  and  tem- 
perance, besides  being  the  author  of  several 
volumes,  one  of  these  being  "Pen  Pictures  of 
Chicago"  (186.">).     Her  home  is  in  Boston. 

LIVINGSTON  COUNTY,  situated  about  mid- 
way between  Chicago  and  Springfield.  The  sur- 
face is  rolling  toward  the  east,  but  is  level  in  the 
west;  area,  1,026  square  miles;  population  (1900), 
42,03.5,  named  for  Edward  Livingston.  It  was 
organized  in  1837,  tlie  first  Commissioners  being 
Robert  Breckenridge,  Jonathan  Moon  and  Daniel 
Rockwood.  Pontiac  was  selected  as  the  county- 
seat,  the  proprietors  donating  ample  lands  and 
$3,000  in  cash  for  the  erection  of  public  buildings. 
Vermilion  River  and  Indian  Creek  are  the  prin- 


cipal streams.  Coal  underlies  tlie  entire  county, 
and  shafts  are  in  successful  operation  at  various 
points.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  agricultural  coun- 
ties of  the  State,  the  yield  of  oats  and  corn  being 
large.  Stock-raising  is  also  extensively  carried 
on.  The  development  of  the  county  really  dates 
from  the  openmg  of  the  Cliicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road in  1804,  since  which  date  it  has  been  crossed 
by  numerous  other  lines.  Pontiac,  the  county- 
seat,  is  situated  on  the  Vermilion,  is  a  railroad 
center  and  the  site  of  the  State  Reform  School. 
Its  population  in  1890  was  2,784.  Dwight  has 
attained  a  wide  reputation  as  the  seat  of  the 
parent  "Keeley"  In.stitute  for  the  cure  of  the 
liquor  habit. 

LOCKPORT,  a  village  in  Will  County,  laid  out 
in  1837  anil  incorporated  in  18-'i3;  .situated  33 
miles  southwe.st  of  Chicago,  on  the  Des  Plaines 
River,  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroads.  The  surrounding  region  is  agricul- 
tural; limestone  is  extensively  quarried.  Manu- 
factures are  flour,  oatmeal,  brass  goods,  paper 
and  strawboard.  It  has  ten  churches,  a  public 
and  high  school,  parocliial  schools,  a  bank,  gas 
plant,  electric  car  lines,  and  one  weekly  paper. 
The  controlling  works  of  the  Chicago  Drainage 
Canal  and  offices  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
are  located  here.  Population  (1890),  2,449; 
(1900),  2,659. 

LOCKWOOI),  Samuel  Drake,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Poundridge,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y., 
August  2,  1789,  left  fatherle-ss  at  the  age  of  ten, 
after  a  few  months  at  a  private  school  in  New 
Jersey,  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  (Francis 
Drake)  at  Waterford,  N.  Y.,  with  whom  he 
studied  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Batavia. 
N.  Y.,  in  1811.  In  1813  he  removed  to  Auburn. 
and  later  became  Master  in  Chancery.  In  1818 
he  descended  the  Ohio  River  upon  a  flat-boat  in 
company  with  William  H.  Brown,  afterwards  of 
Chicago,  and  walking  across  the  country  from 
Shawneetown,  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  in  Decem- 
ber, but  finally  settled  at  Carmi,  where  he 
remained  a  year.  In  1821  he  was  elected  Attor- 
ney-General of  the  State,  but  resigned  the  fol- 
lowing year  to  accept  the  position  of  Secretary  of 
State,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Coles,  and  which  he  filled  only  three  months, 
when  President  Monroe  made  him  Receiver  of 
Public  Moneys  at  Edwardsville.  About  the  same 
time  he  was  also  appointed  agent  of  the  First 
Board  of  Canal  Commissioners.  The  Legislature 
of  1824-25  elected  him  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  his  service  extending  until  the  adoption 


348 


IlISTOmcAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Constitution  of  1848,  which  he  assisted  in 
framing  as  a  Delegate  from  Morgan  County.  In 
1851  he  was  made  State  Trustee  of  the  Illinois 
Centi'al  Railroad,  which  office  he  held  until  his 
death.  He  was  always  an  unoonipromising 
antagonist  of  slavery  and  a  leading  su[>i)orter  of 
Governor  Coles  in  ojiposition  to  the  plan  to  secure 
a  pro-slavery  Constitution  in  1824.  His  personal 
and  political  integrity  was  recognized  by  all 
parties.  From  1828  to  185'!  Judge  Lockwood  was 
a  citizen  of  Jacksonville,  where  he  proveii  him- 
self an  efficient  friend  and  patron  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege, ser\'ing  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  as 
one  of  its  Trustees,  and  was  also  influential  in 
securing  several  of  the  State  charitahle  institu- 
tions there.  His  later  years  were  spent  at 
Batavia,  where  he  died,  April  23,  1874,  in  the  85th 
year  of  his  age. 

LOI)A,  a  village  of  Irotjuois  County,  on  the 
Chicago  Division  of  the  Hlinois  Central  Railway, 
4  miles  north  of  Paxton.  The  region  is  agricul- 
tural, and  the  town  has  considerable  local  trade. 
It  also  has  a  bank  and  one  weekly  paper. 
Population  (1880),  035;  (1S90),  .598;  (1900),  608. 

LO(J.\N,  Cornelius  Ambrose,  physician  and 
diplomatist,  born  at  Deerliehi.  Mass.,  August  6, 
1836,  the  son  of  a  dramatist  of  the  sjime  name: 
was  educated  at  Auburn  Academy  and  served  as 
Medical  Superintendent  of  St.  John's  Hospital, 
Cincinnati,  and,  later,  as  Professor  in  the  Hos- 
pital at  Leavenworth,  Kan.  In  1873  he  was 
appointed  United  States  Minister  to  Chili,  after- 
wards served  as  Minister  to  Guatemala,  and  again 
(1881)  as  Minister  to  Chili,  remaining  until  1883. 
He  was  for  twelve  years  editor  of  "The  Medical 
Herald,"  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  and  edited  the 
works  of  his  relative.  Gen.  John  A.  Ix)gan  (1880), 
besides  contributing  to  foreign  medical  publi- 
cations and  publishing  two  or  three  volumes  on 
medical  and  sanitary  questions.  Resides  in 
Chicago. 

LO(iAN,  John,  physician  and  soldier,  was  born 
in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  Dec.  30,  1809;  at  six 
years  of  age  was  taken  to  Missouri,  his  family 
settling  near  the  GraTid  Tower  among  the  Shaw- 
nee and  Delaware  Indians.  He  l)eg-an  business 
as  clerk  in  a  New  Orleans  commission  house,  but 
returning  to  Illinois  in  1830,  engaged  in  the 
blacksmith  trade  for  two  years;  in  1831  enlisted 
in  the  Ninth  Regiment  Illinois  Militia  and  took 
part  in  the  Indian  troubles  of  that  year  and  the 
Black  Hawk  "War  of  18:!2,  later  being  Colonel  of 
the  Forty-fourth  Regiment  State  Militia.  At  the 
close  of    the    Black   Hawk   War   he    settled   in 


engaged  in  practice  in  that  place  until  1861.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  war  he  raised  a  company 
for  the  Seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  but  the  quota 
being  already  full,  it  was  not  accepted.  He  w,as 
finally  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  reported  to  Gen- 
eral Grant  at  Cairo,  in  January,  1802,  a  few  weeks 
later  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson.  Subsequently  he  had  command 
of  the  Fourth  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee under  General  Hurlbut.  His  regiment 
lost  heavily  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  he  himself 
being  severely  wounded  and  compelled  to  leave 
the  field.  In  December,  1804,  he  was  discharged 
with  the  brevet  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  In 
1800  Colonel  Log<in  was  appointed  by  President 
Johnson  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Illinois,  serving  until  1870,  when  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  CarUn- 
ville.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he  became  a 
Republican  on  the  organization  of  that  party, 
serving  as  a  delegate  to  the  first  Republican  State 
Convention  at  Bloomington  in  18.56.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  personal  characteristics  and  an 
earnest  patriot.  Died  at  his  home  at  Carlinville, 
August  24,  1885. 

LOO.VN,  John  Alexander,  soldier  and  states- 
man, w!is  born  at  old  Brownsville,  the  original 
county -seat  of  Jackson  County,  111.,  Feb.  9,  1826, 
the  son  of  Dr.  John  Logan,  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  an  early  immigrant  into  Illinois,  where  he 
attained  prominence  as  a  public  man.  Young 
Logjin  volunteered  as  a  private  in  the  Mexican 
War,  but  was  soon  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy, 
and  afterwards  became  Quartermaster  of  his 
regiment.  He  was  elected  Clerk  of  Jackson 
County  in  1849,  but  resigned  the  office  to  prose- 
cute his  law  studies.  Having  graduated  from 
Louisville  University  in  1851,  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  his  uncle,  Alexander  51.  Jenk- 
ins ;  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  as  a  Democrat 
in  1852,  and  again  in  1856,  having  been  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney  in  the  interim.  He  was  chosen  a 
Presidential  Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in 
1856,  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1858,  and  again 
in  1860,  as  a  Douglas  Democrat.  During  the 
special  session  of  Congress  in  1861,  he  left  his 
seat,  and  fought  in  the  ranks  at  Bull  Run.  In 
September,  1801,  he  organized  the  Thirty-first 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  commis- 
sioned by  Governor  Yates  its  Colonel.  His  mili- 
tary career  was  brilliant,  and  he  rapidly  rose  to 
be  Major-General.  President  Johnson  tendered 
him  the  mission  to  Mexico,  which  he  declined. 
In  1866  he  was  elected  as  a  BepubUcan  to  Con- 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


343 


gress  for  the  State-at-large,  and  acted  as  one  of 
the  managers  in  the  impeachment  trial  of  the 
President;  was  twice  re-elected  and,  in  1871,  was 
chosen  United  States  Senator,  as  he  was  again  in 
1879.  In  1884  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  the  Presidential  nomination  at  tlie  Eepublican 
Convention  in  Chicago,  but  was  finally  placed  on 
the  ticket  for  the  Vice-Presidency  with  James  G. 
Blaine,  the  ticket  being  defeated  in  November 
following.  In  1885  he  was  again  elected  Senator, 
but  died  during  his  term  at  Washington,  Dec.  20, 
1886.  General  Logan  was  the  author  of  "The 
Great  Conspiracy"  and  of  "The  Volunteer  Soldier 
of  America."  In  1897  an  equestrian  statue  was 
erected  to  his  memory  on  the  Lake  Front  Park  in 
Chicago. 

LOGAN,  Stephen  Trig-gr?  eminent  Illinois  jurist, 
was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  24.  1800; 
studied  law  at  Glasgow,  Ky.,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  before  attaining  his  majority.  After 
practicing  in  his  native  State  some  ten  years,  in 
1833  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Sanga- 
mon County,  one  year  later  opening  an  office  at 
Springfield.  In  183.5  he  was  elevated  to  the 
bench  of  the  First  Judicial  Circuit ;  resigned  two 
years  later,  was  re-commissioned  in  1839,  but 
again  resigned.  In  1842,  and  again  in  1844 
and  1846,  he  was  elected  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly; also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  1847.  Between  1841 
and  1844  he  was  a  partner  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. In  1854  he  was  again  chosen  a  member 
of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  was 
a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Conven- 
tion in  1860,  and,  in  1801,  was  commissioned 
by  Governor  Yates  to  represent  Illinois  in  the 
Peace  Conference,  which  assembled  in  Wash- 
ington. Soon  afterward  he  retired  to  private 
life.  As  an  advocate  his  ability  was  widely 
recognized.     Died  at  Springfield,  July  17,  1880. 

LOGAN  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  central  part 
of  the  State,  and  having  an  area  of  about  620 
square  miles.  Its  surface  is  chiefly  a  level  or 
moderately  undulating  prairie,  with  some  high 
ridges,  as  at  Elkliart.  Its  soil  is  extremely  fertile 
and  well  drained  by  numerous  creeks.  Coal- 
mining is  successfully  carried  on.  The  other 
staple  products  are  corn,  wheat,  oats,  hay,  cattle 
and  pork.  Settlers  began  to  locate  in  1819-22, 
and  the  county  was  organized  in  1839,  being 
originally  cut  off  from  Sangamon.  In  1840  a 
portion  of  Tazewell  was  added  and,  in  1845,  a 
part  of  De  Witt  County.  It  was  named  in  honor 
of  Dr.  John  Logan,  father  of  Senator  John  A. 
Logan.     Postville  was  the  first  county-seat,  but, 


in  1847,  a  change  was  made  to  Mount  Pulaski, 
and,  later,  to  Lincoln,  which  is  the  present  capi- 
tal.    Population  (1890),  25,489;  (1900),  28,680. 

LOMBARD,  a  village  of  Dupage  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Great  Western  and  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railways.  Population  (1880),  378; 
(1890),  515;  (1900),  ,590. 

LOMBARD  UNIVERSITY,  an  institution  at 
Galesburg  under  control  of  the  Universalist 
denomination,  founded  in  1851.  It  has  prepara- 
tory, collegiate  and  tlieological  departments. 
The  collegiate  department  includes  both  classical 
and  scientific  courses,  with  a  specially  arranged 
course  of  tliree  years  for  young  women,  who  con- 
stitute nearly  half  the  number  of  students.  The 
University  has  an  endowment  of '§200,000,  and 
owns  additional  property,  real  and  personal,  of 
the  value  of  .?100,000.  In  1898  it  reported  a  fac- 
ulty of  thirteen  professors,  with  an  attendance  of 
191  students. 

LONDON  MILLS,  a  village  and  railway  station 
of  Fulton  County,  on  the  Fulton  Narrow  Gauge 
and  Iowa  Central  Railroads,  19  miles  southeast 
of  Galesburg.  The  district  is  agricultural:  the 
town  has  two  banks  and  a  weekly  newspaper; 
fine  brick  clay  is  mined.     Pop.  (1900),  528. 

LONG,  Stephen  Harrinian,  civil  engineer,  was 
born  in  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  Dec.  30,  1784;  gradu- 
ated at  Dartmouth  College  in  1809,  and,  after 
teaching  some  years,  entered  the  United  States 
Army  in  December.  1814,  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
Corps  of  Engineers,  acting  as  Assistant  Professor 
of  Mathematics  at  West  Point;  in  1816  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Topographical  Engineers  with  the 
brevet  rank  of  Major.  From  1818  to  1823  he  had 
charge  of  explorations  between  the  Mississippi 
River  and  tlie  Rocky  Mountains,  and,  in  1823-24, 
to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  One  of  the 
highest  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  named 
in  his  honor.  Between  1827  and  1830  he  was 
employed  as  a  civil  engineer  on  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad,  and  from  1837  to  1840,  as  Engineer- 
inChief  of  the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  in 
Georgia,  where  he  introduced  a  system  of  curves 
and  a  new  kind  of  truss  bridge  afterwards  gener- 
ally adopted.  On  the  organization  of  the  Topo- 
graphical Engineers  as  a  separate  corps  in  1838, 
he  became  Major  of  that  body,  and,  in  1801,  chief, 
witli  the  rank  of  Colonel.  An  account  of  his 
first  expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  (1819-20) 
by  Dr.  Edwin  James,  was  published  in  1823,  and 
the  following  year  appeared  "Long's  Expedition 
to  the  Source  of  St.  Peter's  River,  Lake  of  tlie 
Woods,  Etc."  He  was  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Philosophical  Society  and  the  author  of  the 


344 


]llST()i;i(AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


iirst  original  treatise  on  railroad  building  ever 
published  in  this  country,  under  the  title  of 
■•Riiilroad  Manual"  (1829).  During  the  latter 
days  of  his  life  his  home  was  at  Alton,  III.,  where 
he  died,  Sept.  4,  1864.  Though  retired  from 
active  service  in  June,  18C3,  he  continued  in  the 
discharge  of  important  duties  up  to  his  death. 

LONGENECKER,  Joel  M.,  Uiwyer.  was  born  in 
Crawford  County.  Ill,  June  12,  1847;  before 
reaching  his  eighteenth  year  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  servinguntilthecloseof  the 
war.  After  attending  the  high  school  at  Robinson 
and  teaching  for  some  time,  he  began  the  study 
of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Olney  in 
1870;  served  two  years  as  City  Attorney  and  four 
(1877-81)  as  Prosecuting  Attorney,  in  the  latter 
year  removing  to  Chicago.  Here,  in  1884,  he  lie- 
came  the  assistant  of  Luther  Laflin  Mills  in  the 
office  of  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Cook  County, 
retaining  that  i)osition  with  Jlr.  MilLs'  sm'cessor. 
Judge  Orinnell.  On  the  promotion  of  the  latter 
to  the  bench,  in  1886,  Mr.  Longenecker  succeede<l 
to  the  office  of  Prosecuting  Attorney,  continuing 
in  that  position  until  1892.  While  in  this  office 
he  conducted  a  large  number  of  important  crimi- 
nal cases,  the  most  important,  perhaps,  being  the 
trial  of  the  murderers  of  Dr.  Cronin.  in  which  he 
gained  a  wide  reputation  for  skill  and  ability  as 
a  prosecutor  in  criminal  cases. 

LOOMIS,  (Rpv.l  II ubbell,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  in  Colchester,  Conn.,  May  31, 
1775;  prepared  for  college  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  Plainfield  Academy,  in  his  native  State, 
finally  graduating  at  Union  College,  N.  Y.,  in 
1799 — having  supported  himself  during  a  con- 
siderable part  of  his  educational  course  by 
manual  labor  and  teaching.  He  siibseiiueutly 
studied  theology,  and,  for  twenty-four  years, 
served  as  pastor  of  a  Congregational  church  at 
Willington,  Conn.,  meanwhile  fitting  a  number 
of  young  men  for  college,  including  among  theiu 
Dr.  Jared  Sparks,  afterwards  President  of  Har- 
vard College  and  author  of  numerous  historical 
works.  Ab<3Ut  1829  his  views  on  the  subject  of 
baptism  underwent  a  change,  resulting  in  his 
uniting  himself  with  the  Baptist  Churcli.  Com- 
ing to  Illinois  soon  after,  he  spent  some  time  at 
Kaskaskia  and  Edwardsville.  and,  in  1832,  located 
at  Upper  Alton,  where  he  became  a  prominent 
factor  in  laying  the  foundation  of  ShurtlefT  Col- 
lege, first  by  the  establishment  of  the  Baptist 
Seminary,  of  which  he  was  the  Principal  for 
several  years,  and  later  by  a.ssisting,  in  1835,  to 
secure  the  charter  of  the  college  in  which  the 
seminary  was  merged.     His  name  stood  first  on 


the  list  of  Trustees  of  the  new  institution,  and, 
in  proportion  to  his  means,  he  was  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  its  support  in  the  period  of  its  infancy. 
The  latter  ye<irs  of  his  life  were  spent  among  his 
books  in  literary  and  scientific  pursuits.  Died  at 
Upper  Alton,  Dec.  15,  1872,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  nearly  98  years. — A  son  of  his — Prof.  Ellas 
Loonils — an  eminent  mathematician  and  natural- 
ist, was  the  author  of  "Ix)omis"  Algebra"'  and 
other  scientific  text-books,  in  e.xtensive  use  in  the 
colleges  of  the  country.  He  held  profes-sorships 
in  various  institutions  at  different  times,  the  last 
being  that  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Astronomy 
in  Yale  College,  from  1860  up  to  his  death  in  1889. 

L0RI3IER,  William,  Member  of  Congress,  was 
lx)rn  in  Manchester,  England,  of  Scotc-h  parent- 
age, April  27,  1861;  came  with  his  parents  to 
.\merica  at  five  years  of  age,  and,  after  spending 
some  years  in  Michigan  and  Ohio,  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1870,  where  he  entered  a  private  school. 
Having  lo.st  his  father  by  death  at  twelve  years 
of  age,  he  became  an  apprentice  in  the  sign-paint- 
ing business;  was  afterwards  an  employe  on  a 
street-railroad,  finally  engaging  in  the  real-estate 
business  and  serving  as  an  appointee  of  Mayor 
Roche  and  Mayor  Washburne  in  the  city  water 
department.  In  1892  he  was  the  Republican 
nominee  for  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court,  but  was 
defeated.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected  to  the 
Fifty-fourth  Congress  from  the  Second  Illinois 
District,  and  re-elected  in  1896,  as  he  was  again 
in  1898.  His  plurality  in  1896  amounted  to  26,736 
votes. 

LOriSVILLE,  ihe  county-seat  of  Clay  County ; 
situated  on  the  Little  Waba-sh  River  and  on  the 
Springfield  Division  of  the  Baltimore  it  Ohio 
Southwestern  Railroad.  It  is  100  miles  south- 
southea-st  of  Springfield  and  7  miles  north  of 
Flora;  has  a  courthouse,  three  churdies,  a  high 
school,  a  savings  bank  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers.    Population  (1890).  637;  (1900)   646 

LOl  ISVILLE,  EVAXSVILLE  &  NEW  AL- 
HANY  RAILRO.VI).  (See  Louisville.  Evansmlle 
lir  St.  Loiiix  (Consolidated)  Railroad.) 

LOUISVILLE,  EVAXSVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS 
(Consolidated)  RAILROAD.  The  length  of  this 
entire  line  is  358.55  miles,  of  which  nearly  150 
miles  are  operated  in  Illinois.  It  crosses  the  State 
from  East  St.  Louis  to  Mount  Carmel.  on  the 
Wabash  River.  Within  Illinois  the  system  uses 
a  single  track  of  standard  gauge,  laid  with  steel 
rails  on  white-oak  ties.  The  grades  are  usually 
light,  although,  as  the  Une  leaves  the  Mississipj)i 
bottom,  the  gradient  is  about  two  per  cent  or 
105.6    feet    per    mile.     The  total    capitalization 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


345 


(1898)  was  518,236,346,  of  which  §4,247.909  was  in 
stock  and  $10,.568,350  in  bonds.  — (History.)  The 
original  corporation  was  organized  in  both  Indi- 
ana and  Illinois  in  1869,  and  the  Illinois  section  of 
ihe  line  opened  from  Mount  Carmel  to  Albion  (18 
miles)  in  January,  1873.  The  Indiana  division 
was  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1876  to  the  Louis- 
ville, New  Albany  &  St.  Louis  Railway  Com- 
pany, while  the  Illinois  division  was  reorganized 
in  1878  under  the  name  of  the  St.  Louis,  Mount 
Carmel  &  New  Albany  Railroad.  A  few  mouths 
later  the  two  divisions  were  consolidated  under 
the  name  of  the  former.  In  1881  this  line  was 
again  consolidated  with  the  Evansville,  Rockport 
&  Eastern  Railroad  (of  Indiana),  taking  the  name 
of  the  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis  Railroad. 
In  1889,  by  a  .still  further  con.solidation,  it 
absorbed  several  short  lines  in  Indiana  and  Illi- 
nois— those  in  the  latter  State  being  the  Illinois 
&  St.  Louis  Railroad  and  Coal  Company,  the 
Belleville,  Centralia  &  Eastern  (projected  from 
Belleville  to  Mount  Vernon)  and  the  Venice  & 
Carondelet — the  new  organization  assuming  the 
present  name — Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis 
(Consolidated)  Railroad. 

LOUISVILLE  &  XASHVILLE  RAILROAD,  a 
corporation  operating  an  exten.sive  .system  of 
railroads,  chiefly  south  of  the  Ohio  River  and 
extending  through  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
into  Indiana.  The  portion  of  the  line  in  Illinois 
(known  as  the  St.  Louis,  Evansville  &  Nashville 
line)  extends  from  East  St.  Louis  to  the  Wabash 
River,  in  White  County  (133.64  miles),  with 
branches  from  Belleville  to  O'Fallon  (6.07  miles), 
and  from  JIcLeansboro  to  Shawneetown  (40.7 
miles) — total,  180.41  miles.  The  Illinois  Divi- 
sion, though  virtually  owned  by  the  operating 
line,  is  formally  leased  from  the  Southeast  &  St. 
Louis  Railway  Company,  whose  corporate  exist- 
ence is  merely  nominal.  The  latter  company 
acquired  title  to  the  property  after  foreclosure 
in  November,  1880,  and  leased  it  in  perpetuity  to 
the  Louisville  &  Nashville  Company.  The  total 
earnings  and  income  of  the  leased  line  in  Illinois, 
for  1898,  were  81,0.'")2,789,  and  the  total  expendi- 
tures (including  847,198  taxes)  were  8657,125. 

LOUISVILLE  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY.  (See 
Jackfionvillf  d-  St.  Louis  Railway.) 

LOVEJOT,  Elijah  Parish,  mini.ster  and  anti- 
slavery  journalist,  was  born  at  Albion,  Maine, 
Nov.  9,  1802 — the  son  of  a  Congregational  minis- 
ter. He  graduated  at  Waterville  College  in  1826, 
came  west  and  taught  school  in  St.  Louis  in 
1827,  and  became  editor  of  a  Whig  paper  there  in 
1829.     Later,   he  studied   theology  at    Princeton 


and  was  licensed  as  a  Presbyterian  minister  in 
1833.  Returning  to  St.  Louis,  he  started  "The 
Observer" — a  religious  weekly,  which  condemned 
slave-holding.  Tlueats  of  violence  from  the 
pro-slavery  party  induced  him  to  remove  his 
paper,  presses,  etc.,  to  Alton,  in  July,  1836.  Three 
times  within  twelve  months  his  plant  was  de- 
stroyed by  a  mob.  A  fourth  press  having  been 
procured,  a  number  of  his  friends  agreed  to  pro- 
tect it  from  destruction  in  the  warehouse  where 
it  was  stored.  On  the  evening  of  Nov.  7,  1837,  a 
mob,  having  assembled  about  the  building,  sent 
one  of  their  number  to  the  roof  to  set  it  on  fire. 
Lovejoy,  with  two  of  his  friends,  stepped  outside 
to  reconnoiter,  when  he  was  shot  down  by  parties 
in  ambush,  breathing  his  last  a  few  minutes 
later.  His  death  did  much  to  strengthen  the 
anti-slavery  sentiment  north  of  Mason  and 
Dixon's  line.  His  party  regarded  him  as  a 
martyr,  and  his  death  was  made  the  text  for 
many  impassioned  and  effective  appeals  in  oppo- 
sition to  an  institution  which  employed  moboc- 
racy  and  murder  in  its  efforts  to  suppress  free 
discussion.     (See  Alton  Riots.) 

LOVEJOT,  Owen,  clergyman  and  Congressman, 
was  born  at  Albion,  Maine,  Jan.  6,  1811.  Being 
the  son  of  a  clergyman  of  small  means,  he  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  but  secured  a 
collegiate  education,  graduating  at  Bowdoin 
College.  In  1836  he  removed  to  Alton,  111.,  join- 
ing his  brother,  Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy,  who  was 
conducting  an  anti-slavery  and  religious  journal 
there,  and  whose  assassination  by  a  pro-slavery 
mob  he  witnessed  the  following  year.  (See  Alton 
Riots  and  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy. )  This  tragedy 
induced  him  to  devote  his  life  to  a  crusade 
against  slavery.  Having  previously  begun  the 
study  of  theology,  he  was  ordained  to  the  minis- 
try and  officiated  for  several  years  as  pastor  of  a 
Congregational  church  at  Princeton.  In  1847  he 
was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  on  the  "Liberty"  ticket,  but,  in 
1854,  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  upon  that 
issue,  and  earnestly  supported  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  United  States  Senator.  Upon  his  election  to 
the  Legislature  he  resigned  his  pastorate  at 
Princeton,  his  congregatiim  presenting  him  with 
a  solid  silver  service  in  token  of  their  esteem.  In 
1856  he  was  elected  a  Representative  in  Congress 
by  a  majority  of  7,000,  and  was  re-elected  for 
three  successive  terms.  As  an  orator  he  had  few 
equals  in  the  State,  while  his  courage  in  the 
support  of  his  principles  was  indomitable.  In 
the  campaigns  of  1856,  '58  and  '60  he  rendered 
valuable  service  to  the  Republican  party,  as  he 


346 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


did  later  in  upholding  the  cause  of  the  Union  in 
Congress.  He  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  2'>, 
18G4. 

LOVIXtrTON,  a  village  of  Moultrie  County,  on 
the  Terre  Haute-Peoria  branch  of  the  Vandalia 
Line  and  the  Benient&  Altamont  Division  of  the 
Wabash  Railway,  23  miles  southea.st  of  Decatur. 
The  town  has  two  banks,  a  newspaper,  water- 
works, electric  lights,  telephones  and  volunteer 
fire  department.      Pop.  (1890),  767;  (1900),  815. 

LUULA.H,  (Dr.)  Kcuben,  physician  and  author, 
was  born  at  Canidcu.  X.  J..  Oct  11,  1831,  the  son 
of  Dr.  Jacob  Watson  Ludlam,  an  eminent  phy- 
sician who,  in  his  later  years,  became  a  resident 
of  Evanston,  111.  The  younger  Ludlam,  having 
taken  a  course  in  an  academy  at  Bridgeton, 
N.  J.,  at  sixteen  years  of  age  entered  upon  the 
study  of  medicine  with  his  father,  followed  by  a 
course  of  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  graduated,  in  1852.  Having 
removed  to  Chicago  the  following  year,  he  soon 
after  began  an  investigation  of  the  lionKjeopathic 
system  of  medicine,  which  resulted  in  its  adop- 
tion, and,  a  few  years  later,  had  acquired  such 
prominence  that,  in  1859,  he  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Physiology  and  Pathology  in  the  newly 
established  Hahnemann  Medical  College  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  with  which  he  continued  to  be 
connected  for  nearly  forty  years.  Besides  serving 
as  Secretary  of  the  institution  at  its  inception,  he 
had,  as  early  as  1854,  taken  a  position  as  one  of  the 
editors  of  "The  Chicago  Honneopath,'"  later 
being  editorially  associated  with  "The  North 
American  Journal  of  Homceopathy,"  published  in 
New  York  City,  and  "The  United  States  Medical 
and  Surgical  Journal'  of  Chicago.  He  also 
served  as  President  of  numerous  medical  associ- 
ations, and,  ia  1877,  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Cullom  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
serving,  by  two  subsequent  reappointments,  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  j-ears.  In  addition  to  his  labors 
as  a  lecturer  and  practitioner.  Dr.  Ludlam  was 
one  of  the  most  prolific  authors  on  professional 
lines  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  besides  numerous 
monographs  on  special  topics,  having  produced  a 
"Course  of  Clinical  Lectures  on  Diphtheria" 
(1863);  "Clinical  and  Didactic  Lectures  on  the 
Diseases  of  Women"  (1871),  and  a  translation 
from  the  French  of  "Lectures  on  Clinical  Medi- 
cine" (1880).  The  second  work  mentioned  is 
recognized  as  a  valuable  textbook,  and  has 
passed  through  seven  or  eight  editions.  A  few 
years  after  his  first  connection  -with  the  Hahne- 
mann Medical  CoUege,  Dr.  Ludlam  became  Pro- 
fessor of  Obstetrics  and  G3'necology,  and,  on  the 


ileath  of  President  C.  S.  Smith,  was  chosen 
President  of  the  institution.  Died  suddenly  from 
.'leart  di.sease,  while  preparing  to  perform  a  surgi- 
cal operation  on  a  patient  in  the  Hahnemann 
Medical  College,  April  29,  1899. 

LIIM)Y,  Itenjamin,  early  anti-slavery  journal- 
ist, was  born  in  New  Jersey  of  Quaker  par- 
entage; at  19  worked  as  a  s;iddler  at  Wheeling, 
Va.,  where  he  first  gained  a  practical  knowledge 
of  the  institution  of  slavery;  later  carried  on 
business  at  Mount  Pleasiintand  St.  Clairsville,  O., 
where,  in  1815,  he  organized  an  anti-slavery 
as.sociation  under  the  name  of  the  "Union 
Humane  Societ}-,"  also  contributing  anti-slavery 
articles  to  "The  Philanthropist,"  a  paper  pub- 
lislied  at  Jlount  Pleasant.  Removing  to  St. 
Louis,  in  1819,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  con- 
test over  the  admission  of  Missouri  as  a  slave  State. 
Again  at  Mount  Pleasant,  in  1821,  he  began  the 
i.ssue  of  "The  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation," 
a  monthly,  which  he  soon  removed  to  Jonesbor- 
ough,  Tenn.,  and  finally  to  Baltimore  in  1824, 
when  it  became  a  weeklj'.  Mr.  Lundy's  trend 
towards  colonization  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  he 
made  two  visits  (1825  and  1829)  to  Hayti,  with  a 
view  to  promoting  the  colonization  of  emanci- 
pated slaves  in  that  island.  Visiting  the  East  in 
1828,  he  made  the  acquiiintance  of  William  Lloyd 
Garrison,  who  became  a  convert  to  his  views  and 
a  firm  ally.  The  following  winter  he  was  as- 
saulted by  a  slave-dealer  in  Baltimore  and  nearly 
killed;  soon  after  removed  liis  paper  to  Washing- 
ton and,  later,  to  Philadelphia,  where  it  took  the 
name  of  "The  National  Enquirer,"  being  finally 
merged  into  "The  Pennsylvania  Freeman."  In 
1838  his  property  was  burned  by  the  pro-slavery 
mob  which  fired  Penn.sylvania  Hall,  and,  in  the 
foUo^ving  winter,  he  removed  to  Lowell,  La  SaUe 
Co.,  111.,  with  a  view  to  reviving  his  paper  there, 
but  the  design  was  frustrated  Ijy  his  early  death, 
which  occurred  August  22,  1839.  The  paper, 
however,  was  revived  by  Zebina  Eastman  under 
the  name  of  "The  Genius  of  Libert}-,"  but  was  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  in  1842,  and  issued  under  the 
name  of  "The  Western  Citizen."  (See  Eastman, 
Zebina.) 

LU>'T,  Orringtoii,  capitalist  and  philanthro- 
pist, was  born  in  Bowdoinham,  Maine,  Dec.  24, 
1815;  came  to  Chicago  in  1842,  and  engaged  in 
the  grain  commission  business,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade  at  its  organization. 
Later,  he  became  interested  in  real  estate  oper- 
ations, fire  and  life  insurance  and  in  railway 
enterprises,  being  one  of  the  early  promoters  of 
the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union,  now  a  part  of  the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


347 


Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.  He  also  took 
an  active  part  in  municipal  affairs,  and,  during 
the  War,  was  an  efficient  member  of  tlie  "War 
Finance  Committee."  A  liberal  patron  of  all 
moral  and  benevolent  enterprises,  as  shown  by 
his  cooperation  with  the  "Relief  and  Aid  Soci- 
ety" after  the  fire  of  1871,  and  his  generous  bene- 
factions to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
and  feeble  churches,  his  most  efficient  service 
was  rendered  to  the  cause  of  education  as  repre- 
sented in  the  Northwestern  University,  of  which 
he  was  a  Trustee  from  its  organization,  and  much 
of  the  time  an  executive  officer.  To  his  noble 
benefaction  the  institution  owes  its  splendid 
library  building,  erected  some  years  ago  at  a 
cost  of  $100,000.  In  the  future  history  of  Chi- 
cago, Jlr.  Lunt's  name  will  stand  beside  that  of 
J.  Young  Scammon.  Walter  L.  Newberry,  John 
Crerar,  and  others  of  its  most  liberal  benefactors. 
Died,  at  liis  home  in  Evanston,  April  .1.  1897. 

LUSK,  John  T.,  pioneer,  was  born  in  South 
Carolina,  Nov.  7,  1784;  brought  to  Kentucky  in 
1791  by  his  father  (James  Lusk),  who  established 
a  ferry  across  the  Ohio,  opposite  the  present  town 
of  Golconda,  in  Pope  County,  111.  Lusk's  Creek, 
which  empties  into  the  Ohio  in  that  vicinity, 
took  its  name  from  this  family.  In  ISO.")  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  came  to  Madison  County,  111., 
and  settled  near  Edwardsville.  During  the  War 
of  1813-14  he  was  engaged  in  the  service  as  a 
"Ranger."  When  Edwardsville  began  its 
growth,  he  moved  into  the  town  and  erected  a 
house  of  hewn  logs,  a  story  and  a  half  high  and 
containing  three  rooms,  which  became  the  first 
hotel  in  the  town  and  a  place  of  considerable 
historical  note.  Mr.  Lusk  held,  at  different 
periods,  the  positions  of  Deputy  Circuit  Clerk, 
County  Clerk,  Recorder  and  Postmaster,  dying, 
Dec.  22,  1857. 

LUTHERANS,  The.  While  this  sect  in  Illi- 
nois, as  elsewhere,  is  divided  into  many  branches, 
it  is  a  unit  in  accepting  tlie  Bible  as  the  only  in- 
fallible rule  of  faith,  in  the  use  of  Lutlier's  small 
Catechism  in  instruction  of  the  young,  in  the 
practice  of  infant  baptism  and  confirmation  at 
an  early  age,  and  in  acceptance  of  the  Augsburg 
Confession,  Services  are  conducted,  in  various 
sections  of  the  country,  in  not  less  than  twelve 
different  languages.  The  number  of  Lutheran 
ministers  in  Illinois  exceeds  400,  who  preach 
in  the  English,  German,  Danish,  Swedish,  Fin- 
nish and  Himgarian  tongues.  The  churches 
over  which  they  preside  recognize  allegiance 
to  eight  distinct  ecclesiastical  bodies,  denomi- 
nated synods,  as  follows:     The  Northern,  South- 


ern, Central  and  Wartburg  Synods  of  the 
General  Synod;  tlie  Illinois-Missouri  District  of 
the  Synodical  Conference;  the  Synod  for  the 
Norwegian  Evangelical  Church ;  the  Swedish- 
Augustana,  and  the  Indiana  Synod  of  the  General 
Council.  To  illustrate  the  large  proportion  of  the 
foreign  element  in  this  denomination,  reference 
may  be  niade  to  the  fact  that,  of  sixty-three 
Lutheran  churches  in  Chicago,  only  four  use  tlie 
English  language.  Of  the  remainder,  thirty- 
seven  make  use  of  the  German,  ten  Swedish,  nine 
Norwegian  and  tlu-ee  Danisli.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  communicants  in  the  State,  iii  1892,  was 
estimated  at  90,000.  The  General  Synod  sustains 
a  German  Theological  Seminary  in  Chicago. 
(See  also  Religious  Denominations. 

LYOJfS,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago.  Population  (1880),  486; 
(1890),  732;  (1900),  9ol 

MACALISTER     &     STEBBINS    BONDS,    the 

name  given  to  a  class  of  State  indebtedness 
incurred  in  the  year  1841,  through  the  hypothe- 
cation, by  John  D.Whiteside  (then  Fund  Com- 
missioner of  the  State  of  Illinois),  with  Messrs. 
Macalister  &  Stebbins,  brokers  of  New  York 
City,  of  804  interest-bearing  bonds  of  $1,000  each, 
payable  in  1865,  upon  which  the  said  Macalister 
&  Stebbins  advanced  to  the  State  S261,.560.83. 
This  was  done  witli  the  understanding  that  the 
firm  would  make  further  advances  sufficient  to 
increase  the  aggregate  to  forty  per  cent  of  the 
face  value  of  the  bonds,  but  upon  which  no 
further  advances  were  actually  made.  In  addi- 
Hon  to  these,  there  were  deposited  with  the  same 
firm,  within  the  next  few  months,  with  a  like 
understanding,  internal  improvement  bonds  and 
State  scrip  amounting  to  .5109,215.44 — making  the 
aggregate  of  State  securities  in  their  hands  §913,- 
215.44,  upon  wliicli  the  State  had  received  only 
the  amoimt  already  named — being  28.64  per  cent 
of  the  face  value  of  such  indebtedness.  Attempts 
having  been  made  by  the  holders  of  these  bonds 
(with  whom  they  had  been  hypothecated  by 
Macalister  &  Stebbins),  to  secure  settlement  on 
their  par  face  value,  the  matter  became  the  sub- 
ject of  repeated  legislative  acts,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  were  passed  in  1847  and  1849 — both 
i-eciting,  in  their  respective  preambles,  the  history 
of  the  transaction.  The  last  of  these  provided 
for  the  issue  to  Macalister  &  Stebbins  of  new 
bonds,  payable  in  1805,  for  the  amount  of  princi- 
pal and  interest  of  the  sum  actually  advanced 
and  found  to  be  due,  conditioned  upon  the  sur- 
render, by  them,  of  the  original  bonds  and  other 


348 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


evidences  of  indebtedness  received  by  them  in 
1841.  This  tlie  actual  iiolders  refused  to  accept, 
and  brought  the  case  before  the  Supreme  Court 
in  an  effort  to  compel  the  Governor  (who  was 
then  ex-ojjicio  Fund  Commissioner)  to  recognize 
the  full  face  of  their  claim.  This  the  Supreme 
Court  refused  to  do,  on  the  ground  that,  the 
executive  Injiiig  a  coordinate  branch  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, they  had  no  authority  over  his  official 
acts.  In  18.")9  a  partial  refunding  of  these  bonds, 
to  the  amount  of  §114,000,  was  obtained  from 
Governor  Bissell,  who,  being  an  invalid,  was 
probably  but  imperfectly  acquainted  ^vith  their 
history  and  previous  legislation  on  the  subject. 
Representations  made  to  him  led  to  a  suspension 
of  the  proceeding,  and,  as  the  Iwnds  were  not 
transferable  e.xcept  on  the  books  of  the  Funding 
Agency  in  the  office  of  tbe  State  Auditor,  they 
were  treated  as  illegal  and  void,  and  were  ulti- 
mately surrendered  by  the  holders  on  the  basis 
originallj'  fi.\ed,  without  loss  to  the  State.  In 
1865  an  additional  act  was  passed  retjuiring  the 
presentation,  for  payment,  of  the  portion  of  the 
original  bonds  still  outstanding,  on  pain  of  for- 
feiture, and  this  w;vs  finally  done. 

MACK,  Alonzo  W.,  legislator,  was  born  at  More- 
town,  Vt.,  in  1822;  at  IG  years  of  age  settled  at 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  later  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine and  graduated  at  I^porte.  Ind.,  in  1844. 
Then,  liaving  removed  to  Kankakee,  111.,  he 
adopted  the  practice  of  law;  in  1858  was  elected 
Representative,  and,  in  18G0  and  '64,  to  the 
Senate,  serving  through  five  continuous  sessions 
(1858-68).  In  1862  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Seventj-sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  of 
which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel,  but  resigned, 
in  January  following,  to  take  his  seat  in  the 
Senate.  Colonel  Mack,  who  was  a  zealous  friend 
of  Governor  Yates,  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits 
in  the  establishment  of  "The  Chicago  Repub- 
lican, "  in  May,  18G5,  and  was  its  business  mana- 
ger the  first  year  of  its  publicatitm,  but  dis;igreeing 
with  the  editor,  Charles  A.  Dana,  both  finally 
retired.  Colonel  Mack  then  resumed  the  practice 
of  Uiw  in  Chicago,  dying  there,  Jan.  4,  1871. 

MACKINAW,  the  first  county-seat  of  Tazewell 
County,  at  intersection  of  two  railroad  Unes,  18 
miles  southeast  of  Peoria.  The  district  is  agri- 
cultviral  and  stock-raising.  There  are  manufacto- 
ries of  farm  implements,  pre-i^ecl  l)rick,  harness, 
wagons  and  carriages .  also  a  State  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.     Population  (1890).  545;  (1900),  859. 

MAC  MILLA\,  Thomas  C,  Clerk  of  United 
States  District  Court,  was  born  at  Stranraer, 
Scotland,  Oct.  4,  1850;  came  with  his  parents,  in 


1857,  to  Chicago,  where  he  graduated  from  the 
High  School  and  spent  some  time  in  tlie  Chicago 
University;  in  1873  became  a  reporter  on  "The 
Chicago  Inter  Ocean;"  two  years  later  accom- 
panied an  exploring  expedition  to  the  Black  Hills 
and,  in  1875-76,  represented  that  paper  with 
General  Crook  in  the  campaign  against  the  Sioux 
After  an  extended  tour  in  Europe,  he  assumed 
charge  of  the  "Curiosity  Shop"  department  of 
"The  Inter  Ocean, "  served  on  the  Cook  County 
Board  of  Education  and  as  a  Director  of  the  Chi 
cago  Public  Library,  besides  eight  years  in  the 
General  Assembly— 1885-89  in  the  House  and  1889- 
93  in  the  Senate.  In  January,  1890,  Mr.  MacMillan 
was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  United  States  District 
Court  at  Chicago.  He  has  been  a  Trustee  of  Illi- 
nois College  since  1880,  and,  in  1885,  received  the 
hononiry  degree  of  A.M.  from  that  institution. 

MACOMB,  the  county-seat  of  McDonough 
County,  situated  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad.  59  miles  northeast  of  Quinoy, 
39  miles  southwest  of  Galesburg.  The  principal 
maimfactures  are  sewer-pipe.s,  drain-tile,  pot- 
tery, and  school-desk  castings.  The  city  has 
interurban  electric  car  line,  banks,  nine  churches, 
high  school  and  four  newspapers:  is  the  seat  of 
Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School,  and  West- 
ern Preparatory  School  and  Busine.ss  College. 
Population  (180O).  4.0.52:  (1900),  5,375. 

M.\CO\,  a  village  in  Macon  County,  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  10  miles  south  by  we.st  of 
Decatur.  Macon  County  is  one  of  the  most  fer- 
tile in  the  corn  belt,  and  the  city  is  an  important 
shipping-point  for  corn.  It  has  wagon  and  cigar 
factories,  four  churches,  a  graded  school,  and  a 
weekly  paper.     Population  (1890).  819.  (1900),  705. 

MACON  COUNTY,  situated  near  the  geograph- 
ical center  of  the  State.  The  census  of  1900  gave 
its  area  as  580  square  miles,  and  its  population, 
44,003.  It  was  organized  in  1829,  and  named  for 
Nathaniel  Macon,  a  revolutionary  soldier  and 
statesman.  The  surface  is  chiefly  level  prairie, 
although  in  parts  there  is  a  fair  growth  of  timber. 
The  county  is  well  drained  by  the  Sangamon 
River  and  its  tributaries.  The  soil  is  that  high 
grade  of  fertility  which  one  might  expect  in  the 
corn  belt  of  the  central  portion  of  the  State. 
Besides  corn,  oats,  rye  and  barley  are  extensively 
cultivated,  while  potatoes,  sorghum  and  wfwl  are 
among  the  products.  Decatur  is  the  county-seat 
and  principal  city  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  agricul- 
tural region.  Maroa.  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county,  enjoys  considerable  local  trade. 

MACOrPIN  COUNTY,  a  south-central  county, 
with  an  area  of  804  ajuare  miles  and  a  population 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


349 


of  42,256  in  1900.  Tlie  word  Macoupin  is  of 
Indian  derivation,  signifying  ''white  potato."" 
Tlie  county,  originally  a  part  of  Madison,  and 
later  of  Greene,  was  separately  organized  in  1839, 
under  the  supervision  of  Seth  Hodges.  William 
Wilcox  and  Theodorus  Davis.  The  first  court 
house  (of  logs)  was  erected  in  1830.  It  contained 
but  two  rooms,  and  in  pleasant  weather  juries 
were  wont  to  retire  to  a  convenient  grove  to 
deliberate  upon  their  findings.  The  surface  of 
the  county  is  level,  with  narrow  belts  of  timber 
following  the  course  of  the  streams.  The  soil  is 
fertile,  and  both  corn  and  wheat  are  extensively 
raised  While  agriculture  is  the  chief  industry 
in  the  south,  stock-raising  is  successfully  carried 
on  in  the  north.  Carlinville  is  the  county-seat 
and  Bunker  Hill,  Stanton,  "Virden  and  Girard  the 
other  principal  towns 

MAC  "VEAGH,  Franklin,  merchant,  lawyer 
and  politician,  %vas  born  on  a  farm  in  Chester 
County,  Pa. ,  graduated  from  Yale  University  in 
1862,  and,  two  years  later,  from  Columbia  Law 
School,  New  York.  He  was  soon  compeHed  to 
abandon  practice  on  account  of  ill-health,  and 
removed  to  Chicago,  in  September,  1865,  where  he 
embarked  in  business  as  a  wliolesale  grocer.  In 
1874  he  was  chosen  President  of  the  Volunteer 
Citizens'  Association,  which  inaugurated  many 
important  municipal  reforms.  He  was  thereafter 
repeatedly  urged  to  accept  other  offices,  among 
them  the  mayorality,  but  persistently  refused 
until  1894,  when  he  accepted  a  nomination  for 
United  States  Senator  by  a  State  Convention  ot 
the  Democratic  Party.  He  made  a  thorough  can- 
vass of  the  State,  but  the  Republicans  having 
gained  control  of  the  Legislature,  he  was 
defeated.  He  is  the  liead  of  one  of  the  most 
extensive  wholesale  grocery  establishments  in 
the  city  of  Chicago. 

MADISON  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southwest 
division  of  the  State,  and  bordering  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  Its  area  is  about  740  square  miles. 
The  surface  of  the  county  is  liilly  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi bluffs,  but  generally  either  level  or  only 
slightly  undulating  in  the  interior.  The  "Ameri- 
can Bottom"  occupies  a  strip  of  country  along 
the  western  border,  four  to  six  miles  wide,  as  far 
north  as  Alton,  and  is  exceptionally  fertile.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1812,  being  the  first 
county  set  off  from  St.  Clair  County  after  the 
organization  of  Illinois  Territory,  in  1809,  and  the 
third  within  the  Territory.  It  was  named  in 
honor  of  James  Madison,  then  President  of  the 
United  States.  At  tliat  time  it  embraced  sub- 
stantially the  whole  of  the  northern  part  of  the 


State,  but  its  limits  were  steadily  reduced  by 
excisions  until  1843.  The  soil  is  fertile,  corn, 
wheat,  oats,  hay,  and  potatoes  being  raised  and 
exported  in  large  quantities  Coal  seams  under- 
lie the  soil,  and  carboniferous  limestone  crops  out 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Alton.  American  settlers 
began  first  to  arrive  about  1800,  tlie  Judys,  Gill- 
liams  and  Whitesides  being  among  the  first,  gen- 
erally locating  in  tlie  American  Bottom,  and 
laying  the  foundation  for  the  present  county. 
In  the  early  history  of  the  State,  Madison  County 
was  the  home  of  a  large  number  of  prominent 
men  who  exerted  a  large  influence  in  shaping  its 
destiny.  Among  these  were  Governor  Edwards, 
Governor  Coles,  Judge  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  and 
many  more  whose  names  are  intimately  inter- 
woven with  State  liistory.  The  county-seat  is  at 
Edwardsville,  and  Alton  is  the  princijial  city. 
Population  (1890),  51.535;  (1900),  64.094. 

MAGRUDER,  Benjamin  I>.,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  was  born  near  Natchez,  Miss., 
Sept.  37,  1838;  graduated  from  Yale  College  in 
1856,  and,  for  three  years  thereafter,  engaged  in 
teaching  in  his  father's  private  academy  at 
Baton  Rouge,  La.,  and  in  reading  law.  In  1859 
he  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Louisiana,  and  the  same  year 
opened  an  office  at  Memphis,  Tenn.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  his  sympathies  being 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  Union,  he  came  North, 
and,  after  visiting  relatives  at  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  settled  at  Chicago,  in  June,  1861.  While 
ever  radically  loyal,  he  refrained  from  enlisting 
or  taking  part  in  political  discussions  during  the 
war,  many  members  of  his  immediate  family 
being  in  the  Confederate  service.  He  soon 
achieved  and  easily  maintained  a  high  standing 
at  the  Chicago  bar ;  in  1868  was  appointed  Master 
in  Chancery  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cook 
County,  and,  in  1885,  was  elected  to  succeed 
Judge  T.  Lyle  Dickey  on  tlie  bench  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  being  re-elected  for  a  full  term 
of  nine  years  in  1888.  and  again  in  1897.  He  was 
Chief  Jastice  in  1891-93. 

MAKANDA,  a  village  of  Jackson  County,  on 
tlie  Illinois  Central  Railway,  49  miles  north  of 
Cairo,  in  South  Pass,  in  spur  of  Ozark  Mountains. 
It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  fruit-growing  region, 
large  amounts  of  this  product  being  shipped  there 
and  at  Cobden.  The  place  lias  a  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.     Population  (1900).  528. 

MALTBY,  Jasper  A.,  soldier,  was  born  in  Ash- 
tabula County,  Ohio,  Nov.  3,  1836,  served  as  a 
private  in  the  Mexican  War  and  was  severely 
wounded  at  Chapultepec.     After  his  discharge  he 


350 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


established  himself  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Galena,  111. ;  in  1861  entered  the  volimteer  service 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty-fifth  Illinois 
Infantry,  was  wounded  at  Fort  Donelson,  pro- 
moted Colonel  in  November,  1862,  and  woimded 
a  second  time  at  Vicksburg;  commissioned 
Brigadier- General  in  August,  1863;  served 
through  the  subsequent  campaigns  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee,  and  was  mustered  out,  January, 
1866.  Later,  he  was  appointed  by  the  commander 
of  the  district  Mayor  of  Vicksburg,  dying  in  that 
office,  Deo.  13,  1867. 

MANCHESTER,  a  town  of  Scott  County,  on 
the  Jacksonville  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Riiihvaj-,  16  miles  south  of  Jacksonville;  has 
some  manufactures  of  pottery.  Population 
(1890),  408;  (1900),  430. 

MANIERE,  (ieorge,  early  Chicago  lawyer  and 
jurist,  born  of  Huguenot  descent,  at  New  Lon- 
don, Conn.,  in  1817.  Bereft  of  his  father  in  1831. 
his  mother  removed  to  New  York  City,  where  he 
began  the  study  of  law,  occasionally  contributing 
to  "The  New  York  Mirror,"  then  one  of  the 
leading  literary  periodicals  of  the  countrj-.  In 
183.")  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  completed 
his  professional  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1839.  His  first  office  was  a  deputyship  in 
the  Circuit  Clerk's  office;  later,  he  was  appointed 
Master  in  Chancery,  and  served  one  term  as 
Alderman  and  two  terms  as  Citj-  Attorney. 
While  tilling  the  latter  office  he  codified  the 
municipal  ordinances.  In  1855  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  re-elected  in  1861 
without  opposition.  Before  the  expiration  of  his 
second  term  he  died.  May  21,  1863.  He  held  the 
office  of  School  Commissioner  from  1844  to  1852, 
during  which  time,  largelj'  through  his  efforts, 
the  school  system  was  remodeled  and  the  im- 
paired school  fund  placed  in  a  satisfactory  con- 
dition. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Union  Defense  Committee  in  1861,  a  member  of 
the  first  Board  of  Regents  of  the  (old)  Chicago 
University,  and  prominently  connected  with 
several  societies  of  a  semi-public  character.  He 
was  a  polished  writer  and  was,  for  a  time,  in  edi- 
torial control  of  "The  Chicago  Democrat." 

MANX,  James  R.,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Bloomington,  111.,  Oct.  20, 
1856,  whence  his  father  moved  to  Iroquois  County 
in  1867;  graduated  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
in  1876  and  at  the  Union  College  of  Law  in  Chi- 
cago, in  1881,  after  which  he  established  himself 
in  practice  in  Chicago,  finally  becoming  the  head 
of  the  law  firm  of  Mann,  Hayes  &  Miller:  in  1888 
was  elected  Attorney  of  the  village  of  Hyde  Park 


and,  after  the  annexation  of  that  municipality  to 
the  city  of  Chicago,  in  1892  was  elected  Alderman 
of  the  Thirty-second  Ward,  and  re-elected  in 
1894,  while  in  the  Cit}-  Council  becoming  one  of 
its  most  prominent  members;  in  1894,  served  as 
Temporary  Chairman  of  the  Kepublican  .State 
Convention  at  Peoria,  and,  in  1895,  as  Chairman 
of  the  Cook  County  Republican  Convention.  In 
1896  he  was  elected,  as  a  Repul)lican,  to  the  Fifty- 
fifth  Congress,  receiving  a  plurality  of  28,4.59 
over  the  Free  Silver  Democratic  candidate,  and 
26,907  majority  over  all.  In  1898  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  re-election, and  was  again  successful,  by 
over  17,000  plurality,  on  a  largely  reduced  vote. 
Other  positions  held  by  Mr.  Maiin,  previous  to  his 
election  to  Congress,  include  those  of  Master  in 
Chancery  of  the  .Superior  Court  of  Cook  County 
and  General  Attorney  of  the  South  Park  Com- 
missioners of  the  city  of  Chicago. 

MANX,  Orrln  L.,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was  bom 
in  Geauga  County,  Ohio.,  and,  in  his  youth, 
removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
wher^  he  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  but, 
being  compelled  to  abandon  it  on  account  of  an 
injury,  in  1851  began  study  with  the  late  Dr. 
Hinman,  then  in  charge  of  the  Wesleyan  Female 
College,  at  Albion,  Jlich.  Dr.  Hinman  having, 
two  years  later,  become  President  of  the  North- 
western L^niversity,  at  Evanston,  Mr.  Mann 
accompanied  his  preceptor  to  Chicago,  continuing 
his  studies  for  a  time,  but  later  engaging  in 
teaching;  in  1856  entered  the  University  of 
Michigiin,  but  left  in  his  junior  year.  In  1860  he 
took  part  in  the  campaign  which  resulted  in  the 
election  of  Lincoln ;  early  in  the  following  spring 
had  made  arrangements  to  engage  in  the  lumber- 
trade  in  Chicago,  but  alKindoned  this  purpose  at 
the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter;  then  assisted  in 
organizing  the  Thirty-ninth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers  (the  "Yates  Phalanx"), which  having 
been  accepted  after  considerable  delay,  he 
was  chosen  Major.  The  regiment  was  first 
assigned  to  duty  in  guarding  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad,  but  afterwards  took  part  in  the 
first  battle  of  Winchester  and  in  operations  in 
North  and  South  Carolina.  Having  previously 
been  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Major 
Mann  was  now  assigned  to  court-martial  duty  at 
Newbem  and  Hilton  Head.  Later,  he  partici- 
pated in  the  siege  of  Forts  Wagner  and  Gregg, 
winning  a  brevet  Brigadier-Generalship  for 
meritorious  service.  The  Thirty-ninth,  having 
"veteranized"  in  1864,  was  again  sent  east,  and 
being  assigned  to  the  command  of  Gen.  B.  F. 
Butler,  took    part    in    the    battle    of    Bermuda 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


351 


Hundreds,  where  Colonel  Mann  was  seriously 
wounded,  necessitating  a  stay  of  several  months 
in  hospital.  Keturning  to  duty,  he  was  assigned 
to  the  staff  of  General  Ord,  and  later  served  as 
Provost  Marshal  of  the  District  of  Virginia,  with 
headquarters  at  Norfolk,  being  finally  mustered 
out  in  December,  1865.  After  the  war  he 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business, 
but,  in  1866,  was  appointed  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  the  Chicago  Di-strict,  serving  until 
1868,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  General  Corse. 
Other  positions  held  by  him  have  been :  Represent- 
ative in  the  Twenty-ninth  General  Assembly 
(1874-76),  Coroner  of  Cook  County  (1878-80),  and 
Sheriff  (1880-82).  General  Mann  was  injured  by 
a  fall,  some  years  since,  inducing  partial  paraly- 
sis. 

MANNING,  Joel,  first  Secretary  of  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal  Commissioners,  was  born  in 
1793,  graduated  at  Union  College,  N.  Y.,  in  1818, 
and  came  to  Southern  Illinois  at  an  early  day, 
residing  for  a  time  at  Brownsville,  Jackson 
County,  where  he  held  the  office  of  County- 
Clerk.  In  1836  he  was  practicing  law,  when  he 
was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  first  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal, 
remaining  in  office  until  1845.  He  continued  to 
reside  at  Lockport,  Will  County,  until  near  the 
close  of  his  life,  when  he  removed  to  Joliet,  dying 
there,  Jan.  8,  1H09. 

MANXINK,  Julius,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Can- 
ada, near  Chateaugay,  N.  Y. ,  but  passed  his 
earlier  years  chiefly  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
completing  his  education  at  Middlebury  College, 
Vt. ;  in  1839  came  to  Knoxville,  111.,  where  he 
served  one  term  as  County  Judge  and  two  terms 
(1842-46)  as  Representative  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly. He  was  also  a  Democratic  Presidential 
Elector  in  1848.  In  1853  he  removed  to  Peoria, 
where  he  was  elected,  in  1861,  a  Delegate  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  the  following 
year.     Died,  at  Knoxville,  July  4,  1863. 

MANSFIELD,  a  village  of  Piatt  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Peoria  Division  of  the 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  and 
the  Chicago  Division  of  the  Wabash  Railways, 
32  miles  southeast  of  Bloomiugton.  It  is  in  the 
heart  of  a  rich  agricultural  region ;  has  one  news- 
paper.    Population  (1890),  533;  (1900),  708. 

MANTENO,  a  village  of  Kankakee  County, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  47  miles  south 
of  Chicago;  a  shipping  point  for  grain,  live- 
stock, small  fruits  and  dairy  products;  has 
one  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  632;  (1890), 
637;  (1900),  932. 


MAC^UON,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  on  the 
Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway,  16  miles  southeast  of  Gales- 
l)urg.  The  region  is  agricultural.  The  town  has 
banks  and  a  weekly  paper.  Population  (1880), 
548;  (1890),  .501,  (1900),  47.5. 

MARCY,  (Dr.)  Oliver,  educator,  was  born  in 
Coleraine,  Mass.,  Feb.  13,  1830;  received  his  early 
education  in  the  grammar  schools  of  his  native 
town,  graduating,  in  1842,  from  the  Wesleyan 
University  at  Middletown,  Conn.  He  early  mani- 
fested a  deep  interest  in  the  natural  sciences  and 
became  a  teacher  in  an  academy  at  Wilbraham, 
Mass.,  where  he  remained  until  1862,  meanwhile 
making  numerous  trips  for  geologic  investigation 
One  of  these  was  made  in  1849,  overland,  to 
Piiget  Sound,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  data 
for  maps  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  settling  dis- 
puted questions  as  to  the  geologic  formation  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  During  this  trip  he  visited 
San  Francisco,  making  maps  of  the  mountain 
regions  for  tfie  use  of  the  Government.  In  1862 
he  was  called  to  tlie  professorship  of  Natural 
History  in  the  Northwestern  University,  at 
Evanston,  remaining  there  until  his  death.  The 
institution  was  then  in  its  infancy,  and  he  taught 
mathematics  in  connection  with  his  other  duties. 
From  1890  he  was  Dean  of  the  faculty.  He 
received  the  degee  of  LL.  D.  from  the  University 
of  Chicago  in  1876.  Died,  at  Evanston.  March 
19,  1899. 

MAREDOSIA  (MARAIS  de  OGEE),  a  peculiar 
depression  (or  slough)  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Whiteside  County,  connecting  the  Mississippi 
and  Rock  Rivers,  through  which,  in  times  of 
freshets,  the  former  sometimes  discharges  a  part 
of  its  waters  into  the  latter.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  Rock  River  is  relatively  higher,  it  some- 
times discharges  through  the  same  channel  into 
the  Mississippi.  Its  general  cour.se  is  north  and 
south. — Cat-Tnll  Slough,  a  similar  depre.ssion, 
runs  nearly  parallel  with  the  Maredosia,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  five  or  six  miles  from  the  latter.  The 
highest  point  in  the  Maredosia  above  low  water 
in  the  Mississippi  is  thirteen  feet,  and  that  in  the 
Cat-Tail  Slough  is  twenty-six  feet.  Each  is 
believed,  at  some  time,  to  have  served  as  a 
channel  for  the  Mississippi. 

MARENGO,  a  city  of  McHenry  County,  settled 
in  1835,  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1857  and,  as  a 
city,  in  1893;  lies  68  miles  northwest  of  Chicago, 
on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.  It  is 
in  the  heart  of  a  dairying  and  fruit-growing  dis- 
trict; has  a  foundry,  stove  works,  condensed 
milk  plant,  canning  factory,  water-works,  elec- 


352 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


trie  lights,  has  six  churches,  good  schools  and 
two  weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1880),  1,264; 
(1890),  1,  445;  (1900),  2,005. 

MARINE,  a  village  of  Ma<ii.son  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  27  miles  northeast  of 
St.  Louis.  Several  of  its  earlie^it  settlers  were 
sf»a  captains  from  the  East,  from  whom  the 
"Marine  Settlement"  obtained  its  name  Popu- 
lation (1880)   774;  (1890),  637;  (1900),  666. 

MARION,  the  county-seat  of  Williain.son 
County,  172  miles  .southeast  of  Springfield,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  and  Chicago  A-  Eastern  Illinois 
Railroads;  in  agricultural  And  coal  region;  has 
cotton  and  woolen  mills,  electric  cars,  water- 
works, ice  and  cold-storage  plant,  dry  pressed 
I'rirk  factory,  six  chtirches.  a  graded  school,  and 
three  newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  1,338;  (1900),  2,510. 

MARION  COUNTY,  located  near  the  center  of 
the  southern  half  of  the  State,  with  an  area  of 
580  stjuare  miles;  was  organized  in  1823,  and,  by 
the  census  of  1900,  had  a  population  of  30,446. 
About  half  the  county  is  prairie,  the'  chief  prod- 
ucts being  tobacco,  wool  and  fruit.  The 
remainder  is  timbered  land.  It  is  watered  by  the 
tributaries  of  the  Kaskaskia  and  Little  Wabash 
Rivers.  The  bottom  lands  have  a  heavy  growth 
of  choice  timber,  and  a  deep,  rich  soil  A  large 
portion  of  the  county  is  underlaid  with  a  thin 
vein  of  coal,  and  the  rocks  all  belong  to  the  upper 
coal  measures.  Sandstone  and  building  sand  are 
also  abundant.  Ample  shipping  facilities  are 
afforded  by  the  Illinois  Central  and  theI?altimore  & 
Oliio  (S.W. )  Railroiids.  Salem  is  the  county-seat, 
but  Centralia  is  the  largest  antl  most  important 
town,  being  a  railroad  junction  and  center  of  an 
extensive  fruit-trade.  Sandoval  is  a  thriving 
town  at  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  and 
the  lialtimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroads. 

MARISSA,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County,  on  the 
St  Louis  A:  Cairo  Short  Line  Railroad,  39  miles 
soutliea.st  of  St.  Louis.  It  is  in  a  farming  and 
mining  district:  has  two  banks,  a  new'jpatier  and 
a  ma.irazine.     Population  (189(1).  H76;  (1U(K)).  1,086. 

MAROA,  a  city  in  Macon  County,  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  13  miles  north  of  Decatur 
and  31  mile,-;  south  of  Bloomington.  The  city  has 
three  elevators,  an  agricultural  implement  fac- 
tory, water-works  system,  electric  light  plant, 
telephone  service,  two  banks,  one  newspaper, 
three  churches  and  a  graded  school.  Population 
(1880),  870:  (1890),  1,104;  (1900),  1,213. 

MARQUETTE.  (Father)  Jacqnes,  a  French 
missionary  and  explorer,  born  at  Laon,  France, 
in  1637.  He  became  a  Jesuit  at  the  age  of  17,  and, 
twelve  years  later  (1666),  was  ordained  a  priest. 


The  same  year  he  sailed  for  Canada,  landing  at 
Quebec.  For  eighteen  months  he  devoted  him- 
self chiefly  to  the  study  of  Indian  dialects,  and, 
in  1608,  accompanied  a  party  of  Nez-Perces  to 
Lake  Superior,  where  he  founded  the  mission  of 
Sault  Ste.  Marie.  Later,  after  various  vicissi- 
tudes, he  went  to  Mackinac,  and,  in  that  vicinity, 
founded  the  Mission  of  St.  Ignace  and  built  a 
rude  church.  In  1673  he  accompanied  Joliet  on 
his  voyage  of  discovery  down  the  Mississippi,  the 
two  setting  out  from  Green  Bay  on  May  17,  and 
reaching  the  Mississippi,  by  way  of  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  Riverr,,  June  17.  (For  an  interesting 
translation  of  Mariiuette's  quaint  narrative  of  the 
expedition,  see  Shea"s  "Discover)'  and  Explo- 
ration of  the  Mississippi,''  N.  Y.,  1852.)  In  Sep- 
tember, 1673,  after  leaving  the  Illinois  and  stop-  . 
ping  for  some  time  among  the  Indians  near 
"Starved  Rock,"  he  returned  to  Green  Bay  much 
broken  in  health.  In  October,  1674,  under  orders 
from  his  superior,  he  set  out  to  establish  a  mis- 
sion at  Kaskaskia  on  the  Upper  Illinois.  In 
December  he  reached  the  present  site  of  Chicago, 
where  he  was  compelled  to  halt  because  of 
exhaustion.  On  March  29,  1675,  he  resumed  his 
journey,  and  reached  Kaskaskia,  after  much 
suffering,  on  April  8.  After  laboring  indefati- 
gablj-  and  making  many  converts,  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  start  on  his  return  to  Macki- 
nac. Before  the  voyage  was  completed  he  died. 
May  18,  1675,  at  the  mouth  of  a  stream  which 
long  bore  his  name — but  is  not  the  pre.sent  Mar- 
quette River — on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  5Iichi- 
gan.  His  remains  were  subsequently  removed  to 
Point  St.  Ignace.  He  was  the  first  to  attempt  to 
explain  the  lake  tides,  and  modem  science  has 
not  improved  his  theory. 

MARSEILLES,  a  city  on  the  Illinois  River,  in 
La  Salle  County,  8  miles  ea.st  of  Ottawa,  and  77 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago,  on  the  line  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad.  Ex- 
cellent water  power  is  furnished  by  a  dam  across 
the  river.  The  city  has  several  factories,  among 
the  leading  products  being  Hour,  paper  and 
agricultural  implements.  Coal  is  mined  in  the 
vicinity.  The  grain  trade  is  large,  sufficient  to 
support  three  elevators  There  are  three  papers 
(one  daily).  Population  (1890),  2,210;  (1900), 
2,. 559;  (1903,  est),  3,100. 

M.VRSH,  Benjamin  F.,  Congres,sman.  bom  in 
AVy the  Township,  Hancock  County,  111.,  was  edu- 
cated at  private  schools  and  at  Jubilee  College, 
leaving  the  latter  institution  one  year  tefore 
graduation.  He  read  la  w  under  the  tutelage  of  his 
brother.  Judge  J.  W.  Marsh,  of  Warsaw,  and  was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


353 


admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860.  The  same  year  he  was 
an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  State's  Attorney. 
Immediately  upon  the  first  call  for  troops  in  1861, 
he  raised  a  company  of  cavalry,  and,  going  to 
Springfield,  tendered  it  to  GoTernor  Yates.  No 
cavalry  having  lieen  called  for,  the  Governor  felt 
constrained  to  decline  it.  On  his  way  home  Mr. 
Marsh  stopped  at  Quincy  and  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Sixteenth  Illinois  Infantr}-,  in  which  regi- 
ment he  served  until  July  4,  1861,  when  Gov- 
ernor Yates  advised  him  by  telegraph  of  his 
readiness  to  accept  his  cavalry  company. 
Returning  to  Warsaw  he  recruited  another  com- 
pany within  a  few  days,  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned Captain,  and  which  was  attached  to 
the  Second  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  served  in  the 
army  until  January,  1866,  being  four  times 
wounded,  and  rising  to  the  rank  of  Colonel.  On 
his  return  home  he  interested  himself  in  politics. 
In  1869  he  was  a  Republican  candidate  for  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention,  and.  in  1876, 
was  elected  to  represent  the  Tenth  Illinois  Dis- 
trict in  Congress,  and  re-elected  in  1878  and  1880. 
In  188.5  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Rail- 
road and  Warehouse  Commission,  serving  until 
1889.  In  1894  he  was  again  elected  to  Congress 
from  his  old  district,  which,  under  the  new 
apportionment,  had  become  the  Fifteenth,  was 
re-elected  in  1896.  and  again  in  1898.  In  the 
Fifty-fifth  Congress  he  was  a  member  of  tlie 
House  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Militia. 

MARSH,  William,  jurist,  was  born  at  Moravia, 
N.  Y.,  May  11,  1822;  was  educated  at  Groton 
Academy  and  Union  College,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  1842.  He  studied  law,  in  part,  in 
the  office  of  Millard  Fillmore,  at  Buffalo,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  184.5,  practicing  at  Ithaca 
until  18.54,  when  he  removed  to  Quincy,  111.  Here 
he  continued  in  practice,  in  partnership,  at  differ- 
ent periods,  with  prominent  lawyers  of  that  city, 
until  elected  to  the  Circuit  bench  in  18.S5,  serv- 
ing until  1891.     Died,  April  14,  1894. 

MARSHALL,  the  county -seat  of  Clark  County, 
and  an  incorporated  city.  16K  miles  southwest  of 
Terre  Haute.  Ind..  and  a  point  of  intersection  of 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  i^'  St.  Louis 
and  the  Vandalia  Railroads.  The  surrounding 
country  is  devoted  to  farming  and  stock-raising. 
The  city  has  woolen,  flour,  saw  and  planing  mills, 
and  milk  condensing  plant.  It  has  two  banks, 
eight  churches  and  a  good  public  school  system, 
which  includes  city  and  township  high  schools. 
and  three  new.spapers.  Population  (1890),  1,900; 
(1900),  2,077. 


MARSHALL,  Samuel  S.,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Gallatin  County,  111.,  in 
1824,  studied  law  and  soon  after  located  at 
McLeansboro.  In  1846  he  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  lower  house  of  the  Fifteenth  General 
Assembly,  but  resigned,  early  in  the  following 
year,  to  become  State's  Attorney,  serving  until 
1848;  was  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  from  1851 
to  1854,  and  again  from  1861  to  1865 ;  was  delegate 
from  the  State-at-large  to  the  Charleston  and 
Baltimore  Conventions  of  1860,  and  to  the 
National  Union  Convention  at  Philadelphia  in 
1866.  In  1861  he  received  the  complimentary 
vote  of  his  party  in  the  Legislature  for  United 
States  Senator,  and  was  similarly  honored  in  the 
Fortieth  Congress  (1867)  by  receiving  the  Demo- 
cratic support  for  Speaker  of  tlie  House.  He 
was  first  elected  to  Congress  in  1854,  re-elected  in 
1856,  and,  later,  served  continuously  from  1865  to 
1875,  when  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession.     Died,  July  26,  1890. 

MARSHALL  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  north- 
central  part  of  the  State,  with  an  area  of  400 
square  miles — named  for  Chief  Justice  John  Mar- 
shall. Settlers  began  to  arrive  in  1827,  and 
county  organization  was  effected  in  18.S9.  The 
Illinois  River  bisects  the  county,  which  is  also 
drained  by  Sugar  Creek.  The  surface  is  gener- 
ally level  prairie,  except  along  the  river,  although 
occasionally  undulating.  The  soil  is  fertile, 
corn,  wheat,  hay  and  oats  forming  the  staple 
agricultural  products.  Hogs  are  raised  in  great 
number,  and  coal  is  extensively  mined.  Lacon 
is  the  county-seat.  Population  (1880),  15,053; 
(1890),  1.3,6.53;  (1900),  16,370. 

MARTIN,  (Gen.)  James  S.,  ex- Congressman 
and  soldier,  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Va., 
August  19,  1826,  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and,  at  the  age  of  20,  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Southern  Illinois,  .settling  in  Marion 
County.  He  served  as  a  non-commissioned 
officer  in  the  war  with  Mexico.  In  1849,  he  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Marion  County  Court,  which 
office  he  filled  for  twelve  years.  By  profession  he 
is  a  lawyer,  and  has  been  in  active  practice  when 
not  in  public  or  miUtary  life.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  State 
Central  Committee.  In  1862  he  was  commis- 
sioned Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and,  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
brevetted  Brigadier-General.  On  his  return  home 
he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Marion  County, 
and,  in  1868,  appointed  United  States  Pension 
Agent.  The  latter  post  he  resigned  in  1872,  hav- 
ing been  elected,  as  a  Republican,   to  represent 


354 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  Sixteenth  District  in  the  Forty-third  Con- 
gress. He  was  Commander  of  tlie  Grand  Army 
for  the  Department  of  Illinois  in  1889-90. 

MARTINSVILLE,  a  village  of  Clark  County, 
on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  (Vandalia) 
Railroad.  11  miles  .southwest  of  Marshall;  has 
two  banks  and  one  newspaper.  Population  (1880). 
663;    (1890),  779;  (1900).  1,000. 

MASCOl'TAH,  a  city  in  St.  Clair  County,  25 
miles  from  St.  Louis  and  11  miles  east  of  Belle- 
ville, on  the  line  of  the  Louisville  &  Nashville 
Railroad.  Coal-mining  and  agriculture  are  the 
principal  industries  of  the  surrounding  country. 
The  city  has  flour  mills,  a  brickyard,  dairy, 
school,  churches,  and  electric  line.  Population 
(1880),  2,558;  (1890),  2.032;  (1900),  2.171. 

MASON,  Roswell  B.,  civil  engineer,  wa-s  born 
in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  19.  1805;  in  his 
boyhood  was  employed  as  a  teamster  on  the  FJrie 
Canal,  a  year  later  (1822)  accepting  a  position  as 
rodnian  under  Eihvard  F.  Gay,  assistant-engineer 
in  charge  of  construction.  Subsequently  he  was 
employed  on  the  Schuylkill  and  Morris  Canals, 
on  the  latter  becoming  assistant -engineer  and, 
finally,  chief  and  superintendent.  Other  works 
with  which  Mr.  Miuson  was  connected  in  a  similar 
capacity  were  the  Pennsylvania  Canal  and  tlie 
Housatonic,  New  York  &  New  Haven  and  the 
Vermont  Valley  Railroads.  In  1851  he  came 
west  and  took  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  a  work  which  required 
five  j'ears  for  its  completion.  The  next  four 
years  were  spent  as  contractor  in  the  construction 
of  roads  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  until  1S60.  when 
he  became  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad,  but  remained  only  one  year,  in 
1861  accepting  the  jxisition  of  Controller  of  the 
land  department  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
which  he  retained  until  18G7.  The  next  two 
years  were  occupied  in  the  service  of  the  State  in 
lowering  the  summit  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal.  In  1869  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city 
of  Chicago,  anil  it  wiis  in  the  closing  days  of 
his  term  that  the  great  fire  of  1871  occurred, 
testing  his  executive  ability  to  the  utmost.  From 
1873  to  1SS3  he  served  as  one  of  the  Trustees  of 
the  Illinois  Industrial  University,  and  was  one  of 
the  incorporators,  and  a  life  long  Director,  of  the 
Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west. Died,  Jan.  1,  1892.— Edward  Gay  (Mason), 
son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Bridgeport, 
Conn..  August  23,  1839;  came  with  his  father's 
family,  in  1852,  to  Chicago,  where  he  attended 
school  for  several  years,  after  which  he  entered 
Yale  College,  graduating  there  in  1860.     He  then 


studied  law,  and,  later,  became  a  member  of  the 
law  Urm  of  Mattocks  &  Mason,  but  subsequently, 
in  conjunction  with  two  brothers,  organized  the 
firm  of  Mason  Brothers,  for  the  prosecution  of  a 
real-estate  and  law  business.  In  1881  Mr.  Mason 
was  one  of  tlie  organizers  of  the  Chicago  Musical 
Festival,  whicli  was  instrumental  in  bringing 
Theodore  Thomas  to  Chicago.  In  1887  he  became 
President  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  as  the 
successor  of  Elihu  B.  Washburne,  retaining  the 
position  until  his  death,  Dec.  18.  1898.  During 
his  incumbency,  the  commodious  building,  now 
occupied  by  the  Historical  Society  Library,  was 
erected,  and  he  added  largely  to  the  resources  of 
the  Society  by  the  collection  of  rare  manuscripts 
and  other  historical  records.  He  was  the  author 
of  several  historical  works,  including  "Illinois  in 
the  Eighteenth  Century,"  "Ka.skaskia  and  Its 
Parish  Records,"  besides  papers  on  La  Salle  and 
the  (irst  settlers  of  Illinois,  and  "The  Story  of 
James  Willing — An  Episode  of  the  American 
Revolution."  He  also  edited  a  volume  entitled 
"Early  Chicago  and  Illinois,"  which  was  pub- 
lished under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Histor- 
ical .Society.  Mr.  MiUson  wiis,  for  several  years,  a 
Trustee  of  Yale  University  and,  about  the  time  of 
his  death,  was  prominently  talked  of  for  President 
of  that  institution,  as  successor  to  President 
Timothy  Dwight. 

MASON,  William  E.,  United  States  Senator, 
was  born  at  Frauklinville.  Cattaraugus  County. 
N.  Y..  July  7,  1850,  and  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Benton.^port,  Iowa,  in  1858.  He  was  educated 
at  the  Bentonsport  Academy  and  at  Birmingham 
College.  From  1866  to  1870  he  taught  school,  the 
last  two  j-ears  at  Des  Moines.  In  that  city  he 
studied  law  with  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Withrow,  who 
afterward  admitted  him  to  partnership.  In  1873 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  lie  has  since  prac- 
ticed his  profession.  He  so«m  embarked  in  poli- 
tics, and,  in  1878,  was  elected  to  the  lower  house 
of  the  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1882,  to  the 
State  Senate.  In  1884  he  was  the  regular  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Third  Illinois 
District  (then  strongly  Republican),  but,  owing 
to  party  dissensions,  was  defeated  by  James  H. 
Ward,  a  Democrat.  In  1886,  and  again  in  1888. 
he  was  elected  to  Congress,  but,  in  1890,  was 
defeated  for  re-election  by  Allan  C.  Durborow. 
He  is  a  vigorous  and  effective  campaign  speaker. 
In  1897  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator, 
receiving  in  the  Legislature  125  votes  to  77  for 
John  P.  Altgeld.  the  Democratic  candidate. 

M.VSON  CITY,  a  prosperous  city  in  Ma-son 
County,   at  the  intersection  of    the    Chicago  & 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


355 


Alton  and  the  Havana  branch  of  the  Illhiois 
Central  Railroads,  18  miles  west  by  north  of 
Lincoln,  and  about  30  miles  north  of  Springfield. 
Being  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  corn-growing  district, 
it  is  an  important  shipping  point  for  that  com- 
modity. It  has  four  churches,  two  banks,  two 
newspapers,  brick  works,  flour-mills,  giain-ele- 
vators  and  a  carriage  factory.  Population  (1S80), 
1,714;   (1890),  1,869;  (1900),  1.890. 

MASON  COUNTY,  organized  in  1841,  with  a 
population  of  about  3,000;  population  (1900), 
17,491,  and  area  of  560  square  miles, — named  for  a 
county  in  Kentucky.  It  lies  a  little  northwest 
of  the  center  of  the  State,  the  Illinois  and  Sanga- 
mon Rivers  forming  its  west  and  its  south  bound- 
aries. The  soil,  while  sandy,  is  fertile.  The 
chief  staple  is  corn,  and  the  county  offers  excel- 
lent opportunities  for  viticultm-e.  The  American 
pioneer  of  Mason  County  was  probably  Maj. 
Ossian  B  Ross,  who  settled  at  Havana  in  1833. 
Not  until  1837,  however,  can  immigration  be  said 
to  have  set  in  rai>idly.  Havana  was  first  chosen 
as  the  county  seat,  but  Bath  enjoyed  the  honor 
for  a  few  years,  the  county  offices  being  per- 
manently removed  to  the  former  point  in  1851. 
Mason  City  is  an  important  shipping  point  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad 

MASONS,  ANCIENT  ORDER  OF  FREE  AND 
'ACCEPTED.     (See  Free-HIasons.) 

MASSAC  COUNTY,  an  extreme  southern 
county  of  the  State  and  one  of  the  smallest,  its 
area,  being  but  little  more  than  340  square  miles, 
with  a  population  (1900)  of  13,110— named  for 
Fort  Mas.sac,  within  its  borders.  The  surface  is 
hilly  toward  the  north,  but  the  bottom  lands 
along  the  Ohio  River  are  swampy  and  liable  to 
frequent  overflow.?.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
natural  resources  consists  of  timber — oak,  wal- 
nut, poplar,  hickory,  cypress  and  cottonwood 
abounding.  Saw-mills  are  found  in  nearly  every 
town,  and  considerable  grain  and  tobacco  are 
raised.  The  original  settlers  were  largely  from 
Ohio,  Kentucky  and  North  Carolina,  and  hospi- 
tality is  traditional.  Metropolis,  on  the  Ohio 
River,  is  the  county -seat.  It  was  laid  off  in  1839, 
although  Mas.sac  County  was  not  separately 
organized  until  1843.  At  Massac  City  may  be 
seen  the  ruins  of  the  early  French  fort  of  that 
name. 

MASSAC  COUNTY  REBELLION,  the  name 
commonly  given  to  an  outbreak  of  mob  violence 
which  occurred  in  Massac  County,  in  1845-46.  An 
arrested  criminal  having  asserted  that  an  organ- 
ized band  of  thieves  and  robbers  existed,  and 
having  given  the  names  of  a  large  number  of  the 


alleged  members,  popular  excitement  rose  to 
fever  heat.  A  company  of  self-apix)inted  "regu- 
lators" was  formed,  whose  acts  were  so  arbitrary 
that,  at  the  August  election  of  1846,  a  Sheriff  and 
County  Clerk  were  elected  on  the  avowed  issue 
of  opposition  to  these  irregular  tactics.  This 
served  to  stimulate  the  "regulators"  to  renewed 
activity.  Many  persons  were  forced  to  leave  the 
county  on  suspicion,  and  others  tortured  into 
making  confession.  In  consequence,  some  leading 
'  'regulators' '  were  thrown  into  jail,  only  to  be  soon 
released  by  their  friends,  who  ordered  the  Sheriff 
and  County  Clerk  to  leave  the  county.  The  feud 
rapidly  grew,  both  in  proportions  and  in  inten- 
sity. Governor  French  made  two  futile  efforts  to 
restore  order  through  mediation,  and  the  ordinary 
processes  of  law  were  also  found  unavailing. 
Judge  Scates  was  threatened  with  lynching 
Only  60  men  dared  to  serve  in  the  Sheriff's  posse, 
and  these  surrendered  upon  promise  of  personal 
immunity  from  violence.  This  pledge  was  not 
regarded,  several  members  of  the  posse  being  led 
away  as  prisoners,  some  of  whom,  it  was  believed, 
were  drowned  in  the  Ohio  River.  All  the  incarcer- 
ated "regulators"  were  again  released,  the  Sheriff 
and  his  supporters  were  once  more  ordered  to 
leave,  and  fresh  seizures  and  outrages  followed 
each  other  in  quick  succession.  To  remedy  this 
condition  of  affairs,  the  Legislature  of  1847  enacted 
a  law  creating  district  courts,  under  the  provi- 
sions of  which  a  Judge  might  hold  court  in  any 
county  in  his  circuit.  This  virtually  conferred 
upon  the  Judge  the  right  to  change  the  venue  at 
his  own  discretion,  and  thus  secure  juries  unbiased 
by  local  or  partisan  feeling.  The  effect  of  this 
legislation  was  highly  beneficial  in  restoring 
quiet,  although  the  embers  of  the  feud  still 
smoldered  and  intermittently  leaped  into  flame 
for  .several  years  thereafter. 

MATHENY,  Charles  R.,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  March  6,  1786,  licensed  as  a 
Methodist  pi-eaoher,  in  Kentucky,  and,  in  1805, 
came  to  St.  Clair  County  (then  in  Indiana  Terri- 
tory), as  a  missionary.  Later,  he  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar;  served  in  the  Third 
Territorial  (1817)  and  the  Second  State  Legisla- 
tures (1830-23);  removed,  in  1831,  to  the  newly 
organized  county  of  Sangamon,  where  he  was 
appointed  the  first  County  Clerk,  remaining  in 
office  eighteen  years,  also  for  some  years  holding, 
at  the  same  time,  the  offices  of  Circuit  Clerk, 
Recorder  and  Probate  Judge.  Died,  while 
County  Clerk,  in  1839.— Noah  W.  (Matheny),  son 
of  the  preceding,  was  bom  in  St.  Clair  County,  111., 
July  31,  1815;  was  assistant  of  his  father  in  the 


356 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


County  Clerk's  oflBce  in  Sangamon  County,  and, 
on  tlie  death  of  the  latter,  (November,  1839),  was 
elected  his  successor,  and  re-elected  for  eight  con- 
secutive terms,  serving  until  1873.  Died,  April 
30,  1877. — James  H.  (Matheny),  another  son, 
born  Oct.  30,  1818,  in  St.  Clair  County;  served  in 
his  youth  as  Clerk  in  various  local  offices ;  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847, 
elected  Circuit  Clerk  in  18.52,  at  the  close  of  his 
term  beginning  the  practice  of  law;  was  com- 
missioned Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fourteenth  Illinois  Volunteers,  in  October, 
1863,  and,  after  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  served  as 
Judge  Advocate  until  July,  1804,  when  he 
resigned.  He  then  returned  to  his  profession, 
but,  in  1873,  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Sanga- 
mon County,  holding  the  office  by  reiieated  re- 
elections  until  his  death,  Sept.  7,  1890, — having 
resided  in  Springfield  68  years. 

MATHER,  Thomas,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born.  Ai>ril  24.  179,^,  at  Simsbury,  Hartford 
County,  Conn.  ;  in  early  manhood  was  engaged 
for  a  time  in  business  in  New  York  City,  but.  in 
the  spring  of  1818.  came  to  Kaskaskia,  HI.,  where 
he  soon  after  became  associated  in  business  with 
James  L.  Lamb  and  others.  Tliis  firm  was 
afterwards  quite  extensively  engaged  in  trade 
with  New  Orleans.  Later  he  became  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  town  of  Chester.  In  1820  Mr. 
Mather  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the 
Second  General  Assembly  from  Randolpli 
Count)',  was  re-elected  to  the  Third  (serving  for 
a  part  of  the  session  as  Speaker),  and  again  to  the 
Fourth,  but,  before  the  expiration  of  his  last  term, 
resigned  to  accept  an  appointment  from  Presi- 
dent John  Quincj-  Adams  as  Commissioner  to 
locate  the  military  road  from  Independence  to 
Santa  Fe,  and  to  conclude  treaties  with  the 
Indians  along  the  line.  In  the  Legislature  of 
1822  he  was  one  of  the  most  determined  oppo- 
nents of  the  scheme  for  securing  a  pro-slavery 
Constitution.  In  1828  he  was  again  elected  to 
the  House  and,  in  1832,  to  the  Senate  for  a  term 
oi  four  years.  He  also  served  as  Colonel  on  the 
staff  of  Governor  Coles,  and  was  supported  for  the 
United  States  Senate,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  John  McLean,  in  1830.  Having 
removed  to  Springfield  in  1835,  he  became  promi- 
nent in  business  affairs  there  in  connection  with 
his  former  partner,  Mr.  James  L.  Lamb;  in  1837 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
Fund  Commissioners  for  the  State  under  the 
internal  improvement  system;  also  served  seven 
years  as  President  of  the  Springfield  branch  of 
the    State    Bank :    was    connected,  as    a    stock- 


holder, with  the  construction  of  the  Sangamon  & 
Morgan  (now  Wabash)  Rjiilroad,  extending  from 
Springfield  to  the  Illinois  river  at  Naples,  and 
was  also  identified,  financially,  with  the  old  Chi- 
cago &  Galena  Union  Railroad.  From  IHS.'j  until 
his  death.  Colonel  Mather  served  as  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  Illinois  College  !it  Jacksonville,  and 
was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  endowment  of 
that  institution.  His  death  occurred  during  a 
visit  to  Philadelphia,  March  28,  18.'53. 

MATTESOX,  Joel  Aldrich,  ninth  regularly 
elected  Governor  of  Illinois  ( 18.'53-.57),  was  born 
in  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  August  8,  1808;  after  some 
experience  in  business  and  as  a  teacher,  in  1831 
he  went  to  South  Carolina,  where  he  was  foreman 
in  the  construction  of  the  first  railroad  in  that 
State.  In  1834  he  removed  to  Illinois,  wliere  he 
became  a  contractor  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigjin 
Canal,  and  also  engaged  in  manufacturing  at 
Joliet.  After  serving  three  terms  in  the  State 
Senate,  he  was  elected  (iovernor  in  18.52,  and,  in 
18.5.5.  was  defeated  by  Lyman  Trumbull  for  the 
United  States  Seuatorship.  At  the  close  of  his 
gut)ernatorial  term  he  was  complimented  by  the 
Legislature,  and  retired  to  private  life  a  popular 
man.  Later,  there  were  developed  grave  scandals 
in  connection  with  the  refunding  of  certain 
canal  scrip,  with  which  his  name — unfortunately 
— was  connected.  He  turned  over  property  to 
tlie  State  of  the  value  of  nearly  §2.50,000,  for  its 
indemnification.  He  finally  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Chicago,  and  later  spent  considerable 
time  in  travel  in  Europe.  He  was  for  many 
years  the  lessee  and  President  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad.     Died  in  Chicago,  Jan.  31,  1873. 

MATTHEWS,  Asa  C,  ex-Comptroller  of  the 
United  States  Treasury,  was  born  in  Pike  County, 
III.,  March  22,  1833;  graduated  from  Illinois  Col- 
lege in  1855,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  three 
years  later.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
he  abandoned  a  remunerative  practice  at  Pitts- 
field  to  enlist  in  the  army,  and  was  elected  and 
commissioned  a  Captain  in  the  Ninety-ninth  Illi- 
nois Volunteers.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel, 
being  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  August. 
1865.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  in  1869,  and  Supervisor  for  the  District 
composed  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan,  in 
1875.  Being  elected  to  the  Thirtieth  General 
Assembly  in  1876,  he  resigned  his  office,  and  was 
re-elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1878.  On  the 
death  of  Judge  Higbee,  Governor  Hamilton 
appointed  Mr.  Matthews  to  fill  the  vacancy  thus 
created  on  the  bench  of  the  Sixth  Circuit,  his 
term  expiring  in  1885.     In  1888  he  was  elected  to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OP   ILLINOIS. 


.357 


the  Thirty-sixth  General  Assembly  and  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  May,  1889, 
President  HarrLson  named  him  First  Comp- 
troller of  the  United  States  Treasury,  and  the 
House,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  expressed  its  grati- 
fication at  his  selection.  Since  retiring  from 
office,  Colonel  Matthews  has  devoted  his  attention 
to  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Pittsfield. 

MATTHEWS,  Milton  W.,  lawyer  and  journal- 
ist, was  born  in  Clark  County,  111.,  March  1,  184(i, 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and,  near  tlie 
close  of  the  war,  served  in  a  100-daj's'  regiment; 
began  teaching  in  Champaign  County  in  1805, 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867 ; 
in  18T3  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery,  served 
two  terms  as  Pro.secuting  Attorney,  and,  in  1888, 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  meanwhile,  from 
18T9,  discharging  the  duties  of  editor  of  "The 
Champaign  County  Herald,"  of  wliich  he  was 
also  proprietor.  During  his  last  session  in  the 
State  Senate  (1891-92)  he  served  as  President  pro 
tem.  of  that  body;  was  also  President  of  the 
State  Press  Association  and  served  on  the  staff  of 
Governor  Fifer,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel  of  the 
Illinois  National  Guard.  Died,  at  Urbana,  May 
10,   1892. 

MATTOON,  an  important  city  in  Coles  County, 
172  miles  west  of  south  from  Chicago  and  56  miles 
■west  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  a  point  of  junction  for 
three  lines  of  railway,  and  an  important  shipping 
point  for  corn  and  broom  corn,  wliieh  are  both 
extensively  grown  in  the  surrounding  region.  It 
has  several  banks,  foundries,  macliine  sliops, 
brick  and  tile-works,  flour-mills,  grain-elevators, 
with  two  daily  and  four  weekly  newspapers ;  also 
has  good  graded  schools  and  a  high  school.  The 
repair  shops  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chi 
cago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  are  located  here. 
Population  (1890),  6.833;  (1900),  9,622. 

MAXWELL,  Philip,  M.D.,  pioneer  physician, 
was  born  at  Guilford,  Vt.,  April  3,  1799,  graduated 
in  medicine  and  practiced  for  a  time  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  also  serving  in  the  New  York  Legisla- 
ture; was  appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  at  Fort 
Dearborn,  in  1833,  remaining  intil  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  fort  at  the  end  of  1836.  In  1838  he 
was  promoted  Sui'geon,  and  served  with  Gen. 
Zachary  Taylor  in  the  campaign  against  the  Semi- 
noles  in  Florida,  but  resumed  private  practice  in 
Chicago  in  1844;  served  two  terms  as  Repre.sent- 
ative  in  the  General  Assembly  (1848-52)  and,  in 
1855,  settled  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Geneva,  Wis., 
where  he  died,  Nov.  5,  1859. 

MAY,  William  L.,  early  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Kentucky,  came  at  an  early  day 


to  Edwardsville,  111.,  and  afterwards  to  Jackson- 
ville; was  elected  from  Morgan  County  to  the 
Sixth  General  A.ssembly  (1828),  and  the  next  year 
removed  to  Springfield,  having  been  appointed  by 
President  Jackson  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  for 
the  Land  Office  there  He  was  twice  elected  to 
Congress  (1834  and  "36),  the  first  year  defeatmg 
Benjamin  Mills,  a  briUiant  lawyer  of  Galena. 
Later,  May  became  a  resident  of  Peoria,  but 
finally  removed  to  California,  where  he  died. 

MAYO,  Walter  L.,  legislator,  was  born  in  Albe- 
marle County  Va.,  March  7,  1810;  came  to 
Edwards  County,  111.,  in  1828,  and  began  teacli- 
ing.  He  took  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War 
(1831-32),  being  appointed  by  Governor  Reynolds 
Quartermaster  of  a  battalion  organized  in  that 
section  of  the  State.  He  had  previously  been 
appointed  County  Clerk  of  Edwards  County  to  fill 
a  vacancy,  and  continued,  by  successive  re-elec- 
tions, to  occupy  the  position  for  thirty-seven 
years — also  acting,  for  a  portion  of  the  time,  as 
Circuit  Clerk,  Judge  of  Probate  and  County  Treas- 
urer. In  1870  he  was  elected  Representative  in 
the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly  for  the 
Edwards  County  District.  On  the  evening  of  Jan. 
18,  1878,  he  mysteriously  disappeared,  having 
been  last  seen  at  the  Union  Depot  at  East  St. 
Louis,  when  about  to  take  tlie  train  for  his  home 
at  Albion,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  secretly 
murdered.  No  trace  of  his  body  or  of  the  crime 
was  ever  discovered,  and  the  affair  has  remained 
one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  criminal  history  of 
Illinois. 

MAYWOOl),  a  village  of  Cook  County,  and 
suburb  of  Chicago,  10  miles  west  of  that  city,  on 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  the  Chicago 
Great  Western  Railwaj's;  has  cliurches,  two 
weekly  newspapers,  public  scliools  and  some 
manufactures.     Population  (1900),  4,532. 

McAllister,  Willlam  K.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Washington  County.  N.  Y..  in  1818.  After 
admission  to  the  bar  he  commenced  isractice  at 
Albion,  N.  Y. .  and,  in  1854,  removed  to  Chicago. 
In  1866  lie  was  a  candidate  for  the  bench  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  that  city,  but  was  defeated  by 
Judge  Jameson.  Two  years  later  he  was  chosen 
Judge  of  tlie  Recorder's  Court,  and,  in  1870,  was 
elected  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  wliich 
position  he  resigned  in  1875,  having  been  elected 
a  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County  to 
fill  a  vacancy.  He  was  re-elected  for  a  full  term 
and  assigned  to  Appellate  Court  duty  in  1879. 
He  was  elected  for  a  tliird  time  in  1885,  but, 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  died.  Oct. 
29.  1888. 


358 


HISTOrtlCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


McARTHUR,  John,  soldier,  wa-s  born  in  Ers- 
kine,  Scolland,  Nov.  17,  1820;  worked  at  his 
father's  trade  of  blacksmith  until  215  j-ears  old, 
when,  coming  to  the  United  States,  he  settled  in 
Chicago.  Here  he  became  foreman  of  a  boiler 
making  establisliment,  later  acquiring  an  estab- 
lishment of  his  own.  Having  joined  the  Twelftli 
Illinois  Volunteers  at  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
with  a  company  of  which  be  was  Captain,  he 
was  chosen  Lieutenant-Colonel,  still  later  Colonel, 
and.  in  March,  18G2,  promoted  to  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral for  gallantry  in  the  assault  on  I'^ort  Donelson, 
where  lie  commanded  a  brigade.  At  Shiloh  ho 
was  wounded,  but  after  liaving  his  wound  dressed, 
returned  to  the  fight  and  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Second  Division  when  Gen.  W.  H.  L. 
Wallace  fell  mortally  wounded.  He  commanded 
a  division  of  McPherson's  corps  in  the  operations 
against  Vicksburg,  and  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in 
the  battle  of  Nashville,  where  he  commanded  a 
division  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  winninga  brevet 
Major-Generalship  by  his  gallantry.  (Jeneral 
McArtluir  was  Postmaster  of  Chicago  fronx  1873 
to  1877. 

McCAOG,  Ezra  Butler,  lawyer,  was  lK)rn  at 
Kinderhook,  N  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1825;  studied  law  at 
Hudson,  and,  coming  to  Chicago  in  1847,  entered 
the  law  office  of  J.  Young  Scammon,  soon  after- 
wards liecoming  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Scam- 
mon &  McCagg.  During  the  war  Mr.  McCagg 
was  an  active  member  of  the  United  States  Sani- 
tary Commission,  and  (for  some  years  after  tlio 
lire  of  1871)  of  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society;  is  also 
a  life-member  and  officer  of  the  Cliicago  Histori 
cal  Society,  besides  being  identified  with  several 
State  and  municipal  Ixjards.  His  standing  in  his 
profession  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
more  than  once  ofl'ered  a  non-partisan  nomina- 
tion for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  but  has  de- 
clined. He  occupies  a  high  rank  in  literary  circles, 
as  well  as  a  connoisseur  in  art,  and  is  the  owner  of  a 
large  private  librarj-  collected  since  the  destruction 
of  one  of  the  best  in  the  "U'e.st  by  the  fire  of  1871. 

McCartney,  James,  lawyer  and.  ex-Attorney 
General,  wa.s  born  of  Scotch  parentage  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  Feb.  14,  1835;  at  two  j'ears  of 
age  was  brought  to  the  United  States  and,  until 
1845,  resided  in  Pennsylvania,  when  his  parents 
removed  to  Trumbull  County,  Ohio.  Here  he 
spent  his  youth  in  general  farm  work,  meanwhile 
attending  a  high  school  and  finally  engaging  in 
teaching.  In  1856  he  began  the  study  of  law  at 
Warren.  Ohio,  which  he  continued  a  year  hiter  in 
the  office  of  Harding  &  Reed,  at  Monnioutli,  111. : 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1858,  and 


began  practice  at  Monmouth,  removing  the  fol- 
lowing year  toGalva.  In  April,  1801,  he  enlisted 
in  what  afterwards  became  the  Seventeenth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  was  commissioned 
a  First  Lieutenant,  but.  a  year  later,  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  on  account  of  ill-health.  A  few 
months  later  he  re-enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twelfth  Illinois,  being  soon  jjromoted  to  a 
captaincy,  although  serving  much  of  the  time  as 
Judge  Advocate  on  courts-martial,  and,  for  one 
year,  as  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General  in  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  term 
of  service  in  the  army,  lie  resumed  the  practice 
of  his  profe.ssion  at  Fairlield,  111.  ;  in  1880  was 
nomiuateil  and  elected,  asaRepuljlican,  Attorney- 
(Jeneral  of  the  State,  and.  during  his  last  year  in 
office,  begiin  the  celebrated  "Lake  Front  suits" 
whicli  finally  terminated  successfully  for  the 
city  of  Chicago.  Since  retiring  from  office,  Gen- 
eral McCartney  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profe.ssion,  chiefly  in  Sjiringfield  and  Chi- 
cago, liaving  been  a  resident  of  tlie  latter  citj- 
since  1890. 

McCartney,  Robert  Wilson,  lawyer  and 
jurist,  was  tH)rn  in  TnimbuU  County,  Ohio, 
March  19,  1843,  sjient'  a  jiortion  of  his  boyhood  in 
Pennsylvania,  afterwards  returning  to  Yoimgs- 
town,  Ohio,  where  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Sixth  Ohio  Cavalry.  He  was  severely  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  (Jettysburg,  lying  two  days  and 
nights  on  the  field  and  enduring  untold  suffering. 
As  soon  as  able  to  take  the  field  lie  was  commis- 
sioned, by  Governor  Curtin,  a  Captain  in  the 
Eighty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  serving  in 
the  army  of  tlie  Potomac  to  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  taking  part  in  the  grand  review  at  Wiishing- 
ton  in  May,  1865.  After  the  war  he  took  a  course 
in  a  business  college  at  Pittsburg,  removed  to 
Cleveland  and  began  the  study  of  law,  but  soon 
came  to  Illinois,  and,  having  completed  his  law 
studies  with  his  brother,  J.  T.  McCartney,  at 
Metro])olis,  w;is  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868;  also 
edited  a  Republican  paper  there,  became  inter- 
ested in  lumber  manufacture  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  tliat  cit}-. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Massac 
Count}-,  serving  nine  years,  when  (1882)  he  was 
elected  Representative  in  the  Thirty-third  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  the 
Legislature  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circizit 
Court  for  the  first  Circuit,  serving  from  1885  to 
1891.  Died,  Oct.  27,  1893.  Judge  McCartney 
was  able,  public-spirited  and  patriotic.  Tlie  city 
of  Metropolis  owes  to  him  the  Free  Public  Library 
bearing  his  name. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


359 


McCLAUGHRT,  Roliert  Wilson,  penologist, 
■was  born  at  Fountain  Green,  Hancock  County, 
111.,  July  22,  1839,  being  descended  from  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry  —his  grandfather,  who  was  a  native 
of  the  North  of  Ireland,  having  come  to  America 
in  his  youth  and  served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  up  on  a 
farm,  attending  school  in  the  winter  until  1854, 
then  spent  the  next  two  winters  at  an  academy, 
and,  in  1856,  began  a  course  in  Jlonmouth  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  1800.  The  following 
year  he  spent  as  instructor  in  Latin  in  the  same 
institution,  but,  in  1861,  became  editor  of  "The 
Carthage  Republican,"  a  Democratic  paper, 
which  he  made  a  strong  advocate  of  the  cause  of 
the  Union,  meanwhile,  both  by  his  pen  and  on 
the  stump,  encouraging  enlistments  in  the  army. 
About  the  first  of  July,  1863,  having  disposed  of 
his  interest  in  the  paper,  he  enlisted  in  a  company 
of  which  he  was  unanimously  chosen  Captain, 
and  which,  with  four  other  companies  organized 
in  the  same  section,  became  the  nucleus  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
The  regiment  having  been  completed  at  Camp 
Butler,  he  was  elected  Major,  and  going  to  the 
field  in  the  following  fall,  took  part  in  General 
Sherman's  first  movement  against  Vicksburg  by 
way  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  in  December,  1862. 
Later,  as  a  member  of  Osterhaus'  Division  of  Gen- 
eral McClernand"s  corps,  he  participated  with  his 
regiment  in  the  capture  of  Arkansas  Post,  and  in 
the  operations  against  Vicksburg  which  resulted 
in  the  capture  of  that  stronghold,  in  July,  1803. 
He  then  joined  the  Department  of  the  Gulf  under 
command  of  General  Banks,  but  was  compelled 
by  sickness  to  return  north.  Having  sufficiently 
recovered,  he  spent  a  few  months  in  the  recruit- 
ing service  (1864),  but,  in  May  of  that  year,  was 
transferred,  by  order  of  President  Lincoln,  to  the 
Pay  Department,  as  Additional-Paymaster,  with 
the  rank  of  Major,  being  finally  assigned  to  duty 
at  Springfield,  where  he  remained,  paying  off  Illi- 
nois regiments  as  mustered  out  of  the  service, 
until  Oct.  13,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. A  few  weeks  later  he  was  elected 
County  Clerk  of  Hancock  Count}',  serving  four 
years.  In  the  meantime  he  engaged  in  the  stone 
business,  as  head  of  the  firm  of  R.  W.  McClaughry 
&  Co.,  furnishing  stone  for  the  basement  of  the 
State  Capitol  at  Springfield  and  for  bridges  across 
the  Mississippi  at  Quincy  and  Keokuk — later 
being  engaged  in  the  same  business  at  St.  Gene- 
vieve, Mo.,  with  headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  Com- 
pelled to  retire  by  failing  health,  he  took  up  his 
residence  at  Monmouth  in  1873,  but,  in  1874,  was 


called  to  the  wardenship  of  the  State  Peniten- 
tiary at  Joliet.  Here  he  remained  until  December, 
1888,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Industrial  Reformatory  at 
Huntingdon,  Pa.,  but,  in  May,  1891,  accepted 
from  Mayor  Washburne  the  position  of  Chief  of 
Police  in  Chicago,  continuing  in  service,  under 
Mayor  Harrison,  until  August,  1893,  when  he 
became  Superintendent  of  the  Illinois  State 
Reformatory  at  Pontiac.  Early  in  1897  he  was 
again  offered  and  accepted  the  position  of  Warden 
of  the  State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet.  Here  he  re- 
mained until  1899,  when  he  received  from  Presi- 
dent McKinley  the  appointment  of  Warden  of  the 
Military  Prison  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan., 
which  position  he  now  (1899)  occupies.  Major  Mc- 
Claughry's  administration  of  penal  and  reforma- 
tory institutions  has  been  eminently  satisfactoiv, 
and  he  has  taken  rank  as  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful penologists  in  the  country. 

McCLELLAX,  Robert  H.,  lawyer  and  banker, 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  N.  Y. ,  Jan.  3, 
1823;  graduated  at  L^nion  College,  Schenectady, 
in  1847,  and  then  .studied  law  with  Hon,  Martin  I. 
Townsend,  of  Troy,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1850.  The  same  year  he  removed  to  Galena,  IlL  ; 
during  his  first  winter  there,  edited  "The  Galena 
Gazette,"  and  the  following  spring  formed  a 
partnership  with  John  M.  Douglas,  afterwards 
General  Solicitor  and  President  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  which  ended  with  the  removal 
of  the  latter  to  Chicago,  when  Mr  McClellan 
succeeded  him  as  local  attorney  of  the  road  at 
Galena.  In  1804  Mr.  McClellan  became  President 
of  the  Bank  of  Galena — later  the  "National  Bank 
of  Galena" — remaining  for  over  twenty  years. 
He  is  also  largely  interested  in  local  manufac- 
tories and  financial  institutions  elewhere.  He 
served  as  a  Republican  Representative  in  the 
Twenty-second  General  Assembly  (1861-62),  and 
as  Senator  (1870-80),  and  maintained  a  high  rank 
as  a  sagacious  and  judicious  legislator.  Liberal, 
public-spirited  and  patriotic,  his  name  has  been 
prominently  connected  with  all  movements  for 
the  improvement  of  hi?  locality  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  interests  of  the  State. 

McCLERNAXI),  John  Alexander,  a  volunteer 
officer  in  the  Civil  War  and  prominent  Demo- 
cratic politician,  was  born  in  Breckenridge 
County,  Ky.,  May  30,  1812,  brought  to  Shawnee- 
town  in  1816,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1832. 
and  engaged  in  journalism  for  a  time.  He  served 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  in  1836,  and  again  in  1840  and  '42. 
The  latter  year  he  was  elected  to  Congiess,  serv- 


360 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  four  consecutive  terms,  luit  declining  a 
renoniination,  being  about  to  remove  to  Jackson- 
ville, where  he  resided  from  18,")1  to  IHIO.  Twice 
(1840  and  TiS)  he  was  a  Presidential  Elector  on 
the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1856  he  removed  to 
Springfield,  and,  in  1859,  re-entered  Congress  as 
Representative  of  the  Springfield  District;  was 
re-elected  in  18G0,  but  resigned  in  1801  to  accept 
a  commission  as  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers 
from  President  Lincoln,  being  promoted  Major- 
General  early  in  1862.  lie  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Belmont,  Fort  Donelson.  Shiloh  and 
before  Vicksburg,  and  was  in  command  at  the 
capture  of  Arkansas  Post,  but  was  severely  criti- 
ci.seil  for  some  of  his  acts  during  the  Vicksburg 
cami)aign  and  relieved  of  his  command  by  Gen- 
eral Grant.  Having  finally  been  restored  by 
order  of  President  Lincoln,  he  participated  in  the 
cumjiaign  in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  but  resigned 
his  commission  in  1864.  General  McClernand 
presided  over  the  Democratic  National  Conven- 
tion of  1870.  and,  in  1886.  was  ajipointeil  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  one  of  the  membei-s  of  the  Utah 
Commission,  serving  through  President  Harri- 
son's administration.  He  wa.s  also  elected 
Circuit  Judge  in  1870.  as  successor  to  Hon.  B.  S. 
Edwards,  who  had  resigned.  Died  Sept.  20,  1900. 
Mc-CLrR(J,  Alexander  C,  soldier  and  pub- 
lisher, was  born  in  Philadelphia  but  grew  up  in 
Pittsburg,  where  his  father  was  an  iron  manu- 
facturer, lie  graduated  at  Miami  University. 
Oxford,  Ohio.,  and,  after  studying  law  for  a  time 
with  Cliief  Justice  Lowrie  of  Pennsylvania,  came 
to  Chicago  in  1859,  and  entered  the  bookstore  of 
S.  C.  Griggs  &  Co.,  as  a  junior  clerk.  Ekirly  in 
1861  he  enli.sted  as  a  private  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  but  the  quota  of  three-months"  men 
l)eing  already  full,  his  services  were  not  accepted. 
In  August.  1802,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
"Crosby  Guards,"  afterwards  incor[)orated  in  the 
Eighty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry  (Second  Board  of 
Trade  Regiment),  and  was  unanimously  elected 
Cajitain  of  Company  H.  After  the  battle  of 
Perryville,  he  wxs  detailed  as  Judge  Advocate  at 
Nashville,  and,  in  the  following  year,  offered  the 
position  of  Assistant  Adjutant-General  on  the 
staff  of  General  McCook.  afterwards  serving  in  a 
similar  capacity  on  the  staffs  of  Generals  Thomas, 
Sheridan  and  Baird.  He  took  part  in  the  defense 
of  Chattanooga  and,  at  the  battle  of  Missionary 
Ridge,  had  two  horses  shot  imder  him;  was  also 
with  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  and,  at  the  request  of  Gen.  Jeff.  C. 
Davis,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Colonel  and 
brevetted    Brigadier-General  — later,  being    pre- 


sented with  a  sword  bearing  the  names  of  the 
principal  battles  in  wliith  lie  was  engaged, 
besides  being  especially  coniplimented  in  letters 
by  Generals  Sherman,  Thomas,  Baird,  Mitchell, 
Davis  and  others.  He  was  invited  to  enter  the 
regular  army  at  the  close  of  the  war,  but  pre- 
ferred to  return  to  private  life,  and  resumed  his 
former  position  witli  S.  C.  Griggs  &  Co.,  soon 
after  becoming  a  junior  partner  in  the  concern, 
of  which  he  has  since  become  the  chief.  In  the 
various  mutations  through  whicli  this  extensive 
firm  has  gone,  General  McClurg  has  been  a  lead- 
ing factor  until  now  (and  since  18!S7)  he  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  most  extensive  publishing  firm 
west  of  New  York. 

McCON'NEL,  Murray,  pioneer  and  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  5,  1798,  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools;  left  home  at 
14  years  of  age  and,  after  a  year  at  Louisville, 
spent  several  j'ears  llatlx>ating.  trading  and 
hunting  in  the  We.st,  during  this  i)eriod  visiting 
Arkansas,  Texas  and  Kansa.s,  finally  settling  on  a 
farm  near  Herculaneum,  Mo.  In  1823  he  located 
in  Scott  (then  a  jxirt  of  Morgan)  County,  111.,  but 
when  the  town  of  Jack.sonville  was  laid  out, 
became  a  citizen  of  that  place.  During  the  Black 
Hawk  War  (July  and  August,  1832),  he  served  on 
the  staff  of  Gen.  J.  D.  Henry  with  the  rank  of 
Major;  in  1837  was  appointed  by  Governor  Dun- 
can a  memlier  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  for 
the  First  Judicial  District,  in  tliis  capacity  having 
charge  of  the  construction  of  the  railroad  between 
Meredosia  and  Springfield  (then  known  as  the 
Northern  Cross  Railroad) — the  first  public  rail- 
road built  in  the  State,  and  tlie  only  one  con- 
structed during  the  "internal  improvement"  era 
following  1837.  He  also  held  a  commission  from 
Governor  French  as  Major-General  of  State  Mi- 
litia, in  1855  was  appointed  by  President  Pierce 
Fifth  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  Department,  but 
retired  in  18.59.  In  1832,  on  his  return  from 
the  Black  Hawk  War.  be  was  elected  a  Repre- 
sentative in  the  State  Legislature  from  Morgan 
County,  and,  in  1864,  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  for  the  District  composed  of  Morgan, 
Menard,  Cass,  Schuyler  and  Brown  Counties, 
serving  until  1868.  Though  previously  a  Demo- 
crat and  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  of  1860,  he  was  an  earnest  supporter 
of  the  war  policy  of  the  Government,  and  was 
one  of  four  Democratic  Senators,  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  1865,  who  voted  for  the  ratification 
of  the  Thirteenth  Amendment  of  the  National 
Constitution,  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  United 
States.     His  death  occurred  by  assassination,  by 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


361 


some  unknown  person,  in  his  office  at  Jackson- 
ville, Feb.  9,  1869.— John  Ludliim  (McGounel), 
son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in  Jackisonville, 
111.,  Nov.  11,  1826,  studied  law  and  graduated  at 
Tran.sylvania  Law  School;  in  1846  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Mexican  War,  became  First  Lieu- 
tenant and  was  promoted  Captain  after  the  battle 
of  Buena  Vista,  where  he  was  twice  wounded. 
After  the  war  he  returned  to  Jacksonville  and 
wrote  several  books  illustrative  of  Western  life 
and  character,  which  were  published  between 
1850  and  1853.  At  the  time  of  his  death — Jan. 
17,  1862 — he  was  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  a 
"History  of  Early  Explorations  in  America,"  hav- 
ing special  reference  to  the  labors  of  the  early 
Roman  Catholic  missionaries. 

MeCOJfNELL,  (Gen).  John,  soldier,  was  born 
in  Madi.son  County,  N.  Y. ,  Dec.  5,  1834,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  Illinois  when  about  sixteen 
years  of  age.  His  father  (James  McConnell)  was 
a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  shortly  before  the  War  of  1812,  and,  after 
remaining  in  New  York  until  1840,  came  to  San- 
gamon County,  111.,  locating  a  few  miles  south  of 
Springfield,  where  he  engaged  extensively  in 
sheep-raising.  He  was  an  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive agriculturist,  and  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  being  President 
of  the  Convention  of  1853  which  resulted  in  its 
organization.  His  death  took  place,  Jan.  7,  1867. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  engaged  with  his 
father  and  brothers  in  the  farming  and  stock 
business  until  1861,  when  he  raised  a  company 
for  the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  of  which  he  was 
elected  Captain,  was  later  promoted  Major,  serv- 
ing until  March,  1863,  during  that  time  taking 
part  in  some  of  the  important  battles  of  the  war 
in  Southwest  Missouri,  including  Pea  Ridge,  and 
was  highly  complimented  by  his  commander. 
Gen.  G.  M.  Dodge,  for  bravery.  Some  three 
months  after  leaving  the  Third  Cavalry,  he  was 
commissioned  by  Governor  Yates  Colonel  of  the 
Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  and,  in  March,  1865,  was 
commissioned  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  his  com- 
mission being  signed  by  President  Lincoln  on 
April  14,  1865,  the  morning  preceding  the  night 
of  his  assassination.  During  the  latter  part  of 
his  service.  General  McConnell  was  on  duty  in 
Texas,  being  finally  mustered  out  in  October, 
1865.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  and  until 
1879,  he  continued  in  the  business  of  sheep-raising 
and  farming,  being  for  a  time  the  owner  of 
several  extensive  farms  in  Sangamon  County, 
but,  in  1879,  engaged  in  the  insurance  business 
in  Springfield,  where  he  died,  March  14,  1898. 


McCONJfELL,  Samuel  P.,  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  born  at  Springfield,  III.,  on  July  5,  1849. 
After  completing  his  literary  studies  he  read  law 
at  Springfield  in  the  office  of  Stuart,  Edwards  & 
Brown,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872,  soon 
after  establishing  himself  in  practice  in  Chicago. 
After  various  partnerships,  in  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  leading  lawyers  of  Chicago,  he  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court, 
in  1889,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Judge  W.  K.  McAllister,  serving  until  1894,  when 
he  resigned  to  give  his  attention  to  private  prac- 
tice. Although  one  of  the  youngest  Judges  upon 
the  bench.  Judge  McConnell  was  called  upon, 
soon  after  his  election,  to  preside  at  the  trial  of 
the  conspirators  in  the  celebrated  Cronin  murder 
case,  in  which  he  displayed  great  ability.  He  has 
also  had  charge,  as  presiding  Judge,  of  a  number 
of  civil  suits  of  great  importance  affecting  cor- 
porations. 

McCORMICK,  Cyrus  Hall,  inventor  and  manu- 
facturer, born  in  Rockbridge  County,  Va. ,  Feb.  15, 
1809.  In  youth  he  manifested  unusual  mechani- 
cal ingenuity,  and  early  began  attempts  at  the 
manufacture  of  some  device  for  cutting  grain,  liis 
first  finished  machine  being  produced  in  1831. 
Though  he  had  been  manufacturing  for  years 
in  a  small  way,  it  was  not  until  1844  that  his 
first  machine  was  shipped  to  the  West,  and, 
in  1847,  he  came  to  Chicago  with  a  view  to 
establishing  its  manufacture  in  the  heart  of  the 
region  wliere  its  use  would  be  most  in  demand. 
One  of  his  early  partners  in  the  business  was 
William  B.  Ogden,  afterwards  so  widely  known 
in  connection  with  Chicago's  railroad  history. 
The  business  grew  on  his  hands  until  it  became 
one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  interests  in  the 
United  States.  Mr.  McCormick  was  a  Democrat, 
and,  in  1860,  he  bought  "The  Chicago  Times." 
and  having  united  it  with  "The  Herald,"  which 
he  already  owne'd,  a  few  months  later  sold  the 
consolidated  concern  to  Wilbur  F.  Storey.  "The 
Interior,"  the  Northwestern  mouthpiece  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith,  )iad  been  founded  by  a  joint 
stock-company  in  1870,  but  was  burned  out  in 
1871  and  removed  to  Cincinnati.  In  January, 
1873,  it  was  returned  to  Chicago,  and,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  following  year,  it  became  the 
property  of  Mr.  McCormick  in  conjunction  with 
Dr.  Gray,  who  has  been  its  editor  and  manager 
ever  since.  Mr.  McCormick's  most  liberal  work 
was  undoubtedly  the  endowment  of  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  in  Chicago,  which 
goes  by  his  name.  His  death  occurred.  May  13, 
1884,   after  a    business    life  of    almost  unprece- 


362 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


dented  success,  and  after  conferring  upon  the 
agriculturists  of  the  country  a  boon  of  inestimable 
value. 

Mccormick  theolocjical  seminary,  a 

Presbyterian  school  of  theology  in  Chicago,  be- 
ing the  outgrowth  of  an  institution  originallj-  con- 
nected with  Hanover  College,  Ind.,  in  1830.  In 
1859  the  late  Cyrus  H.  5IcCormick  donated  SlOO,- 
000  to  the  school,  and  it  was  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  it  was  opened  in  September,  with  a  class 
of  fifteen  students.  Since  then  nearly  §300,000 
have  been  contributed  toward  a  building  fund  by 
Mr.  JlcCorinick  and  his  heirs,  besides  numerous 
donations  to  the  same  end  made  by  otliers.  The 
number  of  buildings  is  nine,  four  being  for  the 
general  purposes  of  the  institution  (including 
dormitories),  and  five  being  hou;  0.3  for  the  pro- 
fessors. The  course  of  instruction  covers  three 
annual  terms  of  seven  months  each,  and  includes 
didactic  and  polemic  theology,  biblical  and 
ecclesiastical  history,  sacred  rhetoric  and  pastoral 
theology,  church  government  and  the  sacra- 
ments. New  Testament  litei"ature  and  exegesis, 
apologetics  and  missions,  and  homilctics.  The 
faculty  consists  of  eight  professors,  one  adjunct 
professor,  and  one  instructor  in  elocution  and 
vocal  culture.  Between  200  and  300  students  are 
enrolled,  including  post-graduates. 

McCl'LLOCH,  Davitl,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  Jan.  2.5,  1832: 
received  his  academic  education  at  JIarshall  Col- 
lege, Mercersburg.  Pa.,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1852.  Then,  after  spending  some  six  months  as 
a  teacher  in  his  native  village,  he  came  west, 
arriving  at  Peoria  early  in  18.53.  Here  he  con- 
ducted a  private  school  for  two  years,  when,  in 
1855,  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Manning  &  Merriman,  being  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1857.  Soon  after  entering  upon  his  law  studies 
he  was  elected  School  Commissioner  for  Peoria 
County,  serving,  by  successive  re-elections,  three 
terms  (18.55-61).  At  the  close  of  this  period  he 
was  taken  into  partnership  with  his  old  precep- 
tor, Julius  Manning,  who  died,  July  4,  1862.  In 
1877  he  was  elected  Circuit  Judge  for  the  Eighth 
Circuit,  under  the  law  authorizing  the  increase  of 
Judges  in  each  circuit  to  three,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1879,  serving  imtil  1885.  Six  years  of 
this  period  were  spent  as  a  Justice  of  the  Appellate 
Court  for  the  Third  Appellate  District.  On 
retiring  from  the  bench,  Judge  McCuUoch  entered 
into  partnersliip  with  his  son,  E.  D.  McCuUoch, 
which  is  still  maintained.  Pohtically,  Judge 
McCuUoch  was  reared  as  a  Democrat,  but  during 
the  Civil  War  became  a  RepubUcan.     Since  1S86 


he  has  lieen  identified  with  the  Prohibition  Party, 
although,  as  the  result  of  questions  arising  during 
the  Spanish-American  War.  giving  a  cordial 
support  to  the  policy  of  President  McKinley.  In 
religious  views  he  is  a  Presbj'terian,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary  at  Chicago 

McCULLOrtill,  James  Skiles,  Auditor  of 
Public  Accounts,  was  born  in  Mercersburg, 
Franklin  County.  Pa.,  May  4,  1843;  in  1854  came 
with  his  fatlier  to  Urbana.  111.,  and  grew  up  on  a 
farm  in  that  vicinity,  receiving  such  education  as 
could  l)e  obtained  in  the  public  schools.  In  1862. 
at  the  age  of  19  years,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  G,  Seventy-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  during  the  next  three  years 
in  the  Departments  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf, 
meanwhile  participating  in  the  campaign  against 
Vicksburg.  and,  near  the  close  of  the  war,  in  the 
operations  about  Mobile.  On  the  9th  of  April, 
1805,  while  taking  part  in  the  assault  on  Fort 
Blakely,  near  Mobile,  his  left  arm  was  torn  to 
pieces  by  a  grape-shot,  compelling  its  amputation 
near  the  shoulder.  His  final  discharge  occurred 
in  July,  1865.  Returning  home  he  spent  a  year  in 
school  at  Urbana,  after  which  he  ivas  a  student  in 
the  Soldiers"  College  at  Fulton,  111.,  for  two  years. 
He  then  (1868)  entered  the  office  of  the  Covmty 
Clerk  of  Champaign  County  as  a  deputy,  remain- 
ing until  1873,  when  he  was  chosen  County  Clerk, 
serving  bj-  successive  re-elections  until  1896.  The 
latter  year  he  received  the  nomination  of  the 
Republican  Part}-  for  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts, 
and,  at  the  Noveml)er  election,  was  elected  by  a 
plurality  of  138,000  votes  over  his  Democratic 
opponent.  He  was  serving  his  sixth  term  as 
County  Clerk  when  chosen  Auditor,  having 
received  the  nomination  of  his  party  on  each 
occasion  without  opposition. 

MeD.\XXOLI>,  John  J.,  lawyer  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Brown  County,  111.,  August 
29,  1851,  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon schoobi  of  his  native  county  and  in  a  private 
school;  graduated  from  the  I-aw  Department  of 
the  Iowa  State  University  in  1874,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Illinois  the  same  j-ear, 
commencing  practice  at  Mount  Sterling.  In  1885 
he  was  made  Master  in  Chanceiy,  in  1886,  elected 
County  Judge,  and  re-elected  in  1890,  resig^ning 
his  seat  in  October,  1892,  to  accept  an  election  by 
the  Democrats  of  the  Twelfth  Illinois  District  as 
Representative  in  the  Fifty-third  Congress. 
After  retiring  from  Congress  (March  4,  1895),  Mr. 
McDannold  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


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HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


363 


McDOXOUfiH  COrXTY,  organized  under  an 
act  passed,  Jan.  25,  IH'M.  and  attached,  for  judicial 
purposes,  to  Schuyler  County  until  1830.  Its 
present  area  is  580  square  miles — named  in  honor 
of  Commodore  McDonough.  The  first  settlement 
in  the  county  was  at  Industry,  on  the  site  of 
which  William  Carter  (the  pioneer  of  the 
county)  built  a  cabin  in  1820.  James  and  John 
Vance  and  William  Job  .settled  in  the  vicinity  in 
the  following  year.  Out  of  this  settlement  grew 
Blandinsville.  William  Pennington  located  on 
Spring  Creek  in  1828,  and,  in  1831,  James  M. 
Campbell  erected  the  first  frame  house  on  the 
site  of  the  present  city  of  Macomb.  The  first 
sermon,  preached  by  a  Protestant  minister  in  the 
county,  was  delivered  in  the  Job  settlement  by 
Rev.  John  Logan,  a  Baptist.  Among  the  early 
officers  were  John  Huston,  County  Treasurer; 
William  Southward,  Slierifl;  Peter  Hale,  Coro- 
ner, and  Jesse  Bartlett,  Surveyor.  The  first 
term  of  the  Circuit  Court  was  held  in  1830,  and 
presided  over  by  Hon.  Richard  M.  Young.  The 
first  railway  to  cross  the  county  was  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  (1857).  Since  then  other 
lines  have  penetrated  it,  and  there  are  numerous 
railroad  centers  and  shipping  points  of  consider- 
able importance.  Population  (1880),  25,037; 
(1800).  27..:G7;  (1000),  28,412. 

McDOUWALL,  James  Alexander,  lawyer  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  in  Bethlehem, 
Albany  County,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  19,  1817;  educated 
at  the  Albany  grammar  school,  studied  law  and 
settled  in  Pike  County,  111. ,  in  1837 ;  was  Attor- 
ney-General of  Illinois  four  years  (1843-47) ;  then 
engaged  in  engineering  and,  in  1849,  organized 
and  led  an  exploring  expedition  to  the  Rio  del 
Norte,  Gila  and  Colorado  Rivers,  finally  settling 
at  San  Francisco  and  engaging  in  the  practice  of 
law.  In  1850  he  was  elected  Attorney-General  of 
California,  served  several  terms  in  the  State 
Legislature,  and,  in  1852,  was  chosen,  as  a  Demo- 
crat, to  Congress,  but  declined  a  re-election ;  in 
1860  was  elected  United  States  Senator  from  Cali- 
fornia, serving  as  a  War  Democrat  until  1867. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  senatorial  term  he  retired 
to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died,  Sept.  3,  1867. 
Though  somewhat  irregular  in  habits,  he  was,  at 
times,  a  brilliant  and  effective  speaker,  and,  dur- 
ing the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  rendered  valuable 
aid  to  the  L'nion  cause. 

McFARLAXD,  Andrew,  M.D.,  alienist,  was 
bom  in  Concord,  N.  H. ,  July  14,  1817,  graduated 
at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  in 
1841,  and,  after  being  engaged  in  general  practice 
for  a  few  years,  was  invited  to  assume  the  man- 


agement of  the  New  Hampshire  A.sylum  for  the 
Insane  at  Concord.  Here  he  remained  some 
eight  years,  during  which  he  acquired  consider- 
able reputation  in  the  treatment  of  nervous  and 
mental  disorders.  In  1854  he  was  offered  and 
accepted  the  position  of  Medical  Superintendent 
of  the  Illinois  State  (now  Central)  Hospital  fcf 
the  Insane  at  Jacksonville,  entering  upon  his 
duties  in  June  of  that  year,  and  continuing  his 
connection  with  that  institution  for  a  period  of 
more  than  sixteen  years.  Having  resigned  his 
position  in  the  State  Hospital  in  June,  1870,  he 
soon  after  established  the  Oaklawn  Retreat,  at 
Jacksonville,  a  private  institution  for  the  treat- 
ment of  insane  patients,  which  he  conducted 
with  a  great  degree  of  success,  and  with  which 
he  was  associated  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying,  Nov.  22,  1891.  Dr.  McFarland's  serv- 
ices were  in  frequent  request  as  a  medical  expert 
in  cases  before  the  courts,  invariably,  however, 
on  the  side  of  the  defense.  The  last  case  in  which 
he  appeared  as  a  witness  was  at  the  trial  of  Charles 
F.  Guiteau,  the  assassin  of  President  Garfield, 
whom  he  believed  to  be  insane. 

McGAHEY,  David,  settled  in  Crawford  County, 
111.,  in  1817,  and  served  as  Representative  from 
that  County  in  tlie  Third  and  Fourth  General 
Assemblies  (1822-26),  and  as  Senator  in  the 
Eighth  and  Ninth  (1832-36).  Although  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  Mr.  McGahey  was  a  strong  opponent 
of  slavery,  and,  at  the  ses.sionof  1822,  was  one  of 
those  who  voted  against  the  pro-slavery  Constitu- 
tion resolution.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Law- 
rence County  until  his  death  in  1851. — James  D. 
(McGahey),  a  son  of  the  preceding,  was  elected 
to  the  Ninth  General  Assembly  from  Crawford 
County,  in  1834,  but  died  during  his  term  of 
.service. 

McGAXN,  Lawrence  Edward,  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  Feb.  2,  1852.  His  father 
having  died  in  1884,  the  following  year  his 
mother  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  settling 
at  Milford,  Mass.,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  In  1865  he  came  to  Chicago,  and,  for 
fourteen  years,  found  employment  as  a  shoe- 
maker. In  1879  he  entered  the  municipal  service 
as  a  clerk,  and,  on  Jan.  1,  1885,  was  appointed 
City  Superintendent  of  Streets,  resigning  in  May, 
1891.  He  was  elected  in  1892,  as  a  Democrat,  to 
represent  the  Second  Illinois  District  in  the 
Fifty-second  Congress,  and  re-elected  to  the  Fifty- 
third.  In  1894  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election 
and  received  a  certificate  of  election  by  a  small 
majority  over  Hugh  R.  Belknap  (Republican). 
An   investigation   having  shown  his   defeat,   he 


364 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


magiianiiiiously  surrendered  liis  seat  to  his  com- 
petitor without  a  contest.  He  has  Uirge  business 
interests  in  Chicago,  especiallj-  in  street  railroad 
property,  being  President  of  an  important  elec- 
tric line. 

McHENRY,  a  village  in  McHenry  County,  situ- 
ated on  the  Fox  River  and  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway.  The  river  is  here  navigable  for 
steamboats  of  light  draft,  which  ply  between  the 
town  and  Fox  Lake,  a  favorite  resort  for  sports- 
men. The  town  lias  Ixjttiing  works,  a  creamery, 
marble  and  granite  works,  cigar  factory,  flour 
mills,  brewery,  bank,  four  churches,  and  one 
weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1890),  979,  (1900),  1,013. 

McHEXRY,  William,  legislator  and  soldier  of 
the  Black  Ilawk  War,  came  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois  in  1809,  locating  in  White  County,  and 
afterwards  became  prominent  as  a  legislator  and 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  of  1832,  serving  in  the  latter  as  Major  of 
the  "Spy  Battalion"  and  participating  in  the 
battle  of  Bad  Axe.  He  al.so  served  iis  Kei)resent- 
ative  in  the  First,  Fourth,  Fifth  and  Ninth  Gen- 
eral Assemblies,  and  as  Senator  in  the  Sixth  and 
Seventh.  While  serving  his  last  term  in  the 
House  (1835),  he  died  and  was  buried  at  Vandalia, 
then  the  State  capital.  McHenry  County — organ- 
ized by  act  of  the  Legislature,  pa.sscd  at  a  second 
session  during  the  winter  of  1835-36 — was  named 
in  his  honor 

.McHEXRY  COrXTY,  lies  in  the  northern  por- 
tion of  the  State,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Wis- 
consin—named for  Gen.  William  McHenry.  Its 
area  is  624  square  miles.  With  what  is  now  the 
County  of  Lake,  it  was  erected  into  a  county  in 
1830,  the  county-seat  being  at  McHenry.  Three 
years  later  the  eastern  part  was  set  off  as  the 
County  of  Lake,  and  the  county-seat  of  McHenry 
County  removed  to  Woodstock,  the  geograph- 
ical center.  The  soil  is  well  watered  by  living 
springs  and  is  highly  productive.  Hardwood 
groves  are  numerous.  Fruits  and  berries  are 
extensively  cultivated,  but  the  herbage  is  espe- 
cially adapted  to  dairying,  Kentucky  blue  grass 
being  indigenous.  l.arge  quantities  of  milk  are 
daily  shipped  to  Chicago,  and  the  annual  pro- 
duction of  butter  and  ehee.se  reaches  into  the 
millions  of  pounds.  The  geological  formations 
corapri.se  the  drift  and  the  Cincinnati  and  Niagara 
groups  of  rocks  Near  Fox  River  are  found 
gravel  ridges.  Vegetable  remains  and  logs  of 
wood  have  been  found  at  various  depths  in  the 
drift  deposits;  in  one  instance  a  cedar  log.  seven 
inches  in  diameter,  having  l)een  discovered  fortj-- 
t'wo  feet  below  the  surface.     Peat  is  found  ever}-- 


where,  although  the  most  extensive  deposits  are 
in  the  northern  half  of  the  county,  where  they 
e.xist  in  sloughs  covering  several  thousands  of 
acres.  Several  lines  of  railroad  cross  the  county, 
and  every  important  village  is  a  railway  station. 
Woodstock,  Marengo,  and  Harvard  are  the  prin- 
cipal towns.  Population  (1880),  24,908;  (1890), 
20.114;  (lyOO),  29,759. 

MflXTOSH.  (Capt.)  Alexander,  was  born  in 
Fulton  County.  N.  Y' ,  in  1822;  at  19  years  of 
age  entered  an  academy  at  Galway  Center, 
remaining  three  years;  in  18-15  removed  to  Joliet, 
111.,  and,  two  years  later,  started  "The  Joliet 
True  Democrat,"  but  sold  out  the  next  year,  and, 
in  1849,  went  to  California.  Returning  in  1852,  he 
bought  back  "The  True  Democrat,"'  which  he 
edited  until  1857,  meanwhile  (18.50)  having  been 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  Recorder 
of  Will  County,  In  1803  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln  Captain  and  As.sistant  Quarter- 
master, serving  under  General  Sherman  in  1804 
and  in  the  "Jlarch  to  the  Sea,  "  and,  after  the 
war,  being  for  a  time  Post  Quartermaster  at 
Mobile.  Having  resigned  in  1800,  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  at  Wilmington,  Will  County; 
but,  in  1809,  l)ought  "The  Wilmington  Independ- 
ent," which  he  published  until  1873.  The  next 
year  he  returned  to  Joliet.  and,  a  few  months 
after,  became  ix)litical  editor  of  "The  Joliet 
Republican,"'  ami  was  subsequently  connected,  in 
a  similar  capacity,  with  other  papers,  including 
"The  Phoenix""  and  "The  Sun"  of  the  same  city. 
Died,  in  ,Toliet,  Feb.  2,  1899. 

MeKEXDREE,  •V>illlam,  Jlethodist  Episcopal 
Bishop,  was  lK>rn  in  Virginia,  in  1757,  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  but  later 
served  as  Adjutant  and  in  the  commi.s.sary  depart- 
ment. He  was  converted  at  30  years  of  age,  and 
the  next  year  began  preaching  in  his  native 
State,  being  advanced  to  the  jwsition  of  Presiding 
Elder;  in  1800  was  transferred  to  the  West,  Illi- 
nois falling  within  his  District.  Here  he  remained 
imtil  his  elevation  to  the  epi-scopacy  in  1808, 
McKendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  received  its 
name  from  him,  together  with  a  donation  of  480 
acres  of  land.  Died,  near  Nashville,  Tenn. ,  March 
o,  1835. 

MeKEXDREE  COLLEGE,  one  of  the  earliest  of 
Illinois  colleges,  located  at  Lebanon  and  incorpo- 
rated in  1835.  Its  founding  was  suggested  by 
Rev.  Peter  Cartwright,  and  it  may  be  said  to 
have  had  its  inception  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Conference  held  at  Mount  Carmel,  in  September, 
1827.  The  first  funds  for  its  establishment  were 
subscribed  by  citizens  of  Lebanon,  who  contrib- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


365 


uted  from  their  scanty  means,  61,385.  Instruc- 
tion began,  Nov.  24,  lM2y,  under  Kev.  Edward 
Ames,  afterwards  a  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Cliurch.  In  1830  Bishop  McKendree  made 
a  donation  of  land  to  the  infant  institution,  and 
the  school  was  named  in  his  lionor.  It  cannot  be 
said  to  liave  become  really  a  college  until  1836, 
and  its  first  class  graduated  in  1841.  University 
powers  were  granted  it  by  an  amendment  to  its 
charter  in  1839.  At  present  the  departments  are 
as  follows;  Preparatory,  business,  classical. 
scientific,  law,  music  and  oratory.  The  institu- 
tion owns  property  to  the  value  of  §90,000,  includ- 
ing an  endowment  of  §25.000,  and  has  about  200 
students,  of  both  sexes,  and  a  facult.y  of  ten 
instructors.     (See  Colleges,  Early.) 

McLARE>',  William  Edward,  Episcopal  Bishop, 
was  born  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  13,  1831;  gradu- 
ated at  Washington  and  Jefferson  College  (Wash- 
ington, Pa.)  in  1851,  and,  after  six  years  spent  in 
teaching  and  in  journalistic  work,  entered  Alle- 
gheny Theological  Seminary,  graduating  and 
entering  the  Presbyterian  ministry  in  1800.  For 
three  years  he  was  a  missionary  at  Bogota,  South 
America,  and  later  in  charge  of  churches  at 
Peoria,  111.,  and  Detroit,  Mich.  Having  entered 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  he  was  made  a 
deacon  in  July,  1872,  and  ordained  priest  the  fol- 
lowing October,  immediately  thereafter  assuming 
the  pastorate  of  Trinity  Church,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
In  July,  1875,  he  was  elected  Bishop  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Diocese  of  Illinois,  which  then 
included  the  whole  State.  Subsequently,  the 
dioceses  of  Quincy  and  Springfield  were  erected 
therefrom.  Bishop  McLaren  remaining  at  the 
head  of  the  Chicago  See.  During  his  episcopate, 
church  work  has  been  active  and  effective,  and 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary  iu  Chicago 
has  been  founded.  His  published  works  include 
numerous  sermons,  addresses  and  poems,  besides 
a  volmne  entitled  "Catholic  Dogma  the  Antidote 
to  Doubt"  (New  York,  1884). 

McLAUGHLIX,  Robert  K.,  early  lawyer  and 
State  Treasurer,  was  born  in  Virginia,  Oct.  25, 
1779 ;  before  attaining  his  majority  went  to  Ken- 
tucky, and,  about  1815,  removed  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling finally  at  Belleville,  where  he  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  law.  The  first  public  position 
held  bj'  him  seems  to  have  been  that  of  Enrolling 
and  Engrossing  Clerk  of  both  Houses  of  the  Third 
(or  last)  Territorial  Legislature  (1816-18).  In 
August,  1819,  he  entered  upon  tlie  duties  of  State 
Treasurer,  as  successor  to  John  Thomas,  who  had 
been  Treasurer  during  the  whole  Territorial 
period,  serving  until  January,  1823.     Becoming  a 


citizen  of  Vandalia.  by  the  removal  thither  of  the 
State  capital  a  few  months  later,  he  continued  to 
reside  there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  subse- 
quently represented  the  Fayette  District  as 
Representative  in  the  Fifth  General  Assembly, 
and  as  Senator  in  the  Sixth,  Seventh  and  Tenth, 
and,  in  1837,  became  Register  of  the  Land  Office 
at  Vandalia,  serving  until  1845.  Although  an 
uncle  of  Gen.  Joseph  Duncan,  he  became  a  can- 
didate for  Governor  against  the  latter,  in  1834, 
standing  tliird  on  the  list.  He  married  a  Miss 
Bond,  a  niece  of  Gov.  Shadrach  Bond,  under 
whase  administration  he  .served  as  State  Treasurer. 
Died,  at  Vandalia,  May  29,  1862. 

McLEAJf,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  14  miles  southwest  of 
Bloomington,  in  a  farming,  dairying  and  stock- 
growin.g  district;  has  one  weekly  paper.  Popu- 
lation  (1890).  500;  (1900),  .533. 

JIcLE.VX,  John,  early  United  States  Senator, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1791,  brought  by 
his  father  to  Kentucky  when  four  years  old,  and. 
at  23,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  removed  to 
Illinois,  settling  at  Shawneetown  in  1815.  Pos- 
sessing oratorical  gifts  of  a  high  order  and  an 
almost  magnetic  power  over  men,  coupled  with 
strong  common  sense,  a  keen  sense  of  humor  and, 
great  command  of  language,  he  soon  attained 
prominence  at  the  bar  and  as  a  popular  speaker. 
In  1818  he  was  elected  the  first  Representative  in 
Congress  from  the  new  State,  defeating  Daniel  P. 
Cook,  but  served  only  a  few  months,  being  de- 
feated by  Cook  at  the  next  election.  He  was 
three  times  elected  to  the  Legislature,  serving 
once  as  Speaker.  In  1824  he  was  cliosen  United 
States  Senator  to  succeed  Governor  Edwards  (wlio 
had  resigned),  serving  one  year.  In  1828  he  was 
elected  for  a  second  time  by  a  unanimous  vote, 
but  lived  to  serve  only  one  session,  dying  at 
Sliawneetown,  Oct.  4,  1830.  In  testimony  of  the 
public  appreciation  of  the  loss  which  the  State 
had  sustained  by  his  death,  McLean  County  was 
named  in  his  honor. 

McLEAN  COUNTY,  the  largest  county  of  the 
State,  having  an  area  of  1166  square  miles,  is 
central  as  to  the  region  north  of  the  latitude  of 
St.  Louis  and  about  midway  between  that  city 
and  Chicago — was  named  for  John  McLean,  an 
early  United  States  Senator.  The  early  immi- 
grants were  largely  from  Ohio,  although  Ken- 
tucky and  New  York  were  well  represented.  The 
county  was  organized  in  1830,  the  population  at 
that  time  being  about  1,200.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  surface  is  high,  undulating  prairie,  with 
occasional  groves  and  belts  of  timber.     On  the 


366 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


creek  bottoms  are  fouud  black  walnut,  sycamore, 
buckej'e,  black  ash  ami  elm,  while  the  sandy 
ridges  are  covered  with  scrub  oak  and  black-jack. 
The  soil  is  extremely  fertile  (generally  a  rich, 
brown  loam),  and  the  entire  county  is  underlaid 
with  coal.  The  chief  occupations  are  stock-rais- 
ing, coal-mining,  agriculture  and  manufacture.s. 
Sugar  and  Mackinaw  Creeks,  with  their  tribu- 
taries, afford  thorough  drainage.  Sand  and 
gravel  beds  are  numerous,  but  vary  greatly  in 
depth.  At  Chenoa  one  has  been  found,  in  boring 
for  coal,  thirty  feet  thick,  overlaid  by  fortj'-five 
feet  of  the  clay  common  to  this  formation.  The 
upper  seam  of  coal  in  the  Bloomington  shafts  is 
No.  6  of  the  general  section,  and  the  lower,  No.  4; 
the  latter  averaging  four  feet  in  thickness.  The 
principal  towns  are  Bloomington  (the  county- 
seat).  Normal,  Lexington,  LeRoy  and  Chenoa. 
Population  (18U0).  03,030;  (l'.»00),  67.843. 

McLE.VNSBORO,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Hamilton  County,  upon  a  branch  of  the  Louis- 
ville it  Nashville  Rjiilroad,  102  miles  ea.st  south- 
east of  St.  Louis  and  alxiut  48  miles  southeast  of 
Centralia.  The  people  are  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive, the  city  is  up-to-date  and  prosperous, 
supporting  three  banks  and  six  churches.  Two 
weekly  newspapers  are  |)ublished  here.  Popula- 
tion (1880).  1.341;  (1890).  1,355;  (1900),  1.758. 

McXULLIN,  James  C,  Railway  Manager,  was 
born  at  Watertown.  N.  Y  ,  Feb.  13.  1830;  began 
work  as  Freight  and  Ticket  Agent  of  the  Great 
Western  Railroad  (now  Wabash),  at  Decatur,  111.. 
May,  1857.  remaining  until  IMOO,  when  he 
accepted  the  position  of  Freight  Agent  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  at  Springfield.  Here  he  re- 
mained until  Jan.  1,  1863.  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred in  a  similar  capacity  to  Chicago;  in 
September.  1864.  became  Superintendent  of  the 
Northern  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton,  after- 
wards successively  filling  the  positions  of  jVssist- 
ant  General  Superintendent  (1867),  General 
Superintendent  (1868-78)  and  General  Manager 
(1878-83).  The  latter  year  he  was  elected  Vice- 
President,  remaining  in  office  some  ten  years, 
when  ill-health  compelled  his  retirement.  Died, 
in  Chicago,  Dec.  30,  1896. 

Mc-MURTRT,  William,  Lieutenant-Governor, 
was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  Feb  20.  1801 ; 
removed  from  Kentucky  to  Crawford  County. 
Ind,.  and.  in  1829.  came  to  Knox  County.  111., 
settling  in  Henderson  Township.  He  was  elected 
Representative  in  the  Tenth  General  Assembly 
(1836).  and  to  the  Senate  in  1842,  serving  in  the 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  General  Assemblies. 
In  1848  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  on 


the  same  ticket  with  Gov.  A.  C.  French,  being 
the  first  to  hold  the  office  under  the  Constitution 
adopted  that  year.  In  1862  he  assisted  in  raising 
the  One  Hundred  and  Second  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteere,  and,  although  advanced  in  years, 
was  elected  Colonel,  but  a  few  weeks  later  was 
compelled  to  accept  a  discharge  on  account  of 
failing  health.     Died,  April  10,  1875. 

McNEELEY,  Thompson  W.,  lawyer  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  lM>rn  in  Jacksonville.  III.,  Oct.  5, 
1835,  and  graduated  at  Lombard  University, 
Galesburg,  at  the  age  of  21.  The  following  year 
he  was  licensed  to  practice,  but  continued  to  pur- 
sue his  professional  studies,  attending  the  Law 
University  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  graduated  in  1859.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  and 
chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1878.  From  1869  to  1873  he  represented 
his  District  in  Congress,  resuming  his  practice 
at  Petersburg,  Menard  Coiinty,  after  his  retire- 
ment, 

MoN'ULTA,  John,  soldier  and  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  Nov.  9,  1837.  received 
an  academic  education,  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  settled  at  Bloomington,  in  this  State,  while 
yet  a  j-oung  man.  On  May  8,  1861,  he  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  Union  army,  and  served  until 
August  9,  1865,  rising,  successively,  to  the  rank 
of  Captain.  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Colonel  and 
Brevet  Brigadier-General.  From  1869  to  1873  he 
was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  from  McLean  County,  and,  in  1872,  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-third  Congress,  as  a  Repub- 
lican. General  McNulta  has  been  prominent  in 
the  councils  of  the  Republican  party,  standing 
second  on  the  ballot  for  a  candidate  for  Governor, 
in  the  State  Convention  of  1888.  and  sers-ing  as 
Permanent  President  of  the  State  Convention  of 
1890.  In  1896  he  was  one  of  the  most  earnest 
advocates  of  the  nomination  of  Mr.  SIcKinley  for 
President.  Some  of  his  most  important  work, 
within  the  past  few  years,  has  been  performed  in 
connection  with  receiverships  of  certain  railway 
iind  other  corporations,  especially  that  of  the 
Wabash.  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railroad,  from  1884 
to  1890.  He  is  now  (1898)  Receiver  of  the  National 
Bank  of  Illinois,  Chicago.     Died  Feb.  22.  1900. 

McPHERSON,  Simeon  J.,  clergyman,  de- 
scended from  the  Clan  McPherson  of  Scotland, 
was  born  at  Mumford.  Monroe  County,  N.  Y. .  Jan. 
19,  1850;  prepared  for  college  at  Leroy  and  Fulton, 
and  graduated  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  1874.  Then, 
after  a  year's  service  as  teacher  of  mathematics 
at  his  Mmn  Mater,  he  entered  the   Theological 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


367 


Seminary  there,  and  graduated  from  that  depart- 
ment in  1879,  having  in  the  meantime  traveled 
through  Exirope,  Egypt  and  Palestine.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Rochester  Presbytery 
in  1877,  and  spent  three  years  (1879-83)  in  pas- 
toral labor  at  East  Orange,  N.  J.  ;  wlien  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  tlie  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Chicago,  remaining  until  the  early  part  of  1899, 
when  he  tendered  his  resignation  to  accept  the 
position  of  Director  of  the  Lawrenceville  Prepar- 
atory Academy  of  Princeton  College,  N.  J. 

McROBERTS,  Josiah,  jurist,  was  bom  in 
Monroe  County,  111.,  June  12,  1820;  graduated 
from  St.  Mary's  College  (Mo.)  in  1839;  studied 
law  at  Danville,  111.,  with  his  brother  Samuel, 
and,  in  18-12,  entered  the  law  department  of 
Transylvania  University,  gi-aduating  in  18-14, 
after  which  he  at  once  began  practice.  In  1846 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  the  Cham- 
paign and  Vermilion  District,  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  removing  to  Joliet.  In  1853  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Matteson  Trustee  of  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  which  office  he  held 
for  four  years.  In  1866  he  was  appointed  Circuit 
Court  Judge  by  Governor  Oglesby,  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy, and  was  re-elected  in  1867,  '73,  '79,  and  '8r>, 
but  died  a  few  months  after  his  last  election. 

McROBERTS,  Samuel,  United  States  Sena- 
tor, was  born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  Feb.  20, 
1799;  graduated  from  Transylvania  University  in 
1819;  in  1821,  was  elected  the  first  Circuit  Clerk 
of  his  native  county,  and,  in  1835,  appointed 
Circuit  Judge,  which  office  he  held  for  three 
years.  In  1828  he  was  elected  State  Senator, 
representing  the  district  comprising  Monroe, 
Clinton  and  Washington  Counties.  Later  he  was 
appointed  United  States  District  Attorney  by 
President  Jackson,  but  soon  resigned  to  become 
Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  at  Danville,  by 
appointment  of  President  Van  Buren,  and,  in 
1839,  Solicitor  of  the  General  Land  Office  at 
Washington.  Resigning  the  latter  office  in  the 
fall  of  1841,  at  the  next  session  of  the  Illinois 
Legislature  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator 
to  succeed  John  M.  Robinson,  deceased.  Died,  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  March  23,  1843,  being  suc- 
ceeded by  James  Semple. 

McVICKER,  James  Hubert,  actor  and  theat- 
rical manager,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Feb. 
14,  1823;  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  by  the 
death  of  his  father  in  infancy  and  the  necessity 
of  assisting  to  support  liis  widowed  mother,  he 
early  engaged  in  various  occupations,  until,  at 
the  age  of  15,  he  became  an  apprentice  in  the 
office  of  "The  St.  Louis  Republican,"  three  years 


later  becoming  a  journeyman  printer.  He  first 
appeared  on  the  stage  in  the  St.  Charles  Theater, 
New  Orleans,  in  1843;  two  years  later  was  prin- 
cipal comedian  in  Rice's  Theater,  Chicago,  re- 
maining until  1852,  when  he  made  a  tour  of  the 
country,  appearing  in  Yankee  cliaracters.  About 
1855  he  made  a  tour  of  England  and,  on  his 
return,  commenced  building  his  first  Chicago 
theater,  which  was  opened,  Nov.  3,  1857,  and  was 
conducted  with  varied  fortune  until  burned  down 
in  the  great  fire  of  1871.  Rebuilt  and  remodeled 
from  time  to  time,  it  burned  down  a  second  time 
in  August,  1890,  the  losses  from  these  several  fires 
having  imposed  upon  Mr.  McVicker  a  heavy 
burden.  Although  an  excellent  comedian,  Mr. 
SIcVicker  did  not  appear  on  the  stage  after  1882, 
from  that  date  giving  his  attention  entirely  to 
management.  He  enjoyed  in  an  eminent  degree 
the  respect  and  confidence,  not  only  of  the 
profession,  but  of  the  general  public.  Died  in 
Chicago,  March  7,  1896. 

MeWILLIAMS,  David,  banker,  Dwight,  111., 
was  born  in  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  Jan.  14,  1834; 
was  brought  to  Illinois  in  infancy  and  grew  up  on 
a  farm  until  14  years  of  age,  when  lie  entered  the 
office  of  the  Pittsfield  (Pike  County)  "Free  Press" 
as  an  apprentice.  In  1849  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  trade  with  his  father,  the  management  of 
which  devolved  upon  him  a  few  years  later.  In 
the  early  50's  he  was,  for  a  time,  a  student  in 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  but  did  not 
graduate ;  in  1855  removed  to  Dwight,  Livingston 
County,  then  a  new  town  on  the  line  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railroad,  which  had  been  completed 
to  that  point  a  few  months  previous.  Here  he 
erected  the  first  store  building  in  the  town,  and 
put  in  a  $2,000  stock  of  goods  on  borrowed  capi- 
tal, remaining  in  the  mercantile  business  for 
eighteen  years,  and  retaining  an  interest  in  the 
establishment  seven  years  longer.  In  the  mean- 
time, while  engaged  in  merchandising,  he  began 
a  banking  business,  which  was  enlarged  on  his 
retirement  from  the  former,  receiving  his  entire 
attention.  The  profits  derived  from  his  banking 
business  were  invested  in  farm  lands  until  he 
became  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in  Living- 
ston County.  Mr.  McWilliams  is  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  organized  at  Dwight,  and  has  served  as  a 
lay  delegate  to  several  General  Conferences  of 
that  denomination,  as  well  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Ecumenical  Council  in  London  in  1881 ;  has  also 
been  a  liberal  contril)utor  to  the  support  of  vari- 
ous literary  and  theological  institutions  of  the 
church,  and  has  served  for  many  years  as  a  Trus- 


368 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


tee  of  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston. 
In  politics  he  is  a  zealous  Republican,  and  has 
repeatedly  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  State  Con- 
ventions of  that  party,  including  the  Bloomington 
Convention  of  1856,  and  was  a  candidate  for 
Presidential  Elector  for  the  Ninth  District  on  tlie 
Blaine  ticket  in  1884.  He  has  made  several  ex- 
tended tours  to  Europe  and  other  foreign  coun- 
tries, the  last  including  a  trip  to  Egypt  and  the 
Holy  Laiul,  during  1898-99. 

MECHAXICSBURG,  a  village  of  Sangamon 
County,  near  the  WalKUsh  Railway.  13  miles  east 
of  Springfield.  Population  (1880),  396;  (1890). 
426;  (1000),  476. 

MEDILL,  Joseph,  editor  and  newspaper  pub- 
lisher, was  born,  April  C.  1823,  in  the  vicinity  (now 
a  part  of  the  city)  of  St.  John,  N.  B  ,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage,  but  remotely  of  Huguenot 
descent.  At  nine  }-ears  of  age  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Stark  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
enjoyed  such  educational  advantages  as  belonged 
to  that  region  and  jieriod.  He  entered  an  acad- 
emy with  a  view  to  preparing  for  college,  but  his 
family  having  suffered  from  a  fire,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  turn  his  attention  to  business;  studied 
law,  was  admitted  to  the  bi»r  in  1846,  and  liegan 
practice  at  New  Philadelphia,  in  Tuscarawas 
County.  Here  he  caught  the  spirit  of  journalism 
by  frequent  visits  to  the  ofTice  of  a  local  paper, 
learned  to  set  type  and  to  work  a  hand-pre.ss.  In 
1849  he  bought  a  pa|>er  at  Coshocton,  of  which  he 
assumed  editorial  charge,  employing  his  brothers 
as  assistiints  in  varioas  capacities.  The  name  of 
this  paper  was  "Tlie  Coshocton  Whig,"  which 
he  soon  changed  to  "The  Republican,"  in  which 
he  dealt  vigorous  blows  at  political  and  other 
abuses,  which  several  times  brought  upon  him 
assaults  from  his  political  opponents — that  being 
the  style  of  political  argument  in  those  days. 
Two  years  later,  having  sold  out  "The  Repub- 
lican," he  established  "The  Daily  Forest  City"  at 
Cleveland — a  Whig  paper  with  free-soil  proclivi- 
ties. The  following  year  "The  Forest  City"  was 
consolidated  with  "The  Free- Democrat,"  a  Free- 
Soil  paper  under  the  editorship  of  John  C. 
Vaughan,  a  South  Carolina  Abolitionist,  the  new 
paper  taking  the  name  of  "The  Cleveland 
Leader."  Mr.  Medill,  with  the  co-operation  of 
Mr.  Vaughan,  then  went  to  work  to  secure  the 
consolidation  of  the  elements  opposed  to  slavery 
in  one  compact  organization.  In  this  he  was 
aided  by  the  introduction  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill  in  Congress,  in  December,  1833,  and.  before 
its  passage  in  May  following,  Mr.  Medill  had 
begun  to  agitate  the  question  of  a  union  of  all 


opposed  to  that  measure  in  a  new  party  under  the 
name  "Republican."  During  the  winter  of 
1854-55  he  received  a  call  from  Gen.  J.  D.  Web- 
ster, at  that  time  part  owner  of  "The  Chicago 
Tribune,"  which  resulte«l  in  his  visiting  Chicago 
a  few  months  later,  and  his  purchase  of  an  inter- 
est in  the  paper,  his  connection  with  the  concern 
dating  from  June  18,  1855.  He  was  almost 
immediately  joined  by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Ray,  who 
had  been  editor  of  "The  Galena  JelTersonian," 
and,  still  later,  by  J.  C.  Vaughan  and  Alfred 
Cowles,  who  had  been  associated  with  him  on 
"The  Cleveland  Leader."  Mr.  Medill  assumed 
the  position  of  managing  editor,  and,  on  the 
retirement  of  Dr.  Riiy,  in  1863,  became  editor-in- 
chief  until  1866,  when  he  gave  place  to  Horace 
White,  now  of  "The  New  York  Evening  Post." 
During  the  Civil  War  period  he  was  a  zealous 
supijorter  of  President  Lincoln's  emancipation 
policy,  and  served,  for  a  time,  as  President  of  the 
"Loyal  League,"  which  proved  such  an  influ- 
ential factor  in  upholding  the  hands  of  the  Gov- 
ernment during  the  darkest  period  of  the 
rebellion.  In  1869  5Ir.  Medill  was  elected  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention,  and,  in  that 
body,  wiis  the  leading  advocate  of  the  principle 
of  "minority  representation"  in  the  election  of 
Representatives,  as  it  was  finally  incorporated 
in  the  Constitution.  In  1871  he  was  apjKjinted 
by  President  (irant  a  member  of  the  first  Civil 
Service  Commission,  representing  a  principle  to 
which  he  ever  remained  thoroughly  committed. 
A  few  weeks  after  the  great  fire  of  the  same 
year,  he  was  elected  Maj'or  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  city  at  the  time, 
and  other  questions  in  issue,  involved  great  diffi- 
culties and  resix)nsibilities,  which  he  met  in  a 
way  to  command  general  approval.  Diiring  his 
administration  the  Chicago  Public  Library  was 
established,  Mr.  Medill  delivering  the  address  at 
its  opening,  Jan.  1,  1873.  Near  the  close  of  his 
term  as  Mayor,  he  resigned  the  office  and  spent 
the  following  year  in  Europe.  Almost  simultane- 
ously with  his  return  from  his  European  trip,  he 
secured  a  controlling  interest  in  "The  Tribune," 
resuming  control  of  the  paper.  Nov.  9,  1874, 
which,  as  editor-in-chief,  he  retained  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life  of  nearly  twenty-five  years. 
The  growth  of  the  paper  in  business  and  influence, 
from  the  beginning  of  his  connection  with  it,  was 
one  of  the  marvels  of  journalism,  making  it  easily 
one  of  the  most  successful  newspaper  ventures 
in  the  United  States,  if  not  in  the  world.  Early 
in  December,  1898.  Mr.  Medill  went  to  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  hoping  to  receive  relief  in  that 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


369 


mild  climate  from  a  chronic  disease  which  had 
been  troubling  him  for  years,  but  died  in  that 
city,  March  16,  1899,  within  three  weeks  of  hav- 
ing reached  his  76th  birthday.  The  conspicuous 
features  of  his  character  were  a  strong  individu- 
ality and  indomitable  perseverance,  which  led 
him  never  to  accept  defeat.  A  few  weeks  previ- 
ous to  his  death,  facts  were  developed  going  to 
show  that,  in  1881,  he  was  offered,  by  President 
Garfield,  the  position  of  Postmaster-General, 
which  was  declined,  when  he  was  tendered  the 
choice  of  any  position  in  the  Cabinet  except  two 
which  had  been  previously  promised ;  also,  tliat 
he  was  offered  a  position  in  Pre.sident  Harrison's 
Cabinet,  in  1889. 

MEDILL,  (Maj.)  William  H.,  soldier,  was 
born  at  Massillon,  Ohio,  Nov.  5,  1835;  in  IS.'i.^, 
came  to  Chicago  and  was  a.ssociated  with  "The 
Prairie  Farmer."  Subsequently  he  was  editor  of 
"The  Stark  County  (Ohio)  Republican,"  but 
again  returning  to  Chicago,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war,  was  employed  on  "The  Tribune,"  of 
which  his  brother  (Hon.  Joseph  Medill)  was 
editor.  After  a  few  months'  se^-vice  in  Barker's 
Dragoons  (a  short-time  organization),  in  Septem- 
ber, 1861,  he  joined  the  Eiglitli  Illinois  Cavalry 
(Colonel  Farnsworth's),  and,  declining  an  election 
as  Major,  was  chosen  Senior  Captain.  The  regi- 
ment soon  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  By 
the  promotion  of  his  superior  officers  Captain 
Medill  was  finally  advanced  to  the  command, 
and,  during  the  Peninsular  campaign  of  1862,  led 
his  troops  on  a  reconnoissance  within  twelve  miles 
of  Richmond.  At  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  lie 
had  command  of  a  portion  of  his  regiment,  acquit- 
ting himself  with  great  credit.  A  few  days  after, 
while  attacking  a  party  of  rebels  who  were 
attempting  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Potomac 
at  Williamsburg,  he  received  a  fatal  wound 
through  the  limgs,  dying  at  Frederick  City,  July 
16,  1863. 

MEEKER,  Moses,  pioneer,  was  born  in  New- 
ark. N.  J.,  June  17,  1790;  removed  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  in  1817,  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of 
white  lead  until  1823,  wlien  he  headed  a  pioneer 
expedition  to  the  frontier  settlement  at  Galena, 
111. ,  to  enter  upon  the  business  of  smelting  lead- 
ore.  He  served  as  Captain  of  a  company  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  later  removing  to  Iowa 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  built  the  first  smelting 
works  in  that  Territory,  served  in  the  Territorial 
Legislature  (1840-43)  and  in  the  first  Constitu- 
tional Convention  (1846).  A  "History  of  the 
Early  Lead  Regions,"  by  him,  appears  in  the 
sixth  volume  of  "The  Wisconsin  Historical  Soci- 


ety   Collections."     Died,    at    ShuUsburg,    Wis., 
July  7,  1865. 

MELROSE,  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  11  miles  west 
of  the  initial  station  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad,  upon  which  it  is  located.  It 
has  two  or  three  churches,  some  manufacturing 
establishments  and  one  weekly  paper.  Popula- 
tion (1890),  1,0,50;   (1900),  2, .593. 

MEMBRE,  Zenobius,  French  missionary,  was 
born  in  France  in  1645;  accompanied  La  Salle  on 
his  expedition  to  Illinois  in  1679,  and  remained  at 
Fort  Creve-Coeur  witli  Henry  de  Tonty ;  descended 
the  Mississippi  with  La  Salle  in  1683;  returned  to 
France  and  wrote  a  history  of  the  expedition, 
and,  in  1684,  accompanied  La  Salle  on  his  final 
expedition  r  is  supposed  to  have  landed  with  La 
Salle  in  Texas,  and  there  to  have  been  massacred 
by  the  natives  in  1687.     (See  La  Salle und  Tonty.) 

MEXARD,  Pierre,  French  pioneer  and  first 
Lieutenant-Governor,  was  born  at  St.  Antoine, 
Can.,  Oct.  7,  1766;  settled  at  Kaskaskia,  in  1790, 
and  engaged  in  trade.  Becoming  interested  in 
politics,  he  was  elected  to  the  Territorial  Council 
of  Indiana,  and  later  to  the  Legislative  Council  of 
Illinois  Territory,  being  presiding  officer  of  the 
latter  until  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State. 
He  was,  for  several  years.  Government  Agent. 
and  in  this  capacity  negotiated  several  important 
treaties  with  the  Indians,  of  whose  characteris- 
tics he  seemed  to  have  an  intuitive  perception.  He 
was  of  a  nervous  temperament,  impulsive  and 
generous.  In  1818  he  was  elected  the  first  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  the  new  State.  His  term  of 
office  having  expired,  he  retired  to  private  life 
and  the  care  of  his  extensive  business.  He  died 
at  Kaskaskia,  in  June,  1844,  leaving  what  was 
then  considered  a  large  estate.  Among  his  assets, 
however,  were  found  a  large  number  of  promis- 
sory notes,  which  he  had  endorsed  for  personal 
friends,  besides  many  uncollectable  accounts 
from  poor  people,  to  whom  he  had  sold  goods 
through  pure  generosity.  Menard  County  was 
named  for  him,  and  a  statue  in  his  honor  stands 
in  the  capitol  grounds  at  Springfield,  erected  by 
the  son  of  his  old  partner — Charles  Pierre  Chou- 
teau, of  St.  Louis. 

MENARD  COUNTY,  near  the  geographical 
center  of  the  State,  and  originally  a  part  of 
Sangamon,  but  separately  organized  in  1839,  the 
Provisional  Commissioners  being  Joseph  Wat- 
kins,  William  Engle  and  George  W.  Simpson. 
The  county  was  named  in  honor  of  Pierre  Menard, 
who  settled  at  Kaskaskia  prior  to  the  Territorial 
organization  of  Illinois.  (See  Menard,  Pierre.) 
Cotton  was  an  important  crop  until  1830,  when 


370 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


agriculture  underwent  a  change.  Stock-raising 
is  now  extensively  carried  on.  Three  fine  veins 
of  bituminous  coal  underlie  the  county.  Among 
early  American  settlers  may  be  mentioned  the 
Clarys,  JIattliew  Rogers,  Amor  Batterton,  Solo- 
mon Pruitt  and  William  Gideon.  The  names  of 
Meadows,  Montgomery,  Green,  Boyer  and  Grant 
are  also  familiar  to  early  settlers.  The  county 
furnished  a  compan}'  of  eighty-six  volunteers  for 
the  Mexican  War.  The  county-seat  is  at  Peters- 
burg. The  area  of  the  county  is  320  square  miles, 
and  its  population,  under  the  hist  census,  14,336. 
In  1829  was  laid  out  the  town  of  Salem,  now 
extinct,  but  for  some  years  the  home  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  who  was  once  its  Postmaster,  and  who 
marched  thence  to  the  Black  Hawk  War  as 
Captain  of  a  company. 

MENDON,  a  town  of  Adams  County,  on  the 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway,  IT)  miles  northeast 
of  Quincy;  has  a  bank  and  a  newspaper;  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  farming  and  stock-raising  district. 
Population  (1880),  «52;  (1890)   640;  (1900),  027. 

MENDOTA,  a  city  in  La  Salle  County  founded 
ill  18."):!.  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago.  Burlington 
&  Quincy  with  its  Rochelle  and  Fulton  branches 
an<l  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  M)  miles  south- 
■we.st  of  Chicago.  It  has  eiglit  churche.s.  three 
graded  and  two  high  schools,  and  a  public  li- 
brary Wartburg  .Seminary  (L\itheran,  o(>ened 
in  1853)  is  located  here.  The  chief  industrial 
plants  are  two  iron  foundries,  machine  shops, 
plow  works  and  a  brewery.  The  city  has  three 
banks  and  four  weekly  newspapers.  The  sur- 
rounding country  is  agricultural  and  the  city  has 
considerable  local  trade.  Population  (1890), 
3.542;  (1900).  3,736. 

MERCER  COUNTY,  a  western  county,  with  an 
area  of  555  square  miles  and  a  population  (1900) 
of  20.945— named  for  (Jen.  Hugh  Mercer.  The 
Mississippi  forms  the  western  boundary,  and 
along  this  river  the  earliest  American  settlements 
were  made.  William  Deunison,  a  Pennsylvanian, 
settled  in  New  Boston  Township  in  1828,  and, 
before  the  expiration  of  a  half  dozen  years,  the 
Vannattas,  Keith,  Jackson.  Wilson,  Farlow, 
Bridges,  Perry  and  Fleharty  had  arrived.  Mer- 
cer County  was  separated  from  Warren,  and 
specially  organized  in  1825.  The  soil  is  a  rich, 
black  loam,  admirably  adapted  to  the  cultivation 
of  cereals.  A  good  quality  of  building  stone  is 
found  at  various  points.  Aledo  is  the  county- 
seat.  The  county  lies  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
Illinois  coal  fields  and  mining  was  commenced 
in  1845. 


MERCY  HOSPITAL,  located  in  Chicago,  and 
the  lirst  perniunent  hospital  in  the  State — trhar- 
tered  in  1847  or  1848  as  the  "Illinois  General 
Hospital  of  the  Lakes."  No  steps  were  taken 
toward  {)rganization  until  1850,  when,  with  a 
scanty  fund  scarcely  exceeding  §150,  twelve  beds 
were  secured  and  placed  on  one  floor  of  a  board 
ing  house,  whose  proprietress  was  engaged  as 
nurse  and  stewardess.  Drs.  N.  S.  Davis  and 
Daniel  Brainard  were,  respectively,  the  first 
physician  and  surgeon  in  charge.  In  1851  the 
hospital  was  given  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  oi' 
Mercy,  who  at  once  enlarged  and  improved  the 
accommodations,  and,  in  1852,  changed  its  name 
to  Mercy  Hospital.  Three  or  four  years  later,  a 
removal  was  made  to  a  building  previously  occu- 
pied as  an  orphan  asylum.  Being  the  only  pub- 
lic hospital  in  the  city,  its  wards  were  constantly 
overcrowded,  and,  in  1809,  a  more  capacious  and 
better  arranged  building  was  erected.  This 
edifice  it  h;is  continued  to  occupy,  although  many 
additions  and  improvements  have  been,  and  are 
still  being,  made.  The  Sisters  of  Mercy  own  the 
grounds  and  buildings,  and  manage  the  nursing 
and  all  the  domestic  and  financial  affairs  of  the 
institution.  The  present  medical  staff  (1896) 
consists  of  thirteen  physicians  and  surgeons, 
besiiles  tliree  internes,  or  resident  practitioners. 

MEREDOSI\,a  town  in  Morgan  County,  on 
the  eiist  hank  of  the  Illinois  River  and  on  the 
Waliash  Railway,  some  58  miles  west  of  Spring- 
field; is  a  grain  shipping  point  and  fishing  and 
hunting  resort  It  was  the  first  Illinois  River 
point  to  be  connected  with  the  State  capital  by 
railroad  in  1838.   Population  (1890),  621 ;  (1900),  700. 

MERRIAM,  (CoL)  Jonathan,  soldier,  legisla- 
tor and  farmer,  was  born  in  Vermont,  Nov.  1, 
1834;  was  brought  to  Springfield,  111.,  when  two 
years  old,  living  afterwards  at  Alton,  his  parents 
finally  locating,  in  1841,  in  Tazewell  County, 
where  lie  now  resides — when  not  officially  em- 
ployed— pursuing  the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  He 
was  educated  at  Wesleyan  University,  Blooming- 
ton,  and  at  McKendree  College;  entered  the 
Union  army  in  1862,  being  commissioned  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seven- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry,  and  serving  to  the  close 
of  the  war.  During  the  Civil  War  period  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  "Union  League  of 
America,"  which  proved  so  influential  a  factoi 
in  sustaining  the  war  policy  of  the  Government. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1869-70;  an  unsuccessful  Repub- 
lican nominee  for  Congress  in  1870;  served  as 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Springfield 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


371 


District  from  1873  to  '83,  was  a  Representative  in 
the  Thirty-ninth  and  Fortieth  General  Assem- 
blies, and,  in  1897,  was  appointed,  by  President 
McKinley,  Pension  Agent  for  the  State  of  Illinois, 
with  headquarters  in  Chicago.  Thoroughly  pa- 
triotic and  of  incorruptible  integrity,  he  has  won 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  in  every  public 
position  he  has  been  called  to  fill. 

MERRILL,  Stephen  Mason,  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Bishop,  was  born  in  JelTerson  County,  Ohio, 
Sept.  16.  182.5,  entered  the  Ohio  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  1864,  as  a  travel- 
ing preacher,  and,  four  years  later,  became  editor 
of  "The  Western  Christian  Advocate."  at  Cin- 
cinnati. He  was  ordained  Bishop  at  Brooklyn  in 
1872,  and,  after  two  years  spent  in  Minnesota, 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  still  resides.  The 
degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University,  in  1868,  and  that  of  LL.D. 
by  the  Northwestern  University,  in  1886.  He  has 
published  "Christian  Baptism"  (Cincinnati, 
1876);  "New  Testament  Idea  of  Hell"  (1878); 
"Second  Coming  of  Christ"  (1879) ;  "Aspects  of 
Christian  Experience"  (1883) ;  "Digest  of  Metho- 
dist Law"  (188."));  and  "Outlines  of  Thought  on 
Probation"  (1HS6). 

MERRITT,  John  W.,  journalist,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  July  4,  1806;  studied  law  and 
practiced,  for  a  time,  with  the  celebrated  James 
T.  Brady  as  a  partner.  In  1841  he  removed  to 
St.  Clair  County,  111.,  purchased  and,  from  1848 
to  '51.  conducted  "The  Belleville  Advocate"; 
later,  removed  to  Salem,  111.,  where  he  established 
"The  Salem  Advocate";  served  as  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1862,  and  as  Representative  in  the  Twenty-third 
General  Assembly.  In  1864  he  purchased  "The 
State  Register"  at  Springfield,  and  was  its  editor 
for  several  years.  Died,  Nov.  16,  1878. — Thomas 
E.  (Merritt),  son  of  the  preceding,  lawyer  and 
politician,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  April  29, 
1834;  at  six  years  of  age  was  brought  by  his 
father  to  Illinois,  where  he  attended  the  common 
schools  and  later  learned  the  trade  of  carriage- 
painting.  Subsequently  he  read  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  at  Springfield,  in  1862.  In 
1868  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  General  Assembly  from  the  Salem 
District,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  same  body  in 
1870,  '74,  '76,  '86  and  '88.  He  also  served  two 
terms  in  the  Senate  (1878- "86),  making  an  almost 
continuous  service  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
eighteen  years.  He  has  repeatedly  been  a  mem- 
ber of  State  conventions  of  his  party,  and  stands 
as  one  of  its  trusted  representatives. — Maj.-dien. 


Wesley  (Merritt),  another  son,  was  born  in  New 
York,  June  16,  1836,  came  with  his  father  to  Illi- 
nois in  childhood,  and  was  appointed  a  cadet  at 
West  Point  Military  Academy  from  this  State, 
graduating  in  1860 ;  became  a  Second  Lieutenant 
in  the  regular  army,  the  same  year,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant,  a  year 
later.  After  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  he 
was  rapidly  promoted,  reaching  the  rank  of 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  in  1862,  and 
being  mustered  out,  in  1866,  with  the  brevet  rank 
of  Major-General.  He  re  entered  the  regular 
army  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  was  promoted  to  a 
colonelcy  in  1876,  and,  in  1887,  received  a  com- 
mission as  Brigadier-General,  in  1897  becoming 
Major-General.  He  was  in  command,  for  a  time, 
of  the  Department  of  the  Missouri,  but,  on  his 
last  promotion,  was  transferred  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  East,  %vith  headquarters  at  Gov- 
ernor's Island,  N.  Y.  Soon  after  the  beginning 
of  the  war  with  Spain,  he  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  land  forces  destined  for  the 
Philippines,  and  appointed  Military  Governor  of 
the  Islands.  Towards  the  close  of  the  year  he 
returned  to  the  United  States  and  resumed  his  old 
commaml  at  New  York. 

MESSINGER,  John,  pioneer  survej'or  and  car- 
tographer, was  born  at  West  Stockbridge,  Mass., 
in  1771,  grew  up  on  a  farm,  but  secured  a  good 
education,  especially  in  mathematics.  Going  to 
Vermont  in  1783,  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter and  mill- Wright ;  removed  to  Kentucky  in 
1799,  and,  in  1802,  to  Illinois  (then  a  part  of  Indi- 
ana Territory),  locating  first  in  the  American 
Bottom  and,  later,  at  New  Design  within  the 
present  limits  of  Monroe  County.  Two  years 
later  he  became  the  proprietor  of  a  mill,  and, 
between  1804  and  1806,  taught  one  of  the  earliest 
schools  in  St.  Clair  County.  The  latter  year  he 
took  up  the  vocation  of  a  surveyor,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  many  years  as  a  subcontractor  under 
William  Rector,  surveying  much  of  the  land  in 
St.  Clair  and  Randolph  Counties,  and,  still  later, 
assisting  in  determining  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  State.  He  also  served  for  a  time  as  a 
teacher  of  mathematics  in  Rock  Spring  Seminary ; 
in  1821  published  "A  Manual,  or  Hand-Book, 
intended  for  Convenience  in  Practical  Survey- 
ing," and  prepared  some  of  the  earlier  State  and 
county  maps.  In  1808  he  was  elected  to  the 
Indiana  Territorial  Legislature,  to  fill  a  vacancy, 
and  took  part  in  the  steps  which  resulted  in  set- 
ting up  a  separate  Territorial  Government  for 
Illinois,  the  following  year.  He  also  received  an 
appointment   as  the  first  Surveyor  of  St.   Clair 


372 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


County  under  the  new  Territorial  Government; 
was  chosen  a  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County  to 
the  Convention  of  1818,  whicli  framed  the  first 
State  Constitution,  and,  the  s;ime  year,  was 
elected  a  Rei)rcsentative  in  the  First  General 
Assembly,  serving  as  Speaker  of  that  lx)dj'. 
After  leaving  New  Design,  the  later  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  on  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles 
north  of  Belleville,  where  he  died  in  1846. 

MF,T.\MORA,  a  town  of  Woodford  County,  on 
a  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  19 
miles  east-northeast  of  Peoria  and  some  thirty 
miles  northwest  of  Bloomington;  is  center  of  a 
fine  fanning  district.  The  town  has  a  creamery, 
soda  factory,  one  bank,  three  churclies,  two 
newspapers,  .schools  and  a  park.  Population 
(1880)  828;  (1900).  Tr,8.  Metamora  was  the 
county-seat  of  Woodford  County  until  1899.  when 
the  seat  of  justice  was  removed  to  Eureka. 

METC.ALF,  Andrew  W.,  lawyer,  was  bom  in 
Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  August  0,  1828;  educated 
at  Madison  College  in  his  native  State,  graduating 
in  184G,  and,  after  studying  law  at  Cambridge, 
Ohio,  three  years,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1850.  The  following  year  he  went  to  Appleton, 
Wis.,  but  remained  only  a  year,  when  he  remo\ed 
to  St.  Louis,  then  to  Edwardsville,  and  shortly 
after  to  Alton,  to  take  charge  of  the  legal  busi- 
ness of  George  T.  Brown,  then  publisher  of  "The 
Alton  Courier."  In  185.3  he  returned  to  Edwards- 
ville to  reside  permanently,  and,  in  1859,  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Bissell  State's  Attorney 
for  Madison  County,  serving  one  year.  In  1864 
he  was  elected  State  Senator  for  a  term  of  four 
years;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  of  1872,  and,  in  1876,  a  lay  delegate 
from  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  the  General  Con- 
ference at  Baltimore ;  has  also  been  a  Trustee  of 
McKendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  IlL,  for  more 
than  twenty-five  years. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  one  of 
the  most  numerous  Protestant  church  organiza- 
tions in  the  United  States  and  in  Illinois.  Rev. 
Joseph  Lillard  was  the  first  preacher  of  this  sect 
to  settle  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  Capt. 
Joseph  Ogle  was  the  first  class-leader  (1795).  It 
is  stated  that  the  first  American  preacher  in  the 
American  Bottom  was  Rev.  Hosea  Riggs  (1796). 
Rev.  Benjamin  Young  took  charge  of  the  first 
Methodist  mission  in  1803,  and,  in  1804,  this  mis- 
sion was  attached  to  the  Cumberland  (Tenn.) 
circuit.  Revs.  Joseph  Oglesby  and  Charles  R. 
JIatheny  were  among  the  early  circuit  riders.  In 
1820  there  were  seven  circuits  in  Illinois,  and.  in 


1830,  twenty-eight,  the  actual  membership 
exceeding  10.000.  The  first  Methodist  service  in 
Chicago  was  held  by  Rev.  Jesse  Walker,  in  1826. 
The  first  Methodist  society  in  that  city  was 
org-anized  by  Rev    Stephen  R.   Beggs,  in  June, 

1831.  By  1835  the  number  of  circuits  had  in- 
creased to  61,  with  371)  ministers  and  15,000  mem- 
bers. Rev.  Peter  Cartwright  was  among  the 
early  revivalists.  The  growth  of  this  denomi- 
nation in  the  State  has  been  extraordinary.  By 
1890,  it  had  nearly  2.000  churches,  937  ministers, 
and  151.000  members — the  total  number  of  Metho- 
dists in  the  L^nited  States,  by  the  same  census, 
being  4.980.210.  The  church  property  owned  in 
1890  (including  parsonages)  approached  §111,000,- 
000,  and  the  total  contributions  were  estimated 
at  §2,073,923.  The  denomination  in  Illinois  sup- 
ports two  theolo.gical  seminaries  and  the  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute  at  Evanston.  "The  North- 
western Christian  Advocate,"  with  a  circulation 
of  some  30,000,  is  its  official  organ  in  Illinois. 
(See  also  Reliiiioii.s  Denominaf ions.) 

METROPOLIS  CITY,  the  county-seat  of  Massac 
County.  !.">{;  niiles  southea.st  of  St.  Louis,  situated 
on  the  Ohio  River  and  on  the  St.  Loviis  and 
Pailucah  Division  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road. The  city  was  foumled  in  1839,  on  the  site 
of  old  Fort  Ma.'wac,  which  was  erected  by  the 
French,  aided  by  the  Indians,  about  1711.  Its 
industries  consist  largelj'  of  various  forms  of 
wood-working.  Saw  and  planing  mills  are  a 
commercial  factor;  oth^r  e.stablishments  turn 
out  wheel,  buggy  and  wagon  material,  barrel 
staves  and  lieads,  boxes  and  baskets,  and  veneers. 
There  are  also  flouring  mills  and  potteries  The 
city  has  a  public  libran;-.  two  banks,  water- 
works, electric  lights,  numerous  churches,  high 
school  and  grade<l  schools,  ami  three  papers. 
Population  (1880),  2,668;  (1890).  3..573;  (1900),  4,069. 

MEXICAN  WAR.  Briefly  stated,  this  war 
originated  in  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the 
United  States,  early  in  1846.  There  was  a  dis- 
agreement as  to  the  western  boundary  of  Texas. 
Mexico  complained  of  encroachment  upon  her 
territory,  and  hostilities  began  with  the  battle  of 
Palo  Alto,  Jlay  8,  and  ended  with  tlie  treaty  of 
peace,  concluded  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  near  the 
City  of  Mexico,  Feb.  2,  1848.  Among  the  most 
prominent  figures  were  President  Polk,  under 
whose  administration  annexation  was  effected, 
and  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor,  who  was  chief  in  com- 
mand in  the  field  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and 
was  elected  Polk"s  successor.  Illinois  furnished 
more  than  her  full  quota  of  troops  for  the  strug- 
gle    May  13,  1846,  war  was  declared.     On  May 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


373 


25,  Governor  Ford  issued  his  proclamation  calling 
for  tlie  enlistment  of  three  regiments  of  infantry, 
the  assessed  quota  of  the  State.  The  response 
was  prompt  and  general.  Alton  was  named  as 
the  rendezvous,  and  Col.  (afterwards  General) 
Sylvester  Clmrchill  was  the  mustering  ofBcer. 
Tlie  regiments  mustered  in  were  commanded, 
respectively,  by  Col.  John  J.  Hardin,  Col.  Wm.  H. 
Bissell  (afterwards  Governor)  and  Col.  Ferris 
Forman.  An  additional  twelve  months"  regiment 
(the  Fourth)  was  accepted,  under  command  of 
Col.  E.  D.  Baker,  who  later  became  United  States 
Senator  from  Oregon,  and  fell  at  the  battle  of 
Ball's  Bluff,  in  October,  1861.  A  second  call  was 
made  in  April,  1847,  under  which  Illinois  sent 
two  more  regiments,  for  the  war,  towards  the 
Mexican  frontier  These  were  commanded  by 
Col.  Edward  W.  B.  Newby  and  Col.  James 
Collins.  Independent  companies  were  also 
tendered  and  accepted.  Besides,  there  were 
some  1.50  volunteers  who  joined  the  regiments 
already  in  the  field.  Commanders  of  the  inde- 
pendent companies  were  Capts.  Adam  Dunlap, 
of  Schuyler  County;  Wyatt  B.  Stapp,  of  War- 
ren; Michael  K.  Lawler,  of  Shawneetown,  and 
Josiah  Little.  Col.  John  J.  Hardin,  of  the  First, 
was  killed  at  Buena  Vista,  and  the  official  mor- 
tuary list  includes  many  names  of  Illinois"  best 
and  bravest  sons.  After  participating  in  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista,  the  Illinois  troops  shared 
in  the  triumphal  entry  into  the  City  of  Mexico, 
on  Sept.  16,  1847,  and  (in  connection  with  those 
from  Kentucky)  were  especially  complimented  in 
General  Taylor's  official  report.  The  Third  and 
Fourth  regiments  won  distinction  at  Vera  Cruz, 
Cerro  Gordo  and  the  City  of  Mexico.  At  the 
second  of  these  battles.  General  Shields  fell 
severely  (and,  as  supposed  for  a  time,- mortally) 
wounded.  Colonel  Baker  succeeded  Shields,  led 
a  gallant  charge,  and  really  turned  the  day  at 
Cerro  Gordo.  Among  the  officers  honorably 
named  by  General  Scott,  in  his  official  report,  were 
Colonel  Forman,  Major  Harris,  Adjutant  Fondey, 
Capt.  J.  S.  Post,  and  Lieutenants  Hammond  and 
Davis.  All  the  Illinois  troops  were  mustered  out 
between  May  25,  1847  and  Nov.  7,  1848,  the  inde- 
pendent companies  being  the  last  to  quit  the 
service.  The  total  number  of  volunteers  was 
6,123,  of  whom  86  were  killed,  and  160  wounded, 
12  of  the  latter  dying  of  their  wounds.  Gallant 
service  in  the  Mexican  War  soon  became  a  pass- 
port to  political  preferment,  and  some  of  the 
brave  soldiers  of  1846-47  subsequently  achieved 
merited  distinction  in  civil  life.  Many  also  be- 
came distinguished  soldiers  in  the  War  of  the 


Rebellion,  including  such  names  as  Jolm  A. 
Logan.  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  M.  K.  Lawler,  James 
D.  Morgan,  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  B.  M.  Prentiss, 
W.  R.  Morrison,  L.  F.  Ross,  and  others.  The 
cost  of  the  war,  with  §15,000,000  paid  for  territory 
annexed,  is  estimated  at  §166,500,000  and  the 
extent  of  territory  acquired,  nearly  1,000,000 
square  miles  —  considerably  more  than  the 
whole  of  the  present  territory  of  the  Republic  of 
Mexico. 

MEYER,  John,  lawyer  and  legislator,  was  born 
in  Holland.  Feb.  27,  1852;  came  to  Chicago  at  the 
age  of  12  years ;  entered  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, .supporting  himself  by  labor  during  vaca- 
tions and  by  teaching  in  a  night  school,  until  his 
third  year  in  the  university,  when  he  became  a 
student  in  the  Union  College  of  Law,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879;  was  elected  from 
Cook  County  to  the  Thirty-fifth  General  Assembly 
(1884),  and  re-elected  to  the  Thirty-sixth,  Thirty- 
eighth  and  Thirty-ninth,  being  chosen  Speaker  of 
the  latter  (Jan.  18,  1895).  Died  in  office,  at  Free- 
port,  111.,  July  3,  1895,  during  a  special  session  of 
the  General  Assembly. 

MI  AMIS,  The.  The  preponderance  of  author- 
ity favors  the  belief  that  this  tribe  of  Indians  was 
originally  a  part  of  the  Ill-i-ni  or  Illinois,  but  the 
date  of  their  separation  from  the  parent  stock 
cannot  be  told.  It  is  likely,  however,  that  it 
occurred  befoi-e  the  French  pushed  their  explo- 
rations from  Canada  westward  and  southward, 
into  and  along  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Father 
Dablon  alludes  to  the  presence  of  Miamis  (whom 
he  calls  Ou-mi-a-mi)  in  a  mixed  Indian  village, 
near  the  mouth  of  Fox  River  of  Wisconsin,  in 
1070.  The  orthography  of  their  name  is  varied. 
Tlie  Iroquois  and  the  British  generally  knew 
them  as  the  "Twightwees, '"  and  so  they  were 
commonly  called  by  the  American  colonists. 
The  Weas  and  Piankeshaws  were  of  the  same 
tribe  When  La  Salle  foimded  his  colony  at 
Starved  Rock,  the  Miamis  had  villages  which 
could  muster  some  1,950  warriors,  of  which  the 
Weas  had  500  and  the  Piankeshaws  150,  the  re- 
maining 1,300  being  Miamis  proper.  In  1671 
(according  to  a  written  statement  by  Charlevoix 
in  1731),  the  Miamis  occupied  three  villages- 
— one  on  the  St.  Joseph  River,  one  on  the  Mau- 
mee  and  one  on  the  "Ouabache""  (Wabash). 
They  were  friendly  toward  the  French  until 
1694,  when  a  large  number  of  them  were 
massacred  by  a  party  of  Sioux,  who  carried 
firearms  which  had  been  furnished  them  by 
the  Frenchmen.  The  breach  thus  caused  was 
never  closed.     Having  become  possessed  of  guns 


374 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


themselves,  the  Miamis  were  able,  not  only  to 
hold  their  own,  hut  also  to  extend  their  hunting 
gruimds  as  far  eastward  as  the  Scioto,  alternately 
warring  with  the  French,  British  and  Americans, 
(ieneral  Harrison  saj's  of  them  that,  ten  years 
before  the  treaty  of  tireenville,  they  could  have 
brought  upon  the  field  a  body  of  3,1)00  "of  the 
finest  liglit  troops  in  the  world,"  but  lacking  in 
discipline  and  enterprise.  Border  warfare  and 
smallpox,  however,  had,  by  that  date  (1795), 
greatly  reduced  their  numerical  strength.  The 
main  seat  of  the  Miamis  was  at  Fort  Wayne, 
whose  resiilents,  because  of  their  superior  num- 
bers and  intelligence,  dominated  all  other  bands 
except  the  Piankeshaws.  The  physical  and 
moral  deterioration  of  the  tribe  began  immedi- 
ately after  the  treaty  of  Greenville.  Little  by 
little,  they  ceded  their  lands  to  the  United  States, 
the  money  received  therefor  being  chiefly  squan- 
dered in  debauchery.  Decimated  by  vice  and 
disease,  the  remnants  of  this  once  powerful  abo- 
riginal nation  gradually  drifted  westward  across 
the  Mississippi,  whence  their  valorous  sires  had 
emigrated  two  centuries  before.  The  small  rem- 
nant of  the  band  finally  settled  in  Indian  Terri- 
tory, but  they  have  made  comparatively  little 
progre-ss  toward  civilization.  (See  also  Pianke- 
shaws; \Veas.) 

MICHAEL  REESE  HOSPITAL,  located  in 
Chicago,  under  care  of  the  association  known  as 
the  United  Hebrew  Charities.  Previous  to  1871 
this  association  maintained  a  small  hospital  for 
the  care  of  some  of  its  beneficiaries,  but  it  was 
destroyed  in  the  I'ontlagration  of  that  year,  and  no 
immediate  etfort  to  rebuild  was  made.  In  1880, 
however,  Michael  Keese,  a  Jewish  gentleman 
who  had  accumulateii  a  large  fortune  in  Cali- 
fornia, beijueathed  $97,000  to  the  organization. 
With  this  sum,  considerablj-  increased  by  addi- 
tions from  other  sources,  an  imposing  building 
was  erected,  well  arranged  and  thoroughly 
equipped  for  hospital  purposes.  The  institution 
thus  founded  was  named  after  its  principal  bene- 
factor. Patients  are  received  without  discrimi- 
nation as  to  race  or  religion,  and  more  than  half 
those  admitted  are  charity  patients  The  pre.sent 
medical  staff  consists  of  thirteen  surgeons  and 
physicians,  several  of  whom  are  eminent 
specialists 

MICHIOAX  CEMRAL  RAILROAD.  The 
main  line  of  this  road  extends  from  Chicago 
to  Detroit,  270  miles,  with  trackage  facilities 
from  Kensington,  14  miles,  over  the  line  of  the 
Illinois  Central,  to  its  terminus  in  Chicago. 
Branch  lines  (leased,  proprietary  and  operated)  in 


Canada,  Michigan,  Indiana  and  Illinois  swell  the 
total  mileage  to  1,643.56 miles.— {History.)  The 
company  was  chartered  in  184G,  and  purchased 
from  the  State  of  Michigan  the  line  from  Detroit 
to  Kalamazoo,  144  miles, of  which  construction  had 
been  begun  in  1836.  The  road  was  completed  to 
Michigan  City  in  1850,  and,  in  May,  1852,  reached 
Kensington,  111.  As  at  present  constituted,  the 
road  (with  its  auxiliaries)  forms  an  integral  part 
of  what  is  popularly  known  as  the  "Vanderbilt 
System."  Only  ;!5  miles  of  the  entire  line  are 
operated  in  Illinois,  of  which  29  belong  to  the 
Joliet  (S  Northern  Indiana  branch  (wliich  see). 
The  outstanding  capital  stock  (1898)  was  §18,- 
738,000  and  the  funded  debt,  §19,101,000.  Earn- 
ings in  Illinois  the  same  year,  §484,002;  total 
operating  expenses,  §540,905;  taxes,  §24,250. 

MICHKJAX,  LAKE.     (See  Lake  Michigan.) 

MIHALOTZY,  (ieza,  soldier,  a  native  of  Hun- 
gary and  compatriot  of  Kossuth  in  the  Magyar 
struggle;  came  to  Chicago  in  1848,  in  1801  enlisted 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteers  (first  "Hecker  regiment"),  and,  on 
the  resignation  of  Colonel  Hecker,  a  few  weeks 
later,  was  promoted  to  the  Colonelcy.  A  trained 
soldier,  he  .served  with  gallantry  and  distinction, 
but  was  fatiilly  woundeil  at  BuzzarcPs  Roost,  Feb. 
24.  1864,  dying  at  Chattiinooga,  March  11,  1864. 

MILAN,  a  town  of  Rock  Island  County,  on  the 
Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Railway,  six  miles  south  of 
Rock  Island.  It  is  located  on  Rock  River,  has 
several  mills,  a  bank  and  a  newspaper.  Popula- 
tion (1880).  845;   (1890),  692;   (1900),  719. 

M1LBI'R.\,  (Rev.)  WilUam  Henry,  clergy- 
man, was  born  in  Philadelphia.  Sept.  26,  1826. 
At  the  age  of  five  years  he  almost  totally  lost 
sight  in  l)oth  eyes,  as  the  result  of  an  accident, 
and  subsequent  malpractice  in  their  treatment. 
For  a  time  he  was  able  to  decipher  letters  «nth 
difficulty,  and  thus  learned  to  read.  In  the  face 
of  such  obstacles  he  carried  on  his  studies  until 
12  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied  his  father's 
family  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  and,  five  years  later, 
liecame  an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher.  For  a 
time  he  rode  a  circuit  covering  200  miles,  preach- 
ing, on  an  average,  ten  times  a  week,  for  §100  per 
year.  In  1845,  while  on  a  Mississippi  steamboat, 
he  publicly  rebuked  a  number  of  Congressmen, 
who  were  his  fellow  passengers,  for  intemperance 
and  gaming.  Tliis  resulted  in  his  being  made 
Chaplain  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  From 
1848  to  1850  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  at  Slont- 
gomery,  Ala.,  during  which  time  he  was  tried 
for  heresy,  and  later  became  pastor  of  a  "Free 
Church."     Again,  in  1853,  be  was  chosen  Chap- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


375 


lain  of  Congress.  While  in  Europe,  in  1859,  he 
took  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Churcli,  but  returned 
to  Methodism  in  1871.  He  has  since  been  twice 
Chaplain  of  the  House  (1885  and  '87)  and  three 
times  (1893.  "95  and  "97)  elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion in  the  Senate  He  is  generally  known  as 
"the  blind  preacher"  and  achieved  consideraVjle 
prominence  b\'  his  eloquence  as  a  lecturer  on 
"What  a  Blind  Man  Saw  in  Europe.'  Among 
his  published  writings  are.  "Rifle,  Axe  and  Sad- 
dlebags" (1856),  "Ten  Years  of  Preacher  Life" 
(18.58)  and  "Pioneers,  Preachers  and  People  of  the 
Mi.ssissippi  Valley"  (18(50). 

MILCHRIST,  Thomas  E.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
the  Isle  of  Man  in  1839,  and,  at  the  age  of  eight 
years,  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  in  Peoria,  111.  Here  he  attended  school 
and  worked  on  a  farm  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  War,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  until 
1865,  and  being  discharged  with  the  rank  of  Cap- 
tain. After  the  war  he  read  law  with  John  I. 
Bennett — then  of  Galena,  but  later  Master  in 
Chancery  of  the  United  States  Court  at  Chicago 
—was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867,  and,  for  a 
number  of  years,  served  as  State's  Attorney  in 
Henry  County.  In  1888  he  was  a  delegate  from 
Illinois  to  the  Republican  National  Convention, 
and  the  following  year  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Harrison  United  States  District  Attorney 
for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois.  Since 
retiring  from  office  in  1893,  Mr.  Milchrist  has  been 
engaged  in  private  practice  in  Chicago.  In  1898 
he  was  elected  a  State  Senator  for  the  Fifth  Dis- 
trict (city  of  Chicago)  in  the  Forty-first  General 
Assembly. 

MILES,  Nelson  A.,  Major-General,  was  born 
at  Westminster,  Mass.,  August  8,  1839,  and,  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits  in  the  city  of  Boston.  In 
October,  1861,  he  entered  the  service  as  a  Second 
Lieutenant  in  a  Massachusetts  regiment,  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  the  battles  of  Fair  Oaks, 
Charles  City  Cross  Roads  and  Malvern  Hill, 
in  one  of  whicli  he  was  wounded.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  he  was  Colonel  of  the  Sixty- 
first  New  York,  wliich  he  led  at  Fredericksburg 
and  at  Chancellorsville,  where  he  was  again 
severely  wounded.  He  commanded  tlie  First 
Brigade  of  the  First  Division  of  the  Second  Army 
Corps  in  the  Richmond  campaign,  and  was  made 
Brigadier-General,  May  13,  1864,  and  Major- 
General,  by  brevet,  for  gallantry  shown  at  Ream's 
Station,  in  December  of  the  same  year.  At  tlie 
close  of  tlie  war  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of 


the  Fortieth  United  States  Infantry,  and  distin- 
guished himself  in  campaigns  against  the  Indians ; 
became  a  Brigadier-General  in  1880,  and  Major- 
General  in  1890,  in  the  interim  being  in  command 
of  the  Department  of  the  Columbia,  and,  after 
1890,  of  the  Mi.ssouri,  with  headquarters  at  Chi- 
cago. Here  he  did  mucli  to  give  efficiency  and 
importance  to  the  post  at  Fort  Sheridan,  and,  in 
1894,  rendered  valuable  service  in  checking  the 
.strike  riots  about  Chicago.  Near  the  close  of  the 
year  he  was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the 
East,  and,  on  the  retirement  of  General  Schofield 
in  1895,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  army, 
with  headquarters  in  Washington.  During  the 
Spanish- American  war  (1898)  General  Miles  gave 
attention  to  the  fitting  out  of  troops  for  the  Cuban 
and  Porto  Rican  campaigns,  and  visited  Santiago 
during  the  siege  conducted  by  General  Shaffer, 
but  took  no  active  command  in  the  field  until  the 
occupation  of  Porto  Rico,  which  was  conducted 
with  rare  discrimination  and  good  judgment,  and 
with  comparatively  little  loss  of  life  or  suffering 
to  the  troops. 

MILFORI),  a  prosperous  village  of  Iroquois 
County,  on  the  Cliicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Rail- 
road, 88  miles  south  of  Chicago;  is  in  a  rich  farm- 
ing region;  has  water  and  sewerage  systems, 
electric  lights,  two  brick  and  tile  works,  three 
large  grain  elevators,  flour  mill,  three  churches, 
good  schools,  a  public  library  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper. It  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
grain  and  live-stock.  Population  (1890),  957; 
(1900).  1,077. 

MILITARY  BOUNTY  LANDS.  (See  Military 
Tract. ) 

MILITARY  TRACT,  a  popular  name  given  to 
a  section  of  the  State,  .set  apart  under  an  act  of 
Congress,  passed,  May  6,  1813,  as  bounty-lands  for 
soldiers  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain  commenc- 
ing the  same  year.  Similar  reservations  in  the 
Territories  of  Michigan  and  Louisiana  (now 
Arkansas)  were  provided  for  in  the  same  act. 
The  lands  in  Illinois  embraced  in  this  act  were 
situated  between  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi 
Rivers,  and  extended  from  the  junction  of  these 
streams  due  north,  by  the  Fourth  Principal  Merid- 
ian, to  the  northern  boundary  of  Township  15 
north  of  the  "Base  Line."  This  "base  line" 
started  about  opposite  the  present  site  of  Beards- 
town,  and  extended  to  a  point  on  the  Mississippi 
about  seven  miles  north  of  Quincy.  The  north- 
ern border  of  the  "Tract"  was  identical  with 
the  northern  boundary  of  Mercer  County,  which, 
extended  eastward,  readied  the  Illinois  about 
the  present  village  of  De  Pue.  in  the  southeastern 


376 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


part  of  Bureau  County,  where  the  Illinois  makes 
a  great  bend  towards  the  soutli,  a  few  miles  west 
of  the  city  of  Peru.  Tlie  distance  between  the 
Illinois  and  the  Mississippi,  by  this  line,  was  about 
90  miles,  and  the  entire  length  of  the  "Tract," 
from  its  northern  boundary  to  the  junction  of 
the  two  rivers,  was  computed  at  169  miles, — con- 
sisting of  90  miles  north  of  the  "base  line"  and  79 
miles  south  of  it,  to  the  junction  of  the  rivers. 
The  "Tract"  was  surveyed  in  ISLVIG.  It  com- 
prised 207  entire  townships  of  six  miles  square, 
each,  and  Gl  fractional  townships,  containing  an 
area  of  .5,360.000  acres,  of  which  3.  .500, 000  acres— 
a  little  less  than  two-thirds — were  appropriated  to 
military  bounties.  The  residue  consisted  partly 
of  fractional  sections  bordering  on  rivers,  partly  of 
fractional  quarter-sections  bordering  on  township 
lines,  and  containing  more  or  less  than  160  acres, 
and  partly  of  laii<ls  tliat  were  returned  by  the  sur- 
veyors as  unlit  for  cultivation.  In  addition  to 
this,  there  were  Lirge  reservations  not  coming 
within  the  above  exceptions,  being  the  overplus 
of  lands  after  satisfying  the  military  claims,  and 
subject  to  entrj"  and  purcluvse  on  the  same  con- 
ditions Ss  other  Government  lands.  The  "Tract" 
thus  embraced  the  present  counties  of  Calhoun, 
Pike,  Adams,  Brown,  Schuyler,  Hancock,  Mc- 
Donough.  Fulton,  Peoria,  Stark,  Knox,  Warren, 
Henderson  and  Mercer,  with  parts  of  Henry, 
Bureau.  Putnam  and  Marshall— or  so  much  of 
them  as  was  necessary  to  meet  the  demand  for 
bounties.  Immigration  to  this  region  set  in  quite 
actively  about  1823,  and  the  development  of  some 
portions,  for  a  time,  was  verj-  rapid;  but  later,  its 
growth  was  retarded  by  the  conflict  of  "tax- 
titles"  and  bounty -titles  derived  by  purchase 
from  the  original  holders.  This  led  to  a  great 
deal  of  litigation,  and  called  for  considerable 
legislation ;  but  since  the  adjustment  of  these 
questions,  this  region  has  kept  pace  with  the  most 
favored  sections  of  the  State,  and  it  now  includes 
some  of  the  most  important  and  prosi>erous  towns 
and  cities  and  manj"  of  the  finest  farms  in 
Illinois. 

MILITI  \.  Illinois,  taught  by  the  experiences 
of  the  War  of  1S12  and  the  necessity  of  providing 
for  protection  of  its  citizens  against  the  incur- 
sions of  Indians  on  its  borders,  began  the  adop- 
tion, at  an  early  date,  of  such  measures  as  were 
then  common  in  the  several  States  for  the  main- 
tenance of  a  State  militia.  The  Constitution  of 
1818  made  the  Governor  "Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  army  and  navy  of  this  State,"  and  declared 
that  the  militia  of  the  State  should  "consist  of 
all  free  male  able-bodied  persons  (negroes,  mu- 


lattoe?  and  Indians  excepted)  resident  in  the 
State,  oetween  the  ages  of  18  and  45  years,"  and 
this  classification  was  continued  in  the  later  con- 
stitutions, except  that  of  1870,  which  omits  all 
reference  to  the  subject  of  color.  In  each  there 
is  the  same  general  provision  exempting  jx^rsous 
entertaining  "conscientious  scruples  against 
bearing  arms,"  although  subject  to  payment  of 
an  equivalent  for  such  exemption.  The  first  law 
on  the  subject,  enacted  by  the  first  General 
Assembly  (1819),  provided  for  the  establishment 
of  a  general  militia  system  for  the  State ;  and  the 
fact  that  this  was  modified,  amended  or  wholly 
changed  bj-  acts  passed  at  the  sessions  of  1821, 
'23,  '25,  '26,  '27,  '29,  '33,  '37  and  ':i9,  shows  the 
estimation  in  wliich  the  subject  was  held.  While 
many  of  these  acts  were  of  a  special  character, 
providing  for  a  particular  class  of  organization, 
the  general  law  did  little  except  to  require  per- 
sons subject  to  military  duty,  at  stated  periods,  to 
attend  county  musters,  which  were  often  con- 
ducted in  a  verj-  informal  manner,  or  made  the 
occasion  of  a  sort  of  periodical  frolic.  The  act  of 
July,  1833  (following  the  Black  Hawk  War), 
required  an  enrollment  of  "all  free,  white,  male 
inhabitants  of  military  age  (except  such  as  might 
be  exempt  under  the  Constitution  or  laws)"; 
divided  the  State  into  five  divisions  b.v  counties, 
each  division  to  be  organized  into  a  certain  sf)eci- 
fied  number  of  brigades.  This  act  was  quite 
eLil)orate,  covering  some  twenty-four  pages,  and 
provided  for  regimental,  battalion  and  company 
musters,  defined  the  duties  of  officers,  manner  of 
election,  etc.  The  act  of  1837  encouraged  the 
organization  of  volunteer  companies.  The  Mexi- 
can War  (1845-47)  gave  a  new  iinj^tus  to  this 
class  of  legislation,  as  also  did  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion  (1861-65).  While  the  office  of  Adju- 
tant-General had  existed  from  the  first,  its  duties 
— except  during  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mexican 
Wars — were  rather  nominal,  and  were  discharged 
without  stated  compensation,  the  incimibent 
being  merely  Chief-of-staff  to  the  Governor  as 
Commander-in-Chief.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion 
at  once  brought  it  into  prominence,  as  an  impor- 
tant part  of  the  State  Government,  which  it  has 
since  maintained.  The  various  measures  passed, 
during  this  period,  belong  rather  to  the  history  of 
the  late  war  than  to  the  subject  of  this  chapter. 
In  1865,  however,  the  office  was  put  on  a  different 
footing,  and  the  important  part  it  liad  played, 
during  the  preceding  four  years,  was  recognized 
by  the  passage  of  "an  act  to  provide  for  the  ap- 
pointment, and  designate  the  work,  fix  the  pay 
and  prescribe  the  duties,  of  the  Adjutant-General 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


377 


of  Illinois."  During  the  next  four  years,  its 
most  important  work  was  the  publication  of 
eight  volumes  of  war  records,  containing  a  com- 
plete roster  of  tlie  officers  and  men  of  the  various 
regiments  and  other  military  organizations  from 
Illinois,  with  an  outline  of  their  movements  and 
a  Ust  of  the  battles  in  which  they  were  engaged. 
To  the  Adjutant-General's  office,  as  now  adminis- 
tered, is  entrusted  the  custody  of  the  war- 
records,  battle-flags  and  trophies  of  the  late  war. 
A  further  step  was  taken,  in  1877,  in  the  passage 
of  an  act  formulating  a  military  code  and  provid- 
ing for  more  thorough  organization.  Modifying 
amendments  to  this  act  were  adopted  in  1879  and 
1885.  Wliile,  under  these  laws,  "all  able-bodied 
male  citizens  of  this  State,  between  the  ages  of  18 
and  4.5"  (with  certain  specified  exceptions),  are 
declared  "subject  to  military  duty,  and  desig- 
nated as  the  Illinois  State  Militia,"  provision  is 
made  for  the  organization  of  a  body  of  "active 
militia,"  designated  as  the  "Illinois  National 
Guard,"  to  consist  of  "not  more  than  oighty-four 
companies  of  infantry,  two  batteries  of  artillery 
and  two  troops  of  cavalry,"  recruited  by  volun- 
tary enlistments  for  a  period  of  three  years,  with 
right  to  re-enlist  for  one  or  more  years.  The 
National  Guard,  as  at  present  constituted,  con- 
sists of  three  brigades,  with  a  total  force  of  about 
9,000  men,  organized  into  nine  regiments,  besides 
the  batteries  and  cavalry  already  mentioned. 
Gatling  guns  are  used  by  the  artillery  and  breech- 
loading  rifles  by  the  infantry.  Camps  of  instruc- 
tion are  held  for  the  regiments,  respectively — one 
or  more  regiments  participating  —  each  year, 
usually  at  "Camp  Lincoln"  near  Springfield, 
when  regimental  and  brigade  drills,  competitive 
rifle  practice  and  mock  battles  are  had.  An  act 
establishing  the  "Naval  Militia  of  Illinois,"  to 
consist  of  "not  more  than  eight  divisions  or  com- 
panies," divided  into  two  battalions  of  four  divi- 
sions each,  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  1893 — the  whole  to  be  under  the  command  of 
an  officer  with  the  rank  of  Commander.  The 
commanding  officer  of  each  battalion  is  styled  a 
"Lieutenant-Commander,"  and  both  the  Com- 
mander and  Lieutenant-Commanders  have  their 
respective  staffs — their  organization,  in  other 
respects,  being  conformable  to  the  laws  of  the 
United  States.  A  set  of  "Regulations,"  based 
upon  these  several  laws,  has  been  prepared  by  the 
Adjutant-General  for  the  government  of  the 
various  organizations.  The  Governor  is  author- 
ized, by  law,  to  call  out  the  militia  to  resist  inva- 
sion, or  to  suppress  violence  and  enforce  execution 
of  the  laws,  wlien  called  upon  by  the  civil  author- 


ities of  any  city,  town  or  county.  This  authority, 
however,  is  exercised  with  great  discretion,  and 
only  when  the  local  authorities  are  deemed  unable 
to  cope  with  threatened  resistance  to  law  The 
officers  of  the  National  Guard,  when  called  into 
actual  service  for  the  suppre.ssion  of  riot  or  the 
enforcement  of  the  laws,  receive  the  same  com- 
pensation paid  to  officers  of  the  United  States 
army  of  like  grade,  while  the  enlisted  men  receive 
83  per  day.  During  the  time  they  are  at  any 
encampment,  the  officers  and  men  alike  receive 
$1  per  day.  with  necessary  subsistence  and  cost 
of  transportation  to  and  from  the  encampment. 
(For  list  of  incumbents  in  Adjutant-General's 
office,  see  Adjutants-General;  see,  also,  Spanish- 
American  War  ) 

MILLER,  James  H.,  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  was  born  in  Ohio,  May  39,  1843; 
in  early  life  came  to  Toulon,  Stark  County,  111., 
where  he  finally  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  Rebellion  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  army,  but  before  being  mustered  into 
the  service,  received  an  injury  which  rendered 
him  a  cripple  for  life.  Though  of  feeble  physical 
organization  and  a  suff'erer  from  ill-health,  he 
was  a  man  of  decided  ability  and  much  influence. 
He  served  as  State's  Attorney  of  Stark  Coimty 
(1873-76)  and.  in  1884,  was  elected  Representative 
in  the  Thirty-fourth  General  Assembl}'.  at  the 
following  session  being  one  of  the  most  zealous 
supporters  of  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  in  the  cele- 
brated contest  which  resulted  in  the  election  of 
the  latter,  for  the  third  time,  to  the  United  States 
Senate.  By  successive  re-elections  he  also  served 
in  the  Thirty-fifth  and  Thirty-sixth  General 
As.semblies,  during  the  session  of  the  latter  being 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House,  as  successor  to 
A.  C.  Matthews,  who  liad  been  appointed,  during 
the  session.  First  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury  at 
Washington.  In  the  early  part  of  the  summer 
of  1890,  Mr.  Miller  visited  Colorado  for  tlie  bene- 
fit of  his  health,  but,  a  week  after  his  arrival  at 
Manitou  .Springs,  died  suddenly,  June  37,  1890. 

MILLS,  Benjamin,  lawyer  and  early  poli- 
tician, was  a  native  of  Western  Massachusetts, 
and  described  by  his  contemporaries  as  a  highly 
educated  and  accomplished  lawyer,  as  well  as  a 
brilliant  orator.  The  exact  date  of  his  arrival  in 
Illinois  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty,  but 
he  appears  to  have  been  in  the  "Lead  Mine 
Region"  about  Galena,  as  early  as  1826  or  '37,  and 
was  notable  as  one  of  the  first  "Yankees"  to 
locate  in  that  section  of  the  State.  He  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  Eighth  General 
Assembly    (1832),    his    district    embracing     the 


378 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


counties  of  Peoria,  Jo  Daviess.  Putnam,  La  Salle 
and  Cook,  including  all  the  State  north  of  Sangii- 
mon  (as  it  then  stood),  and  extending  from  the 
Mississippi  Itiver  to  the  Indiana  State  line.  At 
this  session  occurred  the  inipeacliment  trial  of 
Theophilus  W.  Smith,  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Mr. 
Mills  acting  as  Chairman  of  the  Impeachment 
Committee,  and  delivering  a  speech  of  great 
power  and  brilliancy,  which  lasted  two  or  three 
days.  In  ISIU  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress 
from  the  Northern  District,  but  was  defeated  by 
William  L.  May  (Democrat),  as  claimed  liy  Mr. 
Mill's  friends,  unfairly.  He  early  fell  a  victim 
to  consumption  and,  returning  to  Ma.ss!icliusetts. 
died  in  Berkshire  County,  in  that  State,  in  1841. 
Hon.  R.  H.  McCIellan,  of  Galena,  says  of  him: 
"lie  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability,  learning 
and  elotjuence,"  while  Governor  Ford,  in  his 
"History  of  Illinois,"  testifies  that,  "by  common 
consent  of  all  his  contemjioraries,  Mr.  Mills  was 
regarded  as  the  most  popular  and  brilliant  law}-er 
of  his  day  at  th«  (Jalena  bar." 

MILLS,  Henry  A.,  State  Senator,  was  born  at 
New  Hartford.  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  in  182T; 
located  at  Mount  Carroll,  Carroll  County,  111.,  in 
18.50,  finally  engaging  in  the  banking  business  at 
that  place.  Having  served  in  various  local 
offices,  he  was,  in  1874,  chosen  State  Senator  for 
the  Eleventh  District,  but  died  at  Galesburg 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  July  7,  1877. 

MILLS,  Luther  Lafliii,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
North  Adams,  Mass.,  Sept.  3,  1848;  brought  to 
Chicago  in  infancy,  iind  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city  and  at  Michigan  State  Uni- 
versity. In  18(i8  he  liegan  the  stu<ly  of  law.  was 
admitted  to  practice  three  years  later,  and,  in 
1876,  was  elected  State's  Attorney,  being  re- 
elected in  1880.  Wliile  in  this  office  he  was  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  most  important  cases 
ever  brought  before  the  Chicago  courts. 
Although  he  has  held  no  official  position  except 
that  already  mentioned,  his  abilities  at  the  bar 
and  on  the  rostriun  are  widely  recognized,  and 
his  services,  as  an  attorney  and  an  orator,  have 
been  in  frequent  demand. 

MILLST.tDT,  a  town  in  St.  Clair  County,  on 
branch  of  Mobile  it  Ohio  Railroad.  14  miles  south- 
southeast  of  St.  Louis;  has  electric  lights, 
churches,  schools,  bank,  newspaper,  coal  mines, 
and  manufactures  flour,  beer  and  butter.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  1,186;  (1900),  1,172. 

MILWAUKEE  &  ST.  PAUL  RAILWAY.  (See 
Chicago,  Mihrankee  &  St.  Paul  Raihi-ay  ) 

MIXER,  Orlin  H.,  State  Auditor,  was  born  in 
Vermont,  May  1^.  1825;  from  1834  to  '51  he  lived 


in  Ohio,  the  latter  year  coming  to  Chicago,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  of  watch  maker.  In  1855 
he  went  to  Central  America  and  was  with  Gen- 
eral William  Walker  at  ( ireytown.  Returning  to 
Illinois,  he  resumed  his  trade  at  Springfield;  in 
1857  he  was  appointed,  by  Auditor  Dubois,  chief 
clerk  in  the  Auditor's  office,  serving  until  1864, 
when  he  was  elected  State  Auditor  as  successor 
to  his  chief.  Retiring  from  office  in  1869,  he 
gave  attention  to  his  private  business.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  a  Director  of  the  Spring- 
field Iron  Company.     Died  in  1879. 

MINIER,  a  village  of  Tazewell  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Jacksonville  Division  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  and  the  Terre  Haute  &  Peoria 
Railroads,  26  miles  southeast  of  Peoria;  is  in  fine 
farming  district  and  has  several  grain  elevators, 
some  nianufai^tures,  two  banks  and  a  newspaper. 
Population  (1890).  664;  (1900).  746. 

MINOXK,  a  city  in  Woodford  County,  29  miles 
north  of  Blooinington  and  53  miles  northeast  of 
Peoria,  on  the  Atchi.son.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and 
the  Illinois  Central  R;iilways.  The  surrounding 
region  is  agricultural,  though  much  coal  is 
mined  in  the  vicinity.  The  city  has  brick  yards, 
tile  factories,  steam  flouring-mills,  several  grain 
elevators,  two  private  banks  and  two  weekly 
newspapers.  Population  (1880),  1,913;  (1890), 
2,316;  (I'JOO),  2,.>46. 

MINORITY  REPRESENTATION,  a  method  of 
choosing  members  of  the  General  Assemblj-  and 
other  deliberative  bodies,  designed  to  secure  rep- 
resentation, in  such  bodies,  to  minority  parties. 
In  lUiiKiis.  this  method  is  limited  to  the  election 
of  members  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  General 
Assembly  —  except  as  to  private  corporations, 
which  may.  at  their  option,  apply  it  in  the  election 
of  Trustees  or  Directors.  In  the  apportionment 
of  members  of  the  General  Assembly  (see  Legis- 
lative Apportionment),  the  State  Constitution 
requires  that  the  Senatorial  and  Representative 
Districts  shall  be  identical  in  territory,  each  of 
such  Districts  being  entitled  to  choose  one  Sena- 
tor and  three  Representatives.  The  provisions  of 
the  Constitution,  making  specific  application  of 
the  principle  of  "minority  representation"  (or 
"cunmlative  voting,"  as  it  is  sometimes  called), 
declares  that,  in  the  election  of  Representatives, 
"each  qualified  voter  may  cast  as  many  votes  for 
one  candidate  as  there  are  Representatives,  or 
(he)  may  distribute  the  same,  or  equal  parts 
thereof,  among  the  candidates  as  he  shall  see 
fit."  (State  Constitution,  Art.  IV,  sections  7  and 
8.)  In  practice,  this  provision  gives  the  voter 
power  to  cast  three  votes  for  one  candidate,  two 


HISTORICAL   EKCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


379 


votes  for  one  candidate  and  one  for  another,  or 
one  and  a  half  votes  to  each  of  two  candidates, 
or  he  may  distribute  his  vote  equally  among 
three  candidates  (giving  one  to  each) ;  but  no 
other  division  is  admissible  without  invalidating 
his  ballot  as  to  this  office.  Other  forms  of  minor- 
ity representation  have  been  proposed  by  various 
writers,  among  whom  Mr.  Thomas  Hare,  John 
Stuart  Mill,  and  Mr.  Craig,  of  England,  are  most 
prominent ;  but  that  adopted  in  Illinois  seems  to 
be  the  simplest  and  most  easy  of  application. 

MIXSHALL,  William  A.,  legislator  and  jurist, 
a  native  of  Ohio  who  came  to  Rushville,  111.,  at 
an  early  day,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
law;  served  as  Representative  in  the  Eighth, 
Tenth  and  Twelfth  General  Assemblies,  and  as 
Delegate  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1847.  He  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court  for  the  Fiftli  Circuit,  under  the  new  Con- 
stitution, in  1848,  and  died  in  office,  early  in  1853, 
being  succeeded  by  the  late  Judge  Pinkney  H. 
Walker. 

MISSIOXARIES,  EARLY,  The  earliest  Chris- 
tian missionaries  in  Illinois  were  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith.  As  a  rule,  these  accompanied  the 
French  explorers  and  did  not  a  little  toward  the 
extension  of  French  dominion.  They  were  usually 
members  of  one  of  two  orders — the  "Recollects," 
founded  by  St.  Francis,  or  the  "Jesuits,"  founded 
by  Loyola.  Between  these  two  bodies  of  ecclesi- 
astics existed,  at  times,  a  strong  rivalry;  the 
former  having  been  earlier  in  the  field,  but  hav- 
ing been  virtually  subordinated  to  the  latter  by 
Cardinal  Richelieu.  The  controversy  between 
the  two  orders  gradually  involved  the  civil 
authorities,  and  continued  until  the  suppression 
of  the  Jesuits,  in  France,  in  1764.  The  most  noted 
of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  were  Fathers  Allouez, 
Gravier,  Marquette,  Dablon,  Pinet,  Rasle,  Lamo- 
ges,  Binneteau  and  Marest.  Of  the  Recollects, 
the  most  conspicuous  were  Fathers  Membre, 
Douay,  Le  Clerq,  Hennepin  and  Ribourde. 
Besides  these,  there  were  also  Father  Bergier  and 
Montigny,  who,  belonging  to  no  religious  order, 
were  called  secular  priests.  The  first  Catholic 
mission,  founded  in  Illinois,  was  probably  that  at 
the  original  Kaska.skia  on  the  Illinois,  in  the 
present  county  of  La  Salle,  where  Father  Mar- 
quette did  missionary  work  in  1673,  followed  by 
Allouez  in  1677.  (See  AUoucz,  Claude  Jean.) 
The  latter  was  succeeded,  in  1688,  by  Father  Grav- 
ier, who  was  followed,  in  1692,  by  Father  Sebas- 
tian Rasle,  but  who,  returning  in  1694,  remained 
until  1695,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Pinet 
and    Binneteau.      In     1700    Father    Marest    was 


in  charge  of  the  mission,  and  the  number  of 
Indians  among  whom  he  labored  was,  that  year, 
considerably  diminished  by  the  emigration  of  the 
Kaskaskias  to  the  south.  Father  Gravier,  about 
this  time,  labored  among  the  Peorias,  but  was 
incapacitated  by  a  wound  received  from  the 
medicine  man  of  the  tribe,  which  finally  resulted 
in  his  death,  at  Mobile,  in  1706.  The  Peoria  station 
remained  vacant  for  a  time,  but  was  finally  filled 
by  Father  Deville.  Another  early  Catholic  mis- 
sion in  Illinois  was  that  at  Cahokia.  While  the 
precise  date  of  its  establishment  cannot  be  fixed 
with  certainty,  there  is  evidence  that  it  was  in 
existence  in  1700,  being  the  earliest  in  that  region. 
Among  the  early  Fatliers,  who  ministered  to  the 
savages  there,  were  Pinet,  St.  Cosme,  Bergier  and 
Lamoges.  This  mission  was  at  first  called  the 
Tamaroa,  and.  later,  the  mission  of  St.  Sulpice. 
It  was  probably  the  first  permanent  mission  in  the 
Illinois  Country.  Among  those  in  charge,  down 
to  1718,  were  Fathers  de  Montigny,  Damon  (prob- 
ably), Varlet,  de  la  Source,  and  le  Mercier.  In 
1707,  Father  Mermet  assisted  Father  Marest  at 
Kaskaskia,  and,  in  1720,  that  mission  became  a 
regularly  constituted  parish,  the  incumbent  being 
Father  de  Beaubois.  Rev.  Philip  Boucher 
preached  and  administered  the  sacraments  at 
Fort  St.  Louis,  where  he  died  in  1719,  having 
been  preceded  by  Fathers  Membre  and  Ribourde 
in  1680,  and  by  Fathers  Douay  and  Le  Clerq  in 
1687-88.  The  persecution  and  banishment  of  the 
early  Jesuit  missionaries,  by  the  Superior  Council 
of  Louisiana  (of  which  Illinois  had  formerly  been 
a  part),  in  1763,  is  a  curious  chapter  in  State  his- 
tory. That  body,  following  the  example  of  some 
provincial  legislative  bodies  in  France,  officially 
declared  the  order  a  dangerous  nuisance,  and 
decreed  the  confiscation  of  all  its  property,  in- 
cluding plate  and  vestments,  and  the  razing  of 
its  churches,  as  well  as  the  banishment  of  its 
members.  This  decree  the  Louisiana  Council 
undertook  to  enforce  in  Illinois,  disregarding  the 
fact  that  that  territory  had  passed  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  Great  Britain.  The  Jesuits  seem 
to  have  offered  no  resistance,  either  physical  or 
legal,  and  all  members  of  the  order  in  Illinois 
were  ruthlessly,  and  without  a  shadow  of  author- 
ity, carried  to  New  Orleans  and  thence  deported 
to  France.  Only  one — Father  Sebastian  Louis 
Meurin — was  allowed  to  return  to  Illinois ;  and  he, 
only  after  promising  to  recognize  the  ecclesiastical 
authority  of  the  Superior  Council  as  supreme, 
and  to  hold  no  communication  with  Quebec  or 
Rome.  The  labors  of  the  missionaries,  apart 
from  spiritual  results,  were  of  great  value.     They 


380 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


perpetuated  the  records  of  early  discoveries, 
reduced  the  language,  and  even  dialects,  of  the 
aborigines,  to  grammatical  rules,  and  preserved 
the  original  traditions  and  described  the  customs 
of  the  savages.  (Authorities:  Shea  and  Kip's 
"Catholic  Missions,"  "Magazine  of  Western  His- 
tory," Winsor"s  "America,"  and  Shea's  "Catholic 
Church  in  Colonial  Days") 

MISSISSIPri  RIVEK.  (Indian  name,  "Missi 
Sipi,"  the  "Great  Water.")  Its  head  waters  are 
in  the  nortliern  part  of  Minnesota,  1,C80  feet 
above  tide-water.  Its  chief  source  is  Itasca 
Lake,  which  is  1.575  feet  higher  than  the  sea, 
and  wliich  is  fed  b_v  a  stream  having  its  source 
within  one  mile  of  the  head  waters  of  tlie  Red 
River  of  the  North.  From  this  sheet  of  water  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  distance  is  variously 
estimated  at  from  3,000  to  3,  IGO  miles.  Lake 
Itasca  is  in  lat.  47'  10'  north  and  Ion.  95'  20'  west 
from  Greenwich.  The  river  at  first  runs  north- 
ward, but  soon  turns  toward  the  east  and  expands 
into  a  .series  of  small  lakes.  Its  course,  as  far  as 
Crow  Wing,  is  extremely  sinuous,  below  which 
point  it  runs  .southward  to  St..Cloud,  thence  south- 
eastward to  Minneapolis,  where  occur  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony,  establishing  a  complete  barrier  to 
navigation  for  the  lower  Mississippi.  In  less  than 
a  mile  the  river  descends  (iG  feet,  including  a  per- 
pendicular fall  of  17  feet,  furnishing  an  immense 
water  power,  which  is  utilized  in  operating  flour- 
ing-mills  and  other  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. A  few  miles  below  St.  Paul  it  reaches 
the  western  Ixjundary  of  Wisconsin,  where  it 
expands  into  the  long  and  beautiful  Lake  Pepin, 
bordered  by  picturestiue  limestone  blutfs.  some 
400  feet  high.  Below  Dubuijue  its  general  direc- 
tion is  soutliward,  and  it  forms  the  Iwiundary 
between  the  States  of  Iowa,  Missouri,  Arkansas 
and  the  northern  part  of  Louisiana,  on  the 
west,  and  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  5Iis- 
si.ssippi.  on  the  east.  After  many  sinuous  turn 
ings  iu  its  southern  course,  it  enters  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  by  three  principal  passes,  or  mouths,  at 
the  southeastern  extremity  of  Plaquemines 
Parish,  La.,  in  lat.  i9  north  and  Ion.  89'  Vi' 
west.  Its  principal  affluents  on  the  right  are  the 
Minnesota,  Iowa.  Des  Moines,  MLssouri,  \rkau.sa.s 
and  Red  Rivers,  and.  on  the  left,  the  Wisconsin. 
Illinois  and  Ohio.  Tlie  Missouri  River  is  longer 
than  that  part  of  the  Jlissi.ssippi  above  the  f)oint 
of  junction,  the  distance  from  its  source  to  the 
delta  of  the  latter  being  about  4.300  miles,  which 
exceeds  that  of  any  otlier  river  in  the  world. 
The  width  of  the  stream  at  St.  Louis  is  alwut 
3,500  feet,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  nearly  4,500 


feet,  and  at  New  Orleans  about  2,500  feet.  The 
mean  velocity  of  the  current  between  St.  Louis 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  about  five  to  five  and 
one  half  miles  per  hour.  The  average  depth 
below  Red  River  is  said  to  be  121  feet,  tliough,  iu 
tlie  vicinity  of  New  Orleans,  the  maximum  is  said 
to  reach  150  feet.  The  princiixil  rapids  below  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony  are  at  Rock  Island  and  the 
Des  Jloines  Rapids  above  Keokuk,  the  former 
having  twenty-two  feet  fall  and  the  latter 
twenty-four  feet.  A  canal  around  tlie  Des 
Sloiues  Rapids,  along  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
aids  navigation.  The  alluvial  banks  wliich  pre- 
vail on  one  or  both  shores  of  the  lower  Mississippi, 
often  spread  out  into  extensive  "butl(mis"  which 
are  of  inexhaustible  fertility.  Tlie  most  impor- 
tant of  these  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  is  the 
"American  Bottom,"  extending  along  the  east 
bank  from  Alton  to  Chester.  Immense  suras 
have  been  sjwnt  in  the  construction  of  levees  for 
the  protection  of  the  lands  along  the  lower  river 
from  overflow,  as  also  in  the  construction  of  a 
system  of  jetties  at  the  mouth,  to  improve  navi- 
gation by  deepening  the  channel. 

MISSISSIPPI  RIVEK  IJRID(iE,  THE,  one  of 
the  best  constructeil  railroad  bridges  in  the  West, 
spanning  the  Mi.s.sissippi  from  Pike,  111.,  to  Loui- 
siana, Mo.  The  construction  company  was  char- 
tered, April  25,  1872,  and  the  bridge  was  ready  for 
the  pjissage  of  trains  on  Dec.  24,  1873.  OnTDec. 
3.  1877,  it  was  lejised  in  perpetuity  by  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railway  Company,  which  holds  all  its 
stock  and  §150,000  of  its  bonds  as  an  investment, 
paying  a  rental  of  §00,000  per  annum,  to  be  applied 
in  the  payment  of  7  per  cent  interest  on  stock  and 
0  per  cent  on  bonds.  In  1S94,  §71.000  was  paid  for 
rental,  §10.000  going  toward  a  sinking  fund. 

MOBILE  &  OHIO  RAILROAD.  This  company 
operates  IGO.G  miles  of  road  in  Illinois,  of  which 
151. G  are  leased  from  the  St.  Louis  &  Cairo  Rail- 
road.    (See  St.  Louis  &•  Cctiro  Railroad.) 

MOLIXE,  a  flourishing  manufacturing  city  in 
Rock  Island  County,  incorporated  in  1872,  on  the 
Mississippi  above  Rock  Island  and  opposite 
Davenport,  Iowa;  is  103  miles  south  of  west  from 
Chicago,  and  the  intersecting  point  of  three 
trunk  lines  of  railway.  Moline,  Rock  Island  and 
Davenport  are  connected  bj'  steam  and  street 
railways,  bridges  and  ferries.  All  three  obtain 
water-power  from  the  Mississippi.  The  region 
around  Moline  is  rich  in  coal,  and  several  pro- 
ductive mines  are  operated  in  the  vicinity.  It  is 
an  important  manufacturing  point,  its  chief  out- 
puts being  agricultural  implements,  filters,  malle- 
able iron,  steam  engines  vehicles,  lumber,  organs 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


381 


(pipe  and  reed),  paper,  lead-roofiug,  wind-iuills, 
milling  machinery,  and  furniture.  The  city  has 
admirable  water-works,  several  churches,  good 
schools,  gas  and  electric  light  plants,  a  public 
library,  five  banks,  three  daily  and  weekly 
papers.  It  also  has  an  extensive  electric  power 
plant,  electric  street  cars  and  interurban  line. 
Population  (1890).  13,000;  (1900),  17,348. 

MOLOXEY,  Maurico  T.,  ex-Attorney-Cieneral, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1849;  came  to  Ameiica  in 
1867,  and,  after  a  course  in  the  Seminary  of  "Our 
Lady  of  the  Angels'"  at  Niagara  Falls,  studied 
theology ;  then  taught  for  a  time  in  Virginia  and 
studied  law  at  the  University  of  that  State, 
graduating  in  1871,  finallj'  locating  at  Ottawa, 
111. ,  where  he  served  three  years  as  State's  Attor- 
ney of  La  Salle  County,  ami,  in  1892,  was  nomi- 
nated and  elected  Attorney-General  on  the 
Democratic  State  ticket,  serving  until  January, 
1897. 

MOMENCE,  a  town  in  Kankakee  County,  situ- 
ated on  the  Kankakee  River  and  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  and  the 
Indiana,  Illinois  &  Iowa  Railroads,  .54  miles  south 
of  Chicago;  has  water  power,  a  flouring  mill, 
enameled  brick  factory,  railway  repair  shops,  two 
banks,  two  newspapers,  five  churches  and  two 
schools.     Population  (1890),  1,03.5;  (1900).  3,036. 

MOXMOl'TH,  the  county-seat  of  Warren 
County,  36  miles  east  of  the  Mississippi  River;  at 
point  of  intersection  of  two  lines  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Iowa  Central  Rail- 
ways. The  Santa  Fe  enters  Monmouth  on  the 
Iowa  Central  lines.  The  surrounding  couutry  is 
agricultural  and  coal  yielding.  The  city  has 
manufactories  of  agricultural  implements,  sewer- 
pipe,  pottery,  paving  brick,  and  cigars.  Mon- 
mouth College  (United  Presbyterian)  was 
chartered  in  1.957,  and  the  library  of  this  institu- 
tion, with  that  of  Warren  County  (also  located 
at  Monmouth)  aggregates  30,000  volumes.  There 
are  three  national  banks,  two  daily,  three  weekly 
and  two  other  periodical  publications.  An  ap- 
propriation was  made  by  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress 
for  the  erection  of  a  Covernment  building  at 
Momnouth.    Population  (1890),  5,936;  (1900),  7,460. 

MONMOUTH  C0LLE(;E,  an  educational  insti- 
tution, controlled  by  the  United  Presbyterian 
denomination,  but  non-sectarian ;  located  at  Mon- 
mouth. It  was  founded  in  1856,  its  first  class 
graduating  in  1858.  Its  Presidents  have  been 
Drs.  D.  A.  Wallace  (1856-78)  and  J.  B.  McMichael, 
the  latter  occupying  the  position  from  1878  until 
1897.  In  1896  the  faculty  consisted  of  fifteen 
instructors  and  the  number  of  students  was  389. 


The  college  campus  covers  ten  acres,  tastefully 
laid  out.  The  institution  confers  four  degrees — 
A.B.,  B.S.,  M.B.,  and  B.L.  For  the  conferring 
of  the  first  three,  four  years'  study  is  required; 
for  the  degree  of  B.L.,  three  years. 

MONROE,  George  D.,  State  Senator,  was  born 
in  Jefl:erson  County,  N.  Y. ,  Sept.  24,  1844,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1849.  His 
father  having  been  elected  Sheriff  of  Will  County 
in  1864,  he  became  a  resident  of  Joliet,  serving 
as  a  deputy  in  his  father's  office.  In  1805  he 
engaged  in  merchandising  as  the  partner  of  his 
father,  which  was  exchanged,  some  fifteen  years 
later,  for  the  wholesale  grocery  trade,  and,  finally, 
for  the  real-estate  and  mortgage-loan  business,  in 
which  he  is  still  employed.  He  has  also  been 
extensively  engaged  in  the  stone  business  some 
twenty  years,  being  a  large  stockholder  in  the 
Western  Stone  Company  and  Vice-President  of 
the  concern.  In  1894  Mr.  Monroe  was  elected,  as 
a  Republican,  to  the  State  Senate  from  the 
Twenty-fifth  District,  serving  in  the  Thirty-ninth 
and  Fortieth  General  Assemblies,  and  proving 
himself  one  of  the  most  infiuential  members  of 
that  body. 

MONROE  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  State,  bordering  on  the  Mississippi — 
named  for  President  Monroe.  Its  area  is  about 
380  square  miles.  It  was  organized  in  1816  and 
included  within  its  boundaries  several  of  the 
French  villages  which  constituted,  for  many 
years,  a  center  of  civilization  in  the  West. 
American  settlers,  however,  began  to  locate  in 
the  district  as  early  as  1781.  The  county  has  a 
diversified  surface  and  is  heavilj'  timbered.  The 
soil  is  fertile,  embracing  both  upland  and  river 
bottom.  Agricultiue  and  the  manufacture  and 
shipping  of  lumber  constitute  leading  occupations 
of  the  citizens.  Waterloo  is  the  county-seat. 
Population  (1890),  12,948;  (1900),  13,847. 

MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  an  interior  county, 
situated  northeast  of  St.  Louis  and  south  of 
Springfield;  area  703  square  miles,  population 
(1900),  30,836— derives  its  name  from  Gen.  Richard 
ilontgomery.  The  earliest  settlements  by  Ameri- 
cans were  toward  the  close  of  1816,  county  organi- 
zation being  effected  five  years  later.  The  entire 
population,  at  that  time,  .scarcely  exceeded  100 
families.  The  surface  is  undulating,  well  watered 
and  timbered.  The  seat  of  county  government  is 
located  at  Hillsboro.  Litchfield  is  an  important 
town.  Here  are  situated  car-shops  and  some 
manufacturing  establishments.  Conspicuous  in 
the  county's  history  as  pioneers  were  Harris 
Reavis,    Henry   Pyatt.  John   Levi,   Aaron  Casey 


382 


HIS'l'()i;i('AL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


John  Tillson,  Hiram  Rountree,  the  Wrights 
(Joseph  and  Charles),  the  HilLs  (John  and 
Henry),  Williani  McDaviJ  and  John  Ivussell. 

MONTICKLLO,  a  city  and  tlie  county-seat  of 
Piatt  County,  on  the  Sangamon  River,  midway 
between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  on  the  Kankakee 
and  Bloomington  Division  of  the  Illinois  Central, 
and  tlie  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Division  of  tlie 
Wabash  Railways.  It  lies  within  the  "corn  belt," 
and  sto<-k-raising  is  extensively  carried  on  in  the 
surrounding  country.  Among  tlie  city  industries 
are  a  foundry  and  machine  shops,  steam  Hour  and 
planing  mills,  broom,  cigar  and  harness-making, 
and  patent  fence  and  tile  works.  The  city  is 
lighted  by  electricity,  has  several  elevators,  an 
excellent  water  sj-stera,  numerous  churches  and 
good  sch(H)ls,  with  banks  and  three  weekly 
papers.     Population  (1«90),  l,Ot:{;  (I'JOO),  1,982. 

MOXTUELLO  FEMALE  SEMIXAKY,  the 
second  institution  established  in  Illinois  for  the 
higher  education  of  women — Jacksonville  Female 
Seminary  being  the  first.  It  was  founded 
through  the  mnniticence  of  Capt.  Benjamin 
Goilfrey.  who  donated  fifteen  acres  for  a  site,  at 
Godfrey,  MadLson  County,  and  gave  $.')3,000 
toward  erecting  and  equipping  the  buildings. 
The  institution  was  opene<l  on  April  11,  1838, 
with  sixteen  young  lady  pupils.  Rev.  Theron 
Baldwin,  one  of  the  celebrated  "Yale  Band," 
being  the  first  Principal.  In  1845  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mi.ss  Philena  Fol)es,  and  she,  in  tviru, 
by  Miss  Harriet  N.  Haskell,  in  180G,  who  still 
remains  in  charge.  In  November,  1883,  the 
seminary  building,  with  its  contents,  was  burned; 
but  the  institution  continued  its  sessions  in  tem- 
porary quarters  until  the  erection  of  a  new  build- 
ing, which  was  soon  accomplished  through  the 
generosity  of  alumna;  and  friends  of  female  edu- 
cation throughout  the  country.  The  new  struc- 
ture is  of  stone,  three  stories  in  height,  and 
thoroughly  modern.  The  average  number  of 
pupils  is  l.")().  with  fourteen  in.structors,  and  the 
standard  of  the  institution  is  of  a  high  character. 

M04MtE,  Clifton  H.,  lawyer  and  financier,  was 
born  at  Kirtland,  Livke  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  26, 
1817 ;  after  a  brief  season  spent  in  two  academies 
and  one  term  in  the  Western  Reserve  Tejvchers' 
Seminary,  at  Kirtland,  in  1839  he  came  west 
and  engaged  in  teaching  at  Pekin,  111.,  while 
giving  his  leisure  to  the  study  of  law.  He  spent 
the  next  year  at  Tremont  as  Deputy  County  and 
Circuit  Clerk,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Spring- 
field in  1841.  and  located  scxin  after  at  Clinton, 
DeWitt  County,  which  has  .since  been  his  home. 
In  partnership  with  the  late  Judge  David  Davis, 


of  Bloomington,  Mr.  Moore,  a  few  years  later, 
began  operating  extensively  in  Illinois  lands,  and 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  land  proi)rietors  in 
the  State,  besides  being  interested  in  a  number 
of  manufacturing  ventures  and  a  local  bank. 
The  only  official  position  of  importance  he  has 
held  is  that  of  Delegate  to  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1809-70.  He  is  an  enthusi- 
iistic  collector  of  State  historical  and  art  treasures, 
of  which  he  pos.sesses  one  of  the  most  valuable 
private  collections  in  Illinois. 

MOOKE,  Heiiry,  pioneer  lawyer,  came  to  Chi- 
cago from  Com'ord,  Mii.ss.,  in  1834,  and  was 
almost  immediately  admitted  to  the  bar,  also 
acting  for  a  time  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Col. 
Richard  J.  Hamilton,  who  held  pretty  much  all 
the  county  offices  on  the  organization  of  Cook 
County.  Mr.  Moore  was  one  of  the  original 
Trustees  of  Rush  Medical  College,  and  obtained 
from  the  Legislature  the  first  charter  for  a  gas 
company  in  Chicago.  In  1838  he  went  to  Ha- 
vana, Cuba,  for  the  benefit  of  his  failing  health, 
but  sulxsequently  returned  to  Concord,  Mass., 
where  he  died  some  years  afterward. 

MOORE,  James,  pioneer,  was  born  in  the  State 
of  Maryland  in  1750;  was  married  in  his  native 
State,  about  1772,  to  Miss  Catherine  Biggs,  later 
removing  to  Virginia.  In  1777  he  came  to  the 
Illinois  Country  as  a  spy,  preliminary  to  the  con- 
templated expedition  of  Col.  George  Rogers 
Clark,  which  captured  Kaskaskia  in  Jul}-,  1778. 
After  the  Clark  ex|)edition  (in  which  he  serve<l 
as  Captain,  by  ap|>ointment  of  Gov.  Patrick 
Henry),  he  returned  to  Virginia,  where  he 
remained  until  1781,  when  he  organized  a  party 
of  emigrants,  which  he  accompanied  to  Illinois, 
spending  the  winter  at  Kaskaskia.  The  following 
year  they  located  at  a  jxdnt  in  the  northern  part 
of  Monroe  County,  which  afterwards  received 
the  name  of  Bellefontaine.  After  his  arrival  in 
Illinois,  he  organized  a  company  of  "Minute 
Men,"  of  which  he  was  chosen  Captain.  He  was 
a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  among  the 
early  settlers,  but  died  in  1788.  A  numerous  and 
influential  family  of  his  descendants  have  grown 
up  in  Southern  Illinois. — John  (Moore),  son  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1773,  and 
brought  by  liLs  father  to  Illinois  eight  years  later. 
He  married  a  sister  of  Gen.  John  D.  Whiteside, 
who  afterwards  became  State  Treasurer,  and  also 
served  as  Fund  Commissioner  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois under  the  internal  improvement  system. 
Moore  was  an  officer  of  the  State  Jlilitia,  and 
served  in  a  comiany  of  rangers  during  the  War 
of  1812;  was  also  the  first  Countv  Treasurer  of 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


383 


Monroe  County.  Died,  July  4,  1833. — James  B. 
(Moore),  the  third  son  of  Capt.  James  Moore,  was 
born  in  1780,  and  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  par- 
ents; in  his  early  manhood  he  followed  the 
business  of  keel-boating  on  the  Mississippi  and 
Ohio  Rivers,  visiting  New  Orleans,  Pittsburg  and 
other  points;  became  a  prominent  Indian  fighter 
during  the  War  of  1813,  and  was  commissioned 
Captain  by  Governor  Edwards  and  authorized  to 
raise  a  company  of  mounted  rangers;  also 
served  as  Sheriff  of  Monroe  County,  by  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Edwards,  in  Territorial  days; 
was  Presidential  Elector  in  1820,  and  State  Sena- 
tor for  Madison  County  in  1836-40,  dying  in  the 
latter  year. — Enoch  (Moore),  fourth  son  of  Capt. 
James  Moore,  the  pioneer,  was  born  in  the  old 
blockhouse  at  Bellefontaine  in  1782,  being  the 
first  child  born  of  American  parents  in  Illinois; 
served  as  a  "ranger"  in  the  company  of  his 
brother,  James  B. ;  occupied  the  office  of  Clerk  of 
the  Circuit  Court,  and  afterwards  that  of  Judge 
of  Probate  of  Monroe  County  during  the  Terri- 
torial period ;  was  Delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1818,  and  served  as  Representative 
from  Monroe  County  in  the  Second  General 
Assembly,  later  filling  various  county  offices  for 
some  twenty  j'ears.     He  died  in  1848. 

MOORE,  Jesse  H.,  clergyman,  soldier  and  Con- 
gressman, born  near  Lebanon,  St.  Clair  County, 
111.,  April  22,  1817,  and  graduated  from  McKen- 
dree  College  in  1842.  For  thirteen  years  he  was 
a  teacher,  during  portions  of  this  period  being 
successively  at  the  head  of  three  literary  insti- 
tutions in  the  West.  In  1849  he  was  ordained  a 
minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but 
resigned  pastorate  duties  in  1862,  to  take  part  in 
the  War  for  the  Union,  organizing  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifteenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers, 
of  which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel,also  serving 
as  brigade  commander  during  the  last  year  of  the 
war,  and  being  brevetted  Brigadier-General  at  its 
close.  After  the  war  he  re-entered  tlie  ministry, 
but,  in  1868,  while  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Decatur 
District,  he  was  elected  to  the  Forty-first  Con- 
gress as  a  Republican,  being  re-elected  in  1870; 
afterwards  served  as  Pension  Agent  at  Spring- 
field, and,  in  1881,  was  appointed  United  States 
Consul  at  Callao,  Peru,  dying  in  office,  in  that 
(•ity,  July  11.  1883, 

JIOORE,  John,  Lieutenant-Governor  (1842-46) ; 
was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  Eng. ,  Sept.  8,  1793; 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Illinois  in  1830, 
spending  most  of  his  life  as  a  resident  of  Bloom- 
ington.  In  1838  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Eleventh  General  Assembly  from 


the  McLean  District,  and,  in  1840,  to  the  Senate. 
but  before  the  close  of  his  term,  in  1842,  was 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  with  Gov.  Thomas 
Ford.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  War  he 
took  a  conspicuous  [lart  in  recruiting  the  Fourth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  (Col.  E.  D.  Baker's), 
of  which  he  was  chosen  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
serving  gallantly  throughout  the  struggle.  In 
1848  he  was  appointed  .State  Treasurer,  as  succes- 
sor of  Milton  Carpenter,  who  died  in  office.  In 
1850  lie  was  elected  to  the  same  office,  and  con- 
tinued to  discharge  its  duties  until  1857,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  James  Miller.  Died,  Sept.  23, 
1863. 

MOORE,  Risdon,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Dela- 
ware in  1760;  removed  to  North  Carolina  in  1789, 
and,  a  few  years  later,  to  Hancock  County,  Ga., 
where  he  served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature. 
He  emigrated  from  Georgia  in  1812,  and  settled 
in  St.  Clair  County,  111. — besides  a  family  of  fif- 
teen white  persons,  bringing  with  him  eighteen 
colored  people — the  object  of  his  removal  being 
to  get  rid  of  slavery.  He  purchased  a  farm  in 
what  was  known  as  the  "Turkey  Hill  Settle- 
ment," about  four  miles  east  of  Belleville,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death  in  1828.  Mr.  Moore 
became  a  prominent  citizen,  was  elected  to  the 
Second  Territorial  House  of  Representatives,  and 
was  chosen  Speaker,  serving  as  such  for  two  ses- 
sions (1814-15).  He  was  also  Representative  from 
St.  Clair  County  in  the  First,  Second  and  Third 
General  Assemblies  after  the  admission  of  Illinois 
into  the  Union.  In  the  last  of  these  he  was  one 
of  the  most  zealous  opponents  of  the  pro-slavery 
Convention  scheme  of  1822-24.  He  left  a  numer- 
ous and  highly  respected  family  of  descendants, 
who  were  afterwards  prominent  in  public  affairs. — 
William  (Moore),  his  son,  served  as  a  Captain  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  also  commanded  a  company 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  He  represented  St. 
Clair  County  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Ninth 
and  Tenth  General  Assemblies;  was  a  local 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  McKendree  Col- 
lege at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1849. — Risdon 
(Moore),  Jr.,  a  cousin  of  the  first  named  Risdon 
Moore,  was  a  Representative  from  St.  Clair  County 
in  the  Fourth  General  Assembly  and  Senator  in 
the  Sixth,  but  died  before  the  expiration  of  his 
term,  being  succeeded  at  the  next  session  by 
Adam  W.  Snyder. 

MOORE,  Stephen  Richey,  lawyer,  was  born  of 
Scotch  ancestry,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Sept.  22. 
1832;  in  1851,  entered  Farmers'  College  near  Cin- 
cinnati, graduating  in  18.56,  and,  having  qualified 


384 


niSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS 


himself  for  the  practice  of  law,  located  the  fol- 
lowing jear  at  Kankakee,  111.,  which  has  since 
been  his  home.  In  1858  he  was  employed  in 
defense  of  the  late  Father  Cliiniquy,  who  recently 
died  in  Montreal,  in  one  of  the  celebrated  suits 
begun  against  him  by  dignitaries  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Moore  is  a  man  of  strik- 
ing appearance  and  great  iiulei)endence  of  char- 
acter, a  Methodist  in  religious  belief  and  has 
generally  acted  politicallj'  in  co-operation  with 
the  Democratic  party,  though  strongly  anti- 
slaverj-  in  his  views.  In  1872  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Liberal  Kepublican  Convention  at  Cin- 
cinnati which  nominated  Mr.  Greeley  for  the 
Presidenc}',  and,  in  1896,  particijKited  in  the  s;ime 
way  in  the  Indianapolis  Convention  which  nomi- 
nated Gen.  John  M.  Palmer  for  the  same  office,  in 
the  following  campaign  giving  the  "Gold  Democ- 
racy" a  vigorous  supix>rt. 

MORAX,  Thomas  A.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Oct.  T.  1839;  received 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  Wisconsin  (to  which  State  his  father's  family 
had  removed  in  1846),  and  at  an  academy  at 
Salem,  Wis. ;  began  reading  law  at  Kenosha  in 
1859,  meanwhile  supporting  himself  by  teaching. 
In  May,  1865,  he  graduated  from  the  Albany 
(N.  Y.)  Law  Scluxjl,  and  the  s;ime  year  com- 
menced practice  in  Chicago,  rapidly  rising  to  the 
front  rank  of  his  profession.  In  1879  he  was 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court, 
and  re-elected  in  1885.  At  the  exjiiration  of  his 
second  term  he  resumed  private  pnictice.  While 
on  the  tench  he  at  first  heard  only  common  law 
eases,  but  later  divided  the  business  of  the  equity 
side  of  the  court  with  Judge  Tuley.  In  June, 
1886,  he  was  assigned  to  the  bench  of  the  Appel- 
late Court,  of  which  tribunal  he  was,  for  a  year. 
Chief  Justice. 

MOKGAN,  James  Dady,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  August  1,  1810,  and,  at  16  years  of 
age,  went  for  a  three  years"  trading  voyage  on 
the  ship  "Beverly."  When  thirty  days  out  a 
mutiny  arose,  and  shortly  afterward  the  vessel 
was  burned.  Morgan  escaped  to  South  America, 
and,  after  many  hardships,  returned  to  Boston. 
In  1834  he  removed  to  Quincy,  111.,  and  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits ;  aided  in  raising  the 
"Quincy  Grays"  during  the  Mormon  difficulties 
(1844-45) ;  during  the  Mexican  War  commanded  a 
company  in  the  First  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teers: in  1861  became  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Tenth  Regiment  in  the  three  months"  service, 
and  Colonel  on  reorganization  of  the  regiment 
for  three  years ;  was  promoted  Brigadier-GSeneral 


in  July,  1862,  for  meritorious  service ;  commanded 
a  brigade  at  Nashville,  and,  in  March,  1865,  was 
brevetted  Major-General  for  gallantry  at  Benton- 
ville,  N.  C,  being  nuistered  out,  Augiist  24,  1865. 
After  the  war  he  resumed  business  at  Quincy, 
111.,  being  President  of  the  Quincy  Gas  Company 
and  Vice-President  of  a  bank;  was  also  Presi- 
dent, for  some  time,  of  the  Society  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland.  Died,  at  Quincy,  Sept.  12,  1896. 

MOIMiAN  COUNTY,  a  central"  county  of  the 
State,  lying  west  of  Sangamon,  and  bordering  on 
the  Illinois  River — named  for  Gen.  Daniel  Mor- 
gan; area,  580  square  miles;  population  (1900), 
35,006.  The  earliest  American  settlers  were 
I)robably  Elisha  and  Seymour  Kellogg,  who 
located  on  Mauvaisterre  Creek  in  1818.  Dr.  George 
Caldwell  came  in  1820,  and  was  the  first  phy- 
sician, and  Dr.  Ero  Chandler  settled  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville  in  1821. 
Immigrants  begiin  to  arrive  in  large  nmnbers 
about  1822.  and,  Jan.  31,  1823  the  county  was 
orgjinized,  the  first  election  being  held  at  the 
bouse  of  James  G.  Swinerton,  six  miles  south- 
west of  the  present  city  of  Jacksonville.  Ohn- 
stead's  Mound  was  the  first  county -seat,  but  tliis 
choice  was  only  temporary.  Two  years  later, 
Jacksonville  was  selected,  and  has  ever  since  so 
continued.  (See  JacKsonviUc.)  Cass  County 
wjis  cut  off  from  Morgan  in  1837,  and  Scott 
County  in  1839.  About  1837  5Iorgan  was  the 
most  jKipulous  county  in  the  State.  The  county 
is  nearly  equally  divided  between  woodland  and 
prairie,  and  is  well  watered.  Besides  the  Illinois 
River  on  its  western  border,  there  are  several 
smaller  streams,  among  them  Indian,  Apple, 
Sandy  and  Mauvaisterre  Creeks.  Bituminous 
coal  underlies  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and 
thin  veins  crop  out  along  the  Illinois  River 
bluffs.     Sandstone  has  also  teen  quarried. 

MOKGAX  PARK,  a  suburban  village  of  Cook 
County,  13  miles  south  of  Chicago,  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway ;  is  the  seat 
of  the  Academy-  (a  preparatory  branch)  of  the 
University  of  Chicago  and  the  Scandinavian  De- 
partment of  the  Divinity  School  connected  with 
the  .same  institution.  Population  (1880),  187; 
(1890),  1.027;  (1900),  2,329. 

MORMONS,  a  religious  sect,  founded  by  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  at  Fayette,  Seneca  County,  N.  Y., 
August  0,  1830,  styling  themselves  the  "Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- Day  Saints."'  Memtership 
in  1892  was  estimated  at  230,000,  of  whom  some 
20,000  were  outside  of  the  United  States.  Their 
religious  teachings  are  peculiar.  They  avow  faith 
in  the   Trinity   and  in  the  Bible   (as    by    them 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


385 


interpreted).  They  believe,  liowever,  that  the 
"Book  of  Mormon" — assumed  to  be  of  divine 
origin  and  a  direct  revelation  to  Smith — is  of 
equal  authority  with  tlie  Scriptures,  if  not  supe- 
rior to  them.  Among  tlieir  ordinances  are 
baptism  and  the  laying-on  of  hands,  and,  in  their 
church  organization,  they  recognize  various  orders 
— apostles,  prophets,  pastors,  teachers,  evangel- 
ists, etc.  They  also  believe  in  the  restoration  of 
the  Ten  Tribes  and  the  literal  re  assembling  of 
Israel,  the  return  and  rule  of  Christ  in  person, 
and  the  rebuilding  of  Zion  in  America.  Polyg- 
amy is  encouraged  and  made  an  article  of  faith, 
though  professedly  not  practiced  under  existing 
laws  in  the  United  States.  The  supreme  power 
is  vested  in  a  President:  who  has  authority  in 
temporal  and  spiritual  affairs  alike;  although 
there  is  less  effort  now  than  formerly,  on  the  part 
of  the  priesthood,  to  interfere  in  temporalities. 
Driven  from  New  York  in  1831,  Smith  and  his 
followers  first  settled  at  Kirtland,  Ohio.  There, 
for  a  time,  the  sect  flourished  and  built  a  temple; 
but,  within  seven  years,  their  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices excited  so  much  liostility  that  they  were 
forced  to  make  another  removal.  Their  next 
settlement  was  at  Far  West,  M(<. ;  but  here  the 
hatred  toward  them  became  so  intense  as  to 
result  in  open  war.  From  Missouri  they 
recrossed  the  Mississippi  and  founded  the  city 
of  Nauvoo,  near  Commerce,  in  Hancock  County, 
111.  The  charter  granted  by  the  Legislature  was 
an  extraordinary  instrument,  and  well-nigh  made 
the  city  independent  of  the  State.  Nauvoo  soon 
obtained  commercial  importance,  in  two  years 
becoming  a  city  of  some  16,000  inhabitants.  The 
Mormons  rapidly  became  a  powerful  factor  in 
State  politics,  when  there  broke  out  a  more 
bitter  public  enmity  than  the  .sect  had  yet  en- 
countered. Internal  dissensions  also  sprang  up, 
and,  in  1844,  a  discontented  Mormon  founded  a 
newspaper  at  Nauvoo,  in  which  he  violently 
assailed  the  prophet  and  threatened  him  with 
exposure.  Smith's  ans^ver  to  this  was  the  de- 
struction of  the  printing  office,  and  the  editor 
promptly  secured  a  warrant  for  his  arrest,  return- 
able at  Carthage.  Smith  went  before  a  friendly 
justice  at  Nauvoo,  wlio  promptly  discharged  him, 
but  he  positively  refused  to  appear  before  the 
Carthage  magistrate.  Thereupon  the  latter 
issued  a  second  warrant,  cliarging  Smith  with 
treason.  This  also  was  treated  with  contempt. 
The  militia  was  called  out  to  make  the  arrest,  and 
the  Mormons,  who  had  formeil  a  strong  military 
organization,  armed  to  defend  their  leader. 
After  a  few  trifling  clashes  between  the  soldiers 


and  the  "Saints,"  Smith  was  persuaded  to  sur- 
render and  go  to  Carthage,  the  county-seat,  where 
he  was  incarcerated  in  the  county  jail.  Within 
twenty-four  hours  (on  Sunday,  June  37,  1844),  a 
mob  attacked  tlie  jjrison.  Joseph  Smitli  and  his 
brother  Hyrum  were  killed,  and  some  of  their 
adherents,  who  had  accompanied  them  to  jail, 
were  wounded.  Brigham  Young  (then  an 
apostle)  at  once  assumed  the  leadership  and, 
after  several  month.s  of  intense  popular  excite- 
ment, in  the  following  year  led  his  followers 
across  the  Mississippi,  finally  locating  (181T)  in 
Utah.  (See  also  Nauvoo.)  There  their  history 
has  not  been  free  from  charges  of  crime;  but, 
whatever  may  be  tlie  character  of  the  leaders, 
they  have  succeeded  in  building  up  a  prosperous 
community  in  a  region  which  they  found  a  vir- 
tual desert,  a  little  more  than  forty  years  ago. 
The  polity  of  the  Church  has  been  greatly  modi- 
fied in  consequence  of  restrictions  i)laced  upon  it 
by  Congressional  legislation,  especially  in  refer- 
ence to  polygamy,  and  by  contact  with  other 
communities.     (See  Smifli,  Joseph.) 

MORRISj  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of  Grundy 
County,  on  the  Illinois  River,  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad,  61  miles  southwest  of  Chicago. 
It  is  an  extensive  grain  market,  and  the  center  of 
a  region  rich  in  bituminous  coal.  There  is  valu- 
able water-power  here,  and  much  manufacturing 
is  done,  including  builders'  hardware,  plows,  iron 
specialties,  paper  car-wheels,  brick  and  tile,  flour 
and  planing-mills,  oatmeal  and  tanned  leather 
There  are  also  a  normal  and  scientific  school,  two 
national  banks  and  three  daily  and  weekly  news- 
papers. Population  (1880),  3,486;  (1890),  3,653; 
(1900),  4,373. 

MORKIS,  Buckner  Smith,  early  lawyer,  born 
at  Augusta,  Ky.,  August  19,  1800;  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1837,  and,  for  seven  years  thereafter, 
continued  to  reside  in  Kentucky,  serving  two 
terms  in  the  Legislature  of  that  State.  In  1834 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  took  an  active  part  in 
the  incorporation  of  the  city,  and  was  elected  its 
second  Mayor  in  1838.  In  1840  he  was  a  Whig 
candidate  for  Presidential  Elector,  Abraham 
Lincoln  running  on  the  same  ticket,  and,  in 
1853,  was  defeated  as  the  Whig  candidate  for 
Secretary  of  State.  He  was  elected  a  Judge  of 
the  Seventh  Circuit  in  1851,  but  declined  a  re- 
nomination  in  1855.  In  1856  he  accepted  the 
American  (or  Know-Nothing)  nomination  for 
Governor,  and,  in  1860,  that  of  the  Bell-Everett 
party  for  the  same  office.  He  was  vehemently 
opposed    to    the    ©lection  of    either    Lincoln  or 


386 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Breckenridge  to  the  Presidency,  believing  that 
civil  war  would  result  in  either  event.  A  shadow 
was  tlirown  across  his  life,  in  1864,  by  his  arrest 
and  trial  for  alleged  complicity  in  a  rebel  plot  to 
burn  and  pillage  Chicago  and  liberate  the 
prisoners  of  war  held  at  Camp  Douglas.  The 
trial,  however,  which  was  held  at  Cincinnati, 
resulted  in  his  acquittal.  Died,  in  Kentucky, 
Dec.  18,  1879.  Those  who  knew  Judge  Morris,  in 
his  early  life  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  describe  him 
a.saman  of  genial  and  kindly  disimsition,  in  spite 
of  his  opposition  to  the  abolition  of  slavery — a 
fact  which,  no  doubt,  had  much  to  do  with  his 
acquittal  of  the  charge  of  complicity  with  the 
Camp  Douglas  conspiracj',  as  tlie  evidence  of  his 
being  in  communication  with  the  leading  con- 
spirators appears  to  have  been  conclusive.  (See 
Camp  Douglas  Coiixpiracij.) 

MORKIS,  Freeman  P.,  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  born  in  Cook  County.  111.,  March  19,  1854, 
lalwred  on  a  farm  and  attended  the  district 
school  in  his  youth,  but  completed  his  education 
in  Chicago,  graduating  from  the  Union  College 
of  Law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1874, 
when  he  located  at  Watseka,  Irotjuois  County. 
In  1884  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  the  Iroquois  Dis- 
trict, and  has  since  teen  re  elected  in  1888,  '94, 
"96,  teing  one  of  the  most  influential  memters  of 
his  party  in  that  lx)dy.  In  1898  he  was  apjiointed 
by  Governor  Altgeld  Aidde-Camp,  with  the  rank 
of  Colonel,  on  his  personal  staff,  but  resigned  in 
1896. 

MORRIS,  Ifsaac  Xewton,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, wa.s  born  at  Bethel,  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  Jan.  22,  1812;  educated  at  Miami  Univer- 
sity, admitted  to  the  bar  in  1835,  and  the  next 
year  removed  to  Quincy,  111. ;  was  a  member  and 
President  of  the  Board  of  Canal  Commissioners 
(1842-43),  served  in  the  Fifteenth  General  Assem- 
bl_v  (1846-48) ;  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Demo- 
crat in  1856,  and  again  in  1858.  but  opposed  the 
admission  of  Kansas  under  the  Lecompton  Con- 
stitution ;  in  1868  sup|X)rted  General  Grant — who 
had  teen  his  friend  in  teyhood — for  President, 
and,  in  1870,  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  Commission.  Died,  Oct. 
29,  1879. 

MORRISON,  a  city,  the  county -seat  of  White- 
side County,  founded  in  18.55;  is  a  station  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  124  miles 
west  of  Chicago.  Agriculture,  dairying  and 
stock-raising  are  the  principal  pursuits  in  the 
surrounding  region.  The  city  luts  good  water- 
works, sewerage,  electric    lighting  and  several 


manufactories,  including  carriage  and  refriger 
ator  works;  also  has  numerous  churches,  a  large 
graded  school,  a  public  library  and  adequate 
banking  facilities,  and  two  weekly  papers. 
Greenhouses  for  cultivation  of  vegetables  for 
winter  market  are  carried  on.  Pop.  (1900),  2,308. 
MORRISON,  Isaac  L.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
born  in  Barren  County,  Ky.,  in  1826;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  connnon  schools  and  the  Miisonic 
Seminarj-  of  his  native  State:  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1851,  locating  at 
Jac'ksonville,  where  he  has  become  a  leader  of 
the  bar  and  of  the  Republican  party,  which  he 
assisted  to  organize  as  a  memter  of  its  first  State 
Convention  at  Bloomington,  in  1856.  He  was  also 
a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1864,  which  nominated  Abraham  Lincohi  for 
the  Presidency  a  second  time.  Mr.  Jlorrison  was 
three  times  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
General  Assembly  (1876,  '78  and  '82),  and,  by  his 
clear  judgment  and  incisive  powers  as  a  publi<^ 
speaker,  took  a  high  rank  as  a  leader  in  that 
tedy.  Of  late  years,  he  has  given  his  attention 
solely  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Jack.sonville. 

MORRISON,  James  Lowery  Donaldson,  poli- 
tician, lawyer  and  Congressman,  was  Iwrn  at  Kas- 
kaskia.  111.,  April  1'2,  1816;  at  the  age  of  16  was 
appointed  a  midshipman  in  the  United  States 
Navy,  but  leaving  the  service  in  1836,  read  law 
with  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  and  was  admitte<l  to 
the  bar,  practicing  at  Belleville.  He  was  elected 
to  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  from 
St.  Clair  County,  in  1844,  and  to  the  State  Senate 
in  1848,  and  again  in  '54.  In  1852  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernorship on  the  Whig  ticket,  but,  on  the  disso- 
lution of  that  party,  allied  himself  with  the 
Democracy,  and  was,  for  many  years,  its  leader  in 
Southern  Illinois.  In  1855  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resigna- 
tion of  Lyman  Trumbull,  who  had  teen  elected  to 
the  United  States  Senate.  In  1860  he  was  a  can- 
didate before  the  Democratic  State  Convention 
for  the  nomination  for  Governor,  but  was  defeated 
by  James  C.  Allen.  After  that  year  he  took  no 
prominent  part  in  public  affairs.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  Mexican  War  he  %vas  among  the  first  to 
raise  a  comp;iny  of  volunteers,  and  was  commis- 
sioned Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment 
(Colonel  BisseU's).  For  gallant  services  at  Buena 
Vi.sta.  the  Legislature  presented  him  with  a 
sword.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  incor- 
poration of  railroads,  and,  it  is  claimed,  drafted 
and  introduced  in  the  Legislature  the  charter  of 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


387 


the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in  1851.  Died,  at 
St.  Louis.  Mo.,  August  14,  1888. 

MORRISON,  William,  pioneer  merchant,  came 
from  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  to  Kaskaskia,  111.,  in  1790, 
as  representative  of  the  mercantile  house  of 
Bryant  &  Morrison,  of  Philadelphia,  and  finally 
established  an  extensive  trade  throughout  the 
Mississippi  Vallej',  supplying  merchants  at  St. 
Louis,  St.  Genevieve,  Cape  Girardeau  and  New 
Madrid.  He  is  also  said  to  have  sent  an  agent 
with  a  stock  of  goods  across  the  plains,  with  a 
view  to  opening  up  trade  with  the  Mexicans  at 
Santa  Fe,  about  1804,  but  was  defrauded  by  the 
agent,  who  appropriated  the  goods  to  his  own 
benefit  without  accounting  to  his  employer. 
He  became  the  principal  merchant  in  the  Terri- 
tory, doing  a  thriving  business  in  early  days, 
when  Kaskaskia  was  the  principal  supply  point 
for  merchants  throughout  the  valley.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  a  public-spirited,  enterprising  man,  to 
whom  was  due  tlie  chief  part  of  the  credit  for 
securing  construction  of  a  bridge  across  the  Kas- 
kaskia River  at  the  town  of  that  name.  He  died 
at  Kaskaskia  in  1837,  and  was  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery there— Robert  (Morrison),  a  brother  of  the 
preceding,  came  to  Kaskaskia  in  1793,  was 
appointed  Clerk  of  the  Common  Pleas  Court  in 
1801,  retaining  the  position  for  many  years, 
besides  holding  other  local  offices.  He  was  the 
father  of  Col.  James  L.  D.  Morrison,  politician 
and  soldier  of  the  Mexican  War.  whose  sketch  is 
given  elsewhere. — Joseph  (Morrison),  the  oldest 
son  of  William  Morrison,  went  to  Ohio,  residing 
there  several  years,  but  finally  returned  to  Prairie 
du  Rocher,  wliere  he  died  in  184."). — James, 
another  son,  went  to  Wisconsin;  William  located 
at  Belleville,  dying  there  in  1843;  while  Leirisj 
another  son,  settled  at  Covington,  Washington 
County,  111.,  where  he  practiced  medicine  up  to 
18.51 :  then  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Chester,  dying  there  in  IS.'ie. 

MORRISON,  William  Ralls,  ex  Congressman, 
Inter-State  Commerce  Commissioner,  was  born, 
Sept.  14,  182.5,  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  and  edu- 
cated at  McKendree  College ;  served  as  a  private 
in  the  Mexican  War,  at  its  close  studied  law,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  185.5;  in  1852  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Monroe 
County,  but  resigned  before  the  clo.se  of  his  term, 
accepting  the  office  of  Representative  in  the  State 
Legislature,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1854;  was 
re-elected  in  18.56,  and  again  in  18.58,  serving  as 
Speaker  of  the  House  during  tlie  se.ssion  of  1859. 
In  1861  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Forty-ninth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  and  was  commis- 


sioned Colonel.  The  regiment  was  mustered  in, 
Dec.  31,  1861,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fort 
Donelson  in  February  following,  wliere  he  was 
severely  wounded.  While  yet  in  the  service,  in 
1862,  he  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Democrat, 
when  he  resigned  his  commission,  but  was  de- 
feated for  re-election,  in  1864,  by  Jehu  Baker,  as 
he  was  again  in  1866.  In  1870  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  General  Assembly,  and,  two  years 
later  (1873),  returned  to  Congress  from  the  Belle- 
ville District,  after  which  he  served  In  that  body, 
by  successive  re-elections,  nine  terms  and  until 
1887,  being  for  several  terms  Chairman  of  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee  and  promi- 
nent in  the  tariff  legislation  of  that  period.  In 
March,  1887,  President  Cleveland  appointed  him 
a  member  of  the  first  Inter-State  Commerce  Com- 
mission for  a  period  of  five  years ;  at  the  close  of 
his  term  he  was  reappointed,  by  President  Harri- 
son, for  a  full  term  of  six  years,  serving  a  part  of 
the  time  as  President  of  the  Board,  and  retiring 
from  office  in  1898. 

MORRISON  VILLE,  a  town  in  Cliristian 
County,  situated  on  the  Wabash  Railway,  40 
miles  .southwest  of  Decatur  and  20  miles  north- 
northef:.st  of  Litchfield  Grain  is  extensively 
raised  in  the  surrounding  region,  and  Morrison- 
ville,  with  its  elevators  and  mill,  is  an  important 
shipping-point.  It  lias  brick  and  tile  works, 
electric  lights,  two  banks,  five  churches,  graded 
and  higli  schools,  and  a  weekly  paper.  Popula- 
tion (1890).  844;  ^900),  934;  (19()3,  est.),  1,200. 

MORTON,  a  village  of  Tazewell  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
and  the  Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  Railroads,  10  miles 
southeast  of  Peoria;  has  factories,  a  bank  and  a 
newspaper.     Population  (1890),  657;  (1900),  894. 

MORTON,  Joseph,  pioneer  farmer  and  legisla- 
tor, was  born  in  Virginia,  August  1,  1801;  came 
to  Madison  County,  111.,  in  1819,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  to  Morgan  County,  when  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  House  in  the  Tenth 
and  Fifteenth  General  Assemblies,  and  as  Senator 
in  the  Eighteenth  and  Nineteenth.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  but,  on  questions  of  State 
and  local  policy,  was  non-parti.san,  faitlifully 
representing  the  interests  of  his  constituents. 
Died,  at  his  home  near  Jacksonville,  March  2,  1881. 

MOSES,  Adolph,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Speyer, 
Germany,  Feb.  27,  1837,  and,  until  fifteen  years 
of  age,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  Latin 
schools  of  his  native  country ;  in  the  latter  part 
of  1852,  came  to  America,  locating  in  New 
Orleans,  and,  for  some  years,  being  a  law  student 


388 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


in  Louisiana  University,  under  the  preoeptorship 
of  Randall  Hunt  and  other  eminent  lawyers  of 
that  State.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Civil  War 
he  espoused  tlie  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  serving 
some  two  }-ears  as  an  officer  of  the  Twenty  first 
Louisiana  Regiment.  Coming  north  at  the  expi- 
ration of  tliis  jjeriod,  he  resided  for  a  time  in 
Quincy,  111.,  but,  in  IsOi),  removed  to  Chicago. 
where  he  took  a  place  in  the  front  rank  at  tlit> 
bar,  and  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
Although  in  sympathy  with  the  general  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party.  Judge  Moses  is  an 
independent  voter,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  he 
voted  for  General  Grant  for  President  in  1808, 
and  supported  the  leading  measures  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  1896.  He  is  the  editor  and  pub 
lisher  of  "The  National  Corporation  Reimrter, " 
established  in  1890,  and  which  is  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  business  corporations. 

MOSES,  John,  lawyer  and  author,  was  born  at 
Niagara  Falls,  Canada,  Sept.  18,  1825;  came  to 
Illinois  in  1837,  his  family  locating  first  at  Naples, 
Scott  County.  He  pursued  the  vocation  of  a 
teacher  for  a  time,  studied  law,  was  elected  Clerk 
of  the  Circuit  Court  for  Scott  County  in  1850,  and 
served  as  County  Judge  from  1857  to  1861.  The 
latter  year  he  became  the  private  secretary  of 
Governor  Yates,  serving  until  1863,  during  that 
period  assisting  in  the  organization  of  seventy- 
seven  regiments  of  Illinois  Volunteers.  While 
serving  in  this  capacity,  in  company  with  Gov- 
ernor Yates,  he  attended  the  famous  conference 
of  loj'al  Governors,  held  at  Altoona,  Pa.,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  and  afterwards  accompanied  the 
Governors  in  their  call  upon  President  Lincoln,  a 
few  days  after  the  issue  of  the  preliminarj'  proc- 
lamation of  emancipation.  Having  received  the 
appointment,  from  President  Lincoln,  of  Assessor 
of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Tenth  Illinois  Dis- 
trict, he  resigned  the  position  of  private  secretary 
to  Governor  Yates.  In  1874  he  was  chosen 
Representative  in  the  Twenty-ninth  General 
Assembly  for  the  District  composed  of  Scott, 
Pike  and  Calhoim  Counties ;  served  as  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Republican  Convention  at  Phila- 
delphia, in  1872,  and  as  Secretarj-  of  the  Board  of 
Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commissioners  for 
three  years  (1880-83).  He  was  then  appointed 
Special  Agent  of  the  Treasury  Department,  and 
assigned  to  duty  in  connection  with  the  customs 
revenue  at  Chicago.  In  18S7  he  was  chosen  Sec- 
retary of  the  Chicago  Historical  Societj-,  serving 
until  1893.  While  connected  with  the  Chicago 
Historical  Library  he  brought  out  the  most  com- 
plete History  of  Illinois  j'et  published,  in  two 


volumes,  and  also,  in  connection  with  the  late 
Major  Kirkland,  edited  a  History  of  Chicago  in 
two  large  volumes.  Other  literary  work  done  by 
Judge  Moses,  includes  "Personal  Recollections  of 
Abraham  Lincoln"  and  "Richard  Yates,  the 
War  Governor  of  Illinois,"  in  the  form  of  lectures 
or  addre.sses.     Died  in  Chicago,  July  3,  1898. 

MOl'LTOX,  Samuel  »'.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man. wa.s  born  at  Wciiliani.  Mass.,  Jan.  20,  1822, 
wliere  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
After  si)ending  some  years  in  the  South,  he 
removed  to  Illinois  (1845),  where  he  studied  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  commencing  prac- 
tice at  Shelbyville.  From  1852  to  1859  he  was  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly; in  1857,  was  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Buchanan  ticket,  and  was  President  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education  from  18.59  to  1870.  In  1864 
he  was  elected,  as  a  Republican,  Representative  in 
Congress  for  the  State-at-hirge,  being  elected 
again,  as  a  Democrat,  from  the  Shelbyville  Dis- 
trict, in  1880  and  '82.  During  the  past  few  years 
(including  the  campaign  of  1896)  Mr.  Moulton 
has  acted  in  coojieration  with  the  Republican 
party. 

MOrLTRIE  COUNTY,  a  comparatively  small 
county  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  middle  tier  of 
the  State — named  for  a  revolutionary  hero.  Area, 
340  square  miles,  and  population  (by  the  census 
of  1900),  15.224.  Moultrie  was  one  of  the  early 
"stamping  grounds"  of  tlie  Kickajxios,  who  were 
always  friendly  to  English  speaking  settlers.  The 
earliest  immigrants  were  from  the  Southwest, 
but  arrivals  from  Northern  States  soon  followed. 
County  organiz;ition  was  effected  in  1843,  both 
Shelby  and  Macon  Counties  surrendering  a  portion 
of  territory.  A  vein  of  good  bituminous  coal 
underlies  the  county,  but  agriculture  is  the  more 
important  industry.  Sullivan  is  the  county -seat, 
selected  in  1845.  In  1890  its  population  was  about 
1,700.  Hon.  Richard  J.  Oglesbj-  (former  Gover- 
nor, Senator  and  a  Major-General  in  the  Civil 
War)  l)egan  the  practice  of  Uiw  here. 

MOUXD-BUILDERS,  WORKS  OF  THE.  One 
of  the  most  conclusive  evidences  that  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  was  once  occupied  by  a  people 
different  in  customs,  character  and  civilization 
from  the  Indians  fovmd  occupying  the  soil  when 
the  first  white  explorers  visited  it,  is  the  exist- 
ence of  certain  artificial  mounds  and  earthworks, 
of  the  origin  and  purposes  of  which  the  Indians 
seemed  to  have  no  knowledge  or  tradition.  These 
works  extend  throughout  the  valley  from  the 
Allegheny  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  being  much 
more  numerous,  however,  in  some  portions  than 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


389 


in  otliers,  and  also  varying  greatly  in  form.  This 
fact,  witli  the  remains  found  in  some  of  them,  has 
been  regarded  as  evidence  that  the  purposes  of 
their  construction  were  widely  variant.  They 
have  consequently  been  classified  by  archaeolo- 
gists as  sepulchral,  religious,  or  defensive,  while 
some  seem  to  have  had  a  purpose  of  which 
writers  on  the  subject  are  unable  to  form  any 
satisfactory  conception,  and  which  are,  therefore, 
still  regarded  as  an  unsolved  mystery.  Some  of 
the  most  elaborate  of  these  works  are  found  along 
the  eastern  border  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
especially  in  Ohio ;  and  the  fact  that  they  appear 
to  belong  to  the  defensive  class,  has  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  this  region  was  occupied  by  a  race 
practically  homogeneous,  and  that  these  works 
were  designed  to  prevent  the  encroachment  of 
hostile  races  from  beyond  the  Alleghenies.  Illi- 
nois being  in  the  center  of  the  valley,  compara- 
tively few  of  these  defensive  works  are  found 
here,  those  of  this  character  which  do  exist  being 
referred  to  a  different  era  and  race.  (See  Forti- 
fications, Preliistoric.)  While  these  %vorks  are 
numerous  in  some  portions  of  Illinois,  their  form 
and  structure  give  evidence  that  they  were 
erected  by  a  peaceful  people,  however  bloody 
may  have  been  some  of  the  rites  performed  on 
those  designed  for  a  religious  purpose.  Their 
numbers  also  imply  a  dense  population.  This  is 
especially  true  of  that  portion  of  the  American 
Bottom  opposite  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  which  is 
the  seat  of  the  most  remarkable  group  of  earth 
works  of  this  character  on  the  continent.  The 
central,  or  principal  structure  of  this  group,  is 
known,  locally,  as  the  great  "Cahokia  Mound,'' 
being  situated  near  the  creek  of  that  name  which 
empties  into  the  Mississippi  just  below  the  city 
of  East  St.  Louis.  It  is  also  called  "Monks' 
Mound,"  from  the  fact  that  it  was  occupied  early 
in  the  present  century  by  a  community  of  Monks 
of  La  Trappe.  a  portion  of  whom  succumbed  to 
the  malarial  influences  of  the  climate,  while  the 
survivors  returned  to  the  original  seat  of  their 
order.  This  mound,  from  its  form  and  com- 
manding size,  has  been  supposed  to  belong  to  the 
class  called  "temple  mounds,"  and  has  been  de- 
scribed as  "the  monarch  of  all  similar  structm-es" 
and  the  "best  representative  of  its  class  in  North 
America."  The  late  William  McAdam.s,  of 
Alton,  who  surveyed  this  group  some  years  since, 
in  his  "Records  of  Ancient  Races,"  gives  the  fol- 
lowing description  of  this  principal  structure : 

"In  the  center  of  a  great  mass  of  mounds  and 
earth-works  there  stands  a  mighty  pyramid 
whose  base  covers  nearly  sixteen  acres  of  ground. 


It  is  not  exactly  square,  being  a  parallelogram  a 
little  longer  north  and  south  than  east  and  west. 
Some  thirty  feet  above  the  base,  on  the  south  side, 
is  an  apron  or  terrace,  on  which  now  grows  an 
orchard  of  considerable  size.  This  terrace  is 
approached  from  the  plain  by  a  graded  roadway. 
Thirty  feet  above  this  terrace,  and  on  the  west 
side,  is  another  much  smaller,  on  which  are  now 
growing  some  forest  trees.  The  top,  which  con- 
tains an  acre  and  a  half,  is  divided  into  two 
nearly  equal  parts,  tlie  northern  part  being  four 
or  five  feet  the  higher.  .  .  .  On  the  north, 
east  and  south,  the  structure  still  retains  its 
straight  side,  that  probably  has  changed  but  little 
since  the  settlement  of  the  country  by  white 
men,  but  remains  in  appearance  to-day  the  same 
as  centuries  ago.  The  west  side  of  the  pyramid, 
however,  has  its  base  somewhat  serrated  and 
seamed  by  ravines,  evidently  made  by  rainstorms 
and  the  elements.  From  the  second  terrace  a 
well,  eighty  feet  in  depth,  penetrates  the  base  of 
the  structure,  which  is  plainly  seen  to  be  almost 
wholly  composed  of  the  black,  sticky  soil  of  the 
surrounding  plain.  It  is  not  an  oval  or  conical 
mound  or  hill,  but  a  pyramid  with  straight 
sides."  The  approximate  height  of  this  mound 
is  ninety  feet.  When  first  seen  by  white  men, 
this  was  surmounted  by  a  small  conical  mound 
some  ten  feet  in  height,  from  which  human 
remains  and  various  relics  were  taken  while 
being  leveled  for  the  site  of  a  house.  Messrs. 
Squier  and  Davis,  in  their  report  on  "Ancient 
Monuments  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,"  published 
by  the  Smithsonian  Institute  (1848),  estimate  the 
contents  of  the  structure  at  20,000,000  cubic  feet. 
A  Mr.  Breckenridge,  who  visited  these  mounds 
in  1811  and  published  a  description  of  them,  esti- 
mates that  the  construction  of  this  principal 
mound  must  have  required  the  work  of  thousands 
of  laborers  and  years  of  time.  The  upper  terrace, 
at  the  time  of  his  visit,  was  occupied  by  the 
Trappists  as  a  kitchen  garden,  and  the  top  of  the 
structure  was  sown  in  wheat.  He  also  found 
numerous  fragments  of  flint  and  earthern  ves- 
sels, and  concludes  that  "a  populous  city  once 
existed  here,  similar  to  those  of  Mexico  described 
by  the  first  conquerors.  The  mounds  were  sites 
of  temples  or  monuments  to  great  men."  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  McAdams,  there  are  seventy-two 
mounds  of  considerable  size  within  two  miles  of 
the  main  structure,  the  group  extending  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Cahokia  and  embracing  over  one 
hundred  in  all.  Most  of  these  are  square,  rang- 
ing from  twenty  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  a  few  are 
oval  and  one  or  two  conical.     Scattered  among 


390 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


the  mounds  are  also  a  number  of  small  lakes, 
evidently  of  artificial  origin.  From  the  fact 
that  there  were  a  number  of  conspicuous 
mounds  on  the  Missouri  side  of  the  river, 
on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis 
and  its  environs,  it  is  believed  that  they  all 
belonged  to  the  same  system  and  had  a  common 
purpose;  the  Cahokia  Mound,  from  its  superior 
size,  being  the  center  of  the  group — and  probably 
iLsed  for  sacrificial  purposes.  The  whole  nuiiil>er 
of  these  structures  in  the  American  I-Sottom, 
whose  outlines  were  still  visible  a  few  years  ago. 
was  estimated  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Foster  at  nearly  two 
hundred,  and  the  presence  of  so  large  a  number 
in  close  proximity,  lias  been  accepted  as  evidence 
of  a  large  population  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
Mr.  McAdams  reports  the  fimling  of  numerous 
specimens  of  pottery  and  artificial  ornaments  and 
implements  in  the  Cahokia  mounds  and  in  caves 
and  mounds  between  Alton  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Illinois  River,  as  well  as  on  the  latter  some 
twenty-five  miles  from  its  mouth.  Among  the 
relics  found  in  the  Illinois  River  mounds  was  a 
burial  vase,  and  Mr.  McAdams  says  that,  in 
thirty  years,  he  has  unearthed  more  than  a 
thousand  of  these,  many  of  which  closely 
resemble  those  found  in  the  mounds  of  Europe. 
Dr.  Foster  also  makes  mention  of  an  ancient 
cemetery  near  Chester,  in  which  "each  grave, 
when  explored,  is  found  to  contiiin  a  cist  enclos- 
ing a  skeleton,  for  the  most  part  far  gone  in 
decay.  These  cists  are  built  up  and  covered  with 
slabs  of  limestone,  which  here  abound." — Another 
noteworthy  group  of  raoun<Is — though  far  inferior 
to  the  Cahokia  group — exists  near  Hutsonville  in 
Crawford  County.  As  described  in  the  State 
Geological  Survey,  this  group  consists  of  fift}"- 
five  elevations,  irregularly  disjiersed  over  an  area 
of  1,000  by  1,400  to  L.'iOO  feet,  and  varv-ing  from 
fourteen  to  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  the  larger  ones 
having  a  height  of  five  to  eight  feet.  From  their 
form  and  arrangement  these  are  believed  to  have 
been  mounds  of  habitation.  In  the  southern  por- 
tion of  this  group  are  four  mounds  of  peculiar 
construction  and  larger  size,  each  surrounded 
by  a  low  ridge  or  earthwork,  with  openings  facing 
towards  each  other,  imlicating  that  they  were 
defense-works.  The  location  of  this  group — a 
few  miles  from  a  prehistoric  fortification  at 
Merom,  on  the  Indiana  side  of  tlie  Wabash,  to 
which  tlie  name  of  "Fort  Azatlau"  has  been 
given — induces  the  belief  that  the  two  groups, 
like  those  in  the  American  Bottom  and  at  St. 
Louis,  were  parts  of  the  same  system. — Professor 
Engehnan,  in  the  part  of  the  State  Geolo.gical 


Survey  devoted  to  Mas.sjic  County,  alludes  to  a 
remarkalile  group  of  earthworks  in  the  Black 
Bend  of  the  Ohio,  as  an  "extensive"  sy.stem  of 
"fortifications  and  mounds  wliich  probably 
belong  to  the  same  class  as  those  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Bottom  opiiosite  St.  Louis  and  at  other 
points  farther  up  the  Ohio."  In  the  report  of 
(lovernment  survey  by  Dan  W.  Beckwith,  in  1834, 
mention  is  maiie  of  a  very  large  mound  on  the 
Kankakee  River,  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  Creek, 
now  a  part  of  Kankakee  County.  This  had  a 
base  diameter  of  about  100  feet,  with  a  height  of 
twenty  feet,  and  contained  the  remains  of  a 
large  number  of  Indians  killed  in  a  celebrated 
battle,  in  which  the  Illinois  and  Chippewas,  and 
the  Delawares  and  Shawnees  took  part.  Near 
by  were  two  other  mounds,  said  to  contain  tlie 
remains  of  the  chiefs  of  the  two  parties.  In  this 
case,  mounds  of  prehistoric  origin  had  probably 
been  utilized  as  burial  places  by  the  aliorigines  at 
a  comparatively  recent  i)eriod.  Related  to  the 
Kankakee  mounds,  in  location  if  not  in  |)eriod  of 
construction,  is  a  group  of  nineteen  in  number  on 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Morris,  in  Orundy 
County.  Within  a  circuit  of  three  miles  of 
Ottawa  it  has  been  estimated  that  there  were 
3,000  mounds — though  many  of  these  are  believed 
to  have  been  of  Indian  origin.  Indeed,  the  whole 
Illinois  Valley  is  full  of  these  silent  monuments 
of  a  prehistoric  age,  but  they  are  not  generally  of 
the  con.spicuous  character  of  tliose  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Louis  and  attributed  to  the  Mound 
Builders. — A  very  large  and  numerous  group  of 
these  monuments  exists  along  the  bluffs  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  in  the  western  part  of  Rock 
Island  and  Mercer  Counties,  chiefiy  between 
Drurj'  s  I.anding  and  New  Boston.  Mr.  J.  E. 
Stevenson,  in  "The  American  Antiquarian,"  a 
few  j'ears  ago,  astimated  that  there  were  2..')00  of 
these  within  a  circuit  of  fifty  miles,  located  in 
groups  of  two  or  three  to  100,  varying  in  diameter 
from  fifteen  to  1.50  feet,  with  an  elevation  of  two 
to  fifteen  feet.  There  are  also  numerous  burial 
and  sacrificial  mounds  in  the  vicinitj-  of  Chilll- 
cothe,  on  the  Illinois  River,  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  Peoria  County'. — There  are  but  few  speci- 
mens of  the  animal  or  effigj-  mounds,  of  which  so 
many  exist  in  Wisconsin,  to  lie  found  in  Illinois; 
and  the  fact  that  these  are  found  chiefly  on  Rock 
River,  leaves  no  doubt  of  a  common  origin  with 
the  Wisconsin  groups.  The  most  remarkable  of 
these  is  the  celebrated  "Turtle  Mound,"  within 
the  present  limits  of  tlie  city  of  Rockford — though 
some  regard  it  as  having  more  resemblance  to  an 
alligator.     This  figure,  which  is  maintained  in  a 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


391 


good  state  of  preservation  by  the  citizens,  has  an 
extreme  length  of  about  150  feet,  by  fifty  in 
width  at  the  front  legs  and  thirty-nine  at  the 
hind  legs,  and  an  elevation  equal  to  the  height 
of  a  man.  There  are  some  smaller  mounds  in 
the  vicinity,  and  some  bird  effigies  on  Rock  River 
some  six  miles  below  Rockford.  There  is  also  an 
animal  effigy  near  the  village  of  Hanover,  in  Jo 
Daviess  County,  with  a  considerable  group  of 
round  mounds  and  embankments  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity,  besides  a  smaller  effigy  of  a  .similar 
character  on  the  north  side  of  the  Pecatonica  in 
Stephenson  Coimty,  some  ten  miles  east  of  Free- 
port.  The  Rock  River  region  seems  to  have  been 
a  favorite  field  for  the  operations  of  the  mound- 
builders,  as  shown  by  the  number  and  variety  of 
these  structures,  extending  from  Sterling,  in 
Whiteside  County,  to  the  Wisconsin  State  line.  A 
large  number  of  these  were  to  be  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Kishwaukee  River  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Winnebago  County.  The  famous 
prehistoric  fortification  on  Rock  River,  just 
beyond  the  Wisconsin  boundary — which  seems  to 
have  been  a  sort  of  counterpart  of  the  ancient 
Fort  Azatlan  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the  Wabash 
— appears  to  have  had  a  close  relation  to  the 
works  of  the  mound-builders  on  the  same  stream 
in  Illinois. 

MCH'JfDCITY,  the  county-seat  of  Pulaski 
County,  on  the  Ohio  River,  seven  miles  north  of 
Cairo;  is  on  a  branch  line  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railroad.  The  chief  industries  are  lumber- 
ing and  ship-building;  also  has  furniture,  canning 
and  other  factories.  One  of  the  United  States 
National  Cemeteries  is  located  here.  The  town 
has  a  bank  and  two  weekly  papers.  Population 
(1890).  3,.5.50;  (1900),  2,705;  (1903,  est),  3,.500. 

MOUNT  CARMEL,  a  city  and  the  county-seat 
of  Wabasli  County;  is  the  point  of  junction  of 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati.  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
and  the  Southern  Railroads,  133  miles  northeast 
of  Cairo,  and  24  miles  southwest  of  Vincennes, 
Ind. ;  situated  on  the  Wabash  River,  which  sup- 
plies good  water-power  for  saw  mills,  flouring 
mills,  and  .some  other  manufactures.  The  town 
has  railroad  .shops  and  two  daily  newspapers. 
Agriculture  and  lumbering  are  tlie  principal 
pursuits  of  the  people  of  the  surrounding  district. 
Population  (1890),  3.376;  (1900),  4,311. 

MOUNT  CARROLL,  the  county-seat  of  Carroll 
County,  an  incorporated  city,  founded  in  1843; 
is  128  miles  southwest  of  Chicago,  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad.  Farming, 
stock-raising  and  mining  are  the  principal  indus- 


tries. It  has  five  churches,  excellent  schools, 
good  libraries,  two  daily  and  two  semi-weekly 
newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  1,8:^6;  (1900),  1,905. 

MOUNT  CARROLL  SEMINARY,  a  young 
ladies'  seminary,  located  at  Mount  Carroll,  Carroll 
County;  incorporated  in  1852;  had  a  faculty  of 
thirteen  members  in  1896,  with  126  pupils,  prop- 
erty valued  at  §100,000,  and  a  library  of  5,000 
volumes 

MOUNT  MORRIS,  a  town  in  Ogle  County,  situ- 
ated on  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  Division  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  A  Quincy  Railroad,  108  miles 
west  by  north  from  Chicago,  and  24  miles  south- 
west of  Rockford;  is  the  .seat  of  Mount  Morris 
College  and  flourishing  public  school;  has  hand- 
some stone  and  brick  buildings,  three  churches 
and   two   newspapers.       Population  (1900),  1,048. 

MOUNT  OLIVE,  a  village  of  Macoupin  County, 
on  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  and  the 
Wabash  Railways,  68  miles  southwest  of  Decatur; 
in  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal-mining  region. 
Population  (1880),  709;   (1890),  1,986  :( 1900),  2,'.»:?5. 

MOUNT  PULASKI,  a  village  and  railroad  junc- 
tion in  Logan  County,  21  miles  northwest  of 
Decatur  and  24  miles  northeast  of  Springfield. 
Agriculture,  coal-mining  and  stock-raising  are 
leading  industries.  It  is  also  an  important  ship- 
ping point  for  grain,  and  contains  several 
elevators  and  flouring  mills.  Population  (1880), 
1,125;   (1890),  1,3.57;  (lilOO),  1,643. 

MOUNT  STERLIMJ,  a  city,  the  county -seat  of 
Brown  County,  midway  between  Quincy  and 
Jacksonville,  on  the  Wabash  Railway.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  rich  farming  country,  and  has  ex- 
tensive deposits  of  clay  and  coal.  It  contains  six 
churches  and  four  schools  (two  large  public,  and 
two  parochial).  The  town  is  lighted  by  elec- 
tricity and  has  public  water-works.  Wagons, 
brick,  tile  and  earthenware  are  manufactured 
here,  and  three  weekly  newspapers  are  pub- 
lished. Population  (1880),  1,445;  (1890),  1,655; 
(1900).  1,960. 

MOUNT  VERNON,  a  city  and  county-seat  of 
Jefferson  County,  on  three  trunk  lines  of  railroad, 
77  miles  ea.st-southea&t  of  St.  Louis;  is  the  center 
of  a  rich  agricultural  and  coal  region;  has  mnny 
flourishing  manufactories,  including  car-works,  a 
plow  factory,  flouring  mills,  pressed  brick  fac- 
tory, canning  factory,  and  is  an  important  ship- 
ping-point for  grain,  vegetables  and  fruits.  Tlie 
Appellate  Court  for  the  Soutliern  Grand  Division 
is  held  here,  and  the  city  has  nine  churches,  fine 
school  buildings,  a  Carnegie  library,  two  banks, 
heating  plant,  two  daily  and  three  weekly  papers. 
Population  (1890),  3,233;  (1900).  5.216. 


392 


IIISTUKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


MOUNT  VERNON  &  URAYVILLE  RAILROAD. 

(See  Peoria.  Decatur  &  Evansville  Rail  tea  y . ) 

MOWEAqUA,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  on 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  l(j  miles  south  of 
Det-atur;  is  in  rich  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
section;  has  coal  mine,  three  banks  and  two 
newspapers.  Population  (18!)0).  HiH;  (1900),  1.478. 
MUDl),  (Col.)  John  J.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
St,  Charles  County,  Mo.,  Jan.  9,  1820;  his  father 
having  died  in  1833,  his  niotlier  removed  to  Pike 
County,  111.,  to  free  her  children  from  the  influ- 
ence of  slavery.  In  1849,  and  again  in  18.50,  he 
made  the  overland  journey  to  California,  eacli 
time  returning  by  the  Isthmus,  his  last  visit  ex- 
tending into  18.51.  In  18.54  he  engaged  in  the 
commission  business  in  St.  Louis,  as  head  of  the 
firm  of  Mudd  &  Hughes,  but  failed  in  the  crash 
of  1857;  then  removed  to  Chicago,  and,  in  1861, 
was  again  in  prosperous  business.  Wliile  on  a 
business  visit  in  New  Orleans,  in  December,  1860, 
he  had  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  growing 
spirit  of  secession,  being  advised  by  friends  to 
leave  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  in  order  to  escajie  a 
mob.  In  September,  1861,  he  entered  the  army 
as  Major  of  the  Second  Illinois  Cavalry  (Col. 
Silas  Xoble),  and,  in  the  next  few  months,  was 
stationed  successively  at  Cairo,  Bird's  Point  and 
Paducah,  Ky.,  and,  in  February,  1862,  led  the 
advance  of  General  McClernand"s  division  in  the 
attack  on  Fort  Donelson.  Here  he  was  severely 
wounded ;  but,  after  a  few  weeks  in  hospital  at  St. 
Louis,  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  rejoin  liis 
regiment  soon  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Unable 
to  perform  cavalry  duty,  he  was  attached  to  the 
staff  of  General  McClernand  during  tlie  advance 
on  Corinth,  but.  in  October  following,  at  the  head 
of  400  men  of  his  regiment,  was  transferred  to 
the  command  of  General  McPherson.  Early  in 
1863  he  was  promoted  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
soon  after  to  a  colonelcy,  taking  part  in  the 
movement  against  Vicksburg.  June  13,  he  was 
again  severely  wounded,  but,  a  few  weeks  later, 
was  on  duty  at  New  Orleans,  and  subsetjuently 
participated  in  the  operations  in  .Southwestern 
Louisiana  and  Texas.  On  May  1.  1864,  he  left 
Baton  Rouge  for  Alexandria,  as  Chief  of  Staff  to 
General  McClernand,  but  two  days  later,  while 
approacliing  Alexandria  on  board  the  steamer. 
was  shot  through  the  head  and  instantly  killed. 
He  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  greatlj'  beloved  by 
his  troops. 

MULBERRY  GROVE,  a  village  of  Bond  County, 
on  the  Terre  Haute  &  hulianapolis  (TandaUa) 
Railroad,  8  miles  northeast  of  (Jreenville;  has  a 
local  newspaper.     Pop   (1890),  750;  (1900).  632. 


MULLIGAN,  James  A.,  soldier,  was  bora  of 
Irish  i)arentage  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  June  2.5,  1830;  in 
1836  acconiiianied  his  parents  to  Chicago,  and, 
after  graduating  from  the  L'nivereity  of  St. 
Mary's  of  the  Lake,  in  1850,  began  the  study  of 
law.  In  1851  he  accompanied  John  Lloyd  Ste- 
phens on  his  expedition  to  Panama,  and  on  his 
return  resumed  his  professional  studies,  at  the 
same  time  editing  "The  Western  Tablet,"  a 
weekly  Catholic  paper.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Rebellion  he  recruited,  and  was  made  Colonel  of 
the  Twenty-third  Illinois  Regiment,  known  as 
the  Irish  Brigade.  He  served  with  great  gallan- 
try, first  in  the  West  and  later  in  the  East,  being 
severel}'  wounded  and  twice  captured.  He 
declined  a  Brigadier-Generalship,  preferring  to 
remain  with  his  regiment.  He  was  fatally 
wounded  during  a  charge  at  tlie  battle  of  Win- 
chester, While  being  carried  off  the  field  he 
noticed  that  the  colors  of  his  brigade  were  en- 
dangered. "Lay  me  down  and  save  the  flag,"  he 
ordered.  His  men  hesitated,  but  he  rejxiated  the 
command  until  it  was  obeyed.  Before  they 
returned  he  had  been  borne  away  by  the  enemy, 
and  died  a  prisoner,  at  Winchester,  Va.,  July  26, 
1864. 

MUNN,  Daniel  W.,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
born  in  Orange  County,  Vt.,  in  1834:  graduated 
at  Thetford  Academy  in  1852,  when  he  taught 
two  years,  meanwhile  beginning  the  study  of 
law.  Removing  to  Coles  County,  III.,  in  18.5.5,  he 
resumed  his  law  studies,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  18.58.  and  l)egan  practice  at  Hillslwro,  Mont- 
gomery County.  In  1862  he  joined  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers,  with  the  rank  of  Adjutant,  but  the 
following  year  was  apiwinted  Colonel  of  the  First 
Alabama  Cavalry.  Compelled  to  retire  from  the 
service  on  account  of  declining  health,  he  re- 
turned to  Cairo,  111.,  where  he  became  editor  of 
"The  Daily  News";  in  18G6  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate,  serving  four  years;  served  as  Presi- 
dential Elector  in  1868 ;  was  the  Republican  nomi- 
nee for  Congress  in  1870,  and  the  following  year 
was  appointed  by  President  Grant  Supervisor  of 
Internal  Revenue  for  the  District  including  the 
States  of  Illinois.  Michigan  and  Wisconsin. 
Removing  to  Chicago,  he  began  practice  there  in 
1875,  in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged.  He 
has  been  prominently  coimected  with  a  number 
of  imiK)rtant  ca.ses  before  the  Chicago  courts. 

MUNN,  Sylvester  TV.,  lawyer,  soldier  and  legis- 
lator, was  Iwrn  alx)ut  1818.  and  came  from  Ohio 
at  thirty  years  of  age,  settling  at  Wilmington, 
Will    County,    afterwards    removing    to    Joliet, 


IIISTOWCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


393 


where  he  practiced  law.  During  the  War  he 
served  as  Major  of  tiie  Yates  Phalanx  (Thirty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteers) ;  later,  was  State's 
Attorney  for  Will  County  and  State  Senator  in 
the  Tliirty-first  and  Thirty-second  General 
Assemblies.  Died,  at  Joliet,  Sept.  11,  1888.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Associ- 
ation from  its  organization. 

MURPHY,  Everett  J.,  ex-Member  of  Con- 
gress, was  born  in  Nashville,  111.,  July  24,  1852; 
in  early  youth  removed  to  Sparta,  where  he  was 
educated  in  the  high  schools  of  that  place ;  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  became  clerk  in  a  store;  in 
1877  was  elected  City  Clerk  of  Sparta,  but  the 
next  year  resigned  to  become  Dejjuty  Circuit 
Clerk  at  Chester,  remaining  until  1883,  when  he 
was  elected  Sheriff  of  Randolph  County.  In 
1886  he  was  chosen  a  Representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and,  in  1889,  was  appointed,  by 
Governor  Fifer,  Warden  of  the  Southern  Illinois 
Penitentiary  at  Chester,  but  retired  from  this 
position  in  1892,  and  removed  to  East  St.  Louis. 
Two  years  later  he  was  elected  as  a  Republican 
to  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  for  the  Twenty-first 
District,  but  was  defeated  for  re-election  by  a 
small  majority  in  1896,  by  Jehu  Baker,  Democrat 
and  Populist.  In  1899  Mr.  Murphy  was  appointed 
Warden  of  the  State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet,  to 
succeed  Col.  R.  W.  McClaughry. 

MURrHYSBORO,  the  county-seat  of  Jackson 
County,  situated  on  the  Big  Muddy  River  and  on 
main  line  of  the  Mobile  &  Ohio,  the  St.  Louis 
Division  of  the  Illinois  Central,  and  a  branch  of 
the  St.  Louis  Valley  Railroaas,  •'J2  miles  north  of 
Cairo  and  90  miles  .south-soutlieast  of  St.  Louis. 
Coal  of  a  superior  quality  is  extensively  mined  in 
the  vicinity.  The  city  has  a  foundry,  machine 
shops,  skewer  factory,  furniture  factory,  flour 
and  saw  mills,  thirteen  chiu-ches,  four  schools, 
three  banks,  two  daily  and  three  weekly  news- 
papers, city  and  rural  free  mail  delivery.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  3,380;  (1900),  6,463;  (1903,  est),  7,500. 

Ml  RPHYSBORO  &  SHAWNEETOWN  RAIL. 
ROAD.  (See  Carbondale  &  Shairncctoirn.  St. 
Louis  Southern  and  St.  Louis.  Alton  &  Terrc 
Haute  Railroads.) 

NAPERVILLE,  acity  of  Du  Page  County  on 
the  west  branch  of  the  Du  Page  River  and  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  et  Quincy  Railroad,  30  miles 
west-southwest  of  Chicago,  and  9  miles  east  of 
Aurora.  It  has  three  banks,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
stone  quarries,  couch  factory,  and  nine  churches; 
is  also  the  seat  of  the  Northwestern  College,  an 
institution  founded  in  1861   by  the  Evangelical 


Association ;  the  college  now  has  a  normal  school 
department.  Population  (1890),  3,216;  (1900),  3,629 

NAPLES,  a  town  of  Scott  County,  on  the  Illi- 
nois River  and  the  Hannibal  and  Naples  branch 
of  the  Wabash  Railway.  31  miles  west  of  Jackson- 
ville.    Population  (1890),  453;  (1900).  398. 

NASHVILLE,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Washington  County,  on  the  Centralia  & 
Chester  and  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  Railways; 
is  130  miles  south  of  Springfield  and  50  miles  east 
by  south  from  St.  Louis.  It  stands  in  a  coal- 
producing  and  rich  agricultural  region  There 
are  two  coal  mines  within  the  corporate  limits, 
and  two  large  flouring  mills  do  a  considerable 
business.  There  are  numerous  churches,  public 
schools,  including  a  high  school,  a  State  bank, 
and  four  weekly  papers.  Population  (1880), 
2,222;  (1890),  2,084;  (1900),  2,184. 

NAUVOO,  a  city  in  Hancock  County,  at  the 
head  of  the  Lower  Rapids  on  the  Mississippi, 
between  Fort  Madison  and  Keokuk,  Iowa.  It 
was  founded  by  the  Mormons  in  1840,  and  its 
early  growth  was  rapid.  After  the  expulsion  of 
the  "Saints"  in  1846,  it  was  settled  by  a  colony  of 
French  Icarians,  who  introduced  the  culture  of 
grapes  on  a  large  scale.  They  were  a  sort  of 
communistic  order,  but  their  experiment  did  not 
prove  a  success,  and  in  a  few  years  they  gave 
place  to  another  class,  the  majority  of  the  popu- 
lation now  being  of  German  extraction.  The 
chief  industries  are  agriculture  and  horticulture. 
Large  quantities  of  grapes  and  strawberries  are 
raised  and  shipped,  and  considerable  native  wine 
is  produced.  Population  (1880),  1,402;  (1890), 
1,208;  (per  census  190U),  1,321.  (See  also  Mor- 
mons. ) 

NAVIGABLE  STREAMS  (by  Statute).  Fol- 
lowing the  example  of  the  French  explorers,  who 
chiefly  followed  the  water-ways  in  tlieir  early 
explorations,  the  early  jjermanent  settlers  of  Illi- 
nois, not  only  settled,  to  a  great  extent,  on  the 
principal  streams,  but  later  took  especial  pains  to 
maintain  their  navigable  character  by  statute. 
This  was,  of  course,  partly  due  to  the  absence  of 
improved  highways,  but  also  to  the  belief  that, 
as  the  country  developed,  the  streams  would 
become  extremely  valuable,  if  not  indispensable, 
especially  in  the  transportation  of  lieavy  commod- 
ities. Accordingly,  for  the  first  quarter  century 
after  the  organization  of  the  State  Government, 
one  of  the  questions  receiving  the  attention  of 
the  Legislature,  at  almost  every  session,  was  the 
enactment  of  laws  affirming  the  navigability  of 
certain  streams  now  regarded  as  of  little  iinpor- 
tance,    or  utterly  insignificant,  as    channels    of 


394 


HISTORICAL    EXCYC'LOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS, 


transportation.  Legislation  of  this  character 
began  with  the  first  General  Assembly  (1819), 
and  continued,  at  intervals,  witli  reference  to 
one  or  two  of  the  more  important  interior  rivers 
of  the  State,  as  late  as  180V.  Besides  the  Illinois 
and  Wabash,  still  recognized  as  navigable 
streams,  the  following  were  made  the  subject  of 
legislation  of  this  character :  Beaucoup  Creek,  a 
branch  of  the  Big  Muddy,  in  Perry  and  Jackson 
Counties  (law  of  1819);  Big  Bay,  a  tributary  of 
the  Ohio  in  Pope  County  (Acts  of  18:i3) ;  Big 
Sluddy,  to  the  junction  of  the  East  and  West 
Forks  in  Jefferson  County  (18:i.5),  with  various 
subsequent  amendments:  Big  Vermilion,  declared 
navigable  (1831);  Bon  Pas.  a  branch  of  the 
Wabash,  between  Wabash  and  Edwards  Coun- 
ties (1831) ;  Cache  River,  to  main  fork  in  Johnson 
County  (1819);  Des  Plaines,  declared  navigable 
(1839);  Embarras  (1831),  with  various  subsequent 
acts  in  reference  to  improvement;  Fox  River, 
declared  navigable  to  the  Wisconsin  line  (1840), 
and  Fox  River  Navigation  Company,  incorpo- 
rated (1S.">.'J1;  Kankakei>  and  Iroquois  Navigation 
&  Manufacturing  Company,  incorixirated  (1847), 
with  various  clianges  and  amendments  (18.")1-G.5) ; 
Kaskaskia  (or  Okaw),  declared  navigable  to  a 
point  in  Fayette  County  north  of  Vandalia  ( 1819), 
with  various  modifying  acts  (1823-6T);  Macoupin 
Creek,  to  Carrollton  and  Alton  road  (1837); 
Piasa,  declared  navigable  in  Jersey  and  Madison 
Counties  (1861);  Rock  River  Navigation  Com- 
pany, incorporated  (1841),  with  subsetjuent  acts 
(1845-67) :  Sang-amon  River,  declared  navigable 
to  Third  Principal  Meridian — ea.st  line  of  Sanga- 
mon County — (1822),  and  the  North  Fork  of  same 
to  Champaign  Coimty  (1845);  Sny-Carty  (a  bayou 
of  the  Mississippi),  declared  navigable  in  Pike 
and  Adams  Counties  (1859) ;  Spoon  River,  navi- 
gable to  Cameron's  mill  in  Fulton  County  (1835), 
with  various  modifying  acts  (1845-53);  Little 
Wabash  Navigation  Company,  incorporated 
and  river  declared  navigable  to  McCawley's 
bridge — probably  in  Clay  County— (1826),  with 
various  subsequent  acts  making  appropriations 
for  its  improvement;  Skillet  Fork  (a  branch 
of  the  Little  Wabash),  declared  navigable 
to  Slocum's  Mill  in  Marion  County  (1837),  and 
to  Ridgway  Mills  (1846).  Other  acts  passed  at 
various  times  declared  a  number  of  unim- 
portant streams  navigable,  including  Big  Creek 
in  Fulton  County,  Crooked  Creek  in  Schuyler 
County,  Lusk"s  Creek  in  Pope  County,  McKee's 
Creek  in  Pike  County.  Seven  Jlile  Creek  in  Ogle 
County,  besides  a  number  of  others  of  similar 
character. 


NE.VLE,  THOM.AS  M.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Fau(iuier  County.  Va.,  1796;  wliile  yet  a 
child  removed  with  his  parents  to  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.,  and  liecame  a  common  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812;  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1824,  and  began 
the  i)ractice  of  law ;  served  as  Colonel  of  a  regi- 
ment raised  in  Sangamon  and  Morgan  Counties 
for  the  Winnebago  War  (1827),  and  afterwards  as 
Surveyor  of  Sangamon  County,  appointing 
Abraham  Lincoln  as  his  deputy.  He  also  served 
as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  for  a  number  of  years, 
at  Springfield       Died,  .\ugust  7,  1840. 

KEECE,  Williuin  H.,  ex -Congressman,  was 
lx)rn,  Feb.  26,  1831,  in  what  is  now  a  part  of 
Logan  County,  III.,  but  wliich  was  then  within  the 
limits  of  Sangiimon;  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  public  schools  in  McDonough 
County;  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  18.58,  and  has  been  ever  since  engaged  in 
practice.  His  political  career  began  in  1861, 
when  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  City  Coun. 
oil  of  JIacomb.  In  1864  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  and,  in  1869,  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention.  In  1871  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, and,  in  1878,  to  the  State  Senate.  From  1883 
to  1887  he  rejjresented  the  Eleventh  Illinois  Dis- 
trict in  Congress,  as  a  Democrat,  but  was  defeated 
for  re  election  in  1890  by  William  H.  Gest, 
Republican. 

NECJROES.     (See  Slavery  and  Slave  Laws.) 

NEOti A,  a  village  of  Cumberland  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Toledo, 
St.  I^uis  it  Western  Itailways,  20  miles  southwest 
of  Charleston;  has  a  Iwnk,  two  newspapers,  some 
manufactories,  and  ships  grain,  hay,  fruit  and 
live-stock.     Pop.  (1890),  829;  (1900).  1,126 

NEPONSET,  a  village  and  station  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  in  Bureau 
County,  4  miles  southwest  of  Slendota.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  r,52;  (1890),  .542;  (1900),  516. 

NEW  ALBAXY  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAILWAY. 
(See  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis  (Consoli- 
dated) Railroad.) 

XEW  ATHENS,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County, 
on  the  St.  I>ouis  &  Cairo  "Short  Line"  (now  Illi- 
nois Central)  Railroad,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Kas- 
kaskia River,  31  miles  southeast  of  St.  Louis;  has 
one  newspaper  and  considerable  grain  trade. 
Population  (1880),  603;  (1890),  624:  (1900),  856. 

XEW  BERLIX,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County, 
on  the  Wabash  Railway,  17  miles  west  of  Spring- 
field.    Population  (1880),  403;  (1900),  533. 

NEWBERRY  LIBRARY,  a  large  reference  li- 
brary, located  in  Chicago,  endowed  by  Walter  L. 


a 


5   L 


o 


Art   Institute. 


rublic  Library. 

Armour   Institute. 
PUBLIC   BUILDINGS. 


Court-Houso. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


395 


Newberry,  an  early  business  man  of  Chicago,  who 
left  half  of  his  estate  (aggregating  over  §2,000,000) 
for  the  purpose.  The  propert}-  bequeathed  was 
largely  in  real  estate,  wliich  lias  since  greatly  in- 
creased in  value.  The  library  was  established  in 
temporary  quarters  in  1887,  and  the  first  section 
of  a  permanent  building  was  opened  in  the 
autumn  of  189.S.  By  that  time  there  had  been 
accumulated  about  11)0,000  books  and  pamphlets. 
A  collection  of  nearly  fifty  portraits — chiefly  of 
eminent  Americans,  including  many  citizens  of 
Chicago — was  presented  to  the  library  by  G.  P.  A. 
Healy,  a  distinguished  artist,  since  deceased. 
The  site  of  the  building  occupies  an  entire  block, 
and  the  original  design  contemplates  a  handsome 
front  on  each  of  the  four  streets,  with  a  large 
rectangular  court  in  the  center.  The  section 
alreadj'  completed  is  massive  and  imposing,  and 
its  interior  is  admirably  adapted  to  tlie  purposes 
of  a  librarj',  and  at  the  same  time  rich  and 
beautiful.  When  completed,  the  building  will 
have  a  capacity  for  four  to  six  million  voUimes. 

NEWBERRY,  Walter  C.,  ex-Congre.ssman,  was 
born  at  Sangerfield,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
23,  183.5.  Early  in  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  as  a 
private,  and  rose,  step  by  step,  to  a  colonelcy,  and 
was  mustered  out  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General. 
In  1800  he  was  elected,  as  a  Democrat,  to  represent 
the  Fourth  Illinois  District  in  the  Fifty  second 
Congress  (1891-93).     His  home  is  in  Chicago. 

NEWBERRY,  Walter  L.,  mercliant,  banker  and 
philanthropist,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn., 
Sept.  18,  1804,  descended  from  English  ancestry. 
He  was  President  Jackson's  personal  appointee 
to  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  but  was  prevented  from  taking  the  exami- 
nation by  sickness.  Subsequentlj'  he  embarked  in 
business  at  Bufl'alo,  N.  Y.,  going  to  Detroit  in 
1838,  and  settling  at  Chicago  in  1833.  After 
engaging  in  general  merchandising  for  several 
years,  he  turned  his  attention  to  banking,  in 
which  he  accumulated  a  large  fortune.  He  was 
a  prominent  and  influential  citizen,  serving 
several  terms  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, and  being,  for  six  years,  the  President  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society.  He  died  at  sea, 
Nov.  6,  1868,  leaving  a  large  estate,  one-half  of 
which  he  devoted,  by  will,  to  the  founding  of  a 
free  reference  library  in  Chicago.  (See  Newberry 
Library. ) 

NEW  BOSTON,  a  city  of  Mercer  County,  on 
the  Mississippi  River,  at  the  western  terminus  of 
the  Galva  and  New  Boston  Division  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quiucy  Railway.  Population 
(1890),  44.T;  (1900),  703. 


NEW  BRIGHTON,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County 
and  suburb  of  East  St.  Louis.  Population  (1890), 
868. 

NEW  BURNSIDE,  a  village  of  Johnson  County, 
on  the  Cairo  Division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincin- 
nati, Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway,  53  miles 
northeast  of  Cairo.  Population  (1880),  650; 
(1890),  .596;  (1900),  468. 

NEW  DOUGLAS,  a  village  in  Madison  County, 
on  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  it  Western  Railroad;  in 
farming  and  fruit-growing  region  ;  has  coal  mine, 
flour  mill  and  newspaper.     Population  (1900),  469. 

NEWELL,  John,  Railway  President,  v.'as  born 
at  West  Newbury,  Mass.,  March  31,  1830,  being 
directly  descended  from  "Pilgrim"  stock.  At 
the  age  of  16  he  entered  the  employment  of  the 
Clieshire  Railroad  in  New  Hampshire.  Eighteen 
months  later  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  engi- 
neer on  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  the  construction  of  a  10-mile  section 
of  the  line.  His  promotion  was  rapid,  and,  in 
1850,  he  accepted  a  responsible  position  on  the 
Champlain  &  St.  Lawrence  Railroad.  From  1850 
to  1856  he  was  engaged  in  making  surveys  for 
roads  in  Kentucky  and  New  York,  and,  during 
the  latter  year,  held  the  position  of  engineer  of 
the  Cairo  City  Company,  of  Cairo,  111.  In  1857  he 
entered  tlie  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  as  Division  Engineer,  where  his 
remarkable  success  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
owners  of  the  old  Winona  &  St.  Peter  Railr  oad 
(now  a  part  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
system),  who  tendered  him  the  presidency.  This 
he  accepted,  but,  in  1864,  was  made  President  of 
the  Cleveland  &  Toledo  Railroad.  Four  years 
later,  he  accepted  the  position  of  General  Superin- 
tendent and  Chief  Engineer  of  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad,  but  resigned,  in  1869,  to  become 
Vice-President  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
In  1871  he  was  elevated  to  the  presidency,  but 
retired  in  September,  1874,  to  accept  the  position 
of  General  Manager  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad,  of  which  he  was  elected 
President,  in  May,  1883,  and  continued  in  office 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  wliich  occurred  at 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  August  25,  1894. 

NEWHALL,  (Dr.)  Horatio,  early  physician 
and  newspaper  publisher,  came  from  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  to  Galena,  111.,  in  1827,  and  engaged  in  min- 
ing and  smelting,  but  abandoned  this  business, 
the  following  year,  for  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion; soon  afterward  became  interested  in  the 
publication  of  "The  Miners'  Journal,"  and  still 
later  in  "The  Galena  Advertiser,"  with  which 
Hooper  Warren  and  Dr.  Philleo  were  associated. 


396 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


In  1830  he  became  a  Surgeon  in  the  Uniteil  States 
Army,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Winnebago, 
but  retired  from  tlie  service,  in  1832,  and  returned 
to  Galena.  When  the  Black  Hawk  War  broke 
out  he  volunteered  his  services,  and,  by  order  of 
General  Scott,  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  military 
hospital  at  Galena,  of  which  he  liad  control  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  The  difficulties  of  the  jtosi- 
tion  were  increased  by  the  appearance  of  the 
Asiatic  cholera  among  the  troops,  but  he  seems 
to  liave  discharged  his  duties  with  satisfaction 
to  the  military  autliorities.  He  enjoyed  a  wide 
reputation  for  professional  ability,  and  liad  an 
extensive  practice.     Died,  Sept.  19,  1870. 

NEWMAN,  a  village  of  Doughts  County,  on  the 
Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton  Railway,  ii'i  miles 
east  of  Decatur;  lias  a  bank,  a  newspa])er,  can- 
ning factory,  broom  factory,  electric  lights,  and 
large  trade  in  agricultural  products  and  live- 
stock.    Population  (I8!I0;.  !)yO;  (1900),  1,166. 

NEWSPArERS,  EARLY.  The  first  newspaper 
published  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  of  which 
tlie  pre.sent  State  of  Illinois,  at  the  time,  com- 
po.sed  a  part,  was  "TheCentinel  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,"  established  at  Cincinnati  by  William 
Maxwell,  the  first  issue  appearing  in  November, 
1793.  This  was  also  the  first  newspaper  published 
west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains.  In  1796  it  was 
sold  to  Edmund  Freeman  and  assumed  the  name 
of  "Freeman's  Journal."  Nathaniel  Willis 
(grandfather  of  N.  P.  Willis,  the  poet)  estab- 
lished "The  Scioto  Gazette."  at  Chillicothe.  in 
179(1.  "The  Western  Spy  and  Hamilton  Gazette" 
was  the  third  paper  in  Northwest  Territory  (also 
within  the  limits  of  Ohio),  founded  in  1799. 
Willis's  paper  became  the  organ  of  the  Terri- 
torial Government  on  the  removal  of  the  capital 
to  Chillicothe,  in  1800. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Indiana  Territory  (then 
including  Illinois)  was  established  by  Elihu  Stout 
at  Vincennes,  lieginning  publication,  July  4.  1804. 
It  took  the  name  of  "The  Western  Sun  and  Gen- 
eral Advertiser,"  but  is  now  known  as  "The 
Western  Sun."  having  had  a  continuous  exist- 
ence for  ninetj'-five  years. 

The  first  newspajjer  published  in  Illinois  Terri- 
tory was  "The  Illinois  Herald,"  but,  owing  to  the 
absence  of  early  files  and  other  sp)ecific  records, 
the  date  of  its  establishment  has  been  involved 
in  some  doubt.  Its  founder  was  Matthew  Dun- 
can (a  brother  of  Joseph  Duncan,  who  was  after- 
wards a  member  of  Congress  and  Governor  of  the 
State  from  1834  to  1838),  and  its  place  of  pub- 
lication Kaskaskia.  at  that  time  the  Territorial 
capital.     Duncan,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 


brought  a  press  and  a  primitive  printer's  outfit 
with  him  from  that  State.  Gov.  John  Reynolds, 
who  came  as  a  boy  to  the  "Illinois  Country"  in 
1800,  while  it  was  still  a  part  of  the  "Northwest 
Territory,"  in  his  "Pioneer  History  of  Illinois," 
has  fixed  the  date  of  the  first  issue  of  this 
paper  in  1809,  the  same  year  in  which  Illinois 
was  severed  from  Indiana  Territory  and  jjluced 
under  a  separate  Territorial  Government.  There 
is  good  rea.son,  however,  for  believing  that  the 
Governor  was  mistaken  in  this  statement.  If 
Duncan  brought  his  press  to  Illinois  in  1809 — 
which  is  probable — it  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
employed  at  once  in  the  publication  of  a  news- 
paper, as  Hooper  Warren  (the  founder  of  the 
third  paper  established  in  Illinois)  says  it  "was 
for  years  only  used  for  the  public  printing." 
The  earlie.st  issue  of  "The  Illinois  Herald"  known 
to  be  in  existence,  is  No.  32  of  Vol.  II,  and  bears 
date,  April  18,  1816.  Calculating  from  these 
data,  if  the  paper  was  issued  continuously  from 
its  establishment,  the  date  of  the  first  issue  would 
have  been  Sept.  6,  1814.  Corroborative  evidence 
of  this  is  found  in  the  fact  that  "The  Missouri 
Gazette,"  the  original  of  the  old  "Missouri  Repub- 
lican" (now  "The  St.  Louis  Republic"),  which 
was  established  in  1808,  makes  no  mention  of  the 
Kaskaskia  pajier  before  1814,  although  communi- 
cation between  Kaskaskia  and  St.  Louis  was 
most  intimate,  and  these  two  were,  for  several 
years,  the  only  papers  published  west  of  Vin- 
cennes, Ind. 

In  August.  1817,  "The  Herald"  was  sold  to 
Daniel  P.  Cook  and  Robert  Blackwell,  and  the 
name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  "The  Illinois 
Intelligencer."  Cook — who  had  previously  been 
Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  for  the  Territory,  and 
afterwards  became  a  Territorial  Circuit  Judge, 
the  first  Attorney-General  under  the  new  State 
(Jovernment,  and.  for  eight  years,  served  as  the 
only  Representative  in  Congress  from  Illinois — 
for  a  time  officiated  as  editor  of  "The  Intelli- 
gencer," while  Blackwell  (who  had  succeeded 
to  the  Auditorship)  had  charge  of  the  publication. 
The  size  of  the  paper,  whiedi  had  been  four  pages 
of  three  wide  columns  to  the  page,  was  increased, 
by  the  new  publishers,  to  four  columns  to  the 
page.  On  the  removal  of  the  State  capital  to 
Vandalia,  in  1820,  "The  Intelligencer"  was 
removed  thither  also,  and  continued  under  its 
later  name,  afterwards  becoming,  after  a  change 
of  management,  an  opponent  of  the  scheme  for 
the  calling  of  a  State  Convention  to  revise  the 
State  Constitution  with  a  view  to  making  Illinois 
a  slave  State.     (See  Slavery  and  Slmi-  Lmrs.) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


397 


The  second  paper  establisheii  on  Illinois  soil 
was  "The  Shawnee  Chief,"  which  began  pubUca- 
tion  at  Shawneetown,  Sept.  5,  1818,  with  Henry- 
Eddy — who  afterwards  became  a  proriiineut  law- 
yer of  Southern  Illinois — as  its  editor.  The  name 
of  "The  Chief"  was  soon  afterwards  changed  to 
"The  Illinois  Emigrant,"  and  some  years  later, 
became  "The  Shawneetown  Gazette."  Among 
others  who  were  associated  with  the  Shawnee- 
town paper,  in  early  days,  was  James  Hall,  after- 
wards a  Circuit  Judge  and  State  Treasurer,  and, 
without  doubt,  the  most  prolific  and  popular 
wT-iter  of  his  day  in  Illinois.  Later,  he  estab- 
lished "The  Illinois  Magazine"  at  Vandalia,  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  issued  under 
the  name  of  "The  Western  Monthly  Magazine." 
He  was  also  a  frequent  contributor  to  other  maga- 
zines of  that  period,  and  author  of  several  vol- 
umes, including  "Legends  of  the  West"  and 
"Border  Tales."  During  the  contest  over  the 
slavery  question,  in  1833-24,  "The  Gazette" 
rendered  valuable  service  to  the  anti-slavery 
party  by  the  publication  of  articles  in  opposition 
to  the  Convention  scheme,  from  the  pen  of  Morris 
Birkbeck  and  others. 

The  third  Illinois  paper— and,  in  183.3-24,  the 
strongest  and  most  influential  opponent  of  the 
scheme  for  establishing  slavery  in  Illinois — was 
"The  Edwardsville  Spectator,"  which  began  pub 
lication  at  Edwardsville,  Madison  County,  May 
23,  1819.  Hooper  Warren  was  the  publisher  and 
responsible  editor,  though  he  received  valuable 
aid  from  the  pens  of  Governor  Coles,  George 
Churchill,  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  Judge 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  Morris  Birkbeck  and 
others.  (See  Warreti,  Hooper.)  Warren  sold 
"The  Spectator"  to  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott  in 
182,5,  and  was  afterwards  associated  with  papers 
at  Springfield,  Galena,  Chicago  and  elsewhere. 

The  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  (in  part, 
at  least)  led  to  the  establishment  of  two  new 
papers  in  1833.  The  first  of  the.se  was  "The 
Republican  Advocate,"  which  began  publication 
at  Kaskaskia,  in  April  of  that  year,  under  the 
management  of  Elias  Kent  Kane,  then  an  aspir- 
ant to  the  United  States  Senatorship.  After  his 
election  to  that  office  in  1824,  "The  Advocate" 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Robert  K.  Fleming,  who, 
after  a  period  of  suspension,  established  "The 
Kaskaskia  Recorder,"  but,  a  year  or  two  later, 
removed  to  Vandalia.  "The  Star  of  the  We.st" 
was  established  at  Edwardsville,  as  an  opponent 
of  Warren"s  "Spectator,"  the  first  issue  making 
its  appearance,  Sept.  14,  1823,  with  Theophilus  W. 
Smith,   afterwards    a    Justice    of    the    Supreme 


Court,  as  its  reputed  editor,  A  few  months  later 
it  passed  into  new  hands,  and,  in  August,  1833, 
assumed  the  name  of  "The  Illinois  Republican." 
Both  "The  Republican  Advocate"  and  "The 
Illinois  Republican"  were  zealous  organs  of  the 
pro-slavery  party. 

With  the  settlement  of  the  slavery  question  in 
Illinois,  by  the  election  of  1824,  Illinois  journal- 
ism may  be  said  to  have  entered  upon  a  new  era. 
At  the  close  of  this  first  period  there  were  only 
five  papers  published  in  the  State — all  established 
within  a  period  of  ten  years;  and  one  of  these 
("The  Illinois  Republican,"  at  Edwardsville) 
promptly  ceased  publication  on  the  settlement  of 
the  slavery  question  in  opposition  to  the  views 
which  it  had  advocated.  The  next  period  of  fif- 
teen years  (1835-40)  was  prolific  in  the  establish- 
ment of  new  newspaper  ventures,  as  might  be 
expected  from  the  rapid  increase  of  the  State  in 
population,  and  tlie  development  in  tlie  art  of 
printing  during  the  same  period.  "The  Western 
Sun,"  established  at  Belleville  (according  to  one 
report,  in  December,  1825,  and  according  to 
another,  in  the  winter  of  1827-28)  by  Dr.  Joseph 
Green,  appears  to  have  been  the  first  paper  pub- 
lished in  St.  Clair  County.  This  was  followed 
by  "The  Pioneer,"  begun,  April  25,  1839,  at  Rock 
Spring,  St.  Clair  County,  with  the  indomitable 
Dr.  John  M.  Peck,  author  of  "Peck's  Gazetteer," 
as  its  editor.  It  was  removed  in  183()  to  Upper 
Alton,  when  it  took  the  name  of  "The  Western 
Pioneer  and  Baptist  Banner."  Previous  to  this, 
however.  Hooper  Warren,  having  come  into  pos- 
session of  the  material  upon  which  he  had  printed 
"The  Edwardsville  Spectator,"  removed  it  to 
Springfield,  and,  in  the  winter  of  1836-27,  began 
the  publication  of  the  first  paper  at  the  present 
State  capital,  which  he  named  "The  Sangamo 
Gazette."  It  had  but  a  brief  existence.  During 
1830,  George  Forquer,  then  Attorney-General  of 
the  State,  in  conjunction  with  his  half-brother, 
Thomas  Ford  (afterwards  Governor) ,  was  engaged 
in  the  publication  of  a  paper  called  "The  Cour- 
ier," at  Springfield,  which  was  continued  only  a 
short  time.  The  earliest  paper  north  of  Spring- 
field appears  to  have  been  "The  Hennepin  Jour- 
nal," which  began  publication,  Sept.  15,  1837. 
"The  Sangamo  Journal" — now  "The  Illinois 
State  .Journal,"  and  the  oldest  paper  of  continu- 
ous existence  in  the  State — was  established  at 
Springfield  by  Simeon  and  Josiah  Francis  (cous- 
ins from  Connecticut),  the  first  issue  bearing 
date,  Nov.  10,  1831.  Before  the  close  of  the  same 
year  James  G.  Edwards,  afterwards  the  founder 
of  "The  Burlington  (Iowa)  Hawkej'e,"  began  the 


398 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


publication  of  "The  Illinois  Patriot"  at  Jackson- 
ville. Another  paper,  estiiblished  the  sjime  year, 
was  "The  Gazette"  at  Vandalia.  then  the  State 
capital.  (See  Forquer,  George;  Ford,  Jliomas; 
Francis,  Simeon.) 

At  this  early  date  the  development  of  the  lead 
niine.s  about  Galena  had  made  that  place  a  center 
of  great  business  activity.  On  July  8,  1828, 
James  Jones  commenced  the  issue  of  "The 
Miners'  Journal, "  the  first  paper  at  Galena.  Jones 
died  of  cholera  in  18.33,  and  his  paper  passed  into 
other  hands.  July  20,  1829,  "The  Galena  Adver- 
tiser and  Upper  Mississippi  Herald"  began  i)ub- 
lication,  with  Drs.  Horatio  Newhall  and  Addison 
Philleo  as  editors,  and  Hooper  AVarren  as  pub- 
lisher, but  appears  to  have  been  discontinued 
before  the  expiration  of  its  first  year.  "The 
Galenian"  was  established  as  a  Democratic  paper 
by  Philleo,  in  May,  1832,  but  ceased  publication  in 
September.  183(i.  "The  Northwestern  Gazette 
and  Galena  Advertiser,"  founded  in  Xovemlx^r, 
1834,  by  Loring  and  Bartlett  (the  la.st  named 
afterwards  one  of  the  founders  of  "The  Quincy 
Whig"),  has  had  a  continuous  existence,  being 
now  known  as  "The  Galena  Advertiser."  Benja- 
min Mills,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  lawyers  of 
his  time,  was  editor  of  this  pajjer  during  a  part 
of  the  first  year  of  its  ])ublication. 

Robert  K.  Fleming,  who  has  already  been 
mentioned  ius  the  succe.ssor  of  Elias  Kent  Kane 
in  the  publication  of  "The  Republican  Advocate," 
at  Kaskiiskia,  later  published  a  pajjer  for  a  short 
time  at  Vandalia,  but,  in  1827,  removed  his 
establishment  to  Edwardsville,  where  he  began 
the  publication  of  "The  Corrector."  The  latter 
was  continued  a  little  over  a  year,  when  it  was 
suspended.  He  then  resumed  the  publication  of 
"The  Recorder"  at  Kiiskaskia.  In  December, 
1833.  lie  removed  to  Belleville  and  liegan  the  pub- 
lication of  "The  St.  Clair  Gazette."  which  after- 
wards passed,  through  various  changes  of  owners, 
under  the  names  of  "The  St.  Clair  Mercury"  and 
"Representative  and  Gazette."  This  was  suc- 
ceeded, in  1839,  by  "The  Belleville  Advocate," 
which  has  been  published  continuously  to  the 
present  time. 

Samuel  S.  Brooks  (the  father  of  Austin  Brooks, 
afterwards  of  "The  Quincy  Herald")  at  differ- 
ent times  published  papers  at  various  points 
in  the  State.  His  first  enterprise  was  "The 
Crisis"  at  Edwardsville,  which  he  changed 
to  "The  Illinois  Advocate,"  and,  at  the  close 
of  his  first  year,  sold  out  to  Judge  John 
York  Sawyer,  who  united  it  with  "The  Western 
Plowbov,"    which    he    had     established    a    few 


months  previous.  "The  Advocate"  was  removed 
to  Vandalia,  and,  on  the  death  of  the  owner  (who 
had  been  appointed  State  Printer),  was  consoli- 
dated with  "The  Illinois  Register,"  which  had 
been  established  in  1836.  The  new  paper  took  the 
name  of  "The  Illinois  Register  and  People's 
Advocate,"  in  1839  was  removed  to  Springfield, 
and  is  now  known  as  "The  Illinois  State  Regis- 
ter." 

Other  papers  established  between  1830  and  1840 
include:  "The  Vandalia  Whig"  (183U;  "The 
Alton  Spectator,"  the  first  paper  published  in 
Alton  (January,  1834);  "The  Chicago  Demo- 
crat," by  John  Calhoun  (Nov.  26,  1833);  "The 
Beardstown  Chronicle  and  Illinois  Bounty  Land 
Advertiser,"  by  Francis  A.  Arenz  (July  29,  1833); 
"The  Alton  American"  (1833);  "The  White 
County  News,"  at  Carmi  (1833);  "The  Danville 
Enquirer"  (1833);  "The  Illinois  Champion."  at 
Peoria  (1834);  "The  Mount  Carmel  Sentinel  and 
Wabash  Advocate"  (1834);  "The  Illinois  State 
Gazette  and  Jacksonville  News,"  at  Jacksonville 
(1835);  "The  Illinois  Argus  and  Bounty  Land 
Register,"  at  Quincy  (183.5);  "The  Rushville 
Journal  and  Military  Tract  Advertiser"  (183.5); 
"The  Alton  Telegraph"  (1836);  "The  Alton 
Observer"  (1836);  "The  Carthaginian,"  at  Car- 
thage (1836) ;  "The  Bloomington  Observer"  (1837) ; 
"The  Backwoodsman,"  founded  by  Prof.  John 
Russell,  at  Grafton,  and  the  firet  paper  published 
in  Greene  County  (1837);  "The  Quincy  Whig" 
(1838) ;  "The  Illinois  Statesman,"  at  Paris,  Edgar 
County  (1838);  "The  Peoria  Register"  (1838). 
The  second  paper  to  be  established  in  Chicago 
was  "The  Chicago  American,"  whose  initial 
number  was  issued,  June  8,  1835,  with  Thomas  O. 
Davis  as  proprietor  and  editor.  In  July,  1837.  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  William  Stuart  &  Co., 
and,  on  April  9,  1839,  its  publishers  began  the 
issue  of  the  first  daily  ever  published  in  Chicago. 
"The  Chicago  Express"  succeeded  "The  Ameri- 
can" in  1842,  and,  in  1844,  became  the  forerunner 
of  "The  Chicago  Journal."  The  third  Chicago 
paper  was  "The  Commercial  Advertiser," 
founded  by  Hooper  Warren,  in  1836.  It  lived 
only  about  a  year.  Zebina  Eastman,  who  was 
afterwards  as.sociated  with  Warren,  and  tecame 
one  of  the  most  influential  journalistic  opponents 
of  slavery,  arrived  in  the  State  in  18.39,  and,  in 
the  latter  part  of  that  year,  was  associated  with 
the  celebrated  Abolitionist,  Benjamin  Lundy,  in 
the  preliminary  steps  for  the  issue  of  "The 
Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation,"  projected 
by  I.,undy  at  Lowell,  in  La  Salle  County.  Lundy's 
untimely  death,  in  August,  1839,  however,  pre- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


399 


vented  him  from  seeing  the  consummation  of  his 
plan,  although  Eastman  lived  to  carry  it  out  in 
part.  A  paper  whose  career,  although  extending 
only  a  little  over  one  year,  marked  an  era  in  Illi- 
nois journalism,  was  "The  Alton  Observer,"  its 
history  closing  with  the  assassination  of  its 
editor.  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  on  the  night  of 
Nov.  8,  18.37,  while  unsuccessfully  attempting  to 
protect  his  press  from  destruction,  for  the  fourth 
time,  by  a  pro-slavery  mob.  Humiliating  as  was 
this  crime  to  every  law-abiding  Illinoisan,  it 
undoubtedly  strengthened  the  cause  of  free 
speech  and  assisted  in  hastening  the  downfall  of 
the  institution  in  whose  behalf  it  was  committed. 
That  the  development  in  the  field  of  journal- 
ism, within  the  past  sixty  years,  has  more  than 
kept  pace  with  the  growth  in  population,  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  there  is  not  a  county  in 
the  State  without  its  newspaper,  while  every 
town  of  a  few  hundred  population  has  either  one 
or  more.  According  to  statistics  for  1898,  there 
were  60.5  cities  and  towns  in  the  State  having 
periodical  publications  of  some  sort,  making  a 
total  of  1,709,  of  which  174  were  issued  daily,  34 
semi-weekly,  1,20.5  weekly,  28  serai-monthlj',  238 
monthly,  and  the  remainder  at  various  periods 
ranging  from  tri-weekly  to  eight  times  a  year. 

JJEWTO.Vj  the  county-seat  of  Jasper  County, 
situated  on  the  Erabarras  River,  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  subsidiary  lines  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  from  Peoria  and  Effingham;  is  an  in- 
corporated city,  was  settled  in  1828,  and  made  the 
county-seat  In  1836.  Agriculture,  coal-mining 
and  dairy  farming  are  the  principal  pursuits  in 
the  surrounding  region.  Tlie  city  has  water- 
power,  which  is  utilized  to  some  extent  in  manu- 
facturing, but  most  of  its  factories  are  operated 
by  steam.  Among  these  establishments  are  flour 
and  saw  mills,  and  grain  elevators.  There  are  a 
half-dozen  churches,  a  good  public  school  sy.stem, 
including  parochial  school  and  high  school, 
besides  two  banks  and  three  weekly  papers. 
Population  (1890),  1.428;  (1900),  1,630. 

NEW  YORK,  CHICAGO  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
WAY (Nickel  Plate),  a  line  .522.47  miles  in  length, 
of  which  (1898)  only  9.96  miles  are  operated  in 
Illinois.  It  owns  no  track  in  Illinois,  but  uses 
the  track  of  the  Chicago  &  State  Line  Railroad 
(9.96  miles  in  length),  of  which  it  has  financial 
control,  to  enter  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  total 
capitalization  of  the  New  York,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis,  in  1898,  is  .?.50,222,568,  of  which  §19,42.5,000 
is  in  bonds. — (History.)  The  New  York,  Chi- 
cago &  St.  Louis  Railroad  was  incorporated  under 
the    laws    of    New    York,    Pennsylvania,    Ohio, 


Indiana  and  Illinois  in  1881,  construction  begun 
immediately,  and  the  road  put  in  operation  in 
1882.  In  1885  it  passed  into  tlie  hands  of  a 
receiver,  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1887,  and 
reorganized  by  the  consolidation  of  various  east- 
ern lines  with  the  Fort  Wayne  &  Illinois  Railroad, 
forming  the  line  under  its  present  name.  The 
road  between  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  the  west  line  of 
Indiana  is  owned  by  the  Corapanj-,  but,  for  its 
line  in  Illinois,  it  uses  the  track  of  the  Chicago  & 
State  Line  Railroad,  of  which  it  is  the  lessee,  as 
well  as  the  owner  of  its  capital  stock.  The  main 
line  of  the  "Nickel  Plate"  is  controlled  by  the 
Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railway,  which 
owns  more  than  half  of  both  the  preferred  and 
common  stock. 

NIANTIC,  a  town   in  Macon  County,  on  the 
Wabash  Railway,  27  miles  east   of  Springfield. 
Agriculture  is  the  leading  industry.     The  town 
has  three  elevators,  three  churches,  school,  coal 
mine,  a  newspaper  and  a  bank.     Pop.  (1900),  654. 
JflCOLAY,  John  tSeorge,  author,  was  born  in 
Essingen,  Bavaria,  Feb.  26,  1832;  at  6  years  of  age 
was  brought  to  the  United  States,   lived  for  a 
time  in  Cincinnati,  attending  the  public  schools 
there,  and  then  came  to  Illinois;  at  16  entered  the 
office  of  "The  Pike  County  Free  Press"  at  Pitts- 
field,   and,  while   .still  in   his   minority,  became 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  paper.     In  1857  he 
became  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  under  O.  M. 
Hatch,  the  first  Republican  Secretary,  but  during 
Mr.   Lincoln's  candidacy  for  President,  in   1860, 
aided  him  as  private  secretary,  also  acting  as  a 
correspondent    of    "The    St.   Louis    Democrat." 
After  the  election  he  was  formally  selected  by 
Mr.  Lincoln  as  his  private  secretary,  accompany- 
ing him  to  Washington  and  remaining  until  Mr. 
Lincoln's  assassination.    In  1865  he  was  appointed 
United  States  Consul  at  Paris,   remaining  until 
1869;  on  his  return  for  some  time  edited  "The 
Chicago  Republican";  was  also  Marshal  of   the 
United    States    Supreme    Court    in  Washington 
from  1872  to  1887.     Mr.  Nicolay  is  author,  in  col- 
laboration with  John  Hay,  of  "Abraham  Lincoln: 
A  History,"  first  published  serially  in  "The  Cen- 
tury Magazine,"  and  later  issued  in  ten  volumes; 
of  "The  Outbreak  of  the  Rebellion"   in  "Cam- 
paigns of  the  Civil  War,"  besides  numerous  maga- 
zine articles.     He  lives  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

NICOLET,  Jean,  early  French  explorer,  came 
from  Cherbourg,  France,  in  1618,  and,  for  several 
years,  lived  among  the  Algonquins,  whose  lan- 
guage he  learned  and  for  whom  he  acted  as 
interpreter.  On  July  4.  1634,  he  discovered  Lake 
Michigan,  then  called  the  "Lake  of  the  Illinois," 


400 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  visited  the  Cliippewas,  Menominees  and 
Winnebagoes,  in  the  region  about  Green  Bay, 
among  wlioin  he  was  received  kindly.  From  the 
Mascoutins,  on  the  Fox  River  (of  Wisconsin),  he 
learned  of  tlie  Illinois  Indians,  some  of  whose 
northern  villages  he  also  visited.  He  subse- 
quently returned  to  Quebec,  where  he  was 
drowned,  in  October,  1642.  He  was  probably  the 
first  Caucasian  to  visit  Wisconsin  and  Illinois. 

NILES,  Nathaniel,  lawyer,  editor  and  soldier, 
born  at  Plainlield,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  4. 
1817;  attended  an  academy  at  Albany,  from  1830 
to  '34,  was  licensed  to  practice  law  and  removed 
west  in  1837,  residing  successively  at  Delphi  and 
Frankfort,  Ind.,  and  at  Owensburg,  Ky.,  until 
1942,  when  he  settled  in  Belleville,  111.  In  184() 
he  was  commissioneil  a  First  Lieutenant  in  the 
Second  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  (Colonel 
Bissell's)  for  the  Mexican  War,  but.  after  the 
battle  of  Buena  ^'ista,  was  promoted  by  General 
Wool  to  the  captaincj'  of  an  independent  com- 
pany of  Texas  foot.  He  was  elected  Chief  Clerk 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  session  of 
1849,  and  the  same  year  was  chosen  County 
Judge  of  St.  Clair  County,  serving  until  1861. 
With  the  exception  of  brief  periods  from  1851  to 
*59,  he  was  editor  and  part  owner  of  "The  Belle- 
ville Advocate, "' a  paper  originally  Democratic, 
but  which  IxH-ame  Republican  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party.  In  1801  he  was 
appointed  Colonel  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  but  the  completion  of  its 
organization  having  been  delayed,  he  resigned, 
and,  the  following  year,  was  commissioned  Colo- 
nel of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth,  serving 
until  May,  1864,  Avhen  he  resigned — in  March, 
1865,  receiving  the  compliment  of  a  brevet  Briga- 
dier-Generalship. During  the  winter  of  1862  63 
he  was  in  command  at  Memphis,  but  later  took 
part  in  the  Vicksburg  camiaign.  and  in  the  cam- 
paigns on  Red  River  and  Bayou  Teche.  After 
the  war  he  served  as  Re|)resentative  in  the 
General  Assembly  from  St.  Clair  County  (1865-66) ; 
as  Trustee  of  the  Institution  for  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb  at  Jacksonville;  on  the  Commission  for 
building  the  State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet,  and  as 
Commissioner  (by  appointment  of  Governor 
Oglesby)  for  locating  the  Soldiers"  Orphans' 
Home.  His  later  years  have  been  spent  chiefly 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  with  occasional 
excursions  into  journalism.  Originally  an  anti- 
slavery  Democrat,  he  became  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Republican  party  in  Southern  Illinois. 

>'IXO>',  William  Penn,  journali.st,  Collector  of 
Dustoms,   was   born  in  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  of 


North  Carolina  and  Quaker  ancestry,  early  in 
1832.  In  1853  he  graduated  from  Farmers'  (now 
Belmont)  College,  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  After 
devoting  two  years  to  teaching,  hs  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  hi  Penn.syl- 
vania  (1855),  graduating  in  1859.  For  nine  years 
thereafter  he  practiced  law  at  Cincinnati,  during 
which  period  he  was  thrice  elected  to  the  Ohio 
Legislature.  In  1868  he  embarked  in  journalism, 
he  and  his  older  brother,  Dr.  O.  W.  Nixon,  with 
a  few  friends,  founding  "The  Cincinnati  Chron- 
icle." A  few  years  later  "The  Times"  was  pur- 
chased, and  the  two  papers  were  consolidated 
under  the  name  of  "The  Times-Chronicle."  In 
May,  1872,  having  disposed  of  his  interests  in 
Cincinnati,  he  assumed  the  business  manage- 
ment of  "The  Chicago  Inter  Ocean,"  then  a  new 
venture  and  struggling  for  a  foothold.  In  1875 
he  and  his  brother.  Dr.  O.  W.  Xixon,  secured  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  paper,  when  the 
former  assumed  the  jxisition  of  editor-in-chief, 
which  he  continued  to  occupy  until  1897,  when 
he  was  appointed  Collector  of  Customs  for  the 
City  of  Chicago — a  position  which  he  now  holds. 

SOKO.MIS,  a  city  of  Montgomery  County,  on 
the  "Big  Four"  main  line  and  "'Frisco"  Rail- 
roads. 81  miles  east  by  north  from  St.  Louis  and 
52  miles  west  of  Mattoon;  in  important  grain- 
growing  and  hay-producing  section;  has  water- 
works, electric  lights,  three  flour  mills,  two 
machine  shops,  wagon  factory,  creamery,  seven 
churches,  high  school,  two  banks  and  three 
papers;  is  noted  for  shipments  of  poultry,  butter 
and  eggs.     Population  (1890),  1,305;  (1900),  1,371. 

^'0KM.1L,  a  city  in  McLean  County,  2  miles 
north  of  Bloomington  and  124  southwest  of  Chi- 
cago; at  intersecting  point  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroads.  It  lies 
in  a  rich  coal  and  agricultural  region,  and  has 
extensive  fruit-tree  nurseries,  two  canning  fac- 
tories, one  bank,  hospital,  and  four  periodicals. 
It  is  the  seat  of  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home, 
founded  in  1869.  and  the  Illinois  State  Normal 
University,  founded  in  1857;  has  city  and  rural 
mail  deliverv      Pop.   (1890).  3,4.59;   (1900).  3,795. 

NORMAL  UMVERSITIES.  (See  Southern 
UUnois  Xonnal  University;  State  Xormal  Cni- 
i-ersity. ) 

XORTH  ALTON,  a  village  of  Madison  County 
and  suburb  of  the  city  of  Alton.  Population 
(1880),  838;  (1890),  762;  (1900),  904. 

NORTHCOTT,  William  A.,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  in  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  Jan.  28, 
1854 — the  son  of  Gen.  R.  S.  Northcott,  whose 
loyalty  to  the  Union,  at  the  beginning  of  the 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


401 


Rebellion,  compelled  him  to  leave  his  Southern 
home  and  seek  safety  for  himself  and  family  in 
the  North.  He  went  to  West  Virginia,  was  com- 
missioned Colonel  of  a  regiment  and  served 
through  the  war,  being  for  some  nine  months  a 
prisoner  in  Libby  Prison.  After  acquiring  his 
literary  education  in  the  public  schools,  the 
younger  Northcott  spent  some  time  in  the  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  after  which  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching.  Meanwhile,  he  was  prepar- 
ing for  the  practice  of  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1877,  two  years  later  coming  to  Green- 
ville, Bond  County,  111.,  which  has  since  been  his 
home.  In  1880,  by  appointment  of  President 
Hayes,  he  served  as  Supervisor  of  the  Census  for 
the  Seventh  District ;  in  1882  was  elected  State's 
Attorney  for  Bond  County  and  re-elected  suc- 
cessively in  '84  and  '88;  in  1890  was  appointed  on 
the  Board  of  Visitors  to  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy,  and,  by  selection  of  the  Board, 
delivered  the  annual  address  to  the  graduating 
class  of  that  year.  In  1892  he  was  the  Repub- 
lican nominee  for  Congress  for  the  Eighteenth  Dis- 
trict, but  was  defeated  in  the  general  landslide  of 
that  year.  In  189C  he  was  more  fortunate,  being 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  by  the  vote  of  the 
State,  receiving  a  plurality  of  over  137,000  over 
his  Democratic  opponent- 

NORTH  PEORIA,  formerly  a  suburban  village 
in  Peoria  County.  2  miles  north  of  the  city  of 
Peoria;  annexed  to  the  citv  of  Peoria  in  1900. 

NORTHERN'  BOUXDARY  QUESTION,  THE. 
The  Ordinance  of  1787.  making  the  first  specific 
provision,  by  Congress,  for  the  government  of  the 
coimtry  lying  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  and 
east  of  the  Mississippi  (.known  as  the  Northw-est 
Territory),  provided,  among  other  things  (Art. 
v..  Ordinance  1787),  that  "there  shall  be  formed 
in  the  said  Territory  not  less  than  three  nor  more 
than  five  States."  It  then  proceeds  to  fix  the 
boundaries  of  the  proposed  States,  on  the  assump- 
tion that  there  shall  be  three  in  number,  adding 
thereto  the  following  proviso:  "Provided,  how- 
ever, and  it  is  further  understood  and  declared, 
that  the  boundaries  of  these  three  States  shall  be 
subject  so  far  to  be  altered  that,  if  Congress  shall 
hereafter  find  it  expedient,  they  shall  have 
authority  to  form  one  or  two  States  in  that  part 
of  the  said  Territory  which  lies  north  of  an  east 
and  west  line  drawn  through  the  southerly  bend 
or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan."  On  the  basis  of 
this  provision  it  has  been  claimed  that  the  north- 
ern boundaries  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio 
should  have  been  on  the  exact  latitude  of  the 
southern  limit  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  that  the 


failure  to  establish  this  boundary  was  a  violation 
of  the  Ordinance,  inasmuch  as  the  fourteenth  sec- 
tion of  the  preamble  thereto  declares  that  "the 
following  articles  shall  be  considered  as  articles 
of  compact  between  the  original  States  and  the 
people  and  States  in  the  said  Territory,  and  for- 
ever remain  unalterable,  unless  by  common  con- 
sent."—In  the  limited  state  of  geographical 
knowledge,  existing  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of 
the  Ordinance,  there  seems  to  have  been  con- 
siderable difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  latitude 
of  the  southern  limit  of  Lake  Michigan.  The 
map  of  Mitchell  (17.55)  had  placed  it  on  the  paral- 
lel of  42°  20',  while  that  of  Thomas  Hutchins 
(1778)  fixed  it  at  41°  37'.  It  was  officially  estab- 
lished by  Government  survey,  in  1835,  at  41"  37' 
07.9".  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  neither  of  the  three  States  named  was  finally 
fixed  on  the  line  mentioned  in  the  proviso  above 
quoted  from  the  Ordinance — that  of  Ohio,  where 
it  meets  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  being  a  little 
north  of  4r  44';  that  of  Indiana  at  41°  46'  (some 
10  miles  north  of  the  southern  bend  of  the  lake), 
and  that  of  Illinois  at  42'  30'— about  61  miles 
north  of  the  same  line.  The  boundary  line 
between  Ohio  and  Michigan  was  settled  after  a 
bitter  controversy,  on  the  admission  of  the  latter 
State  into  the  Union,  in  1837,  in  the  acceptance 
by  her  of  certain  conditions  proposed  by  Congress. 
These  included  the  annexation  to  Michigan  of 
what  is  known  as  the  "Upper  Peninsula," 
lying  between  Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior, 
in  lieu  of  a  strip  averaging  six  miles  on  her 
southern  border,  which  she  demanded  from 
Ohio. — The  establishment  of  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  Illinois,  in  1818,  upon  the  line  which  now 
exists,  is  universally  conceded  to  have  been  due 
to  the  action  of  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  then  the 
Delegate  in  Congress  from  Illinois  Territory. 
While  it  was  then  acquiesced  in  without  ques- 
tion, it  has  since  been  the  subject  of  considerable 
controversy  and  has  been  followed  by  almost 
incalculable  results.  The  "enabling  act,"  as 
originally  introduced  early  in  1818,  empowering 
the  people  of  Illinois  Territory  to  form  a  State 
Government,  fixed  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
proposed  State  at  41°  39',  then  the  supposed  lati- 
tude of  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan. 
While  the  act  was  under  consideration  in  Com- 
mittee of  the  Whole,  Mr.  Pope  offered  an  amend- 
ment advancing  the  northern  boundary  to  42° 
30'.  The  object  of  his  amendment  (as  he  ex- 
plained) was  to  gain  for  the  new  State  a  coast 
line  on  Lake  Michigan,  bringing  it  into  political 
and  commercial  relations  with  the  States  east  of 


402 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


it — Indiana,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and  New  York — 
thus  "affording  additional  .security  to  tlie  per- 
petuity of  the  Union."  He  argued  that  the 
location  of  the  State  between  the  Mississippi, 
Wabash  and  Oliio  Rivers — all  flowing  to  the 
south — would  bring  it  in  intimate  communica- 
tion with  the  Southern  States,  and  that,  in  the 
event  of  an  attempted  disruption  of  the  Union,  it 
was  important  that  it  should  be  identified  with 
the  commerce  of  tlie  Lakes,  instead  of  being  left 
entirely  to  the  waters  of  the  soutli-tlowing 
rivers.  "Thus,"  said  he,  "a  rival  interest  would  be 
created  to  check  the  wish  for  a  Western  or  South- 
ern Confederacy.  Her  interests  would  thus  be 
balanced  and  her  inclinations  turned  to  the 
North."  He  recognized  Illinois  as  already  "the 
key  to  the  West,"  and  he  evidently  foresaw  that 
the  time  might  come  when  it  would  be  the  Key- 
stone of  the  Union.  While  this  evinced  wonder- 
ful foresiglit,  scarcely  less  convincing  was  his 
argument  that,  in  time,  a  commercial  emporium 
would  grow  up  vii)ou  I^ike  >richigan,  which  would 
demand  an  outlet  by  means  of  a  canal  to  the  Illi- 
nois River — a  work  which  was  realized  in  the 
completion  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
thirty  years  later,  but  which  would  scarcely  have 
been  accomplished  had  the  Stiite  been  practically 
cut  off  from  the  Lake  and  its  chief  emporium 
left  to  grow  up  in  another  commonwealth,  or  not 
at  all.  Judge  Pope's  amendment  was  accepted 
without  division,  and,  in  this  form,  a  few  days 
later,  the  bill  became  a  law. — The  almost  sujjer- 
human  sagacity  exhibited  in  Judge  Pope's  argu- 
ment, has  been  repeatedlj-  illustrated  in  the 
commercial  and  political  history  of  the  State 
since,  but  never  more  significantly  than  in  the 
commanding  position  which  Illinois  occupied 
during  the  late  Civil  War,  with  one  of  its  citi- 
zens in  the  Presidential  chair  and  another  leading 
its  2.')0,000  citizen  soldiery  and  the  armies  of  the 
Union  in  battling  for  the  perpetuity  of  the 
Republic — a  position  which  more  than  fulfilled 
every  prediction  made  for  it.  —  The  territory 
affected  by  this  settlement  of  the  northern 
boundary,  includes  all  that  part  of  the  State 
north  of  the  northern  line  of  La  Salle  County, 
and  embraces  the  greater  portion  of  the  fourteen 
counties  of  Cook,  Dupage,  Kane,  Lake.  JIcHenry, 
Boone,  DeKalb,  Lee.  Ogle,  Winnebago,  Stephen- 
son, Jo  Daviess,  Carroll  and  Wliiteside,  with  por- 
tions of  Kendall,  Will  and  Rock  Island— estimated 
at  8,  .500  square  miles,  or  more  than  one-seventh 
of  the  present  area  of  the  State.  It  has  been 
argued  that  this  territory  belonged  to  the  State 
of  Wisconsin  under  the  provisions  of  the  Ordi- 


nance of  1787,  aiid  there  were  repeated  attempts 
made,  on  the  part  of  the  Wisconsin  Legislature 
and  its  Territorial  Governor  (Doty),  between  1839 
and  1843,  to  induce  the  people  of  these  counties  to 
recognize  this  claim.  These  were,  in  a  few 
instances,  partially  successful,  although  no  official 
notice  was  taken  of  them  by  the  authorities  of  Illi 
nois.  The  reply  made  to  the  Wisconsin  claim  by 
Governor  Ford — who  wrote  his  "History  of  Illi- 
nois" when  the  subject  was  fresh  in  the  public 
mind— was  that,  while  the  Ordinance  of  1787 
gave  Congress  power  to  organize  a  State  north  of 
the  parallel  running  through  the  southern  bend 
of  Lake  Michigan,  "there  is  nothing  in  the  Ordi- 
nance requiring  such  additional  State  to  be 
organized  of  the  territory  north  of  that  line. "  In 
other  words,  that,  when  Congress,  in  1818, 
authorized  the  organization  of  an  additional 
State  north  of  and  in  (i.  e.,  within)  the  line 
named,  it  did  not  violate  the  Ordinance  of  1787, 
but  acted  in  accordance  with  it — in  practically 
assuming  that  the  new  State  "need  not  neces- 
sarily include  the  whole  of  the  region  north  t>f 
that  lina"  The  question  was  set  at  rest  by  Wis- 
consin herself  in  the  action  of  her  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1847-48,  in  framing  her  first  con- 
stitution, in  form  recognizing  the  northern 
boundary  of  Illinois  as  fixed  by  the  enabling  act 
of  1818. 

NORTHERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE, 
an  institution  for  the  treatment  of  the  insane, 
created  by  Act  of  the  Legislature,  approved,  April 
16,  1869.  The  Commissioners  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Palmer  to  fix  its  location  consisted  of 
August  Adams,  B.  F.  Shaw,  AV.  R.  Brown,  M.  L. 
Joslyn,  D.  S.  Hammond  and  William  Adams. 
After  considering  many  offers  and  examining 
numerous  sites,  the  Commissioners  finallj-  selected 
the  Chisholm  farm,  consisting  of  about  150  acres, 
11/2  miles  from  Elgin,  on  the  west  side  of  Fox 
River,  and  overlooking  that  stream,  as  a  site — 
this  having  been  tendered  as  a  donation  by  the 
citizens  of  Elgin.  Plans  were  adopted  in  the 
latter  part  of  1869,  the  system  of  construction 
chosen  conforming,  in  the  main,  to  that  of  the 
United  States  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  By  January,  1872,  the  north  wing 
and  rear  building  were  so  far  advanced  as  to  per- 
mit the  reception  of  sixty  patients.  The  center 
building  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  April,  1873. 
and  the  south  wing  before  the  end  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  The  total  expenditures  previous  to 
1876  liad  exceeded  §637,000,  and  since  that  date 
liberal  appropriations  have  been  made  for  addi- 
tions, repairs  and  improvements,  including  the 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


403 


addition  of  between  300  and  400  acres  to  the  lands 
connected  with  the  institution  The  first  Board 
of  Trustees  consisted  of  Charles  N.  Holden, 
Oliver  Everett  and  Henry  W.  Sherman,  with  Dr. 
E.  A.  Kilbourne  as  the  first  Superintendent,  and 
Dr.  Richard  A.  Dewey  (afterwards  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Eastern  Hospital  at  Kankakee)  as  his 
Assistant.  Dr.  Kilbourne  remained  at  the  head 
of  the  institution  until  his  death,  Feb.  27,  1890, 
covering  a  period  of  nineteen  years.  Dr.  Kil- 
bourne was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Henry  J.  Brooks, 
and  he,  by  Dr.  Loewy,  in  June,  1893,  and  the 
latter  by  Dr.  John  B.  Hamilton  (former  Super- 
vising Surgeon  of  the  United  States  Marine  Hos- 
pital Service)  in  1897.  Dr.  Hamilton  died  in 
December,  1898.  (See  Hamilton,  John  B.)  The 
total  value  of  State  property,  June  30,  1894,  was 
$882,74.5.66,  of  which  $701,330  was  in  land  and 
buildings.  Under  the  terms  of  the  law  estab- 
lishing the  hospital,  provision  is  made  for  the 
care  therein  of  the  incurably  insane,  so  that  it  is 
both  a  hospital  and  an  asylum.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  patients  under  treatment,  for  the  two  years 
preceding  June  30,  1894,  was  1,797,  the  number 
of  inmates,  on  Dec.  1,  1897,  1,054,  and  the  average 
daily  attendance  for  treatment,  for  the  year  1896, 
1,296.  The  following  counties  comprise  the  dis- 
trict dependent  upon  the  Elgin  Hospital :  Boone, 
Carroll,  Cook,  DeKalb,  Jo  Daviess,  Kane,  Ken- 
dall, Lake,  Stephenson,  Whiteside  and  Winne- 
bago. 

NORTHERN  ILLINOIS  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 
an  institution,  incorporated  in  1884,  at  Dixon,  Lee 
County,  ni.,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  instruction 
in  branches  related  to  the  art  of  teaching.  Its 
last  report  claims  a  total  of  1,639  pupils,  of  whom 
885  were  men  and  744  women,  receiving  instruc- 
tion from  thirty-six  teachers.  The  total  value  of 
property  was  estimated  at  more  than  $300,000,  of 
which  $160,000  was  in  real  estate  and  $45,000  in 
apparatus.  Attendance  on  the  institution  has 
been  affected  by  the  establishment,  under  act  of 
the  Legislature  of  1895,  of  the  Northern  State 
Normal  School  at  DeKalb  (which  see). 

NORTHERN  PENITENTIARY,  THE,  an  insti- 
tution for  the  confinement  of  criminals  of  the 
State,  located  at  Joliet,  Will  County.  The  site 
was  purchased  by  the  State  in  1857,  and  com- 
prises some  seventy-two  acres.  Its  erection  was 
found  necessary  because  of  the  inadequacy  of  the 
first  penitentiary,  at  Alton.  (See  Alton  Peni- 
tentiary.) The  original  plan  contemplated  a 
cell-house  containing  1,000  cells,  which,  it  was 
thought,  would  meet  the  public  necessities  for 
many  years  to  come.     Its    estimated    cost    was 


$550,000;  but,  within  ten  years,  there  had  been 
expended  upon  tlie  institution  the  sum  of  $934,- 
000,  and  its  capacitj'  was  ta.xed  to  the  utmost. 
Subsequent  enlargements  have  increased  the 
cost  to  over  $1,600,000,  but  by  1877,  the  institution 
had  become  so  overcrowded  that  the  erection  of 
another  State  penal  institution  became  positively 
necessary.  (See  Southern  Penitentiary.)  The 
prison  has  always  been  conducted  on  "the 
Auburn  system,"  which  contemplates  associate 
labor  in  silence,  silent  meals  in  a  common  refec- 
tory, and  (as  nearly  as  practicable)  isolation  at 
night.  Tlie  system  of  labor  has  varied  at  differ- 
ent times,  the  "lessee  system,"  the  "contract 
system"  and  the  "State  account  plan"  being 
successively  in  force.  (See  Convict  Labor.)  The 
whole  number  of  convicts  in  the  institution,  at 
the  date  of  the  official  report  of  1895,  was  1,566. 
The  total  assets  of  the  institution,  Sept.  30,  1894, 
were  reported  at  $3,121,308.86,  of  which  $1,644,- 
601.11  was  in  real  estate. 

NORTH  &  SOUTH  RAILROAD.  (See  St. 
Loui.f,  Peoria  &  Nori'iern  Railway.) 

NORTHERN  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,  an 
institution  for  the  education  of  teachers  of  the 
common  schools,  authorized  to  be  established  by 
act  of  the  Legislature  passed  at  the  session  of 
1895.  The  act  made  an  appropriation  of  $50,000 
for  the  erection  of  buildings  and  other  improve- 
ments. The  institution  was  located  at  DeKalb, 
DeKalb  County,  in  the  spring  of  1896,  and  the 
erection  of  buildings  commenced  soon  after — 
Isaac  F.  Ellwood,  of  DeKalb,  contributing  $20,- 
000  in  cash,  and  J.  F.  Glidden,  a  site  of  sixty- 
seven  acres  of  land.  Up  to  Dec.  1,  1897,  the 
appropriations  and  contributions,  in  land  and 
money,  aggregated  $175,000.  The  school  was 
expected  to  be  ready  for  the  reception  of  pupils 
in  the  latter  part  of  1899,  and,  it  is  estimated,  will 
accommodate  1,000  students. 

NORTHWEST  TERRITORY.  The  name 
formerly  applied  to  that  portion  of  the  United 
States  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  River  and  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  comprising  the  present  States 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wiscon- 
sin. The  claim  of  the  Government  to  the  land 
had  been  acipiired  partly  througli  conquest,  by 
the  expedition  of  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark 
(which  see),  under  the  auspices  of  the  State  of 
Virginia  in  1778;  partly  through  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  and  partly  through  cessions  from  those 
of  the  original  States  laying  claim  thereto.'  The 
first  plan  for  the  government  of  this  vast  region 
was  devised  and  formulated  l)y  Thomas  Jefferson, 
in  his  proposed  Ordinance  of  1784,  whicli  failed 


404 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


of  ultimate  passage.  But  three  years  later  a 
broader  scheme  was  evolved,  and  the  famous 
Ordinance  of  1T87,  with  its  clause  i)rohibitin}5  the 
extension  of  slavery  beyond  the  Ohio  River, 
passed  the  Continental  Congress.  This  act  has 
been  sometimes  termed  "The  American  Magna 
Charta,"  because  of  its  engrafting  upon  the 
organic  law  the  principles  of  human  freedom  and 
equal  rights.  The  plan  for  the  establishment  of 
a.  distinctive  territorial  civil  government  in  a 
new  Territory — the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  new 
republic — was  felt  to  be  a  tentative  step,  and  too 
mucli  power  was  not  granted  to  the  resiilents. 
All  the  ofTn-ers  were  appointive,  and  each  ofKcial 
was  required  to  1)6  a  land-owner.  The  elective 
franchise  (but  only  for  members  of  the  General 
Assembly)  could  first  l)e  exercised  only  after  the 
population  had  reached  5,000.  Even  then,  every 
elector  must  own  fifty  acres  of  land,  and  every 
Representative,  200  acres.  More  liliei-al  provisions, 
however,  were  suV)sequently  incorixirateil  by 
amendment,  in  ISOO.  The  first  civil  government 
in  the  North  we.st  Territory  was  established  by  act 
of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  in  the  organization 
of  all  the  country  we,st  of  the  Ohio  under  the 
name  •Illinois  County."  of  which  the  Governor 
was  authorized  to  appoint  a  "County  Lieuten- 
ant" or  "Commandant-in-Cliief."  The  first 
"Commandant"  appointed  was  Col.  John  Todd, 
of  Kentucky,  though  he  continued  to  discharge 
the  duties  for  only  a  short  period,  being  killed  in 
the  battle  of  Blue  Licks,  in  1782.  After  that  the 
Illinois  Country  was  almost  without  the  semblance 
of  an  organized  civil  government,  until  1788, 
when  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Ckiir  was  apjjointed  the 
first  Governor  of  Northwest  Territorj-.  under  the 
Ordinance  of  1787,  serving  until  tlie  .separation  of 
this  region  into  the  Territories  of  Ohio  and  Indi- 
ana in  1800,  when  William  Henry  Harrison 
became  the  Governor  of  the  latter,  embracing  all 
that  portion  of  the  original  Northwest  Territory 
except  the  State  of  Ohio.  During  St.  Clair's 
administration  (1790)  that  part  of  the  present  State 
of  Illinois  between  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
Rivers  on  the  west,  and  a  line  extending  north 
from  about  the  site  of  old  Fort  Massac,  on  the 
Ohio,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackinaw  River,  in  the 
present  county  of  TazeweU,  on  the  east,  was 
erected  into  a  county  under  the  name  of  St. 
Clair,  with  three  county -seats,  viz. :  Cahokia, 
Kaskaskia  and  Prairie  du  Rocher.  (See  St.  Clair 
County.)  Between  1830  and  1834  the  name  North- 
west Territory  was  applied  to  an  unorganized 
region,  embracing  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin, 
attached  to  Michigan  Territory  for  governmental 


purposes.  (See  Illinois  County;  St  Clair,  Arthur; 
and  Todd,  John.) 

NORTHWESTERN  COLLEGE,  located  at 
Naperville,  Du  Page  County,  and  founded  in 
I860,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation. It  maintains  business,  preparatory  and 
collegiate  departments,  besides  a  theological 
school.  In  1898  it  had  a  faculty  of  nineteen  profes- 
sors and  assistants,  with  some  360  students,  less 
than  one-third  of  the  latter  being  females,  though 
both  sexes  are  admitted  to  the  college  on  an  equal 
footing.  The  institution  owns  property  to  the 
value  of  $207,000,  including  an  endowment  of 
§8.j,000. 

\ORTHWESTERN  GRAM)  TRUNK  RAIL- 
WAY.     (See  Chicngii  <t  Grand  Trunk  liailway.) 

NORTHWESTERN  NORMAL,  located  at  Gene- 
seo,  Henry  County,  111.,  incorporated  in  1884;  in 
1894  had  a  facultj-  of  twelve  teachers  with  171 
pupils,  of  whom  ninety  were  male  and  eighty-one 
female. 

NORTHWESTERN  UNIVERSITY,  an  impor- 
tant educational  institution,  established  at 
Evanston.  in  Cook  County,  in  1851.  In  1898  it 
reported  2,599  students  (1,980  male  and  619 
female),  and  a  facultj'  of  234  instructors. 
It  embraces  the  following  departments,  all  of 
whicli  confer  degrees:  A  College  of  Liberal 
Arts;  two  Medical  Schools  (one  for  women 
exclusively);  a  Law  School;  a  School  of  Phar- 
macy and  a  Dental  College.  The  Garrett  Bibli- 
cal Institute,  at  which  no  degrees  are  con- 
ferred, constitutes  the  theological  department  of 
the  University.  The  charter  of  the  institution 
requires  a  majority  of  the  Trustees  to  be  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churcli,  and  the 
University  is  the  largest  and  wealthiest  of  the 
schools  controlled  by  tliat  denomination.  The 
College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  the  Garrett  Biblical 
Institute  are  at  Evanston ;  the  other  departments 
(all  professional)  are  located  in  Chicago.  In  the 
academic  department  (Liberal  ^Vrts  School),  pro- 
vision is  made  for  both  graduate  and  post-gradu- 
ate courses.  The  Medical  School  was  formerly 
known  as  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  and  its 
Law  Department  was  originally  the  Union  Col- 
lege of  Law,  Ixith  of  which  have  been  absorbed 
by  the  University,  as  have  also  its  schools  of 
dentistry  and  pharmacy,  which  were  formerly 
independent  institutions.  The  property  owned  by 
the  Liniversity  is  valued  at  §4.870.000,  of  which 
81,100,000  is  real  estate,  and  §2,250,000  in  endow- 
ment funds.  Its  income  from  fees  paid  by  students 
in  1898  was  §215,288.  and  total  receipts  from  all 
sources,  §482,389.     Co-education  of  the  sexes  pre- 


mSTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLIXOIS. 


405 


vails  in  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts.     Dr.  Henry 
Wade  Rogers  is  President. 

NORTHWESTERN  UNIVERSITY  MEDICAL 
SCHOOL,  located  in  Chicago;  was  organized  in 
1859  as  Jledical  Scliool  of  the  Lind  (now  Lake 
Forest)  University.  Tliree  annual  terms,  of  five 
months  each,  at  first  constituted  a  course, 
although  attendance  at  two  only  was  compul- 
sory. The  institution  first  opened  in  temporary 
quarters,  Oct.  9,  18.59,  with  thirteen  professors 
and  thirty-three  students.  By  18G;!  more  ample 
accommodations  were  needed,  and  the  Trustees 
of  the  Lind  University  being  unable  to  provide  a 
building,  one  was  erected  by  the  faculty.  In 
1864  the  University  relinquished  all  claim  to  the 
institution,  which  was  thereupon  incorporated  as 
the  Chicago  Medical  College.  In  1868  the  length 
of  the  annual  terms  was  increased  to  six  months, 
and  additional  requirements  were  imposed  on 
candidates  for  both  matriculation  and  gradu- 
ation. The  same  year,  the  college  building  was 
sold,  and  the  erection  of  a  new  and  more  commo- 
dious edifice,  on  the  grounds  of  the  Mercy  Hos- 
pital, was  commenced.  This  was  completed  in 
1870,  and  the  college  became  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Northwestern  University.  The 
number  of  professorships  had  been  increased  to 
eighteen,  and  that  of  undergraduates  to  107. 
Since  that  date  new  laboratory  and  clinical  build- 
ings have  been  erected,  and  the  growth  of  the 
institution  has  been  steady  and  substantial. 
Mercy  and  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  the  South 
Side  Free  Dispensary  aflford  resources  for  clinical 
instruction.  The  teaching  faculty,  as  constituted 
in  1808,  consists  of  about  fifty  instructors,  in- 
cluding professors,  lecturers,  demonstrators,  and 
assistants. 

NORTHWESTERN  UNIVERSITY  WOMAN'S 
MEDICAL  SCHOOJi,  an  institution  for  the  pro 
fessional  education  of  women,  located  in 
Chicago.  Its  first  corporate  name  was  the 
"Woman's  Hospital  Medical  College  of  Chicago," 
and  it  was  in  close  connection  with  the  Chicago 
Hospital  for  Women  and  Children.  Later,  it 
severed  its  connection  with  the  hospital  and  took 
the  name  of  the  "Woman's  Medical  College  of 
Chicago."  Co-education  of  the  sexes,  in  medicine 
and  surgery,  was  experimentally  tried  from  1868 
to  1870,  but  the  experiment  proved  repugnant  to 
tho  male  students,  who  unanimously  signed  a 
protest  against  the  continuance  of  the  system.. 
The  result  was  the  establishment  of  a  separate 
school  for  women  in  1870,  with  a  faculty  of  six- 
teen professors.  The  requirements  for  graduation 
were  fixed  at  four  years  of  medical  study,  includ- 


ing three  annual  graded  college  terms  of  six 
months  each.  The  fii-st  term  opened  in  the 
autumn  of  1870,  with  an  attendance  of  twenty 
students.  Tlie  original  location  of  the  school 
was  in  the  "North  Division"  of  Chicago,  in  tem- 
porary (fuarters.  After  the  fire  of  1871  a  removal 
Avas  effected  to  the  "West  Division,"  where  (in 
1878-79)  a  modest,  but  well  arranged  building  was 
erected.  A  larger  structure  was  built  in  1884, 
and,  in  1891,  the  institution  became  a  part  of  the 
Northwestern  University.  The  college,  in  all  its 
departments,  is  organized  along  the  lines  of  the 
best  medical  schools  of  the  country.  In  1896 
there  were  twenty-four  professorships,  all  capably 
filled,  and  among  the  faculty  are  some  of  the 
best  known  specialists  in  the  country. 

NORTON,  Jesse  0.,  lawyer.  Congressman  and 
Judge,  was  born  at  Bennington.  Vt.,  April  2.'5, 
1812,  and  graduated  from  Williams  College  in 
183,').  He  settled  at  Joliet  in  1839,  and  soon 
became  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Will  County. 
His  first  public  office  was  that  of  City  Attorney, 
after  which  he  served  as  County  Judge  (1846-50). 
Meanwliile,  he  was  chosen  a  Delegate  to  tlie  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1847.  In  1850  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and,  in  1852.  to  Con- 
gress, as  a  Whig.  His  vigorous  opposition  to  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  resulted  in 
his  re-election  as  a  Representative  in  18.54.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  second  term  (1857)  he  was 
chcsen  Judge  of  the  eleventh  circuit,  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Judge  Randall,  resigned.  He 
was  once  more  elected  to  Congress  in  1863,  but 
disagreed  witli  his  party  as  to  the  legal  status  of 
the  States  lately  in  rebellion.  President  Johnson 
appointed  him  United  States  Attorney  for  the 
Northern  District  of  Illinois,  which  office  he  filled 
until  1869.  Immediately  upon  his  retirement  he 
began  private  practice  at  Chicago,  where  he  died. 
August  3,  1875. 

NORWOOD  PARK,  a  village  of  Cook  County, 
on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  (Wis- 
consin Division),  11  miles  northwest  of  Chicago. 
Incorporated  in  City  of  Chicago,  1893. 

NOYES,  George  Clement,  clergyman,  was  born 
at  Landaff,  N.  H.,  August  4,  1833,  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Pike  County,  111.,  in  1844.  and.  at 
the  age  of  16,  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
ministry ;  in  1851,  entered  Illinois  College  at  Jack- 
sonville, graduating  with  first  honors  in  the  class 
of  1855.  In  the  following  autumn  he  entered 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Ne%v  York,  and, 
having  graduated  in  1858,  was  ordained  the  same 
year,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Cliurch  at  Laporte,  Ind.    Here  he  remained 


400 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


ten  years,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  Chureh  of  Evanstun,  111.,  then  a 
small  organization  which  developed,  during  the 
twenty  years  of  his  pastorate,  into  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  influential  churches  in  Evans- 
ton.  For  a  number  of  years  Dr.  Noyes  was  an 
editorial  writer  and  weekly  correspondent  of 
"The  New  York  Evangelist,"  over  the  signature 
of  "Clement."  He  was  also,  for  several  years,  an 
active  and  very  efficient  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Knox  College.  The  liberal  bent  of 
his  minil  was  illu.strated  in  the  fact  that  he  acted 
as  counsel  for  Prof.  David  Swing,  during  the  cele- 
brated trial  of  the  latter  for  heresy  before  the 
Chicago  Pre.sbytery  —  his  argument  on  that 
occasion  winning  encomiums  from  all  classes  of 
people.  His  death  took  place  at  Evanston,  Jan. 
14,  1889,  as  the  re.sult  of  an  attack  of  pneumonia, 
and  was  deeply  deplored,  not  only  by  his  own 
church  and  denomination,  but  by  the  whole  com- 
munity. Some  two  weeks  after  it  occurred  a 
union  meeting  was  held  in  one  of  the  churches  at 
Evanston,  at  which  addres,ses  in  commemoration 
of  his  services  were  delivered  by  some  dozen 
ministers  of  that  village  and  of  Chicago,  while 
various  social  and  literary  organizations  and  the 
press  bore  testimony  to  his  high  character.  He 
was  a  meniter  of  the  Literary  Society  of  Chicago, 
and,  during  the  last  year  of  his  life,  served  as  its 
President.  Dr.  Noyes  was  married,  in  1858,  to  a 
daughter  of  David  A.  Smith.  Esq.,  an  honored 
citizen  and  able  lawyer  of  Jacksonville. 

O.VKL.iXD,  a  city  of  Coles  County  on  the  Van- 
dalia  Line  and  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  A  Western 
Railroad,  15  miles  northeast  of  Charleston;  is  in 
grain  center  and  bro<im-corn  belt ;  the  town  has 
two  banks  and  one  daily  and  two  weekly  papers. 
Pop.   (1890),  995;(19()0),  1,198. 

OAK  PARK,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  and 
popular  residence  suburb  of  Chicago,  9  miles 
west  of  the  initial  station  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Riilroad,  on  which  it  is  located ;  is 
also  upon  the  line  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  Rail- 
road. The  place  has  numerous  churches,  pros- 
perous schools,  a  public  library,  telegraph  and 
express  oflfices.  banks  and  two  local  papers. 
Population  (1880),  1,888;  (1890),  4,771. 

OBEBLT,  John  H.,  journalist  and  Civil  Serv- 
ice Commissioner,  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  Dec.  6,  1837 ;  si)ent  part  of  his  boyhood  in 
Allegheny  County,  Pa.,  but,  in  1S.")8,  began  learn- 
ing the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  "The  Woos- 
ter  (Ohio")  Republican,"  completing  it  at  Memphis, 
Tenn  ,   and  becoming  a  journeyman  printer  in 


1857.  He  worked  in  various  offices,  including 
the  Wooster  paper,  where  he  also  began  the  stvidy 
of  law,  but,  in  1860,  became  part  proprietor  of 
"The  Bulletin"  job  office  at  Memphis,  in  which 
he  had  been  employed  as  an  apprentice,  and, 
later,  as  foreman.  Having  been  notified  to  leave 
Meni[)his  on  account  of  his  Union  principles 
after  the  l)eginning  of  the  Civil  War,  he  returned 
to  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  conducted  various  papers 
there  during  the  next  four  years,  but,  in  1865, 
came  to  Cairo,  111.,  where  he  served  for  a  time  as 
foreman  of  "The  Cairo  Democrat,"  three  years 
later  establishing  "The  Cairo  Bulletin."  Although 
the  latter  paper  was  burned  out  a  few  months  later, 
it  was  immediately  re-established.  In  1872  he 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Twenty  eighth 
General  Assembly,  and,  in  1877,  was  appointed 
b}'  Governor  CuUom  the  Democratic  meinter  of 
the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission,  serving 
four  years,  meanwhile  (in  1880)  lieing  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Secretary  of  State.  Other 
positions  held  bj-  him  included  Maj'or  of  the  city 
of  Cairo  (1869);  President  of  the  National  Typo- 
graphical Union  at  Chicago  (1805),  and  at  Mem- 
phis (1860);  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  at  Baltimore  (1872),  and  Chairman  of 
the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee 
(1883-84).  After  retiring  from  the  Itailroad  and 
Warehouse  Commission,  he  united  in  founding 
"The  Bloomingtou  (111.)  Bulletin,"  of  which  he 
was  editor  some  three  years.  During  f*resident 
Cleveland's  administration  he  wiis  api)ointed  a 
meml)er  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  being 
later  transferred  to  the  Commissionership  of 
Indian  Affairs.  He  was  subsequently  connected 
in  an  editorial  capacity  with  "The  "Washington 
Post,"  "The  Richmond  (Va.)  State,"  "The  Con- 
cord (N.  H.)  People  and  Patriot"  and  "The  Wash- 
ington Times."  While  engaged  in  an  attempt  to 
reorganize  "The  People  and  Patriot,"  he  died  at 
Concord.  N.  H.,  April  15,  1899. 

ODD  FELLOWS.  "Western  Star"  Lodge,  No. 
1,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  instituted  at  Alton,  June  11, 
1836.  In  1838  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois  was 
instituted  at  the  same  place,  and  reorganized,  at 
Springfield,  in  1842.  S.  C.  Pierce  was  the  first 
Grand  Master,  and  Samuel  L.  Miller,  Grand  Sec- 
retary. AVildey  Encampment,  No.  1,  was  organ- 
ized at  Alton  in  1838,  and  the  Grand  Encam])ment, 
at  Peoria,  in  1850,  with  Charles  H.  Constable 
Grand  Patriarch.  In  1850  the  sulx>rdinate  branches 
of  the  Order  numbered  seventj'-six,  with  3,291 
memliers,  and  $25,392.87  revenue.  In  1895  the 
Lodges  numbered  838,  the  membership  50,544, 
with  $475,252.18  revenue,  of   which   ?135,018.40 


niSTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


407 


was  expended  for  relief.  The  Encampment 
branch,  in  1895,  embraced  179  organizations  with 
a  membership  of  6,813  and  $23,865.35  revenue,  of 
which  §6,781.40  was  paid  out  for  relief.  The 
Rebekah  branch,  for  the  same  year,  comprised  423 
Lodges,  with  22,000  members  and  §43,215.65 
revenue,  of  which  §3,132.79  was  for  relief.  The 
total  sum  distributed  for  relief  by  the  several 
organizations  (1895)  was  .?144,973.59.  The  Order 
was  especially  liberal  in  its  benefactions  to  the 
sufferers  by  the  Chicago  fire  of  1871,  an  appeal  to 
its  members  calling  forth  a  generous  response 
throughout  the  United  States.  (See  Odd  Fellows' 
Orphans'  Hoiiw.) 

ODD  FELLOWS'  ORPHANS'  HOME,  a  benevo 
lent  institution,  incorporated  in  1889,  erected  at 
Lincoln,  111.,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Daughters 
of  Rebekah  (see  Odd  Fellows),  and  dedicated 
August  19,  1892.  The  building  is  four  stories  in 
height,  has  a  capacity  for  the  accommodation  of 
fifty  children,  and  cost  §36, .524. 76,  exclusive  of 
forty  acres  of  land  valued  at  §8,000. 

ODELL,  a  village  of  Livingston  County,  and 
station  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  82 
miles  south-southwest  of  Chicago.  It  is  in  a 
grain  and  stock-raising  region.  Population  (1880), 
908;  (1890),  800;  (1900),  1,000. 

ODIN,  a  village  of  Jlarion  County,  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Rail- 
ways, 244  miles  south  by  west  from  Chicago;  in 
fruit  belt;  has  coal-mine,  two  fruit  evaporators, 
bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  1,180. 

0'FALLO>',a  village  of  St.  Clair  County,  on 
the  Baltimore  &  Oliio  Southwestern  Railway,  18 
miles  east  of  St.  Louis;  has  interurban  railway, 
electric  lights,  water-works,  factories,  coal-mine, 
bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  1,267. 

OGDEN,  William  Bntler,  capitalist  and  Rail 
way  President,  born  at  Walton,  N.  Y.,  June  15, 
1805.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New  York  Legis- 
lature in  1834,  and,  the  following  year,  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  established  a  land  and  trust 
agency.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  various 
enterprises  centering  around  Chicago,  and,  on 
the  incorporation  of  the  city,  was  elected  its  first 
Mayor.  He  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
construction  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union 
Railroad,  and,  in  1847,  became  its  President. 
While  visiting  Europe  in  1853,  he  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  canals  of  Holland,  which  convinced 
him  of  the  desirability  of  widening  and  deepen- 
ing the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and  of  con- 
structing a  ship  canal  across  the  southern 
peninsula  of  Michigan.     In  1855  he  became  Presi- 


dent of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac 
Railroad,  and  effected  its  consolidation  with  the 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union.  Out  of  this  consoli- 
dation sprang  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way Company,  of  wliich  he  was  elected  President. 
In  1850  he  presided  over  the  National  Pacific 
Railroad  Convention,  and,  upon  the  formation  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  he  became 
its  President.  He  was  largely  connected  with 
the  inception  of  the  Northern  Pacific  line,  in  the 
success  of  which  he  was  a  firm  believer.  He 
also  controlled  various  other  interests  of  public 
importance,  among  them  the  great  lumbering 
establishments  at  Peshtigo,  Wis.,  and,  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  was  the  owner  of  what  was  probably 
the  largest  plant  of  that  description  in  the  world. 
His  benefactions  were  numerous,  among  the 
recipients  being  the  Rush  Medical  College,  of 
which  he  was  President;  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest,  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  tlie  University 
of  Chicago,  the  Astronomical  Society,  and  many 
other  educational  and  benevolent  institutions 
and  organizations  in  the  Northwest.  Died,  in 
New  York  City,  August  3,  1877.  (See  CJiieago  & 
Xorfh  irestern  Railroad. ) 

OGLE,  Joseph,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Virginia 
in  1741,  came  to  Illinois  in  1785,  settling  in  the 
American  Bottom  within  the  present  County  of 
Monroe,  but  afterwards  removed  to  St.  Clair 
County,  about  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
O'Fallon,  8  miles  north  of  Belleville;  was  selected 
by  his  neighbors  to  serve  as  Captain  in  their 
skirmishes  with  the  Indians.  Died,  at  his  home 
in  St.  Clair  County,  in  February,  1821.  Captain 
Ogle  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  earliest  con- 
vert to  Methodism  in  Illinois.  Ogle  County,  in 
Nortliern  Illinois,  was  named  in  his  honor. — 
Jacob  (Ogle),  son  of  the  preceding,  also  a  native 
of  Virginia,  was  born  about  1773,  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  father  in  1785,  and  was  a  "Ranger"  in 
the  War  of  1812.  He  served  as  a  Representative 
from  St.  Clair  County  in  the  Third  General 
Assembly  (1822),  and  again  in  the  Seventh 
(1830),  in  the  former  being  an  opponent  of  the 
pro-slavery  convention  scheme.  Beyond  two 
terms  in  the  Legislature  he  seems  to  have  held 
no  public  office  except  that  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  Like  his  father,  he  was  a  zealous  Metho- 
dist and  highly  respected.  Died,  in  1844,  aged  72 
years. 

OGLE  COUNTY,  next  to  the  "northern  tier"  of 
counties  of  the  State  and  originally  a  part  of  Jo 
Daviess.  It  was  separately  organized  in  1837, 
and  Lee  County  was  carved  from  its  territory  in 


408 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


1839.  In  1900  its  area  was  TSO  scjuare  miles,  and 
its  population  29,129.  Before  the  Black  Hawk 
War  immigration  was  slow,  and  life  primitive. 
Peoria  was  the  nearest  food  market.  New  grain 
was  "ground"  on  a  grater,  and  old  pounded 
with  an  extemporized  pestle  in  a  wooden  mortar. 
Rock  River  flows  across  the  county  from  north- 
east to  southwest.  A  little  oak  timher  grows 
along  its  banks,  but,  generally  speaking,  the  sur- 
face is  undulating  prairie,  with  soil  of  a  ridi 
loam.  Sandstone  is  in  ample  supply,  and  all  the 
limestones  abound.  An  extensive  peat-bed  has 
been  discovered  on  the  Killbuck  Creek.  Oregon, 
the  countj'-seat,  has  fine  water-jMjwer.  The  other 
principal  towns  are  Rochelle,  Polo,  Forreston  and 
Mount  Morris. 

OtiLESBV,  Richard  James,  Governor  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  in  Oldham 
County,  K}-.,  3ulj-  25,  1824;  left  an  orphan  at  the 
age  of  8  years;  in  1836  accompanied  an  uncle  to 
Decatur,  111.,  where,  until  1844.  he  worked  at 
farming,  carpentering  and  rope-making,  devoting 
his  leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  law.  In  1845  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  practice  at 
Sullivan,  in  Moultrie  County.  In  1S46  he  was 
commissioned  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  Regi- 
ment, Illinois  Volunteers  (Col.  E.  D.  Baker's  regi- 
ment), and  served  through  the  Mexican  War, 
taking  part  in  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz  and  the 
battle  of  Cerro  Gordo.  In  1847  he  pursued  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Louisville  Law  School, 
graduating  in  1848.  He  was  a  "forty-niner"  in 
California,  but  returned  to  Decatur  in  1851.  In 
1858  he  made  an  unsuccessful  campaign  for  Con- 
gress in  the  Decatur  District.  In  1860  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  but  early  in  1861 
resigned  his  seat  to  accept  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Eighth  Illinois  Volunteers.  Through  gallantry 
(notably  at  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson  and  at 
Corinth)  he  rose  to  be  Major-General,  being  se- 
verely wounded  in  the  la.st-named  battle  He 
resigned  his  commission  on  account  of  dis;ibility. 
in  May,  1864,  and  the  following  November  was 
elected  Governor,  as  a  Republican.  In  1872  he 
was  re-elected  Governor,  but,  two  weeks  after 
his  inauguration,  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  to  which  lie  was  elected 
by  the  Legislature  of  1873.  In  1884  he  wiis 
elected  Governor  for  the  third  time — being  the 
only  man  in  the  history  of  the  State  who  (up  to 
the  present  time — 1899)  has  been  thus  honored. 
After  the  expiration  of  liis  last  term  as  Governor, 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  his  private  affairs  at 
his  home  at  Elkhart,  in  Logan  County,  where  he 
died.  April  24,  1899,  deeply  mourned  by  personal 


and  ix)litical  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  Union, 
who  admired  his  strict  integrity  and  sterling 
patriotism. 

OHIO,  INDIAXA  &  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 
(See  Piiiriit  d:  Eastern  Rnilruad.) 

OHIO  RIVER,  an  affluent  of  the  Mississippi, 
formed  by  the  union  of  the  Monongahela  and 
Allegheny  Rivers,  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.  At  this  point 
it  becomes  a  navigable  stream  about  400  yards 
wide,  with  an  elevation  of  about  700  feet  above 
sea-level.  The  beauty  of  the  scenery  along  its 
lianks  secured  for  it,  from  the  earlj-  French 
explorers  (of  whom  La  Salle  was  one),  the  name 
of  "La  Belle  Riviere."  Its  general  course  is  to 
the  southwest,  but  with  many  sinuosities,  form- 
ing the  .southern  boundary  of  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  the  western  and  north- 
ern boundary  of  West  Virginia  and  Kentucky, 
until  it  enters  the  Mi.s.sissippi  at  Cairo,  in  latitude 
37'  N.,  and  alxjut  1,200  miles  above  the  nK)uth  of 
the  latter  stream.  The  area  which  it  drains  is 
compute<l  to  be  214,000  square  miles.  Its  mouth 
is  268  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  current 
is  remarkably  gentle  and  uniform,  except  near 
Louisville,  where  there  is  a  descent  of  twenty- 
two  feet  within  two  miles,  which  is  evaded  by 
means  of  a  canal  around  the  falls.  Large  steam- 
boats can  navigate  its  whole  length,  except  in  low 
stages  of  water  and  when  closed  by  ice  in  winter. 
Its  largest  affluents  are  the  Tennes.see.  the  Cum- 
berland, the  Kentucky,  the  Great  Kanawha  and 
the  Green  Rivers,  from  the  south,  and  the  Wa- 
bash, the  Miami,  Scioto  and  Muskingum  from  the 
north.  The  principal  cities  on  its  banks  are  Pitts- 
burg, Wheeling,  Cincinnati,  Loui.sville,  Evans- 
ville.  New  Albany,  Madison  and  Cairo.  It  is 
crossed  by  bridges  at  Wheeling,  Cincinnati  and 
Cairo.  The  surface  of  the  Ohio  is  subject  to  a 
variation  of  forty-two  to  fifty-one  feet  between 
high  and  low  water.  Its  length  is  975  miles,  and 
its  width  varies  from  400  to  1,000  yards.  (See 
IniiuiUttiuns,  Remarkable. ) 

OHIO  &  MISSISSIPPI  R.ULWAT.  (See  Bal- 
timore <t  Ohio  Sonthu-estern  Railroad.) 

OLXEY,  an  incorporated  city  and  the  county- 
seat  of  Richland  County,  31  miles  west  of  Vin- 
cenne.s,  Ind.,  and  117  miles  east  of  St.  LouLs,  Mo., 
at  the  junction  of  the  Baltimore  it  Ohio  South- 
western and  the  Peoria  Division  of  the  Illinois 
Central  and  ihe  Ohio  Ri%-er  Division  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati, Hamilton  &  Daj'ton  Railroad ;  is  in  the 
center  of  the  fruit  belt  and  an  important  sliipping 
point  for  farm  produce  and  live-stock ;  has  flour 
mills,  a  furniture  factory  and  railroad  repair 
shops,  banks,  a  public  library,  churches  and  five 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


409 


newspapers,  one  issuing  daily  and  anotlier  semi- 
weekly  editions.  Population  (1890),  3,831 ;  (1900), 
4,260. 

OMELVENY,  John,  pioneer  and  head  of  a 
numerous  family  which  became  prominent  in 
Southern  Illinois;  was  a  native  of  Ireland  who 
came  to  America  about  1798  or  1799.  After  resid- 
ing in  Kentucky  a  few  years,  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  what  afterwards  became  Pope 
County,  whither  his  oldest  son,  Samuel,  had 
preceded  him  about  1797  or  1798.  The  latter  for 
a  time  followed  the  occupation  of  flat-boating, 
carrying  produce  to  New  Orleans.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1818 
from  Pope  County,  being  the  colleague  of  Hamlet 
Ferguson.  A  year  later  he  removed  to  Randolph 
County,  where  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
County  Court,  but,  in  1820-33,  we  find  him  a 
member  of  the  Second  General  Assembly  from 
Union  County,  having  successfully  contested  the 
seat  of  Samuel  Alexander,  who  had  received  the 
certificate  of  election.  He  died  in  1828.— Edward 
(Omelveny),  another  member  of  this  family,  and 
grandson  of  the  elder  John  Omelveny,  represented 
Monroe  County  in  the  Fifteenth  General  Assem- 
bly (1846-48),  and  was  Presidential  Elector  in 
1853,  but  died  sometime  during  the  Civil  War. — 
Harvey  K.  S.  (Omelveny),  the  fifth  son  of  Wil- 
liam Omelveny  and  grandson  of  John,  was  born 
in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  in  1833,  came  to  Southern 
Illinois,  in  1852,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law,  being  for  a  time  the  partner  of  Senator 
Thomas  E.  Merritt,  at  Salem.  Early  in  IS.'iS  he 
was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  Circuit  Court  to 
succeed  Judge  Breese,  who  had  been  promoted  to 
the  Supreme  Court,  but  resigned  in  1801.  He 
gained  considerable  notoriety  by  his  intense 
hostility  to  the  policy  of  the  Government  during 
the  Civil  War,  was  a  Delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1863,  and  was  named  as  a 
member  of  the  Peace  Commission  proposed  to  be 
appointed  by  the  General  Assembly,  in  1863,  to 
secure  terms  of  peace  with  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy. He  was  also  a  leading  spirit  in  the 
peace  meeting  held  at  Peoria,  in  August,  1863. 
In  1869  Mr.  Omelveny  removed  to  Los  Angeles, 
Cal. ,  which  has  since  been  his  home,  and  where 
he  has  carried  on  a  lucrative  law  practice. 

OSARCJA,  a  town  in  Iroquois  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  85  miles  south  by  west 
from  Cliicago,  and  43  miles  north  by  east  from 
Champaign.  It  is  a  manufacturing  town,  flour, 
wagons,  wire-fencing,  stoves  and  tile  being 
among  the  products.  It  has  a  bank,  eight 
churches,  a  graded  school,  a  commercial  college. 


and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Population  (1880), 
1,061;  (1890),  994;   (1900),  1,270. 

ONEIDA,  a  city  in  Knox  County,  on  the  Chi- 
cago. Burlington  it  Quincy  Railroad,  13  miles 
northeast  of  Galesburg;  has  wagon,  pump  and 
furniture  factories,  two  banks,  electric  lights, 
several  churches,  a  graded  school,  and  a  weekly 
paper.  The  surrounding  country  is  rich  prairie, 
where  coal  is  mined  about  twenty  feet  below  the 
surface.     Pop.  (1890),  699;  (1900),  785. 

OCJUAWKA,  the  county-seat  of  Henderson 
County,  situated  on  the  Mississippi  River,  about 
15  miles  above  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  32  miles 
west  of  Galesburg.  It  is  in  a  farming  region, 
but  has  some  manufactories.  The  town  has 
five  churches,  a  graded  school,  a  bank  and  three 
newspapers.     Population   (1900),  1,010. 

ORDINANCE  OF  1787.  This  is  the  name 
given  to  the  first  organic  act,  passed  by  Congress, 
for  the  government  of  the  territory  northwest  of 
the  Ohio  River,  comprising  the  present  States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin. 
The  first  step  in  this  direction  vras  taken  in  the 
appointment,  by  Congress,  on  March  1,  1784,  of  a 
committee,  of  which  Thomas  Jefferson  was  Chair- 
man, to  prepare  a  plan  for  the  temporary  govern- 
ment of  the  region  which  had  been  acquired,  by 
the  capture  of  Kaskaskia,  by  Col.  George  Rogers 
Clark,  nearly  six  years  previous.  The  necessity 
for  some  step  of  this  sort  had  grown  all  the  more 
urgent,  in  consequence  of  the  recognition  of  the 
right  of  the  United  States  to  this  region  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris  of  1783.  and  the  surrender,  by  Vir- 
ginia, of  the  title  she  had  maintained  thereto  on 
account  of  Clark's  conquest  under  her  auspices — • 
a  right  which  she  had  exercised  by  furnishing 
whatever  semblance  of  government  so  far  existed 
northwest  of  the  Ohio.  The  report  submitted 
from  Jefferson's  committee  proposed  the  division 
of  the  Territory  into  seven  States,  to  which  was 
added  the  proviso  that,  after  the  year  1800.  "there 
sliall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude 
in  any  of  said  States,  otherwise  than  in  punish- 
ment of  crime  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been 
duly  convicted."  Tliis  report  failed  of  adoption, 
however,  Congress  contenting  itself  with  the 
passage  of  a  resolution  providing  for  future 
organization  of  this  territory  into  States  by  the 
people — the  measures  necessary  for  temporary 
government  being  left  to  future  Congressional 
action.  While  the  postponement,  in  the  reso- 
lution as  introduced  by  Jefl'erson,  of  the  inhi- 
bition of  slavery  to  the  year  1800,  has  been 
criticised,  its  introduction  was  significant,  as 
coming  from  a  representative  from  a  slave  State, 


410 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  being  the  first  proposition  in  Congress  look- 
ing to  restriction,  of  any  character,  on  the  subject 
of  slavery.  Congress  having  taken  no  further 
step  under  the  resolution  adopted  in  1784,  the 
condition  of  the  country  (thus  left  practically 
without  a  responsible  government,  while  increas- 
ing in  population)  became  constantlj'  more 
deplorable.  An  appeal  from  the  people  about 
Kaskaskia  for  some  better  form  of  goverrmient, 
in  1780,  aided  by  the  influence  of  the  newly 
organized  "Ohio  Company,"  who  desired  to  en- 
courage emigration  to  the  lands  whicli  they  were 
planning  to  secure  from  the  General  Government, 
at  last  brought  about  the  desired  result,  in  the 
passage  of  the  famous  "Ordinance,"  on  the  13th 
day  of  July,  1787.  While  making  provision  for  a 
mode  of  temporarj-  self-government  by  the 
people,  its  most  striking  features  are  to  be  found 
in  the  six  "articles" — a  sort  of  "Bill  of  Rights" — 
with  whii-h  the  document  closes.  These  assert: 
(1)  the  right  of  freedom  of  worsliip  and  religious 
opinion;  (2)  the  right  to  the  benefit  of  habeas 
corpus  and  trial  by  jury ;  to  proportionate  repre- 
sentation, and  to  protection  in  liberty  and  prop- 
erty; (3)  that  "religion,  morality  and  knowledge, 
being  necessary  to  good  government  and  the 
happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of 
education  shall  forever  be  encouraged";  (4)  that 
the  States,  formed  within  the  territory  referred 
to,  "shall  forever  remain  a  part  of  this  confeder- 
acy of  the  Unite<l  States  of  America,  subject  to 
the  Articles  of  Confederation  and  to  such  alter- 
ations therein  as  shall  be  constitutionally  made"  ; 
(5)  prescribe  the  boundaries  of  the  States  to  be 
formed  therein  and  the  conditions  of  their  admis- 
sion into  the  Union ;  and  (6 — and  most  significant 
of  all)  repeat  the  prohibition  regarding  the 
introduction  of  slavery  into  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, as  pro]K)sed  by  Jefferson,  but  without  any 
qualification  as  to  time.  There  has  been  consider- 
able controversy  regarding  the  authorship  of  this 
portion  of  the  Ordinance,  into  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  enter  here.  While  it  has  been  char- 
acterized as  a  second  and  advanced  Declaration 
of  Independence — and  probably  no  single  act  of 
Congress  was  ever  fraught  with  more  important 
and  far-reaching  results — it  seems  remarkable 
that  a  majority  of  the  States  supporting  it  and 
securing  its  adoption,  were  then,  and  long  con- 
tinued to  Ije,  slave  States. 

OREGON",  the  county-seat  of  Ogle  County, 
situated  on  Rock  River  and  the  Minneapolis 
Branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road, 100  miles  west  from  Chicago.  The  sur- 
rounding region  is   agricultural;   the  town  has 


water  power  and  manufactures  flour,  pianos,  steel 
tanks,  street  sprinklers,  and  iron  castings.  It  has 
two  banks,  water-works  supplied  by  flowing 
artesian  well.s,  cereal  mill,  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers ;  has  also  obtained  some  repute  as  a  summer 
resort.  Pop. (1880),  1,088;  (1890),  1,566;  (1900), 1,577. 

ORION,  a  village  of  Henry  County,  at  the  inter- 
.section  of  the  Rock  Island  Division  of  the  Chicago 
Burlington  it  Quincy  and  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Islanil  Jk  Pacific  Railways,  19  miles  southea.st  of 
Rock  Island.     Pop.  (1890).  liU .  (1900).  584. 

OSBORN,  William  Henrj,  Railway  President, 
was  born  at  Salem,  Mass.,  Dec.  21,  1820.  After 
receiving  a  high  school  education  in  his  native 
town,  he  entered  the  counting  room  of  the  East 
India  liouse  of  Peele,  Hubbell  &  Co. ;  was  subse- 
quently sent  to  represent  the  firm  at  Manila, 
finally  engaging  in  business  on  his  own  account, 
during  which  he  traveled  extensively  in  Europe. 
Returning  to  the  United  States  in  1853,  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  New  York,  and,  having  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sturges,  one  of  the 
original  incorporators  and  promoters  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  he  soon  after  became  asso- 
ciated with  that  enterprise.  In  August,  1854,  he 
was  chosen  a  Director  of  the  Company,  and,  on 
Dec.  1,  1855,  became  its  third  President,  serving 
in  the  latter  position  nearly  ten  years  (until  July 
11,  1865),  and,  as  a  Director,  until  1877 — in  all, 
twenty-two  years.  After  retiring  from  his  con- 
nection with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  Mr. 
Osborn  gave  his  attention  largely  to  enterprises 
of  an  educational  and  benevolent  character  in  aid 
of  the  unfortunate  classes  in  the  State  of  New 
York. 

OSnORX,  Thomas  0.,  soldier  and  diplomatist, 
was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  August  11, 
1832;  graduated  from  the  Ohio  University  at 
Athens,  in  1854;  studied  law  at  Crawfordsville. 
Ind.,  with  Gen.  Lew  Wallace,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  began  practice  in  Chicago.  Early  in 
the  war  for  the  Union  he  joined  the  "Y'ates 
Phalanx,"  which,  after  some  delay  on  account  of 
the  quota  being  full,  was  mustered  into  the  serv- 
ice, in  August,  1861,  as  the  Thirty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  cx)m- 
missioned  its  Lieutenant-Colonel.  His  promotion 
to  the  colonelcy  soon  followed,  the  regiment 
being  sent  east  to  guard  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad,  where  it  met  the  celebrated  Stonewall 
Jackson,  and  took  part  in  many  important  en- 
gagements, including  the  battles  of  Winchester, 
Bermuda  Hundreds,  and  Drury's  Bluff,  besides 
the  sieges  of  Charleston  and  Petersburg.  At 
Bermuda  Hundreds  Colonel  Osborn  was  severely 


IIISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


411 


wounded,  losing  the  use  of  his  right  arm.  He 
bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  operations  about 
Richmond  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the 
rebel  capital,  his  services  being  recognized  by 
promotion  to  the  brevet  rank  of  Major-General. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Chicago,  but,  in  1874,  was  appointed 
Consul-General  and  Slinister-Resident  to  the 
Argentine  Republic,  remaining  in  that  position 
iintil  June,  1885,  when  he  resigned,  resuming  his 
residence  in  Chicago. 

OSWEGO,  a  village  in  Kendall  County,  on  the 
Aurora  and  Streator  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railway,  6  miles  south  of 
Aurora.     Population  (1890),  641;  (ICOO),  618. 

OTTAWA,  the  county-seat  and  principal  city 
of  La  Salle  County,  being  incorporated  as  a  vil- 
lage in  1838,  and,  as  a  city,  in  1853.  It  is  located 
at  the  confluence  of  the  Illinois  and  Fox  Rivers 
and  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  It  is  the 
intersecting  point  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railway  and  the  Streator  branch  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincj',  98  miles  east  of 
Rock  Island  and  83  miles  west-southwest  of  Chi- 
cago. The  surrounding  region  abounds  in  coal. 
Sand  of  a  superior  quality  for  the  manufacture  of 
glass  is  found  in  the  vicinity  and  the  place  has 
extensive  glass  works.  Other  manufactured 
products  are  brick,  drain-tile,  sewer-pipe,  tile- 
roofing,  pottery,  pianos,  organs,  cigars,  wagons 
and  carriages,  agricultural  implements,  hay 
carriers,  hay  presses,  sash,  doors,  blinds,  cabinet 
work,  saddlery  and  harne.s.s  and  pumps.  The  city 
has  some  handsome  public  buildings  including 
the  Appellate  (formerly  Supreme)  Court  House 
for  the  Northern  Division.  It  also  has  .several 
public  parks,  one  of  whicli  (South  Park)  contains 
a  medicinal  spring.  There  are  a  dozen  churches 
and  numerous  public  school  building.?,  including 
a  high  school.  The  city  is  lighted  by  gas  and 
electricity,  has  electric  street  railways,  good 
sewerage,  and  water-works  supplied  from  over 
150  artesian  wells  and  numerous  natural  springs. 
It  has  one  private  and  two  national  banks,  five 
libraries,  and  eight  weekly  newspapers  (three 
German),  of  which  four  issue  daily  editions.  Pop. 
(1800),  9,985;  (1900),  10,588. 

OTTAWA,  CHICAOO  &  FOX  RIVER  VALLEY 
RAILROAD.  (See  Chivarja,  Burlington  d-  Quincy 
Railroad.) 

OUTAGAMIES,  a  name  given,  by  the  French, 
to  the  Indian  tribe  known  as  the  Foxes.  (See 
Sacs  and  Foxes.) 

OWEX,  Thomas  J,  V.,  early  legislator  and 
Indian  Agent,  was  born  in  Kentucky,   April  5, 


1801 ;  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  and,  in 
1830,  was  elected  to  the  Seventh  General  Assem- 
bly from  Randolph  County ;  the  following  year 
was  appointed  Indian  Agent  at  Chicago,  as  suc- 
cessor to  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  who  had  died  in 
the  latter  part  of  1830.  Mr.  Owen  served  as 
Indian  Agent  until  1833;  was  a  member  of  the 
first  Board  of  Town  Trustees  of  the  village  of  Chi- 
cago, Commissioner  of  School  Lands,  and  one  of 
the  Government  Commissioners  who  conducted 
the  treaty  with  the  Pottawatomie  and  other 
tribes  of  Indians  at  Chicago,  in  September,  1833. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  15,  1835. 

PADDOCK,  Gains,  pioneer,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, was  born  in  1758;  at  the  age  of  17  he 
entered  the  Colonial  Army,  serving  until  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  "War,  and  being  in 
Washington's  command  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Delaware.  After  the  war  he  removed  to  Ver- 
mont; but,  in  1815,  went  to  Cincinnati,  and,  a 
year  later,  to  St.  Charles,  Mo.  Then,  after  hav- 
ing spent  about  a  year  at  St.  Louis,  in  1818  he 
located  in  Madison  County,  111.,  at  a  point  after- 
wards known  as  "Paddock's  Grove,"  and  which 
became  one  of  the  most  prosperous  agricultural 
.sections  of  Southern  Illinois.     Died,  in  1831.  - 

PAINE,  (Gen.)  Eleazer  A.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Parkman,  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  10,  1815; 
graduated  at  West  Point  Military  Academy,  in 
1839,  and  was  assigned  to  the  First  Infantry, 
serving  in  the  Florida  War  (1839-40),  but  resigned, 
Oct.  11,  1840.  He  then  studied  law  and  practiced 
at  Painesville,  Ohio,  (1843-48),  and  at  Monmouth, 
111.,  (1848-61),  meanwhile  serving  in  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Eigliteenth  General  Assembly 
(1853-53).  Before  leaving  Ohio,  he  had  been 
Deputy  United  States  Marshal  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  State  Militia,  and.  in  Illinois, 
became  Brigadier-General  of  Militia  (1845-48). 
He  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Ninth  Illinois  in 
April,  1861,  and  served  through  the  war,  being 
promoted  Brigadier-General  in  September,  1861. 
The  first  duty  performed  by  his  regiment,  after 
this  date,  was  the  occupation  of  Paducah,  Ky., 
where  he  was  in  command.  Later,  it  took  part 
in  the  capture  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson, 
the  battles  of  Shiloh,  New  Madrid  and  Corinth, 
and  also  in  the  various  engagements  in  Northern 
Georgia  and  in  the  "march  to  the  sea."  From 
November,  1863,  to  May,  1864,  General  Paine  was 
guarding  railroad  lines  in  Central  Tennessee, 
and,  during  a  part  of  1864,  in  command  of  the 
Western  District  of  Kentucky.  He  resigned, 
April  5,  1865,  and  died  in  Jersey  City.  Dec.  16, 


412 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


1882.  A  sturdy  Union  man,  he  performed  his 
duty  as  a  soldier  with  great  zeal  and  efficiency. 

PALATIXE,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Wisconsin  Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern Railroad,  26  miles  northwest  from  Chicago. 
There  are  flour  and  planing  mills  here;  dairying 
and  farming  are  leading  industries  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Populatioa  (1880),  731 ;  (1890), 
891;  (litOO),  1,020. 

PALESTINE,  a  town  in  Crawford  Coimty,  about 
3  miles  from  tlie  \Val)a.sh  River,  7  miles  east  of 
Robinson,  and  35  miles  southwest  of  Terra  Haute, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Railway  ;  has  five  churches, 
a  graded  school,  a  bank,  weekly  newspaper,  flour 
mill,  cold  storage  plant,  canning  factory,  garment 
factory,  and  municipal  light  and  power  plant- 
Pop.  (1890),  732;  (1900),  979. 

PALMER,  Frank  W.,  journalist,  ex-Congress- 
man and  Public  Printer,  was  born  at  JIanchester, 
Dearborn  County,  Ind.,  Oct.  11,  1827;  learned  the 
printer's  trade  at  Jamestown,  N.  V.,  afterwards 
edited  "The  Jamestown  Journal,"  and  served 
two  terms  in  the  New  York  Legislature;  in  1858 
remoyed  to  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  edited  "The 
Dubuque  Times."  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1800, 
and  again  in  1808  and  1872,  meanwhile  having 
purchased  "The  Des  Jloines  Register,"  which  he 
edited  for  several  years.  In  1873  lie  removed  to 
Cllicago  and  became  editor  of  "The  Inter  Ocean," 
remaining  two  years;  in  1877  was  appointed  Post- 
master of  the  city  of  Chicago,  serving  eight  years. 
Shortly  after  the  accession  of  President  Harrison, 
in  1889,  he  was  appointed  Public  Printer,  continu- 
ing in  office  until  the  accession  of  President  Cleve- 
land in  1893,  when  he  returned  to  newspaper  work, 
but  resumed  his  old  place  at  the  head  of  the 
Government  Printing  Bureau  after  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  McKinley  in  1897. 

PALMER,  John  MeAuley,  lawyer,  soldier  and 
United  States  Senator,  was  lx)rn  in  Scott  County, 
Ky.,  Sept.  13,  1817;  removed  with  his  father  to 
Madi-son  County,  111.,  in  1831,  and,  four  years 
later,  entered  Shurtleff  College,  at  Upper  Alton, 
as  a  student ;  later  taught  and  studied  law,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1839.  In  1843  he  was 
elected  Probate  Judge  of  Macoupin  County,  also 
served  in  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1847;  after  discharging  the  duties  of  Probate  and 
County  Judge,  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  to 
fill  a  vacancy,  in  18.')2,  and  re-elected  in  1854,  as 
an  Anti-Nebraska  Democrat,  casting  his  vote  for 
Lyman  Trumbull  for  L'nited  States  Senator  in 
1855,  but  resigned  his  seat  in  1856;  was  President 
of  the  first  Republican  State  Convention,  held  at 
Blooming^on  in  the  latter  year,  and  appointed  a 


delegate  to  the  National  Convention  at  Philadel- 
phia ;  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Congress 
in  1859,  and  chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1860;  served  as  a  member  of 
the  National  Peace  Conference  of  1861 ;  entered 
the  army  us  Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry ;  was  promoted  Briga- 
dier (ienenil,  in  November,  1861,  taking  part  in 
the  campaign  in  Tennessee  up  to  Chickaniauga, 
assuming  the  command  of  the  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps  with  the  rank  of  JIajor-General,  but  was 
relieved  at  his  own  request  before  Atlanta.  In 
1865  he  was  assigned,  by  President  Lincoln,  to 
command  of  the  Military  Department  of  Ken- 
tucky, but,  in  September,  1866,  retired  from  the 
service,  and,  in  1867,  became  a  citizen  of  Spring- 
field. The  following  year  he  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor,_as  a  Republican,  but,  in  1872,  supported 
Horace  Greeley  for  President,  and  has  since  co- 
operated with  the  Democratic  party.  He  was 
three  times  the  unsuccessful  candidate  of  his 
party  for  Uniteil  States  Senator,  and  wivs  their 
nominee  for  Governor  in  1888,  but  defeated.  In 
1890  he  was  nominated  for  United  States  Senator 
by  the  Democratic  State  Convenkion  and  elected 
in  joint  session  of  the  Legislature,  March  11,  1891, 
receiving  on  the  154th  ballot  101  Democratic  and 
two  Farmers'  Mutual  Alliance  votes.  He  became 
an  important  factor  in  the  campaign  of  1896  as 
candidate  of  the  "Sound  Money"  Democracy  for 
President,  although  receiving  no  electoral  votes, 
proving  his  devotion  to  principle.  His  last  years 
were  occupied  in  preparation  of  a  volume  of 
personal  recollections,  which  was  completed, 
under  the  title  of  "The  Story  of  an  Earnest  Life,'' 
a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
his  home  in  Springfield,  September  25,  1900. 

I'.\L.MEK,  Potter,  merchant  and  capitalist, 
was  born  in  Albany  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1825; 
received  an  EnglLsh  education  and  became  a 
junior  clerk  in  a  country  store  at  Durham, 
Greene  County,  in  that  State,  three  years  later 
being  placed  in  charge  of  the  business,  and  finally 
engaging  in  business  on  his  own  account.  Com- 
ing to  Chicago  in  1852,  he  embarked  in  the  dry- 
goods  business  on  Lake  Street,  establishing  the 
house  which  afterwards  became  Field,  Leiter  & 
Co.  (now  Marshall  Field  &  Co.),  from  which  here- 
tired,  in  1865,  with  the  basis  of  an  ample  fortune, 
which  has  since  been  immensely  increased  by 
fortunate  operations  in  real  estate.  Mr.  Pahuer 
was  Second  Vice-President  of  the  first  Board  of 
Local  Directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition in  1891.— Mrs.  Bertha  M.  Honore  (Palmer), 
wife  of  the  preceding,  is  the  daughter  of  H.  H. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


413 


Honore,  formerly  a  prominent  real-estate  owner 
and  operator  of  Chicago.  She  is  a  native  of 
Louisville,  Ky.,  where  her  girlhood  was  chiefly 
spent,  though  she  was  educated  at  a  convent  near 
Baltimore,  Md.  Later  she  came  with  her  family 
to  Chicago,  and,  in  1870,  was  married  to  Potter 
Palmer.  Mrs.  Palmer  has  been  a  recognized 
leader  in  many  social  and  benevolent  movements, 
but  won  the  highest  praise  by  her  ability  and 
administrative  skill,  exhibited  as  President  of  the 
Board  of  Lady  Managers  of  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition  of  1893. 

PALMYRA,  a  village  of  Macoupin  County,  on 
the  Springfield  Division  of  the  St.  Louis,  Chicago 
&  St.  Paul  Railway,  33  miles  southwest  from 
Springfield ;  has  some  local  manufactories,  a  bank 
and  a  newspaper.     Population  (1900),  813. 

PANA,  an  important  railway  center  and  prin- 
cipal city  of  Christian  County,  situated  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  County,  and  at  the  inter- 
secting point  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwest- 
ern, the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroads,  35 
miles  south  by  west  from  Decatur,  and  42  miles 
southeast  of  Springfield.  It  is  an  important  ship- 
ping-point for  grain  and  has  two  elevators.  Its 
mechanical  establishments  include  two  flouring 
mills,  a  foundry,  two  machine  shops  and  two 
planing  mills.  The  surrounding  region  is  rich  in 
coal,  which  is  extensively  mined.  Pana  has 
banks,  several  churches,  graded  schools,  and 
three  papers  issuing  daily  and  weekly  editions. 
Population  (1890),  .'),077;  (IHOO),  5,-530. 

PANA,  SPRINGFIELD  &  NORTHWESTERN 
RAILROAD,  (See  Baltimore  *  Ohio  Souih- 
irestern  Railroad.) 

PARIS,  a  handsome  and  flourishing  city,  the 
county-seat  of  Edgar  County.  It  is  an  important 
railway  center,  situated  on  the  "Big  Four"  and 
the  Vandalia  Line,  160  miles  south  of  Chicago, 
and  170  miles  east-northeast  of  St.  Louis;  is  in 
the  heart  of  a  wealthy  and  populous  agricultural 
region,  and  has  a  prosperous  trade.  Its  industries 
include  foundries,  three  elevators,  flour,  saw  and 
planing  mills,  glass,  broom,  and  corn  product 
factories.  The  city  has  three  bank.s,  three  daily 
and  four  weekly  newspapers,  a  court  house,  ten 
churches,  and  graded  schools.  Pop.  (1890),  4,996; 
(1900),  6,10.5. 

PARIS  &  DECATUR  RAILROAD.  (See  Terre 
Haute  <i-  Peoria  Bail  road) 

PARIS  &  TERRE  HAUTE  RAILROAD.  (See 
Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  Railroad.) 

PARKS,  tiavion  D.  A.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Bristol,   Ontario  County,   N.    Y.,  Sept.   17,   1817; 


went  to  New  York  City  in  1838,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  legal  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  removing  to  Lockport,  111.,  in  1843.  Here 
he  successively  edited  a  paper,  served  as  Master 
in  Chancery  and  in  an  engineering  corps  on  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal;  was  elected  County 
Judge  in  1849,  removed  to  Joliet,  and,  for  a  time, 
acted  as  an  attorney  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock 
Island,  the  Michigan  Central  and  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroads;  was  also  a  Trustee  of  the 
Institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  at  Jackson- 
ville ;  was  elected  Representative  in  1852,  became 
a  Republican  and  served  on  the  first  Republican 
State  Central  Committee  (1S5G);  the  same  year 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  was  a 
Commissioner  of  the  State  Penitentiary  in  1864. 
In  1872  Mr.  Parks  joined  in  the  Liberal-Repub- 
lican movement,  was  defeated  for  Congress,  and 
afterwards  acted  with  the  Democratic  party. 
Died,  Dec.  28,  1895. 

PARKS,  Lawson  A.,  journalist,  was  born  at 
Mecklenburg,  N.  C,  April  15,  1813;  learned  the 
printing  trade  at  Charlotte,  in  that  State ;  came 
to  St.  Louis  in  1833,  and,  in  1836,  assisted  in  estab- 
lishing "The  Alton  Telegraph,"  but  sold  his 
interest  a  few  years  later.  Then,  having  ofii- 
ciated  as  pastor  of  Presbyterian  churches  for  some 
years,  in  1854  he  again  became  associated  with 
"The  Telegraph,"  acting  as  its  editor.  Died  at 
Alton,  March  31.  1875. 

PARK  RIDGE,  a  suburban  village  on  the  Wis- 
consin Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  13  miles  northwest  of  Chicago.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  4.57;  (1890),  987;  (1900),  1,340. 

PARTRIDGE,  Charles  Addison,  journalist  and 
Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  was  born  in  Westford,  Chittenden 
County,  Vt.,  Dec.  8,  1843;  came  with  his  parents 
to  Lake  County,  111.,  in  1844,  and  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  a  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
district  school,  with  four  terms  in  a  high  school 
at  Burlington,  Wis.  At  16  he  taught  a  winter 
district  school  near  his  boyhood  home,  and  at  18 
enlisted  in  what  became  Company  C  of  the 
Ninety-sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  being 
mustered  into  the  service  as  Eighth  Corporal  at 
Rockford.  His  regiment  becoming  attached  to 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  he  participated 
with  it  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga  and  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  as  well  as  those  of  Franklin 
and  Nashville,  and  has  taken  a  just  pride  in  the 
fact  that  he  never  fell  out  on  the  march,  took 
medicine  from  a  doctor  or  was  absent  from  his 
regiment  during  its  term  of  service,  except  for 
four  months  while  recovering  from  a  gun-shot 


4U 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


wound  received  ai  Chickamauga.  He  was  pro- 
moted successively  to  Sergeant,  Sergeant-Major, 
and  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  of  his  old 
company,  of  which  his  father  was  First  Lieuten- 
ant for  six  months  and  until  for(«d  to  resign  on 
account  of  impaired  health.  Receiving  his  final 
discharge.  June  28,  186.'j,  he  returned  to  the  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  18G9.  in  the  meantime 
being  married  to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Kurle.  in  ISCO, 
and  teaching  school  one  winter.  In  1SG9  l»e  was 
elected  County  Treasurer  of  Lake  County  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  and  re-elected  in  1871 ;  in 
January  of  the  latter  year,  purchased  an  interest 
in  "The  Waukegan  Gazette,"  with  which  he 
remained  associated  some  fifteen  years,  at  first  as 
the  partner  of  Rev.  A.  K.  Fox,  and  later  of  his 
younger  brotlier,  11.  E.  Partri<ige.  In  1877  he 
was  appointed,  by  President  Hayes,  Postmaster 
at  Waukegan,  serving  four  years;  in  1886  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  serving  (by  successive 
elections)  as  Representative  in  tlie  Thirty-fifth, 
Thirty-sixth  and  Thirty-seventh  General  Assem- 
blies, being  frequently  called  upon  to  occupy  the 
Speaker's  chair,  and,  especially  during  the  long 
Senatorial  contest  of  1891,  being  recognized  as  a 
leader  of  the  Republican  minority.  In  1888  he 
was  called  to  the  service  of  the  Republican  State 
Central  Committee  (of  wliich  he  had  previously 
been  a  member),  as  .assistant  to  the  veteran  Secre- 
tary, the  late  Daniel  Shepard,  remaining  until 
the  death  of  his  chief,  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
secretaryship.  During  the  Presidential  campaign 
of  1892  he  was  associated  with  the  late  William 
J.  Campbell,  then  the  Illinois  member  of  the 
Republican  National  Committee,  and  was  en- 
trusted by  him  with  many  imiK)rtant  and  confi- 
dential missions.  Without  solicitation  on  his 
part,  in  1894  he  was  again  called  to  assume  the 
secretaryship  of  the  Republican  •  State  Central 
Committee,  and  bore  a  conspicuous  and  influ- 
ential part  in  winning  the  brilUant  success 
achieved  by  the  party  in  the  campaign  of  that 
year.  From  1893  to  1895  he  served  as  Mayor  of 
Waukegan ;  in  1S96  became  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  for 
the  Department  of  Illinois — a  position  which  he 
held  in  1S89  under  Commander  James  S.  Martin, 
and  to  which  he  has  been  reappointed  bj'  succes- 
sive Department  Commanders  up  to  the  present 
time.  Mr.  Partridge's  service  in  the  various 
public  positions  held  by  him,  has  given  him  an 
acquaintance  extending  to  every  county  in  the 
State. 

PATOKA,  a  village  of  Marion  County,  on  the 
Western  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway, 


1,5  miles  south  of  Vandalia.  There  are  flour  and 
saw  mills  here;  the  surrounding  country  is  agri- 
cultural.    Poimlation  (1890).  ,502;  (1900),  640. 

PATTERSON,  Robert  Wilson,  1).D.,  LL.D., 
clergyman,  was  born  in  Blount  County,  Tcnn., 
Jan.  21,  1814;  came  to  Bond  County,  111.,  with 
his  parents  in  1832,  his  father  dying  two  years 
later;  at  IH  had  had  onh-  nine  mouths'  schooling, 
but  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in  1837;  spent  a 
j-ear  at  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  another  as 
tutor  in  Illinois  College,  and  then,  after  two  years 
more  at  I^ne  Seminary  and  preaching  in  Chicago 
and  at  Monroe,  Mich.,  in  1842  established  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  of  which 
he  remained  the  pastor  over  thirty  years.  In 
1850  he  received  a  call  to  the  chair  of  Didactic 
Tlieology  at  Lane  Seminary,  as  successor  to  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher,  but  it  was  declined,  sis  was  a 
similar  call  ten  years  later.  Resigning  his  jtastor- 
shii)  in  1873,  he  was.  for  several  years,  Professor  of 
Chri.stian  Evidences  and  Ethics  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest ;  in  1876-78  served  as 
President  of  Lake  Forest  University  (of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  founders),  and,  in  1880-83,  as 
lecturer  in  Lane  Tlieological  Seminary.  He 
received  the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, N.  "^■.,  in  18.54,  that  of  LL.D.  from  Lake 
Forest  University,  and  was  Moderator  of  the 
Presbyterian  General  A.s.sembly  (N.  S.)at  Wil- 
mington, Del.,  in  1859.  Died,  at  Evanston,  111., 
Feb.  24,  1894. 

P.WEY,  Charles  IV.,  soldier  and  ex-State 
Auditor,  was  born  in  Highland  County,  Ohio, 
Nov.  8,  1835;  removed  to  Illinois  in  1859,  settling 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Vernon,  and,  for  a  time, 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser.  In  Augast,  18C2,  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighti- 
eth Illinois  Volunteers  for  the  Civil  War,  and 
became  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  E.  He  was 
severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Sand  Mountain 
and.  having  been  captured,  was  confined  in  Libby 
Prison,  at  Salisbury,  X.  C,  and  at  Danville, 
Va.,  for  a  period  of  nearly  two  years,  enduring 
great  hardship  and  suffering.  Having  been 
exchanged,  he  served  to  the  close  of  the  war  as 
Assistant  Inspector-General  on  the  Staff  of  Gen- 
eral R<jusseau,  in  Tennessee.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1880, 
which  nominated  General  Garfield  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  was  one  of  the  famous  "306"  who 
stood  by  General  Grant  in  that  struggle.  In  1882 
he  was  apf)ointed  by  President  Arthur  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Southern  District, 
and,  in  1888,  was  nominated  and  elected  State 
Auditor  on  the  Republican  ticket,   but  was  de- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


415 


feated  for  re-election  in  the  "land-slide"  of  1892. 
General  Pavey  has  been  prominent  in  "G.  A.  R." 
councils,  and  held  the  position  of  Junior  Vice- 
Commander  for  the  Department    of    Illinois  in 

1878,  and   that   of    Senior   Vice-Commander    in 

1879.  He  also  served  as  Brigadier-General  of  the 
National  Guard,  for  Southern  Illinois,  during  the 
railroad  strike  of  1877.  In  1897  he  received  from 
President  McKinley  the  appointment  of  Special 
Agent  of  the  Treasury  Department.  His  home 
is  at  Mount  Vernon,  Jefferson  Coimty. 

PAWNEE,  a  village  of  Sangamon  County,  at 
the  eastern  tpvminus  of  the  Auburn  &  Pawnee 
Railroad,  1!)  miles  south  of  Springfield.  The  town 
lias  a  bank  and  a  wepUly  paper.  Population  (1900), 
.595;  (1903,  est.),  1,000. 

PAWXEE  RAILROAD,  a  short  line  in  Sanga- 
mon County,  extending  from  Pawnee  to  Auburn 
(9  miles;,  where  it  forms  a  junction  with  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  The  company  was 
organized  and  procured  a  charter  in  December, 
1888,  and  the  road  completed  the  following  year. 
The  cost  was  $101,774.  Capital  stock  authorized, 
$100,000;  funded  debt  (1895),  §50,000. 

PAW  PAW,  a  village  of  Lee  County,  at  the 
junction  of  two  branches  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railway,  8  miles  northwe.st  of 
Earlville.  The  town  is  in  a  farming  region,  but 
has  a  bank  and  one  weekly  paper.  Population 
(1890),  635;  (1900),  765. 

PAXTON,  the  county-seat  of  Ford  County,  is 
situated  at  the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  Divi- 
sion of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Lake  Erie  & 
Western  Railroads,  103  miles  south  by  west  from 
Chicago,  and  49  miles  east  of  Bloomington.  It 
contains  a  court  house,  two  schools,  water-works, 
electric  light  and  water-heating  system,  two 
banks,  nine  churches,  and  one  daily  newspaper. 
It  is  an  important  shipping-point  for  the  farm 
products  of  the  surrounding  territory,  which  is  a 
rich  agricultural  region.  Besides  brick  and  tile 
works  and  flour  mills,  factories  for  the  manu- 
facture of  carriages,  buggies,  hardware,  cigars, 
brooms,  and  plows  are  located  here.  Pop.  (1890), 
2,187;  (1900),  3,036. 

PAYSON,  a  village  in  Adams  County,  15  miles 
southeast  of  Quincy ;  the  nearest  railroad  station 
being  Fall  Creek,  on  the  Quincy  and  Louisiana 
Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railway;  has  one  newspaper.  Population  (1900), 
465. 

PATSOX,  Lewis  E.,  lawyer  and  ex-Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  Sept.  17, 
1840;  came  to  Illinois  at  the  age  of  12,  and,  after 
passing  through  the  common  schools,  attended 


Lombard  University,  at  Galesburg,  for  two  years. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ottawa  in  1863, 
and,  in  1865,  took  up  his  residence  at  Pontiac. 
From  1869  to  1873  he  was  Judge  of  the  Livingston 
County  Court,  and,  from  1881  to  1891,  represented 
his  District  in  Congress,  being  elected  as  a 
Republican,  but,  in  1890,  was  defeated  by  his 
Democratic  opponent,  Herman  W.  Snow.'  Since 
retiring  from  Congress  he  has  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Washington,  D.  C. 

PEABODT,  Selim  Hobart,  educator,  was  born 
in  Rockingham  County,  Vt.,  August  20,  1829: 
after  reaching  13  years  of  age,  spent  a  year  in  a 
Boston  Latin  School,  then  engaged  in  various 
occupations,  including  teaching,  until  1848,  when 
he  entered  the  University  of  Vermont,  graduat- 
ing third  in  his  class  in  1852 ;  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  ^Mathematics  and  Engineering  in  the 
Polytechnic  College  at  Philadelphia,  in  1854, 
remaining  tliree  years,  when  he  spent  five  years 
in  Wisconsin,  the  last  three  as  Superintendent  of 
Schools  at  Racine.  From  1865  to  1871  he  was 
teacher  of  physical  science  in  Chicago  High 
School,  also  conducting  night  schools  for  work- 
ing men ;  in  1871  became  Professor  of  Physics  and 
Engineering  in  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, but  returned  to  the  Chicago  High  School  in 
1874 ;  in  1876  took  charge  of  the  Chicago  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  and,  in  1878,  entered  the  Illinois 
Industrial  University  (now  University  of  Illinois), 
at  Champaign,  first  as  Professor  of  Mechanical 
Engineering,  in  1880  becoming  President,  but 
resigning  in  1891.  During  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition  at  Chicago,  Professor  Peabody 
was  Chief  of  the  Department  of  Liberal  Arts, 
and,  on  the  expiration  of  his  service  there, 
assumed  the  position  of  Curator  of  the  newly 
organized  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  from 
which  he  retired  some  two  years  later. 

PEARL,  a  village  of  Pike  County,  on  the  Kan- 
sas City  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad, 
14  miles  west  of  Roodhouse.  Population  (1890), 
928;  (1900),  722. 

PEARSON,  Isaac  N.,  ex-Secretary  of  State,  was 
born  at  Centreville,  Pa.,  July  27,  1843;  removed 
to  Macomb,  McDonough  County,  111.,  in  1858,  and 
has  ever  since  resided  there.  In  1872  he  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  re-elected, 
in  1876.  Later  he  engaged  in  real-estate  and 
banking  business.  He  was  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  in  the  Thirty-third,  and  of  the  Senate  in 
the  Thirty-fifth,  General  Assembl}',  but  before  the 
expiration  of  his  term  in  the  latter,  was  elected 
Secretary  of  State,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  in 
1888.     In  1892  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-election. 


410 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


but  was  defeated,  although,  next  to  Governor 
Fifer,  he  received  the  largest  vote  cast  for  any 
candidate  for  a  political  office  on  the  Republican 
State  ticket. 

PEAKSON,  John  M.,  ex-Railway  and  Ware- 
house Commissioner,  born  at  Newburyport, 
JIass.,  in  1832— the  son  of  a  ship-carpenter;  was 
educated  in  his  native  State  and  came  to  Illinois 
in  1849.  locating  at  the  city  of  Alton,  where  he 
was  afterwards  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
agricultural  implements.  In  1873  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  meml)er  of  the  first  Railway  and  Ware- 
house Commission,  serving  four  years;  in  1878 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Thirty-first 
General  Assembly  from  Madison  County,  and 
was  reelected,  successively,  in  1880  and  "82.  He 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
Live-Stock  Commissioners  in  1885,  ser\-ing  until 
1893,  for  a  considerable  jxirtion  of  the  time  as 
President  of  the  Board.  Mr.  Pearson  is  a  life- 
long Republican  and  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  His  present  home  is  at 
Godfrey. 

PEARSONS,  Daniel  K.,  M.I).,  real-estate  oper- 
ator and  capitalist,  was  born  at  Bradfordton,  Vt., 
April  14,  1820;  began  teaching  at  16  years  of  age, 
and,  at  21,  entered  Dartmouth  College,  taking  a 
two  years'  course,  lie  then  studied  medicine, 
and,  after  j)racticing  a  short  time  in  his  native 
State,  removed  to  Chicopee,  Mass.,  where  he 
remained  from  1843  to  1857.  The  latter  year  he 
came  to  Ogle  County.  111.,  and  began  operating 
in  real  estate,  finally  adding  to  this  a  loan  busi- 
ness for  Eastern  parties,  but  discontinued  this 
line  in  1877.  He  owns  extensive  tracts  of  timber 
lauds  in  Michigan,  is  a  Director  in  the  Chicago 
City  Railway  Company  and  American  Exchange 
Bank,  besides  being  intere.sted  in  other  financial 
institutions.  He  has  been  one  of  the  most  liberal 
supporters  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  and 
a  princely  contributor  to  various  benevolent  and 
educational  institutions,  his  gifts  to  colleges,  in 
dilf erent  parts  of  the  country,  aggregating  over  a 
million  dollars. 

PKCATOMCA,  a  town  in  Pecatonica  Township, 
Winnebago  County,  on  the  Pecatonica  River.  It 
is  on  the  Chicago  it  Northwe,stern  Railway,  mid- 
way beween  Freeport  and  Rockford.  being  14 
miles  from  eacli.  It  contains  a  carriage  factory, 
machine  shop,  conden.sed  milk  factory,  a  bank, 
six  churches,  a  graded  school,  and  a  weekly  news- 
piper.      Pop    (1890).  1.059;  (1900),  1.045. 

PECATONICA  RIYER,  a  stream  formed  by  the 
confluence  of  two  branches,  both  of  which  rise 
in  Iowa  County,  Wis.     They  unite  a  little  north 


of  the  Illinois  State  line,  whence  the  river  runs 
southeast  to  Freeport,  then  east  and  iiortlieast. 
until  it  enters  Rock  River  at  Rockton.  From  the 
headwaters  of  either  branch  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river  is  about  50  miles. 

PECK,  Ebenezer,  early  lawyer,  was  boru  in 
Portland,  Maine,  May  22,  1805;  received  an  aca- 
demical eiiucation,  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  Canada  in  1827.  He  was  twice 
elected  to  the  Provincial  Parliament  and  made 
King's  Counsel  in  1833 ;  came  to  Illinois  in  1835, 
settling  in  Chicago;  served  in  tlie  State  Senate 
(1838-40),  and  in  the  House  (1840-42  and  1858-60); 
was  also  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  (1841-45), 
Reporter  of  Supreme  Court  decisions  (1849-63), 
and  member  of  tlie  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1869-70.  Mr.  Peck  was  an  intimate  personal 
friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  whom  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Court  of  Claims,  at 
Washington,  serving  until  1875.  Died,  May  25, 
1881. 

PECK,  Ferdinand  Wjthe,  lawyer  an<i  finan- 
cier, was  born  in  Cliicago,  July  15,  1848 — the  son 
of  Philip  F.  W.  Peck,  a  pioneer  and  early  mer- 
chant of  the  metropolis  of  Illinois;  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  the  Chicago  University 
and  L^nion  College  of  Law,  graduating  from 
both  of  the  last  named  institutions,  and  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1869.  For  a  time  he 
engaged  in  practice,  but  his  father  liaving  died  in 
1871,  the  responsibility  of  caring  for  a  large 
estate  devolved  upon  liiin  and  has  since  occupied 
his  time,  thougli  he  has  given  nmcli  attention  to 
the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  poor  of 
his  native  city,  and  works  of  practical  benevo- 
lence and  pubUc  interest.  He  is  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Illinois  Humane  Society,  lias  been 
President  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Control 
of  the  Chicago  Athenaeum,  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education,  President  of  the  Chicago  Union 
League,  and  was  an  inlluential  factor  in  securing 
the  success  of  tlie  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
at  Chicago,  in  1893,  serving  as  First  Vice-Presi- 
dent oY  the  Chicago  Board  of  Directors,  Chair- 
man of  the  Finance  Committee,  and  member  of 
the  Board  of  Reference  and  Control.  Of  late 
years,  Mr.  Peck  has  l)een  connected  with  several 
important  building  enterprises  of  a  semi-public 
character,  whicli  have  added  to  the  reputation  of 
Chicago,  including  the  Auditorium,  Stock  Ex- 
change Building  and  others  in  which  he  is  a 
leading  stockholder,  and  in  the  erection  of  which 
he  has  been  a  chief  promoter.  In  1898  he  was 
appointed,  by  President  McKinley,  the  United 
States  Commissioner  to  the  International  Expo- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


417 


sition  at  Paris  of  1900,  as  successor  to  the  late 
Maj.  M.  P.  Handy,  and  the  success  which  lias 
followed  his  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that 
position,  has  demonstrated  the  fitness  of  his 
selection. 

PECK,  (lieorare  R.,  railway  attorney,  born  in 
Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1843;  was  early  taken 
to  Wisconsin,  where  he  assisted  in  clearing  his 
father's  farm;  at  16  became  a  country  school- 
teacher to  aid  in  freeing  the  same  farm  from 
debt ;  enlisted  at  19  in  the  First  Wisconsin  Heavy 
Artillery,  later  becoming  a  Captain  in  the  Tliirty- 
first  Wisconsin  Infantry,  with  which  he  joined  in 
"Sherman's  March  to  the  Sea."  Returning  home 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  began  the  study  of 
law  at  Janesville,  spending  six  j-ears  there  as  a 
student.  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  in  prac- 
tice. From  there  he  went  to  Kansas  and,  between 
1871  and  '74,  practiced  his  profession  at  Independ- 
ence, when  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant 
United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  Kansas 
District,  but  resigned  this  position,  in  1879,  to 
return  to  general  practice.  In  1881  he  became 
General  Solicitor  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railroad,  removing  to  Chicago  in 
1893.  In  ISO.")  he  resigned  his  position  with  the 
Atcliison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  to  accept 
a  similar  position  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railway  Company,  which  (1898)  he 
still  holils.  Mr.  Peck  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  gifted  orators  in  the  West,  and,  in  1897,  was 
chosen  to  deliver  the  principal  address  at  the  un- 
veiling of  the  Logan  equestrian  statue  in  Lake 
Front  Park,  Chicago ;  has  al.so  officiated  as  orator 
on  a  number  of  other  important  public  occasions, 
always  acquitting  himself  with  distinction. 

PECK,  John  Mason,  D.D.,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  Oct.  31,  1789; 
removed  to  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1811,  where 
he  united  with  the  Baptist  Church,  the  same 
year  entering  on  pastoral  work,  while  prosecuting 
his  studies  and  supporting  himself  by  teaching. 
In  1814  he  became  pastor  of  a  churcli  at  Amenia, 
N.  Y.,  and,  in  1817,  was  sent  west  as  a  mission- 
ary, arriving  in  St.  Louis  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
same  year.  During  the  next  nine  years  he  trav- 
eled extensively  through  Missouri  and  Illinois,  as 
an  itinerant  preacher  and  teacher,  finally  locating 
at  Rock  Spring,  St.  Clair  County,  where,  in  182fi, 
he  established  the  Rock  Spring  Seminary  for  the 
education  of  teachers  and  ministers.  Out  of  this 
grew  ShurtlefF  College,  founded  at  Upper  Alton 
in  1835,  in  .securing  the  endowment  of  wliich  Dr. 
Peck  traveled  many  thousands  of  miles  and  col- 
lected .$20,000,  and  of  which  he  served  as  Trustee 


for  many  years.  Up  to  1843  he  devoted  much 
time  to  aiding  in  the  establishment  of  a  theolog- 
ical institution  at  Covington,  Ky.,  and,  for  two 
years  following,  was  Corresponding  Secretary  and 
Financial  Agent  of  the  American  Bapti.st  Publi- 
cation Society,  with  headquarters  in  Philadelphia. 
Returning  to  the  West,  he  served  as  pastor  of  sev- 
eral important  churches  in  Missouri,  Illinois  and 
Kentucky.  A  man  of  indomitable  will,  unflag- 
ging industry  and  thoroughly  upright  in  conduct, 
for  a  period  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  in  the  early 
history  of  the  State,  probably  no  man  exerted  a 
larger  influence  for  good  and  the  advancement 
of  the  cause  of  education,  among  the  pioneer  citi- 
zens of  all  classes,  than  Dr.  Peck.  Tliough  giving 
his  attention  so  constantly  to  preaching  and 
teaching,  he  found  time  to  ^vrite  much,  not  only 
for  the  various  publications  with  which  he  was, 
from  time  to  time,  connected,  but  also  for  other 
periodicals,  besides  publishing  "A  Guide  for  Emi- 
grants" (1881),  of  which  a  new  edition  appeared 
in  1836,  and  a  "Gazetteer  of  Illinois"  (Jackson- 
ville, 1834,  and  Boston,  1837),  which  continue  to 
be  valued  for  the  information  they  contain  of  the 
condition  of  the  country  at  that  time.  He  was 
an  industrious  collector  of  historical  records  in 
the  form  of  newspapers  and  pamphlets,  wliich 
were  unfortunately  destroyed  by  flre  a  few  years 
before  his  death.  In  1852  he  received  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  from  Harvard  University.  Died,  at  Rock 
Spring.  St.  Clair  County,  March  15,  1858. 

PECK,  Philip  F.  W.,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1809,  the  son  of  a 
wholesale  merchant  who  had  lost  his  fortune  by 
indorsing  for  a  friend.  After  some  years  spent 
in  a  mercantile  house  in  New  York,  he  came  to 
Chicago  on  a  prospecting  tour,  in  1830;  the  fol- 
lowing year  brought  a  stock  of  goods  to  the 
embryo  emporium  of  the  Northwest — then  a  small 
backwoods  hamlet — ami,  by  trade  and  fortunate 
investments  in  real  estate,  laid  the  foundation  of 
what  afterwards  became  a  large  fortune.  He 
died,  Oct.  23,  1871,  as  the  result  of  an  accident 
occurring  about  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  two 
weeks  previous,  from  which  he  was  a  heavy 
suff'erer  pecuniarily.  Three  of  his  sons,  Walter  L. , 
Clarence  I.  and  Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  are  among 
Chicago's  most  substantial  citizens. 

PEKI\,  a  flourishing  city,  the  county-seat  of 
Tazewell  Count}',  and  an  important  railway  cen- 
ter, located  on  the  IlUuois  River,  10  miles  south 
of  Peoria  and  56  miles  north  of  Springfield. 
Agriculture  and  coal- mining  are  the  chief  occu- 
pations in  the  surrounding  country,  but  the  city 
itself  is  an  important  grain  market  with    large 


418 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


general  shipping  interests.  It  has  several  dis- 
tilleries, besides  grain  elevators,  malt-liuuses, 
brick  and  tile  works,  lumber  yards,  planing  mills, 
marble  works,  plow  and  wagon  works,  and  a 
factory  for  corn  products  Its  banking  facilities 
are  adequate,  and  its  religious  and  educational 
advantages  are  excellent.  The  city  has  a  public 
library,  park,  steam-heating  plant,  three  daily 
and  four  weekly  papers.  Pop.  (1890),  6,347 ;  (I'JUO), 
8,420. 

PEKIJf,  LINCOLN  &  DECATUK  RAILKOAl). 
(See  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Eraitxrille  Railway. ) 

PELL,  Gilbert  T.,  Representative  in  the  Third 
Illinois  General  Assembly  (1822)  from  Edwards 
County,  and  an  opponent  of  the  resolution  for  a 
State  Convention  adopted  l)y  the  Legislature  at 
that  session,  designed  to  open  the  door  for  the 
admission  of  slavery.  Mr.  Pell  was  a  son-in-law 
of  Morris  Birkbeck,  who  wiis  one  of  the  leaders 
in  opposition  to  the  Convention  scheme,  and  very 
naturally  sympathized  with  his  father-in-law. 
He  was  elei'ted  to  the  Legislature,  for  a  second 
term,  in  1S28,  but  subsequently  left  the  State, 
dying  elsewhere,  when  his  widow  removed  to 
Australia. 

PEXNSYLVAXLV  RAILROAD.  As  to  oper- 
ations of  this  corporation  in  Illinois,  see  Calumet 
River;  Pittsburg.  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago;  South 
Chicago  &  Southern,  and  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railways.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  miles  owned,  leased  and  operated  bj-  the 
Pennsylvania  System,  in  1898,  was  1,987.21,  of 
which  only  ()1.34  miles  were  in  Illinois.  It  owns, 
however,  a  controlling  interest  in  the  stock  of 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  «&  Western  Railway  (which 
see). 

PEORIA,  the  second  largest  city  of  the  State 
and  the  county-seat  of  Peoria  County,  is  160  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago,  and  at  the  foot  of  an  expan- 
sion of  the  Illinois  River  known  as  Peoria  I.,ake. 
Tlie  site  of  the  town  occupies  an  elevated  plateau, 
having  a  water  frontage  of  four  miles  and  extend- 
ing back  to  a  bluff,  which  rises  230  feet  above  the 
river  level  antl  alxjut  120  feet  above  the  highest 
point  of  the  main  site.  It  was  settled  in  1778  or 
'79,  although,  as  generally  believed,  the  French 
missionaries  had  a  station  there  in  1711.  There 
was  certainly  a  settlement  there  as  early  as  1725, 
when  Renault  received  a  grant  of  lands  at  Pimi- 
teoui,  facing  the  lake  then  bearing  the  same 
name  as  the  village.  From  that  date  until  1812, 
the  place  was  continuously  occupied  as  a  French 
village,  and  is  said  to  have  been  the  most  impor- 
tant point  for  trading  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
The  original  village  was  situated  about  a  mile  and 


a  half  above  the  foot  of  the  lake;  but  later,  t  lie  pres- 
ent site  was  occupied,  at  lirst  receiving  the  name 
of  "La  Ville  de  Maillet,"  from  a  French  Canadian 
who  resided  in  Peoria,  from  1765  to  1801  (tlie  time 
of  his  death),  and  who  commanded  a  company  of 
volunteers  in  the  Revolutionarj"  War.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  old  town  removed  to  the  new  site, 
and  the  present  name  was  given  to  the  place  by 
American  settlers,  from  tlie  Peoria  Indians,  who 
were  the  occupants  of  the  country  when  it  was 
first  discovered,  but  who  had  followed  their  cog- 
nate tribes  of  the  Illinois  family  to  Cahokia  and 
Kaskiiskia,  about  a  century  before  American 
occupation  of  this  region.  In  1812  the  town  is 
estimated  to  have  contained  about  seventy  dwell- 
ings, with  a  population  of  between  200  and 
300,  made  up  largely  of  French  traders, 
hunters  and  voyageurs,  with  a  considerable 
admixture  of  half-breeds  and  Indians,  and  a  few 
Americans.  Among  the  latter  were  Thomas 
Forsyth,  Indian  Agent  and  confidential  adviser 
of  Governor  Edwards;  Michael  La  Croix,  son-in- 
law  of  Julian  Dubuque,  founder  of  the  city  of 
Dubuque;  Antoine  Le  Claire,  founder  of  Daven- 
port, and  for  whom  Le  Claire,  Iowa,  is  named; 
William  Arundel,  afterwards  Recorder  of  St. 
Clair  County,  and  Isaac  Damielle,  the  second  law- 
yer in  Illinois. — In  November,  1812,  about  half 
the  town  was  burned,  by  order  of  Capt.  Thomas 
E.  Craig,  who  had  been  directed,  by  Governor 
Edwards,  to  proceed  up  the  river  in  boats  with 
materials  to  build  a  fort  at  Peoria.  At  the  same 
time,  the  Governor  himself  was  at  the  head  of  a 
force  marching  against  Black  Partridge's  vil- 
lage, which  he  destroyed.  Edwards  had  no  com- 
munication with  Craig,  who  appears  to  have 
acted  solely  on  liis  own  resi»nsibility.  That  the 
latter's  action  was  utterly  unjustifiable,  there  can 
now  be  little  doubt.  lie  alleged,  by  way  of 
exciLse,  that  his  boats  had  been  fired  upon  from 
the  shore,  at  night,  by  Indians  or  others,  who 
were  harbored  by  the  citizens.  The  testimony 
of  the  French,  however,  is  to  the  effect  that  it 
was  an  unprovoked  and  cowardly  as.sault.  insti- 
gated by  wine  which  the  soldiers  had  stolen  from 
the  cellars  of  the  inhabitants.  The  bulk  of  those 
who  remained  after  the  fire  were  tak^n  by  Craig 
to  a  point  below  Alton  and  put  ashore.  This 
occurred  in  the  beginning  of  winter,  and  the 
people,  being  left  in  a  destitute  condition,  were 
subjected  to  great  suffering.  A  Congressional 
investigation  followed,  and  the  French,  having 
satisfactorily  established  the  fact  that  the}'  were 
not  hostile,  were  restored  to  their  possessions. — In 
1813  a  fort,  designed  for  permanent  occupancy, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


419 


was  erected  and  named  Fort  Clark,  in  honor  of 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark.  It  had  one  (if  not 
two)  block-houses,  with  magazines  and  quarters 
for  officers  and  men.  It  was  finally  evacuated  in 
1818,  and  was  soon  afterwards  burned  by  the 
Indians.  Although  a  trading-post  had  been 
maintained  here,  at  intervals,  after  the  affair  of 
1813,  there  was  no  attempt  made  to  rebuild  the 
town  until  1819,  when  Americans  began  to 
arrive. — In  1824  a  post  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany was  established  here  by  John  Hamlin,  the 
company  having  already  had,  for  five  years,  a 
station  at  Wesley  City,  three  miles  farther  down 
the  river.  Harnlin  also  traded  in  pork  and  other 
products,  and  was  the  first  to  introduce  keel- 
boats  on  the  Illinois  River.  By  transferring  his 
cargo  to  lighter  draft  boats,  when  necessary,  he 
made  the  trip  from  Peoria  to  Chicago  entirely  by 
water,  going  from  the  Des  Plaines  to  Mud  Lake, 
and  thence  to  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago 
River,  without  unloading.  In  1834  the  town  had 
but  seven  frame  houses  and  twenty-one  log 
cabins.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1835 
(Rudolphus  Rouse  being  the  first  President),  and, 
as  the  City  of  Peoria,  ten  years  later  (Wm.  Hale 
being  the  first  Mayor). — Peoria  is  an  important 
railway  and  business  center,  eleven  railroad  lines 
concentrating  here.  It  presents  many  attractive 
features,  such  as  handsome  residences,  fine  views 
of  river,  bluff  and  valley  scenery,  with  an  elab- 
orate system  of  parks  and  drives.  An  excellent 
school  system  is  liberally  supported,  and  its  public 
buildings  (national,  county  and  city)  are  fine  and 
costly.  Its  churches  are  elegant  and  well 
attended,  the  leading  denominations  being 
Methodist  Episcopal.  Congregational,  Presby- 
terian. Baptist.  Protestant  and  Reformed  Episco- 
pal, Lutheran,  Evangelical  and  Roman  Catholic. 
It  is  the  seat  of  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute,  a 
young  and  flourishing  scientific  school  affiliated 
with  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  richly  en- 
dowed through  the  munificence  of  Mrs.  Lydia 
Bradley,  who  devotes  her  whole  estate,  of  at 
least  a  million  doUais,  to  this  object.  Right  Rev. 
John  L.  Spaulding,  Bishop  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic diocese  of  Peoria,  is  erecting  a  handsome  and 
costly  building  for  the  Spaulding  Institute,  a 
school  for  the  higher  education  of  young  men. — 
At  Bartonville,  a  suburb  of  Peoria,  on  an  eleva- 
tion commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Illi- 
nois River  valley  for  many  miles,  the  State  has 
located  an  a.sylum  for  the  incurable  insane.  It  is 
now  in  process  of  erection,  and  is  intended  to  be 
one  of  the  most  complete  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 
Peoria  lies  in  a  corn  and  coal  region,  is  noted  for 


the  number  and  extent  of  its  distilleries,  and,  in 
1890,  ranked  eighth  among  the  grain  markets  of 
the  country.  It  also  has  an  extensive  commerce 
with  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  other  important 
cities;  was  credited,  by  the  census  of  1890,  with 
.'554  manufacturing  establishments,  representing 
90  different  branches  of  industry,  with  a  capital 
of  §15,072,567  and  an  estimated  annual  product  of 
S55,504,533.  Its  leading  industries  are  the  manu- 
facture of  distilled  and  malt  liquors,  agricultural 
implements,  glucose  and  machine-shop  products. 
Its  contributions  to  the  internal  revenue  of  the 
country  are  second  ordy  to  those  of  the  New  York 
district.  Population  (1870),  32,849;  (1880),  29,259; 
(1890).  41.  024:  (1900),  56,100. 

PEORIA  COUNTY,  originally  a  part  of  Fulton 
County,  but  cut  off  in  1835.  It  took  its  name 
from  the  Peoria  Indians,  who  occupied  that  region 
when  it  was  first  discovered.  As  first  organized, 
it  included  the  present  counties  of  Jo  Daviess  and 
Cook,  with  many  others  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  State.  At  that  time  there  were  less  than 
1,500  inhabitants  in  the  entire  region;  and  John 
Hamlin,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  on  his  return 
from  Green  Bay  (whither  he  had  accompanied 
William  S.  Hamilton,  a  son  of  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, with  a  drove  of  cattle  for  the  fort  there), 
solemnized,  at  Chicago,  the  marriage  of  Alex- 
ander Wolcott,  then  Indian  Agent,  with  a 
daughter  of  John  Kinzie.  The  original  Peoria 
County  has  been  subdivided  into  thirty  counties, 
among  them  being  some  of  the  largest  and  rich- 
est in  the  State.  The  first  county  officer  was 
Norman  Hyde,  who  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Probate  Court  by  the  Legislature  in  January, 
1825.  His  commission  from  Governor  Coles  was 
dated  on  the  eighteenth  of  that  month,  but  he 
did  not  qualify  until  June  4,  following,  when  he 
took  the  oath  of  office  before  John  Dixon,  Circuit 
Clerk,  who  founded  the  city  that  bears  his  name. 
Meanwhile,  Mr.  Hyde  had  been  appointed  the 
first  Clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners'  Court, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  until  entering  upon 
his  duties  as  Probate  Judge.  The  first  election 
of  county  officers  was  held,  March  7,  1825,  at  the 
house  of  William  Eads.  Nathan  Dillon,  Joseph 
Smith,  and  William  Holland  were  chosen  Com- 
missioners; Samuel  Fulton  Sheriff,  and  William 
Phillips  Coroner.  The  first  County  Treasurer 
was  Aaron  Hawley,  and  the  first  general  election 
of  officers  took  place  in  1836.  The  first  court 
house  was  a  log  cabin,  and  the  first  term  of 
the  Circuit  Court  began  Nov.  14,  1825,  John 
York  Sawj'er  sitting  on  the  bench,  with  John 
Dixon,  Clerk;  Samuel  Fulton.  Sheriff:  and  John 


420 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Twiney,  tlie  Attorney-General,  present.  Peoria 
County  is,  at  present,  one  of  the  wealthiest  and 
most  populous  counties  in  the  State.  Its  soil  is 
fertile  and  its  manufactures  numerous,  especially 
at  Peoria,  the  county-seat  and  principal  city 
(which  see).  The  area  of  the  county  is  G15  square 
miles,  and  its  population  (1880),  55,3.53;  (1890), 
70,378;  (I'JCO),  .ssno.S. 

PEORIA  LAKE,  an  expansion  of  the  Illinois 
River,  fdriiiinK  the  eastern  boundarj'  of  Peoria 
County,  wliic'h  it  separates  from  the  counties  of 
Woodford  and  Tazewell.  It  is  about  20  miles 
long  and  'iji  miles  broad  at  the  widest  part. 

PEORIA,  ATLANTA  ii  DECATUR  RAII-- 
ROAI>.     (See  Tin-e  Haute  <i- PcvrUi  Railrodd.) 

PEORIA,  DECATUR  &  EVAXSVILLE  RAIL- 
WAY. Tlie  total  length  of  this  line,  extending 
from  Peoria.  111.,  to  Evansville,  Ind.,  is  330.87 
miles,  all  owned  by  the  company,  of  which  273 
miles  are  in  Illinois.  It  extends  from  Pekin, 
southeast  to  Grayville,  on  the  Wabash  River — is 
single  track,  unballasted,  and  of  standard  gauge. 
Between  Pekin  and  Peoria  the  company  uses  the 
tracks  of  the  Peoria  &  Pekin  Union  Riiilway,  of 
which  it  is  one-fourth  owner.  Between  Ilervey 
City  and  Midland  Junction  it  has  trackage  privi 
leges  over  the  line  owned  jointly  by  the  Peoria, 
Decatur  &  Evansville  and  the  Terre  Haute  & 
Peoria  Companies  (7.5  miles).  Between  Midland 
Junction  and  Decatur  (2.4  miles)  the  tracks  of 
the  Illinois  Central  are  used,  the  two  lines  having 
terminal  facilities  at  Decatur  in  common.  The 
rails  are  of  fifty-two  and  sixty-pound  steel. — 
(History.)  The  main  line  of  the  Peoria,  Decatur 
&  Evansville  Railway  is  the  result  of  the  consoli- 
dation of  several  lines  built  under  separate  char- 
ters. (1)  The  Pekin,  Lincoln  &  Decatur  Railroad, 
chartered  in  1867,  built  in  18()9-71.  and  operated 
the  latter  year,  was  leased  to  the  Toledo,  Wabash 
&  Western  Railway,  but  sold  to  representatives 
of  the  bond-holders,  on  account  of  default  on 
interest,  in  1876,  and  reorganized  as  the  Pekin, 
Lincoln  &  Decatur  Railway.  (2)  The  Decatur, 
Sullivan  &  Mattoon  Railroad,  (projected  from 
Deciitur  to  Mattoon),  was  incorporated  in  1871, 
completed  from  JIattoon  to  Hervey  City,  in  1872, 
and,  the  same  year,  consolidated  with  the  Chi- 
cago &  Great  Southern;  in  January,  1874,  the 
Decatur  line  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver, 
and,  in  1877.  having  been  sold  imder  foreclosure, 
was  reorganized  as  the  Decatur,  Mattoon  &  South- 
ern Railroad.  In  1879  it  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  trustees,  but  the  Pekin,  Lincoln  &  Decatur 
Railway  having  acquired  a  controlling  interest 
during  the  same  year,  the  two  lines  were  con- 


solidated under  the  name  of  the  Peoria,  Decatur 
&  EvansvilU(  Railway  Comi)any.  (3)  The  Gray- 
ville &  Mattoon  Railroad,  chartered  in  1857,  was 
consolidated  in  1872  with  the  Mount  Vernon  & 
Grayville  Railroad  (projected),  the  new  corpo- 
ration taking  the  name  of  the  Chicago  &  Illinois 
Southern  (already  mentioned).  In  1872  the  latter 
corporation  was  consolidated  with  the  Decatur, 
Sullivan  &  Mattoon  Railroad,  under  the  name  of 
the  Chicago  &  Illinois  Southern  Railway.  Both 
consolidations,  however,  were  set  aside  by  decree 
of  the  United  States  District  Court,  in  1876,  and 
the  partially  graded  road  and  franchises  of  the 
Grayville  &  Mattoon  lines  sold,  under  foreclosure, 
to  the  contractors  for  the  construction ;  20  miles 
of  the  line  from  Olnej'  to  Newton,  were  completed 
during  the  month  of  Septemter  of  that  year,  and 
the  entire  line,  from  Gniyville  to  Mattoon,  in 
1878.  In  1880  this  line  was  sold,  under  decree  of 
foreclosure,  to  the  Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville 
Railway  Company,  whicli  had  already  acquired 
the  Decatur  &  Mattoon  Division— thus  placing 
the  entire  line,  from  Peoria  to  Grayville.  in  the 
hands  of  one  corporation.  A  line  under  the  name 
of  the  Evansville  &  Peoria  Railroad,  chartered  in 
Indiana  in  1880,  was  consolidated,  the  same  year, 
with  the  Illinois  corporation  under  the  name  of 
the  latter,  and  completed  from  Grayville  to 
Evansville  in  1882.  (4)  The  Chicago  &  Ohio 
River  Railroad — chartered,  in  1869,  as  the  Dan- 
ville, Olney  &  Ohio  River  Railroad — was  con- 
structed, as  a  narrow  gauge  line,  from  Kansas  to 
West  Literty,  in  1878-81 ;  in  the  latter  year  was 
changed  to  standard  gauge  and  completed,  in 
1883,  from  Sidell  to  Olney  (86  miles).  The  siime 
year  it  went  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  was  sold 
under  foreclosure,  in  February,  1886,  and  reorgan- 
ized, in  May  following,  as  the  Chicago  &  Ohio 
River  Railroad ;  was  consolidated  with  the  Peoria, 
Decatur  &  Evansville  Railway,  in  1893,  and  used 
as  the  Chicago  Division  of  that  line.  The  property 
and  fninchises  of  the  entire  line  passed  into  thfc 
hands  of  receivers  in  1894,  and  are  still  (1898) 
under  their  management. 

PEORIA,  PEKIX  &  JACKSONVILLE  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road of  niinoiit. ) 

PEORIA  i  BUREAU  VALLEY  RAILROAD,  a 
short  line,  46.7  nailes  in  length,  operated  by  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany, extending  from  Peoria  to  Bureau  Junction, 
111.  It  was  incorporated,  Feb.  12,  1853,  com- 
pleted the  following  year,  and  leased  to  the  Rock 
Island  in  perpetuity,  April  14,  18.54,  the  annual 
rental    being    $125,000.     The    par  value    of    the 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


421 


capital  stock  is  §1,500,000.  Annual  dividends  of 
8  per  cent  are  guaranteed,  payable  semi-annu- 
ally. (See  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway. ) 

PEORIA  &  EASTERN  RAILROAD,  Of  this 
line  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railroad  Company  is  the  lessee.  Its  total 
length  is  350 j^^  miles,  132  of  which  lie  in  Illinois 
— 123  being  owned  by  the  Company.  That  por- 
tion within  this  State  extends  east  from  Pekin  to 
the  Indiana  State  line,  in  addition  to  which  the 
Company  has  trackage  facilities  over  the  line  of 
the  Peoria  &  Pekin  Union  Railway  (9  miles)  to 
Peoria.  The  gauge  is  standard.  The  track  is 
single,  laid  with  sixty  and  sixty-seven-pound 
steel  rails  and  ballasted  almost  wliolly  witli 
gravel.  The  capital  stock  is  .?10,000,000.  In  1895 
it  had  a  bonded  debt  of  .§13,603,000  and  a  floating 
debt  of  81.261,130,  making  a  total  capitalization 
of  §24,864,130.— (History.)  The  original  of  this 
corporation  was  the  Danville,  Urbana,  Blooming- 
ton  &  Pekin  Railroad,  wliich  was  consolidated, 
in  July,  1809,  with  the  Indianapolis,  Crawfords- 
ville  &  Danville  Railroad — the  new  corporation 
taking  the  name  of  the  Indianapoli.s,  Blooming- 
ton  &  Western — and  was  opened  to  Pekin  the 
same  year.  In  1874  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  a 
receiver,  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1879,  and 
reorganized  as  the  Indiana,  Bloomington  & 
Western  Railway  Company.  Tlie  next  cliange 
occurred  in  1881,  when  it  was  consolidated  witli 
an  Ohio  corporation  (the  Ohio,  Indiana  &  Pacific 
Railroad),  again  undergoing  a  slight  change  of 
name  in  its  reorganization  as  the  Indiana,  Bloom- 
ington &  Western  Railroad  Company.  In  1886 
it  again  got  into  financial  straits,  was  placed  in 
charge  of  a  receiver  and  sold  to  a  reorganization 
committee,  and,  in  January,  1887,  took  the  name 
of  the  Ohio,  Indiana  &  Western  Railway  Com- 
pany. The  final  reorganization,  under  its  present 
name,  took  place  in  February,  1890,  when  it  was 
leased  to  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  & 
St.  Louis  Railway,  by  which  it  is  operated. 
(See  Clneland,  Cincinnati,  Cliicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway.) 

PEORIA  &  HANNIBAL  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.) 

PEORIA  &  OqUAWKA  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.) 

PEORIA  &  PEKIN  UNION  RAILWAY.  A  line 
connecting  the  cities  of  Peoria  and  Pekin,  svhich 
are  only  8  miles  apart.  It  was  chartered  in  1880, 
and  acquired,  Ijy  purchase,  the  tracks  of  the  Peoria, 
Pekin  &  Jacksonville  and  the  Peoria  &  Spring- 
field Railroads,  between  the  two  cities  named  in 


its  title,  giving  it  control  of  two  lines,  which  are 
used  by  nearly  all  the  railroads  entering  both 
cities  from  the  east  side  of  the  Illinois  River.  The 
mileage,  including  both  divisions,  is  18. 14  miles, 
second  tracks  and  sidings  increasing  the  total  to 
nearly  60  miles.  The  track  is  of  standard  gauge, 
about  two-thirds  being  laid  with  steel  rails.  The 
total  cost  of  construction  was  §4,350,987.  Its 
total  capitalization  (1898)  was  §4,177,763,  includ- 
ing §1,000,000  in  stock,  and  a  funded  debt  of 
§2,904,000.  The  capital  stock  is  held  in  equal 
amounts  (each  2,500  shares)  by  the  Wabash,  the 
Peoria,  Decatur  &  Evansville,  the  Chicago, 
Peoria  &  St.  Louis  and  the  Peoria  &  Eastern  com- 
panies, with  1,000  shares  by  the  Lake  Erie  & 
Western.  Terminal  charges  and  annual  rentals 
are  also  paid  by  the  Terra  Haute  &  Peoria  and 
the  Iowa  Central  Railways. 

PEORIA  &  SPRINGFIELD  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  of  Illinois.) 

PEOTONE,  a  village  of  W^ill  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  41  miles  south-southwest 
from  Chicago;  has  some  manufactures,  a  bank 
and  a  newspaper.  The  surrounding  country  is 
agricultural.    Population  (1890),  717;  (1900),  1,003. 

PERCY,  a  village  of  Randolph  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Wabash,  Chesapeake  &  West- 
ern and  the  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railways.  Population 
(1890),  360;  (1900),  660. 

PERROT,  Nicholas,  a  French  explorer,  wno 
visited  the  valley  of  the  Fox  River  (of  Wisconsin) 
and  the  country  around  the  great  lakes,  at  various 
times  between  1070  and  1690.  He  was  present, 
as  a  guide  and  interpreter,  at  the  celebrated  con- 
ference held  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  in  1671,  which 
was  attended  by  fifteen  Frenchmen  and  repre- 
sentatives from  seventeen  Indian  tribes,  and  at 
which  the  Sieur  de  Lusson  took  formal  possession 
of  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior,  with  the  siurrouud- 
ing  region  and  "all  the  country  southward  to  tlie 
sea,"  in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France. 
Perrot  was  the  first  to  discover  lead  in  the  West, 
and,  for  several  years,  was  Commandant  in  the 
Green  Bay  district.  As  a  chronicler  he  was 
intelligent,  intere.sting  and  accurate.  His  writ- 
ings were  not  published  until  1864,  but  have 
always  been  highly  prized  as  authority. 

PERRY,  a  town  of  Pike  County;  has  a  bank 
and  a  newspaper.  Population  (1880),  770;  (1890), 
705;  (1900),  642. 

PERRY  COUNTY,  lies  in  the  southwest  quarter 
of  tlic  State,  with  an  area  of  440  square  miles  and 
a  population  (1900)  of  19,830.  It  was  organized 
as  a  county  in  1827,  and  named  for  Com.  Oliver 
H.    Perry.     The    general     surface      is     rolling. 


422 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


although  flat  prairies  occupy  a.  considerable  por- 
tion, intersperseil  with  "post -oak  Hats. '"  Limestone 
is  found  in  the  southern,  and  .sandstone  in  tlie 
nortliern,  sectious,  but  the  cliief  mineral  wealth 
of  the  county  is  coal,  which  is  abundant,  and,  at 
several  points,  easily  mined,  some  of  it  being  of 
a  superior  quality.  Salt  is  manufactured,  to  some 
extent,  and  the  chief  agricultural  output  is 
wheat.  Pinckneyville,  the  county-seat,  has  a 
central  position  and  a  population  of  about  l.;iOO. 
Du(iuoir  i.s  the  largest  city.  Beaucoup  Creek  is 
the  principal  stream,  and  the  county  is  crossed 
by  several  lines  of  railroad. 

PERU,  a  city  in  La  Salle  County,  at  the  head 
of  navigation  on  the  Illinois  River,  which  is  here 
spanned  by  a  handsome  bridge.  It  is  distant  100 
miles  southwest  from  Chicago,  and  the  same  dis- 
tance north-northeast  from  Springlield.  It  is 
connected  by  street  ears  with  La  Salle,  one  mile 
distant,  which  is  the  terminus  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal.  It  is  situated  in  a  rich  coal- 
mining region,  is  an  iniiwrtant  trade  center,  and 
has  several  manufacturing  e.stablishments,  includ- 
ing zinc  smelting  works,  rolling  mills,  nickeloid 
factory,  metal  novelty  works,  gas  engine  factor}", 
tile  works,  plow,  scale  and  patent-pump  factories, 
foundries  and  machine  shops,  flour  and  saw  mills, 
clock  factory,  etc.  Two  national  banks,  with  a 
combined  capital  of  §200,000,  are  Iwated  at  Peru, 
and  one  daily  and  one  weekly  paper.  Population 
(1870),  3,650;  (1880),  4.682;  (1890).  5,550.  (1900), 
6,803. 

PESOTUM,  a  village  in  riiampaign  County,  ou 
the  Illinois  Central  liailroad,  5  miles  south  of 
Tolono.     Population  (1890),  575. 

PETERSBURG,  a  city  of  Menard  County,  and 
the  county-seat,  on  the  .Sangjinion  River,  at  the 
intersection  Chicago  &  Alton  witli  the  Chicago, 
Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railway;  23  miles  northwest 
of  Springfield  and  38  miles  northeast  of  Jackson- 
ville. The  town  was  surveyed  and  platted  by 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1837,  and  is  the  seat  of  the 
"Old  Salem"  Chautauqua.  It  has  machine  shops. 
two  banks,  two  weekly  pa  pel's  and  nine  churches 
The  manufactures  include  woolen  good.s,  brick 
and  drain-tile,  bed-springs,  mattresses,  and 
canned  good.s.     Pop.  (1890),  2,342,  (1900),  2,807. 

PETERS,  Onslow,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  graduated  at  Brown  Univer- 
sity, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  practiced 
law  in  his  native  State  until  1837,  when  he  set- 
tled at  Peoria,  111.  He  served  in  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847.  was  elected  to  the 
bench  of  the  Sixteenth  Judicial  Circuit  in  1853, 
and  re-elected  in  1855.     Died,  Feb.  28,  1856. 


PHILLIPS,  David  L  ,  journalist  and  politician, 
was  born  where  the  town  of  Marion,  Williamson 
County,  111.,  now  stands,  Oct.  28,  1823;  came  to 
St.  Clair  County  in  childhood,  his  father  settling 
near  Belleville;  began  teaching  at  an  early  age, 
and,  when  about  18,  joined  the  Baptist  Church, 
and,  after  a  brief  course  with  the  distinguished 
Dr.  Peck,  at  his  Rock  Spring  Seminary,  two  years 
later  entered  the  ministry,  serving  churches  in 
Washington  and  other  Southern  Illinois  counties, 
finally  taking  charge  of  a  church  at  Jonesboro. 
Though  originally  a  Democrat,  his  advanced 
views  on  slavery  led  to  a  disagreement  with  his 
church,  and  he  withdrew;  then  accepted  a  posi- 
tion as  paj-master  in  the  construction  department 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  finally  being 
transferred  to  that  of  Land  Agent  for  the  South- 
ern section,  in  this  capacity  visiting  different 
parts  of  the  State  from  one  end  of  the  main  line 
to  the  other.  About  1854  he  became  as.sociated 
with  the  management  of  "The  Jonesboro  Ga- 
zette," a  Democratic  pai)er,  which,  during  his  con- 
nection with  it  (some  two  years),  he  made  an 
earnest  opponent  of  the  Kan.sasXebraska  Bill. 
At  the  Anti-Nebraska  Editorial  Convention 
^which  see),  held  at  Decatur,  Feb.  22,  18.56,  he 
was  apjKiinted  a  memU'r  of  their  Stjite  Central 
Comiuittee,  and,  as  such,  joined  in  the  call  for  the 
first  Republican  State  Convention,  held  at  Bloom- 
ington  in  May  following,  where  he  served  as 
Vice-Presiilent  for  liis  District,  and  was  nomi- 
nated for  Presidential  Klector  on  the  Fremont 
ticket.  Two  years  later  (18.58)  he  was  the 
unsuccessful  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
in  the  Southern  District,  being  defeated  by  John 
A.  Logan ;  was  again  in  the  State  Convention  of 
1860,  and  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention 
which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  President 
the  first  time;  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
United  States  Marshal  for  the  Southern  District 
in  1861,  and  re  appointed  in  1865,  but  resigned 
after  Andrew  Johnson's  defection  in  18G6.  Dur- 
ing 1862  Mr.  Phillips  l)ecame  part  proprietor  of 
"The  State  Journal"  at  Springfield,  retaining 
this  relation  until  1878,  at  intervals  performing 
editorial  service:  aLso  took  a  prominent  part  in 
organizing  and  equipping  the  One  Hundred  and 
Ninth  Regiment  IlUnoLs  Volunteers  (sometimes 
called  the  "Phillips  Regiment"),  and,  in  1865, 
was  one  of  the  committee  of  citizens  sent  to 
escort  the  remains  of  President  Lincoln  to 
Springfield.  He  joined  in  the  Liberal  Republican 
movement  at  Cincinnati  in  1872,  but,  in  1876, 
was  in  line  with  his  former  party  associates,  and 
served  in  that  year  as  an  unsuccessful  candidate 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


423 


for  Congress,  in  the  Springfield  District,  in  oppo- 
sition to  William  M.  Springer,  early  the  following 
year  receiving  the  appointment  of  Postmaster 
for  the  city  of  Springfield  from  President  Hayes. 
Died,  at  Springfield,  June  19,  1880. 

PHILLIPS,  tfCorsre  S.,  author,  was  born  at 
Peterboroxigh,  England,  in  January,  1816;  gradu- 
ated at  Cambridge,  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  engaging  in  journalism.  In  184.5  he 
returned  to  England,  and,  for  a  time,  was  editor 
of  "The  Leeds  Times."  still  later  being  Principal 
of  the  People's  College  at  Huddersfield.  Return- 
ing to  the  United  States,  he  came  to  Cook  County, 
and,  about  186fi-68,  was  a  writer  of  sketches  over 
the  nom  de  plume  of  "January  Searle"  for  "The 
Chicago  Republican" — later  was  literary  editor 
of  "The  New  York  Sun"  for  several  years.  His 
mind  becoming  impaired,  he  was  placed  in  an 
asylum  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  finally  dying  at  Morris- 
town,  N.  J.,  Jan.  14,  1889.  Mr.  Phillips  was  the 
author  of  several  volumes,  chiefly  sketches  of 
travel  and  biograpliy. 

PHILLIPS,  Jesse  J.,  lawyer,  soldier  and 
jurist,  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  111., 
May  22,  1837.  Shortly  after  graduating  from  the 
Hillsboro  Academy,  he  read  law.  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860.  In  1861  he  organized 
a  company  of  volunteers,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  Captain,  and  which  was  attached  to  the 
Ninth  Illinois  Infantry.  Captain  Phillips  was 
successively  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Major, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Colonel;  resigned  on 
account  of  disability,  in  August,  1804,  but  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  His  military  record  was  exceptionally 
brilliant  He  was  wounded  three  times  at 
Shiloh,  and  was  personally  thanked  and  compli- 
mented by  Generals  Grant  and  Oglesby  for  gal- 
lantry and  efficient  service.  At  the  termination 
of  the  struggle  he  returned  to  Hillsboro  and 
engaged  in  practice.  In  1866,  and  again  in  1868, 
he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  State  Treas- 
urer, but  was  both  times  defeated.  In  1879  he 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Fifth  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  re-elected  in  1885.  In  1890  he  was 
assigned  to  the  bench  of  the  Appellate  Court  of 
the  Fourth  District,  and,  in  1893,  was  elected  a 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
created  by  the  death  of  Justice  John  M.  Scholfield, 
his  term  expiring  in  1897,  when  he  was  re-elected 
to  succeed  himself.  Judge  Phillips"  present  term 
will  expire  in  1906. 

PHILLIPS,  Joseph,  early  jurist,  was  born  in 
Tennessee,  received  a  classical  and  legal  edu- 
cation, and  served  as  a  Captain  in  the  War  of 


1813 ;  in  1816  was  appointed  Secretary  of  Illinois 
Territory,  serving  until  the  admi.ssion  of  Illinois 
as  a  State,  when  he  became  the  first  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court,  serving  until  July, 
1822,  when  he  resigned,  being  succeeded  on  the 
bench  by  John  Rej-nolds,  afterwards  Governor. 
In  1822  he  was  a  candidate  for  Governor  in  the 
interest  of  the  advocates  of  a  pro-slavery  amend- 
ment of  the  State  Constitution,  but  was  defeated 
by  Edward  Coles,  the  leader  of  the  anti-slavery 
party.  (See  Coles,  Edward,  and  Slavery  and  Slave 
Laws.)  He  appears  from  the  "Edwards  Papers" 
to  have  been  in  Illinois  as  late  as  1832,  but  is 
said  eventually  to  have  returned  to  Tennessee. 
The  date  of  his  deatli  is  unknown. 

PIAXKKSHAWS,  THE,  a  branch  of  the  Miami 
tribe  of  Indians.  Their  name,  like  those  of  their 
brethren,  underwent  many  mutations  of  orthog- 
raphy, the  tribe  being  referred  to,  variously,  as 
the  "Pou-an-ke-kiahs,"  the  "Pi-an-gie-shaws, " 
the  "Pi-an-qui-shaws, "  and  the  "Py-an-ke- 
shaws."  They  were  le.ss  numerous  than  the 
Weas,  their  numerical  strength  ranking  lowest 
among  the  bands  of  the  Miamis.  At  the  time  La 
Salle  planted  his  colony  around  Starved  Rock, 
their  warriors  numbered  1.50.  Subsequent  to  the 
dispersion  of  this  colony  they  (alone  of  the  Miamis) 
occupied  portions  of  the  present  territory  of  Illi- 
nois, having  villages  on  the  Vermilion  and 
Wabash  Rivers.  Their  earliest  inclinations 
toward  the  whites  were  friendly,  the  French 
traders  having  intermarried  with  women  of  the 
tribe  soon  after  the  advent  of  the  first  explor- 
ers. Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  experienced  little 
difficulty  in  securing  their  allegiance  to  the  new 
government  which  he  proclaimed.  In  the  san- 
guinary raids  (usually  followed  by  reprisals), 
which  marked  Western  history  during  the  years 
immediately  succeeding  the  Revolution,  the 
Piankeshaws  took  no  part ;  yet  the  outrages,  per- 
petrated upon  peaceable  colonists,  had  so  stirred 
the  settlers"  blood,  that  all  Indians  were  included 
in  the  general  thirst  for  vengeance,  and  each  was 
unceremoniously  dispatched  as  soon  as  seen.  The 
Piankeshaws  appealed  to  Washington  for  jjrotec- 
tion.  and  the  President  issued  a  special  procla- 
mation in  their  behalf.  After  the  cession  of  the 
last  remnant  of  the  Miami  territory  to  the  United 
States,  the  tribe  was  removed  to  a  Kansas  reser- 
vation, and  its  last  remnant  finally  found  a  home 
in  Indian  Territory.     (See  also  3/i'am(.s;  Weas.) 

"PIASA  BIRD,"  LEGEND  OF  THE.  When 
the  French  explorers  first  descended  the  Upper 
Mississippi  River,  they  found  some  remarkable 
figures  depicted  upon  the  face  of  the  bluff,  just 


424 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


above  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Alton,  which 
excited  their  wonder  and  continued  to  attract 
interest  long  after  the  country  was  occupied  by 
the  whites.  Tlie  account  given  of  the  discov- 
ery by  Marquette,  who  descended  the  river  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  in  June,  1GT3,  is  as 
follows:  "As  we  coasted  along"  (after  passing 
the  mouth  of  the  Illinois)  "rocks  frightful  for 
their  height  and  length,  we  saw  two  monsters 
painted  on  one  of  the  rocks,  which  startled  us  at 
first,  and  upon  which  the  boUlest  Indian  dare  not 
gaze  long.  They  are  as  large  as  a  calf,  with  horns 
on  the  head  like  a  deer,  a  frightful  look,  red 
eyes,  bearded  like  a  tiger,  the  face  somewhat 
like  a  man's,  the  body  covered  with  scales,  and 
the  tail  so  long  that  it  twice  makes  the  turn  of 
the  body,  passing  over  the  head  and  down  be- 
tween the  legs,  ending  at  last  in  a  fish's  tail, 
lirecn,  red  and  black  are  the  colors  employed. 
On  the  whole,  these  two  monsters  are  so  well 
painted  that  we  could  not  believe  any  Indian  to 
have  been  the  designer,  as  good  painters  in 
France  would  find  it  hard  to  do  as  well.  Besides 
this,  the}'  are  painted  so  high  upon  the  rock  that 
it  is  hard  to  get  conveniently  at  them  to  paint 
them."  As  the  Indians  could  give  no  account  of 
the  origin  of  these  figures,  but  had  their  terror 
even  more  excited  at  the  sight  of  them  than  Mar- 
([uette  himself,  they  are  supposed  to  have  been 
tlie  work  of  some  prehistoric  race  occupying  the 
country  long  before  the  arrival  of  tlie  aborigines 
whom  Marquette  and  his  companions  found  in 
Illinois.  There  was  a  tradition  that  the  figures 
were  intended  to  represent  a  creature,  part  beast 
and  part  bird,  which  destroyed  iiuniense  numbers 
of  the  inhabitants  by  swooping  down  upon  them 
from  its  abode  upon  the  rocks.  At  last  a  chief  is 
said  to  have  offered  him.self  a  victim  for  his 
people,  and  when  the  monster  made  its  appear- 
ance, twenty  of  his  warriors,  concealed  near  by, 
discharged  their  arrows  at  it,  killing  it  just 
before  it  reached  its  prey.  In  this  manner  the 
life  of  the  chief  was  saved  and  his  people  were 
preserved  from  further  depredations;  and  it  was 
to  commemorate  this  event  that  the  figure  of  the 
bird  was  painted  on  the  face  of  the  cliff  on  whose 
summit  the  chief  stood.  This  story,  told  in  a 
paper  by  5Ir.  John  Russell,  a  pioneer  author  of 
Illinois,  obtained  wide  circulation  in  this  country 
and  in  Europe,  about  the  close  of  the  first 
quarter  of  the  present  century,  as  the  genuine 
"Legend  of  the  Piasa  Bird."  It  is  said,  however, 
that  Mr.  Russell,  who  was  a  popular  writer  of 
fiction,  acknowledged  that  it  was  drawn  largely 
from  his  imagination.     Many  prehistoric   relics 


and  human  remains  are  said,  by  the  late  William 
McAdams,  the  antiquarian  of  Alton,  to  have 
been  found  in  caves  in  the  vicinity,  and  it  seems 
a  well  autlienticated  fact  that  the  Indians,  when 
passing  the  spot,  were  accustomed  to  di.scharge 
their  arrows — and,  later,  their  fireiirms— at  the 
figure  on  the  face  of  the  cliff.  Traces  of  this 
celebrated  pictograph  were  visible  as  late  as  1840 
to  1845,  but  have  since  been  entirely  quarried 
away. 

PI.VTT  COUNTY,  organized  in  1841.  consist- 
ing of  parts  of  Macon  and  Dewitt  Counties.  Its 
area  is 440  square  miles;  population  (1900),  17,706. 
The  first  Commissioners  were  John  Hughes,  W. 
Bailey  and  E.  Peck.  John  Piatt,  after  whose 
family  the  county  was  named,  was  the  first 
Sheriff.  The  North  Fork  of  the  Sangamon  River 
flows  centrally  through  the  county  from  north- 
east to  southwest,  and  several  lines  of  railroad 
afford  transportiition  for  its  products.  Its  re- 
sources and  tlie  occupation  of  the  people  are 
almost  wholly  agricultural,  the  surface  being 
level  prairie  an<l  the  soil  fertile.  Monticello,  the 
county-seat,  hiis  a  population  of  about  1,700. 
Other  leading  towns  are  Cerro  Gordo  (939)  and 
Bement  (1.129). 

PICKETT,  Thomas  JohnHOn,  journalist,  was 
born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  March  17,  1821;  spent 
six  years  (1830-36)  in  St.  Louis,  when  his  family 
removed  to  Peoria ;  learned  the  printer's  trade  in 
the  latter  city,  and,  in  1840,  began  the  publica- 
tion of  "The  Peoria  Xews,"  then  sold  out  and 
established  "The  Republican"  (afterwards  "The 
Transcript") ;  w;is  a  member  of  the  Anti-Nebraska 
Editorial  Convention  held  at  Decatur,  Feb.  22, 
18oG,  serving  on  the  Committee  on  Resolution!*, 
and  being  appointed  on  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee, which  called  the  first  Republican  State 
Convention,  held  at  Bloomington,  in  May  follow- 
ing, and  was  there  appointed  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention  at  Philadelphia,  which 
nominated  General  Fremont  for  President. 
Later,  he  published  papers  at  Pekin  and  Rock 
Island,  at  the  latter  place  being  one  of  the  first  to 
name  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency ;  was 
elected  State  Senator  in  1860,  and,  in  1862,  com- 
missioned Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Sixty-ninth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  being  transferred,  as  Colonel, 
to  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty -second  Illinois 
(100-days'  men),  and  serving  at  Camp  Douglas 
during  the  "Conspiracy"  excitement.  After  the 
war.  Colonel  Pickett  removed  to  Paducah,  K}-., 
published  a  paper  there  called  "The  Federal 
Union."  was  appointed  Postmaster,  and.  later. 
Clerk  of  the  United  States  District  Court,  and 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


425 


was  the  Republican  nominee  for  Congress,  in  that 
District,  in  1874.  Removing  to  Nebraska  in  1879, 
he  at  different  times  conducted  several  papers  in 
tliat  State,  residing  for  the  most  part  at  Lincoln. 
Died,  at  Ashland,  Neb.,  Dec.  24,  1891. 

PIERSOJf,  David,  pioneer  banker,  was  born  at 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y,.  July  9,  1806;  at  the  age  of  13 
removed  west  with  liis  parents,  arriving  at  St. 
Louis,  June  3,  1820.  The  family  soon  after  set- 
tled near  CoUinsville,  Madison  County,  111.,  where 
the  father  having  died,  they  removed  to  the  vi- 
cinity of  Carrollton,  Greene  Coimty,  in  1821.  Here 
they  opened  a  farm,  but,  in  1827,  Mr.  Pierson 
went  to  the  lead  mines  at  Galena,  where  he  re- 
mained a  j'ear,  then  returning  to  Carrollton.  In 
1834,  having  .sold  his  farm,  lie  began  merchandis- 
ing, still  later  being  engaged  in  the  pork  and 
grain  trade  at  Alton.  In  1854  lie  added  the  bank- 
ing business  to  his  dry-goods  trade  at  Carrollton, 
also  engaged  in  milling,  and,  in  1862-63,  erected 
a  woolen  factory,  which  was  destroyed  by  an 
incendiary  fire  in  1872.  Originally  an  anti-slavery 
Clay  Whig.  Mr.  Pierson  became  a  Republican  on 
the  organization  of  that  party  in  1856,  served  for 
a  time  as  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue,  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
at  Philadelphia  in  1872,  and  a  prominent  candi- 
date for  the  Republican  nomination  for  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor in  1876.  Of  high  integrity  and 
unswerving  patriotism,  Mr.  Pierson  was  generous 
in  his  benefactions,  being  one  of  the  most  liberal 
contributors  to  the  establishment  of  the  Langston 
School  for  the  Education  of  Freedmen  at  Holly 
Springs,  Miss.,  soon  after  the  war.  He  died  at 
Carrollton,  May  8,  1891.— Oman  (Pierson),  a  son 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  member  of 
the  Thirty-second  General  A,ssembly  (1881)  from 
Greene  County,  and  is  present  cashier  of  the 
Greene  County  National  Bank  at  Carrollton. 

PIGGOTT,  Isaac  N.,  early  politician,  was  born 
about  1792;  served  as  an  itinerant  Methodist 
preacher  in  Missouri  and  Illinois,  between  1819 
and  1824,  but  finally  located  southveest  of  Jersey- 
ville  and  obtained  a  license  to  run  a  ferry  be- 
tween Grafton  and  Alton;  in  1828  ran  as  a 
candidate  for  the  State  Senate  against  Thomas 
Carliu  (afterwards  Governor) ;  removed  to  St. 
Louis   in  1858,  and  died  there  in  1874. 

PIKE  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  western  por- 
tion of  the  State,  lying  between  the  Illinois  and 
Mississippi  Rivers,  having  an  area  of  795  square 
miles — named  in  honor  of  the  explorer,  Capt. 
Zebulon  Pike  The  first  American  settlers  came 
about  1820,  and,  in  1821,  the  county  was  organ- 
ized, at  first  embracing  all  the  country  north  and 


west  of  the  liUnois  River,  including  the  present 
county  of  Cook.  Out  of  this  territory  were  finally 
organized  about  one  fourth  of  the  counties  of  the 
State.  Coles'  Grove  (now  Gilead,  in  Calhoun 
County)  was  the  first  countj'-seat,  but  the  seat  of 
justice  was  removed,  in  1824,  to  Atlas,  and  to 
Pittsfield  in  1833.  Tlie  surface  is  undulating,  in 
some  portions  is  hilly,  and  diversified  with  prai 
ries  and  hardwood  timber.  Live-stock,  cereals 
and  hay  are  the  staple  products,  while  coal  and 
Niagara  limestone  are  found  in  abundance. 
Population  (1890),  31,000;  (1900),  31,595. 

PILLSBURY,  Nathaniel  Joy,  lawyer  and 
judge,  was  born  in  York  County,  Maine,  Oct.  21, 
1834;  in  1855  removed  to  Illinois,  and,  in  1858, 
began  farming  in  Livingston  County.  He  began 
the  study  of  law  in  1863,  and,  after  admission  to 
the  bar,  commenced  practice  at  Pontiac.  He 
represented  La  Salle  and  Livingston  Counties  in 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70,  and,  in 
1873,  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Tliirteenth 
Judicial  Circuit.  He  was  re-elected  in  1879  and 
again  in  1885.  He  was  assigned  to  tlie  bench  of 
the  Appellate  Court  in  1877,  and  again  in  1879 
and  '85.  He  was  severely  wounded  by  a  shot 
received  from  strikers  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad,  near  Chicago,  in  1886,  resulting 
in  his  being  permanently  disabled  physically,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  declined  a  reelection  to 
the  bench  in  1891. 

PINCKNEYVILLE,  a  city  and  the  county-seat 
of  Perry  County,  situated  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Paducah  Division  Illinois  Central  and  the 
Wabash,  Chester  <t  Western  Railways,  10  miles 
west-northwest  of  Duquoin.  Coal-mining  is 
carried  on  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  flour, 
carriages,  plows  and  dressed  lumber  are  among 
the  manufactured  products.  Pinckneyville  has 
two  banks — one  of  which  is  national — two  weekly 
newspapers,  seven  churches,  a  graded  and  a  high 
school.  Population  (1880),  964;  (1890),  1,298; 
(1900),  2,357. 

PITTSBURG,  CINCINNATI,  CHICAGO  & 
ST.  LOUIS  RAILROAD,  one  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company's  lines,  operating  1,403  miles  of 
road,  of  which  1,090  miles  are  owned  and  the 
remainder  leased — length  of  line  in  Illinois,  28 
miles.  The  Company  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  con- 
solidation, in  1890,  of  the  Pittsburg.  Cincinnati  & 
St.  Louis  Railway  with  the  Cliirago,  St.  Louis  & 
Pittsburg,  the  Cincinnati  &  Eiclimond  and  the 
Jeffersonville,  Madison  &  Indianapolis  Railroads. 
The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  controls 
the  entire  line  through  ownership  of  stock. 
Capital  .stock  outstanding,  in    1898,    $47,791,001; 


426 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    UF   ILLINOIS. 


funded  debt,  $48,433,000;  floating  debt,  $3,214,703 
—total  capital  §98,500,584.  —  (History.)  The 
Chicago,  St.  Louis  &  Pittsburg  Railroad,  em- 
bracing the  Illinois  division  of  this  line,  was  made 
ui>  of  vario\is  corporations  organized  under  the 
laws  of  Illinois  and  Indiana.  One  of  its  compo- 
nent parts  was  the  Chicago  &  Great  Eastern 
Railway,  organized,  in  1865,  by  consolidation  of 
the  Galena  &  Illinois  River  Railroad  (chartered 
in  1857),  the  Chicago  &  Great  Ea.stern  Rjiilway 
of  Indiana,  the  Cincinnati  &  Chicago  Air-Line 
(organized  IHOO),  and  the  Cincinnati.  Logans- 
port  &  Chicago  Railway.  In  18fi9.  the  consoli- 
dated lino  was  leased  to  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati 
&  St.  Louis  Riiilway  Company,  and  operated 
imdcr  the  name  of  the  Columbus,  Cliicago  & 
Indiana  Central  between  Bradford.  Ohio,  and 
Chicago,  from  1869  until  its  consolidation,  under 
the  present  name,  in  1890.  (See  Pennsylvania 
R<inr(><i<l.) 

PITTSBURG,  FORT  WAYXE  A.  CHIC.XGO 
RAILROAD.  (See  Pittsburg,  Fort  ll<ii/»ic  d:  Chi 
cdijo  Hiiilirivj.) 

PITTsm  R(J,  FORT  WAY>E  k  CHICAGO 
RAII.W.VY.  The  total  length  of  this  line  is 
nearly  170  miles,  but  only  a  little  over  10  miles 
are  within  Illinois.  It  was  operated  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Companj-  as  lessee.  The  entire 
capitalization  in  1898  was  $52,549,990;  and  the 
earnings  in  Illinois,  §472.228.— (HISTORY.)  The 
Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway  is  the 
result  of  the  consolidation,  August  1,  1850.  of  the 
Ohio  &  Pennsylvania,  the  Ohio  &  Indiana  and 
tlie  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad  Companies, 
uiuler  the  name  of  the  Pittsburg.  Fort  Wayne  & 
Chic;igo  Railroad.  The  road  was  opened  througli 
its  entire  length.  Jan.  1.  18.59;  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  in  1861;  reorganized  imder  its  present 
title,  in  1862,  and  leased  to  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company,  for  999  years,  from  July  1, 
18<i!t.      (See  Pviin.si/lvania  Railroad.) 

PITTSFIELD,  the  county -seat  of  Pike  County, 
situated  on  tlie  Hannibal  t^  Naples  branch  of  the 
Wabash  Railway,  about  40  miles  southeast  of 
Quincy,  and  about  the  same  distance  south  of 
west  from  Jacksonville.  Its  public  buildings 
include  a  liandsome  court  house  and  graded  and 
high  school  buildings.  Tlie  city  has  an  electric 
light  plant,  city  water-works,  a  flour  mill,  a 
National  and  a  State  bank,  nine  churches,  and 
four  weekly  newspapers.  Pop.  (1890).  2,295; 
(1900),  2.293. 

PLATNFIELT),  a  village  of  Will  County,  on  the 
Elgin.  Joliet  A  Eastern  Railroad  and  an  interur- 
ban  electric  line.  8  miles  northwest  of  Joliet;  is 


in  a  dairying  section ;  has  a  bank  and  one  news- 
paper.    Pop.  (1890),  852;  (1900).  920. 

PLANO,  a  city  in  Kendall  County,  situated 
near  the  Fox  River,  and  on  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  (Quincy  R;iilroad,  14  miles  west-soutliwest 
of  Aurora.  There  are  manufactories  of  agri- 
cultural implements  and  bedsteads.  The  city  has 
banks,  several  churches,  graded  and  high  schools, 
and  a  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890),  1,825; 
(1900),  1,034;  (1903,  est.).  2,250. 

PLEASANT  PLAINS,  a  village  of  Sangamon 
County,  on  Springfield  Division  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
S.  W.  Railroad,  16  miles  northwest  of  Spring- 
field; in  rich  farming  region;  has  coal-shaft, 
bank,  five  churches,  college  and  two  newspapers. 
Population  (1890).  518;  (1900).  575. 

PLEASANTS,  (Jeorge  Washington,  jurist,  was 
born  in  Ilarrodsburg.  Ky..  Xov.  21.  1823;  received 
a  classical  education  at  Williams  College.  Mass. 
graduating  in  1842;  studied  law  in  New  York 
City,  and  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  at  Rochester. 
N.  Y..  in  1845.  establishing  himself  in  practice  at 
Williamstown.  Mass..  where  he  remained  until 
1849.  In  1S51  he  removed  to  Washington.  D.  C, 
and.  after  residing  there  two  years,  came  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  at  Rock  Islaml.  which  has  since 
l)een  his  home.  In  1861  he  was  elected,  as  a 
Republican,  to  the  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion which  met  at  Springfield  in  January  follow- 
ing, and,  in  1867.  was  chosen  Judge  for  the  Sixth 
(now  Tenth)  Judicial  Circuit,  having  .served  by 
successive  re  elections  until  June,  1897,  retiring 
at  the  close  of  his  fifth  term— a  record  for  length 
of  service  seldom  paralleled  in  the  judicial  his- 
tory of  the  State.  The  last  twenty  j-ears  of  this 
period  were  spent  on  the  Appellate  bench.  For 
several  years  pjist  Judge  Pleasants  has  been  a 
sufferer  from  failing  eyesight,  but  has  been  faith- 
ful in  attendance  on  his  judicial  duties.  As  a 
judicial  officer  and  a  man,  his  reputation  stands 
among  the  highest. 

PLFMB.  Ralph,  soldier  and  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  in  Chautauqua  County.  N.  Y.,  March  29, 
1816.  After  leaving  school  he  became  a  mer- 
chant's clerk,  and  was  himself  a  merchant  for 
eighteen  years.  From  New  York  lie  removed  to 
Ohio,  where  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  1855,  later  coming  to  Illinois. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  served  four  years  in  the 
Union  army  as  Captain  and  Quartermaster,  being 
brevetted  Lieutenant  Colonel  at  its  close.  He 
made  his  home  at  Streator,  where  he  was  elected 
Mayor  (iaSl-1883).  There  he  engaged  in  coal- 
mining and  has  been  connected  with  several 
important    enterprises.     From    1885  to    1889    he 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


427 


represented  the  Eighth  Illinois  District  in  Con- 
gress, after  which  he  retired  to  private  life. 

PLYMOl'TH,  a  village  of  Hiuicook  County,  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway.  41 
miles  northeast  of  Quincy ;  is  trade  center  of  rich 
farming  district;  has  two  banks,  electric  lights, 
water-woi-ks,  and  one  paper.     Pop.  (1900),  854. 

POI.NTE  DE  SAIBLE,  Joan  Baptiste,  a  negro 
and  Indian-trader,  reputed  to  have  been  the  first 
settler  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  a  native  of  San  Domingo, 
but  is  described  by  his  contemporaries  as  "well 
educated  and  handsome,"  though  dissipated.  He 
appears  to  have  been  at  the  present  site  of  Chi- 
cago as  early  as  1794,  his  house  being  located  on 
the  north  side  near  the  junction  of  the  North  and 
South  branches  of  tlie  Chicago  River,  where  he 
carried  on  a  considerable  trade  witli  the  Indians. 
About  1796  he  is  said  to  have  sold  out  to  a  French 
trader  named  Le  Jlai,  and  joined  a  countryman 
of  his,  named  Glamorgan,  at  Peoria,  where  he  died 
soon  after.  Glamorgan,  who  was  the  reputed 
owner  of  a  large  Spanish  land-grant  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  St.  Louis,  is  said  to  have  been  associated 
with  Point  de  Saible  in  trade  among  the  Peorias, 
before  the  latter  came  to  Chicago. 

POLO,  a  city  in  Ogle  County,  at  intersection 
of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Northern  Railways,  23  miles  south  of  Free- 
port  and  12  miles  north  of  Dixon.  The 
surrounding  region  is  devoted  to  agriculture  and 
stock-raising,  and  Polo  is  a  shipping  point  for 
large  quantities  of  cattle  and  hogs.  Agricultural 
implements  (including  harvesters)  and  buggies 
are  manufactured  here.  The  city  has  banks,  one 
weekly  and  one  semi  weekly  paper,  seven 
churches,  a  graded  public  and  high  school,  and  a 
public  library.     Pop.   (1890),  1,738;  (1900),  1,869. 

PO>'TIAC,  an  Ottawa  chief,  born  on  the 
Ottawa  River,  in  Canada,  about  1720.  While  yet 
a  young  man  he  became  the  principal  Chief  of 
the  allied  Ottawas,  Ojibwaysand  Pottawatoniies. 
He  was  always  a  firm  ally  of  the  French,  to 
whose  interests  he  was  devotedly  attached, 
defending  them  at  Detroit  against  an  attack  of 
the  Northern  tribes,  and  (it  is  generallj-  believed) 
leading  the  Ottawas  in  the  defeat  of  Braddock. 
He  reluctantly  acquiesced  in  the  issue  of  the 
Frencli  and  Indian  War,  although  at  first  strongly 
disposed  to  dispute  the  progress  of  Major  Rogers, 
the  British  officer  sent  to  take  possession  of  the 
western  forts.  In  1762  he  dispatched  emissaries 
to  a  large  number  of  tribes,  whom  he  desired  to 
unite  in  a  league  for  the  extermination  of  the 
English.     His  proposals  were  favorably  received, 


and  thus  was  organized  what  is  commonly 
spoken  of  as  the  "Conspiracy  of  Pontiac."  He 
himself  undertook  to  lead  an  assault  upon  Detroit. 
Tlie  garrison,  however,  was  apprised  of  his  inten- 
tion, and  made  preparations  accordingl)-.  Pontiac 
thereupon  laid  siege  to  the  fort,  but  was  unable 
to  prevent  the  ingress  of  provisions,  the  Canadian 
settlers  furnishing  supplies  to  both  besieged  and 
besiegers  with  absolute  impartiality.  Finally  a 
boat-load  of  ammunition  and  supplies  was  landed 
at  Detroit  from  Lake  Erie,  and  the  English  made 
an  unsuccessful  .sortie  on  July  31,  1763.  After  a 
desultory  warfare,  lasting  for  nearly  three 
months,  the  Indians  withdrew  into  Indiana, 
where  Pontiac  tried  in  vain  to  organize  another 
movement.  Although  Detroit  had  not  been 
taken,  the  Indians  captured  Forts  Sandusky,  St. 
Joseph,  Miami,  Ouiatanon,  LeBoeuf  and  Venango, 
besides  the  posts  of  Mackinaw  and  Presque  Isle. 
The  garrisons  at  all  these  points  were  massacred 
and  innumerable  outrages  perpetrated  elsewhere. 
Additional  British  troops  were  sent  west,  and 
the  Indians  finally  brought  under  control. 
Pontiac  was  present  at  Oswego  when  a  treaty  was 
signed  with  Sir  William  Johnson,  but  remained 
implacable.  His  end  was  tragic.  Broken  in 
heart,  but  still  proud  in  spirit  and  relentless  in 
purpose,  he  applied  to  the  former  (and  last) 
French  Governor  of  Illinois,  the  younger  St. 
Ange,  who  was  then  at  St.  Louis,  for  co-operation 
and  support  in  another  raid  against  the  British. 
Being  refused  aid  or  countenance,  according  to  a 
story  long  pojiularly  received,  he  returned  to  the 
vicinity  of  Cahokia,  where,  in  1769,  he  was  mur- 
dered by  a  Kaskaskia  Indian  in  consideration  of 
a  barrel  of  liquor.  N.  Mat.son,  author  of  several 
volumes  bearing  on  early  history  in  Illinois,  cit- 
ing Col.  Joseph  N.  Bourassa,  an  educated  half- 
bieed  of  Kansas,  as  authority  for  his  statement, 
asserts  that  the  Indian  killed  at  Cahokia  was  an 
impostor,  anil  that  tlie  true  Pontiac  was  assassi- 
nated by  Kineboo,  the  Head  Chief  of  the  Illinois, 
in  a  council  held  on  the  Des  Plaines  River,  near 
the  present  site  of  Joliet.  So  well  convinced,  it 
is  said,  was  Pierre  Chouteau,  the  St.  Louis  Indian 
trader,  of  the  truth  of  this  last  story,  that  he 
caused  a  monument,  which  he  had  erected  over 
the  grave  of  the  fal.se  Pontiac,  to  be  removed. 
Out  of  the  murder  of  Pontiac,  whether  occurring 
at  Cahokia  or  Joliet,  it  is  generall}'  agreed, 
resulted  the  extermination  of  the  Illinois  and  the 
tragedy  of  "Starved  Rock. "  (See  Starved  Rock. ) 
PONTIAC,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Livingston  County.  It  stands  on  the 
bank  of  the  Vemillion  River,  and  is  also  a  point 


428 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton,  tlie 
Wabash  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroads  It  is 
33  miles  nortli-northeast  from  BIoominRton  and 
!(3  miles  south-southwest  of  Chicago.  The  sur- 
rounding region  is  devoted  to  agriculture,  stock- 
raising  and  coal-mining.  Pontiac  has  four  banks 
and  four  weekly  newspapers  (two  issuing  daily 
editions),  numerous  churches  and  good  schools. 
Various  kinds  of  manufacturing  are  conducted, 
among  the  principal  e.stablishments  being  flour- 
ing mills,  three  shoe  factories,  straw  paper  and 
candy  factories  and  a  foundry.  The  State  Re- 
formatory for  Juvenile  Offenders  is  located  here. 
Pop.  (1890),  2,784;  (1900),  4,266. 

POOL,  Orvalj  merchant  and  banker,  was  born 
in  Union  County,  Ky.,  near  Shawneetcwn,  III., 
Feb.  17, 1809,  but  lived  in  Shawneetown  from  seven 
years  of  age;  in  boyhood  learned  the  saddler's 
trade,  but,  in  1843,  engaged  in  the  dry-goods 
business,  J.  McKee  Peeples  and  Thomas  S.  Ridg- 
way  becoming  his  partners  in  1846.  In  1850  he 
retired  from  the  dry-goods  trade  and  became  an 
extensive  dealer  in  produce,  pork  and  tobjicco. 
In  1871  he  established  the  Gallatin  County 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Presi- 
dent.    Died,  June  30,  1871. 

POOLE,  William  Frcderitk,  bibliographer, 
librarian  and  historical  writer,  was  born  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  Dec.  24,  1821,  graduated  from  Yale 
College  in  1849,  and,  at  the  close  of  his  sophomore 
year,  was  appointed  assistant  librarian  of  his  col- 
lege society,  which  owned  a  library  of  10,000  vol- 
imies.  Here  he  prepared  and  published  the  first 
edition  of  his  now  famous  "Inde.\  to  Periodical 
Literature."  A  second  and  enlarged  addition 
was  published  in  18.53,  and  secureil  for  its  author 
wide  fame,  in  l)oth  America  and  Europe.  In  1852 
he  was  made  Librarian  of  the  Boston  Mercantile 
Librarj",  and,  from  1856  to  1869,  had  charge  of  the 
Boston  Atliena>um,  then  one  of  the  largest  li- 
braries in  the  United  States,  which  he  relinquished 
to  engage  in  expert  library  work.  He  organized 
libraries  in  several  New  England  cities  and 
towns,  at  the  L^nited  States  Naval  Academy,  and 
the  Cincinnati  Public  Library,  finally  becoming 
Librarian  of  the  latter  iu.stitution.  In  October, 
1873,  he  assumed  charge  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library,  then  being  org-anized.  and,  in  1887, 
became  Librarian  of  the  Newberry  Library, 
organizing  this  institution  and  remaining  at  its 
head  until  his  death,  which  occurred.  March  1, 
1894.  The  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  conferred  on  him 
by  the  Northwestern  University  in  1882.  Dr. 
Poole  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization 
of  library  associations,  and  was  one  of  the  Vice- 


Presidents  of  the  International  Conference  of 
Librarians,  held  in  London  in  1871.  His  advice 
was  much  sought  in  relation  to  library  architec- 
ture ami  management.  He  wrote  mucli  on  topics 
connected  witli  his  profession  and  on  historical 
subjects,  frequently  contributing  to  "The  North 
Ameri(^an  Review."  In  1874-75  he  edited  a  liter- 
ary paper  at  Chicago,  called  "The  Owl,"  and  was 
later  a  constant  contributor  to  "Tlie  Dial."  He 
was  President  of  tlie  American  Historical  Society 
and  member  of  State  Historical  Societies  and  of 
other  kindred  associations. 

POPE,  Xuthauiel,  first  Territorial  Secretary  of 
Illinois,  Delegate  in  Congress  and  jurist,  was  Iwrn 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1774;  graduated  with  high 
honor  from  Transylvania  University,  at  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  read  law  with  his  brother,  Senator  John 
Pope,  and,  in  1804,  emigrated  to  New  Orleans, 
later  living,  for  a  time,  at  Ste.  Genevieve,  Mo.  In 
1808  he  became  a  re.sident  of  Kaskaskia  and,  the 
next  year,  was  appointed  the  first  Territorial 
Secretary  of  Illinois.  His  native  judgment  was 
strong  and  profound  and  his  intellect  quick  and 
far-reaching,  while  both  were  thoroughly  trained 
and  disciplined  by  study.  In  1816  he  was  elected 
a  Territorial  Delegate  to  Congress,  and  proved 
himself,  not  only  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his 
constituents,  but  also  a  shrewd  tactician.  He  was 
largel}'  instrumental  in  set'uring  the  jiassjige  of 
the  act  authorizing  the  formation  of  a  State 
government,  and  it  was  mainly  through  his 
efforts  that  the  northern  boundary  of  Illinois  was 
fixed  at  lat.  42°  30'  north,  inste;id  of  the  southern 
bend  of  Lake  Michigan.  L'lKin  the  admission  of 
Illinois  into  the  Union,  he  was  made  United 
States  Judge  of  the  District,  which  then  embraced 
the  entire  State.  This  oflice  he  filled  with  dig- 
nity, impartiality  and  acceptabiKty  until  his 
death,  at  the  \\onte  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lu- 
cretia  Yeatman,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  23,  1850. 
Poi>e  County  was  named  in  his  honor. — Gen.  Jubn 
(Pope),  son  of  the  preceding,  was  bom  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky,  March  16.  1822;  graduated  at  the  United 
States  Military  Academy,  1842,  and  appointed 
brevet  Second  Lieutenant  of  Top<igraphical 
Engineers;  served  in  Florida  (1842-44),  on  the 
northeast  boundary  survey,  and  in  the  Mexican 
War  (1846-47),  being  promoted  First  Lieutenant 
for  bravery  at  Monterey  and  Captain  at  Buena 
Vista.  In  1849  he  conducted  an  exploring  expe- 
dition in  Minnesota,  was  in  charge  of  toiKigraph- 
ical  engineering  service  in  New  Mexico  (1851-53), 
and  of  the  survey  of  a  route  for  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  (18.53.59).  meanwhile  experimenting  on 
the  feasibilitv  of  artesian  wells  on  tlu>  ".Staked 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


429 


Plains'"  in  Northwestern  Texas.  He  was  a  zeal- 
ous friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  political 
campaign  of  18G0,  and  was  court-martialed  for 
criticising  the  policy  of  President  Buchanan,  in  a 
paper  read  before  a  literary  society  in  Cincinnati, 
the  proceedings  being  finally  dropped  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  (then)  Secretary  of  War, 
Joseph  Holt.  In  1801  he  was  one  of  the  officers 
detailed  by  the  War  Department  to  conduct  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  the  capital,  and,  in  May  following, 
was  made  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  and 
assigned  to  command  in  Missouri,  where  he  per- 
formed valuable  service  in  protecting  railroad 
communications  and  driving  out  guerrillas,  gain- 
ing an  important  victory  over  Sterling  Price  at 
Blackwater,  in  December  of  that  year;  in  1862 
had  command  of  the  land  forces  co-operating 
with  Admiral  Foote,  in  the  expedition  against 
New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10,  resulting  in  the 
capture  of  that  stronghold  with  6,500  prisoners, 
125  cannon  and  7,000  small  arms,  thereby  win- 
ning a  Major-General'-s  commission.  Later,  hav- 
ing participated  in  the  operations  against  Corinth, 
he  was  transferred  to  command  of  the  Army  of 
Virginia,  and  soon  after  commissioned  Briga- 
dier-General in  the  regular  army.  Here,  being 
forced  to  meet  a  greatly  superior  force  under 
General  Lee,  he  was  subjected  to  reverses  which 
led  to  his  falling  back  on  Washington  and  a 
request  to  be  relieved  of  his  command.  For  fail- 
ure to  give  him  proper  support,  Gen.  Fitzjohn 
Porter  was  tried  by  court-martial,  and,  having 
been  convicted,  was  cashiered  and  declared  for- 
ever disqualified  from  holding  any  office  of  trust 
or  profit  under  the  United  States  Government — 
although  this  verdict  was  finally  set  aside  and 
Porter  restored  to  the  army  as  Colonel,  by  act  of 
Congress,  in  August,  1886.  General  Pope's  sub- 
sequMit .  service  was  performed  chiefly  against 
the  Indians  in  the  Northwest,  until  18G5,  wlien  he 
took  command  of  the  military  division  of  Mis 
souri,  and,  in  June  following,  of  the  Department 
of  the  Missouri,  including  all  the  Northwestern 
States  and  Territories,  from  which  he  was 
relieved  early  in  1866.  Later,  he  held  command, 
under  the  Reconstruction  Acts,  in  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama and  Florida  (1867-68) ;  the  Department  of  the 
Lakes  (1868-70) ;  Department  of  the  Missouri  (1870- 
84) ;  and  Department  of  the  Pacific,  from  1884  to 
his  retirement,  March  16,  1886.  General  Pope 
published  "Explorations  from  the  Red  River  to 
the  Rio  Grande''  and  "Campaigns  in  Virginia" 
(1863).     Died,  at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  Sept  23,  1892. 

POPE  COUXTT,  lies  on  the  southern  border  of 
the  State,   and    contains  an  ai'ea  of  about    300 


square  miles — named  in  honor  of  Judge  Nathaniel 
Pope.  It  was  erected  in  1810  (two  years  before 
the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State)  from  parts  of 
Gallatin  and  Johnson  Counties.  The  county-seat 
was  first  located  at  Sandsville,  but  later  changed 
to  Golconda.  Robert  Lacy,  Benoni  Lee  and 
Thomas  Ferguson  were  the  first  Commissioners; 
Hamlet  Ferguson  was  chosen  Sheriff;  John  Scott, 
Recorder ;  Thomas  C.  Browne,  Prosecuting- Attor- 
ney, and  Samuel  Omelveney,  Treasurer.  The 
highest  land  in  Southern  Illinois  is  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  this  county,  reaching  an  elevation 
of  1,040  feet.  The  bluffs  along  the  Ohio  River  are 
bold  in  outline,  and  the  ridges  are  surmounted  by 
a  thick  growth  of  timber,  notably  oak  and  hick- 
ory. Portions  of  the  bottom  lands  are  submerged, 
at  times,  during  a  part  of  the  year  and  are 
covered  with  cypress  timber.  The  remains  of 
Indian  mounds  and  fortifications  are  found,  and 
some  interesting  relics  have  been  exhumed.  Sand- 
stone is  quarried  in  abundance,  and  coal  is  found 
here  and  there.  Mineral  springs  (with  copperas 
as  the  chief  ingredient)  are  numerous.  Iron  is 
found  in  limited  quantities,  among  the  rooks 
toward  the  south,  while  spar  and  kaolin  clay  are 
found  in  the  north.  The  chief  agricultural 
products  are  potatoes,  corn  and  tobacco.  Popu- 
lation (18'J0).  14,010;  (I'JOO),  13,585. 

POB  T  li  YROX.  a  village  of  Rock  Island  County, 
on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee it  St.  Paul  Railway,  16  miles  above  Rock 
Island;  has  lime  kilns,  grain  elevator,  two  banks, 
academy,  public  schools,  and  a  newspaper.  Pop. 
(1900),  732.  The  (Illinois)  Western  Hospital  for 
the  Insane  is  located  at  Watertown,  twelve  miles 
below  Port  Byron. 

POUTER,  (Rev.)  Jeremiah,  pioneer  clergy- 
man, was  born  at  Hadley,  Mass.,  in  1804;  gradu- 
ated from  AV'illiams  College  in  1825,  and  studied 
theology  at  both  jVndover  and  Princeton  semi- 
naries, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1831.  The 
same  year  he  made  the  (then)  long  and  perilous 
journey  to  Fort  Brady,  a  military  post  at  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  where  he  began  his  work  as  a 
missionary.  In  1833  he  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  organizing  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Cliicago,  with  a  member- 
ship of  twenty-six  persons.  Afterwards  he  had 
pastoral  charge  of  churches  at  Peoria  and  Farm- 
ington.  While  in  Chicago  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Eliza  Chappell,  one  of  the  earliest  teachers 
in  Chicago.  From  1840  to  '58  he  was  located  at 
Green  Bay,  Wis.,  accepting  a  call  from  a  Chicago 
Church  in  the  year  last  named.  In  1861  he  was 
commissioned  Chaplain  in  the  volunteer  service 


430 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOrEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


by  Governor  Yates,  and  mustered  out  in  1865. 
The  next  five  years  were  divided  between  labors 
at  Brownsville,  Tex.,  in  the  service  of  the  Sani- 
tary ComniLssion,  and  a  pastorate  at  Prairie  du 
Chien.  In  18T0  he  was  commissioned  Chaplain 
in  the  regular  army,  remaining  in  the  service 
(with  occasional  leaves  of  absence)  until  1882, 
when  he  was  retired  from  active  service  on 
account  of  advanced  age.  His  closing  years  were 
spent  at  the  liomes  of  liis  children  in  Detroit  and 
Beloit;  died  at  tlie  latter  city,  July  25,  1893,  at 
the  age  of  8'J  years. 

POSEY,  ((Jen.)  Thomas,  Continental  and 
Revolutionary  soldier,  was  born  in  Virginia,  July 
9,  1750;  in  1774  took  part  in  Ix)rd  Dunmore's  expe- 
dition against  the  Indians,  and,  later,  in  various 
engagements  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  being 
part  of  the  time  under  the  immediate  command 
of  Washington ;  was  with  General  Wayne  in  the 
assault  on  Stony  Point  and  present  at  Cornwallis' 
surrender  at  Yorktown ;  also  served,  after  the  war, 
with  Wayne  as  a  Brigadier-General  in  the  North- 
west Territory.  Removing  to  Kentucky,  he 
served  in  the  State  Senate,  for  a  time  l)eing 
presiding  officer  and  acting  Lieutenant-Governor; 
later  (1812),  was  elected  United  States  Senator 
from  Louisiana,  and,  from  1813  to  "16,  served  as 
Territorial  Governor  of  Indiana  Died,  at  the 
home  of  his  son-in-law,  Joseph  M.  Street,  at 
Shawneetown,  111. ,  March  18,  1818,  where  he  lies 
buried.  At  the  time  of  hLs  death  General  Posey 
was  serving  as  Indian  Agent. 

POST,  Joel  S.,  la«-yer  and  soldier  of  the  Mexi- 
can War;  was  born  in  Ontario  (now  Waj-ne) 
County,  N.  Y.,  AprU  27,  1816;  in  1828  removed 
with  liis  father  to  Washtenaw  County,  Mich., 
remaining  there  until  1839,  when  he  came  to 
Macon  County,  111.  The  following  j-ear,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Charles 
Emmerson,  of  Decatur,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1841.  In  1846  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexican 
War,  and  .served  as  Quartermaster  of  the  Fourth 
Regiment  (Col.  E.  D.  Baker's) ;  in  1856  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  and,  at  the  following  session, 
was  a  leading  supporter  of  the  measures  whicli 
resulted  in  the  e.stablishment  of  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Bloomington.  Capt.  Post's  later 
years  were  spent  at  Decatur,  where  he  died, 
June  7,  1SS6. 

POST,  Philip  Sidney,  soldier  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  at  Florida,  Orange  County,  N.  Y., 
March  19.  1833;  at  the  age  of  22  graduated  from 
Union  College,  studied  law  at  Poughkeepsie  Law 
School,  anil,  removing  to  Illinois,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  iu  1856      At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 


War  lie  enlisted,  and  was  commissioned  Second 
Lieutenant  in  tlie  Fifty-nintli  Illinois  Volunteers, 
lie  was  a  gallant,  fearless  soldier,  and  was  re- 
peatedly promot*'d  for  bravery  and  meritorious 
service,  until  lie  attained  the  rank  of  brevet 
Brigadier-General.  He  participated  in  many 
iui[K)rtant  battles  and  was  severely  wounded  at 
Pea  Ridge  and  Nashville.  In  1865  he  was  iu  com- 
mand in  Western  Texas.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  entered  the  diplomatic  service,  l)eing 
appointed  Consul-Genenil  to  Austria-Hungary 
in  1874,  but  resigned  in  1879,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Galesburg.  From  1882  to  18SG  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Com- 
mittee, and,  during  1880,  was  Commander  of  the 
Department  of  Illinois,  G.  A.  R.  He  was  elected 
to  Congress  from  the  Tenth  District  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  in  1886,  serving  continuously  by  re- 
election until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
Washington,  Jan.  6,  1895. 

POST,  Trumau  Marcellns,  D,I).,  clergjman, 
was  born  at  Middlebury.  Vt.,  June  3,  1810;  gradu- 
ated at  Middlebury  College  in  1829,  was  r*rincipal 
of  Castleton  Academy  for  a  year,  and  a  tutor  at 
Middlebury  two  years,  meanwhile  studying  law. 
After  a  winter  spent  in  Washington,  listening  to 
the  orators  of  the  time  in  Congress  and  before  the 
Supreme  Court,  including  Clay,  Webster,  Wirt 
and  their  contemporaries,  he  went  west  in  1833, 
first  visiting  St.  Louis,  but  finally  settling  at 
Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  but  soon  after  accepted  the  Professorship  of 
Classical  Languages  in  Illinois  College,  and 
later  that  of  Hi.story;  then  began  the  study  of 
theology,  was  ordained  in  1840,  and  assumed  the 
pastorship  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Jack- 
sonville. In  1847  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Tliird  Presbyterian  Church  of  St.  Louis, 
and,  in  1851,  to  the  First  Congreg-ational  Church, 
of  which  the  former  furnished  the  nucleus.  For 
a  year  or  two  after  removing  to  St.  Louis,  he 
continued  his  lectures  on  history  at  Illinois  Col- 
lege for  a  short  period  each  year ;  also  held  the 
professorship  of  Ancient  and  Modern  History  in 
Washington  University,  in  St.  Louis;  in  1873-75 
was  Southworth  lecturer  on  Congregationalism 
in  Andover  Theological  Seminary  and,  for  sev- 
eral years.  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  in 
Chicago  Theological  Seminar\-.  His  splendid 
diction  and  his  noble  style  of  oratorj'  caused 
him  to  be  much  sought  after  as  a  public  lecturer 
or  platform  sjieaker  at  college  commencements, 
while  his  parity  of  life  and  refinement  of  charac:- 
ter  attracteil  to  him  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
personal    contact.     He    received  the    degree    of 


UISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


431 


D.D.  from  Middlebury  College  in  1855;  was  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  "The  Biblical  Repository" 
and  other  religious  publications,  and,  besides 
numerous  addresses,  sermons  and  pamphlets,  he 
was  the  author  of  a  volume  entitled  "The  Skep- 
tical Era  in  Modern  History"  (New  York,  1856). 
He  resigned  his  pastorate  in  January,  1882,  but 
continued  to  be  a  frequent  speaker,  either  in  the 
pulpit  or  on  the  lecture  platform,  nearly  to  the 
period  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  St.  Louis, 
Dec.  31,  188G.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was 
one  of  the  Trustees  of  Monticello  Female  Semi- 
nary, at  Godfrey,  111.,  being,  for  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  time,  President  of  the  Board. 

POTTAWATOMIES,  THE,  an  Indian  tribe, 
one  of  the  three  subdivisions  of  the  Ojibwas  (or 
Ojibbeways),  who,  in  turn,  constituted  a  numer- 
ous family  of  the  Algonquins.  The  other 
branches  were  the  Ottawa  and  the  Chippewas. 
The  latter,  however,  retained  the  family  name, 
and  hence  some  writers  have  regarded  the  "Ojib- 
beways" and  the  "Chippewas"  as  essentially 
identical.  This  interchanging  of  names  has  been 
a  prolific  source  of  error.  Inherently,  the  dis- 
tinction was  analogous  to  that  existing  between 
genus  and  species,  although  a  confusion  of 
nomenclature  has  naturally  resulted  in  errors 
more  or  less  serious.  These  three  tribes  early 
.separated,  the  Pottawatomies  going  south  from 
Green  Bay  along  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan.  The  meaning  of  the  name  is,  "we  are 
making  a  fire,"  and  the  word  is  a  translation  into 
the  Pottawatomie  language  of  the  name  first 
given  to  the  tribe  by  the  Miamis.  These  Indians 
were  tall,  fierce  and  haughty,  and  the  tribe  was 
divided  into  four  branches,  or  clans,  called  by 
names  which  signify,  respectively,  the  golden 
carp,  the  tortoise,  the  crab  and  the  frog.  Accord- 
ing to  the  "Jesuit  Relations,"  tlie  Pottawatomies 
were  first  met  by  the  French,  on  the  north  of 
Lake  Huron,  in  1039-40.  More  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  later  (1066)  Father  Allouez  speaks  of 
them  as  dwellers  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan. 
The  same  Fatlier  described  them  as  idolatrous 
and  polygamous,  yet  as  possessing  a  rude  civility 
and  as  being  kindly  disposed  toward  the  French. 
This  friendship  continued  unbroken  until  the 
expulsion  of  the  latter  from  the  Northwest. 
About  1678  they  spread  southward  from  Green 
Bay  to  tlie  liead  of  Lake  Jlichigan,  a  portion  of 
the  tribe  settling  in  Illinois  as  far  south  as  the 
Kankakee  and  Illinois  Rivers,  crowding  the 
Winuebagoes  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  on  the  west, 
and  advancing,  on  the  east,  into  the  country  of 
the    Miamis    as    far    as     the    Wabash    and    the 


Maumee.  They  fought  on  the  side  of  the 
French  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and 
later  took  part  in  the  conspiracy  of  Pontiac 
to  capture  and  reduce  the  British  posts,  and 
were  so  influenced  by  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet 
that  a  considerable  number  of  their  warri- 
ors fought  against  General  Harrison  at  Tippe- 
canoe. During  the  War  of  1812  they  actively 
supported  the  British.  They  were  also  prominent 
at  the  Chicago  massacre.  Schoolcraft  says  of 
them,  "They  were  foremost  at  all  treaties  where 
lands  were  to  be  ceded,  clamoring  for  the  lion's 
share  of  all  presents  and  annuities,  particularly 
where  these  last  were  the  price  paid  for  the  sale 
of  other  lands  than  their  own."  The  Pottawato- 
mies were  parties  to  the  treaties  at  Chicago  in 
1832  and  1833,  and  were  among  the  last  of  the 
tribes  to  remove  beyond  the  Mississippi,  their 
final  emigration  not  taking  place  until  1838.  In 
1846  the  scattered  fragments  of  this  tribe  coalesced 
with  those  of  the  Chippewas  and  Ottawas,  and 
formed  the  Pottawatomie  nation.  They  ceded  all 
their  lands,  wherever  located,  to  the  United  States, 
for  .?850,000,  agreeing  to  accept  576,000  acres  in 
Kansas  in  lieu  of  §87,000  of  this  amount.  Through 
the  rapacity  and  trespasses  of  white  settlers,  this 
reservation  was  soon  dismembered,  and  the  lands 
passed  into  other  hands.  In  1867,  under  an  ena- 
bling act  of  Congress,  1,400  of  the  nation  (then 
estimated  at  2, 500)  became  citizens.  Their  pres- 
ent location  is  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Okla- 
homa. 

POWELL,  John  Wesley,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  geolo- 
gist and  anthropologist,  was  born  at  Mount  Morris 
N.  Y.,  March  24,  1834,  the  son  of  a  Methodist 
itinerant  preacher,  passing  his  early  life  at  vari- 
ous places  in  Ohio,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois ;  studied 
for  a  time  in  Illinois  College  (Jacksonville),  and 
subsequently  in  Wheaton  College,  but,  in  1854, 
began  a  special  course  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  teaching 
at  intervals  in  public  schools.  Having  a  predi- 
lection for  the  natural  sciences,  he  spent  much 
time  in  making  collections,  which  he  placed  in 
various  Illinois  institutions.  Entering  the  army 
in  1861  as  a  private  of  the  Twentieth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  he  later  became  a  Captain  of  the 
Second  Illinois  Artillery,  being  finally  jjromoted 
Major.  He  lost  his  right  arm  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh,  but  returned  to  his  regiment  as  soon  as 
sufficiently  recovered,  and  continued  in  active 
service  to  tlie  close  of  the  war.  In  1865  he  became 
Professor  of  Geology  and  Curator  of  the  Museum 
in  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomiugtou, 
but  resigned  to  accept  a  similar  position  in  the 
State  Normal  University.     In  1867  he  began  his 


432 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


greatest  work  in  connection  with  science  by 
leading  a  class  of  pupils  to  the  mountains  of 
Colorado  for  the  study  of  geologj',  which  he  fol- 
lowed, a  year  later,  bj'  a  more  thorough  survey  of 
the  canon  of  the  Colorado  River  than  had  ever 
before  been  attempted.  This  led  to  ])rovision  by 
Congress,  in  1870,  for  a  topographical  and  geo- 
logical survey  of  the  Colorado  and  its  tributaries, 
which  was  appropriately  placed  under  his  direc- 
tion. Later,  he  was  placed  in  cliarge  of  the 
Bureau  of  Ethnology  in  connection  with  the 
Smithsonian  Institute,  and,  again  in  1881,  was 
assigned  to  the  directorship  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey,  later  becoming  Director  of  the 
Bureau  of  Ethnology,  in  connection  with  the 
Sniitlisonian  Institute  in  Washington  City, 
where  (1899)  he  still  remains.  In  1886  Major 
Powell  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  from  Heidel- 
berg University,  and  that  of  LL.  1).  from  Har- 
vard the  same  year.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
leading  scientific  associations  of  the  country, 
while  his  reports  and  addresses  fill  numerous 
volumes  issued  by  the  Government. 

POWELL,  William  Henry,  soldier  and  manu- 
facturer, was  born  in  South  Wales,  May  10,  182o; 
came  to  America  in  1830,  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Tennessee,  and  (1856-61)  was 
manager  of  a  manufacturing  company  at  Iron- 
ton,  Ohio;  in  1861,  became  Captain  of  a  West 
Virginia  cavalry  company,  and  was  advanced 
through  the  grades  of  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
and  Colonel;  was  wounded  while  leuiling a  charge 
at  Wytheville,  Va.,  left  on  the  field,  captured  and 
confined  in  Libby  Prison  six  months.  After  ex- 
change he  led  a  cavalry  division  in  the  Army  of 
the  Shenandoah ;  was  made  Brigadier-General  in 
October,  1864;  after  the  war  settled  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  a  RepubUcan  Presidential  Elector 
in  1S6S.  He  is  now  at  the  head  of  a  nail  mill  and 
foundry  in  Belleville,  and  was  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Array  of  the  Republic  for  the  Department 
of  Illinois  during  1895-96. 

PR.VIRIE  CITY,  a  village  in  McDonough 
County,  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincj' 
Railroad,  23  miles  southwest  from  Galesburg  and 
17  miles  northeast  of  Macomb;  has  a  carriage 
factory,  flour  mill,  elevators,  lumber  and  stock 
yards,  a  nursery,  a  bank,  four  churches  and  two 
weekly  papers.     Pop   (1890),  812;  (1900),  818. 

PR.VIKIE  DU  POXT,  (in  English,  Bridge 
Prairie),  an  early  French  settlement,  one  mile 
south  of  Caliokia.  It  was  commenced  about  1760, 
located  on  the  banks  of  a  creek,  on  which  was 
the  first  mill,  operated  by  water-power,  in  that 
section,    having    been    erecte<l    by    missionaries 


from  St.  Sulpice,  in  1754.  In  1765  the  village 
contained  fourteen  families.  In  1844  it  was 
inunchited  and  nearly  destroyed. 

PR.VIRIE  du  ROCHER,  (in  English,  Prairie  of 
the  Rock),  an  early  French  village  in  what  is 
now  Monroe  County,  which  began  to  spring  up 
near  Fort  Chartres  (see  Fort  Chart  res),  and  by 
1722  had  grown  to  he  a  considerable  settlement. 
It  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  Mississippi  blulls,  atout 
four  miles  northeast  of  tlie  fort.  Like  other 
French  villages  in  Illinois,  it  had  its  clmrch  and 
priest,  its  common  field  and  commons.  Many  of 
the  houses  were  picturestjue  cottages  built  of 
lime.stone.  The  ancient  village  is  now  extinct; 
yet,  near  the  outlet  of  a  creek  which  runs  through 
the  bluff,  may  be  seen  the  vestiges  of  a  water  mill, 
said  to  have  been  erected  by  the  Jesuits  during 
the  days  of  French  occupation. 

PRENTICE,  William  S.,  Methodist  EjHscopal 
clergj-man,  wiis  born  in  St  Clair  County,  111.,  in 
1819;  licensed  as  a  Methodi.st  preacher  in  1849, 
and  filled  pastorates  at  Paris,  Danville,  Carlin- 
ville,  Springfield,  Jacksonville  and  other  places — 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  serving  as  Presiding 
Elder ;  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference 
of  1860,  and  regularly  re-elected  from  1872  to  the 
end  of  his  life.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
his  home  was  in  Spriiit,'lield.    Died,  June  28,  1887. 

PRENTISS,  Benjamin  Mayberrj,  soldier,  was 
bom  at  Belleville,  Wood  County,  Va.,  Xov.  23, 
1819;  in  1835  accompanied  his  parents  to  Mis- 
souri, and,  in  1841,  removed  to  Quincy,  III.,  where 
he  learned  a  trade,  afterwards  embarking  in  the 
commission  business.  In  1844-45  he  was  Lieuten- 
ant of  a  company  sent  against  the  Mormons  at 
Xauvoo,  later  serving  as  CapUiin  of  Volunteers  in 
the  Mexican  War.  In  1800  he  was  an  unsuccess- 
ful Republican  candidate  for  Congress;  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  tendered  liLs  services 
to  Governor  Yates,  and  was  commissioned  Colonel 
of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Volunteers,  was  almost 
immediately  promoted  to  Brigadier-General  and 
placed  in  command  at  Cairo,  so  continuing  until 
relieved  by  (Jeneral  Grant,  in  September,  1861. 
At  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  in  April  following,  he 
was  captured  with  most  of  his  command,  after  a 
most  vigorous  fight  wit!i  a  superior  rebel  force, 
but,  in  1862,  was  exchanged  and  brevetted  Major- 
General  of  Volunteers.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
court-martial  that  tried  Gen.  Fitzjohn  Porter, 
and,  as  commander  at  Helena,  Ark. ,  defeated  the 
Confederate  Generals  Holmes  and  Price  on  July 
3,  1863.  He  resigned  his  commission,  Oct.  28. 
1863.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Grant  Pension  Agent  at    Quincy,  serving    four 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    Ol'    ILLINOIS. 


433 


years.  At  present  (1898)  General  Prentiss'  resi- 
dence is  at  Bethany,  Jlo.,  where  he  served  as 
Postmaster,  during  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Benjamin  Harrison,  and  was  reappointed  by 
President  McKinley.  Died  Feb.  8,  1901. 
PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTORS.  {See  Electkms.) 
PRESBYTERIAN  HOSPITAL,  located  at  Chi- 
cago, was  organized  in  1883  by  a  number  of 
wealthy  and  liberal  Presbyterians,  "for  the  pur- 
pose of  affording  medical  and  surgical  aid  to  sick 
and  disabled  persons,  and  to  provide  them,  while 
inmates  of  the  hospital,  with  the  ministrations 
of  the  gospel,  agreeably  to  the  doctrines  and 
forms  of  the  Presbytei'ian  Church."  Rush  Med- 
ical College  offered  a  portion  of  its  ground  as  a  site 
(see  Rush  Medical  College),  and  through  generous 
subscriptions,  a  well-planned  building  was 
erected,  capable  of  accommodating  about  250 
patients.  A  corridor  connects  the  college  and 
hospital  buildings.  The  medical  staff  comprises 
eighteen  of  Chicago's  best  known  physicians  and 
surgeons. 

PRESBYTERIANS,  THE.  The  first  Presby- 
terian societj-  in  Illinois  was  organized  by  Rev. 
James  McGready,  of  Kentucky,  in  1810,  at 
Sharon,  White  County.  Revs.  Samuel  J.  Mills 
and  Daniel  Smith,  also  Presbyterians,  had  visited 
the  State  in  1814,  as  representatives  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Missionary  Society,  but  had  formed  no 
societ}'.  The  members  of  the  Sharon  church 
were  almost  all  immigrants  from  the  South,  and 
were  largely  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  Two 
otlier  cliurches  were  established  in  1819 — one  at 
Shoal  Creek,  Bond  County,  and  the  other  at 
Edwardsville.  In  182.5  there  were  but  three 
Presbyterian  ministers  in  Illinois — Revs.  Stephen 
Bliss,  John  Brich  and  B.  F.  Spilman.  Ten  years 
later  there  were  80  churches,  with  a  membership 
of  3,.'j00  and  00  mini.sters.  In  1880  the  number  of 
churches  had  increased  to  487;  but,  in  1890,  (as 
shown  by  the  United  States  census)  there  were 
less.  In  the  latter  j^ear  there  were  40.j  ministers 
and  52,945  members.  The  Synod  of  Illinois  is  the 
highest  ecclesiastical  court  of  the  denomination 
in  the  State,  and,  under  its  jurisdiction,  the 
church  maintains  two  seminaries:  one  (the  Mc- 
Cormick)  at  Chicago,  and  the  other  (the  Black- 
burn University)  at  Carlinville.  The  organ  of 
the  denomination  is  "The  Interior,"  founded  by 
Cyrus  H.  JlcCormick,  and  published  weekly  at 
Chicago,  with  William  C.  Gray  as  editor.  The 
Illinois  Synod  embraced  within  its  jurisdiction 
(1895)  eleven  Presbyteries,  to  which  were  attached 
483  churches.  464  ministers  and  a  membership  of 
63,247.     (See  also  Religious  Denominations.) 


PRICKETT,  Abraham,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  came  to  JIadison 
County,  111.,  in  1808;  was  employed  for  a  time  in 
the  drug  bu.siness  in  St.  Louis,  then  opened  a 
store  at  Edwardsville,  where,  in  1813,  he  received 
from  the  first  County  Court  of  Madison  County, 
a  license  to  retail  merchandise.  In  1818,  he  served 
as  one  of  the  thi-ee  Delegates  from  Madison 
County  to  the  Convention  which  framed  the  first 
State  Constitution,  and,  the  same  year,  was 
elected  a  Representative  in  the  First  General 
Assembly;  was  also  Postmaster  of  the  town  of 
Edwardsville  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1825  he 
removed  to  Adams  County  and  laid  out  an  addi- 
tion to  the  city  of  Quincy;  was  also  engaged 
there  in  trade  with  the  Indians.  In  1836,  while 
engaged  on  a  Government  contract  for  the  re- 
moval of  snags  and  other  obstructions  to  the  navi- 
gation of  Red  River,  he  died  at  Xatchitoches,  La. 
— George  W.  (Prickett)  a  son  of  the  preceding, 
and  afterwards  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  white  child  born  in  Edwards- 
ville.— Isaac  (Prickett),  a  brother  of  Abraham, 
came  to  St.  Louis  in  1815,  and  to  Edwardsville  in 
1818,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  and,  later,  on  his  own 
account.  He  held  the  offices  of  Postmaster,  Pub- 
lic Administrator,  Quartermaster-General  of 
State  Militia,  Inspector  of  the  State  Penitentiary, 
and,  from  1838  to  '43,  was  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys  at  Edwardsville,  dying  in  1844. 

PRICKETT,  David,  pioneer  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Franklin  County,  Ga.,  Sept.  21,  1800;  in  early 
childhood  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Kentucky 
and  from  there  to  Edwardsville,  lU.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Transylvania  University,  and,  in  1821, 
began  the  practice  of  law ;  was  the  first  Supreme 
Court  Reporter  of  Illinois,  Judge  of  the  Madison 
County  Probate  Court,  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  (1826-28),  Aid-de-Camp  to 
General  Whiteside  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
State's  Attorney  for  Springfield  Judicial  Circuit 
(1837),  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Canal  Commis- 
sioners (1840),  Director  of  the  State  Bank  of  Illi- 
nois (1842),  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
for  ten  sessions  and  Assistant  Clerk  of  the  same 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  March  1,  1847. 

PRINCE,  David,  ])hysician  and  surgeon,  was 
born  in  Brookl_yne,  Windham  County,  Conn., 
June  21,  1816;  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y'.,  and  was  educated  in  the 
academy  there ;  began  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New 
York,  fiinishing  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  was  associated,  for  a  vear  and  a 


434 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


half,  with  the  celebrated  surgeon.  Dr.  Muzzy.  In 
1843  he  came  to  Jack.sonville,  111.,  anil,  for  two 
years,  was  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  Illinois  College;  later,  spent  five 
years  practicing  in  St.  Louis,  and  lecturing  on 
surgery  in  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  when, 
returning  to  Jacksonville  in  1852,  he  established 
himself  in  practice  there,  devoting  special  atten- 
tion to  surgery,  in  which  he  had  already  won  a 
wide  reputation.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
Civil  War  he  served,  for  fourteen  months,  as 
Urigaile  Surgeon  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and,  on  the  caj)ture  of  a  portion  of  his  brigade, 
voluntarily  surrendered  himself  that  he  might 
attend  the  captives  of  liis  command  in  Libby 
Prison.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
employed  for  some  months,  by  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission, in  writing  a  medical  history  of  the  war. 
He  visited  Europe  twice,  first  in  1881  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  International  Medical  Congress  in 
London,  and  again  as  a  member  of  the  (Copen- 
hagen Congress  of  1884 — at  each  visit  making 
careful  inspection  of  the  hospitals  in  London, 
Paris,  and  Berlin.  About  1867  he  established  a 
Sanitarium  in  Jacksonville  for  the  treatment  of 
surgical  cases  and  chronic  diseases,  to  which  he 
gave  the  closing  j-ears  of  his  life.  Thoroughly 
devoteil  to  his  profession,  liberal,  public-spirited 
and  sagacious  in  the  adoption  of  new  methods,  he 
stood  in  the  front  rank  of  his  profession,  and  his 
death  was  mourned  by  large  numbers  who  had 
received  the  benefit  of  his  ministrations  without 
money  and  without  price.  lie  was  member  of 
a  number  of  leading  professional  associations, 
besides  local  literary  and  social  organizations. 
Died,  at  Jacksonville.  Dec.  19,  1889. 

PRI>'CE,  Edward,  lawyer,  was  born  at  West 
Bloomfield.  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  8.  1832; 
atteudeil  school  at  I'ayson,  111.,  and  Illinois  Col 
lege.  Jacksonville,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1852:  stu<lied  law  at  C^uincy,  and  after  admission 
to  the  bar  in  1853,  began  dealing  in  real  estate. 
In  18G1  he  oiTereil  his  services  to  Governor  Yates, 
was  made  Captain  and  Drill-master  of  cavalry 
and,  a  few  months  later,  commissioned  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  Seventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  tak- 
ing part,  as  second  in  command,  in  the  celebrated 
"Grierson  raid"  through  Mis.sissippi,  in  1803, 
serving  until  discharged  with  the  rank  of  Colonel 
of  bis  regiment,  in  1864.  After  the  war  he  gave 
considerable  attention  to  engineering  and  the 
construction  of  a  system  of  water- works  for  the 
city  of  Quincy.  where  he  now  re.sides. 

PRINCE,  (ieorge  W.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
born  in  Tazewell  County,  111.,  March  4,  1854;  was 


educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Knox  Col- 
lege, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1878.  He 
then  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1S8I);  was  elected  City  Attorney  of  Galesburg  the 
following  year ;  served  as  chairman  of  the  Knox 
County  Republican  Central  Committee  in  1884, 
and,  in  1888,  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  and  re-elected  two  years  later. 
In  1892  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for 
Attorney -(ieneral  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  was 
defeiited  with  the  re.st  of  the  State  ticket;  at 
a  special  election,  held  in  April,  1895,  he  was 
chosen  Representative  in  Congress  from  the 
Tenth  District  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Col.  Philip  Sidney  Post,  which  had 
occurred  in  January  preceding.  In  common  with 
a  majority  of  his  colleagues,  Mr.  Prince  was 
re-elected  in  1896,  receiving  a  plurality  of  nearly 
16.000  vutes,  and  was  elected  for  a  third  term  in 
November,  1898. 

PRINCETON,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Bureau  County,  on  the  Chicago.  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  22  miles  west -.southwest  of 
Mendota,  and  104  miles  west-soutlnve.st  of  Chi- 
cago; has  a  court  house,  gas-works,  electric 
lights,  graded  and  high  schools,  numerous 
churches,  three  newspapers  and  several  banks. 
Coal  is  mined  five  miles  east,  and  the  manufac- 
tures include  fiour,  carriages  and  farm  imple- 
ments. Pop.  (1890),  3,390;  (1900),  4,023.  Prince- 
ton is  populated  with  one  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  progre.'isive  communities  in  the  State.  It 
was  the  home  of  Owen  Lovejoy  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  Illinois. 

PRINCETON  &  WESTERN  RAILWAY.  (See 
Cliicajo  it  Xorthwvstern  Railway.) 

PRINCEVILLE,  a  village  of  Peoria  County,  on 
the  .Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Rock 
Island  &  Peoria  I{;iilways,  22  miles  northwest  of 
Peorii\ ;  is  a  trade  center  for  a  prosperous  agricul- 
tural re-ion.     Population  (1890),  641;  (1900),  T35 

PROPIIETSTOWN,  a  town  in  Whiteside 
County,  on  Rock  River  and  the  Fulton  Branrh 
of  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rjiilroad,  45 
miles  nortliwest  of  Mendota;  has  some  manu- 
factures, three  banks  and  two  newspapers  Pop. 
(1890),  694;  (1900).  1,143 

PROPORTIONAL  REPRESENTATION.  (See 
Minoriti/  Representation. ) 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  The 
pioneer  Episcopal  clergyman  in  this  State  was  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Philander  Chase,  who  was  made  Bishop 
of  lUinoLs  in  1835,  and  was  the  founder  of  Jubi- 
lee College.  (See  Chase.  Rei:  Philander.)  The 
State  at  present  is  organized  under  the  provincial 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


435 


system,  the  province  comprising  the  dioceses  of 
Chicago,  Quincy  and  Springfield.  At  its  head 
(1898)  is  the  Rt.  Rev.  William  E.  McLaren,  Bishop 
of  Chicago.  Rev.  George  F.  Seymour  of  Spring- 
field is  Bishop  of  the  Springfield  Diocese,  with 
C.  R.  Hale,  Coadjutor  at  Cairo,  and  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Burgess,  Bishop  of  the  Quincy  Diocese,  with 
residence  at  Peoria.  Tlie  numerical  strength  of 
the  church  in  Illinois  is  not  great,  although 
between  1880  and  1890  its  membership  was  almost 
doubled.  In  1840  there  were  but  eighteen 
parishes,  with  thirteen  clergymen  and  a  member- 
ship of  367.  By  1880  the  number  of  parishes  had 
increased  to  89,  there  being  127  ministers  and 
9.842  communicants.  The  United  States  Census 
of  1890  showed  the  following  figures:  Parishes, 
197;  clergymen,  150,  membership,  18,609.  Total 
contributions  (1890)  for  general  church  and  mis- 
sion work,  §373,798.  The  chief  educational  insti- 
tution of  the  denomination  in  tlie  West  is  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Chicago.  (See 
also  Religious  Denoininntionn.) 

PRYOR,  Joseph  Everett,  pioneer  and  early 
steamboat  captain,  was  born  in  Virginia,  August 
10,  1787 — the  son  of  a  non-commissioned  officer  of 
the  Revolution,  who  emigrated  to  Kentuc^ky  about 
1790  and  settled  near  Louisville,  which  was  then 
a  fort  with  some  twenty  log  cabins.  In  1813  the 
son  located  where  Golconda,  Pope  County,  now 
stands,  and  early  in  life  adopted  the  calling  of  a 
boatman,  which  he  pursued  some  forty  years. 
At  this  time  he  held  a  commission  as  a  "Falls 
Pilot,"  and  piloted  the  first  steamer  that  ascended 
the  Ohio  River  from  New  Orleans.  During  his 
long  service  no  accident  happened  to  any  steamer 
for  whicli  he  was  responsible,  although  the  Mis- 
sissippi then  bristled  with  snags.  He  owned  and 
commanded  the  steamer  Telegraph,  which  was 
.sunk,  in  1835,  by  collision  with  the  Duke  of 
Orleans  on  the  Mississippi,  but,  owing  to  his  pres- 
ence of  mind  and  the  good  discipline  of  his  crew, 
no  lives  were  lost.  The  salient  features  of  his 
character  were  a  boundless  benevolence  mani- 
fested to  others,  and  his  dauntless  courage,  dis- 
played not  only  in  the  face  of  dangers  met  in  his 
career  as  a  boatman,  but  in  his  encounters  with 
robbers  who  then  infested  portions  of  Southern 
Illinois.  He  had  a  reputation  as  a  skillful  pilot 
and  popular  commander  not  excelled  by  any  of 
his  contemporaries.  He  died,  at  his  home  in  Pope 
County,  Oct.  5,  1851,  leaving  one  daughter,  now 
Mrs.  Cornelia  P.  Bozman,  of  Cairo,  111. 

PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION,  SUPERINTEND- 
ENTS  OF,  (See  Superintendents  of  Public 
Inntrnction.) 


PUGH,  Lsaac  C,  soldier,  was  born  in  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  Nov.  23,  1805;  came  to  Illinois,  in 
1821,  with  his  father,  who  first  settled  in  Shelby 
County,  but,  in  1829,  removed  to  Macon  County, 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  resided  until  his 
death,  at  Decatur,  Nov.  14,  1874.  General  Pugh 
served  in  three  wars— rfirst  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  of  1832 ;  then,  with  the  rank  of  Captain  and 
Field  Officer  in  the  Fourth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers  (Col.  E.  D  Baker's)  in  the  war  with 
Mexico,  an<l,  during  tlie  Civil  War,  entering  upon 
the  latter  as  Colonel  of  the  Forty-first  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  September,  1861.  and 
being  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  full  Briga- 
dier-General in  August,  1864,  when  his  regiment 
was  consolidated  with  the  Fifty-third.  He  took 
part  with  his  regiment  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Donelsou  and  Sliiloli,  and  in  the  operations 
around  Vicksburg,  being  wounded  at  the  latter. 
In  the  year  of  his  retirement  from  the  army 
(1864)  he  was  elected  a  Representative  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  General  Assembly,  and,  the  fol- 
lowing year,  was  chosen  County-Clerk  of  Macon 
County,  serving  four  years. 

PUtcH,  Jonathan  H.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was  born 
in  Batli  County,  Ky.,  came  to  Bond  County,  111., 
finaUy  locating  at  Springfield  in  1823,  and  being 
the  second  lawyer  to  establish  himself  in  jjractice 
in  tliat  city.  He  served  in  the  Tliird,  Fifth, 
Sixth  and  Seventh  General  Assemblies,  and  was 
defeated  for  Congress  by  Joseph  Duncan  (after- 
wards Governor),  in  1831.  Died,  in  1833.  Mr. 
Pugh  is  described  by  his  contemporaries  as  a  man 
of  brilliant  parts,  an  able  lawyer  and  a  great  wit. 

PULASKI  COUNTY,  an  extreme  southern 
county  and  one  of  the  smallest  in  the  State, 
bordering  on  the  Ohio  River  and  having  an  area 
of  190  square  miles  and  a  population  (1900),  of 
14,554.  It  was  cut  off  from  Alexander  County  in 
1843,  and  named  in  honor  of  a  Polish  patriot  who 
had  aided  the  Americans  during  the  Revolution. 
The  soil  is  generally  rich,  and  the  surface  varied 
with  much  low  land  along  the  Cache  and  the  Ohio 
Rivers.  Wheat,  corn  and  fruit  are  the  principal 
crops,  while  considerable  timber  is  cut  upon  the 
bottom  lands.  Mound  City  is  the  county-seat 
and  was  conceded  a  population,  by  the  census  of 
1890,  of  2,5.50.  Only  the  lowest,  barren  portion  of 
the  carboniferous  formation  extends  under  the 
soil,  the  coal  measures  being  absent.  Traces  of 
iron  have  been  found  and  sulphur  and  copperas 
springs  abound. 

PULLMAN,  a  former  suburb  (now  a  part  of 
the  South  Division)  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  13.8 
miles  south  of  the  initial  station  of  the  Illinois 


430 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Central  Railroad.  Tlie  Pullman  Palace  Car  Com- 
pany began  the  erection  of  buildings  here  in  1880. 
and,  on  tlie  1st  of  January,  1881,  the  first  family 
settled  in  the  future  manufacturing  city.  Within 
the  next  few  years,  it  became  the  center  of  the 
largest  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
country,  including  the  Pullman  Car  Works,  the 
Allen  Paper  Car  Wheel  Works  and  extensive 
steel  forging  works,  employing  thousands  of 
mechanics.  Large  numbers  of  sleeping  and  din- 
ing cars,  besides  ordinary  passenger  coaches  and 
freight  cars,  were  manufactured  here  every  year, 
not  only  for  use  on  the  railroads  of  the  United 
States,  but  for  foreign  coimlries  iis  well.  The 
town  was  named  for  the  late  George  M.  Pulbaan, 
the  founder  of  tlie  car-works,  and  was  regarde<l 
as  a  mo<lel  city,  made  up  of  comfortable  homes 
erected  by  the  Palace  Car  Company  for  the  use  of 
its  employes.  It  was  well  supplied  with  school- 
houses,  and  churches,  and  a  public  library  was 
established  there  and  opened  to  the  public  in 
1883.  The  to\vTi  was  annexed  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago in  1800. 

PULLM.VN,  George  Mortimer,  founder  of  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company,  was  born  at  Broc- 
ton,  N.  Y..  March  3,  1831,  enjoj-ed  ordinary  edu- 
cational ■  advantages  in  his  boyhood  and,  at 
fourteen  years  of  age,  obtained  employment  Jis  a 
clerk,  but  a  year  later  joined  his  brother  in  the 
cabinet-making  business  at  Albion.  His  father, 
who  was  a  house-builder  and  house-mover,  hav- 
ing died  in  18.53,  young  Pullman  assumed  the 
responsibilit}'  of  caring  for  the  family  and,  hav- 
ing secure<l  a  contract  for  raising  a  number  of 
buildings  along  the  Erie  Canal,  made  necess;iry 
by  the  enlargement  of  that  tlioroughfare,  in  this 
way  aciiuired  some  capital  and  experience  which 
was  most  valual>le  to  him  in  after  years.  Com- 
ing to  Chicago  in  1859.  when  the  work  of  raising 
the  grade  of  the  streets  in  the  business  portion  of 
the  city  had  been  in  progress  for  a  year  or  two, 
he  found  a  new  field  for  the  exercise  of  his 
inventive  skill,  achieving  some  marvelous  trans- 
formations in  a  number  of  the  principal  business 
blocks  in  that  jjart  of  the  city.  As  early  as  1858, 
Mr.  Pullman  had  had  his  attention  turned  to 
devising  some  means  for  increasing  the  comforts 
of  night-travel  upon  railways,  and,  in  1859,  he 
remodeled  two  old  day-coaches  into  a  species  of 
sleeping-cars,  which  were  used  upon  the  Alton 
Road.  From  1860  to  1863  he  spent  in  Colorado 
devoting  his  engineering  skill  to  mining;  but 
returning  to  Chicago  the  latter  year,  entered 
upon  his  great  work  of  developing  the  idea  of  the 
sleeping-car   into    practical    reality.     The    first 


car  was  completed  and  received  the  name  of  the 
"Pioneer."  This  c;ir  constituted  a  part  of  the 
funeral  train  which  took  the  remains  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  Springlield.  111.,  after  his  assassination 
in  April.  1865.  The  development  of  the  "Pull- 
man palace  sleeping-car,"  the  invention  of  the 
dining-car.  and  of  vestibule  trains,  and  the  build- 
ing up  of  the  great  industrial  town  which  bears 
his  name,  and  is  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, constituted  a  work  of  gradual  development 
which  resulted  in  some  of  the  most  remarkable 
achievements  in  the  history  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  both  in  a  business  sense  and  in  promot- 
ing the  comfort  and  siifetj'  of  the  traveling  pub- 
lic, as  well  as  in  bettering  the  conditions  of 
workingmen.  He  lived  to  see  the  results  of  his 
inventive  genius  and  manufacturing  skill  in  u.-^e 
upon  the  principal  railroads  of  tlie  United  States 
and  introduced  upon  a  number  of  important  lines 
in  Kurope  also.  Mr.  Pullman  wjis  identified  with 
a  number  of  other  enterprises  more  or  le.ss  closely 
related  to  the  transportation  business,  but  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  was  the  one  with 
which  lie  was  most  closely  connected,  and  by 
which  he  will  I)e  longest  remembered.  He  was 
also  associated  with  some  of  the  leading  educa- 
tional and  benevolent  enterprises  alK)ut  the  city 
of  Chicago,  to  which  he  contributed  in  a  lilieral 
manner  during  his  life  and  in  his  will.  His 
death  occurred  suddenlj',  from  heart  disease,  at 
his  home  in  Chicago,  Oct.  19,  1897. 

PURPLE,  Norman  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
bom  in  Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  read  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Tioga  County,  Pa., 
settled  at  Peoria,  111.,  in  1836,  and  the  following 
year  wa.s  appointed  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the 
Ninth  Judicial  District,  which  then  embraced 
the  greater  portion  of  the  State  east  of  Peoria. 
In  1844  he  was  a  Pre.sidential  Elector,  and,  in 
1845,  Governor  Ford  appointed  him  a  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  vice  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr., 
who  had  resigned.  As  required  by  law,  he  at  the 
same  time  served  as  Circuit  Judge,  his  district 
embracing  all  the  counties  west  of  Peoria,  and 
his  home  being  at  Quincy.  After  the  adoption  of 
the  Constitution  of  1848  he  returned  to  Peoria  and 
resumed  practice.  He  compiled  the  Illinois 
Statutes  relating  to  real  property,  and,  in  1857, 
made  a  compilation  of  the  general  laws,  gener- 
ally known  to  the  legal  profession  as  the  "Purple 
Statutes."  He  subsequently  undertook  to  com- 
pile and  arrange  the  laws  passed  from  1857  to  '63, 
and  was  engaged  on  this  work  when  overtaken 
by  death,  at  Chicago,  Aug  9,  1863.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1862, 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


437 


and.  during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life,  promi- 
nent at  the  Chicago  bar. 

PUTERBAUGH,  Sabin  D.,  judge  and  author, 
was  born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  38,  1834; 
at  8  years  of  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  Taze- 
well County,  III;  settled  in  Pekin  in  1853,  where 
he  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  18.56. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he  was  commis- 
sioned, by  Governor  Yates,  Major  of  the  Eleventh 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  took  part  in  numerous 
engagements  in  Western  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
.sippi,  including  the  battles  of  Sliiloh  and  Corinth. 
Resigning  his  commission  in  1803,  he  took  up  his 
residence  at  Peoria,  where  he  resumed  practice 
and  began  the  preparation  of  his  first  legal  work 
— "Common  Law  Pleading  and  Practice."  In 
1864  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Col.  Robert  G. 
IngersoU,  which  continued  until  18()7.  when  Mr. 
Puterbaugh  was  elected  Circuit  Court  Judge. 
He  retired  from  the  bench  in  1873  to  resume  pri- 
vate practice  and  pursue  his  work  as  an  author. 
His  first  work,  having  already  run  through  three 
editions,  was  followed  by  "Puterbaugh"s  Chan- 
cery Pleading  and  Practice,"  the  first  edition  of 
which  appeared  in  1874,  and  "Michigan  Chancery 
Practice,"  which  appeared  in  1881.  In  1880  he 
was  chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republi- 
can ticket.  Died,  Sept.  25,  1892.  Leslie  D. 
(Puterbaugh),  a  son  of  Judge  Puterbaugh,  is 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  Peoria  Circuit. 

PUTNAM  COrXTY,  the  smallest  county  in  the 
State,  both  as  to  area  and  population,  containing 
only  170  square  miles;  population  (1900),  4,746. 
It  lies  near  the  center  of  the  north  half  of  the 
State,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Israel 
Putnam.  The  first  American  to  erect  a  cabin 
within  its  limits  was  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  who 
was  in  business  there,  as  a  fur-trader,  as  early  as 
1835,  but  afterwards  became  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Chicago.  The  county  was  created  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  in  1835,  although  a  local  govern- 
ment was  not  organized  until  some  years  later. 
Since  that  date,  Bureau,  Marshall  and  Stark 
Counties  have  been  erected  therefrom.  It  is 
crossed  and  drained  by  the  Illinois  River.  The 
surface  is  moderately  undulating  and  the  soil 
fertile.  Corn  is  the  chief  staple,  although  wheat 
and  oats  are  extensively  cultivated.  Coal  is 
mined  and  exported.  Hennepin  is  the  county- 
seat 

(jUINCY,  the  principal  city  of  Western  Illinois, 
and  the  county  seat  of  Adams  County.  It  was 
founded  in  1822 — the  late  Gov.  John  Wood  erect- 
ing the  first  log-cabin  tliere — and  was  incorporated 


in  1839.  The  site  is  naturally  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful in  the  State,  the  principal  part  of  the  city  being 
built  on  a  limestone  bluff  having  an  elevation 
of  135  to  150  feet,  and  overlooking  tlie  Mississippi 
for  a  long  distance.  Its  location  is  113  miles  west 
of  Springfield  and  364  miles  southwest  of  Chi- 
cago. Besides  being  a  principal  shipping  point 
for  the  river  trade  north  of  St.  Louis,  it  is  the 
converging  point  of  several  important  railway 
lines,  incluiling  the  Wabash,  four  brandies  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  and  the  Quincy, 
Omaha  &  Kansas  City,  giving  east  and  west,  as 
well  as  north  and  south,  connections.  At  the 
present  time  (1904)  several  imjjortant  lines,  or 
extensions  of  railroads  already  constructed,  are  in 
contemplation,  which,  when  completed,  will  add 
largely  to  the  commercial  importance  of  the  city. 
The  city  is  regularly  laid  out,  the  streets  inter- 
secting each  other  at  right  angles,  and  being 
lighted  with  gas  and  electricit}'.  Water  is 
obtained  from  the  Mississippi.  There  are  several 
electric  railway  lines,  four  public  parks,  a  fine 
railway  bridge  across  the  Mississippi,  to  which  a 
wagon  bridge  has  been  added  within  the  past  two 
years;  two  fine  railway  depots,  and  several  elegant 
public  buildings,  including  a  handsome  county  ' 
court-house,  a  Government  building  for  the  use 
of  the  Post-office  and  tlie  United  States  District 
Court.  Tlie  Illinois  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home 
is  located  here,  embracing  a  large  group  of  cot- 
tages occujiied  by  veterans  of  the  Civil  War, 
besides  hospital  and  administration  buildings  for 
the  use  of  the  officers.  The  city  has  more  than 
thirty  churches,  three  libraries  (one  free-public 
and  two  college),  with  exc^ellent  .schools  and 
other  educational  advantages.  Among  the 
higher  institutions  of  learning  are  the  Chaddock 
College  (Methodist  Episcopal)  and  the  St.  Frantns 
Solanus  College  (Roman  Catholic).  There  are 
two  or  three  national  banks,  a  State  bank  with  a 
capital  of  5300,000,  beside  two  private  banks,  four 
or  five  daily  papers,  with  several  weekly  and  one 
or  two  monthly  publications.  Its  advantages  as  a 
shipping  point  by  river  and  railroad  have  made  it 
one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  cen- 
ters west  of  Chicago.  The  census  of  1890  showed 
a  total  of  374  manufacturing  estalilishments, 
having  an  aggregate  capital  of  86, 187,845,  employ- 
ing 5,058  persons,  and  turning  out  an  annual 
product  valued  at  §10,160,493.  The  co.st  of 
material  used  was  .$5,597,990,  and  the  wages  paid 
S3,383,.571.  The  number  of  different  industries 
reported  aggregated  seventy-six,  the  more  imjior- 
tant  being  foundries,  carriage  and  wagon  fac- 
tories, agricultural  implement  works,  cigar  and 


438 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


tobacco  factories,  flour-mills,  breweries,  brick- 
yards, lime  works,  saddle  and  harness  shops, 
paper  mills,  furniture  factories,  organ  works,  and 
artificial-ice  factories.  Population  (1880),  27,208; 
(1890).  .31.491;  (l'.)()0).  8(i,2.V2. 

(^l  I.NCV,  ALTON  &  ST.  LOUS  RAILRO.VI). 
(See  Cliiciiijo,  BnrliiKjton  &•  Qin'iici/  Railrouii.) 

qUIXCY  &  CHICA(JO  KAILROAI*.  {See  Chi- 
cugo.  Burlington  li-  Qiiincy  Rdilniiiil.) 

QUIXCY  &  TOLEDO  RAILROAD.  (See 
IVabash  Railroad  ) 

QriNCY  &  WARSAW  RAILROAD.  (See 
Chicago.  Burlington  d'  Quinei/  Railroad.) 

RA.lIt,  Henry,  ex-State  Sui^rintendent  of 
Public  In.struction,  wa.s  born  in  Wetzlar,  Rhen- 
ish Prussia,  June  20.  18;)7;  learned  the  trade  of  a 
currier  with  his  father  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  18,-,3,  finally  locating  at  Belleville,  111., 
where,  in  IS.IT,  he  became  a  teaclier  in  the  pub- 
lic schools;  in  1873  was  made  Superintendent  of 
schools  for  tliat  city,  and,  in  1882,  was  elected 
State  Su|)erintendent  of  Public  Instruction  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  ilecliued  a  renomination 
in  188G .  wius  nominated  a  second  time  in  1890, 
and  re-elected,  but  defeated  by  S.  >I.  Inglis  in 
1894.  In  the  administration  of  his  office.  Pro- 
fessor Raab  .showed  a  commendable  freeilom  from 
l)artisanship.  After  retiring  from  the  office  of 
State  Superintendent,  he  resumed  a  position  in 
connection  with  the  public  schools  of  Belleville. 

RADISSOX,  Pierre  Esprit,  an  early  French 
traveler  and  trader,  who  is  said  to  have  reached 
the  Upiier  Jlississippi  on  his  third  voyage  to  the 
West  in  l(!.J8-")9.  The  i>eriod  of  his  expK)rations 
extended  from  16,52  to  1084.  of  which  he  prepared 
a  narrative  which  wius  publLsbed  by  the  Prince 
Society  of  Boston  in  188.5,  under  the  title  of 
"Radisson"s  Voyages."  He  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  INIedard  Chouart,  first  conceived  the  idea  of 
planting  a  settlement  at  Hudson's  Bay.  (See 
Clioiiart.  Medard.) 

RAILROAD  AXD  WAREHOUSE  COMMIS- 
SION, a  Board  of  three  Conunissioners.  appointed 
by  the  executive  (l)vand  with  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  the  Senate),  under  authority  of  an  act  ap- 
proved. Ajiril  IS,  1871,  for  the  enforcement  of  the 
provisions  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  in  relation 
to  i-ailroads  and  warehouses.  The  Commi.ssion's 
powers  are  partly  judicial.  i>artly  executive.  The 
following  is  a  summary  of  its  jxiwers  and  duties: 
To  establish  a  schedule  of  maximum  rates,  equi- 
table to  shipt)er  and  carrier  alike;  to  require 
yearly  reports  from  railroads  and  warehouses; 
to  hear  and  pass  upon  complaints  of  extortion  and 


unjust  discrimination,  and  (if  necessary)  enforce 
prosecutions  therefor;  to  secure  the  safe  condi- 
tion of  railway  road-beds,  bridges  and  trestles;  to 
hear  and  decide  all  manner  of  conij)laints  relative 
to  intersections  and  to  protect  gnide-crossings; 
lo  insure  the  adoption  of  a  safe  interlocking  sys- 
tem, to  be  approved  by  the  Commission ;  to 
enforce  proper  rules  for  the  inspection  and  regis- 
tration of  grain  throughout  the  State.  The  prin- 
cipal offices  of  the  Commission  are  at  the  State 
capital,  where  monthly  sessions  are  held.  For 
the  purpose  of  properly  conducting  the  grain 
inspection  department,  monthly  meetings  are 
also  held  at  Chicago,  where  the  offices  of  a  Grain 
Inspector,  appointed  by  the  Board,  are  located. 
Here  all  business  relating  to  this  department  is 
tlLscus.sed  and  neces.sar}-  special  meetings  are 
held.  The  inspection  department  has  no  revenue 
outside  of  fees,  but  the  latter  are  ample  for  its 
maintenance.  Fees  for  insi)ection  on  arrival 
("inspection  in")  are  twenty-five  cents  per  car- 
load, ten  cents  per  wagon-load,  and  forty  cents 
per  1,00<)  bushels  from  canal- boat  or  vessels.  For 
insi>ection  from  store  ("inspected  out")  the  fees 
are  fifty  cents  per  1,000  bushels  to  vessels; 
thirty-five  cents  ]>er  car-load,  and  ten  cents  per 
wagonloiid  to  teams.  While  there  are  never 
wanting  some  cases  of  friction  Ix'tween  the  trans- 
portation companies  and  warehousemen  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Commission  on  the  other, 
there  can  be  no  question  that  the  formation  of 
the  latter  has  been  of  great  value  to  the  receiv- 
ers, shippers,  forwarders  and  tax-payers  of  the 
State  generally.  Similar  regulations  in  regard  to 
the  inspection  of  grain  in  warehouses,  at  East  St. 
I^>uis  and  Peoria,  are  also  in  force.  Tlie  first 
Board,  created  imder  the  act  of  1871,  consisted  of 
Gustavus  Koerner,  Richard  P.  Morgan  and  David 
S.  Hammond,  holding  office  until  1873.  Other 
Boards  have  been  as  follows:  1873-77 — Henry  D. 
Cook  (deceased  1873,  and  succeeded  by  James 
Steele),  David  A.  Brown  and  John  51.  Pearson; 
1877-83— William  M.  Smith,  George  JI.  Bogue  and 
.John  H.  Oberly  (retired  1881  and  succeeded  by 
William  H.  Robinson);  1883-8.5— Wm.  N.  Brain- 
ard,  E.  C.  LewLs  and  Charles  T.  Stratton ;  188.V89 
— John  I.  Rinaker.  Benjamin  F.  Marsh  and  Wm.  T. 
Johnson  (retired  in  1887  and  succeeded  by  Jason 
Rogers);  1889-93— John  R.  Wheeler.  Isaac  N. 
Phillips  and  W.  S.  Crim  (succeeded.  1891,  by  John 
R.  Tanner) ;  1893-97— W.  S.  Cantrell,  Thomas  F. 
Gahan  and  Charles  F.  Lape  (succeeded,  189.5,  by 
George  W.  Fithian);  1897-99— Cicero  J.  Lindley, 
Charles  S.  RannelLs  and  James  E.  Bidwell.  (See 
also  Grain  Insjyection.) 


72 

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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


439 


RAILROADS  (IN  GENERAL) .  The  existing 
railroad  system  of  Illinois  had  its  inception  in  the 
mania  for  internal  improvement  which  swept 
over  the  country  in  1836-37,  the  basis  of  the  plan 
adopted  in  Illinois  (as  in  the  Eastern  States)  being 
that  the  State  should  construct,  maintain,  own 
and  operate  an  elaborate  system.  Lines  were  to 
be  constructed  from  Cairo  to  Galena,  from  Alton 
to  Mount  Carmel,  from  Peoria  to  Warsaw,  from 
Alton  to  the  Central  Railroad,  from  Belleville 
to  Mount  Carmel,  from  Bloomington  to  Mack- 
inaw Town,  and  from  Meredosia  to  Springfield. 
The  experiment  proved  extremely  unfortunate 
to  the  financial  interests  of  the  State,  and  laid  the 
foimdation  of  an  immense  debt  under  which  it 
staggered  for  many  years.  The  Northern  Cross 
Railroad,  extending  from  Meredosia  to  Spring- 
field, was  the  only  one  so  far  com{)leted  as  to  be  in 
operation.  It  was  sold,  in  184",  to  Nicholas  H. 
Ridgely,  of  Springfield  for  521,100,  he  being  the 
liighest  bidder.  This  line  formed  a  nucleus  of 
the  existing  Wabash  system.  The  first  road  to 
be  operated  by  private  parties  (outside  of  a  prim- 
itive tramway  in  St.  Clair  County,  designed  for 
the  transportation  of  coal  to  St.  Louis)  was  the 
Galena  &  Chicago  Union,  chartered  in  1836.  This 
was  the  second  line  completed  in  the  State,  and 
the  first  to  run  from  Chicago.  The  subsequent 
development  of  the  railway  system  of  Illinois 
was  at  first  gradual,  then  steady  and  finally 
rapid.  A  succinct  description  of  the  various 
lines  now  in  operation  in  the  State  may  be  found 
under  appropriate  headings.  At  present  Illinois 
leads  all  the  States  of  the  Union  in  the  extent  of 
railways  in  operation,  the  total  mileage  (1897)  of 
main  track  being  10,785.43 — or  19  miles  for  each 
100  square  miles  of  territory  and  25  miles  for  each 
10,000  inhabitants — estimating  the  population 
(1898)  at  four  and  a  quarter  millions.  Every  one 
of  the  102  counties  of  the  State  is  traversed  by  at 
least  one  railroad  except  three — Calhoun,  Hardin 
and  Pope.  The  entire  capitalization  of  the  111 
companies  doing  business  in  the  State  in  1896, 
(including  capital  stock,  funded  debt  and  current 
liabilities),  was  §2,669,164,142— equal  to  §67,556 
per  mile.  In  1894,  fifteen  owned  and  ten  leased 
lines  paid  dividends  of  from  four  to  eight  per 
cent  on  common,  and  from  four  to  ten  per  cent 
on  preferred,  stock — the  total  amount  thus  paid 
aggregating  §25,321,752.  The  total  earnings  and 
income,  in  Illinois,  of  all  lines  operated  in  the 
State,  aggregated  §77,508,537,  while  the  total 
expenditure  within  the  State  was  §71,463,367. 
Of  the  58,363,860  tons  of  freight  carried,  11,611,- 
798  were  of  agricultural  products  and  17,179,366 


mineral  products.  The  number  of  passengers 
(earning  revenue)  carried  during  the  year,  was 
83,381,655.  The  total  number  of  railroad  em- 
ployes (of  all  classes)  was  61,200.  The  entire 
amount  of  taxes  paid  by  railroad  companies  for 
the  year  was  §3,846,379.  From  1836,  when  the 
first  special  charter  was  granted  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  in  Illinois,  until  1869 — 
after  which  all  corporations  of  this  character 
came  under  the  general  incorporation  laws  of  the 
State  in  accordance  with  the  Constitution  of  1870 
— 293  special  charter-s  for  the  construction  of 
railroads  were  granted  by  the  Legislature,  besides 
numerous  amendments  of  charters  already  in 
existence.  (For  the  history  of  important  indi- 
vidual lines  see  each  road  under  its  corporate 
name. ) 

RALSTON,  Virgil  Young,  editor  and  soldier, 
was  born,  July  16,  1828,  at  Vanceburg,  Ky. ;  was 
a  student  in  Illinois  College  one  year  (1846-47), 
after  which  he  studied  law  in  Quincy  and  prac- 
ticed for  a  time ;  also  resided  some  time  in  Cali- 
fornia; 1855-57  was  one  of  the  editors  of  "The 
Quincy  Whig,"  and  represented  that  paper  in  the 
Editorial  Convention  at  Decatur,  Feb.  22,  1856. 
(See  Ant i- Nebraska  Editorial  Convention.)  In 
1861,  he  was  commissioned  a  Captain  in  the  Six- 
teenth Illinois  Volunteers,  but  soon  resigned  on 
account  of  ill-health;  later,  enli-sted  in  an  Iowa 
regiment,  but  died  in  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  from 
wounds  and  exposure,  April  19,  1864. 

RAMSAY,  Rufns  N.,  State  Treasurer,  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Clinton  County,  111.,  May  20,  1838; 
received  a  collegiate  education  at  Illinois  and 
McKendree  Colleges,  and  at  Indiana  State  Uni- 
versity; studied  law  with  ex -Gov.  A.  C.  French, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1865,  but  soon 
abandoned  the  law  for  banking,  in  which  he  was 
engaged  both  at  Lebanon  and  Carlyle,  limiting 
his  business  to  the  latter  place  about  1890.  He 
served  one  term  (from  1865)  as  County  Clerk,  and 
two  terms  (1889  and  '91)  as  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly,  and,  in  1893,  was  nominated 
as  a  Democrat  and  elected  State  Treasurer.  Died 
in  office,  at  Carlyle,  Nov.  11,  1894. 

R.\JISEY,  a  village  of  Fayette  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Toledo, 
St.  Louis  &  Western  Railroads,  13  miles  north  of 
Vandalia ;  the  district  is  agricultural ;  has  one 
newspaper.     Pop.  (1890),  598;  (1900),  747. 

RANDOLPH  COUNTY,  lies  in  the  southwest 
section  of  the  State,  and  borders  on  the  Missis- 
sippi River;  area  560  square  miles;  named  for 
Beverly  Randolph.  It  was  set  off  from  St.  Clair 
County  in  1795,  being  the  second  county  organ- 


440 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ized  in  the  territory  wliioli  uow  couslitutes  the 
State  of  Illinois.  From  the  eurliest  period  of  Illi- 
nois history,  Randolph  County  has  been  a  pivotal 
point.  In  the  autumn  of  1700  a  French  and 
Indian  settlement  was  established  at  Kaskaskia, 
which  subsequently  became  the  center  of  French 
influence  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  In  1722 
Prairie  du  Rocher  was  founded  by  the  French. 
It  was  in  Randolph  County  that  Fort  Chartres 
was  built,  in  1720,  and  it  was  here  that  Col. 
George  Rogers  Clark's  expe<lition  for  the  .seizure 
of  the  "Illinois  Country"  met  with  success  in  the 
capture  of  Kaskaskia.  .\merican  immigration 
began  with  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Among  the  early  settlers  were  the  Cranes  (Icha- 
bod  and  George),  Gen.  John  Edgar,  the  Dodge 
family,  the  Morrisons,  and  John  Rice  Jones. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  century  came  Shadrach 
Bon<l  (afterwards  the  firet  Governor  of  the  State) 
with  his  uncle  of  the  same  name,  and  the 
Menards  (Pierre  and  Hippolyte).  the  first  of 
whom  subsequently  became  Lieutenant  -  Gov- 
ernor. (See  Bond,  Shadnich:  Menard,  Pierre.) 
In  outline,  Randolph  Countj-  is  triangular,  while 
its  surface  is  diversified.  Timber  and  building 
stone  are  abundant,  and  coal  underlies  a  consid- 
erable area.  Chester,  the  county-seat,  a  city  of 
3,000  inhabitants,  is  a  jjlace  of  considerable  trade 
and  the  seat  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Penitentiary. 
The  county  is  cro.s.sed  by  several  railroad  lines, 
and  transportation  facilities  are  excellent.  Pop- 
ulation   (1890),  2.5.049;  (1900).  28,001. 

I{.V>SOM,((ien,)  Thomas  Ednard  (■reonlleld, 
soldier,  wits  born  at  Norwich,  Vt. ,  Nov.  29,  1834; 
educated  at  Norwich  University,  an  institution 
under  charge  of  his  father,  who  was  later  an 
officer  of  the  Mexican  War  and  killed  at  Chapul- 
tepec.  Having  leiirned  civil  engineering,  he 
entered  on  his  profes.sion  at  Peru.  III.,  in  1851; 
in  1855  became  a  member  of  the  real-estate  firm 
of  A.  J.  Galloway  &  Co.,  Chicago,  soon  after 
removing  to  Fayette  County,  where  he  acted  as 
agent  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  Under 
the  first  call  for  volunteers,  in  April,  18G1,  he 
organized  a  company,  which  having  been  incor- 
porated in  the  Eleventh  Illinois,  he  was  elected 
Major,  and,  on  the  reorganization  of  the  regiment 
for  the  three-years'  service,  was  commissioned 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  in  this  capacity  having  com- 
mand of  his  regiment  at  Fort  Douelson.  where  he 
was  severely  wounded  and  won  deserveil  pro- 
motion to  a  colonelcy,  as  succe.ssor  to  Gen.  W.  H. 
L.  Wallace,  afterwards  killed  at  Shiloh.  Here 
Colonel  Ransom  again  distinguished  himself  by 
his  bravery,  and  though  again  wounded  while 


leading  his  regiment,  remained  in  command 
through  the  day.  His  service  was  recognized  by 
promotion  as  Brigadier  -  General.  lie  bore  a 
prominent  part  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  in 
the  Red  River  campaign,  and,  later,  commanded 
the  Seventh  Army  Corps  in  the  operations  about 
Atlanta,  but  finally  fell  a  victim  to  disease  and 
his  numerous  wounds,  dying  in  Chicago,  Oct.  29, 
1864,  having  previously  received  the  brevet  rank 
of  Major-General.  General  Ransom  was  con- 
fessedly one  of  the  most  brilliant  ofiicers  contrib- 
uted by  Illinois  to  the  War  for  the  Union,  and 
was  pronounced,  by  both  Grant  and  Sherman,  one 
of  the  ablest  volunteer  generals  in  their  com- 
mands. 

RAXTOl'L,  a  city  in  Champaign  County,  at 
the  junction  of  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  with  its  West  Lebanon  and  Leroy 
branch,  14  miles  north-northeast  of  Champaign 
and  114  miles  south  by  west  of  Chicago.  It  has 
a  national  bank,  seven  churches,  opera  house, 
graded  school,  two  weekly  papers,  machine  shops, 
flouring  and  flax  mills,  tile  factories,  and  many 
handsome  residences.     Pop.  (1900),  1,207. 

R.VSLK,  Schustian,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  born 
in  France,  in  1058;  at  his  own  request  was 
attached  to  the  French  missions  in  Canada  in 
1689,  and.  about  1C91  or  '92,  was  sent  to  the  Illi- 
nois Country,  where  he  labored  for  two  years, 
traveling  much  and  making  a  careful  study  of 
the  Indian  dialects.  He  left  manj-  manuscripts 
descriptive  of  his  journeyings  and  of  the  mode  of 
life  and  character  of  the  aborigines.  From  Illi- 
nois he  wiis  transferred  to  Norridgewock,  Maine, 
where  he  pre|>ared  a  dictionary  of  the  Abenaki 
language  in  three  volumes,  which  is  now  pre- 
served in  the  library  of  Harvard  College.  His 
influence  over  his  Indian  parishioners  was  great, 
and  his  use  of  it.  during  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  so  incensed  the  English  colonists  in  Massa- 
chusetts that  the  Governor  set  a  price  upon  his 
head.  On  August  12,  1734,  he  was  slain,  with 
seven  Indian  chiefs  who  were  seeking  to  aid  his 
escape,  during  a  night  attack  upon  Norridge- 
wock by  a  force  of  English  soldiers  from  Fort 
Richmond,  his  mutilated  body  being  interred  the 
next  day  by  the  Indians.  In  1833,  the  citizens  of 
Norridgewock  erected  a  montunent  to  his  mem- 
ory on  the  spot  where  he  fell. 

RASTER,  Herman,  journalist,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  182S;  entered  journalism  and  came  to 
America  in  1851,  being  employed  on  German 
papers  in  Buffalo  and  New  York  City ;  in  1867 
accepted  the  position  of  editor-in-chief  of  "The 
Chicago  Staats  Zeitimg, "  which  he  continued  to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


441 


till  until  June,  1890,  when  he  went  to  Europe  for 
tlie  benefit  of  his  health,  dying  at  Dresden,  July 
24,  1891.  While  employed  on  papers  in  this 
country  during  the  Civil  War,  he  acted  as  the 
American  correspondent  of  papers  at  Berlin, 
Bremen,  Vienna,  and  other  cities  of  Central 
Europe.  He  served  as  delegate  to  both  State  and 
National  Conventions  of  the  Republican  party, 
and,  in  1809,  received  from  President  Grant  the 
appointment  of  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for 
the  Chicago  District,  but,  during  the  later  years 
of  his  life,  cooperated  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

RAUCH,  John  Henry,  physician  and  sanitary 
e.xpert,  born  in  Lebanon,  Pa.,  Sept.  4,  1828,  and 
graduated  in  medicine  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1849.  The  following  year  he  removed 
to  Iowa,  settling  at  Burlington.  lie  was  an 
active  member  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society, 
and,  in  18.51,  prepared  and  published  a  "Report 
on  the  Medical  and  Economic  Botany  of  Iowa, " 
and,  later,  made  a  collection  of  ichthyologic 
remains  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  Missouri  for 
Professor  Agassiz.  From  1857  to  1860  he  filled 
the  chair  of  Materia  Medica  and  Medical  Botany 
at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  occupying  the 
•same  position  in  18.59  in  the  Chicago  College  of 
Pharmacy,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers. During  the  Civil  W;ij'  he  served,  until 
18G4,  as  Assistant  Jledical  Director,  first  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  later  in  Louisiana, 
being  brevetted  Lieutenant-Colonel  at  the  close  of 
the  struggle.  Returning  to  Chicago,  he  aided  in 
reorganizing  the  city's  health  service,  and,  in 
18(i7,  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  new  Board 
of  Health  and  Sanitary  Inspector,  serving  until 
1876.  The  latter  year  he  was  chosen  President  of 
the  American  Public  Health  Association,  and, 
in  1877,  a  member  of  the  newly  created  State 
Board  of  Health  of  Illinois,  and  elected  its  first 
President.  Later,  he  became  Secretary,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  office  during  his  connection  with 
the  Board.  In  1878-79  he  devoted  much  attention 
to  the  yellow-fever  epidemic,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  the  formation  of  the  Sanitary  Council 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  in  securing  the  adoption 
of  a  system  of  river  inspection  by  the  National 
Board  of  Health.  He  was  a  member  of  many 
scientific  bodies,  and  the  author  of  numerous 
monographs  and  printed  addresses,  chiefly  in  the 
domain  of  sanitary  science  and  preventive  med- 
icine Among  them  may  be  noticed  "Intra- 
mural Interments  and  Their  Influence  on  Health 
and  Epidemics.'"  "Sanitary  Problems  of  Chi- 
cago," "Prevention  of  Asiatic  Cholera  in  North 


America,"  and  a  series  of  reports  as  Secretary  of 
the  State  Board  of  Health.  Died,  at  Lebanon, 
Pa.,  March  24,  1894. 

RAUM,  ((lien.)  Green  Berry,  soldier  and  author, 
was  born  at  Golconda,  Pope  County,  111.,  Dec.  3, 
1829,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1853,  but,  three  years  later,  removed  with  his 
family  to  Kansas.  His  Free-State  proclivities 
rendering  him  obnoxious  to  the  pro-slavery  party 
there,  he  returned  to  Illinois  in  1857,  settling  at 
Harrisburg,  Saline  County.  Early  in  the  Civil 
War  he  was  commissioned  a  Major  in  the  Fifty- 
sixth  Illinois  Volunteers,  was  subsequently  pro- 
moted to  a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy,  and,  later, 
advanced  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship,  resigning 
his  commission  at  the  close  of  the  war  (May  6, 
1865).  He  was  with  Rosecrans  in  the  Mississippi 
campaign  of  1862,  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
battle  of  Corinth,  jiarticipated  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  was  wounded  at  Missionary  Ridge. 
He  also  rendered  valuable  service  during  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  keeping  lines  of  communi- 
cation open,  re-enforcing  Resaca  and  repulsing  an 
attack  by  General  Hood.  He  was  with  Sherman 
in  the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  with  Hancock,  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  when  the  war  closed.  In 
1866  General  Raum  became  President  of  the  pro- 
jected Cairo  &  Vincennes  Railroad,  an  enterprise 
of  which  he  had  been  an  active  promoter.  He 
was  elected  to  Congre.ss  in  18G6  from  the  South- 
ern Illinois  District  (then  the  Thirteenth),  serv- 
ing one  term,  and  the  same  year  jjresided  over  the 
Republican  State  Convention,  as  he  did  again  in 
1876  and  in  1880 — was  also  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Conventions  at  Cincinnati  and  Chicago 
the  last  two  years  just  mentioned.  From  August 
2,  1876,  to  May  31,  1883,  General  Raum  served  as 
Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue  at  Washing- 
ton, in  that  time  having  superintended  the  col- 
lection of  §800,000,000  of  revenue,  and  the 
disbursement  of  .$30,000,000.  After  retiring  from 
the  Commissionership,  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  law  in  Washington.  In  1889  he  was  appointed 
Commissioner  of  Pensions,  remaining  to  the 
close  of  President  Harrison's  administration, 
when  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  again  engaged 
in  practice.  During  the  various  political  cam- 
paigns of  the  past  thirty  years,  his  services  have 
been  in  frequent  request  as  a  campaign  speaker, 
and  he  has  canvassed  a  number  of  States  in  the 
interest  of  the  Republican  party.  Besides  his 
official  reports,  he  is  author  of  "The  Existing 
Conflict  Between  Republican  Government  and 
Southern  Oligarchy"  (Washington,  1884),  and  a 
number  of  magazine  articles. 


442 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


RAUM,  John,  pioneer  and  early  legislator,  was 
born  in  Hunimebtown,  Pa.,  July  14,  1793.  and 
died  at  Goloonda,  111.,  March  14,  1869.  Having 
received  a  liberal  education  in  hi.s  native  State, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  settled  at  Shawneetown, 
111.,  in  1833,  but  removed  to  Golconda,  Pope 
County,  in  1826.  He  had  previously  served  three 
years  in  the  AVar  of  1812,  as  First  Lieutenant  of 
the  Si.Yteentli  Infantry,  and,  while  a  resident  of 
Illinois,  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1832  as 
Brigade  Jlajor.  He  was  also  elected  Senator 
from  the  District  composed  of  Pope  ami  Johnson 
Counties  in  the  Eighth  General  As.sembly  (1833), 
?s  successor  to  Samuel  Alexander,  who  had 
resigned.  The  following  yeiir  he  was  appointed 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Pope  Count}-,  and 
was  also  elected  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  the 
siime  year,  holding  both  offices  for  many  years, 
and  retaining  the  County  Clerkship  up  to  his 
death,  a  period  of  thirtj'-five  years.  He  was 
married  March  22.  1827,  to  Juliet  C.  Field,  and 
w;is  father  of  Brig.  Gen.  Green  B.  Raum,  and 
Maj.  John  M.  Raum.  both  of  whom  .served  in  the 
volunteer  army  from  Illinois  during  the  Civil 
War. 

RAWLINS,  John  Auron,  soldier.  Secretary  of 
War,  was  lK>rn  at  Ea-st  Galena,  Feb.  13.  1831,  the 
son  of  a  small  farmer,  who  was  also  a  charcoal- 
burner.  The  son,  after  irregular  attendance  on 
the  district  schools  and  a  year  passed  at  Mount 
Morris  Academy,  began  the  study  of  law.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Galena  in  18.>4,  and  at 
once  began  practice.  In  18.57  he  was  elected  City 
Attorney  of  Galena,  and  nominated  on  the  Doug- 
las electoral  ticket  in  1860.  At  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  he  favored,  and  publicly  advocated, 
coercive  measures,  and  it  is  said  that  it  was 
partly  through  his  influence  that  General  Grant 
early  tendered  his  services  to  the  Government. 
He  serveii  on  the  staff  of  the  latter  from  the  time 
General  Grant  was  given  command  of  a  brigivde 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  most  of  the  time  being 
its  chief,  and  rising  in  rank,  step  by  step,  luitil, 
in  1863,  he  became  a  Brig-adier-General,  and,  in 
186.5,  a  Major-General.  His  long  service  on  the 
stall  of  General  Grant  indicates  the  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held  by  his  chief.  Promptly  on 
the  assumption  of  the  Presidency  by  General 
Grant,  in  March,  1869,  he  was  appointed  Secre- 
tary of  War,  but  consumption  had  already 
obtained  a  hold  upon  his  constitution,  and  he  sur- 
vived only  six  months,  dying  in  office,  Sept.  6, 
1869. 

RAT,  Charles  II.,  journalist,  wa.s  born  at  Nor- 
wich, Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  Marcli   12,   1821: 


came  west  in  1843,  studied  medicine  and  began 
practice  at  Jiuscatine,  Iowa,  afterwards  locating 
in  Tazewell  County,  111.,  also  being  a.ssociated, 
for  a  time,  with  the  publication  of  a  temperance 
paper  at  Springfield.  In  1847  he  removed  to 
Galena,  soon  after  becoming  editor  of  "The 
Galena  Jeffersonian,"  a  Democratic  paper,  with 
which  he  remained  until  1854.  He  took  strong 
ground  against  the  Kansas-Xebraska  Bill,  and,  at 
the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  185.5,  served  as 
Secretary  of  the  Senate,  also  acting  as  corre- 
spondent of  "The  New  York  Tribune";  a  few 
months  later  became  associated  with  Joseph 
Medill  and  John  C.  Vaughan  in  the  purchase  and 
management  of  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  Dr.  Ray 
assuming  the  position  of  editor-in-chief.  Dr. 
Ray  was  one  of  the  most  trenchant  and  jjowerful 
writers  ever  connected  with  the  Illinois  press, 
and  his  articles  exerted  a  wide  influence  during 
the  period  of  the  orgiinization  of  the  Republican 
party,  in  which  he  was  an  influential  factor.  He 
was  a  member  of  tlie  Convention  of  Anti-Neb- 
raska editors  held  at  Decatur,  Feb.  23,  18.56,  and 
served  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Reso- 
lutions. (See  Anti-Sehraska  Editorial  Conven- 
tion.) At  the  State  Republican  Convention  held 
at  Bloomington,  in  May  following,  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Com- 
mittee for  that  year ;  was  also  Canal  Trustee  by 
appointment  of  Governor  Bissell,  serving  from 
1857  to  1861.  In  November,  1863,  he  severed  his 
connection  with  "The  Tribune"  and  engaged  in 
oil  sj)ecuhitious  in  Canada  which  proved  finan- 
cially disastrous.  In  186.5  he  returned  to  the  ])aper 
as  an  editorial  writer,  remaining  only  for  a  short 
time.  In  1868  he  assumed  the  management  of 
"The  Chicago  Evening  Post,"  with  which  he 
remained  identified  until  his  death,  Sept.  33, 
1870. 

RAY,  Lyman  Beecher,  ex-Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, was  born  in  Crittenden  County,  Vt., 
August  17,  1831;  removed  to  Illinois  in  18.52,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in 
this  State.  After  filling  several  local  offices  he 
was  elected  to  represent  Grundy  Countj'  in  the 
lower  house  of  the  Twent)- -eighth  General 
Assembly  (1872),  and,  ten  years  later,  was  chosen 
State  Senator,  serving  from  1883  to  1887,  and 
being  one  of  the  recognized  part}'  leaders  on  the 
floor.  In  1888,  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor on  the  Republican  ticket,  his  term  expiring 
in  1893.     His  home  is  at  Morris,  Grundy  County. 

BAT,  William  H.,  Congressman,  was  Ixirn  in 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  14,  1812;  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  State,  receiving  a  limited 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


443 


education;  in  1834  removed  to  Rusliville,  III., 
engaging  in  business  as  a  mercliant  and,  later,  as 
a  banker ;  was  a  member  of  the  first  State  Board 
of  Equalization  (1867-69),  and,  in  1872,  was 
elected  to  Congress  as  a  Republican,  rej^resenting 
his  District  from  1873  to  1875,  Died,  Jan.  25, 
1881. 

RATMO'D,  a  village  of  Montgomery  County, 
on  the  St.  Louis  Division  of  the  Wabash  Railway, 
50  miles  southwest  of  Decatur;  has  electric  lights, 
some  manufactures  and  a  weekly  paper  Con- 
siderable coal  is  rained  here  and  grain  and  fruit 
grown  in  the  surrounding  country.  Population 
(1880),  543;  (1890).  811;  (1900),  906. 

RAYMOND,  (Rev.)  Miner,  D.D.,  clergyman 
and  educator,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
Augast  29,  1811,  being  descended  from  a  family 
of  Huguenots  (known  by  the  name  of  "Rai- 
monde"),  who  were  expelled  from  France  on 
account  of  their  religion.  In  his  youth  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker  with  his  father, 
at  Rensselaerville,  N.  Y.  He  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  the  age  of  17, 
later  taking  a  course  in  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
at  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  where  he  afterwards 
became  a  teacher.  In  1838  he  joined  the  New 
England  Conference  and,  three  years  later,  began 
pastoral  work  at  Worcester,  subsequently  occu- 
pying pulpits  in  Boston  and  Westfield.  In  1848, 
on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Robert  Allyn  (after- 
wards President  of  ilcKendree  College  and  of  the 
Southern  Illinois  Normal  University  at  Carbon- 
dale),  Dr.  Raymond  succeeded  to  the  principalship 
of  the  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  remaining  there 
until  1864,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
systematic  theology  in  the  Garrett  Biblical  Insti- 
tute at  Evanston,  111.,  his  connection  with  the 
latter  institution  continuing  until  1895,  when  he 
resigned.  For  some  three  j'ears  of  this  period  he 
served  as  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Church 
at  Evanston.     His  death  occurred,  Nov.  25,  1897. 

REAVIS,  Lo^aii  Uriah,  journalist,  was  born 
in  the  Sangamon  Bottom,  Mason  County,  111., 
March  26,  1831 ;  in  1855  entered  the  office  of  "The 
Beardstown  Gazette,"  later  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  pajier  and  continued  its  publication  under 
the  name  of  "The  Central  Illinoian."  until  1857. 
when  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Nebraska.  Return- 
ing, in  1860,  he  repurchased  his  old  paper  and 
conducted  it  until  1866,  when  he  sold  out  for  the 
last  time.  The  remainder  of  his  life  was  devoted 
chiefly  to  advocating  the  removal  of  the  National 
Capital  to  St.  Louis,  which  he  did  by  lectures  and 
the  imblication  of  pamphlets  and  books  on  the 
subject;    also    published    a     "Life    of     Horace 


Greeley,"  another  of  General  Harney,  and  two 
or  three  other  volumes.  Died  in  St.  Louis, 
April  25,  1889. 

RECTOR,  the  name  of  a  prominent  and  influ- 
ential family  who  lived  at  Kaskaskia  in  Terri- 
torial days.  According  to  Governor  Reynolds, 
who  has  left  the  most  detailed  account  of  them  in 
his  "Pioneer  History  of  Illinois,"  they  con.si.sted 
of  nine  brothers  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
were  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  some  of 
them  emigrating  to  Ohio,  while  others  came  to 
Illinois,  arriving  at  Kaskaskia  in  1806.  Reynolds 
describes  them  as  passionate  and  impulsive,  but 
possessed  of  a  high  standard  of  integrity  and  a 
chivalrous  and  patriotic  spirit. — William,  the 
oldest  brother,  and  regarded  as  the  head  of  the 
family,  became  a  Deputy  Surveyor  soon  after 
coming  to  Illinois,  and  took  part  in  the  Indian 
campaigns  between  1812  and  1814.  In  1816  he 
was  appointed  Surveyor  General  of  Illinois,  Mis- 
souri and  Arkansas,  and  afterwards  removed  to 
St.  Louis. — Steplien,  another  of  the  brothers, 
was  a  Lieutenant  in  Captain  Moore's  Company 
of  Rangers  in  the  War  of  1812,  while  Charles 
commanded  one  of  the  two  regiments  organized 
by  Governor  Edwards,  in  1812,  for  the  expedition 
against  the  Indians  at  the  head  of  Peoria  Lake. 
— Nelson,  still  another  brother,  served  in  the 
same  expedition  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Edwards.  Stephen,  already  mentioned,  was  a 
member  of  the  expedition  sent  to  strengtlien 
Prairie  du  Chien  in  1814,  and  showed  great  cour- 
age in  a  fight  with  the  Indians  at  Rock  Island. 
During  the  same  year  Nelson  Rector  and  Captain 
Samuel  Whiteside  joined  Col.  Zachary  Taylor 
(afterwards  President)  in  an  expedition  on  the 
Upper  Mississippi,  in  which  they  came  in  conflict 
with  the  British  and  Indians  at  Rock  Island,  in 
which  Captain  Rector  again  displa.yed  tlie  cour- 
age so  characteristic  of  his  family.  On  the  1st  of 
March,  1814,  while  in  charge  of  a  surveying  party 
on  Saline  Creek,  in  Gallatin  County,  according  to 
Reynolds,  Nelson  was  ambushed  by  tlie  Indians 
and,  though  severely  wounded,  was  carried  away 
by  his  horse,  and  recovered. — Elias,  another  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  was  Governor  Edwards"  first 
Adjutant-General,  .serving  a  few  months  in  1809, 
when  he  gave  place  to  Robert  Morrison,  but  was 
reappointed  in  1810,  serving  for  moi-e  than  three 
years. — Thomas,  one  of  the  younger  members, 
had  a  duel  with  Joshua  Barton  on  "Blood}' 
Island,"  sometime  between  1812  and  1814,  in 
which  he  killed  his  antagonist.  (See  Duels.)  A 
portion  of  this  historic  family  drifted  into  Arkan- 
sas, where  they  became  prominent,  one  of  their 


444 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


descendants   serving  as  Governor  of  that  State 
during  tlie  Civil  War  period. 

RED  lU'I),  a  city  in  Randolph  County,  on  tlie 
Mobile  it  Ohio  Railroad,  some  37  miles  .south- 
southeast  of  St.  Loui.s,  and  21  miles  south  of  Belle- 
ville; has  a  carriage  factory  and  two  flouring 
mills,  electric  lights,  a  hospital,  two  hanks,  five 
clunches,  a  graded  school  and  a  weekly  news- 
paper.    Pop   (IH90),  1,170;  (1900),  1,109. 

KEEVES,  Owen  T.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  Dec.  18,  1829,  gradu- 
ated at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Universit}',  at  Dela- 
ware, in  1850,  afterwards  serving  as  a  tutor  in 
that  institution  and  as  Principal  of  a  High 
School  at  Chillieothe.  In  1854  he  came  to  Bloom- 
ington.  111.,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  ScIkhiI 
Board,  assisted  in  reorganizing  the  sch<x>l  system 
of  that  city ;  also  has  served  continuou-sly,  for 
over  40  years,  as  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Illi- 
nois Wesleyan  University,  being  a  part  of  the 
time  President  of  the  Board.  In  the  meantime,  he 
had  begun  the  practice  of  law,  served  iis  City 
Attorney  and  member  of  the  Board  of  Su|iervis- 
ors.  July  1,  1802,  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventieth 
Illinois  Volunteers  (a  100-days"  emergency  regi- 
ment), was  elected  Colonel  and  mustered  out, 
with  his  command,  in  October,  1802.  Colonel 
Reeves  was  subsequently  connected  with  the 
construction  of  the  Lafayette,  Bloomington  & 
Mississippi  Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the  Illinois 
Central),  and  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Law  Department  of  the  Wesleyan  University. 
In  1877  lie  w;is  elected  to  the  Circuit  bench,  serv- 
ing continuously,  by  repeated  re-elections,  until 
1891 — during  the  latter  part  of  his  incumljency 
being  upon  the  A])pellate  bench. 

REEA'ES,  Walter,  Member  of  Cimgre.ss  and 
lawyer,  was  born  near  Brownsville,  Pa.,  Sept.  25, 
1848 ;  removed  to  Illinois  at  8  years  of  age  and 
was  reared  on  a  farm;  later  became  a  teacher 
aiul  lawyer,  following  his  profession  at  Streator; 
in  1894  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  of 
the  Eleventh  District  for  Congress,  as  successor  to 
the  Hon.  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  and  was  elected, 
receiving  a  majority  over  three  competitors. 
Mr.  Reeves  was  re-elected  in  1890,  and  again  in 
1898. 

REFORMATORY,  ILLINOIS  STATE,  a  prison 
for  the  incarieratioii  of  male  offenders  under  21 
years  of  age,  who  are  believed  to  be  susceptible  of 
reformation.  It  is  the  successor  of  the  "State 
Reform  School,"  which  was  created  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  of  1807,  but  not  opened  for  the 
admission  of  inmates  until  1871.  It  is  located  at 
Pontiac.  The  number  of  inmates,  in  1872,  was  165, 


which  was  increased  to  324  in  1890.  The  results, 
while  moderately  successful,  were  not  altogether 
s;itisfactory.  The  appropriations  made  for  con- 
struction, maintenance,  etc.,  were  not  upon  a 
sciile  adequate  to  accomplish  what  was  desired, 
and,  in  1891,  a  radical  change  was  effected. 
Previous  to  that  date  the  limit,  as  to  age,  was  16 
years.  The  law  establishing  the  present  reforma- 
tory provides  for  a  system  of  indeterminate  sen- 
tences, and  a  release  upon  parole,  of  inmates 
who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board  of  Managers, 
may  be  safely  granted  conditional  liberation. 
The  inmates  are  divided  into  two  classes.  (1) 
those  between  the  ages  of  10  and  16,  and (2)  those 
between  10  and  21.  The  Board  of  Managers  is 
composed  of  five  members,  not  more  than  three  of 
whom  shall  be  of  the  same  party,  their  term  of 
office  to  be  for  ten  years.  The  course  of  treat- 
ment is  educational  (intellectually,  inonilly  and 
industrially),  schools  Ijeing  conducted,  trades 
taught,  and  the  inmates  constantly  impre.ssed 
with  the  conviction  that,  only  through  genuine 
and  unmistakable  evidence  of  improvement,  can 
they  regain  their  freeilom.  The  reformatory 
influence  of  the  institution  may  be  best  inferred 
from  the  results  of  one  year's  operation.  Of  146 
inmates  paroled,  15  violated  their  parole  and 
became  fugitives,  6  were  returned  to  the 
Reformatory,  1  died,  and  124  remained  in 
employment  and  regularly  reporting.  Among 
the  indu.stries  carried  on  are  painting  and  glaz- 
ing, masonry  and  plastering,  gardening,  knit- 
ting, chair-caning,  broom-making,  carpentering, 
tailoring  and  blacksmithing.  The  grounds  of  the 
Reformatory  contain  a  vein  of  excellent  coal, 
which  it  is  proposed  to  mine,  utilizing  the  cUij-. 
thus  obtained,  in  the  manufacture  of  brick, 
which  can  be  employed  in  the  construction  of 
additional  needed  buildings.  The  average  num- 
ber of  inmates  is  about  800,  and  the  crimes  for 
which  they  are  sentenced  range,  in  gravity,  from 
simple  a.ssault,  or  petit  larceny,  to  the  most  seri- 
ous ofTenses  knowTi  to  the  criminal  code,  with 
the  exception  of  homicide.  The  number  of 
inmates,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1895,  was 
812.  An  institution  of  a  similar  character,  for 
the  confinement  of  juvenile  female  offenders,  was 
established  under  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
pa.ssed  at  the  ses.sion  of  1893,  and  located  at  Gen- 
eva, Kane  County.  (See  Home  for  Juvenile 
Female  Offenders.) 

RELKilOl  S  DENOMIXATIOXS,  The  State 
constitution  contains  the  familiar  guaranty  of 
absolute  freedom  of  conscience.  The  chief 
denominations  have  grown  in  like  ratio  with  the 


niSTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


U5 


population,  as  may  be  seen  from  figures  given 
below.  Tlie  earliest  Christian  services  lield  were 
conducted  by  Catliolic  missionaries,  who  attested 
the  sincerity  of  their  convictions  (in  many 
instances)  by  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives,  either 
through  violence  or  exposure.  The  aborigines. 
however,  were  not  easily  Christianized;  and, 
shortly  after  the  cession  of  Illinois  by  France  to 
Great  Britain,  the  Catholic  missions,  being  gener- 
ally withdrawn,  ceased  to  exert  much  influence 
upon  the  red  men,  although  the  French,  who 
remained  in  the  ceded  territory,  continued  to 
adhere  to  their  ancient  faith.  (See  Early  Mis- 
sionaries.) One  of  the  first  Protestant  sects  to 
hold  service  in  Illinois,  was  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal ;  Rev.  Joseph  Lillard  coming  to  Illinois  in 
1793,  and  Rev.  Hosea  Riggs  settling  in  the 
American  Bottom  in  1796.  (For  history  of 
Methodism  in  Illinois,  see  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.)  The  pioneer  Protestant  preacher, 
however,  was  a  Baptist — Elder  James  Smith — 
who  came  to  New  Design  in  1787.  Revs.  David 
Badgley  and  Joseph  Chance  followed  him  in 
1796,  and  the  first  denominational  association 
was  formed  in  1807.  ( As  to  inception  and  growth 
of  this  denomination  in  Illinois,  see  also  Bap- 
tists.) In  1814  the  Massachusetts  Missionary 
Society  sent  two  missionaries  to  Illinois — Revs. 
Samuel  J.  Mills  and  Daniel  Smith.  Two  years 
later  (1816),  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  was 
organized  at  Sharon,  by  Rev.  James  McGready, 
of  Kentucky.  (See  also  Presbyterians. )  The 
Congregationalists  began  to  arrive  with  the  tide 
of  immigration  that  set  in  from  the  Eastern 
States,  early  in  the  "30's.  Four  churches  were 
organized  in  1833,  and  the  subsequent  growth  of 
the  denomination  in  the  State,  if  gradual,  has 
been  steady.  (See  Congregationalists.)  About 
the  same  time  came  the  Disciples  of  Christ  (some- 
times called,  from  their  founder,  "Campbellites"). 
They  encouraged  free  discussion,  were  liberal  and 
warm  hearted,  and  did  not  require  belief  in  any 
particular  creed  as  a  condition  of  membership. 
The  sect  grew  rapidly  in  numerical  strength. 
(See  Disciples  of  Christ.)  The  Protestant  Episco- 
palians obtained  their  first  foothold  in  Illinois,  in 
1835,  when  Rev.  Philander  Chase  (afterward  con- 
secrated Bishop)  immigrated  to  the  State  from 
the  East.  (See  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.) 
The  Lutherans  in  Illinois  are  chiefly  of  German 
or  Scandinavian  birth  or  descent,  as  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that,  out  of  sixty-four 
churches  in  Chicago  under  care  of  the  Missouri 
Synod,  only  four  use  the  English  language.  They 
are  the  only  Protestant  .sect  maintaining  (when- 


ever possible)  a  system  of  parochial  schools.  (See 
Lutherans.)  There  are  twenty-six  other  religious 
bodies  in  the  State,  exclusive  of  the  Jews,  who 
have  twelve  synagogues  and  nine  rabbis.  Ac- 
cording to  the  census  statistics  of  1890,  these 
twenty-six  sects,  with  their  numerical  strength, 
number  of  buildings,  ministers,  etc.,  are  as  fol- 
lows: Anti-Mission  Baptists,  2,800  members,  78 
churches  and  63  ministers;  Church  of  God,  1,200 
members,  39  churches,  34  ministers;  Dunkards, 
121,000  members,  155  churches,  83  ministers; 
Friends  ("Quakers")  2,655  members,  25  churches. 
Free  Methodists,  1,805  members,  38  churches.  84 
ministers;  Free-Will  Baptists,  4,694  members.  107- 
churches,  72  ministers;  Evangelical  Association, 
15.904  members,  143  churches,  152  ministers; 
Cumberland  Pre.sbyterians,  11,804  members.  198 
churches,  149  ministers;  Methodist  Epi.scopal 
(South)  3,927  members,  34  churches,  33  minis- 
ters; Moravians,  720  members,  3  chuiches,  3 
ministers;  New  Jerusalem  Church  (Swedenborgi- 
ans),  662  members,  14  cliurches,  8  ministers; 
Primitive  Methodist,  230  members,  2  churches.  2 
ministers;  Protestant  Methodist,  5,000  members. 
91  churches,  106  ministers;  Reformed  Church  in 
United  States,  4,100  members,  34  churches,  19 
ministers;  Reformed  Church  of  America.  2,200 
members,  24  churches,  23  ministers;  Reformed 
Episcopalians,  2,150  members,  13  churches,  11 
ministers;  Reformed  Presbyterians,  1.400  mem- 
bers. 7  churches,  6  ministers;  Salvation  Army, 
1,980  members;  Second  Adventists,  4,500  mem- 
bers, 64  churches,  35  ministers;  Seventh  Day 
Baptists,  320  members,  7  churches,  11  ministers; 
Universalists,  3,160  members,  45  churches,  37 
ministers;  Unitarians,  1,225  members.  19 
churches,  14  ministers;  United  Evangelical, 
30,000  members,  129  churches,  108  ministers; 
United  Brethren,  16,500  members,  275  churches, 
260  ministers;  United  Presbyterians,  11,250  mem- 
bers, 203  churches,  199  ministers;  Wesleyan 
Methodists,  1,100  members,  16  churches.  33  min- 
isters. (See  various  Churches  under  their  proper 
names;  also  Roman  Catliolic  Church.) 

REND,  William  Patrick,  soldier,  capitalist, 
and  coal-operator,  was  born  in  County  Leitrim, 
Ireland,  Feb.  10,  1840,  brought  to  Lowell,  Mass., 
in  boyhood,  and  graduated  from  the  high  school 
there  at  17;  taught  for  a  time  near  New  York 
City  and  later  in  Maryland,  where  he  be.gan  a 
course  of  classical  study.  The  Civil  War  coming 
on,  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  New 
York  Volunteers,  serving  most  of  the  time  as  a 
non-commi.ssioned  officer,  and  participating  in  the 
battles  of  the  second    Bull  Run.   Malvern  HiU, 


446 


IIISTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


Antietaiii,  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville. 
After  the  war  lie  came  to  (Hiicago  and  secured 
employment  in  a  railway  surveyor's  ofBce,  later 
acting  as  foreman  of  the  Northwestern  freight 
depot,  and  finally  embarking  in  the  coal  business, 
which  was  conducted  with  such  success  that  he 
became  the  owner  of  some  of  the  most  valuable 
mining  properties  in  the  country.  Meanwhile 
he  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
miners  and  other  classes  of    laborers,   and    has 


sought  to  promote  arbitration  and  conciliation 
between  employers  and  emplojed,  as  a  means  of 
averting  disjistrous  strikes.  He  was  especially 
active  during  the  long  strike  of  1S97,  in  efforts  to 
bring  about  an  understanding  between  the 
miners  and  the  operators.  For  several  years 
he  held  a  commission  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
the  Illinois  National  C5uard  until  compelled,  by 
the  demands  of  his  private  business,  to  tender 
his  resignation. 


REPRESENTATIVES   IN   CONGRESS. 


Tile  following  table  presents  the  names,  rcsiileme,  Disiiicts  rc'preMMited,  polities  (except  as  to  earlier  ones),  and  lenetli  of 
term  or  terms  of  servici'of  Illinois  I{epre>fntali\es  iii  lli'-  lower  House  of  Congress,  from  the  orK.'iiii/atlon  of  Illinois 
as  a  Territory  <lo\vn  to  the  present  time.     I).  Iieiiiiiir:il,  W,  Wliit;  K,  l{e|iubllean;  G-H,  (ireenli.ick;  I",  I'opniisti. 


Name. 


Shadrach  Bond iKaakaskIa 

Benjamin  Stephenson E^lwardsvUle 

Nullmitifl  I'lipe Kaskaskla 

Juliri  MrI.ean SliawiieetoWD 

Daniel  i'.  Cuok Kajikaskia 

Josepli  Duncan JackaonA  Morgan  Cos 

Josepti  Duncan |Jack.sonville 

VVillmui  1..  Mav.D SprlngliPld.. 

Charlea  Hlude | Belleville.. 

Joliu  Keynulds,  D Belleville  .. 

John  Keynukls.  D Belleville... 

Zadoc  CiLsey,  D Ml.  Vernon 

Adnni  W.  Snvder.  D I  Belleville 

John  r .  SI  uart,  W | Sprluglleld 

Joliri  T.  St  nan,  O.  P. SprlnBlield 

Robert  Smith.  D l.Vlton 

Jolin  A.  .McC'lernantl,  1)  .. .  Shawni^'town 

John  A.  .MeClernand,  D  ..  .'SprlOKlleld 

Orlando  B.  KleKlin,  J> |C'harlestun 

Orlando  H.  Flcklln,  1) [Charleston 

Joim  Wenlwurth.  D Chicago 

John  Went  worth,  D ChlcaKO 

John  Wentworth.R Chicago. 

Stephen  A.  l)ongla.s,  D Quincy 

Wiiliiiin  A.  Kieliard.son,  D.    Uu.shville  and  Quincy 

William  A.  Uiciiardsoii,D.    Quincy 

Joseph  1*.  lloh'«-,  D... '(iaiena 

JuliitJ.  Hardin,  W Jacksonville 

Edward  I) .  Baker,  W |.Sprl ngfleld 

Edw  ar.l  I).  Baker,  W ,Gale;.a 

John   Henry,  W 'Jacksonville 

Tlii.ma.1  J.  'runier.D iFreeport 

.\ljraliain  Lmcoln.  W Spririglield 

Wilham  H.  Uisieli,  D Belleville 

William  II.Bis.sell,D I  Belleville. 

TImotliv  H.  VouiiK.  D -Marshall 


Petenihurg  .. 
Petersburg.. 

Marion 

Marion 

Belvidere 

Galena.. 


Thomas  I..  IlarrLs,  I>. . 

Thomas  I..  Harris,  D 

Willis  .Mien.D 

Willis  .\llen.D 

Richard  S.  Maloney,  I). . 
Thompson  Campbell,  D. 

Riciijird  Vales,  \V :  Jacksonville  . 

Richard  'S'ates.  W Jack.soiivitle  . 

K.  B.  Wasbburne,  R .ualeua 

E.B.  WiLshburne,  R Galena 

Jesse  O.  Norton,  R, Joliet 

Jesse  O.  Norton,  R 'Joliet 

James  Kuo.x.  R Kno.wille 

James  C.  Allen, D Palestine.   ... 

James  C.  Allen.  D Palestine 

James  II.  Woodworth,  R. .  Chicago 

Jacob  C.  Davis,  V Quincy 

Lymnii  Trumbull,  B Belleville 

J.  L.  I).  Morrison.  U Belleville., 


Terrltor}- 
Territory 
Territory. 

swte 

State 

Slate 

Third 

,  Third 

'First 

First 

iFirst 

[Second 

IPlrst 

Toird 

Eighth.... 

First 

Second  ... 

SUIU 

Third 

Third  

Fourth... 

Second 

First 

Fifth 

Fifth 

Si.\lh 

Sixth 

Seventh  .. 
Seventh . . 

Sixth 

Seventh . . 

Sixth 

Seventh... 

First 

jElghth.... 
Third.   ... 
Seventh .. 
Sixth.... 
Second — 

Ninth 

Fourth.... 

Sixth 

ISeventh... 

Sixth 

First 

Third 


1818-19.... 
1811)-27.... 

l»^-33 

i»:i.?-:h 

isjl-ra.... 

lttB-34 

[18H-37.... 
1 11(39.43  . . . . 
ill>3J-13.... 
1 1837-39.... 


1851-Kl.. 
IIH3-5I  . 


McLeansborO.. 
..  'McLeanslKiro . 
..  McLeansborO.. 
. .  Chicago 

.|St.  Charles  — 


Samuels.  Marshall, D. 
Samuel  s.  Marshall. I>. 
Samuels.  .Marshall. D. 
John  K.  Fariiswortli.  R 
Joim  F.  l-'ariisworth.R 

Owen  Lovejoy.R   [Princeton 

Owen  Lovejoy.  R |  Princeton 

William  Kellogg,  R Canton 

Isaac  N.  Morris, D.... iQnincv 

Charles  D.  llodges.  D    ....    Carroilton 

Aaron  Shaw,  D   [  Lawrenceville. . 


Third 

Sixth 

Fourth 

Seventh 

State-at-large . 

Second 

Fifth 

Kighth 

Eighth 

Ninth 

Eleventh 

Nineteenth.... 

Second 

Second 

Third 

Fifth 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Sixth 

Seventh  


1.S13-47.. 
1S17-M.. 
lSi;i43.. 
11^3-4.5., 
1!v1:M5.. 


Made  Itec'r  of  Pub.  Moneys. 
Made  Rec'r  of  Pub.  Moneys. 


Elected  n.  H.  Senator,  1824  and  I'D. 


p;iecteO  Goveruor:  resigned. 

To  succeed  Duncan. 

Died:  term  completed  by  Reynolds. 

One  and  one-half  terms. 


Refligned,Dec.,'61 ;  succeeded  by  A.  L.  Knapp. 


El'd  U.8.  Sen..Apr..'47;suc.byW.A.RIchard30ii 
ResM,Aug.,'SO;  term  hlted  by  Jacob  C  Davis. 


IS45-.1C Resigned,  Dec.,  Mti;  succeeded  by  John  Henry. 

1S49-51 

Feb.  to  Mar..  1847.'Served  Baker's  unexpired  term. 
ltH7-49 

ISI7-49 

1SH9-S3 


IM9-51.. 
1853-58.. 
1851-53.. 
1853-55.. 
18ot-S3.. 


18.53-55.. 
1853.«3.. 

18(i3-69.. 

1853-57.. 
I8fi3-(i5.. 
IS33.57.. 
1853-57.. 
I8(>3-«5.. 
1855-57.. 
1856-57.. 

1855 

1855-57 


1856-59.. 
lS«5-73. . 


Died.  Nav.24,  '58;  sue.  by  Chas.  D.  Hodges. 


Reslgud.  March  9,  *ti9  to  accept  French  mis- 
sion; term  tilled  by  H.  C.  Burchard. 


To  lill  unexpired  term  of  Richardson. 
Chosen  V.  S.  Senator;  resigned. 
Filled  Trumbull's  unexpired  term. 


1857-63 

186.T-65 IDled,  Mar.."W;  term  filled  by  E.C.lDgersoU. 


1S57-61 

Jan.  to  Mar.. 
1857-59 


Filled  unexpired  term  of  Thoe.  L.  Harris. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


447 


Aaron  Shaw.  D 

James  C.  Robinson,  D. 
James  C.  Robinson.  D. 
James  C.  Robinson,  D. 
James  C.  Robinson,  I). 
Philip  B.  Pouke.  D.. 
John  A.  Logan,  K 

John  A.  Logan,  D 


LawrenceviUe . 

Marshall 

Marshall 

Springfield 

Springfield 

Belleville 

Benton 

CarboDdale 


Isaac  X.  .\rnold,  R 

Isaac  N.  Arnold,  R 

William  J.  Allen,  D 

William  J.  Allen.  D 

A.  L.  Kiiapp,  I> 

A.  L.  Knapp.  D 

Charles  M.  Harris,  R 

Kbon  U.  iMgersoU,  R 

John  R.  Eden,  D 

John  R.  Eden.  V 

John  R.  Eden,  D 

Lewis  W.  Ros.*i.  D 

William  R.  Morrison.  D... 
William  R.  Morrison,  D  .. 
William  R.  Morrison,  D... 

S.  W.  Moulton,  R 

S.W.  Moulton,  D 

a.  W.  Moulton,  D 

Abner  C.  Harding,  R 

Burton  C  Cook,  R 

H.  P.  H.  Bromwell.R 

Shelby  M.  Cullom,  R 

Anthony  Thornton,  D 

Jehu  Baker,  R 

Jehu  Baker,  R 

Jehu  Baker,  P 

A.  J.  Kuykendall,  R 

Norman  B.  Judd,    R 

Albert  O.  Burr,  D 

Green  B.  Rauin,  R 

Horatio  C.  Burcliard,  R... 
Horalio  C.  Burchard,  E... 

John  B.  Hawley,  R 

John  B,  Hawley,  R 

Je^se  H.  Moore,  R 

Thomas  \V.  McNeeley,   D. 

John  B.  Hay,  R 

John  M.  Crebs,    D 

John  L.  Beveridge,  R 

Charles  B.  Fanvell.   R 

Charles  B.  Farwell,  R 

Charles  B.  Farwell,  R Chicago 

Brad.  N.  Stevens,  R Princeton.. 

Henry  Siiapp,  R Ijoliet 

~*         ""   "        ~  'Hillsboro. 

Chicago  ... 

Chicago  — 

Chicago  ... 

Belvidere  . 

Peru 

Lacon 

Canton  — 

Rushville . 


RliSIDENCE. 


Chicago 

Chicago 

Marion 

Marion 

Jerseyville... 
Jersey  viUe . . 

Oquawka 

Peoria 

Sullivan 

Sullivan 

Sullivan 

Lewistown... 

Waterloo 

Waterloo — 
VV'aierloo  — 
Shelby  ville... 
Shelbyville... 
Shelby  ville  .. 
Monmouth... 

Ottawa 

Charleston  .. 
Springfield... 
Shelbyville.. 
Belleville.... 
Belleville.... 
Belleville  ... 

Vienna 

Chicago .... 
CarroUton... 
Metropolis ... 
Freeport  — 
Freeport  — 
Rock  Island. 
Rock  Island 

Decatur 

Petersburg.. 

Belleville 

Carmi 

Evaiiston  ... 

Chicago 

Chicago  ...    . 


Sixteenth.. 
Seventh ... 
Eleventh.. 
Eighth  .... 
Twelfth... 
Eighth.... 
Ninth 


Edward  Y.  Rice.  D... 

John  B.  Rice.R 

B.  a.  CaulHeld.  D 

Jasper  D.  Ward,  R 

Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  R. 
Franklin  Corwin,  R — 
Greenbury  L.  Fort.  R... 
Granville  Barriere,  R  .. 

William  H.  Rav.   R 

Robert  .M.  Knapp,  D | Jerseyville. 

Robert  M.  Knapp,  D Jerseyville 

John  McNulta,R Blooniington 

Joseph  G.  Cannon,  R  Tuscolaand  Uanville. 

Joseph  G.  Cannon,  R |  Danville 

Joseph  G.  Cannon,  R i  Danville 

Joseph  G.  Cannon,  R Danville 

James  S.  Martin,  R |Salem 

Isaac  Clements.  R jCarbondale  

Carter  H.  Harrison,  D Chicago 

John  V.  Le  .Movne.   D Chicago 

T.J.  Henderson.  R  Princeton  AGeneaeo. 

T.J.  Henderson,  R  ...      ...'Princeton 

Alexander  Canipbel  1,  G.B. .  I  La  Salle. 
Richard  H.  Whiting,  R.... 

John  C.  Bagbv,  D 

Scott  Wike,  D 

Scott  Wike,  D 

William  M.  Springer,  D.  . 
William  .M.  Springer,  D. 
Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  D. 


Peoria 

Rushville 

Pittsfleld 

Pittsfleld 

Springfield  — 

Springfield 

Bloomington. 


.\dlai  E.  Stevenson,  D I  Bloomington .. . 

William  A  J-  Sparks.  D...  Carlyle 

William  Hartzell.D  ..      ..  Chester 

William  B.  Anderson.  D   ..  Mt.  Vernon 

William  Aldrlch.  B Chicago 

Carter  H    Harrison.  D  ....  Chicago 

Lorenz  Brentano.  R Chicago 

Wilham  I.athrop.  R iBockford 

PhilipC    Hnvps.  R IMorris 

Thomas  A   Bovd.  R Lewiston 

Benjamin  F   Marsh.  R    ..  'Warsaw 


State-at-large. 

Second  

First 

Ninth  

Thirteenth 

Fifth 

Tenth 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Seventh 

Fifteenth 

Seventeenth... 

Ninth 

Twelfth 

Seventeenth... 
Eighteenth — 
State-at-large. 

Fifteenth 

Seventeenth.. 

Fourth 

Sixth 

Seventh  

Eighth 

Tenth 

Twelfth 

Eighteenth.... 
Twenty-first . 
Thirleentii  — 

First 

Tenth 

Thirteenth 

Third 

Fifth 

Fourth 

Sixth 

Seventh 

Ninth 

Twelfth 

Thirteenth... 
State-at-large 

First 

Third 

Third 

Fifth 

Sixth 

Tenth 

First 

First 

Second  

Fourth 

Seventh 

Eighth 

Ninth 

Tenth 

Eleventh 

Eleventh 

Thirteenth... 
Fourteenth ... 

Fifteenth 

Flf.eenth 

Twelfth 

Sixteenth 

Eighteenth ... 

Second 

Third 

Sixth 

Seventh 

Seventh  

Ninth 

Tenth 

Eleventh  

Twel  f  th 

Twelfth 

Thirteenth.  .. 
Thirteenth.... 
Thirteenth... 

Sixteenth 

Eighteenth... 
Nineteenth.. . 

First 

Second  

Third 

Fourth 

Seventh 

Ninth  

Tenth 


1S83.8S.. 
1859-63... 
ISti3-6o. . 
1871-73.. 
1873-75., 
1859-63.. 
1859-62.. 

IS69-T1.. 
1861-63.. 
1863-65.. 
1862-63. . 
1863-65.. 
1861-63. . 
1863-65.. 
1863-65.. 
1864-71.. 
1863-65.. 
1873-79.. 
1885-87.. 
1863-69... 
1863-65... 
1873-83. . 
1883-87.. 
1S65-67.. 
1881-83.. 
1883-85.. 
1865-69.. 
1865-71.. 
18C5-69.. 
1805-71.. 
1865-67.. 
1865-69.. 
1887-89.. 
1897-99.. 
1865-67.. 
1867-71.. 
1867-71., 
1867-69... 
1869-73.. 
1873-79.. 
1869-73.. 
1873-75.. 
1869-73. 
1869-73. 
1869-73. 
1869-73. 
1871-73.. 
1871-73.. 
1873-70.. 
1881-83.. 
1871-73. 
1871-73. 
1871  73. 
187.3-74. 
1874-77.. 
1873-75.. 
1873-77.. 
1873-75.. 
1873-81.. 
1873-75.. 
1873-75.. 
1873-75.. 

i.sr 


1873-75... 
1873-83... 
1883-91  . 
1893-95.. . 

1895 

1873-75... 
1873-75... 
1875-79.. 
1876-77.. 
1875-83.. 
1883-95.. 
1876-77.. 
1875-77... 
7... 
1875-77... 
1889-93.. 
1875-83.. 
1883-95.. 
1875-77. 
1.879-81.. 
1875-83.. 
1875-79., 
187.5-77.. 
1877-83.. 
1,S7: 


1877-79.. 
1877-79.. 
1877-81 . 
1877-81 . 
1877-83.. 


Res'd,  Apr.  '62;  term  filled  by  W.  J.  Allen. 
Chosen  IT.  S.  Senator, 1871;  resigned:  term 
filled  by  John  L,  Beveridge. 


Served  Logan's  unexpired  term. 
Served  McClernand's  unexpired  term. 


1864-'65  filled  Lovejoy's  unexpired  term . 


Re-elected,  '70  but  res'd  before  beg'ng  of  term. 


Filled  unexpired  term  of  Washburne. 


Served  unexpired  term  of  Logan. 

May, '76,  seat  awartled  to  J.  V.  Le  Moyne. 


Filled  unexpired  term  of  B.  C.  Cook. 


Died  Dec,  '74;    succeeded  by  B.  G.  Caulfield. 
From  1874-75  served  out  Rice's  term. 


Awarded  seat,  vice  Farwell. 


44S 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Warsaw 

Warsaw 

Uluunitiigtuii 

Shawneetown 

Chicago 

Chicago 

Chicago 

Geneva  and  Elgin.. 

Mt.  Carroll 

Quincy 

Isabel 

Metropolis 

Metropolis  ...  -  .. . . 

Ottawa 

Ottawa 

i'ontiac 

Pontlac 

KiioxviUe 

Pekin  

Chicago 

Chicago 

Chicago 

Sycamore 

Mt.  Morris 

Mt.  Morria 

Peoria 

Macomb 

Winchester 

Illoomlngton 

Chicago 

Chicago 

Aurora 

Aurora 

Streator 

Mt.  Carmel 

Chicago 

Galesbnrg 

liock  Island 

Quincy 

Hillsboro 

Chicago 

Joliet 

Newton 

XashviUe 

Curuii    

Carml 

M  urphyaboro 

Murpbysboro 

Chicago 

Chicago 

Chicago 


Benjamin  F.  Marsli,  It... 
Benjamin  F.  Marsh.  R... 

Tiioiiiiis  F.  Tipton,  R 

K.  W.  Towiishenii.  V 

tioorge  K.  Davis.  R 

George  U.  I>avis.  It 

Jliraul  Barber,  K 

Julin  c.sherwin,  R 

li.  M.  .V.  JIawk.R 

James  \V^.Singiet<ni.  D 

A.  P.  Forsvthe.G.  B 

.TohnR.  Tliomas,  R 

Jolin  R.  Tliomas.  R 

William  CuUen.R 

William  Cullen.K 

Lewis  K.  Payson,  R 

Lewis  E.  Pavsoii.  R 

JohnH.  Lewis.  R 

Dietrich  C.  Smith.  R 

R.  W.  Dunham.  R 

JohnF.  Finerty.  R 

(JeorgeE.  Adams.  R 

R.'Uben  Ellwood.  R 

llobertR.  llilt.R 

Rol)ertR.  Hitt.R 

N.  E.  Worthington,  D 

William  11.  Xeece,  D 

.Tames  Hf.  Ri^gs,  D 

Jonalhan  H.  Rowell,  R... 

Frank  Lawier,  D 

James  H.  Ward.  D 

Al  lert  J.  Hopkins.  R 

Albert  J.  HopkhlH.  R 

Ralph  Plumb,  R 

Si  i  as  G.  Latuhs,  D 

William  K.  JMason,  R. 

PliilipSidnev  Post.  R 

William  H.Gi'sl,  R 

George  A.  A  nderson,  D 

FMward  Lane,  D 

Aliner Taylor,  R 

Charles  A.  Hill.  R 

(Jeo.  W.  Fitliian.  D 

Williams.  Fiirman,  D 

James  R.  Williams.  D 

James  R.  Williams.  D 

George  W.  Smith.  R 

George  W.  Smith.  R 

Lawrence  E.  McGaim.  I>.  . 
Allan  C.  Durborow.  Jr..  D 
Walter C.  Newberry,  D... 

L»*wisSteward.  liid  Plano^ .. 

Herman  W.  Snow,  R Sheldon 

Benjamin  T.  Cable.  D Rock  Island. 

Owen  Scott.  D Bloomlngton. 

Samuel  T.  Busev,  D I'rbana 

J  ihnC.  Black.  D Chicago 

Andrew  J.  Hunter.  D Paris 

AndrewJ.  Hunter,  i) Paris 

J.  Frank  -Aldrich,  R Chicago 

.IwliusGoidzier.  D Chicago 

Robert  A.  Chil.ls.  R Hinsdale 

Hamilton  K.  Wheeler.  R...  Kankakee.... 

John  J.  McDannold,  1» Mt.  Sterling 

Benjamin  F.  Funk.  R Bloomlngton 

William  Lorimer,  R Chicago  , 

Hush  R.  Belknap.  R Ichlcago 

diaries  W.  Woodman,  R..!chlcago 

Ge<j.  E.  W bile.  R Ichlcago 

Kdward  D.  Cooke.  R Chicago 

Gc<irge  R  Foss,  R Chicago 

George  W.  Prince,  R iGaiesburg Tenth, 

Walter  Reeves,  R 'streator Seventh... 

Vespasian  Warner.  R cllntou Thirteenth 

J   V.Graer.R Pekin Fourteenth.... 

Finis  E.  Downing.  D i  Virginia Sixteenth 

Jame-s  A.  Connolly,  R Springfield Seventeenth... 

Frederick  Remann.  R IVandalla .Elgliteeiitll .... 

Wm.  F.  L.  Hadley.R EdwardsvlUe Eighteenth 

Benson  Wood,  R Eflnngham iXmetet'nth.  ... 

Orlando  Burrell.  R t^rnii jTwenlieth 

Everett  J.  M«ri)liy,  R.. 

James  R.  Mann,  li 

Daniel  W.  Mills,  R. 


Eleventh  

Fifteenth 

Thirteenth.... 

Nineteenlh 

Second  

Third 

Third 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Eleventh 

Fifteenth 

Eighteenth.,., 

Twentieth 

Seventh 

Eighth  

Eighth 

Ninth 

Ninth 

Thirteenth.... 

First 

Second 

Fourth  

Fifth 

Sixth  

Ninth 

Tenth  

Eleventh  

Twelfth 

Fourteenth — 

Second 

Third 

Fifth 

Eighth 

Eighth 

Sixteenth 

Third 

Tenth 

Eleventh 

Twelfth 

Seventeenth... 

First 

Eighth 

Sixteenth 

Eighteenth... 
Eighteenth... 
Nineteenth  — 

Twentieth 

Twenty-sec' nd 

Second 

Third 

Fourth 

Eighth 

Ninth 

Eleventh 

Fourteenth  — 

Fifteenth 

State-al-large. 
State-al-large. 
Nineteenth — 

First 

Fourth 

Eighth 

Ninth  

Twelfth 

Fourteenth 

Second 

Third 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Sixth 

Seventh  


1877-7».. 

1877-S9.. 


18711-81.. 
18711-8:1.. 
1879-8-J.. 
\S7»  s:i. 
187S)  81 . 
1 871)  83. , 


Died,  '82;  succeeded  by  R.  R.  Hitt. 


ls«:i-89.. 
1881  !a.. 

188.1  85., 
l&Sl  83.. 
1883  91.. 
1881-83... 
I8SI.S3... 
1883-89., 

1883-85 

1883-91 1  

1882-85 '   

1882-9S 'Succeeded  R.  M.  A.  Hawk,  deceased, 

1895— ' 

18S,'Wi7 

t8S3-«7 

1S8.T-8- 

1883-91,. 
1885-91.. 
1885-87.. 
IS85-S5.. 
1895—.. 
1885-89., 
1885-89.. 
1887-91.. 
1887-95.. 
18S7-91.. 
1887-89. . 
1887-95.. 
1889-93.. 
1889-91.. 
1889-95.. 
1889-95.. 
1889-95.. 
1899—.. 
1889-95.. 
1S95-.. 
1891-95.. 
1891-95.. 
1891-93.. 
1891-93.. 
Is9t-9:i.. 
It9l-93.. 
1891-93.. 
1891-93.. 
lt93-95.. 
189.1-95.. 
1897-99.. 
1893-97.. 


Died,  Jan.  6, 1895. 


East  St.  Louis JTwenty-firsi .. 

Chicago ' First 

Chicago Second 


Thomas  M.  Jett,  D Hillslwro Eighteenth... 


James  R.  Campbell.  1>. . 


.VIcLeansboro Twentieth .. 


iThird. 


George  P.  Foster.  R Chicago. 

Thomas  Cusack,  D Chicago Fourth  . 

Edgar  T.  Noonan,  1> Chicago Fifth 

Henry  S  njutell.  R Chicago iSixth 

W,  E,  Williams.  D Pittsfield Sixteenth 

B.  F.  Caldwell, D Chatham Scventeenih. 

Joseph  B.  Crowley.  D Robinson I  Nineteenth  ,. 

W,  A.  Rodeuberg,  R East  St.  Louis iTwenty  tir^^t. 


1895-99.. 
lS«5-98., 
1895—.. 


1895- 
1895—.. 


Awarded  seat  afternon.  With  Jm  B.  McOann. 


Died,  June  4,  '98;  sued,  by  Henry  S.  Boutell. 


1895-97 

1S95-99 

1895— Dled,Julyl4,  "95;  suc'd.  by  W.  F.  L.  Hadley. 

1r95— 'Elected  to  fill  vacancy. 

1S94-97 

1895-97 

1895-97 

1897— 

1897— 

1897— 


1899-.. 
1899-.. 
18a9— .. 


1899—. 
1899—.. 


Succeeded  E.  D.  Cooke,  deceased. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


449 


REYNOLDS,  John,  Justice  of  Supreme  Court 
and  fourtli  (iovernor  of  Illinois,  was  born  of  Irish 
ancestry,  in  Montgomery  County,  Pa.,  Feb.  26, 
1789,  and  brought  by  his  parents  to  Kaskaskia, 
111.,  in  1800,  spending  the  fir.st  nine  years  of  his 
life  in  Illinois  on  a  farm.  After  receiving  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  a  two  years"  course  of 
study  in  a  college  at  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  he  studied 
law  and  began  practice.  In  1813-13  be  served  as 
a  scout  in  the  campaigns  against  the  Indians, 
winning  for  himself  the  title,  in  after  life,  of  "The 
Old  Ranger."  Afterwards  he  removed  to 
Cahokia,  where  he  began  the  practice  of 
law,  and,  in  1818,  became  Associate  Justice  of  the 
first  Supreme  Court  of  the  new  State.  Retiring 
from  the  bench  in  182,'5.  he  served  two  terms  in 
the  Legislature,  and  was  elected  Governor  in 
1830,  in  1833  personally  commanding  the  State 
volunteers  called  for  service  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War.  Two  weeks  before  the  expiration  of  his 
term  (1834),  he  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  in  Con- 
gress, to  which  he  had  been  elected  as  the  suc- 
cessor of  Charles  Slade,  who  had  died  in  offic'e, 
and  was  again  elected  in  1838,  always  as  a  Demo- 
crat. He  also  served  as  Representative  in  the 
Fifteenth  General  Assembly,  and  again  in  the 
Eighteenth  (1852-54),  being  chosen  Speaker  of  the 
latter.  In  18.58  he  was  the  administration  (or 
Buchanan)  Democratic  candidate  for  State  Su- 
perintendent of  Public  Instruction,  as  opposed  to 
the  Republican  and  regular  (or  Douglas)  Demo- 
cratic candidates.  For  some  years  he  edited  a 
daily  paper  called  "The  Eagle,"  which  was  pub- 
lished at  Belleville.  While  Governor  Reynolds 
acquired  some  reputation  as  a  "classical  scholar," 
from  the  time  spent  in  a  Tennessee  College  at 
that  early  day,  this  was  not  sustained  by  either 
his  colloquial  or  written  style.  He  was  an 
ardent  champion  of  slavery,  and,  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Rebellion,  gained  unfavorable  notori- 
ety in  consequence  of  a  letter  written  to  Jefferson 
Davis  expressing  sympathy  with  the  cause  of 
"secession."  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  intense 
prejudice  and  bitter  partisanship  on  some  ques- 
tions, he  possessed  many  amiable  qualities,  as 
shown  by  his  devotion  to  temperance,  and  his 
popularity  among  persons  of  opposite  political 
opinions.  Although  at  times  crude  in  style,  and 
not  always  reliable  in  his  statement  of  historical 
facts  and  events,  Governor  Reynolds  has  rendered 
a  valuable  service  to  posterity  by  his  writings 
relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  State,/ espe- 
cially those  connected  with  his  own  times.  His 
best  known  works  are:  "Pioneer  History  of  Illi- 
nois" (Belleville,  1848);  "A  Glance  at  the  Crystal 


Palace,  and  Sketches  of  Travel"  (1854);  and  "My 
Life  and  Times"  (1855).  His  death  occurred  at 
Belleville,  May  8,  1865. 

REYNOLDS,  John  Parker,  Secretary  and 
President  of  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  was  born 
at  Lebanon.  Ohio,  March  1,  1820,  and  graduated 
from  the  Miami  University  at  the  age  of  18.  In 
1840  he  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  Law 
School,  and  soon  afterward  began  practice.  He 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1854,  settling  first  in  Win- 
nebago County,  later,  successively  in  Marion 
County,  in  Springfield  and  in  Chicago.  From 
1860  to  1870  he  was  Secretary  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society,  and.  upon  the  creation  of  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture  in  1871,  was  elected 
its  President,  filling  that  position  until  1888, 
when  he  resigned.  He  has  also  occupied  numer- 
ous other  posts  of  honor  and  of  trust  of  a  public 
or  semi-public  character,  having  been  President 
of  the  Illinois  State  Sanitary  Commission  during 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  a  Commissioner  to  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1867,  Chief  Grain  In.spector 
from  1878  to  1882.  and  Secretary  of  the  Inter- 
State  Industrial  Exposition  Company  of  Chicago, 
from  the  date  of  its  organization  (1873)  until  its 
final  dissolution.  His  most  important  public 
service,  in  recent  years,  was  rendered  as  Director- 
in-Chief  of  the  Illinois  exhibit  in  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  of  1893. 

REYNOLDS,  Joseph  Smith,  soldier  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  at  New  Lenox,  111.,  Dec.  3,  1839; 
at  17  years  of  age  went  to  Chicago,  was  educated 
in  the  high  school  there,  within  a  month  after 
graduation  enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  Sixty- 
fourth  Illinois  Volunteers.  From  the  ranks  he 
rose  to  a  colonelcy  through  the  gradations  of 
Second-Lieutenant  and  Captain,  and,  in  July, 
1865,  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General.  He  was 
a  gallant  soldier,  and  was  thrice  wounded.  On 
his  return  home  after  nearly  four  years'  service, 
he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Chicago 
University,  graduating  therefrom  and  beginning 
practice  in  1866.  General  Reynolds  has  been 
prominent  in  public  life,  having  .served  as  a 
member  of  both  branches  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, and  having  been  a  State  Commissioner  to  the 
Vienna  Exposition  of  1873.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  G.  A.  R.,  and,  in  1875,  was  elected  Senior 
Vice-Commander  of  the  order  for  the  United 
States. 

REYNOLDS,  William  Morton,  clergyman,  was 
born  in  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  March  4,  1813;  after 
graduating  at  Jefferson  College,  Pa.,  in  1833,  was 
connected  with  various  institutions  in  that  State, 
as  well  as   President  of   Capital    University  at 


450 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Columbus,  Ohio, ;  then,  coming  to  Illinois,  was 
President  of  the  Illinois  State  University  at 
Springfield,  1857-60,  after  which  he  became  Prin- 
cipal of  a  female  seminarj-  in  Chicago.  Previ- 
ously a  Ijutheran,  he  took  orders  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  1804,  and  served  several 
parishes  until  his  death.  In  his  early  life  he 
founded,  and,  for  a  time,  conducted  several  reli- 
gious publications  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  besides 
issuing  a  number  of  printed  addresses  and  other 
published  works.  Died  at  Oak  Park,  near  Chi- 
cago, Sept.  5,  1876. 

RH().\1)S,  (Col.)  Franklin  Lawrence,  soldier 
and  steamboat  captain,  was  born  in  llarrisburg. 
Pa.,  Oct.  11,  1824;  brought  to  Pekin,  Tazesvell 
County,  111.,  in  1836,  where  he  learned  the  print- 
er's trade,  and,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Mexican  War,  enlisted,  serving  to  the  close. 
Returning  home  he  engaged  in  the  river  trade, 
and,  for  fifteen  years,  commanded  steamboats  on 
the  Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Oliio  Rivers.  In 
April,  1861.  he  was  commissioned  Captain  of  a 
comjiany  of  three  montlis'  men  attached  to  the 
Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and,  on  the 
reorganization  of  the  regiment  for  the  three- 
years'  service,  was  commissioned  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  soon  after  l)eing  promoted  to  the  colo- 
nelcy, as  successor  to  Col.  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  who 
had  been  promoted  Brigadier-General.  After 
serving  through  the  spring  campaign  of  1862  in 
Western  Kentucky  and  Tenne.*«ee.  he  was  com- 
pelled by  rapidly  declining  health  to  resign,  when 
he  located  in  Shawneetown,  retiring  in  1874  to 
his  farm  near  that  city.  During  the  latter  years 
of  his  life  he  was  a  conlirnied  invalid,  dying  at 
Shawnoi'town.  Jan.  6.  1>170. 

KHO.\])S,  Joshua,  .M.I).,  .\..M.,  physician  and 
educator,  was  born  in  Philadelphia.  Sept.  14, 
1806;  studied  medicine  and  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  with  the  degree  of 
M.D.,  also  receiving  the  degree  of  A.M.,  from 
Princeton ;  after  several  years  spent  in  practice 
as  a  physician,  and  as  Principal  in  some  of  the 
public  schools  of  Philadelphia,  in  1839  he  was 
elected  Principal  of  the  Pennsylvania  Institution 
for  the  Blind,  and,  in  18.50,  took  charge  of  the 
State  Institution  for  the  Blind  at  Jacksonville, 
111.,  then  in  its  infancy.  Here  he  remained  until 
1874.  when  he  retired.     Died,  February   1,    1876. 

RICE,  Edward  Y.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  born  in 
Logan  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  8,  1820.  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  at  Slmrtleflf  College, 
after  which  he  read  law  with  John  M.  Palmer  at 
Carlinville,  and  was  admitted  to  practice,  in  184.1, 
at  Hillsboro;  in  1847  was  elected  County  Recorder 


of  Montgomerj-  County,  and,  in  1848,  to  the  Six- 
teenth General  Assembly,  serving  one  term. 
Later  he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Montgom- 
ery County,  was  Master  in  Chancery  from  1853  to 
18.57,  and  the  latter  year  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Eighteenth  Circuit,  being  reelected  in  1861  and 
again  in  1867.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70,  and,  at  the 
election  of  the  latter  year,  was  chosen  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Forty-second  Congress  as  a 
Democrat.     Died,  April  16,  1883. 

RICE,  John  B.,  theatrical  manager.  Mayor  of 
Chicago,  and  Congressman,  was  born  at  Easton, 
Md.,  in  1809.  By  profession  he  was  an  actor, 
and,  coming  to  Cliicago  in  1847,  built  and  opened 
there  the  first  theater.  In  1857  he  retired  from 
the  stage,  and,  in  1805,  was  elected  Mtiyor  of 
Chicago,  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and  re-elected 
in  1807.  He  was  also  prominent  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  measures  taken  to 
raise  troojis  in  Chicago.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
to  the  Forty-third  Congress  as  a  Republican,  but, 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  died,  at  Nor- 
folk, Va.,  on  Dec.  6,  1874.  At  a  s|)ecial  election 
to  fill  the  vacancy,  Bernard  G.  Caulfield  was 
cho.sen  to  succeed  him. 

RICH.VRDSOX,  William  A.,  lawyer  and  poli- 
tician, born  in  Fayette  County,  Ky. ,  Oct.  11, 
1811,  wiis  educated  at  Transj'lvania  University, 
came  to  the  bar  at  19,  and  settled  in  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  becoming  State's  Attorney  in  1835; 
was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature 
in  1836,  to  the  Senate  in  1838,  and  to  the  House 
again  in  1844,  from  Adams  County — the  latter 
year  being  also  chosen  Presidential  Elector  on 
the  Polk  and  Dallas  ticket,  and,  at  the  succeeding 
session  of  the  General  .\ssembl}-,  serving  as 
Speaker  of  the  House.  He  entered  the  Blexican 
War  as  Captain,  and  won  a  Majority  through 
gallantry  at  Buena  Vista.  From  1847  to  1856 
(when  he  resigned  to  become  a  candidate  for 
Governor),  he  was  a  Democratic  Representative 
in  Congre-ss  from  the  Quincy  District;  re-entered 
Congress  in  1861,  and,  in  1863,  was  chosen 
L^nited  States  Senator  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
of  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  of  1868,  but 
after  that  retired  to  private  life,  acting,  for  a 
short  time,  as  editor  of  '"The  Quincy  Herald." 
Died,  at  Quincy.  Dec.  27,  1875. 

RICHLAND  "corXTY,  situated  in  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  State,  and  has  an  area  of  361 
stjuare  miles.  It  was  organized  from  Edwards 
County  in  1841.  Among  the  early  pioneers  may 
be    mentioned    the    Evans    brothers.    Thaddeus 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


451 


Morehouse,  Hugh  Calhoun  and  son,  Thomas 
Gardner,  James  Parker,  Cornelius  De  Long, 
James  Gilmore  and  Elijah  Nelson.  In  1820 
there  were  but  thirty  families  in  the  district. 
The  first  frame  houses — the  Nelson  and  More- 
house homesteads — were  built  in  1831,  and,  some 
years  later,  James  Laws  erected  the  first  brick 
house.  The  pioneers  traded  at  Vincennes,  but, 
in  1835,  a  store  was  opened  at  Stringtown  by 
Jacob  May ;  and  the  same  year  the  first  school  was 
opened  at  Watertown,  taught  by  Isaac  Chaun- 
cey.  The  first  church  was  erected  by  tlie  Bap- 
tists in  1823,  and  services  were  conducted  by 
William  Martin,  a  Kentuckian.  For  a  long  time 
the  mails  were  carried  on  horseback  b3'  Louis 
and  James  Beard,  but,  in  1824,  Mills  and  Whet- 
sell  established  a  line  of  four-horse  stages.  The 
principal  road,  known  as  the  "trace  road,"  lead- 
ing from  Louisville  to  Cahokia,  followed  a 
buffalo  and  Indian  trail  about  where  the  main 
street  of  Olney  now  is.  Olnej-  was  selected  as 
the  county-seat  upon  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  a  Mr.  Lilly  built  the  first  house 
there.  The  chief  branches  of  industry  followed 
by  the  inhabitants  are  agriculture  and  fruit- 
growing. Population  (1880),  15,545;  (1890), 
15,019;  (1900),  16,391. 

RIDGE  FARM,  a  village  of  Vermillion  County, 
at  junction  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago 
&  .St.  Louis  and  tlie  Toledo.  St.  Louis  &  Western 
Railroads,  174  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis;  has 
electric  light  plant,  planing  mill,  elevators,  bank 
and  two  papers.     Pop.  (1900).  933;  (1904),  1.300. 

RIDGELY,  a  manufacturing  and  mining  sub- 
urb of  the  city  of  Springfield.  An  extensive 
rolling  mill  is  located  there,  and  there  are  several 
coal-shafts  in  the  vicinity.  Population(1900).  1,169. 

RIDGELY,  Charles,  manufacturer  and  capi- 
talist, born  in  Springfield,  111.,  Jan.  17.  1836;  was 
educated  in  private  schools  and  at  Illinois  Col- 
lege ;  after  leaving  college  spent  some  time  as  a 
clerk  in  his  father's  bank  at  Springfield,  finally 
becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  and  successively 
Cashier  and  Vice-President.  In  1870  he  was 
Democratic  candidate  for  State  Treasurer,  but 
later  has  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party. 
About  1872  he  became  identified  with  the  Spring- 
field Iron  Company,  of  which  he  has  been  Presi- 
dent for  many  years ;  has  also  been  President  of 
the  Consolidated  Coal  Company  of  St.  Louis  and, 
for  some  time,  was  a  Director  of  the  Wabash  Rail- 
road. Mr.  Ridgely  is  also  one  of  the  Trustees  of 
Illinois  College. 

RIDGELY,  Jiieholas  H.,  early  banker,  was 
born    in    Baltimore,   Md.,   April  37,   1800;   after 


leaving  school  was  engaged,  for  a  time,  in  the 
dry-goods  trade,  but,  in  1839,  came  to  St.  Louis 
to  assume  a  clerksliip  in  the  branch  of  the 
United  States  Bank  just  organized  there.  In 
1835  a  branch  of  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois  was 
established  at  Springfield,  and  Mr.  Ridgely 
became  its  cashier,  and,  when  it  went  into  liqui- 
dation, was  ajjpointed  one  of  the  trustees  to  wind 
up  its  affairs.  He  subsequently  became  Presi- 
dent of  the  Clark's  Exchange  Bank  in  that  city, 
but  this  having  gone  into  liquidation  a  few  years 
later,  he  went  into  the  private  banking  business 
as  head  of  the  "Ridgely  B.ink,"  which,  in  1.S66, 
became  the  "Ridgely  National  Bank,"  one  of  the 
strongest  financial  institutions  in  the  State  out- 
side of  Chicago.  After  the  collapse  of  the  inter- 
nal improvement  scheme,  Mr.  Ridgely  became 
one  of  the  purchasers  of  the  "Northern  Cross 
Railroad"  (now  that  part  of  the  Wabash  system 
extending  from  the  Illinois  river  to  Springfield), 
when  it  was  sold  by  the  State  in  1847,  paying 
therefor  .$21,10(1.  He  was  also  one  of  the  Spring- 
field bankers  to  tender  a  loan  to  the  State  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  in  1861.  He  was  one  of  the 
builders  and  principal  owner  of  the  Springfield 
gas-light  system.  His  business  career  was  an 
eminently  successful  one,  leaving  an  estate  at 
his  death,  Jan.  31,  1888,  valued  at  over  §3,000,000. 

RIDGWAY,  a  village  of  Gallatin  County,  on  the 
Shawneetown  Division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwestern  Railway,  13  miles  northwest  ot 
Shawneetown ;  has  a  bank  and  one  newspaper. 
Pop.   (1890),  .533;  (1900),  839;  (1903,  est),  1,000. 

RIDGWAY,  Thomas  S.,  merchant,  banker  and 
politician,  was  born  at  Carmi,  111.,  August  30, 
1826.  His  father  having  died  when  he  was  but  4 
years  old  and  his  mother  when  he  was  14,  )iis 
education  was  largely  acquired  through  contact 
with  the  world,  apart  from  such  as  he  received 
from  his  mother  and  during  a  year's  attendance 
at  a  private  school.  When  he  was  6  years  of  age 
the  family  removed  to  Shawneetown,  where  he 
ever  afterwards  made  his  home.  In  1845  he  em- 
barked in  business  as  a  merchant,  and  the  firm 
of  Peeples  &  Ridgway  soon  became  one  of  the 
most  prominent  in  Southern  Illinois.  In  1865  the 
partners  closed  out  their  business  and  organized 
tlie  first  National  Bank  of  Shawneetown.  of 
which,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Peeples  in  1875, 
Mr.  Ridgway  was  President.  He  was  one  of 
the  projectors  of  the  Springfield  &  Illinois  South- 
eastern Railway,  now  a  part  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Southwestern  system,  and,  from  1867  to 
1874,  served  as  its  President.  He  was  an  ardent 
and  active  Republican,  and  served  as  a  dele,gate 


452 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


to  every  State  and  National  Convention  of  Iiis 
party  from  18fiS  to  1.S96.  In  1874  lie  was  v=Iecteil 
State  Treasurer,  the  candidate  for  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  on  the  same  ticket  being 
defeated.  In  1876  and  1880  he  was  an  unsuccess- 
ful candidate  for  his  party's  nomination  for  Gov- 
ernor. Three  times  he  consented  to  lead  the 
forlorn  hope  of  the  Republicans  as  a  candidate 
for  Congress  from  an  impregnably  Democratic 
stronghold.  For  several  years  he  w;us  a  Director 
of  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  at  Chi 
cago,  and,  for  nineteen  years,  was  a  Trustee  of  the 
Southern  Illinois  Normal  University  at  Carbon- 
dale,  resigning  in  1893.  Died,  at  Shawneetown, 
Nov.  17,  18'J7. 

RI(«(»S,  James  M.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Scott  County,  111.,  April  17,  1839,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  educjition,  supple- 
mented by  a  partial  collegiate  course.  He  is  a 
practicing  lawyer  of  Winchester.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  SheritI,  .serving  two  years.  In  1871-72  he 
represented  Scott  County  in  the  lower  house  of 
the  Twenty  .seventh  General  Assembly,  and  was 
State's  Attorney  from  1872  to  1876.  In  1882,  and 
again  in  1884,  he  was  the  successful  Democratic 
candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Twelfth  Illinois 
District. 

BKiOS,  Sfott,  pioneer,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  about  1790;  removed  to  Crawford 
County,  111.  early  in  181,5,  an<l  represented  that 
county  in  the  First  (Jenenil  A.s.sembly  (1818-20). 
In  1825  he  removed  to  Scott  County,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  Feb.  24,  1872. 

lUNAKER.  John  I.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  18.  1830.  Left  an 
orphan  at  an  early  age,  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
1836,  and,  for  several  years,  lived  on  farms  in 
Sangamon  and  Morgan  Counties;  was  educated 
at  Illinois  and  McKendree  Colleges,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1851;  in  1852  Itegaii  rea<ling 
law  with  John  M.  Palmer  at  Carlinville,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Ixir  in  1854.  In  August.  is»i2,  he 
recruited  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty -second 
Illinois  Volunteers,  of  which  he  was  commis- 
sioned Colonel.  Four  months  later  he  was 
wounded  in  battle,  but  served  with  his  regiment 
through  the  war,  and  was  brevetted  Brigadier- 
General  at  its  close.  Returning  from  the  war  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Carlin- 
ville. Since  1858  he  has  been  an  active  Repub- 
lican; has  twice  (1872  and  '76)  served  his  party 
as  a  Presidential  Elector — the  latter  year  for  the 
State-at-large — and.  in  l>-74.  accepted  a  nomina- 
tion for  Congress  against  William  R.  Morrison, 
largely  reducing  the  normal  Democratic  major- 


ity. At  the  State  Republican  Convention  of  1880 
he  was  a  prominent,  but  unsuccessful,  candidate 
for  the  Republican  nomination  for  Governor.  I' 
1894  he  made  the  race  as  the  Republican  candi- 
date for  Congress  in  the  Sixteenth  District  and, 
although  his  opponent  was  awarded  the  certifi- 
cate of  election,  on  a  bare  majority  of  60  votes  on 
the  face  of  the  returns,  a  re-count,  ordered  by  the 
Fifty-fourth  Congress,  showed  a  majority  for 
General  Rinaker.  and  he  was  seated  near  the 
close  of  the  first  session.  He  was  a  candidate 
for  re-election  in  1896,  but  defeated  in  a  strongly 
Democratic  District. 

KIPLKV,  Kdwartl  Pajson,  Rivilway  President, 
was  born  in  Dorchester  (now  a  part  of  Boston), 
Mass.,  Oct.  30.  1845,  being  related,  on  his  mother's 
side,  to  the  distinguished  author.  Dr.  Edward 
Payson.  After  receiving  his  education  in  the 
high  school  of  his  native  place,  at  the  age  of  17 
he  entered  upon  a  commercial  life,  as  clerk  in  a 
wholesale  dry-goods  establishment  in  Boston. 
About  the  time  he  became  of  age,  he  entered  into 
the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  as  a 
clerk  in  the  freight  department  in  the  Boston 
office,  but. a  few  years  later, assumed  a  responsible 
position  in  connection  with  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  line,  finally  becoming  General 
Agent  for  the  business  of  that  road  east  of 
Buffalo,  though  retaining  his  headquarters  at 
Boston.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Chicago  to  accept 
the  position  of  General  Freight  Agent  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  System,  with  which 
he  remained  twelve  years,  .serving  successively  as 
General  Traffic  Manager  and  tieneral  Manager, 
until  June  1.  1890,  when  he  resigned  to  become 
Third  Vice  President  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  line.  This  relation  was  continued 
until  Jan.  1,  1896,  when  Mr.  Ripley  acceirted 
the  Presidency  of  the  .\tchisoa,  To|ieka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  which  (18991  he  now  holds.  Mr. 
Ripley  was  a  prominent  factor  in  ijecuring  the 
location  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exjwsition  at 
Chicago,  and,  in  April.  1891,  was  cho.sen  one  of 
the  Directors  of  tlie  Exposition,  serving  on  the 
Executive  Committee  and  the  Committee  of 
Wa3"s  and  Means  and  Transportation,  being  Chair- 
man of  the  latter. 

RIVERSIDE,  a  suburban  town  on  the  Des 
Plaines  River  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Rivilway,  11  miles  west  of  Chicago;  has 
handsome  parks,  several  churches,  a  bank, 
two  local  papers  and  numerous  fine  residences. 
Population  (18901.  1,000;  (1900),  1,551 

RIVERTOX,  a  village  in  Clear  Creek  Town- 
ship, Sangamon  County,  at  the  crossing  of  th« 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


453 


Wabash  Railroad  over  tlie  Sangamon  River,  G<4 
miles  east-nortlieast  of  Springfield.  It  has  four 
churclies.  a  nursery,  and  two  coal  mines  Popu- 
lation (1880),  705:  (1890),  1,127,  (1000),  1  .'511;  (1903, 
est.),  about  i, 000. 

RIVES,  John  Cook,  early  banker  and  journal- 
ist, was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Va.,  May  24, 
1795;  in  1806  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
grew  up  under  care  of  an  uncle,  Samuel  Casey. 
He  received  a  good  education  and  was  a  man  of 
high  character  and  attractive  manners.  In  his 
early  manhood  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  was  con- 
nected, for  a  time,  with  the  Branch  State  Bank 
at  Edwardsville,  but,  about  1824,  removed  to 
Shawneetown  and  held  a  position  in  the  bank 
there;  also  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
practice.  Finally,  having  accepted  a  clerkship 
in  the  Fourth  Auditor's  Office  in  Washington, 
he  removed  to  that  city,  and,  in  1830,  became 
associated  with  Francis  P.  Blair,  Sr.,  in  the 
establishment  of  "The  Congressional  Globe"  (the 
predecessor  of  "The  Congressional  Record"),  of 
which  he  finally  became  .sole  proprietor,  so 
remaining  until  1864.  Like  his  partner,  Blair, 
although  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  life-long 
Democrat,  he  was  intensely  loyal,  and  contrib- 
uted liberally  of  his  means  for  the  equipment  of 
soldiers  from  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  for 
the  support  of  their  families,  during  the  Civil 
War.  His  expenditures  for  these  objects  have 
been  estimated  at  some  .?30,000.  Died,  in  Prince 
George's  County,  Md.,  April  10,  1864. 

RO.iNOKE,  a  village  of  Woodford  County,  on 
tlie  Atchi.son,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway,  26 
miles  northeast  of  Peoria;  is  in  a  coal  district; 
has  two  banks,  a  coal  mine,  and  one  newspaper 
PopuLatiou  (1880),  35.5;  (1890),  831;  (1900).  966. 

ROBB,  Thomas  Patten,  Sanitary  Agent,  was 
born  in  Bath.  Maine,  in  1819;  came  to  Cook 
County,  111.,  ill  1838,  and,  after  arriving  at  man- 
hood, established  the  first  exclusive  wholesale 
grocery  house  in  Chicago,  remaining  in  the  busi- 
ness until  18,50.  He  then  went  to  California, 
establishing  himself  in  mercantile  business  at 
Sacramento,  wliere  he  remained  seven  years, 
meanwhile  being  elected  Mayor  of  that  city. 
Returning  to  Chicago  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  he  was  apjiointed  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Yates  with  the  rank  of  Major,  and,  while  .serv- 
ing in  this  capacity,  was  instrumental  in  giving 
General  Grant  the  first  duty  he  performed  in  the 
office  of  the  Adjutant-General  after  his  arrival 
from  Galena.  Later,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
Inspector-General  of  Illinois  troops  with  the  rank 
of  Colonel,   having  general  charge  of    sanitary 


affairs  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
appointed  Cotton  Agent  for  the  State  of  Georgia, 
and,  still  later.  President  of  the  Board  of  Tax 
Commissioners  for  that  State.  Other  positions 
held  by  him  were  those  of  Postmaster  and  Col- 
lector of  Customs  at  Savannah.  Ga. ;  he  was  also 
one  of  the  publishers  of  "The  New  Era," -a 
Republican  paper  at  Atlanta,  and  a  prominent 
actor  in  reconstruction  affairs.  Resigning  the 
Collectorship,  he  was  appointed  by  the  President 
LTnited  States  Commissioner  to  investigate  Mexi- 
can outrages  on  the  Rio  Gran<le  border;  ^^■as  sub- 
sequently identified  with  Texas  railroad  interests 
as  the  President  of  the  Corpus  Christi  &  Rio 
Grande  Railroad,  and  one  of  the  projectors  of  the 
Chicago,  Texas  &  Mexican  Central  Railway,  being 
thus  engaged  until  1872.  Later  he  returned  to 
California,  dying  near  Glenwood,  in  that  State, 
April  10,  1895,  aged  75  years  and  10  months. 

ROBERTS,  William  Charles,  clergyman  and 
educator,  was  born  in  a  small  village  of  Wales, 
England.,  Sept.  23,  1832;  received  his  primary 
education  in  that  countrj',  but,  removing  to 
America  during  his  minoritj',  graduated  from 
Princeton  College  in  1855,  and  from  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary  in  1858.  After  filling  vari- 
ous pastorates  in  Delaware,  New  Jersey  and  Ohio, 
in  1881  he  was  elected  Corresponding  Secretary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
the  next  year  being  offered  the  Presidency  of 
Rutgers  College,  which  he  declined.  In  1887  he 
accepted  the  presidency  of  Lake  Forest  LTniver- 
sity,  which  he  still  retains.  From  18.59  to  1803 
he  was  a  Trustee  of  Lafayette  College,  and,  in 
1806,  was  elected  to  a  trusteeship  of  his  Alma 
Mater.  He  has  traveled  extensively  in  the 
Orient,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  and  third 
councils  of  the  Reformed  Churches,  held  at  Edin- 
burgh and  Belfast.  Besides  occasional  sermons 
and  frequent  contributions  to  English,  Ameri- 
can, German  and  Welsh  periodicals.  Dr.  Roberts 
has  published  a  Welsh  translation  of  the  West- 
minster shorter  catechism  and  a  collection  of 
letters  on  the  great  preachers  of  Wales,  which 
appeared  in  Utica,  1868.  He  received  the  degree 
of  D.D.,  from  Union  College  in  1872,  and  that  of 
LL.D.,  from  Princeton,  in  1887. 

ROBIXSOX,  an  incorporated  city  and  the 
county-seat  of  Crawford  Courty,  25  miles  north- 
west of  Vincennes,  Ind  ,  ami  44  miles  .scuth  of 
Paris,  111. ;  is  on  two  lines  of  railroad  ami  in  the 
heart  of  a  fruit  and  agricultural  region  The 
city  has  water-works,  electric  lights,  two  banks 
and  three  weekly  newspapers  Population  (1890) 
1,387;  (1900),  1,683;  (1904),  about  2,000. 


454 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ROBINSON,  James  C,  lawyer  and  former 
Congressman,  was  born  in  Edgar  County,  111.,  in 
1822,  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1850.  He  served  as  a  private  during  the  Mexican 
War,  and,  in  1858,  was  elected  to  Congre.ss  as  a 
Democrat,  as  he  was  again  in  1860,  '62,  '70  and 
'72.  In  1864  he  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
Governor.  He  was  a  fluent  s|x;aker.  and  attained 
considerable  distinction  as  an  advocate  in  crimi- 
nal practice.     Died,  at  Springfield,  Nov.  3,  1886. 

R0I5IXS0X,  John  M.,  United  States  Senator, 
born  in  Kentucky  in  179;i,  was  liberallj-  educated 
and  became  a  lawyer  by  profession.  In  early  life 
he  settled  at  Carnii,  111.,  where  lie  married.  He 
was  of  fine  i)hysi(iue,  of  engaging  manners,  and 
personally  popular.  Through  his  association 
with  the  State  militia  he  earned  the  title  of 
"Genei'al."  In  1830  he  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  John 
McLean.  His  immediate  predece.s.sor  was  David 
Jewett  Baker,  ap|K)inted  l)y  Governor  Edwards, 
who  served  one  month  but  failed  of  election  Ijy 
the  Legislature.  In  18:!4  Mr.  Robinson  was  re- 
elected for  a  full  term,  which  expired  in  1841. 
In  1843  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  Ujjon  the  Illinois 
Supreme  bench,  but  died  at  Ottawa,  April  27,  of 
the  same  year,  within  three  months  after  his 
elevation. 

ROCHELLE,  a  city  of  Ogle  County  and  an 
intersecting  point  of  the  Chicago  it  Northwestern 
and  the  Chicago,  Hurlington  A  Quincy  Railways. 
It  is  7")  miles  west  of  Chicago,  27  miles  south  of 
Rockford,  and  23  miles  ejist  by  north  of  Dixon. 
It  is  in  a  rich  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
region,  rendering  Rochelle  an  important  ship 
ping  point.  Among  its  indu.strial  establish- 
ments are  water- works,  electric  lights,  a  flouring 
mill  and  silk-underwear  factory  The  cit>  has 
three  banks,  five  churches  and  three  newspapers. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,789;  (1900).  2,073.  (1903),  2.5(HI. 

ROCHESTER,  a  village  and  early  settlement 
in  Sangamon  County.  laid  out  in  1819:  in  rich 
agricultural  district,  on  the  Baltimore  A  Ohio 
Southwestern  Railroad,  "I'/i  miles  southeast  of 
Springfield;  has  a  bank,  two  churches,  one  school, 
and  a  newspaper.     Population  (1900)  ,365 

ROCK  FALLS,  a  city  in  Whiteside  County,  on 
Rock  River  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad ;  has  excellent  water-power,  a  good 
public  school  system  with  a  high  school,  banks 
and  a  weekly  new.spaper.  Agricultural  imple- 
ments, barbed  wire,  furniture,  flour  and  paper  are 
its  chief  manufactures.  Water  for  the  navigable 
feeder  of  the  Hennepin  Canal  is  tiiken  from  Rock 
River  at  this  point.     Pop.  (1900),  2,170. 


ROCKFORD,  a  flourishing  manufacturing 
city,  the  county -seat  of  Wiimebago  County ;  lies 
on  lx)th  sides  of  the  Rock  River,  92  miles  west  of 
Chicago.  Four  trunk  lines  of  railroad — the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy,  tlie  Chicago  &  North- 
western, the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul — intersect  here.  Excellent 
water-p<;>wer  is  secured  by  a  dam  across  the  river, 
and  communication  between  the  two  divisions  of 
the  citj'  is  facilitated  by  three  railway  and  three 
highway  bridges.  Water  is  provided  from  five 
artesian  wells,  a  reserve  main  leading  to  the 
river.  The  citj-  is  wealthy,  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive. The  assessed  valuation  of  projierty,  in 
1893,  was  §6,531,235.  Churches  are  numerous  and 
schools,  both  public  and  private,  are  abundant 
and  well  conducted.  The  census  of  1890  .showed 
.?7,715,069  capital  invested  in  246  manufacturing 
establishments,  which  employed  5,223  persons  and 
turned  out  an  annual  j)ro<luct  valued  at  §8.888,- 
904.  The  j)rincii«il  industries  are  the  manufac- 
ture of  agricultural  implements  and  furniture, 
though  watches,  silver-plated  ware,  paper,  flour 
and  graiw  sugar  are  among  the  other  products. 
Pop.  (1880),  13,129:  (1890),  23,584;  (19001,  31,051. 

ROCKFORD  COLLEUE,  located  at  Rockford, 
111.,  incorporated  in  1847;  in  1898  had  a  faculty 
of  21  instructors  with  161  pupils.  The  branches 
taught  include  the  classics,  music  and  line  arts. 
It  has  a  library  of  6,150  volumes,  funds  and  en- 
dowment aggregating  $.50,880  and  jiroperty 
valued  at  §240,880,  of  which  §150,000  is  real 
estate. 

ROCK  ISLAM),  the  principal  city  and  county- 
seat  of  Rock  Island  County,  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  182  miles  west  by  south  from  Chicago;  is 
the  converging  point  of  five  lines  of  railroad,  and 
the  western  terminus  of  the  Hennepin  Canal. 
The  name  is  derived  from  an  island  in  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  opposite  the  city,  3  miles  long,  which 
belongs  to  the  United  States  Government  and 
contains  an  arsenal  and  armory.  The  river 
channel  north  of  the  island  is  navigable,  the 
southern  channel  having  been  dammed  by  the 
Government,  thereby  giving  great  water  power 
to  Rock  Island  and  Moline.  A  combined  railway 
and  highway  bridge  spans  the  river  from  Rock 
Island  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  crossing  the  island, 
while  a  railway  bridge  connects  the  cities  a  mile 
below.  The  island  was  the  site  of  Fort  Arm- 
strong during  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  was  also 
a  place  for  the  confinement  of  Confederate  prison- 
ers during  the  Civil  War.  Rock  Island  is  in  a  re- 
gion of  much  picturesque  scenery  and  has  exten- 
sive manufactures  of  lumber,  agricultural  imple- 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


455 


ments,  iron,  carriages  and  wagons  and  oilcloth ; 
also  five  banks  and  three  newspapers,  two  issuing 
daily  editions.     Pop.  (1890),  13,634;  (1900),  19,493. 

ROCK  ISLAND  COUXTY,  in  the  northwestsrn 
section  of  the  State  bordering  upon  the  Missis- 
sippi River  (which  constitutes  its  northwestern 
boundary  for  more  than  60  miles),  and  having  an 
area  of  440  square  miles.  In  1816  the  Govern- 
ment erected  a  fort  on  Rock  Island  (an  island  in 
the  Mississippi,  3  miles  long  and  one-half  to 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide),  naming  it  Fort 
Armstrong.  It  has  always  remained  a  military 
post,  and  is  now  the  seat  of  an  extensive  arsenal 
and  work-shops.  In  the  spring  of  1828,  settle- 
ments were  made  near  Port  Byron  by  John  and 
Thomas  Kinney,  Archibald  Allen  and  George 
Harlan.  Other  early  settlers,  near  Rock  Island 
and  Rapids  City,  were  J.  W.  Spencer,  J.  W.  Bar- 
riels,  Benjamin  F.  Pike  and  Conrad  Leak;  and 
among  the  pioneers  were  Wells  and  Michael  Bart- 
lett,  Joel  Thompson,  the  Simms  brothers  and 
George  Davenport.  The  country  was  full  of 
Indians,  this  being  the  headquarters  of  Black 
Hawk  and  the  initial  point  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War.  (See  Black  Hawk,  a.nd  Black  Hairk  War.) 
By  1829  settlers  were  increased  in  number  and 
county  organization  was  effected  in  1835,  Rock 
Island  (then  called  Stephenson)  being  made  the 
county-seat.  Joseph  Conway  was  the  first 
County  Clerk,  and  Joel  Wells,  Sr..  the  first  Treas- 
urer. The  first  court  was  held  at  the  residence 
of  John  W.  Barriels,  in  Farnhamsburg.  The 
county  is  irregular  in  shape,  and  the  soil  and 
scenery  greatly  varied.  Coal  is  abundant,  the 
water-power  inexhaustible,  and  the  county's 
mining  and  manufacturing  interests  are  very 
extensive.  Several  lines  of  railway  cross  the 
county,  affording  admirable  transportation  facili- 
ties to  both  eastern  and  western  markets.  Rock 
Island  and  Moline  (which  see)  are  the  two  prin- 
cipal cities  in  the  county,  though  there  are 
several  other  important  points.  Coal  Valley  is 
the  center  of  large  mining  interests,  and  Milan  is 
also  a  manufacturing  center.  Port  Byron  is  one 
of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  county,  and  has  con- 
siderable lime  and  lumber  interests,  while  Water- 
town  is  the  seat  of  the  Western  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  Population  of  the  county  (1880),  38,302; 
(1890),  41,917;  (1900),  .W,249. 

ROCK  ISLAND  &  PEORIA  RAILWAY,  a 
standard-guage  road,  laid  with  steel  rails,  extend- 
ing from  Rock  Island  to  Peoria,  91  miles.  It  is 
lessee  of  the  Rock  Island  &  Mercer  County  Rail- 
road, running  from  Milan  to  Cable,  111.,  giving  it 
a  total  length  of  118  miles — with  Peoria  Terminal, 


121.10  miles. — (History.)  The  companj'  is  a 
reorganization  (Oct.  9,  1877)  of  the  Peoria  & 
Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  wliose  road  was 
sold  under  foreclcsure,  April  4,  1877.  Tlie  latter 
Road  was  the  result  of  the  consolidation,  in  1809. 
of  two  corporations — the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria 
and  the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  Compa- 
nies— the  new  organization  taking  the  latter 
name.  The  road  was  opened  through  its  entire 
length,  Jan.  1,  1872,  its  sale  under  foreclosure  and 
reorganization  under  its  present  name  taking 
place,  as  already  stated,  in  1877.  The  Cable 
Branch  was  organized  in  1876,  as  the  Rock  Island 
&  Mercer  County  Railroad,  and  opened  in  De- 
cember of  the  same  year,  sold  under  foreclosure  in 
1877,  and  leased  to  the  Rock  Island  &  Peoria  Rail- 
road, July  1,  1885,  for  999  years,  the  rental  for 
the  entire  period  being  commuted  at  $450,000. — 
(Financial.)  The  cost  of  the  entire  road  and 
equipment  was  §3,654,487.  The  capital  sto<!k 
(1898)  is  81,500,000;  funded  debt,  $600,000;  other 
forms  of  indebtedness  increasing  the  total  capital 
invested  to  §2,181,066. 

ROCK  RIVER,  a  stream  which  rises  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Wis.,  and  flows  generally  in  a 
southerly  direction,  a  part  of  its  course  being  very 
sinuous.  After  crossing  the  northern  boundary 
of  Illinois,  it  runs  southwestward,  inter-secting 
the  counties  of  Winnebago,  Ogle,  Lee,  Whiteside 
and  Rock  Island,  and  entering  the  Missi.ssippi 
three  miles  below  the  city  of  Rock  Island. 
It  is  about  375  miles  long,  but  its  navigation  is 
jiartly  obstructed  by  rapids,  which,  however, 
furnish  abundant  water-power.  The  principal 
towns  on  its  banks  are  Rockford,  Dixon  and 
Sterling.  Its  valley  is  wide,  and  noted  for  its 
beauty  and  fertility. 

ROCKTON,  a  village  in  Winnebago  County,  at 
tlie  junction  of  two  branches  of  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  on  Rock  River, 
13  miles  north  of  Rockfonl;  has  manufactures  of 
paper  and  agricultural  implements,  a  feed  mill, 
and  local  paper.     Poij.   (1890),  892;  (1900),  936. 

ROE,  Edward  Reynolds,  A.B.,  M.D.,  physician, 
soldier  and  author,  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
June  22,  1813;  removed  with  his  father,  in  1819, 
to  Cincinnati,  and  graduated  at  Louisville  Med- 
ical Institute  in  1842;  began  practice  at  Anderson, 
Ind.,  but  soon  removed  to  Shawneetown,  III., 
where  he  gave  much  attention  to  geological 
research  and  made  some  extensive  natural  his- 
tory collections.  From  1848  to  '52  he  resided  at 
Jacksonville,  lectured  extensively  on  his  favorite 
science,  wrote  for  the  press  and,  for  two  years 
(1850-52),  edited  "The  Jacksonville  Journal, "  still 


456 


HISTOKICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


later  eiliting  the  uewly  established  "Constitu- 
tionalist" for  a  few  months.  During  a  part  of 
this  period  he  was  lecturer  on  natural  science  at 
Shurtleff  College ;  also  delivered  a  lecture  before 
the  State  Legislature  on  the  geology  of  Illinois, 
which  was  immediately  followed  bj-  the  passage 
of  the  act  establishing  the  State  Geological 
Department.  A  majority  of  both  houses  joined 
in  a  request  for  his  appointment  as  State  Geolo- 
gist, but  it  was  rejected  on  partisan  grounds — 
he,  then,  being  a  Whig.  Removing  to  Blooming- 
ton  in  18.j2.  Dr.  Roe  became  prominent  in  educa- 
tional matters,  being  the  first  Professor  of  Natural 
Science  in  the  State  Normal  Uni\'ersitj",  and  also 
a  TriLstee  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  Universitj'. 
Having  identilied  himself  with  the  Democratic 
party  at  this  time,  he  became  its  nominee  for 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in 
I8(i0,  but.  on  the  inception  of  the  war  in  18G1,  he 
promptly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union,  raised 
three  companies  (niostlj'  Normal  students)  which 
were  attached  to  the  Thirty-third  Illinois  (Nor- 
mal) Regiment ;  was  elected  Captain  and  succes- 
si\ely  promoted  to  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Ilaving  been  dangerously  wounded  in  the  assault 
at  Vicksburg,  on  May  22,  IHti'i,  and  compelled  to 
return  home,  he  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  by  the 
iTombined  vote  of  both  parties,  was  re-elected 
four  years  later,  tecame  editor  of  "The  Bloom- 
ington  Pantagraph"  and,  in  18T0,  was  elected  to 
the  Twenty-seventh  (Jeneral  Assembly,  where 
he  won  distinction  by  a  somewhat  notable 
lunnorous  speech  in  opposition  to  removing  the 
State  Capital  to  Peoria.  In  1871  he  was  ap- 
pointed Marshal  for  the  Southern  District  of  Illi- 
nois, serving  nine  years.  Dr.  Roe  was  a  somewhat 
prolific  author,  having  produced  more  than  a 
dozen  works  which  have  api)eared  in  book  form. 
One  of  these,  "Virginia  Rose;  a  Tale  of  Illinois 
in  Early  Days.'"  first  apjieared  as  a  prize  serial  in 
"The  Alton  Courier"  in  1852.  Others  of  his  more 
noteworthy  productions  are:  "The  Gray  and  the 
Blue";  "Brought  to  Bay";  "From  the  Beaten 
Path";  "G.  A.  R. ;  or  How  She  Married  His 
Double";  "Dr.  Caldwell;  or  the  Trail  of  the 
Serpent";  and  "Prairie-Land  and  Other  Poems." 
He  died  in  Chicago,  Nov   6,  1893. 

ROGERS,  Oeorge  Clarke,  soldier,  was  born  in 
(irafton  County,  N  H.,  Nov.  22,  1838;  but  was 
educated  in  Vermont  and  Illinois,  having  re- 
moved to  the  latter  State  early  in  life.  While 
teaching  he  studied  law  and  w;is  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1800;  was  the  first,  in  1861,  to  raise  a  com- 
]iauy  ill  Lake  County  for  the  war.  which  was 
mustered  into  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteers ; 


was  chosen  Second-Lieuteuaut  and  later  Captain; 
was  wounded  four  times  at  Shiloh,  but  refused  to 
leave  the  field,  and  led  his  regiment  in  tlie  final 
charge ;  was  promoted  Lieutenant-Colonel  and 
soon  after  commissioned  Colonel  for  gallantry  at 
Hatchie.  At  Champion  Hills  he  received  three 
wounds,  from  one  of  which  he  never  fully  re- 
covered ;  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  operations 
at  Allatoona  and  commanded  a  brigade  u(;arly 
two  years,  including  the  AtUinta  campaign, 
retiring  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. Since  the  war  lias  practiced  law  in  Illinois 
and  in  Kansas. 

ROGERS,  Henry  Wade,  educator,  lawyer  and 
author,  was  born  in  Central  New  York  in  1803; 
entered  Hamilton  College,  but  the  following 
year  became  a  student  in  Michigan  University, 
graduating  there  in  1874,  also  receiving  the 
degree  of  A.M.,  from  the  same  institution,  in 
1877.  In  1883  he  was  elected  to  a  professorship 
in  the  Ann  Arbor  Law  School,  and,  in  1885,  was 
made  Dean  of  the  Facult}',  succeeding  Judge 
Cooley,  at  the  age  of  32.  Five  j-ears  later  he  was 
tendered,  and  accepted,  the  Presidency  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  at  Evauston,  being  the 
first  layman  chosen  to  the  position,  and  succeed- 
ing a  long  line  of  Bishops  and  divines.  Tlie  same 
year  (1890),  Wesleyan  University  conferred  upon 
him  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Bar  Association,  has  served 
for  a  number  of  years  on  its  Committee  on  Legal 
Education  and  Admission  to  the  Bar,  and  was 
the  first  Chairman  of  the  Section  on  Log;il  Edu- 
cation. President  Rogers  was  the  General  Chair- 
man of  the  Conference  on  the  Future  Foreign 
Policy  of  the  United  States,  lield  at  Saratoga 
Springs,  N.  Y.,  in  August,  1898.  At  the  Con- 
gress held  in  1893,  as  auxiliary  to  the  Columbian 
Exposition,  he  was  chosen  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Law  Reform  and  Jurisprudence,  and 
was  for  a  time  as.sociate  editor  of  "The  .\nierican 
Law  Register."  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  also  the 
author  of  a  treatise  on  "Expert  Testimonj-," 
which  has  passed  through  two  editions,  and  ha-s 
edited  a  work  entitled  "Illinois  Citations." 
besides  doing  much  other  valuable  literary  work 
of  a  similar  character. 

ROGERS,  John  Gorln,  jurist,  was  bom  at 
Glasgow,  Ky..  Dec.  28,  1818,  of  English  and  early 
Virginian  ancestry ;  was  educated  at  Center  Col- 
lege, Danville,  Ky.,  and  at  Transylvania  L'niver- 
sity,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in 
1841,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  For 
sixteen  years  he  practiced  in  his  native  town, 
and,  in  1857,  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  .soon 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


457 


attained  professional  prominence.  In  1870  he 
was  electeii  a  Judge  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit 
Court,  continuing  on  the  bench,  through  repeated 
re-elections,  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
suddenly,  Jan.  10,  1887,  four  years  before  the 
expiration  of  tlie  term  for  which  he  had  been 
elected. 

ROGERS  PARK,  a  village  and  suburb  9  miles 
north  of  Chicago,  on  Lake  ilichigan  and  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railways ;  has  a  bank  and  two 
weekly  newspapers ;  is  reached  by  electric  street- 
car line  from  Chicago,  and  is  a  popular  residence 
suburb.     Annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1893. 

ROLL,  John  E.,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Green 
Village,  N.  J.,  June  4,  1814:  came  to  Illinois  in 
1830,  and  settled  in  Sangamon  County.  He 
assisted  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  construction  of 
the  flat-boat  with  which  the  latter  descended  the 
Mississippi  River  to  New  Orleans,  in  1831.  Mr. 
Roll,  who  was  a  mechanic  and  contractor,  built 
a  number  of  houses  in  Springfield,  where  he  has 
since  continued  to  reside. 

ROMA>  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.  The  earliest 
Christians  to  establish  places  of  worship  in  Illi- 
nois were  priests  of  the  Catholic  faith.  Early 
Catholic  missionaries  were  explorers  and  histori- 
ans as  well  as  preachers.  (See  Allouez;  Bergier; 
Early  Missionaries:  Gravier:  Marquette.)  The 
church  went  hand  in  hand  with  tlie  represent- 
atives of  the  French  Government,  carrying  in 
one  hand  the  cross  and  in  the  other  the  flag  of 
France,  simultaneously  disseminating  the  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  and  inculcating  loyalty  to 
the  House  of  Bourbon.  For  nearly  a  hundred 
years,  the  self-sacrificing  and  devoted  Catholic 
clergy  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies ministered  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the 
early  French  settlers  and  the  natives.  They  were 
not  without  factional  jealousies,  however,  and  a 
severe  blow  was  dealt  to  a  branch  of  them  in  the 
order  for  the  banishment  of  the  Jesuits  and  the 
confiscation  of  their  property.  (See  Earlij  Mis- 
sionaries.) The  subseiiuent  occupation  of  the 
country  by  the  English,  with  the  contemporane- 
ous emigration  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
French  west  of  the  Mississippi,  dissipated  many 
congregations.  Up  to  1830  Illinois  was  included 
in  the  diocese  of  Missouri ;  but  at  that  time  it  was 
constituted  a  separate  diocese,  under  the  episco- 
pal control  of  Rt.  Rev.  Joseph  Rosatti.  At  that 
date  there  were  few,  if  any,  priests  in  Illinois. 
But  Bishop  Rosatti  was  a  man  of  earnest  purpose 
and  rare  administrative  ability.  New  parishes 
were    organized    as    rapidly    as    circumstances 


would  permit,  and  the  growth  of  the  church  has 
been  steady.  By  1840  there  were  thirty-one 
parishes  and  twenty  priests.  In  1896  there  are 
reported  698  parishes,  764  clergymen  and  a 
Catholic  population  exceeding  8.50, 000.  (See  also 
Religions  Denominations. ) 

ROODHOUSE,  a  city  in  Greene  County,  21 
miles  south  of  Jacksonville,  and  at  junction  of 
three  divisions  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Riiilroad; 
is  in  fertile  agricultural  and  coal-mining  region; 
city  contains  a  flouring  mill,  giain-elevator,  stock- 
yards, railway  shops,  water-woi'ks,  electric  light 
plant,  two  private  banks,  fine  opera  house,  good 
school  buildings,  one  daily  and  two  weekly 
papers.     Pop.  (1890),  2,360;  (1900),  2,351. 

ROODHOUSE,  John,  farmer  and  founder  of 
the  town  of  Roodhouse,  in  Greene  County,  111., 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  brought  to 
America  in  childhood,  his  fatlier  settling  in 
Greene  County,  111.,  in  1831.  In  his  early  man- 
hood he  opened  a  farm  in  Tazewell  County,  but 
finally  returned  to  the  paternal  home  in  Greene 
County,  where,  on  the  location  of  the  Jackson- 
ville Division  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad, 
he  laid  out  the  town  of  Roodhouse,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Louisiana  and  Kansas  City  branch 
with  the  main  line. 

ROOT,  George  Frederick,  musical  composer 
and  author,  was  born  at  Sheffield,  Mass.,  August 
30,  1820.  He  was  a  natural  musician,  and,  while 
employed  on  his  father's  farm,  learned  to  play  on 
various  instruments.  In  1838  he  removed  to  Bos- 
ton, where  he  began  his  life-work.  Besides 
teaching  music  in  the  public  schools,  he  was 
employed  to  direct  the  musical  service  in  two 
churches.  From  Boston  he  removed  to  New 
York,  and,  in  1850,  went  to  Paris  for  purposes  of 
musical  study.  In  1853  he  made  his  first  public 
essay  as  a  composer  in  the  song,  "Hazel  Dell,'" 
which  became  popular  at  once.  From  this  time 
forward  his  success  as  a  song-writer  was  assured. 
His  music,  while  not  of  a  high  artistic  character, 
captivated  the  popular  ear  and  appealed  strongly 
to  the  heart.  In  18(50  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Chicago,  where  he  conducted  a  musical  journal 
and  wrote  those  "war  songs"  which  created  and 
perpetuated  his  fame.  Among  the  best  known 
are  "■  Rally  Round  the  Flag";  "Just  Before  the 
Battle,  Mother";  and  "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp." 
Other  popular  songs  by  him  are  "Rosalie,  the 
Prairie  Flower";  "A  Hundred  Years  Ago" ;  and 
"The  Old  Folks  are  Gone."  Besides  songs  he 
composed  several  cantatas  and  much  sacred 
music,  also  publishing  many  books  of  instruction 
and  numerous  collections  of    vocal  and  instru- 


458 


HISTORICAL   E^"CYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


mental  music.  In  1873  tlie  University  of  Chicago 
conferred  on  liim  tlie  degree  of  Mus.  Doc.  Died, 
near  Portland,  Maine,  August  G,  189.'j. 

ROOTS,  Bcnajah  Guernsey,  civil  engineer, 
and  educator,  was  born  in  Onondaga  County 
N.  Y.,  April  20,  ISII,  an<l  educated  in  the  schools 
and  academies  of  Central  New  York;  began 
teaching  in  1827,  and,  after  spending  a  year  at 
sea  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  took  a  course  in 
law  and  civil  engineering.  He  was  employed  as 
a  civil  engineer  on  the  Western  Railroad  of 
Massjichusetts  until  1838,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  obtained  emi)loyment  on  the  railroad 
projected  from  Alton  to  Shawneetown,  under 
the  "internal  improvement  system"  of  1837. 
When  that  was  suspended  in  1839,  he  settled  on 
a  farm  near  tlie  present  site  of  Tamaroa,  Perry 
County,  and  soon  after  opened  a  boarding  school, 
continuing  its  management  until  1840,  when  he 
became  Principal  of  a  seminary  at  Sparta.  In 
1851  he  went  into  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  first  as  resident  engineer  in 
charge  of  surveys  and  construction,  later  as  land 
agent  and  attorney.  He  was  prominent  in  the 
introduction  of  the  graded  .school  system  in  Illi- 
nois and  in  the  establishment  of  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Rloomington  and  the  University  of 
Illinois  at  Champaign;  was  a  memlier  of  the 
State  Board  of  Education  from  its  organization, 
and  served  as  delegate  to  the  National  Repub- 
lican Convention  of  18C8.  Died,  at  his  home  in 
Perry  County,  111.,  May  9,  18S8.— Philander  Keep 
(Roots),  son  of  the  preceding,  b<irn  in  Tolland 
County,  Conn.,  June  4,  1838,  brought  to  Illinois 
the  same  year  and  educated  in  his  father's  school, 
and  in  an  academy  at  CarroUton  and  the  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Hloomington;  at  the  age  of 
17  belonged  to  a  corps  of  engineers  employed  on 
a  Southern  railroad,  and,  during  the  war.  served 
as  a  civil  engineer  in  the  construction  and  repair 
of  military  roads.  Livter,  he  was  Deputy  Sur- 
veyor-General of  Nebraska;  in  1871  became  Chief 
Engineer  on  the  Cairo  &  Fulton  (now  a  part  of 
the  Iron  Mountain)  Railway ;  then  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  in  ^\rkansas,  first  as  cashier 
of  a  bank  at  Fort  Smith  and  afterwards  of  the 
Merchants"  National  Bank  at  Little  Rock,  of 
which  his  brother,  Log-an  H.,  was  President. — 
Logan  H.  (Roots),  another  son,  born  near  Tama- 
roa, Perry  County,  111.,  March  22,  1841,  was  edu- 
cated at  home  and  at  the  State  Normal  at 
Bloomington,  meanwhile  serving  as  principal 
of  a  high  school  at  Duquoin ;  in  18G2  enlisted  in 
the  Eighty-first  Illinois  Volunteers,  serving 
through  the  war  and  acting  as  Chief  Commissary 


for  General  Sherman  on  the  "March  to  the  Sea," 
and  i)articii)atiug  in  the  great  review  in  Wash- 
ington, in  Maj-,  1863.  After  the  conclusion  of 
the  war  he  was  appointed  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  the  First  Arkansas  District,  was 
elected  from  that  State  to  the  Fortieth  and 
Forty-first  Congresses  (1868  and  1870) — being,  at 
the  time,  the  youngest  meml)er  in  that  body — and 
was  appointed  United  States  Marshal  by  Presi- 
dent Grant.  He  finallj-  becjime  President  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank  at  Little  Roc^k,  with 
which  he  remained  ne;irly  twenty  years.  Died, 
suddenly,  of  congestion  of  the  brain.  May  30, 
1893,  leaving  an  estate  valued  at  nearly  one  and 
a  half  millions,  of  which  he  gave  a  large  share  to 
charitable  i)urix)ses  and  to  the  city  of  Little 
Rock,  for  the  benefit  of  its  hospitals  and  the  im- 
provement of  its  park.s. 

ROSE,  James  A.,  Secretary  of  State,  was  born 
at  Golconda,  Pope  County,  111.,  Oct.  13,  1850. 
The  foundation  of  his  education  was  secured  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  and,  after 
a  term  in  the  Normal  L'niver.sity  at  Normal,  111., 
at  the  age  of  18  he  took  charge  of  a  country 
school.  Soon  he  was  chosen  Principal  of  the 
Golconda  graded  schools,  was  later  made  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  re-elected  for  a 
second  term.  During  his  second  term  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and,  resigning  the  office  of 
Superintendent,  was  elected  State's  Attorney 
without  opposition,  being  re-elected  for  anotlier 
term.  In  1889,  by  appointment  of  Governor 
Fifer,  he  became  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Pontiac  Reformatorj',  serving  until  the  next 
}-ear.  when  he  wius  transferred  to  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Peniten- 
tiary at  Chester,  which  i)osition  he  continued  to 
occupy  until  1893.  In  1896  he  was  elected  Secre- 
tary of  State  on  the  Republican  ticket,  his  term 
exteniling  to  .January,  1901. 

ROSEVILLE,  a  village  in  Warren  County,  on 
the  Rock  Island  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton it  Quincy  Railroad,  17  miles  northwest  of 
Bushnell;  lias  water  and  electric-light  plants,  two 
banks,  public  library  and  one  newspajjer  Region 
agricultural  and  coal  mining.     Pop.  (1900),  1,014. 

ROSS,  Leonard  Fulton,  soldier,  Vxjrn  in  Fulton 
County,  111.,  July  IS,  1823;  wiis  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Illinois  College,  Jack.son- 
ville,  studied  law  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1845; 
the  following  year  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Illinois 
Volunteers  for  the  Mexican  War,  became  First 
Lieutenant  and  was  commended  for  services  at 
Vera  Cruz  and  Cerro  Gordo;  also  performed  im- 
portant service  as  bearer  of  dispatches  for  Gen- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


459 


eral  Taylor.  After  the  war  he  served  six  years 
as  Probate  Judge.  In  May,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
the  war  for  the  Union,  and  wa.s  chosen  Colonel 
of  the  Seventeentli  Illinois  Volunteers,  serving 
with  it  in  Missouri  and  Kentucky ;  was  commis- 
sioned Brigadier-General  a  few  weeks  after  the 
capture  of  Fort  Donelson,  and,  after  the  evacu- 
ation of  Corinth,  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  a  division  witli  lieadquarters  at  Bolivar,  Tenn. 
He  resigned  in  July,  1863,  and,  in  1867,  was 
appointed  by  President  Johnson  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue  for  the  Ninth  District;  has 
been  three  times  a  delegate  to  National  Repub- 
lican Conventions  and  twice  defeated  as  a  candi- 
date for  Congress  in  a  Democratic  District. 
Since  the  war  he  has  devoted  his  attention 
largely  to  stock-raising,  having  a  large  stock- 
faim  in  Iowa.  In  his  later  years  was  President 
of  a  bank  at  Lewistown,  111.  Died  Jan.  17,  1901. 
ROSS,  (Col.)  William,  pioneer,  was  born  at 
Monson,  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  April  24,  1792; 
removed  with  his  fatlier's  family,  in  ISC'),  to 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  until  his 
twentieth  year,  when  he  was  commissioned  an 
Ensign  in  tlie  Twenty-fir.st  Regiment  United 
States  Infantry,  serving  through  the  War  of 
1813- 14,  and  participating  in  the  battle  of  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  serv- 
ice he  acted  as  drill-master  at  various  points. 
Then,  returning  to  Pittsfield,  he  carried  on  the 
business  of  blacksmithing  as  an  employer,  mean- 
while filling  some  local  offices.  In  1820,  a  com- 
pany consisting  of  himself  and  four  brothers, 
with  their  families  and  a  few  others,  started  for 
the  West,  intending  to  settle  in  Illinois.  Reach- 
ing the  head-waters  of  the  Allegheny  overland, 
they  transferred  their  wagons,  teams  and  other 
property  to  flat-boats,  descending  that  stream 
and  the  Ohio  to  Shawneetown,  111.  Here  they 
di.sembarked  and,  crossing  the  State,  reached 
Upper  Alton,  where  they  found  only  one  house, 
that  of  Maj.  Charles  W.  Hunter.  Leaving  their 
families  at  Upper  Alton,  the  brothers  proceeded 
north,  crossing  tlie  Illinois  River  near  its  mouth, 
until  they  reached  a  point  in  the  western  part  of 
the  present  county  of  Pike,  where  the  town  of 
Atlas  was  afterwards  located.  Here  they 
erected  four  rough  log-cabins,  on  a  beautiful 
prairie  not  far  from  the  Mi.ssissippi,  removing 
their  famihes  thitlier  a  few  weeks  later.  Tliey 
suffered  the  usual  privations  incident  to  life  in  a 
new  country,  not  excepting  sickness  and  death 
of  some  of  their  number.  At  tlie  next  session  of 
the  Legislature  (1820-21)  Pike  County  was  estab- 
lished, embracing  all  that  part  of  the  State  west 


and  north  of  the  Illinois,  and  including  the 
present  cities  of  Galena  and  Chicago.  The  Ross 
settlement  became  the  nucleus  of  the  town  of 
-Atlas,  laid  out  by  Colonel  Ross  and  his  associates 
in  1823,  at  an  early  day  the  rival  of  Quincy,  and 
becoming  the  second  county -seat  of  Pike  County, 
so  remaining  from  1824  to  1833,  when  the  .seat  of 
justice  was  removed  to  Pittsfield.  During  this 
period  Colonel  Ross  was  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent citizens  of  the  county,  holding,  simultane- 
ously or  successively,  the  offices  of  Probate 
Judge,  Circuit  and  County  Clerk,  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  others  of  a  subordinate  character. 
As  Colonel  of  Militia,  in  1832,  he  was  ordered  by 
Governor  Reynolds  to  raise  a  company  for  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  and,  in  four  days,  reported  at 
Beardstown  with  twice  the  number  of  men 
called  for.  In  1834  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  General  Assembly,  also  serving  in 
tlie  Senate  during  the  three  following  sessions,  a 
part  of  the  time  as  President  pro  teni.  of  the  last- 
named  body.  While  in  the  General  Assembly  he 
was  instrumental  in  securing  legislation  of  great 
importance  relating  to  Military  Tract  lands. 
The  year  following  the  establishment  of  the 
county-seat  at  Pittsfield  (1834)  he  became  a  citi- 
zen of  that  place,  which  he  had  the  privilege  of 
naming  for  liis  early  home.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  State  Convention  of  18.56,  and  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
of  1860,  which  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  Presi- 
dent tlie  first  time.  Beginning  life  poor  he 
acquired  considerable  property ;  was  liberal,  pub- 
lic-spirited and  patriotic,  making  a  handsome 
donation  to  the  first  company  organized  in  Pike 
County,  for  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion. 
Died,  at  Pittsfield,  May  31,  1873. 

ROSSVILLE,  a  village  of  Vermillion  County, 
on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  19 
miles  north  of  Danville;  has  electric-light  plant, 
water-works,  tile  and  brick-works,  two  banks  and 
two  newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  879;  (1900),  1,43.5. 

ROr>'DS,  sterling  Parker,  public  printer, 
was  born  in  Berkshire,  Vt. ,  June  27,  1828;  about 
1840  began  learning  the  printer's  trade  at  Ken- 
osha, Wis.,  and,  in  184.5,  was  foreman  of  the  State 
printing  office  at  Madison,  afterward  working  in 
offices  in  Milwaukee,  Racine  and  Buffalo,  going 
to  Chicago  in  1851.  Here  he  finally  established 
a  printer's  warehouse,  to  which  he  later  added  an 
electrotype  foundry  and  the  manufacture  of 
presses,  also  commencing  the  issue  of  "Round's 
Printers'  Cabinet,"  a  trade-paper,  which  was 
continued  during  his  life.  In  1881  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Garfield  Public  Printer  at 


460 


HISTORICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLLNOIS. 


Washington,  serving  until  188.5,  when  he  removed 
to  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  was  identified  with  "The 
Republican,"  of  that  city,  until  liis  death,  Dec. 
17,  1887. 

ROUNTREE,  Hiram,  County  Judge,  born  in 
Rutherford  County,  N.  C,  Dec.  22,  1794;  was 
brought  to  Kentucky  in  infancy,  wliere  he  grew 
to  manhood  and  served  as  an  Ensign  in  the  War 
of  1813  under  General  Shelby.  In  1817  he  re- 
moved to  Illinois  Territory,  first  locating  in 
Madison  County,  wliere  he  taught  school  for  two 
years  near  Edwardsville,  but  removed  to  Fayette 
County  about  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the 
State  capital  to  Vandalia.  On  the  organization 
of  Montgomery  County,  in  1821,  he  was  appointed 
to  office  there  and  ever  afterwards  resided  at 
Hillsboro.  For  a  number  of  years  in  the  early 
history  of  the  county,  he  held  (at  the  same  time) 
the  oflBces  of  Clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners 
Court,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  County 
Recorder,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Notary  Public, 
Master  in  Chancery  and  Judge  of  Prolate,  l)esides 
that  of  Postmaster  for  the  town  of  IlilLsboro.  In 
1836  he  was  elected  Enrolling  and  Engrossing 
Clerk  of  the  Senate  and  re-elected  in  1830;  served 
as  Delegate  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1847,  and  the  next  year  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  serving  in  the  Sixteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth General  Assemblies.  On  retiring  from 
the  Senate  (18.52),  he  was  elected  County  Judge 
without  opposition,  was  re-elected  to  the  same 
oflice  in  1801,  and  again,  in  1865,  as  the  nominee 
of  the  Republicans.  Judge  Rountree  was  noted 
for  his  sound  judgment  and  sterling  integrity. 
Died,  at  Hillsboro.  March  4,  1873. 

KOl'TT,  John  L.,  soldier  and  Governor,  was 
born  at  Eddyville,  Ky.,  April  25,  1826.  brought 
to  Illinois  in  infancy  and  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  Soon  after  coming  of  age  he  was 
elected  and  served  one  term  as  Sheriff  of  McLean 
County ;  in  1863  enUsted  and  became  Captain  of 
Company  E,  Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
After  the  war  he  engaged  in  business  in  Bloom- 
ington,  and  was  appointed  by  President  Grant, 
successively.  United  States  Marshal  for  the 
Southern  District  of  Illinois,  Second  Assistant 
Postmaster-General  and  Territorial  Governor  of 
Colorado.  On  the  admission  of  Colorado  as  a 
State,  he  was  elected  the  first  Governor  under  the 
State  Government,  and  re-elected  in  1890 — serv- 
ing, in  all,  three  years.  His  home  is  in  Denver. 
He  has  been  extensively  and  successfully  identi- 
fied with  mining  enterprises  in  Colorado. 

ROWELL,  Jonathan  H.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  Feb.  10,  1833.     He  is  a 


graduate  of  Eureka  College  and  of  the  Law 
Department  of  the  Cliicago  University.  During 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  served  three  years  as 
company  officer  in  the  Seventeenth  Illinois 
Infantry.  In  1868  he  was  elected  State's  Attor- 
ney for  the  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit,  and,  in  1880, 
was  a  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Fourteenth  Illinois  District  and  three  times 
reelected,  serving  until  March,  1891.  His  home 
is  at  Blooinington. 

ROWETT,  Richard,  soldier,  was  born  in  Corn- 
wall. F.ngland,  in  1830,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  18.51,  finally  settling  on  a  farm  near 
Carlinville,  111.,  and  becoming  a  breeder  of 
thorough-bred  horses.  In  1861  he  entered  the 
service  as  a  Captain  in  the  Seventh  Illinois 
Volunteers  and  was  successively  promoted 
Major,  Lieutenant -Colonel  and  Colonel;  was 
wounded  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Corinth  and 
AUatoona,  esi)eciall}'  distinguishing  him.self  at  the 
latter  and  being  brevetted  Brigadier-General  for 
gallantry.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  his 
stock  farm,  but  later  held  the  positions  of  Canal 
Commissioner,  Penitentiary  Commissioner,  Rep- 
resentative in  the  Thirtieth  General  Assem- 
bly and  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the 
Fourth  (Quincy)  District,  until  its  consolidation 
with  the  Eighth  District  by  President  Cleveland. 
Died,  in  Chicago.  July  13,  1887. 

RUSH  MEDICAL  COLLEGE,  located  in  Chi- 
cago; incorjwrated  by  act  of  March  2,  1837,  the 
charter  having  been  prepared  the  previous  j-ear 
by  Drs.  Daniel  Brainard  and  Josiah  C.  Gcx)dhue. 
The  extreme  financial  depression  of  the  following 
year  prevented  the  organization  of  a  faculty 
until  1843.  The  institution  was  named  in  honor 
of  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  the  eminent  practitioner, 
medical  author  and  teacher  of  Philadelphia  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  first 
faculty  consisted  of  four  professors,  and  the  first 
term  ojjened  on  Dec.  4,  1843.  with  a  class  of 
twenty-two  students.  Three  years'  study  was 
required  for  graduation,  but  only  two  annual 
terms  of  sixteen  weeks  each  need  be  attended  at 
the  college  itself.  Instruction  was  given  in  a 
few  rooms  temporarily  opened  for  tliat  purpose. 
The  next  year  a  small  building,  costing  between 
§3,000  and  $4,000,  was  erected.  This  was  re-ar- 
ranged and  enlarged  in  1855  at  a  cost  of  $15,000. 
The  constant  and  rapid  growth  of  the  college 
necessitated  the  erection  of  a  new  building  in 
1867,  the  cost  of  which  was  $70,000.  Tliis  was 
destroyed  in  the  fire  of  1871,  and  another,  costing 
$54,000,  was  erected  in  1876  and  a  free  disjiensary 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


461 


added.  In  18-14  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  was 
located  on  a  portion  of  the  college  lot,  and  the 
two  institutions  connected,  thus  insuring  abun- 
dant and  stable  facilities  for  clinical  instruction. 
Shortly  afterwards,  Rush  College  became  the 
medical  department  of  Lake  Forest  University. 
The  present  faculty  (1898)  consists  of  95  profes- 
sors, adjunct  professors,  lecturers  and  instructors 
of  all  grades,  and  over  600  students  in  attend- 
ance. The  length  of  the  annual  terms  is  six 
months,  and  four  years  of  study  are  required  for 
graduation,  attendance  upon  at  least  three  col- 
lege terms  being  compulsory. 

RUSHVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Schuyler 
County,  50  miles  northeast  of  Qvuncy  and  11 
miles  northwest  of  Beardstown ;  is  the  southern 
terminus  of  the  Buda  and  Rushville  branch  of  the 
Chicago,  Biurlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  The 
town  was  selected  as  the  county-seat  in  1826, 
the  seat  of  justice  being  removed  from  a  place 
called  Beardstown,  about  five  miles  eastward 
(not  the  present  Beardstown  in  Cass  County), 
where  it  had  been  located  at  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  Schuyler  County,  a  year  previous. 
At  first  the  new  seat  of  justice  was  called  Rush- 
ton,  in  honor  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  but  after- 
wards took  its  present  name.  It  is  a  coal-mining, 
grain  and  fruit-growing  region,  and  contains 
several  manufactories,  including  flour-mills,  lirick 
and  tile  works;  also  has  two  banks  (State  and 
private)  and  a  public  library.  Four  periodicals 
(one  daily)  are  published  here.  Population 
(1880),  1,662;   (1890),  2,031;  (1900),  2,292. 

RUSSELL,  John,  pioneer  teacher  and  author, 
was  born  at  Cavendish,  Vt.,  July  31,  1793,  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
State  and  at  Middlebury  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1818 — having  obtained  means  to  support 
himself,  during  his  college  course,  by  teaching 
and  by  the  publication,  before  he  had  reached  his 
20th  year,  of  a  volume  entitled  "The  Authentic 
History  of  Vermont  State  Prison. ' '  After  gradu- 
ation he  taught  for  a  short  time  in  Georgia ;  but, 
early  in  the  following  year,  joined  his  father  on 
the  way  to  Missouri.  The  next  five  years  he 
spent  in  teaching  in  the  "Bonhommie  Bottom" 
on  the  Missouri  River.  During  this  period  he 
published,  anonymously,  in  "The  St.  Charles  Mis- 
sourian,"  a  temperance  allegory  entitled  "The 
Venomous  Worm"  (or  "The  Worm  of  the  Still"), 
which  gained  a  wide  popularity  and  was  early 
recognized  by  the  compilers  of  school-readers  as 
a  sort  of  classic.  Leaving  this  locality  he  taught 
a  year  in  St.  Louis,  when  he  removed  to  Vandalia 
(then  the  capital  of  Illinois),  after  which  he  spent 


two  years  teaching  in  the  Seminary  at  Upper 
Alton,  which  afterwards  became  Shurtleff  College. 
In  1828  he  removed  to  Greene  County,  locating 
at  a  point  near  the  Illinois  River  to  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  Bluffdale.      Here  he  was  li- 
censed as  a  Baptist  preacher,  officiating  in  this  ca- 
pacity   only    occasionally,   while   pursuing     his 
calling  as  a  teacher  or  writer  for  the  press,  to 
which  he  was  an    almost  constant    contributor 
during    the   last  twenty-five  years    of    his  life. 
About  1837  or  1838  he  was  editor  of  a  paper  called 
"The  Backwoodsman"  at  Grafton — then  a  part 
of  Greene  County,   but  now  in  Jersey  County — to 
which  he  afterwards  continued  to  be  a  contribu- 
tor some  time  longer,  and,  in  1841-42,  was  editor 
of  "The  Advertiser,  '  at  Louisville,  Ky.     He  was 
also,   for  several  j'ears,  Principal  of  the  Spring 
Hill    Academy  in    East    Feliciana   Parish,   La., 
meanwhile  serving  for  a  portion  of  the  time  as 
Superintendent  of  Public  Schools.     He  was  the 
author  of  a  number  of  stories  and  sketches,  some 
of  which  went  through  several  editions,  and,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  had  in  preparation  a  his- 
tory of  "The  Black  Hawk  War, "  "Evidences  of 
Christianity"  and  a  "History  of   Illinois."     He 
was  an  accomplished  linguist,  being  able  to  read 
with  fluency  Greek,  Latin,  French,  Spanish  and 
Italian,  besides  having  considerable  familiarity 
with  several  other  modern  languages.     In  1863 
he  received  from  the  University  of  Chicago  the 
degree  of    LL.D.     Died,   Jan.   2,    1863,   and  was 
buried  on  the  old  homestead  at  Bluffdale. 

RUSSELL,  Martin  J.,  politician  and  journal- 
ist, born  in  Chicago,  Dec.  20,  1845.  He  was  a 
nephew  of  Col.  James  A.  Mulligan  (see  Mulligan, 
James  A.)  and  served  with  credit  as  Adjutant- 
General  on  the  staff  of  the  latter  in  the  Civil 
War.  In  1870  he  became  a  reporter  on  "The 
Chicago  Evening  Post,"  and  was  advanced  to 
the  position  of  city  editor.  Subsequently  he  was 
connected  with  "The  Times,"  and  "The  Tele- 
gram" ;  was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation of  Hyde  Park  before  the  annexation  of 
that  village  to  Chicago,  and  has  been  one  of  the 
South  Park  Commissioners  of  the  city  last  named. 
After  the  purchase  of  "The  Chicago  Times"  by 
Carter  H.  Harrison  he  remained  for  a  time  on 
the  editorial  staff.  In  1894  President  Cleveland 
appointed  him  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Chicago. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  resumed 
editorial  work  as  editor-in-chief  of  "The  Chron- 
icle," the  organ  of  the  Democratic  party  in 
Chicago.    Died  June  25,  1900. 

RUTHERFORD,  Friend  S.,  lawyer  and  sol- 
dier, was  born  in  Schenectadj',  N.  Y.,  Sept.  25. 


463 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


1820;  studied  law  in  Troy  and  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  at  Edwardsville,  and  finall.v  at 
Alton;  was  a  Republican  candidate  for  Presi- 
dential Elector  in  1836,  and,  in  1860,  a  member  of 
the  National  Republican  Convention  at  Chicago, 
which  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency. 
In  September,  1863,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel 
of  the  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  and 
participated  in  the  capture  of  Port  Gibson  and  in 
the  operations  about  Vicksburg— also  leading  in 
the  attack  on  Arkansas  Post,  and  subse(iuently 
serving  in  Louisiana,  but  died  as  the  result  of 
fatigue  and  exposure  in  the  service,  June  20, 
1864,  one  week  before  his  promotion  to  the  rank 
of  Brigadier-General.— Reuben  C.  (Rutherford), 
brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Troy,  N.  Y., 
Sept.  29,  1823,  but  grew  up  in  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire;  received  a  degree  in  law  when  quite 
yoimg,  but  afterwards  fitted  himself  as  a  lec- 
turer on  physiolog}-  and  hygiene,  upon  wliich  lie 
lectured  extensively  in  Michigan.  Illinois  and 
other  States  after  coming  west  in  1840.  During 
1854-55,  in  co-operation  with  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner 
and  others,  he  canvassed  and  lectured  extensively 
throughout  Illinois  in  support  of  the  movement 
which  resulted  in  the  donation  of  public  lands, 
by  Congress,  for  the  establishment  of  "Industrial 
Colleges"  in  the  several  States.  The  establish- 
ment of  the  University  of  Illinois,  at  Champaign, 
was  the  outgrowth  of  this  movement.  In  1850  he 
located  at  Quincy,  where  he  resided  some  thirty 
years;  in  1861,  served  for  several  months  as  the 
first  Commissary  of  Subsistence  at  Cairo;  was 
later  associated  with  the  State  Quarterma-ster's 
Department,  finally  entering  the  secret  service  of 
the  War  Department,  in  which  he  remained  until 
1867,  retiring  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier- 
General.  In  1886,  General  Rutherford  removed 
to  New  York  City,  where  he  died,  June  24,  1895.— 
George  V.  (Rutherford),  another  brother,  was 
born  at  Rutland,  Vt.,  1830;  was  first  admitted  to 
the  bar.  but  afterwards  took  charge  of  the  con- 
struction of  telegraph  lines  in  some  of  the  South- 
ern States;  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War 
became  Assistant  Quartermaster-General  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  at  Springfield,  under  ex-Gov. 
John  Wood,  but  subsequently  entered  the 
Quartermaster's  service  of  the  General  Govern- 
ment in  Washington,  retiring  after  the  war  with 
the  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  He  then  returned 
to  Quincy,  111. ,  where  he  resided  until  1872,  when 
he  engaged  in  manufacturing  business  at  North- 
ampton, Mass. ,  but  finalh-  removed  to  California 
for  the  benefit  of  his  failing  health.  Died,  at  St. 
Helena,  Cal. .  August  38,  1872. 


RUTL.VXD,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on 
the  lUitiois  Central  Railroad.  25  miles  south  of  La 
Salle;  has  a  bank,  five  churches,  school,  and  a 
newspaper,  with  coal  mines  in  the  vicinity.  Pop. 
(1890),  509;  (1900).  893;  (1903)   1,093 

RrXLEDOE,  (Rev.)  William  J.,  clergyman, 
Army  Chaplain,  born  in  Augusta  County,  Va. , 
June  24,  1820;  was  converted  at  the  age  of  12 
years  and,  at  21.  became  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Ei)iscopal  Church, 
serving  various  churches  in  the  central  and  we.st- 
ern  parts  of  the  State — also  acting,  for  a  time,  as 
Agent  of  the  Illinois  Conference  Female  College 
at  Jacksonville.  From  1801  to  1H(>3  he  was  Chap- 
lain of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teers. Returning  from  the  war,  he  served  as 
pastor  of  churches  at  Jacksonville,  Bloomington, 
Quincy,  Rushville,  Springfield,  Griggsville  and 
other  points;  from  1881  to  '84  was  Cliaplain  of 
the  Illinois  State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet.  Mr. 
Rutledge  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  served  for  many  years 
as  Chaplain  of  the  order  for  the  Department  of 
Illinois.  In  connection  with  the  ministry,  he 
has  occupied  a  supernumerary  relation  since 
1885.    Died  in  Jacksonville.  April  14,  1900. 

RUTZ,  Edward,  State  Trea-surer,  was  born  in 
a  village  in  the  Duchj'  of  Baden,  Germany,  May 
5,  1829;  C4ime  to  America  in  1848,  locating  on  a 
farm  in  St.  Clair  County,  III. ;  went  to  California 
in  1857,  and,  e;vrly  in  1801,  enlisted  in  the  Third 
United  States  Artiller>'  at  San  Francisco,  .serving 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  his  discharge 
in  1864,  and  taking  part  in  every  little  in  wliich 
his  command  was  engaged.  After  his  return  in 
1865,  he  located  in  St.  Clair  County,  and  was 
elected  County  Surveyor,  served  three  consecu- 
tive terms  as  County  Treasurer,  and  was  elected 
State  Treasurer  three  times— 1872,  '76  and  "80. 
About  1802  he  removed  to  California,  where  he 
now  resides. 

RY.VX,  Edirard  (J.,  early  editor  and  jurist, 
born  at  Newca.stle  House,  County  Meath,  Ireland, 
Nov.  13,  1810;  was  educated  for  the  priesthood, 
but  turned  his  attention  to  law,  and,  in  1830, 
came  to  New  York  and  engaged  in  teaching 
while  prosecuting  liis  legal  studies;  in  1836  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  was,  for  a  time,  a.s.sociated  in  practice 
with  Hugh  T.  Dickey.  In  April,  1840,  Mr.  Ryan 
assumed  the  editorship  of  a  weeklj'  paper  in  Chi- 
cago called  "The  Illinois  Tribune,"  which  he 
conducted  for  over  a  year,  and  which  is  remem- 
bered chiefly  on  account  of  its  bitter  assaults  on 
Judge    John    Pearson    of    Danville,    who    had 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


463 


aroused  the  hostility  of  some  members  of  the 
Chicago  bar  by  his  rulings  upon  the  bench. 
About  1842  Ryan  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
where  he  was,  for  a  time,  a  partner  of  Jlatthew 
H.  Carpenter  (afterwards  United  States  Senator), 
and  was  connected  with  a  number  of  celebrated 
trials  before  the  courts  of  that  State,  including 
the  Barstow-Bashford  case,  which  ended  with 
Bashford  becoming  the  iirst  Republican  Governor 
of  "Wisconsin.  In  1874  he  was  appointed  Chief 
Justice  of  Wisconsin,  serving  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Madison,  Oct.  19,  1880.  He 
was  a  strong  partisan,  and,  during  the  Civil  War, 
was  an  intense  opponent  of  the  war  policy  of  the 
Government.  In  spite  of  infirmities  of  temper, 
he  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  mucli  learning 
and  recognized  legal  ability. 

RYAN,  James,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  born 
in  Ireland  in  1848  and  emigrated  to  America  in 
childhood;  was  educated  for  the  priesthood  in 
Kentucky,  and,  after  ordination,  was  made  a  pro- 
fessor in  St.  Joseph's  Seminary,  at  Bardstown, 
Ky.  In  1878  lie  removed  to  Illinois,  attaching 
himself  to  the  diocese  of  Peoria,  and  having 
charge  of  i^arishes  at  Wataga  and  Danville.  In 
1881  he  became  rector  of  the  Ottawa  parish, 
within  the  episcopal  jurisdiction  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Chicago.  In  1888  he  was  made  Bishop 
of  the  see  of  Alton,  the  prior  incumbent  (Bishop 
Baltes)  having  died  in  1886. 

SACS  AJfI>  FOXES,  two  confederated  Indian 
tribes,  who  were  among  the  most  warlike  and 
powerful  of  the  aborigines  of  tlie  Illinois  Country. 
The  Fo.xes  called  themselves  the  Musk-wah-ha- 
kee,  a  name  compounded  of  two  words,  signify- 
ing "those  of  red  earth."  The  French  called 
them  Outaga-mies,  that  being  their  spelling  of 
the  name  given  them  by  other  tribes,  the  mean- 
ing of  which  was  "Foxes,"  and  which  was 
bestowed  upon  them  because  their  totem  (or 
armorial  device,  as  it  may  be  called)  was  a  fox. 
They  seem  to  have  been  driven  westward  from 
the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  Ijy  way  of 
Niagara  and  Mackinac,  to  the  region  around 
Green  Bay,  Wis. — Concerning  their  allied  breth- 
ren, the  Sacs,  less  is  known.  The  name  is  vari- 
ously spelled  in  the  Indian  dialects — Ou-sa-kies, 
Sauks,  etc. — and  the  term  Sacs  is  unquestionably 
an  abbreviated  corruption.  Black  Hawk  be- 
longed to  this  tribe.  The  Foxes  and  Sacs  formed 
a  confederation  according  to  aboriginal  tradition, 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Sac  River,  near 
Green  Bay,  but  the  date  of  the  alliance  cannot 
be  determined.     The  origin  of  tlie  Sacs  is  equally 


uncertain.  Black  Hawk  claimed  that  his  tribe 
originally  dwelt  around  Quebec,  but,  as  to  the 
authenticity  of  this  claim,  historical  authorities 
differ  widel}-.  Subsequent  to  1070  the  history  of 
the  allied  tribes  is  tolerably  well  defined.  Their 
characteristics,  location  and  habits  are  described 
at  some  length  bj-  Father  AUouez,  who  visited 
them  in  l()()6-67.  He  says  that  they  were  numer- 
ous and  warlike,  but  depicts  them  as  "penurious, 
avaricious,  thievish  and  quarrelsome."  That 
they  were  cordially  dete.sted  by  their  neighbors 
is  certain,  and  Judge  James  Hall  calls  them  "the 
Ishmaelites  of  the  lakes."  They  were  unfriendly 
to  the  French,  who  attached  to  themselves  other 
tribes,  and,  through  the  aid  of  the  latter,  had 
well-nigh  exterminated  them,  when  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  sued  for  peace,  which  was  granted  on 
terms  most  humiliating  to  the  vanquished.  By 
1718,  however,  they  were  virtually  in  possession 
of  the  region  around  Rock  River  in  Illinois,  and, 
four  years  later,  through  the  aid  of  the  Mascou- 
tinsand  Kickapoos,  they  had  expelled  the  Illinois, 
driving  the  last  of  that  ill-fated  tribe  across  the 
Illinois  River.  They  abstained  from  taking  part 
in  the  border  wars  that  marked  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  and  therefore  did  not  par- 
ticipate in  the  treatj'  of  Greenville  in  179.J.  At 
that  date,  according  to  Judge  Hall,  they  claimed 
the  country  as  far  west  as  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
and  as  far  north  as  Prairie  du  Chien.  They 
offered  to  co-operate  with  the  United  States 
Government  in  the  War  of  1813,  but  this  offer 
was  declined,  and  a  portion  of  the  tribe,  under 
the  leadership  of  Black  Hawk,  enlisted  on  the 
side  of  the  British.  The  Black  Hawk  War  proved 
their  political  ruin.  By  the  treaty  of  Rock  Island 
they  ceded  vast  tracts  of  land,  including  a  large 
part  of  the  eastern  half  of  Iowa  and  a  large  body 
of  land  east  of  the  Mississippi.  (See  Black  Hawk 
]Var:  Indian  Treaties.)  In  1842  the  Government 
divided  the  nation  into  two  bands,  removing  both 
to  reservations  in  the  farther  West.  One  was 
located  on  the  Osage  River  and  the  other  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Xee-ma-ha  River,  near  the 
northwest  corner  of  Kansas.  From  these  reser- 
vations, there  is  little  doubt,  many  of  them  have 
silently  emigrated  toward  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
where  the  hoe  might  be  laid  aside  for  the  rifle, 
the  net  and  the  spear  of  the  hunter.  A  few 
years  ago  a  part  of  these  confederated  tribes 
were  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  Oklahoma. 

SAILOR  SPRINGS,  a  village  and  health  resort 
in  Clay  County,  o  miles  north  of  Clay  City,  has 
an  academy  and  a  local  paper.  Population  (1900), 
419;  (1903,  est),  5.50. 


4G4 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


SALEM,  an  incorporated  cit.v,  the  county-seat 
of  Jlariou  County,  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  and  the 
Illinois  Southern  Railroads,  71  miles  east  of  St. 
Louis,  and  16  miles  northeast  of  Centralia;  in 
agricultural  and  coal  district.  A  leading  indus- 
try is  the  culture,  evaporation  and  shipment  of 
fruit.  The  city  has  flour-mills,  two  banks  and 
three  weekly  newspapers.  Pop.  (1890),  1,493; 
(1900),  1,642. 

SALINE  COUNTY,  a  southeastern  county, 
organized  in  1847,  having  an  area  of  380  square 
miles.  It  derives  its  name  from  the  salt  springs 
which  are  found  in  every  part  of  the  county. 
The  northern  portion  is  rolling  and  yields  an 
abundance  of  coal  of  a  quality  suitable  for  smith- 
ing. The  bottoms  are  swanipy,  but  heavily 
timbered,  and  saw-mills  abound.  Oak,  hickorj-, 
sweet  gum,  mulberry,  locust  and  sassafras  are 
the  prevailing  varieties.  Fruit  and  tobacco  are 
extensively  cultivated.  The  climate  is  mild  and 
humid,  and  the  vegetation  varied.  The  soil  of 
the  low  lands  is  rich,  and,  when  drained,  makes 
excellent  farming  lands.  In  some  localities  a 
good  gray  sandstone,  soft  enough  to  be  worked, 
is  quarried,  and  millstone  grit  is  frequently  found. 
In  the  southern  half  of  the  county  are  the  Eagle 
Mountains,  a  line  of  hills  having  an  altitude  of 
.some  450  to  500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi at  Cairo,  and  believed  by  geologists  to 
have  been  a  part  of  the  upheaval  that  gave  birth 
to  the  Ozark  Mountains  in  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
.sas.  The  highest  land  in  the  county  is  864  feet 
above  sea-level.  Tradition  saj-s  that  these  hilLs 
are  rich  in  silver  ore,  but  it  has  not  been  found 
in  paying  quantities.  Springs  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  sulphur  are  found  on  the  slopes.  The 
county-seat  was  originally  located  at  Raleigh, 
which  was  platted  in  1848,  but  it  was  subse- 
(juentl}'  removed  to  Harrisburg,  which  was  laid 
out  in  1859.  Population  of  the  county  (1880), 
15,940;  (1890),  19,342;  (1900),  21,685. 

SALIXE  RITER,  a  stream  formed  by  the  con- 
fluence of  two  branches,  both  of  which  flow 
through  portions  of  Saline  County,  uniting  in 
GaUatin  Count}-.  The  North  Fork  rises  in  Hamil- 
ton County  and  runs  nearly  south,  while  the 
South  Fork  drains  part  of  Williamson  County, 
and  runs  east  through  Saline.  The  river  (which 
is  little  more  than  a  creek),  thus  formed,  runs 
southeast,  entering  the  Ohio  ten  miles  below 
Shawneetown. 

SALT  MAXUFACTFRE.  There  is  evidence 
going  to  show  that  the  saline  springs,  in  Gallatin 
Ck)unty,  were  utilized  by  the  aboriginal  inhabit- 


ants in  the  making  of  salt,  long  before  the  advent 
of  white  settlers.  There  have  been  discovered,  at 
various  points,  what  appear  to  be  the  remains  of 
evaporating  kettles,  composed  of  liardened  clay 
and  pounded  shells,  varying  in  diameter  from 
three  to  four  feet.  In  1812,  with  a  view  to  en- 
couraging the  manufacture  of  salt  from  these 
springs.  Congress  granted  to  Illinois  the  use  of 
36  s<iuare  miles,  the  fee  still  remaining  in  the 
United  States.  These  lands  were  leased  by  the 
State  to  private  parties,  but  the  income  derived 
from  them  was  comparatively  small  and  fre- 
(juently  difficult  of  collection.  The  workmen 
were  mostly  sUives  from  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see, who  are  especially  referred  to  in  Article  VI., 
Section  2,  of  the  Constitution  of  1818.  The  salt 
made  brought  $5  per  100  pounds,  and  was  shipped 
in  keel  boats  to  various  points  on  the  Ohio,  Mis- 
sissippi, Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers,  while 
many  purchasers  came  hundreds  of  miles  on 
horseback  and  carried  it  away  on  pack  animals. 
In  1827.  the  .State  treasury  being  empty  and  the 
General  Assembly  having  decided  to  erect  a  peni- 
tentiary at  Alton.  Congress  was  petitioned  to 
donate  these  lands  to  the  State  in  fee,  and  per- 
mission was  granted  "to  sell  30,000  acres  of  the 
Ohio  Salines  in  Gallatin  County,  and  apply  the 
I)roceeds  to  such  purposes  as  the  Legislature 
might  by  law  direct."  The  sale  was  made,  one- 
half  of  the  proceeds  set  apart  for  the  building  of 
the  i)enitentiary,  and  one-half  to  the  improve- 
ment of  roads  and  rivers  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  State.  The  manufacture  of  salt  was  carried 
on,  however — for  a  time  by  lessees  and  subse- 
quently by  owners — until  1873,  about  which  time 
it  was  abandoned,  chiefly  because  it  had  ceased 
to  be  profitable  on  account  of  competition  with 
other  districts  possessing  superior  facilities. 
Some  sjvlt  was  manufactured  in  Vermilion  County 
about  1824.  The  manufacture  has  been  success- 
fully carried  on  in  recent  years,  from  the  product 
of  artesian  wells,  at  St.  John,  in  Perry  County. 

SAXDOVAL,  a  village  of  Marion  County,  at 
the  crossing  of  the  western  branch  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Riilroad,  and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southwestern,  6  miles  north  of  Centralia.  Tlie 
town  has  coal  mines  and  some  manufactures, 
with  banks  and  one  newspaper.  Population 
(18801,  rSi.  (1890).  834;  (1900),  1,258. 

SAXDSTOXE.  The  quantity  of  sandstone  quar- 
ried in  Illinois  is  comparatively  insignificant,  its 
value  being  less  than  one  fifth  of  one  per  cent  of 
the  value  of  the  output  of  the  entire  country. 
In  1890  the  State  ranked  twenty-fifth  in  the  list 
of  States  producing  this  mineral,  the  total  value 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


465 


of  the  stone  quarried  being  but  §17,896,  repre- 
senting 141,605  cubic  feet,  taken  fiom  ten  quar- 
ries, which  employed  forty -six  liands,  and  liad  an 
aggregate  capital  invested  of  §40.400. 

SAXnWICH,  a  city  in  De  Kalb  County,  incor- 
porated in  187::!,  on  the  Chicago,  Builington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  58  miles  southwest  of  Chicago. 
The  principal  industries  are  the  manufacture  of 
agricultural  implements,  hay-presses,  corn-shell- 
ers,  pumps  and  wind-mills.  Sandwich  has  two 
private  banks,  two  weekly  and  one  semi-weekly 
papers.  Pop.  (1890),  3,516;  (1900),  2,.520;  (1903), 
2,865. 

!SAXGAMO!V     COUNTY,    a     central     county, 
organized  under  act  of  June  30,  1821,  from  parts 
of  Bond  and  Madison  Counties,  and  embracing 
the  present  counties  of  Sangamon,  Cass,  Menard, 
Mason,  Tazewell,   Logan,  and  parts  of  Morgan, 
McLean,  Woodford,  Marshall  and    Putnam.     It 
was   named    for  the    river  flowing  through    it. 
Though  reduced   in  area  somewhat,  four  years 
later,  it  extended  to  the  Illinois  River,  but  was 
reduced  to  its  present  limits  by  the  setting  apart 
of    Menard,   Logan    and    Dane    (now  Christian) 
Counties,  in  1839.    Henry  Funderburk  is  believed 
to  have  been  the    first    white    settler,   arriving 
there  in  1817  and  locating  in  what  is  now  Cotton 
Hill  Township,  being  followed,  the  next  year,  by 
William  Drennan,  .Joseph  Dodds,  James  McCoy, 
Robert  Pulliam  and  others.     John  Kelly  located 
on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Springfield  in 
1818,  and  was  there  at  the  time  of  the  .selection 
of  that  place  as  the  temporary  seat  of  justice  in 
1821.     Other  settlements  were  made  at  Auburn, 
Island    Grove,  and    elsewhere,    and    pojiulation 
began  to  flow  in  rapidly.     Remnants  of  the  Potta- 
watomie and  Kickapoo  Indians  were  still  there, 
but  soon  moved  north  or  west.     County  organi- 
zation was  effected  in   1831.   the  first  Board  of 
County  Commissioners  being  composed  of  Wil- 
liam Drennan,  Zachariah  Peter  and  Samuel  Lee. 
John  Reynolds  (afterwards  Governor)   held  the 
first  term  of  Circuit  Court,  with  John  Taylor, 
Sheriff;  Henry  Starr,  Prosecuting  Attorney,  and 
Charles  R.   Matheny,   Circuit   Clerk.     A  United 
States  Land  Office  was  established  at  Springfield 
in  1823,   witli  Pascal  P.   Enos   as  Receiver,   the 
first  sale  of  lands  taking  place  the  same  year. 
The  soil  of  Sangamon  County  is  exuberantly  fer- 
tile, with  rich  underlying  deposits  of  bituminous 
coal,  which  is  mined  in  large  quantities.     The 
chief  towns  are  Springfield,    Auburn,   Riverton, 
lUiopolis  and  Pleasant  Plains.     The  area  of  the 
countj'  is  860  stiuare  miles.     Population  (1880), 
52,894;  (1890),  61,195;  (1900),  71,593. 


SAMtAMON  RIA'ER,  formed  by  the  union  of 
the  North  and  South  Forks,  of  which  the  former 
is  the  longer,  or  main  branch.  The  North  Fork 
rises  in  the  northern  part  of  Champaign  County, 
wlience  it  runs  southwest  to  the  city  of  Decatur, 
thence  westward  tlirougli  Sangamon  Count}', 
foi-ming  the  north  boundary  of  Cliristian  County, 
and  emptying  into  the  Illinois  River  about  9  miles 
above  Beardstown.  The  Sangamon  is  nearly  240 
miles  long,  including  the  North  Fork.  The 
South  Fork  flows  through  Christian  Countj',  and 
joins  the  North  Fork  about  6  miles  east  of 
Springfield.  In  the  early  history  of  the  State  the 
Sangamon  was  regarded  as  a  navigable  stream, 
and  its  improvement  was  one  of  the  measures 
advocated  by  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1832,  wlien  he 
was  for  the  first  time  a  candidate  (though  unsuc- 
cessfully) for  the  Legislature.  In  the  spring  of 
1833  a  small  steamer  from  Cincinnati,  called  the 
"Talisman,"  ascended  the  river  to  a  point  near 
Springfield.  The-  event  was  celebrated  with 
great  rejoicing  by  the  people,  but  the  vessel 
encountered  so  much  difficulty  in  getting  out  of 
the  river  that  the  experiment  was  never 
repeated. 

SANGAMON  &  MORGAN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Waba.sli  Railroad.) 

SANGER,  Lorenzo  P.,  raihvay  and  canal  con- 
tractor, was  born  at  Littleton,  N.  H. ,  March  2, 
1809;  brought  in  childhood  to  Livingston  County, 
N.  Y.,  wliere  his  father  became  a  contractor  on 
the  Erie  Canal,  the  son  also  being  emploj'ed  upon 
the  same  work.  Tlie  latter  subsequently  became 
a  contractor  on  tlie  Pennsylvania  Canal  on  his 
own  account,  being  known  as  "the  boy  contract- 
or." Then,  after  a  brief  experience  in  mercantile 
business,  and  a  year  spent  in  the  construction  of  a 
canal  in  Indiana,  in  1836  he  came  to  Illinois,  and 
soon  after  became  an  extensive  contractor  on  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  having  charge  of  rock 
excavation  at  Lockport.  He  was  also  connected 
with  the  Rock  River  improvement  scheme,  and 
interested  in  a  Une  of  stages  between  Chicago 
and  Galena,  which,  having  been  consolidated 
with  the  line  managed  by  the  firm  of  Fink  & 
Walker,  finally  became  the  Northwestern  Stage 
Company,  extending  its  operations  throughout 
Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa 
and  Missouri — Mr.  Sanger  having  charge  of  the 
Western  Division,  for  a  time,  with  headquarters 
at  St.  Louis.  In  1851  he  became  the  head  of  tlie 
firm  of  Sanger,  Camp  &  Co.,  contractors  for  the 
construction  of  the  Western  (or  Illinois)  Division 
of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  (now  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio    Southwestern)   Railway,   upon    which    he 


466 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    (>F   ILLINOIS. 


was  employed  for  several  years.  Other  works 
with  wliich  he  was  connected  were  the  North 
Missouri  Railroad  and  the  construction  of  the 
State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet,  as  member  of  the 
firm  of  Sanger  &  Casey,  for  a  time,  also  lessees  of 
convict  labor.  In  1K62  Mr.  Sanger  received  from 
Governor  Yates,  by  request  of  President  Lincoln, 
a  commission  as  Colonel,  and  was  assigned  to 
staff  duty  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  After 
the  war  he  became  largely  interested  in  stone 
quarries  adjacent  to  Joliet;  also  had  an  extensive 
contract,  from  the  City  of  Chicago,  for  deepening 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Died,  at  Oakland, 
Cal.,  March  23,  1875,  whitlicr  he  had  gone  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health. — James  Youii^  (Sanger), 
brother  of  the  preceding,  was  l)orn  at  Sutton, 
Vt.,  March  14,  1814;  in  boyhood  spent  some  time 
in  a  large  mercantile  establishment  at  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  later  being  associated  with  his  father  and 
elder  brotlier  in  contracts  on  the  Erie  Canal  and 
similar  works  in  Pennsylvania.  Ohio  and  Indi- 
ana. At  the  age  of  22  he  came  with  his  father's 
family  to  St.  Joseph,  Mich,,  where  they  estab- 
lished a  large  supply  store,  and  engaged  in 
bridge-building  and  similar  enterprises.  At  a 
later  period,  in  connection  with  his  father  and 
his  brother,  L.  P.  Sanger,  he  w;us  prominently 
connected  with  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal — the  aqueduct  at  Ottawa  and 
the  locks  at  Peru  being  constructed  by  them. 
About  18.50  the  Construction  Company,  of  which 
he  and  his  brother,  L.  P.  Sanger,  were  leading 
members,  undertook  the  construction  of  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  (now  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwest- 
ern) Railroad,  from  St.  Louis  to  Vincennes,  Ind., 
and  were  prominently  identified  with  other  rail- 
road enterprises  in  Southern  Illinois,  Missouri  and 
California.  Died.  July  3,  1867,  when  consum- 
mating arrangements  for  the  performance  of  a 
large  contract  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 

S.4MTARY  COMMISSION.  (See  niinois  San- 
ifa nj  < 'otn in ission.) 

SAMTARY  DISTRICT  OF  CHICAGO.  (See 
Chicago  Drainage  Canal.) 

SAUGANASH,  the  Indian  name  of  a  half-breed 
known  as  Gapt.  Billy  Caldwell,  the  son  of  a 
Britisli  officer  and  a  Pottawatomie  woman,  born 
in  Canada  about  1780;  received  an  education 
from  the  Jesuits  at  Detroit,  and  was  able  to 
speak  and  write  English  and  French,  besides 
several  Indian  dialects ;  was  a  friend  of  Tecum- 
seh's  and,  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  a 
devoted  friend  of  the  white.s.  •  He  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chicago  about  1820,  and,  in  1820. 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  while  nominally  a 


subject  of  Great  Britain  and  a  Chief  of  the  Otta- 
was  and  Pottawatomies.  In  1828  the  Govern- 
ment, in  consideration  of  his  services,  built  for 
him  the  first  frame  house  ever  erected  in  Chicago, 
wliich  he  occupied  until  his  departure  with  his 
tril)e  for  Council  Bluffs  in  1836.  By  a  treaty, 
made  Jan.  2,  1830,  reservations  were  granted  by 
the  Government  to  Sauganash.  Sliabona  and 
other  friendly  Indians  (see  Shabona).  and  1,240 
acres  on  the  North  Branch  of  Chif'ago  River  set 
apart  for  C.-ildwell,  which  he  sold  before  leaving 
the  country.  Died,  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
Sept.  28,  1841. 

SAVAGE,  Georfire  S.  F.,  I>.I).,  clergyman,  was 
born  at  Cromwell,  Conn.,  Jan.  2!),  1817;  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  College  in  1844;  studied  theology  at 
Andover  and  New  Haven,  graduating  in  1847; 
was  ordained  a  home  missionary  the  same  year 
and  spent  twelve  years  as  pastor  at  St.  Charles, 
111.,  for  four  years  being  corres|X>nding  editor  of 
"The  Prairie  Herald"  and  "The  Congregational 
Herald."  For  ten  years  he  wa.s  in  the  service  of 
the  American  Tract  Society,  and,  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  engageil  in  sanitiiry  and  religious  work 
in  the  army.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  Western 
Secretarj'  of  the  Congregational  Publishing 
Society,  remaining  two  years,  after  which  h?  be- 
came Financial  Secretary  of  the  Chicago  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  He  has  also  been  a  Director 
of  the  institution  since  18.54,  a  Tru-stee  of  Beloit 
College  since  18.50,  and,  for  several  years,  editor 
and  publisher  of  "The  Congregational  Review." 

SAY''A>>'A,  a  city  in  Carroll  County,  situated 
on  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Northern  and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railways;  is  10  miles  west  of  Mount 
Carroll  and  about  20  miles  north  of  Clinton, 
Iowa.  It  is  an  im]x)rtant  shipping-point  and  con- 
tains several  manufactories  of  machinery,  lumber, 
flour,  etc.  It  has  two  State  banks,  a  public 
library,  churches,  two  graded  schools,  tovmship 
high  school,  and  two  daily  and  weekly  news- 
papers.    Pop.  (1890),  3,097;  (1900),  3,325. 

SATBROOK,  a  village  of  McLean  County,  on 
the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railroad,  26  miles  east 
of  Bloomington;  district  agricultural;  county 
fairs  held  here;  the  town  has  two  banks  and  two 
newspapers.     Pop.  (1890).  ail;  (1900),  879. 

SCATES,  Walter  Bennett,  jurist  and  soldier, 
was  born  at  South  Boston,  Halifax  County.  Va., 
Jan.  18,  1808;  was  taken  in  infancy  to  Hopkins- 
ville,  Ky.,  where  he  resided  until  1831,  having 
meanwhile  learned  the  printer's  trade  at  Nash- 
ville and  studied  law  at  Louisville.  In  1831  he 
removed    to    Frankfort.   Franklin    County,  111., 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


467 


where,  for  a  time,  he  was  County  Surveyor.  In 
1836,  having  been  appointed  Attorney-General, 
he  removed  to  Vandalia,  then  the  .seat  of  govern- 
ment, but  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  same  year 
to  accept  the  judgeship  of  the  Third  Judicial 
Circuit,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Shavrnee- 
town.  In  1841  he  was  one  of  five  new  Judges 
added  to  tlie  Supreme  Court  bench,  the  others 
being  Sidney  Breese,  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
Thomas  Ford  and  Samuel  H.  Treat.  In  that 
year  he  removed  to  Mount  Vernon,  Jefferson 
County,  and,  in  January,  1847,  resigned  Iiis  seat 
upon  the  bencli  to  resume  practice.  The  same 
year  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention and  Cliairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Judiciary.  In  June,  1854,  he  again  took  a  seat 
upon  the  Supreme  Court  bench,  being  chosen  to 
succeed  Lyman  Trumbull,  but  resigned  in  Maj', 
18.')7,  and  resumed  practice  in  Chicago.  In 
1862  he  volunteered  in  defense  of  the  Union, 
received  a  Major's  commission  and  was  assigned 
to  dut}'  on  the  staff  of  General  McClernand ;  was 
made.  Assistant  Adjutant-General  and  mustered 
out  in  January,  1866.  In  July,  1866,  President 
Johnson  appointed  him  Collector  of  Customs  at 
Chicago,  which  position  he  filled  until  July  1, 
1869,  when  he  was  removed  by  President  Grant, 
during  the  same  period,  being  ex-officio  custodian 
of  "United  States  funds,  tlie  office  of  Assistant 
Treasurer  not  having  been  then  created.  Died, 
at  Evanston,  Oct.  26.  1886. 

SCAMMOX,  Jonathan  Young,  lawyer  and 
banker,  was  born  at  Whitefield,  Maine,  July  27, 
1812;  after  graduating  at  Waterville  (now  Colby) 
University  in  1831,  he  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Hallowell.  in  1835  remov- 
ing to  Chicago,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
liis  life.  After  a  year  spent  as  deputy  in  the 
office  of  the  Circuit  Clerk  of  Cook  County,  during 
whicli  he  prepared  a  revision  of  the  Illinois  stat- 
utes, he  was  appointed  attorney  for  the  State 
Bank  of  Illinois  in  1837,  and,  in  1839,  became 
reporter  of  the  Supreme  Coui-t,  which  oflSce  he 
held  until  1845.  In  the  meantime,  he  was  associ- 
ated with  several  prominent  lawj-ers,  his  first 
legal  firm  being  that  of  Scammon,  McCagg  & 
Fuller,  which  was  continued  up  to  the  fire  of 
1871.  A  large  operator  in  real  estate  and  identi- 
fied with  many  enterprises  of  a  public  or  benevo- 
lent character,  his  most  important  financial 
venture  was  in  connection  with  the  Chicago 
Marine  &  Fire  Insurance  Company,  which  con- 
ducted an  extensive  banking  business  for  many 
years,  and  of  whicli  he  was  the  President  and 
leading  spirit.     As  a  citizen  he  was  progressive, 


public-spirited  and  liberal.  He  was  one  of  the 
main  promoters  and  organizers  of  the  old  Galena 
&  Chicago  Union  Railway,  the  first  railroad  to 
run  west  from  Lake  Michigan :  was  also  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  founding  of  the  Chi- 
cago public  school  system,  a  Trustee  of  the  (old) 
Cliicago  University,  and  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  of  the  Chicago 
Academy  of  Sciences  and  the  Chicago  Astro- 
nomical Society  —  being  the  first  President 
of  the  latter  body.  He  erected,  at  a  cost  of 
§30,000,  the  Fort  Dearborn  Observatory,  in 
which  he  caused  to  be  placed  the  most  power- 
ful telescope  which  had  at  that  time  been  brought 
to  the  West.  He  also  maintained  the  observatory 
at  his  own  expense.  He  was  the  pioneer  of 
Swedenborgianism  in  Chicago,  and,  in  politics,  a 
staunch  Wliig,  and,  later,  an  ardent  Republican. 
In  18-14  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  '"The  Chi- 
cago American,"  a  paper  designed  to  advance 
the  candidacy  of  Henry  Clay  for  the  Presidency ; 
and,  in  1872,  when  "Tlie  Cliicago  Tribune" 
espoused  the  Liberal  Republican  cause,  he  started 
"The  Inter-Ocean"  as  a  Republican  organ,  being, 
for  some  time,  its  sole  proprietor  and  editor-in- 
chief.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  encourage  the 
adoption  of  the  homeopathic  system  of  medicine 
in  Chicago,  and  was  prominently  connected  with 
the  founding  of  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College 
and  the  Hahnemann  Hospital,  being  a  Trustee  in 
both  for  many  years.  As  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  he  secured  the  passage  of  many 
important  measures,  among  them  being  legisla- 
tion looking  toward  the  bettering  of  the  currency 
and  the  banking  system.  He  accumulated  a 
large  fortune,  but  lost  most  of  it  by  the  fire  of 
1871  and  the  panic  of  1873.  Died,  in  Chicago, 
March  17,  1890. 

SCARRITT,  Nathan,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut, came  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  in  1820,  and, 
in  1821,  located  in  Scarritfs  Prairie,  Madison 
County.  His  sons  afterward  became  influential 
in  business  and  Methodist  church  circles.  Died, 
Dec.  12,  1847. 

SCEXERY,  NATURAL.  Notwithstanding  the 
uniformity  of  surface  which  characterizes  a 
country  containing  no  mountain  ranges,  but 
which  is  made  up  largely  of  natural  prairies, 
there  are  a  number  of  localities  in  Illinois  where 
scenery  of  a  picturesque,  and  even  bold  and 
rugged  character,  may  be  found.  One  of  the 
most  striking  of  these  features  is  produced  by  a 
spur  or  low  range  of  hills  from  the  Ozark  Moun- 
tains of  Missouri,  projected  across  the  southern 
part  of   the  State  from  tlie  vicinity  of    Grand 


468 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Tower  in  Jackson  County,  through  the  northern 
part  of  Union,  and  through  portions  of  William- 
son, Johnson,  Saline,  Pope  and  Hardin  Counties. 
Grand  Tower,  the  initial  point  in  the  western 
part  of  the  State,  is  an  isolated  cliff  of  limestone, 
standing  out  in  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  forming  an  island  nearly  100  feet  above  low- 
water  level.  It  has  been  a  conspicuous  landmark 
for  navigators  ever  since  the  discovery  of  the 
Mississippi.  "Fountain  Bluff,"  a  few  miles 
above  Grand  Tower,  is  another  conspicuous  point 
immediately  on  the  river  bank,  formed  by  some 
isolated  hills  about  three  miles  long  by  a  mile 
and  a  half  wide,  which  have  withstood  the  forces 
that  excavated  the  valley  now  occupieil  by  the 
Mississippi.  About  half  a  mile  from  the  lower 
end  of  this  hill,  with  a  low  valley  between  them, 
is  a  smaller  eminence  known  as  the  "Devil's 
Bake  Oven."  The  main  chain  of  bluffs,  known 
as  the  "Back  Bone,"  is  about  five  miles  from  the 
river,  and  rises  to  a  height  of  nearly  700  feet 
above  low-tide  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  or  more 
than  400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river  at 
Cairo.  "Bald  Knob"  is  a  very  prominent  inland 
bluff  promontory  near  Alta  Pass  on  the  line  of 
the  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroat!,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Union  County,  with  an  elevation  above  tide- 
water of  98")  feet.  The  highest  point  in  this 
range  of  hills  is  reached  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  Pope  County — the  elevation  at  that  point  (as 
ascertained  by  Prof.  Rolfe  of  the  State  University 
at  Champaign)  being  1,046  feet. — There  is  some 
striking  scenery  in  the  neighborhood  of  Grafton 
between  Alton  and  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  as 
well  as  some  ilistance  up  the  latter  stream — 
thovigh  the  landscape  along  the  miildle  section  of 
the  Illinois  is  generally  monotonous  or  only 
gently  undulating,  except  at  Peoria  and  a  few 
otlier  points,  where  bluffs  rise  to  a  considerable 
height.  On  the  Upper  Illinois,  beginning  at 
Peru,  the  scenery  again  becomes  picturesque, 
including  the  celebrated  "Starved  Rock,"  the 
site  of  La  Salle's  Fort  St.  Lrouis  (which  see). 
This  rock  rises  to  a  perpendicular  height  of 
about  12.5  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  river  at  the 
ordinary  stage.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
about  four  miles  below  Ottawa,  is  "Buffalo 
Rock,"  an  isolated  ridge  of  rock  about  two  miles 
long  by  forty  to  sixty  rods  wide,  evidently  once 
an  island  at  a  period  when  the  Illinois  River 
occupied  the  whole  valley.  Additional  interest 
is  given  to  both  these  localities  by  their  associ- 
ation with  early  history.  Deer  Park,  on  the  Ver- 
milion River — some  two  miles  from  where  it 
empties  into  the  Illinois,   just    l^elow  "Starved 


Rock" — is  a  peculiar  grotto-like  formation, caused 
by  a  ravine  which  enters  the  Vermilion  at  this 
point.  Ascending  this  ravine  from  its  mouth, 
for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  between  almost  i)eri3en- 
dicular  walls,  the  road  terminates  abruptly  at  a 
dome-like  overhanging  rock  which  widens  at  this 
point  to  about  150  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base, 
with  a  height  of  about  75  feet.  A  clear  sjiring 
of  water  gushes  from  the  base  of  the  cliff,  and,  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year,  a  lieautiul  water-fall 
poiu«  from  the  cliffs  into  a  little  lake  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  chasm.  There  is  much  other  striking 
scenery  higher  up,  on  both  the  Illinois  and  Fox 
Rivers. — A  point  which  arrested  the  attention  of 
the  earliest  explorers  in  this  region  was  Mount 
Joliet,  near  the  city  of  that  name.  It  is  first 
mentioneil  by  St.  Cosme  in  IGUS,  and  has  been 
variously  known  as  Mon jolly,  Mont  Jolie,  Mount 
Juliet,  and  Jlount  Joliet.  It  had  an  elevation,  in 
early  times,  of  about  30  feet  with  a  level  top 
1,300  by  225  feet.  Prof.  O.  H.  Marshall,  in  "The 
American  Antiquarian,"  expresses  the  opinion 
that,  originally,  it  was  an  island  in  the  river, 
which,  at  a  remote  period,  swept  down  the  valley 
of  the  Des  Plaines.  Mount  Joliet  was  a  favorite 
rallying  jx>int  of  Illinois  Indians,  who  were 
accustomed  to  hold  their  councils  at  its  ba.se. — 
The  scenery  along  Rock  River  is  not  striking 
from  its  boldness,  but  it  attnicted  the  attention 
of  early  explorers  by  the  picturesque  Ijeauty  of 
its  groves,  undulating  plains  and  sheets  of  water. 
The  highest  and  most  abrupt  elevations  are  met 
with  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  near  the  Wisconsin 
State  line.  Pilot  Knob,  a  natural  mound  al>out 
three  miles  .south  of  Galena  and  two  miles  from 
the  Mississippi,  has  been  a  landmark  well  known 
to  tourists  and  river  men  ever  since  the  Upper 
Mississippi  began  to  be  navigated.  Towering 
alx)ve  the  surrounding  bluffs,  it  reaches  an  alti- 
tude of  some  430  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of 
Fever  River.  A  cliain  of  some  half  dozen  of  these 
mounds  extends  some  four  or  five  miles  in  a  north- 
ea-stenly  direction  from  Pilot  Knob,  Waddel's  and 
Jackson's  Mounds  being  conspicuous  among 
them.  There  are  also  some  castellated  rocks 
around  the  city  of  Galena  which  are  very  strik- 
ing. Charles  Mound,  belonging  to  the  system 
alread}'  referred  to,  is  believed  to  be  the  highest 
elevation  in  the  State.  It  stands  near  the  'Wi.s 
consin  State  line,  and,  according  to  Prof.  Rolfe, 
lias  an  altitude  of  314  feet  above  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  at  Scales'  Mound  Station,  and,  1,257 
feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

SCHAUMBERG,    a     village    in     Schaumberg 
Township,  Cook  County.     Population,  573. 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


469 


SCHNEIDER,  George,  journalist  and  banker, 
was  born  at  Pirmasens,  Bavaria,  Dec.  13,  1823. 
Being  sentenced  to  death  for  his  participation  in 
the  attempted  rebellion  of  1848,  he  escaped  to 
America  in  1849,  going  from  New  York  to  Cleve- 
land, and  afterwards  to  St.  Louis.  There,  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  he  established  a  German 
daily — "The  New  Era" — which  was  intensely 
anti-slavery  and  exerted  a  decided  political  influ- 
ence, especially  among  persons  of  German  birth. 
In  1851  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  became 
editor  of  "The  Staats  Zeitung,"  in  which  he 
vigorously  opposed  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  on 
its  introduction  by  Senator  Douglas.  His  attitude 
and  articles  gave  such  offense  to  the  partisan 
friends  of  this  measure,  that  "The  Zeitung"  was 
threatened  with  destruction  by  a  mob  in  185.5. 
He  early  took  advanced  ground  in  opposition  to 
slavery,  and  was  a  member  of  the  convention  of 
Anti-Nebraska  editors,  held  at  Decatur  in  1856, 
and  of  the  first  Republican  State  Convention,  held 
at  Bloomington  the  same  year,  as  well  as  of  the 
National  Republican  Conventions  of  1856  and 
1860,  participating  in  the  nomination  of  both 
John  C,  Fremont  and  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the 
Presidency.  In  1861  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Union  Defense  Committee,  and  was 
appointed,  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  Consul-General  at 
Elsinore,  Denmark.  Returning  to  America  in 
1862,  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  "Tlie  Staats 
Zeitung"  and  was  appointed  the  first  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue  for  the  Chicago  District.  On 
retiring  from  this  office  he  engaged  in  banking, 
.subsequently  becoming  President  of  tlie  National 
Bank  of  Illinois,  with  which  he  was  associated 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  1877  President 
Hayes  tendered  him  the  ministry  to  Switzerland, 
wliich  he  declined.  In  1880  lie  was  chosen  Presi 
dential  Elector  for  the  State-at-large,  also  serving 
for  a  number  of  years  as  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican State  Central  Committee. 

SCHOFIELD,  John  McAllister,  Major-General, 
was  born  in  Cliautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept  29, 
1831;  brought  to  Bristol,  Kendall  County,  111.,  in 
1843,  and,  two  years  later,  removed  to  Freeport; 
graduated  from  the  United  States  Military  Acad- 
emy, in  1853,  as  classmate  of  Generals  McPlierson 
and  Sheridan ;  was  assigned  to  the  artillery  ser- 
vice and  served  two  years  in  Florida,  after  which 
he  spent  five  years  (1855-60)  as  an  instructor  at 
West  Point.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War 
he  was  on  leave  of  absence,  acting  as  Professor 
of  Physics  in  Washington  University  at  St. 
Louis,  but,  waiving  his  leave,  he  at  once  returned 
to  duty  and  was    appointed    mustering  officer; 


then,  by  permission  of  the  War  Department, 
entered  the  First  Missouri  Volimteers  as  Major, 
serving  as  Chief  of  Staff  to  General  Lyon  in  the 
early  battles  in  Missouri,  including  Wilson's 
Creek.  His  subsequent  career  included  the 
organization  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia  (1862), 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier  in  South- 
west Missouri,  command  of  the  Department  of 
the  Missouri  and  Oliio,  participation  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  co-operation  with  Sher- 
man in  the  capture  of  the  rebel  Gen.  Joseph  E. 
Johnston  in  North  Carolina — his  army  liaving 
been  transferred  for  this  purpose,  from  Tennessee 
by  way  of  Washington.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  went  on  a  special  mission  to  Mexico 
to  investigate  the  French  occupation  of  that 
country;  was  commander  of  the  Department  of 
the  Potomac,  and  served  as  Secretary  of  War,  by 
appointment  of  President  Johnson,  from  June, 
1868,  to  March,  1869.  On  retiring  from  the  Cabi- 
net he  was  commissioned  a  full  Major-General 
and  held  various  Division  and  Department  com- 
mands until  1886,  when,  on  the  death  of  General 
Sherman,  he  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
Army,  with  headquarters  at  Washington. 
He  was  retired  under  the  age  limit,  Sept.  29, 
1895.     His  present  home  is  in  Washington. 

SCHOLFIELI),  John,  jurist,  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  111.,  in  1834;  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
an  education  in  the  common  schools  during  boj'- 
hood,  meanwhile  gaining  some  knowledge  of  the 
higher  branches  through  toilsome  application  to 
text-books  without  a  preceptor.  At  the  age  of 
20  he  entered  the  law  school  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
graduating  two  j'ears  later,  and  beginning  prac- 
tice at  Marshall,  111.  He  defrayed  liis  expenses 
at  the  law  school  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
a  small  piece  of  land  to  which  he  had  fallen  heir. 
In  1856  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney,  and,  in 
1860,  was  chosen  to  represent  his  county  in  the 
Legislature.  After  serving  one  term  he  returned 
to  his  professional  career  and  succeeded  in  build- 
ing up  a  profitable  practice.  In  1869-70  he  repre- 
sented Clark  and  Cumberland  Counties  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  and,  in  1870,  became 
Solicitor  for  the  Vandalia  Railroad.  In  1873  he 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  on  the  bench  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  for  the  Middle  Grand 
Division,  caused  by  the  resignation  of  Judge 
Anthony  Thornton,  and  re-elected  without  oppo- 
sition in  1879  and  1888.  Died,  in  office,  Feb.  13, 
1893.  It  has  been  claimed  tliat  President  Cleve- 
land would  have  tendered  him  the  Chief  Justice- 
ship of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  had  he 
not  insistently  declined  to  accept  the  honor. 


470 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


SCHOOL-HOUSES,  EARLY.  The  primitive 
school-houses  of  Illinois  were  built  of  logs,  and 
were  extremely  rude,  as  regards  both  structure 
and  furnishiug.  Indeed,  the  earliest  pioneers 
rarely  erected  a  special  building  to  be  used  as  a 
school-house.  An  old  smoke-house,  an  abandoned 
dwelling,  an  old  block-house,  or  the  loft  or  one 
end  of  a  settler's  cabin  not  unf  requently  answered 
the  purpose,  and  the  church  and  the  court-house 
were  often  made  to  accommodate  the  school. 
When  a  school-house,  as  such,  was  to  be  built,  the 
men  of  the  district  gathered  at  the  site  selected, 
bringing  their  axes  and  a  few  other  tools,  with 
their  ox-teams,  and  devoted  four  or  five  days  to 
constructing  a  house  into  which,  perhaps,  not  a 
nail  was  driven.  Trees  were  cut  from  the  public 
lands,  and,  without  hewing,  fashioned  into  a 
cabin.  Sixteen  feet  square  was  usually  con- 
sidered the  proper  dimensions.  In  the  walls 
were  cut  two  holes,  one  for  a  door  to  admit  light 
and  air,  and  the  other  for  the  open  fireplace,  from 
which  rose  a  chimney,  usually  built  of  sticks  and 
mud,  on  the  outside.  Danger  of  fire  was  averted 
by  tliiikly  lining  the  inside  of  the  chimney  with 
clay  mortar.  Sometimes,  but  only  with  great 
labor,  stone  was  substituted  for  mortar  made 
from  the  clay  soil.  The  chimneys  were  always 
wide,  seldom  less  than  six  feet,  and  sometimes 
extending  across  one  entire  end  of  the  building. 
The  fuel  used  was  wood  cut  directly  from  the 
forest,  frequently  in  its  green  state,  dragged  to 
the  spot  in  the  form  of  logs  or  entire  trees  to  l)e 
cut  by  the  older  pupils  in  lengths  suited  to  the 
width  of  the  chimney.  Occasionally  there  wiis 
no  chimney,  the  fire,  in  some  of  the  most  primi- 
tive structures,  being  built  on  the  earth  and  the 
smoke  escaping  through  a  hole  in  the  roof.  In 
such  houses  a  long  board  was  set  up  on  the  wind- 
ward side,  and  shifted  from  side  to  side  as  the 
wind  varied.  Stones  or  logs  answered  for 
andirons,  clapboards  served  as  shovels,  and  no 
one  complained  of  the  lack  of  tongs.  Roofs  were 
made  of  roughly  split  clapboards,  held  in  place 
by  "weight  poles"'  laid  on  the  boards,  and  bj-  sup- 
ports starting  from  "eaves  poles.""  The  space 
between  the  logs,  which  constituted  the  walls  of 
the  building,  was  filled  in  with  blocks  of  wood 
or  "chinking,""  and  the  crevices,  both  exterior 
and  interior,  daubed  over  with  clay  mortar,  in 
which  straw  was  sometimes  mixed  to  increase  its 
adhesiveness.  On  one  side  of  the  structure  one 
or  two  logs  were  sometimes  cut  out  to  allow  the 
admission  of  light;  and,  as  .class  could  not  always 
be  procured,  rain  and  snow  were  excluded  and 
light  admitted  by  the  use  of  greased  paper.     Over 


this  space  a  board,  attached  to  the  outer  wall  by 
leather  hinges,  was  sometimes  suspended  to  keep 
out  the  storms.  The  placing  of  a  glass  window 
in  a  country  school  hou.se  at  Edwardsville,  in 
1824,  was  considered  an  important  event.  Ordi- 
narily the  floor  was  of  the  natural  earth,  although 
this  was  sometimes  covered  with  a  layer  of  clay, 
firmly  packed  down.  Only  the  more  j)retentious 
.school-houses  had  "puncheon  floors"";  i.  e.,  floors 
made  of  split  logs  roughly  hewn.  Few  had 
"ceilings"  (so-called),  the  latter  being  usually 
made  of  clapboards,  sometimes  of  bark,  on  which 
was  spread  earth,  to  keep  out  the  cold.  The 
seats  were  also  of  puncheons  (without  backs) 
supported  on  four  legs  made  of  pieces  of  ]X)les 
inserted  through  augur  holes.  \o  one  had  a  desk, 
exc'opt  the  advanced  pupils  who  were  learning  to 
write.  For  their  convenience  a  broader  and 
smoother  puncheon  was  fastened  into  the  wall 
by  wooden  pins,  in  such  a  way  that  it  would 
slope  downward  toward  the  pupil,  the  front  being 
supported  l)v  a  brace  e.xtending  from  the  wall. 
When  a  pupil  was  writing  he  faced  the  wall. 
Wlien  he  had  finished  this  task,  he  "reversed  him- 
self" and  faced  the  teacher  and  his  schoolmates. 
These  adjuncts  completed  the  furnishings,  with 
the  exception  of  a  splitbottoraod  chair  for  the 
teacher  (who  seldom  had  a  desk)  and  a  pail,  or 
"piggin,"  of  water,  with  a  gourd  for  a  drinking 
cup.  Rough  and  uncouth  as  these  structures 
were,  they  were  evidences  of  public  spirit  and  of 
appreciation  of  the  advantages  of  education. 
They  were  built  an<l  maintained  by  mutual  aid 
and  sacrifice,  and,  in  them,  some  of  the  great  men 
of  the  State  and  Nation  obtained  that  primary 
training  which  formed  the  foundation  of  their 
subsequent  careers.     (See  Education.) 

SCHUYLER  COUXTY,  located  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  State,  has  an  area  of  430  square 
miles,  and  was  named  for  Gen.  Philip  Schuyler. 
The  first  American  .settlers  arrived  in  1823,  and, 
among  the  e;irliest  pioneers,  were  Calvin  Hobart, 
AVilliam  II.  Taylor  and  Orris  McCartney.  The 
county  was  organized  from  a  portion  of  Pike 
County,  in  IsS.j,  the  first  Commissioners  being 
Thomas  Blair,  Thomas  McKee  and  Samuel  Hor- 
ney.  The  Commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the 
county-scat,  selected  a  site  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county  about  one  mile  west  of  the  present 
village  of  Pleasant  View,  to  which  the  name  of 
Beardstown  was  given,  and  where  the  earliest 
comt  was  held.  Judge  John  York  Sawyer  presid- 
ing, with  Hart  Fellows  as  Clerk,  and  Orris  Mc- 
Cartney, Sheriff.  This  location,  however,  proving 
unsatisfactory,    new    Commissioners    were     ap- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


471 


pointed,  who,  in  tlie  early  part  of  1836,  selected 
the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Rushville,  some 
five  miles  west  of  the  point  originally  chosen. 
The  new  seat  of  justice  was  first  called  Rushton, 
in  honor  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  but  the  name 
was  afterwards  changed  to  Rxishville.  Ephraim 
Eggleston  was  the  pioneer  of  Rushville.  The 
surface  of  the  county  is  rolling,  and  the  region 
contains  excellent  farming  land,  which  is  well 
watered  by  the  Illinois  River  and  numerous 
creeks.     Population  (1890),  16,01.3;  (1900),  16,129. 

SCHWATKA,  Frederick,  Arctic  explorer,  was 
born  at  Galena,  111.,  Sept.  29,  1849;  graduated 
from  the  United  States  Military  Academy  in  1871, 
and  was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  in  the 
Third  Cavalry,  serving  on  the  frontier  until  1877, 
meantime  studying  law  and  medicine,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875,  and  graduating  in 
medicine  in  1876.  Having  his  interest  excited  by 
reports  of  traces  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedi- 
tion, found  by  the  Esquimaux,  he  obtained  leave 
of  absence  in  1878,  and,  with  Wm.  H.  Gilder  as 
second  in  command,  sailed  from  New  York  in  the 
"Eothen,"  June  19,  for  King  William's  Land. 
The  party  returned,  Sept.  22,  1880,  having  found 
and  buried  the  skeletons  of  many  of  Franklin's 
party,  besides  discovering  relics  which  tended  to 
clear  up  the  mystery  of  their  fate.  During  this 
period  he  made  a  sledge  journey  of  3,2.51  miles. 
Again,  in  1883,  he  headed  an  exploring  expedition 
up  the  Yukon  River.  After  a  brief  return  to 
army  duty  he  tendered  his  resignation  in  188.5, 
and  the  next  year  led  a  special  expedition  to 
Alaska,  under  the  auspices  of  "The  New  York 
Times,"  later  making  a  voyage  of  discovery 
among  the  Aleutian  Islands.  In  1889  he  con- 
ducted an  expedition  to  Northern  Mexico,  where 
he  found  many  interesting  relics  of  Aztec  civili- 
zation and  of  the  cliff  and  cave-dwellers.  He 
received  the  Roquette  Arctic  Medal  from  tlie 
Geographical  Society  of  Paris,  and  a  medal  from 
the  Imperial  Geographical  Society  of  Russia ;  also 
published  several  volumes  relating  to  his  re- 
searches, under  the  titles,  "Along  Alaska's 
Great  River";  "The  Franklin  Search  Under 
Lieutenant  Schwatka" ;  "Nimrod  of  the  North" ; 
and  "Children  of  the  Cold."  Died,  at  Portland, 
Ore.,  Nov.  2,  1892. 

SCOTT,  James  W.,  journalist,  was  born  in 
Walworth  County,  Wis.,  June  26,  1849,  the  son 
of  a  printer,  editor  and  publisher.  While  a  boy 
he  accompanied  his  father  to  Galena,  where  the 
latter  established  a  newspaper,  and  where  he 
learned  the  printer's  trade.  After  graduating 
from  the  Galena  high  school,  he  entered  Beloit 


College,  but  left  at  the  end  of  his  sophomore  year. 
Going  to  New  York,  he  became  interested  in  flori- 
culture, at  the  same  time  contributing  short 
articles  to  horticultural  periodicals.  Later  he 
was  a  compositor  in  AVashington.  His  first  news- 
paper venture  was  the  publication  of  a  weekly 
newspaper  in  Maryland  in  1872.  Returning  to 
Illinois,  conjointly  with  his  father  he  started 
"The  Industrial  Press"  at  Galena,  but,  in  1875, 
removed  to  Chicago.  There  he  purchased  "The 
Daily  National  Hotel  Reporter,"  from  which  he 
withdrew  a  few  years  later.  In  May,  1881,  in 
conjunction  with  others,  he  organized  The  Chi- 
cago Herald  Company,  in  which  he  ultimately 
secured  a  controlling  interest.  His  journalistic 
and  executive  capability  soon  brought  additional 
responsibilities.  He  was  chosen  President  of  the 
American  Newspaper  Publishers'  Association,  of 
the  Chicago  Press  Club,  and  of  the  United  Press 
— the  latter  being  an  organization  for  the  collec- 
tion and  dissemination  of  telegraphic  news  to 
journals  throughout  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada. He  was  also  conspicuously  connected  with 
the  preliminary  organization  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  and  Chairman  of  the 
Press  Committee.  In  1893  he  started  an  evening 
paper  at  Chicago,  which  he  named  "The  Post." 
Early  in  1895  he  purchased  "The  Chicago  Times," 
intending  to  consolidate  it  with  "The  Herald," 
but  before  the  final  consummation  of  his  plans, 
he  died  suddenly,  while  on  a  business  visit  in 
New  York,  April  14,  1895. 

SCOTT,  John  M.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  born 
in  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  August  1,  1824;  his 
father  being  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  his 
mother  a  Virginian.  His  attendance  upon  dis- 
trict schools  was  supplemented  by  private  tuition, 
and  his  early  education  was  the  best  that  the 
comparatively  new  country  afforded.  He  read 
law  at  Belleville,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1848,  removed  to  McLean  County,  which  con- 
tinued to  be  his  home  for  nearly  fifty  years.  He 
served  as  County  School  Commissioner  from  1849 
to  1852,  and,  in  the  latter  year,  waselected  County 
Judge.  In  1856  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  the  State  Senate,  frequently 
speaking  from  the  same  platform  with  Abraham 
Lincoln.  In  1862  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  the  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit,  to 
succeed  David  Davis  on  the  elevation  of  the 
latter  to  the  bench  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  and  was  re-elected  in  1867.  In  1870,  a 
new  judicial  election  being  rendered  necessary 
by  the  adoption  of  the  new  Constitution,  Judge 
Scott  was  chosen  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 


473 


HISTORICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


for  a  term  of  nine  years ;  was  re-elected  in  1879, 
but  declined  a  renomination  in  188S.  The  latter 
years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  his  private 
affairs.  Died,  at  Blooraington,  Jan.  21,  1898. 
Shortly  before  his  death  Judge  Scott  published  a 
volume  containing  a  History  of  the  Illinois 
Supreme  Court,  including  brief  sketches  of  the 
earl}'  occupants  of  the  Supreme  Court  bench  and 
early  lawyers  of  the  State. 

SCOTT,  Matthew  Thompsou,  agriculturist 
and  real-estate  operator,  was  born  at  Lexington, 
Ky.,  Feb.  34,  1838;  graduated  at  Centre  College 
in  1846,  then  spent  several  years  looking  after  his 
father's  landed  interests  in  Ohio,  when  he  came 
to  Illinois  and  invested  largely  in  lands  for  him- 
self and  others.  He  laid  out  the  town  of  Chenoa 
in  185G;  lived  in  Springfield  in  1870-72,  when  he 
removed  to  Blooraington,  where  he  organized  the 
McLean  County  Coal  Company,  remaining  ;is  its 
head  until  his  death;  was  aLso  tlie  founder  of 
"The  Bloomington  Bulletin,"  in  1878.  Died,  at 
Bloomington,  May  21,  1891. 

SCOTT,  Owen,  jounialist  and  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  in  Ja(^kson  Township,  Ellingham 
County,  111.,  July  0,  1H48,  reared  on  a  farm,  and, 
after  receiving  a  thorougli  common-school  edu- 
cation, became  a  teacher,  and  was,  for  eight 
years,  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  his  native 
county.  In  January,  1874,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  but  abandoned  practice,  ten  years  later, 
to  engage  in  newspaper  work.  His  first  publi- 
cation was  "The  Effingham  Democrat."  wliich  he 
left  to  become  proprietor  and  manager  of  "The 
Bloomington  Bulletin."  He  was  also  publislier 
of  "The  Illinois  Freemason,"  a  monthly  periodi- 
cal. Before  removing  to  Bloomington  he  filled 
the  offices  of  City  Attorney  and  Mayor  of  Effing 
ham,  and  also  served  as  Deputy  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue.  In  1890  he  was  elected  as  a 
Democrat  from  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  District 
to  the  Fifty-second  Congress.  In  1892  he  was  a 
candidate  for  re-election,  but  was  defeated  by  his 
Republican  opponent.  Benjamin  F.  Funk.  Dur- 
ing the  past  few  years,  Mr.  Scott  has  been  editor 
of  "The  Bloomington  Leader." 

SCOTT  COUNTY,  lies  in  the  western  part  of 
the  State  adjoining  the  Illinois  River,  and  has  an 
area  of  248  square  miles.  The  region  was  origi- 
nally owned  by  the  Kickapoo  Indians,  who 
ceded  it  to  the  Government  by  the  treaty  of 
Edwardsville,  July  30,  1819.  Six  months  later 
(in  January,  1820)  a  party  of  Kentuckians  settled 
near  Lynnville  (now  in  Morgan  County),  their 
names  being  Thomas  Stevens,  James  Scott, 
Alfred    Miller,   Thomas   Allen,   John    Scott  and 


Adam  Miller.  Allen  erected  the  first  house  in  the 
county,  John  Scott  tlie  second  and  Adam  Miller 
the  third.  About  the  .s;ime  time  came  Stephen 
M.  Umpstead,  whose  wife  was  the  first  white 
woman  in  the  count}'.  Other  pioneers  were 
Jedediah  Webster,  Stephen  Pierce,  Josepli  Dens- 
more,  Jesse  Roberts,  and  Samuel  Bogard.  The 
country  was  rough  and  the  conveniences  of  civi- 
lization few  and  remote.  Settlers  took  their  com 
to  Edwardsville  to  be  ground,  and  went  to  Alton 
for  their  mail.  Turbulence  early  showed  itself, 
and.  in  1822,  a  band  of  "Regulators"  was  organized 
from  the  best  citizens,  who  meted  out  a  rough 
and  ready  sort  of  justice,  until  1830,  occasionally 
shooting  a  desperado  at  his  cabin  door.  Scott 
County  was  cut  off  from  Morgan  and  organized 
in  1839.  It  contains  good  farming  land,  much  of 
it  being  originally  timbered,  and  it  is  well 
watered  by  the  Illinois  River  and  numerous 
small  streams.  Winchester  is  the  county-seat. 
Population  of  the  county  (1880),  10,741;  (1890), 
10,304;  (1900),  10,455. 

SCRIPPS,  John  L.,  journalist,  was  born  near 
Cajje  (Jinirdeau,  Mo.,  Feb.  18,  1818;  was  taken  to 
Rushville,  III,  in  childhood,  and  educated  at 
McKendree  College;  studied  law  and  came  to 
Chicago  in  1847,  with  the  intention  of  ])racticing, 
but,  a  year  or  so  later,  bought  a  third  interest  in 
"The  Chicago  Tribune,"  which  had  been  estab- 
lished during  the  previous  year.  In  1852  he 
withdrew  from  "The  Tribune,"  and,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  William  Bross  (afterwanls  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor), established  "The  Daily  Demo- 
cratic Press,"  which  was  consolidated  with  "The 
Tribune"  in  July,  1858,  under  the  name  of  "The 
Pres.s  and  Tribune,"  Mr.  Scripps  remaining  one 
of  the  editors  of  tlie  new  concern.  In  1861  he 
was  appointed,  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  Postmaster  of  the 
city  of  Cliicago,  serving  until  1865,  when,  having 
sold  his  interest  in  "The  Tribune,"  he  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Scrii)ps,  Preston  &  Kean.  His  health,  however, 
soon  showed  signs  of  failure,  and  he  died,  Sept. 
21,  1860,  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  whither  he  had 
gone  in  hopes  of  restoration.  Mr.  Scripps  was  a 
finished  and  able  writer  who  did  much  to  elevate 
the  standard  of  Chicago  journalism. 

SCK(K«US,  George,  journalist,  was  born  at 
Wilmington,  Clinton,  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  7,  1842 
^the  son  of  Dr.  John  W.  Scroggs,  who  came  to 
Champaign  County,  HI.,  in  1851,  and,  in  1858, 
took  charge  of  "The  Central  Illinois  Gazette."  In 
1866-67  Dr.  Scroggs  was  active  in  securing  the 
location  of  the  State  University  at  Champaign, 
afterwards  serving  as  a  member  of  the  first  Board 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


473 


of  Trustees  of  that  institution.  The  son,  at  the 
age  of  15,  became  an  apprentice  in  his  father's 
printing  office,  continuing  until  1863,  when  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  being 
promoted  through  the  positions  of  Sergeant-SIajor 
and  Second  Lieutenant,  and  finally  serving  on 
the  staffs  of  Gen.  Jeff.  C.  Davis  and  Gen.  James 
D.  Morgan,  but  declining  a  commission  as  Adju- 
tant of  the  Sixtieth  IlUnois.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Perryville,  Cliickamauga,  Mission 
Ridge  and  the  march  with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  in 
the  latter  being  severely  wounded  at  Bentonville, 
N.  C.  He  remained  in  the  service  until  July, 
1865,  when  he  resigned;  then  entered  the  Uni- 
versity at  Champaign,  later  studied  law,  mean- 
while writing  for  "The  Champaign  Gazette  and 
Union,"  of  which  he  finally  became  sole  propri- 
etor. In  1877  he  was  appointed  an  Aid-de-Camp 
on  the  staff  of  Governor  Cullora,  and,  the  follow- 
ing 3-ear,  was  elected  to  the  Thirty-first  General 
Assembl}',  but,  before  the  close  of  the  session 
(1879),  received  the  appointment  of  United  States 
Consul  to  Hamburg,  Germany.  He  was  com- 
pelled to  surrender  this  position,  a  year  later,  on 
account  of  ill-health,  and,  returning  home,  died, 
Oct.  15,  1880. 

SEATONVILLE,  a  village  in  Hall  Township, 
Bureau  County.     Population  (1900),  909. 

SECRETARIES  OF  STATE.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  Secretaries  of  State  of  Illinois  from 
its  admission  into  the  Union  down  to  the  present 
time  (1899),  with  the  date  and  duration  of  the 
term  of  each  incumlient:  Elias  Kent  Kane, 
1818-32;  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  1822-23;  David 
Blackwell,  1823-24;  Morris  Birkbeck,  October, 
1824  to  January,  1825  (failed  of  confirmation  by 
the  Senate) ,  George  Forquer,  1825-28;  Alexander 
Pope  Field,  1828-40;  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  1840-41 
(served  three  months — resigned  to  take  a  seat  on 
the  Supreme  bench);  Lyman  Trumbull,  184143; 
Thompson  Campbell,  1843-46;  Horace  S.  Cooley, 
1846-50;  David  L.  Gregg.  18.50-53;  Alexander 
Starne,  1853-57;  Ozias  M.  Hatch,  1857-65;  Sharon 
Tyndale,  186.5-69;  Edward  Rummel.  1869-73; 
George  H.  Harlow,  1873-81;  Henry  D.  Dement, 
1881-89;    Isaac  N.  Pearson,   1889-93;   William  H. 

Hinrichsen,    1893-97;    James  A.   Rose,   1897 . 

Nathaniel  Pope  and  Joseph  Phillips  were  the  only 
Secretaries  of  Illinois  during  the  Territorial 
period,  the  former  serving  from  1809  to  1816,  and 
the  latter  from  1816  to  1818.  Under  the  first  Con- 
stitution (1818)  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  was  filled  by  appointment  by  the  Governor, 
by  and  with  the    advice    and    consent    of    the 


Senate,  but  without  limitation  as  to  term  of 
office.  By  the  Constitution  of  1848,  and  again  by 
that  of  1870,  that  officer  was  made  elective  by 
the  people  at  the  same  time  as  the  Governor,  for 
a  term  of  four  years. 

SECRET  TREASONABLE  SOCIETIES.  Early 
in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  there  sprang  up,  at 
various  points  in  the  Northwest,  organizations  of 
persons  disaffected  toward  the  National  Govern- 
ment. They  were  most  numerous  in  Ohio,  Indi- 
ana, Illinois,  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  At  first 
they  were  known  bj'  such  titles  as  "Circles  of 
Honor,"  "Mutual  Protective  Associations,"  etc. 
But  they  had  kindred  aims  and  their  members 
were  soon  united  in  one  organization,  styled 
"Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle."  Its  secrets 
having  been  partially  disclosed,  this  body  ceased 
to  exist — or,  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say, 
changed  its  name — being  soon  succeeded  (1863) 
by  an  organization  of  similar  character,  called 
the  "American  Knights."  These  societies,  as 
first  formed,  were  rather  political  than  military. 
The  "American  Knights"  had  more  forcible 
aims,  but  this,  in  turn,  was  also  exposed,  and  the 
order  was  re  organized  under  the  name  of  "Sons 
of  Liberty."  The  last  named  order  started  in 
Indiana,  and,  owing  to  its  more  perfect  organi- 
zation, rapidly  spread  over  the  Northwest, 
acquiring  much  more  strengtli  and  influence  than 
its  predecessors  had  done.  The  ultimate  author- 
ity of  the  organization  was  vested  in  a  Supreme 
Council,  whose  officers  were  a  "supreme  com- 
mander," "secretary  of  state, "and  "treasurer." 
Each  State  represented  formed  a  division,  under  a 
'  'deputy  grand  commander. "  States  were  divided 
into  military  districts,  under  "major-generals." 
County  lodges  were  termed  "temples."  The 
order  was  virtually  an  officered  arm}',  and  its 
aims  were  aggressive.  It  had  its  commander-in- 
chief,  its  brigades  and  its  regiments.  Three 
degrees  were  recognized,  and  the  oaths  of  secrecy 
taken  at  each  initiation  surpassed,  in  binding 
force,  either  the  oath  of  allegiance  or  an  oath 
taken  in  a  court  of  justice.  The  maintenance  of 
slavery,  and  forcible  opposition  to  a  coercive 
policy  by  the  Government  in  dealing  with  seces- 
sion, were  the  pivotal  doctrines  of  the  order.  Its 
methods  and  purposes  were  to  discourage  enlist- 
ments and  resist  a  draft;  to  aid  and  protect 
deserters;  to  disseminate  treasonable  literature; 
to  aid  the  Confederates  in  destroying  Government 
property.  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  the  expat- 
riated traitor,  was  at  its  head,  and,  in  1864, 
claimed  that  it  had  a  numerical  strength  of  400,- 
000,  of  whom  65,000  were  in  Illinois.    Many  overt 


47-i 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


acts  were  committed,  but  the  organization,  hav- 
ing been  exposed  and  defeated  in  its  objects,  dis- 
banded in  1865.  (See  Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy.) 
SELBY,  Paul,  editor,  was  born  in  Pickaway 
County.  Ohio,  July  20,  1825;  removed  with  his 
parents,  in  18.37,  to  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  but, 
at  the  age  of  19,  went  to  Soutliern  Illinois,  where 
he  spent  four  years  teaching,  cliiefly  in  Madison 
County.  In  1848  he  entered  the  preparatory 
department  of  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville, 
but  left  the  institution  during  liis  junior  year  to 
assume  the  editorship  of  "The  Morgan  Journal," 
at  Jacksonville,  with  which  he  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1858,  covering  the  period  of  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party,  in  wliich 
"The  Journal"  took  an  active  part.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Anti-Nebraska  (afterwards  known 
as  Republican)  State  Convention,  which  met  at 
Springfield,  in  October,  18.54  (the  first  ever  lielil  in 
the  State),  and,  on  Feb.  22,  18.56,  attended  and 
presided  over  a  conference  of  Anti-Nebraska 
editors  of  the  State  at  Decatur,  called  to  devise  a 
line  of  policy  for  tlie  newly  organizing  Repub- 
lican party.  (See  Anti-Nebraska  Editorial 
Convention.)  This  body  appointed  the  first 
Republican  State  Central  Committee  and  desig- 
nated the  date  of  the  Bloomingtou  Convention 
of  May  29,  following,  which  put  in  nomination 
the  first  Republican  State  ticket  ever  named  in 
Illinois,  which  ticket  was  elected  in  the  following 
November  (See  Bloomington  Convention.)  In 
1859  he  prepared  a  pamplilet  giving  a  history  of 
the  celebrated  Canal  scrip  fraud,  which  was 
widely  circulated.  (See  Canal  Scri}^  Fraud.) 
Going  South  in  the  fall  of  1859,  he  was  engaged 
in  teaching  in  the  State  of  Louisiana  until  the 
last  of  June,  1861.  Just  two  weeks  before  tlie 
fall  of  Fort  Sumter  he  was  denounced  to  his 
Soutliern  neighbors  as  an  "abolitionist"  and 
falsely  charged  with  having  been  connected  with 
the  "underground  railroad,"  in  letters  from 
secession  sympathizers  in  the  North,  whose  per- 
sonal and  political  enmity  he  had  incurred  while 
conducting  a  Republican  paper  in  Illinois,  some 
of  whom  referred  to  Jefferson  Davis,  Senator 
Slidell,  of  Louisiana,  and  other  Southern  leaders 
as  vouchers  for  their  characters.  He  at  once 
invited  an  investigation  by  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  institution,  of  which  he  was  the 
Principal,  when  that  body— although  composed, 
for  the  most  part,  of  Southern  men — on  the  basis 
of  testimonials  from  prominent  citizens  of  Jack- 
sonville, and  other  evidence,  adopted  resolutions 
declaring  the  cliar.ges  prompted  by  personal  hos- 
tility, and  delivered  the  letters  of  his  accusers  into 


his  hands.  Returning  North  with  his  family  in 
July,  1861,  he  spent  some  nine  months  in  the  com- 
missary and  transportation  branches  of  the  ser- 
vice at  Cairo  and  at  Paducah,  Ky.  In  July,  1862, 
he  became  associate  editor  of  "The  Illinois  State 
Journal"  at  Springfield,  remaining  until  Novem- 
ber, 1865.  The  next  six  months  were  spent  a.s 
Assistant  Deputy  Collector  in  the  Custom  House 
at  New  Orleans,  but.  returning  North  in  June, 
1866,  he  soon  after  became  identified  with  the 
Chicago  press,  serving,  first  upon  the  staff  of  "The 
Evening  Journal"  and,  later,  on  "The  Repub- 
lican." In  May,  1868,  he  assumed  the  editorship 
of  "The  Quincy  Whig,"  ultimately  becoming 
part  proprietor  of  that  paper,  but,  in  January, 
1874,  resumed  his  old  place  on  "The  State  Jour- 
nal," four  years  later  becoming  one  of  its  propri- 
etors. In  1880  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Hayes  Postmaster  of  Springfield,  was  reappointed 
by  Arthur  in  1884,  but  resigned  in  18H6.  Mean 
while  he  liad  sold  his  interest  in  "The  Journal," 
but  the  following  year  organized  a  new  company 
for  its  purchase,  when  he  resumed  his  former 
position  as  editor.  In  1889  he  disposed  of  his 
holding  in  "The  Journal,"  finally  removing  to 
Chicago,  where  he  has  l>een  employed  in  literary 
work.  In  all  he  has  been  engaged  in  editorial 
work  over  tliirty-five  years,  of  which  eighteen 
were  spent  upon  "The  State  Journal."  In  1860 
Mr.  Selby  was  complimented  by  his  -Vlma  Mater 
with  the  lionorary  degree  of  A.  M.  He  has  been 
twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Erra  Post,  of  Spring- 
field, who  died  in  November,  1865,  leaving  two 
daughters,  and,  in  1870,  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Hitch- 
cock, of  Quincy.  by  whom  he  had  two  children, 
both  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

SEMPLE,  James,  United  States  Senator,  was 
born  in  Green  County.  Ky.,  Jan.  5,  1798,  of  Scotch 
descent ;  after  learning  the  tanner's  trade,  studied 
law  and  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1818,  removing 
to  Missouri  four  years  later,  where  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  Returning  to  Illinois  in  1828, 
he  began  practice  at  Edwardsville,  but  later 
became  a  citizen  of  Alton.  During  the  Black 
Hawk  War  he  served  as  Brigadier-General.  He 
was  thrice  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
Legislature  (1832,  "34  and  '36),  and  was  Speaker 
during  the  last  two  terms.  In  1833  he  was 
elected  Attorney -General  by  the  Legislature,  but 
served  only  until  the  following  year,  and,  in 
1837,  was  appointed  Minister  to  Granada,  South 
America.  In  1843  he  was  appointed,  and  after- 
wards elected.  United  States  Senator  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Samuel  McRoberts,  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  (1847)  retiring  to  private 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


476 


life.  He  laid  out  the  town  of  Elsah,  in  Jersey 
County,  just  south  of  wliich  he  owned  a  large 
estate  on  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  where  he  died. 
Dec.  20,  1.S66. 

SENECA  (formerly  Crotty),  a  village  of  La 
Salle  County,  situated  on  the  Illinois  River,  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and  the  Cliicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railways,  I'd  miles  east  of 
Ottawa.  It  has  a  graded  .school,  several 
churches,  a  bank,  some  manufactures,  grain 
warehouses,  coal  mines,  telephone  system  and 
one  newspaper.     Pop.   (1890),  1,190;  (1900),   1,036. 

SENN,  (Dr.)  Nicholas,  physican  and  surgeon, 
was  born  in  the  Canton  of  St.  Gaul.  Switzerland, 
Oct.  31,  1844;  was  brought  to  America  at  8  years 
of  age,  his  parents  settling  at  Washington,  Wis. 
He  received  a  grammar  school  education  at  Fond 
du  Lac,  and,  in  1864,  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, graduating  at  the  Chicago  Medical  College 
in  1868.  After  some  eighteen  months  spent  as 
resident  physician  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital, 
he  began  practice  at  Ashford,  Wis. ,  but  removed 
to  Milwaukee  in  1874,  where  lie  became  attending 
physician  of  the  Milwaukee  Hospital.  In  1877  he 
visited  Europe,  graduated  the  following  year  from 
the  University  of  Municli,  and,  on  his  return, 
became  Professor  of  the  Principles  of  Surgery 
and  Surgical  Patliology  in  Rush  Medical  College 
in  Chicago — also  has  held  the  chair  of  the  Prac- 
tice of  Surgery  in  the  same  institution.  Dr. 
Senn  has  achieved  great  success  and  won  an 
international  reputation  in  the  treatment  of 
difficult  cases  of  abdominal  surgery.  He  is  tlie 
author  of  a  number  of  volumes  on  different 
branches  of  surgery  which  are  recognized  as 
standard  authorities.  A  few  years  ago  he  pur- 
chased the  extensive  library  of  the  late  Dr.  Will- 
iam Baum,  Professor  of  Surgery  in  tlie  University 
of  Gottingen,  wliich  he  presented  to  the  New- 
berry Library  of  Chicago.  In  1893,  Dr.  Senn  was 
appointed  Surgeon-General  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard,  and  lias  also  been  President  of 
the  Association  of  Military  Surgeons  of  the 
National  Guard  of  the  United  States,  besides 
being  identified  with  various  other  medical 
bodies.  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War,  he  was  appointed,  by  President 
McKinley,  a  Surgeon  of  Volunteers  vi'ith  the  rank 
of  Colonel,  and  rendered  most  efficient  aid  in  the 
military  branch  of  tlie  service  at  Camp  Cliicka- 
mauga  and  in  tlie  Santiago  campaign. 

SEXTON,  (Col.)  James  A.,  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  was  born 
in  the  city  of    Chicago,   Jan.  5,  1844;    in  April, 


1861,  being  then  only  a  little  over  17,  enlisted  as  a 
private  soldier  under  the  first  call  for  troops 
issued  b)'  President  Lincoln ;  at  the  close  of  his 
term  was  appointed  a  Sergeant,  with  authority  to 
recruit  a  company  whicli  afterwards  was  attached 
to  the  Fifty-first  Volunteer  Infantry.  Later,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Sixty-seventh  with  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant,  and,  a  few  months  after,  to 
the  Seventy-second  with  a  commission  as  Captain 
of  Company  D,  whicli  he  had  recruited.  As  com- 
mander of  his  regiment,  then  constituting  a  part 
of  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  he  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Columbia,  Duck  Creek,  Spring 
Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville,  and  in  the  Nash- 
ville campaign.  Both  at  Nashville  and  Franklin 
he  was  wounded,  and  again,  at  Spanish  Fort,  by  a 
piece  of  shell  which  broke  his  leg.  His  regiment 
took  part  in  seven  battles  and  eleven  skirmishes, 
and,  while  it  went  out  967  strong  in  officers  and 
men,  it  returned  with  only  332,  all  told,  although 
it  had  been  recruited  by  234  men.  He  was  known 
as  '"The  boy  Captain,"  being  only  18  years  old 
when  he  received  his  first  commission,  and  31 
when,  after  participating  in  the  Mobile  cam- 
paign, he  was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  After  the  clo.se  of  the  war 
he  engaged  in  planting  in  the  South,  purchasing 
a  plantation  in  Lowndes  County,  Ala.,  but,  in 
1867,  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Cribben,  Sexton  &  Co., 
stove  manufacturers,  from  which  he  retired  in 
1898.  In  1884  he  served  as  Presidential  Elector 
on  the  Republican  ticket  for  the  Fourth  District, 
and,  in  1889,  was  appointed,  by  President  Harrison, 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  serving  over 
five  years.  In  1888  he  was  chosen  Department 
Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
for  the  State  of  Illinois,  and,  ten  years  later,  to 
tlie  position  of  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  order, 
which  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  had 
also  been,  for  a  number  of  years,  one  of  tlie  Trus- 
tees of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy, 
and,  during  most  of  the  time.  President  of  the 
Board.  Towards  the  clcse  of  the  year  1898,  he 
was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  a  member 
of  the  Commission  to  investigate  the  conduct  of 
the  Spanish-American  War,  but,  before  the  Com- 
mission had  concluded  its  labors,  was  taken  with 
"the  grip,"  which  developed  into  pneumonia, 
from  which  he  died  in  Washington,  Feb.  .5,  1899. 
SEYMOUR,  Oeorare  Franklin,  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Bishop,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan.  .'i, 
1829;  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in  18.50, 
and  from  the  General  Theological  Seminary 
(New  York)  in  18,')4.     He   received  both  minor 


47G 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  major  orders  at  the  hands  of  Bishop  Potter, 
being  made  deacon  in  1854  and  ordained  priest  in 
1855.  For  several  years  lie  was  engaged  in  mis- 
sionary work.  During  this  period  lie  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  founding  of  St. 
Stephen's  College.  After  serving  as  rector  in 
various  parishes,  in  1865  he  was  made  Professor 
of  Ecclesiastical  History  in  the  New  York  Semi- 
nary, and,  ten  years  later,  was  chosen  Dean  of 
the  institution,  still  retaining  his  professorship. 
Racine  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
S.T.D.,  in  1867,  and  Columbia  that  of  LL.D.  in 
1878.  In  1874  he  was  elected  Bishop  of  Illinois, 
but  failed  of  confirmation  in  the  House  of  Depu- 
tie.s.  Upon  the  erection  of  the  new  diocese  of 
Springfield  (1877)  he  accepted  and  was  conse- 
crated Bishop  at  Trinity  Church,  N.  Y.,  June  11, 
1878.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Third 
Pan- Anglican  Council  (London,  1885),  and  has 
done  much  to  foster  the  growth  and  e.\tend  the 
influence  of  his  church  in  his  diocese. 

SHABBOXA,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County,  on 
the  Iowa  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad,  25  miles  west  of  Aurora. 
Population  (ISUO),  503;  (1900),  587. 

SHABONA  (or  Shabbona),  an  Ottawa  Chief, 
was  born  near  the  Maumee  River,  in  Ohio,  about 
1775,  and  served  under  Tecumseh  from  1807  to 
the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  1813.  In  1810  he 
accompanied  Tecumseh  and  Capt.  Billy  Caldwell 
(see  Saugcmasit)  to  the  homes  of  the  Pottawato- 
mies  and  other  tribes  within  the  present  limits  of 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  to  secure  their  co-oper- 
ation in  driving  the  white  settlers  out  of  the 
country.  At  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  he  was  by 
the  side  of  Tecumseh  when  he  fell,  and  both  he 
and  Caldwell,  losing  faith  in  their  British  allies, 
soon  after  submitted  to  the  United  States  through 
General  Cass  at  Detroit.  Shabona  was  opposed 
to  Black  Hawk  in  1832,  and  did  much  to  thwart 
the  plans  of  the  latter  and  aid  the  whites.  Hav- 
ing married  a  daughter  of  a  Pottawatomie  chief, 
who  had  a  village  on  the  Illinois  River  east  of 
the  present  city  of  Ottawa,  he  lived  there  for 
some  time,  hut  finally  removed  25  miles  north  to 
Shabona's  Grove  in  De  Kalb  County.  Here  he 
remained  till  1837,  when  he  removed  to  Western 
Missouri.  Black  Hawk's  followers  having  a 
reservation  near  by,  hostilities  began  between 
them,  in  which  a  son  and  nephew  of  Shabona 
were  killed.  He  finally  returned  to  his  old  home 
in  Illinois,  but  found  it  occupied  by  whites,  who 
drove  him  from  the  grove  that  bore  his  name. 
Some  friends  then  bought  for  him  twenty  acres 
of  land  on  Mazon  Creek,  near  Morris,  where  he 


died,  July  27,  1859.  He  is  described  as  a  noble 
specimen  of  his  race.  A  life  of  him  has  been 
published  by  N.  Matson  (Chicago,  1878). 

SHANNON,  a  village  of  Carroll  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway,  18  miles 
southwest  of  Freeport.  It  is  an  important  trade 
center,  has  a  bank  and  one  newspaper.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  591;  (1900),  678. 

SHAW,  Aaron,  former  Congressman,  born  in 
Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1811;  was  educated  at 
the  Montgomery  Academy,  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  CJoshen  in  that  State.  In 
1833  he  removed  to  Lawrence  County,  111.  He 
has  held  various  iini>ortant  public  offices.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  Internal  Improvement 
Convention  of  the  State;  was  chosen  State's 
Attorney  bj'  the  Legislature,  in  which  body  he 
served  two  terras;  served  four  years  as  Judge  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  Judicial  Circuit;  was  elected  to 
the  Thirty-fifth  Congress  in  1856,  and  to  the 
Forty -eighth  in  1883,  as  a  Democrat. 

SHAW,  James,  lawj-er,  jurist,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land. May  3,  1832,  brought  to  this  coiuitry  in  in- 
fancy ami  grow  up  on  a  farm  in  Cass  County,  111.  ; 
graduated  from  Illinois  College  in  1857,  and,  after 
admission  to  the  bar,  began  practice  at  Mount 
Carroll.  In  1870  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  General  Assembly,  being  reelected 
in  1872,  '76  and  '78.  He  was  Speaker  of  the 
nou.se  during  the  session  of  1877,  and  one  of  the 
Republican  leaders  on  the  floor  during  the  suc- 
ceeding session.  In  1872  he  was  chosen  a  Presi- 
dential Elector,  and,  in  1891.  to  a  seat  on  the 
Circuit  bench  from  the  Thirteenth  Circuit, 
and,  in  1S97  was  re-elected  for  the  Fifteenth 
Circuit 

SHAWNEETOWN,  a  city  and  the  county-seat 
of  Gallatin  County,  on  the  Ohio  River  130  miles 
from  its  mouth  and  at  the  terminus  of  the  Sliaw- 
neetown  Divisions  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western and  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  Railroads: 
is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  State,  having 
been  laid  out  in  1808,  and  noted  for  the  number 
of  prominent  men  who  resided  there  at  an  early 
day.  Coal  is  extensively  mined  in  that  section, 
and  Shawneetown  is  one  of  the  largest  shipping 
points  for  lumber,  coal  and  farm  products 
between  Cairo  and  Louisville,  navigation  being 
open  the  year  round.  Some  manufacturing  is 
done  here;  the  city  has  several  mills,  a  foundry 
and  machine  shop,  two  or  three  banks,  several 
churches,  good  schools  and  two  weekly  papers. 
Since  the  disastrous  floods  of  1884  and  1898,  Shaw- 
neetown has  reconstructed  its  levee  sj-stem  on  a 
substantial  scale,  which  is  now  believed  to  furnish 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


477 


ampla  protection  agiiiust  the  recurrence  of  similar 
disaster.     Pop.  (1900),  1,698;  (1903,  est.),  2,200. 

SHEAHAN,  James  W.,  journalist,  was  born  in 
Baltimore.  Mil.,  spent  his  early  life,  after  reaching 
manhood,  in  Washington  City  as  a  Congressional 
Reporter,  and,  in  1847,  reported  the  laroceedings 
of  tlie  Illinois  State  Constitutional  Convention  at 
Springfield.  Through  the  influence  of  Senator 
Douglas  he  was  induced,  in  18.54,  to  accept  the 
editorship  of  "The  Young  America"  newspaper 
at  Chicago,  which  was  soon  after  changed  to 
"The  Chicago  Times."  Here  he  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1860,  when,  "The  Times"  having  been 
sold  and  consolidated  with  "The  Herald,"  a 
Buchanan-Breckenridge  organ,  he  establislied  a 
new  paper  called  "The  Morning  Post."  This  he 
made  representative  of  the  views  of  the  "War 
Democrats"  as  against  "The  Times,"  which  was 
opposed  to  the  war.  In  May,  1865,  he  sold  the 
plant  of  "The  Post"  and  it  became  "The  Chicago 
Republican"  ;r-  now  "Inter  Ocean."  A  few 
months  later.  Mr.  Sheahan  accepted  a  position  as 
chief  writer  on  the  editorial  staff  of  "The  Chicago 
Tribune,"  which  he  retained  until  his  death, 
June  17,  1883. 

SHEFFIELD,  a  prosperous  village  of  Bureau 
County,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  44  miles  east  of  Roak  Island;  has  valu 
able  coal  mines,  a  bank  and  one  newspaper. 
Population  (1890),  993;  (1900),  1,265. 

SHELBY  COUNTY,  lies  south  of  the  center  of 
the  State,  and  contains  an  area  of  776  square 
miles.  The  tide  of  immigration  to  this  county 
was  at  first  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  North 
Carolina,  although  later  it  began  to  set  in  from 
the  Northern  States.  The  first  cabin  in  the 
county  was  built  by  Simeon  Wakefield  on  what  is 
now  the  site  of  Williamsburg,  first  called  Cold 
Spring.  Joseph  Daniel  was  tlie  earliest  settler  in 
what  is  now  Shelbyville,  pre-empting  ten  acres, 
which  he  soon  afterward  sold  to  Joseph  Oliver, 
the  pioneer  merchant  of  the  county,  and  father 
of  the  first  wliite  child  born  within  its  limits. 
Other  pioneers  were  Shimei  Wakefield,  Levi 
Casey  and  Samuel  Hall.  In  lieu  of  hats  the  early 
settlers  wore  caps  made  of  squirrel  or  coon  skin, 
with  the  tails  dangling  at  the  backs,  and  he  was 
regarded  as  well  dressed  who  boasted  a  fringed 
buckskin  shirt  and  trousers,  with  moccasins. 
The  county  was  formed  in  1827,  and  Shelbyville 
made  the  county-seat.  Both  county  and  town 
are  named  in  honor  of  Governor  Shelby,  of  Ken- 
tucky. County  Judge  Joseph  Oliver  held  the 
first  court  in  the  cabin  of  Barnett  Bone,  and 
Judge  Theophilus  W.  Smith   presided  over  the 


first  Circuit  Court  in  1828.  Coal  is  abundant, 
and  limestone  and  sandstone  are  also  found.  The 
surface  is  somewhat  rolling  and  well  wooded. 
The  Little  Wabash  and  Kaskaskia  Rivers  flow 
through  the  central  and  soutlieastern  portions. 
The  county  lies  in  the  very  heart  of  the  great 
corn  belt  of  the  State,  and  has  excellent  transpor- 
tation facilities,  being  penetrated  by  four  lines  of 
railway.  Population  (1880),  30,270;  (1890),  31,- 
191;  (1900),  32,126. 

SHELBYVILLE,  the  county-seat  and  an  incor- 
porated city  of  Shelby  County,  on  tlie  Kaskaskia 
River  and  two  lines  of  railway,  32  miles  southeast 
of  Decatur.  Agriculture  is  carried  on  exten- 
sively, and  tliere  is  considerable  coal  mining  in 
the  immediate  vicinity.  The  city  has  two  flour- 
ing mills,  a  handle  factory,  a  creamery,  one 
National  and  one  State  bank,  one  daily  and  four 
weekly  papers  and  one  monthly  periodical,  an 
Orphans'  Home,  ten  churches,  two  graded 
schools,  and  a  public  library.  Population  (1890), 
3,162;  (1900),  3, .546. 

SHELDON,  a  village  of  Iroquois  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago 
&  St.  Louis  and  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western 
Railways,  9  miles  east  of  Watseka;  has  two  banks 
and  a  newspaper.  The  region  is  agricultural. 
Pop.  (1890),  910;  (1900),  1,103. 

SHELDON,  Benjamin  R.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts  in  1813,  graduated  from  Williams 
College  in  1831,  studied  law  at  the  Yale  Law 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1836. 
Emigrating  to  Illinois,  he  located  temporarily  at 
Hennepin,  Putnam  County,  but  soon  removed  to 
Galena,  and  finally  to  Rockford.  In  1848  he  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge  of  the  Sixth  Circuit,  which 
afterwards  being  divided,  he  was  assigned  to  the 
Fourteenth  Circuit,  remaining  until  1870,  when 
he  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
presiding  as  Chief  Justice  in  1877.  He  was  re- 
elected in  1879,  but  retired  in  1888,  being  suc- 
ceeded by  the  late  Justice  Bailey.  Died,  April 
13,  1897. 

SHEPPARD,  Nathan,  author  and  lecturer,  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  9,  1834;  graduated 
at  Rochester  Theological  Seminary  in  1859;  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  was  special  correspondent  of 
"The  New  York  World"  and  "The  Chicago  Jour- 
nal" and  "Tribune,"  and,  during  the  Franco- 
German  War,  of  "The  Cincinnati  Gazette;"  also 
served  as  special  American  correspondent  of 
"The  London  Times,"  and  was  a  contributor  to 
"Frazer's  Magazine"  and  "Temple  Bar."  In  1873 
he  became  a  lecturer  on  Modern  English  Liter- 
ature and  Rhetoric  in  Chicago  University  and, 


478 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


four  years  later,  accepted  a  similar  position  in 
Allegheny  College;  also  spent  four  years  in 
Europe,  lecturing  in  the  principal  towns  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  In  1884  he  founded  the 
"Athenaeum"  at  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.,  of 
which  he  was  President  until  his  death,  early  in 
1888.  "The  Dickens  Reader,"  "Character  Read- 
ings from  George  Eliot"  and  "Essays  of  George 
Eliot"  were  among  the  volumes  issued  by  him 
between  1881  and  1887.  Died  in  New  York  City, 
Jan.  24,  1888. 

SHERMAX,  Alson  Smith,  early  Chicago  Mayor, 
was  born  at  Barre,  Vt.,  April  21,  1811.  remaining 
there  until  18;!6.  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
began  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  Sev- 
eral years  later  he  opened  the  first  stone  (luarries 
at  Lemont,  111.  Sir.  Sherman  spent  many  ye;irs 
in  the  service  of  Chicago  as  a  public  official. 
From  1840  to  1842  he  was  Captain  of  a  company 
of  militia;  for  two  years  served  as  Chief  of  the 
Fire  Department,  and  was  elected  Alderman  in 
1842,  serving  again  in  1846.  In  1844,  he  was 
chosen  Major,  his  administration  being  marked 
by  the  first  extensive  public  improvements  made 
in  Chicago,  After  his  term  as  Mayor  he  did 
much  to  secure  a  better  water  supply  for  the 
city.  He  was  especially  interested  in  promoting 
common  school  education,  being  for  several  years 
a  member  of  the  City  School  Board.  He  was 
Vice-President  of  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Northwestern  University.  Retired  from  active 
pursuits.  Mr.  Sherman  is  now  (189!l)  s|iending  a 
serene  old  age  at  "Waukegan,  111. — Oren  (Sherman) 
brother  of  the  ])receding  and  early  Chicago  mer- 
chant, was  born  at  Barre,  Vt.,  March  5,  1816. 
After  spending  several  years  in  a  mercantile 
house  in  Montpelier,  Vt.,  at  the  age  of  twenty  he 
came  west,  first  to  New  Buffalo,  Mich.,  and,  in 
1836,  to  Chicago,  opening  a  dry  goods  store  there 
the  next  spring.  With  various  partners  Mr. 
Sherman  continued  in  a  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  18.")3,  at  the  same  time  being  extensively 
engaged  in  the  provision  trade,  one-half  the  entire 
transactions  in  pork  in  tlie  city  passing  through 
his  hands.  Next  he  engaged  in  developing  stone 
quarries  at  Lemont,  111. ;  also  became  extensively 
interested  in  the  marble  business,  continuing  in 
this  until  a  few  years  after  the  panic  of  1873, 
when  he  retired  in  consequence  of  a  shock  of 
paralysis.     Died,  in  Chicago,  Dec.  15,  1898. 

SHERMAN,  Elijah  B.,  la^vyer,  was  born  at 
Fairfield,  Vt,  June  18,  1832— his  family  being 
distantly  related  to  Roger  Sherman,  a  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  the  late 
Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman;  gained  his  education  in  the 


common  schools  and  at  Middlebury  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1860 ;  began  teaching,  but 
soon  after  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  war  for  tlio 
Union;  received  a  Lieutenant's  commis.sion,  and 
served  until  captured  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  at 
Antietam,  when  he  was  paroled  and  sent  to  Camp 
Douglas,  Chicago,  awaiting  exchange.  During 
this  period  he  commenced  reading  law  and,  hav 
ing  resigned  his  commission,  graduated  from  the 
law  department  of  Chicago  University  in  1804 
In  1876  lie  was  elected  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  from  Cook  County,  and  re- 
elected in  1878,  and  the  following  j'ear  apjMinted 
Master  in  Chancery  of  the  L^nited  States  District 
Court,  a  position  which  he  still  occupies  lie  has 
repeatedly  been  called  upon  to  deliver  addres.ses 
on  political,  literary  and  patriotic  occasions,  one 
of  these  being  before  the  alumni  of  liis  alma 
mater,  in  1884,  when  he  was  complimented  with 
the  degree  of  LL.D. 

SHIELDS,  James,  soldier  and  'United  States 
Senator,  w.as  born  in  Ireland  in  1810,  emigrated 
to  the  L'nited  States  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and 
iM'gan  tlie  practice  of  law  at  Kaskiiakia  in  1833. 
He  w;is  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1830,  and 
State  Auditor  in  1839.  In  1843  he  became  a 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and,  in 
184.'),  was  made  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Oflice.  In  July,  1846,  he  was  commissioned 
Brigadier-General  in  the  Mexican  War  gaining 
the  brevet  of  Major-General  at  Cerro-Gordo, 
where  he  was  severely  wounded.  He  was  again 
woun<led  at  Chapultepec,  and  mastered  out  in 
1848.  The  same  year  he  was  appointed  Governor 
of  Oregon  Territory.  In  1849  the  Democrats  in 
the  Illinois  Legislature  elected  him  Senator,  and 
he  resigned  his  oflBce  in  Oregon.  In  1850  he 
removed  to  Minnesota,  and,  in  1858,  was  chosen 
United  States  Senator  from  that  State,  his  term 
expiring  in  1859.  when  he  established  a  residence 
in  California.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War 
(1861)  he  was  superintending  a  mine  in  Mexico, 
but  at  once  hastened  to  Washington  to  tender  his 
services  to  the  Goveriminet.  He  was  commis- 
sioned Brigadier-General,  and  served  with  dis- 
tinction until  :\rarch,  1863,  when  the  effect  of 
numsrous  wounds  caused  him  to  resign.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Missouri,  practicing  law  at 
CarroUton  and  serving  in  the  Legislature  of  that 
State  in  1874  and  1879.  In  the  latter  year  he  was 
elected  United  States  Senator  to  fill  out  the  unex 
pired  term  of  Senator  Bogy,  who  had  died  in 
office — serving  only  six  weeks,  but  being  the  only 
man  in  the  history  of  the  country  who  filled  the 
office  of  United  States  Senator  from  three  differ- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


479 


ent  States.  Died,  at  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  June  1, 
1879, 

SHIPMAN,  a  town  of  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railway,  19  miles  north-uorth- 
east  of  Alton  and  14  miles  southwest  of  Carlin- 
ville.  Population  (1890),  410;  (1900),  390. 

SHIPMAN,  George  E.,  M.D.,  physician  and 
philanthropist,  born  in  New  York  City,  March  4, 
1820 ;  graduated  at  the  University  of  New  York 
in  1839,  and  took  a  course  in  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons;  practiced  for  a  time  at 
Peoria,  111.,  but,  inl84G,  located  in  Chicago,  where 
he  assisted  in  organizing  the  first  Homeopathic 
Hospital  in  that  city,  and,  in  1855,  was  one  of  tlie 
first  Trustees  of  Hahnemann  College.  In  1871  he 
established,  in  Chicago,  the  Foundlings'  Home  at 
his  own  expense,  giving  to  it  the  latter  years  of 
his  life.     Died.  Jan.  20.  1893. 

SHOREY,  Daniel  Lewis,  lawyer  and  philan- 
thropist, was  born  at  Jonesborough,  Washington 
County,  Maine,  Jan.  31,  1824;  educated  at  Phil- 
lips Academy,  Andover,  Mass.,  and  at  Dartmouth 
College,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  IB.^Jl; 
taught  two  years  in  Washington  City,  meanwhile 
reading  law,  afterwards  taking  a  course  at  Dane 
Law  Scli(X)l,  Cambridge ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  Boston  in  1854,  the  next  year  locating  at 
Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  ten  years. 
In  1865  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  prose- 
cuted his  profession  until  1890,  when  he  retired. 
Mr.  Sliorey  wa.s  prominent  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  and  a  member  of 
the  first  Library  Board ;  was  also  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Chicago  Literary  Club,  and  was  a 
Director  in  the  new  University  of  Chicago  and 
deeply  interested  in  its  prosperity.  Died,  in  Chi- 
cago, March  4,  1899. 

SHORT,  (Rev.)  William  P.,  clergyman  and 
educator,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1829,  brought  to 
Morgan  County,  111.,  in  childhood,  and  lived  upon 
a  farm  until  20  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
McKendree  College,  spending  his  senior  year, 
however,  at  Wesleyan  University,  Bloomington, 
where  he  graduated  in  1854.  He  had  meanwhile 
accepted  a  call  to  the  Missouri  Conference  Semi- 
nary at  Jackson.  Mo. ;  where  he  remained  three 
years,  when  he  returned  to  Illinois,  serving 
churches  at  Jacksonville  and  elsewhere,  for  a 
part  of  the  time  being  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
.lacksonville  District.  In  1875  he  was  elected 
President  of  Illinois  Female  College  at  Jackson- 
ville, continuing  in  that  position  until  1893,  when 
he  was  appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Illinois 
State  Institution  for  the  Blind  at  the  same  place, 
but  resigned  early  in  1897.     Dr.  .Short  received 


the  degree  of  D.D.,  conferred  upon  him  by  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University. 

SHOUP,  (Jeorge  L.,  United  States  Senator, 
was  born  at  Kittanning,  Pa.,  June  15,  1836,  came 
to  Illinois  in  1852,  his  father  locating  on  a  stock- 
farm  near  Galesburg;  in  1859  removed  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  engaged  in  mining  and  mercantile 
business  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  a  com- 
pany of  scouts,  being  advanced  from  the  rank  of 
First  Lieutenant  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the  Third 
Colorado  Cavalry,  meanwhile  .serving  as  Delegate 
to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1864. 
Retiring  to  private  life,  he  again  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile and  mining  business,  first  in  Nevada  and 
then  in  Idaho;  .served  two  terms  in  the  Terri- 
torial Legislature  of  the  latter,  was  appointed 
Territorial  Governor  in  1889  and,  in  1890,  was 
chosen  the  first  Governor  of  the  State,  in  October 
of  the  same  year  being  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  re-elected  in  1895  for  a  second 
term,  which  ends  in  1901.  Senator  Shoup  is  one 
of  the  few  Western  Senators  who  remained  faith- 
ful to  the  regular  Republican  organization,  during 
the  political  campaign  of  1896. 

SHOWALTER,  John  W.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Mason  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  8,  1844;  resided  some 
years  in  Scott  County  in  that  State,  and  was 
educated  in  the  local  schools,  at  Maysville  and 
Ohio  University,  finally  graduating  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1867;  came  to  Chicago  in  1869,  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870.  He 
returned  to  Kentucky  after  the  fire  of  1871,  but, 
in  1872,  again  came  to  Chicago  and  entered  the 
employment  of  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Caulfield, 
with  whom  he  had  been  before  the  fire.  In  1879 
he  became  a  memlier  of  the  firm  of  Abbott, 
Oliver  &  Showalter  (later,  Oliver  &  Showalter), 
where  he  remained  until  his  appointment  as 
United  States  Circuit  Judge,  in  March,  1895. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  Dec.  12,  1898. 

SHUMAN,  Andrew,  journali.st  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  born  at  Manor,  Lancaster  County, 
Pa.,  Nov.  8,  1830.  His  father  dying  in  1837,  he 
was  reared  by  an  uncle.  At  the  age  of  15  he 
became  an  apprentice  in  the  office  of  "The  Lan- 
caster Union  and  Sentinel."  A  year  later  he  ac- 
companied his  employer  to  Auburn,  N.  Y.  ,%vorking 
for  two  years  on  "The  Daily  Advertiser"  of  that 
city,  then  known  as  Governor  Seward's  "home 
organ."  At  the  age  of  18  he  edited,  published 
and  distributed  —  during  his  leisure  hours — a 
snaall  weekly  paper  called  "The  Auburnian."  At 
the  conclusion  of  his  apprenticeship  he  was  em- 
ployed, for  a  year  or  two,  in  editing  and  publish- 
ing "The  Cayuga  Chief,"  a  temperance  journal. 


480 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


In  1851  he  entered  Hamilton  College,  but,  before 
the  completion  of  his  junior  year,  consented,  at 
the  solicitation  of  friends  of  William  H.  Seward, 
to  assume  editorial  control  of  "The  Syracuse 
Daily  Journal. "  In  July,  1856,  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago, to  accept  an  editorial  position  on  "The 
Evening  Journal"  of  that  city,  later  becoming 
editor-in-chief  and  President  of  the  Journal  Com- 
pany. From  1865  to  1870  (first  by  executive 
appointment  and  afterward  by  popular  election) 
he  was  a  Commissioner  of  the  Illinois  State  Peni- 
tentiary at  Joliet,  resigning  the  office  four  j'ears 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  In  18TG  he 
was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  Owing  to  declining  health,  he 
abandoned  active  journalistic  work  in  1888. 
dying  in  Chicago,  May  5,  1890.  His  liome  during 
the  latter  years  of  his  life  was  at  Evanston. 
Governor  Shuman  was  author  of  a  romance 
entitled  "Loves  of  a  Lawyer,"  besides  numerous 
addresses  before  literary,  commercial  and  scien- 
tific associations. 

SHUMWAY,  Doriee  Dirig'ht,  merchant,  was 
born  at  AVilliamsburg.  Worcester  County,  Mass., 
Sept.  38,  1813,  descended  from  French  Huguenot 
ancestry;  came  to  Zanosville,  Oliio,  in  1837.  and 
to  Montgomery  County,  111.,  in  1841;  married  a 
daughter  of  Hiram  Rountree,  an  early  resident 
of  Hillsboro,  and,  in  1843,  located  in  Christian 
County ;  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  merchandis- 
ing at  Taylorville,  but  retired  in  18.58,  tliereafter 
giving  his  attention  to  a  large  landed  estate.  In 
1846  he  was  chosen  Representative  in  the  General 
Assembly,  served  in  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1847,  and  four  years  as  County  Judge  of 
Christian  County.  Died,  May  9,  1870. — Hiram 
P.  (Shumway),  eldest  son  of  the  preceding,  was 
born  in  Montgomery  County,  111..  June,  1842; 
spent  his  boyhood  on  a  farm  in  Christian  County 
and  in  his  father's  store  at  Taylorville ;  took  an 
academy  course  and,  in  1864,  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile business:  was  Representative  in  the  Twenty- 
eighth  General  Assembly  and  Senator  in  the 
Thirty-sixth  and  Thirty-seventh,  afterwards 
removing  to  Springfield,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  stone  business. 

SHURTLEFF  C(>I,LE(iE,  an  institution 
located  at  Upper  Alton,  and  the  third  e.stab- 
Ushed  in  Illinois.  It  was  originally  incorporated 
as  the  "Alton  College"  in  1831,  under  a  special 
charter  which  was  not  accepted,  but  re-incorpo- 
rated in  1835.  in  an  "omnibus  bill"  with  Illi- 
nois and  McKendree  Colleges.  (See  Early  Col- 
leges.) Its  primal  origin  was  a  school  at  Rock 
Spring  in  St.  Clair  County,  founded  about  1S24, 


by  Rev.  John  M.  Peck.  This  liecame  the  "Rock 
Spring  Seminary"  in  1827,  and,  alx)ut  1831,  was 
united  with  an  academy  at  Upper  Alton.  This 
was  the  nucleus  of  "Alton"  (afterward  "Shurt- 
leff")  College.  As  far  as  its  denominational 
control  is  concerned,  it  has  always  been  domi- 
nated by  Baptist  influence.  Dr.  Peck's  original 
idea  was  to  found  a  school  for  teaching  theology 
and  Biblical  literature,  but  this  project  was  at 
first  inhibited  !)}•  the  State.  Hubbard  Loomis 
ami  John  Ru.ssell  were  among  the  first  instruc- 
tors. Later,  Dr.  Benjamin  ShurtlefT  donated  the 
college  §10,000.  and  the  institution  w;is  named  in 
his  honor.  College  classes  were  not  organized 
until  1840,  and  several  years  elapsed  before  a  class 
graduated.  Its  endowment  in  1898  was  over 
$126,000,  in  addition  to  $125,000  worth  of  real  and 
personal  property.  About  255  students  were  in 
attendance.  Besides  preparatory  and  collegiate 
departments,  the  college  also  maintains  a  theo- 
logical school.  It  has  a  faculty  of  twenty 
instructors  and  is  co-educational. 

SIBLEY,  a  village  of  Ford  County,  on  the  Chi- 
cago Division  of  the  AVabash  Railway,  105  miles 
south-southwest  of  Chicago;  has  banks  and  a 
weekly  newspaper.  The  district  is  agricultural. 
Population  (1890),  404;  (1900),  444. 

SIBLEY,  Joseph,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  bom 
at  Westfield.  Miiss.,  in  1818;  learned  the  trade  of 
a  whip  maker  and  afterwards  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising. In  1843  he  began  the  study  of  law 
at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and,  upon  admission  to  the 
bar,  came  west,  finally  settling  at  Xauvoo.  Han- 
cock County.  He  maintained  a  neutral  attitude 
during  the  Mormon  troubles,  thus  giving  offen.se 
to  a  section  of  the  community.  In  1847  he  was 
an  unsuccessful  candiilate  for  the  Legislature, 
but  was  elected  in  1850,  and  re-elected  in  18.52. 
In  1853  he  removed  to  Warsaw,  and,  in  1855,  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  re-elected 
in  1861,  '67  and  '73,  being  assigned  to  the  bench 
of  the  Appellate  Court  of  the  Second  District,  in 
1877.  His  residence,  after  1865,  was  at  Quincy, 
where  he  died,  June  18,  1897. 

SIDELL,  a  village  of  Vermillion  County,  on  the 
Chicago  it  Ea.stern  Illinois  and  Cincinnati,  Hamil- 
ton &  Dayton  Railroads;  has  a  bank,  electric 
light  plant  and  a  news|)aper.     Pop.  (1900),  776. 

SIDNEY,  a  village  of  Champaign  County,  on 
the  main  lineof  tlie  Wabash  Railway,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  a  branch  to  Champiiign,  48  miles  ea.st-north- 
east  of  Decatur.  It  is  in  a  farming  district ;  has  a 
bank  and  a  newspaper.     Population.  (1900),  564. 

SIM,  (Dr.)  lYilliam,  pioneer  physician,  was 
born  at  Aberdeen,  Scotland,   in   1795,   came    to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


481 


America  in  early  manhood,  and  was  the  first  phy- 
sician to  settle  at  Golconda,  in  Pope  County, 
which  he  represented  in  the  Fourth  and  Fifth 
General  Assemblies  (1824  and  "28).  He  married 
a  Miss  Elizabeth  Jack  of  Pliiladelpliia.  making 
the  journey  from  Golconda  to  Philadelphia  for 
that  purpose  on  horseback.  He  had  a  family  of 
five  children,  one  son,  Dr.  Francis  L.  Sim.  rising 
to  distinction  as  a  physician,  and,  for  a  time, 
being  President  of  a  Medical  College  at  Jlempliis, 
Tenn.  The  elder  Dr.  Sim  died  at  Golconda,  in 
1868. 

SIMS,  James,  early  legislator  and  Methodist 
preacher,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  but 
removed  to  Kentucky  in  early  manhood,  thence 
to  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  and,  in  1820,  to  Sanga- 
mon County,  where  he  was  elected,  in  1823,  as  the 
first  Representative  from  that  count)'  in  the 
Third  General  Assembly.  At  the  succeeding  ses- 
sion of  the  Legislature,  he  was  one  of  those  who 
voted  against  the  Convention  resolution  designed 
to  prepare  the  way  for  making  Illinois  a  slave 
State.  Mr.  Sims  resided  for  a  time  in  Menard 
County,  but  finally  removed  to  Morgan. 

SIJfGER,  Horace  M.,  capitalist,  was  born  in 
Schnectady,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  1,  1823;  came  to  Chicago 
in  1836  and  found  employment  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  serving  as  superintendent  of 
repairs  upon  the  Canal  until  1853.  Wliile  thus 
employed  he  became  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
ihe  stone-quarries  at  Lemont,  managed  by  the 
firm  of  Singer  &  Talcott  until  about  1890,  when 
they  became  the  property  of  the  Western  Stone 
Company.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he  became  a 
Republican  during  the  Civil  "War,  and  served  as  a 
memlier  of  tlie  Twenty-fifth  General  Assembly 
(1867)  for  Cook  County,  was  elected  County  Com- 
missioner in  1870,  and  was  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  County  Central  Committee  in  1880. 
Pie  was  also  associated  with  several  financial 
institutions,  being  a  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank  and  of  the  Auditorium  Company  of  Chi- 
cago, and  a  member  of  tlie  Union  League  and 
Calumet  Clubs.  Died,  at  Pasadena,  Cal.,  Dec. 
28,  1896. 

SINGLETON,  James  W.,  Congressman,  born 
at  Paxton,  Va.,  Nov.  23,  1811;  was  educated  at 
the  Winchester  (Va.)  Academy,  and  removed  to 
Illinois  in  1833,  settling  first  at  Mount  Sterling, 
Brown  County,  and,  some  twenty  years  later, 
near  Quincy.  By  profession  he  was  a  lawyer, 
and  was  prominent  in  political  and  commercial 
affairs.  In  his  later  years  he  devoted  consider- 
able attention  to  stock-raising.  He  was  elected 
Brigadier-General  qf  the  Illinois  militia  in  1844, 


being  identified  to  some  extent  with  the  "Mor- 
mon War";  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1862,  served  six  terms  in 
the  Legislature,  and  was  elected,  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  to  Congress  in  1878,  and  again  in 
1880.  In  1882  he  ran  as  an  independent  Demo- 
crat, but  was  defeated  by  the  regular  nominee  of 
his  party,  James  M.  Riggs.  During  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion  he  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
leaders  of  the  "peace  party."  He  constructed 
the  Quincy  &  Toledo  (now  part  of  the  Wabash) 
and  tlie  Quincy,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  (now  part  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy)  Railways, 
being  President  of  both  companies.  His  death 
occurred  at  Baltimore.  Md.,  April  4,  1892. 

SINXET,  John  S.,  pioneer,  was  born  at  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  March  10,  1796;  at  three  years  of  age, 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Mis.souri ;  enlisted  in  the 
War  of  1813,  but,  soon  after  the  war,  came  to 
Illinois,  and,  about  1818,  settled  in  what  is  now 
Christian  County,  locating  on  land  constituting 
a  part  of  the  present  city  of  Taylorville.  In  1840 
he  removed  to  Tazewell  County,  dj'ing  there,  Jan. 
13,  1873. 

SKINNER,  Mark,  jurist,  was  born  at  Manches- 
ter, Vt.,  Sept.  13,  1813;  graduated  from  Middle- 
bury  College  in  1833,  studied  law,  and,  in  1836, 
came  to  Chicago;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1839,  became  City  Attorney  in  1840,  later  Jlaster 
in  Chancery  for  Cook  County,  and  finally  United 
States  District  Attorney  under  President  Tyler. 
As  member  of  the  House  Finance  Committee  in 
the  Fifteenth  General  Assembly  (1846-48),  he 
aided  influentially  in  securing  the  adoption  of 
measures  for  refunding  and  paying  the  State 
debt.  In  1851  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  (now  Superior  Court)  of  Cook 
County,  but  declined  a  re-election  in  1853.  Origi- 
nally a  Democrat,  Judge  Skinner  was  an  ardent 
opponent  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  and  a 
liberal  supporter  of  the  Government  policy  dur- 
ing the  rebellion.  He  liberally  aided  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission  and  was  identified 
with  all  the  leading  charities  of  the  city. 
Among  the  great  business  enterprises  with  whicli 
he  was  officially  a.ssociated  were  the  Galena  &  Clu- 
cago  Union  and  the  Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railways  (in  each  of  which  he  was  a  Director), 
the  Chicago  Marine  &  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
the  Gas-Light  and  Coke  Company  and  others. 
Died,  Sept.  16,  1887.  Judge  Skinner's  only  sur- 
viving son  was  kille<l  in  the  trenches  before 
Petersburg,  the  last  year  of  tlie  Civil  War. 

SKINNER,  Otis  Alnsworth,  clergyman  and 
author,  was  born  at  Royalton,  Vt.,  July  3,  1807; 


482 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


taught  for  some  time,  became  a  Universalist 
minister,  serving  churches  in  Baltimore,  Boston 
and  New  York  between  1831  and  1857;  then 
came  to  Elgin,  III,  was  elected  President  of  Lom- 
bard University  at  Galesburg,  but  the  following 
year  took  cliarge  of  a  church  at  Joliet.  Died,  at 
Naperville,  Sept.  18,  1861.  He  wrote  several  vol- 
umes on  religious  topics,  and,  at  different  times, 
edited  religious  periodicals  at  Baltimore,  Haver- 
hill, Mass.,  and  Boston. 

SKINNER,  Ozias  C,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Floyd,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1817;  in 
1836,  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Peoria 
County,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1838 
he  began  the  study  of  law  at  Greenville,  Ohio, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that  State  in  1840. 
Eighteen  months  later  he  returned  to  Illinois, 
and  began  practice  at  Cartilage,  Hancock  Coiuity, 
removing  to  Quincy  in  1844.  During  the  "Mor- 
mon War"  he  served  as  Aid-de-camp  to  Govei'nor 
Ford.  In  1848  he  was  elected  to  tlie  lower  house 
of  the  Sixteenth  General  Assembly,  and,  for  a 
short  time,  served  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  for 
the  district  including  Adams  and  Brown  Coun- 
ties. In  18.")1  lie  was  elected  Judge  of  the  (then) 
Fifteenth  Judicial  Circuit,  and,  in  1855,  suc- 
ceeded Judge  S.  H.  Treat  on  tlie  Supreme  bench, 
resigning  this  position  in  April,  1858,  two  months 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  He  was  a 
large  land  owner  and  had  extensive  agricultural 
interests.  He  built,  and  was  the  first  President 
of  the  Carthage  &  Quincy  Railroad,  now  a  part 
of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  system.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  18G9,  serving  as  Chairman  of  tlio 
Committee  on  Judiciary.     Died  in  1877. 

SLADE,  Charles,  early  Congressman;  his  early 
history,  including  date  and  place  of  birth,  are 
unknown.  In  18i()  he  was  elected  Representative 
from  Washington  County  in  the  Second  General 
Assembly,  and,  in  1826,  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  body  for  Clinton  and  Washington.  In  1833 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  three  Congressmen 
from  Illinois,  representing  the  First  District. 
After  attending  the  first  session  of  the  Twenty- 
thirtl  Congress,  while  on  his  wa}'  home,  he  was 
attacked  with  cholera,  dying  near  Vincennes, 
lud.,  July  11,  1834. 

SLADE,  James  P.,  ex-State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  was  born  at  Westerlo,  Albany 
County,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  9,  1837,  and  spent  his  boj'- 
hood  with  his  parents  on  a  farm,  except  while 
absent  at  school ;  in  1856  removed  to  Belleville, 
111.,  where  he  soon  became  connected  with  the 
public  schools,  serving  for  a  number  of  years  as 


Principal  of  the  Belleville  High  School.  While 
connected  with  the  Belleville  schools,  he  was 
elected  County  Superintendent,  remaining  in 
office  some  ten  years ;  later  had  charge  of  Almira 
College  at  Greenville,  Bond  County,  .served  six 
years  as  Superintendent  of  Schools  at  East  St. 
Louis  and,  in  1878,  was  elected  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction  as  the  nominee  of  the 
Republican  party.  On  retirement  from  the 
office  of  State  Superintendent,  he  resumed  his 
place  at  the  head  of  Almira  College,  but,  for  the 
past  few  years,  has  been  Superintendent  of 
Schools  at  East  St.  Louis. 

SL.VVEHY    A(;iTATIOX    OF    1S23-24.      (See 
Slcii-ery  und  Sliirc  Laics  ) 

SLAVEKY  AND  SLAVE  L.VWS.  African  slaves 
were  first  brought  into  the  Illinois  country  by  a 
Frenchman  named  Pierre  F.  Renault,  about 
1722.  At  that  time  the  present  State  formed  a 
[(art  of  Louisiana,  and  the  traffic  in  slaves  was 
regulated  by  French  royal  edicts.  When  Great 
Britain  acquired  the  territory,  at  the  close  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  the  former  subjects  of 
France  were  guaranteed  securitj'  for  their  per- 
sons "and  effects,"  and  no  interference  with 
slavery  was  attempted.  Upon  the  conquest  of 
Illinois  by  Virginia  (see  Clark,  George  Rogers), 
tlie  French  very  generally  professed  allegiance  to 
that  commonwealth,  and,  in  her  deed  of  ce.ssion 
to  the  United  States,  Virginia  expressly  stipulated 
for  the  protection  of  the  "rights  and  liberties", 
of  the  French  citizens.  This  was  construed  as 
recognizing  tlie  right  of  property  in  negro 
slaves.  Even  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  while  pro- 
hibiting slavery  in  the  Northwest  Territorj",  pre- 
served to  the  settlers  (reference  being  especially 
made  to  the  French  and  Canadians)  "of  the  Kas- 
kaskias,  St.  Vincents  and  neighboring  villages, 
their  lavi-s  and  customs,  now  (then)  in  force, 
relative  to  the  descent  and  conveyance  of  prop- 
erty." A  conservative  construction  of  this  clause 
was,  that  wliile  it  prohibited  the  extension  of 
slavery  and  the  importation  of  slaves,  the  status 
of  tlio.se  who  were  at  that  time  in  involuntary 
servitude,  and  of  their  descendants,  was  left  un- 
changed. There  were  those,  however,  who  denied 
the  constitutionality  of  the  Ordinance  in  toto, 
on  the  ground  that  Congress  had  exceeded  its 
powers  in  its  passage.  There  was  also  a  party 
which  claimed  that  all  children  of  slaves,  born 
after  1787,  were  free  from  birth.  In  1794  a  con- 
vention was  held  at  Vincennes,  pursuant  to  a  call 
from  Governor  Harrison,  and  a  memorial  to  Con- 
gress was  adopted,  praying  for  the  repeal — or.  at 
least  a  modification — of  the  sixth  clause  of  the 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


483 


Ordinance  of  1787,  The  first  Congressional  Com- 
mittee, to  wliich  this  petition  was  referred, 
reported  adversely  upon  it ;  but  a  second  commit- 
tee recommended  the  suspension  of  the  operation 
of  the  clause  in  question  for  ten  years.  But  no 
action  was  taken  by  the  National  Legislature, 
and,  in  1807,  a  counter  petition,  extensively 
signed,  was  forwarded  to  that  body,  and  Congress 
left  the  matter  in  statu  quo.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  some  of  the  most  earnest  opponents  of  the 
measure  were  Representatives  from  Southern 
Slave  States,  John  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  being 
one  of  them.  The  pro-slavery  party  in  the  State 
then  prepared  what  is  popularly  known  as  the 
"Indenture  Law,"  which  was  one  of  the  first  acts 
adopted  by  Governor  Edwards  and  his  Council, 
and  was  re-enacted  by  the  first  Territorial  Legis- 
lature in  1812.  It  was  entitled,  "An  Act  relating 
to  the  Introduction  of  Negroes  and  Mulattoes  into 
this  Territory,"  and  gave  permission  to  bring 
slaves  above  15  years  of  age  into  the  State,  when 
they  might  be  registered  and  kept  in  servitude 
within  certain  limitations.  Slaves  under  that 
age  might  also  be  brought  in,  registered,  and  held 
in  bondage  until  they  reached  the  age  of  35,  if 
males,  and  30,  if  females.  The  issue  of  registered 
slaves  were  to  serve  their  mother's  master  until 
the  age  of  30  or  28,  according  to  sex.  The  effect 
of  this  legislation  was  rapidly  to  increase  the 
number  of  slaves.  The  Constitution  of  1818  pro- 
hibited the  introduction  of  slavery  thereafter — 
that  is  to  say,  after  its  adoption.  In  1822  the 
slave-holding  party,  with  their  supporters,  began 
to  agitate  the  question  of  so  amending  tlie 
organic  law  as  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State.  To 
effect  such  a  change  the  calling  of  a  convention 
was  necessary,  and,  for  eighteen  months,  the 
struggle  between  "conventionists"  and  their 
opponents  was  bitter  and  fierce.  The  question 
was  submitted  to  a  popular  vote  on  August  2, 
1824,  the  result  of  the  count  showing  4,972  votes 
for  such  convention  and  6,640  against.  This 
decisive  result  settled  the  question  of  slave-hold- 
ing in  Illinois  for  all  future  time,  though  the 
existence  of  slavery  in  the  State  continued  to  be 
recognized  by  the  National  Census  until  1840. 
The  number,  according  to  the  census  of  1810,  was 
1C8;  in  1820  they  had  increased  to  917.  Then 
the  number  began  to  diminish,  being  reduced  in 
1830  to  747,  and,  in  1840  (the  last  census  which 
shows  any  portion  of  the  population  held  in 
bondage),  it  was  331. 

Hooper  Warren — who  has  been  mentioned  else- 
where as  editor  of  "The  Edwardsville  Spectator." 
and  a  leading  factor  in  securing  the  defeat  of  the 


scheme  to  make  Illinois  a  slave  State  in  1822 — in 
an  article  in  the  first  number  of  "The  Genius  of 
Liberty"  (January,  1841),  speaking  of  that  con- 
test, says  there  were,  at  its  beginning,  only  three 
papers  in  the  State — "The  Intelligencer"  at  Van- 
dalia,  "The  Gazette"  at  Shawneetown,  and  "The 
Spectator"  at  Edwardsville.  The  first  two  of 
these,  at  the  outset,  favored  the  Convention 
scheme,  while  "The  Spectator"  opposed  it.  The 
management  of  the  campaign  on  the  part  of  the 
pro-slavery  party  was  assigned  to  Emanuel  J. 
West,  Theophilus  W.  Smith  and  Oliver  L.  Kelly, 
and  a  paper  was  established  by  the  name  of  "The 
Illinois  Republican,"  with  Smith  as  editor. 
Among  tlie  active  opponents  of  the  measure  were 
George  Churchill,  Thomas  Lippincott,  Samuel  D. 
Lockwood,  Henry  Starr  (afterwards  of  Cincin- 
nati), Rev.  John  M.  Peck  and  Rev.  James 
Lemen,  of  St.  Clair  County.  Others  who  con- 
tributed to  the  cause  were  Daniel  P.  Cook,  Morris 

Birkbeck,   Dr.   Hugh  Steel    and Burton    of 

Jackson  County,  Dr.  Henry  Perrine  of  Bond; 
William  Leggett  of  Edwardsville  (afterwards 
editor  of  "The  New  York  Evening  Post"),  Ben- 
jamin Lundy  (then  of  Missouri),  David  Blackwell 
and  Rev.  John  Dew,  of  St.  Clair  County.  Still 
others  were  Nathaniel  Pope  (Judge  of  the  United 
States  District  Court),  William  B.  Archer,  Wil- 
liam H.  Brown  and  Benjamin  Mills  (of  Vandalia), 
John  Tillson,  Dr.  Horatio  Newhall,  George  For- 
quer.  Col.  Thomas  Mather,  Thomas  Ford,  Judge 
David  J.  Baker,  Charles  W.  Hunter  and  Henry  H. 
Snow  (of  Alton).  This  testimony  is  of  interest 
as  coming  from  one  who  probabl)-  had  more  to  do 
with  defeating  tlie  scheme,  with  the  exception  of 
Gov.  Edward  Coles.  Outside  of  the  more  elabor- 
ate Histories  of  Illinois,  the  most  accurate  and 
detailed  accounts  of  this  particular  period  are  to 
be  found  in  "Sketch  of  Edward  Coles"  by  the  late 
E.  B.  Washburne,  and  "Early  Movement  in  Illi- 
nois for  the  Legalization  of  Slavery,"  an  ad- 
dress before  tlie  Chicago  Historical  Society 
(1864),  by  Hon.  William  H.  Brown,  of  Chicago. 
(See  also,  Coles,  Edward;  Warren.Hooper ;  Broini, 
Willinm  H.;  Churchdl,  George;  Lippincoit, 
Tlioinas.and  Newspapers,  Early,  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. ) 

SLOAN,  Wesley,  legislator  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Dorchester  County,  Md.,  Feb.  20,,  1806. 
At  the  age  of  17,  having  received  a  fair  academic 
education,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Phila- 
delphia, where,  for  a  year,  he  was  emjjloyed  in  a 
wholesale  grocery.  His  father  dying,  he  returned 
to  Maryland  and  en.gaged  in  teaching,  at  the 
.same  time  studving  law,  and  being  admitteil  to 


484 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  bar  in  1831.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1838, 
going  first  to  Chicago,  and  afterward  to  Kaskas- 
kia,  finally  settling  at  Golconda  in  1839.  which 
continued  to  be  his  home  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  In  1848  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
and  re-elected  in  1850,  '52,  and  "56,  serving  three 
times  as  Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee. 
He  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  first  State 
Board  of  Education,  created  by  Act  of  Feb.  18, 
1857,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  founding 
and  organization  of  the  State  educational  in.'^ti- 
tutions.  In  IS.j?  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of 
the  Nineteenth  Judicial  Circuit,  and  re-elected  in 
1861,  but  declined  a  re-election  for  a  third  term 
Died,  Jan.  15.  1S87. 

SMITH,  Abiier,  jurist,  was  born  at  Orange, 
Franklin  County.  Mass.,  Augu.st  4.  1843,  of  an 
old  New  England  family,  whose  ancestors  came 
to  Massaclmsetts  Colony  about  1630;  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  at  Middlebury 
College.  Vt. .  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1866. 
After  graduation  he  spent  a  year  as  a  teaclier  in 
Newton  Academy,  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  coming  to 
Chicago  in  1867,  and  entering  upon  the  study  of 
law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868.  The  next 
twenty-five  years  were  spent  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Chicago,  within  that  time  serv- 
ing as  the  attorney  of  several  important  corpo- 
rations. In  1893  he  was  elected  a  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  and  re-elected 
in  1S97,  his  term  of  service  continuing  until 
1903. 

SMITH,  (Dr.)  Charles  ^iilniau, physician,  was 
born  at  Exeter,  X  H.,  Jan.  4,  1828,  received  his 
early  education  at  Phillips  Academy,  in  liis  native 
jilace.  finally  grailuating  from  Harvard  Univcr- 
sit}'  in  1847.  He  .soon  after  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  but 
completed  his  course  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1851.  After  two  years  spent  as 
attending  physician  of  the  Alms  House  in  South 
Boston,  Mass.,  in  1853  he  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  soon  acquired  an  extensive  practice.  During 
the  Civil  War  he  was  one  of  six  physicians 
employed  by  the  Government  for  the  treatment 
of  prisoners  of  war  in  hospital  at  Camp  Douglas. 
In  1868  he  visited  Europe  for  the  purpose  of 
observing  the  management  of  hospitals  in  Ger- 
many, France  and  England,  on  his  return  being 
invited  to  lecture  in  the  Woman's  Medical  College 
in  Chicago,  and  also  becoming  consulting  ph}"- 
sician  in  the  Women's  and  Children's  Hospital, 
as  well  as  in  the  Presbyterian  Hospital — a  position 
which  lie  continued  to  occupy  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  gaining  a  wide  reputation  in  the  treat- 


ment of  women's  and  children's  diseases.     Died, 
Jan.  10,  1894. 

SMITH,  David  Allen,  lawyer,  was  born  near 
Richmond,  Va.,  June  18,  1809;  removed  with  his 
father,  at  an  early  day,  to  Pulaski,  Tenn. ;  at  17 
went  to  Courtland,  Lawrence  County,  Ala., 
where  he  studied  law  with  Judge  Bramlette  and 
began  practice.  His  father,  dying  about  1831,  left 
him  the  owner  of  a  number  of  slaves  whom,  in 
1837,  he  brought  to  Carlinville,  111.,  and  emanci- 
pated, giving  bond  that  they  should  not  become 
a  charge  to  the  State.  In  1839  be  removed  to 
Jacksonville,  where  he  pnict.iced  law  until  his 
death.  Col.  John  J  Hardin  was  his  partner  at 
the  time  of  his  death  on  the  battle-field  of  Buena 
Vista.  Mr.  Smith  wius  a  Trustee  and  generous 
patron  of  Illinois  College,  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, but  never  held  anj-  political  office.  As  a 
lawyer  he  was  conscientious  and  faithful  to  the 
interests  of  his  clients;  as  a  citizen,  liberal,  pub- 
lic-spirited anil  patriotic.  He  contributed  liber- 
ally to  the  support  of  the  Government  dur- 
ing the  war  for  the  Union.  Died,  at  Anoka, 
Minn.,  July  13,  1865,  where  he  had  gone  to 
accompany  an  invalid  son. — Thomas  >Villiani 
(Smith),  eldest  son  of  the  preceding,  born  at 
Courtland.  Ala.,  Sept.  27,  1832;  died  at  Clear 
water,  Minn..  Oct.  29,  1865.  He  graduated  at 
Illinois  College  in  1852,  studied  law  and  served 
as  Captain  in  the  Tenth  Illinois  Volunteers, 
until,  broken  in  health,  he  returned  home  to 
die. 

SMITH,  Dietrich  C,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Ostfriesland,  Hanover,  April  4,  1840,  in 
boj'hood  came  to  the  United  States,  and.  since 
1849,  has  been  a  resident  of  Pekin,  Tazewell 
County.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  was  promoted  to  a  Lieutenancy, 
and,  while  so  serving,  was  severely  wounded  at 
Shiloh.  I^ter,  he  was  attached  to  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Infantrv.  and  was 
mustere<l  out  of  service  as  Captain  of  Company  C 
of  that  regiment.  His  business  is  that  of  Imnker 
and  manufacturer,  besides  which  he  has  had  con- 
siderable experience  in  the  construction  and 
management  of  railroads.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Thirtieth  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1880,  was 
elected  Representative  in  Congress  from  what 
was  then  the  Thirteenth  District,  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  defeating  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  after- 
wards Vice-President.  In  1882,  his  county  (Taze- 
well) having  Ijeen  attached  to  the  district  for 
many  years  represented  by  Wm.  M.  .Springer,  he 
was  defeated  by  the  latter  as  a  candidate  for  re- 
election. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


485 


SMITH,  George,  one  of  Chicago's  pioneers  and 
early  bankers,  was  born  in  Aberdeenshire,  Scot- 
land, March  8,  1808.  It  was  his  early  intention 
to  study  medicine,  and  he  entered  Aberdeen  Col- 
lege with  this  end  in  view,  but  was  forced  to  quit 
the  institution  at  the  end  of  two  years,  because 
of  impaired  vision.  In  1833  he  came  to  America, 
and,  in  1834,  .settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  resided 
until  1861,  meanwhile  spending  one  year  in  Scot- 
land. He  inve.sted  largely  in  real  estate  in  Chi- 
cago and  Wisconsin,  at  one  time  owning  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  present  site  of  Mil- 
waukee. In  1837  he  secured  the  charter  for  the 
Wisconsin  Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
whose  headquarters  were  at  Milwaukee.  He  was 
really  the  owner  of  the  company,  although  Alex- 
ander Mitchell,  of  Milwaukee,  was  its  Secretary. 
Under  this  charter  Mr.  Smith  was  able  to  issue 
$1,500,000  in  certificates,  which  circulated  freely 
as  currency.  In  1839  he  founded  Chicago's  first 
private  banking  house.  About  1843  he  was  inter- 
ested in  a  storage  and  commission  business  in 
Chicago,  with  a  Mr.  Webster  as  partner.  He 
was  a  Director  in  the  old  Galena  &  Chicago 
Union  Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern),  and  aided  it,  while  in  course  of 
construction,  by  loans  of  money;  was  also  a 
charter  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade, 
organized  in  1848.  In  18.54,  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin having  prohibited  the  circulation  of  the  Wis- 
consin Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  certificates 
above  mentioned,  Jlr.  Smith  sold  out  the  com- 
pany to  his  partner,  Mitchell,  and  bought  two 
Georgia  bank  charters,  which,  together,  em- 
powered him  to  issue  §3,000,0(10  in  currency.  The 
notes  were  duly  issued  in  Georgia,  and  put  into 
circulation  in  Illinois,  over  the  counter  of  George 
Smith  &  Co.'s  Chicago  bank.  About  1856  Mr. 
Smith  began  winding  up  his  affairs  in  Chicago, 
meanwhile  spending  most  of  his  time  in  Scotland, 
but,  returning  in  1860,  made  extensive  invest- 
ments in  railroad  and  other  American  securities, 
which  netted  him  large  profits.  The  amount  of 
capital  which  he  is  reputed  to  have  taken  with 
him  to  his  native  land  has  been  estimated  at 
§10,000,000,  though  he  retained  considerable 
tracts  of  valuable  lands  in  Wisconsin  and  about 
Chicago.  Among  those  who  were  associated 
with  him  in  business,  either  as  employes  or 
otherwise,  and  who  have  since  been  prominenth' 
identified  with  Chicago  business  affairs,  were 
Hon.  Charles  B.  Farwell,  E.  I.  Tinkham  (after- 
wards a  prominent  banker  of  Chicago),  E.  W. 
Willard,  now  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  others.  Mr. 
Smith  made  several  visits,  during  the  last  forty 


years,  to  the  United  States,  but  divided  his  time 
chiefly  between  Scotland  (where  he  was  the 
owner  of  a  castle)  and  London.    Died  Oct.  7,  1899. 

SMITH,  Oeorge  W.,  .soldier,  lawyer  and  State 
Treasurer,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
8,  1837.  It  was  his  intention  to  acquire  a  col- 
legiate education,  but  his  fatlier's  business 
embarrassments  having  compelled  the  abandon- 
ment of  his  studies,  at  17  of  years  age  he  went 
to  Arkansas  and  taught  school  for  two  years.  In 
1850  he  returned  to  Albany  and  began  the  study 
of  law,  graduating  from  the  law  school  in  1858. 
In  October  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  he  remained  continuously  in  practice,  with 
the  exception  of  the  years  1862-65,  when  he  was 
serving  in  the  Union  army,  and  1867-68,  when  he 
filled  the  oflSce  of  State  Treasurer.  He  was  mus- 
tered into  service,  August  37,  1863,  as  a  Captain  in 
the  Eighty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry — the  second 
Board  of  Trade  regiment.  At  Stone  River,  he 
was  seriously  wounded  and  captured.  After 
four  days'  confinement,  he  was  aided  by  a  negro 
to  escape  He  made  his  way  to  the  Union  lines, 
but  was  granted  leave  of  absence,  being  incapaci- 
tated for  service.  On  his  return  to  duty  he 
joined  his  regiment  in  the  Chattanooga  cam- 
paign, and  was  officially  complimented  for  his 
bravery  at  Gordon's  Mills.  At  Mission  Ridge  he 
was  again  severely  wounded,  and  was  once  more 
personally  complimented  in  the  oflScial  report. 
At  Kenesaw  Mountain  (June  27,  1864),  Capt. 
Smith  commanded  the  regiment  after  the  killing 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chandler,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  for  bravery  on 
the  field.  He  led  the  charge  at  Franklin,  and 
was  brevetted  Colonel,  and  thanked  by  the  com- 
mander for  his  gallant  service.  In  the  spring  of 
1865  he  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General,  and,  in 
June  following,  was  mustered  out.  Returning 
to  Chicago,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  gained  a  prominent  position  at  the 
bar  In  1866  he  was  elected  State  Treasurer,  and, 
after  the  expiration  of  his  term,  in  January, 
1869,  held  no  public  office.  General  Smith  was, 
for  many  years,  a  Trustee  of  the  Chicago  Histor- 
ical Society,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Board. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  Sept.  16,  1898. 

SMITH,  (Jeorge  W.,  lawyer  and  Congressman, 
was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ohio,  August  18, 
1846.  When  he  was  four  years  old,  his  father 
removed  to  Wayne  County,  111.,  settling  on  a 
farm.  He  attended  the  common  schools  and 
graduated  from  the  literary  department  of  Mc- 
Kendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  in  1868.  In  his 
youth  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  but 


486 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


later  determined  to  study  law.  After  reading  for 
a  time  at  Fairfield,  111.,  he  entered  the  Law 
Department  of  the  Bloomington  (Ind.)  Univer- 
sity, graduating  there  in  1870.  The  same  year  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  IlUnois,  and  has  since 
practiced  at  Murphysboro.  In  1880  he  was  a 
Republican  Presidential  Elector,  and,  in  1888,  was 
elected  a  Republican  Representative  to  Congress 
from  the  Twentieth  Illinois  District,  and  has 
been  continuously  re-elected,  now  (1899)  serving 
his  sixth  consecutive  term  as  Representative 
from  the  Twenty-second  District. 

SMITH,  Giles  Alexander,  soldier,  and  Assist- 
ant Postmaster-General,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  29,  1829;  engaged  in  dry- 
goods  business  in  Cincinnati  and  Bloomington, 
111.,  in  1861  being  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  the 
latter  place;  became  a  Captain  in  the  Eighth 
Missouri  Volunteers,  was  engaged  at  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson.Shiloh  and  Corinth,  and  promoted 
Lieutenant-Coloael  and  Colonel  in  18((2;  led  his 
regiment  on  the  first  attack  on  Vicksburg.  and 
was  severelj'  wounded  at  Arkansas  Post ;  was  pro- 
moted Brigadier  General  in  August.  1868,  for 
gallant  and  meritorious  conduct;  led  a  brigade 
of  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  at  Chattanooga  and 
Missionary  Ridge,  as  also  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, and  a  division  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps  in 
the  "March  to  the  Sea."  After  the  surrender  of 
Lee  he  was  transferred  to  the  Twenty  fifth  Army 
Corps,  became  Major-General  in  1865,  and 
resigned  in  1866,  having  declined  a  commission 
as  Colonel  in  the  regular  army;  about  1869  was 
appointed,  by  President  Grant.  Second  A.ssistant 
Postmaster-General,  but  resigned  on  account  of 
failing  health  in  1872.  Died,  at  Bloomington, 
Nov.  8,  1876.  (ieneral  Smith  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee. 

SMITH,  Gustavns  Adolphns,  soldier,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  Dec.  26,  1820;  at  16  joined  two 
brothers  who  had  located  at  Springfield,  Ohio, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  carriage-maker. 
In  December,  1837,  he  arrived  at  Decatur,  111., 
but  soon  after  located  at  Springfield,  where  he 
resided  some  six  years.  Then,  returning  to 
Decatur,  he  devoted  his  attention  to  carriage 
manufacture,  doing  a  large  business  with  the 
South,  but  losing  heavily  as  the  result  of  the 
war.  An  original  Wliig.  he  became  a  Democrat 
on  the  dissolution  of  the  Whig  party,  but  early 
took  groim'd  in  favor  of  the  Union  after  the  firing 
on  Fort  Sumter;  was  offered  and  accepted  the 
colonelcy  of  the  Tliirty-fifth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers,  at  the  same  time  assisting  Governor 


Yates  in  the  selection  of  Camp  Butler  as  a  camp 
of  recruiting  and  instruction.  Ilaving  been 
assigned  to  duty  in  Missouri,  in  the  summer  of 
1861,  he  proceeded  to  Jefferson  City,  joined  Fre- 
mont at  Carthage  in  that  State,  and  made  a 
forced  march  to  Springfield,  afterwards  taking 
part  in  the  campaign  in  Arkansas  and  in  the 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  where  he  had  a  horse  shot 
under  him  and  was  severely  (and,  it  was  suppo.sed, 
fatally)  wounded,  not  recovering  until  1868. 
Being  compelled  to  return  home,  he  received 
authority  to  rai.se  an  independent  brigade,  but 
was  unable  to  accompany  it  to  the  field.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  he  was  commissioned  a  Brigadier- 
General  by  President  Lincoln,  "for  meritorious 
conduct,"  but  was  unable  to  enter  into  active 
service  on  account  of  his  wound.  Later,  he  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  a  convalescent  camp 
at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  under  Gen.  George  H. 
Thomas.  In  1864  he  took  part  in  securing  the 
second  election  of  President  Lincoln,  and,  in  the 
early  part  of  1865,  was  conunissioned  by  Gov- 
ernor Oglesby  Colonel  of  a  new  regiment  (the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Illinois),  but,  on 
account  of  his  wounds,  was  assigned  to  court- 
martial  duty,  remaining  in  the  service  until 
January,  1866,  when  he  was  mustered  out  with 
the  brevet  rank  of  Brigadier-General.  During 
the  second  year  of  his  service  he  was  presented 
with  a  magnificent  sword  by  the  rank  and  file  of 
his  regiment  (the  Thirty-fifth),  for  brave  and  gal- 
lant conduct  at  Pea  Ridge.  After  retiring  from 
the  army,  he  engaged  in  cotton  planting  in  Ala- 
bamii,  but  was  not  successful ;  in  1868,  canvassed 
Alabama  for  General  Grant  for  President,  but 
declined  a  nomination  in  his  own  favor  for  Con- 
gress. In  1870  he  was  appointed,  by  General 
Grant,  United  States  Collection  and  Disbursing 
Agent  for  the  District  of  New  Mexico,  where  he 
continued  to  reside. 

SMITH,  John  Corson,  soldier,  ex-Lieutenant- 
Governor  and  ex-State  Treasurer,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Feb.  13.  1832.  At  the  age  of  16  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  and  builder.  In 
1854  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  worked  at  his  trade, 
for  a  time,  but  soon  removed  to  Galena,  where  he 
finally  engaged  in  business  as  a  contractor.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Seventy-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteers,  but,  having  received  author- 
ity from  Governor  Yates,  raised  a  comjiany,  of 
wliich  he  was  chosen  Captain,  and  wiiich  was 
incorporated  in  the  Ninety-sixth  Illinois  Infan- 
try. Of  this  regiment  he  was  soon  elected  Major. 
After  a  short  service  about  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and   Covington  and  Newport,  Ky.,  the  Ninety- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA  .  OF   ILLINOIS. 


487 


sixth  was  sent  to  the  front,  and  took  part  (among 
other  battles)  in  the  second  engagement  at  Fort 
Donelson  and  in  the  bloody  fight  at  Franklin, 
Tenn.  Later,  Major  Smith  was  assigned  to  staff 
duty  under  Generals  Baird  and  Steednian,  serv- 
ing through  the  Tullahoma  campaign,  and  par- 
ticipating in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Lookout 
Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge.  Being  promoted 
to  a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy,  he  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment, and  was  given  command  of  a  brigade.  In 
the  Atlanta  campaign  he  served  gallantly,  tak- 
ing a  conspicuous  part  in  its  long  series  of  bloody 
engagements,  and  being  severely  wounded  at 
■  Kenesaw  Mountain.  In  February,  1865,  he  was 
brevetted  Colonel,  and,  in  June,  ISG.'J,  Brigadier- 
General.  Soon  after  his  return  to  Galena  he  was 
appointed  Assistant  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue, 
but  was  legislated  out  of  office  in  1872.  In  1873 
he  removed  to  Chicago  and  embarked  in  business. 
In  187-t-76  he  was  a  member  (and  Secretary)  of 
the  Illinois  Board  of  Commissioners  to  the  Cen- 
tennial Exposition  at  Philadelphia.  In  1875  he 
was  appointed  Chief  Grain-Inspector  at  Chicago, 
and  held  the  office  for  several  years.  In  1872  and 
'76  he  vi-as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican 
Conventions  of  those  years,  and,  in  1878,  was 
elected  State  Treasurer,  as  he  was  again  in  1882. 
In  1884  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor,  serv- 
ing until  1889.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  Knight 
Templar  and  Odd  Fellow,  as  well  as  a  distin- 
guished member  of  the  Order  of  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  and  was  prominently  connected 
with  the  erection  of  the  "Masonic  Temple  Build- 
ing" in  Chicago. 

SMITH,  John  Eugene,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Switzerland,  August  3,  1816,  the  son  of  an  officer 
who  had  served  under  Napoleon,  and  after  the 
downfall  of  the  latter,  emigrated  to  Philadelphia. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  an  academic 
education  and  became  a  jeweler ;  in  1861  entered 
the  volunteer  service  as  Colonel  of  the  Forty-fifth 
Illinois  Infantry ;  took  part  in  the  capture  of 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
and  siege  of  Corinth ;  was  promoted  a  Brigadier- 
General  in  November,  1862,  and  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  division  in  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps ; 
led  the  Third  Division  of  the  Seventeenth  Army 
Corps  in  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  later  being 
transferred  to  the  Fifteenth,  and  taking  part  in 
the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge  and  the  Atlanta 
and  Carolina  campaigns  of  1864-65.  He  received 
the  brevet  rank  of  Major-General  of  Volunteers 
in  January,  1865,  and,  on  his  muster-out  from  the 
volunteer  service,  became  Colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
seventh  United  States  Infantry,  being  transferred, 


in  1870,  to  the  Fourteenth.  In  1867  his  services 
at  Vicksburg  and  Savannah  were  further  recog- 
nized by  conferring  upon  him  the  brevets  of  Brig- 
adier and  Major-General  in  the  regular  army. 
In  May,  1881,  he  was  retired,  afterwards  residing 
in  Chicago,  where  he  died,  Jan.  39,  1897. 

SMITH,  Joseph,  the  foundei  of  the  Mormon 
sect,  was  born  at  Sharon,  Vt. ,  Dec.  23,  1805.  In 
1815  his  parents  removed  to  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  and 
still  later  to  Manchester.  He  early  showed  a 
dreamy  mental  cast,  and  claimed  to  be  able  to 
locate  stolen  ai-ticles  by  means  of  a  magic  stone. 
In  1830  he  claimed  to  have  seen  a  vision,  but  his 
pretensions  were  ridiculed  bj-  his  acquaintances. 
His  story  of  the  revelation  of  the  golden  plates 
by  the  angel  Moroni,  and  of  the  latter's  instruc- 
tions to  him,  is  well  known.  With  the  aid  of 
Martin  Harris  and  Oliver  Cowdery  he  prepared 
the  "Book  of  Mormon,"  alleging  that  he  had 
deciphered  it  from  heaven-sent  characters, 
through  the  aid  of  miraculous  spectacles.  This 
was  published  in  1830.  In  later  years  Smith 
claimed  to  have  received  supplementary  reve- 
lations, which  so  taxed  the  credulity  of  his  fol- 
lowers that  some  of  them  apostatized.  He  also 
claimed  supernatural  power,  such  as  exorcism, 
etc.  He  soon  gained  followers  in  considerable 
numbers,  whom,  in  1833,  he  led  west,  a  part 
settling  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and  the  remainder  in 
Jackson  County,  Mo.  Driven  out  of  Ohio  five 
years  later,  the  bulk  of  the  sect  found  the  wa}'  to 
their  friends  in  Missouri,  whence  they  were 
finally  expelled  after  many  conflicts  with  the 
authorities.  Smith,  with  the  other  refugees,  fled 
to  Hancock  County,  111.,  founding  the  city  of 
Nauvoo,  which  was  incorporated  in  1840.  Here 
was  begun,  in  the  following  year,  the  erection  of  a 
great  temple,  but  again  he  aroused  the  hostility 
of  the  authorities,  although  soon  wielding  con- 
siderable political  power.  After  various  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  arrest  him  in  1844,  Smith  and 
a  number  of  his  followers  were  induced  to  sur- 
render themselves  under  the  promise  of  protection 
from  violence  a.nd  a  fair  trial.  Having  been 
taken  to  Carthage,  the  county  seat,  all  were  dis 
charged  under  recognizance  to  appear  at  court 
except  Smith  and  his  brother  Hyrum,  who  were 
held  under  the  new  charge  of  "treason, "  and  were 
placed  in  jail.  So  intense  had  been  the  feeling 
against  the  Mormons,  that  Governor  Ford  called 
out  the  militia  to  preserve  the  peace;  but  it  is 
evident  that  the  feeling  among  the  latter  was  in 
sympathy  with  that  of  the  populace.  Most  of 
the  militia  were  disbanded  after  Smith's  arrest, 
one  company  being  left  on  duty  at    Carthage, 


488 


niSTOPJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


from  whcni  only  eight  men  were  detailed  to 
guard  the  jail.  In  this  condition  of  affairs  a  mob 
of  150  disguised  men,  alleged  to  be  from  Warsaw, 
appeai'ed  before  the  jail  on  the  evening  of  June 
37,  and,  forcing  the  guards — who  made  only  a 
feeble  resistance, — Joseph  Smith  and  his  brother 
Hyrum  were  both  shot  down,  while  a  friend,  who 
had  remained  with  them,  was  wounded.  The  fate 
of  Smith  undoubtedly  went  far  to  win  for  him 
the  reputation  of  martyr,  and  give  a  new  impulse 
to  the  Mormon  faith.     (See  Mormons;  IWiuvoo.) 

SMITH,  Justin  Ainierin,  1).I).,  clergyman 
and  editor,  was  born  at  Ticondei'oga,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
39,  1819,  educated  at  New  Hampton  Literary  and 
Theological  Institute  and  Union  College,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  1843;  served  a  j-ear  as 
Principal  of  the  Union  Academy  at  Bennington, 
Vt.,  followed  by  four  years  of  jjastoral  work, 
when  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist church  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  five  years.  Then  (18.53)  he  removed  to 
Chicago  to  assume  the  editorship  of  "The  Chris- 
tian Times"  (now  "The  Standard"),  with  which 
he  was  associated  for  the  remaintler  of  his  life. 
Meanwhile  he  assisted  in  organizing  three  Baptist 
churches  in  Chicago,  serving  two  of  them  as 
pastor  for  a  considerable  period;  made  an  ex- 
tended tour  of  Europe  in  18G9,  attending  the 
Vatican  Council  at  Rome;  was  a  Trustee  and 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  old  Chicago  Univer- 
sity, and  Trustee  and  Lecturer  of  the  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary ;  was  also  the  author  of 
several  religious  works.  Died,  at  Morgan  Park. 
near  Chicago.  Feb.  4,  189G. 

SMITH,  Perry  H.,  lawyer  and  politician,  was 
born  in  Augusta,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  March 
18.  1828;  entered  Hamilton  College  at  the  age  of 
14  and  graduated,  second  in  his  class,  at  18;  began 
reading  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  com- 
ing of  age  in  1849.  Then,  removing  to  Appleton. 
Wis.,  when  23  years  of  age  he  was  elected  a 
Judge,  served  later  in  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature,  and,  in  18.57,  became  Vice-President 
of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lie  Railwaj-, 
retaining  the  same  position  in  the  reorganized 
corporation  when  it  became  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern.  In  1856  Mr.  Smith  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  resided  there  till  his  death,  on  Palm 
Sunday  of  1885.  He  was  prominent  in  railway 
circles  and  in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic 
party,  being  the  recognized  representative  of  Mr. 
Tilden's  interest.s  in  the  Northwest  in  the  cam- 
paign of  1876. 

SMITH,  Robert,  Congressman  and  lawyer, 
was  born  at  Petersborough,  N.  H.,  June  12,  1802; 


was  educated  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  his 
native  town,  settled  at  Alton,  111.,  in  1832,  and 
engaged  in  practice.  In  1836  he  was  elected  to 
the  General  Assembly  from  Madison  County, 
and  re-elected  in  1838.  In  1842  he  was  elected  to 
the  Twenty-eighth  Congress,  and  twice  re-elected, 
serving  three  successive  terms.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  was  commissioned  Paymaster,  with  the 
rank  of  Major,  and  was  stationed  at  St.  Louis. 
He  was  largely  interested  in  the  construction  of 
water  power  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  also  in 
railroad  enterprises  in  Illinois.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent Ma.sou  and  a  public-spirited  citizen.  Died, 
at  .\lton.  Dec.  20.  1867. 

S.MITH,  Samuel  Lisle,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1817,  and,  belonging  to  a 
wealthy  familj-,  enjoyed  superior  educational 
advantages,  taking  a  course  in  the  Yale  Law 
School  at  an  age  too  early  to  admit  of  his  receiv- 
ing a  ilegree.  In  1836  he  came  to  Illinois,  to  look 
after  some  landed  interests  of  his  father's  in  the 
vicinity  of  Peru.  Returning  east  within  the  next 
two  years,  he  obtained  hLs  diploma,  and,  again 
coming  west,  located  in  Chicago  in  1838,  and, 
for  a  time,  occupied  an  office  with  the  well-known 
law  firm  of  Butterfield  &  Collins.  In  1839  he  was 
elected  City  Attorney  and,  at  the  great  Whig 
meeting  at  Springfield,  in  June,  1840,  was  one  of 
the  priiu-ipal  si)eakers,  establishing  a  reputation 
as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  campaign  orators  in 
the  West.  As  an  admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  he  was 
active  in  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1844,  and 
was  also  a  prominent  sjwaker  at  the  River  and 
Harbor  Convention  at  Chicago,  in  1847.  With  a 
keen  sense  of  humor,  brilliant,  witty  and  a  mas- 
ter of  repartee  and  invective,  he  achieved  popu- 
larity, l)oth  at  tlie  bar  and  on  the  lecture 
platform,  and  had  the  promise  of  future  success, 
which  wiis  unfortunately  marred  by  his  convivial 
habits.  Died  of  cholera,  in  Chicago,  July  30,  1854. 
Mr.  Sinith  married  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Potts,  of 
Philadi'li)hia,  an  eminent  clergyman  of  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

SMITH,  Sidney,  jurist,  was  bom  in  Washing- 
ton County,  X.  Y..  May  12,  1829;  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albion,  in  that  State, 
in  1851 ;  came  to  Chicago  in  1856  and  entered 
into  partnership  with  Grant  Goodrich  and  Will- 
iam W.  Farwell,  both  of  whom  were  afterwards 
elected  to  places  on  the  l)ench — the  first  in  the 
Superior,  and  the  latter  in  the  Circuit  Court.  In 
1879  Judge  Smith  was  elected  to  the  Superior 
Court  of  Cook  County,  serving  until  1885.  when 
he  became  the  attorney  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade.     He  was  the  Republican    candidate    for 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


489 


Mayor,  in  opposition  to  Carter  H.  Harrison,  in 
1885,  and  is  believed  by  many  to  have  been 
honestly  elected,  though  defeated  on  the  face  of 
the  returns.  A  recount  was  ordered  by  the  court, 
but  so  much  delay  was  incurred  and  so  many 
obstacles  placed  in  the  way  of  carrying  the  order 
into  efifect,  that  Judge  Smith  abandoned  the  con- 
test in  disgust,  although  making  material  gains 
as  far  as  it  had  gone.  During  his  professional 
career  he  was  connected,  as  counsel,  with  some  of 
the  most  important  trials  before  the  Chicago 
courts ;  was  also  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Clii- 
cago  Public  Library,  on  its  organization  in  1871. 
Died  suddenly,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  6,  1898. 

SMITH,  Theophlliis  Washington,  Judge  and 
politician,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Sept.  38, 
1784,  served  for  a  time  in  the  United  States  navy, 
was  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Aaron  Burr, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  his  native  State  in 
180.5,  and,  in  1816,  came  west,  finally  locating  at 
Edwardsville,  where  he  soon  became  a  prominent 
figure  in  early  State  history.  In  1820  he  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  before  the  Legislature  for 
the  office  of  Attorney -General,  being  defeated  by 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  but  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1822,  serving  four  years.  In  1823 
he  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  "Conventionist" 
party,  whose  aim  was  to  adopt  a  new  Constitution 
which  would  legalize  slavery  in  Illinois,  during 
this  period  being  the  editor  of  the  leading  organ 
of  the  pro-slavery  party.  In  1825  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  but  resigned,  Dec.  36,  1842.  He  was  im- 
peached in  1833  on  charges  alleging  oppressive 
conduct,  corruption,  and  other  high  misdemean- 
ors in  office,  but  secured  a  negative  acquittal,  a 
two-thirds  vote  being  necessary  to  conviction. 
The  vote  in  the  Senate  stood  twelve  for  convic- 
tion (on  a  part  of  the  charges)  to  ten  for  acquittal, 
four  being  excused  from  voting.  During  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  served  as  Quartermaster- 
General  on  the  Governor's  staff.  Asa  jurist,  he 
was  charged  by  his  political  opponents  with 
being  unable  to  divest  himself  of  his  partisan 
bias,  and  even  with  privately  advising  counsel,  in 
political  causes,  of  defects  in  the  record,  which 
they  (the  counsel)  had  not  discovered.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Commission- 
ers of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  appointed  in 
1823.     Died,  in  Cliicago,  May  6,  1846. 

SMITH,  William  Henry,  journalist.  Associ- 
ated Press  Manager,  was  born  in  Columbia 
County,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  1,  1833;  at  three  years  of  age 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Ohio,  where  he 
enjoyed  the  best  educational    advantages    that 


State  at  the  time  afforded.  After  completing  his 
school  course  he  began  teaching,  and,  for  a  time, 
served  as  tutor  -in  a  Western  college,  but  soon 
turned  his  attention  to  journalism,  at  first  as 
assistant  editor  of  a  weekly  publication  at  Cincin- 
nati, still  later  becoming  its  editor,  and.  in  1855, 
city  editor  of  "The  Cincinnati  Gazette,"  with 
which  he  vvas  connected  in  a  more  responsible 
position  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  incidentally 
doing  work  u\K>n  "The  Literary  Review."  His 
connection  with  a  leading  paper  enabled  him  to 
exert  a  strong  influence  in  support  of  the  Govern- 
ment. This  he  used  most  faithfully  in  assisting 
to  raise  troops  in  the  first  years  of  the  war,  and, 
in  1863,  in  bringing  forward  and  securing  the 
election  of  John  Brough  as  a  Union  candidate  for 
Governor  in  opposition  to  Clement  L.  Vallandi- 
gl»m,  the  Democratic  candidate.  In  1864  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  Secretary  of  State,  being 
re-elected  two  years  later.  After  retiring  from 
office  he  returned  to  journalism  at  Cincinnati,  as 
editor  of  "The  Evening  Chronicle,"  from  which 
he  retired  in  1870  to  become  Agent  of  the  West- 
ern Associated  Press,  with  headquarters,  at  first 
at  Cleveland,  but  later  at  Cliicago.  His  success 
in  this  line  was  demonstrated  by  the  final  union 
of  the  New  York  and  Western  Associated  Press 
organizations  under  his  management,  continuing 
until  1893,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Smith  was  a 
strong  personal  friend  of  President  Hayes,  by 
whom  he  was  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
Chicago  in  1877.  While  engaged  in  official  duties 
he  found  time  to  do  considerable  literarj'  work, 
having  published,  several  years  ago,  "The  St.  Clair 
Papers,"  in  two  volumes,  and  a  life  of  Charles 
Hammond,  besides  contributions  to  periodicals. 
After  retiring  from  the  management  of  the 
Associated  Press,  he  was  engaged  upon  a  "His- 
tory of  American  Politics"  and  a  "Life  of  Ruther- 
ford B.  Hayes,"  which  are  said  to  have  been  well 
advanced  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  took 
place  at  his  home,  at  Lake  Fore.st,  111.,  July  27, 
1896. 

SMITH,  William  M.,  merchant,  stock- breeder 
and  politician,  was  born  near  Frankfort,  Ky., 
May  23,  1837;  in  1846  accompanied  his  father's 
family  to  Lexington,  McLean  County,  111.,  where 
they  settled.  A  few  years  later  he  bought  forty 
acres  of  government  land,  finally  increasing  his 
holdings  to  800  acres,  and  becoming  a  breeder  of 
fine  stock.  .Still  later  he  added  to  his  agricultural 
pursuits  the  business  of  a  merchant.  Having 
early  identified  himself  with  the  Republican 
party,  he  remained  a  firm  adherent  of  its  prin- 
ciples during  the  Civil  War,  and,  while  declining 


490 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


a  commission  tendered  him  by  Governor  Yates, 
devoted  his  time  and  means  liberally  to  the  re- 
cruiting and  organization  of  regiments  for  serv- 
ice in  the  field,  and  procuring  supplies  for  the 
sick  and  wounded.  In  1806  he  was  elected  to  the 
lower  house  of  tlie  Legislature,  and  was  reelected 
in  1868  and  '70.  serving,  during  his  last  term,  as 
Speaker.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Cullom  a  memlier  of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse 
Commission,  of  wliich  body  he  served  as  President 
until  1883.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkably  genial 
temperament,  liberal  impulses,  and  wide  popu- 
larity.    Died,  March  25,  1886. 

SMITH,  William  Sooy,  soldier  and  civil  engi- 
neer, was  born  at  Tarlton,  Pickaway  County, 
Ohio,  July  22,  1830;  graduated  at  Ohio  University 
in  1849,  and,  at  the  United  States  Military  Acad- 
emy, in  1853,  having  among  his  classmates,  at  the 
latter,  Generals  McPherson,  Schofield  and  Sheri- 
dan. Coming  to  Chicago  the  following  year,  he 
first  found  employment  as  an  engineer  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  but  later  became  assist- 
ant of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Graham  in  engineer 
service  on  the  lakes ;  a  year  later  took  charge  of 
a  select  school  in  Buffalo ;  in  1857  made  the  first 
surveys  for  the  International  Bridge  at  Niagara 
Falls,  then  went  into  the  service  of  extensive 
locomotive  and  bridge- works  at  Trenton,  N.  J., 
in  their  interest  making  a  visit  to  Cuba,  and  also 
superintending  the  construction  of  a  bridge 
across  the  Savannah  River.  The  war  intervening, 
he  returned  North  and  was  appointed  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  and  assigned  to  duty  as  Assistant  Adju- 
tant-General at  Camp  Denison,  Ohio,  but,  in 
June,  1862,  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the 
Thirteenth  Ohio  Volunteers,  participating  in  the 
West  Virginia  campaigns,  and  later,  at  Shilohand 
Perryville.  In  April,  1862,  he  was  promoted 
Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  commanding 
divisions  in  the  Arm3'  of  the  Ohio  until  the  fall 
of  1862,  when  he  joined  Grant  and  took  part  in 
the  Vicksburg  campaign,  as  commander  of  the 
First  Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps. 
Subsequently  he  was  made  Chief  of  the  Cavalry 
Department,  serving  on  the  staffs  of  Grant  and 
Sherman,  until  compelled  to  resign,  in  1864,  on 
account  of  impaired  health.  During  the  war 
General  Smith  rendered  valuable  service  to  the 
Union  cause  in  great  emergencies,  by  his  knowl- 
edge of  engineering.  On  retiring  to  private  life 
he  resumed  his  profession  at  Chicago,  and  since 
has  been  employed  by  the  Government  on  some 
of  its  most  stupendous  works  on  the  lakes,  and 
has  also  planned  several  of  the  most  important 
railroad   bridges  across  the  Missouri   and  other 


streams.  He  has  been  much  consulted  in  refer- 
ence to  municipal  engineering,  and  his  name  is 
connected  with  a  number  of  the  gigantic  edifices 
in  Chicago. 

SMITHltOKO,  a  village  and  railroad  junction 
in  Bond  County,  3  miles  east  of  Greenville. 
Population.  393;  (1900),  314. 

SXAPP,  Henry,  Congressman,  born  in  Livings- 
ton County,  X.  Y.,  June  30,  1822,  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  father  when  11  years  old.  and,  having 
read  law  at  Joliet,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1847.  He  practiced  in  Will  County  for  twenty 
years  before  entering  public  Ufe.  In  18G8  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  and  occupied  a  seat  in 
that  body  until  his  election,  in  1871,  to  the  Forty- 
second  Congress,  by  the  Republicans  of  the  (then) 
Si.xth  Illinois  District,  as  successor  to  B.  C.  Cook, 
who  had  resigned.     Died,  at  Joliet,  Nov.  23,  1895. 

SNOW,  Herman  W.,  e.\ -Congressman,  was  torn 
in  La  Porte  County,  Iiul.,  July  3,  1830,  but  was 
reared  in  Kentucky,  working  upon  a  farm  for 
five  years,  while  yet  in  his  minority  becoming  a 
resident  of  Illinois.  For  several  years  he  was  a 
school  teacher,  meanwhile  studying  law  and 
being  admitted  to  the  bar.  Kirly  in  the  war  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Tliirty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteers,  rising  to  the 
rank  of  Captain.  His  term  of  service  having 
e.xpired,  he  re-enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-first  Illinois,  and  was  mustered  out  with 
the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  resumed  teaching  at  the  Chicago 
High  School,  and  later  served  in  the  General 
Assembly  (1873-74)  as  Representative  from  Wood- 
ford County.  In  1890  he  was  elected,  as  a  Demo- 
crat, to  represent  the  Ninth  Illinois  District  in 
Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  his  Republican 
opix)nent  in  1892. 

SNOWHOOK,  William  B.,  first  Collector  of 
Customs  at  Chicago,  wiis  born  in  Ireland  in  1804; 
at  the  age  of  eight  years  was  brought  to  New 
York,  where  he  learned  the  printer's  trade, 
and  worked  for  some  time  in  the  same  office 
with  Horace  Greeley.  At  16  he  went  back  to 
Ireland,  remaining  two  years,  but,  returning  to 
the  United  States,  began  the  studj'  of  law ;  was 
also  employed  on  the  Passaic  Canal;  in  1836, 
came  to  Chicago,  and  was  soon  after  associated 
with  William  B.  Ogden  in  a  contract  on  the  Illi- 
nois &  Michigan  Canal,  which  lasted  until  1841. 
As  early  as  1840  he  became  prominent  as  a  leader 
in  the  Democratic  party,  and,  in  1846,  received 
from  President  Polk  an  appointment  as  first  Col- 
lector of  Customs  for  Chicago  (having  previously 
served  as  Special  Surveyor  of  the  Port,   while 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


491 


attached  to  the  District  of  Detroit) ;  in  1853,  was 
re-appointed  to  the  Collectorship  by  President 
Pierce,  serving  two  years.  During  the  ''Mormon 
War"  (1844)  he  organized  and  equipped,  at  his 
own  expense,  the  Jlontgomery  Guards,  and  was 
commissioned  Colonel,  but  the  disturbances  were 
brought  to  an  end  before  the  order  to  march. 
From  1856  he  devoted  his  attention  chiefly  to  his 
practice,  but,  in  1863,  was  one  of  the  Democrats 
of  Chicago  who  took  part  in  a  movement  to  sus- 
tain the  Government  by  stimulating  enlistments ; 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Convention  which 
nominated  Mr.  Greeley  for  President  in  1873. 
Died,  in  Chicago,  May  5,  1883. 

SNYDER,  Adam  Wilson,  pioneer  lawyer,  and 
early  Congressman,  was  born  at  Connellsville, 
Pa.,  Oct.  6,  1799.  In  early  life  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  wool-curling  for  a  livelihood, 
attending  school  in  the  winter.  In  1815,  he  emi- 
grated to  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  afterwards  settled 
in  Ridge  Prairie,  St.  Clair  County,  111.  Being 
offered  a  situation  in  a  wool-curling  and  fulling 
mill  at  Cahokia,  he  removed  thither  in  1817.  He 
formed  the  friendship  of  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas, 
and,  through  the  latter's  encouragement  and  aid, 
studied  law  and  gained  a  solid  professional,  poli- 
tical, social  and  financial  position.  In  1830  he 
was  elected  State  Senator  from  St.  Clair  Count3-, 
and  re-elected  for  two  successive  terms.  He 
served  through  the  Black  Hawk  War  as  private. 
Adjutant  and  Captain.  In  1833  he  removed  to 
Belleville,  and,  in  1834,  was  defeated  for  Congress 
by  Governor  Reynolds,  whom  he,  in  turn,  defeated 
in  1836.  Two  years  later  Reynolds  again  defeated 
him  for  the  same  position,  and,  in  1840,  he  was 
elected  State  Senator.  In  1841  he  was  the  Demo- 
cratic nominee  for  Governor.  The  election  was 
held  in  August,  1843,  but,  in  May  preceding,  he 
died  at  his  home  in  Belleville.  His  place  on  the 
ticket  was  filled  by  Thomas  Ford,  who  was 
elected. — William  H.  (Snyder),  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  July 
13,  1835 ;  educated  at  McKendree  College,  studied 
law  with  Lieutenant-Governor  Koerner,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1845;  also  served  for  a 
time  as  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Belleville,  and, 
during  the  Mexican  War,  as  First-Lieutenant  and 
Adjutant  of  the  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteers.  From 
1850  to  '54  he  represented  his  county  in  the  Legis- 
lature; in  1855  was  appointed,  by  Governor  Mat- 
teson.  State's  Attorney,  which  position  he  filled 
for  two  years.  He  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  in  18.56,  and, 
in  1857,  was  elected  a  Judge  of  the  Twenty- 
fourth  Circuit,  was  re-elected  for  the  Third  Cir- 


cuit in  '73,  '79  and  '85.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70.  Died, 
at  Belleville,  Dec.  34,  1893. 

SOLDIERS'  AND  SAILORS'  HOME,  a  State 
charitable  institution,  founded  by  act  of  the 
Legislature  in  1885,  and  located  at  Quincy, 
Adams  County.  The  object  of  its  establish- 
ment was  to  provide  a  comfortable  home  for 
such  disabled  or  dependent  veterans  of  the 
United  States  land  or  naval  forces  as  had 
honorably  served  during  the  Civil  War.  It 
was  opened  for  the  reception  of  veterans  on 
March  3,  1887,  the  first  cost  of  site  and  build- 
ings having  been  about  §350,000.  The  total  num- 
ber of  inmates  admitted  up  to  June  30,  1894,  was 
3,813;  the  number  in  attendance  during  the  two 
previous  years  988,  and  the  whole  number  present 
on  Nov.  10,  1894,  1,088.  The  value  of  property  at 
that  time  was  $393,636.08.  Considerable  appro- 
priations have  been  made  for  additions  to  the 
buildings  at  subsequent  sessions  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. The  General  Government  pays  to  the  State 
$100  per  year  for  each  veteran  supported  at  the 
Home. 

SOLDIERS'  ORPHANS'  HOME,  ILLINOIS,  an 
institution,  created  by  act  of  1865,  for  the  main- 
tenance and  education  of  children  of  deceased 
soldiers  of  the  Civil  War.  An  eighty -acre  tract, 
one  mile  north  of  Normal,  was  selected  as  the 
site,  and  the  first  principal  building  was  com- 
pleted and  opened  for  the  admission  of  benefici- 
aries on  June  1,  1869.  Its  first  cost  was  $135,000, 
the  site  having  been  donated.  Repairs  and  the 
construction  of  new  buildings,  from  time  to 
time,  have  considerably  increased  this  sum.  In 
1875  the  benefits  of  the  institution  were  extended, 
by  legislative  enactment,  to  the  children  of  sol- 
diers who  had  died  after  the  close  of  the  war. 
The  aggregate  number  of  inmates,  in  1894,  was 
573,  of  whom  333  were  males  and  349  females. 

SOLDIERS'  WIDOWS'  HOME.  Provision  was 
made  for  the  establishment  of  this  institution  by 
the  Thirty-ninth  General  Assembly,  in  an  act, 
approved,  June  13,  1895,  appropriating  §30,000  for 
the  purchase  of  a  site,  the  erection  of  buildings 
and  furnishing  the  same.  It  is  designed  for  the 
reception  and  care  of  the  mothers,  wives,  widows 
and  daughters  of  such  honorably  discharged 
soldiers  or  sailors,  in  the  United  States  service,  as 
may  have  died,  or  may  be  ph3'sically  or  men- 
tally unable  to  provide  for  the  families  natu- 
rally dependent  on  them,  provided  that  such 
persons  have  been  residents  of  the  State  for 
at  least  one  year  previous  to  admission,  and 
are  without  means  or  ability  for  self-support. 


492 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


The  affairs  of  the  Home  are  managed  by  a 
board  of  five  trustees,  of  whom  two  are  men  and 
three  women,  the  former  to  be  members  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  of  different 
political  parties,  and  the  latter  members  of  the 
Women's  Relief  Corps  of  this  State.  The  institu- 
tion was  located  at  Wilmington,  occupying  a 
site  of  seventeen  acres,  where  it  was  formally 
opened  in  a  house  of  eighteen  rooms,  March  11, 
189G,  with  twenty-six  applications  for  admit- 
tance. The  plan  contemplates  an  early  enlarge- 
ment by  the  erection  of  additional  cottages. 

SORENTO,  a  village  of  Bond  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Jacksonville  &  St.  Louis  and 
the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western  Railways,  14 
miles  southeast  of  Lilchfield;  has  a  bank  and  a 
newspaper.  Its  interests  are  agricultural  and 
mining.     Pop.  (1890),  .538;  (1900),  1,000. 

SOULARD,  James  Gaston,  pioneer,  born  of 
French  ancestry  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  15,  1798; 
resided  there  until  1821,  when,  having  married 
the  daughter  of  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  he 
received  an  appointment  at  Fort  SuoUing,  near 
the  present  city  of  St.  Paul,  then  under  command 
of  Col.  Snelling.  who  was  his  wife's  brother-in- 
law.  The  Fort  was  reached  after  a  tedious  jour- 
ney by  flat-boat  and  overland,  late  in  the  fall  of 
1821,  his  %vife  accompanying  him.  Three  years 
later  they  returned  to  St.  Louis,  where,  being  an 
engineer,  he  was  engaged  for  several  years  in 
surveying.  In  1827  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Galena,  for  the  next  six  years  had  charge  of  a 
store  of  the  Gratiot  Brothers,  early  business  men 
of  that  locality.  Towards  the  close  of  this  period 
he  received  the  appointment  of  County  Recorder, 
also  holding  the  position  of  County  Surveyor  and 
Postmaster  of  Galena  at  the  same  time.  His 
later  years  were  devoted  to  farming  and  horti- 
culture, his  death  taking  place,  Sept.  17,  1878. 
Mr.  Soulard  was  probably  the  first  man  to  engage 
in  freighting  between  Galena  and  Chicago. 
"The  Galena  Advertiser"  of  Sept.  14,  1829,  makes 
mention  of  a  wagon-load  of  lead  sent  by  him  to 
Chicago,  his  team  taking  back  a  load  of  Siilt,  the 
paper  remarking;  "Tliis  is  the  first  wagon  that 
has  ever  passed  from  the  Mississippi  River  to 
Chicago."  Great  results  were  predicted  from 
the  exchange  of  commodities  between  the  lake 
and  the  lead  mine  district.  —  Mrs.  Eliza  M. 
Hunt  (Soulard),  wife  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Detroit,  Dec.  18,  1804,  her  father  being  Col. 
Thomas  A.  Hunt,  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  remained  in  the  army 
until  his  death,  at  St.  Louis,  in  1807.  His  descend- 
ants ha\"e  maintained  their  connection  with  the 


army  ever  since,  a  son  being  a  prominent  artillery 
officer  at  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg.     Mr.s.  Soular 
was  maiTied  at  St.   Louis,  in  1820,  and  survive 
her  husband  some  sixteen  years,  dying  at  Galeno 
August  11,   1894.     She   had    resided    in    Galen? 
nearly  sevent}'  years,  and    at    the  date  of  her 
death,  in  the  90th  year  of  her  age,  she  was  that 
city's  oldest  resilient. 

SOITH  (IIIC.VWO  &  WESTERN  INDIANA 
RAILROAD.  (See  CIncaiju  ct  Westei^  Indiana 
JidiliDad.) 

hOl'TH  DANVILLE,  a  suburb  of  the  city  of 
Danville,  Vermilion  County.  Population  (1890), 
799;  (  I'.iUO),  808. 

SOUTHEAST  &  ST.  LOUI.S  RAILWAY.  (See 
Loiii.si-ille  <£•  Xashfille  Railroad.) 

SOUTH  ELGIN,  a  village  of  Kane  County, 
near  tlie  city  of  Elgin.     Population  (1900),  .")],5. 

SOUTHERN  COLLEGIATE  INSTITUTE, 
located  at  Albion,  Edwards  County,  incorporated 
in  1891;  had  a  faculty  of  ten  teachers  with  219 
pupils  (1897-98) — about  etiually  male  and  female. 
Besides  classical,  scientific,  normal,  mu.sic  and 
fine  arts  departments,  instruction  is  given  in  pre- 
paratory studies  and  business  education.  Its 
property  is  valued  at  81G..")O0. 

SOUTHERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE, 
located  at  Anna,  Union  County,  founded  by  act 
of  the  Legislature  in  1869.  The  original  site  com- 
prised 290  acres  and  cost  a  little  more  than 
§22.000,  of  which  one-fourth  wjvs  donated  by  citi- 
zens of  the  county.  The  construction  of  build- 
ings was  begun  in  1869,  but  it  was  not  until 
March,  187.'j,  that  the  north  wing  (the  first  com- 
I)letetl)  was  re;idy  for  occupancy.  Other  jwrtions 
were  completed  a  year  later.  The  Trustees  pur- 
chased 160  additional  acres  in  1883.  The  first 
cost  (up  to  September,  1876)  was  nearlj'  S63.'5,O00. 
In  1881  one  wing  of  the  main  building  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  was  subseiiuentlj'  rebuilt ;  the 
patients  lieing,  meanwhile,  cared  for  in  tem|X)rary 
wooden  barracks.  The  total  value  of  lands  and 
buildings  belonging  to  the  State,  June  30,  1894. 
wiis  estimated  at  $738,580,  and,  of  property  of  all 
sorts,  at  $833,700.  The  wooden  barracks  were 
later  converted  into  a  permanent  ward,  additions 
made  to  the  main  buildings,  a  detached  building 
for  the  accommodation  of  300  patients  erected, 
numerous  outbuildings  put  up  and  general  im- 
provements made.  A  second  fire  on  the  night  of 
Jan.  3,  1895,  destroyed  a  large  part  of  the  main 
building,  inflicting  a  loss  upon  the  State  of 
•5175,000.  Provision  was  made  for  rebuilding  by 
the  Legislature  of  that  year.  The  institution  has 
capacity  for  about  750  patients. 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


493 


SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS  NORMAL  UNIVER- 
SITY, established  in  1869,  and  located,  after 
competitive  bidding,  at  Carbondale.  which  offered 
lands  and  bonds  at  first  estimated  to  be  of  the 
value  of  §229,000,  but  which  later  depreciated, 
through  shrinkage,  to  §75,000.  Construction  was 
commenced  in  Maj-,  1870,  and  the  first  or  main 
building  was  completed  and  appropriately  dedi- 
cated in  July,  1874.  Its  cost  was  §265,000,  but  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  Nov.  26,  1883.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1887,  a  new  structure  was  completed  at  a  cost 
of  $150,000.  Two  normal  courses  of  instruction 
are  given — classical  and  scientific — each  extend- 
ing over  a  period  of  four  years.  The  conditions 
of  admission  require  that  the  pupil  shall  be  16 
years  of  age,  and  shall  possess  the  qualifications 
enabling  him  to  pass  exainiuatiou  for  a  second- 
grade  tea,cher's  certificate.  Those  unable  to  do  so 
may  enter  a  preparatory  department  for  six 
months.  Pupils  who  pledge  themselves  to  teach 
in  the  public  schools,  not  less  than  half  the  time 
of  their  attendance  at  the  University,  receive 
free  tuition  with  a  small  charge  for  incidentals, 
while  others  pay  a  tuition  fee.  The  number  of 
students  in  attendance  for  the  year  1897-98  was 
720,  coming  from  forty-seven  counties,  chiefly  in 
the  loutheru  lialf  of  the  State,  with  represent- 
atives from  eight  other  States.  The  teaching 
faculty  for  the  same  year  consisted,  besides  the 
President,  of  sixteen  instructors  in  the  various 
departments,  of  whom  five  were  ladies  and 
eleven  gentlemen. 

SOUTHERN  PENITENTIARY,  THE,  located 
near  Chester,  on  the  Mississippi  River.  Its  erec- 
tion was  rendered  necessary  by  the  overcrowding 
of  the  Northern  Penitentiary.  (See  Northern 
Penitentiary.)  The  law  providing  for  its  estab- 
lishment required  the  Commissioners  to  select  a 
site  convenient  of  access,  adjacent  to  stone  and 
timber,  and  having  a  high  elevation,  with  a  never 
failing  supply  of  water.  In  1877,  122  acres  were 
purchased  at  Chester,  and  the  erection  of  build- 
ings commenced.  The  first  appropriation  was  of 
§200,000,  and  §300,000  was  added  in  1879.  By 
March,  1878,  200  convicts  were  received,  and 
their  labor  was  utilized  in  the  completion  of  the 
buildings,  wliich  are  constructed  upon  approved 
modern  principles.  The  prison  receives  convicts 
sent  from  the  southern  portion  of  the  State,  and 
has  accommodation  for  some  1,200  prisoners.  In 
connection  with  this  penitentiary  is  an  asylum 
for  in.sane  convicts,  the  erection  of  which  was 
provided  for  liy  tlie  Legislature  in  1889. 

SOUTH  (iROVE,  a  village  of  De  Kalb  County. 
Population  (1890),  730. 


SPALDING,  Jesse,  manufacturer.  Collector  of 
Customs  and  Street  Railway  President,  was  born 
at  Athens,  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  April  15,  1833; 
early  commenced  lumbering  on  the  Susquehanna, 
and,  at  23,  began  dealing  on  his  own  account.  In 
1857  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and  soon  after  bought 
the  property  of  the  New  York  Lumber  Company 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Menominee  River  in  Wiscon- 
sin, where,  with  different  partners,  and  finally 
practically  alone,  he  has  carried  on  the  business 
of  lumber  manufacture  on  a  large  scale  ever 
since.  In  1881  he  was  appointed,  by  President 
Arthur,  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Chicago,  and,  in 
1889,  received  from  President  Harrison  an 
appointment  as  one  of  the  Government  Directors 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railwaj'.  Mr.  Spalding  was 
a  zealous  supporter  of  the  Government  during 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and  rendered  valuable 
aid  in  the  construction  and  equipment  of  Camp 
Douglas  and  the  barracks  at  Chicago  for  the 
returning  soldiers,  receiving  Auditor's  warrants 
in  payment,  when  no  funds  in  the  State  treasury 
wei-e  available  for  the  purpose.  He  was  associ- 
ated with  William  B.  Ogden  and  others  in  the 
project  for  connecting  Green  Bay  and  Sturgeon 
Bay  by  a  ship  canal,  which  was  completed  in 
1882,  and,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Ogden,  succeeded 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  Canal  Company,  serving 
until  1893,  when  the  canal  was  turned  over  to  the 
General  Government.  He  has  also  been  identified 
with  many  other  public  enterprises  intimately 
connected  with  the  development  and  prosperity 
of  Chicago,  and,  in  July,  1899,  became  President 
of  the  Chicago  Union  Traction  Company,  having 
control  of  the  North  and  West  Chicago  Street 
Railway  Systems. 

SPALDING,  John  Lancaster,  Catholic  Bishop, 
was  born  in  Lebanon,  Ky. ,  June  2,  1840 ;  educated 
in  the  United  States  and  in  Europe,  ordained  a 
priest  in  the  Catholic  Church  in  1863,  and  there- 
upon attached  to  the  cathedral  at  Louisville,  as 
assistant.  In  1869  he  organized  a  congregation 
of  colored  people,  and  built  for  their  use  the 
Church  of  St.  Augustine,  having  been  assigned 
to  that  parish  as  pastor.  Soon  afterwards  he  was 
appointed  Secretary  to  the  Bishop  and  made 
Chancellor  of  the  Diocese.  In  1873  he  was  trans- 
ferred from  Louisville  to  New  York,  where  he 
was  attached  to  the  missionary  parish  of  St. 
Michael's.  He  had,  by  this  time,  achieved  no  little 
fame  as.  a  pulpit  orator  and  lecturer.  When 
the  diocese  of  Peoria,  111.,  was  created,  in  1877,  the 
choice  of  the  Pope  fell  upon  him  for  the  new  see, 
and  he  was  consecrated  Bishop,  on  May  1  of  that 
year,  by  Cardinal  McCloskey  at  New  York.     His 


494 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


administration  has  been  characterized  by  both 
energy  and  success.  He  has  devoted  much  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  of  emigration,  and  has  brought 
about  the  founding  of  many  new  settlements  in 
the  far  \Yest.  He  was  also  largely  instrumental 
in  bringing  about  the  founding  of  the  Catholic 
University  at  Washington.  He  is  a  frequent 
contributor  to  the  reviews,  and  the  author  of  a 
number  of  religious  works. 

SPANISH  INVASION  OF  ILLINOIS.  In  the 
month  of  June,  1779,  soon  after  the  declaration 
of  war  between  Spain  and  Great  Britain,  an  expe- 
dition was  organized  in  Canada,  to  attack  the 
Spanish  posts  along  the  Mississippi.  Simultane- 
ously, a  force  was  to  be  dispatched  from  Pen.sa- 
cola  against  New  Orleans,  then  commanded  by 
a  young  Spanish  Colonel,  Don  Bernardo  de 
Galvez.  Secret  instructions  had  been  sent  to 
British  Commandants,  all  through  the  Western 
countrj",  to  co-operate  with  both  expeditions.  De 
Galvez,  having  learned  of  the  scheme  through 
intercepted  letters,  resolved  to  forestall  the  attack 
by  becoming  the  assailant.  At  the  head  of  a 
force  of  670  men,  he  set  out  and  captured  Baton 
Rouge,  Fort  Manchac  and  Natchez,  almost  with- 
out opposition.  The  British  in  Canada,  being 
ignorant  of  what  had  been  going  on  in  the  South, 
in  February  following  dispatched  a  force  from 
Mackinac  to  support  the  expedition  from  Pensa- 
cola,  and,  incidentally,  to  subdue  the  American 
rebels  while  en  route.  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia 
were  contemplated  points  of  attack,  as  well  as 
the  Spanish  forts  at  St.  Louis  and  St.  Genevieve. 
This  movement  was  planned  by  Capt.  Patrick 
Sinclair,  commandant  at  JIackinac,  but  Captain 
Hesse  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  expedition, 
which  numbered  some  750  men,  including  a  force 
of  Indians  led  by  a  chief  named  Wabasha.  The 
British  arrived  before  St.  Louis,  early  on  the 
morning  of  May  26,  1780,  taking  the  Spaniards 
by  surprise.  Sleanwhile  Col.  George  Rogers 
Clark,  having  been  apprised  of  the  project, 
arrived  at  Cahokia  from  the  falls  of  the  Ohio, 
twenty-four  hours  in  advance  of  the  attack,  his 
presence  and  readiness  to  co-operate  with  the 
Spanish,  no  doubt,  contributing  to  the  defeat  of 
the  expedition.  The  accounts  of  what  followed 
are  conflicting,  the  number  of  killed  on  the  St. 
Louis  shore  being  variously  estimated  from  seven 
or  eight  to  sixty -eight — the  last  being  the  esti- 
mate of  Capt.  Sinclair  in  his  official  report.  All 
agree,  however,  that  the  invading  party  was 
forced  to  retreat  in  great  haste.  Colonel  Mont- 
gomery, who  had  been  in  command  at  Cahokia, 
with  a  force  of  3.50  and  a  party  of  Spanish  allies, 


pursued  the  retreating  invaders  as  far  as  the 
Rock  River,  destroying  many  Indian  villages  on 
the  way.  This  movement  on  the  part  of  the 
British  served  as  a  pretext  for  an  attempted  re- 
prisal, undertaken  by  the  Spaniards,  with  the  aid 
of  a  number  of  Cahokians,  early  in  1781.  Starting 
early  in  January,  tliis  latter  expedition  crossed 
Illinois,  with  the  design  of  attacking  Fort  St. 
Joseph,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Michigjin,  which  had 
been  captured  from  the  English  by  Thoniiis  Brady 
and  afterwards  retaken.  The  Sjianiards  were  com- 
manded by  Don  Eugenio  Pourre,  and  supported 
by  a  force  of  Cahokians  and  Indians.  The  fort 
was  easily  taken  and  the  British  flag  replaced  by 
the  ensign  of  Spain.  The  affair  was  regarded  as 
of  but  little  moment,  at  the  time,  the  post  l)eing 
evacuated  in  a  few  days,  and  the  Spaniards 
returning  to  St.  Louis.  Yet  it  led  to  serious 
international  complications,  and  the  "conquest" 
was  seriously  urged  bj-  the  Spanish  ministry  as 
giving  that  country  a  right  to  the  territory  trav- 
ersed. This  claim  was  supported  by  France 
before  the  signing  of  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  but 
was  defeated,  through  the  combined  efforts  of 
Messrs.  Jay,  Franklin  and  Adams,  tlie  American 
Commissioners  in  charge  of  the  peace  negoti- 
ations with  England. 

SPARKS,  (Capt.)  David  K.,  manufacturer  and 
legislator,  wjis  born  near  Lanesville,  Ind.,  in 
1823:  in  1836,  removed  with  his  parents  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  111. ;  in  1847,  enlisted  for  the 
Slexican  War,  crossing  the  plains  to  Santa  Fe, 
New  Mexico.  In  1850  he  made  the  overland  trip 
to  California,  returning  the  next  year  by  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  In  1855  lie  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  at  Staunton,  Macoupin  County, 
but,  in  1860,  made  a  third  trip  across  the  plains 
in  search  of  gold,  taking  a  <juartz-mill  which  was 
erected  near  where  Central  City,  Colo.,  now  is, 
and  which  was  the  second  steam-engine  in  that 
region.  He  returned  home  in  time  to  vote  for 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  President,  the  same  year, 
but  became  a  stalwart  Republican,  two  weeks 
later,  when  the  advociates  of  secession  began  to 
develop  their  policy  after  the  election  of  Lincoln. 
In  1861  he  enlisted,  imder  the  call  for  500,000  vol- 
unteers following  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and 
was  commissioned  a  Captiiin  in  the  Third  Illinois 
Cavalry  (Col.  Eugene  A.  Carr),  serving  two  and  a 
half  years,  during  which  time  he  took  jmrt  in 
several  hard-fought  battles,  and  being  present  at 
the  fall  of  Vicksburg.  At  the  end  of  his  service 
he  became  associated  with  his  former  partner  in 
the  erection  of  a  large  flouring  mill  at  Littthfield, 
but,  in  1869,  the  firm  bought  an  extensive  flour- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


495 


ing  mill  at  Alton,  of  which  he  became  the  princi- 
pal owner  in  1881,  and  which  has  since  been 
greatly  enlarged  and  improved,  until  it  is  now  one 
of  the  most  extensive  establishments  of  its  kind 
in  the  State.  Capt.  Sparks  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  1888,  and  to  the  State 
Senate  in  1894,  serving  in  the  se.ssions  of  189.5  and 
'97;  was  also  strongly  supported  as  a  candidate 
for  the  Republican  nomination  for  Congress  in 
1896. 

SPARKS,  William  A.  J.,  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  near  New  Albany,  Ind.,  Nov.  10,  1828,  at  8 
years  of  age  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois, and  shortly  afterwards  left  an  orphan. 
Thrown  on  his  own  resources,  he  found  work 
upon  a  farm,  his  attenilance  at  the  district 
schools  being  limited  to  the  winter  months. 
Later,  he  passed  through  McKendree  College, 
supporting  himself,  meanwhile,  by  teaching, 
graduating  in  ISoO.  He  read  law  with  Judge 
Sidney  Breese,  and  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  in 
I8.0I.  His  first  public  office  was  that  of  Receiver 
of  the  Land  Office  at  Edwardsville.  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  President  Pierce  in  18.')3.  re- 
maining until  18.50,  when  he  was  chosen  Presi- 
dential Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  The 
same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of 
the  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1863-64,  served  in 
the  State  Senate  for  the  unexpired  term  of  James 
M.  Rodgers,  deceased.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  in  1808.  and  a 
Democratic  Representative  in  Congress  from  1875 
to  1883.  In  1885  he  was  appointed,  by  President 
Cleveland,  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land 
Office  in  Washington,  retiring,  by  resignation,  in 
1887.     His  home  is  at  Carlyle. 

SPARTA  &  ST.  GENEVIEVE  RAILROAD. 
(See  Centralia  &  C'liester  Railroad.) 

SPEED,  Joshna  Fry,  merchant,  and  intimate 
friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln;  was  educated  in  the 
local  schools  and  at  St.  Joseph's  College,  Bards- 
town,  Kj'.,  after  which  he  spent  some  time  in  a 
wholesale  mercantile  establishment  in  Louisville. 
About  1835  he  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  later  becom- 
ing the  intimate  friend  and  associate  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  to  whom  he  offered  the  privilege  of 
sharing  a  room  over  his  .store,  when  Mr.  Lincoln 
removed  from  New  Salem  to  Springfield,  in  1830. 
Mr.  Speed  returned  to  Kentuckj-  in  1842,  but  tlie 
friendship  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  which  was  of  a 
most  devoted  character,  continued  until  the 
death  of  the  latter.  Having  located  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ky.,  Mr.  Speed  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature in  1848,  but  was  never  again  willing  to 


accept  office,  though  often  solicited  to  do  so.  In 
1851  he  removed  to  Louisville,  where  he  acquired 
a  handsome  fortune  in  the  real-estate  business. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  -in  1801,  he 
heartih'  embraced  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and, 
during  the  war,  was  entrusted  with  many  deli- 
cate and  important  duties  in  the  interest  of  the 
Government,  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  whom  he  frequently 
visited  in  Washington.  His  death  occurred  at 
Louisville,  May  29,  1882.— James  (Speed),  an 
older  brother  of  the  preceding,  was  a  prominent 
Unionist  of  Kentucky,  and,  after  the  war,  a 
leading  Republican  of  that  State,  serving  as  dele- 
gate to  the  National  Republican  Conventions  of 
1872  and  1876.  In  1804  he  was  appointed  Attor- 
ney-General by  Mr  Lincoln  and  served  until  1866, 
when  he  resigned  on  account  of  disagreement 
with  President  Johnson.  He  died  in  1887,  at  the 
age  of  75  years. 

SPOO>'  RIVER,  rises  in  Bureau  County,  flows 
southward  through  Stark  County  into  Peoria, 
thence  southwest  through  Knox,  and  to  the  south 
and  southeast,  through  Fulton  County,  entering 
the  Illinois  River  opposite  Havana.  It  is  about 
150  miles  long. 

SPRINGER,   (Rev.)   Francis,  D.D.,  educator 
and  Army  Chaplain,  born  in  Franklin  Coimty, 
Pa.,  March  19,   1810;  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  age,  and  educated  at  Pennsylvania  College, 
Gettysburg;   entered   the  Lutheran  ministry  in 
1836,  and,   in  18.39,  removed  to  Springfield,  111., 
where  he  preached  and  taught    scliool;  in  1847 
became  President  of  Hillsboro  College,  whicli,  in 
1852,  was  removed  to  Springfield  and  became  Illi- 
nois State  University,  now  known  as  Concordia 
Seminary.     Later,  he  served  for  a  time  as  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  for  the  city  of  Springfield, 
but,  in  September,   1801,  resigned  to  accept  the 
Chaplaincy  of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry  ;  by  suc- 
cessive resignations  and  appointments,  held  the 
positions  of  Chaplain  of  the  First  Arkansas  Infan- 
try (1863-64)  and  Post  Chaplain  at  Fort  Smith, 
Ark.,  serving  in  the  latter  position  until  April, 
1807,  when  he  was  commi.ssioned  Oiaplain  of  the 
United  States  Army.     This  position  lie  resigned 
while  stationed  at  Fort  Harker,  Kan. ,  August  23, 
1867.     During  a  considerable  part  of  his  incum- 
bency as  Chaplain  at  Fort  Smith,   he  acted   as 
Agent  of  the  Bureau  of  Refugees  and  Freedmen, 
performing  important  service  in  caring  for  non- 
combatants  rendered  homeless  by  the  vicissitudes 
of  war.     After  the  war  he  served,  for  a  time,  as 
Superintendent     of     Schools     for     Montgomery 
County,  111. ;  was  instrumental  in  the  founding 
of  Carthage  (111.)  College,  and  was  a  member  of 


49G 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


its  Board  of  Control  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  elected  Chaplain  of  the  Illinois  House  of 
Representatives  at  the  session  of  the  Thirty-fifth 
General  Assembly  (1887),  and  Chaplain  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of 
Illinois  for  two  consecutive  terms  (1890-"92). 
He  was  also  member  of  the  Stephenson  Post, 
No.  30,  G.  A.  R. ,  at  Springfield,  and  served  as  its 
Chaplain  from  January,  1884,  to  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Springfield,  Oct.  21,  1893. 

SPRINGER,  William  McKendree,  ex-Congress- 
man. Justice  of  United  States  Court,  was  born  in 
Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  May  30,  1836.  In  1848  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Jacksonville,  111., 
was  fitted  for  college  in  the  public  high  school  at 
Jacksonville,  under  the  tuition  of  the  late  Dr. 
Bateman,  entered  Illinois  College,  remaining 
three  years,  when  he  removed  to  the  Indiana 
State  University,  graduating  there  in  1858.  The 
following  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
commenced  practice  in  Logan  County,  but  soon 
after  removed  to  Springfield.  He  entered  public 
Ufe  as  Secretary  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1862.  In  1871-72  he  represented  Sangamon 
County  in  the  Legislature,  and,  in  1874,  was 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  Thirteenth  Illinois 
District  as  a  Democrat.  From  that  time  until 
the  clase  of  the  Fifty-third  Congre.ss  (1895),  he 
served  in  Congress  continuously,  and  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  on  the 
floor,  being  at  tlie  head  of  many  important  com- 
mittees when  that  party  was  in  the  ascendancy, 
and  a  candidate  for  the  Democratic  caucus  nomi- 
nation for  Speaker,  in  1893.  In  1894  he  was  the 
candidate  of  his  party  for  Congress  for  the 
eleventh  time,  but  was  defeated  by  his  Repub- 
lican opponent,  James  A.  ConnoUy.  In  1895 
President  Cleveland  appointed  him  United 
States  District  Judge  for  Indian  Territory. 

SPRINGFIELD,  the  State  capital,  and  the 
county-seat  of  Sangamon  County,  situa;ted  five 
miles  south  of  the  Sangamon  River  and  185  miles 
southwest  of  Chicago;  is  an  important  railway 
center.  The  fir.st  settlement  on  the  site  of  the 
present  city  was  made  by  John  Kelly  in  1819. 
On  April  10,  1821,  it  was  selected,  by  the  first 
Board  of  County  Commissioners,  as  the  temporary 
county-seat  of  Sangamon  County,  the  organi- 
zation of  which  had  been  autliorized  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  in  January  previous,  and  the 
name  Springfield  was  given  to  it.  In  1828  the 
selection  was  made  permanent.  The  latter  year 
the  first  .sale  of  lands  took  place,  the  original  site 
being  entered  by  Pascal  P.  Enos,  Elijah  lies  and 
Thomas  Cox.     The  town  was  platted  afcout  the 


same  time,  and  the  name  "Calhoun"  was  given  to 
a  section  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  present 
city— this  being  the  "hey-day"  of  the  South 
Carolina  statesman's  greatest  popularity — but 
the  cliange  wa.s  not  popularly  accepted,  and  the 
new  name  was  soon  dropped.  It  was  incorpo- 
rated as  a  town,  April  2,  1832,  and  as  a  city,  April 
6,  1840;  and  re-incorporated,  under  the  general, 
law  in  1882.  It  was  made  tlie  State  capital  by 
act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  at  the  session  of 
1837,  which  went  into  effect,  July  4,  1839,  and  the 
Legislature  first  convened  there  in  December  of 
the  latter  year.  The  general  surface  is  flat, 
though  there  is  rolling  ground  to  the  west.  The 
city  lias  excellent  water-works,  a  paid  fire-depart- 
ment, six  banks,  electric  street  railways,  gas  and 
electric  lighting,  commodious  hotels,  fine 
churches,  numerous  handsome  residences,  beauti- 
ful parks,  thorough  sewerage,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  paved  and  handsomest  cities  in  the  State. 
The  city  proper,  in  1890,  contained  an  area  of  four 
square  miles,  but  has  since  been  enlarged  by  the 
annexation  of  the  following  suburbs:  North 
Springfield,  April  7,  1891 ;  West  Springfield,  Jan. 
4,  1898;  and  Soutli  Springfield  and  the  village  of 
Laurel,  April  5,  1898.  These  additions  give  to 
the  present  city  an  area  of  5.84  sijuare  miles. 
The  population  of  the  original  city,  according  to 
the  census  of  1880,  was  19,743,  and.  in  1890,  24,963, 
while  that  of  the  annexed  suburbs,  at  the  last 
census,  was  2, 109 — making  a  total  of  29,072.  The 
latest  school  census  (1898)  showed  a  total  popu- 
lation of  33,375— population  by  census  (1900), 
34,159.  Besides  the  State  House,  the  city  has  a 
hand.some  United  States  Government  Building 
for  United  States  Court  and  pf)st-office  purposes, 
a  county  courthouse  (tlie  former  State  capitol). 
a  city  hall  and  (State)  Executive  Mansion. 
Springfield  was  the  home  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
His  former  residence  has  been  donated  to  the 
State,  and  his  tomb  and  monument  are  in  the 
beautiful  Oak  Ridge  cemetery,  adjoining  the 
city.  Springfield  is  an  important  coal-mining 
center,  and  has  many  important  industries, 
notably  a  watch  factory,  rolling  mills,  and  exten- 
sive manufactories  of  agricultural  implements 
and  furniture.  It  is  also  the  permanent  location 
of  the  State  Fairs,  for  which  extensive  buildings 
have  been  erected  on  the  Fair  Grounds  nortli  of 
the  city.  There  are  three  daily  papers — two  morn- 
ing and  one  evening — published  here,  besides 
various  other  publications.     Pop.  (1900),  34,159. 

SPRINGFIELD,  EFFIXGHAM  &  SOrXH- 
EASTERN  RAILRO.iD.  (See  St.  Louis.  Indian- 
apolis &  Eastern  Railroad. ) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OE    ILLINOIS. 


497 


SPRIMJFIELD  &  ILLINOIS  SOUTHEAST- 
ERN  RAILROAD.  (See  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Southici'sterii  Railroad. ) 

SPRINGFIELD  &  NORTHWESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St  Louis 
Hailroad  of  Illinois.) 

SPRINdi  VALLEY,  an  incorporated  city  in 
Bureau  County,  at  intersection  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific, 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  and  the 
Toluca,  Marquette  &  Northern  Railways,  100 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  It  lies  in  a  coal- 
mining region  and  has  important  manufacturing 
interests  as  well.  It  has  two  banks,  electric 
street  and  interurban  railways,  and  two  news- 
papers.    Population  (ISOO),  3,8^7;  (1900),  6,214. 

ST.  AGATHA'S  SCHOOL,  an  institution  for 
young  ladies,  at  Springfield,  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  incorpo- 
rated in  1889.  It  has  a  faculty  of  eight  teachers 
giving  instruction  in  the  preparatory  and  higher 
branches,  including  music  and  fine  arts.  It 
reported  fifty-five  pupils  in  1894,  and  real  estate 
valued  at  .?1.5.000. 

ST.  ALBAN'S  ACADEMY,  a  boys'  and  young 
men's  school  at  Knoxville,  111.,  incorporated  in 
1896  under  the  auspices  of  the  Episcopal  Churcli ; 
in  1898  had  a  faculty  of  seven  teachers,  with 
forty-five  pupils,  and  property  valued  at  §61,100, 
of  which  $!34,000  was  real  estate.  Instruction  is 
given  in  the  classical  and  scientific  branches, 
besides  music  and  prejiaratory  studies. 

ST.  ANNE,  a  village  of  Kankakee  County, 
at  the  crossing  of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
and  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railways,  60  miles  south  of  Chicago.  The 
town  has  two  banks,  tile  and  brick  factory,  and  a 
weekly  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  1,000. 

ST.  CHARLES,  a  city  in  Kane  County,  on  both 
sides  of  Fox  River,  at  intersection  of  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  and  the  Chicago  Great  Western 
Railways;  38  miles  west  of  Chicago  and  10  miles 
south  of  Elgin.  The  river  furnishes  excellent 
water-power,  which  is  being  utilized  by  a  number 
of  important  manufacturing  enterprises.  The 
city  is  connected  with  Chicago  and  many  towns 
in  the  Fox  River  valley  by  interurlvn  electric 
trolley  lines;  is  also  the  seat  of  the  State  Home 
for  Boys.     Pop.  (1890),  1,690;  (1900).  2,675. 

ST.  CLAIR,  Arthur,  first  Governor  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  was  born  of  titled  ancestry 
at  Thurso,  Scotland,  in  17;!4;  came  to  America  in 
17.57  as  an  ensign,  having  purchased  his  commis- 
sion, participated  in  the  capture  of  Louisburg, 
Canada,    in    17.')8,    and    fought   under   Wolfe   at 


Quebec.  In  1764  he  settled  in  Pennsylvania, 
wliere  he  amassed  a  moderate  fortune,  and  be- 
came prominent  in  public  afl'airs.  He  served  with 
distinction  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  rising 
to  the  rank  of  Major-General,  and  succeeding 
General  Gates  in  command  at  Ticonderoga,  but, 
later,  was  censured  by  Washington  for  his  hasty 
evacuation  of  the  post,  though  finally  vindicated 
by  a  military  court.  His  Revolutionary  record, 
however,  was  generally  good,  and  even  distin- 
guished. He  represented  Pennsylvania  in  the 
Continental  Congress,  and  presided  over  that 
body  in  1787.  He  served  as  Governor  of  the 
Northwest  Territory  (including  the  present  State 
of  Illinois)  from  1789  to  1802.  As  an  executive 
lie  was  not  successful,  being  unpopular  because 
of  his  arbitrariness.  In  November,  1791,  he 
suffered  a  serious  defeat  by  the  Indians  in  the 
valley  between  the  Miami  and  the  Wabash.  In 
this  campaign  he  was  badl}'  crippled  b)'  the  gout, 
and  had  to  be  carried  on  a  litter ;  he  was  again 
vindicated  by  a  Congressional  investigation.  His 
first  visit  to  the  Illinois  Country  was  made  in 
1790,  when  he  organized  St.  Clair  County,  which 
was  named  in  his  honor.  In  1802  President  Jef- 
ferson removed  him  from  the  governorship  of 
Ohio  Territory,  of  which  he  had  continued  to  be 
the  Governor  after  its  separation  from  Indiana 
and  Illinois.  The  remainder  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  comparative  penury.  Shortly  before  his 
decease,  he  was  granted  an  annuity  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania Legislature  and  by  Congress.  Died,  at 
Greensburg.  Pa..  August  31,  1818. 

ST.  CLAIR  COUNTY,  the  first  county  organ- 
ized within  the  territory  comprised  in  the  pres- 
ent State  of  Illinois  —  the  whole  region  west 
of  the  Ohio  River  having  been  first  placed  under 
civil  jurisdiction,  under  the  name  of  "Illinois 
County,"  by  an  act  of  the  Virginia  House  of 
Delegates,  passed  in  October,  1778,  a  few  months 
after  the  capture  of  Kaskaskia  by  Col.  George 
Rogers  Clark.  (See  Illinois;  also  Clark,  George 
Hogers.)  St.  Clair  County  was  finally  set  oft 
by  an  order  of  Gov.  Arthur  St  Clair,  on  occa- 
sion of  his  first  visit  to  the  "Illinois  Country," 
in  April,  1790 — more  than  two  years  after  his 
a.ssumption  of  the  duties  of  Governor  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  which  then  comprehended 
the  "Illinois  Country"  as  well  as  the  vvhole 
region  within  the  present  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  Governor  St.  Clair's 
order,  which  bears  date,  April  27,  1790,  defines 
the  boundaries  of  the  new  county — which  took 
his  own  name — as  follows:  "Beginning  at  the 
mouth  of    the  Little  Michillimackanack  River, 


498 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


running  thence  southerly  in  a  direct  line  to  the 
mouth  of  the  little  river  above  Fort  Massac  upon 
the  Ohio  River;  thence  with  the  said  river  to  its 
junction  with  the  Mississippi;  thence  up  the 
Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  and  so  up 
the  Illinois  River  to  the  place  of  beginning,  with 
all  the  adjacent  islands  of  said  rivers.  Illinois  and 
Mississippi."  The  "Little  Michillimackanack,"' 
the  initial  point  mentioned  in  this  description — 
also  variously  spelled  "Makina"  and  "Macki- 
naw," the  latter  being  the  name  by  which  the 
stream  is  now  known — empties  into  the  Illinois 
River  on  the  south  side  a  few  miles  below 
Pekin.  in  Tazewell  County.  The  boundaries 
of  St.  Clair  County,  as  given  by  Gov.  St.  Clair, 
indicate  the  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  "Illinois  Country"  existing  in 
that  day,  as  a  line  drawn  south  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Mackinaw  River,  instead  of  reaching  the 
Ohio  "above  Fort  Massac,"  would  have  followed 
the  longitude  of  the  present  city  of  Springfield, 
striking  the  Mississippi  about  the  northwestern 
corner  of  Jackson  County,  twenty-five  miles  west 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  The  object  of  Gov- 
ernor St.  Clair's  order  was.  of  course,  to  include 
the  settled  portions  of  the  Illinois  Countrj'  in  the 
new  county ;  and,  if  it  had  had  the  effect  intended, 
the  eastern  border  of  the  county  would  have  fol- 
lowed a  line  some  fifty  miles  farther  eastward, 
along  the  eastern  border  of  Marion,  Jefferson. 
Franklin,  Williamson  and  Johnson  Counties, 
reaching  the  Ohio  River  about  the  present  site  of 
Metropolis  City  in  Massac  County,  and  embracing 
about  one-half  of  the  area  of  the  present  State  of 
Illinois.  For  all  practical  purposes  it  embraced 
all  the  Illinois  Country,  as  it  included  that  por- 
tion in  which  the  white  settlements  were  located. 
(See  St.  Clair,  Arthur;  also  lUinois  Country.) 
The  early  records  of  St.  Clair  County  are  in  the 
French  language ;  its  first  settlers  and  its  early 
civilization  were  French,  and  the  first  church  to 
inculcate  the  doctrine  of  Christianity  was  the 
Roman  Catholic.  The  first  proceedings  in  court 
under  the  common  law  were  had  in  1796.  The 
first  Justices  of  the  Peace  were  appointed  in  1807, 
and,  as  there  was  no  penitentiary,  the  whipping- 
post and  pillory  played  an  important  part  in  the 
code  of  penalties,  these  punishments  being  im- 
partial!}' meted  out  as  late  as  the  time  of  Judge 
(afterwards  Governor)  Reynolds,  to  "the  lame,  the 
halt  and  the  blind,"  for  such  offenses  as  the  lar- 
ceny of  a  .silk  handkerchief.  At  first  three 
places — Cahokia.  Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Kaskas- 
kia — were  named  as  county-seats  by  Governor  St. 
Clair;  but  Randolph  County  having  been  set  off 


in  1895,  Cahokia  became  the  county-seat  of  the 
older  county,  so  remaining  until  1813,  when 
Belleville  was  selected  as  the  seat  of  justice.  At 
that  time  it  was  a  mere  cornfield  owned  by 
George  Blair,  although  settlements  had  previously 
been  established  in  Ridge  Prairie  and  at  Badgley. 
Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas  held  his  first  court  in  a 
log-cabin,  but  a  rude  court  house  was  erected  in 
1814,  and,  the  same  year,  George  E.  Blair  estab- 
lished a  hostelrj-,  Joseph  Kerr  oi^ened  a  store, 
and,  in  1817,  additional  improvements  were 
inaugurated  by  Daniel  Murray  and  others,  from 
Baltimore.  John  H.  Dennis  and  the  Mitchells 
and  Wests  (from  Virginia)  settled  soon  after- 
ward, becoming  farmers  and  meclianics.  Belle- 
ville was  incorporated  in  1819.  In  1825  Governor 
Edwards  bought  the  large  landed  interests  of 
Etienne  Personeau,  a  large  French  land-owner, 
ordered  anewsurvey  of  thetownand  infused  fresh 
life  into  its  development.  Settlers  Iwigan  to  arrive 
in  large  numbers,  mailih' Virginians,  who  brought 
with  them  their  slaves,  the  right  to  hold  which 
was.  for  many  years,  a  fruitful  and  [jerennial 
source  of  strife.  Emigrants  from  Germany 
began  to  arrive  at  an  early  day,  and  now  a  large 
proportion  of  the  population  of  Belleville  and  St. 
Clair  County  is  made  up  of  that  nationality.  Tlie 
county,  as  at  present  organized,  lies  on  the  west- 
ern border  of  the  south  half  of  the  State,  immedi- 
ately opposite  St.  Louis,  and  comprises  some  C80 
square  miles.  Three-fourths  of  it  are  underlaid 
by  a  vein  of  coal,  six  to  eight  feet  tliick,  and 
alx)Ut  one  hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  Con- 
siderable wheat  is  raised.  The  principal  towns 
are  Belleville.  East  St.  Louis,  Lebanon  and  Mas- 
coutah.  Population  of  the  county  (1880),  01,806; 
(1890),  CG..-.71;  (IflOO)   SG.CSo. 

ST.  JOHX,  an  incorporated  village  of  Perry 
County,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railway,  one  mile 
north  of  Duquoin.  Coal  is  mined  and  salt  manu- 
factured here.     Population  about  500. 

ST.  JOSrPH,  a  village  of  Champaign  County, 
on  the  Cleveland.  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway,  10  miles  east  of  Champaign;  lias  inter- 
urban  railroad  connection.     Pop.  (1900),  637. 

ST.  JOSEPH'S  HOSPIT.\L,  (Chicago),  founded 
in  1860,  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  Having  been  de- 
stroyed in  the  fire  of  1871.  it  was  lebuilt  in  the 
following  year.  In  1892  it  was  reconstructed,  en- 
larged and  made  thoroughly  modern  in  its  appoint- 
ments. It  can  accommodate  about  250  patients. 
The  Sistersattend  to  the  nursing,  and  conduct  the 
domestic  and  financial  affairs.  The  medical  staff 
comprises  ten  physicans  and  surgeons,  among 
whom  are  some  of  the  most  eminent  in  Chicago. 


IIISTOrJCAL   EXCYCLOPEDIxV    OF   ILLINOIS. 


499 


ST.  LOUIS,  ALTON  &  CHICAGO  RAILROAD. 

(See  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  ALTON  &  SPRIMiFIELJ)  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  St.  Louis.  Chicago  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad. ) 

ST.    LOUIS,     ALTON     Sc     TERRE     HAUTE 
RAILOAD,  a  corporation  formerly  operating  an 
extensive  system  of  railroads  in  Illinois.  The  Terre 
Haute  &  Alton  Railroad  Company  (the  original 
corporation)    was    chartered    in    January,    1851, 
work   begun  in  1853,    and   the   main   line   from 
Terre    Haute  to  Alton   (172.5  miles)   completed, 
March    1,  1850.     The    Belleville  &   lUinoistown 
branch   (from  Belleville  to  East  St.  Louis)  was 
chartered  in  1852,  and  completed    between  the 
points  named  in  the  title,   in  the  fall  of  1854. 
This  corporation  secured  authority  to  construct 
an  extension   from   Illinoistown   (now  East   St. 
Louis)  to  Alton,  which  was  completed  in  October, 
1856,  giving  the  fii'st  railroad  connection  between 
Alton  &  St.   Louis.     Simultaneousl}-  with  this, 
these  two  roads  (the  Terre  Haute  &  Alton  and 
the  Belleville  &  Illinoistown)  were  consolidated 
under  a  single  charter  bj'  special  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  February,   1854,   the   consolidated  line 
taking  the  name  of  the  Terre  Haute,  Alton  &  St. 
Louis  Railroad.     Subsequently  the  road  became 
financially  embarassed,  was  sold  under  foreclosure 
and  reorganized,  in  1862,  under  the  name  of  the 
St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad.     June 
1,  1867,  the  main  line  (from  Terre  Haute  to  St. 
Louis)   was  leased    for  niety-nine  ye;irs  to    the 
Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railway  Company  (an 
Indiana  corporation)  guaranteed  by  certain  other 
lines,  but  the  lease  was  subsequently  broken  by 
the   insolvency  of  the  lessee  and   some  of  the 
guarantors.     The  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  went 
into  the  hands  of  a  receiver  in  1882,  and  was  sold 
under  foreclosure,  in  July  of  the  same  year,  its 
interest  being  absorbed  by  the  Cleveland,   Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway,  by  wliich 
the  main  line  is  now  operated.     The  properties 
officially  reported  as  remaining  in  tlie  hands  of 
the  St.   Louis,   Alton  &  Terre  Haute    Railroad, 
June  30,  1895,  beside  the  Belleville  Branch  (14.40 
miles),  included  the  following  leased  and  subsidi- 
ary lines;     Belleville  &  Southern  Illinois — "Cairo 
Short  Line"  (56.40  miles) ;  Belleville  &  Eldorado, 
(.50.20    miles);    Belleville    &    Carondelet    (17.30 
miles);  St.   Louis  Southern  and  branches   (47.27 
miles),  and  Chicago,  St.  Louis  &  Paducah  Rail- 
way (53.50  miles).     All  these  have  been  leased, 
since  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  1895,  to  the  Illi- 
nois   Central.     (For    sketches  of    tliese    several 
roads  see  headings  of  each. ) 


ST.  LOUIS,  CHICAGO  &  ST.  PAUL  RAIL. 
ROAD,  (Bluff  Line), a  line  running  from  Spring- 
field to  Granite  City,  111.,  (opposite  St.  Louis), 
102.1  miles,  with  a  branch  from  Lock  Haven  to 
Grafton,  III.,  8.4  miles — total  length  of  line  in 
Illinois,  110.5  miles.  The  track  is  of  standard 
gauge,  laid  with  56  to  70-pound  steel  rails. — (His- 
tory. )  The  road  was  originally  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  the  St.  Louis,  Jerseyville  & 
Springfield  Railroad,  built  from  Bates  to  Grafton 
in  1882,  and  absorbed  by  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  & 
Pacific  Railway  Company ;  was  surrendered  by  the 
receivers  of  the  latter  in  1886,  and  passed  under 
the  control  of  the  bond-holders,  by  whom  it  was 
transferred  to  a  corporation  known  as  the  St. 
Louis  &  Central  Illinois  Railroad  Company.  In 
June,  1887,  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Springfield 
Railroad  Company  was  organized,  with  power  to 
build  extensions  from  Newbern  to  Alton,  and 
from  Bates  to  Springfield,  which  was  done.  In 
October,  1890,  a  receiver  was  appointed,  followed 
l)y  a  reorganization  under  the  present  name  (St. 
Louis,  Chicago  &  St.  Paul).  Default  was  made 
on  the  interest  and,  in  June  following,  it  was 
again  placed  in  the  hands  of  receivers,  by  whom 
it  was  operated  until  1898.  The  total  earnings 
and  income  for  the  fiscal  year  1897-98  were 
§318,815,  operating  expenses,  §373,270;  total 
capitalization,  §4,853,526,  of  which,  §1,500,000 
was  in  the  form  of  stock  and  §1,235  000  in  income 
bonds. 

ST.  LOUIS,  INDIANAPOLIS  Jl  EASTERN 
RAILROAD,  a  railroad  line  90  miles  in  length, 
extending  from  Switz  City,  Ind.,  to  Effingham, 
111. — 56  miles  being  within  the  State  of  Illinois. 
It  is  of  standard  gauge  and  the  track  laid  chiefly 
with  iron  rail-s. — (History.)  The  orginal  corpo- 
ration was  chartered  in  1869  as  the  Springfield, 
Effingham  &  Quincy  Railway  Company.  It  waa 
built  as  a  narrow-gauge  line  by  the  Cincinnati, 
Effingham  &  Quincy  Construction  Company, 
wliich  went  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver  in  1878, 
The  road  was  completed  by  the  receiver  in  1880, 
and,  in  1885,  restored  to  the  Construction  Com- 
pany by  the  discharge  of  the  receiver.  For  a 
short  time  it  was  operated  in  connection  with 
the  Bloomfield  Railroad  of  Indiana,  but  was 
reorganized  in  1886  as  the  Indiana  &  Illinois 
Southern  Railroad,  and  the  gauge  changed  to 
standard  in  1887.  Having  made  default  in  the 
payment  of  interest,  it  was  sold  under  foreclosure 
in  1890  and  purchased  in  the  interest  of  the  bond- 
holders, by  whom  it  was  conveyed  to  the  St. 
Louis,  Indianapolis  &  Eastern  Railroad  Company, 
in  whose  name  the  line  is  operated.     Its  business 


500 


HISTORICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLIKOLS. 


is  limited,  and  chiefly  local.  The  total  earnings 
in  1898  were  565, 583  and  the  expenditui-es  §69, 112. 
Its  capital  stock  was  §740,900;  bonded  debt, 
8978,000,  other  indebtedness  increasing  the  total 
capital  investment  to  81,810,730. 

ST.  LOUIS,  JACKSOXTILLE  &  CHICAGO 
KAILROAD,     (See  Chicmjo  <£■  Alton  Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  JEBSEYVILLE  &  SPKI>GFIELD 
RAILROAD.  (See  St.  Louis,  Chicago  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  MOUNT  CARMEL  &  NEW  AL- 
BANY RAILROAD,  (See  Lowisinlle,  Evansville 
d-  St.  Loui.'i  {Con,-<olidated)  Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  PEORIA  &  NORTHERN  RAIL- 
WAY, known  as  "Peoria  Short  Line,"  a  corpo- 
ration organized,  Feb.  29,  1896,  to  take  over  and 
unite  the  properties  of  the  St.  Louis  &  Eastern, 
the  St.  Louis  &  Peoria  and  the  North  and  South 
Railways,  and  to  extend  the  same  due  north 
from  Springfield  to  Peoria  (60  miles),  and  thence 
to  Fulton  or  East  Clinton,  111.,  on  the  Upper  Jlis- 
sissippi.  The  line  extends  from  Springfield  to 
Glen  Carbon  (84.46  miles),  with  trackage  facilities 
over  the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad 
and  the  Merchants"  Terminal  Bridge  (18  miles) 
to  St.  Louis. — (History.)  This  road  has  been 
made  up  of  three  sections  or  divisions.  (1)  The 
initial  section  of  the  line  was  constructed  under 
the  name  of  the  St.  Louis  &  Chicago  Railroad  of 
Illinois,  incorporated  in  1885,  and  opened  from 
Mount  Olive  to  Alhambra  in  1887.  It  passed 
into  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  was  sold  under  fore- 
closure in  1889,  and  reorganized,  in  1890.  as  the  St. 
Louis  &  Peoria  Railroad.  The  St.  Louis  &  East- 
ern, chartered  in  1889,  built  the  line  from  Glen 
Carbon  to  Marine,  which  was  opened  in  1893;  the 
following  year,  bought  the  St.  Louis  &  Peoria 
line,  and,  in  1895,  constructed  the  link  (8  miles) 
between  Alhambra  and  Marine.  (3)  The  North 
&  South  Railroad  Company  of  Illinois,  organized 
in  1890,  as  successor  to  the  St.  Louis  &  Chicago 
Railway  Company,  proceeded  in  the  construction 
of  the  line  (50.46  miles)  from  Mt.  Olive  to  Spring- 
field, which  was  subsequently  leased  to  the  Chi- 
cago, Peoria  &  St.  Louis,  then  under  the 
management  of  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville  &  St. 
Louis  Railway.  The  latter  corporation  having 
defaulted,  the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of 
a  receiver.  By  expiration  of  the  lease  in  Decem- 
ber, 1896,  the  propertj-  reverted  to  the  proprietary 
Company,  which  took  possession,  Jan.  1,  1896. 
The  St.  Louis  &  Southeastern  then  bought  the 
line  outright,  and  it  was  incorporated  as  apart  of 
the  new  organization  under  the  name  of  the  St. 
Louis,   Peoria  &    Northern  r.ailway.   the  North 


&  South  Railroad  going  out  of  existence.  In 
Maj-,  1899,  tlie  St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Northern  was 
sold  to  the  reorganized  Cliicago&  Alton  Rivilroad 
Company,  to  be  operated  as  a  short  line  between 
Peoria  &  St.  Louis. 

ST.  LOUIS,  ROCK  ISLAND  ic  CHICAGO 
RAILROAD.  (See  Chicago,  Burlington  dk  Quincy 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS  SOUTHERN  RAILROAD,  a  line 
running  from  Pinckneyville,  III,  via  Murphys- 
boro,  to  Carbondale.  Tlie  company  is  also  the 
lessee  of  tlie  Carbondale  &  Shawneetow-n  Rail- 
road, extending  from  Carbondale  to  Marion,  17.5 
miles — total,  50.5  miles.  The  track  is  of  standard 
gauge  and  laid  with  56  and  60-pound  steel  rails. 
Tlie  company  was  organized  in  August,  1886,  to 
succeed  to  the  property  of  the  St.  Louis  Coal  Rail- 
road (organized  in  1879)  and  the  St.  Louis  Central 
Railway ;  and  was  leased  for  980  years  from  Dec. 
1,  1886,  to  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  Company,  at  an  annual  rental  equal  to 
thirty  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings,  with  a  mini- 
mum guarantee  of  §32,000,  which  is  sufficient 
to  pay  the  interest  on  the  first  mortgage  bonds. 
During  tlie  year  1896  this  line  passed  under  lease 
from  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Rail- 
road Company,  into  the  hands  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company. 

ST.  LOUIS.  SPRINGFIELD  &  VINCENNES 
RAILROAD  COMPANY,  a  corporation  organized 
in  July,  1899,  to  take  over  the  property  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  known  as  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi 
and  the  Springfield  &  Illinois  Southeastern 
Railways  —  the  former  extending  from  Vin- 
cennes,  Ind.,  to  East  St.  Louis,  and  the  latter 
from  Be;irdstown  to  Shawneetown.  The  prop- 
erty was  sold  under  foreclosure,  at  Cincinnati, 
July  10,  1899,  and  transferred,  for  purposes  of 
reorganization,  into  the  hands  of  the  new  cor- 
poration, July  28,  1899.  (For  history  of  the 
several  lines  see  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern 
Railicay.) 

ST.  LOUIS,  TANDALIA  &  TERRE  HAUTE 
RAILROAD.  This  line  extends  from  East  St. 
Louis  eastward  across  the  State,  to  the  Indiana 
State  Une,  a  distance  of  158.3  miles.  The  Terre 
Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company  is  the 
lessee.  The  track  is  single,  of  standard  gauge, 
and  laid  with  steel  rails.  The  outstanding  capi- 
tal stock,  in  1898,  was  $3,934,058,  the  bonded  debt, 
$4,496,000,  and  the  floating  debt,  5218.480.— (His- 
TORT  )  The  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  was  chartered  in  1865,  opened  in  1870 
and  iKised  to  the  Terre  Haute  &   Indianapolis 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


501 


Railroad,  for  itself  and  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railroad. 

ST.  LOriS  &  CAIRO  RAILROAD,  extends 
from  East  St.  Louis  to  Cairo,  111.,  151. G  miles,  with 
a  branch  from  Millstadt  Junction  to  High  Prairie, 
9  miles.  The  track  is  of  standard  gauge  and  laid 
mainly  with  steel  rails. — (History.)  The  origi- 
nal charter  was  granted  to  the  Cairo  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad  Company,  Feb.  16,  186.5,  and  the  road 
•  opened,  March  1,  1875.  Subsequently  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  was  sold  under  fore- 
closure, July  14,  1881,  and  was  taken  charge  of 
by  a  new  company  under  its  present  name,  Feb. 
1,  1883.  On  Feb.  1,  1886,  it  was  leased  to  the 
Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad  Companj'  for  fortj'-five 
years,  and  now  constitutes  the  Illinois  Division 
of  that  line,  giving  it  a  connection  with  St. 
Louis.     (See  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railiraij.) 

ST.  LOUIS  &  CENTRAL  ILLINOIS  RAIL- 
ROAD. (See  St.  Louis.  Chicago  ct  St.  Paul 
Railroad.) 

ST.  LOUIS  &  CHICAGO  RAILROAD  (of 
Illinois).  (See  St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Northern 
Ra  ihraij. ) 

ST.  LOUIS  &  EASTERN  RAILROAD.  (See 
St.  Louis,  Peoria  ft  Xortliern  Railu-iiij.) 

ST.  LOUIS  &  PEORIA  RAILWAY.  (See 
St.  Louis.  Peoria  cf-  Xortliern  Railwai/.) 

ST.  LUKE'S  HOSPITAL,  located  in  Chicago. 
It  was  chartered  in  1865,  its  incorporators,  in 
their  initial  statement,  substantially  declaring 
their  object  to  be  the  establishment  of  a  free  hos- 
pital under  the  control  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  which  should  be  open  to  the 
afflicted  poor,  without  distinction  of  race  or 
creed.  The  hospital  was  opened  on  a  small  scale, 
but  steadily  increased  until  1879,  when  re-incor- 
poration was  effected  under  the  general  law.  In 
1885  a  new  building  was  erected  on  land  donated 
for  that  purpo.se,  at  a  cost  exceeding  $150,000, 
exclusive  of  §20,000  for  furnishing.  While  its 
primary  object  has  been  to  afford  accommoda- 
tion, with  medical  and  surgical  care,  gratuitously, 
to  the  needy  poor,  the  institution  also  provides  a 
considerable  number  of  comfortable,  well-fur- 
nished private  rooms  for  patients  wlio  are  able 
and  willing  to  pay  for  the  same.  It  contains  an 
amphitheater  for  surgical  operations  and  clinics, 
and  has  a  free  dispensary  for  out-patients.  Dur- 
ing the  past  few  years  important  additions 
have  been  made,  the  number  of  beds  increased, 
and  provision  made  for  a  training  school  for 
nurses.  The  medical  staff  (1896)  consists  of 
thirteen  physicians  and  surgeons  and  two 
pathologists. 


ST.  MARY'S  SCHOOL,  a  yoimg  ladies"  semi- 
nary, under  the  patronage  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  at  Knoxville,  Knox  County,  111. ;  was 
incorporated  in  1858,  in  1898  had  a  faculty  of  four- 
teen teachers,  giving  instruction  to  113  pupils. 
The  branches  taught  include  the  classics,  the 
sciences,  fine  arts,  music  and  preparatory  studies. 
The  institution  has  a  library  of  2,200  volumes, 
and  owns  projiei'ty  valued  at  §130,500,  of  which 
§100,000  is  real  estate. 

STA(tER,  Alison,  soldier  and  Telegraph  Super- 
intendent, was  born  in  Ontario  County,  N.  Y., 
April  20,  1825 ;  at  16  years  of  age  entered  the  serv- 
ice of  Henry  O'Reilly,  a  printer  who  afterwards 
became  a  pioneer  in  building  telegraph  lines,  and 
with  whom  he  became  associated  in  varioas  enter- 
prises of  this  character.  Having  introduced 
several  improvements  in  the  construction  of  bat- 
teries and  the  arrangement  of  wires,  he  was,  in 
1852,  made  General  Superintendent  of  the  princi- 
pal lines  in  the  West,  and,  on  the  organization  of 
the  Western  Union  Company,  was  retained  in 
this  position.  Early  in  the  Civil  War  he  was 
entrusted  witli  the  management  of  telegraph 
lines  in  Southern  Ohio  and  along  the  Virginia 
border,  and,  in  October  following,  was  appointed 
General  Superintendent  of  Government  tele- 
graphs, remaining  in  this  position  until  Septem- 
ber, 1868,  his  services  being  recognized  in  his 
promotion  to  a  brevet  Brigadier-Generalship  of 
Volunteers.  In  1869  General  Stager  returned  to 
Chicago  and,  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  General 
Superintendent,  engaged  in  the  promotion  of  a 
number  of  enterprises  connected  with  the  manu- 
facture of  electrical  appliances  and  other 
branches  of  the  business.  One  of  these  was  the 
consolidation  of  the  telephone  companies,  of 
wliich  lie  became  President,  as  also  of  the  West- 
ern Edison  Electric  Light  Company,  besides  being 
a  Director  in  several  other  corporations.  Died, 
in  Chicago.  March  20,  1885. 

STANDISH,  John  Tan  Ness,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  the  Pilgrim  leader,  was 
born  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  Feb.  26,  1825.  His  early 
j'ears  were  spent  on  a  farm,  but  a  love  of  knowl- 
edge and  books  became  his  ruling  passion,  and  he 
devoted  several  years  to  study,  in  the  "Liberal 
Institute"  at  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  finally  graduating, 
with  the  degree  of  A,  B.,  at  Norwich  University 
in  the  class  of  1847.  Later,  he  received  the 
degree  of  A.M.,  in  due  course,  from  his  Alma 
Mater  in  1855;  that  of.  Ph.D.  from  Knox  College, 
in  1883,  of  LL.D  from  St.  Lawrence  University 
in  1893,  and  from  Norwich,  in  1898.  Dr.  Standish 
chose  the  profes.sion  of  a  teacher,  and  has  spent 


503 


niSTOrJCAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINUIS. 


over  fifty  years  in  its  pursuit  in  ocinnection  with 
private  and  public  schcxils  and  the  College,  of 
which  more  tlian  forty  years  were  as  Professor  and 
President  of  I,onil)ard  University  at  Galesburg. 
He  has  also  lectured  and  conducted  Teachers' 
Institutes  all  over  the  State,  and,  in  18J9,  was 
elected  President  of  the  State  Teachers'  Associ- 
ation. He  made  three  visits  to  the  Old  World — 
in  1879,  '82-83,  and  '91-93— and,  during  his  second 
trip,  traveled  over  40,000  miles,  visiting  nearly 
every  country  of  Europe,  including  the  "Land  of 
the  Midniglit  Sun,"  besides  Northern  Africa 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Desert  of  Sahara, 
Egypt,  Palestine,  Syria  and  Asia  Minor.  A  lover 
of  art,  he  has  visited  nearly  all  the  principal 
museums  and  j)icture  galleries  of  the  world.  In 
politics  lie  is  a  Republican,  and,  in  opposition  to 
many  college  men,  a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrine 
of  protection.  In  religion,  he  is  a  Universalist. 
STAPP,  Jaincs  T.  IJ.,  State  Auditor,  was  born 
in  Woodford  County,  Ky.,  April  13,  180-1;  at  the 
age  of  12  accompanied  his  widowed  mother  to 
Kaskaskia,  111.,  where  slie  settled;  before  he  was 
20  years  old,  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  tlie  office 
of  the  State  Auditor,  and,  upon  the  resignation  of 
that  officer,  was  apixiinted  his  successor,  being 
twice  thereafter  elected  by  the  Legislature,  serv- 
ing nearly  five  3'ears.  He  resigned  the  auditor- 
ship  to  accept  the  Presidency  of  the  State  Bank 
at  Vandalia,  which  post  he  filled  for  thirteen 
years;  acted  as  Aid-de-camp  on  Governor  Rey- 
nolds staff  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  served 
as  Adjutant  of  the  Tliird  Illinois  Volunteers  dur- 
ing the  war  witli  Mexico.  President  Taylor 
appointed  Mr.  Stapp  Receiver  of  the  United 
States  Land  Office  at  Vandalia,  which  office  he 
held  during  the  Fillmore  administration,  resign- 
ing in  1855.  Two  years  later  he  removed  to 
Decatur,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death  in  1876.  A  handsome  Methodist  chapel, 
erected  b}-  liim  in  that  citj-,  bears  his  name. 

STARK  COUXTT,  an  interior  county  in  the 
northern  half  of  the  State,  lying  west  of  the  Illi- 
nois River;  has  an  area  of  290  square  miles.  It 
has  a  rich,  alluvial  soil,  well  watered  by  numer- 
ous small  streams.  The  principal  industries  are 
agriculture  and  stock-raising,  and  the  cliief 
towns  are  Toulon  and  Wyoming.  The  county 
was  erected  from  Putnam  and  Knox  in  1839,  and 
named  in  honor  of  General  Stark,  of  Revolution- 
ary fame.  The  earliest  settler  was  Isaac  B. 
Es.sex,  who  built  a  cabin  on  Spoon  River,  in  1828, 
and  gave  his  name  to  a  township.  Of  other  pio- 
neer families,  the  Buswells,  Smiths.  Spencers  and 


Ea.stmans  came  from  New  Englanil ;  tlic  Thom- 
ases, Moores,  Holgates,  Fullers  and  Whittakers 
from  Pennsylvania;  the  Coxes  from  Ohio,  the 
Perrys  and  Parkers  from  Virginia ;  the  McClana- 
hans  from  Kentucky  ;  the  Hendersons  from  Ten- 
nessee ;  tlie  Lees  and  Hazens  from  New  Jersey ; 
the  Halls  from  England,  and  the  TurubuUs  and 
Olivers  from  Scotland.  The  pioneer  church  was 
the  Congregational  at  Toulon.  Population  (1880), 
11,207;  (1890),  9,982;  (1900),  10,186. 

STARA'ED  ItOCK,  a  celebrated  rock  or  cliff  on 
the  south  side  of  Illinois  River,  in  La  Salle 
County,  upon  which  the  French  explorer.  La 
Salle,  and  his  lieutenant,  Toutj-.  erected  a  fort  in 
1682.  wliich  tliey  named  Fort  St.  Louis.  It  was 
one  mile  north  of  the  supposed  location  of  the 
Indian  village  of  La  Vantum,  the  metropolis,  so 
to  speak,  of  the  Illinois  Indians  about  the  time  of 
tlie  arrival  of  the  first  French  explorers.  The 
population  of  this  village,  in  ICSO,  according  to 
Father  Membre,  ^^^as  some  seven  or  eight  thou- 
sand. Both  La  Vantum  and  Fort  St.  Louis  were 
repeatedly  attacked  by  the  InHjuois.  The  Illinois 
were  temporarily  driven  from  La  Vantum.  but 
the  French,  for  the  time  being,  successfully 
defended  their  fortification.  In  1702  the  fort  was 
abandoned  as  a  military  post,  but  continued  to 
be  used  as  a  French  trading-post  until  1718, 
wlien  it  was  burned  by  Indians.  The  Illinois 
were  not  again  molested  until  1722,  when  the 
Foxes  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  them. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  tribe,  however,  resolved 
to  cast  in  their  fortunes  with  other  tribes  on  the 
Mississippi  River.  Those  who  remained  fell  an 
easy  prey  to  the  foes  by  whom  they  were  sur- 
rounded. In  1709  they  were  attacked  from  the 
north  bj-  tribes  wlio  desired  to  avenge  the  murder 
of  Pontiac.  Finding  themselves  hard  pressed, 
they  betook  themselves  to  the  bluff  where  Fort 
St.  Louis  had  formerly  stood.  Here  they  were 
besieged  for  twelve  days,  when,  destitute  of  food 
or  water,  they  made  a  gallant  but  hopeless  sortie. 
According  to  a  tradition  handed  down  among  the 
Indians,  all  were  ma.ssacred  by  the  besiegers  in 
an  attempt  to  escape  by  night,  except  one  half- 
breed,  who  succeeded  in  evading  his  pursuers. 
This  sanguinary  catastrophe  has  given  the  rock 
its  jHipular  name.  Elmer  Baldwin,  in  his  History 
of  La  Salle  County  (1877),  says:  "The  bones  of 
the  victims  lay  scattered  about  the  cliff  in  pro- 
fusion after  the  settlement  by  the  whites,  and 
are  -still  found  mingled  plentifully  with  the  soil." 
(See  La  Salle,  Hubert  Cavelier;  Tonty;  Fort  St. 
Lords.) 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


503 


STARNE,  Alexander,  Secretary  of  State  and 
State  Treasurer,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
Nov.  21,  1813;  in  the  spring  of  1836  removed  to 
Illinois,  settling  at  Griggsville,  Pike  County, 
where  he  opened  a  general  store.  From  1839  to 
"42  he  served  as  Commissioner  of  Pike  County, 
and,  in  the  latter  year,  was  elected  to  the  lower 
house  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  re-elected  in 
1844.  Having,  in  the  meanwhile,  disposed  of  his 
store  at  Griggsville  and  removed  to  Pittsfield,  he 
was  appointed,  by  Judge  Purple,  Clerk  of  the 
Cii'cuit  Court,  and  elected  to  the  same  office  for 
four  years,  when  it  was  made  elective.  In  1853 
he  was  elected  Secretary  of  State,  when  he 
removed  to  Springfield,  returning  to  Griggsville 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  185T,  to  assume 
the  Presidency  of  the  old  Hannibal  and  Naples 
Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the  AVabash  system). 
He  represented  Pike  and  Brown  Counties  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1862,  and  the  same 
year  was  elected  State  Treasurer.  He  thereupon 
again  removed  to  Springfield,  where  he  resided 
until  his  deatli,  being,  with  his  sons,  extensively 
engaged  in  coal  mining.  In  1870,  and  again  in 
1872,  he  was  elected  State  Senator  from  San- 
gamon County.  He  died  at  Springfield,  March 
31,  1SS6. 

STATE  BANK  OF  ILLINOIS.  The  first  legis- 
lation, having  for  its  object  the  establishment  of 
a  bank  within  the  territory  which  now  consti- 
tutes the  State  of  Illinois,  was  the  passage,  by 
the  Territorial  Legislature  of  1816,  of  an  act 
incorporating  the  "Bank  of  Illinois  at  Shawnee- 
town,  with  branches  at  Edwardsville  and  Kas- 
kaskia. ■'  In  the  Second  General  Assembly  of 
the  State  (1820)  an  act  was  passed,  over  the 
Governor's  veto  and  in  defiance  of  the  adverse 
judgment  of  the  Council  of  Revision,  establish- 
ing a  State  Bank  at  Vandalia  with  branches  at 
Shawneetovvn,  Edwardsville,  and  Brownsville  in 
Jackson  County.  This  was,  in  effect,  a  recharter- 
ing  of  the  banks  at  Sliawneetown  and  Edwards- 
ville. So  far  as  the  former  is  concerned,  it  seems 
to  have  been  well  managed;  but  the  official 
conduct  of  the  officers  of  the  latter,  on  the  basis 
of  charges  made  by  Governor  Edwards  in  1826. 
was  made  the  subject  of  a  legislative  investiga- 
tion, which  (although  it  resulted  in  nothing) 
seems  to  have  had  some  basis  of  fact,  in  view  of 
the  losses  finally  sustained  in  winding  up  its 
affairs — that  of  the  General  Government  amount- 
ing to  S.i4, 000  Grave  charges  were  made  in  this 
connection  against  men  who  were  then,  or 
afterwards  became,  prominent  in  State  affairs, 
including  one  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  and 
one  (still  later)  a  United  States  Senator.     The 


experiment  was  disastrous,  as,  ten  years  later 
(1831),  it  was  found  necessary  for  the  State  to 
incur  a  debt  of  §100,000  to  redeem  the  outstand- 
ing circulation.  Influenced,  however,  by  the 
popular  demand  for  an  increase  in  the  "circu- 
lating medium,"  the  .State  continued  its  experi- 
ment of  becoming  a  stockholder  in  banks 
managed  by  its  citizens,  and  accordingly  we  find 
it,  in  183.5.  legislating  in  the  same  direction  for 
the  establishing  of  a  central  "Bank  of  Illinois" 
at  Springfield,  with  branches  at  other  points  as 
might  be  requireil,  not  to  exceed  six  in  number. 
One  of  these  branches  was  established  at  Van- 
dalia and  another  at  Chicago,  furnishing  the  fii'st 
banking  institution  of  the  latter  city.  Two 
years  later,  when  the  State  was  entering  upon 
its  scheme  of  internal  improvement,  laws  were 
enacted  increasing  the  capital  stock  of  these 
banks  to  84,000,000  in  the  aggregate.  Following 
the  example  of  similar  institutions  elsewhere, 
they  suspended  specie  payments  a  few  months 
later,  but  were  protected  by  "stay  laws"  and 
other  devices  until  1842,  wlien  the  internal 
improvement  scheme  having  been  finally  aban- 
doned, they  fell  in  general  collapse.  The  State 
ceased  to  be  a  stock-holder  in  1843,  and  the  banks 
were  put  in  course  of  liquidation,  though  it 
required  several  years  to  complete  the  work. 

STATE  CAPITALS.  The  first  State  capital  of 
Illinois  was  Kaskaskia,  where  the  first  Territorial 
Legislature  convened,  Nov.  25,  1812.  At  that 
time  there  were  but  five  counties  in  the  State — 
St.  Clair  and  Randolph  being  the  most  important, 
and  Kaskaskia  being  tlie  county-seat  of  the 
latter.  Illinois  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a 
State  in  1818,  and  the  first  Constitution  provided 
that  the  seat  of  government  should  remain  at 
Kaskaskia  until  removed  by  legislative  enact- 
ment. That  instrument,  however,  made  it  obli- 
gatory upon  the  Legislature,  at  its  first  session, 
to  petition  Congress  for  a  grant  of  not  more  than 
four  sections  of  land,  on  which  should  be  erected 
a  town,  which  should  remain  tlie  seat  of  govern- 
ment for  twenty  years.  Tlie  petition  was  duly 
presented  and  granted;  and,  in  accordance  with 
the  power  granted  by  the  Constitution,  a  Board 
of  five  Commissioners  selected  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Vandalia,  then  a  point  in  the 
wilderness  twenty  miles  north  of  any  settle- 
ment. But  so  great  was  the  faith  of  speculators 
in  the  future  of  tlie  jn-oposed  city,  that  town  lots 
were  .soon  selling  at  SlOO  to  S780  each.  The  Com- 
missioners, in  obedience  to  law,  erected  a  plain 
two-story  frame  building — scarcely  more  than  a 
commodious  shanty — to  which  the  State  offices 
were  removed  in  December,  1820.     Tiiis  building 


504 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


was  burned,  Dec.  9,  1823,  and  a  brick  structure 
erected  in  its  place.  Later,  when  the  question  of 
a  second  removal  of  the  capital  began  to  be  agi- 
tated, the  citizens  of  Vandalia  assumed  the  risk 
of  erecting  a  new,  brick  State  House,  costing 
§16,000.  Of  this  amount  §6,000  was  reimbursed 
by  the  Governor  from  the  contingent  fund,  and 
the  balance  (§10,000)  was  appropriated  in  1837, 
when  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  to 
Springfield,  by  vote  of  the  Tenth  General  Assem- 
bly on  the  fourth  ballot.  The  other  places  receiv- 
ing the  principal  vote  at  the  time  of  the  removal 
to  Springfield,  were  Jacksonville,"  Vandalia, 
Peoria,  Alton  and  Illiopolis — Springfield  receiv- 
ing the  largest  vote  at  each  ballot.  The  law 
removing  the  capital  appropriated  !5.")0,000  from 
the  State  Treasury,  provided  that  a  like  amount 
should  be  raised  by  private  subscription  and 
guaranteed  bj'  bond,  an<l  tliat  at  least  two  acres 
of  land  sliould  be  donated  as  a  site.  Two  State 
Houses  have  been  erected  at  Springfield,  the  first 
cost  of  the  pre.sent  one  (including  furnishing) 
having  been  a  little  in  excess  of  §4,000,000. 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  Sangamon  County  at  the  time, 
was  an  influential  factor  in  securing  the  removal 
of  the  capital  to  Springfield. 

STATE  DEBT.  Tlio  State  debt,  which  proved 
so  formidable  a  burilen  upon  the  State  of  Illinois 
for  a  generation,  and.  for  a  part  of  that  period, 
seriously  checked  its  ijrosperity,  was  the  direct 
outgrowtli  of  the  internal  improvement  scheme 
entered  upon  in  1837.  (See  Internal  Improvement 
Policy. )  At  the  time  this  enterprise  was  under- 
taken the  aggregate  debt  of  the  State  was  less 
than  §400.000 — accumulated  within  the  preceding 
six  years.  Two  years  later  (1838)  it  had  increased 
to  over  §6,300.000.  while  the  total  valuation  of 
real  and  personal  proj)erty.  for  the  purposes  of 
taxation,  was  less  than  §60,000,000,  and  tlie  aggre- 
gate receipts  of  the  State  treasury,  for  the  same 
year,  amounted  to  less  than  §1.50,000.  At  the 
same  time,  the  disbursements,  for  the  support  of 
the  State  Government  alone,  had  grown  to  more 
than  twice  the  receipts.  This  disparitj'  continued 
until  the  declining  credit  of  the  State  forced  upon 
the  managers  of  public  affairs  an  involuntary 
economy,  when  the  means  could  no  longer  be 
secured  for  more  lavish  expenditures.  The  first 
bonds  issued  at  the  inception  of  the  internal 
improvement  scheme  sold  at  a  premium  of  o  per 
cent,  but  rapidly  declined  until  the}'  were  hawked 
in  the  markets  of  New  York  and  London  at  a  dis- 
count, in  some  cases  falling  into  the  hands  of 
brokers  who  failed  before  completing  their  con- 


tracts, thus  causing  a  direct  loss  to  the  State.  If 
the  internal  improvement  scheme  was  ill-advised, 
the  time  chosen  to  carry  it  into  effect  was  most 
unfortunate,  as  it  came  simultaneously  with  the 
panic  of  1837,  rendering  the  disaster  all  the  more 
complete.  Of  the  various  works  undertaken  by 
the  State,  onh'  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
brought  a  return,  all  the  others  resulting  in  more 
or  less  complete  loss.  The  internal  improvement 
scheme  was  abandoned  in  1839-40,  but  not  until 
State  bonds  exceeding  §13,000.000  Iiad  been 
issued.  For  two  years  longer  the  State  struggled 
witli  its  embarrassments,  increased  bj'  the  failure 
of  the  State  Bank  in  February,  1842,  and,  by  that 
of  the  Bank  of  Illinois  at  Shawneetown,  a  few 
months  later,  with  the  proceeds  of  more  than  two 
and  a  half  millions  of  the  State's  bonds  in  their 
jKJSsession.  Thus  left  without  credit,  or  means 
even  of  paying  the  accruing  interest,  there  were 
those  who  regarded  the  State  as  hopelessly  bank- 
rupt, and  advocated  repudiation  ;is  the  only 
means  of  escape.  Better  counsels  prevailed,  how- 
ever ;  the  Constitution  of  1848  put  the  State  on  a 
basis  of  strict  economy  in  the  matter  of  salaries 
and  general  expenditures,  with  restrictions  upon 
the  Legislature  in  reference  to  incurring  iu- 
debtedne.ss.  while  the  beneficent  "two-mill  tax" 
gave  assurance  to  its  creditors  that  its  debts 
would  be  iKiid.  While  the  growth  of  the  State, 
in  wealth  and  population,  had  previously  been 
checked  l)y  the  fear  of"excessive  taxation,  it  now 
entered  upon  a  new  career  of  prosperity,  in  spite 
of  its  burdens— its  increase  in  population,  be- 
tween IS.jO  and  1860,  amounting  to  over  100  per 
cent.  The  movement  of  the  State  debt  after  1840 
— when  the  internal  improvement  scheme  was 
abandoned — cliiefly  by  accretions  of  unpaid  inter- 
est, has  been  estimated  as  follows:  1842,  §15,- 
637.9.50;  1844,  §14,633.969;  1846.  .§16,389,817;  184«. 
§16,601.79.5.  It  reached  its  maximum  in  18.53 — 
the  first  year  of  (jovernor  Matteson"s  administra- 
tion^— when  it  was  oflSciallj' reported  at  5 16, 724,- 
177.  At  this  time  the  work  of  extinguishment 
began,  and  was  prosecuted  under  successive 
administrations,  except  during  the  war,  when 
the  vast  expense  incurred  in  sending  troops  to 
the  field  caused  an  increase.  During  Governor 
Bissell's  administration,  the  reduction  amounted 
to  over  §3.000.000;  during  Oglesby's.  to  over  five 
and  a  quarter  million.  l>esides  two  and  a  quarter 
million  paid  on  interest.  In  1880  the  debt  had 
been  reduced  to  §281.0.59.11.  and.  before  the  close 
of  1882,  it  had  l>een  entirely  extinguished,  except 
a  balance  of  §18,500  in  bonds,  which,  having  lieen 
called  in  years  previously  and  never  presented  for 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


605 


payment,  are  supposed  to  have  been  lost.     (See 
Macalister  and  Stebbins  Bonds.) 

STATE  GUARDIANS  FOB  GIRLS,  a  bureau 
organized  for  the  care  of  female  juvenile  delin- 
quents, by  act  of  June  2,  1893.  The  Board  consists 
of  .seven  members,  nominated  by  the  Executive 
and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  and  who  consti- 
tute a  body  politic  and  corporate.  Not  more  than 
two  of  the  members  may  reside  in  the  same  Con- 
gressional District  and,  of  the  seven  members, 
four  must  be  women.  (See  also  Home  for  Female 
Juvenile  Offenders.)  The  term  of  office  is  six 
years. 

STATE  HOUSE,  located  at  Springfield.  Its 
construction  was  begun  under  an  act  passed  by 
the  Legislature  in  February,  1807,  and  completed 
in  1887.  It  stands  in  a  park  of  about  eight  acres, 
donated  to  the  State  by  the  citizens  of  Spring- 
field. A  provision  of  the  State  Constitution  of 
1870  prohibited  the  expenditure  of  any  sum  in 
excess  of  $3, .500,000  in  the  erection  and  furnishing 
of  the  building,  without  previous  approval  of  such 
additional  expenditure  by  the  people.  This 
amount  proving  insufficient,  the  Legislature,  at 
its  session  of  1885,  passed  an  act  making  an  addi- 
tional appropriation  of  $.531,712,  which  having 
been  approved  by  popular  vote  at  the  general 
election  of  1886,  the  expenditure  was  made  and 
the  capitol  completed  during  the  following  year, 
thus  raising  the  total  cost  of  construction  and  fur- 
nishing to  a  little  in  excess  of  §4,000,000.  The 
building  is  cruciform  as  to  its  ground  plan,  and 
classic  in  its  style  of  architecture ;  its  extreme 
dimensions  (including  porticoes),  from  north  |to 
south,  being  379  feet,  and,  from  east  to  west,  286 
feet.  The  walls  are  of  dressed  Joliet  limestone, 
while  the  porticoes,  which  are  spacious  and 
lofty,  are  of  sandstone,  supported  by  polished 
columns  of  gray  granite.  The  three  stories  of 
the  building  are  surmounted  by  a  Mansard  roof, 
with  two  turrets  and  a  central  dome  of  stately 
dimensions.  Its  extreme  height,  to  the  top  of 
the  iron  flag-staff,  which  rises  from  a  lantern 
springing  from  the  dome,  is  364  feet. 

STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY,  an  institu 
tion  for  the  education  of  teachers,  organized 
under  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  passed 
Feb.  18,  1857.  This  act  placed  the  work  of 
organization  in  the  hands  of  a  board  of  fifteen 
persons,  which  was  styled  "The  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  State  of  Illinois,"  and  was  constituted 
as  follows:  C.  B.  Denio  of  Jo  Daviess  County; 
Simeon  Wright  of  Lee;  Daniel  AVilkins  of  Mc- 
Lean ;  Charles  E.  Hovey  of  Peoria ;  George  P.  Rex 
of  Pike;    Samuel  W.   Moulton  of  Shelby;  John 


Gillespie  of  Jasper;  George  Bunsen  of  St.  Clair; 
Wesley  Sloan  of  Pope;  Ninian  W.  Edwards  of 
Sangamon;  John  R.  Eden  of  Moultrie;  Flavel 
Mo.seley  and  William  Wells  of  Cook ;  Albert  R. 
Shannon  of  White;  and  the  Superintendent  o^ 
Public  Instruction,  ex-officio.  The  object  of  the 
University,  as  defined  in  the  organizing  law,  is 
to  qualify  teachers  for  the  public  schools  of  the 
State,  and  the  course  of  instruction  to  be  given 
embraces  "the  art  of  teaching,  and  all  branches 
which  pertain  to  a  common  school  education;  in 
the  elements  of  the  natural  sciences,  including 
agricultural  chemistry,  animal  and  vegetable 
physiology ;  in  the  fundamental  laws  of  the 
United  States  and  of  the  State  of  Illinois  in 
regard  to  the  rights  and  duties  of  citizens,  and 
such  other  studies  as  the  Board  of  Education  inay, 
from  time  to  time,  prescribe."  Various  cities 
competed  for  the  location  of  the  institution, 
Bloomington  being  finally  selected,  its  bid,  in- 
cluding 160  acres  of  land,  being  estimated  as 
equivalent  to  5141,725.  The  corner-stone  was 
laid  on  Sejitember  29,  18.57,  and  the  first  building 
was  ready  for  permanent  occupancy  in  Septem- 
ber, 1860.  Previously,  however,  it  had  been 
sufficiently  advanced  to  permit  of  its  being  used, 
and  the  first  commencement  exercises  were  held 
on  June  29  of  the  latter  year.  Three  years 
earlier,  the  academic  department  had  been  oi"gan- 
ized  under  the  charge  of  Charles  E.  Hovey.  The 
first  cost,  including  furniture,  etc.,  was  not  far 
from  §200,000.  Gratuitous  instruction  is  given  to 
two  pupils  from  each  county,  and  to  three  from 
each  Senatorial  District.  The  departments  are : 
Grammar  school,  higli  school,  normal  department 
and  model  school,  all  of  which  are  overcrowded. 
The  whole  number  of  students  in  attendance  on 
the  institution  during  the  school  j'ear,  1897-98, 
was  1,197,  of  whom  891  were  in  the  normal 
department  and  306  in  the  practice  school  depart- 
ment, including  representatives  from  86  coun- 
ties of  the  State,  with  a  few  pupils  from  other 
States  on  the  payment  of  tuition.  The  teaching 
faculty  (including  the  President  and  Librarian) 
for  the  same  year,  was  made  up  of  twenty-six 
members — twelve  ladies  and  fourteen  gentlemen. 
The  expenditures  for  the  year  1897-98  aggregated 
§47,626.92,  against  S66,.528.69  for  1896-97.  Nearly 
§22,000  of  the  amount  expended  during  the  latter 
year  was  on  account  of  the  construction  of  a 
gymnasium  Imilding. 

STATE  PROPERTY.  Tlie  United  States  Cen- 
sus of  1890  gave  the  value  of  real  and  personal 
property  belonging  to  the  State  as  follows :  Pub- 
lic lands,  §328.000;   buildings,  §22,164,000;    mis- 


506 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


cellaneous  property,  $2,650,000— total,  $25,142,000. 
The  land  maj'  be  subdivided  thus:  Camp-grounds 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard  near  Springfield 
(donated),  §40,000;  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 
§168,000;  Illinois  University  lands,  in  Illinois 
(donated  by  the  General  Government),  S41.000,  in 
Minnesota  (similarly  donated),  §79,000.  The 
buildings  comprise  those  connected  with  the 
charitable,  penal  and  educational  institutions  of 
the  .State,  besides  the  State  Arsenal,  two  build- 
ings for  the  use  of  the  Apjiellate  Courts  (at 
Ottawa  and  Mount  Vernon),  the  State  House, 
tlie  Executive  Mansion,  and  locks  and  dams 
erected  at  Henry  and  Copperas  Creek.  Of  the 
miscellaneous  property,  $120,000  represents  the 
equipment  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard ;  $1,950,  • 
000  the  value  of  the  movable  prop'rty  of  public 
buildings;  $.550,000  the  endowment  fund  of  tlie 
University  of  Illinois;  and  §21,000  the  movable 
property  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  The 
figures  given  relative  to  tlie  value  of  the  public 
buildings  include  only  the  first  appropriations 
for  their  erection.  Considerable  sums  have 
since  been  expended  upon  some  of  them  in  repairs, 
enlargements  and  improvements. 

STATE   TREASURERS.    The  only  Treasurer 
of  Illinois  during  the  Territorial  period  was  John 
Thomas,    who    served    from   1813    to   1818,    and 
became  the    first    incumbent  under    the  State 
Government.     Under   the   Constitution  of    1818 
the  Treasurer  was  elected,  biennially,  by  joint  vote 
of  the  two  Hou-ses  of  the  General  Assembly ;  bj' 
the  Constitution  of  18-)8,   this  officer  was  made 
elective  by  the  people  for  the  same  period,  with- 
out limitations  as  to  number  of  terms;  under  the 
Constitution  of  1870,  the  manner  of  election  and 
duration  of  term  are  unchanged,  but  the  incum- 
bent  is  ineligible  to  re-election,   for   two  years 
from  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  may 
have  been  chosen.     The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
State  Treasurers,  from  the  date  of  the  admission 
of  the  State  into  the  Union  down  to  the  present 
time   (1899),  with  the  date  and  duration  of  the 
terra  of  each .    John  Thomas,  1818-19 ;  Robert  K. 
McLaughlin,    1819-23;     Abner      Field,     1823  27; 
James    Hall,     1827  31;     John    Dement,     1831-36; 
Charles  Gregory,   1836-37;   John    D.   Whiteside, 
1837-41;  Milton  Carpenter,  1841-48;  John  Moore, 
1848-57;  James  MiUer.   1857-59;  William  Butler, 
1859-63,    Alexander    Stame,   1863-65;   James  H. 
Beveridge.   1865-67;    George  W.   Smith,   1867-69; 
ErastusN.  Bates,  1869-73;  Edward  Rutz,  1873-75; 
Thomas     S     Ridgway.     1875-77;    Edward    Rutz. 
1877-79.  John  C.   Smith.   1879-81;  Edward  Rutz. 
1881-83.   John   C.    Smith,    1SS3-S5;  Jacob   Gross, 


1885-87;  John  R.  Tanner,  1887-89;  Charles 
Becker,  1889-91;  Edward  S.  Wilson,  1891-93; 
Rufu.s  N.  Ramsay,  1893-95;  Henry  Wulff,  1895-97; 
Henry  L.  Hertz,  1897-99;  Floyd  K.  Whittemore, 
1899- . 

ST.ArXTON,  a  village  in  the  southeast  corner 
of  Macoupin  County,  on  the  Cliicago,  Peoria  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Wal>ash  Railways;  is  36  milps 
northeast  of  St.  T.rf>uis,  and  14  miles  southwest  of 
Litchfield.  Agriculture  and  coal-mining  are  the 
industries  of  the  surrounding  region.  Staunton 
has  two  banks,  eight  churches  and  a  weekly 
newspaper.  Population  (1880),  1,358;  (1890),  2,209; 
(1900),  2,786 

STEEL  PKOIU'CTIOX.    In  the   manufacture 
of  steel,  Illinois  hits  long  ranked  as  the  second 
State  in  the  Union  in  the  amount  of  its  output, 
and,  during  the  period  between  1880  and  1890, 
the  increase  in  production  was  241  per  cent.     In 
1880  there  were  but  six  steel  works  in  the  State; 
in  1890  these  had  increased  to  fourteen;  and  the 
production  of  .steel  of  all  kinds  (in  tons  of  2,000 
pounds)  had  risen  from  254,569  tons  to  868,250. 
Of  the  3,837,039  tons  of  Bessemer  steel  ingots,  or 
direct  castings,  produced  in  the  United  States  in 
1890,  23  per  cent  were  turned  out   in   Illinois, 
nearly  all  the  steel  produced  in  the  State  being 
made  by  that  process.     From    the    tonnage   of 
ingots,  as  given  above,  Illinois  produced  622,260 
ix)unds  of  steel  rails. — more  than  30  per  cent  of 
the  aggregate  for  the  entire  country.     This  fact 
is  noteworthy,  inasmuch  jis  tlie  competition  in 
the   manufacture  of   Be.s.semer  steel  rails,  since 
1880,  has  been  so  great  that  many  rail  mills  have 
converted  their  steel  into  forms  other  than  rails, 
experience  having  proved  tlieir    production    to 
any  considerable    extent,   during  the  past   few 
years,   unprofitable   except  in    works   favorably 
located   for  obtaining    cheap  raw   material,   or 
operated   under   the   latest  and   most    approved 
methods  of   manufacture.     Open-heiirth  steel  is 
no  longer  made  in  Illinois,  but  the  manufacture 
of  crucible  steel  is  slightly  increasing,  the  out- 
put in  1890  being  445  tons,  as  against  130  in  1880. 
For  purposes  retiuiring  special  grades  of  steel  the 
product   of   the  crucible  pro<'ess  will  Ik?  always 
in    demand,    but  the  high  cost  of   manufacture 
prevents  it,  in    a   majority  of    instances,    from 
successfully  competing  in  price  with  the  other 
proces.ses  mentioned. 

STEPHENSOX,  Benjamin,  pioneer  and  early 
politician,  came  to  Illinois  from  Kentucky  in 
1S09.  and  w;»s  appointed  the  first  Sheriff  of 
Randolph  County  by  Governor  Edwards  under 
the  Territorial  Government ;   afterwards  served 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


507 


as  a  Colonel  of  Illinois  militia  during  the  War  of 
1812;  represented  Illinois  Territory  as  Delegate 
in  Congress,  1814-16,  and,  on  his  retirement  from 
Congress,  became  Register  of  the  Land  Office  at 
EdwardsTille,  finally  dying  at  Edwardsville — Col. 
James  W.  (Stephenson),  a  son  of  the  preceding, 
was  a  soldier  during  the  Black  Hawk  War,  after- 
wards became  a  prominent  politician  in  the  north- 
western part  of  tlie  State,  served  as  Register  of 
the  Land  Office  at  Galena  and,  in  1838,  received 
the  Democratic  nomination  for  Governor,  but 
withdrew  before  the  election. 

STEPHENSON,  (Dr.)  Benjamin  Franklin, 
physician  and  soldier,  was  born  in  Wayne 
Covmty,  111.,  Oct.  30,  1822,  and  accompanied  bis 
parents,  in  1825,  to  Sangamon  County,  where  the 
family  settled.  His  early  educational  advantages 
were  meager,  and  he  did  not  study  his  profession 
(medicine)  until  after  reaeliing  his  majority, 
graduating  from  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
in  18.50.  He  began  practice  at  Petersburg,  but. 
in  April,  1862.  was  mustered  into  the  volunteer 
army  as  Surgeon  of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Infantry.  After  a  little  over  two  years  service  he 
was  mustered  out  in  June,  1864,  when  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  Springfield,  and,  for  a  year,  was 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  there.  In  1865  he 
resumed  professional  practice.  He  lacked  tenac- 
itj'  of  purpose,  however,  was  indifferent  to  money, 
and  always  willing  to  give  his  own  services  and 
orders  for  medicine  to  the  poor.  Hence,  his  prac- 
tice was  not  lucrative.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  organization  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  (which  see),  in  connection  with  which 
he  is  most  widely  known ;  but  his  services  in  its 
cause  failed  to  receive,  during  his  lifetime,  the 
recognition  which  they  deserved,  nor  did  the 
organization  promptly  flourish,  as  he  had  hoped. 
He  finally  returned  with  his  family  to  Peters- 
burg. Died,  at  Rock  Creek,  Menard,  County,  111., 
August  30,  1871. 

STEPHENSON  COUNTY,  a  northwestern 
county,  with  an  area  of  560  square  miles.  The 
soil  is  rich,  productive  and  well  timbered.  Fruit- 
culture  and-  stock-raising  are  among  the  chief 
industries.  Not  until  1827  did  the  aborigines  quit 
the  locality,  and  the  county  was  organized,  ten 
years  later,  and  named  for  Gen.  Benjamin 
Stephenson.  A  man  named  Kirker,  who  had 
been  in  the  employment  of  Colonel  Gratiot  as  a 
lead-miner,  near  Galena,  is  said  to  have  built  the 
first  cabin  within  the  present  limits  of  what  was 
called  Burr  Oak  Grove,  and  set  himself  up  as  an 
Indian-trader  in  1820,  but  only  remained  a  short 
time.     He  was  followed,  the  next  year,  by  Oliver 


W.  Kellogg,  who  took  Kirker's  place,  built  a 
more  pretentious  dwelling  and  became  the  first 
permanent  settler.  Later  came  William  Wad- 
dams,  the  Montagues,  Baker,  Kilpatrick,  Preston, 
the  Goddards,  and  other.s  whose  names  are  linked 
with  the  county's  early  history.  The  first  house 
in  Freeport  was  built  by  William  Baker.  Organi- 
zation was  effected  in  1837,  tlie  total  poll  being 
eighty-four  votes.  The  earliest  teacher  was  Nel- 
son Martin,  who  is  said  to  have  taught  a  school 
of  some  twelve  pupils,  in  a  house  which  stood  on 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Freeport.  Popula- 
tion (1880),  31,963;  (1890),  31,338;  (1900),  .34,933. 

STERLING!,  a  flourishing  city  on  the  north 
bank  of  Rock  River,  in  Whiteside  County,  109 
miles  west  of  Chicago,  29  miles  east  of  Clinton, 
Iowa,  and  .52  miles  east-nortlieast  of  Rock  Island. 
It  lias  ample  railway  facilities,  furnished  by  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  the  Sterling  & 
Peoria,  and  tlie  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
roads. It  contains  fourteen  churches,  an  opera 
house,  high  and  grade  schools,  Carnegie  library. 
Government  postoffice  building,  three  banks, 
electric  street  and  interurban  car  lines,  electric 
and  gas  lighting,  water-works,  paved  streets  and 
sidewalks,  fire  department  and  four  newspaper 
offices,  two  issuing  daily  editions.  It  has  fine 
water-power,  and  is  an  important  manufacturing 
center,  its  works  turning  out  agricultviral  imple- 
ments, carriages,  paper,  barbed-wire,  school  furni- 
ture burial  caskets,  pumps,  sash,  doors,  etc.  It 
also  has  the  Sterling  Iron  Works,  besides  foundries 
and  machine  shops.  The  river  here  flows  through 
charming  scenery.   Pop  (1890),  5,824;  (1900).  6,309. 

STEVENS,  Bradford  A.,  e.K-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Boscawen  (afterwards  Webster),  N.  H., 
Jan.  3,  1813.  After  attending  schools  in  New 
Hampshire  and  at  Montreal,  he  entered  Dart- 
mouth College,  graduating  therefrom  in  1835. 
During  the  six  years  following,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  teaching,  at  Hopkinsville,  Ky.,  and  New 
York  City.  In  1843  he  removed  to  Bureau 
County,  111.,  where  he  became  a  merchant  and 
farmer.  In  1868  he  was  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  and,  in  1870,  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, as  an  Independent  Democrat,  for  the  Fifth 
District. 

STEVENSON,  Adlai  E,,  ex-Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in  Christian  Count}', 
Ky.,  Oct.  23,  1835.  In  1852  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Bloomington,  McLean  County,  111., 
where  the  family  settled ;  was  educated  at  the 
Illinois  Wesleyan  University  and  at  Centre  Col- 
lege, Ky.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858  and* 
began  practice  at  Metamora,  Woodford  County, 


508 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


where  he  was  Master  in  Chancery,  1861-65,  and 
State's  Attorney,  1865-61*.  lu  1864  he  was  candi- 
date for  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  In  1869  he  returned  to  Bloomington, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1874,  and  again 
in  1876,  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  of  his 
party  for  Congress,  but  was  elected  as  a  Green- 
back Democrat  in  1878,  though  defeated  in  1880 
and  1883.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Hayes  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  to 
West  Point.  During  the  first  administration  of 
President  Cleveland  (1885-89)  he  was  First  Assist- 
ant Postmaster  General;  was  a  member  of  the 
National  Democratic  Conventions  of  1884  and 
1892,  being  Chairman  of  the  Illinois  delegation 
the  latter  year.  In  1892  he  received  his  party's 
nomination  for  the  Vice-Presidency,  and  was 
elected  to  that  office,  serving  until  1897.  Since 
retiring  from  office  he  has  resumed  Ins  residence 
at  Bloomington. 

STEWARD,  Lewis,  manufacturer  and  former 
Congressman,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Pa., 
Nov.  20,  1824,  and  received  a  common  school 
education.  At  the  age  of  14  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Kendall  County,  111.,  where  he  after- 
wards resided,  being  eng-aged  in  farming  and  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  at 
Piano.  He  studied  law  but  never  practiced.  In 
1876  he  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor on  the  Democratic  ticket,  being  defeated 
by  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  In  1890  the  Democrats  of 
the  Eighth  Illinois  District  elected  him  to  Con- 
gress. In  1892  he  was  again  a  candidate,  but  was 
defeated  by  his  Republican  opponent,  Robert  A. 
Childs,  by  the  narrow  margin  of  27  votes,  and, 
in  1894,  was  again  defeated,  this  time  being  pitted 
against  Albert  J.  Hopkins.  Mr.  Steward  died  at 
his  home  at  Piano,  August  26,  1896. 

STEWARDSON,  a  town  of  Shelby  County,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Kan- 
sas City  Railway  with  the  Altamont  branch  of 
the  Wabash.  12  miles  southeast  of  Shelby ville; 
is  in  a  grain  and  lumber  region ;  has  a  bank  and 
a  weekly  paper.     Population.  (1900),  677. 

STICKJi'EY,  William  H.,  pioneer  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  9,  1809,  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Cincinnati  in 
1831,  and,  in  Illinois  in  1834,  being  at  that  time  a 
resident  of  Shawneetown ;  was  elected  State's 
Attorney  by  the  Legislature,  in  1839,  for  the  cir- 
cuit embracing  some  fourteen  counties  in  the 
southern  and  southeastern  part  of  the  State :  for 
a  time  also,  about  1835-36,  officiated  as  editor  of 
"The  Gallatin  Democrat."  and  "The  Illinois 
Advertiser,"  published  at  Shawneetown.     In  1846 


Mr.  Stickney  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of 
the  General  Assembly  from  Gallatin  County,  and, 
twenty-eight  years  later — having  come  to  Chi- 
cago in  1848 — to  the  same  body  from  Cook 
County,  serving  in  the  somewhat  famous  Twenty- 
ninth  Assembly.  He  also  held  the  office  of 
Police  Justice  for  some  thirteen  years,  from  1860 
onward.  He  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  dying  in 
Chicago,  Feb.  14,  1898,  being  at  the  time  the 
oldest  surviving  member  of  the  Chicago  bar. 

STILES,  Isaac  Newton,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
born  at  Suffield,  Conn.,  July  16,  1833;  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Lafayette,  Ind.,  in  1855, 
became  Pro.secuting  Attorney,  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  and  an  effective  speaker  in  the  Fre- 
mont campaign  of  1856;  enlisted  as  a  private  sol- 
dier at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  went  to  the 
field  as  Adjutant,  was  captured  at  Malvern  Hill, 
and,  after  six  weeks'  confinement  in  Libby 
prison,  exchanged  and  returned  to  duty ;  was 
promoted  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Colonel, 
and  brevetted  Brigadier-General  for  meritorious 
service.  After  the  war  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  Chicago,  though  almost  totally  blind. 
Died,  Jan.  18,  1895. 

STILLMAJf,  Stephen,  first  State  Senator  from 
Sangamon  County,  111.,  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts who  came,  with  his  widowed  mother,  to 
Sangamon  County  in  1820,  and  settled  near 
Williamsville,  where  he  became  the  first  Post- 
master in  the  first  postoffice  in  the  State  north  of 
the  Sangamon  River.  In  1822,  Mr.  Stillman  was 
elected  as  the  first  State  Senator  from  Sangamon 
County,  serving  four  years,  and.  at  his  first  session, 
being  one  of  the  opponents  of  the  pro-slavery 
Convention  resolution.  He  died,  in  Peoria,  some- 
where between  1835  and  1840. 

STILLMAN  VALLEY,  village  in  Ogle  County, 
on  Chicago  Great  Western  and  the  Chicago.  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railways;  site  of  first  battle 
Blaclc  Hawk  War;  has  graded  schools,  four 
churches,  a  bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.,  475. 

STITES,  Samuel,  pioneer,  was  bom  near 
Mount  Bethel,  Somerset  County,  N.  J.,  Oct.  31, 
1776;  died,  Augu.st  16,  1839,  on  his  farm,  which 
subsequently  became  the  site  of  the  city  of  Tren- 
ton, in  Clinton  County,  111.  He  was  descended 
from  John  Stites,  M.D.,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1595,  emigrated  to  America,  and  died  at 
Hempstead,  L.  I.,  in  1717.  at  the  age  of  122  years. 
The  family  removed  to  New  Jersey  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Samuel  was  a 
cousin  of  Benjamin  Stites,  the  first  white  man  to 
settle  within  the  present  limits  of  Cincinnati,  and 
various  members  of  the  family  were  prominent  in 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


509 


the  settlement  of  the  upper  Ohio  Valley  as  early 
as  1788.  Samuel  Stites  married,  Sept.  14,  1794, 
Martha  Martin,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Martin, 
and  grand- daughter  of  Col.  Ephraim  Martin,  both 
soldiers  of  the  New  Jersey  line  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War — with  the  last  named  of  whom 
he  had  (in  connection  with  Jolin  Cleves  Symmes) 
been  intimately  associated  in  the  purchase  and 
settlement  of  the  Miami  Valley.  In  1800  he 
removed  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  in  1803  to 
Greene  County,  and,  in  1818,  in  company  with  his 
son-in-law.  Anthony  Wayne  Casad,  to  St.  Clair 
County,  III. ,  settling  near  Union  Grove.  Later,  he 
removed  to  O'Fallon,  and,  still  later,  to  Clinton 
County.  He  left  a  large  family,  several  members 
of  which  became  jirominent  pioneers  in  the 
movements  toward  Minnesota  and  Kansas. 

STOLBRAND,  Carlos  John  Mueller,  soldier, 
was  born  in  Sweden,  May  11,  1821 ;  at  the  age  of 
18,  enlisted  in  the  Royal  Artillery  of  his  native 
land,  serving  through  the  campaign  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein  (1848) ;  came  to  tlie  United  States  soon 
after,  and,  m  1861,  enlisted  in  the  first  battalion 
of  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  finally  becoming  Chief 
of  Artillery  under  Gen.  John  A.  Logan.  When 
the  latter  became  commander  of  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps,  Col.  Stolbrand  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  artillery  brigade;  in  February,  1865, 
was  made  Brigadier-General,  and  mustered  out 
in  January,  1860.  After  the  war  he  went  South, 
and  was  Secretary  of  the  South  Carolina  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  1868.  The  same  year  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  RepuV)lican  National  Con- 
vention at  Chicago,  and  a  Presidential  Elector. 
He  vvas  an  inventor  and  patented  various  im- 
provements in  steam  engines  and  boilers;  was 
also  Superintendent  of  Public  Buildings  at 
Charleston,  S.  C. ,  un<ler  President  Harrison. 
Died,  at  Charleston,  Feb.  3,  1894. 

STONE,  Daniel,  early  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  graduate  of  Middle- 
bury  College;  became  a  member  of  the  Spring- 
field (111.)  bar  in  1833,  and,  in  1836,  was  elected 
to  the  General  Assembly — being  one  of  the  cele- 
brated "Long  Nine"  from  Sangamon  County,  and 
joining  Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  protest  against 
a  series  of  pro-slavery  resolutions  which  had  been 
adopted  by  the  House.  In  1837  he  was  a  Circuit 
Court  Judge  and,  being  assigned  to  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  removed  to  Galena, 
but  was  legislated  out  of  office,  when  he  left  the 
State,  dying  a  few  years  later,  in  Essex  County, 
N.  J. 

STONE,  Horatio  0.,  pioneer,  was  born  in 
Ontario    (now    Monroe)    County,   N.   Y.,  Jan.   2, 


1811 ;  in  boyhood  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker, 
and  later  acted  as  overseer  of  laborers  on  the 
Lackawanna  Canal.  In  1831,  having  located  in 
Wayne  County,  Mich.,  he  was  drafted  for  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  serving  twenty-two  days  under 
Gen.  Jacob  Brown.  In  January,  1835,  he  came 
to  Chicago  and,  having  made  a  fortunate  specu- 
lation in  real  estate  in  that  early  day,  a  few 
months  later  entered  upon  the  grocery  and  pro- 
vision trade,  which  he  afterwards  extended  to 
grain;  finally  giving  his  chief  attention  to  real 
estate,  in  which  he  was  remarkably  successful, 
leaving  a  large  fortune  at  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Chicago,  June  20,  1877. 

STONE,  (Rev.)  Luther,  Baptist  clergyman, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Oxford,  Worcester 
County.  Mass.,  Sept.  26,  1815,  and  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  a  farm.  After  acquiring  a  common 
school  education,  he  prepared  for  college  at  Lei- 
cester Academy,  and,  in  1835,  entered  Brown 
University,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1839.  He 
then  spent  three  years  at  the  Theological  Insti- 
tute at  Newton,  Mass. ;  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  at  Oxford,  in  1843,  but,  coming  west  the 
next  year,  entered  upon  evangelical  work  in 
Rock  Island,  Davenport,  Burlington  and  neigh- 
boring towns.  Later,  he  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  at  Rockford,  III.  In  1847  Mr. 
Stone  came  to  Chicago  and  established  "The 
Watchman  of  the  Prairies,"  which  survives  to- 
day under  the  name  of  "The  Standard,"  and  has 
become  the  leading  Baptist  organ  in  the  West. 
After  six  years  of  editorial  work,  he  took  up 
evangelistic  work  in  Chicago,  among  the  poor 
and  criminal  classes.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
conducted  religious  services  at  Camji  Douglas, 
Soldiers'  Rest  and  the  Marine  Hospital.  He  was 
associated  in  the  conduct  and  promotion  of  many 
educational  and  charitable  institutions.  He  did 
much  for  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago, 
and,  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  was 
attached  to  the  luimanuel  Baptist  Church, 
which  he  labored  to  establish.  Died,  in  July, 
1890. 

STONE,  Melville  E.,  journalist,  banker.  Man- 
ager ot  Associated  Pre.ss,  born  at  Hudson,  111., 
August  18,  1848.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  1860,  he 
graduated  from  the  local  high  school  in  1867, 
and,  in  1870,  acquired  the  sole  proprietorship  of 
a  foundry  and  machine  shop.  Finding  himself 
without  resources  after  the  great  fire  of  1871,  he 
embarked  in  journalism,  rising,  through  the  suc- 
cessive grades  of  reporter,  city  editor,  assistant 
editor  and  Washington  correspondent,  to  the 
position   of  editor-in-chief  of   his  own   journal. 


510 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


He  was  connected  with  various  Chicago  dailies 
between  1871  and  1875,  and,  on  Christmas  Day 
of  the  latter  year,  issued  the  first  number  of  "The 
Cliicago  Daily  News."  He  gradually  disposed  of 
his  interest  in  this  journal,  entirely  severing 
his  connection  therewith  in  1888.  Since  that 
date  he  has  been  engaged  in  banking  in  the  city 
of  Chicago,  and  is  also  General  Manager  of  the 
Associated  Press. 

STONE,  Samuel,  philantliropist,  was  born  at 
Chesterfield,  Mass.,  Dec.  0,  1798;  left  an  orphan 
at  seven  years  of  age,  after  a  sliort  term  in  Lei- 
cester Academy,  and  several  years  in  a  wholesale 
store  in  Boston,  at  the  age  of  19  removed  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  to  take  charge  of  interests  in 
the  "Holland  Purchase,"  belonging  to  his  father's 
estate ;  in  1843-49,  was  a  resident  of  ^Detroit  and 
interested  in  some  of  tlie  early  railroad  enter- 
prises centering  there,  but  the  latter  year  re- 
moved to  Milwaukee,  being  there  associated  with 
Ezra  Cornell  in  telegraph  construction.  In  1859 
he  became  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  tlie  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  and  a  liberal  patron  of  many  enterprises 
of  a  public  and  benevolent  character.  Died,  May 
4,  1876. 

STONE  FORT,  a  vilhige  in  the  counties  of 
Saline  and  Williamson.  It  is  situated  on  the  Cairo 
Division  of  tlie  Cleveland.  Cincinnati,  Chicago  & 
St.  Louis  Railway,  57  miles  northeast  of  Cairo. 
Population  (19()<l),  479. 

STOREY,  Wilbur  F.,  journalist  and  news- 
paper publisher,  was  born  at  Salisbury,  Vt.,  Dec. 
19,  1819.  He  began  to  learn  the  printer's  trade 
at  13,  and,  before  he  was  19,  was  part  owner  of  a 
Democratic  paper  called  "The  Herald,"  published 
at  La  Porte.  Ind.  Later,  he  either  edited  or  con- 
trolled journals  published  at  Mishawaka,  Ind., 
and  Jackson  and  Detroit.  Mich.  In  January, 
1861.  he  became  the  principal  owner  of  "The 
Chicago  Times,"  then  the  leading  Democratic 
organ  of  Chicago.  His  paper  soon  came  to  be 
regarded  as  the  organ  of  the  anti-war  party 
throughout  the  Nortliwest,  and,  in  June,  1863, 
was  suppressed  by  a  military  order  issued  by 
General  Burnside,  which  was  subsequently 
revoked  by  President  Lincoln.  The  net  result 
was  an  increase  in  "The  Times'  "  notoriety  and 
circulation.  Other  charges,  of  an  equally  grave 
nature,  relating  to  its  sources  of  income,  its  char- 
acter as  a  family  newspaper,  etc.,  were  repeatedly 
made,  but  to  all  these  Mr.  Storey  turned  a  deaf 
ear.  He  lost  heavily  in  the  fire  of  1871,  but,  in 
1872,  apjieared  as  the  editor  of  "The  Times," 
then  destitute  of  political  ties      About  1876  his 


health  l)egan  to  decline.  Medical  aid  failed  to 
afford  relief,  and,  in  August,  1884,  he  was  ad- 
judged to  be  of  unsound  mind,  and  his  estate  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  conservator.  On  the 
27th  of  the  following  October  (1884),  he  died  at 
his  home  in  Chicago. 

STORRS,  Emery  Alexander,  lawyer,  was  born 
at  Ilinsilale,  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y.,  August 
12,  1835;  began  the  study  of  law  with  his  father, 
later  pursued  a  legal  course  at  Buffalo,  and,  in 
1853,  was  admitted  to  the  bar;  spent  two  years 
(1857-59)  in  New  York  City,  the  latter  year  re- 
iHoving  to  Chicago,  where  he  attained  great 
prominence  as  an  advocate  at  the  bar,  as  well  as 
an  orator  on  other  occasions.  Politically  a 
Republican,  he  took  an  active  part  in  Presidential 
campaigns,  being  a  delegate-at-large  from  Illinois 
to  the  National  Republican  Conventions  of  1868, 
'72,  and  '80,  and  serving  as  one  of  the  Vice-Presi- 
dents in  1872.  Erratic  in  habits  and  a  msister  of 
epigram  and  repartee,  many  of  his  speeches  are 
quoted  with  relish  and  appreciation  by  those  who 
were  his  contemporaries  at  the  Chicago  bar. 
Died  suddenly,  while  in  attendance  on  the  Su- 
preme Court  at  Ottawa,  Sept.  12,  1885. 

STRAWX,  Jacob,  agriculturist  and  stock- 
dealer,  born  in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  May  30, 
1800;  removed  to  Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1817, 
and  to  Illinois,  in  1831,  settling  four  miles  south- 
west of  Jack.sonville.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
demonstrate  the  possibilities  of  Illinois  as  a  live- 
stock state.  L'npretentious  and  despising  mere 
show,  he  illu.strated  the  virtues  of  industry,  fru- 
gality and  honesty.  At  his  death — which  occurred 
August  23,  186.5 — he  left  an  estate  estimated  in 
value  at  about  §1,000,000,  acquired  by  industry 
and  business  enterprise.  He  was  a  zealous 
Unionist  during  the  war.  at  one  time  contributing 
810,000  to  the  Christian  Commission. 

STREATOR,  a  city  (Laid  out  in  1868  and  incor- 
porated in  1882)  in  the  .southern  part  of  La  Salle 
County,  93  miles  southwest  of  Chicago;  .situated 
on  the  Vermilion  River  and  a  central  point  for 
five  railroads.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  rich  agri- 
cultural countrj',  and  is  underlaid  by  coal  seains 
(two  of  which  are  worked)  and  by  shale  and 
various  clay  products  of  value,  adapted  to  the 
manufacture  of  fire  and  building-brick,  drain- 
pipe, etc.  The  city  is  thoroughly  modern,  having 
gas,  electric  lighting,  street  railways,  water- 
works, a  g(K)d  fire-department,  and  a  large,  im- 
proved public  park.  Churches  and  schools  are 
nutnerous,  as  are  also  fine  public  and  private 
buildings.  One  of  the  chief  industries  Ls  the 
manufacture    of    glass,    including    rolled-plate. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


511 


window-glass,  flint  and  Bohemian  ware  and  glass 
bottles.  Other  successful  industries  are  foundries 
and  machine  shops,  flour  mills,  and  clay  working 
establishments.  There  are  several  banks,  and 
three  daily  and  weekly  papers  are  published  here. 
The  estimated  property  valuation,  in  1884,  was 
§12,000,000.  Streator  boasts  some  handsome 
public  buildings,  especially  the  Government  post- 
office  and  the  Carnegie  public  library  building, 
both  of  wliich  liave  been  erected  witliiu  the  jjast 
few  years.     Pop.  (ISOO),  11,414;  (1900),  14,079. 

STREET,  Joseph  M.,  pioneer  and  early  politi- 
cian, settled  at  Shawneetown  about  1812,  coming 
from  Kentucky,  though  believed  to  have  been  a 
native  of  Eastern  Virginia.  In  1827  he  was  a 
Brigadier-General  of  militia,  and  appears  to  have 
been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  that  section  of 
the  State.  His  correspondence  with  Governor 
Edwards,  about  this  time,  shows  him  to  have  been 
a  man  of  far  more  than  ordinary  education,  with 
a  good  opinion  of  his  merits  and  capabilities.  He 
was  a  most  persistent  applicant  for  oflice,  making 
urgent  appeals  to  Governor  Edwards,  Henry  Clay 
and  other  politicians  in  Kentucky,  Virginia  and 
Washington,  on  the  ground  of  his  poverty  and 
large  family.  In  1827  he  received  the  offer  of 
the  clerkship  of  the  new  county  of  Peoria,  but, 
on  visiting  that  region,  was  disgusted  with  the 
prospect;  returning  to  Shawheetown,  bought  a 
farm  in  Sangamon  County,  but,  before  the  close 
of  the  year,  was  appointed  Indian  Agent  at 
Prairie  du  Chien.  This  was  during  the  difficul- 
ties with  the  Winnebago  Indians,  upon  which  he 
made  voluminous  reports  to  the  Secretary  of 
War.  Mr.  Street  was  a  son-in-law  of  Gen. 
Thomas  Posey,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  was 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  Indiana  and  its 
last  Territorial  Govgrnor.  (See  Posey,  (Gen.) 
Thomas.) 

STREETER,  Alson  J.,  farmer  and  politician, 
was  born  in  Rens.selaer  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1823; 
at  the  age  of  two  years  accompanied  his  father  to 
Illinois,  the  family  settling  at  Dixon,  Lee  County, 
He  attended  Knox  College  for  three  years,  and, 
in  1849,  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  two 
years  in  gold  mining.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  240  acres  near  New  Windsor, 
Mercer  County,  to  which  he  has  since  added  sev- 
eral thousand  acres.  In  1872  he  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  Twenty-eighth  General 
Assembly  as  a  Democrat,  but,  in  1873,  allied  him- 
self with  the  Greenback  party,  whose  candidate 
for  Congress  he  was  in  1878,  and  for  Governor  in 
1880,  when  he  received  nearly  3,000  votes  more 
than  his  party's  Presidential  nominee,  in  Illinois. 


In  1884  he  was  elected  State  Senator  by  a  coali- 
tion of  Greenbackers  and  Democrats  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  Senatorial  District,  but  acted  as 
an  independent  throughout  his  entire  term. 

STRONG,  William  Emerson,  soldier,  was  born 
at  Granville,  N.  Y..  in  1840;  from  18  years  of  age, 
spent  his  early  life  in  Wisconsin,  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Racine  in  1861.  The 
same  year  he  enlisted  under  the  first  call  for 
troops,  took  part,  as  Captain  of  a  Wisconsin  Com- 
pany, in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run;  was 
afterwards  promoted  and  assigned  to  duty  as 
Inspector-General  in  tlie  West,  participated  in 
the  Vicksburg  and  Atlanta  campaigns,  being 
finally  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. After  some  fifteen  months  spent  in  the 
position  of  Inspector-General  of  the  Freedmen's 
Bureau  (186.5-0(1),  he  located  in  Chicago,  and 
became  connected  with  several  important  busi- 
ness enterprises,  besides  assisting,  as  an  officer  on 
the  staff  of  Governor  CuUom,  in  the  organization 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard.  He  was  elected 
on  the  first  Board  of  Directors  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  and,  while  making  a  tour 
of  Europe  in  the  interest  of  that  enterprise,  died, 
at  Florence,  Italy,  April  10,  1891. 

STUART,  John  Todd,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, born  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  Nov.  10,  1807 — 
the  son  of  Robert  Stuart,  a  Presbj'terian  minister 
and  Professor  of  Languages  in  Transylvania 
University,  and  related,  on  the  maternal  side,  to 
the  Todd  family,  of  whom  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  a  member.  He  graduated  at  Centre  College, 
Danville,  in  1826,  and,  after  studying  law,  re- 
moved to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1838,  and  began 
practice.  In  1832  he  was  elected  Representative 
in  the  General  Assemblj-,  re-elected  in  1834,  and, 
in  1836,  defeated,  as  the  Whig  candidate  for  Con- 
gress, by  Wm.  L.  May,  though  elected,  two  years 
later,  over  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  again  in  1840. 
In  1837,  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  had  been 
studying  law  under  Mr.  Stuart's  advice  and 
instruction,  became  his  partner,  the  relation- 
ship continuing  until  1841.  He  served  in  the 
State  Senate,  1849-53,  was  the  Bell-Everett 
candidate  for  Governor  in  1860,  and  was 
elected  to  Congress,  as  a  Democrat,  for  a  third 
time,  in  1862,  but,  in  1864,  was  defeated  by 
Shelby  M.  CuUom,  his  former  pupil.  During  the 
latter  years  of  his  life,  Mr.  Stuart  was  head  of  the 
law  firm  of  Stuart,  Edwards  &  Brown.  Died,  at 
Springfield,  Nov.  28,  1885. 

STURGES,  Solomon,  merchant  and  banker, 
was  born  at  Fairfield,  Conn.,  April  21,  1796,  early 
manifested  a  passion  for  the  sea  and,  in  1810, 


512 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


made  a  voyage,  on  a  vessel  of  which  his  brother 
was  captain,  from  New  York  to  Georgetown, 
D.  C,  intending  to  continue  it  to  Lisbon.  At 
Georgetown  he  was  induced  to  accept  a  position 
as  clerk  with  a  Mr.  Williams,  where  he  was 
associated  with  two  other  j-ouths,  as  fellow-em- 
ployes, who  became  eminent  bankers  and 
capitalists— W.  W.  Corcoran,  afterwards  the 
well-known  banker  of  Washington,  and  George 
AV.  Peabody,  who  had  a  successful  banking  career 
in  England,  and  won  a  name  as  one  of  the  most 
liberal  and  public-.spirited  of  philanthropists. 
During  tlie  War  of  1813  young  Sturges  joined  a 
volunteer  infantry  company,  where  he  had,  for 
comrades,  George  W.  Peabody  and  Francis  S.  Key, 
the  latter  author  of  the  popular  national  song, 
"The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  In  1814  Mr. 
Sturges  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Ebenezer  Buckingham,  at  Put- 
nam, Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  two  years  later 
becoming  a  partner  in  the  concern,  where  he 
developed  that  business  capacity  which  laid  the 
foundation  for  liis  future  wealth.  Before  steam- 
ers navigated  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi Rivers,  he  piloted  flat-boats,  loaded  with 
produce  and  merchandise,  to  New  Orleans,  return- 
ing overland  During  one  of  his  visits  to  that 
city,  he  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the  "Washing- 
ton," the  first  steamer  to  descend  the  Mississippi, 
as.  in  1817,  he  saw  the  arrival  of  the  "Walk-in- 
the- Water  "  at  Detroit,  the  first  steamer  to  arrive 
from  Buffalo — the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Detroit 
being  to  carry  funds  to  General  Cass  to  pay  oft 
the  United  States  troops.  About  1849  he  was 
associated  with  the  construction  of  the  Wabash 
&  Erie  Canal,  from  the  Ohio  River  to  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.,  advancing  money  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
work,  for  which  was  reimbursed  bj'  the  State.  In 
1854  he  came  to  Chicago,  and,  in  partnership 
with  his  brothers-in-law,  C.  P.  and  Alvah  Buck- 
ingham, erected  the  first  large  grain-elevator  in 
that  city,  on  land  leased  from  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  following  it,  two  years  later, 
by  another  of  equal  capacity.  For  a  time,  sub- 
stantiallj-  all  the  grain  coming  into  Chicago,  by 
railroad,  passed  into  these  elevators.  In  1857  he 
established  the  private  banking  house  of  Solomon 
Stvirges  &  Sons,  which,  shortly  after  his  death, 
under  the  management  of  his  son,  George  Stur- 
ges, became  the  Northwestern  National  Bank  of 
Chicago.  He  was  intenselj'  patriotic  and,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  used 
of  his  means  freely  in  support  of  the  Govern- 
ment, equipping  the  Sturges  Rifles,  an  independ- 
ent company,  at  a  cost  of  §20,000.     He  was  also  a 


subscriber  to  the  first  loan  made  by  the  Govern- 
ment, during  this  period,  taking  $100,000  in 
Government  bomls.  While  devoteil  to  his  busi- 
ness, he  was  a  hater  of  shams  and  corruption,  and 
contributed  freely  to  Christian  and  benevolent 
enterprises.  Died,  at  the  home  of  a  daughter,  at 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  Oct.  14,  1864,  leaving  a  large 
fortune  acquired  by  legitimate  trade. 

STURTEVAKT,  Julian  Munson,  D.I).,  LL.l)., 
clergvman  and  educator,  was  born  at  Warren, 
Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  July  26,  1805;  spent  his 
youth  in  Summit  County,  Ohio,  meanwhile  pre- 
paring for  college ;  in  1822,  entered  Yale  College 
as  the  classmate  of  the  celebrated  Elizur  Wright, 
graduating  in  1826.  After  two  years  as  Princi- 
pal of  an  academy  at  Canaan,  Conn.,  he  entered 
Yale  Divinity  School,  graduating  there  in  1829; 
then  came  west,  and,  after  spending  a  year  in 
superintending  tlie  erection  of  buildings,  in  De- 
cember, 1830,  as  sole  tutor,  began  instrviction  to  & 
class  of  nine  pupils  in  what  is  now  Illinois  Col- 
lege, at  Jacksonville.  Having  been  joined,  the 
following  year,  by  Dr.  Edward  Beecher  as  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  Sturtevant  assumed  the  chair  of  Mathe- 
matics, Natural  Philosophy  and  Astronomy, 
which  he  retained  until  1844,  when,  by  the 
retirement  of  Dr.  Beecher,  he  succeeded  to  the 
offices  of  President  and  Professor  of  Intellectual 
and  Moral  Philosophy.  Here  he  labored,  inces- 
santly and  unselfishly,  as  a  teacher  during  term 
time,  and,  as  financial  agent  during  vacations, 
in  the  interest  of  the  institution  of  which  he  had 
l)een  one  of  the  chief  founders,  serving  until  1876, 
when  he  resigned  the  Presidency,  giving  his 
attention,  for  the  next  ten  jears,  to  the  duties  of 
Professor  of  Mental  Science  and  Science  of  Gov- 
ernment, which  he  had  discharged  from  1870. 
In  1886  he  retired  from  the  institution  entirely, 
having  given  to  its  service  fifty-six  years  of  his 
life.  In  1863,  Dr.  Sturtevant  vieited  Europe  in 
the  interest  of  the  Union  cause,  delivering  effec 
tive  addresses  at  a  number  of  points  in  England. 
He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  weekly 
religious  and  periodical  press,  and  was  the  author 
of  "Economics,  or  the  Science  of  Wealth"  (1870) 
— a  text-book  on  political  economy,  and  "Keys 
of  Sect,  or  the  Church  of  the  New  Testament" 
(1879),  besides  frequently  occupying  the  pulpits 
of  loc^l  and  distant  churches — having  been  early 
ordained  a  Congregational  minister.  He  received 
the  degree  of  D.D.  from  the  University  of  Mis- 
souri and  that  of  LL.D.  from  Iowa  University. 
Died,  in  Jacksonville,  Feb.  11,  1886.— Julian  M. 
(Sturtevant).  Jr..  son  of  the  preceding,  was  Ixirn 
at  Jacksonville,  III.  Feb.  2,  1834;  fitted  for  col- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


513 


lege  in  the  preparatory  department  of  Illinois 
College  and  graduated  from  the  college  (proper) 
in  1854.  After  leaving  college  he  served  as 
teacher  in  the  Jacksonville  public  schools  one 
year,  then  spent  a  year  as  tutor  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege, when  he  began  the  study  of  theology  at 
Andover  Theological  Seminary,  graduating  there 
in  1859,  meanwhile  having  discharged  the  duties 
of  Chaplain  of  the  Connecticut  State's  prison  iu 
1858.  He  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  in  1860, 
remaining  as  pastor  in  that  city  nine  years.  He 
has  since  been  engaged  in  pastoral  work  in  New 
York  City  (1869-70),  Ottawa,  III,  (1870-73);  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  (1873-77);  Grinnell,  Iowa,  (1877-84); 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  (1884-90);  Galesburg,  111., 
(1890-93),  and  Aurora,  (1893-97).  Since  leaving 
the  Congregational  church  at  Aurora,  Dr.  Sturte- 
vant  has  been  engaged  in  pastoral  work  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  also  editor  of  "The  Congrega- 
tionalist"  of  Iowa  (1881-84),  and,  at  different 
periods,  has  served  as  Trustee  of  Colorado, 
Marietta  and  Knox  Colleges;  being  still  an 
honored  member  of  the  Knox  College  Board. 
He  received  the  degree  of  D.D  from  Illinois 
College,  in  1879. 

SUBLETTE,  a  station  and  village  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  in  Lee  County,  8  miles 
northwest  of  Mendota.     Population,  (1900),  306. 

SUFFRAGE,  in  general,  the  right  or  privilege 
of  voting.  The  qualifications  of  electors  (or 
voters),  in  the  choice  of  public  officers  in  Illinois, 
are  fixed  by  the  State  Constitution  (Art.  VII. ), 
except  as  to  school  officers,  which  are  prescribed 
by  law.  Under  the  State  Constitution  the  exer- 
cise of  the  right  to  vote  is  limited  to  persons  who 
were  electors  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  of  1848,  or  who  are  native  or  natu- 
ralized male  citizens  of  the  United  States,  of  the 
age  of  21  years  or  over,  who  have  been  residents 
of  the  State  one  year,  of  the  county  ninety  days, 
and  of  the  district  (or  precinct)  in  which  they 
offer  to  vote,  30  days.  Under  an  act  passed  in 
1891,  women,  of  21  years  of  age  and  upwards,  are 
entitled  to  vote  for  school  officers,  and  are  also 
eligible  to  such  offices  under  tlie  same  conditions, 
as  to  age  and  residence,  as  male  citizens.  (See 
Elections;  Australian  Ballot.) 

SULLIVAN,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Moultrie 
County,  25  miles  southeast  of  Decatur  and  14 
miles  northwest  of  Mattoon ;  is  on  three  lines  of 
railway.  It  is  in  an  agricultural  and  stock-rais- 
ing region;  contains  two  State  banks  and  four 
weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1880),  1,305; 
(1890),  1,468;  (1900),  2,399;  (1900,  est.),  3,100. 


SULLIVAX,  William  K.,  journalist,  was  born 
at  "VVaterford,  Ireland,  Nov.  10,  1843 ;  educated  at 
the  Waterford  Model  School  and  in  Dublin,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1863,  and,  after  teaching 
for  a  time  in  Kane  County,  iu  1804  enlisted  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers.  Then,  after  a  brief  season  spent  in 
teaching  and  on  a  visit  to  his  native  land,  he 
began  work  as  a  reporter  on  New  York  papers, 
later  being  employed  on  "The  Chicago  Tribune"' 
and  "The  Evening  Journal,"  on  the  latter,  at 
different  times,  holding  the  position  of  city  edi- 
tor, managing  editor  and  correspondent.  He 
was  also  a  Representative  from  Cook  County  in 
the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly,  for  three 
years  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, and  appointed  United  States  Consul  to  the 
Bermudas  by  President  Harrison,  resigning  in 
1892.     Died,  in  Chicago,  January  17,  1899. 

SULLIVANT,  Michael  Lucas,  agriculturist, 
was  born  at  Franklinton  (a  suburb  of  Columbus, 
Ohio),  August  6,  1807;  was  educated  at  Ohio 
University  and  Centre  College,  Ky.,  and — after 
being  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  an  immense 
tract  of  land  inlierited  from  his  father  near  his 
birth-place,  devoting  much  attention,  meanwhile, 
to  the  raising  of  improved  stock — in  18.54  sold  his 
Ohio  lands  and  bought  80,000  acres,  chiefly  in 
Champaign  and  Piatt  Counties,  111.,  where  he 
began  farming  on  a  larger  scale  than  before.  The 
enterprise  proved  a  financial  failure,  and  he  was 
finally  compelled  to  sell  a  considerable  portion  of 
his  estate  in  Champaign  County,  known  as  Broad 
Lands,  to  John  T.  Alexander  (see  Alea:a7ider, 
John  T.),  retiring  to  a  farm  of  40,000  acres  at 
Burr  Oaks,  111.  He  died,  at  Henderson,  Ky.,  Jan. 
29,  1879. 

SUMMERFIELD,  a  village  of  St.  Clair  County, 
on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railway, 
27  miles  east  of  St  Louis ;  was  the  home  of  Gen. 
Fred.  Hecker.     Population  (1900),  360. 

SUMNER,  a  city  of  Lawrence  County,  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Raih'oad,  19  miles 
west  of  Vincennes,  Ind.  ;  lias  a  fine  .school  house, 
four  churches,  two  banks,  two  flour  mills,  tele- 
phones, and  one  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890), 
1,037;  (1900),  1,268. 

SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUC- 
TION. The  office  of  State  Superintendent  of 
PubUc  Instruction  was  created  by  act  of  the 
Legislature,  at  a  special  session  held  in  1854,  its 
duties  previous  to  that  time,  from  1845,  having 
been  discharged  by  the  Secretary  of  State  as 
Superintendent,  ex-officio.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  the  incumbents  from  the  date  of  the  forma) 


514 


HISTORICAL    EXCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


creation  of  the  otBce  down  to  the  present  time 
(1899),  with  the  date  and  duration  of  tlie  term  of 
eacli  Ninian  W.  Edwards  (by  appointment  of 
the  Governor),  1854-57;  William  11.  Powell  (by 
election),  1857-59;  Newton  Bateman,  1859-63; 
John  P.  Brooks,  1863-65;  Newton  Bateman, 
1865-75;  Samuel  W.  Etter,  1875-79;  James  P. 
Slade,  1879-83;  Henry  Kaab,  1883-87;  Richard 
Edwards,  1887-91;  Henry  Raab,  1891-95;  Samuel 
M.  Inglis,  1895-98;  James  H.  Freeman,  June, 
1898,  to  January,  1899  (by  apixjintment  of  the 
Governor,  to  iill  the  unexpired  term  of  Prof. 
Inglis,  who  died  in  office,  June  1,  1898) ;  Alfred 
Baylis,  1899—. 

Previous  to  1870  the  tenure  of  the  office  was 
two  years,  but,  by  the  Constitution  adopted  that 
year,  it  was  extended  to  four  years,  the  elections 
occurring  on  the  even  years  between  those  for 
Governor  and  other  State  officers  except  State 
Treasurer. 

SUPREME  COURT,  JUDWES  OF  THE.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Illinois  who  have  held  office  since  the 
organization  of  the  .State  Government,  with  the 
period  of  their  respective  incumbencies ;  Joseph 
Phillips.  1818-22  (resigned);  Thomas  C.  Browne, 
1818  48  (term  expired  on  adoption  of  new  Con- 
stitution); William  P.  Foster,  Oct.  9,  1818,  to 
July  7,  1819  (resigned) ,  John  Reynolds,  1818-25 ; 
Thomas  .Reynolds  (vice  Phillips),  1822-25;  Wil- 
liam Wilson  (vice  Foster)  1819-48  (term  expired 
on  adoption  of  new  Constitution) ;  Samuel  D 
Lockwood,  1825-43  (term  expired  on  adoption  of 
new  Constitution) ;  Theoi>hilus  W.  Smith,  1825-42 
(resigned);  Thomas  Ford,  Feb.  15,  1841,  to  Au- 
gust 1,  1842  (resigneil) ;  Sidney  Breese,  Feb.  15, 
1841,  to  Dec.  19,  1842  (resigned) — also  (by  re-elec- 
tions), 1857-78  (died  in  office) ;  Walter  B.  Scates, 
1841-47  (resigned)— also  (vice  Trumbull),  1854-57 
(resigned);  Samuel  H.  Treat,  1841-55  (resigned); 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  1841-43  (resigned) ;  Jolin  D. 
Caton  (vice  Ford)  August,  1842,  to  March,  1843— 
also  (vice  Robinson  and  by  successive  re-elec- 
tions). May,  1843  to  January,  1864  (resigned) ; 
James  Semple  (vice  Breese),  Jan.  14,  1843,  to 
April  16,  1843  (resigned) ;  Richard  M.  Young  (vice 
Smith),  1843-47  (resigned) ;  John  M.  Robinson 
(vice  Ford),  Jan.  14,  1843,  to  April  27,  1843  (died 
in  office);  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Jr.,  (vice  Douglas), 
1843-45  (resigned) — also  (vice  Young),  1847-48; 
James  Shields  (vice  Semple),  1843-45  (resigned) ; 
Norman  H.  Pm-ple  (vice  Thomas),  1843-48  (retired 
under  Constitution  of  184S) ;  Gustavns  Koerner 
(vice  Shields),  1845-48  (retired  by  Constitution); 
William  A.  Denning  (vice  Scates),  1847-48    (re- 


tired by  Constitution) ;  Lyman  Trumbull,  1848-53 
(resigned);  Ozias  C.  Skinner  (vice  Treat),  1855-58 
(resigned);  Pinkuey  II.  Walker  (vice  Skinner), 
1858-85  (deceased);  Corydon  Bockwith  (by  ap- 
pointment, vice  Caton),  Jan.  7,  1864,  to  June  6, 
1864;  Cliarles  B.  Lawrence  (one  term),  1864-73; 
Anthony  Thornton,  1870-73  (resigned);  John  M. 
Scott  (two  terms),  1870-88;  Benjamin  R.  Sheldon 
(two  terms),  1870-88;  William  K.  MoAlUster, 
1870-75  (resigned) ;  John  .Scholfield  (vice  Thorn- 
ton), 1873  93  (died);  T.  Lyle  Dickey  (vice 
McAllister),  1875-85  (died);  David  J.  Baker  (ai> 
ix)inted,  vice  Breese),  July  9,  1878,  to  June  2, 
1879— also,  1888-97:  John  H.  Mulkey,  1879-88; 
Damon  G.  Tuuniclille  (appointed,  vice  Walker), 
Feb.  15,  1885,  to  June  1,  1885;  Simeon  P.  Shoi)e, 
1885-94 ,  Joseph  M.  Bailey,  1888-95  (died  in  office). 
The  Supreme  Court,  as  at  present  constituted 
(1899),  is  as  follows:  Carroll  C.  Boggs,  elected, 
1897,  Jesse  J.  Phillips  (vice  Scholfield,  deceased) 
elected,  1893,  and  re-elected,  1897;  Jacob  W.  Wil- 
kin, elected,  1888,  and  re-elected,  1897;  Joseph 
N.  Carter,  elected,  1894;  Alfred  M.  Craig,  elec- 
ted, 1873,  and  re-elected,  1882  and  "91 ;  James  H. 
Cartwright  (vice  Bailey),  elected,  1895,  and  re- 
elected, 1897 ;  Benjamin  D.  Magruder  (vice 
Dickey),  elected,  1885,  "88  and  '97.  The  terras  of 
Justices  Boggs,  Phillips,  AVilkin,  Cartwright  and 
Magruder  expire  in  1906 ;  that  of  Justice  Carter 
on  1903;  and  Justice  Craig's,  in  1900.  Under  the 
Constitution  of  1818,  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  were  chosen  by  joint  ballot  of  the  Legisla- 
tuie,  but.  under  the  Constitutions  of  1848  and 
1S70,  by  jKjpular  vote  for  terms  of  nine  years 
each.  (See  Judicial  Si/Hteni;  also  sketches  of 
individual  meml^ers  of  the  Supreme  Court  under 
their  proper  names.) 

SURVEYS,  EARLY  GOVER.\ME\T.  The  first 
United  States  law  passed  on  the  subject  of  Gov- 
ernment surveys  was  dated,  Maj'  20,  1785.  After 
reserving  certain  lands  to  be  allotted  bj'  way  of 
jjensions  and  to  be  donated  for  school  purposes, 
it  provided  for  the  division  of  the  renxaining  pub- 
lic lands  among  the  original  thirteen  States. 
This,  however,  was,  in  effect,  rei>ealed  by  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1788.  The  latter  provided  for  a  rectan 
gular  system  of  surveys  which,  with  but  little 
modification,  has  remained  in  force  ever  since. 
Briefly  outlined,  the  system  is  as  follows:  Town- 
ships, six  miles  square,  are  laid  out  from  principal 
bases,  each  township  containing  thirty-six  sec- 
tions of  one  square  mile,  numbered  consecutively, 
the  numeration  to  commence  at  the  upper  right 
hand  corner  of  the  township.  The  first  principal 
meridian  (84'  51'  west  of  Greenwich),  coincided 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


515 


with  the  line  dividing  Indiana  and  Ohio.  The 
second  (1°  37'  farther  west)  had  direct  relation 
to  surveys  in  Eastern  Illinois.  The  third  (89°  10' 
30"  west  of  Greenwich)  and  the  fourth  (90'  29' 
56"  west)  governed  the  remainder  of  Illinois  sur- 
veys. The  first  Public  Surveyor  was  Thomas 
Hutchins,  who  was  called  "the  geographer." 
(See  Hutchins,  Tliomas.) 

SWEET,  (Gen.)  Benjamin  J.,  soldier,  was 
born  at  Kirkland,  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  April 
24,  1832 ;  came  with  his  father,  in  1848,  to  Sheboy- 
gan, Wis.,  studied  law,  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  in  1859,  and,  in  1861,  enlisted  in  the  Sixth 
Wisconsin  Volunteers,  being  commissioned  Major 
in  1862.  Later,  he  resigned  and,  returning  home, 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Twenty-first 
and  Twenty-second  regiments,  being  elected 
Colonel  of  the  former,  and  with  it  taking  part  in 
the  campaign  in  Western  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see In  1863  he  was  assigned  to  command  at 
Camp  Douglas,  and  was  there  on  tlie  exposure, 
in  November,  1864,  of  the  conspiracy  to  release 
the  rebel  prisoners.  (See  Camp  Douglas  Conspir- 
acy.) The  service  which  he  rendered  in  the 
defeat  of  this  bold  and  dangerous  conspiracy 
evinced  his  courage  and  sagacity,  and  was  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  country.  After  the 
war,  General  Sweet  located  at  Lombard,  near 
Chicago,  was  appointed  Pension  Agent  at  Chi- 
cago, afterwards  served  as  Supervisor  of  Internal 
Revenue,  and,  in  1873,  became  Deputy  Commis- 
sioner of  Internal  Revenue  at  Washington.  Died, 
in  Washington.  Jan.  1,  1874.  —  Miss  Ada  C. 
(Sweet),  for  eight  years  (1874-82)  the  efficient 
Pension  Agent  at  Chicago,  is  General  Sweet's 
daughter. 

SWEETSER,  A.  C,  soldier  and  Department 
Commander  G.  A.  R.,  was  born  in  Oxford  County, 
Maine,  in  1839;  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  in 
1857;  enlisted  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War 
in  the  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteers  and,  later,  in  the 
Thirty-ninth;  at  the  battle  of  Wierbottom 
Church,  Va  ,  in  June,  1864,  was  shot  through 
both  legs,  necessitating  the  amputation  of  one  of 
them.  After  the  war  he  held  several  offices  of 
trust,  including  those  of  City  Collector  of  Bloom- 
ington and  Deputy  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue 
for  the  Springfield  District ;  in  1887  was  elected 
Department  Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  for  Illinois.  Died,  at  Bloomington, 
March  23,  189G. 

SWETT,  Leonard,  lawyer,  was  born  near 
Turner,  Maine,  August  11.  1825,  was  educated  at 
Waterville  College  (now  Colby  University),  but 
left  before  graduation ,  read  law  in  Portland,  and, 


while  seeking  a  location  in  the  West,  enlisted  in 
an  Indiana  regiment  for  the  Mexican  War,  being 
attacked  by  climatic  fever,  was  discharged  before 
completmg  his  term  of  enlistment.  He  soon 
after  came  to  Bloomington,  111.,  where  he  became 
the  intimate  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
David  Davis,  traveling  the  circuit  with  them  for 
a  number  of  years  He  early  became  active  in 
State  politics,  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 
State  Convention  of  1856,  was  elected  to  the 
lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1858, 
and,  in  1860,  was  a  zealous  supjjorter  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln as  a  Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-at 
large.  In  1862  he  received  the  Republican 
nomination  for  Congress  in  his  District,  but  was 
defeated.  Removing  to  Chicago  in  1865,  he 
gained  increased  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  espe- 
cially in  the  management  of  criminal  cases.  In 
1872  he  was  a  supporter  of  Horace  Greeley  for 
President,  but  later  returned  to  the  Republican 
party,  and,  in  the  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion of  1888,  presented  the  name  of  Judge 
Gresham  for  nomination  for  the  Presidency, 
Died,  June  8,  1889. 

SWItJERT,  Charles  Philip,  ex- Auditor  of  Pub- 
lic Accounts,  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Baden, 
Germany,  Nov,  27,  1843,  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Chicago,  111.,  in  childliood,  and,  in  his  boy- 
hood, attended  the  Scammon  School  in  that  city 
In  1854  his  family  removed  to  a  farm  in  Kanka- 
kee County,  where,  between  the  ages  of  12  and 
18,  he  assisted  his  father  in  "breaking"  between 
400  and  500  acres  of  prairie  land.  On  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war,  in  1861,  although  scarcely  18 
years  of  age,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  tlie  Forty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and,  in  April, 
1862,  was  one  of  twenty  heroic  volunteers  who 
ran  tlie  blockade,  on  the  gunboat  Carondelet,  at 
Island  No,  10,  assisting  materially  in  the  reduc- 
tion of  that  rebel  stronghold,  which  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  7,000  prisoners  At  the  battle  of 
Farmington,  Miss.,  during  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
in  May,  1862,  he  had  his  right  arm  torn  from  its 
socket  by  a  six-pound  cannon-ball,  compelling  his 
retirement  from  the  army.  Returning  home, 
after  many  weeks  spent  in  hospital  at  Jefferson 
Barracks  and  Quincy,  III,  he  received  his  final 
discharge,  Dec,  21,  1862,  spent  a  year  in  school, 
also  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Strattou's  Com- 
mercial College  in  Chicago,  and  having  learned 
to  write  with  his  left  hand,  taught  for  a  time  in 
Kankakee  County ;  served  as  letter-carrier  in  Chi- 
cago, and  for  a  year  as  Deputy  County  Clerk  of 
Kankakee  C/Ounty,  followed  by  two  terms  (1867- 
69)  as  a  student  in  the  Soldiers'  College  at  Fulton 


516 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


111.  The  latter  year  lie  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  Treasurer  of  Kankakee  County,  serving,  by 
succe.s,sive  re-elections,  until  hS80.  when  he  re- 
signed to  take  the  jiosition  of  State  Auditor,  to 
which  he  was  elected  a  second  time  in  1884.  In 
all  these  positions  Mr.  Swigert  has  proved  hihi- 
self  an  ujiright,  capable  and  high-minded  public 
official.  Of  late  years  his  residence  has  been  in 
Chicago. 

SWING,  (ReF.)  David,  clergyman  and  jjulpit 
orator,  was  born  of  German  ancestry,  at  Cim^in- 
nati,  Ohio.  August  23,  1830.  After  1837  (his 
father  d3'ing  about  this  time),  the  family  resided 
for  a  time  at  Reedsburgh,  and,  later,  on  a  farm 
near  William.sburgli,  in  Clermont  County,  in  the 
same  State.  In  18.")3,  having  graduated  from  tlie 
Miami  (Ohio)  University,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  theology,  but,  in  1854,  accepted  the 
position  of  Professor  of  Languages  in  liis  Alma 
Mater,  which  he  continued  to  fill  for  thirteen 
years.  His  first  pastorate  was  in  connection  with 
the  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chi- 
cago, which  he  as.sumed  in  18(i().  Ilis  church 
edifice  was  destroyed  in  the  great  Chicago  fire, 
but  was  later  rebuilt.  As  a  preacher  he  wjis 
popular ;  but,  in  April,  18T4,  he  was  placed  on  trial, 
before  an  ecclesiastical  court  of  his  own  denomi- 
nation, on  cliarges  of  heresy.  He  was  acquitted 
by  the  trial  court,  but,  before  theapiwal  taken  by 
the  prosecution  could  be  heard,  he  personally 
withdrew  from  affiliation  with  the  denomination. 
Shortly'  afterward  he  became  pastor  of  an  inde- 
pendent religious  organization  known  as  the 
"Central  Cluirch,"  preaching,  first  at  McVicker's 
Theatre  and,  afterward,  at  Central  Music  Hall, 
Chicago.  He  was  a  fluent  and  popular  sjK'aker 
on  all  themes,  a  frequent  and  valued  contributor 
to  numerous  magazines,  as  well  as  tlie  author  of 
several  volumes.  Among  his  best  known  books 
are  "Motives  of  Life,"  "Truths  for  To-day,''  and 
"Club  Essays."     Died,  in  Chicago,  Oct.  3,  1894. 

SYCAMORE,  the  county-seat  of  De  Kalb 
County  (founded  in  1836),  56  miles  west  of  Chi- 
cago, at  the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western and  the  Chicago  Great  "Western  Rail- 
roads; lies  in  a  region  devoted  to  agriculture, 
dairying  and  stock-raising.  The  city  itself  con- 
tains several  factories,  the  principal  products 
being  agricultural  implements,  flour,  insulated 
wire,  brick,  tile,  varnish,  furniture,  soap  and 
carriages  and  wagons.  There  are  also  works  for 
canning  vegetables  and  fruit,  besides  two  creamer- 
ies. The  town  is  lighted  by  electricity,  and  has 
high-pressure  water-works.  There  are  eleven 
churches,   three    gradeil    public    schools    and    a 


young     ladies'     seminary.      Population     (1880), 
3.028;   (18i)0),  2,i)87;  (1900),  ;;,6.53. 

TAFT,  L(»ra(Io,  sculptor,  was  lK)rn  at  Elmwood, 
Peoria  County,  111.,  April  29,  1860;  at  an  early 
age  evinced  a  predilection  for  sculpture  and 
began  modeling;  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Illinois  in  1880,  then  went  to  Paris  and  studied 
■sculpture  in  the  famous  Ecole  des  Beau.x  Arts 
until  1885.  The  following  year  he  settled  in  Chi 
(■ago,  finally  becoming  a.s.sociated  with  the  Chi- 
cago Art  Institute.  He  has  been  a  lecturer  ou 
art  in  the  Chicago  University.  Mr.  Taft  fur- 
nished tlie  decorations  of  the  Horticultural  Build- 
ing on  the  World's  Fair  Grounds,  in  1893. 

TALCOTT,  Mancel,  business  man,  was  born 
in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  13,  1817;  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  until  17  j'ears  of  age,  when  he  set 
out  for  the  West,  traveling  on  foot  from  Detroit 
to  Chicago,  and  thence  to  Park  Ridge,  where  he 
worked  at  farming  until  18.')0.  Then,  h.-iving 
followed  the occuj)ation  of  a  miner  for  some  time, 
in  California,  with  some  success,  he  uniteil  with 
Horace  M.  Singer  in  establishing  the  firm  of 
Singer  &  Talcott,  stone-dealers,  which  Listed  dur- 
ing most  of  his  life.  He  served  as  a  memljer  of 
the  Chicago  City  Council,  on  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners,  as  a  member  of  the  Police  Board, 
and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  and  President,  for  several  years,  of  the 
Stock  Yards  National  Bank.  Liberal  and  public- 
spirited,  he  contributed  freely  to  works  of 
charity.     Died,  June  5,  1878. 

TALCOTT,  (Capt.)  William,  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812  anil  pioneer,  was  b<jrn  in  Gilca<l. 
Coim.,  March  C,  1774;  emigrated  to  Rome,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1810,  and  engaged  in  farming; 
served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Oneida  County 
militia  during  the  War  of  1812-14,  being  .stationed 
at  Sackett's  Harbor  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott.  In  1835,  in  company  with  his 
eldest  son,  Thomas  B.  Talcott,  he  made  an  ex- 
tended tour  through  the  West,  finally  selecting  a 
location  in  Illinois  at  the  junction  of  Rock  River 
and  the  Pecatonica,  where  the  town  of  Rockton 
now  stands — there  being  only  two  white  families, 
at  that  time,  within  the  present  limits  of  Winne- 
bago County.  Two  years  later  (1837),  he  brought 
his  family  to  this  point,  with  his  sons  took  up  a 
considerable  body  of  Government  land  and 
erected  two  mills,  to  which  customers  came 
from  a  long  distance.  In  1838  Captain  Talcott 
took  part  in  the  organization  of  the  first  Congre- 
gational Church  in  that  section  of  the  State.  A 
zealous  anti-slavery  n7an,  he  supported  James  G- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


517 


Birney  (the  Liberty  candidate  for  President)  in 
1844,  continuing  to  act  with  that  party  until  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  in  1856; 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  War  for  the  Union, 
but  died  before  its  conclusion,  Sept.  2,  1864. — 
Maj.  Thomas  B.  (Talcott),  oldest  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding, was  born  at  Hebron,  Conn  ,  April  17, 
1806;  was  taken  to  Rome,  N.  Y.,  by  his  father  in 
infancy,  and,  after  reaching  maturity,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  with  ids  brother  in  Che 
mung  County ;  in  183.5  accompanied  his  father  in 
a  tour  through  the  West,  finally  locating  at 
Eockton,  where  he  engaged  in  agriculture.  On 
the  organization  of  Winnebago  Count}-,  in  1836, 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  first  County  Commis- 
sioners, and,  in  18.50,  to  the  State  Senate,  serving 
four  years.  He  also  held  various  local  offices. 
Died,  Sept.  30,  1894.— Hon.  Wait  (Talcott).  second 
son  of  Capt.  William  Talcott,  was  born  at  He- 
bron, Conn.,  Oct.  17,  1807,  and  taken  to  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  his  19th  year, 
when  he  engaged  in  business  at  Booneville  and, 
still  later,  in  Utica;  in  1838,  removed  to  Illinois 
and  joined  his  fatiier  at  Rockton,  finally 
becoming  a  citizen  of  Rockford,  where,  in  liis 
later  years,  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing, having  become,  in  18.54,  with  his 
brother  Sylvester,  a  partner  of  the  firm  of  J.  H. 
Manny  &  Co.,  in  the  manufactuie  of  the  Manny 
reaper  and  mower.  He  was  an  original  anti- 
slavery  man  and,  at  one  time.a  Free-Soil  candidate 
for  Congress,  but  became  a  zealous  Republican 
and  ardent  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he 
employed  as  an  attorney  in  the  famous  suit  of 
McCormick  vs.  the  Manny  Reaper  Company  for 
infringement  of  patent.  In  1854  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  succeeding  his  brother, 
Thomas  B.,  and  was  the  first  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  in  the  Second  District,  appointed  by  Mr. 
Lincoln  in  1862,  and  continuing  in  office  some 
five  years.  Though  too  old  for  active  service  in 
the  field,  during  the  Civil  War,  he  voluntarily 
hired  a  substitute  to  take  his  place.  Mr.  Talcott 
was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  and  Trus- 
tees of  Beloit  College,  and  a  founder  of  Rockford 
Female  Seminary,  remaining  a  trustee  of  each 
for  many  years.  Died,  June  7,  1890. — SylTester 
(Talcott),  third  son  of  William  Talcott,  born  at 
Rome,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  14,  1810;  when  of  age,  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  in  Chemung  County;  in 
1837  removed,  with  other  members  of  the  family, 
to  Winnebago  County,  111.,  where  he  joined  his 
father  in  the  entry  of  Government  lands  and  the 
erection  of  mills,  as  already  detailed.  He  became 
one  of  the  first  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Winne- 


bago County,  also  served  as  Supervisor  for  a 
number  of  years  and,  although  a  farmer,  became 
interested,  in  1854,  with  his  brother  Wait, 
in  the  Manny  Reaper  Company  at  Rockford. 
He  also  followed  the  example  of  his  brother, 
just  named,  in  furnishing  a  substitute  for  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  though  too  old  for  service 
himself  Died,  June  19,  188o.— Henry  Walter 
(Talcott),  fourth  son  of  William  Talcott,  was 
born  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  13,  1814;  came  with 
his  father  to  Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1835,  and 
was  connected  with  his  father  and  brothers  in  busi- 
ness. Died,  Dec.  9,  1870.— D wight  Lewis  (Tal- 
cott), oldest  son  of  Henry  Walter  Talcott,  born 
in  Winnebago  County;  at  the  age  of  17  years 
enlisted  at  Belvidere,  in  January,  1864,  as  a  soldier 
iu  the  Ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantrj-;  served 
as  provost  guard  some  two  months  at  Fort  Picker- 
ing, near  Memphis,  and  later  took  part  in  many 
of  the  important  battles  of  that  year  in  Missis- 
sippi and  Tennessee.  Having  been  captured  at 
Campbellsville,  Tenn. ,  he  was  taken  to  Anderson- 
ville,  Ga.,  where  he  suffered  all  the  horrors  of 
that  famous  prison-pen,  until  March,  1865,  when 
he  was  released,  arriving  at  home  a  helpless 
skeleton,  the  day  after  Abraham  Lincoln's  assas- 
sination. Mr.  Talcott  subsequently  settled  in 
Muscatine  County,  Iowa. 

TALLl'LA,  a  prosperous  village  of  Menard 
County,  on  the  Jacksonville  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railway,  24  miles  northeast  of 
Jacksonville;  is  in  the  midst  of  a  grain,  coal- 
mining, and  stock-growing  region;  has  a  local 
bank  and  newspaper.     Pop.  (1890),  445 ;  (1900),  639. 

T.MM.\RO.V,a  village  in  Perry  County,  situated 
at  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  with  the 
Wabash,  Chester  &  Western  Railroad,  8  miles 
north  of  Duquoin,  and  57  miles  east-soutbeast  of 
Belleville.  It  has  a  bank,  a  newspaper  office,  a 
large  public  school,  five  churches  and  two  flmir- 
ing  mills.  Coal  is  mined  here  and  exported  in 
large  quantities.     Pop.  (1900),  853. 

TAMAROA  &  MOUNT  VERNON  RAILROAD. 
(See  Wabash,  Clicster  d-  Western  Railroad.) 

TANNER,  Edward  Allen,  clergyman  and  edu- 
cator, was  born  of  New  England  ancestry,  at 
Waverly,  111.,  Nov.  29,  1837— being  the  first  child 
who  could  claim  nativity  there;  was  educated 
in  the  local  schools  and  at  Illinois  College, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  18.57;  spent  four 
years  teaching  in  his  native  place  and  at  Jack- 
sonville; then  accepted  tlie  Professorship  of 
Latin  in  Pacific  LTniversity  at  Portland,  Oregon, 
remaining  four  years,  when  he  returned  to  his 
Alma  Mater  (1865),  assuming  there  the  chair  of 


518 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Latin  and  Rhetoric.  In  1881  he  was  appointed 
financial  agent  of  the  latter  in.stitution,  and,  in 
1882,  its  President.  While  in  Oregon  he  had 
been  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and,  for  a  considerable  period  during 
his  connection  with  Illinois  College,  officiated  as 
Chaplain  of  the  Central  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Jacksonville,  besides  supplying  local  and 
other  pulpits.  He  labored  earnestly  for  the 
benefit  of  the  institution  under  his  charge,  and, 
during  his  incumbency,  added  materially  to  its 
endowment  and  resources.  Died,  at  Jackson- 
ville, Feb.  8,  1892. 

TAJfXER,  John  R.,  Governor,  was  born  in 
Warrick  County,  Ind.,  April  4,  1844,  and  brought 
to  Southern  Illinois  in  boyhood,  where  he  grew 
up  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Carlwndale, 
enjoying  only  such  educational  advantages  as 
were  afforded  by  the  common  school ;  in  1863,  at 
the  age  of  19,  enlisted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  serving  until  June,  186.5,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Sixty-first,  and  finally 
mustered  out  in  September  following.  All  the 
male  members  of  Governor  Tanner's  family  were 
soldiers  of  the  late  war,  his  father  dj-ing  in  a 
rebel  prison  at  Columbus,  Miss.,  one  of  his  bro- 
thers suffering  the  same  fate  from  wounds  at  Nash- 
ville. Tenn.,  and  another  brother  dying  in  hospital 
at  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.  Only  one  of  this  patriotic 
family,  besides  Governor  Tanner,  still  survives — 
Mr.  J.  M.  Tanner  of  Clay  County,  who  left  the 
service  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  of  the  Thir- 
teenth Illinois  Cavalry.  Returning  from  the 
war,  Mr.  Tanner  established  himself  in  business 
as  a  farmer  in  Clay  County,  later  engaging  suc- 
cessfully in  the  milling  and  lumber  business  as 
the  partner  of  his  brother.  The  public  positions 
held  by  him,  since  the  war,  include  those  of 
Sheriff  of  Clay  County  (1870-72),  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  (1872-76),  and  State  Senator  (1880-83). 
During  the  latter  year  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Illinois,  serving  until  after  the  acces- 
sion of  President  Cleveland  in  1885.  In  1886,  he 
was  the  Republican  nominee  for  State  Treasurer 
and  was  elected  bj-  an  unusually  large  majority; 
in  1891  was  appointed,  by  Governor  Filer,  a 
member  of  the  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commis- 
sion, but,  in  1892,  received  the  appointment  of 
Assistant  United  States  Treasurer  at  Chicago, 
continuing  in  the  latter  office  until  December, 
1893.  For  ten  years  (1874-84)  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee,  re- 
turning to  that  body  in  1894,  when  he  was  chosen 
Chairman  and    conducted  the  campaign  which 


resulted  in  the  unprecedented  Republican  suc- 
cesses of  that  year.  In  1896  he  received  the 
nomination  of  his  party  for  Governor,  and  was 
elected  over  Gov.  John  P.  Altgeld,  his  Demo- 
cratic opponent,  by  a  plurality  of  over  113,000, 
and  a  majority,  over  all,  of  nearly  90,000  votes. 

TANNER,  Tazewell  B.,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Henry  County,  Va.,  and  came  to  Jefferson 
Count}',  111,  about  1840  or  '47,  at  first  taking  a 
position  as  teacher  and  Superintendent  of  Public 
Schools.  Later,  he  was  connected  with  "The 
Jeffersonian,"  a  Democratic  paper  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, and,  in  1849,  went  to  the  gold  regions  of 
California,  meeting  with  reasonable  success  as  a 
miner.  Returning  in  a  year  or  two,  he  was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and,  while  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duties,  prosecuted  the  study 
of  law,  finally,  on  admission  to  the  bar,  entering 
into  partnership  with  the  late  Col.  Thomas  S. 
Casey.  In  1854  he  was  elected  Representative  in 
the  Nineteenth  General  Assembly,  and  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  a[)propriation  for  the 
erection  of  a  Supreme  Court  building  at  Mount 
Vernon.  In  1862  he  served  as  a  Delegate  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  that  ye;ir ;  was 
elected  Circuit  Judge  in  1873,  and,  in  1877,  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  the  Appellate  bench,  but,  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term,  declined  a  re-election 
and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Mount  Vernon.     Died,  March  25,  1880. 

TAX.VTIOX,  in  its  legal  sense,  the  mode  of 
raising  revenue.  In  its  general  sense  its  purposes 
are  the  supjwrt  of  the  State  and  local  govern- 
ments, the  promotion  of  the  public  good  by 
fostering  education  and  works  of  public  improve- 
ment, the  protection  of  society  by  the  preser- 
vation of  order  and  the  punishment  of  crime,  and 
the  support  of  the  helpless  and  destitute.  In 
jiractice,  and  as  prescribed  by  the  Constitution, 
the  raising  of  revenue  is  required  to  be  done  "by 
levying  a  tax  bj-  valuation,  so  that  every  jierson 
and  corporation  shall  pay  a  tax  in  proportion  to 
the  value  of  his,  her  or  its  property — such  value 
to  be  ascertained  by  some  person  or  persons,  to  be 
elected  or  appointed  in  such  manner  as  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  shall  direct,  and  not  otherwise." 
(State  Constitution,  1870 — Art.  Revenue,  Sec.  1.) 
The  person  selected  under  the  law  to  make  this 
valuation  is  the  Assessor  of  the  county  or  the 
township  (in  counties  under  township  organiza- 
tion), and  he  is  required  to  make  a  return  to  the 
County  Board  at  its  July  meeting  each  year — the 
latter  having  authority  to  hear  complaints  of  tax- 
payers and  adjust  inequalities  when  found  to 
exist.     It   is  made  the  duty  of  the  Assessor  to 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


519 


include  in  his  return,  as  real-estate,  all  lands  and 
the  biiildings  or  other  improvements  erected 
thereon;  and,  under  the  head  of  personal  prop- 
erty, all  tangible  effects,  besides  moneys,  credits, 
bonds  or  stocks,  sliares  of  stock  of  companies  or 
corporations,  investments,  annuities,  franchises, 
royalties,  etc.  Property  used  for  scliool,  cliurch 
or  cemetery  purposes,  as  well  as  public  buildings 
and  other  property  belonging  to  the  State  and 
General  Government,  municipalities,  public 
charities,  public  libraries,  agricultural  and  scien- 
tific societies,  are  declared  exempt.  Nominally, 
all  property  subject  to  taxation  is  required  to  be 
assessed  at  its  cash  valuation ;  but,  in  reality,  the 
valuation,  of  late  years,  has  been  on  a  basis  of 
twenty-five  to  thirty-tliree  per  cent  of  its  esti- 
mated cash  value.  In  the  larger  cities,  however, 
the  valuation  is  often  much  lower  tlian  this, 
while  very  large  amounts  escape  assessment 
altogether.  The  Revenue  Act,  passed  at  the 
special  session  of  the  Fortieth  General  Assembly 
(1898),  requires  the  Assessor  to  make  a  return  of 
ah  property  subject  to  taxation  in  his  district,  at 
its  cash  valuation,  upon  which  a  Board  of  Review 
fixes  a  tax  ou  tlie  basis  of  twenty  per  cent  of 
such  cash  valuation.  An  abstract  of  the  property 
assessment  of  each  county  goes  before  tlie  State 
Board  of  Equalization,  at  its  annual  meeting  in 
August,  for  the  purpose  of  comparison  and  equal- 
izing valuations  between  counties,  but  the  Board  * 
has  no  power  to  modify  the  assessments  of  indi- 
vidual tax-payers.  (See  State  Board  of  Equali- 
zation.) This  Board  has  exclusive  power  to  fix 
the  valuation  for  purposes  of  taxation  of  the 
capital  stock  or  franchises  of  companies  (except 
certain  specified  manufacturing  corporations) ,  in- 
corporated under  the  State  laws,  togetlier  with  the 
"railroad  track"  and  "rolling  stock"  of  railroads, 
and  the  capital  stock  of  railroads  and  telegraph 
lines,  and  to  fix  the  distribution  of  the  latter 
between  counties  in  which  they  lie. — The  Consti 
tution  of  1848  empowered  the  Legislature  to 
impose  a  capitation  tax,  of  not  less  than  fifty 
cents  nor  more  than  one  dollar,  upon  each  free 
white  male  citizen  entitled  to  the  right  of  suf- 
frage, between  the  ages  of  31  and  60  years,  but  the 
Constitution  of  1870  grants  no  sucli  jjower, 
though  it  authorizes  the  extension  of  the  "objects 
and  subjects  of  taxation"  in  accordance  with  the 
principle  contained  in  the  first  section  of  the 
Revenue  Article. — Special  assessments  in  cities, 
for  the  construction  of  sewers,  pavements,  etc., 
being  local  and  in  the  form  of  benefits,  cannot 
be  said  to  come  under  the  liead  of  general  tax- 
ation.    The  same  is  to  be  said  of  revenue  derived 


from  fines  and  penalties,  which  are  forms  of 
punishment  for  specific  offenses,  and  go  to  the 
benefit  of  certain  specified  funds. 

TAYLOR5  Abner,  ex-Congressman,  is  a  native 
of  Maine,  and  a  resident  of  Chicago.  He  has  been 
in  active  business  all  his  life  as  contractor,  builder 
and  merchant,  and,  for  some  time,  a  member  of 
the  wholesale  dry-goods  firm  of  J.  V.  Farwell  & 
Co.,  of  Chicago.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
fourth  General  Assembly,  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  of  1884,  and 
represented  the  First  Illinois  District  in  the  Fifty- 
first  and  Fifty-second  Congresses,  1889  to  1893. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  one  of  the  contractors  for  the 
erection  of  the  new  State  Capitol  of  Texas. 

TAYLOR,  Benjamin  Franklin,  journalist,  poet 
and  lecturer,  was  born  at  Lowville,  N.  Y. ,  July 
19,  1819;  graduated  at  Madison  University  in 
1839,  the  next  year  becoming  literary  and  dra- 
matic critic  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  JournaL" 
Here,  in  a  few  years,  he  acquired  a  wide  reputa- 
tion as  a  journalist  and  poet,  and  was  much  in 
demand  as  a  lecturer  on  literary  topics.  His 
letters  from  the  field  during  the  Rebellion,  as 
war  correspondent  of  "The  Evening  Journal," 
won  for  him  even  a  greater  popularity,  and  were 
complimented  by  translation  into  more  than  one 
European  language.  After  the  war,  he  gave  his 
attention  more  unreservedly  to  literature,  his 
principal  works  appearing  after  that  date.  His 
publications  in  book  form,  including  both  prose 
and  poetry,  comprise  the  following:  "Attractions 
of  Language"  (1845);  "January  and  June" 
(1853);  "Pictures  in  Camp  and  Field"  (1871), 
"The  World  on  Wheels"  (1873);  "Old  Time  Pic- 
tures and  Sheaves  of  Rhyme"  (1874);  "Songs  of 
Yesterday"  (1877);  "Summer  Savory  Gleaned 
from  Rural  Nooks"  (1879);  "Between  the  Gates" 
— pictures  of  California  life — (1881);  "Dulce 
Domum,  the  Burden  of  Song"  (1884),  and  "Theo- 
philus  Trent,  or  Old  Times  in  the  Oak  Openings, ' ' 
a  novel  (1887).  The  last  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
publishers  at  his  death,  Feb.  37,  1887.  Among 
his  most  popular  poems  are  "The  Isle  of  the  Long 
Ago,"  "The  Old  Village  Choir,"  and  "Rhymes  of 
the  River."  "The  London  Times"  complimented 
Mr.  Taylor  with  the  title  of  "The  Oliver  Gold- 
smith of  America." 

TAYLOR,  Edmund  Dick,  early  Indian-trader 
and  legislator,  was  born  at  Fairfield  C.  H. ,  Va.. 
Oct.  18,  1803 — the  son  of  a  commissary  in  the 
army  of  the  Revolution,  under  General  Greene, 
and  a  cousin  of  General  (later.  President)  Zachary 
Taylor;  left  his  native  State  in  his  youth  and,  at 
an  early  day,  came  to  Springfield,  III.,  where  he 


52(» 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


opened  an  Indian-trading  post  and  general  store ; 
was  elected  from  Sangamon  Count}-  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Seventh  General  Assembly  (1830) 
and  re-elected  in  1832 — the  latter  year  being  a 
competitor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he 
defeated.  In  1834  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  and,  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislatui'e, 
was  one  of  the  celebrated  "Long  Nine"'  who 
secured  the  removal  of  the  State  Capital  to 
Springfield.  He  resigned  before  the  close  of  lii.s 
term  to  accept,  from  President  Jackson,  the  ap- 
pointment of  Receiver  of  Public  Moneys  at  Chi- 
cago. Here  he  became  one  of  the  pi'omoters  of 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Itailroad  (1837), 
serving  as  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  secure 
subscriptions  of  stock,  and  was  also  active  in 
advocating  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal.  The  title  of  "Colonel,"  by 
which  he  was  known  during  most  of  his  life,  was 
acquired  by  service,  with  that  rank,  on  the  staff 
of  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  during  the  Black  Hawk 
War  of  1832.  After  coming  to  Chicago,  Colonel 
Taylor  became  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Chicago 
branch  of  the  State  Bank,  and  was  later  identified 
with  various  banking  enterprises,  as  also  a  some- 
what extensive  operator  in  real  estate.  An  active 
Democrat  in  the  early  part  of  his  career  in  Illi- 
nois, Colonel  Taylor  was  one  of  the  meml>ers  of 
his  party  to  take  ground  against  the  Kansas-Neb 
raska  bill  in  18.")t,  and  advocated  the  election  of 
General  Bissell  to  the  governorship  in  18.56.  In 
1860  he  was  again  in  line  with  hi.s  party  in  sup- 
port of  Senator  Douglas  for  the  Presidency,  and 
was  an  opponent  of  the  war  polic}'  of  the  Govern- 
ment still  later,  as  shown  by  his  participation  in 
the  celebrated  "Peace  Convention"  at  Spring- 
field, of  June  17,  1863.  In  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  became  extensively  interested  in  coal 
lands  in  La  Salle  and  adjoining  counties,  and, 
for  a  considerable  time,  served  as  President  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  Coal  &  Mining  Company,  his 
home,  during  a  part  of  this  period,  being  at 
Mendota.     Died,  in  Chicago.  Dec,  4,  1891. 

TAYLOKVILLE,  a  city  and  county-seat  of 
Christian  County,  on  the  South  Fork  of  the  Sanga- 
mon River  and  on  the  Wabash  Railway  at  its 
point  of  intersection  with  the  Springfield  Division 
of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern.  It  is 
about  27  miles  southeast  of  Springfield,  and 
28  miles  southwest  of  Decatur.  It  has  several 
banks,  flour  mills,  paper  mill,  electric  light  and 
gas  plants,  water-works,  two  coal  mines,  carriage 
and  wagon  shops,  a  manufactor}-  of  farming 
implements,  two  daily  and  weekly  papers,  nine 
churches  and   five   graded    and    township  high 


schools.     Much  coal   is  mined  in   this  vicinity. 
Pop.  (1890),  2,839;  (1900),  4,348. 

TAZEWELL  COUNTY,  a  central  county  on 
the  Illinois  River;  was  first  settled  in  1823  and 
orgjinizeil  in  1827;  has  an  area  of  650  square  miles 
— was  named  for  Governor  Tazewell  of  Virginia. 
It  is  drained  by  the  Illinois  and  Mackinaw  Rivers 
and  traversed  by  several  lines  of  railway.  The 
surface  is  generally  level,  the  soil  alluvial  and 
rich,  but,  requiring  drainage,  especially  on  the 
river  l)ottoms.  Gravel,  coal  and  .sandstone  are 
found,  but,  generally  speaking,  Tazewell  is  an 
agricultural  county.  The  cereals  are  extensively 
cultivated;  wool  is  also  clipped,  and  there  are 
dairy  interests  of  some  importance.  Distilling  is 
extensively  conducted  at  Pekin.  the  county-seat, 
which  is  also  the  seat  of  other  mechanical  indus- 
tries. (See  also  Pekin.)  Population  of  the 
county  (1880),  29.666;  (1890),  2ti,.>^)6;  (1900),  33,221. 

TEMPLE,  John  Taylor,  .M.D.,  early  Chicago 
physician,  born  in  Virginia  in  1804,  graduated  in 
medicine  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  in  1830,  and, 
in  1833,  arrived  in  Chicago.  At  this  time  he  had 
a  contract  for  carrying  the  United  States  mail 
from  Chicago  to  Fort  Howard,  near  Green  Bay, 
and  the  following  year  undertook  a  similar  con- 
tract between  Chicago  and  Ottawa.  Having  sold 
these  out  three  )-ears  later,  he  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  though 
interested,  for  a  time,  in  contracts  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Dr. 
Temple  was  instrumental  in  erecting  the  first 
house  (after  Rev.  Jesse  Walker's  missionary 
station  at  Wolf  Point),  for  public  religious 
worship  in  Chicago,  and,  although  himself  a 
Baptist,  it  wa.s  used  in  common  by  Prote.stant 
denominations.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Rush  Medical  Q)llege, 
though  lie  later  became  a  convert  to  homeopatiiy, 
and  finally,  removing  to  St.  Louis,  assisted  in 
founding  the  St.  Louis  School  of  Homeopathy, 
dying  there,  F.-b.  24,  1877, 
'tEMKE  ok  office.    (See  Elections.) 

TERHE  H.IUTE,  ALTON  &  ST.  LOUIS 
K.\1LK0AI).  (See  St.  Louis.  Alton  <«■  Terre 
Hnute  Htiilrixtd.) 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  ALTON  RAILROAD  (See 
St.  Louis.  Alton  ct  Terre  Haute  Railroad.) 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  INDIANAPOLIS  RAIL- 
RO.\D,  a  corporation  operating  no  hne  of  its  own 
within  the  State,  but  the  lessee  and  operator  of 
the  following  lines  (which  see):  St.  Ix)uis. 
Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute,  158.3  miles;  Terre 
Haute  &  Peoria,  145.12  miles;  East  St.  Louis 
&  Carondelet,  12.74  miles — total  length  of  leased 


niSTOKK'AL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


521 


lines  in  Illinois,  316.16  miles.  The  Terre  Haute 
&  Indianapolis  Railroad  was  incorporated  in 
Indiana  in  1847,  as  the  Terre  Haute  &  Rich- 
mond, completed  a  line  between  the  points 
named  in  the  title,  in  1852,  and  took  its  present 
name  in  186(5.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  its  stock 
in  1893. 

TERRE  HAUTE  &  PEORIA  RAILROAD, 
(Vandalia  Line),  a  line  of  road  extending  from 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  to  Peoria,  111.,  145.12  miles, 
with  28. 78  miles  of  trackage,  making  in  all  173.9 
miles  in  operation,  all  being  in  Illinois— operated 
by  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  gauge  is  standard,  and  the  rails  are 
steel.  (History.  )  It  was  organized  Feb.  7,  1887, 
successor  to  the  Illinois  Midland  Railroad.  The 
latter  was  made  up  by  the  consolidation  (Nov.  4, 
1874)  of  three  lines:  (1)  The  Peoria,  Atlanta  & 
Decatur  Railroad,  chartered  in  1869  and  opened  in 
1854;  (2)  the  Paris  &  Decatur  Railroad,  chartered 
in  1861  and  opened  in  December,  1872;  and  (3)  the 
Paris  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  chartered  in  1873 
and  opened  in  1874  —  the  consolidated  lines 
assuming  the  name  of  the  Illinois  Midland  Rail- 
road. In  1886  the  Illinois  Midland  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  and,  in  February,  1887,  reorganized 
as  the  Terre  Haute  &  Peoria  Railroad.  In  1892 
it  was  leased  for  ninety-nine  years  to  the  Terre 
Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company,  and  is 
operated  as  a  part  of  the  "Vandalia  System." 
The  capital  stock  (1898)  was  §3,764,200;  funded 
debt,  §2,230,000,— total  capital  invested,  $6,227,- 
481. 

TEUTOPOLIS,  a  village  of  Effingham  County, 
on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad,  4 
miles  east  of  Effingham;  was  originally  settled 
by  a  colony  of  Germans  from  Cincinnati.  Popu- 
lation (1900),  498. 

THOMAS,  Horace  H.,  lawyer  and  legislator, 
was  born  in  Veruicmt,  Dec.  18,  1831,  graduated  at 
Middlebury  College,  and,  after  admission  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  commenced 
practice.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he 
enlisted  and  was  commissioned  Assistant  Ailju- 
tant-General  of  tlie  Army  of  the  Ohio.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  took  up  his  lesidence  in  Ten- 
nessee, serving  as  Quartermaster  upon  the  staif 
of  Governor  Brownlow.  In  1867  he  returned  to 
Chicago  and  resumed  practice.  He  was  elected 
a  Representative  in  the  Legislature  in  1878  and 
re-elected  in  1880,  being  chosen  Speaker  of  the 
House  during  his  latter  term.  In  1888  he  was 
elected  State  Senator  from  the  Sixth  District, 
serving  during  the  sessions  of  the  Thirty-sixth 


and  Thirty-seventh  General  Assemblies.  In 
1897,  General  Thomas  was  appointed  United 
States  Appraiser  in  connection  with  the  Custom 
Hou.se  in  Chicago. 

THOMAS,  Jesse  Burgess,  jurist  and   United 
States  Senator,   was  born   at    Hagerstown,   Md., 
claiming  direct   descent  from   Lord    Baltimore. 
Taken  west  in  childhood,  he  grew  to  manhood 
and  settled  at  Lawrenceburg,  Indiana  Territory, 
in  1803;  in   1805  was  Speaker  of  the  Territorial 
Legislature  and,  later,  represented  the  Territory 
as  Delegate  in  Congress.     On  the  organization  of 
Illinois    Territory   (which    he    had  favored),  he 
removed  to  Kaskaskia,  was  appointed  one  of  the 
first  Judges  for  the  new  Territory,  and,  in  1818, 
as  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County,  presided  over 
the  first  State  Constitutional  Convention,  and,  on 
the  admission  of  the  State,  became  one  of  the 
first  United  States  Senators — Governor  Edwards 
being  his  colleague.     Though  an  avowed  advo- 
cate of  slavery,  he  gained  no  little  prominence 
as  the  author  of  the  celebrated  "Missouri  Com- 
promise," adopted  in  1820.     He  was  re-elected  to 
the  Senate  in  1823,  serving  until  1829.     He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  where 
he  died  by  suicide.   May  4,  1853.— Jesse  Bnrgess 
(Thomas),  Jr.,  ueplievv  of  the  United  States  Sena- 
tor of  the  same  name,  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Ohio, 
July   31,    1800,    was    educated    at    Transylvania 
University,    and,    being    admitted    to    the    bar, 
located  at  Edwardsville,  111.     He  first  appeared 
in  connection  with  pubUc  affairs  as  Secretary  of 
the  State  Senate  in  1830,  being  re-elected  in  1832 ; 
in  1834  was  elected  Representative  in  the  General 
Assembly  from  Madison  County,  but,  in  Febru- 
ary following,  was  appointed  Attorney-General, 
serving  only  one  year.     He  afterwards  held  the 
position  of  Circuit  Judge  (1837-39),  his  home  being 
then  in  Springfield;  in  1843  he  became   Associ- 
ate Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  by  appointment 
of  the  Governor,  as  successor  to  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, and  was   afterwards    elected    to  the    same 
office  by  the  Legislature,   remaining  until  1848. 
During  a  part  of  his  professional  career  he  was 
the  partner  of  David  Prickett  and  William  L. 
May,  at  Springfield,  and  afterwards  a  member  of 
the   Galena   bar,    finally   removing   to   Chicago, 
where  he  died,  Feb.  21,  18.50.— Jesse  B,  (Thomas) 
tliird,  clergyman  and  son  of  the  last  named ;  born 
at  Edwardsville,  111.,  July  29,  1832;  educated  at 
Kenyon  College,   Ohio,   and    Rochester    (N.   Y.) 
Theological  Seminary ;  practiced  law  for  a  time 
in  Chicago,  but  finally  entered  the  Baptist  minis- 
try, serving  churches  at  Waukegan,  111.,  Brook- 
lyn, N.   Y.,  and    San    Francisco    (1862-69).     He 


523 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


then  became  pastor  of  the  Michigan  Avenue  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  Chicago,  remaining  until  1874, 
when  he  returned  to  Brooklyn.  In  1887  he 
became  Professor  of  Biblical  History  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Newton,  Mass.,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  is  the  author  of  several 
volumes,  and,  in  1866,  received  the  degree  of  D.D. 
from  the  old  University  of  Chicago. 

THOMAS,  John,  pioneer  and  soldier  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  was  lx>rn  in  Wythe  County, 
Va.,  Jan.  11,  1800.  At  the  age  of  18  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  where 
the  family  located  in  what  was  then  called  the 
Alexander  settlement,  near  the  present  site  of 
Shiloh.  When  he  was  22  he  rented  a  farm 
(although  he  had  not  enough  money  to  buy  a 
horse)  and  married.  Six  years  later  he  bought 
and  stocked  a  farm,  and,  from  that  time  forward, 
rapidly  accumulated  real  property,  until  he 
became  one  of  the  most  extensive  owners  of  farm- 
ing land  in  St.  Clair  County.  In  early  life  he 
was  fond  of  military  exercise,  holding  various 
offices  in  local  organizations  and  serving  as  a 
Colonel  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  In  1824  he  was 
one  of  the  leaders  of  tlio  party  opposed  to  the 
amendment  of  tlie  State  Constitution  to  sanction 
slavery,  was  a  zealous  opponent  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill  in  18.54,  and  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party  from  the  date  of  its  formation. 
He  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1838,  '62,  '64,  "72  and  '74;  and  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1878,  serving  four  years  in  the 
latter  body.  Died,  at  Belleville,  Dec.  16,  1894,  in 
the  95th  year  of  his  age. 

THOMAS,  John  R.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
at  Moimt  Vernon,  111.,  Oct.  11,  1846.  He  served 
in  the  Union  Army  during  the  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, rising  from  the  ranks  to  a  captaincy.  After 
his  return  home  he  studied  law,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1869.  From  1872  to  1876  he  was 
State's  Attorney,  and.  from  1879  to  1889,  repre- 
sented his  District  in  Congress.  In  1897,  Mr. 
Thomas  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley 
an  additional  United  States  District  Judge  for 
Indian  Territory.  His  home  is  now  at  Yanita, 
in  that  Territory. 

THOMAS,  William,  pioneer  lawyer  and  legis- 
lator, was  born  in  what  is  now  Allen  County, 
Ky.,  Nov.  22,  1802;  received  a  rudimentary  edu- 
cation, and  served  as  deputy  of  his  father  (who 
was  Sheriff),  and  afterwards  of  the  County  Clerk ; 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1823 ; 
in  1826  removed  to  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he 
taught  school,  served  as  a  private  in  the  Winne- 
bago War   (1827),  and  at  the  session  of  1828-29, 


reported  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly for  -'The  Vaudalia  Intelligencer"  ;  wasState's 
Attorney  and  School  Commissioner  of  Morgan 
County ;  served  as  Quartermaster  and  Commis- 
sary in  the  Black  Hawk  War  (1831-32),  first  under 
Gen.  Joseph  Duncan  and,  a  year  later,  under 
General  Whiteside ;  in  1839  was  appointed  Circuit 
Judge,  but  legislated  out  of  office  two  years  later. 
It  was  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  however, 
that  he  gained  the  greatest  prominence,  first  as 
State  Senator  in  1834-40,  and  Representative  in 
1846-48  and  1850-52,  when  he  was  especially  influ- 
ential in  the  legislation  which  resulted  in  estab- 
lishing the  institutions  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb 
and  the  Blind,  and  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
(the  first  in  the  State)  at  Jacksonville— serving, 
for  a  time,  as  a  member  of  the  Boaril  of  Trustees 
of  the  latter.  He  was  also  prominent  in  connec- 
tion with  many  enterprises  of  a  local  character, 
including  the  estaljlishment  of  the  Illinois  Female 
College,  to  which,  although  without  children  of 
his  own,  he  was  a  liberal  contributor.  During 
the  first  year  of  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Army  Auditors  by  ajipointment  of  Gov- 
ernor Yates.  Died,  at  Jacksonville,  August  22, 
1889. 

THORNTON,  Anthony,  jurist,  was  born  in 
Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Nov.  9,  1814 — being 
descended  from  a  Virginia  family.  After  the 
usual  primary  instruction  in  the  common  schools, 
he  spent  two  years  in  a  high  school  at  Gallatin, 
Tenn.,  when  he  entered  Centre  College  at  Dan- 
ville, Ky.,  afterwards  continuing  his  studies  at 
Miami  Universitj',  Ohio,  where  he  graduated  in 
1834.  Having  studied  law  with  an  uncle  at 
Paris,  Ky.,  he  was  licensed  to  practice  in  1836, 
when  he  left  liLs  native  State  with  a  view  to  set- 
tling in  Missouri,  but,  visiting  his  uncle.  Gen. 
William  F.  Thornton,  at  Shelby ville.  111.,  was 
induced  to  establish  him.self  in  practice  there. 
He  served  as  a  memter  of  the  State  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1862,  and  as  Represent- 
ative in  the  Seventeenth  General  Assembly 
(1850-52)  for  Shelby  County.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  to  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress,  and,  in 
1870,  to  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court,  but  served 
only  until  1873,  when  he  resigned.  In  1879 
Judge  Thornton  removed  to  Decatur,  111.,  but 
subsequently  returned  to  Shelbyville,  where 
(1898)  he  now  resiiles. 

THORNTON,  WiUiam  FItzhngh,  Commissioner 
of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  was  born  in 
Hanover  County,  Va.,  Oct.  4,  1789;  in  1806,  went 
to  Alexandria,  Ya.,  where  he  conducted  a  drug 
business    for    a    time,   al.so    acting   as  associate 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


523 


editor  of  "The  Alexandria  Gazette."  Subse- 
quently removing  to  Washington  City,  he  con- 
ducted a  paper  there  in  the  interest  of  John 
Quincy  Adams  for  tlie  Presidency.  During  the 
War  of  1812-14  he  served  as  a  Captain  of  cavahj', 
and,  for  a  time,  as  staff-officer  of  General  Winder. 
On  occasion  of  the  visit  of  Marquis  La  Fayette  to 
America  (1824-25)  he  accompanied  the  distin- 
guished Frenchman  from  Baltimore  to  Rich- 
mond. In  1829  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  and, 
in  1833,  to  Slielbyville,  111.,  where  he  soon  after 
engaged  in  mercantile  business,  to  which  he 
added  a  banking  and  brokerage  business  in  18.59, 
with  which  he  was  actively  associated  until  his 
death.  In  1836,  he  was  appointed,  by  Governor 
Duncan,  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal,  serving  as  President  of  the' 
Board  until  1842.  In  1840,  he  made  a  visit  to 
London,  as  financial  agent  of  the  State,  in  the 
interest  of  the  Canal,  and  succeeded  in  making  a 
sale  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of  81,000,000  on  what 
were  then  considered  favorable  terms.  General 
Thornton  was  an  ardent  Whig  until  tlie  organi- 
zation of  the  Republican  party,  when  he  became 
a  Democrat.  Died,  at  Shelbyville,  Oct.  21, 
1873. 

TILLSON,  John,  pioneer,  was  born  at  Halifa.x, 
Mass.,  March  13,  1796;  came  to  Illinois  in  1819, 
locating  at  Hillsboro,  Montgomery  County,  where 
he  became  a  prominent  and  enterprising  operator 
in  real  estate,  doing  a  large  business  for  eastern 
parties;  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hillsboro 
Academy  and  an  influential  and  liberal  friend  of 
Illinois  College,  being  a  Trustee  of  the  latter 
from  its  establishment  until  his  death ;  was  sup- 
ported in  the  Legislature  of  1827  for  State  Treas- 
urer, but  defeated  by  James  Hall.  Died,  at 
Peoria,  May  11,  18o3.— Christiana  Holmes  (Till- 
son),  wife  of  the  preceding,  was  born  at  Kingston, 
Mass.,  Oct.  10,  1798;  married  to  John  Tillson  in 
1822,  and  immediateh'  came  to  Illinois  to  reside; 
was  a  woman  of  rare  culture  and  refinement,  and 
deeply  interested  in  benevolent  enterprises. 
Died,  in  New  York  City,  May  29,  1872.— Charles 
Holmes  (Tillson),  son  of  John  and  Christiana 
Holmes  Tillson,  was  born  at  Hillsboro,  111.,  Sept. 
15,  1823;  educated  at  Hillsboro  Academy  and 
Illinois  College,  gi'aduating  from  the  latter  in 
1844;  studied  law  in  St.  Louis  and  at  Transyl- 
vania University,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  St. 
Louis  and  practiced  there  some  years — also  served 
several  terms  in  the  City  Council,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  National  Guard  of  Missouri  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  Died,  Nov.  25,  1865.— 
John    (Tillson),   Jr.,  another   son,   was   born  at 


Hillsboro,  111.,  Oct.  12,  1825;  educated  at  Hills- 
boro Academy  and  Illinois  College,  but  did  not 
graduate  from  the  latter;  graduated  from  Tran- 
sylvania Law  School,  Ky.,  in  1847,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Quincy,  111.,  the  same 
year;  practiced  two  years  at  Galena,  when  he 
returned  to  Quincy.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the 
Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  became  its 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  on  the  promotion  of  C'i>l.  J.  D. 
Morgan  to  Brigadier-General,  was  advanced  to 
the  colonelcy,  and,  in  July,  1865,  was  mustered 
out  with  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General ; 
for  two  years  later  held  a  commission  as  Captain 
in  the  regular  army.  During  a  portion  of  1869-70 
he  was  editor  of  "The  Quincy  Whig";  in  1873 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Twenty -eighth 
General  Assembly  to  succeed  Nehemiah  Bushnell, 
who  had  died  in  office,  and,  during  the  same  year, 
was  appointed  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for 
the  Quincy  District,  serving  until  1881.  Died, 
August  6,  1892. 

TILLSON,  Robert,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Hali- 
fax County,  Mass.,  August  12,  1800;  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1822,  and  was  employed,  for  several  years, 
as  a  clerk  in  the  land  agency  of  his  brother,  John 
Tillson,  at  Hillsboro.  In  1826  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  with  Charles  Holmes,  Jr.,  in 
St.  Louis,  but,  in  1828,  removed  to  Quincy,  111., 
where  he  opened  the  first  general  store  in  that 
city;  also  served  as  Postmaster  for  some  ten 
years  During  this  period  he  built  the  first  two- 
story  frame  building  erected  in  Quincy,  up  to 
that  date.  Retiring  from  the  mercantile  business 
in  1840  he  engaged  in  real  estate,  ultimately 
becoming  the  proprietor  of  considerable  property 
of  this  character ;  was  also  a  contractor  for  fur- 
nishing cavalry  accouterments  to  the  Government 
during  the  war.  Soon  after  the  war  he  erected 
one  of  the  handsomest  business  blocks  existing 
in  the  city  at  that  time.  Died,  in  Quincy,  Dec. 
27,  1892. 

TINCHER,  John  L.,  banker,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1821 ;  brought  by  his  parents  to  Vermil- 
ion County,  Ind.,  in  1829,  and  left  an  orphan  at 
17;  attended  school  in  Coles  County,  111,  and 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Danville, 
1843-5.3.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Tincher  &  Englisli,  merchants,  later  establish- 
ing a  bank,  which  became  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Danville.  In  1864  Mr.  Tincher  was 
elected  Representative  in  the  Twenty-fourth 
General  Assembly  and,  two  years  later,  to  the 
Senate,  being  reelected  in  1870.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1869-70.     Died,  in  Springfield,  Dec.   17,   1871, 


524 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


while  in  attendance  on  the  adjourned  session  of 
that  year. 

TIPTON,  Thomas  F.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  Ohio,  August  29,  1833; 
has  been  a  resident  of  McLean  County,  111.,  from 
the  age  of  10  years,  his  present  home  being  at 
Bloomington.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1807.  and,  from  January,  1807,  to  December,  1868, 
was  State's  Attorney  for  the  Eighth  Judicial 
Circuit.  In  1870  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
same  circuit,  and  under  the  new  Constitution, 
was  chosen  Judge  of  the  new  Fourteenth  Circuit. 
From  1877  to  1879  he  represented  the  (then) 
Thirteenth  Illinois  District  in  Congress,  but,  in 
1878,  was  defeated  by  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  the 
Democratic  nominee.  In  1891  he  was  re-elected 
to  a  seat  on  the  Circuit  bench  for  the  Bloomington 
Circuit,  but  resumed  practice  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term  in  1897. 

TISKILWA,  a  village  of  Rureau  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  A  Pacilic  Railway,  7  miles 
southwest  of  Print^eton;  has  creameries  and 
cheese  factories,  churches,  scliool,  library,  water- 
works, bank  and  a  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  96.5. 

TODD,  (Col.)  John,  soldier,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Pa.,  in  1750;  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  Va.,  in  1774,  as  Adju- 
tant-General of  General  Lewis;  settled  as  a 
lawyer  at  Fincastle,  Va. ,  and,  in  177.5,  removed 
to  Fayette  Count}-,  Ky.,  the  next  year  locating 
near  Lexington.  He  was  one  of  the  first  two 
Delegates  from  Kentucky  County  to  the  Virginia 
House  of  Burgesses,  and,  in  1778,  accompanied 
Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  on  his  expedition 
against  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1778,  lie  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Patrick 
Henry,  Lieutenant  Commandant  of  Illinois 
County,  embracing  the  region  northwest  of  the 
Ohio  River,  serving  two  j-ears;  in  1780,  was  again 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  where  he 
procured  grants  of  land  for  public  schools  and 
introduced  a  bill  for  negro-emancipation.  He 
was  killed  by  Indians,  at  the  battle  of  Blue 
Licks,  Ky.,  August  19,  1782. 

TODD,  (Dr.)  John,  physician,  born  near  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  April  27,  1787,  was  one  of  the  earli- 
est graduates  of  Transylvania  University,  also 
graduating  at  the  Medical  University  of  Pliila- 
delphia ;  was  appointed  Surgeon-General  of  Ken- 
tucky troops  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  captured  at 
tne  l)attle  of  River  Raisin.  Returning  to  Lex- 
ington after  his  release,  lie  practiced  there  and 
at  Bardstown,  removed  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  in 
1817,  and,  in  1827,  to  Springfield,  where  he  had 
been  appointed  Register  of  the  Land  Office  by 


President  John  Quiucy  Adams,  but  was  removed 
by  Jackson  in  1829.  Dr.  Todd  continued  to  reside 
at  Springfield  until  his  death,  which  occurred, 
Jan.  9,  1805.  He  was  a  grandson  of  John  Todd, 
who  was  appointed  Commandant  of  Illinois 
County  by  Gov.  Patrick  Henry  in  1778,  and  an 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Abraham  Lincoln.— John  Hhiir 
Smith  (Todd),  son  of  the  i)receding,  was  born  at 
Lexington,  Ky.,  April  4,  1814;  came  with  his 
father  to  Illinois  iu  1817;  graduated  at  the  United 
States  Military  Academy  in  1837,  serving  after- 
wards in  the  Florida  and  Mexican  wars  and  on 
the  frontier;  resigned,  and  was  an  Indian-trader 
in  Dakota,  1856-61 ;  the  latter  year,  took  his 
seat  as  a  Delegate  in  Congress  from  Dakota, 
then  served  as  Brigadier-General  of  Volun- 
teers, 1801-02;  was  again  Delegate  in  Congress 
in  1803-05,  Speaker  of  the  Dakota  Legislature 
in  1867,  and  Governor  of  the  Territory,  1869-71. 
Died,  at  Yankton  City,  Jan.  5,  1872. 

TOLKDO,  a  village  and  the  county-seat  of 
Cuiiilierland  I'ounty,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road; founded  in  1854;  has  five  churches,  a  graded 
school,  two  banks,  creamery.  Hour  mill,  elevator, 
and  two  weekly  newspapers.  There  are  no  manu- 
factories, the  leading  industry  in  the  surrounding 
country  being  agriculture.  Pop.  (1890),  676; 
(1900),  818. 

TOLEDO,  CIXCINXATI  &  ST.  LOUIS  RAIL- 
KOAD.  (.See  Toledo.  St.  Loui.i  <£•  Kaii.i<i.<i  Cit} 
liailronil.) 

TOLEDO,  PEOKIA  A:  WARSAW  KAILItOAD. 
(See  Tiihih).  Piorio  A-  Westirii  Riiiliniy  ) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WESTERN  RAILROAD. 
(See  Toltilo.  Peoria  tt  We.itrni  Pailiraij  ) 

TOLEDO,  PEORIA  &  WESTERN  RAILWAY, 
'  a  line  of  railroad  wholly  within  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, extending  from  Effner.  at  the  Indiana  State 
line,  west  to  the  Mis.sissippi  River  at  Warsaw. 
The  length  of  the  whole  line  is  230.7  miles,  owned 
entirely  by  tlie  company.  It  is  made  up  of  a 
division  from  Ellner  to  Peoria  (110  9  miles) — 
which  is  practically  an  air-line  throughout  nearly 
its  entire  length — and  the  Peori;i  and  Warsaw 
Division  (108.8  miles)  with  branches  from  La 
Harpe  to  Iowa  Junction  (10.4  miles)  and  0.6  of  a 
mile  connecting  with  the  Keokuk  bridge  at 
Hamilton.— (History.)  The  Original  charter  for 
this  line  was  granted,  in  1803,  under  the  name  of 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railroad ;  the  main 
line  was  completed  in  1868,  and  the  La  Harpe  & 
Iowa  Junction  branch  in  1873.  Default  was 
made  in  1873,  the  road  sold  under  foreclosure,  in 
1880,  and  reorganized  as  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
Western  Railroad,  and  the  Une  leased  for  49^ 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


0^0 


years  to  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway 
Company.  The  latter  defaulted  in  July,  1884, 
and,  a  year  later,  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western 
was  transferred  to  trustees  for  the  first  mortgage 
bond-holders,  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in 
October,  1886,  and,  in  March,  1887,  the  present 
company,  under  the  name  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria 
&  Western  Railway  Company,  was  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  over  the  property.  In  1893 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  obtained  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  stock,  and,  in  1894,  an 
agreement,  for  joint  ownership  and  management, 
was  entered  into  between  that  corporation  and 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  total  capitalization,  in  1898,  was 
§9,712,433,  of  which  $4,076,900  was  in  stock  and 
§4,895,000  in  bonds. 

TOLEDO,  ST.  LOUIS  &  KANSAS  CITY  RAIL- 
ROAD. This  line  crosses  the  State  in  a  northeast 
direction  from  East  St.  Louis  to  Humrick,  near 
the  Indiana  State  line,  with  Toledo  as  its  eastern 
terminus.  The  length  of  the  entire  line  is  450.73 
miles,  of  whicli  1~9V2  miles  are  operated  in  Illi- 
nois.— (History.)  The  Illinois  portion  of  the 
line  grew  out  of  the  union  of  charters  granted  to 
the  Tuscola,  Charleston  &  Vincennes  and  the 
Charleston,  Neoga  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  Com- 
panies, which  were  consolidated  in  1881  with 
certain  Indiana  lines  under  the  name  of  the 
Toledo,  Cincinnati  &  St.  Louis  Railroad.  During 
1883  a  narrow-gauge  road  was  constructed  from 
Ridge  Farm,  in  Vermilion  County,  to  East  St. 
Louis  (172  miles).  In  1885  this  was  sold  under 
foreclosure  and,  in  June,  1886,  consolidated  with 
the  main  line  under  the  name  of  the  Toledo,  St. 
Louis  &  Kansas  City  Railroad.  The  whole  line 
was  changed  to  standard  gauge  in  1887-89,  and 
otherwise  materially  improved,  but,  in  1893, 
went  into  the  hands  of  receivers.  Plans  of  re- 
organization have  been  under  consideration,  but 
the  receivers  were  still  in  control  in  1898. 

TOLEDO,  WABASH  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD.    (See  Wabash  Railroad.) 

TOLONO,  a  city  in  Champaign  County,  .situ- 
ated at  the  intersection  of  the  Wabasli  and  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroads,  9  miles  south  of  Cham- 
paign and  37  miles  east-northeast  of  Decatur.  It 
is  the  business  center  of  a  prosperous  agricultural 
resrion.  The  town  has  five  churches,  a  graded 
school,  a  bank,  a  button  factory,  an<l  a  weekly 
newspaper.  Population  (1880),  905;  (1890),  903; 
(1900}.  845. 

TONIC.l,  a  village  of  La  Salle  County,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railway,  9  miles  south  of  La  Salle ; 
the  district  is  agricultural,  but  the  place  has  sQme 


manufactures  and  a  newspaper.  Population 
(1890),  473;  (1900),  497. 

TONTY,  Chevalier  Henry  de,  e.xplorer  and  sol- 
dier, born  at  Gaeta,  Italy,  about  1650  What  is 
now  known  as  the  Tontine  system  of  insurance 
undoubtedly  originated  with  his  father.  The 
younger  Tont)'  was  adventurous,  and,  even  as  a 
youth,  took  jj^rt  in  numerous  land  and  naval 
encounters.  In  the  course  of  his  experience  he 
lost  a  hand,  which  was  replaced  by  an  iron  or 
copper  substitute.  He  embarked  with  La  Salle 
in  1678,  antl  aided  in  the  construction  of  a  fort  at 
Niagara.  He  advanced  into  the  country  of  the 
Illinois  and  established  friendly  relations  with 
them,  only  to  witness  the  defeat  of  his  putative 
savage  allies  by  the  Iroquois.  After  various 
encovmters  (chiefly  under  the  direction  of  La 
Salle)  with  the  Indians  in  Illinois,  he  returned 
to  Green  Bay  in  1681.  The  same  year — under  La 
Salle's  orders — he  began  the  erection  of  Fort  St. 
Louis,  on  what  is  now  called  "Starved  Rock"  in 
La  Salle  County.  In  1683  he  descended  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  its  mouth,  with  La  Salle,  but  was 
ordered  back  to  Mackinaw  for  assistance.  In 
1684  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  successfully 
repulsed  the  Iroquois  from  Fort  St.  Louis.  In 
1686  he  again  descended  the  Mississippi  in  search 
of  La  Salle.  Disheartened  by  the  death  of  his 
commander  and  the  loss  of  his  early  comrades, 
he  took  up  his  residence  with  the  Illinois  Indians. 
Among  them  he  was  found  by  Iberville  in  1700, 
as  a  hunter  and  fur-trader.  He  died,  in  Mobile, 
in  September,  1704.  He  was  La  Salle's  most  effi- 
cient coadjutor,  and  next  to  his  ill-fated  leader, 
did  more  than  any  other  of  the  early  French 
explorers  to  make  Illinois  known  to  the  civilized 
world. 

TOPOGRAPHY.  IlUuois  is,  generally  speak- 
ing, an  elevated  table-land.  If  low  water  at 
Cairo  be  adopted  as  the  maximum  depression,  and 
the  summits  of  the  two  ridges  hereinafter  men- 
tioned as  the  highest  points  of  elevation,  the  alti- 
tude of  this  table  land  above  the  sea-level  varies 
from  300  to  850  feet,  the  mean  elevation  being 
about  600  feet.  The  State  has  no  mountain 
chains,  and  its  few  hills  are  probably  the  result 
of  unequal  denudation  during  the  drift  epoch. 
In  some  localities,  particularly  in  the  valley  of 
the  upper  Mississippi,  the  streams  have  cut 
channels  from  200  to  300  feet  deep  through  the 
nearly  horizontal  strata,  and  here  are  found  pre- 
cipitous scarps,  but,  for  the  most  part,  the 
fundamental  rocks  are  covered  by  a  thick  layer 
of  detrital  material.  In  the  northwest  there  is  a 
broken  tract  of  uneven  ground;  the  central  por- 


526 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


tion  of  the  State  is  almost  wholly  flat  prairie, 
and,  in  the  alluvial  lands  in  the  State,  there  are 
many  deep  valleys,  eroded  by  the  action  of 
streams.  The  surface  generally  slopes  toward 
the  .south  and  southwest,  but  the  uniformity  is 
broken  by  two  ridges,  which  cross  the  State,  one 
in  eitlier  extremity.  The  northern  ridge  crosses 
the  Rock  River  at  Grand  Detour  jind  the  Illinois 
at  Split  Rock,  with  an  extreme  altitude  of  800  to 
8.50  feet  above  sea  level,  though  the  altitude  of 
Mount  Morris,  in  Ogle  County,  exceeds  900  feet. 
That  in  the  south  consists  of  a  range  of  hills  in 
the  latitude  of  Jonesboro.  and  extending  from 
Shawneetown  to  Grand  Tower.  These  hills  are 
also  about  800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean. 
The  highest  point  in  the  State  is  in  Jo  Daviess 
County,  just  south  of  the  Wisconsin  State  line 
(near  Scale's  Mound)  reaching  an  elevation  of 
1,257  feet  above  sealevel,  while  the  highest  in 
the  south  is  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Pope 
County — 1.046  feet — a  spur  of  the  Ozark  moun- 
tains. The  following  statistics  regarding  eleva- 
tions are  taken  from  a  report  of  Prof.  C.  W. 
Rolfe,  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  based  on 
observations  made  under  the  auspices  of  tlie  Illi- 
nois Board  of  World's  Fair  Commissioners:  The 
lowest  gauge  of  the  Ohio  river,  at  its  mouth 
(above  sea-level),  is  268.58  feet,  and  the  mean 
level  of  Lake  Michigan  at  Chicago  581.28  feet. 
The  altitudes  of  a  few  prominent  points  are  as 
follows:  Highest  point  in  Jackson  County,  695 
feet;  "Bald  Knob"  in  Union  County,  985:  high- 
est point  in  Cook  County  (Barrington),  818;  in  La 
Salle  County  (Mendota),  747;  in  Livingston 
(Strawn),  770;  in  Will  (Monee),  804;  in  Pike 
(Arden),  790;  in  Lake  (Lake  Zurich),  880;  in 
Bureau,  910;  in  Boone,  1,010;  in  Lee  (Carnahan), 
1,017;  in  Stephenson  (Waddam's  Grove),  1,018; 
in  Kane  (Briar  Hill).  974;  in  Winnebago,  985. 
The  elevations  of  important  towns  are :  Peoria, 
465;  Jacksonville,  603;  Springfield,  596;  Gales- 
burg,  755;  Joliet,  537;  Rockford,  728;  Blooming- 
ton,  821.  Outside  of  the  immediate  valleys  of 
the  streams,  and  a  few  isolated  groves  or  copses, 
little  timber  is  found  in  the  northern  and  central 
portions  of  the  State,  and  such  growth  as  there 
is,  lacks  the  thriftiness  characteristic  of  the  for- 
ests in  the  Ohio  valley.  These  forests  cover  a 
belt  extending  some  sixty  miles  north  of  Cairo, 
and,  while  they  generally  include  few  coniferous 
trees,  they  ahound  in  various  species  of  oak, 
black  and  white  walnut,  white  and  yellow  pop- 
lar, ash,  elm,  sugar-maple,  linden,  honey  locust, 
Cottonwood,  mu!be^r3^  sycamore,  pecan,  persim- 
mon, and  ( in  the  immediate  valley  of  the  Ohio) 


the  cypress.  From  a  commercial  point  of  view, 
Illinois  loses  notliing  through  the  lack  of  timber 
over  three-fourths  of  the  State's  area.  Chicago 
is  an  accessible  market  for  the  product  of  the 
forests  of  the  upper  lakes,  so  that  the  supplj'  of 
lumber  is  ample,  while  extensive  coalfields  sup- 
ply abundant  fuel.  The  rich  soil  of  the  prairies, 
with  its  abundance  of  organic  matter  (see  Geo- 
logical Format  ions),  more  than  compensates  for 
the  want  of  pine  forests,  wliose  .soil  is  ill  adapted 
to  agriculture.  About  two-thirds  of  the  entire 
bound.iry  of  the  State  consists  of  navigable 
waters.  These,  with  their  tributary  streams, 
ensure  sufficient  drainage. 

TORRENS  L.VND  TITLE  SYSTEM.  A  system 
for  the  registration  of  titles  to,  and  incumbrances 
upon,  land,  as  well  as  transfers  thereof,  intended 
to  remove  all  unnecessary  obstructions  to  the 
cheap,  simple  and  safe  sale,  acquisition  and 
transfer  of  realty.  The  system  has  been  in  suc- 
cessful operation  in  Canada,  Australia,  New  Zea- 
land and  British  Columbia  for  many  years,  and 
it  is  also  in  force  in  some  States  in  the  American 
Union.  An  act  providing  for  its  introduction 
into  Illinois  was  first  pa.ssed  bj'  the  Twenty- 
ninth  General  Assembly,  and  approved,  June  13, 
1895.  The  final  legislation  in  reference  thereto 
was  enacted  by  the  succeeding  Legislature,  and 
was  apijroved.  May  1,  1897.  It  is  far  more  elabo- 
rate in  its  consideration  of  details,  and  is  believed 
to  be,  in  many  respects,  much  better  adapted  to 
accomplish  the  ends  in  view,  than  was  the  origi- 
nal act  of  1895.  The  law  is  applicable  only  to 
counties  of  the  first  and  second  class,  and  can  be 
adopted  in  no  county  except  by  a  vote  of  a 
majority  of  the  qualified  voters  of  the  same — the 
vote  "for"'  or  "against  "  to  be  taken  at  either  the 
November  or  April,  elections,  or  at  an  election 
for  the  choice  of  Judges.  Thus  far  the  only 
county  to  adopt  the  system  has  been  Cook,  and 
there  it  encountered  strong  oi)position  on  the 
part  of  certain  parties  of  influence  and  wealth. 
After  its  adoption,  a  test  ca.se  was  brought,  rais- 
ing the  question  of  the  constitutionality  of  the 
act.  The  issue  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
which  tribunal  finally  upheld  the  law. — The 
Torrens  system  substitutes  a  certificate  of  regis- 
tration and  of  transfer  for  the  more  elaborate 
deeds  and  mortgages  in  use  for  centuries.  Under 
it  there  can  be  no  actual  transfer  of  a  title  vmtil 
the  same  is  entered  upon  the  public  land  regis- 
ter, kept  in  the  office  of  the  Registrar,  in  which 
case  the  deed  or  mortgage  becomes  a  mere  power 
of  attorney  to  authorize  the  transfer  to  be  made, 
upon  the  principle  of  an  ordinary  stock  transfer. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


cor* 


or  of  the  registration  of  a  United  States  bond, 
the  actual  transfer  and  public  notice  thereof 
being  simultaneous.  A  brief  synopsis  of  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Illinois  statute  is  given  below: 
Recorders  of  deeds  are  made  Registrars,  and 
required  to  give  bonds  of  either  $50,000  or  §200,- 
000,  according  to  the  population  of  the  county. 
Any  person  or  corporation,  having  an  interest  in 
land,  may  make  application  to  any  court  having 
chancery  jurisdiction,  to  have  his  title  thereto 
registered.  Such  application  must  be  in  writ- 
ing, signed  and  verified  bj-  oath,  and  must  con- 
form, in  matters  of  specification  and  detail,  with 
the  requirements  of  the  act.  The  court  may  refer 
the  application  to  one  of  the  standing  examiners 
appointed  by  the  Registrar,  who  are  required  to 
be  competent  attorneys  and  to  give  bond  to  ex- 
amine into  the  title,  as  well  as  the  truth  of  the 
applicant's  statements.  Immediately  upon  the 
filing  of  the  application,  notice  thereof  is  given 
by  the  clerk,  through  publication  and  the  issuance 
of  a  summons  to  be  served,  as  in  other  proceed- 
ings in  chancery,  against  all  persons  mentioned 
in  the  petition  as  having  or  claiming  any  inter- 
est in  the  property  described.  An}'  person  inter- 
ested, whether  named  as  a  defendant  or  not,  may 
enter  an  appearance  within  the  time  allowed.  A 
failure  to  enter  an  appearance  is  regarded  as  a 
confession  by  default.  The  court,  in  passing 
upon  the  application,  is  in  no  case  bound  by  the 
examiner's  report,  but  may  require  other  and 
further  proof ;  an<l,  in  its  final  adjudication,  passes 
upon  all  questions  of  title  and  incumbrance, 
directing  the  Registrar  to  register  the  title  in  the 
party  in  whom  it  is  to  be  vested,  and  making 
provision  as  to  the  manner  and  order  in  which 
incumbrances  thereon  shall  appear  upon  the 
certificate  to  be  issued.  An  appeal  may  bo 
allowed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  if  prayed  at  the 
time  of  entering  the  decree,  upon  like  terms  as 
in  other  cases  in  chancery;  and  a  writ  of  error 
may  be  sued  out  from  that  tribunal  within  two 
years  after  the  entry  of  the  order  or  decree. 
The  period  last  mentioned  may  be  said  to  be  the 
statutory  period  of  limitation,  after  which  the 
decree  of  the  court  must  be  regarded  as  final, 
although  .safeguards  are  provided  for  those  who 
may  have  been  defrauded,  and  for  a  few  other 
cla.sses  of  persons  Upon  the  filing  of  the  order 
or  decree  of  the  court,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the 
Registrar  to  issue  a  certificate  of  title,  the  form 
oi  which  is  prescribed  by  the  act,  making  such 
notations  at  the  end  as  shall  show  and  preserve 
the  priorities  of  all  estates,  mortgages,  incum- 
brances and  changes  to  which  the  owner's  title  is 


subject.  For  the  purpo.se  of  preserving  evidence 
of  the  owner's  handwriting,  a  receipt  for  the 
certificate,  duly  witnessed  or  acknowledged,  is 
required  of  him,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Regis- 
trar's office.  In  case  any  registered  owner 
should  desire  to  transfer  the  whole  or  any  part  of 
his  estate,  or  any  interest  therein,  he  is  required 
to  execute  a  conveyance  to  the  transferee,  which, 
together  with  the  certificate  of  title  last  issued, 
must  be  surrendered  to  the  Registrar.  That 
official  thereupon  i-ssues  a  new  certificate,  stamp- 
ing the  v.oTd  "cancelled"  across  the  surrendered 
certificate,  as  well  as  upon  the  corresponding 
entrj-  in  his  books  of  record.  'When  land  is  first 
brought  within  the  operation  of  the  act,  the 
receiver  of  the  certificate  of  title  is  required  to 
pay  to  the  Registrar  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent  of 
the  value  of  the  land,  the  aggregate  so  received 
to  be  deposited  with  and  invested  by  the  County 
Treasurer,  and  reserved  as  an  indemnity  fund 
for  the  reimbursement  of  persons  sustaining  any 
loss  through  any  omission,  mistake  or  malfea- 
sance of  the  Registrar  or  his  subordinates.  The 
advantage  claimed  for  the  Torrens  system  is, 
chiefly,  that  titles  registered  thereunder  can  be 
dealt  with  more  safely,  quickly  and  inexpensively 
than  under  the  old  system ;  it  being  possible  to 
close  the  entire  transaction  within  an  hour  or 
two,  without  the  need  of  an  abstract  of  title, 
while  (as  the  law  is  administered  in  Cook  County) 
the  cost  of  transfer  is  only  $.3.  It  is  asserted  that 
a  title,  once  registered,  can  be  dealt  with  almost 
as  quickly  and  cheaxjly.  and  quite  as  safely,  as 
shares  of  stock  or  registered  bonds. 

TOULON,  the  county -seat  of  Stark  County,  on 
the  Peoria  &  Rock  Island  Railroad,  37  miles  north- 
northwest  of  Peoria,  and  11  miles  southeast  of 
Galva.  Besides  the  county  court-house,  the  town 
has  five  churches  and  a  high  school,  an  academy, 
steam  granite  works,  two  banks,  and  two  weekly 
paper.s.  Population  (1S80),  967;  (IS90),  945;  (1900), 
1,0.57. 

TOWER  HILL,  a  village  of  Shelby  County,  on 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati.  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
and  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern  Rail- 
roads, 7  miles  east  of  Pana;  has  bank,  grain  ele- 
vators, and  coal  mine.     Pop.  (1900),  615. 

TOWNSHEND.  Richard  W.,  lawyer  and  Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Prince  George's  Count}'. 
Md.,  April  30,  1840.  Between  the  ages  of  10 
and  18  he  attended  public  and  private  schools 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  In  1858  he  came  to 
Illinois,  where  he  began  teaching,  at  the  same 
time  reading  law  with  S.  S.  Marshall,  at  Me- 
Leansboro,  where  he   was  admitted  to  the   bar 


528 


IIISTOEICAL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


in  1802,  ami  where  he  began  practice.  From  1863 
to  18G8  he  was  Circuit  Clerk  of  Hamilton  County, 
and,  from  1808  to  1873,  Prosecuting  Attorney  for 
the  Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit.  In  1873  he  removed 
to  Shawneetown,  where  he  became  an  officer  of 
the  Gallatin  National  Bank.  From  It  64  to  187.5 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  and  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  in  1872. 
For  twelve  years  (1877  to  1889)  he  represented 
his  District  in  Congress;  was  re-elected  in  1888, 
but  died,  March  9,  1889,  a  few  days  after  the 
beginning  of  his  seventh  term. 

TRACY,  John  M.,  artist,  was  born  in  Illinois 
about  1842;  .served  in  an  Illinois  regiment  during 
the  Civil  War;  studied  painting  in  Paris  in 
1866-70;  established  him.solf  as  a  portrait  painter 
in  St.  Louis  an<I,  later,  won  a  high  reputation  as 
a  painter  of  animals,  being  regarded  as  an  author- 
ity on  tlie  anatomy  of  the  horse  and  the  dog. 
Died,  at  Ocean  Springs,  Mis.s.,  March  20,  1893. 

TREASrRERS.     (See  State  Treumrers.) 

TREAT,  Samuel  Hubbel,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  at  Plainfield,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
June  21,  1811,  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and 
studied  law  at  Richfield,  where  he  was  admitted 
to  practice.  In  1834  he  (^ame  to  Springfield,  111., 
traveling  most  of  the  way  on  foot.  Here  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  (ieorge  Forquer,  who 
luul  held  the  offices  of  Secretary  of  State  and 
Attorney-General.  In  1839  he  was  appointed  a 
Circuit  Judge,  and,  on  the  reorganization  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  1841,  was  elevated  to  the 
Supreme  bench,  being  acting  Cliief  Justice  at  the 
time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1848. 
Having  been  elected  to  the  Sujireme  bench  under 
the  new  Constitution,  he  remained  in  office  until 
March,  18.5.5,  when  he  resigned  to  take  the  posi- 
tion of  Judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court 
for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  to  which  he 
had  been  appointe<l  by  Presiilent  Pierce.  This 
position  he  continued  to  occupy  imtil  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Springfield,  JIarcli  2-7,  1887. 
Judge  Treat's  judicial  career  was  cne  of  the  long- 
est in  the  historj-  of  the  State,  covering  a  period 
of  forty-eight  years,  of  which  fourteen  were 
spent  upon  the  Supreme  bench,  and  thirty-two 
in  the  position  of  Judge  of  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict Court. 

TREATIES.  {See  Greenville,  Treaty  of:  Indian 
Treaties.) 

TREE,  Lambert,  jurist,  diplomat  and  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C,  Nov. 
29,  1832,  of  an  ancestry  distinguished  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution.     He  received  a  superior  clas- 


sical and  professional  education,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  at  Washington,  in  October,  185-5. 
Removing  to  Chicago  soon  afterward,  his  profes- 
sional career  has  been  chiefly  connected  with 
that  cit}'.  In  1864  he  was  chosen  President  of 
the  Law  Institute,  and  served  as  JuVlge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  from  1870  to  1875, 
when  he  resigned.  The  three  following  years  lie 
spent  in  foreign  travel,  returning  to  Chicago  in 
1878.  In  that  year,  and  again  in  1880.  he  was 
the  Democratic  <  an<lidate  for  Congress  from  the 
Fourth  Illinois  District,  but  was  defeated  by  his 
Republican  opponent.  In  1885  he  was  the  candi- 
date of  his  party  for  United  States  Senator,  but 
was  defeated  by  John  A.  Logan,  by  one  vote.  In 
1884  he  was  a  member  of  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  which  first  nominateil  (irover  Cleve- 
land, and,  in  July,  1885,  President  Cleveland 
appointed  him  Minister  to  Belgium,  conferring 
the  Russian  mission  upon  him  in  September,  1888. 
On  March  3,  1889,  he  resigned  this  ]X)st  and 
returned  home.  In  1890  he  w;js  appointed  by 
President  Harrison  a  Commissioner  to  the  Inter- 
national Monetary  Conference  at  Washington. 
The  year  before  he  had  attended  (although  not  as 
a  delegate)  the  International  Conference,  at  Brus- 
sels, looking  to  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade, 
where  he  exerted  all  his  influence  on  the  side  of 
humanity.  In  1892  Belgium  conferred  upon  him 
the  distinction  of  "Coimcillor  of  Honor"  upon  its 
commission  to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi 
tion.  In  1896  Judge  Tree  was  one  of  the  most 
earnest  opponents  of  the  free-silver  [Hjlicy,  and, 
after  the  Spanish- American  War,  a  zealous  advo- 
cate of  the  policy  of  retaining  the  territory 
acquired  from  Spain. 

TR  EMONT,  a  town  of  Tazewell  County,  on  the 
Peoria  Division  of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  &  St.  Louis  Railway,  9  miles  southeast 
of  Pekin;  has  two  banks,  two  telaphone 
exchanges,  and  one  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  768. 

TRENTON,  a  town  of  Clinton  County,  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Oliio  Southwestern  Railway,  31  miles 
ea.st  of  St.  Louis;  in  agricultural  district;  lias 
creamery,  milk  condensery,  two  oal  mines,  si.\ 
churches,  a  public  school  and  one  newspaper 
Pop.  (1890),  1,384;  (1900),  1,706;  (1904),  about  2,000. 

TROT,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  railroad,  21  miles 
northea.st  of  St.  Louij-  ;  has  churches,  a  bank  and 
a  newspaper.     Pai>.  (1900),  1,080. 

TRUITT,  James  Madison,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
a  native  of  Trimble  County,  Ky.,  was  born  IVIi. 
12,  1842,  but  lived  in  Illinois  since  1843,  his  father 
liaving  settled  near   CarroUton  that  year;    was 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


529 


educated  at  Hillsboro  and  at  MoKendree  College ; 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth 
Illinois  Volunteers  in  lH(i2,  and  was  promoted 
from  the  ranks  to  Lieutenant.  After  the  war  be 
studied  law  with  Jesse  J.  Phillips,  now  of  tlie 
Supreme  Court,  and,  in  1872,  was  elected  to  the 
Twenty -eighth  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1888,  a 
Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
Mr.  Truitt  has  been  twice  a  prominent  but  unsuc- 
cessful candidate  for  the  Republican  nomination 
for  Attorney-General.  His  home  is  at  Hillsboro, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
.sion.     Died  July  26,  1900. 

TRUMBl'LL,  Lyman,  statesman,  was  born  at 
Colche.ster,  Conn.,  Oct.  12,  1813,  descended  from 
a  historical  family,  being  a  grand-nephew  of 
Gov.  Jonathan  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  from 
whom  the  name  "Brother  Jonathan"  was  derived 
as  an  appellation  for  Americans.  Having  received 
an  academic  education  in  his  native  town,  at  the 
age  of  16  he  began  teaching  a  district  school  near 
his  lK)me,  went  South  four  years  later,  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  at  Greenville,  Ga.  Here  he 
studied  law  with  Judge  Hiram  Warner,  after- 
wards of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1837.  Leaving  Georgia  the  same  year,  he 
came  to  Illinois  on  horseback,  visiting  Vandalia, 
Belleville,  Jacksonville,  Springfield,  Tremont  and 
La  Salle,  and  finally  reaching  Chicago,  then  a 
village  of  four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants.  At 
Jacksonville  he  obtained  a  license  to  practice 
from  Judge  Lockwood,  and,  after  visiting  Michi- 
gan and  his  native  State,  he  settled  at  Belleville, 
which  continued  to  be  his  home  for  twenty  years. 
His  entrance  into  public  life  began  with  his  elec- 
tion as  Representative  in  the  General  Assemblj' 
in  1840.  This  was  followed,  in  February,  1841, 
by  his  appointment  by  Governor  Carlin,  Secre- 
tary of  State,  as  the  successor  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  who,  after  holding  the  position  only  two 
months,  had  resigned  to  accept  a  seat  on  the 
Supreme  bench.  Here  he  remained  two  years, 
when  he  was  removed  by  Governor  Ford,  March 
4,  1843,  but,  five  years  later  (1848),  waselected  a 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  re-elected  in 
1853,  but  resigned  in  1853  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  A  year  later  (1854)  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  from  the  Belleville  District  as  an  anti- 
Nebraska  Democrat,  but,  before  taking  his  seat. 
was  promoted  to  the  United  States  Senate,  as  the 
successor  of  General  Shields  in  the  memorable  con- 
test of  1855,  which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  Senator  Trumbull's  career  of 
eighteen  years  in  the  United  States  Senate  (being 
re-elected  in  1861  and  1867)  is  one  of  the  most 


memorable  in  the  history  of  that  bod\',  covering, 
as  it  does,  the  whole  history  t)f  the  war  for  the 
Union,  and  the  period  of  reconstruction  which 
followed  it.  During  this  period,  as  Chairman  of 
the  Senate  Committee  on  Judiciary,  lie  had  more 
to  do  in  shaping  legislation  on  war  and  recon- 
struction measures  than  any  other  single  member 
of  that  body.  While  he  disagreed  with  a  large 
majority  of  his  Republican  associates  on  the  ques- 
tion of  Andrew  Johnson's  impeachment,  he  was 
always  found  in  sj'mpathy  with  them  on  the  vital 
questions  affecting  the  war  and  restoration  of  the 
Union.  The  Civil  Rights  Bill  and  Freedmen's 
Bureau  Bills  were  shaped  by  his  hand.  In  1872 
he  joined  in  the  "'Liberal  Republican"  movement 
and  afterwards  co-operated  with  the  Democratic 
party,  being  their  candidate  for  Governor  in 
1880.  From  1863  his  home  was  in  Chicago, 
where,  after  retiring  from  the  Senate,  he  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  that  city,  June  25,  1896. 

TU(t  mills.  These  were  a  sort  of  primitive 
machine  used  in  grinding  corn  in  Territorial  and 
early  State  days.  The  mechanism  consisted  of  an 
upright  shaft,  into  the  upper  end  of  which  were 
fastened  bars,  resembling  those  in  the  capstan  of 
a  ship.  Into  the  outer  end  of  each  of  these  bars 
was  driven  a  pin.  A  belt,  made  of  a  broad  strip 
of  ox-hide,  twisted  into  a  sort  of  rope,  was 
stretched  around  these  pins  and  wrapped  twice 
around  a  circular  piece  of  wood  called  a  trundle 
heail,  through  which  passed  a  perpendicular  flat 
bar  of  iron,  which  turned  the  mill-stone,  usually 
about  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  From  the 
upright  shaft  projected  a  beam,  to  which  were 
hitched  one  or  two  horses,  which  furnished  the 
motive  power.  Oxen  were  sometimes  employed 
as  motive  power  in  lieu  of  horses.  These  rudi- 
mentary contrivances  were  capable  of  grinding 
about  tweh'e  bushels  of  corn,  each,  per  day. 

TULET,  Murray  Floyd,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  March  4,  1827,  of  English 
extraction  and  descended  from  the  early  settlers 
of  Virginia.  His  father  died  in  1832,  and.  eleven 
years  later,  his  mother,  having  married  Col. 
Richard  J.  Hamilton,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  Chicago,  removed  with  her  family  to 
that  city.  Young  Tuley  began  reading  law  with 
his  step-father  and  completed  his  studies  at  the 
Louisville  Law  Institute  in  1847,  the  same  year 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Chicago.  About  the 
same  time  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers for  service  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  was 
commi.ssioned  First  Lieutenant.  The  war  having 
ended,  he  settled  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  where  he 


530 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


practiced  law,  also  served  as  Attorney-General 
and  in  tlie  Territorial  Legislature.  Returning  to 
Chicago  in  1854,  he  was  associated  in  practice, 
successively,  with  Andrew  Harvie,  Judge  Gary 
and  J.  N.  Barker,  and  finally  as  head  of  the  firm 
of  Tuley,  Stiles  &  Lewis.  From  1869  to  1873  he 
was  Corporation  Counsel,  and  during  this  time 
framed  the  General  Incorporation  Act  for  Cities, 
under  which  the  City  of  Chicago  was  reincor- 
porated. In  1879  he  was  elevated  to  the  bench 
of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County,  and  re- 
elected every  six  years  thereafter,  his  last  election 
being  in  1897.  He  is  now  serving  his  fourth 
term,  some  ten  years  of  his  incumbency  having 
been  spent  in  the  capacity  of  Chief  Justice. 

TDNMCLIFFE,  Damon  (J.,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  August  20, 
1829;  at  the  age  of  20,  emigrated  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling in  Vermont,  Fulton  County,  where,  for  a 
time,  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He 
subsequenth'  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1853.  In  1854  he  established  himself 
at  Macomb,  McDonough  County,  where  he  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  In  1868  he 
was  chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and,  from  February  to  June,  1885, 
by  appointment  of  Governor  Oglesby,  occupied  a 
seat  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court,  vice 
Pinkney  H.  Walker,  deceased,  who  had  been  one 
of  his  first  professional  preceptors. 

TURCHIN,  John  Hasll  (Ivan  Vasilevitch  Tur- 
chinoff'),  soldier,  engineer  and  author,  was  born 
in  Russia,  Jan  30,  1822.  He  graduated  from  the 
artillery  school  at  St.  Petersburg,  in  1841,  and 
was  commissioned  ensign ;  participated  in  the 
Hungarian  campaign  of  1849,  and,  in  1852,  was 
assigned  to  the  staff  of  the  Imperial  Guards; 
served  through  the  Crimean  War.  rising  to  the 
rank  of  Colonel,  and  being  made  senior  staff 
officer  of  the  active  corps.  In  1856  he  came  to 
this  coimtry,  settling  in  Chicago,  and,  for  five 
years,  was  in  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway  Company  as  topographical  engineer.  In 
1861  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Illinois  Volunteers,  and,  after  leading  his 
regiment  in  Missouri,  Kentucky  and  Alabama, 
was,  on  July  7,  1862,  promoted  to  a  Brigadier- 
Generalship,  being  attached  to  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  until  1864,  when  he  resigned.  After 
the  war  he  was,  for  six  years,  solicitor  of  patents 
at  Chicago,  but,  in  1873,  returned  to  engineering. 
In  1879  lie  established  a  Polish  colony  at  Radom, 
in  Washington  County,  in  this  State,  and  settled 
as  a  farmer.  He  is  an  occasional  contriliutor  to 
the  press,  writing  usually  on  mihtary  or  scientific 


subjects,  and  is  the  author  of  the  "Campaign  and 
Battle  of  Chick;uiiauga'"  (Chicago.  1888). 

TIRNEU  (now  WEST  CHICAGO),  a  town  and 
manufacturing  center  in  Winfield  Township,  Du 
Page  County,  30  miles  west  of  Chicago,  at  the 
junction  of  two  divisions  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy,  the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  and  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroads.  The  town 
has  a  rolling  mill,  manufactories  of  wagons  and 
pumps,  and  railroad  repair  shops.  It  also  has  five 
churches,  a  f':raded  school  and  two  newspapers. 
Pop.  (1900),  1,877;  with  suburb,  2,270 

TURNER,  (Col.)  Henry  L.,  soldier  and  real- 
estate  operator,  was  born  at  Oberlin,  Ohio, 
August  86,  1845,  and  received  a  part  of  liis  edu- 
cation in  the  college  there.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  served  as  First  Lieutenant  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Ohio  Volunteers,  and 
later,  with  the  same  rank  in  a  colored  regiment, 
taking  jxirt  in  the  operations  about  Richmond, 
the  capture  of  Fort  FLsher,  of  Wilmington  and  of 
Gen.  Joe  Johnston's  arnij-.  Coming  to  Chi- 
cago after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  business  office  of  "The  Advance," 
but  later  was  employed  in  the  banking  house  of 
Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  in  Pliiladelphia.  On  the  failure 
of  that  concern,  in  1872,  lie  returned  to  Chicago 
and  bought  "The  Advance."  which  lie  conducted 
some  two  years,  wlien  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in 
tlie  real  estate  busines.s,  with  which  he  has  since 
Ijeen  identified — being  President  of  the  Chicago 
Real  Estate  Board  in  18.88.  He  has  also  been 
President  of  the  Western  Publishing  Company 
and  a  Trustee  of  Oberlin  College.  Colonel  Turner 
is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard  and,  on  the  declaration  of  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Spain,  in  April.  1898,  promptly 
resumed  his  connection  with  the  First  Regiment 
of  the  Guard,  and  finally  led  it  to  Santiago  de 
Cuba  during  the  fighting  there — his  regiment 
being  the  onh'one  from  Illinois  to  see  actual  serv- 
ice in  the  field  during  the  progress  of  the  war. 
Colonel  Turner  won  the  admiration  of  his  com- 
mand and  the  entire  nation  by  the  manner  in 
which  he  discharged  his  duty.  The  regiment 
was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  Nov.  17,  1898,  when 
he  retired  to  private  life. 

TURNER,  John  Bice,  Railway  President,  was 
born  at  Colchester,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
14,  1799;  after  a  brief  business  career  in  his 
native  State,  he  '.)ecanie  identified  with  the  con- 
struction and  operation  of  railroads.  Among  the 
works  with  which  he  was  thus  connected,  were 
the  Delaware  Division  of  the  New  York  &  Erie 
and  the  Troy  &  Schenectady  Roads.     In  1843  he 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


531 


came  to  Chicago,  having  previously  purchased  a 
large  body  of  land  at  Blue  Island.  In  1847  he 
joined  with  W.  B.  Ogden  and  others,  in  resusci- 
tating the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railway, 
which  had  been  incorporated  in  1836.  He  became 
President  of  the  Company  in  1850,  and  assisted  in 
constructing  various  sections  of  road  in  Northern 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  which  have  since  become 
portions  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  system. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  original  Directors  of  t!ie 
North  Side  Street  Railway  Company,  organized 
in  1809.     Died,  Feb.  36,  1871. 

TURNER,  Jonathan  Baldwin,  educator  and 
agriculturist,  was  born  in  Templeton,  Mass.,  Dec. 
7,  1805 ;  grew  up  on  a  farm  and,  before  reaching 
his  majority,  began  teaching  in  a  country  school. 
After  spending  a  short  time  in  an  academy  at 
Salem,  in  1827  he  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment of  Yale  College,  supporting  himself,  in  part, 
by  manual  labor  and  teaching  in  a  gymnasium. 
In  1829  he  matriculated  in  the  classical  depart- 
ment at  Yale,  graduated  in  1833,  and  the  same 
year  accepted  a  position  as  tutor  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege at  Jacksonville,  111.,  which  had  been  opened, 
three  years  previous,  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  M.  Sturte- 
vant.  In  the  next  fourteen  years  he  gave  in- 
struction in  nearly  every  branch  embraced  in  the 
college  curriculum,  though  holding,  during  most 
of  this  period,  the  chair  of  Rhetoric  and  English 
Literature.  In  1847  he  retired  from  college 
duties  to  give  attention  to  scientific  agriculture, 
in  which  he  had  always  manifested  a  deep  inter- 
est. The  cultivation  and  sale  of  the  Osage  orange 
as  a  hedge  plant  now  occupied  his  attention  for 
many  years,  and  its  successful  introduction  in 
Illinois  and  other  Western  States— where  the 
absence  of  timber  rendered  some  substitute  a 
necessity  for  fencing  purposes — was  largely  due 
to  his  efforts.  At  the  same  time  he  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  cause  of  practical  scientific  edu- 
cation for  the  industrial  classes,  and,  about  1850, 
began  formulating  tliat  system  of  industrial  edu- 
cation which,  after  twelve  years  of  labor  and 
agitation,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
recognized  in  the  act  adopted  by  Congress,  and 
approved  by  President  Lincoln,  in  July,  1862, 
making  liberal  donations  of  public  lands  for  the 
establishment  of  "Industrial  Colleges"  in  the 
several  States,  out  of  which  grew  the  University 
of  Illinois  at  Champaign.  While  Professor  Tur- 
ner had  zealous  colaborers  in  this  field,  in  Illinois 
and  elsewhere,  to  him,  more  than  to  any  otlier 
single  man  in  the  Nation,  belongs  the  credit  for 
this  magnificent  achievement.  (See  Education, 
and  University  of  Itlinois.)     He  was  also  one  of 


the  chief  factors  in  founding  and  building  up 
the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  As.sociation,  and  the 
State  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Societies. 
His  addre.ss  on  "The  Millennium  of  Labor," 
delivered  at  the  first  State  Agricultural  Fair  at 
Springfield,  in  1853,  is  still  remembered  as  mark- 
ing an  era  in  industrial  progress  in  Illinois.  A 
zealous  cliampion  of  free  thought,  in  both  political 
and  religious  affairs,  he  long  bore  the  reproach 
which  attached  to  the  radical  AboUtionist,  only 
to  enjoy,  in  later  years,  the  respect  universally 
accorded  to  those  who  had  the  courage  and 
independence  to  avow  their  honest  convictions. 
Prof.  Turner  was  twice  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  Congress — once  as  a  Republican  and  once  as 
an  "Independent" — and  wrote  much  on  political, 
religious  and  educational  topics.  The  evening  of 
an  Iionored  and  useful  life  was  spent  among 
friends  in  Jacksonville,  which  was  his  home  for 
more  than  sixty  years,  his  death  taking  place  in 
that  city,  Jan.  10,  1899:  at  the  advanced  age  of 
93  years.  —Mrs.  Mary  Turner  Carriel,  at  the  pres- 
ent time  (1899)  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois,  is  Prof.  Turner's  only  daughter. 

TURNER,  Thomas  J.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  April  5, 
1815.  Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  18,  he  spent 
three  years  in  Indiana  and  in  the  mining  dis- 
tricts about  Galena  and  in  Southern  Wisconsin, 
locating  in  Stephenson  County,  in  1836,  where  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840,  and  elected 
Probate  Judge  in  1841.  Soon  afterwards  Gov- 
ernor Ford  appointed  him  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
in  which  capacity  he  secured  the  conviction  and 
punishment  of  the  murderers  of  Colonel  Daven- 
port. In  1846  he  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a 
Democrat,  and,  the  following  year,  founded  "The 
Prairie  Democrat"  (afterward  "The  Freeport 
Bulletin"),  the  first  newspaper  published  in  the 
county.  Elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1854,  he 
was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House,  the  next  year 
becoming  the  first  Mayor  of  Freeport.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Peace  Conference  of  1861,  and,  in 
May  of  that  year,  was  commissioned,  by  Governor 
Yates,  Colonel  of  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, but  resigned  in  1862.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70, 
and,  in  1871,  was  again  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, where  he  received  the  Democratic  caucus 
nomination  for  United  States  Senator  against 
General  Logan.  In  1871  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
and  was  twice  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the 
office  of  State's  Attorney.  In  February,  1874,  he 
went  to  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  for -medical  treatment, 
and  died  there,  April  3  following. 


532 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


TUSCOLA,  a  city  and  the  county-seat  of 
Douglas  County,  located  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Illinois  Central  and  two  other  trunk  lines  of  rail- 
way, 22  miles  south  of  Cliampaign,  and  36  miles 
east  of  Decatur.  Besides  a  brick  court-house  it 
has  five  churches,  a  graded  scliool,  a  national 
bank,  t«-o  weekly  newspapers  and  two  establish- 
ments for  the  manufacture  of  carriages  and 
wagons  Population  (ISeO),  1,457;  (1890),  1,897; 
(1900),  2,o(i0 

TUSCOLA,  CHARLESTON  ic  VIXCEN>ES 
RAILROAD.  (See  Toledo.  St.  Louis  &  Kansas 
City  Railroad.) 

TUTHILL,  Richard  Stanley,  jurist,  was  born 
at  Vergennes,  Jackson  County,  III.,  Xov.  10,  1841. 
After  passing  through  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county,  he  took  a  preparatory  course  in  a 
high  school  at  St.  Louis  and  in  Illinois  CoUege, 
Jacksonville,  when  he  entered  Middlebury  Col- 
lege, Vt.,  graduating  there  in  1863.  Immediately 
thereafter  he  joined  the  Federal  army  at  Vicks- 
burg,  and,  after  serving  for  some  time  in  a  com- 
pany of  scouts  attached  to  General  Logan's 
command,  was  commissioned  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
Fir.st  Michigan  Light  Artillery,  with  which  he 
served  until  tlie  close  of  the  war,  meanwhile 
being  twice  promoted.  During  this  time  he  was 
with  General  Slierman  in  the  march  to  Meridian, 
and  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  also  took  part  with 
General  Thomas  in  the  operations  against  the 
rebel  General  Hood  in  Tennessee,  and  in  the 
battle  of  Xashville.  Ilaving  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  May,  1865,  he  took  up  the  study  of 
law,  which  he  had  prosecuted  as  he  had  opportu- 
nity while  in  the  army,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Nashville  in  1866,  afterwards  serving  for 
a  time  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  on  the  Nashville 
circuit.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Chicago,  two 
years  later  was  elected  Citj-  Attorney  and  re- 
elected in  1877 ;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican 
National  Convention  of  1880  and,  in  1884,  was 
appointed  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
the  Northern  District,  serving  until  1886.  In 
1887  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Cook  County  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Judge  Rogers,  was  re-elected  for  a  full 
term  in  1891,  and  again  in  1897. 

TTXD.iLE,  Sharon,  Secretary  of  State,  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Jan.  19,  1816;  at  the  age  of  17 
came  to  Belleville,  111.,  and  was  engaged  for  a 
time  in  mercantile  busines,s,  later  being  employed 
in  a  surve3-or's  corps  under  the  internal  improve- 
ment S3-stem  of  1837.  Having  married  in  1839, 
he  returned  soon  after  to  Philadelphia,  where  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  with  his  father: 


then  came  to  Illinois,  a  second  time,  in  1845,  .siiend 
ing  a  year  or  two  in  business  at  Peoria.  About 
1847  he  returned  to  Belleville  and  entered  upon  a 
course  of  mathematical  study,  with  a  view  to 
fitting  himself  more  thoroughly  for  the  profession 
of  a  civil  engineer.  In  1851  he  graduated  in 
engineering  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  after  which  he 
was  employed  for  a  time  on  the  Sunbury  &  Erie 
Railroad,  and  later  on  certain  Illinois  railroads. 
In  1857  he  was  elected  County  Surveyor  of  St. 
Clair  County,  and,  in  1861,  by  ai)pointment  of 
President  Lincoln,  became  Postmaster  of  the  city 
of  Belleville.  He  held  this  position  until  1864, 
when  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for 
Secretarj'  of  State  and  was  elected,  remaining  in 
office  four  years.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate, 
and  virtually  author,  of  the  first  act  for  the  regis- 
tration of  voters  in  Illinois,  passed  at  the  session 
of  1865.  After  retiring  from  office  in  1869,  lie 
continued  to  reside  in  Springfield,  and  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  in  the  survej'  of  the  (iilman, 
Clinton  &  Springfield  Railway — now  the  Spring- 
field Division  of  the  Illinois  Central.  At  an  early 
hour  on  the  morning  of  April  29,  1871,  while 
going  from  his  home  to  the  railroad  station  at 
Springfield,  to  tiike  the  train  for  St.  Louis,  he  was 
ass;issinated  upon  the  street  by  shooting,  as  sup- 
posed for  the  purpose  of  robbery — liis  dead  body 
being  found  a  few  hours  later  at  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy.  Mr.  Tyndale  wiis  a  brother  of  Gen. 
Hector  Tyndale  of  Pennsylvania,  who  won  a 
high  reputation  by  his  services  during  the  war. 
His  second  wife,  who  survived  him,  was  a 
daughter  of  Shadrach  Penn,  an  editor  of  con- 
siderable reputation  who  was  the  cx)ntemporary 
and  rival  of  George  D.  Prentice  at  Louisville,  for 
some  vears. 

"UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD,"  THE.  A 
history  of  Illinois  wnuld  be  iiiromplete  without 
reference  to  the  uniipie  system  which  existed 
there,  as  in  other  Northern  States,  from  forty  to 
seventy  years  ago,  known  by  the  somewhat  mys- 
terious title  of  "The  Underground  Railroad." 
The  origin  of  the  term  has  been  traced  (probably 
in  a  spirit  of  facetiousness)  to  the  expression  of 
a  Kentucky  planter  who,  having  pursued  a  fugi- 
tive slave  across  the  Ohio  River,  was  so  surprised 
by  his  sudden  disappearance,  as  soon  as  he  had 
reached  the  opptisite  shore,  that  he  was  led  to 
remark,  "The  nigger  must  have  gone  off  on  an 
underground  road."  From  "underground  road" 
to  "underground  railroad,"  the  transition  would 
appear  to  have  been  easy,  especially  in  view  of 
the  increased  facility  with  which  the  work  wiis 
performed  when  railroads  came  into  use.     For 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF    ILLINOIS. 


533 


readers  of  the  present  generation,  it  may  be  well 
to  explain  what  "The  Underground  Railroad" 
really  was  It  may  be  defined  as  the  figurative 
appellation  for  a  spontaneous  movement  in  the 
free  States — extending,  sometimes,  into  the 
slave  States  themselves — to  assist  slaves  in  their 
efforts  to  escape  from  bondage  to  freedom.  The 
movement  dates  back  to  a  jieriod  close  to  the 
Revolvitionary  War,  long  before  it  received  a 
definite  name.  Assistance  given  to  fugitives 
from  one  State  by  citizens  of  another,  became  a 
cause  of  complaint  almost  as  soon  as  the  Govern- 
ment was  organized.  In  fact,  the  first  President 
himself  lost  a  slave  who  took  refuge  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  where  the  public  sentiment  was 
so  strong  against  his  return,  that  the  patriotic 
and  philosophic  "Father  of  his  Country"  chose 
to  let  him  remain  unmolested,  rather  than  "excite 
a  mob  or  riot,  or  even  uneasy  sensations,  in  the 
minds  of  well-disposed  citizens. "  That  the  mat- 
ter was  already  one  of  concern  in  the  minds  of 
slaveholders,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  a  provision 
was  inserted  in  the  Constitution  for  their  concili- 
ation, guaranteeing  the  return  of  fugitives  from 
labor,  as  well  as  from  justice,  from  one  State  to 
another. 

In  1793  Congress  passed  the  first  Fugitive  Slave 
Law,  which  was  signed  by  President  Washing- 
ton. This  law  provided  that  the  owner,  his 
agent  or  attorney,  might  follow  the  slave  into 
any  State  or  Territory,  and.  upon  oath  or  affi- 
davit before  a  court  or  magistrate,  be  entitled 
to  a  warrant  for  his  return.  Any  person  who 
should  hinder  the  arrest  of  the  fugitive,  or  who 
should  harbor,  aid  or  assist  him,  knowing  him 
to  be  such,  was  subject  to  a  fine  of  S.'jOO  for  each 
offense. — In  18.50,  fifty-seven  years  later,  the  first 
act  having  proved  inefficacious,  or  conditions 
having  changed,  a  second  and  more  stringent 
law  was  enacted.  This  is  the  one  usually  referred 
to  in  discussions  of  the  subject.  It  provided  for 
an  increased  fine,  not  to  exceed  §1,000,  and  im- 
prisonment not  exceeding  six  months,  with 
liability  for  civil  damages  to  the  party  injin-ed. 
No  proof  of  ownership  was  required  beyond  the 
statement  of  a  claimant,  and  the  accused  was  not 
permitted  to  testify  for  himself.  The  fee  of  the 
United  States  Commissioner,  before  whom  tlie 
case  was  tried,  was  ten  dollars  if  he  found  for 
the  claimant:  if  not,  five  dollars.  This  seemed 
to  many  an  indirect  form  of  bribery ;  clearly,  it 
made  it  to  the  Judge's  pecuniary  advantage  to 
decide  in  favor  of  the  claimant.  The  law  made 
it  possible  and  easy  for  a  wliite  man  to  arrest, 
and  carry  into  slavery,  any  free  negro  who  could 


not  immediately  prove,   by  other  witnesses,  tliat 
he  was  born  free,  or  had  purchased  his  freedom. 

Instead  of  discouraging  the  disposition,  on 
the  part  of  the  opponents  of  slavery,  to  aid  fugi- 
tives in  their  efforts  to  reach  a  region  where 
they  would  be  secure  in  their  freedom,  the  effect 
of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  of  1850  (as  that  of  1793 
had  been  in  a  smaller  degree)  was  the  very  oppo- 
site of  that  intended  by  its  authors — unless, 
indeed,  they  meant  to  make  matters  worse.  The 
j^rovisions  of  the  act  seemed,  to  many  people,  so 
unfair,  so  one-sided,  that  they  rebelled  in  spirit 
and  refuised  to  be  made  parties  to  its  enforce 
ment.  The  law  aroused  the  anti-slavery  senti- 
ment of  the  North,  and  stimulated  the  active 
friends  of  the  fugitives  to  take  greater  risks  in 
their  behalf.  New  efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
slaveholders  were  met  by  a  determination  to 
evade,  hinder  and  nullify  the  law. 

And  here  a  strange  anomaly  is  presented.  The 
slaveholder,  in  attempting  to  recover  his  slave, 
was  acting  within  his  constitutional  and  legal 
rights.  The  slave  was  his  propertj-  in  law.  He 
had  purchased  or  inherited  his  bondman  on  the 
same  plane  vi-ith  his  horse  or  his  land,  and,  apart 
from  the  riglit  to  hold  a  human  being  in  bond- 
age, regarded  his  legal  rights  to  the  one  as  good 
as  the  other.  From  a  legal  standpoint  his  posi- 
tion was  impregnable.  The  slave  was  his,  repre- 
senting so  much  of  money  value,  and  whoever 
was  instrumental  in  the  loss  of  that  slave  was, 
both  theoretically  and  technically,  a  partner  in 
robbery.  Therefore  he  looked  on  "The  Under- 
ground Railwa3''"  as  the  work  of  thieves,  and  en 
tertained  bitter  hatred  toward  all  concerned  in  its 
operation.  On  the  other  hand,  men  who  were, 
in  all  other  respects,  good  citizens — often  relig 
iously  devout  and  pillars  of  the  church — became- 
bold  and  flagrant  violators  of  the  law  in  relation 
to  this  sort  of  property.  They  set  at  nought  a 
plain  provision  of  the  Constitution  and  the  act  of 
Congress  for  its  enforcement.  Without  hope  of 
personal  gain  or  reward,  at  the  risk  of  fine  and 
imprisonment,  with  the  certainty  of  social  ostra- 
cism and  hitter  opposition,  they  harbored  the 
fugitive  a,nd  helped  him  forward  on  every 
occasion.  And  why?  Because  they  saw  in  him 
a  man,  with  the  same  inherent  right  to  "life, 
liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  hajjpine.ss"  tliat  they 
themselves  possesse<l.  To  them  this  was  a  higher 
law  than  any  Legislature,  State  or  National,  could 
enact.  They  denied  that  there  could  be  truly 
such  a  thing  as  property  in  man.  Believing  that 
the  law  violated  human  rights,  they  justified 
themselves  in  rendering  it  null  and  void. 


634 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


For  the  most  ijait,  the  "Underground  Rail- 
road" operators  and  promoters  were  plain, 
obscme  men,  without  hope  of  fame  or  desire  for 
notoriety.  Yet  there  were  some  whose  names 
are  conspicuous  in  history,  such  as  Wendell 
PhiUips,  Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson  and 
Theodore  Parker  of  Massachusetts ;  Gerrit  Smith 
and  Tluirlow  Weed  of  New  York:  Joshuii  R, 
Giddings  of  Ohio,  and  Owen  Lovejoy  of  Ilhnois. 
These  had  their  followers  and  sympathizers  in 
all  the  Northern  States,  and  even  in  some  por- 
tions of  the  South  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that 
some  of  the  most  active  spirits  connected  with 
the  "Underground  Railroad"  were  natives  of  the 
South,  or  had  resided  there  long  enough  to 
become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  "insti- 
tution." Levi  Coffin,  who  had  the  reputation  of 
being  the  "President  of  the  Underground  Rail- 
road"— at  least  so  far  as  the  region  west  of  the 
Ohio  was  concerned — was  an  active  operator  on 
the  line  in  North  Carolina  before  his  removal 
from  that  State  to  Indiana  in  1826.  Indeed,  as  a 
system,  it  is  claimed  to  have  iiad  its  origin  at 
Guilford  College,  in  the  "Old  North  State"'  in 
1819,  though  the  evidence  of  this  may  not  be 
conclusive. 

Owing  to  the  peculiar  nature  of  their  business, 
no  official  reports  were  made,  no  lists  of  officers, 
conductors,  station  agents  or  operators  preserved, 
and  few  records  kept  which  are  now  accessible. 
Consequently,  we  are  dejiendent  chiefly  upon  the 
personal  recollection  of  individual  operators  for 
a  history  of  their  transactions.  Each  station  on 
the  road  was  the  house  of  a  "friend"  and  it  is 
significant,  in  this  connection,  that  in  every 
settlement  of  Friends,  or  Quakers,  there  was 
sure  to  be  a  house  of  refuge  for  the  slave.  For 
this  reason  it  was,  perhaps,  that  one  of  the  most 
frequently  traveled  lines  extended  from  Vir- 
ginia and  Maryland  through  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  then  on  towards  New  York  or  directly 
to  Canada.  From  the  proximity  of  Ohio  to 
Virginia  and  Kentucky,  and  the  fact  that  it 
offered  the  shortest  route  through  free  soil  to 
Canada,  it  was  traversed  by  more  lines  than  any 
other  State,  although  Indiana  was  pretty 
thoroughly  "grid  ironed"  by  roads  to  freedom. 
In  all,  however,  the  routes  were  irregular,  often 
zigzag,  for  purposes  of  security,  and  the  "con- 
ductor" was  any  one  who  conveyed  fugitives  from 
one  station  to  another  The  "train"  was  some- 
times a  farm-wagon,  loaded  with  produce  for 
market  at  some  town  (or  depot)  on  the  line,  fre- 
quently a  closed  carriage,  and  it  is  related  that 
once,  in  Ohio,  a  number  of  carriages  conveying 


a  large  party,  were  made  to  represent  a  funeral 
procession.  Occa.sionally  the  train  ran  on  foot, 
for  convenience  of  side-tracking  into  the  woods 
or  a  cornfield,  in  case  of  pursuit  by  a  wild  loco- 
motive. 

Then,  again,  there  were  not  wanting  lawyers 
who,  in  case  the  operator,  conductor  or  station 
agent  got  into  trouble,  were  ready,  without  fee  or 
reward,  to  defend  either  him  or  his  human 
freight  in  the  courts.  These  included  such 
names  of  national  rejiute  as  Salmon  P.  Chase, 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  Charles  Sumner,  William  IL 
Seward,  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  Richard  H.  Dana, 
and  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  while,  taking  the  whole 
country  over,  their  "name  was  legion."  And 
there  were  a  few  men  of  wealth,  like  Thomas 
Garrett  of  Delaware,  willing  to  contribute  money 
by  thousands  to  their  assistance.  Although 
technically  acting  in  violation  of  law — or,  as 
claimed  by  themselves,  in  obedience  to  a  "higher 
law" — the  time  has  already  come  when  there  is  a 
dis|)osition  to  look  upon  the  actors  as,  in  a  certain 
sense,  heroes,  and  their  deeds  as  fitly  belonging 
to  the  field  of  romance. 

The  most  coin])reliensive  collection  of  material 
relating  to  the  hi.story  of  this  movement  has 
been  furnished  in  a  recent  volume  entitled,  "The 
Underground  Railroad  from  Slaverj-  to  Free- 
dom," by  Prof.  Wilbur  H.  Siebert,  of  Ohio  State 
University ;  and,  while  it  is  not  wholly  free  from 
errors,  both  iis  to  individual  names  and  facts,  it 
will  probably  remain  as  the  best  compilation  of 
historj-  bearing  on  this  subject — especially  as  the 
principal  actors  are  fast  passing  away.  One  of 
the  interesting  features  of  Prof.  Siebert's  book  is 
a  map  purporting  to  give  the  principal  routes 
and  stations  iii  the  States  northwest  of  the  Ohio, 
yet  the  accuracy  of  this,  as  well  as  the  correct- 
ness of  personal  names  given,  has  been  questioned 
by  some  best  informed  on  the  subject.  As 
might  be  expected  from  its  geographical  ix>sition 
between  two  slave  States — Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri— on  the  one  hand,  and  the  lakes  offering  a 
highway  to  Canada  on  the  other,  it  is  naturally 
to  be  as.sumed  that  Illinois  would  be  an  attract- 
ive field,  both  for  the  fugitive  and  his  sympa- 
thizer. 

The  period  of  greatest  activity  of  the  system  in 
this  State  was  between  1840  and  1861 — the  latter 
being  the  year  when  the  pro-slavery  party  in  the 
South,  by  their  attempt  forcibly  to  dissolve  the 
Union,  took  the  business  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
secret  agents  of  the  "Underground  Railroad." 
and — in  a  certain  sense — placed  it  in  the  hands 
of  the  Union  armies.     It  was  in  1841  that  Abra- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


535 


ham  Lincoln — then  a  conservative  opponent  of 
the  extension  of  slavery — on  an  appeal  from  a 
judgment,  rendered  by  the  Circuit  Court  in  Taze- 
well County,  in  favor  of  the  holder  of  a  note 
given  for  the  service  of  the  indentured  slave- 
girl  "Nance,"  obtained  a  decision  from  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  upholding  the  doctrine 
that  the  girl  vs^as  free  under  the  Ordinance  of 
1787  and  the  State  Constitution,  and  that  the 
note,  given  to  the  person  who  claimed  to  be  her 
owner,  was  void.  And  it  is  a  somewhat  curious 
coincidence  that  the  same  Abraham  Lincoln,  as 
President  of  the  United  States,  in  the  second 
year  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  issued  the 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation  which  finally 
resulted  in  striking  the  shackles  from  the  limbs 
of  every  slave  in  the  Union. 

In  the  practical  operation  of  aiding  fugitives 
in  Illinois,  it  was  natural  that  the  towns  along 
tlie  border  upon  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers, 
should  have  served  as  a  sort  of  entrepots,  or 
initial  stations,  for  the  reception  of  this  class  of 
freight — especially  if  adjacent  to  some  anti- 
slavery  community.  This  was  the  case  at  Ches- 
ter, from  which  access  was  easy  to  Sparta,  where 
a  colony  of  Covenanters,  or  Seceders,  was 
located,  and  whence  a  route  extended,  by  way  of 
Oakdale,  Nashville  and  Centralia,  in  the  direction 
of  Chicago.  Alton  offered  convenient  access  to 
Bond  County,  where  there  was  a  community  of 
anti-slavery  people  at  an  early  day,  or  the  fugi- 
tives could  be  forwarded  northward  by  way  of 
Jerseyville,  Waverly  and  Jacksonville,  about 
each  of  which  there  was  a  strong  anti-slavery 
sentiment.  Quincy,  in  spite  of  an  intense  hos- 
tility among  the  mass  of  the  community  to  any- 
thing savoring  of  abolitionism,  became  tlie 
theater  of  great  activity  on  the  part  of  the 
opponents  of  the  institution,  especially  after  the 
advent  there  of  Dr.  David  Nelson  and  Dr.  Rich- 
ard Eells,  both  of  whom  had  rendered  themselves 
obnoxious  to  the  people  of  Missouri  bj-  extending 
aid  to  fugitives.  The  former  was  a  practical 
abolitionist  who,  having  freed  his  slaves  in  his 
native  State  of  Virginia,  removed  to  Missouri  and 
attempted  to  establish  Marion  College,  a  few  miles 
from  Palmyra,  but  was  soon  driven  to  Illinois. 
Locating  near  Quincy,  he  foimded  tlie  "Mission 
Institute"  there,  at  which  he  continued  to  dis- 
seminate his  anti-slavery  views,  while  educating 
young  men  for  missionary  work.  The  "Insti- 
tute" was  finally  burned  by  emissaries  from  Mis- 
souri, while  three  young  men  who  had  been 
connected  with  it,  having  been  caught  in  Mis* 
souri,  were  condemned  to  twelve  years'  confine- 


ment in  the  penitentiary  of  that  State — partly  on 
the  testimony  of  a  negro,  although  a  negro  was 
not  then  a  legal  witness  in  the  courts  against  a 
white  man.  Dr.  Eells  was  prosecuted  before 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  (then  a  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court),  and  fined  for  aiding  a  fugitive  to  escape, 
and  the  judgment  against  him  was  finally  con- 
firmed by  the  Supreme  Court  after  his  death,  in 
1852,  ten  years  after  the  original  indictment. 

A  map  in  Professor  Siebert's  book,  showing  the 
routes  and  principal  stations  of  the  "Undergound 
Railroad,"  makes  mention  of  the  following  places 
in  Illinois,  in  addition  to  those  already  referred 
to;  Carlinville,  in  Macoupin  County;  Payson 
and  Mendon,  in  Adams;  Washington,  in  Taze- 
well ;  Metamora,  in  Woodford ;  Magnolia,  in  Put- 
nam; Galesburg,  in  Knox;  Princeton  (the  home 
of  Owen  Love  joy  and  the  Bryants),  in  Bureau; 
and  many  more.  Ottawa  appears  to  hav«  been 
the  meeting  point  of  a  number  of  lines,  as  well 
as  the  home  of  a  strong  colony  of  practical  abo- 
litionists. Cairo  also  became  an  important 
transfer  station  for  fugitives  arriving  by  river, 
after  the  completion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road, especially  as  it  offered  the  speediest  way  of 
reaching  Chicago,  towards  which  nearly  all  the 
lines  converged.  It  was  here  that  the  fugitives 
could  be  most  safely  disposed  of  by  placing  them 
upon  vessels,  which,  without  stopping  at  inter- 
mediate ports,  could  soon  land  them  on  Cajiadian 
soil. 

As  to  methods,  these  differed  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, tlie  emergencies  of  the  occasioa,  or 
the  taste,  convenience  or  resources  of  the  oper- 
ator. Deacon  Levi  Morse,  of  Woodford  County, 
near  Metamora,  had  a  xoTite  towards  Magnolia, 
Putnam  County;  and  his  favorite  "car''  was  a 
farm  wagon  in  which  there  was  a  double  bottom. 
The  passengers  were  snugly  placed  below,  and 
grain  sacks,  filled  witli  bran  or  other  light  material, 
were  laid  over,  so  tliat  the  whole  presejited  the 
appearance  of  an  ordinary  load  of  grain  on:  its 
way  to  market.  The  same  was  true  as  to  statio4« 
and  routes.  One,  'who  was  an  ojieratori  saysi: 
"Wherever  an  .abolitionist  happened  on  a,  fuglt 
five,  or  the  converse,  there  was  a  station,  foi  the 
time,  and  tlie  route  wis  to' the  nextanti-slairdry 
man  to  the  east  or  the  north.  Asa  general  rtile, 
the  agent  preferred  not  to  fcnow  anything  beyond 
the  operation  of  his  own  immediate  section  of  the 
road.  If  he  knew  nothing  about  the  operations 
of  anotiier,  and  the  otlierknew  nothing  of  his, 
they  cj3uld  not  be  Tvitnesses  in  cour'ti   to    /iio  •ill 

We  Uaveit  on  the  authority  of  Judge  Ha!rV4y  B. 
Kurds  of  ;Chi«agOi';that  runaways  were  usually 


536 


IIISTUKK'AL    ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


forwarded  from  that  city  to  Canada  by  way  of  the 
Lakes,  there  being  several  steamers  available  for 
that  purpose.  On  one  occasion  thirteen  were 
put  aboard  a  vessel  under  the  eyes  of  a  United 
States  Marshal  and  his  deputies.  The  fugitives, 
secreted  in  a  woodshed,  one  by  one  took  the 
places  of  colored  stevedores  carrying  wood 
aboard  the  ship.  Possibly  the  term,  "There's  a 
nigger  in  the  woodpile,"  may  have  originated  in 
this  incident.  Thirteen  was  an  "unlucky  num- 
ber" in  this  instance — for  the  masters. 

Among  the  notable  trials  for  assisting  runaways 
in  violation  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  case  of  Dr.  Eells,  already  mentioned, 
were  those  of  Owen  Lovejoy  of  Princeton,  and 
Deacon  Gushing  of  Will  County,  both  of  whom 
were  defended  by  Judge  James  Collins  of  Chi- 
cago. John  Ho.ssack  and  Dr.  Joseph  Stout  of 
Ottawa,  with  some  half-dozen  of  their  neighbors 
and  friends,  were  trieil  at  Ottawa,  in  18r)9,  for 
assisting  a  fugitive  and  acquitted  on  a  techni- 
cality. A  strong  array  of  attorneys,  afterwards 
widely  known  through  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  appeared  for  the  defense,  including  Isaac 
N.  Arnold,  Josepli  Knox,  B.  C.  Cook,  J.  V.  Eus- 
tace, Edward  S.  Leland  and  E.  C.  Larned.  Joseph 
T.  Morse,  of  Woodford  County,  was  also  arrested, 
taken  to  Peoria  and  committed  to  jail,  but 
acquitted  on  trial. 

Another  noteworthy  case  was  that  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Willard  (now  of  Chicago)  and  his  father, 
Julius  A.  Willard,  charged  with  iu-sisting  in  the 
escape  of  a  fugitive  at  Jacksonville,  in  1S43,  when 
the  Doctor  was  a  student  in  Illinois  College. 
"The  National  Corporation  Reporter,"  a  few 
years  ago,  gave  an  account  of  this  affair,  together 
with  a  letter  from  Dr.  Willard,  in  which  he  states 
that,  after  protracted  litigation,  during  which 
the  case  was  carried  to  the  Su])reme  Court,  it  was 
ended  by  his  pleading  guilty  before  Judge  Samuel 
D.  Lockwood,  when  he  was  fined  one  dollar  and 
costs— the  latter  amounting  to  twenty  dollars. 
The  Doctor  frankly  adds:  "My  father,  as  well 
as  myself,  helped  many  fugitives  afterwards." 
It  did  not  always  happen,  however,  that  offenders 
escaped  so  easily. 

Judge  Harvey  B.  Hurd.  already  referred  to, 
and  an  active  anti-slavery  man  in  the  days  of  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  relates  the  following;  Once, 
when  the  trial  of  a  fugitive  was  going  on  before 
Justice  Kercheval,  in  a  room  on  the  second  floor 
of  a  twostory  frame  building  on  Clark  Street  in 
the  city  of  Chicago,  the  crowd  in  attendance 
filled  the  room,  the  stairway  and  t)ie  adjoining 
sidewalk      In  some  way  the  prisoner  got  mixed 


in  with  the  audience,  and  passed  down  over  the 
heads  of  those  on  the  stairs,  where  the  officers 
were  unable  to  follow. 

In  another  case,  tried  before  United  States 
Commissioner  Geo.  W.  Meeker,  the  result  was 
made  to  hinge  upon  a  point  in  the  indictment  to 
the  effect  that  the  fugitive  was  "copper-colored." 
The  Commissioner,  as  the  story  goes,  being  in- 
clined to  favor  public  sentiment,  called  for  a  large 
copper  cent,  tliat  he  might  make  comparison. 
The  decision  was,  that  the  prisoner  was  "off 
color,"  so  to  speak,  and  he  was  hustled  out  of  the 
room  before  the  officers  could  rearrest  him,  as 
the}'  had  been  instructed  to  do. 

Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  in  a  review  of  Professor 
Sieberfs  book,  published  in  "The  Dial"  of  Chi 
cago,  makes  mention  of  Henry  Irving  and  Will- 
iam Chauncey  Carter  as  among  his  active  allies 
at  Jacksonville,  with  Rev.  Bilious  Pond  and 
Deacon  Lyman  of  Farmington  (near  the  present 
village  of  Farmingdale  in  Sangamon  County), 
Luther  Ransom  of  Springfield,  Andrew  Borders 
of  Riindolph  County.  Joseph  Uerrish  of  Jersey 
and  William  T.  Allan  of  Henry,  as  their  coadju- 
tors in  other  parts  of  the  State.  Other  active 
agents  or  promoters,  in  the  same  field,  included 
such  names  as  Dr.  Charles  V.  Dyer,  Philo  Carpen- 
ter, Calvin  De  Wolf,  L.  C.  P.  Freer.  Zebina  East- 
man, James  H.  Collins,  Harvej-  B.  Hurd,  J.  Young 
Scammon,  Col.  J.  F.  Farnsworth  and  others  of 
Chicago,  whose  names  have  already  been  men- 
tioned; Rev.  Asii  Turner,  Deacon  Ballard,  J.  K. 
Van  Dorn  an<l  Envstus  Benton,  of  yuincy  and 
Adams  County ;  President  Rufus  Blanchard  of 
Knox  College,  Galesburg ;  John  Leeper  of  Bond ; 
the  late  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner  and  Elihu  Wolcott  of 
Jacksonville;  Capt.  Parker  Morse  and  his  four 
sons — Joseph  T. ,  Levi  P.,  Parker,  Jr.,  and  Mark 
— of  Woodford  County;  Rev.  William  Sloane  of 
Randolph ;  William  Strawn  of  La  Salle,  besides  a 
host  who  were  willing  to  aid  their  fellow  men  in 
their  aspirations  to  freedom,  without  advertising 
their  own  exjjloits. 

Among  the  incidents  of  "Underground  Rail- 
road" in  Illinois  is  one  which  had  some  imjiortance 
politically,  having  for  its  climax  a  dramatic  scene 
in  Congress,  but  of  which,  so  far  as  known,  no 
full  account  lias  ever  been  written.  About  1855, 
Ephraim  Lombard,  a  Mississippi  planter,  but  a 
New  Englander  by  birth,  purchased  a  large  Ixjdy 
of  prairie  land  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Stark 
County,  and.  taking  up  his  residence  tem|)orariIy 
in  the  village  of  Bradford,  began  its  improve- 
ment. He  had  brought  with  him  from  Mississippi 
a  negro,  gray-haired  and  bent  with  age,  a  slave 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


337 


of  probably  no  great  value.  "Old  Mose, "  as  he 
was  called,  soon  came  to  be  well  known  and  a 
favorite  in  the  neighborhood.  Lombard  boldly 
stated  that  he  had  brought  him  there  as  a  slave; 
that,  by  virtue  of  the  Dred  Scott  decision  (then 
of  recent  date),  he  bad  a  constitutional  right  to 
take  bis  slaves  wherever  he  pleased,  and  that 
"Old  Mose"'  was  just  as  much  his  property  in 
Illinois  as  in  Mississippi.  It  soon  became  evident 
to  some,  that  his  bringing  of  the  negro  to  Illinois 
was  an  experiment  to  test  the  law  and  the  feel- 
ings of  the  Northern  people.  TliLs  being  the  case, 
a  shrewd  play  would  have  been  to  let  him  have 
his  way  till  other  slaves  should  have  been 
brought  to  stock  the  new  plantation  But  this 
was  too  slow  a  process  for  the  abolitionists,  to 
whom  the  holding  of  a  slave  in  the  free  State  of 
Illinois  appeared  an  unbearable  outrage.  It  was 
feared  that  he  might  take  the  old  negro  back  to 
Mi-ssissippi  and  fail  to  bring  any  others.  It  was 
reported,  also,  that  "Old  Mose"  was  ill-treated; 
that  he  was  given  only  the  coarsest  food  in  a 
back  shed,  as  if  he  were  a  liorse  or  a  dog,  instead 
of  being  permitted  to  eat  at  table  with  the  family. 
The  prairie  citizen  of  that  time  was  very  par- 
ticular upon  this  point  of  etiquette.  The  hired 
man  or  woman,  debarred  from  the  table  of  his  or 
her  employer,  would  not  Iiave  remained  a  day. 
A  quiet  consultation  with  "Old  Mose"  revealed 
tlie  fact  that  he  would  hail  the  gift  of  freedom 
joyously.  Accordingly,  one  Peter  Risedorf,  and 
another  equally  daring,  met  him  by  the  light  of 
the  stars  and,  before  morning,  he  was  placed  in 
the  care  of  Owen  Lovejoy,  at  Princeton,  twenty 
miles  away.  From  there  he  was  speedily 
"franked"  by  the  member  of  Congress  to  friends 
in  Canada. 

There  was  a  great  commotion  in  Bradford  over 
the  "stealing"  of  "Old  Mose."  Lombard  and  his 
friends  denounced  the  act  in  terms  bitter  and 
profane,  and  threatened  vengeance  upon  the  per- 
petrators. The  conductors  were  known  only  to  a 
few,  and  they  kept  their  secret  well.  Lovejoy"s 
part  in  the  affair,  liowever,  soon  leaked  out. 
Lombard  returned  to  Mississippi,  where  he 
related  his  experiences  to  Mr.  Singleton,  the 
Representative  in  Congress  from  his  district. 
During  the  next  session  of  Congress,  Singleton 
took  occasion,  in  a  speech,  to  sneer  at  Lovejoy  as  a 
"nigger-stealer,"  citing  the  case  of  "Old  Mose." 
5Ir.  Lovejoy  replied  in  his  usual  fervid  and 
dramatic  style,  making  a  speech  which  ensured 
his  election  to  Congress  for  life — "Is  it  desired  to 
call  attention  to  this  fact  of  my  assisting  fugitive 
slaves?"  he  said.   "Owen  Lovejoy  lives  at  Prince- 


ton, 111.,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the 
village,  and  he  aids  every  slave  that  comes  to  his 
door  and  asks  it.  Thou  invisible  Demon  of 
Slavery,  dost  thou  think  to  cross  my  humble 
threshold  and  forbid  me  to  give  bread  to  the 
lumgry  and  shelter  to  the  homeless?  I  bid  you 
defiance,  in  the  name  of  my  God!" 

With  another  incident  of  an  amusing  charac- 
ter this  article  may  be  closed:  Hon.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  of  Chicago,  being  accused  of  conniving 
at  the  escape  of  a  slave  from  officers  of  the  law, 
was  asked  by  the  court  what  he  would  do  if  sum- 
moned as  one  of  a  posse  to  pursue  and  capture  a 
fugitive.  "I  would  certainly  obey  the  summons," 
he  replied,  "but — I  should  probably  stub  my  toe 
and  fall  down  before  I  reached  him." 

Note.— Those  who  wish  to  pursue  the  subject  of  the 
"  Underground  Railroad  "  in  Ihinois  further,  are  referred 
to  the  work  of  Dr.  Siebert,  already  mentioned,  and  to  the 
various  County  Histories  wliich  have  been  issued  and  may 
be  found  in  the  public  libraries;  also  for  interesting  inci- 
dents, to  •' Keniiniscences  of  Levi  Coffin,"  Johnson's 
"  From  Dixie  to  Canada,"  I'etit's  Sketches,  "Still,  Under- 
ground Eailroad,"  and  a  pamphlet  of  the  same  title  by 
James  H.  Fairchild,  ex-President  of  Oberlin  College. 

UNDERWOOD,  William  H.,  lawyer,  legislator 
and  jurist,  was  born  at  Schoharie  Court  House, 
N.  Y..  Feb.  21,  1818,  and,  after  admission  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  BeUeviUe,  111.,  where  he  began 
practice  in  1840  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  State's  Attorney,  and  re-elected  in  1843. 
In  1846  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  General  Assembly,  and,  in  1848-54, 
sat  as  Judge  of  the  Second  Circuit.  During  this 
period  he  declined  a  nomination  to  Congress, 
although  equivalent  to  an  election.  In  1856  he 
was  elected  State  Senator,  and  re-elected  in  1860. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1869-70,  and,  in  1870,  %vas  again  elected  to 
the  Senate,  retiring  to  private  life  in  1873.  Died, 
Sept.  23,  1870. 

UNION  COUNTY,  one  of  the  fifteen  counties 
into  which  Illinois  was  divided  at  the  time  of  its 
admission  as  a  State — having  been  organized, 
under  the  Territorial  Government,  in  January, 
1818.  It  is  situated  in  the  southern  division  of 
the  State,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi 
River,  and  has  an  area  of  400  square  miles.  The 
eastern  and  interior  portions  are  drained  by  the 
Cache  River  and  Clear  Creek.  Tlie  western  part 
of  the  county  comprises  the  broad,  rich  bottom 
lands  lying  along  the  Mississippi,  but  is  subject 
to  frequent  overflow,  while  the  eastern  portion  is 
hilly,  and  most  of  its  area  originally  heavily  tim- 
bered. The  count}'  is  especially  ricli  in  minerals. 
Iron-ore.  lead,  bituniini>us  coal,  chalk,  alum  and 


538 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


potter's  clay  are  found  in  considerable  abun- 
dance. Several  lines  of  railway  (the  most  impor 
tant  being  the  Illinois  Central)  either  cross  or 
tap  the  county.  The  chief  occupation  is  agri- 
culture, although  manufacturing  is  carried  on  to 
a  limited  extent.  Fruit  is  extensiveh'  cultivated. 
Jonesboro  is  the  count)-seat,  and  Cobden  and 
Anna  important  shipping  stations.  The  latter  is 
the  location  of  the  Southern  Hospital  for  the 
Insane.  The  population  of  the  count}-,  in  1890, 
was  21,529.  Being  next  to  St.  Clair,  Randolph 
and  Gallatin,  one  of  the  earliest  settled  counties 
in  the  State,  manj'  prominent  men  found  their 
first  home,  on  coming  into  the  State,  at  Jones- 
boro, and  this  region,  for  a  time,  exerted  a  strong 
influence  in  public  affairs.      Pop.  (1900),  22,610. 

IMON  LE.\GUE  OF  AMERICA,  a  secret  polit- 
ical and  patriotic  order  which  had  its  origin 
early  in  the  late  Civil  War,  for  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  sustaining  the  cause  of  the  Union  and 
counteracting  the  machinations  of  the  secret 
organizations  designed  to  promote  the  success  of 
the  Rebellion.  The  first  regular  Coxmcil  of  the 
order  was  organized  at  Pekin,  Tazewell  County, 
June  25,  1862,  consisting  of  eleven  members,  as 
follows:  John  W.  Glasgow,  Dr.  D.  A.  Cheever, 
Hart  Montgomery,  Maj.  Richard  X.  Cullom 
(father  of  Senator  Cullom),  Alexander  Small, 
Rev.  J.  W.  M.  Vernon,  George  H.  Harlow  (after- 
ward Secretary  of  State),  Charles  Turner,  Col. 
Jonathan  Merriam,  Henry  Pratt  and  L.  F.  Gar- 
rett. One  of  the  number  was  a  Union  refugee 
from  Tennessee,  who  dictated  the  first  oath  from 
niemorj',  as  administered  to  members  of  a  some- 
wliat  similar  order  which  had  been  organized 
among  the  Unionists  of  his  own  State.  It  sol- 
emnly pledged  the  taker,  (1)  to  preserve  invio- 
late the  secrets  and  business  of  the  order ;  (2)  to 
"support,  maintain,  protect  and  defend  the  civil 
liberties  of  the  Union  of  these  United  States 
against  all  enemies,  eitlier  domestic  or  foreign, 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,"  even 
"if  necessary,  to  the  sacrifice  of  life"';  (3)  to  aid 
in  electing  only  true  Union  men  to  offices  of 
trust  in  the  town,  county.  State  and  General 
Government;  (4)  to  assist,  protect  and  defend 
any  member  of  the  order  who  miglit  be  in  peril 
from  his  connection  with  the  order,  and  (5)  to 
obey  all  laws,  rules  or  regulations  of  any  Council 
to  which  the  taker  of  the  oath  might  be  attaclied. 
The  oath  was  taken  upon  the  Bible,  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  and  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  the  taker  pledging  his  sacred 
honor  to  its  fulfillment.  A  special  reason  for  the 
organization  existed  in  the  activity,  about  this 


time,  of  the  "Knights  of  tlie  Golden  Circle,'"  a 
disloyal  organization  which  had  been  introduced 
from  the  South,  and  which  afterwards  took  the 
name,  in  tlie  North,  of  "American  Knights"  and 
"Sons  of  Liberty. "  (See  Secret  Treasonable  Soci- 
eties.) Three  montlis  later,  the  organization  had 
extended  to  a  number  of  other  counties  of  the 
State  and,  on  tlie  2,5th  of  September  following, 
tlie  first  State  Council  met  at  Bloomington — 
twelve  counties  being  represented— and  a  State 
organization  was  effected.  At  this  meeting  the 
following  general  officers  were  chosen:  Grand 
President  —  Judge  Mark  Bangs,  of  Marshall 
County  (now  of  Chicago) ;  Grand  Vice-President 
— Prof.  Daniel  Wilkin,  of  McLean  ;  Grand  Secre- 
tary— George  H.  Harlow,  of  Tazewell;  Grand 
Treasurer — H.  S.  Austin,  of  Peoria,  Grand  Mar- 
slial— J.  R.  Gorin,  of  Macon;  Grand  Herald — 
A.  Gould,  of  Henry;  Grand  Sentinel — John  E. 
Rosette,  of  Sangamon.  .Vu  Executive  Committee 
was  also  appointed,  consisting  of  Joseph  Medill 
of  "The  Cliicago  Tribune"";  Dr.  A.  J.  McFar- 
land,  of  Morgan  County;  J.  K.  Warren,  of  Macon; 
Rev.  J.  C.  Rybolt,  of  La  SaUe;  the  President, 
Judge  Bangs;  Enoch  Emery,  of  Peoria;  and 
John  E.  Rosette.  Under  the  direction  of  this 
Committee,  with  Mr.  Medill  as  its  Chainnan, 
the  constitution  and  by-laws  were  thoroughly 
revised  and  a  new  ritual  adopted,  which  materi- 
ally clianged  the  phraseologj-  and  removed  some 
of  the  crudities  of  the  original  obligation,  as  well 
as  increased  tlie  beauty  and  impressiveness  of 
the  initiatory  ceremonies.  New  signs,  grips  and 
pass- words  were  also  adopted,  which  were  finally 
accepted  by  the  various  organizations  of  the 
order  throughout  the  Union,  wliioh,  by  this  time, 
included  many  soldiers  in  the  army,  as  well  as 
civilians.  The  second  Grand  (or  State)  Council 
was  held  at  Springfield,  January  14,  1863,  witli 
only  seven  counties  represented.  The  limited 
representation  was  discouraging,  but  the  mem- 
bers took  heart  from  tlie  inspiring  words  of  Gov- 
ernor Yates,  addressed  to  a  committee  of  the 
order  who  waited  upon  him.  At  a  special  ses- 
sion of  the  Executive  Committee,  held  at  Peoria, 
six  days  later,  a  vigorous  campaign  was 
mapped  out,  imder  which  agents  were  sent 
into  nearly  every  coxinty  in  the  State.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1862,  the  strength  of  the  order  in  Illi- 
nois was  estimated  at  three  to  five  thousand; 
a  few  montlis  later,  the  number  of  enrolled 
members  had  increased  to  50,000  —  so  rapid 
had  been  the  growth  of  the  order.  On  March 
25,  1863,  a  Grand  Council  met  in  Chicago — 
404  Councils  in  Illinois  being  represented,  with 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


539 


a  number  from  Oliio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin, Iowa  and  Minnesota.  At  this  meeting  a 
Committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  plan  of 
organization  for  a  National  Grand  Council,  which 
was  carried  out  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  the  30th 
of  May  following — the  constitution,  ritual  and 
signs  of  the  Illinois  organization  being  adopted 
■with  slight  modifications.  The  icvised  obligation 
— taken  upon  the  Bible,  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence and  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States — bound  members  of  the  League  to  "sup- 
port, protect  and  defend  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  and  the  flag  thereof,  against  all 
enemies,  foreign  and  domestic,"  and  to"beartrue 
faith  and  allegiance  to  the  same";  to  "defend 
the  State  against  invasion  or  insurrection";  to 
support  only  "true  and  reliable  men"  for  offices 
of  trust  and  profit;  to  protect  and  defend 
worthy  members,  and  to  preserve  inviolate  the 
secrets  of  the  order.  The  address  to  new  mem- 
bers was  a  model  of  impressiveness  and  a  powerful 
appeal  to  their  patriotism.  The  organization 
extended  rapidly,  not  only  throughout  the  North- 
west, but  in  the  South  also,  especially  in  the 
army.  In  186-1  the  number  of  Councils  in  Illinois 
was  estimated  at  1,300,  with  a  membership  of 
175,000;  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  total  mem- 
bership, throughout  the  Union,  was  3,000,000. 
The  influence  of  the  silent,  but  zealous  and  effect- 
ive, operations  of  the  organization,  was  shown, 
not  only  in  the  stimulus  given  to  enlistments  and 
support  of  the  war  policy  of  the  Government, 
but  in  the  raising  of  supplies  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  in  the  field.  Within  a  few 
weeks  before  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  over  $35,000  in 
cash,  besides  large  quantities  of  stores,  were  sent 
to  Col.  John  Williams  (then  in  charge  of  the 
Sanitary  Bureau  at  Springfield),  as  the  direct 
result  of  appeals  made  through  circulars  sent  out 
by  the  officers  of  the  "League."  Large  contri- 
butions of  money  and  supplies  also  reached  the 
sick  and  wounded  in  hospital  through  the  medium 
of  the  Sanitary  Commission  in  Chicago.  Zealous 
efforts  were  made  by  the  opposition  to  get  at  the 
secrets  of  the  order,  and,  in  one  case,  a  complete 
copy  of  the  ritual  was  published  bj'  one  of  their 
organs ;  but  the  effect  was  so  far  the  reverse  <.)f 
what  was  anticipated,  that  this  line  of  attack  was 
not  continued.  During  the  stormy  session  of  the 
Legislature  in  1863,  the  League  is  said  to  have 
rendered  effective  service  in  protecting  Gov- 
ernor Yates  from  threatened  assassination.  It 
continued  its  silent  but  effective  operations  until 
the  complete  overthrow  of  the  rebellion,  when  it 
ceased  to  exist  as  a  political  organization. 


UNITED  STATES  SENATORS.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  United  States  senators  from  Illinois, 
from  the  date  of  the  admission  of  the  State  into 
the  Union  until  1899,  with  the  date  and  duration 
of  the  term  of  each:  Ninian  Edwards,  1818-24; 
Jesse  B.  Thomas,  Sr.,  1818-29;  John  McLean, 
1834-35  and  1839-30;  Elias  Kent  Kane,  1835-35; 
David  Jewett  Baker,  Nov.  13  to  Dec.  11,  1830; 
John  M.  Robinson,  1830-41;  William  L.  D.  Ewing, 
1835-37;  Richard  M.  Young,  1837-43;  Samuel  Mc- 
Roberts,  1841-43;  Sidney  Breese,  1843-49;  James 
Semple,  1843-47;  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  1847-61; 
James  Shields,  1849-55 ;  Lyman  Trumbull,  1855-73; 
Orville  H.  Browning,  1861-63;  William  A.  Rich- 
ardson, 1863-65;  Richard  Yates,  1865-71;  John  A. 
Logan,  1871-77  and  1879-86;  Richard  J.  Oglesby, 
1873-79;  David  Davis,  1877-83;  Shelby  M.  Cullom, 
first  elected  in  1883,  and  re-elected  in  '89  and  '95, 
his  third  term  expiring  in  1901 ;  Charles  B.  Far- 
well,  1887-91;  John  McAuley  Palmer,  1891-97; 
William  E.  Mason,  elected  in  1897,  for  the  term 
expiring,  March  4,  1903. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  (The  New).  One 
of  the  leading  educational  institutions  of  the 
country,  located  at  Chicago.  It  is  the  outgrowth 
of  an  attempt,  put  forth  by  the  American  Educa- 
tional Society  (organized  at  Washington  in  1888), 
to  supply  the  place  which  the  original  institution 
of  the  same  name  had  been  designed  to  fill.  (See 
University  of  Chicago — TVie  Old.)  The  following 
year,  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller  of  New  York  ten- 
dered a  contribution  of  $600,000  toward  the  endow- 
ment of  the  enterprise,  conditioned  upon  securing 
additional  pledges  to  the  amount  of  $400,000  by 
June  1,  1890.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the 
sum  promptly  raised.  In  addition,  a  site,  covering 
four  blocks  of  land  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  was 
secured — two  and  one-half  blocks  being  acquired 
by  purchase  for  $283,500,  and  one  and  one-half 
(valued  at  $125,000)  donated  by  Jlr.  Marshall 
Field.  A  charter  was  secured  and  an  organiza- 
tion effected,  Sept.  10,  1890.  The  Presidency  of 
the  institution  was  tendered  to,  and  accepted  by. 
Dr.  William  R.  Harper.  Since  that  time  the 
University  has  been  the  recipient  of  other  gener- 
ous benefactions  by  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  others, 
uutil  the  aggregate  donations  (1898)  exceed  $10,- 
000,000.  Of  this  amount  over  one-half  has  been 
contributed  by  Mr.  Rockefeller,  while  he  has 
pledged  himself  to  make  additional  contributions 
of  $3,000,000,  conditioned  upon  the  raising  of  a 
like  sum,  from  other  donors,  by  Jan.  1, 1900.  The 
buildings  erected  on  the  campus,  prior  to  1896, 
include  a  chemical  laboratory  costing  $183,000,  a 
lecture    hall,    $150,000;    a    physical     laboratory 


540 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


§150,000;  a  miiseum,  §100,000;  an  academy  dor- 
mitory, §30,000;  three  dormitories  for  women, 
§130,000;  two  dormitories  for  men,  §100,000,  to 
which  several  important  additions  were  made 
during  1896  and  97.  The  faculty  embraces  over 
150  instructors,  selected  with  reference  to  their 
fitness  for  their  respective  departments  from 
among  the  most  eminent  scholars  in  America  and 
Europe.  Women  are  admitted  as  students  and 
graduated  upon  an  equality  with  men.  The  work 
of  practical  instruction  began  in  October,  1893, 
with  589  registered  students,  coming  from  nearly 
every  Northern  State,  and  including  250  gradu- 
ates from  other  institutions,  to  which  accessions 
were  made,  during  the  year,  raising  the  aggregate 
to  over  900.  The  second  year  the  number  ex- 
ceeded 1,100;  the  third,  it  rose  to  1,750,  and  the 
fourth  (1895-96),  to  some  2,000,  including  repre- 
sentatives from  every  State  of  the  Union,  besides 
many  from  foreign  countries.  Special  features 
of  tlie  institution  include  the  admission  of  gradu- 
ates from  other  institutions  to  a  post-graduate 
course,  and  the  University  Extension  Division, 
wliich  is  conducted  largely  by  means  of  lecture 
courses,  in  other  cities,  or  through  lecture  centers 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  University,  non-resident 
students  having  the  privilege  of  written  exami- 
nations. The  various  libraries  embrace  over 
;iOO.()00  volumes,  of  which  nearly  60,000  belong 
to  what  are  called  the  '"Departmental  Libraries," 
besides  a  large  and  valuable  collection  of  maps 
and  pamphlets. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  (The  Old),  an 
educational  institution  at  Chicago,  under  the 
care  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  for  some  years 
known  as  the  Douglas  University.  Senator 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  offered,  in  1854,  to  donate  ten 
acres  of  land,  in  what  was  then  near  the  southern 
border  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  as  a  site  for  an 
institution  of  learning,  provided  buildings  cost- 
ing §100,000,  be  erected  thereon  within  a  stipu- 
lated time.  The  corner-stone  of  the  main  building 
was  laid.  July  4,  1857,  but  the  financial  panic  of 
that  year  prevented  its  completion,  and  Mr.  Doug- 
las extended  the  time,  and  finally  deeded  the 
land  to  the  trustees  without  reserve.  For  eighteen 
years  the  institution  led  a  precarious  existence, 
struggling  under  a  heavy  debt.  By  1885,  mort- 
gages to  the  amount  of  §320,000  having  accumu- 
lated, the  trustees  abandoned  further  effort,  and 
acquiesced  in  the  sale  of  the  property  under  fore- 
closure proceedings.  The  original  plan  of  the 
institution  contemplated  preparatory  and  col- 
legiate departments,  together  with  a  college  of 
law  and  a  theological  school. 


UMVERSiry  OF  ILLINOIS,  the  leading  edu- 
cational institution  under  control  of  the  State, 
located  at  Urbaua  and  adjoining  the  city  of 
Champaign.  The  Legislature  at  the  session  of  1863 
accepted  a  grant  of  480,000  acres  of  land  under 
Act  of  Congress,  approved  July  2, 1862,  making  an 
appropriation  of  public  lands  to  States — 30,000 
acres  for  each  Senator  and  each  Representative  in 
Congress — establishing  colleges  for  teaching  agri- 
culture and  the  mechanic  arts,  though  not  to  the 
exclusion  of  clas.sical  and  scientific  studies.  Land- 
scrip  under  this  grant  was  issued  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Governor  Yates,  and  a  Board  of 
Trustees  appointed  under  the  State  law  wasorgan- 
ized  in  March,  1867,  the  institution  being  located 
the  Stinie  year.  Departments  and  courses  of  study 
were  established,  and  Dr.  John  M.  Gregorj-,  of 
Michigan,  was  chosen  Regent  (President). — The 
laudscrip  issued  to  Illinois  was  sold  at  an  early 
day  for  what  it  wonld  bring  in  open  market, 
except  25,000  acres,  which  was  located  in  Ne- 
braska and  Minnesota.  This  lias  recently  been 
sold,  realizing  a  larger  sum  than  was  received 
for  all  the  scrip  otherwise  disposed  of.  The  entire 
sum  thus  secured  for  permanent  endowment  ag- 
gregates §613,026.  The  University  revenues  were 
further  increased  by  donations  from  Congress  to 
each  institution  organizeil  under  the  Act  of  1862, 
of  §15,000  per  annum  for  the  maintenance  of  an 
Agricultural  Expeiiment  Station,  and.  in  1890,  of 
a  similar  amount  for  instruction — the  latter  to  be 
increased  §1,000  annually  until  it  should  reach 
§25,000— A  medianical  building  was  erected  in 
1871,  and  this  is  claimed  to  have  been  the  first  of 
its  kind  in  America  intended  for  strictly  educa- 
tional purjxises.  What  was  called  "the  main 
building"  was  formally  opened  in  December, 
1873.  Other  buildings  embrace  a  "Science  Hall," 
opened  in  1892;  a  neiv  "Engineering  Hall,"  1894; 
a  fine  Library  Building,  lf?97.  Eleven  other  prin- 
cipal .-.tructures  and-  a  number  of  smaller  ones 
have  been  erected  as  conditions  -equired.  The 
value  of  property  aggregates  nearly  §2,500,000,  and 
appropriations  from  the  State,  for  all  purposes, 
previous  to  1904,  foot  up  §5,123,517.90.— Since 
1871  the  institution  has  been  open  to  women. 
The  courses  of  study  embrace  agriculture,  chem- 
istry, polytechnics,  military  tactics,  natural  and 
general  sciences,  languages  and  literature,  eco- 
nomics, household  science,  trade  and  commerce. 
The  Graduate  School  dates  from  1891.  In  1896 
the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  was  connected 
with  the  University :  a  College  of  Law  and  a 
Library  School  were  opened  in  1897,  and  the  same 
year  the  Chicago  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 


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HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


541 


geons  was  affiliatetl  as  tlie  College  of  Medicine — a 
School  of  Dentistry  being  added  to  the  latter  in 
1901.  In  1885  the  State  Laboratory  of  Natural 
History  was  transferred  from  Normal,  111.,  and  an 
Agricultural  E.xperiment  Station  entablished  in 
1888,  from  which  bulletins  are  sent  to  farmers 
throughout  the  State  who  may  desire  them. — The 
first  name  of  the  Institution  was  "Illinois  Indus- 
trial University,"  but,  in  1885,  this  was  changed 
to  "University  of  Illinois."  In  1887  the  Trustees 
(of  whom  there  are  nine)  were  made  elective  by 
popular  vote — three  being  elected  every  two 
years,  each  holding  office  six  years.  Dr.  Gregory, 
having  resigned  the  office  of  Regent  in  1880,  was 
succeeded  by  Di-.  Selim  H.  Peabody,  who  had 
been  Professor  of  Jleohanical  and  Civil  Engineer- 
ing. Dr.  Peabod}'  resigned  in  1891.  The  duties 
of  Regent  were  then  discharged  by  Prof.  Thomas 
J.  Burrill  until  August,  1S94,  when  Dr.  Andrew 
Sloan  Draper,  former  State  Superintendent  of 
Pul)lic  Instruction  of  the  State  of  New  York,  was 
installed  as  President,  serving  until  1904. — The 
corps  of  instruction  (1904)  includes  over  100  Pro- 
fessors, 60  Associate  and  Assistant  Professors  and 
200  Instructors  and  Assistants,  besides  special 
lecturers,  demonstrators  and  clerks.  The  num- 
ber of  students  has  increased  i-apidly  in  recent 
years,  as  shor/n  by  the  following  totals  for  suc- 
cessive years  from  1890-91  to  1903-04,  inclusive: 
519;  583;  714;  743;  810;  853;  1,075:  1,582;  1,824; 
2,234;  2,505;  2,932;  3,289;  3,.589.  Of  the  last  num- 
ber, 2,271  were  men  and  718  women.  During 
1903-04  there  were  in  all  departments  at  Urbana, 
2  547  students  (2."j6  being  in  the  Preparatory  Aca- 
demy) ;  and  in  the  three  Professional  Departments 
in  Chicago,  1,042,  of  whom  694  were  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Medicine,  185  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy, 
and  163  in  the  School  of  Dentistry.  The  Univer- 
sity Library  contains  63,700  volumes  and  14,500 
pamphlets,  not  including  5,3.50  volumes  and 
15  850  pamphlets  in  tlie  State  Laboratory  of  Nat- 
ural History. — The  University  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous and  attractive  site,  embracing  220  acres 
adjacent  to  the  line  between  Uibana  and  Cham- 
paign, and  near  the  residence  portion  of  the  two 
cities.  The  athletic  field  of  11  acres,  on  which 
stand  the  gymnasium  and  armory,  is  enclosed 
with  an  ornamental  iron  fence.  The  campus, 
otherwi.se.  is  an  open  and  beautiful  park  with 
fine  landscape  effects. 

UNORGANIZED  COUXTIES.  In  addition  to 
the  103  counties  into  which  Illinois  is  divided, 
acts  were  passed  by  the  General  Assembly, 
at  different  times,  providing  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a    number   of  others,    a   few   of   which 


were  subsequently  organized  under  different 
names,  but  the  majority  of  which  were  never 
organized  at  all — the  proposition  for  such  or- 
ganization being  rejected  by  vote  of  the  people 
within  the  proposed  boundaries,  or  allowed  to 
lapse  by  non-action.  These  unorganized  coun- 
ties, with  the  date  of  the  several  acts  authorizing 
them,  nd  the  territory  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  include,  were  as  follows:  Allen 
County  (1841) — comprising  portions  of  Sanga- 
mon, Morgan  and  Macoupin  Counties;  Audobon 
(Audubon)  County  (1843) — from  portions  of  Mont- 
gomery, Fayette  and  Shelby;  Benton  County 
(1843) — from  Morgan,  Greene  and  Slacoupin; 
Coffee  County  (1837) — with  substantiall}'  the 
same  territory  now  comprised  within  the  bound- 
aries of  Stark  County,  authorized  two  years 
later;  Dane  County  (1839) — name  changed  to 
Christian  in  1840;  Harrison  County  (1855) — 
from  McLean,  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  com- 
prising territory  since  partially  incorporated 
in  Ford  Count}';  Holmes  County  (1857) — from 
Champaign  and  Vermilion ;  Marquette  County 
(1843),  changed  (1847)  to  Highland — compris- 
ing the  northern  portion  of  Adams,  (this  act 
was  accepted,  with  Columbus  as  the  county- 
seat,  but  organization  finally  vacated) ;  Michi- 
gan County  (1837) — from  a  part  of  Cook;  Milton 
County  (1843) — from  the  south  part  of  Vermil- 
ion; Okaw  County  (1841) — comprising  substan- 
tially the  same  territory  as  Moultrie,  organized 
under  act  of  1843;  Oregon  County  (1851) — from 
parts  of  Sangamon,  Morgan  and  Macoupin  Coun- 
ties, and  covering  substantially  the  same  terri- 
tory as  proposed  to  be  incorporated  in  Allen 
County  ten  years  earlier.  The  last  act  of  this 
character  was  passed  in  1867,  when  an  attempt 
was  made  to  organize  Lincoln  County  out  o. 
parts  of  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  but  whicn 
failed  for  want  of  an  affirmative  vote. 

UPPER  ALTON,  a  city  of  Madison  County, 
situated  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  about 
ij  miles  northeast  of  Alton— laid  out  in  1816.  It 
has  several  churches,  and  is  the  seat  of  Shurtleff 
College  and  the  We.stern  Military  Academy,  the 
former  founded  about  1831,  and  controlled  by  the 
Baptist  denomination.  Beds  of  excellent  clay  are 
found  in  the  vicinity  and  utilized  in  pottery 
manufacture.      Pop.    (1890),    1,803;  (1900),  2,373. 

UPTOX,  George  Putnam,  journalist,  was  liorn 
at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  Oct.  25,  1834;  graduated  from 
Browu  University  in  18.54,  removed  to  Chicago 
iu  1835,  and  began  newspaper  work  on  "The 
Native  American,"  the  following  year  taking 
the  place  of  city  editor  of  "The  Evening  Jour- 


542 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


nal.'"  In  1862,  Mr.  Upton  became  musical  critic 
on  "The  Cliicago  Tribune,"  serving  for  a  time 
also  as  its  war  correspondent  in  the  field,  later 
(about  1881)  taking  a  place  on  the  general  edi- 
torial staff,  which  he  still  retains.  He  is  regarded 
as  an  authority  on  rhusical  and  dramatic  topics. 
Mr.  Upton  is  also  a  stockholder  in,  and,  for  sev- 
eral years,  has  been  Vice-President  of  the  "Trib- 
une" Company.  Be.sides  numerous  contributions 
to  magazines,  his  works  include:  "Letters  of 
Peregrine  Pickle"  (1869)  ;  "Memories,  a  Story  of 
German  Love,"  translated  from  the  German  of 
Mux  Muller  (18T9) ;  "Woman  in  Music"  (1880); 
"Lives  of  German  Composers"  (3  vols. — 1883-84); 
besides  four  volumes  of  standard  operas,  oratorios, 
cantatas,  and  symphonies  (1885-88). 

URB.\N.\,  a  flourishing  city,  the  county-seat 
of  Ch  inipiiJKn  County,  on  the  "Big  Four,"  the 
Illinois  Central  and  tlie  W;il)a=h  Railways:  130 
miles  south  of  Chicago  and  31  miles  west  of  Dan- 
ville; in  agricnUural  and  coal-mining  region. 
The  mechanical  industries  include  extensive  rail- 
road sliops,  manufacture  of  brick,  suspenders  and 
lawn-mowers.  The  Cunningham  Deaconesses' 
Home  and  Orphanage  is  located  here.  The  city 
has  water-works,  gas  and  electric  light  plants, 
electric  car-lines  (local  and  interurban),  superior 
schools,  nine  churches,  tliree  banks  and  three 
newspa])ers.  Urbana  is  the  seat  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.     Pop.  (1890).  3,rjll;  (1900),  ,'),728. 

CSREY,  TTilliam  J.,  editor  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Washington  (near  Natchez),  Miss.,  May 
16,  1837;  vi-as  educated  at  Natchez,  and,  before 
reaching  manhood,  came  to  Macon  County,  111., 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  until  1846,  when 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Fourth 
IlUnois  Volunteers,  for  the  Mexican  War.  In 
ISfiri,  he  joined  with  a  Mr.  Wingate  in  the  estab- 
lishment, at  Decatur,  of  "Tlie  Illinois  State  Chron- 
icle," of  which  he  soon  after  took  sole  charge, 
conducting  the  paper  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Thirty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers  and  was 
appointed  Adjutant.  Although  born  and  edu- 
cated in  a  slave  State,  Mr.  Usrey  was  an  earnest 
opponent  of  slavery,  as  proved  by  the  attitude  of 
his  paper  in  opposition  to  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill.  He  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  endorsers 
of  the  proposition  for  a  conference  of  the  Anti- 
Nebraska  editors  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  agree 
upon  a  line  of  policy  in  opposition  to  the  fiulher 
extension  of  slavery,  and,  when  that  body  met  at 
Decatur,  on  Feb.  23,  1856,  he  served  as  its  Secre- 
tarj",  thus  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  initial 
steps  which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Illinois.    (See  Anti-Xebraska 


Editorial  Convention.)  After  returning  from 
the  war  he  resumed  his  place  as  editor  of  "The 
Chronicle,"  but  finallj-  retired  from  newspaper 
work  in  1871.  He  was  twice  Postmaster  of  the 
city  of  Decatur,  first  previous  to  1850,  and  again 
under  the  administration  of  President  Grant; 
served  also  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council  and 
was  a  member  of  the  local  Post  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
and  Secretary  of  the  Macon  County  Association 
of  Mexican  War  Veterans.  Died,  at  Decatur, 
Jan.  20,  1894. 

UTIC.4,  (also  called  North  Utica),  a  village  of 
La  Salle  County;  on  the  Illiuois  &  Michigan 
Canal  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway,  10  miles  west  of  Ottawa,  situated  on  the 
Illinois  River  opposite  "Starved  Rock,"  also 
believed  to  stand  on  the  site  of  the  Kaskaskia 
village  found  by  the  French  Explorer,  La  Salle, 
when  he  first  visited  Illinois.  "Utica  cement"  is 
produced  here;  it  also  has  several  factories  or 
mills,  besides  banks  and  a  weekly  paper.  Popu- 
lation (1880),  767;  (1890),  1,094;  (1900),  1,150. 

VAX  AKXAM,  John,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
l>orn  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  March  3,  1830.  Hav- 
ing lost  his  father  at  five  years  of  age,  he  went  to 
live  with  a  farmer,  but  ran  away  in  his  boyhood; 
later,  began  teaching,  studied  law,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  New  York  City,  beginning 
practice  at  Mai-shall,  Mich.  In  1858  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Walker,  Van  Amam  &  Dexter,  became  promi- 
nent as  a  criminal  lawyer  and  railroad  attorney, 
being  for  a  time  Solicitor  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad.  In  1862  he  assisted  in 
organizing  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  was  commissioned 
its  Colonel,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  on 
account  of  illness.  After  spending  some  time  in 
California,  he  resumed  i)ractice  in  Chicago  in 
1865.  His  later  years  were  spent  in  California, 
dying  at  San  Diego,  in  that  State,  April  0,  1890. 

VANDALIA,  the  princiiml  city  and  county-seat 
of  Fayette  County.  It  is  situated  on  the  Kas- 
kaskia River,  30  miles  north  of  Centralia,  63 
miles  south  by  west  of  Decatur,  and  68  miles 
east-northeast  of  St.  Louis.  It  is  an  intersecting 
point  for  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  St.  Louis, 
Vandalia  and  Terre  Haute  Railroads.  It  was  the 
capital  of  the  State  from  1820  to  1839,  the  seat  of 
government  being  removed  to  Springfield,  the 
latter  year,  in  accordance  with  act  of  the  General 
Assembly  passed  at  the  session  of  1837.  It  con- 
tains a  court  house  (old  State  Capitol  building), 
six  churches,  two  banks,  three  weekly  papers,  a 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


543 


graded  school,  flour.  sa«-  and  paper  mills,  foundry, 
stave  and  heading  mill,  carriage  and  wa^on 
and  brick  works.    Pop.  (1890).  2,144;  (1900),  2  06.5. 

VANDEVEEK,  Horatio  31.,  pioneer  lawyer, 
was  born  in  Washington  County.  lud.,  March  1, 
1816 ;  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois  at  an  early 
age,  settling  on  Clear  Creek,  now  in  Christian 
County;  taught  school  and  studied  law,  using 
books  borrowed  from  the  late  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart 
of  Springfield ;  was  elected  first  County  Recorder 
of  Christian  County  and,  soon  after,  appointed 
Circuit  Clerk,  filling  both  offices  three  years. 
He  also  held  the  office  of  County  Judge  from  1848 
to  1857 ;  was  twice  chosen  Representative  in  the 
General  Assembly  (1842  and  1800)  and  once  to  the 
State  Senate  (1862);  in  1846,  enlisted  and  was 
chosen  Captain  of  a  company  for  the  Mexican 
War,  but,  having  been  rejected  on  account  of  the 
quota  being  full,  was  appointed  Assistant-Quarter- 
master, in  this  capacity  serving  on  the  staff  of 
General  Taylor  at  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista. 
Among  other  offices  held  by  Mr.  Vandeveer,  were 
those  of  Postmaster  of  Taylorville,  Master  in 
Chancery,  Presidential  Elector  (1848),  Delegate 
to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1802,  and 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  (1870-79).  In  18G8 
Judge  Vandeveer  established  the  private  banking 
firm  of  H.  M.  Vandeveer  &  Co.,  at  Taylorville, 
which,  in  conjunction  with  his  sons,  he  continued 
successfully  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Died,  March  12.  1894. 

VAN  HOU>E,  William  C,  Railway  Manager 
and  President,  was  born  in  Will  County,  111., 
February,  1843 ;  began  his  career  as  a  telegraph 
operator  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in  18.")6, 
was  attached  to  the  Michigan  Central  and  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railroads  (18.58-72),  later  being 
General  Manager  or  General  Superintendent  of 
various  other  lines  (1872-79).  He  next  served  as 
General  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee &  St.  Paul,  but  soon  after  became  General 
Manager  of  the  Canadian  Pacific,  which  he 
assisted  to  construct  to  the  Pacific  Coast;  wafe 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  line  in  1884,  and  its 
President  in  1888.  His  services  have  been  recog- 
nized by  conferring  upon  him  the  order  of 
knighthood  by  the  British  Government. 

VASSEUR,  Noel  C,  pioneer  Indian-trader,  was 
born  of  French  parentage  in  Canada,  Dec.  25, 
1799;  at  the  age  of  17  made  a  trip  with  a  trading 
party  to  the  West,  crossing  Wisconsin  by  way  of 
the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers,  the  route  pursued 
by  Joliet  and  Marquette  in  1673 ;  later,  was  associ- 
ated with  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  in  the  service  of 
the  American  Fur  Company,  in  1820  visiting  the 


region  now  embraced  in  Iroquois  County,  wliere 
he  and  Hubbard  sub-sequently  established  a  trad- 
ing post  among  the  Pottawatomie  Indians, 
believed  to  have  been  the  site  of  the  present  town 
of  Iroquois.  The  way  of  reaching  their  station 
from  Chicago  was  by  the  Chicago  and  Des 
Plaines  Rivers  to  the  Kankakee,  and  ascending 
the  latter  and  the  Iroquois.  Here  Vasseur  re- 
mained in  trade  imtil  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  in  which  he  served  as 
agent  of  the  Government.  While  in  the  Iroquois 
region  he  married  Watseka,  a  somewhat  famous 
Pottawatomie  woman,  for  whom  the  town  of 
Watseka  was  named,  and  who  had  previously 
been  the  Indian  wife  of  a  fellow-trader.  His 
later  years  were  spent  at  Bourbonnais  Grove,  in 
Kankakee  County,  where  he  died,  Deo.  13,  1879. 

VENICE,  a  city  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Mississippi  River  opposite  St.  Louis  and  2  miles 
north  of  East  St.  Louis;  is  touched  by  six  trunk 
lines  of  railroad,  and  at  the  eastern  approach  to 
the  new  "Merchants'  Bridge,"  with  its  round- 
house, has  two  ferries  to  St.  Louis,  street  car  line, 
electric  lights,  water-works,  some  manufactures 
and  a  newspaner.     Pop.  (1890),  982;  (1900)^  2,4.50. 

VENICE  &  "CAROXDELET  RAILROAD.  (See 
Lonisrilh'.  Evtinnvillc  d-  St.  Louis  {Consolidated) 
Railroad. ) 

VERMILION  COUNTY,  an  eastern  county, 
bordering  on  the  Indiana  State  line,  and  drained 
b}-  the  Vermilion  and  Little  Vermilion  Rivers, 
from  which  it  takes  its  name.  It  was  originally 
organized  in  1826,  when  it  extended  north  to 
Lake  Michigan.  Its  present  area  is  926  square 
miles.  The  discovery  of  salt  springs,  in  1819, 
aided  in  attracting  immigration  to  this  region, 
but  the  manufacture  of  salt  was  abandoned 
many  years  ago.  Early  settlers  were  Se^'mour 
Treat,  James  Butler,  Henry  Johnston,  Harvey 
Lidington,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  and  Daniel  W. 
Beckwith.  James  Butler  and  Achilles  Morgan 
were  the  first  County  Commissioners.  Many 
interesting  fossil  remains  have  been  found, 
among  them  the  skeleton  of  a  mastodon  (1868). 
Fire  clay  is  found  in  large  quantities,  and  two 
coal  seams  cross  the  county.  The  surface  is  level 
and  the  soil  fertile.  Corn  is  the  chief  agricultural 
product,  although  oats,  wheat,  rj^e,  and  potatoes 
are  extensively  cultivated.  Stock-raising  and 
wool-growing  are  important  industries.  There 
are  also  several  manufactories,  chiefly  at  Dan- 
ville, which  is  the  county-seat.  Coal  mining 
is  carried  on  extensively,  especially  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Danville.  Population  (1880),  41,588;  (1890), 
49,905;  (1900),  65,63.5. 


544 


niSTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


VERMILION  RIVER,  a  tributary  of  the  Illi- 
nois; rises  in  Ford  and  the  northern  part  of 
McLean  County,  and,  running  northwestward 
through  Livingston  and  the  southern  part  of 
La  Salle  Counties,  enters  the  Illinois  River 
nearly  opposite  the  city  of  La  Salle ;  has  a  length 
of  about  80  miles. 

VERMILION  RIVER,  an  affluent  of  the  Wa- 
bash, formed  by  the  union  of  the  North,  Middle 
and  South  Forks,  which  rise  in  Illinois,  and 
come  together  near  Danv'lle  in  this  State.  It 
flows  southeastward,  and  enters  the  Wabash  in 
Vermilion  County,  Ind.  The  main  stream  is 
about  28  miles  long.  The  South  Fork,  however, 
which  rises  in  Champaign  County  and  runs  east- 
ward, has  a  length  of  nearly  75  miles.  The 
Little  Vermilion  River  enters  the  Wab;ish  about 
7  or  8  miles  below  the  Vermilion,  which  is  some- 
times called  the  Big  Vermilion,  by  way  of 
distinction. 

VERMONT,  a  village  in  Fulton  County,  at 
junction  of  Galesburg  and  St.  Louis  Division  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  24 
miles  north  of  Beardstown;  has  a  carriage  manu- 
factory Hour  and  saw-mills,  brick  and  tile  works, 
electric  light  plant,  besides  two  banks,  four 
cliurches,  two  graded  schools,  and  one  weekly 
newsp!i|)er.  An  artesian  well  has  been  sunk  here 
to  the  depth  of  2  600  feet      Pop.  (1900),  1,195. 

VERS.VILLES,  a  town  of  Brown  County,  on 
the  Wabash  Railway,  18  miles  east  of  Quincy;  is 
in  a  timber  and  agrit^ultural  district;  has  a  bank 
and  weekly-  newspaper.     Population  (1900),  524. 

VIENNA,  the  county-seat  of  Johnson  County, 
situated  on  the  Cairo  and  Vincennes  branch  of 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  36  miles  north-northwest  of  Cairo.  It 
has  a  court  house,  several  churche.s,  a  graded 
school,  banks  and  two  weekly  newspapers. 
Porulation  (18S0),  494;  (1890),  838;  (1900),   1,217. 

VKiO,  Francois,  [lioiieer  and  early  Indian- 
trader,  was  born  at  Mondovi,  Sardinia  (Western 
Italy),  in  1747,  served  as  a  private  soldier,  fli*st  at 
Havana  and  afterwards  at  New  Orleans.  When 
he  left  the  Spanisli  arnij-  he  came  to  St.  Louis, 
then  the  military  headquarters  of  Spain  for  L'pper 
Louisiana,  where  he  became  a  partner  of  Com- 
mandant de  Leba,  and  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  fur-trade  among  the  Indians  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Rivers  On  the  occupation  of 
Kaskaskia  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  in  1778, 
he  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  Americans,  turn- 
ing out  supplies  to  feed  Clark's  destitute  soldiers, 
and  accepting  Virginia  Continental  money,  at 
par.  in  payment,  incurring  liabilities  in  excess  of 


§20,000.  This,  followed  by  the  confiscation  policy 
of  the  British  Colonel  Hamilton,  at  Vincennes, 
where  Vigo  had  considerable  property,  reduced 
him  to  extreme  penury.  H.  W.  Beckwith  siiys 
that,  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  he  lived  on  his 
little  homestead  near  Vincennes,  in  great  poverty 
but  cheerful  to  the  last  He  was  never  recom- 
pensed during  his  life  for  his  sacrifices  in  behalf 
of  the  American  cause,  though  a  tardy  restitution 
was  attempted,  after  his  death,  by  the  United 
States  Government,  for  the  benefit  of  his  heirs. 
He  died,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  at  Vincennes,  Ind., 
March  22,  1835. 

VILLA  RID<iE,  a  village  of  Pulaski  County, 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Riiilway,  10  miles  north  of 
Cairo.     Population,  500. 

VINCENNES,  Jean  Kaptiste  Bissot,  a  Canadian 
explorer,  born  at  Quebec,  January,  1G88,  of  aris- 
tocratic and  wealthy  ancestry.  He  was  closely 
connected  with  LouLs  Joliet  —  probably  his 
brother-in  law,  although  some  historians  siiy  that 
he  was  the  latter's  nephew.  He  entered  the 
Canadian  army  ius  ensign  in  1701,  and  had  a  long 
and  varied  experience  as  an  Indian  fighter. 
About  1725  he  took  up  his  residence  on  what  is 
now  the  .site  of  the  present  city  of  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  which  is  named  in  his  honor.  Here  he 
erected  an  earth  fort  and  established  a  trading- 
post.  In  1726,  vmder  orders,  he  co-operated  with 
D'Artaguiette  (then  the  French  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois) in  an  exjwdition  against  the  Chickiusaws. 
The  expedition  resulted  disastrously.  Vincenne-s 
and  D'Artaguiette  were  captured  and  burned 
at  the  stake,  together  with  Father  Senat  (a 
Jesuit  priest)  and  others  of  the  command. 
(See  also  D'Artaguiette;  French  Governors  of 
niinoix. ) 

VIRDEN,  a  city  of  Macoupin  County,  on  the 
Chicago  <fc  -Alton  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroads,  21  miles  south  bj'  west  from 
Springfield,  and  ;il  miles  east-southeast  of  Jack- 
sonville. It  has  five  churches,  two  banks,  two 
newspapers,  telephone  service,  electric  lights, 
grain  elevators,  machine  shop,  and  extensive  coal 
mines.  Pop  (1900),2,280;(schoolcensusl903),3.()51. 

VIB(«INI.\,  an  incorporated  city,  the  county- 
seat  of  Cass  County,  situated  at  the  intersectioTi  of 
the  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St.  Louis,  with  the  Spring- 
field Division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  South- 
western Railroad.  15  miles  north  of  Jack.sonville, 
and  33  miles  west-northwest  of  Springfield.  It 
lies  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  agricultural  region. 
There  is  a  flouring  mill  here,  besides  manu- 
factories of  wagons  and  cigars.  The  city  has  two 
National  and   one  State   bank,  five  churches,  a 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


545 


high  school,  and  two  weekly  papers.     Pop   (1890), 
1.603;  (1900).  1,600. 

YOCKE,  William,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Min- 
den,  Westphalia  (Germany),  in  1839,  the  son  of  a 
Government  Secretary  in  the  Prussian  service. 
Having  lost  his  father  at  an  early  age,  he  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1856,  and,  after  a  short 
stay  in  New  York,  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
found  employment  as  a  paper-carrier  for  "The 
Staats-Zeitung."  meanwhile  giving  his  attention 
to  the  stutly  of  law.  Later,  he  became  associated 
with  a  real-estate  firm;  on  the  commencement 
of  the  Civil  War,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  a 
three  months'  regiment,  and,  finally,  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  Illinois  (the  first  Hecker  regi- 
ment) ,  in  which  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Captain. 
Returning  from  the  army,  he  was  employed  as 
city  editor  of  "The  Staats-Zeitung,"  but,  in 
1865,  became  Clerk  of  the  Chicago  Police  Court, 
serving  until  1869.  Meanwhile  he  had  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and,  on  retirement  from 
office,  began  practice,  but,  in  1870,  was  elected 
Representative  in  the  Twenty-seventh  General 
Assembly,  in  which  he  bore  a  leading  part  in 
framing  "the  burnt  record  act"  made  necessary 
by  the  fire  of  1871.  He  has  since  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  been, 
for  a  number  of  years,  attorney  for  the  German 
Consulate  at  Chicago,  also  serving,  for  several 
years,  on  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education.  Mr. 
Vocke  is  a  man  of  high  literary  tastes,  as  shown 
b}'  his  publication,  in  1869,  of  a  volume  of  poems 
translated  from  the  German,  which  has  been 
highly  commended,  besides  a  legal  work  on 
"The  Administration  of  Jiistice  in  the  United 
States,  and  a  Synopsis  of  the  Mode  of  Procedure 
in  our  Federal  and  State  Courts  and  All  Federal 
and  State  Laws  relating  to  Subjects  of  Interest 
to  Aliens,"  which  has  been  published  in  the  Ger- 
man Language,  and  is  highly  valued  by  German 
lawyers  and  business  men.  Mr.  Vocke  was  a 
nie;uber  of  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1872  at  Philadeliihia,  which  nominated  General 
Grant  for  the  Presidency  a  second  time. 

VOLK,  Leonard  Wells,  a  distinguished  Illinois 
sculptor,  born  at  Wellstown  (afterwards  Wells), 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  7,  1828.  Later,  his  father,  who  was 
a  marble  cutter ,  removed  to  Pittsfield,  Ma.ss., 
and,  at  the  age  of  10,  Leonard  began  work  in  his 
shop.  In  1848  he  came  west  and  began  model- 
ing in  clay  and  drawing  at  St.  Louis,  being  only 
self-taught.  He  married  a  cousin  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  the  latter,  in  1855,  aided  him  in 
the  prosecution  of  his  art  studies  in  Italy.  Two 
years  afterward  he  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he 


modeled  the  first  portrait  bust  ever  made  in  the 
city,  having  for  his  subject  his  first  patron — the 
"Little  Giant."  The  next  year  (ISoS)  he  made  a 
life-size  marble  statue  of  Douglas.  In  1860  he 
made  a  portrait  bust  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  which 
jiassed  into  the  possession  of  the  Chicago  His- 
torical Society  and  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire 
of  1871.  In  1868-69,  and  again  in  1871-73,  he 
revisited  Italy  for  purposes  of  study.  In  1867  he 
was  elected  academician  of  the  Chicago  Academy, 
and  was  its  President  for  eight  years.  He  was 
genial,  companionable  and  charitable,  and  always 
ready  to  assist  his  younger  and  less  fortunate  pro- 
fessional brethren.  His  best  known  works  are  the 
Douglas  Monument,  in  Chicago,  several  soldiers' 
monuments  in  diflferent  parts  of  the  country, 
the  statuary  for  the  Henry  Keep  mausoleum  at 
Watertown,  N.  Y.,  life-size  statues  of  Lincoln 
and  Douglas,  in  the  State  House  at  Springfield, 
and  numerous  portrait  busts  of  men  eminent 
in  political,  ecclesiastical  and  commercial  life. 
Died,  at  Osceola,  Wis.,  August  18,  1895. 

VOSS,  Arno,  journali.st,  lawyer  and  soldier, 
born  in  Prussia,  April  16,  1821 ;  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Chicago,  in  1848,  the  same  year  becoming  editor 
of  "The  Staats-Zeitung";  was  elected  City 
Attorney  in  1853,  and  again  in  1853;  in  1861 
became  Major  of  the  Si.xth  Illinois  Cavalry,  but 
afterwards  assisted  in  org^niziug  the  Twelfth 
Cavalry,  of  which  he  was  commissioned  Colonel, 
still  later  serving  with  his  command  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  at  Harper's  Ferry  at  the  time  of 
the  capture  of  that  place  in  September,  1862,  but 
succeeded  in  cutting  his  way,  with  his  command, 
through  the  rebel  lines,  escaping  into  Pennsyl- 
vania. Compelled  by  ill-health  to  leave  the  serv- 
ice in  1863,  he  retired  to  a  farm  in  Will  County, 
but,  in  1869,  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  served 
as  Master  in  Chancery  and  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  General  As.sembly  in  1876, 
but  declined  a  re-election  in  1878.  Died,  in  Chi- 
cago, March  23,  1888. 

WABASH,  CHESTER  &  WESTERN  RAIL- 
ROAD, a  railway  running  from  Chester  to  Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  63.33  miles,  with  a  branch  extend- 
ing from  Chester  to  Menard.  1.5  miles;  total 
mileage,  64.83.  It  is  of  standard  gauge,  and 
almost  entirely  laid  with  60-pound  steel  rails.— 
(History.)  It  was  organized,  Feb.  30,  1878,  as 
successor  to  the  Iron  Mountain,  Chester  &  East- 
ern Railroad.  During  the  fiscal  year  1893-94  the 
Company  purchased  the  Tamaroa  &  Mount  Ver- 
non Railroad,  extending  from  Mount  Vernon  to 


546 


niSTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


Tamaroa,  2:i.5  miles.  Capital  stock  (1898),  Sl,- 
250,000;  bonded  indebtedness,  §690,000;  total 
capitalization,  §2,038,573. 

WABASH  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  tlie  State ;  area  220  square  miles.  The 
county  was  carved  out  from  Edwards  in  1824, 
and  the  first  court  house  built  at  Centerville,  in 
May,  1S26.  Later,  Mount  Gunnel  was  made  the 
county-seat.  (See  Mount  Carmel.)  The  "Wabash 
River  drains  the  county  on  the  east;  other 
streams  are  the  Bon  Pas,  Coffee  and  Crawfish 
Creeks.  The  surface  is  undulating  with  a  fair 
growth  of  timber.  The  chief  industries  are  the 
raising  of  live-stock  and  the  cultivation  of  cere- 
als. The  wool-crop  is  likewise  valuable.  The 
county  is  cro,ssed  by  the  Louisville,  Evansville  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Cairo  and  Viucennes  Division 
of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St 
Louis  Railroads.  Population  (1880),  4,945;  (1890), 
ll.SGG;  (1900),  12,583. 

WABASH  UAILROAD,  an  extensive  raih-oad 
system  connecting  the  cities  of  Detroit  and 
Toledo,  on  the  east,  with  Kansas  City  and  Council 
Bluffs,  on  the  west,  with  branches  to  Chicago,  St. 
Louis,  Quincy  and  Altamont,  111.,  and  to  Keokuk 
and  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  The  total  mileage  (1898) 
is  1,874.96  miles,  of  which  677.4  miles  are  in  Illi- 
nois— all  of  the  latter  being  the  property  of  the 
company,  besides  176.7  miles  of  yard-tracks,  sid- 
ings and  spurs.  The  company  has  trackage 
privileges  over  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  (0.5 
miles)  between  Elvaston  and  Keokuk  bridge,  and 
over  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  (21.8 
miles)  between  Camp  Point  and  Quincy. — (His- 
TORY.)  A  consiilerable  portion  of  this  road  in 
Illinois  is  constructed  on  the  line  upon  which  the 
Northern  Cross  Raih-oad  was  projected,  in  the 
"internal  improvement"  scheme  adopted  in  1837, 
and  embraces  the  only  section  of  road  completed 
under  that  scheme — that  between  the  Illinois 
River  and  Springfield.  (1)  The  construction  of 
this  section  was  begun  by  the  State,  May  11, 
1837,  the  first  rail  laid,  aiay  9,  1838,  the  road 
completed  to  Jacksonville,  Jan.  1,  1840,  and  to 
Springfield,  May  13,  1842.  It  was  operated  for  a 
time  by  "mule  power,"  but  the  income  was  in- 
sufficient to  keep  the  line  in  repair  and  it  was 
finally  abandoned.  In  1847  the  line  was  sold  for 
§21,100  toN.  H.  Ridgelyand  Thomas  Mather  of 
Springfield,  and  by  them  transferred  to  New 
York  capitalists,  who  organized  tlie  Sangamon  & 
Morgan  Railroad  Company,  reconstructed  the 
road  from  Springfield  to  Naples  and  opened  it  for 
business  in  1849.  (2)  In  18.53  two  corporations 
were  organized  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  respectively. 


under  the  name  of  the  Toledo  &  Illinois  Railroad 
and  the  Lake  Erie,  Wabash  &  St.  Louis  Railroad, 
which  were  consolidated  iis  the  Toledo,  Wabash 
&  Western  Railroad,  June  25,  1856.  In  1858 
these  lines  were  sold  separately  mider  foreclo- 
sure, and  finally  reorganized,  under  a  special  char- 
ter granted  by  the  Illinois  Legislatm-e,  under  the 
name  of  the  Great  Western  Railroad  Company. 
(3)  The  Quincy  &  Toledo  Railroad,  extending 
from  Camp  Point  to  the  Illinois  River  op|M)site 
Meredosia.  was  constructed  in  1858-59.  and  that, 
with  the  IlUnois  &,  Southern  Iowa  (from  Clay- 
ton to  Keokuk),  wiis  united.  July  1,  1865,  with 
tlie  eastern  divisions  extending  to  Toledo,  the 
new  organization  taking  the  name  of  the  main 
line,  (Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western).  (4)  The 
Hannibal  &  Naples  Division  (49.6  miles),  from 
Bluffs  to  llannibaL  Mo.,  wiis  chartered  in  1863, 
opened  for  business  in  1870  and  leased  to  the 
Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western.  The  latter  defaulted 
on  its  interest  in  1875,  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  receiver  and,  in  1877,  wii.s  turned  over  to  a 
new  company  under  the  name  of  the  Wabash 
Railway  Company.  (5)  In  1868  tlie  company, 
as  it  then  existed,  promoted  and  secured  the  con- 
struction, and  afterwards  acquired  the  owner- 
ship, of  a  line  extending  from  Decatur  to  East  St. 
Louis  (110.5  miles)  under  the  name  of  the  Deca- 
tur &  East  St.  Louis  Railroad.  (6)  The  Eel  River 
liailroad,  from  Butler  to  Logansfwrt,  Ind.,  was 
acquired  in  1877,  and  afterwards  extended  to 
Detroit  under  the  name  of  the  Detroit,  Butler  & 
St.  Louis  R;iilro;id,  completing  the  connection 
from  Logansport  to  Detroit. — In  November.  1879, 
the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany was  organized,  took  the  property  and  con- 
solidated it  with  certain  lines  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  of  wliicli  the  chief  wa.s  the  St.  Louis, 
Kansas  City  &  Northern.  A  lino  had  been  pro- 
jected from  Decatur  to  Chicago  as  early  as  1870, 
but,  not  having  lieen  constructed  in  1881,  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  purchased  what  was 
known  as  the  Chicago  &  Prducah  Railroad, 
uniting  with  the  main  line  at  Bement,  and  (by 
way  of  the  Decatur  and  .St.  Louis  Division)  giv- 
ing a  direct  line  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 
At  tills  time  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  wal . 
operating  the  following  additional  leased  lines: 
Pekin,  Lincoln  &  Decatur  (67.2  miles);  Hannibal 
&  Central  Mis.«ouri  (70.2  miles);  Lafayette.  Mun- 
cie  &  Bloomington  (36.7  miles),  and  the  Lafayette 
Bloomington  &  JIuncie  (80  miles).  A  connection 
between  Chicago  on  the  we.st  and  Toledo  and 
Detroit  on  the  east  was  established  over  the 
Grand  Trunk  road  in  1882,  but.  in  1890,  the  com- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OP   ILLINOIS. 


547 


pany  constructed  a  line  from  Montpelier,  Ohio,  to 
Clark,  Ind.  (149.7  miles),  thence  by  track  lease 
to  Chicago  (17.5  miles),  giving  an  independent 
line  between  Chicago  and  Detroit  by  what  is 
known  to  investors  as  the  Detroit  &  Chicago 
Division. 

The  total  mileage  of  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  & 
Pacific  system,  in  1S84,  amounted  to  over  3,600 
miles;  but,  in  May  of  that  year,  default  having 
been  made  in  the  payment  of  interest,  the  work 
of  di.sintegration  began.  The  main  line  east  of 
the  Mississippi  and  that  on  the  west  were  sepa- 
rated, the  latter  taking  the  name  of  the  "Wabash 
Western."  The  Eastern  Division  was  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  receiver,  so  remaining  until  May, 
1889,  when  the  two  divisions,  having  been 
bought  in  by  a  purchasing  committee,  were 
consolidated  under  the  present  name.  The  total 
earnings  and  income  of  the  road  in  Illinois,  for 
the  fiscal  year  1898,  were  $4,402,021,  and  the 
expenses  $4,836,110.  The  total  capital  invested 
(1898)  was  $139,889,643,  including  capital  stock 
of  $.52,000,000  and  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $81,- 
534,000. 

WABASH  RIVER,  rises  in  northwestern  Ohio, 
passes  into  Indiana,  and  runs  northwest  to  Hun- 
tington. It  then  flows  nearly  due  west  to  Logans- 
port,  thence  southwest  to  Covington,  finally 
turning  southward  to  Terre  Haute,  a  few  miles 
below  which  it  strikes  the  western  boundary  of 
Indiana.  It  forms  the  boundary  between  Illinois 
and  Indiana  (taking  into  account  its  numerous 
windings)  for  some  200  miles.  Below  Vincennes 
it  runs  in  a  south-southwesterly  direction,  and 
enters  the  Ohio  at  the  south-west  extremity  of 
Indiana,  near  latitude  37°  49'  north.  Its  length 
is  estimated  at  557  miles. 

WABASH  &  MISSISSIPPI  RAILROAD. 
(See  Illinois  Central  Railroad.) 

WABASH,  ST.  LODIS  &  PACIFIC  RAIL- 
ROAD.     (See  Wabash  Railroad.) 

WABASH  &  WESTERN  RAILROAD.  (See 
Waba-fh  Railroad.) 

WAIT,  WiUiam  Smith,  pioneer,  and  original 
suggestor  of  the  lUinoLs  Central  Railroad,  was 
bom  in  Portland,  Maine,  March  5,  1789,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place. 
In  his  youth  he  entered  a  book-publishing  house 
in  wliich  his  father  was  a  partner,  and  was  for  a 
time  associated  with  the  publication  of  a  weekly 
paper.  Later  the  business  was  conducted  at 
Boston,  and  extended  over  the  Eastern,  Middle, 
and  Southern  States,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
making  extensive  tours  in  the  interest  of  the 
firm.     In    1817    he    made  a    tour  to    the  West, 


reaching  St.  Louis,  and,  early  in  the  following 
year,  visited  Bond  County,  111.,  where  he  made 
his  first  entry  of  land  from  the  Government. 
Returning  to  Boston  a  few  months  later,  he  con- 
tinued in  the  service  of  the  publishing  firm  until 

1820,  when  he  again  came  to  Illinois,   and,    in 

1821,  began  farming  in  Ripley  Township,  Bond 
County.  Returning  East  in  1824,  he  spent  the 
next  ten  years  in  the  employment  of  the  publish- 
ing firm,  with  occasional  visits  to  Illinois.  In 
1835  he  located  permanently  near  Greenville, 
Bond  County,  and  engaged  extensively  in  farm- 
ing and  fruit-raising,  planting  one  of  the  largest 
apple  orchards  in  the  State  at  that  early  day.  In 
1845  he  presided  as  chairman  over  the  National 
Industrial  Convention  in  New  York,  and,  in 
1848,  was  nominated  as  the  candidate  of  the 
National  Reform  Association  for  Vice-President 
on  the  ticket  with  Gerrit  Smith  of  New  York, 
but  declined.  He  was  also  prominent  in  County 
and  State  Agricultural  Societies.  Mr  Wait  has 
been  credited  with  being  one  of  the  first  (if  not 
the  very  first)  to  suggest  the  construction  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  which  he  did  as  early 
as  1835;  was  also  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the 
construction  of  the  Mississippi  &  Atlantic  Rail- 
road— now  the  "Vandalia  Line" — giving  much 
time  to  the  latter  enterprise  from  1846  for  many 
years,  and  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators 
of  the  St.  Louis  &  Illinois  Bridge  Company. 
Died,  July  17,  1865. 

WALKER,  Cyrns,  pioneer,  lawyer,  born  in 
Rockbridge  County,  Va.,  May  14,  1791;  was  taken 
while  an  infant  to  Adair  County,  Ky.,  and  came 
to  Macomb,  111.,  in  1833,  being  the  second  lawyer 
to  locate  in  McDonougli  Count}'.  He  had  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  successful  advocate,  especially  in 
criminal  cases,  and  practiced  extensively  in  the 
courts  of  Western  Illinois  and  also  in  Iowa.  Died, 
Dec.  1,  1875.  Mr.  Walker  was  uncle  of  the  late 
Pinkney  H.  Walker  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who 
studied  law  with  him.  He  was  Whig  candidate 
for  Presidential  Elector  for  the  State-at-large  in 
1840. 

WALKER,  James  Barr,  clergyman,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  July  29,  1805;  in  his  youth 
served  as  errand-boy  in  a  country  store  near 
Pittsburg  and  spent  four  years  in  a  printing 
office ;  then  became  clerk  in  the  office  of  Mordecai 
M.  Noah,  in  New  York,  studied  law  and  gradu- 
ated from  Western  Reserve  College,  Ohio;  edited 
various  religious  papers,  including  "The  Watch- 
man of  the  Prairies"  (now  "The  Advance")  of 
Chicago,  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Chicago,  and  for  some  time  was  lecturer  on 


5i8 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


"Harmony  between  Science  and  Revealed  Reli- 
gion" at  Oberliu  College  and  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary.  He  was  author  of  several  volumes, 
one  of  which — "The  Philosophy  of  the  Plan  of 
Salvation,"  published  anonymously  under  the 
editorship  of  Prof.  Calvin  E.  Stowe  (1855) — ran 
through  several  editions  and  was  translated  into 
five  different  languages,  including  Ilindiistanoe. 
Died,  at  Wlieaton,  111..  March  6,  1887. 

WALKER,  James  Monroe,  corporation  lawyer 
and  Railway  President,  was  born  at  Claremont, 
N.  H.,  Feb.  14.  1820.  At  fifteen  he  removed  with 
liis  parents  to  a  farm  in  Micliigan ;  was  educated 
at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  at  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, Ann  Arbor,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1849.  He  then  entered  a  law  office  as  clerk  and 
student,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  t!ie  next  j'ear. 
and  soon  after  elected  Prosecuting'  Attorney  of 
Washtenaw  County ;  was  also  local  attorney  for 
the  Michigan  Central  Railway,  for  which,  after 
his  removal  to  Chicago  in  1853,  he  became  Gen- 
eral Solicitor.  Two  years  later  the  firm  of  Sedg- 
wick &  Walker,  which  had  been  organized  in 
Slichigan,  became  attorneys  for  the  Chicago. 
Burlington  &  Quincj-  Railroad,  and,  until  his 
death,  Jlr.  Walker  was  associated  with  this  com 
pany,  either  as  General  Solicitor,  General  Counsel 
or  President,  filling  the  latter  position  from  1870 
to  1875.  Mr.  Walker  organized  both  the  Chicago 
and  Kansas  City  stock-j-ards,  and  was  President 
of  these  corporations,  as  also  of  the  Wilmington 
Coal  Company,  down  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  Jan.  22.  1881,  as  a  result  of 
heart  disease. 

WALKEE,  (Rev.)  Jesse,  Methodist  Episcopal 
missionary,  was  born  in  Rockingham  County, 
Va. ,  June  9,  176G;  in  1800  removed  to  Tennessee, 
became  a  traveling  preacher  in  1802,  and.  in 
180G,  came  to  Illinois  under  the  presiding-elder- 
ship  of  Rev.  William  McKendree  (afterwards 
Bishop),  locating  first  at  Turkey  Hill,  St.  Clair 
County.  In  1807  he  held  a  camp  meeting  near 
Edwardsville — the  first  on  Illinois  soil.  Later, 
he  transferred  his  labors  to  Northern  Illinois; 
was  at  Peoria  in  1824;  at  Ottawa  in  1825,  and 
devoted  much  time  to  missionary  work  among 
the  Pottawatomies,  maintaining  a  school  among 
them  for  a  time.  He  visited  Chicago  in  1826,  and 
there  is  evidence  that  he  was  a  prominent  resident 
there  for  several  years,  occupj-ing  a  log  house, 
which  he  used  as  a  church  and  living-room,  on 
"Wolf  Point"  at  the  junction  of  the  North  and 
South  Branches  of  the  Chicago  River.  While 
acting  as  superintendent  of  the  Fox  River  mis- 
sion, his  residence  appears  to  have  been  at  Plain- 


field,  in  the  northern  part  of  Will  County.  Died, 
Oct.    5,  1835. 

WALKER,  rinknej-  H.,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  Ijorn  in  Adair  County,  Ky.,  June  18,  1815. 
His  boyhood  was  chiefly  passed  in  farm  work  and 
as  clerk  in  a  general  store ;  in  1834  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  at  Rushville,  where  he  worked  in  a 
store  for  four  years.  In  1838  lie  removed  to 
Macomb,  where  he  began  attendance  at  an  acad- 
emy and  the  study  of  law  with  his  uncle,  Cyrus 
AValker,  a  leading  lawyer  of  his  time.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1839,  practicing  at  Macomb 
until  1848,  when  he  returned  to  Rushville.  In 
1853  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial 
Circuit,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  re-elected  in  1855. 
ThLs  position  he  resigned  in  1858,  having  been 
appointed,  by  Governor  Bissell,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  occasioned  by 
the  resignation  of  Judge  Skinner.  Two  months 
later  he  was  elected  to  the  same  position,  and 
reelected  in  1807  and  "70.  He  presided  as  Chief 
Justice  from  January,  1804,  to  June,  '67,  and 
again  from  June.  1874,  to  June,  '75.  Before  the 
expiration  of  his  last  term  he  died,  Feb.  7,  1885. 

WALL,  (ieorge  Willard,  lawyer,  politician  and 
Judge,  was  b(jrn  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  April  22, 
1839;  brought  to  Perry  County,  111.,  in  infancy, 
and  received  his  preparatory  education  at  McKen. 
dree  College,  finally  graduating  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  in  1858,  and  from  the 
Cincmnati  Law  School  in  1859,  when  he  began 
practice  at  Duquoin,  111.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1802,  and,  from 
18G4  to  '68,  served  as  State's  Attorney  for  the 
Third  Judicial  District;  was  also  a  Delegate  to  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1869-70.  In 
1872  he  was  an  unsuccessful  Democratic  candi- 
date for  Congress,  although  running  ahead  of  his 
ticket.  In  1877  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of 
the  Third  Circuit,  and  re  elected  in  '79,  "83  and 
"91,  much  of  the  time  since  1877  being  on  duty 
upon  the  Appellate  bench.  His  home  is  at 
Duquoin. 

WALLACE,  (Rer.)  Peter,  D,D.,  clergyman 
and  soldier;  was  born  in  Mason  County,  Ky., 
April  11  1813;  taken  in  infancj'  to  Brown 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  grew  up  on  a  farm  until 
15  }-ears  of  age,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  a 
carpenter;  at  the  age  of  20  came  to  Illinois, 
where  he  became  a  contractor  and  builder,  fol- 
lowing this  occupation  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  converted  in  1835  at  Springfield,  111.,  and, 
some  years  later,  having  decided  to  enter  the 
ministrj'.  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  Conference 
as  a  deacon  by  Bishop  E.  S.  Janes  in  1855.  and 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


649 


placed  in  charge  of  the  Danville  Circuit.  Two 
years  later  he  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Scott,  and, 
in  the  next  few  years,  held  pastorates  at  various 
places  in  the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the 
State.  From  1867  to  1874  he  was  Presiding  Elder 
of  the  Mattoon  and  Quincy  Districts,  and,  for  six 
years,  held  the  position  of  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Chaddock  College  at  Quincy,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  in  1881. 
In  the  second  year  of  the  Civil  War  he  raised  a 
company  in  Sangamon  County,  was  chosen 
its  Captain  and  assigned  to  the  Seventy-third 
Illinois  Volunteers,  known  as  the  "preachers' 
regiment" — all  of  its  oflScers  being  ministers.  In 
186-1  he  was  compelled  by  ill-health  to  resign  his 
commission.  While  pastor  of  the  church  at  Say- 
brook,  111.,  he  was  offered  the  position  of  Post- 
master of  that  place,  which  he  decided  to  accept, 
and  was  allowed  to  retire  from  the  active  minis- 
try. On  retirement  from  office,  in  1884,  he 
removed  to  Chicago.  In  1889  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Fifer  the  first  Cliaplain  of  the  Sol- 
diers' and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy,  but  retired 
some  four  years  afterward,  when  he  returned  to 
Chicago.  Dr.  Wallace  was  an  eloquent  and 
effective  preacher  and  continued  to  preach,  at 
intervals,  until  within  a  short  time  of  his  decease, 
which  occurred  in  Chicago,  Feb.  21,  1897,  in  his 
84th  year.  A  zealous  patriot,  he  freijuently 
spoke  very  effectively  upon  the  political  rostrum. 
Originally  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Republican  on 
the  organization  of  that  party,  and  took  pride  in 
the  fact  that  the  first  vote  he  ever  cast  was  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  for  Representative  in  the  Legis- 
lature, in  1834.  He  was  a  Knight  Templar,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Tippecanoe  Club  of  Chicago, 
and,  at  his  death.  Chaplain  of  America  Post,  No. 
708,  G.  A.  R. 

WALLACE,  William  Henry  Lamb,  lawyer  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  July  8,  1821 ; 
brought  to  Illinois  in  1833,  his  father  settling 
near  La  Salle  and,  afterwards,  at  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  County,  where  young  Wallace  attended  the 
Rock  River  Seminary ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1845;  in  1846  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  First  Illi- 
nois Volunteers  (Col.  John  J.  Hardin's  regiment), 
for  the  Mexican  War,  rising  to  the  rank  of  Adju- 
tant and  participting  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista 
(wliere  his  commander  was  killed),  and  in  other 
engagements.  Returning  to  his  profession  at 
.Ottawa,  he  sei-ved  as  District  Attorney  (1853-.56), 
then  became  partner  of  his  father-in-law.  Col. 
T.  Lyle  Dickey,  afterwards  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
In  April,  18C1,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  answer 
the  call  for  troops  by  enlisting,  and  became  Colo- 


nel of  the  Eleventh  Illinois  (three-months' 
men),  afterwards  re-enlisting  for  three  years. 
As  commander  of  a  brigade  he  participated  in 
the  capture  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1863,  receiving  promotion  as  Brigadier- 
General  for  gallantry.  At  Pittsburg  Landing 
(Shiloh),  as  commander  of  Gen.  C.  F.  Smith's 
Division,  devolving  on  him  on  account  of  the 
illness  of  his  superior  officer,  he  showed  great 
courage,  but  fell  mortally  wounded,  dying  at 
Charleston,  Tenn.,  April  10,  1863.  His  career 
promised  great  brilliancy  and  his  loss  was  greatly 
deplored.  -Martin  R.  M.  (  Wallace),  brother  of 
the  preceding,  was  born  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  Sept. 
29,  1829,  came  to  La  Salle  County,  111.,  with  his 
father's  family  and  was  educated  in  the  local 
schools  and  at  Rock  River  Seminary;  studied  law 
at  Ottawa,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856, 
soon  after  locating  in  Chicago.  In  1861  he 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Fourth  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Cavalr}-.  of  winch  he  became  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and  was  complimented,  in  18G5,  with  the 
rank  of  brevet  Brigadier-General.  After  the 
war  he  served  as  Asses.sor  of  Internal  Revenue 
(1866-69);  County  Judge  (1869-77) ;  Prosecuting 
Attorney  (1884);  and,  for  many  years  past,  has 
been  one  of  tlie  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  the  city 
of  Chicago. 

WALNUT,  a  town  of  Bureau  County,  on  the 
Mendota  and  Fulton  brancli  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad,  26  miles  west  of 
Mendota;  is  in  a  fanning  and  stock-raising  dis- 
trict; has  two  banks  and  two  newspapers.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  605;  (1900),  791. 

WAR  OF  1812.  Upon  the  declaration  of  war 
by  Congress,  in  June,  1812,  the  Pottawatomies, 
and  most  of  the  other  tribes  of  Indians  in  the 
Territory  of  Illinois,  strongly  sympathized  with 
the  British.  The  savages  had  been  hostile  and 
restless  for  some  time  previous,  and  blockhouses 
and  family  forts  had  been  erected  at  a  number 
of  points,  especially  in  the  settlements  most 
exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  savages.  Gov- 
ernor Edwards,  becoming  apprehensive  of  an 
outbreak,  constructed  Fort  Russell,  a  few  miles 
from  Edwardsville.  Taking  the  field  in  person, 
he  made  this  his  headquarters,  and  collected  a 
force  of  250  mounted  volunteers,  who  were  later 
reinforced  by  two  companies  of  rangers,  under 
Col.  William  Russell,  numbering  about  100  men. 
An  independent  company  of  twenty-one  spies,  of 
which  John  Reynolds — afterwards  Governor — 
was  a  member,  was  also  formed  and  led  by  Capt. 
Samuel  Jud}'.  The  Governor  organized  his  little 
army  into  two  regiments  \in(Icr  Colonels  Rector 


550 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  Stephenson,  Colonel  Russell  serving  as 
second  to  the  commander-in-chief,  other  mem- 
bers of  his  staff  being  Secretary  Nathaniel  Pope 
and  Robert  K.  McLaughlin.  On  Oct.  18,  1812, 
Governor  Edwards,  with  his  men,  set  out  for 
Peoria,  where  it  was  expected  that  their  force 
would  meet  that  of  General  Ilopkin.s,  who  had 
been  sent  from  Kentucky  with  a  force  of  2,000 
men.  En  route,  two  Kickapoo  villages  were 
burned,  and  a  nuniber  of  Indians  unnecessarily 
slain  by  Edwards'  party.  Hopkins  had  orders  to 
disperse  the  Indians  on  the  Illinois  and  Wabash 
Rivers,  and  destroy  their  villages.  He  deter- 
mined, however,  on  reacliing  the  headwaters  of 
the  Vermilion  to  proceed  no  farther.  Governor 
Edwards  reached  the  head  of  Peoria  Lake,  but, 
failing  to  meet  Hopkins,  returned  to  Fort  Ru.ssell. 
About  the  same  time  Capt.  Thomas  E.  Craig  led 
a  jjarty,  in  two  boats,  up  the  Illinois  River  to 
Peoria.  His  boats,  as  ho  alleged,  having  been 
fired  upon  in  the  niglit  by  Indians,  who  were  har- 
bored and  protected  by  the  Frencli  citizens  of 
Peoria,  he  burned  the  greater  part  of  the  village, 
and  capturing  the  population,  carried  them  down 
the  river,  putting  them  on  shore,  in  the  early  part 
of  the  winter,  just  below  Alton.  Other  desultory 
expeditions  marked  the  campaigns  of  1813  and 
1814.  The  Indians  meanwhile  gaining  courage, 
remote  settlements  were  continually  liarassed 
by  marauding  bands  Later  in  181-1,  an  exjiedi- 
tion,  led  by  Major  (afterwards  President)  Zachary 
Taylor,  ascended  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  Rock 
Island,  where  he  found  a  large  force  of  Indians, 
supported  bj-  British  regulars  with  artillery. 
Finding  himself  imable  to  cope  with  so  formida- 
ble a  foe,  Major  Taylor  retreated  down  the  river. 
On  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Warsaw  he 
threw  up  fortifications,  which  he  named  Fort 
Edwards,  from  which  point  he  was  subsequently 
compelled  to  retreat.  The  same  year  the  British, 
with  their  Indian  allies,  descended  from  Macki- 
nac, captured  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  burned  Forts 
Madison  and  Johnston,  after  which  they  retired 
to  Cap  au  Gris.  The  treaty  of  Ghent,  signed 
Dec.  24,  1814,  closed  the  war,  although  no  formal 
treaties  were  made  with  the  tribes  until  the  year 
following. 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War,  the  executive  chair,  in  Illinois, 
was  occupied  by  Gov.  Richard  Yates.  Immedi- 
ately upon  the  issuance  of  President  Lincoln's 
first  call  for  troops  (April  15,  1861).  the  Governor 
issued  his  proclamation  summoning  the  Legisla- 
txire  together  in  special  session  and,  the  same 
day,  issued  a  call  for  "six  regiments  of  militia," 


the  quota  assigned  to  the  State  under  call  of  the 
President.  Public  excitement  was  at  fever  heat, 
and  dormant  patriotism  in  both  sexes  was 
aroused  as  never  before.  Party  line.s  were 
broken  down  and,  with  comparativcdy  few  excep 
tions,  the  mass  of  the  people  were  actuated  by  a 
common  sentiment  of  patriotism.  On  April  19, 
Governor  Yates  was  instructed,  Ijy  tlie  Secretary 
of  War,  to  take  possession  of  Cairo  as  an  important 
strategic  point.  At  that  time,  the  State  militia 
organizations  were  few  in  number  and  poorly 
equipped,  consisting  chiefly  of  independent  com- 
panies in  the  larger  cities.  The  Governor  acted 
with  great  promptitude,  and.  on  April  21,  seven 
companies,  numbering  .595  men,  commanded  by 
Gen.  Richard  K.  Swift  of  Chicago,  were  en  route 
to  Cairo.  The  first  volunteer  comp'any  to  tender 
its  services,  in  response  to  Governor  Yates'  proc- 
lamation, on  April  16,  was  the  Zouave  Grays  of 
Springfield.  Eleven  other  companies  were  ten- 
dered the  same  day,  and,  by  the  evening  of  the 
18th,  tlie  number  had  been  increased  to  fifty. 
Simultaneously  with  these  proceedings,  Chicago 
bankers  tendered  to  the  Governor  a  war  loan  of 
§500,000.  and  those  of  Springfield,  §100,000.  The 
Legislature,  at  its  special  session,  passed  acts  in- 
creasing the  efficiency  of  the  militia  law,  and 
provided  for  the  creation  of  a  war  fund  of  S2,- 
000,000.  Besides  the  six  regiments  already  called 
for,  the  raising  of  ten  additional  volunteer  regi- 
ments and  one  battery  of  light  artillery  was 
authorized.  The  last  of  the  six  regiments, 
apportioned  to  Illinois  under  the  first  presidential 
call,  was  dispatched  to  Cairo  early  in  May.  The 
six  regiments  were  numbered  the  Seventh  to 
Twelfth,  inclusive — the  earlier  numliers,  First  to 
Sixth,  Ijeing  conceded  to  the  six  regiments  which 
had  served  in  the  war  with  Mexico.  The  regi- 
ments were  commanded,  respectively,  by  Colonels 
John  Cook,  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  Eleazer  .\.  Paine, 
James  D.  Morgan,  William  H.  L.  Wallace,  and 
John  McArthur,  constituting  the  "First  Brigade 
of  Illinois  Volunteers."  Benjamin  M.  Prentiss, 
having  been  chosen  Brigadier-General  on  arrival 
at  Cairo,  assumed  command,  relieving  General 
Swift.  The  quota  under  the  second  call,  consist- 
ing of  ten  regiments,  was  mustered  into  service 
within  sixty  days,  200  companies  being  tendered 
immediately.  JIany  more  volunteered  than  could 
be  accepted,  and  large  numters  cros.sed  to  Mis- 
souri and  enlisted  in  regiments  forming  in  that 
State.  During  June  and  July  the  Secretary  of 
War  authorized  Governor  Yates  to  recruit  twenty- 
two  additional  regiments  (seventeen  infantry  and 
five  cavalry),  which  were  promptly  raised.     On 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


551 


July  33,  the  day  following  the  defeat  of  the  Union 
army  at  Bull  Run,  President  Lincoln  called  for 
500,000  more  volunteers.  Governor  Yates  im- 
mediately responded  with  an  offer  to  the  War 
Department  of  sixteen  more  regiments  (thirteen 
of  infantry  and  three  of  cavalrj),  and  a  battaUou 
of  artillery,  adding,  that  the  State  claimed  it  as 
her  right,  to  do  her  full  share  toward  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union.  Under  supplemental  author- 
ity, received  from  the  Secretary  of  War  in 
August,  1861,  twelve  additional  regiments  of  in- 
fantrj'  and  five  of  cavalry  were  raised,  and,  by  De- 
cember, 18G1,  the  State  had  43,000  volunteers  in 
the  field  and  17,000  in  camps  of  instruction. 
Other  calls  were  made  in  July  and  August,  18i;2, 
each  for  300,000  men.  Illinois"  quota,  under  both 
calls,  was  over  53,000  men,  no  regard  being  paid 
to  the  fact  that  the  State  had  already  furnished 
16,000  troops  in  excess  of  its  quotas  under  previ- 
ous calls.  Unless  this  number  of  volunteers  was 
rai.sed  by  September  1,  a  draft  would  be  ordered. 
The  tax  was  a  severe  one,  inasmuch  as  it  would 
fall  chiefly  upon  the  prosperous  citizens,  the  float- 
ing population,  tlie  idle  and  the  extremely  poor 
having  already  followed  the  army's  march,  either 
as  soldiers  or  as  camp-followers.  But  recruiting 
was  actively  carried  on,  and,  aided  by  liberal 
bounties  in  many  of  the  counties,  in  less  than  a 
fortnight  the  52,000  new  troops  were  secured,  the 
volunteers  coming  largely  from  the  substantial 
classes  —  agricultural,  mercantile,  artisan  and 
professional.  By  the  end  of  December,  fifty-nine 
regiments  and  four  batteries  had  been  dispatched 
to  the  front,  besides  a  considerable  nmnber  to  fill 
up  regiments  already  in  the  field,  which  had  suf- 
fered severely  from  battle,  exposure  and  disease. 
At  this  time.  Illinois  had  an  aggregate  of  over 
135,000  enlisted  men  in  the  field.  The  issue  of 
President  Lincoln's  preliminary  proclamation  of 
emancipation,  in  September,  1862,  was  met  by  a 
storm  of  hostile  criticism  from  his  political 
opponents,  who — aided  by  the  absence  of  so 
large  a  proportion  of  the  loyal  population  of  the 
State  in  the  field— were  able  to  carry  the  elec- 
tions of  that  year.  Consequently,  when  the 
Twenty-third  General  Assembly  convened  in 
regular  session  at  Springfield,  on  Jan.  5,  180.3,  a 
large  majority  of  that  body  was  not  only  opposed 
to  both  tlie  National  and  State  administrations, 
but  avowedly  opposed  to  the  further  prosecution 
of  the  war  under  the  exi.sting  policy.  The  Leg- 
islature reconvened  in  June,  but  was  prorogued 
by  Governor  Yates  Between  Oct.  1,  1863,  and 
July  1,  1864,  16,000  veterans  re-enlisted  and 
87,000  new  volunteers  were  enrolled;  and,  by  the 


date  last  mentioned,  Illinois  had  furnished  to  the 
Union  army  244,496  men,  being  14,596  in  ex- 
cess of  the  allotted  quotas,  constituting  fifteen 
per  cent  of  the  entire  population.  These  were 
comprised  in  151  regiments  of  infantry,  17  of 
cavalry  and  two  complete  regiments  of  artillery, 
besides  twelve  independent  batteries.  The  total 
losses  of  Illinois  organizations,  during  the  war, 
has  been  reported  at  34,834,  of  which  5,874  were 
killed  in  battle,  4,030  died  from  wounds,  33,786 
from  disease  and  3,154  from  other  causes — being 
a  total  of  thirteen  per  cent  of  tlie  entire  force  of 
the  State  in  the  service.  The  part  which  Illinois 
played  in  the  contest  was  conspicuous  for  patriot- 
ism, promptness  in  response  to  every  call,  and 
the  bravery  and  efficiency  of  its  troops  in  the 
field — reflecting  honor  upon  the  State  and  its  his- 
tory. Nor  were  its  loyal  citizens- — who,  while 
staying  at  home,  furnished  moral  and  material 
support  to  the  men  at  the  front — less  worthy  of 
praise  than  those  who  volunteered.  By  uphold- 
ing the  Government — National  and  State — and 
by  their  zeal  and  energy  in  collecting  and  sending 
forward  immense  quantities  of  supplies — surgical, 
medical  and  other — often  at  no  little  sacrifice, 
they  contributed  much  to  the  success  of  the 
Union  arms.  (See  also  Camp  Douglas;  Camp 
Douglas  Conspiracy;  Secret  Treasonable  Soci- 
eties.) 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION  (History  of  Illi 
NOis  Regiments).  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
various  military  organizations  mustered  into  the 
service  during  the  Civil  War  (1861-65),  with  the 
terms  of  service  and  a  sujnmary  of  the  more 
important  events  in  the  history  of  each,  while 
in  the  field : 

Seventh  Infantry.  Illinois  having  sent  six 
regiments  to  the  Mexican  War,  by  courtesy  the 
numbering  of  the  regiments  wliich  took  part  in 
the  war  for  the  Union  began  with  number 
Seven.  A  number  of  regiments  which  responded 
to  the  first  call  of  the  President,  claimed  the  right 
to  be  recognized  as  the  first  regiment  in  the 
field,  but  the  honor  was  finally  accorded  to  that 
organized  at  Springfield  by  Col.  John  Cook,  and 
hence  his  regiment  was  numbered  Seventh.  It 
was  mustered  into  the  service,  April  35,  1861,  and 
remained  at  Mound  City  during  the  three  months' 
service,  the  period  of  its  first  enlistment.  It  was 
subsequently  reorganized  and  mustered  for  the 
three  years'  service,  July  35,  1861,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  Cherokee,  Allatoona  Pass,  Salkahatchie 
Swamp,  Bentonville  and  Columbia.  The  regi- 
ment re-enlisted  as  veterans  at  Pulaski,  Tenn., 


552 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Dec.  22,  1863;  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
July  9,  1865,  aud  paid  off  and  discliarged  at 
Springfield,  July  11. 

Eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
and  mustered  in  for  three  months"  service,  April 
36,  1861,  Richard  J.  Oglesby  of  Decatur,  being 
appointed  Colonel.  It  remained  at  Cairo  during 
its  term  of  service,  when  it  was  mustered  out. 
July  2.5,  1861,  it  was  reorganized  and  mustered  in 
for  tliree  years'  service.  It  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  DoneLson,  Shiloh,  Port  Gibson, 
Thompson  Hill,  Raymond,  Champion  Hill,  Vicks- 
burg,  Brownsville,  and  Spanish  Fort ;  re-enlisted 
as  veterans,  March  24,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at 
Baton  Rouge,  May  4,  1866,  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged. May  13,  having  served  five  years. 

Ninth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  the  service 
at  Springfield,  April  26,  1861.  for  the  term  of 
three  mouths,  under  Col.  Eleazer  A.  Paine.  It 
was  reorganized  at  Cairo,  in  August,  for  three 
years,  being  composed  of  companies  from  St. 
Clair,  Madison,  Montgomery,  Pulaski,  Alexander 
and  Mercer  Counties;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son,  Shiloh,  Jackson  (Tenn.),  Meed  Creek 
Swamps,  Salem.  Wyatt,  Florence,  Montezuma, 
Athens  and  Grenada.  The  regiment  was  mounted, 
March  15,  1863,  and  so  continued  during  the 
remainder  of  its  service.  Mu.stered  out  at  Louis- 
ville, July  0,  1865. 

Tenth  Infantry.  Organized  aud  mustered 
into  the  service  for  three  months,  on  April  29, 
1861,  at  Cairo,  and  on  July  29.  1861,  w;i.s  iiui-stered 
into  the  service  for  three  yetirs.  with  Col.  James 
D.  Morgan  in  command.  It  was  engaged  at 
Sykeston,  Xew  Madrid,  Corinth,  Missionary 
Ridge.  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw, 
Chattahoochie,  Savannah  and  Benton  ville.  Re- 
enlisted  as  veterans,  Jan.  1,  1864,  and  mustered 
out  of  service,  July  4.  1865,  at  Louisville,  and 
received  final  discharge  and  pay,  July  11,  1865, 
at  Chicago. 

Eleventh  Inf.\ntry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field and  mustered  into  service.  April  30,  1861. 
for  three  months  July  30,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  and  re-enlisted  for  three  years" 
service.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson, 
Shiloh.  Corinth,  Tallahatchie,  Vicksburg.  Liver- 
pool Heights,  Yazoo  Citj-,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Fort  Blakely.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  afterwards 
Brigadier-General  and  killed  at  Shiloh,  was  its 
fii-st  Colonel.  Mustered  out  of  service,  at  Baton 
Rouge,  July  14,  1865 ;  paid  oflF  and  discharged  at 
Springfield. 

Twelfth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  service 
for  three  years,  August  1,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at 


Columbus,  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh.  Corinth,  Lay's 
Ferry,  Rome  Cross  Roads,  Dallus,  Kenesaw, 
Nickajack  Creek,  Bald  Knob,  Decatur,  Ezra 
Church,  Atlanta,  Allatoona  and  Goldsboro.  On 
Jan.  16,  1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veter- 
ans. John  McArthur  was  its  first  Colonel,  suc- 
ceeded by  Augustus  L.  Chetlain,  both  being 
promoted  to  Brigadier-Generalships.  Mustered 
out  of  service  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  10,  186.5, 
and  received  final  pay  and  discharge,  at  Spring- 
field, July  18. 

Thirteenth  Infantry.  One  of  the  regiments 
organized  under  the  act  known  as  the  "Ten  Regi- 
ment Bill"  ;  was  mustered  into  service  on  May  24, 
1861,  for  three  years,  at  Dixon,  with  John  B. 
Wyman  as  Colonel;  was  engaged  at  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Rossville  anrl  Ringgold  Gap. 
Mustered  out  at  Springfield,  June  18,  1864,  hav- 
ing served  three  years  and  two  months. 

Fourteenth  Infantry.  One  of  the  regiments 
rai.sed  under  the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill,"  which 
anticipated  the  requirements  of  the  General 
Government  by  organizing,  equipping  and  dril- 
ling a  regiment  in  each  Congressional  District  in 
the  State  for  thirty  days,  unless  sooner  required 
for  service  by  the  United  States.  It  was  mustered 
in  at  Jacksonville  for  three  years,  May  25,  1861, 
under  command  of  John  M.  Palmer  as  its  first 
Colonel;  w;vs  engaged  at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Meta- 
mora,  Vick.sburg.  Jackson.  Fort  Beauregard  aud 
ileridian;  consolidated  with  the  Fifteenth  Infan- 
try, as  a  veteran  l>attalion  {lx)th  regiments  hav- 
ing enlisted  iis  veterans),  on  July  1,  1864.  In 
October,  1864.  the  major  part  of  the  battalion 
w;is  captured  by  General  Hood  and  sent  to 
Andersonville.  The  remainder  participated  in 
the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  and  through  the  cam- 
paign in  the  Carolinas.  In  the  spring  of  1865  the 
battalion  organization  was  discontinued,  both 
regiments  having  been  filled  up  by  recruits.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kan.,  Sept.  16,  1865;  and  arrived  at 
Springfield,  III.,  Sept.  22,  2865,  where  it  received 
final  payment  and  discharge.  The  aggregate 
number  of  men  who  belonged  to  this  organization 
was  1.980,  and  the  aggregate  mustered  out  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  480.  During  its  four  years 
and  four  months  of  service,  the  regiment 
marched  4.490  miles,  traveled  by  rail,  2,330  miles, 
and.  by  river.  4,490  miles — making  an  aggregate 
of  11,670  miles. 

Fifteenth  Infantry.  Raised  under  the  "Ten 
Regiment  Act,"  in  the  (then)  First  Congressional 
District;    was  organized  at  Freeport,  and  mus- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


553 


tered  into  service.  May  24,  1861.  It  was  engaged 
at  Sedalia,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Metaniora  Hill, 
Vicksburg,  Fort  Beauregard,  Champion  Hill, 
Allatoona  and  Bentonville.  In  March,  1864,  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  in  July, 
1864,  was  consolidated  with  the  Fourteenth  Infan- 
try as  a  Veteran  Battalion.  At  Big  Shanty  and 
Ackworth  a  large  portion  of  the  battalion  was 
captured  by  General  Hood.  At  Raleigh  the 
Veteran  Battalion  was  discontinued  and  the 
Fifteenth  reorganized.  From  July  1,  to  Sept.  1, 
186."),  the  regiment  was  stationed  at  Forts  Leaven- 
worth and  Kearney.  Having  been  mustered  out 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  it  was  sent  to  Springfield 
for  final  payment  and  discharge — having  served 
four  years  and  four  months.  Miles  marched, 
4,299;  miles  by  rail,  3,403,  miles  by  steamer, 
4,310;  men  enlisted  from  date  of  organization, 
1,963;  strength  at  date  of  muster-out,  640. 

Sixteenth  Infantry.  Organized  and  mus- 
tered into  service  at  Quincy  under  the  "Ten-Regi- 
ment Act,"  May  34,  1861.  The  regiment  was 
engaged  at  New  Madrid,  Tiptonville,  Corintli, 
Buzzards'  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Chattahoochie  River,  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
Atlanta,  Savannah,  Colmubia,  Fayetteville, 
Averysboro  and  Bentonville.  In  December, 
1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans;  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  8,  1865, 
after  a  term  of  service  of  four  years  and  three 
months,  and,  a  week  later,  arrived  at  Spring- 
field, where  it  received  its  final  pay  and  discharge 
papers. 

Seventeenth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  the 
service  at  Peoria,  111.,  on  May  24,  1861;  was 
engaged  at  Fredericktown  (Mo.),  Greenfield 
(Ark.),  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Hatchie  and  Vicksburg. 
In  May.  1864,  the  term  of  enlistment  having 
expired,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Springfield 
for  pay  and  discharge.  Those  men  and  officers 
who  re-enlisted,  and  those  whose  term  had  not 
expired,  were  consolidated  with  the  Eighth  Infan- 
try, which  was  mustered  out  in  the  spring  of  1866. 

Eighteenth  Infantry.  Organized  under  the 
provisions  of  the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill,"  at  Anna, 
and  mustered  into  the  service  on  May  28,  1861, 
the  term  of  enlistment  being  for  three  years. 
The  regiment  participated  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
McHenry,  and  was  actively  engaged  at  Fort 
Honelson,  Shiloh  and  Corinth.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Little  Rock,  Dec.  16.  186.'->,  and  Dec.  31, 
thereafter,  arrived  at  Springfield,  111.,  for  pay- 
ment and  discharge.  The  aggregate  enlistments 
in  the  regiment,  from  its  organization  to  date  of 
discharge  (rank  and  file),  numbered  3,043. 


Nineteenth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  for  three  years,  June  IT, 
1861,  at  Chicago,  embracing  four  companies 
which  had  been  accepted  under  the  call  for  three 
months'  men;  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  River  and  in  the  TuUahoma  and  Chatta- 
nooga campaigns;  was  also  engaged  at  Davis" 
Cross  Roads,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge  and 
Resaca.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service  on  July 
9,  1864,  at  Chicago.  Originally  consisting  of 
nearly  1,000  men,  besides  a  large  number  of 
recruits  received  during  the  war,  its  strengtli  at 
the  final  muster-out  was  less  than  350. 

Twentieth  Infantry  Organized,  May  14, 
1861,  at  Joliet,  and  June  13,  1861,  and  mustered 
into  the  service  for  a  term  of  three  years.  It 
participated  in  the  following  engagements,  bat- 
tles, sieges,  etc.:  Fredericktown  (Mo.),  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Thompson's  Planta- 
tion, Chamijiou  Hills,  Big  Black  River,  Vicks- 
burg, Kenesaw  Moimtain  and  Atlanta.  Afte< 
marching  through  the  Carolinas,  the  regiment- 
was  finally  ordered  to  Louisville,  where  it  was 
mustered  out,  Julj^  16,  1865,  receiving  its  final 
discharge  at  Chicago,  on  July  24. 

Twenty-first  Infantry.  Organized  under 
the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill,"  from  the  (then)  Sev- 
enth Congressional  District,  at  Mattoon,  and 
mustered  into  service  for  three  years,  June  28, 
1861.  Its  first  Colonel  was  U.  S.  Grant,  who  was 
in  command  until  August  7,  when  he  was  com- 
missioned Brigadier-General.  It  was  engaged 
at  Fredericktown  (Mo.),  Corinth,  Perry ville.  Mur- 
freesboro,  Liberty  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Jonesboro, 
Franklin  and  Nashville.  The  regiment  re-enlisted 
as  veterans,  at  Chattanooga,  in  February,  1864. 
From  June,  1864,  to  December,  1865,  it  was  on 
duty  in  Texas.  Mustered  out  at  San  Antonio. 
Dec.  16,  1865,  and  paid  off  and  discharged  at 
Springfield,  Jan.  18,  1866. 

Twenty-second  Inf.\ntry.  Organized  at 
Belleville,  and  mustered  into  service,  for  three 
years,  at  Casey  ville,  111.,  June  25,  1861;  was 
engaged  at  Belmont,  Charleston  (Mo.),  Sikestown, 
Tiptonville,  Farmington,  Corinth,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  New 
Hope  Church,  and  all  the  battles  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  except  Rocky  Face  Ridge.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  July  7,  1864,  the  vet- 
erans and  recruits,  whose  term  of  service  had  not 
expired,  being  consolidated  with  the  Forty -second 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers. 

Twenty-third  Infantry.  The  organization 
of  the  Twenty-third  Infantry  Volunteers  com- 
menced, at  Chicago,  under  the  popular  name  of 


554 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


the  "Irish  Brigade,"  immediately  upon  the 
opening  of  hostilities  at  Sumter.  The  formal 
muster  of  the  regiment,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  James  A.  Mulligan,  was  made,  June  15, 1861, 
at  Chicago,  when  it  was  occupying  barracks 
known  as  Kane's  brewery  near  the  river  on 
West  Polk  Street.  It  was  early  ordered  to  North- 
ern Missouri,  and  was  doing  garrison  duty  at 
Lexington,  when,  in  September,  1861,  it  surren- 
dered with  the  rest  of  the  garrison,  to  the  forces 
under  the  rebel  General  Price,  and  was  paroled. 
From  Oct.  8,  1861,  to  June  14,  1863,  it  was  detailed 
to  guard  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas.  Tliereafter 
it  participated  in  engagements  in  the  Virginias, 
as  follows:  at  South  Fork,  Greenland  Gap,  Phi- 
lippi,  Hedgeville,  Leetown,  Maryland  Heights, 
Snicker's  Gap,  Kerustown,  Cedar  Creek,  Win- 
cliester,  Charlestown,  Berryville,  Opequan  Creek, 
Fisher's  Hill.  Harrisonburg,  Hatcher's  Run  and 
Petersburg.  It  also  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Richmond  and  the  pursuit  of  Lee,  being  present 
at  the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  In  January 
and  February,  1864,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as 
veterans,  at  Greenland  Gap,  W.  Va.  In  August, 
1864,  the  ten  companies  of  the  Regiment,  then 
numbering  440,  were  consolidated  into  five  com- 
panies and  designate<l,  "Battalion,  Twenty-third 
Regiment,  Illinois 'V'eteran  Volunteer  Infantrj'." 
The  regiment  was  thanked  by  Congress  for  its 
part  at  Lexington,  and  was  authorized  to  inscribe 
Lexington  upon  its  colors.  (See  also  Mulligan, 
James  A.) 

TwENTY-FOUKTH  INFANTRY,  (known  as  the 
First  Hecker  Regiment).  Organized  at  Chicago, 
with  two  companies — to-wit:  the  Union  Cadets 
and  the  Lincoln  Rifles — from  the  three  months' 
service,  in  June,  1861,  and  mustered  in,  July  8, 
1861.  It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perryville, 
Murfreesboro,  Chickamauga,  Resaca,  Kenesaw 
Mountain  and  other  engagements  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Chicago,  August  6,  1864.  A  fraction  of  the  regi- 
ment, which  had  been  recruited  in  the  field,  and 
whose  term  of  service  had  not  expired  at  the  date 
of  muster-oiit,  was  organized  into  one  company 
and  attached  to  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Divi- 
sion, Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  and  mustered  out 
at  Camp  Butler,  August  1,  1865. 

Twenty-fifth  Infantry.  Organized  from 
the  counties  of  Kankakee,  Iroquois,  Ford,  Vermil- 
ion, Douglas,  Coles,  Champaign  and  Edgar,  and 
mustered  into  service  at  St.  Louis,  August  4.  1861. 
It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Stone 
River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Moun- 


tain, the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  innumerable  skir- 
mislies ;  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Sept.  5, 
1864.  During  its  tliree  years'  service  the  regi- 
ment traveled  4,962  miles,  of  which  3,252  were  on 
foot,  the  remainder  by  steamboat  and  railroad. 

Twenty-sixth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, consisting  of  seven  companies,  at  Springfield, 
August  31,  1861.  On  Jan.  1,  1864,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans.  It  was  authorized  by  the 
commanding  General  to  inscribe  upon  its  ban- 
ners "New  Madrid" ;  "Island  No.  10;"  "Farming- 
ton;"  "Siege  of  Corinth;"  "luka;"  "Corinth — 
3d  and  4th,  1802;"  "Resaca;"  "Kenesaw;"  "Ezra 
Church;"  "Atlanta;"  "Jonesboro;"  "Griswold- 
ville;"  "McAllister;"  "Savannah;"  "Columbia," 
and  "Bentonville."  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  July  20,  1805,  and  paid  ofl  and 
discharged,  at  Springfield,  July  28 — the  regiment 
having  marched,  during  its  four  years  of  service, 
6,931  miles,  and  fought  twenty -eight  hard  battles, 
besides  innumerable  skirmishes. 

Twenty-seventh  Infantry.  First  organized, 
with  only  seven  companies,  at  Springfield, 
August  10,  1801,  and  organization  completed  by 
the  addition  of  three  more  companies,  at  Cairo, 
on  Septemtjer  1.  It  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bel- 
mont, the  siege  of  Island  No.  10,  and  the  battles 
of  Farmington,  Nashville  Murfreesboro,  Chicka- 
mauga, Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge 
Resaca,  Calhoun,  Adairsville,  Dallas.  Pine  Top 
Mountain  and  Kenes;iw  Mountain,  as  well  as  in 
the  investment  of  Atlanta;  was  relieved  from 
duty,  August  25,  1864,  while  at  the  front,  and 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  September  20.  Its 
veterans,  with  the  recruits  whose  term  of  serv- 
ice had  not  expired,  were  consolidated  with  the 
Ninth  Infantry. 

TwENTY-EloHTH  INFANTRY.  Composed  of 
companies  from  Pike,  Fulton,  Schuyler,  Mason, 
Scott  and  Menard  Counties;  was  organized  at 
Springfield,  August  15,  1861,  and  mustered  into 
service  for  three  years.  It  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Shiloh  and  Metamora,  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  the  battles  of  Jackson,  Mississippi, 
and  Fort  Beauregard,  and  in  the  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort,  Fort  Blakely  and  Mobile.  From 
June,  1864,  to  March,  1806,  it  was  stationed  in 
Texas,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Brownsville,  in 
that  State,  March  15.  1866,  having  served  four 
years  and  seven  months.  It  was  discharged,  at 
Springfield,  May  13.  1866. 

TwENTY-NiNTH  INFANTRY.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice at  Springfield,  August  19,  1861,  and  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  and  in  the 
sieges  of  Corinth,  Vicksburg  and  Mobile.     Eight 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


555 


companies  were  detailed  for  duty  at  Holly  Springs, 
and  were  there  captured  by  General  Van  Dorn, 
in  December,  1862,  but  were  exchanged,  six 
months  later.  In  January,  1864,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  from  June,  1864,  to 
November,  1865,  was  on  duty  in  Texas.  It  was 
mustered  out  of  service  in  that  State,  Nov.  6, 
1865,  and  received  final  discharge  on  November  28. 

Thirtieth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, August  28,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Belmont, 
Fort  Donelson,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  Medan 
Station,  Raymond,  Champion  Hills,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  Big  Shanty,  Atlanta, 
Savannah,  Pocotaligo,  Orangeburg,  Columbia, 
Cheraw,  and  Fayetteville ;  mustered  out,  July 
17,  1865,  and  received  final  payment  and  discharge 
at  Springfield,  July  27,  1865. 

Thirty-first  Infantry.  Organized  at  Cairo, 
and  there  mustered  into  service  on  Sept.  18, 
1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Belmont,  Fort  Donelson, 
Sliiloh,  in  the  two  expeditions  against  Vicks- 
burg, at  Thompson's  Hill,  Ingram  Heights,  Ray- 
mond, Jackson,  Champion  Hill,  Big  Shanty, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta,  Lovejoy  Station  and 
Jonesboro ; '  also  participated  in  tlie  "March  to 
the  Sea"  and  took  part  in  tlie  battles  and  skir- 
mishes at  Columbia,  Cheraw,  Fayetteville  and 
Bentonville.  A  majority  of  the  regiment  re- 
enlisted  as  veterans  in  March,  1864.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  19,  1865,  and 
finally  discharged  at  Springfield,  July  23. 

Thirty-second  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Springfield  and  mustered  into  service,  Dec.  31, 
1861.  By  special  authority  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, it  originally  consisted  of  ten  companies  of 
infantry,  one  of  cavalry,  and  a  battery.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Sliiloli,  in  the-  sieges 
of  Corinth  and  Vicksburg,  and  in  the  battles  of 
La  Grange,  Grand  Junction,  Metamora,  Harrison- 
burg, Kenesaw  Mountain,  Nickajack  Creek, 
AUatoona,  Savannah,  Columbia,  Cheraw  and 
Bentonville.  In  January,  1864,  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and,  in  June,  1865,  was 
ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  Mustered  out 
there,  Sept.  16,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at 
Springfield. 

Thirty-third  Infantry.  Organized  and  mus- 
tered into  service  at  Springfield  in  September, 
1861:  was  engaged  at  Fredericktown  (Mo.),  Port 
Gibson,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  the 
assault  and  siege  of  Vicksburg,  siege  of  Jackson, 
Fort  Esperanza.  and  in  the  expedition  against 
Mobile.  The  regiment  veteranized  at  Vicksburg, 
Jan.  1,  1864;  was  mustered  out,  at  the  same  point, 
Nov.  34,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Spring- 


field, Dec.  6  and  7,  1865.  The  aggregate  enroll- 
ment of  the  regiment  was  between  1,900  and 
2,000. 

Thirty-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  7,  1861 ,  was  engaged  at  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  Murfreesboro,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Re- 
saca.  Big  Shanty,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  and,  after  participating  in  the  "March 
to  the  Sea"  and  through  the  Carolinas,  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Bentonville.  After  the  surrender 
of  Johnston,  the  regiment  went  with  Sherman's 
Army  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  took  part  in  the 
grand  review.  May  24,  1865;  left  Washington, 
June  12,  and  arrived  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  June  18, 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  on  July  12 ;  was  dis- 
charged and  paid  at  Chicago,  July  17,  1865. 

Thirty-fifth  Infantry'.  Organized  at  De- 
catur on  July  3,  1861,  and  its  services  tendered  to 
the  President,  being  accepted  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  as  "Col.  G.  A.  Smith's  Independent  Regi- 
ment of  Illinois  Volunteers,"  on  July  23,  and 
mustered  into  service  at  St.  Louis,  August  13.  It 
was  engaged  at  Pea  Ridge  and  in  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perry- 
ville.  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Re.saca,  Dallas  and 
Kenesaw.  Its  final  muster-out  took  place  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  37,  1864,  the  regiment  having 
marched  (exclusive  of  railroad  and  steamboat 
transportation)  3,056  miles. 

Thirty-sixth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Camp 
Hammond,  near  Aurora,  111.,  and  mustered  into 
service,  Sept.  23,  1861,  for  a  term  of  three  years. 
The  regiment,  at  its  organization,  numbered  965 
oflScersand  enlisted  men,  and  had  two  companies 
of  Cavalry  ("A"  and  "B"),  186  officers  and 
men.  It  was  engaged  at  Leetown,  Pea  Ridge, 
Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  the  siege 
of  Chattanooga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Rocky  Face 
Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  New  Hope  Church, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Jones- 
boro, Franklin  and  Nashville.  Mustered  out. 
Oct.  8,  1865,  and  disbanded,  at  Springfield,  Oct. 
27,  having  marclied  and  been  transported,  during 
its  term  of  service,  more  than  10,000  miles. 

Thirty-seventh  Infantry.  Familiarly  known 
as  "Fremont  Rifles";  organized  in  August,  1861, 
and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  18.  The  regi- 
ment was  presented  with  battle-flags  by  the  Chi- 
cago Board  of  Trade.  It  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Neosho,  Prairie  Grove  and 
Chalk  Bluffs,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Yazoo  City  and  Morgan's  Bend.  In 
October,  1863,  it  was  ordered  to  the  defense  of  the 
frontier  along  the    Rio    Grande;    re-enlLsted   as 


656 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


veterans  in  February,  1864;  took  part  in  the 
siege  and  storming  of  Fort  Blakely  and  the  cap- 
ture of  Mobile;  from  July,  1805,  to  May,  1866, 
was  again  on  duty  in  Texas;  was  mustered  out 
at  Houston,  Maj'  15,  1806,  and  finally  discharged 
at  Springfield,  May  31,  having  traveled  some 
17,000  miles,  of  wliich  nearly  3,300  were  by 
marcliing. 

Thirty-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Springfield,  in  Sejiteniber,  1861.  The  regiment 
was  engaged  in  the  l)attles  of  Fredericktown, 
Perryville,  Knob  Gap,  Stone  River,  Liberty  Gap, 
Chickamauga,  Pine  Top,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Franklin  and  Nashville; 
re-enlisted  as  veterans  in  February,  1864;  from 
June  to  December,  1865,  was  on  duty  in  Louisi- 
ana and  Texas;  was  mustered  out  at  Victoria, 
Texas,  Dec.  31,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge 
at  Springfield. 

Thirty-ninth  Infantry.  The  organization  of 
this  Regiment  was  commenced  as  soon  as  the 
news  of  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  reached  Chi- 
cago. General  Thomas  O.  Osborne  was  one  of  its 
contemplated  field  officers,  and  labored  zealously 
to  get  it  accepted  under  the  first  call  for  troops, 
but  did  not  accomplish  liis  object.  The  regiment 
liad  already  assumed  the  name  of  the  "Yates 
Phalanx"  in  honor  of  Governor  Yates.  It  was 
accepted  by  the  War  Department  on  the  day 
succeeding  the  first  Bull  Run  disiister  (July  32, 
1801),  and  Au.stin  Liglit.of  Chicago,  was  appointed 
Colonel.  Under  liis  direction  the  organization  was 
completed,  and  the  regiment  left  Camp  Mather, 
Cliicago,  on  the  morning  of  Oct.  13,  1801.  It  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Malvern 
Hill  (the  second),  Morris  Island,  Fort  Wagner, 
Drury"s  Bluff,  and  in  numerous  engagements 
before  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  including  the 
rapture  of  Fort  Gregg,  an<l  was  present  at  Lee's 
surrender  at  Appomattox.  In  the  meantime  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  at  Hilton  Head, 
S.  C.,  in  September,  1803.  It  was  mu.stered  out 
at  Norfolk,  Dec.  6,  1865,  and  received  final  dis- 
charge at  Chicago,  December  10. 

Fortieth  Infantry.  Enlisted  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Franklin,  Hamilton,  AVayne,  White, 
Wabash,  Marion ,  Clay  and  Fayette,  and  mustered 
into  service  for  tliree  years  at  Springfield, 
August  10,  1801.  It  was  engaged  at  .Sliiloh,  in 
the  siege  of  Corinth,  at  Jackson  (Miss.),  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  at  Jlissionary  Ridge,  New 
Hope  Church,  Black  Jack  Knob,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain. Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Ezra  Chapel,  Gris- 
woldville.  siege  of  Savannah,  Columbia  (S.  C). 
and  Bentonville.     It  re-enlisted,  as  veterans,  at 


Scottsboro,  Ala.,  Jan.  1,  1864,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Louisville,  July  24,  1865,  receiving  final 
discharge  at  Springfield. 

Forty-first  Infantry'.  Organized  at  Decatur 
during  July  and  August,  1801,  and  was  mustered 
into  service,  August  5.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloli,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  the  second 
battle  of  Corintli,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson,  in  the  Red  River  cami)aign,  atGuntown, 
Kenesaw  Mountain  and  AUatoona,  and  partici- 
pated in  tlie  "Jlarch  to  the  Sea."  It  re-enlisted, 
as  veterans,  March  17,  1S04,  at  Vicksburg,  and 
was  consolidated  with  the  Fifty-tliird  Infantry, 
Jan.  4,  1805,  forming  Companies  G  and  II. 

Forty-second  Infantry.  Organized  at  Clii- 
cago, July  22,  1801 ;  was  engaged  at  Island  No.  10, 
the  siege  of  Corinth,  battles  of  Farmington. 
Columbia  (Tenn),  was  besieged  at  Nashville, 
engaged  at  Stone  River,  in  the  Tullalionia  cam- 
paign, at  Chickamauga,  Mi.ssioiiary  Ridge,  Rocky 
Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Ailairsville.  New  Hope 
Church.  Pine  and  Kenesaw  Mountains,  Peacli 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station, 
Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  It  re- 
enlisted,  as  veterans,  Jan.  1,  1804;  was  stationed 
in  Texas  from  July  to  December,  1865 ;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Indianola,  in  that  State,  Dec.  16, 
1805,  and  finally  discharged,  at  Springfield,  Jan. 
12,  1866. 

Forty-third  Lnfantky.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field in  September,  1861,  and  mu.stered  into 
service  on  Oct  12.  The  regiment  took  part  in 
the  biittles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  in  the 
campaigns  in  West  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and 
Arkan.sas;  was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock, 
Nov.  30,  1865,  and  returned  to  Springfield  for 
final  pay  and  discharge,  Dec.  14,  1865. 

Forty-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  in  Au- 
gust, 1861.  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  into  service, 
Sept.  13,  1801 ;  was  engaged  at  Pea  Ridge, 
Perryville,  Stone  River,  Hoover's  Gap,  Shelby- 
ville,  Tullahoma,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Adairsville.  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Kene- 
saw Mountain,  CJulp's  Farm,  Chattahoochie 
River,  Peacli  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Franklin  and  Nashville.  The  regiment  re-enlisted 
as  veterans  in  Tennessee,  in  January,  1804. 
From  June  to  September,  1805,  it  was  stationed 
in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  was  mustered  out  at 
Port  Lavaca,  Sept.  25,  1805,  and  received  final 
discharge,  at  Springfield,  three  weeks  later. 

Forty-fifth  Infantry.  Originally  called 
the  "Washburne  Lead  ^line  Regiment";  was 
organized  at  Galena,  July  23,  1861,  and  mustered 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


557 


into  service  at  Chicago,  Dec.  33,  1861.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloli,  the  siege  of 
Corintli,  battle  of  Medan,  the  campaign  against 
Vicksburg.  the  Meridian  raid,  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, the  "Jlarch  to  the  Sea,"  and  the  advance 
througli  tlie  Carolinas.  Tlie  regiment  veteran- 
ized in  January-,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  13,  1865,  and  arrived 
in  Chicago,  July  l.'S,  1865,  for  final  pay  and  dis- 
charge. Distance  marched  in  four  years,  1,750 
miles. 

Forty-sixth  Ixf.\ntky.  Organized  at  Spring 
field.  Dec.  38,  1861;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son, Shiloh,  tlie  siege  of  Corinth,  battle  of 
Metamora,  siege  of  Vicksburg  (where  five  com- 
panies of  the  regiment  were  captured),  in  the 
reduction  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakeley, 
and  the  capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered  in 
as  a  veteran  regiment,  Jan.  i,  1864.     From  May, 

1865,  to  January,  1866,  it  was  on  duty  in  Louisi- 
ana ;  was  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge,  Jan.  30, 

1866,  and,  on  Feb.  1,  1866,  finally  paid  and  dis- 
charged at  Springfield. 

Forty-seventh  Infantry.  Organized  and 
mustered  into  service  at  Peoria,  111.,  on  August 
16,  1861.  The  regiment  took  part  in  the  expe- 
dition against  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10; 
also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Farmington, 
luka,  the  second  battle  of  Corinth,  the  capture 
of  Jackson,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the  Red 
River  expedition  and  tlie  battle  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
and  in  the  struggle  at  Lake  Chicot.  It  was 
ordered  to  Chicago  to  assist  in  quelling  an  antici- 
pated riot,  in  1864,  but,  returning  to  the  front, 
took  part  in  the  reduction  of  Spanish  Fort  and 
the  capture  of  Mobile;  was  mustered  out,  Jan. 
21,  1866,  at  Selnia,  Ala.,  and  ordered  to  Spring- 
field, where  it  received  final  pay  and  discharge. 
Those  members  of  tlie  regiment  who  did  not  re-en- 
list as  veterans  were  mustered  out,  Oct.  11,  1864. 

Forty-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, September,  1861,  and  participated  in  battles 
and  sieges  as  follows:  Fort  Henry  and  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth  (siege  of),  Vicksburg 
(first  expedition  against).  Missionary  Ridge,  as 
well  as  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  "March 
to  the  Sea."  The  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veter- 
ans, at  Scottsboro,  Ala.,  Jan.  1,  1864;  was  mus- 
tered out,  August  15,  1865,  at  Little  Rock,  Ark  , 
and  ordered  to  Springfield  for  final  discharge, 
arriving,  August  31,  1865.  The  distance  marched 
was  3.000  miles;  moved  by  water,  5.000;  by  rail- 
road. 3,450 -total,  11.4.50. 

Forty-ninth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field,  111.,   Dec.   31,   1861;    was  engaged  at  Fort 


Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Little  Rock ;  took  part  in 
the  campaign  against  Sleridian  and  in  the  Red 
River  expedition,  being  in  the  battle  of  Pleasant 
Hill,  Jan.  15,  1864;  three-fourths  of  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  and  were  mustered  in  as  veterans, 
returning  to  Illinois  on  furlough.  The  non- 
veterans  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Tupelo.  The 
regiment  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville, 
and  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  9,  1865,  at  Paducah, 
Ky.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield,  Sept,  15,  186,5, 
for  final  payment  and  discharge. 

Fiftieth  Infantry,  Organized  at  Quincy,  in 
August,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  12, 
1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  the  second  battle  of  Corinth, 
Allatoona  and  Bentouville,  besides  many  minor 
engagements.  The  regiment  was  mounted,  Nov. 
17,  1863;  re-enli.sted  as  veterans,  Jan.  1, 1864.  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  13,  1865,  and 
reached  Springfield,  the  following  day,  for  final 
pay  and  di.scharge. 

Fifty-first  Infantry".  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, Dec.  34,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  New  Madrid, 
Island  No.  10,  Farmington,  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jones- 
boro.  Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  in  as  veterans,  Feb.  16, 
1864 ;  from  July  to  September,  1865,  was  on  duty 
in  Texas,  and  mustered  out,  Sept.  35,  1865,  at 
Camp  Irwin,  Texas,  arriving  at  Springfield,  111., 
Oct.  15,  1805,  for  final  payment  and  di.scharge. 

FiFTY'-SECOND  INFANTRY.  Organized  at  Ge- 
neva in  November,  1861,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, Nov.  19.  The  regiment  participated  in  the 
following  battles,  sieges  and  expeditions:  Shiloh, 
Corinth  (siege  and  second  battle  of),  luka.  Town 
Creek,  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Resaca,  Lay's  Ferry, 
Rome  Cross  Roads,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Nickajack  Creek,  Decatur,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro 
and  Bentonville.  It  veteranized,  Jan.  9,  1864; 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  4,  1865, 
and  received  final  payment  and  discharge  at 
Springfield,  July  13. 

Fifty-third  Infantry.  Organized  at  Ottawa 
in  the  winter  of  1861-63,  and  ordered  to  Chicago, 
Feb.  27,  1863,  to  complete  its  organization.  It 
took  part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  was  engaged 
at  Davis"  Bridge,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  in  the 
Meridian  campaign,  at  Jackson,  the  siege  of 
Atlanta,  the  "March  to  the  Sea,"  the  capture  of 
Savannah  and  the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas, 
including  the  battle  of  Bentonville.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Louisville, 


558 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


July  22,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge,  at 
Chicago,  July  28.  It  marched  2,855  miles,  and 
was  transported  by  boat  and  cars,  4,168  miles. 
Over  1,800  officers  and  men  belonged  to  the  regi- 
ment during  its  term  of  service. 

Fifty-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Anna, 
in  November,  1861,  as  a  part  of  the  "Kentucky 
Brigade,"  and  was  mustered  into  service,  Feb. 
18,  1802.  No  complete  history  of  the  regiment 
can  be  given,  owing  to  the  loss  of  its  official 
records.  It  served  mainly  in  Kentucky,  Tennes- 
see, Mississippi  and  Arkansas,  and  always  effect- 
ively. Three-fourths  of  the  men  re-enlisted  as 
veterans,  in  January,  1864.  Six  companies  were 
captured  by  the  rebel  General  Shelby,  in  August, 
1864,  and  were  exchanged,  the  following  De- 
cember. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Little  Rock.  Oct.  15,  1865;  arrived  at  Springfield, 
Oct.  26,  and  was  discharged.  During  its  organi- 
zation, the  regiment  had  1,342  enlisted  men  and 
71  commissioned  officers. 

Fifty-fifth  Inf.\.ntry.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, and  mustered  into  service,  Oct.  31,  1861. 
The  regiment  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
"Douglas  Brigade,"  being  chiefly  recruited  from 
the  young  farmers  of  Fulton,  MoDonough, 
Grundy,  La  Salle.  De  Kalb,  Kane  and  "Winnebago 
Counties.  It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh 
and  Corinth,  and  in  the  Tallahatchie  campaign; 
in  the  battles  of  Chicka.sa\v  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  around  Vicksburg,  and  at  Missionary  Ridge; 
was  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  notably  in  the 
battles  of  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Jonesboro.  In 
all,  it  was  engaged  in  thirty-one  battles,  and  was 
128  days  under  fire.  The  total  mileage  traveled 
amounted  to  11,965,  of  which  3.240  miles  were 
actually  marched.  Re-enlisted  as  veterans,  wliile 
at  Larkinsville,  Tenn.,was  mustered  out  at  Little 
Rock,  August  14,  1865,  receiving  final  discharge 
at  Chicago,  the  same  month. 

Fifty-sixth  Isf.^ntry.  Organized  with  com- 
panies principally  enlisted  from  the  counties  of 
Massac,  Pope,  Gallatin,  Saline.  White,  Hamilton, 
Franklin  and  Wayne,  and  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Mather,  near  Shawneetown.  The  regiment  par- 
ticipated in  the  siege,  and  second  battle,  of 
Corinth,  the  Yazoo  expedition,  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg — being  engaged  at  Champion  HiUa, 
and  in  numerous  assaults ;  also  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Missionarj'  Ridge  and  Resaca,  and  in 
the  campaign  in  the  "Carolinas,  including  the 
battle  of  Bentonville.  Some  200  members  of  the 
regiment  perished  in  a  wreck  off  Cape  Hatteras, 
March  31,  1865.  It  was  mustered  out  in  Arkan- 
sas, August  12,  1865. 


Fifty-seventh  Infantry.  Mustered  into  serr- 
ice,  Dec.  26,  1861,  at  Chicago;  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  and  the  second  battle  at  that  point;  was 
also  engaged  at  Resaca,  Rome  Cross  Roads  and 
Allatoona;  participated  in  the  investment  and 
capture  of  Savannah,  and  the  campaign  through 
the  Caroliuiis,  including  the  battle  of  Benton- 
ville. It  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  7, 
1865,  and  received  final  discharge  at  Chicago, 
July  14. 

Fifty-eighth  Infantry.  Recruited  at  Chi- 
cago, Feb.  11,  1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  a  large  number  of  the 
regiment  being  captured  during  the  latter  engage- 
ment, but  subsequently  exchanged.  It  took  part 
in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and  the  battle  of  luka, 
after  which  detachments  were  sent  to  Springfield 
for  recruiting  and  for  guarding  prisoners. 
Returning  to  the  front,  the  regiment  was  engaged 
in  the  capture  of  Meridian,  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign, the  taking  of  Fort  de  Ru.ssey,  and  in  many 
minor  battles  in  Louisiana.  It  was  mustered  out 
at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  April  1,  1806,  and  ordered 
to  Springfield   for  final  payment  and  discharge. 

Fifty-ninth  Infantry.  Originally  known  as 
the  Ninth  Missouri  Infantry,  although  wholly 
recruited  in  Illinois.  It  was  organized  at  St. 
Louis,  Sept.  18,  1861,  the  name  being  changed  to 
the  Fifty-ninth  Illinois,  Feb.  12,  1862,  by  order  of 
the  War  Department.  It  was  engaged  at  Pea 
Ridge,  formed  jwirt  of  the  reserve  at  Farmington, 
took  part  at  Perryville,  NolausviUe,  Knob  Gap 
and  Murfreesboro,  in  the  TuUahoma  campaign 
and  the  siege  of  Chattanooga,  in  the  battles  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville,  Kingston, 
Dallas,  Ackworth,  Pine  Top,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Smyrna,  Atlanta,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and 
Nashville.  Having  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Texas,  in  June,  1865, 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  December,  1865, 
receiving  its  final  clischarge  at  Springfield. 

Sixtieth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Anna,  111., 
Feb.  17,  1862;  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth 
and  was  besieged  at  Nashville.  The  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans  while  at  the  front,  in 
January,  1864;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Buzzard's  Roost,  Ringgold,  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Rome,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw 
Mountain.  Nickajack,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Averysboro  and  Bentonville;  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  31,  1805,  and 
received  final  discharge  at  Springfield. 

Sixty-first  Infantry.  Organized  at  Carroll- 
ton,  111.,  three   full  companies  being  mustered 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


550 


in,  Feb.  5,  1863.  On  February  31,  the  regiment, 
being  still  incomplete,  moved  to  Benton  Bar- 
racks, Mo. ,  where  a  sufficient  number  of  recruits 
joined  to  make  nine  full  companies.  The  regiment 
was  engaged  at  Shiloh  and  Bolivar,  took  part 
in  the  Yazoo  expedition,  and  re-enlisted  as  veter- 
ans early  in  1864.  Later,  it  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Wilkinson's  Pike  (near  Murfreesboro),  and 
other  engagements  near  that  point ;  was  mustered 
out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Sept.  8,  186.5,  and  paid 
off  and  discharged  at  Springfield,  Septem- 
ber 37. 

Sixty-second  Infantry.  Organized  at  Anna, 
111.,  April  10,  1863;  after  being  engaged  in  several 
skirmishes,  the  regiment  sustained  a  loss  of  170 
men,  who  were  captured  and  paroled  at  Holly 
Springs,  Miss.,  by  the  rebel  General  Van  Dorn, 
where  the  regimental  records  were  destroyed. 
The  regiment  took  part  in  forcing  the  evacuation 
of  Little  Rock ;  re  enlisted,  as  veterans,  Jan.  9, 
1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock.  March  6, 
1866,  and  ordered  to  Springfield  for  final  payment 
and  discharge. 

Sixty-third  Infantry.  Organized  at  Anna, 
in  December,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service, 
April  10,  1863.  It  participated  in  the  first  invest- 
ment of  Vicksburg,  the  capture  of  Richmond 
Hill,  La.,  and  in  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge. 
On  Jan.  1,  1864,  273  men  re-enlisted  as  veterans. 
It  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Savannah  and  in 
Sherman's  march  through  the  Carolinas,  partici- 
pating in  its  important  battles  and  skirmishes; 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Julj'  13,  186.5, 
reaching  Springfield,  July  16.  The  total  distance 
traveled  was  6,4.53  miles,  of  which  3,3.50  was  on 
the  march. 

Sixty-fourth  Inf.\ntry.  Organized  at  Spring- 
field, December,  1861,  as  the  "First  Battalion  of 
"Vates  Sharp  Shooters."  The  la.st  company  was 
mustered  in,  Dec.  31,  1861.  The  regiment  was 
engaged  at  New  Madrid,  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
Chambers'  Creek,  the  second  battle  of  Corinth, 
Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Decatur,  the 
siege  of  Atlanta,  the  investment  of  Savannah  and 
the  battle  of  Benton ville;  re-enlisted  as  veterans, 
in  January,  1864 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
Jvdy  11,  1865,  and  finally  discharged,  at  Chicago, 
July  18. 

Sixty-fifth  Infantry.  Originally  known  as 
the  "Scotch  Regiment";  was  organized  at  Chi- 
cago, and  mustered  in.  May  1,  1863.  It  was  cap- 
tured and  paroled  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  ordered 
to  Chicago;  was  exchanged  in  April,  1863;  took 
part  in  Burnside's  defense  of  Knoxville;  re-en- 
listed as  veterans  in  March,  1864,  and  participated 


in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  "March  to  tlie 
Sea."  It  was  engaged  in  battles  at  Columbia 
(Tenn.),  Franklin  and  Nashville,  and  later  near 
Federal  Point  and  Smithtown,  N.  C. ,  being  mus- 
tered out,  July  13,  1865,  and  receiving  final  pay- 
ment and  discharge  at  Chicago,  July  36,  1865. 

Sixty-sixth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Benton 
Barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  during  September 
and  October,  1861— being  designed  as  a  regiment 
of  "Western  Sharp  Shooters"  from  Illinois,  Mis- 
souri, Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Indiana  and 
Ohio.  It  was  mustered  in,  Nov.  33,  1861,  was 
engaged  at  Mount  Zion  (Mo.),  Fort  Donelson, 
Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Corinth,  luka,  the  second 
battle  of  Corinth,  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  the 
"March  to  the  Sea"  and  the  campaign  through 
the  Carolinas.  The  regiment  was  variously 
known  as  the  Fourteenth  Missouri  Volunteers, 
Bii-ge's  Western  Sharpshooters,  and  the  Sixty- 
sixth  i'linois  Infantry.  The  latter  (and  final) 
name  was  conferred  by  the  Secretary  of  War, 
Nov.  30,  1863.  It  re-enlisted  (for  the  veteran 
service),  in  December,  1803,  was  mustered  out  at 
Camp  Logan,  Ky.,  July  7,  1865,  and  paid  off  and 
discharged  at  Springfield,  July  15. 

Sixty-seventh  Infantry.  Organized  at  Chi 
cago,  June  13,  1863,  for  three  months'  service,  in 
response  to  an  urgent  call  for  the  defense  of 
Washington.  The  Sixty -seventh,  by  doing  guard 
duty  at  the  camjjs  at  Chicago  and  Springfield, 
relieved  the  veterans,  who  were  sent  to  the  front. 

Sixty-eighth  Infantry.  Enlisted  in  response 
to  a  call  made  b}'  the  Governor,  early  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1863,  for  State  troops  to  serve  for  three 
months  as  State  Militia,  and  was  mustered  in 
early  in  June.  1863.  It  was  afterwards  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  as  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, by  petition  of  the  men,  and  received 
marching  orders,  July  5,  1863;  mustered  out,  at 
Springfield,  Sept.  36,  1803— many  of  the  men  re- 
enlisting  in  other  regiments. 

Sixty-ninth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Camp 
Douglas,  Chicago,  and  mustered  into  service  for 
three  months,  June  14,  1863.  It  remained  on 
duty  at  Camp  Douglas,  guarding  the  camp  and 
rebel  prisoners. 

Seventieth  Infj^jsitry.  Organized  at  Camp 
Butler,  near  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  July  4, 
1863.  It  remained  at  Camp  Butler  doing  guard 
duty.     Its  term  of  service  was  three  months. 

Seventy-first  Inf.-vntry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, July  20,  1862,  at  Chicago,  for  three  months. 
Its  service  was  confined  to  garrison  duty  in  Illi- 
nois and  Kentucky,  being  niustereu  out  at  Chi 
cago,  Oct.  39,  1863. 


660 


I1IS']'0I;R'AL   encyclopedia   of    ILLINOIS. 


Seventy-second  InFj\^try.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, as  the  First  Regiment  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade,  and  mustered  into  service  for  three 
years,  August  23,  1862.  It  was  engaged  at  Cham- 
pion Hill,  Vicksburg,  Natchez,  Franklin,  Nash- 
ville, Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely;  mustered 
out  of  service,  at  Vicksburg,  August  6,  186.5,  and 
di.seharged  at  Chicago. 

Seventv-third  Infantry.  Recruited  from 
the  counties  of  Adams,  Champaign,  Christian, 
Hancock,  Jackson,  Logan,  Piatt,  Pike,  Sanga- 
mon, Tazewell  and  Vermilion,  and  mustered  into 
service  at  Springfield,  August  21,  1862,  900  strong. 
It  participated  in  the  battles  of  Stone  River, 
Perryville.  Chickainauga,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Adairsville,  Burnt  Hickory,  Pine  and 
Lost  Mountains,  New  Hope  Church.  Kene.saw 
Mountain.  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Spring  Hill.  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville;  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
June  12,  1865,  and,  a  few  days  later,  vent  to 
Springfield  to  receive  pay  and  final  discharge. 

Seventy-fourth  Inf.\ntry.  Organized  at 
Rockford,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into 
service  September  4.  It  was  recruited  from  Win- 
nebago, Ogle  and  Stephenson  Counties.  Thus  regi- 
ment was  engaged  at  Perryville,  JIurfreesboro 
and  Nolansville,  took  part  in  the  TuUahoma 
campaign,  and  the  battles  of  Missionarj-  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Adairsville  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Tunnel  Hill,  and  Rocky  lace  Ridge,  the  siege  of 
Atlanta,  and  the  battles  of  Spring  Hill.  Franklin 
and  Nashville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
June  10.  186-'),  with  343  officers  and  men,  the 
aggregate  number  enrolled  having  l>een  1,001. 

Seventy-fifth  Inf.\ntrv.  Organized  at 
Dixon  and  mustered  into  service.  Sept.  2.  1862. 
The  reeriment  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perrj-- 
ville,  Nolansville,  Stone  River,  Lookout  Mountain, 
Dalton,  Resaca.  JIarietta. Kenesaw.  Franklin  and 
Nasliville;  was  niu.stered  out  at  Nashville,  June 
12,  186.5,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago,  July 
1,  following. 

Seventy-sixth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Kan- 
kakee, 111, ,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  the 
service,  August  23,  1862 ;  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  the  engagement  at  Jackson,  the  cam- 
paign against  Meridian,  the  expedition  to  Yazoo 
City,  and  the  capture  of  Mobile,  was  ordered  to 
Texas  in  June,  186.5,  and  mustered  out  at  Galves- 
ton, July  22,  186.5,  being  paid  oS  and  disbanded 
at  Chicago,  August  4,  1865 — having  traveled 
10,000  miles. 

Sevestt-sevfntti  Infantry.  Organized  and 
mustered  into  service,  Sept.  3,  1862,  at  Peoria; 
was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou, 


Arkansas  Post,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  (including 
the  battle  of  Champion  Hills),  the  capture  of 
Jackson,  the  Red  River  expedition,  and  the  bat- 
tles of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  Pleasant  Hill;  the 
reduction  of  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  and  the 
capture  of  Spanish  Fort,  Fort  Blakely  and  Mobile. 
It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Mobile.  July 
10,  1865,  and  ordered  to  Springfield  for  final  pay- 
ment and  discharge,  where  it  arrived,  July  22, 1865, 
ha\ing  participated  in  sixteen  battles  and  sieges. 

Sevknty-ekjiith  Infantry'.  Organized  at 
Quincy,  and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  1,  1862; 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome, 
New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Averysboro  and 
Bentonville;  was  miLstered  out,  June  7,  1865,  and 
sent  to  Chicago,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged, June  12,  1865. 

Se\t:nty-nintii  Infantry.  Organized  at  Slat- 
toon,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  service, 
August  28,  1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Stone  River,  Liberty  Gap,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Kene- 
saw Mountain,  Dallas,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Lovejoy,  Franklin  and  Nashville;  was 
mu.stered  out.  June  12,  1865;  arrived  at  Camp 
Butler.  June  15,  and,  on  June  23,  received  final 
pay  and  discharge. 

EloiiTiKTH  Infantry.  Organized  at  Centralia, 
111.,  in  Augu.st,  1862,  and  mustered  into  service, 
August  25,  1862.  It  was  engaged  at  Perryville, 
Dug's  Gap,  Sand  Mountain  and  Blunt's  Farm, 
surrendering  to  Forrest  at  the  latter  point.  After 
being  exchanged,  it  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Wauhatchie,  Missionary  Ridge,  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Adairsville.  Ca.ssville,  Dallas,  Pine  Mountain, 
Kenesaw  Jlountain.  Marietta,  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
Atlanta,  Joneslx)ro,  Lovejoy  Station  and  Nash- 
ville. The  regiment  traveled  6,000  miles  and 
participated  in  more  than  twenty  engagements. 
It  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  10,  1865,  and 
proceeded  to  Camp  Butler  for  final  pay  and 
discharge. 

EiGHTY'-FiRST  Ln'f.vntry'.  Recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Perry.  Franklin.  Williamson,  .Jack- 
son, Union,  Pulaski  and  Alexander,  and  mastered 
into  service  at  Anna.  August  26.  1862.  It  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Port  Gibson.  Raymond, 
Jackson,  Champion  Hill.  Black  River  Bridge,  and 
in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg.  Later, 
the  regiment  was  engaged  at  Fort  de  Russey, 
Alexandria.  Guntown  and  Nashville,  besides 
assisting  in  the  investment  of  Jlobile.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Chicago,  August  5,  1864. 


HISTOKICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


5(31 


Eighty-second  Infantry.  Sometimes  called 
the  "Second  Hecker  Regiment."  in  honor  of  Col- 
onel Frederick  Hecker,  its  first  Colonel,  and  for 
merly  Colonel  of  tlie  Twenty-fourth  Illinois 
Infantry — being  chiefly  composed  of  German 
members  of  Cliicago.  It  was  organized  at  Spring- 
field, Sept.  20.  1862,  and  mustered  into  service, 
Oct.  23,  1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg,  Wauhatohie,  Or- 
chard Knob,  Missionary  Ridge.  Resaca,  New 
Hope  Church,  Dallas,  Marietta,  Pine  Mountain, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta  and  Bentonville ;  was 
mustered  out  of  service,  June  9,  1865,  and 
returned  to  Chicago,  Jime  16 — having  marched, 
during  its  time  of  service,  2,503  miles. 

Eighty-third  Infantry.  Organized  at  Mon- 
mouth in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, August  21.  It  participated  in  repelling  the 
rebel  attack  on  Fort  Donelson,  and  in  numerous 
hard  fought  skirmishes  in  Tennessee,  but  was 
chiefly  engaged  in  the  performance  of  heavy 
guard  duty  and  in  protecting  lines  of  communi- 
cation. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Nash- 
ville, June  26,  1865,  and  finally  paid  off  and 
discharged  at  Chicago,  July  4,  following. 

Eighty-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Quincy,  in  August,  1862,  and  mustered  into  serv- 
ice, Sept.  1,  1862,  with  939  men  and  officers.  The 
regiment  was  authorized  to  inscribe  upon  its 
battle-flag  the  names  of  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Woodburj',  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Ringgold,  Dalton,  Buzzard's 
Roost,  Resaca,  Burnt  Hickory,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Smyrna,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Sta- 
tion, Franklin,  and  Nashville.  It  was  mastered 
out,  June  8,  1865. 

Eighty-fifth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Peoria, 
about  Sept.  1,  1862,  and  ordered  to  Louisville.  It 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Knoxville,  Dalton,  Rocky-Face 
Ridge,  Resaca,  Rome,  Dallas,  Kenesaw,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Savannah.  Ben- 
ton ville,  Goldsboro  and  Raleigh;  was  mustered 
out  at  Washington,  D.  C. ,  June  5,  1865,  and 
sent  to  Springfield,  where  the  regiment  was 
paid  ofl  and  discharged  on  the  20tli  of  the  same 
month. 

Eighty-sixth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice, AugiLSt  27,  1862.  at  Peoria,  at  which  time  it 
numbered  923  men,  rank  and  file.  It  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge.  Buzzard's  Roost,  Re.saca,  Rome, 
Dallas,  K«nesaw,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Jonesboro, 
Averysboro  and  Benton  ville;  was  mustered  out 
on  June  6,  1865,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  arriving 


on  June  11,  at  Chicago,  where,  ten  days  later,  the 
men  received  their  pay  and  final  discharge. 

Eighty-seventh  Infantry.  Enlisted  in  Au- 
gust, 1862;  was  composed  of  cuuipauies  from 
Hamilton,  Edwards,  Wayne  and  White  Counties; 
was  organized  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  1862, 
at  Shawneetown ;  mustered  in,  Oct.  3,  1802,  the 
muster  to  take  effect  from  August  2.  It  took 
part  in  the  siege  and  capture  of  Warrenton  and 
Jackson,  and  in  the  entire  campaign  through 
Louisiana  and  Southern  Mississippi,  participating 
in  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  Roails  and  in  numer- 
ous skirmishes  among  the  bayous,  being  mustered 
out,  June  16,  1805,  and  ordered  to  Springfield, 
where  it  arrived,  June  24.  1865,  and  was  paid  oflf 
and  disbanded  at  Camp  Butler,  on  July  2. 

Eighty-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, .in  September,  1802,  and  known  as  the 
"Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment."  It  was 
mustered  in,  Sept.  4,  1862;  was  engaged  at  Perry- 
ville, Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville, 
New  Hope  Church,  Pine  Mountain,  Mud  Creek, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Smyrna  Camp  Ground, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station,  Franklin 
and  Nashville;  was  mustered  out,  June  9,  1805, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  arrived  at  Chicago, 
June  13,  1805,  where  it  received  final  pay  and 
discharge,  June  22,  1865. 

Eighty-ninth  Infantry.  Called  the  "Rail- 
road Regiment":  was  organized  bj' the  railroad 
companies  of  Illinois,  at  Chicago,  in  August, 
1862,  and  mustered  into  service  on  the  2Tth  of 
that  month.  It  fought  at  Stone  River,  Chicka 
mauga.  Missionary  Ridge,  Knoxville,  Resaca, 
Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Pickett's  MiUs,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro, 
Lovejoy 's  Station,  Spring  Hill,  Columbia,  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville;  was  mu.stered  out.  June  10, 
1805,  in  the  field  near  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  arrived 
at  Chicago  t-.vo  days  later,  and  was  finally  dis- 
charged, June  24,  after  a  service  of  two  years, 
nine  moiiths  and  twenty -seven  days. 

Ninetieth  Infantry.  Mustered  into  service 
at  Chicago,  Sept.  7,  1862 ;  participated  in  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg  and  the  campaign  against  Jackson, 
and  was  engaged  at  Missionary  Ridge.  Resaca, 
Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Big  Shanty,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Marietta,  Nickajack  Creek,  Eosswell, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro  and  Fort  McAllister.  After 
the  review  at  Washington,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out,  June  6,  and  returned  to  Chicago, 
June  9,  1805,  where  it  was  finally  discharged. 

Ninety-first  Infantry.  Organized  at  Camp 
Butler,   near    Springfield,   in  August.   1802,   and 


562 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


mustered  iu  on  Sept.  8,  1862;  participated  in  the 
campaigns  against  Vicksburg  and  New  Orleans, 
and  all  along  the  southwestern  frontier  iu 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  as  well  as  in  the  investiture 
and  capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mastered  out  at 
Mobile,  July  12,  18G.5,  starting  for  home  the  same 
day,  and  being  finally  paid  off  and  discharged  on 
July  28,  following. 

Ninety-second  Infantry  (Mounted).  Organ- 
ized and  mustered  into  service,  Sept.  4,  1862, 
being  recruited  from  Ogle,  Stephenson  and  Car- 
roll Counties.  During  its  term  of  service,  the 
Ninety-second  was  in  more  than  sixty  battles  and 
skirmi.'&es,  including  Ringgold,  Chickamauga, 
and  the  numerous  engagements  on  the  "March 
to  the  Sea."  and  during  the  pursuit  of  Johnston 
through  the  Carolinas.  It  was  mustered  out  at 
Concord,  N.  C. ,  and  paid  and  discharged  from  the 
service  at  Chicago.  July  10,  1805. 

Ninety-third  1nf.\nti£Y.  Organized  at  Chi- 
cago, in  September,  1862.  and  mustered  in,  Oct. 
13,  998  strong.  It  jiarticipated  in  the  movements 
against  Jackson  and  Vicksburg,  and  was  engaged 
at  Champion  Hills  and  at  Fort  Fisher;  also  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
Dallas,  Resaca,  and  many  minor  engagements, 
following  Sherman  in  his  campaign  though  tlie 
Carolinas.  Mustered  out  of  service,  June  23, 
1865,  and,  on  the  2,"itli,  arrived  at  Chicago,  receiv- 
ing final  payment  and  discharge,  July  7,  1865,  the 
regiment  having  marched  2,054  miles,  traveled 
by  water,  2,296  miles,  and,  by  railroad,  1,237 
miles — total,  6,087  mile.s. 

Ninety-fourth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Bloomington  in  August,  1862,  and  enlisted  wholly 
in  McLean  County.  After  some  warm  experi 
ence  in  Southwest  Missouri,  the  regiment  took 
part  iu  the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and 
was,  later,  actively  engaged  in  the  campaigns  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas.  It  participated  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Mobile,  leading  the  final  a.s.sault.  After 
several  mouths  of  garrison  duty,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out  at  Galveston,  Texas,  on  July  17, 
1865,  reaching  Bloomington  on  August  9,  follow- 
ing, havingserved  just  three  years,  marched  1,200 
miles,  traveled  Viy  railroad  610  miles,  and,  by 
steamer,  6,000  miles,  and  taken  part  in  nine  bat- 
tles, sieges  and  skirmishes. 

Ninety-fifth  Infantry*.  Organized  at  Rock- 
ford  and  mustered  into  service,  .Sept.  4.  1862.  It 
was  recruited  from  the  counties  of  McHenry  and 
Boone — three  companies  from  the  latter  and 
seven  from  the  former.  It  took  part  in  the  cam- 
paigns in  Nortliern  Mississippi  and  against  Vicks- 
burg in  the  Red  River  expedition,  the  campaigns 


against  Price  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  against 
Mobile  and  around  Atlanta.  Among  the  battles 
in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged  were  those 
of  the  Tallahatchie  River,  Grand  Gulf,  Raymond, 
Champion  Hills,  Fort  de  Russey,  Old  River, 
Cloutierville,  Mansura,  Yellow  Bayou,  Guutown, 
Nashville,  Spanish  Fort,  Fort  Blakely,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Chattahoochie  River,  Atlanta,  Ezra 
Church,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station  and  Nash- 
ville. The  distance  traveled  by  the  regiment, 
while  iu  the  service,  was  9,960  miles.  It  was 
transferred  to  the  Forty-seventh  Illinois  Infan- 
try, August  25,  1865. 

NiNETY-siXTU  Infantry.  Recruited  during 
the  months  of  July  and  August,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered into  service,  as  a  regiment,  Sept.  6,  1863. 
The  battles  engaged  in  included  Fort  Donelson, 
Spring  Hill,  Franklin,  Triime,  Liberty  Gap, 
Shelbj'ville,  Chickamauga,  Wauhatchie,  Lookout 
Mountain.  Buzzard's  Roost,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Resaca.  Kingston,  New  Hope  Church,  Dallas, 
Pine  Mountain,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Smyrna 
Camp  Ground,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Rough 
and  Ready,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy's  Station,  Frank- 
lin and  Nasliville.  Its  date  of  final  pay  and  dis- 
charge was  June  30,  1865. 

Nint:ty-seventh  Infantry.  Organized  in 
August  and  September,  1862,  and  mustered  in  on 
Sept.  16;  particiiKited  in  tlie  battles  of  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Champion 
Hills,  Black  River,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and 
Mobile.  On  July  29,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out 
and  proceeded  homeward,  reaching  Springfield, 
Augu-st  10,  after  an  absence  of  three  years,  less  a 
few  days. 

Ninety-eighth  Infantry.  Organized  at  Cen- 
tralia,  September,  1862,  and  mustered  in,  .Sept.  3; 
took  pait  in  engagements  at  Chickamauga,  Mc- 
Minnville,  Farmington  ami  Selma,  liesides  many 
others  of  less  note.  It  was  mustered  out,  June 
27,  1865,  the  recruits  being  transferred  to  the 
Sixty-first  Illinois  Volunteers.  The  regiment 
arrived  at  Springfield,  June  30,  and  received  final 
payment  and  discharge,  July  7.  1865. 

Ninety-ninth  Infantry.  Organized  in  Pike 
County  and  mustered  in  at  Florence,  August  23, 
1862;  participated  in  the  following  battles  and 
skirmishas:  Beaver  Creek,  Hartsville,  Magnolia 
Hills.  Raymond,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Fort  Esperanza,  Grand 
Coteau,  Fish  River,  Spanish  Fort  and  Blakely: 
days  under  fire,  62;  miles  traveled,  5,900;  men 
killed  in  battle.  38;  men  died  of  wounds  and 
disease.  149;  men  discharged  for  disability,  127; 
men    deserted,   35;   officers   killed    in   battle,   3; 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


563 


officers  died,  3;  officers  resigned,  26.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge,  July  31, 
18G5,  and  paid  off  and  disciiarged,  August  9, 
following. 

One  Hundredth  Infantry.  Organized  at 
Joliet,  in  August,  1863,  and  mustered  in,  August 
30.  The  entire  regiment  was  recruited  in  Will 
County.  It  was  engaged  at  Bardstown,  Stone 
River,  Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
Nashville ;  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  13, 
1865,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  arrived  at  Chicago, 
June  15,  where  it  received  final  payment  and 
discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  First  Infantry.  Organ- 
ized at  Jacksonville  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
month  of  August,  1862,  and.  on  Sept.  2,  1863, 
was  mustered  in.  It  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Wauhatchie,  Chattanooga,  Resaca,  New  Hope 
Church,  Kenesaw  and  Pine  Jlountains,  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Averyshoro  and  Bentonville. 
On  Dec.  30,  1863,  five  companies  were  captured 
at  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  paroled'  and  sent  to 
Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  and  formally  exchanged 
in  June,  1863.  On  the  7th  of  June,  1865,  it  was 
mustered  out,  and  started  for  Springfield,  where, 
on  the  21st  of  June,  it  was  paid  off  and  disbanded. 

One  Hundred  and  Second  Infantry.  Organ- 
ized at  Knoxville,  in  August,  1863,  and  mustered 
in,  September  1  and  3.  It  was  engaged  at  Resaca, 
Camp  Creek,  Burnt  Hickory,  Big  Shanty,  Peach 
Tree  Creek  and  Averysboro;  mustered  out  of 
service  June  6,  1865,  and  started  home,  arriving 
at  Chicago  on  the  9th,  and,  June  14,  received 
final  payment  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Third  Infantry.  Re- 
cruited wholly  in  Fulton  County,  and  mustered 
into  the  service,  Oct.  3,  1862.  It  took  part  in 
the  Grierson  raid,  the  sieges  of  Vicksburg,  Jack- 
son, Atlanta  and  Savannah,  and  the  battles  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca.  Dal- 
las, Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Griswoldsville ;  was 
also  in  the  campaign  through  the  Carolinas. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
June  31,  and  received  final  discharge  at  Chi- 
cago, July  9.  1865.  The  original  strength  of 
the  regiment  was  808,  and  84  recruits  were 
enlisted. 

One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Infantry.  Organ- 
ized at  Ottawa,  in  Augu.st.  1863,  and  composed 
almost  entirely  of  La  Salle  County  men.  The 
regiment  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Harts- 
ville,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission- 
ary Ridge.  Resaca.  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Utoy 
Creek,  Jonesboro  and  Bentonville,  besiiles  many 
severe  skirmishes ;  was  mustered  out  at  Washing- 


ton, D.  C,  June  6,  1865.  and,  a  few  days  later, 
received  final  discharge  at  Chicago. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Infantry.  Mus- 
tered into  service,  Sept.  3,  1862,  at  Dixon,  and 
participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  being 
engaged  at  Resaca,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
Atlanta,  and  almost  constantly  skirmishing; 
also  took  part  in  the  "March  to  the  Sea"  and  the 
campaign  in  the  Carolinas,  including  the  siege  of 
Savannah  and  the  battles  of  Averysboro  and 
Bentonville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. ,  June  7,  18G5,  and  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  June  17. 

One  Hundred  and  Sixth  Infantry.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Lincoln,  Sept.  18,  1862, 
eight  of  the  ten  companies  having  been  recruited 
in  Logan  County,  the  other  two  being  from  San- 
gamon and  Menard  Counties.  It  aideil  in  the 
defense  of  Jackson,  Tenn.,  where  Company  "C 
was  captured  and  paroled,  being  exchanged  in 
the  summer  of  1863;  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  the  Yazoo  expedition,  the  capture  of 
Little  Rock,  the  battle  of  Clarendon,  and  per- 
formed service  at  various  points  in  Arkansas.  It 
was  mustered  out,  July  12,  1865,  at  Pine  Bluff, 
Ark.,  and  arrived  at  Springfield,  July  24,  1865, 
where  it  received  final  pa3''ment  and  discharge 

One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Infantry.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Springfield,  Sept.  4,  1862; 
was  composed  of  six  companies  from  DeWitt  and 
four  companies  from  Piatt  County.  It  was 
engaged  at  Campbell's  Station,  Dandridge, 
Rocky-Face  Ridge,  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Atlanta,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin,  Nashville  and 
Fort  Anderson,  and  mustered  out,  June  21,  1865, 
at  Salisbury,  N.  C,  reaching  Springfield,  for 
final  payment  and  discharge,  July  3,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Infantry.  Organ- 
ized at  Peoria,  and  mustered  into  service,  August 
28,  1862 ;  took  part  in  the  first  expedition  against 
Vicksburg  and  in  the  battles  of  Arkansas  Post 
(Fort  Hindman),  Port  Gibson  and  Champion 
Hills ;  in  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  the  battle  of 
Guntown,  the  reduction  of  Spanish  Fort,  and  the 
capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Vicks- 
burg, August  5,  1865,  and  received  final  discharge 
at  Chicago,  August  11. 

One  Hundred  and  Ninth  Infantry.  Re- 
cruited from  Union  and  Pulaski  Counties  and 
mustered  into  the  service,  Sept.  11,  1863.  Owing 
to  its  number  being  greatly  reduced,  it  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Eleventh  Infantry  in  April, 
1863.     (See  Eleventh  Infantry.) 

One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Infantry.  Organ- 
ized at  Anna  and  mustered  in.  Sept.  11,  1863;  was 


564 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


engaged  at  Stone  Rirer.  Woodbury,  and  in 
numerous  skirmishes  in  Kentuckj'  and  Tennessee. 
In  Maj',  1863,  tlae  regiment  was  consolidated,  its 
numbers  having  been  greatly  reduced.  Subse- 
(juently  it  participated  in  the  battles  of  Chicka- 
mauga  and  ili.ssionary  Ridge,  the  battles  around 
Atlanta  and  tlie  campaign  through  the  Carolinas, 
being  ])resent  at  Jolmston's  surrendei-.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C. . 
June  5,  1865,  and  received  final  disclmrge  at 
Chicago,  June  15.  The  enlisted  men  whose  term 
of  service  had  not  expired  at  date  of  muster-out, 
were  consolidated  into  four  companies  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Veteran  Volunteer 
Infantry. 

One  lIiNDREK  .\ND  Elf.ve.nth  Inf.\ntry.  Re- 
cruited from  Marion.  Clay.  Washi!:;rton,  Clinton 
and  Wayne  Counties,  and  mustered  into  the  serv- 
ice at  Salem,  Sept.  18,  18G2  Tlie  regiment  aided 
in  the  capture  of  Decatur,  Ala.  ;  took  part  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  being  engaged  at  Resaca, 
Dallas,  Kenesjiw,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro;  partici- 
pated in  the  "March  to  the  Sea"  and  the  cam- 
paign in  the  Carolinas,  taking  part  in  the  battles 
of  Fort  McAllister  and  Bentonville.  It  wa-s  mus 
tered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  7.  1865, 
receiving  final  discharge  at  Springfield,  June  27, 
having  traveled  3,736  miles,  of  which  1,830  was 
on  the  march. 

One  HiNDRED  xfiv  Twelfth  Inf.v.stky.  Mus- 
tered into  service  at  Peoria,  Sept.  20  and  22, 
1862;  participated  in  the  campaign  in  East  Ten 
nessee,  under  Burnside,  and  in  that  against 
Atlanta,  under  Sherman ;  was  also  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  Columbia,  Franklin  and  Nashville, 
and  tlie  capture  of  Fort  Anderson  and  Wilming 
ton.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Goldsboro.  N.  C, 
June  20,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago, 
July  7,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Inf.\ntry 
Left  Camp  Hancock  (near  Chicago)  for  the  front, 
Nov.  6,  1862;  was  engaged  in  the  Tallahatchie 
expedition,  participated  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
saw Bayou,  and  was  sent  North  to  guard  prison- 
ers and  recruit.  The  regiment  also  took  part  in 
the  siege  and  captme  of  Vicksburg,  was  mustered 
out,  June  20,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chi- 
cago, five  days  later. 

One  Hundred  .^nd  Fourteenth  Infantry. 
Organized  in  July  and  August,  1862,  and  mustered 
in  at  Springfield,  Sept.  18,  being  recruited  from 
Cass,  Menard  and  Sangamon  Counties.  The  regi- 
ment participated  in  the  battle  of  Jackson  (Miss. ), 
the  siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Guntown  and  Harrisville.  the  pursuit 


of  Price  through  Mi.s.souri,  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, and  the  capture  of  Mobile.  It  was  mustered 
out  at  Vicksburg,  August  3,  1865,  receiving  final 
payment  and  discharge  at  Springfield.  August  15, 
1865. 

One  IIiNUKED  and  Fifteenth  Infantry. 
Ordered  to  the  front  from  Springfield,  Oct.  4, 
1862 ;  was  engaged  at  Cliickamauga,  Chattanooga. 
Missionary  Ridge.  Tunnel  Hill,  Kesjica  and  in  all 
the  principal  battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  in  the  defense  of  Niishville  and  pursuit  of 
Hix)d;  was  mustered  out  of  service,  June  11, 
1865,  and  received  final  pay  and  discharge,  June 
23,  1865,  at  Springfield. 

One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Infantry-. 
Recrviited  almost  wholly  from  Macon  County. 
numl)ering  !>Sl)  officers  and  men  when  it  started 
from  Decatur  for  tlie  front  on  Nov.  8,  1862.  It 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Chicka.saw  Bayou, 
-Vrkansas  Post.  ('hani](iiin  Hills,  Black  River 
Bridge.  Missionary  Ridge.  Resaca,  Dallas.  Big 
Shanty.  Kenesiiw  Mountain,  Stone  Mountain, 
Atlanta.  Fort  SIcAUister  and  Bentonville,  and 
was  mu-stered  out,  June  7,  1865,  near  Washington, 
D.  C. 

One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth  Infantry. 
Organized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  Sept. 
19,  1862;  partii-ii)ated  in  the  Meridian  campaign, 
the  Red  River  exfiedition  (assisting  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  de  Russey),  and  in  the  liivttles  of 
Plea.sant  Hill,  Yellow  Bayou,  Tuitelo,  Fninklin, 
Na.shville,  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely.  It 
was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  August  5,  1865, 
having  traveled  9,276  miles,  2,307  of  which  were 
marched. 

One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Infantry. 
Organized  and  mustered  into  the  service  at 
.Siiringtield,  Nov.  7.  1862;  was  engaged  at  Chicka- 
s;iw  Bluffs.  Arkansas  Post.  Port  Gibson.  Cham- 
])ioii  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge.  Jackson  (Miss.), 
Grand  Coteau.  Jackson  (La. ),  and  Amite  River. 
The  regiment  was  mounted,  Oct.  11,  1863,  and 
dismounted.  May  22,  18G5.  Oct,  1,  1885,  it  was 
mustered  out,  and  finally  discharged,  Oct.  13. 
At  the  date  of  the  mu.ster-in,  the  regiment  num- 
bered 820  men  and  officers,  received  283  recruits, 
making  a  total  of  1,103;  at  muster-out  it  num- 
bere<l  .523.  Distance  marched,  2,000  miles;  total 
distance  traveled,  5,700  miles. 

One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Infantry'. 
Organized  at  Quuicy,  in  September,  1862,  and 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service, 
October  10;  was  engaged  in  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign and  in  the  battles  of  Shreveport,  Yellow 
Bayou,  Tupelo,  Nashville,  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


565 


Blakely.  Its  final  muster-out  took  place  at 
Mobile,  August  26,  1865,  and  its  discharge  at 
Springfield. 

One  Hundred  and  Twentiety  Infantry. 
Mustered  into  the  service,  Oct.  28,  18G2,  at  Spring- 
field ;  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  7,  186.5,  and  received 
final  paj-ment  and  discharge,  September  10,  at 
Springfield. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first  Infan- 
try. (The  organization  of  tliis  regiment  was  not 
completed.) 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Carlinville,  in  August,  1863, 
and  mustered  into  the  service,  Sept.  4,  with  960 
enlisted  men.  It  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Tupelo  and  Nashville,  and  in  the  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  and  was  mustered 
out,  July  1.5,  1865,  at  Mobile,  and  finally  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  August  4. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Infan- 
try. Mustered  into  service  at  Mattoon,  Sept.  6. 
1862;  participated  in  the  battles  of  Ferry ville, 
Milton,  Hoover's  Gap,  and  Farmington;  also  took 
part  in  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign,  marching 
as  cavalry  and  fighting  as  infantry.  Later,  it 
served  as  mounted  infantry  in  Kentucky,  Tennes- 
see and  Alabama,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the 
capture  of  Selma.  The  regiment  was  discliarged 
at  Springfield,  July  11,  1865 — the  recruits,  whose 
terms  had  not  expired,  being  transferred  to  the 
Sixty-first  Volunteer  Infantry. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Infan- 
try. Mustered  into  the  service,  Sept.  10,  1862,  at 
Sjiringfield ;  took  part  in  the  Vick.sburg  campaign 
and  in  the  battles  of  Port  Gibson,  Raymond  and 
Champion  Hills,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the 
Meridian  raid,  the  Yazoo  expedition,  and  the 
capture  of  Mobile.  On  the  16th  of  August,  1865, 
eleven  days  less  than  three  years  after  the  first 
company  went  into  camp  at  Springfield,  the  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  at  Chicago.  Colonel 
Howe's  history  of  the  battle-flag  of  the  regiment, 
stated  that  it  had  been  borne  4.100  miles,  in  four- 
teen skirimishes,  ten  battles  and  two  sieges  of 
forty-seven  days  and  nights,  and  thirteen  days 
and  nights,  respectively. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Infan- 
try. Mustered  into  service,  Sept.  3,  1862;  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Perryville.  Chicka- 
mauga.  Missionary  Ridge,  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro,  and  in 
the  "Ma'-ch  to  the  Sea"  and  the  Carolina  cam- 
paign, being  engaged  at  Averysboro  and  Benton- 
ville.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
June  9,  1865,  and  finally  discharged  at  Chicago. 


One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Alton  and  mustered  in,  Sept.  4, 

1863,  and  participated  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
Six  companies  were  engaged  in  skirmish  line,  near 
Humboldt,  Tenn.,  and  the  regiment  took  part  in 
the  capture  of  Little  Rock  and  in  the  fight  at 
Clarendon,  Ark.  It  was  mustered  out  Jul}'  12, 1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  Infan- 
try. Mustered  into  service  at  Chicago,  Sept.  6, 
1863;  took  part  in  the  first  campaign  against 
Vicksburg,  and  in  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post, 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg  under  Grant,  the  capture 
of  Jackson  (Miss.),  the  battles  of  Missionary 
Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain,  the  Meridian  raid, 
and  in  the  fighting  at  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw 
Moiintain,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro;  also  accom- 
panied Sherman  in  his  march  through  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of 
Bentonville ;  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago  June 
17,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth  Infan- 
try. Mustered  in,  Dec.  18,  1862,  but  remained 
in  service  less  than  five  months,  when,  its  num- 
ber of  officers  and  men  having  been  reduced  from 
860  to  161  (largely  by  desertions),  a  number  of 
officers  were  dismissed,  and  the  few  remaining 
officers  and  men  were  formed  into  a  detachment, 
and  transferred  to  another  Illinois  regiment. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Pontiac,  in  August,  1862,  and 
mustered  into  the  service  Sept.  8.     Prior  to  Maj', 

1864,  the  regiment  was  chiefly  engaged  in  garri- 
son duty.  It  marched  with  Sherman  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  througli  Georgia  and  the 
Carolinas,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca, 
Buzzard's  Roo.st,  Lost  Mountain,  Dallas.  Peach 
Tree  Creek.  Atlanta,  Averysboro  and  Benton- 
ville. It  received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Chi- 
cago, June  10,  1.S65. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Infantry. 
Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  into 
service,  Oct.  35,  1863 ;  was  engaged  at  Port  Gib- 
son, Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  Vicks- 
burg, Jackson  (Miss.),  and  in  the  Red  River 
expedition.  While  on  this  expedition  almost  the 
entire  regiment  vvas  ca])tured  at  the  battle  of 
Man.sfield,  and  not  i)aroled  until  near  the  close  of 
tlie  war.  The  remaining  officers  and  men  were 
consolidated  with  the  Seventy-seventh  Infantry 
in  January,  1865,  and  participated  in  the  capture 
of  Mobile.  Six  months  later  its  regimental  re- 
organization, as  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth, 
was  ordered.  It  was  mustered  out  at  New 
Orleans,  August  15,  1865,  and  discharged  at 
Springfield,  August  31. 


566 


niSTOKICAL   EXCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


One  Hundred  and  Thirty-first  Infan- 
try. Organized  in  September,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered into  the  service,  Nov.  13,  with  815  men, 
exclusive  of  officers.  In  October,  1863,  it  was 
consolidated  with  the  Twenty -ninth  Infantry, 
and  ceased  to  exist  as  a  separate  organization. 
Up  to  that  time  tlie  regiment  had  been  in  liut  a 
few  conflicts  and  in  no  pitched  battle. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Chicago  and  mustered  in  for 
100  days  from  June  1,  1864.  The  regiment  re- 
mained on  duty  at  Paducah  until  the  expiration 
of  its  service,  when  it  moved  to  Cliicago,  and 
was  mustered  out,  Oct.  IT,  1864. 

One  Hundukd  and  Thirty-third  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  S|)ringfield,  and  mustered  in 
for  one  Imndred  ihiys,  May  31,  1864;  wa-s  engaged 
during  its  term  of  service  in  guarding  prisoners 
of  war  at  Rock  Island ;  was  mustered  out,  Sept. 
4,  18G4,  at  Camp  Butler. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Chicago  and  mustered  in. 
May  31,  1864,  for  100  days;  was  a.ssigned  to 
garrison  duty  at  Columbus.  Ky..  and  mustered 
out  of  service,  Oct.  2.'),  1864,  at  Chicago. 

One  Hundred  and  Thiuty-fifth  Infan- 
try, Mustered  in  for  100-days"  service  at  Mat- 
toon,  June  6,  1864,  having  a  strength  of  852  men. 
It  was  chiefly  engaged,  during  its  terra  of  service, 
in  doing  garrison  duty  and  guarding  railroads. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  Sept.  28,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty'-sixth  Infan- 
try-. Enlisted  about  the  first  of  May,  1864,  for 
100  days,  and  went  into  camp  at  Centralia,  111., 
but  was  not  mustered  into  service  until  June  1, 
following.  Its  princijial  service  was  garrison 
duty,  with  occasional  scouts  an-l  raids  amongst 
guerrillas.  At  the  end  of  its  term  of  service  the 
regiment  re-enlisted  for  fifteen  days;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Springfield,  Oct.  22,  1864.  and  dis- 
charged eight  daj's  later 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Infan- 
try'. Organized  at  Quincy,  with  ex-Gov.  John 
Wood  as  its  Colonel,  and  mustered  in,  June  5, 
1864,  for  100  days.  Was  on  duty  at  Memphis, 
Tenn  ,  and  mustered  out  of  service  at  Spring- 
field. 111..  Sei)t.  4,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Infan- 
try Organized  at  Quincy,  and  mustered  in. 
June  21,  1864,  for  100  days ;  was  a-ssigned  to  garri- 
son duty  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  and  in 
Western  Missouri.  It  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Springfield,  III,  Oct.  14.  1864. 

One  Hundred  .\sd  Thirty-ninth  Infan- 
try.    Mustered  into  service  as  a  100-day's  regi- 


ment, at  Peoria,  June  1,  1864;  was  engaged  in 
garrison  duty  at  Columbus  and  Cairo,  in  making 
reprisals  for  guerrilla  raids,  and  in  the  pursuit  of 
the  Confederate  General  Price  in  Missouri.  The 
latter  service  was  rendered,  at  the  President's 
request,  after  the  term  of  enlistment  hail  expired. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Peoria,  Oct.  25,  1864,  hav- 
ing been  in  the  service  ne;irly  five  months. 

One  Hundred  ^\nd  Fourtieth  Infantry. 
Organized  as  a  100-days'  regiment,  at  Springfield, 
June  18,  1864,  and  mustered  into  service  on  that 
date.  The  regiment  was  engaged  in  guarding 
railroads  between  Memphis  and  Holly  Springs,and 
in  garrison  duty  at  Memphis.  After  the  term  of 
enli.stment  had  expired  and  the  regiment  had 
been  mustered  out,  it  aided  in  tlie  pursuit  of 
General  Price  through  Missouri;  was  finally  dis- 
charged at  Chicago,  after  serving  about  five 
montlis 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Infan- 
try*. Mustered  into  service  as  a  100- days'  regi- 
ment, at  Elgin.  June  IC,  1864 — strength,  842  men; 
departed  for  the  field,  June  27,  1864;  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Chicago,  Oct.  10,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-second  Inf.\n- 
TKY'.  Organized  at  Freeport  as  a  battalion  of 
eight  companies,  and  sent  to  Camp  Butler,  where 
two  companies  were  added  and  the  regiment 
mustered  into  service  for  100  daj-s,  June  18,  1804. 
It  was  ordered  to  Memphis,  Tenn..  five  days  later, 
and  assigned  to  duty  at  White's  Station,  eleven 
miles  from  that  city,  where  it  was  employed  in 
guarding  the  Memphis  &  Cliarleston  railroad. 
It  w;us  mustered  out  at  Cliicago,  on  Oct,  27,  1864. 
the  men  having  voluntarily  served  one  month 
beyond  their  term  of  enlistment. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty'-third  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Mattoon,  and  mustered  in, 
June  11,  1864,  for  100  days.  It  was  assigned  to 
garrison  duty,  and  mustered  out  at  Mattoon, 
Sept.  20,  1864. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Infax- 
TRY'.  Organized  at  Alton,  in  1864,  as  a  one-year 
regiment ;  was  mustered  into  the  service,  Oct.  21, 
its  strength  being  1,159  men.  It  was  miistered 
out,  July  14,  1865. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Lnf.\n- 
TRY.  Mustered  into  service  at  Springfield.  June 
9,  1864 ;  strength,  880  men.  It  departed  for  the 
field,  June  12,  1864;  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  23, 
1804. 

One  Hundred  and  Forty'-sixth  Intan- 
TRY.  Organized  at  Springfield,  Sept.  18,  1804.  for 
one  year.  Was  assigned  to  the  duty  of  guarding 
drafted  men  at  Brighton,  Quincy,  Jacksonville 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


567 


and  Springfield,  and  mustered  out  at  Springfield, 
July  5,  1865. 

One  Hundred  aj«d  Forty-seventh  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  into 
service  for  one  year,  Feb.  18  and  19,  186.5;  was 
engaged  chiefly  on  guard  or  garrison  duty,  in 
scouting  and  in  skirmishing  with  guerrillas. 
Mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Jan.  23,  1866,  and 
received  final  discharge  at  Springfield,  Feb.  -1. 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  31,  1865,  for 
the  term  of  one  year ;  was  assigned  to  garrison 
and  guard  duty  and  mustered  out,  Sept.  .5,  1865, 
at  Nashville,  Tenn ;  arrived  at  Springfield,  Sept. 
9,  1865,  where  it  was  paid  off  and  discharged. 

One  Hundred  .\nd  Forty-ninth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  11,  1865, 
and  mustered  in  for  one  year;  was  engaged  in 
garrison  and  guard  duty ;  mustered  out,  Jan.  37, 
1866,  at  Dalton.  Ga.,  and  ordered  to  Springfield, 
where  it  received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Inf.\ntry. 
Organized  at  Springfield,  and  mustered  in,  Feb.  14, 
1865,  for  one  year ;  was  on  duty  in  Tennessee  and 
Georgia,  guarding  railroads  and  garrisoning 
towns.  It  was  mustered  out,  Jan.  16,  1860,  at 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  where  it 
received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Infantry. 
This  regiment  was  organized  at  Quincy,  111., 
and  mustered  into  the  United  States  service, 
Feb.  23,  1865,  and  was  composed  of  companies 
from  various  parts  of  the  State,  recruited,  under 
the  call  of  Dec.  19,  1864.  It  was  engaged  in 
guard  duty,  with  a  few  guerrilla  skirmishes,  and 
was  present  at  the  siirrender  of  General  War- 
ford's  army,  at  Kingston,  Ga. ;  was  mustered  out 
at  Columbus,  Ga.,  Jan.  24,  1866,  and  ordered  to 
Springfield,  where  it  received  final  ijayment  and 
discharge,  Feb.  8,  1866. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  in, 
Feb.  18,  1865,  for  one  year ;  was  mustered  out  of 
service,  to  date  Sept.  11,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
arrived  at  Camp  Butler,  Sept.  9,  1865,  where  it 
received  final  payment  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Chicago,  and  mustered  in, 
Feb.  27,  1865,  for  one  year;  was  not  engaged  in 
any  battles.  It  was  mustered  out,  Sept.  15,  18C5, 
and  moved  to  Springfield,  111.,  and,  Sept.  34, 
received  final  pay  and  discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield,  Feb.  21,  1865, 
for  one  year.     Sept.  18,  1865,  the  regiment  was 


mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  ordered  to 
Springfield  for  final  payment  and  discharge, 
where  it  arrived,  Sept.  22 ;  was  paid  ofl  and  dis- 
charged at  Camp  Butler,  Sept.  29. 

One  Hundred  jVND  Fifty-fifth  Infan- 
try. Organized  at  Springfield  and  mustered  in 
Feb.  38,  1865,  for  one  year,  904  strong.  On  Sept. 
4,  1865,  it  was  mustered  out  of  service,  and  moved 
to  Camp  Butler,  where  it  received  final  pay  and 
discharge. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  Infan- 
try. Organized  and  mustered  in  during  the 
months  of  February  and  March,  1865,  from  the 
northern  counties  of  the  State,  for  the  term  of 
one  year.  The  officers  of  the  regiment  have  left 
no  written  record  of  its  history,  but  its  service 
seems  to  have  been  rendered  chiefly  in  Tennessee 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Memphis,  Nashville  and 
Chattanooga.  Judging  by  the  muster-rolls  of 
the  Adjutant-General,  the  regiment  would  appear 
to  have  been  greatly  depleted  by  desertions  and 
otherwise,  the  remnant  being  finally  mustered 
out,  Sept.  20,  1865. 

First  Cavalry.  Organized  —  consisting  of 
seven  companies,  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  F  and  G— at 
Alton,  in  1861,  and  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service,  July  3.  After  some  service  in 
Missouri,  the  regiment  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  in  that  State,  and  was  surrendered, 
with  the  remainder  of  the  garrison,  Sept.  30, 1861. 
The  officers  were  paroled,  and  the  men  sworn  not 
to  take  up  arms  again  until  discharged.  No  ex- 
change having  been  eff'ected  in  November,  the 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  were 
ordered. to  Springfield  and  discharged.  In  June, 
1863,  the  regiment  was  reorganized  at  Benton 
Barracks,  Mo.,  being  afterwards  employed  in 
guarding  supply  trains  and  supply  depots  at 
various  points.  Mustered  out,  at  Benton  Bar- 
racks, July  14,  1863. 

Second  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield 
and  mustered  into  service,  August  13,  1861,  with 
Company  M  (which  joined  the  regiment  some 
months  later),  numbering  47  commissioned  offi- 
cers and  1,040  enlisted  men.  This  number  was  in- 
creased by  recruits  and  re-enlistments,  during  its 
four  and  a  half  year's  term  of  service,  to  3,336 
enlisted  men  and  145  commissioned  officers.  It 
was  engaged  at  Belmont ;  a  portion  of  the  regi- 
ment took  part  in  tlie  battles  at  Fort  Henry, 
Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  another  portion  at 
Merriweather's  Ferry,  Bolivar  and  Holly  Springs, 
and  participated  in  the  investment  of  Vicksburg. 
In  January,  1864,  the  major  part  of  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans,  later,  participating  in  the 


568 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Red  River  expedition  and  the  investment  of  Fort 
Blakely.  It  was  mustered  out  at  San  Antonio, 
Tex.,  Nov.  23,  1865,  and,  finally  paid  and  dis- 
charged at  Springfield,  Jan.  •!,  1866. 

Third  Cavalry.  Composed  of  twelve, com- 
panies, from  various  localities  in  tlie  State,  the 
grand  total  of  company  officers  and  enlisted  men, 
under  the  first  organization,  being  1,433.  It  was 
organized  at  Springfield,  in  August,  1861;  partici- 
pateil  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Haines"  BlulT, 
Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills. 
Black  River  Bridge,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
In  Jvily,  1864,  a  large  portion  of  the  rcigiment  re- 
enlisted  as  veterans.  The  remainder  were  mus- 
tered out,  Sept.  5,  1864.  Tlie  veterans  participated 
in  the  repulse  of  Forrest,  at  Memphis,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Lawrenceburg,  Spring  Hill,  CampbelLs- 
ville  and  Franklin.  From  May  to  October,  1865, 
engaged  in  service  against  the  Indians  in  the 
Northwest  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield,  Oct.  18,  1865. 

Fourth  Cavalry.  Mustered  into  service, 
Sept.  26,  1861,  and  jjarticipated  in  the  battles  of 
Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  and  Shiloh:  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  and  in  many  engagements  of 
less  historic  note;  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield 
in  November,  1864.  By  order  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, of  June  18,  1865,  the  members  of  the 
regiment  whose  terms  had  not  expired,  were  con- 
solidated witli  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalrj-. 

Fifth  Cav,\lry.  Organized  at  Camj>  Butler, 
in  November,  1861;  took  part  in  the  Meridian 
raid  and  the  e.xpedition  against  Jackson,  Miss., 
and  in  numerous  minor  expeditions,  doing  effect- 
ive work  at  Canton,  Grenada,  Woodville.  ami 
other  points.  On  Jan.  1,  1864,  a  large  ixjrtion  of 
the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans.  Its  final 
muster-out  took  place,  Oct.  27,  1865,  and  it  re- 
ceived final  payment  and  discharge,  October  30. 

Sixth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
Nov.  19,  1861;  participated  in  Sherman's  advance 
upon  Grenada ;  in  the  Grierson  raiil  through  MLs- 
sissippi  and  Louisiana,  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson, 
the  battles  of  Mo.scow  (Tenn),  West  Point  (Miss.), 
Franklin  and  Nashville ;  re-enlisted  as  veterans, 
March  30,  1864;  was  mustered  out  at  Selma,  Ala., 
Nov.  5,  1865,  and  received  discharge,  November 
20,  at  Springfield. 

Seventh  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
and  was  mustered  into  service,  Oct.  13,  1801.  It 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Farmington,  luka, 
Corinth  (second  battle) ;  in  Grierson's  raid 
through  Mississippi  and  Louisiana;  in  the  en- 
gagement at  Plain's  Store  (La.),  and  the  invest- 
ment   of    Port    Hudson.     In    March,     1864,    388 


officers  and  men  '  re-enlisted  as  veterans.  The 
noil  veterans  were  engaged  at  Guntown,  and  the 
entire  regiment  took  i)art  in  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin. After  the  close  of  hostilities,  it  was  stationed 
in  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  tuitil  the  latter  part 
of  October,  1865 ;  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
and  finally  discharged  at  Springfield,  Nov.  17, 
1865. 

Eighth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  St.  Charles, 
111.,  and  mustered  in,  Sept.  18,  1801.  The  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  Virginia,  and  participated 
in  the  general  advance  on  Manassas  in  March, 
1862;  was  engaged  at  Mechanicsville,  Gaines' 
Hill,  Malvern  Hill,  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  Middle- 
town,  South  Mountain,  Antietani,  Fredericks- 
burg, Sulphur  Springs,  Warrenton,  Rapidan 
Station,  Northern  Neck,  Gettysburg,  Williams- 
burg, Funkstown,  Falling  Water,  Clie.ster  Gap 
Sandy  Hook,  Culpepper,  Brandy  Station,  and  in 
many  raids  and  skirmislies.  It  was  mustered 
out  of  service  at  Benton  Barracks,  Mo.,  July  17, 
1805,  and  ordered  to  Chicago,  where  it  received 
final  payment  and  discharge. 

Ni.NTH  Cavalry  Organized  at  Chicago,  in 
the  autumn  of  1861.  and  mustered  in,  November 
30;  was  engaged  at  Cold  water,  Grenada,  Wyatt, 
Saulsbury,  Moscow,  Guntown,  Poutoto<^  Tupelo, 
Old  Town  Creek,  Hurricane  Creek,  Lawrence- 
burg, Campellsville,  Franklin  and  Nashville. 
The  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  March  16, 
1864 ;  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Selma,  Ala. , 
Oct.  31,  1865,  and  ordered  to  Springfield,  where 
the  men  received  final  pa^-ment  anil  discharge. 

Tenth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield  in 
the  latter  part  of  September,  1801,  and  mu.stered 
into  service,  Nov.  25,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at  Pi-airie 
Grove,  Cotton  Plant,  Arkansas  Post,  in  ■  the 
Yazoo  Pass  expedition,  at  Richmond  (La,), 
Brownsville,  Bayou  Metoe,  Bayou  I^  Fourche 
and  Little  Rock.  In  February,  1864,  a  large 
portion  of  the  regiment  re  enlisted  as  veter- 
ans, the  non-veterans  accompanying  General 
Banks  in  his  Red  River  expedition.  On  Jan.  27, 
1865,  the  veterans,  and  recruits  \vere  consolidated 
with  the  Fifteenth  Cavalry,  and  all  reorganized 
under  the  name  of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Veteran 
Volunteer  Cavalry.  Mustered  out  of  service  at 
San  Antonio,  Texas,  Nov.  22,  1865,  and  received 
final  discharge  at  Springfield,  Jan.  6,  1866. 

Eleventh  Cavalry.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  of 
Peoria,  and  Basil  D.  Meeks,  of  Woodford  County, 
obtained  permission  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
cavalrj',  and  recruiting  commenced  in  October, 
1861.  The  regiment  was  recruited  from  the 
counties  of  Peoria.  Fulton,  Tazewell,  Woodford, 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


569 


Marshall,  Stark,  Knox,  Henderson  and  Warren; 
was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Peoria,  Dec.  20, 
1861,  and  was  hrst  under  fire  at  .Shiloh.  It  also 
took  part  in  the  raid  in  the  rear  of  Corinth,  and 
in  the  battles  of  Bolivar,  Corinth  (second  battle), 
luka,  Lexington  and  Jackson  (Tenn.);  in  Mc- 
Pherson's  expedition  to  Canton  and  Sherman's 
Meridian  raid,  in  the  relief  of  Yazoo  Citj',  and  in 
numerous  less  important  raids  and  skirmishes. 
Most  of  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  veterans  in 
December,  18G3:  the  non-veterans  being  mus- 
tered out  at  Memphis,  in  the  autumn  of  1864.  The 
veterans  were  mustered  out  at  the  same  place, 
Sept.  30,  1S6.J,  and  discharged  at  Springfield, 
October  20. 

Twelfth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Springfield, 
in  February,  1862,  and  remained  there  guarding 
rebel  prisoners  until  June  25,  when  it  was 
mounted  and  sent  to  Martinsburg,  Va.  It  was 
engaged  at  Fredericksburg,  Williamsport,  Falling 
Waters,  the  Rapidan  and  Stevensburg.  On  Nov. 
26,  18G3,  the  regiment  was  relieved  from  service 
and  ordered  home  to  reorganize  as  veterans. 
Subsequently  it  joined  Banks  in  the  Red  River 
expedition  and  in  Davidson's  expedition  against 
Mobile.  While  at  Memphis  the  Twelfth  Cavalry 
was  consolidated  into  an  eiglit-company  organi- 
zation, and  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  having  previously 
been  consolidated  into  a  battalion  of  five  com- 
panies, was  consolidated  witli  the  Twelfth.  The 
consolidated  regiment  was  mustered  out  at 
Houston,  Texas.  May  29.  1866,  and,  on  June  18, 
received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Springfield. 

Thirteenth  Cavalry.  Organized  at  Chicago, 
in  December,  1861 ;  moved  to  the  front  from 
Benton  Barracks,  Mo.,  in  February,  1862,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  following  battles  and  skir- 
mishes (all  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas) :  Putnam's 
Ferry,  Cotton  Plant,  Union  City  (twice).  Camp 
Pillow,  Bloomfield  (first  and  second  battles).  Van 
Buren,  Allen,  Eleven  Point  River,  Jackson, 
White  River,  Chalk  Bluff,  Busliy  Creek,  near 
Helena,  Grand  Prairie,  White  River,  Deadman's 
Lake,  Brownsville,  Bayou  Metoe,  Austin,  Little 
Rock,  Benton,  Batesville,  Pine  Bluff,  Arkadel- 
phia,  Okolona,  Little  Missouri  River,  Prairie  du 
Anne,  Camden,  Jenkins'  Ferry,  Cross  Roads, 
Mount  Elba,  Douglas  Landing  and  IMonticello. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out,  August  31,  1865, 
and  received  final  pay  and  discharge  at  Spring- 
field. Sept.  13,  186.'}. 

Fourteenth  Cavalry.  Mu.stered  into  service 
at  Peoria,  in  January  and  February,  1863;  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Cumberland  Gap,  in  the 
defense  of  Knoxville  and  the  pursuit  of  Long- 


street,  in  the  engagements  at  Bean  Station  and 
Dandridge,  in  the  Macon  raid,  and  in  the  cavalry 
battle  at  Sunshine  Church.  In  the  latter  Gen- 
eral Stoneman  surrendered,  but  the  Fourteenth 
cut  its  way  out.  On  their  retreat  the  men  were 
betrayed  by  a  guide  and  the  regiment  badly  cut 
up  and  scattered,  those  escaping  being  hunted  by 
soldiers  with  bloodhounds.  Later,  it  was  engaged 
at  Waynesboro  and  in  the  battles  of  Franklin  and 
Nashville,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville, 
July  31,  1865,  having  marched  over  10,000  miles, 
exclusive  of  duty  done  by  detachments. 

Fifteenth  Cavalry.  Composed  of  companies 
originally  independent,  attached  to  infantry  regi- 
ments and  acting  as  such;  particijiated  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  and  in  the 
siege  and  capture  of  Corinth.  Regimental  or- 
ganization was  effected  in  the  spring  of  1863,  and 
thereafter  it  was  engaged  chiefly  in  scouting  and 
post  duty.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield, 
August  25,  1864,  the  recruits  (wliose  term  ot 
service  had  not  expired)  being  consolidated  with 
the  Tenth  Cavalry. 

Sixteenth  Cavalry.  Compcsed  principally 
of  Cliicago  men — Thieleman's  and  Schambeck's 
Cavalry  Companies,  raised  at  the  outset  of  the 
war,  forming  the  nucleus  of  the  regiment.  The 
former  served  as  General  Sherman's  body-guard 
for  some  time.  Captain  Thieleman  was  made  a 
Major  and  authorized  to  rai.se  a  battalion,  the 
two  companies  named  thenceforth  being  knowT- 
as  Thieleman's  Battalion.  In  September,  1862, 
the  War  Department  avithorized  the  extension  of 
the  battalion  to  a  regiment,  and,  on  the  11th  of 
June,  1863.  the  regimental  organization  was  com- 
pleted. It  took  part  in  the  East  Tennessee  cam- 
paign, a  portion  of  the  regiment  aiding  in  the 
defense  of  Knoxville,  a  part  garrisoning  Cumber- 
and  Gap,  and  one  battalion  being  captured  by 
Longstreet.  The  regiment  also  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Buzzard's 
Roost,  Resaca,  Kingston,  Cassville,  Carterville, 
Allatoona,  Kenesaw,  Lost  Mountain,  Mines 
Ridge,  Powder  Springs,  Chattahoochie,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Franklin  and  Nashville.  It  arrived 
iu  Chicago,  August  23,  1865,  for  final  payment 
and  discharge,  having  marched  about  5,000  miles 
and  engaged  in  thirty-one  battles,  besides  numer- 
ous skirmishes. 

Seventeenth  Cavalry.  Mustered  into  serv- 
ice in  January  and  February,  1864;  aided  in  the 
repulse  of  Price  at  Jefferson  City,  Mo. ,  and  was 
engaged  at  Booneville,  Independence,  Mine 
Creek,  and  Fort  Scott,  besides  doing  garrison 
duty,   scouting   and  raiding.     It  was    mustered 


570 


HISTOKICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


out  in  November  and  December,  1865,  at  Leaven- 
worth, Kan.  Gov.  John  L.  Beveridge,  who  had 
previously  been  a  Captain  and  Major  of  the 
Eighth  Cavalry,  was  the  Colonel  of  this  regi- 
ment. 

First  Light  Artillery.  Consisted  of  ten 
batteries.  Battery  A  was  organized  under  the 
first  call  for  State  troops.  April  21.  1861,  but  not 
mustered  into  the  three  years'  service  until  July 
16;  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  tlie  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  and  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign ;  was  in  reserve  at  Champion  Hills  and 
Nashville,  and  mustered  out  July  3.  1865,  at 
Chicago. 

Battery  B  was  organized  in  April,  1861,  en- 
gaged at  Belmont,  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth  and  at  La  Grange,  Holly  Springs, 
Memphis,  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  Mechanicsburg,  Richmond 
(La.),  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  battle  of 
'  Nashville.  The  Battery  was  reorganized  by  con- 
solidation with  Battery  A,  and  mustered  out  at 
Chicago,  July  2,  1865. 

Battery  D  was  organized  at  Cairo,  Sept.  2,  1861 ; 
was  engaged  at  Fort  Donelson  and  at  Shiloh, 
and  mustered  out,  July  28,  1865,  at  Chicago. 

Battery  E  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  into  service,  Dec.  19,  1861 ;  was  engaged 
at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Jackson,  Vicksburg,  Gun- 
town,  Pontotoc.  Tupelo  and  Nashville,  and  mus- 
tered out  at  Louisville,  Dec.  24,  1864. 

Battery  F  was  recruited  at  Dixon  and  mus- 
tered in  at  Springfield,  Feb.  25,  1862.  It  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and  the  Yocona 
expedition,  and  was  consolidated  with  the  other 
batteries  in  the  regiment,  March  7,  1865. 

Battery  G  was  organized  at  Cairo  and  mus- 
tered in  Sept.  28,  1861 ;  was  engaged  in  the  siege 
and  the  second  battle  of  Corinth,  and  mustered 
out  at  Springfield,  July  24,  1865. 

Battery  H  was  recruited  in  and  about  Chicago, 
during  January  and  February,  1862;  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  the  "March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  through  the  Carolinas  with  Sherman. 

Battery  I  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  in,  Feb.  10,  1862;  was  engaged  at 
Shiloh,  in  the  Tallahatchie  raid,  the  sieges  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  and  in  the  battles  of 
Chattanooga  and  Vicksburg  It  veteranized, 
March  17,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out,  Julj"  26, 
1865. 

Battery  K  was  organized  at  Shawneetown  and 
mustered  in,  Jan.  9,  1662.  participated  in  Bum- 


side's  campaign  in  Tennessee,  and  in  the  capture 
of  Knoxville.  Part  of  the  men  were  mustered 
out  at  Springfield  in  June,  1805,  and  the  re- 
manider  at  Chicago  in  July. 

Battery  M  was  organized  at  Camp  Douglas  and 
mustered  into  the  service,  August  13,  1862,  for 
three  j-ears.  It  served  through  the  Chickamauga 
campaign,  being  engaged  at  Chickamauga;  also 
was  engaged  at  Missionary  Ridge,  was  besieged 
at  Cliattanooga,  and  took  part  in  all  the  impor- 
tant battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Chicago,  July  24,  1864,  having 
traveled  3,102  miles  and  been  under  fire  178  days. 

Second  Light  Artillery.  Consisted  of  nine 
batteries.  Battery  A  was  organized  at  Peoria, 
and  mustered  into  service.  May  "23,  1861 ;  served 
in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  doing  brilliant  work 
at  Pea  Ridge.  It  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Springfield.  July  27,  1865. 

Batter}'  D  was  organized  at  Cairo,  and  mustered 
into  service  in  December,  1861 ;  was  engaged  at 
Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Meridian  and  Decatur,  and  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  Nov.  21,  1864. 

Battery  E  was  organized  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in 
August,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service,  August 
20,  at  that  point.  It  was  engaged  at  Fort  Donel- 
son and  Shiloh,  and  in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and 
the  Yocona  expedition — was  consolidated  with 
Battery  A. 

Battery  F  was  organized  at  Cape  Girardeau, 
Mo.,  and  mustered  in,  Dec.  11,  1861;  was  engaged 
at  .Shiloh,  in  the  siege  and  second  battle  of 
Corinth,  and  the  Meridian  campaign;  also 
at  Kenesaw,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro.  It  was 
mustered  out,  July  27,  1865,  at  Springfield. 

Battery  H  was  organized  at  Springfield,  De- 
cember, 1861,  and  mustered  in,  Dec.  31,  1861 ;  was 
engaged  at  Fort  Donelson  and  in  the  siege  of 
Fort  Pillow;  veteranized,  Jan.  1,  1864,  was 
mounted  as  cavalry  the  following  summer,  and 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  July  29,  1805. 

Battery  I  was  recruited  in  Will  County,  and 
mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Butler,  Dec.  31, 
1861.  It  participated  in  the  siege  of  Island  No. 
10,  in  the  advance  upon  Cornith,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Perryville,  Chickamauga,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge  and  Chattanooga. 
It  veteranized,  Jan.  1,  1864,  marched  with  Sher- 
man to  Atlanta,  and  thence  to  Savannah  and 
through  the  Carolinas,  and  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield. 

Battery  K  was  organized  at  Springfield  and 
mustered  in  Dec.  31,  1863;  was  engaged  at  Fort 
Pillow,  the  capture  of  Clarkston,  Mo.,  and  the 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


571 


siege  of  Vicksburg.  It  was  mustered  out,  July 
14,  1865,  at  Cliicago. 

Battery  L  was  organized  at  Chicago  and  mus- 
tered in,  Feb.  28,  1862;  participated  in  the  ad- 
vance on  Corinth,  the  battle  of  Hatchie  and  the 
advance  on  the  Tallahatchie,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Chicago,  August  9,  1865. 

Battery  M  was  organized  at  Chicago,  and  mus- 
tered in  at  Springfield,  June,  1862 ;  was  engaged 
at  Jonesboro,  Blue  Spring,  Blountsville  and 
Eogersville,  being  finally  consolidated  with 
other  batteries  of  the  regiment. 

Chicago  Board  of  Trade  Battery.  Organ- 
ized through  the  efforts  of  the  Cliicago  Board  of 
Trade,  which  raised  .?15,000  for  its  equipment, 
within  forty-eight  hours.  It  was  mustered  into 
service,  August  1,  1862,  was  engaged  at  Law- 
renceburg,  Murfreesboro,  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Farmington,  Decatur  (Ga.),  Atlanta, 
Lovejoy  Station,  Nashville,  Selraa  and  Columbus 
(Ga. )  It  was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  June  30, 
1865,  and  paid  in  full,  July  3,  having  marched 
5,268  miles  and  traveled  by  rail  1,231  miles.  The 
battery  was  in  eleven  of  the  liardest  battles 
fought  in  the  West,  and  in  twenty-six  minor 
battles,  being  in  action  forty-two  times  while  on 
scouts,  reconnoissances  or  outpost  duty. 

Chicago  Mercantile  Battery.  Recruited 
and  organized  under  the  auspices  of  the  Mercan- 
tile Association,  an  association  of  prominent  and 
patriotic  merchants  of  the  City  of  Chicago.  It 
was  mustered  into  service,  August  29,  1862,  at 
Camp  Douglas,  participated  in  the  Tallahatchie 
and  Yazoo  expeditions,  the  first  attack  upon 
Vicksburg,  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post,  tlie  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  the  battles  of  Magnolia  Hills, 
Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge  and  Jackson 
(Mi.ss. );  also  took  part  in  Banks'  Red  River  ex- 
pedition; was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  and 
received  final  payment,  July  10,  1865,  having 
traveled,  by  river,  sea  and  land,  over  11,000 
miles. 

Springfield  Light  Artillery.  Recruited 
principally  from  the  cities  of  Springfield,  Belle- 
ville and  Wenona,  and  mustered  into  service  at 
Springfield,  for  the  term  of  three  years,  August 
21,  1862.  numbering  199  men  and  ofllcers.  It 
participated  in  tlie  capture  of  Little  Rock  and  in 
the  Red  River  expedition,  and  was  mustered  out 
at  Springfield,  114  strong,  June  30,  1865. 

Cogswell's  Battery,  Light  Artillery. 
Organized  at  Ottawa,  111.,  and  mustered  in,  Nov. 
11,  1861,  as  Company  A  (Artillery)  Fifty-third 
Illinois  Volunteers,  Colonel  Cushman  command- 
ing    the     regiment.      It     participated     in     the 


advance  on  Corinth,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the 
battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  an  1  the  capture  of 
Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  near  Mobile.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  August 
14,  1865,  having  served  tliree  years  and  nine 
months,  marched  over  7,500  miles,  and  partici- 
pated in  seven  sieges  and  battles. 

Stueges  Rifles.  An  independent  company, 
organized  at  Chicago,  armed,  equipped  and  sub- 
sisted for  nearly  two  months,  by  the  patriotic 
generosity  of  Mr.  Solomon  Sturges;  was  mustered 
into  service.  May  6,  1861 ;  in  June  following,  was 
ordered  to  West  Virginia,  serving  as  Ixidy- 
guard  of  General  McClellan;  was  engaged  at 
Rich  Movmtain,  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  and  in 
the  seven  days'  battle  of  the  Chickahominy.  A 
portion  of  the  company  was  at  Antietam,  the 
remainder  having  been  detached  as  foragers, 
scouts,  etc.  It  was  mustered  out  at  Washington, 
Nov.  25,  1862. 

WAR,  THE  SPANISH .  AMERICAN.  The 
oppressions  and  misrule  vvhicli  had  cliaracter- 
ized  the  administration  of  affairs  by  the  Spanisli 
Government  and  its  agents  for  generations,  in  the 
Island  of  Cuba,  culminated,  in  April,  1898,  in 
mutual  declarations  of  war  between  Spain  and 
the  United  States.  The  causes  leading  up  to  this 
result  were  the  injurious  effects  upon  American 
commerce  and  the  interests  of  American  citizens 
owning  property  in  Cuba,  as  well  as  tlie  constant 
expense  imposed  upon  tlie  Government  of  the 
United  States  in  tlie  maintenance  of  a  large  navy 
along  the  South  Atlantic  coast  to  suppress  fili- 
bustering, superadded  to  the  friction  and  unrest 
produced  among  the  people  of  this  country  by  tlie 
long  continuance  of  di.sorders  and  abuses  so  near 
to  our  own  shores,  which  aroiLsed  the  sympathy 
and  indignation  of  the  entire  civilized  world. 
For  three  years  a  large  proportion  of  the  Cuban 
population  liad  been  in  open  rebellion  against  tlie 
Spanish  Government,  and,  while  the  latter  had 
imported  a  large  army  to  the  island  and  sub- 
jected the  insurgents  and  their  families  and 
sympatliizers  to  the  grossest  cruelties,  not  even 
excepting  torture  and  starvation  itself,  their 
policy  had  failed  to  bring  the  insurgents  into 
subjection  or  to  restore  order.  In  this  condition 
of  affairs  the  United  States  Government  had 
endeavored,  through  negotiation,  to  secure  a  miti- 
gation of  the  evils  complained  of,  by  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  Spanish  policy  of  government  in  the 
island ;  but  all  suggestions  in  this  direction  had 
either  been  resented  by  Spain  as  unwarrantable 
interference  in  her  affairs,  or  promises  of  reform, 
when  made,  had  been  as  invariably  broken. 


572 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


In  the  meantime  an  increasing  sentiment  had 
been  growing  up  in  the  United  States  in  favor  of 
conceding  belligerent  rights  to  the  Cuban  insur- 
gents, or  the  recognition  of  their  independence, 
which  found  expression  in  measures  proj)osed  in 
Congress — all  offers  of  friendly  intervention  by 
the  United  States  having  been  rejected  by  Spain 
witli  evidences  of  indignation.  Compelled,  at 
last,  to  recognize  its  inability  to  subdue  tlie  insur- 
rection, the  Spanish  Government,  in  November, 
1897,  made  a  pretense  of  tendering  autonomy  to 
the  Cuban  people,  with  the  privilege  of  amnesty 
to  the  insurgents  on  laying  down  their  arms. 
The  long  duration  of  tlie  war  and  the  outrages 
perpetrated  upon  the  helpless  "reconcentrados," 
coujiled  with  the  increased  confiilence  of  the 
insurgents  in  the  iiiiul  triumph  of  their  cause, 
rendered  this  movement — even  if  inteiuled  to  be 
carried  out  to  the  letter — of  no  avail.  The 
proffer  came  too  late,  and  was  promptly  rejected. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs  and  witli  a  view  to 
greater  security  for  American  interests,  the 
American  battleship  Maine  was  ordered  to 
Havana,  on  Jan.  24,  1898.  It  arrived  in  Havana 
Harbor  the  following  day,  and  was  anchored  at  a 
point  designated  by  the  Spanish  commaiuler.  On 
the  night  of  February  l.l,  following,  it  was  blown 
up  and  destroyed  by  some  force,  as  shown  by  after 
investigation,  applied  from  without.  Of  a  crew 
of  354  men  belonging  to  the  ves.sel  at  the  time, 
2G6  were  either  killed  outright  by  the  explosion, 
or  died  from  their  wounds.  Not  only  the  Ameri- 
can people,  but  the  entire  civilized  world,  was 
shocked  by  tlie  catastrophe.  An  act  of  horrible 
treachery  had  been  perpetrated  against  an 
American  vessel  and  its  crew  on  a  peaceful  mis- 
sion in  the  harbor  of  a  professedly  friendly  na- 
tion. 

The  succe-ssive  steps  leading  to  actual  hostili- 
ties were  rapid  and  eventful.  One  of  the  earliest 
and  most  significant  of  these  was  the  i>a,ssage,  by 
a  unanimous  vote  of  both  houses  of  Congress,  on 
March  9,  of  an  appropriation  placing  S-jO,  000,000 
in  the  hands  of  the  President  as  an  emergencj' 
fund  for  purposes  of  national  defense.  This  was 
followed,  two  days  later,  bj-  an  order  for  the 
mobilization  of  the  army.  ■  The  more  important 
events  following  this  step  were:  An  order,  under 
date  of  April  ~>.  withdrawing  American  consuls 
from  Spanish  stations;  the  departure,  on  April  9, 
of  Consul-General  Fitzhugh  Lee  from  Havana: 
April  19.  the  adoption  by  Congress  of  concurrent 
resolutions  declaring  Cuba  independent  and 
directing  the  President  to  use  the  land  and  naval 
forces  of  the  United  States  to  put  an  end  to 


Spanish  authority  in  the  island;  April  20,  the 
sending  to  the  Spanish  Government,  by  the  Presi- 
dent, of  an  ultimatum  in  accordance  with  this 
act;  April  21,  the  delivery  to  Minister  Woodford, 
at  Madrid,  of  his  passports  without  waiting  for 
tlie  presentation  of  the  ultimatum,  with  the 
deixirture  of  the  Spanish  Minister  from  Washing- 
ton; April  2',i,  the  issue  of  a  call  by  the  President 
ioT  125,000  volunters;  April  24,  the  final  declara- 
tion of  war  b}'  Spain ;  April  25,  the  adoption  by 
Congress  of  a  resolution  declaring  that  war  had 
e.visted  from  April  21;  on  the  s;ime  date  an  order 
to  Adminil  Dewey,  in  command  of  the  Asiatic 
Squadron  at  Hongkong,  to  sail  for  Manila  with  a 
view  to  investing  that  city  and  blockading 
Philippine  jwrts. 

The  chief  events  subsequent  to  the  declaration 
of  war  embraced  the  following;  May  1,  the 
destruction  by  Admiral  Dewey "s  squadron  of  the 
Si)anish  fleet  in  the  liarbor  of  Manila;  May  19, 
the  arrival  of  tlieSpanisli  Admiral  Cervera's  fleet 
at  Santiago  de  Cuba;  May  2.5,  a  second  call  by 
the  President  for  75,000  volunteer's;  July  3,  the 
attempt  of  Cervera's  fleet  to  escjipe,  and  its 
destruction  off  Santiago;  July  17,  the  surrender 
of  Santiago  to  the  forces  under  General  Shafter; 
July  30,  the  statement  by  the  President,  through 
the  French  Ambivssador  at  Washington,  of  the 
terms  on  which  the  United  States  would  consent 
to  make  peace ;  August  9,  acceptivnce  of  tlie  peace 
terms  by  Spain,  followed,  three  days  later,  by  the 
signing  of  the  jieace  protocol;  September  9,  the 
appointment  by  the  President  of  Peace  CommU- 
-sioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States;  Sept.  18, 
the  announcement  of  the  Peace  Commissioners 
selected  by  Spain;  October  1,  the  beginning  of  the 
Peace  Conference  by  the  representatives  of  the 
two  powers,  at  Paris,  and  the  formal  signing,  on 
December  10,  of  the  peace  treaty,  including  the 
recognition  l)y  ,Spain  of  the  freedom  of  Cuba, 
with  the  transfer  to  the  United  States  of  Porto 
Rico  and  her  other  West  India  islamis,  together 
with  the  surrender  of  the  Philippines  for  a  con- 
sideration of  $20,000,000. 

Seldom,  if  ever,  in  the  history  of  nations  have 
such  vast  and  far-reaching  results  been  accom- 
plished within  so  short  a  period.  The  war, 
which  practically  began  with  the  destruction  of 
tlie  Spanish  fleet  in  Manila  Harbor — an  event 
which  arou.sed  the  enthusiasm  of  the  whole 
American  peojile.  and  won  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  other  nations — was  practically 
ended  by  the  surrender  of  Santiago  and  the 
declaration  by  the  President  of  the  conditions  of 
peace    just    three    months    later.      Succeeding 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


573 


events,  up  to  the  formal  signing  of  the  peace 
treaty,  were  merely  tlie  recognition  of  results 
previously  determined. 

History  of  Illinois  Regiments.— The  part 
played  by  Illinois  in  connection  with  these  events 
may  be  briefly  summarized  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois regiments  and  other  organizations.  Under 
the  first  call  of  the  President  for  12.5,000  volun- 
teers, eight  regiments — seven  of  infantry  and  one 
of  cavalry — were  assigned  to  Illinois,  to  which 
was  subsequently  added,  on  application  through 
Governor  Tanner,*  one  battery  of  light  artil- 
lery. Tlie  infantry  regiments  were  made  up 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  numbered 
consecutively  from  one  to  seven,  and  were 
practically  mobilized  at  their  home  stations 
within  forty-eight  hours  from  the  receipt  of  the 
call,  and  began  to  arrive  at  Camp  Tanner,  near 
Springfield,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  on  April  26, 
the  day  after  the  issue  of  the  Governor's  call. 
The  record  of  Illinois  troops  is  conspicuous  for 
the  promptness  of  their  response  and  the  com- 
pleteness of  their  organization — in  this  respect 
being  unsurpassed  by  those  of  any  other  State. 
Under  the  call  of  May  25  for  an  additional  force 
of  75,000  men,  the  quota  assigned  to  Illinois  was 
two  regiments,  whicli  were  promptly  furnished, 
taking  the  names  of  the  Eiglith  and  Ninth.  The 
first  of  these  belonged  to  the  Illinois  National 
Guard,  as  tlie  regiments  mustered  in  under  the 
first  call  had  done,  while  the  Ninth  was  one  of  a 
number  of  "Provisional  Regiments"  which  had 
tendered  their  services  to  the  Government.  Some 
twenty-five  other  regiments  of  this  class,  more  or 
less  complete,  stood  ready  to  perfect  their  organi- 
zations should  there  be  occasion  for  their  serv- 
ices. The  aggregate  strength  of  Illinois  organi- 
zations at  date  of  muster  out  from  the  United 
States  service  was  13,280—11,789  men  and  491 
officers. 

First  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  (orig- 
inally Illinois  National  Guard)  was  organized  at 
Chicago,  and  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  at  Camp  Tanner  (Springfield),  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Henry  L.  Turner,  May  13,  1898; 
left  Springfield  for  Camp  Thomas  (Chickamauga) 
May  17;  assigned  to  First  Brigade,  Third 
Division,  of  the  First  Army  Corps;  started  for 
Tampa.  Fla.,  June  2,  but  soon  after  arrival  there 
■ivas  transferred  to  Picnic  Island,  and  assigned  to 
provost  duty  in  place  of  the  First  United  States 
Infantry.  On  June  30  the  bulk  of  the  regiment 
embarked  for  Cuba,  l)ut  was  detained  in  the  har- 
bor at  Key  West  until  July  5,  vi-hen  the  vessel 
sailed  for  Santiago,  arriving  in  Guantanamo  Bay 


on  the  evening  of  the  8th.  Disembarking  on 
the  loth,  the  whole  regiment  arrived  on  the 
firing  line  on  the  11th,  spent  several  days  and 
nights  in  the  trenches  before  Santiago,  and 
were  present  at  the  surrender  of  that  city 
on  the  ITth.  Two  companies  had  previously 
been  detached  for  the  scarcely  less  perilous  duty 
of  service  in  the  fever  hospitals  and  in  caring 
for  their  wounded  comrades.  The  next  month 
was  spent  on  guard  duty  in  the  captured  city, 
until  August  25,  when,  depleted  in  numbers  and 
weakened  by  fever,  the  bulk  of  the  regiment  was 
transferred  by  hospital  boats  to  Camp  Wikoff,  on 
Montauk  Point,  L.  I.  The  members  of  the  regi- 
ment able  to  travel  left  Camp  Wikoff,  September 
8,  for  Chicago,  arriving  two  days  later,  where  they 
met  an  enthusiastic  reception  and  were  mustered 
out,  November  17,  1,235  strong  (rank  and  file) — a 
considerable  number  of  recruits  having  joined  the 
regiment  just  before  leaving  Tampa.  The  record 
of  the  First  was  conspicuous  by  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  only  Illinois  regiment  to  .see  .service  in 
Cuba  during  the  progress  of  actual  hostilities. 
Before  leaving  Tampa  some  eighty  members  of  the 
regiment  were  detailed  for  engineering  duty  in 
Porto  Rico,  sailed  for  that  island  on  July  12,  and 
were  among  the  first  to  perform  service  there. 
The  First  suffered  severely  from  yellow  fever 
while  in  Cuba,  but,  as  a  regiment,  while  in  the 
service,  made  a  brilliant  record,  which  was  highly 
complimented  in  the  official  reports  of  its  com- 
manding officers. 

Second  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry (originally  Second  I.  N.  G.).  This  regi- 
ment, also  from  Chicago,  began  to  arrive  at 
Springfield,  April  27,  1898 — at  that  time  number- 
ing 1,202  men  and  47  officers,  under  command  of 
Col.  George  M.  Moulton;  was  mastered  in 
between  May  4  and  May  15;  on  May  17  started 
for  Tampa,  Fla. ,  but  en  route  its  destination  was 
changed  to  Jacksonville,  where,  as  a  part  of  the 
Seventh  Army  Corps,  under  command  of  Gen. 
Fitzhugh  Lee,  it  assisted  in  the  dedication  of 
Camp  Cuba  Libre.  October  25  it  was  transferred 
to  Savannah,  Ga.,  remaining  at  "Camp  Lee"  until 
December  8,  when  two  battalions  embarked  for 
Havana,  landing  on  the  15th,  being  followed,  a 
few  days  later,  by  the  Tliird  Battalion,  and  sta- 
tioned at  Camp  Columbia.  From  Dec.  17  to  Jan. 
11,  1899,  Colonel  Moulton  served  as  Chief  of 
Police  for  the  city  of  Havana.  On  March  28  to  30 
the  regiment  left  Camp  Columlna  in  detach- 
ments for  Augusta,  Ga. ,  where  it  arrived  April 
5,  and  was  mustered  out,  April  26,  1,051  strong 
(rank  and  file),  and  returned  to  Chicago.     Dur- 


574 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


ing  its  itay  in  Cuba  tlie  regiment  did  not  lose  a 
man.  A  history  of  this  regiment  lias  been 
written  by  Rev.  H.  W.  Bolton,  its  late  Chaplain. 

Third  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, composed  of  companies  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard  from  the  counties  of  La  Salle. 
Livingston,  Kane,  Kankakee,  McHenry,  Ogle, 
"Will,  and  Winnebago,  under  command  of  Col. 
Fred  Bennitt,  reported  at  Springfield,  with  1,170 
men  and  50  officers,  on  Ajjril  2~ ;  was  mustered 
in  3Iay  7,  1898;  transferred  from  Springfield  to 
Camp  Thomas  (Chickamauga),  Maj'  14;  on  July 
22  left  Chickamauga  for  Porto  Rico ;  on  the  28th 
sailed  from  Newport  News,  on  the  liner  St.  Louis, 
arriving  at  Ponce,  Porto  Rico,  on  July  31 ;  soon 
after  disembarking  captured  Arroyo,  and  assisted 
in  the  capture  of  Guayama,  wliich  was  the 
beginning  of  General  Brooke's  advance  across 
the  island  to  San  Juan,  when  intelligence  was 
received  of  the  signing  of  the  peace  protocol  by 
Spain.  From  August  13  to  Octol>er  1  the  Third 
continued  in  the  performance  of  guard  duty  in 
Porto  Rico;  on  October  22,  986  men  and  39  offi- 
cers took  transport  for  home  by  way  of  New  York, 
arriving  in  Chicago,  November  11,  the  several 
companies  being  mustered  out  at  their  respective 
home  stations.  Its  strength  at  final  muster-out 
was  1,273  men  and  officers.  This  regiment  had 
the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  first  to  see 
service  in  Porto  Rico,  but  suffered  severe!}-  from 
fever  and  other  diseases  during  the  three  months 
of  its  stay  in  the  island. 

ForRTH  Illinois  Voli-nteer  Inf.vntry,  com- 
posed of  companies  from  Champaign,  Coles, 
Douglas,  Edgar,  Effingham,  Fayette,  Jackson, 
Jefferson,  Montgomery,  Richland,  and  St.  Clair 
counties;  mustered  into  the  service  at  Spring- 
field, Hay  20,  under  command  of  Col.  Casimer 
Andel;  started  immediately  for  Tampa,  Fla.,  but 
en  route  its  destination  was  changed  to  Jackson- 
ville, where  it  was  stationed  at  Camp  Cuba  Libre 
as  a  part  of  the  Seventh  Corps  under  command  of 
Gen.  Fitzhugh  Lee;  in  October  was  transferred 
to  Savannah,  Ga.,  remaining  at  Camp  Onward 
vmtil  about  the  first  of  January,  when  the  regi- 
ment took  ship  for  Havana.  Here  the  regiment 
was  stationed  at  Camp  Columbia  imtil  April  4, 
1899,  when  it  returned  to  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Camp  Mackenzie  (Augusta),  May 
2,  the  companies  returning  to  their  respective 
home  stations.  During  a  part  of  its  stay  at 
•Jacksonville,  and  again  at  Savannah,  the  regi- 
ment was  employed  on  guard  duty.  While  at 
Jacksonville  Colonel  Andel  was  suspended  by 
coxirt-martial.  and  finally  tendered  his  resigna- 


tion, his  place  being  supplied  by  Lieut. -CoL  Eben 
Swift,  of  the  Ninth. 

Fifth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
F.VNTRY  was  the  first  regiment  to  report,  and  was 
mustered  in  at  Springfield,  May  7,  1898,  under 
command  of  Col.  James  S.  Culver,  being  finally 
comjwsed  of  twelve  companies  from  Pike,  Chris- 
tian, Sangamon,  SIcLean,  Montgomerj-,  Adams. 
Tazewell,  JIacon,  Morgan,  Peoria,  and  Fulton 
counties;  on  May  14  left  Springfield  for  Camp 
Thomas  (Chickamauga,  Ga. ),  being  assigned  to 
the  command  of  General  Brooke;  August  3  left 
Chickamauga  for  Newport  News,  Va.,  with  the 
expectation  of  embarking  for  Porto  Rico — a 
previous  order  of  Jul}-  26  to  the  same  purport 
having  been  countermanded;  at  New])ort  News 
embarked  on  the  transport  Obdam,  but  again  the 
order  was  rescinded,  and,  after  remaining  on 
board  thirty-six  hours,  the  regiment  was  disem- 
barked. Tlie  next  move  was  made  to  Lexington 
Ky.,  where  the  regiment — liaving  lost  hope  of 
reaching  "the  front" — remained  until  Sept  5, 
when  it  returned  to  Springfield  for  final  muster- 
out.  This  regiment  was  composed  of  some  of  the 
best  material  in  the  State,  and  anxious  for  active 
service,  but  after  a  succession  of  disappoint- 
ments, was  compelled  to  return  to  its  home  sta- 
tion without  meeting  the  enemy.  After  its  arrival 
at  S])ringfield  the  regiment  was  furlouglied  for 
thirty  days  and  finally  mustered  out,  October  18, 
numbering  1,213  men  and  47  officers. 

Sixth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
F.\NTRY,  consisting  of  twelve  companies  from  the 
counties  of  Rock  Island,  Knox,  Whiteside,  Lee, 
Carroll,  Stephenson,  Henry,  Warren,  Bureau,  and 
Jo  Daviess,  was  mustered  in  May  11,  1898,  under 
command  of  Col.  D.  Jack  Foster;  on  May  17  left 
Springfield  for  Camp  Alger,  Va. ;  July  .'5  the 
regiment  moved  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  a 
part  embarked  for  Siboney,  Cuba,  but  the  whole 
regiment  was  soon  after  united  in  General 
Miles'  expedition  for  the  invasion  of  Porto  Rico, 
landing  at  Guanico  on  July  2.5,  and  advancing 
into  the  interior  as  far  as  Ad  junta  and  Utuado. 
After  several  weeks'  service  in  the  interior,  the 
regiment  returned  to  Ponce,  and  on  September  7 
took  transport  for  the  return  home,  arrived  at 
Springfield  a  week  later,  and  was  mustered  out 
November  2.5,  the  regiment  at  that  time  consist- 
ing of  1,239  men  and  49  officers. 

Se^-enth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
(known  as  the  "Hibernian  Rifles").  Two 
battalion?  of  this  regiment  reported  at  Spring, 
field,  April  27,  with  33  officers  and  763  enlisted 
men,  being  afterwards   increased  to   the  maxi- 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


575 


uium ;  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  serv- 
ice, under  command  of  Col.  Marcas  Kavauagh, 
May  18,  1S98;  on  May  28  started  for  Camp  Alger, 
Va. ;  was  afterwards  encamped  at  Thoroughfare 
Gap  and  Camp  Meade ;  on  September  9  returned 
to  Springfield,  was  fiirlouglied  for  thirty  days, 
and  mustered  out,  October  20,  numbering  1,260 
men  and  49  officers.  Liive  the  Fifth,  the  Seventh 
saw  no  actual  service  in  the  field. 

Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  (col- 
ored regiment),  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Springfield  under  the  second  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent, July  23,  1898,  being  composed  wliolly  of 
Afro- Americans  under  officers  of  their  own  race, 
witli  Col.  John  R.  Marshall  in  command,  the 
muster-roll  showing  1,19.5  men  and  76  officers. 
The  six  companies,  from  A  to  F,  w-ere  from  Chi- 
cago, the  other  five  being,  respectively,  from 
Bloomington,  Springfield.  Quincy,  Litchfield, 
Mound  City  and  Metropolis,  and  Cairo.  The 
regiment  having  tendered  their  services  to 
relieve  the  First  Illinois  on  duty  at  vSantiago  de 
Cuba,  it  started  for  Cuba,  August  8,  by  way  of 
New  York ;  immediately  on  arrival  at  Santiago, 
a  week  later,  was  assigned  to  duty,  but  subse- 
quently transferred  to  San  Luis,  where  Colone, 
Marshall  was  made  military  governor.  The 
major  part  of  the  regiment  remained  here  until 
ordered  home  early  in  March,  1899,  arrived  at 
Chicago,  March  1.5,  and  was  mustered  out,  .April 
3,  1,226  strong,  rank  and  file,  having  been  in 
service  nine  months  and  six  days. 

Ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  was 
organized  from  the  counties  of  Southern  Illinois, 
and  mustered  in  at  Springfield  under  the  second 
call  of  the  President,  July  4-11,  1898,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  James  R.  Campbell;  arrived  at 
Camp  Cuba  Libre  (Jacksonville,  Fla.),  August  9; 
two  months  later  was  transferred  to  Savannah, 
Ga. ;  was  moved  to  Havana  in  December,  wliere 
it  remained  until  May,  1899,  when  it  returned  to 
Augusta,  Ga.,  and  was  mustered  out  there.  May 
20,  1899,  at  that  time  consisting  of  1,09.5  men  and 
46  officers.  From  Augusta  the  several  companies 
returned  to  their  respective  home  stations.  The 
Ninth  was  the  only  "Provisional  Regiment"  from 
Illinois  mustered  into  the  service  during  the 
war,  the  other  regiments  all  belonging  to  the 
National  Guard. 

First  Illinois  C.w.vlry  was  organized  at  Chi- 
cago immediately  after  the  President's  first  call, 
seven  companies  being  recruited  from  Chicago, 
two  from  Bloomington,  and  one  each  from 
Springfield,  Elkhart,  and  Lacon;  was  mustered  in 
at  Springfield,  May  21.  1898,  under  command  of 


Col.  Edward  C.  Young;  left  Springfield  for  Camp 
Thomas,  Ga.,  May  30,  remaining  there  until 
August  24,  when  it  returned  to  Fort  Sheridan, 
near  Chicago,  where  it  was  stationed  until  October 
11,  when  it  was  mustered  out,  at  that  time  con- 
sisting of  1,158  men  and  50  officers.  Although 
the  regiment  saw  no  active  service  in  the  field,  it 
established  an  excellent  record  for  itself  in  respect 
to  discipline. 

First  Engineering  Corps,  consisting  of  80 
men  detailed  from  the  First  Illinois  Volunteers, 
were  among  the  first  Illinois  soldiers  to  see  serv- 
ice in  Porto  Rico,  accompanying  General  Miles' 
expedition  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  and  being 
engaged  for  a  time  in  the  construction  of  bridges 
in  aid  of  the  intended  advance  across  the  island. 
On  September  8  they  embarked  for  the  return 
home,  arrived  at  Chicago,  September  17,  and 
were  mustered  out  November  20. 

B.^TTERY  A  (I.  N.  G.),  from  Danville,  111.,  was 
mustered  in  under  a  special  order  of  the  War 
Department,  May  12,  1898,  under  command  of 
Capt.  Oscar  P.  Yaeger,  consisting  of  118  men; 
left  Springfield  for  Camp  Thomas,  Ga.,  May  19, 
and,  two  months  later,  joined  in  General  Miles' 
Porto  Rico  expedition,  landing  at  Guanico  on 
August  3,  and  taking  part  in  the  afl'air  at  Gua 
yama  on  the  12th.  News  of  peace  having  been 
received,  the  Battery  returned  to  Ponce,  where 
it  remained  until  September  7,  when  it  started 
on  the  return  home  by  way  of  New  York,  arrived 
at  Danville,  September  17,  was  furloughed  for 
sixty  days,  and  mustered  out  November  25.  The 
Battery  was  equipped  with  modern  breech-load- 
ing rapid-firing  guns,  operated  by  practical  artil- 
lerists and  prepared  for  effective  service. 

Nav.\l  Reserves. — One  of  the  earliest  steps 
taken  by  the  Government  after  it  became  ap- 
parent that  hostilities  could  not  be  averted,  was 
to  begin  preparation  for  strengthening  the  naval 
arm  of  the  service.  The  existence  of  the  "Naval 
Militia,"  first  organized  in  1893,  placed  Illinois  in 
an  exceptionally  favorable  position  for  making  a 
prompt  response  to  the  call  of  the  Government,  as 
well  as  furnishing  a  superior  class  of  men  for 
service — a  fact  evidenced  during  the  operations 
in  tlie  West  Indies.  Gen.  John  McNulta,  as  head 
of  tlie  local  committee,  was  active  in  calling  the 
attention  of  the  Navy  Department  to  the  value  of 
the  service  to  be  rendered  by  this  organization, 
which  resulted  in  its  being  enlisted  practically  as 
a  body,  taking  the  name  of  "Naval  Reserves" — 
all  but  eighty -eight  of  the  number  passing  the 
physical  examination,  tlie  places  of  these  beirg 
promptly  filled  by  new   recruits.     The  first  de- 


576 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


tacliment  of  over  200  left  Chicago  May  2,  under 
the  command  of  Lieut. -Com.  John  M.  Hawley, 
followed  soon  after  by  the  remainder  of  the  First 
Battalion,  making  the  whole  number  from  Chi- 
cago 400,  with  267,  constituting  the  Second  Bat- 
talion, from  other  towns  of  the  State.  The  latter 
was  made  up  of  1-17  men  from  Moline,  TiS  from 
Quincj-,  and  62  from  Alton — making  a  total  from 
the  State  of  667.  This  does  not  include  others, 
not  belonging  to  this  organization,  who  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  navy  during  the  war,  which 
raised  the  whole  number  for  the  State  over  1,000. 
The  Reserves  enlisted  frona  Illinois  occupied  a 
different  relation  to  the  Government  from  that 
of  the  "naval  militia"  of  other  States,  which 
retained  their  State  organizations,  while  those 
from  Illinois  were  regularly  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  The  recruits  from  Illinois 
were  embarked  at  Key  West,  Norfolk  and  Xew 
York,  and  distributed  among  fifty-two  different 
ves.sels,  including  nearly  every  vessel  belonging 
to  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  The\'  saw  serv- 
ice in  nearly  every  department  from  the  position 
of  stokers  in  the  hold  to  that  of  gunners  in  the 
turrets  of  the  big  battleships,  the  largest  number 
(60)  being  assigned  to  the  famous  battleship  Ore- 
gon, while  the  cruiser  Yale  followed  with  47 ;  the 
Harvard  with  35;  Cincinnati,  27;  Yankton,  19; 
Franklin,  18;  Montgomery  and  Indiana,  each,  17; 
Hector,  14;  Marietta.  11;  Wilmington  and  Lan- 
caster, 10  each,  and  others  down  to  one  each. 
Illinois  sailors  thus  had  the  privilege  of  partici- 
pating in  the  brilliant  affair  of  July  3.  which 
resulted  in  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet  off 
Santiago,  as  also  in  nearly  every  other  event  in 
the  West  Indies  of  less  importance,  without  the 
loss  of  a  man  while  in  the  service,  although 
among  the  nio.st  exposed.  They  were  mustered 
out  at  different  times,  as  they  could  be  spared 
from  the  service,  or  the  vessels  to  which  they 
were  attached  went  out  of  commission,  a  portion 
serving  out  their  full  term  of  one  year.  The 
Reserves  from  Chicago  retain  their  organization 
under  the  name  of  "Naval  Reserve  Veterans." 
with  headquarters  in  the  Masonic  Temple  Build- 
ing. Chicago. 

WARD,  James  H.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Cliicago.  Nov.  30.  1853,  and  educated  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools  and  at  the  University  of 
Notre  Dame,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1873. 
Three  years  later  he  graduated  from  the  Union 
College  of  Law.  Chicago,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  Since  then  he  has  continued  to  practice 
his  profession  in  his  native  city.  In  1879  he  was 
elected  Supervisor  of  the  town  of  West  Chicago, 


and,  iu  1884,  was  a  candidate  for  Presidential 
Elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  the  same 
year,  was  the  successful  candidate  of  his  parly 
for  Congre.ss  in  the  Third  Illinois  District,  serv- 
ing one  term. 

WIXXEBAGO  INDIANS,  a  tribe  of  the  Da 
cota,  or  Siou.Y,  stock,  which  at  one  time  occupied 
a  part  of  Northern  Illinois.  The  word  AVinne- 
bago  is  a  corruption  of  the  French  Ouinebe- 
goutz,  Ouimbcgouc,  etc.,  the  diphthong  "ou" 
taking  the  place  of  the  consonant  "w,"  which  is 
wanting  in  the  French  alphabet.  These  were, 
in  turn,  French  misspellings  of  an  Algonquin 
term  meaning  "fetid,"  which  the  latter  tribe 
ap|)lied  to  the  Winnebagoes  because  they  had 
come  from  the  western  ocean — the  salt  (or 
"fetid")  water.  In  their  advance  towards  the 
East  the  Winnebagoes  early  invaded  the  country 
of  the  Illinois,  but  were  finally  driven  north- 
ward by  the  latter,  who  surp;issed  them  in  num- 
bers rather  than  in  bravery.  The  invaders 
settled  in  Wisconsin,  near  the  Fox  River,  and 
here  they  were  first  visited  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  (See  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions.) The  Winnebagoes  are  commonly  re- 
garded as  a  Wisconsin  tribe;  yet.  that  they 
claimed  territorial  rights  in  Illinois  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  the  treaty  of  Prairia  du  Chien 
(August  1,  1829),  alludes  to  a  Winnebago  village 
located  in  what  is  now  Jo  Daviess  County,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Pecatonica  River.  While,  a-s  a 
rule,  the  tribe,  if  left  to  itself,  was  disiwsed  to 
live  in  amity  with  the  whites,  it  was  carried 
away  by  the  eloquence  and  diplomacy  of 
Tecumseh  and  the  cajoleries  of  "The  Prophet." 
General  Harrison  especially  alludes  to  the  brav- 
ery of  the  Winnebago  warriors  at  Tippecanoe' 
which  he  attributees  in  part,  however,  to  a  sui>er- 
stitious  faith  in  "The  Prophet."  In  June  or 
July,  1827,  an  unprovoked  and  brutal  outrage  by 
the  whites  upon  an  unoffending  and  practically 
defenseless  part}'  of  Winnebagoes,  near  Prairie 
du  Chien  brought  on  what  is  known  as  the 
'Winnebago  War."  (See  Winnebago  H'ar.) 
The  tribe  took  no  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
largely  because  of  the  great  influence  and  shrewd 
tactic  of  their  chief,  Naw-caw.  By  treaties 
executed  in  1832  and  1837  the  Winnebagoes  ceded 
to  the  United  States  all  their  lands  lying  ea.st  of 
the  Mississippi.  They  were  finally  removed  west 
of  that  river,  and,  after  many  shiftings  of  loca- 
tion, were  placed  upon  the  Omaha  Reservation  in 
Eastern  Nebraska,  where  their  industry,  thrift 
and  peaceable  disposition  elicited  high  praise 
from  Government  officials. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYClLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


577 


WARNER,  Vespasian,  lawyer  and  Member  of 
Congress,  was  born  in  De  Witt  County,  111.,  April 
2o,  1842,  and  has  lived  all  his  life  in  his  native 
county — his  present  residence  being  Clinton. 
After  a  short  course  in  Lombard  University, 
while  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Law- 
rence Weldon,  at  Clinton,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier  of  the  Twentieth  Illinois  Volunteers,  in 
June,  1801,  serving  until  July,  1866,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  Captain  and 
brevet  Major.  He  received  a  gunshot  wound  at 
Shiloh,  but  continued  to  serve  in  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  until  the  evacuation  of  Atlanta, 
wljen  he  was  ordered  North  on  account  of  dis- 
ability. His  last  service  was  in  fighting  Indians 
on  the  plains.  After  the  war  he  completed  his 
law  studies  at  Harvard  University,  graduating  in 
1868,  wlien  he  entered  into  a  law  partnership 
with  Clifton  H.  Moore  of  Clinton.  He  served  as 
Judge-Advocate  General  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard  for  several  years,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel, 
under  the  administrations  of  Governors  Hamil- 
ton, Oglesby  and  Fifer,  and,  in  1894,  was  nomi- 
nated and  elected,  as  a  Republican,  to  the 
Fifty-fourth  Congress  for  the  Thirteenth  District, 
being  re-elected  in  1896,  and  again  in  1898.  In 
the  Fifty-fifth  Congress,  Mr.  Warner  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Committees  on  Agriculture  and  Invalid 
Pensions,  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Revision  of  the  Laws. 

WARREN,  a  village  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  at 
intersection  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railways,  26  miles 
vi'est-northwest  of  Freeport  and  27  miles  east  by 
north  of  Galena.  The  surrounding  region  is 
agricultural  and  stock-rai.sing ;  there  are  also  lead 
mines  in  the  vicinity.  Tobacco  is  grown  to  some 
extent.  Warren  has  a  fluuring  mill,  tin  factory, 
creamery  and  stone  quarries,  a  State  bank,  water 
supply  from  artesian  wells,  fire  department,  gas 
plant,  two  weekly  newspapers,  five  churches,  a 
high  school,  an  academy  and  a  public  library. 
Pop.  (1890),  1,172;  (1900),  1,327. 

WARREN,  Calvin  A.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Essex  County,  N.  Y. ,  June  3,  1807 ;  in  his  youth, 
worked  for  a  time,  as  a  typographer,  in  the  office 
of  "The  Northern  Spectator."  at  Poultney,  Vt., 
.side  by  side  with  Horace  Greeley,  afterwards  the 
founder  of  "Tlie  New  York  Tribune."  Later,  he 
became  one  of  the  publishers  of  "The  Palladium" 
at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  but,  in  1832,  removed  to 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  where  he  began  the 
study  of  law,  completing  his  course  at  Transyl- 
vania University,  Ky.,  in  1834,  and  beginning 
practice   at    Batavia,    Ohio,    as  the  jiartner    of 


Thomas  Morris,  then  a  United  States  Senator 
from  Ohio,  whose  daughter  he  married,  thereby 
becoming  the  brother-in-law  of  the  late  Isaac  N. 
Morris,  of  Quincy,  111.  In  1836,  Mr.  Warren 
came  to  Quincy,  Adams  County,  111  ,  but  soon 
after  removed  to  Warsaw  in  Hancock  County, 
where  he  resided  until  1839,  when  he  returned  to 
Quincy.  Here  he  continued  in  practice,  either 
alone  or  as  a  partner,  at  different  times,  of  sev- 
eral of  the  leading  attorneys  of  that  city. 
Although  he  held  no  ofiice  except  that  of  Master 
in  Chancery,  which  he  occupied  for  some  sixteen 
years,  the  possession  of  an  inexhaustible  fund  of 
humor,  with  strong  practical  sense  and  decided 
ability  as  a  speaker,  gave  him  great  popularity 
at  the  bar  and  upon  the  stump,  and  made  him  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic 
party,  of  which  he  was  a  life-long  member.  He 
served  as  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Pierce 
ticket  in  1852,  and  was  the  nominee  of  his  party 
for  the  same  position  on  one  or  two  other  occa- 
sions.    Died,  at  Quincy,  Feb.  22,  1881. 

WARREN,  Hooper,  pioneer  journalist,  was 
born  at  Walpole,  N.  H.,  in  1790;  learned  theiirint- 
er's  trade  on  the  Rutland  (Vt.)  "Herald";  in 
1814  went  to  Delaware,  wlience,  three  years  later, 
he  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  working  for  a  time 
on  a  paper  at  Frankfort.  In  1818  he  came  to  St 
Louis  and  worked  in  the  office  of  the  old  "Mis- 
souri Gazette"  (the  predecessor  of  "The  Repub- 
lican"), and  also  acted  as  the  agent  of  a  lumber 
comjjany  at  Cairo,  111.,  when  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  that  place  consisted  of  one  family  domi- 
ciled on  a  grounded  flat-boat.  In  March,  1819, 
he  established,  at  Edwardsville,  the  third  paper 
in  Illinois,  its  predecessors  being  "The  Illinois 
Intelligencer,"  at  Kaskaskia,  and  "The  Illinois 
Emigrant,"  at  Shawneetown.  The  name  given 
to  the  new  paper  was  "The  Spectator,"  and  the 
contest  over  the  effort  to  introduce  a  pro-slavery 
clause  in  the  State  Constitution  soon  brought  it 
into  prominence.  Backed  by  Governor  Coles, 
Congressman  Daniel  P.  Cook,  Judge  S.  D.  Lock- 
wood,  Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  Judge  Wm.  H. 
Brown  (afterwards  of  Chicago),  George  Churchill 
and  other  opponents  of  slavery,  "The  Spectator" 
made  a  sturdy  fight  in  opposition  to  the  scheme, 
which  ended  in  defeat  of  the  measure  Ijy  the 
rejection  at  the  polls,  in  1824,  of  the  proposition 
for  a  Constitutional  Convention.  Warren  left 
the  Edwardsville  paper  in  182.5,  and  was,  for  a 
time,  associated  with  "The  National  Crisis,"  an 
anti-slavery  paper  at  Cincinnati,  but  soon  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  established  "The  Sangamon 
Spectator" — the  first  paper  ever  published  at  the 


578 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


present  State  capital.  This  he  sold  out  in  1829, 
and,  for  the  next  three  years,  was  connected 
with  "The  Advertiser  and  Upper  Mississippi  Her- 
ald,"  at  Galena.  Abandoning  this  field  in  1832. 
he  removed  to  Hennepin,  where,  within  the  next 
five  years,  he  held  the  offices  of  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit and  Count}'  Commissioners'  Courts  and  ex 
officio  Recorder  of  Deeds.  In  1836  he  began  the 
publication  of  the  third  paper  in  Chicago — "The 
Commercial  Advertiser"  (a  weekly) — which  was 
continued  a  little  more  than  a  year,  when  it  was 
abandoned,  and  he  settled  on  a  farm  at  Henry, 
Marshall  County.  His  further  newspaper  ven- 
tures were,  as  the  associate  of  Zebina  Eastman,  in 
the  publication  of  "The  Genius  of  Liberty,"  at 
Lowell,  La  Salle  County,  and  "The  Western 
Citizen" — afterwards  "The  Free  West" — in  Chi- 
cago. (See  Eastman,  Zebina,  and  Lundy,  Ben- 
jamin.) On  the  discontinuance  of  "The  Free 
West"  in  1856,  he  again  retired  to  his  farm  at 
Henry,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
While  returning  home  from  a  visit  to  Chicago, 
in  August,  1864,  he  was  taken  ill  at  Mendota, 
dying  there  on  the  22d  of  the  month. 

WARREN,  John  Esaias,  diplomatist  and  real- 
estate  operator,  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  1826, 
graduated  at  Union  College  and  was  connected 
with  the  American  Legation  to  Spain  during  the 
administration  of  President  Pierce:  in  1859-60 
was  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  Legislature  and, 
in  1861-62,  Mayor  of  St.  Paul;  in  1867,  came  to 
Chicago,  where,  while  engaged  in  real-estate 
business,  he  became  known  to  the  press  as  the 
author  of  a  series  of  articles  entitled  "Topics  of 
the  Time."  In  1886  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Brussels,  Belgium,  where  he  died,  July  C,  1896. 
Mr.  Warren  was  author  of  several  volumes  of 
travel,  of  which  "An  Attache  in  Spain"  and 
"Para"  are  most  important. 

WARREN  COl'MY.  A  western  county, 
created  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  in  1825,  but 
not  fully  organized  until  1830,  having  at  that  time 
about  350  inhabitants;  has  an  area  of  540  square 
miles,  and  was  named  for  Gen.  Joseph  Warren. 
It  is  drained  by  the  Henderson  River  and  its 
affluents,  and  is  traversed  by  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  (two  divisions),  the  Iowa 
Central  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe 
Railroads.  Bituminous  coal  is  mined  and  lime- 
stone is  quarried  in  large  quantities  The  county's 
early  development  was  retarded  in  consequence 
of  having  become  the  "seat  of  war,"  during  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  The  principal  products  are 
grain  and  live-stock,  although  manufacturing  is 
carried  on  to  some  extent.     The  countv-seat  and 


chief  city  is  Monmouth  (which  see).  Roseville 
is  a  sliipping  point.  Population  (1880),  22,933. 
(1890),  21.281;  (1900),  •23,163. 

W.\RHENSI{rR<i,  a  town  of  Macon  County, 
on  Peoria  Division  111.  Cent.  Railway,  9  miles 
northwest  of  Decatur;  has  elevators,  canning 
factory,  a  bank  and  newspaper.     Pop.  (1900),  503. 

W.VRS.VW,  the  largest  town  in  Hancock 
County,  and  a<lniirabl_v  situated  for  trade.  It 
stands  on  a  bluff  on  the  5Iississipi)i  River,  some 
three  miles  below  Keokuk,  and  about  40  miles 
above  Quincy.  It  is  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railway,  and  lies  116 
miles  west-southwest  of  Peoria.  Old  Hort 
Edwards,  established  by  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor, 
during  the  War  of  1812,  was  located  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  city  of  War.s;iw,  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Des  Moines  River.  An  iron 
foundry,  a  Uirge  woolen  mill,  a  plow  factory 
and  c<X)perage  works  are  its  principal  manufac- 
turing establishments.  The  channel  of  the  Missis- 
sippi admits  of  the  passage  of  the  largest  steamers 
up  to  this  point.  Warsaw  has  eight  churches,  a 
sj-stem  of  common  schools  comprising  one  high 
and  three  grammar  schools,  a  National  bank  and 
two  weekly  newspapers.  Population  (1880),  3.105; 
(1890),  2,721;  (1900),  2,335. 

WASHBl'R>',a  village  of  Woodford  County,  on 
a  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  25 
miles  northeast  of  Peoria;  has  banks  and  a 
weekly  pciper;  the  district  is  agricultural.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  .598;  (1900),  703. 

WASHBl'RNE,  Elihii  lienjauiio,  Congressman 
and  diplomatist,  was  born  at  Livermore,  5Iaine, 
Sept.  23,  1816 ;  in  early  life  learned  the  trade  of  a 
printer,  but  graduated  from  Harvard  Law  School 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840.  Coming 
west,  lie  settled  at  Galena,  forming  a  partnership 
with  Charles  .S.  Hempstead,  for  the  practice  of 
law,  in  1841.  He  was  a  stalwart  Whig,  and,  as 
such,  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1852.  He  con- 
tinued to  represent  his  District  until  1869,  taking 
a  prominent  position,  as  a  Republican,  on  the 
organization  of  that  party.  On  account  of  his 
long  service  he  was  known  as  the  "Father  of  the 
House."  administering  the  Speaker's  oath  three 
times  to  Schuyler  Colfax  and  once  to  James  G. 
Blaine.  He  was  ap|)ointed  Secretarj'  of  State  by 
General  Grant  in  1869,  but  surrendered  his  port- 
folio to  become  Envoy  to  France,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  achieved  great  distinction.  He  was  the 
only  official  representative  of  a  foreign  govern- 
ment who  remained  in  Paris,  during  the  siege  of 
that  city  by  the  Germans  (1870-71)  and  the  reign 
of  the   "Commune."     For  his  conduct   he  was 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


679 


honored  by  the  Governments  of  France  and  Ger- 
many alike.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
he  made  his  home  in  Cliicago,  where  he  devoted 
his  latter  years  chiefly  to  literary  labor,  and 
wliere  he  died,  Oct.  22,  1887.  He  was  strongly 
favored  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  in  1880. 

WASHINGTON,  a  city  in  Tazewell  County, 
situated  at  the  intersection  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  and  the 
Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western  Railroads.  It  is  31 
miles  west  of  El  Paso,  and  13  miles  east  of  Peoria. 
Carriages,  plows  and  farmini.;  implements  con- 
stitute the  manufactured  output.  It  is  also  an 
important  shipping-point  for  farm  products.  It 
has  electric  light  and  water-works  plants,  eight 
churches,  a  graded  school,  two  banks  and  two 
newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  1,301;  (1900),  1,451. 

WASHINGTON  COUNTY,  an  interior  county  of 
Southern  Illinois,  east  of  St  Louis ;  is  drained  by 
the  Kaskaskia  River  and  the  Elkhorn,  Beaucoup 
and  Muddy  Creeks;  was  organized  in  1818,  and 
has  an  area  of  540  square  miles.  The  surface  is 
diversified,  well  watered  and  timbered.  The 
soil  is  of  variable  fertility.  Corn,  wheat  and 
oats  are  the  chief  agricultural  products.  Manu- 
facturing is  carried  on  to  some  extent,  among 
the  products  being  agricultural  implements, 
flour,  carriages  and  wagons.  Tlie  most  impor- 
tant town  is  Nashville,  which  is  also  the  county- 
seat.  Population  (1890),  19,2(>2;  (1900),  19,526. 
Washington  was  one  of  the  fifteen  counties  into 
which  IlUnois  was  divided  at  the  organization  of 
the  State  Government,  being  one  of  the  last 
three  created  during  the  Territorial  period — the 
other  two  being  Franklin  and  Union. 

WASHINGTON  HEIGHTS,  a  village  of  Cook 
County,  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
and  the  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  Railways,  12  miles  southwest  of  Chicago; 
has  a  graded  school,  female  seminary,  military 
school,  a  car  factor)',  several  churches  and  a 
newspaper.    Annexed  to  City  of  Chicago,  1S90. 

WATAGA,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  8  miles 
northeast  of  Galesburg.     Population  (1900),  5io. 

WATERLOO,  the  county-seat  and  chief  town 
of  Monroe  County,  on  the  Illinois  Division  of  the 
Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad,  24  miles  east  of  south 
from  St.  Louis.  The  region  is  chiefly  agricultural, 
but  underlaid  with  coal.  Its  industries  embrace 
two  flour  mills,  a  plow  factory,  distillery,  cream- 
ery, two  ice  plants,  and  some  minor  concerns. 
The  city  has  municipal  water  and  electric  light 
plants,  four  churches,  a  graded  school  and  two 
newspapers.     Pop.  (1890),  1,860;  (1900).  3,114. 


WATERMAN,  Arba  Nelson,  lawyer  and  jurist, 

was  born  at  Greensboro,  Orleans  County,  Vt., 
Feb.  3,  1836.  After  receiving  an  academic  edu- 
cation and  teaching  for  a  time,  he  read  law  at 
Montpelier  and,  later,  passed  through  the  Albany 
Law  School.  In  1861  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  removed  to  Joliet,  111.,  and  opened  an  ofiice. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  One  Hun- 
dredth Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  with  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  for  two  years,  and 
being  mustered  out  in  August,  1864,  with  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  On  leaving  the 
army,  Colonel  Waterman  commenced  practice  in 
Chicago.  In  1873-74  he  represented  the  Eleventh 
Ward  in  the  City  Council.  In  1887  he  was  elected 
to  the  bench  of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1891  and,  again,  in  1897.  In 
1890  he  was  assigned  as  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Appellate  Com-t. 

WATSEKA,  the  county-seat  of  Iroquois  County, 
situated  on  tlie  Iroquois  River,  at  the  mouth  of 
Sugar  Creek,  and  at  tlie  intersection,  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois  and  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
W^estern  Railroads.  77  miles  south  of  Chicago,  46 
miles  north  of  Danville  and  14  miles  east  of 
Oilman.  It  has  flour-mills,  brick  and  tile  works 
and  foundries,  besides  several  churches,  banks,  a 
graded  school  and  three  weekly  newspapers. 
Artesian  well  water  is  obtained  by  boring  to  the 
depth  of  100  to  160  feet,  and  some  forty  flowing 
streams  from  these  shafts  are  in  the  place.  Popu- 
lation (1890),  2,017;  (1900),  2.505. 

W.ITTS,  Amos,  jurist,  was  born  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  Oct.  2.5,  1821,  but  removed  to  Wash- 
ington County  iu  boyhood,  and  was  elected  County 
Clerk  in  1847,  '49  and  "53,  and  State's  Attorney 
for  the  Second  Judicial  District  in  1856  and  '60; 
then  became  editor  and  proprietor  of  a  news- 
paper, later  resuming  the  practice  of  law,  and,  in 
1873,  was  elected  Circuit  Judge,  remaining  in 
office  until  his  death,  at  Nashville,  111  Dec.  6, 
1888. 

WAUKEGAN,  tlie  county-seat  and  principal 
city  of  Lake  County,  situated  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  and  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad,  about  36  miles  north  by  west 
from  Chicago,  and  50  miles  south  of  Milwaukee; 
is  also  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Elgin,  Johet 
&  Eastern  Railroad  and  connected  by  electric 
lines  with  Chicago  and  Fox  Lake.  Lake  Michigan 
is  about  80  miles  wide  opposite  this  point. 
W^aukegan  was  first  known  as  "Little  Fort," 
from  the  remains  of  an  old  fort  tliat  stood  on  its 
site.  The  principal  part  of  the  city  is  built  on  a 
blulT,  which  rises  abruptly  to  the  height  of  about 


680 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLIXOIS. 


fifty  feet.  Between  the  bluff  ami  tlie  shore  is  a 
fiat  tract  about  400  yards  wide  which  is  occupied 
by  gardens,  dwellings,  warehouses  and  manu- 
factories. The  manufactures  include  steel-wire, 
refined  sugar,  scales,  agricultural  implements, 
brass  and  iron  jjroducts,  sash,  doors  and  blinds, 
leather,  beer,  etc. ;  the  city  has  paved  streets,  gas 
and  electric  light  plants,  three  banks,  eight  or 
ten  churches,  grade<l  and  higli  schools  and  two 
newspapers.  A  large  trade  in  grain,  lumber,  coal 
and  dairy  products  is  carried  on.  Pop.  (1890), 
4,91.5;  (1900),  9,426. 

WAUKEGAN  &  SOUTHWESTERN  KAIL- 
WAY.     (See  Elgin,  Juliet  d-  Eu-'itcni  Jiailtray.) 

M'AVEIJLY,  a  city  in  Morgan  County,  18  miles 
southeast  of  Jacksonville,  on  the  Jacksonville  & 
St.  Louis  and  the  Chicago.  Peoria  it  St.  Louis 
Railroads.  It  was  originally  settled  by  enter- 
prising emigrants  from  New  England,  whose 
descendants  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  the 
population.  It  is  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural 
region,  has  a  fine  grailed  school,  six  or  seven 
churches,  two  banks,  two  newspapers  and  tile 
works.  Population  (1880),  1.124;  (1890).  1,337; 
(1900),  1,573. 

WAYNE,  (Wen.)  Anthony,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Chester  County,  Pa.,  Jan.  1,  1745,  of  Anglo-Irish 
descent,  graduated  as  a  Survej-or,  and  first  prac- 
ticed his  ])r()fession  in  Nova  Scotia.  During  the 
years  immediately  antecedent  to  the  Revolution 
he  was  prominent  in  the  colonial  councils  of  his 
native  State,  to  which  he  had  returned  in  17G7, 
where  he  became  a  memlier  of  the  "Committee  of 
Safety."  On  June  3,  177(i.  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  Fourtli  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
troops  in  the  Continental  armj-,  and,  during  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  was  conspicuous  for  his 
courage  and  ability  as  a  leader.  One  of  his  most 
daring  and  successful  achievements  was  the  cap- 
ture of  Stony  Point,  in  1779,  when — the  works 
iiaving  been  carried  and  Wayne  having  received, 
wliat  was  supposed  to  be,  his  death- wound— he 
entered  the  fort,  supported  by  his  aids.  For  this 
service  he  was  awarded  a  gold  medal  by  Con- 
gress. He  also  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
investiture  and  capture  of  Yorktown.  In  October, 
1783,  he  was  brevetted  Major-General.  In  1784 
he  was  elected  to  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature. 
A  few  years  later  he  settled  in  Georgia,  which 
State  he  represented  in  Congress  for  seven 
months,  when  his  seat  was  declared  vacant  after 
contest.  In  April,  1792,  he  was  confirmed  as 
General-in-Chief  of  the  LTnited  States  Army,  on 
nomination  of  President  Washington.  His  con- 
nection with  Illinois  history  hecan  shortly  after 


St.  Clair's  defeat,  when  he  led  a  force  into  Ohio 
(1783)  and  erected  a  stockade  at  Greenville, 
which  he  named  Fort  Recovery ;  his  object  being 
to  subdue  the  hostile  savage  tribes.  In  this  he 
was  eminently  successful  and,  on  August  3, 
1793,  after  a  victorious  campaign,  negotiated  the 
Treat}'  of  Greenville,  as  broad  in  its  provisions  as 
it  was  far-reaching  in  its  inlluence.  He  was  a 
daring  fighter,  and  although  Washington  called 
him  "prudent,"  his  dauntlessness  earned  for  him 
the  sobriiiuet  of  "Mad  Antliony."  In  matters  of 
dress  he  was  punctilious,  and,  on  this  account, 
he  was  sometimes  dubbed  "Dandy  Wayne.''  He 
was  one  of  the  few  white  otlicers  whom  all  tlie 
Western  Indian  tribes  at  once  feared  and  re- 
spected. They  named  him  "Black  Snake"  and 
"Tornado."  He  died  at  Presque  Isle  near  Erie, 
Dec.  15,  1796.  Thirteen  years  afterward  his 
remains  were  removed  by  one  of  his  sons,  and 
interred  in  Badnor  churchyard,  in  his  native 
county.  The  Penn.sylvania  Historical  Society 
erected  a  marble  monument  over  his  grave,  and 
appropriately  dedicated  it  on  July  4  of  the  sajiie 
year. 

WAYNE  COUNTY,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of 
the  State;  has  an  area  of  720  square  miles;  was 
organized  in  1819,  and  named  for  Gen.  Anthonj- 
Wayne.  The  county  is  watered  and  drained  by 
the  I-ittle  Wabash  and  its  branches,  notably  the 
Skillet  Fork.  At  the  first  election  held  in  the 
county,  only  fifteen  votes  were  cast.  Early  life 
was  exceedingly  primitive,  the  first  settlers 
pounding  corn  into  meal  with  a  wooden  pestle, 
a  hollowed  stump  being  used  as  a  mortar.  The 
first  mill  erected  (of  the  antique  South  Carolina 
pattern)  charged  i.j  cents  per  bushel  for  grinding. 
Prairie  and  woodland  make  up  the  surface,  and 
the  soil  is  fertile  Railroad  facilities  are  furnished 
by  the  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis  and  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  (Southwestern)  Railroads. 
Corn,  oats,  tobacco,  wheat,  hay  and  wool  are  the 
chief  agricultural  products.  Saw  mills  are  numer- 
ous and  there  are  also  carriage  and  wagon  facto- 
ries. Fairfield  is  the  countj'-seat.  Population 
(1880),  21,291;  (1890),  23.80(i;  "(1900),  27,(526, 

WEAS,  THE,  a  branch  of  the  Miami  tribe  of 
Indians.  They  called  themselves  "We-wee- 
hahs,"  and  were  spoken  of  by  the  French  as  "Oui- 
at-a-nons"  and  "Oui-as."  Other  corruptions  of 
the  name  were  common  among  the  British  and 
American  coloni.sts.  In  I7I8  they  had  a  village 
at  Chicago,  but  abandoned  it  through  fear  of 
their  hostile  neighbors,  the  Chippewas  and  Potta- 
watomies.  The  Weas  were,  at  one  time,  brave 
and  warlike;  but  their  numbers  were  reduced  by 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


581 


constant  warfare  and  disease,  and,  in  the  end, 
debauchery  enervated  and  demoralized  them. 
Tliey  were  removed  west  of  the  Mississippi  and 
given  a  reservation  in  Miami  County,  Kan.  This 
they  ultimately  sold,  and,  under  the  leadership 
of  Baptiste  Peoria,  united  witli  their  few  remain- 
ing brethren  of  the  Miamis  and  with  the  remnant 
of  the  111  iui  under  the  title  of  the  "confederated 
tribes,""  and  settled  in  Indian  Territory.  (See  also 
Mia  I)  I  is:  Pi  an  kesli  a  ws. ) 

WEBB,  Edwin  B.,  early  lawyer  and  politician, 
was  born  about  1S02,  came  to  the  vicinity  of 
Carmi,  White  County,  111.,  about  1828  to  1830, 
and,  still  later,  studied  law  at  Transylvania  Uni- 
versity. He  held  the  office  of  Prosecuting 
Attorney  of  White  County,  and,  in  1834,  was 
elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  General 
Assembl}',  serving,  by  successive  re-elections, 
until  1842,  and,  in  the  Senate,  from  1842  to  "46. 
During  his  service  in  the  House  he  was  a  col- 
league and  political  and  personal  friend  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  opposed  the  internal 
improvement  scheme  of  1837,  predicting  many 
of  the  disasters  which  were  actually  realized  a 
few  years  later.  He  was  a  candidate  for  Presi- 
dential Elector  on  the  Whig  ticket,  in  1844  and 
'48,  and,  in  18.52,  received  the  nomination  for 
Governor  as  the  opponent  of  Joel  A.  Matteson, 
two  years  later,  being  an  unsuccessful  candidate 
for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  opposition  to 
Juilge  W.  B.  Scates.  While  practicing  law  at 
curmi,  he  was  also  a  partner  of  his  brother  in 
the  mercantile  business.  Died,  Oct.  14,  1858,  in 
the  .^eth  year  of  liis  age. 

WEBB,  Henry  Livingston,  soldier  and  pioneer 
(an  elder  brother  of  James  Watson  Webb,  a  noted 
New  York  journalist),  was  born  at  Claveraek, 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  6,  1795;  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812,  came  to  Southern  Illinois  in  1817, 
and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of 
America  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio ;  was  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Fourth  and  Eleventh  General 
Assemblies,  a  Major  in  the  Black  Hawk  War  and 
Captain  of  volunteers  and,  afterwards.  Colonel  of 
regulars,  in  the  Mexican  War.  In  1860  he  went 
to  Texas  and  served,  for  a  time,  in  a  semi -mili- 
tary capacity  under  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment; returned  to  Illinois  in  1809,  and  died,  at 
Makanda.  Oct.  5.  1876. 

WEBSTER,  Fletcher,  lawyer  and  soldier,  was 
born  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  July  23,  1813;  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  in  1833,  and  studied  law  with 
his  father  (Daniel  Webster) ;  in  1837,  located  at 
Peru,  111.,  where  he  practiced  three  years.  His 
father  having  been  appointed  Secretary  of  State 


in  1841,  the  sou  became  his  private  secretary, 
was  also  Secretary  of  Legation  to  Caleb  Cushing 
(Minister  to  China)  in  1843,  a  member  of  the 
Massacluisetts  Legislature  in  1847,  and  Surve}'or 
of  the  Port  of  Boston,  1850-01,  the  latter  year 
became  Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  and  was  killed  in  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  August  30,  18G2. 

WEBSTER,  Joseph  Dana,  civil  engineer  and 
soldier,  was  born  at  Old  Hampton,  N.  H., 
August  25,  1811.  He  graduated  from  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1832,  and  afterwards  read 
law  at  Newburyport,  Mass.  His  natural  incli- 
nation was  for  engineering,  and,  after  serv- 
ing for  a  time  in  the  Engineer  and  War  offices, 
at  Washington,  was  made  a  LTnited  States  civil 
engineer  (1835)  and,  on  July  7,  1838,  entered  the 
army  as  Second  Lieutenant  of  Topographical 
Engineers.  He  served  through  the  Mexican 
War,  was  made  First  Lieutenant  in  1849,  and 
promoted  to  a  captaincy,  in  March,  1853.  Thir- 
teen months  later  he  resigned,  removing  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  made  his  permanent  home,  and 
soon  after  was  identified,  for  a  time,  with  the 
proprietorship  of  "The  Chicago  Tribune."  He 
was  President  of  the  commission  that  perfected 
the  Chicago  sewerage  system,  and  designed  and 
executed  the  raising  of  the  grade  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  city  from  two  to  eight  feet,  whole 
blocks  of  buildings  being  raided  by  jack  screws, 
while  new  foundations  were  inserted.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  tendered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  Government  and  .superintended  the 
erection  of  the  fortifications  at  Cairo,  111.,  and 
Paducah,  Ky.  On  April  7,  1861,  he  was  com- 
missioned Paymaster  of  Volunteers,  with  the 
rank  of  Major,  and,  in  Februarj-,  1862,  Colonel  of 
the  First  Illinois  Artillery.  For  several  months 
he  vvas  chief  of  General  Grant's  .staff,  participat 
ing  in  the  capture  of  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry, 
and  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  in  the  latter  as  Chiel 
of  Artillery.  In  October,  1862,  the  War  Depart- 
ment detailed  him  to  make  a  survey  of  the  Illi 
nois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and,  the  following  month 
he  was  commissioned  Brigadier-General  ot 
Volunteers,  servingas  Military  Governor  of  Mem- 
phis and  Superintendent  of  nulitary  railroads. 
He  was  again  chief  of  staff  to  General  Grant 
during  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  and,  from  1864 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  occupied  the  same 
relation  to  General  Sherman.  He  was  brevetted 
Major-General  of  Volunteers,  March  13,  1865,  but, 
resigning  Nov.  6,  following,  returned  to  Chicago, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  From 
1869  to  1872  he  was  Asses.sor  of  Internal  Revenue 


083 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


there,  and,  later,  Assistant  United  States  Treas- 
urer, and,  in  July,  1873,  was  appointed  Collector 
of  Internal  Revenue.  Died,  at  Chicago,  March 
12,  1876. 

WELCH,  William  R.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,  Jan.  22,  1828, 
educated  at  Transylvania  University,  Lexington, 
graduating  from  the  academic  department  in 
1847,  and,  from  the  law  school,  in  1851.  In  1864  he 
removed  to  Carlinville,  Macoupin  County,  111., 
which  place  he  made  liis  permanent  home.  In 
1877  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Fifth 
Circuit,  and  re-elected  in  1879  and  "85.  In  1884 
he  was  assigned  to  the  bench  of  the  Appellate 
Court  for  the  Second  District.  Died,  Sept.  1, 
1888. 

WELUON,  Lawrence,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
United  States  Court  of  Claims,  Washington, 
D.  C,  was  born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  in 
1829 ;  while  a  child,  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Madison  County,  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  the  local  academy  and  at  Wittenberg 
College,  Springfield,  in  the  same  State;  read  law 
with  Hon.  R.  A.  Harrison,  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Ohio  bar,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1854,  meanwhile,  in  1852-53,  having  served  as  a 
clerk  in  the  office  of  tlie  Secretary  of  State  at 
Columbus.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Illinois,  locat- 
ing at  Clinton,  DeWitt  County,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice;  in  1860  was  elected  a  Representative 
in  the  Twenty-second  General  Assembly,  was 
also  chosen  a  Presidential  Elector  the  same  year, 
and  assisted  in  the  first  election  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  the  Presidency.  Early  in  1861  he 
resigned  his  seat  in  the  Legislature  to  accept  the 
position  of  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  tendered  him  by 
President  Lincoln,  but  resigned  the  latter  office 
in  1866  and,  the  following  year,  removed  to 
Bloomington,  where  he  continued  the  practice  of 
his  profession  until  1883,  when  he  was  appointed, 
by  President  Arthur,  an  Associate  Justice  of  the 
United  States  Court  of  Cljiims  at  Washington — 
a  position  which  he  still  (1899)  continues  to  fill. 
Judge  Weldon  is  among  the  remaining  few  who 
rode  the  circuit  and  practiced  law  with  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. From  the  time  of  coming  to  the  State  in 
1854  to  1860,  he  was  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  most 
intimate  traveling  companions  in  the  old 
Eighth  Circuit,  which  extended  from  Sangamon 
Ccbunty  on  the  west  to  Vermilion  on  the  east,  and 
of  which  Judge  David  Davis,  afterwards  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  and  L^nited 
States  Senator,  was  tlie  presiding  Justice.  The 
Judge  holds  in  his  memory  many  pleasant  remi- 


niscences of  that  day,  especially  of  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  District,  where  he  was  accustomed 
to  meet  the  late  Senator  Voorhees,  Senator  Mc- 
Donald and  other  leading  lawyers  of  Indiana,  as 
well  as  the  historic  men  whom  he  met  at  the 
State  capital. 

WELLS,  Albert  W.,  lawyer  and  legislator,  was 
born  at  Woodstock,  Conn.,  May  9,  1839,  and 
enjoyed  only  such  educational  and  other  advan- 
tages as  belonged  to  the  average  New  England 
boy  of  that  period.  During  liis  boyhood  his 
family  removed  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  attended 
an  academy,  later,  graduating  from  Columbia 
College  and  Law  School  in  New  York  City,  and 
began  practice  with  State  Senator  Robert  Allen 
at  Red  Bank,  N.  J.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
enlisted  in  a  New  Jersey  regiment  and  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  resuming  his  profes- 
sion at  the  close  of  the  war.  Coming  west  in 
1870,  he  settled  in  Quincy,  111.,  where  he  con- 
tinued practice.  In  1880  he  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  Adams  County, 
as  a  Democrat,  and  re-elected  two  j-ears  later. 
In  1890  he  was  advanced  to  the  Senate,  where, 
by  re-election  in  1894,  he  served  continuously 
until  his  death  in  office,  March  5,  1897.  His 
abilities  and  long  service — covering  the  sessions 
of  the  Thirty-fifth  to  tlie  Fortieth  General  .Vssem- 
blies — placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  Democratic 
side  of  the  Senate  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
legislative  career. 

WELLS,  William,  soldier  and  victim  of  the 
Fort  Dearborn  massacre,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
about  1770.  When  a  lx)y  of  12,  he  was  captured 
by  the  Miami  Indians,  whose  chief,  Little  Turtle, 
adopted  him,  giving  him  his  daughter  in  mar- 
riage when  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  highly 
esteemed  by  the  tribe  as  a  warrior,  and,  in  1790, 
was  present  at  the  battle  where  Gen.  Arthur  St. 
Clair  was  defeated.  He  then  realized  that  he 
was  fighting  against  his  own  nice,  and  informed 
his  father-in-law  that  he  intended  to  ally  himself 
with  the  whites.  Leaving  the  Miamis,  he  made 
his  way  to  General  Wayne,  who  made  him  Cap- 
tain of  a  company  of  scouts.  After  the  treaty  of 
Greenville  (1795)  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  Fort 
Waj-ne.  where  he  was  joined  by  his  Indian  wife. 
Here  he  acted  as  Indian  Agent  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  In  1812  he  learned  of  the  contemplated 
evacuation  of  Fort  Dearborn,  and.  at  tlie  head  of 
thirty  Miamis,  he  set  out  for  the  post,  his  inten- 
tion being  to  furnish  a  body-guard  to  the  non- 
combatants  on  their  proposed  march  to  Fort 
Wayne.  On  Augxist  13,  he  marched  out  of  the 
fort  with  fifteen  of   liis  duskv  warriors  behind 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


583 


him,  the  remainder  bringing  up  the  rear.  Before 
a  mile  and  a  half  had  been  traveled,  the  party  fell 
into  an  Indian  ambuscade,  and  an  indiscrimi- 
nate massacre  followed.  (See  Fort  Dearborn.) 
The  Miamis  fled,  and  Captain  Wells'  body  was 
riddled  with  bullets,  his  head  cut  off  and  his 
heart  taken  out.  He  was  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Heald, 
wife  of  the  commander  of  Fort  Dearborn. 

WELLS,  William  Harrey,  educator,  was  born 
in  Tolland,  Conn.,  Feb.  37,  1813;  lived  on  a  farm 
until  17  years  old,  attending  school  irregularly, 
but  made  such  progress  that  he  became  succes- 
sively a  teacher  in  the  Teachers'  Seminary  at 
Andover  and  Newburyport,  and,  finally,  Principal 
of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Westfield,  Mass. 
In  1856  he  accepted  the  position  of  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Schools  for  the  city  of  Chicago, 
serving  till  1864,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  an 
organizer  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Teachers' 
Association,  one  of  the  first  editors  of  "The 
Massachusetts  Teacher''  and  prominently  con- 
nected with  various  benevolent,  educational  and 
learned  societies ;  was  also  author  of  several  text- 
books, and  assisted  in  the  revision  of  "Webster's 
Unabridged  Dictionary."     Died,  Jan.  31,  1885. 

WENONA,  city  on  the  eastern  border  of  Mar- 
shall County,  30  miles  south  of  La  Salle,  has 
zino  works,  public  and  parochial  schools,  a 
weekly  paper,  two  banks,  and  five  churches.  A 
good  (piality  of  soft  coal  is  mined  here.  Popu- 
lation (1880).  911;  (1890),  1,0.53;  (1900),  1.486. 

WENTWORTH,  John,  early  journalist  and 
Congressman,  was  born  at  Sandwich,  N.  H., 
March  5,  1815,  graduated  from  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  1836,  and  came  to  Chicago  the  same  year, 
where  lie  became  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Demo- 
crat," which  had  been  established  by  John  Cal- 
houn three  years  previous.  He  soon  after  became 
proprietor  of  "The  Democrat,"  of  which  he  con- 
tinued to  be  the  publisher  until  it  was  merged 
into  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  July  34,  1864.  He 
also  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois 
bar  in  1841.  He  served  in  Congress  as  a  Demo- 
crat from  1843  to  1851,  and  again  from  1853  to 
1855,  but  left  the  Democratic  party  on  the  repeal 
of  the  Mis.souri  Compromise.  He  was  elected 
Mayor  of  Chicago  in  1857,  and  again  in  1860, 
during  his  incumbency  introducing  a  number  of 
important  municipal  reforms ;  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1863,  and  twice 
served  on  the  Board  of  Education.  He  again 
represented  Illinois  in  Congress  as  a  Republican 
from  1865  to  1867 — making  fourteen  years  of 
service  in  that  body.  In  1873  he  joined  in  the 
Greeley  movement,  but  later  renewed  his  alle- 


giance to  the  Republican  party.  In  187i  4r.  Went- 
worth  published  an  elaborate  genealogical  work 
in  three  volumes,  entitled  "History  of  the  Went- 
worth  Family."  A  volume  of  "Congressional 
Reminiscences"  and  two  by  him  on  "Early  Chi- 
cago," published  in  connection  with  the  Fergus 
Historical  Series,  contain  some  valuable  informa- 
tion on  early  local  and  national  history.  On 
account  of  his  extraordinary  height  he  received 
the  sobriquet  of  "Long  John,"  by  which  he  was 
familiarly  known  throughout  the  State.  Died, 
in  Chicago,  Oct.  16,  1888. 

WEST,  Edward  M.,  merchant  and  banker,  was 
born  in  Virginia,  May  3,  1814;  came  with  his 
father  to  Illinois  in  1818 ;  in  1839  became  a  clerk 
in  the  Recorder's  oflSce  at  Edwardsville,  also 
served  as  deputy  postmaster,  and,  in  1833,  took  a 
position  in  the  United  States  Land  Office  there. 
Two  years  later  he  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  prosecuted  over  thirty  years — 
meanwhile  filling  the  office  of  County  Treasurer, 
ex-officio  Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  Delegate 
to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1847.  In  1867, 
in  conjunction  with  W.  R.  Prickett,  he  established 
a  bank  at  Edwardsville,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected until  his  death,  Oct.  31,  1887.  Mr.  West 
ofiieiated  frequently  as  a  "local  preacher"  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  in  which  capacity  he  showed 
much  ability  as  a  public  speaker. 

WEST,  Mary  Allen,  educator  and  philanthro- 
pist, was  born  at  Galesburg,  111.,  July  31,  1837; 
graduated  at  Knox  Seminary  in  1854  and  taught 
until  1873,  when  she  was  elected  County  Super- 
intendent of  Scliools,  serving  nine  years.  She 
took  an  active  and  influential  interest  in  educa- 
tional and  reformatory  movements,  was  for  two 
years  editor  of  "Our  Home  Monthly,"  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  also  a  contributor  to  other  journals, 
besides  being  editor-in-chief  of  "The  Union  Sig- 
nal," Chicago,  the  organ  of  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union — in  which  she  held  the 
position  of  President ;  was  also  President,  in  the 
latter  days  of  her  life,  of  the  Illinois  Woman's 
Press  Association  of  Chicago,  that  city  having 
become  her  home  in  1885.  In  1893,  Miss  West 
started  on  a  tour  of  the  world  for  the  benefit  of 
her  health,  but  died  at  Tokio,  Japan,  Dec.  1,  1892. 
WESTERN  HOSPITAL  FOR  THE  INSANE, 
an  institution  for  the  treatment  of  the  insane, 
located  at  Watertown,  Rock  Island  County,  in 
accordance  with  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly, 
approved.  May  33,1895.  The  Thirty-ninth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  made  an  appropriation  of  $100,000 
for  the  erection  of  fire-proof  buildings,  while 
Rock  Island  County  donated  a  tract  of  400  acres 


684 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  land  valued  at  S4ii,(IUU.  The  site  selected  by  the 
Commissioners,  is  a  commanding  one  overlooking 
the  Mississippi  River,  eight  miles  above  Rock 
Island,  and  five  and  a  half  miles  from  Moline,  and 
the  buildings  are  of  the  most  modern  style  of  con- 
struction. Watertown  is  reached  by  two  lines  of 
railroad — the  Cliicago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincj' — besides  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  erection  of  buildings  was 
begun  in  1896,  and  they  were  opened  for  the 
reception  of  patients  in  1898.  They  have  a  ca- 
pacity for  800  patients. 

WESTERN  MILITAllY  ACADEMY,  an  insti 
tution  located  at  Upper  Alton,  Madison  County, 
incorporated  in  1H92;  lias  a  faculty  of  eight  mem- 
bers and  reports  eighty  pupils  for  1897-98,  with 
property  valued  at  .STO.OOO.  The  institution  gives 
instruction  in  literary  and  scientific  branches, 
besides  preparatory  and  busine.^s  courses. 

WESTERN  NOR.MAL  COLLEGE,  located  at 
Bushnell,  McDonough  County ;  incorporated  in 
1888.  It  is  co-educational,  has  a  corps  of  twelve 
instructors  and  reported  .500  pupils  for  1897-98, 
300  males  and  200  females. 

WESTERN  SPRINGS,  a  village  of  Cook 
County,  and  residence  suburb  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincj'  Rail- 
road, 15  miles  west  of  the  initial  station. 
Population  (1890),  4.51;  (l'.>00),  (iG2. 

WESTERN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 
located  in  Chicago  and  controlled  by  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church.  It  was  founded  in  1883 
through  the  munificence  of  Dr.  Tolman  AV'heeler, 
and  was  opened  for  students  two  years  later.  It 
has  two  buildings,  of  a  su|)erior  order  of  archi- 
tecture— one  including  the  school  and  lecture 
rooms  and  the  other  a  dormitory.  A  hospital 
and  gymnasium  are  attached  to  the  latter,  and  a 
school  for  boys  is  cxjnducted  on  the  first  floor  of 
the  main  building,  wliich  is  known  as  Wheeler 
Hall.  The  institution  is  luuler  the  general  super- 
vision of  Rt.  Rev.  William  E.  McLaren,  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Illinois. 

WESTFIELD,  village  of  Clark  County,  on  Cin., 
Ham.  tt  Daj'ton  R.  R. ,  10  m.  s  -e.  of  Charleston ; 
seat  of  Westfteld  College:  has  a  liank.  five 
churches  and  two  newspapers.     Pdp   (lUOO)   820. 

WEST  SALEM,  a  town  of  Edwards  County,  on 
the  Peoria-Evansville  Div.  lil  Cent  R.  R..  12 
miles  northeast  nf  Albion;  lias  a  bank  and  a 
weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1890).  476;  (1900),  700. 

WETHERELL,  Emma  Abhott,  vocalist,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  Dec.  9,  1849;  in  her  childhood 
attracted  attention  while  singing  with  her  father 
(a  Door  musician)  in  hotels  and  on  the  streets  in 


Chicago,  Peoria  and  elsewhere;  at  18  years  of 
age,  went  to  New  York  to  study,  earning  her  way 
by  giving  concerts  en  route,  and  receiving  aid 
and  encouragement  from  Clara  Louisa  Kellogg; 
in  New  York  was  patronized  bj'  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  and  others,  and  aided  in  securing  the 
training  of  European  masters.  Compelled  to  sur- 
mouiit  many  obstacles  from  poverty  and  other 
causes,  her  after  success  in  her  profession  was 
phenomenal.  Died,  during  a  professional  tour, 
at  Salt  Lake  City,  Jan.  5,  1891.  Mi.ss  Abbott 
married  her  manager,  Eugene  Wetherell,  who 
died  before  her. 

WHEATON,  a  city  and  the  county-.seat  of  Du 
Page  County,  situated  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway,  2.")  miles  west  of  Chicago.  .-Vgri- 
ciilture  and  stock-raising  are  the  chief  industries 
in  the  surrounding  region.  The  city  owns  a  new 
water-.-.crks  plant  (costing  S60.000)  and  has  a 
public  library  valued  at  §75,000.  the  gift  of  a 
resident.  Mr.  John  yuincy  Adams;  lias  a  court 
house,  electric  light  plant,  sewerage  and  drainage 
.system,  seven  churches,  three  graded  schools, 
four  weekly  newspapers  and  a  State  bank. 
Wheaton  is  the  seat  of  Wheatori  Ciillege  (which 
see)  Population  (1880),  1,160;  (1890),  1.622; 
(1900J,  2  :i45 

WHEATON  COLLEGE,  an  educational  insti- 
tution located  at  Wheaton,  Du  Page  County,  and 
under  Congregational  control.  It  was  founded 
in  18.53,  as  the  Illinois  Institute,  and  was  char- 
tered under  its  present  name  in  1860.  Its  early 
existence  was  one  of  struggle,  but  of  late  years  it 
has  beeu  established  on  a  better  foundation,  in 
1898  having  .$54,000  invested  in  productive  funds, 
and  property  aggregating  $136  000.  The  faculty 
comprises  fifteen  professors,  and,  in  1898,  there 
were  321  students  in  attendance.  It  is  co-edu- 
cational and  instruction  is  given  in  business  and 
preparatory  studies,  as  well  as  the  fine  arts, 
musi<-  and  clas,sical  literature. 

WHEELER, David  Hilton, D.l).,  LL.D.,clergy- 
man,  was  boru  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  19,  1829; 
graduated  at  Rock  River  Seminary,  Mount 
Morris,  in  1851;  edited  "The  Carroll  County 
Republican"  and  held  a  professorship  in  Cornell 
College,  Iowa,  (1857-61) ;  was  United  States  Con- 
sul at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  (1861-66) ;  Professor  of 
EngUsh  Literature  in  Northwestern  University 
(1867-75);  edited  "The  Methodist"  in  New  York, 
seven  years,  and  was  President  of  Allegheny 
College  (1883-87);  received  the  degree  of  D.D. 
from  Cornell  College  in  1867,  and  that  of  LL.D. 
from  the  Northwestern  L'niversity  in  1881.  He 
is  the  author  of   "Brigandage  in  South  Italy" 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


58& 


(two  volumes,  1864)  and  "B}--Ways  of  Literature'' 
(1883),  besides  some  translations. 

WHEELEIl,  Hamilton  K.,  ex-Congressman, 
was  born  at  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  August  5,  18-18,  but 
emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1853; 
remained  on  a  farm  until  19  years  of  age,  his 
educational  advantages  being  limited  to  three 
months"  attendance  upon  a  district  school  each 
year.  In  1871,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Kankakee,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  prac- 
tice. In  1884  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  Six- 
teenth District  in  the  State  Senate,  where  he 
served  on  many  important  committees,  being 
Chairman  of  that  on  the  Judicial  Department. 
In  1S9'3  he  was  elected  Representative  in  Con- 
gress from  the  Ninth  Illinois  District,  on  the 
Republican  ticket. 

WHEELI>'(jc,  a  town  on  the  northern  border  of 
Cook  County,  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railway. 
Population  (1890).  811;  (1900),  331. 

WHISTLER,  (JIaj,)  John,  soldier  and  builder 
of  the  first  Fort  Dearborn,  was  born  in  Ulster,  Ire- 
land, about  1756;  served  under  Burg03'ne  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  with  the  force  surrendered 
by  that  officer  at  Saratoga,  in  1777.  After  the 
peace  he  returned  to  tlie  United  States,  settled  at 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  entered  the  United  States 
Arm3%  serving  at  first  in  the  ranks  and  oeing 
severely  wounded  in  the  disastrous  Indian  cam- 
paigns of  1791.  Later,  he  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy  and,  in  the  summer  of  1803,  sent  with 
his  company,  to  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan, 
where  he  constructed  the  first  Fort  Dearborn 
within  the  limits  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago, 
remaining  in  command  until  1811,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Captain  Heald.  He  received  the 
brevet  rank  of  JIajor,  in  181o  was  appointed 
military  store- keeper  at  Newport,  Ky.,  and  after- 
wards at  Jefferson  Barracks,  near  St.  Louis, 
where  he  died,  Sept.  3,  1829.  Lieut.  William 
Whistler,  his  son,  who  was  with  his  father,  for  a 
time,  in  old  Fort  Dearborn — but  transferred,  in 
1809,  to  Fort  Wayne — was  of  the  force  included 
in  Hull's  surrender  at  Detroit  in  1812.  After 
his  exchange  lie  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy,  to 
the  rank  of  Major  in  1826  and  to  a  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nelcy in  1845,  dying  at  Newport,  Ky.,  in  1863. 
James  Abbott  McNiel  Whistler,  the  celebrated, 
but  eccentric  artist  of  that  name,  is  a  grandson 
of  the  first  Major  Whistler. 

WHITE,  (ieorge  E.,  ex-Congressman,  was  born 
in  Ma.ssaohusetts  in  1848;  after  graduating,  at  the 
age  of  10.  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Fifty- 
seventh  Massachusetts  Veteran  Volunteers,  serv- 
ing   under     General     Grant     in    the    campaign 


against  Richmond  from  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness until  the  surrender  of  Lee.  Having  taken  a 
course  in  a  commercial  college  at  Worcester, 
Mass.,  in  1867  he  came  to  Chicago,  securing  em- 
ployment in  a  lumber  yard,  but  a  year  later 
began  business  on  his  own  account,  which  he  has 
suocessfullj-  conducted.  In  1878  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  as  a  Republican,  from  one  of 
the  Chicago  Districts,  and  re-elected  four  years 
later,  serving  in  that  body  eight  years.  He 
decHned  a  nomination  for  Congress  in  1884,  but 
accepted  in  1894,  and  was  elected  for  the  Fifth 
District,  as  he  was  again  in  1896,  but  was 
defeated,  in  1898,  by  Edward  T.  Noonan,  Demo- 
crat. 

WHITE,  Horace,  journalist,  was  born  at  Cole- 
brook.  N  H.,  August  10,  1834;  in  1853  graduated 
at  Beloit  College,  Wis. ,  whither  his  father  had 
removed  in  1837 ;  engaged  in  journalism  as  city 
editor  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Journal,"  later 
becoming  agent  of  the  Associated  Press,  and,  in 
1857,  an  editorial  writer  on  "The  Chicago  Trib- 
une," during  a  part  of  the  war  acting  as  its 
Washington  correspondent.  He  also  served,  in 
1856,  as  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Kansas 
National  Committee,  and,  later,  as  Secretary  of 
the  Republican  State  Central  Committee.  In 
1864  he  purchased  an  interest  in  "The  Tribune," 
a  year  or  so  later  becoming  editor-in-chief,  but 
retired  in  October,  1874.  After  a  protracted 
Eurojiean  tour,  he  united  with  Carl  Schurz  and 
E.  L.  Godkin  of  "The  Nation,"  in  the  purchase 
and  reorganization  of  "The  New  York  Evening 
Post,"  of  which  he  is  now  editor-in-chief. 

WHITE,  Julius,  soldier,  was  born  in  Cazen- 
ovia,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  29,  1816;  removed  to  Illinois 
in  1836,  residing  there  and  in  Wisconsin,  where 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1849 ;  in 
1861  was  made  Collector  of  Customs  at  Chicago, 
but  resigned  to  assume  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers,  which  he 
commanded  on  the  Fremont  expedition  to  South- 
west Missouri.  He  afterwards  served  with  Gen- 
eral Curtiss  in  Arkansas,  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Brigadier-General.  He  was  subsequently 
assigned  to  the  Department  of  the  Shenandoah, 
but  finding  his  position  at  Martinsburg,  W.  Va., 
untenable,  retired  to  Harper's  Ferry,  voluntarily 
serving  under  Colonel  Miles,  his  inferior  in  com- 
mand. When  this  post  was  surrendered  (Sept. 
15,  1862),  he  was  made  a  prisoner,  but  released 
under  parole ;  was  tried  by  a  court  of  inquiry  at 
his  own  request,  and  acquitted,  the  court  finding 
that  he  had  acted  with  courage  and  capability. 


686 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF  ILLINOIS. 


He  resigned  in  1864,  and,  in  March,  1865,  was 
brevetted  Major-General  of  Volunteers.  Died, 
at  Evanston,  May  12,  1890. 

WHITE  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  southeastern 
quarter  of  the  State,  and  bounded  on  the  east  by 
the  Wabash  River;  was  organized  in  1816,  being 
the  tenth  county  organized  during  the  Territorial 
period:  area,  500  square  miles.  The  county  is 
crossed  by  three  railroads  and  drained  by  the 
Wabash  and  Little  Wabash  Rivers.  The  surface 
consists  of  prairie  and  woodland,  and  the  soil  is, 
for  the  most  part,  highly  productive.  The  princi- 
pal agricultural  products  are  corn,  wheat,  oats, 
potatoes,  tobacco,  fruit,  butter,  sorghum  and 
wool.  The  principal  industrial  e.stablishments 
are  carriage  factories,  saw  mills  and  flour  mills. 
Carmi  is  the  county-seat.  Other  towns  are  En- 
field, Grayville  and  Norris  City.  Population 
(1880),  23,087;  (1890),  25,005;  (11100).  2.5,386. 

WHITEH.\LL,  a  city  in  Greene  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Cliicago  &  Alton  and  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads,  65  miles 
north  of  St.  Louis  and  24  miles  south-southwest 
of  Jacksonville;  in  rich  farming  region;  has 
stoneware  and  sewer-pipe  factories,  foundry  and 
machine  shop,  flour  mill,  elevators,  wagon  shops, 
creamery,  water  system,  sanitarium,  heating, 
electric  light  and  power  system  nurseries  and 
fruit-supply  houses,  and  two  poultry  packing 
houses;  also  has  five  churches,  a  graded  school, 
two  banks  and  three  newspapers — one  daily.  Pop- 
ulation (1890),  1,961 ;  (1900),  2,030. 

WHITCHOUSE,  Henry  John,  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Bishop,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  August 
19,  1803 ;  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in 
1821,  and  from  the  (New  York)  General  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  in  1824.  After  ordination  he  was 
rector  of  various  parishes  in  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Y'ork  until  1851,  when  he  was  chosen  Assist- 
ant Bishop  of  Illinois,  succeeding  Bishop  Chase 
in  1852.  In  1867,  by  invitation  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  he  delivered  the  opening  sermon 
before  the  Pan-Anglican  Conference  held  in 
England.  During  this  visit  he  received  the 
degree  of  D.D.  from  Oxford  University,  and  that 
of  LL.D.  from  Cambridge.  His  rigid  views  as  a 
churchman  and  a  disciplinarian,  were  illustrated 
in  his  prosecution  of  Rev.  Charles  Edward 
Cheney,  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  a  brilliant 
orator  and  a  trenchant  and  unyielding  controver- 
sialist.    Died,  in  Chicago,  August  10,  1874. 

WHITESIDE  COrXTY,  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  State  bordering  on  the  Mississippi 
River;  created  by  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  in 


1836,  and  named  for  Capt.  Samuel  Whiteside,  a 
noted  Indian  fighter;  area,  700  square  miles.  The 
surface  is  level,  diversified  by  prairies  and  wood- 
land, and  the  soil  is  extremely  fertile.  The 
county-seat  was  first  fixed  at  Lyndon,  then  at 
Sterling,  and  finally  at  Morrison,  its  present 
location.  The  Rock  River  crosses  the  county 
and  furnishes  abundant  water  power  for  numer- 
ous factories,  turning  out  agricultural  imple- 
ments, carriages  and  wagons,  furniture,  woolen 
goods,  flour  and  wrapping  paper.  There  are  also 
distilling  and  brewing  interests,  besides  saw  and 
planing  mills.  Corn  is  the  staple  agricultural 
product,  although  all  the  leading  cereals  are 
extensively  grown.  The  principal  towns  are 
Morrison,  Sterling,  Fulton  and  Rock  Falls.  Popu- 
lation  (1880),  30,885;  (18110),  30.854;  (1900),  34.710. 

WHITESIDE,  WilHaiii,  pioneer  and  soldier  of 
the  Revolution,  emigrat-eil  from  the  frontier  of 
North  Carolina  to  Kentucky,  and  thence,  in  1793, 
to  the  present  limits  of  Monroe  County,  111., 
erecting  a  fort  between  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia, 
which  became  widely  known  as  "Whiteside 
Station."  He  served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  was  active  in  organizing  the  militia  during 
the  War  of  1812-14,  dying  at  the  old  Station  in 
1815. — John  (Whiteside),  a  brother  of  the  preced- 
ing, and  also  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  came  to 
Illinois  at  the  same  time,  as  also  did  M'illiaui  B. 
and  Samuel,  sons  of  the  two  brothers,  respec- 
tively. All  of  them  became  famous  as  Indian 
fighters.  The  two  latter  served  as  Captains  of 
companies  of  "Rangers"  in  the  War  of  1812, 
Sanuiel  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Rock  Island 
in  1814,  and  contributing  greatly  t(j  the  success 
of  the  day.  During  the  Black  Hawk  War  (1832) 
he  attained  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General. 
Whiteside  County  was  named  in  his  honor.  He 
made  one  of  the  earliest  improvements  in  Ridge 
Prairie,  a  rich  section  of  Madison  County,  and 
represented  that  county  in  the  First  General 
Assembly.  William  B.  served  as  Sheriff  of  Madi- 
son County  for  a  number  of  years.  —  John  D. 
(Whiteside),  another  member  of  this  historic 
family,  became  very  prominent,  serving  in  the 
lower  House  of  the  Seventh,  Eighth,  Ninth  and 
Fourteenth  General  Assemblies,  and  in  the  Sen- 
ate of  the  Tenth,  from  Monroe  County;  was  a 
Presidential  Elector  in  1836,  State  Treasurer 
(1837-41)  and  a  member  of  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1847.  General  Whiteside,  as 
he  was  known,  was  the  second  of  James  Shields 
in  the  famous  Shields  and  Lincoln  duel  (so-called) 
in  1842,  and,  as  such,  carried  the  challenge  of  the 
former  to  Mr.  Lincoln.     (See  Duels. ) 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


587 


WHITING,  Lorenzo  D.,  legislator,  was  born 
in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  17,  1819;  came  to 
Illinois  in  1838,  but  did  not  settle  there  perma- 
nently until  1849,  when  he  located  in  Bureau 
County.  He  was  a  Representative  from  that 
county  in  the  Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly 
(1869),  and  a  member  of  the  Senate  continuously 
from  1871  to  1887,  serving  in  the  latter  through 
eight  General  Assemblies.  Died  at  his  home 
near  Tiskilwa,  Bureau  County,  111.,  Oct.  10, 
1889. 

WHITINfc!,  Richard  H.,  Congressman,  was 
born  at  West  Hartford,  Conn.,  June  17,  1826,  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  In  1862  he 
was  commissioned  Paymaster  in  the  Volunteer 
Army  of  the  Union,  and  resigned  in  1866.  Hav- 
ing removed  to  Illinois,  he  was  appointed  Assist- 
ant Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  Fifth 
Illinois  District,  in  February,  1870,  and  so  contin- 
ued until  the  abolition  of  the  office  in  1873.  On 
retiring  from  the  Assessorship  he  was  appointed 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue,  and  served  until 
March  4,  1875,  when  he  resigned  to  take  his  seat 
as  Republican  Representative  in  Congress  from 
the  Peoria  District,  to  which  he  had  been  elected 
in  November,  1874.  After  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  held  no  public  office,  but  was  a  member 
of  the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1884. 
Died,  at  the  Continental  Hotel,  in  New  York 
City,  May  24,  1888. 

WHITNEY,  James  W.,  pioneer  lawyer  and 
early  teacher,  known  by  the  nickname  of  "Lord 
Coke";  came  to  Illinois  in  Territorial  days  (be- 
lieved to  have  been  about  1800) ;  resided  for  some 
time  at  or  near  Edwardsville,  tlien  became  a 
teacher  at  Atlas,  Pike  County,  and,  still  later,  the 
first  Circuit  and  County  Clerk  of  tliat  county. 
Though  nominally  a  lawyer,  he  had  little  if  any 
practice.  He  acquired  the  title,  by  which  he  was 
popularly  known  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  by 
his  custom  of  visiting  the  State  Capital,  during 
the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly,  when 
he  would  organize  the  lobb3-ists  and  visit- 
ors about  the  capital — cjf  which  there  were  an 
unusual  number  in  those  days — into  what  was 
called  the  "Third  House."  Having  been  regu- 
larly chosen  to  preside  mider  the  name  of 
"Speaker  of  the  Lobby,"  he  would  deliver  a  mes- 
sage full  of  practical  hits  and  jokes,  aimed  at 
members  of  the  two  houses  and  others,  which 
would  be  received  with  cheers  and  laughter. 
The  meetings  of  the  "Third  House,"  being  held 
in  the  evening,  were  attended  by  many  members 
and  visitors  in  lieu  of  other  forms  of  entertain- 
ment.    Mr.  Whitney's  home,  in  his  latter  years. 


was  at    Pittsfield.     He    resided    for    a  time  at 
Quincy.     Died?  Dec.  13,  1860,  aged  over  80  years. 

WHITTEMORE,  Floyd  K.,  State  Treasurer,  is 
a  native  of  New  York,  came  at  an  early  age,  with 
his  parents,  to  Sycamore,  111.,  where  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  high  school  there.  He  purposed 
becoming  a  lawyer,  but,  on  the  election  of  the 
late  James  H.  Beveridge  State  Treasurer,  in  1864, 
accepted  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  office. 
Later,  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  banking 
house  of  Jacob  Bunn  in  Springfield,  and,  on  the 
organization  of  the  State  National  Bank,  was 
chosen  cashier  of  that  Institution,  retaining  the 
position  some  twenty  years.  After  the  appoint- 
ment of  Hon.  John  R.  Tanner  to  the  position  of 
Assistant  Treasurer  of  the  United  States,  at  Chi- 
cago, in  1892,  Mr.  Whittemore  became  cashier  in 
that  office,  and,  in  1865,  Assistant  State  Treas- 
rure  under  the  administration  of  State  Treasurer 
Henry  Wulff.  In  1898  he  was  elected  State 
Treasurer,  receiving  a  plurality  of  43,450  over 
his  Democratic  opponent. 

WICKERSHAM,  (Col.)  Dudley,  soldier  and 
merchant,  was  born  in  Woodford  County,  Ky., 
Nov.  22,  1819;  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  in  1843, 
and  served  as  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers  (Col.  E.  D.  Baker's)  through 
the  Mexican  W^ar.  On  the  return  of  peace  he 
engaged  in  the  dry-goods  trade  in  Springfield, 
until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Tenth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Cavalry,  serving,  first  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  and  then  as  Colonel,  imtil  May,  1864, 
when,  his  regiment  having  been  consolidated 
with  the  Fifteenth  Cavab-y,  he  resigned.  After 
the  war.  he  held  the  office  of  Assessor  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  several  years,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  trade.  Died,  in  Springfield, 
August  8,  1898. 

WIDEN,  Raphael,  pioneer  and  early  legislator, 
was  a  native  of  Sweden,  who,  having  been  taken 
to  France  at  eight  years  of  age,  was  educated  for 
a  Catholic  priest.  Coming  to  the  United  States 
in  1815,  he  was  at  Cahokia,  111.,  in  1818,  where, 
during  tlie  same  year,  he  married  into  a  French 
family  of  that  place.  He  served  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  Randolph  County,  in  the 
Second  and  Third  General  Assemblies  (1820-24), 
and  as  Senator  in  the  Fourth  and  Fifth  (1824-28). 
During  his  last  term  in  the  House,  he  was  one  of 
those  who  voted  against  the  pro-slavery  Con- 
vention resolution.  He  died  of  cholera,  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  in  1833. 

WIKE,  Scott,  lawyer  and  ex-Congressman,  was 
born  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  April  6,  1834;  at  4  years 
of  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  Quincy,  111., 


588 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


and,  in  1844,  to  Pike  County.  Having  graduated 
from  Lombard  University.  Galesburg,  in  1857,  he 
began  reading  law  with  Judge  O.  C.  Skinner  of 
Quincy.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858, 
but,  before  commencing  practice,  spent  a  year  at 
Harvard  Law  School,  graduating  there  in  1859. 
Immediately  thereafter  he  opened  an  office  at 
Pittsfield,  111.,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since. 
In  polities  he  has  alwaj-s  been  a  strong  Democrat. 
He  served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature  (1863-67) 
and,  in  1874,  was  chosen  Representative  from  his 
District  in  Congi-ess,  being  re-elected  in  1888 and, 
again,  in  1890.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland  Third  Assistant  Secretary 
i>f  the  Treasury,  wliich  position  he  continued 
to  fill  until  March,  1897,  when  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  law  at  Pittsfield.  Died  Jan.  l.>,  1901 
WILEY,  (Col.)  Itenjamiii  Ladd,  soldier,  was 
born  in  Smithfleld,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio, 
March  35,  1821,  came  to  Illinois  in  1845  and  began 
life  at  Vienna,  Johnson  County,  as  a  teacher. 
In  1846  he  enlisted  for  the  Mexican  War,  as  a 
member  of  the  Fifth  (Colonel  Newby's)  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  chiefly  in  New 
Slexico  until  mustered  out  in  1848.  A  year  later 
he  removed  to  Jonesboro,  where  lie  si)ent  some 
time  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  after  which  he 
became  clerk  in  a  store,  meanwhile  assisting  to 
edit  "The  Jonesboro  Gazette"  until  1853;  then 
became  traveling  salesman  for  a  St.  Louis  firm, 
but  later  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade  at 
Jonesboro,  in  which  he  continued  for  .several 
J'ears.  In  1850  he  was  the  Republican  candidate 
for  Congress  for  the  Ninth  District,  receiving 
4,000  votes,  while  Fremont,  the  Republican  can- 
didate for  President,  received  only  8i5  in  the 
same  district.  In  1857  he  opened  a  real  estate 
office  in  Jonesboro  in  conjunction  with  David  L. 
Phillips  and  Col.  J.  W.  .A-shley,  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  1860,  when  he  removed  to 
Makanda,  Jackson  County.  In  September,  1861. 
he  was  mustered  in  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  later  serving  in  Mis-souri 
and  Arkansas  under  Generals  Steele  and  Curtiss, 
being,  a  part  of  the  time,  in  command  of  the  First 
Brigade  of  Cavalry,  and,  in  the  advance  on  Vicks- 
burg,  having  command  of  the  right  wing  of 
General  Grant's  cavalry.  Being  disabled  by 
rheumatism  at  the  end  of  the  siege,  he  tendered 
his  resignation,  and  was  immediately  appointed 
Enrolling  Officer  at  Cairo,  serving  in  this  capac- 
ity until  May,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out. 
In  1869  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pahuer 
one  of  the  Commissioners  to  locate  the  Southern 
Illinois  Hospital  for  the  Insane,   and  served  as 


Secretary  of  the  Board  until  the  institution  wa;; 
opened  at  Anna,  in  May,  1871.  In  1869  he  was 
defeated  as  a  candidate  for  County  Judge  of 
Jackson  County,  and,  in  1873,  for  the  State  Sen- 
ate, by  a  small  majority  in  a  strongly  Democratic 
District;  in  1876  was  the  Republican  candidate 
for  Congress,  in  the  Eighteenth  District,  against 
William  Hartzell,  but  was  defeated  by  only 
twenty  votes,  while  carrying  six  out  of  the  ten 
counties  comprising  the  Di.strict.  In  the  latter 
years  of  his  life.  Colonel  Wiley  was  engaged  quite 
extensively  in  fruit-growing  at  Makanda,  Jack- 
son County,  where  lu>  died,  JIarch  33,  1890. 

WILKIE,  Franc  Itausrs,  journalist,  was  born 
in  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  July  3,  1830;  t(X)k  a 
partial  course  at  Union  College,  after  which  he 
edited  papers  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  Elgin,  111., 
and  Davenport  and  Dubuque,  Iowa;  also  serving, 
during  a  part  of  the  Civil  War,  as  the  western 
war  correspondent  of  "The  New  York  Times." 
In  1863  he  became  an  editorial  writer  on  "The 
Chicago  Times,"  remaining  with  that  pai)er, 
with  the  e.\ception  of  a  brief  interval,  imtil  1888 
— a  part  of  the  time  as  its  European  corresiX)nd- 
ent.  He  was  the  author  of  a  series  of  sketches 
over  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Poliuto,"  and  of  a 
volume  of  reminiscences  under  the  title, 
"Thirty-five  Years  of  Journalism,"  published 
shortly  before  his  death,  which  took  place,  April 
13,  1893. 

WILKIN,  Jacob  W.,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  June 
7,  1837;  removed  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  at 
13  years  of  age,  and  was  educated  at  McKendree 
College;  served  three  ye;irs  in  the  War  for  the 
Union;  studied  law  with  Judge  Scholfield  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866.  In  1873,  he  was 
chosen  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and,  in  1879,  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
('ourt  and  reelected  in  1885 — the  latter  year 
Ijeing  assigned  to  the  Appellate  bench  for  the 
Fourth  District,  where  he  remained  until  his 
election  to  the  Supreme  bench  in  1888,  being 
re-elected  to  the  latter  jffice  in  1897.  His  home 
is  at  Danville. 

WILKINSON,  Ira  0.,  lawyer  and  Judge,  was 
liorn  in  Virginia  in  1833,  and  accompanied  his 
father  to  Jacksonville  (1835),  where  he  was  edu- 
cated. During  a  short  service  as  Deputy  Clerk  of 
Morgan  County,  he  conceived  a  fondness  for  the 
profession  of  the  law.  and,  after  a  course  of  study 
under  Judge  William  Tliomas,  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1847.  Richard  Yates  (afterwards  Gov- 
ernor and  Senator)  was  his  first  partner.  In  1845 
he  removed  to  Rock  Island,  and,  six  years  later. 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


689 


was  elected  a  Circuit  Judge,  being  again  closen 
to  the  same  position  in  1861.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  second  term  he  removed  to  Chicago. 
Died,  at  Jacksonville,  August  24,  189-1. 

WILKINSON,  John  P..  early  merchant,  was 
born,  Dec.  14,  1790,  in  New  Kent  County,  Va., 
emigrated  first  to  Kentucky,  and,  in  1828,  settled 
in  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business.  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  a  liberal 
friend  of  Illinois  College  and  Jacksonville  Female 
Academy,  of  each  of  which  he  was  a  Trustee 
from  their  origin  until  his  death,  which  occurred, 
during  a  business  visit  to  St.  Louis,  in  December, 
1841. 

WILL,  Conrad,  pioneer  phy.sician  and  early 
legislator,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  June  4,  1778; 
about  1804  removed  to  Somerset  County  Pa.,  and, 
in  1813,  to  Kaskaskia,  111.  He  was  a  physician 
by  profession,  but  having  leased  the  saline  lands 
on  the  Big  Muddy,  in  the  vicinity  of  what  after- 
wards became  the  town  of  Brownsville,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  salt,  removing 
thither  in  1815,  and  becoming  one  of  the  founders 
of  Brownsville,  afterwards  the  first  county-seat 
of  Jackson  County.  On  the  organization  of 
Jackson  County,  in  1816,  he  became  a  member  of 
the  first  Board  of  County  Commissioners,  and,  in 
1818,  served  as  Delegate  from  that  county  in  the 
Convention  which  framed  the  first  State  Consti- 
tution. Thereafter  he  served  continuously  as  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  1818  to  "34— first 
as  Senator  in  the  First  General  Assembly,  then 
as  Representative  in  the  Second,  Third,  Fourth 
and  Fifth,  and  again  as  Senator  in  the  Sixth, 
Seventh,  Eighth  and  Ninth — his  career  being 
conspicuous  for  long  service.  He  died  in  office, 
June  11,  1834.  Dr.  Will  was  short  of  stature, 
fleshy,  of  jovial  disposition  and  fond  of  playing 
practical  jokes  upon  his  associates,  but  very 
popular,  as  shown  by  his  successive  elections  to 
the  Legislature.  He  has  been  called  "The  Father 
of  Jackson  County."  Will  County,  organized  by 
act  of  the  Legislature  two  years  after  his  death, 
was  named  in  his  honor. 

WILL  COUNTY,  a  northeastern  county,  em- 
bracing 850  square  miles,  named  in  honor  of  Dr. 
Conrad  Will,  an  early  politician  and  legislator. 
Early  explorations  of  the  territory  were  made 
in  1839,  when  white  settlers  were  few.  The  bluff 
west  of  Joliet  is  said  to  have  been  first  occupied 
by  David  and  Benjamin  Maggard.  Joseph 
Smith,  the  Mormon  "apostle,"  expounded  his 
peculiar  doctrines  at  "the  Point"  in  1831.  Sev- 
eral of  the  early  settlers  fled  from  the  country 
during   (or  after)   a    raid   by   the   Sao   Indians. 


There  is  a  legend,  seemingly  well  supported,  to 
the  effect  that  the  first  lumber,  sawed  to  build 
the  first  frame  house  in  Chicago  (that  of  P.  F.  W. 
Peck),  was  sawed  at  Plainfield.  Will  County, 
originally  a  part  of  Cook,  was  separately  erected 
in  1836,  Joliet  being  made  the  county-seat. 
Agriculture,  (Quarrying  and  manufacturing  are 
the  chief  industries.  Joliet,  Lockport  and  Wil- 
mington are  the  principal  towns.  Population 
(1880),  .53.422;  (1890),  02.007;  (1000),  74,764. 

WILLARD,  Frances  Eluabeth,  teacher  and 
reformer,  was  born  at  Churchville,  N.  Y. ,  Sept. 
28,  1839,  graduated  from  the  Northwestern 
Female  College  at  Evanston,  111.,  in  1859,  and,  in 
1862,  accepted  the  Professorship  of  Natural 
Sciences  in  that  institution.  During  1866-67  she 
was  the  Principal  of  the  Genessee  Weslej-an 
Seminary.  The  next  two  years  she  devoted  to 
travel  and  study  abroad,  meanwhile  contribut- 
ing to  various  periodicals.  From  1871  to  1874  she 
was  Professor  of  ^-Esthetics  in  the  Northwestern 
University  and  dean  of  the  Woman's  College. 
She  was  always  an  enthusiastic  champion  of 
temperance,  and,  in  1874,  abandoned  her  profes- 
sion to  identify  herself  with  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union.  For  five  years  she  was 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  national  body, 
and,  from  1879,  its  President.  While  Secretary 
she  organized  the  Home  Protective  Association, 
and  prepared  a  petition  to  the  Illinois  Legislature, 
to  which  nearly  200,000  names  were  attached, 
asking  for  the  granting  to  women  of  the  right  to 
vote  on  the  license  question.  In  1878  she  suc- 
ceeded her  brother,  Oliver  A.  Willard  (vvlio  had 
died),  as  editor  of  "The  Chicago  Evening  Post," 
but,  a  few  months  later,  withdrew,  and,  in  1882, 
was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  National  Prohibition  party.  In 
1886  she  became  leader  of  the  White  Cross  Move- 
ment for  the  protection  of  women,  and  succeeded 
in  securing  favorable  legislation,  in  this  direc- 
tion, in  twelve  States.  In  1883  she  founded  the 
World's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  and,  in 
1888,  was  chosen  its  President,  as  also  President 
of  the  International  Council  of  Women.  The 
latter  years  of  her  life  were  spent  chiefly  abroad, 
much  of  the  time  as  the  guest  and  co-worker  of 
Lady  Henry  Somerset,  of  England,  during  which 
she  devoted  much  attention  to  investigating  the 
condition  of  vi-omen  in  the  Orient.  Miss  Willard 
was  a  prolific  and  highly  valued  contributor  to 
the  magazines,  and  (besides  numerous  pamphlets) 
published  several  volumes,  including  "Nineteeu 
Beautiful  Years"  (a  tribute  to  her  sister); 
"Woman  in  Temperance";  "How  to  Win,"  and 


590 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


"Woman  in  the  Pulpit.'"     Died,  in  New  York, 
Feb.  18,  1898. 

WILLARD,  Samuel,  A.M.,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  phy- 
sician and  educator,  was  born  in  Lunenberg, 
Vt.,  Dec.  30,  1821 — the  lineal  descendant  of  Maj. 
Simon  Willard,  one  of  the  founders  of  Concord, 
Mass.,  and  prominent  in  "King  Philip's  War," 
and  of  his  son,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  of  the 
Old  South  Church,  Boston,  and  seventh  President 
of  Harvard  College.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  taken  in  his  infancy  to  Boston,  and,  in  1831, 
to  Carrollton,  111.,  where  his  father  pursued  the 
avocation  of  a  druggist.  After  a  preparatory 
course  at  Shurtleff  College,  Upper  Alton,  in  1836 
he  entered  the  freshman  cla.ss  in  Illinois  College 
at  Jacksonville,  but  withdrew  the  following  year, 
re-entering  coUege  in  1840  and  graduating  in  the 
class  of  1843,  as  a  classmate  of  Dr.  Newton  Bate- 
man,  afterwards  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  and  President  of  Knox  College,  and 
Rev.  Thomas  K.  Beecher,  now  of  Elmira,  N.  Y. 
The  next  year  he  spent  as  Tutor  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege, when  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at 
Quincy,  graduating  fro:u  the  Medical  Department 
of  Illinois  College  in  1848.  During  a  part  of  the 
latter  year  he  edited  a  Free-Soil  campaign  paper 
("The  Tribune")  at  Quincy,  and,  later,  "The 
Western  Temperance  Magazine"  at  the  same 
place.  In  1849  he  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  St.  Louis,  but  the  next  year  removed 
toCoUinsville,  III,  remaining  until  1857,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  Department  of  Languages  in 
the  newly  organized  State  Normal  University  at 
Normal.  The  second  j'ear  of  the  Civil  War  (1862) 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Ninetj'-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  was  soon  after 
commissioned  as  Surgeon  with  the  rank  of  Major, 
participating  in  the  campaigns  in  Tennessee  and 
in  the  first  attack  upon  Vicksburg.  Being  dis- 
abled by  an  attack  of  paralysis,  in  February,  1863, 
he  was  compelled  to  resign,  wlien  he  had  suffici- 
ently recovered  accepting  a  position  in  the  office 
of  Provost  Marshal  General  Oakes,  at  Spring- 
field, where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  then  became  Grand  Secretary  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd-Fellows  for  the  State 
of  Illinois — a  position  which  he  had  held  from 
1856  to  1862 — remaining  under  his  second  appoint- 
ment from  1865  to  "69.  The  next  year  he  served 
as  Superintendent  of  Schools  at  Springfield, 
meanwhile  assisting  in  founding  the  Springfield 
public  library,  and  serving  as  its  first  librarian. 
In  1870  he  accepted  the  professorship  of  History 
in  the  West  Side  High  School  of  Chicago, 
■which,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  (1884-86), 


he  continued  to  occupy  for  more  than  twenty- 
five  years,  retiring  in  1898.  In  the  meantime. 
Dr.  Willard  has  been  a  laborious  literary  worker, 
having  been,  for  a  considerable  period,  editor,  or 
assistant  editor,  of  "The  Illinois  Teacher,"  a  con- 
tributor to  "The  Century  Magazine"  and  "The 
Dial"  of  Chicago,  besides  having  published  a 
"Digest  of  the  Laws  of  Odd  Fellowship"  in  six- 
teen volumes,  begun  while  he  was  Grand  Secre- 
tary of  the  Order  in  1864,  and  continued  in  1872 
and '82;  a  "Synopsis  of  History  and  Historical 
Chart,"  covering  the  period  from  B.  C.  800 
to  A.  D.  1876 — of  which  he  has  had  a  second 
edition  in  course  of  preparation.  Of  late  years 
he  has  been  engaged  upon  a  "Historical  Diction- 
ary of  Names  and  Places,"  which  will  include 
some  12,000  topics,  and  which  promises  to  be  the 
most  important  work  of  his  life.  Previous  to  the 
war  he  was  an  avowed  Abolitionist  and  operator 
on  the  "Underground  Railroad,"  who  made  no 
concealment  of  his  opinions,  and,  on  one  or  two 
occasions,  was  called  to  answer  for  them  in 
pro.secutions  under  the  "Fugitive  Slave  Act." 
(See  "Underground  Railroad.")  His  friend 
and  classmate,  the  late  Dr.  Bateman,  says  of 
him:  "Dr.  Willard  is  a  sound  thinker;  a  clear 
and  forcible  writer;  of  broad  and  accurate 
scholarship;  conscientious,  genial  and  kindly, 
and  a  most  e.stimable  gentleman." 

WILLIAMS,  Archibald,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Montgomerj-  County,  Ky.,  June  10, 
1801 ;  with  moderate  advantages  but  natural 
fondness  for  study,  he  chose  the  profession  of 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Tennessee 
in  1828,  coming  to  Quincy,  111.,  the  following 
year.  He  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly 
three  times — serving  in  the  Senate  in  1832-36,  and 
in  the  Hou.se,  1836-40;  was  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois,  by 
appointment  of  President  Taylor,  1849.53;  wiis 
twice  the  candidate  of  his  party  (the  Whig)  for 
United  States  Senator,  and  apjxjinted  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  in  1861.  United  States  District 
Judge  for  the  State  of  Kansas.  His  abilities  and 
high  character  were  widel}-  recognized.  Died, 
in  Quincy,  Sept.  21,  1863— His  son,  John  H.,  an 
attorney  at  Quincy,  served  as  Judge  of  tlie  Cir- 
cuit Court  1879-85. — Another  son,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, was  twice  elected  Attorney-General  of 
Kansas. 

WILLIAMS,  Erastiis  Smith,  lawyer  and  ju- 
rist, was  born  at  Salem,  N,  Y.,  May  22,  1821.  In 
1842  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where,  after  reading 
law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1844.  In  18!j4 
he  was  appointed    Master   in   Chancery,   which 


HISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


591 


office  he  filled  until  1863,  when  he  was  elected  a 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County. 
After  re-election  in  1870  lie  became  Chief  Justice, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  heard  most  of  the  cases  on 
the  equity  side  of  the  court.  In  1879  he  was  a 
candidate  for  re-election  as  a  Republican,  but 
was  defeated  with  tlie  party  ticket.  After  his 
retirement  from  the  bench  he  resumed  private 
practice.     Died,  Feb.  34,  1884. 

WILLIAMS,  James  R.,  Congressman,  was 
born  in  White  County.  111.,  Dec.  27,  1850,  at  the 
age  of  25  graduated  from  the  Indiana  State  Uni- 
versity, at  Bloomington,  and,  in  1876,  from  the 
Union  College  of  Law,  Chicago,  since  then  being 
an  active  and  successful  practitioner  at  Carmi. 
In  1880  he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  and 
served  two  years.  From  1882  to  1886  he  was 
County  Judge.  In  1892  he  was  a  nominee  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  for  Presidential  Elector. 
He  was  elected  to  represent  the  Nineteenth  Illi- 
nois District  in  the  Fifty-first  Congress  at  a 
special  election  held  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  the  death  of  R.  W.  Townshend,  was  re-elected 
in  1890  and  1892,  but  defeated  by  Orlando  Burrell 
(Republican)  for  re-election  in  the  newly  organ- 
ized Twentieth  District  in  1894.  In  1898  he  was 
again  a  candidate  and  elected  to  the  Fifty  sixth 
Congress. 

WILLIAMS,  John,  pioneer  merchant,  was 
born  in  Bath  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  11,  1808;  be- 
tween 14  and  16  years  of  age  was  clerk  in  a  store 
in  hia  native  State;  then,  joining  his  parents, 
who  had  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  a  part  of 
Sangamon  (now  Slenard)  County,  111.,  he  found 
employment  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Major  Elijah 
lies,  at  Springfield,  whom  he  succeeded  in  busi- 
ness at  the  age  of  23,  continuing  it  without  inter- 
ruption until  1880.  In  1856  Mr.  Williams  was 
the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress  in  the 
Springfield  District,  and,  in  1861,  was  appointed 
Commissary-General  for  the  State,  rendering 
valuable  service  in  furnishing  supplies  for  State 
troops,  in  camps  of  instruction  and  while  proceed- 
ing to  the  field,  in  the  first  years  of  the  war ;  was 
also  chief  officer  of  the  Illinois  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion for  two  years,  and,  as  one  of  the  intimate 
personal  friends  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  was  chosen  to 
accompany  the  remains  of  the  martyred  President, 
from  Washington  to  Springfield,  for  burial. 
Liberal,  enterprising  and  public-spirited,  his  name 
was  associated  with  nearly  every  public  enter- 
prise of  importance  in  Springfield  during  his 
business  career — being  one  of  the  founders,  and, 
for  eleven  years  President,  of  the  First  National 
Bank;  a  chief  promoter  in  the  construction  of 


what  is  now  the  Springfield  Division  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  and  the  Springfield  and 
Peoria  line;  a  Director  of  the  Springfield  Iron 
Company ;  one  of  the  Commissioners  who  con- 
structed the  Springfield  water-works,  and  an 
olficer  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association, 
from  1865  to  his  death.  May  29,  1890. 

WILLIAMS,  Norman,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Woodstock,  Vt.,  Feb.  1,  1833,  being  related,  on 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides,  to  some  of 
the  most  prominent  families  of  New  England. 
He  fitted  for  college  at  Union  Academy,  Meriden, 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of  Vermont 
in  the  cla.ss  of  1855.  After  taking  a  course  in 
the  Albany  Law  School  and  with  a  law  firm  in 
his  native  town,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
both  New  York  and  Vermont,  removed  to  Chi- 
cago in  1858,  and,  in  1860,  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  King,  Kales  &  WilUams,  still  later 
forming  a  partnership  with  GeQ.  John  L.  Thomp- 
son, which  ended  with  the  death  of  the  latter  in 
1888.  In  a  professional  capacity  he  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Com- 
pany, and  was  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors ; 
also  assisted  in  organizing  the  Western  Electric 
Company,  and  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  Chicago  Telephone  Company  and  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company.  In  1881  he  served  as 
the  United  States  Commissioner  to  the  Electrical 
Exposition  at  Paris.  In  conjunction  with  his 
brother  (Edward  H.  Williams)  he  assisted  in 
founding  the  public  library  at  Woodstock,  Vt., 
which,  in  honor  of  his  father,  received  the  name 
of  "The  Norman  Williams  Public  Library." 
With  Col.  Huntington  W.  Jackson  and  J.  Mc- 
Gregor Adams,  Mr.  Williams  was  named,  in  the 
will  of  the  late  John  Crerar,  as  an  executor  of  the 
Crerar  estate  and  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Crerar  Public  Library,  and  became  its  first  Presi- 
dent ;  was  also  a  Director  of  the  Chicago  Pub- 
lic Library,  and  trustee  of  a  number  of  large 
estates.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  son-in-law  of  the 
late  Judge  John  D.  Caton,  and  his  oldest  daughter 
became  the  wife  of  Major-General  Wesley  Mer- 
ritt,  a  few  months  before  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  Hampton  Beach,  N.  H.,  June  19,  1899 
— his  remains  being  interred  in  his  native  town 
of  Woodstock,  Vt. 

WILLIAMS,  Robert  Ebenezer,  lawyer,  born 
Dec.  3,  1825,  at  Clarksville,  Pa.,  his  grandfathers 
on  both  sides  being  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  In  1830  his  parents  removed  to  Washing- 
ton in  the  same  State,  where  in  boyhood  he 
worked  as  a  mechanic  in  his  father's  shop, 
attending  a  common  school  in  the  winter  until 


69S{ 


HISTOEICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS 


he  reached  the  age  of  17  years,  when  he  entered 
Washington  College,  remaining  for  more  than  a 
year.  He  then  liegan  teaching,  and,  in  1845 
went  to  Kentucky,  wliere  he  pursued  the  Vmsiness 
of  a  teacher  for  four  years.  Then  he  entered 
Bethany  College  in  West  Virginia,  at  the  same 
time  prosecuting  his  law  studies,  but  left  at  the 
close  of  his  junior  year,  when,  having  been 
licensed  to  practice,  he  removed  to  Clinton, 
Texas.  Here  he  accepted,  from  a  retired  lawyer, 
the  loan  of  a  law  library,  which  he  afterwards 
l)urchased ;  served  for  two  years  as  State's  Attor- 
ney, and,  in  1856,  came  to  Bloomington,  III., 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  Much  of  his  time  was 
devoted  to  practice  ;is  a  railroad  attorney,  espe- 
cially in  connection  with  the  Chicago  &  Alton  and 
the  Ilhnois  Central  Railroads,  in  which  he 
acquired  prominence  and  wealth.  He  was  a  life- 
long Democrat  and,  in  1808,  was  the  unsuccessful 
candidate  of  his  party  for  Attorney-General  of 
the  State.  The  last  three  years  of  his  life  he  had 
been  in  bad  health,  dying  at  Blotimington,  Feb. 
15.  1899. 

IVILLIAMS,  Samuel,  Bank  President,  was  born 
in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  July  11,  1820;  came  to 
Winnebago  County,  111.,  in  1835,  and,  in  1842, 
removed  to  Iroquois  County,  where  he  held  vari- 
ous lo<!al  offices,  including  that  of  County  Judge, 
to  which  he  was  elected  in  1861.  During  his 
later  years  he  had  been  President  of  the  Wat.seka 
Citizens'  Bank.     Died,  June  16,  1896. 

WILLIAMSOX,  Rollin  Samuel,  legislator  and 
jurist,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Vt..  May  23.  1839. 
At  the  age  of  14  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
began  life  as  a  telegraph  messenger  boy.  In 
two  years  he  had  become  a  skillful  operator,  and, 
as  such,  was  employed  in  various  offices  in  New 
England  and  New  York.  In  1857  he  came  to 
Chicago  seeking  employment  and,  tlirough  the 
fortunate  correction  of  an  error  on  the  part  of 
the  receiver  of  a  message,  secured  the  position  of 
operator  and  station  agent  at  Palatine,  Cook 
County.  Here  he  read  law  during  his  leisure 
time  without  a  preceptor,  and,  in  1870,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  The  same  year  he  was 
elected  to  the  lower  House  of  the  General 
Assembly  and,  in  1872,  to  the  Senate.  In  1880  he 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
Cook  County,  and,  in  1887,  was  chosen  a  Judge 
of  the  Cook  County  Circuit  Court.  Died,  Au- 
gust 10,  1889 

WILLIAMSOX  COUXTT,  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State,  orifcinally  set  off  from  Franklin  and 
organized  in  1839     The  county  is  well  watered. 


the  principal  streams  being  the  Big  Muddy  and 
the  South  Fork  of  the  Saline.  The  surface  is 
undulating  and  the  soil  fertile.  The  region  was 
originally  well  covered  with  forests.  All  tlie 
cereals  (as  well  as  potatoes)  are  cultivated,  and 
rich  meadows  encourage  stock-raising.  Coal  and 
sandstone  underlie  the  entire  county.  Area.  440 
square  miles;  population  (1880),  19,324-  (1890) 
22.226;   (1900).  •j:,7>)6. 

WILLIAMSVILLE,  village  of  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty, on  Cliicago  iV:  .\lton  Railroad,  12  miles  north 
of  Springfield:  has  a  bank,  elevator,  3  churches, 
a  newspa|)er  and  coiil-mines.   Pop.  (1900),  573. 

WILLIS,  Jonathan  Clay,  .soldier  and  former 
Riiilroad  and  Warehouse  Commissioner,  was  liorn 
in  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  June  27,  1826;  brought 
to  Gallatin  County,  111.,  in  1834,  and  settled  at 
Golconda  in  1843;  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Pope 
County  in  1856,  removed  to  Metropolis  in  1859, 
and  engaged  in  the  wharf-boat  and  commission 
business.  He  entered  the  service  as  Quarter- 
master of  the  Forty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteers  in 
1861,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of 
injuries,  in  1863;  was  elected  Representative  ir> 
the  Twenty-sixth  General  A.s.sembly  (1868), 
appointed  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  in  1869, 
and  Railway  and  Warehouse  Commissioner  in 
1892,  as  the  successor  of  John  R.  Tanner,  serving 
until  1893. 

WILMETTE,  a  village  in  Cook  County,  14  miles 
north  of  Chicago,  on  the  Cliicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroa<l,  a  handsome  suburb  of  ("hicago  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan;  principal  streets  paved 
and  shaded  with  fine  forest  trees;  has  public 
library  and  good  schools.     Pop   (1900),  2,300. 

WILMINGTON,  a  city  of  Will  County,  on  the 
Kankakee  River  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road, 53  miles  from  Chicago  and  15  south-south- 
west of  Joliet;  has  considerable  manufactures, 
two  National  banks,  a  graded  school,  chnrches 
and  one  newspaper.  Wilmington  is  the  location 
of  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  Widows'  Home.  Popu- 
lation (1890).  1,576;  (1900).   1,420. 

WILSON,  Charles  Lush,  journalist,  was  l)om 
in  Fairfield  County,  Conn  ,  Oct.  10.  1818,  edu 
cated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  an  academy 
in  his  native  State,  and,  in  1835,  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, entering  the  employment  of  hLs  older 
brothers,  who  were  connected  with  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  at  Joliet. 
His  brother,  Richard  L. .  having  assumed  charge 
of  "The  Chicago  Daily  Journal"  (the  successor 
of  "The  Chicago  American"),  in'1844,  Charles  L. 
took  a  position  in  the  office,  ultimately  .securing 
a  partnership,  which  continued  until  the  death 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


593 


of  his  brother  in  1856,  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
ownership  of  the  paper.  Mr.  Wilson  was  an 
ardent  friend  and  supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  the  United  States  Senate  in  1858,  but,  in  1860, 
favored  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Seward  for  the 
Presidency,  though  earnestly  supporting  Mr.  Lin- 
coln after  his  nomination.  In  1861  he  was 
appointed  Secretary  of  the  American  Legation  at 
London,  serving  with  the  late  Minister  Charles 
FVancis  Adams,  until  1864,  when  lie  resigned  and 
resumed  his  connection  with  "The  Journal."  In 
1875  his  health  began  to  fail,  and  three  j-ears 
later,  having  gone  to  San  Antonio,  Tex. ,  in  the 
hope  of  receiving  benefit  from  a  change  of  cli- 
mate, he  died  in  that  city,  March  9,  1878. — 
Richard  Lush  (Wilson),  an  older  brother  of  the 
preceding,  the  first  editor  and  publisher  of  "The 
Chicago  Evening  Journal,"  the  oldest  paper  of 
consecutive  publication  in  Chicago,  was  a  native 
of  New  York.  Coming  to  Chicago  with  his 
brother  John  L.,  in  1834,  they  soon  after  estab- 
lished themselves  in  business  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  then  in  course  of  construction. 
In  1844  he  took  charge  of  "The  Chicago  Daily 
Journal"  for  a  publishing  committee  which  had 
purchased  the  material  of  "The  Chicago  Ameri- 
can," but  soon  after  became  principal  proprietor. 
In  April,  1847,  while  firing  a  salute  in  honor  of 
the  victory  of  Buena  Vista,  he  lost  an  arm  and 
was  otherwise  injured  by  the  explosion  of  the  can- 
non. Early  in  1849,  he  was  appointed,  by  Presi- 
dent Ta\  lor.  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
Init,  having  failed  of  confirmation,  was  compelled 
to  retire  in  favor  of  a  successor  appointed  by 
Millard  Fillmore,  eleven  months  later.  Mr. 
Wilson  published  a  little  volume  in  1842  entitled 
"A  Trip  to  Santa  Fe,"  and,  a  few  years  later, 
a  story  of  travel  under  the  title,  "Short  Ravel- 
lings  from  a  Long  Yarn."  Died,  December,  1856. 
— John  Lush  (Wilson),  another  brother,  also  a 
native  of  New  York,  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  was 
afterwards  associated  with  his  brothers  in  busi- 
ness, being  for  a  time  business  manager  of  "The 
Chicago  Journal;'"  also  served  one  term  as  Sher- 
iff of  Cook  County.  Died,  in  Chicago,  April  13. 
1888. 

WILSON,  Isaac  Orant,  jurist,  was  born  at 
Middlebury,  N.  Y.,  April  26,  1817,  graduated 
from  Brown  University  in  1838,  and  the  same 
year  came  to  Chicago,  whither  his  father's 
family  had  preceded  him  in  1835.  After  reading 
law  for  two  years,  he  entered  the  senior  class  at 
Cambridge  (Mass.)  Law  School,  graduating  in 
1841.  In  August  of  that  year  he  openeil  an 
oflBce  at  Elgin,  and.  for  ten  years  "rode  the  cir- 


cuit." In  1851  lie  was  elected  to  the  bench  of 
the  Thirteenth  Judicial  Circuit  to  fill  a  vacancy, 
and  re-elected  for  a  full  term  in  1855,  and  again 
in  '61.  In  November  of  the  latter  year  he  was 
commissioned  the  first  Colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  resigned. 
a  few  weeks  later,  and  resumed  his  place  upon 
the  bench.  From  1867  to  1879  he  devoted  him- 
self to  private  practice,  which  was  largely  in 
the  Federal  Courts.  In  1879  he  resumed  his  seat 
upon  the  bench  (this  time  for  the  Twelfth  Cir- 
cuit), and  was  at  once  designated  as  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Appellate  Court  at  Chicago,  of 
which  tribunal  he  became  Chief  Justice  in  1881. 
In  1885  he  was  re-elected  Circuit  Judge,  but  died, 
about  the  close  of  his  term,  at  Geneva,  June  8, 
1891. 

WILSON,  James  (irant,  soldier  and  author, 
was  born  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  April  28,  1832, 
and,  when  only  a  year  old,  was  brought  by  his 
father.  William  Wilson,  to  America.  The  family 
settled  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  James 
Grant  was  educated  at  College  Hill  and  under 
private  teachers.  After  finishing  his  studies  he 
became  his  father's  partner  in  business,  but.  in 
1855,  went  abroad,  and,  shortly  after  his  return, 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  founded  the  first 
literary  paper  established  in  the  Northwest.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  he  disposed  of  his 
journal  to  enlist  in  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Cavalry, 
of  which  he  was  commissioned  Major  and  after- 
wards promoted  to  the  colonelcy.  In  August, 
1863.  while  at  New  Orleans,  by  advice  of  General 
Grant,  he  accepted  a  commission  as  Colonel  of 
the  Fourth  Regiment  United  States  Colored 
Cavalry,  and  was  assigned,  as  Aid-de-camji,  to 
the  staff  of  the  Commander  of  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf,  filling  this  post  until  April,  1865. 
When  General  Banks  was  relieved.  Colonel  Wil- 
son was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  and  placed 
in  command  at  Port  Hudson,  resigning  in  July, 
1865,  since  which  time  his  home  has  been  in  New 
York.  He  is  best  known  as  an  author,  having 
published  numerous  addresses,  and  being  a  fre- 
(juent  contributor  to  American  and  European 
magazines.  Among  larger  works  which  he  has 
written  or  edited  are  "Biographical  Sketches  of 
Illinois  Officers";  "Love  in  Letters";  "Life  of 
General  U.  S.  Grant";  "Life  and  Letters  of 
Fitz  Greene  Halleck" ;  "Poets  and  Poetry  of 
Scotland";  "Bryant  and  His  Friends"  and 
"x\.ppleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography. ' 

WILSON,  James  Harrison,  soldier  and  mili- 
tary engineer,  was  born  near  Shawneetown,  111, 
Sept.  2,  1837.     His  grandfather,  Alexander  Wil- 


594 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


son,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  and 
his  father  (Harrison  Wilson)  was  an  ensign  dur- 
ing the  "War  of  1812  and  a  Captain  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War.  His  brother  (Bluford  Wilson) 
served  as  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  Volun- 
teers during  the  Civil  War,  and  as  Solicitor  of  the 
United  States  Treasury  during  the  "whisky  ring" 
prosecutions.  James  H.  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  at  McKendree  College,  and 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1860,  and 
being  assigned  to  the  Topographical  Engineer 
Corps.  In  September,  1861,  he  was  promoted  to 
a  First  Lieutenancy,  then  served  as  Chief  Tojk)- 
graphical  Engineer  of  the  Port  Royal  expedition 
until  March,  1862;  was  afterwards,  attached  to 
the  Department  of  the  South,  being  present  at 
the  bombardment  of  Fort  Pulaski;  was  Aid-de- 
camp to  McClellan,  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam;  was  made 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  Volunteers  in  November, 
1862;  was  Chief  Tojiographical  Engineer  and 
Insi)ector-General  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennes-see 
until  October,  1863,  being  actively  engaged  in 
the  operations  around  Vicksburg;  was  made 
Captain  of  Engineers  in  May,  1863,  and  Brigadier- 
General  of  Volunteers,  Oct.  31,  following.  He 
also  conducted  operations  preliminary  to  the 
battle  of  Chattanoogiv  and  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
for  the  relief  of  Kno.wille.  Later,  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  Third  Division  of  the  cavalry 
corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  serving  from 
May  to  Augu.st,  1804,  under  General  Sheridan. 
Subsequently  he  w;us  transferred  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Mi.ssissippi,  where  he  so  distinguished 
himself  that,  on  April  20,  1865,  he  was  made 
Major-General  of  Volunteers.  In  twenty-eight 
days  he  captured  five  fortified  cities,  twenty- 
three  stands  of  colors,  288  guns  and  6,820  prison- 
ers— among  the  latter  being  Jefferson  Davis.  He 
wa-s  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  seri'ice  in 
January,  1866,  and,  on  July  28,  following,  was 
commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
fifth  United  States  Infantry,  being  also  brevetted 
Major-General  in  the  regular  army.  On  Dec.  31, 
1870,  he  returned  to  civil  life,  and  was  afterwards 
largely  engaged  in  railroad  and  engineering  oper- 
ations, especially  in  West  Virginia.  Promptly 
after  the  declaration  of  war  with  Spain  (1898) 
General  Wilson  was  appointed,  by  the  President, 
Major-General  of  Volunteers,  serving  until  its 
close.  He  is  the  author  of  '"China:  Travels  and 
Investigations  in  the  Middle  Kingdom" ,  "Life  of 
Andrew  J.  Alexander";  and  the  "Life  of  Gen. 
U.  S.   Grant,"  in  conjunction  with  Charles  A. 


Dana.     His  home,   in  recent  years,  has  been  in 
New  York. 

WILSON,  John  M.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1802,  graduated  at 
Bowdoin  College  in  182-J — the  classmate  of  Frank- 
lin Pierce  and  Nathaniel  Ha^vthorne ;  studied  law 
in  New  Hampshire  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1835, 
locating  at  Joliet;  removed  to  Chicago  in  1841, 
where  he  was  the  partner  of  Norman  B.  Judd, 
serving,  at  different  periods,  as  attorney  of  the 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island,  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michi- 
gan Southern  and  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railways;  was  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  Cook  County,  18.53-59,  when  he  became 
Presiding  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Chicago, 
serving  until  1868.     Dieil.  Dec.  7,  1.883. 

WILSOX,  John  P.,  lawyer,  was  born  in  White- 
side County,  111.,  July  3,  1844;  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  Knox  College,  Galesburg, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1865;  two  years 
later  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Chicago,  and 
speedily  attained  prominence  in  his  profession. 
During  the  World's  Fair  period  he  was  retained 
as  counsel  by  the  Committee  on  Grounds  and 
Buildings,  and  was  prominently  connected,  as 
counsel  for  the  city,  with  the  Lake  Front  litiga- 
tion. 

WILSOX,  Robert  L.,  early  legislator,  was  born 
in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  Sept.  11,  1805,  taken 
to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1810,  graduated  at  Frank- 
lin College  in  1831,  studied  law  and,  in  1833, 
removed  to  Athens  (now  in  Menard  County),  111. ; 
was  elected  Representative  in  1836,  and  was  one 
of  the  members  from  Sangamon  County,  known 
as  the  "Long  Nine,"  who  assisted  in  securing  the 
removal  of  the  State  Capital  to  Springfield.  Mr. 
Wilson  removeil  to  Sterling,  Whiteside  County, 
in  1840,  was  elected  five  times  Circuit  Clerk  and 
served  eight  years  as  Probate  Judge.  Immedi- 
ately after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  he  enlisted  as 
private  in  a  battalion  in  Wa-shington  City  under 
command  of  Cassius  M.  Clay,  for  guard  duty 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Seventh  New  York  Regi- 
ment. He  subsequently  a.ssisted  in  raising 
troops  in  Illinois,  was  appointed  Paymaster  by 
Lincoln,  serving  at  W;i.shington,  St.  Louis,  and, 
after  the  fall  of  Vick-sburg,  at  Springfield — being 
mustered  out  in  November,  1865.  Died,  in  White- 
side County.  1S80. 

WILSOX,  Robert  S.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was 
bom  at  Montrose,  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  Nov. 
6,  1812.  learned  the  printer's  art.  then  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Allegheny 
County,  about  1833;  in  1836  removed  to  Ann 
Arbor.  Mich.,  where  he  served  as  Probate  Judge 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


595 


and  State  Senator;  in  1850  came  to  Chicago,  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court  in  1853, 
and  re-elected  in  1858,  serving  ten  j'ears,  and 
proving  "a  terror  to  evil-doers."  Died,  at  Law- 
rence, Mich.,  Dec.  23,  1883. 

WILSON,  William,  early  jurist,  was  born  in 
Loudoun  County,  Va.,  April  27,  1794;  studied  law 
with  Hon.  John  Cook,  a  distinguished  lawyer, 
and  minister  to  France  in  the  early  part  of  the 
century ;  in  1817  removed  to  Kentucky,  soon  after 
came  to  Illinois,  two  years  later  locating  in  White 
County,  near  Carmi,  which  continued  to  be  his 
home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  1819 
he  was  appointed  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  as  successor  to  William  P. 
Foster,  who  is  described  by  Governor  Ford  as 
"a  great  rascal  and  no  lawyer,"  and  who  held 
office  only  about  nine  months.  Judge  Wilson 
was  re-elected  to  the  Supreme  bench,  as  Chief- 
Justice,  in  1825,  being  then  only  a  little  over  30 
years  old,  and  held  office  until  the  reorganization 
of  the  Supreme  Court  under  the  Constitution  of 
1843 — a  period  of  over  twenty-nine  years,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Judge  Browne's,  the  long- 
est term  of  service  in  the  history  of  the  court. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  White  County,  April  29, 
1857.  A  Whig  in  early  life,  he  allied  himself 
with  the  Democratic  party  on  the  dissolution  of 
the  former.  Hon.  James  C.  Conkling,  of  Spring- 
field, says  of  him,  "as  a  writer,  his  style  was  clear 
and  distinct;  as  a  lawyer,  his  judgment  was 
sound  and  discriminating," 

WINCHESTER,  a  city  and  county-seat  of  Scott 
County,  founded  in  1839,  situated  on  Big  Sandy 
Creek  and  on  the  line  of  the  Chicago.  Burlington 
&  Quincy  Railroad,  29  miles  south  of  Beardistown 
and  84  miles  north  by  west  of  St.  Louis.  While 
the  surrounding  region  is  agricultural  and  largely 
devoted  to  wheat  growing,  there  is  some  coal 
mining.  Winchester  is  an  important  shipping- 
point,  having  three  grain  elevators,  two  flouring 
mills,  and  a  coal  mine  employing  fifty  niiner,s. 
There  are  four  Protestant  and  one  Catholic 
church,  a  court  house,  a  high  school,  a  graded 
school  building,  two  banks  and  two  weekly  news- 
papers. Population  (1880),  1,626;  (1890),  1,542; 
(1900),  1,711. 

WINDSOR,  a  city  of  Shelby  County  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis  and  the  Wabash  Railways,  11  miles  nortli- 
east  of  Shelbyville.  Population  (1880),  768; 
(1890),  888;   (1900),  866. 

WINES,  Frederick  Howard,  clergyman  and 
sociologist,  was  born  in  Philadelphia.  Pa.,  April 
9,  1838,  graduated   at  Washington  (Pa.)  College 


in  1857,  and,  after  serving  as  tutor  there  for  a 
short  time,  entered  Princeton  Theological  Semi- 
nary, but  was  compelled  temporarily  to  discon- 
tinue his  studies  on  account  of  a  weakness  of 
the  eyes.  The  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  licensed 
him  to  preach  in  1860,  and,  in  1862,  he  was  com- 
missioned Hospital  Chaplain  in  the  Union  army. 
During  1862-64  he  was  stationed  at  Springfield, 
Mo. ,  participating  in  the  battle  of  Springfield  on 
Jan.  8,  1863,  and  being  personally  mentioned  for 
bravery  on  the  field  in  the  official  report.  Re- 
entering the  seminary  at  Princeton  in  1864,  he 
graduated  in  1865,  and  at  once  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pulpit  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Springfield,  111.,  which  he  filled  for  four  years. 
In  1869  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  newly 
created  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Public  Chari- 
ties of  Illinois,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
until  1893,  when  he  resigned.  For  the  next  four 
years  he  was  chiefly  engaged  in  literary  work,  in 
lecturing  before  universities  on  topics  connected 
with  social  science,  in  aiding  in  the  organization 
of  charitable  work,  and  in  the  conduct  of  a 
thorough  investigation  into  the  relations  between 
liquor  legislation  and  crime.  At  an  early  period 
he  took  a  prominent  part  in  organizing  the 
various  Boards  of  Public  Charities  of  the  United 
States  into  an  organization  known  as  the  National 
Conference  of  Charities  and  Corrections,  and,  at 
the  Louisville  meeting  (1883),  was  elected  its 
President.  At  the  International  Penitentiary 
Congress  at  Stockholm  (1878)  he  was  the  official 
delegate  from  Illinois.  On  his  return,  as  a  result 
of  his  observations  while  abroad,  he  submitted 
to  the  Legislature  a  report  strongly  advocating 
the  construction  of  the  Kankakee  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  then  about  to  be  built,  upon  the 
"detached  ward"  or  "village"  plan,  a  departure 
from  then  existing  methods,  which  marks  an  era 
in  the  treatment  of  insane  in  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Wines  conducted  the  investigation  into  the 
condition  and  number  of  the  defective,  depend- 
ent and  delinquent  classes  throughout  the  coun- 
try, his  report  constituting  a  separate  volume 
under  the  "Tenth  Census,"  and  rendered  a  .simi- 
lar service  in  connection  with  the  eleventh 
census  (1890).  In  1887  he  was  elected  Secretary 
of  the  National  Prison  Association,  succeeding  to 
the  post  formerly  held  by  liis  father,  Enoch  Cobb 
Wines,  D.D.,  LL.D.  After  the  inauguration  of 
Governor  Tanner  in  1897,  he  resumed  his  former 
position  of  Secretarj'  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Charities,  remaining  until  1899,  when  he  again 
tendered  his  resignation,  having  received  the 
appointment  to  the  po.-iition  of  Assistant  Director 


696 


HISTOHICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


of  the  Twelfth  Census,  wliicli  he  uow  holds.  He 
is  the  author  of  "Crime  and  Reformation"  (1895) ; 
of  a  voluminous  series  of  reports;  also  of  numer- 
oufi  pamphlets  and  brochures,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  "The  County  Jail  Sj'Stem;  An 
Argument  for  its  Abolition"  (1878) ;  "The  Kanka- 
kee Hospital"  (1882);  "Provision  for  the  Insane 
in  the  United  States"  (1883);  "Conditional 
Liberation,  or  the  Paroling  of  Prisoners"  (1886), 
and  "American  Prisons  in  the  Tenth  Census" 
(1888). 

"WINES,  Walter  B.,  lawyer  (brother  of  Freder- 
ick H.  Wines),  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct. 
10,  1848,  received  his  primary  education  at  Willis- 
ton  Academj-,  East  Hamijton,  Slass.,  after  which 
he  entered  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  taking  a 
classical  course  and  gra<luating  there.  He  after- 
wards became  a  student  in  the  lav.-  department 
of  Columbia  College,  X.  Y. ,  graduating  in  1871, 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and 
commencing  practice  in  New  York  City.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Springtield.  111.,  and  was,  for  a  time, 
identified  with  the  bar  of  that  city.  Later,  lie 
removed  to  Chiciigo.  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  literary  and  journalistic  work. 

WIX>'EBA(JO  COUNTY,  situated  in  the 
"northern  tier,"  bordering  on  the  Wisconsin 
State  line ;  was  organized,  under  an  act  passed  in 
1836,  from  I.-a  Salle  and  Jo  Daviess  Counties,  and 
has  an  area  of  5.52  square  miles.  The  county  is 
drained  by  the  Rock  and  Pecatoniea  Rivers. 
The  surface  is  roUiiig  prairie  and  the  soil  fertile. 
The  geology  is  simple,  the  ciuaternary  deposits 
being  underlaid  by  the  (ialena  blue  and  buff 
limestone,  adapted  for  building  purposes  All 
the  cereals  are  raised  in  abundance,  the  chief 
product  being  corn.  The  Winnebago  Indians 
(who  gave  name  to  the  county)  formerly  lived 
on  the  west  si<le  of  the  Rock  River,  and  the  Potta- 
watomies  on  the  east,  but  both  tribes  removed 
westward  in  18:!,").  (As  to  manufacturing  inter- 
ests see  liockford.)  Population  (1880),  30, .505; 
(1890),  39,938;  (I'.IOO),  -17,845 

WIXNEBACJO  W.4.R.  The  name  given  to  an 
Indian  disturbance  which  had  its  origin  in  1827, 
during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Ninian 
Edwards.  The  Indians  had  been  quiet  since  the 
conclusion  of  the  War  of  1812,  but  a  few  isolated 
outrages  were  sufficient  to  start  terrified  "run- 
ners" in  all  directions.  In  the -northern  portion 
of  the  State,  from  Galena  to  Chicago  (then  Fort 
Dearborn)  the  alarm  was  intense.  The  meagre 
militia  force  of  the  State  was  summoned  and 
volunteers  were  called  for.  Jleanwhile,  600 
United  States  Regular  Infantrv,  under  command 


of  Gen.  Henrj-  Atkinson,  [)ut  in  an  appearance. 
Besides  the  infantry,  Atkinson  had  at  his  disposal 
some  130  mounted  sliarpshooters.  The  origin  of 
the  disturbance  was  as  follows:  The  Wiiine- 
bagoes  attacked  a  band  of  Cliippewas,  who  were 
(by  treaty)  imder  Government  potection,  several 
of  the  latter  being  killed.  For  participation  in 
this  offense,  four  AViunebago  Indians  were  sum- 
marih-  apprehended,  surrendered  to  the  Cliippe- 
was and  shot.  Meanwhile,  some  dispute  had 
arisen  as  to  the  title  of  the  lands,  claimed  by  the 
Winnebagoes  in  the  vicinity  of  Gale'ia,  which 
had  been  occupied  l)y  white  miners.  Repeated 
acts  of  hostility  and  of  reprisiil,  along  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  intensified  mutual  distrust.  A  gather- 
ing of  the  Indians  around  two  keel-boats,  laden 
with  supplies  for  Fort  Snelling,  whicli  had 
anchored  near  Prairie  du  Chien  and  opjxisite  a 
Winnebago  c<imp,  was  regarded  by  the  whites  as 
a  hostile  act.  Liquor  was  freely  distributed,  and 
there  is  historical  evidence  that  a  half-dozen 
drunken  squaws  were  carried  off  and  shamefully 
maltreated.  Several  liundred  warriors  assembled 
to  avenge  the  deception  which  had  been  practiced 
upon  them.  They  laid  in  ambush  for  the  bf)ats 
on  their  return  trip.  The  first  pas.sed  too  rapidly 
to  be  successfully  assailed,  but  the  second 
grounded  and  was  savagely,  yet  unsuccessfully, 
attacked.  The  presence  of  General  Atkinson's 
forces  prevented  an  actual  outbreak,  and,  on  his 
demand,  the  great  Winnebago  Chief.  Red  Bird, 
with  six  other  leading  men  of  the  tribe,  sur- 
rendered themselves  as  hostages  to  save  their 
nation  from  extermination.  A  majority  of  these 
were,  after  trial,  acquitted.  Red  Bird,  however, 
unable  to  endure  confinement,  literally  pined  to 
death  in  prison,  dying  on  Feb.  16,  1828.  He  is 
described  as  having  been  a  savage  of  superior 
intelligence  and  noble  cliaracter.  A  treaty  of 
peace  was  concluded  with  the  Winnebagoes  in  a 
council  held  at  Prairie  du  Cliien,  a  few  months 
later,  but  the  affair  seems  to  have  produced  as 
much  alarm  among  the  Indians  as  it  did  among 
the  wliites.  (For  Winnebago  Indians  see  page  576. ) 

WIXNETKA,  a  village  of  Cook  County,  on  the 
Chicago  &  Xorthwestern  Railway,  I6V2  miles 
north  of  Chicago.  It  stands  eighty  feet  above 
the  level  of  Lake  Michigan,  has  good  schools 
(being  the  seat  of  the  Winnetka  Institute),  sev- 
eral churches,  and  is  a  popular  residence  town. 
Population  (1S80).  .584;  (1890i,  1,079;  (1900),  1,833. 

WINSTON,  Frederick  Hampton,  lawyer,  was 
born  in  Liberty  County,  Ga.,  Nov,  20,  1830,  was 
brought  to  Woodford  County,  Ky.,  in  1S35.  left 
an    orphan    at    12,   and    attended  the    common 


IIISTOEICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


597 


schools  until  18,  when,  returning  to  Georgia,  he 
engaged  in  cotton  manufacture.  He  finally 
began  the  study  of  law  with  United  States  Sena- 
tor W.  C.  Dawson,  and  graduated  from  Harvard 
Law  School  in  1852 ,  spent  some  time  in  the  office 
of  W.  M.  Evarts  in  New  York,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1853,  where  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Norman  B.  Judd, 
afterwards  being  associated  with  Judge  Henry 
W.  Blodgett;  served  as  general  solicitor  of  the 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Soutliern,  the  Chicago, 
Rook  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railways — remaining  with  the 
latter  twenty  years.  In  1885  he  was  appointed, 
by  President  Cleveland,  Minister  to  Persia,  but 
resigned  the  following  year,  and  traveled  exten- 
sively in  Russia,  Scandinavia  and  other  Toreign 
countries.  Mr.  Winston  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Democratic  National  Conventions  of  1868,  "76  and 
'84 ;  first  President  of  the  Stock  Yards  at  Jersey 
City,  for  twelve  years  President  of  the  Lincoln 
Park  Commission,  and  a  Director  of  the  Lincoln 
National  Bank. 

WISCONSIN  CENTRAL  LINES.    The  Wiscon- 
sin Central  Company  was   organized,  June   17, 
1887,  and  subsequently  acquired  the  Minnesota, 
St.  Croix  &  Wisconsin,  the  Wisconsin  &  Minne- 
sota,  the   Chippewa  Falls   &  Western,   the    St. 
Paul  &  St.  Croix  Falls,  the  Wisconsin  Central,  the 
Penokee,  and  the  Packwauhee  &  Montebello  Rail- 
roads, and  assumed  the  leases  of  the  Milwaukee 
&  Lake  Winnebago  and  the  Wisconsin  &  Minne- 
sota Roads.     On  July  1,  1888,  the  company  began 
to  operate  the  entire  W^isconsin  Central  system, 
with  the  exception  of    the    Wisconsin    Central 
Railroad  and  the  leased  Milwaukee  &  Lake  Win- 
nebago, which  remained  in  charge  of  the  Wis- 
consin Central  Railroad  mortgage  trustees  until 
Nov.  1,  1889,  when  these,  too,  passed  under  the 
control  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  Company.     The 
Wisconsin    Central  Railroad    Company  is  a  re- 
organization (Oct.  1,  1879)  of  a  company  formed 
Jan.   1,   1871.     The  Wisconsin  Central    and    the 
Wisconsin  Central  Railroad  Companies,   though 
differing    in    name,   are    a    financial    unit;   the 
former  holding  most  of  the  first  mortgage  bonds 
of  the  latter,  and  substantially  all  its  notes,  stocks 
and  income  bonds,  but,  for  legal  reasons  (such  as 
the  protection  of  land  titles),  it  is  necessary  that 
separate  corporations  be  maintained.     On  April 
1,  1890,  the  Wisconsin  Central  Comi)any  executed 
a  lease  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  but  this 
was  set  aside  by  the  courts,  on  Sept.  27,  1893,  for 
non-payment  of  rent,  and  was  finally  canceled. 
On  the  same   day  receivers  were  appointed    to 


insure  the  protection  of  all  interests.  The  total 
mileage  is  415.46  miles,  of  which  the  Company 
owns  258.90— only  .10  of  a  mile  in  Illinois.  A 
line,  58.10  miles  in  length,  with  8.44  miles  of 
side-track  (total,  66.  .54  miles),  lying  wholly  within 
the  State  of  Illinois,  is  operated  by  the  Chicago  & 
Wiscon.sin  and  furnishes  the  allied  line  an  en- 
trance into  Chicago. 

WITHROW,  Thomas  F.,  lawyer,  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  March,  1833,  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Ohio  in  chililliood,  attended  the  Western 
Reserve  College,  and,  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  taught  school  and  worked  as  a  printer, 
later,  editing  a  paper  at  Mount  Vernon.  In  1855 
he  removed  to  Janesville,  Wis.,  where  he  again 
engaged  in  journalistic  work,  studied  law,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Iowa  in  1857,  settled  at 
Des  Moines  and  served  as  private  secretary  of 
Governors  Lowe  and  Kirkwood.  In  1860  he 
became  Supreme  Court  Reporter;  served  as 
Chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Com- 
mittee in  1863  and,  in  1866,  became  associated 
with  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  in  the  capacity  of 
local  attorney,  was  made  chief  law  officer  of  the 
Company  in  1873,  and  removed  to  Chicago,  and, 
in  1890,  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  General 
Counsel.     Died,  in  Chicago,  Feb.  3,  1893. 

WOLCOTT,  (Dr.)  Alexander,  early  Indian 
Agent,  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  Feb. 
14,  1790;  graduated  from  Y'ale  College  in  1809, 
and,  after  a  course  in  medicine,  was  commis- 
sioned, in  1812,  Surgeon's  Mate  in  the  United 
States  Army.  In  1820  he  was  appointed  Indian 
Agent  at  Fort  Dearborn  (now  Chicago),  as  suc- 
cessor to  Charles  Jouett — the  first  Agent — wlio 
had  been  appointed  a  United  States  Judge  in 
Arkansas.  The  same  year  he  accompanied  Gen- 
eral Lewis  Cass  and  Henry  Schoolcraft  on  their 
tour  among  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest;  was 
married  in  1823  to  Ellen  Marion  Kinzie,  a 
daughter  of  Col.  John  Kinzie,  the  first  perma- 
nent settler  of  Chicago;  in  1825  was  appointed  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Peoria  County,  which 
then  included  Cook  County;  was  a  Judge  of 
Election  in  1830,  and  one  of  the  purchasers  of  a 
block  of  ground  in  the  heart  of  the  present  city 
of  Chicago,  at  the  first  sale  of  lots,  held  Sept.  27, 
1830.  but  died  before  the  close  of  the  year.  Dr. 
Wolcott  appears  to  have  been  a  high-minded  and 
honorable  man,  as  well  as  far  in  advance  of  the 
mass  of  pioneers  in  point  of  education  and  intel- 
ligence. 

WOMAN'S  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OF  CHI- 
CAGO.  (See  Northtvestern  University  Woman's 
Medical  School.) 


608 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


WOMAN  SUFFRAGE.     (See  Suffrage.) 

WOOD,  IJpnson,  lawyer  and  Congressman,  was 
born  in  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  in  1839;  re- 
ceived a  common  school  and  academic  education; 
at  the  age  of  20  came  to  Illinois,  and,  for  two 
years,  taught  school  in  Lee  County.  He  then 
enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  an  Illinois  regiment, 
attaining  the  rank  of  Captain  of  Infantry;  after 
the  war,  graduated  from  the  Law  Department  of 
the  old  Chicago  University,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Twenty-eighth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1872)  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Conventions  of  1876  and 
1888 ;  also  served  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Effing- 
ham, where  he  now  resides.  In  1894  he  was 
elected  to  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  by  the 
Republicans  of  the  Nineteenth  District,  which  has 
uniforndy  returned  a  Democrat,  and,  in  office, 
proved  hini.self  .1  most  industrious  and  efficient 
member.  Mr.  Wood  was  defeated  as  a  candidate 
for  reelection  in  1890. 

WOOD,  John,  pioneer,  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  Governor,  was  born  at  Moravia,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
20,  1798 — his  father  being  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
who  had  served  as  Surgeon  and  Captain  in  the 
army.  At  the  age  of  21  years  young  Wood  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  settling  in  what  is  now  Adams 
County,  and  building  the  first  log-cabin  on  the  site 
of  the  present  city  of  Quincy.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  upper  house  of  the  .Seventeenth  and  Eight- 
eenth General  As-semblies,  and  was  elected  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor in  1859  on  the  same  ticket  with 
Governor  Bissell,  and  served  out  the  unexpired 
term  of  the  latter,  who  died  in  office.  (See  Bis- 
sell, \yilliiim  H.)  He  was  succeeded  by  Richard 
Yates  in  1861.  In  February  of  that  year  he  was 
a])pointed  one  of  the  five  Commissioners  from 
Illinois  to  the  "Peace  Conference"  at  Wash- 
ington, to  consider  methods  for  averting 
civil  war.  The  following  May  he  was  appointed 
Quartermaster-CJeneral  for  the  State  by  Governor 
Yates,  and  assisted  most  efficiently  in  fitting  out 
the  troops  for  the  field.  In  June,  1864,  he  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteers  (lOOdays'  men) 
and  mustered  out  of  service  the  following  Sep- 
tember. Died,  at  Quincy.  June  11,  1880.  He 
was  liberal,  patriotic  and  public-spirited.  His 
fellow-citizens  of  Quincy  erected  a  monument  to 
his  memory,  wliich  was  appropriately  dedicated, 
July  4.  iss:i. 

WOODFORD  COl'XTT,  situated  a  little  north 
of  the  center  of  the  State,  bounded  on  the  west 
by  the  Illinois  River;   organized  in  1841;   area. 


.'540  square  miles.  The  surface  is  generally  level, 
except  along  the  Illinois  River,  the  soil  fertile 
and  well  watered.  The  county  lies  in  the  north- 
ern section  of  the  great  coal  field  of  the  State. 
Eureka  is  the  county-seat.  Other  thriving  cities 
and  towns  are  Metamora,  Minonk,  El  Pa,so  and 
Roanoke.  Corn,  oats,  wheat,  potatoes  and  barley 
are  the  principal  crops.  The  chief  mechanical 
industries  are  flour  manufacture,  carriage  and 
wagon-making,  and  saddlery  and  harness  work. 
Population  (IS'.IO),  21,421);  (1<)00),  21,822. 

WOODHL'LL,  a  village  of  Henry  County,  on 
Keithsburg  branch  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  l.">  miles  west  of  Galva:  has  a  bank, 
electric  lights,  water  works,  brick  and  tile  works, 
six  clunclies  and  weekly  paper.     Pop.  (1900),  774. 

WOODMAN,  Cliark's  W.,  lawyer  and  Congress- 
man, was  born  in  Aalborg,  Denmark.  March  11, 
1844;  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  country,  but  took  to  the  sea  in  1860, 
following  the  life  of  a  sailor  until  1863,  when, 
coming  to  Philadelphia,  he  enlisted  in  the  Gulf 
Squadron  of  the  United  States.  After  the  war. 
he  came  to  Chicago,  and,  after  reading  law  for 
some  time  in  the  office  of  James  L.  High,  gradu- 
ated from  the  Law  Department  of  the  Chicago 
University  in  1871.  Some  years  later  he  was 
appointed  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  some  of  the 
lower  courts,  and,  in  1881,  was  nominated  by  the 
Judges  of  Cook  County  as  one  of  the  Justices  of 
the  Peace  for  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1894  he 
became  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
from  the  Fourth  District  and  was  elected,  but 
failed  to  secure  a  renomination  in  1896.  Died,  in 
Elgin  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  March  18,  1898. 

WOODS,  Robert  Mann,  was  bom  at  Greenville, 
Pa.,  April  17,  1840;  came  with  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois in  1842,  the  family  settling  at  Barry,  Pike 
Countj'.  but  subsequently  residing  at  Pittsfield, 
Canton  and  Galesburg.  He  was  educated  at 
Knox  College  in  the  latter  place,  which  was  his 
home  from  1849  to  TiH;  later,  tauglit  school  in 
Iowa  and  Missouri  until  1801,  when  he  went  to 
Springfield  and  began  the  study  of  law  with 
Milton  Hay  and  Shelby  M.  CuUom.  His  law 
studies  having  been  interrupted  by  the  Civil 
War,  after  spending  some  time  in  the  mu.stering 
and  disbursing  office,  he  was  promoted  bj-  Gov- 
ernor Yates  to  a  place  in  the  executive  office, 
from  which  he  went  to  the  field  as  Adjutant  of 
the  Sixty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  known  as  the 
"Yates  Sharp-Shooters."  After  participating, 
with  the  Arm}-  of  the  Tennessee,  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  he  took  part  in  the  "March  to  the 
Sea,"  and  the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas,  includ- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF    ILLINOIS. 


5'JS 


ing  the  siege  of  Savannah  and  the  forcing  of  the 
Salkahatohie,  where  he  distinguished  himself,  as 
also  in  the  taking  of  Colmubia,  Fayetteville, 
Cheraw,  Ealeigh  and  Bentonville.  At  the  latter 
placehe  had  a  horse  shot  under  him  and  won  the 
brevet  rank  of  Major  for  gallantry  in  the  field, 
having  previously  been  commissioned  Captain  of 
Company  A  of  his  regiment.  He  also  served  on 
the  staffs  of  Gens.  Giles  A.  Smith,  Benjamin  F. 
Potts,  and  William  W.  Belknap,  and  was  the  last 
mustering  officer  in  General  Sherman's  army. 
In  1867  Major  Woods  removed  to  Chicago,  where 
he  was  in  business  for  a  number  of  years,  serving 
as  chief  clerk  of  Custom  House  constniction 
from  1873  to  1877.  In  1879  he  purchased  "The 
Daily  Republican"  at  Joliet,  which  he  conducted 
successfully  for  fifteen  years.  While  connected 
with  "The  Republican, "  he  served  as  Secretary  of 
the  Illinois  Republican  Press  Association  and  in 
various  other  positions. 

Major  Woods  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  whose  birth-place 
was  in  Illinois.  (See  Chrand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic; also  Stephenson,  Dr.  B.  F.)  When  Dr. 
Stephenson  (who  had  been  Surgeon  of  the  Four- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry),  conceived  the  idea  of 
founding  such  an  order,  he  called  to  his  assist- 
ance Major  Woods,  who  was  then  engaged  in 
writing  the  histories  of  Illinois  regiments  for  the 
Adjutant-General's  Report.  The  Major  wrote 
the  Constitution  and  By-laws  of  the  Order,  the 
charter  blanks  for  all  the  reports,  etc.  The  first 
official  order  bears  his  name  as  the  first  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Order,  as  follows : 

hkaixicartebs  department  of  illi.nois 
Grand  Akuy  of  the  Republic. 

Springfield,  III..  April  1,  1S66. 

General  Orders  '_  ,     „  ^       ,_ 

Nil.  1.  \  The  following  named  omcers  are  nereby 

appointed  and  assigned  to  duty  at  these  headquarters.    They 

will  b«  obeyed  and  respected  accordingly: 

Colonel  Jules  C.  Webber,  A.D.C.  and  Chief  of  Staff. 

Colonel  John  M.  Snyder,  Quartermaster-General. 

Major  Robert  M.  Woods,  .idjutant-General. 

Captain  John  A.  Lightfoot,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Captain  Jolin  S.  Phelps.  Ald-de-Oamp. 

By  order  of  B.  P.  Stephenson,  Department  Commander. 

Robert  M.  Woods, 

Adjutant-General. 

Major  Woods  after%vards  organized  the  various 
Departments  in  the  West,  and  it  has  been  con- 
ceded that  he  furnished  the  money  necessary  to 
carry  on  the  work  during  the  first  six  months  of 
the  existence  of  the  Order.  He  has  never 
accepted  a  nomination  or  run  for  any  political 
office,  but  is  now  engaged  in  financial  business  in 
Joliet  and  Chicago,  with  his  residence  in  the 
former  place. 


WOODSON,  David  Meade,  lawyer  and  jurist, 
was  born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,-  May  18, 
1806;  was  educated  in  private  schools  and  at 
Transylvania  University,  and  read  law  with  his 
father.  He  served  a  term  in  the  Kentucky  Legis- 
lature in  1832,  and,  in  1834,  removed  to  Illinois, 
settling  at  CarroUton,  Greene  County.  In  1839 
he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  and,  in  1840,  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature, 
being  elected  a  second  time  in  1868.  In  1843  he 
was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in  the 
Fifth  District,  but  was  defeated  by  Stephen  A. 
Douglas.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Conventions  of  1847  and  1869-70.  In  1848  he  was 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  First  Judicial  Circuit, 
remaining  in  office  until  1867.     Died,  in  1877. 

WOODSTOCK,  the  county-seat  of  McHenry 
County,  situated  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway,  about  -51  miles  northwest  of  Chicago 
and  32  miles  east  of  Rockford.  It  contains  a 
court  house,  eight  churches,  four  banks,  three 
newspaper  offices,  foundry  and  machine  shops, 
planing  mills,  canning  works,  pickle,  cheese  and 
butter  factories.  The  Oliver  Typewriter  Factory 
is  located  here;  the  town  is  also  the  seat  of  the 
Todd  Seminary  for  boys.  Population  (1890), 
1,683;  (1900),  2,503. 

WORCESTER,  Liniis  E.,  State  Senator,  was 
born  in  Windsor,  Vt.,  Dec.  5,  1811,  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  State  and  at 
Chester  Academy,  came  to  Illinois  in  1836,  and, 
after  teaching  three  years,  entered  a  dry-goods 
store  at  Whitehall  as  clerk,  later  becoming  a 
partner.  He  was  also  engaged  in  various  other 
branches  of  business  at  different  times,  including 
the  drug,  hardware,  grocery,  agricultural  imple- 
ment and  lumber  business.  In  1843  he  was 
appointed  Pcstinaster  at  Whitehall,  serving 
twelve  years;  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1847,  served  as  County  Judge  for 
six  years  from  1853,  and  as  Trustee  of  the  Insti- 
tution for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  at  Jacksonville, 
from  1859,  by  successive  reappointments,  for 
twelve  years.  In  1856  he  was  elected,  as  a  Demo- 
crat, to  the  State  Senate,  to  succeed  John  M. 
Palmer,  resigned ;  was  re-elected  in  1860,  and,  at 
the  session  of  1865,  was  one  of  the  five  Demo- 
cratic members  of  that  body  who  voted  for  the 
ratification  of  the  Emancipation  Amendment  of 
the  National  Constitution.  He  was  elected 
County  Judge  a  second  time,  in  1863,  and  I'e- 
elected  in  1867,  served  as  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic National  Convention  of  1876,  and,  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  was  one  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Jacksonville    branch    of    the    Chicago  &  Alton 


600 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


Railroad,  serving  from  the  organization  of  the 
corporation  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Oct. 
19,  1891. 

ff  ORDEX,  a  village  of  Madison  County,  on  the 
Wabash  and  the  Jacksonville,  Louisville  &  St. 
Louis  Railways.  32  miles  northeast  of  St.  Louis. 
Population  (IHKO),  r,22;  (I'JOO),  .-)44 

WORLD'S  COLl'MBIAN  EXPOSITION.  An 
exhibition  of  the  scientilif.  liberal  and  mechan- 
ical arts  of  all  nations,  hold  at  Cliii'ago,  between 
May  1  and  Oct.  31,  1893.  The  project  had  its 
inception  in  November,  188"),  in  a  resolution 
adopted  by  the  directorate  of  the  Chicago  Inter- 
State  Exposition  Company.  On  July  6,  1888,  the 
first  well  defined  action  was  taken,  the  Iroquois 
Club,  of  Chicago,  inviting  the  co-operation  of  six 
other  leading  clubs  of  that  city  in  "securing  the 
location  of  an  international  celebration  at  Chi- 
cago of  the  4(l0th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus.""  In  July,  1889,  a  decisive 
step  wivs  taken  in  the  appointment  by  JIayor 
Cregier,  under  resolution  of  the  City  Council,  of 
a  committee  of  lUO  (afterwards  increased  to  2.56) 
citizens,  who  were  charged  with  the  duty  of 
promoting  the  selection  of  Chicago  as  the  site  for 
the  Exposition.  New  York,  Washington  and  St. 
Louis  were  competing  points,  but  the  choice  of 
Congress  fell  upon  Chicago,  and  the  act  establish- 
ing the  World"s  Fair  at  that  city  was  signed  by 
President  Harrison  on  April  25,  1890.  Under  the 
requirements  of  tlie  kiw,  the  I^resident  apjKiinted 
eight  Commissioners-atlarge,  with  two  Commis- 
sioners and  two  alternates  from  eacli  State  and 
Territory  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  Col. 
George  R.  DavLs,  of  Chicago,  was  elected  Direc- 
tor-General by  the  body  thus  constituted.  Ex- 
Senator  Thoniius  M.  Palmer,  of  Micliigan,  was 
chosen  President  of  tlie  CommLs.sion  and  John  T. 
Dickinson,  of  Texas,  Secretary.  Tliis  Commis- 
sion delegated  much  of  its  jx)\ver  to  a  Board  of 
Reference  and  Control,  who  were  instructed  to 
act  with  a  similar  number  appointed  by  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition.  The  latter 
organization  was  an  incorporation,  with  a  direc- 
torate of  forty-five  members,  elected  annually  by 
the  stockholders.  Lj-man  J.  Gage,  of  Chicago, 
was  the  first  President  of  the  corporation,  and 
was  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Baker  and  Harlow  X. 
Higinbotham. 

In  addition  to  these  bodies,  certain  jwwers  were 
vested  in  a  Board  of  Lady  Managers,  composed 
of  two  members,  with  alternates,  from  each 
State  and  Territory,  besides  nine  from  the  city 
of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer  was  chosen 
President  of  the  latter.     This  Board  was  particu- 


larly charged  with  supervision  of  women's  par- 
ticipation in  the  Exposition,  and  of  the  exhibits 
of  women's  work. 

The  supreme  executive  power  was  vested  in 
the  Joint  Board  of  Control.  The  site  selected 
was  Jackson  Park,  in  the  South  Division  of  Chi- 
cago, with  a  strip  connecting  Jackson  and 
Washington  Parks,  known  as  the  "Midway 
Plaisance,"  which  was  surrendered  to  "conces- 
sionaires"' who  purchased  the  privilege  of  giving 
exhibitions,  or  conducting  restamauts  or  selling- 
booths  thereon.  Tlie  total  area  of  tlie  site  was 
633  acres,  and  that  of  the  buildings — not  reckon- 
ing those  erected  by  States  other  than  Illinois, 
and  by  foreign  governments — was  about  200 
acres.  When  to  tlxis  is  added  the  acreage  of  the 
foreign  and  State  buildings,  the  total  space 
under  roof  approximated  2.50  acres.  These  fig- 
ures ilo  not  include  the  buildings  erected  by 
private  exhibitors,  caterers  and  venders,  which 
would  add  a  small  percentage  to  the  grand  total. 
Forty-seven  foreign  Governments  made  ajipropri- 
ations  for  the  erection  of  their  own  buildings  and 
other  expenses  connected  with  official  represen- 
tation, and  there  were  exhibitors  from  eighty-six 
nations.  The  United  States  Government  erected 
its  own  building,  and  appropriated  $.">00,000  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  a  national  e.xhibit,  besides 
§2,500.(M)(|  toward  the  general  cost  of  the  Exposi- 
tion. The  appropriations  by  foreign  Governments 
aggregated  about  S6.."i00.000,  and  those  by  the 
States  ana  Territories,  §6,120,000— that  of  Illinois 
Ijeing  §800.000.  The  entire  outlay  of  the  AVorld's 
Columbian  Exposition  Company,  up  to  March  31, 
1894,  including  the  cost  of  preliminary  organiza- 
tion, construction,  operating  ami  |X)st  Exposition 
expenses,  was  §27,151,800.  This  is,  of  course, 
exclusive  of  foreign  and  State  expenditures, 
which  would  swell  the  aggregate  cost  to  nearly 
§4.5,000,000.  Citizens  of  Cliicago  subscribed 
§5,608,206  toward  the  capital  stock  of  the  Exjxisi- 
tion  Company,  and  the  municipality,  §5,000,000, 
which  %vas  raised  by  the  sale  of  bonds.  (See 
Tkirtysuvth  General  Assembly.) 

The  site,  while  admirablj-  adapted  to  the  pur- 
ixjse,  was,  when  chosen,  a  marshy  flat,  crossed 
by  low  sand  ridges,  ujKin  which  stood  occasional 
clumps  of  stunted  scrub  oaks.  Before  the  gates 
<jf  the  great  fair  were  opened  to  the  public,  the 
entire  area  had  l)een  transformed  into  a  dreiim  of 
beauty.  JIarshes  had  been  drained,  filled  in  and 
sodded;  driveways  and  broad  walks  constructed: 
artificial  ponds  and  lagoons  dug  and  embanked, 
and  all  the  highest  skill  of  the  landscape  garden- 
er's   art  had  been  called    into  play  to  produce 


Rwrt»  Park  Hj, 
StatQn    mil 


MAP  OP 

GROUNDS  OF  THE 


pOJ^UM^IAjSr  EXj'OpiJION 


AT 

Jackson  Park 

showing  the  General  Arrangement 

of 

Buildings  and  Grounds 

1893. 


iLIULUMU^UULJUOLjIMy 


Bazaar  of  N 
Nations    \f 


y Bazaar  of 
Nations 
eiot 


^MIDWAY^ 


][      street      !  I    _  777,  I      Outctl       '    1  JAP.  luSBEv'        ] 


J  (Moorish;   'TuriT 


",,i!  '((IMiln:'.!!;  ,  II'  I 


i|iii.-i'.:iiiiii'..iH'.iiii.iiiiii,ii..i.ii;;:i:ii: 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


601 


varied  and  striking  effects.  But  the  task  had 
been  a  Herculean  one.  There  were  seventeen 
principal  (or,  as  they  may  be  called,  depart- 
mental) buildings,  all  of  beautiful  and  ornate 
design,  and  all  of  vast  size.  They  were  known 
as  the  Manufacturers'  and  Liberal  Arts,  the 
Machinery,  Electrical,  Transportation,  Woman's, 
Horticultural,  Mines  and  Mining,  Anthropolog- 
ical, Administration,  Art  Galleries,  Agricultural, 
Art  Institute,  Fisheries,  Live  Stock,  Dairy  and 
Forestry  buildings,  and  the  Music  Hall  and  Ca- 
sino. Several  of  these  had  large  annexes.  The 
Manufacturers'  Building  was  the  largest.  It  was 
rectangular  (1687x787  feet),  having  a  ground 
area  of  31  acres  and  a  floor  and  gallery  area  of 
44  acres.  Its  central  chamber  was  1280x380 
feet,  with  a  nave  107  feet  wide,  both  hall  and 
nave  being  surrounded  by  a  gallery  50  feet  wide. 
It  was  four  times  as  large  as  the  Roman  Coliseum 
and  three  times  as  large  as  St.  Petei''s  at  Rome; 
17,000,000  feet  of  lumber,  13,000,000  pounds  of 
steel,  and  2,000,000  pounds  of  iron  had  been  used 
in  its  construction,  involving  a  cost  of  §1,800,000. 

It  was  originally  intended  to  open  the  Exposi- 
tion, formally,  on  Oct.  21,  1892,  the  quadri-centen- 
nial  of  Columbus'  dis(-overy  of  land  on  the 
Western  Hemisphere,  but  the  magnitude  of  the 
undertaking  rendered  this  impracticable.  Con- 
sequently, while  dedicatory  ceremonies  were  held 
on  tliat  day,  preceded  by  a  monster  procession  and 
followed  by  elaborate  pyroteclmic  displays  at 
night,  May  1,  1893,  was  fixed  as  the  opening  day 
— the  machinery  and  fountains  lieing  put  in  oper- 
ation, at  the  touch  of  an  electric  button  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland,  at  the  close  of  a  short  address. 
The  total  number  of  admissions  from  that  date 
to  Oct.  31,  was  27,530,4(5(1 — the  largest  for  any 
single  day  being  on  Oct.  9  (Chicago  Day)  amount- 
ing to  761,944.  The  total  receipts  from  all  sources 
(including  National  and  State  appropriations, 
subscriptions,  etc.),  amounted  to  §28,151,168.75, 
of  which  §10,626,330.70  was  from  the  sale  of  tick 
ets,  and  §3,699,581.43  from  concessions.  The 
aggregate  attendance  fell  short  of  that  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1889  by  about  500,000,  while 
the  receipts  from  the  sale  of  tickets  and  con- 
cessions exceeded  the  latter  by  nearly  §5,800,000. 
Subscribers  to  the  Exj^osition  stock  received  a 
return  of  ten  per  cent  on  the  same. 

The  Illinois  building  was  the  first  of  the  State 
buildings  to  be  completed.  It  was  also  the 
largest  and  most  costly,  but  was  severely  criti- 
cised from  an  architectural  standpoint.  The 
exhibits  showed  the  internal  resources  of  the 
State,  as  well  as  the  development  of  its  govern- 


mental system,  and  its  progress  in  civilization 
from  the  days  of  the  first  pioneers.  The  entire 
Illinois  exhibit  in  the  State  building  was  under 
charge  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  who 
devoted  one-tenth  of  the  appropriation,  and  a  like 
proportion  of  floor  space,  to  the  exhibition  of  the 
work  of  Illinois  women  as  scientists,  authors, 
artists,  decorators,  etc.  Among  special  features 
of  the  Illinois  exhibit  were:  State  trophies  and 
relies,  kept  in  a  fire-j)roof  memorial  hall ;  the  dis- 
play of  grains  antl  minerals,  and  an  immense 
topogi'aphical  map  (prepared  at  a  cost  of  §15,000), 
drafted  on  a  scale  of  two  miles  to  the  inch,  show- 
ing the  character  and  resources  of  the  State,  and 
correcting  many  serious  cartographical  errors 
previously  undiscovered. 

WORTHEN,  Amos  Henry,  scientist  and  State 
Geologist,  was  born  at  Bradforil,  Vt..  Oct.  31. 
1813,  emigrated  to  Kentucky  in  1834,  and,  in  1836, 
removed  to  Illinois,  locating  at  War.saw.  Teach- 
ing, surveying  and  mercantile  business  were  his 
pursuits  until  1842,  when  he  returned  to  the 
East,  spending  two  years  in  Boston,  but  return- 
ing to  War.saw  in  1844.  His  natural  predilections 
were  toward  the  natural  sciences,  and,  after 
coming  west,  he  devoted  njost  of  his  leisure  time 
to  the  collection  and  study  of  specimens  of 
mineralogy,  geology  and  conchology.  On  the 
organization  of  the  geological  survey  of  Illinois 
in  1851,  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Dr.  J.  G. 
Norwood,  then  State  Geologist,  and,  in  1858,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  office,  having  meanwhile  spent 
three  years  as  Assistant  Geologist  in  the  first  Iowa 
survey.  As  State  Geologist  he  published  seven 
volumes  of  reports,  and  was  engaged  upon  the 
eighth  when  overtaken  by  death.  May  6,  1888. 
These  reports,  which  are  as  comprehensive  as 
they  are  voluminous,  have  been  reviewed  and 
warmly  commended  by  the  leading  scientific 
periodicals  of  this  country  and  Europe  In  1877 
field  work  was  discontinued,  and  the  State  His- 
torical Library  and  Natural  History  Museum  were 
established.  Professor  Worthen  being  placed  in 
charge  as  curator.  He  was  the  author  of  various 
valuable  scientific  papers  and  member  of  numer- 
ous scientific  societies  in  this  coimtry  and  in 
Europe. 

WORTHIXiTOJf,  Nicholas  Ellsworth,  ex-Con- 
gressman, was  born  in  Brooke  County,  W.  Va., 
March  30,  1836,  and  completed  his  education  at 
Allegheny  College,  Pa. ,  studied  Law  at  Morgan- 
town,  Va.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860. 
He  is  a  resident  of  Peoria,  and,  by  profession,  a 
lawyer;  was  County  Superintendent  of  Schools 
of  Peoria  Countv  from  1868  to  1872,  and  a  mem- 


602 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


ber  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  from  1869  to 
1872.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  as  a 
Democrat,  from  the  Tenth  Congressional  District, 
and  re-elected  in  1884.  In  1886  he  was  again  a 
candidate,  but  was  defeated  by  his  Republican 
opponent,  Philip  Sidney  Post.  He  was  elected 
Circuit  Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  District  in 
1891,  and  re-elected  in  1897.  In  1894  he  served 
upon  a  commission  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land, to  investigate  the  labor  strikes  of  that  year 
at  Chicago. 

WRIUHT,  John  Stephen,  manufacturer,  was 
born  at  Sheffield,  Mass.,  July  16,  1815;  came  to 
Chicago  in  1833,  with  his  father,  who  opened  a 
store  in  that  city ;  in  1837,  at  his  own  expense, 
built  the  first  school  building  in  Chicago;  in  1840 
established  "The  Prairie  Farmer,"  which  he  con- 
ducted for  many  years  in  the  interest  of  jxjpular 
education  and  progressive  agriculture.  In  1852 
he  engaged  in  tlie  manufacture  of  Atkins'  self- 
raking  reaper  and  mower,  was  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  and  the 
Illinois  Central  Railways,  and  wrote  a  volume 
entitled,  "Chicago:  Past,  Present  and  Future,'' 
published  in  1870.    Died,  in  Chicago,  Sept.  26,  1874. 

WULFF,  Henry,  ex-State  Treasurer,  was  born 
in  Meldorf,  (Jermany,  August  "24,  18.54;  came  to 
Cliicago  in  1863,  and  began  his  jxjlitical  career  as 
a  Trustee  of  the  town  of  Jefferson.  In  1866  he 
was  elected  County  Clerk  of  Cook  County,  and 
re-elected  in  1890;  in  1894  became  the  Republican 
nominee  for  State  Treasurer,  receiving,  at  the 
November  election  of  that  year,  the  unprece- 
dented plurality  of  133,427  votes  over  his  Demo- 
cratic opponent. 

WYAXET,  a  town  of  Bureau  County,  at  the 
intersection  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railways, 
7  miles  southwest  of  Princeton.  Population 
(1890),  670;  (1900),  902. 

WYLIE,  (Rev.)  ISamnel,  domestic  missionary, 
born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  America  in  boyhood ; 
was  educated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Chuich,  and  ordained  in  1818. 
Soon  after  this  he  came  west  as  a  domestic  mis- 
sionary and,  in  1820,  became  pastor  of  a  church 
at  Sparta,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  his  death, 
March  20,  1872,  after  a  pastorate  of  52  j-ears. 
During  his  pastorate  the  church  sent  out  a  dozen 
colonies  to  form  new  church  organizations  else- 
where. He  is  described  as  able,  eloquent  and 
scholarly. 

WTMA>',  (Col.)  John  B.,  soldier,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  July  12,  1817,  and  educated  in  the 


schools  of  that  State  until  14  years  of  age,  when 
he  became  a  clerk  in  a  clothing  store  in  his  native 
town  of  Shrewsbury,  later  being  associated  with 
mercantile  establishments  in  Cincinnati,  and 
again  in  his  native  State.  From  1846  to  1850  he 
was  employed  successively  as  a  clerk  in  the  car 
and  machine  shops  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  then  as 
Superintendentof  Construction,  and,  later,  as  con- 
ductor on  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  Railroad, 
finally,  in  1850,  becoming  Superintendent  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Railroad.  In  1852  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, assisting  in  the  survey  and  construction  of 
the  line  under  Col.  R.  B.  Mason,  the  Chief  Engi- 
neer, and  finally  becoming  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Northern  Division.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Amboy, 
in  Lee  County,  and  its  first  Mayor,  also  serving 
a  second  term.  Having  a  fondness  for  military 
affairs,  he  wiis  usually  connected  with  some  mili- 
tary organization — while  in  Cincinnati  being 
attached  to  a  company,  of  which  Prof.  O.  M. 
Mitchell,  the  celebrated  astronomer  (afterwards 
Major-General  Mitchell),  was  Captain.  After 
coming  to  Illinois  he  became  Captain  of  the  Chi- 
cago Light  Guards.  Having  lef*  the  emjdoy  of 
the  Railroad  in  1858,  he  was  in  private  business 
at  Amboy  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in 
1861.  As  Assistant-Adjutant  General,  by  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Yates,  he  rendered  valuable 
service  in  the  eiirly  weeks  of  the  war  in  securing 
arms  from  Jefferson  Barracks  and  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  tliree-months'  regiments.  Then, 
having  organized  the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry — the  first  organized  in  the  State 
for  the  three  years'  service — he  was  commis- 
sioned its  Colonel,  and,  in  July  following,  entered 
ujxjn  the  duty  of  guarding  the  railroad  lines  in 
Southwest  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  The  follow- 
ing year  his  regiment  was  attached  to  General 
Sherman's  command  in  the  first  campaign 
against  Vickshurg.  On  the  second  day  of  the 
Battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  he  fell  mortally 
wounded,  dying  on  the  field,  Dec.  28,  1862.  Colo- 
nel Wyman  was  one  of  the  most  accomplished 
and  promising  of  the  volunteer  soldiers  sent  to 
the  field  from  Illinois,  of  whom  so  many  were 
former  employes  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road. 

WYOMING,  a  town  of  Stark  County,  31  miles 
north-northwest  from  Peoria,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Peoria  branch  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the 
Rushville  branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railway ;  has  two  high  schools,  churches, 
two  banks,    flour   mills,   water-works,    machine 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


603 


shop,  and  two  weekly  newspapers.     Coal  is  mined 
here.     Pop.  (1890),  1,116;  (1900),  1,277. 

XENIA,  a  village  of  Clay  County,  on  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad,  87  miles 
east  of  St.  Louis.     Population  (1900),  800. 

YATES  CITY,  a  village  of  Knox  County,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Peoria  Division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  it  Quincy  Railroad,  with  the  Rushville 
branch,  23  miles  southeast  of  Galesburg.  The 
town  has  banks,  a  coal  mine,  telephone  exchange, 
school,  churches  and  a  newspaper.  Pop.  (1890), 
687;  (1900),  6.50. 

YATES,  Henry,  pioneer,  was  born  in  Caroline 
County,  Va.,  Oct.  29,  1786 — being  a  grand-nephew 
of  Chief  Justice  John  Marshall ;  removed  to  Fa- 
yette County,  Ky.,  where  he  located  and  laid  out 
the  town  of  Warsaw,  which  afterwards  became 
the  county-seat  of  Gallatin  County.  In  1831  lie 
removed  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  and,  in  1832, 
settled  at  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Berlin, 
which  he  laid  out  the  following  year,  also  laying 
out  the  town  of  New  Berlin,  a  few  years  later,  on 
the  line  of  the  Wabash  Railway.  He  was  father 
of  Gov,  Richard  Yates.  Died,  Sept.  13,  186.5. — 
Henry  (Y'ates),  Jr.,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born 
at  Berlin,  111.,  March  7,  1835;  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising at  New  Berlin ;  in  1862,  raised  a  company 
of  volunteers  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixth 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  was  appointed  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel and  brevetted  Colonel  and  Briga- 
dier-General. He  was  accidentally  shot  in  18(53, 
and  suffered  sun-stroke  at  Little  Rock,  from 
which  he  never  fully  recovered.  Died,  August 
3,  1871. 

YATES,  Richard,  former  Governor  and  United 
States  Senator,  was  born  at  Warsaw,  Ky.,  Jan. 
18,  1815,  of  English  descent.  In  1831  he  accom- 
panied his  father  to  Illinois,  the  family  settling 
first  at  Springfield  and  later  at  Berlin,  Sangamon 
County.  He  soon  after  entered  Illinois  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1835,  and  subse- 
quently read  law  with  Col.  John  J.  Hardin,  at 
Jacksonville,  which  thereafter  became  his  home. 
In  1843  he  was  elected  Representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  from  Morgan  County,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1844,  and  again  in  1848.  In  18.50  he 
was  a  candidate  for  Congress  from  the  Seventh 
District  and  elected  over  Maj.  Thomas  L.  Harris, 
the  previous  incumbent,  being  the  only  Whig 
Representative  in  the  Thirty-second  Congress 
from  Illinois.  Two  years  later  he  was  re-elected 
over  John  Calhoun,  but  was  defeated,  in  1854, 
by  his  old  opponent,  Harris.     He  was  one  of  the 


most  vigorous  opponents  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill  in  the  Thirty-third  Congress,  and  an  early 
participant  in  the  movement  for  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  to  resist  the  further 
extension  of  slavery,  being  a  prominent  speaker, 
on  the  same  platform  with  Lincoln,  before  the 
first  Republican  State  Convention  held  at  Bloom- 
ington,  in  May,  1856,  and  serving  as  one  of  the 
Vice-Presidents  of  that  body.  In  1860  he  was 
elected  to  the  executive  chair  on  the  ticket 
headed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency, 
and,  by  his  energetic  suj^port  of  the  National 
administration  in  its  measures  for  the  suppression 
of  the  Rebellion,  won  the  sobriquet  of  "the  Illi- 
nois War-Governor."  In  1865  he  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  serving  until  1871.  He 
died  suddenly,  at  St.  Louis,  Nov.  27,  1873,  while 
returning  from  Arkansas,  whither  he  had  gone, 
as  a  United  States  Commissioner,  by  appointment 
of  President  Grant,  to  inspect  a  land-subsidy 
railroad.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  ability,  earnest- 
ness of  purpose  and  extraordinary  personal  mag- 
netism, as  well  as  of  a  lofty  order  of  patriotism. 
His  faults  were  those  of  a  nature  generous, 
impulsive  and  warm-hearted. 

YORKVILLE,  the  county-seat  of  Kendall 
County,  on  Fox  River  and  Streator  Division  of 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Aurora;  on  interurban  electric  line; 
has  water-power,  electric  lights,  a  bank,  churches 
and  weekly  newspaper.  Pop.(1890)  375;  (1900),413. 

YOUXiit,  Brigham,  Mormon  leader,  was  born 
at  Whittinghani,  Vt.,  June  1,  1801,  joined  the 
Mormons  in  1831  and,  the  next  year,  became  asso- 
ciated with  Joseph  Smith,  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and, 
in  1835,  an  "apostle."  He  accompanied  a  con- 
siderable body  of  that  sect  to  Independence,  Mo., 
but  was  driven  out  with  them  in  1837,  settling 
for  a  short  time  at  Quincy,  111.,  but  later  remov- 
ing to  Nauvoo,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders. On  the  assassination  of  Smith,  in  1844,  he 
became  the  successor  of  the  latter,  as  head  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  and,  the  following  year,  headed 
the  exodus  from  Illinois,  which  finally  resulted  in 
the  Jlormon  settlement  in  Utah.  His  subsequent 
career  there,  where  he  was  appointed  Governor 
by  President  Fillmore,  and,  for  a  time,  success- 
fully defied  national  authority,  is  a  matter  of 
national  rather  than  State  history.  He  remained 
at  the  head  of  the  Monuoii  Church  until  his 
death  at  Salt  Lake  City,  August  29,  1877. 

YOUNG,  Richard  Montgomery,  United  States 
Senator,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1796,  studied 
law  and  removed  to  Jonesboro,  111.,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1817;  served  in  the  Second 


604 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


Greneral  Assembly  (1820-23)  as  Representative 
from  Union  County ;  was  a  Circuit  Judge,  1825-27; 
Presidential  Elector  in  1828;  Circuit  Judge  again, 
1829-37 ;  elected  United  States  Senator  in  1837  as 
successor  to  W.  L.  D.  Ewing,  serving  until  1843, 
when  he  was  commissioned  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  but  resigned  in  1847  to  become 
Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  at 
Washington.  During  the  session  of  1850-.51,  he 
served  as  Clerk  of  the  National  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. Died,  in  an  in.sane  asylum,  in  Wash- 
ington, in  1853. 

YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTCAX  ASSOCIATION, 
first  permanently  organized  at  Chiciigo,  in  1858, 
although  desultory  movements  of  a  kindred  char- 
acter liad  previously  been  started  at  Peoria, 
Quinc}',  Chicago  and  Springfield,  some  as  early 
as  1854.  From  1858  to  1872,  various  a-ssociations 
were  formed  at  different  points  throughout  the 
State,  which  were  entirely  independent  of  each 
other.  The  first  effort  looking  to  union  and 
mutual  aid,  was  made  in  1872,  when  Robert 
Weidensall,  on  behalf  of  the  International  Com- 
mittee, called  a  convention,  to  meet  at  Blooming- 
ton,  November  6-9.  State  conventions  have  been 
held  annually  since  1872.  In  that  of  1875,  steps 
were  taken  looking  to  the  ap]x>iiitment  of  a 
State  Secretary,  and,  in  1876,  Charles  JI.  Jlorton 
ivssuined  the  office.  Much  evangelistic  work  was 
done,  and  new  associations  formed,  the  total 
number  reported  at  the  Champaign  Convention, 
in  1877,  being  sixty-two.  After  one  year's  work 
Mr.  Morton  resigned  the  secretaryship,  the  office 
remaining  vacant  for  three  years.  The  question 
of  the  appointment  of  a  successor  was  discussed 
at  the  Decatur  Convention  in  1879,  and,  in  April, 
1880,  I.  B.  Brown  wiis  made  State  Secretiiry.  and 
has  occupied  the  position  to  the  present  time 
(1899).  At  the  date  of  his  appointment  the 
official  figures  showed  si.vteen  a.ssociations  in  Illi- 
nois, with  a  total  membership  of  2,443,  and  prop- 
erty valued  at  .3126,.500,  including  building  funds, 
the  associations  at  Cliicago  and  Aurora  owning 
buildings.  Thirteen  officers  were  employed, 
none  of  them  being  in  Chicago.  Since  1880  the 
work  has  steadily  grown,  so  that  five  Assistant 
State  Secretaries  are  now  employed.  In  1886,  a 
plan  for  arranging  the  State  work  under  depart- 
mental administration  was  devised,  but  not  put 
in  operation  until  1800.  The  present  six  depart- 
ments of  supervision  are :  General  Supervision, 
in  charge  of  the  State  Secretary  and  his  ^Vssist- 
ants;  railroad  and  city  work;  counties  and 
towns;  work  among  students;  corresjwnding 
membership  deiJartment,  and  office  work.     The 


two  last  named  are  under  one  executive  hejid, 
but  each  of  the  others  in  charge  of  an  Assistant 
Secretary,  who  is  responsible  for  its  development 
Tlie  entire  work  is  under  the  supervision  of  a 
State  Executive  Committee  of  twenty-seven 
members,  one-third  of  whom  are  elected  annually. 
Willis  H.  Herrick  of  Chicago  has  been  its  chair- 
man for  several  years.  This  body  is  appointed 
by  a  State  convention  compo.sed  of  delegates 
from  the  local  Associations.  Of  these  there  were, 
in  October,  1898,  116,  with  a  membership  of 
15,888.  The  value  of  the  property  owned  was 
§2,500,000.  Twenty-two  occupy  their  own  build- 
ings, of  which  five  are  for  i-ailroad  men  and  one 
for  students.  Weekly  gatherings  for  young  men 
numbered  248,  and  there  are  now  representatives 
or  correspondents  in  6G5  communities  where  no 
organization  has  been  effected.  Scientific  phys- 
ical culture  is  made  a  feature  by  40  iussociations, 
and  educational  work  has  been  largely  developed. 
Tlie  enrollment  in  evening  cliisses.  during  1898-99, 
was  978.  The  building  of  the  Chicago  branch 
(erected  in  1893)  is  the  finest  of  its  class  in  the 
world.  Recently  a  successful  aswociation  has 
been  formed  among  coal  miners,  and  another 
among  the  first  grade  boys  of  the  Illinois  State 
Reformatory,  while  an  extensive  work  has  been 
conducted  at  the  camps  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard. 

ZANE,  Charles  S.,  lawyer  and  jurist,  was  bom 
in  Cumberland  County,  N.  J.,  March  2,  1831,  of 
English  and  New  England  stock.  At  the  age  of 
19  he  emigrated  to  Sangamon  County,  lU.,  for  a 
time  working  on  a  farm  and  at  brick-making. 
From  1852  to  '55  he  attended  McKendree  College, 
but  did  not  graduate,  and,  on  leaving  college, 
engaged  in  leachmg,  at  the  same  time  reading 
law.  In  1857  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
commenced  practice  at  Springfield.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  elected  City  Attorney.  He  had 
for  partners,  at  different  times,  William  H. 
Herndon  (once  a  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln) 
and  Senator  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  In  1873  be  was 
elected  a  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  Fifth 
Judicial  Circuit,  and  was  re-elected  in  1879.  In 
1883  President  Arthur  apjwinted  him  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  L'tah,  where  he  has  since  resided,  though 
superseded  by  the  appointment  of  a  succes.sor  by 
President  Clevelantl.  .\t  the  first  .State  elec- 
tion in  Utah,  held  in  November,  1895.  he  was 
chosen  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  new  Commonwealth,  but  was  defeated 
for  re-election,  by  his  Democratic  opponent,  in 
1898. 


SCENES    IN    SOUTH   PARK. 


The  Peristyle. 


WORLD'S   FAIR   BUILDINGS. 
Administration   Building. 


German  Building 
The   Fisheries. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


The  following  matter,  received  too  late  for  insertion  In  the  body  of  this  worli,  is  added  m  the  form  of  a  siipplemont. 


COGHLAM,  (Capt.)  Joseph  Bullock,  naval 
officer,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and,  at  the  age  of 
15  years,  came  to  Illinois,  living  on  a  farm  for  a 
time  near  Carlyle,  in  Clinton  County.  In  18(j0  he 
was  appointed  by  his  uncle,  Hon.  Philip  B. 
Fouke — then  a  Representative  in  Congress  from 
the  BeUeville  District — to  the  Naval  Academy  at 
Annapolis,  graduating  in  1863,  and  being  pro- 
moted through  the  successive  grades  of  Ensign. 
Master,  Lieutenant,  Lieutenant-Commander,  and 
Commander,  and  serving  upon  various  vessels 
until  Nov.  18,  1893,  when  he  was  commissioned 
Captain  and,  in  1897,  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  battleship  Raleigh,  on  the  Asiatic  Station 
He  was  thus  connected  with  Admiral  Dewey's 
squadron  at  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- Ameri- 
can War,  and  took  a  conspicuous  and  brilliant  part 
in  the  affair  in  Manila  Bay,  on  May  1,  1898,  which 
resulted  in  the  destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet 
Captain  Coghlan's  connection  with  subsequent 
events  in  the  Philippines  was  in  the  highest 
degree  creditable  to  himself  and  the  country. 
His  vessel  (the  Raleigh)  was  the  first  of  Admiral 
Dewey's  squadron  to  return  home,  coming  by 
way  of  the  Suez  Canal,  in  the  summer  of  1899,  he 
and  his  crew  receiving  an  immense  ovation  on 
their  arrival  in  New  York  harbor. 

CRANE,  (Rev.)  James  Lyons,  clergyman, 
army  chaplain,  was  born  at  Mt.  Eaton,  Wayne 
County.  Ohio,  August  30,  1823,  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Cincinnati  in 
1841,  and,  coming  to  Edgar  County,  Illinois,  in 
1843,  attended  a  seminary  at  Paris  some  three 
years.  He  joined  the  Illinois  Conference  in  1846, 
and  was  a.s.signed  to  the  Danville  circuit,  after- 
wards presiding  over  charges  at  Grandview,  Hills- 
boro,  Alton,  Jacksonville,  and  Springfield — at  the 
last  two  points  being  stationed  two  or  more 
times,  besides  serving  as  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Paris,  Danville,  and  Springfield  Districts.  The 
Importance  of  the  stations  which  he  filled  during 
his  itinerant  career  served  as  evidence  of  his 
recognized  ability  and  popularity  as  a  preacher. 


In  July,  1861,  he  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-first  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  at 
that  time  commanded  by  Ulysses  S.  Grant  as 
Colonel,  and,  althougli  he  remained  witli  the 
regiment  only  a  few  months,  the  friendship  then 
established  between  him  and  the  futme  com 
mander  of  the  armies  of  the  Union  lasted  through 
their  lives.  This  was  shown  by  his  appointment 
by  President  Grant  in  1869,  to  the  position  of 
Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  which  came 
to  him  as  a  personal  compliment,  being  re 
appointed  four  years  afterwards  and  continuing 
in  office  eight  years.  After  retiring  from  the 
Springfield  postoffice,  he  occupied  charges  at 
Island  Grove  and  Shelby  ville,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  latter  place,  July  29,  1879,  as  the  result  of 
an  attack  of  paralysis  some  two  weeks  previous. 
Mr.  Crane  was  married  in  1847  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Mayo,  daughter  of  Col.  J  Mayo — a  prominent 
citizen  of  Edgar  County,  at  an  early  day — his 
wife  surviving  him  some  twenty  years.  Rev 
Charles  A.  Crane  and  Rev.  Frank  Crane,  pastors 
of  prominent  Methodist  churches  in  Boston  and 
Chicago,  are  sons  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

DAWES,  Charles  Gates,  Comptroller  of  the 
Treasury,  was  born  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  August  27, 
1865;  graduated  from  Marietta  College  in  1884, 
and  from  the  Cincinnati  Law  School  in  1886; 
worked  at  civil  engineering  during  his  vacations, 
finally  becoming  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Toledo  & 
Ohio  Railroad.  Between  1887  and  1894  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Lincoln,  Neb. , 
but  afterwards  became  interested  in  the  gas  busi- 
ness in  various  cities,  including  Evanston,  ILL, 
which  became  his  home.  In  1896  he  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  securing  instructions  by  the  Republi- 
can State  Convention  at  Springfield  in  favor  of 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  McKinley  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  during  the  succeeding  campaign 
served  as  a  member  of  the  National  Republican 
Committee  for  the  State  of  Illinois  Soon  after 
the  accession  of  President  McKinley,  he  was 
appointed  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury,  a  position 


605 


606 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   ILLINOIS. 


which  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Dawes  is  the  son  of 
R.  B.  Dawes,  a  former  Congressman  from  Ohio, 
and  the  great-grandson  of  Manasseh  Cutler,  who 
was  an  influential  factor  in  the  early  history  of 
the  Northwest  Territory,  and  lias  been  credited 
with  exerting  a  strong  influence  in  shaping  and 
securing  the  adoption  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787. 

DISTIN,   (Col.)    William  L.,  former    Depart- 
ment Commander  of  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic   for    the    State    of    Illinois,    was    born    at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Feb.  9,  1843,  his  father  being  of 
English  descent,  while  his  maternal  grandfather 
was  a  Colonel  of  the  Polish  Lancers  in  the  army 
flf  the  first  Napoleon,  who,  after  the  exile  of  his 
leader,   came  to   America,   settling  in  Indiana. 
The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  settled  at 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  the  son  grew  to  manhood 
and  in  February.  1803,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Seventeenth  Iowa  Infantry,   ha\ing  been  twice 
rejected  previously  on  account  of   phj-sical  ail- 
ment.    Soon  after  enlistment  ho  was  detailed  for 
provost-marshal  duty,  but  later  took  part  with 
his  regiment  in  the  campaign  in  Alabama.     He 
served  for  a  time  in  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corp.s, 
under   Gen.  John  A.   Logan,   was  subsequently 
detailed  for  duty  on  the  Staff  of  General  Raum, 
and  participated   in  the   battles  of  Resaca  and 
Tilton,  Ga.  Having  Ixien  captured  in  the  latter, 
he  was  imprisoned  successively  at  Jacksonville 
^Ga.),     Montgomerj-,    Savannah,    and    finally   at 
Andersonville.     From  the  latter  he  succeeded  in 
effecting    his   escape,  but    was    recaptured    and 
returned    to    tliat    famous   prison-pen.      Having 
escaped  a  second  time  by  assviming  the  name  of 
a  dead  man  and  bribing  the  guard,  he  was  again 
captured  and  imprisoned  at  various  points  in  Mis- 
sissippi imtil  exchanged  about  the  time  of  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln.     He  was  tlien 
so  weakened  by  his  long  confinement  and  scanty 
fare  that   he    had   to   lie   carried   on   board   the 
steamer  on  a  stretcher.     At  this  time  he  narrowly 
escaped    lieing  on    board    the  steamer  Sultana, 
which  was   blown   up   below   Cairo,    with   2,100 
soldiers  on  board,  a  large  projxjrtion  of  whom  lost 
their  Uves.     After  being  mustered  out  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  June  28,  186.5,  he  was  employed  for  a 
time  on  the  Des  Moines  Valley  Railroad,  and  as  a 
messenger  and  route  agent  of  the  United  States 
Express  Company.     In  1872  he  established  him- 
self   in    business  in   Quincy,    111.,    in   which   he 
proved  very  successful.     Here  he  became  prom- 
inent in  local  Grand  Army  circles,  and,  in  1890, 
was    unanimously    elected    Commander    of    the 
Department  of  Illinois.     Previous  to  this  he  had 
been  an  officer  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  and 


served  as  Aid-de-Camp,  with  the  rank  of 
Colonel,  on  the  staff  of  Governors  Hamilton, 
Oglesby  and  Fifer.  In  1897  Colonel  Distin  was 
appointed  by  President  McKinley  Surveyor-Gen- 
eral for  tlie  Territory  of  Alaska,  a  position  which 
(1899)  ho  still  holds. 

DUMMEK,  Henry  E.,  lawyer,  was  born  at 
Hallowell,  Maine,  April  9,  1808,  was  educated  in 
Bowdoin  College,  graduating  there  in  the  class  of 
1827,  after  which  he  took  a  course  in  law  at  Cam- 
bridge L;iw  School,  and  was  soon  after  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Then,  having  spent  some  two  years 
in  liis  native  State,  in  18;{2  he  removed  to  llUnois, 
settling  first  in  Springfield,  where  he  remained  six 
years,  being  for  a  part  of  the  time  a  partner  of 
John  T.  Stuart,  who  afterwards  became  the  first 
partner  in  law  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Mr.  Duiu- 
mer  had  a  brother,  Richard  William  Dummer, 
who  had  preceded  him  to  Illinois,  living  for  a 
time  in  Jacksonville.  In  18i!8  he  removed  to 
Beardstown,  Cass  County,  which  continued  to  be 
his  home  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
During  his  residence  there  he  served  as  Alder- 
man, City  Attorney  and  Judge  of  Probate  for 
Cass  County ;  also  represented  Cass  County  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1847,  and,  in  1860, 
was  elected  State  Senator  in  the  Twenty-second 
General  As.sembly,  serving  four  years.  Mr. 
Dummer  was  an  earnest  Republican,  and  served 
that  party  as  a  delegate  for  the  State-at-large  to 
the  Convention  of  1864,  at  Baltimore,  which 
nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency  a 
second  time.  In  1804  he  removed  to  Jackson- 
ville, and  for  the  next  year  was  the  law  partner 
of  David  A.  Smith,  until  the  death  of  the  latter 
in  1865.  In  the  summer  of  1878  Mr.  Dummer 
went  to  Mackinac,  Mich.,  in  search  of  health,  but 
died  there  August  12  of  that  year. 

ECKELS,  Jaiues  H.,  ex-Comptroller  of  the 
Currency,  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage  at 
Princeton,  111..  Nov.  22,  18.58,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  high  school  of  his 
native  town,  graduated  from  the  Law  School  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1881,  and  the  following  year 
began  practice  at  Ottawa,  111.  Here  he  con- 
tinued in  active  practice  until  1893,  when  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Cleveland  Comptroller  of 
the  Currency,  serving  until  May  1,  1898.  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Com- 
mercial National  Bank  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Eckels 
manifested  such  distinguished  ability  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  Comjrtroller  that  he 
received  the  notable  compliment  of  being 
retained  in  office  by  a  Republican  administration 

more  than  a  year  after  the  retirement  of  Presi- 


HISTORICAL   ENCYCLOPEDIA    OF   ILLINOIS. 


607 


dent  Cleveland,  while  his  selection  for  a  place  at 
the  head  of  one  of  the  leading  banking  institu- 
tions of  Chicago  was  a  no  less  marked  recognition 
of  his  abilities  as  a  tinaucier.  He  was  a  Delegate 
from  the  Eleventh  District  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago  in  1892,  and 
repiesented  the  same  district  in  the  Gold  Demo- 
cratic Convention  at  Indianapolis  in  1896,  and 
assisted  in  framing  the  platform  there  adopted — 
which  indicated  his  views  on  the  financial  ques- 
tions involved  in  the  campaign  of  that  year. 

FIELD,  Daniel,  early  merchant,  was  born  in 
Jefferson  County,  Kentucky,  Nov.  30,  1790,  and 
settled  at  Golconda,  111.,  in  1818,  dying  there  in 
1855.  He  was  a  man  of  great  enterprise,  engaged 
in  merchandising,  and  became  a  large  land- 
holder, farmer  and  stock-gi'ower,  and  an  extensive 
shipper  of  stock  and  produce  to  lower  Mississippi 
markets.  He  married  Elizabeth  Dailey  of 
Charleston,  Ind.,  and  raised  a  large  family  of 
children,  one  of  whom,  Philip  D.,  became  Sheriffi 
while  another,  John,  was  County  Judge  of  Pope 
County.  His  daughter,  Maria,  married  Gen. 
Green  B.  Raum,  who  became  prominent  as  a 
soldier  during  the  Civil  War  and,  later,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress  and  Commissioner  of  Internal 
Revenue  and  Pension  Commissioner  in  Wash- 
ington. 

FIELD,  (iJreen  B.,  member  of  a  pioneer  family, 
was  born  within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of 
Indiana  in  1787,  served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
War  of  1813,  was  married  in  Bourbon  County, 
Kentucky,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Cogswell,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Jo.seph  Cogswell,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and,  in  1817,  removed  to 
Pope  County,  Illinois,  where  lie  laid  off  the  town 
of  Golconda,  which  became  the  county-seat.  He 
served  as  a  Representative  from  Pope  County  in 
the  First  General  As.sembly  (1818-20),  and  was 
the  father  of  Juliet  C.  Field,  who  became  the 
wife  of  John  Raum ;  of  Edna  Field,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Tarlton  Dunn,  and  of  Green  B.  Field,  who 
was  a  Lieutenant  in  Third  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers  during  the  Mexican  War.  Mr.  Field 
was  the  grandfather  of  Gen.  Green  B.  Raum, 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph.  He  died 
of  yellow  fever  in  Louisiana  in  1823. 

GALE,  Steplieii  Francis,  first  Chicago  book- 
seller and  a  railway  promoter,  was  born  at 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  March  8,  1812;  at  15  years  of  age 
became  clerk  in  a  leading  book-store  in  Boston ; 
came  to  Chicago  in  183.^.  and  soon  afterwards 
opened  the  first  book  and  stationery  establish- 
ment in  that  city,  which,  in  after  years,  gained 
an  extensive  trade.     In  1842  the  firm  of  S.  F. 


Gale  &  Co.  was  organized,  but  Mr.  Gale,  having 
become  head  of  the  Chicago  Fire  ■  Department, 
retired  frona  business  in  1845  As  early  as  1846 
he  was  associated  with  W  m.  B.  Ogden  and  John 
B.  Turner  in  the  steps  then  being  taken  to  revive 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  (now  a 
part  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern),  and,  in 
conjunction  with  these  gentlemen,  became 
responsible  for  the  means  to  purchase  the  cliarter 
and  assets  of  the  road  from  the  Eastern  bond- 
holders. Later,  he  engaged  in  the  construction 
of  the  branch  road  from  Turner  Junction  to 
Aurora,  became  President  of  the  line  and  ex- 
tended it  to  Mendota  to  connect  with  the  Illinois 
Central  at  that  Point.  These  roads  afterwards 
became  a  part  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  line.  A  number  of  years  ago  Mr.  Gale 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  has  since  resided. 

HAY,  John,  early  settler,  came  to  the  region  of 
Kaskaskia  between  1790  and  1800,  and  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  St.  Clair  County.  He  was 
selected  as  a  member  of  the  First  Legislative 
Council  of  Indiana  Territory  for  St.  Clair  County 
in  1805.  In  1809  he  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the 
Common  Pleas  Court  of  St.  Clair  County,  and 
was  continued  in  office  after  the  organization  of 
the  State  Government,  serving  until  his  death  at 
Belleville  in  1845. 

HAYS,  John,  pioneer  settler  of  Northwest  Ter 
ritory,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  who  came  to 
Cahokia,  in  the  "Illinois  Country,"  in  1793,  and 
lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  early 
life  had  been  spent  in  the  fur-trade  about  Macki 
nac,  in  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  region  and  about 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  During  tlie  War 
of  1812  he  was  able  to  furnish  Governor  Edwards 
valuable  information  in  reference  to  the  Indians 
in  the  Northwest.  He  filled  the  office  of  Post- 
master at  Caliokia  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
Sheriff  of  St.  Clair  County  from  1798  to  1818. 

MOULTON,  (Col.)  George  M.,  soldier  and 
building  contractor,  was  born  at  Readsburg,  Vt., 
March  15,  IS.')!,  came  early  in  life  to  Chicago,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  By  pro- 
fession he  is  a  contractor  and  builder,  the  firm  of 
which  he  is  a  member  having  been  connected 
with  the  construction  of  a  number  of  large  build- 
ings, including  some  extensive  grain  elevators. 
Colonel  Moulton  became  a  member  of  the  Second 
Regiment  Illinois  National  Guard  in  June,  1884, 
being  elected  to  the  office  of  Major,  which  he 
retained  until  January,  1893,  when  he  was 
appointed  Inspector  of  Rifle  Practice  on  the  staff 
of  General  Wheeler.     A  year  later  he  was  com 


008 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA   OF   ILLINOIS. 


missioned  Colonel  of  tlie  regiment,  a  position 
vvliich  he  occupied  at  the  time  of  the  call  by  the 
President  for  troops  to  serve  in  the  Spanish- 
American  War  in  April,  1898.  He  promptly 
answered  the  call,  and  was  sworn  into  the  United 
States  service  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  early 
in  May.  The  regiment  was  almost  immediately 
ordered  to  Jack.sonville,  Fla.,  remaining  there 
and  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  until  early  in  December, 
when  it  was  transferred  to  Havana,  Cuba.  Here 
he  was  soon  after  appointed  Chief  of  Police  for 
the  city  of  Havana,  remaining  in  office  until  the 
middle  of  January,  1899,  when  he  returned  to  his 
regiment,  then  stationed  at  Camp  Columbia,  near 
the  city  of  Havana.  In  the  latter  part  of  March 
he  returned  with  his  regiment  to  Augusta,  Ga.. 
where  it  was  mustered  out,  April  26,  1899,  one 
year  from  tlie  date  of  its  arrival  at  Springfield. 
After  leaving  the  service  Colonel  Moulton 
resumed  liis  business  as  a  contractor. 

SHERMAN,  Lawrence  T.,  legi-slator  and 
Speiiker  of  the  Forty-first  General  Assemblj',  was 
born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  Nov.  6,  18,58;  at  3 
years  of  age  came  to  Illinois,  liis  parents  settling 
at  Industry,  McDonough  County.  When  he  had 
i"eached  the  age  of  10  years  he  went  to  Jasper 
County,  where  lie  grew  to  manhood,  received  liis 
education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  the  law 


department  of  McKendree  College,  graduating 
from  tlie  latter,  and,  in  1881,  located  at  Macomb, 
McUouough  County.  Here  he  began  his  career 
by  driving  a  team  upon  the  street  in  order  to 
accumulate  means  enabling  him  to  devote  his 
entire  attention  to  his  chosen  profession  of  law. 
He  soon  took  an  active  interest  in  politics,  was 
elected  County  Judge  in  1886,  and,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  Ids  term,  formed  a  partnersliip  with 
George  D.  Tunniclilfe  and  D.  G.  Tu'niic'iffe, 
ex-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  1894  lie  was 
a  candidate  for  tlie  Republican  nomination  for 
Representative  in  tlie  General  Assembly,  but 
withdrew  to  prevent  a  split  in  the  party;  was 
nominated  and  elected  in  1896.  and  re-elected  in 
1898.  and,  at  the  succeeding  session  of  the 
Forty-Krst  General  A.ssenibly,  was  nominated 
by  the  Republican  caucus  and  elected  Speaker, 
as  he  was  again  of  the  Forty-.secoud  in  1901. 

VINYARD,  Philip,  early  legislator,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1800,  came  to  Illinois  at  an 
early  day,  and  settled  in  Pope  County,  which  he 
re])re,sented  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Thirteentli 
and  Fourteenth  General  Assemblies.  He  married 
Miss  Matilda  McCoy,  the  daughter  of  a  prominent 
Illinois  pioneer,  and  served  as  Sheriff  of  Pope 
County  for  a  number  of  years.  Died,  at  Ool- 
conda"  in  X86a. 


SUPPLEMENT   NO.    IT. 


BLACK  HAWK  WAR,  THE.  The  episode 
known  in  history  under  the  name  of  "The  Black 
Hawk  War,"  was  the  most  formidable  conflict 
between  the  whites  and  Indians,  as  well  as  the 
most  far-reaching  in  its  results,  that  ever  oc- 
curred upon  the  soil  of  Illinois.  It  takes  its 
name  from  the  Indian  Chief,  of  the  Sac  tribe, 
Black  Hawk  (Indian  name,  Makatai  Meshekia- 
kiak,  meaning  "Black  Sparrow  Hawk"),  who 
was  the  leader  of  the  hostile  Indian  band  and  a 
principal  factor  in  the  struggle.  Black  Hawk 
had  been  an  ally  of  the  British  during  the  War 
of  1813-15,  served  with  Tecumseh  when  the  lat- 
ter fell  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  1813,  and, 
after  the  war,  continued  to  maintain  friendly  re- 
lations with  his  "British  father."    The  outbreak 


in  Illinois  had  its  origin  in  the  construction 
put  upon  the  treaty  negotiated  by  Gen.  William 
Henry  Harrison  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians 
on  behalf  of  the  United  States  Government,  No- 
vember 3,  1804,  under  which  the  Indians  trans- 
ferred to  the  Government  nearly  15,000,000  acres 
of  land  comprising  the  region  lying  between  the 
Wisconsin  River  on  the  north.  Fox  River  of  Illi- 
nois on  the  east  and  southeast,  and  the  Mississippi 
on  the  west,  for  which  the  Government  agreed  to 
pay  to  the  confederated  tribes  less  than  $2,500  in 
goods  and  the  insignificant  sum  of  §1,000  ])er  an- 
num in  perpetuity.  While  the  validity  of  the 
treaty  was  denied  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  on  the 
ground  that  it  had  originally  been  entered  into  by 
their  chiefs  under  duress,  while  held  as  prisoners 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


609 


under  a  charge  of  murder  at  Jefferson  Barracks, 
during  which  they  had  been  kept  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant intoxication,  it  had  been  repeatedly  reaf- 
firmed by  parts  or  all  of  the  tribe,  especially  in 
1815,  in  1816,  in  1823  and  in  1823,  and  finally  recog- 
nized by  Black  Hawk  himself  in  i831.  The  part  of 
the  treaty  of  1804  which  was  the  immediate  cause 
of  the  disagreement  was  that  which  stipulated 
that,  so  long  as  the  lands  ceded  under  it  remained 
the  property  of  the  United  States  (that  is,  should 
not  be  transferred  to  private  owners),  '  the  Indians 
belonging  to  the  said  tribes  shall  enjoy  the  priv- 
ilege of  living  or  hunting  upon  them."  Al- 
though these  lands  had  not  been  put  upon  the 
market,  or  even  surveyed,  as  "squatters"  multi- 
plied in  this  region  little  respect  was  paid  to  the 
treaty  rights  of  the  Indians,  particularly  with 
reference  to  those  localities  where,  by  reason  of 
fertility  of  tlie  soil  or  some  other  natural  advan- 
tage, the  Indians  had  established  something  like 
permanent  homes  and  introduced  a  sort  of  crude 
cultivation.  This  was  especially  the  case  with 
reference  to  the  Sac  village  of  "Saukenuk"  on 
the  north  bank  of  Rock  River  near  its  mouth, 
where  the  Indians,  when  not  absent  on  the  chase, 
liad  lived  for  over  a  century,  had  cultivated 
fields  of  corn  and  vegetables  and  had  buried  their 
dead.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  it  is 
estimated  that  some  five  hundred  families  had 
been  accustomed  to  congregate  here,  making  it 
tlie  largest  Indian  village  in  the  West.  As  early 
as  1823  the  encroachments  of  squatters  on  the 
rights  claimed  by  the  Indians  under  the  treaty 
of  1804  began ;  their  fields  were  taken  possession 
of  by  the  intruders,  their  lodges  burned  and  their 
women  and  children  whipped  and  driven  away 
during  the  absence  of  the  men  on  their  annual 
hunts.  The  dangers  resulting  from  these  con- 
flicts led  Governor  Edwards,  as  early  as  1828,  to 
demand  of  the  General  Government  the  expul- 
sion of  the  Indians  from  Illinois,  which  resulted 
in  an  order  from  President  Jackson  in  1829  for 
their  removal  west  of  the  Mississippi.  On  appli- 
cation of  Col.  George  Davenport,  a  trader  of 
much  influence  with  the  Indians,  the  time  was 
extended  to  April  1.  1830.  During  the  preceding 
year  Colonel  Davenport  and  the  firm  of  Davenport 
and  Farnham  bought  from  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment most  of  the  lands  on  Rock  River  occupied 
by  Black  Hawk's  band,  with  the  intention,  as  has 
been  claimed,  of  permitting  the  Indians  to  remain. 
This  was  not  so  understood  by  Black  Hawk,  who 
was  greatly  incensed,  although  Davenport  offered 
to  take  other  lands  from  the  Government  in  ex- 
change or  cancel  the  sale — an  arrangement  to 


which  President  Jackson  would  not  consent  On 
their  return  in  the  spring  of  1830,  the  Indians 
found  whites  in  possession  of  their  village.  Pre- 
vented from  cultivating  their  fields,  and  their 
annual  hunt  proving  unsuccessful  the  following 
winter  proved  for  them  one  of  great  hardship. 
Black  Hawk,  having  made  a  visit  to  his  "  British 
father"  (the  British  Agent)  at  Maiden,  Canada, 
claimed  to  have  received  words  of  sympathy  and 
encouragement,  which  induced  him  to  deterndne 
to  regain  possession  of  their  fields.  In  this  he 
was  encouraged  by  Neapope,  his  second  in  com- 
mand, and  by  assurance  of  support  from  White 
Cloud,  a  half  Sac  and  half  Winnebago  —  known 
also  as  "The  Prophet  "  —  whose  village  (Prophet's 
Town)  was  some  forty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River,  and  through  whom  Slack  Hawk 
claimed  to  have  leceived  promises  of  aid  in  guns, 
ammunition  and  provisions  from  the  British. 
The  reappearance  of  Black  Hawk's  band  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  old  haunts,  in  the  spring  of  1831, 
produced  a  wild  panic  among  the  frontier  settlers. 
Messages  were  hurried  to  Governor  Reynolds, 
who  had  succeeded  Governor  Edwards  in  De- 
cember previous,  appealing  for  protection  against 
the  savages.  The  Governor  issued  a  call  for  700 
volunteers  "  to  remove  the  band  of  Sac  Indians "' 
at  Rock  Island  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Al- 
though Gen.  E.  P.  Gaines  of  the  regular  army, 
commanding  the  military  district,  thought  the 
regulars  sufficiently  strong  to  cope  with  the  situa- 
tion, the  Governor's  proclamation  was  respondea 
to  by  more  than  twice  the  number  called  for 
The  volunteers  assembled  early  in  June,  1831,  at 
Beardstown,  the  place  of  rendezvous  named  in 
the  call,  and  having  been  organized  into  two  regi- 
ments under  command  of  Col.  James  D.  Henry  and 
Col.  Daniel  Lieb,  with  a  spy  battalion  under  Gen. 
Joseph  Duncan,  marched  across  the  country  and, 
after  effecting  a  junction  with  General  Gaines' 
regulars,  appeared  before  Black  Hawk's  village  on 
the  25th  of  June.  In  the  meantime  General 
Gaines,  having  learned  that  the  Pottawatomies, 
Winnebagos  and  Kickapoos  had  promised  to  join 
the  Sacs  in  their  uprising,  asked  the  assistance  of 
the  battalion  of  mounted  men  previously  offered 
by  Governor  Reynolds.  The  combined  armies 
amounted  to  2,500  men,  while  the  fighting  force 
of  the  Indians  was  300.  Finding  himself  over- 
whelmingly outnumbered.  Black  Hawk  withdrew 
under  cover  of  night  to  the  west  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. After  burning  the  village,  General  Gaines 
notified  Black  Hawk  of  his  intention  to  pursue 
and  attack  his  band,  which  had  the  effect  to 
bring  the  fugitive  chief  to  the  General's  head- 


610 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


quarters,  where,  on  June  30,  a  new  treaty  was 
entered  into  by  which  he  bound  himself  and  his 
people  to  remain  west  of  the  Mississipjii  unless 
permitted  to  return  by  the  United  States.  This 
ended  the  campaign,  and  the  volunteers  returned 
to  their  homes,  although  the  affair  had  produced 
an  intense  excitement  along  the  whole  frontier, 
and  involved  a  heavy  expense. 

The  next  winter  was  spent  by  Black  Hawk  and 
his  band  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Madison,  in  tlie 
present  State  of  Iowa.  Dissatisfied  and  humil- 
iated by  his  repulse  of  the  previous  year,  in  disre- 
gard of  his  pledge  to  General  Games,  on  April  6, 
1832,  at  the  head  of  500  warriors  and  their  fam- 
ilies, he  again  crossed  the  Mississippi  at  Yel- 
low Banks  about  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Oquawka,  fifty  miles  below  Ro9k  Island,  with  the 
intention,  as  claimed,  if  not  permitted  to  stop  at 
his  old  village,  to  proceed  to  the  Prophet's  Town 
and  raise  a  crop  with  the  Winnel>agoes.  Here  he 
was  met  by  The  Prophet  with  renewed  assurances 
of  aid  from  the  Winnebagoes,  which  was  still 
further  strengthened  by  promises  from  the  Brit- 
ish Agent  received  through  a  visit  by  Neapope  to 
Maiden  the  previous  autumn.  An  incident  of  this 
invasion  was  the  effective  warning  given  to  the 
white  settlers  by  Shabona,  a  friendly  Ottawa 
chief,  which  probably  had  the  effect  to  prevent 
a  widespread  massacre.  Besides  the  towns  of 
Galena  and  Chicago,  the  settlements  in  Illinois 
north  of  Fort  Clark  (Peoria)  were  limited  to  some 
thirtv  families  on  Bureau  Creek  with  a  few 
cabins  at  Hennepin,  Peru,  LaSalle,  Ottawa,  In- 
dian Creek,  Dixon,  Kellogg's  Grove,  Apple  Creek, 
and  a  few  other  points.  Gen.  Henry  Atkinson, 
commanding  the  regulars  at  Fort  Armstrong 
(Rock  Island),  having  learned  of  the  arrival  of 
Black  Hawk  a  week  after  he  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi, at  once  took  steps  to  notify  Governor  Rey- 
nolds of  the  situation  with  a  renuisition  for  an 
adequate  force  of  militia  to  cooperate  with  the 
regulars.  Under  date  of  April  16,  1832,  the  Gov- 
ernor issued  his  call  for  "a  strong  detachment  of 
militia  "  to  meet  by  April  22.  Beardstown  again 
being  named  as  a  place  of  rendezvous.  The  call 
resulted  in  the  assembling  of  a  force  which  was 
organized  into  four  regiments  under  command  of 
Cols  John  DeWitt,  Jacob  Fry.  John  Thomas  and 
Samuel  M.  Thompson,  together  with  a  spy  bat- 
talion under  Maj  James  D.  Henry,  an  odd  bat- 
talion under  M;ij.  Thomas  James  and  a  foot 
battalion  under  Maj.  Thomas  Long.  To  these  were 
subsequently  added  two  independent  battalions 
of  mounted  men,  under  command  of  Majors 
Isaiah  Stillman  and  David   Bailey,  which  were 


finally  consolidated  as  the  Fifth  Regiment  under 
command  of  Col.  James  Johnson.  The  organiza- 
tion of  the  first  four  regiments  at  Beardstown 
was  completed  by  April  27,  and  the  force  under 
command  of  Brigadier-General  Whiteside  (but 
accompanied  by  Governor  Reynolds,  who  was 
allowed  pay  as  Major  General  by  the  General 
Government)  began  its  march  to  Fort  Armstrong, 
arriving  there  May  7  and  being  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  Among  otliers  accompany- 
ing the  expedition  who  were  then,  or  afterwards 
became,  noted  citizens  of  the  State,  were  Vital 
Jarrot,  Adjutant-General;  Cyrus  Edwards,  Ord- 
nance Officer;  Murray  McConiiel.  Staff  Officer, 
and  Abraham  Lincoln,  Captain  of  a  company  of 
volunteers  from  Sangamon  County  in  the  Fourth 
Regiment.  Col.  Zacharj- Taylor,  then  commander 
of  a  regiment  of  regulars,  arrived  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong about  the  same  time  with  reinforcements 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Fort  Crawford.  The 
total  force  of  militia  amounted  to  1,935  men,  and 
of  regulars  about  1,000.  An  interesting  story  is 
told  concerning  a  speech  delivered  to  the  volun- 
teers by  Colonel  Taylor  about  this  time.  After 
reminding  them  of  their  duty  to  obey  an  order 
promptl}-,  the  future  hero  of  the  Mexican  War 
added:  "The  safety  of  all  dejjends  upon  the  obe- 
dience and  courage  of  all.  You  are  citizen  sol- 
diers; some  of  you  may  fill  high  offices,  or  even  be 
Presidents  some  day — but  not  if  you  refuse  to  do 
your  duty.  Forward,  march!"  A  curious  com- 
mentary upon  this  speech  is  furnished  in  the  fact 
that,  while  Taylor  himself  afterwards  became 
President,  at  least  one  of  his  hearers — a  volunteer 
who  probably  then  had  no  aspiration  to  that  dis- 
tinction (.\braliam  Lincoln) — reached  the  same 
position  during  the  most  dramatic  period  in  the 
nation's  history. 

Two  days  after  the  arrival  at  Fort  Armstrong, 
the  advance  up  Rock  River  began,  the  main  force 
of  the  volunteers  proceeding  by  land  under  Gen- 
eral Whiteside,  while  General  Atkinson,  with 
400  regular  and  300  volunteer  foot  soldiers,  pro- 
ceeded by  boat,  carrying  with  him  the  artillery, 
provisions  and  bulk  of  the  baggage.  Whiteside, 
advancing  by  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  was  the 
first  to  arrive  at  the  Prophet's  Town,  which, 
finding  deserted,  he  pushed  on  to  Dixon's  Ferry 
(now  Dixonr).  where  he  arrived  May  12.  Here  he 
found  the  independent  battalions  of  Stillman  and 
Bailey  with  ammunition  and  supplies  of  which 
Whiteside  stood  in  need.  The  mounted  battalions 
under  command  of  Major  Stillman,  having  been 
sent  forward  by  Whiteside  as  a  scouting  party, 
left  Dixon  on  the  13th  and,  on  the  afternoon  of 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


611 


the  next  day,  went  into  camp  in  a  strong  position 
near  the  mouth  of  Sycamore  Creek.  As  soon  dis- 
covered. Black  Hawk  was  in  camp  at  the  same 
time,  as  he  afterwards  claimed,  with  about  forty 
of  his  braves,  on  Sycamore  Creek,  three  miles 
distant,  while  the  greater  part  of  his  band  were  en- 
camped with  the  more  war-like  faction  of  the  Pot- 
tawatomies  some  seven  miles  farther  north  on  the 
Kishwaukee  River.  As  claimed  by  Black  Hawk 
in  his  autobiography,  having  been  disappointed  in 
his  expectation  of  forming  an  alliance  with  the 
Winnebagoes  and  the  Pottawatomies,  he  had  at 
this  juncture  determined  to  return  to  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  Hearing  of  the  arrival  of 
Stillman's  command  in  the  vicinity,  and  taking 
it  for  granted  that  this  was  the  whole  of  Atkin- 
son's command,  he  sent  out  three  of  his  young 
men  with  a  white  flag,  to  arrange  a  parley  and 
convey  to  Atkinson  his  offer  to  meet  the  latter  in 
council.  These  were  captured  by  some  of  Still- 
man's  band  regardless  of  their  flag  of  truce,  while 
a  party  of  five  other  braves  who  followed  to  ob- 
serve the  treatment  received  by  the  flagbearers, 
were  attacked  and  two  of  their  number  killed,  the 
the  other  three  escaping  to  their  camp.  Black 
Hawk  learning  the  fate  of  his  truce  party  was 
aroused  to  the  fiercest  indignation.  Tearing  tlie 
flag  to  pieces  with  wliich  he  had  intended  to  go 
into  council  with  the  whites,  and  appealing  to  his 
followers  to  avenge  the  murder  of  their  comrades, 
he  prepared  for  the  attack.  The  rangers  num- 
bered 275  men,  while  Black  Hawk's  band  has  been 
estimated  at  less  than  forty.  As  the  rangers 
caught  sight  of  the  Indians,  they  rushed  forward 
in  ppll-mell  fashion.  Retiring  behind  a  fringe 
of  bushes,  the  Indians  awaited  the  attack.  As 
the  I'angers  approached.  Black  Hawk  and  his 
party  rose  up  with  a  war  whoop,  at  the  same  time 
opening  fire  on  their  assailants.  The  further 
history  of  the  affair  was  as  much  of  a  disgrace  to 
Stillman's  command  as  had  been  their  desecra- 
tion of  the  flag  of  truce.  Thrown  into  panic  by 
their  reception  by  Black  Hawk's  little  band,  the 
rangers  turned  and,  without  firing  a  shot,  began 
the  retreat,  dashing  through  their  own  camp  and 
abandoning  everything,  which  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians.  An  attempt  was  made  by  one  or 
two  officers  and  a  few  of  their  men  to  check  the 
retreat,  but  without  success,  the  bulk  of  the  fu- 
gitives continuing  their  mad  rash  for  safety 
through  the  night  until  they  reached  Dixon, 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  wliile  many  never 
stopped  until  they  reached  their  homes,  forty 
or  fifty  miles  distant.  The  casualties  to  the 
i-angers    amounted    to    eleven    killed    and    two 


wounded,  while  the  Indian  loss  consisted  of  two 
spies  and  one  of  the  flag-bearers,  treacherously 
killed  near  Stillman's  camp,  ihis  ill-starred  af- 
fair, which  has  pa,ssed  into  hi.story  as  "Stillman's 
defeat,"  produced  a  general  jianic  alou'i  the  fron- 
tier bj-  inducing  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the 
strength  of  the  Indian  force,  while  it  led  I'lack 
Hawk  to  form  a  poor  opinion  of  the  courage  ;f 
the  wlute  troops  at  the  same  time  that  it  led  to 
an  exalted  estimate  of  the  prowess  of  his  own 
little  band — thus  becoming  an  important  factor 
in  prolonging  the  war  and  in  the  bloody  massacres 
which  followed.  Whiteside,  with  his  force  of 
1,400  men,  advanced  to  the  scene  of  the  defeat 
the  next  day  and  buried  the  dead,  while  on  the 
19th,  Atkinson,  with  his  force  of  regulars,  pro- 
ceeded up  Rock  River,  leaving  the  remnant  of 
Stillman's  force  to  guard  the  wounded  and  sup- 
plies at  Dixon.  No  sooner  had  he  left  than  the 
demoralized  fugitives  of  a  few  days  before  de- 
serted their  post  for  their  homes,  compelling  At- 
kinson to  return  for  the  protection  of  his  base  of 
supplies,  while  Whiteside  was  ordered  to  follow 
the  trail  of  Black  Hawk  who  had  started  up  the 
Kishwaukee  for  the  swamps  about  Lake  Kosh- 
konong,  nearly  west  of  Milwaukee  within  the 
present  State  of  Wisconsin. 

At  this  point  the  really  active  stage  of  the 
campaign  began.  Black  Hawk,  leaving  the 
women  and  children  of  his  band  in  the  fastnesses 
of  the  swamps,  divided  his  followers  into  two 
bands,  retaining  about  200  under  his  own  com- 
mand, while  the  notorious  half-breed,  MikeGirty, 
led  a  band  of  one  hundred  renegadePottawatomies, 
Returning  to  the  vicinity  of  Rock  Island,  he 
gathered  some  recruits  from  the  Pottawatomies 
and  Winnebagoes,  and  the  work  of  rapine  and 
massacre  among  the  frontier  settlers  began.  One 
of  the  most  notable  of  these  was  the  Indian 
Creek  Massacre  in  LaSalle  County,  about  twelve 
miles  north  of  Ottawa,  on  Maj-  21,  when  sixteen 
persons  were  killed  at  the  Home  of  William 
Davis,  and  two  young  girls — Sylvia  and  Rachel 
Hall,  aged,  respectively,  17  and  1,5  years — were 
carried  away  captives.  The  girls  were  subse- 
quently released,  having  been  ransomed  for  $3,000 
in  horses  and  trinkets  through  a  Winnebago 
Chief  and  surrendered  to  sub-agent  Henry 
Gratiot  Great  as  was  the  emergency  at  this 
juncture,  the  volunteers  began  to  manifest  evi- 
dence of  dissatisfaction  and,  claiming  that  they 
had  served  out  their  term  of  enlistment,  refused 
to  follow  the  Indians  into  the  swamps  of  Wis 
consin.  As  the  result  of  a  council  of  war,  the 
volunteers  were  ordered  to  Ottawa,  where  they 


612 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


were  mustered  out  on  May  38,  by  Lieut.  Robt. 
Anderson,  afterwards  General  Anderson  of  Fort 
Sumter  fame.  Meanwhile  Governor  Reynolds  had 
issued  his  call  (with  that  of  1831  the  third,)  for 
8,000  men  to  serve  during  the  war.  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott  was  also  ordered  from  the  East 
with  1,000  regulars  although,  owing  to  cholera 
breaking  out  among  the  troops,  they  did  not 
arrive  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  campaign.  The 
rank  and  file  of  volunteers  responding  under  the 
new  call  was  3,148,  with  recruits  and  regulars 
then  in  Illinois  making  an  army  of  4,000.  Pend- 
ing the  arrival  of  tlie  trt>ops  under  the  new  call, 
and  to  meet  an  immediate  emergency,  300  men 
were  enlisted  from  the  dislianded  rangers  for  a 
period  of  twenty  days,  and  organized  into  a 
regiment  under  command  of  Col.  Jacob  Fry, 
with  James  D.  Henry  as  Lieutenant  Colonel  and 
John  Thomas  as  Major.  Among  those  who  en- 
listed as  privates  in  this  regiment  were  Brig.- 
Gen.  Whiteside  and  Capt.  Abraham  Lincoln.  A 
regiment  of  five  c-ompanies,  numtering  195  men, 
from  Putnam  County  under  command  of  Col. 
John  Strawn,  and  another  of  eight  companies 
from  Vermilion  County  under  Col.  Isaac  R. 
Moore,  were  organized  and  assigned  to  guard 
duty  for  a  period  of  twenty  days. 

The  new  volunteers  were  rendezvou.sed  at  Fort 
Wilbourn,  nearly  opposite  Peru,  June  15,  and 
organized  into  three  brigades,  eacli  consisting  of 
three  regiments  and  a  spy  battalion.  The  First 
Brigade  (915  strong  I  was  placed  under  command 
of  Brig. -Gen.  .\lexander  Posey,  the  Second 
under  Gen.  Milton  K.  Alexander,  and  the  third 
under  Gen.  James  D.  Henry.  Others  who  served 
as  oflScers  in  some  of  these  several  organizations, 
and  afterwards  l)ecame  prominent  in  State  his- 
tory, were  Lieut. -Col.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  of  the 
Vermilion  County  regiment ;  John  A.  McClern- 
and,  on  the  stall  of  General  Posey ;  Maj.  John 
Dement;  then  State  Treasurer;  StinsonH.  Ander- 
son, afterwards  Lieutenant-Governor;  Lieut. - 
Gov.  Zadoc  Casey;  Maj.,  William  McHenry; 
Sidney  Breese  (afterwards  Judge  of  the  State 
Supreme  Court  and  L^nited  States  Senator) ;  W. 
L.  D.  Ewing  (as  Major  of  a  spy  battalion,  after- 
wards United  States  Senator  and  State  Auditor) ; 
Alexander  W.  Jenkins  (afterwards  Lieutenant- 
Governor)  ;  James  W.  Semple  (afterwards  United 
States  Senator) ;  and  William  Weatherford  (after- 
wards a  Colonel  in  the  Mexican  War),  and  many 
more.  Of  the  Illinois  troops.  Posey's  brigade 
was  assigneil  to  the  duty  of  dispersing  the  Indians 
between  Galena  and  Rock  River,  Alexander's  sent 
to  intercept   Black   Hawk   up  the   Rock  River, 


while  Henry's  remained  with  Gen.  Atkinson  at 
Dixon.  During  the  next  two  weeks  engage- 
ments of  a  more  or  less  serious  charactei  were 
had  on  the  Pecatonica  on  the  southern  border  of 
the  pre.sent  State  of  Wisconsin;  at  Apple  River 
Fort  fourteen  miles  east  of  (ialena,  which  was 
successfull}'  defended  against  a  force  under  Black 
Hawk  himself,  and  at  Kellogg's  Grove  the  next 
day  (June  25),  when  the  same  band  ambushed 
Maj.  Deraent's  spy  battalion,  and  camo  near  in- 
flicting a  defeat,  which  was  prevented  by 
Dement's  coolness  and  the  timely  arrival  of  re- 
inforcements. In  tlie  latter  engagement  the 
whites  lost  five  killed  besides  47  horses  which  had 
been  tethered  outside  their  lines,  the  loss  of  the 
Indians  being  sixteen  killed.  Skirmishes  also 
occurred  with  varying  results,  at  Plum  River 
Fort.  Burr  Oak  Grove.  Sinsiniwa  and  Blue 
Mounds — the  last  two  within  the  present  State  of 
Wisconsin. 

Believing  the  bulk  of  the  Indians  to  be  camped 
in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Koshkonong.  General 
Atkinson  left  Dixon  June  27  with  a  combined 
force  of  regulars  and  volunteers  immbering  2,600 
men — the  volunteers  being  under  the  command 
of  General  Henry.  They  reached  the  outlet  of  the 
Lake  July  2,  but  found  no  Indians,  being  joined 
two  days  later  by  General  Alexan(ler'sbrigade,and 
on  the  6th  by  Gen.  Posey's.  From  here  the  com- 
mands of  Generals  Henry  and  Alexander  were 
sent  for  supplies  to  Fort  Winnebago,  at  the  Port- 
age of  the  Wisconsin;  Colonel  Ewing,  with  the 
Second  Regiment  of  Posey's  brigade  descending 
Rock  River  to  Dixon,  Posey  with  the  remainder, 
going  to  Fort  Hamilton  for  the  protection  of 
settlers  in  the  lead-mining  region,  while  Atkin- 
son, advancing  with  the  regulars  up  Lake  Koshko- 
nong, began  the  erection  of  temjx)rary  fortifica- 
tions on  Bark  River  near  the  site  of  the  present 
village  of  Fort  Atkinson,  At  Fort  Winnebago 
Alexander  and  Henry  obtained  evidence  of  the 
actual  location  of  Black  Hawk's  camp  through 
Pierre  Poquette,  a  half-breed  scout  and  trader 
in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
whom  they  employed  with  a  number  of  Winne- 
bagos  to  act  as  guides.  From  this  point  Alex- 
ander's command  returned  to  General  Atkinson's 
headquarters,  carrying  with  them  twelve  day's 
provisions  for  the  main  army,  while  General 
Henry's  (600  strong),  with  Major  Dodge's  battalion 
numbering  150,  with  an  equal  quantity  of  supplie.s 
for  themselves,  started  under  the  guidance  of 
Poquette  and  his  Winnebago  aids  to  find  Black 
Hawk's  camp.  Arriving  on  the  18th  at  the 
Winnebago  village  on  Rock  River  where  Black 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


613 


Hawk  and  his  band  liad  been  located,  their  camp 
was  found  deserted,  the  Winuebagos  insisting 
that  they  liad  gone  to  Cranberry  (  now  Horicon) 
Lake,  a  half-day's  march  up  the  river.  Messen- 
gers were  immediately  dispatched  to  Atkinson's 
headquarters,  thirty-five  miles  distant,  to  ap- 
prise him  of  this  fact.  When  they  had  proceeded 
about  half  the  distance,  they  struck  a  ln'oad, 
fresh  trail,  which  proved  to,  be  that  of  Black 
Hawk's  band  headed  westward  toward  the  Mis- 
sis.sippi.  The  guide  having  de.serted  them  in 
order  to  warn  his  tribesmen  that  further  dis- 
sembling to  deceive  the  whites  as  to 
the  whereabouts  of  the  Sacs  was  use- 
less, the  messengers  were  compelled  to  follow 
him  to  General  Henry's  camp.  The  discovery  pro- 
duced the  wildest  enthusiasm  among  the  volun- 
teers, and  from  this  time-events  followed  in  rapid 
succession.  Leaving  as  far  as  possible  all  incum- 
brances behind,  the  pursuit  of  the  fu^i^ives  was 
begun  without  delay,  the  troops  wading  through 
swamps  sometimes  in  water  to  their  armpits. 
Soon  evidence  of  the  character  of  the  flight  the 
Indians  were  making,  in  the  shape  of  exhausted 
horses,  blankets,  and  camp  equipage  cast  aside 
along  the  trail,  began  to  appear,  and  straggling 
bands  of  Winnebagos,  who  had  now  begun  to 
desert  Black  Hawk,  gave  information  that  the 
Indians  were  only  a  few  miles  in  advance.  On 
the  evening  of  the  2()th  of  July  Henry's  forces 
encamped  at  "The  Four  Lakes,"  the  present 
site  of  tlie  city  of  Madison,  Wis.,  Black  Hawk's 
force  lying  in  ambush  the  same  night  seven  or 
eight  miles  distant.  During  the  next  afternoon 
the  rear-guard  of  the  Indians  under  Neapope  was 
overtaken  and  skirmishing  continued  until  the 
bluffs  of  the  Wisconsin  were  reached.  Black 
Hawk's  avowed  object  was  to  protect  the  passage 
of  the  main  body  of  his  people  across  the  stream. 
The  loss  of  the  Indians  in  these  skirmishes  has 
been  estimated  at  40  to  68,  while  Black  Hawk 
claimed  that  it  was  only  six  killed,  the  loss  of 
the  whites  being  one  killed  and  eight  wounded. 
During  the  night  Black  Hawk  succeeded  in 
placing  a  considerable  number  of  the  women  and 
children  and  old  men  on  a  raft  and  in  canoes 
obtained  from  the  Winnebagos,  and  sent  them 
down  tiie  river,  believing  tliat,  as  non-combat- 
ants, they  would  be  permitted  by  the  regulars 
to  pass  Fort  Crawford,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wis- 
consin, undisturbed.  In  this  he  was  mistaken. 
A  force  sent  from  the  fort  under  Colonel  Ritner  to 
intercept  them,  fired  mercilessly  upon  the  help- 
less fugitives,  killing  fifteen  of  their  number, 
while  about  fifty  were  drowned  and  thirty-two 


women  and  children  made  prisoners.  The  re- 
mainder, escaping  into  the  woods,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions died  from  starvation  and  exposure,  or 
were  massacred  by  their  enemies,  the  Menomi- 
nees,  acting  vmder  white  oiTicers.  During  the 
night  after  the  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights,  a 
loud,  shrill  voice  of  some  one  speaking  in  an  un- 
known tongue  was  heard  in  the  direction  where 
Black  Hawk's  band  was  supposed  to  be.  This 
caused  something  of  a  panic  in  Henry's  camp,  as 
it  was  supposed  to  come  from  some  one  giving 
orders  for  an  attack.  It  was  afterwards  learned 
that  the  speaker  was  Keapope  speaking  in  the 
Winnebago  langua.ge  in  the  hope  that  lie  might 
be  heard  by  Poquette  and  the  Winnebago  guides. 
He  was  describing  the  helpless  condition  of  his 
people,  claiming  that  the  war  had  been  forced 
upon  them,  that  their  women  and  children  were 
starving,  and  that,  if  permitted  peacefully  to  re- 
cross  the  Mississippi,  they  would  give  no  further 
trouble.  Unfortunately  Poquette  and  the  other 
guides  had  left  for  Fort  Winnebago,  so  that  no 
one  was  there  to  translate  Neapope 's  appeal  and 
it  failed  of  its  object. 

General  Henry 's  force  having  discovered  that  the 
Indians  had  escaped — Black  Hawk  heading  with 
the  bulk  of  his  warriors  towards  the  Mississippi — 
spent  the  next  and  day  night  on  the  field,  but  on 
the  following  day  ( Juh-  23)  started  to  meet  General 
Atkinson,  who  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  noti- 
fied of  the  pursuit.  The  head  of  their  columns 
met  at  Blue  Mounds,  the  .same  evening,  a  com- 
plete junction  between  the  regulars  and  the 
volunteers  being  effected  at  Helena,  a  deserted 
village  on  the  Wisconsin.  Here  by  using  the 
logs  of  the  deserted  cabins  for  rafts,  the  army 
crossed  the  river  on  the  27th  and  the  28th  and  the 
pursuit  of  black  Hawk's  fugitive  band  was  re- 
newed. Evidence  of  their  famishing  coirdition 
was  found  in  the  trees  stri|)ped  of  bark  for  food, 
the  carcasses  of  dead  ponies,  with  here  and  there 
the  dead  body  of  an  Indian. 

On  August  1,  Black  Hawk's  depleted  and  famish- 
ing band  reached  the  Mississippi  two  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Bad  Ax,  an  insignificant 
stream,  and  immediately  began  trying  to  cross 
the  river;  but  having  only  two  or  three  canoes, 
the  work  was  slow.  About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  the  steam  transport,  "Warrior,"  ap- 
peared on  the  scene,  having  on  board  a  score  of 
regulars  and  volunteers,  returning  from  a  visit 
to  the  village  of  the  Sioux  Chief,  Wabasha,  to 
notify  him  that  his  old  enemies,  the  Sacs,  vs'ere 
headed  in  that  direction.  Black  Hawk  raised  the 
white  flag  in  token  of  surrender   but  the  officer 


614 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


in  command  claiming  that  he  feared  treachery  or 
an  ambush,  demanded  that  Black  Hawk  should 
come  on  board.  This  he  was  unable  to  do,  as  he 
had  no  canoe.  After  waiting  a  few  minutes  a 
mxirderous  fire  of  canister  and  musketry  was 
Opened  from  the  steamer  on  the  few  Indians  on 
shore,  who  made  such  feeble  resistance  as  they 
were  able.  The  result  wa.s  the  killing  of  one 
white  man  and  twenty-three  Indians.  After  this 
exploit  the  "Warrior"  proceeded  to  Prairie  du 
Chien,  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  distant,  for  fuel. 
During  the  night  a  few  more  of  the  Indians 
crossed  the  river,  but  Black  Hawk,  .seeing  the 
hopelessness  of  further  resistance,  accompanied 
by  the  Prophet,  and  taking  with  him  a  party  of 
ten  warriors  and  thirty-five  .squaws  and  children, 
fled  in  the  direction  of  "the  dells"  of  the  Wifs- 
consin.  On  the  morningof  the  2(1  General  Atkinson 
arrived  within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  Sac 
position  Disposing  his  forces  with  the  regulars 
and  Colonel  Dodge's  rangers  in  the  center,  the  brig- 
ades of  Posey  and  Alexander  on  the  right  and 
Henry's  on  the  left,  he  began  the  pursuit,  Ijut 
was  drawn  by  the  Indian  decoys  up  the  river 
from  the  place  where  the  main  body  of  the 
Indians  were  trj'ing  to  cro.ss  tlie  stream.  This 
had  the  eflfect  of  leaving  General  Henry  in  the  rear 
practically  without  orders,  but  it  became  the 
means  of  making  his  command  the  prime  factors 
in  the  climax  which  followed.  Some  of  the  spies 
attached  to  Henrj-'s  command  having  accidental- 
ly discovered  the  trail  of  the  main  body  of  the  fu- 
gitives, he  began  the  pursuit  without  waiting  for 
orders  and  soon  found  himself  engaged  with  some 
300  savages,  a  force  nearly  equal  to  his  own.  It 
was  here  that  the  only  thing  like  a  regular  battle 
occurred.  The  savages  fought  with  the  fury  of 
despair,  while  Henry's  force  was  no  doubt  nerved 
to  greater  deeds  of  courage  by  the  insult  wliich 
they  conceived  liad  been  put  upon  them  bj-  Gen- 
eral Atkinson.  Atkin.son,  hearing  the  battle  in 
progress  and  discovering  that  he  was  being  led 
off  on  a  false  scent,  soon  joined  Henry's  force 
with  his  main  army,  ami  the  steamer  "  Warrior," 
arriving  from  Prairie  du  Chien.  opened  a  fire  of 
canister  upon  the  pent-up  Indians.  The  battle 
soon  degenerated  into  a  massacre.  In  the  cour.se 
of  the  three  hours  through  which  it  lasted,  it  is  es- 
timated that  1.50  Indians  were  killed  by  fire  from 
the  troops,  an  equal  number  of  both  sexes  and 
all  ages  drowned  while  attempting  to  cross  the 
river  or  by  being  driven  into  it,  while  about  .50 
(chiefly  women  and  children)  were  made  prison- 
ers The  loss  of  the  whites  was  20  killed  and  13 
wounded.     When  the  "battle"  was  nearing  its 


close  it  is  said  that  Black  Hawk,  having  repented 
the  abandonment  of  his  people,  returned  within 
sight  of  the  battle-ground,  but  seeing  the  slaugh- 
ter in  progress  which  he  was  powerless  to  avert,  he 
turned  and,  with  a  howl  of  rage  and  horror,  fle<l 
into  the  forest.  About  300  Indians  (mastly  non- 
combatants)  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  in  a 
condition  of  exhaustion  from  hunger  and  fatigue, 
but  these  were  set  *jpon  by  the  Sioux  under  Chief 
Wabasha,  through  the  suggestion  and  agency  of 
General  Atkinson,  and  nearly  one-lialf  their  num- 
ber exterminated.  Of  the  remainder  many  died 
from  wounds  an<l  exhaustion,  while  still  others 
perished  while  attempting  to  reach  Keokuk's  band 
who  had  refused  to  join  in  Black  Hawk's  desper- 
ate venture.  Of  one  thousjind  who  cros.sed  to  the 
east  side  of  the  river  with  Black  Hawk  in  April, 
it  is  estimated  that  not  more  than  l.")0  survived 
the  tragic  events  of  the  next  four  months. 

General  .Scott. having  arrived  at  Prairiedu  Chien 
early  in  August,  a.ssumed  command  and,  on 
August  1.5,  nuistered  out  the  volunteers  at  Dixon, 
111.  After  witnessing  the  bloody  climax  at  the 
Bad  Axe  of  his  ill-starred  invasion,  Black  Hawk 
fled  to  the  dells  of  the  Wisconsin,  where  he  and 
tlie  Prophet  surrendered  themselves  to  the  Win. 
nebagos,  by  whom  they  were  delivereil  to  the 
Inilian  -\gent  at  Prairie  du  Cliien.  Having  been 
taken  to  Fort  Armstrong  on  Septemlier  21.  he 
there  signed  a  treaty  of  peace.  Later  he  was 
taken  to  Jefferson  Barracks  (near  St  Louis)  in 
the  custody  of  Jefferson  Davis,  then  a  Lieutenant 
in  the  regular  army,  where  he  was  held  a  captive 
during  the  following  winter.  The  connection  of 
Davis  with  the  Black  Hawk  War,  mentioned  by 
many  historians,  seems  to  have  been  confined  to 
this  act.  In  April,  1833,  with  the  Prophet  and 
Neapope.  he  was  taken  to  Washington  and  then 
to  Fortress  Slonroe,  where  they  were  detained  as 
prisoners  of  war  until  June  4,  when  they  were 
released.  Black  Hawk,  after  being  taken  to  many 
principal  cities  in  order  to  impress  him  with  the 
strength  of  the  American  nation,  was  brought  to 
Fort  Armstrong,  and  there  committed  to  the 
gviardianship  of  his  rival,  Keokuk,  but  survived 
this  humiliation  only  a  few  years,  dying  on  a 
small  reservation  set  apart  for  him  in  Davis 
County.  Iowa,  October  3,  1838. 

Such  is  the  story  of  the  Black  Hawk  War.  the 
most  notable  struggle  with  the  aborigines  in  Illi- 
nois history.  At  its  beginning  both  the  State 
and  national  authorities  were  grossly  misled  by 
an  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  strength  of  Black 
Hawk's  force  as  to  numbers  and  his  plans  for 
recovering  the  site  of    his    old    village,    wliile 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


615 


Black  Hawk  had  conceived  a  low  estimate  of  the 
numbers  and  courage  of  liis  white  enemies,  es- 
pecially after  the  Stillman  defeat.  The  cost  of 
the  war  to  the  State  and  nation  in  money  has  been 
estimated  at  §2.000,000,  and  in  sacrifice  of  life 
on  both  sides  at  not  less  than  1,200.  The  loss  of 
life  by  the  troops  in  irregular  skirmishes,  and  in 
uias,sacres  of  settlers  by  the  Indians,  aggregated 
aliout  250,  while  an  equal  number  of  regulars 
perished  from  a  visitation  of  cholera  at  the 
various  stations  within  the  district  affected  by 
the  war,  especially  at  Detroit,  Chicago,  Fort 
Armstrong  and  Galena.  Yet  it  is  the  judgment 
of  later  historians  that  nearlj-  all  this  sacrifice  of 
life  and  treasure  might  have  been  avoided,  but 
for  a  series  of  blunders  due  to  the  blind  or  un- 
scrupulous policy  of  officials  or  interloping  squat- 
ters upon  lands  which  the  Indians  had  occupied 
under  the  treaty  of  1804.  A  conspicious  blunder — 
to  call  it  by  no  harsher  name  —  was 
the  violation  by  Stillman's  command  of  the 
rules  of  civilized  warfare  in  the  attack  made 
upon  Black  Hawk's  messengers,  sent  under 
flag  of  truce  to  request  a  conference  to  settle 
terms  under  whicli  he  miglit  return  to  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi — an  act  which  resulted  in 
a  humiliating  and  disgraceful  defeat  for  its 
autliors  and  proved  the  first  step  in  actual  war. 
Another  misfortune  was  the  failure  to  understand 
Nea])ope's  appeal  for  peace  and  permission  for  his 
people  to  pass  beyond  the  Mississippi  the  night 
after  the  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights;  and  the 
third  and  most  inexcusable  blunder  of  all,  was 
the  refusal  of  the  officer  in  command  of  the 
■  Warrior  "  to  respect  Black  Hawk's  flag  of  truce 
and  request  for  a  conference  just  before  the 
bloody  massacre  which  has  gone  into  historj- 
imder  the  name  of  the  ''  battle  of  the  Bad  Axe." 
Either  of  these  events,  properly  availed  of,  would 
!iave  prevented  much  of  the  butchery  of  that 
bloody  episode  which  has  left  a  stain  upon  the 
page  of  histcjry,  although  this  statement  implies 
no  disposition  to  detract  from  the  patriotism  and 
courage  of  some  of  the  leading  actors  upon  whom 
the  responsibility  was  placed  of  protecting  the 
frontier  settler  from  outrage  and  massacre.  One 
of  the  features  of  the  war  was  the  bitter  jealou.sy 
engendered  by  the  unwise  policj-  pursued  by 
General  .\tkinson  towards  some  of  the  volun- 
teers— especialh'  the  treatment  of  General  .James 
D.  Henry,  who,  although  subjected  to  repeated 
sliglits  and  insults,  is  regarded  by  Governor  Ford 
and  others  as  the  real  hero  of  the  war.  Too 
brave  a  soldier  to  shirk  any  responsibility  and 
too    modest   to   e.vploit    his   own  ileeds.    he   felt 


deeply  the  studied  purpose  of  his  superior  to 
ignore  him  in  the  conduct  of  the  campaign — a 
purpose  which,  as  in  the  affair  at  the  Bad  Axe, 
was  defeated  by  accident  or  by  General  Henry's 
soldierly  sagacity  and  attention  to  duty,  although 
he  gave  out  U>  the  public  no  utterance  of  com- 
plaint. Broken  in  health  by  the  hardships  and 
exposures  of  the  campaign,  he  went  South  soon 
after  the  war  and  died  of  consumption,  unknown 
and  almost  alone,  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  less 
two  years  later. 

Aside  froru  contemporaneous  newspaper  ac- 
counts, monographs,  and  manuscripts  on  file 
in  public  libraries  relating  to  this  epoch  in  State 
history,  the  most  comprehensive  records  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  are  to  be  found  in  the  "  Life  of 
Black  Hawk,"  dictated  by  himself  (1834) ;  Wake- 
field's "History  of  the  War  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Sac  and  Fox  Nations"  (1834); 
Drake's"  Life  of  Black  Hawk"  (1854);  Ford's 
"History  of  Illinois"  (1854);  Reynolds'  "Pio- 
neer History  of  Illinois;  and  'My  Own  Times": 
Davidson  &  Stuve's  and  Moses' Histories  of  Illi- 
nois; Blanchard's  "  The  Northwest  and  Chicago"  ; 
Armstrong's  "The  Sauks  and  the  Black  Hawk 
War,"  and  Reuben  G.  Thwaite's  "Story  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  "  (1892.) 

CHICAGO  HEIGHTS,  a  village  in  the  southern 
part  of  Cook  County,  twenty-eight  miles  south  of 
the  central  part  of  Chicago,  on  the  Chicago  & 
Eastern  Illinois,  the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  and 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroads ;  is  located  in  an 
agricultural  region,  but  has  some  manufactures 
as  well  as  good  schools — also  has  one  newspaper. 
Population  (1900),  5,100. 

GRANITE,  a  city  of  Madison  County,  located 
five  miles  north  of  St.  Louis  on  the  lines  of  the 
Burlington;  the  Cliicago  &  Alton;  Cleveland, 
Cincinaati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis;  Chicago,  Peoria 
&  St.  Louis  (Illinois),  and  the  Wabash  Railways. 
It  is  adjacent  to  the  Merchants'  Terminal  Bridge 
across  the  Mississippi  and  has  consideiable  manu- 
facturing and  grain-storage  business;  has  two 
newspapers.  Population  (1900),  3,122. 

HARLEM,  a  village  of  Proviso  Township,  Cook 
County,  and  suburb  of  Cliicago,  on  the  line  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  nine  miles 
west  of  the  terminal  station  at  Chicago.  Harlem 
originally  embraced  the  village  of  Oak  Park,  now 
a  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  but,  in  1884,  was  set 
off  and  incorporated  as  a  village.  Consideraole 
manufacturing  is  done  here.  Population  (1900), 
4,085. 

HARVEY,  a  city  of  Cook  County,  and  an  im- 
portant manufacturing  suburb  of  the  city  of  Chi- 


616 


HISTORICAL  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  ILLINOIS. 


cago,  three  miles  southwest  of  the  southern  citj' 
Umits.  It  is  on  tlie  line  of  the  Illinois  Central 
and  the  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  Railways,  and 
has  extensive  manufactures  of  harvesting,  street 
and  steam  railway  machinery,  gasoline  stoves, 
enameled  ware,  etc. ;  also  has  one  newspaper  and 
ample  school  facilities.     Population  (1900),  5,395. 

IOWA  CENTRAL  UAILWAY,  a  railway  line 
"having  its  principal  termini  at  Peoria,  111.,  and 
Maul}'  Junction,  nine  miles  north  of  Mason  City, 
Iowa,  with  several  lateral  Ijranches  making  con- 
nections with  Centerville,  Newton,  State  Center, 
Story  City,  Algona  and  Northwood  in  the  latter 
State.  The  total  length  of  line  owned,  leased 
and  operated  by  the  Company,  officially  reported 
in  1899,  was  508.98  miles,  of  which  89.76  miles- 
including  3.5  miles  trackage  facilities  on  the 
Peoria  &  Pekin  Union  lietween  Iowa  Junction 
and  Peoria — were  in  Illinois.  The  Illinois  divi- 
sion extends  from  Keithsburg — where  it  enters 
the  State  at  the  crossing  of  the  Mississippi — to 
Peoria. — (History.)  The  Iowa  Central  Railway 
Company  was  originally  chartered  as  the  Central 
Railroad  Company  of  Iowa  and  the  road  com- 
pleted in  October,  1871.  In  1873  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  a  receiver  and,  on  June  4,  1879,  was 
reorganized  under  the  name  of  the  Central  Iowa 
Railway  Company.  In  May,  1883,  tliis  company 
purchased  the  Peoria  &  Farmington  Railroad, 
which  was  incorporated  into  the  main  line,  but 
defaulted  and  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver 
December  1,  1886;  the  line  was  sold  under  fore- 
closure in  1887  and  1888,  to  the  Iowa  Central 
Railway  Company,  which  had  effected  a  new 
organization  on  the  basis  of  §11,000,000  common 
stock,  §6,000,000  preferred  stock  and  §1,379,625 
temporary  debt  certificates  convertible  into  pre- 
ferred stock,  and  §7,500,000  first  mortgage  bonds. 
The  transaction  was  completed,  the  receiver  dis- 
charged and  the  road  turned  over  to  the  new 
company.  May  15,  1889.— (Fin.\ncial).  The  total 
capitalization  of  the  road  in  1899  was  §21,337,5.58, 
of  which  §14,15'.!. ISO  was  in  stock,  §6,650,095  in 
bonds  and  §528, 283  in  other  forms  of  indebtedness. 
The  total  earnings  and  income  of  the  line  in  Illi- 
nois for  the  same  year  were  §532,568,  and  the  ex- 
penditures §566.333. 

SPARTA,  a  city  of  Randolph  County,  situated 
on  the  Centralia  &  Chester  and  the  Mobile  & 
Ohio  Railroads,  twenty  miles  northwest  of  Ches- 
ter and  fifty  miles  southeast  of  St.  Louis.    It  has 


a  number  of  manufacturing  establishments,  in- 
cluding plow  factories,  a  woolen  mill,  a  cannerj- 
and  creameries;  also  has  natural  gas.  The  first 
settler  was  James  McClurken,  from  South  Caro- 
lina, who  settled  here  in  1818.  He  was  joined  by 
James  Armour  a  few  years  later,  who  bought 
land  of  McClurken,  and  together  they  laid  out 
a  village,  which  first  received  the  name  of  Co- 
lumbus. About  the  same  time  Rotert  f!.  Slian- 
non,  who  had  been  conducting  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  the  vicinity,  located  in  tlie  town  and 
became  the  first  Postmaster.  In  1839  the  name 
of  the  town  was  changed  to  Sparta.  Mr.  McClur- 
ken, its  earliest  settler,  appears  to  have  been  a 
man  of  considerable  enterprise,  as  he  is  credited 
with  having  built  the  first  cotton  gin  in  this  vi- 
cinitj-,  be.sides  still  later,  erecting  saw  and  flour 
mills  and  a  woolen  mill.  Sparta  was  incorporated 
as  a  village  in  1837  and  in  1859  as  a  city.  A  col- 
ony of  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church  (Covenanters  or  "Seceders")  established 
at  Eden,  a  beautiful  site  about  a  mile  from 
Sparta,  about  1822,  cut  an  important  figure  in 
the  history  of  the  latter  place,  as  it  became  the 
means  of  attracting  here  an  industrious  and 
thriving  po|)ulation.  At  a  later  period  it  became 
one  of  the  most  impwrtant  stationsof  the  "Under- 
ground Railroad"  (so  called)  in  Illinois  (which 
see).  The  population  of  Sparta  (1890)  was  1,979; 
(1900),  2,041. 

TOLUCA,  a  city  of  Marshall  County  situated 
on  the  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad,  18  miles  sonthwestof  Streator.  It  is  in 
the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  district ;  has  the 
usual  church  and  educational  facilities  of  cities 
of  its  rank,  and  two  newspapers.  Population 
(1900),  2,629. 

WEST  HAMMOXD,  a  village  situated  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  Thornton  Township,  Cook 
County,  adjacent  to  Hammond,  Ind.,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  the  Indiana  State  line.  It  is  on 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  one  mile  south  of 
the  Cliicago  City  limits,  and  has  convenient  ac- 
cess to  several  other  lines,  including  the  Chicago 
&  Erie;  New  York.  Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  and 
Western  Indiana  Railroads.  Like  its  Indiana 
neighbor,  it  is  a  manufacturing  center  of  much 
imjwrtance,  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in 
1892,  and  has  grown  rapidly  within  the  last  few 
years,  having  a  population,  according  to  the  cen- 
sus of  1900,  of  2,935. 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY 


Tirrc-sT^i 


rX    ^. 


n 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 


I'Eltlon  OF  EXPLORATION. 


FIRST     EXPLORATIONS     IN     ILLINOIS — THE     MISSION 

NOT      ONE      OF      CONQUEST LOUIS      JOLIET      AND 

FATHER  JACQUES  MARQUETTE  FIRST  TO  VISIT  THE 
ILLINOIS       COUNTRY       IN       1G73 — THE       ILLINOIS 

RIVER    FOUND    TO    BE    THE    INDIAN'S    ELYSIUM 

MIIJTARY'  OCCUPATION  MADE  BY  LA  SALLE,  TONTI 
AND  FATHER  HENNEPIN  AT  FORT  CREVE  COEUR  IN 
1680 — LAPSE  OF  MORE  THAN  A  CENTURY  BEFORE 
SETTLEMENTS  VTERE  MADE   IN  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 

lu  the  (lays  wlien  tnulition  and  history  dimly 
merge,  and  tlie  ricli  and  fertile  plains  and  wooded 
hills  of  the  Illinois  Country  were  in  the  undis- 
puted possession  of  the  primitive  savage,  plans 
were  made  and  policies  outlined  to  bring  the  vast 
dominion  lying  westward  of  Lake  Michigan 
within  the  bounds  of  Christian  civilization. 

As  it  was  with  the  Pilgrims,  who  sought  a 
haven  of  retreat  and  homes  on  the  stern  and 
forbidding  coast  of  the  North  Atlantic  country, 
the  men  who  first  explored  the  trackless  wilds 
of  the  unknown  West  were  actuated  by  a  re- 
ligious fervor  and  enthusiasm  which  has  no  par- 
allel In  the  Iiistory  of  the  world.  Their  mis- 
sion was  not  one  of  conquest,  nor  were  they 
seeking  to  escape  from  the  tyranny  of  an  op- 
pressive government ;  but  with  loyalty  to  their 
king  and  to  the  glory  of  their  God.  they  entered 
the  primeval  wilderness  of  the  unknown  West, 
and  undertook  to  teach  the  savage  inhabitants 
the  refinements  of  civilized  life. 

History  affords  no  more  romantic  chapter  than 
that  of  the  exploration  and  development  of  the 
great   State  of   Illinois.     It   was   here   that   the 


first  explorations  were  made  that  opened  the 
vast  northwest  country  ,to  civilization,  and  the 
period  of  transition  from  a  native  wilderness  to 
a  condition  of  high  culture,  both  in  its  material 
features  and  in  the  mental  and  moral  character- 
istics of  its  inhabitants,  is  of  absorbing  interest, 
not  alone  to  the  student  of  history,  but  to  the 
people  who  now,  in  peace  and  contentment,  live 
within  the  twunds  of  this  imperial  State. 

To  Louis  .Toilet  and  Father  Jacques  Marquette 
belong  the  honor  and  ever  enduring  fame  of 
bringing  within  the  pale  of  civilization  the  un- 
tutored savages  of  Illinois.  Starting  from  their 
headcpiarters  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario,  on 
May  17,  1673,  the  intrepid  explorer  and  zealous 
Iiriest,  with  five  voyageurs  in  two  canoes,  skirted 
the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  to  Green  Bay,  thence 
down  the  Fox  River  and  by  portiige  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi. "There  were  warriors,"  they  were  told, 
•'on  the  banks  of  the  Great  River,  who  would  cut 
off  their  Meads  without  the  least  cause;  monsters 
who  would  swallow  them,  canoes  and  all ;  and 
one  huge  winged  demon  who  shut  the  way,  and 
burned  in  the  waters  that  boiled  about  him.  all 
wIki  dared  draw  nigh."  This  winged  "demon" 
was  doubtless  an  allusion  to  the  monster  Bird 
of  Piasa,  of  which  there  is  said  to  have  been 
a  coarse  Indian  picture  painted  on  the  limestoue 
bluff  above  the  present  city  of  Alton,  and  in 
whose  former  existence  and  terrible  ferocit.v  the 
Indian  tribes  of  the  western  prairies  implicitly 
believed.  Marquette  says  in  his  narrative  of  this 
remarkable  voyage :  "I  thanked  these  fearful 
friends  for  their  good  advice,  but  told  them  1 
could  not  follow  it,  since  the  salvation  of  souls 
was  at  stake,  for  which  I  should  be  overjoyed 
to  give  my  life." 

Upon  the  17th  of  July,  the  party  had  de- 
scended the  river  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Arkansas, 
when,  owing  to  the  increasing  perils  of  the  voy- 
age, they  reluctautly  started  upon  their  return. 
They  retraced  their  course  against  the  swift  cur- 
rent of  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illi- 

617 


618 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


nois  with  almost  incredible  labor.  It  was  in 
the  month  of  August  that  the  little  band  of 
adventurers  made  their  journey  up  the  Illinois 
River,  where,  for  untold  centuries,  uo  sound 
save  Nature's  multitudinous  voices  had  broken 
the  vast  solitude.  Here,  as  in  other  places  he 
had  visited,  the  pious  Father  forgot  not  the  holy 
object  of  his  long  and  dangerous  voyage.  He 
prayed  and  talked  with  the  curious  and  kind- 
hearted  savages,  and,  when  leaving,  bestowed 
upon  them  his  blessing  and  the  last  of  the  con- 
secrated silver  crosses,  with  which  he  had  been 
careful  to  provide  himself  when  setting  out  on 
his  missionary  journey  from  Canada. 

In  the  voyage  up  the  Illinois  Uiver,  .Toliet  and 
Marquette  skirted  the  bomulary  of  what  is  now 
Schuyler  County,  and  doubtless  built  their  camp- 
flres  on  the  bank  of  the  river  in  some  of  the 
sheltered  coves  that  there  abound.  In  Davidson 
&  Stuve's  History  of  Illinois,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing graphic  description  of  the  scene  that  opened 
to  their  view  as  they  continued  up  the  river: 

"I'rairie  sjuvad  out  before  them  beyond  the 
reacli  of  vision,  covered  with  tall  grass,  which 
undulated  in  the  wind  like  waves  of  the  sea.  In 
further  imitation  of  a  watery  expanse,  the  sur- 
face was  studded  with  clumps  of  timber,  resem- 
bling islands,  in  whose  graceful  outlines  could  be 
traced  peninsulas,  shores  and  headhmds.  Flow- 
er.s,  surpassing  in  the  delicacy  of  their  tuits  the 
pampered  products  of  civilization,  were  pro- 
fusely sprinkled  over  the  grassy  landscape,  and 
gave  their  wealth  of  fragrance  to  the  passing 
breeze.  Immense  herds  of  buffalo  and  deer 
grazed  on  these  rich  pastures,  so  prolific  that  the 
continued  destruction  of  them  for  ages  by  the 
Indians  had  failed  to  diminish  their  numbers. 
For  the  further  supjiort  of  human  life,  the  river 
swarmed  with  fish,  great  quantities  of  wild  fruit 
grew  in  the  forest  and  prairies,  and  so  numerous 
were  water-fowl  and  other  birds,  that  the  heav- 
ens were  freiiuently  obscured  by  their  flight.  This 
favorite  land,  with  its  profusion  of  vegetable 
and  animal  life,  was  the  ideal  of  the  Indian's 
Elysium.  Tlie  explorers  siwke  of  it  as  a  terres- 
trial paradise,  in  which  earth,  air  and  water, 
unbidden  by  lal>or,  contributed  the  most  copious 
supplies  for  the  sustenance  of  life.  In  the  early 
French  explorations,  desertions  were  of  frequent 
occin-reuce.  and  is  it  strange  that  men.  wearied 
by  the  toils  and  restraints  of  civilized  life,  should 
abandon  their  leaders  for  the  abundance  and  wild 
independence  of  these  prairies  and  woodlands?" 


In  1G79  Illinois  was  again  visited  by  e.xplorers, 
who  had  heard  of  the  marvelous  country  rich  in 
game  and  furs  and  who  were  eager  to  establish 
trade  relations  with  the  Indians.  La  Salle,  Tonti 
and  Father  Hennepin  were  members  of  this  sec- 
ond exploring  jiarty  which,  early  in  Januarj-, 
1(J,S().  m.ide  the  first  military  occupation  of  Illi- 
nois at  Fort  Creve  Coeur,  near  where  Peoria 
now  stands,  and  where,  five  years  earlier.  Father 
JIarquette  had  preached  of  Christ  and  the  Virgin. 
Although  this  did  not  result  in  the  establish- 
ment of  a  completed  and  pennanent  fortification, 
it  has  passed  into  history  as  the  first  attempt 
on  the  part  of  La  Salle  to  establish  military  juris- 
diction within  what  now  institutes  the  State 
of  Illinois,  under  the  charter  granted  to  him  by 
Louis  XIV.  in  1G78. 

With  the  establishment  at  a  later  period  of 
missions  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokla  to  the  south, 
and  Fort  Creve  Coeur  to  the  north,  the  placid, 
yet  majestic,  Illinois  was  fnniuently  traversed 
by  explorers,  adventurers  and  priests ;  and  yet  it 
was  more  than  a  century  after  the  first  military 
occupation  that  permanent  settlements  were 
made  in  Schuyler  County,  along  whose  eastern 
boundary  the  Illinois  River  extends  for  more 
than  twenty-flve  miles,  the  open  gateway  to  the 
iuvitiug  and  fertile  plains  that  He  beyond.  And 
so  it  happens  that  the  early  history  of  Schuyler 
County  is  c-oincident  with  th.it  of  the  first  explo- 
ration of  Illinois,  even  though  there  Is  no  direct 
connection  to  link  the  names  of  tliose  hardy 
voyageurs  with  the  story  of  our  times. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Al'.ORIGIXAL    OCCUPANTS. 


IXm.^X  TltlUKS  IN  rilK  ILLINOIS  COUNTBV — CHAB- 
ACTKRISTICS  ANO  TKIIiAL  RELATIONS — AKCIIAEO- 
LOGICAL  CONDITIONS  AS  DESCBlnED  BY  Dli.  J.  F. 
SNYDER — THE  MOIND  BUILDERS — INDIAN  RELICS 
FOUND  ALONG  THE  ILLINOIS  BIVEB — TRIBES  COM- 
POSING THE  ILLINOIS  CONFEDERACY — KINDLY 
GREETING  EXTENDED  TO  JOUET  AND  MARQUETTE 
— llilNOIS  AS  A  BATTLE  GROUND  IN  THE  WAR  OF 
1812 — REGION    BETWEEN    THE   ILLINOIS   AND    MIS- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


619 


SISSIPPI  INVADED  BY  ILLINOIS  AND  MISSOURI 
BANGERS  — •  KICKAPOO  INDIANS  IN  POSSESSION 
WHEN  FIRST  SETTLERS  CAME  TO  SCHUYLER 
COUNTY' — THEIR  FRIENDLY  ATTITUDE  TO  THE  NEW 
COMERS — REV.  CHAUNCEY'  HOBART'S  DESCRIPTION 
OF  AN  INDIAN  VISIT — HIS  STORY'  OF  BE-KIK-A- 
NIN-EE — INDIAN  VILLAGE  ON  THE  SITE  OF  THE 
PRESENT  CITY  OF  RUSHVILLE — O'HE  INDIANS' 
FAREWELL  .JOURNEY   TO  THE   NORTH  IN   1826. 

Barely  more  thau  four-score  years  have  passed 
since  the  last  of  tbe  Indian  tribes  left  Schuyler 
County  to  take  up  their  lioiue  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Mississippi  River ;  and  yet,  when  one 
attempts  to  trace  their  history,  or  write  of  the 
period  during  which  they  occupied  the  country, 
he  finds  but  little  to  guide  him  in  the  task.  The 
history  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  Illinois  delves  in 
mists  and  shadow,  and  but  little  of  the  ancient 
traditions  of  the  tribes  has  been  preserved.  The 
early  settlers,  in  their  contact  with  the  Indians, 
did  not  busy  themselves  with  a  study  of  racial 
conditions,  but  expended  their  best  efforts  in  the 
attempt  to  wrest  from  the  untutored  savage  the 
lands  over  which  he  had  held  undisputed  sway 
for  many  generations. 

When  at  last  the  council  fires  of  the  Indians 
had  been  extinguished,  and  they  had  been  forced 
to  cross  the  Mississippi  and  find  a  home  in 
Iowa,  they  left  no  enduring' monuments  of  their 
long  occupancy  of  the  country,  and,  save  for  the 
low  mounds  above  the  dead  warriors  and  the 
faint  trace  of  their  narrow  trails,  there  is  noth- 
ing one  can  point  to  as  a  reminder  of  the  race 
that  was  the  immediate  predecessor  of  the  hardy 
pioneers  who  made  for  themselves  a  home  in  the 
wilderness. 

As  a  race,  the  Indians  of  Illinois  were  always 
counted  as  the  peer  of  savage  tribes,  and  they 
made  a  stubborn  resistance  against  the  encroach- 
ment of  the  settlers.  From  a  social  standpoint, 
however,  there  is  little  in  them  to  commend. 
Keen  cunning  held  vantage  over  intellectual  or 
moral  force,  and  they  evolved  no  governmental 
system  that  extended  beyond  tribal  relations. 
They  erected  no  enduring  structures,  as  did  the 
Aztecs  of  Mexico,  and  in  their  implements  of 
peace  and  warfare  little  inventive  genius  was 
shown.  There  is  no  trace  of  literature  or  art  in 
all  their  tradition  and  history,  and  their  passing 
has  been  likened  to  that  of  the  early  l)oasts  and 
birds  of  the  field  that  once  were  here  Init  now 
are  gone.     Under  the  natural  conditions  of  prog- 


ress race  yielded  to  race,  and  the  Indians  of 
Illinois  are  now  remembered  as  a  people  whose 
sachems  had  no  cities,  whose  religion  had  no 
temple,  whose  government  had  no  records.  In 
the  liattle  for  supremacy  their  country  was  ap- 
propriated, their  hunting  grounds  destroyed  and 
their  trails  obliterated  to  make  way  for  the 
marvelous  development  that  began  with  the  be- 
ginning of  the  nineteenth  century. 

In  a  paper  read  before  the  Illinois  Historical 
Society  at  Its  first  meeting  at  Peoria,  January 
.5-6,  1900,  Dr,  J.  F.  Snyder,  of  Virginia,  111.,  dis- 
cussed the  archaeological  conditions  of  Illinois, 
and  brought  out  many  interesting  facts  concern- 
ing the  prehistoric  people  who  preceded  the  In- 
dians in  Illinois.  We  find  that  in  his  research 
Dr.  Snyder  has  discovered  remains  of  the  race 
in  this  country,  and  quote  from  his  paper  as 
follows : 

"The  valley  of  the  Illinois  River,  from  its  prai- 
rie banks  about  Starved  Rock  to  the  Mississippi, 
was  at  a  very  early  date  in  ixissession  of  a  yet 
different  branch  of  the  native  American  race, 
whose  mode  of  mound  building  and  manner  of 
disposing  of  their  dead,  plainly  connect  them 
with  the  mound  building  tribes  of  Ohio.  Here 
we  meet  with  the  so-called  'altar'  mounds,  usu- 
all.v  on  low  alluvial  bottoms,  and  the  'platform' 
pipes  and  finely-wrought  implements  and  orna- 
ments of  co[i])er.  Here  also  have  been  found 
those  extraordinary  propitiatoi-y  offerings  to 
their  evil  or  guardian  spirits.  It  has  been  the 
fortune  of  the  writer,  in  his  limited  explorations 
in  this  territory,  to  discover  astonishing  deposits 
of  dark  colored,  or  black,  flint-disks,  each  from 
three  to  eight  inches  in  diameter,  under  condi- 
tions that  leave  no  doubt  of  their  sacrificial 
intent.  At  the  base  of  a  mound  on  Paint  Creek 
in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  a  deposit  of  similar  flints 
was  unearthed  in  1847,  by  Messrs.  Squier  and 
Davis,  and  subsequently  on  further  search  by 
Prof.  W.  K.  Moorehead,  which  aggregated  8,185 
in  numjjei-.  Buried  in  the  banks  of  the  Illinois 
River  at  Beardstown  w-ere  found  l,.50O  well  fin- 
ished disks  of  black  hornstone,  closel.y  laid  to- 
geWier  a  few  feet  below  the  surface.  A  deposit 
of  3,500  similar  flints  was  sometime  before  un- 
covered four  miles  above  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river  in  Schuyler  Count?'.  Two  very 
large  mounds,  side  by  side,  on  the  alluvial  bot- 
toms in  Brown  Count.v.  were  opened,  and  at 
the  base  of  one  were  found  0.190  oval  disks  of 
glossy  black  Hint,  anil  at  the  bottom  of  the  other 


620 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


the  I'uoniiiiu.s  number  of  5,316  completely  fin- 
ished lance-shaped  implements,  from  three  to 
eight  inches  in  leuKth.  of  the  same  black  flint. 
This  stone  is  nowhere  in  situ  in  Illinois,  but  oc- 
curs in  southeastern  Indiana  and  in  |)ortions  of 
Kentucky.  These  buried  flints,  therefore,  must 
have  been  transiwrted  bj-  canoe,  down  the  Ohio 
and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  for 
the  special  purpose  of  final  interment  on  the 
banks  of  the  latter  stream.  'If  they  were  placed 
there  as  an  offering,"  says  Mr.  Sijuier,  'we  can 
form  some  estimate,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
they  nuist  have  been  brought  from  a  great  dis- 
tance and  fashioned  with  great  toil,  of  the  de- 
votional fervor  which  induced  the  sacrifice,  or 
the  magnitude  of  the  calamity  wliicli  that  sac- 
rifice was,  perhaps,  intended  to  avert  .  .  . 
The  Illinois  River  'altar'  mounds  examined  were 
certainly  very  old,  but  further  investigation  will 
be  required  to  determine  their  relative  age  in 
c-omparison  with  that  of  other  systems  of  mounds 
on  the  Mississippi  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
State.  At  the  time  of  tlieir  erection  their  build- 
ers had  not  yet  become  adepts  in  the  ceramic  art, 
the  few  ix)ttery  vessels  found,  with  the  original 
deposits,  being  coarse,  rude  and  without  decora- 
tion. The  human  skeletons  among  the  primal 
burials  in  these  mounds  exhit)ited  anatomical 
characteristics  of  very  low  order.  The  liuilders 
of  these  mounds  had  low.  retreating  lorebeads 
with  enormous  supraorbital  ridges:  progn.ithous 
jaws;  perforations  of  the  humerus;  elongated 
coccy.K  and  platycnemism  of  the  tibijx?.  They 
were  ape-like  and  hideous,  but  e.xceedingly  skill- 
ful  artisans." 

When  Joliet  and  Father  Marquette  first  vis- 
ited Illinois  in  HJT.'i,  the.v  found  the  country  bor- 
dering on  the  Illinois  River  in  jiossession  of  a 
confodoracy  of  Indian  tribes  under  the  general 
name  of  Illinois  or  "lUinl."  Marquette  descrilH>s 
them  as  ('oniposed  of  remarkably  handsome  men. 
well  mannered  and  kindly.  The  confederacy  con- 
sisted of  five  tribes :  The  Kaskaskias.  Cahokias, 
Tamaroas,  Peorias  and  Mitchigamis.  Under  a 
simple,  but  complete,  fabric  of  Indian  construo- 
tion,  the  power  of  these  tribes  e.vtended  over  *11 
the  fertile  territory  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the 
Ohio  River  and  to  the  Mississippi  on  the  west. 

These  aboriginal  Illinoisans  greeted  the  first 
explorers  kindly,  and  Joliet  and  Marquette  were 
graciously  received  by  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes. 
They  were  passionately  fond  of  grand  assemblies 
and  feasts,  and  the  wily  Frenchmen  were  quick 


to  take  advantage  of  the  proffered  pipe  of  peace. 
Marquette's  labor  among  the  Indians  and  his 
hilly  devotion  to  lead  them  to  the  ways  of  Chris- 
tian civilization,  is  one  of  the  brightest  pages  in 
the  whole  of  American  history;  and.  had  his 
iwlicy  of  peaceful  conquest  been  followed  by 
tliose  who  came  after  him,  the  annals  of  Illinois 
liistory  would  not  record  the  many  deeds  of  atro- 
cious cruelty  and  warfare  that  occurred  witliin 
the  succeeding  century. 

I'assing  over  the  period  of  internecine  warfare 
of  the  Indian  tribes  .and  their  frwiuent  comliats 
with  explorers.  «-e  c-ome  to  the  period  Just  pre- 
ceding the  occupation  and  settlement  of  the  Illi- 
nois Country,  of  which  Schuyler  County  Is  a 
part.  In  the  .vear  1S1.3  the  Pottawatomies  and 
the  Kickapoos  occupied  the  central  part  of  Illi- 
nois, and  from  their  headquarters  on  Lake  Peo- 
ria and  the  Sangamon  River,  they  sent  out  ma- 
rauding parties  to  liarass  the  frontier  settlers. 
In  the  summer  of  that  year  an  army  of  some 
:hm)  men  was  collected  from  the  settlements  of 
Illinois  and  .Mis.sourl  to  march  against  the  war- 
ring Indians.  Passing  up  the  .Mississip])i  River 
to  i^uincy,  they  struck  out  eastward  and  across 
the  prairies  to  the  Illinois,  which  was  reached 
near  the  Spoon  River.  From  there  the  march 
was  continued  to  Lake  Peoria,  but  the  Indians 
had  taken  tlight  at  the  api)roach  of  so  large  a 
force  and  no  battles  were  fought. 

In  the  following  year  a  large  force  was  dis- 
patched up  tlie  .Mississippi  River  as  far  as  Rock 
Island,  to  dislodge  the  Indian  and  their  Knglish 
allies,  who  were  taking  advantage  of  the  war 
between  the  two  countries  to  excite  the  savage 
to  war  and  rapine.  The  first  e.xpeditlon  met 
with  disiister,  the  Indians,  under  Chief  Black 
Hawk,  killing  a  number  of  the  force  and  caus- 
ing them  to  retreat  to  St.  Louis.  A  second  ex- 
pedition under  command  of  Major  Zachary  Tay- 
lor, afterwards  President,  made  an  a.ssault  on  an 
Indian  force  at  Rock  Island  and,  after  driving 
the  Indians  back,  was  defeated  by  the  British. 
A  fort  built  on  the  present  site  of  Warsaw  by 
Cai)t.  Zachary  Taylor,  in  1814,  and  named  Fort 
Edwards,  was  assaulted  by  the  Indians  so  vig- 
orously that  the  -Vmericans  evacuated  and  the 
fort  was  burned.  The  treaty  of  Ghent,  Decem- 
ber 24.  1.S14.  closed  the  war  between  the  .Ameri- 
cans and  British,  and  there  was  peace  among  the 
Indians  until  Chief  Black  Hawk  again  started 
upon  the  war  path  in  1830.  The  invasion  of  the 
country  between  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  Riv- 


HISTORY  OP  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


621 


ers  bud  beeu  the  priuiary  cause  of  driving  the 
Indians  northward,  and  there  is  no  record  of 
any  encounter  with  the  aboriginals  within  the 
borders  of  Schuyler  County. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  Schuyler 
County  in  3S23  there  were  still  roving  bands  of 
Indians  to  be  scon,  but  they  were  peaceful  and 
soon  afterwards  departed  to  the  north  never  to 
return.  These  Indians  were  of  the  Kiclcaiwo 
tribe,  who  had  villages  on  the  Spoon  River,  in 
Fulton  County,  and  at  Elkhart  (Jrove,  on.  the 
Sangamon  River.  They  were  more  civilized,  in- 
dustrious and  cleanly  than  the  other  triltes  in 
Illinois,  and  their  warriors  were  far  famed  for 
valor  and  braver.\-.  For  more  than  a  century  they 
had  an  implacable  hatred  of  the  whites  and  com- 
mitted many  atrocities  on  the  settlers  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  and  were  the  last  of 
the  Indian  triiies  of  Illinois  to  accept  the  treaty 
of  peace,  which,  may  it  be  said  to  their  credit, 
they  ever  afterwards  oliserved. 

In  his  notes  of  "Travels  in  Illinois,"  imblished 
in  1823,  Ferdinand  Ernst  wrote  of  the  KicUapoo 
Indians  .sojourning  at  Edwardsville  in  July,  1820, 
where  they  met  the  plenipotentiaries  of  the 
United  States,  and  by  treaty  renounced  all  rights 
and  claims  to  lands  in  Illinois,  ceding  the  same 
to  the  Gfovernment. 

In  describing  the  Kickaiioos,  Mr.  Ernst  says: 
"Their  color  is  reddish  brown  ;  their  f;ices  irreg- 
ular, often  horribly  colored  with  bright  red  paint ; 
their  hair  is  cut  to  a  tuft  upon  the  crown  of  the 
head  and  painted  various  colors.  Very  few  are 
clothed.  In  summer  va-oo1cii  clulh.  .-nHl  in  winter 
a  buffalo  skin,  is  their  only  covering.  The.v 
seem  to  be  very  fond  of  adorinnents.  wearing 
silver  rings  about  the  neck  and  arms.  They 
likewise  carrying  a  shield  before  the  breast." 

When  the  first  little  band  of  settlers  in  Schuy- 
ler County  crossed  the  Illinois  River  in  Febru- 
ary, 1823,  and  located  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  Sixteen,  in 
what  is  now  Rusbville  Township,  they  were  vis- 
ited the  second  day  after  tlieir  .-irrival  by  about 
one  hundred  Kickapoo  Indians,  who  were 
returning  from  their  soutlicrn  winter  htmt. 
Tlieir  regular  camping  ground  was  a  mile  to 
the  south,  and  it  was  here  they  always  stopped 
in  their  semi-annual  migrations  between  the 
north  and  south. 

Rev.  Chauncey  Ilobart,  a  member  of  this  first 
settlers'  colony  in  Schuyler  County,  gives  the 
following  interesting  account  of  the  visit  of  the 


Indians :  "These  Kickapoos  gave  us  their  idea 
of  aristocratic  rank  by  saying :  'A  Pottawatomie 
lives  on  the  river,  rides  in  a  canoe,  and  eats 
muskrats  and  mud  turtles,  while  a  Kickaiwo 
lives  on  high  lauds,  rides  on  horseback  and  eats 
venison.' 

"The  Indians  were  very  friendly  with  us  from 
the  first.  They  called  my  fatlier  T'ostonie.'  or 
Kostou  man,  to  distinguish  him  from  the  men 
from  the  South,  whom  they  called  'Ohemo-ko- 
mon,'  or  'Long  Knife.'  These  people  were 
around  us  more  or  less  every  day  while  they 
were  in  camp,  and  many  of  them  were  present 
and  witnessed  our  e.vit  from  canij)  to  cabin. 

"During  the  illness  of  my  mother  our  Indian 
friends  were  down  from  their  village  on  their 
summer  hunt  and  camped  near  our  house  and, 
of  course,  came  to  visit  us.  We  had  been  greatly 
annoyed  by  the  injur.v  of  our  garden  by  deer, 
whose  depredations  were  committed  in  the  night. 
Knowing  the  skill  of  the  Indians  in  detecting 
trails,  my  father  took  two  of  our  Indian  visitors 
to  the  garden  and  pointed  out  to  them  the  dam- 
age done.  The  two  men  walked  through  the 
garden  looking  carefully  at  the  tracks,  consulted 
together  a  moment,  and  said :  'There  are  two ; 
one  has  gone  north,  the  other  east,'  pointing  in 
the  different  directions.  Mounting  their  ponies, 
tliey  rode  aw;iy  in  the  directions  indicated  and, 
in  less  than  an  hour,  e.-icb  had  returned  with  a 
deer. 

"The  day  following  the  head  of  the  clan,  a  sub- 
chief  called  Be-kik-a-nin-ee,  came  bringing  a  deer 
just  killed.  After  selling  us  one  quarter,  he 
carefully  took  out  the  tenderloin,  aud  presented 
it  to  my  father,  saying;  "It  for  sick  S(iuaw.'  He 
directed  that  it  be  should  be  well  boiled  aud 
some  of  the  soup  made  from  it  given  to  my 
mother,  remarking  in  a  plaintive  way :  'Maybe 
she  get  well.'  This  Indian  had  been  in  t'le 
British  army  and  had  been  wounded  in  the  I'-it- 
tle  of  the  River  Raisin.  This  accoiuits  for  his 
being  able  to  speak  English. 

"The  following  fall,  while  my  father  was  in 
the  woods  bee-hunting,  and  about  three  miles 
from  home,  he  met  our  old  friend  Be-kik-a-nin-ee 
on  horseback  hunting  deer.  As  soon  as  they 
came  in  sight  of  each  other  the  Indian  wheeled 
his  pony  and  came  dashing  up  rapidly,  jumped 
off  and  saluted,  by  extending  both  hands,  aud 
exclaiming :  'Ilow-te-too  !  How-te-too !'  He  then 
asked:  'Keene-squaw,  Xepoo?'  (Did  your  wife 
die?) 


632 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


"  'No,' "  reiilied  my  fatber,  'she  is  nearly 
well.' 

"  'Yup :  Yup :  Yup  I'  he  shouted.  "Me  go  see 
her;'  and,  mounting  his  pony,  he  laid  whip  for 
our  house,  which  he  reached  on  a  quick  run. 
When  he  saw  my  mother  up  and  busy  around  the 
house,  this  manly  fellow  appeared  as  much 
pleased  as  if  he  were  conscious  of  some  rela- 
tionship between  them." 

We  give  place  to  this  interesting  account  of 
the  meeting  between  the  first  settlers  in  Schuyler 
and  the  Indians  to  show  the  cordial  and  peace- 
ful relations  existing  between  them,  and  this 
continued  up  to  the  time  the  Indians  left  for  the 
nortliwest  some  years  later. 

The  site  of  the  present  city  of  Rushville,  and 
the  wooded  country  adjacent  to  the  north,  must 
have  been  a  favorite  camp  ground  for  the  In- 
dians; for,  long  after  the  country  was  settled, 
there  were  to  be  found  many  fine  specimens  of 
arrow-heads  and  stone  axes  along  Town  branch 
and  McKee  branch.  On  the  McKee  farm  we  may 
yet  see  the  ti-ace  of  a  cleared  i)ath  through  the 
woods,  which  i.=;  known  as  the  old  Indian  trail. 

In  what  is  now  the  site  of  Uushville  there  was 
probably  an  Indian  village  or  camp  located  be- 
tween West  Washington  and  Lafayette  Streets, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Town  branch.  A  monu- 
ment which  marked  this  location  was  a  gnarled 
and  knotted  oak  tree,  which  stood  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  intersection  of  Jackson  and 
Washington  Streets.  Here  In  after  years  were 
found  scores  of  stone  arrow-heads  buried  under 
the  bark  of  the  tree,  where  they  had  been  im- 
planted by  the  young  Indian  warriors  or  chil- 
dren while  at  practice  or  at  play. 

As  late  as  1826  the  Indians  had  their  camp  in 
Woodstock  Township,  but  with  the  coming  of  the 
settlers  they  moved  northward  and  westward  to 
the  frontier.  Old  settlers  in  this  region  tell  of 
their  dramatic  exit  from  the  laud  which  had  long 
been  their  favorite  hunting  ground.  For  days 
before  the  northern  march  was  begim,  the  In- 
dians enjoyed  a  season  of  feasting  and  jileasure. 
Their  dances  continued  through  the  long  hours 
of  the  night  and,  as  the  settlers  looked  out  from 
their  cabin  doors  on  the  wooded  knolls  at  day- 
break, they  saw  the  Indians  mount  their  ponies, 
and  ride  away  through  the  valley,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  squaws  with  the  tents  and  camp 
equipage,  never  more  to  return  to  the  beautiful 
valleys  and  plains  of  Western  Illinois. 


CHAPTER  III. 


EVOLUTION   OF   COUNTY    ORGANIZATION. 


PREHISTORIC  INHABITANTS  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  COUN- 
TRY— REGION  COVETED  BY  SPAIN,  FRANCE  AND 
ENGLAND THE  DE  SOTO  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MIS- 
SISSIPPI   THE    BASIS    OF    THE    SPANISH    CLAIM 

ITS  DESTINY  DETERMINED  ON  EUROPEAN  BATTLE- 
FIELDS, ON  THE  PI.AINS  OF  ABRAHAM  AND  BY  THE 
GEORGE  ROGERS  CL,VRK  CONQUEST— KASKASKIA, 
CAHOKIA    AND    PRAIRIE    DU    ROCHER    THE    CENTER 

OK    FRENCH    COLONIZATION COUNTY   OF    ILLINOIS 

CREATED  BY  ACT  OF  VIRGINIA  IN  1778 — THE 
NORTHWEST  TERRITORY  ORGANIZED  BY  ORDI- 
NANCE OF  17S7 — SUBSEQUENT  GEOGRAPHICAL 
CHANGES — ILLINOIS  ADMITTED  AS  A  STATE  IN 
1,818 — NORTHERN  BOUNDARY  QUESTION — WON- 
DERFKIL  FORESIGHT  SHOWN  BY  DELEG.\TE  NA- 
THANIEL   POPE — THE     MILITARY    TRACT COUNTY 

ORGANIZATIONS SCHUYLER       COUNTY       SUCCES- 

SIV-ELY  PARTS  OF  PIKE  AND  FULTON  COUNTIES — 
THE  COUNTY  CREATED  BY^  ACT  OF  THE  LEGISLA- 
TURE   JANUARY    13,    1S25 ITS    BOUNDARIES    AND 

AREA — BROWN  COUNTY  DETACHED  IN  18.39 — 
MC  nONOUGH  COUNTY  CREATED  BY  ACT  OF  1826, 
BUT  REMAINS  UNDER  JURISDICTION  OF  SCHUY- 
LER  COUNTY    UNTIL  1830. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  archspologist.  Illi- 
nois has  a  historj'  that  extends  far  back  Into  the 
dim  unknown  past,  when,  even  before  the  com- 
ing of  the  Indians,  the  hills  and  valleys  were 
IXKjplcd  by  a  race  tliat  left  enduring  monuments 
of  their  occupancy.  Tlic  savage,  who,  for  gen- 
erations, had  occupied  the  country  before  the 
coming  of  the  fii-st  explorers,  had  noted  the  curi- 
ous evidences  of  an  earlier  race,  but  their  igno- 
rance of  any  history  or  tradition  of  the  strange 
antiquities  only  adds  to  the  mysticism  that  sur- 
rounds them. 

By  reason  of  its  accessibility  by  the  great 
water  courses  of  the  inland  lakes  and  the  mighty 
rivers  that  form  its  southern  and  western  boun- 
daries, Illinois  was  destined  to  play  an  important 
part  in  the  history  of  the  nations ;  and,  even 
while  the  east  Atlantic  States  were  but  sparsely 
settled,  it  was  looked  uiion  with  covetous  eyes 
by  the  rulers  of  empires  in  Europe.     With  rare 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


623 


foresight  tbey  realized  the  vast  importance  of 
Illinois  as  the  key  to  military  possession  of  the 
new  and  as  yet  unexplored  county ;  and  with 
the  ever-changing  fortunes  of  war,  as  played 
upon  the  battlefields  of  the  old  world,  there  were 
corresponding  epochs  in  the  history  of  Illinois. 
To  get  a  clear  understanding  of  the  history  of 
Schuyler  County  and  its  evolution  from  the  ear- 
liest time,  it  is  eminently  important  that  we 
should  know  of  these  historic  events  in  their 
natiu-al  sequence. 

Illinois  was  first  claimed  by  Spain,  by  reason 
of  discovery  by  Ferdinand  DeSoto,  in  1541,  who 
laid  claim  to  all  the  country  drained  by  the  great 
Father  of  Waters.  Spain,  however,  made  no 
attempt  to  explore  the  vast  territory  and  the 
written  history  of  Illinois  begins  in  167.S  when 
Louis  Joliet  and  Jacques  Marquette  paddled  up 
the  Illinois  and  Des  Plaines  Rivers,  and  made 
the  portage  at  Chicago.  To  them  fell  the  honor 
of  adding  this  princely  domain  to  the  mother 
countrj-  under  the  name  "New  France."  It  was 
not,  however,  until  April  9.  1GS2,  that  La  Salle, 
with  due  form  and  ceremony,  unfurled  the  flag 
of  France  on  the  east  bank  of  the  lower  Missis- 
sippi, and  took  possession  of  the  countiy  in  the 
name  of  his  royal  master,  Louis  XIV.  Kaskas- 
kia.  Cahokia  and  Prairie  du  Roeher  later  became 
the  centers  of  French  colonization,  and  for  a 
period  of  ninety-two  years,  beginning  with  the 
coming  of  Joliet  and  Marquette,  Illinois  was  a 
loyal  subject  of  the  crown. 

The  ancient  struggle  for  supremacy  between 
France  and  England  subjected  Illinois  to  the 
fickle  fortunes  of  war,  and  when  on  the  thir- 
teenth of  September,  1750,  Wolfe  won  his  vic- 
tory on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  the  country,  of 
which  Illinois  of  the  future  would  be  a  part, 
passed  from  under  French  to  English  dominion. 
Six  years  elapsed  before  England  came  into  un- 
disputed possession  of  Illinois,  and  from  the  bat- 
tlement of  old  Fort  Chartres  peacefully  lowered 
the  flag  of  France,  which,  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury, had  been  the  emblem  of  her  sovereignty. 

British  dominion  in  the  Mississippi  valley  was 
destined  to  be  short  lived.  At  the  time  the  Brit- 
ish took  possession  the  spirit  of  unrest  was  upon 
the  colonies  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  events 
were  shaping  that  were  once  more  to  change  the 
map  of  the  new  world.  In  the  midst  of  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,  which  began  in  1776,  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark,  of  Kentucky,  planned  an  inv.-ision 
of   Illinois,   and   his  conquest  of  Kaskaskia,   on 


July  4,  1778,  and  subsequent  capture  of  Fort 
Viucennes,  is  one  of  the  brightest  chapters  in  the 
whole  of  American  history,  and  eventually  re- 
sulted in  shaping  the  destiny  of  the  new  nation. 
The  conquest  of  the  Illinois  counti-y  in  1778 
by  George  Rogers  Clark  was  the  beginning  of  the 
American  occupation,  but  it  was  not  until  1787 
that,  by  congi-esslonal  action,  it  came  under  the 
control  of  the  General  Government  of  the  United 
States.  Gen.  Clark  took  possession  of  the  coun- 
try under  authority  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia, 
and  the  period  immediately  following  is  known 
as   the   "Virginia   Occupatiou." 

In  his  memoirs  Clark  says:  "I  inquired  par- 
ticularly into  the  manner  the  people  had  been 
governed  formerly,  and  much  to  my  satisfaction 
I  found  that  it  had  been  generally  as  severe  as 
under  the  militia  law.  I  vras  determined  to 
make  an  advantage  of  it.  and  took  every  steii  in 
my  power  to  cause  the  people  to  feel  the  bless- 
ings of  an  American  citizen,  which  I  soon  dis- 
covered enabled  me  to  supixtrt,  from  their  own 
choice,  almost  a  supreme  authority  over  them." 
The  Assembly  of  Virginia  passed  in  October, 
1778,  an  act  to  establish  a  civil  and  military  gov- 
ernment in  the  territory,  which  was  christened 
the  County  of  Illinois,  and  a  County  Lieutenant 
and  other  minor  ofllcials  were  apiwinted.  Col. 
John  Todd,  of  Kentucky,  was  aiipointed  County 
Lieutenant  by  Governor  Patrick  Henry,  and  he 
reached  Kaskaskia  in  May,  1770,  and  under  his 
direction  courts  were  established  and  a  regular 
system  of  government  inaugurated. 

The  transfer  of  sovereignty  was  made  to  the 
United  States  on  the  part  of  Virginia  in  1781, 
but  it  was  not  until  March  1,  1784,  that  the  offi- 
cial cession  was  c-ompleted.  In  the  meantime 
the  County  of  Illinois  had  no  positive  form  of 
government,  and  delegations  were  sent  to  Vir- 
ginia and  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
asking  the  establishment  of  a  proper  government. 
Settlers  were  crowding  into  the  new  country  and, 
with  no  .system  of  government  or  land  titles, 
great  confusion  prevailed  and  extensive  frauds 
in  l.ind  grants  were  perpetrated  that  were  later 
ratified  and  made  good  by  the  General  Govern- 
ment. In  time  each  village  had  a  separate  sys- 
tem of  government  of  its  own,  which  regulated 
local  affairs  as  a  matter  of  protection  to  its  cit- 
izens. l)ut  without  being  subject  to  any  higher 
authority. 

The  next  epoch  in  the  history  of  Illinois  was 
the  adoption   of   the  Ordinance   of   1787,   which 


624 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


forever  dedicated  the  State  to  freedom  and  gave 
to  Illinois  the  proud  prestige  which  removed  it 
from  the  influence  of  Southern  domination,  and, 
in  the  prophetic  words  of  Nathaniel  Pope,  who 
made  the  appeal  for  au  extension  of  the  northern 
boundary,  became  "the  keystone  of  the  arch  of 
perpetual  union." 

By  the  passage  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787  the 
Northwest  Territory  was  formed,  and  President 
Washington  .-ippointed  General  .\rtlun-  St.  Clair 
its  first  Governor.  In  the  spring  of  17!H>  the  county 
of  St.  Clair  was  formed  and  the  first  courts  were 
held  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia.  In  1800  the 
Northwest  Territory  was  divided,  the  portion 
lying  east  of  a  line  e.xtending  north  from  a  ix)iut 
ou  the  Ohio  River  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Kentucky  River  to  the  Canada  line  constituting 
the  Territory  of  Ohio,  while  the  region  west  of 
that  line  and  embracing  the  bulk  of  the  present 
states  of  Indiana,  Illinois.  Michigan  and  Wiscon- 
sin, was  organized  as  Indiana  Territory.  Febru- 
ary 3,  1809,  Cougi'ess  created  a  territory  out  of 
all  the  country  lying  "west  of  the  Wabash  River 
and  a  direct  line  drawn  from  the  said  Wabash 
River  and  Tost  Vincennes.  due  north  to  the  ter- 
ritorial line  between  the  Tnited  States  and  Can- 
ada," to  be  known  as  Illinois  Territory.  This 
included  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin  and  a 
small  portion  of  Eastern  Jlinnesota,  and  Ninian 
Edwards  was  appointed  the  first  governor  of  the 
new  Territory.  On  April  7,  ISIS,  a  bill  was 
introduced  in  Congress  enabling  the  people  of  a 
portion  of  the  Territory  to  organize  the  State 
of  Illinois.  As  presented  the  bill  designated  the 
northern  boundarj'  of  the  State  to  be  ":in  east 
and  west  line  drawn  through  the  southerly  bend 
or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan,  west  along  the 
north  parallel  of  41  degrees  39  minutes  to  the 
center  of  the  Mississippi  River."  Nathaniel  Pope 
was  then  the  Delegate  from  Illinois  in  Congress 
and  through  his  efforts  the  northern  Iwundary 
was  extended  to  42  degrees  and  ."iO  minutes,  and 
thus  the  territory  now  embracing  fourteen  coun- 
ties in  the  northern  part  of  Illinois,  including 
the  present  cit.\-  of  Chicago,  was  added  to  the 
new  State.  Wisconsin  made  repeated  protests 
against  this  action,  and  it  was  not  until  that 
territory  was  admitted  as  a  State  in  1848,  that 
the  northern  boundary  line  of  Illinois  was  thus 
finally  confirmed  and  forever  settled.  (See 
"Northern  Boundan-  Question."  pp.  401-402,  of 
this  work.) 

The  Miutaby  Tract. — Previous  to  the  admis- 


sion of  Illinois  as  a  state,  Congi'ess  on  May  0, 
1812,  set  apart  a  section  of  her  territory  as 
bounty  land  for  the  soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812, 
and  it  became  known  as  the  Military  Tract. 
This  tract  lay  between  the  Mississippi  and  Illi- 
nois Rivers  and  extended  as  far  north  as  the 
present  northern  boundary  of  Mercer  County. 
It  contained  ."j.:!liO,000  acres  of  what  is  now  the 
finest  agricultural  country  in  the  Cnited  States, 
and  from  its  territory  the  following  counties 
have  been  formed :  Calhoun,  Pike,  Adams, 
Brown,  Schuyler,  Hancock,  McDouough,  Fulton, 
Pt-oria,  Stark,  Knox,  Warren,  Henderson  and 
Mercer,  with  pairts  of  Henry,  Bureau,  Putnam 
and  Marshall. 

The  first  act  passed  In  1812  granted  IGO  acres 
to  each  soldier,  and  a  subsetiuent  grant  extended 
the  quantity  to  a  half-section.  The  land  thus 
approjiriated  was  divided  by  lot  among  the  sol- 
diers and  the  patents  issued  to  them  ac-cordlngly. 
Millions  of  acres  of  the  finest  land  In  Illinois 
were  disixjsed  of  In  this  way.  The  soldiers  did 
nothing  with  tlie  land,  most  of  them  selling  their 
titles  for  a  trifle  to  s|)eculators  residing  in  East- 
ern States,  while  the  land  remained  unoccupied 
year  after  year.  After  the  organization  of  the 
State  government  in  1818,  the  State  began  to 
sell  these  lands  for  taxes  and,  for  a  considerable 
period,  the  principal  revenue  of  the  State  was 
derived  from  this  source.  The  greater  portion 
of  these  lands  ijius  went  into  the  jtossession  of 
parties  who  held  them  under  these  tax-titles. 
The  grantees  of  the  soldiers,  who  were  the  orig- 
inal patentees,  brought  suits  of  ejectment  for 
their  lands.  A  strong,  but  unsuc-cessful  effort 
was  made  to  sustain  the  tax-titles,  but  the  prin- 
cipal reliance  of  the  settlers  was  not  so  much 
uiwn  the  tax-titles  as  vnxm  certain  limitation 
laws  of  the  StJite.  The  growth  of  this  stn-tion 
of  Illinois  was  greatly  retarded  by  the  c<Hitest 
over  land  titles.  Many  of  the  settlers  purchased 
quit-claim  deeds  for  .$1.2.">  an  acre,  while  thou- 
sands of  others  purchased  lands,  which  now  sell 
for  from  $100  to  $150  an  acre,  for  fifty  cents  per 
acre,  and  risked  the  security  of  their  titles. 
Emigration  was  rapid  to  the  Military  Tract  in 
the  early  'twenties  and  soon  afterwards  several 
counties  were  organized  therein. 

County  Okgamzatioxs. — Pike  County  was  the 
first  to  be  organized  in  the  Military  Tract.  It 
was  set  apart  from  Madison  County  In  1821,  and 
at  that  time  embraced  the  whole  of  the  country 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COITNTY. 


625 


north  and  west  of  the  Illiuois  River,  including 
what  are  now  the  Counties  of  Cook  and  Will. 

By  the  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  Janu- 
ary 25,  ]S2.3,  Fulton  County  was  organized  out 
of  that  portion  of  Pike  County  lying  east  of  the 
Fourth  I'rincipal  Meridian,  and  south  of  the 
tov\-nsliip  line  between  Townshijis  !»  and  10 
North,  and  extending  east  to  the  Illinois  River 
on  township  line  between  5  and  G  East.  This 
included  two  townships  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  Peoria  County,  the  southern  tier  of  townships 
in  Knox  County  and  the  townships  of  Frederick, 
Browning  and  Hickory  In  the  eastern  part  of 
Schuyler  County.  For  the  next  two  years  Ful- 
ton County  had  jurisdietion  for  governmental 
purposes,  as  Pike  County  previously  had,  over 
the  region  east  of  the  Fourth  P.  M.  and  north  of 
the  Illinois  and  Kankakee  Rivers  to  the  Indiana 
State  line. 

ScHUYLKE  County  Organized. — By  an  act  ap- 
proved Januarj-  10,  1825,  the  County  of  Calhoun 
was  created  with  its  present  limits,  from  the 
southern  portion  of  Pike  County,  and  three  days 
later  (January  Ki,  1825)  an  "omnibus  bill," 
authorizing  the  organization  of  eight  new  coun- 
ties from  the  northern  portion  of  Pike  County 
became  a  law.  These  included  the  present  coun- 
ties of  Schuyler,  Adams,  Hancock,  Warren,  Mer- 
cer, Henry,  Putnam  and  Knox,  and  were  all 
embraced  wholly  within  the  Military  Tract  ex- 
cept Henry  and  Putnam  Counties,  which  iu  part 
consisted  of  Military  Tract  territoi-y. 

The  portion  of  the  act  creating  Schu.yler 
County  designated  the  l>oundaries  of  the  new 
county  as  follows : 

"Beginning  at  the  place  where  the  township 
line  between  two  and  three  south  touches  the 
Illinois  River,  thence  west  on  said  line  to  the 
range  line  between  ranges  four  and  five  west; 
thence  north  on  said  range  line  to  the  nortliwest 
comer  of  township  three  north,  range  four  west; 
thence  east  on  said  township  line  to  the  merid- 
ian: thence  down  the  meridian  line  to  the  south- 
east corner  of  to\vnshi|i  three  north,  range  one 
west;  thence  east  nn  said  township  line  to  the 
Illinois  River,  thence  down  the  said  river  to 
the  place  of  beginning." 

The  county  was  named  iu  honor  of  (Jen.  Philip 
Schuyler,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
also  served  as  a  member  of  Congress  from  New 
York  during  a  part  of  the  war  period,  and  was 
later  a  United  States  Senator  from  the  same 
state. 


As  originally  organized  Schuyler  County  was 
thirty  miles  north  and  south  by  thirty-six  east 
and  west,  including  all  of  Brown  County.  In 
1839  Brown  County  was  set  off  and  Crooked 
Creek  was  made  the  lioundary  line  from  the  Illi- 
nois River  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Township 
One  North,  Range  Two  West,  where  the  dividing 
line  between  the  two  counties  ran  west  on  the 
township  line,  thus  leaving  the  county,  as  at 
present,  six  townships  east  and  west  and  three 
and  a  fraction  north  and  south. 

By  an  act  approved  January  25,  1820,  the 
County  of  McDonough  was  created  with  Its  pres- 
sent  dimensions  out  of  portions  of  Pike  and  Ful- 
ton Counties,  although  it  was  not  formally  or- 
ganized until  18.j0,  in  the  meantime  being  at- 
tached to  Schuyler  County  for  governmental  pur- 
poses. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES— TOPOGRAPHY. 


NATURAL  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  GENERAL  LAND 
SURFACE GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION  AND  TOPOG- 
RAPHY— AREA  AND  ELEVATION — EXTENT  OF  TILL- 
ABLE    AND     UNTILLABLE     LAND THE     ALLUVIAN 

BOTTOM  I^NDS — RICH  SILT  DEPOSITS  MADE  BY 
ISLAND  STREAM — NATURAL  BEAUTY'  AND  FERTIL- 
ITY  OF  THE   SOIL — INLAND   LAKES   AND   MARSHES 

RECLAIMING   THE  PRAIRIES WATER   COURSES — 

HISTORY    OF    CROOKED    CREEK CLIMATIC     CONDI- 

T I O  N  S RA I N  F  A  LL. 

In  considering  the  physical  features  and  char- 
acteristics of  Schuyler  County,  we  realize  that 
Nature  is  most  in  earnest  when  least  dramatic, 
and,  that  here,  where  there  is  no  indication  of 
her  terrible  power,  she  has  stored  up  wonderful 
and  varied  resources  amid  the  homely,  yet  not 
montonous,  landscape.  Man  was  anticipated  and 
amply  provided  for  within  her  bounds,  and  a 
fair  surve.v  of  her  physical  features  discloses  a 
richness  of  soil  and  mineral  desposits  that  is 
well  calculated  to  sustain  a  prosperous  people. 

Geographically  located  midway  of  the  State, 
north  and  south,  and  almost  wholly  to  the  west 


626 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


of  the  Fourth  Priiifipal  Merklian,  which  inter- 
sects the  base  line  at  her  southern  extremity, 
the  topography  and  climate  of  Schuyler  County 
are  typical  of  the  State.  The  county  occupies  a 
space  of  430  square  miles,  and  is  bounded  on  the 
south  and  west  by  the  counties  of  Brown,  Adams 
and  Hancock ;  on  the  north  by  McDonough  and 
Fulton  and  along  its  southern  and  eastern  boun- 
dary it  is  washed  for  twenty-five  miles  by  the 
Illinois  River.  It.s  high,  level  prairies  have  an 
elevation  of  720  feet  above  the  sea-level  and  are 
more  than  2.^0  feet  above  the  contiguous  valley 
of  the  Illinois. 

The  274,014  acres  of  tillable  land  included 
within  the  bounds  of  Schuyler  Couuty  and  broken 
tracts  that  are  in  wooded  forests  give  an  Idea 
of  the  diversified  physical  features  at  a  glance. 
Along  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  the  nlluvian  bot- 
toms vary  greatly  iu  extent.  In  some  places  the 
rugged  bluffs  rise  to  a  height  of  one  hundred 
feet  in  gradual  slope  from  tlie  water's  edge,  while 
along  the  streams  that  drain  the  uplands,  the 
flat  bottom-land  extends  back  for  miles. 

More  than  three  hundred  years  ago,  when  the 
early  French  voyageurs,  traversing  the  Illinois 
River  in  their  adventurous  journey  of  explora- 
tion and  discovery,  refen'ed  to  the  valley  as  the 
elysium  of  the  native  Indians,  they  had  but 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  grandeur  that  lay  be- 
.vond.  From  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  the  land 
sm-face  of  Schuyler  County  apiwars  rough  and 
broken,  but  to  the  northward  there  spreads  out  a 
vast  expanse  of  prairie  land,  fertile,  rich  and 
well  drained  by  the  streams  that  flow  southward 
to  the  river.  Appreciation  of  the  beauty  and 
bounty  of  this  land  led  to  the  early  settlement 
of  Schuyler,  and  made  Its  development  first 
among  the  counties  in  the  Military  Tract.  Here 
the  pioneer  settlers  found  rich,  fertile  soil  with 
an  abundance  of  clear,  sparkling  water  that  bub- 
l)lod  up  from  the  gi'avel  beds  of  the  streams  or 
siKJutcd  out  from  the  crevices  of  the  rocky 
cliff  on  the  steep  hillside,  and  close  by  were  the 
heavily  wooded  forests  that  furnished  the  mate- 
rial for  his  cabin  home,  his  furniture  and  his 
fences.  Thus  it  was  that  all  his  frugal  needs 
were  amply  supplied  by  nature,  and  it  was  to 
him  the  ideal  "promised  land." 

Along  the  valley  of  the  Illinois,  and  adjacent 
to  the  streams  that  flow  into  it,  there  lies  a 
broad  expanse  of  low  land  that,  in  early  times, 
was  either  a  miry  bog  or  a  tangled  forest.  In 
the  spring  of  the  year  it  was  covered  with  water. 


and  for  .several  decades  was  deemed  utterly 
worthless.  There  came  a  time,  however,  when 
all  the  uplands  were  occupied  and  it  was  then 
that  the  swamps  were  reclaimed  and  drained, 
and  now  in  many  cases  are  the  most  fertile  and 
productive  lands  in  all  the  country. 

A  striking  illustration  of  the  action  of  the 
streams  that  flow  into  the  Illinois  River,  in  work- 
ing over  the  material  along  their  courses,  is  to  be 
found  in  many  jiarts  of  the  county.  These  now 
narrow  streams,  fringed  along  their  entire  course 
by  heavily  timbered  banks,  have  ranged  iu  the 
course  of  centuries  from  one  bluff  to  the  other, 
obliterating  old  curves  and  forming  new  ones, 
but  never  moving  in  a  straight  line  for  a  dozen 
rods.  With  every  change  of  the  flowing  stream, 
the  alluvial  dcfiosit  has  been  worked  over,  time 
and  again,  and  greatly  added  to  as  the  rich  black 
silt  from  the  jn-alrie  uplands  has  been  spread, 
as  a  deposit,  when  the  water  receded  or  the 
stream  changetl  Its  course.  This  ever-adding  of 
new  rich  loam  has  made  the  bottom  lands  won- 
derfully productive,  and  they  still  receive  re- 
plenishing, though  iu  a  less  degree,  by  the  occa- 
sional spring  floods  that  swell  the  narrow 
streams  into  mighty  rivers. 

Tlu-ee  large  streams,  with  their  many 
liranches  that  spread  out  and  I'amify  in  every 
direction,  drain  the  entire  land  surface  of  Schuy- 
ler Couut>-  to  the  Illinois  River.  These  streams, 
iis  they  wind  tortuousl.v  between  clay  banks, 
have,  through  the  long  centuries,  cut  deep  chan- 
nels from  which  the  land  sloi)es  gradually,  mak- 
ing large  areas  of  broken  country  which  is  heav- 
ily wooded  with  valuable  timber  and  unsuited 
for  cultivation.  In  this  broken  country  where 
the  timber  has  been  cleared,  all  kinds  of  grasses 
grow,  making  rich  pasture  land  for  the  adjacent 
farms.  Hack  from  the  wooded  hill-tops  the  land 
becomes  richer  and  belter,  and  here  we  find  a 
rich  black  loam,  which  is  from  twenty  to  thirty 
inches  in  thickness,  and  which  is  underlaid  by 
clay,  making  an  ideal  soil  for  the  staple  agricul- 
tural crops  for  which  Illinois  is  famed.  Within 
tlie  bounds  of  Schuyler  County  there  are  no 
vast  unbroken  prairies,  but  rather  a  continued 
succession  of  gentle  sloping  ridges,  wide  In  ex- 
tent and  easy  of  cultivation.  This  undulating 
surface  approaches  ne.irest  to  the  i)rairie  on  the 
water-shed  in  the  central  part  of  the  county  be- 
tween Crooked  and  Sugar  Creeks,  and  reaches 
northward  into  McDonough  County. 

Compared  with  the  flower  bedecked  and  grass- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHTJYLEE  COUNTY. 


637 


grown  knolls  in  the  timber  lands,  the  oix>n  prai- 
rie presented  a  dreary  contrast  to  the  early  set- 
tlers. Covered  witli  tough  prairie  sod  and  over- 
grown with  wild  grasses  that  reached  above  a 
man's  head,  these  rich  and  fertile  lands  were 
little  better  than  impenetrable  swamps.  Shallow 
marshes  and  shallow  lakes  were  numerous,  the 
latter  often  having  neither  inlet  nor  outlet,  and 
varying  in  size  from  small  ponds  to  acres  in 
extent.  It  was  for  many  years  supposed  that 
the  grass-covered  jjrairies  were  unsuited  to 
agriculture,  and  it  required  the  actual  experi- 
ment to  prove  the  utter  fallacy  of  the  generally 
accepted  theory. 

In  a  country  where  there  is  such  a  diversity 
of  soil  and  land  surface,  it  is  interesting  to  trace 
the  course  of  the  streams  which  are  primaril.v 
the  controlling  element  in  the  make-up  of  the 
topography  of  the  country.  Crooked  Creek, 
which  enters  the  county  on  the  north  side  of  Bir- 
mingham Township  and  flows  through  Brooklyn 
and  Camden  Townships,  and  from  there  forms 
the  southwest  boundary  of  the  county  until  it 
empties  into  the  Illinois  Rivei%  is  rich  in  his- 
torical lore.  It  was  first  known  as  Le  Mine 
River,  and  was  so  designated  by  the  government 
survej-ors  in  their  field  notes,  but  this  name  was 
changed  by  tiie  early  settlers  to  La  Moine  River. 
At  that  early  day  it  was  regarded  as  a  navigable 
stream  and  well  bore  the  dignitj"  of  being  called 
a  river.  But  by  slow  degi-ees  the  volume  of 
water  that  flowed  through  its  course  was  less- 
ened by  the  cultivation  of  the  land  and  the  di- 
verting of  minor  tributaries,  and  the  settlers 
gave  it  the  good  old  Anglo-Saxon  name  of 
Crooked  Creek  and,  as  such,  it  is  knovra  on  the 
maps  of  Illinois  today.  It  has  its  source  in 
Hancock  County  and,  in  its  devious  course 
through  Schuyler,  traverses  a  distance  of  more 
than  flfty  miles. 

Missouri  Creek,  the  main  tributary  of  Crooked 
Creek,  enters  the  county  on  the  west  side  of 
Iluntsville  Township  and  flows  through  Iluuts- 
ville.  Camden  and  a  part  of  Brown  County. 

The  eastern  tributaries  of  Crooked  Creek  are 
Homey,  Stony  and  Brushy  Cre(>ks,  which  rise 
in  Littleton  Township. 

Crane  Creek  and  Coal  Creek  have  their  source 
in  Rushville  Township,  and  flow  by  widely  di- 
verging courses  to  the  Illinois  River,  where  they 
empty  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  each 
other. 

Iloruey  branch  rises  in  Bueua  Vista  Township 


and  empties  into  Crooked  Creek  in  Woodstock 
Township. 

Town  Branch  has  its  source  in  Rushville 
Township  and  empties  into  Crooked  Creek. 

Sugar  Creek  rises  in  Littleton  Township,  flows 
through  Littleton  and  Oakland  and  the  south- 
west part  of  Fulton  Count.v.  then  enters  Schuy- 
ler again  and  flows  through  Browning  and  Fred- 
erick Townships  to  the  Illinois  River. 

Dutchman  C^'eek  rises  in  Browning  Township 
and  empties  into  the  Illinois  River  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Browning. 

Harris  branch  is  a  tributary  of  Sugar  Creek, 
and  has  its  source  in  Fnlttm  County,  thence  flow- 
ing through  Browning  Townshi|i. 


CHAPTER  V. 


GEOLOGY  AXI)  FLORA. 


GEOLOGICAL  REPORTS   OF  THE   COUNTY    COMPILED   BY 

A.     H.     WORTHEN,     STATE    GEOLOGIST,     IN     1858 

GEOLOGICAL      FORMATIONS JtlNERAL      RESOURCES 

OF  SCUUYLER  COUNTY'  INCLUDE  COAL  AND  ZINC 
— THE  LATTER  NOT  DEVELOPED VALUABLE  DE- 
POSITS    OF     STONE     AND     CLAY LIST     OF     TREES, 

SHRUBS     AND    FLOWERS     OF    SCHUYLER    COUNTY. 

Schuyler  Countj-.  with  its  diversified  land  sur- 
faces, which  include  the  alluvian  bottoms  and  the 
high  bluffs  adjoining,  with  the  outcropping  of 
rocky  ledges ;  the  deep  black  soil  of  the  prairie, 
which,  in  many  places,  is  underlaid  with  a  rich 
vein  of  coal ;  the  more  broken  land  areas,  with 
their  valuable  clay  deposits,  offer  a  fruitful  field 
for  the  study  of  tlie  geological  formations  of  the 
country. 

We  are  dependent  for  our  geological  knowl- 
edge of  Schuyler  Count.v  largely  uiwn  the  reports 
of  A.  H.  Wortheu,  who,  in  18.jS,  gathered  the 
material  that  forms  the  basis  of  the  economical 
geology  survey  recorded  in  the  Illinois  Report 
published  in  1870,  which  is  now  out  of  print. 
The  researches  made  by  Mr.  Worthen  were,  In 
a  manner,  superficial  and,  while  proI)ably  correct 
in  a  general  sense,  were  not  sufficiently  extensive 
to  give  a  complete  record  of  the  geological  for- 


628 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


mations  as  tbey  really  exist.  His  repoi't,  how- 
ever, covers  the  general  sclienie  of  geological  for- 
matiou,  from  which  we  quote  as  follows : 

"The  geological  structure  of  Schuyler  County 
includes  the  quaternary  system,  the  lower  por- 
tion of  the  coal  measures,  and  the  upper  divi- 
sions of  the  lower  carboniferous  limestones,  with 
sulliciciit  tliickuess  of  the  coal  measures  to  bring 
in  another  coal  seam,  Xo.  .">.  which  is  not  found 
in  any  county  south  of  this  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Illinois  Kiver.  The  following  section  exhib- 
its the  fonnations  to  be  found  in  the  county  in 
their  relative  order  of  superposition  and  thick- 
ness: 

Strata.  Feet. 

Quaternary,  comprising  Alluvian,  Ijogss 

and   Drift    IfK) 

Coal  Measures    20  to  250 

St.   Louis   Group ."50  to     40 

Keokuk  Group  GO  to     70 

"The  three  lower  groups  belong  to  what  are 
called  stratified  rocks :  that  is,  to  those  that  have 
been  formed  in  regular  strata  or  layers,  and  also 
to  that  division  of  geological  lime  termed  pulro- 
:oi(:  because  the  embedded  fos.sils  represent  only 
ancient  forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  while 
the  upper  di\ision  belongs  to  the  most  rei'cnt 
geological  age,  aud  the  fossils  which  it  contains 
are  the  remains  of  animals  now  living  or  but 
recently  become  extinct. 

"If  the  geological  series  was  complete  we 
should  have  aliove  the  Coal  measures,  aud  inter- 
vening between  tliat  formation  and  the  Quater- 
nary, the  whole  of  the  Sec-ondary  and  Tertiary 
series,  embracing  many  thousand  feet  in  thick- 
ness of  strata,  and  representiing  in  their  fossil 
contents  all  the  missing  links  in  the  great 
chain  of  organic  life  which  connects  the  paleo- 
zoic age  with  the  present  But  as  the  Qua- 
ternary is  the  most  recent  of  all  geological  sys- 
tems, it  may  be  found  resting  direttly  upon 'any 
of  the  above  deposits,  from  the  Tertiary  to  the 
most  ancient  stratified  or  igneous  rocks  that  out- 
crop on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  This  system 
included  the  alluvian  deposits  of  our  river  val- 
leys, usually  termed  alluvion ;  the  Loess,  a  de- 
posit of  buff-c-olored  marly  sands  and  clays,  most 
conspicuous  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs, 
and  the  Drift,  which  usually  consists  of  brown 
or  liluish-gray  gravelly  clays,  with  water-worn 
boulders  of  various  sizes,  from  an  inch  to  several 
feet  in   diameter. 

"There  is  probably  no  locality   in   the  county 


where  these  deposits  exceed  a  hundred  feet  in 
thickness,  and  they  attain  tlieir  greatest  devel- 
opment in  the  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs,  where 
the  Loess  attains  its  greatest  thickness,  and 
rests  upon  the  Drift  clays.  In  the  interior  of 
the  county  the  Loess  is  generally  wanting,  and 
the  Drift  deposits  generally  range  from  thirty 
to  fifty  feet  in  tliickuess,  and  consist  of  un- 
stra titled  clays,  with  sand  and  gravel,  enclosing 
water-worn  boulders  of  granite,  sienite,  gneiss, 
porphyry,  bom-blende  and  quartzite.  and  also  the 
rounded  fragments  of  limestone  and  sandstone 
of  the  adjacent  region.  Fragments  of  copper, 
lead  ore,  coal,  iron  and  other  minerals  are  often 
found  in  the  Drift,  but  their  occurrence  in  this 
[(Dsition  is  no  indication  of  the  proximity  of  any 
v.iinable  deposits  of  these  minerals,  and  the  frag- 
ments which  are  found  in  this  position  are  far 
removed  from  the  beds  from  which  they  orig- 
inally came. 

"The  most  important  and  valuable  mineral 
resource  of  Schuyler  Count}'  consists  of  the  de- 
posits of  bituminous  c»al.  which  underlie  the 
greater  portion  of  tlie  county  lying  east  of 
Crooked  Creek.  The  coal  measures  of  the  county 
may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  section,  show- 
ing the  general  arrangement  and  comparative 
thickness  of  the  strata : 

Strata.  B^eet. 

Brown  sandy  shale  10  to  1.5 

Compact  gray  limestone   3  to    fj 

Bituminous  shale    2  to   4 

Coal    seam   Xo.   Tt 4  to    6 

I'ire  clay  aud   septaria ,S  to  10 

Sandstone  and  shale    GO  to  SO 

Bluish  gray  arenaceous  limestone 2  to    6 

Bituminous  and  argillaceous  shales 4  to    8 

Coai  seam  Xo.  ."5 2  to    3 

Sandy  and  argillaceous  shale ! ....  12  to  15 

Gray   limestone    4  to    6 

Sandy  and  argillaceous  shale 15  to  :'>0 

Coal  seam  Xo.  2 i^  to    2 

Sandstone  and  shale 30  to  40 

Coal  seam  Xo.  1 

Fire  clay  1  to    3 

Sandy  shale  and  c-onglomerate  sandstone.  15  to  25 

"The  beds  comprising  the  upper  jtart  of  the 
foregoing  section  are  found  well  exposed  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rushville,  and  also  on  a  small  branch 
which  heads  near  I'leasantview,  and  runs  east- 
wardly  into  Sugar  Creek.  They  enclose  coal 
seam  Xo.  5,  one  of  the  most  persistent  and  valu- 
able in  the  Illinois  coal  fields.    This  seam  ranges 


-) 


HISTORY  OF  SCHTJYLEE  COUKTY. 


629 


in  thifkness  from  four  to  six  feet.  The  roof  is 
genenilly  a  bituminous  sliale,  wliieh  often  con- 
tains large  nodules  of  dark  blue  or  black  lime- 
stone tilled  with  marine  shells,  among  which  are 
Productus  Muricatus.  CUnnpistha  Loevis,  Pleii- 
ropliorus  Soleniformis,  Cardiomorpha  Missouri- 
ensis.  Disciiiu  Nitida.  Scltizodns  Ciirtus.  etc. 
Above  the  black  shale  there  is  usually  a  bed  of 
bluish-gray  limestone,  containing  joints  of  crin- 
oidea  and  a  few  small  bracliioiwds,  among  which 
the  Spirifer  UncutKS  and  a  small  varietj'  of 
Athyris  suhtiUta  are  tlie  most  common. 

'"The  lower  division  of  the  coal  measures,  em- 
bracing the  horizon  of  three  lower  coal  seams, 
underlies  nearly  all  the  highlands  in  the  central 
and  eastern  portions  of  the  county,  and  are 
found  outcropjiing  on  all  the  principal  streams 
and  their  trilnitaries.  In  the  western  part  of  the 
county,  on  Crooked  Creek  and  the  region  lying 
west  of  that  stream,  the  beds  rise  so  that  the 
lower  carboniferous  limestone  and  the  conglom- 
erate sandstones  form  the  principal  outcrops  in 
the  bluffs  of  the  creeks,  while  only  a  few  feet 
in  thickness  of  the  lower  coal  measures,  some- 
times including  coal  seam  No.  2.  are  found  un- 
derlying the  adjacent  highlands. 

"The  height  of  the  coal  se.-un  No.  5,  at  Pleas- 
antview,  is  202  feet  above  the  river  bank  oppo- 
site Beardstown,  and  100  above  high  water  level 
of  1S44 ;  and,  on  account  of  its  great  elevation,  it 
is  only  found  underlying  the  highest  lands  form- 
ing the  water  shed  between  Sugar  Creek  and 
Crooked  Creek,  and  consequently  extends  over 
a  limited  area  in  Rushville  and  Buena  Vista 
Townships." 

"St.  Louis  Group. — The  outcroii  of  the  lower 
carboniferous  limestones  in  Schuyler  County  is 
restricted  to  the  valleys  of  the  principal  streams, 
and  to  the  Illinois  River  bluffs  between  the 
mouth  of  Sugar  Creek  and  the  south  line  of  the 
county.  The  St.  Louis  group,  which  comprises 
the  upper  division  of  the  series,  consists  of  a 
gray  concretionary  limestone  of  variable  thick- 
ness, ranging  from  five  to  twenty  feet,  forming 
the  upper  member  of  the  gi'oup,  below  which  we 
find  a  brown  magneslan  limestone,  sometimes 
quite  massive,  and  in  regular  beds,  and,  at 
other  localities  intercalated  with  shales  or  pas- 
ing  into  a  thin-bedded  or  shaly  limestone.  The 
concretionary  limestone  is  not  very  regular  in 
its  development,  but  often  (ncurs  in  isolated 
patches  or  outliers,  and  is  a  rough,  gray  lime- 
stone,   presenting   no    regular    lines   of   bedding. 


but  usually  concretionary  or  brecciated  in  its 
structure.  It  outcrops  at  inten-als  along  the 
bluffs  of  Crooked  Creek  through  its  whole  course 
in  this  county,  and  also  along  the  bluffs  of  the 
Illinois  River,  as  far  north  as  Browning,  where 
it  disappears.  In  the  vicinity  of  Birmingham 
this  limestone  is  found  eighteen  feet  thick  and 
overlaid  by  the  conglomerate  sandstone  of  the 
coal  measures.  It  is  underlaid  by  a  bed  of  cal- 
careous sandstone,  and  also  a  magnesian  lime- 
stone about  ten  feet  thii'k,  whi<-h  forms  the  base 
of  the  St.  Louis  group  in  this  locality.  The  mag- 
nesian limestone  Is  far  more  regular  in  its  devel- 
opment than  the  concretionary  limestone,  and  is 
usually  of  a  rustj"  brown  color  on  the  surface 
from  the  oxidation  of  the  iron  which  it  contains. 
This  limestone  occurs  at  the  base  of  the  bluff  at 
Frederick  and  along  the  river  to  Sugar  Creek. 

"ICeokiik  Group. — Only  the  upper  portion  of 
this  group  is  exposed  in  this  county,  and  its 
greatest  development  appears  to  be  in  the  vicinity 
of  Birmingham.  The  greatest  thiclmess  exposed 
here  is  about  fifty  feet,  of  which  the  lower  fif- 
teen feet  is  a  thin-bedded  lime-stone  containing 
many  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group, 
above  which  there  is  alwut  thirty-five  feet  of 
calcareo-argillaceous  shales,  containing  geodes  of 
quartz  and  chalcedony.  The  easterly  dips  of  the 
strata  are  considerably  more  than  the  fall  of  the 
creek  in  that  direction,  and  these  beds  dip  below 
the  bed  of  the  creek  before  it  strikes  the  north 
line  of  JIcDonough  County. 

"Clai/s. — Clays  suitable  for  fire-brick  and  the 
manufacture  of  pottery  are  usually  abundant  in 
the  lower  portion  of  the  coal  measures,  and  the 
bed  of  clay-shale  below  coal  No.  2  is  also  found 
here.  The  fireclay  below  coal  No.  2  is  usually 
of  good  quality  and  may  be  profitably  worked  in 
connection  with  the  coal,  when  it  is  two  feet  or 
more  in  thickness. 

"Building  Stone. — Good  building  stone  is  tol- 
erably abundant  in  S<'huyler  County  and  is  ac- 
cessible on  nearly  all  the  streams.  The  sand- 
stone below  the  main  coal  seams  furnishes  a 
free-stone  of  good  quality,  which  has  been  used 
considerably.  The  strata  vary  in  thickness  from 
one  to  three  feet  and  the  rock  is  even  textured 
and  is  easily  cut  and  dressed.  The  brown  mag- 
nesian limestone  of  the  St  Louis  group  furnishes 
the  best  material  for  culverts,  bridge  abutments 
and  similar  purposes  where  the  rock  is  required 
to  withstand  the  combined  influences  of  frost 
and   moisture.     The    Keolcuk    limestone    affords 


630 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY^ 


good  buildin?  KtcniP.  but  its  outcroiis  are  limitpd 
to  tlie  bed  of  Ci-iK>ked  Creek  iu  the  northwest 
part  of  tbe  county. 

"Suiid  and  C'/a;/.— These  deposits  are  abundant 
in  all  parts  of  the  county  and  may  be  readily 
obtained  at  nearly  every  locality  wlicre  the  man- 
ufacture of  common  brick  is  desirable.  Tlie 
brown  clay,  forming  the  sub-soil  over  a  large 
l)ortiou  of  tlie  surface,  answers  a  good  i)urpose 
for  brick  making,  and  sand  is  abundant  iu  tlie 
valleys  of  the  streams,  and  in  tlie  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  country  in  the  Loess  which  cajis  the 
river  bluffs. 

"Zinc  Ore— On  the  farm  of  .T.  A.  Donaldson,  in 
Hainbridge  Township,  thtjre  is  a  vein  of  zinc  ore, 
and  tests  that  have  been  made  sliow  its  com- 
Iionent  parts  are :  sulphuret  zinc,  .(U ;  iron,  .07 ; 
sulphur,  .20.  This  vein  is  about  thirty  feet  under 
the  ground  surface,  and  has  never  been  devel- 
oped. Mr.  William  Hiudman,  in  an  examination 
of  the  vein,  found  that  the  zinc  was  in  the  proper 
formation  for  a  good  vein  and  it  may  some  day 
be  developed.  .Mr.  Ilindman  also  found  on  this 
farm  kidney-shaped  nodules  of  carbonate  of  iron 
ore  that,  wheu  smelted,  yield  the  best  quality  of 
iron  for  commercial  use.  These  nodules  will 
weigh  from  500  to  1,000  pounds,  and  there  seems 
to  be  no  end  of  them." 

Detiiiite  knowledge  regarding  the  rock  stata 
of  the  county  at  Kushville,  is  furnished  by  the 
following  log  of  the  deep  well  at  the  city  pump- 
ing station : 

Strata.  Feet. 

Top  soil  and  clay " 

Mixed  shale  and  stone 142 

Grey  shale   !•'> 

Shale  and  sandstone   34 

Shale    <» 

Limestone    1 1<5 

Grey  shale   211 

Limestone    4.") 

Shale    liX) 

Trenton  limestone   "Hi 

White  shale   IIS 

Trenton    limestone    121 

St.  Peter's  limestone  170 

Red  sandstone  65 

St.  Peter's  limestone   30 

Total  depth   1.510 


FLORA  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 

With  its  wooded  liills,  allnvian  bottoms  and 
upland  prairies,  the  flora  of  Schuyler  County 
presents  a  most  interesting  study,  and  we  trust 
that  the  classifications  here  given  will  aid  in 
disseminating  a  more  general  knowledge  of  our 
trees  and  plants.  For  the  prei)aration  of  this 
list  of  trees  and  shrubs  we  are  indebted  to 
William  Hindman,  a  former  resident  of  Schuyler 
County,  who  now  resides  in  La  Salle,  111.  Mr. 
Ilindman  has  made  a  lifetime  study  of  the  won- 
ders of  creation,  as  shown  In  botany  and  geology, 
and,  in  a  letter  to  the  writer,  says :  "We  give 
this  information  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  will 
come  after  us  and  take  our  places.  May  the 
Good  Giver  of  all  be  their  guide,  as  he  has  been 
mine  in  studying  his  great  work." 

Trees  and  Shrubs. 

Acer  nihriiin — Ited  or  Swamp  Maple. 

.leer  daxDcarpiiin — White  JIaple. 

.leer  sacclKiriinn — ("oumiou  Sugar  Maple. 

Acer  Kaccliuriiiin.  rtir  niyrmn — Black  Sugar 
Maple. 

AcHCuhis — Conimou  Buckeye. 

.1  sim  ina  triloba — Pawpaw. 

net  Ilia  nigra — Red  or  Black  Birch. 

lictula  Icnia — Cherry  or  Sweet  Birch. 

Carpinim — Ironwood  or  Hombeam. 

Cariin.   olirarfunnis — I'ccan    Nut. 

Canja.  aVta — Shellbark.  or  Shagb.irk  Hickory. 

Vurya.  inicrocarpa — Small  Nut  Hickory. 

Carya,  tomentosa — Mockeruut.  Wiiite  Heart 
Hickory. 

Carya.  procina — Pignut  or  Broom  Hickory. 

Carya,  ainara — Bitternut,  or  Swamp  Hickory. 

Carya,  sulcata — Thick  Shell-bark  Hickory. 

Celtic  occidciitali.t — Blue   llackberry. 

Cercis  Canadensis — Red-bud.  or  Judas-tree. 

Diaspyro.^     Virginiana — Cameron     Persimmon. 

Fraxiinns  Americana — White  Ash. 

I'raxinim  piibcscens — Red  Ash. 

I'raxinuis  viridis — Green  Ash. 

I'rajcimiis  qiiadranyiilata — Blue  Ash. 

I'rax^imus  nigra — Black  Ash. 

Gleditschia,  triacaiitlias  —  Three  -  thorned 
Honey-Locust. 

Gymnocladnti.  Canadenxis — Coffee  Tree. 

Hydrangea,  arhorecens  —  Wild  Hydrange  (a 
shrub). 

Juglans,  cincrea — ^White  Walnut.  Butternut 

Juglans  nigra — Black  Walnut. 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


631 


ilarus  rubra — Red  Mulberry. 

Xegundo  acervedes — Box-elder. 

Ostrya   Virgin icn — Hop-hornbeam,   Lever-wood. 

I'lataniin  occidciitalis — Sycamore  :  Plaue-tree. 

Populus  heteropliiilla — Cottonwood. 

Populus  momlifera — Necklace  Cottonwood. 

Populus  tremuiides — American  Aspen. 

Populus  grandidentata — Large-tootlied  Aspen. 

Prunus   .scrotiiia — Wild   Black   Cherry. 

Pruiius  Virgiiiaiia — Choke  Cherry. 

Pyrus  coronaria — Sweet-scented  Crab  Apple. 

Pyrus    aiigustlfolia — Marrow-leaved    Crab    Ap- 
ple. 

Qucrcus  alba — White  Oak. 

Qucrcus     alba     piniiatiflda — Feather     Leaved 
White  Oak. 

Qucrcus  obtusiluha — Post  Oak. 

Qucrcus  macrocarpa — Overeup  Bur  Oak. 

Qucrcus  macrocarpa,  var  Lyruta — Lyre-leaved 
Bur  Oak. 

Qucrcus  prinus — Swamp  Chestnut  Oak. 

Qucrcus  bicohir — Swamp  White  Oak. 

Quercu-s  castanea — Rock  Chestnut  Oak. 

Qucrcus  tinctora — Black  Chestnut  Oak. 

Qucrcus  coccinea — Scarlet  Oak. 

Quercus  rubra — Red  Oak. 

Qucrcus  palustris — Pin  Oak. 

Qucrcus  nigra — Black-jack  Oak. 

Qucrcus  imbricaria — Laurel,  or  Water  Oak. 

Solix  trisiois — Dwarf  Gray  Willow,  Sage  Wil- 
low. 

l^nlix  nigra — Bbtck  Willow. 

Solix  longifolia — Long-leaved  Willow. 

Solix  cordata — Heart-leaved  Willow. 

Solix  angustaia — -Narrow-leaved  Willow. 

Solix  criocephula — Silky-headed  Willow. 

Sassafrax  officinale — Sassafras. 

Tilia  Americana — Basswood,  Linden. 

Tilia  lirtcrnphylia — White  Basswood. 
VlmuM  folra — Red,  or  Slippery  Elm. 
Vim  us  Americana — .\merican.  or   White  Elm. 

Shrubs  or  Small  Trees  (Bushes). 
Alnos — Smooth  Alder. 
Crplialunlhus — Buttou  Bush. 
CornuH  florida — Flowering,  or  Red  Dogwood. 
Cornus  sericea — Silky  Cornell,  or  Dogwood. 
Cornus  paniculata — Panicled  Dogwood. 
Cornus  «7/erH(7o?ia^Alternate-li'aved  Dogwood. 
Corylus     Americana — Alternate-leaved     Hazel- 
nut. 

Corylus  rostrata — Beaked  Hazelnut. 
Cratcagus.   tomcntosa — Black  Thorn. 


Crateagus  Crus-galli — Cockspur  Thorn. 

Cratcagus,  coccinea — Red  Thorn,  Red  Haw 
Thorn. 

Evonymus.  utrnpurpurcus — Wahoo,  Indian  Ar- 
row. 

Euonym  us,  Amcricanus — Strawberry -bush. 

Prinus  verticillata — Black  Alder. 

Prunus  Americana — Red  Plum. 

Prunus  insitita — Slow  Plum. 

Pctela  trifoliata — Wofer  Ash,  Hop  tree. 

Rhus  typliina — Staghurn   Sumach. 

Rhus,  glabra — Smooth  Sumach. 

Rhus  aromantie — Fragrant  Sumach. 

Sambucus  Canadensis — Common  Elder. 

Stophylca  trifoUa — Badder-nut. 

Viburnum  prunifolium — Black  Haw. 

Viburnum  nudum — White  Rod  (a  haw). 

Ziinthod-yluni  Amcricanum — Prickly  Ash. 

Vines — Climbers,  Etc. 

Cclastrus  scandcns,  soiaiuim  Uulcainunt — I'.it- 
tersweet. 

(This  is  the  l)est  antidote  for  the  three-leaved 
Poison  Ivy.) 

Lonicera   parrifolia — -Small    honey-suckle. 

Rhus  radieani — (This  is  the  three-tea  red  Poi- 
son Iry  that  clings  to  trees,  fences,  etc.) 

Ampelopsis  i/uinquefolio — Virginia  Creeix^r. 
(The  Virginia  Creeper  has  fire  leaves,  and  in  this 
way  can  be  distinguished  from  the  Poison  Ivy.) 

Grape  Vines. 
Vitis  aestivrilis — Wild  .Summer  Grape. 
Vitis   Vulpina — Wild   Winter  Grape. 

Botanical  Plants. 
Ttiatietrnm  divieum — Meadow  Rue. 
Ran unculus  reptans — Buttercups. 
Ranunculus  acris — Buttercups. 
Caltha  palustris — Marsh  Marigold. 
Aquilegia  Canadensis — Columbine. 
Ciniiercifuga  raccnwsa — Black  Snake-root. 
Aetaea  spicuta — Red  Baneberry. 
Caulophgllum — Blue  Cohash. 
I'lidophglum    peltatum — Mandrake     (May    Ap- 
ple). 

Xyniphaea  oderata — Water  Lily. 
Xuphar  advena — Yellow  Pond  Lily. 
Sanguinaria  Canadensis — Blood  Root. 
Dicentra  cucullaria — Dutchman's  Breeches. 
Cardaniine  hirsuta — Bitter  Cress. 
Araliis  Canadensis — Sickle  Pod. 
Leiiidium    Virginiiuiu — Tongue  Grass. 


632 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY. 


Viiihi  ciiciillatu — Violets. 

Viola  sayetata — Violets. 

Viola  pcndata — Violets. 

Afirostciiinid.  Oith'iai/p — Com  CJockle. 

Cerastiuiii    Viiluatum — (^liicliweed. 

Ceraslniiii  inituns — (Jliickweed. 

Cerastniin    oblongiloUum — Chicliweed. 

Stetturid  media — Star  Wood. 

Arenuvia  lateriflora — Santlwortli. 

iloliuijo  verticitlata — Carpot  Weed. 

Clay  Ionia   Viryinica — Sprinj;  Reauty. 

Port II lata  olerueea — Purslane. 

AmhutiUyn  Avicennaa — Indian  Mallow. 

nihincus — Mursb  Mallow. 

OjuHs  Acetatsclla — ^^^■ood  Sorrel. 

Oxalis   Violacca — Wood   Sorrel. 

Inipatcnn  pallida — Touch-me-not. 

I'olynola  xeneya — Seueoa  Snake-root. 

Polytiula  polyyania — .Sfeneca  Snake-root. 

I'olyyaUi   i<aii!niinea — Seneca    Snake-root. 

Boptisia  leiicopwa — Wild  Indigo. 

Trifolium   rcpcns — White   Clover. 

Amorpha  fruitcasa — Lead  Plant. 

Amorpha  cancscens — Lead  shoestring. 

Petolostenwn  candidum — Thimble  Weed. 

Liidicinia  paliintris — Bastard  Ixwstripe. 

Circwa  Luletrana — Enchanters  Nightshade. 

Spirwa  lobata — Queen  of  the  Prairie. 

Erynyiiiiii  yuceuefuliiim — Rattlesnake    Master. 

Cicnta  inaciilata — Water  Hemlock. 

Eriycna  bnlbwsa — Pepper  and  Salt. 

Aralia  nitdricaulis — Wild  Sarsaparilla. 

Aralia  recemosa — Dwarf  Ginseng. 

Triusetum  perfoUatiim — Feverwort. 

Valerianella   L'inbilicota — Lamb's  Lettuce. 

Vernrmia  faseiculota — Iron  Weed. 

E iipa toriii  m  perfolia t  u m — Boneset. 

Eupatorium  agraloides — White  Snake  Root 

Aster  corymbosus — Aster. 

Aster  cnrdifoliiis — Aster. 

Aster  potem — .\ster. 

Aster  nmliilatus — Aster. 

.l.s/(T  serieeiis — Aster. 

Erifieroii  Caiiiideiise — Flea  Bane. 

Eriyeron  DelUdifolium — Robin's  Plantain. 

Eriyeron  annum — White  Weed. 

Solidayo  len uifoUa — Goldenrod. 

Solidayo  latifolia — Goldenrod. 

Solidayo  Canadensis — Goldenrod. 

Silpliiinn   laciniatiim — Prairie  Burdock. 

Silphiinn    perfnliatum — Cup-plant. 

Ambrosia   artemisiaefolia — Ilogweed. 

.1  m brosia   trifida — Horseweed. 


Heliunthiis  riyidus — Sunflower. 
Helianthus  loinentoros — Sunttowor. 
Hclianth us  tuberosus — Sunflower. 
Ueliaiithiis  (leeidentalis — Sunflower. 
Manila  cotiila — May  Weed,  or  dog  fennel. 
Ereeli  tites  hierac  if  alius — Fire-weed. 
Lappa  major — Burdock. 
Kriyia  Virginica — Dwarf  Dandelion. 
Taraxacum — Dandelion. 
Lwtuca  clonguta — Trumpet  Milkweed. 
Lobelia  lanlinalis — ( 'ardiiial  Flower. 
Lobelia  iiiflala — Lobelia,  Indian  Tobacco. 
Lobelia  sylpliilitiea — Blue  Cardinal  Flower. 
Dadccatheon  Media — .\merlcan  Cowslip. 
Plantayo  lancolota — Plantain. 
Verbascum  thopsus — Mullen. 
Scrophiilaria     nodosa  —  Flgworth     Carpenter's 
Square. 

Dasystonia  fluva — Yellow  Foxglove. 
/santlius  eoeruleus — False  Pennjroyal. 
Mentha  Canadensis — Morsemlut. 
Lyeopus  Europwus — Water  Hoarhound. 
nedeoma  poleyroides — American  Pennyroyal. 
Brumlla    vulgaris — Blue   Curls. 
Scutellaria  rerMeolor — Skull  Cap. 
Scutellaria  eaneseens — Skull  Cap. 
Scutellaria  porvula — Skull  Cap. 
Marriiliuni   vulgare — Hoarhound. 
Phlox  acuminata — Phlo.x,  Sweet  William. 
Phlox  pilosa — Red  and  PurjJle  Sweet  William. 
Phlox  boflda—B\ue  Sweet  William. 
A pocyn  um,  and rosae mifol i u m — Dog-ba ne. 
Aselepias  corn uti — Xlilk-weed. 
Asclepias  phytolaccoides — Poke  SUk-weed. 
Aselepias  tuberosu — Butterfly  Weed. 
Asarum  Canadensc — Wild  (Jinger. 
Runiex  crispus — Yellow  Dock. 
Huniex  vcrticiilatus — Water  Dock. 
Polygonum  amciilare — Birds  Knot  Grass. 
Polyyonum  convolvulus — Birds  Knot  Grass. 
Polyyonum  Hydropiper — Water  Pepper. 
Chenopodium   hybridiim — Pigweed    (pursly). 
Euphorbia  eorollata — Flowering  Sparge. 
Arisaema   trlphyllum — .lack-in-the-pulplt. 
Symplocarpus  foetidus — Skunk  Cabbage. 
Patamoyeton  nutans — Water  Plantain. 
Cypripedium  pubescens — Lady's  Slipper. 
Cypripedium    parviflorum — Yellow    Slipper. 
Cypripedium  speetabile — MrM-casin  Flower. 
Cypripedium   Candium — White  Lady's  Slipper. 
Hypoxis  erecta — Star-grass. 
Iris  versicolor — Blue  Flag. 
Trillium  reeurratum — Wako- robin. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


633 


Pohjgonnlinn  iiiiiltifloniin — True  Solomon's 
Seal. 

Smilacina  ranccmosa — Cluster  Solomon's  Seal. 

Mnjanthrmum  hifoliinii — Two-leaved  Solomon's 
Seal. 

Pontederia  Cardata — Pickerel  Weed. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


WILD    AXniALS.    BIRDS   AND    REPTILES. 


List  of  Small  Shrubs  and  Vines  Not  Given  Under 

Forest  or  Botanical  List — Most  of  These 

Have  Flowers. 

PhdaeoliiK  perentiis — Wild  Bean  Vine. 

Rosa  setipcra — Wild  Rose. 

Rosa  Wanda — Wild  Rose. 

Rosa  lucida — Shining  Rose. 

Ruius  villasus — High  Blackberry. 

Riibiis  Canadeii.iis — Dewberry. 

Ritbiis   Occidentalis — Black   Raspberry. 

Fiar/aria  Vinjinirana — Wild  Strawberry. 

Ribes  rntundlfnUum — Wild  Gooseberry. 

Rihes  flor-idiim — Wild  Black  Currant. 

flicyos  aiHjiilatus — Single-seed  Cucumber. 

Convolvulus  arvensis — Bindweed. 

Pharhits  purpurea — Morning  Glory. 

Pliariits  Xil — Morning  Glory. 

Impmnaca-  panduratus — Wild  Potato. 

Pliysalis  vislosa — Ground  Cherry. 

Hljascija  m  us  n  iger — Henbane. 

Datura  stranionium — Jimson  Weed. 

Xanthiuiii  stramarium — Cockle  Burr,  Clot 
Weed. 

Rlius  radicans — Three-leaved  Poison  Ivy. 

Aralia  mcdiculiis — Wild  Sarsaparilla. 

Lonicera  flaru — Wild  Honeysuckle. 

Phytolacca  dccudra — Pokeberry. 

Utrica  droic.a — Stinging  Nettle. 

t'trira  procera — Stinging  Nettle. 

Huiinilii.s  liipiiliix — Common  Wild  Hop. 

Tijplia  Itttifolia — Cat-tails  (flags). 

Lilium  Canadensis — Yellow  Lily. 

Lilluni  PhiladclphicHin — Tiger  Lily  (intro- 
duced ) .     " 

fUcilla  esculcnta — Humnsh. 

Arisaematripln/Uum — Indian  Turnip. 

Smilax   rntinidifiilia — Greenbrier. 

ftiiiilax    qiKiilrdinnildris — Greenbrier. 


INDIAN  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  MANY 
SPECIES  OF  ANIMALS  THAT  ONCE  ROAMED  THE 
PRAIRIES  OF  SCHDTLER — EARLT  SETTLERS  FOUND 
DEER,  WOLVES  AND  FUR-BEARING  ANIMALS  PLEN- 
TIFUL     CONSTANT        WARFARE       EXTERMINATED 

MANY  SPECIES REPTILES  WERE  A   SCOURGE  THAT 

THE  PIONEERS    HAD    TO    CONTEND    WITH SNAKE 

DENS  RAIDED  AND  THOUSANDS  OF  REPTILES  KILLED 
— BIRD  LIFE  IN  SCHUYLER  COUNTY — SONG  AND 
GAME   BIRDS. 

That  there  once  existed  in  the  valley  of  the 
Illinois  many  species  of  animals  that  had  dis- 
appeared before  the  coming  of  the  white  set- 
tlers, is  evident  from  the  remains  that  have  since 
been  unearthed.  Not  that  all  the  bones  of  ani- 
mals that  have  been  found  here  were  native  to 
ihe  country,  for  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
.-ome  of  them  were  carried  down  from  the  far 
north  during  the  glacial  period,  and  deposited  in 
the  villages,  where  they  have  since  been  found. 
But  there  were  many  other  animals  naturally 
indigenous  to  the  country,  that  were  no  more 
to  lie  seen  when  the  white  men  came.  The  In- 
dians, in  accounting  for  their  disappearance,  told 
(if  an  unusually  severe  winter  long  years  before, 
when  the  snow  covered  the  country  to  a  great 
depth,  and  the  wild  beasts,  being  unable  to  ob- 
tain their  natural  sustenance,  perished  before 
the  snow  melted  in  the  spring.  There  are  many 
reasons  for  believing  this  tradition  of  the  In- 
dians, for  unquestionably  this  country  was  once 
the  habitat  of  the  bison  and  the  elk.  Pere  Mar- 
quette and  others  of  the  earl.v  exploi'ers.  men- 
tioned them  in  their  reiwrts  of  the  countiy.  and 
the  early  settlers  found  indubitable  proofs  of 
their  former  presence  in  the  decaying  .skulls, 
horns  and  bones  of  these  animals  which  re- 
mained, and  also  in  the  numerous  paths  and 
"wallows,"  which  were  said  to  have  been  made 
by  the  buffalo.  Each  of  these  evidences  indicated 
that  the  living  animals  had  vanished  many  years 
before.  Pere  Marquette,  In  his  journal  describ- 
ing the  Illinois  country,  says :  "Nowhere  else  did 
we  see  such  ground,  meadows  and  woods,  with 


634 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


stai;s,  Iniffnlos,  fleers,  wildcat's,  bustards,  swans, 
dufks,  parroquets,  and  even  beavers."  The  entire 
aljscuee  of  tlu'se  animals  when  tlie  settlers  came, 
in  a  land  peculiarly  adapted  to  their  production, 
and  furnishing  in  bounteous  profusion  the  food 
necessary  for  their  supix)rt,  indicates  their  exter- 
mination in  some  sudden  and  unusual  manner. 

The  fauna  of  Schuyler  County,  as  noted  by  the 
early  settlers,  did  not  embrace  those  animals 
which  delight  in  the  seclusion  of  the  dense  forest, 
and  if  tliere  were  occasional  reports  of  a  Iwar 
or  i)anther,  it  was  simply  the  case  of  a  tran- 
sient visitor  to  these  parts.  Deer,  however, 
were  abundant,  and  they  were  in  such  large 
number  as  to  prove  a  uuisanc-e  to  the  settler, 
and  in  the  winter  would  eat  the  limbs  of  the 
young  fruit  trees,  to  the  great  disgust  of  the 
I)ioncer  settler  who  was  waiting  patiently  for 
his  lirst  apple.  In  these  e-.'.rly  days  the  [jioneer 
dcjiended  almost  entirely  upon  deer  for  his  fresh 
meat,  and  the  skins  were  tanned  and  used  for 
many  purposes,  clothing  even  included.  The 
constant  slaughter  and  the  rapid  settlement  of 
the  country  meant  the  ultimate  extermination  of 
the  deer,  and  the  last  one  to  be  killed  in  the 
county  was  shot  on  Brushy  Creek  in  18(5.5.  The 
large  gray  wolves  were  not  numerous,  even  In 
the  early  day;  but  the  prairie  wolves  were  num- 
bered by  the  thousands.  They  were  c-owardly  and 
fled  before  the  approach  of -the  hunter,  but  after 
night  made  stealthy  raids  on  the  youug  lambs 
and  pigs,  and  it  took  years  of  constant  warfare, 
aided  bya  county  bountj-,  to  reduce  their  number, 
and  they  are  now  almost  wholl.v  exterminated. 

The  badger,  Canadian  lynx  and  bay  lynx  were 
more  or  less  numerous,  liut  are  known  no  more 
in  their  old  haunts.  Not  so,  however,  with  the 
opussom,  the  only  American  marsupial ;  the 
raccoon,  tlie  ground  hog,  the  skunk,  the  red  and 
gray  fox.  squirrels  and  rabbits,  which  today, 
furnish  sport  for  the  hunter,  as  they  did  in  the 
pioneer  times. 

Of  the  fur-bearing  animals,  the  otter  and  bea- 
ver were  reported  as  habitats  of  this  locality  by 
the  French  explorers,  but  seldom  were  seen  when 
the  first  settlers  came.  The  mink,  the  weasel 
and  musk-rat,  whose  furs  were  legal-tender  in 
the  early  days  of  the  country,  have  survived  af- 
ter eighty  years  of  constant  warfare,  and  are 
prolific  enough  to  hold  their  own,  even  in  the 
present  day.  The  fur-bearing  animals  of  Schuy- 
ler formed  a  constant  source  of  revenue  for  the 
pioneer  settler,  and.  even  as  late  as  1860.  we  find 


that  .$2,752  was  paid  by  one  dealer  for  furs  in 
this  county,  and  there  were  many  others  buying. 
The  list  of  furs  purchased  by  James  Heard  in  the 
winter  of  18.59-GO,  as  furnished  to  tlie  Kusbville 
papers,  was  as  follows :  Opossum,  2,2;!8 ;  coon, 
1,884;  mink,  1,323;  muskrat,  810;  deer,  122; 
grey  fox,  4."> ;  skunk,  33 ;  otter,  17 ;  weasel,  12 ; 
wild  cat.  10;  ground  hog,  !);  mole,  8;  swan,  3; 
coon,  3 ;  lieaver,  1 ;  gray  wolf,  1  ;  silver  fox,  1. 

The  black  rat,  so  common  seventy  years  ago, 
left  soon  after  the  gray  or  Norway  rat  came. 
Now  they  come  and  go,  at  times  swarming  like 
the  locusts  in  Pharaoh's  time  in  Kgypt.  The 
conunon  mouse  was  a  native  of  the  prairie,  and 
soon  took  up  his  abode  in  the  houses,  and  seems 
at  home  tliere  to  this  day.  The  long-tailed,  or 
jumping  mice,  are  found  in  the  timber,  but  are 
not  numerous.  The  meadow  mice  are  numbered 
by  tliousands. 

The  marvelous  abundance  of  snakes  in  the 
early  pioneer  days  Is  almost  past  belief,  and 
were  it  not  that  the  stories  are  told  by  some 
of  our  most  reputable  citizens  of  that  period, 
we  might  doubt  their  authenticit.v.  Robert  A. 
Glenn,  an  early  resident  of  Schuyler  County, 
foresaw  the  imiwrtance  of  the  snake  in  local 
history,  and  has  handed  down  to  us  a  tale  that 
is  worthy  of  being  jjreserved  among  the  historical 
incidents  of  the  i-ounty.  Mr.  Glenn  was  one 
of  tlie  pioneer  editors,  and  wielded  a  ready  pen, 
and  we  here  give  the  story  as  he  has  told  it : 

"When  I  arrived  in  Schuyler  County,  which 
was  in  the  year  1S31,  there  were  but  a  few  set- 
tlers south  of  Crooked  Creek,  the  whole  terri- 
tory now  constituting  the  ixjpulous  townshi])S  of 
Ripley  and  I'ooperstown  in  Hrown  County,  then 
containing  onl.v  about  ten  or  twelve  families. 
The  attention  of  the  settlers  had  been  drawn  to 
the  amazing  number  of  rattle-snakes  abounding 
in  the  woods,  and  also  the  fact  that,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  winter,  they  congregated  at  cer- 
tain localities  known  as  'snake  dens,'  where  they 
hibernated  in  a  stiite  of  toriwr.  One  of  the  most 
famous  'snake  dens'  was  located  on  Section  15, 
1  N.,  2  W.,  near  the  Indian  ford  on  Crooked 
Creek,  and  known  as  the  'Rocky  Branch  snake 
den.'  Another  was  located  about  one  and  one- 
half  mile  south-east  of  Ripley,  on  Section  3,  in 
the  same  township,  and  was  called  'Logan's 
Creek  snake  den.' 

"These  dens  wore  situated  in  cliffs  of  rocks, 
and  were,  from  their  situation,  almost  impreg- 
nable  to   hiuuan    force.     I    say   almont,   for  the 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


635 


sequol  will  show  that  they  were  not  quite  so. 
I  think  these  dens  were  discovered  by  the  settlers 
observing  the  snakes  entering  them  in  great 
number  in  the  fall  and  leaving  again  in  the 
spring.  The  den  having  been  located,  it  was 
resolved  to  start  a  war  of  extermination  ;  and  a 
day  in  the  middle  of  winter  having  been  agreed 
upon,  and  due  notice  given  every  man  and  boy 
in  the  neighborhood,  they  assembled  at  Roeliy 
Den  armed  with  such  mining  tools  as  the  county 
afforded,  and  very  deliberately  went  to  work 
mining  for  snakes. 

"After  several  hours  of  hard  and  persevering 
labor,  the  mining  party  succeeded  in  forcing  an 
entry  to  the  rock  chambers  where  the  reptiles 
lay,  all  twined  together  in  a  hideous  mass,  but 
in  that  state  of  torpor  in  which  they  Invariably 
spend  the  winter  season.  Rattlesnakes,  black 
snakes,  copperheads,  and  every  variety  of  snakes, 
all  mixed  together  indiscriminately,  but  by  far 
the  largest  number  being  rattlesnakes.  Of 
course  the  party  had  no  difficulty  in  destroying 
all  they  could  get  at:  but,  as  the  entry  had  only 
been  made  to  the  ante-room,  as  it  were,  and 
the  main  hall  was  entirely  inaccessible  by  any 
means  within  reach,  by  far  the  larger  part  of 
this  frightful  community  of  reptiles  escaped 
destruction.  However,  something  over  five  hun- 
dred of  the  creatures  were  dragged  from  their 
winter  quarters  and  destroyed — most  of  them 
rattlesnakes,  and  some  of  them  as  much  as  six 
feet  long  and  as  thick  as  a  man's  leg.  They 
were  all  thrown  into  one  vast  pile,  and  for  many 
years  their  bleaching  bones  sufHciently  marked 
the  .spot.  A  few  days  aftenvards  a  similar  at- 
tempt was  made  at  the  other  den  referred  to, 
but  with  less  success,  though  still  resulting  in 
the  destruction  of  two  or  three  hundred  of  the 
reptiles. 

■  "Another  mode  of  destroying  them  adopted  by 
the  settlers,  was  to  watch  their  dens  on  the  first 
warm  days  of  spring,  when  the  snakes  began  to 
revive  from  their  torpor,  and  seek  the  enlivening 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  kill  them  as  they  emerged 
from  the  den — which  could  be  easily  and  safely 
done,  as,  at  that  time,  they  were  incapable  of 
escape  or  resistance.  Many  hundred  snakes  were 
destroyed  in  this  way,  the  boys  counting  it  fine 
sport,  and  after  the  county  became  more  settled, 
many  were  destroyed  by  hogs,  who  are  the  nat- 
ural enemies  of  the  snake,  and  by  their  peculiar 
physiological  structure,  are  protected  from  injury 
by  the  reptiles. 


"It  may  be  supposed  that,  where  snakes  were 
so  numerous,  there  must  necessarily  have  been 
many  instances  of  persons  being  bitten.  This, 
although  .sometimes  occurring,  was  not  so  fre- 
quent as  might  have  been  expected.  The  rattle 
snake,  although  a  fearful  reptile  to  look  at,  and 
very  venomous,  is  peaceable  in  its  disposition, 
and  will  rarel.v  bite  unless  compelled  to  in  self- 
defense.  I  ha\e.  however,  known  a  number  of 
persons  bitten,  and,  never  knew  a  case  that  re- 
sulted fatally.  The  early  .settlers  were  ac- 
quainted with  several  remedies,  some  of  which 
were  always  applied,  and,  in  evei'y  instance 
within  my  knowledge,  it  was  successful.  In 
some  instances  which  I  have  known,  the  patient 
suffered  from  the  effects  of  the  virus  more  or 
less  for  .several  years,  and  finally  recovered  en- 
tirel.v.  but  in  one  case  total  blindness  was  the 
result." 

.lonathan  D.  JIanlove,  another  early  resident, 
tells  how  the  snakes  were  fought  in  Birming- 
ham township  at  what  is  known  as  "liound 
I'rairie."  "The  first  settlers  one  spring  left 
the  grass  uuburnt ;  it  was  barrens  and  the  grass 
was  high.  The  gi-ass  extended  for  half  a  mile 
around  a  snake  den.  and  when  they  had  come 
out  pretty  thick,  the  grass  around  the  edges  was 
tired  and  the  settlers  followed  the  fire,  armed 
with  chilis,  and.  I  think  I  am  right  in  saying, 
tliat  in  one  day  they  destroyed  well  on  to  a 
thousand.  There  were  grooves  worn  in  the  sand 
rocli  there  of  truly  serpentine  courses,  from  a 
quarter  to  lialf  an  inch  thick,  showing  this  to 
be  an  ancient  den.  perhaps  as  old  as  the  pyra- 
mids of  Egypt." 

r.IHDS   OF    SCHUYLER   COITNTY. 

At  an  early  day  a  large  part  of  Schuyler  County 
was  covered  with  dense  timber,  which  afforded 
a  welconie  home  for  countless  numbers  of  birds, 
many  of  which  are  seen  in  their  old  haunts  no 
more.  Various  reasons  are  assigned  for  the 
disappearance  of  some  of  our  song  birds,  and 
the  pugnacious  little  English  si>arrow  is,  no 
doubt,  partly  to  blame  for  it,  but  not  altogether 
.so,  for  the  settlement  of  the  country  has,  no 
doubt,  driven  away  many  birds  that  delighted  in 
the  seclusion  of  the  forests,  but  have  sought  other 
homes,  where  they  could  raise  their  little  broods 
without  molestation.  In  the  discussion  of  the 
birds  of  the  county,  we  will  consider  them  under 
separate  classifleations,  that  the.v  may  be  more 
easily  studied. 


636 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


Ti'HDAE  Family,  or  Song  Birds — Tlae  robin, 
probably  the  most  couiuion  of  our  birds,  was  not 
generally  seen  here  for  several  years  after  the 
first  settlement  of  the  county.  The  orchard  and 
garden,  their  favorite  lionie,  did  not  then  e.\ist, 
but  when  they  did,  the  robin  came  and  soon  be- 
came i)lentiful.  Itobin  redbreast  is  sometimes 
persecuted  for  the  few  cherries  be  eats,  but  he 
d(3es  Kooil  by  destroying  grubs  and  insects  that 
are  injurious  to  crops. 

The  Brown  Thrush,  the  sandy  mocljiug-bird, 
is  a  good  singer,  lie  came  a  little  earher  than 
the  robin. 

The  Vat  Bird  came  in  later.  He  is  a  sweet 
singer  and  a  great  scold,  building  his  nest  in  the 
thickets  and  groves,  and  there  raises  his  numer- 
ous family. 

Faiuly  Sa.vicoiidae — Everybody  Imows  the 
blue  bird  that  comes  to  us  on  the  first  warm 
days  of  February  and  JIarch.  The  note  of  the 
blue  bird,  though  not  nmsical,  is  to  most  ears 
grateful.  ^ 

Fa.mii.y  I'ariuae — The  tituuce,  or  chickadees, 
are  a  hardy  bird,  and  can  stand  the  coldest  win- 
ters, and  for  this  reason,  none  of  them  are  mi- 
gratory. There  are  a  large  number  of  species. 
The  plumage  is  beautiful,  often  gay.  They  are 
bold,  extremely  active,  Hitting  from  branch  to 
branch  in  quest  of  insects,  and  often  cling  to 
the  inulersidc  of  branches  with  their  back  down- 
ward. They  feed  not  onl\-  on  insects,  but  on 
grain  and  seeds.  They  are  musical  after  their 
fashion,  chirping  a  ditty  on  a  cold  winter's  day, 
when  no  other  birds  are  to  be  heard.  Most  of 
these  birds  lay  at  least  si.\  eggs,  and  some  of 
them  as  high  as  ten.  The  young  are  fed  chiefly 
on  caterpillars,  and  are  useful  in  preventing  the 
increase  of  no.xlous  insects. 

Family  Nithatcu — The  nut-hatches  are  very 
nimble,  running  up  and  down  trees  with  great 
agility,  with  iiiual  ease  in  either  direction,  and 
without  liopiiing,  so  that  the  motion  is  rather 
like  that  of  a  mouse  than  of  a  bird.  They  feed 
on  hisi'cts.  also  on  seeds. 

Family  Troglouy-tidae — The  wren  family  is 
very  luinierous.  It  is  a  boUl  and  very  pugnacious 
bird:  is  spiteful  toward  the  martins,  oft  driving 
them  from  their  nests.  The  song  of  the  house- 
wron  is  very  sweet.  The  marsh  wren  is  found 
in  tlie  vicinity  of  water.  They  live  on  insects, 
and  cheer  the  solitude  with  their  sweet  songs. 

Family  SYLnAcoi.iDAE.  or  Warblers — These 
are  small  birds,  onibracing  a  large  number  of  si)e- 


cies — are  migratory,  and  spend  the  winter  mouths 
in  .southern  region.s.  They  live  mostly  in  the 
thick  woods,  build  their  nests  on  the  ground, 
and  are  sweet  singers.  The  summer  yellow  bird 
belongs  to  this  class. 

Family  Tanagridae— Of  Tanagers  there  wifs 
but  one  kind,  the  scarlet  tanager,  a  bright  red, 
e.xcept  the  wings  and  tail,  which  are  black.  They 
belong  to  warm  regions,  but  come  north  in  tlie 
spring  and  return  early  in  the  fall.  They  are 
good  singers. 

Family  IIirundindae — Of  swallows  there  are 
numerous  varieties.  The  barn-swallows  build 
their  nests  in  barus  and  outhouses.  The  cliff- 
swallow  builds  on  high  overhanging  cliffs,  and 
sometimes  under  the  eaves  of  barns,  nearly  cover- 
ing the  sides  of  the  building.  They  live  on  flies 
and  other  insects.  The  bank  swallow,  or  sand 
martin,  makes  holes  for  its  nest  in  some  bank 
or  river  bluff.  The  blue  or  forked  tail  martins, 
make  their  nests  in  boxes,  or  under  the  eaves  of 
lailldings — are  a  noisy  set  of  bird.s,  and  feed  on 
insects,  'i'lie  chlinney  swallow  builds  Its  nest 
in  unused  clilnmeys.  and  like  the  martin,  leaves 
for  the  south  soon  after  the  breeding  season  Is 
over.  Of  the  wa.xwings.  there  are  the  Carolina 
waxwiug,  cedar  bird  and  cherry  bird.  They  do 
not  remain  here,  but  i-ome  to  visit  only  once  In 
awhile.  They  are  very  destructive  to  cherries; 
a  flock  will  clean  a  cherry  tree  in  a  short  time 
without  saying  "by  your  leave." 

(Jree.nlets  or  Vireas— These  birds  are  like  the 
warblers  in  their  habits.  They  love  to  make 
their  home  and  rear  their  young  In  the  thick 
woods.  Their  dress  is  in  contrast  to  the  verdure. 
Standing  on  a  still  summer  day  In  the  deep 
woods,  "that  heart  must  be  callous  to  emotion 
that  does  not,  while  listening  to  the  wild  notes 
of  the  songster,  echo  thoughts  he  can  never  ex- 
pect to  clothe  In  words."  The  Shrike,  or  Butcher- 
bird, is  a  bold,  quarrelsome  bird.  They  feed  on 
insects  and  small  birds,  and  have  a  habit  of  im- 
paling their  prey  on  thorns  and  in  other  ways. 
They  kill  and  impale  many  insects  they  never 
(>at.  leaving  them  to  dry  in  the  sun. 

TtiE  Fa.mily  Fringillidae  embraces  the  spar- 
rows, finches,  buntings,  linnets,  etc.  They  are 
very  numerous :  in  fact,  comix)se  about  one-fourth 
of  all  our  species  of  birds.  They  live  mostly  on 
seeds,  and  are  not  migi-atory.  The  song  sparrow 
and  field  sjiarrow  are  plentiful,  and  some  are 
fine   singers.     The   snow    bird,    lark,    bunting  or 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


637 


white-wiuged  blaekliird,  red-bird,  towhee  or  che- 
wink.  all  are  of  the  same  family. 

F.iMiLY  I(TERiu.\E — Tliese  embrace  tbe  lx)bo- 
liuk  of  the  north  or  rice  bird  of  the  south,  crow- 
blackbird,  field  or  meadow  lark.  They  were 
here  in  early  days  and  remain  still.  The  or- 
chard oriole,  golden  robin,  firebird,  or  hangnest, 
are  of  a  fiery,  red  color,  with  black  wings  and 
tail,  are  good  singers,  and  hang  their  nests  to 
the  end  of  small  branches. 

Family  Corvidae — This  embraces  the  crow, 
jay  and  raven.  The  raven  is  known  from  the 
crow  by  larger  size  and  its  croaking  voice.  A 
homesick  woman  said :  "Everything  here  in  the 
\Vest  was  changed,  even  the  crows  were  so  hoarse 
they  could  only  croak."  Crows  like  to  pull  up 
young  corn,  and  will  pick  up  and  carry  to  their 
nests  any  small  article  that  is  bright.  They  live 
mostly  on  insects,  and  do  a  great  deal  more  good 
than  harm  to  the  farmer.  All  know  the  jay,  with 
its  blue  dress  and  topknot  on  its  head.  He  is  a 
noisy  fellow,  and  he  sometimes  eats  an  apple, 
and  has  a  bad  habit  of  killing  the  young  of  other 
birds.  He  lives  on  insects,  seeds  and  grain,  is 
hardy,  and  lives  with  us  the  year  round. 

Family  Tkyanias — The  fly-catcher,  king  bird 
or  bee-inartiu  is  always  at  war  with  other 
birds,  will  even  tackle  the  hawk,  and  has  few 
friends.  It  is  charged  with  killing  and  eating 
bees,  but  is  unjustly  accused.  He  is  a  good  fly- 
catcher, and  destroys  a  thousand  noxious  insects 
to  one  bee,  but  on  the  church  dogma,  that  a  good 
deed  done  by  a  sinner  is  yet  a  sin,  so  the  poor 
king-bird  will  receive  no  credit  for  any  good 
work  he  may  perform.  The  pewee,  or  pewit, 
is  a  small  bird  of  brown  color.  It  comes  north 
In  April  and  hatches  a  brood  by  the  middle  of 
May.  and  another  by  the  first  of  August.  In 
October  it  returns  to  the  south,  migrating  at 
night.  Like  the  barn  swallow,  it  makes  its  nest 
of  mud.  grass,  etc.,  lining  it  with  down  and  other 
soft  materials.  This  bird  has  been  seen  in  Ne- 
braska by  Prof.  Aughey,  who  found  in  its  stom- 
.icli  loc-usts  and  other  insects — in  oue  instance 
finding  4:5  locusts.  Its  flight  is  rapid  when  dart- 
ing after  its  iusec-t  prey,  which  it  pursues  in  the 
night. 

Family  Coprimulgsdae  (Goatsuckers) — The 
whip-poor-will  is  tbe  most  noted  of  this  family. 
It  receives  its  name  fi:om  the  fancied  resem- 
blance of  its  notes  to  the  words,  "Whip-poor- 
will."  This  bird  is  seldom  seen  during  the 
day.  hut  seeks  its  food  by  night,  catching  moths, 


neetles  and  other  insects  ou  the  wing.  Its  flight 
is  near  the  ground,  zigzag  and  noiseless.  Its  notes 
are  heard  only  during  the  night,  and  are  clear 
and  loud.  The  night  hawk  belongs  to  the  same 
family  as  the  whip-poor-will,  but  not  to  the  same 
genus.  The  night  hawk  flies  by  day  toward 
evening,  catching  insects  for  its  food. 

Humming  Birds — There  are  said  to  be  .500 
species  of  this  beautiful  bird,  all  American.  It 
does  not,  as  was  long  supposed,  feed  on  honey 
alone,  but  some  feed  on  insects,  not  rejecting 
s|iiders.  It  is  very  small,  and  if  stripped  of 
Its  feathers,  is  not  larger  than  a  bumble-bee. 

Family  Alcidinidae  (Kingfisher) — This  bird 
Is  not  much  larger  than  the  sparrow.  It 
fi'equents  the  banks  of  rivers  and  other  streams, 
and  is  often  seen  Hying  near  the  water.  Its  food 
consists  of  small  fishes,  such  as  minnows,  leeches 
and  other  water  insects.  When  it  has  caught  a 
Hsh.  it  often  kills  it  by  beating  it  ou  a  branch. 
Shakespeare  makes  repeated  allusion  to  the 
popular  notion  that  if  the  stuffed  skin  of  a  king-  . 
Hsher  is  hung  by  a  thread,  the  bill  will  always 
point  to  the  direction  from  which  the  wind 
blows. 

Fa.mily  Ccculidae  (Cuckoo) — -The  yellow- 
liilled  cuckoo  is  common,  is  a  shy  bird,  and  is 
seldom  seen,  e.xcept  on  the  wing.  It  frequents 
orchards,  where  its  uote.  souuding  like  "Cow, 
cow,"  is  heard. 

Family  Piciuae  (Wood-peckers) — There  are 
several  varieties  of  these  birds.  We  have  the 
red-lieaded  wood-pecker,  known  to  all :  also  the 
golden-wing  wood-pecker,  the  highloder,  flicker  or 
yellow  hammer.  There  are  several  other  varie- 
ties, and  they  are  all  useful,  living  on  the  larvse 
of  beetles,  which  they  get  out  of  the  trees.  They 
have  the  tongue  fitted  to  serve  as  an  imiiortant 
instiiiuient  in  obtaining  their  food;  a  peculiar 
arrangement  of  muscles,  enabling  them  to  ex- 
tend the  tongue  beyond  the  bill.  Its  tip  being 
horny  and  furnished  with  barbed  filaments,  is 
thrust  into  the  hole  made  by  the  grub  or  borer, 
as  he  is  sometimes  called,  and  the  bird  draws 
out  and  eats  the  precious  morsel.  There  is  a 
smaller  variety,  called  the  sap-sucker,  whose 
tongue  is  not  sharp,  but  broad  and  covered  with 
fine  sharp  papillae.  These  birds  sometimes  pre.v 
upon  evergreens  liy  drilling  a  row  of  round  holes 
entirely  around  the  trees. 

Family  Strigidae  (Owls) — The  owls  are  all 
birds  of  the  night.  The  little  screech-owl  is  the 
smallest  of  this  family,  and  is  quite  common.  The 


638 


HISTOJJY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


long-eared  or  cnt-owi,  is  of  iiiediuui  size,  and  is 
the  only  variety  tliat  l>ree(ls  here,  except  the 
above.  The  great  gray  owl  and  the  white  owl 
are  natives  of  the  far  Nortli,  but  travel  south 
in  the  winter  in  search  of  food. 

Family  Famonidae  (Hawks) — It  is  said  that 
there  are  in  round  numbers,  1,000  spec-ies  of 
hawks  in  all  [larts  of  our  globe.  But  of  these 
large  numbers,  but  three  or  four  varieties  make 
their  homes  in  Schuyler  County.  The  red-tailed 
buzzard,  or  hen-hawk,  is  conunon  and  well  known 
by  all.  It  will  grab  up  a  chicken  and  doesn't 
seem  to  mind  the  women  who  tiy  to  scare  him 
away  by  shaking  their  aprons  at  him,  when  he 
makes  a  raid  on  the  chicken  yard.  The  falcon 
or  sparrow  hawk,  is  small  and  feeds  upon  small 
birds.  Prairie  hawks  were  common  in  early 
days.  They  were  on  tlie  wing  and  came  close 
lo  the  ground  in  search  of  mice  and  insects. 
Fisli  hawks  are  common  along  large  streams,  and 
live  mostly  on  small  fish. 

Bald  Eagles — These  were  not  numerous,  and 
no  one  regrets  it.  They  were  regular  pirates, 
and  lived  by  robbing  .some  other  bird  of  its  fish 
wlien  c;uight. 

A'uLTinES — The  turkey  buzzard  is  the  only 
member  of  this  family.  It  is  a  land  scavenger, 
filthy  but  otherwise  harmless,  feeding  on  the 
carcasses  of  dead  animals. 

PiGEO.NS — ^The  wild  pigeons  were  only  visitors. 
They  come  and  go,  like  all  wild  birds,  where 
food  is  most  plentiful.  The  turtle-doves  are 
ctinuuon,  and  remain  here  all  the  time ;  they  have 
a  i)eculiar  note,  but  are  not  musical. 

(;.\MF,   BIRDS  OF   SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 

We  get  the  following  list  of  game-birds  of 
Schuyler  County  from  a  list  arranged  by  Junius 
P.  Leach,  and  published  in  "Forest  and  Stream." 
Mr.  Leach  was  an  experienced  hunter  and  an 
amateur  naturalist  of  marked  ability,  and  his 
classification,  made  in  1886,  is  here  given; 

Sandhill  Crane  (Grits  amerkaiia) — A  large, 
snowy-wliite  bird,  with  black  wing  tips. 

Triimpter  Swan   (   Olor  hiicinnaior). 

Blue-Winged  Goose  (Chen  coerulescetis), 
known  by  western  hunters  as  bald  brant.  They 
are  easily  recognized  by  their  white  heads  and 
upper  part  of  the  neck.  The  rest  of  the  plum- 
age is  somewhat  the  color  of  a  blue  heron. 

American  Wliite-Fronted  Goose  (Anser  alhi- 
froiis  fiatiibcli) —  This  is  the  standard  and  uni- 
versallv   known   brant  of  the   West     They   are 


very  nmeh  like  a  tame  goose  in  color,  except  the 
black  on  the  breast. 

Canada  Goose  (Bcrnkla  canailciisiK) — A  very 
common  si)ecies  along  the  Illinois  River. 

Hutchin's  Goose  (Betiiicla  canadensis  hutch- 
insi) — The.se  birds  are  marked  like  the  Canada 
goose,  of  which  they  are  a  variety. 

DtCKS 

Mallard  (Anas  bosclias),  sometimes  called 
greenhead. 

Black  Mallard   (Anas  obsciira). 

Gadwalls  (Cliuiilclasiniis  strciivnis),  locally 
known  as  gray  duck.  ■ 

Pintails  (Dufila  acuta),  known  universally  in' 
the  West  as  sjirigtails.  Tins  duck  often  crosses 
witli  the  nuillard,  producing  a  hybird,  partaking 
of  the  qualities  of  both  in  an  equal  degree. 

BaUlpatt'  (Muixca  americana),  generally 
known  as  widgeons. 

The  Shoveller  (Spatula  clypcata),  always 
called  .siioonbill  by  hunters. 

Blue- Winged  Teal  (Anas  discors). 

Green-Winged  Teal   (Anas  cuiolinensis). 

Cinnamon  Teal    (Qucrqucdula  cyunoptcra). 

W(X)d  Duck  (Aix  sponsa)  is  the  only  species 
which  breeds  in  the  vicinity  in  any  considerable 
number. 

The  Scaup  Duck  (I'ulU-  inuiilu)  and  Little 
Blackhead  (Fulix  afpnis)  are  both  known  locally 
as  blue  bills. 

Ring-Billed  Blackheads  (Fulix  collaris)  would 
not  be  recognizetl  bore  under  any  other  name 
than  "blackjack." 

Canvasback  (.l^thyia  vallisneria)  is  the  prince 
of  ducks,  and  is  fre<iuently  seen  along  the  Illi- 
nois River. 

Redhead  (.l^thyia  americana)  occasionally 
called  redneck. 

Barrow's  Golden  Eye  (Clangula  islandica) 
not  at  all  common  in  the  West. 

American  Golden  Eye  (Clanyula  glaucium 
americana)    generally   known   here   as   whistler. 

Butterbali:     Bufllehead  (Clan/iitla  alhcola). 

Ruddy  Duck   (Erixmatura  rubida). 

American  sheldrake  (Mrryus  meryanscr  amer- 
icanusq.  Red-breasted  sheldrake  (Mergus  serra- 
tor)  and  Hooded  sheldrake  (Lophodytcs  cuculla- 
tus).  three  s|)ecies  of  fish-duck,  all  visit  this  sec- 
tion, but  are  not  pursue^  by  regular  hunters. 

Wild  turkey  (Mclcnyris  yallopavo)  now  rarely 
seen,  except  in  extreme  southern  counties  of  the 
State. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


639 


Ruffed  grouse  (Bonasa  idiibellun),  commonly 
called  pheasant. 

I'innated  grouse  (Tijiniimiuchus  atncricaiius), 
or  prairie  cliieUeu. 

Quails   (CoViiKS  ririihuaiiKs). 

American  Golden  Plover  {Charadriiis  iloinin- 
icus ) . 

Kill-dee  Plover  (.iJgialitin  rocifera). 

American  woodcock   (I'hUuhelo  minors). 

Wilson's  snipe  {GaUinuyo  ilcUcuta).  generally 
called  jacksnipe. 

Sandpiper    (Tringa   minutiUa). 

Yellow  legs   (Totanus  flavipcs). 

Bartram's  sandpiper  {liartratnia  loiigicandu), 
or  Upland  Plover. 

Spotted  sandpiper  (ActitiK  macnluria),  com- 
monly called  Tip-up  or  River  snipe. 

Long-liilled  curlew    (yumcnius  langirostis). 

American  coot  (Fiilica  a>nericana),  or  mud 
hen. 

Florida  gallinule  (Galliiiidu  guleala). 

Virginia  rail   {JiaUiis  virginianus). 

King  rail  (Rallus  elegans). 

Sera  rail  iPorzana  curoliiia). 

Passenger  pigeon  {Ertopixtcs  migratorius), 
now  extinct. 

Mourning  dove  {Zenaidura  macroura) . 

These  were  at  one  time  plentiful  in  Schuyler 
County.  In  addition  to  these,  the  State  is  now 
stocking  the  county  with  various  kinds  of  pheas- 
ants, quails  and  partridges  supplied  from  the 
State  Game  Farm,   at  .\ulinni.   111. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PIONEER   SETTLERS. 


JOUET   AND    M.^RQUETTE    FIRST    WHITE    VISITORS    TO 

SCHUYLER    COUNTY    IN     1673 FIRST     RECORD    OF 

WHITE  MEN  IN  THE  COUNTY  FURNISHED  BY 
GOVERNMENT  SURVEYORS  IN  1815-17 — SCHUYLER 
COUNTY     A     HONEY     AND     BEES-WAX     PRODUCING 

REGION FIRST     PERMANENT     SETTLEMENT     MADE 

BY    CALVIN    HOBART,    FEBRUARY    19,    1823 STORY 

OF  HIS  MIGRATION  TO  SCHUYLER  COUNTY — PIO- 
NEER   HOSPITALITY    IN    A     CROWDED    CABIN SIS 

CABINS  BUILT   IN  THE  COUNTY  IN    182.3 COMING 


OF  A  BACKWOODS  METHODIST  PREACHER  AND 
FIRST  RELIGIOUS  SERVICES — SETTLERS  WHO  AR- 
RIVED IN  1824  AND  1S2.J THE  FOREIGN    SETTLERS 

IN  THE  COUNTY INDIANS  STILL  IN  THE  COUN- 
TY, BUT  PEACEFUL — ^THEY  ARE  DRI\'EN  OUT  BY 
SETTLERS  WITIIOL  T  COMBAT  —  SOME  FIRST 
ENTNTS. 

From  the  time  that  Schuyler  County  was  first 
visited  by  civilized  men  to  the  date  of  actual 
settlement  there  elapsed  a  century  and  a  half, 
and  this  period  is  forever  a  hidden  mystery,  so 
far  as  the  historian  is  concerned.  Situated  as 
it  was  upon  the  great  natural  waterway  between 
tlie  lakes  and  the  Mississippi  River,  the  county 
was  first  visited  by  Louis  Joliet  and  Father  Mar- 
quette in  their  meuioralile  voyage  of  exploration 
in  16T;i  and,  long  before  the  land  trails  crossed 
the  prairie,  Schuyler's  border  land  was  familiar 
to  the  hardy  French  voj^ageurs  and  the  ever- 
zealous  friars,  who  penetrated  deep  into  the 
wilderness  tq  carry  the  gospel  to  the  savages. 
No  palisaded  forts  were  built  in  Schuyler  Coun- 
ty by  these  early  French  explorers,  and  there  is 
no  more  record  of  their  coming  than  of  the 
migratory  birds  that  come  for  a  season  and  are 

The  first  authentic  record  of  white  men  in 
Schuyler  County  is  furnished  through  the  gov- 
ernment sui-vey,  which  was  begun  in  1815  and 
completed  two  years  later.  And,  even  then,  the 
only  record  is  the  work  that  was  accomplished 
and  the  names  of  the  hardy  pioneer  surveyors 
who  braved  the  danger  of  the  trackless  wibls  to 
lay  out  land  boundaries  in  this  portion  of  the 
Military  Tract.  For  years  afterwards  very  little 
was  known  regarding  Schuyler  County  and  the 
date  of  actual  settlement  did  not  begin  until 
1823. 

Early  in  February  of  that  year  Samuel  Gooch, 
Orris  McCartney  and  Samuel  Bogart  crossed  the 
Illinois  River  on  the  ice  at  Downing's  Landing 
(now  Beardstown),  with  about  three  hundred 
hogs,  to  give  them  the  benefit  of  the  range  which 
was  very  abundant.  They  had  come  from  the 
Swinerton  neighborhood,  six  miles  west  of  Mt. 
Pleasant  (now  Jacksonville)  and  brought  with 
them  only  such  things  as  were  essential  for  their 
camp.  Gooch  and  McCartney  remained  to  look 
after  the  hogs  and  built  a  camp  of  logs  with 
walls  on  three  sides  and  open  in  front,  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  Sixteen  in  Rush- 
ville  Township.     They   remained   in   the   county 


640 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


duriu^'  the  simuiicv  of  that  year  temiinf;  their 
Iiogs  aud  gatberiii);  honey,  and  in  this  tliey  were 
assisted  liy  Thomas  Heard,  wlio  liad  iireviously 
built  a  eabiu  ou  the  present  site  of  Heardstown. 
As  a  result  of  their  bee-hunting  during  the  sum- 
mer of  182.".,  they  sent  to  St.  Louis,  tlien  the 
nearest  market  point,  twenty-seven  barrels  of 
strained  honey  and  several  hundred  dollars* 
worth  of  wax,  aud  counted  the  season's  work  a 
profitable  one.  Gooch,  McCartney  and  Beard 
afterwards  became  i)ernianeut  residents  of 
Schuyler  County,  and  took  a  i)roniinent  part  in 
the  administration  of  alTairs  in  the  early  days. 

While  these  men  were  first  to  arrive  in  Schuy- 
ler County,  the  first  actual  settlement  dates  from 
Febniary  li),  182.3,  when  Calvin  Hobart  came 
with  his  family  from  the  bleak  hills  of  New 
Han'ipshire,  to  build  for  himself  a  home  in  the 
West.  Even  in  that  far-away  State  he  had 
heard  of  the  richness  of  the  Illinois  Country, 
where  crops  could  lie  grown  without  laborious 
effort  and  cattle  and  hogs  would  fatten  and 
thrive  on  the  range.  Aud  so  it  happened  that 
he  sold  his  farm  in  St.  Albans,  N.  H..  in  1820, 
and  bought  three  iiuarter-sectlons  of  land  in  the 
Military  Tract.  In  the  month  of  August,  1821, 
he  loaded  his  fannly  and  propertj-  iwssessions 
into  a  wagon  and  started  westward.  Thence  the 
route  led  to  Buffalo.  N.  Y.,  and  along  the  shore 
of  Lake  Erie  to  I'ortage  County,  Ohio,  where 
the  winter  was  spent.  Here  the  journey  was 
delayed  until  September,  1S22,  on  account  of  ill- 
ness, when  the  little  caravan  of  two  teams  again 
moved  westward.  William  Iloburt  Taylor,  then 
a  yoving  man  of  twenty-one.  joined  the  party 
here  and.  in  addition  to  Calvin  Ilobart  and  his 
family,  there  were  his  aged  parents  and  their 
granddaughter,  Kuth  Powers.  On  to  Cincin- 
nati, and  then  west  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  they 
traveled,  and  Illinois  was  entered  near  where 
Paris,  III.,  has  since  been  built.  Crossing  the 
Sangamon  Uiver  north  of  Springfield,  they 
camped  at  ".Tob's  Settlement."  in  what  is  now 
Cass  County,  where  they  found  a  colony  of  four 
families  consisting  of  Archibald  Job.  Thomas 
and  David  Blair  and  Jacob  White,  and  of  these 
all  but  Mr.  Job  afterwards  became  residents  of 
Schu.vler  County. 

Six  miles  beyond  'Mob's  Settlement.''  at  the 
foot  of  the  Illinois  bluffs  and  six  miles  east  of 
the  Illinois  River,  they  came  to  the  cabin  of 
Timothy  Harris,  beyond  which  no  settler  had 
ventured    westward.      The    hospitality    of    the 


home  was  tendered  them  and,  in  addition  to  .Mr. 
Harris  and  his  wife,  and  a  Mr.  Brown.  Ephraim 
Eggleston,  his  wife  aud  six  children  were  quar- 
tered there  and.  two  days  after  their  .irrival, 
Nathan  Eels,  wife  and  seven  children  appeared. 
Mr.  Harris'  cabin  was  only  twelve  feet  square, 
but  it  afforded  shelter  for  the  women  and  the 
men  slept  in  the  \vagon.  Other  cabins  were  built 
and.  while  the  family  rested,  Calvin  Ilobart  set 
out  to  find  the  land  he  had  purchased.  Thrw 
months  were  spent  at  the  Harris  settlement  and 
on  the  morning  of  February  18,  1S2.S.  the  wag- 
ons were  again  loaded  and  a  start  made  for  tlie 
new  home  in  what  was  afterwards  to  be  Schuy- 
ler County.  The  Illinois  River  was  crossed  at 
Downing's  Landing,  and  from  there  the  little 
party  journeyed  to  Section  Sixteen  in  Rushville 
Township.  It  was  here,  on  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  the  section,  that  the  tirst  home  was  erected 
in  the  county.  Calvin  Hobart.  wife  aud  children, 
Samuel  (Jooch  and  William  H.  Taylor  were  the 
first  oc-cupants  of  the  rude  log-cabin  erected, 
and  they  were  joined  two  weeks  later  by  Mr. 
Ilobart's  parents  and  Ruth  Powers,  who  had 
remained  in  the  Harris  .settlement  until  a  home 
had  been  provided  for  them. 

On  the  first  arrival  of  this  little  colony  of 
homese<'kers,  they  set  to  work  to  build  a  cabin 
and  it  was  conqileted  within  three  da.vs ;  and, 
it  goes  without  saying,  that  no  time  was  wasted 
in  onuimentatiou.  .\fter  Mr.  Hobart's  parents 
arrived  another  cabin  was  built,  more  preten- 
tious than  the  first,  and  in  the  years  to  follow 
it  served  as  home,  school  house  and  sanctuary. 
While  .vet  a  resident  of  tlie  Harris  settlement, 
Mr.  Hobart  had  plannwl  for  the  making  of  a 
home  in  Sclin.\ler  County,  and  had  gone  down 
the  State  some  fifty  miles  to  an  older  settlement, 
where  he  traded  a  wagon,  watch  and  other 
things  brought  from  the  East  for  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
plow,  chains,  two  cows  and  seven  bogs,  and 
euougli  grain  and  meal  was  laid  in  store  to  last 
until    mid-summer. 

.\s  soon  as  the  weather  permitted,  ground  was 
broken  with  a  plow  drawn  by  a  team  of  oxen, 
and  tliat  year  the  Ilobarts  cultivated  fifteen 
acres  of  timber  land  and  about  twenty-five  acres 
of  prairie  soil,  which  jiroduced  a  bountiful  crop 
of  corn,  pumpkins,  melons  and  turnips.  In  April 
of  that  year  Eiihraini  Eggleston  and  family  of 
six  children  arrived  in  the  settlement  and  lo- 
cated near  the  Ilobarts,  where  they  broke  land 
and  planted  a  crop.  Samuel  Gooch,  Orris  McCart- 


JOHN  A.  BALLOr 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


641 


ney  and  Isaac-  M.  Rouse — all  unmarried  men — set- 
tled on  Section  27  that  same  sunmier,  but  did 
not  get  their  crop  planted  until  June,  and  before 
harvest  time  it  was  niijped  by  the  frost. 

Following  closely  after  the  Eggleston  family 
came  Samuel  and  James  Turner,  who  migrated 
from  St.  Clair  County  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  State.  They  had  ti-aveled  northward  to  find 
a  more  healthful  climate,  for  while  residents  of 
the  American  bottom  death  had  claimed  all  the 
remaining  members  of  their  family.  They  built 
a  cabin,  but  never  occupied  it,  returning  to  St. 
Clair  County  with  the  expectation  of  returning 
the  succeeding  spriug.  While  there  James  Tur- 
ner died  and.  In  the  spring  of  lS2.j,  Samuel  re- 
turned alone  and  located  on  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  25,  Buena  Vista  Township,  and  he 
ever  afterwards  made  his  home  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, where  his  children  and  grandchildren 
still  reside. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  that  first  .vear  of  settlement 
in  Schuyler  County,  ;i  stranger  appeared  at  the 
home  of  the  Hobarts.  He  was  attired  in  the 
garb  of  the  backwoodsman,  with  deer-skin  moc- 
casins and  coon-skin  cap,  and  carried  a  rifle  with 
the  ease  of  an  experienced  himter.  This  stran- 
ger was  Levin  Green,  and  his  coming  brought 
keen  joy  to  the  hearts  of  the  settlers,  for  he  was 
a  licensed  Methodist  preacher,  and  the  Hobarts, 
who  were  a  deeply  religious  people,  looked  upon 
his  coming  as  a  direct  response  to  earnest  prayer. 
Green  h;id  h.-ippened  upon  the  settlement  while 
on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  volunteered  the 
information  that  his  family  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  George  Stewart,  and  his  family  were  camped 
on  Dutchman  Creel?,  sixteen  miles  above  on  the 
Illinois  Kiver,  and  that  they  were  looking  for  a 
location.  They  had  traveled  liy  canoe  from  below 
St.  Louis  and.  after  the  chance  meeting  with  the 
Hobarts.  the  entire  party  joined  the  settlement 
and  took  possession  of  the  cabin  that  had  been 
built  that  sunnner  by  the  Turners. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  after  Levin  Green's  ar- 
rival, it  was  planned  that  religious  services 
should  be  held  at  the  cabin  of  Calvin  Iloliart. 
Of  that  meeting  Rev.  Chauncey  Ilobart.  in  the 
'•Recollections  of  his  Life,"  says:  "On  that  first 
Sabbath,  in  November,  182."?,  the  wliole  .settle- 
ment of  thirty  souls  tiu'ned  out.  and  we  had  a 
warm,  earnest,  pointed  sermon.  This  was  the 
first  .sermon  preached  west  of  the  Illinois  River. 
I  well  remember,  that  my  heart  was  much  moved 
under    that    sermon,    and    when    after    it    Levin 


Green  began  to  sing,  'There  is  a  fountain  filled 
witli  blood."  and  pass  around,  shaking  hands 
with  all  in  the  house,  I  ran  out  of  doors,  fearing 
that  my  emotions  would  overcome  me  should  I 
remain." 

The  only  other  settlers  to  arrive  in  Schuyler 
County  in  the  year  l.S2.'i  were  Thomas  lIcKee, 
who  erected  a  cabin  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  20,  Bainbridge  Township,  and  Willis 
O'Neal,  who  settled  near  by  on  Section  IG.  They 
were  both  Kentuckians  and  had  come  to  Illinois 
from  Indiana.  JIcKee  was  a  fine  mechanic  and 
gunsmith  and,  soon  after  building  his  cabin,  he 
erected  a  workshop,  and  this  was  the  first  black- 
smith shop  in  the  county.  He  remained  in  Bain- 
bridge until  1S2(),  when  he  removed  to  Littleton 
and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  town- 
ship. Willis  O'Neal  was  later  a  resident  of  what 
is  now  the  city  of  Rushville,  and  built  a  cabin 
just  east  of  the  square  on  the  south  side  of  East 
Lafa.vette  Street.  He  later  removed  to  Brown 
County  and  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  in  that 
locality. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1.S24  the  settlement  was 
still  further  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Nathan 
Eels  and  family,  who  had  been  living  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Illinois  River.  Mr.  Eels'  family 
consisted  of  six  lioys  and  two  girls,  and  they 
were  given  a  most  cordial  welcome,  especially 
by  this  youngsters  of  the  settlement  who  found 
life  rather  monotonous  with  .so  few  playmates. 
Accessions  to  tlie  settlement  were  now  becoming 
more  numerous  and.  during  the  summer  of  1.S24. 
the  following  named  persons  took  up  tlieir  aliodc  ■ 
in  the  county:  David  and  Thomas  Blair,  Jacob 
White,  Riggs  Pennington  and  his  nephews, 
William.  Joel  and  Riley ;  Henry  Green,  Jr.,  John 
Ritchey.  John  A.  Reeve,  George  and  Isaac 
Naught.  Some  of  these  made  their  Iiome  ne;ir  tlie 
Ilobart  settlement,  while  others  lot'ated  in  Bain- 
bridge and  Woodstock  Townships. 

The  year  1825  marked  the  arrival  of  a  number 
of  men  who  were  afterwards  to  take  a  prominent 
part  in  public  affairs.  In  February'  of  that  year 
Jonathan  D.  Manlove,  the  first  Sun-eyor  of  the 
county,  became  a  resident  of  Rushville.  Soon 
afterwards  came  Sanuiel  Horney,  one  of  the  first 
County  Commissioners.  Mr.  Horney  was  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina  and  had  served  as  a 
volunteer  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  had  moved 
to  Illinois  in  1818  and,  uutil  coming  to  Schuyler 
County,  hiid  made  his  home  in  St.  Clair  County. 

John    B.    Terry,    the    first    County    Clerk    of 


643 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Scbuylei-  County,  cuuii'  tlint  same  year,  as  did 
also  Hart  Fellows,  who  was  the  county's  firet 
Recorder  and  Rushville's  lirst  Postmaster.  Kich- 
ard  Black  settled  on  what  is  now  the  site  of 
Rushville  in  182.5,  but  was  "entered  out"  of  his 
iniproveuieut  Ijy  the  county  and  was  forced  to 
seek  a  new  location,  and  he  removed  witli  his 
family  to  Woodstock  Township.  His  son  Isaac, 
who  was  a  bahe  when  the  family  tii-st  aiTived  in 
Schuyler,  ever  after  made  his  home  in  Schuyler 
County  and  died  in  Rushville,  October  2,  1907. 

Benjamin  Chadsey,  who  was  one  of  tlie  three 
Conunissioners  appointed  to  select  the  location 
of  a  c-ounty-scat  for  Schuyler  County,  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  1825.  His  arrival  in  the 
county  is  thus  described  iu  an  article  which  ap- 
I)eared  in  the  Schuyler  Citizen  of  February  5, 
ISSO: 

"Late  in  tlio  summer  of  1824  two  men  I  Ben- 
jamin Chadsey  and  his  father-in-law, .Mr.  John- 
son) started  from  the  neijihborhood  where  the 
city  of  Danville  now  stands,  on  a  journey  west- 
ward. One,  Benjamin  Chadsey,  had  been  a  sol- 
dier iu  the  \Yar  of  1812  and  had  received  as  his 
bounty  from  the  Government  lands  laid  off  in 
181(i,  and  set  apart  as  a  military  tract  for  the 
soldiers  of  that  war.  the  southeast  tiuarter  of 
Se<-tion  17  (now  Rushville  Township).  His 
business  was  to  find  the  land  and  see  if  it  would 
make  a  home  for  him  and  his  little  family.  They 
traveled  west,  followin;;  an  Indian  trail,  until, 
not  far  from  Blooniinsjton.  on  the  Mackinaw, 
they  found  an  Indian  villa.ije,  where  they  rested 
a  night.  The  ne.xt  day  they  followed  the  trail 
until  they  reached  the  Illinois  River,  opiiosite 
Fort  Clark,  now  Peoria.  After  another  night 
spent  iu  the  hospitable  cabin  of  a  settler  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  they  struck  out  on  a  trail 
leading  to  the  southwest.  They  finally  reached 
Sugar  Creek,  where  they  lost  their  bearings,  but 
nt  la.st  came  out  of  the  timber  on  the  prairie 
near  the  center  of  Rushville  Township,  and  near 
there  found  rest  and  refreshment  iu  a  eal)in  re- 
cently built,  in  which  lived  one  of  the  thirteen 
families  constituting  the  entire  iwpulatiou  of 
the  eoimty.  With  the  early  moniing  the  young 
man  hastened  further  west  over  the  prairie,  and 
soon  rejoiced  in  the  rich,  luxuriant  grasses  that 
waved  in  all  their  primitive  wildness  on  the 
beautiful  piece  of  land  that  was  to  be  his  future 
home,  .\fter  he  had  re.solved  to  locate  perma- 
nently, he  hastened  back  to  Eastern  Illinois  and. 


ill  the  spring  of  182,5.  settled  on  the  farm,  where 
he  lived  to  a  hale  and  hearty  old  age." 

The  first  family  from  a  foreign  country  to 
take  up  their  residence  in  Schuyler  County  was 
that  of  Hugh  McCreery's,  who  had  come  from 
Ireland  and,  in  1828,  ascended  the  Illinois  River 
on  the  first  steamboat  to  traverse  that  historic 
waterway.  The  family  consisted  of  Hugh  JIc- 
Creery  and  Sarah  McCreery,  his  wife,  and  their 
children — William,  the  oldest,  and  his  wife, 
JIathew,  .lohii.  Margai-et.  Sarah  and  .lames.  On 
reaching  Rushville  Mr.  JlcCi'eery  took  ix)ssesskin 
of  the  old  log  court-house  on  the  north  side  of 
the  square  iu  Rushville,  for  a  temporary  home, 
and  his  son  William  built  a  log  cabin  that  now 
forms  part  of  Mrs.  John  Ruth's  residence  on 
North  Congress  Street,  the  only  one  of  the  pio- 
neer homes  that  has  escaped  destruction  and 
oblivion  from  natural  causes  of  decay  or  the  ever 
ceaseless  march  of  progress. 

William  JlcCreeiy  was  the  first  person  in 
Schuyler  County  to  take  out  naturalization  pa- 
pers and  claim  his  rights  as  a  citizen  of  the 
I'nited  States.  His  first  paix'rs  were  taken  but 
In  Morgan  County,  Alabama,  in  18211.  and  it  was 
therein  stated  that  he  had  landed  in  New  Or- 
leans on  February  7,  1825,  and  had  renounced 
his  alleginni'e  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain  and 
declared  his  intention  of  Ix'coniing  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States.  On  June  14,  1830,  his  appU- 
cation  for  citizenship  was  approved  by  the  Cir- 
sult  Court  of  Schuyler  County.  Mr.  McCreery 
and  his  parents  died  during  the  cholera  scourge 
of  is:i4. 

During  the  early  years  of  settlement  in  Schuy- 
ler County  the  Indians  were  fretpient  visitors, 
and  we  have  noted  in  a  previous  chapter  that 
their  greeting  was  a  pleasant  one,  and  that  no 
barbaric  outrages  marked  the  history  of  the 
county.  The  only  clash  between  the  settlers 
and  the  Indians  is  recorded  by  .Jonathan  D.  Man- 
love,  who.  in  writing  of  early  times  in  Schuyler, 
says:  "It  is  recollected  by  the  pioneers  that 
there  were  wild  hogs  in  the  county,  and  that 
the  Indians  and  their  dogs  were  very  trouble- 
some, running  hogs  as  any  other  game ;  there- 
fore, about  the  commencement  of  182C.  nineteen 
of  the  hoys — and  that  was  alwut  all  there  were 
in  the  county — went  to  their  Ciimp  on  Crooked 
Creek,  near  the  mouth,  and  ordered  them  off, 
giving  them  a  certain  time  to  do  so,  under  a 
penaltj-  of  having  their  goods  wet  with  the 
Illinois    River.     There   were   some   things   done 


HiSToijY  OF  sc;euylek  county. 


643 


that  did  uot  meet  with  the  iiiiiiroval  of  all,  to-wit ; 
two  of  them  were  slightly  siji-outed  aud  several 
of  their  dogs  were  shot.  But  few  of  them  vis- 
ited us  afterwards.  Our  principal  ohject  was  to 
remove  the  traders — white  men  who  were  en- 
camped ou  the  Illinois,  just  below  the  mouth  of 
Crooked  Creek,  and  traded  them  ammunition  and 
whisky  for  furs  and  peltry — and  the  threaten- 
iugs  were  more  particularly  to  and  for  them. 
They  left  soon  afterwards  and  never  came  back." 

In  concluding  this  chapter  on  the  early  pio- 
neers of  Schuyler  County,  we  will  add  a  few  dis- 
connected facts  of  interest  pertaining  to  this 
period : 

The  first  birth  iu  the  county  was  that  of  a 
daughter  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ephraim  Eggles- 
ton,  in  the  spring  of  1824. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  son  of  Jonathan 
Reno,  in  the  summer  of  1820 — a  lad  some  nine 
or  ten  years  of  ;ige.  The  first  death  of  an  adult 
was  that  of  Solomon  Stanberry?  who  died  of 
tyiJhoid  fever  in  the  winter  of  1827,  at  the  home 
of  John  Ritchey,  north  of  Rushville.  In  review- 
ing the  events  of  pioneer  times,  Jonathan  D. 
Maulove  writes  that  he  rode  to  Jacksonville  to 
secure  a  physician  to  attend  Mr.  Stanberry,  but 
that  he  was  dying  when  they  returned. 

The  first  child  born  in  Rushville  was  Anna 
Fellows,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  Fellows, 
wlio  now  resides  in  Bloomington. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Samuel  Gooch 
and  Jliss  Ruth  I'owers,  which  was  .solemnized  by 
Rev.  Levin  Green,  at  the  Ilobart  cabin  in  Novem- 
ber, 1824.  This  was  previous  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  Schuyler  County,  and  the  record  of  the 
marriage  is  in  Pike  County,  where  the  groom  had 
to  journey  to  secure  his  license  to  wed. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 


CIVIL  IIISTORT. 


TEN    NEW    COUNTIES    IN    THE    MILIT.^RY    TR.\CT    CRE- 
ATED   BY    ACT    OF    JANUARY    13,    1825 ORICilNAL 

AREA    AND    BOUNDARIES    OF    SCHUYLER    COUNTY' 

TERRITORY-    UNDER    TEMPORARY    JURISDICTION    OF 
THE    NEW    COUNTY' FIRST    COUNTY-SEAT    NAMED 


BEABDSTOWN — FIRST   ELECTION    AND    FIRST    BOARD 

OF    COMMISSIONERS OTHER    COUNTY'    OFFICERS — ■ 

COUNTY-SEAT  CH.VNOED   TO  RUSHVILLE  IN   1S2G 

EARLY  COUNTY  REVENUES FINANCIAL  STATE- 
MENT    OF     1827 — FIRST     ELECTION     PRECINCTS 

ELECTIONS  IN  1828 — BROWN  COUNTY'  SET  OFF  IN 
1830 A  COUNTY'-SEAT  CONTEST CHANGES  UN- 
DEB  CONSTITUTION  OF  1848^COUNTY'  COURT 
HOLDS  JURISDICTION  OVER  COUNTY  FROM  lS4t)  TO 
1854 — TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION  ADOPTED  IN  1853 
— LIST    OF   TOWNSHIPS. 

Illinois  had  been  but  seven  years  a  sovereign 
State  when  the  geographical  Iwundaries  of 
Schuyler  County  were  determined  in  1825.  Up 
to  this  time  there  were  but  thirty-one  counties 
iu  the  State  and,  with  the  exception  of  Pike  and 
Fulton  Counties,  all  of  these  were  south  of  the 
Illinois  River.  In  the  early  'twenties  the  tide 
of  emigration  turned  northward  for  the  reason, 
perhaijs,  that  land  speculators  had  been  buying 
uji  soldiers'  claims  in  the  Military  Tract  and 
were  interesting  Eastern  people  in  the  Illinois 
Country.  To  facilitate  this  emigration,  and  pro- 
vide for  civil  government  in  the  country  already 
settled,  the  General  Assembly  in  January,  1825, 
created  ten  counties  in  the  Military  Tract.  The 
c-ounties  set  apart  for  civil  organization  were : 
Calhoun.  Adams,  Hancock,  Knox,  Mercer,  Henry, 
I'etjria,  Putnam,  Warren  aud  Schu.vler. 

The  geogv.M  I  lineal  boundary  of  Schuyler  in- 
cluded an  area  of  804  scpiare  miles,  aud  so  re- 
mained until  Brown  County  was  detached  iu 
1839.  The  civil  boundary  of  the  county  was  even 
more  extended,  as  may  be  noted  from  the  fol- 
lowing section  of  the  legislative  enactment : 

"All  that  tract  of  country  north  of  the  counties 
of  Schuyler  and  Hancock,  and  west  of  the  Fourth 
Principal  Meridian,  shall  lie  attached  to  the  coun- 
ty of  Schuyler  for  all  county  pnriitises,  until  oth- 
erwise provided  for  by  law :  ProrUled,  however, 
that  when  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  that  any  of  the 
above  name  counties  shall  contain  three  hundred 
and  fifty  inhabitants,  he  is  hereby  re<iuired  to 
grant  an  order  for  the  election  of  county  officers, 
as  described  in  the  ninth  section." 

By  this  act  the  civil  government  of  Schuyler 
County  was  extended  to  include  what  are  now 
the  counties  of  McDonough,  Warren,  Henderson, 
Mercer  and  a  portion  of  Rock  Island,  but  in  the 
county  records  it  appears  that  McDonough  was 
the  only  one  of  the  five  counties  that  shared  in 


GU 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


tlie  civil  governiiiont  of  .Schuyler.  The  orgauiza- 
tion  of  McDouough  County  was  authorized  by 
au  act  of  the  Legislature  ajiproved  .January  2."i. 
1826,  and  by  June  14.  1830.  the  re(iuired  popula- 
tion having  been  attained,  a  se|)arate  county  was 
organized;  Warren  obtained  the  same  in  1830; 
Kock  Island  was  organized  in  18.'n.  and  Merc«'r 
and  Henderson  some  few  years  afterwards. 

Of  the  ten  counties  created  from  tlie  Military 
Tract  in  182."),  Adams,  Peoria  and  Schuyler  were 
the  only  ones  that  had  the  required  iwpulation 
necessary  for  immediate  organization,  and,  in 
the  legislative  enactment  of  that  session,  we  find 
the  following  provision  made  for  the  civil  organ- 
ization of  Schu.vler  County  : 

"He  it  further  enacted.  Tliat  for  tlie  county  of 
Schuyler.  John  Adams,  Steplien  Olmstead  and 
James  Dunwoody,  of  Morgan  County.  .  .  . 
be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  Commissioners 
to  select  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  said 
county,  who  shall  meet  in  the  county  of  Sdniy- 
ler,  at  the  house  of  Calvin  Ilobart.  on  the  tirst 
Monday  of  April  ne.xt.  or  within  seven  days 
thereafter,  and  after  taking  and  subscribing  an 
oath  before  a  .Justice  of  the  Peace,  to  locate  the 
said  seat  of  justice  for  the  future  convenience 
and  accommodation  of  the  people,  shall  proceed 
to  fix  and  determine  uikju  the  same,  and  the 
place  so  selected  .  .  .  shall  be  the  jierma- 
uent  seat  of  justice  of  the  same,  and  the  Com- 
missioners shall  receive  for  their  compensation 
the  sum  of  two  dollars  per  day  for  each  day  by 
them  silent  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  and 
for  going  to  and  returning  from  the  same,  to 
be  paid  out  of  the  first  money  in  the  count}' 
treasury  after  the  same  shall  be  organized." 

In  accordance  with  this  act  of  the  Legislature, 
John  Adams  and  Stephen  Olmstead  came  to 
Schuyler  and  located  the  county-seat  about  a 
.mile  west  of  the  present  village  of  I'leasantview, 
and  for  this  service  they  were  jiaid  ?20  each, 
with  .$8  additional  to  John  .\dams.  who  took  the 
records  of  the  proceedings  to  Pittsfield.  the 
county-seat  of  Pike  County,  where  they  were 
recorded. 

The  seat  of  justice  having  been  established, 
au  election  was  called  for  July  4.  1S2.").  and 
James  Vance.  Cornelius  Vandeventer.  and  .\bra- 
ham  Carlock  were  named  as'  judges,  and  Hart 
Fellows  and  .Jonathan  1).  -Xfaulove  clerks,  and 
they  were  allowed  one  do'lnr  each  for  this  work 
by  the  County  Conni  issioners  fourteen  months 
afterwards. 


At  tills  election  Thomas  McKee.  Samuel  Hor- 
ney  and  Thomas  Blair  were  elected  County  Com- 
missioners. They  took  the  oath  of  office  before 
Hart  Kellows.  who  had  been  appointed  Clerk  of 
the  Circuit  Court  by  Gov.  Edward  Coles,  and 
within  the  next  twelve  months  met  eight  times 
to  attend  to  the  business  necessary  in  the  organ- 
ization and  administration  of  county  affairs. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  County  Commissioners 
was  held  at  the  cabin  of  Jacob  White  on  July 
7,  1825,  and  at  this  session  the  new  countj--seat 
of  Schuyler  County  was  named  Beardstown. 
John  Terry  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  County 
and  served  until  liecember  :?,  182",  when  he  re- 
signed and  Hart  Kellows  was  named  as  his  suc- 
cessor. At  this  first  meeting  of  the  Commis- 
sioners grand  and  petit  juries  were  drawn 
and  were  served  with  summons  by  Sheiifif  Orris 
Mc-Cartney,  to  apiiear  at  the  first  term  of  Circuit 
Court  held  Noveinlier  4,  1825.  The  rec-ords  do 
not  show  who  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Com- 
missionei-s'  Court,  but  it  is  inferred  that  Thomas 
Blair  held  this  imsition.  as  he  signed  the  clerk's 
re<-ord  of  the  proceedings. 

The  Commissioners  met  again  on  July  22,  1825, 
and  at  this  meeting  the  first  county  order  was 
issued  to  Jacob  White,  which  called  for  seventy- 
five  cents  for  the  use  of  his  cabin  as  a  meeting 
place.  M  this  nuvtiiig  of  the  board  a  petition 
was  iireseiited  to  set  off  a  school  district  and  this 
was  done. 

When  John  B.  Terry  filed  his  Ixmd  as  Clerk  of 
the  County,  with  Nathan  Eels  as  securit}',  he 
took  the  oath  of  office  to  supiiort  the  constitu- 
tions of  the  United  States  and  the  State  of 
Ulinois,  and  a  supplementai-y  oath  required  by 
tlie  "Act  to  Supjiress  Dueling." 

In  the  organization  of  the  county  it  was  nec- 
essiiry  to  have  three  Justices  of  the  Peace,  and 
Ilart  Fellows.  James  Vance  and  Willis  O'Neal 
were  recommeiKlcd  to  Gov.  Coles  for  aiiiiointment 
to  this  olBce.  I.^iter  appointments  made  by  t'le 
County  Commissioners  in  1825  were:  Williim 
H.  Taylor,  as  Census  Commi.ssioner ;  Jacob  White 
and  Joel  Pennington,  Constables;  Riggs  Penning- 
ton and  Nathan  Eels.  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  and 
Samuel  Gooch,  John  Ilichey  and  Jonathan  Ueuo. 
Fence  Viewers. 

The  sessions  of  the  Commissioners  were  after- 
wards held  at  tlie  cabin  of  Samuel  Turner  and 
a  county  order  for  $2  was  issued  him  for  four 
meetings  of  the  Commissioner's  Couit.  For  three 
days'  services  as  Commissioners,  Messrs.  Blair, 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


645 


Horney  and  McKee  each  drew  $7.50,  and  John 
B.  Teri-y,  Clerk,  was  paid  .flO  for  four  days' 
service. 

In  locating  the  county-seat  the  Morgan  County 
Commissioners  apparently  did  not  respect  the 
wishes  of  the  residents  of  Schuyler  Count)',  as 
we  find  in  the  records  that  a  petition  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  was  formulated  asljing  that  a  new 
commission  l)e  ai)pointed.  This  was  done  and 
Levi  Green.  Thomas  Blair  and  Benjamin  Chad- 
sey  were  named  to  select  a  new  seat  of  .iustice. 
It  was  at  this  time  intended  to  locate  the  county- 
seat  a  mile  or  more  north  of  the  jiresent  site 
of  Rushville,  on  the  fine,  high  prairie  land,  but 
the  quarter-section  of  land  most  desired  had 
been  entered  and  the  Commissioners  realizing 
that  the  county  ^\as  short  of  funds,  selected  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  30,  Town  2  North, 
Range  1  West,  and  entered  it  at  the  Land  Of- 
fice at  Springfield.  Their  rejiort  to  tlie  County 
Commissioners  made  Jl.irch  0.  1820.  reads  as 
follows : 

"We,  tile  undersigned  Commissioners,  ajipnint- 
ed  by  an  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Illi- 
nois to  locate  a  permanent  seat  of  justice  for 
Schuyler  County,  do  certify  that,  after  hav- 
ing been  duly  sworn  before  James  Vance, 
Esq.,  we  proceeded  to  vic\N-  the  county  for  the 
purposes  aforesaid,  and  have  located  the  same 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  thirty,  town- 
ship two  north,  range  one  west.  Given  under 
our  hands  this  20th  day  of  Febniary,  1820. 
(Signed)  Levin  Green, 

Thomas   Blair. 

B.     ClIADSEY. 

One  may  judge  how  strongly  the  financial  con- 
sideration influenced  the  location  of  the  county- 
seat,  when  it  is  stated  that  the  east  half  of  the 
quarter-section  entered  by  the  county  for  a  town 
site,  was  sold  to  Jacob  White  for  .$150.  and  that 
the  county  was  not  able  to  malve  payment  to  tlie 
State  and  secure  the  United  States  patent  to  the 
land  until  December  2(>.  1S2(;,  when,  with  the 
.$150  paid  by  Mr.  White,  and  $4.3.00— the  with- 
drawal of  which  almost  depleted  the  county  treas- 
ury— the  county  came  into  full  possession  of  a 
clear  title  to  its  seat  of  justice.  Much  as  the' 
county  needed  the  money  generously  advanced 
by  Mr.  Wliite,  it  was  in  the  end  an  expensive 
bargain,  for  within  a  few  years  afterwards  it 
was  necessary  to  buy  more  land  to  allow  for  the 
growth  of  the  little  city.  Even  today  we  .yearly 
see   the    folly    of   their   economy,    for    the    land 


owned  by  Mr.  White  came  within  eighty  feet  of 
the  east  side  of  Liberty  Street  and  on  the  tax- 
books,  it  is  necessary  to  carry  the  names  of  the 
property  owners  on  the  east  side  of  the  square 
in  different  .additions,  as  tlie  business  block  ex- 
tends east  112  feet  and  into  the  William  Man- 
love  addition,  afterwards  platted  on  the  land  sold 
by  tlie  county  to  Jacob  White. 

Thomas  McKee,  Sanniel  Homey  and  Thomas 
Blair,  who  had  been  elected  County  Commis- 
sioners in  182.5,  served  until  August  4,  1828, 
when  Thomas  Davis  succeeded  Thomas  Blair. 
Other  early  officers  were:  Cornelius  Vandeven- 
ter,  Thomas  McKee,  Jesse  Bartlett  and  Levin 
Green,  Justices  of  the  Peace ;  Jacob  T.  Reno  and 
Jacob  White,  Constables ;  John  B.  Terry,  Judge 
of  Trobate;  Hart  Fellows.  Clerk  of  Circuit 
Court;  Orris  McCartney,  Sheriff;  David  E. 
lU.air.  'A-easurer;  Jonathan  D.  Manlove,  Surve.vor, 
and  Levin  (ireen.  Coroner. 

JIuch  of  the  time  of  the  Commissioners  when 
they  met  for  the  transaction  of  business  was 
taken  up  with  |i.-issiug  upou  petitions  for  roads 
and  arranging  for  the  platting  and  sale  of  town- 
lots  of  the  county-seat,  and  these  subjects  will 
be  dealt  with  more  fully  in  succeeding  chapters. 

The  question  of  revenue  was  an  all  important 
one  with  the  Couut.v  Commissioners,  as  there 
was  little  money  coming  into  the  treasury  from 
taxation  and  it  was  a  ditficult  matter  to  collect 
cash  for  the  town  lots  sold.  The  fir.st  tax-levy 
was  ordered  March  0.  l,S2ii,  on  the  assessment 
made  by  Jesse  Bartlett.  who  was  allowed  $0  for 
his  services.  All  taxable  property  in  the  county 
was  subject  to  a  rate  of  one  per  cent,  and  the 
total  tax  collected  in  the  count.v  in  182G,  was 
$118.90.  On  March  4,  1828,  property  liable  to 
taxation  was  listed  .as  follows:  Slaves,  inden- 
tured or  registered  negro  or  mulatto  servants, 
all  wheel  carriages,  stills  and  distilleries,  stocks 
in  trade,  horses,  nuiles,  mares  and  asses,  meat 
cattle,  sheep,  goats  and  hogs,  watches  with  their 
appendages,  and  clocks.  At  the  same  time  the 
Treasurer  was  instiiicted  to  make  a  list  of  "all 
resident  land"  subject  to  taxation.  On  March  3, 
].s:'.2,  the  Connnissioners  specified  household 
goiids,  furniture  and  farming  utensils  as  subject 
to  taxation,  and  also  town-lots,  except  in  incor- 
porated towns.  The  owners  of  ferries  also  paid 
taxes  varying  from  $3  to  $20. 

When  the  Commissioners  met  on  December  4, 
1820,  Orris  McCartney  was  authorized  to  re- 
ceive the  money  appropriated  by  the  State,  under 


646 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY'. 


the   act    relatini:    to    the    revenues    of   Calhoun,  County   Commissioners,   when   they  created  five 

Pilce,  Adams,  Scliuyler.  Fulton  iind  Peoria  coun-  election  [U-ecincts.     In  this  civil  division  of  the 

ties,  to  replenish  tlie  depleted  treasury.     He  was  county    McI>onough    County    was    considered    as 

intruded  to  make  the  journey  to  the  State  cap-  one  election  precinct,  and  was  the  fifth  in  the 

ital  at  Vandalia  and,  while  there,  to  exchange  list.     lu  issuing  a  call  for  election  the  i)lace  of 

the  State  paper  for  specie,  provided  it  could  be  voting  and  the  names  of  the  judges  were  speci- 

done  at  reasonable  discount.     Schuyler  Countj-'s  fied  by  the  County  Comnnssloners  as  follows : 

apiwrtionnient  under  the  State  revenue  act,  wms  District   1,   House  of    Isaac   Naught.     Judges — 

$225,  and  Mr.  McCartney  brought  liome  the  sum  .John  A.  Reeve.  Willis  O'Xeal  and  Isaac  Vende- 

of  JLjI..")!!.   which   was   deiRislted   in   tile  county  venter. 

treasury.    The  first  financial  statement  of  Schuy-  District  2,  House  of  Henry  Hills.   Judges — John 

ler  County   is  found  in  tlie  report  of  the  Com-  Kitrhey.  Henry  Hills  and  Manlovc  Homey, 

missioner's  Court  for  the  De<-ember  term,   1827.  District  3,  House  of  Joel  I'enuingtou.     Judges — 

It  is  as  follows:  Joel  Pennington.  Joel  Tullis  and  Garrett  Wyck- 

Cr.      •  off. 

By  amount  of  county  tax  for  the  year  1820   $118.00  District  4,  House  of  Daniel  Robertsou.     Judges 

By  amount  of  specie  received  from  State  — Daniel  Uobertson.  Andrew  Vance  and  Tliom- 

treasury    in   182G 157.50  as  Wilson. 

By   amount  received  from  Jacob  White  District   5,    House   of   James    Vance.     Judges — 

for  1:14  S.  W.  30,  -.i  N.,  1  W 150.00  Riggs  Pennington,  Stephen  Osburn  and  Hugh 

By  amount  received  for  lots  In  town  of  Wilson. 

Rushvllle    i;?3.50  The  year  1828  was  prolific  in  elections  and  the 

By  amount  received  for  fines,  assessed  in  Commissioners'  record  shows  a  general  election 

Circuit   Court    21.00  was  held  August  4,  and  on  November  li  came  the 

By  amount  turned  into  county  treasury  presidential  election,  to  be  followed  November  15 

out  of  the  tax  for  the  year  1827 48.-14  by  a  sitecial  election,  at   which  time  Joel   Pen- 

nington  was  elected   Sheriff  of  the  county.     At 

$(;20.:i4  the  general  election  of  August  4,   182S,  Thomas 

To   amount   of  county    orders    issued   in      Dr.  Davis  was  chosen  County  Commissioner  to  suc- 

182."),  1820  and  1827 $407.78  ceed  Tlionias  Blair  and  Willis  O'Neal  was  named 

To  amount  paid  into  land  oHic'e  for  the  as   Treasurer. 

S.  W.  30,  2  N.  1  W 103.60  On  June  1,  1829,  the  Board  of  County  Com- 

missioners  indulged  in  the  luxury  of  employing  a 

$001.38  counsel  for  the  court,  and  John  Steel,  Esq.,  was 

Amount    due   on    Rushville    town  selected.      As   a    natural    consequence   }Ir.    Steel 

lots,   available    $251.25  wished  to  make  a  showing,  and  cases  in  court 

Amount  due  for  fines  assessed  in  became    more    munerous.      A    year    l>efore    the 

circuit   court    7.00  county  had  paid  Jacob  T.  Reno  $9  for  caring  for 

Balance  due  on  ta.x  of  1827  after  William  Lammy,  and  Mr.  Steel  brought  suit  in 

deducting  the  7'i;  per  cent...     27.42  the  name  of  the  county  against  his  father,  James 

Amount  in  treasury 0.10  Lammy,  to  compel  him  to  aid  in  the  support  of  his 

son.    The  (>ourt  decided  in  favor  of  the  county, 

$291.77  and   an   entry    is    made   in    the   Commissioners' 

Balance  in  favor  of  county $2.59.73  record  where  James  Lammy  paid  $9.50  Into  the 

Until  June  4.  1827.  there  had  been  no  appor-  county   fund. 

tionmeiit  of   election    procinct.s.    but   the   county  Quo  warranto   proceedings  were  also  brought 

had  been  considered  as  a  whole  in  the  selection  against   Benjamin  Chadsey   and   Jesse   Bartlett, 

of  minor  offices,  such  as  Justices  of  the  Peace  Tnistees  of  the  school  land  on  Section  IC.  Rush- 

and  Constable.    The. rapid  immigration,  and  the  ville  Township,  and  they  were  removed  and  John 

general  tendency  of  the  settlers  to  penetrate  to  Ritchey    and    Henry    Hills    appointed    in    their 

every  part  of  the  county,  made  it  necessary  to  stead.    At  this  day  it  caimot  be  determined  what 

divide   the  county   into   minor  political   subdivi-  the  animus  back  of  this  proceeding  was,  but  it 

sions,  and  this  was  done  June  4,  1827,  by  the  did  not  in  the  least  divert  from  the  popularity 


MRS.  JOHN  A.  BALI.Or 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


647 


of  these  two  gentlemen,  for  we  later  find  them 
takhig  au  active  part  iu  the  affairs  of  the  connty. 
As  compensation  for  his  services  in  these  two 
cases  John  Steele,  Esq..  was  allowed  the  munifi- 
cent sum  of  .$4..50,  and  soon  afterwards  the  of- 
fice of  coimsel  to  the  Commissioners"  court  was 
abolished. 

The  first  r)T!ysician  to  present  a  bill  to  the 
county  for  professional  service  to  a  poor  person 
was  Dr.  B.  V.  Teel,  who  was  allowed  .$17.02  on 
September  7,  182!).  for  medicine  and  attendance 
upon  Stephen  Palmer.  At  the  same  session 
George  Jones  was  allowed  $2  for  making  a  cof- 
fin for  the  said  Palmer.  On  December  23,  1820, 
John  Ritchey  was  authorized  to  purchase  of 
Abraham  Loudemiau  one  or  tn'o  acres  of  land 
in  some  suitable  and  convenient  place  for  bury- 
ing ground,  and  the  site  chosen  has  since  been 
enlarged  to  fort.v  acres,  comprising  the  Rush- 
ville  cemetery  of  today. 

On  March  1,  18",0,  an  election  district  was 
made  of  the  teiTitory  now  known  as  the  county 
of  Brown,  and  it  was  specified  that  the  elections 
should  be  held  at  the  home  of  Bentley  Ballard. 
At  the  same  time  McDouough  County  was  sep- 
arated into  two  election  precincts.  Crooked  and 
Drowning  Creeks  being  the  dividing  line.  The 
elections  iu  the  east  precinct  were  ordered  held 
at  the  home  of  .James  Vance  and  in  the  western 
precinct  at  the  home  of  William  Job.  At  this 
time  JIcDouough  County  was  arranging  for  the 
establishment  of  a  civil  government  of  its  own. 
and  on  the  petition  of  James  Vance  and  James 
Clark,  that  county  was  permitted  to  retain  one- 
half  of  the  taxes  collected,  the  iietitioners  stand- 
ing good  for  the  amount  due  Schuyler.  Settle- 
ment was  not  made,  however,  until  March  6, 
18.S2.  when  .$21  was  paid  into  the  Schuyler  treas- 
ury. 

As  originally  formed  Schuyler  was  the  largest 
of  the  ten  counties  created  in  the  Militaiy  Tract 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  182.5,  and  it  so  re- 
mained until  IS;^,!).  when  the  territory  lying  south 
of  Crooked  Creek  was  detached  and  the  countj- 
of  Brown  organized,  thus  reducing  the  area  of 
Schuyler  County  from  864  to  4.30  square  miles, 
and  making  it,  next  to  Calhoun,  the  smallest 
connty  iu  the  Military  Tract. 

As  early  as  1835  the  people  living  south  of 
Crooked  Creek  began  the  agitation  for  separa- 
tion, but  Sdniyler's  represent.-itive  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  prevented  any  action  being  taken. 
It  was  then  proposed  that  a  compromise  be  ef- 


fected by  removing  the  county-seat  to  Ripley, 
which  was  nearer  the  geographical  center  of  the 
coniitj-,  and  this  seems  to  have  been  the  master 
sti'oke  on  the  part  of  the  agitators  for  separation, 
as  the  people  in  and  about  Rushville  were  will- 
ing to  suffer  the  loss  of  half  the  territory  of  the 
county  rather  than  relinquish  the  prestige  which 
was  associated  with  the  seat  of  justice.  And  so 
it  happened  that  Brown  County  was  given  a  gov- 
ernment of  its  own  by  act  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  1830,  and  John  M.  Campbell  of  Schuyler. 
John  B.  Curl  of  Adams  and  William  W.  Bally 
of  McDonough  were  named  to  select  the  seat  of 
justice,  which  was  afterwards  located  at  Mt. 
Sterling.  This  settled  for  nil  tin:e  the  location 
of  the  countj'-seat  at  Rushville,  aud  Schuyler  has 
l)eeii  spared  the  bitter  internecine  warfare  that 
has  marked  the  history  of  county-seat  contests 
in  many   neighboring   counties. 

After  the  organization  of  Schuyler  County  had 
been  efi:ected  aud  the  machinery  of  civil  govern- 
ment put  in  force,  things  ran  along  smoothly  for 
more  than  a  decade  and  the  records  of  the  Com- 
missioners' court  are  monotonous  with  routine 
proceedings.  This  is  especially  true  from  1831 
to  1,S.3,S,  but  in  the  latter  .vear  there  was  a  shak- 
ing up  in  county  affairs  that  would  do  credit  to 
the  most  ardent  reformers  of  the  present  day, 
and  as  a  result,  the  business  affairs  of  the  county 
were   thoroughly   investigated. 

Thomas  Brockman,  Edward  Doyle  and  Peter 
C.  Vaijce  A\eve  the  Commissioners  during  the 
years  18.38-30,  and  they  started  in  early  on  their 
reform  administration.  County  officials.  School 
Treasurers  and  Supervisors  of  road  districts 
were  brought  into  the  lime-light  of  a  public  in- 
vestigation, with  the  result  that  one  county  offi- 
cer was  removed  from  office,  a  School  Treasurer 
was  called  uiwn  to  make  good  a  shortage  of  more 
than  a  thousand  dollars,  and  other  officers  were 
forced  to  make  settlement  with  the  Commission- 
ers to  avoid  the  notoriety  of  publicity. 

At  tliat  time,  and  for  years  afterwards,  the 
fee  system  of  paying  county  officers  was  in 
vogue  and,  while  the  oflScials  might  have  had 
honest  intentions  in  appropriating  certain  fees, 
it  retiuired  ceaseless  vigilance  on  the  part  of  the 
Countj-  Commissioners  to  get  what  was  due  the 
county.  This  difference  of  opinion  as  to  fees 
apparently  disappeared,  when  an  honest  investi- 
gation was  ordered,  as  in  evei-y  case  the  officers 
made  good  the  deficiency.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of 
note  that,  during  the  eighty  years  of  Schuyler's 


648 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


civil  liistorj',  but  one  eouiitj-  officer  has  been 
convirted  ami  punished  for  criniiniilly  api)ropri- 
utiug  county  funds. 

The  new  Constitution  of  Illinois,  in  force  in 
1848,  made  a  change  iu  the  governmental  affairs 
of  the  count.v,  and  it  was  provided  that  a  County 
Judge  and  two  Associates  should  administer 
county  affairs.  These  officers  were  to  be  chosen 
at  the  general  election  to  sen'e  for  a  term  of 
four  years.  The  first  county  court  of  Schuy- 
ler County  convened  on  the  third  day  of  Dinem- 
ber,  18-H),  with  William  Ellis  as  County  .Judge 
and  Joseph  N.  Ward  and  John  M.  Campbell, 
Associates. 

At  the  time  these  officials  were  elected  a  vote 
was  taken  in  Schuyler  on  the  iiuestion  of  town- 
ship organization,  and  of  the  whole  number  of 
votes  east  (140")).  there  were  (>":{  in  favor  of 
township  organization  and  liO.")  against.  It  was 
at  the  time  supixised  that  the  plau  of  township 
organization  would  be  put  into  efifect  at  once, 
but  the  Supreme  Court  decided  that  a  majority 
vote  was  necessary  to  make  the  change  and  this 
had  not  been  secured  in  Schuyler  Count)'.  .\t 
the  election  of  1850  the  question  was  again 
voted  upon,  and  there  were  but  459  votes  favor- 
able to  township  organization  out  of  a  total  of 
1214.  The  advocates  of  township  organization 
were  persistent  in  their  efforts  and.  in  ISu.S,  the 
question  was  again  submitted  and  this  time 
carried  at  the  polls ;  7S0  of  the  1537  votes  being 
favorable  to  the  new  plan  of  government.  At 
the  Deccmlier  meeting  of  the  Count}'  Court  John 
C.  Baghy.  I.  X.  Ward  and  Jesse  Darnell  were 
ap|K)inted  Commissioners  to  divide  the  county 
into  townships  and.  with  minor  changes,  the 
boundaries  so  fixed  are  in  force  today.  The 
townships  so  named  and  located  were : 


parts  lying  south  of  the  base  line,  and  bounded 
by  the  Illinois  River  and  Crooked  Creek. 

Under  the  plan  of  township  organization,  as 
effected  in  1854.  Sdiuyler  County  has  continued 
to  be  governed  and  the  Supervisors  are  elected 
for  a  term  of  two  years,  six  townships  electing 
one  year  and  seven  the  next. 


Oakland 

Township  3 

North, 

Range 

1 

West 

Littleton. 

Township  3 

North. 

Range 

2 

West 

Brooklyn. 

Townsliip  3 

North, 

Range 

3 

West 

Birmingham. 

Township  3 

North, 

Range 

4 

West 

riuntsville. 

Township  2 

Nortli. 

Range 

4 

West 

Canulcn. 

Townsliij)  12 

North, 

Range 

3 

West 

Buena   Vista. 

Township  2 

North, 

Range 

2 

West 

Rushville, 

Township  2 

North, 

Range 

1 

West 

Browning. 

Township  2 

North, 

Range 

1 

East 

Hickory. 

Township  2 

North. 

Range 

2 

East 

Frederick. 

Township  1 

North. 

Range 

1 

East- 

Bainbridge, 

Township  1 

North. 

Range 

1 

West 

Woodstock. 

Township  1 

North. 

Range 

2 

West 

The  two  townshijis  List 

named 

have  fractional 

(  IIAI'TER  IX. 


LAND   TITLES— SURVEYS   AND    SUR- 
VEYORS. 


METHODS  UNDEU  FRENCH  ANU  BRITISH  CONTROI> — 
OltlCIN  OF  I.A.M)  TITIJCS  IN  AMERICA — FHAUDII- 
I.ENT    LAND   GRANTS — DAYS    OF    BRITISH    RUU. — A 

DISCREDITED     INDIAN      LAND     GRANT     OF      1T7.3 

lAND  TITLES  MADE  A  POLITICAL  ISSL-E  IN  ILLI- 
NOIS    IN     1828 — ^THE     MILITARY     TRACT     BOUNTY 

lANns ORIGINAL     SURVEY     MADE     IN     SCHUY'LEB 

COUNTY  IN  1815-17 — LITIGATION  OVKB  LAND 
TITLES — STATE  lAWS  PASSED  TO  MAKE  TITLES 
VAI.1I> — LOCATION  OK  RECORD.S — SYSTEM  OK  GOV- 
ERNMENT SURVEY  —  EARLY  SURVEYORS  AND 
HARDSHIPS  THEY  MET — ERRORS  IN  ORIGINAL 
SURVEYS — PERPETUATING  MONUMENTS — SWAMP 
LANDS — SURVEYS  AND  SALES — PLANS  FOR  DRAIN- 
AGE  AND   PRESENT  CONDITIONS. 

In  taking  up  the  subject  of  land  titles,  it  will 
he  of  interest,  and  not  a  little  historical  worth, 
to  (xmsider  how  the  title  to  the  rich  country  of 
Illinois  passed  successively  from  France  to  Eng- 
land and  to  the  United  States,  and  finally  to 
the  individual  owner.  To  do  this  it  will  be  nec- 
essary to  go  back  to  the  period  of  discovery,  when 
Columlms  oi>ened  to  the  Old  World  the  m.vste- 
rions  and  inviting  treasures  of  the  West.  It  was 
iu  that  iH>riod  "the  right  of  discovery"  was  ac- 
cei)ted  as  a  settled  imlicy  among  European  na- 
tions. Each  country  was  eager  to  possess  a  por- 
tion of  the  new  world,  and  the  basis  of  their 
claims  during  the  century  following  was  "the 
right  of  discover}-.'"  While  the  title  to  the  land 
was  nominally  vested  in  the  Indians  who  were 
in  iK)ssession.  it  was  regarded  as  suttordinate  to 
"the  right  of  discovery,"  inasmuch  as  the  mon- 
archs  of  the  old  world  claimed  and  exercised  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


649 


right  to  grant  the  soil  while  yet  in  possession  of 
the  natives,  subject  to  treaty  purchases.  Tliis 
policy  was  universally  acquiesced  in,  and  It  gave 
to  each  country  absolute  control  of  the  land  titles, 
and  the  Indians  were  permitted  to  sell  or  trans- 
fer it  to  the  discoverers,  and  to  no  others. 

France  laid  claim  to  the  whole  Valley  of  the 
Mississippi  by  right  of  discoveiy.  Under  the 
accepted  European  policy  her  title  was  perfect 
until  1763,  when,  as  the  result  of  the  defeat  of 
Montcalm  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  the  region 
emliracing  Illinois  and  other  States  afterwards 
formed  from  the  Northwest  Territory,  was  ceded 
to  Eni;land.  To  preserve  to  the  crown  this  rich 
territory  George  III.,  on  October  7,  17ti."..  issued 
a  proclamation  stating  that  no  Governor  or  com- 
mander-in-chief was  authorized  to  grant  war- 
rants of  survey  or  pass  patents,  as  the  lands, 
vchich  had  not  been  ceded  to  or  purchased  by 
the  government,  would  be  reserved  for  the  In- 
dians. English  residents  were  also  strictly  for- 
bidden to  make  any  purchase  from  the  Indians 
without  lieen.se  from  the  crown. 

Notwithstanding  this  proclamation,  deeds  were 
made  by  the  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia  Indians  on 
.Tuly  7,  177.3,  and  by  the  Piankeshaw  tribe  on 
October  18,  177.D,  the  latter  grant  extending  from 
a  point  opposite  the  Missouri  River  to  Chicago, 
and  including  the  greater  jiortion  of  the  present 
State  of  Illinois.  After  the  United  States  had 
acquired  title  to  the  land  in  Illinois  by  the 
treaty  with  England,  dated  July  20,  178H,  an  ef- 
fort was  made  to  sustain  the  Indian  grants  in 
the  courts.  The  case  was  passed  upon  by  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court,  Chief  Justice  John 
Marshall  presiding,  and  it  was  there  maintained 
"that  discovery  gave  an  exclusive  right  to  ex- 
tinguish the  Indian  title  to  occupancy,  either  by 
purchase  or  conquest ;  and  gave  also  a  right  to 
such  a  degree  of  sovereignty  as  the  circumstances 
of  the  people  will  allow  them  to  exercise."  This 
decision  being  final,  all  claims  under  the  Indian 
deeds  were  abandoned.  The  United  States  fur- 
ther perfected  its  title  to  the  lands  of  Illinois 
and  the  Northwest  Territory,  by  securing  from 
the  States  of  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Con- 
necticut and  Virginia,  a  release  of  all  their 
interests  under  patents  from  the  crown  of  Eng- 
land, thereby  making  the  United  States  land- 
patent  one  of  clear  title  from  the  time  of  dis- 
covery. 

That  gross  frauds  were  coramitteed  in  the 
assignment  of  land  titles  in  the  early  years  of 


the  ocupancy  of  the  State  by  the  United  States 
Territorial  Governors  is  a  matter  of  record.  The 
most  notorious  of  these  was  a  grant  made  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Wilkins,  Governor  and  Com- 
mandant over  the  Illinois  countr.v  during  the 
period  of  British  occupancy.  One  grant  of  36,000 
acres  was  made  to  his  personal  friends,  and  the 
claim  was  confirmed  and  United  States  patents 
issued  them  by  Gov.  .St.  Clair,  while  Illinois  was 
a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  the  title 
was  afterwards  ratified  by  Congress.  In  writing 
of  this  incident,  one  of  the  early  historians  re- 
marks :  "The  otfice  of  Governor  in  Illinois  might 
have  been,  and  probably  was  (laying  principle 
aside),  more  lucrative  in  former  times  than  at 
present." 

The  question  of  land  titles  was  first  raised  as 
a  political  issue  In  1826  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Gov.  Edwards,  and  it  was  one  of  such 
ai)parent  importance  or  necessity,  that  it  had  no 
iiprwsition,  even  though  it  afterwards  proved  a 
hollow  sham. 

\\'hen  the  State  Legislature  met  in  the  session 
of  1826-27,  a  resolution  was  offered  memorializ- 
ing Congress  to  reduce  the  price  of  public  lands. 
This  awakened  the  interest  of  Gov.  Edwards, 
who,  in  a  message  to  the  Legislature,  recom- 
mended that  the  State  ask  the  Government  to 
relinquish  the  public  lands,  which  would  be  sold 
to  actual  settlers,  the  State  to  maintain  the  cost 
of  the  land  offices,  and  pay  to  the  Government 
twenty-five  cents  for  each  acre  sold.  The  Leg- 
islative committee,  to  which  the  communication 
was  referred,  went  the  governor  one  better,  and 
reported  a  resolution  asking  for  the  uncondi- 
tional surrender  to  the  State  of  all  government 
land. 

Gov.  Edwards  was  not  heard  from  again  on 
the  public  land  question  at  that  session  of  the 
Legislature,  but  he  was  far  from  vanquished,  as 
later  developments  show.  Realizing  that  the 
question  of  government  lands  was  one  that 
might  be  used  to  popular  advantage,  he  made  a 
master  stroke.  In  his  niess.-ige  to  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1828  he  laid  down  the  general  principle 
that  the  public  lands  could  not  be  controlled  by 
the  Government,  as  they  were  the  property  of 
the  State.  Voluminous  argument  was  offered  by 
Gov.  Edwards  in  support  of  this  proposition.  It 
was  contended  that  the  United  States  Government 
was  exceeding  its  rights  under  the  constitution  in 
retaining  control  of  the  lands  in  a  sovereign 
State,  and  that  the  true  title  was  vested  in  the 


650 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Stiite.  This  was  a  bold  position  on  an  entirely 
new  question  in  Illinois,  and  the  nuMuliers  of  the 
Legislatnre  songht  to  share  the  honors  with  the 
Governor  by  giving  it  their  almost  inianiraous 
support.  It  was  not  long  until  the  illusion  of  the 
State  ownership  of  public  lands*  was  dispelled, 
and  the  resourceful  Governor  was  the  only  one 
that  prolited  thereby  for  the  ijresentation  of  the 
(juestion  had  proved  a  serious  embarrassment 
to  his  enemies  and  brought  peace  among  the 
warring  factions  in  tlie  Legislatnre.  It  goes  to 
sliow,  however,  that  iMjlitical  intrigue  was  not 
unlinown  to  the  pioneer  politicians,  and  that  they 
were  resourceful  in  formulating  issues,  to  attain 
their  ambitions. 

Land  titles  in  Schuyler  County  are  founded  on 
an  act  ol'  (\>ngress,  passed  May  ti.  1812,  which 
set  ai)art  as  bounty  lands  for  the  soldiers  of  the 
War  of  1S1L',  tliat  portion  of  the  State  lying  be- 
tween the  Mjssissipiii  and  Illinois  Rivers,  and 
extending  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Township 
Fifteen  North  of  the  Base  Line,  which  now  di- 
vides Mercer  and  Rock  Island  Counties.  This 
wedge-shape  area  of  land  was  ninety  miles  wide 
at  its  northern  boundary,  and  extended  south 
ICO  miles,  and  it  has  since  lieen  known  in  his- 
tory as  tlie  Military  Tract.  I.Sce  Militanj  Tiiirt. 
in  enc.vclopedia  portion  of  this  work.] 

Before  tills  land  could  be  allotted,  it  was  nces- 
sary  to  make  a  survey,  and  it  was  not  until  Oc- 
tober, 1817,  that  patents  were  ls.sued  to  the  sol- 
diers. Every  volunteer  in  the  War  of  1812  who 
served  an  enlistment  of  nine  months  was  en- 
titled to  a  quarter-section  Of  land,  and  the  own- 
ership of  this  garden  spot  of  Illinois  thus  came 
into  possession  of  men  who  regarded  the  land 
of  little  woi-th,  and  did  not  care  to  leave  their 
homes  in  the  East  for  the  privations  of  the  fron- 
tier. And  so  it  was.  that  land  patents  in  the 
Military  Tract  were  traded  as  boys  swap  jack- 
knives,  "sight  unseen."  The  records  show  that 
many  of  the  soldiers  disposed  of  their  land  even 
before  the  allotment  was  made,  by  granting 
power  of  attorney  to  others  to  receive  the  patent. 
In  this  maimer  the  greater  portion  of  the  land 
was  secured  by  wily  speculators  and  land  com- 
panies, and  the  consequent  result  was  that  set- 
tlement in  this  territory  was  retarded  and  liti- 
gation as  to  land  titles  frequent.  In  the  early 
'twenties,  settlements  began  to  be  made  In  the 
Military  Tract,  and  many  of  the  pioneers,  after 
maiving  improvements  and  breaking  the  new- 
ground,  had  to  give  way,  and  to  relinquish  their 


land  to  others  who  produced  a  I'nited  States 
patent  as  their  title.  Then,  too,  many  of  the 
eastern  speculators  who  had  large  bodies  of  land, 
would  not  sell  to  the  settlers,  anticipating  that 
the  development  of  the  country  would  add  to 
their  land  values.  To  reach  this  particular  class, 
the  Illinois  Legislature  passed  laws  taxing  non- 
resident land-owners,  and  by  thus  burdening  their 
land  with  taxes,  make  tbein  more  willing  to  sell. 

Gov.  Ford,  in  his  "History  of  Illinois."  says: 
"A  very  bad  state  of  feeling  existed  toward  the 
non-resident  land  owners ;  the  timber  on  their 
laiul  was  considered  free  plimder,  to  be  cut  and 
sweiit  away  by  every  c-omer ;  the  owners  brought 
suits  for  damages,  but  where  the  witnesses  and 
Jiu'ors  were  all  on  one  side,  justice  was  forced 
to  go  with  them.  The  non-residents  at  last  be- 
thought themselves  of  employing  and  sending  out 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  preach  to  the  people 
against  the  sin  of  stealing,  or  honhinii  timlier,  as 
It  was  called.  Tlie.se  preachers  ea<'li  had  a  dis- 
trict or  circuit  of  countiy  assigned  to  them,  and 
were  paid  by  the  sermon ;  but  I  have  never 
learned  that  the  non-resident  landowners  suc- 
ceeded any  better  in  protecting  their  property  by 
.the  gospel,  than  they  did  at  law." 

As  a  matter  of  protection  to  the  a<-tual  set- 
tlers, and  to  make  good  their  title  to  the  land 
occupied,  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  the  early 
'thirties  passed  what  are  known  as  "The  Quiet- 
ing Title  Acts,"  Fnder  these  acts,  valid  deeds 
i-ould  be  se<-ured  to  land  st)ld  for  taxes  by  seven 
years'  possession  and  paying  taxes  on  same,  and 
much  of  the  land  in  Schuyler  County  was  ac- 
quired under  such  titles. 

The  first  records  of  land  titles  In  Schuyler 
County  were  made  at  Edwardsville.  where  the 
original  government  land  patents  were  recorded. 
Afterwards,  when  the  State  caiiital  was  located 
at  A'andali.i.  the  records  of  government  patents 
and  transfers  wene  made  there,  and  the  original 
State  records  are  now  in  the  vault  of  the  Schuy- 
ler County  Circuit  Clerk,  but  for  convenience  in 
reference  the  count.v  records  have  been  tran- 
scribed in  a  separate  volume.  Other  early  rec-ords 
of  transfers  in  Schuyler  are  recorded  in  Pike 
County,  which,  prior  to  1S2.'5,  included  all  of  the 
Military  Tract. 

By  the  system  of  tract  indexes  in  use  in  this 
county,  all  the  transfers  to  any  parcel  of  land 
can  be  readily  determined  by  an  examination  of 
the  records  and  a  true  abstract  of  title  olitained. 

During  the  years  tliat  this  country  was  a  col- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


651 


oiiy  of  Eiigland.  liuid  was  grautej,  sold  and 
described  by  aietes  and  bounds,  aud  this  system 
is  still  in  vogue  iu  the  Eastern  States;  but  ow- 
ing to  the  liability  of  monuments  to  be  ol>lit- 
erated,  and  the  constant  variation  of  the  mag- 
netic needle,  the  system  was  loolied  upon  with 
disfavor  by  the  founders  of  our  Government  when 
they  were  called  upon  to  divide  the  Northwestern 
Territory  and  arrange  for  a  system  of  govern- 
ment survey. 

A  committee  of  the  Continental  Congress,  of 
which  Thomas  Jefferson  was  Chairman,  was  ap- 
pointed to  draft  a  system  of  government  survey, 
and  their  first  report  was  made  May  7,  1784.  It 
was  first  decided  to  divide  the  pul)lic  lands  into 
parcels  one  hundred  miles  square,  to  he  sub- 
divided into  lots  one  mile  square,  but  this  report 
was  amended  April  26,  178.5,  and  surveyors  were 
reipiired  to  divide  the  territory  into  townships, 
seven  miles  square,  and  sub-divided  into  sec- 
tions one  mile  square.  The  ordinance  as  finally 
passed,  however,  on  May  20,  178.").  provided  for 
townships  six  miles  square,  containing  tbirt.y- 
six  sections  of  one  mile  square,  and  the  first  sur- 
vey of  public  lands  was  made  under  this  system, 
which  is  in  use  at  the  present  time. 

After  this  system  of  government  survey  was 
inaugurated,  it  was  found  necessary  to  establish 
corrected  Meridian  Lines,  owing  to  the  conver- 
gence of  exactly  due  north  lines  as  they  proceed 
toward  the  North  pole,  and  to  insure  greater 
accuracy  and  aid  in  description.  Base  Lines  were 
run  at  right  angle  to  the  True  Meridian. 

All  the  land  in  the  Military  Tract  is  sur- 
veyed with  reference  to  the  Fourth  Principal 
Meridian,  which  intersects  the  Base  Line  in 
Schuyler  County  about  one-half  udle  so.utli  of 
the  Beardstown  wagon  bridge.  In  describing 
l.inds,  the  townships  are  referred  to  as  east  or 
west  of  the  Fourth  Principal  Meridian,  according 
t<i  their  numerical  relation,  and  in  the  same  man- 
ner their  [losition  north  of  the  Base  Line  is 
designated.  Tlien,  again,  each  townsUip  is  di- 
vided into  thirty-six  sections,  numliered  consec- 
utively, first  from  right  to  left,  beginning  on  the 
first  (or  northern)  tier  of  sections  in  the  nortli- 
east  corner  of  the  township;  then  alternating 
from  left  to  right  on  the  second  tier,  the  third 
and  fifth  tiers  Ijeing  numbered  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  the  first,  and  the  fourth  and  sixth  (or 
even  tiers)  like  the  second — thus  maliing  it  pos- 
sible to  give  a  concise  and  accurate  description 
of  parcels  of  land  by  the  numbering  of  sections. 


within  specified  townshijis  whose  location  may 
lie  determined  by  reference  to  the  Meridian  and 
Base  Line.  This  system  of  land  surveying  is 
theoretically  perfect,  but  when  it  came  to  prac- 
tical operation,  it  was  found  impossible  to  make 
each  township  exactly  six  miles  square,  aud  the 
same  held  true  in  the  division  of  the  townships 
into  sections.  To  remedy  this  in  part,  correc- 
tion lines  were  run,  which  accounts  for  the  jogs 
on  section  corners,  and,  in  the  subdivision  of 
the  townships,  the  surveyors  had  instructions  to 
place  the  excess  or  deficiency  in  the  mirth  and 
west  tier  of  sections. 

After  the  lands  of  the  Military  Tract  were  set 
apart  as  bounty  commissions  for  the  soldiers  of 
the  War  of  1812.  a  survey  w'as  ordered.  It  was 
the  intention  to  locate  the  Base  Line  for  the 
Military  Tract  on  the  fortieth  parallel,  but  an 
error  in  the  computation  fixed  it  one  and  a  half 
miles  to  the  north,  and  the  mistake  was  not 
discovered  until  all  the  land  had  been  laid  off. 
After  the  Base  Line  and  Fourth  Principal  Meri- 
dian were  established,  government  contracts  were 
let  for  the  division  into  townships  and,  later, 
other  contracts  for  the  subdivision  into  sections. 

From  the  record  of  the  original  government 
surveys,  we  find  that  the  first  township  sur- 
veys in  Schuyler  County  were  Itegim  in  Novem- 
ber, 181.5,  and  the  work  continued  for  two  years. 
.1.  .Milton  Moore  and  Enoch  Moore,  afterwards 
lirominent  citizens  of  Monroe  County,  had  a 
large  contract  for  surveys,  as  did  also  .John  D. 
Whitesides,  afterwards  a  General  iu  the  Black 
Hawk  War  and  State  Treasurer. 

At  this  time  all  the  country  north  of  the  Il- 
linois Kiver  was  in  possession  of  the  Indians, 
and  the  surve.vors  labored  under  many  hard- 
sliips.  Most  of  the  work  wa.s  done  during  the 
winter  months,  when  the  streams  and  swampy 
prairie  land  was  frozen,  and  at  that  season  there 
vi'as  less  danger  from  roving  Indians,  who 
looked  with  suspicion  upon  the  invasion  of  their 
hunting  grounds  by  the  white  man.  Of  the 
early  surveyors  in  the  county  John  McKee  is 
the  only  one  wlio  lost  his  life  iu  the  service. 
He  was  killed  Iiy  the  Indians  in  what  is  now 
Brown  County  in  1815,  and  JIcKee  Creek  was 
named  by  his  associates  in  his  honor. 

In  making  the  contract  for  surveys  the  Gov- 
ernment paid  its  surveyors  by  the  mile,  and  the 
natural  result  was  they  sacrificed  accurac.v  for 
S[ieed,  which  accounts  for  the  many  errors  that 
have    since   been    noted    in    tlie   resurveys.      The 


653 


HISTOltY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


original  governnii'iit  survey,  liowever,  is  the  one 
recognized  by  tlie  courts,  and  all  resurveys  must 
be  made  in  conformity  thereto,  notwithstanding 
the  error  is  apparent. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  note  a  few  of  the 
most  apparent  of  these  mistakes  In  the  govern- 
ment surveys,  which  no  doubt  have  mystified 
the  land-o\NTier  who  looks  upon  surveying  as  an 
exact  science.  A  story  told  liy  one  of  the  County 
Surveyors  well  illustralcs  this  point  He  had 
laliored  long  and  diligently  in  establishing  a  gov- 
ernment line,  with  its  deviations,  crooks  and 
turns,  wlien  linally  one  of  the  irate  land-owners 
turned  ujxjn  him  and  exclaimed:  "See  here!  I 
want  to  know  if  you  are  not  sworn  to  survey  this 
tract  by  running  straight  lines."  The  weary  sur- 
veyor, wliosc  patience  had  alreadj'  been  sorely 
tried,  turned  upon  him  and,  in  his  wrath,  replied : 

"No,  by  G ;  I'm  swore  to  make  just  as  many 

mistakes  as  the  infernal  government  surveyor, 
who  laid  out  this  tract," 

It  was  Intended  that  the  Base  Line  should  be 
a  reckoning  point  for  all  other  surveys,  and  it 
was  supposed  to  have  been  accurately  laid  off. 
but,  running  west  from  the  intersection  with  the 
Fourth  I'riucipal  Meridian,  there  is  a  decided 
crook  on  the  south  side  of  Section  thirty-four  in 
Bainbridge  'l''ownship.  In  the  original  survey  of 
Bainbridge  Township,  none  of  the  east  and  west 
section  lines  were  accurately  run,  although  they 
are  jilatted  In  the  notes,  and  this  accounts  for 
the  man}  crooked  lines  In  that  township.  The 
government  surveyors  likewise  reported  full  sec- 
tions, when  a  resurvey  shows  that  the  quarter- 
sections  lying  next  to  the  Base  Line  In  sections 
thirty-two,  thUt.v-three  and  thirty-four  in  Bain- 
bridge Townsliip  contain  only  one  hundred 
acres.  The  opposite  condition  exists  in  Birming- 
ham Township,  where  we  find  the  northwest 
quarter  of  Section  G  contains  270  acres. 

Browning  Township  is  another  sei^'tion  wliere 
the  mistakes  of  the  government  surveyors  are 
a[)parent  in  crooked  section  lines.  In  the  origi- 
nal work  the  surveyors  lost  twenty  rods  at  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  4.  and  continued  the 
error  to  the  south  line  of  the  township.  A  simi- 
lar mistake  was  made  in  surveying  the  west 
portion  of  the  county,  which  resulted  in  locating 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Camden  Township  forty 
rods  too  far  north.  In  Hickorj'  Township,  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  18,  the  surveyors 
lost  entirely  a  tract  of  land  which  includes  29.31 
acres.     No  record  of  this  land  exists,   it  is  not 


listed  in  the  tax  books,  and  apparently  it  has  no 
government  title,  but  it  has  been  occupied  and 
farmed  for  the  last  fifty  years.  In  an  effort  to 
establish  a  title  the  matter  was  brought  before 
the  Government  Land  Office,  but  as  there  was 
no  record  of  such  land  existing  in  the  original 
field  notes,  nothing  could  be  doue  and  the  present 
owner  has  obtained  title  by  iX)Ssession  alone. 

These  and  a  multitude  of  le.sser  errors  in  the 
original  surveys,  have  made  the  work  of  the 
County  Surveyor  extremely  difhcult,  as  he  must 
take  the  government  survey  as  a  basis  for  his 
work.  The  fact  that  this  county  was  heavily 
timbered  and  that  witness  trees  were  clearly 
defined  monuments  to  the  comers,  has  facili- 
tated the  work  of  the  resurveys,  but  in  many 
localities  there  now  exists  a  decided  variation 
between  the  commonly  accepted  property  lines 
and  the  government  survey.  The  statute  of 
limitations  has  fixed  these  division  lines,  even 
tliough  at  variance  with  the  government  survey, 
and  the  County  Sur\'eyor  must  be  governed  there- 
by, which  adds  to  the  errors  already  on  record 
in  the  original  field  notes. 

Even  after  the  old  government  comers  have 
been  relocated  from  witness  trees,  it  is  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  perpetuate  them,  especially  if  they 
are  in  the  highway,  for  the  road  workers  are 
ruthless  destroyers  of  all  such  monuments.  Prob- 
ably ten  per  cent,  of  the  old  government  witness 
trees  are  still  standing  in  Schuyler  Count.v,  and 
the  greater  portion  of  all  quarter  section  corners 
have  been  accurately  located,  and  all  that  is  now 
required  is  that  these  monuments  be  preserved 
together  with  the  witness  trees  that  have  been 
marked  by  the  Countj-  Surveyor. 

In  following  descriptions  from  dee<Is  as  well 
as  In  relocating  original  lines,  the  surveyor  finds 
that  he  must  exercise  to  a  considerable  extent, 
certain  judicial  functions.  He  usually  takes  the 
place  of  both  judge  and  jury,  and  acting  as  ar- 
biter between  adjoining  proprietors,  decides  both 
the  law  and  the  facts  In  regard  to  their  boundary 
lines.  He  does  this  not  because  of  any  right  or 
autliority  he  may  [wssess,  but  because  the  inter- 
ested parties  voluntarily  submit  their  differences 
to  him,  as  an  expert  in  such  matters,  preferring 
to  abide  by  his  decision  rather  than  to  go  to 
law  about  it.  But  sometimes  the  surveyor  Is 
asked  to  Interpret  deeds  that  would  puzzle  a 
Supreme  Court  Justice.  To  illustrate,  we  produce 
the  following  deed,  copied  from  the  records  in 
the    Circuit    Clerk's   olBce:     "All    that    part   of 


Afc.-'Jf^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


653 


the  N.  W.  %  "'k  3  X,  1  \V.  as  lies  east  of  and 
upon  a  branch  runuiiig  from  the  north  into  Mc- 
Kee  branch,  the  west  line  to  be  west  and  adjoin- 
ing ichcre  said  Harris  has  cleared  and  piled  up 
rails,  and  between  the  improvements  of  said 
Harris  and  Jamos  Abbott  on  the  said  quarter, 
the  same  part  to  be  conveyed,  being  supposed  to 
leave  ninety  acres  from  o£E  the  east  side  of  said 
quarter." 

SWAMP    LAND    SUBVETS. 

The  last  government  survey  of  lauds  in  Schuy- 
ler County  was  made  in  the  year  1S42-4.3,  when 
the  swamp  lands  along  the  Illinois  River  and 
creeks  tributary  thereto  were  platted.  D.  A. 
Spaulding  was  the  Surveyor-in-chief,  and  he 
asked  permission  of  the  govei-nmeiit  officials  to 
correct  the  many  apparent  errors  in  the  original 
survey,  but  he  received  peremptory  orders  to 
make  his  survey  in  accordance  with  the  field-notes 
furnished.  This  was  anything  but  pleasing  to  a 
man  of  Mr.  Spauldiug's  ability,  who,  if  given 
an  opportunity,  would  have  straightened  out  the 
crooked  lines  in  Bainbridge,  Frederick,  Brown- 
ing and  Hickory  Townships.  As  it  was,  he  fol- 
lowed the  crooks  and  turns  of  the  old  original' 
survey,  even  when  the  meander  lines  of  the  Il- 
linois River  mounted  the  tops  of  the  high  bluffs. 

The  swamp  lands  surveyed  and  platted  by 
Spaulding  were  turned  over  to  the  State,  and 
by  legislative  enactment  in  force  .luue  22,  18.52. 
these  same  lands  came  into  possession  of  the 
county.  On  September  3,  1855,  the  first  public 
sale  of  swamp  land  was  made,  and  prices  ranged 
as  low  as  ten  cents  an  acre.  It  was  thought  that 
better  prices  could  be  secured  if  an  effort  was 
made  to  drain  the  lands  and,  in  1857,  Leonidas 
Homey  was  appointed  Drainage  Commissioner. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisoi-s  on 
May  20,  1857,  he  made  a  report  advocating  the 
drainage  of  several  tracts,  claiming  that  they 
could  thereby  be  increased  in  value  five  hundred 
per  cent.,  which  would  well  pay  the  county  as 
an  investment.  In  accordance  with  this  recom- 
mendation a  contract  was  let.  September  10. 
1857,  which  specified  the  following  tracts  sub- 
ject to  drainage:  Sections  17  and  .32,  Brooklyn; 
Section  32,  Bainbridge;  Section  3,  Frederick; 
Sections  24  and  25,  Browning ;  and  Sections  14, 
17  and  19,  Hickory.  This  drainage  contract  cost 
the  county  $1,137,  and  was  followed  by  others 
equally  as  large.  Whether  the  results  secured 
justified   the  expenditure,   we   have   been  unable 


to  determine.  Swamp  land  continued  to  be  sold, 
however,  until  some  years  after  the  war.  and 
many  of  the  first  purchasers  realized  handsome 
profits  on  their  investments. 

Drainage  Schemes — Present  Conditions — 
In  the  following  supplementary  pages  will  be 
found  a  more  detailed  history  of  the  swamp 
lands  and  their  present  condition  : 

The  reclaiming  of  the  overflowed  lands  of 
Schuyler  County  to  cultivation  forms  an  inter- 
esting chapter  in  the  industrial  development  of 
the  agricultural  resources  of  the  county,  and  the 
history  of  the  movement  is  but  little  known. 

The  land  originally  designated  "swamp  land" 
along  the  Illinois  River  and  Crooked  Creek,  were 
not  listed  for  entry  in  the  government  land  of- 
fices at  the  time  the  Military  Tract  was  thrown 
open  for  settlement,  and  it  was  not  until  1842 
that  the  tracts  were  surveyed  and  platted.  This 
work  was  done  by  David  A.  Spaulding,  under  di- 
rection of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  and 
by  act  of  Congress,  under  date  of  September  28, 
1850,  these  lands  were  patented  to  the  State  of 
Illinois.  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  the  title 
of  the  swamp  lands  was  placed  in  the  county 
where  said  lands  were  located,  and  they  were 
soon  afterward  disposed  of  at  public  sale. 

Schuyler  County  in  this  manner  obtained  own- 
ership of  4,344.81  acres  of  swamp  (or  over- 
flowed) lands,  and  on  December  0,  1853,  Charles 
Xeill  was  appointed  Drainage  Commissioner  by 
the  Board  of  Suporvisor.s.  The  land  was  divided 
into  three  classes,  and  a  basis  of  valuation  fixed 
liy  the  Board.  Land  in  the  first  class  was  valued 
at  90  cents  an  acre ;  second  class,  50  cents,  and 
third  class,  10  cents,  and  the  first  public  sale  of 
the  lands  was  held  September  3,  18.55. 

On  March  12,  185G,  Leonidns  Horney  was  ap- 
pointed Drainage  Commissioner,  and  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  voted  to  apply  $2,000  derived  from 
the  sale  of  swamp  lands,  to  the  county  jail  fund, 
which  was  in  need  of  replenishing  on  account 
of  the  erection  of  a  new  county  building. 

Under  direction  of  Mr.  Horney  a  survey  w.as 
made  of  the  swamp  lands  owned  by  the  county, 
and  in  a  report  made  by  the  Commissioner  to 
the  Supervisors,  under  date  of  March  12,  1860, 
it  is  shown  that  $1,015.94  was  expended  for  this 
purpose.  At  this  meeting  of  the  board,  $500  from 
the  swamp  land  fund  was  ordered  turned  into 
the  County  School  Fund,  and  apportioned  among 
the  several  townships. 

Charles   Neill   was   again   appointed   Drainage 


654 


HISTOKY  OF  SCIIUYLEH  COUNTY. 


Commissinnor,  March  i:?,  18(i2.  and  the  report 
made  at  that  mocthig  of  the  board  showed  that 
there  jet  remained  unsold  ],T(M)  acres,  and  the 
amount  ot  $708.48  in  the  sawmi)  hind  fund  was 
ordered  used  for  general  county  purposi>s.  In 
after  years  all  of  this  land  was  disiMsed  of,  and 
even  the  third  class  land,  which  was  valued  lu 
1856  at  ]0  cents  an  acre,  and  which  is  today 
largely  covered  with  water,  sells  for  from  $15  to 
$25  an  acre,  and  is  used  for  hunting  and  fishing 
purposes. 

The  first  determined  effort  to  reclaim  a  large 
nody  of  the  ridi  alluviaii  land  in  Schuyler  County 
by  means  of  levees  and  internal  drainage,  was 
made  in  the  fall  of  180C.,  when  the  Coal  Creek 
Drainage  and  Levee  District  was  formed  under 
the  laws  of  Illinois.  Messrs.  Christie  &  Lowe, 
two  Chicago  contractors,  secured  by  purchase  of 
the  owners  in  this  county  some  5,000  acres  of 
land  in  lower  Bainbridge  Township,  and  the.v 
formed  a  drainage  district,  which  included  about 
7,000  acres.  This  tract  is  Imunded  on  the  east 
by  the  Illinois  River,  and  in  its  natural  stjite 
was  cut  through  the  center  by  Coal  Creek.  In 
the  development  of  the  drainage  scheme,  the 
river  was  held  back  by  a  levee  that  extended 
from  the  mouth  of  Coal  Creek  to  the  railroad 
endiankment  below  Frederick,  and  Coal  Creek 
was  deflected  to  a  channel  outside  the  levee 
district  on  the  west.  A  large  pumping  plant 
was  erected  at  the  lower  end  of  the  district,  but 
the  overflow  of  Coal  Creek  at  flood  seasons  has 
rendered  futile  the  eftorts  of  the  promoters  to 
reclaim  this  rich  land  to  cultivation,  and  for 
five  years  past,  it  has  been  i)ractically  aban- 
doned. Xew  impetus  has  lately  been  given  to 
the  enterprise,  and  the  I>istri<'t  Conunissioners 
are  now  planning  to  spend  $40.0(X)  in  additional 
imiiiovenuMits  to  control  the  Hood  water  of  Coal 
Creek    and    provide    internal    improvements., 

A  second  drainage  and  levee  district  was  or- 
ganized in  the  same  township  this  year,  and  at 
the  .May  term  of  the  County  Court  the  Crane 
Creek  Drainage  and  Levee  District  was  created, 
and  George  llanna.  H.  V.  Teel  and  Henry  Kirk- 
ham  were  named  as  Commissioners.  This  dis- 
trict includes  alxmt  5,000  acres,  and  the  plan 
is  to  carry  Crane  Creek  outside  the  district,  and 
levee  against  the  Illinois  Kiver  and  Crooked 
Creek.  Work  w  ill  commence  as  soon  as  the  l)re- 
liminary  court  ]iroceedings  are  completed. 


(•TT.\i''ii:i;  X. 


PIONEER   LIFE 


IIARDSIIII'S      AND      PRIVATIONS       ENCOUNTEREn      BY 
THE     EARLY     SEITLEH — WHENCE     HE    CAME      AND 

ROIITES     OF     TRAVEL ST.      LOflS      THE      NEAREST 

C.VSII  MARKET — NEAREST  POSTOFFICE  AND  PHYSI- 
CIAN  IMPORTANCE     OF     THE     RIFLE     IN     PIONEER 

LIFE— nP:E-HlNTlNG  AS  A  SOURCE  OF  REVENUE — 
EARLY  INDUSTRIES  AND  BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES — 
FIRST      SETTLERS      SHUN       THE     PRAIRIES — FIRST 

.STEA.MER  ASCENDS  THE  ILLINOIS  IN  1828 FARM- 

IN(i  AS  THE  FIRST  INDUSTRY FURS  AND  PELT- 
RIES AS  A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  MONEY — EARLY  FAR.M 
IMPLEMENTS — METHODS  OF  CULTIVATION  AND 
HARVE.STIXG  OF  CRorti — DAYS  OF  THE  CORN 
GRATKI:  AND  WOODEN  MORTAR — WHERE  THE  FIRST 
MILLS  WERE  LOCATED — PART  BORNE  BY  THE- PIO- 
NEER WOMEN  IN  EARLY  DOMESTIC  AND  INDUS- 
TRIAL LIFE — TWO  TYPES  OF  SOCIETY — SPORTS  AND 
PASTIMES — AN  EARLY  WEDDING  AND  THE  IN- 
FAIR CO.MIN0    OF    THE    PREACHER    AND    DAYS    OF 

THE   CAMP-MEETING. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  the 
present  generation  knows  but  little  of  the  lalwrs, 
the  privations,  the  hardships  and  the  countless 
dangers  dared  by  the  pioneers  who  first  settled 
and  improved  Schuyler  County.  Their  struggle 
with  natural  conditions  was  enough  to  try  the 
most  courageous  and  the  most  hopeful,  and  that 
they  did  succeed  and  did  triumph,  goes  to  show 
they  were  animated  by  a  mighty  zeal,  and  sus- 
tained by  a  backing  of  the  toughest  moral  fiber. 

Too  often  in  the  days  of  our  prosperous  times 
we  forget  how  the  sturd.v  pioneeers  i>ushed  into 
the  wilderness  of  the  Military  Tract,  even  while 
the  Indian  yet  roamed  over  the  country,  and 
Imilt  their  cabins  along  what  was  then  known 
as  the  northwestern  frontier.  They  came  from 
the  settlements  of  New  England,  from  the  middle 
and  southeastern  coast  States,  and  from  the 
,liorder  lands  of  Kentuek.v  and  Missouri,  and  met 
on  common  ground  as  countr.vmen  and  neighbors. 

There  were  two  great  routes  of  communication 
open  to  Schuyler  County  in  those  early  days. 
One  was  by  means  of  the  overland  trail,  which 
wound    its   devious    way    southward   .-icross    the 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


655 


Illinois  River,  autl  tlieu  eastward  to  Terre  Haute. 
The  ottier  was  by  way  of  the  Illinois  Uiver.  and 
many  of  the  settlers  from  Missouri  and  Ken- 
tucky chose  this  route. 

Under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  it  was  a 
dreary,  tiresome  journey,  fraught  with  many 
dangers  and  privations,  especially  by  the  over- 
land route,  where  the  only  road  was  a  trail 
through  the  prairie,  and  where  streams  had  to 
be  forded  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  save  dur- 
ing the  winter  season,  when  crossing  was  made 
on  the  ice.  Yet  hundreds  so  came,  even  from 
distant  New  England,  Te.\as  and  North  Carolina. 

Even  after  the  toilsome  and  perilous  journey 
was  made  in  safety,  great  courage  was  required 
to  brave  the  dangers  and  trials  incident  to  build- 
ing a  home  iu  the  trackless  wilds.  The  life  of 
the  pioneer — and  by  this  we  mean  the  noble 
women  as  well  as  the  men — was  one  of  unceasing 
vigilance  and  activity.  It  involved  every  possi- 
ble danger  from  exposure,  illness  or  accident,  and 
called  for  the  highest  quality  of  courage  and  en- 
durance. To  some,  no  doubt,  the  element  of 
constant  adventure  was  a  great  inducement  to 
settle  here,  and  fully  were  they  realized:  and, 
even  after  the  country  began  to  fill  with  home- 
seekers,  we  find  that  love  of  Jidvcnture,  yet  un- 
satisfied, stirred  some  of  the  early  settlers  to 
move  farther  westward  onto  the  new  frontier. 

It  is  a  well  known  sociological  fact  that  hu- 
mans are  molded  by  envirotunent  and  the  rug- 
ged life,  and  the  scenes  of  the  primitive  wilder- 
ness, inculcated  in  the  pioneers  coin-age.  patience, 
self-reliance  and  an  abiding  faith  in  God.  They 
were,  in  brief,  an  intelligent,  honest  and  hardy 
race.  Their  private  virtues  were  hospitality, 
courage  and  fidelity,  their  pulilic  virtues  were 
patriotism,  love  of  order  and  readiness  for  the 
most  arduous  public  service,  and  tlie  stamp  of 
their  qualities,  modified  by  the  l:ips(>  of  years, 
may  still  be  observed. 

In  that  first  year  in  the  county,  the  little  col- 
ony of  settlers,  less  than  two  score  In  number, 
nuist  have  been  depressed  b.v  the  solitude  of  the 
wilderness  that  everywhere  surrounded  them. 
Distances  were  mighty  and  means  of  communi- 
cation slow  and  laborious.  The  nearest  market 
was  St.  Louis :  the  nearest  blacksmith  shop  at 
Carrollton ;  the  nearest  postotlice.  Sangamon, 
sixty  miles  away,  and  the  only  physician  known 
to  tlie  .settlers  lived  at  Diamond  Grove,  near 
where  .Jacksonville  is  now  located.  It  has  l^eeu 
said  bv  some  Illinois  historians  that  ague  became 


a  habit  with  the  early  pioneers,  and  that  the 
only  medicine  known  or  prescrilied  in  the  settle- 
ment was  calomel  and  whisky,  with  an  occasional 
blood-letting  when  a  physician  was  called.  As 
for  luxuries,  there  were  none ;  and  ceaseless, 
toilsome  labor  was  the  only  pastime,  if  we  ex- 
cept hunting. 

The  rifle  was  an  Important  adjunct  in  the 
equijiment  of  the  pioneer,  and  for  many  years 
after  their  arrival,  the  forest  supplied  the  set- 
tlers with  the  greater  jjart  of  their  subsistence. 
Furs  and  peltry  were  the  circulating  medium  of 
the  country,  and  they  had  little  else  to  give 
in  exchange.  Constant  practice,  and  the  fact 
that  their  means  of  support  depended  upon  it, 
made  every  man  a  marksman.  In  those  pioneer 
days,  each  gun  was  hand-made,  and  while  they 
look  crude  compared  with  the  perfect  mechanical 
excellence  of  the  jiresent  day,  they  were  often- 
times costly  weapons,  for  the  hunters  took  pride 
in  their  guns  and  had  them  made  to  their  special 
order. 

Another  source  of  revenue  that  the  pioneers 
were  quick  to  take  advantiige  of,  was  bee-hunt- 
lug.  Tills  was  followed  as  a  regular  business  by 
.some  of  the  young  unmarried  men,  and,  during 
the  .vear  182.3,  a  joint  company,  composed  of 
Thomas  Ueard.  Samuel  Gooch  and  Orris  JIc- 
Cartney,  slilpped  twenty-seven  barrels  of  sti-ained 
honey  to  St.  Louis,  in  addition  to  a  large  quantity 
of  wa.x.  Bees  were  then  so  abundant  that  it  was 
no  unusual  thiug  to  find  ten  swarms  In  one  day, 
and  the  yield  ran  as  high  as  thirty  to  forty 
gallons  jicr  tree,  but  such  a  find  was  an  unusual 
one.  This  product  found  a  ready  market  In 
St.  Louis  and  was  one  of  the  main  sources  of 
supplying  the  early  home  seekers  with  the  neces- 
sities of  life. 

Rafting  logs,  staves  and  hoop-poles  down  the 
Illinois  River  to  the  St.  IjouIs  market  was  an- 
other of  the  early  business  enterprises  of  pioneer 
days  which  yielded  good  returns,  and  it  was 
c»ntinued  long  after  the  countr.y  became  thickly 
settled.  The  great  majority  of  the  early  settlers 
shunned  the  rich,  flat  prairie  land,  now  the  very 
finest  in  Illinois,  becau.se  it  was  wet  and  "boggy," 
and  in  looking  for  an  ideal  location  for  a  home, 
chose  the  timbered  country.  Here  many  years 
of  their  life  were  spent  in  clearing  off  the  hea\'y 
timlier  and  grubbing  stumi}s  in  their  cultivated 
fields.  But  while  thus  engaged  in  clearing  their 
homestead,  they  were  getting  a  little  ready  money 
from  the  sale  of  logs  and  staves,  and  the  cooper 


656 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


shops  gave  employment  to  men  who  otherwise 
would  not  have  been  able  to  esta51ish  a  home 
of  their  own. 

It  was  not  until  182S  that  the  first  steamboat 
came  up  the  Illinois  River  to  Beardstown  from 
St.  Louis,  but  in  the  yeare  preceding  that  the  set- 
tlers carried  on  a  rc^iular  traffic  witli  St.  Louis, 
which  was  in  fact  their  only  market.  The  young 
men  of  the  settlement  looked  forward  with  great 
glee  to  the  trip  down  the  river  on  the  log-rafts 
and  keel-boats,  and  it  had  a  fascination  sufficient 
to  cause  many  of  them  to  leave  the  settlement 
and  engage  in  rafting  as  a  business.  It  was  a 
rough,  hard  life,  full  of  danger  and  privations, 
but  the  sturdy  youths  were  accustomed  to  no 
other  mode  of  living,  and  chose  it  in  preference 
to  the  routine  work  of  the  farm. 

Farming  was  engaged  in  by  all  the  settlers, 
as  their  purpose  In  coming  here  was  to  establish 
permanent  homes,  but  during  the  early  years 
of  tlicir  occupancy,  the  products  of  the  farm 
were  almost  worthless,  save  for  home  consump- 
tion. The  ground  was  easily  cultivated  and  the 
yield  abundant,  but  there  was  no  cash  market 
for  grain  and  vegetables  of  any  kind.  Corn  was 
valued  in  trade  at  five  cents  a  bushel,  and  oats 
were  so  abundant  nobody  wanted  them.  Good 
cows,  with  calves  at  their  side,  sold  for  $8,  and 
hogs  ran  wild  in  tlie  woods  and  were  hunted  like 
other  wild  game.  Mone.v  there  was  none,  and, 
as  we  have  said  before,  the  circulating  medium 
of  the  country  consisted  of  furs  and  peltry. 

Cultivating  tlie  soil  and  liarvesting  the  crops 
was  accomplished  with  the  crudest  implements, 
and  the  work  was  all  done  by  hand.  The  first 
plows  used  were  made  with  an  iron  share  and 
a  wooden  mold-board,  and  the.v  were  heavy  and 
cumbersome.  In  breaking  the  native  sod.  the 
plow  was  usually  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and 
it  would  throw  a  furrow  from  twenty  to  thirty 
inches  wide  and  three  to  five  inches  deep.  Corn 
was  oftentimes  planted  in  the  sod  without  culti- 
vation, and  good  crops  were  thus  harvested. 
Grain  was  cut  with  the  cradle,  bound  by  hand 
and  threshed  with  a  flail  of  the  farmer's  own 
manufacture.  .\ll  the  smaller  agricultural  tools 
were  hand-made,  and  were  limited  to  the  hoe, 
rake,  spade  and  pick,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  were 
heavy  and  unwieldy,  and  productive  of  many 
back-aches  for  the  lads  who  were  called  upon  to 
do  their  full  share  of  farm  work.  At  harvest 
time  the  farmers  joined  together  in  garnering 
their   crops,   and    gaiety    and    good    fellowship 


abounded  on  every  hand.  The  harvesters  always 
e.\pected  the  farmer  for  whom  thej'  worked  to 
have  a  jug  of  whisky  in  the  field,  and  it  was 
handed  about  as  freely  as  water.  Whisky  in 
those  days  sold  for  eighteen  to  twenty  cents  a 
gallon,  and,  while  there  were  occasional  excesses, 
the  pioneers  as  a  rule  were  not  addicted  to 
drunkenness.  The  evolution  of  mechanical  ap- 
pliances on  tlie  farm  has  been  so  rapid  and  won- 
derful as  almost  to  exceed  belief,  and  it  has 
been  accomplished  largely  within  the  memory 
of  the  present  generation,  many  of  the  older 
ri'sldcnts  of  the  county  licing  familiar  with  the 
primitive  methods  by  actual  experience. 

With  uo  mill  less  than  fifty  miles  distant,  the 
first  settlers  in  the  county  were  dependent  xtytoQ 
hominy  mortars  and  tin  graters  for  their  meal. 
The  fonner  was  constructed  by  scooping  out  a 
dish-like  hollow  in  top  of  a  stump,  and  di- 
rectly above  it  suspending  a  huge  wooden  pestle 
that  was  operated  bj'  a  sweep,  nmcli  the  same  as 
used  for  drawing  water.  Corn  or  wheat  was 
placed  in  the  improvised  mortar  and  crushed  by 
the  oiieratiou  of  the  suspended  pestle.  The 
finer  particles  of  com  were  thus  available  for 
meal,  and  the  coarser  jmrticles  for  hominy.  Even 
more  primitive  was  the  tin-grater,  whereby  the 
com  in  the  ear  was  reduced  to  edible  proiwrtlons. 
To  meet  the  growing  demands  of  the  settlement, 
Calvin  Hobart  cimstrm-tcd  a  banil-mill,  driven 
by  liorse-power,  which  would  grind  two  or  three 
bushels  of  corn  an  hour.  In  1S2()  another  mill 
was  cre<ted  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
17  by  Mr.  Ilobart.  and  it  was  successfully  oper- 
ated by  him  for  several  years.  The  mill-stones 
were  manufactiu'ed  from  boulders  found  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  while  at  work  dressing  down 
the  stones,  it  was  necessary  to  travel  six  miles 
to  the  nearest  blacksmith  shop,  wliere  tools  could 
be  sharpened.  This  mill  was  oiK>rated  for  several 
years,  and  settlers  living  forty  and  flft>'  miles 
to  the  north,  brought  their  grain  to  the  Holiart 
mill.  Some  years  afterwards,  when  advantage 
was  taken  of  water-power  for  the  operation  of 
mills,  the  old  band-mills  were  abandoned,  but  they 
had  served  their  purpose  well,  and  were  a  great 
convenience  to  the  early  settlers. 

In  considering  the  home  life  of  the  early  set- 
tlers, the  pioneer  woman  should  most  surely  be 
extolled,  for  her  life  was  one  of  hardship  and 
self-denial,  and  building  a  home  in  the  unde- 
veloped West  meant  many  privations  to  her  that 
did   not   affect  the   stronger   sex.      In   the  long. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


657 


wearisome  journey  from  the  Eastern  States,  only 
the  most  essential  household  furnishings  were 
brought  along,  and  while  some  of  the  settlers 
could  boast  of  a  bureau  and  bedstead,  in  the 
majority  of  the  early  homes  even  these  necessi- 
ties were  provided  for  on  the  sixit.  Ck)oking 
stoves  were  unknown,  and  all  the  baking  and 
cooking  was  done  in  the  big  fire-place  that  was 
built  in  one  end  of  the  cabin.  Here  the  venison 
and  fowl  were  roasted  on  a  spit,  and  hoe-cakes 
were  baked  on  the  hearth,  and  while  the  daily 
diet  may  have  been  monotonous,  the  appetite  of 
the  pioneer  needed  no  coaxing,  and  cornbread 
and  side-meat  were  relished  as  a  daily  fare. 

In  addition  to  her  regular  household  duties, 
the  pioneer  mother  had  to  "break"  the  water  for 
washing,  for  no  one  enjoyed  the  luxury'  of  a 
cistern ;  also  make  her  own  soap,  and  dip  or 
mold  the  candles,  and  during  the  summer  and 
fall,  she  dried  the  fruit  for  winter  use  and  ren- 
dered out  the  lard  at  butchering  time.  The 
women  also  brought  with  tbem  from  the  eastern 
settlements  their  spinning  wheels,  with  which 
yarn  was  made,  and  it  was  not  long  until  rude 
looms  were  improvised  to  weave  cloth.  Not 
every  cabin,  however,  in  whicli  spinning  was  done 
had  a  loom.  But  there  was  always  someone 
in  each  settlement,  who,  besides  doing  her  own 
weaving,  did  work  for  others.  Nearly  all  the 
clothes  worn  by  the  men  and  women  were  home^ 
made.  The  men  and  boys  wore  buttcrnut-colofed 
jeans,  and  linsey-woolsey  was  a  popular  fabric 
for  both  sexes.  Deer  hides  were  also  tanned, 
and  served  the  men  for  wearing  apparel,  and  the 
coon-skin  caps  were  much  in  vogue.  During  the 
summer  season  footwear  was  generally  discarded 
entirel.v,  or  buckskin  moccasins  worn,  and  the 
settlers  served  as  their  own  shoemakers.  After 
the  country  became  more  populous,  the  settle- 
ments were  visited  regularly  by  itinerant  shoe- 
makers, who  boarded  with  the  settler  while  he 
worlved  up  the  family  stock  of  eovr-hide  into 
footwear. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Scluiyler  County 
there  existed  two  distinct  types  of  society.  The 
Yankee  brought  with  him  the  Puritan  ideas  of 
the  East,  while  the  Southerner  was  of  that 
jovial,  generous  disposition,  with  a  fondness  for 
fun  and  frolic.  While  this  social  distinction  was 
clearly  marked,  there  was  no  diminution  of  the 
neighborly  spirit  that  so  perfectly  characterized 
the  pioneer,  and  they  met  together  on  a  plane 
of  equality  in  the  social  activities  of  the  settle- 


ment. Notwithstanding  their  cabins  were  widely 
separated,  whenever  there  was  a  "house-raising," 
a  "log-rolling>"  or  a  "husking-bee,"  the  entire 
settlement,  including  men,  women  and  children, 
took  part.  And,  even  though  the  serious  minded 
and  deeply  religious  settlers  did  not  join  with 
the  Southerners  in  their  horse  races  and  revels, 
the  conditions  of  the  times  demanded  that  there 
be  no  serious  estrangement,  for  all  were  mutually 
dependent  upon  each  other.  Individuality  counted 
for  much  more  in  those  days  than  now,  for  the 
people  were  brought  into  closer  contact  one  with 
another,  and  were  wont  to  gauge  a  man's  stand- 
ing and  capabilities  accurately  from  their  own 
observation.  As  in  every  new  country,  physical 
prowess  was  held  in  higher  esteem  than  mental 
endowments,  and  about  the  fireside  the  familiar 
topics  of  conversation  were  the  exploits  of  the 
chase  and  of  the  border  warfare.  Then,  too,  in 
all  their  gatherings,  the  common  amusements 
were  wrestling,  foot-racing  and  shooting  matches, 
and,  when  difficulties  arose,  it  was  the  common 
practice  to  settle  them  by  personal  combat. 

At  the  "house-raisings"  and  corn-huskings,  the 
women  vied  with  the  men  in  the  festivities. 
These  gatherings  usually  ended  in  a  dance,  and 
greatly  prized  in  the  settlement  was  the  cheerful 
fiddle  that  enlivened  the  long  winter  evenings, 
and  relieved  the  tedium  of  their  lonely  life. 
For  those  who  could  ni.ike  nuisie  with  their  fa- 
vorite instrument  there  was  alwa.ys  the  heartiest 
welcome,  and  the  choicest  seat  near  the  great 
log-fire  that  supplied  alike  heat  and  light. 

A  true  glimpse  of  pioneer  life  is  afforded  us 
in  the  following  account  of  the  second  wedding 
in  the  county,  written  by  Jonathan  D.  Manlove. 
one  of  the  early  pioneers : 

"In  the  spring  of  1826,  Mr.  Samuel  Green  and 
Miss  Caroline  Trainer  were  married  at  the  cabin 
of  the  bride's  father,  James  Trainer,  in  Littleton 
Township.  The  cabin  was  small — say  sixteen 
b.v  eighteen.  The  company  was  some  dozen,  be- 
sides the  family.  There  were  two  beds  and  a 
table  in  the  house,  leaving  but  little  room  for  the 
guests.  The  night  was  stormy.  The  chimney 
was  but  little  above  the  jambs,  and  the  smoke 
found  vent  in  the  house.  Chairs  then  were  not 
fashionable,  and  there  was  no  room  for  them 
if  they  had  been  so.  All  went  off  well.  Plenty 
to  eat — venison,  turkey,  honey  and  metheglin, 
besides  other  luxuries.  Songs  were  sung  and  old- 
fashioned  plays  were  the  order  of  the  night ;  but, 
as  all  things  come  to  an  end,  .so  did  the  night. 


658 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


The  )iast  was   a  rcalitj-.   but   the   infair  was   in 
the  future,  and  its  events  unknown. 

"Readers,  did  .vou  ever  see  'the  Itottle  ruu  for?" 
I  have,  often ;  and  on  tliis  oecasiou  tlie  first  and 
last  time  in  Schuyler.  This  is  the  way  it  is 
done — this  case  will  illustrate:  On  leaving  the 
bride's  home  for  the  home  of  the  groom,  John 
(ireen  and  Mr.  Mf.\llister  made  tracks  for  the 
residence  of  the  groom's  father,  Ileniy  Green, 
which  was  just  where  Mr.  Vail  lives  above  Uush- 
ville.  The  person  who  could  first  reach  there 
got  the  bottle,  and  in  triuinjih  returned  to  meet 
the  delighted  party  and  give  them  a  dram.  John 
Green,  to  use  his  own  language,  took  a  bee-line, 
and  was  far  in  advance  of  his  competitor  (who 
was  not  a  woodsm.iu),  and  met  the  party  some 
miles  back.  When  the  party  arrived  it  was 
raining,  and  continued  incessantly  most  of  the 
evening  and  night.  The  cabin  here  was  smaller 
than  the  other  and  the  crowd  larger." 

In  every  phase  of  life  the  pioneers  entered  heart- 
ily into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  and  while 
their  sports  and  recreation  may  now  seem 
rough  and  uncouth,  the  same  hearty  zeal  that 
was  noticealile  in  their  pleasures  was  a  predomi- 
nating trait  of  their  religion  as  well. 

The  first  settlers  were  hardly  settled  In  their 
rude  log-cabins  in  182.^,  when  the  itinerant 
preacher  appeared,  and,  as  the  settlement  in- 
creased in  number,  almost  every  denomination 
was  represented  Ijy  ministers,  who,  with  untiring 
zeal,  had  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  Divine 
Master.  As  a  rule,  they  were  men  of  little 
education  or  refinement,  but  they  iKJssessed  the 
earnestness  of  deep  conviction,  and  their  pas- 
sionate utterances  moved  the  people  mightily.  In 
their  travels,  which  sometimes  included  a  cir- 
cuit of  fift>-  or  si.xty  miles,  they  married  the 
lovers,  baptized  the  converted,  christened  the 
children  and  spoke  words  of  consolation  aliove 
the  still  forms  of  the  dead. 

But  it  was  at  the  camp-meetings  that  their 
greatest  power  was  shown,  and,  with  fiery  zeal, 
they  enthusetl  the  multitude.  These  meetings 
often  lasted  for  a  week  or  more,  and  were  held 
in  the  open  air  beneath  the  big  forest  trees.  Heiv 
such  intellectual  giants  as  I'eter  Cartwright  were 
often  heard,  and  as  often  a  whole  community 
was  wrought  up  and  converted  by  the  unmeas- 
ured force  that  leajjed  from  uneducated,  un- 
polished backwoods  ]ireachers.  These  men  were 
tjpes  of  a  civilization  that,  in  the  rapidly  chang- 
ing and  marvelous  development  of   the  countrj-. 


has  passed  away;  but  their  influence  in  guiding 
public  sentiment  and  action  ariglit  in  tliat  forma- 
tive period  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT. 


.SOME      I'lONKKK      .MA.M  KACTURING      INDUSTRIES      IN 

sririvij;R  couxTV — hat  and  chair  factories 

— TANNERIE.S  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF  THEIR  PRO- 
Dl'CTS  TO  THE  EARLY  SETTLER — FIRST  CARDING 
.MILL  IN  KISHVIIXE — A  WAUON  FACTORY  ESTAB- 
LISHED    IN     THE    EARLY     'FORTIES — THE    RA.MSEY 

FUJURING      MUX — THE      COOPERING      INDUSTRY 

WOOLEN  M1LI..S.  KNITTING  AND  SPINNING  FAC- 
TORY— URICK-MAKING CIGAB     FACTORIES COAL 

MINING  A  PROSPECTIVE  INDU.STRY — FISHERIES 
AND  THEIR  PRODUCTS — MANUFACTURES  FROM 
MUSSELrSUELLS    A   GROWING    INDUSTRY. 

While  agriculture,  as  the  method  of  securing 
means  of  support  for  the  pioneer  and  his  family, 
was  net^ssaril.v  the  first  industry  receiving  at- 
tention of  the  early  settlers  of  Schuyler  County, 
yet  in  the  decade  beginning  with  l&'A  we  find 
that  many  small  mercantile  industries  flourished 
in  Uushville,  and  it  will  Ih?  interesting  to  review 
the  history  of  the  most  important  ones. 

A.  La  Croi.K  established  a  hat  factory  on  what 
is  now  known  as  the  B.  C.  Gilliam  property,  in 
tlie  early  "thirties,  and  for  many  years,  main- 
tained a  flourishing  business. 

William  Sneider's  chair  factory,  established 
about  the  same  time,  was  lociited  near  where  H. 
B.  Roach's  residence  now  stands.  There  was 
a  giM)d  demand  for  household  furnishings  at  that 
time,  as  the  pioneei-s  were  prospering,  and  they 
had  brought  little  if  an.v  furniture  witli  them 
to  the  settlement.  The  Sneider  chairs  were  of  the 
split-bottom,  hickory  kind,  but  were  substan- 
tially made,  and  there  are  a  few  of  them  to  be 
found  in  Rusliville  today,  aud,  perchance,  be- 
decked with  white  enamel  and  a  velvet  cushion, 
and  occupying  a  place  of  honor  in  the  front 
parlor. 

There    were    cabinet-makers     in     those    early 


(^^rA<^^^  ,    <y  .  /^^^<2^:^TjL<:i 


IIISTOUY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


659 


days  who  also  turned  out  t'uiiiiture  that  now, 
after  a  lapse  of  seveuty-five  years,  is  brought 
out  from  the  garrets  and  refurnished  anew.  Of 
these  cabinet-makers,  E.  H.  O.  Seeley  is  the 
most  widely  known.  He  established  his  business 
in  1831,  on  the  site  of  the  present  brick  store 
building  owned  liy  his  heirs,  and  it  is  interesting, 
in  this  connection,  to  state  that  he  paid  for  the 
two  corner  lots  on  the  public  square  by  making 
a  dresser  and  a  set  of  pigeon-hole  postoffiee  boxes 
for  Hart  Fellows. 

Dr.  James  Blackburn  established  the  first  tan- 
nery in  the  county  at  Rushville.  in  1830,  near 
n'here  G.  H.  Scrlpps'  residence  now  stands,  and 
operated  it  until  183G.  when  be  sold  the  prop- 
erty to  George  Baker  and  removed  to  Brooklyn 
to  engage  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

The  tanner.v  business  appears  to  have  been  a 
profitable  one  in  the  early  days  of  the  county, 
and  there  were  eight  or  ten  establishments  in 
Rushville  in  the  later  'thirties  and  early  'forties. 
George  Baker,  George  H.  Seripps,  .Tohu  Scriijps, 
Mr.  Kirkham,  and  Mr.  Orendorf  are  remembered 
by  the  older  citizens  as  proprietors  of  tanneries. 
In  later  days,  Philip.  \YilIiam  and  Augu.st  Peter 
continued  the  tanning  business  on  an  extensive 
scale,  but  it  was  finally  abandoned  as  unprofit- 
able by  August  and  William  I'eter,  about  1880. 

Geer  Brothers  operated  a  small  shop,  near  the 
old  Peter  Fox  i)ropert}%  in  the  early  days,  for 
the  manufacture  of  horn-combs,  but  their  busi- 
ness was  a  limited  one,  and  was  soon  aban- 
doned. 

John  Hodge  established  the  first  carding  mill 
in  Rushville.  and  he  brought  his  machinery  here 
from  Kentucky.  His  first  mill  was  located  on 
tlie  present  site  of  the  Electric  Light  building.  " 
The  mill  was  at  first  operated  as  a  horse  tread- 
mill, and  it  had  a  capacity  of  from  90  to  100 
pounds  per  day.  When  first  established,  the 
standard  price  for  carding  wool  was  a  picayune 
(fJV4  cts.)  a  pound,  but  in  war  times  the  price 
was  advanced  to  ten  cents  a  pound. 

Mr.  Hodge  also  installed  a  flaxseed  crusher, 
and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  linseed  oil, 
but  the  business  did  not  prove  profitable,  as  local 
dealers  bid  up  on  the  seed  and  imported  the 
manufactiu'ed  product  from   St.   Louis. 

John  WhorIe.v  became  owner  of  the  carding 
mill  Inisiness  in  the  early  'fifties,  and  he  in- 
stalled the  first  steam  engine  used  for  motive 
power  in  the  county  in  1854.  This  engine  and 
boiler  was  afterwards  in  use  at  McCabe's  brick 


yard,  and  lias  only  lately  lieen  put  out  of  com- 
mission. 

William  H.  Hodge  learned  the  carding  trade 
under  his  father,  and  engaged  in  the  business  for 
many  .years.  He  dismantled  the  plant  and  re- 
tired from  the  business  in   1878. 

The  financial  depression  following  the  panic 
of  18:^.7  had  a  wide-spreading  effect  on  industrial 
conditions  in  Illinois,  and  it  was  not  until  ten 
years  later  that  we  observe  any  marked  im- 
provement in  conditions  in  Rushville.  In  that 
.year  .John  and  Joseph  Knowles  established  their 
wagon-shop  in  Rushville,  and  it  thrived  and 
prospered  for  nearly  fifty  .vears.  The  business 
was  started  on  a  small  scale,  but  grew  steadily, 
and.  at  one  time,  a  force  of  twent.v  to  tn'enty- 
five  men  was  employed,  and  machinery  was  in- 
stalled to  manufacture  all  parts  of  the  wagons 
in  the  local  shops.  Then  came  the  era  of  the 
machine-made  wagon,  and  this  firm  closed  out 
its  business  in  1894  to  Corbridge  &  Glossop,  who 
continued  the  manufacture  of  hand-made  wagons, 
and  later  the  business  was  merged  into  a  conrora- 
tion  known  as  "The  Rushville  Wagon  and  Ma- 
chine Compan.v." 

In  this  same  year  what  is  known  as  the  Ram- 
sey flouring  mill  was  built  by  Little  &  Ray,  and 
William  Hardy  was  put  in  charge  as  superin- 
tendent. Samuel  Ramsey  afterwards  operated 
the  mill  for  many  years,  and  it  finally  passed 
to  the  ownership  of  Kerr  Brothers,  and  was 
owned  by  them  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

From  the  earliest  days  of  pioneer  settlement, 
coopering  was  one  of  the  industries  of  Schuyler 
County,  and  it  was  a  productive  source  of 
wealth  for  many  of  those  who  engaged  in  it 
extensively.  There  was  abundance  of  fine  native 
timber,  and,  as  the  wooded  tracts  were  settled 
first,  coojiering  came  to  be  regarded  as  the  main 
industry  of  the  settlement. 

Perry  Tolle  was  one  of  these  old  pioneer  coop- 
ers, and  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  facts 
liere  presented.  He  says  the  halcyon  days  of  the 
cooper  were  from  1844  to  18.")2,  and  places  the 
number  of  men  engaged  in  the  business  in  Schuy- 
ler County  during  that  period,  at  about  1500. 
He  sa.^■s  there  were  .500  coopm-  shops  in  the 
county,  and  they  would  easily  average  three  men 
to  the  shop. 

Good  wages  were  earned  by  cxijert  coopers, 
as  they  were  paid  by  the  pie<'e.  A  whisky  bar- 
rel that  sold  for  .$1.25  netted  the  coojier  G2i,i 
cents,  and  a  good  man  could  make  lour  or  five 


660 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


in  a  day.  and  some  could  turn  out  six.  Fifteen 
cents  was  paid  for  flour  barrels,  and  an  average 
day's  worlc  was  ten  barrels.  Then  there  was 
what  was  called  "nest  worlj,"  a  half  barrel,  a 
quarter  barrel,  and  a  lieg,  one  inside  the  other. 

Ham  barrels,  with  a  rapacity  of  fifty  f;allons, 
netted  the  cooper  3714  cents  each,  and  slack  hogs- 
heads were  made  for  75  and  SO  cents  each. 

White  oak  timber  was  used  exclusively  for 
pork  and  whisky  barrels,  and  rod  or  black  oak 
for  the  other  barrels. 

Broom  making  was  another  industry  of  the 
early  day  that  flourished  in  Schuyler  County, 
and  broom  corn  was  looked  upon  as  a  staple 
crop.  With  the  advancement  in  agriculture, 
however,  larmers  found  other  crops  more  protit- 
ablc,  and  it  is  now  wholly  eliminated  as  a  product 
of  the  county. 

Industrial  disaster,  rather  than  industrial  de- 
velopment, would  more  fitly  descrit)e  the  historj' 
of  the  woolen  mill  business  in  Rushville,  which 
was  carried  on  at  intervals  between  1850  and 
1887.  Tho  private  fort\mes  of  several  well- 
known  Rushville  citizens  were  depleted  by  their 
connection  with  this  business,  which  held  out 
alluring  prospects  of  success,  but  always  ended 
In  financial  disaster. 

The  pioneers  in  the  woolen  mill  business  in 
Rushville  were  George  Wheelhouse,  George 
Weber  and  John  Korstian,  who  established  a 
small  plant  about  1S.")0.  They  did  spinning  and 
weaving  for  the  local  trade,  and  put  in  the  first 
fulling  and  shearing  machines  brought  to  this 
county.  The  business  was  continued  for  a 
number  of  years  and  sucessfuliy  managed  on  a 
small  scale. 

In  18C7  a  local  stock  conipanj*  was  organized 
to  engage  in  the  business  on  a  large  scale,  and 
the  large  three-story  brick  factory  building  was 
erected  that  year.  The  eiiiiiment  was  modern, 
and  the  prosjiects  looked  bright  for  the  new  com- 
mercial industry.  Joseph  Duncan  came  from  the 
East  to  act  as  suiierintendent,  but  he  was  in- 
competent, and  within  two  .vears  tlie  mill  shut 
down. 

In  1880  Dr.  N.  G.  Slack  and  Albert  L.  Gavitt 
formed  a  partnership  and  refitted  the  woolen 
mill.  They,  too,  operated  for  about  two  yeai-s, 
and  found  the  venture  a  financial  burden. 

Again  in  1SS4  the  mill  was  reoiiened,  this 
time  by  a  local  stock  company,  and  Lester  Gor- 
don was  placed  in  i-barge  as  superintendent.  .Vt 
this  time  a  specialty  was  made  of  the  manufac- 


ture of  shawls,  but  the  business  failed  to  prove 
a  financial  success,  and  it  was  closed  out  in 
1887  and  the  mill  dismantled,  thus  ending  for  all 
time  the  effort  to  establish  a  woolen  mill  in 
Uusbville. 

John  Foote  came  to  Rushville  in  1876  and 
started  a  knitting  factory,  and  (he  business  thus 
established  Is  continued  by  his  sons,  G.  H.  and 
Walter  Foote.  For  many  years  this  factory  had 
a  large  output  of  hosier}-,  but  in  late  .vears  it  has 
been  a  spinning  factory  exclusively,  and  operated 
In  connection  with  a  factory  owned  by  Cliarles 
Foote  of  Ipava,  111. 

John  McCabe,  a  pioneer  in  the  brick-making 
business  in  Rushville,  first  opened  his  yard  here 
in  ISUij.  and  he  continued  the  business  until  1905, 
when  he  retired. 

The  manufacture  of  cigars  is  a  local  Industry 
of  considerable  importance  in  Rushville,  and 
there  are  now  throe  factories  in  ojjeratlon.  They 
are  owned  by  Keeling  &  Schnur,  Guy  Grubb  and 
Joseph  SIcKee. 

Coal  Minm.ng  is  one  of  the  undeveloped  indus- 
tries of  Schuyler  County,  and  thoro  are  vast 
coal  fields  adjacent  to  Rushville  that  will  one 
day  furnish  employment  to  hundreds  of  men. 
Just  now  coal  Is  ndned  for  the  local  market 
alone,  and  at  this  the  total  output  will  aggregate 
some  .$40,000  to  .?50,000  annually.  Round  about 
Rushville  and  I'leasantview,  the  coal  vein  is 
four  to  five  feet  thick,  and  at  Littleton  a  thirty- 
six  inch  vein  is  being  mined.  But  with  this 
wealth  of  coal  deposits,  closely  adjacent  to  a 
line  of  railroad,  there  will  soon  come  a  time  when 
it  will  be  fully  develoiied,  and  made  a  source  of 
profit  to  the  owners. 

Fisheries. — The  fisheries  of  Schuyler  County 
in  the  Illinois  River  and  its  trilnitaries  are  exten- 
sive and  profitable,  but  exact  statistics  as  to  the 
business  is  diflicult  to  obtain.  .\ll  along  the 
river,  from  Bluff  City  in  Hickory  Township  to 
Crooked  Creek,  which  forms  the  southwestern 
boundary  line  of  the  county,  there  are  men  en- 
gatied  in  fishing  for  a  livelihood.  During  the 
fishing  season  there  are  i)robably  two  hundred 
men  thus  engaged,  and  the  value  of  their  catches 
runs  into  thousands  of  dollars.  The  fact  that 
Beardstown  and  Havana  are  competing  fish 
markets,  with  Browning  for  the  catch  in  this 
county,  makes  it  diflicult  to  obtain  accurate  sta- 
tistics. Browning,  however,  is  one  of  the  Im- 
portant fish  markets  on  the   Illinois  River,  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


661 


in   some  j-ears   more   thau   l,000,O(i0   pounds  of 
fish  are  marketed  there. 

Mussel  Fishing — A  rapidly  growing  industry 
ou  the  Illinois  River  is  mussel  fishing,  which  in 
the  past  few  years,  has  attracted  hundreds  of  men 
to  the  work.  All  along  the  eastern  boundary  of 
Schuyler  County  there  are  found  extensive  beds 
of  mussels  in  the  Illinois  Kiver  and,  to  a  lesser 
extent,  in  Crooked  Creek.  These  mussel  beds 
are  said  to  be  from  eight  to  ten  feet  deep,  and 
since  an  economic  use  has  been  found  for  the 
shells  in  the  manufacture  of  buttons,  the  mussel 
fishing  industry  has  developed  a  hitherto  neg- 
lected  source  of   wealth. 

Clam  fishing  in  the  Illinois  Itiver  was  first 
begun  some  four  or  five  years  ago,  but  not  until 
the  summer  of  1907  was  it  pushed  vigorously. 
With  the  finding  of  a  number  of  valuable  pearls 
by  the  mussel  fishermen,  a  new  impetus  was  given 
this  industry,  and  now  some  MOO  or  -KX)  men  are 
at  work  fishing  for  mussels  between  Browning 
and  the  mouth  of  Crooked  Creek. 

The  price  of  mussel  shells  ranges  from  $4  to 
.$12  a  ton,  and  fabulous  prices  are  paid  for  pearls 
which  are  oftentimes  found  by  the  fishermen. 
The  method  of  fishing  for  clams  is  simple,  cheap 
and  effective.  A  flat  boat,  with  scow-bow  and 
end,  is  generally  used  and  on  the  gunwale  are 
placed  standards  from  three  to  four  feet  high. 
The  utensils  consist  of  an  iron  bar  to  which  is 
attached  a  succession  of  lines  and  hooks,  the  lat- 
ter being  made  of  bent  wire  without  barbs.  The 
bar  is  thrown  overboard  and  drawn  along  the 
bed  of  tlic  river  and,  at  the  touch  of  the  hooks 
the  clams  close  theh-  shells  and  hold  on,  and  the 
bar  is  drawn  to  the  surface  and  rested  ou  the 
gunwale  standards  while  the  mussels  are  de- 
tached. .Vfter  the  shells  are  unloaded  they  are 
put  into  a  large  galvanized  iron  vessel,  and 
boiled  or  steamed  until  the  shells  open  and  the 
flesh  can  be  removed.  In  removing  the  flesh 
from  the  shell  a  sharp  watch  is  kept  for  pearls, 
and  they  are  easily  detached  by  the  men  who 
become  expert  in  the  work. 

Dr.  W.  S.  Strode,  of  Lewlstowu.  has  made  a 
special  study  of  the  mussels  in  the  Illinois  River, 
and  we  cjuote  as  follows  from  an  article  written 
by  him  for  the  History  of  Fulton  County : 

"The  UnionidiB,  or  Pearly  Fresh  Water  Mus- 
sels, are  the  most  important  of  shell-bearing 
species  of  the  counfii-  or  state.  Our  rivers  and 
lakes  are  densely  occupied  with  them  and  they 
are  destined,  at  no  distint  day.  tu  become  of  some 


commercial  importance,  as  well  as  of  scientific 
interest.  In  many  localities  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  where  the  demand  by  i)earl  button  fac- 
tories has  made  a  market  for  the  shells,  the  suj)- 
ply  has  been  nearly  exhausted,  and  as  it  takes 
about  four  years  for  a  new  crop  to  be  produced, 
new  fields  are  being  sought  where  the  shells  are 
more  plentiful.  All  our  fresh  water  mussels 
are  harmless.  They  are  the  scavengers  of  our 
water  courses,  and  do  nmcli  good  in  purifying 
the  streauLs.  They  furnish  much  of  the  food 
of  many  fishes  and  water  fowls  and  should  not 
be  wantonly   destro.ved. 

"Some  of  the  mussels  are  very  clannish  in  their 
habits,  associating  only  with  their  kind  and  re- 
maining in  certain  localities  or  beds  during  their 
lifetime.  Others  are  great  travelers  and  wander 
far  and  near  in  search  of  food  and  their  kind, 
plowing  little  furrows  in  the  sand  or  mud  as 
they  go.  The  difterent  species  varj'  greatly  in 
size,  as  well  as  in  configuration  or  architecture 
of  shell.  Some  are  so  small,  as  the  donacifwmis, 
that  scores  of  them  could  be  put  into  a  pint 
measure,  while  the  heras,  the  giant  of  the 
family,  attains  a  weight  of  two  or  three  pounds 
and  a  length  of  shell  from  eight  to  ten  inches. 
As  an  article  of  food  they  do  not  appeal  to  the 
tastes  of  an  epicurean,  but  in  case  of  emergency 
they  would  keep  off  starvation.  Some  of  the 
peasants  of  the  old  world  do  not  disdain  them 
as  an  article  of  food. 

"About  twelve  hundred  species  of  mussel  are 
found  in  the  world.  Of  these  six  hundred  are 
found  in  North  America  and  about  one  hun- 
dred in  Illinois  and,  up  to  date,  over  sixty  of 
these  are  accredited  to  Fulton  County.  In  time, 
with  a  more  thorough  research  of  the  waters 
of  the  Illinois  and  Spoon  Rivers,  the  full  hun- 
dred or  more  will  be  found  in  the  county." 


CHAPTER  XII. 


MERCANTILE  AND   BANKING  INTERESTS. 


COMMERCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CONDITIONS  AT  AN 
EARLY  DAY — METHODS  OF  B.4lRTER  AND  TRADE — 
ST.     LOITIS     EARLY     MARKET — FURS,     HONEY    AND 


663 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


BEES-WAX  AS  A  LEGAL  TENDER — FIRST  MERCHANT 

IN     SCHUYLER     COUNTY OTHERS     OF     A     I^TER 

PERIOD — THE  CAREER  OF  THOMAS  W.  SCOTT — BUSI- 
NESS   HOUSES    IN    RUSHVILLE    IN    1834 COMING 

OF  THE  FIRST  STEAMBOAT  UP  THE  ILLINOIS  IN 
1830 — SPANISH    AND    FRENCH    CURRENCY — RAPID 

PROGRESS    BETWEEN    1830   AND    1835 THE    PANIC 

OF  1837 — PRICES  OF  AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTS 
AND  DRY-GOODS — STATISTICS  OF  THE  PACKING 
INDUSTRY — BANKING  HISTORY UNCERTAIN  VAL- 
UES OF  PAPER  CURRENCY — FIRST  BANK  ESTAB- 
LISHED   IN    RUSHVILLE    IN     lSt>4 ITS    FOUNDERS 

AND  OFFICERS — CHANGES   AND   PRESENT  OFFICERS 

OTHER    BANKING     INSTITI'TIONS    IN    SCHUYI.KR 

COUNTY OFFICERS  AND  PRINCIPAL  STOCK-HOLD- 
ERS. 

In  our  investigation  into  indiistriiil  conditions 
existiuf!  in  Ruslivillo  in  the  e.irly  ilny,  we  Uave 
linntcd  up  old  account  lioolis  and  market  prices, 
and  find  many  things  of  historic  value  turuishinj; 
lifjlit  uiion  general  husiness  and  commercial  con- 
dition of  more  than  a  half-century  ago.  A  few 
of  the  entries  alluded  to  here  are  taken  from 
the  cash  book  of  Nelson  &  Robertson,  who  were 
in  husiness  on  the  north  side  of  the  public  square 
in  Kusliville,  where  Nelson  Brothers'  store  now 
stands.  The  entries  of  produce  received  are  not 
numerous  but  they  give  an  insight  into  current 
market  prices. 

Dec.  20,  1,84!).  Win.  Weightman. 

by  1186  lbs.  pork ?2:!.72 

Dec.  20,  1849,  Saml  McCreeiy, 

by  211   lbs.  ham 7.38 

Dec.  20,  184!),  Sam'l  .McCreery, 

by  204  lbs.   shoulders ."..10 

Dei-.  IS.  1848.  \Vm.  (Jreen, 

by  ."p  iiairs  venison  hams .\fKl 

Aug.  1.  1847,  Jonathan  Patteson, 

(Jl  yds.  flannel 30..-)0 

Aug.     1,  1847,  .Tohn  lUown, 

23%  yds.  calico 4..'!.") 

Aug.     1,  1S47.  .lolin  IJrowu, 

bairel    salt    2..")0 

Aug.     4,  1847,  James  Kiuman. 

14    lbs.    sugar l.W 

-Vug.     4.  1847.  Robert    Wells. 

10  lbs.  coffee 1.00 

Aug.  22,  1847,  John  Hetriek, 

2  lbs.  candles 25 

Aug.  24,  1847,  James  A.  West, 

3  gal.   molasses 1  ..">0 


Aug.  31,  1847,  David  Louderback, 

l<2   11).  powder 25 

Sept.     7.  1847,  David  Ix)uderback, 

2  tin   l)uckets 75 

Sept.     8,  1847,  R.  SI.  Wortbiugton, 

1 '  1>    .vds.    linen 1..50 

Sept.  9,  1847,  Sam'l  Jlc-Creery, 

1!)  lbs.  lard 1.10 

Oct.  31,  1847.  Jos.   N.  Ward, 

(PA   lbs.  harness  leather 1.75 

Aug.  21.  1848,  Robt.   Brooks, 

3  lbs.   nails 25 

AiirillS,  1849,  1".    II.    Walker, 

1  bolt  window  paper 1.25 

-May  1,  1849,  Wm.  Cox, 

tin   dipper    IS 

May     1,  1849.  Dennis  Walker, 

3  ll)s.   rice 25 

Dec.  24.  1.849,  W.  A,  Minshall, 

3  chickens   25 

Dec.  24,  1M9,  John  C.  Bagby, 

15  yds.  calico 3.75 

De<-.  29.  1.S-J9.  (Jj-o.  W.  Manlove. 

5>i.   lbs.  sole  leather i.'.iS 

Jan.    9,  18.50,  E.  Kdmonston, 

2  oz.  indigo 25 

Jan.     .5.  1850,  James   A.   West, 

4  chisels   2.25 

JIar.  14.  1850.  Jonathan  Patteson, 

15  yards  gingham 5.03 

Jan.  30.   1.S50,  Abner    -Mullen, 

1  wash  pan 35 

In  searching  the  early  pa|>ers  for  market  re- 
ports we  find  that  not  until  1848  did  the  papers 
deem  it  worth  while  to  give  prices  of  local  coun- 
try produce,  and  these  prices  were  doubtless 
based  upon  an  exchange  basis,  as  there  was  no 
cash  market  for  grain.  The  market  prices  here 
given  are  taken  from  Rushville  papers  of  the 
date  mentioned : 

July  13,  184.8 — Wheat  50c,  corn  15c,  oats  15c. 

June  20,  ia51— Wheat  50@00c-,  com  20@ 
30c,  barley  55(17  (K»c,  rye  30@3.5c,  potatoes  CO 
ft;  I  ;."(■:  beef  .5c.  bacon  7c,  ham  Sfti  10c,  shoulders 
()'((Sc,  lard  G(a7c,  tallow  10c,  butter  12c,  eggs  5c, 
flaxseed  .$1,  clover  $r,.  beeswax  18c,  feathers  40c. 

Sept.  1.  18.5-1 — Wheat  S5ftt?l,  com  25(Jj3.5c, 
ne  OOc.  oats  18'«25c.  clover  .seed  .?5rt>.<(>,  timothy 
seed  S2(n;?2..50,  beans  9<J(S.51,  jwtatoes  75@.?1, 
butter  lOtqlov,  cofifee  14c,  sugar  CV4f.  rice  8  l-3e, 
tea  G0@$1.25,  hams  7@9c,  shoulders  5@6%c, 
lard  7@8c,  eggs  C'4c,  wool,  unwashed,  14(a!17c 
washed.  2ir<t25c. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


Gfi.3 


June  2G.  1855— Flour  $S.50@$9,  wbeat  $1.20 
(?/.$1.40,  corn  ."lOCiMiOe,  onts  ."5e,  corn  meal  OSc, 
potatoes  .$1.25@.$1..50.  flax  Sfl.SO,  clover  $7.50, 
rye  60c,  beef  8c,  butter  10c,  ebeese  10c,  broom 
corn  .$50  per  tou.  prrs  5c.  chickens  $1.25  per 
dozen. 

Sept.  1.3.  18.">!1— Wbeat  45(</'47c,  flour  $0.00,  corn 
60@T.5e.  oats  25f((:«)c,  hams  10@12V2C,  hirlcs  12c 
dry,  5c  green,  broom  corn  $60.00  and  $75.00, 
hoop  poles  6Sc  to  $1.00,  staves  $8  to  $10,  cord 
wood  $1.50  to  $2.00,  coal  8c  per  bu. 

Xov.  27,  18<;f)— Flour  $5.00(S.$0.00,  wheat  00c 
@80c,  i-orn  2()i-.  oats  15c,  meal  40c,  potatoes 
20e,  cheese  8c,  lard  Oc,  whisky  barrels  75c.  flour 
barrels  .SOc,  hoop  poles  50c  to  $1,  staves  $7,  broom 
corn  $40. 

.\pril  7.  18<'.4 — Flour  $6..50  to  .$7.  wheat  '.)()(ai 
$1.  corn  6.5e.  wool  60c,  hay  $15,  coal  oil  75c, 
cofl:"ee  40c. 

Nov.  8,  1805— Flour  $8  to  $9,  wheat  $1.25  to 
$2.00,  oats  20c,  corn  30c,  rye  40c,  lard  20c,  tal- 
low 10c,  hides  10c  dry,  hoop  poles  $1.50  per  100, 
staves  $12  to  $15  per  thousand. 

Pork-packinj;  was  an  industry  of  some  masiui- 
tude  in  Schuyler  County  before  the  civil  war, 
and  it  was  continued  on  a  smaller  scale  until  as 
late  as  1880.  It  was  a  business  that  afforded 
labor  during  the  winter  months  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  men,  and  the  product  was  hauled  to  the 
Illinois  River  for  shipment.  The  traffic,  in  fact, 
became  so  constant  that  a  plank  toll-road  was 
built  from  Rushville  to  Frederick,  a  distance 
of  ten  miles,  in  l,s.")4,  and  was  maintained  until 
probably  1866.  We  have  found  in  old  Rushville 
papers  a  record  of  the  amount  of  business  done 
by  local  pork-packers  for  certain  years,  which 
is   here   given  : 

Years  No.  Hogs  Av.  Wt. 

1856 15,598! 212  lbs 

1857 9,650 109  lbs 

1858 10.130 206  lbs 

IS.'iO 9,486 179  lbs 

1800 9,826 

During  the  winter  of  1850-60  the  following 
firms  were  engaged  in  the  business  aud  the  fig- 
ures show  the  e.xteut  of  the  business  operations : 

No.  wt.         price 

Ray,    Little    &    Co 4.073 

Nelson  &  McCroskey 336 

Thomas   Wilson    I,(i."i3       182  lbs     .$.").61 

Wells   &   Co 1.460       186  lbs       5.40 

M.  Farwell  &  Co., 


Frederick,  HI 1,028       191  lbs       5.54 

Randall  &  Blackburn,  Brook- 
lyn, 111 376 

Total  in  county 9,82(') 

A  study  of  the  industrial  and  commercial  his- 
tory of  a  community  has  an  interest  to  the 
student  of  affairs  eriual  to  its  social  or  political 
relations,  but  we  find  that  even  the  historians 
of  Illinois  have  passed  lightly  over  this  interest- 
ing phase  of  State  history,  and  the  facts  aud 
figures  here  given  have  been  obtained  from 
original  sources.  They  are  not  as  complete  as  it 
might  be  desirable  to  make  them,  but  they  give 
an  in.sight  into  the  industrial  conditions  that 
have  prevailed  in  Schuyler  Count.v  from  the 
earliest  time.  What  is  more,  they  give  a  record 
of  human  interest,  the  every  day  life  side  of 
history,  and  show  plainly  the  economic  develop- 
ment from  the  pioneer  times,  to  the  present  day. 
The  early  pioneers  of  Schuyler  County  were 
mutually  dependent,  and  having  no  costly  tastes 
to  gratify  or  expensive  hal)its  to  indulge,  they 
obtained  by  barter  and  trade  the  necessaries  of 
life  that  were  nut  raised  on  the  farm.  There 
was  no  market  for  grain  aud  Calvin  Ilobart. 
one  of  the  first  settlers,  notes  the  fact  that  corn 
could  be  purchased  in  1824  for  five  cents  a  bushel, 
and  a  cow  with  calf  sold  for  $8. 

St.  Louis,  hoNAever.  offered  a  market  for  furs, 
honey  and  beeswax,  and  it  is  a  fact  worthy  of 
note  that  the  industrial  development  of  Schuyler 
County  began  before  the  date  of  the  first  per- 
ni.ancnt  settlement,  for  it  is  a  matter  of  record 
that  Messrs.  McCartney,  Gooch  &  Beard  .ioined 
together  to  engage  in  bee-hunting  in  this  county 
the  fall  previous  to  the  coming  of  the  first  home- 
maker.  The  outcome  of  this  business  venture 
w.as  that  the  firm  shipped  tweutj--seven  barrels 
of  honey  and  several  thousand  poimds  of  bees- 
wax to  St.  Louis  in  the  fall  of  1823,  which  was 
the  first  natural  product  of  Schuyler  County  to 
find  a  market.  Bee-hunting  was,  for  many  years 
.afterward,  a  profitable  business,  a«d  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Schuyler  Count:\-  Courts,  attention 
is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  fli'st  retainer  fee  given 
a  lawyer  in  a  Schu,\ler  County  court  was  a  bar- 
rel of  honey. 

Five  years  elapsed  from  the  time  of  the  first 
settlement  of  Schuyler  County  until  the  mer- 
cantile era  liegan,  and  the  name  of  the  first 
merchant  is  lost  to  history.  He  came  from 
.lacksonville  in  1828,  aud  opened  his  store  in  a 
log  cabin  Hart  Fellows  had  erected  near  where 


6G4 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


H.  M.  Dace's  brick  store  building  now  sfcmds. 
His  stay  here  was  a  Ijricf  one,  and  soon  afterward 
Benjamin  Chadsey  starled  a  store  in  the  same 
cal)in.  His  stock  was  purchased  in  St.  Louis, 
was  brousht  up  the  Illinois  River  by  keel-boat 
and  hauled  overland  from  the  lauding  near 
Frederick.  H.irt  l'(!liows  was  his  clerk,  and  the 
firm  was  later  known  as  Chadsey  &  Fellows. 
A  frame  building  was  erected  near  the  log  cabiu 
for  store  purjioses,  and  Ibis  was  really  the  be- 
ginning of  the  mercantile  era  in  UushvlUe  and 
Schuyler  County.  Jlr.  Fellows  set  the  precedent 
that  has  long  been  followed  In  rural  communi- 
tie.s,  of  combining  the  postoflice  with  mercantile 
business,  as  he  was  Uusbville's  first  post  master. 

Thomas  W.  Scott  was  another  of  Rushville"s 
pioneer  merchants,  and  in  those  early  years  he 
made  a  start  that  was  the  foundation  of  the 
largest  private  fortune  ever  aecunuuulated  In 
Schuyler  County.  It  was  tbe  privilege  of  the 
writer  to  see  a  letter  written  by  Sir.  Scott,  under 
date  of  December  4,  l&JO.  to  his  brother  Walter 
D.  Scott,  of  Kentucky,  who  was  then  associated 
with  bim  in  business.  In  this  letter  Mr.  Seott 
states  that  there  are  four  business  houses  in 
Rushville,  and  that  one  can  easily  get  rich  if 
he  will  only  buy  land  and  raise  cattle.  He  was 
wise  enough  to  see  into  the  future,  and  soon  after- 
ward bought  320  acres  of  school  laud  on  Section 
Sixteen  in  Rushville  township,  which  is  now 
owned  by  his  children,  and  is  rated  with  the 
best  land  in  the  county. 

A  little  later  on  we  find  that  Rushville  had 
grown  in  a  mercantile  way,  and  Rev.  J.  M.  I'eck, 
in  his  "Gazetteer  of  Illinois,"  in  1834  gives  the 
following  facts  regarding  the  business  enterprises 
of  the  town :  "Rushville  has  six  stores,  two 
groceries,  two  taverns,  four  cabinet  makers,  four 
brick-masons  and  plasterers,  three  carpenters, 
two  blacksmiths,  four  tanneries,  four  lawyers 
and  two  physicians." 

In  those  early  days  tJie  merchants  were  mere 
retailers  of  dry-goods  and  groceries,  as  they 
purchased  and  shipped  abroad  none  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  country  e.\cept  a  few  peltries  and 
trend  of  the  times  was  just  beginning  to  show 
furs,  and,  perhaps,  beeswax.  The  economic 
a  gleam  of  hope  for  a  mercantile  career  in  1830, 
when  the  steamboats  first  began  to  ply  upon  the 
Illinois  River.  But  the  merchants  had  neither 
capital  nor  an  extensive  market  for  their  goods, 
and  they  were  sustained  largely  by  the  influx 


of  immigrants  who  came  to  the  settlement  with 
money. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection 
that  the  coins  of  general  circulation  were  of 
Spanish  denomination,  and  were  brought  to  the 
settlement  from  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis. 
Tliero  was  the  Spanish  dollar,  half-dollar  and 
ijuarter,  and  the  "i)icayune"  (dVi  cents)  and  "bit" 
ll2i'o  cents),  and  occasionally  a  French  five- 
franc  piece  (!).■>  cents)  or  an  English  sovereign 
($4.85)  was  seen.  But  with  the  early  mer- 
chants, furs  and  skins  were  the  best  known  legal- 
tender,  and  barter  and  trade  was  tbe  general 
rule  throughout  the  settlement,  the  gold  and 
silver  coin  lieing  used  almost  exclusively  in  pay- 
ing for  government  land,  taxes  and  ix)Stage. 

The  years  from  1S.'{0  to  1835  marked  an  era 
of  unprecedented  activity  in  a  coumiercial  way 
in  Illinois,  and  many  smaller  manufacturing  in- 
dustries were  established  in  Rushville  at  this 
time.  The  Internal  improvement  scheme,  which 
was  to  provide  railroad  and  canal  transjxjrtation 
for  all  parts  of  the  State,  was  the  alluring  dream 
of  the  future,  and  its  purposes,  as  viewed  from  a 
politii'lan's  standiioint,  is  well  set  forth  by  the 
following  ]iassage  from  Gov.  Dunc.in's  message, 
in  alluding  to  the  conslniclion  of  railroads  and 
canals,  as  "bearing  with  seeming  triumph,  the 
rich  productions  of  the  interior  to  the  rivers, 
lakes  and  ocean,  almost  annihilating  time,  burden 
and  space." 

It  was  a  roseate  dream  that  had  an  entrancing 
fascination  for  the  sturdy  pioneers,  and  the  wily 
|K)iitieians  of  that  time  were  quick  to  catch  the 
drift  of  put)lic  opinion  and  grant  any  and  all 
appropriations  that  might  be  asked  to  press  for- 
ward the  scheme  for  internal  improvements. 
Then  came  the  panic  of  18.37,  with  Its  attending 
financial  disasters,  and  the  first  chapter  In 
"Frenzied  Finance"  was  enacted  in  Illinois. 

BANKING  INSTITUTIONS. 
In  taking  up  the  history  of  the  financial  in- 
stitutions of  Schuyler  County,  we  find  that  the 
banking  business  was  closely  allied  to  the  mer- 
cantile trade  in  the  early  days,  and  that  there 
was  a  gradual  evolution  to  the  conditions  and 
systems  of  the  splendid  service  of  the  present 
day.  Prior  to  1840  there  was  practically  no 
money  in  circulation  in  the  county  and  business 
was  done  almost  entirely  by  barter  and  trade. 
With  the  development  of  the  agricultural  re- 
sources of   the   county   the   mercantile   business 


J?J^aI-€t£^^_  /?^ 


l2^~r>z-n^^^><} 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


665 


expanded  in  proportion,  and  there  came  into  vogue 
a  credit  system  that  made  the  general  stores  of 
that  day  a  clearing  house  for  the  entire  commu- 
nitj'. 

As  an  outgrowth  of  this  system  there  was  in- 
augurated a  primitive  banliing  business,  as  it 
were,  and  as  early  as  1844  the  firm  of  Little  & 
Ray  made  drafts  on  the  eastern  money  centers 
for  the  accommodation  of  their  customers  and 
patrons.  In  those  days  financial  affairs  were  in 
a  choatic  state  and  the  paper  currency  of  the 
countiy  was  known  by  such  names  as  "Shinplas- 
ters,"  "wild  cat,"  "red  dog,"  and  "stumptail," 
and  the  bills  of  the  different  banks  had  a  con- 
stantly fluctuating  value  that  made  it  impossible 
to  accurately  determine  one's  wealth  in  bank 
note  currency. 

This  variation  in  the  value  of  the  bank  note 
currency-  was  such  that  each  merchant  was  re- 
quired to  consult  a  weekly  publication  known  as 
"The  Bank  Note  Reporter,"  before  he  would  ac- 
cept a  bill  in  payment  for  goods,  and  he  then 
made  proper  discounts  from  its  face  value  as 
shown  by  the  figures  in  his  financial  paper.  The 
uncertainty  that  surrounded  the  currency  of  those 
days  was,  in  itself,  an  incentive  to  liusiuess.  for 
the  widespread  distrust  of  its  value  precluded 
any  inclination  to  hoard  and  money  circulated 
freely. 

The  first  regular  banking  business  in  Schuy- 
ler County  was  established  in  1SG4,  when  the 
mercantile  firm  of  Little  &  Ray  organized  the 
First  National  Bank.  The  original  capital  stock 
was  $100,000,  but  it  was  afterwards  reduced  to 
$50,000.  The  fli-st  officers  of  the  bank  were: 
President,  Wm.  H.  Kay ;  Vice  President,  George 
Little;    Cashier,   August   Warren. 

On  October  9,  1884,  this  bank  was  reorganized 
and  was  changed  from  a  national  bank  to  a  co- 
[lartnership,  and  the  capital  stock  fixed  at  $75,000. 
The  officers  elected  at  this  time  were :  President, 
Geo  Little;  Vice  President,  S.  B.  Montgomery; 
Cashier,  August  Warren ;  Assistant  Cashier, 
Dwight  E.  Ray.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  bank 
moved  from  its  old  quarters  in  the  Little  &  Ray 
store  building  to  the  building  now  occnjiied,  which 
was  built  especially  for  the  banking  business. 

Again  on  December  1,  1901,  the  bank  was  re- 
organized and  new  stockholders  taken  in  and 
the  bank  capital  and  surplus  Is  now  $140,000. 
with  the  personal  responsibility  of  the  stockhold- 
ers amounting  to  .$1,000,000.  The  officers  and 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  Rushville  are: 


President,  S.  B.  Montgomery;  Vice  President, 
John  S.  Bagby;  Cashier,  John  S.  Little;  As- 
sistant Cashiers,  J.  H.  Young  and  H.  H.  Brown. 

Directors:  William  R.  McCreery,  S.  B.  Mont- 
gomery, L.  J.  McCreery,  Perry  Logsdon,  John  S. 
Bagby,  Robert  Brown,  D.  H.  Glass,  John  S.  Lit- 
tle, H.  V.  Teel,  George  Hanna  and  Charles  B. 
Griffith. 

Rushville's  second  bank  was  started  January  1, 
1870,  by  James  G.  McCreery  &  Co.,  and  was 
known  as  the  Merchants  &  Farmer's  Bank.  Mr. 
McCreery  was  president  and  his  son-in-law,  S. 
M.  Hume,  cashier.  Thomas  Wilson  was  one  of 
the  financial  backers  of  the  new  bank,  which 
continued  in  business  until  January  1,  1874.  The 
bank  was  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  public 
square  on  the  site  of  the  building  now  occupied 
by  James  V.  Knapp's  jewelry  store. 

The  Bank  of  Schuyler  County,  which  was  or- 
ganized by  J.  Alarch  Patterson,  of  Jacksonville, 
111.,  began  business  in  Rushville,  January  4, 
ISOt).  It  was  organized  as  a  State  bank  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $25,000,  and  the  original  stock 
holders  were :  J.  March  Patterson,  Thomas  Wil- 
son, George  R.  Hunter,  James  A.  Teel,  John  M. 
Darnell,  Edwin  Dyson,  S.  S.  Prentiss,  P.  B. 
Mann,  F.  G.  Farrell  and  R.  W.  Mills. 

The  officers  of  the  bank  were :  President, 
Thomas  Wilson ;  Vice  President,  James  A.  Teel ; 
Cashier,  J.  March  Patterson. 

In  October,  1898,  the  bank  was  reorganized 
and  A.  P.  Rodewald  was  elected  Cashier  and 
George  Dyson  Second  Vice  President,  and  under 
their  management  the  bank  has  had  a  steady 
and  increasing  growth. 

On  May  1,  1902,  the  capital  stock  of  the  bank 
was  Increased  from  $25,000  to  $40,000,  and  on 
March  12,  1904,  it  was  again  increased  to  $50,000 
and  on  January  1,  1908,  the  capital  stock  was 
made  $100,0(X>. 

Under  the  State  banking  law  quarterly  re- 
ports are  made  to  the  State  Auditor  and,  under 
date  of  May  12,  1008,  we  note  the  following 
statement  of  the  Bank  of  Schuyler  County : 

RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  Discounts $243,023..31 

Overdrafts    1,161.31 

Bonds  and  Stocks, 3,550.00 

Banking  house  7,500.00 

Furniture  and  fixtures 1,000.00 

Cash   and  due   from  banks 120,710.42 

Total     7^     $376,951.34 


66G 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


LIABILITIES. 

Capital   stock   paid   in $100,000.00 

Undivided  profits  (;,(;:•:;.(;(; 

Deposits 270,:i27.(;8 

Total     .«370.9.31..H4 

The  present  officers  ami  directors  ol'  tlie  Banlv 
of  Scluiyler  County  are :  President,  fieorge  K. 
Hunter:  Vice  President,  George  Dyson;  Cashier. 
A.  I'.   Kodewald. 

Directors— Geo.  R.  Hunter.  .1.  M.  Darnell,  J. 
L.  Sweeney,  George  Dyson.  Fred.  Kodewald,  A. 
J.  Lnshniett.  Edwin  Dyson.  .V.  I*.  Uodewnld. 
Hiram  Graff. 

Tlie  first  l)ank  to  lie  estaltlished  in  Schuyler 
county  outside  of  Uushville  opened  for  liusiness 
in  Littleton,  December  3,  1!)04.  It  Is  known  as 
The  liauk  of  Littleton,  and  is  a  co-partnership 
bank  with  a  capital  stock  of  .?10,000.  The  offi- 
cers are:  President,  John  F.  Snyder;  Cashier, 
E.  B.  Dixson  ;  Assistant  Cashier.  Doan  Dixson. 

The  Merchants  &  Traders  Bank  of  Browning 
Is  tlie  latest  addition  to  the  banking  institutions 
of  Schuyler  County  and  it  opened  its  doors  for 
business  May  -5,  1007. 

The  bank  was  organized  on  a  co-partuership 
basis  with  a  capital  stock  of  $12,000.  The  offi- 
cers are:  President,  C.  B.  Workman;  Cashier. 
L.  II.  Yeck.  Stock  in  the  bank  is  owned  by  the 
following  residents  of  Browning  Township  and 
Beardstown :  John  Sciuiltz.  C.  B.  Workman, 
A.  E.  Schmoldt.  .Martin  McI>onough.  T.  K.  Con- 
dit,  W.  E.  McCullough,  J.  V,  .Tockisch,  J.  S.  Nich- 
olson, T.  J.  Schweer,  II.  C.  Meyer,  Morris  Wal- 
ton, C.  \\'.  Fowler,  Ed.  McLaren,  F.  M.  Skiles, 
L.  n.  Yeck,  A.  D.  Stambaugh,  Albert  Stambangh, 
Michael  Schuman,  Raymond  Walton.  Peter 
Strong,  Edward  A.  Stambaugh,  Frank  W.  Dodd, 
W.  F.  Ilirenian.  Joel  Uobertsoii.  John  F.  Bryant, 
J.  M.  \enters,  W.  M.  \'entcrs.  W.  J.  Bates, 
Charles   Bates. 


CH AFTER  XII 1. 


COt'XTY   BUILDINGS. 


EVOLUTION  OF  PHESKXT  COUNTY  BUILDINGS — AD- 
VANCEMENT FROM  THE  PKIMITIVE  LOG  CABIN  TO 
THE     HANDSOME     STRUCTURES     OF    TODAY — FIRST 


COURT  HOUSE  A  ONE-KOOM  UXJ  UUILDING, 
ERECTED  IN  182(i — FIRST  JAIL  BUILDING — SECOND 
COURT  HOUSE  ERECTED  IN  18.30— SECOND  COUNTY 
JAIL  OF  1838  REPLACED  BY  A  STONE  STRUCTURE 
IN  1857 — THE  PRESENT  COURT  HOUSE  COM- 
PLETED  IN    1882 — FOURTH    JAIL  BUILT   IN    1002 — 

DESCRIPTION    OF   PRESENT   COURT   HOUSE I.LST   OF 

DOCU.MENTS        DEPOSITED        IN        CORNER-STONE 

COUNTY   FARM   PURCHASED  IN   1855 ITS  PRESENT 

VALUE    ESTI.MATED   AT   .$25,000. 

Thf  sulistantial  and  handsome  public  buildings 
of  Scluiyler  County,  now  In  use,  have  been 
evolved  by  natin-al  degrees  and  at  long  periods, 
from  the  primitive  log  cabin  which  served  for 
the  seat  of  justice  when  the  county  organization 
was  iierfected  in  1825.  It  was  most  natural  that 
the  early  settlers  should  desire  a  court  house, 
and  soon  after  the  town  of  Rushville  was  laid 
out  the  first  county  building  was  erected.  It 
stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  .square,  about 
where  the  GrilMth  hardware  store  stands  today, 
and  was  built  of  logs.  The  specifications  for  this, 
the  first  county  liuilding,  were  meager  and  are 
found  in  the  Connnlssloners'  record  of  .\prll  24, 
lS2ti.  Notice  was  given  that  a  court  house  would 
be  erected,  occupying  a  ground  space  of  22x18 
feet,  and  one  and  a-half  stories  high.  It  was 
further  specified  that  "there  shoidd  be  two  good 
floors,  and  a  good  and  sufficient  chimney."  The 
imbllc  letting  of  this  building  was  announced  for 
July  -I.  1S2(!.  but  we  can  find  no  record  of  the 
name  of  the  contractor  or  the  cost  of  the  struct- 
ure, though  It  was  paid  for  and  used  by  the 
(t)unt.\'  for  several  years. 

The  next  record  of  a  public  building  is  found 
in  the  proceedings  of  the  Commissioner's  Court 
of  September  3,  1827,  when  lot  1  on  block  1.3  of 
the  town  of  Rushville  was  reserved  for  a  jail 
and  stray-pen.  It  was  spec-ified  that  the  jail 
building  should  be  15x15  feet  and  the  sti-ay-iien 
40.X40  feet,  and  the  contracts  for  building  the 
two  structures  were  to  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder 
on  September  27,  1827.  Lsaae  LInder  was  the 
builder  of  tills  fii'st  jail  and,  on  March  20,  1828, 
he  presented  his  bill  for  .$150.  Objections  were 
apparently  filed  to  its  iiaynient  for  we  note  that 
Wiiiiani  .McKee  and  Jes.se  Bartiett  were  ap- 
liointed  a  wjnunittee  to  arbitrate  the  claim,  and 
failing  to  reach  a  decision,  Mr.  Linder  brought 
suit  against  the  countj-.  The  stray-iien  was  built 
by  Elisha  Kellogg,  and  his  bill  for  $9.i;0  was 
allowed  without  protest.  • 


coruT  HorsK 


'   YOf:K 
"-XL,  x^iBRARY 


AST  ' 
TrLDS.N 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


667 


While  the  general  speeiflciitioiis  of  the  jail 
simply  called  for  a  building  fifteen  feet  square, 
it  later  appears  that  it  was  a  stoi-y  and  a  half 
building,  and  that  the  prisoners  were  let  down 
into  their  dungeon  through  a  trap-door  in  the 
ceiling.  This  door  was  the  :i!l  iuiiwrtant  part 
of  the  jail  building,  and  was  let  under  separate 
contract  acording  to  the  following  specifications : 

"The  inner  door  of  the  jail  shall  be  made  of 
plank  one  and  one-quarter  inches  thick,  to  be 
of  two  thicknesses,  laid  across  each  other  and 
spiked  together  with  broad-headed  spikes,  driven 
within  three  inches  of  each  other,  said  spikes 
to  be  driven  through  and  clinched,  the  under 
thickness  of  said  door  to  be  cut  so  as  to  fit  hole 
in  floor,  the  upper  thinckness  to  jut  over  one 
iucli  all  around,  said  door  to  be  bung  on  two 
iron  hinges,  the  strap  part  of  said  hinges  to  be 
one-half  inch  thick  and  two  inches  wide,  and  to 
extend  across  the  door,  the  staples  to  be  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch,  and  drove  eight  inches  into 
floor;  also  a  bar  of  iron  one  and  one-half  inches 
thick  and  two  inches  wide  extending  across  the 
middle  of  the  door,  hung  on  staples  at  one  end 
and  to  fit  on  a  staple  at  the  other  end  like  a 
hasp,  and  a  strong,  substantial  padlock  fixed 
thereon.  The  outer  door  to  be  made  in  like 
manner  and  of  material,  except  there  is  to  be 
no  bar  across  middle  of  said  door,  and  said  door 
to  be  hung  on  hooks  in  place  of  staples,  also 
there  nnist  be  a  good,  strong  stock-lock  put  on 
said  door." 

It  was  further  specified  that  the  inner  door 
was  to  be  completed  May  10,  1828,  and  the  outer 
door  September  1,  1828,  contractor  to  give  bond 
for  faithful  iierforniance  of  the  work  and  accept 
in  paynuMit  therefor  state  paper  at  par.  In  ac- 
cordance with  these  specifications  Joel  Tullis 
secured  the  couti-act  for  the  jail  doors  for  .'j;4.3.50. 

Within  a  year  after  the  first  court  house  was 
completed,  the  county  officials  were  asking  for 
larger  (juarters  and  on  December  ."!,  182s.  notice 
of  letting  for  the  coii^structiou  of  a  Clerk's  oflice 
in  llio  middle  of  the  block  on  the  east  side  of 
the  spuare  was  given.  This  building  was  to  be 
14x10  feet  and  ten  feet  high,  the  joist  being 
eight  feet  from  the  lower  floor.  A  porch  six  feet 
wide  was  also  to  be  built  across  the  front.  The 
specifications  called  for  two  doors  and  four  win- 
dows of  twelve  lights  each,  and  a  good  brick 
chimney.  The  records  show  that  .lames  Power 
was  allowed  .flKi.To  for  construction,  and  Alex- 


ander   Ilollingsworth    and    Mathi.is    Mastin    .$14 
and  .$1."i.  respectively,  for  lathing  and  plastering. 

This  building  was  not  comjjleted  before  there 
was  a  demand  for  a  more .  pretentious  county 
building,  and  the  question  of  a  new  court  house 
was  discussed  at  the  May  meeting  of  the  Com- 
missioners in  1829,  but  definite  action  was  post- 
iwned  until  the  June  meeting.  When  the  Com- 
missioners met  on  .Tune  1,  1829,  it  was  decided 
to  erect  a  new  bride  court  house,  and  Hart  Fel- 
lows was  appointed  a  Commissioner  with  full 
power  to  contract  for  the  linilding  and  also  to 
superintend  its  construction. 

Mr.  Fellows  was  apparently  a  man  of  action, 
for  on  July  4.  1829,  the  Board  ratified  a  contract 
made  with  William  McCreery  to  construct  the 
foundation  for  a  court  house  for  $.375.  Later 
changes  were  probably  made  in  the  plans,  for 
he  was  afterwards  allowed  $486  for  his  work. 
The  brick  work  and  enclosing  were  contracted 
for  by  Benjamin  Chadsey,  who  was  allowed 
.f2.3(;0 ;  the  inside  finishing  was  done  some  time 
later  by  William  Wright,  James  Hunter  and 
John  Brown,  at  a  cost  of  .$785,  which,  with 
■smaller  items  of  expense,  made  the  total  cost  of 
the  building  $.3,7.35. 

This  court  house  stood  in  the  center  of  the 
park  and  was  a  brick  building  measuring  42  feet 
square  and  without  ornamentation  or  display, 
save  for  a  modest  cupola,  but  it  served  the  needs 
of  the  county  for  more  than  fifty  years,  and  was 
ever  a  monument  to  the  good  workmanship  of 
those  early  pioneer  builders. 

With  what  was  then  regarded  as  a  magnificent 
court  house  the  County  (Commissioners  desired  to 
have  the  other  county  Imildiugs  in  keeping  and, 
on  March  11,  1837,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  new 
jail.  The  building  was  designed  to  be  26x24  feet 
and  two  stories  in  height.  The  outside  wall  was 
to  be  of  brick  eight  Indies  thick,  with  an  inside 
wall  of  timber,  ten  inches  thick,  and  each  story 
ten  feet  in  height.  The  plans  called  for  a  hall 
eight  feet  wide  and  sixteen  feet  in  length,  the 
jailor's  room  18x15  feet  and  the  kitchen  18x11. 
In  addition  to  the  cells  for  prisoners,  there  was 
also  a  debtor's  room.  The  contract  was  awarded 
to  Alexander  Penny  for  .$4,000  and  the  building 
was  completed  in  January,  18.38.  Mr.  Penny 
had  another  contract  to  furnish  locks  for  the 
building  and  make  minor  improvements,  for 
\\hidi  he  was  to  receive  $1.50.  but  there  was  a 
disagreement  as  to  terms  and  he  refused  to  sur- 


668 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


render  the  keys  to  the  building.  The  matter 
was  later  amicably  adjusted  by  arbitration. 

Although  this  building  had  cost  more  than  the 
court  house,  it  was  deemed  unsafe  for  the  con- 
finement of  prisoners  in  1S5.^,  and  in  .July  of  the 
following  year  the  Board  of  Supervisors  adver- 
tised for  proposals  to  construct  a  new  county 
jail.  On  January  17,  1857,  a  contract  was 
entered  into  between  the  count.v  and  Jeremiah 
Stunim,  wherein  he  agreed  to  construct  a  stone 
jail,  with  iron  doors  and  window  grating,  for 
the  sum  of  |0.44.'i.  The  jail  was  built  according 
to  contract  from  limestone  quarried  along  the 
McKee  branch,  and  it  served  as  a  county  bastile 
until  1002,  when  the  present  new  jail  was  com- 
pleted, and  the  older  building  now  does  duty  as 
a  calaboose  for  the  city  of  Rushvlile.  In  the 
construction  of  this  building  Mr.  Stumm  met 
with  unforeseen  misfortune  and,  on  account  of 
the  bad  condition  of  the  roads,  the  stone  cost 
him  almost  double  what  he  had  figured  on,  and 
when  the  building  was  at  last  completed  and 
settlonicnt  made  with  the  county,  he  was  loser 
on  the  contract  by  some  $700. 

The  Present  Coukt  House. — Schuyler  was 
now  provided  with  county  buildings  that  were 
to  serve  for  the  next  twenty-five  years,  and  not 
until  1S77  was  there  any  movement  made  to  se- 
cure more  modern  structures.  In  1879  Edwin 
.\nderson.  Supervisor  from  Uushville  Township, 
renewed  the  agitation  for  a  new  court  house, 
but  his  motion  before  the  Board  was  voted  down. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  September,  1880, 
the  motion  was  again  renewed  and  this  time 
received  the  sanction  of  a  majority  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors.  It  was  at  that  meeting  that  the 
Initial  step  was  taken  for  the  construction  of 
our  jircsent  handsome  county  building,  by  the 
adoption  of  a  resolution  which  called  for  the 
constnution  of  a  court  house  to  cost  not  more 
than  $40,000.  It  was  also  decided  to  apportion 
this  sum  so  that  one-third  the  total  amount 
would  be  levied  on  the  taxable  property  of  the 
county  for  the  years  1880,  1881  and  1882.  In 
the  original  resolution  the  location  of  the  new 
court  house  was  fixed  on  the  site  of  the  old  one. 
In  the  center  of  the  park :  but  on  Februar.v  24, 
1881,  this  action  was  rescinded  and  the  site 
of  the  county  building  fixed  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  puljlic  square.  To  effect  this 
change  in  location,  it  was  necessary  to  expend 
$."^,500  for  a  site,  and  of  this  sum  the  county 
paid  one-half,  the  city  of  Rushvlile  .$1,000  and 


the  remaining  $750  was  contributed  by  public- 
spirited  citizens.  It  was  further  provided  that 
the  county  should  lease  the  park  In  the  center 
of  the  square  to  the  city  of  Rushvlile. 

In  designing  a  plan  for  the  new  county  build- 
ing the  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose 
wore  most  favorably  impressed  with  the  court 
house  at  Monroe,  Mich.,  and  decided  to  duplicate 
it ;  and,  on  December  17,  1880,  the  contract  for 
construction  was  awarded  to  Thomas  Keegan,  of 
that  city,  for  $36,000. 

Work  on  the  new  court  house  began  early  In 
the  spring  of  the  following  year,  and  on  June 
24,  1881,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  with  Imposing 
ceremony  under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Deputy  Grand  .Master  DeWItt  C. 
Cregler,  of  Chicago,  was  master  of  ceremonies 
and  Hon.  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Sr..  delivered  tlie 
oration  In  commemoration  of  the  event.  The 
occasion  was  made  a  gala  day  for  Rushvlile,  and 
visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  State  were  enter- 
tained and  feted. 

Documents  and  Other  Articles  Deposited  in 
CoRNER-STONE.^The  following  Is  a  list  of  docu- 
ments and  other  articles  deposited  In  the  comer- 
stone  of  the  Schuyler  County  Court  House,  at 
the  time  of  forn)aI  beginning  of  work  on  the 
building  In   1882: 

Holy   Bible. 

S(|uare  and  compass. 

Coi)y  of  Revised  New  Testament. 

Copy  of  Charter  and  By-Laws  of  Rushvlile 
Lodge,  No.  a,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Hlstorj'  of  Rushvlile  Lodge  No.  9,  with  a  list 
<if  all  odicers  and  members  since  Its  organization 
in   1^2. 

History  of  HuntsvlIIe  Lodge,  No.  4C5,  A.  F.  & 
A.  .M..  and  Camden  Lodge,  No.  048,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
witli  names  of  officers  and  members. 

Names  of  State,  County,  Township  and  City 
officers.  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  Judges  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  Circuit,  and 
names  of  all  Circuit  Judges  who  have  ever  pre- 
sided in  the  Circuit  Court  of  Schuyler  County. 

List  of  attorneys  practicing  In  Rushvlile  at 
the  present  time   (1882). 

Draft  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rushvlile 
on  the  Nation.il  Bank  of  New  York  for  $10. 

Copies  of  county  papers,  containing  proceed- 
ings of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  relating  to  the 
building  of  the  court  house. 

Copy   of    invitation    addressed    to   citizens    by 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


669 


Building  Committee,  inviting  tlaeui  to  be  present 
at  ttie  laying  of  the  corner-stone. 

Copies  of  the  Rushville  Times  and  the  Schuy- 
ler Citizen,  of  June  23,  18S1. 

History  of  the  churches  of  Rushville. 

History  of  Schuyler  County. 

Plat  of  the  ijublie  square  of  Rushville,  show- 
ing location  of  all  the  buildings  and  names  of 
present  occupants. 

Copy  of  the  premium  list  of  the  twenty-fifth 
annual  fair  of  the  Schuyler  County  Agricultural 
Board. 

Copy  of  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of 
Josiah  Parrott,  Sr.,  deceased. 

Copy  of  proceedings  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
A.  P.  &  A.  M.  of  Illinois,  for  the  year  ISSO. 

A  short  sketch  of  the  ceremony  of  laying  the 
comer  stone. 

The  erection  of  this  county  building  was  unu- 
sual in  many  respects.  For  one  thing  it  was 
completed  well  within  cost  of  the  appropriation 
voted,  and  was  paid  for  when  finally  completed. 
By  the  plan  of  providing  for  the  tax-levy  well 
in  advance  of  construction,  the  tax  payers  had 
paid  for  the  building  ere  they  were  aware.  From 
the  standpoint  of  architectural  appearance,  sub- 
stantial construction  and  convenient  arrange- 
ment, the  Schuyler  County  court  house  defies 
just  criticism,  and,  considering  the  cost  of  erec- 
tion, is  unsurpassed  by  any  county  building  in 
the  State. 

CouNTT  Fabm  and  Poob  House. — The  care  of 
the  needy  and  unfortunate  was  a  charge  that 
the  County  of  Schuyler  accepted  soon  after  its 
organization,  and  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the 
County  Commissioners  was  to  appoint  Riggs 
Pennington  and  Nathan  Eels  Overseers  of  the 
Poor.  As  occasion  demanded,  aid  was  extended 
by  the  county  and  the  unfortunates  were  cared 
for  in  private  families  at  public  expense.  When 
the  Commissioners  met  in  December.  1850,  it 
was  decided  to  levy  a  tax  of  one  mill  on  every 
dollar  of  taxable  property  in  the  county  and 
[irovide  a  sinking  fund  for  the  purchase  of  a 
county  farm.  In  1855  this  fund  amounted  to 
$3,802.50  and,  in  March  of  that  year,  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  purchased  of  John  Micheltree  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  26  in  Beuna  Vista 
Township  and  plans  were  made  for  the  county 
to  assume  the  care  of  its  indigent  citizens.  At 
this  time  there  was  a  frame  dwelling  house  on 


the  farm  and  two  single  log  cabins,  which  were 
used  for  housing  the  inmates.  The  county  farm 
was  formally  opened  June  25,  1855,  with  Michael 
G.  Sandeford  as  Superintendent.  In  1869  the 
large  bric^  building,  which  now  serves  as  a  res- 
idence for  the  Superintendent  and  lodging  quar- 
tes  for  the  female  inmates,  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  .$]2,Ct00.  Later  improvements  have  since  been 
made  in  the  way  of  two  cottages  for  men  and 
the  construction  of  barns  and  granaries.  The 
area  of  the  farm  has  also  been  increased  from 
160  to  310  acres,  and  It  is  so  managed  as  to  be 
practically  self-supporting.  J.  R.  Leary  is  now 
serving  as  Superintendent  of  the  county  farm  at 
a  yearly  salary  of  $1,200,  and  in  addition  to  the 
farm  produce  raised  each  year,  he  has  been  able 
to  turn  into  the  countj-  a  good  revenue  from  the 
sale  of  hogs  and  cattle,  which  are  fed  and  fat- 
tened there.  The  farm  lies  within  a  mile  of 
Rushville  and,  with  its  present  Improvements,  is 
conservatively  valued  at  .$25,000. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


COURTS  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


SCnUYLEB  COUNTY  ORGANIZED  IN  THE  FORMATIVE 
PERIOD  OF  STATE  HISTORY TY'PE  OF  EARLY  JUDG- 
ES AND  MEMBERS  OF  THE  BAB — FIRST  CIBCtnT 
COURT  HELD  IN  CABIN  OF  SAMUEL  TURNER  AT  THE 

ORIGINAL     BEARDSTOWN     IN      NOVEMBER,      1825 

JOHN    YORK    SAWYER    FIRST    PRESIDING    JUDGE 

PROMINENT   ATTORNEYS  PRESENT — LIST  OF  GRAND 

AND  PETIT  JURORS — SOME  OF  THE   CASES  TRIED 

A  BARREL  OF  HONEY  SERVES  AS  LAWY'ER'S  FEE  IN 

FIRST    CASE COURT    CUSTOMS    OF    THOSE    DAYS 

SOME   REMINISCENCES    OF   SECOND   COURT   TERM 

CHANGES  MADE  IN  JUDICIAL  CIRCUIT — LIST  OF 
JUDGES  WHO  HA^'E  PRESIDED  IN  SCHUYLEB 
COUNTY'  COURTS — JUDGE  RICHARD  M.  YOUNG, 
STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLAS,  T.  LYLE  DICKEY  AND  OTH- 
ERS— PROMINENT  LAWYERS  WHO  HAVE  PRACTICED 
AT  SCHUYT-ER  COUNTY  BAJJ — PROBATE  COUET  AND 
JUDGES. 

Schuyler  County   was  organized  and  given  a 
civil  government  while  the  State  of  Illinois  was 


670 


HISTORY  OF  SrnUYI.ER  COUNTY. 


yet  ill  llie  ronii.ilivo  period,  niid  tlu>  ciirly  history 
of  her  courts  briiiiis  out  clearly  the  iiievitiibie 
result  of  the  experience  and  development  of  the 
legal  profession  In  the  State.  In  those  early  days 
the  courts  had  few  jiuidiiig  precedents,  save  the 
fundamental  primaples  of  the  Knglish  common 
law,  which  formed  the  basis  of  legal  jurispru- 
dence. The  statutes  of  the  State  were  not  then 
burdened  by  the  numerous  and  conflicting  acts 
of  an  over-zealous  General  Assembly,  and  each 
Judge  was  in  a  measure  a  law  unto  himself  and 
unto  his  court,  and  in  their  decisio.ns  they  marked 
the  legal  trail  in  the  frontier  State. 

In  reviewing  tlie  history  of  the  Schuyler  courts, 
it  will  be  noted  that  many  of  the  Judges  and  at- 
torneys, who  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
early  day,  were  men  of  sti-ong  personality,  ver- 
s.itile  scholars  and  profoundly  versed  In  the  law, 
and  that  they  afterwards  attained  positions  of 
distinction  .•iiid  honor  in  the  State  and  nation. 

It  was  the  old  custom  for  lawyers  to  accom- 
pany the  court  and  cover  almost  the  entire  State 
in  their  practice.  This  brought  to  Rusbville  many 
of  the  brightest  lights  in  the  legal  profession,  and 
their  names  and  memory  are  today  familiar  to 
ever.v  one.  In  those  days  there  were  no  court 
stenographers,  no  i)rinte(l  forms,  no  legal  digests, 
but  the  practicing  lawyer  had  wider  scope  for 
personal  effort,  and  many  of  tliese  pioneer  law- 
yei-s  deservedly  rose  to  high  distinction. 

Four  months  after  Schuyler  County  was  or- 
ganized, the  first  circuit  court  was  convened  in 
the  cabin  ol  Samuel  Turner  at  Reardstown,  the 
county-seat.  This  was  on  Xoveml)er  4,  1825,  and 
Judge  John  York  Sawyer  was  on  the  bench  and 
John  Turney  was  Attorney-General  pro  tern. 
Other  lawyers  iiresent  were  James  Turney,  Jon- 
athan II.  Pugh,  A.  W.  Cavarly  and  David 
Pricljett. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  County  Commission- 
ers when  they  met  on  July  7,  ISL'o,  was  to  select 
grand  and  iK>tit  juries  for  that  term  of  court, 
and  we  tind  the  following  named  gentlemen  as- 
signed for  that  service: 

Grand  Jury — Abraham  Carlock,  Cornelius  Van- 
deventer.  Is.iac  Vandeventer,  David  E.  Blair. 
Hezekiah  M.  Hobart,  William  Pennington,  James 
Vauc-e,  Peter  Perkins,  Philip  Sjxjonamore,  Eph- 
raim  Eggleston,  Nathan  Eels.  Jesse  Bartlett. 
James  H.  Smith.  Henry  Green,  George  Green, 
Henry  Green,  Jr.,  John  Green.  John  Ritchey, 
Martin    L.    Lindsey,    James    B.    Atwood,    James 


I.animy.    Amos    Waddle,    Charles    Tracey    and 
William  Spoonamoore. 

Petit  ■flirt/ — Lyman  Tracy.  John  Osburn,  George 
Xauglit.  David  Wallace.  Samuel  (Jooch,  Riggs 
Ponninglon,  Willis  O'Neal.  George  Stewart, 
William  II.  Taylor.  Calvin  lloliart,  Asa  Cook, 
Jonathan  Reno  and  John  15.  Terry. 

An  indictment  was  returned  against  Orris  Mc- 
Cartney, Sheriff  of  the  county,  for  soiling  liquor 
without  a  license,  and  he  plead  guilty  and  was 
fined  .?12  and  costs.  Samuel  Gooeh  plead  guilty 
to  assault  and  was  fined  ip-'i  and  costs.  In  the 
case  of  the  People  vs.  Bird  Brewer,  indicted  for 
perjury,  a  jury  was  called,  which  was  made  up 
as  follows:  .John  B.  Terry,  A.sa  Cook,  Benjamin 
Chadsey,  John  Orton.  Jacob  White,  Willis  O'Neal, 
Oliver  Lund,  George  Stewart,  James  Lammy,  Ed- 
ward White.  Levin  Green  and  Joseph  Jackson. 
They  returned  a  verdict  of  "not  guilty."  Mr. 
Brewer  was  defended  in  this  case  by  A.  W.  Cav- 
arly and  in  lieu  of  a  cash  fee,  he  gave  his  attor- 
ney a  barrel  of  honey. 

Court  eti(iuette  was  free  and  easy  in  those 
l>loneer  days,  as  may  be  imagined  from  the  fol- 
lowing story  told  by  Jonathan  D.  Manlove :  "At 
the  first  term  of  the  Schuyler  County  circuit  court, 
held  near  Pleasantview,  where  George  L.  Greer 
now  resides,  whilst  Bird  Brewer  was  h:iving  his 
trial.  I  saw  Jonathan  Keno  present  to  James 
Turney,  Esq..  a  tin  quiu-t  cup  filled  with  whisky. 
Mr.  Tin-ney  took  a  swig,  banded  it  to  the  jury 
and  they  took  a  swigger ;  he  then  gave  it  to  the 
Judge,  he  swiggled  It ;  again  the  jury  swiggled  a 
second  time  and  there  was  no  more  left  to  swig- 
ger." Mr.  Manlove  further  stjite.s  that  court  was 
held  in  a  log  cabin  that  measured  14x10  feet. 

The  sectmd  term  of  court  was  held  October  12, 
1826,  Judge  Sawyer  jiresiding.  Benjamin  Cox 
was  admitted  as  Chancellor.  At  this  term  the 
grand  jury  returned  five  indictments  and  Orris 
McCartney,  Sheriff,  was  cited  to  appear  at  the 
next  term  of  court  to  answer  an  indictiiient  for 
slander.  lie  was  twice  tried  on  thi?  charge,  the 
jury  failing  to  agree. 

Judge  Samuel  I).  Ix)ckwood  presided  at  the 
terms  of  court  held  in  1827  and  1828.  and  Jona- 
thon  II.  Pugh  was  Prosecuting  Attorney.  The 
first  divorce  case  in  the  county  came  before  the 
court  at  the  October  term,  when  Stephen  Osborn 
asked  to  be  divorced  from  his  wife,  Phebe  Os- 
born, whom  he  charged  with  adultery.  The  case 
was  proven  most  conclusively,  as  the  officer  who 
made  the  return  of  the  service  papers  stated  be 


HISTORY  OF  SCIirYLER  COUNTY. 


671 


had  served  tbe  same  ou  Mrs.  I'liebe  Touey,  for- 
merly Mrs.  Pliebe  Osboru,  iu  Vermilion  County. 

David  Wallace,  who  figured  prominently  iu  the 
early  court  records  as  a  litigant  and  defendant  in 
criminal  cases,  was  indicted  at  this  term  of  court 
for  sending  a  challenge  to  fight  a  duel.  The  case 
was  tried  twice  and  each  time  the  jury  failed  to 
agree. 

The  court  records  of  those  early  days  tell  a 
wonderful  story  of  the  strenuous  times  of  the 
pioneer  settlers.  The  country  was  then  sparsely 
settled,  but  indictments  made  by  the  Grand  Jury 
outnumbered  those  of  the  present  day  and  in- 
cluded every  offense  known  to  criminal  law.  The 
Grand  Jury  was  looking  for  trouble  in  those  days, 
and  many  of  the  most  prominent  pioneer  settlers 
were  called  before  the  bar  of  justice.  Even  the 
court  ofiicers  did  not  always  escape,  as  was  shown 
by  the  indictment  of  Sheriff  McCartney  and 
again,  in  1828,  when  Hart  Fellows  was  indicted 
for  omission  of  dutj-.  There  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  any  basis  for  this  charge,  as  the  case 
was  dismissed  when  presented  to  the  court. 

From  182.5  until  182!)  Schuyler  County  was  in 
the  First  Judicial  Circuit,  but  in  January  of  the 
latter  year  tliere  was  a  rearrangement  of  court 
circuits,  and  Schuyler  was  placed  in  the  Fifth 
District.  Richard  M.  Young  was  chosen  by  the 
General  Assembly  as  Judge  of  this  district,  and 
he  iH-esided  at  the  Schuyler  courts  until  1837, 
when  he  resigned  to  talve  his  place  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  where  he  served  one  term.  He 
was  afterwards  one  of  the  Supreme  Court  Judges 
of  Illinois. 

While  counted  a  stickler  for  court  etiquette  and 
known  as  an  austere,  and  impassionate  jurist. 
Judge  Young  gave  free  vent  to  his  convivial  tastes 
when  among  his  associates,  and  his  wit  and  good 
nature  made  him  tbe  natural  leader  among  all 
classes  of  men.  Many  interesting  stories  are  told 
of  his  escapades  and  eccentricities,  but  withal  he 
seemed  to  have  always  held  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  people. 

About  this  same  time  another  person  appeared 
as  lawyer  in  the  Schuyler  Circuit  Court,  who  was 
destined  to  achieve  high  distinction.  Diminutive 
in  size,  and  unassuming  as  an  orator,  he  yet  ex- 
hibited judgment  and  talent  of  promise.  He  was 
Thomas  Ford,  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  Schuyler 
County,  and  afterwards  Governor  of  Illinois. 

There  were  intellectual  giants  pactielng  in  the 
courts  of  that  early  day,  and  among  the  lawyers 
who   were   regular   attendants   at   the    Schuyler 


courts  were :  Abraham  Lincoln,  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  William  A.  Richardson,  Orville  H. 
Browning,  P.  H.  Walker,  Cyrus  Walker,  T.  Lyle 
Dickey,  E.  D.  Baker,  William  Minshall,  Robert 
Blackwell  and  others  who,  later,  were  at  the  head 
of  the  legal  profession  in  the  State  and  leaders 
in  the   two  political  parties. 

When  Richard  M.  Young  retired  from  the  bench 
of  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit  James  II.  Ralston 
was  commissioned  to  succeed  him.  In  1839  Peter 
Lott  presided  and  he  was  followed  In  ISil  by 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  served  from  1841  to 
1843.  In  the  years  from  1843  to  1849  Jesse  B. 
Thomas,  Richard  M.  Young,  Norman  H.  Purple 
and  David  M.  Woodson  served  as  Judges  of  the 
Circuit  Court.  In  1840  William  A.  Minshall.  then 
a  resident  of  Rushville,  was  elected  to  the  cir- 
cuit bench.  He  was  succeeded  in  1852  by  P.  H. 
Walker,  also  a  resident  of  Rushville,  who,  in 
1858,  was  appointed  by  Governor  Bissell  to  the 
Supreme  bench  of  Illinois.  He  was  elected  the 
same  year  for  the  full  nine  year  term,  and  served 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  centuo'  in  the  State's 
highest  tribunal.  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  another  resi- 
dent of  Rushville  and  a  practicing  attorney  iu 
our  courts  in  the  'thirties,  was  later  elected  to  the 
Supreme  Court  from  the  Northern  Illinois  Dis- 
trict. 

From  1858  to  18(J1  John  S.  Bailey  presided  in 
tbe  circuit  courts  of  Schuyler  County,  and  he  was 
succeeded  by  Chauncey  L.  Iligbee,  who  presided 
over  every  term  of  court  held  in  Rushville  for  the 
next  sixteen  years,  and  whose  record  as  a  jurist 
is  an  illustrious  one.  He  was  first  elected  Cir- 
cuit Judge  In  1861,  and  re-elected  in  1867,  1873 
and  1879,  and  continued  on  the  bench  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Pittsfleld.  December  7, 
1884. 

In  1873  Schuyler  County  was  placed  in  the 
Sixth  Judicial  District,  and  Chauncey  L.  Higbee, 
Simeon  P.  Shope  and  John  II.  Williams  were 
elected  Judges.  They  were  succeeded  in  1885  by 
William  Marsh,  Charles  J.  Scofleld  and  John  0. 
Bagliy.  The  last  election  held  in  the  old  Sixth 
Judicial  District  was  in  1891.  and  Oscar  P.  Bon- 
ney,  Jefferson  Orr  and  Charles  J.  Scofield  were 
chosen  for  a  term  of  six  years. 

The  General  Assembly  of  189G-97  made  a  new 
apportiomnent  of  the  judicial  districts  and,  while 
Schuyler  remained  in  the  Sixth  District,  there 
were  many  changes  made.  From  this  new  dis- 
trict in  1897  there  were  elected  Harry  Higbee, 
Thomas  N.  Mehan  and  John  C.  Broady.    In  1903 


673 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYT.ER  COUNTY. 


Judges  Higbee  and  Mehan  were  re-elected  with 
Albert  Ackers  as  tlieir  associate,  and  upon  tlie 
deatb  of  Judge  Mehan  in  1907,  Guy  Williams 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

In  19M  two  additional  terms  of  court  were 
granted  Schuyler  Ck)unty  annually,  and  in  June 
and  December  of  each  year  the  attention  of  the 
Judges  is  given  to  chancery  cases  exclusively, 
while  the  regular  jury  terms  are  held  in  April 
and  October. 

Pbobate  and  County  Courts. — Hart  Fellows, 
who  held  all  the  county  olHces  of  Schuyler  County 
at  one  time  or  another  by  self-assertion  and  com- 
mon consent,  was  the  first  Judge  of  Probate  in 
Schuyler  County,  and  he  took  the  oath  of  office 
belorc  Jmlae  Sawyer  of  the  Circuit  Court  at  the 
October  term,  1826.  The  first  record  of  business 
in  his  court  begins  with  July  28,  1S27,  when  "In 
pursuance  of  the  statute  In  such  cases  made  and 
[irovided,"  a  court  of  proi)ate  was  begun  and 
held  at  Kushville  iu  and  for  the  county  of  Schuy- 
ler. At  this  session  the  first  business  transacted 
was  the  appointment  of  a  guardian  for  Anderson 
Walker,  and  the  court  apiwlnted  John  Thompson 
to  act  as  such. 

The  first  estate  settled  in  probate  was  that  of 
Solomon  Stanberry  and  the  appraisement  showed 
personal  property  to  the  amount  of  .$150.75.  The 
first  will  recorded  was  that  of  Roswell  B.  Fenner, 
which  was  admitted  to  probate  December  14, 
1832. 

Henry  R.  Bertholf  succeeded  Hart  Fellows  as 
Probate  Judge  and  served  from  18.33  to  1S37.  He 
in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Adam  Dunlap,  who 
served  until  1847,  and  James  L.  Anderson,  whose 
term  of  ollice  was  from  1847  to  1840.  These  two 
later  judges  were  known  as  Probate  Justices  of 
the  Peace.  By  the  adoption  of  the  new  State  Con- 
stitution, and  on  the  organization  of  the  County 
Court,  the  County  Judge  was  given  jurisdiction 
of  probate  matters.  William  Ellis'  term  of  serv- 
ice was  1849-1857;  DeWitt  C.  Johnston,  1857- 
1801  :  James  L.  Anderson,  18C1-18G5 ;  Ephraim  J. 
Pemberton,  1865-1882 ;  John  C.  Bagby,  1882-1S8G ; 
S.  B.  Montgomery,  1886-1890;  H.  C.  Schultz, 
1890-1894;  D.  L.  Mourning,  1894-1898;  Herscbel 
V.  Teel,  1898-190C;  William  H.  Dieterlch,  1906 
to  the  present  time. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


POLITICS  AND  PUBLIC  OFFICERS. 


EARLY  POLITICS  IN  IIJ.INOIS — FORMATION  OF  NEW 
POUTICAL  PARTIES — SE.NTIMENT  IN  SCHUYIXB 
COUNTY   FAVORABLK  TO  GEN.  JACKSON   IN    1828 — 

WUIGS   CARRY  THE   COUNTY  IN   1840  AND   1848 

BIRTH  OF  THE  "KNOW  NOTHING"  PARTY— OBQAN- 
IZEIiS  OF  REPUBUCAN  PARTY  IN  SCHUYLER 
COUNTY — SE.NATORIAL  CAMPAIGN  OF  1858 LIN- 
COLN'S VISIT  TO  Rl'SIIVILI.E — PRESIDENTIAL  VOTE 
FROM  1860  TO  1904 CONGRESSIONAL  REPRESENT- 
ATIVES— STATE    SENATORS   AND    REPRESENTATIVES 

DELEGATES  WHO   HAVE  REPRESENTED  SCHUY^LEB 

COUNTY'  IN  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTIONS — 
COUNTY  OFFICERS  FROM    182.3  TO   1906. 

When  Illinois  was  admitted  as  a  State  In  the 
Union  Jnines  Monroe  was  serving  his  first  term 
as  President,  and  his  re-election  In  1820  created 
no  partisan  strife  among  the  homogeneous  class 
that  made  up  the  population  of  our  then  frontier 
State.  Little  interest  was  taken  in  the  principles 
of  the  old  Federalist  and  Repulilican  parties,  and 
with  national  issues  eliminated,  we  find  that  In 
State  afTairs  men  and  not  measures  were  the 
dominating  force. 

Events  wore  shaping  themselves,  however,  to 
bring  Illinois  into  the  vortex  of  political  strife, 
and  the  election  of  John  Quincy  Adams  to  the 
presidency.  In  1824,  marked  the  beginning  of  par- 
tisan politics  In  Illinois  as  clearly  as  though  it 
had  been  brought  about  by  legislative  enactment 
In  that  memorable  contest  for  the  presidency 
Andrew  Jackson,  Henry  Clay  and  William  H. 
Crawford  were  candidates  opposed  to  Adams. 
In  the  election  none  of  the  candidtes  received  the 
required  number  of  votes  to  elect  (i.  e.,  a  major- 
ity In  the  Electoral  College),  and  the  matter 
went  to  the  House  of  Representatives  where  John 
Quincy  Adams  was  cho.sen  President. 

Daniel  P.  Cook,  the  Representative  from  Illi- 
nois, voted  for  Adams  notwithstanding  Gen. 
Jackson  had  received  two  votes  in  the  State  to 
Adams'  one,  and  this  created  a  storm  of  protest 
from  Gen.  Jackson's  friends,  who  charged  that 
their  leader  had  been  cheated  out  of  his  election 
by  bargain,  intrigue  and  corruption.    Nor  did  this 


1 


m 


* 


I) 


1 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


673 


feeling  diminish  in  the  succeeding  four  years,  for 
in  1S28  Gen.  Jackson  carried  tlie  State  triumph- 
antly, and  Daniel  P.  Cook  was  retired  from  poli- 
tics for  the  part  he  had  played  in  the  election  of 
John  Quincy  Adams. 

The  election  of  Gen.  Jackson  proved  an  epoch 
in  the  political  history  of  the  nation,  as  it  brought 
about  the  fonuation  of  new  [Mlitical  policies  and 
meant  the  total  collapse  of  the  old  Federalist  and 
Republican  parties.  In  the  eight  years  during 
which  he  dominated  the  policies  of  the  country, 
there  was  a  new  alignment  of  political  forces 
under  the  names  of  the  Democratic  and  Whig 
parties,  and  a  majority  of  the  people  of  Illinois 
were  not  slow  to  ally  themselves  with  their 
favorite  political  leader.  With  the  ascendency  of 
Jackson  to  political  power,  Henry  Clay  became 
the  leader  of  the  Whig  party  and  partisan  feel- 
ing ran   high   throughout  the   State. 

The  sentiment  of  Schuyler  County  was  fav- 
orable to  Gen.  Jackson  and,  in  the  elections  of 
1828  and  1832,  he  was  enthusiastically  sup- 
ported at  the  polls,  and  the  spirit  of  Democracy 
then  engendered  has  continued  on  down  through 
the  .years  of  ceaseless  conflict  and  political  mach- 
ination to  the  present  day.  In  the  election  of 
1836,  when  Martin  Van  Buren  was  the  candi- 
date of  the  Democracy,  the  influence  of  Jack- 
son was  strongly  felt  in  Illinois,  and  Schuyler 
County  remained  true  to  the  peerless  leader  and 
voted  strongly  for  Van  Buren. 

In  1840,  when  Van  Buren  and  Johnson  again 
contested  with  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison  and 
John  Tyler  for  the  national  honors,  the  cam- 
pangn  in  Schuyler  waxed  warm.  Political  clubs 
were  formed  and  the  best  of  Illinois'  brilliant 
orators  were  heard  at  meetings  held  in  the 
old  brick  court  house.  The  military  prestige  of 
Gen.  Harrison  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon 
the  hard.v  pioneers,  and  the  political  songs  of 
"Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too"  reverberated  from 
Chicago  to  Cairo.  When  the  votes  were  counted 
in  Schuyler  the  Whigs  were  wild  with  delight,  for 
Harrison  had  received  732  votes  to  Gil  for  Van 
Buren. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  vote  in  Schuyler 
in  1844,  when  Henry  Clay  was  the  leader  of  the 
Whig  forces,  but  in  1848  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor, 
the  hero  of  Buena  Vista,  won  the  hearts  and  the 
votes  of  the  Mexican  War  veterans  and  carried 
the  county  by  a  plurality  of  three  votes.  The 
total  vote  was  1,6-45,  of  which  Taylor  received 
807.  Cass  804,  and  Van  Buren,  the  anti-slavery 


candidate.  34.  This  was  the  last  political  vic- 
tory won  b.y  the  Whigs  in  Schuyler  County  and 
in  every  election  since  1848  a  majority  has  been 
returned  in  favor  of  the  Democratic  candidate. 

During  the  decade  of  the  'fifties  the  "Know 
Nothing"  party,  with  its  mysterious  secrecy  and 
dark  and  hidden  ceremonies,  exerted  more  or 
less  influence  on  politics  in  Illinois  and,  by  its 
operations,  sought  to  influence  elections  where 
the  Democratic  and  Whig  parties  were  evenly 
divided.  But  when  the  party  came  out  in  the 
open  and  made  nominations  of  its  own,  it  soon 
lost  power  and  what  little  influence  it  possessed. 
In  Schuyler  County,  as  in  all  other  portions  of 
the  State,  the  "Know  Nothings"  flourished  for 
a  time  and  had  many  adherents  who  were  at- 
tracted by  the  mysterious  rites  and  ceremonies, 
but  greater  issues  than  mere  prejudice  soon 
caused  "Know  Nothingism"  to  be  forgotten. 

Gen.  Scott,  the  Whig  presidential  candidate 
in  1852,  did  not  arouse  the  same  enthusiasm  in 
Schuyler  as  did  the  other  military  heroes  and, 
in  the  election.  Pierce  and  King  (Democrats) 
received  nSO  votes;  Scott  and  Graham  (Whigs) 
844,  and  Hale  (Independent)   16. 

The  disintegration  of  the  old  Whig  party, 
as  foreshadowed  by  the  election  of  1852,  and  the 
new  issues  involved  through  the  pressing  to  the 
front  of  the  slaveiy  question,  was  noted  and 
recognized  in  Schuyler  County  as  the  forerunner 
of  a  new  political  party  and.  in  the  spring  of 
1856,  there  assembled  a  small  company  of  citizens 
to  discuss  the  political  situation.  It  was  at  this 
meeting,  held  in  George  W.  Scripps'  school  build- 
ing on  West  Lafayette  Street,  that  the  Republican 
partj-  of  Schu.vler  County  came  into  life.  There 
were  present  George  W.  Scripps,  Rev.  John 
Clarke,  Wilhelm  Peter,  Masox  Frisby  and  James 
E.  Scripps.  The  latter  afterwards  became 
founder  of  the  Detroit  (Mich.)  News,  but  died 
May  29,  1906.  At  this  meeting  the  subject  of  the 
approaching  State  convention  at  Bloomiugton, 
called  for  May  29th,  was  talked  over  and  Uev. 
John  Clarke  was  finally  elected  a  delegate  to 
represent  the  embryo  Republicanism  of  Schuy- 
ler County. 

Sentiment  on  the  slavery  question  as  the  para- 
mount political  issue  crystalized  slowly  in  Schuy- 
ler and  resulted  in  a  division  of  forces  in  the 
election  of  1856,  which  gave  James  Buchanan  the 
largest  plurality  ever  recorded  for  a  presidental 
candidate  in  the  county.  It  was  the  first  [xjlitical 
landslide  in  the  county,  and  makes  all  others  seem 


674 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


siiiMlI  iu  comparison.  Buchanan  and  Breckin- 
ridge wei'e  tbe  standard  bearers  of  tlie  united 
Democracy,  and  they  received  1360  votes.  Free- 
niont  and  Dayton,  the  candidates  of  the  new  Be- 
pulilicau  party,  received  388  votes,  and  Fillmore 
and  Donelson,  of  tbe  American  or  Know-Notliing 
party.  ."iTO.  This  was  tlie  final  effort  of  tbe  Know 
Notbins;  party  as  a  factor  in  national  politics, 
thousli  in  that  .vear  it  was  largely  instrumental 
in  tbe  defeat  of  William  .V.  Kicbardson.  tlie 
Democratic  candidate  for  Governor  of  Illinois. 

In  reviewing  tbe  history  of  tbe  political  cam- 
paign following  the  organization  of  tbe  Kepub- 
lican  party,  no  effort  will  be  m.ide  to  describe 
tbe  bitter  bate  and  venom  that  marked  tbe  part- 
isan contests  in  Schuyler  County.  Tbe  present 
generation  can  form  uo  idea  of  tbe  intense  and 
bitter  excitement  that  characterized  tbe  mad  jxili- 
tical  turmoil  which  finally  terminated  in  the 
Civil  War.  There  are.  however,  many  facts  of 
political  history  of  this  period  which  can  be  re- 
viewed and  that  have  a  true  place  in  the  political 
history  of  tlie  county,  and  these  will  be  corrwtly 
reported  without  bias. 

Tbe  senatorial  campaign  of  1S.")S.  with  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas  as  the  com- 
manding central  figures,  before  its  close  became 
of  national  importance,  but  it  likewise  is  full  of 
historic  interest  from  a  purely  local  standijoint, 
as  Scbuyler  County  had  four  candidates  for  the 
Legislature  in  the  field  and  was  made  a  battle 
ground  by  liotb  ixditical  aspirants. 

The  senatorial  district  of  which  Schuyler  was 
a  part,  was  composed  of  the  counties  of  Hancock, 
Henderson  and  Schuyler.  Rev.  John  P.  Rich- 
mond was  tbe  Democratic  candidate  for  the  State 
Senate  and  Hon.  L.  D.  l';r\viu,  of  tbe  same  iwli- 
tical  iiarty,  was  up  for  reekx-tion  as  Representa- 
tive. Hon.  .John  C.  Bagby  was  a  candidate  for 
State  Senator  on  tbe  Republican  ticket,  and  John 
B.  Seeley  was  the  legislative  candidate  of  the 
National  Democratic  party. 

Abraham  Lincoln  opened  his  senatorial  cam- 
paign of  1S58  at  Beardstown,  .on  August  12,  and 
Schuyler  Republicans  were  well  represented,  as 
tbe  issues  of  the  campaign  were  stirring  the  peo- 
ple as  they  bad  never  been  stirred  before. 

On  Wednesday  Oetolier  20,  1S5S,  Lincoln  came 
to  Rushvillc.  It  was  a  raw,  cold  day,  but  the 
people  turned  out  b.v  thousands.  Great  prepara- 
tion bad  been  made  to  welcome  him  and  at  an 
early  hour  wagons,  boi-senien  and  people  on  foot 
began  pouring  into  the  town.     As  they  entered 


they  were  taken  in  charge  by  marshals  on  horae- 
back  and  escorted  to  tbe  rendezvous  north  of 
town.  The  united  procession,  under  direction  of 
Chief  Marshal  Levi  Lusk,  tlieu  moved  forward 
to  the  Sfjuare.  then  down  Washington  Street  to 
Jackson  and  east  on  Lafayette  to  St.  Louis  Street, 
and  on  returning  to  the  square  the  wagons,  car- 
riages and  footmen  dispersed,  and  the  hoi-semen, 
headed  by  tbe  Rushville  Imnd  and  a  martial  com- 
pany known  as  "The  Wide  Awakes,"  marched  to 
tbe  home  of  William  U.  Ray,  where  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  entertained.  While  Lincoln's  reception  in 
Rushville  was  a  most  enthusiastic  one,  it  was 
marred  by  parti.san  demonstrations  of  the  must 
flagrant  kind.  .Vs  has  been  previously  stated, 
party  feeling  ran  high  and  it  showed  itself  in  a 
most  unfavorable   light  at   tbe  Lincoln  meeting. 

On  the  night  before  Lincoln  came,  some  one 
climlied  to  the  top  of  the  old  court  house  and 
bung  a  black  flag  from  the  steeple,  and  during  Ibe 
siieaking  the  Sheriff  was  retiuired  to  clear  tbe 
court  house  roof  of  boys  who  made  such  a  din  as 
to  drow  n  tbe  speaker's  voice. 

In  one.  of  the  ctiurt  house  windows,  directly 
over  the  stand  from  which  Lincoln  spoke,  was  a 
crowd  of  young  ladies  who  waved  aloft  a  nigger 
doll,  to  which  was  att;iched  a  banner  bearing  the 
inscription  •'Hurrah  for  Lincoln '."  Growing  more 
bold  when  they  saw  they  were  detracting  at- 
tention from  the  sijeaker,  they  cheered  for  Doug- 
las and  publicly  announced  that  he  would  speak  in 
Rushville  in  the  near  future.  .Mr.  Lincoln  stop- 
l)ed  in  the  midst  of  his  great  speech  and,  turn- 
ing to  the  window,  politely  asked  the  young 
ladie-s  to  be  still  until  he  had  finished  his  speech 
when  be  would  yield  the  stand  to  them.  The 
kindly  rebuke  administered  by  Lincoln  restored 
order,  and  he  was  allowed  to  finish  his  speech 
without   further  disturbance. 

The  great  joint  debate  between  these  two  peer- 
less leaders  bad  been  held  when  Lincoln  came  to 
Rushville,  and  his  fame  had  gone  to  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  Union  as  the  one  man  who  was 
a  worthy  antagonist  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Both 
candidates  delayed  their  visit  to  Schuyler  until 
late  in  the  cauii)aigii.  as  they  wished  to  make  the 
most  of  the  political  situation  where  so  many 
direct  votes  iu  the  Legislature  were  at  stake. 

Stephen  A.  Douglas  came  to  Rushville  the  last 
week  in  the  campaign  (the  exact  date  we  are  un- 
able to  give),  and  the  welcome  that  was  extended 
to  him  was  unparalleled  in  its  enthusiasm. 
Douglas  was  the  idol  of  the  Scbuyler  Democrats. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


675 


He  was  kuowii  personally  to  every  man  of  pi-oui- 
iueuce  in  tbe  county,  having  frequently  visited 
Rushville  while  practicing  at  the  bar  and  in 
earlier  iiolitical  campaigns.  He  was  at  this  time 
at  the  zenith  of  his  career  and  the  aeliuowledged 
leader  of  his  party  in  State  and  Nation.  His 
old  friends  in  Schuyler  had  watched  his  meteoric 
rise  to  the  proud  eminence  he  now  held,  and  were 
eager  to  follow  the  "Little  Giant"  in  political 
battles  that  were  yet  to  come,  for  they  all  looked 
uiKin  him  as  the  logical  successor  to  James  Buch- 
anan as  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  Lincoln  meeting  had  spurred  the  Democrats 
to  even  greater  efforts,  and  the  crowd  that  wel- 
comed Doughis  on  that  fair  Octolier  day  was  the 
largest  that  had  ever  gathered  in  Kushville,  and 
was  not  to  be  eclipsed  until  many  years  after- 
wards when  the  population  of  the  county  had 
greatly   increased. 

The  platform  was  erected  on  the  north  side  of 
the  court  house  and  was  not  comiileted  at  the 
time  set  for  the  speaking  to  begin:  but  when 
Douglas  appeared  he  was  lifted  by  some  of  his 
strong  armed  constituents  to  the  speaker's  stand. 
His  answer  to  Lincoln  was  along  the  same  lines 
that  he  had  used  during  the  long  campaign  now 
rapidly  drawing  to  a  dose,  and  was  given  with 
unparalleled  spirit  and  eloquence.  He  spoke  for 
three  hours  and  his  magnetic  presence  and  match- 
less eloquence  is  remembered,  even  to  the  pres- 
ent da.v,  by  those  who  heard  him. 

.\t  the  Douglas  rally  an  incident  occurred 
which  is  worthy  of  note.  The  Democrats  were 
eager  to  overshadow  the  recent  Itepublican  rally, 
and  as  an  aid  to  this  purpose,  borrowed  a  can- 
non at  Beardstown  to  be  fired  on  tbe  da.v  of  the 
speaking.  They  had  planned  to  have  a  pageant 
that  would  delight  all  spectators  and  fill  their 
rivals  with  envy.  The  cannon  was  mounted  on 
tbe  running  gears  of  a  wagon  and  hauled  atxiut 
the  square,  and  the  annoimcement  made  that  it 
would  be  fired  at  the  close  of  the  speaking. 

While  Senator  Douglas  was  still  talking,  the 
boys  undertook  to  load  the  cannon,  ".Tack"  Zeig- 
ler  was  master  of  ceremonies.  The  old  method  of 
loading  by  cramming  down  paper,  to  him  was 
good  enough  in  its  way,  but  it  didn't  make  noise 
enough.  He  suggested  wet  chipped  leather,  and 
there  were  loads  of  it  in  tbe  rear  of  Ryan's 
harness  shop. 

"Ram  that  down  tight  and  they'll  lic.ir  yoiu' 
old  caiuion  in  evciy  adjoining  county  when  she 
speaks,"  said  "Jack," 


The  boys  did  as  directed.  When  all  was  ready 
the  lanyard  was  jerked ;  tlie  powder  flashed 
into  a  geyser  of  flame ;  there  was  a  flash,  a  pause 
and  then  a  shock  which  shook  the  veiy  earth  and 
shattered  all  the  glass  windows  on  the  northeast 
i-orner  of  the  square.  The  noise  was  awful,  the 
result  disastrous.  The  leather  had  clung  to  the 
gun's  interior,  refusing  ejectment,  and  the  can- 
non was  shattered  into  a  hundred  pieces.  The 
broken  parts  leaped  into  the  air  and  flew  sky 
high,  and  that  was  tbe  last  of  the  Democrat's 
miglity  cannon.  Miraculous  as  it  seems,  no  one 
was  injured.  A  large  piece  of  the  cannon  fell  in 
tlie  center  of  the  park  just  grazing  the  shoulder 
of  James  I.,awler,  but  he  escaped  uninjured. 

In  the  ever  memorable  ix)litical  contest  of  1860, 
Schu.vler  was  again  loyal  to  Douglas  and  he 
Iif)lled  ]5.'59  votes:  Lincoln  and  Hamlin,  0!56 ; 
Bell  and  Kverett,  15 ;  and  Breckinridge  and  Lane, 
8.  The  vote  in  ISG-l  stood:  Jlct'lellan  and  I'en- 
dleton,  1()01  ;  Lincoln  and  Johnson.  HOG. 

Fdl  lowing   is  a   table  of  the  otticial   vote   for 
President  in  Schuyler  Count.v  since  18IU: 
isns— Seymour,   1,7.50:   Grant    l,.3n. 
1872— Greeley,  1,577;  Grant,  1,430. 
1870— Tilden,  1804 :  Hayes,  1,522  ;  Cooper,  115. 
ISSO— Hancock,  1,937;  Garfield,  1,520;  Weaver, 
m. 

18.84 — Cleveland,  1,050; 
24  :  Butler,  25. 

1888— Cleveland,  l.O'.U: 
92;  Streeter,  IS. 

1892- Cleveland,  1,880 ; 
well,   142;   Weaver,  200. 

ISOr — Br.van,  2,.'?25  ;  McKinley.  1,848;  Levering 
03:   Palmer,  11. 

19(K) — Bryan.  2,107:  McKinley,  1,791;  Wooley, 
71 ;  Baker.  4. 

10((4— Parker,  1,082;  Roosevelt,  1,6.30;  Swal- 
low. 275. 

Repisesentatives  in  Congress. — The  first  con- 
gressional district  of  which  Schuyler  County  was 
a  part,  embraced  the  whole  State  of  Illinois  and 
Daniel  P.  Cook  was  the  Representative  in  Con- 
gress. He  was  followed  in  1827  by  Joseph  Dun- 
can, who  served  imtil  18.34,  when  be  resigned 
to  accept  the  governorship. 

In  1831  the  first  Congressional  apportionment 
was  made  and  the  State  was  divided  into  three 
districts.  Schu.vler  was  in  the  Third  District 
which  included  Pike,  Morgan  and  Sangamon 
Counties  and  all  the  territor.v  to  the  north  of 
them.     Joseph  Duncan  of  Jaclcsonville,  who  suc- 


Blaine,  1,.5;!3;  St.  John, 
Harrison,  1.010;  Fisk, 
Harrison,   1.503;   Bid- 


676 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


ceedefl  Daniel  P.  Cook,  represented  this  Third 
District  and  he  was  succeeded  by  William  L. 
May.  a  Democrat,  who  served  from  1834  to  1839. 
John  T.  Stuart,  Whig,  of  Spriugfiold,  succeeded 
May  and  served  two  terms  to  l>e  followed  by  .John 
J.   Ilardin,  of  the  same  political  party. 

It  was  d\iring  Hardin"s  term  of  otfice  that  the 
State  was  again  redistricted  and  Schuyler  was 
placed  in  the  Fifth  Congressional  District  with 
Greene,  Jersey,  Calhoun,  Pilce,  Adams,  Mar- 
quette, (a  part  of  Adams,)  Brown,  Fulton,  Peoria 
and  Macoupin  Counties. 

William  A.  Richard.son,  then  a  resident  of 
Itusliville,  was  elected  to  Congress  from  this  dis- 
trict in  1847  to  succeed  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who 
had  been  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
Mr.  Richardson  served  six  consecutive  terms 
(the  first  being  a  fractional  term  to  complete 
that  for  which  Douglas  had  been  elected  in 
1840),  but  during  his  third  term  he  moved  to 
Quiucy,  where  he  afterwards  made  his  home. 

In  1852  Sduiyler  County  was  placed  in  the 
Fifth  District  composed  of  the  counties  of  Adams, 
Pilje,  Calhoun,  Brown,  Schuyler,  McDonougli, 
Hancocic  and  Henderson,  and  again  in  18G1  there 
was  another  rearrangement  when  the  Ninth  Dis- 
trict was  formed  to  include  the  following  coun- 
ties ;  Fulton,  Mason,  Menard,  Cass,  McDonougb, 
Brown  and  Pike. 

The  Republicans  having  succeeded  to  political 
power  in  Illinois,  the  new  Congressional  Districts 
created  in  1872  wore  designed  to  be  favorable  to 
that  party.  Schuyler  was  placed  in  the  Tenth 
District,  which  was  made  up  of  Mercer,  Hen- 
derson, Warren,  Hancock,  and  Schuyler  Coun- 
ties. The  first  Republican  convention  in  this 
district  nonunated  William  H.  Ray  of  Rush- 
ville,  as  their  candidate  and  he  was  elected  and 
served  one  term.  Two  years  later  the  Dem- 
ocrats nominated  John  C.  Bagby,  also  of  Rush- 
ville,  and  he  too  was  elected,  notwithstanding  the 
adverse  Republican  majority,  and  served  in  Con- 
gress  from   1875   to   1877. 

Ten  years  elapsed  before  the  boundary  of 
the  Congressional  District  was  changed  and  in 
1882  the  Eleventh  District  was  formed  with  the 
counties  of  Rock  Island,  Mercer,  Henderson, 
Warren,  Hancock.  McDonough  and  Schuylfer. 
While  nominally  Republican,  the  district  was  not 
proof  against  Democratic  victories  and  the  elec- 
tions were,  in  consequence,  spirited  ones. 

When  the  Democrats  once  more  came  into 
power   in   1892,   they   turned   their   attention    to 


congressional  districts  and  a  new  apportionment 
was  made,  and  the  Fifteenth  District  was  created 
of  the  counties  of  Henderson,  Warren,  Hancock, 
McDoiioiiu'h.  .\(lanis,  Brown  and  Schuyler.  Like 
the  Uepulilicans  they  liad  planned  a  district  along 
partisan  lines,  but  with  pojiuiar  candidates  and 
vigorous  campaigning  the  Kepublicans  were  suc- 
cessful in  every  campaign  save  the  last  one  in 
1900. 

A  typical  "gerrymander"  marked  the  last  change 
of  Congressional  Districts  in  1901,  and  it  was 
planned  and  designed  to  be  hopelessly  Republican. 
'Pile  new  Fifteenth  District  is  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Henry,  Knox,  Fulton,  Schuyler  and 
-Vdams,  and  it  is  ably  represented  in  Congress 
by   George   W,    Prince   of   Galesburg. 

Members  of  the  General  Assembly. — In  re- 
viewing the  history  of  Schuyler  County's  rep- 
resentation in  the  General  Assembly,  it  becomes 
apparent  that  the  Representatives  from  this 
county  have  i)layed  a  prominent  part  in  the  legis- 
lation for  the  State.  From  the  year  18,32  until 
1900,  Schuyler  was  represented  In  the  General 
Assembly  by  one  of  Its  citizens  as  a  Senator 
or  Representative,  with  the  exception  of  two 
sessions  in  18(i4-6C  and  1882-84. 

On  the  organization  of  the  county  In  1826 
Schuyler  was  i)laced  in  a  district  composed  of 
the  counties  of  Pike,  Fulton,  Adams,  Morgan 
and  I'eoria.  In  18;'2  a  new  district  was  formed 
of  Fulton,  Knox,  Henry,  Calhoun,  Mercer,  Mc- 
Donough and  Warren  Counties,  and  William  Me- 
Creery  was  elected  Senator  and  William  A.  Min- 
shall  Representative,  both  being  residents  of 
Schuyler  County.  From  18:50  to  1840  Schuyler 
was  set  apart  as  one  district  and  elected  a 
Senator  and  Repre.scntative.  After  1840  Brown 
Count)'  was  added  to  the  district 

Since  1848,  when  the  second  State  Constitution 
went  into  effect,  the  Legislative  Districts  of 
which  Schuyler  has  l)een  a  part,  have  been  as 
follows : 

1848  —  Si.xtcenth  Senatorial :  McDonough, 
Schuyler,  Brown,  Highland.  Thirty-sixth  Rep- 
resentative :     Schuyler. 

1S54 — Eleventh  Senatorial ;  Schuyler,  Hen- 
derson, Hancock.  Thirtieth  Representative: 
Schuyler.   ' 

1861 — Twelfth  Senatorial:  Menard,  Cass, 
Schuyler,  Brown,  Morgan.  Thirtieth  Represen- 
tative :     Schuyler. 

1872 — Twenty  fifth  Senatorial :  Fulton,  Schuy- 
ler. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


677 


1882— Thirtj--fourth  Senatorial:  Mason,  Men- 
ard,  Cass,    Schuyler. 

1893 — Twentj-eighth  Senatorial:  Hancock, 
McDonousli,  Schuyler. 

1901 — Thirtieth  Senatorial :  Tazewell,  Mason, 
Menard.    Cass,   Brown,    Schuyler. 

State  Senators  elec-ted  from  Schuyler  County 
are:  William  McCreery,  18.'?2-34 ;  George  W.  P. 
Maxwell,  IS.Si-.^S :  William  A.  Richardson,  18.38- 
42;  John  Brown,  1840-tS ;  John  P.  Richmond, 
1848-52  and  18.58-02;  Robert  Brown,  1874-78; 
John  M.  Darnell,  1884-88. 

Representatives  elected  from  Schuyler  County 
are :  William  A.  Minshall,  1832-.34 ;  Jacoh  Vande- 
venter,  18.34-.3G ;  William  A.  Richardson,  1836-38 ; 
John  Brown.  1838-40;  William  A.  Minshall,  1840- 
42;  P.  C.  Vance,  1842-44;  .John  Brown,  1844- 
46;  Lewis  D.  Erwin,  1846-48;  Jesse  Darnell, 
1848-50;  Allen  Persinger,  1850-52;  Francis  E. 
Bryant,  1852-54;  John  P.  Richmond,  1854-56; 
Lewis  D.  Erwin,  1856-62 ;  Joseph  Sharron.  1862- 
64;  George  W.  Metz,  1866-68;  John  Ewing, 
1868-70;  Samuel  S.  Benson,  1870-72;  John 
M.  Darnell.  1872-74  ;  James  DeWitt,  1874-76  ;  Wil- 
liam T.  Mc-Creery,  1876-80;  Hosea  Davis,  1878- 
80;  William  C.  Reno,  1880-82;  Perry  Logsdon, 
1884-86  and  1888-00 ;  William  T.  McCreery,  1888- 
90;  Bernard  P.  Preston,  1890-94;  U.  A.  Wilson, 
1894-98;  James  A.  Teel,  1894-06;  George  M. 
Black.  ISnS-inOO;  J.  E.  Wyaud.  1900-1902;  A.  M. 
Foster  1906-1908. 

Delegates  to  Constitutional  Conventions. — ■ 
In  tlie  three  Constitutional  Conventions  that  have 
been  held  since  Schuyler  County  was  organized 
as  a  county,  the  representation  has  been  as 
follows:  1847 — William  A.  Minshall;  1863— 
John  P.  Riclmiond ;  1869-70— Jesse  C.  Fox.  The 
constitution  framed  by  the  Convention  of  1862 
was  rejected  h.v  vote  of  the  people. 

State's  Attorneys— From  1825  until  1872  the 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the  county  was  chosen 
to  represent  a  district  rather  than  a  county,  and 
it  does  not  always  happen  that  the  attorney  was 
a  resident  of  the  county,  though  a  number  of  the 
attorneys  who  held  this  office  and  afterwards 
achieved  national  reputation  were  members  of 
the  Schuyler  County  bar.  The  attorneys  who 
have  spi-ved  in  this  official  capacity  are:  James 
Turney,  1825-26;  Jonathan  H.  Pugh,  pro  tem., 
1826 ;  William  Brown,  1826-31 ;  Thomas  Ford, 
1831-.34;  William  A.  Richardson  1834-38;  Wil- 
liam Elliott,  1838-44 ;  Henry  L.  Bryant,  1844-48 ; 
Robert   S.    Blackwell,    1848-52;   John   S.   Bailey, 


18.52-58;  L.  H.  Waters,  18.58-59;  DeWitt  C. 
Johnston,  pro  tem.,  1859-60 ;  Thomas  E.  Morgan, 
1860-08 ;  L.  W.  James,  1868-72 ;  Edward  P.  Vail, 
1872-76;  Sylvanus  B.  Montgomery,  1876-84; 
David  H.  Glass,  1884-96;  Thomas  E.  Botten- 
berg,   1896-1904;   Herman   H.  Brown,  1904. 

County  Clerks — John  B.  Terry,  1825-27,  re- 
signed December,  1827;  Hart  Fellows,  1827-37; 
William  Ellis,  1837-1847;  Nathan  Moore,  1847- 
56,  resigned  September,  1856 ;  Edward  Bertholf, 
September  to  December,  1856 ;  Charles  Neill,  1856- 
60;DeWitt  C.  Johnston,  1860-64;  A.  L.  Noble, 
1864-68;  John  M.  Spangler,  1868-72;  John  C. 
Scripps,  1872-7(;;  Mark  Bogue,  1876-90;  A.  P. 
Rodewald.  1890-98;  Isaac  Lewis,  1898. 

Recorders — John  B.  Terry,  1825-27;  Hart  Fel- 
lows, 1827-38;  Richard  Dougherty,  1838-46; 
Thomas  I.  Garrett,  1840-48.  By  the  adoption  of 
the  State  Constitution  of  1848  the  offices  of 
Recorder  and  Circuit  Clerk  were  merged,  and 
since  that  date  both  offices  have  been  filled  by  the 
Circuit  Clerk. 

Circuit  Clerks — Hart  Fellows,  1825-36,  resigned 
December,  18.36;  Robert  A.  Glenn,  18.36-40; 
Joseph  Montgomery.  1.S40-.52 ;  Lewis  D.  Erwin, 
1852-56 ;  Joseph  Montgomery,  1856-60 ;  Thomas  J. 
Kinney,  1860-64;  Simon  Doyle,  1864-68;  Edward 
Bertholf,  1808-72;  William  Paris,  1872-80;  Wil- 
liam H.  H.  Rader,  1880-84;  Charles  H.  Wells, 
1884-88;  Nathan  S.  -Montgomery,  1888-96;  Eli  B. 
Dixson,  1890-1904;  Edward  J.  Ryan,  1904  to 
date. 

County  Treasurers— D&v\a  Blair,  1827-28;  Wil- 
lis O'Neal,  1828-33;  Edward  Doyle,  1833-34; 
Adam  Dunlap,  18.34-.35;  Harvey  Lester,  1835-.36; 
Robert  H.  Burton,  1836-37;  Marshall  ,  Smith, 
March,  1837  to  September,  1837;  William  Cox, 
18.37-.38  (removed);  Clark  Dennis,  1838-39; 
Joseph  T.  Campbell,  1839-42;  John  Scripps,  1842- 
43;  James  DeWitt.  1843-45;  Nathan  Moore, 
1845-47;  E.  H.  O.  Seeley,  1847-49;  Enoch  Ed- 
monston,  1849-52;  Peter  L.  Campbell,  1852-60; 
Simon  Doyle,  1860-62;  Enoch  Edmonston,  1862- 
64;  Elias  D.  Leach,  1864-00;  Joseph  N.  Ward, 
1800-68  ;  Edwin  M.  Anderson,  1868-70 ;  George  H. 
Nelson,  1870-72 ;  Edward  D.  Wells,  1872-70 ;  Ed- 
win Dyson,  1876-78;  August  Nell,  1878-82;  Ed- 
win Dyson,  1882-80;  .John  S.  Stutsman.  18S6-90; 
George  Ilanna,  1890-94;  A.  H.  Clark,  1894-98; 
George  T.  Whitson,  1898-1902  ;  Charles  K.  Strong, 
1902-06;  William  Cooper,  1906-08. 

School  Commissioners  and  Superintendents. — 
Alexander   Curry,   1826-35;    Henry   B.    Bertholf, 


678 


PIISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


1835-39;  Willi:ini  Ellis,  1830-40;  Edward  Doyle, 
18-10-42:  Jonatliiin  I).  Miinlove.  1841'-43 ;  .Tolm 
Scripps,  1843-47;  George  Little.  1847;  Wheeler 
W.  Wells,  1848;  John  Scripps,  1848-49;  Daniel 
T.  Berry,  1849-50;  John  S.  Bugby  1850;  Charles 
Neill,  1850-50;  William  Ellis.  1850-58;  George  R. 
Benton,  1858-00;  Anderson  D.  Davies,  18G0-G2; 
Henry  Smither.  1802-(U ;  Jesse  C.  Fox,  1804-08; 
Jonathan  R.  Neill,  1808-72:  William  A.  ("lark. 
1872-70;  Henry  H.  Foley.  1870-80;  1).  M.  Stover. 
1880-04;  J.  G.  Maroe,  1804-98;  L.  J.  McCrcery, 
1898-1902;  J.  Rollo  Black,  1902-00;  L.  J.  Mc- 
Creery,  1000. 

Sherifts—Ovr\s  McCartney,  1825-28;  Joel  Pen- 
nington, 1828-.34;  Thomas  Hayden,  1S34-.38;  John 
G.  Mellatton.  1838-42;  Joseph  T.  Campbell,  1842- 
44;  Enoch  Edmonston,  1844-48;  Asa  Goodwin, 
1848-50;  I^wis  D.  Erwin,  ia50-.52;  Asa  Goodwin. 
1852-.54;  Charles  Neill.  1854-.50;  John  Hugh 
Lawler,  18.50-58;  Enoch  Edmonston,  18.58-00;  Ed- 
ward Bertholf.  1800-02;  Joseph  Dyson  1802-04; 
John  C.  Brown,  18(U-00:  Joseph  Dyson.  1860-68; 
Henry  J.  Sapp.  1868-70:  Joseph  Dyson,  1870-72; 
George  T.  Whitson,  1872-74 ;  George  M.  Camp- 
bell, 1874-70;  John  A.  Harvey,  1870-78;  John 
C.  Brown.  1878-8((;  John  Neill.  1880-82.  Jact)b 
Pruett,  1882-80.:  John  Neill,  1880-00;  George  S. 
Greer,  1890-94;  Felix  Jackson.  lS!>4-98;  John 
Neill,  1808-1902:  Felix  Jackson,  1902-00:  S.  R. 
Jloore,  1906. 

Coroners — Lievin      (Jreen,      1825-29 ;      Thomas 

Raines,    1820;    Alexander    I'enn.v ;    .Tohn    P. 

Skiles,    ;    I'eter    Wauijiler,    1848-50;    A.    H. 

Perkins,  1850-52 ;  Peter  Wampler.  1852.54 ;  A.  H. 
Perkins.  1854-.50;  Peter  Wampler.  1850-58; 
William  G.  Denny.  18.58-00;  John  R.  Randall. 
1800-62:  Alexander  Montgomery.  1802-04;  Henry 
J.  Sapp.  1864-06;  John  P.  Skiles,  1800-1808; 
Adam  Trone,  lS(!8-70;  Hud  M.  Deane.  1870-74; 
C.  M.  Grimwood,  1874-70;  Barnett  P.  Watts, 
1876-78;  Hud  M.  Deane  1878-80;  John  S.  V.ince. 
1880-82;  John  P.  Skiles.  1882-8(5;  Hud  M.  Deane, 
1880-1900:  Nathan  Parish.  19IH)-1!H)2  ;  E.  S.  Chip- 
man,  1002 . 

Surveyor.1 — Jonathan  D.  Manlove.  1825-20 ; 
William  P.  Manlove,  1820-.34;  Allen  IVrsiuger, 
1834-38 ;  F.  E.  Bryant.  1838-42 ;  J.  Miles  Sweeney, 
1842-40 ;  Leonidas  Homey,  1846-61  :  Charles 
Prather.  1801-02:  Jeremiah  Stumm.  1802-04;  John 
M.  Campbell.  1804-00;  James  W.  Watts,  1806- 
68;  Jeremiah  Stunmi,  1808-74;  James  W.  Watts. 
1874-76;  Jeffcrscm  Homey,  1876-85:  Jeremiah 
Stumm.    1885-1004;    J.    Clarke    GraEf.    1904-07; 


Howard    F.    Dyson,    appointed    to    till    vacancy, 
December  13,  1007. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


IIKMIWAVS     PDST      ROUTES— RAILROADS. 


i>e;vei.oi"ment  of  highwavs — laying  out  of  road 
fro.m  bushv1i.i,b  to  rock  island — early  roads 
in  schuy'leb  covnty" first  post  routes — in- 
auguration of  rural  hail  routes — ferries 
anm)  lirlix-.e  sites — mill-seats — their  history 
and  i>ocation  —  fhist  county  bridge  over 
crooked  creek  co.mpleted  in  1.830 — first  rail- 
road planned  in  183r — county  votes  $150,- 
txw  in  raiijioad  bonds — r.\ilroad  built  to 
rushville  i.v  1869 — teij:pnone  construction 
— list  of  telephone  ij>'es  now  in  operation. 

In  182.3.  when  the  first  settlement  was  made  in 
Schuyler  County,  there  were  few  well  established 
roads  in  Illinois.  In  the  soutli  and  central  por- 
tions of  the  State  there  were  well  defined  lines 
of  travel,  liut  these  were  little  more  than  paths 
or  trails,  and  us  they  approached  the  Illinois 
River  they  grew  less  distinct,  and  when  Schuyler 
County  was  reached  they  had  disappeared  alto- 
gether. Here  the  trail  of  the  settler  ended  and, 
to  the  north  as  far  as  the  Hudson  Bay  country 
and  west  to  the  Rocky  .Mountains,  there  were 
none  of  the  familiar  signs  to  mark  the  path  of  the 
adventuTOUs  homeseeker. 

Following  the  trail  was  not  as  easy  as  the 
name  suggests,  and  to  do  it  successfully  the 
settler  had  to  exercise  the  keen  knowledge  of 
woodcraft  that  he  had  gained  by  observation  and 
experience.  Animals  and  Indians  had  located 
(he  fords  in  many  instances  before  the  coming 
of  the  white  man,  and  thus  had  outlined  a  gen- 
eral line  of  travel,  and  the  emigrants,  follow- 
ing the  line  of  least  resistance,  made  a  well 
beaten  path  through  the  trackless  forests  and 
across  the  uiile  expanse  of  prairie  which,  in 
time  and  througli  constant  travel,  became  a  well 
defined  highway. 

When  the  first  settlers  nlio  located  in  Schuyler 
made    their   journey    north    from    the   southern 


'  "^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


679 


part  of  Iiuli.iun.  they  found  only  a  vmV  trail  that 
here  and  there  had  been  roughly  corduroyed 
over  the  worst  slouglis.  The  ti'ees  aloug  the 
route  had  been  blazed  to  mark  the  trail,  and 
in  many  instances  those  who  had  gone  before  had 
written  their  names  on  the  smooth  barked  trees, 
telling  where  they  were  from  and  where  they  were 
going,  a  message  that  was  often  read  with  wel- 
come by  friends  who  came  after  them.  When 
some  one  had  found  a  better  road  leading  off 
from  the  trail,  it  was  marked  by  setting  a  row  of 
stakes  at  the  points  of  digression,  which  was  a 
sign  well  understood  by  the  pioneers  of  the  plains. 
The  roads  thus  improvised  by  the  frontiersmen 
were  laid  out  without  reference  to  section  lines 
and,  as  necessity  arose,  they  were  straightened, 
but  the  first  nide  trail  very  often  determined 
the  destiny  of  what  are  now  flourishing  cities 
and.  in  a  manner,  affected  the  greater  lines  of 
conmierce  when  railroad  building  began. 

In  this  connection  it  will  not  be  out  of  pl.nce 
to  refer  to  the  establishment  of  a  trail,  or  road, 
fi-om  Rushville  to  Rock  Island,  which  afterwards 
became  a  well  defined  route  of  travel  when  the 
excitement  over  the  lead  mines  at  Galena  started 
a  stream  of  emigration  northward.  This  road 
was  laid  out  in  1827  by  J.  D.  JIanlove  and 
Thomas  Beard,  who  were  engaged  in  the  work 
for  ten  days.  They  left  Rushville  on  horse- 
back and,  in  their  travels  northward,  did  not 
find  a  single  settlement  until  Port  Armstrong 
was  reached.  In  a  reminescence  of  pioneer  times 
Mr.  Manlove  writes  that  the  road  was  marked 
by  stakes  and  buffalo  bones,  which  were  found  in 
abundance,  and  that  after  they  had  finished 
their  work,  the  first  team  passed  through  Rush- 
ville in  the  spring  of  1.S27  for  the  Galena  lead 
mines. 

By  authority  of  a  State  law  the  County  Com- 
missioners were  given  very  broad,  but  rather 
vague?  authority  to  lay  out  roads,  and  in  the  first 
year  of  Schuyler's  history  the  question  of  roads 
was  one  that  occupied  a  considerable  share  of 
the  attention  of  the  County  Commissioners.  It 
was  on  December  5.  182.5,  that  the  first  road 
district  in  Schuyler  County  was  laid  out.  and  it 
embraced  a  territory  included  within  the  fol- 
lowing bounds:  "Beginning  at  the  Illinois  River 
on  the  Base  line,  along  river  to  mouth  of  Sugar 
Creek,  thence  with  main  branch  to  the  county 
line,  thence  along  said  line  to  the  countj'  of 
Adams,  thence  south  along  said  line  to  the  base 
line,  thence  east  to  place  of  beginning." 


At  this  meeting  of  the  Board  a  report  of  the 
Connnissioners  apiwinted  to  lay  out  a  road  from 
Be;ird's  ferry  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Sec- 
tion It;,  2  N.,  i:  1  W„  was  received,  and  .Jonathan 
Reno  ajiiminted  to  .supervise  the  construction  of 
the  same.  The  Commissionei-s  who  had  laid  out 
the  road  were  Ephraim  Eggleston,  Jonathan 
Reno  and  Levin  Green,  who  had  each  received 
.?1  for  their  seiTiees.  David  E.  Blair  was  the 
fir.st  Supervisor  of  Roads  in  the  county.  By 
order  of  the  Connnissioners  on  March  7.  182(1, 
the  road  from  Beard's  ferry  to  Section  Ki,  in 
Rushville  Township,  was  ordered  straightened 
so  as  to  leave  Beardstown,  first  named  as  the 
county-seat,  off  the  route. 

Freipient  changes  were  made  in  the  road  dis- 
tricts and,  on  April  5,  1827,  the  county  was  di- 
vided in  four  districts  and  Sujiervisors  were  ap- 
pointed as  follows:  Edward  White,  Manlove 
llorney.  William  Pennington  and  William 
Stephens.  To  keep  pace  with  the  demand  for 
road  building  the  number  of  districts  was  in- 
creased to  ten,  March  4,  1828,  and  Supervisors 
named  as  follows :  John  T.  Norton,  Elisha  Kel- 
logg, Moses  W.  Pettigrew,  Willis  O'Neal.  William 
n.  Taylor,  Thomas  Justus,  Isaac  Linder,  William 
JIcKee,  Joel  TuUis  and  William  Stevens.  Two 
years  later  the  number  of  districts  was  in- 
creased to  fourteen  and  McDonough  County, 
which  was  then  under  jurisdiction  of  the  civil 
government  of  Schuyler,  constituted  one  district. 
In  laying  out  the  first  roads  in  the  county  the 
work  was  accomplished  without  the  aid  of  a 
surveyor  and  no  permanent  record  made.  In  the 
year  182!)  a  petition  was  circulated  for  a  new 
road  from  Beard's  ferry  to  Rushville  and  thence 
west  to  the  countj*  line,  the  ob.1ect  being  to  con- 
tinue the  State  road  that  ran  through  Illinois 
from  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  by  way  of  Paris,  De- 
catur, Springfield  and  Beard-stown,  which  after- 
wards became  an  important  highwa.v  for  west- 
ern travel.  The  road  was  surveyed  by  William 
I'.  Manlove,  County  Surveyor,  and  in  his  notes, 
d;ited  November  29,  1829,  he  stated  that  he  began 
at  a  forked  maple  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Illinois  River  opposite  Beardstown,  and  sur- 
vcycil  to  file  northeast  comer  of  the  public  square 
in  Rushville,  a  distance  of  eleven  and  a  half 
miles,  and  from  there  to  the  west  county  line, 
a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles.  The  line  was 
run  its  entire  length  I)y  courses  and  distances, 
with  blazed  trees  for  witness  points,  and  while 
no  other  surveyor  has  ever  been  able  to  follow 


680 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


the  original  survey,  the  road  as  now  established 
follows  the  general  course  as  laid  out  in  1829. 

The  list  of  early  roads  of  Schuyler,  in  the 
order  of  their  establishment,   is  here  given : 

From    Beard's    ferry    to    Uushville,    1825. 

From  Rushviile  to  intersect  road  leading  from 
Lewistown  to  county  line,  1827. 

From  Rushviile  to  the  north  boundary  of 
McDonough  County,  as  staked  by  Maulove  and 
Beard  in  their  route  to  Uook  Island,   1827. 

From  Uushville  to  ford  on  Crooked  Creek. 
Sec.  35,  1  N.,  2  W.,  thence  to  intersect  road 
from  Atlas,  seat  of  justice  in  I'ike  County,  1827. 

From  Rushviile  to  mouth  of  Crooked  Creek, 
1828. 

From  the  Narrows  in  the  Illinois  River  to 
Six  Prairie,  near  Mt  Sterling,   1830. 

From  west  line  of  what  is  now  Brown  County 
to  cross  Crooked  Creek  at  Henley's  mill-site  and 
intersect  State  road  from  Rushviile,  1831. 

From  the  southwest  corner  of  Sec,  33,  2  S., 
2  W.,  by  way  of  Wilson's  ferry  at  the  Narrows 
on  Illinois  River  to  Rushviile,  a  disUince  of 
thirty-two  miles,  1831. 

There  were  scores  of  other  roads  established 
with  the  development  of  the  county,  but  the  ones 
named  were  the  principal  linos  of  travel  from 
adjoining  counties  and  they  were  commonly 
designated  as  "State  roads." 

By  1853  the  development  of  the  pork-pack- 
ing business  in  Rushviile  created  a  demand  for 
highway  improvement,  and  a  local  company  was 
organized  to  build  a  plank  road  to  Frederick,  on 
the  Illinois  River,  a  distance  of  nine  miles.  The 
road  was  built,  toll-gates  established  and  a 
charge  made  for  every  vehicle  or  animal  that 
nsed  the  road.  With  the  de<'line  of  the  pork- 
packing  business  the  road  was  abandoned,  though 
It  well  served  its  purpose  during  the  years  it 
was  in  use. 

Post  RofTES. — In  the  days  before  the  build- 
ing of  the  railroads  all  the  mail  was  handled  by 
contractors,  and  these  men  were  usually  the 
owners  of  important  stage-lines  and  had  thou- 
sands of  dollars  invested  in  their  equipment  of 
coaches  and  horses.  At  Rushviile  previous  to 
1841,  Abraham  Tolle  had  the  contract  for  deliver- 
ing the  mails,  and  he  operated  stage-routes  to 
Peoria,  Springfield,  Burlington,  Jacksonville, 
Quincy.  Macomb  and  many  near-by  stations.  He 
owned  four  big  Troy  coaches,  each  drawn  by  four 
horses,  and  they  were  regarded  as  the  finest 
conveyances  in  the  West,  and  were  operated  on 


a  regular  schedule  time  between  the  larger  cities 
named.  The  mail-routes  were  let  by  contract 
and,  in  1S41,  an  Eastern  concern  underbid  Mr. 
Tolle  and  secured  the  business.  These  men  did 
not  give  their  personal  attention  to  the  business, 
but  sublet  the  route  in  minor  divisions,  and  this 
was  the  beginning  of  the  govermuent  "Star 
Routes"  which,  if  not  conceived  in  iniquity,  soon 
developed  into  the  most  brazen  fraudulent  deal- 
ings and  involved  the  department  in  endless 
scandals.  For  more  than  sixtj'  years  Rusliville 
was  H  hub.  as  it  were,  for  numerous  "Star 
Routes."  but,  with  the  development  of  the  rural 
free  delivery,  there  has  been  a  gradual  diminu- 
tion until  there  now  remains  but  two  routes  out 
of  Rushviile. 

The  first  rural  free  delivery  routes  were  es- 
tablished in  Schuyler  County,  August  1,  1901, 
Route  No.  1  was  from  Rushviile  to  Littleton, 
while  Route  No.  2  covered  portions  of  Bain- 
bridge  and  Woodstock  Townships.  New  routes 
were  added  in  subsequent  years  and,  in  1905, 
a  couiiplete  couutj'  system  was  established  and 
twenty-four  routes,  not  all  of  which  start  in  tills 
<'ounty,  makes  It  possible  for  nearly  every  farmer 
in  the  county  to  have  a  daily  mall  deliver}'. 
Seven  of  these  routes  have  their  headciuarters 
In  Rushviile. 

Ferries  and  Bridge  Sites. — The  question  of 
licensing  ferries  was  one  that  devolved  uixra  the 
County  Commissioners  and,  inasnuioh  as  the 
county  was  bounded  on  one  side  by  the  Illinois 
River  and  traversed  by  two  large  streams,  there 
were  numerous  applications  to  come  before  that 
body. 

The  first  ferrj-  license  was  issued  to  Thomas 
Beard,  who  desired  to  establish  a  means  of  com- 
munication acros,s  the  river  where  Beardstown 
is  now  located.  His  license  was  Issued  June  5, 
1826  and  he  was  given  authority  to  charge  the 
following  rates : 

Wagon  and  four  horses  or  oxen ?  .75 

Wagon  and  two  horses 50 

Wagon  or  cart   and   horse 37% 

Man  and  horse 12'/^ 

Loose  horse 06^4 

Footman    00^ 

Cattle,  per  head 05 

Sheep,  Hogs  and  Goats *<- 

Double  rates  were  allowed  when  it  was  neces- 
sary to  take  passengers  to  or  from  the  foot  of 
the  bluffs.  This  license  proved  to  be  a  remuner- 
ative one  and  a  ferry  was  maintained  until  1889. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


681 


when  a  bridge  was  constructed  over  the  Illinois 
river  at  that  point. 

Other  ferry-licenses  granted  were  as  follows : 

Andrevc  Vance,  September  4,  1826,  upper  land- 
ing ou  Illinois  River. 

William  Wilson,  March  1,  1830,  on  Illinois 
River  at  the  Narrows,  three  miles  below  mouth 
of  Crooked  Creek. 

Willis  O'Neal,  March  9,  1831,  ou  Crooked 
Creek  on  Rushville  and  Quincy  road. 

David  Tallman,  December  5,  1832,  on  Crooked 
Creek.  oi)i)o.site  Section  11,  1  S.,  2  W. 

William  Haskell,  June  2,  1834,  on  Crooked 
Creek,  opposite  Section  23,  2  N.,  3  W. 

Allen  .Vle.xanUcr,  March  4,  1835,  ou  Crooked 
Creek,  opposite  Section  33,  1  N.,  2  W. 

William  Wilson,  March  7,  1836,  ou  Crooked 
Creek,  opposite  Section  13,  1  S.,  2  W. 

Beuj.  V.  Teel,  June  6,  183G.  on  Illinois  River 
opposite  Schuyler  City,  located  near  the  mouth 
of   Sugar  Creek. 

John  Knight,  September  1,  1837,  on  Illinois 
River,   at  foot  of  Grand  Island. 

Mills  .\nd  Mili^Seats. — The  old  band-mill,  op- 
erated by  horse  power,  did  service  in  Schuyler 
County  for  many  years  after  the  county  was  first 
established,  but  the  pioneers  were  not  slow  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  water-power  afforded  by 
Sugar  and  Crooked  Creeks,  and  the  first  peti- 
tion for  a  mill-seat  was  made  by  John  Ritchey, 
who  asked  permission  to  build  a  dam  across 
Crooked  Creek  on  uorthwest  of  Section  33.  1  N., 
2  W.,  the  present  site  of  Ripley.  The  writ  was 
issued  December  7,  182r>.  The  next  step  was 
the  apix>intment  of  a  conmiission  by  the  County 
Commissioners,  who  visited  the  proposed  mill-site 
and  made  an  estimate  of  the  probable  damage 
to  adjoining  property  caused  by  the  erection  of 
a  dam.  They  also  specified  the  height  of 
the  dam.  The  records  of  the  Commissioner's 
Court  give  the  date  of  establishment  of  the  early 
mills  in  Schuyler  County  as  follows : 

Benj.  V.  Teel,  June  7,  1830.     N.  E.  Sec.  6,  2  N. 

1  E.,   on   Sugar   Creek. 

David  Wallace,  June  7,  1830.  S.  W.  Sec. 
20,  2  N.,   1  E.,  on  Sugar  Creek. 

Thomas  Justus,  June  7,  1830,   S.  W.   Sec.   17, 

2  N.  1  E.,  on  Sugar  Creek. 

Walter  D.  Scott  and  Osborn  Henley,  June  6, 

1831,  N.  E.  Sec.  11.  1  N.,  3  W.,  on  Crooked  Creek. 

Wm.  C.  Ralls,  June  6,  lasi,  S.  B.  %.  Sec.  20, 

3  N.,  3  W.,  ou  Crooked  Creek,  at  present  location 


of  Brooklyn.  (Today  the  mill  on  this  site  is  the 
only  one  in  operation  in  Schuyler  County.) 

Benj.  Chadsey  and  John  Johnson  June  6, 
1S31,  E  %  S.  W.  See.  5,  1  N.,  1  E.,  on  Sugar 
Creek. 

James  A.  Chadsey,  March  5,  1833,  N.  W.  22, 
2  N.,  1  E.,  on  Sugar  Creek. 

Scott  &  Bull,  March  .5,  1833,  N.  E.  11,  3  N.,  4 
W.,  on  Crooked  Creek,  the  present  location  of  the 
town  of  Birmingham. 

Abel  Logan.  March  20,  183.5 ;  N.  W.  3,  1  S.,  2 
W.,  on  Crooked  Creek. 

Wm.  McKee  and  John  Taggart,  Dec.  8,  1835, 
S.  W.  11,  1  X.  3  W.  on  Crooked  Creek. 

Wm.  A.  Hindman  and  Samuel  A.  Clift,  June  9, 
1836,    S.   W.   2,   1    S.,   2   W. 

Asa  Benton,  Sept.  6,  1836,  S.  W.  29,  1  S.,  2 
W.,  ou  Crooked  Creek. 

Robert  H.  Burton  and  Eli  Alden,  June  5,  18.37, 
S.  W.  29,  1  N.,  2  W.,  on  Crooked  Creek. 

Asa  Benton,  June  6,  1837,  S.  W.  4,  1  S.,  2  W., 
on  Crooked  Creek. 

I'eter  P.  Jonte,  June  5,  1834,  S.  W.  20,  1  N.,  1 
W,.  on  Crane  Creek. 

Samuel  S.  Claughburgh,  June  5,  1838,  N.  W. 
Sec.  28,  1  N.,  1  W.,  on  Crane  Creek. 

Adam  Dunlap,  September  4,  1S38,  S.  W.  Sec. 
28,  2  N.,  3  W.,  on  Little  Missouri  Creek. 

John  King,  Sept.  4.  1838,  N.  U  1.5,  3  N.,  4  W., 
on  Flour  Creek. 

FiKST  County  Bridge. — The  General  Assembly 
of  Illinois  having  enacted  a  law  making  appro- 
priation for  building  bridges,  the  County  Com- 
missioners on  March  31,  1827,  gave  notice  of  the 
erection  of  a  bridge  over  Crooked  Creek,  where 
it  was  crossed  by  the  State  road  from  Rush- 
ville to  Quincy.  This  is  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Ripley  bridge.  The  contract  for  building 
this  bridge  was  let  to  Benj.  Chadsey  for  $400. 
Thomas  McKee  constructed  the  abutments,  for 
which  he  was  paid  .$160.  The  bridge  was  ac- 
cepted l)y  the  Commissioners  February  9,  1830, 
and  Mr.  Chadsey  was  allowed  $12  for  bringing 
the  money  from  Vandalia  that  had  been  ap- 
propriated by  the  General  Assembly. 

RAILROADS. 

The  history  of  railroads  in  Schuyler  County, 
if  it  should  cover  the  general  lines  of  rail- 
roads planned  and  promoted  for  this  region, 
would  require  a  book  of  itself;  but  for  actual 
results  accomplished  a  paragraph  would  suffice. 
Not  another  county  in  Illinois  has  had  as  many 


682 


HISTUKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


alliu'ing  prospet'ts  ns  Sfhiiyler,  and  few  there 
are  that  have  fared  worse  in  actual  construc- 
tion. 

As  early  as  iS'M>,  two  years  before  a  sinsrle 
mile  of  railroad  was  Imilt  in  the  State,  a  coni- 
jpaiiy  was  formed  in  Uushvlile  to  build  a  railroad 
from  this  city  to  the  Illinois  Uiver  at  Beards- 
town.  Considerable  money  was  spent  on  it,  but 
the  panic  of  is;5t!  caused  its  teniiK)rary  suspen- 
sion and  the  l)uruini;  of  the  buiUliii!:  in  Kushville, 
which  contained  all  the  books  and  papers  of  the 
(■ompany,  l)uried  the  scheme  forever.  The  con- 
struction of  this  road  would  have  been  of  in- 
estimable value  to  Rushville,  for  it  would  have 
given  connection  with  the  commerce  of  the  Illi- 
nois River  and  afterwards  served  as  a  connect- 
iuK  link  in  a  great  railroad  system.  The  period 
of  financial  depression  tliat  followed  cut  .short 
the  many  ambitious  plans  for  internal  improve- 
ment in  Illinois,  and  it  was  not  until  l.S.")4  that 
Rushvillites  began  to  have  fanciful  dreams  of 
being  made  a  railroad  center.  It  was  a  time 
when  railroad  building  had  its  first  great  impetus 
in  Central  Illinois.  Much  was  promised,  but 
little  done  towards  fulfillmeut.  Schuyler,  like 
many  other  counties,  took  the  bait  eagerly  and 
voted  enthusiastically  to  give  wliatever  the  rail- 
road i)romoters  asked. 

On  Hay  1,  1S54,  Schuyler  Comity,  by  a  [lopu- 
lar  vote,  took  favorable  action  towards  subscrib- 
ing $75,000  for  the  l)uildiug  of  the  Peoria  cSc 
Hannibal  Railroad.  Xot  satisfied  with  extend- 
ing aid  to  one  road,  the  covuity  did  the  hospitable 
act  of  welcoming  all  comers  and,  in  1,S.">(>,  the 
county  voted  $7.">.(I00  to  the  Rock  Island  &  .\lton. 
In  I'ebniary,  ISUO,  the  ix>ople  of  Schuyler  awoke 
fi'om  their  dream.  The  tax  rate  for  that  year 
was  20  cents  for  county  purposes  and  ,'57  cents  for 
interest  on  railroad  bonds,  which  seemed  exorbi- 
tant to  the  frugal  settlers  of  that  day.  There 
inunediately  ensued  a  strong  opposition  to  rail- 
road bonds  and  talk  of  repudiation  w;is  rife. 
The  railroad  promoters  held  the  bonds  and  the 
county  was.  figuratively  siteaking,  "holding  the 
sack,"  for  up  to  this  time  there  had  been  no 
actual  operation  of  the  roads.  Added  fuel  was 
heaped  on  tlie  flame  by  the  action  of  the  Rock 
Island  &  Alton  Company  in  bringing  suit  against 
the  county,  which  was  defended  at  a  cost  of 
$1,(VJ2.44,  and  with  the  railroad  victorious. 

Wlien  the  same  road  threatened  to  renew  the 
suit  iu  180.5.  Schuyler  County  asked  for  terms 
of   settlement    and    a    compromise    was   effected 


by  refunding  the  old  bonds  on  a  basis  of  fifty 
cents  on  the  dollar,  which  were  to  draw  interest 
at  .">  iicr  cent.  Kmlxildened  by  this  success,  the 
county  in  1807  brought  suit  against  the  Pe- 
oria &  Hannibal  Company  for  the  return  of 
the  bonds  issued  iu  1858.  Another  compromise 
was  effected  and,  in  July,  1868,  new  bonds  were 
issued  to  the  amount  of  $73,000,  bearing  (!  per 
cent  interest.  Tliese  bonds  were  placed  in  tlie 
liands  of  a  trustee,  and  $4,000  of  the  same  were 
to  be  delivered  wlien  two  miles  of  road  was  built 
in  the  county,  and  a  given  number  of  bonds  with 
each  successive  mile  until  Kushville  was  reached. 
This  hastened  the  building  of  the  road,  and 
in  l.SG!)  trains  were  running  into  Kushville  on 
what  is  now  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy 
track. 

In  18.SS  the  Pinirla  &  Hannibal  Iwnds  were 
refunded  at  5  per  cent  intere.st,  and  were  sold 
at  a  premium  of  .f2,Il.">  to  the  .Vmerican  Kx- 
change  National  Bank  of  New  York.  Iu  the 
meantime  the  Rock  Island  &  .\ltou  bonds  had 
been  retired  and,  in  18!).3  and  1808  the  county 
took  up  .$:!O.0(HI  of  the  Peoria  &  Hannibal  bonds, 
and  in  l!»(i;;  another  .$2O,fKI0,  whicli  leaves  .$20.(MK) 
of  the  $l.'.(i,OtK>  Iwnd  issue  for  railroads  to  be 
paid  in  1008,  when  the  county  will  be  free  of  her 
old  outstanding  obligation  and  out  of  debt. 

The  first  train  on  the  Peoria  &  Ilafinibal  Koad 
came  into  Rushville  July  4, 180!),  and  It  was  made 
a  day  of  gre.-it  rejoicing.  The  taking  over  of  the 
road  by  the  (^hicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy,  put  an 
end  to  furtlier  extension,  however,  and  Rushville 
has  bad  to  be  t'Oiitent  with  a  stub  road. 

The  Ko<k  Island  &  Alton  Road,  that  was  [ilan- 
ned  to  i)ass  through  Rushville,  had  a  roadbed 
graded  and  bridges  built  from  Frederick  t» 
Littletoii,  and  there  seemed  no  likelihood  of  a 
change  in  route  when  the  promoters  de<'ided  to 
follow  the  river  to  Browning  and  then  continue 
northward,  and  Rushville  was  cut  oBf  entirely. 
This  road  likewise  became  part  of  the  great 
Burlington  system  and  is  known  as  the  Rock 
Island  and   St.   Louis   Division. 

The  oidy  other  railroad  in  the  county  is  the 
Macotnb  &  Western  Illinois,  which  has  its  .south- 
erti  terminal  at  Littleton.  This  road  was  pro- 
moted by  C.  V.  Chandler  and  William  A.  Conip- 
ton.  of  Macomb,  and  extends  from  Macomb  to 
Littleton.  Train  service  was  established  from 
the  latter  village  ou  January  .30,  1!H>4. 

TKi.Kfiio.NES. — The  development  of  the  tele- 
phone   from   a    mere   mechanical    curiosity    to   a 


HIST(th"Y  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


683 


house-hold  necessity,  was  accomplished  ia  Schuy- 
ler County  within  a  decade,  .■uid  now  every  ]ior- 
tion  of  the  county  can  be  reached  liy  some  one  of 
the  many  lines  that  radiate  from  Kushville. 

The  tir.st  telephone  line  was  built  in  Schuyler 
County  in  the  early  winter  of  1894  by  Philander 
Avery,  of  Industry,  who  ran  a  line  from  that 
village  to  Riishville,  and  had  the  terminal  of- 
fice in  the  feed-store  operated  l)y  E.  W.  I'arker. 
At  the  time  this  line  was  bulldinf;.  Samuel  Work 
was  engaged  in  coustnicting  a  line  to  Beardstown, 
and  it  was  in  operation  by  January  1,  1S'X>.  The 
terminal  station  at  Rnshville  was  in  the  Cottage 
Hotel,  and  there  were  toll-stations  at  Pleasant- 
view  and  Frederick.  At  Beardstown  Mr.  \york 
met  with  strenuous  opposition  from  the  city 
authorities,  who  did  not  wish  to  have  poles  set 
in  the  city  streets,  and  he  was  not  allowed  to 
carry  his  line  into  the  business  disti-iet,  but 
secured  an  office  near  the  wagon  bridge,  which  he 
used  iu  carrying  his  line  over  the  river.  During 
the  time  this  line  w-as  maintained  it  paid  fair 
returns  on  the  investment,  though  Mr.  Work  says 
he  was  jjut  to  nnich  extra  expense  and  trouble 
by  men  and  boys  shooting  off  the  insulators. 
Business  men  did  not  take  up  with  the  telephone 
idea,  and  when  Mr.  Work  approached  some  of 
our  prominent  business  men,  he  was  told  they 
did  not  want  to  be  bothered  with  such  a  "nuis- 
ance" as  a  telephone  in  their  store. 

The  Rushville  and  Beardstown  and  Rushville 
and  Industiy  lines  were  operated  independently 
for  eighteen  months,  when  they  were  sold  to  the 
Western  Illinois  Company,  with  headquarters  at 
Macomb,  and  made  a  part  of  that  system.  In 
.Tanuary,  1807.  this  company  established  a  local 
exchange  in  Rushville  and  gave  its  patrons  con- 
nections with  all  the  towns  in  the  county,  and 
the  rural  subscribers  of  the  company  among  the 
farmers  were  now  beginning  to  see  the  advantage 
of  the  telephone  and  were  eager  to  have  connec- 
tion with  the  outside  world. 

The  demand  for  teleiihoues  among  the  farmers 
of  Schuyler  County  led  to  the  formation  of  the 
(irange  Telephone  Company,  which  was  Incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  Illinois  on  June  10, 
1807.  The  first  line  built  by  the  Grange  Company 
was  from  Rushville  to  Littleton,  and'  they  have 
constantly  extended  their  service  until  they  have 
lines  in  nine  of  the  thirteen  townshliis  of  the 
county.  These  townships  are  Oakland.  Littleton, 
Brooklyn,  Camden,  Buena  Vista.  Rushville.  Fred- 
erick, Baiubridge  and  Woodstock.    The  company 


now  maintains  a  central  office  In  Rushville,  and 
has  about  2.">0  miles  of  line  In  operation. 

In  the  years  lOOli  and  lOO.S  a  number  of  inde- 
pendent naitual  conjpanies  were  organized  in  the 
county,  and  as  they  did  not  have  access  to  Rush- 
ville, they  started  an  agitation  among  the  busi- 
ness men  to  construct  a  mutual  city  exchange 
that  would  serve  as  connection  point  for  all  the 
mutual  lines  of  the  county.  This  demand  of  the 
farmers  for  city  connection  led  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Rnshville  Telephone  Company,  which 
began  business  in  December,  1003.  The  company 
was  capitalized  at  .1.5,000  and  the  stock  was  sub- 
scribed by  business  men  and  citizens  who  rea- 
lized the  need  of  more  adequate  telephone  serv- 
ice. The  local  exchange  was  built  at  a  cost  of 
about  .$10.00(1,  and  now  has  .358  city  subscribers 
and  connection  with  o7  rural  lines,  which  reach 
to  eveiy  village  in  the  county. 

The  Central  Union  Company  bnllt  their  line 
to  Rushville  in  January,  1807,  and  made  it  pos- 
sible to  reach  any  of  the  cities  in  the  United 
States  over  their  long  distance  connections.  The 
local  toll  business  is  now  handled  through  the 
Rushville  Telephone  Company  switchboard. 


CHAPTPJR  XVII. 


TOWX-SITE 


BOOMS— ABANDONED       VIL- 
LA(;ES. 


TOWN-SITE   BOOMERS    IN    SCHUYLER   COUNTY   ACTIVE 

IN     18.36 TOWNS     PLATTED    "AND    ADVERTISED    IN 

EASTERN  CITIES — ATTRACTIONS  FURNISHED  TO 
EMIGRANTS  FRO.M  THE  EAST — CHECK  PRODUCED 
BY  THE  PANIC  OF  18.37 — A  SPECIMEN  OF  TOWN 
ADVERTISING — IMPORTANCE  ATTRIBUTED  TO  THE 
LA  MOINE  RIVER  AS  A  NAVIGABLE  STREAM — THE 
BROOKLY'N  OP  TOD.\Y' — LONG  LIST  OF  ABANDONED 
TOWNS  AND  VILI^GES — INTERESTING  REMINIS- 
CENCES  OF   SEVENTY   YEARS    AGO. 

As  early  as  18.30  the  town-site  boomers  in- 
vaded the  Military  Tract,  which  was  then  re- 
garded as  the  extreme  western  frontier  of  the 
T'nited  States,  and  through  their  efforts  this  sec- 
tion of  the  cciuutry  was  well  advertised  in  the 


684 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


East  and  South,  and  many  new  settlers  were  at- 
tracted here  by  the  persistent  land  agents.  Up  to 
this  time  there  were  widely  scattered  settlements, 
where  a  few  families  had  kept  together  and  made 
their  improvements,  but  these  were  not  known 
as  towns,  the  noijihborhood  generally  taking  the 
name  of  the  oldest  or  most  prominent  settler, 
and  it  was  only  the  newly  platted  county-seats 
that  were  designated  by  a  village  name. 

With  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  the 
tide  of  immigration  from  New  England  and  Ken- 
tucky brought  many  new  settlers  into  the  Mil- 
itary Tract,  and  Sch\iyiiT  County  received  its 
full  share.  The  settlers  from  the  East  were 
usually  attracted  to  the  towns  that  they  might 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  scho61s,  churches  and 
social  intercourse,  and  this  brought  about  the 
rapid  growth  of  the  earlier  settlements  and  the 
founding  of  many  new  towns. 

One  can  fancy  the  bu.stle  and  activit>'  of  those 
years ;  the  optimism  induced  by  the  attractiveness 
of  the  country  and  the  large  returns  ofifered  in  the 
advancement  of  land  values.  Richness  of  soil  and 
salubrity  of  climate  made  this  the  favored  section 
of  the  western  frontier,  and  the  first  settlers  ex- 
ploited the  excellence  of  the  country  in  their 
letters  to  relatives  and  friends  in  the  East,  and 
urged  them  to  locate  in  the  new  country  which 
was  destined  to  be  Iwth  populous  and  wealthy. 

The  rapid  increase  in  population  caused  towns 
to  spring  up  like  magic,  for  the  promoters  in 
those  early  days  were  as  persistent  and  as  elo- 
quent as  those  we  now  meet  from  Texas  or  Okla- 
homa, and  their  operations  marked  an  economic 
advancement  in  the  development  of  the  country 
which  history  should  record. 

The  spirit  of  speculation  was  rife  in  Illinois 
in  the  early  'thirties,  nor  were  transactions  in 
"city  lots"  confined  to  the  western  markets,  for 
land  titles  came  gradually  to  form  a  part  of  the 
circulating  medium  in  New  York,  Boston  and 
Philadelphia. 

On  paper  each  of  these  new  cities  was  des- 
tined to  become  the  metropolis  of  a  dense  popula- 
tion, and  where  water  power  was  available,  it 
offered  an  added  inducement  to  boom  the  place 
as  an  industrial  center.  Every  village  with  the 
smallest  prospect  of  growth,  and  some  uninhab- 
ited spots  in  the  wilderness,  had  a  large  area 
staked  off  into  town  lots  and  platted  in  a  highly 
ornamental  style  for  the  Information  of  pur- 
chasers, and  all  the  eastern  papers  carried  the  ad- 


vertisements  of   these   new    towns   which    were 
striving  to  attract  the  new  settlers. 

The  years  ]S:i.')  and  IS36  were  the  halcyon 
period  for  this  land  speculation,  for  in  1837  came 
the  hard  times  felt  so  generally  throughout  the 
country.  As  a  result  of  this  economic  situation, 
town-site  booming  in  Illinois  received  a  sudden 
check,  and  many  of  the  towns  promoted  by  land 
speculators  developed  very  perceptible  signs  of 
decadence,  and  some  were  wiped  off  the  map  en- 
tirely and  now  are  not  known  as  having  existed, 
save  by  those  who  search  the  old  court  records 
in  the  preparation  of  abstracts  of  title  to  farm 
lands,  which  now  occupy  the  early  town-sites. 

That  the  ejirly  town-site  promoters  were  ac- 
complished in  holding  out  great  inducements  to 
prosiKjctive  purchasers,  and  laid  great  stress  on 
the  advanuiges  of  water-power,  is  shown  in  the 
following  advertisement  of  the  town  of  Brooklyn, 
which  appeared  in  the  Rushville  Journal  of  July 
30,  183G ; 

"1,000  lots  for  sale  In  the  City  of  Brooklyn- 
Sale  October  27,  1'8  and  29,  1836. 

"This  cit}-  is  situated  on  the  La  Moiue  Uiver, 
nearly  in  the  i-enter  of  the  Military  Tract,  on  a 
direct  line  from  Beardstonn,  on  the  Illinois  River, 
to  Commerce,  on  the  Mississippi  River,  by  way  of 
Rushville  and  Carthage;  from  Quincy  on  the 
-Mississippi  to  I'eoria  on  the  Illinois;  from  Mt. 
Sterling  to  Macomb.  On  one  of  these  routes  a 
state  road  is  already  established  and  the  other 
two  are  petitioned  for  and  will  be  established  the 
ensuing  spring. 

"The  City  of  Brooklyn  in  its  local  situation 
with  regard  to  other  places  of  business,  is  a  place 
of  very  considerable  importance;  being  14  miles 
from  Rushville;  2:5  miles  from  Carthage;  37 
miles  from  Commerce;  40  miles  from  Quincy;  18 
miles  from  Macomb;  25  miles  from  Beardstown 
and  70  miles  from  Peoria. 

"History  has  not  yet  given  an  account  of  a 
c-ountry  (in  jwint  of  health,  beauty  and  fertility) 
equal  to  the  one  surrounding  this  city.  La  Molne- 
Rlver  is  a  most  delightful  stream,  affording  wa- 
ter at  all  seasons  of  the  year  for  Immense  ma- 
chinery. It  has  been  examined  by  competent  en- 
gineers from  its  mouth  to  this  CITY,  and  the 
estimated  cost  to  construct  dams,  with  locks  to 
make  it  a  perpetual  navigable  stream,  is  ?30,000. 
The  water-ijower  gained  by  the  construction  of 
said  dams  must,  and  will,  pay  10  per  cent  per  an- 
num on  the  stock  exclusive  of  tolls.  The  pro- 
prietors think  the  stock  worth  a  premium  of  10 


JAMES  DeWITT 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


685 


per  cent.  They  intern!  having  a  company  char- 
tered at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  of 
this  State  to  accomplish  this  great  and  desirable 
object. 

"The  proprietors  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying 
that  there  is  no  hazard  in  the  purchase  of  lots  in 
this  City,  as  there  Is  no  city  on  any  canal  in  the' 
United  States,  whioli  has  advantages  equal  to 
Broolilyn  in  point  of  health,  beauty  and  soil ;  the 
fanners  producing  from  one-half  to  doulile  the 
quantity  of  wheat  and  corn  over  any  other  State 
in  the  Union. 

"The  number  of  1,000  lots  will  be  laid  off  for 
a  beginning,  many  of  which  will  be  sold  in  differ- 
ent cities  throughout  the  United  States.  Agents 
selling  abroad  will  recollect  that  all  numbers  of 
lots  marked  for  sale  at  home,  will  not  be  of- 
fered abroad. 

"Terms — 10  per  cent  on  all  sales,  cash  In 
hand.     The  balance  in  si.x  and  twelve  months. 

"Other  sales  from  time  to  time  as  required. 
The  best  mills  in  the  State  are  now  in  successful 
operation  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  City; 
two  other  mills  are  in  successful  operation,  one 
five  miles  above,  the  other  six  miles  below. 

"W.  C.  Ralls, 
"Jos.  Duncan, 
"Benj.  Clabk, 
"Dr.    Green. 

"Proprietors." 

This  advertisement  was  published  in  The  Rush- 
ville  Journal ;  The  Saturday  Courier,  Philadel- 
phia ;  Courier  and  Enquirer,  New  York ;  Adver- 
tiser, Louisville,  Ky. ;  Eagle,  Maysville,  Ky. ;  Mis- 
souri Republican,  St.  Louis ;  Courier,  Palmyra, 
Mo. ;  Argus,  Quincy ;  Patriot.  Jacksonville ;  and 
Journal.  Springfield. 

This  is  one  of  the  several  advertisements  of 
Schuyler's  boom  towns,  and  It  Is  reproduced  to 
show  the  enthusiasm  that  marked  those  prosper- 
ous and  hopeful  days  in  the  early  'thirties,  when 
every  hamlet  had  a  chance  to  become  a  metrop- 
olis. It  was  not  for  lack  of  publicity,  or  of  the 
rich  fertile  country  that  surrounds  it,  that  caused 
Brooklyn  to  fall  short  of  the  promise  of  its  pro- 
moters, but  rather  the  development  of  the  vast 
system  of  railroads  which  has  left  this  com- 
munity, abundantly  favored  by  nature,  some 
twelve  miles  inland.  The  placid  waters  of  the  La 
Moine  River  continue  to  flow  along  its  border,  but 
its  glory  as  a  navigable  stream  and  its  value  as  a 
source  of  water-power  have  departed.  To-day 
Brooklyn  is  a  thrifty  country  village,  with  a  rich 


trade  territorj',  and  her  citizens  yet  hoiJe  to 
achieve  that  proud  distinction  looked  for  by  the 
early  promoters,  with  the  building  of  electric  rail- 
roads that  will  some  day  traverse  the  western 
part  of  Schuyler  County. 

In  our  research  for  historical  data  among  the 
court  records  and  old  papers,  we  find  towns  men- 
tioned which  are  now  not  heard  of,  but  are  of  in- 
terest, nevertheless,  from  a  historical  standjwint. 
Prominent  among  the  decadent  cities  of  the  pio- 
neer days  is  Atlas,  once  the  county-seat  of  Pike 
County,  and  well  known  to  all  the  early  Schuyler 
settlers.  Atlas  is  located  in  the  south-western 
part  of  Pike  County,  three  miles  from  a  railroad 
station,  and  its  population  has  now  dwindled  to  a 
few  families.  Commerce,  a  village  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  is  also  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
early  records  and  its  passing  came  with  the  re- 
christening  of  the  village  by  the  Mormons,  who 
located  there  in  1838  and  changed  the  name  to 
Nauvoo. 

But  it  is  the  story  of  the  abandoned  villages  of 
Schuyler  County  that  will  be  of  most  interest  to 
the  readers  of  this  volume.  The  idea  of  deserted 
or  abandoned  human  habitations,  forsaken  and 
forgotten  towns  and  villages,  has  long  been  the 
theme  for  writers  of  romance,  but  when  we  con- 
template the  situation  from  its  historical  stand- 
point, intense  interest  is  added.  No  old  ruins 
mark  the  sites  of  these  now  forgotten  villages  in 
Schuyler  County,  for  they  were  typical  of  the 
times  in  which  they  were  created,  and  the  old 
log  or  frame  structures  have  long  since  been 
moved  away  or  destroyed  by  the  owners.  Only 
the  sites  remain,  revealing  nothing  of  the  past 
history,  and  such  facts  as  we  have  been  able  to 
gather  have  been  gleaned  from  county  records  or 
the  reminiscences  of  old  settlers. 

Most  prominent  of  these  abandoned  villages  is 
Erie,  which  was  located  on  Section  20  in  Fred- 
erick Township.  Located  on  the  river,  it  was  the 
landing  place  for  all  the  steamboats  that  plied 
upon  the  Illinois.  Founded  about  1834,  its  his- 
tory is  spanned  by  a  decade,  for  the  great  flood 
of  1844  forever  blasted  the  hopes  of  those  who 
looked  upon  Erie  as  the  river  port  for  all  Schuy- 
ler County.  But  the  town  will  always  live  in 
history,  for  it  was  the  landing  place  of  many  of 
the  first  pioneers  of  Schuyler  County.  In  locat- 
ing the  town  it  is  probable  the  river  landing 
had  more  controlling  influence  than  the  general 
tojKjgraphy  of  the  country,  for  the  river  bank  at 
this  point  is  low  and  swampy.     Erie's  improve- 


686 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


nieuts  were  confined  to  a  big  waroliouse  built  by 
Ransellar  Wells  ami  a  hotel,  which  was  operated 
by  a  Mr.  Seaman.  lion.  L.  1).  Krwin,  of  this  city, 
was  warehouse  clerk  for  .Mr.  Wells  in  the  early 
'forties  and.  during  those  years,  an  imuieuse 
amount  of  business  was  transacted  there,  for  it 
was  the  shipping  jioint  for  the  country  fifty  miles 
northward,  and  nearly  all  of  the  merchandise  to 
supiily  the  Rushville  stores  was  delivered  at  EJrie 
by  steamboats. 

Schuyler  City  was  another  river  town  that 
failed  to  fulfill  the  promise  of  its  promoter.  It 
was  laid  out  by  B.  V.  Teel  in  1836,  on  Sei-tiou  4 
in  Frederick  Township  near  the  mouth  of  Sugar 
Creek,  and  it  flourished  for  a  time  as  a  steamboat 
landing  and  shijiping  i)oiut.  One  of  the  old  plo- 
neei-s,  in  reciting  the  story  of  the  founding  of 
Schuyler  Citj-  said,  the  ground  where  it  was  sit- 
uated was  so  low  a  fog  on  the  river  would  cause 
an  overflow.  After  the  flood  of  1844,  Schuyler 
City  was  heard  of  no  more. 

While  Brown  County  was  yet  a  part  of  Schuy- 
ler, the  town  of  Milton  was  platted  and  exten- 
sively advertised  by  William  C.  Ilidls  and  Lewis 
Gay,  the  proprietors.  The  towij  was  laid  out 
in  ISOG  on  JIcKee  Creek,  five  miles  from  the  Il- 
linois Uiver,  and  in  the  jirospectus  advertising  the 
sale  of  town-lots,  the  promoters  referred  to  it  as 
located  at  the  head  of  slack  water  navigation. 
Milton  long  ago  jiassed  from  the  memory  of  man. 
With  the  water  courses  as  the  principal  chan- 
nels of  commerce,  it  is  natural  the  town-site  pro- 
moters should  choose  the  site  for  their  villages 
along  the  inland  streams,  which  gave  promise  of 
development  for  water-power  as  well  as  naviga- 
tion. And,  while  some  of  the  towns  so  located 
exist  today,  there  were  others  now  wholly  aban- 
doned and.  in  some  cases,  even  their  location  can- 
not bo  identified. 

In  Woodstock  Townsliip  on  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  11,  Township  1  S.,  2  W.,  Samuel  A. 
Cliff  founded  the  town  of  New  York  in  'l8:J6.  The 
town-site  was  surveyed  by  Allen  I'ei-singer  and 
the  improvements  consisted  of  a  store  and  a  mill. 
Miclia  \\'arrpn.  afterwards  a  resident  of  Rush- 
ville. erected  and  operated  the  mill. 

That  same  locality,  which  in  pioneer  times,  was 
designated  as  "Ague  Bend,"  was  a  favorite  local- 
ity for  the  ijromoters  and  the  town  of  York  was 
laid,  but  never  platted.  York  was  located  on  the 
Gilead  road  to  Calhoun  County  and  its  tavern 
afforded  entertainment  to  many  weary  travelers. 
Richmond  is  another  town  we  find  mentioned  in 


the  early  newspaiiers.  lait  its  history  has  passed 
from  the  memory  of  the  old  pioneers  and  not  un- 
til tlie  record  of  survey  was  found  i-ould  it  be 
located  to  a  certainty.  The  town  was  laid  out  by 
Allen  I'ei-singer.  March  1.").  is:{(i,  for  Wm.  Wilson 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Se<'tion  13,  1  S.,  2  W. 
Six  blocks  were  platted  and  the  location  on  the 
north  bank  of  Crooked  Creek,  and  adjacent  to  the 
main  traveled  road,  was  considered  an  ideal  one. 
G.  O.  Wilson  advertised  a  barbecue  to  be  held  at 
Richmond  in  IS'iO,  and  that  is  the  only  mention 
of  the  town-site  in  history.  Another  town  was  lo- 
cated on  Section  2.  1  S.  2  W.  but  even  its  name 
has  passed  into  oblivion. 

CenteiTille  was  one  of  the  inland  towns  of 
Woodstock  Township,  and  was  founded  by  Isam 
Cox  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  21.  Its  only  history  exists  in 
the  county  records. 

Ridgeville.  the  voting  place  of  Browning  Town- 
ship Ix'fore  township  organization  was  perfected, 
was  located  on  Section  Hi.  The  village  was  laid 
out  by  Isaac  (iarret.  April  10,  1830,  and,  in 
after  .vears  it  boasted  of  a  store,  ix)stotHc'e,  church 
and  school  house,  but  when  the  (wstoffice  was  tils- 
continued,  it  soon  lost  its  identity  as  a  town  site. 
.M<wco,  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
Section  G,  Krederick  Township,  also  gained  dis- 
tinctit)n  as  a  government  iKJstofflce,  and  Anthon.v 
Messerer  was  I'ostmaster,  but  the  town  was 
never  platted  and  when  Frederickville  was 
founded  on  the  river,  the  postofflce  was  moved 
down  from  the  bluff. 

In  18:?<i  Joseph  Haskell  made  plans  to  establish 
a  town  just  below  where  the  old  Camden  bridge 
st(M)d.  but  the  plat  was  never  put  on  record  and 
the  improvements  were  not  sufficiently  extensive 
to  attract  general  attention  at  a  time  when  the 
<i)mi>etition   in  town-site  tooming  was  keen. 

-Mt.  Meacliam  was  one  of  the  few  abandoned 
towns  that  achieved  sufficient  distinction  to  se- 
cure a  ix)stoffice.  It  was  laid  out  by  W.  L.  Gay, 
on  the  southwest  of  Section  17  in  Oakland  Town- 
ship, and  a  number  of  quarter-acre  lots  were  idat- 
ted.  Mr.  Gay  had  a  store  there  and  was  !)OSt- 
master. 

.Newburg  was  founded  in  the  spring  of  1840 
on  the  north-east  quarter  of  Section  28,  in  Bain- 
bridge  Township,  by  Joseph  N'ewburg,  and  of  all 
the  abandoned  towns  of  Schuyler  County,  it  alone 
is  designated  in  the  plat  l)ook  of  Schuyler  County. 
The  town  was  surveyed  by  Francis  E.  Bryant, 
April  24.  isao.  and  twenty-four  lots  were  platted 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


687 


on  either  side  of  Main  street.  Two  lots  were  set 
aside  by  Mr.  Xewburg  for  a  sc-liool  building  site 
and  a  Methodi.st  "meeting  house,"  but  the.v  were 
never  utilized. 

In  the  early  days,  however,  Newburg  showed 
thrifty  signs  of  growth  and  boasted  of  a  store, 
blacksmith  shop,  grist  mill,  saw  mill  and  two  sa- 
loons, but  in  time  the  town  diminished  in  im- 
iwrtance  and,  timber  by  timber,  brick  by  brick, 
it  s<-attere(l  to  the  four  winds;  the  town  lots  were 
vacated,  and  even  the  name  became  a  misnomer, 
for  the  government  postoffice,  which  was  main- 
tained there  for  many  years  by  L.  O.  Hufi",  was 
Uno«  n  as  Center.  The  inauguration  of  the  rural 
mail  route  removed  the  last  vestige  of  even  a 
distinguishing  name  to  the  locality  which,  in 
l.s'.l4.  gained  renown  as  the  headquarters  of  the 
I'opulistic  agitation  in  Schuyler  County. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


CITY  OF  RUSIIVILLE— DEVELOI'.ME.XT. 


VILLAGE    Fo^•^'n^;D    in    1S2C — first    county-seat 

NAMED  BEARDSTOWN SEAT  OF  JUSTICE  CHANGEn 

TO    RUSHVILLE    FEBRUARY    20,    1826 IT    IS    FIRST 

NAMED  RUSHTON — FIRST  SALE  OF  LOTS — TOWN  IS 
INCORPORATED  AS  A  VILLAGE  MAY  10,  1831 — 
HEARTY  WELCOME  EXTENDED  TO  NEWCOMERS — 
REV.  JOHN  SCRIPPS  CONTRIBUTION  TO  VILLAGE 
HISTORY — FIRST  ELECTION  AND  FIRST  VILLAGE 
OFFICERS — THREE  EPOCHS  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 
EACH  IN  RUSHVILLE  HISTORY — FIRST  RESIDENTS 
AND     FIRST     INDUSTRIES — BUSINESS     HOUSES     IN 

1834 IMPRESSIONS     OF     A      VISITOR      IN     18.33 

GROWTH    RETARDED  BY'   PANIC   OF    1836-37 EARLY' 

ST.VGE    ROUTES FAILURE    OF    INTERNAL    IMPEO\'E- 

MENT  SCHEME — .MERCANTILE  AND  MANUFACTUR- 
ING   ENTERPRISES    1850-7.5 FORMER    CITIZENS    OF 

RUSHVILLE  WHO  ROSE  TO  DISTINCTION — RUSH- 
VILLE  OF   TO-DAY MUNICIPAL    HISTORY' CITY'    IS 

INCORPORATED  UNDER  GENERAL  CHARTER  LAW  IN 
MAT,  1898 LIST  OF  MAYORS  FROM  1898  TO  PRES- 
ENT TIME. 

The  city  of  Kushville  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns 
in  the  Military  Tr:i<'t  and.  while  it  has  not  gained 


the  prestige  that  conies  from  big  commercial  en- 
teiiirises  and  large  ixipulation.  it  is  rich  in  its 
historical  relations.  The  city  Was  founded  in 
1826  by  a  commission  appointed  by  the  Illinois 
Legislature  to  establish  a  county  seat  for  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  it  has  this  honor  without  ques- 
tion or  contest  and  is,  today,  the  only  incorpor- 
ated citj'  in  the  county. 

From  the  date  of  the  founding  of  Rushville  to 
the  present  time  there  has  elapsed  a  period  of 
eighty  years,  and  yet  there  are  those  living  w-ho 
remember  when  there  were  Scarcely  a  dozen 
houses  in  the  city.  This  brings  us  home  to  the 
fact  that,  while  Rushville  can  claim  prestige  as 
one  of  the  early  Illinois  towns,  its  history  is 
spanned  li.v  a  single  life  and  its  present  stability 
achieved  by  two  generations. 

Soon  after  Schuyler  County  was  organized  three 
Commissioners  from  Morgan  County  selected 
a  site  for  a  county-seat  on  the  south  half  of  Sec- 
tion .35  in  Rushville  Tov\nship,  which  was  named 
Beardstown,  but  the  location  was  not  favored  by 
the  residents  of  the  county  and  a  new  commis- 
sion was  appointed.  Levi  Green.  Thomas  Blair 
and  Ben.iamin  Chadsey  were  the  new  Commis- 
sioners, and  their  first  choice  of  a  town-site  was 
on  the  prairie  about  a  mile  north  of  Rushville. 
Here  was  an  ideal  location  for  a  town-site,  but 
the  quarter-section  selected  had  already  been 
entered,  and  the  county  finances  would  not  per- 
mit of  any  extravagance,  so  the  Commissioners 
looked  about  for  a  cheaper  tract  and  finally  on 
Felmiary  2(1,  1826,  selected  the  south-west  quarter 
of  Section  30,  2  N.,  1  W.  The  price  of  this  quar- 
ter-section w-as  only  $200,  but  before  the  town- 
site  was  finally  agreed  upon,  the  Commissioners 
bargained  with  .lacob  White  to  pureliase  the 
east  half  for  .$1.50,  and  with  the  money  thus  ob- 
tained the  countj-  was  able  to  make  the  necessary 
payment  and  on  December  2tN  1820,  the  govern- 
ment patent  was  issued. 

The  report  of  the  Conmiissioners  selected  to 
locate  the  county-seat  was  made  to  the  County 
Commissioners  on  March  6.  1826.  and  on  their 
reconimenilation  the  town  was  named  Rushton. 
in  honor  of  Dr.  William  Rush,  a  celebrated  Phil- 
adelphia physician.  On  .\i)ril  24th,  however,  the 
name  was  changed  to  Ru.shville. 

.\fter  the  town  site  was  selected  and  apjiroved 
by  the  County  Commissionei"s  Samuel  Homey 
drew  a  plan  for  laying  out  the  town,  and  de- 
signed that  one  tier  of  ten-acre  lots  be  surveyed 
off  the  east  side  of  the  quarter,  each  to  Ih'  divided 


688 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


into  two  flve-acTP  lots,  and  niiietj'-six  lots  agree- 
able to  the  iilau.  'J'he  first  public  sale  of  lots 
was  announced  for  July  4.  1S26,  and  notice  of 
such  sale  was  ordered  published  in  the  Edwards- 
ville  Spectator  for  six  weeks.  Before  the  sale 
toolv  place  the  County  Commissioners  ordered  an 
additional  tier  of  ten-acre  lots  to  bo  surveyed  off 
the  west  side  of  the  quarter,  and  on  June  .5, 
Jonathan  D.  Manlove  was  ordered  to  survey  the 
public  square. 

The  first  sale  of  town  lots  did  not  bring  much 
money  into  the  county  ti-easury,  and  a  second 
sale  was  announced  for  Octolx^r  V.i,  182(5.  In  the 
records  of  the  Commissioner's  Court  of  April  1, 
1828,  there  is  notice  of  another  sale  of  lots  on 
June  7,  1828,  and  the  record  states  that  no  lots 
are  to  be  sold  for  less  than  .$.">,  and  tond  for  deed 
will  be  issued  to  those  who  e.\eoute  notes.  There 
were  numerous  sales  made  at  subsequent  date, 
and  in  some  instances  the  county  had  to  bring 
suit  to  force  the  payment  for  the  lots  sold  as  the 
court  records  show. 

During  these  early  years  Rushville  was  having 
a  steady  growth  as  the  tide  of  emigration  from 
the  East  and  South  was  turning  to  the  fertile 
prairies  of  Illinois,  and  tlie  town  was  on  the 
State  road  from  Springfield  to  Qulney.  It  is  a 
fact  worthy  of  note,  that  the  first  railroad  built 
In  Illinois,  from  Springfield  to  Meredosia,  had  its 
effect  in  sbaiiing  the  destiny  of  Rushville,  for 
with  its  completion  much  of  the  travel  westward 
to  Quincy  was  deflected  to  the  south  and,  in  con- 
sequence, Rushville  lost  its  proud  distinction  of 
being  one  of  the  gateways  to  the  West. 

In  1831  Rushville  had  suflicient  population  to 
permit  of  its  organization  as  an  incorporated 
town,  and,  on  May  10  of  that  year,  an  election 
was  held  to  gain  the  coveted  distniction.  In  the 
poll  of  those  who  voted  to  incoriHirate  are  found 
many  names  familiar  to  the  present  generation, 
for  children  and  grand-children  of  these  early 
pioneers  still  continue  to  make  Rushville  their 
home.  The  twenty  voters  who  were  unanimous 
in  favor  of  incorporation  were:  John  Scripps, 
Hart  Fellows,  William  C.  Ralls.  I.  J.  C.  Smith, 
Richard  Redfield,  .\ndrew  Ross,  William  Layton, 
A.  E.  Quinljy,  Samuel  Brazzleton,  Samuel  Beat- 
tie,  William  Putnian,  Proctor  P.  Xewcomb, 
Thomas  W.  Scott.  E.  Grist,  Joel  De  Camp,  John 
M.  Jones,  John  Mitcheltree,  B.  V.  Teel,  James  A. 
Chadsey  and  Luke  Seeley. 

At  this  election  the  first  Board  of  Trustees 
was  elected,  and  we  find  that  the  following  gen- 


tlemen were  selected  to  administer  affairs:  John 
Mitcheltree,  I.  J.  C.  Smith,  William  McCreer.v, 
John  Scripps  and  BenJ.  V.  Teel.  An  organization 
was  effected  by  electing  B.  V.  Teel  Chairman ; 
John  B.  Watson,  Clerk ;  I.  J.  C.  Smith,  Treasurer ; 
and  'I'liomas  llayden.  Constable. 

A  most  interesting  account  of  the  incoriioration 
of  Rushville  from  the  i)en  of  Rev.  John  ScripfJS 
is  found  in  the  Prairie  Telegraph.     It  reads: 

"Early  in  the  year  1831,  we  of  Rushville,  be- 
ginning to  look  up  and  wanting  to'  be  something 
somewhat  consequential,  in  appearance  at  least 
among  ourselves,  if  no  farther,  conceived  the  idea 
of  bcci)niing  a  borough  under  the  general  law  of 
the  State  recently  passed  grunting  the  boon  to 
any  town,  hamlet  or  village  numbering  a  popula- 
tion of  150  souls. 

"Resolving  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  privilege, 
we  set  about  like  men.  but  had  close  work  of  it 
and  much  managing  to  make  up  the  reiiuisite 
legal  number ;  but  persevering  and  iiersistent,  we 
enlisted  in  our  enumeration  every  transient  strag- 
gler, every  human  formed  biped  we  could  hi.v  any 
kind  of  claim  to,  and  babies;  why  every  pigmy 
spraddler,  as  It  counted  one,  was  an  acquisition 
as  imixirtant  as  any  adult  who  might  shoulder 
his  ritle,  swing  an  axe  or  twirl  her  spinning 
wheel ;  and  had  any  lady  presented  her  lord 
with  a  pair  or  more  of  them  on  census  day,  she 
would  have  been  lauded  to  the  skies,  her  name 
heralded  as  a  true  patriot  to  the  best  interests 
of  Rushville,  and  the  acquisition  hailo«l  as  (luite 
a  (iod-senil.  P.ut  we  had  nearly  failed,  for  with 
the  most  gumelastic  stretching  of  our  calculations, 
we  could  only  contrive  149  into  our  list.  But 
'fortune  favors  the  brave,'  so  it  does  the  perse- 
vering, and  so  it  did  us.  For  just  at  this  critical 
juncture,  while  our  every  anxiety  was  on  the 
stretch  to  call  up  some  forgotten  identity  to  fill 
that  hated  vacuum,  down  from  I'eoria,  on  their 
way  to  Alton,  came  two  pedestrian  knapsacked 
tramps,  bolting  into  the  tavern  and  calling  for  a 
dram  (which  we  l)elieve  the  vei-y  patriotic  laud- 
lord  bril)ed  them  with),  to  say  they  intended  to 
become  denizens  of  the  place  if  they  could  get 
'shopped" — which  they  couldn't,  for  they  were 
tailors,  and  there  was  no  shop  in  town.  The 
ladies,  'God  bless  'em.'  made  our  clothes  in 
those  days,  and  everj-  married  man  had  a  tailor 
of  his  own :  so  our  prospective  citizens  couldn't 
get  'shopped.'  But  that  was  their  business  and 
not  ours;  we  took  their  word  for  it,  and  their 
professed   willingness   to   be  two  of  us  for  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


689 


deed,  and  as  none  of  us  inquired  about  tlieir 
subsequent  denizenship,  or  non-deuizenship,  we 
didn't  linow  and  never  said,  and  we  sluit  our  eyes 
and  closed  our  ears  to  any  diminutions  of  our 
150  that  might  be  going  on  between  census  and 
election,  at  which  later  time,  probably,  we  will 
not  hazard  a  say  that  it  was  so,  but  probably 
it  might  have  been  a  tighter  squeeze  to  have 
recognized  130  than  150  at  the  former,  as  the 
IK)pulation,  as  has  been  observed,  was  quite 
loose-footed  and  very  unsartin. 

"On  the  25th  of  May,  1831,  we  held  our  first 
municipal  election  and  twenty  voters  attended  to 
cast  100  votes  for  five  Trustees.  No  candidates 
offered ;  no  nominations  were  made ;  no  party 
lines  drawn ;  but  the  votings  were  given  on  the 
true  old  Republican  principle  of  every  man  vot- 
ing for  the  identities  he  most  approved  of.  The 
polling  resulted  in  the  election  of  Dr.  Teel,  11 
votes;  Dr.  Smith,  13;  William  McCi-eery,  13; 
John  Mitcheltree,  14 ;  John  Scripps,  14 ;  scatter- 
ing, 35. 

"The  first  year  of  our  incorporate  existence 
was  singularly  distinguishable  for  the  frequent 
meetings,  parliamentary  etiquette,  violent  debate 
and  crowded  audiences,  for  it  was  the  only 
source  of  amusement  then  afforded  to  those  who 
didn't  read  to  break  the  monotony  of  long  nights, 
and  relieve  them  from  the  ennui  of  want  of 
thought  and  vacant  mind,  for  we  had  tall  speech- 
ifying and  long  controversial  discussions  on  hog 
and  dog  la^^-s,  street  paving  and  sidewalks,  public 
wells  and  private  awnings,  nuisances,  and  what 
were  or  were  not  such ;  levying  taxes,  erecting  a 
town  hall  and,  above  all,  what  the  majority  con- 
sidered of  highest  importance,  and  a  minority  of 
no  importance  at  all,  or  next  to  a  nuisance  as 
a  place  to  breed  fleas  in,  a  JIarket  House.  But 
we  exerted  all  our  utmost  energies  of  thought, 
displayed  all  our  highest  oratorical  powers,  oc- 
cupied more  finje  and  legislated  on  money  mat- 
ters and  concerns,  and  devised  means  for  laying 
out  more  dollars  in  im[)roving  our  town,  than 
would  at  this  day  finish  the  Wasliington  monu- 
ment in  the  District  of  Columbin." 

There  have  been  three  epochs  in  the  history 
of  Rushville  which  mark  clearly  the  various 
I)eriods  of  her  existence.  Each  one  stands  to  a 
certain  well-defined  degree  apart  from  the  oth- 
ers ;  each  has  produced  its  leaders  and  has  ex- 
erted its  far-reaching  influence  upon  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  city. 

First  comes  the  period  of  settlement  to  recite 


the  history  of  which  is  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
fortitude  and  struggles  of  the  pioneer  settlers, 
who  made  for  themselves  a  home  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Following  this  is  what  may  be  termed  the 
speculative  period,  when  fortunes  were  made  by 
shrewd  business  men  and  dazzling  prospects  for 
the  future  greatness  of  Rushville  were  indulged 
in  at  a  time  when  the  industries  of  the  State 
were  in  their  infancy.  Then  came  the  era  of 
slow  substantial  growth,  when  Rushville,  as  it 
appears  today,  was  builded.  For  the  sake  of 
comparison  it  is  most  convenient  to  divide  these 
eriochs  into  periods  of  .twenty-five  years,  each. 

Let  us  first  consider  Rushville  for  the  years 
1825  to  1850.  This  was  the  formative  age  when 
city  and  county  were  yet  undeveloped  and  sparse- 
ly settled.  It  was  a  time  when  every  village  on 
the  then  western  frontier  aspired  to  be  the  me- 
tropolis of  the  West.  Rushville,  like  other  towns, 
had  her  aspirations  and  in  those  early  days  the 
future  indeed  looked  bright.  Imt  in  the  later 
development  of  railroad  building  the  city  was  un- 
fortunately located  and  did  not  come  in  for  the 
benefits  that  the  great  lines  of  transportation  be- 
stowed so  lavishly. 

When  the  Commissioners  decided  upon  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  .30,  2  N.,  1  W.  for 
the  site  of  the  county-seat,  Richard  Black  was  in 
IMSsession  of  the  land.  lie  had  purchased  the 
claim  of  Willis  O'Neal,  and  lived  in  a  house  on 
the  lot  now  owned  by  Mrs.  E.  D.  Leach.  Mr. 
Black  was  entered  out  of  his  land  by  the  county, 
and  lost  what  he  had  paid  on  his  claim. 

The  first  cabin  erected  within  what  is  now  the 
bounds  of  Rushville  was  built  by  John  B.  Terry, 
on  a  lot  south  of  the  Webster  School  building. 
Soon  afterwards  Hart  Fellows  erected  a  cabin 
where  H.  M.  Dace's  store  stands,  and  it  was  here 
the  first  stock  of  goods  was  put  on  sale,  a  gentle- 
man from  Jacksonville  owning  the  stock.  In 
1828  Rushville  was  granted  a  government 
postofiice  and  Hart  Fellows  was  n.-imed  as  Post- 
master. The  first  industry  to  be  established  in 
the  village  was  a  tannery  that  was  operated  on 
West  Lafayette  street  near  the  town  liranch  by 
Dr.  James  Blackburn.  In  1831  Hodge  &  Hunter 
established  a  carding  mill,  the  first  to  be  operated 
in  the  Military  Tract,  and  they  did  a  thriving 
business  for  many  years.  Among  the  early  mer- 
chants were  Benj.  Chadsey  and  Thomas  W.  Scott, 
who  were  in  business  here  In  1830. 

The  first  tavern  in  Rushville  was  kept  by  Orris 
McCartney,   and   in   the   County   Commissioner's 


G90 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


court   of   Xoveuiber  ^,   1825,   lie   was  granted   a 
license  aud  his  scale  of  prices  fixed  as  follows : 

One  Meal    $0.18% 

With  Horse 25 

lloi-se  Feed 12% 

Lodging  00% 

Wliisky    ( 1^   iiiut) 121/j 

Whisky   ( 1   gill) OC.14 

Foreign  spirits  ( %  pint) 25 

Foreign  spirits  ( 1  gill ) I-Y2 

Cider  or  beer  ( 1  quart ) 12yo 

In  18:U  Uushville  was  credited  with  a  iK)pula- 
tion  of  750  in  "Peck's  GaKcttein-  of  Illinois,"  aud 
the  following  facts  were  given  of  the  town's 
industries :  "Rushville  has  six  stores,  two 
groceriiw,  two  taverns,  four  cabinet  makers,  four 
brick  uiasous  and  plasterers,  three  canJfi'ters, 
two  blacksmiths,  four  tanneries,  one  steam  saw 
and  grist-mill,  one  carding  factoiy.  four  lawyers 
and  two  ])hysicians." 

Within  the  next  two  .vears  the  town  had  a 
rajiid  grortth.  Churches  were  erected  and  al- 
most every  denomination  was  represented.  In 
1S;S5  a  newspaper  was  established,  a"nd  this  in- 
deed was  a  luxury  that  few  of  the  Illinois  towns 
suiipoited.  In  a  copy  of  the  Rushville  Journal 
of  1830  we  find  the  names  of  the  following  busi- 
ness firms :  General  merchandise — Nelson  & 
Kobertson,  Drake  &  Tenny,  (J.  II.  Scripps.  .1.  vV 
K.  II.  Hurton,  McCrosky  &  Bailey,  J.  &  T. 
I'arrott,  Fellows  &  Hurton,  Dawley  &  Wells, 
1!.  II.  llurblut  &  Co.,  Parrott  &  Olcott,  Montgom- 
ery &  (iray;  Drugs  and  books — J.  W.  Clark: 
Groceries — (J.  W.  Baker,  McCabe  &  Ritchie; 
Tin  shoi) — Robert  Dorsey  and  Isaac  Greer;  Hat 
factory — .\.  La  Croix  ;  Chair  factory — Wm.  Snei- 
der  ;  Tannery — G(h».  Baker  ;  Saddlery — True  & 
(Jarrett ;  Cnbinet-Maker— E.  H.  O.  Seeley  ;  Black- 
smith— .lohn  B.  Seeley :  Physicians — Dr.  J.  S. 
Dunlap,  Dr.  G.  B.  Roger,  Dr.  .1.  W.  Clark,  Dr. 
B.  V.  Teel.  Dr.  F.  .1.  Maloy.  Dr.  Hall;  Attorneys 
— W.  A.  Minshall,  Willi;un  .\.  Richardson,  J.  M. 
McCutchen. 

It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  record 
the  impressions  of  a  visitor  to  Rushville,  a  man 
of  wide  experience  in  the  world  and  who  had 
traveled  from  London,  England,  to  visit  with 
relatives  in  this  city.  We  refer  to  William  Ar- 
miger  Scripps,  who  visited  Rushville  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1833.  To  reach  this  city  he  traveled  a 
distance  of  1650  miles  from  New  York  City  by 
boat  and  stage,  and  was  thirty-six  days  makiug 
the  ti'ip.     He  arrived  in  Rushville  .Tuly  2.5,  1S3.''>, 


having  traveled  by  way  of  Chicago,  thence  to  Ot- 
tawa overland,  and  from  there  down  the  Illinois 
River  in  a  canoe  to  the  Frederick  Landing.  In 
a  letter  written  to  his  wife  in  England,  he  gives 
a  description  of  Rushville  of  tliat  day,  wliich  is 
full  of  interest.     It  reads: 

"This  is  an  inland  town,  very  healthy  and  drj' 
and  free  from  mosquitos,  situated  on  a  prairie 
with  extensive  woods  behind  it.  When  brother 
(John  Scrip])s)  came  here  there  were  only  four 
or  five  houses.  Now  the  poi)ulatiou  Is  500  or  000, 
with  a  court  house,  steam  null,  seven  stores  and 
two  groceries,  and  is  increasing  in  trade  and 
magnitude.  Business  to  any  extent  could  be  car- 
ried on  here  at  enormous  profit.  Mone.v  is  in 
great  demand  for  which  25  to  50  |>er  cent  can 
be  obtained,  and  mortgage  security.  Twelve  per 
cent  is  the  legal  interest,  which  Is  considered  so 
very  little  that  capitalists  despise  It. 

"As  for  living,  this  is  a  laud  literally  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey.  Fine  cows  cost  about  $10 
each,  cost  nothing  to  keep,  and  scarcely  any  at- 
tention. Honey,  if  bought,  is  about  six  cents  a 
I)ound.  The  finest  coffee  I  ever  tasted,  brought 
up  the  Mississippi  from  San  Domingo,  retails  at 
five  iwuuds  for  $1,  or  twenty  c-ents  a  pound. 
Tea  is  equall.v  good  and  cheap.  Beef  Is  about 
four  cents  a  pound,  pork  aliout  half  that  price; 
chickens  from  75  cents  to  $1  per  dozen :  flour  is 
from  .$4  to  $5  a  barrel.  In  short,  eating  and 
drinking  they  consider  as  costing  next  to  noth- 
ing. But  wages  and  clothing  are  very  high.  A 
journeyman  carjieuter  or  smith  gets  from  $1.75 
to  $2  a  day.  besides  lodging  and  board.  I  shall 
have  nnich  to  say  on  my  return.  The  last  week 
or  two  have  o|)ened  m.v  eyes  a  little.  The  traders 
are  carrying  all  liefore  tliem — IfK)  per  cent '. '.  I 
12  iM>r  cent  on  unpaid  ac<-ounts  I '.  household  ex- 
penses scarcely  nothing." 

While  there  was  great  prosperity  in  the  year 
Mr.  Scripiw  visited  Rushville.  the  panic  of  183G- 
37  swept  away  many  hastily  built  mercantile 
businesses,  and  merchants  who  had  large  out- 
standing accounts  were  utterly  ruined.  Business 
stability  tlnis  shaken  to  its  verj-  foundation,  was 
not  restored  for  ten  or  twelve  years  to  c-ome. 

The  rapid  development  of  Rushville  in  the  first 
decade  of  its  history  was  such  :is  to  attract  at- 
tention in  the  great  trade  centei-s  of  the  East 
and  South,  where  our  merchants  made  annual 
trips  to  ])urchase  merchandise,  and  the  town  grew 
rapidly.  The  fever  of  si)eculation  was  rife 
throughout  the  West,  and  this  was  augmented  by 


-^yuui  )£,  ^/^4^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


691 


a  vast  scheme  of  State  iuterual  improvemeut, 
wherein  the  Legish^ture  was  to  spend  .$7,50(),UOO 
ou  river  iuiprovemeuts  and  raih'oad  construction. 
Itushville  at  this  time  was  an  important  station 
on  the  State  road  from  Springfield  to  Quincy, 
and  a  gi-eat  portion  of  overland  travel  to  the 
Galena  lead  mines  also  passed  through  the  vil- 
lage. There  were  stage  routes  to  Quincy.  Carth- 
age, Beardstowu,  JIacomb  and  Lewistovvn.  and 
the  government  mail  contractor  for  this  part  of 
the  State  made  his  headiiuarters  at  Rushville. 
Greater  things  were  expected  when  the  gigantic 
scheme  of  iuterual  improvements  was  inaugur- 
ated, but  it  was  a  strange  stroke  of  fate  that  the 
first  railroad  constructed  in  Illinois  detracted 
from  Kushville  a  great  portion  of  the  transient 
business  she  had  heretofore  enjoyed.  This  road, 
running  from  Springfield  to  Jleredosia,  was  first 
operated  on  November  8.  18.38.  and  when  trains 
began  to  run  regularly,  much  of  the  traffic  from 
Quincy  to  Springfield  that  had  formerly  passed 
through  Kushville,  was  turned  southward  to 
Meredosia.  The  hard  times  of  ]83(M0.  following 
close  upon  the  collapse  of  the  internal  improve- 
ment scheme,  was  a  sad  blow  to  the  booming 
Illinois  towns,  and  its  effect  was  widespread  and 
general  throughout  the  State  and  Rushville, 
along  with  other  ambitious  villages,  suffered  in 
consequence  and,  in  the  decade  from  1840  to  18.50, 
her  growth  was  slow. 

The  second  period  of  I{ushville"s  history — from 
1850  to  187.") — was.  we  might  say,  the  heroic  age. 
Speculation  in  land  was  at  its  high  tide ;  new 
enterprises  were  inaugurated  and  the  business 
of  the  town  had  reached  tremendous  proportions 
for  an  inland  village.  To  add  to  the  glowing 
prospects  for  future  growth  \Tas  the  certainty  of 
railroad  construction.  In  1S.50  pork-packing  was 
the  most  important  industry  in  Rushville  and, 
during  the  winter  months,  employment  was  given 
to  a  large  force  of  men  and  big  shipments  were 
made  to  St.  Louis  each  spring  when  navigation 
on  the   Illinois  River  opened. 

Among  the  prominent  merchants  of  that  period 
were  George  Little.  William  II.  Ray,  Thomas 
Wilson.  .John  Beatt.v.  R.  H.  Griffith.  August  Xell. 
W.  W.  Wells,  August  and  Joseph  Warren,  G.  W. 
Metz.  .Tames  McCreer.v. 

Among  the  leading  manufacturing  industries 
were  tlie  following :  Wagon  Factor.v.  established 
by  .1.  &  .1.  Knowles  in  1849 ;  Schuyler  Flouring 
mill,  established  by  (ieorge  Jloench  in  18G7 ; 
Rushville  City  Flouring  mill,  established  by  Lit- 


tle &  Itay  in  1847 :  Rushville  Krick  and  Tile 
Works,  established  by  John  McCabe  in  18(50; 
Rushville  Marble  Yards,  established  by  William 
Crosier  in  1850;  Rushville  Tannery,  established 
by  August  Refer  1SG2 ;  Rushville  Woolen  Mills, 
established  1808.  In  18."i(;  Uushville's  two  oldest 
jiapers.  The  Times  and  The  Citizen,  were  estab- 
lished and  given  the  names  they  now  bear. 

During  these  same  years  Rushville  men  in 
laiblic  life  were  soaring  at  the  top.  Hon.  William 
A.  Richardson  was  in  the  United  States  Senate ; 
John  Locke  Scripps  was  aiding  in  founding  The 
Chicago  Tribune:  P.  H.  Walker  was  on  the 
supreme  bench  of  Illinois,  and  John  C.  Bagby  and 
William  H.  Ray  were  representatives  in  Congress. 
L.  D.  Erwiu  and  John  P.  Richmond  were  promi- 
nent members  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  before 
tie  war  and  the  favorite  sons  of  Rushville  were 
conspicuous  in  the  affairs  of  State  and  nation. 

Meantime  the  town  continued  to  thrive  and 
prosper  and  many  of  the  mercantile  houses  es- 
tablished during  this  period  still  exist,  and  the 
business  is  carried  on  now  b.v  another  generation 
of  the  same  families  in  larger  and  more  pre- 
tentious buildings,  but  of  the  scores  of  promi- 
nent merchants  whose  business  was  founded  in 
the  year  1850  and  1860  none  remain  in  active 
Inisincss  life.  And  so  it  happens  that,  while 
the  primitive  business  houses  have  long  since 
disappeared,  some  of  the  early  builders  lived  to 
.lid  in  the  regeneration  of  the  modern  Kushville, 
and  have  left  the  impress  of  their  industry  and 
progressive  ideas  upon  the  city  of  today. 

The  story  of  Rushville's  gi-owth  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years  is  too  long  to  be  told  in 
detail,  but  the  main  facts  can  be  chronicled 
briefly.  In  1880  there  were  four  brick  store- 
buildings  on  the  public  square.  Now  there  are 
scores  of  them  of  a  uniform  style  of  architecture 
and  onl.v  one  frame  building  remains  as  a  relic 
of  the  old  days.  The  symmetrical  style  of  the 
buildings  in  the  business  district  give  hints  of 
disastrous  fires  and  Kushville  has  suffered  se- 
verely in  this  respect,  but,  Phreuix-like,  has  each 
time  arisen  from  the  ashes  and  the  old  build- 
ings were  replaced  by  fine  new  business  blocks. 

The  south  side  of  the  square  was  the  first  to 
suffer  and  on  JanuaiT  11,  1882,  half  the  block 
was  burned ;  the  year  following  the  east  end  of 
the  north  side  was  burned  on  Aug.  14.  188,'?,  and 
May  20,  18i>;;!,  four  buildings  on  the  e.-ist  side  of 
the  scpiare  were  destroyed. 

In    the   residence   portion   of   the  city   tlie   im- 


692 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


provemeuts  have  kept  pace  with  those  in  the 
business  center  and  new  additions  liave  l)een 
platted  to  allow  the  city's  gi-owth.  After  all  is 
said,  the  spirit  that  is  abroad  anions  the  people 
themselves ;  the  spirit  that  appreciates  the 
wealth  of  nature  and  the  need  for  effort  on  the 
part  of  man ;  the  spirit  to  work  and  do  its  best, 
is  more  significant  and  Important  in  the  long 
run  than  anything  proved  by  existing  facts  and 
reniiuiwences   of    the    past. 

First  incorporated  as  a  village  May  30,  1831, 
Rushville  so  continued  until  March  2,  1S39,  when 
the  Illinois  I/egislature  granted  a  special  charter 
and  Rushville  was  Incorporated  as  a  town,  and 
the  municipal  government  was  vested  in  seven 
Trustees,  who  served  without  compensation. 

On  Jlonday,  May  11,  1898.  the  voters  of  Rush- 
ville decided  to  abandon  the  special  charter  and 
adopt  cit>'  organization  under  tiie  General  State 
Law.  At  an  election  held  May  10.  1898.  Dr. 
R.  C.  Amrine  was  elected  the  first  Mayor  of 
Rushville.  Since  then  the  following  Mayors  have 
served  the  city :  George  Hartman,  1899-1901 ; 
D.  H.  Glass.  1901-190:{;  Dr.  T.  W.  Scott,  1903- 
1905;  Lewis  A.  Jarman,  1905-1907;  A.  J.  Lash- 
mell.  1907 — 

The  population  of  the  City  of  Rushville,  ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1900,  was  2,29L',  of  which 
629  fell  within  Buena  Vista  Township  and  1,063 
in  Rushville  Township. 


ships  comprised  within  the  limits  of  Schuyler 
County,  arranged  in  ali)habetical  order  for  con- 
venience of  reference : 


CHAl'TKl!  XI.X. 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY. 


SKETCHES  or  INDIVIDUAI.  TOWNSHIPS  IN  SCHUTLER 
COI'NTY — BAINBRinCE.  BIRMINGHAM,  BROOKLYN, 
BROWNING,  BUENA  VISTA,  CAMDEN,  EBEDERICK, 
HICKORY,  HUNTSVILLE,  LITTLETON,  OAKL.\ND, 
RU.SHVIIXE  AND  WOODSTOCK  TOWNSHIPS — GEO- 
GRAPHICAL    LOCATION     AND     CHARACTERISTICS 

FIRST      SETTLERS,      WHENCE      THEY'      CAME      AND 

WHERE     THEY     LOCATED FIRST     CHURCHES     AND 

FIRST    SCHOOLS — LOCAL    IMPROVEMENTS    AND    IM- 
PORTANT   ENTiNTS — P0PUI.ATI0N    IN    1900. 

In  the   following  pages  will   be  found  an   in- 
dividual   history  of  each   of   the   thirteen   town- 


BAINBRIDGE  TOWNSHIP. 

Bainbridge,  by  reason  of  its  location  near  the 
Illinois  River,  was  one  of  the  first  townships  in 
the  county  to  be  settled  and,  during  the  year 
ISL';!,  it  was  invaded  by  the  pioneers  who  built 
tlieii-  catiins  and  made  a  clearing  in  tlie  timber 
for  the  cultivation  of  their  crops. 

Bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Illinois  River 
and  Crooked  Creek  and  traversed  from  north  to 
south  by  Crane  and  Coal  Creeks,  It  naturally,  fol- 
lows that  the  land  surface  of  the  township  Is 
broken  and  rugged.  Along  all  these  streams 
there  is  a  rich  alluvial  soil  that  yields  tre- 
mendous croi)s  in  seasons  when  the  land  Is  not 
overflowed  by  water.  Much  of  the  land  that  was 
considered  unfit  for  cultivation  twenty  years  ago, 
and  carried  each  succes.sive  year  on  the  delin- 
quent tax-roll,  has  now  been  reclaimed  and  a 
large  [wrlion  of  It  Is  in  cultivation. 

Along  the  Illinois  River  a  tract  of  land  em- 
briicing  7,(X)0  acres  has  been  taken  into  a  drain- 
age district  and,  by  a  system  of  levees  and  lateral 
drainage  ditches  In  the  enclosed  [wrtion,  an  effort 
Is  being  made  to  reclaim  the  land.  Another  re- 
clamation project  was  started  in  1908  when  the 
Crane  Creek  Drainage  and  Levee  District  was 
organized  and  5,000  acres  will  be  reclaimed. 

Bainbridge  Township  is  the  only  section  of 
Schuyler  County  that  does  not  show  an  out- 
cropping of  coal  veins  of  sufficient  thickness  for 
mining  purposes.  But  while  this  mineral  vein  is 
lacking,  there  are  others  present  that  may  prove 
more  valuable.  In  the  neighborhood  of  New- 
berry a  well  m.irked  deposit  of  zinc  has  been 
located.  Iiut  whether  it  is  present  In  sufficient 
quantity  to  work  profitably  has  never  been  de- 
termined. In  the  same  neighborhood  specimens 
of  lead  have  been  found,  but  the  surface  in- 
dications are  not  so  favorable  for  this  mineral 
as  for  zinc. 

Thomas  McKee  and  Willis  O'Neal  were  the 
first  settlers  in  Bainbridge  Township.  In  the 
fall  of  1823  they  came  to  Schuyler  County  from 
Kentucky  and  built  their  cabins  six  miles  south 
of  the  Hobart  settlement,  where  the  entire  pop- 
ulation of  the  county,  numl>ering  perhaps  a  score 
of  people,   was  centered.     Thomas  McKee  built 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


693 


his  cabin  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
20  and  Willis  O'Neal  located  on  Section  16.  Mc- 
Kee  was  a  trained  mechanic  and,  as  soon  as  he 
had  erected  a  home  for  his  family,  he  constructed 
a  workshop  and  this  was  the  first  blacksmith 
shop  in  the  county.  His  coming  was  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  little  settlement,  for  he  was 
a  natural  mechanic  and  gunsmith,  and  in  his 
little  log  shop  he  did  a  good  business  for  those 
pioneer  times.  Willis  O'Neal  later  moved  from 
,  Bainbridge  and  settled  on  the  present  site  of 
Rushville.  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  county  in  the  early  years  of  its  his- 
tor.\-.  Ho  aftenvards  removed  to  Brown  County. 
In  182-1  David  and  Thomas  Blair  and  Jacob 
White  settled  on  Sections  2  and  .3,  and  in  that 
same'  year  (Jeorge  Naught,  who  had  come  from 
Whiteside  County  with  his  brother  Isaac  and 
settled  on  Section  36,  Woodstock,  removed  to 
Bainbridge  where  he  afterwards  made  his  home. 
.Jonathan  Reno  and  John  A.  Reeve  were  among 
the  newcomers  in  182.j  wlio  settled  in  Bainbridge. 
In  November,  1S20.  Abraham  Lemaster  and  his 
son-in-law.  Charles  Hatfield,  moved  Into  the  town- 
ship and  purchased  Willis  O'Neal's  improvement. 
James  B.  Atwood,  William  Mitchell,  Moses  Pet- 
tigrew.  Archibald  Parris,  James  Edmonston, 
James,  William  and  .Johu  Evans  were  among 
those  who  came  in  1827.  Rev.  Joseph  Bell,  a 
Baptist  minister,  Isaac  Briggs,  George  Butler. 
Peter  DeWitt,  Samuel  Jackson,  Sanford  Close, 
Elisha  Hudson,  Jerre  Jackson  and  Thomas  How- 
ell were  all  residents  of  the  township  prior  to 
1830.  Among  other  early  residents  were:  Allen 
Persiuger,  Daniel  Jlathcny.  Jonathan  Reddick, 
Harvey  Phinney,  John  Jacobs,  John  Bowling, 
John  Dougherty,  James  Lawler,  Jonathan  Pat- 
teson,   Ebenezer  Grist  and  Apnllos  Ward. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  built  by 
Ephraim  Eggleston  on  the  bank  of  Crane  Creek 
on  Section  19.  The  mill  was  erected  in  1827  and 
was  barely  in  operation  svhen  there  came  a  sud- 
den flood  on  this  now  famous  erratic  stream, 
that  carried  away  the  improvement  down  stream. 
Zeph  Tyson  built  the  second  mill  in  18.35  and  it 
was  operated  by  horse-power. 

The  first  schooj  building  in  the  township  was 
on  Section  1.5.  and  John  Parker,  .Joseph  Bell  and 
William  Burnsides  were  among  the  first  teachers. 
There  is  not  now  a  town  or  postofHce  in  Bain- 
bridge Township,  the  postoffice  at  Center  having 
been  discontinued  in  1904.  when  the  rural  free 
delivery  system   was  extendt'd   to  the  township. 


The  town  of  Newburg,  now  commonly  known  as 
Newberry,  was  founded  by  Joseph  Newburg  and 
was  surveyed  and  platted  by  Francis  E.  Bryant, 
County  Surveyor,  April  24,  1840.  There  was 
once  a  store  and  blacksmith  shop  there,  but  all 
semblance  of  a  town  has  long  since  disappeared. 
The  population  of  Bainbridge  Township,  ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1900,  was  1,210. 


BIRMINGHAM    TOWNSHIP. 

The  farthest  outlaying  township*  In  Schuyler 
County  is  Birmingham,  located  in  the  extreme 
north-west  corner.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  JIcDouough  County  and  on  the  west  by  Han- 
cock County,  and  its  business  is  largely  tributary 
to  Plymouth,  the  nearest  shipping  point.  This 
township  is  almost  equally  divided  between  un- 
dulating and  fertile  prairie  laud  in  the  south 
and  north,  and  heavy  timber  land  along  the  wa- 
ter courses.  The  farms  are  well  improved  and 
the  land  valuable  for  grain  farming  and  stock 
raising. 

Brummel  Sapp  was  the  first  settler  in  Birming- 
ham Township.  He  was  a  neighbor  in  North 
Carolina  of  the  Manlove  family,  who  first  settled 
in  Schuyler  in  1824,  Their  glowing  accounts  of 
the  new  country  fired  his  enthusiasm  and,  in  the 
cirly  fall  of  1831,  he  started  on  the  long  journey 
to  the  frontier  in  Illinois.  His  family  consisting 
of  his  wife  and  children,  Harmon,  Jeffei-son, 
Jacob,  Adam,  Newell,  William,  S.  R.  and  Sarah, 
accompanied  him,  and  they  reached  Rushville  in 
early  winter  of  that  year.  Here  the  family  re- 
mained until  the  spring  of  1832,  when  they  once 
more  iiacked  up  their  household  belongings  and 
began  the  journey  westward.  Far  removed  from 
all  other  settlements  he  located  on  the  south- 
western part  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section 
3,  in  Birmingham  Township,  and  there  in  the 
solitude  of  the  forest  built  his  home,  and  his 
after  years  were  spent  on  the  old  homestead  and 
his  descendants  are  today  numerously  represented 
in  the  population  of  the  township. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Sapp  settled  in  Birmingham  his 
old  neighbor  in  North  Carolina,  David  Manlove, 
removed  there  from  the  Rushville  settlement. 
He  was  followed  soon  afterward  by  Moses  and 
Jon.athan  D.  Manlove,  who  settled  nearby.  Other 
settlers  who  came  in  1832  were  Peter  Popham 
from  Kentucky,  and  a  man  named  Haggard,  also 
Edward  and  David  Wade.     Isaac  Pigeon  was  a 


694 


HISTORY  OF  SCIIUYLEK  COUNTY. 


neiir  neiglihor  of  Mr.  Sapp  in  18."?^.  nnd  William 
and  Jesse  Hudeiiliaumier  and  .Vdaiii  Wier  came 
from  Xortli  Carolina  in  that  same  .vear.  In 
IS'M  the  settlement  was  further  inereased  by  the 
arrival  of  three  brothers,  Ale.\ander,  John  and 
Cliarles  Bilderback,  who  came  from  Adams 
Coinit.v,  111.,  tt'here  their  father  had  arrived  from 
Kentuck.v  some  .vears  before.  William  II.  and. 
James  Bilderback,  the  remaiuinji  brothers,  fol- 
lowed in  the  fall  of  that  year.  Ali<mt  this  time 
James  G.  Kins  ""J  David  Crahani  settled  in 
the  township.  Thomas  Twidell  and  Simwn  Mor- 
ris, from  ^■irginia,  were  among  the  settlers  of 
1834,  settling  in  Uound  Prairie.  In  1836  James 
and  Harrison  Graham  and  John  L.  Garden  and 
family  made  the  long  journey  west  from  Vir- 
ginia, in  res|K<nse  to  letters  that  bad  been  sent 
home  by  David  Graham.  William  Edwards,  John 
T.  (iash.  Col.  (ieo.  11.  Hriswe,  John  L.  Kwing, 
William  -Noel,  S.  S.  Walker  and  Kdward  Whipple 
were  others  of  the  early  |)ioneers  who  settled  in 
Rirmingliam  Township  in  the  'thirties. 

The  early  home-seekers  in  Birmingham  were 
men  who  had  faith  in  the  future  development  of 
the  rich  country  of  Illinois,  and  as  soon  as  they 
had  reared  tlieir  cabins  and  planted  their  cl-ops, 
they  turned  llieir  attention  to  developing  the 
re.sources  nearest  at  hand.  In  18:5."i  Uobert  Wil- 
son, a  jiractical  mill-wright  came  to  the  settle- 
ment, and  in  partnership  with  David  Graham, 
began  the  construction  of  a  water  mill  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  11.  They  built  a 
dam  across  Crooked  Creek  at  this  point,  and  the 
first  grist  was  ground  in  1830.  The  mill  was 
a  two-story  frame  building,  and  the  jmwer  was 
obtained  from  an  undershot  wheel.  It  remained 
in  service  imtil  1882  when,  on  May  5,  a  spring 
fi-esliet  undermined  the  wheel  and  it  was  car- 
ried down  stream. 

The  building  of  the  mill  was  an  incentive  to 
greater  effort  in  the  development  of  the  c-ountry. 
and  on  July  1.  l,S3(i.  tlie  village  of  Birmingham 
was  platted  by  -Mien  Persinger  for  David  Gra- 
ham. David  Manlove  and  Moses  Manlove,  the 
l>roprietoi-s.  The  jirospectus  issued  by  the  town- 
site  promotei-s.  and  |iublished  in  all  the  eastern 
papers,  was  a  most  glowing  one,  and  the  new 
town-site  was  heralded  as  a  thrifty  manufac- 
turing center  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
La  Moine  River.  L:ke  many  other  of  the  boom 
towns  of  1S.'{().  Birmingham  failed  to  fulfil  the 
expectations  of  its  enthusiastic  promoters,  but 
is    today    a    pretty    little    country    village    along 


whose  boundary  flows  the  waters  of  Crooked 
Creek. 

The  first  school  in  Birmingham  was  taught  l)y 
William  Noel  in  a  log  cabin  in  the  village.  In 
lS3tl  Birmingham  was  made  a  government  post- 
office  and  William  Noel  was  named  as  Post- 
master. The  first  church  erected  in  the  town- 
shii>  was  built  by  the  Protestant  Methodists  in 
the  village  in  18.52. 

Population  of  the  town.ship  in  I'JOO.  according 
to  the  United  States  census,  894. 


BROOKLYN  TOWNSHIP. 

Brooklyn  is  in  the  northern  tier  of  townships 
that  border  on  McDonough  County  and,  though 
far  removed  from  the  fii-st  setllement  made  in 
Schuyler  County,  not  many  years  elapsed  until 
the  homeseeker  had  reared  his  humble  cabin 
within  its  border.  This  was  due,  jK-rhaps,  to  tlie 
fact  that  Crooked  Creek  flows  through  the  town- 
ship, from  north  to  south,  for  the  early  |)ioneer 
followed  the  water  courses  in  his  search  for  a 
new  home,  and  the  earliest  settlements  were  usu- 
ally made  not  far  from  tlie  stream.  The  timber 
country  was  always  fii-st  choice  of  the  early 
honieseekers,  and  Brooklyn  afforded  many  choice 
locations  of  this  kind,  for  all  the  country  adja- 
cent to  Crooked  Creek  abounded  in  the  finest  kind 
of  timber.  When  Brooklyn  Township  was  first 
settled  Crooked  Creek  was  known  as  Lsi  Moine 
River,  and  was  regarded  as  a  navigable  stream, 
and  great  things  were  expected  from  the  develop- 
ment of  the  water  power  along  its  c-ourse.  Wliile 
these  expectations  were  never  realized,  Brooklyn 
Township  has  made  great  progress  as  an  agri- 
cultural country  and  its  people  are  prosperous  as 
a  result  thereof. 

William  Owens  was  the  first  settler  who  made 
a  home  within  the  Iwunds  of  Brooklyn  Town.ship. 
Reared  in  Kentucky,  he  was  married  in  1828  to 
-Miss  Helen  Swan  and.  in  the  fall  of  the  year 
following,  the  young  couple  de<ided  to  follow  the 
bride's  parents  to  Illinois.  They  made  the  trip 
on  horseback  and  were  six  days  in  the  saddle, 
and,  on  reaching  Schuyler  County,  found  a  warm 
welcome  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Swan,  who  were  then  residents  of  Buena  Vista 
Township.  There  they  si)ent  the  winter  and.  in 
the  spring  of  ISSO.  pushed  on  farther  west  and 
built  a  cabin  in  Brookl.vn  Township.  After  put- 
ting in  his  crop  Mr.  Owen  returned  to  Kentucky 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


695 


to  get  his  bouseliold  goods,  and.  on  his  return, 
sold  his  pre-emption  right  in  Broolilyu  and  re- 
turned to  Biiena  Vista  Township. 

William  llanlove,  who  came  to  Sc-hu.\ler  from 
North  Carolin.-i  in  182.^,  was  attracted  b.v  the 
rich  prospects  of  Brooklyn  Township  and,  in  1832. 
settled  with  his  family  on  the  northeast  quarter 
of  Section  7.  lie  was  accompanied  by  his 
brotlier-iu-law.  William  Huff,  who  with  his  fam- 
il.V  settled  on  an  adjoining  quarter.  Al)0ut  this 
time  John  E.  Rigsby  settled  on  the  east  lialf  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  7.  He  referred 
to  his  claim  as  "Guinea  I'rairie,"  and  the  neigh- 
borhood is,  to  this  day,  known  by  that  name. 

William  C.  Ralls  will  always  occupy  a  consijie- 
uous  place  in  the  histor.y  of  Brooklyn.  He  was 
a  man  of  energy  and  determination,  and  had  un- 
liounded  faith  in  the  ultimate  development  of  a 
great  manufacturing  center  in  the  wilderness  of 
Illinois.  On  December  0,  1831.  he  was  granted 
a  mill  site  on  Crooked  Creek  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  20,  and  was  authorized  to 
build  a  dam  not  to  exceed  nine  feet  in  height. 
Before  his  improvement  was  completed  came  the 
call  for  volunteers  to  tight  the  tribes  of  the  In- 
dian Chief  Black  Hawk,  and  Mr.  Ralls  entered 
the  service  of  the  State  as  Captain  of  a  volun- 
teer comjiany.  He  did  not  forget  his  jiet  pro.iect 
of  developing  the  water-power  on  Crooked  Creek, 
however,  and  in  1832  returned  to  his  claim  and 
resumed  work  on  the  dam. 

Another  of  tlie  prominent  Brooklyn  settlers  of 
the  earl.v  day  was  Rev.  Sanniel  Dark,  a  Baptist 
minister,  who  labored  in  the  L<jrd's  vineyard  for 
more  than  fifty  years,  and  whose  name  is  yet 
honored  and  revered  not  only  in  Brooklyn,  but  in 
all  the  adjacent  countr.v.  Samuel  Dark  was  a 
native  of  Xorth  Carolina,  but  removed  to  Ten- 
nessee when  a  child.  Accompanied  liy  his  father, 
Samuel  Dark,  and  two  cousins,  Horace  and  Sam- 
uel Dark,  ,Tr..  and  a  brother-in-law.  Hugh  Hays, 
!ie  came  to  Schu.vlor  Count.v  in  Februar.y,  1830. 
The  little  party  first  located  in  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship, where  Robert  L.  Dark  had  builded  a  home, 
and  in  the  fall  Samuel  L.  Dark  moved  to  Brook- 
lyn Township  and  settled  on  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  5. 

William  Lewis  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
Brooklyn  and,  for  more  than  fifty  years,  one  of 
her  most  prominent  citizens.  Mr.  Lewis  was  a 
native  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  born  March 
7,  1801,  and  w;is  a  grand-son  of  Francis  Lewis, 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of   Inde- 


pendence. In  early  life  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  I'hiladelphia  and  planned  to  follow  a  pro- 
fessional career,  but  came  west  in  1829  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health.  He  spent  three  years  in 
Rushville  and,  in  1832,  in  company  with  Samuel 
Oliver,  who  had  accompanied  him  from  the  East, 
he  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section 
19,  in  Brooklyn  Township.  The  rugged  life  of 
a  pioneer  restored  his  health  and  he  lived  to  a 
ripe  old  age.  his  death  occuring  in  1889. 

Dr.  James  S.  Blackburn,  one  of  tlie  pioneer 
jibysicians  of  the  county,  first  lix-ated  in  Rushville 
in  1830  and  there  erected  the  first  tannery  in  the 
county.  He  afterwards  studied  medicine  and  in 
1836.  removed  to  Brooklyn,  where  he  achieved 
success  and  honor. 

Philip  Chiiiman,  a  native  of  Xorth  Carolina, 
located  in  Brooklyn  in  183(5  and  he  served  as  a 
volunteer  in  tlie  Mormon  and  Mexican  wars,  and 
enlisted  in  the  army  of  the  Xorth  in  the  Civil 
War.  but  was  discharged  on  account  of  illness. 
Mr.  Chipman  is  quoted  as  saying  that  he  often 
hauled  produce  to  Quincy,  where  he  sold  wheat 
for  30  cents  a  bushel  and  pork  at  $1.2.5  per  hun- 
dred, and  in  paynient  tlierefor  took  calico  at  2.5 
cents  a  yard,  anil  bull  skin  boots  at  .$8  a  pair. 

.lackson  Higgins,  one  of  tlie  few  surviving  old 
pioneers,  accompanied  his  father,  Daniel  Higgins, 
to  Brooklyn  in  1838.  Mr.  Higgins,  Sr.,  was  a 
tailor  and  made  into  clothes  the  cloth  the  wives 
liad  woven  from  carded  and  spun  wool.  Jackson 
Higgins.  in  convei'sation  with  the  writer,  says 
the  old  camjiing  grounds  of  the  Indians  were 
cle.-irly  discernible  when  they  first  located  in 
Brooklyn.  At  the  time  Mr.  Higgins  and  family 
took  up  tlieir  abode  on  Section  9,  which  is  only 
a  short  distance  from  their  present  home,  there 
was  a  class  of  rough  characters  living  along  the 
creek,  who  made  their  liveliliood  by  hunting  and 
fisliing.  They  were  not  a  desirable  class  of  citi- 
zens and,  as  the  countr.v  settled  u]i.  they  moved 
away  to  other  frontier  points,  and  Brooklyn  has 
never  since  been  troubled  by  such  as  their  kind. 

The  town  of  Brool^l.vn  has  for  its  founder  Wil- 
liam C.  Ralls,  who  as  early  as  1831  planned  to 
there  build  a  city  that  would  rival  any  in  Xorth- 
ern  Illinois.  The  first  step  in  the  realization  of 
this  plan  was  the  erection  of  a  mill,  which  was 
built  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  20,  in 
the  year  1S.32.  To  assist  in  this  work  Richard 
Redfield  moved  from  Rushville.  where  he  had 
located  in  1830.  and  he  operated  the  first  black- 
smith shop  in  the  township. 


696 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


With  the  estabHshuipiit  of  the  mill  aecom- 
plisheil,  Mr.  Knlls  uiildldcd  his  pliins  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  manufaituriug  center  near  by. 
Thus  it  was  that,  on  October  26,  183(i,  on  the 
south  bank  of  Crooked  Creek,  on  a  rolling  iiieoe 
of  ground  sloping  gradually  towards  the  stream, 
Allen  I'eisinger  platted  the  town  of  Brooklyn. 
The  proprietors  were  William  C.  Kails,  Joseph 
Duncan,  Benjamin  Clark  and  Dr.  (ireen.  They 
did  not  sit  idly  by  and  wait  for  the  town  to 
grow — that  was  too  slow  a  proceeding  for  those 
stirring  times.  Instead  they  spread  abroad  the 
news  that  there  was  to  be  51  sale  of  town  lots, 
and  it  was  advertised  in  every  paper  of  promi- 
nence in  the  United  States. 

Brooklyn,  like  many  other  towns  of  that  time, 
fell  short  of  the  promised  greatness.  Fate  did 
not  deal  kindly  with  the  village  when  the  great 
railroad  systems  girded  the  country  and,  in  a 
day,  made  towns  where  before  there  had  been 
a  wilderness.  But  Brooklyn  is,  today,  a  thrifty 
inland  town,  surrounded  by  a  rich  agricultural 
country  and,  in  its  long  history,  no  disastrous 
storms,  fires  or  pestilence  have  marred  its  serene 
prosperity. 

The  Urst  school  in  the  village  was  taught  by 
Miss  Dodds  in  IS-H.  Brooklyn  was  made  a  gov- 
ernment postotflce  in  1S40,  and  William  Ilorney 
was  the  first  postmaster.  On  the  site  of  the  old 
mill,  erected  in  18;i2,  there  stands  a  mill  today, 
the  only  flouring  mill  operated  within  the  bounds 
of  Schuyler  County. 

The  census  report  of  1000  showed  a  population 
for  Brooklyn  Towusbi|)  of  1,173. 


BROWNING  TOW.NSHIP. 

Browning  is  one  of  the  fractional  townships 
lying  on  the  eastern  border  of  Schuyler  County. 
It  was  named  in  honor  of  Hon.  O.  H.  Browning, 
of  Quincy,  United  States  Senator  from  Illinois 
and  for  many  years  a  prominent  attorney. 

The  Illinois  River  and  Sugar  Creek  form  the 
southern  boimdary  of  Browning  Township,  and 
along  these  waterwaj-s  are  high  bluffs.  The  gen- 
eral land  surface  Is  broken  and,  in  the  early  days, 
was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  valuable 
timber.  This  has  all  been  cleared  away  save 
along  the  streams,  and  the  land  put  in  cultiva- 
tion. 

William    Robertson    was    the    first   settler    in 


Browning  Township.  He  came  to  Schuyler 
County  from  Kentucky  in  1S2G  and  built  his 
cabin  on  Section  10  beside  a  bubbling  s|iriug  of 
fresh,  clear  water.  He  was  a  young  man,  full 
of  energy  and  fond  of  adventure  and  skilled  In 
the  art  of  woodcraft.  He  located  there  on  ac- 
count of  the  abundance  of  wild  game  and  un- 
mindful of  the  fact  that  his  nearest  neighbor 
was  six  miles  away.  Bee-hunting  was  a  profit- 
able business  in  those  pioneer  days  and  Mr.  Rob- 
ertson was  not  slow  to  realise  it.  Fur-bearing 
animals  were  also  numerous  there,  and  their 
jielts  found  ready  market  in  St.  Louis,  and  fre- 
quent trips  were  made  down  the  Illinois  River 
by  Mr.  Robertson  in  his  canoe. 

Soon  after  locating  In  Browning  Township  Mr. 
Robert.son  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Klrklin 
by  Squire  Isaac  Lane,  and  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren xwis  born  to  them.  One  son,  Joel  Robert- 
son, still  resides  on  the  old  homestead  and  .Alex- 
ander has  his  home  close  by.  Malcomb  Robert- 
son, another  son.  Is  also  a  resident  of  Browning 
Township. 

In  August.  182S,  four  brothers.  Thomas  T., 
William,  Henry  and  Ilartwell  Lan<'aster,  came  to 
Browning  from  Kentucky  and  located  on  Section 
22.  The  following  year  their  mother  and  a 
younger  brother,  Gabriel,  joined  them.  They 
made  permanent  homes  In  the  township,  and 
their  descendants  continue  to  reside  there. 

Thomas  T.  Lancaster,  the  oldest  of  the  broth- 
ers, was  bom  January  28,  ISO",  and  lived  to  the 
ripe  old  age  of  almost  ninetj--nlne  years,  his 
death  occurring  January  24,  190C.  He  was  mar- 
ried March  1,  18.31  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Jackson, 
and  the  following  year  located  on  Section  10, 
where  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Isaac  Lane,  also  from  Kentucky,  settled  in 
Browning  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
16  In  1828.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  their  child  was  the  first  bom  In  the  town- 
ship. 

Sholton  Luttrell  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812, 
and  (Jeorge  W.  Justus,  both  from  Tennessee, 
were  settlers  of  the  year  1S28,  and  were  accom- 
panied by  their  families.  Mr.  Luttrell  settled  on 
Section  10  and  Mr.  Justus  near  Ridgeville. 

John  M.  Campbell,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
located  on  Section  14  In  1829.  and  Stephen  Rob- 
ertson and  wife,  of  Kentucky,  also  came  that 
same  year,  but  in  1S31  removed  to  Macoupin 
County,  111.     Other  pioneers  of  1831  were  John 


n  ' 


i 


III 


ii<'l 


11 


k_ 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


697 


Baker  of  Tennessee,  who  settled  on  Section  23, 
and  George  Garrison,  wlio  made  his  home  on 
Section  29. 

George  Skiles,  who  became  a  resident  of 
Browning  in  the  early  'thirties,  first  located  in 
Schuyler  County  December  2,  1826,  when  he  built 
a  cabin  on  Section  Ifi  in  Rushville  Township. 
He  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812  and  was 
with  Gen.  Jackson  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
In  1816  he  located  in  Indiana,  moved  from  there 
to  Kentucky,  and  later  to  Missouri  in  1819,  where 
he  lived  until  he  took  up  his  home  in  Schuyler 
County.  Mr.  Skiles  was  Coroner  of  Schuyler 
in  1830,  and  held  the  first  inquest  in  the  county 
over  the  body  of  George  Everett,  who  was  mur- 
dered by  James  Morgan. 

Jonathan  Reno,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Schuyler  County,  locating  in 
Bainbridge  Township  in  1825.  From  there  he 
removed  to  Section  16,  Rushville  towoiship,  where 
he  resided  until  18:;o,  when  he  took  up  his  home 
in  McDonough  County.  He  afterward  lived  in 
Iowa  and  finally  removed  to  Missouri,  where  he 
died.  Mr.  Reno  had  ten  children,  and  of  these 
Jonathan  Reno,  Jr.,  was  the  only  one  who  be- 
came a  permanent  resident  of  Schuyler  County. 
His  life  was  spent  in  the  county  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  years  1842-43,  w-hich  were  spent  in 
Iowa  and,  in  1849,  he  located  in  Browning  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Reno  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza 
Thornton,  who  had  come  from  East  Tennessee 
in  1826,  and  she  is  one  of  the  few  surviving  pio- 
neers of  the  county  who  came  here  previous  to 
1830.  Mrs.  Reno  makes  her  home  with  her  son. 
B.  F.  Reno,  and  has  the  full  enjoyment  of  all 
her  famlties  in  her  ripe  old  age. 

The  first  school  taught  in  Browning  Township 
was  presided  over  by  Nathaniel  Grover,  who 
came  from  Tennessee  and  opened  his  school  here 
in  1835. 

The  first  mill  in  Browning  Township  was 
erected  on  the  east  bank  of  Sugar  Creek,  in  Sec- 
tion 20,  in  1820,  by  George  Skiles,  David  Wal- 
lace and  Alfred  C.  Wallace.  At  first  it  was 
rigged  for  a  sawmill,  but  burrs  were  added  in 
1831  to  grind  wheat  and  com.  Thomas  Justus 
also  built  a  mill  above  the  site  of  this  one  in 
1829,  which  was  a  combined  saw  and  grist-mill. 

The  village  of  Browning,  which  is  the  only 
incorporated  village  in  Schuyler  Count>-.  w.is 
surveyed   and    platted   liy    Leonidas   Ilorney   for 


Robert  Dilworth,  and  the  plat  on  record  bears 
date  of  May  11,  1848. 

John  Lippencott.  who  located  in  the  township 
In  1829,  built  his  cabin  on  the  present  site  of 
the  village  of  Browning,  and  has  the  honor  of 
being  the  first  settler.  Teter  Holmes  was 
another  of  the  early  residents,  locating  there  in 
1830. 

The  first  merchant  in  Browning  was  James 
Austin,  who  opened  a  general  store  there  In  1849. 
Others  of  the  early  merchants  were  Benjamin 
Kirkbride,  A.  L.  Wells,  R.  R.  Dilworth,  George 
McEvans,  Albert  and  Marion  Bates,  G.  B.  and 
Wiley  Hollingsworth. 

The  first  school  in  the  village  was  taught  by 
Miss  Dilworth  and  the  first  school  house  was 
built  in  1854.  The  village  now  has  a  fine  brick 
school  building  and  employs  three  teachers. 

The  fisheries  at  Browning  constitute  one  of 
the  important  industries  of  the  village  and  a 
large  business  is  done  in  this  branch  of  trade. 
Just  now  the  village  is  having  a  business  boom, 
as  it  were,  and  a  bank  and  a  newspaper  have 
lately  been  established,  the  histories  of  which 
appear  in  their  respective  chapters  in  this  vol- 
ume. 

The  village  of  Osceola,  which  has  later  been 
renamed  Bader,  was  laid  out  by  Jeremiah  Stumm 
for  Samuel  Fowler,  August  5,  1870.  It  is  sit- 
uated on  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  southwest 
iiuarter  of  Section  2,  and  is  a  thrifty  and  pros- 
perous little  village. 

Population  of  the  township  in  1900,  including 
Browning  town,  1,480.  that  of  the  village  being 
455. 


BUENA  VISTA  TOWNSHIP. 

Buena  Vista  Township  is  located  near  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  Schuyler  County,  and  is 
the  only  one  of  the  thirteen  townships  in  the 
county  that  does  not,  at  some  point,  touch  the 
outside  boundary  of  the  countj'.  Like  all  the 
other  townships,  Buena  Vista  has  wide  spreading 
prairies  and  embraces  a  part  of  the  broken  tim- 
ber country  which  lies  along  the  many  small 
streams  that  flow  southward  into  Crooked  Creek. 
Along  these  streams  there  is  found  a  good  qual- 
ity of  building  stone  that  was  extensively  quar- 
ried at  an  early  day.  A  good  vein  of  coal  also 
underlies  a  portion  of  the  township. 

Levin  Green,   the  pioneer   Methodist  preacher 


698 


IIIHTUEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


whose  history  has  heen  givon  hi  another  chapter 
of  this  worli,  was  the  first  settler  in  Bueua  Vista 
I'owuship.  He  came  to  Seliuyler  County  in  Xo- 
veniber,  1823,  from  Missouri  accompanied  by  his 
family  and  brother-in-law,  George  Stewart,  and 
his  family.  They  spent  the  winter  in  the  Hobart 
settlement  and  early  in  the  following  spring  took 
up  their  abode  in  Buena  Vista.  They  were  joined 
soon  afterwards  by  Henry  Green,  ,Tr.,  and  his 
family,  who  had  driven  overland  from  Texas. 

Levin  Green  selected  for  liis  home  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  13:!;  Henry  Green,  Jr.,  the 
southeast  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 20,  and  George  Stewart  fhe  southeast  quar- 
ter of  Section  13.  The  Greens  had  always  lived 
In  the  South  and  the  first  year  they  spent  in 
Schuyler  they  planted  a  crop  of  cotton,  and  the 
yield  must  have  been  at  least  partially  success- 
ful, for  in  1827  Henry  Green.  .Tr..  erected  a  rude 
cotton  gin  to  handle  the  crop. 

John  Uitche.v  settled  in  Bueua  Vista  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  2."i  in  1824,  but  soon 
sold  his  i)re-emi)tion  right  to  Samuel  Turner  and 
removed  to  Littleton  Townshii).  In  March,  1825, 
Samuel  and  Manlove  Uorney  settled  on  Section 
14,  where  they  resided  until  1S.S4,  when  thej'  re- 
moved to  Littleton. 

In  Jlay,  1825,  the  Green  settlement  was  greatly 
Increased  by  the  arrival  of  Henry  Green,  Sr..  and 
wife;  Philip  Spohnamore  and  family  of  eight; 
George  Green,  wife  and  si.\  children ;  John 
Spohnamore,  wife  and  two  children;  John  Green, 
wife  and  three  children,  and  James  Robinson, 
wife  and  three  children.  They  all  came  from 
Missouri  and,  being  related  by  marriage,  took  up 
their  home  in  the  Green  settlement  and  their 
descendants  are  today  residents  of  the  township. 

Samuel  Turner,  who  lirst  came  to  Schuyler  in 
1823,  returned  to  St.  Clair  County  soon  after 
building  his  cabin,  and  on  his  return  in  1825 
found  it  occupied.  He  sold  his  improvement 
and  removed  to  Buena  Vista  Township  and  set- 
tled on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  25.  Here 
he  cleared  a  piece  of  ground  and  made  improve- 
roents,  but  in  1834  a  claimant  with  a  superior 
title  appeared  and  the  work  of  years  was  lost. 
He  then  removed  to  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Swtion  11,  and  it  is  said  had  to  buy  off  three 
dilTerent  persons  who  claimed  to  have  title  to 
the  land.  Mr.  Turner  was  married  on  May  24, 
1S30,  to  Miss  Kachel   Koliertson.   and  their  son. 


Allen  Turner,  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead 
farm. 

Charles  Teas  settled  on  the  northwest  quarter 
of  Section  23  in  1S20,  and  resided  there  until 
182!).  when  he  sold  his  claim  to  Lemuel  Sparks, 
and  the  old  homestead  is  now  owned  by  J.  B. 
Sparks  of  Uushville,  who  is  a  son  of  the  old 
pioneer  settler. 

Alexander  Ross,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  settled 
in  Bueua  Vista  in  the  summer  of  1820,  with  his 
wife  and  six  children,  and  built  a  cabin  on  the 
northeast  ipiarter  of  Section  IC,  where  he  made 
a  p.Tmanent  settlement. 

Joel  McKee  came  to  Schuyler  County  in  1826 
with  his  father-in-law,  William  McKee.  and  in 
the  following  year  he  removed  to  Buena  Vista 
Township  and  built  a  cabin  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  Section  2.  Here  he  resided  until 
1S4T.  when  he  made  an  overland  trip  to  Oregon. 
He  returned  in  1S51  and  again  took  up  his  abode 
in  the  township  where  he  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age. 
Mr.  Tullis  had  the  first  distillery  in  the  town- 
ship which  was  built  In  IS-HS.  John  Tullis  and 
Join;  Thompson  were  neighbors  of  Joel  Tullis 
and  built  their  cabins  on  Section  1. 

Drury  Sellers,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  moved 
to  Buena  Vista  In  the  spring  of  1828  with  his 
fi\mily,  and  settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  2.  but  afterward  removed  to  Littleton. 

Other  earl.v  settlers  were :  Robert  L.  Dark. 
George  Swan,  William  Owens,  Ephraim  Haines 
and  John  R.  Skiles,  and.  in  the  early  'thirties, 
there  came  a  number  of  families  who  made  iier- 
nianont  homes  in  the  township. 

The  first  wedding  in  the  township  was  that 
of  William  Hobart  Taylor  and  Miss  Elizabeth 
Spohnamore.  which  occurred  November  27.  1825. 
Rev.  Levin  Green  i)erfonned  the  ceremony. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  four  year  old 
son  of  Henry  Green,  Jr.,  in  the  summer  of  1827. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1828  on 
the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  1,  and  Robert 
Sexton  was  the  teacher  in  charge.  There  had 
been  a  school  taught  in  tlie  Green  settlement  as 
early  as  1825  by  William  Hobart  Taylor,  but  the 
residents  found  it  more  convenient  to  send  their 
children  to  the  schools  in  Rushville  Township. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  operated 
by  Joel  Tullis.  It  was  supplied  with  power  by 
the  old  tread-wheel  with  horses  for  motive  power. 
It  was  erected  In  1831  on  the  northeast  quarter 
of   Section  2.     Col.  Clark,   an  Englishman,  also 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


699 


had  a  "horse  mill  in  operation  in  1835  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  17.  The  first  steam 
gristmill  was  built  in  1857  by  George  C.  Clark 
in  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  14. 

A  portion  of  the  city  of  Rushville  lies  within 
the  bounds  of  Buena  Vista  Township,  and  this 
tract  of  land  was  originally  owned  by  William 
McCreery.  He  purchased  100  acres  lying  west 
of  the  original  town  site  for  .f.'WO,  and  the  owner 
In  New  York  was  so  astonished  at  receiving  so 
munitieent  an  offer,  that  he  feared  he  might  be 
losing  some  unknown  treasure,  and  in  his  deed, 
now  on  record  at  the  court  house,  expressly  re- 
serves all  minerals  to  be  found  on  the  land 
deeded. 

Population  of  the  township  in  T.mki,  iiichuliug 
part  of  the  city  of  Rushville,  1,051.  the  portion 
coming  within  the  city  of  Rushville  being  029. 


CAMDEN    TOWNSHIP. 

Camden  Township,  traversed  from  north  to 
south  by  Crooked  Creek  and  intersected  by  the 
minor  streams  of  Cedar,  Brushy  and  Missouri, 
has  a  varied  topography  that  includes  low  allu- 
vial bottoms,  upland  plains  and  heavily  timbered 
sections,  but  withal  it  is  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous communities  in  the  county,  and  its  ro- 
mantic history  dates  back  to  the  year  1829,  when 
the  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  within 
its  border. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  .lohn  and  Robert 
Brown  and  their  brother-in-law,  Luke  Allphin, 
of  Morgan  Count:s-,  made  their  first  trip  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  crossing  the  Illinois  River  at  Beard's 
Ferry,  now  Beardstown,  and  pushing  on  west- 
ward past  the  settlements  in  Rushville  and  Bu- 
ena Vista  Townships,  to  what  is  now  Camden 
Township,  where  they  settled  on  Sections  17  and 
20.  Here  the,v  made  rnde  imiirovements  in  the 
wilderness,  and  the  following  spring  the  families 
of  the  three  men  were  removed  from  Morgan 
County,  where  they  had  made  their  home  since 
leaving   Kentucky. 

The.v  were  all  natives  of  Grant  County,  Ky., 
and  had  left  that  State  in  1825  to  seek  a  home 
in  Illinois.  While  a  resident  of  Kentucky  John 
Brown  (vas  married  to  Sarah  Points,  who,  with 
her  two  children,  Lucy  and  Thomas  B.,  were  In 
that  first  party  of  Camden  homeseekers  in  the 
spring  of   1830.     They  settled  on   the  northeast 


quarter  of  Section  20,  and  here  Mr.  Brown  re- 
sided until  his  death,  January  10,  1871.  Robert 
Brown,  a  brother  of  John  Brown,  built  his  cabin 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  17.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  they  were  per- 
manent settlers  in  the  neighborhood,  residing 
there  until  their  death.  Luke  Allphin,  the  third 
member  of  the  party,  was  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  two  children,  Zebadee  and  Jane,  and 
they  settled  on  the  .southeast  quarter  of  Section 
17.  Mr.  Allphin  was  a  restless,  adventurous  man 
and,  when  the  settlers  began  to  invade  the  re- 
gions of  Camden,  he  again  sought  the  frontier 
and,  in  18.37,  emigrated  to  Lee  County,  Iowa,  and 
from  there  to  California,  where  he  died  in  1849. 

These  families  had  raised  only  a  partial  crop 
during  the  summer  of  1830,  and  when  the  deep 
snow  came  the  following  winter,  they  endured 
great  hardships,  and  the  men  had  to  make  a  trip 
to  the  Rushville  Settlement,  at  the  peril  of  their 
lives,  to  get  food ;  and  it  is  said  Mrs.  John  Brown 
kept  her  calves  from  starving  by  feeding  them 
straw  and  shucks  taken  from  the  bed  tick.  But 
the  men  made  the  trip  in  safety  and  returned 
with  a  supply  of  corn  that  was  ground  into  meal 
in  the  old  hominy  mortar,  as  at  that  time  there 
was  no  mill  nearer  than  the  Hobart  settlement. 

When  these  first  pioneers  came  to  Camden 
Township,  they  followed  an  Indian  trail  that 
crossed  Crooked  Creek  near  where  the  bridge 
now  stands.  T\\'o  miles  north  of  Camden,  on 
what  is  now  the  Callison  farm,  there  were 
plainly  marked  traces  of  an  Indian  village,  and 
arrow-heads  and  stone  axes  were  strewn  about 
the  ground  in  countless  numbers.  This  had  prob- 
ably been  one  of  the  last  camping  grounds  of  the 
Indians  before  they  made  their  final  emigration 
northward. 

Ephraim  Eggleston,  who  had  settled  in  the 
Ilobart  settlement  in  1823,  removed  to  Camden 
in  18.30  and  settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  15,  and  his  son,  William,  was  the  firi^t 
child  born  in  the  township.  Philander  Avery 
first  visited  Camden  Township  in  the  fall  of 
1830,  but  he  migrated  to  Knox  County  and  it 
was  not  until  in  the  'fifties  that  he  returned  to 
make  his  permanent  home  in  the  township. 

In  1831  Thomas  J.  Chapman  arrived  in  the 
Camden  settlement  from  Kentucky.  He  was  a 
brother-in-law  of  John  Brown,  and  was  induced 
to  come  to  Illinois  by  the  glowing  accounts  re- 
ceived from  his  relatives.    Ephraim  and  Ira  Ow- 


700 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


ens  arrived  in  Camden  in  1S33,  and  tliat  same 
year  Hensen  Marlow  emigrated  witli  his  wife 
and  cliildreu  from  Indiana,  and  settled  on  tbe 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  22. 

The  year  1835  marked  a  period  of  rapid 
growth  for  the  CiUiiden  settlement,  and  among 
the  new  arrivals  of  that  year  we  may  note: 
William  Allphin,  who  journeyed  from  Indiana 
with  his  family  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  a  yoke  of 
oxen,  and  settled  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  31 ;  Robert  Points,  who  settled  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  5 ;  Isaac  Cady  and 
his  son,  Isaac  G.,  who  settled  on  Sections  10  and 
20 ;  Benjamin  West  settled  on  the  southwest  of 
Section  2G,  and  his  brother,  William  West,  on  the 
northeast  of  35. 

Among  other  early  settlers  may  he  mentioned 
Hohert  Brooks,  Hazel  Dorsey,  Adam  S.  and  John 
Corrie,  M.  M.  Cleek,  John  L.  Calllson,  George  L. 
Gray,  Robert  G.  JIcHatton.  R.  B.  Stubhiefleld, 
B.  F.  Taggart  and  Joseph  N.  Ward. 

The  first  pioneer  who  attempted  to  utilize 
Crooked  Creek  for  motive  power  to  operate  a 
grist-mill,  was  John  Taggart,  and  on  December 
8,  18.35,  the  County  Commissioners  granted  a  pe- 
tition for  a  millsite  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  11,  and  it  was  specified  that  the  dam 
across  Crooked  Creek  was  not  to  exceed  nine  feet 
In  height.  Two  years  previous  to  this  Mr.  Tag- 
gart and  his  father-in-law.  Mr.  Wolberton,  had 
begim  the  erection  of  a  mill  on  Section  2G,  but 
before  it  was  completed  the  owner  of  the  land 
forced  them  to  abandon  the  enterprise.  But  in 
the  year  1S.36  the  second  mill  was  completed  and 
it  did  a  good  business  for  many  years. 

Dr.  B.  I'.  Watts,  in  writing  of  the  early  his- 
tory of  Camden  Township,  gives  an  interesting 
story  of  a  Dr.  Ward,  a  retired  I'nited  States 
army  surgeon,  who  took  up  quarters  in  a  cave 
near  the  Taggart  mill  when  he  first  came  to  the 
settlement.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than  usual 
ability.  Init  very  odd  in  his  ways,  and  his  cave 
was  tilled  with  cages  of  snakes,  birds  and  wild 
animals  that  he  kept  for  pets.  That  he  was  a 
skilled  surgeon  was  demonstrated  on  several  oc- 
casions, but  he  chose  the  free  life  of  the  pioneer 
in  preference  to  the  thickly  settled  communities 
where  his  talent  would  have  been  a  source  of 
pecuniary  profit. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  Dr.  Warts  for  the 
following  description  of  social  life  in  the  Camden 
settlement :     "Shoes  were  unknown  to  children  ; 


they  went  barefooted,  winter  and  summer,  and 
their  feet  got  so  tough  they  would  knock  fire  out 
of  a  flint  rock,  drive  a  ten-penny  nail  with  their 
heel  or  chase  rabbits  all  day  in  snow  ankle  deep. 

"Those  times  they  were  accustomed  to  live 
three  or  four  days  on  baked  squash  alone.  We 
heard  of  one  instance  where  the  wife  and  mother 
baked  the  last  of  the  meal  for  breakfast,  and 
just  as  the  meal  was  ready,  a  couple  of  neighbor 
men  came  in,  and  being  asked  to  partake  sat 
down  (the  eliildren  those  days  always  waited), 
and  ate  all  the  bread  and  the  little  children  had 
to  go  hungry  until  their  father  could  go  forty 
miles  to  mill  and,  perhaps,  be  a  whole  week  mak- 
ing the  trii).  We  were  told  that  even  the  mother 
did  not  get  any  of  the  bread,  and  that  when  the 
men  folks  left,  she  sat  down  and  cried.  I'oor 
woman  I  She  was  not  the  only  one  who  suffered 
those  cruel  heartaches  during  pioneer  times." 

The  first  school  taught  In  Camden  Township 
was  presided  over  by  John  Thornhill,  a  Keu- 
tuckian.  who  came  to  the  settlement  in  1836  and 
()I)ened  his  tuition  school  in  a  cabin  on  Section 
IT.  George  L.  Gray  was  another  of  the  early 
school  teachers,  and  his  cabin  was  on  Section  22. 

The  village  of  Camden,  which  is  situated  on 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  17,  was  laid  out 
by  Robert  Brown  and  Joseph  N.  Ward,  January 
2S,  ISI'.l.  and  was  surve.ved  and  platted  by  Sam- 
uel McHatton,  Deputy  County  Surveyor.  The 
first  store  was  established  in  the  village  in  1838 
by  John  and  Joseph  N.  Ward,  and  the  following 
.vear  Camden  was  made  a  government  pbstofiice, 
and  Alexander  .McHatton  was  named  as  the  first 
government  otticial.  David  Campbell  built  a  flour- 
ing mill  in  the  village  in  1856,  and  it  was  op- 
erated until  recent  years.  Today  Camden  is  a 
flourishing  inland  village,  with  good  schools, 
churi  lies  and  mercantile  houses,  and  her  citizens 
are  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  they  can 
be  put  into  closer  touch  with  the  outside  world 
through  the  agency  of  an  electric  railroad. 

The  village  of  Erwln,  located  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Section  26,  was  laid  out  by  Columbus 
C.  Meeks,  March  27,  1860.  Four  years  previous 
lie  had  built  a  cabin  and  opened  a  store,  and  was 
that  year  appointed  postmaster.  The  first  school 
house  in  the  village  was  built  in  186C  and  James 
Bliss  was  the  first  teacher. 

The  population  of  Camden  Township,  accord- 
ing to  the  cen.sus  of  UKX).  was  1,  278. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


701 


FREDERICK  TOWNSHIP. 

Frederick  is  the  smallest  towuship  in  Schuyler 
Countj'  and  the  most  irregular  in  shape,  two  of 
its  triangular  sides  being  bounded  by  the  Illinois 
River  and  Sugar  Creeli,  a  tributary  stream. 
North  and  south  the  township  measures  nine 
miles,  while  the  greatest  width  is  three  and  a 
half  miles,  and  it  contains  but  twelve  full  sec- 
tions, although  there  are  fractional  sections  lying 
along  the  iHJundar.v  streams.  The  land  surface 
is  broken  and  a  portion  of  the  township  is  sub- 
ject to  overflow  from  the  Illinois  River. 

Frederick  Township  was  the  gateway  to 
Schuyler  CJounty  in  the  first  years  of  Its  history, 
and  all  of  the  early  pioneers  crossed  its  borders 
and  mounted  the  high  bluff  in  their  journey  in- 
land. Some  of  them  doubtless  tarried  for  a  time 
in  temporary  homes  along  the  bluff,  which  makes 
It  difBcult  to  name  any  one  person  as  the  original 
settler  in  the  township.  Among  the  first  to  make 
a  permanent  home  within  the  bounds  of  Fred- 
erick Township  was  James  Lammy,  who  settled 
about  a  half-mile  north  of  the  present  site  of 
the  village  of  Frederick  in  1825.  Andrew  Vance, 
Timothy  Harris  and  Edward  White  were  also 
early  settlers.  Abraham  Hollingsworth  made  his 
first  permanent  home  in  the  county  in  Frederick 
Township,  locating  there  in  the  spring  of  1827. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  Justices  of  the  Peace 
and  Hollingsworth  branch  was  named  in  his 
honor.  Others  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  with  the 
year  of  settlement,  are  as  follows :  John  D. 
Wren,  1820;  Lyman  Utter,  1830;  Anthony  Mes- 
serer,  18.32;  Jesse  Darnell,  1834;  Thomas  Bel- 
lamy, 1835,  and  John  Utter,  1838. 

In  the  early  'thirties,  soon  after  the  first 
steamboats  began  to  ply  the  Illinois  River,  George 
Frederick  Jonte  and  Frederick  Merchant,  two 
Frenchmen,  located  on  Section  17  in  Frederick 
Towuship.  llr.  Jonte  took  note  of  the  natural 
conditions,  and  decided  to  found  a  city  that 
would  be  the  shipping  point  for  all  the  rich  In- 
land country  to  the  north  and  west.  Allen  Per- 
singer  was  employed  to  plat  the  town,  which  he 
did.  May  12  and  13.  1836,  and  in  honor  of  its 
founder  it  was  named  Frederickville.  and  is  so 
recorded  on  the  court  records,  but  the  United 
States  Postoffiee  Department  in  1892  shortened 
the  name  to  Frederick. 

Samuel  P.  Vail  was  the  first  storekeeper  in 
the  village.  In  1844  Charles  Farwell  &  Co.  es- 
tablished a  mercantile  business  in  Frederick  that 


afterwards  grew  to  large  proportions.  Maro  Far- 
well  came  from  the  East  in  1848  and  joined  his 
brother  and,  in  1852,  they  built  a  large  store 
building  in  the  village  and  a  warehouse  on  the 
Illinois  River.  They  engaged  in  merchandi-sing, 
pork-packing  and  steamboating,  and  had  probably 
the  largest  business  of  any  firm  on  the  Illinois 
River.  In  those  flourishing  days  Frederick  was 
connected  with  Rushville  by  a  plank  road,  and 
was  the  shipping  point  for  towns  as  far  north  as 
Macomb.  Steamboats,  loaded  at  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
brought  their  entire  cargo  to  P^ederick,  and  on 
the  return  trip  carried  back  to  the  East  their 
valuable  cargo  of  pork  and  lard.  In  those  days 
it  looked  as  if  Frederick  was  destined  to  be  one 
of  big  towns  along  the  Illinois  River,  but  when 
railroad  building  began,  its  business  was  diverted 
and  the  gradual  decline  of  the  river  traflic  made 
unprofitable  its  big  mercantile  business,  and  the 
firm  of  Farwell  Bros,  ceased  to  exist  in  1877. 
But  while  the  village  had  its  most  prosperous 
da.vs  in  the  early  'si.xties,  it  is  yet  a  thrifty  little 
town  and  has  a  number  of  prospering  mercantile 
houses. 

The  first  school  taught  in  Frederick  was  pre- 
sided over  by  Horatio  Benton  in  1845.  In  1871 
a  two-story  brick  scliool  building  was  erected 
which  is  in  use  at  the  present  time. 

Population  in  1900,  according  to  United  States 
census,  628. 


HICKORY  TOWNSHIP. 

Hickory  Township  lies  in  the  extreme  north- 
east part  of  Schuyler  County,  and  Is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Fulton  County  and  on  the  south  by 
the  Illinois  River.  It  contains  but  fourteen  full 
sections,  and  by  reason  of  its  location  along  the 
Illinois  River,  the  land  surface  is  about  equally 
divided  between  uplands  and  bottom  lands.  The 
narrow  strip  of  sloping  bottom  land,  extending 
the  entire  length  of  the  township,  is  wonderfully 
rich  and  productive  and  is  valued  as  highly  as 
any  land  in  Schuyler  County.  The  lower  bottom 
lands  are  also  rich  and  fertile,  but  a  crop  there 
is  uncertain  on  account  of  the  danger  from  fioods. 
In  the  northern  part  of  the  township  there  are 
several  large  lakes  lying  inland  a  few  rods  from 
the  river,  and  all  this  country  is  now  owned  by 
hunting  clubs  on  account  of  the  splendid  feeding 
ground  it  affords  for  wild  game. 

In  the  spring  of  1820  a  party  of  pioneers  com- 


702 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


posed  of  Amos  Rkliardsou,  Jonatban  Viles,  Nich- 
olas Viles  and  his  son-in-law,  William  Steven- 
son, crossed  the  Illinois  liiver  at  Beard's  Ferry 
and  followed  an  Indian  trail  along  the  bluffs  until 
they  reached  the  point  where  Butlersville  is  now 
located.  Here  they  built  their  cabins  and  cleared 
the  ground  for  the  cultivation  of  crops.  Richard- 
son was  the  only  one  of  the  party  who  remained 
there,  and  he  was  killed  in  1830  by  Burrell  Bas- 
set. 

Abraham  CarlocU  moved  lo  the  township  in 
1827  and  lived  there  until  Ills  death  some  years 
afternurds.  .Tacoh  Guiun  was  another  early  set- 
tler. He  first  cleared  a  farm  on  Section  8,  which 
he  afterwards  sold  and  purcliased  another  raw 
tract,  which  he  transformed  into  good  farming 
land.  William  Moss  and  Stephen  Y.  Jolly  were 
pioneers  of  1830,  and  lived  in  the  township  for 
many  years. 

In  1834  William  K.  Jones  came  from  Ken- 
tucky and  settled  on  Section  7.  He  was  followed 
two  years  later  by  William  H.  Gregory,  who  set- 
tled on  the  blufC  west  of  Butlersville.  William 
Sackman  was  another  jiionoer  of  1S3C  and  he 
resided  on  Section  4  until  ISOCi,  when  he  removed 
to  Missouri.  Otlicr  settlers  of  tliis  period  were: 
Thomas  Wilson.  I'hillp  Iluby,  Mosier  Alley,  Ly- 
man Tracey,  Enoch  Steward.  William  Brown, 
Martin  Crafton.  William  Bowell,  James  Stewart, 
David  Tenters,  Levi  Sparks,  Reason  Prather  and 
Darius  Prather. 

Aliraliam  Louderhack,  who  settled  in  Schuyler 
County  in  1S20  near  Rushville.  removed  to  Hick- 
ory Township  in  the  early  'thirties  and  became 
one  of  the  large  land  owners,  and  his  descend- 
ants are  still  residents  of  the  township. 

John  Sharp  was  one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  Hickory  in  the  early  days,  and  lie  acquired 
a  fortune  in  merchandising  and  land  .speculation. 
He  located  along  the  Illinois  River  near  the 
mouth  of  Alum  Creek  In  18.37,  and  built  a  large 
warehouse  and  store-room  there.  This  point  be- 
came known  as  Sharp's  landing,  and  it  still  bears 
that  name.  He  was  in  business  there  for  thirty 
years  and  later  removed  to  Astoria,  Fulton 
County,  where  he  purchased  700  acres  of  land 
that  afterwards  greatly  increased  in  value. 

Daniel  Sheldon  was  another  of  the  prominent 
early  settlers  of  Hickory.  He  was  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island  and  located  in  Butlersville  in  1838, 
where  he  taught  the  first  school  in  the  village  in 
the  winter  of  1838.     He  was  also  the  first  post- 


master of  the  village  and  continued  in  otHce  until 
his  death,  August  5,  18(it).  Wlieu  the  postolfice 
was  established  it  was  given  the  name  of  Shel- 
don's (irove,  thereby  rechristeuing  tlie  village 
which,  up  to  tliat  time,  had  been  known  as  But- 
lersville. Noah  Butler  was  the  original  founder 
of  the  village  and  it  was  surveyed  and  platted  by 
J.  M.  Sweeney,  November  29,   1846. 

Bluff  City,  which  is  located  on  the  northwest 
((uarter  of  Section  1,  was  laid  out  by  Abraham 
I.ouderliack  and  was  surveyed  and  platted  by 
Leonidas  llorncy,  November  2,  1860. 

Tlie  fii-st  mill  in  the  township  was  a  saw  mill, 
built  by  James  S.  Turner,  on  Alum  Creek  In 
1S3!). 

DeWitt  Allen  taught  the  first  school  in  the 
township  in  1834  in  a  cabin  on  Section  3. 

Population,  according  to  census  of  1900,  586. 


HU.NTSVILLF  TOWNSHIP. 

Iluntsville  is  one  of  the  townships  located  on 
the  extreme  southwestern  comer  of  Scluiylcr 
County,  being  Iwuuded  on  the  west  by  .\danis 
County  and  on  the  south  by  Brown  County.  It  is 
drained  by  Cedar  Creek  In  tlie  north  and  Little 
Missouri  in  the  south,  both  tributaries  of  Crooked 
Creek.  In  an  early  day  the  country  was  heavily 
timbered.  l)ut  where  once  were  towering  forests 
tliere  are  now  rich,  cultivated  fields  and  hand- 
some farm  residences. 

Iluntsville  enjoys  the  unique  distinction  of 
being  the  only  township  in  the  county  settled  Ijy 
a  pioneer  who  came  from  the  West.  In  all  the 
other  town.ships  the  pioneers  crossed  the  Illinois 
River  and  either  went  direct  to  their  destination 
or  tarried  a  while  in  the  Rushville  settlement. 
But  the  fli-st  homespeker  in  Iluntsville  Township 
came  from  the  West.  This  honor  belongs  to  Wil- 
liam Spangler.  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
had  afterwards  lived  in  Kentucky  and  Indiana. 
He  had  reached  manhood  and  had  a  wife  and 
family  when  he  decided  to  push  on  further  west. 
Taking  passage  on  a  boat  he  went  down  the  Ohio 
Rlvor  and  up  the  Mississippi,  landing  at  Quincy 
in  the  summer  of  18.32.  He  brought  with  him  a 
team  and  wagon,  and  loading  his  household  goods, 
drove  east  tlirough  .\dams  County  to  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  5,  Ilunt.sville  Township, 
where  he  built  his  cabin  and  cleared  a  tract  for 
cultivation,  afterwards  securing  title  by  pre-emp- 


/^^^Cl^C^^l^^^    ^^^-^<^^J^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


703 


tion.  Mr.  Spangler  resided  on  his  homestead 
farm  until  1851,  when  lie  removed  to  Hancock 
County. 

Before  Mr.  Spangler  and  his  family  were  set- 
tled in  their  new  home,  Willis  G.  MofCett  came 
overland  from  Kentucky  and  settled  with  his 
family  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  4, 
and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  .John  Thornhill  and 
Jamison  Wilson  settled  on  the  north  half  of  Sec- 
tion 22.  Jesse  Burke,  a  Virginian,'  was  one  of 
the  first  to  settle  in  the  south  part  of  the  town- 
ship, and  in  18.32  he  built  his  cabin  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  .30. 

In  18.33  the  settlement  was  further  increased 
by  the  arrival  of  Reuben  Allphin,  from  Kentucky, 
who  settled  upon  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
10;  Robert  Clayton  built  a  cabin  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  13,  but  never  acquired 
title ;  David  Tyree  and  Hamilton  Anderson,  with 
their  families,  located  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  Section  11,  and  Samuel  Warren,  Stephen  Men- 
denhall,  Alfred  Jamison  and  Stephen  Perkins 
were  others  who  came  during  that  year. 

Rev.  William  Grain,  a  Methodist  minister,  and 
Abraham  Newfield  came  from  Missouri  in  De- 
cember, lS3-t,  and  entered  land  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  >3,  and  also  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  the  northwest  tiuarter  of  the  same  Section 
for  Ezra  Dorsett,  who  joined  them  the  next  year. 
Among  the  settlers  of  1835  were:  William  An- 
derson, who  located  on  Section  12,  and  William 
Nesbit  and  Samuel  Smith,  who  located  near  by. 
John  find  Thomas  Allphin  came  that  year  and 
settled  on  the  northwest  ijuarter  of  Section  16. 
The  first  marriage  in  the  township  occurred 
in  1835,  when  Rev.  William  Grain  joined  in  wed- 
lock a  Mr.  Gruikshanks  and  Miss  Keziah  Perkins. 
The  first  birth  was  a  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Spangler  in  1832. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  Jeremiah  Bris- 
coe in  a  log  cabin  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  4  in  1835. 

The  first  sennon  in  the  township  was  preached 
by  Rev.  Milton  Kimball,  at  the  cabin  of  William 
Spangler  in  1833,  and  Rev.  Peter  Borin,  Rev. 
John  P.  Richmond  and  Rev.  W.  Pitner,  Metho- 
dist circuit  riders,  also  held  sen-ices  at  an  early 
day. 

Among  the  early  physicians  were  Dr.  North, 
Dr.  .John  P.  Richmond,  Dr.  Samuel  Clarkson, 
and  Dr.  A.  J.  Mead. 

The   first   mill   in  the   township  was   built   by 


Dr.  Samuel  Clarkson  on  the  south  bank  of  Big 
Missouri  Creek,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 25,  in  1S37. 

The  town  of  Huntsville  was  platted  February 
21,  1S3C,  by  Allen  Persinger  for  Willis  G.  Moffitt, 
John  T.  Gast,  William  Spangler,  George  H.  Bris- 
coe, Sanuiel  Warren  and  John  L.  Ewing,  pro- 
prietors. The  village  is  situated  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  4.  T.  A.  Burton  erected 
the  first  dwelling  house  in  1835,  and  Willis  G. 
Moffitt  was  the  first  store-keeper  and  postmaster. 
John  L.  Ewing  was  the  first  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  The  first  church  built  in  the  township 
was  erected  by  the  Presbyterians  in  the  village 
in  1841. 

Population  of  the  township  in  1900,  976. 


LITTLETON  TOWNSHIP. 

Littleton  may  well  be  referred  to  as  the  "Prai- 
rie" Township  of  Schuyler  County,  and,  with  a 
location  on  the  watershed  between  Crooked  and 
Sugar  Creeks,  its  wide  expansive  prairies  make 
it  one  of  the  most  populous  and  wealthy  town- 
ships of  the  county.  It  is  one  of  a  tier  of  four 
townships  which  forms  the  north  boundary  of 
the  county,  lying  adjacent  to  McDonough  County 
on  the  north.  The  south  part  of  the  township  is 
the  more  broken,  where  flows  Horney  Branch 
and  Brushy  Creek,  but  even  this  land  has  now 
reached  a  high  price  on  account  of  its  close  prox- 
imity to  the  rich  level  lands  that  surround  it. 

The  first  pioneer  settlers  in  Schuyler  County 
were  attracted  by  the  richness  of  the  virgin  fields 
of  Littleton  Township,  and  as  early  as  1825,  Da- 
vid TraiQor  located  there  and  built  his  cabin  on 
the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 27  and  jmt  in  his  first  crop. 

The  following  year  Thomas  McKee  and  his 
son-in-law,  Garrett  Wycoff,  moved  from  Bain- 
bridge  Township  to  their  new  home  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  35.  Another  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Schuyler  County,  who  was  at- 
tracted to  Littleton  Township,  was  John  Ritchey, 
who  had  located  in  Buena  Vista  Township  in  1824 
and,  tn-o  years  later,  removed  to  Littleton.  He 
purchased  the  claim  of  Garrett  Wycoff  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  35  and  his  travels 
in  search  of  a  home  then  ceased,  for  he  was  an 
honored  resident  of  the  township  up  to  the  time 
of  his  deatli. 


704 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Among  other  early  settlers  in  the  township 
were  David  Snyder,  who  entered  the  north  half 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  33  in  the  fall 
of  1S30 ;  Elijah  M.  Wilson,  who  came  from  Ken- 
tucky in  1831 ;  James  Thompson,  also  a  Kentuck- 
ian,  located  iu  Littleton  the  same  year.  Mr. 
Thompson  had  come  to  the  county  in  1826  from 
Kentucky  in  a  spirit  of  adventure,  but  was  im- 
pressed with  the  possibiUties  of  the  country  and, 
in  the  fall  of  1S31,  returned  to  liis  old  home, 
where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Craw- 
ford, and  they  soon  afterwards  took  possession 
of  the  cabju  he  had  built  in  the  wilderness. 

The  Littleton  settlement  was  further  in- 
creased iu  1831!  by  the  arrival  of  Uichard  P.  Ap- 
plegate,  who  made  tlie  long  trip  overland  with 
his  wife  and  tivo  children.  The  following  year 
William  11.  Crawford,  wife  and  five  children  were 
attracted  from  their  Kentucky  home  to  Schuyler 
County  aud  settled  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Section  20. 

By  this  time  Littleton  Township  was  well 
known  among  the  settlements  of  the  county,  aud 
the  rush  of  immigration  makes  it  dlthcult  to  fol- 
low the  settlements  in  their  uatural  order.  But 
among  tlie  settlers  who  came  to  the  township  In 
those  early  days,  aud  made  it  their  permanent 
place  of  abode,  we  may  mention  the  following : 
Uandolph  Rose,  Drury  Sellers,  Michael  Matheney, 
Joseph  Logan,  Col.  Samuel  llorney,  George  Gar- 
rison, William  Lambert,  James  DeWitt,  John  S. 
Walker,  Samuel  Dodds,  Joseph  W.  Snyder,  Adam 
Walker.  John  Seward  and  D.  C.  Payne. 

lion.  L.  D.  Envin,  one  of  the  few  pioneer  resi- 
dents of  Littleton  now  surviving,  in  conversation 
with  the  writer,  says  he  well  remembers  when 
deer  aud  prairie  wolves  were  plentiful  in  Little- 
ton Township,  aud  gray  wolves  were  occasion- 
ally seen.  Mr.  Erwin  has  also  given  us  some  in- 
teresting facts  regarding  the  early  elections  in 
the  township.  It  was  customary  to  hold  the  elec- 
tions at  the  cabin  of  one  of  the  settlers,  aud  in 
the  early  'forties  the  cabiu  of  Richard  Applegate 
was  chosen  on  account  of  its  central  location. 
This  was  before  the  county  was  divided  into 
townships,  and  the  residents  of  that  precinct 
agreed  upon  Oregon  as  an  appropriate  name  and 
it  so  appears  on  the  early  election  records.  But 
when  a  iwstoUice  was  first  established  in  the 
township,  Dr.  W.  H.  Window  filed  with  his  pe- 
tition to  the  Postmaster  General  a  request  that 
the  postofEce  be  named  Littleton,  in  honor  of  his 


father-in-law,  James  Little,  and  this  was  done 
and  the  townshlj)  was  so  named  when  it  was  or- 
ganized in  isr)4. 

The  first  school  in  Littleton  Township  was 
taught  by  Thomas  Bronaugh  in  the  summer  of 
18.35.  in  an  old  deserted  log  cabin  on  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  21,  aud  the  first  building 
erected  for  school  puri>oses  was  built  in  IKMi  on 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  19. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was  that 
of  James  Trainor  and  Miss  Mary  Shields,  which 
was  celebrated  on  Christmas  Day,  1828,  Thomas 
Mclvee,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  officiating. 

The  village  of  Littleton  is  located  in  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  townshi]),  and  was  platted 
by  Leonidas  Horney,  County  Surveyor,  July  31, 
1849.  James  Little  and  his  son-in-law.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam IL  Window,  were  the  townsite  promoters, 
and  the  latter  had  built  the  first  house  In  the 
village  iu  1847.  He  also  kept  the  first  store  and, 
in  1847,  was  appointed  [wstmaster.  The  first 
school  building  in  the  village  was  erected  In 
1S4!>,  and  was  replaced  in  185G  by  a  two-story 
brick  building.  On  October  20,  18.5G,  Littleton 
was  devastated  by  a  destructive  tornado,  par- 
ticulars of  which  are  given  in  another  chapter 
of  this  history. 

By  reason  of  its  location  in  a  rich  agricultural 
country,  IJtlleton  has  always  l)een  a  commercial 
center  for  the  country  round  aliout,  but  with  the 
coming  of  the  Slac-omb  *:  Western  Illinois  Rail- 
road, which  made  the  village  its  southern  termi- 
nus, new  vigor  was  enthused  and,  in  late  years, 
many  extensive  improvements  have  been  made. 
The  old  frame  business  houses  have  been  re- 
placed with  substantial  brick  buildings ;  a  bank, 
elevator  and  newspaiier  have  been  started,  and 
a  coal  company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $2.^,000, 
is  making  an  effort  to  develop  the  mineral  wealth 
of  the  localltj-.  In  1907  a  handsome  new  and 
modem  church  was  erected  by  the  Methodist 
lOplseopal  congregation,  and  a  four-room,  two- 
story  school  building,  of  concrete  block  construc- 
tion, replaced  the  old  frame  building  that  had 
done  ser\  ice  for  many  years. 

The  village  of  Doddsville,  located  on  the 
northern  boundary  of  Littleton  Township,  lies 
partly  in  Schuyler  and  partly  in  MeDonough 
County.  It  was  laid  out  by  Samuel  Dodds  and 
Paris  Wheeler,  July  6,  ]S.".r),  and  was  platted  by 
Allen  Persinger,  County  Surveyor.  Samuel  Dodds 
built  the  first  house  and  kept  the  first  store  in 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


705 


the  village.  Since  tbe  iuauguratiou  of  the  rural 
free-delivery  s.^-stem,  Doiltlsville  has  lost  its 
ideutity  as  a  goveruiiieut  postoffice,  and  its  busi- 
ness is  tributary  to  adjacent  towns. 

The  population  of  Littleton  Township  in  1900, 
according  to  the  census  of  that  year,  was  1,092. 


OAKLAND   TOWNSHIP. 

Oakland  is  one  of  (he  four  townships  in  Schuy- 
ler County  bounded  on  the  north  by  McDonough 
County,  and  it  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Fulton 
County.  The  land  surface  of  the  township  is 
broken  and  in  early  days  was  covered  with  heavy 
timber  that  has  long  since  been  cleared  away  on 
the  uplands  where  we  now  find  expansive  and 
fertile  farms. 

Sugar  Creek  and  its  tributaries  drain  this  wide 
scope  of  country  and  the  stream  flows  the  entire 
width  of  the  township,  entering  on  the  west  in 
Section  7,  winding  its  course  southward  and  east 
to  Section  36.  The  stream  is  now  an  insignifi- 
cant one,  with  the  bluffs  towering  high  altove  it. 
and  from  whose  sides  there  are  numerous  out- 
cropping of  coal  veins  that  are  worked  profitably, 
even  though  the  coal  is  but  thirty-six  inches  in 
thickness. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1S82,  a  natural  phe- 
nomenon occurred  on  the  north  half  of  Section 
27  that  is  worthy  of  note.  In  one  night  a  portion 
of  a  hillside  sank  deep  down  into  tbe  earth,  car- 
rying with  it  the  large  trees  growing  on  the  sur- 
face. This  sunken  area  included  a  tract  of  laud 
five  acres  in  extent,  and  in  a  night  it  sank  to 
a  depth  of  forty-five  feet  and  tbe  big  trees  were 
left  intact  with  their  tops  waving  where  only  a 
short  time  before  was  the  level  of  their  roots. 
The  walls  of  the  depression  were  left  as  per- 
pendicular as  the  walls  of  a  house  and  all  the 
lateral  fissures  were  the  same.  A  creek  running 
at  the  foot  of  the  bill  was  made  higher  than  the 
surrounding  ground,  and  a  new  channel,  fifty 
yards  away,  was  cut  by  the  stream.  The  coal 
that  was  pushed  out  with  the  mud  and  gravel, 
and  into  the  creek  bed,  showed  that  there  was  a 
cave  or  chamber  in  the  coal  vein  that  had  been 
formed  when  the  coal  was  made,  probably  cen- 
turies ago. 

The  first  settler  In  Oakland  Township  was 
Richard  Ashcraft,  a  pioneer  of  Kentucky.  In 
1832  he  drove  to  Illinois  from  Indiana  in  a  one- 


horse  wagon,  and  brought  with  him  his  wife  and 
three  children,  William,  Abner  and  Abisha. 
Crossing  the  Illinois  River  at  Beard's  Ferry  he 
pushed  northward  and,  in  November,  1832,  set- 
tled on  tbe  southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  25,  where  he  built  his  cabin 
and  i)repared  to  make  his  home.  Mr.  Ashcraft 
afterwards  became  a  licensed  preacher  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  and  resided  in  Oakland 
until  his  death. 

Daniel  Matheney  moved  to  Oakland  from 
Woodstock  Township  soon  after  Mr.  Ashcraft  set- 
tled there,  but  later  left  the  county.  William 
Burress,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Ashcraft,  came  from 
Kentucky  in  December,  1832,  and,  together  with 
his  wife  and  one  child,  lived  with  his  sister  until 
a  house  could  be  built.  In  the  spring  of  1833 
Josiah  Downen  located  on  Section  23,  and  the 
following  year  Joseph  Logan  settled  on  the  same 
section,  but  afterwards  removed  to  Littleton. 

Prominent  among  the  other  early  settlers  were 
Caleb  Houston,  who  located  on  Section  27  in 
18.34;  Ephraim  Hills,  who  removed  from  the 
Hobart  settlement  to  Section  81  in  183,5 ;  Thomas 
Pembertou,  who  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1836  and 
took  pos.session  of  tbe  southwest  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 11,  and  Nicholas  Pittenger,  who  came  from 
Virginia  in  1837  and  located  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  13. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that  of 
James  Ashcraft,  September  3,  1833,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Richard  Ashcraft.  The  first  death  also 
occurred  in  this  family,  their  sou,  Abisha,  dying 
in  the  spring  of  1833. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  a  man  named 
Preston  in  the  summer  of  1835,  in  a  cabin  erected 
by  Frederick  Noble,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Section  2].  Mr.  Preston  remained  in  the  town- 
ship only  two  years. 

Hev.  Thomas  Kane,  a  Free-Will  Baptist, 
lirenched  the  first  sermon  in  the  fall  of  1834  at 
the  home  of  Richard  Ashcraft.  Rev.  John  P. 
Fast,  Richard  Ashcraft  and  Rev.  Deacon  Brown 
were  other  pioneer  ministers. 

James  Skiles  was  the  first  merchant  in  the 
township  and  he  opened  a  store  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  34.  In  1867  a  postoffice 
known  as  Oil  Hill  was  established  there,  and 
Mr.  Skiles  was  first  postmaster. 

When  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Qulncy  Rail- 
road built  its  line  through  Oakland  Township,  a 
town   was   founded  on   tbe  southeast  (piarter  of 


706 


IIISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Section  26  by  William  Senchrist,  and  named  Oak- 
land, but  was  afterwards  renamed  Ray  by  the 
Railroad  Company.  The  town  was  platted  by  J. 
W.  Watts,  County  Surveyor,  and  lies  along  the 
edse  of  the  bluff.  After  the  town  was  estab- 
lished James  Sidles  removed  his  store  from  Oil 
Hill  and  the  postofliee  was  transferred  at  the 
same  time. 

Township  imiiulation   in   liMid.   1,11»2. 


RUSHVILLE  TOWNSHIP. 

Rushville  Township  was  the  home  of  the  earli- 
est pioneer  iu  Sehuyler  Couuty,  and  it  dates  its 
history  from  February,  182:!.  Nor  could  those 
early  pioneers  have  found  a  more  suitable  loca- 
tion. There  was  timber  in  plenty  and  an  abun- 
dance of  sparkling  spring  water,  and  the  rich 
jirairie  land  had  natural  drainage  that  allowed 
the  cultivation  of  the  deep  black  loam  soil  l)y  the 
first  settlers,  who  harvested  abundant  crops  with 
but  little  lalior. 

These  same  lands  where  the  first  liomcseeker 
broke  the  sod  are  the  finest  in  Schuyler  County, 
and  more  than  eighty  years  of  constant  cultiva- 
tion has  not  impaired  their  fertility.  But  to  this 
limited  area  of  prairie  land  has  l)een  added  a 
valuable  area  of  land  that,  in  tliose  e;irly  days, 
was  thickly  covered  with  timber.  Where  the 
giant  forest  stood  are  now  cultivated  fields,  save 
along  the  streams  where  the  marketable  timber 
has  been  removed  and  the  young  growth  left 
standing. 

Rushville  Township  is  underlaid  almost  en- 
tirely by  an  excellent  vein  of  coal.  Along  the 
streams  the  coal  seams  croj)  out,  and  they  fur- 
nished coal  in  the  early  days  with  but  little  effort 
on  the  part  of  tlie  miner.  Best  results,  however, 
are  obtained  by  the  shaft  mines,  and  coal  is 
found  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  below  the  surface. 
The  vein  varies  in  thickness  from  four  to  five 
feet  and  is  of  fine  quality.  Although  extensively 
mined  near  Rushville  and  Pleasantview,  it  can 
be  said  that  there  are  yet  hundreds  of  acres  of 
the  finest  coal  lands  in  Illinois  yet  undeveloped 
in  Rushville  Township,  and  this  great  store  house 
of  mineral  wealth  will  one  day  add  immensely  to 
the  wealth  of  the  property  owners. 

Inasmuch  as  the  story  of  the  early  settlement 
ef  Rushville  Township  is  s<3  closely  associated 
with  the  general  history  of  the  county,  it  would 
mean  but  a  repetition  of  other  chapters  to  go  into 


detail.  But  it  can  here  be  said  that  the  location 
of  the  county  seat  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  ;!0  was  a  most  fortunate  one,  for  with 
Crooked  Creek  running  through  the  center  of  the 
county  as  originally  formed,  it  was  the  natural 
result  that  the  county  would  be  divided  and, 
after  this  division,  Rushville  was  almost  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  wliat  became  known  as 
Schuyler  County. 

The  only  other  town  in  Rushville  Township  is 
Pleasantview,  located  on  the  south  half  of  Sec- 
tion oC.  The  town  was  laid  out  and  platted  by 
Ebene/.er  Dimmlck.  who  was  the  first  merchant 
and  Postmaster. 

Pleasantview  is  surrounded  by  a  rich  agricul- 
tural country  and.  in  addition,  there  are  several 
coal  mines  in  operation  there,  which  add  to  the 
wealth  and  prosi)erity  of  the  village. 

The  total  iwpulatlon  of  Rushville  Township  in 
liViO,  iniluding  the  larger  part  of  the  City  of 
Rushville,  was  2,8.03,  of  which  1,603  was  within 
the  city  limits. 

(A  more  detailed  history  of  events  in  Rushville 
Township  will  he  found  in  the  following  chapter 
on  the  City  of  Rushville.) 


WOODSTOCK  TOWNSHIP. 

Woodstock  is  one  of  the  fractional  townships 
*)f  Schujler  Couuty,  Crooked  Creek  cutting  off  a 
portion  of  the  southwest  corner,  making  the 
township  triangular  in  shape.  The  area  included 
within  tlie  township,  however,  is  equal  to  those 
six  miles  .square,  for  there  are  fractional  addi- 
tions on  the  south  and  west. 

The  land  surface  of  Woodstock  Township  is 
well  drained  by  numerous  streams  that  flow  into 
Crooked  Creek,  and  in  consequence  the  greater 
portion  of  the  township  is  rolling,  although  there 
is  a  large  area  of  small  prairies  lying  between. 
The  soil  is  rich  and  productive,  and  suited  alike 
for  the  cultivation  of  corn  and  wheat.  The  re- 
sources of  the  township  are  wholly  agricultural. 
Coal  is  found  In  small  quantity,  but  veins  are 
not  sufficiently  large  to  mine  profitably.  There 
are  no  towns  or  postofflees  in  the  township. 

(ieorge  and  Isaac  Naught  were  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Woodstock  Township,  locating  there  the 
year  following  the  first  invasion  of  Schuyler 
County  by  homeseekers.  They  came  from  White- 
side County  in  1824.  first  settling  on  Section  36. 
Soon    afterwards    George    Naught    removed    to 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


707 


Baiubritlge  Towusliip,  where  Ue  made  bis  per- 
mauent  home.  Isaac  Xaught  coutinued  to  make 
his  home  in  the  townsliip  and  reared  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  and  his  grandchildren  and  great- 
grandchildren are  today  residents  of  the  town- 
ship. In  1825  John  Starr  and  son,  Hasting  Starr, 
and  Thomas  Eggleston  joined  the  Naught  settle- 
ment, locating  on  adjoining  sections. 

William  Black  was  the  pioneer  settler  in  cen- 
tral Woodstock,  moving  there  from  what  is  now 
the  city  of  Rushville  in  1S26.  Mr.  Black  came 
to  Schuyler  in  November,  1825,  and  purchased 
the  claim  of  Willis  O'Neal  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  30,  Rushville  Township.  The 
following  spring  the  committee  chosen  to  locate 
a  county-seat  selected  this  quarter,  and  ilr.  Black 
was  entered  out,  thereby  losing  the  .$200  he  had 
paid  O'Neal.  When  thus  compelled  to  seek  a  new 
home  he  moved  into  Woodstock  Township,  lo- 
cating on  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  15. 
The  Indians  were  then  in  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, but  a  few  years  after  Mr.  Black  had  erected 
his  cabin  here  a  road  from  Rushville  to  Qulney 
was  laid  out,  and  his  little  cabin  was  the  fre- 
quent stopping  place  of  travelers,  and  the  locality 
was.  known  for  years  as  the  Black  settlement. 
Mr.  Black  reared  a  large  family  and  his  de- 
scendants continue  to  ni.-ike  their  home  in  Wood- 
stock. 

In  1827  Isaac  Sanders  located  on  Section  15 
and  made  an  improvement,  where  he  resided  un- 
til his  death  some  years  afterwards.  He  was 
accompanied  to  the  county  by  Jacob  Fowler,  who 
drove  a  flock  of  geese  all  the  way  from  Indiana. 
Those  were  probably  the  first  domestic  geese  in 
the  county.  James  Edmonston  was  another  set- 
tler of  1827.  and  he  took  a  prominent  part  in 
county  affairs  in  the  early  daj-s.  Other  settlers 
of  that  year  were  Moses  Pettigrew,  Benjamin 
Golston  and  John  Logsdon  and  his  brothers, 
Vaughn,  Amos,  Redman  and  Jackson  Logsdon. 

In  1820  Mrs.  Amelia  Riley,  with  a  family  of 
si.K  sons.  Daniel,  Caleb,  Anderson,  Martin,  Isaac 
Slielby  and  Pressley,  and  a  married  daughter,  the 
wife  of  Mordecai  Fowler,  drove  from  Indiana 
and  settled  on  Section  7,  Woodstock  Towns<liip. 

Allen  Alexander  and  family  took  up  tlieir 
home  on  Section  28  in  1829,  and  for  a  time  he 
operated  a  ferry  across  Crooked  Creek  near 
where  the  wagon  bridge  now  stands. 

Timothy  Harris  came  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Springfield  in  1830,  and  settled  on  the  northwest 


quarter  of  Section  15,  and  lived  in  the  township 
until  his  death  many  years  afterwards.  Promi- 
nent among  the  other  early  settlers  were :  John 
Howell,  James  Beard,  Pierre  J.  Jonte,  Peter 
Ilermetet,  James  F.  Grosclaude,  and  Alexander 
Stutsman.  John  Brown,  who  represented  Schuy- 
ler County  in  the  Legislature  when  the  State 
capital  was  at  Vandalla,  serving  at  different 
periods  in  both  House  and  Senate,  first  became  a 
resident  of  Rushville  in  1831,  and  eight  years 
afterwards  removed  to  Woodstock  Township,  lo- 
cating on  Section  1(1,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death  in  1858. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was  that 
of  John  H.  Starr  and  Miss  Nancy  E.  Black. 

The  first  school  taught  in  the  township  was  in 
a  cabin  on  Section  3G  and  John  Taylor  was 
teacher. 

The  first  church  was  built  by  the  Baptists  on 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  2,  Range  1 
South,  in  1831.  Rev.  John  Logan  was  the  first 
preacher.  Rev.  John  Ray,  Rev.  Wm.  Crow,  Rev. 
John  Taylor  and  Rev.  Granville  Bond  were 
among  the  earliest  preachers. 

As  early  .as  1820  a  mill-seat  was  granted  John 
Ritchey  on  Crooked  Creek,  where  Ripley  is  now 
located,  and  on  June  G,  1831,  Walter  D.  Scott  and 
Osboru  Henley  were  granted  permission  to  build 
a  dam  across  Crooked  Creek  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of .  Section  11,  One  North,  Three  West. 
Both  these  earl.v  mills  were  in  what  aftenvards 
Itecame  Brown  County,  and  it  was  not  until  1837 
that  a  ndll  was  erected  in  Woodstock  Township. 
This  mill  ^^•as  erected  by  Robert  Burton  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  28,  and  was  a  com- 
bination grist  and  saw-mill. 

Population  in  1900,  according  to  United  States 
census  report,  1,076. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


GENERAL  CHURCH    HISTORY. 


CHRISTIAN  CHARACTER  OF  EARLY  SETTLERS  IN 
SCHUYLER  COUNTY — LEVIN  GREEN  PREACHES  THE 
FIRST  SERMON  IN  THE  COUNTY  IN  NOVEMBER, 
1823 — SKETCH       OF       HIS       CAREER — REV.      JOHN 


708 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


SCBIPPS.  ONK  OF  THE  FIRST  METHODIST  MINIS- 
TERS IN  ILLINOIS,  LOCATED  IN  BUSHVILLE  IN 
1831 — A  iMETHODIST  CHURCH  ORGANIZED  IN 
1828 — SESSION  OF  ILLINOIS  CONFERENCE  HELD 
IN  RUSHVILLE  IN  1830 — -EPISCOPAL  CONVENTION 
OF  ILLINOIS  MEETS  HEBE  IN  1838  AND  1842 — 
EARLY  HISTORY  OF  CHURCH  DENOMINATIONS 
AND  PROMINENT  CLERGYMEN  WHO  HAVE  VISITED 
SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 

The  ecclesiastical  history  of  Schuyler  County 
is  of  more  than  local  interest,  for  the  reason 
that  it  is  closely  interwoven  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  almost  every  religious  denomination  in 
the  State.  The  settlers  from  the  East  and  South, 
who  came  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  were,  as 
a  rule,  devoted  Christian  pi>ople.  Their  fii-st  ob- 
ject was  to  obtain  a  home  for  themselves  in  the 
undeveloped  I'lMlrie  State  tliat  held  out  such 
rich  promises  of  worldly  wealth,  but  they  did  not 
forget  the  need  of  spiritual  teaching  and,  as  soon 
as  they  had  builded  a  home,  they  joined  together 
in  establishing  a  church  in  order  that  they 
might  worship  together.  Coming,  as  they  did, 
from  every  section  of  the  counti-y.  there  was  a 
wide  variation  of  religious  beliefs  and,  as  the 
distinction  between  the  sects  would  not  permit 
of  their  joining  togetiier  in  worship,  each  little 
band  of  settlers  built  their  own  church  and  es- 
tablished their  own  form  of  worship.  Thus  it 
appears  that,  in  the  early  'thirties,  Rushville  had 
as  many  churches  as  she  has  today ;  and,  while 
it  meant  extreme  self-denial  on  the  part  of  the 
clergymen,  there  were  noble,  self-sacrificing  men 
who  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  work  of  the 
Lord  without  hope  or  thought  of  any  other  re- 
ward than  that  the  teachings  of  the  gospel  might 
be  carried  to  all  mankind. 

Coming  of  the  Pioneer  Methodist. — There 
were  a  number  of  these  God  fearing  men,  who 
should  receive  their  full  meed  of  praise  and 
credit  for  the  work  they  accomplished,  but  let  us 
first  consider  Levin  Green,  the  pioneer  of  them 
all.  The  history  of  Illinois  Methodism  affords  no 
more  picturesiiue  or  romantic  figure  than  that  of 
Rev.  Green,  who  was  on  one  occasion  referred  to 
by  Rev.  .Tohn  Scripps  as  the  "Lord's  Prodigy." 

The  first  settlement  had  been  made  in  Schuy- 
ler County  in  1823  and.  in  the  fall  of  that  year, 
Levin  Green  put  in  appearance.  He  was  a  tall, 
straight,  gaunt  man,  attired  in  Kentucky  jeans, 
with  deer-skin  moccasins  and  coonskiu  cap.  and 


his  coining  brought  joy  to  the  Ilobaits,  «ho  were 
loyal  Methodists.  As  soon  as  they  learned  the 
stranger  was  a  licensed  preacher,  they  welcomed 
him  to  their  home  and  assisted  in  moving  his 
family  Ironi  Dutchman  Creek,  si.\teen  miles 
above  on  the  Illinois  River,  whither  they  had 
come  from  below  St.  Louis  in  a  canoe.  On  the 
first  Sabbath  in  November,  1823,  Levin  Green 
lireached  the  first  sermon  in  Schuyler  County  at 
the  home  of  Calvin  Ilobart,  and  he  had  for  his 
congregation  the  entire  settlement,  numbering 
thirty  persons.  Afterward  services  were  held  reg- 
ularly every  two  weeks  throughout  the  winter, 
and  here  in  the  wilderness  the  corner-stone  of 
Methodism  in  the  Military  Tract  was  laid. 

Levin  (Jreen  was  one  of  those  queer  products 
of  pioneer  times,  that  cannot  be  gauged  In  the 
staiulards  of  our  present  civiliiiation.  He  (Muld 
barely  read  intelligently,  having  had  no  scholastic 
opportunities,  and  .vet  he  played  a  prominent  part 
in  the  evangelist  work  of  his  day.  He  was  li- 
censed to  preach  by  Jesse  Walker,  Presiding  El- 
der of  Illinois,  in  18H,  and  the  early  years  of  his 
ministry  were  spent  in  Missouri.  In  his  Book 
of  Reminiscences,  Rev.  Chauncey  Ilobart  sa.vs: 
'■Levin  Green  belonged  to  that  remarkable  class 
of  men,  so  well  known  on  tlie  frontier  line  of 
civilization.  Born  where  the  howl  of  the  wolf 
and  tlie  war-whoop  of  the  savage  were  well 
known  sounds ;  accustomed  to  supply  the  larder 
from  the  chase,  and  to  eating  bread  made  of 
meal  manufactured  by  the  'liominy  mortar,'  he 
was  of  a  race  of  men  whose  perceptive  faculties 
were  keenly  develojicd  by  the  new  and  strange 
surroundings  of  their  exposed  lives,  and  whose 
resources,  ment;il  and  physical,  were,  by  the  very 
exigencies  pressing  upon  them,  always  equal  to 
the  demand.  To  him  God,  eternity,  death,  the 
resurrection,  the  judgment.  Heaven  and  hell, 
were  vivid  and  solemn  realities.  In  many  of  his 
discourses  he  sjioke  as  If  these  were  actuall.v 
present,   being  seen   and  felt  by   him." 

At  the  Methodist  carapmeetings  I^evin  Green, 
attired  in  his  buckskin  breeches  and  coon-skin 
cap,  entranced  the  pioneers  with  his  peculiar 
style  of  oratory  and.  in  civil  affairs,  he  was  ac- 
corded honors  becoming  his  station.  The  love 
for  the  romantic  pioneer  life,  however,  w.is  ever 
present  and,  with  the  coming  of  the  settlers  and 
homemakers,  he  left  to  seek  his  home  anew  on 
the  borderline  of  the  western  frontier,  and  Schuy- 
ler County  knew  him  no  more. 


METHODIST   HPIvSCOPAL   CHtRCH,  RISHVILLE,  ILL. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


709 


In  every  community  there  are  men  who  are 
looked  upon  as  leaders ;  men  who  take  the  initia- 
tive and  plan  and  Iniild  for  the  future.  Such  a 
man  was  Rev.  John  Scrlpps  in  the  religious  life 
of  Rushville.  and  a  history  of  the  times  would 
not  be  complete  without  some  reference  to  his 
life  and  its  activities. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1831  that  Mr.  Scripps 
moved  to  Rushville,  coming  here  from  Cape  Gi- 
rardeau, Mo,,  where  he  had  resided  since  1809, 
and  although  his  object  in  locating  in  the  city 
was  to  engage  in  merchandising,  he  entered 
heartily  into  the  work  of  up-building  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  which  had  been  established  a  few 
years  before.  Xo  one  in  the  village  was  more 
capable  of  assuming  the  leadership  of  the  little 
congregation  than  he,  for  he  was  then  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Conference  of  Missouri  and  had 
done  valiant  work  on  the  circuit  in  earlier  years. 

As  early  as  1812,  while  a  resident  of  Cape 
Girardeau,  Mo.,  he  had  been  given  a  license  to 
preach,  and  in  the  fall  of  1814  he  had  been  em- 
ployed by  the  Presiding  Elder  of  Illinois  to  travel 
the  circuit  while  the  ministers  went  to  confer- 
ence. Without  his  knowledge  his  name  was 
presented  to  the  conference,  and  he  was  assigned 
to  the  Indiana  circuit.  The  following  year  he 
was  transferred  to  Illinois,  and  one  of  his  sta- 
tions was  Kaskaskia,  afterwards  the  first  capital 
of  the  State.  In  181G  his  circuit  covered  a  i^or- 
tion  of  Missouri,  and  to  him  belongs  the  honor  of 
holding  the  first  Methodist  service  in  the  city  of 
St.  Louis.  There  was  no  church  in  the  city  and 
the  meeting  was  held  in  an  old  dilapidated  log 
building  used  as  court  house,  legislative  hall  and 
theater.  There,  amid  the  rude  scenery  of  the 
theater,  he  preached  to  a  large  audience  compris- 
ing the  entire  American  population.  In  later 
years  he  traveled  a  circuit  in  Arkansas,  and  in 
182.3  returned  to  the  St.  Louis  circuit.  In  the 
yeai-s  1820  and  1824  he  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Conferences.  The  Methodist  Conference 
in  Illinois  was  not  formed  until  1824,  and  Rev. 
Scripps  continued  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Con- 
ference until  the  division  of  the  church  in  1845. 
Refusing  to  go  South  with  his  conference,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Illinois  Conference  in 
1846  and  placed  on  the  superannuated  list. 

Rev.  Scripps  had  practically  retired  from  the 
ministry  when  he  located  in  Rushville,  but  his 
years  of  service  had  given  him  a  knowledge  of 
affairs  that  was  invaluable  to  the  struggling  lit- 


tle church  here.  He  entered  heartily  into  the 
work  and  was  often  called  upon  to  fill  the  imlpit 
in  the  absence  of  the  regular  pastor.  Rev.  James 
Leaton,  in  writing  of  Rev.  Scripps  in  Rushville, 
says:  "The  coming  of  such  a  man  and  Chris- 
tian minister  into  the  young  society  at  Rushville 
was  hailed  as  a  providence ;  God's  hand  was  seen 
and  recognized  in  it.  His  long  experience  in  the 
itinerancy,  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
working  of  Methodism,  liis  per.sonal  acquaintance 
with  the  ministry,  and  his  influence  with  the 
Bishops  pre-eminently  fitted  him  for  a  counselor 
and  leader  in  the  young  society.  How  much  he 
loved,  how  wisely  he  planned,  and  how  well  he 
built,  is  attested  by  the  permanent  and  eflicient 
character  of  the  church  today." 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.— In  the 
foregoing  chapters  we  have  noted  the  fact  that 
Methodist  services  were  held  in  Schuyler  County 
as  early  as  1823,  but  it  was  not  until  several 
years  afterwards  that  an  organization  was  ef- 
fected. In  August,  1826,  Rev.  William  See,  of 
tlie  Peoria  circuit,  which  extended  a  hundred 
miles  along  the  east  side  of  the  Illinois  River, 
came  to  Schuyler  County  and  a  church  of  twenty 
members  was  formed.  All  united  by  letter  ex- 
cept W.  H.  Taylor,  who  united  on  probation  and 
was  converted  a  few  days  afterwards,  being  the 
ri-st  convert  in  the  county.  Regular  services 
were  afterwards  held  every  three  weeks  by  the 
circuit  preacher.  Rev.  Levin  Green  filling  the 
pulpit  on  inteiTcning  Sabbath  days. 

The  first  quarterly  meeting  in  the  county  was 
Held  in  1827  by  Rev.  Peter  Cartwright  at  the 
borne  of  Levin  Green.  Schuyler  County  was  at 
tbis  time  attached  to  the  Atlas  circuit,  with  Wil- 
liam Medford  as  minister.  In  1828  the  first 
society  was  organized  in  what  is  now  the  city 
of  Rusiiville,  the  meeting  being  held  at  the  home 
of  Richard  Black.  Among  the  early  preachers 
may  be  mentioned  Asa  D.  West,  1828-.30;  James 
P.ankston.  1830 ;  Barton  Randle,  18.30-31 ;  David 
P..  Carter,  1831-.32;  Henry  Summers,  18.32; 
'1  lioraas  N.  Ralston  and  Peter  Borein,  18.33;  W. 
11.  Window,  18.3.3-34. 

In  February,  1834,  plans  were  made  for  a  re- 
vival meeting,  and  Rev.  W.  C.  Stribling,  a  cele- 
lir.-ited  divine  from  Jaclisonville,  was  engaged  to 
assist  Stich  a  religious  awakening  had  never 
before  been  witnessed  in  Illinois  Methodism  and, 
at  the  close  of  the  conference  year,  544  members 
wrrc  reported  to  conference. 


710 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


At  the  session  of  1834  tlie  town  of  IJushville 
was  separated  from  the  circuit  and  made  a  sta- 
tion. Up  to  this  time  services  had  been  held  in 
the  court  liouse  and  in  the  room  over  Rev.  Jolm 
Scripps'  store;  but,  with  the  rapidly  increasing 
congregations,  there  was  a  demand  for  a  church 
ediiice  and  a  fine  briclv  church  was  erected,  wliich 
at  that  day  was  tlie  finest  church  building  nortli 
of  the  Illinois  River.  This  church  was  com- 
pleted in  18."G  and  tliat  same  year  the  Illinois 
(Conference  met  in  Rusliville.  The  preachei-s 
came  from  Green  Bay,  Lake  Superior,  St.  Peter, 
Minn.,  Prairie  du  Chien,  Cairo  and  Shawneetown, 
and  were  accorded  a  warm  welcome  by  the  citi- 
zens of  the  village. 

The  conference  sessions  were  held  in  the  ni'w 
brick  church  and  were  presided  over  by  Bishop 
Morris.  The  Illinois  Conference  then  included 
not  only  our  own  State,  but  Iowa,  Minnesota  and 
Wisconsin  and  there  were  many  questions  of  im- 
portance to  be  discussed,  which  kept  the  confer- 
ence in  session  from  Wednesday,  Oct.  5,  to  Fri- 
day, the  14th.  The  routine  business  of  the  con- 
ference had  little  interest  for  the  lay  meml)er8, 
but  the  camp  meeting  held  a  mile  north  of  town 
was  largely  attended  and  great  interest  was 
shown. 

Among  the  now  members  admitted  to  the  con- 
ference in  Rushville  were  a  number  of  young 
men,  who  later  played  a  prominent  part  in  the 
church  work.  I'rominent  among  these  were 
Chauncey  Hobart.  afterwards  known  as  the 
Father  of  Methodism  in  Minnesota,  who  spent 
more  than  fifty  years  in  active  ministerial  work. 
Richard  Haney,  one  of  the  best  known  and  be- 
loved ministers  in  Illinois,  was  admitted  at  this 
time,  as  was  also  John  P.  Richmond,  aftersvards 
missionary  to  Oregon,  and  Norris  Hobart  and 
Wm.  H.  Taylor,  who  were  both  residents  of  this 
county. 

By  this  time  Methodism  in  Schuyler  County 
was  firmly  established,  and  it  has  since  had  a 
steady  and  constant  growth  as  the  city  grew  in 
population.  In  18G7  tlie  present  church  build- 
ing was  erected. 

The  Presbyterian  Ciii'rch. — The  date  of 
founding  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Schuy- 
ler County  is  Jan.  .HI,  1S.S0,  and  the  first  meet- 
ing was  held  in  a  store  room  on  the  north  side 
of  the  public  square,  then  owned  by  Thos.  W. 
Scott.  Revs.  Cyrus  L.  Watson  and  J.  M.  Ellis 
(vere  the  leaders  in  this  movement  to  establish 


a  church  and  they  met  with  great  encouragement. 
'I'lie  original  members  were:  Wm.  Blair.  Thomas 
Ulair.  .Margaret  Blair,  Sarah  Blair.  Hugh  Mc- 
Creery,  Sarah  McCreeiy,  Mathew  McCroery,  Jane 
McCreery,  Margaret  McCreery,  Sarah  McCreerj', 
William  Moore  and  Jane  Moore. 

Rev.  Watson  took  keen  interest  in  the  little 
clnuch  that  he  had  established,  .and  ministeaMl  to 
its  welfare  until  18.H5.  There  was  no  regular 
place  for  holding  services  and  the  court  house, 
store  buildings  and  taverns  served  for  a  place  of 
meeting.  Jlrs.  Sarah  Young,  one  of  the  early 
members,  once  told  of  a  meeting  held  in  the  bar 
room  of  the  tavern,  where  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  suiiper  was  solemnly  celebrated. 

-Vbout  18^!(i  jiians  were  made  for  the  erection 
of  a  brick  church,  where  the  present  edifice  Is 
located,  but  before  the  structure  could  be  roofed 
in,  winter  came  and  the  walls  were  damaged  to 
an  extent  that  repairs  could  not  be  made.  The 
persons  who  bought  the  WTCcked  building,  built 
for  the  church  a  frame  building  as  an  etjuivaleut, 
and  this  was  used  until  1870,  when  the  present 
handsome  church  was  occupied.  It  was  during 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Paige,  who  served  as 
minister  from  1873  to  1880,  that  the  new  church 
was  erected,  the  comer  stone  of  which  was  laid 
Aug.  23,  1875,  with  appropriate  ceremony. 

.\mong  the  early  ministers  of  the  church  were: 
Rev.  Samuel  Wilson,  Rev.  Breese,  Rev.  .Vlfred 
Carriiigton,  Rev.  J.  T.  Tucker,  Rev.  Henry  Ber- 
gen, Rev.  J.  Haswell  and  Rev.  L.  P.  Kimall,  but 
it  was  not  until  1850  that  a  regular  resident  pas- 
tor was  chosen.  A  call  was  extended  to  Rev. 
-Vlex.  B.  Campbell  in  that  year,  and  he  served  as 
pastor  until  \S~>i>. 

Internal  dissensions  within  the  Presbyterian 
Cliurch.  as  regards  general  church  doctrines,  had 
its  effect  in  retarding  the  growth  of  the  local 
society.  During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Wilson  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  separated  into  two  branches  known  as  the 
Old  and  the  Xew.  Rev.  Wilson  went  with  the 
Old  School,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  Rushville 
congregation  was  not  in  sympathy  with  his  ideas. 
The  Xew  School  bnineh,  having  the  majority,  re- 
tained the  church  edifice,  but  in  finishing  and 
furnishing  the  interior  they  incurred  a  burden- 
some debt.  At  this  juncture  the  Old  School 
branch  jiroposed  to  assume  the  debt,  pay  a  cer- 
tain additional  sum  and  take  the  church  prop- 
ert>'.    The  offer  was  accepted  and  it  passed  tem- 


PRESRYTHRIAX    CHURCH,  RUSHVILLE.   Ihh. 


CHRISTIAN    CHURCH,  RI'SHVILLE. 


_iL.    LIDT. 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


711 


jwrarily  iuto  their  hands  and  Rev.  Breese  was 
engaged  to  preach  at  stated  Intervals,  and  he  was 
followed  by  Rev.  Carrington,  and  some  years 
afterwards  the  church  property  once  again  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  New  School.  During 
these  early  years  of  the  church  the  discipline 
was  strictly  enforced,  and  it  is  recorded  that 
Elder  Daniel  V.  Dawley  was  placed  on  trial  for 
playing  chess  for  amusement. 

The  history  of  Presbyterianism  in  Schuyler 
County  should  also  include  some  mention  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  which  was 
founded  here  in  1834.  Rev.  J.  C.  Jewel  was  their 
first  i)astor  and  a  church  building  was  erected 
the  year  they  organized,  but  the  society  made 
slow  growth  and  in  iifter  years  the  members 
became  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Even  in  the  early  days  of  the  church,  during  the 
period  of  strife  and  contention,  the  local  society 
took  a  prominent  part  in  affairs,  and  the  Presby- 
tery for  this  part  of  Illinois  goes  by  the  old  name 
of  Schuyler  Presbytery. 

The  Christian  Church. — It  was  in  1S20  that 
the  first  sen'ice  of  this  denomination  was  held 
in  Schuyler  County,  and  the  minister  was  Elder 
James  Hughes,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Missouri 
from  Ohio.  He  stopped  at  the  home  of  Benjamin 
Chadsey,  one  of  the  prominent  early  settlers,  and 
was  eagerly  welcomed.  Services  were  held  at 
Mr.  Chadsey's  home,  two  and  a  half  miles  north- 
east of  Rushville,  and  while  no  attempt  was 
made  to  found  a  church,  the  members  of  that  de- 
nomination were  brought  closely  together  and 
looked  forward  to  the  time  when  they  could  have 
a  place  of  worship  in  accordance  with  their  be- 
liefs. 

In  1830,  Barton  W.  Stone,  of  Kentucky,  came 
to  Rushville  and  held  a  series  of  meetings  in  the 
old  log  court  house. 

Great  interest  attended  these  meetings,  and 
the  following  year  Elder  James  W.  Davis  and 
James  Urbank  came  from  Kentucky  to  continue 
their  work.  Then  it  was  that  the  first  steps 
were  taken  towards  the  organization  of  a  church, 
which  was  accomplished  in  18.33.  In  that  year 
a  church  was  built  and  Elder  Barton  W.  Stone 
returned  to  perfect  the  organization,  which  was 
accomplished  December  29,  18.3.3.  In  succeeding 
years  the  church  continued  services  regularly, 
and  in  1874  the  building  now  in  use  was  erected 
and  was  dedicated,  March  1,  1875. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,    South. — Dis- 


sensions within  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
growing  out  of  the  slavery  question,  led  to  the 
organization  in  Illinois  of  the  Christian  Union 
Church  in  1804,  and  two  years  later  a  church  of 
that  denomination  was  founded  in  Schuyler 
County.  The  first  society-  was  organized  at  Kin- 
derhook  school  house,  Rushville  Township,  Jan- 
uaiy  1,  1867,  by  Rev.  Rumsey  Smithson.  On  Jan- 
uary 17,  Rev.  D.  T.  Sherman  organized  a  society 
at  Sugar  Grove  and,  on  April  20th,  the  Rushville 
circuit  was  organized. 

In  June,  1807,  the  members  of  the  Christian 
Union  Churches  of  Illinois  met  at  Clinton  and 
decided  to  change  the  name  of  the  church  to  that 
of  the  Episcopal  ilethodist  Church,  and  after 
being  taken  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  South,  the  name  was 
again  changed. 

The  church  at  Rushville  was  organized  in 
August,  1808,  by  Rev.  William  R.  Howard,  and 
since  that  time  regular  services  have  been  con- 
ducted in  this  cit,v  and  on  the  circuits. 

The  Baptist  Church. — Just  when  the  first 
services  of  the  Baptist  Church  were  held  in 
Schuyler  County  is  not  a  matter  of  record,  but 
the  ministers  of  that  faith  were  early  in  the 
field  and  had  reached  Rushville  in  the  latter 
'twenties.  A  division  of  the  churcli  at  this  early 
day  tended  to  disorganize  the  evangelistic  work 
and  the  effects  f)f  it  were  felt  in  this  county. 

On  October  20,  18.32,  a  Baptist  Church  of 
Christ,  called  Concord,  was  organized,  and  there 
were  twenty-three  persons  in  Schuyler  who 
signed  the  constitution  and  articles  of  faith. 
Elder  John  Logan  was  called  as  pastor  and  he 
served  until  1836  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Elder  Newell.  Services  had  been  held  princi- 
pally in  the  country  up  to  this  time,  but  in  1837 
a  building  was  erected  in  Rushville.  After  a 
short  time  this  building  was  sold  and  a  new 
church  was  built  on  the  Macomb  road,  four  and 
.■1  half  miles  north  of  Rushville.  Elder  Davis 
was  pastor  of  the  eluu-ch  from  1840  to  1847,  and 
during  these  years  there  was  a  great  revival  of 
interest.  This  culminated  in  the  building  of  a 
new  church  in  Rushville  in  18.51,  but  for  some 
reason  the  church  never  thrived  in  this  city,  and 
finally  the  congregation  was  unable  to  keep  up 
their  organization,  and  the  building  was  sold 
to  the  Rushville  Union  School  district  and  is 
now  used  for  the  primary  grades. 

Episcopal    Church. — In    the    history    of    the 


<12 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Episcopal  Church  of  Illinois  Rushville  stands 
pre-eminent  as  one  of  the  first  towns  to  establish 
a  church  of  that  denomination.  Although  the 
Diocese  of  Illinois  was  not  organized  until  March 
9,  1835,  Christ  Church  Parish,  Rushville,  was 
organized  in  February,  1834.  There  were  then 
but  three  or  four  other  Episcopal  churches  in  the 
State  and  when  Bishop  Chase,  the  first  Bishop  of 
Illinois,  made  his  first  visitation  to  the  State, 
Rushville  was  included  in  his  itinerary. 

Little  is  known  of  the  early  history  of  the 
church  in  this  city,  but  It  is  a  matter  of  record 
that  a  church  was  erected  and  on  March  19, 
1837,  was  consecrated.  There  is  added  interest 
in  the  local  history  of  the  church  for  the  reason 
that  the  Annual  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of 
Illinois  was  held  here  on  June  4  and  5,  1838,  and 
a^'aiu  in  1S42.  In  this  latter  year  the  church 
rec-ords  show  that  there  were  but  491  communi- 
cants in  the  whole  State. 

It  is  not  possible  to  review  the  early  history 
of  this  church,  for  all  the  old  members  have 
long  since  passed  away.  In  the  'forties  the 
church  maintained  its  own  building  and  Rev. 
Robert  .1.  Walker  served  the  parishes  of  Rush- 
ville and  Beardstown,  giving  alternate  Sundays 
to  each.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Clotworthy, 
who  remained  for  a  few  years  and  sometime  in 
the  'fifties  regular  services  ceased  and  the  build- 
ing reverted  to  the  donors.  Alwut  ten  years  ago 
Rushville  was  made  a  station  in  the  missionary 
field,  and  regular  services  are  now  held  every 
fortnight,  in  a  mission  room  which  has  been 
fitted  up  l)y  the  local  congregation. 

RoMA.N-  Catholic  Chubch — Since  early  in  the 
'sixties,  the  Roman  Catholics  have  had  services 
in  Rushville,  but  the  congregation  was  never 
large  enough  to  support  a  resident  priest  In 
the  early  days,  when  Rushville  was  a  parish  in 
the  Chicago  diocese,  services  were  held  at  the 
home  of  Patrick  Fox,  and  the  priest  made  reg- 
ular visits  here  to  minister  to  the  little  congrega- 
tion. About  1870  the  present  church  building 
was  erected,  and  services  are  held  once  a  month. 
When  the  diocese  of  Peoria  was  erected  in  1870, 
Rushville  parish  was  included  in  the  territory 
taken  from  the  Chicago  diocese. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


FIBST  SCHOOL  DISTKICT  IN  SCHTJTLEB  COUNTY  LAID 

OUT    JULY    22,    1825 FIRST    FREE     SCHOOL    lAW 

ENACTED  THE   SAME   YEAR WM.    H.   TAYLOR  THE 

FIRST  TEACHER  IN  THE  COUNTY — ^ATTEMPT  TO 
ESTABLISH  FREE  SCHOOLS  IN  182G  PROVES  A  FAIL- 
URE— JONATHAN  D.  MANLOVE'S  REMINISCENCES 
OF  AN  EARLY  PIONEER  SCHOOL — THE  PERIOD  OF 
SUBSCRIPTION  SCHOOLS  AND  OTHER  EARLY 
TEACHERS — SOME  CHRISTMAS-DAY'  LOCKOUTS — 
STATE      CHARTER      GRANTED      RUSHVILLE      UNION 

SCHOOL    DISTRICT   MARCH    30,    18G9 HISTORY   OF 

RUSHVIIXE  SCHOOLS — LIST  OF  SCHOOL  SUPERIN- 
TENDENTS— TOWNSHIP  SCHOOL  HISTORY — THE 
GROWTH  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  EDUCATION  IN 
THE   COUNTY. 

The  history  of  the  public  schools  of  Schu.vler 
County  is  coincident  with  that  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  It  must  ever  be  a  source  of  local 
pride  to  know  that,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
County  Commissioners,  held  on  July  7,  1825, 
plans  were  made  for  the  organization  of  a  school 
district,  and  by  petition  the  same  was  regularly 
formed  two  weeks  later. 

The  wisdom  and  foresight  of  the  pioneers  of 
Illinois  was  shown  most  clearly  In  their  endeavor 
to  establish  a  system  of  public  schools  at  a  time 
when  the  cause  of  popular  education  was  by  no 
means  popular.  The  foundations  for  free  schools, 
tlius  laid,  conmiands  our  admiration  and  surprise, 
and  the  names  of  the  early  supporters  of  popular 
education  should  be  unporlshable  in  the  records 
of  the  county,  and  It  Is  our  purpose  to  thus  aid 
ill  honoring  the  pioneer  supporters  of  the  great 
free  school  system. 

Schuyler  County  was  formed  and  granted  pow- 
ers of  local  government  by  the  Illinois  Legisla- 
ture in  1825,  and  In  January  of  that  year  there 
was  passed  the  first  State  School  Law,  under 
which  the  district  in  this  county  was  formed 
some  six  months  later.  The  development  of 
the  most  excellent  school  system  of  the  State 
renders  it  somewhat  superfluous  to  cite  reasons 
for  the  enactment  of  this  law,  but  in  the   pre- 


OLD   COURT    HOrSE. 


OLD   HICHSCHOOL   BriLDING,  RISHVILLE, 
BURNED    I893, 


WEBSTER    HIGHSCHOOL    BUILDING,  RISHVILLE,    ILL. 


WASHINGTON    SCHOOL, 
RUSHVILLE,    ILL. 


:'i_iL  i-ic^r-ni 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


713 


amble  of  the  first  scliool  law  of  1825,  they  are 
set  forth  most  lucidly  as  follows : 

"To  enjoy  our  rights  and  liberties,  we  must 
understand  them  ;  their  security  and  protection 
ought  to  be  the  first  object  of  a  free  people ;  and 
it  is  a  well  established  fact  that  no  nation  has 
continued  long  in  the  enjoyment  of  civil  and 
political  freedom,  which  was  not  both  virtuous 
and  enlightened;  and  believing  that  the  advance- 
ment of  literature  always  has  been,  and  ever 
will  be.  the  means  of  developing  more  full.v  the 
rights  of  man,  that  the  mind  of  every  citizen  in 
a  republic  is  the  common  property  of  society, 
and  constitutes  the  basis  of  its  strength  and 
.happiness;  it  is,  therefore,  considered  the  pecu- 
liar dut.y  of  a  free  government  like  ours  to  en- 
courage and  e.Kteud  the  improvement  and  culti- 
vation of  the  intellectual  energies  of  the  whole ; 
therefore,  a  common  school,  or  schools,  shall  be 
established  in  each  county  of  this  State." 

The  growth  and  development  of  the  schools  of 
Schuyler  County  may  be  said  to  date  back  to  the 
winter  of  1823-24,  for  scarcely  had  half  a  dozen 
families  located  within  a  radius  of  three  or  four 
miles  and  secured  indispensable  shelter  in  their 
Ijrimitive  log-cabins,  before  effort  was  made  to 
provide  a  means  of  education  for  the  children. 

The  first  school  taught  in  the  county  was  at 
the  home  of  Calvin  Hobart  in  the  winter  of  1823- 
2-1,  where  William  H.  Taylor,  then  a  .young  man 
who  had  come  to  the  county  with  the  first  set- 
tlers, acted  as  teacher.  His  pupils  probably  did 
not  exceed  six  in  number,  for  there  was  but  a 
small  settlement  made  that  year. 

At  the  meeting  of  County  Commissioners  held 
on  July  22,  182.5,  a  petition  was  presented  asking 
for  the  organization  of  a  school  district,  and  the 
petition  was  granted  and  the  district  formed  as 
follows :  "Beginning  at  the  N.  E.  cor.  of  See. 
4,  2  N.,  1  W.,  thence  west  to  N.  W.  cor.  of  Sec. 
1,  2  N.,  2  W.,  thence  south  to  the  S.  W.  corner 
of  See.  36,  thence  east  to  the  S.  E.  comer  of 
Sec.  .33,  thence  north  to  place  of  beginning."  The 
district  thus  formed  included  the  west  half  of 
Rushville  Township  within  its  boundar.v. 

Jonathan  D.  Manlove,  one  of  the  early  pioneer 
settlers  and  among  the  first  school  teachers  of 
the  county,  tells  of  the  attempt  to  establish  free 
schools  in  Schuyler  County  in  1826.  He  says: 
"The  first  school  house  in  the  county  was  built 
near  Benj.  Chadsey's  in  1826.  A  log  house  was 
put  up  and.  perhaps,  covered,  but  no  school  was 


ever  taught  in  it.  It  was  built  under  a  very 
imperfect  law,  the  first  in  the  State  that  was 
called  a  free  school  law.  But  at  that  early 
period  the  same  difficulty  in  regard  to  the  ways 
and  means  and  location  of  school  houses  existed 
that  too  often  yet  exist,  and  the  school  house 
was  never  finished  because  of  ignorance  and 
prejudice  then  extant." 

In  the  summer  of  1826,  however,  a  school  was 
taught  on  Section  16  by  Miss  Sophronia  Chadsey 
and  another  by  Mr.  Manlove  at  his  cabin.  In  a 
letter  to  the  Schuyler  Citizen,  in  1881,  Mr.  Man- 
love thus  describes  his  pioneer  school :  "My 
mind  reverts  back  to  the  summer  of  1826,  when 
I  taught  a  school  in  a  log  cabin,  where  Mr.  Lit- 
tle's house  now  stands  northeast  of  Rushville. 
The  cabin  was  the  largest  one  in  the  county, 
and  had  been  occupied  by  a  family  not  censurable 
for  the  Godly  virtue  of  cleanliness,  and  was  in- 
fested with  a  numerous  progeny  of  bugs,  whose 
odorous  perfume  was  not  pleasant  to  the  olfac- 
tories of  teacher  or  pupils.  They  had  prior  pos- 
session, and  had  fortified  and  were  taking  pos- 
session of  the  books  and  dinner  baskets.  We 
were  compelled  to  declare  a  war  of  extermination. 
"We  procured  a  large  iron  kettle,  and  when  ready 
with  boiling  water,  all  hands  moved  on  the  ene- 
mies' works,  and  after  a  long  and  bloody  battle, 
succeeded  in  destroying  all  their  army,  except  a 
very  considerable  number  of  stragglers  that  re- 
turned early  to  their  well-known  and  impregnable 
hidings.  Peace  reigned  in  Warsaw,  the  six-inch 
benches  were  again  occupied,  and  the  daily  sup- 
ply of  musk  melons,  which  was  furnished  by  the 
teacher,  was  eaten ;  and  all  were  happy  and  con- 
tented." 

The  growth  of  the  public  school  system,  as  now 
understood,  was  slow,  and  in  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury after  the  settlement  of  the  county  it  had 
made  but  little  progress  in  Schuyler.  It  is  true 
there  were  schools  taught,  but  they  were  the 
result  of  purely  voluntary  effort  either  of  an  in- 
dividual or  of  a  few  associated  persons,  and  the 
1  Ulster  was  paid  by  the  parents  whose  children 
attended  the  .school,  a  one-room  log  cabin, 
whose  only  furniture  was  a  teacher's  desk  and 
rude  seats  fashioned  from  the  slabs  of  logs, 
nith  pegs  driven  into  holes  near  the  end  for  legs. 
Text  books  were  few  and  did  full  duty  where 
there  happened  to  be  several  children  in  one 
family.  The  children  went  to  school  wearing 
jeans  and  linsey,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for 


714 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


the  boys  to  be  attirod  in  buckskin  pantaloons  and 
coon-skin  caps. 

It  was  in  such  fashion  the  schools  were  begun, 
and  they  have  been  steadily  improved  in  material 
comforts,  facilities  and  elegance,  and  in  culture, 
training  and  efficiency  of  teachers,  until  we  rea- 
sonalily  and  justly  boast  a  school  equipment 
throughout  the  county  as  complete  and  thorough 
as  that  of  any  county  in  our  great  State. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  the  schools  of 
Schuyler  county  we  will  first  consider  those  of 
the  city  of  Rushville,  where  the  growth  from  the 
rude  log-cal)in  to  the  finely  graded  schools  of 
the  i)resent  day  present  a  most  Interesting  study. 
The  evolution  of  the  educational  system  was  not 
accomplislied  without  strife  and  bitter  ivarfare, 
but  this  is  accounted  for  as  more  a  difference 
of  personal  opinion  than  an  effort  to  embarrass 
the  cause  of  education.  The  early  pioneers  were 
men  of  earnest  i)urpose  and  strong  determination 
and.  when  dilTerences  of  opinion  arose  as  to 
public  school  management,  there  was  bitter  In- 
ternecine warfare  that,  in  some  cases,  lasted  for 
years  to  the  detriment  of  the  rapidly  growing 
system  of  education. 

The  first  building  erected  for  school  purposes 
in  Hushvllle  was  a  small  one-story  brick  house 
that  stood  where  the  Christian  church  now 
stands.  It  was  erected  in  the  early  'thirties,  and 
one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  of  tlie  teachers 
was  I^vi  Lusk.  In  the  winter  of  18;i7-38,  Up- 
ton Smith  organized  a  subscription  school  and  oc- 
cupied the  attic  of  the  old  Methodist  Ei)iscopal 
church  with  his  classes.  The  attic  was  divided 
Into  two  rooms,  and  the  toys'  department  oc- 
cupied the  north  room,  while  the  girls  were 
taught  by  a  lady  teacher  in  the  south  room.  A 
few  years  later  I.  S.  Wright  and  daughter  taught 
in  the  same  building.  Another  one  of  the  early 
teachers  was  a  Sir.  Shetland,  a  man  of  brilliant 
mind  and  attainments  whose  career  was  cut 
short  by  dissijiation.  and  he  died  soon  afterwards. 
Miss  Rebecca  Davis  taught  a  school  in  the  early 
'forties  on  the  south  side  of  East  Washington 
about  half  a  block  from  the  square.  Miss  Sarah 
McMacken,  of  Jacksonville,  taught  in  a  log  school 
building  that  was  located  on  West  L;ifayette 
Street,  between  where  Mrs.  Littles  and  Dr. 
Ball's  houses  now  stand,  and  Mrs.  Houghland 
taught  in  a  log  cabin  located  a  little  farther 
west.     Mrs.  Joseph  Haskell  was  another  of  the 


pioneer   teachers   who   had   a    school    where   the 
court  house  now  stands. 

Of  the  old  iiioneor  teachers  who  taught  sub- 
scrii)tion  schools  in  Hushville  in  the  'forties  Ed- 
ward Bertholf  lived  to  see  the  development 
of  the  present  day.  Mr.  Bertholf  taught  in  the 
old  Methodist  Churdi,  and  among  his  pupils 
was  Francis  Drake,  who  afti>rwards  liecame 
Governor  of  Iowa. 

Kolloning  the  era  of  small  subscription 
schools  we  find  that  Rushville  hud  its  Western 
Seminary,  Cottage  Seminary,  Female  Academy, 
Scripps'  .\cadeniy.  The  Seminary,  M.  E.  Church 
High  School,  and  Parrott  High  School,  all  of 
which  flourished  and  tln-ived  for  a  time,  but 
eventually  gave  way  before  the  progress  of  the 
system  of  free  schools  which  eventually  resulted 
in  the  formation  of  the  Rushville  I'nion  Schools. 

On  June  25,  1845,  John  Clarke,  Lycurgus  I. 
Kimball,  (ieorge  B.  Rogers.  Roland  M.  Worthing- 
ton,  James  G.  .McCre<'ry,  Abraham  Tolle.  William 
E.  Withrow.  Joseph  .Montgomery  and  James  L. 
Anderson  purcliased  the  lot  where  the  Webster 
School  building  now  stands  and  built  The  Sem- 
inary. The  .school  was  in  charge  of  .\lonzo  J. 
Sawyer,  afterwards  prominent  in  educational 
work  in  Chicago,  with  Sliss  Amelia  Dayton  and 
Miss  Matilda  M.  Williams  as  assistants.  The 
rates  of  tuition  ranged  from  .<!2.50  to  .?G,  for  a 
term  of  eleven  weeks.  Later  teachers  In  this 
school  were:  R.  H.  (Jrifiith.  Miss  Sophia  Barber, 
Dr.  Thomas  C.  Nichols,  Dr.  J.  A.  Sjjeed,  Mr. 
Lucas,  (i.  W.  Scripps,  Mr.  English,  (Jeorge  I. 
Ram.sey,  Miss  Lydia  Ramsey,  nonry  .'Jiiiither 
nnd  others. 

Rushville  was  not  without  its  public  schools 
during  this  period,  but  they  were  small  and  no 
eflort  nas  made  to  teach  anything  but  the  ele- 
mentary liranches,  and  the  situation  was  further 
complication  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  city 
was  in  two  separate  school  districts.  It  was 
when  an  endeavor  was  made  to  unite  districts  8 
and  0.  and  form  the  present  I'nion  School  Dis- 
trict, that  passion  ran  riot,  and  it  had  its  cul- 
niin.ition  in  a  pit<hed  battle,  which  took  place 
at  tlie  Seminary  on  May  11,  1858,  that  was 
participated  in  by  a  number  of  Rushvllle's  lead- 
ing citizens. 

It  appears  that  District  No.  9  had  purchased 
the  Seminary  building  in  1855  and  that  District 
No.  8  had  come  into  possession  of  the  Parrott 
School  building.    District  No.  8  had  one  hundred 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


715 


more  pupils  than  ilistrict  0,  while  the  latter 
had  $75,000  more  taxable  property,  and  they  re- 
sisted the  effort  made  to  unite  the  two  districts. 

After  the  two  districts  were  united  by  a  vote 
of  the  people,  some  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
District  Xo.  !)  met  and  resolved  to  regain  posses- 
sion of  their  propert>-,  but  the  Directors  of  No. 
S,  getting  news  of  their  intention,  entered  the 
building  at  night,  nailed  down  the  windows  and 
barred  the  doors.  The  Directors  of  No.  9  gained 
possession  the  day  following,  when  the  former 
occupants  decided  to  take  the  building  by  storm 
and  armed  themselves  with  rails  to  batter  down 
the  doors.  This  led  to  a  general  melee,  and  the 
Sheriff  of  the  county  was  called  upon  to  establish 
peace.  The  matter  was  afterwards  taken  into 
court  and  was  carried  to  the  Illinois  Supreme 
Court,  where  a  decision  was  rendered  that  de- 
clared the  union  of  the  two  disti-icts  legal  and 
the  costs  were  assessed  against  District  No.  9. 
Eleven  years  later,  by  the  union  of  District  No. 
.3,  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  and  District  No.  8. 
the  Rushville  Union  School  District  was  formed 
and  was  granted  a  special  charter  by  the  Illinois 
Legislature,  the  same  being  approved  March  30, 
1809. 

Thus  was  the  foundation  laid  for  carrying 
forward  the  work  of  free  schools  in  the  city  of 
Rushville,  and,  out  of  the  turmoil  and  strife  that 
had  existed  for  a  score  of  years,  there  developed 
a  united  support  of  the  public  schools  which  has 
ever  since  continued  and  has  resulted  in  the 
building  up  of  the  splendid  school  system  of  the 
present  da.v. 

The  first  Board  of  Education  in  the  Rushville 
Union  School  District  was  composed  of  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen :  William  H.  Ray,  Thomas 
Wilson,  W.  W.  Wells,  R.  H.  Griffith  and  W.  S. 
Irvin.  They  went  to  work  at  once  to  provide  a 
suitable  school  building  and.  during  the  year 
1870,  a  three-story  brick  biiilding  was  erected  on 
the  site  of  The  Seminary  at  a  cost  of  $4.5,000. 
This  building  served  for  school  purposes  until 
destroyed  by  fire  in  September,  1893.  On  the 
site  of  the  old  Iniilding  the  handsome  and  mod- 
ci-ii  Webster  School  building  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  .$25,000.  In  the  later  'eighties  the  growth 
of  the  city  made  it  necessary  to  provide  addi- 
tional room,  and  the  old  Baptist  church,  in  the 
same  block,  was  purchased  and  used  for  pri- 
mary grades.  Again  in  1803  there  was  need  for 
still  greater  expansion,  and  a  two-.story  brick 
buililiiv-'  was  erected  in  the  east  jiart  of  the  city 


at  a  cost  of  $8,000,  which  is  used  for  primary 
grade  pupils. 

The  Rushville  Union  Schools  were  graded  by 
John  F.  Gowdy,  in  1869,  and,  in  1871,  when  the 
new  building  was  first  occupied,  they  were 
brought  to  a  high  standard  of  excellence  by  J.  M. 
Coyner.  He  was  succeeded  as  superintendent  by 
John  Hobbs.  In  1875,  H.  A.  Smith  was  put 
in  charge  and  the  following  year  the  first 
class  graduated  from  the  Rushville  High  School. 
^Ir.  Smith  establi.shed  the  school  on  a  solid  edu- 
catioual  basis  and  continued  as  Superintendent 
until  1887,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Nathan 
T.  Veatch  and,  for  fourteen  years,  the  schools 
made  most  excellent  progress  under  his  direc- 
tion. Henry  H.  Edmunds,  was  Superintendent 
from  1901  to  1907,  when  he  resigned  to  go  to 
Clinton,  111.  L.  T.  Shaw,  was  Superintendent  in 
1907-08.  and  he  was  succeeded  by  C.  E.  Knapp, 
who  is  now  in  charge. 

The  following  history  of  the  country  schools 
<if  Schuyler  County  was  compiled  by  Prof.  H.  A. 
Smith,  who  was  Superintendent  of  the  Rushville 
High  School  from  1875  to  1887 : 

The  first  school  in  Oakland  Township  was 
taught  by  a  Mr.  Preston  in  a  log  cabin  built  by 
Frederick  Noble,  on  the  southea.st  quarter  of 
Section  24,  in  the  summer  of  18.35.  Scholars  in 
attendance  were  Abner  and  William,  children  of 
Richard  Ashcraft ;  Harriet,  daughter  of  William 
Burress ;  Rebecca  and  Nancy,  children  of  Josiah 
Downer ;  Benjamin,  Martha  Ann,  Sarah  Jane 
and  Joseph  S.,  children  of  Joseph  Logan ;  and  the 
three  children  of  the  teacher.  The  school  term 
was  three  months,  and  suliscription  rate  was 
.$1.50  per  month.  Oakland  Township  sold  her 
School  land  in  Juno.  1.S37. 

Thomas  Bronaugh  taught  the  first  school  in 
Littleton  in  a  deserted  cabin  in  the  summer  of 
1.S35.  The  pupils  were :  Julia,  Margaret,  John 
and  Ephraim  L.,  children  of  David  Snyder; 
Martha,  N.'incy,  Evaline  and  Ludfvell,  children  of 
lOli.iah  M.  Wilson  ;  Eliza  and  Benjamin,  children 
of  R.  P.  Applegate :  Andrew  Wycoff,  a  neiihew, 
and  John.  Thomas.  Jacob,  Daniel  and  Asher, 
children  of  Garrett  Wycoff:  Jane,  Eliza,  Ann  and 
U'olbert,  children  of  William  H.  Crawford.  The 
first  school  house  was  built  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  19,  in  1838,  and  Samuel 
Horney  was  teacher.  Littleton  sold  her  school 
land  in  1840. 

The  first  school  in  Brooklyn  Township  was 
taught  by  Richard  Kellough  in  a  log  cabin  in  the 


716 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


village  in  18:^7.  The  first  school  house  wiis 
built  in  1842.  The  school  section  was  sold 
March  25,  1S41. 

The  first  school  in  Binpingham  Township  was 
taught  in  a  log  cabin  In  the  village  by  William 
Neill  in  the  winter  of  1S37.  The  following 
named  persons  were  appointed  by  the  Schuyler 
County  Commissioner's  Court  tnistecs  for  the 
school  land  of  3  N.,  4  W. ;  William  Dron,  James 
G.  King  and  J.  G.  Graham.  On  petition  the 
Sixteenth  Section  was  sold  April  7,  1847. 

Mr.  Kimball,  an  old  man  from  Kentucky, 
taught  a  school  in  a  small  cabin  south  of  Munts- 
ville  in  18;!.j-3G.  1'bere  were  three  windows 
covered  by  leather,  which  was  fastened  up  dur- 
ing the  day  to  permit  the  light  to  pass  in  between 
the  logs,  and  were  closed  at  night.  The  teacher 
permitted  all  to  study  aloud.  Jeremiah  Brlsco 
taught  the  first  school  in  Iluntsville  in  1830,  in 
a  log  cabin  built  for  the  puriwse  that  season. 
He  taught  the  same  school  for  several  terms. 

Huutsville  has  had  many  excellent  teachers. 
Miss  Mary  Hart  of  Connecticut  taught  the  school 
south  of  Huutsville  during  tlie  summer  of  IS'M. 
H.  E.  Bryant,  afterwards  banker  at  Bement, 
Miss  Eunice  Kimbal,  an  eastern  lady,  and  Alvin 
Bacon,  each  taught  several  terms  at  Huutsville. 
Miss  Letitia  Biscoe  taught  in  a  log  cabin  near 
Shilo.  The  windows  of  this  cabin  consisted  of 
an  opening  between  the  logs,  wliicli  was  protected 
by  a  lioard  fastened  up  with  a  strap.  The  first 
frame  school  house  In  Huutsville  was  built  alwut 
1840.  The  township  school  land  was  sold  .\pril 
8.   1839. 

nie  first  school  in  Camden  Tovvnship  was 
taught  by  John  TbornhlU  In  IS-'iC  in  a  neglected 
cal)iu  built  by  a  squatter  in  183.")  on  Se<'tion  IS. 
The  second  sdiool  was  taught  in  the  winter  of 
1838-30  by  George  L.  Gray.  On  Christmas  Day 
Mr.  Gray  was  fastened  out  by  the  big  boys  until 
be  would  promise  to  treat  to  toddy.  He  finally 
yielded  and  ftu-nished  the  money,  when  a  boy 
by  the  name  of  Brown  went  to  what  is  now 
Brookl.vn  for  the  whisky.  The  toddy  was  made 
in  buckets  and  the  teacher  and  pupils  enjoyed  it 
together  and  harmony  was  restored.  The  rate 
for  tuition  was  ,?1.50  per  quarter.  John  Ander- 
son taught  in  the  northern  part  of  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Camden  in  18.39.  A  brief  descrip- 
tion of  this  school  house,  may,  with  very  few 
changes,  apply  equally  well  to  au.v  of  our  early 
"temples  of  learning"  in  which  the  youth  were 
wont  to  woo  the  Goddess  of  Wisdom. 


It  was  built  of  logs,  as  were  all  the  houses  at 
that  time.  The  fireplace  occupied  nearly  the 
whole  of  one  side  of  the  room  and  a  recess  In 
the  wall.  After  reaching  a  height  of  about  six 
feet,  the  logs  were  placed  straight  across  that 
side  of  the  room,  and  the  chimney  of  sticks  was 
continued  up  on  the  outside  of  the  house.  It  had 
a  puncheon  lloor  and  seats,  and  greased  paper 
placed  between  the  logs  for  windows.  The  large 
lioys  cut  and  carried  the  wood  for  the  fire.  Cam- 
den Township  sold  her  school  land  in  October, 
18:!7. 

The  first  school  house  in  Schuyler  County  was 
built  in  Bucua  Vista  Township  in  1828  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  1,  and  Robert 
S(>xton  taught  a  two-months"  term.  On  May  10, 
1830,  Samuel  L.  Dark  commenced  a  six-months' 
term  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  22.  In 
1843-44  he  taught  at  the  cross-roads.  The  sub- 
scription rates  were  paid  in  various  kinds  of 
produce ;  one  patron  agreeing  to  pay  a  certain 
number  of  bushels  of  wheat,  another  a  certain 
number  of  bushels  of  oats,  etc.  It  was  not  al- 
ways the  easiest  matter  to  collect  in  those  days, 
and  the  teacher  emplo.ved  Jac-ob  Snyder  to  col- 
lect for  him.  .\uother  teacher  of  the  same  school 
was  Mr.  Wheadon.  Instead  of  the  usual  mottoes 
around  the  room,  each  pupil  c<juld  read  the  pen- 
alty for  certain  offenses — so  many  lashes  for 
talking  aloud;  so  many  lashes  for  fighting;  so 
many  lashes  for  quarreling  going  to  or  from 
school,  and  other  rules  with  the  penaltj-. 

Buena  N'ista  has  the  largest  .school  fund  of 
any  township  In  the  county,  owing  to  the  fore- 
closing of  its  mortgage  and  reselling  of  a  portion 
of  its  school  section  after  It  had  advanced  in 
price.    The  section  was  first  sold  in  April,  1838. 

The  first  school  in  Browning  Township  was 
taught  by  a  man  from  Tennessee  in  1835  in  a 
small  log  cabin  built  by  Nathan  Glover.  This 
was  the  second  township  to  sell  Its  school  sec- 
tion, which  was  done  October  29,  1833,  by  Al- 
fred Wallace  and  John  M.  Campbell,  Trustees. 

The  first  session  of  school  in  Hickory  Town- 
ship was  taught  by  a  Mr.  Sheldon  in  18.'?8.  in  a 
cabin  built  on  the  bluffs.  There  were  but  two 
small   fractions  of   Section   If.  in   this  township. 

The  first  school  in  Frederick  was  held  In  a 
private  cabin  built  by  Horatio  Benton.  The  first 
school  house  was  built  in  1846,  a  small  one- 
story  frame  building,  afterwards  used  as  a  town 
hall. 

The   first   school   in  Bainbridge  was  in   a  log 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


717 


cabin  built  for  tlie  pin-pose  on  Section  22,  about 
the  year  18.30.  The  first  teachers  were  John 
Keeton,  a  Mr.  Sexton,  John  Parker,  Joseph  Bell 
and  James  M.  Stevens.  John  Greene  taught 
scliool  in  the  winter  of  183.5-36  in  a  log  cabin 
built  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  1. 
Samuel  Haines,  James  Lawler  and  Nathan  Win- 
shall  were  appointed  trustees  at  the  June  term 
of  court,  1836.  The  school  land  was  sold  Decern 
ber  5,  1836. 

The  first  schciol  in  Woodstock  Township  was 
taught  by  John  Taylor  in  1827.  The  first  school 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  township  was  taught 
by  Charles  Hatfield,  in  1833,  in  a  house  built 
that  fall  of  elm  poles  in  an  elm  grove  near 
Joshua  Griflith's.  The  pupils  and  teacher  mixed 
the  mud  on  the  fioor  of  the  school  house,  after 
school  liegan.  with  which  they  daubed  the  house 
at  recesses  and  noon.  Pupils  in  attendance  were 
William  T.  and  Isaac  Black,  children  of  Richard 
Black ;  Sarah  and  Rebecca,  children  of  Jacob 
Fowler :  Houston  and  Elihn.  children  of  Allen 
Alexander :  James  and  Thomas,  children  of  Isaac 
Sanders ;  Anderson.  Isaac  S.  and  Pressly,  chil- 
dren of  Mrs.  Amelia  S.  Riley.  The  day  before 
Christmas  .\nderson  and  Pressly  Riley  took  the 
teacher  out  and  wallowed  him  in  snow  and  left 
him  tied,  because  he  would  not  treat  to  whisky. 
The  teacher  treated  to  two  gallons  of  whisky  on 
New  Tear's. 

In  the  same  school  house  taught  Thomas 
Binkly,  Mr.  John.son,  Enoch  Boughton,  Faunton 
Muse  and  Robert  Glenn. 

While  the  strife  for  the  Christmas  treat  was 
goiiTg  on,  when  Mr.  Muse  was  teacher,  he  at- 
tempted to  descend  the  spacious  chimney,  when 
one  of  the  boys  threw  water  on  the  coals  in  the 
fireplace  which  nearly  caused  him  to  fall,  but 
he  managed  to  crawl  out  and  promised  the  usual 
treat. 

Robert  Glenn  spent  much  of  his  time  in  read- 
ing law,  while  the  pupils  anmsed  themselves. 
One  day.  desiring  to  obtain  some  .voung  .squir- 
rels in  the  top  of  a  dry  tree,  about  one  hundred 
yards  from  the  school  house,  the  pupils  built  a 
fire  around  the  tree  in  the  morning  and  agreed 
to  run  when  they  heard  it  fall.  On  hearing 
the  tree  fall,  all  ran  without  asking  pennission 
excejit  two  small  boys,  AVhen  tliey  returned, 
the  teacher  looked  up  and  asked  them  if  they 
had   got    back. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


SCHUYLER   PRESS— PAST    AND    PRESENT. 


PRO.\rrNENT  PART  PLAYED  BV  THE  NEWSPAPER 
PRESS  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  HISTORY  • —  ITS 
VALUE  AS  A  RECORD  OF  LOCAL  FACTS   AND  EVENTS 

TYPE    OF    MEN    WHO    WERE    EARLY   EDITORS   AND 

DIFFICULTIES       WHICH       CONFRONTED       THEM    

RUSHVILLE'S      FIRST      NEWSPAPER THE      RUSH- 

VILLE  JOURNAL  AND  MILITARY  TRACT  ADVERTISER 
ESTABLISHED  IN  18.3.5 — ITS  FOUNDERS  AND  FIRST 
EDITOR — SUBSEQUENT  CHANGES  IN  NAME,  OWN- 
ERSHIP AND  EDITORIAL  MANAGEMENT — TOPICS 
WHICH   ABSORBED  THE  ATTENTION   OF  THE   EARLY 

EDITOR PROMINENCE     GIVEN     TO     POLITICS     AND 

GENERAL  NEWS PRAIRIE  TELEGRAPH  RUSH- 
VILLE'S   FIRST    PERMANENT    PAPER ESTABLISHED 

JULY    8,    1848 — ITS    SUBSEQUENT    HISTORY THE 

TIMES   AND  CITIZEN    FOUNDED  IN    1856 HISTORY 

OF    OTHER    LOCAL   JOURNALS. 

The  newspapers  of  a  county  occupy  a  place 
in  its  historical  relation  which  makes  them  an 
important  factor  in  reviewing  the  history  of  the 
past.  They  not  only  played  a  prominent  part 
in  creating  history,  but  in  their  columns  we  find 
a  faithful  chroni<-le  of  the  events  of  the  period 
in  which  they  were  published.  The  oldtime  pio- 
fieer  settler  has  passed  away,  but  in  the  p.iges 
of  the  old  papers  we  have  preserved  for  all  ages 
the  records  of  his  deeds  and  achievements,  and 
the  editor  of  this  histoi-y  has  drawn  largel.v  upon 
the  newspapers  of  the  early  days  for  many  of 
the  facts  and  occurrences  here  related. 

Rushville's  first  jiaper  was  established  in  1S3."'>. 
Up  to  this  time  there  was  no  newsp.aper  being 
putilished  between  Peoria  and  Quincy,  or  betsveen 
Springfield  and  Rock  Island,  and  it  was  not 
until  four  years  afterwards  that  the  first  daily 
paper  was  established  in  Illinois,  this  being  a 
paper  named  The  Chicago  Daily  American, 
founded  in  April,   1830. 

Publishing  a  newspaper  in  those  early  pioneer 
days  was  not  an  easy  task,  for  there  were  no 
regular  means  of  communication  with  the  out- 
side world,  even  the  great  stage-routes  not  yet 
having  been  established  throughout  the  State, 
while  the  steamboat  senMce  on  the  Illinois  River 


(18 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


was  iu  the  first  stages  of  its  development.  Then, 
too,  the  pountry  was  sparsely  settled  and  the 
field  for  journalistic  efforts  surely  not  an  invit- 
ins  one.  Hut  the  pioneer  editor  was  of  a  fine 
tjpe  of  brainy  men  who  were  leaders  in  the  in- 
tellectual life  of  the  community,  and  even 
though  their  efforts  were  not  always  financially 
successful,  they  kept  manfully  at  their  work. 
The  mission  of  the  early  newspapers  was  largely 
a  political  one,  and  the  ideas  and  policies  of 
government  rather  than  news  was  the  predom- 
inating feature.  Dependent  as  they  were  uiwn 
political  favors  for  existence,  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  their  careers  were  beset  by 
many  difticulties  and  obstacles,  and  that  there 
should  have  been  frequent  changes  In  ownership. 
Bui,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  editor-s  of  Rushville's 
early  papers  were  men  well  worthy  of  grateful 
remembrance,  and  the  historian  cannot  fall  to 
give  high  meed  of  praise  to  the  intelligent,  moral 
and  public  spirited  persons  who  ruled  the  des- 
tiny of  the  local  i)ress  In  those  pioneer  days. 

In  18.%  Rushville  was  a  flourishing  town  of 
probably  one  thousand  population.  At  that  time 
the  prospects  looked  bright  for  a  continuation  of 
rapid  growth,  as  all  the  traflio  northward  to 
Galena  and  westward  to  Quincy  was  passing 
throiigli  Rushville.  There  were  probably  a  dozen 
mercantile  establishments,  and  fine  new  brick 
buildings  and  churches  were  being  erected.  Such 
was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  The  Rushville 
Journal  and  Military  Tract  Advertiser,  a  weekly 
newspaper,  was  established  by  G.  W.  Davis  and 
R.  W.  Renfroe.  Mr.  Davis  was  a  practical 
printer  and  had  come  to  Rushville  from  Capo 
Girardeau.  Mo.  He  had  purchased  his  news- 
paper outfit  at  St.  Louis  and.  on  May  8,  IS.'tt, 
the  first  number  of  the  paper  was  issued.  Abra- 
ham Marshall,  a  lawyer,  was  editor  of  the  paper, 
though  not  financially  interested  in  the  enter- 
prise. Within  tlie  next  year  Mr.  Davis  retired 
from  the  firm  and  the  name  of  tlie  pai>er  was 
shortened  to  The  Rushville  ,Iournal  and  R.  W. 
Renfroe  &  Co.  were  publishers. 

The  Journ.il  was  a  four-page,  si.x-column  pa- 
per, and  the  typographical  appearance  was  ex- 
cellent, as  the  old  co|)ies.  now  in  possession  of 
Edwin  Dyson,  of  the  Rushville  Times,  show.  The 
office  of  publication  was  in  the  upstairs  room 
of  the  old  brick  building  which  stood  on  the 
site  of  the  Rank  of  Schuyler. 

In  politics  the  pajier  was  neutral  and  the 
entire  tickets  of  both  Whig  and  Democratic  can- 


didates were  placed  at  the  head  of  the  editorial 
(x)luiiin.  Iy(jcal  news  was  treated  briefly  and.  in 
some  issues,  not  a  line  of  local  happenings  was 
recorded.  News  from  Texas  then  was  in  abun- 
dance, as  that  State  had  only  recently  asserted 
her  independence  and  was  soon  to  become  a  sov- 
ereign State  of  the  Union.  News  traveled  slowly, 
however,  in  those  days,  as  in  The  Journal  of 
July  2.S,  1830,  we  note  an  announcement  of  the 
death  of  President  Madison,  who  had  died  June 
28,  IS.W. 

On  July  .30,  1.8:56,  The  Journal  was  sold  to  Dr. 
.\dani  Duulap.  who  had  been  interested  in  the 
imblicatlon  since  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Davis. 
In  that  year  The  Journal  published  the  delin- 
(luent  tax-lists  for  Knox.  Henry  and  Hancock 
counties,  as  no  papers  were  yet  established  in 
these  counties.  Dr.  Dunlap  retained  ownership 
but  a  short  time,  when  he  sold  the  paper  to  Ben- 
jamin V.  Teel.  who  purchased  it  for  J.  B.  Fulks. 
ruhlication  was  suspended  for  a  time  and  the 
new  editor  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to  The 
Schuyler  Advocate,  and  the  first  number  was 
issued  May  27,  18.17.  The  paper  remained  under 
Mr.  Fulk's  control  until  February,  18.38.  when  it 
was  sold  to  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  afterwards  one  of 
the  Judges  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court,  and 
R.  .\.  Glenn,  who  changed  the  name  to  The  Test. 
The  paper  supiiorted  the  Whig  party,  but  its 
life  of  usefulness  was  brief  and  it  suspended 
publication  on  its  twentj'-eighth  issue.  Some 
three  months  afterwards  the  twenty-ninth,  and 
last,  number  of  The  Test  appeared.  In  this 
issue  the  editors  state  that  they  have  been  un- 
able to  collect  the  accounts  due  them,  and  have 
arranged  with  Mr.  Fulks  to  take  the  plant  off 
their   hands. 

Publishing  a  newspaper  seemed  to  have  a  fas- 
cination for  Rushville  iwlitidans,  and  the  next 
to  enter  the  field  was  A.  R.  Sparks,  who  Issued 
the  first  niuuber  of  The  Illinois- Republican,  De- 
cember 14,  18.30.  The  paper  was  a  six-column 
folio,  with  columns  sixteen  ems  wide,  and  was 
Democratic  in  politics.  Mr.  Sparks  like  his 
predecessors  soon  grew  weary  of  the  financial 
burden  the  fmblication  of  a  newspaper  imposed, 
and  on  April  0,  1840,  he  sold  the  plant  to  James 
L.  Anderson.  Mr.  Sparks  afterwards  went  to 
Washington.  D.  C  where  he  held  a  Federal 
office  for  many  years. 

The  Political  I^xaniiner  was  the  name  Mr. 
.Vnderson  gave  to  his  paper,  and  it  continued 
under  this  name  until  October  1,  1843.    Mr.  An- 


<J- 


**m 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


719 


derson  then  ehaused  the  name  to  The  Rushville 
Whig,  and  placed  the  name  of  the  great  Whig 
leader,  Henry  Clay,  at  the  head  of  the  editorial 
column  as  presidential'  candidate.  This  ringing 
motto  of  The  Whig  was  carried  at  the  top  of  the 
first  page :  "Truth  is  the  basis  of  all  virtue." 
The  defeat  of  Henry  Clay  in  1844  was  a  death 
blow  to  The  Rushville  Whig,  and  soon  after- 
wards it  suspended  publication. 

In  nine  years  Rushville  had  seven  different 
papers  with  double  that  number  of  editors,  and 
the  changes  had  been  so  numerous  and  suspen- 
sions so  frequent  that,  for  the  .next  four  years. 
DO  one  had  the  courage  to  take  up  the  task 
of  enlightening  the  people  of  Schuyler  through 
the  medium  of  a  county  newspajier. 

But  in  the  summer  of  184.8  Benjamin  F. 
Scriitps,  who  at  that  time  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school,  and  R.  R.  Randall,  a  practical  print- 
er, formed  a  partnership,  bought  the  old  outfit 
of  press  and  type  and,  on  July  8,  1848,  the  first 
number  of  The  Praftie  Telegraph  was  printed. 
This  proved  to  be  Rushville's  first  permanent 
newspaper,  for  since  the  first  is.sue  there  has 
been  a  continuous  publication  to  the  present  time, 
the  change  in  name  to  The  Times  being  made 
without  missing  the  issue  of  a  single  number. 

The  newspaper  office  at  that  time  was  located 
in  a  one-story  frame  building  on  the  east  side 
of  the  square,  and  here  the  two  young  editors 
lalwred  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  of  Rush- 
ville. And  now,  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  half 
a  century,  one  of  these  early  editors,  Mr.  R.  R. 
Randall,  a  resident  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  can  look 
back  and  wonder  at  the  changes  that  have  been 
made  in  the  art  of  printing  since  he  first  put 
The  Prairie  Telegraph  to  press  on  .Tuly  8,  1848. 

On  November  o,  1849,  The  Prairie  Telegraph 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Rev.  .lohn  Seripps  aud 
his  son,  J.  C.  Seripps.  From  a  memorandum 
jotted  down  by  Rev.  John  Seripps,  we  learn  that 
the  circulation  of  the  paper  at  that  time  was 
limited  to  280  subscribers,  but  iiiidcr  the  .skillful 
management  of  the  new  editors  the  jiajier  grew 
and  was  a  power  for  good  in  the  county.  Rev. 
John  Seripps  was  a  forceful  writer  and  he  soon 
gave  The  Telegi'aph  high  rank  as  a  jirovincial 
paper. 

About  this  time  a  telegraph  line  was  built  into 
Rushville,  and  a  telegraphic  news  report  from 
St.  Louis  was  one  of  the  features  of  the  jiajier. 
and  on  one  occasion  the  President's  message  to 
Congress  was  taken  off  the  wire  and  printed  in 


The  Prairie  Tek'gra|)h — a  stroke  of  enterprise 
which  calls  for  admiration,  even  in  this  day, 
but  the  President's  annual  message  was  read 
with  more  avidity  then  than  novf. 

In  conversation  with  J.  C.  Seripps  a  number 
of  years  ago,  the  writer  was  given  some  idea 
of  the  difliculties  with  which  the  early  editors 
had  to  contend.  It  was  customary  to  get  the 
supply  of  print  paper  from  St.  Louis  during  the 
ojien  season  of  navigation  on  the  Illinois  River 
and  bring  it  overland  from  Frederick ;  but  one 
winter  in  the  early  'fifties  The  Telegraph  ex- 
hausted its  supply  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Seripps  drove 
to  Springfield,  thinking  he  could  get  his  paper 
there.  But  he  was  unsuccessful,  and  returning 
home  started  at  once  for  Peoria,  where  he  se- 
cured enough  print  paper  to  last  until  the  ice 
went  out  of  the  river,  and  by  driving  day  and 
night  reached  Rushville  in  time  to  put  the  paper 
to  press  on  the  regular  day  of  issue. 

Messrs.  Seripps  continued  the  publication  of 
The  Prairie  Telegraph  until  May  24,  1836,  when 
the  ]]aper  was  sold  to  a  stock  company  and  the 
name  changed  to  The  Rushville  Times,  the  first 
issue  of  that  paper  appearing  May  30,  185(1  The 
stockholders  in  this  new  company  were  Hon. 
L.  D.  Erwin,  Leonidas  Horney,  Peter  Campbell, 
Joseph  Montgomery,  D.  W.  C.  Johnston,  Charles 
Xeill,  James  Ij.  Anderson,  John  Seripps,  Enoch 
Edmonston,  John  Hugh  Lawler  .and  Charles 
Wells.  All  the  members  of  the  new  company, 
with  the  possible  exception  of  John  Seripps,  were 
prominent  Democrats,  and  it  was  their  desire 
that  Schuyler  should  have  a  paper  that  would 
support  the  policy  of  Senator  Douglas  and  the 
Democratic  party,  and  in  the  first  issue  was  pub- 
lished the  Democratic  State  ticket  with  William 
A.  Richardson  as  candidate  for  Governor. 

DeWitt  C.  Johnston,  the  first  editor  of  Tlir* 
Times,  was  a  lawyer  and  Methodist  minister  and 
before  coming  to  Rushville  had  edited  three 
newspapers  in  Ohio.  He  was  not  only  a  fluent 
writer,  but  a  polished  orator  as  well,  and  was 
afterwards  elected  County  Judge  in  Schuyler. 
Mr.  Johnston  died  in  Rushville  January  28,  1866. 

When  Mr.  .Johnston  retired  as  editor  on  Feb- 
ruary 2,  18.58,  he  was  succeeded  by  Andrew  J. 
Ashton,  who  was  editor  of  the  paper  until  May 
9,  1860,  when  he  retired  on  account  of  his  health, 
and  he  died  the  same  month  at  Morris,  IlL 
A.  D.  Dnvies  was  the  next  editor,  and  he  was 
elected  County  Superintendent  of  Schools  by  the 
Democracy  to  aid  him  in  maintaining  his  paper. 


720 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Mr.  Davies  was  a  talented  eilitor  and  lind  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  ex-Governor  Ford,  a  most 
estimable  lady,  but  lie  was  dissipated  and  dis- 
solute, abandoned  his  family  here  and  left  for 
parts  unknown  and  was  never  afterwards  heard 
from.  The  stockholders  of  The  Times  then  ar- 
ranged with  J.  C.  Fox  to  come  from  Missouri 
and  assume  editorial  charge,  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded as  editor  in  186(>  by  E.  A.  Snively.  Man- 
aging a  political  newspaper  to  suit  the  whims  of 
the  stockholders  and,  at  the  same  time  make  it 
pay,  was  no  easy  task  ;  and  while  The  Times  did 
Its  full  duty  politically  under  the  editorship  of 
Mr.  Snively,  it  failed  of  reaching  his  expectations 
in  a  business  way,  and  as  there  were  several  old 
judgments  against  the  company,  the  [laper  was 
sold  at  Sheriff's  sale  and  was  imrchased  by 
Edwin  Dyson,  the  jiresent  proprietor.  Mr.  Snive- 
ly aftenvards  published  a  newspaper  at  Carliu- 
ville.  and  served  for  several  terms  as  Clerk  of 
the  Appellate  Court  at  Springfield.  lie  Is  now  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  Pardon  Board,  and, 
though  he  has  been  out  of  active  newspaper  work 
for  many  years,  he  still  keejis  in  close  touch 
with  the  editors  and  has  rendered  them  good 
service  during  the  years  he  has  been  at  the 
State  capital. 

The  first  number  of  The  Times,  under  the 
ownership  of  Edwin  Dyson,  was  issued  July  2, 
1S(!S.  Fourteen  years  previous  Mr.  Dyson  had 
entered  the  office  of  The  Schuyler  Democrat, 
estalilished  by  D.  E.  H.  Johnson,  to  learn  the 
printer's  trade  and.  with  the  e.\ception  of  four 
years  spent  in  St.  Louis,  he  has  been  associated 
with  tlie  newspaper  business  in  Rnshville  ever 
since. 

In  1S54  The  Schuyler  Democrat  was  founded. 
It  w-as  owned  by  a  stock  company  and  was  edited 
by  Daniel  E.  H.  Johnson,  the  first  number  ap- 
pearing A]>ril  20,  18.^4.  George  Washington 
Scripps  purchased  the  paper  in  18.56  and  changed 
the  name  to  The  Schuyler  Citizen,  the  first  num- 
ber of  which  was  is.sued  July  0,  1850.  At  this 
time  The  Citizen  was  Independent  in  politics  and 
remained  so  until  1858,  when  the  historic  cam- 
paign of  Lincoln  and  Douglas  brought  to  the 
front  the  newly  formed  Republican  party,  which 
was  loyally  supported  by  The  Citizen.  Mr. 
Scripps  retained  the  ownership  of  the  paper  until 
1870.  when  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where 
he  died  September  21.  1808.  When  Mr.  Scripps 
retired  from  newspaper  work  in  Rushville.  he 
sold  The  Citizen  to  William  I.  Larash.  who  took 


charge  .\i)ril  1.  1870,  and  has  ever  since  been  ed- 
itor and  proprietor.  On  June  1,  1895,  Mr.  La- 
rash  began  the  publication  of  a  daily  edition  of 
The  Citizen,  which  he  still  publishes  in  connec- 
tion with  his  weekly  issue. 

The  Rnshville  Republican,  edited  by  F.  .V. 
Warden  &  Son,  was  established  January  17,  1801, 
and  was  continued  by  them  for  ten  years.  It  was 
Republican  in  iwlitics  and.  during  its  existence, 
was  the  official  organ  of  the  party. 

The  Schuyler  County  Herald,  owned  and 
edited  by  II.  E.  JIcLareu,  was  established  at 
Rushville  February  28,  1901. 

The  Camden  City  Register,  the  first  paper 
to  be  established  in  Schuyler  County  outside  of 
Rushville,  was  founded  by  H.  C.  Marl,  April  2, 
1890.  It  suspended  publication  September  30, 
1897. 

The  Littleton  Leader  was  founded  by  Doan 
Dlxson  and  the  first  paper  was  issued  Deceml)er 
7,  1905. 

The  Browning  Riverside  Review,  the  latest 
addition  to  Schuyler  County  newspajH^rs.  was 
foundwl  April  8,  1908,  by  Robbins  Bros. 


CHAPTER  XXUl. 


FR.VTERXAL  0U*;AX1/,.\TI0XS. 


RUSHVILLE  LODGE  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  OBGANIZED  IN  1842 
— IS  THE  FIR.ST  FKATEBNAL  OR0A>MZATION  IN 
SCHUYLER  COUNTY  AND  NINTH  OF  THE  ORDEE 
IN     THE     ST.\TE — OTHER     FRATER^'ITIES     IN     THE 

COUNTY KNIGHTS     TEMPIAR,     INDEPENDENT     OB- 

DFJJ  OF  ODD-FELLOWS,  WILLARD  ENCAMPMENT. 
KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS.  GRA.N'D  ARMY  OF  THE 
REPUBIJC.  MODERN  WOODMEN.  BOYAL  KNIGHTS. 
MYSTIC  WORKERS  AND  ORDER  OF  EAGLES — DATES 
OF  ORGANIZATION,   CHARTER    MEMBERS   AND  FIRST 

OFFICERS OTHER  ITEMS  OF  PER.SONAL  AND  IX)1)0E 

HISTORY. 

Rushville  Lodge  No.  9.  .\.  F.  &  X.  M.,  was 
instituted  October  8,  1842.  being  the  first  fra- 
ternal society  to  be  organized  in  Schuyler  County, 
and  the  ninth  lodge  of  the  order  in  the  State  to 
get  a   dispensation  and  charter  from  the  Grand 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


731 


Lodge.  The  first  lodge  in  Illinois  was  that  or- 
ganized at  the  old  historic  town  and  first  capital 
of  the  State,  Kaskaskia.  The  officers  and  char- 
ter members  of  Rushville  Lodge  Xo.  ".),  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  were : 

Levi  Lusk,  Worshipful  Master. 

James  L.  Anderson,  Senior  Warden. 

John  Todhmiter,  Junior  Warden. 

Adam  Dunlap,  Secretary. 

James   McCrosky,  Treasurer. 

John  B.  Seeley,  Senior  Deacon. 

William  Edgar,  Junior  Deacon. 

Thomas  J.  Garrett,  Tyler. 

Samuel  McHatton,  William  Davis,  Abner  Mc- 
Dowell. Josiah  Parrott,  Lewis  Horton,  Henry 
JIurray,  James  11.  Chick,  Ranseler  Wells,  Mar- 
shal Smith,  Alexander  Brazelton,  Nathan  Brooks 
and  Hart  Fellows  were  the  other  members. 

At  the  time  Rushville  Lodge  was  instituted 
there  were  eight  subordinate  lodges  in  Illinois 
located  in  the  following  cities :  Quinc.v,  Jack- 
sonville, Springfield,  Columbus,  Decatur  aud 
Joliet. 

Two  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Rushville 
Lodge  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  e.-irly  Masonic 
work  in  the  State,  and  held  responsible  positions 
In  the  Grand  Lodge.  Levi  Lusk  was  elected  Sen- 
ior Grand  Warden  in  1843  and  Most  Worshipful 
Grand  Master  in  1845,  and  served  as  Grand  Sec- 
retary from  1846  to   1847. 

James  L.  Anderson  was  Senior  Grand  Deacon 
in  ]84.5.  Grand  Treasurer  from  1840  to  1847,  and 
Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master  in  1854-.5.5,  and, 
while  in  this  office,  issued  the  dispensation  for 
the  first  Masonic  lodge  in  the  territory  of  Ne- 
braska at  Bellevue,  Douglas  County. 

The  Rushville  Lodge  has  passed  through  two 
fires  since  it  was  instituted,  and  many  of  the 
old  records  were  destroyed :  but  from  Grand 
Lodge  reports  and  other  sources,  George  R.  Glos- 
sop,  the  present  Secretary  of  the  lodge,  has 
compiled  a  historical  record  of  each  member, 
and  it  is  fairly  complete. 

The  first  destructive  five  sustained  Iiy  Rush- 
ville Lodge,  No.  0  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  in  the 
winter  of  1840-.")0.  At  that  time  the  lodge  occu- 
pied the  second  floor  of  a  brick  building  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  Teel  brick  building.  All 
the  early  records  of  the  lodge  were  destroyed  in 
this  fire  and,  as  the  Grand  Lodge  suffered  a  sim- 
ilar loss  at  Peoria  on  February  10,  1850,  it  has 
been  impossible  to  get  a  complete  recrird  of  the 
lodge.     Again,   in   1882,   wheu  the  south   side  of 


the  public  square  was  ravaged  by  fire,  the  Ma- 
sonic Lodge  room  in  the  third  story  of  the  E.  H. 
O.  Seeley  building  was  wiped  out,  and  again 
there  was  a  loss  of  records. 

The  oldest  member  of  Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M..  is  Thomas  P.  Parrott,  who  was 
initiated  during  the  year  1847.  Other  members 
have  gained  local  renown  b,y  reason  of  long  serv- 
ice in  official  positions  in  the  lodge.  Prominent 
among  these  is  John  McCabe  who  was  elected 
Treasurer  December  27,  1870,  and  served  until 
December  2.5,  1000,  when  he  declined  a  renom- 
ination.  John  C.  Scripps  served  as  Secretary 
from  1855  to  1882,  and  N.  B.  Seeley  was  Tyler 
of  the  Lodge  continuously  from  1855  to  1885,  and 
was  again  elected  iu  1888  and  served  until  De- 
cember 27,   1894. 

Levi  Lusk,  the  first  Worshipful  Master  of 
Rushville  Lodge,  was  initiated  as  a  Ma.son  April 
2,  1821,  at  Georgetown,  Scott  County,  Ky.  Dur- 
ing the  years  he  resided  there  he  was  elected 
to  practically  all  the  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
lodge.  In  18.S5  he  removed  to  Rushville  and  still 
kept  in  touch  with  the  Masonic  work,  even 
though  the  nearest  lodge  was  located  at  Quincy. 
In  18.37  he  was  called  upon  to  assist  in  consti- 
tuting a  lodge  at  Jacksonville,  wliirli  is  now  Har- 
money  Lodge  No,  .3. 

On  October  :?,  1.842,  Mr.  Lusk  went  to  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois  at  Jacksonville,  and 
Rushville  Lodge  having  been  granted  a  charter, 
be  was  seated  as  the  first  representative  of  the 
lodge,  and  at  that  session  was  elected  Senior 
Grand  Warden  and  appointed  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Foreign  Correspondence. 

At  the  Grand  Lodge  session  in  1843,  Mr.  Lusk 
was  elected  Grand  Lecturer,  being  the  first  to 
bold  that  office  iu  Illinois,  and  was  directed  to 
proceed  to  St.  Louis  and  there  meet  the  delegates 
to  the  Baltimore  convention  of  May,  1843,  and 
lierfect  himself  in  the  work  which  he  was  to 
impart  to  the  lodges  at  their  request  and  ex- 
pense. He  visited  St.  Louis  October  16,  1843, 
and  was  given  the  worli  by  Brothers  S.  W,  B. 
Carney  and  .Joseph  Foster,  who  had  been  dele- 
gates to  the  Baltimore  Convention,  and  the  work 
was  duly  reported  and  accepted  by  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Illinois. 

From  this  time  until  1862  Mr.  Lusk  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois, 
and  was  honored  by  the  highest  office  in  the 
lodge  in  1845.  and  afterw-ards  served  on  many 
important  connnittees.  also  being  Grand  Secretary 


733 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


from  IS-IC)  to  1847.  In  March,  IStUi,  lie  removed 
Irom  Scliuyler  County  to  Mt.  Sterling,  and  by 
resolution  was  made  a  life  nieml)er  of  Rushville 
Lodge,  Xo.  0,   free  of  all  dues. 

RUSHVIIXK     COMMANDERY     KnIGIITS     TeMPU\R. 

—The  charter  of  Kushville  Commandery  Xo. 
56,  Knights  Templar,  bears  date  October  25,  1882, 
but  on  February  13th  iirecedin;;  this  date,  the  flret 
wiuclave  was  held  in  the  old  Masonic  hall  on  the 
east  side  of  tlie  public  square  liy  ten  dis])ensa- 
tion  iiicniliers.  The  first  members  of  tliis  now 
nourishing  lodge  were:  Mark  Bogue,  George  W. 
Barnett.  Johu  M.  Darnell,  William  F.  Lowe,  R. 
Houicr  Mead,  S.  B.  Montgomery.  Charles  S.  Xel- 
son,  Josiah  L.  Parrott,  William  H.  IL  Uader  and 
George  C.  Ray,  and  the  date  of  their  dlsjiensa 
tion  was  January  24,  1S82. 

S<ion  afterward  steps  were  taken  towards  tlie 
formation  of  a  local  Commandery  of  Kniglits 
Templar  and  a  list  of  the  first  officers  elected 
and  the  first  cliarter  members  is  liere  given  : 

Officers. — Eminent  Commander.  William  II. 
H.  Rader ;  Generalissimo,  .Tohu  W.  Darnell ; 
Captain  General,  George  C.  Ray ;  Prelate,  Lewis 
C.  Seeley ;  Senior  Warden.  Sylvanus  B.  Mt)nt- 
gomery:  Junior  Warden,  .Mark  Bogue:  Recorder. 
John  C.  Scripps ;  Standard  Bearer,  George  W. 
Rarnett:  Sword  Bearer,  Mortimer  Ayers ;  Ward- 
en, Josiali  L.  Pan'ott;  Captain  of  Guards. 
Charles  S.  Xelson. 

Members. — Mortimer  Ayers,  JIark  Bogue,  Geo. 
W.  Bariiett.  Samuel  P  Cunniugh.Ttn.  LeandiM' 
Cassidy,  John  M.  Darnell,  David  H.  Glass,  John 
W.  Green.  Cliarles  B.  Griffith,  George  E.  Hall, 
John  II.  Hunter,  John  A.  Harvey,  Wm.  F.  Lowe, 
Wm.  Laml>ert.  Daniel  P.  Lyon.  William  I.  Larash, 
Richard  Homer  .Mead,  Sylvanus  B.  Montgomery, 
John  McCable,  Howard  C.  McCabe.  Chas.  H. 
Xelson.  James  IT.  Parrott.  Josiah  L.  Parrott. 
Marcus  L.  Parrott.  Wm.  II.  II.  Rader,  Wm,  ( ', 
Raper,  CJeorge  C.  Ray.  Dwight  E.  Ray,  Lewis  C. 
Seoley.  Xathaniel  B.  Sceley.  John  C.  Scripps,  Al- 
bert T.  Stodgel.  Henj.  D.  Smith,  Charles  H. 
Wells.  Thos.  AVright. 

Friendship  Lodge,  Xo.  24  I.  O.  O.  F. — In  the 
upper  room  of  the  old  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  on  East  W.ishington  street.  Friendship 
I^dge,  Xo.  2."),  Indeiiendeiit  Order  of  Od.l  Fel- 
lows, was  instituted  Feliruary  24,  1847.  by 
Thomas  I.  Burns,  of  Beardstown.  There  were 
five  charter  memlters  to-wit :  Charles  M.  Ray, 
John  Todhtinter.  Sr.,  Simon  Doyle.  Samuel  Lam- 
bert and  James  L.  Andei-son.     On  the  night  the 


lodge  was  instituted  Samuel  McCreery  and  B. 
'".  Gilliam  were  given  their  first  degree.  Within 
the  fir.st  year  the  membershiii  increased  to  more 
than  thirty.  The  first  Board  of  Trustees  was 
made  up  as  follows:  E.  II.  ().  Seeley,  James  L. 
Anderson,  Xathan  Moore,  William  Hastie  and 
James  G.   ilcCreery. 

The  lodge  has  been  honored  on  two  occasions 
by  having  an  officer  in  the  (!rand  Lodge.  B.  C. 
Gilliam  was  elected  Inside  Guardian  in  1.S5!),  and 
II.  T.  Peinberton  w;is  (Jrand  Mar.shal  in  ISlHi. 

In  1881  the  lodge  erected  a  two-storj-  brick 
building  on  the  north  side  of  the  public  .square, 
and  the  upper  floor  is  used  for  their  lodge  room. 

Adelaide  Rehekah,  Xo.  381. — This  lodge  was 
instituted  in  RushviUe.  April  4,  1901,  by  Si)ecial 
(Jrand  Master  E.  H.  Kinney,  of  Table  Grove. 

Wili_\rd  En<  ampment,  Xo.  C4. — I.  O.  O.  F. — 
Willard  Encampment,  Xo.  tU,  was  named  in 
honor  of  Samuel  Willard.  Most  Worthy  Grand 
Patriarch  of  the  (Jrand  Encampment  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.  of  Illinois,  under  whose  administration  the 
charter  was  issued,  February  22,  1806.  On  this 
charter  the  names  of  the  following  members 
were  inscribed :  Jesse  C.  Fox,  Harry  Maxwell. 
.\I.  .M.  Prentiss,  Anderson  J.  Goodwin,  Andrew 
Mathews,  Gilliert  Ingrahain  and  Henry  Korstian. 
On  .Vpril  3,  1806,  the  lodge  was  instituted  liy 
.loseph  Hocking.  Deputy  Grand  Patriarch,  with 
the  following  officers: 

Jesse  C.  Fox,  Chief  Patriarch. 

Gilbert   Ingrahani.   Senior  Warden. 

Harry    .Maxwell,    High    Priest. 

A.    J.    Goodwin,    Junior    W.inlcn. 

.\ndrew  Slathews,   Scribe. 

M.   M.   Prentiss.  Tre/isurer. 

SCIIUVLER  I^DGE  Xo.  211!).  K.NIGHTS  OF  PYTH- 
IAS.— Schuyler  Lodge,  Xo.  200  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, was  instituted  in  Rushville.  June  6,  1880, 
;i  lodge  team  from  Ix-wistown  giving  the  work  to 
twenty -eight  charter  members.  The  charter  from 
the  Grand  Lodge  bears  the  date  of  October  23. 
18110.     The  fir.st  officers  of  the  lodge  were: 

Past  Chancellor,  John  B.  Doyle. 

Chancellor  Commander,  Ovrin  Dilley. 

Vice-Chancellor,  JIartin  G.   Rice. 

Prelate,  Hugh  Greer. 

Keeper  of  Record  and   Seal.  A.  P.  Rodewahl. 

Master  of  Exchequer.  J.  M.  Harvey. 

JIaster  of  Finance.  Fred  Jackson. 

Master  of  Arms.  Chris  Peter. 

Inner   Guard.    Clarence    Xell. 

Outer  Guard,  Geo.  B.  Walker. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUXTY. 


723 


The  charter  members  of  this  lodge  were: 
Amos  W.  Ball,  George  Dyson,  S.  S.  Prentiss,  M. 
G.  Rice,  Frank  E.  Wliitsel,  A.  P.  Rodewald, 
Geo.  H.  Senceuieh.  Hugh  W.  Greer,  Dwight 
E.  Lawler,  Fred  Jaeksflpi,  James  V.  Knapp, 
Leonidas  Scott,  George  M.  Greer,  R.  L.  Prentiss, 
J.  Maurice  Harvey,  Fred  Rodewald,  John  B. 
Doyle,  Clarence  Nell,  Geo.  E.  Walker.  Orrin 
Dilley,  George  Hartman,  Levi  Dean,  Chris.  C. 
Peter,  Charles  D.  Smith,  C.  P..  Keimedy,  Lewis 
D.  Wells,  Wallie  J.  Wilson,  Arthur  M.  Fassatt. 

Col.  Horney  Post,  G.  A.  R. — Col.  Horney 
Post,  Xo.  151,  Department  of  Illinois  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  was  organized  April  8. 
1882.  The  charter  members  were :  George  F. 
Owen,  Henry  Craske,  George  Johnson,  William 
B.  Underhill,  D.  S.  Tetrick,  John  McCabe,  Fred 
Deeounter,  John  L.  Sweeney,  John  A.  Harvey. 
John  N.  Roach.  Perry  Lodsdon.  Fred  Wilniot 
and  J.  L.  Parrott. 

The  officers  elected  were : 

Post  Commander,  Henry  Craske. 

Senior  Vice  Commander.  Perry  Logsdon. 

Junior  Vice  Commander.  .Tolm  N.  Roach. 

Adjnbuit.  D.  S.  Tetrick. 

Quarter-master,  J.  I>.  S.wef'ney. 

Outer  Guard,  George  T.  Owen. 

Quarter-master   Sergeant.   Wm.    M.   Underhill, 

Sergeant  JIajor,  J.  L.  Parrott. 

T.  J.  Hutton  was  elected  Post  Commander  in 
1S92  and  has  served  continuously  in  the  office 
since  that  time.  J.  A.  P>ankes  has  been  Adjutant 
since  1807.  The  membership  roll  shows  that 
there  was  at  one  time  20;?  members,  but  at  the 
present  time  there  are  Imt  forty-four.  Of  the 
charter  members  but  foyr  remain,  viz :  Henry 
Craske,  J.  L.  Sweeney,  John  McCabe  and  Perry 
liOgsdon. 

Rr.siivii.LE  Camp  Xo.  ."08  M.  W.  A. — A  camp 
of  >rodern  Woodmen  of  America  was  organized 
in  Kushville  in  the  spring  of  1887,  but  the 
charter  of  Rushville  Camp,  No.  308,  bears  date  of 
X'ovember  f>,  1887.  The  lodge  was  instituted 
with   the  following  officers: 

Consul.  T.  J.  Ilutton. 

Worthy  -Vdvisor.   M.  J.   Doolittle. 

Clerk.   Geo.   P.    Houck. 

Banker,  Aug.  Fulks. 

Sentry,  George  W.  Henry. 

Escort.   George  Mead. 

Watchman,   M.   W.  Greer. 

Physician.  J.  A.  Haney. 


JIanagers — X.  S.  Montg<iniery.  M.  W.  Greer 
and   J.   A.   Harvey. 

T.  J.  Hutton  has  been  elected  every  year 
sin<e  then  to  the  office  of  Consul,  which  he  now 
holds. 

Royal  Neiqhboks. — JIaple  Camp.  Xo.  1720, 
Royal   Neighbors,  was   instituted  June  22,   189'.». 

JlYSTic  Workers. — Rushville  Lodge,  Xo.  474 
Mystic  Workers  of  the  World,  was  organized 
March  10.  1002.  The  order  admits  men  and 
women  on  equal  terms,  and  the  social  side  is  one 
of  the  leading  features  of  the  organization. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Seci'rity. — Rushville 
Council,  No.  487  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security, 
was  organized  in  Roach's  hall  December  2.% 
1S06.  with  nine  charter  members.  In  November, 
11107,  the  lodge  was  reorganized  with  five  of  the 
old  charter  members  still  on  the  roll. 

Order  of  Eagles. — Schuyler  Aerie.  Xo.  1G62, 
Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  was  instituted  July 
2,  1008,  a  team  from  the  Canton  Lodge  doing 
the  work.  This  lodge  had  more  than  a  hundred 
charter  members  and.  soon  after  org.inizing, 
fitted  up  their  lodgeroom  in  handsome  style. 
Tlic    first   officers   elected   were: 

Past  Worthy  President.  Guy  Grubb. 

Worthy    President.    Wm.    H.    Dietrich. 

\'ice  Worthy  President,  J.  Paul   Moore. 

Chaplain.   A.   M.   Foster. 

Treasurer,   W.   R.   Smith. 

S<'cretary,  George   Virgil. 

Worthy  Conductor,  Carl  Greer. 

Inner  Guard.  Melviu  Livingston. 

Outer  Guard.  James  Denny. 

Trustees.  A.  E.  Glossop.  Xathan  Spangler  and 
Walter  Teel. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


MILITARY   AFFAIRS— STATE   MILITIA. 


PLACE      OF      MILITARISM       IN      HISTORY — SOLDIERS' 

BOUNTY'   LANDiS CITIZENS   OF   SCHUYLER   COUNTY' 

WHO    SERVED   IN    WARS    OF   THE   REVOLUTION   AND 

1812 SOME    EARLY   APPLICATIONS    FOR   PENSIONS 

— SCHTTYLER    COUNTY    MILITIA    AND   REMINISCEN- 
CES  OF    MU.STER  DAYS — SO  .ME   MILITIA  OFFICERS — 


724 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


FIEST  INDEPENDENCE  DAT  CELEBRATION — TOASTS 
AND  RESPONSES — EFFORT  TO  ORGANIZE  AN  ARTIL- 
LERY  COMPANY   IN   1858. 

Militarism  demands  an  imiwrtant  place  iu  an.v 
history,  for  it  antedates  all  establislied  forms  of 
government,  and  is  the  acknowledsed  connecting 
link  with  the  primitive  tribal  relations,  which 
was  the  first  advance  in  our  sociological  prog- 
ress. And.  in  reviewing  the  history  of  S<-huyler 
County,  the  fact  presents  itself  that  this  region 
Is  included  within  what  is  known  as  "The 
Military  Tract,"  a  section  of  Illinois  that  was 
set  apart  as  bounty  lands  for  the  soldiers  In  the 
War  of  1812,  which  makes  its  very  inception 
closely  connected  with  the  military  history  of 
these  United  States. 

The  action  of  the  General  Governineut  in 
distributing  this  land  among  the  soldiers  is 
worthy  of  commendation,  but  few  indeed  of  those 
Intended  to  be  the  immediate  beneficiaries  ever 
took  possession  of  their  intended  allotments. 
Some  few  of  the  early  settlers  of  Schuyler 
County  were  veterans  of  the  Uevoiutionary  War 
and  the  War  of  1S12,  and  many  more  were  de- 
scendants of  patriotic  heroes,  who  had  served 
their  country  in  one  or  both  of  these  wars,  or 
had  been  with  that  hardy  band  of  patriots  that 
blazed   the   path    of   civilization    into    Kentucky. 

But  the  record  of  Schuyler's  citizen  soldiers  in 
every  war  that  has  been  fought  since  Illinois  was 
admitted  to  the  T'nion  of  States,  is  the  best  evi- 
dence of  the  fine  military  spirit  that  exists 
among  her  loyal  and  patriotic  citizens. 

Of  the  veterans  of  the  Wars  of  the  Revolution 
and  1S12,  and  who  wore  afterwards  residents 
of  Schuyler  County,  there  is  no  accur.ite  re<-ord. 
The  names  of  a  few  of  these  soldiers,  however, 
have  been  preserved  in  the  county  records  where 
application    was   made   for   iiensions. 

Under  an  act  of  Congress,  dated  March  18. 
1818,  ijonsions  were  allowed  soldiers  in  the  War 
of  tlie  Revolution  and  the  flr.st  application  filed 
in  Schuyler  County  was  presented  by  Henry 
Green  to  the  County  Commissioners,  June  4, 
1827.  In  his  petition  to  the  court  he  states  that 
this  was  his  third  application  for  pension. 

Mr.  Green's  army  record,  as  shown  in  his  peti- 
tion, recites  the  fact  that  he  enlisted  in  March. 
1779.  in  the  State  of  Maryland,  and  served  in 
Capt.  John  Gazway's  company,  commanded  by 
Col.  Thomas  Wolford.  and  that  he  continued  to 


serve  until  the  close  of  the  war.  receiving  his 
discharge  at  Annapolis. 

In  making  an  application  for  pension,  it  was 
required  that  the  applicant  should  accompany  his 
application  with  a  schedule  of  property  owned  by 
him  and  Mr.  Green  presented  the  following; 
One  debt  In  trade  $10 ;  one  horse  sixteen  years 
old ;  one  colt  one  year  old ;  one  cow  and  calf ; 
two  yearlings:  two  one-horse  plows;  two  old 
hoes;  one  horse-collar;  two  pairs  trace  chains; 
two  old  clevises ;  one  frow  ;  one  old  Iron  wedge ; 
one  old  log  chain.  The  propert}'  sdicduled  was 
valued  at  $80. 

There  was  red  tape  In  the  Pension  Depart- 
ment even  as  early  as  1827,  for  we  find  in  the 
County  Commissioners  riH-ord  that  it  was  re- 
(|\iircd  of  Mr.  (Jrecn  to  appear  before  that  body 
on  March  H,  1828,  and  again  give  an  inventory  of 
projierty  owned  by  him  on  March  18,  1818,  and 
explain  what  disposal  had  since  been  made  of  it. 
The  following  statement  shows  liow  Mr.  Green 
explained  his  case  to  the  Inquiring  government 
official:  "Loaned  mare;  cow  died;  the  .520  re- 
i-elved  from  .Tames  Turner  was  ajiplled  to  pur- 
chase hat  for  myself,  one  tin  bucket  and  the 
balance  for  clothing  for  my  family;  sheep  killed 
by  wolves;  .<l."'i  applied  to  purchase  feather- 
bed." 

In  this  application  Mr.  Green  gives  his  age 
as  sixtj'-three  .vears,  and  states  that  age  and 
infirmities  forbid  following  the  occupation  of 
farmer.  Mr.  Green's  statement  clearly  estab- 
lishes the  fact  that  he  held  the  honor  of  mak- 
ing the  first  application  for  pension  in  Schuyler 
County,  but  the  records  do  not  show  whether 
or  not  it  was  granted. 

On  September  ."5.  18.32.  applications  for  iien- 
sions  were  filed  by  William  Blair,  Benjamin 
Carpenter,  James  I.anman  and  George  Taylor. 

Jlr.  Blair  enlisted  in  May.  1778,  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  his  father.  lie  was  in  a  battle  with 
Indians  at  Tioga  River,  and  was  Injured  b.v 
carrying  an  anwnunitlon  liox.  Fie  enlisted  twice 
afterwards,  and  was  finally  discharged  in  1781. 

Benjamin  Carpenter  enlisted  as  minute-man 
for  four  years  at  Amherst,  Va..  in  May,  1776 ; 
was  in  one  engagement  at  Long  Bridge  on  York 
River,  and  present  at  surrender  of  Gen.  Corn- 
wallis.  Rev.  Peter  Cartwright  vouched  for  Mr. 
Carpenter's  reputation   as  a   citizen. 

James  Lanman  enlisted  at  Charleston,  S.  C, 
in  July,  177r..  He  reenlisted  March  3.  1781.  iu 
Capt.   Tillman   Dickson's   cavalry   company,   and 


C^^.   #^    c^^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


735 


served  under  Gen.  Nathaniel  Green.  He  partic- 
ipated in  ttie  battle  of  Guilford  and  Eutaw 
Springs,  and  in  the  latter  tight  was  wounded  in 
the  thigh. 

George  Taylor  enlisted  in  September,  1777,  in 
Cai)t.  Samuel  Scbackelford's  company,  com- 
manded by  Col.  Broadliead,  of  Amherst  County. 
Va  He  was  first  sent  to  Fort  Cumlierland  and 
served  four  months  and  a  half.  He  reen- 
listed  four  times  and  in  his  petition  for  a  pen- 
sion, states  that  he  served  under  Gen.  Wayne 
and  the  French  patriot.  Gen  Lafayette.  Rev. 
Peter  Cartwright  vouched  for  Mr.  Taylor's  good 
character. 

ScHfYLER  CoDNTY  JIiLiTiA. — Of  the  militia 
organization  in  Schuyler  County  we  have  no 
record,  and  a  careful  examination  of  the  his- 
tories of  the  State  throws  no  light  on  this  phase 
of  the  military  history  of  Illinois.  Nevertheless, 
an  extensive  system  of  military  organization  was 
maintained  in  the  State  from  3830  to  1840,  with 
the  Governor  as  Coniniander-in-chief.  but  no  rec- 
ord was  ever  l<ept  of  the  enrollment  of  troops,  and 
we  must  depend  upon  the  recollectiou  of  old  set- 
tlers for  the  facts  here  presented. 

As  early  as  1830  Schuyler  County  had  organ- 
ized a  militia  company  and  "Muster  Day"  was  an 
imjwrtant  event  in  the  life  of  the  pioneer.  Some 
of  those  who  participated  in  those  stirring  times 
recall  it,  after  the  lapse  of  years,  as  the  season 
for  a  general  debauch,  which  finally  led  to  the 
total  abandonment  of  the  entire  local  militia  sys- 
tem in  1840, 

Muster  Day  was  usually  held  once  or  twice 
each  year  in  ever.v  county,  and  at  that  time  all 
the  local  companies  were  gathered  in  battalion 
and  regimental  drilK  Jlen  from  distant  parts 
of  the  countj'  were  then  brought  into  friendly 
relations,  and  barter  and  ti-ade  in  everything, 
from  pocket  knives  to  horees,  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  the  citizen  soldiers.  Oftentimes  the 
men  would  be  accompanied  by  their  wives  and 
children,  for  Muster  Day  was  the  gala  d.ay  of  the 
.year  to  the  pioneers. 

In  Rushville  the  old  Muster  ground  was  on  the 
prairie,  where  the  new  Little  addition  has  been 
platted,  and  it  was  here  the  last  regimental  mus- 
ter was  held  in  the  fall  of  1840.  Col.  Russell 
Toncray  was  in  command  of  the  regiment.  Alex 
Hollingsworth  was  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Levi 
Lusk  Major,  and  Wiliani  Ellis  was  a  staff  of- 
ficer, but  we  have  been  unable  to  get  his  title. 
Among    the    captains    old    settlers    recall    the 


names  of  Capt.  Leonidas  Horney,  Capt.  Michael 
Kirkhani.  Capt.  Wiliam  Berry,  Capt.  Peter  C. 
^'ance,  Capt.  Ebenezer  Demmick,  Capt.  Russell 
Toncray,  Capt.  Mitch  White,  Capt.  Archie  Paris, 
Capt.  Brant  Brown  and  Capt.  A.  L.  Wells. 

Luke  Allphin,  of  Camden,  tells  us  that  the 
militia  in  the  west  part  of  the  county  was  com- 
manded by  Col.  Doltson,  of  Huntsville,  and  that 
once  each  year  several  companies  from  that 
neighborhood  attended  regimental  muster  at  Mt. 
Sterling,  where  Col.  Thomas  Brockman  was  in 
command. 

First  Fourth  of  July  Celebration. — The  first 
general  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  in 
Rushville,  occurred  in  1836,  and  we  are  fortunate 
to  have  in  our  possession  a  copy  of  The  Rushville 
Journal  giving  an  account  of  the  celebration  in 
detail. 

On  the  morning  of  the  sixtieth  anniversary  of 
the  nation's  independence,  the  patriotic  citizens 
gathered  at  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church, 
where  Rev.  Jlr.  McDowell  opened  the  meeting 
with  prayer.  The  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  read  by  Wm.  A.  Minsliall  and  orations  were 
delL\-ered  by  Hart  Follows  and  George  W.  Wells, 
From  the  church  the  citizens  marched  to  a  grove 
west  of  town  in  the  following  order : 

Rushville  Rifle  Company,  under  Capt.  Toncray. 

Revolutionary   Soldiere,  preceded   by  the  flag. 

Clergy.   Orators  of   the  Day. 

The   Ladies. 

Citizens. 

At  the  grove  a  basket  dinner  was  served  and 
short  toasts  were  given  by  the  citizens  assembled. 

James  S.  McCreery  was  President  of  the  day 
and  A.  McHatton  was  Vice-President,  Following 
is  a  list  of  toasts  submitted  with  responses: 

"The  Heroes  of  the  Black  Hawk  War" — Hart 
VeUows. 

"The  Judiciary  of  the  United  States"— W.  A. 
Minshall. 

"Davy  Crockett" — J.  M.  McCutchen. 

"The  4th  of  July,   1770" — J.   T.   Worthington. 

"Our  Star  Spangled  Banner" — Dr.  J.  W.  Clark. 

"The  Young  Tree  of  Liberty  in  Texas" — David 
Owens. 

"Constitution   Building" — Samuel   McHatton. 

"Our  Constitution" — Jos.  Burton. 

"Patriots  of  the  Revolution" — W.  Smith. 

"The  State  of  Illinois"— G.  W.  Baker. 

"Ed(\-ard  Livingston" — Dr.  J.  S.  Dunlap. 

"May  all  party  spirit,  founded  upon  the  love 


726 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


of   speculation,   be    Iniried    in    Rusliville" — Alex. 
Ciinipbell. 

"Comforts  of  rciice  aud  Blessiug  of  Lilierty" 
— A.  Maury. 

"The  Memory  of  Benjamin  Franklin" — M. 
Kirkham. 

"The  Militia  of  the  T'uitecl  States"— J.  G.  Ran- 
dall. 

"The  First  Settlers  of  Illinois"— John  Tod- 
hunter. 

"The  Yankees" — David  V.  Dawley. 

"The  Brave  Texans" — U.  W.  Renfroe. 

"The  Memory  of  Christopher  Columbus"— 
I>ewis  Robertson. 

"The  Heroes  of  Texas"— Dr.  R.  M.  W'orthing- 
ton. 

"The  Memory  of  Col.  Ethan  Allen" — Andrew 
Cruse. 

"Texans" — George  Henry. 

"Knowledge  is  I'ower" — .T.  D.   Manlove. 

"The  Fair  Sex" — H.  H.  Anderson. 

In  1858  an  effort  was  made  to  raise  an  artil- 
lery company  in  Rushville.  and  an  organization 
was  effected  by  electing  B.  C.  Gillam  captain 
The  men  composing  this  stpiad  left  no  record 
of  their  service,  but  the  brass  camion  furnished 
them  by  the  State  was  kept  in  Rushville  for 
several  years  aud.  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War.  was  called  in  by  Gov.  Yates  and  sent  to 
Cairo.  The  folowiug  notice  of  the  organization 
and  equipment  of  the  company  is  taken  from 
The  Rushviu.e  Times: 

"Notice  is  hereby  given  to  the  Rushville  .\rtil- 
lery  Company  that  Messrs.  Ray.  Little  &  Co..  have 
taken  the  contract  for  furnishing  material  and 
manufacturing  uniforms  for  said  company  on 
much  better  terms  than  I  have  expected,  viz: 
Coat  and  pants  of  blue  cloth,  trimmed  with  yel- 
low— the  cloth  to  be  superior  to  the  sample  fur- 
nished by  M.  L.  Read  &  Co.,  of  Beardstown. 
Tlie  price  is  $18.  to  be  paid  in  cash,  cooperage  or 
any  kind  of  produce.  Should  any  of  the  com- 
pany wish  it,  they  can  have  the  cloth  furnished 
ready  cut  out,  with  trimmings,  so  as  to  have  them 
made  up  at  home. 

"I  wish  all  to  be  uniformed  by  the  first  day  of 
April,  18.58.  Our  arms  will  consist  of  one  or  two 
brass  cannon,  and  several  stands  of  arms,  with 
all  the  accoutrements  of  the  best  pattern  aud 
latest  styles.  Said  arms  and  accoutrements  to 
be  delivered  to  us  in  January.  1858. 

"Our  next  meeting  will  be  on  Christinas,  the 
25th  dav  of  December   next.     Let  nil  come.     If 


there  are  any  who  wisli   to  enlist,  there  is  still 
room  for  a  few  more  good  men. 

"For  the  pride  and  honor  of  our  town  aud 
county,  let  us  use  every  exertion  to  get  up,  aud 
kee|)  up,  a  martial  spirit.  We  have  the  material 
and  the  ability  to  make  a  good  company,  and 
th:it  is  all  that   is  necessary. 

"B.  C.  GILI.AM.  dipt." 

"December    11,    1857. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 


TIIL  BLACK   HAWK  WAR. 


THE  MILITARY  TIl.\CT  A  FIELD  OF  MILITARY  OPERA- 
TIONS— THE  BLACK  HAWK  INVASION  OF  1831— 
IT    IS    BROroHT    TO    A    SPEEDY    TERMINATION    BY 

PROMPT  GOVERNMENT  ACTION SOME  CITIZENS  OF 

SCHUYIJCE  COUNTY  WHO  TOOK  PART  IN  THE 
CA.MPAIGN — SECONU  COMING  OF  BLACK  HAWK  IN 
18'12 — GOV.  REYNOLDS'  CALL  FOB  VOLUNTEERS  IS 
PRO.MI'TI.Y     MET — BEARDSTOWN    THE     RENDEZVOUS 

OF  TROOPS O.  H.  browning's  DIARY — RUSHVILLE 

0.\   THE   LINE  OF  MARCH PANIC   CAUSED  BY  THE 

STII.LMAN  DEFEAT — EEV.  CHAUNCEY'  HOBART'S  AC- 
COUNT— TWO  COMPANIES  FROM  SCHUYLER  COUN- 
TY— STORY  OF  THE  LINCOtJJ-ilOORE  WRESTUNG 
MATCH — A  MILITARY  ORDER — MUSTER  ROLL  OF 
SCHIYLER  COUNTY  VOLUNTEERS. 

The  history  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  Is  one  of 
thrilling  interest,  and  especially  to  the  residents 
of  the  >rilitary  Tract,  which  was  the  scene  of 
active  warfare,  but  Inasmuch  as  the  subject  is 
ably  treated  in  the  supplement  to  the  Encyclo- 
pedia part  of  this  work  (see  "Encyclopedia  of 
Illinois,"  pages  008-015),  we  will  content  our- 
selves with  a  review  of  the  part  Schuyler  County 
soldiers  played  in  this  war,  and  other  Incidents 
that  have  a  local  interest. 

Pioneer  settlers  of  Schuyler  indeed  took  a 
prominent  part  in  this,  the  only  war  fought  by 
Cuited  States  troops  in  Illinois,  and  mauy  there 
were  who  served  in  both  the  campaigns  of  18.^1 
and  18.32.  The  pioneers  were  not  only  stirreil 
to  effort  by  a  lofty  patriotism,  but  it  was  in  a 
measure  a  rally  to  protect  their  own  homes  and  • 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


nt 


loved  ones,  for  had  not  Bhick  Hawk  and  his  war- 
riors been  checked  at  the  Rock  River  they  would 
have  swooped  down  upon  the  scattered  settle- 
ments along  the  Illinois,  for  Schuyler  was  at 
tliat  day  on  the  northern  frontier  for  the  home- 
seekers. 

And  so  it  was  that  the  little  settlement  about 
Rushville  was  startled  early  in  May,  1S31,  by  the 
rumors  which  came  from  the  north,  that  Black 
Hawk  and  his  band  of  warriors  had  crossed 
the  Mississippi  River  and  threatened  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  white  settlers.  Then  came  Gov. 
Reynold's  call  for  volunteers,  and  the  whole 
Northwest  resounded  with  the  clamor  of  war. 
1'he  Governor  asked  for  700  men,  but  more  than 
twice  that  number  responded  at  the  date  of  ren- 
dezvous, June  15,  1831.  The  troops  crossed  the 
Illinois  River  at  Beardstown  from  the  south,  and 
met  the  frontiernieu  from  the  west  at  the  camp, 
two  miles  nortli  of  Rushville,  and  there  organ- 
ized into  two  regiments  and  two  battalions.  One 
regiment  elected  .Tames  D.  Henr.v,  of  Sangamon 
County,  Colonel,  and  the  other  elected  Daniel 
Lieb,  while  Ma.lor  Nathaniel  Buckmaster  w.is 
elected  to  command  the  "Odd  Battalion,"  and 
Major  Sanniel  Whitesides  was  appointed  by  the 
Governor  to  the  command  of  the  "Spy  Battalion," 
and  the  whole  brigade  was  placed  under  the 
command  of  Gen.  Joseph  Duncan,  afterwards 
fiovernor   of   Illinois. 

The  nuister  roll  of  volunteers  of  this  first  ex- 
pedition against  Black  Hawk  was  not  preserved, 
but  we  have  the  written  record  of  Rev.  Chauncey 
Hobart,  an  early  Schuyler  pioneer,  and  a  vol- 
unteer in  this  war,  of  the  part  taken  by  the 
Schuyler  compan.v  under  command  of  Capt.  Hart 
Fellows  and  Lieut.  William  C.  Ralls.  We  quote 
as  follows  from  Rev.  Hobart : 

"Gen.  Joseph  Duncan  took  command,  mid.  as 
our  county  lay  immediately  on  the  line  of  iiian-h 
to  Rock  Island,  we  were  ordered  to  wait  until 
the  brigade  came,  when  we  were  made  a  part  of 
the  Fourth  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  fifteen 
hundred  strong. 

"We  marched  in  foiu'  coUunns,  the  baggage 
train  keeping  the  road  and  two  regiments  on 
either  side,  ours  being  the  extreme  left. 

"To  most  of  the  men  this  going  to  war  was 
a  time  of  rare  frolic  and  nonsense.  To  us  fron- 
tier boys,  accustomed  as  we  had  been  to  rough- 
ing it,  most  of  the  time,  and  to  all  kinds  of  wind 
and  weather,  the  camping  out  in  blailkets  under 
the   stars,    and    marching   through    heavy   rains. 


(\as  not  considered  Iiardshi|is.  We  vastly  en- 
.ioyed  it,  we  thought  it  (vas  royal  fun. 

"Guards  and  scouts,  however,  were  regularly 
detailed,  as  if  there  was  danger  near,  but  nothing 
occurred  to  interrupt  tlie  jollity  of  the  march  to 
Rock  Island." 

At  Fort  Armstrong  the  troops  were  met  by 
Gen.  Gaines,  and  wlieu  the  volunteer  brigade 
crossed  Rock  River  they  found  the  Indian  vil- 
lage deserted.  Black  Hawk  and  his  warriors 
had  recrossed  the  Mississippi  into  Iowa,  and  the 
raw  recruits  who  were  thirsting  for  battle,  put 
the  torch  to  the  abandoiied  Indian  village  as  a 
record  of  their  displea.sure.  On  June  .30th  a 
treaty  of  peace  was  signed  and  the  pioneers  re- 
tiirned  home,  having  been  in  the  service  about 
thirty  days.  Many  were  displeased  at  the  fav- 
orable terms  given  Chief  Black  Hawk,  and  con- 
temijtuousl.v  referred  to  their  adventure  as  a 
"corn  war,"  instituted  by  the  Indians  to  secure 
maintenance  from  the  Federal  Government. 

Notwithstanding  the  treaty  signed  in  June, 
18.31.  Black  Hawk,  with  five  hundred  warriore 
on  horseback,  again  invaded  Illinois  in  the  spring 
of  1832  and  sought  to  influence  the  Winnebagoes 
and  the  Pottawatomies,  then  .stationed  in  Wis- 
consin, to  join  him  in  an  expedition  against  the 
settlers. 

On  Aiiril  If!,  1832,  Gov.  Reynold's  issued  the 
second  cill  for  mounted  volunteers,  to  rendezvous 
at  Beardstown  on  Aiiril  22d.  Men  left  their 
plows,  and.  with  little  or  no  preparation 
hastened  to  respond.  They  all  furnished  their 
own  horses  and  flreai'ms,  anil  it  was  a  motley 
army  that  gathered  to  resist  the  Indian  invasion, 
bnt  the  men  were  accustomed  to  the  wild  life 
on  the  frontier  and  entered  heartily  into  the 
task  before  them. 

\\'hile  Beardstown  was  named  as  the  place  of 
icialezvous  in  the  Governor's  call  for  troops, 
the  first  camp  of  the  volunteers  was  made  on 
the  Schuyler  side  of  the  river,  and  it  was  here 
the  little  army  was  organized  into  a  brigade 
under  command  of  Gen.  Samuel  Whitesides. 

O.  H.  Browning,  an  Adams'  County  volun- 
teer, afterwards  United  States  Senator  from 
Illinois,  kept  a  diary  during  the  period  of  his 
enlistment,  and  fi-om  this  record  we  learn  im- 
portant facts  of  the  campaign  and  the  movement 
of  the  troops  through   Schuyler  County. 

Under  date  of  Ajiril  25,  18.32,  Mr.  Browning 
writes  that  bis  company  left  Qnincy.  They  had 
no  tents,  and  when  dismounted  stood  ankle  deep 


728 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


in  iimrt.  On  Friday,  April  27tb,  they  reached 
liusliville,  and  marched  tliree  miles  east  of  town, 
where  the  troops  were  collecting  from  various 
places.  On  Monday,  the  30th,  the  whole  army, 
consisting  of  1,300  horsemen  and  some  on  foot, 
removed  seven  miles  and  went  into  camp,  four 
miles  north  of  Uushville.  Here  the  regiment 
commanded  by  Col.  Jacob  Fry,  of  Greene  County, 
was  organized  and  minor  officers  elected.  The 
arni.v  was  now  fully  organized  and  under  the 
command  of  Gen.  Samuel  Whitesides,  and  Gov. 
Ueynolds  also  accompanied  the  army  on  its 
march. 

From  Rushville  the  line  of  inarch  was  to  Tel- 
low  Banks  (now  Oquawka),  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  which  was  reiiched  on  May  3d.  By  rea- 
son of  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  boat  with 
provisions,  the  army  was  compelled  to  remain 
the  4th,  5th  and  lltb  in  camp.  On  the  morning 
of  the  7th  the  march  nas  continued  to  the  mouth 
of  Kock  River,  which  was  reached  atwut  night- 
fall. From  here  tlie  army  marched  to  Prophet's 
Town,  and  then  on  to  Dixon's  Ferry.  The  sea- 
son was  miusually  rainy  and,  l)y  the  time  the 
troops  had  reached  Dixon's  Ferry,  they  were 
nearly  exhausted  with  fording  creeks  and  tow- 
ing unmanageable  keel-boats  up  the  river,  many 
times  wading  waist-deei)  in  nilre  and  water. 

It  was  at  Di.xou's  Ferry  that  the  troop  first 
hoard  of  Stillman's  defeat  on  Slay  14th.  and  the 
meager  news  first  brought  in  by  stragglers  al- 
most caused  a  panic,  as  the  number  of  Indians 
swarming  down  upon  the  army  was  fixed  at  fif- 
teen  thousand. 

Rev.  Chauncey  Hobart,  a  Schuyler  County 
volunteer,  in  "The  Recollection  of  His  Life." 
states  that  they  were  awakened  about  2  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  l.nth  liy  a  straggler  from 
Stillman's  battalion,  who  stated  there  had  been 
a  desperate  fight  with  Black  Hawk's  band  and 
that  Stillmau  and  all  his  men  had  been  killed. 

'This  aroused  the  camp,"  says  Rev.  Hobart, 
■"The  men  were  sent  to  bring  In  the  horses — 
man.v  of  them  miles  away.  Our  scanty  breakfast 
was  hastily  eaten  and  l)y  sunrise  we  were  two 
miles  out  on  the  prairie.  During  the  march  up 
Rock  River  to  the  battle  field,  we  met  squads  of 
Stillman's  men,  who  were  perfectly  demoralized 
and  saying  we  would  find  Indians  by  the  thous- 
ands  just   ahead  of   us. 

"\Vhen  we  proceeded  about  twenty  miles  we 
came  upon  the  indications  of  the  fight;  dead 
horses,  blankets,  guns  and  other  articles,  which 


bad  been  dropped  in  the  flight.  And  before  we 
had  reached  iStillman's  cam|),  we  had  found  the 
bodies  of  ten  white  men  and  two  Indians,  who 
had  been  killed.  These  we  buried  and  then 
camped  on  the  battle  field." 

The  wily  Black  Hawk  lost  no  time  in  making 
a  liasty  retreat,  following  this  slaughter  of  the 
overconfident  volunteer  soldiers,  and  when  the 
main  army  came  up  he  was  marching  across  the 
border  into  Wisconsin.  The  prosjiect  of  a  long 
(anijiaign  was  disheartening  to  the  volunteers, 
who,  for  the  second  season,  had  neglected  their 
crops  at  a  time  when  it  meant  a  considerable 
loss  to  them,  and  there  was  a  general  clamor  to 
return  home.  Inasmuch  as  Black  Hawk  had  left 
the  State,  and  the  federal  troops  were  in  close 
pursuit,  the  volunteer  army  under  General 
Whitesides  was  disbanded  and  the  soldier's  re- 
ceived their  discharge  at  Ottawa,  May  28,  18."J2. 

.V  number  of  the  Schuyler  boys  under  Capt. 
William  C.  Ralls,  reenlisted  to  avenge  the  In- 
dian Creek  massacre,  following  Stillman's  defeat 
and  they  served  until  June  ].")th. 

In  resiionse  to  the  second  call  for  troops  fol- 
lowing Stillman's  defeat.  Capt.  .John  Steunett 
formed  a  comiiany  in  Scliuyler  County,  which 
was  attached  to  the  Odd  Battalion  of  Mounted 
Rangers,  and  nuistered  into  service,  May  30, 
is;i2.  This  company  ranged  between  the  Illinois 
and  Mississippi  Rivers  during  the  summer,  to 
protect  the  settlers  from  a  surprise  by  any  strag- 
gling hands  of  Indians.  They  were  mustered 
out.   September  4,  1S32. 

In  the  organization  of  troops  for  the  Black 
Hawk  War,  the  two  Schuyler  companies,  under 
connnand  of  Capt.  Jloses  G.  Wilson  and  Capt. 
Wm.  C.  Ralls,  were  attached  to  the  Fourth 
Regiment,  the  other  company  being  commanded 
by  Capt.  Abraham  Lincoln.  This  intimate  as- 
sociation in  camp,  where  sports  and  games  were 
a  feature,  brought  the  Schuyler  volunteers  into 
close  contact  with  Lincoln,  and  many  of  them 
were  afterward  his  stanchest  friends  and  sup- 
IKirters,  though,  jjerhaps,  they  never  could  really 
understand  how  he  had  outstripped  them  in  after 
life  and  won  renown  and  imperishable  fame  as 
the  nation's  most  beloved  and  exalted  executive. 

The  writer  well  rememlters  when  a  lad  listen- 
ing to  the  stories,  tgld  by  John  Brown,  a  Black 
Hawk  War  veteran,  and  the  name  of  Lincoln 
was  oftentimes  mentioned  in  the  recitals,  which 
filled  our  boyish  heart  with  wonder  and  excite- 
ment,   but   the   details  have   long  since  passed 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


729 


from  memory,  but  there  is  no  mistaking  the  fact 
that  John  Brown  was  one  of  the  men  who  Ijnew 
Lincoln  intimately  in  those  stirring  pioneer  days. 
Much  has  been  written  concerning  the  cele- 
brated wrestling  match  indulged  in  by  Lincoln, 
when  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  there  is  now 
good  authority  for  stating  that  the  historic  bout 
took   place   in   Schuyler   County. 

Col.  Risdon  M.  Moore,  now  United  States  In- 
ternal Revenue  Collector  at  San  Antonio,  Texas, 
has  written  an  account  of  the  wrestling  match, 
as  he  heard  it  from  his  father,  and  from  Mr. 
Lincoln  himself,  and  the  same  has  been  published 
in  the  "Transactions  of  the  Illinois  Historical 
Society."     We  quote  as  follows : 

"The  place  where  the  contest  came  off  was 
near  Beardstown,  on  the  Illinois  River,  perhaps 
just  across  the  river  on  the  west  side.  It  was 
when  the  volunteers  were  meeting  there  prepara- 
tory to  taking  the  field  against  Black  Hawk,  in 
the  spring  of  18.32.  The  occasion  of  the  'wrassel' 
was  this :  A  company  of  mounted  volunteers 
from  near  Belleville,  in  St.  Clair  County,  com- 
manded by  my  uncle,  Capt.  William  Moore,  and 
one  from  Sangamon  County  under  Capt.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  arrived  at  the  same  place  at  the 
general  rendezvous  at  about  the  same  time,  and 
both  wanted  the  same  camping  ground,  which 
was  just  large  enough,  with  conveniences  of 
wood  and  water,  for  one  company,  but  not  large 
enough  for  two. 

"The  proposition  to  wrestle  for  choice  of  camp 
grounds  came  from  the  Sangamon  Company,  that 
the  two  captains,  my  uncle  and  Mr.  Lincoln, 
wrestle  for  it.  My  uncle  declined  this  banter, 
and  then  my  father,  Jonathan  Moore,  who  was 
then  Orderly  Sergeant,  designated  Dow  Thomp- 
son to  represent  the  St.  Clair  Company." 

Mr.  Moore  then  tells  of  a  meeting  with  Lin- 
coln at  Springfield  on  August  8,  1860,  when  this 
now  famous  wrestle  was  referred  to,  and  his 
narrative   as   stated   by   Lincoln,   reads : 

"Gentlemen,  I  felt  of  Mr.  Thompson,  the  St. 
Clair  champion,  and  told  my  boys  I  couUl  throw 
him,  and  they  could  bet  what  they  pleased.  You 
see,  I  had  never  been  thrown,  or  dusted,  as  the 
phrase  then  was,  and,  I  believe  Thompson  said 
the  same  to  the  St.  Clair  boys,  that  they  might 
bet  their  bottom  dollars  that  hg  could  down  me. 
You  may  think  a  wrestle,  or  'wrassle,"  as  we 
called  such  contests  of  skill  and  strength,  was 
a  small  matter,  but  I  tell  you  the  whole  army 
was  out  to  see  it.     We  took  our  holds,  his  choice 


first,  a  side  hold.  I  then  realized  from  nls  gr\p 
for  the  first  time  that  he  was  a  powerful  man 
and  that  I  would  have  no  easy  job.  The  struggle 
was  a  severe  one,  but  after  many  passes  and 
efforts  he  threw  me.  M.v  boys  yelled  out  *a 
dog  fall,'  which  meant  then  a  drawn  battle,  but 
I  told  my  boys  it  was  fair,  and  then  said  to 
Thompson,  'now  it's  .your  turn  to  go  down,'  as 
it  was  my  hold  then,  Indian  hug.  We  took  our 
holds  again,  and  after  the  fiercest  struggle  of  the 
kind  that  I  ever  had,  he  threw  me  again,  almost 
as  easily  at  my  hold  as  at  his  own.  My  men 
raised  another  protest,  but  I  again  told  them  it 
was  a  fair  down.  Why,  gentlemen,  that  man 
could  throw  a  grizzly  bear." 

Biographers  of  Lincoln  have  given  credit  to 
this  celebrated  wrestle  with  Thompson  and,  in- 
asmuch as  the  troops  were  assembled  and  camped 
for  several  days  in  Schuyler  County,  the  natural 
conclusion  is  that  the  bout  occurred  at  the  camp 
three   miles  east  of   Rushville. 

Military  discipline  was  unknown  to  the  raw- 
recruits  composing  Gen.  Whiteside's  Brigade, 
and  the  action  of  the  troops  on  the  march  and 
in  camp  caused  Gov.  Reynolds  much  annoyance 
and  chagrin.  And  so  it  was,  that  the  celebrated 
General  Order  of  April  30th,  was  issued,  while 
the  troops  were  in  camp  north  of  Rushville.  A 
manuscript  copy  of  this  order  has  been  preserved 
and  it  reads  as  follows : 

"Headquarters  near  Rushville, 
April  30,  1832. 

(GENERAL  ORDER,) 

"There  is  to  be  no  firing  of  guns  in  the  lines 
or  encampment  without  permission  from  the  field 
officers  under  whose  command  the  applicant  may 
be  placed,  nor  will  any  other  disorderly  conduct 
whatever  be  allowed  in  the  brigade.  At  12 
sounds  of  the  bugle  officers  and  soldiers  will  rise 
up  and  prepare  for  the  business  of  the  day ;  at 
6  sounds  they  will  catch  horses ;  at  8  sounds  sad- 
dle up;  at  10  sounds  parade:  at  3  sounds  march; 
at  4  sounds  halt ;  at  14  sounds  officers  to  at- 
tend   headquarters    for    orders. 

"By  order  of  Brig.  Gen.  S.  Whitesides. 

"N.   Bdckmaster, 

"Brigade  Major." 

This  order  was  meant  to  apply  to  the  volun- 
teers in  the  ranks,  but  It  seems  as  though,  Capt. 
Lincoln,  while  on  the  march,  indulged  in  an 
unseemly  display  of  firearms  and,  in  consequence, 
was  reprimanded  and  compelled  to  wear  a 
wooden  sword  by  Iiis  superior  officer  as  punish- 


730 


IIISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


nient  for  the  offense.  No  dovilit  tliere  were  otiier 
offeiidei-s  anion};  the  vohnitiH'rs  of  the  Fourth 
regiment,  of  which  the  Schuyler  troops  formed  a 
part,  hut  history  has  made  no  record  of  it.  Of 
the  three  captains  in  this  regiment,  Moses  G. 
Wilson,  of  Rushville,  was  the  only  one  to  achieve 
the  distinction  of  promotion,  and  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  rank  of  Jliijor. 

The  record  of  the  services  of  the  Schuyler 
County  soldiers  in  the  second  canipaign  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  in  1832  is  contained  in  the 
report  of  the  Adjutant  General  of  Illinois,  pub- 
lished in  1SS2.  The  Fourth  Kegiuient  was  com- 
manded by  Samuel  JI.  Thompson,  of  the  Brigade 
of  Mounted  Volunteers  conmianded  by  Brig. 
Gen.  Sanuiel  Whitesides.  There  «ere  three  com- 
panies commanded  by  Cajit.  Sanuiel  ITollings- 
worth,  who  succeeded  Jloses  G.  Wilson,  advanced 
to  Major,  Capt.  Wm.  C.  Kalis  and  Capt.  .\braliam 
Lincoln. 

.MISTKH  KKI.I..^. 

The  muster  roll  of  the  Schuyler  volunteers  Is 
as  follows : 

Captain — Moses  G.  Wilson,  elected  Major,  April  30, 
1832. 

Second  Lieutenant — -\lex.  Ilolllnj^worth,  lost  horse 
May  22,    1832,  award. 

Second  Lieutenant — Harvey  Skllcs. 

Sergeants — John  B.  Watson,  appointed  AdJ't  of 
4th  Kes..  April  30.  1832;  G.  W.  P.  Maxwell,  ap- 
pointed I'"lrst  Serjeant,  April  30 :  resigned  May  1!) ; 
Samuel  llolllngsworth.  elected  Captain,  April  30, 
1S32;  I.  G.  Randall,  resigned  May  19.  1832. 

Corporals — Ava.  Holllugsworth.  resigned.  April  30, 
1S32  ;  James  Martin,  appointed  Klrst  Corporal,  April 
30.  1S32;  David  Krayner,  appointed  Second  Sergeant, 
April  30.  1832;  L.  B.  Sklles  appointed  Third  Cor- 
poral, April  30,  1832. 


Privates — 

Ablrott,  Thomas,  furloughed   (sick).  May  19,  1832. 

Abbott,  .v.,  furloughed  (to  attend  sick).  May  19, 
1832. 

Bogart,  Samuel,  appointed  First  Sergeant.  May  19, 
1832.     Lost  horse. 

Burnett.  Wm. 

Butler.  George, 

Cox.  William,  appointed  Fourth  Corporal,  April  30, 
1832. 

Collins.   Kiijah.  detailed  on  extra  duty. 

Dunlap.  .\dam,  appointed  First  Surgeon's  Mate, 
April  30.   1S32. 

Frakes.  James. 

Guinn,  William. 

Harrison.  G.  II.. 

Holllngsworlh,  Abe, 

Iloilingsworth,  John, 

HoIIiday.  I.  S., 

Holiart,  Chauncey,  appointed  Fourth  Sergeant,  April 
30,  1832. 

HUis,  Gamaliel, 

Hornev.  Nowlen,   lost  horse   May  22,   1832. 

Hills,  Ishmael. 

Hornev.  Samuel,  appointed  Quartermaster.  April  30, 

Justus".  G.  W.. 

Klrkham,  Ezra.  lost  horse  May  22,  1832. 

Ijockhart,  William. 

Lane.  Rutherford,  lost  horse  May  22,  1832. 


McFadden,  John,  appointed  Third  Sergeant,  May  19, 
1832. 

-Murphy.  Robert,  detailed  on  extra  duty. 

Morgan.  .lohn, 

-Moore,  Willie, 

Naught,  George, 

Riley,  Daniel,    lost  horse   May   22,    1832. 

Reno,  Jonathan,  appointed  Second  Corporal,  -\nril 
30,  1S32. 

Riley,  Caleb, 

Sklles,  Benj.. 

Wilson,  William  L., 

Wallace,  Moses, 

Wricht.  Ilemv, 

Williams,  Ell, 

Young,  William,  lost  horse  May  22,  1832. 


Captain — Wm.  C.  Ralls. 

First  Lieutenant — James  Blackburn,  resigned  and 
returned  home  May  13,  1832. 

Second  Lieutenant — John  Stcnnet,  promoted  First 
Lieutenant,  May    13,  1832. 

Sergeants — John  M.  Jones.  Geo.  W.  Penny,  James 
Hunter,  James  1'  HInney,  promoted  Second  Lieuten- 
ant. May  13,  1832. 

Corporals — Theo.  Jourdan.  Stephen  li.  St.  Cyr,  Jere- 
miah While,  Alfred  W.  Mcllatleu,  appointed  Sergeant 
-Major,  May  IS,   18.(2. 


Privates — 

Ballard,  Noah  B.,  sick  and  furloughed.  May  2G, 
1832. 

Brines,  Roswell. 

Brisco,  John, 

Boothe,  John, 

Coonrod,  Jefferson, 

Combs,  Stephen, 

Crawford,  John  D., 

Chapman.  Johnson, 

He  Witt,  Gabl., 

Davis,  .rohn. 

Kdmonston.  David, 

I'^arnest.  .\aron.  detailed  In   wagon  service. 

(ilenn,  Rol)crt  H.. 

Gay,  Lewis, 

Hayden,  Thomas, 

Uambaugb,  Stephen,  appointed  Fourth  Sergeant, 
May  13. 

Hill.  James, 

Ives.  Joll. 

Kiliion.  .Michael,  sick  and  furloughed.  May  20. 

-Morris.  William, 

Moore,  I)aniel, 

McKee.  William, 

Owen.  Luke. 

I'almer.  Benj.. 

Rose.  Wm.  B.. 

Richardson,  Jacob, 

Richardson,  Aaron, 

Redick,  Thomas. 

Starr.  John  H., 

Sellars,  Thomas, 

Seward.  Luster, 

Till.  KUmming.  sick  and  furloughed.  May  10,  1S32. 

Van  Winkle,  -Mex.. 

Vandewenter,   Cornelius,   furloughed.   May   26,   1832. 

Vanwalter.  .Tohn.  sick  and  furloughed.  May  10,  1832. 

Wilkerson,  Jacob,  appointed  Fourth  Corporal.  May 
18,  1S32. 

Wilson,  Benjamin, 


Odd  Battalion-  Mounted  Rangebs. — The  Odd 
Battalion  of  the  Brigade  of  Mounted  Rangers, 
called  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  on 
the  requisition  of  Gen.  Atkinson,  by  the  Gov- 
ernor's proclamation,  dated  >ray  .30,  1832,  was 
mustered  out  of  service  September  4,  1832.  The 
company  was  enrolled  at  Rushville,  June  6. 


1^ 
K 
O 

g 

> 

V) 


> 
w 

M 
> 

2; 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


731 


Captain — Jobn  Stennett. 

First  Lieutenant — Daniel  llatheney. 

Second  Lieutenant — Joel  Pennington,  absent  on  fur- 
lough from  Aug.  27  to  this  date. 

Sergeants — John  B.  Smith,  Samuel  L.  Darls,  Norrls 
Hobart,  Phillip  Ilorney. 

Corporals — Robert  Martin,  Eli  Williams,  James 
Bell,  absent  on  furlough  from  Aug.  27  to  this  date  ; 
Isaiah  Price. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


THE   MEXICAN   WAR. 


Privates — ■ 

Allen,  William,  absent  on 
furlough  from  Aug.  27 
to  this  date. 

Brown,  William, 

Bristow,  Isaac, 

Bristow,  Matbew  C, 

Briggs,  Ellas, 

Brakewell,  Charles,  sick 
on  way  home. 

Busan,  Jesse, 

Friend,  Abel, 

Glenn,  Fielding  T., 

Golstou.  Benjamin, 

Howard,  James. 

Hartley,  Ell,  absent  on 
furlough  from  Aug.  27 
to  this  date. 

Hunter,  Jesse, 

Holliday,  Sanford, 

Harrison,  George  H., 

Horney,  Samuel,  appoint- 
ed Quartermaster  of 
battalion,  June  15. 

Isaac,  Allen, 

Jones.  John  M.. 

Kennett,  William, 

Luster,  Jesse,  absent  on 
extra  duty. 


McGeehy,  William, 

McKee,  William, 

McKee,  James, 

Matheney,  Daniel,  Jr., 

Martin,  Richard  D., 

O'Neill.  Simon  P.,  detailed 
on  extra  duty. 

Osbourne,  Joseph,  on  fur- 
lough, arm  dislocated. 

Pennington,  Riggs, 

Pennington,  S.  O., 

Pennington.  Riley, 

I'eckingham,  Peter, 

Penningham,  Wesley, 

Pettigrew,  George  M., 

Rice,  Nicholas, 

Rose,  Stephen, 

Rose,  .John  S., 

Rlgg.  William  T., 

Smith,  George. 

Smith.  Samuel. 

Smith,  Hugh, 

.Sallie,  Oliver  P., 

Stew'art,  Samuel, 

Tullis.  Joel. 

Van  Winkle,  John, 

Williams,  Mervin, 

^Miite,  Jeremiah. 


Independent  Company. — Aftci-  tbe  volunteers 
were  mustered  out  of  service  at  Ottawa,  many 
of  them  reeulisted  and  Capt.  Wm.  C.  Ralls  was 
put  In  command  of  one  of  these  independent 
companies.  There  were  volunteers  from  many 
other  regiments  included,  and  the  company 
served  until    ,Tune  15,   1832. 


Captain — William  C.  Ralls,   Schuyler  County. 

First  Lieutenant  —  Radford  M.  Wvatt,  Monroe 
County. 

Sergeants — John  M.  Jones,  Schuyler  County  ;  Sam- 
uel M.  Pierce,  Adams  County ;  Stephen  A.  St.  Cyr, 
St.  Louis ;  S.  G.  Bond,  Monroe  County. 


Privates — ■ 
Bristow.  John,   Schuyler  County. 
Brooks,  .Stephen,   Monroe  <'oiuity. 
Beebe,   Erastiis,    Adams   County. 
Crawford.   John   D.,    Schuyler   County. 
Coonrod,  Jefferson,   Schuyler  County. 
Chapman.  Johnson,   Schuyler  County. 
Eves,   Joel.   Schuyler  County. 
.Tohnson,   James  W.,  Shelby  County. 
Johnson,  Thomas.  Adams  County. 
Kirkham.  Ezra.   Schuyler  County. 
Lane,   Rutherford.    Schuyler   County. 
Mooro,    Daniel,    Schuyler   County. 
Morris.  William.   Schuyler   County. 
Melvan.    Andrew.    Missouri. 
Owens,    Luke.   Schuyler  County. 
Richard.son,  Jacob,  Schuyler  County. 
Richardson,   Aaron,   Schuyler  County. 
Trail.  Xerxes  F.,   Monroe  County. 
Turner,   Eben,  Adams  County. 
Wilkerson,   Jacob,   Schuyler   County. 


WAR    DUE    TO    ANNEXATION    OF   TEXAS    APPROVED    BY 

CITIZENS      OF     SCHUYLER     COUNTY' GOV.      FORD'S 

CALL  FOR  VOLUNTEERS  IS  ANSWERED  BY  DOUBLE 
THE  NUIIBEB  CALLED  FOR — SCHUYLER  AND 
BROWN  COUNTY'  VOLUNTEERS  UNITE  TO  FORM 
COMPANY-  E.  FIRST  REGIMENT  ILLINOIS,  UNDER 
COMMAND  OF  COL.  JOHN  J.  HARDIN — THE  REGI- 
MENT, AFTER  BEING  MUSTERED  IN  AT  ALTON,  ILL., 
REMOVES  SUCCESSIVELY  TO  NEW  ORLEANS,  MATA- 
GORDA BAY  AND  SAN  ANTONIO,  TEXA.S — ADVANCE 
TO  THE  EIO  GRANDE  PRECEDING  THE  BATTLE  OF 
BUENA  VISTA — LIST  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY  SOL- 
DIERS   KILLED    IN    THAT    BATTLE MUSTER    ROLLS 

OF  COMPANY'  E  AND  INDEPENDENT  CAVALRY  COM- 
PANY— ^MEMBERS  OF  THE  LATTER  WHO  DIED  IN 
THE  SERVICE. 

Without  soins  into  a  detailed  history  of  the 
causes  that  Ijrouglit  about  the  Mexican  War,  it 
will  interest  the  student  of  Illinois  history  to 
iuiow  tliat  the  war  was  sanctioned  by  the  resi- 
dents of  our  own  State.  Such  was  not  the  case 
in  tiio  East,  lint  Illinois  people  had  favored 
Texas  nnnex.-itioii  and  gave  entliusiastic  supiwrt 
to  tlie  Mexican  War,  and  her  soldiers  won  imper 
ishal)le  fame  and  renown  by  their  display  or" 
valor  on  the  l)attlefloId. 

The  war  sentiment  in  Illinois  was  shown  most 
foreilily  wlien  Gov.  Ford  made  his  call  for 
troops.  Within  ten  days  thirty-five  full  com- 
panies had  organized  and  reported,  and  by  the 
time  tlie  place  of  rendezvous  had  been  selected, 
tlie  number  was  increased  to  seventy-five.  Tlie 
full  quota  of  thi.s  State  was  limited  to  thlrtv 
companies,  which  meant  disapiMintinents  for 
many  of  the  enthusiastic  volunteers.  It  may  be 
of  interest  to  know  that  the  pay  of  these  volun- 
teer soldiers  was  $8  and  commutation,  amount- 
ing in  all  to  .$15.50  per  month.  The  men  were 
required  to  furnish  their  own  uniform  for  which 
the,v   later  received   remunoration. 

At  the  time  of  the  lirealving  out  of  the  Mexi- 
can War  but  little  progress  had  been  made  in 
military  equipment  since  the  day  of  the  Revo- 
lution.    It  is  true  percussion  guns  had  been  in- 


732 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


vented  as  early  as  1S40.  but  only  one  regiment 
was  supplied  with  these  modern  arms  and,  taken 
as  a  whole,  the  Mexican  campaign  was  fought 
with  the  old  fashioned  flint-lock  guns. 

In  any  good  general  history  may  be  found  an 
account  of  the  Mexican  War;  and  the  campaign 
against  Gen.  Santa  Anna,  in  which  Schuyler 
troops  participated,  forms  the  most  thrilling 
chapter,  culminating  as  it  does,  in  the  decisive 
battle  of  Buena  Vista,  We  will  not,  however, 
attempt  to  give  even  a  summary  of  this  war, 
but  will  confine  ourselves  to  the  local  history 
connected  with  the  organization  and  achieve- 
ments of  the  two  companies  formed  at  Rusliville 
and  commanded  by  men  from  Schuyler  County. 
The  first  call  for  volunteers  in  Illinois  was 
made  by  Gov.  Ford  under  date  of  May  25.  1S4C. 
Inasmuch  as  the  militia  had  for  several  years 
been  in  a  disorganized  state,  it  was  further 
ordered  that  the  Sheriffs  convene  the  militia 
regiments  or  old  battalions  en  masse,  and  enroll 
such  volunteers  as  might  offer  in  their  respective 
counties. 

Enoch  Edmonston  was  Sheriff  of  Schuyler 
County  at  that  time,  and  Lewis  D.  Erwin  was 
his  deputy,  and  they  posted  notices  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's i)roclamation  in  every  voting  precinct  In 
the  county.  When  the  Governor's  proclamation 
was  issued.  Wm.  A.  Richardson,  one  of  the  lead- 
ers of  the  Schuyler  bar,  was  attending  court  In 
Carthage,  and  he  wrote  to  Mr,  Erwin  that  he 
would  be  home  on  Saturday  of  that  week  and 
asked  him  to  see  a  number  of  men  who  were 
likely   to   enlist. 

Mr.  Richardson  reached  Rushville  on  the  ap- 
pointed date,  and  a  rousing  meeting  was  held  in 
the  old  court  house  yard,  where  animating 
strains  of  martial  music  were  wafted  upon  the 
air  inspiring  the  soldierly  impulse  in  the  men 
assembled.  Mr.  Richardson  mounted  a  box  on 
the  west  side  of  the  court  house  and  read  the 
Governor's  proclamation,  following  it  up  with  a 
spirited,  patriotic  and  effective  appeal  for  volun- 
ters.  "I  propose  to  go  to  Mexico  to  the  relief 
of  Gen.  Taylor,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Richardson,  at 
the  close  of  his  speech,  "and  would  ask  that  all 
the  men  who  nill  go  with  me  move  to  the  west 
part  of  the  court  house  yard."  There  was  in- 
stant response  to  tJais  call  for  volunteers  and  the 
men  were  there  formed  in  line  and  marched  past 
the  south  door  of  the  court  house,  where  Mr. 
Erwin  counted  eighty-four  men  in  line,  the  full 
quota  for  a  company.     Before  the  men  disbanded 


the}-  were  instructed  to  meet  the  following  Sat- 
urday to  drill. 

During  the  week  following  there  developed 
considerable  opposition  to  the  war.  which  was 
led  by  Robert  Blackwell,  one  of  Rushvllle's 
talented  and  popular  lawj-ers,  who  afterwards 
located  in  (^hicago  and  won  for  himself  a  state 
rci'utation  as  an  authority  on  legal  practice,  Mr. 
Blackwell  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the  war  and 
he  used  his  influence  to  get  the  men  to  with- 
draw their  names  as  volunteers.  This  was 
plainly  evident  when  the  men  met  for  drill  on 
the  following  Saturday,  as  there  were  only  fifty 
present,  and  it  began  to  look  as  though  the  pat- 
riotic efforts  of  Mr.  Richardson  would  come  to 
naught  Sheriff  Edmonston  had  not  enlisted  up 
to  this  time  as  It  was  the  understanding  that 
Mr.  Erwin  would  go  to  the  war,  but  when  Mr. 
Blackwell  Incited  the  men  to  withdraw  their 
names  and  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  Sheriff 
was  enlisting  men  when  he  himself  was  not  a 
■volunteer,  Mr.  Edmonston's  fighting  blood  was 
aroused  and  he  insisted  that  Mr.  Erwin  should 
take  charge  of  his  oBice  while  he  wont  to  war. 
George  S.  Meyers,  of  Brown  Countj-,  had  en- 
deavored to  raise  a  company  and  failed,  and  he 
sent  word  to  Mr,  Richardson  that  he  would  like 
to  bring  his  men  to  Rashville  and  join  the  com- 
pany he  was  organizing.  The  offer  was  accepted 
and,  when  the  company  was  organized,  Mr. 
Myers  was  elected   Second  Lieutenant. 

With  the  addition  of  the  recruits  from  Brown 
Countj-  there  was  more  tlian  enough  men  to  fill 
Mr.  Richardson's  company,  and  regular  drlll» 
were  held  on  the  prairie  south  and  west  of 
where  the  Methodist  church  now  stands.  The 
most  of  the  men  had  been  members  of  the  local 
militia  and  knew  something  of  the  manual  of 
arms,  and  they  entered  heartily  into  the  drills, 
as  they  wished  to  make  a  .good  appearance  when 
mustered  in  with  tlie  other  troops  from  Illinois, 
at  Alton.  It  was  on  this  drill-ground  that  Lewis 
D.  IDrwin  took  the  names  of  the  Schuyler  vol- 
unteers who  pledged  themselves  to  go  to  the 
Mexican  War.  In  detailing  the  occurrence  to 
the  editor  of  this  historj-,  Mr.  Erwin  states  that 
he  placed  his  paper  on  the  head  of  a  big  bass 
drum,  and  took  the  name  of  each  volunteer  as 
they  marched  past  As  he  remembers,  there 
were  about  fifty-tliree  enlisted  from  this  county. 
It  is  most  fortunate  that  the  editor  of  this 
history  has  secured  an  interview  with  Luke  All- 
phin,  of  Camden,  who  has  given  us  valuable  in- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


733 


formation  roncerning  Company  E,  First  Regi- 
ment Illinois,  which  was  organized  at  Rushville. 
This  information  is  all  the  more  important  by 
reason  of  the  fact  that  it  corrects  and  supplies 
important  facts  not  stated  in  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral's report  of  Illinois  on  the  Mexican  War. 
Mr.  Allphin  and  F.  E.  Davis,  of  Rushvile,  are 
the  two  survivors  of  Capt.  Richardson's  com- 
pany. Mr.  Davis'  name  does  not  appear  In  the 
Adjutant  General's  report,  but  this  is  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  he  received  his  discharge 
from  the  service  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  while 
the  company  was  discharged,  June  17,  1847,  at 
Camargo,   Mex. 

When  Capt.  Richardson's  company  reached  Al- 
ton, 111.,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  it  was  at- 
tached to  the  First  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers 
and  was  designated  as  Company  E.  On  July  18, 
1846,  the  troops  embarked  on  three  steamboats 
and  went  down  the  Mississippi  River,  landing 
July  24th,  at  the  battle  ground  eight  miles  be- 
low New  Orleans,  where  Gen.  Jackson  had  de- 
feated the  British  under  General  Pakenham. 
From  there  they  were  transported  to  Matagorda 
Bay  in  Texas,  and  went  into  camp  on  Placideres 
Creek,  at  what  was  known  as  Camp  Irwin.  From 
here  they  marched  to  San  Antonio,  where  they 
went  into  camp  August  24th.  at  Camp  Crockett. 
On  October  2d  orders  were  received  to  start 
for  Mexico,  and  after  crossing  the  Rio  Grande 
River,  a  forced  march  of  200  miles  was  made  to 
get  the  army  into  position  at  Parras,  and  here 
the  troops  rested  until  December,  when  the  his- 
toric campaign  that  preceded  the  battle  of  Bueua 
Vista  was  begun. 

The  First  Regiment  of  Illinois  troops  was  In 
Gen.  John  E.  Wool's  Division,  and  it  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  historic  battle  of  Bueua 
Vista,  on  February  23,  1847,  where  Gol.  John  J. 
Hardin,  in  command  of  the  regiment,  lost  his 
life.  Company  E  was  in  the  thick  of  the  fight 
and  of  the  forty-five  men  able  to  go  into  battle. 
eight  were  killed  in  the  engagement.  Capt. 
Richardson  was  promoted  to  Major  three  days 
afterwards,  and  G.  W.  Robertson  was  elected  as 
his  successor  to  the  command  of  Company  E. 

The  Adjutant  General's  report  gives  no  rec«rd 
of  the  killed  in  Company  E  at  the  battle  of 
Buena  Vista,  and  we  get  the  following  correct 
list    from   Mr.   Allphin : 

Randolph   R.   Martin,  Littleton. 
Charles  Walker,  Pleasantview. 
William  Goodwin.  Rushville. 


Silas  Bedell.  Rushville. 
Samuel  Thompson,  Bainbridge. 
Greenberry   S.  Richardson,   Mt.   Sterling. 
Henry   H.   Clark,   Brown   County. 
James   J.   Kinman,   Camden. 

MUSTER  ROLL. 
The  muster  roll  of  the  company,  as  published 
in  the  Adjutant  General's  rei)ort,  is  as  follows: 


FIRST  REGIMENT. 
Company   E. 

Captain — G.  W.  Robertson. 

First  Lieutenant — Allen  Perslnger. 

Second  Lieutenants — George  S.  Myers,  John  T.  May, 

Sergeants — Geo.  W.  Calvert,  Francis  R.  McEIroy, 
Lulie  I'.  Alipbin,  James  Cokenliour. 

Corporals — Robert  A.  Lawier,  Moses  Llttalter,  Reu- 
ben .\lliihin.  William  Petefish. 

Musician — James  H.  Carden. 


Privates — 
Allphin,  Wm.  R., 
Billiu:^s,  Jonathan, 
•Black,  John,  Sr., 
Blacls,  John,  Jr., 
Bleach,  Cyrus, 
Brooks.  William, 
Bennett,  Lemuel. 
Berry,  George  G., 
Curry,  Isaac, 
Curtis.  Geo.  W., 
Crane.  Goodsell, 
Clarkson,  Franklin 
Carter,  Irvin  F., 
Davis,  Moses  W., 
Dalton.  Franklin, 
t>oyle.  James, 
File,  Henry, 
Garrett.  John, 
Gray,  Iliram  H., 
Gray,  George  L., 
Gillett,  Leonard  M. 
Ilorney.  Leonidas, 
Harris.  James  H., 
Harris,  William. 
Hewitt,  Allen  O., 
Ishmael.  Geo.  N.. 
Jones,  .\nderson, 
1  Killed  by  enemy 
^'Died  of  wounds  r 


Jones,  Walter, 
Jacobs,  Daniel, 
Koek,  Isaac, 
Littaker,  Joseph  H., 
Llttaker,  Rowland  G., 
Lee.  John  P., 
Luttrel,  Benj., 
Luttrell,  James  H., 
Lawier,  Jos.  T., 
Lansdon,  Richard, 
McClelland.  Daniel. 
( )gden,  Jonathan  B., 

B.,  Rose.  Isaac, 

Richardson,  Wm., 
Richardson,  W.  R., 
Stapleton,  Wm., 
Strahan,  James, 
Smotherman.  Thos., 
Smith.  Charles. 
St.  John.  Wm.  H., 
-Stephenson,  Wm., 

,  Thompson,  John  B., 

Turner,  Berry, 
Thorp.  Levitus  M., 
Van  Tossell,  P.  M., 
Wilson,  James  O., 
Wilson.  Thomas, 

near  Cessaloo,  Feb.  24, 

ecelved  at  Buena  Vista,  March  25. 


During  the  second  year  of  the  Jlexican  War 
four  independent  companies  of  cavalry  were 
nmstered  into  the  United  States  service  from 
Illinois,  and  one  of  these  was  organized  at  Rush- 
ville under  the  command  of  Capt.  Adams  Dun- 
lap.  The  company  was  recruited  during  the 
month  of  May,  1847,  at  Rushville,  and  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at  Al- 
ton on  the  21st  day  of  the  same  month,  its  en- 
listment being  authorized  by  the  same  order 
imder  which  Gen.  Newby's  regiment  was  re- 
cruited. 

Capt.  Dunlap's  company  was  never  engaged  in 
any  actual  battle,  but  did  considerable  scout- 
ing service,  and  was  thus  in  several  skirmishes 
with  the  guerrillas  and  scouts  of  the  enemy. 
The  command,  however,  lost  heavily  by  sickness 


734 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


and  fifteen  of  the  meuibers  died  iu  the  service, 
the  most  of  them  dyiug  of  yellow  fever  at  Mata- 
moras,  Mexico. 

The  company  was  finally  discharged  at  Alton, 
111.,  November  7,  1848,  having  served  eighteen 
mouths  iu  all,  this  being  the  longest  term  of 
service  of  any  company  from  this  State  during 
the  whole  war. 

The  muster  roll  of  tlie  company  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

IXDEl'ICNDENT    CAVALKY    COMPANY. 

Captain — j\(lams  Dunlap. 
First  Lieuti-nant — Saiimcl  Lambert. 
Second    Lieutenants^Sinion  Doyle.   Calvin  Jackson. 
Sergeants— Samuel    W.    Boring,    .lames    B.    Wright, 
Geo.  6.   Backman.  Uicliard  W.  Stephenson. 

Corporals — Victor  C.  I'utman.  William  Rltchey. 
Newton  D.  Witt,  .Tohn  W.  Snider. 

Buglers — Theodore  Smith.  Charles  Iljnes. 
Farrier  and  Blacksmith — David  Duff. 

Privates —  Jones.  Levi, 

Angle,  John.  Kelly,  Patrick, 

•Allen.  Mark,  Lamhert,  Henry, 

•Brown,  Kohert,  Lamastor,  Erwln, 

•Brown,  Alexander,  •Lincoln,  Jefferson, 

Bowen,  James  F.,  'Mullane,  Carroll. 

Bricklei'.  Henry,  '.Mauck,  Abram  U., 

Berry,  l>anlel  F.,  'McGee,  Elijah, 

Beats.  Samuel  O.,  •Myers,  Jacob  L., 

Boyd.  Uavid.  •Maynard.  Kohert  H., 

BoVd.  It.ibert,  •Mars,  John  L., 

Chipman.  Selh,  Martin.  George  W., 

Chapman.  Wm.  W.,  McKlnney,  John, 

Cummlngs.  Alfred.  McNeely.  John. 

Cunningham.  Caleb,  McMasters,  William, 

Chipman,  Phillip,  Murran.  James. 

Cram,  Henry,  Paltirson.  Charles  R., 

Garden,  Washington  A.,  Parrott.  Joslah, 

•Curtis,  Jesse,  Puler.  Jefferson. 

•Corbridge,  Thomas,  Pnssou.  William. 

•Carter,  Itulhford,  Pclrce.  George. 

•Carnes.  John  T..  'Parker,  Oscar  J., 

•nuhnamcll.  Benj.  F.,  •Roberts.  DeWltt  C, 

•Dcnsmore,  James  C,  'Redmon.  William. 

Derickson,  Jos.  M.,  Rhodes.  Hlnman, 

Erwin,  George  W..  Scott.  George  R., 

Easley.  William.  Schott,  William  B., 

Easley,  Thomas  M.,  Spencer.  Elijah, 

Elliot.  William.  Smith.  Wm.  E., 

•Fisher,  Jacob,  Smith.  Robert. 

•Geiger.  Davidson  M.,  •Sldwell.  James  C, 

•Gillett.  Charles  W.,  'Seemon.  Cornelius. 

Gilbreth.  Samuel.  'Stetson.  Clinton. 

Green,  William.  •Turnbull.  Thomas. 

Gitchell.  Calvin  L..  'Tndd.  Simeon  S., 

Green.  David.  •Tucker.  William. 

Gordon.  Franklin.  •Troy.  Jerome  S., 

Gibson.  Isaac  W..  Thompson,  James, 

Haverkluf  t.  C.  FT.  C.  Thompson.  James  D., 

Holloway.  William.  Thurman.  John, 

Hatfield.  Abraham,  Vance.  John. 

Hymer.  George,  •Vancourt.  Benj.  P.. 

Hovt.  .\lbert,  •W'insor.  Clark. 

•Hurry  David,  •Weatherbee.  Wm.  B.. 

•Hopkins.  Lemuel,  'Whitehurst.  Willis  G., 

•Hcipkins.  David  R..  Ward.  Alfred, 

•Hanson.  William  B..  Whltlock.  George  C, 

•Jump.  James  D..  Wright.  Isaac  S.  W., 

Jones,  James  B.,  •Ward.  Luke  G., 

•.Joined  as  recruits  in  Mexico. 

The  roilowing  members  of  the  company  died  In 
the  service : 

Sergeant  Thomas  Tyre.  Matamoras.  Mexico,  July 
10,   1847. 

Corporal  .\nthonv  Porgollo,  Matamoras.  Mexico, 
Oct.  8,  1847. 


Beales,  Augustus  F.,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Sept.  18. 
1847. 

Biggs,  Henry,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Oct.  23,  1847. 

Burton,  Geo.  W.,  Point  Isabel,  Texas,  July  IS,  1848. 

Castle,  Henry,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Oct.  28.  1847. 

Clark,  John,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Aug.  1,  1847. 

Cook,  William  W.,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Sept.  28, 
1847. 

Dyson,  Samuel,   Matamoras,  Mexico,  Oct.  30.  1847. 

Edmondson,  .N".  11.  R.,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Oct.  18, 
1847. 

Fletcher,  James  C,  Matamoras,  Mexico,  Aug.  7, 
1847. 

Ulpson,  Benj.  F.,   Matamoras,  Mexico,  Oct.  13,  1847. 

Gillett,  Plinney  I'.,  Alton,  111..  Aug.  31.  1848. 

Reu,  Thomas.  .Matamoras.  Mexico,  July   15,  1847. 

Smith,  John,  Matamoras.  Mexico,  Sept.  27,  1847. 

The  following  were  discharged  from  service  on 
Sui-geous"  certificates: 

Sergeant  Marcus  Serrott,  Thomas  J.  Cross,  Francis 
Dickson,  William   A.   Lansdon.   Patterson  V.  Whltcher. 

Deserted  :  William  Brunt.  Wm.  Brooks,  Simeon 
A.  Hoovcy,  Thomas  J.   Smith.  Iiavld  Wright. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


\V.\li   OF  THE  REBELLION. 


PATRIOTISM  OF  CITIZENS  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY 
SHOWN  IN  THE  STRUGGLE  FOE  PRESERVATION  OF 
THE  UNION CAUSES  WHICH  LED  TO  THE  CON- 
FLICT— SCHUYLER  COUNTY  POLITICALLY  DEMO- 
CRATIC— PARTY  PREJUDICE  WIPED  OUT  HY  THE 
FIRING  ON  FORT  SUMTER — SENATOR  DOUGLAS' 
ELOQUENT  APPEAL  FOR  THE  UNION  AND  ITS  EF- 
FECT   ON    THE    DEMOCRATIC    PARTY THE    COUNTY 

FILLS  ITS  QUOTA  OF  TROOPS — ATTEMPTED  ASSAS- 
SINATION     OF     PROVOST-MARSHAL     DR.      SLACK 

SERVICE  RENDERED  BY  LADIES'  SOLDIEES'  AID  SO- 
CIETIES— MUSTER  ROLL  OF  VOLUNTEERS  FROM 
SCHUYLER  COUNTY.  WITH  REGIMENTS  AND  COM- 
PANIES IN  WHICH  THEY  SERVED — SOME  THRIL- 
IJNG  EXPERIENCES  OF  THE  WAR  PERIOD — BRIL- 
LIANT    DEI'ENSE     OF     BUZZARD'S     ROOST     GAP     BY 

CAPT.      HYMEB's      LITTLE     BAND COL.      LE0NIDA8 

HORNEY'S    GALI-\NTRY    and    HEROIC    DEATH. 

Schuyler  Count}-,  from  the  earliest  times,  has 
ever  manifested  a  lofty  patriotism,  and  this  was 
most  strongly  shown  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
when  the  county  more  than  filled  its  quota  in 
the  ranks  of  the  I'nion  Army  and  sent  forth  its 
most  stalwart  citizen  soldiers,  many  of  whom 
sealed  their  devotion  to  the  Union  with  their 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


735 


lives  on  the  field  of  battle.  The  (.■oui-age  and 
patriotism  of  these  men  has  placed  their  names 
uiwu  an  imperishable  roll  of  honor,  and  we  have 
endeavored  to  record  in  this  volume  the  names  of 
all  the  volunteers  who  enlisted  from  Schuyler 
County,  though  this  is  a  difficult  thing  to  do 
for  the  reason  that  many  went  outside  the  county 
to  enlist. 

The  history  of  our  Civil  War  is  familiar  to  even 
the  general  reader,  and  it  is  needless  to  review 
even  the  general  reader,  and  it  is  needless  to  re- 
view even  the  general  causes  which  brought  about 
the  mighty  conflict.  But  it  will  be  well  to  give  a 
few  brief  facts  that  have  a  purely  local  bearing 
on  events  prior  to  1800. 

Agitation  of  the  (luestion  of  slavery  as  a  State 
issue  ended  in  Illinois  the  year  before  Schuyler 
County  was  organized,  and  by  popular  vote  in 
1824  the  anti-slavery  forces  triumphed  by  a  large 
majority.  Not  until  1848,  however,  did  this  gen- 
erally acceiited  policy  of  freedom  for  men  of  all 
classes  become  a  part  of  the  State  Constitution. 
As  a  national  issue  slavery  entered  largely 
into  the  political  contest  betiveen  Democrats  and 
Whigs,  and  with  the  organization  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  presented  its  firet  candidate  for  Gov- 
liiied  and  partismi  feeling  correspondingly  bit- 
ter. 

Schuyler  County,  from  the  time  of  its  organi- 
zation in  182.J.  had  adhered  to  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  the  year  the  Repub- 
lican party  presented  its  first  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor, in  18.")n,  the  Democrats  nominated  William 
A.  Richardson,  a  former  resident  of  Rushville, 
for  that  office.  In  view  of  this  fact,  Schuyler 
County  gave  a  larger  Democratic  vote  than  ever, 
and  when  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  were  rival  candidates  for  the  presidency. 
Judge  Douglas  carried  Schuyler  County  by  a 
plurality  of  603. 

As  this  vote  indicates,  Schuyler  County  did 
not  espouse  the  cause  of  Abolition,  but  when 
Southern  treason  culminated  in  open  rebellion 
with  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumpter,  the  partisan 
feeling,  which  had  previously  existed  was  swept 
away  and  Democrats  and  Republicans  alike,  laid 
aside  party  prejudice  and  rallied  to  the  support 
of  the  Union. 

Stephen  A.  Douglas,  by  his  memorable  speech 
in  Chicago,  immediately  after  President  Lin- 
coln's inauguration,  unquestionably  saved  Illi- 
nois from  being  a  battle-ground  in  the  Civil  War. 
for  he  rallied  to  the  supiwrt  of  the  Union  the 


greater  part  of  his  loyal  and  devoted  friends 
throughout  the  State.  Surrounded  by  a  multi- 
tude that  was  swayed  by  his  powerful  personal- 
ity and  eloquence,  .Judge  Douglas  made  plain 
his  position,  when  treason  threatened  to  des- 
troy the  Union,  in  these  ringing  words : 

"There  are  only  two  sides  to  the  question. 
Every  man  must  lie  for  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment or  against  it.  There  can  lie  no  neutrals 
in  this  war ;  only  Patriots  and  Traitors." 

In  1800  the  population  of  Schuyler  County 
was  14,070  and  the  number  of  men  subject  to 
military  duty  (between  the  age  of  eighteen  and 
forty-five)  was  2,.529,  and  yet  this  county  sent 
more  than  1,000  volunteers  to  the  front  that  the 
Union  might  be  saved. 

On  December  31,  1864,  Schuyler  County's 
quota,  as  shown  by  the  Adjtitant  General's  re- 
port, was  1.430,  and  the  total  credits  1,479 — 
an  excess  of  40.  Then  followed  other  calls  for 
troops,  and  Schuyler's  quota  was  increased  to 
1,0.5.5,  with  a  total  credit  of  1,570.  Had  the 
county,  however,  been  given  full  credit  for  the 
volunteers  who  enlisted  in  Missouri  and  other 
jiarts  of  the  State  during  the  early  years  of  the 
war,  the  quota  would  have  been  exceeded  by  at 
least  200. 

During  the  war  two  townships  in  Schuyler 
County  voted  bounties  to  protect  their  citizens 
from  the  draft.  Buena  Vista  voted  .$5,325  for 
liounties.  and  Birmingham,  $8,005.02. 

The  office  of  Provost  Marshal  during  the  war 
held  out  no  reward  for  advancement  in  military 
honors,  but  it  called  for  bravery  of  the  truest 
type,  as  the  men  who  had  left  the  ranks  as 
deserters  would  resort  to  any  cowardly  crime  to 
avoid  being  captured.  This  was  shown  in  Rush- 
ville, when  an  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate 
Dr.  X.  B.  Slack,  who  was  Provost  Marshal  for 
this  county.  The  attempt  to  kill  the  officer  took 
place  at  his  home  in  the  west  part  of  Rushville, 
when  a  rifle  ball  was  fired  through  a  window  and 
lodged  in  the  head  of  his  bed.  His  barn  was 
afterwards  fired  by  the  marauders,  in  an  ef- 
fort to  intimidate  him  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  but  Dr.  Slack  was  absolutely  fearless  of 
danger  and  served  as  Provost  Marshal  through- 
out the  war. 

The  women  of  Schuyler  were  no  less  pati-iotic 
than  the  men  in  this  mighty  struggle  for  free- 
dom, and  soon  after  the  war  began  a  Soldiers' 
Aid  Society  was  organized.  Meetings  were  held 
once  a   week,  and  the  women  scraped  lint  and 


736 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


made  socks,  slippers  and  comforts  for  the  men 
on  the  firing  line  and  in  the  hospitals.  Then, 
too.  the.v  looked  after  the  soldiers'  wives  and 
children,  who  were  often  in  dire  distress,  and 
from  the  society  fund  many  a  heart  was  light- 
ened in  homes  that  had  been  forsaken  that  the 
Nation's  honor  might  be  preserved. 

The  complete  list  of  Schuyler  County  soldiers, 
as  taken  from  the  Arjustaut  General's  report,  is 
here  given : 

TWELFTH   INFANTRY. 

Company  B. 
Cook,  John,  Stephens.  Jacob, 

Kicmery,  Andrew,  .Mci'onougbey,  Austin 

Company  D. 
Conner.  William  T..  Haynes.  Austin 

FOURTEENTH   INFANTRY. 
Company  A. 

Corporal — Gideon  R.   Leeds. 

Privates —  Cole,  Wm., 

Bell.   Isaac,  I>ay,  Geo.  W., 

Hatfield.  Andrew,  IlatlicUi.  Charles  W., 

Boyd.   Archibald.  Harris.  John  H., 

Hollingsworth.  Orman,  Muck.    Wm.  J., 

Randall,   Joslah,  Shaw.    Ell. 

FIFTEENTH    (REORGANIZED)    INFANTRY. 
Company  G. 

Wheeler,  Joseph  F. 
Company  I. 
Job  T.  Lane. 
Dawson. 

Holdren,  David, 
IIuUnR.  John  D.. 
Melu);ln.  Wm.  J., 
McClure,  Hyde. 


Corporals — William    S.    Marlow,    John    F.     Smith, 
Thomas  Lashmett.  Lyman  Ryley. 


Titus,  John  B., 


First  Sergeant 

Corporal — William  J 

Privates — 
Hyde.  James  W. 
Hough,    Samuel, 
IjCwIs,   Davis, 


SIXTEENTH  INFANTRY. 

Commissary  Sergeant — James  11.  Wilson. 
Musician — James  Baiter. 


Privates — 
Odell,  Alfred  C, 

Baxter,  James, 
Thompson.    Isaiah, 
Bowers.   Marlon, 
Eifert.  Philip. 
McKinley,   Estes. 
Plymate,  Benson, 

Seevers,  Adonljah, 
Roberts,  John, 


Brumback,  Irvine. 
Moore.  Wm.  R., 


Fielder,   Wm.   R.. 
Fielder,  Joseph  W. 


Company  A. 

Hosklnson,  Wm.  O. 
Company  B. 

McKinley.  Charles  W., 
Brown.    Wallace, 
Cole.   John, 

French,  Wellington  J., 
Points.   Francis  M. 

Company   C. 

Dodds.    Webster. 

Company  E. 

Cox.  Daniel  J.. 
Pennington.  Isaac. 

Company   K. 

Fielder,  John, 
Ledgewood,  Newton  G. 


Company   G. 

Captains— William  H.  McAllister.  William  G. 
Ritchev,  Marcus  D.  L.  Manlove. 

First  Lieutenants — William  G.  Rltchey.  Marcus  D. 
L.  Manlove.  George  W.  Parrott.  William   S.   Marlow. 

Second  Lieutenants — Marcus  D.  L.  Manlove,  George 
W.  Parrott  Lewis  E.  Garrison. 

First  Sergeant — George  W.  Parrott 

Sergeants — George  Barnhart  William  J.  Dodds, 
John  Thrush,  Matthew  H.  Bellamy. 


l*rlvates — • 
Abbott,   Charles, 
Baker,  William  H., 
Berry,   Frederick  E., 
Botchlett  Adam, 
Bennett,   John. 
Bowman,  Jacob  S., 
Cramer.   Walter. 
Clark.  Benjamin  M., 
Curtis.   Jeirerson    E., 
Dimmlck.  James  M.. 
Dlmmlck.  J()Seph  W., 

Veterans — ■ 
Abbott,  Charles, 
Bowman.  Jacob  S., 
Botchlett  Adam, 
Barry,   .lohn. 
Blackburn,  Thomas  J., 
Easley,   Barton   W., 
Garrison,  Lewis  W., 
Kundell,  John  A., 
Leonard,  Orlando, 

Recruits — ■ 
Adklnson.  Daniel, 
Blackburn.  Thomas  J., 
Blair,   James. 
Boyce,  John  D., 
Barnes,  Wllber  A., 
Burson,  Jesse  A., 
Connors.   Patrick, 
Eaves,   Enoch, 
Gapen.  Eli, 
Garrison.    T^ewls  E.. 
Howe.  James  C, 
Howe,   Edward, 


Ellis,   William   A., 
Easley,  Barton  W., 
Jordan,  James  M., 
Leonard.  Orlando, 
Milby.   William. 
Naught,   Charles, 
Nelson,  Andrew  U., 
Owens.    Wasliington   W., 
Sidel)Othani.    Isaac, 
Stogdell,  Tilman, 
Wlllard,   Marshall. 

I>ashmett.  Thomas  A., 
Mllby.   William, 
Marlow,  James  E., 
.Morlarty.  John. 
Marlow,   William    S., 
Naught.  Charles, 
Sidebottom,   Isaac, 
Shaw.    Samuel, 
Wilson.  Jeremiah. 

McAuley,  James, 
Marlow,  James  E., 
Manlove.  Solon  L., 
Teel,  Nelson, 
Prlckett  John  J., 
Pitman.  Balrd   D.. 
Ridings.  David  A., 
Rose.   William  B., 
Rhodes.   Isaac  N., 
Tolle.   Reuben  H., 
Tracy.   Levi  C, 
Woods.    Enoch. 


Company  tJ,  Sixteenth  Infantry,  was  the  first 
company  recruited  in  Schuyler  County,  and 
it  was  organized  by  Capt  William  H.  Mc- 
Allister, of  Rushville,  who  was  elected  Captain. 
The  regiment  was  organized  and  mustered  into 
service  at  (Juincy  under  the  "Ten  Regiment  Act" 
on  the  24 til  day  of  May,  ISGl.  It  first  moved  to 
Grand  River,  Mo.,  in  June,  ISOl,  where  it  guarded 
the  railroad,  and  the  first  skirmish  that  resulted 
in  loss  of  life  took  place  at  Monroe  Station, 
when  1,(500  mounted  rebels  made  an  attack. 
Early  in  1SG2  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Missouri, 
and  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi.  In 
April,  of  that  year,  the  regiment  was  moved  to 
Tennessee,  where  it  participated  in  several  bat- 
tles and  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Cuni- 
licrland. 

On  December  20  to  31,  ISe.*?.  the  regiment 
re-enlisted  as  veterans  and  the  volunteers  were 
granted  a  thirty  days'  furlough.  May  5th,  the 
Sixteenth  moved  with  Sherman's  army  on  the 
Atlantic  campnign.  and  was  In  the  advance  at 
Buzzard's  Roost,  where  the  regiment  lost  18 
killed   and   wounded. 

After  the  investment  of  Atlanta  the  regiment 
held  a  position  on  the  front  line  and  was  con- 
stantly engaged  in  skirmish  fighting.  It  was 
in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at  Jonesboro  and 
in  the  famous  charge  of  the  Fourteenth  Army 


I 


'•lis. 


is 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


737 


Corps  at  that  pince.  in  which  Hardee"s  line  was 
broken,  a  large  portion  of  it  captured  and  At- 
lanta won,  the  Sixteenth  charged  with  fixed 
bayonets  and  empty  guns.  Owing  to  the  depres- 
sion of  the  ground  over  which  the  regiment 
charged,  its  loss  was  less  than  thirty,  while  regi- 
ments to  the  right  and  left  lost  twice  that  num- 
ber. 

After  the  capture  of  Atlanta  the  regiment 
was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  Georgia,  and 
participated  in  the  famous  march  through  Geor- 
gia to  the  sea.  Being  on  the  most  advanced  post 
at  the  evacuation  of  Savannah,  it  had  the  honor 
of  being  the  representative  regiment  of  the  Four- 
teenth Army  Corps  to  take  formal  possession  of 
the  city.  It  marched  north  through  the  Caro- 
linas.  and  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Columbia 
and  Fayetteville,  and  was  in  the  fierce  fight  at 
Averysboro,  where  during  the  afternoon  of  March 
16,  1865,  the  regiment  lost  15  or  20  killed.  At 
Bentonville  the  Division  of  which  the  Sixteenth 
w.as  a  part,  stood  for  five  hours  the  repeated 
charges  of  .Johnson's  entire  army.  At  this  en- 
gagement the  Sixteenth,  aided  b.v  the  Fourteenth 
Michigan,  charged  the  rebel  line  and  captured 
800  prisoners.  The  second  day  of  the  battle  these 
same  two  regiments,  through  a  mistake  order 
of  the  Colonel  of  the  Michigan  regiment,  made 
a  charge  into  the  center  of  the  rebel  force  and. 
for  over  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  was  imder  as  mur- 
derous a  front  and  flank  fire  as  ever  rained  on 
troops.  In  this  brief  space  of  time  a  third  of 
the  regiment  fell.  This  was  the  last  battle  of 
the  war  the  Sixteenth  was  engaged  In,  but  it 
was  the  most  terrible  of  them  all. 

The  regiment  then  marched  with  General 
Sherman  to  Durham  Station,  where  General 
Johnson  surrendered,  and  then  on  to  Richmond 
and  Washington,  where  it  participated  in  the 
Grand  Review.  May  24,  186.5.  The  regiment  was 
mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  after  a  term  of 
service  of  four  years  and  three  months. 

EIGHTEENTH    (REORGANIZED)    INFANTRY. 

Company  P. 

Sergeant — .Tohn  A.  B.  Shippey. 
Corporal — Randall    Black. 
Musician — Edward   P.  Vall. 

Privates — 
McClnre.   .Taraes  T., 
Norton.  George, 


Second  Lieutenant- 
Privates — • 

Bishop.   Daniel. 

Hangstler,   Bernhart, 

Jones,  Ebenezer, 


.lackson,   Fells. 


Company   I. 
-Daniel  R.  P.  Johnson. 


NINETEENTH   INFANTRY. 
Company   F. 

Hamilton,  Thomas  A.. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY. 
Lieutenant-Colonel — Richard    Evans.       (Killed    May 
12,    1863.) 


TWENTY-FIRST   INFANTRY. 
Company  D. 


Recruits — 
Hall,  George  W.. 

Company  F. 
Recruit — Standard.   Charles   B 


Hubbard,  Albert. 


Homman.    Michael, 
Klinert.   .\ugustus. 


TWENTY-EIGHTH   INFANTRY. 
Company  G. 

Captains — Barclay  C.  GiUam,  Oregon  Richmond, 
Reuben  B.   Pressou. 

First  Lieutenants — Oregon  Richmond,  Reuben  B. 
Presson,  E.  G.  W.  Bridgewater,  John  McGorie,  John 
J.  Osmer. 

Second  Lieutenants — Reuben  B.  Presson.  Michael 
Gapen. 

First   Sergeant — Michael    Gapen. 

Sergeants — William  Thompson,  William  Deal,  E.  G. 
W.    Bridgewater.   Abraham   Bell. 

Corporals — Calvin  Boyles,  William  H.  Bell,  William 
B.  Rose.  James  W.  Sargeant,  A.  J.  Revarch,  Resin  B. 
Strode,   William    F.    Rohbins. 

Musician — Robert  Zink. 

Privates — 
Black,   William, 
Bouser,  John  M., 
Bridgewater,   James  H.. 
Casteel,  John  C, 
Canada.  William  A., 
Clifton,  George  W., 
Dixon.    Charles, 
Dupuy,  Cjeorge  W., 
Dodds,  David, 
Dance,    Jacob. 
Edmonston.  John, 
Fulk,  Levi, 
Flaury,  Michael, 
Frisby,    Hiram, 
Gossage,   Hiram, 
Gilletf,   Charles  C, 
Hardy.  James  M.. 
Haskell.   Charles  F.. 
Hamilton.  William  H., 
Hurlbut.   Alanson  P., 
Hill.  Nathan. 
Hamilton.    Joseph. 
Ingram.   George  W., 
Johnson.  Andrew, 
Jones,    .\lbert, 
Keller,    Joseph, 
Kirkham,   William    H., 
Kirkham.   George  H., 
Lesure,  William  J., 
Leslie.  Albert  G., 

v'eterans — 
Bridgewater.  James  H., 
Casteel.  .John  C, 
Dodds,  David, 
Davis,  Jesse  G., 
Frisbie,   Hiram. 
Hardy,  James  M., 
Hamilton.  William  H., 
Kirkham.  George  H., 
League.    Richard   A., 
Lesure.  William  J., 

Recruits — 
Adams.   John   Q.. 
Best.  Napoleon. 
Casteel.   William   M., 
Davis,    C.vrus, 
Kelley,   William  L., 
McGorie,  .Tohn. 
Paisley.    William    W., 


League,   .\Ibert  R., 
Lynch,   Edward. 
Mitchell.  .Tamos  M., 
Mason,   George   II., 
Mason,    Abraham   T., 
Mason.    William    E.. 
Masterson.  .Sylvester  T., 
Mann,   Robert. 
Maxwell.  H.   C, 
Martin.   George. 
Osnipr.  John  J., 
Parker.  .Tohn  "U'.. 
Pridmore.    George, 
Parks.  Henry  J., 
Robbins.  John  M., 
Rolierts.  Wesley  E., 
Ruark.  Robert  M.. 
Seddeth.  Rice  D.. 
Shaw,  Duncan. 
Starr.   Edward, 
Sypes,   ,Toseph   B.. 
Stockwell,    .lasper, 
Tyson,    «'illiam  T., 
Tyson,   George  W., 
Tyson.    Cornelius, 
Taylor.  Duncan, 
Tucker.  Green  B., 
Vanorder.  Andrew  .1., 
Vanorder,  .Tohn  E., 
White  Jasper. 

Masterson,   Sylvester  P., 
Pridmore,   George, 
Ruark,    Robert   M., 
Ruark.   Andrew  J., 
Robbins.   Francis  M., 
Sargeant.   James  W., 
Starr,   Edward, 
Tyson,    George   W., 


Vanorder,   Andrew  J. 
Rlttenhouse,   Henry, 
Rittenhouse.    Enoch, 
Sloat,    Ansel    W.. 
Suddeth.   George   W., 
Suddeth.  William   H., 
Vanormer.   William  A. 


r38 


IIISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


Company   H. 

Corporal — Charles   I'otts. 

I>rivates —  I.aikln.    Cameron. 

Harmon.   StanfieUl  I'..  Hollingsworth.    .loUn   .T.. 

Hooker,   lieulii-n.  MlUiy.    Edward. 

Manlove.   John    i:..  I'otts,   Nelson, 

Sparks.   Edward  U.,  Harmon.    .Tolin    I'.. 

Potts,    Wilson,  I'otts,  James. 

Potts,  George,  I'otts.  William. 

Company  G,  Twenty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
was  recruited  in  Rushvllle  by  Barclay  C.  Gil- 
lam,  who  was  promoted  to  Major  when  the  regi- 
ment was  oriiaiiized  at  Camp  Butler.  Lieut. 
Oregon  Richmond  was  elected  Captain  in  his 
stead.  The  regiment  was  mustered  into  service 
August  in,  ISGl,  and  nine  days  afterwards  was 
sent  to  St.  Louis,  where  it  was  armed.  From 
there  it  was  moved  to  Thebes,  and  General  Grant 
accompanied  the  regiment  to  that  point.  After 
doing  duty  in  Kentucky  the  regiment  was  moved 
up  the  Tennessee  River,  and  the  Twenty-eighth 
was  the  first  to  enter  Fort  Heinian  when  it  was 
evacmited  by  the  rebels.  From  there  it  moved 
to  Pittsburg  Landing  and  was  with  General  Grant 
in  the  fight  at  Peach  Orchard,  where  he  gave  or- 
ders for  the  regiment  to  hold  its  position  at  all 
hazards,  which  it  did  until  ordered  back  by  Gen. 
S.  A.  ITurlbnt.  In  this  engagement  Major  B.  C. 
Gillam  was  badly  wounded  in  the  left  shoulder 
and  his  horse  killed  under  him.  The  regiment 
sustained  a  loss  of  2:^0  killed,  wounded  and  miss- 
ing in  this  engagement.  During  May.  1802,  the 
regiment  was  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and 
later  in  the  battle  of  Sletamora.  On  November 
21,  1802,  Major  Gillam  resigned,  being  unable 
to  sen-e  longer  from  the  wound  received  at 
Shiloh. 

On  July  12,  180.3,  the  Twenty-eighth  Infantry 
was  with  others -ordered  to  charge  an  open  level 
cornfield  some  GOO  yards,  and  carry  a  strong  line 
of  the  enemy's  works  manned  by  2,000  men  and 
12  guns.  The  eight  companies  of  this  regiment 
in  line,  lost  73  killed  and  wounded  and  16  taken 
prisoners. 

On  January  4,  1804,  the  regiment  having  re- 
enlisted  as  veterans  was  mustered  for  three 
years'  veteran  service.  A  number  of  Schuyler 
men  from  Co.  G  re-enlisted,  and,  after  their  vet- 
erans' furlough,  reixirted  at  Camp  Butler.  May 
29,  1804,  and  were  sent  to  Natchez.  From  there 
they  proceeded  to  New  Orleans  and  were  in  the 
advance  upon  Spanish  Fort  March  27,  1865,  and 
held  a  position  on  the  extreme  right  dur- 
ing the  fourteen  days'  siege.  The  regiment  was 
mustered  out  of  service  at  Brownville,  Texas, 
March   15,   1866,   having  served  four  years  and 


seven  months.  The  total  enlistment  of  the  reg- 
iment was  1.720  and  the  number  killed,  wounded 
and  missing  was  957,  and  of  these  83  were  of- 
ficers. 

Of  the  104  men  of  Company  G  who  left  Rush- 
ville  the  foUowiug  are  still  living:  A.  J.  Van- 
order.  George  II.  Kirkham,  William  Kirkhain, 
James  Sargent,  William  Kelly,  F.  M.  Robbins, 
Edward  Starr,  David  Dodds  and  William  A.  Can- 
ada. 

THIKTV-TniRD    INFANTRY. 
Drum   Major — William  C.   Ralls. 

THIRTY-FOURTH    INFANTRY. 
Company   B. 
Marshall,   Frank. 

Recruits — 
Ohmert,   Jesse.  Quackenbush,  David  J., 

Upton,   Geo.   Y.,  Achman,   .Stephen  N, 

Company  G. 
Davis,   William   R. 

FORTY-SIXTH   INFANTRY. 
Company   D. 
Wlttenmcyer,  John   U. 

FORTY-SEVENTH    INFANTRY. 
Company   F. 
Bailey,  .John  II.,  McKlnncy,   Jas.    O. 

Black,    Bernard. 

Recruit — Joseph  Pestil. 

FIFTIETH   INFANTRY. 
Company  D. 

Merrltt,  Thomas,  Slater.  Lewis  C. 

Company   H. 

First  Lieutenant — .Tohn  Cooper. 

Corporal — David  C.  Long. 

Privates — 
Brunor,  Zacharlah,  Friday,  Geo.  W., 

Friday,  Jacoh.  Long,  John  P., 

Recrult.s — 
Bailey,  William  H.,  Bowman,  Newton. 

Houser,  Charles  F.,  McClure,  Charles  W., 

Moody,  James  W.,  McDonald,  Levi  T., 

Wllmot,  James  W., 

Company  G. 
Lawson.  James  F..  .\lexander,  Seth. 

Ellis,  DeWltt  C, 

Company  I. 

Engineers — Benjamin  Greer,  Josiah  Shcesley,  Aaron 
Sheesley. 

FIFTY-FIFTH  INFANTEY. 
Company  I. 
Dennis,   Holden. 

SIXTY-FIRST  INFANTRY. 
Company  J. 
Recruits —  Reed,  Ami, 

Anderson.  Samuel  M.,  Boon.  John, 

Black.  Samuel,  Canipltell,  Lewis  C, 

Duke,  Abram,  Junes,  John  B., 

Kirkham,  Charles,  I.ondry,  Wm., 

Londry,  John  W.,  Low,  Wm.  A,, 

Mlsenhelmer,  Marion,  U.van.  ("has.  W., 

Spangler,  Cyrus,  Splller,  Isaac, 

Tucker.  Francis.  Wisdom.  Granville  L., 

Wilson.  William  S..  Mlsenhelmer.  Isaac. 

SIXTY-SECOND  INFANTRY. 
Company  I. 

Captains — Joseph  McLain.  John  J.  Wyatt.  John  C. 
Parcel. 

First  Lieutenants — John  J.  Wyatt.  John  C.  Parcel. 

Second  Lieutenants — John  C.  Parcel,  Edward  P. 
Stone. 

First  Sergeant — William  D.  Ellis. 

Sergeants — Robert  Thrush,  Daniel  Rlehey,  D.  C. 
Pain. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


739 


Corporals — Charles    Persbiuij.     John     Sites,     James 
Legy.   (Jeurge  Ellis.  Joel  Cooper. 

Privates — 
Ainsworth.  Nelson, 
Baker,  William, 
Barton,  Elijah, 
Bates,  James, 
Barnaby,  G.  V\'., 
Comberlidge,  Nic'Ias  S., 
Caldwell,  John, 
Dewitt,  George, 
Dodge,  John  S., 
Uarli,  Joseph, 
Deedridge,  Lewis, 
Dowin,  Aaron, 
Freaks,  John, 
Fream,  David, 
Hatfield,  Chas.  W., 
Hicks,  Henry  C. 
Johnson,  William, 
Jolin,  Ferdinand, 

Veterans — 
Ainsworth,  Nelson, 
Bates,  James, 
Comberiid.ue,  Nicb, 
Cordell,  ,)ames, 
Caldwell,  John, 
Deedridge.  Lewis, 
John,  Ferdinand, 

Recruits — 
Chandler,  Seth, 
Cooper,  Joel, 
Cooper,  Noah  J., 
Cooper.  Arthur  L., 
Devolld,  James, 
DevoUd,  Samuel  L., 


Lowdernian,  Cornelius  M., 
Lnwdermau,  Austin  H., 
Lee,  David, 
Lain,  James. 
McKelva,  George, 
I'eeler,  Samuel, 
Roberts.  Thomas  D., 
Starr,  Robert. 
Stoneking.  David, 
Stoueking,  Samuel. 
Towland.  James  W., 
Vauwinkle,  James, 
Vanwinkle.  Moses, 
Wliiteman.  Mathias, 
Whiteman,  Calvin, 
Wheat,  David  H., 
Youug,  John. 
7.app,  Otto. 

Lowderman.  Austin  H., 
Roberts,  Thos.  D., 
Reno,  Alexander, 
Sites,  .lohn. 
Wheat,  David  H., 
Zapp,  Otto. 


Fream,  David, 
Green,  James  W., 
Merrick,  Morris, 
Peak.  Roliert. 
Raper,  Smith  M., 
Tatham,  Thomas, 


Privates — 
.\ndres,  Armenis, 
llusted.  Henry, 
Jones,  ,Tohn  G., 
Scott,  James  W., 

Recruits — 
Burtis,  Stephen  XL, 
Llbhy.  Marshall  L., 
Rhodes,  William  H.. 


Brooks,  G.  S., 
Hosted,  V.  M., 
Ridenour,\V., 


Loop,  George  W., 
McCaslin,  Henry, 


Tlie  Sixty -second  InfantiT,  Illinois  Volunteers. 
was  organized  at  Camp  Dnl)ois,  Anna,  111.,  April 
12,  1802.  Company  I  was  largely  recruited  in 
Littleton  Township  by  .losepli  McLain,  vs'lio  was 
elected  Captain. 

The  regiment  was  first  ordered  to  Cairo, 
111.,  and  from  there  went  to  Tennessee,  with 
headquarters  at  Kenton.  At  the  Holly  Springs 
engagement  170  men  of  the  Sixty-second, 
including  the  Major  and  three  Lieutenants,  were 
cajitured  and  the  regiment  records  burned.  The 
regiment  was  engaged  in  several  minor  slcir- 
mishes  and  at  Brownsville.  Arlc,  overtook  Gen. 
Steele's  army  and  drove  him  bade  to  Little 
Rock,  compelling  the  evacuation  of  that  place. 

January  0,  1804,  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as 
a  veteran  organization  and  remained  at  Pine 
Bluff,  Ark.,  until  July  28.  180.5,  The  regiment 
was  mustered  out  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  March  6, 
1866. 

SIXTY-FOURTH    INFANTRY. 
Company  I. 
Archer.  Lewis,  Grafton.  G.  W., 

Logue.  Harrison.  Parrish.  Charles, 

Smith.  Elijah.  Tracy.  T.  C, 

Tipton.  James  W., 

Recruits — 
Barnes.  James.  P,ugher.  Hiram. 

SEVENTY-SECOND   INFANTRY. 
Company  C. 
Flannery,  John. 

Company  G. 
Gobble.  C,  Johnson.  Alonzo, 

Company  H. 
Second   Lieutenant — Hezeklah   Stout. 


SEVENTY-THIRD     INFANTRY. 

Lieutenant  Colonel — William  A.  Presson. 

Ad.jutant — Richard  R.    Randall. 

Qu:irtcrniaster  Sergeant — Thomas  J.    Window. 

Comiiiis^iny   Sergeant — Riley  .M.   Iloskinson. 

UoKiiital  Steward — Butler  Presson. 
Company  G. 

Captain — John   Sutton. 

First    Lieutenants — James    F.    Bowen,     William     H 
Dodge. 

Second    Lieutenants — William    H.    Dodge,    John    H 
McGrath. 

Sergeants — William  II.  Dodge,  Jeremiah  E.  Bailey, 
William  T.  Talbot.  William  II.  Horton. 

Corporal — Reuben    II.    Tolle. 

Musicians — William   R.   Vaughn,  Henry  C.  Combs. 

Privates — 
Agnew,  Blias  M.,  Iloskinson,  Stewart  F., 

Baker,  John  M.,  Lawless,  .\bsalom  II., 

Brown,  William  H.,  Linkins,  James  A., 

Cameron.  Thomas,  Little.  William  II.. 

Colt.  I'eter  II.  K.,  Meacham.  Orland. 

Colt,  John  W.,'  Morris,  Newton,  Jr., 

Criswell,  Edlward  L.,  McGrath,  John  H., 

Crooks,  William  H.,  Pennington,  Alexander, 

Cunningham,  Joseph,  Presson,  Butler, 

Davis,  James  W.,  Purneli.  William  T., 

Day,  Lewis,  .Scott,  Leven  O., 

Derickson,  Joseph,  Sidebotham,  John  H., 

Dimmiek.  William  II.,  Stout,  Stillman, 

DaerHer.  George  C,  Swackhammer,  Geo., 

Elser,  Joseph  S.,  Talbott,  Isaiah, 

Elser,  George  P.,  Thurman.  Meriday  A., 

Emery,  William,  Thrush,  Jacob  J., 

Fuller,  Maroni  M.,  Tolle,  James  F., 

Goodwin,  John  P.,  Wilmot.  Willard, 

Gorsage,  Oscar,  Wilson,  George, 

Glassop,  Frederick,  Window,  Thomas  J., 

Hagle,  James.  Worlhbaugh,  John  W., 

Hooker,  Jasper,  Wright,  John, 

Horton,  Thomas,  Yaap,  Karl, 

Iloskinson,  Riley  M., 

Recruits — 
Blackley,  William  IL,  Swackhammer,  John, 

Thompson,  .lames  O.. 

The  Seventy-third  Regiment,  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, was  mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Butler 
August  21,  1802,  under  command  of  Col.  J.  F. 
Jaquess,  and  Company  G  was  largely  composed 
of  Schuyler  volunteers.  Immediately  upon  or- 
ganization the  regiment  was  moved  to  the  front 
and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Jacques,  Ky.  Here 
it  was  assigned  to  Sherman's  division  and  re- 
mained in  it  until  Sherman  was  ordered  east  in 
the  spring  of  1864.  From  the  time  the  regiment 
left  Kentucky  up  to  and  subsequent  to  the  move- 
ment on  Murfreesboro,  it  lost  a  number  of  men 
by  disability  and  disease,  quite  a  number  dying 
at  Bowling  Green  and  many  more  at  Nashville. 
The  lirigade.  which  at  Jlill  Creek  had  been  placed 
under  the  conunand  of  General  Schafer.  did  not 
particiiiate  in  any  of  the  preliminary  skirmishing 
at  Stone  River.     On  December  .'51,  however,  op- 


740 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


portunity  was  afforded  for  every  regiiiieut  to  bear 
a  part.  General  8cIuifor  was  killed  before  noon. 
Colonel  Jaquess  was  with  his  regiment  at  Perry- 
ville.  so  the  Sevent.v-third  wa.s  I'onnnandeil  by 
Major  William  Presson  of  Rushville.  During  the 
day  the  regiment  was  in  several  conflicts  and 
fully  established  its  reputation  for  bravery. 

During  the  war  the  Seventy-third  regiment 
participated  in  the  following  engagements :  Perry- 
ville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Resaca,  Adairsville.  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Peach  Tree  Creek,  Franklin,  Nashville, 
Pine  Mountain,  Lost  Mountain,  New  Hope 
Church,  Marietta,  Jonesboro,  rx)ve.ioy  Station, 
and  Spring  Hill.  The  total  loss  by  death  was  21.') 
men.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service 
at  N.ishville  June  12,  18G5. 

SEVENTT-PIPTH  INFANTRY. 
First  Assistant  Surgeon — John  C.  Corlnis. 
Company  F. 
Dean,  Henry,  Hurst.  Wm., 

Loucks,  Wesley  F.,  Loucks.  Geo.  R. 

SEVENTY-EIGHTH    INFANTRY. 
Company  A. 
Major — Robert  S.   Blackburn. 

Captains — Robert  S.   Blackburn.  Olirlstlan  W.   Hlte. 
First    Lieutenants — Philip    I'hipman.    .\rchiljald    H. 
Graham,   George  A.  Brown,   Christian    W.   Hlte,   Amos 
Scott. 

Second  Lieutenants — Archibald  H.  Graham.  George 
A.  Brown,  Nathan  P.  Woods,  Clirlstian  W.  Hlte. 

Privates — • 
Avery,  Stephen, 
Brown,  George  A., 
Brundage.  George  W.. 
Bodenhamraer.  Henry  C, 
Belote.  .Tamos  E., 
Belote.  Darwin. 
Brundage.  .Tames, 
Brunett,  William, 
Bail,  Albin, 
Box,  John. 
Besseli,  Augustus  C, 
Bain,  Alexander, 
Corria.  John  P.. 
Curtise.  William  IT.. 
Curtise,  James. 
Curtise.  Jesse, 
Curtise,  John, 
Cox,  William, 
Driver,  Samuel  R.. 
Davise,  Benager, 
navis,  Philip, 
Davis,  John. 
Ewing,  Samuel  M.. 
Fugate,  Martain  V., 
Fugate,  Samuel  H., 
Frisl)y,  Abraham, 
Frakes,  Joseph, 
Graham,  Shepard, 
Groves.  .Tames  M., 
Gott.  John  R., 
Giiieland.  Benjamin  C. 
How.  Samuel  W., 
Howell.  Johu. 
Hite,  Abraham. 
Husted.  Talraen. 
Hite.  Abraham  L., 
Hite.  Cliristian. 
Harrison.  George, 
Hellyer,  George, 


Hellyer.  William. 
Johnson,  John. 
T.ansden.  William  H, 
Mcl\ee,  William, 
Miller.  .lohnT., 
Miner.  Samuel  J., 
Mints.  Lorenzo. 
Morgan.  ICdward  T., 
Mullln.  Martin. 
McClaln.  William  11. 
Noeli.  Theodore  C. 
Peterson.  Francis  M, 
Petsor.  Tracev, 
Uigsby.  George  W.. 
Robinson.  Richard, 
Reed.  John  E., 
Record.  Josiah  S., 
Robinson,  Israel. 
Robinson.  Nimrod. 
Seward.  Charles  \V., 
Sapp.  David  M., 
Scott.  Herman. 
Steen.  Jolin. 
Scott.  Anuis. 
Toland.  Solomon. 
Tankerslev.  Andrew, 
Toland.  William, 
Vandivier.  Nelson, 
Vandivier.  .Tohn. 
Woods,  William  S., 
Walker,  ,Tohn  H,. 
Wilson.  Jasj)er. 
W.vkofT.  Wiu.  11.  H., 
W'U  r,  Vt'illiani, 
Walla-r.  William  T., 
\A'liite.  Peniamin  F., 
Wilds.  Ilenrv  H., 
Wlieclcr.  Joel  B„ 
Wheeler.  John  H.. 


James,   Samuel, 
Lac.v,  John  S,, 
Mullen,  John  W.. 
Nelda.  Charles  S., 
Ruggles,  William  K., 
.Shamell.  Alexander, 
Scott,  Richard  W., 
Sapp.  John  W.. 
Stewart.  James, 
Thorp.  Lorenzo  D., 
Thomas,  James. 
\'andtvler.  Henry, 
Wilds.  Howard. 
WHieeler.  Edward  N., 
W<iods.  Nathan  P., 
Wilson,  Charles  L., 


Recruits — 
Bodenhammer,  Isaac  H., 
Burton.  William  ('., 
Burton.  James  E,. 
Burmood.  Peter. 
Bodenhanier.  Chris'r  G.. 
Brooks.  Oliver, 
Cox.  Clu'istopiier  C, 
Clark.  James  T., 
Curtis,  Joseph, 
Davis.  John  W.. 
Davis.  William  IL, 
Davis,  Robert  II„ 
Ewlng,  George  W., 
Frakes,  Robert. 
Granger.  Robert. 
How.  Isaac  C,, 
How.  James. 

Under  Cook  of  A.  D. — 

Noah  Alexander  Stevens. 

Company  B. 

Glass.  Geo.  II. 

Company  A,  Seventy-eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
was  recruited  l)y  Capt.  Robert  S.  Blackburn  at 
Brookljii,  Schuyler  County,  and  upon  the  organ- 
ization of  the  regiment  at  Qulncy,  he  was  electi>d 
Major  and  liieut.  Christian  \V.  Hite  was  pro- 
moted to  Captain.  The  regiment  was  mustered 
Into  service  September  1.  1802,  and  the  Adjutant 
General's  report  states  that  during  the  war  about 
400  men  were  killed  and  wounded.  The  regiment 
partlciitated  in  the  l)attles  of  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge.  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca,  Rome, 
Now  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw  Mountain.  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Averysl>oro  and 
Bentonville.  After  Lee's  surrender  the  regiment 
marched  north  through  Richmond,  Va.,  arriving 
at  Washington  May  19,  and  participating  In  tBe 
Grand  Review  May  24,  1865.  The  regiment  was 
mustered  out  June  7.  1865,  and  sent  to  Chicago, 
where  it  was  paid  off  June  12,  1865. 

EIGHTY-FOURTH    INFANTRY. 
Company  A. 


Privates — 
Macuml>er.  Anson, 
Wlsdon.  Elijah  S., 

Chlpman.  Daniel, 
Sellers.  John  A.. 
Chlpman,  Samuel, 
Chlpman.  David. 
Robinson.  Geo.  W., 


Clark.  Thomas  A.. 
Pendleton.  James  S. 
Sprlgg,  Thomas  C. 

Clark.  Victor  B. 


Robinson,  William. 

Company  B. 

Swlnk.  Peter  B., 
Baker.  Israel  II., 
Chlpman.  Levi. 
Moore.  BenJ.  F.. 
Swift,  Horace  W. 

Company  D. 

Pendleton,  Thomas  H., 
Pendleton,  Wm.  B.  C. 

Company  F. 


Company  I. 


Binkley.  N.  A.. 
Derry,  Bassll. 
KImry.  John  J.. 
Widenhammer,  J.  I., 


Bowker.  Clark, 
Davis.  W.  H.. 
Wright.  Alonzo. 


EIGHTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY. 
Company  E. 
Bycrs,  Enos. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


741 


Company  G. 
First  Lieutenant — Lafayette  Curless. 
Sergeant — Lewis  Post. 

Corporals — J.  F.  Kennedy,  Thomas  Horton. 
Privates — 


Atltinson.  Perry, 
Brown,  Perry, 
Brown,  Tlios., 
Brown,  Simpson. 
Cunningiiam,  Alex., 
Hays,  Daniel, 
Kelly,  William, 
Kerns,  Franklin, 
Longfellow,  Daniel  G., 
Livinjjston,  Stephen, 
McComb,  Anderson, 

Bushnell,  .John, 
Gossa;;e,  .Teremiah, 
Harris.  Wm.  H., 
Hulburt,  Wm.  IL. 


McKay,  John, 
Smith,  Lewis  G., 
Sharj^e.  Joseph, 
Smith,  Alford, 
Seymour,  Lewis, 
Sandidge,  Dan'l., 
Smith,  Wm.. 
Thompson,  .John, 
Workman,  Geo., 
Wheeler,  Thos. 

Company  H. 

I'erkins.  John  H., 
Snodgrass,  Robert, 
Saffer,  John  M., 


Company  I. 
Captain — Altert  O.   Collins. 
First  Lieutenant — Edward  Curless. 
Unassigned  Itecruits — Severns,  Francis  M. 

EIGHTY-NINTH  INFANTRY. 
Company  I. 
First  Lieutenant — Charles  M.  Carnahan. 
Sergeants — William    B.    Carnahan.    .Tosiah    B.    Mc- 
Eylaa,    John   McKennett. 

Corporals — James   S.    Quince,   John    Gaffney,   Daniel 
D.    Carnahan. 

Musician — Thurston  Smith. 


Privates — 
Butterfield.  George, 
Carr,  Benj.  F., 
Guthrie,  Joseph, 
Holden,  Benj., 
Ifolden.  Wm.. 
Johnson,  Andrew  J.. 
Malugin.  Zachariah, 
May,  Martin  II.. 
Parker,  Samuel  P.. 
Rouse,  Alonzo  G., 
Thompson.  Wm.  H., 


Vroman,  Daniel  R.. 
Barrett.  John  W., 
Carnahan.  r»avid, 
Graham,  .Tames, 
Hopkins,  Hiram, 
Holton.  Densid, 
Loyd.  Joseph. 
Mannor.  John, 
Dlivcr.  Wm., 
Kitohey.  Thomas. 
Smith.  Samuel  A., 
V^an  Campen,  Daniel  D. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTEENTH  INFANTRY. 
Company  D. 

Captains — Stephen  M.  Ihickstep.  Samuel  Hymer. 

First  Lieutenants — Christ  C.  Bridgewater,  Samuel 
Hymer,  Michael  P.  Jones. 

Second  Lieutenants — Samuel  Hymer,  Michael  P. 
Jones. 

First  Sergeant — Michael  P.  Jones. 

Sergeants — Luther  M.  Hobart,  George  Frisby,  An- 
drew Bridgewater,  George  Gillett. 

Corporals — Robert  Stewart.  Daniel  W.  Smith,  Fran- 
cis Banks,  James  A.  Deal,  Andrew  Jacoby,  Charles 
Barker.  Alva  Bond.  Perry  I*.  Tolle. 

Musicians — William   Rhodes,   James  M.  Huckstep. 

Wagoner — James  Buckles. 

I'rivates — 
Bowman.  William.  Lent.  .Teremiah, 

Byers.  Monroe,  Lenover,  Alexander. 

Bryant,  John,  Lane.  Garrett, 

Bridgewater.  Ellas,  Loe,  Filden, 

Bennett.  William  R.,  Masterson.  George, 

Bryant.  James  M.,  Myers,  Daniel. 

Bechtol.  Squire.  Moreland.  John, 

Boyd.  Joseph  E..  Muck.  Humphrey. 

Bowling.  William,  Monnett.  William. 

Barker.  Andrew  J.,  Sliller.  Henry, 

Buckles,  Elisha.  Newell.  James. 

Colvin.  George  W.,  Parish,  John. 

Collster.  Joseph.  Park.  Overton. 

Cokenour.  Alfred,  Pickenpaugh.  John, 

Cross.  George  W.,  Russell.  Isaiah. 

Campbell,  George  W.,  Robertson.  .Tames  W.. 

Dixson.  William,  Root,  .Tacob, 

I>upu\'.  Francis  M.,  Smedley.  John  M., 

Dupuy.  Daniel  T.,  Smedley.  David  L., 

Dupuy.  James  C,  Smedley.  Thomas  I., 

Dace.  Michael,  Smedley,  William  A., 

Dace.  Edwin,  Stark.  John. 

Deal,  Strathearn,  Stoneking.  Jacob, 


Everhart,  Samuel, 
Eads,  Samuel  S.. 
Fagan.  Patrick, 
Gory,  Martin, 
Gregory,  George, 
Harlow,  William, 
Herron,  William, 
Ishmeal,  Francis  D.. 
Jackson,  John  D., 
Jackson.  Andrew, 
Jones,  Nathan, 
Jacoby,  Christopher 
Kent,  Asher, 
Lamaster,  Charles. 

Recruits — 
Howell,  Thomas  S.. 
Jackson,  Jesse. 
Julian,  Milton  P., 


Stoneking,  W.  P., 
Smith,  Jolin  S., 
Stephens.  John  M., 
Sebastian,  George  S.. 
Terrill,  Andrew  .T., 
Thompson,  James. 
Tyson,  William, 
Tyson,  George  W., 
Teeple,  Jackson, 
Thomas,  James  R., 
Underbill,  William  B.. 
Underbill,  Anson  W.. 
Welker.  Stewart. 


Stephens,  Ellas, 
Scott,  Richard. 
Zimmerman,  Patman, 

Company   C. 
Sergeant — Edwin  Utter. 

Company  H. 
Farrar.  Jasper  P.,  Whitsel,  John  D., 

Ward.  Hiram  K.,  Wren,  John. 

Zegler,  Ezra, 

Company  K. 
Derrill.  Henry  S. 

Company  D,  One  Hundred  Fifteenth  Illinois 
Infanti-}',  was  recruited  in  Schuyler  County  by 
Rev.  S.  M.  Huckstep,  a  Methodist  minister  who 
was  on  the  Rushville  circuit  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  The  greater  part  of  the  volunteers  in 
this  company  were  from  Bainbridge  and  Freder- 
ick Townships,  and  they  were  mustered  into  serv- 
ice at  Springfield  Octolier  4.  18G2.  Rev.  Huck- 
step was  elected  Captain  and  served  his  country 
as  gallantly  as  he  had  served  the  Lord,  until  he 
received  a  mortal  wound  at  the  battle  of  ChicU- 
amauga  September  20,  l.StW.  The  wound  was  In- 
flicted by  a  shrapnel  ball,  and  he  was  taken  to 
the  hospital  at  Chattanooga,  where  the  ball  was 
removed  from  his  thigh.  From  there  he  was  re- 
moved to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  died  Decem- 
lier  0,  1S03.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Captain 
Huckstep,  T-ieut.  Sanniel  Hymer  was  promoted 
to  Captain  and  he  commanded  the  company  until 
the  close  of  the  war. 

Company  D.  One  Hundred  Fifteenth  Illinois 
Infantry,  pai'ticipated  in  the  battle  of  Franklin 
and  Harpeth  River,  April  10,  1863,  also  in  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga,  Ga.,  September  18,  19 
and  20,  1863.  and  was  in  the  Dalton  raid  under 
General  Palmer  from  February  21  to  Febniary 
27,  ISfH.  They  were  also  in  the  charge  on  Tun- 
nel Hill,  Ga..  May  7,  1864,  and  when  General 
Sherman  started  on  his  Atlanta  campaign,  the 
One  Hundred  Fifteenth  Regiment  w.as  in  the 
advance  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  tlic  battle 
of  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  1.5  and  16,  ISO-t. 

During  the  summer  of  1864  Company  D  was 
stationed  at  Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  and  it  was  here 
Captain  Hymer  and  his  little  band  of  Spartans 
gained  renown  by  the  defense  of  a  block  house, 


742 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


where  they  held  Gen.  Hood's  nniiy  of  40.000 
men  in  check  for  nearly  ten  hour.s,  thus  blocking 
the  advance  of  the  enemy  and  securing  the  safety 
of  the  remainder  of  the  regiment,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  Eighth  Kentucky  Infantry,  then  stationed 
at  Ringgold  and  which  retreated  to  Chattanooga. 

For  this  conspicuous  act  of  gallantry,  Captain 
Hymer  received  the  brevet  rank  of  Major  from 
President  Lincoln,  and  on  March  28,  ISOO,  Con- 
gress bestowed  upon  him  a  medal  of  honor. 

The  defense  made  by  Captain  Hymer  and  the 
brave  Schuyler  boys  of  Company  D  is  well 
worthy  a  place  in  the  militar.v  annals  of  the 
county,  as  it  is  seldom  soldiers  are  called  upon 
to  fight  against  such  fearful  odds.  Of  the  fortj-- 
one  meu  who  aided  in  the  defense  of  the  block 
house  five  were  killed,  six  were  wounded  and  the 
survivors,  who  surrendered  after  a  gallant  de- 
fense, spent  months  in  southern  prisons. 

Company  D  had  lieen  sent  to  Buzzard's  Roost 
Gap  in  July  to  guard  that  strategic  iioint,  which 
was  an  opening  in  the  valley  about  one  hundred 
yards  wide.  During  the  summer  a  block  house 
24x24  feet  was  built  of  spruce  logs,  one  tier  be- 
ing laid  horizontal  and  backed  up  by  other  logs 
set  perpendicular.  The  top  was  also  covered 
with  logs  and  on  top  of  this  was  placed  sod  and 
dirt  to  a  depth  of  three  feet.  Flaring  portlioles, 
4x4  inches  square,  were  cut  in  the  logs  on  all 
four  sides  and  a  firing  platform  was  built  inside. 
The  door  to  the  block  house  was  cut  on  an  angle 
so  the  enemy  could  not  get  a  direct  fire  in  case 
it  had  to  be  opened,  and  surrounding,  the  block 
house  was  a  deep  ditch.  The  little  fort  was  well 
provisioned  and  the  men  were  armed  with  rifles. 

During  the  sunuiier  of  1SC4  General  Sherman 
was  transporting  train  loads  of  provisions  over 
the  Western  &  Atlantic  Railroad  to  supply  his 
troops,  and  the  block  house  at  Buzzard's  Roost 
Gap  was  built  with  the  idea  of  guarding  the  rail- 
road at  that  point.  The  boys  of  Company  D 
patrolled  the  railroad  two  or  three  miles  each 
way  twice  a  day  to  keep  the  rebels  from  pulling 
the  spikes  and  wrecking  the  trains,  thereby  cut- 
ting off  General  Sherman's  line  of  supplies. 

-Vlong  in  the  middle  of  August  Gen.  Joe 
Wheeler  came  dashing  up  to  the  block  house  on 
one  of  his  cavalry  raids,  but  when  he  took  in  the 
situation  that  wily  general  wheeled  about  and 
retreated,  as  his  force  was  not  strong  enough  to 
carry  the  block  house  by  assault. 

But  it  was  different  with  General  Hood.  He 
came  with  an  army  of  about  40.000  men  on  the 


morning  of  October  13,  18G4,  and  that  gap  af- 
forded him  his  only  means  of  escape  from  Gen- 
eral Sherman's  army,  which  was  pressing  him  so 
closely  he  could  not  get  through  at  Snake  Creek 
Gap  or  Rocky  Face  Ridge.  At  Buzzard  Roost  Gap 
the  mountains  rose  abruptly  on  either  side  and 
there,  in  the  center  of  the  one  hundred  yards 
of  open  space,  stood  the  little  block  house. 

It  was  about  noon  when  General  Hood's  army 
appeared,  and  then  the  battle  was  on.  At  first 
it  was  the  rebel  shan>  shooters  who  were  called 
into  action,  but  as  there  was  no  sign  of  weaken- 
ing by  the  gallant  block  house  defenders.  Captain 
Slocum's  New  Orleans  battery  was  brought  into 
play.  Three  guns  were  placed  on  each  hill  at 
a  distance  of  from  400  to  600  yards,  and  an  en- 
filading fire  begun.  In  an  Interview  with  the 
writer  Captain  Hymer  stated  that  about  130  or 
140  shots  were  fired  before  any  impression  was 
made  on  the  block  house.  One  solid  shot  hit  the 
southeast  corner  and  tore  the  heavy  timbers  into 
si)linters.  Five  balls  entered  the  iiort  holes,  and 
with  every  shot  a  member  of  Conii)any  D  gave 
up  his  life.  Nathan  .Tones  was  the  first  man 
killed,  a  musket  ball  striking  him  in  the  fore- 
head. Fielden  Loe  had  his  head  shot  off  with 
a  cannon  ball.  .Joseph  Boyd  had  his  left  arm 
torn  off  at  the  shoulder  with  a  cannon  ball.  .John 
I'arrish's  left  arm  was  shot  off  between  the  el- 
bow and  wrist.  William  Dixson  was  struck  by 
a  cannon  ball  on  the  leg.  which  stripped  the  flesh 
to  the  bone,  and  amid  the  carnage  within  that 
little  bloc'k-house.  these  brave  men  lingered,  while 
their  companions  continued  the  combat,  and  died 
as  bravely  as  they  had  fought. 

.\I1  afternoon  the  artillery  battle  waged,  and 
solid  shot  and  shell-  were  rained  down  upon  the 
blo<k-house  by  Captain  Slocum's  batteries  on  the 
hills.  With  the  approach  of  darkness  General 
Hood  grew  impatient,  and  thinking  the  block  house 
commander  might  want  to  surrender  he  ordered 
a  flag  of  truce  sent  out.  Captain  Hymer  stated 
that  he  was  too  !>usy  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  a 
white  flag  and.  in  the  darkness,  the  truce  bearer 
was  shot  down.  Then  followed  a  charge  that 
was  repulsed  and  the  rebel  forces  received  orders 
to  take  tlie  block  house  at  all  hazards.  But  be- 
fore a  final  assault  was  made,  J.  B.  Schneider,  a 
drummer  boy  in  the  Second  Missouri  Infantry, 
who  was  a  prisoner  in  the  rebel  ranks,  volun- 
teered to  bear  a  flag  of  truce  and,  behind  the 
shelter  of  the  railroad  embankment,  made  his 
way  toward  the  fort.    This  was  about  9  o'clock 


7i 
■f- 


O 

O 

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?3 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


743 


at  night,  and  the  moon  having  come  out  brightly 
the  lad  was  noted  and  firing  ceased.  Sergeant 
Robert  Stewart  and  Andrew  Jacoby  challenged 
the  flag-bearer,  who  stated  his  errand  was  to 
secure  the  surrender  of  the  company  in  defense 
of  the  block  house.  Soon  afterwards  Captain 
Hymer  left  the  fort  to  confer  with  the  Confed- 
erate officers  and  there,  beneath  the  stars,  the 
following  terms  of  surrender  were  drawn  up : 
••In  the  Field  Near 
'•Dalton.  Oa.,  Oct.  13,  18G4. 

'•Captain  Ilynier,  commanding  fort  of  U.  S. 
troops  near  Dalton :  I  am  ordered  by  Maj.  Gen. 
Bates,  C.  S.  A.,  to  demand  the  immediate  and 
unconditional  surrender  of  the  fort  and  garrison. 
Your  command,  your  oflicers  and  men  will  lie 
treated  as  prisoners  of  war  and  with  the  cour- 
tesy due  their  respective  ranks.  They  will  be  per- 
mitted to  retain  their  personal  property  and 
clothing.  Tour  defense  has  l>een  gallant  and  any 
further  resistance  an  unnecessary  effusion  of 
blood.  "Respectfully, 

"Theo.  Carter.  Capt.  C.  S.  A." 

"I  accept  the  terms,  believing  further  resistance 
hoi)eIess.  ••Samuel   Hymer, 

"Capt.  Co.  D,  ll.">th  111.  Vol.  Inft., 
"Commander." 

As  soon  as  the  terms  of  surrender  were  signed 
Captain  Hymer's  company  was  marched  out  of  the 
block  house,  and  some  of  the  old  veterans  say  it 
was  a  .surprise  to  the  rebels  to  learn  that  there 
were  only  fortj'-one  in  that  little  company.  That 
night  was  spent  in  the  field  and,  on  the  following 
morning.  Pat  Zimmerman,  .Viva  Bond  .and  Wil- 
liam Tyson  were  detailed  to  bury  the  dead.  The 
five  men  who  had  sacrificed  their  lives  in  the  gal- 
lant defense  were  wrapped  in  their  blankets  and 
buried  in  a  shallow  grave  near  the  block  house, 
and  after  the  close  of  the  war  their  bodies  were 
removed  to  the  National  Cemetery  at  Chatt.i- 
nooga.  and  are  buried  in  Section  K.  •  In  addition 
to  those  killed  at  the  lilock  hou.se,  William  Har- 
low died  at  Jeffersonville.  Ind.,  .January  2,  180.5. 
from  wounds  received  in  the  fight,  and  .Tohn  S. 
Smith  died  in  Andei-sonville  prison  of  weakness 
and  debility-. 

I'nder  date  of  October  IS,  1804,  E,  W.  Dace, 
writing  from  Tunnel  Hill.  Oa.,  gives  the  list  of 
killed,  wounded  and  captured  in  the  battle  as 
follows : 

Killed — Privates,  .Tohn  Parrish,  .Joseph  E. 
.Boyd,  Fielden  Loe,  William  Dixson,  Nathan 
Jones. 


Wounded — Corporals,   Andrew   Jackson,  P.  A. 
Zimmerman.    George   Jlasterson,   James   Thomp- 
son, James  C.  Dupuy.  William  Harlow. 

Captured — Capt.  Samuel  Hymer,  Lieut.  Mich- 
ael P.  Jones,  Sergeants,  Andrew  Jacobs,  Alva 
Bond  and  Robert  Stewart.  Corporals,  Andrew 
Jackson,  P.  A.  Zimmerman,  James  C.  Dupuy, 
James  Thompson,  Overton  Parks,  Garrett  Lane 
and  George  Mastei-son.  Privates  James  M.  Bry- 
ant, Squire  Bechtol,  Andrew  J.  Barker,  Joseph 
W.  Campbell,  George  W.  Cross,  Joseph  Collister, 
Samuel  Eads.  Martin  Goree,  George  Gregory, 
William  Herron,  John  D.  Jack.son,  Jesse  Jackson, 
Milton  P.  Julian,  Charles  Lamaster,  John  More- 
land,  James  W.  Robertson,  Thomas  Smedley, 
.John  Smith,  John  M.  Stevens.  Ellas  Stevens.  An- 
drew Terrell,  William  T.vson  and  Anson  W.  Un- 
derbill. 

Three  of  the  wounded  soldiers,  namely :  George 
Master.son,  William  Harlow  and  Squire  Bechtol, 
were  paroled,  while  the  remainder  of  the  ofiicers 
and  men  of  Company  D  were  taken  to  the  aTmy 
prison  at  Selma,  Ala.  Prom  there  they  were 
transferred  to  Cahaba,  about  twenty-five  miles 
down  the  river,  and  then  sent  to  Millen,  Ga.  Late 
in  November  a  scouting  party,  sent  out  by  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  drew  clo.se  to  Millen.  and  the  pris- 
oners were  transferred  to  Savannah,  and  later 
marched  across  country  from  Thomasville  to 
Andersonville  prison,  one  of  the  most  notorious 
of  the  rebel  prisons. 

On  December  20.  1804.  the  doors  of  Anderson- 
ville prison  closed  upon  the  bo.vs  of  Company  D, 
and  they  remained  there  until  March  2.5,  1805. 
They  were  put  on  board  the  cars  and  transported 
to  Vicksburg  and  from  there  went  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  on  the  steamboat  "Henry  Ames" 
to  St.  Louis,  where  they  were  paid  by  the  Uniou 
Quartermaster,  and  a  thirty  day  furlough  was 
granted.  At  the  expiration  of  the  furlough,  the 
company  assembled  at  Springfield,  where  it  was 
nnistcrcd  out  of  service  June  11,  1805. 

o\K  nrNDREn  and  ninetbextti  ixfantry. 

Colonel — Thomas  I.  Kinney, 

Surgeon — Thomas   Munroe. 

Serceant  Majors — Edwin  M.  Anderson,  Henry  E. 
W'orsham. 

Quartermaster  Serireant — Daniel  O.  Cross. 

Commissary  Sergeants — Charles  H.  Sweeney,  Cyrus 
W.  Graff. 

Principal  Musician — Tracy  F.  Castle. 
Company  B. 

Captains — George  Parlter,  Johnston  C.  Dilworth, 
Charles  H.  Sweeney. 

First  Lieutenants — Johnston  C.  Dilworth,  Charles 
H.  Sweeney,  George  F.  Owen. 

Second  Lieutenants — Ezeklel  M.  Bradley.  .Tason  C. 
Duncan,  George  Warren. 


744 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


First  Sergeant — Jason  G.  Duncan. 

Sergeants — Abraham  K.  Long,  George  Warren, 
George  V.  Owen,   Abraham  Vail. 

Corporals — George  Rebbman,  George  W.  Brown, 
Levi  Jones,  McUeury  Kuark,  George  Willard,  John  C. 
Gregory,  Jaraes  Maynard,  Andrew  H.  McCormac. 

Privates — 
Anderson,   Edwin, 
Bridgewater,  Levi, 
Black,  John  L., 
Brownfield.  James  H., 
Bensley,  Edwin, 
Baker,  Baxter, 
Biggs,  James  P., 
Castle,  Tracy  T., 
Chapman,  Elijah, 
Carter,  Lawrence  C, 
Cox,  John  S., 
Dunn,  James  H., 
Daniels,  Lewis  B., 
Dennis,  Francis  M., 
Gain,  George, 
Gabbert.  Alfred  P., 
Garrison.  Henry  V., 
Garvin,  Thomas, 
Gillham,  Thomas  J., 
Gardner,  Henry  W., 
Geer.  John  M., 
Grujbb,  Horace, 
Gwln,  John, 
Garrison,  Daniel, 
Gorsage,  Joel  J., 
Gorsage,  .John, 
Gillham,  David  B., 
Herbert,  Cyrus, 
Hollingsworth,  Avena't 
HoIIingswortb,  En'ch  B.. 
Hatfleld,  William  F., 
Hensley,  William  H., 
Huff,  ,Tohn, 
Irwin.  Eleazer  D., 
Johnston,  James  M., 


Jones,  Patrick. 
Kelly,  Henry  P.. 
Knowles,  Edwin, 
Leger.  William, 
Leek,  Wm.  (Allen), 
Livingston,  Hugh, 
Lane,  Alfred  G., 
Lane,  Benton  Thos.. 
Marquis,  James, 
McNew,  Robert, 
Meriwether,  George, 
Matheny,  James, 
McGraugh,  David, 
McCombs,  Martin, 
Morgan,  Walter  R.. 
Nell,  Frederick, 
Phillips.  Benjamin  F., 
Price,  Henry, 
Pruet,  Andrew  J., 
Rodgers,  William, 
Randell,  John  R., 
Rose,  James. 
Sproul,  Charles. 
Smllh.  lle/pklah. 
Shields.  Jfishua. 
Sweeney.  Charles  H.. 
Seborn,  .Jacob. 
Simpson.  William, 
Tipton,  George  W., 
Tipton.  John. 
Tate.  John  W., 
Vaughn.  Jacob. 
U'orsham.  Henry  E., 
U'isdom.  r.enton, 
Winchel.  Admiral  M.. 


Company  B. 


Recruits — 
Arnold,  Charles  E.  S., 
Duke,  Abraham. 
Edgar,  John  E., 
Garrett,  .\ndrew  M., 
Garrett,  Patrick  A., 
Gorsuch.  Joshua. 
Hollingsworth.  John, 
James,  John  C. 
Montooth.  George, 
Montooth,  .Tames, 
Miller,  Ezra, 
Mace,  Aurelius  M.. 


Miller.  James  L., 
Norval,  Alexander, 
Xorten,  John, 
Peckenpaugh,  Chris  C, 
Phelps,  William. 
Parker.  Henry  C, 
Robertson,  Joel, 
Robertson.  Daniel, 
Sweeney,  ,Tohn  L., 
Wet>ster,  I>aniel, 
Willard.  Patrick  H., 


Company  C. 

Captains — Robert  L.  Greer,  Thomas  J.  Curry. 

First  Lieutenants — Thomas  J.  Curry.  Adam  J. 
Bower. 

Second  Lieutenants — Adam  J.  Bower,  Benjamin 
Goodwin. 

First  Sergeant — Benjamin  Goodwin. 

Sergeants — George  W.  Potts.  Thomas  McNeeley, 
William  McXeeley.  James  R.  Cooney. 

Corporals — Thomas  Goodwin.  Jacob  Washabaugh, 
Perry  James,  Resolvo  M.  Lesser.  William  T.  Simpson, 
Alexander  Simpson,  DeWitt  C.  Ellis. 

Privates  — 
Anderson.  Edwin. 
Avery.  ,Tospph  C, 
Angle,  John. 
Bellchamber.  John, 
Berry.  David, 
Boileau,  Isaac  G.. 
Burnett.  George  H.. 
Brown.  William  H., 
Beastnn.  Joseph. 
Clarke.  Thomas  W.. 
Collasure,  William. 
Curry.  James. 
Cross.  Daniel  O.. 
Conner.  Roger  O., 


Lewis,  William  H., 
Lincoln.  (Carles, 
Lewis.  William. 
Lewis.  Jasper. 
Mc(^abe.  Wilber. 
Myers.  Stephen. 
McGraw.  Michael. 
McAmish.  Thompson. 
Owen.  Jacob  H., 
Parks.  Thomas, 
Pierson.  John, 
Price.  John  C. 
Pitner.  Washington  C. 
Quinn.  Thomas. 


Conney,  James  M., 
Clarke,  William  J.. 
Coppage,  James  W., 
Cams,  John  B., 
Demoss.  Thonuis, 
Davis,  Richard, 
Daugherty,  Harkness, 
Easton,  George, 
Ellis,  John, 
Easton,  John, 
Graff,  Cyrus  W., 
Garrison,  Martin  A., 
(jillman,  James. 
Harmon,  Charles, 
Holllday.  William  H.. 
Ilorgau,  Dennis, 
Jenkins.  Charles  A., 
Jones.  Osborne  C, 
Kendrick.  Jolin, 
Kennedy.  J  no.  gulncy. 
King.  Gri'eiiherry, 

Recruits — 
Avery,  David, 
B.vers.  James  IL, 
Berry,  John  J., 
Bfllomy,  ,lames  W., 
Brown.  Frederick  W., 
Chadsey.  Asoph  N., 
Camplwll,  John  U., 
Cruise,  John, 
Curry.  Matthew  T.. 
Ennls,  James  K.  P., 
I''ades.  Henry, 
Ennls.  William. 
Grafton.  Samuel, 
Hamilton.  William. 
Hall.  James. 


Reno.  Oris  McCartney, 
Stockwell,  Jeremiah, 
Shields,  David, 
Stevenson,  James, 
Sloat,  Luclan  W., 
Sloat.  Earland  M.. 
Sprigg,  George, 
Tharpe,  James, 
Todhunter,  Washington, 
Tweedlc,  William  B., 
I'lult-rwood,  Benj.  F., 
\'incent.  Merrick. 
Waugh.  Hiram, 
Ward,  Lewis  K., 
Woods,  John, 
Voung,  James  A., 
Young.  William  S., 
Yoe.  George  C, 
Young.  William  A., 
Young.  Charles  E. 


(rwln.  Harvey, 
Jones,  George, 
Jones,  James  W., 
Lewis.  Jonathan. 
McCreery,  John  P., 
McXeeley,  Alexander, 
Potts,  Lewis  U.. 
Price.  Henry. 
Race.  William. 
Smith,  Matthew  H., 
Stoneklng,  Thomas. 
Thornton,  George  Si.  D,, 
Wlnnans,  William  M., 
Williams,  Elijah, 
Young,  James  A. 


Company  E. 
Francis  M.  Bates,  recruit. 

Company  F. 

Captain — Joslah  Slack. 

First  Lieutenants — Oliver  P.  Brumback,  Lewis  Cray- 
craft,  Charles  Ward,  James  M.  Asbury. 

Second  Lieutenants — Lewis  Craycraft,  EUsha  G. 
West. 

First  Sergeant — Preston  E.  Veatch. 

Sergeants — Charles  R.  Ward,  James  M.  Asbury, 
Frank  li.   Clarkson.  James  M.   Balrd. 

Corporals — (il>ed  Ramsey,  Green  I!.  Brown,  Robert 
Golden.  John  Wilson.  John  Augler,  Jefferson  Hicks, 
Madison   Koontz. 

Wagoner — Robert  McKoy. 

Privates — 
Ashcraft.  Ell. 
Brooks,  tlirlstopher  C, 
Blackburn,  .\rthur, 
Blackley,  William. 
Brown,  .\lfred. 
Beard.  John  S.. 
Black.  William. 
Bowling,  Silas  A., 
Biggs.  Christopher  C 
Chapman.  Thomas, 
Cady.  William  H., 
Cady,  Orin, 
Clark,  Henry, 
Cornagle.  George  M.. 
Clayton.  Henry. 
Craxton.  Sampson. 
Caldwell.  William. 
Ewlng.  William. 
Fowler.  Mordica. 
Finch.  Marshall  B.. 
Glllingwater.  Irving, 
Griggs.  Jacob  M., 
Gillespie.  Roliert. 
Green.  James  R., 
Green.  James  H., 
Haley.  James  B., 
Hawkins.  .Tames. 
Hill,  .\mazlah. 
Hedrick.  James  M.. 
Irvin.  William  T.. 


McHatten.  William, 
Melvln.  Samuel, 
Mct^irdy.  .\rthur, 
McHalev.  John. 
McCready.  William  A., 
McCready,  John  F.. 
Owens,  Benjamin  F., 
Plunkett.  Jesse, 
Poe,  Virgil  D., 
Race,  Randy, 
Race.  Robert. 
Rosson.  John  J., 
Ridenger.  George, 
Ridenger.  Wilson, 
Starr.  Isaac  H., 
Stacker,  .\braham. 
Smith.  Peter, 
Sims.  Jasper. 
Thtirnian.  Meredith, 
Thornhlll.  Bryant. 
Truett.  John. 
Vanonner.  Jackson, 
West.  Ellsha  G.. 
Watts.  William  H.. 
Wilson.  Achilles. 
Wilson.  Lycurgus. 
Wilson.  Ptolemlcus. 
Wilson,  flvsses, 
Wilson.  Willis, 
^vnison,  Newton, 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY 


745 


Kepler,  Francis  M., 
Lewton.  William. 
Lahman,  I'eter, 
Lawson,  William  t. 
Loury.  James, 
Recruits — 
Ashcraft,  Harvey, 
Buckley,  Jeremiali, 
Craycraft,  Charles, 
Gray,  James  B., 
Gillespie,  John  B.. 
Hills,  Reuben  M., 
Irvin,  Jerome  B.. 


Whitmore,  John, 
Whitmore,  Jonas, 
Williams,  Henry, 
Wood,  William, 


Murphy.  Patrick, 
Snediker.  George, 
Shaver,  James  L., 
Wilson,  James, 
Whitmore,  Ijoren, 
Yates,  Kufus. 


Company  G. 

Arlington,  Frank  J.,  recruit. 

Company  i- 
Corporal-^Shuble  Huff. 


rrivates— 
Bildenback.  Willis, 
Harrison,  Thos., 


Granger,  Wm.  J.. 
Riley.  Abraham, 

Company  K- 

„  vr    Raster    Wm.  T.  Bonannon. 
Corporals— James  M.  Baxter,  vt.  m 

Privates —  j^,^^,   clement, 

Windle,  Fi;an«>%  Roberts,  John, 

'"it   Onrmlnd-ecl   and   Nineteenth    Infantry 

;:.  Silent  w,.s  or.ani.ea.    Colonel  Kinney  was 
■r^i;  nerU  of  Schuyler  County  when  the  war 
„;„Uo  out.   and   it  was  through  his  efforts  that 
Oomnany  B  was  organized. 

Zt    R    L.   Greer  recruited  Company  C  and 
whe'n  he  resigned  from  the  service  he  was  suc- 
ceeded bv  Capt.  Thomas  J.  Curry,  also  of  Rush 
'iUo     (^nnt.  .To«hua  Slacl.  recruited  Company  F 
in  c'amden  Township.    When  Company  C  met  in 
Rn.hville  on  August  0.  1802.  for  final  organiz.a- 
tion    a   handsome  silk  flag  was  presented  by  a 
number  of  Rushville  ladies  and  it  was  carried 
hv  the  company  color  l^arer  throughout  the  war 
\fter   the  war   the  old  comrades  lost  track   of 
their  flag,  and  it  was  just  recently  returned  to 
them  from  Pasadena.  Cal.,  where  it  was  kept  by 
Jacob  Washabaugh  until  his  death.     The  flag  Is 
now  in  the  custody  of  Capt.  R.  L.  Greer,  a  treas- 
ured memento  of  the  great  conflict. 

In  October.  1S02.  the  One  Hundred  and  Nine- 
teenth Infantry  was  ordered  to  Columbus,  Ky.. 
and  thence  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  where  they  did 
-nard  duty  along  the  line  of  the  Mobile  &  Ohio 
Railroad,  and  where  they  came  into  a  clash  with 
that  dashing  r.-bel  cavalry  officer.  Gen.  Forrest. 
On  May  30.  1863,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Memphis!  Tenn.,  and  assigned  to  the  Fourth 
Brigade,  and  its  connection  with  the  same  brigade 
was  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war. 


On  August  14,  1863,  Capt.  George  Parker,  of 
Company  B,  died  from  the  amputation  of  a  broken 
leg.  Captain  Parker  enlisted  from  Brownhig 
Township,   and   was   a   brave   and   accomplished 

officer. 

On  January  2T,  1804,  the  regiment  moved  down 
the  Mississippi  to  Vicksburg.  From  there  they 
marched  under  General  Sherman  to  Meridian, 
Miss.,  and  engaged  in  several  skirmishes  and,  be- 
ing tar  removed  from  their  base  of  supplies,  for- 
aged on  the  country. 

On  March  4,  1864,  began  the  Red  River  cam- 
paign, during  which  the  One  Hundred  and  Nine- 
teenth was  engaged  in  the  liattle  of  Shreveport, 
where  the  brigade  in  the  second  day's  fight  cap- 
tured one  of  the  lost  batteries  and  several  pris- 
oners.   Again  at  Yellow  Bayou,  the  regiment  did 
valiant  service,  losing  a  number  of  men,  and  the 
command  of  the  brigade  was  turned  over  to  Col- 
onel  Kinney.     Moving   up   the   Mississippi   they 
next  engaged  the  enemy  at  Lake  Chicot,  Ark., 
and  returned  to  Memphis.  June  24.    From  there 
they   again  went  to  Mississippi,   where  General 
Forrest  was  engaged  July  14th  at  Tupelo,  where, 
after  several  charges  and  retreats,  a  victory  was 

won. 

Ordered  north  again,  the  regiment  made  a 
march  of  700  miles  from  St.  Louis  and  on  their 
return  were  sent  to  Tennessee  where  they  en- 
gaged Hood's  forces  in  a  two  days'  fight  near 
N.ashville,  where  a  battery  of  brass  guns  was 
captured. 

March  27,  1.80,5,  Spanish  Fort  was  invested 
and,  on  April  Otii,  the  regiment  was  in  the  charge 
that  captured  Fort  Blakely,  near  Mobile,  Ala., 
on  the  day  of  General  Lee's  surrender,  and  when 
the  war  was  practically  ended.  The  last  service 
of  the  regiment  was  at  Mobile  where  Colonel  Kin- 
ney was  assigned  to  duty  as  Provost  Marshal  of 
the  department  and  district  of  Mobile.  Here  the 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  sei-vice,  August 
20,  180.5,  and  Colonel  Kinney  retired  from  serv- 
ice with  the  rank  of  Brevet  Brigadier  General. 


ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-FOURTH  INFANTRY. 

Company  D. 
Corporals — William  Orwig. 


Privates — 
Ccmner.  Thomas, 
Johnson.  .John, 
Warutz,  .Jacob, 

Recruits — 
Bloomshine.  Nicholas, 


Causey,  ,Tames, 
Eaper,  Jacob. 

McCiillough,  Hugh, 
Duncan,  Joseph, 


Baker,  Abraham. 


Company  K. 


746 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY-SEVENTH  INFANTRY. 
Company  H. 
Rice,  William  B. 

ONE   HUNDRED  TWENTY-NINTH   INFANTRY. 

Company  F. 
Reynolds,  Andrew  J. 

ONE  HUNDRED  THIRTY-FIRST  INFANTRY. 
Company  A. 
First  Lieutenant — Tliomas  N.  Stephens. 
First  Sergeant — Samuel  B.  McAfee. 

ONE   HUNDRED   THIRTY-SEVENTH   INFANTRY. 

Captain — Robert  A.  Williams. 

First  Lieutenant — Luke  W.   Clark. 

Second  Lieutenant — William   II.  Rice. 

First  Sergeant — Albert  B.  Clarke. 

Sergeants — Rice  D.  Suddotb,  Aliira  G.  Meacham, 
William  T.  Yoe.  George  C.  Ray. 

Corporals — Finley  Chandler,  John  Price,  Charles 
Perkins,  Nathan  Montgomery.  Joseph  Maniove,  John 
Tharp,  George  II.  Sargent,  Robert  M.  Rose. 


McColly,  Andrew, 
Noliie.  William, 
O'Neal.  Daniel, 
i'arrott.  .Tosiah  S., 
Riilwrts,  John, 
liitcliev.  John  A., 
Ritclicy.  John  Q., 
Riloy.  Tliomas, 
Ripetoe,  Harrison, 
Spooneniore,  John  H., 
Stewart.  Thaddeus  S., 
Smith.  Albert, 
Savers,  Francis  M.. 
Shlppey.  John  A.  B., 
Sours,  Samuel, 
Schroder,  William, 
Swan.  Amos, 
Tolle.  Leman  A., 
Teeples,  George  W., 
Taylor.  John. 
Vanorder.  James, 
Vandever.  Edward, 
Wliitson.  William  H., 
Withrow,  Philip  B., 
Wright.  George  T., 
Ware,  Perry, 
WIngo.  Richard, 
Woods.  Marian  B. 


Privates — 
Black,  Richard, 
Beghtol,  William, 
Bertholt,  John  A., 
Berry,  William  F., 
Beaty,  Bartley, 
Bailey,  Josiah  F., 
Boice,  Wesley, 
Bridgewaters,  Jos.  N.. 
Ely,  Thomas, 
Corbridge,  Wm.  H., 
Dunn,  Jasper, 
Dunn,  Daniel, 
Demoss,  James  W., 
Dewitt.  Theodore, 
English.  John  C, 
Ellis,  Samuel  E., 
Fry,  Joel, 
Howe,  Wesley  W., 
Hand,  Joseph, 
Hill.  John, 
Harrington.  Geo.  P., 
Ingraham,  Oliver  W.. 
Ingrum,  Ira, 
Jones,  John  T., 
Jewell,  Thomas  T., 
Landis.  Benjamin, 
Mercer.  Alfred  S., 
Mitchell.  Francis  M., 

Recruit — Buruham,  Robert. 

Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh 
Infantry,  was  reeniited  at  Rushville  by  Capt. 
Robert  A.  Williams.  The  regiment  was  organ- 
ized at  Camp  Wood,  Quincy,  111.,  by  Col.  John 
Wood,  and  was  mustered  in  June  r>,  18(>4,  for 
one  hundred  days.  The  regiment  went  from 
Quincy  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  was  later  sta- 
tioned on  the  Hernando  road,  where  it  did  picket 
duty.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Springfield,  III.,  September  4,  1S64. 

ONE   HUNDRED   FORTY-NINTH  INFANTRY. 

Company  G. 

Byers,  John  R..  John.son,  Finley  G. 

Trader,  James, 

ONE  HUNDRED  FIFTY-FIRST  INFANTRY. 
Company  I. 
Blair,    Jerry. 

Company  K. 
Captain — John  Sutton. 
First  Sergeant — Samuel  Everhart. 
Sergeant — John  O.  Woods. 

Corporals — James  J.  Mason,  Wm.  B.  Jones,  James 
E.  Mathews. 


Swain,  Amos, 
Spear,  Bolin, 
Sites,  Henry, 
Winters,  James  B.. 
Woods,  .Marion  B. 


Privates — 
Bonner,  James, 
Emerson,  Harlow, 
Ingraham.  Ira, 
King,  Edward, 
O'Neal,  Daniel, 
Roberts,  Chas., 

SECOND  CAVALRY. 
Company  H. 

Captain — Josephus  B.  Venard. 

Second    Lieutenants — Wm.    Birdwell,    Alexander   M 
I'rather. 

Sergeants— Jesse  O.  Beale,  Shobal  Chltman,  Clinton 
L.  Bissel. 

Farrier — Samuel  Reynolds. 

Privates — 
Angel,  James  M., 
Atkinson,  Joseph, 
Berry,  Moses, 
Bowlln,  John, 
Barker,  James, 
Cliltwood,  James  A., 
Chllwood,  John  J,, 
Goree,  William, 
Green,  William, 
Gregg,  Wm., 
Hill,  John. 
Lowry,  Ross, 

Recruits — • 
Barnaliy,  Joseph, 
Frakes,  Henry  O., 
Frakes,  Jacob, 
Frakes.  John  K., 
Grass,  Daniel, 


Lamaster,  John. 
Montgomery,  James, 
.Metts,  John  H., 
.Muck.  Francis  M., 
Qulntln,  John, 
(juiiin.  Wm.  P., 
Roberts,  Wm., 
Randall,  Peter, 
Sparks,  Wm.  R., 
Tyson,  Alfred  D., 
Vail,  Robert. 


Hill,  Edmund  B., 
Morlarlty,  Gilbert, 
Owens,  I'eter, 
Acres,  Lock  P. 


THIRD   CAVALRY. 
Company  H. 
First  Lieutenant — George  H.  Horton. 
Sergeant — John  U.  Reed. 


Privates — - 
Bradley,  John  W„ 
Bcretier,  John, 
Bradley,  Tbomas  H., 
Blxby,  Henry  C, 
Bollman,  William  C, 
Edwards,  William  B., 
Geer,  Sidney  A., 

Recruits — 
Cliapman,  William, 
Chapman,  ,Iohn, 
Edwards,  Charles  N., 


GoBsage,  Andrew  J., 
Klngrey,  Wm.  H., 
Onion,  Wm.  T., 
Williams,  Walter, 
Rucker,  Ell, 
Shaw,  Liberty, 


Justus,  John  A., 
I'lillllps,  Asahel  M., 
Talbott,  Isalab. 
Company  B. 

Seward,  Stephen  H. 


Horton,  John, 
Seward,  David  A., 

SEVENTH  CAVALRY. 
Company  E. 

Miller,  Henry, 
Nicholas,  Luzerne, 
Elsie}',  Samuel, 
Vanderwort,  Frceglft. 
Company  F. 
Mitchell,  Charles  W. 

Company  K. 
Cnrnahan.  David. 


Cook.  Isaac. 
Lamb,  William, 
Lamb,  Chariis, 
Lake,  Thomas, 


TENTH  CAVALRY. 


Frakes,  Robert. 

Corbridge,  W.  H.  H. 
Herbert,  Francis  M. 

Curry,  John  W. 


Company  I. 

Company  K. 

Scanland.  Sidney  B., 
Williams,  Wilson. 

Company  M. 


ELEVENTH  CAVALRY. 
Company  I. 
Latler,  Samuel   W. 

Company  G. 
Gregory,  Geo.  W.. 

Gregory.  Milton  H.,  Kellv.  James, 

KInsey,  John  R.,  Burrell,  Isaac, 

Hedenricb,  Ferdinand,  Hunter.  John  S., 

Jolly,  Wesley,  Brown,  Thos. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


747 


FIFTEENTH    CAVALRY. 
Company  B. 
Sergeant — David  LaugUIin. 
Corporal — Fluce  D.  Francis. 
Privates — 
Branum,  James  C,  Patterson,  Francis  M., 

Lemley,  John,  Patterson,  Thos.  N., 

Uadden,  Wm.  M., 

SEVENTEENTH   CAVALRY. 
Company  D. 
Corporals — James     M.     Bell,     Martin     Richardson, 
Henry  C.  Kue,  Edwin  C.  Mercer. 

Privates — 
Bouser,  William  B., 
Ballen.  Abijab, 
Greenwood,  W.  B., 
Hamilton,  J.  W., 
Jump,  Abraham, 
Colter,  Hugh, 
Compton,  Lewis, 
Carman,  James, 
Kuch,  Charles, 


Keeier,  Martin, 
Lamaster,  Wm.  H., 
McKee,  Wm., 
Morris,  Napoleon  B., 
Martin,  George, 
Richardson.  William, 
Tburman,  John, 
Moran.  Wm., 
Stumpf,  Leonard, 


FIRST   ARTILLERY. 
Battery  F. 
First  Lieutenant — Jefferson  F.  Whaley. 
Second  Lieutenant — Robert  Ritchey. 


Doctor.  Valentine, 
Fuller,  Fredericli, 
Parker,  S.  E., 
Young,  Albert. 


Sweet.  Amos, 
Winters,  John, 
I'ierce,  Franklin  O., 


Privates — 
Berringer,  O., 
Berringer,  Lloyd, 
Christance,  G.  W.. 
Christance,  Cornelius, 

Recruits — 
Alrd,  Frank, 
Christianson,  W'm.  H., 
Fairchikls,  Samuel  C, 
Mead,  Charles  A.. 

TENTH   MISSOURI    INFANTRY. 
Lieutenant  Colonel — Leonidas  Horney. 
Major — Joseph  W'alker. 

Company  A. 
Captain — Leonidas  Horney. 
First   Lieutenant — Joseph    Walker. 
Corporals — James     Middleton,     John     McNeill 
George  W.  Bell. 

Drummer — Wm.    Line. 
Fifer — Moses  C.  Telle. 


Privates — 
Applegate,  B.  T., 
Ainsworth.  Albert  S., 
Busby,  Zebulon, 
Colt,  A.  R.. 
Cracraft.  Charles, 
DeWltt,  Edmund, 
Daily,  Michael, 
Harbison,  John  S., 
Logan,  Benj.  R., 
McCabe,  Miles, 
Odell,  Alfred. 
Abbott.  Moses  R., 
Bowden.  Wm., 
Briggs,  Wm.  H., 
Cross.  James  H., 
DeWitt.  James  A., 
Davis.  A.  J., 
Elllcott.  Wm.  H., 
Legg,  James  M., 
Long,  Jacob  C, 
Nichols,  G.  W., 
Odell,  D.  Clinton. 
Pitman,  Sandford, 
Sprague,  Samuel, 
Sellers,  Andrew, 
Sellers,  Lafayette, 
Snyder,  William, 
Snyder,  Wm,  F.. 
Thompkins.  Geo.  W., 
Toland,  Howard, 
Wyckoff,  James  A., 
Adkinson,  Daniel, 
Ashcraft,  J.  F., 


Snyder,  David  H., 
Thrush,  George, 
Thompson,  Sam'l  S., 
Voslmrg.  Cornelius, 
Wilson.  Elijah,  Jr., 
Johnson.  Samuel. 
Line.  Edmund. 
Lucas.  Wm.  R., 
McGrath.  Lloyd, 
Middleton,  D.  F., 
Middleton,  John  M.. 
Moriarty,  G.  L.. 
Moore,  Henry, 
Mclntire,  Wm., 
Melton,  Samuel, 
Parson,  ,Jacob. 
Peyton,  A.  D.. 
Reed,  Samson  W., 
Roach,  John  W., 
Roberts,  Thomas. 
Swim,  John, 
Cooper,  Joseph  A., 
Dunlavey.  J,ts.  G.. 
Dennis.  William, 
Holmes,  Cyrus, 
Severns,  L. .!.. 
Sanford.  Volney, 
Thrush,  Robert  A., 
Williams,  William, 
Wimple.  Minard, 
Pare.  David  J., 
Reed,  John  S.. 
Rice.  Thomas  A., 
Roach,  Levi  W.. 


and 


Ashcraft,  Richard, 
Ashcraft,  Samuel, 
Burnett,  Enos, 
Bird,  John, 
Belchambers,  Frank, 
Bly,  Wm.  F., 
Bingham,  Joseph  B., 
Jacobs,  Peter  S., 
Pennington,  James, 
Sellers,  Leroy, 
Stodgel,  Francis  M., 


Sheesley,  Daniel, 
Raper,  Henry  F., 
Bell,  James  M., 
Castor,  Lewis, 
Dusher,  Wm., 
Gould.  John  C. 
Herbert,  James  W„ 
Sheppard,  Robert, 
Thrush,  Wm.  F., 
Tolle,  Chas.  W., 
Wilson,  Parker. 


Company  A,  Tenth  Missouri  Infantry,  was  re- 
cruited in  Schuyler  County  by  Leonidas  Homey, 
who  had  lieen  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War  and 
had  been  promoted  from  the  ranks  to  a  captaincy. 
The  most  of  the  volunteers  in  this  company  were 
from  Littleton  Township,  but  others  were  taken 
in  to  make  a  full  company.  At  the  time  the  com- 
pany was  organized,  Captain  Homey  offered  the 
services  of  his  volunteers  to  Governor  Yates,  but 
the  Illinois  quota  at  that  time  was  full,  and  as 
the  men  were  eager  for  military  service  they 
went  St.  Louis,  where  they  were  mustered  into 
seri'ice  at  Jefferson  Barracks  August  9,  1801,  as 
Co.  A,  Tenth  Missouri  Infantry.  This  regiment 
was  made  up  largely  from  Illinois  volunteers  who 
were  unable  to  obtain  admission  to  service  in 
their  own  State. 

From  Jefferson  Barracks  the  regiment  went 
into  service  along  the  Gasconade  River,  and  spent 
their  first  winter  at  Herman,  Mo.  From  there 
they  made  an  attack  on  General  Cobb's  h-oops  at 
High  Hill,  Mo.,  and  drove  the  Confederates  to 
Boonesboro.  Following  this  engagement  Captain 
Horney  was  commissioned  Major. 

From  Herman,  Mo.,  the  regiment  was  sent  back 
to  Jefferson  Barracks  and  from  there  to  Cape 
Girardeau,  Mo.,  thence  to  Pittsburg  Landing  on 
the  Tennessee  River,  where  the  regiment  was  Tn 
a  hot  skirmish  May  29,  1SG2.  They  also  took 
part  in  the  battle  at  Inka,  Miss.,  September 
1.3-20,  1802,  and  in  the  battle  of  Corinth,  October 
4.  1802,.  the  regiment  lost  in  killed  and  wounded 
01  men.  Major  Horney  was  wounded  in  the 
right  leg  in  this  engagement,  but  he  remained 
with  his  troops  throughout  the  fight.  For  his 
conspicuous  bravery  on  the  field  of  battle  he  was 
promoted  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  October  25,  1862. 

The  winter  of  1862-63  was  spent  near  German- 
town  above  Memphis,  and  from  there  the  regi- 
ment marched  to  Vicksbnrg.  On  May  8,  186.3, 
Colonel  Horney  received  a  congratulatory  letter 
from  General  Grant  for  capturing  1,000  prison- 
ers and  five  guns  while  marching  to  Vicksbnrg. 
On  Thursday  May  14,  1863,  the  regiment  led  a 
charge  at  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  their  loss  was  85 
killed  and  wounded. 


748 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


In  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  the  Tenth  Missouri 
was  in  the  engagement  at  Champion  Hills  and 
was  held  in  reserve  until  3  o'clock  on  the  after- 
noon of  Mav  10, 1863.  Orders  were  then  given  for 
the  regiment  to  charge,  and  Colonel  Horney  at 
the  head  of  his  ti'oops  drove  the  enemy  back  and 
won  the  victory  for  the  Union  forces.  After  the 
main  t.odv  had  been  repulsed  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  clear  the  field  of  minor  detachments 
that  had  not  abandoned  tlieir  position.  Colonel 
Hornev  rode  in  advance  of  his  regiment  and 
noted  a  squad  of  six  or  eight  soldiers  in  blue  uni- 
form whom  he  took  to  be  Union  soldiers.  They 
were,  however,  rebels  in  disguise,  and  as  he  rode 
up  they  fired.  One  bullet  pierced  his  side  and 
another  his  head  and  he  fell  from  his  horse  into 
the  arms  of  his  devoted  men,  who  at  the  first 
sign  of  treachery  had  rushed  to  their  conunand- 
er's  aid.  Colonel  Horney  was  one  of  the  al>lc 
commanders  in  the  Vicksburg  campaign  and  his 
death  cut  short  a  brilliant  military  career,  for 
lie  had  the  confidence  of  his  superior  officers  who 
had  noted  his  fearless  bravery  in  action  and  the 
masterly  manner  in  which  he  handled  his  men. 
He  was  buried  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  nearly 
two  yean?  elapsed  before  his  remains  were 
brought  home.  On  Febvuar>'  15,  1805,  they  were 
interred  with  military  honors  in  the  old  family 
burying  ground  at  Thompson  Cemetery,  Little- 
ton Township. 

After  the  siege  of  \'icksburg  the  regiment  was 
sent  to  Helena,  Ark.,  on  September  12.  1803,  and 
from  there  marched  to  Chattanooga,  arriving 
there  November  20th.  On  November  25th  the 
regiment  went  into  action  at  Missionary  Ridge, 
where  a  loss  of  09  men  was  sustained.  Major 
Walker  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  in  this  en- 
gagement, Captain  Russell  killed  and  four  Lieu- 
tenants wounded,  but  Company  A  went  through 
the  battle  without  losing  a  man  killed  and  only 
two  slightly  wounded. 

Following  this  engagement  the  regiment  did 
guard  duty  at  Brownsboro.  Ala.,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  at  St.  Lfiuis  August  24.  1804. 


CHAPTER  XXYIII. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN   WAR. 


AMEBIC.Wf    SYMPATHY    FOR   THE   VICTIMS    OF   SPAN- 
ISH   OPPRESSION   IN   CUBA — DESTRUCTION    OF  THE 


AMERICAN  BATTLESHIP  MAINE  IN  HAVANA  HAR- 
BOR   RESULTS    IN    DECIJVRATION    OF    WAR ORGAN- 

IZ.'VTION      OF      A      COMPANY     OF     VOLUNTEERS      IN 

SCHUYLER  COUNTY IT  BECOMES  A   PART  OF  COL. 

J.     O.     ANDERSON'S     PROVISIONAL    REGIMENT.     BUT 

FAILS   TO   SEE   ACTIVE   SERVICE LIST   OF  OFFICERS 

— A  SCHUYLER  COUNTY  GRADUATE  OF  WEST  POINT 
WHO  SAW  SERVICE  IN  CUBA,  CHINA  AND  THE 
PHILIPPINES — CAREEB  OF  LIEUT.  HAROLD  HAM- 
MOND  OTHER     CITIZENS     OF     SCHUYLER    COUNTY 

WHO  RENDERED  ACTIVE  SER\1CE  IN  CUBA,  PORTO 
RICO  AND  THE  PHILIPPINES. 

Sympathy  for  the  native'  Inhabitants  of  the 
West  India  Islands  first  drew  general  attention 
of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  conditions 
in  Cuba,  wliich  became  more  revolting  under  the 
tj-rannical  rule  of  General  Weyler,  and  finally  It 
brought  about  an  open  clash  at  arms. 

But  even  though  great  Interest  was  taken  In 
the  cause  of  the  revolution  pressed  forward  by 
native  Cubans,  there  would  have  been  no  armed 
Intervention  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
had  not  the  battleship  .Maine  met  with  destruc- 
tion while  in  Havana  harlwr,  where  It  had  been 
ordered  on  a  friendly  visit. 

At  !)  :40  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  February  15, 
1898,  this  magnificent  -ship  was  sunk  by  a  sub- 
marine explosion  in  Havana  harbor,  and  264 
brave  American  seamen  were  killed  by  the  ex- 
plosion or  carried  down  with  their  ship.  The 
wave  of  horror  and  indignation  that  swept  over 
the  country  was  instantly  echoed  In  the  halls  of 
Congreiss.  and  on  April  22d  following.  Congress 
passed  an  act  officially  recognizing  Cuban  Inde- 
pendence, demanding  Spain's  withdrawal  from 
the  waters  of  the  Gulf,  and  authorizing  the  Pres- 
ident to  call  into  service  125.000  volunteers  to 
carry  the  resolution  into  effect. 

There  was  instant  respon.se  to  the  call  for 
troojis.  and  during  the  early  period  of  the  war 
a  company  of  volunteers  was  organized  in  Rush- 
ville  and  formed  part  of  Col.  .1.  O.  Anderson's 
Provisional  Regiment.  They  were  officially 
known  as  Company  K.  and  the  total  strength  was 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  men.  The  election 
of  officers  was  held  Aiiril  29.  1898,  and  the  roster 
was  filed  with  the  Adjutant-General  at  Spring- 
field on  April  30.  This  c^ompany  was  not  called 
into  service  by  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  on 
August  5  following,  they  were  tendered  a  place 
in  a  South  Carolina  regiment  then  being  organ- 
ized at  Spartanburg,  that  State,  but  did  not  ac- 
cept,   transportation    being   refused   them.     The 


MR.   AND    MRS.  J.A.COF!   LOGSDOX 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


749 


officers   of   Company   K,   Col.   J.    O.    Anderson's 
ProTisional  Regiment,  were  as  follows: 

Captain — Warren  R.  Leach. 

First  Lieutenant — Guy  Grubb. 

Second  Lieutenant — Sheridan  Slack. 

Quartermaster  Sergeant — Harry  B.  Craske. 

First  Sergeant.  John  C.  Work ;  Second  Sergeant, 
Ray  R.  Lawler ;  Third  Sergeant,  Vail  Jackson  ;  Fourth 
Sergeant,  Oscar  E.  France. 

Corporals — William  11.  Dleterlch.  James  N.  Denny, 
Joseph  Johnston,  Walter  Shannon,  George  Moench.  Jr., 
Carl  Z.  Work,  Lewis  L.  O'Connor.  Clarence  Snyder, 
Charles  H.  Branstool.  Fred  W.  Vanorder.  Harlen  Ash- 
ley, Samuel  Wheelhouse. 

First  Musician.  George  W.  Dewltt ;  Second  Musician, 
George  B.  Griffith. 

Wagoner — W.  D.  Cooney. 

Artificer — Isaac  N.  Sklles. 

There  was  also  a  company  organized  at  Fred- 
erick, comprising  citizens  of  that  place  and 
Beardstown,  which  was  a  part  of  Anderson's 
Provisional  Regiment,  and  the  company  roster 
was  also  placed  on  file  at  Springfield.  The  elec- 
tive officers  of  this  company  were : 

J.  W.  Knight,  Captain. 

Henry  Nolden,  First  Lieutenant. 

John  W.  Fagan,  Second  Lieutenant. 

When  the  war  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain  was  pending,  and  the  administration  at 
Washington  was  talking  peace  while  preparing 
for  war,  there  was  one  Schuyler  resident  who 
was  looking  forward  eagerly  to  an  armed  clash 
of  the  nations.  Harold  Hammond  was  at  that 
time  a  student  in  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  and,  in  the  course  of 
events,  he  was  destined  to  serve  his  country  on 
the  firing  line  in  three  foreign  countries. 

His  class  was  graduated  in  April,  1808,  and  he 
went  into  service  at  once  with  the  rank  of  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Ninth 
United  States  Infantry.  He  was  sent  to  Cuba 
with  General  Shafter's  army  and  was  stationed 
at  Santiago.  In  June  of  that  year  he  was  sent 
home  on  a  furlough,  having  contracted  fever  in 
Cuba,  and  remained  in  Rushville  until  October 
when  he  joined  his  regiment  at  Madison  Bar- 
racks, N.  Y.,  and  was  soon  after  promoted  to 
Lieutenant.  In  April,  1800,  Lieutenant  Hammond 
went  to  the  Philippines,  where  he  participated 
in  many  engagements  and  was  recommended  by 
General  Lawton  for  promotion  for  "bravery  and 
good  .iudgment  in  handling  his  company"  at  the 
Zapote  River  fight.  Island  of  Luzon,  in  June,  1001. 

In  June.  lltflO.  Lieutenant  Hammond  went  with 
relief  army  to  China  in  command  of  a  company 
in  the  Ninth  United  States  Infantiy,  and  was  in 
all  the  fighting  on  the  march  to  Pekin.  At  the 
battle  of  Tien-Tsin  the  Ninth  Infantry  bore  the 


brunt  of  the  battle  and  the  loss  of  officers  was 
unusually  heavy.  Colonel  Liscomb  being  one  of 
the  killed. 

After  the  "Boxer"  uprising  had  been  quelled 
by  the  allied  forces,  Lieut.  Hammond  returned 
to  the  Island  of  Samar,  and  was  in  active  service 
until  June,  1002,  being  then  promoted  to  Captain 
and  transferred  to  the  Twenty-third  United 
States  Infantry. 

Capt.  Orson  Petti.john,  of  Huntsville  Township, 
was  commissioned  Commissary  Captain  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Spanish-American  War,  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  in  the  Third  Brigade,  Second 
Division,  Second  Army  Corps.  He  served  at 
Camp  Alger,  Washington,  D.  C,  Camp  Mead, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  Camp  Fornance,  Coliimbia, 
S.  C. 

Lieut.  W.  W.  Colt  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Volunteer  Signal  Corps,  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  was  sent  to  Cuba,  landing  at  Havana,  De- 
cember 3,  1808.  He  was  assigned  to  duty  in 
Pinar  del  Rio  Province,  and  remained  there  until 
the  following  .Tune.  On  his  return  to  the  United 
States  he  was  granted  a  furlough,  having  sus- 
tained a  broken  collar-bone  In  camp  at  the  Flor- 
ida Keys,  and  was  ordered  to  report  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, October  .31,  1800,  for  service  in  the  Philip- 
pines. 

Lieutenant  Colt  was  In  service  in  the  Philip- 
pines almost  two  years,  being  stationed  success- 
ively at  Luzon,  Samar  and  all  the  southern  is- 
lands of  the  Philippine  group.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  company  of  signal  corps  men  that 
accompanied  General  Lawton  in  his  last  fight, 
and  news  of  tliis  valiant  soldier's  fatal  Injury 
was  first  telephoned  to  General  McArthur's  head- 
quarters at  Manila  by  Lieutenant  Colt.  Among 
the  treasured  mementoes  of  the  war  Lieutenant 
Colt  has  seven  commissions  signed  by  President 
McKinley.  He  entered  the  service  as  Second 
Lieutenant  and  was  later  promoted  and,  inas- 
much as  Congress  was  not  in  session  at  the  time 
he  was  commissioned,  duplicate  commissions  were 
issued  for  each  appointment  or  promotion,  in  jilI 
numliering  seven. 

John  C.  Work  enlisted  as  a  private  In  the 
United  States  Volunteer  Signal  Corps  in  Chicago, 
June  28,  1898,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Seventh 
Company.  He  was  later  transferred  to  the 
Fourth  Company  United  States  Volunteer  Signal 
Corps,  and  was  promoted  to  First  Sergeant.  He 
went  with  his  company  to  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico, 
and  was  mustered  out  of  service  March  31,  1899. 


750 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Martin  Moore  enlisted  as  a  musician  in  Com- 
pany F,  Eigtitli  United  States  Volunteers,  April 
14,  1899,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  Cuba.  On 
May  27,  1900,  he  was  transferred  to  the  ranlis 
for  a  two  years'  enlistment  and  was  ordered  to 
China.  By  the  time  his  regiment  arrived  the 
alliei^  forces  had  captured  Pekin  and  the  Eighth 
Infantry  was  sent  to  the  Philippines.  Here  they 
made  their  headquarters  in  Laguna  Province 
and  made  expeditions  from  there  to  Cavite  and 
Bagtansas.  His  company  was  in  fourteen  sliir- 
mishes  during  his  term  of  enlistment  and  he  re- 
received  his  discharge  June  28,  1902. 

George  DeWitt,  of  Littleton,  enlisted  in  the 
Forty-second  United  States  Volunteers,  as  musi- 
cian, and  saw  service  in  the  Philippines. 

John  Moore,  of  Littleton,  was  a  member  of  the 
Fourteenth  United  States  Volunteers,  and  was 
stationed  in  China  and  the  Philippines  during  his 
term  of  service.  , 

Fred  A.  Knock  served  in  Company  C,  Sixth 
Illinois  Infantry. 

Arthur  B.  Wright  was  a  member  of  Company 
M,  Fifth  Illinois  Infantry. 

Walter  and  Richard  Rittenhouse  enlisted  In  a 
Colorado  regiment,  and  served  in  the  Philippines. 

John  W.  Fagan,  of  Frederick,  was  Quarter- 
master Sergeant  of  Company  D,  Forty-fourth 
Regiment,  United  States  Volunteers,  and  served 
in  the  Philippine  Islands.         , 


CHAPTER  .XXTX. 


THE  MORMONS  IN  ILLINOIS. 


COMING    OF   THE    MORMONS   TO   ILLINOIS    IN    18.39 

THET    LOCATE    AT    COMMERCE    AND    CHANGE    THE 

NAME   TO    NArVOO SKETCH    OF   JOE    SMITH    AND 

THE  FOUNDING  OF  THE  SECT — EXPULSION  FROM 
MISSOURI  PRECEDES  THEIE  COMING  TO  ILLINOIS — 
THEIE  ENTRANCE  INTO  AND  INFLUENCE  IN  STATE 
POLITICS — ^EXTRAORDINARY  POWERS  GRANTED  IN 
NAm'OO   CITY   CHARTER   SERVE   AS  PROTECTION   TO 

CRIMINALS — CLASH      WITH      "THE      GENTILES" 

SUMMONING  OF  TROOPS  FROM  SCHUYLER  AND 
MC  DONOUGH     COUNTIES GOV.     FORD'S     ACCOUNT 


OF  THE  SITUATION — ARRE.ST  OF  THE  SMITHS  AND 
THEIR  ASSASSINATION  IN  HANCOCK  COUNTY  JAIL 

. — PANIC    IN     WESTERN     ILLINOIS DEPUTY    V.     8. 

MARSHAL      BENSON'S      STATEMENT GOV.      FORD'S 

EXPERIENCE  AS  VIOLATOR  OF  A  BUSHVILLE  VIL- 
LAGE ORDINANCE MORMONS  EXPELLED  FROM  IL- 
LINOIS IN  1S46,  FOLTJD  A  NEW  COMMUNITY  AT 
SALT   LAKE. 

By  reason  of  close  proximity  to  Hancock  Coiintj', 
the  early  settlers  of  Schuyler  County  were  in- 
tensely interested  in  the  Mormon  settlement  at 
Nauvoo,  and  this  continued  up  to  the  time  that 
religious  sect  was  driven  from  the  State.  A  re- 
view of  the  Mormon  occupation  of  Illinois  may, 
tlierefore,  bring  out  some  interesting  bits  of  local 
history. 

Even  before  Joseph  Smith  had  decided  upon 
Nauvoo  as  the  home  for  his  religious  colony  the 
town  was  well  known  to  Schuyler  people  by  the 
name  of  Commerce,  and  Dr.  Isaac  Galland,  the 
town-site  promoter,  who  was  Instrumental  In  lo- 
cating the  Mormons  there,  had  gained  more  than 
local  notoriety  by  an  Indictment  and  trial  for 
Iierjury  before  a  Schuyler  County  court. 

It  was  In  18.S0  that  the  Mormons  first  located 
in  Illinois,  but  to  give  the  proper  historical  con- 
nection of  this  marvelously  organized  religious 
body,  that  has  since  founded  and  built  one  of  the 
most  populous  cities  of  the  west,  and  largely  con- 
trols the  affairs  and  destiny  of  the  State  of  Utah, 
we  go  back  to  the  first  period  of  the  cluirch  his- 
tory, and  briefly  chronicle  the  history  of  the  sect 
prior  to  the  time  Nauvoo  was  selected  as  the 
home  of  the  "Latter  Day  Saints." 

Joseph  Smith,  the  founder  and  pretended 
prophet  of  the  Mormon  church,  was  bom  at 
Sharon,  Windsor  Countj-,  Vt.,  December  23,  1805. 
Early  in  life  he  gained  local  renown  as  a  "water 
wizard,"  professing  to  locate  never  falling  sources 
of  water  through  the  medium  of  the  "water 
witch,"  which  he  constructed  from  a  forked  twig 
of  green  timber. 

In  his  youth  he  was  noted  for  his  vagrant  hab- 
its and  illusorj'  schemes  and.  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y., 
to  which  place  his  father  had  removed  in  1815, 
he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  a 
young  man  of  ability  and  natural  talent  who  had 
conceived  the  idea  of  starting  a  new  religion. 
A  religious  romance,  written  by  a  Presbyterian 
clergyman  of  Ohio,  formed  the  basis  for  their 
new  creed,  and  they  then  devised  the  story  that 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUTLEE  COUNTY. 


751 


Smith  had  discovered  golden  plates  buried  in  the 
ground  near  Palmyra,  and  that  their  religious 
romance  was  a  translation  of  these  mystically 
engraved  plates. 

Soon  after  this,  the  family  removed  to  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio,  where  Joseph  Smith  began  to  teach 
and  preach  the  new  religion.  He  soon  aroused  the 
antagonism  of  other  denominations,  and  both 
Joseph  and  his  brother  Hiram,  who  aided  him  in 
the  work,  were  tarred  and  feathered  and  driven 
out  of  town. 

We  next  hear  of  the  Mormons  in  Missouri, 
where  they  settled  in  Davis  and  Calhoun  Coun- 
ties. Here  they  built  the  town  of  Far  West,  but 
it  was  not  long  until  they  had  incurred  the  en- 
mity of  their  neighbors,  and  they  were  once  more 
the  center  of  a  vigorous  strife,  which  became  so 
embittered  that  a  resort  to  physical  force  was  the 
only  alternative  by  which  the  quarrel  could  be 
adjusted. 

The  Mormons,  now  numbering  several  thou- 
sand, armed  themselves  for  the  fray  and  patroled 
their  villages  and  sent  out  marauding  parties  to 
invade  surrounding  communities.  So  notorious  did 
they  become  that  Governor  Boggs  summoned  the 
State  militia,  laid  siege  to  the  town  of  Par  West 
and  took  the  leaders  prisoners,  and,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  interference  of  General  Doniphan, 
the  officer  in  command,  the  volunteers  would 
have  executed  them  on  the  spot.  As  it  was,  they 
were  taken  before  a  judicial  tribunal  and  in- 
dicted, charges  being  lodged  against  them  for 
murder,  treason,  robbery  and  other  crimes.  Jo- 
seph and  Hiram  Smith,  with  other  leaders  of 
the  church,  were  committeed  to  jail,  but  before 
their  trial  was  called  they  made  their  escape  and 
fled  the  State. 

Hence  it  was,  that  the  entrance  of  the  Mor- 
mons was  brought  about  by  what  they  termed 
their  persecution  in  Missouri,  and  they  were  re- 
ceived with  a  spirit  of  tolerance  that  was  char- 
acteristic of  the  early  Illinois  settlers.  But  later 
events  proved  the  folly  of  "Separatism"  in  a 
Republic,  and  showed  how  utterly  Impossible  Is 
the  peaceful  existence  of  a  community  governed 
by  religious  and  moral  laws  differing  from  their 
neighbors. 

It  was  in  18."0  that  the  Mormons  first  located 
in  Commerce  and  changed  the  name  of  the  town 
to  Nauvoo.  which  signifies  beautiful  location,  and 
here  they  built  a  great  city  for  tho.se  pioneer 
times,  the  population  in  1842  amounting  to  10,000. 

General    attention   was    first  attracted   to  the 


Mormons  in  Illinois  by  the  efforts  of  the  poli- 
ticians to  get  their  votes,  and  this  in  time  stirred 
up  animosity,  not  alone  in  Hancock  Count}',  but 
in  neighboring  counties  as  well ;  and  it  was,  in 
fact,  one  of  the  causes  of  the  uprising  which 
brought  about  the  death  of  Joseph  and  Hiram 
Smith  and  led  to  the  we.stern  migration  of  their 
religious  followers  in  1846. 

The  eagerness  of  the  politicians  to  favor  the 
Mormons  is  shown  in  the  charter  granted  to  the 
city  of  Nauvoo.  It  gave  extraordinary  powers  to 
the  city  authorities,  even  to  the  point  of  permit- 
ting them  to  annul  statutory  enactments,  when 
not  in  conflict  with  the  State  Constitution,  and 
this  charter  was  granted  without  any  sign  of  op- 
position by  either  Democrats  or  Whigs. 

The  Mormons  \^ere  sharp  enough  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  political  situation,  and  as  they 
voted  practically  as  a  unit,  they  easily  controlled 
the  political  policy  of  Hancock  County  and  the 
Congressional  District  as  well.  In  1843,  when 
Cyrus  Walker  of  Macomb  was  the  Whig  candi- 
date for  Congress,  he  had  the  assurance  of  the 
Mormon  vote,  bul  just  before  the  election  Hiram 
.'>mith  had  a  "revelation"  that  the  Mormons 
should  support  Joseph  P.  Hoge,  of  Galena,  the 
Democratic  candidate,  and  he  received  the  full 
church  vote  and  was  elected.  The  Whigs,  finding 
themselves  outgeneraled,  commenced  a  tirade  of 
denunciation  of  the  Mormons,  which,  with  the 
ill-advised  policies  of  the  Mormon  leaders,  tended 
to  create  a  bitter  feeling  towards  them.  One  act 
of  the  rulers  of  Nauvoo  was  particularly  obnox- 
ious to  the  settlers  of  adjoining  counties.  This 
was  under  the  law  passed  in  the  winter  of  1843- 
44,  which  provided  that  no  writ  issued  from  any 
other  place  except  Nauvoo,  for  the  arrest  of  any 
person  in  the  city,  should  be  executed  without  an 
approval  endorsed  thereon  by  the  mayor. 

After  this  law  went  into  operation,  if  robberies 
were  committed  in  adjoining  counties  the  thieves 
would  flee  to  Nauvoo.  Every  crime  of  every 
character  which  was  committed  in  the  Military 
Tract  was  charged  to  the  Mormons,  and  when 
thieves  were  released  on  writs  of  habeas  corpus, 
it  did  look  as  though  the  Mormons  were  desirous 
of  setting  up  an  independent  government  within 
the  State.  About  this  time  a  band  of  despera- 
does operated  along  Crooked  Creek  in  Schuyler 
County,  and  horses  and  cattle  were  stolen  and 
driven  out  of  the  country,  which  greatly  incensed 
the  settlers  who  were  quick  to  blame  the  Mor- 
mons. 


753 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


This  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  summer  of 
1844  when  a  crisis  was  precipitated  by  Joseph 
Smith  ordering  the  destruction  of  the  office  of 
"The  Expositor,"  a  newspaper  started  by  anti- 
Mormons  in  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  This  proceed- 
ing created  intense  feeling  against  the  Mormons, 
for  Illinois  settlers  were  (juicli  to  resent  any- 
thing calculated  to  destroy  the  liberty  of  the 
press.  Warrants  were  issued,  but  the  prisoners 
were  liberated  on  writs  of  habeas  corpus  at  Nau- 
voo. Then  a  wave  of  excitement  spread  over 
Western  Illinois.  Orders  were  sent  out  for  the 
State  militia  from  Hancock,  McDonough  and 
Schu.yler  Counties  to  assemble  and  enforce  the 
service  of  civil  processes,  and  Gov.  Ford  hastened 
from  Springfield  to  Carthage,  the  county  seat  of 
Hancock  County. 

Gov.  Ford  reached  Carthage  June  21.  1844.  and 
upon  his  arriv.nl  found  an  armed  force  assembled. 
In  his  "History  of  Illinois."  Gov.  Ford  states  that 
the  General  of  the  brigade  liad  called  for  the 
militia,  en  masse,  from  the  counties  of  McDon- 
oagh  and  Schuyler  to  serve  as  j)i>sse  comitatus  to 
assist  in  the  execution  of  process. 

On  tlie  arrival  of  the  Governor  an  attempt  was 
made  to  perfect  a  military  organization,  but  as 
most  of  the  volunteers  had  never  even  practiced 
the  mimic  evolutions  of  warfare,  it  was  a  well 
nigh  hopeless  task.  When  the  trooi)S  were  as- 
sembled. Gov  Ford  made  an  address  in  which  he 
pleaded  with  the  volunteers  not  to  take  hasty 
action  or  allow  the  mob  spirit  to  dominate,  as 
the  intense  feeling  against  tlie  Mormons  was  now 
at  fever  heat. 

With  this  assurance  on  the  part  of  the  troops, 
an  officer  and  guard  of  ten  men  were  sent  to  Nau- 
voo to  arrest  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council  and 
bring  them  to  Carthage  for  trial.  S.  S.  Benson, 
now  a  resident  of  Huntsville  Township.  Schuyler 
County,  was  the  officer  sent  to  Nauvoo,  and.  in 
an  interview  with  the  editor  of  this  history,  he 
tells  the  story  of  the  arrest  and  subsequent  mur- 
der of  the  Mormon  prophets. 

Mr.  Benson  at  the  time  of  the  Jlormon  war 
was  a  deputy  I'nited  States  Marshal  and  also  dep- 
uty to  Sheriff  Deming,  and  he  was  in  close 
touch  with  the  men  in  cotnmand  of  the  forces 
gathered  at  Carthage,  and  he  himself  took  an 
active  iiart  in  affairs. 

Mr.  Benson  says  that,  on  receiving  the  war- 
rants for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  and  Hiram  Smith 
and  other  officials  of  the  Mormon  city,  he  left  at 
once  for  Nauvoo.     Joseph  Smith  was  placed  un- 


der arrest  in  his  own  house,  but  as  It  was  then 
late  in  the  evening,  he  stated  that  he  and  his 
companions  would  meet  the  Marshal  the  next 
morning  and  accompany  them  to  Carthage.  Mr. 
Benson  took  his  guard  of  ten  men  to  the  tavern 
to  spen<l  the  night,  but  wlien  morning  came  tlie 
Smiths  were  no  where  to  be  found  and  lie 
marched  his  men  back  to  Carthage. 

Gov.  Ford,  in  his  "History  of  Illinois,"  seeks 
to  justify  his  own  weak  and  vacillating  action  by 
casting  aspersion  upon  others  and  Mr.  Benson 
conies  in  for  his  full  share,  as  the  following  quo- 
tation indicates. 

"I'lion  the  arrival  of  the  constable  and  guard, 
the  Ma.vor  and  Common  Council  at  once  signified 
their  willingness  to  surrender,  and  stated  their 
readiness  to  proceed  to  Carthage  next  morning  at 
8  o'clock.  Martial  law  had  previously  been  alwl- 
ished.  The  hour  of  8  o'clock  came,  and  the  ac- 
cused failed  to  make  their  appearance.  The  con- 
stable iUid  bis  escort  returned.  The  constable 
made  no  (>fi'ort  to  ai-rest  any  of  them,  nor  would 
he  or  the  guard  delay  their  departure  one  minute 
beyond  the  time,  to  see  whether  an  arrest  could 
be  made.  Upon  their  return  they  rejiorted  that 
they  had  been  Informed  that  the  acc-used  had 
lied  and  could  not  be  found.     .     .     . 

"I  was  soon  informed,  liowever,  of  the  conduct 
of  the  constable  and  guard,  and  then  I  was  per- 
fectly satisfied  that  a  most  base  fraud  had  been 
nttemi)ted ;  that,  in  fact.  It  was  feared  that  the 
Mormons  would  submit  and  thereby  entitle  them- 
selves to  the  protection  of  the  law.  It  was  very 
apparent  that  many  of  the  bustling,  active  spirits 
were  afraid  that  there  would  be  no  occasion  for 
calling  out  an  overwhelming  militia  force;  for 
marching  it  into  Nauvoo ;  for  probable  meeting 
when  there,  and  for  the  extenninatlon  of  the 
Mormon  race.  It  apjieared  that  the  constable 
and  the  escort  were  fully  In  the  secret  and  acted 
well  their  part  to  promote  the  conspiracy." 

The  tnith  of  the  matter  is.  Mr.  Benson  had  a 
better  knowledge  of  the  situation  than  Gov.  Ford, 
and  his  action  in  not  forcing  the  service  of  his 
warrants  at  Nauvoo  averted  a  clash  that  would 
surely  have  terminated  In  bloody  warfare.  At 
both  Nauvoo  and  Cartilage  were  large  Iwdles  of 
men  excited  to  frenzy,  and  fully  armed,  and  any 
overt  act  on  either  side  would  have  precipitated 
a  conflict. 

There  had  gathered  at  Carthage  a  force  of  be- 
tween twelve  and  thirteen  hundred  men,  and  the 
Mormon  Legions,  two  thousand  strong,  were  fully 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY. 


753 


armed  and  under  inilitarj-  command.  This  was 
even  after  the  State  arms  and  cannons  had  been 
turned  over  to  the  Governor  at  Carthage,  and  it 
goes  to  show  the  Slornions  were  expecting  and 
had  made  preparation  for  an  attack  in  force. 

This  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Joseph 
Smith,  Mayor  of  Nauvoo,  his  brother  Hiram  and 
all  the  memlters  of  the  council  came  into  Carthage 
and  surrendered  themselves  to  the  officers  on  the 
charge  of  riot.  All  of  them  were  discharged  from 
custody  except  Joseph  and  Hirain  Smith,  against 
whom  the  magistrate  had  issued  a  new  writ,  on  a 
complaint  of  treason. 

Mr,  Benson,  in  telling  of  the  arrest  of  the  pre- 
tended prophets,  says  they  were  at  first  taken  to 
Hamilton's  hotel,  where  they  were  guarded  by 
six  or  seven  men,  and  later  were  transferred  to 
the  stone  jail,  where  they  were  confined  in  the 
jailor's  quarters  upstairs,  which  afforded  more 
connnodious  quarters  than  the  prison  cells,  and 
here  they  remained  to  the  time  of  their  tragic 
death  two  days  following. 

At  the  first  call  for  troops  by  Hancock  County 
officers  the  militia  of  Schuyler  County  was  as- 
sembled. Major  Jonathan  G.  Randall  took  a  com- 
pany from  Rushville  and  Capt.  Brant  Brown  and 
Capt.  A.  L.  Wells,  of  Camden,  went  to  Carthage, 
each  with  a  company  of  sixty  men. 

On  the  morning  of  June  27,  1844,  that  fateful 
day  which  marked  the  beginning  of  the  end  of 
Mormon  occupancy  in  Illinois,  Gov.  Ford  called 
a  council  of  officers  of  the  militia,  A  hue  and  cry 
had  gone  up  from  the  ranks  to  march  on  Xauvoo, 
and  the  Governor  counseled  more  deliberate  ac- 
tion. In  his  story  of  this  military  council  Gov. 
Ford  says;  "Jinny  of  the  officers  admitted  that 
there  might  be  danger  of  collision.  But  such  was 
the  blind  fury  prevailing  at  the  time,  though  not 
showing  itself  b.v  much  visible  excitement,  that 
a  small  majority  of  the  council  adhered  to  the 
first  resolution  of  marching  into  XauviX).  most  of 
the  officers  of  the  Schuyler  and  McDonough 
militia  voting  against  it,  and  most  of  those  of 
the  county  of  Hancock  voting  in  its  favor." 

As  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  State  militia. 
Gov.  Ford  refused  to  ratify  the  action  of  a  ma- 
jority of  his  officers  and  the  force  at  Carthage 
was  ordered  disbandefl  with  the  exception  of  three 
companies,  two  of  whicli  were  retained  as  a  guard 
to  the  jail  and  the  other  for  an  escort  to  the 
Governor  on  his  intended  journey  to  Nauvoo. 
This  action  terminated  the  service  of  the  Schuy- 


ler militia  in  the  Mormon  war,  so  far  as  an  ef- 
fective fighting  force  was  concerned. 

After  issuing  the  orders  for  the  militia  to  dis- 
band. Gov.  Ford  left  a  small  detachment  at  Car- 
thage on  the  morning  of  June  27th  to  guard  the 
jail,  while  he  started  for  Nauvoo  eighteen  miles 
distant.  A  cavalry  escort  accomiianied  Gov.  Ford 
and  they  arrived  at  the  Mormon  headquarters 
aliout  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor addressed  a  large  assembly  and  was  given 
respectful  attention.  A  short  time  before  sun- 
down the  return  marcli  was  begun  and,  when  two 
miles  out  of  Nauvoo,  the  little  c-ompany  met  two 
men  who  told  them  the  Smiths  had  been  assassi- 
nated at  Carthage  between  five  ;ind  six  oclock. 
Mr.  Benson  was  a  member  of  this  cavalr.v  escort, 
and  he  says  they  lost  no  time  in  bundling  the  two 
men  into  their  baggage  wagon,  as  they  wanted  to 
get  farther  away  before  the  news  reached  Nau- 
voo, as  it  was  suspected  the  Mormon  Legion 
would  seek  to  avenge  the  death  of  their  "saints." 
This  opinion  was  general  throughout  Hancxjck 
County  immediately  following  the  tragedy,  and 
the  community  was  in  a  state  of  terror  and  ap- 
prehension for  da,vs. 

It  appears  from  the  story  told  by  Mr.  Benson, 
corroborated  by  historians  of  that  period,  that  the 
company  of  Carthage  Greys  left  to  guard  the  jail 
were  expecting  an  attack  on  the  Smiths  and  made 
no  effort  to  repel  it  Sergeant  Franklin  A.  Wor- 
rell was  guarding  the  jail  with  a  detachment  of 
eight  or  ten  men,  and  when  the  mob  appeared 
with  their  faces  blackened  and  coats  tiirned  in- 
side out,  the  guards  made  feeble  resistance.  Jos- 
eph Smith,  his  brother  Hiram,  Dr.  Richards  and 
John  Taylor  were  in  the  jail  when  the  raid  was 
made,  the  two  last  named  being  prominent  Mor- 
mons who  had  called  to  visit  the  prisoners.  When 
the  guards  gave  way  the  mob  mounted  the  stairs 
and  when  their  progress  was  lilocked  by  the 
heavy  door  to  the  debtor's  room,  where  the  Smiths 
were  confined,  they  began  firing  through  the  door. 
Hiram  Smith  was  killed  in  this  first  fusillade. 
Taylor  was  badly  wounded  and  Dr.  Richards 
sought  safety  behind  the  door  when  it  was  burst 
open.  Joseph  Smith  was  armed  with  a  six  barrel 
pistol  and  made  a  show  of  resistance.  When  his 
pistol  was  exhausted  he  ran  to  the  prison  window 
and  partly  leaped  and  partl.v  fell  into  the  yard 
below.  Even  had  he  not  received  a  mortal  wound 
at  this  time,  the  volley  fired  at  him  as  he  fell 
would  have  proved  fatal.  Four  balls  pierced  his 
body   and   before  the  smoke  had   time  to  clear 


754 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


away  the  Mormon  iirophet  was  dead.  In  a  snin- 
ming  up  of  Smith's  character,  Gov.  Ford  says: 

"Thus  fell  Joseph  Smith,  the  most  successful 
impostor  of  modern  times.  A  man  who,  though 
Ignorant  and  coarse,  possessed  some  great  nat- 
ural parts  which  fitted  him  for  temporary  suc- 
cess, but  which  were  so  obscured  and  counter- 
acted by  the  inherent  corruption  and  vices  of  his 
nature,  that  he  could  never  succeed  in  establish- 
ing a  system  or  policy  which  looked  to  permanent 
success  in  the  future.  His  lusts,  his  love  of 
money  and  power,  always  set  him  to  studying 
present  gratification  and  convenience,  rather 
than  the  remote  consequences  of  his  plans.  It 
seems  that  no  power  of  intellect  can  save  a  cor- 
rupt man  from  this  error.  The  strong  cravings 
of  the  animal  nature  will  never  give  fair  play  to 
a  fine  understanding :  the  judgment  is  never  al- 
lowed to  choose  that  good  which  is  far  away  in 
preference  to  enticing  evil  near  at  hand.  And 
this  may  be  considered  a  wise  ordinance  of  Prov- 
idence, by  which  the  coun.^el  of  talented,  but  cor- 
rupt, men  are  defeated  in  the  very  act  which 
promised  success." 

It  was  everywhere  siippcsed  that  the  murder 
of  the  Smiths  would  create  an  outburst  of  ven- 
geance on  the  part  of  the  Mormons  and.  on  the 
night  following  the  tragedy,  women  and  children 
were  hastened  out  of  Carthage  to  seek  safety  in 
flight.  It  was  the  same  in  all  surrounding  towns, 
and  exaggerated  rumors  of  atrocities  committed 
by  Mormons  added  to  terrors  of  the  next  few 
days. 

News  of  the  assassination  of  the  Smiths  was 
carried  to  Rushville  by  Abner  Bacon,  of  Pulaski, 
who  changed  horses  three  times  within  the  thirty 
miles  to  hasten  his  speed.  He  reached  Rushville 
on  the  morning  following  the  tragedy,  and  the 
populace  was  summoned  by  the  ringing  of  the 
court  house  bell.  His  mission  was  to  raise  troops 
to  repel  the  threatened  onslaught  of  the  frenzied 
Mormons,  and  while  the  men  burnished  up  their 
old  rifles  the  women  and  boys  moulded  bullets. 
That  afternoon  an  unorganized  company  of  volun- 
teers left  Rushville  for  the  seat  of  war,  and  so 
great  was  the  terror  of  the  people  in  Rushville 
that  the  town  was  patrolled  by  a  guard  during 
the  night.  The  Rushville  company  had  crossed 
Crooked  Creek  and  were  on  their  second  day's 
march  when  they  were  met  by  a  courier  from  Gov. 
Ford  and  ordered  to  return  home. 

Luke  P.  Allphin.  of  Camden,  one  of  the  very 
few  survivors  of  the  Mormon  war,  gives  an  in- 


teresting reminiscence  of  the  campaign.  Ho  was 
a  private  in  Capt.  Wells'  company,  and  says  the 
men  went  to  Carthage  armed  with  flint-lock  rifles, 
butcher  knives  and  clubs,  and  with  the  idea  of 
waging  a  war  of  extermination  against  the  Mor- 
mons. Camden  Township  was  within  the  zone 
of  operation  of  the  thieves  and  pillagers,  wlio 
claimed  protection  in  the  Mormon  city,  and  this 
had  created  intense  hatred  against  the  now  re- 
ligious sect. 

Mr.  Allphln's  company  was  in  Carthage  when 
the  Smiths  delivered  themselves  up  to  the  oflicers, 
and  they  romainod  there  until  mid-day  on  June 
27th,  when  they  were  discharged  from  service 
and  started  on  their  return  home.  That  night 
they  went  into  camp  about  twelve  miles  from 
Carthage  and  the  men  w'ere  In  high  spirits,  as 
they  had  secured  about  fifty  po\mds  of  fresh  meat 
before  leaving  Carthage,  and  at  camp  a  farmer's 
wife  had  baked  for  them  a  fjuantity  of  bread  In 
skillets.  These  provisions  were  stored  In  Mr. 
Allphin's  big  covered  wagon,  drawn  by  a  span  of 
oxen,  and  the  men  also  had  a  quantity  of  liquor 
which  they  had  deposited  there. 

During  the  night  n  messenger  arrived  from 
Carthage  on  a  horse  flecked  with  foam  and  noti- 
fied the  troops  that  the  Smitlis  had  been  mur- 
dered, and  that  the  Mormons  were  marching 
across  the  country  murdering  men,  women  and 
children  as  they  came.  While  at  Carthage  the 
men  had  lieen  regaled  with  stories  from  Hancock 
County  volunteers  of  the  wanton  wickedness  of 
Ihe  Mormons,  and  they  were  In  a  state  of  mind 
to  believe  the  excited  courier  from  the  seat  of 
war.  Then  followed  a  rout  that  Mr.  Allphin 
says  left  only  ten  men  at  their  encampment,  and, 
he  adds,  that  If  It  hadn't  been  for  his  yoke  of 
oxen  he  would  have  taken  to  the  timlior  himself. 
The  most  of  men  in  the  company  had  families 
at  home,  and  their  services  to  the  State  having 
terminated,  they  felt  that  their  first  duty  was  to 
protect  their  own  firesides.  The  hasty  departure 
of  the  volunteers  left  an  overstocked  commissary 
department,  and  T'ncle  I..uke  smiles  in  pleasant 
recollection  today  as  he  thinks  of  that  old  cov- 
ered wagon,  with  its  precious  load  of  fresh  meat, 
johnny-cakes  and  whisky. 

The  anticipated  Mormon  uprising  failed  to 
come  about,  but  the  hatred  engendered  between 
this  religious  body  and  the  residents  of  Hancock 
County  was  such  that  hostilities  were  expected  to 
break  forth  at  any  time.  In  the  fall  of  1S44  an 
invitation  was  sent  to  prominent  Schuyler  County 


4 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


755 


citizens  to  join  in  a  liis  wolf  bunt.  Imt  it  was 
generally  known  the  movement  was  started  sim- 
ply to  collect  a  force  to  drive  the  Mormons  and 
their  sympathizers,  known  as  "Jack  Mormons," 
from  Illinois.  This  intended  raid  soon  became 
noised  about,  and  Gov.  Ford  again  left  the  State 
capital  for  Carthage  in  October  of  that  year. 
This  time  he  was  accompanied  by  a  Sangamon 
County  militia  company,  known  as  the  Spring- 
field Cadets.  Tboy  passed  through  Rushvllle  on 
their  way  to  Carthage  and  encamped  for  one 
night  in  the  court  house  yard  in  Rushville.  Gov. 
Ford  did  not  share  the  discomforts  of  camp  with 
his  soldiers,  but  instead  stopped  at  Mrs.  Jane 
Stephenson's  tavern,  located  where  the  George 
Little  grocery  store  now  stands. 

An  incident  occuiTed  at  this  time  which  is  well 
worth  recording.  While  the  troops  were  en- 
camped in  the  city  Gov.  Ford  thought  he  would 
indulge  in  pistol  practice  to  perfect  himself  in 
the  art,  and  he  set  up  his  target  in  the  rear  of  the 
tavern.  It  was  in  close  proximity  to  the  home  of 
James  Little,  and  he  resented  this  infraction  of 
the  village  laws  and  swore  out  a  complaint 
against  the  Governor  for  using  firearms  within 
the  corporation  limits.  Gov.  Ford  immediately 
went  before  Jacob  O.  Jones,  who  was  Police  Mag- 
isti-ate,  and  paid  his  fine  and  then  hastened  with 
his  troops  to  Carthage.  But  on  the  return  trip 
the  soldiers  of  his  command  had  their  revenge. 
They  marf-hed  into  Rushville  at  night  and  while 
the  villagers  slept  they  loaded  their  big  brass 
howitzers  and  fired  them  on  the  public  square 
and  before  the  echo  had  died  away  they  were 
again  on  the  march  beaded  towards  the  Illinois 
River. 

For  the  next  two  years  there  were  frequent 
clashes  between  Mormons  and  anti-JIormons  in 
Hancock  County  and  Major  Wm.  B.  Warren  of 
Jacksonville  commanded  an  armed  force  in  the 
winter  of  1845-46  to  preserve  order  and  protect 
property.  During  that  winter  a  convention  was 
held  at  Carthage,  which  was  attended  by  dele- 
gates from  surrounding  counties,  to  discuss  the 
situation,  for  it  really  amounted  to  a  state  of  civil 
war  ;  but  under  the  capable  m.Tnagement  of  Major 
Warren  a  semblance  of  order  was  restored.  In 
early  spring  of  1846  the  western  emigration 
of  Mormons  began  and,  within  a  short  time,  the 
main  body  had  left  for  the  new  home  at  Salt 
Lake  and,  with  the  wrecking  of  the  Mormon  tem- 
ple, the  last  hope  of  an  abiding  place  in  Illinois 
was  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


CRIMINAL  TRIALS  AND  EXECUTIONS. 


DAVID  MORGAN  EXECUTED  FOB  MURDER  ON  .TAN.  31, 
1832 — THOMAS  FORD,  AFTERWARDS  GO\'ERNOR  OF 
ILLINOIS.  FIRST  PROSECUTING  ATTORNEY — CHAR- 
ACTER SKETCH  OF  THE  MURDERER  BY  REV.  JOHN 
SCRIFPS — DAVID  AND  ELIAS   m'FADDEN,   OF  M'DON- 

OUGH     COUNTY,     EXECUTED    JULY     6,     1835 THE 

EXECUTION   A   PUBLIC    ONE — ^PRISONERS   BORNE   TO 
THE  GALLOWS  ON  THEIR  COFFINS  ATTENDED  BY  A 

MILITARY  GUARD FIELDING   FR.\ME.  A   SCHUYLER 

COGNTY  MURDERER.  EXECUTED  AT  CARTHAGE  MAY 
18.   1830. 

In  the  eighty  years  that  have  elapsed  since 
Schuyler  County  was  organized  and  given  a  civil 
government,  but  three  criminal  executions  have 
been  witnessed  within  her  bounds,  and  only  one 
]iersou  executed  for  committing  murder  in  this 
county.  The  last  of  these  executions  was  held  in 
1835  and,  although  there  have  been  a  number  of 
murders  committed  since  then,  punishment  has 
been  limited  to  penitentiary  sentences. 

The  first  murder  in  Schuyler  County  was  com- 
mitted in  Jlay,  18:n,  when  David  Morgan  killed 
George  Everett,  in  the  woods  at  the  top  of  Coal 
Creek  hill,  on  the  lower  road  from  Frederick  to 
Rushville.  Morgan  was  brought  to  Rushville  and 
lodged  in  the  old  log  jail,  which  was  guarded 
day  and  night  by  special  deputies  employed  by 
the  Sheriff.  When  court  met  on  October  5,  1831, 
Morgan  was  indicted  for  murder,  and  was  brought 
before  Judge  Richard  M.  Young  for  trial.  He 
bad  made  no  provision  for  attorneys  and  the 
court  apixjinted  Adolphus  H.  Hubbard  and  James 
Turney  to  conduct  his  defense.  They  asked  for 
a  change  of  venue  to  McDonough  County  and 
there  Jlorgan  was  tried  and  convicted.  The  ver- 
dict of  the  jui-y  was  set  aside  by  the  court,  and 
Morgan  was  returned  to  Schuyler  County  and  a 
sjiecial  term  of  court  was  called  to  hear  his  case 
on  January  2,  1832. 

The  brick  court  house  was  not  completed  at 
this  time,  and  the  County  Commissioners  ar- 
ranged for  holding  court  in  the  brick  school  house, 
but  on  January  3,  1832,  this  action  was  rescinded, 
doulit   having  arisen   whether  the   former  order 


756 


HISTOIiY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


of  the  Commissioners  was  legal  in  consequence 
of  no  notice  having  lieeu  given  for  hokling  such 
special  term.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  court 
house  was  not  finished  inside,  Judge  Young  con- 
vened court  there  and  ordered  a  special  venire  of 
grand  and  petit  .iur.vnien.  A  second  indictment 
was  drawn  h.v  the  grand  jur.v  and,  on  Wednesda.v. 
Januar.v  4.  ].S:12,  Thomas  Ford,  then  State's  At- 
torney, and  afterwards  Governor  of  Illinois, 
called  the  ea.se  for  trial.  The  day  was  spent  in 
securing  a  .jury  which  was  made  up  as  follows : 
Daniel  Owens,  foreman ;  James  Blackliurn.  Wil- 
liam Cox,  John  Davis,  Alexander  Penny,  David 
Jenkins,  George  Green,  William  Rose,  John 
Durall,  Samuel  P.  Dark,  Daniel  Louderhack  and 
Francis  Alliury. 

After  tlie  jury  was  secured  court  adjourned  for 
one  day  and.  on  request  of  Morgan's  attorneys, 
attachments  were  issued  for  Polly  Wallis.  Widow 
Roberts,  and  James  Miller,  who  were  desired  as 
witnesses.  Xo  time  was  lost  in  legal  wrangling 
when  court  convened  on  Friday,  and  the  evidence 
was  heard,  arguments  made  and  a  verdict  of 
guilty  was  rendered  before  nightfall.  AdoIjAus 
H.  Hubbard,  one  of  Morgan's  .ittorneys,  entered 
!i  motion  for  arrest  of  judgment,  wliich  was  hoard 
by  the  court  on  Saturday  moniing  and  overruled. 
Morgan  was  then  brouglit  before  the  bar  and 
asked  if  he  had  anytliing  to  say  before  sentence 
was  passed,  and  he  answered  In  the  negative. 
Judge  Young  then  pronounced  sentence  and 
placed  the  time  of  execution  on  Tuesday,  Jauuai-y 
."".I,  1832,  between  the  hours  of  10  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
directed  Joel  Pennington.  Sheriff,  to  carry  out 
the  orders  of  the  court. 

The  trial  and  execution  of  Morgan  was  a  heavy 
drain  upon  the  meager  resources  of  the  county 
and  in  the  proceedings  of  the  commissioner's 
court  we  find  numerous  bills  presented  by  persons 
who  guarded  the  jail  and  accompanied  the  pris- 
oner to  and  from  Macomb.  From  these  bills  we 
find  that  Elx-iiezer  Grist  constructed  the  gallows 
and  John  Holderby  was  allowed  $G  for  a  coffin 
furnished.  Roliert  N.  Chadsey  was  allowed 
$10.50  for  irons,  made  to  confine  the  prisoner  in 
jail,  while  Joel  Pennington,  Sheriff,  drew  an  or- 
der for  $.32  for  services  at  the  trial  and  the  ex- 
ecution of  Morgan. 

Rev.  John  Scripps.  while  editor  of  the  Prairie 
Telegraph,  wrote  an  account  of  the  execution  of 
David  -Morgan,  and  as  he  was  brought  into  close 
association  with  tlie  man  as  spiritual  advisor,  he 


was  in  a  position  to  know  the  facts  and  his  story 
of  the  nuirdcrer  is  here  given: 

"David  Morgan  was  an  old  man.  a  grandfather, 
and  the  most  stupidly  brutalized  being  we  ever 
had  anything  to  do  with.  There  had  existed  an 
einnity  between  himself  and  a  young  man,  whom 
he  found  one  day  chopping  in  the  woods;  some 
angry  words  passed  between  them,  when  Morgan 
sliot  him  down,  leaving  him  in  his  gore.  He  went 
lionie  wliere  it  appears  his  wife  and  terrified  fam- 
ily kept  aloof  from  him,  and  yet  within  seeing 
distance.  Here  iie  deliberately  reloaded  his  gun. 
and  prostrating  hini.self  uiwn  his  back,  lie  laid 
the  gun  on  his  Ixidy  and  applying  its  muzzle  to 
his  chin  he  sprang  the  trigger  with  his  toe,  in- 
tending self-destruction.  The  gun  went  off,  but 
ranged  too  nuich  upward  for  his  purjxise.  the  bul- 
let only  somewhat  shattering  Ids  jaw,  took  off  his 
upper  lip  and  the  ends  of  his  tongue  and  nose, 
and  tlew  off  Into  vacancy  far  above  the  seat  of 
vitality,  his  brains,  at  which  he  aimed. 

"He  was  brouglit  to  RushviUe  for  commitment 
the  next  day  In  a  sled,  exhibiting  at  once  the 
most  disflgm-ed  and  revolting  features  of  a  human 
we  over  looked  uix)n.  His  face,  all  blackened, 
crisped  and  blistered  by  the  exploded  iwwder, 
bis  mouth  I  all  raw  Mesh)  ne<'essarily  wide  oi)en, 
the  half-crimsoned  slimy  saliva  stringing  down 
on  each  side,  and  hundreds  of  flies  continually 
alighting  on  his  wounds,  with  most  persevering 
tenacity,  wearying  both  himself  and  attendants 
In  endeavoring  to  fra.v  them  away.  Being  com- 
mitted, he  was  confined  in  the  upper  room  of  the 
jail,  where  every  attention  was  paid  to  his  re- 
covery, which,  in  time,  was  effected,  but  he  re- 
mained awfully  disfigured. 

"When  enabled  again  to  talk  so  as  to  be  un- 
derstood, he  charged  both  the  murder  and  his  own 
mutilation  on  his  wife  and  son,  and  could  never 
be  induced  to  swerve  for  a  moment  from  the  ab- 
surd assertion  even  to  the  last  motnent. 

"The  Rev.  Mr.  Jenny,  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  this  place  at  the  time,  who  occu- 
pied an  apartment  in  our  house  for  his  bedroom 
and  study,  felt  nuich  for  him,  and  we  united  in 
our  endeavors  to  prejiare  him  for  his  change. 
We  visited  him  frequentl.v.  He  was  passive  and 
subdued,  and  affected  regard  for  us  and  to  derive 
lienefit  from  our  efforts.  But  there  was  a  mani- 
fest ill-concealed  indifference  to  our  overtures,  a 
spirit  of  stupid  aversion  to  everything  savoring 
of  religion,  and  a  deep-rooted  spirit  of  malevo- 
lence seated  in  his  heart  which  accompanied  him 


HISTOEY  OP  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


757 


to  the  final  scene,  of  which  he  exhibited  many 
proofs. 

"Two  of  his  children  attended  his  last  hours, 
the  eldest,  a  youth  of  some  seventeen  or  eighteen 
wlio  seemed  to  be  as  assiduous  in  Ivind  attention 
to  his  father  as  he  knew  how  to  be,  but  was  in 
every  effort  repulsed  by  him  in  peevisli  strains 
of  reproofs  for  his  asvlvwardness,  inattention, 
carelessness,  neglect  or  something  else;  in  short, 
the  old  sinner  would  not  be  satisfied  with  his  best 
endeavors.  The  other  was  a  child  of  some  eight 
or  nine  years  whom  he  called  his  pet,  and  on 
whom  what  little  affection  he  had  was  entirely 
centered. 

"We  were  on  the  scaffold  witli  him  to  his  last 
moment  and,  after  the  halter  was  fitted  and  ev- 
erything ready,  he  requested  us  to  lift  up  his  pet 
from  the  ground  where  lie  stood  and  hold  him  to 
his  face  that  he  might  liiss  him  before  he  was 
turned  off.  We  complied  and  he  kissed  the  child. 
It  was  his  last  act,  his  last  thought,  for  the  ne.xt 
moment  he  was  hurled  into  eternity,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  child,  we  should  have  thought 
him  entirely  incapable  of  the  least  emotion  of 
tenderness  or  affection.  An  hour  or  two  before, 
while  putting  on  his  shroud  and  dressing  him  for 
the  occasion,  he  reflected  on  his  wife  with  a  spirit 
of  vindictiveness,  because  she  had  not  taken  as 
nnich  pains  as  she  ought  in  doing  up  some  little 
things  which  she  had  sent  for  his  burial.  We 
continued  with  him  from  the  knocking  off  of  his 
manacles  to  the  end  of  the  disgusting  tragedy,  and 
^Tppe  shocked  and  sickened  at  the  repeated  man- 
ifestations of  his  malevolent  feelings,  particularly 
to  his  famil.v.'" 

Execution  of  the  McFaddens. — The  second 
criminal  execution  in  Schuyler  County  was  a 
double  one.  and  on  July  G,  18^5,  Ellas  and  David 
McFadden  paid  the  penalty  for  murder  on  the 
gallows.  They  were  residents  of  McDonough 
County  and  were  convicted  of  the  murder  of  John 
Wilson,  which  occurred  near  Macomb  on  Novem- 
ber 6,  1832.  When  their  case  first  came  up  for 
trial  they  secured  a  change  of  venue  to  Schu.yler 
County  and  were  tried  separately.  Judge  Stojihen 
T.  I>ogan  lu-esided  in  the  court  that  found  them 
guilty  and  the  Prosecuting  Attorney  was  Wil- 
liam A.  Richardson,  who  was  assisted  li.v  C.vrus 
Walker,  of  JIacomb,  one  of  the  foremost  criminal 
lawj'ers  in  the  State. 

The  crime  for  which  the  McFaddens  were  hung 
was  a  most  heinous  one  and  had  its  origin  in  a 
dispute   over   pa.vment    for    a    suit    of   wedding 


clothes.  They  lived  a  mile  south  of  Macomb  at 
this  time,  and  the  tailor  who  had  made  the  wed- 
ding suit  wanted  his  money.  Failing  to  collect  it 
by  ordinar.v  process,  he  took  the  case  into  court 
and  secured  .iudgnient.  In  due  course  of  time  an 
execution  was  placed  in  tlie  hands  of  the  Sheriff 
and  he  went  to  the  McFadden  farm  and  levied 
on  a  crib  of  corn.  John  Wilson,  a  farmer,  who 
was  to  haul  the  corn  away,  accompanied  him. 

When  the  Sheriff"  ajipeared  at  the  farm  Elias 
SIcPadden  flew  into  a  rage  and  ordered  them  to 
leave  at  once.  The  officer  paid  little  heed  to  his 
incoherent  threats  and  ordered  Mr.  Wilson  to 
load  up  the  corn.  Suddenl.v  there  was  a  sharp 
report  of  a  rifle,  fired  from  the  McFadden  log- 
cabin,  a  few  rods  away,  and  John  Wilson,  an  in- 
nocent party  to  the  transaction,  fell  mortally 
wounded.  The  officer  lost  no  time  in  making  his 
escape. 

The  shot  tliat  killed  Wilson  was  fired  by  David 
McFadden,  a  son  of  Elias,  but  the  old  man  was 
held  as  an  accessory  to  the  act  and  one  remark  he 
made  after  the  shooting  sent  him  to  the  gallows. 
While  the  dying  man  lay  unconscious  in  tlie  yard 
where  he  had  fallen,  two  neighbors  passed  and 
stopped  to  inquire  as  to  the  cause  of  his  injuries. 
To  their  inquiries  the  elder  McFadden  remarked  : 
"Yes,  he  was  .-i  little  too  nmch  powder  burnt  this 
morning." 

In  those  earl.v  times  all  criminal  executions 
were  pulilic  and,  on  the  day  set  for  the  hanging 
of  the  McFaddens,  people  came  from  a  radius  of 
fifty  miles.  Jlen,  nomen  and  children  were  In- 
cluded in  the  throng  that  came  to  witness  the  ex- 
ecution and,  though  the  countr.v  was  then  spai"sely 
settled,  there  were  said  to  be  l,.jOO  people  in  the 
crowd  about  tlie  gallows. 

Two  military  companies,  one  from  Uushville 
and  the  other  fi'om  Mt.  Sterling,  under  conmiand 
of  Capt.  Toncray,  were  on  dnty  to  presei've  order 
and,  in  their  bright  colored  uniforms  and  plumed 
hats,  they  made  an  imposing  spectacle  as  they 
marched  and  counter-marched  about  the  streets 
preliminary  to  starting  for  the  place  of  execution, 
which  was  on  the  west  bank  of  Crane  Creek, 
wliere  it  is  crossed  by  the  lower  road  to  Beards- 
town.  Here  the  gallows  liad  been  erected,  which 
consisted  of  a  platform  about  twelve  feet  square 
with  a  large  post  in  the  center.  Across  the  top  of 
this  post  was  a  beam,  and  it  was  from  the  ex- 
tremities of  this  that  the  ropes  were  attached. 

The  prisoners  had  been  closely  guarded  in  the 
old  log  jail,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present 


758 


IIISTOKY  OF  SCIIUYLEK  COUNTY. 


city  calaboose,  and  as  the  time  for  the  execution 
drew  near,  the  niilitaiy  companies  formeil  in 
front  of  the  building  and,  at  command  of  Capt. 
Toncray.  guns  were  loaded  with  powder  and  ball 
while  the  curious  crowd  looked  on. 

In  an  upper  apartment  of  the  jail  stood  the 
McFaddens,  tall,  spare  looking  men,  who  in  their 
white  slmjuds  and  with  ropes  already  tied  around 
their  nei-ks,  were  waiting  for  the  command  to 
start  to  the  gallows.  In  the  street  below  was  a 
wagon,  with  two  rough  coffins  and,  as  the  con- 
denmed  men  were  brought  from  the  jail,  they 
took  their  seat  on  the  coffins  and,  with  the  mili- 
tary company  as  a  guard,  and  a  martial  band  of 
fife  and  drum  in  the  lead,  the  procession  started. 
Hillsides  and  tree-tops  were  crowded  with 
people  at  the  place  of  execution,  and  after  the 
arrival  of  the  two  condemned  men.  Sheriff  Haden 
permitted  their  friends  and  relatives  to  come 
forward  and  bid  them  farewell.  Among  the  num- 
ber who  accepted  this  privilege  were  the  wife  and 
mother  and  her  daughter,  who  then  took  their 
places  in  the  crowd  a  few  rods  from  the  gallows 
to  await,  with  breaking  hearts,  the  execution  of 
their  loved  ones. 

Rev.  Richard  Ilaney.  who  was  the  Methodist 
mini.ster  at  Rushville  at  that  time,  was  asked  to 
give  spiritual  counsel  to  the  prisoners  and,  ever.v 
day  for  a  month,  he  visited  them  at  their  cells  in 
the  old  log  jail.  Speaking  of  the  occurrence  to 
the  writer  when  he  last  visited  this  city.  Rev. 
Haney  said  the  men  received  him  kindly  and 
prayed  fervently  for  forgiveness.  On  the  sc.MTold 
he  offered  prayer  and.  as  the  white  cap  was 
drawn  over  the  head  of  the  elder  McFadden,  he 
cried  out  in  despair:  "A  moment  more  and  I 
shall  be  in  eternity !  Oh !  Ijord.  stand  by  me." 
At  that  moment  William  Ellis,  a  deputy  of 
Sheriff  Thomas  Haden.  s])rang  the  traps  and  the 
murder  of  John  Wilson  was  avenged. 

Fielding  Frame  was  tlie  last  man  to  bo  executed 
for  murder  conunitted  in  Schuyler  County,  and 
his  trial  and  execution  took  place  at  Carthage  in 
Hancock  County.  Frame  was  a  deckhand  on  an 
Illinois  River  steamboat  and  landed  at  Erie,  be- 
tween Frederick  and  Beardsfown,  in  the  winter 
of  1S37-.SS.  His  boat  was  held  in  port  w-hen  ice 
closed  navigation  and  Frame  lounged  about  the 
tavern.  One  night  a  contented  and  good-natured 
German  aroused  his  ire  because  he  would  not 
stop  smoking  when  ordered  to  and.  in  the  fight 
that  ensued.  Frame  stabbed  his  victim  to  death. 

He  was  taken   into  custody  at  once  and  con- 


veyed to  Rushville,  where  he  was  placed  in  the 
new  log  and  brick  jail  that  had  just  been  com- 
pleted. An  indictment  was  found  against  him  by 
the  grand  jury  at  the  June  term  of  court  in  1838 
and  the  case  was  taken  to  Hancock  County  on  a 
change  of  venue. 

Judge  Ralston  presided  at  llie  trial  of  the  ease 
in  Carthago  and  Henry  L.  Bryant,  of  Fulton 
Countj',  was  Prosecuting  Attorney,  Frame  was 
defended  by  Abraham  Lincoln  and  T.  Lyie 
Dickey,  of  Rushville,  afterwards  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  Supreme  Court.  Mr.  Lincoln  moved  an 
arrest  of  judgment  for  several  causes  and  the 
paper  in  bis  handwriting  is  now  on  file,  among 
others  in  the  case,  at  Carthage. 

Frame  was  found  guilty  on  the  24th  of  April, 
IS.'t'l,  and  received  sentence  on  the  day  follow- 
ing, when  Judge  Ralston  fl.xed  the  date  of  his 
execution  on  Saturday,  May  18,  between  the 
hours  of  12  noon  and  2  o'clock  In  the  afternoon, 
on  a  gallows  to  be  erected  within  a  mile  of  Car- 
thage, and  It  was  done.  The  site  selected  was 
in  or  near  the  ravine  running  southeasterly  from 
town  and  the  execution,  being  a  public  one,  was 
witnessed  by  thousands  of  spectators  from  all 
the  country  around. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


I'lIENOMRNA— CALAMITOUS  EVENTS. 


STORMS.    FLOOnS    .\ND   EPIDEMICS THE    DEEP    SNOW 

OF  1830-31 — CENTRAL  AND  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS 
COVERED  WITH  FROZEN  CRYSTALS  TO  a'  DEPTH  OF 
FOITR  FEirr — HARnSHIPS  ENDURED  BY  THE  SET- 
TLERS   AND    DE.STRUCTIVE    EFFECTS    ON    DOMESTIC 

ANIMALS    AND     WILD    GAME A     CONTE-MPORANE- 

OIS    DESCRIPTION    BY    A    JACKSONVILI.E    PAPER — 

THE  SUDDEN  FREEZE  OF  1S3C THE  FLOOD  OF  1844 

VILLAGE   OF    ERIE    WIPED    OUT    OF    EXISTENCE — 

DISASTROUS  TORNADOES  OF  1856  AND  1881 OTH- 
ER EARLIER  AND  LATER  VISITATIONS THE  FALL- 
ING STABS  OF  18.3."?,  AND  A   MEMORABLE  METEORIC 

SCENE  OF  ISTOi CHOLERA  EPIDEMICS  OF  18.34  AND 

1841^ — LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  EACH  VISITATION. 

An  old  Indian  legend  that  told  of  a  winter  of 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


759 


unusual  severity  was  eurreut  in  Illinois  when  tbe 
first  settlers  came,  but  it  was  of  a  time  in  the 
far  distant  past,  and  but  little  heed  was  given 
to  it  until  18.30,  when  the  settlers  had  cause  to 
remember  the  tradition.  Up  to  this  time  the 
winters  in  Illinois  had  not  been  regarded  as  a, 
season  to  be  dreaded  by  the  hardy  pioneers  who 
were  accustomed  to  a  rigorous  life  in  all  its 
phases.  But  the  winter  of  18.30-31  was  the  ex- 
ception, and  it  is  referred  to  in  history  as  "the 
winter  of  the  deep  snow,"  for  never  since  that 
time  has  the  snowfall  been  so  heavy. 

Snow  began  falling  on  the  night  of  December 
29,  18.30,  and  continued  steadily  for  three  days, 
and  it  was  not  until  the  middle  of  February  that 
the  skies  cleared  and  the  snows  ceased.  The 
whole  of  Central  and  Northern  Illinois  was  cov- 
ered with  snow  to  a  depth  of  four  feet  on  a  level, 
and,  in  places,  it  was  banked  twenty  and  twenty- 
five  feet  high.  To  the  isolated  settlers,  living  in 
their  rude  cabins  and  with  only  scant  shelter  for 
their  stock,  the  snow  was  a  calamity  that  was 
disheartening.  Many  of  them  were  newcomers 
in  the  country,  and  had  barely  provided  a  place 
of  abode  when  winter  set  in,  and  no  human 
tongue  or  pen  can  picture  their  trials  and  suf- 
fering during  that  memorable  winter. 

With  the  snow  piled  high  around  their  little 
cabins,  the  men  made  desperate  efforts  to  save 
their  stock  and  tunnel-like  paths  were  cut  to  the 
stock  shelters  as  soon  as  the  storm  had  spent  its 
fury.  Those  who  had  planted  crops  had  their 
corn  shocked  in  the  field,  and  it  could  only  be 
reached  by  cutting  out  a  path  through  the  solidly 
packed  snow,  and  as  one  shock  was  used  tbe  path 
was  extended  to  another.  The  newcomers  who 
bad  no  reserve  crop  to  draw  upon  were  indeed  in 
sore  straits,  and  their  losses  were  proportionately 
heavy.  Within  the  home  the  closest  economy  was 
necessary,  as  it  was  weeks  before  trails  were 
broken  that  would  allow  communication  between 
the  settlers.  The  abundance  of  wild  game  af- 
forded a  welcome  food  supply,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  this,  gaunt  famine  would  have  invaded 
the  pioneer  homes  during  that  cheerless  winter, 
and  added  horrors  would  have  result^.  As  it 
was  the  suffering  was  intense,  but  as  the  snow 
went  off  gradually  with  the  coming  of  spring,  the 
settlers  took  rt-newed  hope  and  few  abandoned 
their  western  home  on  account  of  the  rigorous 
winter  that  has  never  since  been  equaled.  Along 
with  the  snow  came  a  season  of  extreme  low  tem- 
perature and  the  only  known  record  of  this  event- 


ful winter  is  preserved  in  the  files  of  The  Jack- 
sonville Patriot,  where,  under  date  of  February 
20,  1831,  we  find  the  following  interesting  and 
authentic  record : 

"The  Season. — The  weather  has  been  unusu- 
ally severe  and  Invariably  cold  since  December 
20,  the  snow  being  so  deep  as  to  render  traveling 
almost  impossible.  The  eastern  mail  by  stage 
coach  from  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  has  not  arrived 
for  six  weeks,  and  the  northern  mail  from  Ga- 
lena but  once  in  six  weeks,  and  the  other  mails 
are  much  retarded  by  the  deep  snow.  During 
several  winters  past  the  weather  has  been  very 
mild  and  agreeable ;  therefore,  we  trust  the  late 
immigrants  to  this  country  have  too  much  forti- 
tude and  discretion  to  become  intimidated  at  this 
bad  winter  and  look  upon  it  as  a  criterion  to 
alarm  them.  Following  has  been  the  depth  of  the 
snow  on  a  level  in  the  woods : 

December  29,  1830—1  foot,  4  inches. 

.January  10,  1831—2  feet  10  inches. 

.January  31 — 3  feet  4  inches. 

February  2 — 3  feet  8  inches. 

Following  is  the  record  of  temperature : 

December  21 — 12  beow  zero. 

December  22 — 8  below  zero. 

.Tanuni-y  5 — 15  below  zero. 

February  C — 19  below  zero. 

February  7 — 23  below  zero. 

"It  is  supposed  that  more  than  five  feet  of  snow 
fell,  but  it  settled  to  about  three  feet.  The 
records  of  Illinois  do  not  record  a  like  deep 
snow." 

Climatic. — The  climate  of  Illinois  is  most 
erratic  at  all  times,  and,  on  January  28,  1873. 
tbe  mercury  fell  to  40  degrees  below  zero,  which 
is  tbe  record  for  low  temperature.  But  the  most 
remarkable  freak  of  weather  recalled  by  Schuyler 
pioneers  occurred  on  December  20,  18.30,  when  a 
sudden  cold  wave  swooped  down  on  Central 
Illinois  and  caught  the  settlers  unaware.  Al- 
though in  mid-winter,  it  was  seasonably  warm 
that  day  and  a  drizzling  rain  had  soaked  the 
ground.  It  cleared  up  about  noon  and  farmers 
were  about  their  outdoor  work,  when  about  2 
o'clock,  it  began  to  grow  dark  and  a  strong  wind 
sprang  up  from  the  northwest.  It  was  a  cold, 
liitter  wind,  and  the  temperature  went  down  with 
a  rush.  Within  a  very  short  time  everything  was 
frozen  solid  and  chickens,  pigs  and  other  small 
animals  were  frozen  in  the  muddy  ground  before 
their  sharp  instinct  prompted  them  to  seek  a 
place  of  shelter.     Men  who  had   driven   to  the 


(GO 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


fields  in  the  mud  nn  liour  before,  hurried  home 
over  ground  frozen  hard  enough  to  bear  up  a 
loaded  wagon. 

We  find  in  Moses'  "History  of  Illinois,"  an  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  two  men  in  this  storm,  but 
are  unable  to  verify  it.  The  article  in  question 
reads  as  follows:  "Those  caught  out  on  horse- 
back were  frozen  to  their  saddles,  and  had  to  be 
lifted  off  and  carried  to  the  fire  to  be  thawed 
apart.  Two  young  men  were  frozen  to  death 
near  Rushville.  One  of  them  was  found  sitting 
with  his  back  against  a  tree,  with  his  horse's 
bridle  over  his  arm  and  his  horse  frozen  In  front 
of  him.  The  other  was  partly  in  a  kneeling  posi- 
tion with  a  tinder  box  in  one  hand  and  flint  in  an- 
other, with  both  eyes  open,  as  if  intent  to  strike  a 
light.  Many  other  casualties  were  reiiorted.  As 
to  the  extent  of  the  temperature,  however,  no  In- 
stnunent  has  left  any  rec<ird,  but  ice  was  frozen  In 
the  streams,  as  variously  re]X)rted,  from  six  Inches 
to  a  foot  in  thickness  In  a  few  hours." 

The  Flood  of  1S44.— As  the  winter  of  18.'W- 
31  Is  known  as  "the  year  of  the  deep  snow"  and 
that  of  1S36  at  the  season  of  the  "sudden  freeze," 
so  is  the  year  1844  known  as  the  time  of  the 
mighty  flood.  In  the  spring  and  summer  of  that 
years,  the  Illinois  River  was  raised  to  a  heiglit 
far  in  excess  of  any  period  known  since  the  set- 
tlement of  the  State,  and  the  high  water  marks 
in  the  Illinois  River  valley  are  based  on  the  stage 
of  the  water  of  that  year.  The  river  valley  coun- 
try was  then  sparsely,  settled  in  Schuyler,  and 
proinn'ty  lossess  were  not  as  heavy  as  they  have 
been  in  more  recent  flood  years,  hut  more  than 
one  town-site  along  the  river  and  cTeeks  received 
a  death  blow  by  the  high  water  of  that  year. 
Prominent  among  these  was  the  town  of  Erie, 
which  was  located  about  three  miles  below  Fred- 
erick. After  the  flood  of  1844,  Erie  was  known 
of  no  more,  and  the  shipping  business  that  was 
carried  on  there  was  diverted  to  Frederick. 

Stor.ms  in  SciiiYLEi!  CouxTY. — Devastation 
from  tornados  was  unknown  in  Schuyler  County 
in  the  early  days,  but  with  scattered  settlements 
the  storms  were  less  noticeable,  and  it  would  have 
been  possible  for  a  mighty  force  to  have  exerted 
itself,  and  yet  have  left  no  marks  of  its  path 
save  in  the  timbered  county.  Such  storms  have 
passed  unnoticed  .and  there  is  no  one  to  chron- 
icle them  and,  for  this  history,  we  will  consider 
the  first  tornado  as  occurring  October  25.  18.56, 
when  the  village  of  Littleton  was  destroyed. 
Evidence  of  an  a]iiiroaching  storm  was  first  no- 


ticed about  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a 
heavy  black  cloud  was  seen  in  the  soutliwest. 
Within  an  incredibly  short  time  it  reached  the 
village  of  Littleton  and,  sweeping  on  to  the 
northwest,  left  a  pile  of  wreckage  where,  a 
jnoment  before,  stores,  churches  and  dwellings 
stood.  Strangely  enough,  no  one  was  killed 
outriglit.  tliongh  the  houses  and  stores  were 
tunil)led  down  with  the  inmates  entangled  in  the 
ruins.  The  town  at  that  time  extended  along  the 
main  road  from  Rushville  to  Macomb,  and  the 
most  complete  destruction  was  on  the  east  side 
of  the  street.  The  dwelling  houses  of  Messrs.  De- 
\v'itt  and  Brunier,  and  the  store  of  James  De- 
Wltt  &  Co.  were  so  located  and  escaped  di>struc- 
tion. 

The  following  list  of  pro|)erty  losses,  aggre- 
gating .?15.000.  was  published  In  The  Rushville 
Times  the  we(>k  following  the  storm:  Baptist 
church  (frame),  $tiOO;  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  (brick),  $1,500;  Jacob  Louis,  $500;  Will- 
lam  Snyder,  $500 ;  E.  .\bbott  and  J.  C.  Edmonson, 
$100:  Rev.  Stewart,  $800;  Dr.  Davis.  $1..'-.00; 
r.  B.  Cordell,  $150;  J.  O.  Sndth,  $700;  Alex. 
Sinii)Son,  ^r,0;  R.  Nichols.  .$200;  E.  M.  Wilson, 
$S(K);  Rev.  L.  Shelby.  $2i>0;  DeWitt  &  Co.,  .Sl.jO; 
Jamesp  DeWitt,  $.50;  Talbert  Crawford,  $1..500; 
Crawford  &  Cordell.  $1,.500:  Wm.  Hill,  $1,100; 
Mi-s.  Dale.  $600;  Kennada  Odell,  $600. 

Within  an  hour  after  the  cyclone  the  news 
reached  Rushville,  and  all  the  physicians  In  town 
ivent  to  the  aid  of  the  Injured.  Among  the  most 
seriously  injured  was  William  Crawford,  who 
died  the  following  Tuesday,  and  this  was  the 
oidy  fatality  that  resulted  from  the  tornado.  A 
relief  fund  was  quickly  raised  in  Rushville  and 
was  sent  to  Littleton  to  be  used  in  caring  for  the 
injured  ones,  man.v  of  whom  lost  almost  all  their 
property  and  were  left  disabled  and  destitute. 

Twenty-five  years  after  the  Littleton  toniado, 
the  western  part  of  Schuyler  County  witnessed 
the  most  destructive  storm  In  the  history  of  the 
county.  September  24,  l.SSl,  Is  the  date  of  this 
storm,  which  left  a  well  defined  trail  of  ruin 
through  Adams  and  Schuyler  Counties.  It  came 
from  the  southwest  and,  as  It  approached  Camden, 
Its  path  was  a  mile  wide  and  its  power  something 
fearful.  The  day  had  lieen  hot  and  sultry,  and 
the  first  sign  of  a  storm  was  noted  In  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon.  Alwut  3  :.30.  while  the  people 
of  Camden  were  engaged  in  their  daily  tasks, 
unmindful  of  danger,  the  stonn  burst  in  all  Its 
fury.      Houses   were   demolished   before   the  oc- 


MRS     MARY    MANVX,    AND    OLD    HOMKSTEAI). 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


761 


cupants  poukl  rush  to  close  the  doors ;  there 
was  no  thiie  to  seek  safety  in  flight,  and  before 
they  had  time  to  realize  that  a  tornado  was  upon 
them,  the  village  was  a  tangled  mass  of  ruins.  Of 
the  forty  buildings  in  the  town  not  more  than 
six  escaped  being  demolished,  and  yet  amid 
such  a  mass  of  wreclvage.  only  one  life  was  lost — 
that  of  Mrs.  B.  P.  Watts,  who  was  crushed  to 
death  beneath  the  ruins  of  her  home.  Many 
miraculous  escapes  from  death  occurred  during 
the  few  minutes  that  the  storm  lasted,  and  in- 
stances are  related  of  the  power  of  the  wind 
that  are  almost  incredible.  While  Camden  suf- 
fered the  brunt  of  the  storm,  the  damage  to 
property  in  the  southwest  part  of  Huntsville 
Township  was  also  severe ;  many  farm  buildings 
being  unroofed  and  wrecked  by  the  force  of  the 
wind.  The  wide  extent  of  the  storm  caused  a 
property  loss  of  perhaps  .?2.5,000,  but  we  will 
not  attempt  to  give  the  losses  in  detail. 

Other  storms  of  less  violence  have  been  noted 
in  the  west  part  of  the  county,  and  old  settlers 
distinctly  remember  five  that  closely  followed 
the  path  of  the  Camden  tornado.  On  June  31, 
1860,  the  north  part  of  Littleton  Township  was 
swept  by  a  tornado,  but  the  greatest  damage 
to  property  at  that  time  was  in  McDonough 
County. 

On  July  .")  1004.  the  village  of  Ray  was  in  the 
path  of  a  cvclone  that,  like  the  two  previous  ones 
in  the  count.v,  came  from  the  southwest.  The 
effects  of  this  tornado  were  first  noticed  near  the 
Houston  church,  and  from  there  to  Ray  the  wind 
carried  everything  before  it.  The  storm  struck 
the  village  about  .5  :30  in  the  afternoon  and  totally 
demolished  the  two-story  school  building,  liut 
did  no  other  serious  damage.  The  destructive 
/one  of  this  tornado  varied  from  fiftj'  to  one  hun- 
dred yards  in  width. 

The  city  of  Rushville  and  the  country  to  the 
south  of  us  have  been  remarkably  free  from  de- 
structive tornadoes  in  the  eight.v  .years  since  the 
county  was  settled,  but  whether  this  is  a  mere 
chance  of  fate,  or  our  safet.v  is  guarded  !iy  pe- 
culiar location  or  conditions,  is  one  of  the  un- 
solved meteorological  problems. 

Other  Notable  Phenomena. — Natural  phe- 
nomena, which  are  now  accurately  forecasted  aiid 
looked  for  with  interest  by  the  general  public, 
as  well  as  astronomers  and  scientists,  were  held 
in  superstitions  awe  by  the  early  pioneers,  and 
with  the  con  ling  of  the  great  meteoric  shower  on 
November  l.".,  lS-1.'?,  many  of  the  iiioneers  looked 


upon  it  as  the  end  of  all  things  earthly.  In  the 
early  morning  hours,  the  heavens  were  ablaze 
with  a  shower  of  meteors  that  seemed  to  envelope 
the  earth.  From  their  rude  log-cabins  the  set- 
tlers looked  out  upon  the  weird  sceue  that  seemed 
to  portend  tlie  destruction  of  the  world.  From 
every  part  of  the  heavens  meteors  were  flashing 
by  thousands,  and  none  who  gazed  upon  the  won- 
derful sight  could  ever  forget  the  grandeur  of 
the  scene  or  the  relief  that  came  with  the  rising 
of  the  sun  a  few  hours  aften^^ards. 

An  eclipse  of  the  sun  that  turned  daylight  into 
darkness  is  another  event  worthy  of  recording. 
It  oc<niiTed  on  August  7,  1809,  and  the  eclipse 
was  total  about  4:.30  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
During  this  time  the  earth  was  in  semi-darkuesa 
and  the  chickens  left  their  range  and  sought 
the  roost.  There  was  not  a  cloud  In  the  sky  and 
a  splendid  opportunity  was  had  to  observe  this 
marvelous  phenomeon,  the  shadow  on  the  sun 
remaining  distinct  until  aliout  6  o'clock  in  the 
evening. 

On  the  evening  of  December  21,  187G,  a  great 
meteor  passed  over  the  Mississippi  Valley  and 
the  glowing  globe,  looking  as  large  as  a  barrel, 
slowly  coursed  across  the  heavens,  traveling  in 
a  northeasterly  direction.  It  was  about  9  o'clock 
in  the  evening  when  the  meteor  appeared,  and  all 
at  once  the  whole  outdoor  region  was  lighted  up 
like  mid-day,  and  people  ran  to  the  doors  and 
windows,  not  knowing  the  cause  of  the  sudden 
light.  The  whole  display  extending  from  horizon 
to  horizon,  probably  did  not  occupy  over  half  a 
minute,  and  yet  the  meteor  producing  it  seemed 
to  move  slowly  and  apparently  dropped  to  the 
earth  a  few  miles  away;  but  this  was  only  an  ap- 
parent delusion,  for  it  was  the  wonder  of  half  the 
continent,  and  those  who  saw  it  have  a  vivid 
remembrance  of  its  grandeur  to  this  day. 

The  Cholera  Epidemic  of  1834. — One  of  the 
pioneers  who  passed  through  the  cholera  epidemic 
of  18.34  was  Rev.  John  Scripps,  who  wrote  the 
following  graphic  account  of  that  deadly  pesti- 
lence : 

"Brightly  rose  the  sun  on  Thursday,  the  third 
of  July,  1834.  Hailed  with  pleasing  sensations  by 
our  whole  community  as  the  precursor  of  a  d.ay 
of  joy  and  festivity,  which  the  morrow — the 
jubilant  Fourth — our  national  festive  day  was 
appointed  to  be.  We  intended  to  commemorate  It 
by  the  first  Methodist  Sunday  school  celebration 
ever  held  in  the  place,  to  which  the  whole  country 
was   invited,   and   for   which   this  was   the   day 


762 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYI.ER  COUNTY. 


of  arrangements,  and  busy  hands  were  early 
and  late  at  work  making  due  preparations.  The 
youths  were  particularly  animated  and  active. 
The  place  for  the  festival  was  selcted  and  put  in 
order,  and  everything  arranged.  The  day  seemed 
to  close  auspiciously  on  our  highest  anticipations 
for    the    morrow. 

"It  came.  But  O !  what  a  gloomy  reverse  of  all 
we  had  meant!  The  first  salutations  of  that 
morning  announced  to  our  ears  the  soul-harrow- 
ing fact  that  the  destroyer  had  come,  and  tlie 
Angel  of  Death  was  among  us.  Two  of  our 
halest  and  most  robust  citizens,  William  Mc- 
Creery  and  C.  V.  Putmau.  had  l)een  cut  down,  and 
the  insatiate  foe  was  grasping  at  other  victims. 
The  two  had  spent  the  evening  togctlier  in  social 
converse.  That  they  were  almost  simultaneously 
attacked  and  sunk,  no  more  to  rise  to  the  Imsy 
scenes  of  life,  is  all  that  can  be  said  of  their  de- 
mise. 

"Before  the  day  closed  another,  a  Miss  Smith, 
was  numbered  with  them,  and  others  had  re- 
ceived the  fatal  summons  which,  on  the  following 
day,  swept  from  us  four  more  to  the  oblivion  of 
the  grave — a  Mrs.  Withers;  .Tames  Haggarty. 
a  carpenter:  Uucl  Redfield.  a  blacksmith,  and 
his  child.  They  yielded  to  the  stern  mandate  and 
passed  away. 

"On  Sunday  death  seemed  to  pause  in  his  exe- 
cution. None  on  that  day  died.  But  this  gloomy 
pall  still  hung  sullenly  ov(>r  us.  and  there  was 
no  pause  in  the  threatening  horror  that  invested 
us.  The  heart-rending  vvallings  of  survivors 
for  their  departed  ones:  the  dark  presages  of 
what  might  yet  lie  IxMore  ns,  portending  greater 
evils:  the  agonizing  groans  and  moanings  of 
yet  other  victims,  writhing  in  excruciating  pangs, 
all  combined  to  incite  intensest  terror. 

"On  Monday  the  venerable  parents  of  the  first 
named  victim.  William  McPreerj-.  both  lay 
shrouded  in  death.  Rut  to  them  no  doubt  death 
was  bereft  of  its  terrible  asjiect  and  had  lost  its 
sting,  and  the  grave  lighted  uj)  with  a  heaven- 
insjiiring  hope  of  glorious  innnortality.  They 
were  as  shocks  of  ripened  grain,  ready  for  the 
sickle,  full  of  days  and  devotedly  pious.  Another 
victim  in  the  person  of  a  Mr.  Gay  closed  the 
mortalities  of  that  day.     .     . 

"On  the  first  breaking  out  of  the  cholera  our 
town  began  rapidly  to  depopulate,  not  only  by 
death,  init  by  fliglit ;  a  panic  seized  tlie  inhabitants 
and  some  sought  refuge  from  its  ravages  amon<' 
their    more    distant    country    friends,    others    in 


encampments  in  the  far  off  woods,  by  which 
many  houses  became  vacated  and  our  streets 
literally  deserted.  There  seemed  scarcely  enough 
left  of  human  life  to  die  or  to  feed  the  rapacious 
maw  of  the  'fell  monster."  We,  however,  titted 
up  lor  a  temporary  hosiiital  the  two  story  frame 
building  on  P^ast  Jefferson  .street,  to  which  were 
conveyed  all  the  patients  who  could  not  other- 
wise be  cared  for,  to  be  nursed  and  attended  to 
under  the  general  superindentency  and  medical 
treatment  of  Dr.  VanZandt." 

We  omit  the  detailed  description  of  the  scenes 
in  the  cholera  hospital,  as  related  by  Rev  Scripps, 
but  cannot  leave  unnoticed  the  valiant  service 
performed  by  four  .voung  men  who  volunteered 
their  services  as  nurses.  Never  did  a  soldier  on 
any  battlefield  show  more  braver>'  than  did  these 
ycmng  men,  who,  without  hope  of  reward  or 
glorious  renown,  went  bravely  to  their  death. 
They  were  Daniel  Sherwood,  John  R.  York, 
William  Willis  and  a  Mr,  Wilson,  and  the  first 
three  were  martyrs  to  the  cause. 

Rev.  John  Scripps  was  untiring  in  his  minis- 
trations to  the  sick  and  alllicted.  and  was  at  the 
bedside  of  the  dying  until  he  was  himself  stricken. 
.\ftcr  the  de.ith  of  Rev.  Jewell,  who  aided  him  in 
the  work,  he  was  the  only  minister  left  in  the 
village.  Rev.  Scripps  ascribes  his  recovery  to  a 
strict  observance  of  dietetic  restrictions  and  care- 
ful nursing  by  his  devoted  wife,  who  was  a 
valiant  aid  during  the  dreadful  scourge. 

The  following  list  of  deaths  from  cholera  In 
Rushville  during  the  year  IS.'U  was  kept  by 
Samuel  llindman  in  that  memond)le  year,  and  is 
correct : 

July  4 — C.  V.  I'utman.  William  McCreery, 
Miss  Smith. 

July  5— Ruel  Redfield,  child  of  Redfield.  >Irs. 
Weathers,  James  Ilasgerty. 

July     7 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCreerj-.  Mr.  Gay. 

July     .S— Child  of  .Mr.  Angel. 

July    0 — Mr.  Ayers.  child  of  George  Henry. 

July  If) — Mr.  Rarkhousen,  Mrs.  Smith. 

July  11— Mr.  McCabe. 

July  12— Mr.  Sherwood. 

July  1."'. — Mrs.  Dunlap. 

July  14 — A  German  lady,  John  R.  York.  Wi'- 
liam  Willis.  Mr.  Oampliell. 

July  IT — Mrs.  Basil  Bowen,  Mr.  Barkhousen. 

July  26 — Rev.  Mr.  Jewell. 

July  ."0 — Jfadison  Worthington. 

Aug.  1 — Major  I'pton.     A  total  of  27. 

Mr.  E.  H.  O.  Seeley,  now  living  in  Rushville  at 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


763 


the  ripe  old  age  ot  ninety-four  years,  was  in  tiie 
undortuldng  business  when  the  cholera  scourge 
of  1S,'!4  came,  and  he  was  one  of  the  few  who 
were  brought  into  close  contact  with  the  disease 
and  escaped  its  contagion.  No  soldier  for  cross 
or  crown  did  more  exalted  sei-vice  than  he  in 
attending  to  the  burial  of  the  cholera  victims, 
and  oftentimes  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  se- 
cure help  enough  to  deposit  the  body  in  the  tomb. 
According  to  Mr.  Seeley's  remembrance  the 
cholera  was  brought  to  Rushville  by  the  family 
of  a  Mr.  Wilson,  who  emigrated  here  from  Mary- 
land. The.y  came  by  boat  from  New  Orleans, 
accompanied  by  Basil  Boweu  and  family,  and  on 
the  way  up  the  Illinois  River  Mrs.  Wilson  died 
of  cholera.  Wishing  to  give  his  wife  a  civilized 
burial.  Mr.  Wilson  and  the  Bowen  family  were 
landed  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  opposite 
Beardstown  and  notice  was  sent  to  Jlr.  Seeley  at 
Rushville  to  prepare  a  coffin.  Messrs.  McCreery 
and  Putman  assisted  in  the  burial,  and  they  were 


the  first  victims  of  the  pestilence  that  was 
destined  to  claim  more  than  a  score  of  lives,  and 
bring  teiTor  into  a  counnunit:^'  that  had  never 
before  known  by  experience  of  the  cholera  plague. 

There  was  a  recurrence  of  the  disease  in  the 
spring  of  1841,  and  it  continued  throughout  the 
summer  with  a  large  fatality,  altliough  not  equal- 
ing that  of  the  year  18.34.  From  Mr.  Hindman's 
list  of  deaths  of  that  year  we  get  the  following 
names  and  dates : 

March  18— A  child  of  Mr.  Metz. 

April  16— Mr.  Blood. 

May  22— J.  Eads. 

July  31 — Mrs.  McCroskey. 

August  4— Child  of  D.  Huff. 

August  .31 — Mr.   Gasper. 

August  .31 — Mr.  Brown. 

September  21— Child  of  Hart  Fellows. 

October  4 — Mr.  Moore. 

November  1 — Mrs.  Joseph  Leonard. 


Tuc-Tr- 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


THE  PART  OF  BIOGRAPHY  IN  GENERAL  HISTORY — 
CITIZENS  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY  AND  OUTLINES 
OF  PERSONAL  HISTORY PERSONAL  SKETCHES  AR- 
RANGED IN  ENCY'CI>OPEDIC  ORDER. 

The  verdict  of  mankiud  has  awarded  to  the 
Muse  of  History  the  highest  place  amou^  the 
Classic  Nine.  The  extent  of  her  office,  however, 
appears  to  be,  by  many  minds,  but  imperfectly 
understood.  The  task  of  the  historian  is  compre- 
hensive and  exacting.  Ti'ue  histoi"y  reaches  be- 
yond the  doings  of  court  or  camp,  beyond  the  Is- 
sue of  battles  or  the  effects  of  treaties,  and  re- 
cords the  trials  and  the  triumi)hs,  the  failures 
and  the  successes  of  the  men  who  make  history. 
It  is  but  an  imperfect  couceptiou  of  the  philoso- 
phy of  events  that  fails  to  accord  to  portraiture 
and  biography  its  rightful  position  as  a  part — 
and  no  unimportant  part —  of  historic  narrative. 
Behind  and  beneath  the  activities  of  outward  life 
the  motive  power  lies  out  of  sight,  just  as  the 
furnace  fires  that  work  the  piston  and  keep  the 
ponderous  screw  revolving  down  in  the  darkness 
of  the  hold.  So.  the  impulsive  power  which 
shapes  the  course  of  communities  may  be  found 
in  the  molding  influences  which  form  its  citizens. 

It  is  no  mere  idle  curiosity  that  prompts  men 
to  wish  to  learn  the  private,  as  well  as  the  public, 
liyes  of  their  fellows.  Rather  is  it  true  that  such 
desire  tends  to  prove  universal  brotherhood ;  and 
the  interest  in  personalitj'  and  biography  is  not 
confined  to  men  of  any  particular  caste  or  voca- 
tion. 

The  list  of  those,  to  who.se  lot  it  falls  to  play  a 
conspicuous  part  in  the  great  drama  of  life,  is 
comparativel.v  short ;  yet  coinnmnities  are  made 
up  of  individuals,  and  the  aggregate  of  achieve- 
ments— no  less  than  the  sum  total  of  human  hap- 
piness— is  made  up  of  the  deeds  of  those  men  a'ud 
women  whose  primary  aim,  through  life,  is  faith- 
fully to  perform  tlie  duty  that  comes  nearest  to 
hand.  Individual  influences  upon  human  affairs 
will  be  considered  i)otent  or  insignificant,  accord- 
ing to  the  standiioint  from  which  it  is  viewed.  To 
him  who,  standing  upon  the  seashore,  notes  the 
ebb  and  flrfw  of  the  tides  and  listens  to  the  sullen 
roar  of  the  waves,  as  they  break  upon  the  beach 
in  seething  foam,  seemingly  chafing  at  their  lim- 
itations, the  ocean  appears  so  vast  as  to  need  no 
tributaries.  Yet,  without  the  smallest  rill  that 
helps  to  swell  the  "Father  of  Waters,"  the  mighty 
torrent  of  the  Mississippi  would  be  lessened,  and 
the  beneficent  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream  di- 


minished. Countless  streams,  currents  and  coun- 
ter currents — sometimes  mingling,  sometimes 
counteracting  each  other — collectively  combine  to 
give  motion  to  the  accumulated  mass  of  waters. 
So  is  it — and  so  must  it  ever  be — in  the  ocean  of 
human  action,  which  is  formed  by  the  blending 
and  repulsion  of  currents  of  thought,  of  influence 
and  of  life,  yet  more  numerous  and  more  tortu- 
ous than  those  which  form  the  "fountains  of  tlie 
deep."  The  acts  and  characters  of  men,  like  the 
several  faces  that  compose  a  composite  picture, 
are  wrought  together  into  a  compact  or  hetero- 
geneous whole.  History  is  condensed  biography  ; 
"Biography  is  Historj'  teaching  by  example." 

It  is  both  interesting  and  instructive  to  rise 
above  the  generalization  of  history  and  trace,  in 
the  personality  and  careers  of  the  men  from 
vk'liom  it  sprang,  the  principles  and  influences,  the 
impulses  and  ambitions,  the  labors,  struggles 
and  triumphs  that  engross  their  lives. 

Here  are  recorded  the  careers  and  achieve- 
ments of  pioneers  who,  "when  the  fullness  of  time 
had  come,"  came  from  widely  separated  sources, 
some  from  beyond  the  sea,  impelled  Ijy  divers 
motives,  little  conscious  of  the  import  of  their 
acts,  and  but  dimly  anticipating  the  harvest 
which  would  spring  from  the  sowing.  They  built 
then-  primitive  homes,  toiling  for  a  present  sub- 
sistence while  laying  the  foundations  of  private 
fortunes  and  future  advancement. 

Most  of  these  have  passed  away,  but  not  before 
they  beheld  a  development  of  business  and  popu- 
lation suri)as.sing  the  wildest  dreams  of  fancy  or 
expectation.  A  few  yet  remain  whose  years  have 
passed  the  allotted  three-score  and  ten,  and  who 
love  to  recount,  among  the  cherished  memories  of 
their  lives,  their  reminiscences  of  early  days. 

[The  following  items  of  personal  and  family 
history,  having  been  arranged  in  encyclopedic 
(or  alpliabetical)  order  as  to  names  of  the  in- 
divlduiil  subjects,  no  special  index  to  this  part  of 
the  work   will  be  found  necessary.] 

ACHESON,  Alexander,~In  the  Achesons  of 
Baiubridge  Townsliip,  are  recognized  one  of  the 
most  thrifty  and  progressive  families  of  Schuyler 
County,  and  no  more  worthy  representative  of  it 
could  be  selected  than  the  gentleman  whose  name 
heads  this  article.  Retaining  the  familiar  and 
admired  cliaracteristics  of  the  best  class  of  Irish- 
men, bright,  shrewd  and  courteous,  Alexander 
Acheson  has  lieen  a  resident  of  the  county  for 
forty  years,  and  during  that  long  period  has  stead- 
ily earned  the  confidence  and  affection  of  his  as- 
sociates, sjireading  good  cheer  along  his  path- 
way,  and,   in   his  declining  years,   receiving  his 


766 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


manifold  reward,  in  the  gratitude  of  those  whose 
lives  he  has  Ijrighteued  and  uplifted.  A  firm 
Democrat  ever  since  he  became  entitled  to  vote 
and  personally  popular,  Mr.  Achesou  has  never 
sought  either  political  or  public  honors,  but  has 
given  his  undivided  attention  to  farming  as  the 
serious  business  of  his  life,  which  has  brought 
to  his  family  and  himself  those  comforts  which 
go  far  to  counteract  unavoidable  hardships.  Now 
living  upon  his  thoroughly  cultivated  and  highly 
imjiroved  farm  of  213  acres,  his  comfortable  resi- 
dence and  caijacious  barns  give  evidence  of  past 
years  of  industry  and  present  contentment  while, 
with  a  good  wife  and  filial  childreu  affording  a 
complete  solace,  the  present  daj-s  of  Alexander 
Acheson  must  be  filled  with  the  kindly  peace  of 
the  wise  and  faithful  worker  who  has  his  reward. 

Mr.  Acheson  is  a  native  of  County  Tyrone,  ire- 
laud,  born  in  March,  1S37,  a  sou  of  Charles  and 
Sarah  (Coudy)  Acheson,  both  natives  of  that 
county.  The  father  died  when  Alexander  was 
about  two  yeai-s  of  age,  leaving  a  f;unily  of  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom,  with 
the  widow,  came  to  America  at  different  i)e- 
riods.  JIargaret,  the  oldest  of  the  family,  set- 
tled in  Philadelphia,  wliere  she  married  John 
Hamiltou,  a  native  of  County  Donegal,  Ireland. 
They  afterward  came  to  Schuyler  County, 
locating  on  a  farm  in  Rushville  Township  at  a 
very  early  day,  and  spent  the  later  years  of  their 
lives  with  their  son  Itobert,  a  farmer  of  Macomb 
Township,  .McDouough  County,  111.,  who  then 
occupied  the  place  now  owned  by  Edward  Thomp- 
son. Rebecca,  the  second  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cliarles  Acheson,  also  settled  in  I'hiladelphia, 
where  she  died.  The  third  of  the  family  to  (.-ome 
to  America  was  William  Acheson.  Then  .Tames. 
Alexander,  and  Sarah  came  to  Schuyler  County 
about  Christmas,  38(iO,  the  mother  making  her 
home  with  James  for  a  number  of  years.  They 
came  at  once  to  what  is  now  Section  3,  Bain- 
bridge  Township,  and  located  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Here  James 
married  Jane  Herron,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 
came  to  America  with  an  aunt,  and  here  the  wife 
died,  while  he  passed  the  period  of  his  declining 
years  in  Bueua  Vistji  Township.  William,  the 
fourth  of  the  family,  was  a  farmer  of  Bainbridge 
Township  for  many  years,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Rushville.  Sarah,  the  fifth  child,  died  at  the 
home  of  Alexander.  The  mother  of  this  family 
made  her  home  with  .Tames  and  there  died  In 
1S95. 

In  180G  Alexander  .\cheson,  the  sixth  child  of 
the  family,  then  thirty  years  of  age,  came  direct 
from  Countj-  Tyrone,  Ireland,  to  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1867  settled  on  a  farm  of 
sixty-seven  acres,  which  had  been  purchased  for 
$l,sno.  saved  through  the  united  efforts  of  the 
family.  The  land  was  covered  with  all  kinds  of 
timber  and  brush,  such  as  wild  locust  and  hazel 
bush,  but  a  log  cabin  was  built  twenty  feet 
square  and  therein  the  family  began  real  life  in 
the  New  World.  To  the  original  purchase  enough 
was  added,  from  time  to  time,  to  bring  the  total 
up  to  213  acres,  which  was  all  thoroughly  culti- 


vated and  nicely  improved.  This  tract  Alexan- 
der Acheson  finally  purchased,  erecting  thereon 
a  modern  dwelling  and  barns,  developing  a  fine 
orchard,  and  othenvise  making  it  one  of  the  most 
highly  improved  and  attractive  homesteads  in  the 
township.  Here  he  still  resides  with  his  family, 
the  active  operations  of  the  farm  and  the  care 
of  the  live-stock  being  entrusted  to  hands  which 
have  not  been  hardened  by  so  many  years  of 
toil  as  his  own. 

On  February  15,  1883,  Mr.  Acheson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Laura  Helen  Demaree,  the 
history  of  whose  famil.v  will  be  found  in  the  biog- 
rai)hy  of  W.  L.  Demaree.  published  elsewhere  In 
this  work.  The  three  children  of  this  union  are 
as  follows:  Helen  Racie,  who  married  in  Octo- 
ber. HKK!,  Ward  Lambert,  a  farmer  of  Littleton 
Township:  Mary  Xina.  residing  at  home;  and 
Ethel,  who  married  Februarj-  15,  IfKlS,  Samuel 
Dean,  and  they  reside  in  Oakland  Township.  All 
have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  public  school  edu- 
cations, and  are  bright,  industrious  and  i)romis- 
ing  memliers  of  the  community.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the 
parents  justl.v  stand  high  in  the  estimation  of 
the  best  people  of  Bainbridge  Township.  It  Is 
little  wonder  that  the  pride  of  Alexander  Ache- 
son Is  divided  between  his  family  and  the  adop- 
ted country  which  has  enabled  him,  tlirough  his 
own  strength  of  character,  to  bring  his  little 
household  to  such  a  position  of  honor  and  com- 
fort. 

ACHESON,  WilUam.— .\  certain  degree  of  suc- 
cess usually  rewards  the  efforts  of  those  men  to 
whiini  have  been  given  health,  an  energetic  dispo- 
sition and  haliits  of  industry  and  determination. 
Such  were  the  qualifications  of  William  Acheson 
when  he  started  out  in  the  world,  leaving  his  old 
home  acroSs  the  sea  and  coming  to  the  new  world 
with  no  other  capital  than  these.  When  he  ar- 
rived at  I'"rederick,  Schuyler  Count)-.  III.,  Juue 
n,  1S.")(>.  he  had  only  $5.25  in  his  possession,  but 
he  was  young,  hopeful  and  ambitious,  and  the 
lack  of  money  proved  no  discouragement  to  his 
ardent  mind.  From  that  small  beginning,  by  dint 
of  labor  and  good  management,  he  has  recently 
been  enabled  to  retire  from  his  farm  and  removed 
to  a  comfortal)le  cottage  in  Rushville,  where  he 
Is  surromided  by  the  comforts  rendered  possible 
by  a  well-spent  life. 

A  native  of  County  Tyrone,  North  of  Ireland; 
William  .\cheson  was  bom  on  Christmas  Day  of 
18.34,  a  .son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  Achesou,  men- 
tion of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
in  the  sketch  of  .Vlexander  .\cheson.  The  father 
died  .March  ID.  1S47.  and  thereafter  the  son  was 
busily  employed  in  caring  for  other  members  of 
the  family  and  in  making  his  own  v^y  in  the 
world.  The  future,  however,  did  not  look  en- 
couraging to  him  as  he  viewed  prospects  in  his 
native  land,  and  he  finally  determined  to  seek  a 
home  across  the  sea.  During  the  spring  of  1856 
he  came  to  America,  where  he  made  brief  so- 
journs in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  but  soon 
came  from  the  East  to  join  relatives  in  Illinois. 


WIIJ.IAM   McKEE 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEB  COUNTY. 


767 


After  his  arrival  in  Schuyler  County  he  hired  out 
to  a  brother-in-law,  John  Hauiilton,  for  $70  per 
year,  and  remained  in  his  eiuiiloy  until  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton died  in  August  of  IStiO,  after  which  he  took 
charge  of  the  farm  in  the  interest  of  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Hamilton. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Acheson  took  ijlace  Sep- 
tember -i),  1804,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Mary 
E.  Ward,  who  was  born  August  27,  1845,  in  Bain- 
bridge  Township,  a  daughter  of  Apollos  and  Jane 
Ward.  Mention  of  the  family  appears  in  the 
sketch  of  James  M.  Ward,  in  another  part  of 
this  work.  After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Acheson  remained  on  the  Hamilton  farm  until 
18G7.  when  he  bought  forty-six  acres  on  Section 
14,  in  Bainbridge  Township,  during  the  following 
year  buying  sixty  acres  mure.  Later  he  added 
more  land  from  time  to  time  until  he  acquired 
172  acres.  During  April,  1007,  he  retired  from 
active  cares  and  removed  to  Rushville,  where  he 
and  his  wife  have  a  large  circle  of  warm  friends 
and  are  highly  esteemed  for  their  noble  qualities 
of  heai-t  and  mind.  Politically,  Mr.  Acheson 
votes  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  has  never 
consented  to  accept  political  office.  For  thirty 
years  he  acted  as  Steward  of  tlie  Mount  CaiTuel 
church  iu  Bainliridge  Township. 

Seven  children  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Acheson,  namely :  Margaret,  born  October 
8,  18G.5,  married  and  has  one  son,  Archie,  who 
remains  with  his  mother  at  the  old  homestead ; 
Annie,  born  April  10,  1870,  married  Roljert  H. 
Crozier,  a  farmer  of  Rushville  Township ;  Grace, 
born  November  25,  lS7o,  maried  Frederick  Pel- 
ton,  a  carpenter  residing  at  Rushville,  and  they 
have  three  children,  William.  Bertha  and  Ada  ; 
Marvin,  born  December  14,  1870,  married  Nola 
Blalock,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  daughter  of 
a  minister,  and  they  have  four  children — Mary, 
Harland,  Mildred  and  Edna  ;  Rulliu  and  Roy,  the 
latter  born  May  11,  1883,  and  now  has  charge  of 
the  homestead  in  Bainbridge  Township.  Two 
died  in  infancy.  The  home  of  Marvin's  family  is 
iu  Buena  Vista  Township,  where  Marvin  culti- 
vates a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

AGANS,  Stephen  H.— Of  the  life-long  residents 
of  Camden  Township,  who  have  added  to  its 
wealth  of  character  and  achievement,  none  have 
been  more  fortunately  placed  or  more  worthily 
rewarded  than  Stephen  H.  Agans.  Mr.  Agans 
has  come  to  the  front  from  a  youth  not  especially 
favored,  and  containing  advantages  iu  no  sense 
out  of  the  ordinary.  He  was  torn  on  a  farm  in 
Camden  Township  April  16,  18.5G,  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Annie  (Jones)  Agans,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  came 
to  America  to  satisfy  a  craving  for  larger  things. 
From  New  York  be  journeyed  with  his  scant 
assets  to  Cairo.  111.,  across  prairies  and  by  crude 
watersvays,  reaching  there  during  the  summer  of 
18.33.  For  a  time  he  lived  in  Rushville,  111., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  work  as  an  assistant  to 
Dr.  Worthington,  was  there.  July  6,  1844,  mar- 
ried, and  about  two  years  later,  in  1S46,  moved 
to  the  vicinity  of  Quincy,  111.     In  1848  he  pur- 


chased sixty  acres  of  wild  land  in  Section  26, 
Camden  Township,  and  there  engaged  in  general 
farming  until  shortly  before  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred July  6,  1880,  his  wife  surviving  him  until 
February  13,  1881.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  four  of  whim  are  now  living,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters,  namely:  (1)  Stephen 
H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  (11)  Rosa,  who 
married  John  H.  Peters,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Mary  Catherine,  wife  of  ^\^litney  Ingles, 
residing  in  Camden  Township;  (III)  Susan  C, 
the  wife  of  J.  H.  Race,  of  Camden  Township, 
who  has  three  children — (1)  Delia,  wife  of  Ed- 
ward Briggs,  having  one  sou,  (2)  Bertha,  wife 
of  Edward  Varlirougb,  of  Camden  Township,  hav- 
ing one  daughter,  and  (3)  Alta,  at  home;  (IV) 
Levi,  who  married  Ida  Avery,  resides  in  Camden 
Township,  and  has  seven  children.  Of  the  other 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Agans,  three 
died  in  infancy.  Sarah  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years;  William  is  the  deceased  husband  of  Mrs. 
Mulvania  (Radinger)  Agans,  a  resident  of  Cam- 
den Township ;  and  Hester  Ann,  married,  first, 
Huston  Sandy  Race,  who  died  in  Memnliis,  Tenu., 
as  ,-1  soldier  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  for  her  second 
husband  married  Greeubury  Clayton,  of  Industry, 
111. 

The  first  happening  out  of  the  ordinaiy  in  the 
life  of  Stephen  H.  Agans  was  his  marriage,  April 
1,  1875,  to  Louise  Eifert,  a  native  of  New  Or- 
leans, who  came  to  Camden  Township  with  her 
parents,  John  and  Annie  Eifert,  when  she  was 
five  years  old.  The  Eiterts  are  among  the  early 
and  honored  pioneers  of  Schuyler  County.  Mr. 
Agans  purchased  the  home  of  his  wife's  parents, 
and  also  that  of  his  father,  and  he  now  owns 
2Go  acres  iu  Camden  Township,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  iu  Brown  County.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  he  is  making  a  specialty  of  stock-breed- 
ing, and  is  owner  of  a  herd  of  fifty  Aberdeen 
Angus  cattle,  eligible  for  registration.  The  ap- 
pointments of  his  farm  are  modem  for  the  most 
part,  and  a  large  amount  of  money  has  been  ex- 
pended for  buildings,  fences,  drainage  and  imple- 
ments. The  owner  is  a  methodical  and  practical 
farmer,  but  at  the  same  time  has  a  keen  appre- 
ciation of  the  things  that  make  for  comfort,  and 
the  ti'ees,  shrubbery,  .gardens  and  vistas  that 
contribute  to  the  jileasure  of  the  mind  and  eye. 

Supplementing  his  activity  and  success  as  a 
farmer,  Jlr.  Agans  has  rendered  conscientious 
and  satisfactory  political  service,  having  been 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  to  most  of  the 
imiwrtant  local  otlices.  He  was  for  eight  years 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  for  six  years  Supervisor, 
Assessor  for  a  like  period,  and  Road  Commis- 
sioner several  terms.  He  also  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Review,  and  has  held  other  posi- 
tiiins  of  lo(;al  responsiljility.  Socially  he  is  con- 
ne(  ted  with  the  Mutual  Protective  League,  and 
in  religion  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
cojial  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Agans  are  the  pa- 
rents of  four  children :  Annie  F.,  wife  of  B.  B. 
Bowers,  a  farmer  in  Section  21,  Camden  Town- 
shij),  who  have  five  childen — Herald   (who  died 


768 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


at  age  of  one  year),  Loreu  and  Jerald;  Mary- 
Isabella,  wife  of  J.  Walter  Hare,  a  fanner  in 
Section  35,  Camden  Townsbip,  and  father  of 
Onille  W.,  Eva  and  Morris  Hare.  .Mr.  Agans  is 
a  higlily  respected  and  verj^  useful  citizen,  enter- 
ing hiti)  tlie  life  of  the  community  with  intelli- 
gence and  rare  good  sense,  and  in  his  many-sided 
undertakings  winning  the  approval  and  appre- 
ciation of  the  best  element  of  the  eommunitj-. 

AMBROSIUS,  John  C— The  wage-earning  ca- 
reer of  John  C.  Ambrosius  extended  from  about 
his  sixth  year  until  his  retirement  to  Rushville 
in  1907.  Few  of  the  leisure  class  of  the  commu- 
nity- have  so  unremittingly  pursued  the  habit  of 
industry,  or  so  wisely  utilized  their  opportunities, 
as  has  this  erstwhile  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  the 
present  worldly  assets  of  whom  consist  of  a  com- 
fortable town  home,  and  HOtl  acres  of  valuable 
land  in  Section  Hi.  Woodstock  Townshiii.  -Mr. 
Ambrosius  nas  a  year  old  when  brought  to 
Schuyler  County  by  his  parents  from  Clark 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  lK)ni  December  22, 
1840.  His  father.  I'hilip  Ambrosius,  was  born 
in  Germanj',  and  according  to  the  time-honored 
custom  which  secured  early  independence  to  the 
youth  of  the  I'atherland,  was  apprenticed  to  a 
cooper  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  thereafter 
following  the  cooper"s  trade  until  coming  to  the 
United  States  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Locat- 
ing in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  among  people  who 
spoke  a  strange  tongue  and  who  had  few  inter- 
ests in  conunon  with  his  own,  he  rapidly  forged 
to  the  front  as  a  cooper,  and  the  next  year  mar- 
ried and  established  a  home  of  his  own.  Upon 
coming  to  Schuyler  County  in  1S47,  he  located 
near  Frederick  and  there  plied  his  trade,  thence 
removing  to  Pleasantview,  Schuyler  Count.v,  and 
from  there  to  the  State  of  Missouri.  Keturning 
the  fall  of  the  same  year,  he  bought  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  Rushville  Township,  north  of  the 
farm  of  M.  S.  Strong,  and  here  his  death  oc- 
curred at  an  advanced  age,  his  n-ife  thereafter 
making  her  home  with  her  daughter.  Mi-s.  .Tor- 
dan,  up  to  the  time  of  her  death  in  August.  lOO:?. 
This  couple  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  still  living:  Rosalie,  wife  of 
Thomas  Baxter,  of  McDonough  County,  111., 
Simon,  a  farmer  of  Hai^^ison  County.  Mo.;  Eli- 
jah, occupying  a  farm  near  Camden,  Schuyler 
County :  Frances,  wife  of  .Taeob  Swope,  of  As- 
toria. 111. :  Elizina.  wife  of  Henry  T.  .Jordan,  of 
Camden.  111.;  and  I'liilip.  The  jiarents  were 
members  of  the  Union  Baptist  Church,  and  the 
father  was  a  Democrat  in  polities. 

The  hard  work  of  his  life  began  when  John  C. 
Ambrosius  should  have  been  care  free,  but  such 
were  the  family  fortunes,  and  so  large  the  num- 
ber of  children,  that  each  was  compelled  to  con- 
tribute to  the  general  support  as  soon  as  their 
strength  permitted.  Practically  all  of  the  chil- 
dren acquired  a  knowledge  of  coopering,  and  little 
John  C.  was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  At  six  he 
had  made  his  work  of  value,  and  from  then  until 
his  retirement,  he  knew  no  such  thing  as  help 
of  a   financial   kind   from   any  one.     WTien   his 


strength  permitted  he  broke  prairie  with  an  ox 
team,  cut  tind)er.  made  staves  nhich  he  hauled 
to  the  market,  and  also  made  flour  and  other 
barrels  which  brought  in  a  considerable  revenue. 
Such  education  as  he  received  was  acquired  dur- 
ing a  few  winter  months  when  he  attended  school 
irregularly,  but  he  was  keen  and  oljserving.  and 
experien<e  and  observation  have  been  his  most 
beneficent  teachers.  In  1873  he  joined  his 
brother  in  the  pnrcliase  of  a  farm  of  12.t  acres  in 
Browning  Township,  tifteen  acres  of  which  they 
cle.-ired,  and  .May  18,  1870,  Mr.  Ambrosius  mar- 
ried Nancy  Serrot,  a  native  of  Sugar  Grove, 
Woodstock  Township,  and  daughter  of  a  very 
early  pioneer  family.  After  his  marriage  Mr. 
Ambrosius  bought  his  lirother's  share  in  the 
farm,  improved  the  same  until  1887,  and  that 
year  sold  out  and  Imught  120  acres  in  Section  16, 
W(X)dstock  Towns-hill.  To  this  he  has  added 
eighty  acres,  and  now  tnviis  two  hundred  acres 
of  as  fine  and  i)roductive  hind  as  is  to  be  found 
in  the  township.  Through  the  exercise  of  the 
greatest  economy  while  on  the  paternal  farm  :  he 
aciiuired  a  fortune  of  $(KiO,  a  team  and  wagon, 
and  .some  substantial  wearing  apparel ;  and  troiu 
this  nucleus  has  come  a  prosperity  which  he 
riddy  deserves  and  has  worthily  won.  He  was 
obliged  to  go  in  debt  for  a  part  of  his  land,  pay- 
ing ten  per  cent,  interest  on  the  same,  but  this 
deficiency  melted  away  iu  a  short  time,  giving 
place  to  that  sujireme  independence  which  a  man 
feels  who  is  the  architect  of  his  own  success,  and 
the  absolute  possessor  of  the  domain  he  occu- 
Iiies. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ambrosius  have  been  born 
seven  children  :  Rhoda,  wife  of  Thomas  Gregory, 
who  has  one  child ;  Lois,  on  the  home  farm ;  W. 
H.  .\mbrosius,  whose  wife  died  April  2:i.  liKX?; 
Marion,  connected  with  the  Brown  Shoe  F.ictory, 
of  St.  Ixiuis;  Lilly,  wife  of  Clarence  Rhinehart, 
also  on  the  Woodstock  Township  fann.  and  the 
mother  of  two  children.  Jemima  and  Chester ; 
<;eorge.  living  at  home;  and  Clarice,  also  at 
home.  W.  EL  Ambrosius  Is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  .Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  the  World  at  Ripley.  The  farm 
of  Mr.  -Xmbrosius  is  being  conducted  by  his  capa- 
ble sons,  who  have  been  carefully  traine<l  by 
him,  and  given  every  advantage  possible  under 
the  circumstances.  He  is  the  po.ssessor  of  a 
competence  sufficient  to  tide  over  any  emeregncy 
that  may  arise  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life, 
and  what  is  of  far  greater  value,  of  the  kindly 
regard  and  confidence  of  the  people  among  whom 
has  been  spent  his  well  directed  and  moderate 
life. 

AMRINE,  Roscoe  C,  D.  D.  S.— A  type  of  the 
able  and  resourceful  dental  practitioner  is  found 
in  Dr.  Roscoe  C.  .\mrine,  who  arrived  in  Rush- 
ville, HI.,  in  the  summer  of  1891  and  opened  an 
office  over  the  "Little"  store,  a  location  which 
he  still  occupies  in  the  new  building  which  has 
replaced  it. 

The  boyhood  and  early  manhood  of  Dr.  Amrine 
was    spent   on    a    farm    near    Vermont    Fulton 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


769 


County,  111.,  where  he  was  horn  May  10,  1SG8. 
The  stable  traits  of  Dutch-English  ancestors  have 
come  a  long  way  without  losing  force,  and  when 
transferred  to  this  side  of  the  water,  have  digni- 
fied agriculture,  merchandising  and  the  profes- 
sions. The  progenitor  of  the  Anirine  family  in 
America,  the  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Anirine, 
came  from  Holland  and  married  a  Miss  O'Neil,  of 
the  western  portion  of  Virginia,  where  he  settled 
on  a  farm  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Fred  Amrine.  the  [laternal  grandfather,  was  born 
on  the  Virginia  farm,  and  married  Nancy  Shep- 
herd, also  of  the  "Old  Dominion."  Milton  Am- 
riue,  son  of  Fred,  and  father  of  Dr.  Amrine,  was 
born  at  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  and  married  Roxanna 
Litchfield,  a  native  of  Coschocton  County,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  Chauncy  and  Martha  (Yight) 
Litchfield,  natives  of  Connecticut  and  Attica, 
respectively.  Leonard  Litchfield,  the  maternal 
great-grandfather,  who  married  a  Miss  Spauld- 
ing,  was  born  in  England,  and  settled  in  Con- 
necticut. 

Dr.  Amrine  was  educated  primarily  in  the 
public  schools  of  Vermont,  and  after  graduating 
from  the  high  school,  entered  the  dental  depart- 
ment of  the  Iowa  State  University,  at  Iowa  City, 
and  upon  his  graduation  settled  for  a  time  in 
Astoria,  111.,  coming  to  Ru.shville  in  1891.  Not- 
withstanding his  devotion  to  his  profession,  the 
Doctor  finds  time  to  participate  in  various  phases 
of  municipal  life,  and  since  its  organization,  has 
served  as  I'resident  of  the  Rushville  Building 
and  Loan  Association.  Politically,  he  is  identi- 
fied w  ith  the  Republican  party,  and  has  been 
called  upon  to  fill  various  offices  of  importance 
in  the  communitj'.  He  first  became  a  member 
of  the  City  Council  in  1897,  was  President  of  that 
body  the  following  year,  and  when  the  town  was 
incorporated  under  the  present  charter,  was 
Mayor  of  the  new  municipality.  To  his  artistic, 
scientific,  and  meclianical  attainments.  Dr.  Am- 
rine adds  a  genial  and  optimistic  nature,  a  public- 
spirited  interest  in  all  that  tends  to  the  growth 
of  his  city,  and  an  earnest  sympathy  and  good- 
will which  win  him  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and 
a  liberal  patronage. 

ARMSTRONG,  John,  a  substantial  and  prosper- 
ous farmer  residing  in  Section  3,  Bainbridge 
Townsbi]!.  Schuyler  Comity,  111.,  was  boni  in  this 
township,  in  the  vicinity-  of  Pleasantview,  July 
12,  1859,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  Arm- 
strong. A  narrative  of  the  career  of  Thomas 
Armstrong  may  be  found  in  the  following  sec- 
tion of  this  work.  .John  .Vrmstrong  received  his 
education  in  the  district  schools  of  Bainbridge 
Townsliip,  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  the 
home  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years.  On  attaining  his  majority,  he  rented 
a  tract  of  land  in  Section  2.  same  ton-nship,  on 
which  he  remained  but  a  short  time.  In  the 
spring  of  1881.  he  rented  the  Thomas  Wilson 
farm,  cultivating  it  until  1887,  and  afterwards 
occupying  the  Riley  Milby  place  one  year.  In 
1889,  he  bought  120  acres  of  land  in  Section  3, 
Bainbridge  Township,  where  he  has  since  con- 


tinued to  live.  When  he  took  possession  of  the 
property  it  was  in  poor  condition,  but  he  has 
made  many  improvements  and  now  has  a  fine 
farm  consisting  of  183  acres. 

On  September  .30,  18S0,  Mr.  Armstrong  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Emma  F.  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  September  2.^,  18.59,  a  daughter  of  John 
Heni-y  and  Sarah  Holland  Miller,  whose  biogra- 
phy appears  on  another  page  in  this  work.  The 
father  of  Mrs.  Armstrong  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Bainbridge  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Amstrong  are  the  parents  of  two  sons :  Han-ey, 
born  October  11,  1881 ;  and  Owen,  born  July  29, 
1886.  Both  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation. Harvey  married  May  Thompson  of 
Woodstock  Township,  and  carries  on  farming  in 
Bainbridge  Township.  They  have  one  child, 
Francis.  Owen  married  Vera  Clemons,  daughter 
of  William  demons,  a  farmer  of  Rushville  Town- 
ship, and  assists  his  father  in  the  management 
of  the  home  farm. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Armsti-ong  is  a  supporter  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  for  three  years,  ren- 
dered faithful  public  service  as  Township  Su- 
pervisor. He  is  a  thorough  and  successful 
farmer,  and  a  dutiful  and  u.seful  citizen. 

ARMSTRONG,  Thomas,  a  prosperous  fanner  of 
many  years'  standing  and  a  resident  of  Bain- 
bridge Township.  Schuyler  County,  for  more 
tli.-ui  half  a  century,  is  of  that  Scotcii-Irish  stock, 
to  which  this  section  is  so  much  indebted  for  its 
agricultural  advancement  and  general  progress. 
He  is  now  living  in  comfortable  and  well  de- 
served retirement  in  the  pretty  village  of  Pleas- 
antview, his  greatest  bereavement,  which  has 
come  upon  him  in  his  later  years,  being  the  death 
of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  December  9,  1905, 
after  having  lionie  him  five  children  and  been  his 
good  and  faithful  helpmate  for  more  than  forty- 
six  years.  Before  passing  aw-ay  she  had  been  per- 
mitted to  see  four  of  her  children  reach  ages  of 
useful  maturity,  and  the  family  as  a  whole  reach 
a  most  substantial  and  honorable  station  in  the 
community. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  born  in  County  Monaghan, 
Ireland,  in  the  month  of  March.  1837,  his  father, 
Robert  Armstrong,  being  a  native  of  the  same 
county,  but  unquestionalily  of  .Scotch  origin.  A 
f.-irmer  liy  occupation,  lie  passed  his  life  in  his 
native  land,  where  he  was  married  to  Jane  Cro- 
zier.  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  a  daughter  of 
William  Crozier.  Mrs.  Roliert  Armstrong  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1852  and  first  located  in 
New  Yorli.  where  she  resided  four  years,  and  in 
18.58  became  a  resident  of  Illinois.  She  was  the 
mother  of  sixteen  children. 

When  a  youth  of  sixteen  years,  Thomas  Arm- 
strong sailed  from  Dundalk,  Eastern  Ireland,  to 
Liverpool,  England,  and  thence  embarked  on  an 
American  vessel  for  the  port  of  New  York,  land- 
ing at  the  place  last  named  after  a  voyage  of  five 
weeks  and  three  days.  There,  without  friends  or 
money,  he  started  life  in  the  New  World  by 
working  at  the  cabinetmaker's  trade,  and  after 


770 


niSTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


following  that  occupation  for  about  a  year  and  a 
half,  turned  his  attention  to  marble  cutting.  But 
times  were  hard,  and  fiudiog  that  he  c-ould  earn 
little  money  at  manual  labor  in  the  East,  he  de- 
termined to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  western  fron- 
tier. To  that  end  he  located  in  Rushville,  111., 
where  for  three  year.s  he  worked  by  tlie  day, 
month  or  job.  and  then  fortunately  entered  the 
broad  field  of  agriculture  by  farming  for  a  time 
on  rented  laud.  Later  he  purchased  forty  acres 
in  Bainbridge  Township,  a  small  Iiouse  being  on 
the  place  and  seven  acres  cleared ;  this  «-as  the 
e.vtent  of  the  improvements.  After  living  there 
for  four  years  and  greatly  improving  the  liome- 
stead,  Mr.  Armstrong  sold  the  property  at  an  ad- 
vance and  bought  seventy-five  acres  in  the  same 
township.  From  the  latter  farm  he  obtained  a 
comfortable  living  for  some  years,  continually 
adding  improvements  by  the  remodeling  of  old 
buildings  and  the  erection  of  new  ones,  and  when 
he  had  disposed  of  this  place  he  was  in  position 
to  buy  the  lOG  acres  in  Bainbridge  Township, 
which  became  the  nucleus  of  his  lauded  estate 
which  afterward  amounted  to  285  acres.  Ills 
retirement  from  active  farming  and  location  at 
Pleasantview  termjnated  a  long  and  successful 
career  in  agricultur.il  iiursuits,  and  proved  con- 
clusively the  wisdom  of  his  determination  to 
abandon  the  unpmfitalile  drudgery  of  the  handi- 
crafts for  the  healthful  science  of  agriculture, 
with  its  almost  certain  rewards  of  comfort  and 
independence  following  in  the  wake  of  intelligent 
application  and  .iudicions  management. 

In  1859  Thomas  Armstrong  married  Miss 
Catherine  Ryan,  of  Buen.-i  Vista  Townshij),  Schuy- 
ler County,  born  Feliru.-iry  1,  ISIO,  to  Charles 
and  Margaret  (Strongi  Hyan.  The  father  moved 
from  his  native  State  of  Ohio  to  Frederick, 
Schuyler  County,  where  he  married,  and  settled 
in  Buena  Vista  Township  In  IS.'to.  There  he  died 
January  9,  1891,  his  wife  having  preceded  him 
December  16,  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Ann- 
strong  have  become  the  parents  of  the  following 
named  children :  .Tohn.  whose  biography  appears 
in  another  part  of  this  history:  Mary,  Charles. 
Robert.  Sanuiel  and  Frank  (deceased).  As  stated. 
Mrs.  .\rmstrong  was  called  from  her  busy  and 
useful  life  in  1905,  comforted  to  the  last  by  lier 
affectionate  husband  and  children  and  l)y  her 
unwavering  religious  faith.  The  deceased  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  as  is  her  hus- 
band. 

ARTHUR,  Abraham,  (deceased),  a  former  citi- 
zen of  Schuyler  Couuty,  111.,  but  later  a  resident 
of  McDonough  County,  spending  the  last  years 
of  his  life  in  the  city  of  Bushnell,  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  Countj'.  Pa.,  November  22.  1,824.  the 
son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Zimmerman)  Ar- 
thur, both  natives  of  the  Keystone  State.  After 
receiving  his  primary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  St;ite.  in  l.Si4,  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  he  left  the  parental  roof,  and 
joining  the  tide  of  emigration  towards  the  West, 
located  at  Rushville,  111.,  where  he  remained 
until   1845,   when   he   removed    to    Beardstown. 


After  several  changes,  in  1S5G  he  located  on  a 
farm  in  Walnut  Urove  Township,  McDonough 
County,  whicli  continued  to  be  his  home  for  many 
years.  Jlr.  Arthur  was  united  in  maiTiage  to 
.Margaret  Ann  llageman,  who  was  boru  in  Wayne 
County,  Oliio,  .January  26,  1829,  the  daughter 
of  -Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Adam  Hagemau.  Si.v  children 
were  l)oru  to  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  .\rthur,  namely: 
Joseph,  who  died  May  18,  1S65 ;  Jesse,  wlio  mar- 
ried Harriet  Atkinson  and  resides  in  Whiting, 
Kan.;  Franklin,  married  in  November,  1S77, 
Lucinda  \'ertree.s,  and  died  August  4,  1879,  his 
wife  having  died  May  4,  previous ;  Mary  J.,  mar- 
ried Jacob  Angle,  and  resides  at  AVhiting,  Kan. ; 
Catherine  Frances,  married  Fillmore  Muunnert, 
and  resides  in  Bushnell,  McDonough  County,  and 
Margaret  Jeanette,  who  married  William  J. 
Tlioniiison  and  now  resides  near  Rushville,  111. 

In  the  early  part  of  18(55,  Mr.  Arthur  enlisted 
in  Comiiany  C.  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Il- 
linois Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  mustered 
into  service  at  Quincy,  III.,  on  February  2.'!d  of 
that  year,  and  «liich  was  employed  chiefly  in 
guard  duty,  but  taking  part  in  several  guerrilla 
skirmishes  in  Ceorgia  and  other  Southern  States, 
received  its  discharge  at  Si)ringfield,  111.,  Feb- 
ruary 8.  IsCiO.  Mr.  Arthur  served  as  First  Cor- 
poral of  his  company,  holding  this  jxisltion  at  the 
time  of  his  muster-out. 

While  a  resident  of  Walnut  Grove  Township, 
Mr.  Arthur  was  the  owner  of  191  acres  of  land, 
of  which  140  acres  were  under  cultivation.  lie 
also  held  the  olhce  of  School  Director  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association.  Several 
years  before  his  passing  away  he  removed  from 
the  farm  to  Bushnell,  111.,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  15, 
1N9S,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  being  then 
survived  by  his  wife  and  four  children.  The 
funeral  services,  conducted  two  days  later,  under 
cliarge  of  the  (Jrand  Army  I'ost,  with  Rev.  .1.  A. 
Mc(;aughey.  of  the  I'resbyterlan  Church,  officiat- 
ing, were  attended  by  a  large  number  of  sor- 
rowing friends,  who  still  hold  his  private  life  and 
liatriotic  service  to  his  country  in  honored  and 
gr.itcfnl  remembrance.  Mrs.  Arthur  died  in 
Bushnell  May  2,  1905. 


AVERY,  James. — The  Avery  family,  whose  first 
and  second  generation  is  welded  together  in  the 
common  interest  of  stock-raising  continuously  pro- 
moted sinc-e  1S59.  needs  no  introduction  to  the 
IX'ojjIe  of  Schuyler  County,  among  whom  it  was 
established  in  Camden  Township  in  1851.  The 
name  stands  for  the  best  possible  of  accomplish- 
ment in  this  department  of  agriculture,  and  not 
only  the  (luestion  of  quality,  but  of  the  large 
numbers  of  stock,  has  contributed  to  its  substan- 
tial and  influential  standing  in  the  State.  The 
resourceful  founder.  Philander  Avery,  who  died 
May  9.  1907.  was  a  man  whose  remarkable  re- 
sourcefulness is  dwelt  upon  in  detail  in  another 
part  of  this  work.  He  was  the  boon  companion 
and   business  associate  of  his   son   James,    and 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


771 


rarely  has  there  existed  a  more  hanimnious 
lilemling  of  virile  and  worth  while  life  inirposes. 

James  Avery  was  horu  in  Knosville,  III.,  July 
30,  1845,  and  in  3851  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Camden  Township.  Schuyler  County,  where  he 
was  reared  on  the  homestead  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  took  naturally  to  fanning, 
and  has  had  no  diverting  ambition  from  the  occu- 
pation for  which  he  is  so  well  suited.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen,  and  after  thorough  drilling  in 
all  departments  of  the  farm,  he  became  his  fath- 
er's assistant  in  buying,  selling,  shipping  and 
feeding  stock,  and  has  been  thus  employed  ever 
since.  Few  men  in  the  county  or  State  have  a 
more  practical  knowledge  of  the  calling.  Father 
and  son  often  disposed  of  as  many  as  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  head  a  year,  and  the  busi- 
ness, as  now  conducted  liy  James  Avery  and  his 
son,  Lafayette,  makes  e(}ually  creditalile  showing. 
Mr.  Avery  owns  1,040  acres  of  land,  and  there- 
fore has  unlimited  opportunity  for  the  promotion 
of  stock-raising.  His  facilities  are  the  best  pos- 
sible of  acqtiiring,  and  the  general  impression 
conveyed  by  his  farm  is  of  a  management  which 
halts  only  at  the  best  and  maintains  the  highest 
of  business  ethics  and  methods. 

Mr.  Avery  is  one  of  the  generally  enterprising 
men  of  Schuyler  Ciunty,  and  besides  the  faculty 
of  accumulation,  is  well  fitted  for  political  serv- 
ice, as  demonstrated  over  a  course  of  many  years. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  held  most 
of  the  township  offices,  eliciting  general  commen- 
dation, irrespective  of  political  creed.  With  his 
son  he  is  identified  with  the  Camden  Lodge  No. 
648  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  On  I'^ebruary  25,  1868,  James 
Avery  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha  Di.xon, 
Mrs.  Avery  being  a  daughter  of  .Lawson  Dixon, 
and  lioni  in  Brown  County.  111.  Of  this  union 
there  was  one  son.  Lafayette,  his  father's  busi- 
ness partner.  Lafayette  Avery  married  for  his 
first  wife,  Louise  Peters,  who  died  December  25, 
18!)5.  leaving  a  daughter.  Ara  V.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife  Jlr.  Aver.v  married  Hattie  Miller  in 
1807,  and  of  this  union  there  is  a  son,  .James  L. 
The  younger  Mr.  Avery  shares  his  father's  en- 
thusiasm for  stock-raising,  and  has  acquired 
great  imderstanding  and  proficiency  therein. 

AVERY,  Philander,  (deceased). — The  establish- 
ment of  the  Avery  family  in  the  United  States 
dates  back  more  than  one  hundred  years,  to  an 
early  period  in  our  country's  history  when  an 
Irish  lad  crossed  the  ocean  from  his  native  land 
to  the  new  world.  As  he  grew  to  manhood  he 
became  a  sailor  and  for  some  years  followed  the 
high  seas,  but  eventually  returned  to  land,  took 
up  agricultural  pursuits,  married  and  reared  a 
large  family.  After  his  children  had  been  com- 
fortably settled  in  life,  he  and  his  tvife  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Schuyler  County, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
Among  his  children  was  a  son,  David,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  but  from  youth  a  resident  of 
Ohio,  where  in  1821  he  married  Margaret  Adams, 
likewise  bom  in  Pennsylvania.  Their  son,  Phil- 
ander,  whose  name  Introduces  this  article,  was 


born  in  Franklin  County,  Oliio,  June  13,  1823. 
During  the  year  1S:J2  the  family  followed  the 
tide  of  migration  drifting  toward  the  Mississippi 
valley.  Settling  in  Illinois,  they  made  a  brief 
sojourn  at  Colwell,  HI.,  thence  moved  to  Rush- 
ville,  and  alxjut  1840  settled  in  Woodford  County, 
where  the  father  entered  a  tract  of  raw  land 
from  the  Government.  Later  he  disposed  of  that 
property  and  moved  to  Missouri,  where  he  made 
his  home  for  three  years.  On  his  return  to  Il- 
linois he  settled  in  Schuyler  County,  where  he 
died  in  1851.  Two  mouths  after  his  demise  his 
wife  passed  away. 

Upon  the  return  of  the  family  from  Missouri  to 
Illinois  and  the  quickly  following  bereavement 
occasioned  by  the  father's  death.  Philander  Avery 
began  the  struggle  of  life  for  himself.  As  an 
equipment  he  had  one  team  and  .?50  in  cash,  a 
small  sum,  indeed,  with  n-hieh  to  cope  with  the 
difficulties  and  adversities  of  the  world.  Fortu- 
nately, he  possessed  energy,  indomitable  will  and 
tireless  perseverance,  as  well  as  a  robust  phy- 
sique which  forms  no  unimportant  part  of  one's 
■capital.  During  the  fall  of  18.52  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  on  Section  27,  Camden  Town- 
ship, and  with  the  aid  of  his  team  he  began  to 
till  the  soil  of  his  newly-acquired  possession.  The 
fii-st  taxes  which  lie  paid  amounted  to  thirtj'-five 
cents,  from  which  small  payment  the  assess- 
ments increased  with  his  growing  riches  until  he 
ranked  among  the  largest  tax-payers  in  the  town- 
ship. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  403 
acres  of  land  as  fertile  as  any  that  could  be 
found  within  the  limits  of  the  township,  and  in 
addition  lie  left  at  his  deatli  considerable  per- 
sonal property. 

The  acquisition  of  a  large  property  by  no 
means  reiircsented  the  limit  of  Jlr.  Avery's  ac- 
tivities. Indeed,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  hu- 
manitarian, it  was  the  least  important  ac-com- 
plishment  of  his  life.  Towering  far  alx>ve  any 
worldly  success  he  achieved  was  his  success  in 
the  building  up  of  a  noble  character,  in  the  ac- 
quisition of  those  traits  which  endear  a  man  to 
his  associates  and  make  him  a  benefactor  to  the 
race.  Legion  is  the  name  of  those  who  liene- 
fited  by  his  acts  of  kindness,  legion  the  names  of 
those  who  remember  him  as  their  benefactor.  To 
young  men  starting  out  in  life  he  was  a  wise 
eoimselor  and  practical  assistant.  His  aid  was 
given  them  when  they  wished  to  buy  a  farm. 
Money  was  readily  furnished  by  him  to  energetic 
young  men  whom,  he  knew  to  be  capable  and  per- 
severing. When  tliey  came  to  pay  him  the  inter- 
est, often  he  would  tell  them  to  keep  the  interest- 
money  and  use  it  in  buying  a  calf  or  a  hog.  More 
than  once,  when  interest  and  a  part  of  the  prin- 
cipal would  be  paid,  he  would  return  all  of  the 
interest  and  one-half  of  the  principal,  witli  the 
suggestion  that  the  money  be  invested  in  cattle 
or  hogs.  Cases  were  known  where  he  would  thus 
aid  a  man  for  more  than  twenty  years,  until  his 
financial  standing  was  established  and  no  danger 
of  failure  to  discourage  him.  Many  a  substantial 
barn  and  comfortable  dwelling  house  in  the  town- 
ship would  not  have  been  erected  but  for  his  en- 


772 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


couragiug  aid.  A\'lieu  he  was  convinced  of  a 
man's  honesty  he  would  loan  him  money  without 
requiriug  a  note  to  be  sigued.  Indeed,  so  broad 
was  liis  ijhilauthroiiy,  so  liiud  his  heai-t,  so  open 
his  purse  and  so  generous  his  disposition,  tliat  he 
was  beloved  wherever  known,  and  there  were  few 
men  so  lost  in  ingratitude  as  to  repay  his  kind- 
nesses with  neglect.  On  the  contrary,  few  ini- 
iwsed  upon  his  generosity  or  took  undue  advan- 
tage of  his  charities,  lie  lived  and  laljored  among 
his  neighbors,  honored  and  beloved,  and  when 
death  came  to  him,  May  9,  VMl,  the  gi'ief  was 
widespread  and  sincere,  and  the  manifestations 
of  sympathy  were  many  and  touching.  It  vvas  felt 
that  no  citizen  would  be  missed  more  than  he, 
for  none  had  more  indelibly  impressed  his  per- 
sonality upon  his  associates.  In  the  annals  of 
the  tciwnsbip  his  name  is  worthy  of  perpetuity, 
while  in  the  hearts  of  those  whom  he  aided  his 
uiemoi-y  will  be  kept  green  as  long  as  life  shall 
last. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Avery  occurred  in  lSi2, 
uniting  him  with  Mi's.  Elizabeth  (Bryant)  Meeks, 
a  widow,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Stokes 
County,  N.  C,  where  she  was  married  to  her 
first  husband.  Of  that  union  three  chiUlren  were 
Ixjrn,  only  one  of  whom  survives.  .Mrs.  .Maria 
Day,  of  Macomli.  111.  The  marriage  of  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Avery  was  blessed  with  two  children.  The 
only  daughter  of  that  union,  Mary  Ann,  was 
drowned  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  in  a  stream 
near  the  old  homestead.  The  son.  .lames,  who 
owns  the  old  houie  farm,  is  represented  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Tlit;  wife  and  mother 
passed  from  earth  November  Ki,  ISlll.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Avery  was  idenlifled  with 
Camden  Lodge  No.  (US.  .\.  F.  &  A.  M..  and  no  one 
better  than  he  exemplified  in  life  the  high  and 
ennobling  principles  of  .Ma.sonry.  'I'lie  Demo- 
cratic party  received  his  support  and  its  candi- 
dates counted  uixm  his  ballot  and  symiiathetic 
assistance,  yet  partisanship  never  entered  into 
his  acts,  and  devotion  to  his  country  was  more 
important  to  him  than  devotion  to  any  political 
party.  The  pioneer  type  of  citizenshij)  found  in 
him  a  s])lendid  illustration.  It  is  such  men  as  he 
who  laid  the  foundations  of  our  (iovermnent  and 
who  brought  to  the  eyes  of  the  world  the  bound- 
less resources  of  our  Central  States. 

BAGBY,  Hon.  John  C.  (deceased).— For  many 
years  tlic  bar  of  Schuyler  County  had  no  more 
able  or  distingnisluMl  reiiresentative  than  the 
Hon.  .lohn  C.  liagby.  or  Kusliville  where  he  lo- 
cated in  1S4(i.  .Mr.  Bagby  was  born  in  (Jlas- 
gow.  Barren  County.  Ky..  .lanuary  24,  ISliX  a 
son  of  the  Uev.  Sylvanus  .M.  B.-iL'b'v.  .and  graiid- 
son  of  Richard  Bagby.  lK)ni  in  Louisa  Count>-. 
Va..  where  the  Rev.  Sylvanus  was  l)orn.  Septem- 
ber 20.  17.S7.  The  father  of  Richard  B.-igbv.  .Tohri 
Bagby.  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  fron'i  there 
went  to  Wales,  married  and  made  it  his  home 
for  a  number  of  years,  but  eventnallv  he  emi- 
grated to  America  and  founded  his  family  in 
Colonial  A"irginia.  Later  he  became  a  wealthy 
man,  owned  a  nnmlier  of  slaves,  as  diil  also  his 


son.  Richard,  who  married  Sarah  Kimbrough.  a 
native  of   \irginia,  although  of  Welsh  des<.-eut. 

Sylvanus  M.  Bagby  was  reared  by  .lohn  Bagby, 
his  uncle,  having  been  left  an  orphan  at  a  ten- 
der age.  and  after  leaving  the  cariienter  trade,  he 
located,  in  1S2S,  in  Kentucky,  becoming  one  of 
the  pioneei-s  of  Glasgow.  In  that  viMage,  in 
.Itnie.  I.SIH,  he  was  married  to  Frances  S. 
Courts,  born  May  17,  17'j:J,  in  Caroline  County, 
Va..  daughter  of  John  and  Frances  (Winn) 
Courts,  natives  of  England  and  Culpei)er,  Va., 
resiH-ctively.  Early  in  his  life,  Sylvanus  M. 
Bagby  became  converted  to  the  Baptist  faith, 
and  so  strong  was  his  conviction,  that  he  be- 
came a  nninsler  of  that  cliur<h.  preai-hing  on 
Sund.iy  and  working  as  a  carpenter  during 
week  days.  This  continued  until  1S2S,  when  he 
became  convinced  that  the  teachings  of  .Vlex- 
ander  Canipl)eli  were  more  in  accordance  with 
his  personal  views,  and  he  was  very  active  in 
organizing  the  first  Christian  Church  in  Bar- 
ren County,  and  thereafter  was  a  clergyuian  of 
that  creed. 

Cntil  1S42  lie  remained  at  Glasgow  and  then 
decided  on  new  fields  and,  with  liis  wife  and 
eight  daughters,  came  to  Rnshville.  III.,  where 
lie  endiarked  in  a  mercantile  business,  and  also 
engaged  in  farming  upon  pi-oi)erty  the  site  of 
tlie  iiresent  delH)t.  His  career  of  usefulness  and 
piety  terminated,  however,  in  1.S4S.  and  Ids 
widow  only  survived  hiui  ten  years.  Their  fam- 
ily was  as  follows:  Albert  K.,  Martha  A.  Hall, 
Frances  H.,  Montgomery,  Clara  Ramsey,  Emily 
C,  Zorelda  Van  Ilosen  and  the  late  Hon.  John  C. 

Mr.  Bagby  liad  a  very  liberal  education,  at- 
tending not  only  the  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood, but  also  Bacon  College  (then  at  (Jeoi-ge- 
town).  from  which  he  was  graduated  In  l.**40 
as  civil  enginwr.  Upon  his  return  to  (Jlasgow 
he  tauirht  school  and  studied  law.  and  when  he 
was  adnntted  to  the  bar  in  1S4<!  he  located  at 
Rnshville  and  entered  ui)on  an  active  jiractice. 
.V  year  later  a  partnership  of  a  year's  standing 
was  formed  with  William  A.  Minshall.  and 
ended  with  the  ele<tion  of  Mr.  Minshall  to  the 
circuit  l>en<'li. 

The  ix>litical  career  of  Mr.  Bagby  was  varied. 
He  was  eliited  to  Congress  In  1874,  son'ed  as 
Circuit  Judge  from  IS.8.5  to  1.S92,  was  a  Whig, 
voting  for  William  Henry  Harrison,  then  a 
Reiaiblican.  helping  organize  the  party,  and  thus 
continuing  until  1.S72,  when  he  cast  his  influence 
with  the  Democrats  to  vote  for  Ilorai-e  Greeley. 
Fraternally,  he  was  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  and 
.\.  M.,  Rnshville  Lodge  Xo.  0,  for  fortj'-six  years, 
and  for  eleven  terms  was  honored  bv  election  as 
.Master.  St.ipleton  Chapter  Xo.  9.  R.  \.  M.  was 
orminized  by  him  and  several  other  enthusiastic 
Masons.  .Mr.  Bagby  always  was  interested  in 
limhibition  and  belonged  to  the  Sons  of  Tem- 
perance. 

His  marriage  occurred^on  October  1,  ^H^,().  to 
Miss  Marj-  A.   Scripps. 

BALL,  Amos  WilUs,  M.  D.— The  qualities  which 
contribute  to  the   rounding  of  every  successful 


4, 


-:N    HENRY 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


773 


career — energy,  industry,  perseveraufe  and  a 
bigli  aim  in  life — Und  conspicuous  expression  in 
Dr.  Amos  Willis  Bull,  of  whose  splendid  skill 
and  usefulness  the  city  of  Rushville  has  been  a 
witness  since  1SS7.  Dr.  Ball  represents  that  class 
of  scientists  who  have  an  ever  widening  horizon, 
and  who  recognize  no  limit  to  the  possihilities  of 
their  inexhaustible  calling.  His  opportunities, 
largely  of  his  own  creating,  have  been  excep- 
tional, and  comparatively  few  men  in  the  county, 
and  indeed  in  the  State,  are  better  eiiuipped  for 
exercising  the  prerogatives  of  the  art  of  healing. 

Dr.  Ball  comes  honestly  by  his  predilection  for 
medicine,  as  his  father,  Joseph  T.  Ball,  who  was 
a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  vs^as  a  practic- 
ing iihysician  for  many  .years  both  in  his  home 
State  and  at  Ipava,  Fulton  County,  111.,  where 
the  son  was  born  August  21,  ISOl.  The  lad 
proved  au  apt  and  ambitious  student,  completing 
his  high-school  course  in  Ipava  in  1877  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years,  and  in  connection  with  his 
pri'liniiuaries  studies,  absorbing  nuich  of  medical 
lore  from  the  books  in  his  father's  office.  In 
1S.S3  he  entered  upon  the  three  years'  course  at 
the  Mis.souri  .Medical  College.  St.  Louis,  and  after 
his  graduation  in  the  class  of  18S(i,  spent  a  year 
as  his  father's  associate  iu  Ijjava.  During  the 
fall  of  1887  he  came  to  Rushville,  and  the  people 
of  that  place  were  not  slow  to  recognize  the 
promise  and  ability  of  the  young  practitioner  who 
sought  a  foothold  iu  the  midst  of  their  increasing 
population  and  activities.  Twenty  years  of  prac- 
tical experience,  of  unremitting  research,  and 
fixity  of  purpose  have  improved  a  hundred- 
fold the  resources  of  this  successful  physician, 
and  he  has  left  no  stone  unturned  to  keep  abreast 
of  the  progress  in  his  line  of  work,  and  at  what- 
ever cost,  to  become  familiar  with  the  latest  de- 
velopments of  medical  science. 

From  time  to  time  Dr.  Ball  has  pursued  post- 
graduate courses  at  the  foremost  centers  of  pro- 
fessional activity  in  this  country  and  Europe,  at- 
tending courses  at  the  St.  Louis  Post-Graduate 
School  and  Hospital,  studying  also  in  New  York ; 
in  London.  England ;  in  Rdinburg,  Scotland ;  and 
in  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  during  1807  availing 
himself  of  the  unrivaled  op(X)rtuuities  afforded 
at  Heidelberg,  Oermany.  He  has  attended  clin- 
ics of  the  most  famous  jihysicians  and  surgeons 
in  all  of  these  places,  and  it  would  seem  that 
little  remains  to  tempt  his  craving  for  enlighten- 
ment. The  Doctor's  office  is  equipped  with  the 
most  modern  of  medical  and  surgical  facilities, 
including  an  X-Ray  machine  and  Vibrator  outfit; 
and  he  engages  in  a  general  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, leaning,  however,  towards  the  universal 
preference  for  surgery  and,  in  his  case,  the  dis- 
eases of  women.  He  is  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
United  States  Pension  Examiners.  President  of 
the  Schuyler  County  Jledical  Association,  and  a 
member  of  the  State,  Military  Tract  and  Amer- 
ican Medical  Societies.  In  political  affiliation  he 
Is  a  Republican,  is  Chairman  of  the  Republican 
County  Central  Committee,  has  sen'ed  as  Alder- 
man of  the  First  Ward  of  Rushville,  was  Presi- 
dent of  theTioard  of  Education  for  several  .vears ; 


in  fact,  has  held  about  all  ol  the  local  offices  iu 
the  gilt  of  the  people.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Masons,  iu  which  he  has  taken  the 
o2nd  degree,  and  is  a  member  of  .\loUaniet  Sln-iiie. 
of  Peoria;  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Knights  of  I'ythias,  .Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica, the  Mutual  I'rotective  League  and  the  B.  P. 
O.  E.,  Beardstown  Lodge  1007. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Ball  and  Anna  R.  Thomp- 
son occurred  November  18,  1801,  and  of  the 
union  there  Is  one  son,  John  Maurice,  born 
October  18,  1S!)8.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
is  a  man  of  dignified  and  pleasing  personality, 
possessing  tact,  consideration,  optimism,  and 
many  other  fine  and  almost  indispensable  quali- 
ties whicli  accompany  the  rise  of  the  foremost 
and  most  useful  men  of  his  profession. 

BALLOU,  John  Alexander. — That  adversity 
l)rcaks  down  the  weak  and  builds  up  the  strong 
is  a  truism  emphasized  in  the  career  of  John 
Alexander  Ballon,  than  whom  Rushville  Town- 
ship lias  no  more  honored  and  dependable  farmer 
and  landowner.  Cast  adrift  and  at  the  mercy  of 
the  multitudinous  and  conflicting  currents  of  the 
world  at  the  early  age  of  eight  years,  having  but 
a  dim  recollection  of  the  saving  grace  of  a  moth- 
er's love  or  ;i  father's  counsel,  breathing  an  at- 
mosphere wliich  responded  but  faintly  to  the 
innate  nobility  and  tireless  ambition  which  dig- 
nified even  his  earliest  .years,  and  shut  out,  by 
the  grind  of  iwverty  and  labor  from  even  the 
advantages  of  a  crude  country  school,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  advancement  of  this  intrepid 
landsman  to  a  position  among  the  wealthy  and 
influential  men  of  his  community  should  belittle 
the  i)reteusions  of  many  of  our  supiwsed  self- 
made  men.  In  the  truest  and  highest  sense  does 
this  term  apply  to  Mr.  Ballon,  and  the  rare  and 
splendid  lesson  of  his  life  is,  that  what  a  man 
expects  and  wisely  W'orks  for  he  almost  invaria- 
bly achieves. 

Born  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  February  17,  1851, 
Mr.  Ballon  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  Ballon,  and 
when  two  years  of  age  he  was  brought  overland 
in  a  wagon  to  Brown  County,  111.,  settling  in 
Cooperstown,  where  his  father  followed  liis  trade 
of  barrel  maker.  Not  finding  the  desired  amoimt 
of  work,  the  elder  Ballon  sought  employment  in 
St.  IjOuIs  in  ISoi!,  and  uimju  his  return  sliortl.v 
after,  was  stricken  with  cholera  from  which  he 
died  during  the  second  night  after  the  attack, 
and  was  the  second  to  l)e  buried  in  the  little 
cemetery  at  Cooperstown.  His  wife  remained 
in  Brown  County  until  1858,  when  she  married 
William  Munnett,  moved  with  him  to  Frederick, 
Schuyler  County,  and  there  died  about  1860.  In 
the  meantime,  her  four  sons  and  four  daughters 
had  found  homes  with  the  farmers  in  Brown  and 
other  counties,  and  thus  was  enacted  another 
tragedy  of  a  broken  home  and  children  deprived 
of  all  that  makes  childhood  beautiful  and  worth 
living.  Of  tliose  who  were  destined  to  survive 
their  resjioiisibility  bur<lened  cbildliood,  Ben.ia- 
min  Ballon  is  a  farmer  in  Bainbridge  Township; 


774 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Mary  Lueiiula,  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
married  lii-st  to  Smith  Wriglit,  and  later  to  Wit- 
yer ;  Bettie  is  ttie  dfreased  wife  of  Capt.  W.  C 
Roberts ;  and  Al)ija]i  died  iu  Liberty.  Ho.,  leaving 
a  large  family  of  children. 

When  John  A.  liallou  was  eight  years  old  he 
went  to  work  for  a  Mr.  Rice,  who  considered 
board  and  clothes  sufficient  remuneration  for  his 
serviocs.  His  working  dirj-  began  with  the  rising 
of  the  sun  and  often  extended  until  after  night- 
fall, and  he  was  given  scarcely  any  chance  at 
all  to  acquire  even  the  rudiments  of  an  education. 
At  about  the  age  of  fifteen  he  had  a  change  of 
employers,  and  from  then  until  attaining  his  ma- 
joritj-,  lal)ored  iu  many  places  and  saw  much  of 
the  seamy  and  diliicult  side  of  existence.  His 
faith  in  better  things  never  faltered,  however, 
not  even  when,  iu  lieu  of  the  horse,  saddle  and 
bridle  promised  him  for  his  long  and  faithful 
service,  he  was  given  a  colt  with  no  irapiiings. 
and  of  little  immediate  value  to  him.  He  then 
went  to  work  by  the  mouth  for  .Jesse  Darnell,  a 
man  of  justice  and  consideration,  and  in  this 
way  managed  to  save  some  money,  and  to  estab- 
lish a  home  of  his  own  by  marrying,  in  187D, 
JIary  JIalcomson,  daughter  of  .James  Malcouison, 
mention  of  whom  nia.v  be  found  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  Mr.  J'.allou  took  his  wife  to  a 
rented  farm  owned  by  his  former  employer,  Mr. 
Darnell,  and  in  1S0(!,  bouglit  sixty  acres  of  land 
which  continued  to  be  his  liome  until  188G.  Dis- 
posing of  tJjis  farm,  he  bought  ninety-si.x  acres 
in  Section  .".,"i,  Uushville  Township,  w'lich  at  that 
time  was  practically  destitute  of  inii)rovements. 
His  industry  soon  wiuked  a  trauslormation  in 
this  land,  and  lie  added  to  it  until  he  now  owns 
136  acres,  with  as  fine  improvements  as  are  to 
be  found  on  any  farm  in  the  county.  Especially 
worthy  of  mention  is  the  two-story  frame  resi- 
dence, tifty  by  thirty-two  feet,  with  modern  and 
comfortable  furnishings,  and  which  is  one  of  the 
delightful  and  hospitable  homes  in  the  township. 
Xor  do  the  bams,  outbuildings,  machinery  and 
other  aids  to  successful  farming,  fall  below  the 
present  standards  of  excellence,  and  notwitli- 
standing  its  general  atmosphere  of  thrift  and  or- 
der, the  observer  is  impressed  most  of  all  with  the 
homelikeness  and  harmony  of  this  valuable  and 
profitable  farm.  Mr.  liallou  made  a  specialty  of 
Poland-China  hogs  for  a  luimber  of  years,  but 
raises  general  produce  as  well,  and  always  has  on 
hand  a  number  of  fine  horses  and  cattle.  It  is 
doubtful  if  any  man  in  the  county  knows  more 
about  threshing  and  threshing  machines  than  he. 
for  he  has  operated  machines  ever.v  year  since 
he  was  aliout  sixteen  years  old.  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  is  provided  with  the  most  modern  facil- 
ities for  conducting  this  work. 

Politically,  Mr.  P.allou  is  a  Republican,  and, 
with  his  family,  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Pleasantview.  He  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker,  but  in  his  quiet, 
forceful  way.  has  done  much  to  preserve  the  local 
integrity  of  his  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballon  are 
the  parents  of  four  children,  the  oldest  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.     Dr.  .Jesse,  th"  oldest  son,  mar- 


ried Elizabeth  Barnett,  and  is  engaged  in  medi- 
cal practice  in  Lead,  S.  Dak. ;  Elizabeth  is  the 
wife  of  Monroe  Lenhart,  a  farmer  of  Rushville 
Towushi|) :  and  Chester,  who  manages  the  home 
place,  married  Florence  Caldwell. 

BARNES,  FrankUn  E.— On  the  farm  which  he 
now  owns  and  occupies  iu  Section  21,  Rushville 
'rownshij),  Franklin  E.  Barnes  «as  born  Septem- 
ber J.  ISGiJ.  Mr.  Barues  represents  one  of  the 
early  families  of  Schuyler  County,  and  one  which 
has  substantially  contributed  to  its  agricultural 
and  architectural  uiibuilding.  His  parents.  .lames 
and  -Vmauda  P.  (liaker)  l?arues,  were  natives 
of  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  and  the  former 
was  a  carpenter  and  builder  by  trade,  although 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  life  was  spent  in 
combining  building  and  farming.  He  was  suc- 
cessful after  loiating  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  his  sou,  and  here  his  death  occurred  in  1876, 
his  wife  surviving  him  until  1900.  The  elder 
Barnes  was  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  devoted 
to  bis  home  and  friends,  and  particularly  averse 
to  any  kind  of  show  or  publicity.  The  county 
never  had  a  better  all  around  mechanic,  and  this 
fact  led  to  his  being  called  uiK)n  to  erect  many 
of  the  buildings  iu  Rushville  and  vicinity,  as  svell 
as  in  other  parts  of  the  county.  JIany  residences 
and  barns  erected  by  him  in  the  early  days  of 
his  career  today  bear  testimony  to  his  skill  and 
thoroughness,  his  conscientious  regard  for  detail 
anil  excellence  of  material.  His  patrons  always 
became  his  friends  and  well  wishers,  and  it  never 
(■(Uild  be  said  of  him  that  he  built  in  a  sliiishod 
or  careless  fashion.  Of  the  four  sous  and  out 
daughter  born  to  himself  and  wife.  Preston,  the 
oldest,  was  killed  while  braking  for  the  Bur- 
lington &  Missouri  Railroad  Company,  in  Ne- 
braska, in  1.S.S2 ;  John  A.  is  a  farmer  in  Morris 
County,  Kan. :  (Jeorge  B.  is  engaged  in  business 
in  Prow€>rs  County,  Col.;  and  .\lice  Is  the  wife 
of  L'red  Kerr,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

-Vt  the  age  of  fifteen  years  Franklin  E.  Barnes 
left  his  father's  farm  and  engaged  in  farm  work 
for  neighlmring  agriculturists.  In  this  way  he 
could  live  frugall.v,  spending  little  for  his  clothes 
or  other  neces,sities.  His  life  drifted  back  to  the 
old  current  on  his  father's  farm,  however, 
shortly  after  his  marriage,  October  1.5,  1801.  to 
Carrie  B.  Bowen.  who  was  born  in  Rushville.  a 
daughter  of  .Tames  F.  Bowen,  a  Schuyler  County 
pioneer  of  1.830.  and  now  a  farmer  in  Littleton 
Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ranies  are  the  parents 
of  six  children:  Ferdinand  J.,  born  October  17, 
1892:  Oliver  E.,  born  .January  13.  1800;  Hazel 
M.,  bom  October  21,  1898 ;  Preston  D..  bom  .July 
7.  1001  :  Orrin  W.,  born  Aug.  9,  1903 ;  and  Imo- 
gene  AVuc  l)oru  .\pril  9.  1905. 

To  the  old  farm  of  eighty  acres  Mr.  Bames  has 
added  until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  devoted  to  diversified  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  raises  a  iwpular  grade  of  all  kinds 
of  stock,  has  an  abundance  of  fruit  and  shade 
trees,  a  fine  garden,  and  well  constructed  house 
and  barns.  He  is  progressive  in  his  methods, 
keeps   abreast  of  the  times   in   agricultural   im- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYI.ER  COUNTY. 


775 


provenieiits  ami  inventions,  :\nd  li:is  :i  sni:ill  fur- 
tune  suuli  in  modern  macliinery.  Broad  and 
liberal  minded,  well  lasted  on  current  events,  he 
takes  a  keen  intere.st  iu  the  social  opijortuuities 
of  the  towTiship,  is  a  popular  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  an  active 
worker  and  generous  contributor  to  the  Christian 
Church. 

BARTLOW,  James  H, — For  seventy-four  years 
of  its  liistor.\-  .l.imes  II.  Bartlow  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  growth  of  Schuyler  County,  and  in 
the  retirement  of  his  pleasant  home  in  Uushville, 
he  is  today  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  de- 
pendable chroniclers  of  the  events  of  which  he 
has  been  an  enthusiastic  and  helpful  n-itness. 
His  career  evidences  the  value  of  homely,  sterling 
qualities,  and  of  grit,  determination  and  patience 
as  means  to  the  practical  purposes  of  life.  The 
setting  of  his  childhood  was  the  wilderness  of 
Buena  Vista  Township,  Schuyler  County,  where 
he  was  born  iu  a  log  cabin  May  10,  183?!.  His 
father,  John  Bartlow,  was  boni  in  the  State  of 
Ohio,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Morgan)  Bart- 
low, was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Both  came  to 
the  Central  West  with  their  parents,  James 
Bartlow,  the  father  of  John,  dying  in  Indiana, 
and  leaving,  besides  James  11.,  a  daughter, 
Nanc.v,  who  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Lemuel 
Sparks,  also  deceased.  Jolm  Bartlow  left  Ohio 
with  an  ox-team  and  wagon,  and  stopped  first  in 
Morgan  Count.v,  111.,  arriving  in  Schuyler  County 
in  1828,  two  yeai-s  before  tlie  winter  of  tlie  deep 
snows.  He  located  in  tlie  midst  of  the  timber  in 
what  now  is  Buena  Vista  Township,  the  prairie 
land  at  that  time  being  under  water,  and  ne- 
cessitating draining  and  breaking  the  prairie 
sod  lielore  it  was  available  for  living  and  farm- 
ing puriK)Ses,  On  the  level  land  the  wild  straw- 
berries abounded  in  great  luimliers  and  were  de- 
licious in  quality^  and  the  wild  grass  grew  high 
enough  to  hide  a  man,  and  was  cut  for  ha.v  by 
the  settlei-s.  Wherever  chance  directed  their 
footsteps  the  new  arrival  staked  off  a  few  acres, 
and  there  was  no  quarreling  aljont  individual 
rights  and  prerogatives,  all  working  in  harmon.v 
to  establish  homes  and  fortunes  in  the  new  and 
untried  country.  John  Bartlow's  deed  to  his  100 
acres  of  land  was  made  out  on  sheepskin,  and  this 
deed  still  is  a  treasured  possession  of  the  family. 
He  had  the  iron  of  deternunation  in  his  nature, 
bore  courageously  the  deprivations  and  hardships 
which  were  the  connuon  lot  of  the  settlers,  and 
died  in  18.34,  a  typical  representative  of  the  rug- 
ged and  resourceful  struggler  of  the  log-cabin 
era. 

TTiion  the  death  of  .John  Bartlow  his  widow  was 
left  with  the  care  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
James  H..  the  youngest,  was  then  about  a  year 
old.  The  straggle  of  this  pioneer  mother  to  keep 
her  family  together,  to  educate  and  train  them 
to  noble  man  and  womanhood,  was  but  one  of  the 
many  proofs  of  herfiism  abounding  in  this  count.v 
in  years  gone  li.v.  James  H.  recalls  innumerable 
happenings  of  his  youth  iu  the  little  log  caliin, 
but   none   more   vivid   and   pathetic   crowds    his 


memory  than  that  of  the  fla.x  which  the  boys 
used  to  gatlier,  and  which  the  mother  used  "to 
spin  far  into  the  night  when  her  weary  children 
were  sujiposedly  asleep.  Often  has  he  awakened 
at  midnight  to  find  this  faitliful  mother  still 
.spiuniug  before  the  fire,  and  the  lium  of  her 
ceaseless  wheel  will  resound  in  his  ears  until  tlie 
end  of  his  days.  Thomas,  one  of  the  sons,  had  ' 
his  wedding  suit  made  of  the  cloth  .spun  liy  his 
mother.  She  was  permitted  to  see  .-ill  of  her 
children  married  and  comfortably  established  in 
homes  of  their  own,  and  all  were  wont  to  dwell 
Ufion  her  love  and  devotion,  to  recall  their  life 
in  the  little  rude  house  in  the  woods,  and  the 
many  times  they  were  recalled  from  the  field  to 
put  out  the  fire  in  the  big  stick  chimney.  Of  the 
children,  Sarah  Ann  married  William  McKee, 
had  a  family  of  eight  children,  .and  for  several 
years  survived  her  husband,  who  was  killed 
during  the  Civil  War;  Letha  married  Daniel 
Ridley,  left  four  sous  and  four  daughters,  her 
death  occurring  in  Missouri  and  that  of  her  hus- 
band in  Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  County; 
Thomas  M.  married  Miss  Catherine,  an  adopted 
daughter  of  Samuel  Cooper,  and  is  survived  b.v 
his  wife  and  si.x  children,  who  live  in  Rock 
Island,  111. ;  Isabella  is  the  deceased  wife  of 
James  Cooper  and  had  eight  children;  I'hoebe  is 
the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Wilson,  of  Sidney,  Iowa, 
and  has  had  ten  children,  all  but  one  now  living; 
Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of  Joshua  Hale,  both 
now  being  deceased,  leaving  a  family  of  eight 
children  ;  Margaret  Jane  married  W.  M.  Biggs, 
had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters, 
Mr.  Biggs  dying  in  Schuyler  County  and  his  wife 
in  Hancock ;  Ivan  L..  also  deceased,  married 
Martha  Itaper,  who  still  survives,  with  one  son 
and  four  daughters  living  in  Cowley  County, 
Kan.  James  H..  the  ninth  child  and  sub.iect  of 
this  sketch,  and  Mrs.  I'hoelie  (Bartlow)  Wilson, 
are  the  only  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .John 
B.'irtlow  still  living. 

About  seventeen  years  old  when  he  left  his 
home  and  started  upon  the  road  for  Independence, 
James  II.  Bartlow  in  18.50  came  to  Rushville, 
and  in  the  fall  engaged  as  a  hand  to  cut  lirooni 
corn  on  different  farms  in  the  county.  In  the 
winter  he  worked  in  a  broom  corn  factor^',  and 
November  1.5,  185.5,  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Charlotte  Moore,  mention  of  whose  famil.v  may 
be  found  in  the  sketch  of  John  I).  Moore,  on  an- 
other  page  of  this  work.  The  young  people  es- 
tablished a  home  of  their  own  on  an  eighty-acre 
tract  of  laud  in  Littletown  Township,  the  same 
having  been  purchased  by  Mr.  Bartlow  for  if.500, 
of  which  he  paid  .$-100  down.  The  liquidation  of 
the  remaining  debt  of  one  hundred  dollars  was 
the  sorest  trial  in  the  early  life  of  this  well 
known  farmer  and  politician.  He  was  obliged  to 
liorrow  the  money  in  gold  at  fifteen  per  cent,  and 
when  the  interest  came  due  he  had  to  buy  the 
gold  at  a  iiremium  which  advanced  the  interest 
to  about  forty  per  cent.  The  log  house  whii'li 
tbe.v  found  on  the  land  was  soon  torn  down  and 
a  larger  one  erected  in  its  stead,  ami  in  it  six  of 
tlieir  children  were  born.     Additional   land  was 


mSTOKY  OF  Sf'TirYLEI?  COUNTY. 


puroluised  from  time  to  time,  until  Mr.  Bartlow 
owned  a  farm  of  1270  acres,  all  in  one  body.  He 
was  a  practical  and  careful  farmer,  saving  al- 
ways more  than  be  spent,  and  laboring  in  safe 
and  established  agricultural  grooves.  He  made 
many  improvements  ou  his  land,  eighty  acres  of 
which  was  originally  heavy  timber,  and  through 
his  industry  it  became  one  of  the  most  produc- 
tive and  desirable  properties  in  the  township. 
Owing  to  the  illness  of  his  wife,  the  owner 
moved  to  the  town  of  Rushville  in  1892,  but  the 
change  did  not  accomplish  all  that  he  hoped, 
for  the  companion  of  his  early  struggles  and 
later  successes  died  February  28,  1894.  Mrs. 
Bartlow  in  early  life  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  later  united 
with  the  Free  Methodist  Church. 

Febniary  1.j,  1890,  Mr.  Bartlow  was  united  in 
marriage  "to  Laura  Finch,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  born  January  31,  IS.w.  John  L.  Finch, 
father  of  Mrs.  Bartlow,  came  to  Schuyler  County 
in  18.56,  settling  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  where 
he  died  January  U),  1802.  His  widow  became 
the  wife  of  William  Pickenpaugh,  a  fanner  of 
Buena  Vista  Township.  Mr.  Bartlow  is  the  pa- 
rent of  nine  children,  and  he  has  thirt)--six 
grandchildren  and  three  great-grandchildren.  Of 
the  children  by  his  first  marriage.  Salvetus,  a 
farmer  of  Carticld  Couiity.  Wasli..  married  tii-st 
May  J.  Townsend.  and  later  Amiie  Hendricks, 
and  has  six  sons  and  three  daughters  living; 
John  T.,  a  farmer  of  Huntsville  Township,  Schuy- 
ler County,  married  Belle  Ilightower  and  has  five 
sons ;  Jeannette  is  the  wife  of  William  L.  Scott, 
a  farmer  of  lUley  County,  Kan.,  and  has  six 
sons ;  James  C.  is  a  farmer  of  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship, married  Olive  Turner,  and  has  two  sons 
and  three  dangbtei-s ;  .Vrel  is  the  wife  of  James 
Hale,  a  farmer  of  Washington,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren ;  Iven  P.  is  a  farmer  of  Littleton  Township, 
married  Florence  Snyder,  and  has  two  children ; 
Mollie  is  the  wife  of  L.  L.  Horney.  a  merchant 
of  Littleton,  and  has  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter; Fannie  M.  is  the  widow  of  Fred  Greer,  and 
lives  in  Littleton  with  her  two  children ;  Bruce 
W.  married  Ida  Sandidge,  and  has  a  daughter 
living,  and  one  deceased.  Of  the  second  union 
of  Mr.  Bartlow  there  is  a  stepson.  Carl  A.  Peck- 
eubaugb.  Mr.  Bartlow  is  a  member  of  the  Free 
Methodist  Church  and  in  his  political  relations 
votes  the  Prohibition  ticket. 

BARTLOW,  John  Thomas. — Beginning  his  in- 
dependent life  as  a  renter  in  1S79,  John  Thomas 
Bartlow,  with  no  material  assets,  and  no  im- 
petus save  his  innate  pride  and  ambition,  has 
realized  his  agricultural  dream,  and  become  the 
owner  of  a  splendid  property  of  240  acres  of  land 
in  Huntsville  Township.  Mr.  Bartlow  represents 
a  noble  early  family  of  Schuyler  County,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Littleton  Township, 
May  1,  1858.  Of  his  father,  James  H.  Bartlow, 
information  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
work. 

The  youth  of  Mr.  Bartlow  conformed  to  that 
of  other  boys  of  his  time  and  place,  both  educa- 


tionally and  agi'iculturally.  He  was  reared  to 
farming  as  a  fundamental  and  altogether  worthy 
occupation,  and  his  inclination  never  has  strayed 
from  the  tasks  and  compensations  of  his  calling. 
He  was  at  his  majority  when  he  rented  his  first 
land  in  Littleton  Township,  a  small  patch  for 
corn  and  grain,  which  netted  him  a  small  but 
encouraging  comjietence.  October  2G,  1881,  he 
married  Arabella  Hightower,  who  was  born  in 
Littleton  Township,  October  8,  1859,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Hightower,  deceased,  who,  with 
his  wife,  was  liorn  in  >Iissouri,  and  came  early 
to  Schuyler  County.  The  wife  still  occupies  the 
old  Hightower  farm,  and  takes  a  keen  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  her  children,  of  whom  eight 
survive  out  of  a  family  of  eleven.  Of  these, 
Maria  Angeline  is  the  wife  of  James  Bartlett, 
of  Buena  Vista  Toivnship:  Mary  E.,  lives  with 
her  mother;  Jolm  is  a  resident  of  Arkansas; 
Joseph  O.,  of  Huntsville  Township :  Sarah,  wife 
of  Louis  M.  Logan,  of  Montana  ;  James  H.,  of 
the  Indian  Territory  (now  Oklahoma)  ;  and 
Edith  is  the  wife  of  John  Kirkman,  of  Littleton 
Township. 

.Mr.  Bartlow  and  his  young  wife  rented  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  In  Littleton  Township,  and 
in  188.S  rented  land  from  the  elder  Hightower, 
moving  thereon  in  1S84.  About  this  time  Mr. 
Bartlow-  invested  in  forty-six  acres  of  what  was 
known  as  the  old  Shinn  Nursery,  made  his  home 
thereon  and  engaged  In  general  farming  until 
1892.  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  140  acres  in 
Section  15,  Huntsville  Township.  In  1904  he 
sold  sixty  acres  in  Section  10  and  bought  IGO 
acres  in  Section  15,  making  in  all  240  acres  In 
one  body.  This  farm  formerly  was  known  as  the 
-Moses  Hawkins  property,  and  to  it  Mr.  Bartlow 
moved  Januar>-  8,  1905.  While  not  long  asso- 
<-iated  with  his  present  home,  there  are  .vet  many 
evidences  of  his  handiwork,  which  reflect  his 
method,  system  and  thrift,  and  the  property 
bids  fair  to  become  as  profitable  and  valuable  as 
any  in  the  county.  Directing  its  future  destiny 
is  a  man  who  has  learned  his  lessons  in  the  hard 
school  of  practical  experience,  who  has  received 
the  greater  part  of  his  help  from  within  rather 
than  from  without,  and  who  gladly  acknowledges 
an  unpayable  debt  to  the  faithful  wife  whose 
economy  and  unfailing  sympathy  have  helped  to 
tide  him  over  many  of  the  dark  places  of  life. 
About  four  years  ago  Mr.  Bartlow  began  to  spe- 
cialize in  stock,  and,  preferring  Hereford  cat- 
tle, now  has  on  hand  a  herd  of  twenty-one  head, 
sixteen  of  which  are  recorded.  He  also  breeds 
Poland-China  hogs,  and  Is  an  excellent  judge  of 
all  kinds  of  stock. 

In  spite  of  large  responsibilities  in  his  imme- 
diate environment.  Mr.  Bartlow  evinces  a  keen 
appreciation  of  the  social  side  of  life,  and  his 
genial  nature  and  faculty  for  putting  people  at 
ease  make  him  a  wek-onie  addition  to  all  social 
gatherings  in  the  township.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in  religion 
contributes  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
of  which  his  wife  is  a  member.    Politics  has  en- 


HISTOI?Y  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


777 


gaged  considerable  of  liis  time  and  attention,  and 
ever  faithful  to  the  best  tenets  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  he  has  filled  many  positions  of  local 
trust,  including  that  of  School  Director,  Assessor 
and  Supervisor,  his  last  election  to  the  latter 
office  having  occurred  in  1!)02,  with  a  gratifying 
majority-.  While  previously  holding  this  offi<-e  he 
has  rendered  valuable  service  in  the  interest  of 
roads,  brid.ges  and  general  im]irovenients,  being 
especially  interested  in  securing  good  thoi'ough- 
fares.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartlow  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children  :  Harley  R.,  and 
Highly  E.,  twins,  born  September  10,  1884,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  infanc.v,  and  the  latter 
is  living  on  the  home  place  :  Archie  Dwight.  born 
March  9.  ISSfi,  in  Littleton  Township,  married 
Gertrude  Hawkins,  daughter  of  Moses  Hawkins, 
and  has  a  son,  Glenn  H..  all  living  in  Hancock 
County,  III. ;  W.  Earl,  born  in  Brooklyn  Town.ship, 
October  22,  1888,  is  living  at  home;  Fay  WelUer 
and  Frederick  Cleveland,  twins,  born  in  Brook- 
lyn 'I'ownship  .Tune  1.^,  189."),  and  living  at  home. 
All  of  the  children  have  been  given  good  common 
school  educations,  and  all  have  been  reared  to 
habits  of  industry  and  thrift.  The  example  of 
their  parents  has  inspired  them  with  wholesome 
regard  for  work,  ami  through  them  the  honored 
name  of  Bartlow  will  continue  to  dignify  and  in- 
fluence the  history  of  enlightened  Schuyler 
County. 

BATES,  John  W. — Three  generations  of  the 
Bates  family  have  cnntril>uted  to  the  character 
and  purpose  of  Schuyler  County,  and  the  sturdy 
faith  and  unfaltering  industry  of  the  founder, 
William  Bates  seems  to  have  filtered  thnmgh  his 
successors  to  those  now  bearing  his  name,  and  to 
be  in  large  measure  inherited  by  his  grandson, 
John  W.  Bates,  the  latter  the  owner  and  occupier 
of  a  productive  farm  in  Section  22,  Browning 
Township.  Mr.  Bates  was  liorn  in  Hickory  Town- 
ship. Schuyler  Count;*-,  September  18,  18.55,  a 
son  of  Christojiher  C.  and  Serena  C.  (Hagens) 
Bates,  both  horn  in  Hickory  Township,  the 
former  in  isr!2,  and  the  latter  in  1S.3G. 

William  Bates  was  born  in  County  Tyrone. 
Ireland,  and  he  had  the  resourcefulness  and 
adaptiveness  of  the  representative  Irish  peas- 
antry. Early  in  life  he  realized  the  limitations 
of  a  small  tenant  farm,  and  resolved  that  when 
he  arrived  at  maturity  he  would  join  his  fortunes 
with  the  land  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Subse- 
quently he  man-led  a  lady  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and 
together  they  set  sail  for  America,  after  land- 
ing in  New  York,  coming  inmiediately  to  Hickory 
Township,  Schuyler  County.  This  was  during 
the  summer  of  182-t,  and  the  wilderness  pre- 
sented few  inducements  to  a  strong  and  ambi- 
tious Irishman.  He  was  equal  to  the  demand 
upon  his  powers,  however,  and  braved  the  dan- 
gers by  which  he  was  surrounded,  and  the  ar- 
duous i\-ork  which  brought  him  but  small  re- 
ward. His  neighbors  were  few  and  far  distant. 
and  a  rude  log-house  offered  but  feeble  resistance 
to  the  heat  of  summer  and  the  chill  of  winter 
Nevertheless,   he  won   his   way  to  a   substantial 


comjietence,  and  to  many-sided  influence  in  the 
general  affairs  of  the  county.  lie  was  one  of  the 
best  known  and  most  successful  of  the  pioneers 
of  1824,  and  his  life  was  an  e.xpression  of  ob- 
stacles overcome,  and  hardships  bravely  sur- 
mounted. Under  his  humble  roof  nine  children 
came  into  the  world,  attended  the  subscription 
schools,  and  developed  into  hardy  man  and  wom- 
anhood. One  of  the  most  successful  of  these  was 
Christopher,  the  father  of  John  W.  This  repre- 
sentative of  the  second  generation  in  the  county 
in  all  ways  fulfilled  the  expectations  of  his  par- 
ents, and  lived  an  honored  and  highly  useful  life. 
Not  only  was  he  a  successful  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  but  he  took  a  keen  interest  in  Democratic 
politics,  wasoneof  tlie  strongest  iiromotersof  his 
party  in  the  county  and  filled  many  offices  of  trust 
and  responsibility.  Especially  was  he  a  moral  and 
upright  man,  and  one  of  the  hardest  workers 
and  most  generous  donators  to  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  of  which  he  became  a  member 
in  early  life.  Not  only  did  he  hel])  raise  the 
money  to  build  the  present  church,  but  donated 
the  groiuid  upon  which  it  stands.  His  death  oc- 
curred Decemlier  .5.  1880,  his  wife  surviving  hiui 
until  March  14,  ISSfi.  The  parent  of  five  chil- 
dren, twoof  them  died  in  infancy,  those  surviving 
until  maturity  being  Eliza,  deceased  wife  of  C. 
C.  Reno,  of  Browning  Township ;  Caroline  Bates, 
wife  of  A.  J.  Reno,  a  farmer  of  Warren  County, 
111.,  and  John  W.,  the  only  son. 

As  the  only  .son  in  the  family,  John  W.  Bates 
early  felt  his  responsibilitj'  as  a  wage  earner, 
and  he  continued  to  live  on  the  farm  in  Browning 
Township,  to  which  the  family  moved  when  he 
was  two  .ve;irs  old  in  1857,  until  his  marriage, 
in  .Tune.  1879,  to  Agnes  Campbell,  daughter  "of 
George  Campbell,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  and 
l.-u-ge  farmers  of  Schuyler  County.  Mr.  Campbell 
was  twice  elected  County  Sheriff,  holding  aLso 
many  other  important  offices,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  most  extensive  stock-raisers  in  Bainbridge 
Township,  where  his  daughter.  Mrs.  Bates,  was 
bora  and  reared.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bates  built  a 
dwelling  on  the  old  Bates  farm  and  occupied  that 
until  after  the  death  of  the  father,  when  they 
moved  to  the  homestead  which  the.v  ever  since 
li:ive  occupied,  and  which  he  has  purchased  out- 
right from  the  other  heirs.  He  now  is  the  owner 
of  155  acres,  all  under  cultivation  and  equippeil 
with  the  most  practical  and  modern  of  appliances. 
He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  but  finds  time  to  devote  to  the  beautify- 
ing of  his  place,  and  to  the  promotion  of  gardens, 
shade  trees  and  orchard,  and  those  general  ad- 
ditions which  bespeak  a  refined  and  exacting 
nature. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Bates  is  fllllng  his 
third  term  as  Township  Supei-visor,  and  he  has 
been  a  useful  member  of  the  Comndttee  on  Roads, 
Bridges  and  Claims.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Mutu.'il  Insurance  Company,  which  he  was 
instrument.nl  in  organizing,  and  which  now  is 
known  as  tlie  Schuyler  Count.v  Mutual  Insurance 
Company,  one  of  the  best  insurance  companies 
in  the  State,  and  of  enormous  benefit  to  the  ag- 


778 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COIJXTY. 


riculturists.  It  has  been  incorporated  with  a 
capitiil  of  oue  million  dollars,  and  has  a  high 
rating  among  other  enterprises  of  the  kind  in 
the  country.  Fraternally  Mr.  Bates  is  connected 
with  the  Astoria  Lodge  No.  100,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bates  have  been  Ixtrn  ten  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  are  living:  Estella,  wife  of 
Luther  .Tones,  of  Riverside,  Cal. ;  Annie,  wife  of 
Oliver  Spiller,  of  Mitchell,  S.  Dak.,  and  mother 
of  aiarcella  Spiller ;  Klma.  a  stenographer  of 
five  years'  experience ;  Fannie,  at  home,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Kushville  Normal,  and  a  successful 
teacher;  Georgie.  a  student  at  the  Kushville 
Normal ;  Frederick,  a  prospective  graduate  of  the 
Normal  class  of  190!) ;  Lloyd,  a  student ;  Lysle, 
a  student:  and  Lucile.  at  home.  Winfield  Bates 
died  in  Octolter.  I'.H).").  Mr.  Bates  is  a  broad- 
minded  and  exceptionally  well  informed  man. 
and  has  practical  and  helpful  ideas  regarding 
current  events.  His  genial  and  kindly  manner 
makes  him  a  favorite  among  his  neighbors,  and 
his  suijport  of  the  popular  utilities,  of  education, 
good  roads,  and  social  and  religi(nis  interests, 
renders  him  a  valuable  and  dependable  adjunct 
to  the  township's  best  elements. 

BATES,  William  Jefferson.— The  rapid  develop- 
ment of  tile  rich  agriiailtural  r<'sources  of  Schuy- 
ler County  is  due  to  the  strenuous  elfiu'ts  of  men 
of  brain  and  enterprise,  who  bring  to  their  call- 
ing excellent  judgment  and  superior  business 
method,  and  who  also  find  time  to  promote  those 
general  agencies  which  make  for  progressive 
and  practical  comnuniity  conditions.  Conspic- 
uous among  this  number  is  William  .lofferson 
Bates,  who  was  born  in  Hickory  Township, 
Schuyler  (bounty,  Septemlier  2(!,  1S44.  and  who, 
although  for  the  i)ast  five  .years  making  his 
home  in  Browning,  is  still  vitall.v  interested  in 
the  fundamental  oc<aipation  which  has  brought 
him  wealth,  influence  and  general  iirosjx'rity. 
Mr.  Bates  is  a  son  of  William  Armstrong  and 
Elizabeth  (Waid)  Bates,  the  latter  a  native  of 
Missouri,  from  which  State  she  came  with  her 
husband  to  Illinois  in  1S35,  remaining  about  a 
year  in  Brown  County.  The  elder  Bates  in 
1836  moved  to  Schuyler  County.,  settling  near 
the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  IJiver  in  Hickory  Town- 
ship, and  there  condiii-ting  general  farming  until 
his  death  in  lS4fl.  his  wife  having  died  the  year 
previous.  They  reared  in  their  humble  home  a 
family  of  nine  children,  one  child  dying  in  in- 
fancy, and  all  born  in  Schuyler  County  save  Mary, 
wife  of  John  E.  Thornton,  of  Gallatin,  Mo. ; 
and  Ferby.  deceased  wife  of  W.  K.  Jones,  a 
farmer  of  Hickory  Townshij).  Albert  G.  Bates 
died  in  Missouri ;  W.  F.  M.  died  in  Browning. 
Schuyler  County ;  Martha  became  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  Leek,  and  lioth  are  deceased;  0.  C. 
died  in  BrovTuing  Township:  Sarah  is  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  John  B.  Reno,  of  Missouri :  Eliz- 
abeth is  the  deceased  wife  of  Felix  Thornton, 
of  Missouri :  and  William  Jefferson  is  the  farmer 
of  whom  this  sketch  treats. 

William    Jefferson    Bates    has   but    slight   rec- 
ollection of  his  parents,  as  he  was  left  an  or- 


phan at  the  age  of  five  years.  He  vividly  recalls 
the  incidents  that  enlivened  the  pioneer  days  of 
the  county,  of  the  church  association  which  met 
in  his  father's  house,  and  the  da.vs  when  Will- 
iam K.  Jones  hired  a  school  teacher  ( Scott  Wi.s- 
dom.  a  cousin  o;  our  subject)  for  the  boys  of  the 
neigliborbood.  including  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
paying  him  out  of  his  own  purse  the  munificent 
.sum  of  .fl^  per  month  and  board.  .Mr.  Jones  him- 
self had  a  large  fanuly.  and  William  JetTers(m 
was  given  a  scholarship,  and  every  winter  at- 
temled  regularly.  While  attending  .school,  young 
Bates  worked  at  various  jobs,  and  at  the  age 
of  twentj-one  years  he  b(>gan  to  operate  a  farm 
in  partnei-ship  with  his  brother.  November  14, 
ISOT,  he  was  uidted  in  marriage  with  Mathilda 
.\.  Reno,  wlio  was  born  in  Browning  Townshijj 
April  12,  ],S44,  a  daughter  of  .Jonathan  Reno, 
an  outline  of  who.se  life  may  be  found  in  the 
sketch  of  William  C.  Reno,  on  another  page  of 
this  work. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Bates  rented  a  fann  In 
Browning  Township  for  five  years,  and  about 
1S70  Ijought  forty  acres  of  land  which  they  soon 
after  sold  and  bought  20(;  acres  in  Section  22, 
Browning  Township.  This  proi)ertj-  was  but 
slightly  improved,  and  although  entirely  fenced, 
it  had  no  gates.  ,ind  the  only  building  was  an  old 
frame  one  that,  in  time,  succundied  to  the  flames. 
Soon  after  this  calamity  Mr.  Bales  erected  a  two- 
story  modern  frame  dwelling  and  eventually  made 
many  fine  improvements  until,  with  his  various 
additions  of  land,  his  farm  reached  its  present 
proiK)rtions  of  440  acres,  all  in  Browning  Town- 
ship and  in  one  body.  On  his  place  he  has  main- 
tained the  highest  grades  of  farming,  and  has 
set  an  example  of  thrift  and  resourcefulne.ss 
which  mendiers  of  the  younger  generation  might 
follow  with  lu-ofit.  ^liile  living  in  the  village  of 
Browning,  he  derives  a  substantial  income  from 
his  farm,  and  is  able  to  surrmnid  himself  and 
wife  with  the  comforts  and  refinements  which 
Iwtli  have  worked  and  struggled  for,  sometimes 
under   discouraging  and  strenuous  conditions. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bates  have  been  born  seven 
children  :  William  E.,  a  farmer  in  Warren 
County,  III.,  who  married  Annie  Hoke,  and  has 
six  cliildren.  Grover  C  Mabel,  Samuel  E..  Henry 
B..  Zelma  and  Ernest  :  Francis  E.,  married 
Lina  Davis  and  lives  in  South  Dakota:  Laura 
is  the  will"  of  Charles  Gl.se.  a  farmer  of  Brown- 
ing Township:  Charles  L.  a  farmer  on  the  old 
Bates  homestead  in  Browning  Township,  mar- 
ried I'earl  Heffner.  and  has  three  children.  Ada. 
Lulu.  Bula  :  Ida  J.,  wife  of  Charles  Heffner,  a 
farmer  of  Browning  Township,  and  mother  of 
Harold  and  Geneva  Heffner  ;  .Tonathan,  lives  with 
his  parents :  and  Blanche,  emi)Ioyed  by  the 
Browning  .Mutual  Tele|ihone  Compan.v.  All  of 
the  children  have  practical  conunon  school  edu- 
cations, and  have  been  reared  to  make  themselves 
useful  in  their  respective  spheres  of  activity. 
The  family  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  through- 
out the  county,  and  is  associated  with  high 
ideals,  integrity  and  public  spiritedness.  Mr. 
Bates  has  made  himself  a  iHjwer  as  an  agricul- 


d 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


turist  aiitl  a  citizen,  aud  lias  won  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  ever  lias  been 
identified. 

BAXTER,  James  M. — .Just  fifty  yeai-s  previous 
to  the  fall  of  11KI7,  J;uues  M.  Baxter  came  to 
Schuyler  Count}'  with  fourteen  rugged  years  to  his 
credit  and  a  wealth  of  wholesome  ambitions 
which  since  have  found  expre.ssion  in  the  per- 
suit  of  agriculture,  war,  politics  and  religion. 
Perhaps  the  hitter  may  be  considered  the  liey- 
note  of  the  character  of  this  successful  farmer, 
for  he  has  lived  it  seven  days  in  the  week  and 
fifty-two  weeks  in  a  year,  and  now  is  rounding 
out  his  thirtieth  year  as  Superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  he  .ioined  in  the  winter  of  1801. 

Mr.  Baxter  was  boru  January  20,  18-13,  in  Car- 
roll County.  Ohio,  a  son  of  George  and  JIargaret 
(Knopster)  Baxter,  the  latter  of  German  an- 
cestry. His  iiaternal  grandparents  were  born 
and  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  the 
wilds  of  Ohio  on  what  was  known  as  "Baxter 
Kidge,"  in  Carroll  County  of  that  State,  three  of 
the  brothers  of  the  grandfather  locating  in  the 
.same  part  of  the  Buckeye  State.  John  Baxter, 
one  of  the  brothers  of  George  Baxter,  left  Ohio 
in  the  spring  of  18.54  aud  settled  in  Section  C, 
Huntsvilie  Township.  Schuyler  County,  Ijut  fin- 
ally «-ent  to  Brown  County,  Kan.  In  the  fall  of 
1857,  George  Baxter  brought  the  rest  of  his  fam- 
ily to  Schuyler  Countj',  locating  in  Section  5, 
liuntsville  Township,  in  the  Military  Tract,  find- 
ing there  no  iiiiprovemeiits  whatever.  During 
the  first  winter  he  occupied  a  log  house  pend- 
ing the  erection  of  a  frame  dwelling  into  which 
he  moved  in  the  spring,  .-ind  this  house,  greatly 
modified  and  improved  throughout  the  years,  ever 
since  has  sheltered  some  member  of  the  Baxter 
family.  The  mother  died  tliere  iu  18(S,  aud  the 
father  in  1898.  George  Baxter  was  one  of  na- 
ture's noblemen,  a  man  of  fine  Christian  spirit 
and  large  heart,  and  for  many  .vears  class-leader 
and  Superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Sunday  School.  He  was  no  less  earnest  in  his 
support  of  local  politics,  and,  whereas,  lie  for- 
merly was  a  Whig,  he  later  was  ideutified  with  the 
Uepulilican  party  from  the  time  of  its  organiza- 
tion in  1854.  To  himself  and  wife  were  liorn  five 
sous  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  Melissa  and 
Marj-  were  twins,  the  latter  dying  in  infancy,  .and 
the  former  becoming  the  wife  of  Mr.  Dushi'r.  Iml 
at  present  living  with  her  brother,  Harrison 
Baxter,  of  Sumner  County,  Kan.:  \Vil!i;iiH  lives 
on  the  old  home  farm  in  Section  5,  Huntsvilie 
Township:  Adeline  is  the  deceased  ivifc  of  Will- 
i,-\m  Logan,  and  mother  of  (Jrace  and  George 
Logan  ;  Elmer  is  a  farmer  in  Logan  County,  Kan. : 
Sarah  married  Jonas  Graham  and  both  are  de- 
ceased :  George  is  a  farmer  in  Idaho ;  and  Mar- 
garet died  in  infancy. 

At  the  school  which  his  uncle.  Jolin  Baxter, 
had  established  in  18.54,  and  which  was  known 
as  the  Baxter  School,  .James  M.  Baxter  received 
his  rudimentary  education,  and  this  same  school 
has    had    as    scholars    members    of    the    family 


ever  since,  including  tlic  great-grandchildren,  who 
now  are  attending.  The  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
W;ir  found  the  youthful  James  hard  at  work  on 
the  farm,  but  he  enlisted  in  Company  K.  One 
Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Hlinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, for  three  years,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  hostilities.  During  that  time  he  never  missed 
a  day's  duty,  or  sulfered  from  serious  illness. 
The  company  was  first  sent  to  Jackson.  Tenn, 
where,  with  Company  G,  it  was  captured  and  held 
until  iiaroli'd,  returning  then  to  the  regiment  at 
Memphis.  Tenn.  It  took -part  iu  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg.  the  battle  of  Meridian,  then  went  up 
the  Red  Kiver  to  Pleasant  Hill,  where,  during  the 
third  day  of  a  fight  it  gave  the  rebels  a  sound 
threshing.  At  Yellow  Bayou  there  was  a  severe 
fight  lasting  well  into  the  uight,  after  which  the 
soldiers  embarked  by  boat  for  St.  Louis,  and 
soon  after  drove  General  I'rice's  army  out  of 
Missouri.  They  next  gave  General  Forrest  a 
chase  at  Tupelo;  then  at  Nashville.  Teun., 
wliijiiied  (ileneral  Hood  to  a  finisli.  entirely  rout- 
ing his  army.  At  Eastport  the  army  came  near 
starving  to  death,  the  One  Hundred  and  Nine- 
teenth licing  without  rations  for  ten  days,  as  the 
country  had  been  entirely  stripped.  Then  going 
South  they  went  to  Mobile,  Ala.,  and  Port 
Blakely.  and  just  before  the  opjxising  army  came 
up.  Mr.  Baxter  aud  some  of  his  associates  had 
gone  into  the  fort.  After  the  surrender  of  Lee 
at  Appomattox,  the  company  went  to  Montgomery, 
Ala.,  and  from  there  back  to  Mobile  and  finally 
was  discharged  at  Springfield,  111.,  August  26. 
1805. 

Again  in  Schuyler  County,  Mr.  Baxt«>r  took  up 
the  work  of  farming  where  he  had  abandoned  it 
three  years  before,  and  meeting  with  deserved 
success,  he  married.  September  20.  18<;0,  Martha 
J.  Workman.  «'ho  was  born  in  Ohio  and  came  to 
Schuyler  County  with  her  parents.  Samuel  and 
Harriet  (Lewtou)  Workman,  in  18.54.  In  the 
spring  of  1868  Jlr.  Baxter  moved  to  Hancock 
Ctmnty,  111.,  where  his  wife  died  April  3,  1871, 
leaving  two  children,  of  whom  Mary  JIargaret  is 
the  wife  of  Julius  Harmon,  of  Superior,  Neb.,  and 
mother  of  Robert,  Oscar,  Effie  ami  Ruth  Harmon ; 
and  George  G..  a  farmer  of  Huntsvilie  Township, 
married  Alta  Robertson,  and  has  five  children. 
Sterling,  Keith,  Gladys,  Oren  and  Warren,  de- 
ceased. The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Baxter  oc- 
curred March  18,  1874,  to  Sarah  Beckerdite,  and 
of  this  union  there  is  a  daugliter,  Elbe,  who  is 
Iveeping  house  for  her  father  since  the  lamented 
death  of  her  mother  i\Iarch  17,  1907.  Mrs. 
Baxter  was  the  center  of  an  admiring  circle  of 
friends  and  well  wishere,  and  lier  fine  Christian 
example  is  sadly  missed  from  the  community 
which  knew  her  so  well  and  favorably. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Baxter  owns  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Section  5.  Huntsvilie  Township. 
He  still  is  in  active  management  of  his  place,  al- 
though its  arduous  duties  have  been  handed  over 
to  his  capable  son.  The  yeai-s  have  de.-ilt  kindly 
with  him,  and  he  retains  bis  interest  in  tlie  en- 
terprises that  contribute  to  the  life  and  stability 
of  the  townshii).     No  man  within  its  boundaries 


780 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLET?  COUNTY. 


Is  held  in  hifiber  esteem,  nor  has  auy  carved  a 
more  emlurint:  monuiiient  of  character  and  work 
for  the  insiiirntiou  and  enlightenment  of  those  to 
come  after  liini. 

BELLAMY,  Leslie  S. — One  of  tlic  intlueutial 
and  honored  laniilies  of  Schuyler  County  is  rep- 
resented Ijy  this  rising  young  farmer  of  Rush- 
ville  Township,  whoso  home  farm  on  Sec'tion  3.5 
is  also  the  place  of  his  birth,  which  cjccurrcd  Sep- 
tember 5.  1884.  The  idcntiticatiou  of  tlie  family 
with  this  portion  of  Illinois  began  during  the 
early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  its 
membere  have  been  large  contrilmtors  to  the  ag- 
ricultural development  of  this  region.  The  fatlier, 
George  W.  Bellamy,  one  of  the  honored  native- 
born  sous  of  Schuyler  County,  vvas  born  in  Fred- 
erieli  Townsbii)  in  1850,  and  grew  to  manhood  on 
a  farm,  having  few  advantages  for  the  acijuisi- 
tion  of  an  education.  Kuvironed  by  tlie  narrow 
limits  of  a  pioneer's  home,  he  yet  became  a  man 
of  Ijroad  views,  wide  culture,  and  liberal  traits. 
His  marriage  united  him  with  Frances  A.  Greer. 
daughter  of  a  pioneer  named  (ireer,  who  innni- 
grated  to  the  Fuited  States  from  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  setliug  in  Schuyler  C<mnty  wlieu  Kush- 
ville  was  a  small  liandet,  and  thereafter  giving 
his  attention  to  agricultin-al  pursuits,  i'rior  to 
leaving  the  home  of  his  boyliood  he  had  mai-ried 
a  young  Irish  girl,  and  they  Ijecame  the  parents 
of  tln-ee  children,  namely  :  Mrs.  Bellamy  ;  Lucy, 
widow  of  Darius  Bellamy;  and  Isaliel.  wife  of 
A.  V.  Strong,  a  resident  of  Overhrook,  Kan. 

Three  children  were  Ixirn  of  the  union  of 
George  W.  Bellamy  and  Frances  A.  Greer.  The 
daughter,  Grace,  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Parks,  a 
farmer  in  Kushville  Township,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Willard  M.  The  older  son,  Herman,  is 
a  locomotive  engineer  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
with  headquarters  at  Barstow,  Cal.  The  younger 
son.  Leslie  S.,  remains  at  the  old  homestead,  and 
his  mother  resides  n'ith  him.  The  father,  wlio 
died  .Tanuary  21,  1004,  was  a  man  of  pronounced 
individuality,  and  for  some  time  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  local  loaders  of  the  Republican  party. 
On  the  regular  iiarty  ticket  he  was  elected  to 
various  ottices,  including  that  of  Supervisor  for 
Rushville  Township,  which  position  he  tilled  with 
conspicuous  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the  peo- 
ple. In  religion  lie  was  a  substantial  supi)ort(>r 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Pleasant- 
view.  His  citizenship  jiroved  of  decided  benefit 
to  his  township,  and  no  movement  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  education,  religion,  agriculture  or 
connnerce  in  the  county  lacked  his  hearty  co- 
operation. 

Primaiily  educated  in  the  Pleasantview  school, 
Leslie  S.  Bellamy  afterward  attended  the  Rush- 
ville Normal  for  one  term  and  then  returned  to 
the  home  farm  to  take  up  the  practical  duties 
of  life.  However,  be.  was  not  satisfied  to  begin 
the  quiet  round  of  agricultural  duties  without 
seeing  something  of  the  world,  so  he  traveled 
for  a  year  or  mor(\  and  thus  learned  much  from 
observation  of  different  localities.  During  .Jan- 
uary of  1905  he  entered  the  train  service  with 


tlie  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Com- 
pany, but  a  year  of  that  work  sufficed  and  during 
February  of  the  foUoiviug  year  he  was  again  on 
the  home  farm,  which  he  now  manages,  main- 
taiuiug  an  excellent  class  of  improvements  and 
sui>erintending  its  eighty  acres.  January  It!, 
VM~,  ho  was  united  in  marriage  with  iliss 
Bessie,  daughter  of  Charles  Ambrosius,  and  a 
mendier  of  a  well-known  family  of  this  locality. 
In  religious  connections  Imtli  are  members  of  the 
Pleasantview  .Metliodist  Episcopal  Church,  while 
polilically  he  has  never  attached  himself  to  any 
Ijarly,  but  remains  liberal  in  his  views. 

BERTHOLF.  Edward.  —  There  are  few  men 
who.  through  the  hlamelessness  of  their  lives,  the 
purity  of  their  motives  and  the  excellence  of 
their  services,  have  so  deeply  impressed  them- 
si>lves  upon  a  community  as  has  Edward  Bert- 
holf.  This  veneraliU-  citizen,  seventy  of  whose 
more  than  ninety  years  have  beeu  spent  within 
the  boundaries  of  Rushville,  has  pursued  his 
wage-earning  career  largely  in  the  Rushville 
«)urt  house,  where  have  awaited  him  resiwn- 
sibilities  calling  for  ability  and  strict  integrity, 
and  the  discharge  of  which  has  pliiced  him  among 
the  stable  benefactors  of  the  connnunity. 

The  first  impressions  and  moulding  influences 
in  the  youth  of  Mr.  Bertholf  were  centered  iu 
Warwick,  Or.ange  County.  N.  Y.,  where  he  was 
born  .\pril  0,  ISlC.  His  father,  John  Bertholf, 
was  born  in  the  same  county,  and  his  paternal 
grandparents,  Samuel  Bertholf  and  wife,  were 
also  natives  of  that  State.  His  mother,  formerly 
Elizabeth  Perry,  was  a  native  of  Sus.scx  County, 
X.  J.,  and  a  daughter  of  AViliiam  Percy.  Both 
families  were  reiu-esented  among  the  Colonists  of 
New  Engl.'ind,  and  were  peoi)le  of  modest  tastes 
and  <iuiet  ambitious.  The  home  in  Warwick 
tolerated  no  shams  or  false  Ideas  of  life  aud 
duty.  The  children  were  obedient  at  home  and 
diiiuent  at  school.  Edward,  in  particular,  made 
great  progress  with  his  studies,  and  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  was  enrolled  as  a  teacher  in  a  coun- 
try school  of  Orange  County.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  having  earned 
enough  money  to  shape  his  cireumstjinces  rather 
than  be  shaped  by  them.  It  pleased  his  taste  for 
liioneering  to  move  to  Illinois  in  18:50.  and  to 
settle  in  Rushville,  where  he  would  be  aided  by 
the  inlhience  of  his  brother,  then  Judge  of  the 
Probate  Court. 

In  Rushville  Mr.  Bertholf  earned  his  first 
money  as  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  Josiah  Par- 
rott.  He  soon  after  began  to  assist  his  brother, 
the  .fudge,  and  in  time  because  Deput.v  Clerk  and 
Recorder  of  Schuyler  County.  His  frank,  out- 
sjioken  ways  and  thoughtfulness  inspired  con- 
fidence from  the  start,  and  in  1848  he  was  ap- 
Iioinlcd  Treasurer  of  the  school  funds,  a  jjosition 
which  h"  maintained  for  twenty-one  years,  or 
until  ]sr>0.  Office  holders  in  those  days  suffered 
from  none  of  the  restrictions  which  now  hedge 
in  aspirants  for  public  honor,  and  various  re- 
sponsibilities often  were  discharged  at  the  same 
time.  Thus,  in  1848,  Mr.  Bertholf  was  elected  also 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


781 


Justice  of  the  Peace,  Sheriff  and  Collector  of 
Taxes,  the  office  of  Justice  being  held  by  him  for 
tn-ent.v  years.  In  1855  he  was  appointed  Deputy 
Clerk  under  Nathan  JIoou,  and  upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  Moon,  six  months  later,  succeeded  to  the  of- 
fice of  County  Clerk.  He  was  elected  Sheriff  of 
the  county  in  ISGO,  aud  in  18C0  assumed  charge 
of  the  Circuit  Clerk's  office,  at  the  same  time 
serving  as  Deputy  County  Clerk.  In  the  mean- 
time, when  his  official  duties  permitted,  Mr.  Bert- 
holf  kept  books  for  several  of  the  merchants  of 
Rushville,  and  was  otherwise  employed  in  the 
business  life  of  the  town.  His  sijecial  predilec- 
tion, however,  was  for  politics,  and  in  the  able 
discharge  of  official  duties  he  met  a  growing  need 
of  almost  half  a  century. 

The  married  life  of  Mr.  Bertholf  dates  from 
November  22,  1838,  n-hen  culminated  a  romance 
significant  because  of  the  fact  that  his  wife's 
father,  Levi  Jackson,  came  to  Kushville  the 
same  year  as  Mr.  Bertholf.  Mrs.  Bertholf  was 
born  in  Huron  County,  Ohio,  and  is  the  mother 
of  nine  children :  Emily  Ann,  William  Henry 
(deceased),  Horace  E.,  Harriet  E.,  Mary  E., 
Frank  E.,  Fred  L.,  John  Jesse  and  Alice  C.  (de- 
ceased). Mr.  Bertholf  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  a  memlier  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  passing  years  have  dealt  kindly  with  him, 
and  the  experiences  of  his  life  still  stand  out 
clearly  in  his  memoiy.  He  and  the  city  have 
gron'n  old  together,  and  have  exchanged  op- 
portunities and  honors  to  the  permanent  credit 
of  both.  Few  men  are  [lerraittcd  so  long  a  lease 
of  existence,  and  few  are  permitted  so  great  a 
peace  and  serenity  of  mind. 

BESSELL,  Charles  C— There  are  few  of  the  in- 
terests associated  with  the  material  development 
of  Schuyler  County  that  have  lacked  the  co-oper- 
ation and  practical  assistance  of  Mr.  Bessell, 
who,  while  aiding  in  the  permanent  growth  of 
the  county,  has  also  established  his  own  for- 
tunes upon  a  firm  basis,  so  that  now  he  ranks 
among  the  moneyed  men  of  his  region  and  is 
enabled  to  live  retired  free  from  the  cares  and 
responsibilities  of  his  earlier  years.  His  entire 
life  has  been  passed  within  the  confines  of  Brook- 
l.vn,  Schuyler  Count}',  near  which  town  his  birth 
occurred  May  11,  1835.  the  eldest  of  a  large  fam- 
ily of  children  bom  to  his  parents,  Frederick 
Lewis  Alexander  aud  Jane  A.  (Kobinson)  Bes- 
sell. The  mother  was  a  native  of  the  East,  born 
in  Putnam  Count}',  N.  Y.,  in  1814.  and  at  the  age 
of  tn'cnty  (June  15.  1834),  she  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Frederick  L.  A.  Bessell  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Rushville,  111.  The  parents  of  this  Mr. 
Bessell  (father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch) 
lived  on  the  island  of  Sumatra  ;  but,  a  war  break- 
ing out,  they  sailed  for  Boston,  Mass.,  Mr.  Bes- 
sell being  born  on  the  voyage,  and  in  Boston 
and  vicinity  made  his  home  until  attaining  man- 
hood. While  he  was  a  mere  child  in  .vears  he 
was  deprived  of  the  love  and  protection  of  both 
parents,  a  loss  which  was  later  accentuated  in 
the  death  of  his  only  brother.  Cast  upon  his 
own  resources  at  an  early  age,  he  proved  him- 


self equal  to  the  occasion  by  acc<'])ting  any  hon- 
orable eniployment  that  came  to  hand,  which  con- 
sisted principally  of  farm  work  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boston. 

With  such  means  as  he  had  been  able  to  save 
from  his  earnings  Frederick  L.  A.  Bessell  started 
for  the  Middle  West  in  1833,  coming  direct  to 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  after  his  marriage 
during  the  following  year  he  entered  land  from 
the  Government  in  Section  34,  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, which  he  at  once  liegan  to  improve,  and  iu 
the  home  which  he  established  in  the  wilder- 
ness all  of  his  children  were  born.  In  1848, 
he  purchased  property  in  Brooklyn,  whither  he 
removed  with  his  family  the  following  year. 
Coincident  with  this  removal  came  the  news  of 
the  finding  of  gold  in  California,  aud  among  those 
who  left  Brooklyn  for  the  Far  West  was  Mr. 
Bessell,  who  made  his  way  overland  with  ox- 
teams.  It  was  not  until  alxmt  18(50  that  he  re- 
turned to  his  Illinois  home,  but  fate  did  not 
pernut  him  to  remain  there  long,  for  the  tocsin 
of  war  soon  sounded,  and  all  able-bodied  men 
were  called  to  the  defense  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Bessell  attempted  to  enlist  from  his  home  town, 
but  as  the  quota  was  then  filled  he  went  to 
Macon  City,  Mo.,  and  enlisted  in  the  Seventh 
Missouri  Infantry.  His  service  was  brief,  how- 
ever, for  he  was  soon  taken  ill  with  measles, 
from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  December  24, 
18C,1. 

Six  children  conqirised  the  family  of  Fred- 
erick L.  A.  Bessell  and  wife.  Charles  C.  Xsub- 
.I'ect  of  this  sketch)  Iteing  the  eldest  of  the  num- 
ber. The  next  in  order  of  birth  was  Joseph  M., 
who  was  born  December  28,  183G,  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 11.  1SS2.  By  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Edison  he  had  two  children,  Mary  and  Henry. 
Henry  R.  Bessell  (third  of  the  original  Schuy- 
ler Count}'  family),  was  born  November  8,  18.38, 
and  four  children  were  born  of  his  marriage  with 
Rosa  Shamell.  as  follows :  Jessie,  at  home ; 
Phoebe,  the  wife  of  Charles  Sellars.  of  Dodds- 
viUe.  and  the  mother  of  one  son.  Arthur;  Fred- 
eridi,  a  farmer  in  Industry  Township.  Mc- 
Donough  County.  111.,  who  married  Mattie  Wells, 
by  n'hom  he  has  two  children  ;  and  Winnie,  the 
wife  of  Peter  Peterson,  also  a  farmer  in  Mc- 
Donough  County.  The  next  child  in  the  family 
was  Clinton  L.  Bessell,  born  March  17,  1842.  He 
married  Miss  Carrie  Clark  and  three  children 
were  born  to  them,  as  follows :  Edna  became 
the  wife  of  Vivian  Irvin.  a  wholesale  grocer  in 
Galesburg.  111.,  and  they  have  one  child,  Leslie; 
the  others  are  Paul  and  Florence,  both  living 
with  their  parents  in  Galesburg.  For  three  years 
Clinton  L.  Bessell  gave  his  service  to  his  coun- 
try in  her  hour  of  need,  enlisting  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Second  Illinois  Cavalr.v.  at  the  close 
of  his  term  of  service  returning  to  his  home  in 
Brooklyn,  where  for  many  years  he  was  known 
as  one  of  the  town's  most  successful  business  men. 
He  was  enabled  to  retire  from  active  business  in 
1004,  and  the  same  year  removed  to  Galesburg, 
which  has  since  been  his  home.  Augustus  C. 
Bessell    (the  fifth  son)  was  Ixirn   November  17, 


782 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYI.ER  COUNTY. 


1845,  and  therefore  was  still  a  youth  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  ont,  Imt  emulating  the  example 
of  his  father  and  older  brother,  he  too  enlisted  in 
his  oounti-y's  cause,  beconiins  a  member  of  the 
Seventy-eighth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  during  the 
three  years  in  which  he  was  in  the  service,  took 
part  in  all  the  hard-fought  battles  and  marches 
to  which  his  company  was  sul).iected.  Aflcr  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Brooklyn  and 
once  more  engaged  in  peaceful  pursuits.  While  on 
a  trip  to  St,  .Josepli,  Mo.,  he  was  taken  ill  and 
compelled  to  return  home,  where  he  died  soon 
afterward,  on  .Tannary  1,  1868.  He  was  the 
first  memlier  of  his  company  to  die  after  the  re- 
turn of  the  regiment,  and  the  company's  flag 
was  liuried  with  his  body — a  trilmte  to  his 
bravery,  for  he  was  ever  ready  for  any  duty, 
whether  on  the  post,  jiicket  or  in  camp.  Tlie 
youngest  child  in  tlie  origiu:il  Schuyler  Tounty 
family  was  (Jeorge  Ward  Kcssell.  bom  December 
27.  1848.  Ills  marriage  united  liim  with  Alice 
Colt,  and  five  children  were  Ixjrn  to  them  :  I'ross. 
a  resident  of  Guymon.  Okla..  married  Kathryn 
Gregoiy :  Earl,  a  resident  of  Hloomington,  111, ; 
Grace,  Mrs,  Clifford  .Moi-se  of  Berkeley,  Cal., 
has  two  children,  Gladys  \.  and  Francis  V. ;  Anna 
and  Bessie  are  members  of  the  class  of  1!)0S  in 
the  State  Normal  rnivcrsily,  at  Normal,  111. 
The  parents  of  these  children  are  both  deceased, 
the  mother  dying  November  24,  1S!)7,  and  the 
father  December  17,  1!)0:!,  Afti>r  the  death  of 
the  wife  and  mother,  Mr.  Bessell  tenderly  cared 
for  (The  children  until  they  grew  to  manhood  and 
womanhood,  a  devotion  which  was  reciprocated 
by  the  children,  all  of  whom  became  u.sefid  .and 
respected  citizens  of  Brooklyn,  loved  and  hon- 
ored b,v  all  who  knew  them. 

Charles  C.  Bessell  was  edu<-ated  in  the  sub- 
scription and  district  s<'hools  of  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, and  when  not  in  school  was  performing  his 
share  of  the  chores  on  the  home  farm.  The 
monotoni.v  of  this  life  was  changed  when  his 
father  sold  the  farm  in  1840  and  removed  into 
town,  but  the  necessit.v  for  contimiing  at  work 
was  even  greater  than  iM'Tore.  for  the  father's 
removal  to  California  about  this  time  left  him 
the  main  sni)|iort  of  his  mother  and  the  younger 
children.  Though  only  fourteen  years  of  age. 
he  manfully  shouldered  the  burden  which  fell 
upon  him,  and,  securing  an  ox-teani,  engaged  in 
freighting  goods  from  Brooklyn  to  Frederick, 
the  trip  covering  three 'days.  After  continuing 
this  business  for  about  three  yeai-s.  he  gave  it 
up  for  what  seemed  a  better  opening  in  Augusta, 
111,,  where  he  engaged  in  work  as  a  farm  hand. 
However,  it  developed  that  the  man  with  whom 
he  had  engaged  himself  had  contracted  to  haul 
rock  and  tics  to  what  was  then  called  the  North- 
ern Cross  Railroad,  but  which  now  is  a  |iart  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy.  Aft»'r  one 
year  with  this  employer,  Jlr.  Bessell  returned 
to  Brooklyn,  determined  to  carry  out  his  plan 
to  engage  in  farm  work.  The  first  year  he 
hired  out  at  .$12  per  month,  and  in  185.5  en- 
tered the  employ  of  .Tanies  Worthington  in  the 
same    capacitj"    but    with    increased    wages,    re- 


ceiving .$18  iier  month  during  the  two  years  he 
remained  in  Mr.  Worthington's  employ.  His  ex- 
perience thus  far  had  covered  all  i)hases  of  farm 
work  and  he  felt  justified  in  starting  out  on  his 
own  behalf.  I'urchasing  a  team,  he  rented  land 
from  his  former  employer.  Mr.  Worthington,  and 
in  addition  in  its  cultivation  also  took  a  con- 
tract to  clear  a  thirty -acre  tr.ict  of  heavy  timber 
for  Mr.  Worthington.  He  accomiilished  the  un- 
dertaking and  from  the  timber  made  rails  to 
fence  his  farm. 

It  was  about  this  time,  in  March,  1800,  that 
Mr.  Bessell  formed  domestic  ties  b.v  his  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Anna  Bruce,  a  native  of  Mahon- 
ing County,  Ohio,  and  .soon  afterwarTi  the  young 
peoi)le  set  \ip  housekit-ping  in  a  double  log  caliin 
on  tlie  eighty-acre  tract  rented  from  Mr.  Worth- 
ington. Before  the  little  home  «as  completed, 
however,  the  wife  was  called  home,  .\pril  0. 
l.S(;2,  leaving  a  child  two  weeks  old,  to  whom  they 
had  given  the  name  of  Anna.  The  latter  did 
not  long  survive,  her  death  occurring  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year.  After  this  hcreave- 
inent  Mr.  Bessell  once  more  turned  his  energies 
to  the  clearing  of  the  land  and  also  completed  the 
house.  His  second  marriage,  April  14,  1.8(^1, 
united  him  with  Mrs,  Harriet  (Colt)  Whilson, 
widow  of  the  Kev.  .John  T.  Whitson,  by  whom 
she  had  two  sons,  William  H.  and  Warren  C. 
Whitson.  William  11.  Whitson  served  as  a  sol- 
dier iu  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Illinois 
Infanliy.  He  now  has  a  iX)sltion  as  bookkeeper 
in  the  National  S<jldiers'  Home  at  Milwaukee, 
Wis.  By  his  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Mason, 
he  l)ecanie  the  father  of  two  children,  Warren  M. 
and  Stella,  who  married  James  Pickering  of 
Chicago,  but  is  now  deceased.  Warren  C.  Whit- 
son was  united  in  marriage  with  Kate  Black- 
burn, and  now  has  <  barge  of  the  Central  Tele- 
phone ollice  at  Brooklyn,  Schuyler  County. 

After  Mr.  Bes.seirs  second  marriage  he  took 
up  ills  al)ode  in  the  log  cabin  which  he  had  in 
the  meantime  finished,  and  soon  afterward  pur- 
chased from  Mr.  Worthington  127  acres  of  land. 
In  time  the  log  cabin  gave  place  to  a  fine  eight- 
room  dwelling,  and  he  also  erected  good  barns 
and  (mtbuiidings  for  the  protection  of  stock  and 
machinerj-.  One  child  was  Ixirn  of  Mr.  Bessell's 
second  marriage.  Nettie,  who  was  born  on  the 
home  farm  June  14,  1,8^5,  and  became  the  wife 
of  .loseph  F.  White.  Mr,  White  was  l)orn  and 
reared  in  Brooklyn  Township,  a  son  of  W.  P. 
White,  the  latter  one  of  the  most  honored 
))ioneers  of  S<-huyler  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  F.  White  are  now  residents  of  Raton. 
N.  .\i.  Their  daughter  Mabel  is  a  member  of  the 
class  of  1!MIS  of  the  Wesleyan  College  at  Cam- 
eron. Mo,  Mrs.  Harriet  Bessell  passed  away 
Octotwr  4,  1.8!»:'.  mourned  by  fanuly  and  friends, 
who  remember  her  as  a  devoted  Christian  whose 
chief  happiness  was  in  doing  good  to  those 
alx)Ut  her.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

In  Novend)er.  l.S!)4,  Mr,  Be.ssell  was  married 
to  Mary  B.  .\gnevv,  a  native  of  Littleton,  Schuy- 
ler Countv,  and  the  daughter  of  David  and  Mar- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


783 


garet  L.  (Tucker)  Agnevv,  natives  of  Erie 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  Spencer  County.  Ind.,  respect- 
ively. P^rom  Erie  Countj',  N.  Y..  Mr.  Agnew  re- 
moved to  Pennsylvania,  and  from  there  came  to 
Schuyler  County,  III.,  some  time  during  the 
forties.  After  liis  marriage  iu  18.5G  he  made  his 
home  in  Uushville  until  1862,  in  which  year  he 
removed  to  Littleton.  It  was  in  ISO."]  that  Mr. 
Bessell  disposed  of  the  home  farm  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  Brooklyn,  and  in  the  beautiful  resi- 
dence which  he  now  owns  is  spending  his  later 
years  free  from  the  labors  which  his  former 
years  of  industry  have  made  possible.  During 
the  seventy-two  years  of  his  life  he  has  made  his 
home  continuously  in  Brooklyn  Township,  and  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  no  citizen  of  his  community 
stands  higher  in  the  estimation  of  friends  and 
neighbors  than  does  Mr  Bessell.  October  1, 
1859,  he  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Brooklyn,  and  during  the  intervening  years  he 
has  been  one  of  the  most  useful  members  and 
officers  of  that  organization,  since  1863  serving 
in  the  ea])aeity  of  elder.  lie  also  represented 
the  Schuyler  Presbytery  in  the  (General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Churcli  when  it  met  in 
Detroit  in  1880.  His  political  .sympathies  have 
always  been  in  favor  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  his  tirst  vote  was  cast  in  favor  of  John  C. 
Fremont. 

BILDERBACK,  William  M.— An  extensive  land- 
holder anil  a  well-to-do  agriculturist.  Jlr.  P.ilder- 
back  is  prosperously  engaged  in  his  indejiendent 
occupation  on  one  of  the  pleasantest  and  most 
desirable  homesteads  in  Schuyler  County.  His 
home  farm  is  finely  located  on  Section  28.  Bir- 
mingham Township  and  comprises  1.S3  1-3  acres 
of  as  flue  land  as  is  to  be  found  in  the  country, 
all  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
While  he  carries  on  general  farming,  raising  the 
usual  grains  and  conunodities  to  be  found  on  an 
Illinois  farm,  it  is  in  the  raising  of  stock  that  he 
takes  his  chief  pleasure  and  on  his  farm  may 
1)6  seen  a  fine  herd  of  Doroc  red  Jersey  hogs 
which  are  eligible  for  registration.  In  his  choice 
of  cattle  he  is  partial  to  the  black  breed,  and 
has  from  twenty-five  to  sixty  head  on  his  fann. 
Mr.  Bilderback  is  a  descendant  of  (Jerman  fore- 
fathers, although  the  family,  for  a  number  of 
generations,  has  been  represented  in  America. 
The  records  state  that  the  grandfather  Bilder- 
back, died  in  Kentucky,  where  he  reared  a  large 
family  of  sons,  among  whom  was  Charles,  the 
■  father  of  William  M.  At  the  death  of  their 
father  the  sons  (Charles.  Alex,  William.  James 
l\nd  John)  left  the  South  to  take  up  life  in  what 
at  that  time  (1S46)  )  was  considered  tlie  frontier, 
■oming  to  Schuyler  Countj'.  III.  Charles  made 
his  choice  of  land  in  Section  28.  Birmingham 
Township,  where  lie  purchased  about  .300  acres 
of  wild,  uncultivated  prairie  land,  far  removed 
from  any  other  white  settler.  The  brothers, 
not  quite  so  venturesome,  selected  a  spot  close 
to  the  tiniber,  and  here  they  worked  together  to 
improve  their  property,  all  the  time  fearing  for 
the  safety  of  tlieir  lirotlier  Charles,  whose  bleak 


location  in  the  open  prairie  made  him  an  easy 
prey  to  the  blasts  of  wind  and  storm  which  were 
no  uncommon  visitors  even  in  the  more  slieltered 
parts.  On  the  land  which  he  had  selected  and 
purchased,  Charles  Bilderback  at  once  began  the 
work  of  improvement,  erecting  a  hewed  frame 
building,  material  for  which  he  hauled  from 
Pulaski,  Adams  County.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage 
with  Sarah  L.  Crawford,  who  proved  a  hel])- 
mate  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  together 
they  labored  to  make  a  comfortable  home  for 
their  children,  of  wliom  there  were  five  in  num- 
ber, namely:  Thomas,  who  died  in  infancy; 
William  M.,  whose  name  heads  this  article: 
Charles  E,  and  John  F.,  both  farmers  in  this 
township :  and  Ida  B.,  the  wife  of  S.  P.  Foster, 
their  home  being  at  St.  Mary.  Hancocck  0)unt.y, 
111.  The  mother  of  these  children  passed  to  her 
reward  in  1881,  and  ten  years  later,  in  1891,  the 
father  was  laid  to  rest,  after  a  life  of  many  years 
spent  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  conununity  where 
in  young  manhood  he  selected  liis  futiu'e  home. 

The  second  child  iu  the  family,  William  M. 
Bilderback  was  born  on  tlie  home  farm  on  Sec- 
tion 28,  Birmingham  Township,  October  15, 
1860 ;  and,  in  fact,  he  has  never  known  any  other 
home,  for  after  the  death  of  the  mother,  the 
farm  was  placed  under  his  management.  His 
educational  training  was  meager,  consisting  only 
of  such  advantages  as  were  offered  in  the  schools 
of  the  Huntsville  district,  liut  nevertheless  he  was 
alert  and  observing,  and  by  well-selected  reading 
lias  become  well  informed  generally,  and  is  an 
agreeable  conversationalist.  When  his  school 
days  were  over,  he  turned  his  attention  to  as- 
sisting in  the  duties  of  the  farm,  and  upon  the 
death  of  his  father,  he  purchased  the  old  home- 
stead iiroperty.  No  opportunity  to  improve  upon 
the  older  methods  of  farming  have  been  lost 
sight  of  by  Mr.  Bilderback,  and  as  a  result  his 
Iiroperty  is  not  only  in  appearance,  but  in  reality, 
one  of  the  most  iirosperous  and  productive  in 
this  jiart  of  Schuyler  Count.v. 

Mr.  Bilderback  was  married,  May  5,  1885,  to 
Miss  Emma  Z.  Harkness,  wlio  was  born  in  Ka- 
hoka.  Mo.,  August  31,  1861,  the  daughter  of 
James  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Stautfer)  Harkness, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  as  early  as  1842 
established  their  home  in  the  wilds  of  Missouri. 
Of  the  nine  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hark- 
ness. those  besides  Mrs.  Bilderback  now  living 
are  as  follows  :  Abraham,  of  Clark  County,  Mo. ; 
.lohn,  of  Lake  City.  Colo.:  George,  a  farmer  of 
Clark  County.  Mo. :  James  and  Frank,  both  resi- 
dents of  Kaiioka.  Mo.;  Jane,  the  wife  of  Henry 
Strickler,  of  Farniington,  Iowa  :  and  Annie,  the 
wife  of  Jasper  Stover,  of  Lake  County,  Cal.  The 
mother  of  these  children  passed  away  in  1900, 
but  the  father  is  still  living  in  Kahoka,  Mo.,  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-four  year.s.  Eight  chil- 
dren blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bil- 
derback, as  follows :  Arthur  Glenn,  who  died 
when  seven  yeai-s  of  age :  Tivis  E.,  who  was  born 
Augiist  18,  1888.  and  is  now  a  student  in  the 
State  Normal  University.  Normal.  111. ;  Troy  P., 


78i 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


who  was  born  Jauuary  I'J,  ISOO ;  William  R., 
born  April  30,  1S1J2 ;  Quiutiu  B.,  boru  October 
22,  1S!J5 ;  Hernuin  II.,  bom  Febraary  9,  IS'JT ; 
Charles  S..  born  December  7,  1S9S ;  and  James 
Clifford,  boru  December  28,  1901.  ^Ybile  not 
associated  with  any  denomination,  Mr.  Bilderback 
gives  with  a  libei'al  band  to  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  wbicb  bis  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber, and  in  fact  throughout  his  life  has  contrili- 
uted  generousl.v  to  both  church  and  Sunday 
school  nork,  regardless  of  deuomiuatiou.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  l)elicver  in  Democratic  principles, 
and  carries  out  this  belief  by  supporting  the  can- 
didates of  that  party.  Socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Huntsville,  111.,  and 
of  Augusta  Camp,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
The  fact  that  .Mr.  Bilderback  has  spent  his  entire 
life  iu  his  present  locality  makes  him  guard  its 
interests  with  a  jealous  eye,  and  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  no  project  ivhicb  has  for  its  object  the  bet- 
terment of  the  comnmnity,  fails  to  receive  his 
support,  iu  fact,  he  has,  himself,  inaugurated 
many  beneficial  measures.  He  has  a  hospitable 
nature,  and  both  himself  and  wife  are  surrounded 
by  many  friends  and  well-wishers. 

BLACK,  Franklin  P.— The  name  of  Franklin 
P.  Black  is  a.ssociated  with  .successful  agriculture 
and  stock  raising,  with  education,  clean  ixil- 
itics  and  other  enlightening  agencies,  and  iu 
character  with  the  dignity  and  honor  and  abil- 
ity of  a  fine  old  pioneer  family  established  iu 
the  wilds  of  Schuyler  County  by  his  grandfather, 
Richard  Black,  in  l,S2r>.  .Mr.  Black  was  bom  in 
Littleton  Townshiji,  Schuyler  County,  June  l.'J, 
1870,  one  of  the  family  of  four  sons  and  two 
daughters  of  William  T.  Black,  who  was  four 
.vears  old  when  brought  to  Schuyler  County  from 
Dubois  County,  lud.,  where  he  was  bom  in  1821. 
When  Franklin  1'.,  was  a  little  over  eleven  years 
old  (in  18(;S),  he  came  with  the  rest  of  thelam- 
ily  to  the  farm  be  now  occupies  in  Section  11, 
Woodstock  Townsbi]),  and  with  the  exception 
of  temporary  absences,  has  made  this  his  home 
ever  since. 

The  .vouth  of  Mr.  Black  was  devoted  to  work 
on  the  iiaternal  farm,  to  attendance  at  the  dis- 
trict school,  .-uui  to  such  diversions  and  opiwrtu- 
nities  as  the  neigliburhood  afforded.  At  the  age 
of  twenty -one  years  he  rented  a  farm  and  en- 
gaged in  produce  raising  on  his  own  responsibil- 
ity. February  2.  1879.  be  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Sarah  Kennedy,  born  in  Woodstock 
Township  April  1,  1859.  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Betty  (Wheel house)  Kennedy,  the  former  of 
mi.xed  Oermnn  and  Irish  ancestry,  the  latter 
coming  from  Yorkshire.  England,  when  eleven 
years  of  age.  Isaac  Kenneily  was  Ihijti  in 
Ohio  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1S.")8.  settling  on 
a  farm  in  Woodstock  Township,  where  his  death 
occurred  March  29,  1883.  After  his  death  his 
wife  made  her  home  there  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Black,  and  there  her  life  came  to  an  end 
July  16.  1904.  Of  the  four  children  in  the  Ken- 
nedy family,  Z.  B..  is  a  resident  of  Littleton 
Township,    Schuyler    County ;     Robert     lives     in 


Beardstowii,  III.:  and  Ilauna  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Chalkley,  of  Lincoln,  111.  For  two  years 
after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  occu- 
pied the  old  Black  homestead,  then  moved  to  a 
farm  a  little  to  the  south,  in  189::!  locating  again 
iu  Section  Id,  nhere  they  lived  until  returning 
to  the  Bhulv  farm  to  care  for  the  old  folks  in 
189,").  Tlieir  loving  care  of  the  couple  who  had 
weathered  the  hardships  of  the  frontier  and  risen 
to  allluence  by  reason  of  toil  and  good  judgment, 
was  thoroughly  characteristic  of  Mr.  and  Mi's. 
Black,  and  the  family  circle  was  narrowed  Octo- 
ber 2,  1900,  by  the  death  of  the  father,  and 
March  10,  1902.  by  the  death  of  the  mother. 
They  were  members  of  the  Primitive  Baptist 
Church. 

'Po  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  have  been  born  the 
following  children :  William  Robert,  born  May 
18,  1881,  farming  part  of  the  old  homestead,  and 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  and  breeding  reg- 
istered Poland-China  hogs — is  husband  of  Bessie 
(Briggs)  Black,  and  father  of  Robert  Karl 
Black :  Homer,  l)om  June  l(i,  1884,  died  Octolier 
(),  18,84;  and  (Jrover  C,  horn  February  15,  1887. 
gradu.ited  from  the  medical  department  of 
Washington  I'niversity  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  .May 
28,  1!MI8,  and  now  one  of  the  staff  of  St.  Francis 
Hospital  at  Macomb,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black 
have  given  their  children  every  advantage  iu 
their  i)ower,  and  all  sustain  the  family  reputa- 
tion for  ability  and  general  worth.  William  and 
Grover  C.  are  both  graduates  of  the  Rushville 
Normal  School  and  Business  College.  At  the 
present  time  Mr.  Black  owns  150  acres  of  land, 
,all  of  it  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
has  a  lai*ge  and  comfortable  niral  home,  ample 
facilities  for  caring  for  products  and  stock,  and 
he  makes  a  specialty  of  Poland-China  hogs,  Red- 
Polled  c.-ittle.  and  roadster  horses.  He  is  a  re- 
sourceful and  practical  farmer,  accepting  such 
innovations  as  appeal  to  his  judgment  and  dis- 
cretion, and  is  a  constant  seeker  after  the  ways 
whicli  broaden  and  refine  country  existence.  Of 
unquestioned  integrity  and  more  than  average 
business  ability,  he  has  received  many  proofs  of 
confideiice  on  the  part  of  his  fellow-townsmen, 
ami  in  his  inunediate  family  he  is  looked  up  to 
as  the  sold  of  honor,  his  settlement  of  his  fath- 
er's large  estate  without  bond  having  proved  per- 
fectly satisfactory  to  all  concerned.  Mr.  Black 
is  a  Democrat  in  jwlltics.  and  always  has  refused 
political  position. 

BLACK,  John  Rollo.— The  administration  of 
no  Superintendent  of  Schools  of  Schuyler  County 
has  gi\en  more  general  satisfaction  than  has  that 
of  John  Rollo  Black,  the  present  incumbent  of 
the  office.  Energetic,  practical,  and  progressive, 
and  thoroughly  alive  to  the  needs  and  possibili- 
ties of  those  entrusted  to  his  supervision,  this 
young  educator  seems  to  absorb  and  give  out  in 
abundant  measure  the  virile  spirit  of  the  prairies, 
from  which  he  sprung,  and  over  which  still 
broods  the  indonntable,  all  conquering  influence 
of  the  pioneers.  Born  at  Quincv.  111.,  February 
14.  1877.  Mr.  Black  is  a  son  of  John  II..  and  Tell- 


3-^iyi/ty>.J^     ^Lcf-cri^ 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


785 


tlia  (Parke)  Black,  natives  of  IlliiiDis,  gratulsou 
of  James  I'.  Black,  of  Kentucky,  and  great-^'ranJ- 
sou  of  Richard  Black  of  North  Carolina.  Ilis  ma- 
ternal grandfather  was  O.  H.  Parke  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  Blacks  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  many  of  the  family's  numerous  representa- 
tives have  been  conspicuous  in  the  military,  po- 
litical, commercial  and  educational  affairs  of 
America. 

Reared  on  a  farm  in  the  southern  part  of 
Schuyler  County,  to  which  his  parents  moved 
from  Quiucy  in  1882,  Mr.  Black  attended  the 
district  schools  and  the  Rushville  Normal,  and 
I'rom  1897  until  li:)02  was  engaged  in  school 
teaching  in  different  parts  of  the  county.  During 
this  time  he  applied  himself  with  such  assi- 
duity that  he  passed,  with  excellent  standing,  the 
e.xaniination  for  the  State  teacher's  certificate 
which  he  now  holds.  He  has  been  a  loyal  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party  ever  since  at- 
taining his  majority,  and  in  1902  was  elected 
Superintendent  of  Schools  for  Schuyler  County 
by  a  large  majority.  Though  the  discharge  of 
this  respousibility  necessarily  is  arduous  and 
taxing,  Mr.  Black  finds  time  and  strength  for 
the  publication  of  a  school  paper  called  the 
"Schuyler  County  School  Visitor,"  which,  be- 
cause of  the  breadth  of  the  views  expressed  and 
the  couiiirehensive  ground  covereil,  is  proving  a 
moulding  factor  along  educational  lines  in  the 
county. 

On  December  2.5,  1902,  Mr.  Black  was  married 
to  Daisy  M.  Dennis,  who  was  born  in  Rushville, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the 
Jacksonville  Woman's  College.  Mr.  Black  is 
prominent  socially,  and  is  identified  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  The  life  of  Mr.  Black  is 
dominated  by  a  high  sense  of  responsibility,  and 
by  unfaltering  devotion  to  the  work  for  which 
nature  and  training  have  admiralily  fitted  him. 
He  has  synijiathy,  personal  magnetism,  and  the 
faculty  of  getting  near  to  the  hearts  of  the  stu- 
dent class.  He  understands  the  yimtli  of  the 
land,  his  amiiitions,  temptations  and  possibilities, 
and  therefore  can  be  of  use  to  him. 

BLACK,  William  T.,  ( deceased  )  .—From  182.-) 
until  his  death.  October  2,  1900,  William  T. 
Black  was  associated  with  Schuyler  County,  as 
a  boy,  contributing  his  small  strength  to  the 
lifting  of  pioneer  hardships,  and,  as  a  man,  gain- 
ing that  outlook  and  independence  which  comes 
of  work  well  done  and  responsibilities  nobly 
borne.  Mr.  Black's  p.-irents  were  among  the  first 
permanent  settlers  in  Woodstock  Township,  com- 
ing Ironi  Dubois  County.  Ind.,  where  the  son 
was  born  March  18,  1821.  The  journey  was 
made  with  a  wagon  and  team  during  the  sum- 
mer of  182.5.  and  in  a  clearing  a  rude  cabin  was 
erected,  bct«-een  the  walls  of  which  was  enacted 
a  chapter  of  that  historj'  which,  with  its  rude 
accessories  of  existence,  its  demands  uiion  the 
courage  and  fortitude  of  the  race,  and  its  ex- 
pressions  of    si)lendid    purpose    and    hope,    have 


slipped  forever  into  the  recesses  of  a  never-to-be 
again,  but  unforgetable  past. 

None  of  the  hardships,  discouragements,  limi- 
tations or  diversions  of  the  early  days  of  the 
county  were  absent  from  the  youth  of  William 
T.  Black.  Far  from  breaking  his  spirit  or  de- 
veloping discouragement  and  inertia,  the,v  im- 
pelled to  a  strong  and  reliant  manhood,  to  a 
character  the  integrity  and  worth  of  which 
never  was  questioned,  and  developed  a  capacity 
which  found  its  sphere  and  reward  in  the  hard 
toil  of  the  farm.  During  the  winter  season  he 
walked  a  long  distance  to  a  log  school  house, 
where  the  common  branches  were  intermingled 
with  a  liberal  use  of  the  birch  rod,  and  where 
the  pupils  performed  all  of  the  tasks,  such  as 
sweeping,  lighting  the  fire  and  bringing  in  the 
water.  At  the  age  of  twenty-tive  years  Mr. 
Black  started  on  his  independent  career,  renting 
a  farm  in  Woodstock  Township  for  one  year,  and 
then  removing  to  Rushville  Township,  where  he 
was  married,  October  .SO,  1842,  to  Mathilda 
Matheny,  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  and 
born  March  29,  1823.  Mrs.  Black's  parents  were 
Andrew  and  Sarah  (Harris)  Matheny,  natives 
of  New  England  and  Virginia,  respectively,  and 
they  came  to  Illinois  in  18:»,  purchasing  the 
farm  in  Schuyler  County  upon  which  the  balance 
of  their  lives  was  spent.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren and  were  fairly  prosperous,  developing  one 
of  the  fine  farms  and  delightful  homes  in  their 
township.  On  both  sides  of  the  family  there 
were  forefathers  who  bore  their  muskets  upon  the 
battlefields  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  who 
were  closely  identified  with  the  agricultural  and 
business  activities  of  the  East  and  South. 

In  1849  Mr.  Black  bought  120  acres  of  land, 
built  a  sm.all  frame  dwelling,  and  in  1868  sold 
this  property  and  purchased  280  acres  in  Wood- 
stock Township.  In  1800  he  built  the  residence 
which  remained  his  home  for  the  rest  of  his  life, 
and  carried  on  geneal  farming  and  stock-raising 
with  increasing  success.  Of  the  six  children 
who  came  to  brighten  his  home,  .\ustin.  a  farmer 
of  Woodstock  Township,  married  Nancy  King, 
and  had  one  son ;  Athalinda  is  the  wife  of  Rich- 
ard Kittering.  and  has  two  sons;  Harriet  died 
at  the  age  of  forty-two  years:  William  H.  mar- 
ried Rachel  Boiles.  and  h;is  five  sons  and  two 
daughters;  Richard  married  .Tane  Stevens,  and 
has  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Franklin  P. 
married  Sarah  Kennedy,  and  is  mentioned  else- 
where in  this  work.  Politically.  Mr.  William 
T.  Black  favored  the  Democr.itic  party,  but  was 
liberal  in  his  views  and,  es]icci.nlly  in  local  mat- 
ters, believed  in  voting  for  the  man  irrespective 
of  party.  He  was  honored  by  election  to  va- 
i-ions  township  oHices,  and  invariably  discharged 
his  duties  with  courage  and  fidelity.  In  his  reli- 
L'ious  views  he  was  a  Baptist  and  a  memlier  of 
the  Primitive  Baptist  Church,  and  was  generous 
in  his  contributions  to  the  support  of  the  church 
and  its  missions.  He  was  universally  respected 
and  many  people  mourned  the  passing  from  tlieir 
ken  of  his  fine  and  sympathetic  personality. 


786 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


BLACKBURN,  Bryson  M.,  one  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  Scljuxlcr  t'oniity,  1)1.,  where  he  has 
beeu  successlully  eugajied  in  fanning  in  Brook- 
lyn Township,  for  more  than  fifty-live  years,  al- 
ways niaintaining  a  high  standing  as  a  tanner 
and  as  a  citizen,  was  born  in  Ohio,  on  the  dividing 
line  between  Handlton  and  Butler  Counties,  Oc- 
tol>er  i'!,  ISi'S,  lie  is  a  son  of  James  and  Nei>i)ie 
(Sparks)  Blackburn,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Ken- 
tucky, respectively.  The  jjaterual  grandfat-her, 
Bryson  Blackburn,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and 
Matthew  Sjiarks,  the  grandfather  on  the  mater- 
nal side,  was  liorn  in  Maryland.  Tlie  Blackliurns 
are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  while  the  Sparks 
family  originated  in  France.  .Tames  Blacklmrn, 
father  of  Brj-son  M.,  who  was  a  physician  and 
surgeon,  was  born  in  IfSKo,  In  boyhood  he  was 
bound  out  to  learn  the  tanner's  trade,  and  boot 
and  shoe  making.  This  occupation  not  being  to 
his  liking,  he  turned  his  attention  to  medicine, 
fitting  himself  for  practi<>e  under  tlie  tutorship 
of  the  famous  Dr.  Thomas  of  Cincinnati.  His 
fannly  came  to  Schuylci-  County  in  ls;!(>.  and  ho 
soon  after  aciiuircd  a  patent  for  eighty  acres  of 
government  land  in  Brooklyn  Township,  liut  after 
locating  on  it  and  making  im]irovements,  dis- 
covered a  defect  in  the  title,  another  man  having 
a  prior  claim.  He  then  entered  up  a  tract  of  1(K) 
acres,  which  included  a  jiart  of  the  site  of  the 
present  village  of  Brooklyn,  and  establishing  his 
residence  on  it,  aiiplicd  himself  to  practice  as  a 
physician,  his  prai-tice  extending  from  forty  to 
sixty  nules  from  his  home.  In  course  of  time  he 
sold  his  farm,  and  bought  a  tract  of  'MiO  acres  in 
Sections  10  and  21,  all  of  which  was  covered 
with  timber.  After  clearing  a  portion  of  it,  lie 
built  a  large  dwelling,  wliich  was  destroyed  by 
fire  eleven  years  later.  Dr.  .lames  Blackliiiru  de- 
parted this  life  in  December.  1S.52,  his  wife,  who 
was  born  in  1S04,  passing  away  in  ]S7(i.  Their 
family  consisted  of  five  sons  and  four  daughters, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth. 

What  schooling  Bryson  M.  Blackliurn  was  able 
to  obtain  was  received  in  the  primary  schools  of 
Brooklyn  Township,  and  he  remained  on  the 
home  place,  taking  part  in  the  work  until  the 
time  of  his  marriage.  He  learned  the  carpent<'r's 
trade  in  his  early  youth,  and  from  18.52  to  ]8.')0 
was  engaged  in  that  occupation  at  Huntsville, 
111.,  which  was  his  home  during  this  iwriod.  In 
the  latter  year,  he  moved  to  a  tract  of  eiglity 
acres  in  Section  20.  Brooklyn  Township,  adjoin- 
ing the  village  of  Brooklyn  on  the  north.  The 
land  contained  no  improvements  and  was  mostly 
covered  with  brush.  Jlr.  Blackburn  built  the 
house  now  occupied  by  him,  20  by  10  feet,  with 
an  ell,  and  has  increased  the  extent  of  his 
landed  property  by  two  purchases,  adding  sev- 
enty acres  in  Section  17,  which  adjoin  the  orig- 
inal eighty  acres.  This  place  he  thoroughly  im- 
proved, continuing  his  work  as  a  earjjenter  until 
l.sno.  after  which  he  devoted  his  whole  attention 
to  operation  of  the  farm. 

On  March  18.  1.852.  Mr.  Blackburn  was  joined 
in    matrimony    with    Susan    F.    Overstreet,    who 


was  born  in  Kentucky,  February  15,  1820,  a 
daughter  of  Buckley  and  Nancy  (Brumlield) 
Overstreet,  natives  of  that  State.  From  this  un- 
ion nine  children  have  resulted,  as  follows: 
Kate,  bom  December  22,  1852;  James  Levi,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Frances  A,,  born  June  10,  1857; 
William  Frederick,  born  January  18,  1,S59; 
Nancy  I'euelope,  born  October  9,  1.800;  ilary 
Minerva,  Ixim  September  5,  1802;  Kobert  Ho- 
mer, jjorn  July  11,  1864;  Elizabeth,  l)oru  March 
22.  1.8(iO.  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  months, 
ami  Charles,  who  also  died  in  infancy.  Of  the 
children  still  surviving,  Kate,  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter, became  the  wife  of  Warren  Whitson,  a  resi- 
dent of  Brooklyn,  III.;  Frances  A.  is  at  home; 
William  F.  lives  in  Brooklyn  Township;  Nancy 
I*,  was  married  to  Charles  Duell.  and  resides  in 
i'ike  County,  111.;  Mary  M.  (Mrs.  Oeorge  Kreu- 
ter)  lives  at  Doddsville,  McDonough  County,  111.; 
and  Kobert  II.  follows  farming  on  the  home 
place. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Blackburn  is  a  supporter  of 
the  I'rohibitiou  party,  and  has  rendered  credita- 
ble public  service  in  the  ollice  of  Koad  Commis- 
sioner. He  and  his  faithful  wife,  for  nearly 
three-score  yeai-s  the  helpful  companion  of  his 
joys  and  sorrows,  are  communicants  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episc-opal  Church.  Both  are  regarded  with 
the  higliest  respect. 

BLACKBURN,  Orville,  still  in  iwssession  of 
his  mental  and  Inidily  faculties,  witli  scarcely 
percei)tible  impairment  through  waning  years,  is 
one  of  the  most  vigorous  and  sjuightly  survivors 
of  the  pioneer  period  of  Central  Illinois.  When 
his  life  ln'gan  in  Schuyler  County,  which  has  al- 
ways been  his  home  except  for  a  brief  time  in 
childhood,  the  region  was  mainly  a  wilderness, 
aliounding  in  wild  beasts  and  game.  Wolves,  wild 
ileer.  prairie  cliickens  and  wild  turkeys  were 
plentiful  in  all  directions.  In  the  years  succeed- 
ing his  youthful  experience,  the  .scythe,  the  sickle, 
the  Hail,  the  antique  plow,  and  all  the  crude 
contrivances  whereby  the  teilious  and  laborious 
process  of  pioneer  farming  were  carried  on,  have 
vanished.  These  relics  of  primitive  times  have 
given  place  to  the  most  complete  devices  in  agri- 
cultural implements  and  machines  that  modern 
ingenuity  can  design,  the  low  lands  have  all  been 
drained,  the  timlwr  has  mostly  disappeared,  vil- 
lages, schools,  churches,  stores,  public  buildings 
and  tasteful  habitations  brighten  the  landscape, 
and  still  the  sturdy  pioneer  to  whom  this  narra- 
tive pertains,  a  forceful  remiiuU'r  of  a  former 
generation,  pursues  the  even  tenor  of  his  way 
near  the  siiot  where  he  was  ushered  into  life.  But 
he  has  witnessed  a  wondrous  transformation, 
keeping  pace  with  the  marvelous  develoi)ment, 
and  doing  his  full  share  in  pushing  forward  all 
the  movements  that  have  made  his  locality  what 
it  is  today. 

.Mr.  ISlackburn  was  liom  in  Rushville.  Schuy- 
ler County,  111..  April  20.  1832,  a  son  of  James 
and  Neppie  (Sparks)  Blackburn,  natives  of  Ohio 
and  Kentucky  respectively.  When  he  was  a  lit- 
tle boy  his  parents  moved  to  Plymouth,  Hancock 


HISTOEY  OF  vSCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


787 


County.  111.,  rt'turuiug  five  years  Inter  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  locating  in  Brooklyn  Towusbip, 
near  the  village  of  Brooklyn,  In  early  youth 
Orville  Blackburn  attended  the  subscriiition 
schools  of  those  times,  and  grew  up  on  bis  fath- 
er's farm.  The  latter  died  in  18.j2,  and  Orville 
remained  on  the  home  place  with  his  mother 
for  some  years.  After  bis  marriage  be  still 
took  care  of  the  homestead  farming  until  ISOiJ. 
His  mother  passed  away  in  1S7(J.  In  18('i(;,  to- 
gether with  his  brother-in-law,  John  Henry 
Walker,  he  bought  a  farm,  and  seven  years  later, 
traded  bis  interest  in  it  tor  75  acres  of  land  on 
Crooked  Creek  Ixittoms,  in  the  southwest  jiart  of 
Brooklyn  Township.  To  this  he  afterwards  ad- 
ded eighty  acres,  and  lived  there  until  1903. 
Meantime,  he  and  bis  two  sons  purchased  270 
acres  one  mile  south  of  Littleton,  111..  .jO  acres  of 
which  were  timber  land.  He  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  with  his  brother.  Bryson,  doing 
all  the  building  in  this  section  in  early  days,  and 
carrying  on  his  farming  operations  at  the  same 
time.  He  was  one  of  the  first  grain  raisers  in 
this  part  of  the  county.  In  I'.iOo  he  sold  the 
farm  on  Crooked  Creek  Bottoms,  and  bought  12.j 
acres  in  Section  29.  adjoining  the  village  of 
Brooklyn  on  the  east,  where  he  now  resides. 

The  marriage  of  Jlr.  Blackburn  took  place 
June  22,  1802,  on  wbii-b  date  he  was  wedded  to 
Sarah  Walker,  who  w:is  bom  in  Hardin  County, 
K.V.,  in  November,  18:'>7.  llrs.  Blackliurn.  a  most 
faithful  wife  and  devoted  mother,  is  a  daughter 
of  I'helix  and  Rachael  (Watts)  Walker,  natives 
of  the  county  where  her  birth  occurred.  Three 
children  resulted  from  this  union,  as  follows : 
Edgar,  born  .Tuly  15..  ISiio.  who  lives  on  the  home 
place ;  Anna  Belle,  Ijorn  in  July,  1870,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  James  King,  of  Windom.  Kan. ; 
and  Ray,  born  January  29,  187.'),  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Brooklyn  Township. 

In  politics.  Jlr.  Blackburn  was  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party  until  the  time  of  the  Civil 
War.  and  in  recent  years,  has  acted  with  the 
Prohibitionists.  He  has  rendered  creditable  serv- 
ice on  the  School  Board,  and  also  held  the  office 
of  Trustee.  In  religion,  he  and  his  excellent 
wife  are  adherents  of  the  faith  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  Both  are  regarded  with  profound 
respect. 

BOICE,  John  H. — The  American  progenitor  of 

the  Boice  family,  so  long  identified  with  Schuy- 
ler County,  was  George  JIathew  Boice,  an  Eng- 
lish soldier,  who,  ujion  arriving  on  this  side  of 
the  water,  espoused  the  cause  of  the  down-trod- 
den colonists,  and  carried  a  musket  through 
many  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Eventually  he  cast  his  fortunes  with  the  State 
of  Virginia,  and  from  there  moved  to  Ohio,  in 
both  States  following  the  occupation  of  farming. 
A  relic  of  this  soldier  and  pioneer  is  a  bull's-eye 
watch,  which  still  keeps  good  time,  and  now  is 
the  prized  possession  of  his  great-grandson  and 
namesake,  George  Mathew  Boice,  of  Schuyler 
County. 

John  Boice,  son  of  the  Revolutionary  soldier. 


and  a  native  of  Virginia,  came  to  Sciniyler 
Count.v  at  an  early  day,  liringing  with  him  his 
family,  which  included  (Jeorge  Mathew  Boice, 
then  a  small  lad  who  was  reared  on  the  Rush- 
ville  Township  farm,  George  Mathew  had  the 
average  oiii)ortimities  of  his  time  and  place,  and 
upon  attaining  maturity,  married  Catherine  Nel- 
son, his  childhood  playmate,  who  also  had  come 
to  the  county  with  her  parents.  IleniT  and  Mary 
(Teel)  Nelson,  settling  in  Frederick  Township. 
Catherine  Nelson  was  born  in  Ohio.  The  young 
couple  rented  a  farm  north  of  Kushville  after 
their  marriage,  and  in  18.54  bought  120  acres  of 
land  in  Section  23,  Rushville  Township,  which 
at  that  time  had  few  improvements  save  a  few 
acres  of  cleared  land  and  a  log  cabin.  Here  the 
family  lived  until  the  death  of  the  parents,  the 
father  dying  in  1S79,  and  his  wife  in  1863,  They 
were  jTermitted  to  witness  many  changes  ere  they 
took  their  departure,  the  heavy  timber  having 
been  cleared  away,  and  the  old  log  cal)in  having 
l)een  sujiplanted  by  a  frame  dwelling  of  more  re- 
cent construction.  Mr.  Boice  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  with  his  wife,  a  devout  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children:  Mary  C  who  died 
at  the  age  of  three  years ;  John  H.,  now  operat- 
ing the  old  farm;  Augustus  R..  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years ;  Ella,  wife  of  George 
W.  Trone,  a  jirominent  farmer  and  citizen  of 
Itushville ;  Lizzie  May,  widow  of  George  S.  Har- 
rington, and  a  resident  of  Ashland,  Oregon,  and 
George  Warren,  a  medical  practitioner  of  Chi- 
cago. 

John  H.  Boice.  operating  the  old  Boice  home- 
stead, was  born  within  a  few  rods  of  where  he 
now  lives  in  Section  23,  Rushville  Township, 
April  14.  18.52.  As  the  oldest  son  and  living 
child  in  the  family,  he  was  taught  to  make  him- 
self useful  around  the  farm  at  .an  age  when  most 
lioys  are  more  interested  in  pleasure  than  work, 
and  naturally  has  succeeded  to  tbe  entire  man- 
agement of  the  property.  No  uncertain  aspira- 
tions have  led  him  away  from  the  occupation  of 
his  youth,  or  lessened  in  a  single  degree  his  ap- 
preciation of  its  dignify  and  worth.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stoclc  raising,  and 
in  the  past  made  quite  a  fortune  out  of  Berk- 
shire hogs,  which  at  present  he  raises  only  in 
limited  numbers.  He  is  at  present  devoting  his 
attention  to  Angora  goats,  and  has  on  hand 
eighteen  head  of  the  finest  to  be  found  anywhere 
in  this  part  of  the  country. 

As  a  Democrat  in  excellent  standing  Mr.  Boice 
has  held  many  important  township  offices,  and 
fraternally  is  connected  with  the  Jlodern  Wood- 
men of  America.  Both  he  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  thus 
maintaining  the  family  precedent  in  religion. 
.\ugust  6.  1873,  Mr.  Boice  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Elizabeth  J.  '^niitsee.  a  native  of  In- 
diana, and  daughter  of  Fred  and  Eliza  (Souther- 
land)  Whitsee.  Tbe  Whitsees  came  early  to 
Schuyler  County,  locating  in  Rushville.  where 
the  father  died,  and  whence  the  mother  removed 
to  her  present   home  in  Pekin.   111.     Mi-s.   Boice 


788 


HISTOIJY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


has  living  two  sisters  and  two  brothers :  Rose, 
wife  of  Wesley  Boice,  of  CofCeyville,  Kau. ;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  James  Sweet,  of  Pekin,  111. ; 
Charles,  a  farmer  in  Chalmers  Township,  Mc- 
Donough  County,  111.;  and  Frank,  of  CofCoyville. 
Kan.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boiee  have  been  born  si.\ 
children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy ;  Charles 
married  Ilcttii'  Mahitty.  and  has  one  child:  Clar- 
ence is  a  fanner  in  Kushville  Town.ship;  Everett 
Ray  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years :  Frederick 
G.  is  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  Business  Col- 
lege, class  of  1905;  Lysle  will  graduate  from  the 
same  institution  in  inOS ;  and  Luhi  Elliertine  is 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Boice  is  a  conscientious  and 
painstaking  man.  his  heart  ever  open  to  the  de- 
mands upon  its  sympathy  and  consideration,  and 
his  purse-strings  drawn  in  many  causes  of  char- 
ity or  misfortune. 

BONSER,  Henry.— A  substitntial  farmer  and 
progressive  citizen  of  Bainbridge  Township. 
Schuyler  County,  was  born  in  a  little  log  cabin 
on  the  Hill,  situated  in  Section  18,  Bainl)ri,lge 
Township,  and  his  birthplace  was  also  the  scene 
of  his  parents'  death.  On  the  home  farm,  which 
he  operated  for  many  years  both  before  and  af- 
ter his  marriage,  he  resided  until  1S'.I.">.  wlien  he 
removed  to  his  jiresent  beautiful  home  in  Section 
9.  At  th.-it  time,  however,  he  bought  only  two 
acres  of  ground,  to  which  ho  has  continuously 
added  until  he  is  the  owner  of  181  acres,  lying 
in  a  body  and  highly  improved.  1 1  is  pleasant 
and  valuable  homestead  is  in  both  Sections  9 
and  If),  and  as  the  fine  improvements  u|K)n  it 
have  been  the  results  of  his  own  industry  and 
forethought,  he  is  excusable  if  he  views  the  place 
with  a  large  degree  of  pride. 

IIenr>-  Bonser  was  born  February  .').  1S.")2. 
a  sou  of  William  Thomas  and  Emeline  (Ste- 
phens) Bonser.  his  father  lieiiig  a  native  of  Eng- 
land who  came  to  .\morica  when  a  young  man 
and  settled  in  Schuyler  County.  Here  he  mar- 
ried, his  wife  lieing  a  native  of  Kentucky  who 
migrated  to  Indiana  when  a  child,  thence  com- 
ing with  her  parents  to  Schuyler  County.  .Vfter 
their  marriage  Mr.  Bonser  and  wife  settled  in 
Section  1(5,  Bainbridge  Township,  and  upon  the 
farm  there  were  born  their  eleven  children, 
namely:  Keziah.  now  the  widow  of  a  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Rawson.  a  resident  of  Huntsville  Town- 
ship; Eliza,  wife  of  William  Suggett.  who  lives 
in  Alta.  Canada ;  William,  who  served  in  the 
Civil  War  as  a  member  of  the  Seventeenth  Il- 
linois \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  is  now  a  farmer 
of  Phelps  County.  Neb. ;  .Tohu.  who  served  in 
Company  G,  Twenty-eighth  Illinois  Volunte<'r 
Infantry,  for  a  period  of  three  years,  and  died 
in  June.  1897 :  Nancy  J.,  wife  of  A.  J.  Vanorder. 
whose  husltand  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Illinois  (seeing  over  four  and  a  half 
year.s'  setTice)  and  is  now  a  farmer  of  Oakland 
Township,  Schuyler  County  :  James,  who  joined 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Illinoins  Infan- 
try, died  while  in  the  service  of  the  Union  and 
was  buried  at  Columbus.  Ga. :  Thomas  and  Mil- 
burn,  farmers  of  Phelps  Co\mty,  Neb. ;  Henry  A., 


of  this  review ;  Edward  and  Marion,  also  agri- 
culturists of  Phelps  County,  Neb.  The  father  of 
this  family  died  in  the  little  log  cabin  which  he 
had  erected  on  Section  10  during  the  year  18(>1, 
the  mother  surviving  him  for  nearly  twenty  years 
and  lollowing  her  husband  in  iS'S.',.  Both  were 
faithful  members  of  the  I'nion  Bajilist  Church, 
and  wi're  highly  honored  by  all  as  good  parents, 
kindly  neighbors  aud  truly  useful  factors  of  their 
home  comnumity. 

Henry  Bonser  was  reared  to  the  life  of  a 
f.irmer  from  early  boyhood,  assisting  his  father 
on  the  home  place,  attending  the  district  school, 
aud  faithfully  i)erforming  such  otlier  duties  as 
fall  to  him  who  is  convinced  that  he  has  found 
his  useful  place  in  the  world,  and  has  no  desire 
to  exjieriment  in  other  fields.  As  the  older  mem- 
bers of  the  family  left  the  homestead,  the  girls 
to  marry  and  the  hoys  to  prepare  homes  of  their 
own.  Ilenrj-  A.  was  jilaied  in  charge  of  the  old 
farm,  as  the  lather  had  died  wheu  the  son  was 
only  twelve  years  of  age.  The  mother  continued 
to  reside  on  the  family  homestead  until  her 
death  in  189:i. 

Mr.  Bonser  wa.s  married  in  the  fall  of  1873 
to  .Miss  Sarah  Quinn,  a  native  of  Schuyler 
County,  III.,  aud  a  daughter  of  Selathiel  IJuinn 
and  Elizal>elh  Gillespie  (as  she  was  known  in 
maidenhood).  The  wile  and  mother  died  June 
1(1,  1907,  her  husband  having  already  passed 
awa.v  while  journeying  to  Indiana  to  make  a 
visit  to  friends.  Mr.  Bonser  remained  upon  the 
farm  where  he  was  bora  until  1.S9.5,  when,  as 
stated,  he  removed  with  his  family  to  the  site 
of  his  i)resent  fine  homestead  and  commenced 
to  make  the  purchases  and  improvements  which 
have  resulted  in  its  establislimeiit.  These  two 
homesteads,  endeared  by  so  many  filial  and  mar- 
ital as.sociatioiis,  have  witnessed  the  coming  of 
eleven  children  to  the  family  circle  of  Mr.  aud 
Jlrs.  Henry  A.  Bonser,  their  names,  given  in  the 
order  of  birth,  being  as  follows :  Myrtle,  now 
the  wife  of  Earl  Brewer,  and  herself  the  mother 
of  two  children:  Herbert  and  Grace,  who  live 
at  home:  Etta,  wife  of  Leonard  Hodges,  a  farmer 
of  Wowlstock  Townshii>,  and  mother  of  one 
child ;  Gertrude,  residing  at  home ;  Nellie  and 
Roy,  twins;  and  I.ydia.  Electa.  Ruth  aud  Curry, 
who  are  also  still  with  their  parents.  Lydia  is 
teacher  of  a  school  in  Schuyler  Countj'. 

.Mr.  Bonser  always  has  been  considered  not 
only  one  of  the  most  progressive  farmers  of  his 
township,  but  one  of  its  most  intelligent  and 
useful  citizens.  A  strong  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  Democracy,  his  political  attitude  has 
never  interfered  with  the  Impartial  performance 
of  the  various  imlilic  duties  which  have  devolved 
upon  him.  He  has  efliciently  served  as  School 
Director  for  many  years,  and  has  held  various 
other  township  offices.  There  are,  in  fact,  no  men 
in  his  township  who  are  better  known  or  more 
highly  honored  than  Henry  A.  Bonser.  whose  life 
of  uprightness  and  broad  usefulness  have  won 
him  wide  and  unshaken  confidence. 

BOTTENBERG,  Thomas  Edward.— Because    of 


HISTORY  OF  SCHT^^T.EE  COUNTY. 


789 


natural  aptitude  and  superior  equii)nient,  Thomas 
Edward  Bottenberg  has  tal^eu  a  prominent  ranlv 
in  his  profession  in  Kushville.  where  he  began 
his  career  as  a  lawyer  in  December,  1S!J3,  luiv- 
ing  successively  filled  the  offices  of  City  Attor- 
ney of  Rushville,  and  State's  Attorney  of  Schuy- 
ler County.  In  his  general  make-up  Mr.  Bot- 
tenberg embodies  the  sterling  qualities  of  his 
German-English  ancestors,  the  earliest  American 
representatives  of  whom  on  tlie  paternal  side  were 
his  great-grandparents,  .Jacob  and  Elizabctli  Bot- 
tenberg. who  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in 
Virginia,  while  bis  maternal  great-grandparents, 
of  the  name  of  Holmes,  came  from  England  and 
settled  in  Kentucky.  His  grandparents.  .Jacol) 
Bottenberg  and  Nathan  Holmes,  were  born  in 
Virginia  and  Kentucky,  respectively,  the  former 
marrying  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the  latter 
marr,\ing  Maria  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky. Joseph  Bottenberg  and  Mary  Jane 
(Holmes)  Bottenberg,  were  born  in  the  States  of 
which  their  respective  grandparents  were  pio- 
neers, and  the.v  were  earl.v  settlers  of  ilcDon- 
ough  County,  III.,  where  their  sou,  Thomas  E., 
was  born  on  a  farm  November  28,  1808. 

The  Bottenberg  family  moved  from  JIcDon- 
ough  County  to  Astoria,  Fulton  County,  in  ISSl, 
and  there  Tliomas  Edward,  then  thirteen  years 
of  age.  completed  his  common  school  education. 
Developing  a  liking  for  the  profession  of  law.  he 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  same  at  the  Northern 
Indiana  University,  at  Valparaiso,  and  after 
graduating  from  the  classical  course  in  1889, 
taught  school  near  Vermont,  111.,  for  one  term, 
afterward  acting  as  Principal  of  the  Frederick 
school  several  years,  in  the  meantime  employing 
his  leisure  hours  in  reading  law,  his  admission 
to  the  liar  taking  place  in  May,  1893,  and  his 
settlement  in  Rushville  in  December  following, 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Montgomery  &  Glass. 
Upon  the  removal  of  Jlr.  Montgomery  to  Quincy 
In  180(1.  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Glass  & 
Bottenberg.  The  same  year  Mr.  Bottenberg"s 
popularity  and  ability  were  recognized  by  his 
election  to  the  office  of  State's  Attorney,  the 
able  and  conscientious  discbarge  of  which  brought 
him  re-election  in  1900.  Besides  being  a  leading 
practitioner  since  his  admission  to  the  bar.  he  has 
"stumped"  the  county  during  every  Democr.-itic 
campaign  and,  in  1808,  was  Chairman  O:  the 
Democratic  Central  Committee. 

Sociall.v,  as  well  as  legally  and  politically.  Mr. 
Bottenberg  maintains  high  standards  and  counts 
among  his  friends  prominent  and  well  known 
citizens  of  the  State.  He  has  been  eI('ct<Ml  Emi- 
nent Comnninder  of  the  Rushville  ('onnnand<>ry 
No.  5ti.  Knights  Templar,  has  served  8%  .vears, 
and  still  holds  this  position.  He  has  woven  the 
fabric  of  his  success  with  strands  of  lasting  firm- 
ness and  strength,  sacrificing  nothing  of  princijile 
or  precedent,  while  achieving  some  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  satisfying  compensations  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

BRINES,  John  T.— A  life  spent  within  tlie  lim- 
its  of   one    county   may    seem    lacking   in    those 


thrilling  adventures  cliaractoristic  of  the  careers 
of  those  who  travel  much  by  land  ;nid  sea,  and 
whose  varied  counnereial  interests  take  them 
into  different  parts  of  the  world.  Yet  the  pros- 
perity of  a  country  is  deiiendent  principally  upon 
tliose  earnest,  quiet,  persevering  men,  who,  in 
the  daily  round  of  duties,  remain  optimistic, 
courageous  and  generous-hearted,  and  who,  by 
improving  their  little  tracts  of  land,  make  the 
world  more  attractive  by  reason  of  their  pres- 
ence. Within  the  limits  of  Schuyler  Countj' John 
T.  Brines  was  born  and  reared,  and  here  the 
busy  years  of  manhood  wei-e  passed  in  the  work 
of  an  agriculturist;  finally,  as  the  shadows  of 
life's  brief  day  have  passed  the  high  noon,  he 
has  lifted  from  his  shoulders  some  of  the  bur- 
dens of  .youth  and  now  enpoys  the  pleasures  of 
a  pleasant  country  home,  surrounded  l>y  the  or- 
namental trees  he  has  planted  and  showing  the 
painstaking  care  of  a  man  of  good  taste. 

On  Section  thirt,v-one.  I'Yederick  Township, 
where  he  now  lives,  John  T.  Brines  was  born 
September  20,  1849,  a  son  of  Roswell  and  Delia 
(Norton)  Brines.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
New  York  and  a  member  of  a  family  comprising 
ten  brotliers  and  two  sisters,  all  of  whom  left 
the  East  to  settle  in  Wabash  County,  111.  When 
he  came  to  Schuyler  County  Indians  had  not  .vet 
disappeared  from  their  old  hunting  grounds,  and 
he  took  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  It  was 
his  privilege  at  an  early  day  to  form  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  to  enjoy  the 
honor  of  running  races  with  the  martyred  Presi- 
dent, for  whom  he  always  maintained  the  most 
profound  admiration. 

TTpon  coming  to  Schuyler  County  tlie  senior 
Brines  settled  on  the  Greer  farm  in  Rushville 
Township.  On  selling  that  place  he  bought  a 
farm,  later  owned  by  George  R.  Hunter.  Next 
he  bought  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  Jlalcom- 
son.  and  on  that  place  he  built  an  equipment  for 
conducting  the  tanner's  trade,  of  which  he  had 
gained  a  practical  knowledge  in  earlier  life.  The 
next  property  which  he  acquired  was  situated 
on  Section  thirty-one.  Frederick  Township:  the 
land  was  covered  with  white,  black  and  red  oak, 
and  black  and  white  walnut  trees,  and  no  effort 
had  been  made  to  bring  it  into  condition  for  cul- 
tivation. On  this  place  he  remained  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1899  at  the  age  of 
ninety-two  years ;  his  wife  passing  away  just 
four  weeks  later,  at  the  age  of  eigbty-two  years. 
Of  their  five  sons  and  seven  daugliters.  the  ma- 
.iority  have  been  called  from  earth.  The  three 
surviving  sons  are  Henr.v  of  California.  George 
of  Rushville,  and  .John  T.  The  daughters  are 
Louisa  Harriet,  on  the  old  homestead,  and  Er- 
mine, wife  of  Pulaski  Reeves,  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  Rushville. 

Among  scenes  familiar  to  the  boyhood  years 
of  John  T.  Brines  were  those  associated  with 
the  pioneer  scliools.  with  their  floors  of  pum-he  ms 
and  their  benches  and  desks  of  slabs.  His  edu- 
cation was  such  as  the  teachers  in  these  schools 
furnished.  In  1892  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
.Tockish,  who  was  born  in  Cass  (bounty.  111.     At 


790 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


the  time  of  his  luarriiige  lie  was  given  11)5 
acres  of  land  as  his  share  of  the  estate.  At  ouce 
he  hegan  to  improve  the  laud,  where  now  he  has 
a  pleasant  home,  with  fruit,  shade  and  orna- 
mental trees,  the  whole  forming  one  of  Uie  best 
farms  in  the  township.  Interested  in  stoclv  rais- 
ing, he  makes  a  speclalt.v  of  Shropshire  sheep,  in 
which  he  is  deepl.v  interested  and  with  wiiieh  he 
has  heen  siu-eessful,  as,  indeed,  he  has  also  been 
in  other  departments  of  agrictUture.  lie  and  his 
wife  had  three  ehildreu,  but  lost  their  imly  son. 
Two  daughters,  l-'lorenee  and  Kosie.  are  being 
educated  in  local  schools.  In  religion  the  family 
are  identified  with  the  Christian  Church  at 
Pleasantview.  while  politically  he  always  has 
voted  with  the  Democratic  party. 

BROWN,  Clyde  E. — ^The  tremendous  strides  in 
agriculture  during  the  past  lew  years  have  de- 
veloped a  science  which  the  land  tiller  of  a  quar- 
ter a  century  ago  would  hardly  recognize.  Hav- 
ing learned  all  that  bis  father  has  been  able  to 
teach  him,  the  young  farmer  of  today,  whose  am- 
bitions are  commensurate  with  his  jiossibilities, 
sees  before  him  an  ever  wideidng  vista  of  in- 
vention and  experiment,  and  though  he  has  mas- 
tered the  chemistry  of  soils,  the  value  of  lands, 
and  rotation  in  croi)s.  and  the  economy  of 
time,  effort  and  space — in  fact,  has  made  his  own 
all  that  the  student  learns  at  the  foremost  e.x- 
I)eriniental  stations  in  the  country — he  knows 
there  are  short  cuts  to  good  results  still  undis- 
covered, and  more  practical  and  la-olitable  metJi- 
ods  that  even  further  eliminate  drudgery,  and  af- 
ford amjiler  time  lor  the  general  comfort  and 
improvement  of  the  agriculturist.  Uepresenta- 
tive  of  this  far-seeing  and  proudsing  class  of  the 
world's  workers  is  Clyde  K.  I?rown,  a  young  man 
of  twenty-seven  years,  son  of  lion.  Robert  I'.rown. 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  whose 
opiiorttmities  for  advancing  to  the  highest  round 
of  the  agricultural  ladder  have  been  enviable 
and  seldom  excelled. 

Mr.  Brown  was  bm'n  in  a  doulile  log  cabin  in 
Woodstock  Townshi]!.  Schuyler  County.  August 
2-t,  ISSO,  and  was  educated  in  the  country  schools 
and  the  IJusbville  High  School.  Desiring  no 
gre.-iter  honor  than  to  do  his  work  faithfully  and 
well  as  a  farmer,  Mr.  Brown  resolved  to  give 
himself  every  chance  for  advancement,  and  In 
the  fall  of  ISb'.l  entered  the  live  stock  depart- 
ment of  the  Illinois  State  I'niversity.  at  Urbana. 
completing  the  course  ,-ind  afterward  studying  in 
the  horticultural  department,  eiiuippiiig  himself 
fully  for  all  departments  of  farm  activitj'.  In 
January,  1001,  he  became  manager  of  the  George 
Bittle  farms,  con.prising  over  ?>.0(V)  acres.  In 
Sclmyler  County,  and  on  on(>  of  these  farm,  in 
Buena  Vista  Township,  set  out  over  three  thou- 
sand fruit  trees.  He  made  many  and  extensive 
improvements  for  ilr.  Little,  and  gained  an  ex- 
perience imiwssible  under  less  favoralile  condi- 
tions. In  the  meantime,  being  desirous  of  get- 
ting into  the  fruit  business  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility, in  the  fall  of  1001  he  bought  eighty  acres 
of  laud  in  Section  2,  Woodstock  Township,  known 


as  the  old  Kent  farm,  and  set  out  thereon  four- 
teen hundred  ajiple  and  peach  trees.  In  the  tall 
of  loot;,  after  resigning  his  position  with  the 
Little  ix'ojile,  he  gathered  his  Urst  crop  of 
peaches  and  his  seixjud  crop  of  ajiples,  all  of 
which  brought  the  highest  market  price.  .\t  this 
time  he  realized  his  advantage  in  having  gone  to 
Louisiana  to  select  his  trees  at  the  Stark  .Nur- 
sery. 

In  100.',  .Mr.  Brown  rented  an  eighty-acre  fanu 
of  his  father,  aud  for  three  years  ran  a  bachelor 
hall,  putting  up  with  all  of  the  inconveniences 
and  discomlorts  of  having  to  do  everything  for 
himself.  OctoU-r  4,  1005.  he  ameliorated  his 
lonely  condition  by  marrying  Bertha  F.  Uussell, 
daughter  of  I  >.  L.  Bussell,  formerly  one  of  the 
leading  surgeons  and  physicians  of  this  part  of 
Illinois.  Dr.  Kussel!  became  particularly  iiromi- 
nent  through  his  invention  of  an  instrument  for 
perforndng  bloodless  tracheotomy,  the  iiateni  of 
which  he  sold  at  a  large  figure.  During  the  Civil 
AVar  he  .served  in  an  Ohio  regiment  with  the 
rank  of  .Alajor.  and  in  1003  moved  from  Ripley 
to  Rushville,  where  his  death  occurred  in  Sej)- 
tember,  100.">.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who 
still  lives  in  Rushville.  Rol)ert  Rus.sell  Bro.vn, 
the  only  son  of  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Clyde  K.  Browu, 
was  horn  September  2,S.  100<>. 

On  his  l.irm  in  Se<-tiou  2,  Woodstock  Town- 
ship, .Mr.  Brown  is  devoting  his  time  to  fruit, 
general  produce,  Hereford  catle  and  fine  draft 
and  road  horses.  He  aims  always  at  the  best, 
aud  with  his  diversifiecl  knowledge  must  continue 
to  succeed,  and  to  inspire  others  with  his  infec- 
tious ideals  and  enthusiasm.  While  voting  with 
care  and  due  regard  for  the  welfare  of  the  coni- 
nuinity.  lie  has  never  aided  the  cause  of  Democ- 
racy by  ollicial  .service,  devoting  his  attenti(m  to 
the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides.  The  i-onung  year 
will  lind  him  amply  In  touch  with  its  sl.indards 
and  demands,  for  the  progressive  mind  knows 
no  resting  place  when  collaborating  with  na- 
ture and  her  possiliilities. 

BROWN,  Herman  H.— Agricultural,  monetary 
and  legal  science  have  enriched  the  experience 
and  extended  the  usefulness  of  Herman  II. 
Brown,  one  of  the  most  energetic-ami  capable  of 
the  younger  generation  of  toilers  of  Rushville,  and 
who  at  present  is  known  to  the  comnmnity  as  :i 
general  attorney,  assistant  cashier  of  the  Bank 
of  Rushville,  chief  of  the  local  fire  department, 
and  j)romoter  of  the  Farmers'  Institute.  Mr. 
Brown  is  a  native  of  Schuyler  County,  and  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Woodstock  Township,  June  14. 
187.').  He  represents  the  third  generation  of  his 
fanuly  in  this  part  of  the  State,  for  hither  came 
his  grandfather,  John  Brown,  of  Virginia,  and 
his  wife,  Jane  (Becket)  Brown,  of  Kentucky, 
and  liere  was  born  his  father,  Robert  Brown,  in 
the  then  small  villaije  of  Rushville.  The  pater- 
nal great-grandfather,  John  Brown,  was  boru 
in  North  Carolina.  The  maternal  branch  of  the 
family  named  Hoffman  also  was  etablished  early 
in  Schuyler  County  by  Samuel  Hoffman  of  Ohio, 


c^  ^.cMa^yUL^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


791 


who  was  father  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  Herman 
H.,  who  married  Margaret  C.  Nonliii.  a  native  of 
France.  The  maternal  great-grandparents,  Jos- 
eph and  Mary  (Myers)  Hoffman,  were  born  in 
Berlis  County,  Pa. 

Notwithstanding  his  withdrawal  from  agricul- 
ture as  a  direct  means  of  livelihood.  Herman  H. 
Browu  continues  an  active  promoter  of  that  basic 
industry  of  the  world.  In  his  .vouth  he  received 
an  excellent  training  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
left  it  only  to  augment  his  district  schuol  educa- 
tion by  attendance  at  the  liushville  Normal, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  lionor  in  the 
class  of  1892.  He  then  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Montgomery  &  Glass,  and.  upon  passing  the 
State  bar  examination  in  1890,  when  less  than 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  was  obliged  to  other- 
wise emplo.v  himself  until  he  had  reached  his 
majority.  In  the  emergency  he  became  a  clerk 
in  the  Bank  of  Rushville,  soon  after  being  ad- 
vanced to  his  present  position  of  assistant  cash- 
ier. He  fulfilled  the  active  duties  of  casliier  until 
Januar.v  '2i>,  19(10.  when  he  became  a  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  Glass  &  Bottenberg.  and  sin<'e 
then  has  been  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Rushville  and  viciuit.v.  Mr. 
Browu  advanced  rapidl.v  as  a  counselor,  and  in 
Novenilier,  19(14,  was  elected  State's  Attorney 
of  Sclni.vler  County  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He 
has  been  active  in  local  Democratic  undertakings 
for  several  .vears,  and  while  stumping  the  eoun- 
tiy  on  several  occasions,  has  evidenced  strong 
and  persuasive  gifts  as  a  speaker. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  Director  in  tlie  Uushville 
Loan  &  Homestead  Association,  and  lias  lieeu 
connected  with  the  Rushville  fire  department  for 
the  past  three  years,  serving  as  its  head  during 
the  greater  part  of  that  time.  Praternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Masons 
and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His  long 
continued  interest  in  the  Farmers'  Institute  is 
an  alisorbing  and  practical  one.  and  has  infused 
vigor  and  high  standards  into  an  org.iuization  of 
more  tlian  average  local  usefulness.  Novenilier  21, 
1901,  Mr.  Brown  ws  united  in  m.irriagc  to  (Jraee 
B.  I-Iermetet.  a  native  of  Scliuyler  Count.v,  and 
graduate  of  the  Rushville  High  school. 

BROWN,  Hon.  Robert.— No  resident  of  Rush- 
ville who  has  sought  its  advantages  at  the  end 
of  an  active  life  has  more  worthily  earned  tlie 
right  to  leisure  than  Hon.  Robert  Brown.  Nor 
has  any  one  now  living  lieen  a  more  interested 
or  industrious  oliserver  of  the  growtli  of  this 
part  of  Schuyler  Co\nit.v  than  the  erstwliile 
farmer  and  law-maker.  The  Rushville  in  which  he 
was  iiorn.  October  19.  1835.  and  near  which  he 
has  silent  the  seventy -two  years  of  his  life,  gave 
little  promise  of  its  present  thrift  and  cosmopol- 
itanism. It  was  destined  to  the  slow  develop- 
ment known  as  agricultural,  presenting  within 
its  boundaries  no  mining  or  other  rapid  fortune 
acHiuiring  resources.  In  local  government  and 
legislation  alone  could  the  settlers  hope  for  per- 
sonal distinction  other  than  that  quiet  kind  which 
comes   of   ordinary    work    faithfully    performed, 


and  it  is  along  the  line  of  political  services  that 
the  family  of  which  .Mr.  Brown  represents  the 
second  generation  in  Illinois,  has  lieeu  most  use- 
ful and  conspicuous. 

.lohu  Browu,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  boni  in  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  and 
married  Jane  Becket,  a  native  of  Bourbon 
County,  that  State.  (Jn  both  sides  of  his  fam- 
ily, John  Brown  inherited  thrifty  Scotch  traits, 
and  he  iiaved  the  way  for  success  by  becoming  a 
practical  farmer  and  a  skillful  carpenter  and 
builder.  Leaving  his  native  State  ami  journey- 
ing westward  in  18:!1,  he  settled  on  tlie  present 
site  of  Rushville,  and  for  Schuyler  County  he 
built  the  first  court  house,  and  later  erected 
many  residences  and  barns  within  its  limit. 'He 
possessed  marked  executive  and  general  ability, 
and  was  three  times  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
fii-st  as  Representative  in  1888,  Vandalia  being 
then  the  State  capital,  a  second  time  to  the 
House  in  18-14,  and  to  the  Senate  in  1846,  serving 
during  one  session. 

For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  three  Com- 
missioners to  transact  the  general  county  busi- 
ness, and  after  the  organization  of  the  county, 
was  elected  Supei'visor  from  Woodstock  Town- 
ship. He  was  unchangeably  Democratic  in  his 
convictions,  recognizing  no  compromise  for  any 
reason  whatever.  Of  the  ten  children  in  his 
family  two  died  in  infancy  and  three  are  living. 
John  C,  the  oldest  sou,  who  served  two  terms 
as  Sheriff  of  Schuyler  County,  is  a  resident  of 
Lamar.  Mo.;  (Jeorge  W.  is  living  in  Cherokee, 
Kan.,  was  twice  elected  head  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Kansas;  Nancy  J.,  and 
her  husband,  William  Hamilton,  are  deceased; 
one  sou  is  engaged  iu  the  wholesale  grocei^y  busi- 
ness at  Pittsburg,  Kan. ;  two  others  whose 
names  have  not  lieeu  returned,  are  dei^ased ; 
Franklin  died  at  Cherokee.  Kan.,  in  July,  1906. 
Robert  Brown  is  the  second  olilest  in  his  fath- 
er's large  family.  His  youth  was  uneventfully 
jiasscd  on  the  home  farm,  and  his  education  was 
acquired  in  the  subscription  schools.  He  recalls 
many  incidents  of  the  e.-irly  histor.v  of  the  county, 
especially  the  trouble  with  the  .Mormons,  when 
a  compan.v  had  been  started  for  the  seat  of  trou- 
ble, which  comiiauy  was  sent  back  to  their  homes 
li\-  Governor  Ford.  The  Governor,  however, 
tliinking  to  allay  apprehension  and  furnish  an 
indication  of  what  might  be  expected  in  case  of 
eieergency.  caused  the  cannon  to  be  oi)erated, 
with  the  result  that  most  of  the  windows  in  the 
]iul)lic  square  were  shattered.  At  the  age  of  six- 
tinni.  Jlr.  Brown  became  self-supporting,  .ind 
from  then  until  the  age  of  twent.v-three,  had 
charge  of  all  the  work  on  the  home  place.  He 
made  a  specialt.v  of  stock,  and  during  the  Civil 
War.  especially  during  186.'^,  bought  and  sold  to 
the  army  large  numbers  of  both  cattle  and  horses. 
In  October.  ISCK!,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
JIary  M.  Hoffman,  and  of  this  union  there  have 
been  born  the'following  named  children:  Robert 
W..  and  Lillian,  botli  living  at  liome ;  Herman 
H.,  State's  Attorney  of  Schuyler  County ;  Clyde 
E.,  a  graduate  of  the   horticultural   department 


792 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


of  the  State  Universitj-,  and  now  the  owner  of  a 
splendid  farm  in  Section  2,  Woodstocli  Town- 
ship. 

From  the  ownership  of  eighty  acres  of  land 
Mr.  Brown  lias  seen  his  fortunes  increase  to  510 
acres,  240  of  which  are  in  the  home  place.  He 
has  a  large  and  comfortable  home,  well  con- 
structed barns  and  outbuildings.  Due  regard  is 
manifested  for  the  things  which  contribute  to 
the  pleasure,  if  not  the  financial  profit,  of  life, 
aud  such  delights  as  shade  and  fruit  trees,  Uow- 
ei-s  and  shrubs  abound  on  every  hand.  When  the 
Bank  of  Kusbville  was  organized,  .Mr.  Brown  be- 
came one  of  its  largest  stock-holders,  and  he  has 
ever  since  been  yearly  elected  a  director  in  that 
institution.  He  was  I'resident  of  the  County 
Fair  Association  for  four  years,  and  during  that 
time  this  eucourager  of  local  enterprise  assiuned 
new  influence  aud  usefulness.  In  l'.)04,  he  handed 
to  younger  hands  and  minds  the  management  of 
his  farms,  but  still  controls  them,  while  passing 
his  days  in  a  pleasant  home  in  Rushville. 

The  beginning  of  .Mr.  Brown's  political  activity 
antedated  by  several  .\ears  his  election  to  the 
State  Senate  in  1874,  in  which  he  served  four 
years.  During  this  session  he  promoted  the  County 
Mutual  Insurance  bill,  which  has  Iteen  of  such 
invaluable  aid  to  the  people  of  the  State,  and 
upon  his  return  from  the  Senate  he  was  elected 
County  I'residetit  of  the  Insurance  Company,  a 
position  which  he  continued  to  till  for  six  years 
and  six  mouths.  This  organization  now  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  and  for  the  part  taken  by 
Mr.  Brown  no  charge  was  maile  wliatever.  His 
senatorial  career  was  further  distinguishcMl  by 
his  attitude  toward  railroad  rale  reduction,  his 
zeal  in  the  matter  being  largely  resiwusible  lor 
the  three  instead  of  five  cent  a  mile  rate,  wliich 
prevailed  for  many  years.  His  political  aud  agri- 
cultural life  furnish  many  inspiring  lessons  to 
the  youth  who  would  succeed  in  these  imijor- 
tant  departments  of  activity,  and  in  so  well  and 
conscientiously  performing  his  duty  he  has 
gained  that  which  is  most  valued  by  a  good  man, 
the  respect  and  approval  of  his  fellow-men. 

BURNHAM,  Frank  Blair,  an  enterprising  and 
proiircssivc  farmer  of  Littlebni  Township,  Schuy- 
ler County,  III.,  was  horn  in  Rushville  Township, 
Schuyler  Countj-.  .Vpril  17,  18(50,  a  son  of  Edgar 
A.  and  Caroline  ( .Vrmstrong)  Burnham.  natives 
of  Vermont  and  Pennsylvania,  respectively,  the 
latter  having  been  born  in  the  c-ounty  of  West- 
moreland. The  paternal  grandfather  was  Solo- 
mon Burnham,  of  \'erniout.  and  the  grandparents 
on  the  maternal  side  were  .John  and  Elizabeth 
(Graff)  Armstrong,  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1.854, 
Edgar  A.  Burnham  journeyed  from  Vermont  to 
Rock  Island,  111.,  and  in  the  following  year  came 
to  Rushville.  Schuyler  Couutj-.  Caroline  .\rm- 
strong  accompanied  her  parents  to  the  same  lo- 
calitj'  in  1854.  The  young  couple  were  married 
in  1857.  and  made  their  home  for  two  years  with 
the  bride's  parents  in  Rushville  Township.  In 
1859.  Edgar  A.  Burnham  lK)ught  ICO  acres  of 
land  in  the  same  township,  disposing  of  eighty 


acres  a  year  later.  He  and  his  family  occupied 
this  place  until  the  fall  of  IStiS,  when  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Industrj-  Township,  McDou- 
ough  County,  HI.,  buying  lUO  acres  of  improved 
land  there,  and  subsequently  adding  eighty  acres 
more.  He  subseiiuently  sold  100  acres,  and 
moved  to  a  IGO-acre  farm  owned  by  his  wife  at 
Doddsville,  where  he  passed  away  his  last  days, 
dying  on  April  12,  1892.  His  widow  still  resides 
on  the  place,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
They  had  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, of  «hom  one  son  aud  one  daughter  are  de- 
ceased. 

Frank  B.  Burnham  was  the  second  child  In 
this  family,  aud  in  early  life  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  aud 
then  worked  one  year  by  the  month  for  his 
grandfather  Armstrong.  Then  the  latter  died, 
and  Mr.  Burnham  rented  his  farm,  conducting 
it  nutil  181)4.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  an  im- 
proved farm  of  172  acres  purchased  by  hun  in 
Section  C,  Littleton  Township.  The  place  is 
known  as  "Locust  Knoll."  There  he  carries  on 
general  farnnng,  and  raises  considerable  stock. 
He  is  also  the  owner  of  ICO  acres  of  Kansas  laud, 
lying  in  the  Wichita  County,  that  State. 

On  February  1,  1894,  Mr.  Burnham  was  united 
n  marriage  with  Caroline  Cordell,  who  was 
born  at  Saint  Johns,  .\uglaize  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1SC5,  and  five  childi-en  have  resulted 
from  this  union,  namely :  Iva  A.,  born  Novem- 
l)er  27,  1895;  Ethel,  boi-n  April  10,  1897;  Lucia, 
born  in  September,  1899 ;  Ruth,  born  October 
10,  1901,  deceased  May  3,  190.3;  and  Jennie, 
born  in  November,   19o;5. 

In  iKJJitics  Mr.  Burnham  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  fraternally  is  affiliated 
with  the  M.  W.  He  and  his  family  attend  the 
.Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

BURROWS,  Benjamin. — Prior  to  his  retire- 
ment to  Rushville  in  IVtfi:!.  Benjamin  Burrows 
faithfully  and  intelligently  worked  out  his  des- 
tiny as  a  farmer  and  builder,  in  these  fundamen- 
tal and  necessarj-  occupations  stamping  his 
worth  uix)n  many  years  of  growth  of  Schuyler 
County.  Born  in  .\storia  Township,  Fulton 
County,  III..  .November  15,  1840.  Mr.  Burrows  is 
a  son  of  Benedict  Burrows,  a  native  of  Kent 
Count}-,  Md..  and  the  son  of  parents  whose  small 
Southern  farm  offered  but  meagre  returns  for 
the  energy  and  ambition  of  their  offspring.  In 
conseipience,  Benedict,  while  still  comparativly 
young,  shook  the  dust  of  Maryland  from  his 
feet,  and  with  feT\'  worldly  assets  journeyed  to 
Ohio,  where  he  found  work  as  a  farm  hand  and 
where,  in  the  vicinity  of  Freeport.  Harrison 
County,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth 
Crider.  His  pioneering  tendencies  still  unsati- 
fied.  in  18.''.5  he  moved  in  a  wagon  to  .\storia 
Township.  Fulton  County,  purchasing  land  for 
.?1.25  an  acre,  and  making  thereon  the  improve- 
ments known  to  the  agriculturists  of  his  time. 
.\mong  others  of  his  possessions  brought  from 
Ohio  was  a  chum   filled  with   apple   seedlings. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


793 


whifh  be  had  carefully  dug  and  packed,  and 
wliifh  were  set  out  on  the  new  land  to  contribute 
to  tbe  delight  and  comfort  of  the  settler  and  his 
successors.  When  this  old  orchard  recently  was 
visited  by  his  son,  Benjamin,  one  of  these  trees 
still  was  vigorous  and  industrious,  standing 
straight  and  strong  beneath  its  eighty -odd  years 
of  existence,  its  gnarled  branches  canopied  with 
leaves,  and  in  .season  bending  beneath  its  load  of 
apples.  Of  the  children  who  were  born  and 
grew  to  maturity  on  the  Astoria  farm,  who 
doubtless  climbed  the  trees  in  the  old  orchard 
and  contributed  their  share  towards  the  general 
support,  Sarah  and  her  husband,  William  Brown, 
are  deceased:  .Tenuie  is  the  widow  of  Eli  Sev- 
ems,  and  lives  in  Orleans,  Kan. ;  William  mar- 
ried Sarah  .T.  Litchfield  and  lives  on  a  farm  in 
Brooklyn  Township.  Schuyler  County ;  Martin 
moved  to  Wayne  County,  111.,  and  died  there; 
Rachel  is  the  wife  of  William  Stansbaugli,  of  .Vs- 
toria  ;  Frank  was  last  heard  from  in  California; 
and  Elizabeth,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  ,Tames 
Stansbaugh,  a  farmer  of  Brooklyn  Township 
Benedict  Burrows  died  about  IS.'ir).  and  thereaf- 
ter his  wife  lived  with  her  daughter,  at  whose 
home  her  death  occurred  in  ISTl. 

Benedict  Burrows  contributed  to  the  neighbor- 
hood fund  for  education,  and  his  children,  in- 
cluding Benjamin,  attended  the  subscription 
school,  later  devoting  his  energy*  entirely  to  the 
duties  of  the  paternal  farm.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  in  ISfil,  he  began  to  drive  the 
stage  from  Rushville  to  Lewistown,  but  \iiion  the 
building  of  the  railroad  in  1863.  he  turned  his 
attention  to  mastering  the  carpenter  trade.  In 
the  meantime,  during  the  first  year  of  the  Civil 
War,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel  Ann 
Dawson,  who  bore  him  two  daughters:  Melinda. 
wife  of  .Tames  Sloane,  of  Long  Beach.  Cal. ;  and 
Mary,  wife  of  Lewis  Miller,  of  the  vicinity  of 
Bowen,  Hancock  County,  111,,  and  mother  of  a 
son,  Ouy  Jliller,  born  November  15.  ISnO.  After 
his  marriage  Mr.  Biu'rows  lived  in  Vennont,  111., 
his  headquarters  while  driving  the  stage,  and 
when  launched  in  the  building  business,  he  lo- 
cated in  Bardolph,  McPonough  County,  where  he 
erected  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  other  build- 
ings. After  the  big  fire  in  Chicago,  of  1871,  he 
moved  to  that  city  and  worked  in  a  sash  and 
door  factory  until  1874.  in  that  year  returning 
to  A'ermont,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year, 
moving  to  the  farm  in  Oakland  Township. 
Schuyler  County,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
1891.  ,\fter  various  land  transactions  and  remov- 
als. .Tanuary  1.".,  1897,  he  married  Mrs.  Anna 
M.  (Market)  Stansbaugh,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  came  to  Illinois  with  her  first  hus- 
band in  1808.  Mrs.  Burrows  has  two  brothers 
and  one  sister  in  her  native  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. After  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Burrows 
returned  to  his  farm  in  Littleton  Township  mov- 
ing from  there  to  his  present  home  in  Rushville 
in  .Tanuaiw.  lon.'',. 

Mr.  Burrows  is  justly  entitled  to  a  promitcnt 
place  among  the  industrious  and  capable  mi'U  of 
Fulton  and  Schuyler  Counties,  to  liotb  of  wbii'b 


loc.ilities   he  has  contributed  means  of  develop- 
ment and  progress. 

CALDWELL,  James  T.,  a  resident  of  Littleton 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  for  thirty  years, 
is  one  of  its  most  pro.sperous  and  substantial 
farmers,  and  aside  from  his  standing  in  the  ag- 
ricultural circles  of  his  locality,  bears  the  repu- 
tation of  a  useful  and  influential  citizen.  Mr. 
Caldwell  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ind.. 
October  11,  18.51.  His  parents,  Daniel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Rysiuger)  Caldwell,  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Kentucky,  respectively.  Daniel  Cald- 
well, who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  wed- 
ded to  Elizabeth  Uysiuger  in  Indiana  about  the 
year  1S40,  both  having  been  previously  married. 
Their  union  resulted  in  six  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
sixth  in  order  of  birth.  He  had  a  brother,  John, 
wlio  enlisted  in  an  Illinois  regiment  in  1861, 
serving  throughout  the  Civil  War,  and  dying  in 
Buena  Vista  Township  in  1871.  William  Cald- 
well, a  half-brother  of  James  T.,  was  also  a 
.soldier,  having  entered  the  army  in  1863. 

The  father  was  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  In- 
diana, which  he  disposed  of  in  18.56,  moving  to 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  at  the  time,  and  settling 
in  Littleton  Township.  He  followed  farming  on 
rented  land  rmtil  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  September  19,  1878,  his  wife  having 
passed  away  in  November,  1876.  By  his  first 
marri.ige  Daniel  Caldwell  was  the  father  of  one 
son  and  three  daughters,  and  his  second  wife 
l)(u-e  her  first  husband  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters. In  politics,  Daniel  Caldwell  was  allied 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

James  T.  Caldwell  was  reared  to  farm  life, 
and  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twent.y-one  years,  in  the  meantime  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  schools  of  Littleton 
Township,  On  attaining  his  majority  he  applied 
Iiiiuself  to  farming  <m  his  own  responsibility, 
continuing  thus  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  went  to  Humboldt  County,  Cal.,  where 
he  was  employed  two  years  in  the  work  of  log- 
ging. Returning  to  Littleton  Township  he  rented 
land  on  which  he  was  engaged  in  fanning  for  a 
considerable  time.  In  1887  he  bought  280  acres 
in  Sections  2  and  11,  Littleton  Township,  half 
of  which  was  covered  with  timber.  He  has  since 
cleared  eighty  acres  of  this  portion,  and  now  has 
a  very  fine  farm.  In  addition  to  general  farm- 
ing, he  devotes  especial  attention  to  raising 
Sliorthorn  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs,  and  has 
been  very  successful  with  both  grain  and  live 
stock. 

On  September  8.  1878.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  united 
in  marriage  with  S.  Jennie  Ilorton,  who  was 
liorn  in  Littleton  Township.  March  17,  1857,  a 
daughter  of  Mathias  and  Sarah  (Wilson)  Hor- 
ton,  natives  of  England,  who  came  to  the  LTnited 
States  in  18.54.  and  proceeding  to  Schuyler 
Counts',  111.,  settled  in  Littleton  Township.  In 
her  maidenhood  Miss  Horton  was  a  teacher,  be- 
ing engaged  in  teaching  schools  in  Schuyler  and 
:\IcDonough   Counties   from    1,S74    to   1878.      Her 


794 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


father  departed  this  life  May  6,  1898,  her  mother 
having  passed  away  May  3,  1891.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Two  brothers 
of  Mrs.  Caldwell's  father,  William  and  Thomas 
Horton,  were  soldiers  of  the  Civil  War,  William 
dying  December  25,  1863,  while  at  home  on  fur- 
lough, while  Thomas  is  still  living  at  Macomb, 
111.,  at  the  age  of  sevent.v-si.x  yeare.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Caldwell  have  had  nine  children,  their 
names  being  as  follows :  Boss  D.,  born  April 
22,  1879.  was  married  March  9,  1904,  to  Nellie 
Swearingcii.  diuighter  of  Hugh  and  Mary  Swear- 
ingen,  residents  of  Schuyler  County,  and  now  re- 
siding on  part  of  his  father's  farm;  Ernest,  born 
August  3,  1880,  and  Clyde,  born  June  7,  ISSI, 
both  died  in  infancy ;  Effle,  born  April  5.  18S3, 
who  was  married,  July  17,  1901,  to  Charles 
Swearingen,  son  of  Hugh  and  Mary  Swearingen, 
and  now  resides  in  Industry  Township,  McDon- 
ough  County;  Clarence,  born  S<'ptember  .'iO,  1880, 
died  in  infancy:  Florence,  born  March  9,  1.S88. 
taught  scliool  in  Schuyler  County,  19(l(;-07,  on 
October  28,  1900,  liecame  the  wife  of  Chester 
Ballon,  and  now  resides  near  I'leasantview,  liush- 
ville  Township;  Nellie  II.,  born  December  15. 
1890,  who  is  at  home ;  John  F.,  born  September 
27,  1892 ;  and  Harold  J.,  born  October  2,  189.5. 

In  politics  Mr.  Caldwell  niiholds  the  caus<^  of 
the  Prohiliition  jiarty.  For  three  years  he  served 
the  iniblic  in  the  oflice  of  Uoad  Commissioner. 
He  and  his  excellent  wife  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  of  T^nion  C.rove,  hi  which  he 
has  officiated  as  dcai'on  since  1S!)7,  and  for  six 
years  acted  as  Superinlciident  of  the  Sunday 
School.  Throughout  I.ittlcton  Townsliip,  the 
friends  of  both  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caldwell  are  nu- 
merous and  cordial  in  sentiment. 

CALVIN,  George  B.,  a  continuous  resident  for 

a  third  of  a  century  on  the  same  farm  on  Section 
11,  in  Iluntsvillo  Township,  Si-huyler  County, 
was  born  in  Georgetown,  Bn^vn  I'ounty.  Ohio, 
November  13,  1831.  Ilis  father,  Samuel'  Calvin, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  and  his  mother  Blioebe 
CuiTy,  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  The  parents  w(>re 
married  in  (Georgetown.  Ohio,  and  soon  after 
came  to  Warsaw.  111.,  where  they  resided  a  few 
month.'^.  going  from  there  to  Bethel  Township. 
McDonough  County.  111.  lie  was  prominent  in 
local  Democratic  politics,  filling  among  other 
offices  that  of  County  Judge,  and  was  regarded 
as  a  man  of  great  energy,  resource  and  adapta- 
bility. 

Here  in  McDiniough  County  they  improved  a 
beautiful  farm,  where  the  wife  died  in  1840.  To 
this  union  the  following  children  were  born; 
Curry,  the  oldest  of  the  family,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fifth  Iowa  Cavalry,  during  the  Civil 
War.  and  died  in  Melrose.  Mont,  in  1888:  .Tolin. 
who  died  In  1812:  Mary  I...  who  died  in  isno; 
Harvey,  who  died  in  Uushville.  111.,  in  1901  ; 
Oeorge  B.  Calvin,  o''  IluntsviUe,  111.,  and  In- 
diana, for  many  years  a  resident  of  Montana,  are 
the  only  sun'ivors  of  the  family. 

In  1842  Samuel  Calvin  was  married  to  Mary 
Haney.     To  this  union  were  born  several  chil- 


dren, two  of  whom  reached  maturity.  Henry 
Clay,  a  member  of  the  Second  Illinois  Cavalry, 
was  mortally  wounded  at  \ernullionville.  La., 
in  November,  1803;  and  Margaret  (deceased), 
was  the  wife  of  James  Brundage,  of  Cherokee, 
Kan.  The  father  passed  away  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  1805. 

G(X)rge  B.  Calvin  was  reared  among  the  cru- 
dest conditions  of  pioneer  life  in  the  early  settle- 
ment of  McDonough  County,  HI.,  attended  school 
in  a  primitive  log  cabiu  school  house,  and  studied 
under  the  guidance  of  an  early  master  named 
Samuel  Dark,  later  on  becoming  a  teacher  him- 
self and  following  that  profession  for  two  years, 
lu  1852  he  went  to  St.  Paul.  Minn.,  and  served 
au  apprenticeship  under  Frank  Whitson,  a  plas- 
terer, afterward  coming  back  to  Macomb,  111., 
where  he  followed  his  trade  until  1857.  In  1858 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Margaret  Hoo- 
ver, a  daughter  of  Sebastian  and  Elizabeth  (Mc- 
Cray)  Hoover,  after  which  he  settled  ou  a  fanu 
in  McDonough  County,  where  they  resided  until 
1880,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  home.  Of 
this  union  were  bom  eleven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  namely;  Samuel  residing  in 
Chicago  and  Ida  .M.  in  Henry  County,  III.;  -Mary 
E.,  Everett  W..  I'hoelie  and  Edith  live  at  home 
with  their  father. 

A  crushing  blow  fell  upon  the  life  of  Mr.  Cal- 
vin, on  occasion  of  the  death  of  his  wife,  on 
April  9,  1907.  She  was  a  ^^■oman  of  rare  patience 
and  good  judgment,  and  made  a  comfortable  and 
lieautlfid  home  for  her  husband  aud  children,  liv- 
ing a  Christian  and  most  unselfish  life. 

CAMP,  Julian  Edwards,  M.  D. — The  genealogy 
of  the  Camp  family  is  traced  to  Isaac  Camp,  wlio 
was  born  in  England  and.  in  childhood,  spent  a 
brief  period  in  Scotland,  thence  coming  to  Amer- 
ica at  the  age  of  t^velve  years.  Next  in  line  of 
descent  was  Daniel,  whose  son,  Israel,  Sr..  was 
the  father  of  Israel,  Jr.,  and  the  grandfather  of 
Job  Camp,  born  November  10,  1747,  and  de- 
ceased January  17,  1.822.  .fob's  son,  Israel,  of 
Camptown,  Pa.,  was  born  June  2],  1794,  and 
died  M.iy  21.  1,80,8.  Lorin  Wallace,  son  of  Israel 
Camp,  was  born  at  Campton,  Bradford  County. 
Pa.,  February  2.3,  1831,  and  at  an  early  age  dis 
pla.ved  such  an  aptitude  for  music  that  he  was 
given  the  best  advantages  for  acquiring  a  musi- 
cal education.  Afterward  he  l)ecame  a  very  suc- 
cessful and  scientific  vocal  instructor.  During 
1802  be  came  to  Illinois  to  assist  in  surveying 
and  building  the  railroad  from  Clayton,  111.,  to 
Keokuk.  Iowa,  a  road  that  was  financed  by  his 
uncle.  Guy  Wells,  of  Keokuk,  together  with  a 
Mr.  Ilornisli.  .\fter  the  completion  of  the  road 
he  seiTed  as  conductor  of  the  first  passenger 
train  and  remained  in  the  position  until  1804, 
when  he  went  south  and,  under  the  direction  of 
General  Thomas,  ran  a  train  from  Nashville  to 
Chattanooga.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Clayton,  where 
he  remaind  until  1880.  During  the  latter  year 
he  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  fir«t  made  his 
home  in  Wichita  and  later  in  Columbus,  dying 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


795 


in  the  last-named  city  November  12,  1903.  at  tiie 
ago  of  72  years. 

Tlie  marriage  of  Lorin  Wallace  Camp  took 
place  February  27,  1S5.5,  when  be  was  united 
wltb  Emma  Elizabeth  Edwards  of  Laceyville, 
Pa.,  who  was  born  in  that  place  April  1,  1835. 
Their  son.  Julian  Edwards,  was  born  at  Mon- 
trose, Susquehanna  County,  Pa..  February  21, 
1858,  and  received  his  early  education  in  Uie 
grammar  and  high  schools  of  Clayton,  111.,  after 
which  he  began  to  read  medicine  under  Dr.  T.  G. 
Black  of  Clayton.  His  degree  ot  M.  D.  he  ob- 
tained in  1880  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  at  Keokuk.  Iowa.  After  having 
graduated  in  medicine  he  came  at  once  to  Brook- 
lyn. Schuyler  County,  111.,  arriving  on  the  23d 
of  March,  1880,  and  here  he  has  continued  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  up  to  the  present  time. 
During  ISOl  he  took  a  course  in  the  New  York 
Post-Graduate  School  of  Medicine,  and  four 
years  later  had  the  advantage  of  a  course  in  the 
Chicago  Post-Graduate  School.  In  point  of  years 
of  active  practice  he  is  the  oldest  physician  in 
Schuyler  County.  His  office  is  efjuipped  with  all 
necessaiy  and  desirable  apparatus,  and  he  has 
the  advantage  of  being  a  registered  druggist, 
which  enables  him  to  comiwund  his  own  pre- 
scrii>tious. 

With  the  exception  of  the  year  1896,  when  the 
currency  question  caused  the  change.  Dr.  Camp 
has  always  voted  the  Re)iublican  ticket.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  Camden  Lodge  No. 
648,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Camden ;  Augusta  Chapter 
No.  72,  R.  A.  M..  at  Augusta.  Hancock  County ; 
and  Almoner  Commandery  No.  32.  K.  T.,  also  of 
Augusta.  Professional  organizations  having  his 
membership  are  the  Hancock  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Military  Tract  Medical  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  American 
Medical  Association,  and  the  Aesculapian  Medi- 
cal Club  of  Augusta  District  at  Augusta,  111. 
With  his  family  he  holds  .'ictive  membership  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Brooklyn,  of  whose 
choir  he  acts  as  leader,  besides  being  a  generous 
contributor  to  the  other  work  of  the  congrega- 
tion. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Camp  took  place  in  Brook- 
I.vn,  111.,  .\pril  5,  1881,  and  united  him  with  Fan- 
ette  Taylor,  who  was  born  in  this  village  Octo- 
ber 11.  1860.  Her  parents  were  Henry  W.  and 
Cornelia  (Manlove)  Taylor,  the  latter  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  D.  Manloye,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Schuyler  Count;\'.  Four  children  com- 
prise the  family  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Camp.  The 
eldest  son,  Lorin  Taylor  Camp,  born  November 
6,  1882.  graduated  from  the  Gem  City  Business 
College  at  Quincy.  111.,  in  March.  1003.  since 
which  time  he  has  engaged  in  farming,  managing 
.320  acres  inherited  by  his  mother  from  her  fath- 
er's estate:  in  1007  he  won  prizes  on  his  corn, 
and  in  all  of  his  work  he  displays  sound  .iudg- 
nient  and  great  energy.  The  second  son.  Harold 
Manlove.  bora  July  24.  1885,  will  graduate  in 
1900  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  Chicago,  and  in  his  chosen  profession 
will    do   honor   to   the   family  name.     The   only 


daughter,  Ruth  Estelle,  born  August  1,  1888, 
will  graduate  in  June,  1908,  from  the  musical 
department  of  Upper  Iowa  Univereity  at  Fay- 
ette, Iowa.  As  a  pianist  she  has  won  many  trib- 
utes of  praise.  Her  instrumental  solos  have 
held  large  audiences  spellbound  and  her  piano 
work  shows  talent  and  skill.  The  youngest  mem- 
ber of  the  family  circle,  Fred  Leslie,  bora  August 
26,  1894.  is  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  taking 
his  second  year  in  the  Brooklyn  High  School. 

CAMPBELL,  James  S.— With  the  coming  of 
John  il.  Campbell  to  Schuyler  County  in  1834, 
and  his  settlement  upon  100  acres  of  laud  in  what 
is  now  Section  8,  Camden  Township,  there  was 
added  to  the  strength  and  character  of  the  pio- 
neer class  a  man  destined  to  fill  a  large  and 
varied  need  in  the  organization  and  development 
of  a  rich  and  promising  section.  Mr.  Campbell 
came  all  the  way  from  his  native  State  of  Ken- 
tucky with  a  cousin,  leaving  behind  him  his 
father,  James  Campbell,  and  the  friends  and 
associates  of  his  formative  .youth.  He  bad  the 
grit  and  determination  which  must  needs  have 
accompanied  the  emigration  of  nianlvind  to  an 
agricultural  wilderness,  for  it  was  the  lure  of 
hard  W(irk  and  wonderful  sacrifice,  rather  than 
the  iiosi)ects  of  sudden  accumulation  from  mines 
or  other  speculative  agencies.  In  time  he 
brought  to  his  rude  habitation  a  wife  who  con- 
tributed beV  fine,  womanly  qualities  towards  his 
dawning  success,  Mary  Ann  AUlridge,  wlio,  with 
her  mother,  sister,  brother,  and  brother-in-law, 
John  Harris,  started  from  Indiana  for  Iowa 
with  ox-teams,  but  having  baited  for  a  time  in  a 
cabin  in  Camden  Township,  later  bought  land  in 
Huntsville  To^^msbip.  Subsequently,  however, 
Mr.  Harris  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  .Vugusta, 
111.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grain  and  lumber 
business,  and  where  he  died  while  still  in  the 
prime  of  his  life. 

Being  a  man  with  far  better  education  than 
the  average  of  the  early  arrivals  of  Schuyler 
County,  Mr.  Campbell  at  once  stepped  into  act- 
ive township  affairs,  and  filled  many  of  the  im- 
portant local  offices  after  organization  had  been 
effected.  For  four  years  he  was  County  Sur- 
veyor, and  before  that  Deputy  Surveyor,  and  he 
also  was  Supervisor.  Town  Clerk  and  member 
of  the  Bo:ird  of  Education.  In  later  life  he  was 
a  strong  advocate  of  the  Greenback  party,  and 
was  abundantly  able  to  defend  his  views,  hav- 
ing an  eloquent  tongue  and  great  force  of  man- 
ner. It  would  seem,  at  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1880,  that  bis  dreams  of  success  and  influence 
had  been  realized,  for  the  1.38'4  acres  owned  by 
him  at  that  time  had  been  developed  from  wild 
timber  land  into  a  farm  of  great  value,  and  per- 
sonally no  man  in  the  township  wielded  a  finer 
influence  or  was  more  highly  esteemed  by  bis 
fcllowmen.  The  wife  who  shared  both  his  jiio- 
iieer  and  later  fortunes,  survived  him  until  1803. 
She  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  Her  son.  L.  C.  Campbell, 
is  a  resident  of  .\storia.  111. ;  Stephen  Douglas 
lives  in  Rogers.  .\rk. ;  the  career  of  James  S.  is 


796 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


written  of  below ;  and  Emma  J.  is  tlie  wife  of 
C.  A.  Loop,  of  Camden. 

James  S.  Campbell  was  born  on  the  old  Camp- 
bell bomestead  in  Section  8,  Camden  Townsbip. 
Oetober  30,  18.50,  and  ever  since  bas  made  this 
bis  bonie.  Tbis  farm  bas  lieen  under  c-ontinuous 
cultivation  by  some  member  of  tbe  same  family 
for  seventj-'tbree  years,  and  is  one  of  tbe  oldest 
and  best  known  landmarks  in  Scbuyler  County. 
James  S.  bas  never  found  tbe  easy  road  to 
wealtb,  notwitbstanding  bis  fatber's  success,  and 
In  his  youtb,  as  in  his  later  years,  be  bas  bad  to 
work  for  whatever  he  valued.  While  still  of 
uncertain  strength,  be  worked  hard  on  tbe  farm 
in  the  summer  and  tnidged  a  long  distance  to 
school  in  the  winter,  and  ev<'n  the  latter  advan- 
tage was  sometimes  cut  short  that  be  might  ap- 
ply all  of  his  time  to  opening  tbe  sugar-camp  or 
performing  other  early  spring  woi'k.  Beginning 
with  his  twenty-tii-st  birthday  be  rented  the 
home  place  for  tbe  balance  of  bis  fatber's  life, 
and  be  then  rented  it  of  his  mother  until  her 
death,  thereafter  becoming  sole  owner  of  the 
property  by  tbe  right  of  purchase  from  the  other 
heirs. 

September  25,  187!).  Mr.  Campbell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Fannie  10.  West,  who  was  born 
in  tbe  village  of  Camden  in  January,  1859.  a 
daughter  of  E.  G.  and  Nancy  West,  who.  with 
his  wife,  were  honored  pioneers  of  Schuyler 
County.  Grandfather  West  was  a-  native  of 
Connecticut,  moving  from  there  to  Kentuck.v,  and 
thence  to  Schuyler  County  at  a  very  early  day. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camiibell  are  the  parents  of  four 
children  :  K.-iynioiid  W..  born  August  2(>.  l.SSO, 
married  .May  McCoy,  and  lias  a  daughter.  Sibyl  ; 
Frank  li..  born  November  1.  18.82.  bookkeeper  for 
Wells  &  Company,  of  Chicago;  Kessie  V.,  born 
October  1.  18!),").  who  is  at  home,  and  Mark  M., 
born  July  26,  ISOS. 

Inheritance  and  training  have  made  of  Mr. 
Campbell  one  of  tbe  most  scientific  and  success- 
ful farmers  of  Camden  Township.  lie  has  made 
nian.v  fine  Improvements  since  his  father  gave 
up  tbe  reins  of  govcriniient.  and  has  one  of  the 
most  homelike  and  iirofitalile  farms  in  tbe  local- 
ity. He  is  engaged  in  gi'neral  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  bas  much  valuable  stock  and  many 
fine  implements.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  socially  is  identified  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 

CAMPBELL,  Joseph  W.— Tbe  upward  struggle 
of  .loscjib  W.  Campbell  expresses  rare  aliility  to 
overcome  olistacles  and  make  the  most  of  oppor- 
tunities. Tbis  long  time  resident  of  Schuyler 
County,  who  owns  ISO  acres  of  land  in  Se<-"tion 
1?>,  Rushville  Township,  is  a  native  of  Armstrong 
County,  Pa.,  where  be  was  bom  January  20, 
184.'?.  Behind  bim  are  the  advantages  of  excel- 
lent birth  and  breeding,  of  practical  education, 
and  family  history  closely  interwoven  with  the 
momentous  events  which  have  shajwd  the  history 
of  this  country.  His  parents.  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Hallabaugb)  Campbell,  also  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  bis  maternal  grandparents 


born  in  Germany.  John  Campbell,  his  paternal 
grandfather,  came  from  Ireland,  his  wife  being 
born  In  Scotland.  John  Camjibell  shouldered  a 
nuisket  In  the  Kevolutlonary  War,  and  also 
fought  in  the  Indian  War,  enlisting  from  Penn- 
sylvania. His  son,  Joseph,  after  aciiuirlug  an 
education  under  difficulties,  and  because  be  was 
able  to  pay  his  own  way,  devoted  his  life  to 
educational  work  to  the  end  that  he  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  ablest  and  m(jst  successful 
teachers  in  Armstrong  County.  Of  tbe  family  of 
twelve  children,  Joseph  W.  was  the  only  son 
and  is  tbe  only  survivor.  Nine  of  tbe  daughtei'S 
grew  to  womanhood,  while  two  died  in  Infancy. 
'IMie  molber  sulise<iuently  became  the  wife  of 
Henry  Khodebusb,  and  in  185o  came  by  water 
to  Illinois,  where  she  remained  with  her  hiisband 
for  si.\  months  iu  Pleasantview.  They  then 
liought  forty  acres  of  land  in  Frederick  Town- 
slilp,  and  In  the  spring  of  1800  moved  to  Mis- 
souri, and  soon  after  to  Kansas,  where  the 
mother  died.  The  step-father  finally  returned 
to  Schuyler  County,  where  his  death  occurred 
in  l!)Ol.  His  son,  John  Rhodebush,  lives  in  Kan- 
sas. 

Joseph  W.  Campbell  was  ten  years  old  when 
he  came  with  his  mother  and  step-father  to 
Schuyler  County  in  ISiJ.'J.  A  year  later  he  went 
to  work  for  a  .Mr.  Edgar  as  chore-lwy  on  a  farm, 
remaining  in  tliat  capacity  a  couple  of  years,  and 
receiving  as  wages  bis  room  and  board.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  years  he  went  to  work  for  an  un- 
cle, and  at  the  expiration  of  three  years  re<t'ived 
as  compensation  for  work  performed  the  sum  of 
fifty  dollars.  When  sixteen  years  had  rolled 
over  bis  head  he  received  twent>'-flve  cents  a  day 
and  board  during  the  summer,  and  about  the 
same  during  the  winter.  In  his  monotonous  and 
work-weary  life,  the  prospects  of  service  iu  the 
Civil  War  was  by  no  means  disheartening,  and 
this  same  service  |)roved  the  mettle  of  the  boy 
and  assisted  in  the  framing  of  the  character  of 
the  man.  Enlisting  in  Company  D.  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
for  three  years,  he  was  sent  to  ICentucky  and 
marched  twice  through  that  State,  and  subse- 
quently marched  across  Tennessee  four  or  five 
times.  The  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  took 
part  in  the  liattles  of  Dalton  and  Resaea,  was 
two  days  at  Chlekamauga,  and  at  Lookout  Moun- 
tain it  was  the  first  to  climb  to  the  top  of  the 
Mountain.  At  the  block-house  fight  forty-eight 
men  of  the  coniijany,  including  Mr.  Campbell, 
were  placed  in  the  house  to  keep  at  bay  Hood's 
army  of  forty  thousand  men  until  the  United 
Stales  forces  could  be  rallied.  During  this  en- 
counter five  of  the  forty-eight  were  killed,  twen- 
t.v-two  wounded,  and  twenty -one  able  bodied  men 
were  taken  prisoners  and  placed  in  Ander-sonville 
prison.  Thirteen  of  these  managed  to  be  paroled 
at  Mlllen.  Ga.  At  the  block-house  Mr.  Campliell 
was  among  the  wounded,  and  on  that  account  he 
was  paroled  and  sent  home,  returning,  however, 
within  thirty  days  to  join  his  regiment,  at  Mont- 
gomery. Ala.  Finally  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  June,   1805,  and  thereupon  returned 


MRS.  JOHN    1).  MOORE 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


797 


to  Schuyler  Countj'  to  take  up  tlie  burden  of 
farming. 

October  25.  1865,  Mr.  Campbell  was  united  in 
man-iage  to  Martha  Ann  Teal,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  daughter  of  John  Teal,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Schuyler  Count}*.  The  same  year  Mr.  Camp- 
bell bought  twenty-nine  acres  of  land  in  Section 
13,  Kushville  To\vnshii>,  which  land  had  on  it  a 
log  cabin  with  puncheon  tloor,  and  here  the  wife 
died  in  ISCS,  leaving  a  daughter,  Clara  May, 
who  died  fit  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  For  his 
second  wife,  Mr.  Campbell  married,  October  25, 
1870,  Miss  Elizabeth  JIcN'eely,  who  was  born  in 
Schu.^-ler  County  in  1849,  a  daughter  of  John 
McNGel.y,  also  an  early  settler  of  this  Countj'. 
and  long  since  deceased.  The  year  of  his  second 
marriage  Mr.  Campbell  sold  his  twenty-nine 
acres  of  land,  and  in  1872  bought  forty  acres 
in  Section  7.  Browning  Township,  which,  like 
his  former  farm,  had  a  log  cabin  and  few  im- 
provements. In  1879  he  bought  thirty  acres 
in  the  same  section,  later  si.xty  acres,  and  still 
later  forty  acres  in  Section  13.  Rushville  Town- 
ship, and  forty  acres  in  Section  18,  the  same 
township,  and  forty  acres  in  Browning  Town- 
ship, having  180  acres  in  one  body  in  Rushville 
and  Browning  Townships.  In  1884  he  moved 
to  his  present  home  in  Section  13,  where  he  has 
many  fine  improvements,  and  is  conducting  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions. 

By  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Campbell  has 
had  nine  children :  Minnie,  deceased  wife  of 
Oliver  Martin,  and  mother  of  Jerry,  William 
and  Madison  Martin ;  Charles  T.,  born  Octo- 
ber 9,  1873,  maiTied  Sadie  Howe,  has  four 
children  named  Ollie,  Maggie,  Hanna  and  Shel- 
ton,  and  is  engaged  in  carpenter  w(M-k ;  Inza 
.\nn.  born  August  20,  1870.  wife  of  Oliver 
Martin,  mother  of  Dannie  and  Dora  Martin, 
and  lives  in  McDonougb  Countj-,  111.:  James 
Eli,  lx)rn  June  12,  1880,  a  farmer  on  the 
old  homestead,  married  Grace  Stephens,  and 
they  live  on  the  home  farm  and  have  two 
children,  Minnie  and  Homer;  Ina  E.,  born  July 
18,  1883,  wife  of  William  Reno,  has  one  child. 
Inza  B.,  and  is  a  foreman  in  the  Macomb  I'ot- 
ter.v  Works;  Austin,  born  April  28,  ISS.l,  living 
at  home:  Valentine,  born  Febniary  14.  1S87; 
and  Otis,  born  July  21.  1890.  Few  more  in- 
dustrious men  have  contributed  to  the  growth 
of  Schuyler  Counfj'  than  Mr.  Campbell.  He 
has  known  little  of  the  leisure  or  diversions  of 
life,  but  has  made  of  his  work  an  expression  of 
himself,  a  rendering  of  his  character  in  mate- 
rial form.  He  is  honored  because  he  is  honest 
and  fair,  lo.val  and  obliging,  and  because  once 
known,  he  always  may  be  depended  on  to  do 
the    best    that    the    situation    requires. 

CARRICK,  George  S. — An  impressive  illustra- 
tion of  the  results  of  well  applied  industry, 
wisely  directed  energy,  judicious  management, 
and  the  practical  exercise  of  other  superior 
qualities  inherited  from  a  most  worthy  ancestry, 
is   manifest    in    the    agricultural    career   of    the 


well  known  retired  farmer  of  Rushville,  Schuy- 
ler County,  111.,  whose  name  furnishes  the 
caption  of  this  biographical  re<;ord.  Mr.  Car- 
rick  was  born  in  the  township  which  is  his 
present  home,  December  1,  ISUl.  His  father. 
Barton  Campbell  Carrick,  was  a  native  of  Scott 
C'ounty,  Ky.,  where  he  was  born  J.uiuary  31, 
1828,  his  mother,  Eliza  (Bradleyj  Carrick.  be- 
ing born  in  Ohio,  October  27,  183;>.  Barton 
Campbell  Carrick  was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  accompanied  his  parents  when  they  settled 
in  Rushville  Township  in  the  earlier  half  of 
the  last  century,  and  carried  on  farming  there 
from  the  time  when  he  reached  his  maturity 
until  his  death.  He  died  March  0,  1808,  his 
wife  following  him  to  the  grave  January  12, 
1875. 

George  S.  Carrid;  attended  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  township  in  his  lioyhuod,  and  his 
youth  was  passed  on  the  home  place.  In  that 
locality  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  culti- 
vation of  his  farm  of  212  acres  in  Sections  26 
and  27,  Rushville  Township,  with  profitable  re- 
sults. He  has  bought  a  very  desirable  building 
site  in  the  northeast  iHirtion  of  the  city  of  Rush- 
ville. where  he  has  erected  a  fine  modern  home 
for  his  familj'. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Carrick  was  soleumized 
in  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111., 
October  1,  1885.  Then  he  was  wedded  to  Minnie 
King,  a  daughter  of  Horace  B.  and  Cornelia 
(Coj-kendall)  King,  who  was  born  in  Buckheart 
Township,  Fulton  County,  111.,  May  8,  1867. 
Mrs.  Carrick's  father  and  mother  settled  in 
Fulton  County  at  an  early  day,  and  both  are 
now  deceased.  Four  children  blessed  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carrick  namely :  George  E. 
born  July  7,  1880 ;  Roy  H.,  bora  November  23, 
1889;  Carl  V.,  born  June  5,  1892;  and  Ruby 
May,  horn  July  27,  1901. 

Politically,  Mr.  Carrick  advocates  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally, 
is  afiiliated  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  M.  W.  A. 
He  bears  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  enteiiM-ising,  thorough  and  progressive 
farmers  of  his  county. 

CARRICK,  William  F.— Among  the  retired 
farmers  of  Schuyler  County,  111.,  who  have  done 
their  full  share  in  wortluly  vipholding  the 
prestige  of  their  locality  as  a  leading  agri- 
cultural district,  is  William  F.  Carrick,  now 
living  in  Rushville,  111.,  whose  farming  opera- 
tions have  been  carried  on  in  Sections  20  and 
27,  Kushville  Township.  Mr.  Carrick  was  born 
in  Rushville  Township.  October  Hi,  1858,  a  son 
of  Barton  Campbell  and  Eliza  (Bradley)  Car- 
rick, the  former  horn  in  Scott  County,  K.v., 
January  31,  1828,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
Ohio,  where  she  was  born  October  27,  1833. 
Barton  Campbell  Carrick  was  brought  to  Illi- 
nois at  an  early  iieriod  by  his  parents,  who  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  Section  27,  Rushville  Town- 
ship, and  there  he  carried  on  fanning  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  took  place  March  6, 
1808.     His  wife  departed  this  life  January   12, 


",98 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYI.ER  COUNTY. 


1875.  At  the  time  of  bis  fatlier's  decease,  tlieil 
son,  William,  was  but  uine  years  old. 

Ill  boybood  William  F.  Carrick  attended  tbe 
district  "  scbuols  of  Rusbville  Township,  and 
spent  bis  youtb  on  bis  father's  farm.  As  soon 
as  he  was  old  enough  be  applied  himself  to 
farming  on  bis  own  resixmsibility,  and  has  thus 
continued  ever  since,  having  bad  a  very  suc- 
cessful e.xperlence  and  gained  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  tbe  most  thorough  and  progres- 
sive farmei-s  of  his  township.  Besides  the  old 
home  farm  of  160  acres,  he  is  tbe  owner  of  eighty 
acres  more  in  Section  20,  which  he  purchased 
In  1893. 

On  October  6,  1886,  Mr.  Clarrii-k  was  united 
in  marriage,  in  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  with  Mary  E.  Davis,  who  was  born  in 
that  township,  a  daughter  of  Charles  W.  and 
Sarah  (Stutsman)  Davis,  natives  of  Maine  and 
Indiana,  respectively.  One  child,  Kuth,  re- 
sulted from  this  union,  who  has  Ihh'II  educated 
at  tbe  Hushville  High  School,  graduating  with 
tbe  class  of  ]908.  Mrs.  Carrick,  a  n-omaii  of 
most  amiable  traits  of  character,  who  endeared 
herself  to  all  within  tbe  circle  of  her  ac- 
quaintance, passed  away  May  Stb,  ]!)07. 

In  political  affairs,  Mr.  Carrick  is  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party.  He  takes  a 
good  citizen's  interest  in  public  matters,  and  is 
regarded  as  a  serviceable  memlier  of  tbe  com- 
munity. 

CLEMENS,  William  D.— Around  bis  long 
career  as  a  general  farmer  in  Uushville  Town- 
ship, William  D.  Clemens  has  built  a  solid  wall 
of  confidence,  and  set  an  example  of  painstaking, 
conscientious  work.  He  is  one  of  the  men  who 
find  their  occupation  thoroughly  congenial,  who 
note  the  changes  and  improvements  evolved  by 
science,  and  who  are  never  slow  to  adopt  those 
innovations  which  apiieal  to  their  progressive- 
ness  and  common  sense.  He  owes  the  adoption 
of  bis  vocation  to  the  example  of  bis  forefathers 
for  many  generations  back,  and  he  inherits 
sterling  qualities  from  a  remote  ancestor  who, 
recognizing  tbe  limitations  of  a  small  tenant 
farm  in  Ireland,  embarked  in  a  sailing  vessel 
for  America  that  he  niiglit  in-ofit  by  the  greater 
opportunities  there  offered,  first  locating  in  the 
State  of  Maine.  Here  was  born  bis  son,  Wil- 
liam, tbe  paternal  grandfather  of  William  D., 
and  here  also  was  lx>rn  Joseph  Clemens,  the 
latter's  father.  Joseph  Clemens  settled  early 
in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  and  there  married 
Elizabeth  Schwab,  who  Iwre  him  seven  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  still  living.  Of  these 
William  D.  w'as  born  December  2^.  IS."}!.  The 
elder  Clemens  was  a  quiet,  unassuming  man, 
but  was  ambitious  withal,  and  in  order  to  bene- 
fit his  prospects  left  Ohio  and  journeyed  to 
Schuyler  County.  111.,  locating  on  a  farm  south- 
west of  Rushville.  October  15.  1866.  Here  his 
death  occured  May  4,  1883,  after  he  had 
achieved  success  as  a  farmer  and  had  filled 
several  local  offices,  including  that  of  Post- 
master of  Pleasantvlew  for  several   years.     He 


was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  in  religion  a 
Methodist.  His  wife,  in  the  meantime,  has 
made  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Horace 
Ba.xter  of  Oakland  Township,  spending  a  part 
of  eacli  year  with  her  daughter,  Nora,  wife  of 
William  Dean,  living  near  Roseville,  Warreu 
Count.v,  111.,  and  with  Bertha,  widow  of  Arthur 
I'arks.  of  Oakland  Township. 

William  D.  Clemens  was  about  sixteen  years 
old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  here,  as  in  Ohio,  he  attended 
the  district  schools  and  worked  hard  on  the 
home  farm.  His  independent  life  liegan  in  1872, 
when,  as  a  sturdy  young  man  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  fac'ed  the  problem  of  self-support  and 
worked  by  the  month  in  different  parts  of 
i^chuyler  County.  April  1,  1875,  he  married 
Cornelia  Ann  Willmot,  daughter  of  Nathan  and 
Cynthia  (Beard)  .  Willmot.  natives  of  North 
Carolina  and  -New  York,  respectively,  and  early 
comers  to  Schuyler  County.  In  the  beginning 
of  his  local  career  Mr.  Willmot  was  a  country 
school  teacher,  and  he  married  upon  the  un- 
certain rewards  of  this  occupation.  He  be- 
came, however,  one  of  the  wealthy  and  prom- 
inent men  of  his  township,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  Januarj'  12,  ]!M^2.  leaving  it  better  for 
his  high  character  and  general  worth.  His  wife 
had  [irecedcd  him  to  the  other  world  in  1.S.85. 
To  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Clemens  have  been  born  four 
children:  Maud  May.  wife  of  .lohn  Dunlap.  of 
Lawrence  County,  Mo.,  and  mother  of  Imogene 
h.  and  Maxine  Ethel  Dunlap;  Albert  O.,  In 
grocery  business  in  Beardstown,  111.,  Vera  Eva. 
wife  of  Owen  -\rmstrong  a  farmer  of  Schuyler 
County,  to  whom  she  was  married  October  16, 
1907:  and  an   Infant  deceased. 

From  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Clemens 
occupietl  rented  farms  In  Woodstock  Township 
vmtll  1885,  when  he  bought  100  acres  of  land 
in  Section  25,  Rushville  Township.  This  tract 
at  the  pre.sent  time  Is  hardly  recognized  by  the 
old  settlers  of  the  community,  so  complete  has 
lieen  the  transformation  wrought  by  its  present 
owner.  To  it  has  been  added  an  adjoining  forty 
acres,  making  in  all  as  fine  a  farm  of  140  acres 
as  Is  to  lie  found  In  the  county.  Mr.  Clemens 
attributes  much  of  his  success  to  the  sympathy 
and  co-operation  of  his  wife,  for  she  has  proved 
a  true  e<-onomist  and  a  never-failing  source  of 
inspiration  when  times  were  hard  and  crops 
uncertain.  On  this  farm  a  specialty  has  been 
made  of  high-grade  cattle,  hogs  and  horses,  and 
all  of  the  improvements  are  modern  and  practi- 
cal. 

Mr.  Clemens  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
in  religion  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  He  has  conti-ibuted  in  many  di- 
rections to  the  general  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity, has  promoted  education  by  his  per- 
sonal support  and  through  the  labor  of  two  of 
his  children  who  became  successful  teachers, 
and  he  is  generally  regarded  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  township. 

COOPER,     William.  —  As     youth     and     man 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


799 


W'illiaiu  Cooper  has  been  identified  with  Cass 
and  Scbu.vler  Counties  tor  sixty-one  years,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  finds  his  faculties  un- 
impaired, his  usefulness  mauysided,  and  his  in- 
dustry and  faithfulness  as  County  Treasurer 
widely  commended  and  appreciated.  lu  his  life 
pursuit  of  agriculture,  and  in  his  political 
and  general  activity.  Mr.  Cooper  has  manifested 
the  best  traits  of  his  English-German  ancestors. 
A  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza1]eth  (Hair)  Cooper, 
his  maternal  grandmother,  Nancy  Hair,  was 
born  in  Mar.vland,  the  daughter  of  parents  who 
came  from  (iermany,  and  who  from  JIaryland 
moved  to  Pennsylvania  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  Thomas  Cooper  was 
the  son  of  William  Cooper,  a  baker  by  trade, 
who  spent  his  entire  life  in  England,  and  lived 
to  a  good  old  age.  The  loss  of  his  mother  when 
a  mere  cliild  deprived  Thomas  of  the  usual  care 
and  advantages  of  youth,  and  the  idea  of  in- 
dependence was  thus  early  developed.  He  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age  when  the  call  of  the 
sea  offered  greater  variet.v  and  adventure  than 
he  thus  far  had  known,  and  for  three  years  he 
sailed  the  high  seas,  touching  at  many  ports 
of  the  old  and  new  world.  When  nineteen  years 
old  he  abandoned  the  nautical  life  and  settled 
down  to  land  pursuits,  spending  a  year  in  New 
lork  and  thereafter  settling  in  Huntingdon 
County,  Pa.  Here  he  married  in  18?>1.  and  here 
was  born  Amy,  the  oldest  of  his  nine  children, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Aaron  McKlin  and  died 
in  Cass  Coimty,  111.  William,  the  next  oldest  of 
the  children,  was  born  in  Huntingdon  County, 
Pa.,  July  26,  1836;  John  enlisted  in  the  Federal 
Army  during  the  Civil  War  and  last  was  heard 
from  in  Western  Nebraska :  Margaret  became 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Edison  and  both  died  in  Kan- 
sas: Susan  is  the  wife  of  Jeremiah  Hough,  and 
lives  in  the  West;  and  Elizabeth  died  in 
Southern  Jlissouri.  Thomas  Cooper  brought  his 
family  to  Illinois  in  1845,  coming  by  way  of 
canal  and  river  and  settling  in  Morgan  County, 
thence  moving  to  Cass  County,  and  in  1867  lo- 
cating in  Mercer  County,  Mo.,  where  he  died  at 
the  advanced  age  of  82  years.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church, 
in  which  he  was  active  and  prominent,  and  also 
took  a  keen  interest  in  the  local  undertakings 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
character  and  considerable  business  ability,  and 
was  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  ever 
knew  him. 

William  Coojier  was  about  nine  years  old 
when  the  family  settled  in  Illinois,  and  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Cass  County,  and 
worked  on  the  home  farm.  March  20.  1,8.59,  he 
(vas  united  in  marriage  to  Mathilda  A.  Self, 
daughter  of  .Tohn  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Slatten) 
Self,  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  born  in 
Gallatin  County,  111.,  and  the  latter  in  Greene 
County.  Mrs.  Cooper  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  111.,  March  29,  1842.  and  later  moved 
to  Cass  Countv.  where  her  parents  lioth  died. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Cooper  turned  his  at- 
tention   to    farming   with    characteristic    energy 


and  good  judgment,  having  a  comfortable  bal- 
ance to  his  credit  upon  disposing  of  his  farm 
in  IS'J'.i,  when  he  settled  in  Brooklyn  Township. 
Schuyler  County.  Here  he  lived  and  prospered, 
and  in  1900  was  elected  Supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship on  the  Democratic  ticket,  sei-ving  six  years 
in  that  capacity,  and  giving  entire  satisfa'ction 
in  a  strongly  Itepublican  eonmnmity.  November 
26.  1006,  he  was  elected  Treasures  of  Schuyler 
County,  again  carrying  Rrooklyn  Township  by 
a  large  nia.iority,  thus  proving  his  personal  pop- 
ularity and  his  independence  of  party  differences. 
He  has  proved  one  of  the  most  public  spirited 
and  dependable  public  servants  in  the  history  of 
the  countj-,  and  has  demonstrated  the  possibili- 
ties which  lie  in  the  path  of  the  man  who  is  fear- 
less and  honest  in  the  discharge  of  public  obli- 
gations. He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church,  in  which  the 
former  has  been  a  deacon  for  many  j^ears.  He 
has  been  a  foremost  promoter  of  township  enter- 
prises in  general,  has  warmly  supported  educa- 
tion,charities  and  sane  diversions,  and  has  con- 
tributed generously  of  his  means  to  many  local 
benevolent  undertakings.  ■ 

Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  are  the  parents  of  ten 
children ;  of  whom  James  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  and  William,  Howard,  Alice  B. 
and  Mary  E.  died  in  infancy.  Of  those  living, 
John  T.  was  born  in  Cass  County.  111..  Septem- 
ber 9,  1860,  and  married  Elizabeth  Cayn-ood; 
John  is  a  farmer  in  Cass  County ;  Lena  was 
born  in  Morgan  County,  June  7,  1872.  and  is 
the  wife  of  .John  A.  Lantz.  a  farmer  of  Brook- 
lyn Township:  Edward  was  ijorn  in  Jlorgan 
County,  July  29,  1874,  and  is  the  husband  of 
Dora  M.  Pelsor,  living  in  Cass  County:  Hat- 
tie  was  born  in  Cass  County,  March  24,  1877, 
and  is  the  wife  of  William  T.  Lantz,  a  farmer 
of  Bi-ooklyu  Township :  and  Myrtle  was  born 
in  Cass  County.  JIarcli  20,  18S1,  and  Is  the  wife 
of  Frank  Hite,  of  Brooklyn  Township,  Schuyler 
County. 

CORBRIDGE,  Clay.  President  and  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Rushville  Jlachine  &  Wagon 
Shojis,  combines  the  most  thorough,  practical 
and  theoretical  imderstanding  of  his  trade,  with 
tliosa  personal  Qualities  which  have  enabled 
him  to  take  an  active  and  conspicuous  part  in 
the  political  and  social  development  of  his  native 
town.  Mr.  Corbridge  has  advanced  slowl.v  up 
the  ladder  of  success,  always  believing  in  the 
value  of  hard  work  as  n-ell  as  in  the  absolute 
impnssibilitv-  of  individual  advancement  unless 
skill  and  ability  are  accompanied  by  painstaking 
application. 

.\uthentie  records  connect  the  paternal  and 
maternal  ancestors  of  Mr.  Corbridge  with  re- 
mote periods  of  English  history,  and  both  fam- 
ilies were  established  in  America  by  William 
P.  and  Mary  A.  (Bolce)  Corbridge,  parents 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His  paternal 
grandparents  were  John  and  Ann  (Pedley) 
Corbridge,    and    his    paternal    great-grandfather 


800 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


was  Thomas  Corbridge.  His  matemul  grand- 
pareuts  were  Johu  and  Ann  (Lowery)  Boiee. 
Mr.  Corbridge  started  upon  liis  indepeudent 
career  witli  a  practical  common  school  education 
and  liuuted  material  assets.  He  evidenced  an 
early  iiicliuatiou  towards  mechanics,  and  during 
his  apprenticeship  mastered  the  machine,  wagon 
and  blacksmith  trades,  establishing  his  present 
business  in  Kushville  in  1S!)7.  On  October  HI, 
1881,  he  married  Calista  A.  Black,  a  native  of 
Rushville,  and  the  family  circle  has  been  en- 
larged to  nine,  the  childi'en  being  as  tollows, 
Eletha  M.,  born  July  29,  1882;  Harvey  C,  born 
November  I'J,  1884 ;  William  F.,  born  January 
31,  1887;  Halford  F.,  born  October  I'J,  1888; 
Viola  M.,  born  January  11,  1893 ;  Irma  Nell, 
born  March  9,  1895 ;  Winnie  James,  born 
October  24,  1897 ;  Ona  Delwin,  born  January 
26,  1809,  and  John  Maurice,  born  October  24, 
1902. 

A  stanch  supiMrter  of  local  Republican  iwli- 
tics,  Mr.  Corbridge  has  held  many  ollices  of 
trust  and  responsibility,  including  those  of 
Supervisor  and  Assessor  of  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship, and  Alderman  of  the  city  of  Rushville, 
being  still  the  incumbent  of  the  hist  named  jwsi- 
tion,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1900.  He  is  a 
consistent  and  helpful  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Sunday  School,  and,  fraternally  is  con- 
nected n-ith  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, Eagles,  Knights  of  I'ythias.  and  .Modem 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  progressive 
and  well  informed  man,  has  the  wisdom  to 
select  and  the  means  to  enjoy  many  desirable 
pleasures  and  comforts  of  modern  life,  and  as  an 
employer  of  the  labor  of  others,  recognizes  an 
opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  tact,  considera- 
tion and  personal  encouragement. 

CORMAN,  James  M.— The  man  who  starts 
upon  liis  wage-earning  career  witli  internal 
rather  than  external  assets,  whose  educational 
and  other  chances  have  not  been  of  tlie  com- 
manding kind,  yet  who  in  after  years  finds  him- 
self among  the  large  tax-i>ayers  and  iirosperous 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  a  progressive  com- 
munity, of  necessity  has  within  him  the  qualities 
which  win  respect  and  make  him  of  value  to 
his  fellow  co-workers.  Such  a  man  is  James 
JI.  Corman.  owner  of  a  sjileudid  farm  of  320 
acres  in  Sections  11  and  12  in  Rushville  Town- 
shi)).  and  for  the  pa.st  nine  years  a  promoter  of 
good  roads  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  High- 
way Commissioners. 

The  Corman  family  is  of  German  origin,  and 
was  first  known  in  America  atout  1740.  Its 
members  have  been  soldiers  as  well  as  men  of 
peace,  and  the  great-grandfather  of  James  M. 
Corman  on  the  paternal  side  followed  the 
martial  fortunes  of  Washington  for  seven  years 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  This  patriot  lived 
for  the  balance  of  his  life  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
was  born  his  son,  the  paternal  grandfather, 
and  son  of  the  latter  Wallace  Corman,  the 
father  of  James  Martin,  in  Armstrong  County, 
Pa.,    in   1837.     Wallace  Corman   was   reared   in 


Pennsylvania,  and  there  married  a  Miss  Martin, 
daughter  of  James  .Martin.  .Mr.  .Martin  was 
horn  in  Ireland  and  came  to  America  in  ISUO, 
settling  in  Westmoreland  County,  whence  he 
removed  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  about  1854. 
Here  his  death  occurred  at  an  advanced  age, 
Jerry  Martin,  one  of  his  sons,  is  a  well  known 
farmer  of  .McDonough  County,  III. 

Wallace  Corman  came  to  Schuyler  County 
about  18oC,  and  for  about  five  years  was  em- 
ployed by  John  Armstrong,  lie  then  bought 
Kit)  acres  in  Section  11,  not  an  acre  of  which 
was  under  cnllivatlon,  the  sole  improvement 
being  a  small  log  house.  In  that  log  cabin  were 
born  all  but  one  of  seven  sons  and  five  daughters, 
two  of  the  children  dying  in  infancy.  Mr.  Cor- 
man was  not  the  kind  of  niiin  to  remain  at  a 
standstill,  so  he  kei>t  adding  to  his  acres  until 
he  owned  .")90.  He  attained  to  great  jtromincnce 
and  infiuence  in  general  township  aft'airs,  but 
now  is  retired  from  active  life,  having  set  an 
example  of  splendid  thrilt  and  industry.  He 
has  been  connected  with  the  local  Grange  since 
1S7.3,  and  In  imllties  is  a  stanch  Democrat. 
He  always  attended  the  local  political  gather- 
ings, was  always  enthusiastic,  and  was  equally 
loyal  lo  the  Methodist  Kpiscoiial  Church,  South, 
which  he  joined  in  early  manhood.  Of  his 
children.  Julia  is  the  wife  of  Ross  Robeson,  of 
Oakland  Townsliip,  Schuyler  County ;  Adelaide 
is  the  wife  of  Charles  K.  Strong,  a  farmer  and 
ex-Treasurer  of  Baiubridge  Township ;  one 
daughter  is  wife  of  William  Nelson,  of 
Freilerick  Township ;  Wesley  is  a  fanner  in 
Section  14,  Rushville  Townshij) ;  Emily  is  wife 
of  Hugh  Strong,  of  Frederick  Township ;  James 
.\ewan  an  engineer  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  tjuincy  Railroad;  Frank,  a  farmer  in  Rush- 
ville Township;  Edward  is  on  the  old  home 
I>lace  in  Scition  14,  Rushville  Township;  and 
Vorne,  who  is  living  on  the  home  place  grad- 
uated with  the  highest  honors  in  a  class  of 
thirty   from   the  Rushville   Normal   in   l'.K)7. 

.lames  M.  Corman  was  Iwrn  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Section  11.  Rushville  Township,  April 
28,  18fi:{.  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  his  neighborhood.  When  he  was  old  enough 
to  make  his  services  of  value,  there  still  re- 
mained nnich  of  the  old  place  to  clear,  and  he 
re<alls  many  days  spent  in  cutting  down  trees, 
hauling  logs,  and  making  ties,  staves,  and  rough 
lumber.  Later  he  learned  the  trade  of  engi- 
neering, and  sjient  s<'ven  years  as  a  stationary 
engineer.  In  1893  he  entered  the  general  office 
of  the  George  Scott  Threshing  Machine  Com- 
pany for  a  year,  and  in  1894  returned  to  the 
home  place,  finally  becoming  owner  of  his  pres- 
ent finely  equipi»d  farm  in  Section  11.  in  the 
southeast  part  of  Rushville  Township.  De- 
ceml)er  27.  1S8.5.  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Rosa  Reno,  who  was  l>orn  in  Browning  Town- 
ship. Schtiyler  County,  a  daughter  of  Byron 
Reno,  a  retired  farmer  of  Browning  Township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gorman  have  six  shildren :  Eunice, 
born  Seiitember  28,  1886,  wife  of  Wlllard 
Leezer,   of   Browning  Township;    Monroe,   born 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


801 


September  7,  1887  ;  Elmo,  Lioru  August  3,  1881) ; 
Auuie,  boru  August  -,  ISUl ;  Jliidisou,  boru 
November  4,  1897 ;  Heury,  boru  Januaiy  2, 
19U0.  The  kind  aud  iudulgeut  motber  of  this 
family  died  January  4,  1902,  leaviug  a  host  of 
friends  aud  well  wishers  to  mourn  her  departure. 
She  was  faithful  to  all  tnists  imposed  upon  her, 
and  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South.  April  7,  1005.  Mr. 
Gorman  married  Josephine  Eales,  who  was  boru 
iu  Rushville  Township,  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools. 

Ou  his  farm  Mr.  Gorman  has  a  high-grade  of 
stock,  including  registered  I'oland-Ghina  hogs, 
Short-horu  cattle.,  and  Percheron  horses.  His 
improvements  express  an  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful  and  comfortable,  as  well  as  profitable, 
side  of  country  business  life,  not  the  least  com- 
mendable of  his  accessories  being  a  fourteen 
acre  orchard  of  the  finest  bearing  fruit  trees  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  He  keeps  thoroughly 
posted  on  the  advancement  of  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  is  thoroughly  scientific  in  his 
methods.  Although  not  soliciting  the  honor, 
his  worth  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners of  Highways  has  been  recognized  by 
his  retention  in  office  for  the  past  nine  years. 

CORRIE,  John,  (decea.sed).— The  life  of  this 
old  pioneer  l)egau  in  Scotland  in  1804  and  came 
to  a  close  on  his  farm  in  Schuyler  County,  111.. 
March  17,  1891.  Leaving  his  native  land  when 
only  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  came  to  America 
in  1819  and  the  same  year  settled  in  Lawrence 
County,  111.,  where  his  marriage  occurred  and 
where  five  of  his  ten  children  were  torn.  In 
1834  he  became  identified  with  Schuyler  County, 
settling  in  that  year  in  the  village  of  Rushville, 
where  in  partnership  with  John  Scripps,  he  con- 
ducted a  general  merchandise  business  until 
1840.  The  association  was  nuitually  agreeable 
and  the  business  was  all  that  could  lie  desired 
from  a  financial  standpoint,  but  owing  to  the 
failing  health  of  Mr.  .John  Scrijips,  the  partners 
agreed  to  close  out  the  business.  During  the 
same  year,  1840,  Mr.  Corrie  purchased  160  acres 
of  heavy  timber  land  on  Section  12,  Camden 
Township,  only  fourteen  acres  at  that  time  be- 
ing under  cultivation.  The  remainder  of  the 
land  was  covered  with  white  and  black  oak 
trees  of  large  size,  some  of  tliem  four  feet  in 
circumference.  Mr.  Gorrie  wofked  industridusly 
to  clear  the  land  and  prepare  it  for  cultivation, 
chopping  down  trees  and  clearing  the  under- 
brush, all  of  which  he  was  compelled  to  gather 
and  burn,  as  in  those  days  no  one  valued  it 
highly  enough  to  haul  it  awa.v.  even  after  it  was 
cut.  Prom  time  to  time,  as  his  means  allowed, 
he  added  adjoining  land  to  bis  original  purchase 
of  IfiO  acres,  imtil  he  finally  laid  claim  to  740 
acres  of  as  fine  land  as  was  to  be  found  in 
Schuyler  County.  At  the  time  the  family  set- 
tled in  Camden  Township  wild  game  of  all  kinds 
was  plentiful,  turkeys  being  almost  as  common 
a  sight  as  chickens  are  tod.ay.  It  was  no  uncom- 
mon  sight   to   find  a   drove   of   from    twelve   to 


twenty  deer  within  close  range,  aud  prairie 
chickens  by  the  hundred  were  seen  so  fre- 
quently as  to  cause  no  comment.  All  of  this  is 
now  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  birds  and  other 
beautiful  winged  species  that  then  filled  the  air 
with  their  nmsic,  have  almost  disappeared,  even 
the  bumble  bee  now  rarely  being  ^eeu. 

John  Corrie  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
his  time  and  locality,  ever  ou  the  alert  to  in- 
augurate and  assist  any  project  that  would  bene- 
fit his  fellowman,  either  directly  or  indirectly. 
This  was  perhaps  nowhere  more  noticeable  than 
iu  the  establishment  of  a  church  and  school  in 
this  neighborhood,  to  each  of  which  undertak- 
ings Mr.  Corrie  gave  liberally  of  both  time  aud 
means,  and  for  many  years  was  treasurer  of 
the  school  iu  Camden  Township.  As  early  as 
1820  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  throughout  his  life  he  put  into 
daily  practice  the  precepts  of  his  faith.  His 
death,  March  17,  1891,  was  mourned  as  a  deep 
loss  to  the  community  in  which  he  had  lived 
for  so  many  decades,  for  he  stood  as  a  link  be- 
tween the  days  of  hardship,  privation  and  trial, 
and  its  present  prosperity,  his  life  a  part  of  the 
past  which  made  today's  greatness. 

The  first  marriage  of  John  Corrie  occurred  in 
1825  iu  Lawrence  County,  111.,  when  he  was 
united  with  Mary  Schrader,  the  daughter  of 
John  Jacob  Schrader,  who  was  of  German 
descent.  Mr.  Schrader  was  a  man  of  unusual 
accomplishments,  being  able  to  .speak  fluently 
in  seven  different  languages,  and  for  many  years 
he  taught  German,  French,  Latin  and  English, 
besides  vocal  music  in  Baltimore.  In  1845, 
twenty  years  after  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Mary 
Gorrie  passed  away,  and  the  following  year  Mr. 
Corrie  married  G,yrintha  Erw^in.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in 
tile  faith  of  which  she  went  to  her  reward  May 
14.  1888. 

Adam  Schrader  Corrie,  the  eldest  child  of 
John  and  Mary  (Schrader)  Corrie,  was  born 
July  7,  1S2G.  aud  now  makes  his  home  on  a  farm 
ad.ioining  the  old  homestead,  the  latter  owned 
and  occuiiied  by  John  D. — these  two  brothers 
lieing  the  only  living  male  representative  of  the 
parental  family.  The  eldest  daughter,  Agnes  E., 
Iiorn  February  4,  1830.  became  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Irwin,  and  both  died  in  Littleton  Township. 
Jacob  W.,  born  March  17.  1.8.32.  died  September 
8,  ISO!  ;  Sanmel  R.,  born  March  10,  ]8.".4,  died 
October  24,  1835;  Margaret  Eliza  boru  November 
4,  1836,  is  the  widow  of  Peter  Beals,  and  makes 
her  home  in  Chicago.  Mary  Ellen  was  born 
June  6,  1841,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Charles 
Collins,  of  Pasadena.  Cal.  Sarah  M.,  born 
February  4.  1843,  became  the  wife  of  B.  F. 
Peterson,  but  is  now-  deceased.  William  H.  S. 
and  Penelope  Jane  were  twins,  born  JIar<'h  23, 
1845 ;  the  former  died  when  si.x  months  old.  but 
the  latter  lived  to  maturity,  becoming  the  wife 
of  George  R.  Hughes,  a  resident  of  Indianola, 
Iowa. 

.John  D.  Corrie,  the  second  child  in  the  family, 
was   boi-n    in    Lawrence    County,    111.,    February 


803 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


27,  1828.  As  he  was  a  cbild  of  about  seven 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  removal  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  he  well  remembers  the  iueideuts 
connected  with  that  event  and  he  never  tires 
of  recounting  them,  as  well  as  other  pioneer  ex- 
jierienees,  to  the  yougcr  generation  of  settlers, 
who  in  turn  are  entertained,  not  with  fanciful 
imaginations  but  with  truthful  facts  regarding 
the  times  and  conditions  of  that  period.  Dur- 
ing the  rush  to  California  in  ]8.")(i,  .Mr.  Corrie 
was  among  the  number  who  braved  the  hard- 
shijis  and  dangers  of  an  overland  journey, 
making  the  trip  with  four  yoke  of  cattle  in  one 
hundred  days.  With  the  gold  which  he  had 
accumulated  during  his  three  yeare  mining  ex- 
Ijerience,  he  returned  to  Illinois  in  185:^  and  re- 
sumed farming  on  the  old  homestead.  His 
country's  call  for  able-bodied  men  during  the 
early  days  of  the  Civil  War  once  more  interruiited 
the  quiet  routine  of  his  rural  life  and  in  1862, 
he  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Comjjany  A, 
Seventy-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Among  the  battles  in  which  he  participated  may 
be  mentioned  Chickamauga,  Buz/.ard's  U(X)St, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Jonesboro  and  Nashville, 
Tenn.  At  Jonesboro  he  was  wounded  three 
times,  twice  in  one  hand  and  once  in  the  shoul- 
der. In  an  engagement  at  .Tonesboro.  while  charg- 
ing over  the  breastworks,  many  of  the  men  in  his 
company  paid  for  their  bravery  with  their  lives, 
and  many  others  were  wounded  and  comix-lled 
to  go  to  the  hospital.  Among  the  latter  was  Mr. 
Corrie.  but  at  the  time  of  Lee's  surrender  he 
was  sufficiently  recovered  at  Kaleigh,  N.  C.  to 
take  his  place  with  his  regiment,  and  from  there 
went  to  Richmond  and  thence  to  Wasliington, 
where  in  the  grand  review,  he  participated  in 
the  grand  pageant  which  has  never  been  equaled 
in  the  history  of  the  country.  After  being  mus- 
tered out  and  receiving  his  honorable  discharge 
at  Chicago,  be  returned  ont-e  more  to  the  farm, 
where  up  to  the  present  time  he  has  continued 
unintemiptedly  the  peaceful  life  of  the  agricul- 
turist. His  property  consists  of  2."i0  acres  of  the 
land  originally  owned  b.v  his  father,  and  adjoin- 
ing his  lies  the  farm  of  his  brother,  Adam  S. 
As  was  his  father  before  him.  Mr.  Corrie  is  a 
believer  in  Republican  principles,  and  votes  that 
party's  ticket  at  all  presidential  elections.  Al- 
though well  advanc-ed  in  years  he  is  hale  and 
hearty,  and  enjoys  recounting  the  events  of  his 
long  and  eventful  life.  He  holds  a  high  place 
in  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him,  and  «ho  op- 
preciate  him  for  the  qualities  of  citizenship  dis- 
played for  over  half  a  century. 

COWDERY,  Lewis.— One  of  the  finest  farms  to 
be  seen  on  Section  2.5.  Birmingham  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  is  that  owned  and  occupied  by 
Mr.  Cowdery,  which  has  been  his  life-time  home, 
for  here  he  was  born  in  a  primitive  log  cabin 
February  8,  1846.  From  Vermont,  his  native 
State,  Roswell  Cowdery  Viegan  to  work  his  way 
to  the  Middle  West  in  young  manhood,  going  first 
to  Meigs  Cotmty.  Ohio.  While  there  he  was 
married  to  Mercy  Hoyt,  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 


shire, and  on  the  farm  which  he  owned  in  Ohio, 
five  of  their  seven  children  were  born.  Some 
years  prior  to  the  birth  of  Lewis,  about  l.s.!!), 
the  parents  came  overland  to  Illinois,  settling 
in  Schuyler  County  on  Section  ■£>,  Birmingham 
Township.  During  the  year  previous  (18;{8), 
two  of  his  brothers.  Jacob  and  Cyrus  Cowdery, 
had  settled  in  Birmingham  Township,  a  circum- 
stanix"  which,  no  doubt,  was  a  strong  inttuence 
in  inducing  Roswell  Cowdery  to  locate  in  the 
same  township.  Jacob  finally  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, and  there  died,  while  the  other  brother, 
Cyrus,  passed  away  in  Augusta,  Hancoik 
County.  In  1840  Roswell  Cowdery  entered  Itio 
acres  of  land  from  the  Government  on  Section 
25,  erecting  a  log  cabin  for  the  shelter  of  bis 
wife  and  five  children.  In  this  rude  structure 
two  children  were  added  to  the  number,  all  liv- 
ing to  years  of  maturity,  but  of  this  large  family, 
Lewis  Is  the  only  one  now  living.  Lucinda  was 
the  wife  of  James  Compton.  and  to  them  were 
born  four  children,  of  whom  .Mercy  Sarah  and 
.Vlice  are  the  oidy  ones  living,  two  dying  in  in- 
fancy; Mr.  Comi)ton  is  still  living,  making  his 
home  in  Augusta,  Hancock  County.  Sarah  be- 
came the  wife  of  Alexander  Walker,  and  both 
are  now  deceased ;  their  four  children  are,  Ros- 
well, Samuel,  James  and  Charles.  Royal  and 
Newton  were  both  unmarried.  Charles  married 
Miss  Henrietta  W'alker  and  to  them  was  born 
one  daughter,  Kva,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Edgar  McWharter.  Spencer  was  first  married 
to  .Miss  Lucinda  rhillips,  who  at  her  death  left 
one  daughter,  .Vlice,  who  married  George  Witson, 
and  resides  in  Thompson,  Mont.,  and  one  son, 
William,  who  married  Elsie  Shanks  and  lives 
in  Brooklyn.  For  his  second  wife  Spencer  Cow- 
dery married  Jane  King,  and  their  four  children 
were  named  Minnie,  Mary,  Henry  and  Roswell ; 
his  widow  still  lives  on  the  old  home  farm. 

I'ersonall.v  Roswell  Cowdery  was  a  man  fear- 
less in  speech  and  action,  open  and  above-board  in 
all  of  his  transactions,  and  it  goes  without  say- 
ing that  he  was  a  man  well  liked  by  the  best 
element.  He  was  particularly  fond  of  his 
friends,  and  was  never  so  happy  as  when  enter- 
taining them  In  his  own  hospitable  home.  Al- 
though he  was  not  interested  In  politics  in  the 
sense  of  desiring  to  hold  office,  he  w.as  withal  an 
ardent  admirer  of  Republican  principles  and  al- 
ways voted  that  party's  ticket.  To  his  original 
pre-<>mption  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  he  added  from  time  to  time  as  his  means 
would  allow  until  he  laid  claim  to  five  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  fine  land  all  in  one  body. 
To  each  of  his  children  he  gave  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  when  they  reached  maturity.  During  the 
many  years  which  be  had  made  his  home  in 
Schuyler  County  he  had  witnessed  innumerable 
changes,  he  himself  bearing  a  large  share  in  the 
transformation,  and  at  his  death  was  mourned 
as  a  public  loss  to  the  community.  His  wife 
died  in  18.86.  honored  and  respected  by  hosts  of 
friends  and  acquaintances. 

Lewis  Cowdery  was  educated  in  the  subschlp- 
tion  schools  in  vogue  during  his  boyhood,  each 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYI.EI]  COUNTY. 


803 


pupil  paying  a  percentage  of  tlie  teaclier's  sal- 
ary, aud  the  teacber  boardiug  arouud  iu  the 
parent's  families.  Later  he  attended  the  district 
school  and  the  school  in  the  neighboring  city  of 
Broolvlyu.  As  his  studies  would  permit,  he  as- 
sisted iu  the  duties  on  the  home  farm,  so  when 
his  school  days  were  over  he  was  well  qualified 
to  take  a  helpful  part  iu  its  management.  His 
marriage.  April  3.  lS<iO,  united  him  with  Miss 
Mary  Meacham,  a  daughter  of  Seth  Meacham, 
one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  Brown  County,  111., 
where  her  birth  occurred.  Four  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  aud  Mrs.  Cowdery,  but  two  of  them, 
Lyman  and  Homer,  died  in  childhood.  Idell, 
who  was  bom  December  22,  1875,  became  the 
wife  of  Sloan  Horney,  a  farmer  on  Section  25, 
Birmingham  Township,  and  they  have  five  child- 
ren, Vaile.  Lewis.  Mcrilia,  Laverne  and  Irene. 
The  .youngest  child,  Arthur,  boru  Octol.ier  15. 1882, 
still  makes  his  home  with  his  parents  on  the  old 
farm.  For  one  year  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Cowdery  made  his  home  with  his  oldest  brother, 
but  as  his  father  and  mother  wished  him  to  re- 
turn to  the  old  home  aud  live  with  them,  he  ac- 
ceded to  their  wishes,  the  homestead  of  220 
acres  falling  to  him  at  their  death,  this  being  the 
express  wish  of  the  parents,  as  he  was  their 
youngest  child.  No  allurements  of  public  or  of- 
ficial life  have  ever  been  able  to  turn  Mr. 
Cowdery's  thoughts  away  from  the '  duties  con- 
nected with  the  care  and  management  of  his 
farm,  and  as  a  reward  for  his  devotion  to  its 
interests,  he  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
he  owns  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  point  of  pro- 
ductiveness in  the  county.  Politically  he  casts 
his  vote  in  favor  of  Republican  candidates,  and 
in  a  quiet  way  does  what  he  can  to  advance  the 
interests  of  his  chosen  party.  Both  himself  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  toward 
the  maintenance  of  which  both  coutriliuted  lib- 
erally, as  they  do  also  to  all  projects,  whether 
religious  or  secular,  calculated  to  advance  the 
welfare  of  their   home  community. 

CRANDALL,  Fred  E.— One  of  the  youngest 
men  in  Rushville  to  conduct  an  independent  en- 
terpris*',  aud  by  his  business  sagacity  and  deter- 
mination to  invest  it  with  the  certainty  of  suc- 
cess. Fred  E.  Crandall  is  known  to  the  patron- 
izing public  as  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  a 
successful  livery  and  feed  stable  since  the  sum- 
mer of  1901.  Mr.  Crandall  comes  of  a  family 
long  identified  with  extensive  horse  and  mule 
raising,  and  practically  all  of  the  male  members 
have  promoted  branches  of  industry  at  sometime 
in  their  lives.  There  are  no  better  Judges  of 
these  animals  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  their 
knowledge  along  these  lines  is  frequently  drawn 
upon  liy  those  less  versed  on  the  subject. 

Mr.  Crandall  was  born  in  Rushville.  111.,  Octo- 
ber 20.  188.".  and  is  the  youngest  of  the  seven 
children  of  Byron  and  Emma  (Greer)  Crandall. 
natives  of  Ohio.  Byron  Crandall  engaged  in  the 
harness,  carriage,  wagon  and  stock  business  in 
his  adopted  State  of  Illinois,  but  he  came  here 
with  but  one  dollar  in  his  pocket,  settling  among 


strangers  who  would  favor  him  only  as  he  earned 
the  right  to  such  favor.  Locating  first  in  As- 
toria, Fulton  County,  to  which  place  he  came  by 
way  of  Beardstown,  he  sometime  later  settled  iu 
Rushville,  and  here  industry,  thril't  and  con- 
stancy of  purpose  met  with  their  just  ren^ard. 
He  had  the  family  fondness  for  stock,  and  de- 
voted much  of  his  time  to  its  raising  and  pur- 
chase. Of  his  children,  Harvey  is  a  prominent 
stock  raiser  and  dealer  of  Huntsville  Township, 
Schuyler  County ;  Charles  E.  is  a  prominent 
shipper  of  horses,  mules  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments at  Rushville ;  Guy  is  engaged  in  the  com- 
mission business  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  and  also  is  ex- 
tensively interested  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
hor.ses  and  mules;  Belle  is  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Winters,  of  Littleton,  Schuyler  County ;  Mor- 
timer died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and 
at  that  time  was  considered  one  of  the  best 
judges  of  horses  and  mules,  having  begun  to  deal 
iu  them  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old;  Lillian 
is  the  wife  of  C.  C.  Young,  a  real  estate  and  loan 
agent  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  and  Fred  E.,  the 
present  liveryman  of  Rushville. 

Fred  E.  Crandall  is  a  member  of  one  of  the 
leading  families  of  Rushville,  and  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  developing  the  stock  business 
iu  Schuyler  County.  His  livery  is  well  supplied 
with  good  hor.ses,  modem  equipages,  aud  ample 
facilities  for  boarding,  feeding  and  storing.  He 
has  vehicles  of  various  kinds  for  sale,  and  ma- 
terially adds  to  his  annual  income  by  buying  aud 
selling  horses  and  mules.  He  is  a  Denuocrat  iu 
politics,  and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the 
ludeiK^ndent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Mod- 
em Woodmen  of  America. 

CRASKE,  Henry. — For  generations  the  family 
of  which  Heniy  Craske  is  a  representative  flour- 
ished as  agi-ieulturists  and  tradesmen  in  Suf- 
folk, the  eastommost  shire  of  England,  where  he 
was  born  at  Burg  St.  Edmunds,  September  20, 
1845.  In  the  same  quaint  town  his  father, 
James  Craske,  was  born  in  1798,  and  the  county 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  James  Craske's 
father,  who  lived  and  died  in  the  land  of  his 
sires. 

James  Craske  was  the  only  member  of  a  large 
faniil.v  who  gave  heed  to  the  inducements  that 
invited  him  from  this  side  of  the  water.  He  had 
received  the  education  and  careful  home  training 
of  the  English  .youth  of  the  middle  class,  and 
while  still  .voung  had  married  Eliza  Clark,  who 
was  born  at  Barton  Mills,  England,  and  who, 
upon  her  death  at  Burg  St.  Edmunds,  in  1849, 
left  five  children :  Sarah,  James,  Caroline,  Eliza- 
beth and  Henry.  In  1802  Mr.  Craske  set  sail 
for  the  United  States,  and  after  various  changes 
located  permanently  at  Little  Falls,  Herkimer 
County,  N.  T.  At  that  time  Henry  Craske  was 
thirteen  years  old,  and  was  serving  as  the  ap- 
prentice of  a  man  engaged  in  the  d.veing  business 
in  his  native  town.  Two  years  later,  having  com- 
Iileted  his  apprenticeship,  he  joined  his  father, 
brothers  and  sisters  in  New  York  State.  On 
April   2.3.    1800,   he    located   in    Springfield,    111., 


804 


HISTORY  OF  SCHTTYLER  COUNTY. 


where  he  followed  his  tnide  until  18GS.  The 
latter  year  fouud  him  a  resident  of  Rushville, 
whence  in  1870  he  went  to  Decatur,  111.,  return- 
ing soon  afterwariLs  to  Rushville,  however,  where 
he  since  has  been  engaged  in  the  ice  business. 

While  a  resident  of  New  York,  on  September  5. 
1802.  Mr.  Craske,  then  seventeen  years  old,  en- 
listed in  the  Second  Regiment.  New  York  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
(Mvil  War.  On  December  2.'!,  ISO."),  he  married 
Ellen  Maria  .lones.  a  native  of  Little  Falls.  N. 
Y.,  and  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Jane  .Tones, 
born  in  England  and  New  York,  respectively. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Craske  are  the  parents  of  six 
children,  namely:  Geneva  A.,  Caroline  E..  Mamie, 
Francis  C,  Harry  Barton,  Lillian  M.  and  John 
A.  lAigan. 

Mr.  Craske  has  led  an  industrious  and  useful 
life,  and  in  many  ways  lias  (•ontril)uted  to  the 
development  of  his  adopted  town.  A  stanch  and 
unswerving  Republican,  ho  has  held  many  local 
offices,  but  is  best  known  for  his  services  as  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  from 
188.")  to  1888.  In  18,8.5  he  originated  Uie  scheme 
In  the  Thirty-fourtli  District  of  Illinois  of  elect- 
ing a  Reiniblican  Uei)resentative  to  the  State 
Legislature,  thus  breaking  the  deadlock  which 
had  tied  up  the  General  .\ssembly  for  months, 
and  affording  an  opportunity  for  re-election  to 
the  Ignited  States  Senate  of  Gen.  John  A.  Logan. 
Mr.  Craske  has  for  yeai's  been  a  member  of 
Rushville  Lodge.  No.  0,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  Rushville 
Chapter  No.  184,  R.  A.  M..  and  Rushville  Com- 
mandery.  No.  56.  K.  T.  He  also  is  identified 
with  the  .\ncient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
Security  I^dge  No.  ."1.  I.  O.  M.  A.  and  Col.  Hor- 
ney  Post,  No.  131,  Grand  Army  of  the  Itcpuhlie. 
Mr.  Cra.ske  is  a  self-contained,  honorable  man  of 
business,  whose  word  is  unimiieacliable.  whose 
fidelity'  to  the  public  interests  is  unciuestioned. 
and  whose  judgment  of  men  and  affairs  is  de- 
cidedly trust  (\-orthy.  He  is  the  iiossessor  of  a 
handsome  competence,  won  solely  through  his 
own  efforts,  and  enjoys  the  esteem  an<l  confidence 
of  the  best  people  in  the  town. 

CROZIER,  Robert  H.,  a  prominent  and  success- 
ful farmer  of  Rushville  Township.  Sclmyler 
County,  111.,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant- 
view,  in  the  same  township.  March  .5.  1.S.59,  and 
is  a  .son  of  Richard  and  Sarah  (Croy.iert  Croz- 
ier.  natives  of  County  Tyrone.  Ireland.  Rich.ard 
Crozier  came  to  America  with  his  father.  Rich- 
ard, Sr..  and  the  bitter's  wife,  sojourning  for  a 
while  in  Canada,  and  thence  going  to  New  York 
State  and  locating  at  Ithaca.  His  future  wife, 
Sarah  Crozier.  accompanied  her  parents  to  the 
United  States,  the  family  also  settling  in  Ithaca, 
and  there  she  was  married  to  Richard  Crozier. 
About  the  year  185-4  the  young  couple  came  to 
Schuyler  County.  111.,  making  their  home  in 
Section  ,^.5.  Rushville  Township.  In  1856  Rich- 
ard Crozier  moved  to  Bainbridge  Township,  buy- 
ing seventy  acres  of  laud,  and  adding  more  from 
time  to  time,  until  he  became  an  extensive  land- 
holder,   owning   500   acres   at   the   time   of    his 


death.  He  was  one  of  the  most  successful 
fanners  iu  his  locality,  and  as  his  family  grew 
to  maturity,  gave  each  a  fine  piece  of  land.  He 
and  his  wife  had  five  children,  as  follows :  Helen 
Augusta,  wife  of  Thomas  L.  Strong,  who  owns 
part  of  the  old  homestead :  Frederick,  born  in 
New  Y'ork  State,  who  died  when  about  three 
years  old;  Robert  II.:  -Margaret  F.,  wife  of  Ro- 
land M.  Stover,  of  Rushville,  111.;  and  Annie  M., 
who  died  in  Bainbridge  Towniship  at  the 
age  of  eleven  yeai-s.  Her  father  died  Feb- 
ruary 2!),  1!)0G.  He  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  Bainbridge  Township,  and  a 
strong  advocate  and  supporter  of  educational 
enterprises.  In  politics,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
ably  and  taitlifully  filled  various  townshii)  of- 
fices. He  was  .a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  as  is  his  worthy  widow,  who  re- 
sides in  Pleasaiitview,  enjoying  the  sincere  re- 
spect of  all  who  know  her,  and  the  serene  con- 
sciousness of  a  well  spent  life.  Robert  H. 
Crozier  attended  the  connnon  schools  in  his  bo.v- 
hood.  and  remained  on  tlie  home  farm  until  the 
time  of  his  marriage.  He  then  Iwught  forty  acres 
of  land  in  Section  15,  Bainbridge  Township, 
which  in  1000  he  sold  and  moved  to  his  new 
purchase  of  118  acr(>s  in  Rushville  Townslii]). 
Since  then  he  has  made  many  attractive  improve- 
ments on  the  pi.ice,  especially  on  the  dwelling, 
and  has  now  a  lieautiful  home,  with  sjiacious 
and  substantial  barns,  and  convenient  outbuild- 
ings for  the  care  of  his  stock. 

On  January  .'iO,  1800,  Mr.  Crozier  was  united 
in  niarriege  with  Anna  M.  Acheson,  a  native  of 
Bainbridge  Township,  where  she  was  born  April 
16.  1870.  Mrs.  Crozier  Is  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Mary  (Ward)  .Vcheson.  and  particulars  In 
regard  to  her  father's  life  may  1k>  found  in  a 
liiographical  record  of  Alexander  Acheson,  apear- 
ing  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Croz- 
ier have  had  four  children,  namely :  Mabel  A., 
born  January  1.  1801  ;  Harr\'  Earl.  Ix)rn  Novem- 
ber 15,  1803,  deceased  May"8.  1002;  Clarice  E., 
iKtrn  June  11.  1800;  and  Sarah  Elsie,  born  No- 
vember 11,  1003.  -Mr.  Crozier  is  the  only  one  of 
tlie  Croziers  left  in  Schuyler  Connt.v.  Five 
brothers  of  his  father  moved  to  Kansas,  where 
all  but  one  died,  leaving  families. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Crozier  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
for  many  .years  held  the  ofHce  of  School  Direc- 
tor. Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the  M. 
W.  .\..  Rushville  Camp,  No.  308.  He  is  a  man 
of  genial  disposition,  and  he  and  his  amiable 
wife  have  many  friends. 

CURRY,  Amos  L. — The  farm  upon  which  Amos 
L.  Curry  lives  in  Section  6.  Frederick  Township, 
was  the  place  of  his  birth.  July  25,  1868.  his 
<hildish  troubles,  pastimes  and  small  labors,  and 
has  been  the  scene  of  his  sulisequent  extensive 
and  successful  operations  as  a  general  farmer 
and  stock-raiser.  Davis  II.  Curry,  the  father  of 
Amos,  was  born  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  by  trade 
was  a  ship  carp*>nter.  Coming  early  to  Schuy- 
ler Countj-.  he  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
his  son,  and  there  died  in   1873  while  yet  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


805 


world  seemed  to  hold  much  of  iironiise  and  hap- 
piness for  him.  To  a  maiiysided  and  industrious 
career  he  added  the  service  of  a  military  man, 
enlisting  in  the  navy  at  the  beginning  of  hostili- 
ties, and  serving  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 
He  was  a  man  of  quiet  and  unostentatious  na- 
ture, in  no  sense  a  politician,  liut  a  consistent 
promoter  of  IJepublican  principles.  Fraternally 
he  was  connected  with  the  Masonic  Order. 
Through  his  marriage  to  Louise  Messerer.  daugh- 
ter of  an  early  pioneer  of  Schuyler  County,  there 
were  born  to  him  five  children :  Burton  E.,  liv- 
ing in  Beardstown,  and  a  locomotive  engineer 
for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 
Company ;  Davis  H.,  Jr.,  for  many  years  a  miner 
in  Xevada,  and  Superintendent  of  the  Independ- 
ence Mine,  at  Cripple  Creek,  Colo. ;  Beulah  M., 
widow  of  Rev.  ,T.  W.  Knight,  a  Christian  minis- 
ter, and  a  resident  of  Ch.unpaigu,  111. ;  one  not 
named :  and  Amos  L.  The  mother  of  this  family 
lives  in  Frederick  Township,  having  married  as 
her  second  husband,  B.  F.  Redman,  a  well-to-do 
farmer  and  dairyman. 

Until  his  twentieth  year  Amos  L.  lived  at 
home,  in  the  meantime  acquiring  a  fair  common 
school  education,  a  good  constitution,  and  shrewd 
business  sagacit.v.  Upon  starting  out  for  him- 
self he  worked  liy  the  day  or  mouth,  but  in  1.S87, 
having  ab.-indoned  farming  he  went  to  Colorado, 
where  he  siient  a  year  with  not  very  profitable 
results  in  the  North  Star  and  Whale  mines. 
Not  favorably  impressed  with  the  financial  ad- 
vantages of  mining,  he  returned  to  Frederick 
Township,  and  for  four  years  was  employed  as 
bridge  carpenter  by  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad  Company.  Septemlier  l.S,  1893, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  il.  Reno, 
a  native  of  Browning,  III.,  and  daughter  of 
Hon.  William  C.  Reno,  a  grain  dealer  in  charge 
of  the  grain  elevators  at  Browning.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Curry  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Margaret  M.,  born  September  .3,  1894;  Ada  L.. 
born  July  5,  1890,  and  Fred  E..  born  August  8. 
1898.  Mrs.  Curry  died  Novemljer  25,  1899,  and 
was  sadly  missed  by  her  devoted  little  famil.v 
and  many  warm  friends.  She  was  a  loyal  wife 
and  mother,  and  an  active  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church.  Seiitemlier  2.  1902.  Mr.  Curry  was 
married  to  Vesta  (Ward)  Gregg,  daughter  of 
Ira  and  Mary  (Taylorl  Ward,  and  born  in  Bain- 
bridge  Township.  Schuyler  County.  April  G.  ISTG. 
To  their  home  and  hearts  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curr.v 
have  taken  little  Ida  Burrell.  who  has  lived  with 
them  four  yeai"s.  and  this  is  but  one  of  the  many 
expressions  of  kindness  and  humanity  which 
have  fallen  from  the  lives  of  this  worthy  couple. 

In  1S9:'.,  Mr.  Curry  rented  the  old  farm  in  Sec- 
tion G,  Frederick  Township,  containing  292  acres. 
and  here  is  folloiving  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  raising  large  numbers  of  hogs,  cattle, 
hor-ses  and  sheep,  besides  many  kinds  of  general 
produce.  Besides  his  original  farm  lie  owns  112 
acres  in  Section  .32,  making  in  all  402  acres,  all 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  dwellings, 
barns,  out-bnildings  and  general  improvements 
of  modem  style.     In  addition  to  being  one  of  the 


le.-iding  agriculturists  in  two  townships,  Mr. 
•  Curry  is  prominent  politically,  and  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket  has  served  as  Supervisor  for 
three  terms  from  Frederick  Township,  at  the  last 
election,  in  1907,  receiving  a  majority  of  fifty 
votes.  P'or  four  years  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  roads  and  bridges,  and  in  this  con- 
nection has  rendered  valuable  suggestions  as  to 
the  care  and  imiirovenient  of  these  public  utili- 
ties. While  not  a  memlier  of  any  church,  he  is 
a  generous  contrilmtor  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  with  which  his  wife  has  been  con- 
nected for  many  years,  and  is  also  a  faithful 
friend  of  education,  and  all  enlightening  agen- 
cies. Possessing  an  interesting  and  engaging 
personality,  and  having  great  social  tact  and  dis- 
cretion, Mr.  Curry  is  a  general  favorite  wherever 
people  are  gathered  together  for  mutual  enter- 
tainment, and  is  especially  popular  in  the  lodges 
of  file  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  D.  O.  K.  K.  Within  the  limits  of 
Schuyler  County  there  is  not  a  man  more  highly 
respected,  or  whose  word  is  more  readily  ac- 
cepted than  is  that  of  Amos  L.  Curry. 

CURRY,   William   Jackson,   one   of   the   oldest 

and  most  hiu:hly  esteemed  farmers  of  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  residing  in  Section  31,  Buena  Vista 
Township,  and  long  a  leading  citizen  of  his  eom- 
nuuiity,  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of  Matthew  and 
Nancy  (Simpson)  Curry,  natives  of  Kentucky, 
and  a  grandson  of  James  and  Honora  (Booth) 
Curry,  of  whom  the  former  was  born  in  Ireland, 
comiiig  to  the  United  States  in  the  beginning  of 
the  last  century,  and  making  his  way  to  Ken- 
tucky. There  Grandfather  Curry  was  married 
to  lionora  Booth,  and  settled  in  Mercer  County, 
wiiere  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent.  Some  time 
after  his  death  his  son  il.-itthew  .ioume.ved  from 
the  Blue  Grass  State  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Brown  County,  and  living  tliere  from  1842  to 
1844.  In  tlie  latter  year  he  wont  back  to  his  old 
home,  where  he  remained  until  1849.  returning 
then  to  Illinois,  and  bringing  his  wife's  mother 
with  him  to  Schuyler  County,  where  he  located 
in  Woodstock  Township.  In  18.51.  Matthew 
Curry  made  an  overland  trip  to  California,  stay- 
ing until  1833.  On  his  return  he  spent  a  short 
time  in  Schuyler  County,  .and  then  went  to  Mis- 
souri. When  he  came  back  to  Illinois  he  located 
again  in  Brown  County,  moving  to  Schuyler 
County  in  ISGl.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son 
James,  at  Coopei'stown.  Brown  County,  in  18G2, 
his  wife  surviving  him  many  years,  and  finally 
passing  away  in  Schuyler  County  at  the  home 
of  James  Currj-,  in  1888.  Their  family  consisted 
of  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  as  follows: 
Henry  Clay.  James,  William  Jackson.  Sarena 
A..  .Tohn  W.,  Saraha,  Matthew  T..  and  Mary 
.Tane.  Henry  Clay  Curry  went  to  California  in 
1853.  and  from  there  to  Oregon,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days.  James  Curry,  who  is  a  retired 
farmer,  living  in  Rushville.  111.,  was  a  soldier  In 
the  Civil  War,  serving  in  the  Tenth  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry,  three  years.     Sarena 


806 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


A.,  resides  in  East  St.  Louis,  111.,  and  is  tlie  wife 
of  Asa  Kent.  John  W.,  who  was  also  a  member  • 
of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  died  at  Pilot  Knob, 
Mo.,  and  was  buried  at  Cooperstown,  Brown 
County.  Saraha  is  a  widow  living  at  East  St. 
Louis.'  .Matthew  T.,  whose  home  is  at  Beards- 
town.  Cass  Couut.v.  111.,  served  during  the  Civil 
War  in  the  Xiueteeuth  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  was  honorably  discharged  in 
18(15.  Mary"  Jane  was  the  wife  of  James  White, 
and  died  in  Jlissouri,  in  I'JOG. 

In  Ixjyhuud  William  J.  Curry  attended  the 
common  schools,  spending  his  early  youth  in  the 
manner  common  to  farmers'  boys.  .\t  the  age  of 
seventeen  yeai"s  he  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  James  Buchanan  without  being  challenged: 
Later  he  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  which  he 
followed  until  the  spring  of  ISCJl.  On  -May  24th 
of  that  year,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Si.\- 
teenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
serving  three  years.  In  the  engagement  at 
Edgefield,  Tenn.,  he  was  wounded  and  laid  up  in 
the  camp  hospital,  but  soon  recovered  and  re- 
ported for  duty.  On  (lie  termination  of  hostili- 
ties he  returned  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Vermont, 
Fulton  C'lmnty,  which  was  then  the  home  of  his 
mother.  Tliere  he  was  engaged  at  the  cooper's 
trade,  working  thus  until  ISliS.  For  two  years 
he  was  eini'loyed  on  the  steamboat,  "Progress," 
running  between  LaSalle  and  St.  Louis.  Then 
he  changed  bis  location  to  Woodstock  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  where  he  followed  farming  and 
coopering  some  time.  Sul)se<iuently.  he  spent 
some  time  in  Iowa,  returning  from  there  to 
Woodstock  Township,  and  remaining  there  until 
18S0.  In  that  year  he  went  to  .Missouri,  staying 
nine  months  in  that  State,  and  then  coming  to 
Buena  Vista  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111., 
purchasing  100  acres  of  land  in  Section  .'51.  In 
January,  1881.  lie  sold  si.xty  acres,  retaining 
forty  acres  as  his  homo.  He  has  lK>en  a  very 
energetic,  thorough  and  successful  farmer,  but 
has  now  iiractically  retired  from  active  business 
pursuits.  He  has  always  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  all  measures  jiertaining  to  the  develop- 
ment and  pros)ierity  of  his  township,  and  has 
been  recognized  as  one  of  its  leading  <-itizens. 

On  May  31,  IStW.  .Mr.  Curry  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Emma  .\very.  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Margaret  Avery,  who  came  to  Illinois 
from  Ohio,  and  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Schuyler  County.  Both  of  the  parents  of  Mrs. 
Curr.v  are  deceased.  Eight  children  resulted 
from  this  union,  as  follows:  Rosa.  Eva.  William. 
Julius  ( deceased  1.  Nida  E.,  Estella.  Myrtle,  and 
Alec.  Rosa  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Walker,  a  farmer 
in  Camden  Towiishi]i,  Schuyler  County,  and 
the  mother  of  three  children ;  Eva  married  .Tor- 
dan  Jliller,  of  Beardstown.  Cass  County.  111.,  and 
has  three  children  :  William  is  a  resident  of  Cam- 
den Township,  and  is  the  father  of  four  children ; 
Nida  became  the  wife  of  Thuren  Xoval,  and  is 
living  at  the  parental  home,  having  two  chil- 
dren :  and  Estelle  was  married  to  Henry  Agans. 
a  farmer  in  Camden  Township,  and  has  six 
children.     The   grandchildren    of    Mr.    and   Mrs. 


Curry    number   twenty,    and    their   great-grand- 
children,  three. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Curry  has  always  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat, taking  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party,  and  being  influential  in  it-s  local  coun- 
cils. He  has  twice  been  elected  Assessor  of 
Buena  \'ista  Township.  Fraternally,  he  is  affili- 
ated with  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  having  become  a  mem- 
ber of  that  order  in  18(JU.  He  belongs  to  the 
(Jraiid  .Vrniy  of  the  Republic  Post,  of  Rushville. 
In  religion,  he  and  his  wife  adhere  to  the  faith 
of  the  Latter  Day  Saints.  Both  enjoy  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  a  large  acquaintance. 

CURTIS,  Frank  P.— Three  generations  of  the 
Curtis  family  have  contrilmted  to  the  agricul- 
tural and  general  upbuilding  of  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  and  at  present  there  are 
various  represt'utatives  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  tile  best  known  being  Frank  P.  Curtis, 
who  was  born  here  Mar<h  21.  180],  and  whose 
whole  life  has  been  sjient  in  Brooklyn  Township. 
William  Henry  Curtis,  father  of  Frank  P..  was 
Iwrn  on  a  I'ann  in  Clay  County,  Tenn.,  and  as  a 
lad  of  six  years,  came  with  his  father,  James 
Curtis,  to  Illinois,  settling  during  the  summer  of 
1842  in  Brooklyn  Township,  where  tlie  lialance 
of  his  life  was  spent.  James  Curtis  was  a  man 
of  strong  character  and  keen  appreciation  of 
duty,  and  when  the  strife  lietween  the  .North  and 
South  culminated  in  the  Civil  War.  he  and  six  of 
his  .sons,  tendered  their  services  to  the  Union 
army.  He  became  a  member  of  Company  K,  in 
the  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalrj-,  and  ser\'ed  until 
the  disbandment  of  the  regiment.  His  sou  Jesse, 
after  more  tbali  three  years  service  as  a  soldier, 
was  mustered  out  of  Company  A,  Seventy -eighth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  June  7.  1SG5,  and  is 
now  deceased :  John  Curtis  was  a  member  of  the 
same  company,  and  received  his  discharge  on  the 
same  day,  later  dying  at  his  home  in  Brooldj'n 
Townshiii ;  Henry  W.,  also  a  soldier  in  Company 
A,  and  serving  the  same  length  of  time,  was 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Joneslmro.  September 
1,  ISC:?,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  in 
1878;  .Joseph  Curtis  enlisted  first  with  his  father 
In  the  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  later  In 
the  same  regiment  with  his  brothers,  receiving 
a  gunshot  wound  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  finally 
dying  at  his  home  in  Brooklyn  Township.  Feb- 
ruary 11.  1007;  .Jefferson  also  served  during  the 
war.  and  still  sunives.  a  resident  of  St.  L,ouis, 
Mo. :  and  James  served  in  Company  A.  Seventy- 
eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  wounded 
at  Kenesaw  Mountain.  The  military  record  of 
this  family  is  unique,  as  in  the  history  of  war- 
fare in  .\merica.  few  fathers  have  fought  with 
six  sons,  for  the  same  length  of  time,  and  all 
sun-ived  the  conflict.  The  fact  is  the  more  re- 
markable, as  the  original  sympathies  of  the  fam- 
ily were  Southern,  yet  they  left  their  hard  home 
tasks  and  donned  the  accoutennents  of  the 
T'nion  soldier,  thus  testifying  to  their  apprecia- 
tion of  the  sublime  ideals  of  the  Great  Emanci- 
pator. James  Curtis  had  also  two  daughters,  of 
whom  Elizabeth  Is  the   deceased  wife  of  Louis 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


807 


Frakes,  also  deceased ;  and  Mary  J.  is  the  widow 
of  Harliu  Dixoii.  aud  lives  iu  Kansas. 

Frank  P.  Curtis  is  the  third  in  order  of  l>irth 
of  the  four  cliildreu  of  William  Henry  and  Lydia 
^Wiley)  Curtis,  the  other  children  being  Charles 
and  Louise,  deceased,  and  Kdward,  a  resident 
of  St.  Louis.  The  mother  of  the  family  is  still 
living  in  Brooklyn.  Frank  P.  had  the  average 
advantages  of  farm  hoys,  and  lilce  all  of  the 
paternal  family,  has  a  strong  coustitutiou  and 
great  capacity  for  industry.  In  1882  he  was 
united  iu  marriage  to  Mary  S.  Mason,  a  native 
of  Brooklyn  Township,  and  daughter  of  Aden  G. 
Mason,  a  pioneer  of  Schuyler  County.  For 
-seven  years  atter  his  marriage  Mr.  Curtis  lived 
on  a  tract  of  laud  south  of  Brooklyn,  but  later 
located  in  Littleton  Township,  whence  he  removed 
to  his  present  home  in  Section  10,  Brooklyn 
Township,  where  he  conducts  general  farming  on 
a  scientific  basis,  and  with  commendable  success. 
To  himself  and  wife  have  been  born  two  children, 
of  whom  Jesse  A.  married  Jessie  Legg,  a  farmer 
of  Littleton  Township ;  and  Charles  G.  who  is 
at  home.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Curtis  is  a  Ue- 
publiean  in  politics.  He  is  an  upright  and  intel- 
ligent farmer,  an  obliging  neighbor,  and  a  friend 
who  ma.v  be  trusted  aud  depended  on  in  times  of 
trial  as  well  as  of  good  fortune. 

DACE,  Wilbur  M. — In  no  profession  open  to 
the  present  are  there  larger  mechanical  and  ar- 
tistic possibilities  than  that  of  dental  surgery. 
What  alre.-idy  has  been  accomplished  is  btit  the 
nucleus  of  the  knowledge  of  the  student  of  a 
few  years  hence,  for  with  the  growing  apprecia- 
tion of  dentistry  as  a  factor  in  health  and  good 
appearance,  the  dentist's  opportunities  for  self- 
development  are  limited  only  by  his  own  ability 
and  resotircofulness.  It  is  in  this  spirit  of  pro- 
gression and  constant  research  that  Dr.  Dace 
pursues  his  calling  iu  Rushville,  where  he  is  one 
of  the  most  enthusiastic  of  the  town's  array  of 
professional  men  aud  the  recipient  of  a  large 
patronage,  nuich  of  it  being  attracted  from  the 
ad.ioining  country. 

Dr.  Dace  was  born  in  lUpley,  Brown  County, 
111.,  Decend)er  22,  1873,  a  son  of  Henry  M.  Dace, 
born  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  grandson  of 
Dennis  Dace,  a  native  of  Illinois.  His  mother, 
formerly  Katherine  Delapp,  was  born  in  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  .lolm  and  Kate  Delapp.  While 
still  young  Dr.  Dace  moved  with  his  [larents  to 
Rushville.  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  graduated  at  the  Rushville  High 
School  in  the  spring  of  18f«.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  entered  the  Dental  Department  of 
■the  Xorthwostern  University,  at  Evanston,  111., 
and  during  his  vacation  came  to  Rushville  and 
practiced  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Bettorf.  At  the 
expiration  of  the  three  years'  eoui-se  he  was 
given  a  diidoma,  and  at  once  entered  upon  an 
independent  practice  in  Rushville.  .Vt  present 
he  is  located  in  the  Dace  Building  on  the  north 
side  of  the  square,  where  he  has  large,  well  ven- 
tilated   and    handsomely    furnished    apartments, 


equipped  with  the  latest  appliances  known  to  the 
profession,  aud  with  books,  periodicals  and  com- 
fortable surroundings  for  those  awaiting  his  at- 
tention. 

On  September  19,  1901,  Dr.  Dace  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Fredericka  .Mead,  a  native  of 
UuntsviUe,  111.,  and  a  graduate  of  the  high  school 
of  that  place.  Their  only  child  is  named  Doro- 
thy Mead.  Dr.  Dace  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  fr.-itcnially,  is  connected  with  the  Kuights 
of  I'ythias.  He  is  a  careful  investigator  and  a 
diligent  worker,  keeping  abreast  of  the  best  re- 
searches already  made  in  dental  science,  and  in 
a  position  to  avail  himself  of  the  wonderful  im- 
provements which  have  marked  the  advance  of 
the  art  during  the  past  few  years.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  crown  and  bridge  work,  in  which  he 
has  been  especially  successful,  and  his  general 
skill,  together  with  a  genial  manner  and  tactful, 
syuipathetic  nature,  insures  him  all  of  the  pat- 
ronage to  which  he  can  do  justice,  adhering  to 
his  standard  of  thorough,  painstaking  aud  lasting 
work. 

DARNELL,  Hon.  John  M.— A  representative  of 
that  class  of  agriculturists  who  combine  the 
scientific  pursuit  of  their  calling  with  meritori- 
ous interest  iu  the  political  and  general  welfare 
of  the  community  in  which  they  live,  Hon.  John 
M.  Darnell  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  best 
knoivn  stock-breeders  and  authorities  in  the 
State  of  lUhiois,  as  the  original  Introducer  of 
Hereiord  cattle  into  Schviyler  County,  as  a  mer- 
chant of  extended  and  successfid  experience,  and 
as  a  legislator  who  thoroughly  understood  the 
needs  aud  promoted  the  Iwst  interests  of  the 
county  of  which  he  is  a  native  son,  having  been 
born  on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  oc- 
cupies in  Section  0.  Frederick  Township,  Augtist 
4,  184.5. 

In  its  evolution  from  the  condition  of  a  back- 
woods region,  Schuyler  County  has  had  the  con- 
tinuous suiiiiort  of  the  Darnell  family.  Pioneer- 
ing has  been  a  conspicuous  tendency  of  tliose 
liearing  the  name  ever  since  the  arrival  on  Ameri- 
can shores  of  the  first  Darnell,  who.  presumably, 
settled  in  Virginia,  where  Henry  Darnell,  grand- 
father of  John  M.,  was  born  in  ITOiT,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Potomac  River.  Henry  Darnell 
enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  War  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender 
of  Cornwallis  at  Torktown.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Virginia,  ami  when  twenty-five  years 
old.  married  Elizabeth  Lee.  also  born  in  Virginia, 
and  who  became  the  mother  of  nine  children. 
Of  these,  Jesse  M..  father  of  Hon.  .lohn  M.,  was 
born  October  4.  1813.  The  family  eventually 
located  in  the  wilds  of  Ohio,  settling  in  Wayne 
County,  where  the  father  died  and  whence  Jesse 
removed  in  1831  to  Henderson  County,  111.  In 
1833  he  removed  to  Warren  County,  and  in  1834 
to  Schuyler  County,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  I'amiing  mills.  His  twsiness 
grew  apace,  and  while  conducting  it  he  roomed 
and  boarded  at  the  home  of  his  future  wife. 
Louise   Utter,    daughter   of    L.vman   Utter.    The 


808 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


ancestors  of  the  I'tter  family  came  from  Scot- 
lanil,  settling  in  tbe  eolony  of  New  Amsterdam, 
wbieh  became  New  York  after  tbe  capture  by 
tbe  English.  Born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darnell 
were  four  chiklreii.  three  of  whom  are  living. 
Louise  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Nelson,  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara. Cal. ;  .Tames  K.  spends  his  winters  in 
Seattle,  Wash.,  and  his  sunnuers  in  mining  in 
Alaska:  and  .Tohn  M.  is  tlie  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Jesse  Darnell  gained  much  prominence 
iu  Schuyler  County,  lieeoming  not  only  a  compar- 
atively wealthy  farmer,  but  representing  his  dis- 
trict in  the  State  Legislature  in  1848-49.  He 
was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  during 
bis  term  was  one  of  its  most  capable  and  I'orce- 
ful  legislators.  .\t  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was 
the  otvner  of  ?A0  acres  of  land,  and  the  recipient 
of  tbe  respect  and  good  will  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

Educated  primarily  in  the  district  school  near 
his  home  iu  Frederick  Township,  John  M.  Dar- 
nell, in  18G2,  entered  Lombard  College,  near 
Oalesburg,  111.,  at  the  end  of  two  years  going  to 
Ann  Arbor  College,  Mich.,  where  he  completed 
the  four  years'  course  in  three  years,  graduating 
with  high  luinors  in  the  class  of  Isr.T.  Return- 
ing to  the  home  farm,  he  remained  there  continu- 
ously until  1.S80,  in  that  year  engaging  in  the 
hardware  business  in  which  he  continued  until 
1S8S.  Dis]iosing  of  this  business,  which,  in  the 
meantime,  liad  grown  to  prosperous  proportions, 
he  again  located  on  the  farm,  aiul  at  the  present 
time  owns  300  acres  in  tbe  county,  all  of  it  im- 
proved and  ver.v  valuable.  Few  properties  in 
the  count.v  present  a  more  modern  or  thoroughly 
up-to-date  appearance,  and  certainly  no  ex|)ense 
has  been  spared  to  convert  it  into  a  model  of 
neatness  and  productiveness.  For  twenty  years 
the  owner  has  been  extensively  engaged  in  breed- 
ing Hereford  cattle,  the  lireed  of  which  was  in- 
troduced by  him  into  the  county,  and  no  finer 
animals  were  to  be  found  anyivbere  between  the 
oceans.  His  first  imiwrtation  in  the  early  'sev- 
enties included  an  animal  for  which  he  paid 
$1,000.  unquestionably  the  largest  price  up  to 
that  time  paid  for  an  animal  of  its  kind  from 
England.  Mr.  Darnell  continued  to  take  prizes 
and  lead  in  the  breeding  of  Herefords  in  Schuy- 
ler County  until  January  1,  1007.  when  he  sold 
the  last  of  his  stock,  and  since  has  practically 
retired  from  stock-breeding.  His  wide  experi- 
ence and  exhaustive  knowledge  of  stock  has  led 
to  many  distinctions  being  conferred  upon  him. 
and  his  advice  for  many  years  has  been  sought 
and  foll(5wed.  In  lS!in  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  John  R.  Tanner  a  member  of  the  Live 
Stock  Commission,  and  during  his  three  years  of 
service,  proved  one  of  the  most  useful  members 
of  the  Commission. 

Mr.  Darnell  has  lieen  prominent  in  Democratic 
politics  for  many  years,  and  in  1S72  was  elected 
a  Representative  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  in 
1884  to  tbe  State  Senate,  serving  a  four  years' 
term.  Fraternally  be  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  Broad-minded  and  enterprising, 
far-sighted    and    public-spirited,    his    career    has 


touched  many  sides  in  the  development  of  his 
county,  and  invariably  has  tended  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  business  and  moi-al  ideals,  and  to  i»liti- 
cal  soundness  and  utility. 

• 
DAY,  Richard. —  It  was  a  jileasure  to  feel  the 
hearty  handshake  and  hear  the  cheery  voice  of 
so  good  and  amiable  men  as  Richard  Day,  and  it 
is  a  pleasure  to  write  alwut  him.  He  was 
among  the  quiet  and  unobtrusive  of  life's  work- 
ers, yet  he  was  a  tliorough  master  of  an  occuiia- 
tion  which  has  interested  tbe  race  since  tlie  be- 
ginning of  linu\  which  possesses  a  paramount 
creative  (luality  and  tbe  absorbing  element  of 
great  and  even  absorbing  usefulness.  In  the 
companionship  of  carpenter's  tools  he  found  his 
greatest  delight  and  most  practical  reward,  and 
from  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  July,  1841>,  until 
the  close  of  his  life,  December  22,  llKif),  he  l)eut 
his  energies  to  erecting  houses,  barns,  and  gen- 
eral buildings  throughout  Schuyler  ("ounty, 
many  of  which  formed  the  basis  of  inii>ortant 
agricultural  activities,  and  remain  intact  aud 
usable  after  the  lapse  of  almost  half  a  century. 
Mr.  Day  was  descended  from  farmers  and  me- 
chaniis,  and  in  his  veins  floned  the  blood  of  an 
old  English  ancestry.  His  birth  occurred  In  the 
little  town  of  Norton,  Norfolkshire,  Eastern 
England,  June  27,  1825,  and  iu  early  .vouth  he 
learned  the  carpenter  trade  from  his  father, 
George  Day.  He  was  reared  also  to  farming 
as  practiced  in  his  native  c<nnitry,  but  the  fann 
was  a  small  one,  as  are  all  In  Norfolkshire,  owing 
to  the  innumerable  marshes  and  fens  along  the 
shores  of  the  North  Sea.  When  all  on  Ibis  side 
of  the  ocean  was  in  a  turmoil  over  the  discovery 
of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast,  Mr.  Day  left  his 
quiet  home  and  sailed  for  America,  arriving  in 
St.  Louis,  in  .March.  1840.  and  remained  there 
until  coming  to  Schuyler  County  iu  the  following 
July.  He  settled  on  what  now  is  the  home- 
stead in  Oakland  Township,  and  contiuvied  to 
make  this  his  home  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  going 
into  the  surrounding  country  to  follow  his  occu- 
pation as  a  builder  for  a  iiart  of  each  year.    • 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Day  in  maidenhood  was 
.Vnn  Bootli  Downing,  whose  death  occurred  in 
18ri:5.  In  1S.")6  he  married  Martha  E.  Garret, 
who  died  In  18.8;?,  and  January  20,  1884,  he  was 
united  in  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Mrs.  .\rtemisia 
(.\ekman'l  Walker,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Nancy  (Herman)  .\cknian, 
early  settlers  of  Rushville  Township.  James 
Walker,  the  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Day,  was  born 
in  Norfolk,  England,  and  came  to  Schuyler 
Count.v,  III.,  in  18.">0.  Ills  parents,  Stephen  and 
Emily  (Fletcher)  Walker,  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Rushville  Township,  where  the  father  died,  the 
death  of  the  mother  occurring  in  Parsons.  Kan. 
.\fter  her  marriage  Mrs.  Walker  settled  with  her 
husband  on  the  farm  which  ever  since  has  been 
her  home,  and  where  Mr.  Walker  died  February 
IS,  1882.  lie  was  a  public  spirited  and  very 
capable  man,  a  stanch  Republican,  and  the  holder 
of  many  imiwrtant  local  offices.  He  was  active 
in  church  and  school   work,  a  member  in  good 


/v    ,    T  '     /lAM^^l^tU^iyyi^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


809 


stauUiug  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Cluuvb  aud 
a  geuei'ous  contributor  to  wortliy  cliaritics.  Mr. 
aud  Jlrs.  Wallier  were  the  parents  of  six  sous 
and  three  daughters :  James  F.,  a  farmer  of 
Oaliland  Township,  Schuyler  County ;  Stephen, 
also  a  farmer  of  Oalilaud  Township ;  Charles, 
occup.ving  the  old  Wallier  farm  ;  Lewis,  a  resi- 
dent of  I'ittsliurg,  Kan.,  husband  of  Jesse  O. 
(Koliinson)  Wallier,  aud  father  of  Paul  Wallier; 
Margaret,  wife  of  George  Baughuuui,  of  I'itts- 
burg,  Kan. ;  Nancy,  wife  of  liobert  Morris,  of 
Ray,  111. ;  Nellie,  wife  of  Charles  Sloaue,  of 
Ottumwa,  Iowa.  To  Mr.  Day  and  his  third  wife 
were  born  Richard  Maurice,  who  married  Mary 
Ellen  Sargent,  aud  farms  in  Littleton  Township, 
and  James,  a  farmer  of  Schuyler  County.  Of 
the  other  marriages  of  Mr.  Day  there  were  six 
children :  Jlrs.  Costello ;  Mrs.  Holsou ;  George 
Edward ;  Richard  Albert ;  James  William  and 
William  Harrison. 

DEAN,  David,  (deceased),  former  retired  citi- 
zen of  Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  was  born 
at  Kellybegs.  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1S2S,  spending  the  first  twenty-four  years 
of  his  life  in  his  native  eountr.v,  where  in  bis 
youth  and  mature  years,  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  sheei>raising.  Coming  to  America  in 
1852,  he  \\'as  employed  for  the  next  ten  years  as 
foreman  of  the  yards  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road at  Pittsburg.  In  1859,  he  was  married  at 
Rushville,  111.,  to  Katherine  Montootb,  whose 
parents  were  also  natives  of  Count.v  Donegal, 
Ireland,  coming  to  Illinois  in  1851  from  Pitts- 
burg, which  they  made  their  first  home  after 
leaving  their  native  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dean  came  to  Schuyler  County  in  1801,  settling 
in  Oakland  Township.,  which  continued  to  be 
their  home  until  1902,  and  where  they  reared  a 
family  of  eight  children,  six  boys  and  Uvo  girls — 
two  other  boys  dying  in  infanc.v.  Purchasing 
eight.v  acres  of  land  in  Oakland  Township,  Mr. 
Dean  began  farming  on  a  small  scale  but  finally 
became  the  owner  of  500  acres  in  one  Iwdy. 
After  a  successful  career  as  a  farmer,  he  re^' 
moved  to  Rushville  with  his  family,  where  he 
erected  a  pleasant  home  during  the  following 
year  and  tliere  spent  the  remainder  of  bis  life 
in  comfortable  retirement.  His  death  occurred 
suddenly,  at  his  home  in  Rushville,  September  27, 
1907,  as  the  result  of  heart-failure,  just  as  he 
was  sitting  down  at  the  table  for  his  evening 
meal. 

In  infancy  Mr.  Dean  was  baptized  into  the 
Episcoiial  Church,  and  while  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burg, was  a  cummunieant  of  St.  James  Episco- 
pal Church  of  that  city,  but  on  coming  to  Illi- 
nois Iiecame  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
]ial  Church.  Of  a  singularly  happy  disposition 
and  plain,  unassuming  manners,  a  life  of  strict 
integrity  and  bis  upright  Christian  character 
won  for  him  a  large  circle  of  appreciative 
friends. 

Of  the  eight  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mi-s. 
Dean.  James  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  irionllis 
and  Jesse  aged  two  and  a  half  years.     Of  the  six 


children  still  living,  George  H.  married  Elizabeth 
Staubauch,  has  four  sons  and  two  daughters  and 
is  engaged  in  farming  in  Eldorado  Township, 
McDouough  County ;  William  R.,  married  Inez 
Wetzel,  has  one  son  and  one  daughter,  and  is  a 
farmer  near  Astoria,  Fulton  County  ;  Etfie  B.,  is 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Rose  of  Canton,  HI,,  and 
has  four  daughters  and  one  son ;  John  married 
Sadie  Rose,  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters  and 
is  a  farmer  in  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler 
Couuty ;  I^awrence  married  Nellie  Wetzel,  has 
three  sous  aud  one  daughter  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  near  Browning,  111. ;  Herbert  and  Sam- 
uel are  on  the  old  home  place  in  Oakland 
Township.  David  Dean  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  aud,  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  left  an 
estate  comprising  740  acres  of  laud,  besides  his 
pleasant  new  home  now  occupied  by  his  worthy 
widow.  The  following  tribute  to  Mr.  Dean  from 
a  member  of  his  family  is  worthy  of  reproduction 
here : 

"The  writer  has  often  felt  his  heart  deeply 
touched  at  the  sorrows  of  others  when  grieving 
at  the  loss  of  a  parent,  but  it  was  a  new  revela- 
tion to  us  that  evening  when  our  dear  father 
went  away  to  the  lietter  land.  Though  by  his 
toil  and  frugalit.v  he  had  accunmlated  a  goodly 
heritage,  yet  to  his  children  the  memor.v  of  those 
sacred  boui-s  around  the  family  altar,  his  pure 
aud  blameless  life,  his  wise  counsel  and  his 
sacrificing  love,  are  the  most  precious  legacies 
that  he  could  have  left  us.  He  dearly  loved  his 
lionie,  and  as  the  infirmities  of  age  grew  upon 
him,  he  had  an  intense  longing  to  have  his  child- 
ren near  him  and  his  home  was  like  heaven  to 
him  when  he  could  have  them  about  him. 

"But  the  voice  we  loved  to  liear  is  hushed  for- 
ever. No  more  shall  he  greet  us  with  his  genial 
smile  of  welcome,  nor  ever  again  shall  we  feel 
the  warm  grip  of  his  great  hand.  The  vacant 
couch,  the  empty  chair,  the  unused  cane,  are 
mute  witnesses  that  he  no  longer  lives  among 
us.  .  .  .  The  last  earthly  service  that  we 
could  render,  him  was  to  bear  him  to  the  beauti- 
ful cemetery  where  we  left  him  to  the  guardian 
care  of  the  holy  angels.  Farewell,  dear  father, 
until  we  meet  in  the  morning! 

"One  less  at  home! 
The  charmed  circle  is  broken ;  a  dear  face. 
Missed  day  by  day.  from  its  accustomed  place ; 
One  voice  of  welcome  hushed,  and  evermore 
One  farewell  word  unspoken  :  on  the  shore 
Where  parting  comes  not,  one  soul  landed  more. 

One  more  in  heaven, 

One  less  at  home! 
A  sense  of  loss  that  meets  us  at  the  gate ; 
Within,  a  place  unfilled  and  desolate; 
And  far  away,  our  coming  to  wait. 

One  more  in  heaven !" 

DEAN,  Elias. — The  progenitor  of  the  Dean 
family  in  America  was  an  Englishman,  whose 
craving  for  religious  freedom  led  him  to  aban- 
don his  native  land  and  sail  with  that  intrepid 
company  which  since  has  been  inunortalized  in 


810 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


song  and  story  as  the  Pilgrims  of  the  Mayflower. 
The  immigrant  Dean  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
colonial  fortunes  in  Virginia,  and  one  of  his  suc- 
cessors, the  great-grandfather  of  Ellas  Dean,  the 
latter  a  farmer  of  Birmingham  Township,  Schuy- 
ler County,  III.,  followed  the  martial  fortunes  of 
Washington  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  His 
son  left  his  peaceful  fields  in  Virginia  and  enlisted 
in  the  War  of  1S12.  John  Dean,  son  of  the  sol- 
dier of  1812,  and  father  of  Ellas  Dean,  also  was 
born  in  Virginia,  and  married  Catherine  Heave- 
nor,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Heavenor,  of  West 
Virginia,  the  latter  a  native  of  Germany.  To 
John  Dean  and  his  wife  were  born  fifteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Elias,  tlie  third  youngest,  was 
born  in  Lewis  County,  W.  Va.,  April  11,  18S9. 
Of  the  other  children  in  the  family,  Nicholas 
died  at  the  age  of  uinetj'-three  years ;  William 
attained  to  the  same  unusual  age:  Julian,  Mary, 
Matilda,  Elizabeth  and  Maliuda  are  deceased; 
Eliza,  now  sixty-four  years  old.  is  the  wife  of 
Allen  Keissling,  of  Virginia ;  Jacob  Marshall 
lives  on  the  old  Virginia  homestead ;  Solomon 
lives  in  Buchanan,  Va. ;  John  is  a  farmer  of 
Hancock  County.  111. ;  George  is  a  farmer  of  Up- 
shur County,  \a. ;  Jacob  farms  on  the  old  home- 
stead on  the  old  Virginia  homestead ;  Elias  is 
the  farmer  of  Birmingham  Township,  Schuyler 
County;  and  Perry,  of  Weir,  Kan.,  served  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  in  the  Upshur  County  Bat- 
tery. John  Dean  stanchly  supiwrted  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  War,  and  ever  was  on  the  side 
of  the  unfortunate  and  oppressed  wherever 
found.  His  heart  reached  out  to  tlie  need  of  all 
maiilvind,  and  he  would  share  his  last  cent  or 
sack  of  flour  with  one  who  needed  it  more  than 
himself.  He  was  an  ardent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  held  some  office 
tlierein,  and  contril)uted  generously  towards  it.s 
charities  and  general  support.  Throughout  this 
part  of  the  country  he  was  known  as  "Uncle 
John,"  and  was  much  beloved  by  children  and 
frequently  coiLsulted  by  the  older  class. 

The  early  sul^scrijition  schools  afifordod  the 
first  educational  advantage  to  Elias  Dean,  his 
father  paying  so  nuich  a  year  for  the  schooling 
of  each  of  his  many  children,  usually  from  three 
to  four  dollars  a  season.  He  helped  on  the 
home  farm  until  his  sixteenth  year,  when  there 
returned  to  Schuyler  Coimty  his  uncle  Jacob,  who 
had  made  a  conifortalile  living  iu  Iowa,  and  was 
much  enthused  over  the  jirospects  in  that  State. 
In  ]S."ii'i  Elias  went  to  Iowa  with  his  uncle,  and 
near  Burlington  found  work  on  a  farm  at  ten 
dollars  a  month  for  two  years.  In  1858  he  came 
back  to  Schuyler  County  and  worked  for  fourteen 
dollars  a  month,  and  while  taking  advantage  of 
the  small  soci.il  diversions  afforded  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, met  Miss  Electa  T.  Graham,  daughter  of 
Wm.  W.  Graham,  whom  he  married  August  16. 
1860.  The  young  people  set  up  housekeeping  on 
a  farm  owned  by  Mrs.  Dean's  father  in  Section 
22,  Birmingham  Township,  and  at)out  1892  pur- 
chased 400  acres  of  land  in  Section  14,  the  same 
township,  making,  in  all,  with  the  520  acres  In 
the  first  farm,  920  acres.     Of  the  first  farm  he 


gave   his   sou   a    quarter-section,   sold    to   I'eter 
Greenleaf   2o0   acres,   and   bought   140   acres    in 
Section  14.     Virni  the  400  acre  farm  he  had,  at 
the    time    of   the    panic   of    1893,    140    head    of 
lilooded  cattle,  for  which  he  was  obliged  to  buy 
I'om  iu  Nebraska  fur  feed,  and  the  price  dropped 
down  until   he  sold  his  stock  outright  for  three 
cents  a  pound.     This  farm  .Mr.  Dean  sold,  but  he 
now  owns  H40  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  the  county 
contains,     well     stocketl     and     improved,     and 
cHjuipped    with    well   constructed   and    capacious 
buildings.     It    is    an    ideal    home    and    farming 
proiierty,  practically   insuring  good  returns  each 
succeeding  year,   and   netting  lis  owner  a   large 
surplus  over  even  the  most  unexpected  demands. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing  children:    John    Franklin,    who   is   mar- 
ried  and   has   five   children— Kobert    F.,    Nellie, 
.Myrtle,  Eltha  and  Hariy,  and  who  farms  near 
the  old  homestead ;  Mary  E.,  dec-eased  at  the  age 
of   sixteen    years;    Catherine,   wife   of   John    E. 
-Moon,  a  farmer  of  this  township,  and  mother  of 
four  children — Bessie,   Iva,  Jacob  J.  and   Erviu 
Klias  -Moon  ;  Charles  S.,  married  to  Ijoua  Matb- 
eny,    and    has    four    children — Ethel,    Kaymoud, 
.Mark,  and  Paul ;  George,  married  to  Ona  Math- 
eny.  and  has  five  children — Koscoe,  Elmore,  .\lma. 
May  and  Hazel ;   Hattle,  wife  of  Leauder  Hold- 
croft,    and   mother  of  Albert,   Floyd,   John   and 
Electa   E.,   and  three  children   who   died   In   In- 
fancy.    Mr.  Dean  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Abraham  Lini-oln,  and  he  ever  since  has  sup- 
ported the  Uepublican  jiarty,  notwltlistanding  the 
fact  that  lie  was  born  In  the  Soutli,  and  had  ab- 
sorbed its  .spirit   and   traditions.     He  is  socially 
a  member  of  the  Union  League,  and  his  wife  Is 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
'I'he  Idea  of  progress  and  stability  have  guided 
tlie  endeavors  of  Mr.  Dean  ever  since  he  Ix^gan  to 
work  by  the  month  for  the  modest  sum  of  ten 
dollars.       When   he  first  began  an   indein-ndent 
life   be   had   no  money   to   buy   harness   for   his 
horses,  and  was  obliged  to  fashion  this  necessary 
article  out   of  pieces  of  rope.     During   the  day 
time    he    would   grub   stumps,   cut   down    timber 
and  burn  brush  at  night.     He  has  come  the  long 
way   i>o.ssible  only  with  true  determination  and 
gi'it:  and  yet  his  life  has  by  no  means  been  a 
self-centered  one,  but  has  reached  out  to  influ- 
ence and  help  all  with   whom  he  came  in  eon- 
tact.     He  is  what  is  known  as  a  "good  mixer," 
a    genial,    sociable   and    .sympathetic   gentleman, 
and  he  has  greatly  benefited  the  township  while 
s<'ning  as   School   Director  and   Road  Commis- 
sioner. 

DEANE,  Judge  Hudson  M.,  better  known 
among  his  intimates,  and  by  the  general  public 
in  Schuyler  County.  111.,  as  "Hud"  Deane,  is  one 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town  of  Frederick, 
Schuyler  County,  which  has  been  his  home  (ex- 
cept during  a  short  absence)  for  more  than  half 
a  century.  He  was  bom  in  the  city  of  New 
York  .Vugust  2,  183.S.  At  an  early  age  he  re- 
moved to  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  there  re- 
ceived a  liberal  education.     After  completing  his 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


Sll 


studies,    lie    accepted   a    jHjsitiou    as   clerk   iu    a 
wholesale  dry  goods  establisbmeut  iu  New  Yorli 
City,  and,  at  a  later  period,  discliarged  tlie  duties 
of  a  similar  couuection  iu  Albany,  N.  Y.,  tor  two 
years.     Keturuing   tUeu   to   New   York   City,    he 
resumed  work  in  the  concern  where  he  had  tirst 
been  emplo.ved.     A  short  time  after  he  attained 
his  majority  (in  1855),  he  met  Maro  Farwell  of 
the  Arm  of  Farwell  &  Co.,  Frederick,  111.,  who 
was  on  a  visit  to  the  eastern  metroiwlis  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  goods  for  tlie  store  then 
conducted    by   them    in   Frederick,   and   was    in- 
duced  by    the   latter   to   accompany    liim   ou   the 
homeward  journey,   and   to  enter   their  employ. 
On   Ajiril   2,    1S55,    he   commenced   work   in   the 
Farwell   store,   continuing  thus  until    1858.       In 
the  latter  year,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile 
trade  under  the  firm  style  of  H.  M.  Deane  &  Co., 
but  in  1859,  sold  out  the  business.     In  1801.  Mr. 
Deane  assumed  charge  of  the  Schuyler  Hotel  In 
Frederick,    changing    its    name    to    the    Deane 
House.     Later,   he  withdrew   from   the   manage- 
ment of  this  place  on  account  of  ill-health,  and 
after  an  interval  of  one  year  (in  1867)   went  to 
Macomb,  McDonough  County,  111.,  where  he  was 
proprietor  of  what  had  formerly  been  the  Brown 
Hotel.     Tlie  name  of  this  he  also  changed  to  the 
Deane  House,  making  many  alterations  and  im- 
provements in  the  establishment.     There  he  re- 
mained nearly  two  years,  when  he  returned  to 
Frederick  and  there  conducted  the  Hotel  Deane 
until  March.  1902.     In  that  year  he  sold  the  ho- 
tel   property,    and    retired   from    active   business 
responsibilities.     He    maintains    an    office,    how- 
ever, attending  to  legal  matters  and  pensions,  as 
well  as  lo;ins,'real  estate  and  insurance.     He  is 
still   agile  and  sprightly  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years,   and  as  genial   in  temperament  and 
cordia"l  in  manner  as  iu  the  most  vigorous  days 
of  his  prime.     During  his  long  career  as  a  public 
entertainer  he  became  exceedingly  popular,  and 
no  man  is  more  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
Schuyler  County  than  "Hud"  Deane.     Mr.  Deane 
has    accumulated   considerable   financial    means, 
and  is  now  in  possession  of  a  handsome  compe- 
tency, being  the  owner  of  195  acres  of  very  de- 
sirable land  in  Frederick  Township,  besides  sev- 
eral pieces  of  improved  property  in  the  town  of 
Frederick.     Apart  from  the  twenty  months  spent 
in  Macomb,  he  has  lived  continuously  in  Fred- 
erick  since   18.55,    and   his   face   and   figure   are 
familiar   to   all   of   its   people.     He   has   always 
manifested   a   creditable   public   spirit,    and   has 
been  a  diligent  and  useful  member  of  the  com- 
munity.    On   his   first   arrival    in   Frederick   the 
business  affairs  of  the  town  were  in  a  lively  con- 
dition, as  it  was  the  freighting  point  for  nearly 
all  the  villages  within  a  radius  of  forty  miles. 
Then,  all  the  goods  sold  in  Macomb  were  hauled 
from  Frederick. 

On  February  17.  1859.  Mr.  Deane  was  united 
in  niaiTiage  with  Elizabeth  Messerer,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Anthony  Messerer,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Schuyler  County.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Deane 
was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  came  to  the  United 


States  early  in  the  last  century  locating  in 
Schuyler  County  about  the  year  1827.  He  was 
the  first  man  elected  to  represent  the  village  of 
Frederick,  on  the  board  of  Township  Sujiervisors, 
after  the  organization  of  Frederick  Township^ 
and  held  that  office  many  years,  being  the  in- 
cumbent at  the  time  of  his  death.  Seven  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deane,  four  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  A  son.  Will  .McGeorge 
Deane.  who  was  born  In  Macomb,  111.,  September 
28,  180S,  was  drowned  July  10,  1879;  Ixiulena 
May,  a  daughter,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  E. 
Causey,  residing  in  Peoria  ;  and  Stella  W.,  an- 
other daughter,  married  Walter  .1.  Severns,  of 
Bushnell,  111.,  and  has  one  son,  Deane  J.  Mrs. 
Deane,  who  was  a  woman  of  many  graces,  was 
possessed  with  most  excellent  traits  of  character 
died  March  3,  1902. 

Politically,  Mr.  Deane  is  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
and  has  been  very  prominent  and  influential  in 
the  local  affairs  of  his  party.  He  has  attended 
nearly  all  the  Democratic  State  and  County  Con- 
ventions for  many  years,  and  has  filled  various 
township  offices  with  credit  to  himself  and  with 
the  commendation  of  his  constituents.  At  one 
time,  he  held  eleven  positions  by  commission  and 
appointment.  He  was  successively  Assistant 
Postmaster  and  Postmaster  of  Frederick,  his 
service  in  both  capacities  covering  a  long  period. 
For  nearly  thirty  years,  he  discharged  the 
duties  of  Coroner  of  Schuyler  County,  and 
acted  as  Deputy  Sheriff  fourteen  years.  He 
had  an  extended  experience  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  his  incumbency  in  that  office  cov- 
ering a  period  of  thirty-six  years,  in  which 
time  he  became  versed  in  legal  routine  and 
performed  the  marriage  ceremon.v  on  nearly 
five  hundred  different  occasions.  In  fraternal 
circles,  he  is  identified  with  the  K.  of  P.,  Lodge 
No.  207,  Beardstown.  111.,  in  which  he  has  passed 
through  all  the  chairs,  including  that  of  Chan- 
cellor Commander.  He  is  also  affiliated  witli 
the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  of  the  World,  in 
which  he  has  likewise  passed  through  all  the 
local  chairs.  In  the  sunset  period  of  life, 
"Hud"  Deane  enjoys  the  unreserved  confidence 
and  lieartj-  good  wishes  of  the  entire  community 
in  which  his  busy  and  useful  career  has  been 
spent. 

DE  COUNTER,  Samuel.— A  lifelong  resilient  of 
the  locality  which  is  still  his  home,  and  still  in 
the  days  of  his  prime,  one  of  the  most  vigorous, 
successful  and  useful  characters  of  Schuyler 
Coimty,  was  bom  in  Riple.v  (once  a  part  of 
Woodstock)  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111., 
October  4,  1827.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  Frederick 
and  Nancy  De  Counter,  natives  of  France.  His 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  and 
was  with  Bonaparte  when  the  great  Emperor 
was  captured.  Having  effected  his  escape,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  immediately  came  to  the 
TTnited  States,  landing  at  New  Orleans.  After 
teaching  school  tliere  for  awhile  he  went  to  St. 
Louis,  and  then  to  Boone's  Lick.  Mo.,  where 
about  the  year  182.3  he  was  married  to  Nancy 


812 


HISTOKY  OF  SCIiryLKR  COUNTY. 


Sconts,  a  lady  of  Scotch-German  descent.  In  the 
spring  of  1S27  they  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Schuyler  Couny,  iu  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 33.  Woodstock  'I'owuship.  I'eter  F.  De 
Counter  cleared  and  cultivated  a  well  conducted 
farm  in  moderate  extent,  on  which  be  remained 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  iu  1855,  his  wife 
having  passed  away  in  1833.  They  were  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Jeanetta  and  Samuel. 
The  former  married  Jonas  Albert,  by  whom  she 
had  three  children,  as  follows:  William  Albert, 
Ida  and  Sanmel  Albert.  William  A.  is  now  a 
resident  of  Kansas,  living  in  Smoking  Valley. 
Ida  first  married  Alpheus  Eddy,  and  after  his 
death,  .Jonas  .Vlbert.  by  whom  she  had  one  child. 
Sherman  Dalgreen,  now  living  at  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.,  Iioth  of  Ills  parc'iits  being  deceased,  the  death 
of  the  mother  having  occurred  in  18S4.  Samuel 
Albert  has  been  for  tweutj-  years  lost  to  the  fam- 
ily, no  tidings  of  him  having  been  received  dur- 
ing that  period. 

In  early  .\outh.  Samuel  De  Counter  had  an 
opiiortunitj-  of  attending  school  about  three 
months  only.  He  left  home  when  he  was  a  little 
more  than  twehc  years  of  age,  his  father  having 
married  a  second  time.  When  quite  a  young 
man,  he  had  some  experience  iu  riding  race 
horses,  and  fronj  that  drifted  into  teaming. 
About  the  year  1850  he  turned  his  attention  to 
fanning  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace,  and  iu 
ISGO,  Iwught  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Section  li7, 
Woodstock  Township,  four  acres  of  which  had 
been  cleared.  A  log  cabin  with  a  wide  fireplace 
stood  iu  the  opening,  and  into  this  Mr.  De  Coun- 
ter moved,  and  aiiplied  himself  to  the  arduous 
task  of  clearing  the  ground  of  timber  and  brush, 
and  making  a  comfortable  home  and  productive 
farm.  In  this  efl'ort  he  achieved  a  signal  suc- 
cess. Under  careful  and  sagacious  management, 
all  his  undertakings  were  attended  by  profitable 
results.  To  his  original  SO-acre  jturchase  he 
made  additions  amounting  to  9.58  acres,  and  the 
home  farm  now  com|irises  10.38  acres,  of  which 
668  acres  are  in  Camden  Township.  His  career 
has  lieen  one  of  the  must  prosperous  ever  known 
in  Schuyler  Coinity.  Beginning  without  the  ad- 
vantages of  even  ordinary  schooling  and  desti- 
tute of  financial  resources,  he  gained  his  educa- 
tion through  keen  observation  and  by  availing 
himself  of  every  opportunitj-  of  self-instruction, 
and  this,  together  with  energj-,  perseverance, 
thrift  and  integrit.v,  is  the  foundation  of  his 
present  handsome  competency.  Naturally  pos- 
sessed of  a  strong  mind  and  sound  judgment,  he 
became  a  leader  in  connection  with  the  agricul- 
tural interests  of  the  count.\'.  and  for  many  years 
was  conspicuous  in  all  enterprises  pertaining  to 
its  progress  and  develoiiment.  In  the  period  of 
his  activity,  he  was  alwaj-s  a  man  of  genial  dis- 
position, of  jovial  bearing  and  kindly  impulses, 
and  never  declined  to  relieve  the  needs  of  any- 
one aproarliing  him  in  distress. 

Mr.  De  Counter  has  Ijeen  twii'e  married,  his 
first  marriage  taking  place  in  1850.  when  Cather- 
ine Miller  became  his  wife.  Three  children  were 
the  issue  of  this  union,  namely :   Frederick   S., 


Maurice  and  Emma.  Frederick  first  man-ied  a 
lady  named  Shull,  and  after  her  death,  was 
wedded  to  a  .Miss  IJunery,  residing  in  Camden 
Township.  Schuyler  County,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased. He  was  the  lather  of  seven  rhildren  by 
this  marriage,  as  follows:  one  who  died  in  in- 
fancy: Harriet,  Anna,  Dorothy  and  Hrice,  all 
deceased ;  I'eter  F.  and  Clarence  of  Califaruia. 
Frederick  De  Counter  departed  this  life  in  18'.)5. 
Maurice  De  Counter  married  Minnie  Houser,  and 
by  her  had  seven  children,  namely :  Dotty  and 
Mary,  l)oth  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years ;  Nettie,  who  died  in  1'.K^^> ;  Sanmel,  de- 
ceased;  Susan,  Leila  and  Lou.  -\Iaurici>  De- 
Counter  died  in  .January,  11(01,  and  his  widow  is 
a  resident  of  Camden  Township.  Emma,  the 
third  child  of  Sanmel  De  Counter's  first  mar- 
riage, became  the  wife  of  Nelson  llidiug,  a 
farmer  in  Camden  Township,  and  they  had  eight 
children,  namely:  Laura,  Samuel,  Katie  and 
Daisy  (deceased),  Clifford,  Logan,  Raleigh,  and 
(juy.  Catherine  (Miller)  De  Counter,  first  wife 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  passed  away  in 
1854,  and  Mr.  De  Counter  subsequently  wedded 
Harriet  Stulibs.  who  died,  much  lamented,  No- 
vember T,  1906.  She  was  a  faithful  aud  de- 
voted companion  aud  a  constant  heliimeet  of  her 
husband  for  half  a  century,  aud  much  of  his 
success  is  attributed  to  her  invaluable  assistance. 
Her  uniou  with  Mr.  De  Counter  resulted  In  one 
child.  Catherine,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years.  The  latter  liecauie  the  wife  of  George 
Luthey,  aud  was  the  mother  of  one  child,  Clar- 
ence. 

I'dlitically,  Samuel  De  Counter  has  bwn  an 
adherent  of  the  Democratic  party  throughout  his 
mature  life,  but  has  never  entertained  any  ambi- 
tion for  otlicial  distinction.  On  numerous  oc- 
casions he  has  been  solicited  by  appreciative 
friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  public  office, 
but  has  steadfastly  declined,  preferring  to  devote 
his  whole  attention  to  his  extensive  personal  in- 
terests, and  to  promoting  the  welfare  of  the 
conununity  by  his  earnest  endeavors  as  a  pri- 
vate citizen.  He  is  profoundly  respected  by  all 
classes  in  the  locality  where  his  career  has 
siianned  a  [leriod  of  four-score  j-ears. 

DEMAREE,  William  L. — Not  the  least  valua- 
ble of  the  legacies  left  Schuyler  County  by  citi- 
zens of  an  earlier  generation  are  the  sons  who 
bear  their  names  and  paiustakingly  maintain 
their  standards  of  enterprise  by  vigorous  effort. 
Something  of  the  iron  of  this  courage<jus  band 
has  entered  into  the  lives  of  their  progeny,  who, 
placed  in  different  and  less  exacting  circum- 
stances, fulfill  their  destiny  with  equally  oom- 
mendable  zeal  and  conscientiousness.  Belong- 
ing to  this  class  Is  William  L.  Demaree.  who 
was  bom  In  Section  16,  Rushville  Township, 
.June  7.  is."s.  and  who  now  owns  a  splendid  farm 
of  280  acres  In  Section  22  of  the  same  township. 
Mr.  Dem.iree  is  one  of  the  absolutely  deix-ndable 
men  of  his  section,  a  man  in  touch  with  agri- 
cultural science,  chemistry  and  all  needful  farm 
knowledge,  a  politician  who  has  proved  himself 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


813 


above  the  pettj-  temptations  of  the  offices  he  has 
held,  and  a  promotor  of  all  that  tends  to  make 
country  life  broad,  enjoyable  and  useful. 

Ludwell  H.  Demaree,  father  of  William  L., 
was  Iwrn  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  being  of  French 
ancestry.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  In 
early  life  married  Martha  Yankee,  a  native  of 
Washington  County,  with  whom  he  came  to 
Schuyler  County  in  1S57.  Locating  on  Section 
16,  Rushville  Township,  he  eventually  became 
the  owner  of  204  acres,  the  most  of  it  under 
heavy  timber,  and  considerable  of  which  was 
cleared  at  the  time  of  his  death  on  October  10, 
1872.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  Septem- 
ber 4,  1888.  He  was  a  man  of  broad  mind  and 
liberal  education,  and  in  his  native  state  and 
for  a  year  after  coming  to  Schuyler  County,  was 
engaged  in  school  teaching  with  considerable 
success.  He  became  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
the  community,  filled  various  [lolitical  othces, 
including  that  of  Supervisor  of  Rushville  Town- 
ship, and  was  extremely  active  in  church  work, 
for  practically  all  of  his  active  life  associating 
himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South.  For  many  years  he  was  a  church  official, 
serving  as  delegate  to  District  and  General  Con- 
ferences, and  was  generous  in  liis  contributions 
to  local  and  foreign  missions.  Sociall.v  he  was 
a  Mason,  and  of  all  the  men  in  the  comnmnity 
he  was  one  of  the  most  genial,  sympathetic  and 
approachable.  One  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ludwell  H.  Demaree  died  at  three  years  of  age. 
Of  three  sons  and  three  daughters  living,  Me- 
linda  Bell  is  the  wife  of  Leonidas  Scott,  of  Rush- 
ville; Laura  is  the  wife  of  Alexander  Acheson, 
of  Bainbridge  Township:  .John  H.  is  a  resident 
of  Woburn,  111. :  George  L.  is  a  conductor  out  of 
Danville,  Hi.,  and  Xora,  wife  of  J.  A.  Harrison, 
is  now  living  in  Birmingham  Township,  and  Wil- 
liam L.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  W. 
L.  Demaree  Ix'lnnged  to  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  her  lirothcr  Robert  is  living  at 
Bardolph,   McDonough  Countj-. 

William  L.  Demaree  spent  his  youth  on  the 
home  farm,  and  while  ix»rforniing  many  hard 
tasks,  develojied  great  stability  and  strength  of 
character.  That  he  had  initiative  and  resource- 
fulness was  demonstrated  during  his  fourteenth 
year,  when,  owing  to  the  death  of  his  father,  the 
management  of  the  farm  devolved  largely  upon 
him.  He  left  the  old  place  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  April  4.  1S.S.'!.  to  Reliecca,  daughter  of 
John  and  Alargaret  (Acheson)  Hamilton,  who 
was  born  in  Rushville  Township  December  27. 
18.5.5.  Her  father,  Jlr.  Hamilton,  died  August 
26,  1860,  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  on  .June  20.  1872. 
Settling  on  a  farm  of  140  acres  in  Section  0. 
Rushville  Township,  Mr.  Demaree  made  many 
improvements  thereon,  adding  sixty  acres  and 
having  in  all  200  tillable  acres.  Disposing  of 
this  farm  in  189.3,  he  bought  280  acres  in  Section 
22,  Rushville  Township,  which  he  has  converted 
into  one  of  tlie  best  farming  properties  in  the 
neighborhood.  In  1006  he  erected  one  of  the 
finest  rural  residences  in  the  county,  heated  l).v 
hot  water  and  with   ivater  facilities  throughout. 


It  is  furnished  in  modern  fashion,  has  eleven 
large  and  airy  rooms,  and  the  best  known  jilumb- 
ing  and  ventilation.  The  general  upearance  of 
the  farm  is  in  keeping  with  the  home  of  the 
occupants,  suggesting  nuich  thought  for  comfort, 
convenience   and   beautiful   natural   effects. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Demaree  have  been  born 
three  children,  namely:  Dwight  Edgar,  born 
July  7,  1886,  and  died  January  27,  1962;  Paul, 
born  May  oO,  1800,  and  Morris  H.,  bom  February 
4,  189.3. 

Mr.  Demaree  is  one  of  the  most  useful  as  well 
as  many-sided  men  in  his  township.  He  be- 
lieves in  bringing  outside  influences  to  the  farm, 
in  keeping  in  touch  with  the  happenings  without 
his  Lioundaries,  and  in  cultivating  pleasant  and 
social)le  relations  with  those  among  whom  his 
lot  is  cast.  He  is  an  earnest  and  consistent 
advocate  of  temperance,  a  Prohibitionist  in  poli- 
tics, and  advocates  at  all  times  the  simple,  unos- 
tentatious life.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  and  Knigiit  Templar.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  liber.-il  and  far-seeing  men  of  his  com- 
munity, and  his  home  is  the  center  of  a  fine  and 
unfailing  hospitality. 

DEWITT,  Allen.— In  the  environments  in 
which  his  activities  are  centered  in  Woodstock 
Township,  Allen  Dewitt  is  approved  for  his  in- 
dustry and  gncid  judgment,  and  resjiected  tor  his 
uprightness  and  public  spirit.  Tears  of  appli- 
cation under  somewhat  discouraging  circum- 
stances have  made  him  the  owner  of  a  farm  of 
172V,  acres  in  Sections  12  and  13,  all  under  cul- 
tivation, and  upon  which  he  has  erected  a  com- 
fortable home,  large  barns  and  outhouses,  and 
added  such  general  improvements  as  were  sug- 
gested by  his  conservative  and  cautious  advance- 
ment. He  fii-st  liecame  a  land-owner  in  1899, 
purcliasing  ninety-two  acres  of  his  ))resent  farm, 
and  the  best  improvement  on  the  place  at  the 
time  was  a  log  cabin  erected  in  1820.  Into  this 
the  family  moved  and  there  lived  until  1896, 
when  the  primitive  reminder  of  the  days  of  the 
frontier  gave  place  to  the  present  modern  rural 
home.  Mr.  Dewitt  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing, raising  also  a  high  grade  of  cattle,  hogs  and 
horses.  He  has  done  much  to  insure  the  comfart 
and  happiness  of  his  family  independent  of 
financial  returns,  and  the  place  is  well  suplied 
with  lieautiful  shade  trees,  shrubs,  gardens  and 
an  orchard  bearing  a  variet.v  of  fruit. 

;\Ir.  Dewitt  is  a  native  of  Woodstock  Town- 
ship, where  he  was  bom  on  .'>ection  13,  October 
2.  1862.  His  parents,  John  and  Rebecca 
(Skaggs)  Dewitt.  were  natives  of  Oliio  and 
Illinois,  respectively,  and  his  paternal  grand- 
f.-ither.  Henry  Dewitt.  was  born  in  Kentucky. 
Both  the  Dewitt  and  Skaggs  families  came  earlv 
to  Illinois,  and  .John  Dewitt  married  in  1S.5.S. 
the  same  year  settling  in  Section  13,  Woodstock 
Township,  where  he  lived  until  about  1874.  He 
then  bought  a  fann  in  Section  1.  the  same  town- 
shiii.  and  tn-o  years  later  his  quiet  and  unos- 
tentatious life  came  to  an  end.  his  legac.v  to 
those   who    survived    him    being    well    improved 


814 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY\ 


property,  a  good  name  and  an  example  of  hon- 
estly and  fair  dealing.  His  wife  still  makes  her 
homo  on  the  old  place,  enjoying  fair  health  after 
a  long  and  industrious  life,  and  after  rocking  the 
cradle  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters. Of  these  the  following  survive :  Laura, 
wife  of  John  C.  Logsdon,  of  Cooperstown.  Brown 
County,  111. ;  Allen ;  John,  of  Woodstock  Towu- 
ship ;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Mr.  John  Dieterich.  of 
Cooperstown  and  brother  of  Judge  Dietrich, 
whose  biography  appeare  on  another  page  of  this 
work  ;  Elmer  and  Almira,  twins,  the  former  on 
the  home  place  and  the  latter  the  wife  of  F.  M. 
Boweu,  of  Ellenburg,  Wash. ;  Lucy,  wife  of 
Henry  Rich,  a  farmer  of  Brown  County ;  and 
Joseph,  a  farmer  of  Woodstock  Township. 

The  marriage  of  Allen  Dewitt  and  Cora  (i. 
Snyder  occurred  Novemter  22.  ISSS,  .Miss  Sny- 
der being  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret 
(Rush)  Snyder,  of  Mount  Sterling,  111.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio. 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  six  of  them  living  a.s  follosvs :  John  B. 
resides  at  Coopei-stown,  Brown  County,  111.; 
Ida,  wife  of  J.  H.  Chute  of  the  same  place;  Mrs. 
Allen  Dewitt;  Charles  H.  of  Cooperstown,  III.: 
Oliver  E.,  of  Mt.  Sterling,  111.;  Arthur  L.  of 
Ripley,  Brown  County,  111.  Those  deceased 
were:  Joseph  P.  of  Cooi)erstown,  111.;  Luella  B., 
wife  of  Shelton  Hoffman,  of  Mt.  Sterling,  111.; 
Angle  E.,  wife  of  Martin  T.  Howell,  of  Coopers- 
town, 111. ;  Mrs.  Snyder,  the  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily, iJassed  away   Decendjer  15,  1,S92. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dewitt  are  the  |iarents  of  six 
children:  an  iiilant  who  died  niuLinied;  Ruth, 
born  Aubust  !),  l}St)l  ;  Margaret,  born  July  8, 
1893;  Glad,\Ti,  born  October  2,  1890;  Deua,  born 
April  30,  1901;  Aline,  born  Jlay  17,  1903.  Mr. 
Dewitt  is  popular  socially,  and  is  identified 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of 
Ripley,  111.  In  politics  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party, 

DEWITT,  Cyrus  L.— Of  the  men  whose  half- 
century  of  experience  has  been  centered  in 
Schuyler  County,  none  express  in  more  forcible 
language  the  value  of  bomelv.  sterling  virtues 
than  Cyrus  L.  DeWitt.  The  industrv.  honesty 
and  public-spiritedness  of  this  well-to-do  retired 
citizen  of  Rusbville,  has  been  a  source  of  un- 
failing pride  to  his  fellow  ton-nsmen  for  many 
years,  and  bis  rise  from  small  begiiniings,  and 
with  comparatively  meager  early  advantages,  has 
been  an  iusi)iration  to  many  of  the  vouth  of  the 
present  generation.  Mr.  DeWitt  was  l)oru  in 
the  then  very  small  village  of  Littleton,  Schuv- 
ler  County.  December  20,  1857,  and  his  early  in- 
fluences were  such  as  to  bring  out  the  "  best 
traits  of  bis  character.  Of  his  father.  Rev. 
James  DeWitt,  an  old  time  .Alethodist  Episcopal 
clergyman,  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
work. 

Mr.  DeWitt  received  his  preliminary  training 
in  the  public  school  of  Littleton,  and.  what  was 
better,  acquired  a  taste  for  learning  which  has 
increased   steadily  with  the  passing  years.     He 


remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  aliout  twenty 
years  of  age,  iu  1887  locating  on  a  rented 
farm  near  Littleton,  where  he  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  until  bis  marriage, 
February  1,  1888.  to  Bertha  .McKi'e,  d.iu.'bter  of 
William  McKee,  one  of  the  successful  and  hon- 
ored pioneers  of  Schuyler  County.  Mrs.  DeWitt 
was  born  near  Uushville,  III.,  July  2,  1803,  and 
was  educated  in  the  laiblic  schools.  The  young 
peoi)le  l)egan  housekeeping  on  the  old  McKee 
homestead,  in  Section  18,  Rushville  Township, 
making  that  their  home,  and  devoting  its  .320 
acres  to  iJroduce  and  stock-raising  until  Mr. 
DeWitt  retired  from  farming  and  purch.ised 
bis  present  beautiful  and  costly  home  in  Uush- 
ville in  the  fall  of  lOW.  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  DeWitt 
are  the  jiareuts  of  one  daughter,  Helen,  born 
Oct.  27,  180.5.  As  a  result  of  bis  unremitting 
industry  and  good  judgment,  he  now  is  the 
owner  of  UM>  acres  iu  Littleton  Township,  100 
acres  in  Rusbville  Township,  a  part  of  which 
lies  in  the  town  of  Rushville.  William  McKee 
died  several  years  ago,  and  his  wife,  who  now  is 
in  her  eighty-third  year,  is  living  witli  .Mr.  and 
.Mrs.  DeWitt.  .Mrs.  .McKee  retains  her  faculties 
practically  unimpaired,  and  delights  in  recalling 
the  pioneer  days  of  which  she  was  an  important 
and  industrious  part. 

In  addition  to  his  substantial  success  as  a 
farmer,  Mr.  DeWitt  has  achieved  notice  in  the 
comnmuity  in  a  variet>'  of  ways,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  Is  General  Superintendent  of  the  (Jrange 
Telephone  Company,  the  most  extensive  tele- 
phone organization  iu  Schuyler  County.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  and  a  charter  m(>mlier  of 
this  organizatiini.  and  its  pres*>nt  excellent  stand- 
ing siieaks  well  for  the  enterprise  and  practical 
interests  of  its  present  Superintendent.  Al- 
though stanchly  in  favor  of  Republican  principles 
and  Issues,  he  has  steadfastly  refused  olhclal 
honors,  preferring  the  duties  which  have  lain 
closer  at  hand,  and  which  are  less  variable  in 
their  demands  ui«)n  his  time  and  strength.  He 
is  a  keen  appreciator  of  the  advantages  of  fra- 
ternal assfM'iations.  and  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Masons  for  many  years.  Education,  ethics, 
good  roads,  charitable  organizations  and  county 
interests  in  general,  have  received  his  earnest 
and  practical  supiKjrt,  and  his  advice  regarding 
imiKirtant  issues  in  the  community  ever  has  been 
sound,  far-sighted  and  worthy  of  confidence. 
Many  good  deeds  and  many  disinterested  kind- 
nesses are  attributed  to  him.  and  his  name  stands 
for  the  strong  character  and  worth  of  the  com- 
munity. 

DEWITT,  Rev.  Jaroe?  (deceased). — An-iving 
In  Schuyler  County  in  the  latter  'thirties  as  .in 
almost  penniless  pedestrian  in  search  of  a  wider 
lield  of  Ial)or.  Rev.  James  DeWitt  remained  the 
associate  of  the  growing  fortunes  of  this  part  of 
the  State  until  his  death.  September  9,  1897, 
achieving  success  in  the  meantime  as  a  farmer, 
merchant.  Methodist  Episcopal  clergyman  and 
politician.  Mr.  DeWitt  was  born  in  Hope,  War- 
ren County.  N.  J.,  November  5,  1817,  a  son  of 


/h^\^       AX    7  .  /6^-^--^-.-KiL->^. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


815 


James  and  Anna  (Coates)  DeWitt,  both  natives 
of  New  Jersey,  the  former  born  in  Sussex 
Count}-.  The  family  came  to  Oal^lauil  County, 
Mich.,  in  1842,  and  here  the  elder  DeWitt  died 
at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years,  his  wife  dying  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years.  They  reared  a  family 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  Rev.  James  was  next 
to  the  youngest. 

James  DeWitt  linew  few  advantages  in  his 
youth,  and  tlie  responsibility  of  self-support  set- 
tled upon  his  life  when  but  thirteen  years  had 
passed  o\er  his  head.  He  then  began  to  clerk 
in  the  store  of  an  older  brother,  and  about  1830 
went  to  I'ennsylvania,  and  filled  a  similar  posi- 
tion in  the  general  store  of  another  brother.  In 
the  spring  of  18;j8  he  came  by  canal,  river  and 
rail  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  thence  by  boat  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers  to  Schuyler 
County,  where  he  clerked  for  the  rest  of  the  sum- 
mer for  Dr.  B.  V.  Teel.  Thrifty  and  economi- 
cal, he  saved  all  possible  of  his  meager  earnings, 
expending  the  same  on  a  trip  back  to  New  Jersey, 
where  he  spent  the  summer  of  1830.  Retiu-niug 
to  Schuyler  County  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
he  secured  a  position  with  Wilson  &  Greer, 
which  he  held  until  1842,  n-hen  his  marriage, 
on  January  2.jth,  to  Ellen  Little,  became  the 
determining  factor  which  resulted  in  his  remain- 
ing in  Rushville  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  store 
of  his  father-in-law,  James  Little.  Mrs.  DeWitt 
was  born  in  Columbia,  Lancaster  County,  Pa., 
and  died  in  Schuyler  County  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
one  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren :  James  L.,  John  M.,  Gleorge  W..  Euphenua 
IC.  who  died  at  eleven  years  of  age.  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  John  A.  Young,  living  in  Schuyler 
County:  Cyrus  L..  mention  of  whom  may  lie 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  and  William  A. 
James  and  Rebecca  Little,  parents  of  Mrs.  De- 
Witt,  were  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the 
I'nited  States  in  1801,  their  deaths  occurring  in 
Schuyler  County  at  the  age  of  seventy  and  eighty- 
four  years  respectively.  October  .3,  1883,  Mr. 
DeWitt  contracted  marriage  with  Mrs.  Catherine 
II.  (Pittinger)  Waddell. 

Leaving  the  employ  of  his  father-in-law  in 
1844.  Mr.  DeWitt  engaged  in  business  for  himself 
with  Mr.  Greer,  eventually  having  other  business 
partners,  but  in  18.''iO  dispo.sed  of  his  business  and 
with  his  brother-in-law.  Dr.  W.  H.  Window,  en- 
gaged in  conducting  a  general  store  in  Littleton 
Township,  witli  which  he  was  connected  for 
about  ten  years.  In  1862  he  located  on  a  farm 
and  intelligently  developed  its  resources  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  the  meantime,  the  com- 
mercial side  of  life  had  by  no  means  over- 
shadowed the  large  moral  usefulness  which  in- 
spired his  activit.v  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
With  but  limited  scholastic  advantages,  he  ,vet 
secured  an  excellent  education,  and  he  made 
study  one  of  the  great  olyects  of  his  life.  Hav- 
ing determined  upon  the  ministerial  life  he  com- 
I)leted  a  theological  course  in  one  .year,  and 
thereafter  exerted  a  wide  influence  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  as  a  local  preacher.  He 
had  earnestness  and  enthusiasm,  and  compara- 


tive religious  breadth  and  tolerance,  and  his 
half  century  in  the  ministry  was  prolific  of  good 
to  uncounted  thousands.  Politically  also  he  was 
prominent  and  intluential,  serving  as  County 
Treasurer,  Postmaster,  Deputy  Marshal,  Census 
Enumerator  for  one  half  of  the  count}',  as  Rep- 
resentative in  the  State  Legislature  one  term 
(1875-76),  and  Supervisor  for  ten  terms. 

DIETERICH,  Judge  William  H.— The  present 
Judge  of  Schuyler  County  and  former  City  At- 
torney of  Rushville  and  Master  in  Chancery  of 
Schuyler  County,  not  only  is  a  strong  and  force- 
ful exponent  of  legal  science,  but  is  a  politician 
of  mure  than  average  influence  and  ability,  a 
popular  member  of  various  social  organizations, 
and  a  public-spirited  promoter  of  enterprises  that 
tend  to  the  permanent  well-being  of  the  com- 
munity. In  addition,  he  belongs  to  the  pre- 
dominating class  of  self-made  men,  and  from 
earliest  youth  has  shown  a  resourcefulness  in 
keeping  with  his  well  defined  and  purposeful 
ambitious. 

A  native  of  Cooperstown,  Brown  Oount.v,  111., 
Mr.  Dietrich  was  born  March  31,  1876,  a  son 
of  George  H.  and  Anna  K.  (Berg)  Dieterich, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Germany.  Mr. 
Dieterich's  home  training  included  a  knowledge 
of  the  German  language,  which  has  been  of  great 
help  to  him  in  many  emergencies  of  his  career. 
His  people  were  early  settlers  and  farmers  of 
Brown  County,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  and  evidenced  tastes  and  abilities  which 
must  needs  seek  other  environment  for  their 
IM-oper  development.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
.vears  in  1893,  he  came  to  Rushville  and  entered 
the  Nornial  School,  returning  to  Cooperstown 
the  following  spring.  In  1805  he  was  appointed 
an  ofhcial  of  the  Illinois  Central  Hospital  at 
Jacksonville,  111,,  a  position  which  he  resigned 
in  Seiitember,  1806,  that  he  might  return  to  the 
Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
with  honor  in  the  class  of  1897,  For  thfe  follow- 
ing four  terms  he  served  as  one  of  the  faculty  of 
his  home  school  at  LaGrange.  111.,  where  he 
achieved  merited  popularity  both  as  a  teacher 
and  associate  of  his  pupils. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Dieterich  had  planned  to 
devote  his  energies  to  the  profession  of  law,  and 
in  1898  became  a  student  in  the  law  office  of 
Glass  &  Bottenberg,  the  following  year  entering 
the  law  department  of  the  Northern  Indiana  Uni- 
versity at  Valparaiso.  After  his  admission  to 
the  b.ir  of  Illinois,  on  June  5,  1901,  he  settled 
permanently  in  Rushville.  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  a  general  practice  of  law,  and 
has  advanced  to  a  degree  of  success  rarely 
realized  by  anyone  in  so  short  a  time.  His 
election  as  City  Attorney  of  Rushville  occurred 
in  1903,  and  tlie  same  .vear  was  appointed  Mas- 
ter in  Chancery  for  Schuyler  County,  which 
office  he  held  for  two  terms.  His  allegiance  to 
the  Democratic  party  dates  from  his  first  voting 
da.vs,  and  has  been  characterized  liy  its  strenu- 
ous support  as  a  campaigner,  official  and  dele- 
gate.    In   the   former   capacity   he   is   aided   by 


816 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


special  gifts  as  au  orator,  Including  clear  and 
logical  tbinUiui;.  and  perfect  command  of  the 
subject  upon  which  he  intends  to  speak.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  senatorial  convention  at 
Plymouth  in  ]!X»0,  and  a  committeeman  of  the 
senatorial  district,  which  latter  position  he  still 
holds,  as  well  as  that  of  Chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Central  Committee  of  Schu.vler  Countj'. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  St.ite  Convention  in 
VJU2,  and  to  the  .Judicial  Convention  at  IMtts- 
fleld  in  lUd.H,  and  was  chairman  of  the  special 
Judicial  Convention  which  met  at  Jaclisonville 
in  ]!Hii;  to  till  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Hon.  Thomas  Xleehan.  He  also  has  served  as 
Alderman  of  the  Third  ward,  and  as  Treasurer  of 
the  Rushville  Union  schools  for  three  terms. 
In  November,  llKKi,  he  was  elected  County  Judge 
of  Schuyler  County,  a  iwsition  which  he  still 
holds. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Dieterich  consists  of  his 
wife,  Xona  J.  (Kunkle)  Dieterich,  ivho  was  lK)rn 
in  Littleton.  Schuyler  County,  and  educated  iu 
the  pul)lic  schools  of  Rushville.  They  have  one 
child,  Ruth,  another  daughter,  Helen,  having 
died  May  21',  1007.  at  the  age  of  live  years  and 
seven  mouths.  Fraternally  Mr.  Dieterich  is 
identified  with  the  IndeiJcndent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  Knights  of  I'ylhi.-is  and  .Modern  Wood- 
men of  America.  He  is  one  of  tlie  most  erudite 
and  capable  memliers  of  the  bar  of  Schuyler 
County,  which  fact,  taken  in  connection  with  his 
predilection  for  public  aff.-iirs.  woidd  seem  to  as- 
sure him  a  future  of  great  promise  and  u.seful- 
ness. 

DIXON,  Robert  Bruce.  -No  farmer  of  Schuyler 
County  1ms  acliicvcd  greater  success  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  than  has  Hrnce  Dixon,  whose 
beautiful  homestead  lies  on  Section  2  of  Hickory 
Townshiji  and  whose  landed  possessions  com- 
prise S,52  acres.  Through  his  unaided  exertions 
he  has  risen  to  prominence  as  .-i  farmer.  Noth- 
ing aided  him  in  his  struggle  except  the  fact  that 
he  was  born  of  fine  pioneer  parentage  and  in- 
herited the  splendid  traits  which  characterized 
the  men  n-ho  developed  our  western  lands.  His 
early  home  was  in  a  log  cabin  destitute  of  nearly 
every  comfort.  Now  his  home  is  one  of  the 
most  comfortable  and  convenient  to  be  found  in 
the  entire  county.  Hot  and  cold  water  are  to 
be  found  in  every  room,  while  gasoline  furnishes 
light  for  the  residen<'e.  By  the  aid  of  a  gasoline 
engine,  water  is  forced  from  a  spring  to  a  tank 
on  a  high  hill  back  of  tlie  house.  From  the 
tank  the  water  is  forced  into  the  house,  the  barn 
and  the  feedlots.  sufficient  being  furnished  the 
latter  to  water  ."iOO  head  of  stock.  Tlic  stock- 
barn.  82xfi.">  fe(^t  in  dimensions,  is  one  of  the 
most  complete  in  this  region,  in  fact  in  all  the 
western  part  of  the  State.  Every  facility  has 
been  provided  for  the  prompt  and  easy  care  of 
from  one  to  two  hundred  head  of  stock,  and  only 
the  best  cattle  and  hogs  are  bred  on  the  place. 

The  Dixon  family  was  founded  in  America  by 
John  Dixon  in  18o2.  he  being  accompanied  by 
his  family,  which  included  a  son,  James,  horn  in 


county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  181C.  After  landing 
in  New  York,  the  family  traveled  overland  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  Coshocton  Comity,  that  State, 
where  the  [larents  died  about  1841.  Oue  of  the 
children.  Jane,  remained  in  Ohio,  dying  there  in 
1.S4;!.  Three  sons,  James,  Robert  and  Stewart, 
came  to  Illinois,  where  James  secured  employ- 
ment on  the  canal.  Later  he  went  to  Iowa  and 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  nine  dollars  [ler 
month.  At  tlie  end  of  three  years  he  bad  drawui 
only  four  dollars  of  his  wages,  and  with  tlie 
balance  of  the  money  he  bought  a  tract  of  wild 
land  iu  Iowa.  From  there  he  came  to  Schuyler 
Couuty,  III.,  where  he  bought  eightly  acres  now 
knowu  as  the  Fisher  farm.  Tliis  he  sold  for 
$8,000,  which,  with  $1,000  additional,  he  in- 
v(>sted  iu  202  acres  of  land  where  his  son  now 
resides.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  on  Seiitember 
18.  l!H)(i.  he  owned  132  acres  of  as  fertile  land  as 
could  be  found  in  the  county. 

In  February.  1.s.">2.  James  Dixon  married  Mi.ss 
Rlioda  Wi'Ikes.  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  ac- 
companied her  jiarents  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Canton  Township.  Fulton  County.  Of  her  mar- 
riage four  children  were  born,  namely :  Robert 
Bruce,  who  is  better  known  by  the  name  of 
Bruce:  Margaret,  who  married  William  Price, 
a  farmer  In  Hickory  Township;  John  of  Peoria; 
and  Frank,  ivho  is  in  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.,  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health.  The  recollections  of 
James  Dixon  extended  back  to  the  days  when 
the  city  of  Chicago  was  only  a  duck  iHind;  he 
remembered  also  one  of  the  first  steam  railroads 
in  .\nierica.  that  being  the  one  built  from  New 
York  City  to  Hudson.  N.  Y.  In  youth  he  worked 
on  the  old  canal  at  Columbus.  Ohio,  where  the 
work  was  done  with  the  aid  of  shovels  and 
wheelbarrows.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch 
Democrat.  In  early  days  he  underwent  many 
privations  and  hardships,  hut  his  genial  Irish 
wit  always  saved  the  day  and  brought  him 
friends  in  every  circle  of  societ.v.         ^ 

Born  ill  Woodland  Township.  Fulton  County, 
III..  November  .5.  1.8.")3.  Bruce  Dixon  remained  at 
home  until  lie  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  In 
1874  he  married  Mary  Parker,  who  died  in  188.3, 
leaving  tno  children,  Hamely :  Sadie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Lee  Bollinger,  a  farmer  near  Sheldon's 
Grove,  Schuyler  Ciuinty :  and  Roy,  who  niarrie<l 
Mi.ss  Sackman  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Schuyler 
County.  The  daughter  has  a  son.  Ernest,  while 
Roy  has  two  sons.  Russell  and  Kenneth.  The 
second  wife  of  Bruce  Dixon  was  Lizzie  Lauder- 
bach.  who  died  atiout  l.SO:!.  There  were  three 
children  of  this  union :  Grove,  Earl  and  Lizzie, 
the  Last-named  having  died  in  infancy.  The 
present  wife  of  Bnice  Dixon  was  Miss  Etta  Ta.v- 
lor.  born  July  20.  1870.  in  Springfield.  III.,  where 
her  father.  James  Taylor,  also  was  liom  and 
reared.  The  death  of  Mr.  Taylor  occurred  in 
1000.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dixon  lost  one  child  who 
died  in  infancv.  and  have  sur\-iving  one  son. 
Clifford,  born  April  20,  1807.  For  fifty-four 
years  Mr.  Dixon  has  made  his  home  in  Schuy- 
ler County  and  has  been  identified  with  the  peo- 
ple of  Hickory  Townshiii.  where  he  bought  his 


HISTOEY  OP  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


817 


first  piece  of  laud,  the  same  comprising  100 
acres  on  Section  11.  From  tliat  first  purcliase  lie 
has  liuilt  up  bis  present  iioscssious,  liecuniiuf; 
one  of  tlie  largest  lauil-owners  of  the  township. 
Despite  the  labor  connected  tvith  the  mauage- 
meut  of  his  property  be  has  leisure  for  partici- 
pation in  neigbl)orbood  affairs,  keeps  posted  con- 
cerning national  problems  and  furthermore  fre- 
quentl.v  en.ioys  a  bunt  in  the  woods,  where  bis 
skilled  marksmanship  is  brought  into  evidence 
through  the  game  that  falls  beneath  his  unerring 
aim. 

DODDS,  Oren  E.,  a  farmer  of  enteri^rising  and 
progressive  tendencies,  and  a  young  man  of  ex- 
cellent traits  of  character,  was  born  in  Bain- 
bridge  Township.  Schuyler  County,  111.,  his  pres- 
ent home,  March  3,  1877.  His  parents  were 
Thomas  and  Emily  (Ward)  Dodds.  natives  of 
Schuyler  Countj',  whose  family  history  will  be 
found  in  a  separate  biographical  narrative  in 
this  immediate  connection.  Mr.  Dodds  grew  to 
nianliood  on  the  homestead  farm,  his  youth  being 
passed  in  assisting  in  the  routine  of  labor  upon 
tlie  place,  and  attending  tlie  district  schools  of 
the  vicinit.v.  After  remaining  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  re.sponsil)iIity,  cultivating  a 
farm  belonging  to  bis  father.  In  1004,  Jlr. 
Dodds  bought  124  acres  of  land  known  as  the 
"McCormick  farm."  and  situated  in  Sections  12 
and  T.?>.  Bainbridge  Townslii]).  to  which  he  moved 
in  the  fall  of  that  year.  The  place  was  in  a 
neglected  condition,  and  he  proceeded  to  put  up 
fences,  build  barns,  and  materially  improve  the 
dwelling,  until  he  transformed  the  property  into 
a  comfortable  and  attractive  home.  Besides 
general  farming  he  devotes  considerable  atten- 
tion to  stock  raising,  and  breeds  a  good  grade  of 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 

On  .March  26.  1002.  Mr.  Dodds  was  joined  in 
matrimonial  lionds  witli  Margaret  L.  Bellamy, 
who  was  liorn  .Tanuary  20,  1,SS4,  and  is  a  daugli- 
ter  of  D.  ;\I.  and  liUcinda  (Greer)  Bellamy,  both 
natives  nf  Schuyler  County.  Her  fatbi«r.  who 
was  a  well  known  fanner,  died  .January  :!0,  1004, 
and  lier  motlier  is  still  living  on  tlie  old  lionie- 
ste.'id  farm  in  Bainbridge  Township.  To  the  union 
of  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Dodds  two  children  have  been 
liorn.  namely:  George  Madison,  born  April  12. 
ino.*? :  and  Lucy  E..  born  March  24,  1007. 

Politically,  Mr.  Dodds  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  held  the  ofBce  of  Tax 
Collector  from  1000  to  1002.  discharging  its  du- 
ties with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  liis  constituents.  Fraternally,  he  is  identified 
with  the  M.  W.  A..  Pleasantview  Camp.  No. 
20-l(t.  Mrs.  Dodds  is  a  communicant  of  the 
iMetliodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  her  hus- 
band is  a  liberal  contributor.  He  is  also  a  gen- 
erous supporter  of  the  cause  of  education,  and  of 
all  lienevolent  enterprises,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  com- 
niiiiiity. 

DODDS.    Thomas.— For     half    a     centurv     tlie 


Dodds  family  have  taken  an  active  and  leading 
part  in  the  agricultural  development  and  the 
civic  progress  of  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  and  their  participation  has  never  Ijeen 
clouded  by  anything  suggestive  of  weak  or  dis- 
honorable conduct.  -Thomas  Dodds,  the  repre- 
sentative so  well  known  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  was  born  in  Canfleld,  Mahoning  County, 
Oliio.  October  25,  1852,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mar- 
garet J.  (Wilson)  Dodds.  His  parents  were 
both  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  the  mother 
coming  to  America  when  but  a  child  and  the 
father  wlien  a  .voung  man,  their  families  settling 
in  Canfield.  where  their  marriage  occurred. 
Samuel  Dodds  was  lioni  .June  IS.  1818,  and  came 
to  America  in  1845,  first  locating  in  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  plied  his  trade  as  a  shoemaker. 
Later  he  removed  to  Mahoning  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  married  Jliss  Wilson  June  IG,  1848, 
and  in  1858  came  with  his  family  to  Schuyler 
Countj',  settling  on  a  farm  in  Section  23,  Bain- 
bridge Township.  They  first  arrived  at  Fred- 
erick and  walked  to  an  uncle's  place  in  Bain- 
liridge  Township,  wliere  they  remained  until  the 
father  could  complete  a  log  cal>in  on  his  land. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  until  he  could  clear  the 
farm  and  derive  bis  living  from  its  products, 
after  which  he  continued  his  improvements  on 
the  land  .and  added  a  40-acre  tract  to  his  origi- 
nal purchase.  Finally  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  establishing  one  of  the  finest  homesteads  of 
120  acres  in  Bainbridge  Township,  and  here  his 
widow  still  resides  with  her  son  Samuel.  The 
hnsl)and  and  father  passed  away  Octoljer  25, 
1004,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

The  deceased  was  a  strong  man  intellectually 
and  morally.  In  politics  lie  was  a  Democrat, 
and  quite  prominent  in  tlie  public  affairs  of  the 
county,  serving  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many 
years!  and  also  as  Supervisor  of  the  township. 
While  not  a  member  of  any  church,  he  liberally 
contrilmted  to  the  supixirt  of  several  Protestant 
societies,  and  was  always  prompt  to  uiiiiold 
worthy  movements  of  a  charitable  and  iiKiral 
nature.  .\ny  pulilic  enterjirise  which  promised 
well  for  Bainbridge  Towusliip  could  rely  upon 
the  assistance  of  Samuel  Dodds  to  the  full  extent 
of  his  means.  While  a  man  of  strong  and  de- 
cided character,  he  was  free  in  commending  the 
work  of  others,  and  there  was  no  one  to  wlioni 
lie  gave  so  much  credit  for  his  own  success  and 
haiipiness  in  the  world  as  to  his  faithful  and 
life-long  partner,  his  honored  wife  and  now  his 
widow. 

'I'be  following  named  children  were  b(irn  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Dodds:  William  J.  Dodds. 
liiirn  December  25.  1840,  and  wlin  is  a  farmer 
liviiiff  near  the  old  homestead:  Thomas:  Samuel, 
lini-ii  September  25,  1854,  and  living  with  bis 
motlier  on  the  home  farm  in  Section  23,  Bain- 
liridge  Township:  Martha,  now  the  wife  of  Jack- 
son Ward,  wliose  farm  is  in  Section  12.  Bain- 
bridge Township:  Mary  E..  who  married  Henry 
Drave.  her  husband's  jilace  being  on  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  11,  same  townsbiii: 
Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Thomas  Ilerron.  who  reside  on 


818 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


a  farm  in  Section  13,  and  Elizabetli,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Tliomas  Dodils,  tlie  second  child  of  the  family, 
came  with  his  parents  from  Ohio  to  Schuyler 
County  when  he  was  about  six  years  of  age. 
In  the  district  school  of  Bainl)ridge  Township  he 
therefore  obtained  most  of  his  education,  remain- 
ing on  the  old  home  farm  until  his  marriage  in 
1874,  at  the  age  of  twenty -one  years.  He  then 
rented  a  farm  of  Thomas  Ilerron,  mailing  his 
home  with  that  gentleman's  family  for  some 
time.  He  afterward  moved  to  tlie  farm,  wliich 
be  had  also  rented  and  which  he  successfully 
operated  until  1S79,  when  he  purchased  sixty 
acres  in  Section  11,  Bainbridge  Township,  then 
only  partially  improved,  Init  which  he  has  since 
transformed  into  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most 
productive  farms  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He 
has  made  several  additions  to  his  original  pur- 
chase, so  that  his  homestead  now  consists  of  ISC. 
acres.  He  has  a  beautiful  home  and  surrounded 
by  his  family  and  numerous  friends,  is  in  a  posi- 
tion to  enjoy  life  and  benefit  tlie  lives  of  others. 
His  puljlic  services  to  tlie  connnuiiity  liave  bet^n 
noticeable,  as  he  has  licld  with  honor  several 
township  oliices,  including  those  of  Assessor  and 
Supervisor.  In  ijolitics  lie  is  a  Democrat,  while 
his  ancestry  and  his  warm  sympathies  make  him 
a  member  of  the  Mutual  rrotoctive  League. 
Both  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church.  Although  well 
linown  and  highly  esteemed  as  .-i  public  man  and 
as  a  large  breeder  and  sliipper  of  live-stock,  Mr. 
Dodds  probably  takes  tlie  most  sulistantial  and 
the  deepest  pride  in  the  fact  that  he  has  given 
each  of  his  children  a  good  education  and  litted 
them  to  be  useful  members  of  society,  and  from 
whatever  point  his  life  is  viewed,  it  Is  found  to 
be  guided  by  a  strong  mind  and  regulated  by  a 
Christian  con.science.  Mr.  Dodds  is  also  a  man 
of  strong  physical  constitution,  as  is  illustrated 
by  a  serious  accident  which  befell  him  twelve 
ago.  On  February  13,  189.5,  he  was  sawing  a 
large  tree,  and,  after  cutting  it  through,  started 
to  run  in  the  oiiposite  direction  from  wliich  he 
expected  it  to  fall.  Throngh  some  miscalcula- 
tion, it  fell  toward  and  U[)on  him,  cnishiiig  him 
to  the  earth.  At  first  it  was  thought  that  he 
had  been  killed,  but  although  his  in.iuries  were 
very  severe,  he  has  now  almost  recovered,  and 
his  friends  prophesy  many  more  years  of  useful- 
ness and  honor  for  him. 

On  Fel)ruary  25,  1874,  Mr.  Dodds  was  wedded 
to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Ward,  who  lias  borne  him 
eleven  children,  namely:  .lulia.  now  the  wife  of 
William  Malcomson,  a  farmer  of  Rushville 
To\\^lship.  Schuyler  County- ;  Oren,  a  fanner  of 
Bainbridge  Township,  who  married  Margaret 
Bellamy ;  Alma,  wife  of  Bert  Gabbert,  a  resident 
of  Beardstown,  Hi.:  Curtis,  living  on  the  old 
home  farm ;  Herbert,  wlio  died  in  infancy ; 
Mabel,  who,  with  filial  affection  .nnd  rare  judg- 
ment, is  devoting  her  life  to  the  care  of  the 
household  and  the  motherless  children:  Law- 
rence, a  graduate  of  the  commercial  department 
of  the  Rushville  Normal  College,  class  of  1907; 


Margarette  and  Veretta  Jane  (twins),  the  latter 
of  whom  died  in  infancy ;  David  aud  Daisy,  also 
twins,  the  latter  dying  young. 

The  faithful  mother  of  this  family  died  on  the 
loth  of  June,  1890.  She  was  a  devout  Christian, 
and  one  of  tlie  lirsl  converts  to  join  the  .Mount 
Carmel  Church  at  the  meeting  held  in  the  Ward 
scliool  house  by  the  Key.  Mr.  Johnson.  .Mrs. 
Doild's  character  was  tender,  lovable  and  help- 
ful. She  was  always  anxious  to  assist  any  one 
in  trouble  and  never  waited  for  an  iuvitatiou  be- 
fore doing  acts  of  kindness.  In  the  home  es- 
pecially, the  beauties  of  her  being  blossomed  in 
their  fulness;  it  was  always  the  abode  of  the 
Christian  woman,  where  forgiveness  and  loving 
kindness  overrode  the  rigors  of  stern  justice ;  and 
it  was  here  that  the  full  measure  of  the  loss 
caused  liy  her  death  Is  more  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated. 

DODDS,  Watson,  a  very  creditable  type  of  the 
younger  element  among  the  farming  population 
of  Schuyler  County,  III.,  was  born  in  Itaiiibridge 
Township,  where  his  home  is  still  located,  on 
August  31,  1871,  He  Is  a  son  of  William  J.  and 
Josephine  t Hatfield)  Dodds,  natives  of  Ohio  and 
Illinois,  respe<-tively.  The  paternal  grand- 
Iiarent.s,  Samuel  aud  Margaret  i)odds.  were  orig- 
inally from  Ireland  and  the  grandparents  on  the 
maternal  side,  Charles  aud  .Mary  (Lamaster) 
Hatfield,  bom  in  Kentucky,  were  among  the 
pioneer  .settlers  of  Schuyler  County,  their  advent 
in  this  region  dating  back  to  1824.  The  career 
of  Samuel  Dodds  aud  that  of  William  J.  Dodds 
are  portrayed  in  separate  narratives,  published 
in  this  series  of  personal  rwords. 

Watson  Dodds  was  reared  upon  the  paternal 
farm,  receiving  his  eduialion  In  the  district 
schools  of  the  neigbliorhoiid.  .Xfter  assisting  In 
work  upon  the  home  plac-e  uutil  he  was  al)out 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  commenced  farming  for 
liimself  on  property  owned  by  his  father-iu-law, 
on  Section  15,  Bainbridge  Township,  where  he 
remained  seven  years.  In  1898  he  purchased 
140  acres  in  Section  15  of  the  same  township, 
which  he  improved  and  develo|X'd  It  into  a  very 
desiralile  farm.  This  place  he  dlsjxjsed  of  In 
1!MM),  buying  eighty  acres  in  Section  14,  Bain- 
bridge Township,  the  purchase  price  being  $110 
per  acre.  It  is  one  of  the  choicest  80-acre  tracts 
in  the  entire  township,  and  was  bought  for  use 
as  a  permanent  home.  Mr.  Dodds  raises  a  fine 
grade  of  horses  and  cattle,  aud  a  pure  breed  of 
Poland-China  hogs.  Formerly,  he  belonged  to 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  for  a  considera- 
lile  period,  was  Master  of  the  Grange.  .V  thor- 
oughly iiractical  farmer,  with  strong  common 
sense,  and  sound  judgment,  he  coml)ines  all  the 
qualities  of  a  successful  agriculturist.  He  Is 
the  bearer  of  one  of  the  leading  names  in  his 
locality,  the  Dodds  family  having  been  long  and 
conspicuously  identified  with  the  growth  and 
pros[)erity  of  this  portion  of  Schuyler  County. 

On  July  9,  1892,  Mr.  Dodds  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Eva  .\.  Strong,  who  was  bom  in 
Illinois   on   December    15,    1872,    a    daughter   of 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUA'TY. 


819 


Thomas  Q.  and  Augusta  Strong,  natives  of  Illi- 
nois and  New  Yorli  respeetivel}-.  Two  cliil- 
diea  have  blessed  the  uuiou  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dodds,  namely:  Iva  B.,  born  March  1,  1893, 
and  Forrest  L.,  born  June  4,  189.5. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Dodds  is  an  earnest  supporter 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  one  of  the  most 
active  political  workers  of  the  township.  For 
two  years,  he  held  the  ofiice  of  Collector  and 
served  as  School  Treasui'er  eight  years.  He  aud 
his  wife  are  meuibera  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  South,  and  both  are  held  in  high 
esteem  by  many  friends. 

DODDS,  William  J.,  a  farmer  of  sterling  char- 
acter and  recognized  merit,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Schuyler  County,  111.,  for  fifty  years,  and 
pursues  his  wonted  occupation  in  Section  2.3, 
Bainbridge  Township,  was  born  in  Mahoning 
County,  Ohio,  December  25,  1849,  a  sou  of 
Samuel  and  Jlargarette  (Wilson)  Dodds,  natives 
of  Ireland.  Details  in  regard  to  his  father's 
career,  and  further  particulars  relating  to  the 
family  history,  may  be  found  in  the  biographical 
sketch  of  Thomas  Dodds  appearing  elsewhere  in 
this  connection.  William  Dodds  was  brought  to 
Illinois  by  his  parents  when  he  was  nine  years 
old,  and  here  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  home 
farm  until  the  time  of  bis  marriage.  After  that 
event  he  followed  farming  ou  rented  land  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  ISTtl,  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Section  23,  Bainbridge  Township,  which  has  been 
his  home  ever  since.  He  owns  forty-two  acres, 
operates,  in  all,  122  acres,  and  is  considered  a 
thorough  and  systematic  farmer. 

On  August  14,  1870,  Mr.  Dodds  was  uuited  in 
marriage  with  Josephine  Hatfield,  who  was  bom 
in  Schuyler  County,  August  11,  1849,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Mary  (Lamcaster)  Ilatflelii,  na- 
tives of  Kentucky,  who  w^ere  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Schuyler  County,  arriving  about  the 
year  1824.  When  they  located  in  Bainbridge 
Township,  Indians  were  much  more  numerous 
than  white  jieople  in  this  region,  and  even  after 
the  marriage  of  Jlrs.  Dodds,  traces  of  the  wan- 
dering tribes  were  visible  in  every  direction. 
Charles  Hatfield  died  at  the  liome  of  his  son, 
Hugh  Hatfield,  in  Bainbridge  Township,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years,  while  his  widow  died  at 
the  residence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodds,  when 
eight-seven  years  old.  Five  children  have  been 
bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodds,  as  follo\^•s :  Watson, 
Charles,  Frank,  Grover,  and  Grace  A.  A 
biographical  record  of  Watson  Dodds  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  connection.  Charles  Dodds, 
who  married  Bertha  Newell,  is  a  stock-feeder  in 
the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville,  111. ;  Frank  is  at 
home :  Grover,  who  married  Lil.v  Herron.  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Bainbridge  Township,  and 
Is  the  father  of  three  children,  Ziljiha,  IJeulah 
and  Sarah  ;  and  Grace  is  with  her  parents. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Dodds  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  rendered  creditable 
service  in  various  township  offices.  He  has  lived 
in  Schuyler  County  since  1858.  and  has  faithfully 


discharged  the  duties  of  a  useful  citizen,  doing 
his  share  to  promote  the  development  of  the 
locality,  and  always  being  identified  with  the 
best  interests  of  the  community  of  which  he  is 
a  respected  member. 

DODGE,  J.  Reuben,  a  very  worthy  and  credita- 
ble type  of  the  younger  element  of  the  agricul- 
tural class  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  who  is  liked 
and  respected  by  his  neighbors  in  Littleton 
Township,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  good 
will  of  all  who  have  dealings  with  him  as  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  was  bom  in  the  same 
Township,  September  30,  1877.  Mr.  Dodge  is  a 
son  of  John  S.  and  Rachael  (Moore)  Dodge,  of 
McLean  County,  111.,  and  his  grandparents  on 
the  paternal  side  were  Solomon  and  Elizabeth 
(Springer)  Dodge.  Of  the  children  ot  John  S. 
Dodge  and  wife,  three  sons  and  three  daughters 
are  still  living,  the  sub.ject  of  this  personal  rec- 
ord being  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  Both 
parents  are  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  Littleton,  where  they  now  reside. 

In  early  youth,  Reulwn  Dodge  received  his 
education  in  tlie  commou  schools  of  Littleton 
Township,  remaining  at  liome  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  Shortly  after  at- 
taining his  majority,  together  with  his  brother 
Truman,  lie  rented  a  farm  of  230  acres,  on  which 
be  lived  five  .years.  Subsequently,  he  located  on 
the  home  farm  in  Section  ir>.  Littleton  Township, 
his  father  having  withdrawn  from  active  busi- 
ness in  March,  1907.  The  farm  consists  of  160 
acres,  well  improved  and  in  good  condition.  Be- 
sides general  farming,  Mr.  Dodge  devotes  con- 
siderable attention  to  raising  horses,  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  profitable  results  attend  his  efforts. 

On  Octol)er  30.  190(1.  .Mr.  Dodge  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Florence  Esther  Sweeney,  who 
was  liorn  in  Camden  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  May  29.  1885.  Mrs.  Dodge  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Lucretia  (Lake)  Sweeney,  and  her 
father  is  a  prominent  and  successful  fanner  of 
Camden  Township.  She  received  her  education 
pai'tly  in  Kennedy's  Normal  School  at  Rushville, 
111.,  also  pursuing  a  course  of  study  in  Michigan, 
in  the  High  School  at  Flint.  For  some  time,  she 
was  a  teacher  in  the  district  schools  in  Schuyler 
County. 

Folitically,  Mr.  Dodge  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Kepniilican  party,  and  takes  a  good  citizen's  in- 
terest in  public  affairs.  He  and  his  amiable 
wife  are  regarded  as  among  the  most  estimable 
people  of  the  locality. 

DOYLE,  Simon  (deceased),  than  whom  no 
farmer  of  the  early  days  in  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  was  more  wortli.v  or  more  deeply  respected, 
a  citizen  of  eminent  usefulness  and  a  man  of 
blameless  life,  was  born  in  Maysville.  Ky.,  Sep- 
tember 30.  1821.  He  was  a  son  of  Edward  and 
Jane  fDickson)  Doyle,  natives  of  Kentucky, 
where  his  father  was  born  in  1798.  At  an 
early  day  Edward  Doyle  came  from  Kentucky  to 
Verinilion  County,  111.,  during  the  'tliii-ties  and 
thence  removed  to   Rushville,   Schuyler   County, 


820 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


In  early  life  Siiuou  Dojie  followed  tbe  coopi^r's 
tnidt,  conUnuiug  hi  this  ixv-upation  iiiiril  is!!), 
except  dui'iuf;  the  period  iu  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  Mexican  War.  On  Jlay  2(i.  1847. 
he  enlisted  in  an  independent  cavalry  company, 
of  which  he  iK'canie  Second  Lieutenant  under 
Capt.  Adam  8.  Dunlap.  and  .^^aw  seiTice  in  the 
field  under  Brig.  (ien.  .lohu  E.  \V<k>I,  the  com- 
pany being  mustered  out  November  7.  184S. 
Ilis  widow,  wlio  still  survives,  is  one  of  the  few- 
pensioners  for  service  rendered  by  sonic  member 
of  their  family  in  that  war. 

On  Sei)tember  2,  184!),  Mr.  Doyle,  with  a 
large  party  from  Schuyler  County,  left  Uushville 
for  the  gold  flelds  of  California,  and  there  w;is 
engaged  in  quest  of  precious  metal  from  184!i 
until  1852,  being  among  the  fortvniatc  ones  whose 
labors  were  rewarded  with  succi'ss.  Keturning 
to  Illinois  in  1S52,  he  made  but  a  brief  sojourn 
in  Ilnshville,  when  buying  a  lot  of  cattle  and 
horses  he  started  to  drive  them  througli  to  the 
Pacific  Coast.  When  he  reached  the  Indian 
country  the  drove  was  stampeded,  and  12  head 
of  cattle  were  lost.  Finally  arriving  at  his  des- 
tination, he  made  a  profibilile  sale  of  Ihe  re- 
mainder of  his  stock,  but  in  the  meantime  had 
bought  a  ranch,  which  lie  was  oliliixed  to  sell 
at  a  loss.  In  the  fall  of  18.">(i.  he  Ixingbt  out  the 
interests  of  the  other  heirs  of  his  father's  es- 
tate. This  consisted  of  HKt  acres  lying  in  Sec- 
tion 1.  Bnena  Vista  Township,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  the  time  of  his  death,  .lan- 
uary  14,  ISS.").  He  was  a  man  of  great  force 
of  character,  and  while  firm  in  his  opinions, 
was  tolerant  in  regard  to  tlie  views  of 
others,  recognizing  fully  in  all,  the  lunate 
right  to  entertain  views  contrary  to  his  on-n. 
He  was  animated  by  tlie  most  kindly  impulses, 
generous  to  the  needy,  and  hospitable  to  all. 
No  one  in  destitution  or  straitened  circumstances 
was  ever  turned  from  his  door  enipty-handod.  In 
all  his  relations,  public  and  private,  he  illus- 
trated the  virtues  proverbially  characteristic  of 
the  genial,  chivalrous,  sincere  and  honorable 
Kentuck.v   gentleiiiaii. 

On  .\ngnst  ."i.  is.">i'.,  >Ir.  Doyle  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mildred  Bagby.  who  was  born  in 
Glasgow,  Ky.,  a  daughter  of  Sylvanus  M.  and 
Frances  ( Courts  1  Bagby.  natives  of  Virginia. 
Three  children  blessed  this  union,  namely : 
Charles  M.,  Edward  JI.  and  .Tolin  B.  'Hie  eldest 
son.  Charles  >I.,  was  born  .luly  f!0,  lS.n7.  on  th" 
homestead  farm,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
which  has  always  been  his  home.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  district  schiwls.  the  Uush- 
ville public  school,  and  Eureka  College.  Edwar  I 
jr..  born  September  27.  1840.  niaiTied  Carrie  M. 
Eainliert,  and  lives  in  Rushville.  Before  his 
marriage  he  and  his  brother  had  .ioint  charge  of 
the  home  farm.  John  B.  was  Ix)m  .Tune  12.  lS(i2. 
and  died  in  .Toplin.  Mo.,  September  24.  ISO!). 
He  enlisted  in  the  T^tah  Regiment  of  Volunteer 
Light  .\rtillery  during  the  Spanish-.Vmerican 
War  and  served  as  Corporal,  being  musterefl  into 
service  .July  14.  1808.  Charles  M.  Dovle.  the 
eldest    son,    has    always    made    a    specialty    of 


raising  Shrop.shire  sheep,  and  now  has  more 
than  1(K)  head  of  fine,  registered  stock.  He 
is  a  pniminent  and  influential  citizen,  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics,  and  has  twice  represented 
his  township  on  the  Board  of  JSupervisors. 
Fr.ileriially,  he  is  afliliated  with  the  M.  W.  A. 
Ilis  .iged  mother,  a  woman  of  the  most  es- 
timable traits  of  character,  and  the  object  of 
profound  respect  on  the  part  of  all  who  know 
her,  still  lives  with  him  on  the  homestead  and 
is  on  the  honored  roll  of  pensioners  of  the  Mex- 
ican War.  She  is  a  devout  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  as  was  her  lamented  hus- 
band. 

Simon  Doyle  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  i)ol- 
itics.  and  exercised  a  strong  influence  in  local 
party  councils.  He  filled  various  county  offices 
with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of 
his  constituents,  having  successively  served  as 
Treasurer,  County  Clerk  ;ind  Sheriff  of  Schuyler 
County.  In  fraternal  circles,  he  was  identified 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  was  a  charter 
memlier.  The  loss  of  such  a  man  was  sorely 
felt  throughout  the  entire  couimunit.v,  and  his 
memory  is  warmly  cherished  by  those  who  still 
revert  to  his  broad  philanthropy,  and  his  fidelity 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  locality  where  the 
greater  |K)rtion  of  his  exemplary  life  was  spent. 

DYSON,  Edwin,  editor  and  publisher  of  The 
Jfiislnillc  'I'hiKs,  is  one  of  the  old  guard  of 
Illinois  editors,  and  tor  more  than  fifty  years 
has  l)e«Mi  engaged  in  newsiiaper  work,  and  for 
forty  years  editor  of  The  T ivies.  .Mr.  Dyson 
was  born  iu  Shaw,  Lancashire.  England,  July 
2S.  18.'!S,  and  was  the  youngest  child  of  James 
and  Hanna  Dyson,  who  emigrated  to  America 
iu  1841. 

James  Dyson,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  horn  June  12.  18(it»,  and  was  married 
to  Ilaimah  Wilson  in  England,  and  they  ciime 
to  Aniericu  with  their  fandly  of  four  sons,  in 
company  with  two  brothers  and  two  sisters  of 
Mrs.  D.v.son.  They  took  pa.ssage  in  a  sailing 
vessel  and  were  thirteen  weeks  on  the  water, 
landing  at  New  Orleans.  Here  they  met  with 
persons  who  directi'd  them  to  Rushville  as  one 
of  the  most  ijromising  towns  in  the  new  coun- 
try, and  they  came  up  the  Mis.sissipppi  and  Illi- 
nois Rivers  on  a  steanilioat.  and  landed  at  Erie. 
Schuyler  County,  continuing  their  journey  over- 
land to  Rushville. 

Life  on  the  frontier  was  a  new  experience 
to  them  as  in  the  old  country.  Mr.  Dyson  had 
IxH-n  employed  in  the  textile  mills,  and  soon 
after  arriving  in  Rushville  he  started  on  a  pros- 
pecting tour  to  make  a  new  location,  and  visited 
tlie  Galena  country,  which  was  then  attracting 
large  nundiers  of  settlers.  But  on  his  return 
he  was  taken  ill  and  died  August  4,  1841.  His 
widow  was  thus  left  in  a  new  country  with 
four  .voung  children  to  care  for,  hut  she  was  one 
of  those  self-reliant,  sturdy  women  who  soon 
adapted  herself  to  the  customs  and  manners 
of   her   adopted   country.      She    was   afterwards 


!!l"l|! 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


821 


married  to  Mr.  Hamptou.  and  died  in  Kusbville 
January  0,  1893. 

It  was  in  ttie  spring  of  1854,  that  Edwin 
Dyson  began  tiis  newspaper  career,  and  be  was 
tben  apprenticed  to  Daniel  E.  H.  Johnson,  editor 
of  "The  Schuyler  Democrat,"  and  as  office 
'•devil"'  assisted  in  getting  out  the  first  issue  of 
that  paper  on  April  20,  18.54.  Two  years  later, 
when  the  paper  was  sold  to  George  Washington 
Scripps.  he  remained  an  employe  of  the  ottice 
and  eight  years  later  removed  to  St.  Louis  to 
take  a  i)osition  on  "The  St.  Louis  Republican" 
(now  the  Republic). 

While  a  resident  of  St.  Louis  he  was  sought 
by  local  Democrats  to  return  and  take  charge  of 
Thf  Times,  then  owned  by  a  stock  company, 
and  in  the  summer  of  1868  he  purchased  the 
liaix'r  at  Sheriff's  sale  and  since  July  2.  1868, 
has  been  editor  and  proprietor  and  has  i)laced 
The  Times  in  the  front  rank  of  country  news- 
paper!-. 

While  alwa,^•s  upholding  the  principles  or 
Democracy,  jfr.  Dyson  has  not  figured  con- 
fjiicuou-^ly  as  a  politician,  and  his  term  of  po- 
litical otfice-holding  has  been  limited  to  two 
terms  as  County  Treasurer. 

On  April  2.  1S60,  Jlr.  Dyson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  Frances  Irvin,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Henderson  Irvin,  who 
emigrated  from  Kentucky  in  184-5.  Mr.  Irvin's 
parents.  Starling  and  Elizabeth  (Leysher)  Irvin, 
had  located  in  Littleton  Township  as  early  as 
188!),  coming  from  Garrard  County,  Kentucky. 
They  were  of  Scotch  descent  and  removed  to 
Kentucky  from  Nova  S<'Otia. 

Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dy.son,  and  they  are  all  living.  Jennie  L.  was 
married  to  Dwight  E.  Ray,  who  died  February 
27.  1888 :  Orion  E.  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie 
McCorkle,  and  now  resides  in  Chicago;  Howard 
F.  is  associated  with  his  father  in  editing  "The 
Times." 

DYSON,  George. — Ujion  the  sound  judgment, 
sagacitj-,  integrity  and  faithful  devotion  to  duty 
of  the  directing  heads  of  the  numerous  private 
banking  institutions  n-hich  accommodate  the 
financial  needs  of  the  rural  ix)pulation,  deix-nds, 
in  a  large  degree,  the  general  prosperity  of  the 
sections  whei'e  these  institutions  are  located.  In 
this  respect  the  city  of  Rushville,  Schuyler 
Count.v,  111.,  and  the  agricultural  district  sur- 
rounding it,  are  signally  favored  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  affairs  of  the  Bank  of  Schuyler 
County  by  one  so  eminently  qualified  for  that 
purpose  as  the  well-known  gentleman  whose 
name  furnishes  the  caption  of  this  personal 
narrative.  Mr.  Dyson  was  born  in  Rushville,  111., 
March  2.  1807.  lie  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Martha 
( Wheel  house )  Dyson,  his  father  having  lieen 
l)orn  in  England,  in  1831.  and  his  mother  in  the 
State  of  Ohio,  in  1844.  His  patenial  great-grand- 
father was  of  English  nativity,  as  was  also 
Samuel  Dyson,  his  grandfather.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side,  his  grandparents  were  George  and 
Mary  (Brown)   Wheelhouse,  the  former  born  in 


Lancashire,  England,  and  the  latter  in  Ohio,  his 
great-grandparents  being  natives  of  England. 
Joseph  Dyson  was  the  proprietor  of  a  harness 
liusiness.  During  the  'thirties,  when  a  mere  boy, 
he  came  from  England  to  the  United  States, 
proceeding  to  Illinois  and  traveling  up  the  Illi- 
nois River  to  the  town  of  Erie,  which  was  then 
located  below  the  town  of  Frederick,  but  all 
trace  of  which  is  now  obliterated.  Joseph  Dyson 
settled  in  Rushville,  and  became  very  prominent 
in  connection  with  local  affairs.  He  was  long 
and  conspicuously  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment and  progress  of  the  place,  and  served  three 
terms  in  the  capacity  of  Sheriff  of  Schuyler 
County.     He  died   in  1898. 

George  Dyson  received  his  education  in  the 
Rushville  Union  Schools,  and  after  completing 
his  studies  applied  himself  to  teaching.  For  five 
.vears,  he  taught  in  the  schools  of  Frederick, 
Huntsville  and  Browning,  111.,  occupying  the 
position  of  Principal  in  eacli.  During  the  last 
administration  of  I'resident  Cleveland  Mr.  Dyson 
was  appointed  I'ostmaster  of  the  city  of  Rush- 
ville. and  since  the  exi)iration  of  his  term  in 
that  ottice,  he  has  served  as  Vice-President  of 
the  Bank  of  Schuyler  County,  to  the  affairs  of 
which  he  has  diligently  devoted  his  attention  as 
active  manager.  That  he  discharges  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  this  important  position  with 
marked  ability  and  fidelity,  is  the  consensus  of 
opinion  throirgbotit  the  commercial  and  financial 
circles  of  that  portion  of  the  State,  and  he  en- 
joys the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  business 
and  agricultural  elements  of  Schuyler  County 
to  an  unusual  extent.  Although  absorbingly 
occupied  witli  the  duties  pertaining  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  bank,  he  finds  time  to  take  an 
earnest  interest  in  the  general  welfare  of  his 
city.  In  politics,  he  is  a  steadfast  supiwrter  of 
tlie  principles  of  the  Democratic  Party. 

On  March  26,  19(18,  Jlr.  Dyson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Marie  Bassett,  of  Paris.  Mo. 
Mrs.  Dyson  is  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
pronnnent  families  of  Missouri  and  is  a  cul- 
tiu'ed  and  charming  lady. 

DYSON,  Howard  F.,  was  born  in  Rushville, 
111.,  December  17,  1870,  and  has  ever  since  been 
a  resident  of  that  city.  He  was  graduated  fro.n 
the  Rushville  High  School  in  1890,  and  after- 
wards .spent  two  years  at  Rose  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute, Terre  Haute,  Ind.  On  returning  home 
he  entered  upon  newspaper  work,  and  has  ever 
since  been  connected  with  The  Riishrille  Times. 

While  engaged  in  his  news|iaiier  work,  Mr.  Dy- 
son has  devoted  some  of  his  leisure  time  to  local 
historical  research,  and  his  "Local  Remi- 
niscences of  Lincoln"  was  published  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  State  Historical  Society,  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  His  most  important  service 
in  this  line  has  been  rendered  as  author  and 
editor  of  the  "History  of  Schuyler  County,"  of 
which  this  biographic  chapter  constitutes  a  sup- 
plemental part. 

A  graduate  of  the  Rushville  High  School,  Mr. 
Dvson  has  ever  taken  an  interest  in  educational 


823 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


matters,  and  in  1007,  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  tbe  Board  of  Education  of  the  Rushville  Union 
School  District. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dyson  has  always  allied  him- 
self with  the  Democratic  partj"  and  has  seized 
on  the  County  Central  Committee  of  his  party 
as  Chairman  or  Secretary  since  1S96,  save  in  the 
campaign  of  1904. 

On  December  I.'?,  1007,  Mr.  Dyson  was  ap- 
pointed County  Surveyor  of  Schuyler  County  to 
fill  a  vacancy,  and  in  lOoS  has  been  renominated 
without  opposition  for  the  same  office. 

On  March  27.  ISOS.  Mr.  Dy.sou  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Alice  JIary  Deacon,  of  Eastbourne, 
England,  the  wedding  taking  place  at  the  home 
of  the  bride's  brother  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  They 
have  three  children:  Edwin  Arthur,  Dorothy 
May  and  Marjory  Grace  Deacon  Dyson. 

BALES,  George  H.— The  Eales  family  is  of 
old  Southern  stock,  George  H.  being  a  native 
of  Ralls  County,  Mo.,  bom  March  19,  ISoS,  a  son 
of  James  T.  and  Adelaide  (Lowe)  Eales.  Both 
the  father  and  the  paternal  grandfather  were 
born  in  Kentucky,  the  former,  with  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  migi-ating  to  Ralls  Count)- 
when  he  svas  about  sis  years  of  age.  This  trans- 
fer of  the  family  home  from  Kentucky  to  Mis- 
souri w.as  made  in  1S40,  and  in  the  latter  State 
James  T.  Eales  was  married  to  Adelaide  Lowe, 
who  came  of  a  Virginia  stock ;  in  Missouri  also 
occurred  the  death  of  the  father  and  the  grand- 
father, who  for  many  years  previous  has  fol- 
lowed their  agricultural  occupations. 

The  children  of  James  T.  Eales  were  all  born 
in  Missouri,  being  the  issue  of  two  marriages. 
His  first  wife  was  .\delaide  Lowe,  as  state<l, 
and  by  this  union  were  si.x  sons  and  one 
daughter,  of  whom  George  H.  was  the  first  born. 
Albert  is  living  and  Charles  died  at  the  age  of 
seven  years.  Mary  J.,  now  the  wife  of  Isaac  E. 
Groff,  and  Alfred,  are  both  residents  of  Han- 
nibal, Mo.,  while  Justus  T.  is  a  farmer  of  Ralls 
County,  that  State,  and  Benjamin  T.  is  a  farmer 
of  Bainliridge  Township,  Schuyler  Counry.  Wil- 
bur W.  Eales.  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  a 
resident  of  Watertown,  S.  Dak.,  and  holds  the 
position  of  General  .Vgent  of  the  International 
Harvester  Company.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily died  in  Ralls  County,  Mo.,  in  1S7S. 

Mr.  Eales"  second  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Molly  Ann  Brambles,  became  the  mother  of 
four  children :  Nellie,  now  the  wife  of  Otis 
Helms,  who  are  residents  of  New  London,  Mo. ; 
Otis,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years: 
Harry,  who  died  when  seven  years  of  age;  and 
Otto,  who  lives  in  Norfolk.  Va..  but  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  Navy,  serving  on 
the  battleship  "Ohio."  The  mother  is  making 
her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Helms. 

George  H.  Eales  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Ralls  County,  Mo.,  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  remained  on  the  home  place 
until  he  svas  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he 
commenced  to  work  in  the  neighborhood  for 
monthly    wages,    continuing   thus    employed    for 


about  a  year.  In  1S79  he  removed  to  Schuyler 
t'ouuty,  again  securing  work  as  a  farm  laborer, 
and  on  February  4th  of  that  year  marrying  Miss 
Sarah  Eales,  daughter  of  James  Eales,  who  was 
his  father's  cousin.  Mrs.  Eales  was  born  ou 
the  farm  uon-  owned  by  her  husband,  in  Feb- 
ruary. lSu7,  aud  was  one  of  seven  children,  both 
her  parents  being  honored  pioneers  of  the 
county.  The  oUier  members  of  her  family 
are:  Luciaua,  widow  of  M.  E.  (iarrisou, 
who  is  now  a  resident  of  Rushville  111.;  Mary 
Jane,  deceased;  .Madison  Kelly,  who  lives  in 
Indiana  ;  Ann,  widow  of  Horatio  Stover,  Schuy- 
ler County  ;  Josephine,  wife  of  James  Madison 
Armau,  and  John,  a  resident  of  Rushville,  living 
in  retirement. 

After  the  marriage  of  Air.  and  .Mrs.  George 
H.  Eales  the  former  remained  on  tlie  old  home 
farm  for  six  years,  and  in  1SS5  occupied  the 
Giret  place  in  Bainbridge  Township,  retaining  it 
for  four  years.  In  1889  Mr.  Eales  rented  a 
farm  iu  Bethel  Township,  McDonough  County, 
which  he  operated  for  three  years,  and  in  1892 
returned  to  Schuyler  County  to  purchase  the 
old  homestead  of  2(K)  acres  in  Section  5,  Bain- 
bridge Township.  He  has  since  added  many  tine 
improvements  to  the  place,  increasing  its  value 
and   beauty. 

Three  children  have  been  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eales:  Stella  M.,  November  22,  1881,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  Harley  Wilson,  a  carpenter  of 
Augusta,  HI.,  and  mother  of  Glenn.  Silva  and 
Sibyl  (the  last  two  twins)  ;  Edna  E.,  born  July 
4,  1S8:J!,  who  lives  at  home,  and  Mary  A.,  who 
died  in  infancy.  They  also  have  an  adopted  son, 
Harry  B.  Eates.  'The  parents  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr.  Eales  being 
identified  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

EALES,  Thomas. — Among  the  successful  rep- 
resentatives of  the  agricultural  element  In 
Schuyler  Count.v,  III.,  none  is  more  worthy  of 
commendatory  mention  than  Thomas  Eales,  of 
Bainbridge  Township.  Mr.  Eales  was  born  in 
Ralls  County,  Mo.,  February  15,  18G8,  a  son  of 
.Tames  T.  Eales  and  wife.  Thom.as  Eales  was 
reared  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Missouri,  and 
received  his  education  In  the  district  schools  of 
Ralls  County,  meanwhile  assisting  his  father  in 
work  on  the  home  place  until  he  was  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  purchased  a  half- 
interest  in  his  father's  land  and  live-stock,  with 
whom  he  jointly  conducted  farming  operations 
until  1891.  They  then  divided  their  interests, 
and  in  the  spring  of  that  .vear.  Thomas  Eales 
Ciinie  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  renting  a  farm 
which  he  purchased  two  years  later,  and  on 
which  he  has  since  continued  to  live.  It  is  lo- 
cated in  Section  5.  Bainbridge  Township,  con- 
sisting of  160  acres,  of  which  135  acres  are  un- 
der cultivation.  Here  he  has  made  many  import- 
ant improvements,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best 
agricultural  properties  in  the  township.  He  is 
very  partial  to  draft  horses,  of  the  breeding  of 
which  he  makes  a  spe<'ialty,  and  has  on  hand 
some  of  the  best  grades  in  Schuyler  County. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


823 


In  1888,  Mr.  Eales  was  united  in  marriage 
witli  Miss  Effie  Grist,  who  was  born  in  Bain- 
bridge  Townsbip,  a  daugliter  of  Simon  J.  Grist 
and  wife,  ber  father  being  one  of  the  first  male 
children  born  in  Rushville.  This  union  has  re- 
sulted in  two  children,  namely :  H.  V.,  born 
March  'M,  18S9;  and  Vassar  Paul,  who  died  at 
thirteen  years  of  age. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Eales  is  a  stanch  adherent  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  although  be  has  never 
been  inclined  to  seek  political  preferment,  he 
keeps  thoroughly  informed  in  regard  to  the  cur- 
rent issues  in  local  and  national  affairs. 
Fraternally,  he  is  atfiliated  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  M.  W.  A.  in  Kusbville,  and  he  and  bis 
wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church  of 
that  place.  Both  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  them. 

EATON,  Allen.— During  the  nine  and  thirty 
years  of  his  occupancy  of  the  same  farm  in 
Section  6,  Camden  Township,  Allen  Eaton  has  up- 
held the  dignity,  usefulness  and  progi-essiveuess 
of  his  ti'ue-bonorc-d  calling,  and  has  proved  that, 
with  few  advantages  and  little  material  help, 
men  of  definite  purjwse  and  determination  may 
realise  the  dreams  and  expectations  of  their 
ambitious  youth.  It  is  not  without  arduous  ef- 
fort, failure  and  discouragement  that  Mr.  Eaton 
has  come  to  represent  a  dependable  element  in 
Schuyler  County.  This  invariably  must  be  the 
fate  of  a  man  who  starts  with  nothing  and  by  le- 
gitimate means,  attains  the  ownership  of  650 
acres.  Born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  October  3, 
1861.  Mr.  Eaton  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
(Crider)  Eaton,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia,  respectively.  Joseph  Eaton  was  the  son 
of  .■in  Irish  immigrant  who  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  whose  brother.  General  Eaton,  helped 
to  make  the  martial  history  of  the  Civil  War, 
while  adding  to  the  fame  of  the  enlisted  men 
from  Ohio.  Joseph  Eaton  died  in  early  life  in 
1842,  and  in  1856  his  wife,  and  her  two  sons, 
Allen  and  Jolm,  moved  to  Vermont,  Fulton 
County,  111.,  in  1859  locating  in  Littleton,  Schuy- 
ler Countj-,  where  the  mother  died  in  18G0.  Of 
her  nine  children,  John  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mex- 
ican War  and  died  on  the  Schuyler  County  farm 
in  February,  1899;  Jane  is  the  widow  of  Henry 
Schoonover,  of  Brooklyn  Township;  Mary  is 
the  widen-  of  John  Dexter,  of  Pike  County,  111.; 
Catherine  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Harry  Austin, 
of  Seattle,  Wash. ;  Martha  became  the  wife  of  a 
Mr.  Johnson,  and  both  are  deceased ;  and  Ellen 
is  the  wife  of  L.  D.  Nichols,  of  Pike  County,  111. 
When  the  Civil  War  brolie  out  Allen  Eaton 
W!is  twenty  years  old.  but  as  he  was  the  sole 
sujiport  of  his  widowed  mother  be  was  persuaded 
not  to  enlist.  After  the  death  of  bis  mother  his 
brother  John,  and  his  sister  Ellen,  came  to 
Camden  Township,  the  latter  for  many  years 
being  a  successful  teacher.  In  186-1,  Mr.  Eaton 
invested  in  forty-three  acres  of  land,  which  he 
soon  after  sold  to  Mr.  Fisher,  and  then  bought 
sixty-three  acres  in  Section  22,  Camden  Town- 
ship.   This  also  was  sold  not  long  afterward  and 


in  1809  he  bought  sixty-four  acres  in  Section  6, 
whicli  proved  the  nucleus  of  his  present  large 
propei-ty.  This  land  had  a  log  cabin  on  it,  which 
lonf  since  has  been  replaced  by  a  modern  dwell- 
ing, and  the  years  have  witnessed  continued  im- 
provements in  every  way  known  to  the  progress- 
ive and  scientific  farmer.  At  the  present  time 
the  family  owns  650  acres,  all  but  fifty  of  which 
is  tillable,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  farm  in 
the  county  has  more  to  recommend  it  to  the 
student  of  latter  day  agriculture.  General 
farming  is  conducted  on  a  large  scale,  and  iu 
the  stock  line  preference  is  given  to  registered 
Aberdeen-Angus  cattle,  Poland-China  hogs,  and 
high  bred  draft  and  road  horses. 

April  5,  1807,  Mr.  Eaton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Sarah  McKee,  who  was  born  in  County 
Down,  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  with  her 
parents  when  eight  years  old.  Her  father,  Wil- 
liam McKee,  first  stopped  in  the  vicinity  of  In- 
dianapolis, Ind.,  and  a  lew  years  later  moved  to 
Schuyler  County,  vv-here  Mrs.  Eaton  grew  to 
womanhood.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren :  William,  born  April  26,  1S6S,  married 
for  his  first  wife  Mabel  McDonald,  who  became 
the  mother  of  a  daughter,  Rena,  now  eight  years 
old.  and  died  September  24,  1903,  his  present 
wife  being  in  maindenhood  Annie  Lynn ;  John 
Eaton,  born  March  10,  1870,  married  Pearl  An- 
derson, and  has  two  children,  Lena  and  Lester ; 
Frank,  born  August  '2'.i,  187;-!,  bis  father's  as- 
sistant on  the  home  place  and  the  comfort  of  his 
mother  in  her  last  days ;  Henry,  born  May  23, 
1876,  living  with  his  father ;  and  Roscoe,  born 
May  31,  1879,  also  at  home.  These  children  have 
all  been  given  a  practical  common  school  edu- 
cation, and  the  three  sons  who  are  at  home  are 
experienced  and  successful  famers.  The  death 
of  the  mother  occurred  February  11.  1900. 

Jlr.  Eaton's  political  affiliations  are  with  the 
Deniocratic  party,  but  aside  from  casting  his 
vote  he  has  taken  no  active  part  in  local  po- 
litical affairs.  While  not  a  member  of  any 
church,  he  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  churches 
and  benevolent  organizations,  and  no  effort  at 
]iublic.  improvement,  material  or  othei-wise, 
has  failed  to  receive  his  hearty  supiwrt.  He 
has  established  a  family  in  the  county  which 
maintains  high  standards  of  character  and  worth, 
and  which,  because  of  the  largeness  of  its  oper- 
ations and  the  extent  of  its  control,  has  been 
a  leading  factor  in  agricultural  practice  for 
many  years. 

EDIMUNDS,  Henry  H.— One  of  the  names 
connected  with  the  attainment  of  the  present 
and  the  promise  of  the  future  in  Schuyler 
County,  is  that  of  Heniy  H.  Edmunds,  a  public 
school"  educator  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, and  since  1901  Superintendent  of  Public 
Ins'truction  in  the  city  of  Rushville.  Mr.  Ed- 
munds is  a  virile  example  of  the  qualities  of 
usefulness  and  control  which  he  seeks  to  incul- 
cate in  the  hundreds  of  pupils  within  his  jurisdic- 
tion. His  youth  knew  the  weight  of  responsibil- 
ity,  and  his  professional  qualifications  are  the 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


result  of  self-saorifice,  resourceluluess  aud  uutir- 
iug  perseverance. 

Boru  iu  Uarduer,  (iruudy  County,  111.,  April 
28,  ISUS,  Mr.  Kdmuuds  represents  a  family  con- 
neeted  with  the  dawn  of  ^Vmericau  bistoiy  and 
the  pioneering  of  Rhode  Ishuul.  iu  which  State 
settled  his  jirogeuitor  ou  this  side  of  the  water, 
Ueuben  Ednuuids,  a  soldier  duriug  KJTo-TU  in  the 
war  of  King  I'hilip,  chief  of  the  Waniptmoag  In- 
dians. In  I'rovidence,  K.  I.,  James  Edumuds, 
great-jrrandfather  of  Henry  II.,  was  born  in 
17112.  and  while  still  a  boy  followed  the  martial 
fortunes  of  Washington  during  the  Uevolutiou- 
ary  war.  James  Edmunds  married  Ereelove 
Oliu,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  eventually  set- 
tled iu  liartland,  N'iagara  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
his  son.  Henry  J.  lOdnumds,  was  born,  the  latter 
marrying  Lucy  Arnold,  also  a  native  of  New 
York.  Arnold  Eilniuntis,  son  of  Henry  J.,  and 
father  of  Henry  H.  Edmunds,  was  boru  iu  Hart- 
land,  and  becauie  an  early  settler  of  Illinois, 
finally  locating  in  Gardner,  and  recently  Los 
Augeies,  Cal.,  his  jircsent  home.  Through  his 
marriage  with  Julia  Clague,  who  was  born  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  he  i>ocame  allied  with  a  .Manx- 
man family.  ■  His  wife's  parents,  Hugh  and  -Mary 
(CoiTis)  Clague,  having  beeu  born  in  the  Isle 
of  Man. 

In  order  to  secure  a  higher  education,  Henry 
H.  Edmunds  taught  in  the  country  schools  tor  a 
couple  of  yeai's  after  couii)leting  his  training  in 
the  high  school  of  Gardner.  In  the  fall  of  ISS'J 
he  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University, 
but  as  lack  of  funds  necesitated  further  teaching, 
did  not  graduate  therefrom  until  iS'J.5.  He  since 
has  pursued  post-graduate  work  iu  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago  and  the  University  of  Illinois, 
and  by  exauiiiialion  iircvious  to  coming  to  Rush- 
ville,  secured  a  life  certiticato  as  teacher  in  Il- 
linois, and  was  Suijcrinteudent  of  Schools  In 
Lovington.  Moultrie  County,  and  -Vtlauta,  Logan 
County.  Mr.  Edmunds  is  a  Republican  iu  poli- 
ties, a  Baptist  iu  religion,  and  a  .Masou  socially. 
In  1900  he  was  united  in  marriage  wUh  Emma 
F.  Washburn,  a  native  of  Danvers,  111.,  and  a 
gi'aduate  of  the  Illinios  State  Normal.  Two 
sons  have  been  born  of  the  union,  Artlmr  W.  and 
Richard  Henry.  Mr.  Ednunids  is  now  located  in 
Clinton,  III.,  as  Su|ierinteudeiit  of  the  City 
Schools. 

ELLIS,  James  D. — To  the  man  who  has  spent 
more  than  half  a  century  on  the  same  farm,  and 
who,  ><ince  earliest  youth,  has  known  no  other 
home  save  that  afforded  within  its  borders,  or 
any  means  of  livelihood  save  that' made  possible 
by  the  cultivation  of  its  soil,  au  interest  is  de- 
velojied  that  is  scarcely  iwssible  of  acquirement 
imder  other  conditions.  James  D.  Ellis  was 
born  in  Kenton  County,  Ky.,  December  11,  ISi:?, 
a  son  of  James  Ellis,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
grandson  of  Elijah  Ellis,  who  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia. For  his  first  wife  James  Ellis  married 
Nancy  Harmon,  also  of  the  Bourbon  State,  and 
after  her  death  in  O.akland  Township.  Schuyler 
County,  in  ISIO,  returned  to  Kentucky  and  mar- 


ried Margaret  Ann  Harmon,  sister  of  his  lirst 
wife.  He  spent  the  Urst  winter  of  his  sojourn 
iu  Schuyler  County  iu  the  village  of  Rushville, 
and  the  uext  year  settled  ou  the  farm  in  Oakland 
Township,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son. 
This  farm  lormerly  was  owned  by  William  Wil- 
lis, and  when  purchased  by  Mr.  Ellis  had  lew 
improvements,  a  large  part  of  it  being  under 
timber  and  brush.  No  eflort  had  been  made  at 
road  making  in  the  neighborhood,  the  public 
thoroughfares  passing  iu  all  directions  across  his 
land.  -Mr.  Ellis  was  euterprising  and  resourceful, 
however,  and  before  his  death  cleared  about  2ilO 
acres. 

At  the  present  writing  (I'JOT)  James  D.  Ellis 
lies  stricken  with  paralysis  at  his  beautiful 
country  home,  aud  his  family  and  many  friends 
are  greatly  concerned  regarding  his  condiliou. 
His  life  has  beeu  full  of  good  deeds  and  industry, 
and  under  his  wise  guidance  the  work  begun  by 
his  lather  has  coutiuued  with  very  gratifying 
Uuancial  and  general  results.  He  has  been  a 
careful  aud  conscientious  farmer,  has  carefully 
aud  painstakingly  reared  his  children,  aud  has  set 
a  moral  example  which  the  youuger  generation 
would  do  well  to  emulate.  In  the  present  emer- 
geucy  he  is  fortunate  iu  having  ca])able,  indus- 
trious sons  to  carry  ou  his  work  and  maintain 
his  reputation  for  i)Ublic  spiriledness  and  good 
citizenship.  Mr.  Ellis  received  a  conunon  school 
education,  aud  iu  ISOlt  married  Mary  Berry,  a 
native  of  Rushville  Township,  and  of  the  union 
there  are  si.\  children  ;  Edgar,  a  farmer  of  Oak- 
laud  Township,  who  nuirried  Cora  Tutt,  aud  has 
two  children,  Marie  and  Francis;  Arthur,  also 
a  farmer  of  Oakland  Township,  who  married 
Anna  'l"ult,  a  native  of  Rushville  Township,  and 
mother  of  two  children,  Cora  aud  Eva ;  Alice, 
wife  of  Edgar  Rose,  a  farmer  of  Rushville 
Township,  and  mother  of  Ethel  U.  and  Everet 
Rose ;  Grace,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Garrison,  living 
on  the  old  home  place;  Lewis,  a  farmer  of  Sedg- 
wick, Kan.,  husband  of  Maude  (Bosworth)  Ellis, 
and  father  of  two  children  who  died  in  infancy; 
and  Walter,  of  Sedgwick,  Kan.,  who  married  Ada 
Frisby. 

The  perpetuation  of  the  character  and  deeds  of 
the  Ellis  family  in  Schuyler  County  is  practi- 
cally assiu-cd.  not  only  by  the  work  of  tIio.se  who 
represent  the  first  and  second  generation,  but  by 
many  evidences  of  their  forethought  and  gener- 
osity shared  in  conunon  with  their  neighbors  and 
friends  in  the  community.  For  instanc-e.  out  of 
respect  to  the  life  of  the  first  Ellis,  who  estab- 
lished the  family  here,  there  has  lx>en  built  upon 
the  Ellis  farm  a  church  and  school  house,  both 
of  which  have  been  in  active  use  for  many  years, 
the  ground  having  been  donated  l)y  the  present 
owner  of  the  property.  Mr.  Ellis  never  has  been 
active  in  politics,  but  lie  h.as  earnestly  supported 
the  Republican  party,  and  always  has  stood  for 
clean  local  government  and  office.  He  was  just 
a  year  old  when  he  came  here  in  1.S44.  and  the 
changes  which  have  led  up  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  present  are  all  vividly  impressed  ujion  his 
memory. 


HISTOEY  OP  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


ERWIN,  Lewis  D.— During  the  summer  of  1839 
Lewis  D.  Erwiu  came  overland  from  Toledo, 
Ohio,  to  Schuyler  Cuuntj-,  III.,  which  since  has 
been  his  home,  and  where  for  many  years  he  was 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
Ho  was  born  in  Plattsburg,  Clinton  County,  N. 
Y..  July  ],  1815,  and  was  educated  iu  the  public 
schools  of  Xew  York,  Ohio  and  Illinois.  He  is  of 
a  generation  of  whom  there  are  now  few  living 
in  any  part  of  the  country,  for  in  1906  he  had 
passed  the  ninety-third  mile  post  of  his  earthly 
pilgi'image,  and  few  survived  with  svhom  he 
could  renew  the  incidents  which  crowded  his 
youth  and  early  manhood.  For  the  past  fifty-five 
years  he  has  lived  in  the  same  house  in  Rush- 
ville,  and  his  jjleasant  face  and  kindly  manner 
have  been  as  familiar  to  the  people  of  the  town 
as  are  the  many  landmarks  which  indicate  the 
transformation  which  has  passed  before  his  eyes. 

The  remote  ancestors  of  Mr.  Erwin  were 
Scotch-Irish  on  the  paternal  side,  and  presuma- 
bly German  on  the  distaff  side  of  the  house.  His 
patenial  great-grandfather  came  from  the  North 
of  Ireland  in  17.30,  and  located  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
where  David  Erwin,  the  paternal  grandfather 
was  born,  and  where  the  latter  married  Cather- 
ine Muuson.  Cornelius  M.  Erwin,  son  of  David, 
and  father  of  Lewis  B.,  «-as  born  after  his  pa- 
rent's removal  to  Fairhaven,  Vt..  and  there  he 
married  Lucinda  Fairman,  a  native  of  Rutland, 
Vt..  and  daughter  of  .lames  Fairman,  supposed 
to  be  of  German  ancestry.  Both  sides  of  the  fam- 
ily were  represented  iu  the  great  struggle  for 
American  independence  begun  in  1770.  David 
Erwin  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  Washington 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  among  his  martial  ex- 
periences crossed  the  Delaware  with  the  great 
commander  on  that  memorable  Christmas  night. 
.Tames  Fairman  also  w-as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, enlisting  from  Vermont,  and  serving  iu 
three  different  regiments  of  the  Colonial  army. 

Lewis  D.  Erwin  established  a  home  of  his  own 
in  Schuyler  County,  November  12,  1S43,  marrying 
Elvira  Wells,  who  was  born  in  Henrietta,  Loraine 
County.  Ohio,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Erwin  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  David  Doiiglas,  Cath- 
erine P..  Mathilda,  Eliza,  Elizabeth  L..  Emma, 
Lewis  D..  Jr.,  George  Lemuel.  Anna  E..  Sophia 
Bessie  and  Edward  H.  :\Ir.  Erwin  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  a  Presbyterian  in  religion,  and 
fraternally  a  Mason.  His  heart  still  is  young, 
his  intpi'psts  many  sided,  and  his  outlook  upon 
life  broad  and  hopeful.  He  lias  walked  aln-ays 
close  to  the  heart  of  truth  and  integrity,  and  his 
richest  legacy  to  those  who  shall  succeed  him  is 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  his  fellow  men. 

FOOTE,  George  H. — ^The  manufacture  of  woolen 
goods  constitutes  an  important,  if  not  extensive, 
commercial  resource  of  Schuyler  County,  and  the 
promotion  of  the  industry  has  enlisted  the  brain. 
enere>'  and  lifelong  activity  of  some  of  its  ""ore- 
most  citizens.  Chief  among  those  who.  at  pres- 
ent, sustain  an  enviable  reputation  as  manufac- 
turers of  this  commodity  is  George  H.  Foote.  a 


man  of  broad  general  experience,  and  thirty-two 
years  of  whose  life  has  been  devoted  to  his  pres- 
ent business.  Mr.  Foote  is  the  manager  of  the 
Rushville  Woolen  Mills,  and  one  of  the  best 
known,  most  progressive  and  dependable  c-om- 
mercial  factors  in  the  community.  He  comes 
honestly  by  his  ability  and  inclination,  for  his 
father,  John  Foote,  the  establisher  of  the  pres- 
ent mills,  was  an  early  and  very  prominent  local 
manufacturer,  and  a  resume  of  his  life  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

•  Jeorge  H.  Foote  was  born  in  Eastern  New 
Hampshire,  July  !),  18(!1,  and  as  a  lad  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Charlestown,  same  State, 
where  he  acquired  his  pi-imao'  education  in  the 
public  schools.  Subsefjuently  removal  was  made  to 
Otsego.  Mich.,  and  later  to  Rock  Island,  111.,  and 
from  there  to  Rushville,  n-here  in  1874  George 
H.  went  to  work  in  the  Rushville  Woolen  Mills, 
of  which  his  father  was  boss  corder.  In  1876 
John  Foote  established  the  Rushville  Hosiery 
Mills,  in  which  his  sou  was  installed  as  mana- 
ger and  bookkeeper,  a  position  which  he  since 
has  maintained  with  credit  to  himself  and  the 
conmmnity.  The  mills  are  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition, and  their  products  are  known  and  used 
throughout  a  large  area  of  country.  They  are 
equipped  with  the  best  modern  machinery,  and 
give  employment  to  about  twelve  people  the 
year  round,  extra  hands  being  required  in  rush 
seasons. 

By  his  marriage,  in  1884,  to  Susan  Weber,  Mr. 
Foote  became  allied  with  another  woolen  manu- 
facturing family,  John  Weber,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Foote.  being  the  pioneer  of  the  business  in 
Schuyler  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foote  became 
the  parents  of  two  children :  George,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eight  years ;  and  Edna,  wife  of 
Peter  Olson,  of  Rushville,  who  has  one  child. 
Mr.  Foote  has  taken  a  keen  interest  in  Repub- 
lican politics  for  many  years,  and  has  served  as 
Alderman  of  the  Third  Ward.  Rushville.  several 
terms.  He  is  socially  connected  svith  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
With  his  wife  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  for  several  years  has  been 
an  official  in  the  same.  He  is  regarded  as  a 
man  of  business  integrity  and  sound  judgment, 
and  as  a  friend  of  education,  progress,  social 
purity  and  honest  municipal  control. 

FOOTE,     John,      (deceased.) — The     Rushville 

ITosiei-y  Factory  was  in  continuous  operation 
under  the  same  management  from  the  time  of  its 
establishment,  in  1876.  by  .John  Foote.  until  the 
date  of  his  death  in  1906.  The  results  achieved 
were  such  as  might  have  been  expected  from  a 
man  of  extended  experience  and  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  details  of  his  business.  Behind  the 
success  of  Mr.  Foote  were  the  tho\ight  and  lat>or 
of  generations  of  his  family  as  weavers  and 
manufacturers  of  fabrics.  He  was  bom  Jan- 
uary 17.  1827.  in  Leeds.  Yorkshire.  Eng.,  the 
fifth  city  in  population,  and  the  chief  woolen 
manufacturing   center  of  England.     While   still 


826 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


a  student  in  the  public  schools,  he  began  to  learn 
from  his  fiithcr,  John  Foote,  the  trade  ot  cloth- 
dressiug.  The  elder  l^oote  also  was  horn  in 
Yorkshire,  and  Irom  his  father,  in  turn,  learned 
the  trade  of  weaving,  which  he  followed  during 
his  entire  active  lite.  He  married  Margaret 
Hines,  also  born  in  Knglaud,  and  reared  a  large 
family,  of  whom  three  of  his  children,  Frank, 
Mary  and  John,  came  to  America. 

John  Foote  followed  the  cloth-dressing  trade 
in  England  until  1844,  when  he  came  to  Boston, 
Mass.,  and  later,  in  the  interests  of  his  business, 
made  brief  visits  to  Millbury,  t'herry  Valley, 
Foxboro,  Oxford  and  Winchester.  At  Hridgewa- 
ter,  "Mass.,  he  broadened  his  knooiedge  by  work- 
ing at  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  until  the  l)egiu- 
ning  of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  moved  to  New- 
port. N.  H.  On  March  20,  186.5  Mr.  Foote  en- 
listed in  Company  K,  Eighteenth  Regiment,  New 
Hampshire  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  being  honorably  discharged 
on  May  6,  1865.  He  then  siient  a  year  in 
Charlestdwn.  Mass..  and  thence  went  to  Michi- 
gan, where  he  lived  three  years.  He  next  be- 
came foreman  of  the  Kock  Island  Woolen  Mills, 
at  Kock  Island,  111.,  and  in  1874  came  to  Rush- 
ville,  where  two  years  later  he  established  the 
Rushville  Hosieiy  Factory. 

At  Foxboro.  ilass.,  in  1.S46.  Mr.  Foote  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Martha  A.  Childs.  a  native 
of  .Maine,  and  a  daughter  of  .Vmos  Childs.  ilr. 
and  Mrs.  Foote  were  the  parents  of  four  sons 
and  one  daughter,  namely  :  Charles  F.,  Alfred 
A..  Ada,  .John  W.  .-iiid  Ceorge  H.  (^harles  F.  is 
connected  with  tlie  I|)ava  (III.)  Woolen  Mills. 
George  H.  is  a  yoinig  man  of  exceptional  |)rom- 
ise.  who,  having  been  his  lather's  business  part- 
ner and  right  hand  man.  continued  into  another 
generation  the  occupation  with  which  his  family 
has  so  long  been  identified.  .John  Foote  was  a 
tyjiical  reiiresentative  of  the  Englisli- American, 
whoso  inherent  and  substantial  tr.-iits  of  charac- 
ter remained  in  fidl  strength  during  more  than 
h.-ilf  a  century  spent  in  another  than  his  native 
clime.  His  cari'<'r  in  this  community  constituted 
an  impressive  lesson  in  perseverance,  upright 
living  and  high  regard  for  the  rights  of  his  fel- 
lowmen.  Mr.  Foote  died  February  28.  1!1()6.  his 
excellent  and  faitlifnl  wife  having  passed  away 
October  18.  lOO.'l.  For  many  years  both  were 
active  and  useful  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Foote  long  acted 
in  an  official  caii.-icity.  and  was  influential  in  all 
the  branches  of  church  work.  In  political  action, 
he  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party.  Fraternally,  he  was  af- 
filiated with  the  I.  O.  N.  W.,  and  was  held  in 
high  regard  by  his  comrades  of  the  Orand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 

FOSTER,  Hon.  Alrick  Mann.— An  interesting 
study  in  early  dcvoloiinient  and  large  usefulness 
is  forthcoming  in  the  career  of  Hon.  Alrick  Mann 
Foster,  who.  though  only  twenty-six  years  of 
age.  has  caused  his  fellow-citizens  of  Schuyler 
County   to   speculate  upon    his    practical    accom- 


plishments and  pronnsing  possibilities  as  an  edu- 
cator, law-maker  and  scientihc  farmer  and  stock 
raiser.  I'riucipally,  however,  Mr.  Foster's  claims 
to  distinction  rest  upon  his  efforts  as  a  stock- 
raiser,  and  Woodview  Farm,  whose  many  sided 
interests  he  controls,  is  unsurpassed  among  en- 
terjirises  in  the  State  devoted  to  the  stock  indus- 
try. 

That  Jlr.  Foster  has  reached  his  present  emi- 
nence with  surprising  rai)idity  is  due  largely  to 
the  fact  that  the  man  and  his  work  are  boon 
companions,  and  each  the  complement  of  the 
other.  lie  likes  stock,  has  unbounded  faith  in 
its  iM)ssiliilities,  cherishes  ideals  of  accomplish- 
ment which  will  keep  him  unsatisfied  with  any- 
thing but  the  best,  and  delights  in  the  health- 
giving  and  soul-satisfying  compensations  of  ru- 
ral existence.  Born  on  tlje  farm  he  now  owns 
and  occupies  in  Littleton  Township.  Schuyler 
County,  .lauuary  15,  1881,  he  is  the  son  of  Al- 
rick Maun  and  Susau  (Dorinda)  Foster,  the 
former  of  whom  swelled  the  brief  list  of  cabin 
builders  of  ]8.'!2.  and  mention  of  whom  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Three-quarters 
of  a  century  in  the  same  county  has  develoijed 
no  diminution  of  the  |>opular  regard  lor  the 
honor  and  aliility  of  the  family,  but  on  the  con- 
trary the  character  and  lalior  of  its  members  re- 
mains the  encouraging  goal  of  the  rising  gener- 
ation. 

After  the  death  of  the  elder  Foster  in  1SS5, 
the  son  remained  on  the  old  place  until  moving 
with  his  mother  to  Hushville  In  ]8t)0.  Here  he 
supplemented  his  earlier  country  school  training 
by  attendance  at  the  high  school,  thereafter  tak- 
ing a  course  at  the  Rushville  Normal  and  the 
Rushville  Business  College,  graduating  from  the 
latter  in  the  class  of  1808.  In  the  meantime  his 
mother  had  returned  to  the  farm  in  181>5.  and 
after  comiileting  his  education  he  joined  lier, 
and  for  three  years  combined  agriculture  with 
school  teaching,  achieving  marked  success  in  the 
latter  capacity,  and  building  up  a  reputation 
which  brought  him  many  practical  inducements 
to  continue  as  an  educator.  However,  the  call  of 
the  country  rose  above  all  other  voiees.  He  be- 
gan to  engage  actively  In  stock  raising,  especially 
in  the  breeding  of  Ohio  Improved  Chester  hogs, 
and  along  this  line  he  has  achieved  more  than 
anticipated  success.  Each  year  Mr.  Foster  cata- 
logues his  hogs,  and  each  year  witnesses  a 
marked  improvement  in  lioth  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  bis  herd.  Probably  no  one  in  this 
part  of  the  State  is  Ix'tter  prepared  to  furnish 
hogs  of  this  kind  for  breeding  purposes,  or  is 
more  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  many  ad- 
vantages credited  to  them.  He  has  spared  neither 
time  nor  expense  in  making  his  business  a  succe  s. 
and  the  result  has  surpassed  his  most  sanguine 
hopes.  He  also  has  a  well-bred  herd  of  regis- 
tered Aberdeen-Angus  cattle.  Every  department 
of  his  farm  is  considered  from  a  scientific  and 
business  standpoint,  and  his  facilities  for  main- 
taining high  standards  and  continuous  inereasfe 
are  unsurpassed.    His  hogs  have  a  reputation  far 


w 


J 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


827 


beyoucl  the  boundaries  of  the  State,  aud  are  shii> 
ped  to  all  parts  of  the  Union. 

By  the  seasoned  veteran  politicians  concerned 
in  the  Democratic  outlook  in  Schuyler  County, 
Mr.  Foster  is  regarded  as  promising  otficial  tim- 
ber. His  capacity  for  public  service  was  em- 
phatically endorsed  in  lOOC  in  his  election,  by 
an  overwhelming  majority,  as  a  member  of  the 
lower  house  from  the  Thirtieth  Senatorial  Dis- 
trict, comprising  Tazewell,  Mason,  Menard,  Cass, 
Brown  and  Schuyler  Counties.  In  the  House 
Mr.  Foster  developed  rare  gifts  as  a  public 
speaker,  championing  not  only  the  principles  of 
his  part}',  but  showing  thorough  familiarity  with 
the  needs  of  the  district  which  he  represented. 
He  is  prominent  socially  as  well  as  commer- 
cially, and  is  identified  w^ith  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Benevolent  Trotective 
Order  of  Elks.  Novemlier  28,  19(X),  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Anna  Lee,  a  native  of 
Schu.\ler  County,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
two  daughters,  Anita,  born  in  1904,  and  Lucile, 
born  in  1007.  Mr.  Foster  is  a  well  informed 
and  progressive  man,  energetic,  resourceful,  and 
filled  with  strong  enthusiasm,  the  conqueror  of 
many  of  life's  obstacles,  aud  an  appreciator  of 
the  refinements  and  compensations  of  existence. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  National  O.  I.  C.  Swine 
Breeders'  Association,  the  largest  white  hog 
breeders'  association  in  the  world,  and  is  at 
present  a  candidate  for  re-nomination  as  Repre- 
sentative in  the  General  Assembly. 

FOWLER,  John  C— .\t  an  early  period  in 
Schuyler  County  history,  James  Fowler,  grand- 
father of  ,Tohn  C.  Fowler,  the  latter  now  one  of 
the  well  known  farmers  of  Brooklyn  Township, 
came  to  this  then  heavily  timbered  and  game 
filled  region  and  built  himself  a  cabin  in  a  clear- 
ing. He  had  the  sterling  traits  of  the  people  of 
New  England,  among  the  early  representatives 
of  which  were  some  of  his  ancestors,  and  be 
himself  had  imbibed  his  first  impressions  and 
early  training  from  Massachusetts,  where  he 
was  liorn  and  spent  the  impressionable  years  of 
his  life.  Journeying  westward  in  search  of 
larger  oppotunities.  he  jiioneered  first  in  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married  and  started  housekeep- 
ing, and  whei-e  some  of  his  children  were  born, 
among  them  John  Fowler,  the  father  of  John  C. 
The  former  was  a  small  lad  when  the  family 
located  in  Brooklyn  Township,  and  in  the  year 
1840  was  united  in  marriage  with  Julia  Ann 
Higgins,  and  of  this  union  four  children  were 
born,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy.  Jlrs.  Mary 
J.  Higgins.  another  child,  died  on  January  17, 
1902,  and  Harrison,  the  only  one  of  the  four  still 
surviving,  is  a  resident  of  Oxnard,  Cal.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  April  15,  18."i(V 
During  the  year  18.57  Mr.  Fowler  was  married 
to  Susannah  >rason.  and  of  this  second  union 
^-ere  bom  six  children,  namely:  James  .\.,  who 
is  a  farmer  in  Morton  County.  Kan.:  William  II.. 
John  C.  and  H.  Pinkney,  who  are  fanners  in 
Brooklyn  Townshij) ;  Henry  Taylor,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  Dora  May,  who  is  the 


wife  of  John  Higgins,  of  Brooklyn  Township. 
Both  the  paternal  and  maternal  grandparents  of 
this  family  are  now  deceased,  the  former  resting 
in  Blackburn  Cemetery  and  the  latter,  who  died 
within  a  week  of  each  other,  about  18(!4,  resting 
in  Scott's  burying  ground. 

After  his  marriage,  John  Fowler  and  his  wife 
located  in  Brooklyn  Township,  aud  remained 
there  for  tlie  balance  of  their  lives.  The  elder 
Fowler  was  a  quiet  and  industrious  man,  attend- 
ing well  to  his  oivn  affairs  and  never  meddling 
with  those  of  other  people.  He  was  persistently 
industrious  and  reaped  liis  reward  accordingly, 
and  was  honored  and  respected  for  his  upright- 
ness and  kindliness  of  character,  rolitically  he 
was  an  uncompromising  Republican,  aud  was  act- 
ive anil  helpful  in  tlie  Methodist  Protestant 
Churcli. 

The  usual  tasks,  diversions  and  advantages 
contributed  to  tlie  develo[iment  of  John  C.  Fow- 
ler, and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  in 
1887,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice  Glan- 
don,  daughter  of  John  (}landon,  one  of  the  pion- 
eers and  prominent  fanners  of.  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship. Mrs.  Fowler  was  born  on  her  father's 
farm  in  1862,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
den :  Jlinnie  Maude,  lx)rn  January  24.  1888; 
Serena  May.  born  June  3,  1891  ;  and  Dwight  L., 
born  July  19,  1895.  Mr.  Fowler  settled  after  his 
marriage  on  a  farm  he  had  previously  purchased 
in  Section  IG,  Brnoklyu  Township,  and  for  twelve 
years  was  increasingly  successful  at  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.  In  1899  he  moved 
to  what  was  known  as  the  Glaudon  farm,  also 
in  Section  16.  and  which  at  that  time  had  a 
small  frame  house  but  no  banis.  He  at  once 
began  the  improvement  of  this  propertj-,  renewed 
the  fences,  erected  shelter  for  his  stock,  aud  in 
1907.  having  |a-ospered  in  the  new  location,  put 
up  one  of  the  finest  and  best  equipped  rural  resi- 
dences in  Brooklyn  Township.  With  his  wife  he 
now  is  the  owner  of  225  acres  of  tillable  land, 
provided  with  the  best  of  modern  improvements 
and  facilities  for  raising  the  stock  and  produce 
best  .adapted  to  this  part  of  Illinois.  From  the 
time  of  his  birth  on  the  old  Fowler  farm  in 
Brooklyn  Township,  February  4,  1864,  Mr.  Fow- 
ler has  known  no  other  field  of  activity  than  his 
present  surroundings,  and  in  them  he  has  found 
ample  o])iiortunity  for  working  out  a  sane  and 
wholesoiue  destiny.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  a  supporter  and  trustee  of  the  Methodist 
Episcoiial  Church;  and  a  conscientious  voter  of 
the  Reiaibllcan  ticket. 

GARRISON,  George.— The  State  of  Illinois  is 
noted  throughout  the  country  for  its  thorough- 
bred live  stock,  its  Durham  cattle  having  even 
more  than  a  national  reputation.  The  day  has 
long  passed  since  the  live  stock  industry  was 
conducted  in  a  hap-hazard  manner:  when  the 
cattle,  horses,  sheej)  and  swine  were  turned 
loose  to  get  their  living  at  their  own  sweet  will, 
and  land  which  was  too  poor  to  cultivate  was 
given  up  to  them.  Their  wants  are  now  fore- 
stalled and  met  almost  as  if  they  were  human 


838 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY'. 


beiugs,  and  their  breediug  and  raising  are  con- 
ducted along  carefully  considered  and  scientific 
lines.  There  are  few  citizens  of  Illinois  to  whom 
this  grand  development  in  agriculture  can  more 
justly  Ije  attributed  than  to  the  late  George 
Garrison,  the  pioneer  of  Littleton  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  who,  through  his  sturdy  laliors 
and  rare  management,  became  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  and  live  stock  men  of  Central  Illinois. 
He  was  the  first  to  introduce  thorough-bred  Dur- 
ham cattle  into  Schuyler  County,  and  ivas  also 
very  prominent  in  improving  tlie  breed  of  horses 
and  hogs. 

Mr.  Garrison  was  bom  in  Butler  County.  Ohio, 
on  the  10th  of  .June,  ISO'.),  the  seventh  cliild  of 
Jonathan  and  Mary  Garrison.  He  remained  at 
home  only  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  when 
his  mother  died,  and  as  the  family  w.as  large  and 
the  father  in  poor  circumstances,  George  com- 
menced to  earn  his  own  living  at  an  age  when 
most  boys  have  not  long  been  in  the  school  room. 
While  still  in  his  'teens,  he  applied  to  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Giphart  for  work  of  any  kind,  and 
was  assigned  the  task  of  chopping  wood  and 
clearing  laud  at  f6ur  dollars  per  month.  He 
clung  to  this  task  until  something  better  offered, 
which  proved  to  be  chojjpiiig  wood  at  twenty 
cents  per  cord,  and  at  this,  and  similar  work,  he 
continued  until  he  was  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  abandoned  it  for  lalior  on  the 
Miami  Canal.  After  lieing  thus  employed  for  a 
year,  he  obtained  a  situation  in  a  distillery  at  a 
salarj-  of  eight  dollars  iier  month,  and  during 
the  two  years  of  his  work  there  saved  a  small 
sum  of  money,  which  he  laid  aside  for  further 
use.  His  farm  work  for  the  succeeding  two  years 
brought  him  nine  dollare  per  ninnth.  and  his  next 
employment  as  superintendent  of  a  distillery 
was  at  an  advance  to  eleven  dollars  per  month, 
the  young  man  holding  his  position  during  the 
life  of  the  business,  which  proved  to  be  eighteen 
months.  Through  his  persistent  labor  and  self- 
denying  economy  he  had  now  saved  enough 
money  for  the  purchase  of  two  colts,  but  after 
keeping  them  for  some  time  he  abandoned  this 
first  live  stock  venture  in  favor  of  a  patent  right, 
of  which  he  finally  lost  complete  control.  leaving 
him  exiicrience  as  his  only  asset.  This  proved  to 
him  of  the  utmost  value,  as  he  never  thereafter 
ventured  into  the  ways  of  speculation  in  an  un- 
familiar field. 

At  this  epoch  in  his  life  Mr.  Garrison  decided 
upon  the  course  which  has  anchored  so  many 
other  young  men  in  a  bright  and  prosperous 
haven :  he  determined  to  get  married  and  settle 
down  to  found  a  home  and  household.  To  this 
end  lie  borrowed  twenty-five  dollars  for  the  pur- 
chase of  his  wedding  suit,  and  on  March  19. 
18.30.  was  united  to  Miss  Sarah  Vaile.  like  him- 
self a  native  of  Butler  County.  Ohio.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Permelia  Vaile.  and 
born  on  the  l.^th  of  Noveml)er.  1810.  After  his 
marriage.  Mr.  Garrison  rented  land.  and.  through 
a  friend,  procured  a  team  of  horses,  thereby  har- 
vesting two  crops.  But  his  progress  was  too  slow 
in  such  a  conservative  and  thickly  settled  State 


as  Ohio,  and,  hearing  many  favorable  reports  of 
the  prosperity  of  Illinois,  concluded  to  seek  a 
liome  in  the  prairies  of  that  new  country,  where 
land  was  (.heap  and  where  euergj'  and  enterprise 
were  at  a  premium.  Accordingly,  in  Sepicnibei-, 
ISX',,  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and 
two  children,  he  started  overland  for  Central 
Illinois,  and  on  the  ."Jth  of  the  following  October 
arrived  on  the  banks  of  Sugar  Creek,  Schuyler 
t-'ouuty,  and  drew  up  his  team  in  prepara- 
tion for  a  permanent  residence.  At  this  time 
he  possessed  two  horses  and  a  wagon  and  ?3G3 
of  hard-earned  cash.  He  iuiniediately  traded 
one  of  his  horses  and  his  wagon,  with  one  hun- 
dred dollars  in  mono.v,  for  a  claim  of  240  acres 
ou  Sugar  Creek,  and  established  his  household 
in  a  little  log  cabin,  and  in  the  succeeding  fifty- 
four  years  saw  his  family  circle  e.\pand  by  the 
addition  of  nine  children  (only  one  of  whom 
died  I,  reared  his  sons  and  daughters  to  ways  of 
industry  and  morality,  and,  with  the  continuous 
improvement  of  his  property  and  the  splendid 
growth  of  his  live  stock  Interests,  became  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  and  prominent  men  of  Cen- 
tra! Illinois.  .Mr.  Garrison  entered  this  first 
trai  t  of  land  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents 
per  acre,  borrowing  the  imrcliase  money  of  Jacob 
Sharp,  of  Fulton  Coinity,  III.,  and  paying  him 
thirty  per  cent  interest  for  the  loan.  He  re- 
mained there  for  seven  profitable  years,  after 
which  he  sold  the  projierty  and  bought  a  farm  In 
Section  2C,  Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  Count}', 
adding  to  it,  periodically,  until  he  w.is  the  owner 
of  840  acres  in  a  body,  and  all  within  the  town- 
ship. For  many  years  before  his  death  this  was 
considered  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Central 
Illinois,  es|iecially  for  live  stock.  Ilis  busy  and 
useful  life  ended  June  0,  1887,  and  the  good 
wife,  to  whose  womanly  care  and  faithful  man- 
agement he  gratefully  acc<M-ded  much  of  his  suc- 
cess in  life,  followed  him  to  the  Great  Beyond  on 
the  0th  of  October,  18.88.  For  many  years  they 
had  been  earnest  members  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1880,  the  popular  and 
venerable  couple  had  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding, upon  which  occasion  they  re<eived  many 
testimonials  of  afifection  from  children,  grand- 
children and  old-time  friends.  Perhaps  the  most 
uninue  feature  of  the  anniversary  was  the  pre- 
sentation liy  the  white-haired  bridegroom  to  his 
great-grandson,  Ebenezer  Cordell,  of  the  coat,  for 
which  he  paid  in  borrowed  money  but  in  which 
he  so  proudly  stood  when  he  was  married  to  the 
faithful  woman  of  his  choice,  fifty  years  before. 

Mr.  Garrison  was  a  life-long  Democnit,  casting 
his  first  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson  in  18.'',6.  He 
was  a  consistent  voter,  but  never  engaged  In 
polities  as  an  office-seeker.  Except  to  be  known 
as  a  thorough  and  progressive  agriculturist,  he 
was  unamliitious  in  life,  and  that  aim  he  accom- 
plished to  the  full.  He  was  a  moral  and  helpful 
character  in  all  the  walks  of  life,  and  his  domes- 
tic relations  were  ennobled  by  the  most  earnest 
solicitude  for  the  comfort  and  general  well-being 
of  those  deixMident  ujton  him.  In  a  word,  he  was 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


829 


a  large  hearted  and  stroug  miuded  man,  whose 
conduct  was  always  guided  by  the  moral  princi- 
ples of  Christianity. 

During  their  long  and  happy  married  life 
ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Garrison,  the  first  two  being  natives  of  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  other  eight  of  .Schuyler 
County,  111.  They  were  as  follows:  Mary,  now 
the  wife  of  David  Fox,  a  resident  of  Coffee 
County,  Kan. ;  Amy,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Ebeuezer  Vailo,  both  of  whom  are  decreased ;  Per- 
melia,  Mrs.  James  Beck,  of  Brooking,  S.  D. ; 
Henry,  who  lives  at  Industry,  McDonough 
County,  111.;  Margaret,  wife  of  Aaron  Shusley. 
of  Lewistown,  111. ;  George,  who  also  lives  in  In- 
dustry, 111. ;  Rebecca,  wife  of  John  Forsytli,  who 
resides  in  Missouri ;  Amelia,  who  became  the 
wife  of  George  Kirkham,  farmer  of  Littleton 
Township ;  Frances,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
years;  and  William  E.,  whose  slietch  is  elsewhere 
"published.  At  the  time  of  the  writing  of  this 
work  (fall  of  1007)  there  were  eight  living 
children,  sixty-uiue  grand-children  and  eleven 
great-gi'and-children. 

GARRISON.  ■William  E..  oue  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  liest-kuown  farmers  and  stock  raisers 
of  Schuyler  (/ounty.  111.,  is  a  native  of  the  county, 
having  liccn  born  in  Section  20,  Littleton  Town- 
ship. M.irch  2.">.  l.S.jl.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Sarah  (Vailel  Garriscm,  the  latter  born  Novem- 
ber 15,  ISKI,  and  died  October  6,  18SS.  The  ca- 
reer of  George  Garrison  is  portrayed  in  a  sep- 
arate record  appearing  in  this  connection,  and 
details  concerning  his  family  are  tlierein  given. 
The  youth  of  William  E.  Garrison  was  passed  on 
the  home  farm,  and  his  education  was  received 
in  the  district  schools  of  Littleton  Township  and 
in  the  Rushville  school.  On  January  15,  187.3, 
he  was  married  to  Elnora  Leggy,  who  was  bom 
in  Lincoln  County,  W.  Va.,  February  20,  1852,  a 
daughter  of  Lewis  and  Melvina  (Finch)  Leggy. 
In  185'.>,  her  parents  went  from  West  Virginia  to 
Ohio,  and  subsequently  located  in  Missouri. 
Thence,  in  1871.  the  family  came  to  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  settling  in  Littleton  Township,  and 
moving  some  time  afterwards  to  Bueua  Vista 
Township,  and  there  her  mother  died. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garrison 
made  their  home  on  the  old  homestead  until 
1,800,  and  there  the  births  of  all  their  children 
occurred,  as  follows:  Delia,  bom  August  10, 
1873 ;  Charles,  born  November  9,  187-1 ;  James 
W..  bom  September  11.  1877;  Nora  A.,  born  Jan- 
uary 19,  ISSO :  and  George  L.,  born  Apnl  2.  1889. 
Delia  is  the  wife  of  Charles  W.  Young,  a  farmer 
in  Buena  'N'ista  Township,  and  they  are  the  pa- 
rents of  two  children — Edraond  Dewey  and  El- 
nora L, ;  Charles,  who  is  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  the  same  township,  married  Grace  Ellis; 
James  W.  married  Mary  Grier.  by  whom  he  had 
one  child,  :Maurlce  J.,  born  on  the  paternal  farm 
in  Section  25,  Littleton  Township;  Nora  -V..  is 
the  wife  of  Harry  Settles,  a  farmer  in  Rushville, 
and  has  two  children — Mgdeline  Clarice  and 
Harold  G. ;  and  George  L.  is  at  home.     In  1890, 


Mr.  Garrison  bought  a  tract  of  land  adjoining 
liu.shville  on  the  north,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  is  now  the  ovvner  of  o41  acres  of  some  of 
the  best  land  in  Littleton  Township,  lying  in 
Section  25,  besides  having  a  nuudicr  of  town 
lots  in  Marshall.  Logan  County,  Okla.  lie  has  a 
very  tine  home,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  farm- 
ers and  stock-raisers  of  Schuyler  County,  his 
specialties  in  breeding  being  Shorthorn  and  Red- 
Polled  Angus  cattle,  and  full  blooded  Duroc  Jer- 
sey hogs.  He  also  keeps  a  number  of  fine  Jersey 
cows  for  dairy  purposes. 

Politically,  Mr.  Garrison  has  always  been  a 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  while  en- 
tertaining no  ambition  for  public  office,  takes  an 
intelligent  and  earnest  interest  in  civic  affairs. 
In  all  enterprises  intended  to  jjromote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  township  and  county,  he  has  taken  an 
active  part,  discharging  faithfully  the  duties 
pertaining  to  citizenship.  Socially,  he  is  affilia- 
ted with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  He 
and  his  wortliy  helpmate  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  both  are  recognized  as 
ver.v  useful  members  of  the  community. 

GEER,  Benjamin  F. — Through  the  course  of  a 
life  ccjveriug  a  span  of  more  than  one-half  cen- 
tury, Mr.  Geer  has  made  his  home  in  Schuyler 
Ojuuty,  and  has  risen  to  the  rank  of  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  and  progressive  farmers  of 
Browning  Township,  where  he  was  born  in  No- 
vember of  1852,  and  where  the  responsibilities 
of  patriotic  citizenship  have  been  etficiently  dis- 
charged. In  the  course  of  his  life  it  has  been 
his  privilege  to  witness  many  changes  in  his  lo- 
cality. When  he  was  a  boy  he  attended  school, 
first  in  the  Sackville  district^,  and  later  in  the 
Haivkeye  district,  iu  Browning  Township.  The 
schools  of  those  days  were  far  inferior  to  those 
of  the  present  time.  Text-books  were  few,  meth- 
ods of  instruction  were  crude,  teachers  were 
often  illy  prepared  for  their  duties,  and  the 
equipment  of  the  school  was  meagre.  Along 
other  than  educational  lines  he  also  has  witnessed 
remarkable  changes.  Methods  of  agriculture  have 
been  revolutionized  since  his  boyhood.  Hand  la- 
bor has  been  largely  superseded  by  machinery. 
and  now  a  farmer  has  need  of  a  fair  knowledge 
of  mechanics  in  order  to  conduct  his  work  with- 
out exasperating  delays.  The  telephone  and  the 
rural  free  delivery  have  brought  the  world  to 
the  farmer's  door.  All  of  these  improvements  he 
has  seen,  besides  many  others  scarcely  less  Im- 
portant. 

On  the  farm  on  Section  28,  Browning  Town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides,  Benjamin  F.  Geer 
was  born,  a  son  (if  Dyer  A.  and  Anna  Eliza 
(Arnold)  Geer,  natives  of  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio.  The  father  was  bom  In  1811  and,  at  the 
age  of  twent.v-one  years,  came  to  Illinois,  settling 
in  Schuyler  County  in  18.''>2  while  the  country 
was  yet  a  wilderness  of  heavy  timber  from  whicli 
the  Indians  had  but  recently  disappeared.  After 
a  time  he  was  joined  by  his  brothers,  Sidney  and 
Orvis  Geer,  and  he  took  up  200  acres  of  congress 
land  on  Section  28,  Browning  Township.   On  his 


830 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


claim  Ue  put  up  a  cabin  aud  hitlier  brougLit  liis 
bride,  who  bad  been  orphaued  iu  cbilUbood  aud 
had  aecompauied  au  older  brother  and  sister 
Jrom  Ohio  to  Illinois.  She  was  spared  to  a  good 
old  age,  passing  away  October  G,  V.J01,  sustained 
to  the  last  by  the  hrm  Christian  laith  which 
bad  been  the  anchor  of  her  earlier  years.  The 
father  died  in  I'ebruary  of  1875.  Ue,  too,  had 
been  a  sincere  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity and  bad  endeavored  in  his  life  to  exem- 
plify the  teachings  of  the  Savior.  During  young 
manhood  he  had  been  converted  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  but  later  he  ideutihed 
himself  with  the  Christian  Church,  iu  which  for 
years  be  othciated  as  Sunday  School  Superinten- 
dent, and  to  whose  missionary  enterprises  be 
was  a  generous  contributor.  During  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Whig  party  he  supiwrted  its  tenets. 
On  the  organization  of  the  Kepublican  party  he 
endorsed  its  principles  and  ever  afterward  sup- 
ported its  men  aud  measures. 

In  the  family  of  Dyer  A.  Geer  there  were  nine 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those 
who  attained  mature  years  were  as  follows : 
James,  who  is  engaged  in  farm  pursuits  in  Ful- 
ton County.  111. ;  Sidney  A.,  who  settled  at  At- 
lanta, Phelps  County,  Neb. ;  and  there  died 
about  1901 ;  Meiinda.  wife  of  F.  M.  Skiles.  a 
farmer  in  Browning  Township :  Jlilton,  who  en- 
listed in  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illi- 
nois Infantry  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  In 
the  service  at  Memitbis,  Tenn. ;  Hiram,  who  died 
on  the  old  homestead  in  ISSl! ;  Benjamin  F.,  of 
Browning  Township ;  and  Louisa,  who  married 
James  Brines  aud  resides  at  I'ki.ili.  Cal.  .\rter 
completing  the  studios  of  the  d'istrifrt  schools 
Benjamin  F.  Geer  attended  i-oUege  at  Abingdon, 
111. :  and  on  bis  return  home  taught  two  terms 
of  school  in  Uuiou  district.  With  bis  brother  he 
bought  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs  iu  the  old 
homestead  and  shortly  afterward  established 
domestic  ties,  being  united  in  marriage,  Septem- 
ber 20,  187.5,  with  Miss  Delilah  A.  Rebman.  who 
was  bora  March  ;>0,  18.57,  a  daughter  of  .John 
Rebman.  I  See  sketch  of  Adam  Rebman  for  the 
family  record). 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geer  comprises 
the  following  cliiklren :  Alena,  who  was  born 
September  IS,  1S7(i.  aud  married  Ray  Walton,  a 
farmer  of  Browning  T<wnship,  by  whom  she  has 
one  child.  Dail ;  Frederick,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 7,  1879,  who  man'ied  Jessie  Spillers,  and 
has  four  children,  Burton,  Bernice.  Clifford  and 
Floyd,  their  home  being  on  a  farm  in  Browning 
T6vvnsbi]i;  Homer  S.,  who  was  born  January  18, 
1881.  and  married  Lusetta  Walton,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children.  Pearl  and  Ansel ;  Hiram,  who 
was  born  August  11,  1883,  and  married  Ada 
Kloker,  by  whom  he  has  two  children.  Dorothy 
and  Neil  :  I.eroy.  who  was  Ixirn  November  10. 
1885,  and  maiTied  JIabel  Haffner ;  Milton,,  who 
was  born  'April  20,  1887 ;  Harland,  born  De- 
cember 15.  1890;  Annie  F..  born  January  3, 
1895:  and  Eugene,  born  October  15.  1898.  Dur- 
ing 1883  the  family  erected  a  large  residence  on 
their  farm,  and  thither  they  removed  from  the 


old  cabin  home  that  had  been  the  scenes  of  mauy 
happy  gatherings  aud  much  quiet  enjoyment.  The 
farm  originally  comprised  Io7  l-o  acres,  but  a 
part  of  this  .Mr.  Geer  has  sold  to  his  children, 
aud  now  owns  eighty-six  acres,  on  which  he  has 
ornamental  and  shade  trees,  also  au  orchard  of 
one  hundred  peach  and  three  hundred  apple 
trees.  In  former  years  he  was  a  Republican, 
but  now  gives  his  inlluence  to  the  Prohibitiou 
party.  With  his  wife  he  holds  membership  iu  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  iu  the  up- 
building of  which  he  has  been  actively  interested. 
His  conversion  took  place  mauy  years  ago  ivheu 
he  embraced  the  Inited  Brethren  faith,  but  he 
soon  united  with  the  denomination  to  wliich  he 
now  belongs.  In  the  twilight  of  his  bu.sy  life, 
sustained  by  the  recollection  of  an  honorable 
career,  cheered  by  the  hoi)e  which  religion  gives, 
aud  esleemd  by  the  i)eoi)le  in  whose  midst  he 
has  always  lived,  he  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  the 
busy  years  of  the  i)ast  and  is  reaping  the  reward 
of  a  well-spent  life. 

GLANDON,  John  A.,  (deceased).— Substan- 
tially aud  prijuiiuenlly  identified  with  the  history 
of  Schuyler  County  from  the  time  of  his  arrival 
there  in  lS5(j  until  his  lamented  decease  on  June 
22,  ]90(i,  John  A.  Glanilou  is  recalled  as  a  man 
of  great  energy  aud  of  peculiar  ability  as  a  trader 
and  speculator,  and  un<iuestioned  courage  and 
good  judgment  iu  pushing  his  projects  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  His  varied  and  many  sided  career 
is  indelibly  stamped  upon  the  affairs  of  his  en- 
vironment, and  bis  uidgue  and  forceful  jjersonal- 
ity  will  not  soou  be  forgotten  by  those  who  were 
Ijrivileged  to  sh.ire  his  friendship  or  enthusiasm. 
Mr.  Glandon  was  born  in  .Moori'tield,  Harrison 
County.  Ohio,  T'ebruarj'  5,  1824,  and  therefore 
lived  to  be  eighty-two  years,  four  mouths  and 
seventeen  days  old. 

The  son  of  William  Glandon,  who  was  born  in 
1780,  and  of  the  hitter's  wife,  Nancy  Magdalene 
(Peacock)  Glandon,  .Mr.  Glandou's  maternal 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  iu  the  Revolutionary 
War  who  had  laid  his  claim  warrant  for  100 
acres  of  land  on  the  historic  Mount  Vemoif 
home.  William  (ilaudon  bad  eleven  children,  all 
of  whom  attained  maturltj-,  and  one  of  whom, 
William,  his  father's  namesake,  lives  in  Mount 
Pleasant.  John  A.,  in  .vouth  had  l)ut  a  limited 
education,  but  he  developed  ingenuity  of  a  high 
order,  and  was  especially  cut  in  the  mold  of  a 
trader.  Left  fatherless  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  and  tlie  sole  sui)port  of  his  widowed 
mother,  he  contracted  for  employment  by  a  mail 
carrier,  near  Moorefield.  Ohio,  at  Ave  dollars 
per  month — a  princely  sum  for  toil  in  those  days 
and  for  that  kind  of  occupation.  At  the  same  time 
he  delved  into  everything  that  promised  finan- 
cial returns,  and  ,it  one  time  bought  a  drove  of 
a  biuidred  turkeys,  which  he  drove  to  market  at 
Louisville.  Ohio,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles.  He 
was  fortunate  in  this  venture,  notwithstanding 
that  he  lost  quite  a  number  of  birds  on  the  way. 
When  his  powers  were  more  matured  the  trading 
instinct  was  still  uppermost,  and  he  contracted 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


831 


to  Ijuild  two  miles  of  the  I'au  llaudle  KailroaU 
iu  Harrisou  t'ouuty,  Ohio,  aud  theu  vveut  to  thu 
mouth  of  the  Big  Saudy  Itiver,  iu  Keutuc-ky.  and 
huilt  two  miles  of  the  bexiugtou  &  Big  Saudy 
Railroad  iu  each  iu«tauce  makiug  a  success  of 
his  large  uudertakiug. 

Mr.  Glaudoii  came  with  his  mother  to  Schuy- 
ler C'uuuty  iu  1S5G,  aud  the  muther  made  her 
home  with  him  uutil  ISUU,  wheu  duriug  a  visit 
to  ilcDouough  Couuty,  she  sickeued  aud  died  at 
the  age  of  seveuty-two  years.  Iu  Schuyler  Couuty 
Mr.  Glaudou  bought  125  acres  of  land  iu  Section 
21,  Brooklyn  Township,  paying  therefor  $13  per 
acre,  the  laud  having  on  it  a  rude  log  cabin  but 
no  other  improvements.  He  cleared  practically 
all  of  this  land,  built  a  barn  forty  by  seventy 
feet  with  basement,  and  also  cattle  barns,  hav- 
ing stalls  for  a  hundred  head  of  stock.  In  1S82 
he  bought  the  Brooklyn  Mills,  which  he  rebuilt 
aud  fitted  with  modern  grist  machiuery,  and 
which  proved  a  fine  success.  Previous  success 
euabled  him  to  invest  in  almost  any  enterprise 
in  the  county,  aud  all  of  his  means  were  gotten 
legitimately  aud  without  the  sacrifice  of  princi- 
ple or  encroachment  on  the  rights  of  his  fellow 
men.  At  one  time  he  owned  SMKJ  acres  of  land, 
and  was  a  large  raiser  of  sheep,  having,  duriug 
the  Civil  War.  1,700  head  of  Merinos,  the  wool 
of  which  netted  him  a  dollar  a  pound.  In  1805, 
in  company  with  William  lloruey,  he  went  to 
Graystone,  Texas,  with  a  team  of  horses  after 
an  old  couple  that  had  become  stranded,  travel- 
ing without  a  murmur  a  distance  of  2,000  miles. 
'1  lie  task  was  arduous  and  the  way  dangerous  in 
those  da.vs  of  civil  strife,  aud  the  men  heaved  a- 
deep  sigh  of  relief  wheu  they  again  lauded  iu 
the  county  with  the  old  couple  in  safety.  Nor 
(lid  this  venture  represent  the  extent  of  his 
thoughtfulnss  and  kindness  to  others,  for  his 
hand  was  ever  in  his  pocket,  and  he  gladly  gave 
whenever  the  cause  had  the  least  semblance  of 
justifiability. 

In  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  Glaudou 
married  Delilah  Bannister,  who  preceded  him  to 
the  other  world  about  seven  weeks  before  his 
own  death,  or  June  3,  1906.  This  couple  jour- 
neyed together  iu  great  harmony,  and  it  was  con- 
sidered providential  that  their  exit  from  the 
stage  of  aflairs  left  neither  desolate  for  long. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children :  Belinda 
J.,  wife  of  Samuel  McKelvin,  a  farmer  of  the 
vicinity  of  Lincoln,  Neb. ;  James  W.,  on  the  old 
home  farm;  Alice,  wife  of  John  C.  Fowler,  rep- 
resented elsewhere  in  this  work;  aud  Edgar  D., 
a  telephone  manager  of  the  plant  at  nttsfleld. 
111. 

GLASS,  David  H. — Many  of  the  superior  com- 
pensations which  lie  in  wait  for  the  capable  and 
learned  exponent  of  legal  science  have  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  David  H.  Glass,  whose  professional 
association  with  Rushville  dates  from  1878.  Mr. 
Glass  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Kipley  Couuty.  Ind.. 
iu  1854,  a  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Major)  Glass, 
the  former  a  native  of  Washington  County.  Pa., 
and   the   latter  liorn    in  County   Waterford.   Ire- 


laud.  Craving  a  broader  lite  than  that  prom- 
ised as  an  agriculturist,  Mr.  Glass  devised  means 
of  securing  the  necessary  higher  education,  and 
from  the  public  schools  of  Cravvfordsville  entered 
Wabash  College,  Ind.  He  came  to  Illinois  in 
18il  aud  began  the  study  of  law,  entering  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Iowa,  at 
Iowa  City,  from  which  he  took  his  degree  in 
1878.  Upon  locating  iu  Kushville  in  1878  he  be- 
came the  partner  of  S.  B.  Montgomery,  an  asso- 
ciation amicably  aud  profitably  coutiuued  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  until  the  removal  of  his 
partner  to  Quincy,  111.  Since  then  he  has  con- 
ducted an  independent  practice,  aud  has  been 
connected,  on  one  side  or  the  other,  with  many 
of  the  important  suits  which  have  come  up  for 
adjustment  iu  the  city  and  couuty. 

For  yeai-s  Mr.  Glass  has  been  active  in  couuec- 
tion  with  Democratic  politics,  his  first  office  be- 
ing that  of  State's  Attorney,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  1884,  and  iu  which  he  served  three 
terms.  In  1001  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  Kush- 
ville, aud  his  administration  resulted  in  many 
improvements  iu  the  municipal  government.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  .Masonic  fraternity.  Decem- 
lier  21,  1881,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Glass 
to  Sarah  G.  Worthiugton,  of  Kushville,  aud  of 
this  union  there  have  been  born  two  children, 
Ruth  W.  aud  Charles,  the  latter  now  being  de- 
ceased. To  his  professional  practice  Mr.  Glass 
brings  the  combination  of  tact,  ripe  experience 
and  uusiverviug  integrity,  and  as  such  he  is 
highly  honored  in  a  community  which  has  prof- 
ited by  more  than  quarter  of  a  century  of  his 
eitizeuship. 

GREENLEAF,  Peter.— The  name  of  Greenleaf 
first  became  kuown  hi  Illinois  iu  18.30,  through 
the  advent  of  Joseph  aud  I'eter  Greenleaf,  sons 
of  I'eter  Greenleaf  of  New  Jersey,  a  participant 
in  the  War  of  1812.  One  of  the  brothers,  Peter, 
settled  near  White  Oak  Springs,  Brown  County, 
111.,  and  at  his  death  there  in  1857  left  two  sons 
aud  two  daughters,  but  only  tvi-o  of  the  number 
are  now  living,  Joseph,  a  resident  of  Steamboat 
Rock,  Iowa,  aud  his  sister,  Mary,  who  lives  near 
Whitehall,  .  The  elder  of  the  two  immi- 
grating brothers,  Joseph,  settled  in  Astoria.  Ful- 
ton County.  111.,  locating  on  a  .soldier's  claim  on 
Section  C.  The  warrant  for  this  claim  w'as  made 
out  in  favor  of  I'eter  Greenleaf,  the  grandfather, 
as  a  partial  compensation  for  services  rendered 
in  the  War  of  1812.  It  was  about  this  time,  1810, 
that  Josepli  Greenleaf  was  married,  aud  to- 
gether the  young  people  set  up  housekeeping  In 
the  rude  log  cabin  which  Mr.  Greenleaf  had 
erected  on  the  land.  Though  crude  on  the  exte-, 
rior  and  lacking  in  many  comforts  in  its  inte- 
rior furnishings,  the  genial,  happy  home-life 
within  m.'ide  up  in  generous  measure  for  the  lack 
of  material  things.  This  continued  to  be  the 
family  home  until  1808,  when  the  father  sold  the 
old  home  place  and  came  to  Schuyler  County, 
purchasing  100  acres  of  land  from  Tom  Mo- 
d-eery on  Sections  13  and  14.  in  Birmingham 
Township.      Here   he   built    a    comfortable    resi- 


833 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


deiK-e  for  his  family  and  brought  the  land  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivatiou,  aud  here,  too,  his 
earthly  life  caaie  tu  a  close  in  1904.  His  death 
was  looked  upon  as  a  public  loss,  not  only  to  the 
community  in  which  he  was  then  living,  but  also 
in  I'ullon  County,  where  so  many  years  of  his 
youn:;er  life  had  been  passed.  To  all  he  was 
"known  as  the  embodiment  of  generosity  aud  lib- 
eralit.\-,  for  none  who  appealed  to  him  were  ever 
known  to  leave  his  door  without  assistance.  Dur- 
ing his  younger  years  he  had  joined  the  Masonic 
order,  was  lor  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  politically  was  a  sup- 
porter of  Democratic  principles.  He  was  born 
in  Uoljokeu,  N.  J.,  April  G,  ISIS,  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  ISoU,  and  for  sixty-eight  years  gave  the 
strength  of  his  sturdy  manhood  in  assisting  in 
the  reclamation  of  this  commonwealth  and  mak- 
ing it  the  peer  of  States  in  the  Middle  West.  Be- 
fore her  marriage  his  wife  was  .Miss  Sarah  Dale, 
a  native  of  Indiana,  who  came  to  Illinois  with 
her  mother,  her  father,  Samuel  Dale,  having 
given  his  life  for  his  country's  cause  in  the  War 
of  1M2. 

Seven  children  were  born  into  this  family  on 
the  Fulton  Cnunty  homestead,  their  names  in  or- 
der of  birth  being  as  follows:  Nathaniel  of 
Centralia,  Wash. ;  Damaris  Rose,  the  wife  of 
James  H.  Rose,  of  Lamar,  Mo. ;  Samuel,  of  Cen- 
tralia, Wash.;  Alice,  of  Table  Grove,  111.,  the 
widow  of  George  K.  Sellars ;  Alonzo,  of  Joplin, 
Mo. ;  and  Stephen,  also  a  resident  of  Table  Grove. 
The  mother  of  the.se  children  died  on  the  Fulton 
County  homestead  .June  27,  1807,  leaving  a  be- 
reaved family  and  many  friends  whose  acQuaiut- 
ance  dated  back  to  pioneer  days.  She  was  not 
permitted  to  see  all  of  her  children  grow  to  ma- 
turity. 

The  second  child  in  his  parents'  family,  Peter 
Greenleaf.  was  born  in  Astoria  Township,  Ful- 
ton County,  III.,  December  2.  1S45.  With  con- 
siderable irregularity  he  attended  the  district 
school  adjacent  to  his  boyhood  home  and.  when 
not  in  school,  he  was  kept  occupied  with  the 
duties  which  fell  to  his  lot  on  the  home  farm. 
Notwithstanding  the  hardships  which  came  with 
life  on  the  frontier,  Mr.  Greenleaf  looks  back 
upon  those  days  as  the  most  joyous  of  his  whole 
life,  parents  and  children  all  contributing  to  the 
good  humor  and  happy  atmosphere  which  always 
filled  the  little  home.  Ilis  marriage  on  Septetn- 
ber  :;,  ISflS.  united  him  with  Miss  Sarah  E.  Cook, 
the  daughter  of  Peter  Cook,  of  Oakland  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County.  For  some  years  after  his 
marriage  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  em- 
ploy of  others,  lint  in  the  meantime  he  laid  by 
from  his  earnings  all  that  could  be  spared  after 
furnishing  necessities  for  the  family  and  in  time 
was  enabled  to  purchase  land  on  his  own  account. 
This  consisted  of  sixty-two  and  a  half  acres  on 
Section  8.  Emmett  Township,  McDonongh  County, 
III.,  where  for  twenty-two  years — or  until  1904 
— he  made  his  home  continuously.  It  was  in  the 
year  just  mentioned  that  he  rettimed  to  his  boy- 
hood home,  Schuyler  County,  and  bought  202 
acres  on   Section  24.   Birmingham  Totvnship,   a 


farm  which  embodies  some  of  the  finest  land  in 
Schuyler  County,  aud  on  which  he  raises  all  of 
the  grains  common  to  a  well-established  Illinois 
farm. 

Kleven  children  were  born  to  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  aud  .Mrs.  Greenleaf,  but  of  this  number 
three  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest  living  child, 
Joseph,  married  Miss  Nona  Sells,  by  whom  he 
has  lour  children — I'auline,  Joseph,  Alice  and 
Sterling.  Annie  became  the  wife  of  John  W. 
Gleason.  of  Birmingham  Township,  and  is  the 
mother  of  five  children — Uoy,  Pearl,  Mary, 
Charles  and  lOthel.  Kva,  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Mctiee,  of  Chattaroy,  Wash.,  has  two  childreu — 
Frances  and  John.  Samuel  is  a  resident  of  liush- 
ville,  111.  John  S.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth. 
.\lice,  the  wife  of  Allie  .Morrell,  is  the  mother  of 
two  <hildren — \  ernot  and  Dorothy  E.  Boss  C. 
and  Frank  M.  complete  the  family.  The  latter 
married  Lottie  Saultz.  aud  they  have  two  chil- 
dreu, I'eter  and  Henry.  Mr.  Greenleaf  is  nom- 
inally a  Democrat,  but  is  liberal  in  his  views, 
and  votes  for  the  man  best  suited  to  the  ollk-e  in 
cpiestion,  regardless  of  party.  Fralernally  he  is 
alliliated  with  the  Masonic  Order  aud  with  the 
Indeijendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

HABER,  Daniel  F.— The  name  of  Daniel  F.  Ha- 
ber  is  associated  vvith  all  that  is  substantial  In 
character,  excelleut  in  fanning  and  admirable  In 
social  life  in  Kuslivllle  Township.  His  claims  to 
consideration  are  further  Increased  by  worthy 
political  services,  not  the  least  imjiortant  of 
wliich  is  his  tenure  In  oUice  as  lligliway  Commis- 
sioner. To  this  olliee  he  was  twice  elected,  and 
his  unceasing  activity  resulted  in  marked  Im- 
provement of  the  public  thoroughfares,  and  an 
increase  of  local  pride  in  their  hardness,  smooth- 
ness and  adai)tabllity  to  all  weather  conditions. 
By  a  student  of  nations  it  Is  declared  that  no 
public  utility  so  faithfully  indexes  the  ch;iracter 
of  a  peojile  as  Its  arteries  of  travel,  aud  the  pres- 
ent (DUdition  of  the  roads  in  Ilushville  Town- 
ship would  seem  to  indicate  a  very  high  standard 
of  citizenship. 

Born  on  a  farm  In  Littleton  Township.  Schuy- 
ler County.  November  Hi,  180.^,  Mr.  Haber  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  Haber,  mention  of  whom  uniy  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  His  boyhood  was 
s]ient  after  the  fashion  of  most  farmers'  sons  in 
average  circumstances,  and  he  combined  the 
many-sided  work  of  the  fanu  with  irregular  at- 
tendance at  the  district  school,  and  being  nat- 
urally studious,  he  readily  devoured  such  books 
as  came  within  the  range  of  his  using.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  his  life  shifted  Into  a  groove 
of  larger  responsibility  through  his  marriage,  in 
Feliruary,  1S87,  to  I^otta  Griffith,  daughter  of 
Mayland  Griflith,  and  a  native  of  DeWitt  County, 
111.  The  young  people  continued  to  live  on  the 
Haber  farm  until  1.S8.S.  when  Mr.  Haber  rented 
property  in  Bethel  Township,  McDonough  County, 
the  following  year  moving  to  Littleton  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  where  he  rented  land  until 
1S!)2.  He  then  moved  to  the  farm  which  he  now 
owns  and  occupies,  containing  150  acres  In  Sec- 


MR.  AXD  MRS.  MADISON  O.  SNYDKR 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


833 


tion  21,  Rushville  Township.  He  is  an  extensive 
bret-der,  tefder  and  sliipper  of  stock,  especially 
bogs  and  cattle,  and  raises  on  au  average  be- 
tween 100  and  150  acres  ot  corn  yearly,  the  en- 
tire amount  being  used  in  his  business.  He  ships 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  head  of  cattle,  and 
from  200  to  400  hogs  every  year,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  successful  men  in  this  line  in  the  county. 
Since  1802  he  has  made  steady  progress  in  his 
life,  has  acquired  influence  and  authority  in  the 
community,  and  has  reason  to  regard  as  fortu- 
nate the  incentive  which  led  him  to  settle  in  this 
part  of  Schuyler  County. 

Mr.  Haber  subscribes  to  Democratic  principles, 
and  he  was  elected  Road  Commissioner  on  that 
ticket.  He  is  socially  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  joined  the 
order  in  1808,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Rush- 
ville Lodge  of  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  and  to  this,  as  to  many 
other  causes,  he  is  a  generous  contributor.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Haber  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Carl,  born  November  28.  1888;  Mabel 
P..  born  December  20,  1891 ;  Paul,  born  March 
24.  1803;  Clark  G.,  born  April  IS,  1804;  Daniel 
G.,  born  April  9,  1806,  died  August  1.  180G;  Vera, 
born  June  2,  1807;  Mary,  born  August  G,  1808; 
Harold,  born  October  4,  1903;  and  Margaret, 
born  March  23,  1005. 

Mrs.  Hal)er  was  bom  April  10,  1869.  and  rep- 
resents au  early  family  of  Schuyler  County.  Her 
father,  Mayland  Griffith,  and  her  mother,  Isa- 
bella (Shoe)  Griffith,  were  natives  of  Muskin- 
gum County,  Ohio,  and  came  early  to  DeWitt 
County,  111.,  where  Mrs.  Haber  was  born.  The 
Griffiths  an'ived  in  Schuyler  County  in  1873.  The 
mother  died  in  Cass  County,  the  father  being 
also  deceased.  They  were  the  parents  of  thir- 
teen children,  nine  of  whom  are  living ;  John,  a 
resident  of  California ;  Newton,  a  farmer  of 
McDonough  County,  111. ;  .Joseph,  a  resident  of 
Bloomington,  111. ;  Parlet,  of  Hancock  County, 
111,;  Grant;  Dora,  wife  of  John  Wbiteliend,  of 
Grand  Bluff,  111.;  Nancy  Jane;  Alaretta ;  and 
Anna. 

HABER,  John  C. — Schuyler  County  is  fortimate 
in  the  possession  of  many  native  sons  whose  con- 
tinued loyalty  to  its  institutions  and  opportuni- 
ties make  for  its  permanent  and  most  sulistau- 
tial  well  being,  and  who,  in  the  same  occupa- 
tion as  their  sires,  are  realizing  the  advantages 
of  latter  day  methods  of  operation.  To  this  class 
belongs  John  C.  Ilalier,  owner  of  100  acres  of 
land  in  Section  10.  Camden  Township.  Mr.  Ha- 
ber was  born  in  Buena  Vista  Township.  Schuy- 
ler County,  April  28.  1879.  a  son  of  Thomas  Ha- 
ber. mention  of  whom  may  be  found  elsewhere 
in  this  work. 

Mr.  Haber  early  made  himself  useful  around 
his  father's  farm,  devoting  such  time  as  he 
could  spare  to  attendance  at  the  district  school, 
and  sharing  the  common  diversions  of  the  youth 
of  the  neighborliood.  September  12.  1801,  he  mar- 
ried Emma  Miller,  a  native  of  Brown  County, 


111.,  and  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Amanda 
(Mouuce)  Miller,  pioneers  of  Brown  County,  the 
former  of  whom  is  deceased.  Mrs.  Miller,  who 
still  makes  her  home  in  Brown  County,  is  the 
mother  of  six  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. Of  those  living,  Nettie  is  the  wife  of 
William  Rigg,  of  Brown  County ;  Hattie,  wife 
of  Lafayette  Avery  (see  sketch  of  James  Aveiy)  ; 
Edsel,  living  on  the  old  place  in  Brown  County ; 
Pearl,  wife  of  Fred  Kerr,  a  farmer  of  Brown 
County ;  and  Mrs.  Haber.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haber 
rented  a  farm  for  a  year  after  their  marriage,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1802  bought  100  acres  of  land  in 
Camden  Township,  known  as  the  old  Eugene 
Cady  farm,  and  located  thereon  in  the  spring 
of  1803.  Under  the  wise  control  of  Mr.  Haber 
his  farm  has  developed  great  resource  and  fer- 
tility, and  is  practically  demonstrating  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  man  at  the  helm  s\'ho  thoroughly 
understands  the  science  of  farming.  He  keeps 
on  hand  a  high  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs, 
has  excellent  banis  and  outhouses  and  a  com- 
fortable dwelling.  Mr.  Haber  is  one  of  the  farm- 
ers who  recognize  no  limit  to  their  advancement, 
and  who,  through  the  medium  of  periodicals  and 
conventions  keep  pace  with  the  ideas  of  men 
prominent  in  the  world  of  agriculture.  He  is  the 
parent  of  one  son,  Thomas  C,  born  in  January. 
1003.  Mr.  Haber  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
in  religion  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

HABER,  Thomas.— The  sturdy,  indomitable 
spirit,  imtlaggiug  industry  and  thrifty  frugality 
characteristic  of  the  German-American,  is  eveiy- 
where  conspicuously  manifest  in  the  industrial 
activities  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  vast 
number  of  honest,  clear-headed  and  enterprising 
sons  of  Germany  who  have  helped  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  land  of  their  adoption,  Thomas 
Haber  is  one  of  the  most  worthy  representatives 
of  the  agricultural  class,  and  has  won  a  world- 
wide reputation  in  the  raising  of  hogs.  In  har- 
mony with  the  general  character  of  Mr.  Haber 
is  the  fact  that,  when  he  arrived  in  Schuyler 
County,  his  last  cent  had  been  spent  for  lodging 
for  a  friend  who  accompanied  him  from  Ohio. 
From  this  meagre  and  discouraging  laegiuning  he 
has  advanced  to  one  of  the  foremost  farmers  and 
stock  raisers  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
iKirn  in  Tragelhochstadt.  Germany.  July  25,  1841, 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  JIargaret  (Milburger)  Ha- 
ber, natives  also  of  the  Fatherland  and  fanners 
by  occupation.  He  received  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  his  native  land,  and  in  18.52  accompa- 
nied the  rest  of  the  family  to  the  United  States, 
locating  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Dayton. 
Ohio.  Here  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years,  the  mother  surviving  him  until  her 
eighty-ninth  year. 

Thomas  Haber  was  about  twenty-three  years 
old  when  he  left  Ohio  with  a  friend  and  came 
to  Illinois  in  lSf!4.  locating  on  a  farm  in  Little- 
ton Township.  Schuyler  County,  which  he  rented 
for  two  years.  He  then  moved  to  Buena  Vista 
Township,  which  has  since  been  his  home,  and 


834 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


where  he  now  owns  200  acres  in  Section  IS,  also 
forty-tour  acres  in  Section  IS,  Kushville  Town- 
ship, and  forty  acres  in  Littleton  Township,  mak- 
ing in  all  2«4  acres.  He  has  a  motiern  farm 
house,  well  constructed  banis  and  outbuildings, 
and  the  must  practical  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments. He  is  a  stanch  believer  in  progressive  ag- 
riculture, and  leaves  uu  stone  unturned  to  im- 
prove his  methods,  his  farm  and  his  oportuui- 
ties  in  general.  In  this  way  he  has  come  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  thorough,  paiustali- 
iug  and  substantial  farmei-s  in  Scluiyler  County. 

The  marriage  of  Jlr.  Haber  to  JIary  Bovey 
occurred  October  G,  1S04,  Mrs.  Haber  being  a  na- 
tive of  Greene  County,  Ohio,  born  August  15, 
18-14.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Miller)  Bovey,  natives  of  Maryland  and 
I'ennsylvania,  resiiectively,  who  moved  from 
Ohio  to  Illinois  in  ISOH,  locating  in  the  vicinity 
of  Littleton  where  they  improved  a  fine  farm, 
and  where  both  died  at  an  advanced  age.  To 
Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Haber  have  been  born  eight  chil- 
dren :  Daniel,  born  November  16,  1865,  married 
Lota  Griffith,  is  a  farmer  in  Rushville  Town- 
ship, and  has  eight  children— Carl,  I'earl.  I'aul, 
Clarli,  Vera,  Mary,  Harold  and  Margaret;  .Mar- 
garet J.,  born  November  i;i,  1867,  wife  of  Parely 
Grithth.  a  farmer  of  Hancock  County,  111.,  and 
mother  of  Bessie  tJrillith;  Fannie  E..  born  April 
18,  1870,  and  died  at  the  age  of  one  year ;  Grace 
M,  born  January  18,  1875,  wife  of  Albert  Tom- 
linsou,  a  farmer  of  Iluntsville  Township,  and 
mother  of  six  chililren — Ruth,  C<'cll,  Denvard, 
Roy,  Mary  and  Francis ;  John,  bom  April  28, 
1879,  married  Emma  Miller,  has  one  child, 
Thomas,  and  is  a  farmer  in  Camden  Township ; 
Allie.  born  Octobi-f  Id.  1882,  the  wife  of  George 
Logan,  a  farmer  of  Littleton  'I"own.ship.  and  has 
one  child.  Raymond :  Edna,  l»ni  August  6,  1882. 
living  at  home;  and  William,  born  September  6. 
1888. 

In  political  allilialion  Mr.  Haber  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  is  liberal  in  his  political  ideas.  He  Is 
fraternally  connected  with  the  Rushville  Lodge. 
No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  his  religious  views  is 
a  Presbyterian.  He  is  considered  an  exemplary 
and  useful  citizen,  and  his  children  have  been 
trained  to  fashion  their  lives  along  broad  and 
practical  and  noble  lines. 

Mr.  Halier  is  one  of  the  most  successful  breed- 
ers of  hogs  in  the  world.  In  1906.  he  exhibited 
his  hogs  at  tlic  Fat  Slock  Show  in  Chicago,  and 
won  the  third  prize  for  the  best  carload  lot.  In 
1907,  at  the  same  exhibition  he  won  the  fir.st 
prize  for  tlie  licst  carload  lot.  and  also  |he  cham- 
pionship of  tlie  world.  He  also  has  won  many 
prizes  on  stock  and  horses  at  the  county  fairs. 

HALE,  Elam  Bliss. — In  considering  the  ances- 
tral connections  of  Elam  Bliss  Hale,  an  honored 
farmer  living  in  Section  12.  Binningham  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  one's  memory  again  re- 
verts to  that  greatly  admired  hero  and  courage- 
ous patriot.  Xathan  Hale,  a  graduate  of  Tale  Col- 
lege, a  Captain  under  General  Washington  in  the 
Revolutionary   War,  and  who,  upon  being  sent 


by  his  chief  to  secure  information  concerning  the 
British  in  New  York,  was  capturt»d  as  a  spy  and 
at  twent.v-one  yeai-s  of  age,  executed,  September 
22.  1776.  by  order  of  Sir  William  Howe.  Nathan 
Hale's  successoi's  and  relatives  have  been  sciit- 
tered  to  the  four  corners  of  this  great  country, 
but  each  and  all  gladly  avow  their  c-oimeclion 
with  him,  and  their  admiration  for  lils  intrepid 
loyalty  and  high  character.  Thomas,  William  and 
Timothy  Hale  came  to  .\inerica  about  Mayflower 
time,  settling  in  New  England,  and  from  them 
descended  three  branches,  Elam  Bliss  tracing 
his  descent  to  William  Hale.  Josiah,  son  of  Wil- 
liam, brother  of  .Nathan  Hale,  and  grandfather 
of  Elam,  was  born  .\ugust  21,  175(i.  and  died 
April  V.i,  1841.  He  married  Abigail  Joslin,  born 
March  6,  1761,  and  died  .May  24,  1841.  To 
Josiah  and  Abigail  Hale  were  born  the  following 
children :  Nathan,  July  4,  1781  ;  Josiah,  Feb- 
ruary ;>,  178.3;  James  L..  Februaiy  20,  1785; 
Nathan,  Jr.,  October  Vi.  1786;  Esther,  September 
24.  1788;  Jessie,  April  4,  1791  ;  Achsah,  January 
IS,  179:',;  and  Abraham,  Januarj-  26.  1799. 

.Vbraham  Hale,  father  of  Elam  Bliss  Hale, 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  In  Tyringham,  Mass., 
and  married  Fannie  .M.  Bliss,  who  was  bom  In 
Towanda,  I'a.,  February  26.  ISIO,  and  died  In 
Bernadotte,  Fulton  County,  HI.,  August  20,  1860. 
Mr.  Hale  came  to  Bernadotte  alxmt  l.S4<t.  but 
eventually  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  died  July 
26,  1872.  Of  his  six  children,  Egbert  C,  born 
October  14,  1.S29,  was  the  first  Sheriff  of  Los 
Angeles  County,  Cal.,  who  served  through  his 
entire  term.,  went  from  there  to  the  City  of  Mex- 
ico, married  a  Mexican  woman,  and  for  twenty- 
four  years  was  i'onne<-tcd  with  the  office  of  the 
American  Consul,  finally  dying  there  .March  22, 
1898,  leaving  a  family  of  five  children — Charles 
F..  ,\l)raliaTn  F.,  .\delaide.  Matilda  and  Edmond 
R. ;  Abigail  Hale,  born  March  2.  18.31.  died  March 
10.  l,'v|2;  Lambert  Hale,  horn  in  Westfield,  N. 
Y..  Januarj-  2,  l,8:i4,  drove  the  first  stage  over 
the  southern  mail  route  from  Santiago.  Cal..  to 
San  Antonio.  Texas,  about  1856  or  '57,  died 
December  5,  1871,  while  serving  as  Chief  of  Po- 
lice at  Chetopa,  Kan.;  P'lan)  Bliss  Hale,  subject 
of  this  sketch,  born  March  IS.  1.841  ;  George 
Hale,  boni  January  1.  1.S44.  died  Ser)teniber  6, 
1845;  and  Mary  A.,  born  In  Fulton  County.  III., 
Novemlier  1»>,  18.50.  and  died  September  22.  1851. 

The  .vouth  of  Elam  Bliss  Hale  passed  after 
the  manner  of  the  average  countrj'  boy,  and 
.\pril  25.  1S01,  he  married  Mary  Markey,  a  na- 
tive of  Harrison  County.  Ohio,  born  .\pril  26. 
1,84.3.  Mrs.  Ilale  came  with  her  parents  to  Illi- 
nois in  18.59.  (For  further  particulars  regarding 
the  Markey  family,  see  sketch  of  Harvey  B. 
Markey.)  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hale  have  a  son.  Charles 
E..  bom  in  Birmingham.  Schuyler  County,  Au- 
gust 2.  1.S67.  and  married,  for  his  first  wife.  Ad- 
die  Toland.  lx)m  in  March.  1879.  Of  this  union 
there  is  a  son.  Charles  E..  who  was  born  .Ianuar.v 
16.  1.S91.  The  second  wife  of  Charles  Hale  for- 
merly was  Nora  Mitchell,  of  Littleton  Township, 
and  of  their  union  there  are  three  children: 
Fannie  L.,  Ruth  L..  and  Forest  Bliss.     For  his 


HISTORY  OF  SCHrn.ER  COUNTY. 


835 


entire  active  life  Mr.  Hale  has  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, but  lie  has  not  led  a  narrow  or  inactive  life, 
but  by  travel  and  reading  has  kept  in  touch  with 
the  general  happenings  the  world  over.  In  the 
'sixties  he  spent  some  time  in  Colorado  as  a 
cow-boy,  returning  to  Bernadotte  Township,  Ful- 
ton County,  in  December,  1805.  For  a  time  he 
combined  farming  and  working  in  a  saw-mill, 
and  tinally  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  Section 
2;;.  Birmingham  Township,  Schuyler  County,  to 
which  he  added  until  he  was  owner  of  107  acres, 
which  he  sold  in  18»U.  He  then  bought  120  acres 
in  Sections  12  and  lo,  with  the  dwelling  on  Sec- 
tion 12,  and  here  has  since  made  his  home.  He 
has  the  original  deed  to  his  property  signed  by 
President  James  K.  Polk. 

Mr.  Hale  has  filled  a  large  need  in  the  town- 
ship, and  besides  setting  an  inspiring  example  of 
honesty  and  well  directed  industry,  has  filled 
many  important  local  oflices,  including  that  of 
Clerk  for  eleven  years,  Assessor  six  terms,  and 
member  of  the  School  Board  twenty  years.  He 
is  an  uncompromising  Republican,  as  was  his 
father  before  him.  Indeed  Abraham  Hale  was 
so  strong  an  Abolitionist  during  the  war.  that 
the  K.  K.  K.'s  set  the  night  to  kill  him,  but 
failed  to  hit  their  mark.  Mr.  Hale  preserves 
well  the  traditions  of  his  time-honored  family, 
possesses  the  courtesy  and  consideration  of  true 
breeding  and  birth,  and  values  as  above  price 
the  qualities  of  honesty  and  fairness  in  dealing 
n-ith  his  fellow  men. 

HALE,  Jesse,  a  well  known  and  prosperous 
farmer  and  stock  raiser  in  Section  27,  Littleton 
Township.  Schuyler  County,  111.,  was  born  in 
Buena  Vista  Township,  same  county,  June  11. 
18'jC>.  a  son  of  Joshua  and  Elizabeth  (Bartlow) 
Hale,  the  father,  bom  In  New  Madrid  County. 
Mo.,  and  the  mother  in  Sangamon  County.  111. 
When  a  lx)y  Joshua  Hale  was  brought  to  Schuy- 
ler Couiitj-  by  his  parents,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  the  county.  The  family  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  where 
Joshua  Hale  afterwards  became  the  owner  of 
160  acres  of  land.  This  he  sold  in  ISd.l.  moving 
to  Fremont  County,  Iowa,  and  there  purchasing 
a  hotel.  In  the  following  year,  disjxising  of  the 
hotel  property,  he  returned  to  Schuyler  County, 
and  bought  160  acres  on  the  site  of  the  present 
village  of  Littleton.  Several  years  later,  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Hancock  County,  111.,  where 
he  afterwards  bought  a  farm  of  200  acres  near 
Augusta.  There  he  died  May  18.  1S95.  His  wife 
had  preceded  him  to  the  grave.  August  20,  1882, 
while  living  in  Littleton  Township.  Schuyler 
County.  They  had  a  family  of  eight  children, 
four  of  whom  are  deceased.  Those  surviving  are 
as  follows :  Letha,  who  married  George  Ross, 
and  is  now  a  widow,  living  in  Hancock  County, 
111. ;  Jesse :  Sadie,  who  became  the  wife  of  .John 
I^eweese,  a  resident  of  Hamilton,  Hancock 
County:  and  Cora  (Mrs.  Marshall  Randle). 
whose  home  is  also  in  that  county.  Jesse  Hale 
was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his 
education    in    the   common   schools.     Remaining 


with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
iwi'uty-one  years,  he  then  bought  eighty  acres 
of  improved  laud,  but  selling  this  three  years 
later,  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Section  27,  of 
the  same  township,  which  he  also  retained  tliree 
years.  His  next  purchase  was  a  farm  in  the 
vicinity  of  Pulaski,  Hancock  County,  which  he 
disposed  of  after  living  on  it  two  years,  when 
returning  to  Littleton  Township,  he  bought  200 
acres  of  improved  land  which  is  still  his  prop- 
erty. After  living  there  until  lOOo,  he  bought 
forty  acres  in  Section  27,  upon  which  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  has  been  quite  success- 
ful in  his  business  enterprises,  and  besides  gen- 
eral farming,  has  raised  many  head  of  Black- 
Polled  Angus  cattle,  as  well  as  horses  and  hogs 
in  considerable  numbers. 

Mr.  Hale  has  been  twice  married.  The  mai- 
den name  of  his  first  wife  was  Abbie  E.  Davis, 
who  was  born  in  Worcester,  JIass.,  and  to  whom 
he  was  wedded  November  24,  1881.  Two 
children  were  the  result  of  this  union,  namely : 
Leila  S.,  boni  August  ■^0.  1882.  who  became  the 
wife  of  Asa  Bartlett,  and  lives  on  her  father's 
2iK)-acre  farm;  and  Blanche  E.,  who  died  in 
infancy,  March  28,  1801.  The  mother  of  these 
children  passed  awa.v  in  January,  180.3.  In 
October,  1804.  Mr.  Hale  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Luella  M.  Wheat,  who  was  born  in  Little- 
ton Township,  August  .".  1804.  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Julia  (Snyder)  Wheat,  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky,  and  a  granddaughter,  on  the  maternal 
side,  of  David  and  Lncinda  Snyder. 

In  politics.  Jlr.  Hale  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  fraternally  is  affiliated 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge  Xo.  24.  of  Rushville. 
He  is  classed  among  the  substantial  farmers  of 
his  township,  and  is  regarded  as  a  useful  citizen. 

HALE,  John  Wesley. — The   early  associations 

of  the  suljject  of  this  sketch  cluster  around 
scenes  in  Schuyler  County,  whither  he  came  with 
his  parents  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Since 
then  he  has  risen  to  a  position  as  one  of  the  ca- 
llable agriculturists  of  Camden  Township,  where 
he  makes  his  home  on  Section  12.  In  connection 
with  his  first  purchase  of  land  it  may  be  stated 
that  he  paid  .$100  for  eleven  acres,  forming  the 
nucleus  of  his  present  possessions.  To  raise  the 
purchase  money  he  sold  a  spotted  mare  for  $80 
and  two  calves  for  $8  each,  thus  raising  .$96.  and 
with  the  balance  of  money  he  had  on  hand,  he 
acquired  a  little  tract  with  a  primitive  log  cabin. 
During  1883  he  erected  a  frame  building.  10x20 
feet,  and  now,  by  subsequent  addition,  he  has  a 
modem  and  commodious  country  home.  At  first 
he  rented  land  ad,ioining  his  home  place,  biit 
gradually  he  added  to  his  possessions  until  now 
he  owns  altogether  215  acres  on  Sections  12  and 
13,  in  Camden  Township.  In  September.  1907, 
he  added  to  this  120  acres  more  in  Section  1.3, 
Camden  Township. 

The  Hale  family  was  established  in  Schuyler 
County  by  the  grandfather  of  John  Wesley  Hale, 
who  came  here  from  Xew  Madrid.  Mo.,  and  se- 
cured about  5(X)  acres  in  Buena  Vista  Tovmship. 


836 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


The  father,  Jesse  Hale,  was  born  iu  Schuyler 
County,  and  married  Kebecca  Wardi-up,  who  died 
in  18S3.  The  last  heard  of  the  father  was  by 
letter  written  from  OtLumwa,  Iowa,  iu  which 
he  stated  that  he  was  about  to  go  to  the  mining 
district  of  the  Black  Hills.  Of  his  four  children, 
James  is  living  near  Adams  County,  111. ;  John 
Wesley  remains  iu  Schuyler  County ;  JJrusilla, 
deceased,  was  the  wife  of  James  Bartlett,  a 
farmer  in  Buena  Msta  Township ;  and  Mary,  de- 
ceased, was  the  wife  of  Charles  Warrington. 

Born  near  Salem,  Iowa,  January  lo,  lS5(j,  John 
Wesley  Hale  was  three  years  of  age  at  the  time 
the  family  returned  to  Schuyler  County,  aud 
here  he  received  his  schooling  in  Bueua  Vista 
Townsliii).  In  March  of  l.SW)  he  married  Miss 
Vina  F.  Wariiiglou,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  M.  War- 
ingtou,  and  a  native  of  Kushville,  111.,  born  in 
June,  1S5S.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Maude,  Jessie,  Bertha,  Dwiglit,  Uutb,  Ho- 
mer and  Bessie,  all  of  whom  are  at  homo.  Po- 
litically a  Democrat,  Mr.  Hale  has  filled  various 
otlices  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to 
all  concerned.  In  I'.KKj  be  was  the  Democratic 
nominee  for  Supervisor  for  Camden  Township 
and  was  elected  by  a  gratifying  majority.  In 
addition,  for  some  years  be  filled  the  olfice  of 
County  Central  Committeeman  from  his  town- 
ship. With  his  wife  he  holds  membership  iu 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  n-llile 
fraternally  he  belongs  to  Camden  Ijodge  No.  48, 
A.  F.  i&  A.  M.  The  success  with  whii-h  ho  has 
met  proves  him  to  be  a  man  of  large  powers  of 
mind,  rugged  determination  of  character  aud 
judgment  in  his  business  transactions.  All  in 
all,  he  furnishes  an  illustration  of  the  type  of 
progressive  farmer  and  loyal  citizen  whose  pres- 
ence in  the  county  aud  commonwealth  is  of  the 
highest  imiiortance  to  the  permanent  prosperity 
of  the  nation. 

HAMMOND,  Charles  Henry.— Occupying  a  lead- 
ing position  among  the  business  men  of  Rushville 
is  the  gentleman  whose  name  stands  at  the  liead 
of  this  article  and  whose  birth  occurred  October 
2C,  ISCS,  in  the  county  where  he  now  resides. 
The  genealogy-  of  the  family  is  traced  l)ack  sev- 
eral generations  in  America,  the  great-gi-andi)ar- 
ents  of  thi>  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Henry 
aud  Marj-  (Kussell)  Ilanmiond,  natives  of  I'enn- 
sylvania.  The  grandparents,  Jacob  aud  Eliza- 
beth ( rhl )  Haunnond,  were  born  respectively  In 
Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  and  the  father,  Ja- 
cob, Jr.,  was  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio.  The 
last-named,  who  retired  from  business  in  UK):', 
and  who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work, 
married  Sarah  Margaret  Lawler,  who  was  born 
in  Schuyler  County,  HI.,  being  a  daughter  of 
George  Edward  aud  Caroline  (Hymer)  Lawler, 
born  resiiectively  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 
The  grandparents  of  Sarah  Margaret  Lawler 
were  Ale.xander  Lawler.  of  Virginian  birth,  and 
Margaret  Buckner  (Wliite)  Lawler,  also  born  in 
the  Old  Dominion. 

The  education  of  Charles  Henry  Hammond 
was  received  in  Rushville,  111.,  and  in  Kirksville, 


Mo.  From  the  spriug  of  18S3  to  the  fall  of 
ISU3  he  was  Assistant  Postmaster,  first  with  his 
tather,  who  was  Postmaster  from  1882  to  1880, 
then  with  Postmaster  Albert  11.  Seeley,  ISSU  to 
18110,  and  then  with  I'oslmaster  Hultou  until 
the  fall  of  Ib'M,  when  he  and  his  lather,  Jacob 
Hammond,  embarked  iu  the  furniture  and  un- 
dertaking business  as  successors  to  Harvey 
Brothers  on  the  south  side  of  the  square.  In 
September  of  I'JOO  he  entered  the  American 
School  of  Osteopathy  at  Kirksville,  Mo.,  where 
he  received  an  education  iu  that  profession  un- 
der its  founder.  Dr.  A.  T.  Still.  After  graduat- 
ing in  June  of  I'.io:;  he  returned  to  Kushville  aud 
in  May  of  the  lollowiug  year  sold  the  furniture 
and  undertaking  business  to  11.  \V.  Graff,  after 
which  he  devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  os- 
leoiialby  for  some  years.  In  February,  ILRXi.  he 
purchased  bis  lormer  business,  which  he  now 
conducts  under  the  firm  title  of  Charles  H. 
llanuuoud.  The  business  was  founded  by  E.  H. 
O.  Seeley  in  January  of  1S;51  aud  is  one  of  the 
oldest  of  its  kiud  iu  this  section  of  Illinois.  For 
the  undertaking  business  he  is  well  iiualified  by 
a  course  of  study  in  Clark's  School  of  Embalm- 
ing, Chicago,  and  his  knowledge  of  osteopathy, 
with  its  careful  training  in  anatomy,  further 
(lualifies  him  for  ellicient  work  as  an  undertaker. 
Although  uot  couuected  with  any  deuominatiou 
Mr.  Hammond  is  interested  Iu  religious  work 
aud  attends  services  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Politically  he  has  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  Uepublican  principles  ever  since  at- 
taining his  majority.  In  1804  he  was  made  a 
Master  Mason  and  is  a  member  of  Rushville 
Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  1905  he  became 
identified  with  Kushville  Chapter  No.  184,  R.  A. 
M.,  in  the  following  year  was  initiated  into 
Rushville  Comniandery  K.  T.,  No.  oG,  of  which 
in  June  1908,  he  was  chosen  Eminent  Com- 
mander. In  1902  became  associated  with  Moila 
Temple,  Ancieut  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  His  fraterual 
relations  further  include  membership  Iu  Kirks- 
ville I..odge  No.  4G4,  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  at  Kirksville.  At  Rushville,  October 
12,  1892,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Harriet  G.  McCreery,  who  was  born  near  that 
city  May  22.  1871.  Her  father  and  her  grand- 
parents on  both  sides  came  from  the  North  of 
Ireland.  Two  daughters  bless  their  union, 
u.imely :  Geneva  Beatrice,  born  September  1.'?,, 
1894 :  and  Virginia  McCreery.  June  12,  1900,  both 
of  whom  are  receiving  the  advantages  offered  by 
the  excellent  schools  of  their  home  city. 

HAMMOND,  Captain  Harold,  of  the  Twenty- 
third  Regiment,  United  States  Infantry,  whose 
military  record  is  sun'tssed  by  that  of  few.  If 
any,  of  the  younger  officers  of  the  regular  army, 
was  bom  in  Rushville.  Schuyler  County,  111.,  Oc- 
totjer  21,  1874.  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  Mar- 
garet (Lawler)  Hammond,  the  former  a  native 
of  Knox  County.  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  No- 
vember 2Sth,  1S;J4.  The  maternal  grandfather 
and  the  great  grandfather  on  the  paternal  side 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


837 


fought  under  Wasbiiigtou  during'  the  Uevolutiuu- 
ar.v  War.  The  oc-cupatiou  uf  the  father  while  iu 
active  life  was  that  of  a  merchant,  and  he  is  now 
living  iu  retirement. 

The  boyhood  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
occupied  "  with    school     studies,    and    otherwise 
passed  iu  the  recreations  and  diversions  common 
to  vouth  of  vigorous  physical  development,  such 
as  skatiuj;,  swimming,  rowing,  etc.     He  attended 
the  Kushville  High  School  and  was  afterwards 
a  student  in  the  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville. 
Iu  isya,  and  tor  a  iwrtion  of  1804,  he  acted  m 
the  capacity  of  Assistant  Postmaster   at  Rush- 
ville.     In  the  summer  of   1S94,  he  entered   the 
United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  iu  April,  1S08,  be- 
ing assigned  to  Geu.  Shatter's  army  to  Cuba  m 
1S!)S,   saw   active  service  at   Santiago,  was   sta- 
tioned at  Madison   Barracks,  N.   Y.,   in  October 
of   the  last  named  year,   and  was  promoted  to 
First  Lieutenancy   iu  the  winter  following.     In 
April,  ISDi),  his  regiment  was  sent  to  the  Philip- 
pines, where  he  took  part  in  many  engagements, 
being   in   command   of   his   company.      He   com- 
manded a  company  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  wheu 
ordered  with  the  relief  army  to  China   in  July, 
I'JOO    participating  in  all  of  the  fighting  on  the 
way  to  I'eking,  and  in  the  capture  of  that  city, 
which  resulted  in  the  relief  of  the  foreign  lega- 
tions    From  China,  he  was  sent  to  the  Island  of 
Samar  in  the  spring  of  1901,   returning  to  the 
T'ulted    States    in    June.    1902.      From    August, 
190'>     until    June,    190G.    he   was    instnictor    m 
drawing  in  the  United  States  Military  Academy 
•It  West  Point,  having  been  promoted  in  Octo- 
ber   of   the   former   year,   to    a    captaincy,    and 
transferred     to     the     Twenty-third      Regiiuent, 
United  States  Infantry.     His  promotion  as  Cap- 
tain   was    recommended    by    Gen.    Lnwton.    for 
"bravprv  and  good  judgment  in  handling  his  com- 
nanv"   in  the  Zapote  River  fight  in  the  Island 
of  Luzon,  in  June.  1901.    At  the  Jamestown  Ex- 
position, at  Norfolk.  Va.,  in  the  summer  of  190,. 
he  was  in  charge  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club, 
and  In  December  of  the  same  year,  was  (l*!^''™ 
for  duty  as  Pavmnster.  being  stationed  at  Wash- 
ington '  D.  C.     He  is  a  member  of  several  mili- 
tary orders,  among  them  being  the  Order  of  the 
Dragon. 

On  Julv  9.  1902.  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  Oapt 
Hammond  was  united  in  mnrringe  with  MaiT 
Pierce  a  native  of  that  State,  and  a  niece  of  the 
late  Hon.  Edwin  H.  Conger,  TTnited  States  Min- 
ister to  China,  and  afterwards  to  Mexico,  of 
whose  familv  she  was  a  member  for  several 
years,  Capt.  Hammond  first  met  Miss  Pierce 
durin"  the  Boxer  insurrection  in  China,  while 
she  w"as  residing  at  the  American  Legation  pre- 
sided over  by  her  uncle,  Mr.  Congpr,_ and  besieged 
hv  hosts  of  murderous  fanatics  which  the  allied 
forces  were  dispatched  by  their  respective  gov- 
ernments from  various  points  in  the  Orient  to 
subdue  Mrs.  Hammond  passed  through  all  the 
woful  experience  of  the  Boxer  siege,  until  saved 
from  a  terrible  death  by  the  timely  arrival  of  the 


lung  and  anxiously  awaited  troops  of  the  foreign 
IHiwers. 

Capl.  Hammond  is  the  author  of  numerous 
articles  published  iu  standard  magazines,  and 
for  three  years  has  contributed  a  serial  to  "St. 
Nicholas,"  entitled  "Pinky  Perkins."  The  "Cen- 
tury Company"  has  also  issued  two  volumes  of 
his  sketches. 

HAMMOND,  Henry  G.— At  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years  Henry  G.  Hammond  finds  himself  an 
active"  factor  in  the  management  of  his  well  ap- 
liointed  farm  iu  Rushville  Township,  upon  which 
he  settled  in  18S3.  and  where  he  is  sun-ouuded 
by  innumerable  evidences  of  his  industry,  prog- 
ress and  refinement.  As  a  boy,  Mr.  Hammond 
shared  in  the  labor  of  a  farm  iu  Knox  County, 
Ohio  where  he  was  born  in  1828,  aud  upou  which 
his  parents,  Jacob  aud  Elizabeth  (Uhl)  Ham- 
mond, had  settled  at  an  early  day.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Maryland,  aud  boru  iu  1801,  and 
the  mother  born  in  Peunsylvania  iu  1800. 

During   the   first  year  of  the  Civil   War  Mr. 
Hammond  left  Ohio  and  came  to  Rushville  Town- 
ship, occupying  another  farm  until  he  settled  on 
his  present"one  iu  1883.     He  has  Ijeeu  twice  mar- 
ried, ills  first  wife  having  been  Marilla  Walker, 
.iiid  his  present  wife,  Maud  Campbell,  both  na- 
tives of  Ohio.    The  only  daughter  in  the  family, 
Lena  B.,  is  the  wife  of  Itoss  Briggs,  a  farmer  of 
Woodstock  Township.     Aside  from  the  formality 
of  casting  his  vote,  Mr.  Hammond  has  never  been 
activelv  interested  iu  politics.     In  years  past  he 
was  a  "constant  attendant  at  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal   Church,    and    contributed    generously    to- 
wards its  support,  and  now,  the  weather  permit- 
ting, he  is  seen  in  liis  pew.  and  takes  a  lively 
interest  in  music  and  sermon.     Mr.  Hammond  is 
of    "enial    and   optimistic   disposition,    aud   this, 
taken  in  connection  with  the  physical  exercise, 
temperate    habits,     and    wholesome    diversions 
which  have  filled  his  life,  tend  to  the  assurance 
that  many  years  more  of  usefulness  and  prosper- 
ity are  in  store  for  him. 

HAMMOND,  Jacob.— Previous  to  his  permanent 
location  iu  lUishville,  111.,  in  1ST3,  Lieutenant 
Jacob  Hammond  had  rounded  out  his  thirty-nme 
vears  with  farming,  soldiering  and  school-teach- 
ing and  had  developed  a  strength  of  character 
and  resourcefulness  which  made  him  a  valuable 
and  much  needed  citizen.  The  forty-five  inter- 
vening vears  have  witnessed  an  increase  in  the 
variety  "and  extent  of  his  capacity  for  usefulness, 
•ind  he  has  unceasingly  contributed  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  city  as  educator,  office-holder  mer- 
chant, fraternalist  and  church-worker.  Of  late 
vears  little  has  happened  in  the  community  of 
vital  interest  that  directly  or  indirectly  has  not 
been  influenced  by  his  opinion.        ^         ^       . 

Tacoli  Hammond  was  born  in  Knox  County. 
Ohio,  in  November,  1834.  and  on  both  sides  of 
his  family  is  of  German  descent.  His  father, 
Jacob  Hammond,  came  of  a  family  which  early 
settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  later 
moving  to  the  western  part  of  that  State,  whence 


838 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Jac-ob  iu  early  life  joumeyed  to  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  aud  there  jiun-hased  land  duriuj;  the  sum- 
mer of  1824.  The  family  of  Elizabeth  Uhl,  his 
wife,  also  was  ideutitied  with  the  pioueer  his- 
tory of  Pennsylvania,  aud  Mrs.  Ilammoud's 
grandfather  followed  the  martial  fortunes  of 
Washington  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  From 
this  remote  sire  jirobably  is  inherited  the  dis- 
tinctly military  tendencies  of  certain  of  his  pres- 
ent day  descendants.  While,  iu  the  Fatherland, 
"Ilauiond"  was  the  common  .spelling  of  the  fam- 
ily name,  which  since  has  biK^n  changed  to  Ham- 
mond. Jacob  Ilanunond.  Sr.,  followed  farming 
for  many  yeai-s  of  his  life,  but  he  had  strong  re- 
ligious convictions,  aud  not  only  was  ordained  to 
the  Methodist  Ejiiscopal  ministry,  but  preached 
for  many  years  without  pay,  aud  .solely  for  the 
good  of  his  fellow  men.  lie  was  known  as  one 
of  the  must  genial- and  lovable  of  men.  and  his 
memory  is  cherished  by  a  host  of  pe<iple  to  whom 
he  i)ointed  out  the  wise  and  happy  ways  of  life. 
He  luid  eight  brothers  aud  sisters,  aud  with  the 
e.xceptiou  of  two  brothers  who  died  iu  Iowa,  all 
spent  the  greater  part  of  their  lives  in  Ohio.  Mr. 
Hammond  cultivated  a  fine  fanu  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  and  upon  it  was  platted  the  now  thriving 
town  of  Millwood.  Here  his  death  occurred  at 
the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  his  wife  attaining 
to  seventy  years. 

Jai\)b  Hauunoud.  Jr.,  was  surrounded  by  tine 
and  Christian  early  intluen<es.  and  was  encour- 
aged to  a  slndious  and  practically  useful  exist- 
ence. Iu  the  district  schools  and  through  his 
home  application,  he  ac<iuired  an  excellent  edu- 
cation, aud  beginning  with  1858  taught  two  terms 
of  six  months  each  in  his  home  district.  He 
al.-^o  taught  one  term  in  Medina  County,  Ohio, 
during  the  winter  of  lS.")n-t;0.  and  from  this 
IJeacefnl  occupation  and  that  of  farming,  turned 
in  Octolicr,  isi!].  to  test  the  fortunes  of  war.  En- 
listing in  Company  \.  Sixty-fifth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  for  three  years,  he  was  mustered  in 
as  Secoiul  Lieutenant,  having  helped  to  organize 
the  company.  The  regiment  became  a  part  of  the 
Sherman  Rrigade  which  John  Sherman,  then  a 
meiuber  of  the  I'nited  States  Senate,  assisted  to 
organize,  and  showed  deep  interest  in  the  com- 
pany. From  December,  l.stJl.  Mr.  Hammond 
served  In  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  particip.ited 
in  the  battles  of  Sliiloh  aud  I'ittslmrg  Landing, 
at  the  latter  battle  being  on  the  brigade  staff  as 
ordnance  olhcer  under  General  Harker.  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Kennesaw  Mountain.  Ow- 
ing to  failing  health  he  was  advised  to  resign 
dtiring  the  second  year  of  his  service,  and  in 
June.  1SG2.  was  himorably  discharged,  when  he 
returned  to  his  former  home  in  Ohio. 

In  the  fall  of  180)2.  Mr.  Haumiond  went  to 
Marengo  County.  Iowa,  to  visit  a  brother,  and 
during  that  winter  taught  a  district  schiMil  for 
one  term.  In  April.  ISO.'i.  he  came  to  Rushville, 
and  then  visited  another  brother  living  in  the 
southern  part  of  Schuyler  County.  ,Iune  20.  I.sa'i. 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  M.  Lawler, 
daughter  of  George  E.  Lawler.  mention  of  whum 
may    be    found    elewliere    in    this    work.      The 


young  i)eople  settled  on  a  farm  iu  Schuyler 
County,  made  that  their  home  until  1871,  and 
in  187:?  located  permanently  in  Hushville,  where 
Mr.  Hannnond  taught  school  uutil  appointed 
I'ostmaster  of  the  town  in  1882.  He  continued 
to  administer  satisfactorily  the  local  affairs  of 
Cncle  Sam  until  1,S8(>,  and  in  that  year  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  uutil  disposing  of  the 
same  in  1893.  lie  then  establislieil  a  furniture 
and  undertaking  business  with  his  son,  Charles 
II.,  iu  which  he  since  has  engaged,  controlliug  a 
large  patronage,  and  sustaining  a  reputaliou  as 
one  of  the  foremost  merchantii  of  the  conmmnity. 

Jlr.  Ilanuuond's  devotion  to  the  Kepublicau 
party  has  Ijrought  him  many  honors  liesides  the 
I'ostmastership.  He  was  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1.S78,  holding  the  same  fur  live  years, 
was  for  nine  years  member  of  the  Sihool  Hoard, 
and  for  one  year  City  Treasurer.  His  services 
have  bwn  characterized  by  strict  integrity  and 
stanch  devotion  to  the  public  welfare,  to  the  end 
that  he  has  received  the  support  and  approbation 
of  even  his  ix)litical  enemies.  Iu  18.'>8  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Ma.sonic  fraternity  in  Ohio, 
and  is  also  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
'  Grand  .Vrmy  of  the  Republic.  With  his  wife  he 
is  an  active  and  heli)ful  member  of  the  .Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  to  the  supiwrt  of  which  he 
Is  a  liberal  contributor.  No  man  in  Rushville 
has  led  a  cleaner,  more  upright  life  than  Mr. 
Hammond,  and  his  contribution  to  its  moral, 
ediuational  and  t-onunercial  stability  is  an  en- 
viable and  lasting  one. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammond  are  the  parents  of 
two  sous,  Charles  II.  and  Harold.  The  Ham- 
mond lioys  have  been  given  the  best  of  educa- 
tional and  general  advantages,  and  their  lives 
have  rounded  out  to  wide  and  interesting  pro- 
portions. The  martial  strain  in  the  family  is 
well  sustained  liy  Harold  Hammond,  a  graduate 
of  West  Point,  cla.ss  of  18118,  nho  was  born  in 
Rushville  October  21,  1S74.  Mr.  Ilanunond  en- 
listed in  the  Ninth  I'nited  States  Inf.intrj-  dur- 
iug  the  Spanish-American  War.  serving  first 
in  Cuba,  and  iu  the  sjiring  of  18!>0  going  to  the 
Philii)pine  Islands,  where  he  was  advanced  to 
the  iwsition  of  First  Lieutenant.  .«!ubse<iuently 
the  Ninth  was  sent  to  China,  and  Lieutenant 
Hammond  was  one  of  the  first  to  aid  in  the 
rescue  of  the  .Vmerican  legation  at  Pekin.  .Vfter 
this  heroic  adventure,  and  partially  bwause  of 
it.  he  soon  after  won  the  heart  and  hand  of 
Miss  Mary  Pierce,  a  niece  of  I'nited  States  .Min- 
ister to  China.  Conger,  and  the  marriage  was 
solemnized  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  in  UKi2.  Upon 
his  return  to  this  country  Lieutenant  Hammond 
was  commissioned  Captain,  and  for  four  .vears 
was  an  instructor  in  a  militan-  school.  He  is 
an  expert  tactician,  well  groimded  in  all  that  en- 
gages the  attention  of  military  men.  and  his 
family  and  friends  are  justly  proud  of  the 
honors  and  distinctions  which  have  rewarded  his 
efforts. 

HARDING,  William  M.  -Not  only  is  the  Ken- 
tuckv  family  of  Harding  one  of  the  earliest,  as 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COITXTY. 


83!) 


it  is  one  of  tlie  most  numerous  of  any  oomiected 
witti  tlie  upliuiltiing  of  the  Bourlion  State,  liut 
from  its  strong  and  dependable  stocli  have 
sprung  hun(h'eds  of  men  and  women  who  have 
taken  a  distinctive  and  even  conspicuous  part 
in  the  development  of  many  and  widely  sepa- 
rated connnunities.  For  the  most  part  agricul- 
turists, their  ambitions  frequently  have  led  them 
into  tlie  unfrequented  parts  of  the  country,  and 
indeed  the  pioneering  instinct  has  been  a  chief, 
if  not  a  leading,  family  characteristic.  Schuy- 
ler County  has  profited  richly  by  this  courageous 
and  sturdy  element,  and  in  the  person  of  Wil- 
liam XIcKee  Harding,  a  farmer  of  Section  11, 
Buena  Vista  Township,  the  qualities  most  prized 
and  cultivated  bj-  the  Kentucky  progenitors  are 
in  no  sense  abated. 

The  infant  nail  of  William  SI.  Harding  re- 
sounded against  the  walls  of  a  rough  log  cabin 
near  Cameron,  Warren  County,  where  he  was 
lK)rn  on  March  10.  1839.  His  parents  were 
Aaron  and  Xancy  (McKee)  Harding,  and  his 
paternal  grandfather  was  John  Harding,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky.  (The  McKee  family  record 
may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.)  John 
Harding  was  a  man  of  strong  character,  who  loved 
danger  and  adventiu'e.  and  whose  nomadic  spirit 
craved  the  excitement  and  opportunities  of  the 
frontier.  When  our  subiect's  father  was  but  a 
l)oy  he  went  witli  his  father  and  others  of  his 
family  to  the  present  site  of  Indianapolis,  Ind. ; 
but  when  that  region  began  to  take  on  a  sem- 
blance of  civilization,  he  moved  on  again,  this 
time  to  Hancock  C'ount.v.  111.,  where  he  took  up 
government  land  on  Bear  Creek.  The  Indians 
at  that  time  were  on  the  war  path,  game 
abomided.  and  danger  lurked  on  ever.v  hand. 
John  Harding  took  a  hand  in  eliminating  these 
conditions,  but  the  ver.v  tameuess  he  helped  to 
bring  about  had  no  charm  for  him.  and  in  1853, 
he  moved  to  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  with  his 
daughter  and  son-in-law,  his  wife  then  being 
deceased.  Here  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of 
sevent.v-five   years. 

Born  in  180.S,  Aaron  Harding  led  a  life 
scarcely  less  adventurous  than  that  of  his  father. 
He  inlierited  the  Harding  grit  and  courage,  and 
the  time  and  place  in  which  he  lived  bore  a 
heavy  strain  uiK)n  these  qualities.  Settling  on 
govenunent  land  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  he 
laid  aside  his  implements  of  peace  in  1S.'>2  to  en- 
list in  the  conflict  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians, 
known  as  the  Black  Hawk  War,  serving  as  a 
private  in  the  company  in  the  same  regiment  in 
which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  captain  of  a  com- 
Iian.v.  When  peace  was  restored  Mr.  Harding 
moved  to  Warren  Conntj',  111.,  where  he  im- 
proved a  farm  until  is:',.",  in  that  .vear  returning 
to  Schuyler  County,  where  he  died  Octolier  9, 
184.").  In  Schuyler  County  he  improved  a  farm, 
and  planted  an  orchard,  the  country  then  be- 
ing in  a  primitive  state.  One  day  he  killed  three 
deer,  which  he  jiursued  on  horseback,  striking 
them  on  tlie  head  with  a  jioking  pole  after  they 
had  been  run  down  by  hounds.  His  wife,  who  was 
bom  ill  Crawford  Couiit>-.  III.,   in   ISli).  came  to 


Schuyler  County  in  1820  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  She  nobly  shared  the  dangers  and  trials 
of  her  husband,  at  his  death  being  left  with  a 
family  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  attained 
years  of  maturity',  and  five  of  whom  were  mar- 
ried. Of  tliese,  but  two  survive,  William  M.  and 
Cassic.  tlie  latter  the  widow  of  Newton  Atkinson. 
of  Industry  Township,  McDonough  County.  Mi-s. 
Aaron  Ilardiug  died  on  January  25,  1892,  at  the 
age  of  eiglity-one  years. 

A  heavy  weight  of  resiionsibilit.v  rested  upon 
the  youth  of  William  McKee  Harding,  as  he  w.as 
only  six  years  old  when  his  father  died,  and  the 
resources  of  the  famil.v  were  at  very  low  ebb. 
His  attendance  at  the  subscri]ition  school  of  the 
neighliorhood  was  at  best  irregular,  tiut  he  was 
able  to  make  good  use  of  his  time,  and  lie  ac- 
quired an  average  education.  He  remembers 
putting  in  much  of  his  time  grubbing  hazel  and 
other  bushes.  Later  as  there  were  no  longer 
Indians  or  game  to  pursue,  his  love  of  adventure 
found  vent  in  a  trip  to  Texas,  where  he  bought 
a  herd  of  cattle  and  drove  them  across  the 
Iilains  to  the  State  of  Kansas.  The  sale  of  this 
herd  was  so  successful  that  during  the  follow- 
ing .year  (18711  he  made  another  .ioiirney  to  the 
South  and  bought  a  much  larger  herd,  co'isisting 
of  400  head.  These  he  fed  and  shiiijicd  to  St. 
I^uis,  and  in  187?.  returned  to  Schuyler  County 
just  in  time  to  go  under  with  the  panic  of  that 
year.  Nothing  daunted,  he  resumed  grubliing 
and  farming,  and  in  September.  1875,  married 
Louise  Scliultz.  with  whom  he  settled  on  Section 

I,  Buena  Vista  Township.  Mrs.  Harding  was  a 
native  of  Missouri,  in  which  State  her  mother 
died,  her  father's  death  occuiTing  at  Baders. 
Schuyler  County.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harding 
were  liorn  two  children,  of  whom  John  A.  died 
at  the  age  of  two  and  a  half  .vears.  while  Carrie, 
who  was  born  in  December,  1870.  is  the  wife 
of  William  Kirkham,  in  charge  of  the  old  Hard- 
ing homestead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kirkham  have 
three  children  :   Francis  Harding,  born  December 

II.  1901  :  Lyle  Raymond,  born  December  24. 
1903:  and  Robert  H.,  born  April  19.  1905.  The 
passing  of  Mrs.  William  (McKee)  Harding.  May 
3,  1880.  left  a  void  in  the  hearts  of  her  husband 
and  daughter  and  of  many  friends.  She  was  a 
gentle,  lovable  woman,  and  an  earnest  mem- 
ber'of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  rise  from  comparative  poverty  of  Mr. 
Harding  furnishes  an  encouraging  lesson  to  those 
who  struggle  with  adverse  circumstances.  He 
settled  on  his  present  farm  in  1851.  finding  it  all 
crude  and  uncultivated,  and  even  without  a  log 
cabin  in  which  the  family  might  have  temporai-y 
shelter.  He  earned  the  money  to  pay  for  his 
first  small  cabin,  and  this  in  turn  was  succeeded 
by  another  house  which  eventually  gave  place 
to  the  present  substantial  structure  in  which 
Mr.  Harding  lives  with  his  daughter  and  her 
famil.v.  All  of  the  buildings  which  now  house 
the  stock,  products  and  machinery  were  erected 
by  Mr.  Harding,  and  few  farms  in  the  township 
are  better  supplied  with  all  that  tends  to 
progressive  and  successful  farming.     More  than 


840 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


half  a  foutury  ago  he  set  out  an  orchard  which 
attained  maturity,  bore  Imit  in  season,  and 
passed  iuto  the  gnarled  and  useless  period  of  its 
existence.  This  was  succeeded  by  the  orchard 
which  uo«-  gives  shade  and  food  to  the  home- 
stead dwellers.  To  his  first  hundred  acres  he 
has  added  until  he  now  owns  200  acres,  lUO  of 
which  are  in  Buena  Vista,  and  the  remainder  in 
Littleton  'i'ownsliiii.  Mr.  Harding  has  been  a 
careful  and  painstaking  farmer,  living  always 
within  his  income,  and  studj'iug  scientifically 
the  diverse  possibilities  of  his  laud.  The  gen- 
erous and  kindly  impulse  is  noticeable  in  all  his 
walks  of  life,  and  in  his  relations  with  the 
Christian  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  devout  and 
active  memlicr.  Politically  he  is  identified  with 
the  Keimlilican  party,  which  he  has  aided  with 
a  conscientious  vote  if  not  with  olUcial  service, 
lie  is  honored  as  a  conservative  and  capable 
citizen  who  retlects  credit  uixiu  the  family  from 
which  he  springs  and  the  community  whose 
best  agricultural  and  general  interests  he  rep- 
resents. 

HARRISON,  Benjamin  Chadsey,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  leading  farmers  in  Brooklyn 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  a  man  of  high 
character  and  upright  life.  resi)ected  by  all. 
and  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  useful  citi- 
zens of  his  comnnudty,  was  born  iu  Krookiyu 
Townshii),  February  !t,  ]84ti,  a  sou  of  Benjamin 
and  Jlary  lUiggs)  Harrison,  natives  of  Indiana 
and  Kentucky  respectively.  The  paternal  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Brooklyn 
Townsbij),  Schuyler  County,  and  Sheldon  Itiggs. 
the  grandfather  on  the  maternal  side,  spent 
a  portion  of  his  early  life  on  the  ocean  as  .i 
sailor,  finally  becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  resi- 
dents of  the  same  township,  where  he  entered 
up  a  tract  of  government  land  thickly  c<ivereil 
with  timber.  Some  time  previous  to  the  Civil 
War  he  went  to  Te.xas,  and  remained  in  that 
State  until  the  conflict  was  over,  returning  then 
to  Brooklyn  Towuship,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days,  dying  about  the  year  1866. 
The  death  of  CJrandfather  Harrison  occurred  in 
Brooklyn  Township  in  1840.  Benjamin  Harrison, 
father  of  Benjamin  C,  was  the  owner  of  some 
land  in  the  locality  of  the  latter's  present  home. 
He  went  to  California  in  1.S4S.  living  there  for 
twenty  years.  On  his  retnni  to  Illinois,  he  made 
a  visit  to  Brooklyn  Township,  and  then  located 
in  Henry  County.  >Io..  where  he  departed  this 
life,  his  wife  having  passed  away  on  the  home 
place  in  1S67.  Their  family  consisted  of  three 
sons,  the  two  others  being  John  and  William 
Henr.v.  both  deceased.  The  mother,  having  been 
judicially  sejiarated  from  the  father,  was  mar- 
ried to  William  .Tustus.  by  whom  she  had  a 
daughter,  who  died  when  quite  young.  In  early 
youth.  Benjamin  C.  Harrison  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  in  his  vicinity,  and  grew  to  manhood 
inured  to  farm  life.  He  has  always  lived  on  the 
homestead,  which  liecame  his  by  inheritance. 
It  consists  of  140  acres,  located  in  Section  ■iG. 
Brooklyn  Township,  and  in  addition  to  this  he 


has  bought  110  acres  in  Sections  1  and  12, 
Camden  Towuship,  the  purchase  including  about 
fifty  acres  of  timber  land.  Besides  general 
farming,  he  is  engaged  in  raising  horses,  cattle 
and  hogs,  and  has  met  with  success  iu  all  his 
ojieratious. 

On  December  15,  1870,  Mr.  Harrison  was 
united  iu  marriage  with  Emma  Peterson,  who 
was  born  in  Camden  Township,  Schuyler  County. 
.Vi>ril  4,  IS.').'!.  Mrs.  Harrison,  a  woman  of 
most  excellent  traits  of  character,  is  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Alniira  (Davis)  I'eterson,  na- 
tives of  Indiana,  her  grandjiareuts  being  John 
and  ICdith  (Clifton)  Peterson,  and  Ward  and 
iMartha  (  I'tter)  Davis.  Fcjur  children  have 
blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  .Mi's.  Harrison, 
as  follows;  Mary,  l>orn  September  22.  1872,  .vho 
became  the  wife  of  Frank  L.  White,  of  Camden 
Township:  Wallaiv  B..  born  April  7,  1874,  who 
lives  in  Brooklyn  Township;  Jessie,  liorn  Sep- 
tember 2!),  187"),  who  married  Fleming  Homey, 
and  is  a  resident  of  Littleton.  III.;  and  Dwight. 
born  June  6.  18,81,  who  follows  farnung  on  the 
home  place. 

In  iiolitical  action,  Mr.  Harrison  Is  a  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party.  His  religious  con- 
nection, as  also  that  of  his  wife.  Is  with  the 
.Methodist  Fjiiscopal  Church,  in  which  he  of- 
ficiates as  trustee  and  steward.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harrison  are  held  in  warm  regard  by  all  their 
friends,  who  are  many  in  number. 

HARTMAN,  George,  a  well  known  and  pros- 
fierons  phiMibing  contractor  of  Rushville,  III.. 
,ind  one  of  the  most  prondnent  and  Influential 
citizens  of  that  place,  was  born  in  (Jolimibus, 
Ohio,  September  17,  1856.  a  sou  of  Henry  and 
Louise  Ilartman,  natives  of  Germany  and 
Fr.mce,  respectively.  His  parents  came  to  the 
Cnited  States  in  IS.'il  and  proceeding  to  Ohio, 
located  in  the  capital  city  of  that  State.  They 
were  the  parents  of  a  family  of  twelve  children. 

In  boyhood  George  Ilartman  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Columbus,  and  at  the  age  of 
1.5  years,  applied  hims<'lf  to  the  task  of  learn- 
ing the  trade  of  a  tinner  and  [tluniber.  In  this 
occupation  he  became  very  efllcient,  and  has 
followed  the  business  of  tinning  and  plumbing 
ever  since,  with  the  best  of  success.  From 
Columbus  he  moved  to  Toledo.  O..  where  he  re- 
mained three  years.  In  1881  be  became  a  resi- 
dent of  lUishville.  III.,  and  in  a  comparatively 
short  period  built  up  a  veo'  profitable  patronage, 
taking  a  position  at  the  head  of  his  trade,  and 
ranking  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
comnmnit.v.  He  secured  the  contract  for  the 
tin.  iron  and  slate  work  on  the  new  court  house 
in  Rushville.  and  also  that  on  the  county  jail. 
Besides  his  work  in  these  lines,  he  has  es- 
tablished a  business  in  pumps  and  well-digging, 
which  has  assrmied  considerable  proportion.  The 
apparatus  used  in  his  well-boring  operations  is 
of  his  own  invention,  and  not  only  greatly  facil- 
itates the  process,  but  has  given  him  no  little 
prestige  of  mechanical  ingenuity. 

On  Febniary  3,  1881,  Mr.  Hartman  was  united 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


8tl 


iu  marriage  with  Carrie  Telton,  who  was  licini 
iu  Bowling  Greeu,  Ohio,  where  iu  girllmud  shu 
eujoyetl  the  advantages  of  a  good  coiumon  w-hool 
education.  Three  interesting  children  were  tlie 
result  of  this  union,  namely  :  .May,  Louise  and 
Lilliau. 

In  ix>litics  Jlr.  Hartuian  is  a  stanch  adherent 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  prominent  in  its 
local  councils.  He  was  elected  Mayor  of  liush- 
ville  in  18:i!l,  and  gave  the  city  a  most  creditable 
and  satisfactory  administration.  Fraternally  he 
is  identitied  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  M.  W.  A.  and 
K.  of  P.  Socially  he  is  very  popular  and  the 
range  of  his  personal  acquaintance  includes  many 
warm  friends. 

HEERON,  Thomas  W.— Among  the  most  pros- 
perous aud  worthy  representatives  of  the  agri- 
cultural element  in  Schu.yler  County,  111.,  aud 
one  who  is  respected  by  all  for  his  good  qual- 
ities, is  the  well  known  farmer  of  Baiubridge 
Township  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this 
personal  record.  Jlr.  Herron  was  born  on  the 
"Darnell  farm."  in  Uushville  Township,  Schuy- 
ler Countj-,  III..  February  21.(.  18G0,  a  son  of 
David  and  Mary  (Hull)  Herron.  David  Herron 
was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  June  27, 
182!),  and  came  to  the  United  States  about  the 
year  1850,  locating  in  Mahoning  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married  to  Mary  Hull  in  1857. 
Not  long  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  had 
made  a  trip  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  returning 
in  a  short  time  to  Ohio,  and  subsequently  coming 
back  to  his  permanent  home  iu  Illinois.  Be- 
fore leaving  his  native  land  he  had  learned  the 
trade  of  a  weaver,  but  abandoned  that  occupa- 
tion on  locating  in  Ohio.  After  making  his  home 
in  Schuyler  County,  he  worked  for  some  time  by 
the  day  and  month,  and  then  followed  farming 
on  rented  land  until  18()5.  In  that  year,  he 
bought  ItiO  acres  in  Section  13,  Baiubridge  Town- 
ship. The  tract  had  been  heavily  timbered, 
and  the  only  dwelliug  on  it  was  a  log  cabin,  in 
which  he  and  his  wife  settled  down  to  house- 
keeping. He  applied  himself  to  the  task  of 
grubbing  the  stumjis  and  clearing  the  ground, 
and  in  course  of  time  made  many  substantial 
and  attractive  improvements  on  his  property. 
He  died  -Alay  fi,  1!)()4.  at  that  time  being  the 
owner  of  -140  acres  of  laud,  240  of  which  con- 
sisted of  the  home  farm,  the  other  200  being  lo- 
cated in  Frederick  Township.  His  widow  is  still 
living  on  the  homestead  place  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  j-ears,  iu  the  enjoyment  of  unimpaired  health 
and  of  the  sincere  respect  and  cordial  regard  of 
many  friends.  He  and  his  wife  became  the 
parents  of  six  children,  as  follows :  Martha  .T., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  forty-one  years :  Thomas 
W. :  Mar.v  A.  and  Robert,  who  died  when  four 
and  two  .years  old,  respectively ;  Blanche-  wife 
of  John  R.  Strong,  a  farmer  of  Frederick  Town- 
sliiii.  and  Lulu  K..  who  married  Grnvor  Dodds, 
a   farmer  on  Section  13.  Baiubridge  Township. 

Thomas  W.  Ilerrnn  was  roared  on  the  paternal 
farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  that  vicinity.    He  worked  on  the  home 


place  until  the  time  of  his  marriage,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-two  years.  Soon  after  that  event  he 
took  charge  of  the  240  acres  comprising  the 
homestead,  continuing  thus  until  18y.">,  when  ho 
bought  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  has  since 
lived.  At  the  time  he  took  possession  of  this 
land,  it  contained  no  dwelling  jjlace  except  an 
old  log  cabin.  He  built  a  tine  residence  of  eight 
rooms,  and  put  up  outbuildings,  and  substantial 
and  convenient  barns  for  the  care  of  his  stock. 
He  now  owns  100  acres  of  land  under  a  good 
state  of  cultivation,  and  is  looked  upon  as  one 
oi  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers  in 
his  township. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Herron  took  place  March 
24,  18!I2,  on  which  date  he  was  wedded  to  Sarah 
J.  Dodds,  who  was  born  in  Baiubridge  Township. 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  February  9,  18G0,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Sanuiel  and  Margarette  (Wilson) 
I>odds,  natives  of  County  Down,  Irelaud. 
(Further  particulars  in  regard  to  the  Dodds 
family  may  be  found  in  a  biographical  record  of 
Thomas  Dodds,  wliiih  ajipears  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.)  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Herron  have  one 
child.  Lottie  Myrtle,  born  August  23,  1S!M.  Jlrs. 
Herron,  a  woman  of  many  amiable  traits  of 
clniracter,  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  In  politics,  Mr.  Herron  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  although 
taking  no  active  part  in  political  contests  and 
entertaining  no  desire  for  public  office. 

HIGGINS,  Henry.~Few  residents  of  Brook- 
lyn Township  are  so  closely  in  touch  with  the 
progress  made  in  Schuyler  County  during  the 
jiast  half  century  as  Henry  Iliggius,  who  was 
born  in  Brooklyn  Township  in  the  early  'forties, 
and  has  known  no  other  home.  He  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Sarah  (Brewer)  Higgius,  natives  of 
Ohio  and  Morgan  Count.v,  Pa.,  respectively.  His 
paternal  grandfatlier,  Higgins,  died  in  Ohio, 
ivhile  the  maternal  grandfather.  Brewer,  passed 
away  in  Pennsylvania.  As  early  as  1S38  Daniel 
Higgins  came  as  a  pioneer  to  Schuyler  County, 
HI.,  and  on  the  farm  which  he  had  purchased  in 
Brooklyn  Township,  his  earthly  life  came  to  a 
close  al)out  1802,  having  reached  the  venerable 
age  of  ninety  years.  His  wife  had  died  in  1880. 
When  Daniel  Higgins  located  in  tliis  Township 
it  was  a  vast  wilderness,  presenting  little  of 
encouragement  to  clear  the  laud  and  prepare  it 
for  planting.  However,  he  lacked  none  of  the 
qualities  necessary  in  the  make-up  of  the  true 
I)ioneer,  and  was  undismayed  by  the  formidable 
task  which  hay  before  him.  Probably  one  of  the 
most  trying  experiences  during  the  early  days 
was  what  was  known  as  the  high  water  of  1844. 
In  common  with  all  the  other  farmers,  Mr. 
Ilisgins  lost  his  entire  crop,  the  only  one  n'ho 
had  anything  to  show  for  his  season's  work  tielng 
William  Brickman,  who  .succeeded  iu  saving  his 
coi-n. 

The  eldest  child  born  to  Daniel  and  Sarah 
Higgins  was  .lulia  A.,  who  became  the  wife  of 
.John  Fowler,  but  Iwth  are  now  deceased ;  the 
next  child   in  order  of  bii-th,   .lohn   W..   also   is 


842 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COFXTY. 


deceased ;  Jackson  is  a  resident  of  Brooklyn 
Towuship ;  Cbristoplier  died  in  lieuo.  Nev. ;  and 
James  is  a  farmer  of  Brooldyu  Township. 
Henry  was  born  on  liis  father's  farm  in  Brook- 
lyn Township,  ilay  17,  18-12,  and  here  his  en- 
tire life  has  been  passed.  He  clearly  recalls 
the  experiences  of  his  boyhood  while  endeavor- 
ing to  jrlean  an  education  in  the  primitive  schools 
at  Center  Kidge,  which  was  dist;intly  located, 
and  which  he  attended  «ith  as  much  regularity 
as  the  home  duties  would  permit.  The  building 
in  which  the  children  gathered  to  receive  their 
meager  instruction  was  a  rude  log  structure, 
and  its  only  furniture  consisted  of  slab  seats 
and  desks.  Here  the  children  c-onned  their  les- 
sons and  ate  their  lunches,  which  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  a  corn  cake  baked  in  the  old  Dutch 
oven  of  early  (lays.  >Ir,  Higgins  well  remem- 
bers the  time  during  his  boyhood  when  this 
primitive  fireplace  was  supplanted  by  the  more 
modern  cook  stove,  the  one  which  his  father  pur- 
chased being  the  first  one  to  make  its  appear- 
ance on  Center  Hidge.  The  day  after  its  imv- 
chase  neighbors  from  far  and  near  came  to  see 
the  wonderful  Invention.  The  mother  used  the 
stove  conlinuously  until  the  marriage  of  her 
sou  Henry,  when  she  gave  it  to  him  and  for 
five  years  thereafter  it  was  in  constant  service. 

The  marriage  of  Henry  Higgins  occurred 
October  9,  1873,  uniting  him  with  Sarah 
Gossage,  who  was  boru  and  reared  in  Brook- 
lyn Townshi]).  Mrs.  Higgins  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  .Mary  Jane  (Edmonson)  Gossage. 
the  former  still  living  and  making  his  home  with 
his  children.  Mrs.  Gossage  died  November  2, 
l!Hi."i.  .\fter  his  marriage  Mr.  Higgins  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  on  the  old  home  farm 
until  1885,  when  he  purchased  151  acres  of  land 
on  Section  t!,  Brooklyn  Township,  and  in  the  log 
cabin  which  he  erected  in  a  clearing,  the  family 
made  their  home  for  five  years.  In  1890  he 
moved  the  cabin  back  and  in  its  place  erected 
the  present  commodious  residence  now  occupied 
by  the  family.  In  keeping  with  this  he  has  also 
built  excellent  farm  buildings,  and,  taken  as  a 
whole,  it  would  lie  hard  to  find  a  more  ui>-to-date 
farm  e<iuipment  than  that  owned  by  Mr.  Higgins. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higgins  have  bectmie  the  parents 
of  two  children,  Charles  and  Ira  E.  Charles 
was  born  January  18,  1875,  married  Mi.ss  Chick- 
wood,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Artie  Ray, 
and  is  now  estalilished  as  a  farmer  in  Brooklyn 
Township:  Ira  was  born  April  6,  1883,  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Schuyler  County,  and  is  emjiloyed  in 
carrying  the  mail  from  Birmingham.  He'  mar- 
ried Inez  .Manlove.  who  was  born  in  Schuy- 
ler County,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  >Ianlove,  and 
two  children  have  been  born  to  them.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higgins  are  ardent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  politically 
Mr.  Higgins  is  a  Democrat. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  Henry  Higgins 
was  converted  to  Christianity  through  the 
preaching  of  a  Methojtlist  minister,  who  in  1861 
held  a  series  of  revival  services  in  the  old  Center 
Ridge  school   house.     In  January  of  that  year 


forty  were  converted,  including  Mr.  Higgins.  On 
Jlay  30  following  he  was  taken  ill  and  until 
June  !>  the  iloctor  remained  by  his  bedside  con- 
stantly. On  the  day  last  mentioned  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  while  Mr.  Higgins  was 
entirely  alone,  he  had  a  vision  in  which  he 
saw  a  man  standing  in  the  room  who  introduced 
himself  to  the  sick  hoy  as  his  Heavenly  Father. 
In  his  hauils  he  carried  a  large  book,  which  he 
gave  to  the  boy  saying  "Be  thou  healed,  be 
thou  whole."  Innuuediately  afterward  the  pa- 
tient turned  himself  in  bed,  the  first  time  he 
had  done  this  unassisted  since  his  sickness  be- 
gan. As  he  took  the  open  book  in  his  hands  he 
read  aloud  from  the  right  hand  page  the  names 
of  Christian  friends,  and  on  the  left  hand  page 
he  saw  the  names  of  friends  that  were  not 
professing  Christians.  He  also  saw  his  brother 
Christopher  standing  between  him  and  the  other 
friends,  and  thereafter  six  children  with  angels 
came  into  the  room.  At  the  reiiuest  of  his 
friends  Mr.  Higgins  joined  in  the  song  with  the 
angels  and  children,  and  those  who  were 
gathered  in  the  room  said  they  never  had  heard 
a  clearer  or  sweeter  voii-e.  After  the  song  was 
finislied  he  thought  he  was  in  heaven  and  there 
conversed  with  Job  and  the  Heavenly  Father, 
the  latter  saying  to  him  that  he  was  going  to 
send  him  (Mr.  Higgins)  back  to  earth  with  a 
message,  which  he  was  to  deliver  just  two  weeks 
from  that  day,  June  9,  to  those  friends  whose 
names  had  apiieared  in  the  left  hand  [lage  of 
the  lK)ok.  He  then  began  to  sink  and  his  father 
and  friends  who  were  watching  thought  he  was 
dying.  He  rallied,  however,  and  just  two  weeks 
from  that  day,  he  went  to  Center  Ridge  and  de- 
livered the  message  to  those  of  his  friends 
still  unconverted.  The  news  of  his  wonderful 
healing  caused  widespread  comment  and  was 
imblished  in  the  papers  of  Schuyler  County. 

HILLYER,  Henry.— No  retired  citizen  of 
Huntsville.  Schuyler  County,  has  contributed 
more  to  the  making  of  his  architectural  sur- 
roundings than  has  Henry  Ilillyer.  In  this  in- 
dustrious and  capable  builder  and  contractor 
of  other  days.  Schuyler  County  recognizes  a 
scion  of  one  of  its  very  early  and  prominent 
families,  one  who  has  left  the  imi)re.<s  of  his 
character  and  work  upon  Its  progress  and  devel- 
oimient  for  sixtj'-eight  yejirs,  and  who  invariably 
has  stood  for  the  best  commercial,  industrial, 
[lolitical.  religious  and  social  conditions.  Mr. 
Ilillyer  was  l)oru  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
.\ugust  15.  ]8:il,  and  in  that  -same  city  were  born 
four  daughters  out  of  the  fourteen  children 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Earwicker)  Hillyer, 
natives  of  Portsmouth,  England,  and  who  came 
to  .\merica  with  two  of  their  children  about 
1819.  In  Norfolk,  Va.,  where  the  family  lived 
for  a  time  after  arriving  in  America,  two  other 
children  were  liorn,  and  in  Baltimore,  which 
was  their  home  for  a  time,  a  daughter  was  bom. 
In  Cincinnati,  whither  they  moved  after  sev- 
eral years  in  New  York,  a  girl  was  added  to 
the  family,  and  in  the  same  city  the  mother  died. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYT.ER  COUXTY. 


843 


the  father  surviviug  her  until  1858.  Of  this 
large  family  three  uieiiiljers  uow  are  liviug. 
Isaac  JI.  ami  Edward  X.,  both  of  Ciuciunati, 
aud  Ileury,  of  lluutsville,  111. 

William  IliUyer  aud  his  sou,  James,  came  to 
Schuyler  Couuty  in  ISJ'.'J,  the  father  later  re- 
turning to  the  east,  while  .lames  went  west  in 
the  early  'hi ties  to  seek  his  fortune  in  tlie  mines. 
and  as  far  as  is  known  is  still  a  resident  of 
California.  Henry  Hillyer  was  educated  in  the 
public  sch(X)ls  of  Ohio,  aud  in  1S49  weut  to 
Chandlerville.  Cass  County.  111.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  caiijenter  trade  until  1855.  He  then 
came  to  Schuyler  County  and  took  the  contract 
for  a  large  two-story  frame  buildiug  for  Lewis 
F.  King,  "thereafter  continuing  his  trade  of  car- 
lieuter  "and  builder  with  growing  success.  He 
erected  many  barns  aud  dwellings  in  this  part 
of  tlie  county,  and  many  still  are  standing  in 
excellent  condition,  a  tribute  to  his  thoroughness 
and  conscientious  workmanship.  At  times  he 
was  a  large  emiiloyer  of  labor,  and  he  had  the 
gift  of  securing  from  his  employes  the  best  sei-v- 
ice  of  which  they  were  capable. 

January  24.  18G1.  ilr.  Hillyer  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Henrietta  Sauford.  who  was  born 
in  New  York,  April  20,  1840,  a  daughter  of  Syl- 
vester and  Maria  (Kedfield)  Sanford,  arrivals 
in  Huntsville  Township  in  1854.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Sanford  followed  farming,  then  re- 
tired and  built  a  Ijeautiful  home  in  Huntsville 
village,  where  his  death  occurred  iu  1880.  and 
that  of  his  wife  in  1895.  Of  the  five  children  of 
this  couple  three  are  still  living;  Henrietta, 
widow  of  James  Seeley,  of  Rushville;  George 
Sanford  of  Hampton,  Iowa ;  aud  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Hillyer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hillyer  are  the 
parents  of  four  children :  Herbert,  born  October 
1.  1861,  a  painter  aud  decorator  of  Beardstown, 
III.;  Florence,  wife  of  J.  V.  Smith,  an  oculist  of 
Kloomington.  111.,  and  parents  of  one  son. 
Bernard;  Minnie  wife  of  Alexander  Alters. 
of  Huntsville.  who  has  four  children ;  Edith. 
Ru.ssell.  Ralph  and  Carroll :  and  Dr.  Warren  E. 
Hillyer,  of  Huntsville,  who  has  a  son,  Ernest, 
andwho  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work, 

Mr.  Hillyers  is  the  only  family  left  of  those 
established  in  Huntsville  in  18(51.  He  has  been 
an  integral  part  of  the  community,  and  his  lalior 
has  netted  him  a  comfortable  competence.  For 
many  years  he  has  l)een  a  stanch  promoter  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  socially  is  con- 
nected with  the  local  lodge  of  Masons.  He  be- 
gan to  handle  the  tools  of  the  carpenter  when 
fourteen  years  old.  and  has  always  sought  to 
make  his  Work  of  value  to  his  fellow  men.  No 
man  in  the  township  is  held  in  higher  esteem, 
nor  has  anyone  a  larger  number  of  devoted  and 
appreciative   friends. 

HILLYER,  Warren  E.,  M.  D.— A  career  deeply 
in  tune  with  the  humanities,  and  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  community  of  Huntsville.  is  that  of 
Dr.  Warren  E.  Hillyer.  a  young  physician  and 
surgeon  of  recognized  skill  and  ability,  and  a  na- 
tive son  of  the  tow-n  in  which     are  centered  his 


professional  labors.  Bom  July  22,  1872,  Dr. 
Ilill.ver  is  a  son  of  Henry  Hillyer,  and  his 
preliminary  education  was  acquired  in  the  dis- 
trict school,  and  completed  iu  the  local  high 
school  in  the  class  of  1893.  Soon  after  leaving 
his  school  days  behind  him,  the  youth  entered 
the  otHce  of  IJr.  Smith,  of  Mt.  Sterling,  and  for 
eighteen  mouths  had  a  varied  exiicrience  in 
study  aud  supplenientai-y  prac^tice.  In  1895  he 
entered  the  Keokuk  Medical  School,  at  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  graduating  therefrom  in  the  three  years' 
course  in  JIarch,  1898. 

In  Fowler,  Adams  County,  111..  Dr.  Hillyer 
made  his  professional  begnning,  remaining  there 
and  succeeding  beyond  his  largest  expectations 
until  returning  to  his  native  town  of  Huntsville, 
Januai-j-  1,  1899.  In  the  meantime  he  has  worked 
up  a  large  aud  paying  practice,  has  demon- 
strated a  high  degree  of  ethcienc.v,  and  has  been 
esiiecially  successful  in  the  diagnosis  and  treat- 
ment of  complicated  aud  seemingly  hopeless  cases. 
He  has  a  large  and  well  equipped  otBce,  supplied 
with  electrical  and  other  expensive  apparatus, 
and  he  avails  himself  of  journals,  conventions 
and  i)ost-graduate  work  to  increase  his  efficiency 
and  capacity  for  usefulness.  A  pleasing  per- 
sonality is  not  tlie  least  of  his  professional,  as 
well  as  social  assets,  and  an  impression  of  sin- 
cerity invariably  is  backed  by  the  most  tnist- 
worthy  and  dependable  service. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Hill.ver  and  Orpha  Caine 
was  solemnized  April  23,  1899,  in  Adams  County. 
111.,  the  home  of  the  bride,  Mrs.  Hillyer  being 
a  daughter  of  Philip  Caine,  a  pronuuent  and 
wealthy  citizen  of  that  countj'.  Dr.  Hillyer  and 
his  wife  have  one  son,  Ernest,  born  September 
12,  1901.  The  doctor  affiliates  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  frateniall.v  is  connected 
with  the  Masons,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fello(\-s  and  Home  Fraternal  League.  Iu  pol- 
ities he  is  a  Democrat. 

HODGE,  William  Hamilton.— The  city  of  Rush- 
ville. has  produii'd  many  men  of  sterling  char- 
acter, superior  intelligence  and  progressive 
spirit,  whose  lives  have  contributed  largely  to 
the  increase  of  its  prosperity  and  reflected  signal 
credit  upon  the  place  of  their  birth.  Among 
these.  William  II.  Hodge,  who  sjient  a  long  and 
honored  life  in  that  locality,  always  conspicu- 
ously indentified  with  its  best  interests,  is  sec- 
ond to  none,  Mr.  Hodge  was  born  in  Rushville, 
111..  Jannai-y  12.  18.34.  His  father,  John  Hodge, 
who  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  was  bom  in  the 
vicinity  of  Mt.  Sterling,  Ky..  March  20,  1800. 
Louisa  (McCIure)  Hodge,  his  mother,  was  born 
in  the  same  neighborhood..  March  24,  1814.  .John 
Hodge  uioved  from  his  native  State  to  Illinois 
In  1831,  establishing  his  home  in  Rushville.  He 
was  a  conspicuous  factor  in  the  early  activities 
of  the  place,  and  constructed  the  running  gear 
of  the  well-known  carding  mill  which  was  then 
put  iu  operation.  He  departed  this  life  in  1809, 
his  wife  dying  the  same  year.  They  had  seven 
chihlren.  of  whom  the  venerable  gentleman  to 
whom  this  record  pertains  is  the  sole  survivor. 


844 


niSTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Four  died  in  iufaucy ;  of  tlie  two  others  de- 
ceased, ivljo  reached  maturity,  John  passed  away 
at  the  age  ot  Iweuty-oue,  and  Alice  married  a 
grandson  of  the  Confederate  General  Price  and 
left  one  child. 

William  II.  Hodge  passed  his  youthful  years 
in  the  iiareutal  home,  and  made  diligent  use  of 
the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  common  schools 
of  Kushville.  After  liuishing  his  studies  he 
fitted  himself  for  thi-  work  of  telegraph  oper- 
ator, and  continued  in  that  occupation  several 
vears.  .SuhsiMiuently  he  hccame  a  wool-carder, 
iuul  was  thus  engaged  until  1SG9,  from  which 
period  his  time  was  variously  occupied  until 
1SS7. 

On  October  25,  1S65,  Mr.  Hodge  was  united  in 
marriage,  in  Oakland  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  with  Matilda  T.  Clupper,  who  was  born 
in  I'cim.sylvauia,  a  daughter  ot  Jacob  and  Mary 
Clupper,  "natives  of  that  State.  On  coming  to 
Illinois,  ihoy  first  located  in  Fulton  County. 
The  marriagf  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hodge  resulted 
in  seven  children,  Uve  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  John  W.,  a  resident  of  Mosier.  Ore., 
who  married  Effie  Jack,  and  is  the  father  ot 
one  daughter  and  three  sous ;  Etta  E.,  wife  of  J. 
S.  McKinzie,  their  children  being  Uazel  and 
James  Hodge ;  Lewis  C,  who  lives  in  Mosier. 
Ore.,  and  Ora  H.  and  Olie  M.,  twins,  of  whom 
the  latter  is  at  home. 

HOOD,  James  E.,  a  leading  citizen  of  Bain- 
bridge  Toivnship.  Schuyler  County,  111.,  whose 
farming  operations,  c-onducted  on  a  very  ex- 
tensive scale,  have  made  him  favorably  known 
thiMughout  the  county,  was  liorn  in  Cass  County, 
111.,  .^ray  IT),  1855.  Sir.  Hood  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Alineda  Hood,  natives  of  Beardstown,  111. 
(Further  details  in  regard  to  the  life  of  the 
senior  James  Ilood,  and  particulars  concerning 
his  family,  may  be  found  in  a  narrative  of  the 
carwr  of  \V.  C.  Hood,  appearing  in  this  connec- 
tion.) The  birth  of  James  E.  Hood  occurred  on 
the  larm  of  his  father,  a  little  southeast  of 
Beardstown,  111.,  and  he  helped  the  latter  in  the 
work  of  the  place  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old, 
meanwhile  attending  the  district  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  Then  he  was  employed  in  the 
blacksmith  shop  with  his  father  for  the  next 
three  .\cars,  and  afterwards  followed  farming 
several  years  in  Cass  County.  In  1883,  he 
bought  220  .acres  of  bottom  land  in  Bainbridge 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  and  in  the  spring 
of  the  ensuing  year,  took  possession  of  the  new 
place,  moving  with  his  wife  into  a  small  log 
cabin  that  he  had  made  ready  for  occupancy, 
and  s<ion  building  a  two-room  frame  dwelling. 
The  land  was  covered  with  stumps  and  brush, 
and  he  at  once  applied  himself  to  the  task  of 
grubbing  and  blasting,  and  clearing  the  brush 
away.  The  first  22(1  acres  thus  prepared  for 
tilliiig  now  constitute  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  productive  pieces  of  land  in  Central  Illi- 
nois. To  the  original  purchase  he  has  added 
150  acres,  and  the  entire  property  is  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.     All   the  fences   and  other 


improvements  on  this  extensive  farm  are  the 
result  of  Mr.  Hood's  unremitting  toil,  his 
preliminary  work  largely  consisting  in  removing 
a  great  ma.ss  of  elderberry  and  ash  sprouts.  In 
1907,  he  had  115  acres  of  wheat  ami  IH)  acres  of 
corn  on  the  ground  formerly  covered  with  tliick 
brush  and  timber.  The  farm  is  well  stocked, 
the  accommodations  for  the  shelter  and  care  of 
his  stock  are  substantial  and  convenient,  as  is 
also  the  present  family  residence,  and  the  owner 
of  this  sujierb  j)ro|H'rty  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  foremost  agriculturists  of  Schuyler  County. 

Mr.  Hood  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  .Mary  E.  Hyde,  to  whom  he  ivas 
wedded  .March  .'!.  1881.  She  was  born  in  South 
Dakota,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Hyde. 
Four  children  were  the  issue  of  this  union, 
namely:  James  William,  Grace  Almcda,  Le 
Koy  and  Frank.  William  is  at  home;  Grace  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  E.  Lawler,  a  sketch  of  whose 
life  api)oars  elsewhere  In  this  volume:  Le  Uoy 
marriwl  Until  I'ersinger,  and  is  the  father  of  one 
child.  Vivian  .\.,  and  Frank  is  at  home.  The 
mother  of  this  family  died  August  15,  1881).  On 
July  1<;.  ISiil,  Mr.  Hood  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mary  N.  Lawler,  whose  birth  occurred 
-Xpril  ."'.,  1.S<>0.  .Mr.s.  Hood  is  a  daughter  of 
John  Hugh  Lawler,  mention  of  whom  is  made 
in  the  sketch  of  Kobert  E.  Lawler.  above  re- 
ferred to.  The  ofTsiiring  of  the  second  marri.ige 
is  five  children,  as  follows:  Jessie  A.,  born  .\prll 
1.">.  ISOL';  Mary  Kulh  born  September  10.  ],S0:!; 
Robert  E„  liorn  March  1!).  1805;  John  Albert, 
born  June  7,  1808 ;  and  Harriet  Luclle,  born 
May  27,    lOflO. 

On  political  Issues,  Mr.  Hood  has  ahvays 
acted  with  the  Democratic  party,  although  never 
taking  an  active  interest  in  party  campaigns, 
and  being  wholly  without  ambition  for  public 
office.  He  and  his  wife,  together  with  the  other 
members  of  both  families,  are  the  objects  of 
cordial  regard  from  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

HOOD,  William  C— One  of  tlie  finest  home- 
steads and  most  sociat)le  households  in  Schuyler 
County  Is  that  presided  over  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  C.  Hood,  on  Section  13,  Bainbridge 
Township.  The  large  farm  Is  thoroughly  culti- 
vated and  verj-  productive,  and  improvements 
are  modern  and  carefully  maintained,  while  the 
residence  itself  is  convenient,  comfortable  and 
cheerful  in  ajipearance.  The  chairs  are  easy 
and  inviting,  good  literature  is  scattered  through 
the  house,  and  the  presiding  geniuses  of  the 
place  see  to  it  that  their  friends  are  made  to 
have  a  pleasing  consciousness  of  welcome  and 
good  cheer.  The  result  Is  that  the  sons  and 
daughters  have  found  their  society  at  home, 
until  they  were  ready  to  go  out  into  the  world 
and  establish  households  of  their  own.  If  there 
were  more  homes  founded  on  this  model  there 
would  be  many  hapjiier  children,  husbands  and 
wives;  and  If  this  good,  substantial  couple  had 
never  accomplished  more  in  their  lives  than 
this,  their  success  and  final  reward  would  still 
be  great. 


-i  S  c: 

-tJ-5   S 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


845 


William  C.  Hood  was  born  two  and  a  half 
miles  souttieast  of  Beardstowu,  Cass  County,  111., 
on  the  16th  of  January,  1853,  a  sou  of  James 
and  Alneda  (Knapp)  Hood,  the  father  beius 
a  native  of  Scotland,  where  his  parents  passed 
their  lives.  James  Hood,  however,  had  listened 
with  impatient  eagerness  to  glowing  tales  told 
by  those  who  knew  of  the  opi)ortuuities  af- 
forded a  capable  young  man  in  America,  and  in 
1S42,  when  he  had  just  passed  his  majority,  lo- 
cated in  New  York  to  work  at  his  trade  "as  a 
blacksmith.  Thence  he  traveled  westward  to  the 
raw,  brisk  young  city  of  Chicago,  and  to  its 
older  competitor,  St.  Louis.  Finally  deciding 
that  his  prospects  would  be  better  in  a  smaller 
place,  he  removed  to  Beardstowu,  and  after 
followiug  his  trade  there  for  a  time  returned  to 
New  York  for  a  wife.  Soon  after  his  marriage 
he  again  located  in  Beardstowu,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  blacksmith's  sliop  in  connection  with 
his  farm  until  1!X>2,  when  he  reached  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  He  then  retired  from  active 
work,  and -now  resides  with  a  son,  who  is  work- 
ing at  his  father's  trade,  and  a  vs-idowed  daugh- 
ter, all  of  Beardstowu.  His  wife  who  became 
the  mother  of  eiglit  children,  died  on  De<:-ember 
6.  1006,  having  borne  five  sous  aud  three  daugh- 
ters, namely:  William  C. :  .James  Edward,  a 
farmer  of  Bainbridge  Township ;  Charles,  who 
is  a  blacksmith  at  Beardstowu ;  Johu  Heno", 
who  died  in  infancy ;  Frank,  residing  on  the 
home  farm  in  Cass  County :  Martha  G..  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighteen ;  Hattie,  the  widow 
of  William  Garrison,  who  is  keeping  house  in 
Beardstowu  for  her  father  aud  brother ;  and 
Mary,  who  married  David  Methland,  a  con- 
fectioner of  Salina,  Kan. 

James  Hood,  who  h.is  now  reached  the  ven- 
erable age  of  eightj'-six  years  has  been  one  of 
the  busiest  and  most  respected  citizens  of 
Beardstowu :  and  the  high  honor  still  abides 
with  him.  When  he  first  located  in  the  county 
he  purchased  a  farm  near  the  city,  u|wu  which 
he  resided,  walking  to  his  blacksmith  shop  in 
the  morning  and  back  to  his  homeste.-id  in  the 
evening.  He  afterward  added  to  his  real  estate 
until  the  home  farm  amounted  to  20O  acres,  and 
he  also  owned  2.50  acres  in  the  northern  part  of 
Frederick  Township.  Besides  managing  his 
farm  and  running  his  blacksmith's  shop.  Mr. 
Hood  took  an  active  and  not  unimportant  part  in 
r>olitical  issues.  He  served  in  the  City  Council 
of  Beardstowu  for  a  number  of  terms,  and  was 
well  in  the  advance  in  all  public  euter]irises. 
As  to  the  secret  fraternities,  he  has  long  been 
a  mmber  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

William  C.  Hood  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
less  than  three  miles  southeast  of  Beardstowu. 
Cass  County.  111.,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  that  place.  I'rior  to  his  marriage 
in  1877  he  removed  to  Bainbridge  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  and  inunediately  commenced 
the  improvement  of  his  land  in  Section  1.3.  He 
cleared  off  the  heavy  timber,  brought  the  land 
to  a  state  of  fine  cultivation,  and  made  all  the 


material  improvements  which  now  make  his 
homestead  so  noticeable.  Mr.  Hood  owns  not 
only  307  acres  in  Bainbridge  Township,  but  153 
in  Frederick,  making  a  large  and  valual)le  es- 
tate of  460  acres  of  some  of  the  choicest  land 
in  Schuyler  County.  For  the  realization  of  this 
success  he  by  no  means  claims  entire  credit, 
gratefully  according  the  sharer  of  his  joys  aud 
sorrows  the  honor  also  of  winning  for  himself 
aud  family  a  high  and  substantial  place  in  the 
home    community. 

On  December  29,  1877,  Mr.  Hood  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Drawve,  a  native  of 
Beardstowu,  Cass  County,  lx)ru  June  21,  1860, 
and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Marj-  (Schweer) 
Drawve.  Both  her  parents  were  natives  of 
(jermany,  her  mother,  who  was  born  in  Essen, 
October  8,  1832,  coming  to  America  in  1850. 
She  was  married  to  Ileury  Drawve  in  1858, 
when  tliey  moved  to  Bainbridge  Township  and 
lived  upon  a  farm  there  until  the  death  of  the 
husband  July  7,  1S05.  The  widow  died  Novem- 
ber 1.  18ri7,  leaving  the  followiug  children:  Mrs. 
W.  C.  Hood;  Mrs.  F.  B.  Crawford,  of  Rock 
Island,  111. ;  Henry  aud  Herman,  farmers  of 
Bainbridge  aud  Frederick  Townships,  respect- 
ively; .Mrs.  N.  Brenner,  who  married  a  Frederick 
Township  farmer ;  Mrs.  J.  H.  Shaw,  of  Havana, 
III. ;  and  Mrs.  Enmia  L.  Hemingway,  a  resi- 
dent of  Rock   Island.   111. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  .and  Mrs.  William  C. 
Hood  have  been  as  follows :  Jennie  A.,  born 
Septemlier  0,  1S77,  who  married  Joseph  P. 
Quigle.v,  January  20.  1901,  and  has  one  child- 
Raymond  W.,  born  November  7,  1902,  the  family 
home  being  in  St.  Louis,  and  the  husband,  be- 
ing a  boot  and  shoe  manufacturer ;  Harry  W., 
born  October  27.  1880.  who  married  Miss 
Lucinda  Ix)ring  Au.gust  31.  1890,  and  by  her 
has  had  two  children— Burdett.  bom  September 
l.j.  1000,  aud  Margaret,  November  14.  1906 — 
the  husband  being  a  farmer  of  Frederick  Town- 
ship; Johu  II.,  born  October  5,  1882,  aud  died 
October  30,  1884;  O.scar  .J.  bom  October  16. 
1,ss4:  Grover,  born  March  18.  1888;  and  Floyd  J. 
born  June  13,  1802,  the  last  three  children  liv- 
ing at  home.  Both  Mr.  Hood  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Royal  Neighbors,  with  which 
thev  are  very  appropriately  identified.  Mrs. 
Hood  is  a  leading  factor  in  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  and.  while  her  husband  Is  not  associated 
with  any  denominational  body,  he  is  an  earnest 
and  liberal  supi)orter  of  educational  and  moral 
movements.  He  also  belon.gs  to  the  Beardstowu 
Camp  No.  570.  Modem  Woodmen  of  America. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  has  filled  various 
township  offices,  and  is  a  man  to  whom  prom- 
inence in  many  fields  of  endeavor  has  never  come 
at  the  sacrifice  of  bis  honorable  manhood  or  the 
[lubllc  interest. 

HORNEY,  Cyrus,  one  of  the  oldest  residents 
of  Schuyler  County.  III.,  of  which  he  was  for 
many  years  an  enterprising  and  prosperous 
farmer  and  leading  citizen,  was  bom  in  Guil- 
ford County.  N.  C.  September  30,  1825.  a  son  of 


8iG 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Jonathan  aud  Lydia  (lloruey)  Horuey,  whose 
birthplace  was  iu  that  same  locality.  The 
Iiatcnial  gi-aiidpareuts,  JIaulove  aud  Lydia 
(Smith I  lliiriiey,  as  well  as  the  graudparents  ou 
the  maternal  side,  Jeffrey  aud  Elizabeth 
(Pidyeon)  Horney.  were  also  natives  of  North 
Carolina.  In  182!),  Jonathan  Homey  aud  his 
wife  journeyed  by  team  across  the  eountiy  to 
Schuyler  Co\inty,  111.,  stopping  in  Buena 
Vista  Township,  where  Grandfather  Manlove 
Horuey  had  located  some  time  previously, 
and  thence  proceeding  to  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, there  spending  the  winter  of  the  "big 
snow,"  of  tS:«)-.31.  Early  in  the  latter 
year,  they  settled  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 
Section  (i,  Littleton  Township,  where  Jonathan 
Horney  entered  uj)  100  acres  of  land  ou  the  edge 
of  the  timber.  This  tract  he  improved,  putting 
a  large  part  of  it  under  cultivation.  In  18.50  he 
sold  his  land,  moving  to  Adams  County,  111., 
where  he  bought  another  tract  containing  130 
acres.  There  he  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  Ilis  wife,  Lydia  (Horney) 
Horney.  had  passed  away  in  18;il,  and  he  had 
married  .\gnes  (Dark)  Noble,  who  departed  this 
in  18!»7.  Cyrus  Horney  remained  with  his  father 
and  step-mother  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  assisting  on  the  farm  and  re- 
ceiving his  educ.ition  iu  the  primitive  subscrip- 
tion schools  of  the  vicinity.  After  his  marriage 
he  located  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Section 
12,  Brooklyn  Township,  which  was  partially 
inii)roved.  To  this  he  added  at  intervals,  until 
he  be<ame  the  owner  of  245  acres,  lying  in 
Sections  1,  2,  11  and  12,  in  that  township.  At 
the  outset  there  was  no  dwelling  on  the  place 
but  a  log  cabin,  aud  deer,  wolves  and  wild  turkey 
were  plentiful.  Mr.  Horney  made  some  Im- 
provements, putting  all  his  laud  under  cultiva- 
tion excejit  forty  acres  of  timber,  besides  general 
farming,  raising  considerable  stock.  In  course 
of  time  he  built  a  six-room  frame  house,  and 
had  good  barns  and  outbuildings.  His  successive 
purchase  of  land  included  tracts  of  108,  G5  and 
;!(>  acres,  which  he  retained  until  1S07.  when  he 
disjiosed  of  a  iiortion.  selling  the  remainder  in 
ItKK).  The  (!■">  acres  were  traded  for  jiroperty  In 
the  village  of  Brooklyn,  consisting  of  twelve  lots, 
of  which  he  has  since  sold  two.  In  town,  he 
has  a  large  frame  residence  of  eight  rooms  and 
a  sununer  kitchen,  and  in  this  home  he  and  his 
wife  have  lived  since  lie  withdrew  from  active 
pursnits. 

Mr.  Horney  has  been  twice  married.  On 
March  28.  1840.  he  was  joined  in  matrimonial 
bonds  with  Eliza  Hayes,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
by  whom  he  had  five  children,  namely :  Lean- 
der,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  yeai-s;  William, 
who  died  when  twenty-one  years  old ;  Jeffrey, 
who  lives  in  Decatur  County,  Iowa  :  John  Frank- 
lin, who  was  born  in  .January,  1S52.  and  died  at 
Russell.  Kan..  March  20.  i;X)T:  and  Ann  Eliza, 
who  died  in  infanc.v.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily departed  this  life  July  24.  18.54.  On  July 
14.  18.50.  Mr.  Horney  w.is  united  in  marriage 
with     Meriby     Abererombie,     born     in     Shelby 


County,  Ohio,  June  30,  1839,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  B.  aud  Mary  (Dey)  Abererombie,  na- 
tives of  i'euusylvania  and  Neiv  Jei-sey,  resiK.'C- 
tively.  The  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Horney  were 
John  and  .Mary  (Creej  Abererombie,  aud  Louis 
and  Jlary  (Heard!  Dey,  the  paternal  grand- 
parents having  been  born  in  I'ennsylvania,  aud 
those  on  the  maternal  side  in  New  Jersey.  Four 
children  resulted  from  the  latter  union,  namely: 
Clare  (Mrs.  Thomas  Lantz)  a  resident  of  Brook- 
lyn, III. ;  Jonathan  B.,  of  Bloomingtou,  111., 
Presiding  Elder  in  the  Methodist  Eiii.scopal 
Church ;  Jlary  B.,  wife  of  Uev.  Kobert  Hart- 
rick,  D.  D.,  of  Ashland,  III.,  a  well  known 
Methodist  divine ;  aud  Cyrus  Sloan,  who  carries 
ou  farming  iu  Brooklyn  Township,  Schuyler 
County. 

In  politics  Mr.  Homey  is  an  old-time  Kepulili- 
can,  and  has  been  prominent  aud  inllueutial 
in  local  affairs.  He  has  lilled  the  office  of  Koad 
Commissioner  and  served  twelve  years  as  .lust- 
ice  of  the  I'eace.  lie  and  his  wife  are  uienibers 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he 
has  been  a  dassleader  mjiny  years.  Both  are 
piHjloundly    resjiected. 

HORNEY,  Samuel  Madison,  who  is  known  from 
one  end  to  the  other  of  Schuyler  County.  HI., 
as  one  of  its  most  prominent  and  prositerous 
farmers,  is  a  native  of  the  same  county,  having 
been  bom  in  Littleton  Township,  May  20,  1844, 
a  son  of  Leander  and  Jane  (Crawford)  Horney, 
North  Carolinians  by  birth.  Samuel  and  Amelia 
(Charles)  Horney,  the  paternal  grandparents, 
were  also  natives  of  North  Carolina.  Samuel 
Horney  was  a  solilier  iu  the  War  of  1812,  and 
as  a  result  of  such  senices  received  a  land 
warrant  from  the  (iovernment,  under  which  he 
obtained  100  acres  of  laud  in  Buena  Vista 
Township,  Schuyler  County.  lie  served  also  in 
the  Black  Hawk  War.  thereby  securing  land  in 
Littleton  Township.  The  grandparents  on  the 
maternal  side,  William  aud  Melinda  (Thomp- 
son) Crawford,  were  Keutuckians  by  nativity, 
and  came  from  that  State  to  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  early  in  the  'lliirties.  settling  in  Littleton 
Townshiii.  Leander  Horney,  father  of  Samuel 
M.,  was  an  Infant  when  brought  to  Schuyler 
County  by  his  jtareuts.  He  grew  to  manhood  on 
the  home  farm,  and  in  1S4G  took  part  in  the 
Mexican  War,  being  wounded  in  the  hip  at  the 
Battle  of  Buena  Vista.  Returning  home  in 
1848.  he  .settled  down  to  farming  in  Littleton 
Township.  .Mid  in  course  of  time  became  the 
owner  of  \.:',()0  acres  of  land  in  different  parts 
of  Schuyler  County.  Five  hundred  acres  of 
this  property  were  in  Littleton  Township,  mostly 
covered  with  timber,  some  of  it  being  swamp 
land  along  the  river.  He  served  as  County 
Surveyor  previous  to  1801.  holding  that  office 
twelve  years.  On  August  G.  1801.  he  enlisted  for 
the  Civil  War.  becoming  a  member  of  the  Tenth 
Regiment.  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  St. 
Louis,  and  rising  to  Ihe  rank  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel.  He  was  killed  in  battle  at  Cliampicm 
Hills,  Miss.,  near  Vicksburg.  in  May  18G.3,  and 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


847 


was  buried  there,  his  body  being  removed  after 
the  war  aud  laid  in  Thompson  Cemetery,  Lit- 
tleton To\Yuship.  His  widow  made  her  home  in 
the  same  township  until  the  time  of  her  death, 
February  20,  1007,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  They  reared  a  family  of  three  sons  and 
four  daughters. 

Samuel  M.  Homey  was  the  second  of  the 
seven  children  born  to  his  parents.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  21 
years,  attending  the  district  schools,  and  being 
for  eight  fnonths  a  pupil  in  the  select  school  of 
Mr.  JIarpel,  at  RushviUe.  On  attaining  his 
majority,  he  began  farming  for  himself.  Two 
yeare  later  he  bought  eighty  acres  in  Section 
30,  Littleton  Township,  a  part  of  It  being  prairie 
land  and  the  rest  covered  with  brush.  This  he 
imiiroved,  and  occupied  from  the  spring  of  1S()7 
until  the  spring  of  1801,  selling  it  in  the  latter 
year  aud  moving  to  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  par- 
tially improved,  which  he  had  purchased  in 
Section  18.  of  the  same  township.  Subsequently, 
he  bought  eighty  acres  more  in  Section  10,'  aud 
has  since  thoroughly  improved  the  entire  prop- 
erty. His  residence  is  16  by  28  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, with  a  stoi-j'-and-a-half  ell,  and  has  18- 
feet  posts.  In  the  spring  of  1007  .he  bought 
from  his  mother  eighty  acres  of  laud  in  Section 
20,  which  adjoins  the  home  place.  Besides  gen- 
eral farming,  he  is  engaged  in  raising  horses 
cattle  aud  hogs,  his  labors  being  attended  by 
profltable  results.  He  feeds  and  ships  two  car 
loads  of  stock  each  year. 

Mr.  Horney  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Elizabeth  Sellers,  to  whom  he  was 
wedded  in  Sciitember,  1806.  She  was  born  in 
Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  County,  III.,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ritchie)  Sell- 
ers, respectively  natives  of  Tennessee  and  Penn- 
sylvania. Four  childreu  resulted  from  this  union, 
as  follows :  Loren  L..  who  is  engaged  in  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  in  Littleton,  111.; 
Harlan  E..  a  physician  residing  in  Van  Alstyne, 
Tex. :  S.  Fleming,  who  is  connected  with  a 
grocei-y  store  at  Littleton,  111. ;  and  Eva  Pearl, 
wife  of  Fred  Scott,  a  farmer,  of  Littleton  Town- 
ship. The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  March 
188.5.  In  May  1887,  Mr.  Horney  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Frances  L.  Raper.  born  in  Little- 
ton Township.  Scliuyler  County,  and  a  daughter 
of  Cyrus  and  Emily  (Irvin)  Raper,  the  former 
being  born  in  North  Carolina  and  the  latter, 
in  Kentucky.  The  issue  of  the  second  marriage 
was  seven  children,  namel.v :  Verna,  who  mar- 
ried Wallace  Winters,  a  liveryman,  of  Little- 
ton, III.;  Clifford,  Dana,  Athel.  Speed  M..  Merle 
and  Clara  R..  who  are  with  their  parents.  In 
politics.  Mr.  Horney  is  identified  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  he  and  his  wife  maintain 
a  high  standing  among  the  citizens  of  Schuy- 
ler Countj-. 

HUNTER,  George  R.,  most  favorably  kn  >wn 
throughout  Central  Illinois  in  connection  with 
the  Bank  of  Schuyler  Count.v.  of  which  he  is 
President,  as  well   as  identified  with  many   im- 


portant commercial  interests  elsewhere,  and 
widely  popular  by  reason  of  the  sterling  traits 
of  his  character,  was  born  in  RushviUe,  111.,  July 
27,  ISoU.  Mr.  Hunter  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Johanna  (Dougherty)  Hunter,  the  father  bom 
near  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  the  mother  at  New 
Ross,  County  Wexford,  Ireland.  The  former 
died  August  20,  1883,  the  latter  having  passed 
away  February  0,  1882.  James  Hunter  was 
reared  in  Kentucky,  and  in  the  early  'thirties 
located  in  RushviUe,  111.,  where  his  marriage 
with  Johanna  Dougherty  took  place.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1848,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  moved 
to  Pleasant  View,  111.,  where  he  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  besides  his 
general  farnnng  operations,  developed  a  fine 
orchard.  There  his  death  occurred,  as  also  that 
of  his  wife,  the  brother  of  the  latter,  Richard 
Dougherty,  dying  the  same  year  as  his  sister. 
.Vnother  brother,  .lohu  Dougherty,  who  was  a 
prominent  real-estate  dealer  in  RushviUe,  de- 
parted this  life  in  the  'seventies.  James  Hun- 
ter's farm  comprised  eighty  acres  of  land  and 
was  nicely  improved.  In  politics,  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat, but  averse  to  seeking  public  office.  In  re- 
ligion his  wife  was  a  strict  Catholic,  and  her 
husband  became  a  convert  to  that  faith.  Both 
led  exemplary  lives  and  enjoyed  the  respect  of 
all  who  knew  them. 

Ceorge  R.  Hunter,  the  only  child  of  his  par- 
ents, attended  the  public  schools  of  RushviUe, 
and  the  district  schools  of  Schuyler  County,  and 
afterwards  became  a  student  in  the  Jesuit  Col- 
lege at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  (The  St.  Louis  Univer- 
sity), where  he  took  a  four  years'  course.  Then 
he'settled  on  the  home  farm,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  derived  a  consideable  profit  from  the  prod- 
uct of  his  orchard  already  referred  to,  his  fruit 
crops  sometimes  yielding  from  $4,000  to  $5,000 
per  year. 

At  the  time  of  the  oganization  of  the  Bank  or 
Schuyler  County,  Mr.  Hunter  took  some  of  its 
stock',  and  having  persistently  declined  the  presi- 
dency of  the  bank,  Thomas  Wilson  was  chosen 
for  that  position,  Mr.  Hunter  becoming  Vice- 
President.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Wilson,  Mr. 
Hunter  succeeded  him  as  President,  and  has  ■ 
since  continued  in  that  position.  He  is  a  saga- 
cious and  conservative  financier,  and  his  mdivid- 
ual  investments  of  large  amounts  have  been  judi- 
I'ious  and  profitable.  He  is  doubtless  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  Central  Illinois,  and  own.? 
stock  in  quite  a  number  of  commercial  enter- 
iirises  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Al- 
though liberal  to  a  fault,  he  is  utterly  devoid  of 
ostentation,  shunning  publicity  in  his  benefac- 
tions, and  not  letting  "his  right  hand  know  what 
his  left  hand  doeth."  No  one  was  ever  denied 
assistance  wlio  came  in  distress  to  George  R. 
Hunter,  and  were  the  facts  revealed,  more  than 
one  nian  in  Schuyler  County  has  been  saved  by 
his  timely  aid  from  financial  ruin.  Mr.  Hunter 
is  a  man  of  su|xn-ior  intplligence  and  wide  in- 
formation. .Mthough  of  a  retiring  disposition 
and  modest  liearing.  his  temperament  is  genial, 
and  his  manner  towards  all  affable  and  pleasing. 


848 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


His  friends  me  numerous,  not  being  confined  to 
Schuyler  County  or  tlie  State  of  Illinois,  but  lo- 
cated in  eveiy  part  of  the  country.  Ue  was 
never  married,  but  extends  a  graceful  hospitality 
to  all  guests  who  visit  his  country  residence  at 
Pleasautvie«-,  Schuyler  County. 

Politically,  Jlr.  Hunter  is  a  Democrat,  and  in 
religion  is  a  devout  Catliollc.  being  a  member  of 
the  Koman  Catholic  Church  of  Kushville,  to  the 
support  of  which  he  has  contributed  most  liber- 
ally. He  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus. 


HYMER,  Samuel.— The  years  184G-47  ivere  pro- 
lific of  arrivals  in  Schuyler  County,  and  a  gen- 
eral impetus  in  farming,  merchandising  and 
tradesmanshij)  seems  to  have  been  the  result. 
These  were  hardy  souls  who  left  comfortable 
homes  in  the  East,  and  allied  tlieir  fortunes  with 
a  religion  sustained  chiefly  by  hope  and  the  as- 
surance of  remarliable  fertility  of  soil.  In  1837 
came  John  and  Sarah  (Jackson)  Hymer.  the  for- 
mer bom  in  (Juilford  County,  .\.  C.  and  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  Randolph  County,  the  same  State. 
John  Hymer  bad  much  to  recommend  him  to 
the  sellers  who  had  preceded  him.  for  be  was 
experienced  as  a  farmer  and  also  had  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  blacksinitbing.  He  had  been  an 
early  settler  of  Harrison  County.  Ind..  where  he 
had  combined  farming  and  blacksmlthing.  and 
where  bis  son,  Samuel  Hymer,  the  present  repre- 
sentative of  the  family  in  kushville  Township, 
was  liorn  May  17.  is:.".!.  The  elder  Hymer  lo- 
cated on  laud  in  Kushville  Township,  and  for 
years  followed  farming  and  hlacksmithlng,  his 
death  occurring  in  1S(!2. 

Sanuiel  Hymer  was  reared  to  farming,  and  as 
opiwrtunity  offered  attended  the  district  school 
during  the  winter  season.  He  married  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty,  January  18.  1S40,  Mary  J. 
Thompson,  of  Maryland,  and  an  early  arrival  in 
Schuyler  County.  Mr.  Hymer  enlisted  in  the 
Union  .\rmy.  Septemlier  la.  1862.  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  served  until  he  was  mustered  out  May 
1.5.  1865.  His  martial  record  was  a  highly  com- 
mendable one.  and  showed  him  a  man  of  cour- 
asre  and  patriotism.  Mu.stered  in  as  Second 
Lieutenant,  be  soon  after  l)ecame  First  Lieuten- 
ant, and  upon  retiring  from  the  service  was 
brevetfed  Major.  Returning  to  his  home  in 
Schuyler  County.  Mr.  Hymer  the  following  year 
removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  general 
farmiug  and  stock-raising,  and  where,  in  1871. 
he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  He  still  continued  to  farm,  how- 
ever, and  also  became  prominent  in  politics,  be- 
ing elected  to  the  Kansas  Legislature  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1800. 

In  IfKM.  Mr.  Hymer  returned  to  Rushville.  and 
since  has  lived  in  retirement.  He  has  a  pleas- 
ant home,  and  his  days  are  bri;;htened  by  asso- 
ciation with  many  of  the  pioneers  who  knew  him 
in  the  old  days.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist  Episcopal   Church,   and   fraternally   is  con- 


nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

IRVIN,  William  G.,  known  throughout  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  as  the  proprietor  oi  the  hotel  at 
Brooklyn,  III.,  was  born  near  Stanford,  Shelby 
County,  Ky.,  January  10,  1880,  a  sou  of  George 
Washington  and  Beersheba  (Elmore)  Irvin,  a.so 
natives  of  that  county  and  a  grandsim  of  Star- 
ling Irvin.  tJeorge  W.  Irvin  and  his  family 
moved  from  Kentucky  to  Schuyler  County,  111., 
early  in  the  last  century,  traveling  by  wagons 
and  settling  at  Rushville.  The  father  died  on  his 
farm  near  Rushville  about  the  year  1840,  and 
live  years  after  his  death,  bis  widow  was  married 
to  John  Spoonamore,  and  continued  to  reside  in 
this  vicinity.  Both  are  long  since  deceased. 
The  first  marriage  resulted  in  two  sons  and  four 
daughters,  and  the  sec-ond,  in  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  all  of  whom  are  dead,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Zadiariab  T.  Spoonamore,  who  Is  a  resi- 
dent of  Cooperstown,  Brown  County.  III.  Wil- 
liam G.  Irvin  attended  school  in  Littleton  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  remaining  at  home  with 
his  mother  and  stei>-father  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  old.  when  he  hired  out  on  a  farm.  In 
18G.3,  he  secured  employment  in  the  Randolph 
Hotel  at  Macomb.  .McDonough  County,  III.,  where 
he  remained  until  1870.  Following  this,  he 
worked  two  years  as  a  clerk  in  a  Littleton  (111.) 
store,  and  substMiuently  carried  on  farming  for  an 
equal  period,  then  purchasing  a  general  store  in 
Doddsville.  .M<l)onough  County,  which  he  con- 
ducted until  ISiM),  serving  also  as  Postmaster  of 
that  town  for  twenty  years.  In  the  year  last 
mentioned,  he  sold  out  his  business  interests  in 
Doddsville,  moving  to  Rushville,  Schuyler  County, 
and  taking  charge  of  Peters'  Hotel,  which  he 
kept  a  year.  On  relinquishing  this,  he  again 
went  into  the  mercantile  business.  locating  in 
Brooklyn.  III.,  and  later,  building  the  hotel  which 
he  has  since  continued  to  operate.  It  has  a  ca- 
parit>-  of  eleven  rooms,  and  is  the  only  house  of 
public  entertainment  ever  conducted  In  Brook- 
lyn. 

On  March  10.  l.KilS.  Mr.  Irvin  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Frances  M.  Brown,  who  was  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Industn.-,  McDonough  County. 
III..  May  2:?.  1851.  and  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  and 
Mary  (Rolph)  Brown,  natives  of  Da.vton.  Ohio. 
Eight  children  resulted  from  this  union,  as  fol- 
lows: Estella,  and  Idella.  twins,  who  were  born 
December  20.  1800.  and  died  January  :i6, 
1870:  Lulu  May.  liom  February  20.  1871  :  Mamie, 
bom  June  20.  187:i.  deceased  -Vugust  26.187:{; 
Vivian  Randolph,  bom  August  17,  1876 ;  Jennie, 
born  May  l."?.  18.80;  William  F..  Itorn  November 
2.  1.8,8."',:"  and  Mary  Hulda.  bom  December  0. 
1.889.  Lula  M.  married  James  Merriweather.  of 
New  London.  Iowa  ;  Vivian  R.  is  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  business  at  Galesburg.  III., 
under  the  firm  name  of  the  Galesburg  Grocery 
Company:  Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Manlove. 
of  Augusta.  III. :  William  F.  is  in  the  mercantile 
trade  in  Brooklyn,   HI.,  and  holds  the  office  of 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


849 


Postmaster  of  the  town,  residing  witLi  liis  i)ar- 
euts ;  auil  Mary  II.  is  also  at  Lioiiio . 

Mr.  Irviu  joined  the  Baptist  Clmn/h  at  Dodds- 
ville  iu  1S82,  but  is  uow  a  member  of  tlie  Pres- 
byterian Cbiurh.  of  Broolilyu,  there  being  no 
church  of  the  tormer  denomination  iu  the  vil- 
lage. In  politics,  he  has  long  been  a  Republican. 
He  and  his  wife,  together  with  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  are  highly  respected. 

JARMAN,  Lewis  A. — For  many  years  public 
uiiiniou  has  accorded  Lewis  A.  Jarman  a  fore- 
most place  among  the  citizens  and  legal  practi- 
tioners of  Schuyler  County,  and  so  stable  a  fix- 
ture has  he  become  iu  the  affairs  of  Rushville 
that  his  election  to  his  present  position  as 
Mayor,  iu  April,  1905,  would  seem  a  natural  and 
expected  continuation  of  the  many  honors  grow- 
ing out  of  his  alMlity,  integrity  and  large  capacity 
for  useful  citizenship. 

Of  Southern  ancestiy  on  both  sides  of  his  fam- 
ily, Mr.  Jarman  was  born  iu  Greensboro,  Md., 
September  2,S.  18.58,  a  son  of  Thomas  H.  and 
Mary  E.  (Lewis)  Jarman,  natives  of  Maryland 
and  Delaware,  respectively.  His  grandparents, 
Thomas  II.  and  Elizabeth  Jarman,  were  born  in 
Maryland,  and  his  maternal  grandparents, 
Thomas  II.  and  Sabra  Lewis,  were  natives  of 
Delaware  and  Maryland,  respectively.  Com- 
pleting his  i)relinHnary  education  at  the  Western 
Maryland  College,  at  Westminster,  he  then  en- 
tered the  Maryland  University,  at  Baltimore, 
and  after  graduating  therefriau   In  the  class  of 

1881,  sjient  a  year  acquiring  the  rudiments  of 
law  in  a  law  office  in  Baltimore,  and  has  been 
in  the  active  practice  of  law  in  Rushville  since 

1882.  building  upon  the  foundation  of  splendid 
personal  (|ualities.  a  reiiutation  for  reliable,  con- 
servati\'e  and  dependable  professional  service. 

An  abiding  belief  in  the  best  tenets  of  the  Re- 
publican ]iarty  has  led  Mr.  Jarman  to  espouse 
its  cause  with  vigor  an<l  enthusiasm,  and  througli 
various  local  official  channels  he  has  labored  to 
promote  the  best  Interests  of  the  conmiunity. 
Sir.  Jarman  was  a  delegate  from  the  Fifteenth 
Congressional  District  to  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Convention  in  .Tune,  I90-1.  and  in  April, 
1905,  was  elected  chief  executive  of  the  city  of 
Rushville.  His  marriage  to  Lizzie  B.  Ray.  a 
native  of  Rushville  and  graduate  of  the  North- 
westeni  University,  at  Evanston,  111.,  occurred 
June  2(1,  1889.  The  distinguishing  characteris- 
tics of  Mr.  Jarman  are  force  of  character,  in- 
domitable energy  and  executive  ability,  potent 
agencies  for  the  advancement  of  men  to  import- 
ant stations  in  life. 

JONES,  Edward  J.— Although  a  resident  in 
other  sections  of  the  comitry  for  brief  periods. 
Mr.  Jones  has  always  been  anxious  to  return  to 
Schuyler  County,  and  here  i')ractically  all  of  his 
active  life  has  been  passed.  At  this  writing  he 
resides  on  North  Maple  Avenue.  Rtishville,  where 
he  owns  two  residence  properties,  and  in  addi- 
tion is  the  owner  of  an  improved  farm  of  160 
acres    in   Oakland   Towniship.     The   latter   town- 


ship is  the  place  of  his  birth,  April  12,  lSi2,  be- 
ing the  date  thereof.  His  father,  J.-inies  Thomp- 
son Jones,  was  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of 
Schuyler  County,  whose  memory  long  will  re- 
main green  iu  the  hearts  of  those  bound  to  him 
by  ties  of  kinship  or  friendship.  In  physique 
he  was  very  tall  and  tinely  proiwrtioued,  and  his 
height  led  to  his  selection  as  color-bearer  in  the 
days  when  military  feeling  ran  high  and  when 
preparations  for  war  were  being  made  on  every 
hand.  The  son  of  a  Whig,  he  himself  was  an 
ardent  Democrat  and  never  failed  to  give  his 
allegiance  to  the  princiiiles  and  candidates  of 
that  party. 

A  native  of  Havre  de  Grace,  Md.,  James 
Thomiison  .lones  was  bom  June  19.  1812.  and  in 
boyhood  went  to  Pennsylvania  with  his  lather, 
Edward  J.,  (also  a  native  of  Maryland).  The 
family  settled  in  Washington  County,  where  his 
father  died  and  was  buried  in  the  Bethel  Church 
Cemetery.  Upon  starting  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world  he  came  to  Illinois  and  took 
up  laud  iu  Oakland  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
where  he  began  the  clearing  of  his  land.  After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  there  married  Mary  I'erine,  born 
in  1810.  While  they  were  living  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  son,  Stephen  P.,  was  born  in  August  of 
1840.  Later  they  came  to  Illinois  and  the  sec- 
ond son,  Edward  J.,  was  born  in  Oakland  Town- 
ship, which  also  was  the  birthplace  of  the  third 
son,  David,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
The  wife  and  mother  died  on  the  home  farm 
February  (5,  18-14.  Later  the  father  went  back 
to  Pennsylvania  and  in  1846  married  Don-as 
Gorsuch,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  accom- 
panied her  father,  Nicholas  Gorsu<-h.  a  Virginian 
by  birth  and  ancestry,  to  Pennsylvania.  Dur- 
ing 18.52,  James  T.  Jones  ag.-iin  came  to  Srbuy- 
ler  County  and  took  up  farming  pursuits  in  Oak- 
land Township,  where  four  children  were  born 
of  his  union  with  Miss  Gorsuch,  namely:  Eliza- 
beth, now  the  widow  of  .Vliram  Bly  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Oakland  Township ;  Mary,  wife  of  New- 
ton Edmonston,  a  farmer  of  Oakland  Township ; 
George  W.,  who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this 
work ;  and  John  Jones,  a  carpenter  living  in 
Rushville.  The  father  died  September  7,  1871, 
and  was  buried  in  a  cemetery  near  Vermont. 
111.  For  years  he  had  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  besides  which  he  had  been  Road  Comiuis- 
sioner  and  a  member  of  the  County  Board  of 
Suiiervisors.  A  natural  mechanic,  his  skill  with 
tools  led  him  to  do  considerable  cariientering  and 
he  also  was  engaged  at  the  trade  of  brick-mason 
to  some  extent. 

Upon  leaving  the  old  home  farm  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  .years.  Edward  .1.  Jones  went  to  Mis- 
souri and  there  worked  for  eighteen  months. 
However,  he  was  not  satisfied  to  remain  in  that 
country  and  returned  to  his  early  home.  No- 
vember 28,  1894.  lie  married  Ella  Tutt,  who  was 
born  in  Rusliville  Townshi])  Jamiary  24,  1807, 
being  a  daut;bter  "t  James  and  Marietta  Tuft, 
natives  of  Kentucky  but  pioneers  of  Schuyler 
County.     Here  Mr.  Tutt  died  in  October,   1893, 


850 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY". 


and  here  his  widow  still  makes  lier  lioiue  in 
UusUville  Towusliii).  After  reiuaiuiug  ou  the 
home  farm  for  some  years,  in  1899  Mr.  aud  Mrs. 
Jones  removed  to  Kushville,  their  present  home. 
They  have  two  children,  namely :  Lolla  Edna, 
horn  Fehruary  S,  1S9U;  and  Herman,  horn  Ue- 
eemher  '■',.  1;m)1.  The  family  attend  the  .Mellio- 
dist  Ejiiscopiil  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Jones  is 
an  active  memher.  Three  times  Mr.  Jones  was 
elected  Supervisor  from  Oakland  Township,  and 
iu  addition  he  tilled  the  olHce  of  Koad  Commis- 
sioner during  his  residence  iu  that  township. 

JONES,  George  W. — It  is  significant  of  the  en- 
ergy aud  judgment  of  Mr.  Jones  that  he  has 
risen  to  a  position  of  iudependeuce  without  the 
prestige  of  capital  or  inlluence  to  aid  liim  iu 
starting.  When  he  hecjinie  a  land-holder  in 
Schuyler  County,  he  acquired  the  title  to  eighty 
acres  on  Section  .S-l,  Oakland  Township,  but  he 
lacked  ifli(K)  of  having  sutlicient  money  to  pay 
for  the  land  at  the  time  of  its  purchase.  A  part 
of  the  tract  was  n*t  cleared  aud  he  at  once  be- 
gan to  remove  the  heavy  timber,  thus  placing  the 
land  in  condition  for  cultivation.  The  th'st  iu- 
debtedness  was  soon  ])aid.  'i'hen  be  purchased 
additional  land,  and  from  time  to  time  he  ac- 
quired other  tracts  until  now  he  owns  4!M)  acres 
in  one  body  in  Oakland  'I'ownshii),  this  repre- 
senting the  energy  and  wise  management  of  his 
active  .vears. 

The  record  of  the  Jones  family,  which  apjiears 
in  the  sketch  of  Edward  J.  Jones  on  another 
page,  shows  that  they  came  from  Maryland,  the 
grandfather,  Edward  J.,  and  the  father,  James 
T.,  having  lK)th  been  natives  of  that  State,  but 
subsetpiently  residents  of  Washington  County, 
I'a.,  from  which  the  latter  migrated  to  Illinois 
in  an  early  day  and  settled  in  Schuyler  County. 
Among  the  children  born  of  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Gorsuch  was  George  W.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred -Vngust  IG,  1853,  on  the  farm  in  Uush- 
ville  Townshiji  now  owned  by  F.  P.  Richey. 
During  boyhood  be  accompanied  the  family  to 
Oakland  Township,  where  be  attended  school  and 
learned  the  rudiments  of  agriculture,  to  which 
his  life  has  been  devoted.  -Vfter  the  death  of  bis 
father  iu  1872,  he  left  the  home  roof  and  began 
working  for  others,  receiving  $18  per  month, 
nhich  was  at  that  time  the  very  highest  wages 
paid  to  farm  hands. 

The  marriage  of  George  W.  Jones  and  I?ho«>be 
Jane  Hose  was  solemnized  March  0.  1878.  Mrs. 
Jones  was  liorn  in  Chelsea.  Washtenaw  County. 
Michigan.  October  22.  1S,")4.  being  a  daughter  of 
Warren  P.  and  Mary  (DePeuw)  Rose.  The 
family  came  to  Illinois  about  lS.o7  and  settled  in 
Schuyler  Couny,  where  Mr.  Rose  cleared  a  tract 
of  Innd  in  Rushville  Townshii)  and  imjiroved  a 
good  farm.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  in  189."^, 
he  removed  to  Iowa,  dying  there  in  ISOC,.  All  of 
his  seven  children  survive  him,  namel.v :  Hardin 
C.  of  Ray.  111. :  Henry  B..  n  farmer  in  IJttleton 
Township:  Mrs.  Jones;  Richard,  of  Beardstown. 
III. :  Edna,  wife  of  Charles  E.  ChiT>man.  of 
Daveniiort,  Thayer  County.  Neb.;   Mira.  wife  of 


Gilbort  JIc-Millen;  and  .Vnnie  E.,  Mrs.  Samuel 
E.  Simpsou,  of  Oakland  Township.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Jones  are  as  follows:  Mary 
v.,  who  was  born  December  1,  1878,  and  died 
March  1,  19(>7 ;  David  P.,  born  August  lo,  1880; 
Edna  \'.,  who  was  born  November  20,  1882,  and 
is  now  Jlrs.  U.  Sowers,  of  Oakland  Township ; 
Annie  E.,  who  was  born  March  20,  iss.j,  and 
married  Lewis  Heaton,  of  Vermont,  111. ;  Maude 
E.,  born  May  29,  1888 ;  George  E.  and  James  E. 
(twins)  liorn  .March  24,  1891;  Can-ie,  June  10, 
1893;  and  Cra  Glenn,  October  20,  1890.  In 
working  to  imj>rove  his  farm  Mr.  Jones  had  the 
assistance  of  his  children  until  they.,  one  by  one, 
started  out  to  earn  their  own  way  iu  the  world, 
but  the  younger  still  remain  to  bless  the  home 
with  their  cheerful  iireseuce  and  brighten  the 
lives  of  their  parents  with  their  .syni|)athy  aud 
ready  aid.  Politically  Mr.  Jones  has  always 
been  a  stanch  Democrat  aud  ou  that  ticket,  has 
been  elected  to  various  local  offices ;  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  of  which  he  is  an  earnest  member, 
has  had  the  benelit  of  his  generous  contributions, 
as  well  as  the  co-operation  and  aid  of  his  family. 

JUSTUS,  Moses  L.  (deceased),  for  many 
years  connected  with  the  milling  business  iu 
Schuyler  County,  HI.,  but  who  spent  his  last 
years  in  retirement  at  Browning,  same  county, 
wa.s  bom  iu  Hancock  County,  111.,  December  12, 
1831,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Susan  (Bates) 
Justus.  The  liirth  of  .Moses  L.  Justus  occurred 
while  his  parents  were  traveling  by  wagou  to 
the  west.  (Jeorge  W;  Justus  was  liorn  in  Middle 
Tennessee  aliout  the  year  179.">,  and  in  1828  was 
married  to  Susan  Bates,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Bates,  of  Kentucky.  When  a 
young  man  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
teacher,  but  in  later  years  devoted  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  They  settled  at  Grand 
Island.  Browning  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
but  later,  for  some  time  lived  at  Suuunum,  Ful- 
ton Coutity.  George  W.  Justus  becan)e  the  owner 
of  considerable  tracts  of  land.  He  died  at  the 
home  of  his  son,  F.  M.  Justus,  at  the  age  of  slsty- 
six  yeai-s.  his  wife  having  passed  away  one  year 
previous  to  the  decease  of  her  husband. 

The  early  life  of  Moses  L.  Justus  was  passe<l 
in  Schuyler  County,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  His  marriage 
took  place  in  18.07,  when  he  was  united  with 
Martha  .\.  Steppe,  a  daughter  of  John  L.  Steppe 
and  wife,  natives  of  Tennessee.  In  iwlitics,  Mr. 
.Justus  was  a  supjiorter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  a  habitii;il  abstainer  from  all  intoxicat- 
ing li(|Uors.  and  a  strong  advocate  of  temperance 
princi[>les.  His  decease  occurred  January  ^0, 
1908. 

JUSTUS,  Dr.  William  P.,  a  well-known,  effici- 
ent and  popular  physician  of  Littleton,  Schuyler 
County.  III.,  was  bom  in  Browning.  Schuyler 
County.  May  29.  1.872.  a  son  of  Moses  L.  and 
Martha  A.  "(Steppe)  Justus.  (A  sketch  of  the 
father,  with  other  facts  of  ancestral  histor.v,  ap- 
pears in  a  preceding  section  of  this  biographical 


^^^^unT^t^hU^^^T-u^ 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


851 


portion  of  the  work.)  William  F.  Justus  re- 
ceived his  pduc:itii>ii  in  the  public  schools  of 
Browiiiui;  Township,  and  in  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  I'niversity,  at  Normal.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  lie  entered  the  College  of  I'hysi- 
cians  and  Surgeons,  at  Keolvuk,  Iowa,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1802.  He  then  began 
the  jiractice  of  medicine  at  Industry,  McDonough 
Count.v,  111.,  where  he  ccmtinued  in  practice  un- 
til ].S'.>7.  In  the  spring  of  1S9S,  in  company  with 
a  party  of  six  residents  of  Rushville.  111.,  he 
made  a  trip  fo  Alaska.  Returning  after  a  so- 
journ of  four  months  in  that  region,  he  located 
in  Littleton.  111.,  there  resuming  the  practice  of 
his  profession  on  Januaiy  1.  18'.W.  Since  then, 
through  skillful  methods  and  close  attention  to 
duty.  Dr.  Justus  has  succeeded  in  acquiring  a 
substantial  patronage  in  Littleton  and  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  has  gained  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  practitioner  of  solid  attainments 
in  medical  science  and  as  a  strict  adherent  of 
the  highest  ethics  of  the  healing  art. 

On  April  7,  1894,  Dr.  Justus  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Anna  JI.  Garrison,  who  was  born 
in  I/ittleton  Township,  Febniary  28.  1874.  Jlre. 
Justus  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  W.  and  Anna  JI. 
(Justus)  Oarri.son.  Her  father  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  while  the  birthplace  of  her  mother  was 
Brooklyn  Township,  Schuyler  Count.v.  One 
child  is  the  issue  of  this  union.  Ansel  Howard, 
born  Hay  26,  1895. 

Politically.  Dr.  Justus  is  a  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  has 
sen-ed  one  term  in  the  office  of  Supervisor  of  Lit- 
tleton Township.  In  fraternal  circles,  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  .M.  W.  and  the  M.  W.  A.,  of  Little- 
ton, the  I.  O  O.  F.,  of  Rushville.  III. :  and  the  B. 
P.  O.  E.,  of  JIacomb,  McDonough  County.  Dr. 
Justus  has  won  the  confidence  of  those  who  have 
availed  themselves  of  his  professional  services, 
and  of  the  public  in  general,  and  socially  he  and 
his  estimable  wife  maintain  a  deservedly  high 
standing. 

KELLY,  James  M.— The  iiresent  high  social 
and  financial  standing  of  .James  M.  Kelly  among 
his  acquaintances  in  Schuyler  County  is  a  trib- 
ute fo  his  indomitable  energy  and  to  the  perse- 
verance with  which,  unaided,  he  has  fought  the 
battle  of  life  ever  since  he  was  a  lad  of  tender 
years.  As  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War  he  took 
part  in  nian.v  sanguinary  engagements  and  faced 
many  bnsniess  interests:  is  a  stockholder  and 
ties  he  has  also  had  many  stniggles.  hut  in  both 
he  has  been  victorious.  Through  nnu-h  of  his  ac- 
tive life  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
of  recent  years  he  has  retired  to  some  extent 
from  the  manual  labor  connected  with  the  devel- 
opment of  a  farm.  However,  he  still  retains 
many  business  interests,  is  a  stockholder  and 
director  in  the  People's  State  Bank  of  Astoria, 
and  is  President  of  the  Deep  Water  Commission 
of  Brown  and  Schuyler  Counties.  Kelly  lake 
and  branch  were  named  in  his  honor,  and  in 
maii.v  wa.vs  he  has  left  the  impress  of  his  force- 


ful personality  upon  the  locality  where  for  years 
he  has  been  a    leading  citiy.en. 

In  \'ermout  Township.  Fulton  County,  111., 
James  .M.  Kelly  was  born  Scplenilier  7,  1S44,  Ihe 
third  child  of  Franklin  15.  and  Kli/.abeth  (Hol- 
liugsworth)  Kelly.  The  former  was  born  in 
Fleming  County,  Ky.,  December  2.">,  1812,  a  soji  of 
Francis  F.  Kelly.  About  18:i(j  he  migrated  to 
Fulton  County,  HI.,  and  secured  a  claim  near 
the  village  of  \'ermout.  where  he  died  about 
185.3,  when  James  M.  was  nine  years  of  age. 
The  members  of  the  family  were  as  follows : 
Francis  .M..  who  was  a  member  of  the  Fifty- 
first  Illinois  Infantry  during  the  Civil  War  and 
died  in  Fulton  County  about  1875;  Caroline,  who 
maiTied  Titus  Andrews,  of  Holleuberg,  Washing- 
ton County,  Kan, ;  James  M. ;  Emily,  wife  of 
John  Swink,  of  Washington,  Kan. ;  Cynthia  A.. 
Mrs.  Evert  Biugham ;  Sarah.  Mrs.  Harlow  Pal- 
mer: and  Margaret,  who  died  in  girlhood. 

Had  the  life  of  Fraidvlin  B.  Kell.v  been  spared 
to  old  ago,  undoubtedly  he  would  have  attained 
flattering  success,  as  at  his  death  in  middle  age 
he  t)wned  a  farm  of  100  acres,  the  fruits  of  his 
unaided  efforts.  This  he  left  to  his  sons,  Fran- 
cis .M.  and  James  M.,  they  to  operate  the  land 
and  support  the  other  members  of  the  family. 
The  mother  remained  at  the  old  homestead  until 
her  death,  and  the  sisters  also  grew  to  woman- 
hood there,  leaving  the  old  roof  tree  for  homes 
of  their  own.  The  younger  son,  James  M.,  not 
being  old  enough  at  his  father's  death  to  assist 
greatly  in  the  development  of  the  farm,  started 
out  in  the  world  to  earn  his  own  way.  At  the 
age  of  eleven  years  he  went  to  JIacomb.  where 
he  worked  for  his  board.  His  employer  was  a 
drover  and  the  bo.y  thus  had  an  opi)ortunity  of 
working  with  horses,  an  occupation  of  which  he 
was  fond.  In  1856  he  returned  to  the  old  home. 
Two  years  later,  in  the  fall  of  18.58,  he  came  to 
Schuyler  County  and  began  to  work  by  the 
month  for  his  mother's  father,  with  whom  he 
lived  until  his  enlistment  in  the  army. 

When  the  call  came  for  soldiers  to  aid  in  the 
preservation  of  the  Union,  the  patriotic  spirit  of 
James  JI.  Kelly  was  aroused,  and  on  October 
20,  1861,  he  enlisted  at  Peoria,  111.,  as  a  private 
in  Company  G,  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  com- 
manded b.v  Colonel  Robert  G.  Ingersoll.  The 
regiment  rode  on  horseback  to  Benton  Barracks. 
In  the  spring  of  1862  they  went  from  St.  Louis 
to  I'ittsliurg  Landing.  The  Eleventh  bore  an  ac- 
tive part  in  many  sanguinary  engagements. 
Their  record  was  one  of  which  their  friends  felt 
proud,  and  which  oven  to  this  day  brings  its 
members  many  flattering  testimonials.  Their 
baptism  of  fire  came  at  Shiloh.  where  at  sunrise 
they  saw  the  enemy's  colors  waving  in  the  dis- 
tance as  they  approached  for  action.  About 
eleven  o'clock  General  Prentiss  was  captured. 
All  day  the  battle  raged  fiercely  and  the  brave 
Eleventh  fought  desp(>rately  to  defend  the  Infan- 
try. On  the  second  day  relief  came  anil  about 
twelve  o'clock  on  the  7th  of  .\pril.  the  encm.v 
was  driven  back  and  the  field  was  left  to  the 
dead    and    the    dying.     Again    at    Corinth    the 


852 


UlSTUEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Eleventh  defeuded  the  Infantry  amid  great  peril. 
Other  and  later  liattles  hrought  tbem  added 
laurels  of  fame.  The  arduous  eumiiaigu  with 
Sherman  to  the  sea  found  them  ever  at  their  iiost 
of  duty.  After  the  suiTender  of  the  Coufederai-y. 
Company  G  proceeded  to  Washington  and  took 
part  in  the  grand  review  as  e.<cort  to  General 
Frank  I'.  Blair,  benig  honored  with  that  jxtsi- 
tiou  in  recognition  of  meritorious  conduct  at  the 
l)attle  of  Hatchie's  Run.  Through  much  of  the 
active  senice  Mr.  Kelly  acted  as  Orderly  anil 
carried  messages  long  distances  from  one  Gen- 
eral to  another,  or  from  the  officers  to  his  com- 
rades. 

-Vfter  having  been  honorably  discharged  at 
Ujuisville,  Kentucky,  in  .July  of  18C5,  James  M. 
Kelly  returned  via  Springfield  to  Fulton  County. 
111.,  and  from  there  again  came  to  Schuyler 
Countj-.  Going  back  to  Fulton  County  in  IStxS. 
he  rented  a  farm  and  in  March,  ISGi),  married 
Miss  Emily,  daughter  of  Joseph  Kelly  and  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois.  Though  hearing  the  same  fam- 
ily name,  the  two  were  not  blood  relations. 
Subsequent  to  bis  marriage  Jlr.  Kelly  rented  a 
farm  in  Browning  Township.  Schuyler  County. 
In  187!),  ho  bought  12S  acres  on  Section  17,  Hick- 
ory Townshii),  where  he  and  bis  wife  lived  in  a 
log  cabin  until  they  accumulated  the  means  nec- 
essary for  erecting  a  lietter  house.  From  time 
to  time  he  added  to  his  possessions  and  now  owns 
378  acres,  all  in  one  l>ody. 

The  eldest  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelly  is 
Laura,  born  March  IS.  1S71  ;  she  married  Charles 
Harmon,  of  Canton.  111.,  and  has  two  children. 
Clarence  W.  and  Emily  Ethel.  The  second  child 
in  the  Kelly  family  Is  .\hbie,  born  September  2S. 
1875,  who  married  James  D.  WooUey.  and  has 
two  children.  Fay,  liorn  July  10.  1.S9.5.  and  Mae. 
bom  May  .3,  l,Sf»7 :  they  reside  on  the  old  home- 
stead. The  third  child,  Helen,  born  June  11, 
1877.  married  Fred  .V.  Scliullz  of  Teoria.  111., 
and  has  one  child,  born  Febrnar>-  12.  1897.  The 
fourth  child  of  Mr.  Kelly  Is  James  Francis,  liorn 
August  20.  lS,sn.  and  now  managing  the  old 
home  farm  on  S<>ction  17.  Hickory  Township. 
The  youngest  child.  Bertha,  was  bom  August 
2G,  18.82.  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Edward  Sack- 
man  of  Peoria.  For  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Kelly 
served  as  School  Director  .and  meanwhile  accom- 
plished much  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  schools  of 
his  district.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republi- 
can. Though  living  in  a  Democratic  township, 
he  has  been  three  times  elected  on  the  Repuhlii'an 
ticket  as  a  mendn'r  of  the  County  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors, and  the  fact  that  he  overcame  the 
usual  large  majority  of  the  opposite  party  speaks 
much  for  his  personal  popularity.  As  a  member 
of  the  board  he  proved  useful  and  efficient  and 
assisted  in  promoting  the  interests  of  his  town- 
ship as  well  as  the  general  welfare  of  his  county. 

KENNEDY,  Maxwell  (drveased>.  was  liorn  in 
f.otran  County.  Ky..  near  the  Tennessee  line.  .Tulv 
4.  1847.  His  parents  removed  to  Canton.  111.. 
In  the  vear  1.840.  where  they  resided  six  months, 
going  fi-oni  there  to  McDonough  County  and  lo- 


cating on  a  farm  near  \'emiont.  Here  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  early  educa- 
tion In  the  country  distri<-t  schools,  and  later 
attended  the  \'ermont  school.  When  sixteen 
\<'ars  of  age  he  liegan  his  career  as  a  teacher, 
his  Hi-sl  school  being  at  Foster's  Point.  He  later 
atteiKled  Eastman's  Business  College  at  Chi- 
<"igc).  where  he  laid  the  broad  fomidation  for  his 
future  successful  work  along  similar  lines.  .Vfter 
ri'turning  from  school  he  decided  to  take  up 
mercantile  work,  and  secured  a  position  as 
bookkeeper  for  a  Mr.  Itavenscroff.  at  Ver- 
sailles, but  he  soon  gave  this  up  to  resume 
t«'acbing,  his  next  im.-ilion  being  at  l^nincj-, 
where  he  taught  several  years.  From  (Julncy 
be  went  to  Industry  and  later  to  Macomb,  re- 
moving to  RushvlUe  in  1SS5,  where  he  resld(>d 
until   a    few    days   before   his   death. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  wjis 
jriss  Jennie  Greenup  of  Industry,  and  they  were 
married  in  March.  1874.  She  accompanied  him 
to  Itusbville.  !ind  died  In  this  city.  January  10, 
1.S.80.  leaving  one  son.  Charles,  now  a  resident  of 
San  Francisco,  Cal.  Prof.  Kennedy  was  married 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ellison  of  Vermont.  December 
:!0,  1.S0O,  and  she  survives  with  one  son,  Lloyd,  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  a  devoted  husband  and  father. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and 
In  his  private  and  public  life  he  met  the  full 
responsibilities  that  devolve  upon  the  true  teach- 
er, who  has  In  his  charge  the  moral  as  well  as 
the  mental  training  of  the  young  mind. 

Prof.  Maxwell  Kennedy,  former  President  of 
the  Rusbvllle  Normal  and  Business  College,  at 
I!uslivllle.  and  also  proprietor  of  a  similar  sihool 
in  M.icomb.  111.,  died  suddenly  at  Vermont.  Til., 
July  0.   1008. 

KERR,  John. — .\n  Instructive  example  of  what 
niav  be  accomplished  by  fixed  purpose,  tenacity 
of  will,  diligent  exertion  and  strict  honesty,  may 
be  found  in  the  life  of  the  worthy  retired  fanner 
of  Rtishville.  Schuyler  Count*-.  111.,  whose  name 
appears  above,  and  who.  although  beginnlni  his 
active  career  with  no  extraneous  aid.  started  out 
as  a  youni  l.nd  In  the  stnisrgle  for  self-supi>ort. 
and  won  success  by  untiring  perseverance  and 
thrifty  economv.  ^Tr.  Kerr  was  born  In  County 
Tvrone.  Ireland.  In  1840.  His  father.  .John 
Kerr  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  In  Ire- 
land, and  the  birthnlace  of  his  mother.  Rebecca 
fWeIrt  Kerr,  was  In  Scotland.  Neither  of  them 
ever  came  to  the  T'nlted  States. 

.Tohn  Kerr,  to  whom  this  personal  record  tw>r- 
talns.  attended  the  grammar  schools  of  Countv 
Tyrone  during  bis  boyhood,  and  accompanied  his 
brother  to  this  country  when  he  was  about  twen- 
tv-nne  ye^rs  of  age.  His  first  location  was  at 
Newark.  N.  J.,  where  he  was  employed  for  a  few 
years  In  the  milk  business.  Followlnsr  this  he 
obtained  work  In  a  woolen  mill  In  the  same  citv. 
remaining  in  that  connection  until  ISfiO.  when  he 
moved  to  Illinois,  settling  at  Rushvllle.  There 
he  was  engaj-ed  In  general  farmincr.  with  uniform 
success  until  his  retire?i>ent  from  active  pur- 
suits.    He  devoted  considerable  attention  also  to 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYT.ER  COUNTY. 


853 


tbe   operation   of  coal   iniues   ou   Uis   land,   with 
profitable  results. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Kerr  took  place  in  his 
native  country  in  ISS'J,  being  then  wedded  to 
l<;ieanor  Bell,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Anna 
(Mayne)  Bell,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
Ireland,  where  they  were  born.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kerr  became  tlie  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren, namely  :  Catherine  B. :  Joseph  A. ;  Annie 
E. ;  Robert  J. ;  James  F. ;  William  T. ;  Charles 
A. ;  and  May  L.  In  religious  belief,  Mr.  Kerr  is 
an  earnest  and  consistent  Methodist,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  ofHcial  Ijoard  of  the  local  church 
to  which  he  belongs.  Politically  he  is  a  stead- 
fast supporter  of  the  policies  of  the  Republican 
party,  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial members  of  the  community  and  one  of 
its  most  exemplary  citizens. 

KING,  Arthur  C. — During  the  entire  half  cen- 
tury of  his  life,  Arth\ir  C.  King  has  lived  on  the 
farm  in  Section  4,  Huntsville  Township,  where 
he  was  born  August  32.  18.57.  As  a  boy.  when 
general  conditions  were  cruder  and  less  pros- 
perous, he  bent  his  strength  to  small  and  unim- 
portant tasks,  and  as  a  man  of  wide  experience 
anil  worthy  ainl>itions,  he  is  the  sole  owner  of 
this  fine  property,  with  its  stretch  or  280  acres, 
and  its  adaptation  to  all  the  needs  of  the  Cen- 
tral Western  t.armer.  His  enviable  reputation 
rests  principally  upon  his  success  as  a  stock- 
raiser,  for  it  is  this  branch  of  farming  that  he 
finds  most  congenial,  and  to  which  he  brings  to 
bear  his  greatest  research  and  most  untiring 
industr>-.  Jlr.  King  owns  a  large  and  comforta- 
lile  coiuitry  residence,  well  constructed  barns  and 
outbuildinsrs  and  well  considered  facilities  for 
caring  for  stock.  During  a  year  he  disposes  of 
at  least  200  head  of  Short-liorn  cattle  for  butch- 
ering, and  man.v  more  for  milking  and  breeding 
purposes,  besides  1.50  bead  of  hogs,  and  a  large 
nunilier  of  horses.  His  opinion  regarding  stock 
bears  great  weight  in  the  community,  and  his 
advice  and  counsel  are  often  sought  by  those  of 
less  experience  along  these  lines. 

Mr.  King  was  reared  to  farming  by  his  father. 
Lewis  King,  and  his  education  was  acquired  in 
the  public  schools.  He  evidenced  early  business 
sagacity,  and  was  keen  at  a  trade  long  before  he 
settled  down  to  the  serious  responsibility'  of 
self-support.  He  has  always  made  his  work 
count,  a  fact  which  enabled  him  to  buy  out  ten 
heirs  to  the  old  homestead  in  1888,  and  in  the 
future  to  pay  his  own  taxes  and  direct  his  own 
farming  enterjirise.  Feln'uary  22.  ISOf).  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Louise  Stahman,  at  Car- 
thage, Ohio,  the  home  of  the  bride's  brother. 
Charles  Stahman.  Mrs.  King  having  been  liorn 
in  Weisberg.  Ind..  November  0.  ISHG.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Stnhnian,  and  Dora  CKeeher) 
Stahman,  natives  of  Germany,  who  died  when 
she  was  a  small  child,  the  mother  in  1875  and 
the  father  the  following  year.  There  were  seven 
children  in  the  Stahman  family,  of  whom  Caro- 
line, Henry  and  Minnie  are  deceased,  as  is  also 
Laura,   twin   of  Frederick,   the  latter  of  whom 


survived  until  his  sixteenth  year.  Mrs.  King 
lived  with  a  sister  after  the  death  of  her  par- 
ents, and  rt-hen  nineteen  years  old  began  to  make 
her  own  living  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  merchan- 
dise store  of  F.  M.  King,  of  Augusta,  brother  of 
her  husband,  and  it  was  there  that  she  met  the 
man  who  subsequently  became  her  husband. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  .Mr.  and  .Mrs' 
King;  an  infant,  deceased;  Harriet  Dorothy! 
born  July  15,  1902;  and  Theodore  llenrv,  born 
September  27,  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  are 
active  members  of  the  Presbvterian  Church  of 
Huntsville.  Mr.  King  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  is  not  active  except  at  the  iwlls.  He  is 
highly  esteemed  for  his  ability,  public  spirited- 
ness  and  integrity,  and  well  deserves  the  success 
and  influence  which  have  gathered  around  his 
life. 

KING,  Louis  F.— The  ancestry  of  the  King 
family  is  traced  to  French-Canadian  lineage  and 
became  identified  with  the  development  of 
New  York.  Lewis  R.  King,  who  was  the  son  of 
Jonas  King,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  was 
born  and  reared  in  New  State.  I'jion  starting 
out  as  a  farmer  he  and  a  brother,  C.  D,  King, 
bought  land  in  Schuyler  County  near  the  village 
of  Brooklyn.  During  1830  he  visited  his  oTd 
home  in  New  York.  Iiut  returned  in  a  few 
months  to  his  farm  work  in  the  West.  In  1841 
iireurred  his  m.nrriage  to  Harriet  McKee,  who 
was  born  in  Manchester,  Conn.,  of  English  an- 
cestry, and  about  1830  came  to  Illinois  with  an 
uncle,  Elisha  Olcott,  who  became  a  prominent 
pioneer  merchant  of  Hancock  County.  During 
the  Mormon  disturbances  in  Hancock  Count.v, 
Mr.  King,  acting  as  a  citizen,  joined  a  nioveincnt 
which  had  for  its  object  the  suppression  of  dis- 
order and  the  ja-eservation  of  law,  and  while 
thus  engaged  witnessed  the  arrest  and  inqjrison- 
ment  of  the  two  Snitihs  (.Joseph  and  Hyinim) 
which  preceded  their  assassination  by  shooting, 
at  the  Hancock  County  jail  in  Carthage,  on  .June 
27,  1844. 

Innnediately  west  of  Brooklyn,  on  land  now 
owned  by  Jonas  King,  was  the  first  home  of 
Lewis  R.  King  after  his  marriage,  but  about 
1840,  he  purchased  .300  acres  of  wild  land  in 
Huntsville  Township,  where  afterward  he  im- 
proved a  valuable  farm,  erected  substantial 
buildings  and  placed  the  land  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation.  On  his  farm  there  was  a  burying 
ground  (now  abandoned),  and  here  may  still  he 
seen  a  marble  slab  that  marks  the  last  resting- 
place  of  A,  W.  Dorsey,  the  only  teacher  n-hom 
.\braham  Lincoln  ever  had.  On  one  occasion 
when  that  famous  President  was  traveling 
through  Western  Illinois,  he  stopped  at  Hiuits- 
vile  in  order  that  he  might  visit  the  grand  old 
man  who  had  been  the  instructor  of  his  early 
da.vs.  After  his  visit  he  proceeded  to  Macomb, 
where  he  held  one  of  the  memorable  debates  of 
1858  with  Douglas. 

The  family  of  Lewis  R.  King  comprised  ten 
children,  all  but  one  of  whom  are  yet  living. 
Milton   is    a    farmer    in    Hancock    County,    III,; 


854 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Elizabetli  aud  Frederick  live  in  Augusta,  Han- 
cock County,  across  the  liue  from  Schuyler 
County ;  Sophia  married  J.  M.  Reed,  of  Bir- 
iniuj;liaui ;  Adelaide  was  for  a  few  years  a  lead- 
hig  merchant  of  Camp  Point,  Adams  County ; 
Henry  H.  died  in  llXtO  near  Mouutiiiu  Grove, 
Mo. ;  Arthur  C.  occupies  the  old  homestead  iu 
Huutsville  Township ;  Mrs.  Louise  Stahl  resides 
at  Fowler,  111. ;  Harriet  makes  her  home  iu 
Augusta ;  and  Louis  F.  is  the  owner  of  Oak 
Mound  farm  on  Swlion  ll!.  Huutsville  Township. 
The  last-named  was  born  at  the  old  homestead 
near  Huutsville  May  2,  ISGS,  and  was  about 
twelve  years  of  age  when  he  was  bereaved  by 
the  death  of  his  mother,  April  26,  1S80.  The 
father  survived  for  many  yeai-s  passing  away 
January  14,  1!X)1,  deeply  mourned  by  family  and 
friends.  In  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Huuts- 
ville his  Joss  nas  felt,  for  be  long  was  a  leader 
in  the  work,  an  elder  of  the  church,  and  Suiier- 
intendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  The  Hible  was 
ever  his  fa\-orite  book,  aud  many  hours  were 
spent  each  week  in  the  study  of  its  pages.  Thus 
he  acquired  a  thorough  knowle<lge  of  its  contents 
and  became"  a  ready  and  fluent  speaker  upon  re- 
ligious subjects.  It  was  always  his  endeavor 
to  live  up  to  tlie  i)recepts  of  the  Scriptures.  His 
life  was  patterned  after  the  great  example  given 
us  in  the  life  of  the  founder  of  Christianity. 
During  the  existence  of  the  Whig  party  he  voted 
that  tiHiet.  but  ui>on  the  disintegration  of  the 
]iarty  he  became  identified  with  the  Republicans. 
The  holding  of  oftice  was  averse  to  his  tastes  and 
invariably  he  declined  political  honors. 

E.Kcellent  educational  advantages  were  given 
to  I^uis  F.  King,  wlio  attended  the  country 
schools  in  Huntsville  Township,  the  high  school 
in  .\ugusta,  and  Knox  College  in  Galesburg. 
where  he  was  a  student  for  four  years  during  the 
jiresidency  of  Hon.  Newton  Bateman,  enjoying 
the  opportiuiity  of  study  under  tlie  prece])torship 
of  that  cultured  scholar.  At  tlie  expiration  of  a 
four-years'  course  lie  was  given  the  degree  of 
I?achelor  of  Science.  On  his  return  to  his  home 
he  took  up  agricultural  work.  November  17, 
1003,  lie  ivas  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar- 
.  tlia  F.  Whetstone,  daughter  of  Marcus  Whet- 
stone, a  well-known  pioneer  farmer  of  Schuyler 
County.  -Vfter  his  marriage  Mr.  King  brought 
his  bride  to  a  farm  he  had  purchased  in  ISOS. 
comiuMsing  220  acres  on  Section  Iti,  Huntsville 
Township,  and  here  he  has  since  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming.  He  and  his  wife  have  a  son.  Paul 
Whetstone,  born  Decemlver  2.  1004.  In  religion 
they  are  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Huntsville.  in  whidi  he  officiates  as  an  elder. 
Politic.all.v  he  is  a  stanch  Republican. 

Five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  are  un- 
der the  control  of  Mr.  King  and  his  wife.  A  be- 
liever in  scientific  agriculture.  Mr.  King  puts 
his  theories  into  acttial  practice  and  over  has 
been  a  leader,  not  a  follower.  In  his  own  county 
he  has  officiated  as  Vice-President  of  the 
Farmers'  Institute,  besides  which  he  has  been 
called  frequently  to  other  counties  to  participate 
in  institute  work,  and  many  of  his  articles  have 


been  published  iu  agricultural  papers,  thus  giv- 
ing to  other  larmere  the  benefit  of  his  progres- 
skve  ideas.  One  of  his  theories  is  that  only  first- 
class  stock  can  profitably  be  kept  ou  high-priced 
farm  laud,  aud  on  his  own  place  a  visitor  sees 
none  but  the  gest  grades.  As  early  as  I'JOO  he 
began  to  experiment  with  alfalfa,  at  a  time  when 
most  farmers  believed  it  could  not  bo  grown  as 
far  east  as  this.  His  success  proved  that  its 
cultivation  could  be  prosecuted  with  profit,  and 
in  the  last  season  (I'.tOT)  he  secured  three  cut- 
tings from  his  20  acres  of  alfalfa,  besides  which 
he  could  have  cut  a  fourth  crop,  had  he  not  con- 
sidered it  advisable  to  allow  it  to  be  pastured  by 
the  stock.  The  fact  that  this  kind  of  hay  can  be 
raised  success!  uUy  is  of  decided  lieuefit  to  the 
farmers  of  tlie  county,  many  of  whom  have  taken 
up  the  work,  encouraged  by  the  s-uccess  of  those 
who  were  pioneers  in  the  movement. 

KINSEY,  William  Harrison.— The  life  record 
of  William  Ilarrisuii  Kiiisey  has  been  one  of  ob- 
stacles overcome,  opixjrtunities  turned  to  good 
account,  and  obligations  discharged  with  credit 
and  discretion.  In  the  past  this  prosjx^rous 
farmer  boy  of  Woodstock  Township  was  known 
a.s  a  struggling  farmer  boy  with  few  opportimi- 
ties  to  promote  his  rising  interests,  or  encourage 
him  when  thrown  much  earlier  than  the  aver- 
age upon  his  own  resiKUislbllities.  He  has  suc- 
cessfully weathere<l  many  storms  of  adversity, 
and  has  demonstrated  the  ability  of  strong 
natures  to  see  lieyond  their  Immediate  horizon, 
and  to  endure  and  hope  when  others  fall  by  the 
wayside.  Boru  iu  Woodland  Township,  Fulton 
County,  111..  April  i:!,  18(51,  he  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Frances  (I?oyd)  Kinsey,  the  former  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  in  Ohio.  The  pa- 
ternal grandparents  of  William  Harrison  came 
to  Pleasant  Township,  Fulton  County,  111.,  about 
l,S2!t,  finding  few  there  to  greet  them,  or  share 
with  them  the  hardships  of  a  frontier  existence. 
Their  farm  iu  the  vicinity  of  Ipava  largely  was 
c-overed  with  timber  and  underbrush,  but  this 
eventually  was  cleared,  and  the  family  assumed 
a  proud  and  commanding  position  in  the  com- 
munity. Being  among  the  very  earliest  settlers, 
they  kept  pace  with  the  advance  of  community, 
and  were  respected  Ixith  for  their  financial  abil- 
ity and  their  many  fine  personal  qualities.  No 
exception  to  the  character  and  ability  of  this 
family  was  found  in  John  R.  Kinsey.  father  of 
William  Harrison,  who  in  youth  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade,  and  followed  the  same  after 
moving  to  Sheldon's  Grove  in  1861.  When  the 
war  called  his  attention  from  accustomed  labor, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  F.  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  three  years  as  a  Union  sol- 
dier, or  until  his  honorable  discharge  at  the  end 
of  the  war.  Returning  to  his  home,  he  again 
worked  at  blacksmithing.  and  later  accepted  a 
position  as  watchman  on  one  of  the  boats  plying 
between  Peoria  and  St.  Louis,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  It  is  supposed  that  he  was  drowned 
while  on  one  of  these  trips,  as  he  never  since 
has  been  heard  from.    The  wife  who  survived 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


855 


him  married  Henry  Swan,  and  died  in  Beards- 
town  in  February,  1875.  Tliere  were  two  eLiil- 
dren  born  of  lier  first  marriage,  William  Harri- 
son and  George  H.,  tbe  latter  of  wliom  died  at 
tlae  age  of  twenty  years.  By  her  second  marriage 
tliere  was  a  sou,  David,  now  deceased. 

At  Sheldon's  Grove,  William  Harrison  Kinsey 
worked  at  farming,  and  practically  began  his 
wage-earning  career  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 
His  first  school  teacher  was  yuinn  Harrison, 
and  to  the  kindly  interest  and  good  judgment  of 
this  early  master  does  he  attribute  much  of  the 
success  which  has  come  his  way.  When  very 
young  Mr.  Kiusey  went  to  work  for  liis  uncle, 
Warren  Spiller,  i-eceiving  for  the  first  two  years 
fifty  dollars  a  year,  and  for  the  last  three  years 
thiteeu  dollars  a  month.  Leaving  his  uncle  in 
18S2,  he  went  to  Cass  County.  111.,  and  worked 
there  for  a  Mr.  Strubble,  and  in  December  of 
the  same  year  returned  to  Schuyler  County, 
where  on  Septemljer  11,  1S84,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Delia  M.  Miller.  Mrs.  Kinsey  was 
born  in  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
May  22,  1866,  a  daughter  of  John  Henry  and 
Sarah  F.  (Holland)  Miller,  natives  of  Germany 
and  Tennessee,  respectively.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mil- 
ler were  married  in  Frederick.  111.,  and  soon 
after  settled  in  Rushville  Township,  where  they 
became  prominent  and  wealthy  general  farmers. 
Mr.  Miller  died  February  1.3,  1902,  and  his  wife 
died  Feljruary  28.  lOO.j.  Both  were  devout  Chris- 
tians, and  both  were  active  in  their  respective 
churches,  Lutheran  and  Methodist  lOpiscopal. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Kinsey  settled  in  Rush- 
ville Tonnship,  and  there  lived  until  moving  to 
Woodstock  Township,  and  to  the  farm  he  now 
owns  in  1888.  He  has  been  successful  beyond 
his  most  sanguine  expectations,  now  being  the 
owner  of  :i46  acres  of  valuable  land,  183  acres  in 
Woodstock,  and  163  acres  in  Buena  A'ista  Town- 
ship. This  propert.v  is  highly  cultivated  and  de- 
voted to  general  farming.  Mr.  Kinsey  has  spared 
no  pains  to  surround  himself  and  family  with 
the  best  jMissible  influences,  and  few  country 
homes  furnish  evidence  of  more  regard  for  re- 
finement and  the  better  things  of  life. 

Formerly  Mr.  Kinsey  was  a  Democrat,  but  he 
now  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Prohibition 
cause.  He  is  a  devoutl.v  religious  man,  a  mem- 
lier  of  long  standing  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  a  great  worker  in  the  Sunday 
school.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mutual  Patriarch 
League.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kinsey  are  the  parents 
of  seven  children :  Winnie  F..  tiorn  .\ugust  4, 
188.5:  George  H..  born  September  26.  1887.  a 
graduate  of  the  Rushville  Normal  Connnercial 
School,  class  of  1906-07:  Uriah  L.,  born  .January 
29.  18.88.  died  in  infancy:  Frederick  .T..  bom 
April  18,  1889:  ,Tohn.  horn  .January  29,  1.S91  ; 
Margaret,  bom  .July  27,  189-1:  and  Elizabeth, 
born  October  3,  1906. 

KIRKHAM,  George  H.,  well  known  in  connec- 
tion with  "Sunny  View  Stock  Fami."  in  Sec- 
tions .3.")  and  .36,'  Tjittleton  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  III.,  and  long  a  man  of  prominence  and 


influence  in  his  locality,  was  liorn  in  Schuyler 
County  April  22,  1811,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth (Henkle)  Kirkhaiu,  and  a  grandson  of 
Henry  Kirkham,  wliose  birth  occurred  in  Vir- 
ginia, September  2,  1769,  and  groat-grandson  of 
Michael  Kirkham,  a  native  of  Ireland.  Henry 
Kirkham,  father  of  George  H.,  was  born  in  But- 
ler County,  Ohio,  and  v.'as  married  in  that  State 
to  Elizabeth  Henkle,  coming  with  his  wife  to 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  in  the  early  "thirties.  He 
first  bought  100  acres  of  laud  in  Woodstock 
Township,  which  he  cleared  of  timber  and  im- 
proved, living  there  until  1864.  In  that  year  he 
sold  this  farm,  and  purchased  eighty-two  acres 
of  prairie  land  in  Buena  Vista  Townsliip,  on 
which  he  followed  farming  until  the  time  of  Ills 
death,  in  September,  1898.  His  wife  passed 
away  in  1847. 

George  H.  Kirkham  remained  with  his  father 
imtil  he  was  twenty  years  old,  attending  the  dis- 
trict schools  up  to  that  period.     On  August  15, 
1861,   he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Twenty-eighth 
Regiment     Illinois     Volunteer     Infantry,     under 
Capt.  B.  C.  Gillam,  the  regiment  being  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.     The  first  battle 
in  which  he  took  part  was  that  of  Shiloh,  and  he 
afterwards  participated  in  the  Siege  of  Corinth ; 
the  engagement   at   Hatchie   Bridge,   Miss. ;    the 
Siege  of  Vicksburg ;  the  engagement  at  Jackson, 
Miss. ;    and   the   capture   of   Fort    Blakely   near 
Mobile.     At    the    Siege    of    Vicksl)urg,    he    was 
struck   on   the   shoulder   by  a   sjient   bullet.     On 
the  termination  of  hostilities  in  tliat  quarter,  his 
regiment   was   sent   to   Te.xas,   wliere   he   served 
from  April,   1865,  until  April   ti,   1866,   when   he 
was  mustered  out  as  a  non-commissioned  oflicer, 
to  which  grade  he  had  Ijeeu  appointed  in  1863. 
After  arriving  at  home  he  worked  for  his  father 
one  season,  and  subsequently   followed  farming 
on   rented  land  in  Woodstock   and   Buena   Vista 
Townshi[]S.     He   continued   tiius   for   four  years 
after  his  marriage,  and   then  obtained  from  his 
father-in-law.  200  acres  of  land  lying  in  Sections 
35    and    36.    Littleton    Township.     Of    this,    140 
acres  are  cleared  and   under   improvement,   and 
the    rest    is    in    timber    and    pasture.     He    has 
greatly  improved  the  property.     For  the  first  sea- 
son, he  and  his  family  occupied  a  log  cabin,  and 
tlien  he  bought  a  small  dwelling  a  mile  distant 
and  moved  it  on  to  his  place.     The  residence  in 
which  the  family  now  lives  was  built  by  him  in 
1882.     He   is   engaged    in   general    farming,   and 
besides  growing  small  grains,  devotes  considera- 
ble attention  to  raising  horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Kirkham  took  place  No- 
vemlier  6.  1869,  at  which  time  he  was  wedded  to 
Annie   E.    Garrison,   who   was   born   in   Littleton 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  HI.,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Sarah   (Vail)    Garrison,  both 
natives  of  Ohio.     Eight  children  have  been  the 
issue  of  this  union,  as  follows:   Charles   I>ewis. 
born  January  6.  1872,  and  is  engaged  in  the  \n-M'- 
tice  of  osteopathy,  at   Xewcastle.   Pa.:   Elizabeth 
Lorena,   linrn   March   27,   1873,   and   became   the 
wife  of  William  Blodgett,  of  Rushville.  111.:  Iva 
Frances,  born  November  16,  1874,  and  living  at 


856 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


home ;  William  Kay,  of  Bueua  Vista  Towusbip, 
Schuyler  County,  boru  December  U,  ISTO ; 
Myrtle  Grace,  born  August  14,  1S7S,  aud  married 
W.  C.  t'rawtord ;  George  Heury,  l)oru  May  UJ, 
1882,  who  is  employed  iu  a  wagon  manufactory 
at  Quiucy,  111. ;  Anna  Bessie  Maude,  boru  Sep- 
t<'mber  4,  1884,  who  married  L.  Doau  Dixsou,  of 
Columbus,  Mont. ;  and  James  Orriu,  born  Jan- 
uary 4,  18S8. 

In  politics,  .Mr.  Kirkham  has  been  long  identi- 
fied with  the  IJeiaililii-an  party,  and  served  one 
year  as  Townsliij)  Collector.  lie  and  his  wife 
are  communicants  of  the  Christian  Church,  in 
which  he  lias  officiated  as  deacon  since  1882. 
Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  A.  F.  &  A. 
JI.,  having  .ioiued  the  Littleton  (111.)  lodge  of 
that  order,  iu  18',H>.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  .\rmy  of  the  Uepubllc,  Post  Xo.  1^1,  of 
Rushville.  Xo  man  in  Littleton  Township  is 
more  sinci'rel.v  respected  than  George  II.  Kirk- 
ham. and  he  aud  his  wife  eujoy  the  cordial  es- 
teem of  a  wide  acquaintance. 

LAMBERT,  William,  in  duration  of  residence, 
one  ol  the  oldest  citizens  of  Schuyler  County,  III., 
and  formerly  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
prosperous  fanners  of  Littleton  Township,  is 
now  s|K'ndlng  the  evening  of  his  life  in  com- 
fortable retirement  iu  the  village  of  Littleton, 
Schuyler  County.  Mv.  Lambert  was  Iwrn  in  Mer- 
cer t'ounty,  Ky.,  Januarj'  1,  ]8;!2,  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Catherine  (Dennis)  Lambert,  natives 
of  that  State.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Rich- 
ard Dennis,  was  a  Vii-ginian  by  birth.  William 
and  Catherine  (Dennis)  Lambert  moved  with 
their  family  from  Kentucky  to  Rushville,  111.,  in 
the  fall  of  1S:!(;,  and  the  father  kept  a  hotel 
there  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  .Vpril,  1844. 
After  his  decease,  his  widow  sold  the  hotel,  con- 
tinuing to  reside  in  Rushville  until  she  passed 
away  in  1852.  He  had  been  perviously  married. 
and  bad  three  sons  by  his  first  wife,  namely : 
Samuel,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War. 
holding  the  rank  of  Lieutenant ;  Henry,  also  a 
soldier  in  the  .Mexican  War  under  Capt.  Dunlap 
of  Rushville,  and  John,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 
William  Lambert  was  the  eldest  of  the  offspring 
of  the  second  marriage,  the  others  being,  Robert, 
who  died  in  Liltleton  Township,  in  1891;  and 
Mary  J.iiie.  wife  of  M.  O.  Snyder.  Postmaster  of 
Littleton,   Schuyler  Count.v. 

William  Landiert  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Rushville.  III.,  to  which  place  he  was 
brought  by  his  parents  when  four  years  old.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  began  working  for 
himself,  and  continued  thus,  on  different  farms, 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years,  Shortl.v 
after  this  period,  having  married,  he  acciuired, 
together  with  his  brother  Roliert,  a  (luarter  sec- 
tion of  wild  prairie  land,  which  they  improved. 
In  18.54,  Mr,  Lambert  sold  his  interest  in  this 
property  to  his  brother,  and  bought  from  his 
father-in-law  eighty  acri>s  in  Section  22.  Little- 
ton Township.  After  the  death  of  the  latter, 
the  other  eighty  acres  ol"  his  farm,  which  was 
improved  land,  became  the  Inheritance  of  Mrs. 


Lambert,  A  few  years  later,  Mr.  Lambert 
bought  ItiO  acres  of  uuimi)roved  laud,  lying  in 
Sections  11  and  12  of  the  same  township.  He 
now  owns  32()  acres  in  Schuyler  County  besides 
city  property  in  Littleton.  Forty  acres  of  this 
second  purchase  he  fenced  and  improved,  putting 
it  undi'r  cultivation  and  h'aving  the  remainder 
for  i)asture.  Here  he  was  successfully  engaged 
in  fariiiing  until  ]!>04,  wheu  he  abandoued  active 
labors,  moving  to  the  village  of  Littleton,  where 
he  purchased  a  connnodious  residence  now  oc- 
cupied by  himself  and  wife,  together  with  a 
young  laily,  Florence  Snyder,  whom  they  reared 
from  childhood, 

Jlr,  Lambert  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  having  been  Josephine  Rose,  to  whom  he 
was  wedded  April  8,  1852.  She  was  born  in  Lit- 
tleton Township,  Scliuyler  County,  in  June,  1!S,>4, 
a  daughter  of  Randolph  aud  Sarah  (Tullis) 
Rose,  natives  of  Kentucky.  Six  children  were 
the  issue  of  this  union,  as  follows:  Mabel,  who  is 
the  n'idow  of  George  Little,  aud  resides  in  Lit- 
tleton, 111.;  William,  a  resident  of  Galesburg, 
111.;  Flla  (.Mrs.  Richard  Leach),  of  Piano.  111.; 
Josei)hine  (.Mi-s.  Henry  Jackson)  whose  home  is 
in  Wisconsin ;  Kdward,  who  operates  the  home- 
stead farm;  and  Fannie  (Mrs.  John  P.  Walker), 
who  resides  in  Chicago.  Josephine  (Rose)  Lam- 
bert passed  away  in  April,  181)5.  On  November 
'M.  1811T,  .Mr.  Lambert  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Anna  Little,  wlio  was  born  in  Adams 
County,  Pa.,  April  13,  1838,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Eliza  (Cunningham)  Little,  natives  of  Ire- 
land, where  the  -father  was  liom  in  County  Ty- 
rone, and  the  mother  in  Belfast.  The  parents 
of  .Mrs.  Lambert  came  to  Rushville,  111.,  in  1850, 
settling  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town.  Her  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  James  Little,  and  the  grand- 
father on  the  maternal  side  was  Henry  Cun- 
ningham, 

,In  politics,  Mr.  Lambert  has  always  been  an 
adherent  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  never  an 
aspirant  for  public  office.  He  attends  religious 
worship  at  the  Chrlstion  Church.  In  fraternal 
circles,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  and  his  wife  are  the  objects  of  high  regard 
throuirhout  the  community. 

LANCASTER,  William.— It  has  been  the  for- 
tune of  the  Lancaster  family  to  be  identified  with 
the  agricultural  development  of  Schuyler  County 
for  a  period  of  eighty  years.  The  founder  of 
the  name  in  this  part  of  Illinois  was  Thomas  T. 
Lancaster,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  in  1828 
left  the  home  of  his  boyhood  and  came  to  Schuy- 
ler Count?',  entering  a  claim  on  Section  12  of 
Browning  Township.  .\t  that  time  he  and  Wil- 
liam Robertson  were  the  only  two  white  men  in 
all  that  region.  Roving  bands  of  Indians  were 
wont  to  traverse  the  country  on  their  annual 
hunting  trips  and  frequently  he  met  them  in  the 
woods.  On  one  occasion,  after  his  clothing  had 
been  worsted  in  an  encounter  with  a  wolf  dog, 
the  Indians  offered  him  a  pup  to  pay  for  dam- 
ages done.  In  1820  ho  was  Joined  by  a  sister 
and  three  brothers.  William.  Henry  and  Hart- 


^.J^^^^^ 


^ 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


857 


zell,  all  of  whom  settled  in  Browiiiug  Township. 
After  four  yenrs  on  Section  ]2  be  moved  to  See- 
tiou  10,  where  he  remained  for  seventy-four 
years,  until  his  death. 

When  the  "Deei)  Snow"  of  1830  came,  Thomas 
T.  Lancaster  had  been  in  Illinois  for  two  years 
and  had  his  rude  cabin  well  stocked  with  pro- 
visions for  the  winter,  but,  like  other  pioneers, 
he  suffered  severe  hardships  before  the  storm 
abated.  The  snow  began  to  fall  on  the  28th  of 
December  and  the  ground  was  covered  to  a  depth 
of  four  feet  on  the  level.  Had  it  not  been  for 
an  abundance  of  wild  game,  many  of  the  settlers 
would  have  starved  b<>fore  spring.  The  pioneers 
del)cnded  U[ion  game  for  a  large  share  of  their 
supiKirt  and  the  necessities  of  the  times  made 
him  a  skilled  hunter.  By  constant  toil  he  trans- 
formed a  wilderness  into  an  improved  farm,  and 
the  iilace  upon  which  his  youthful  energy  ivas 
spent  afforded  him  a  home  for  his  declining 
years.  When  he  was  still  a  few  months  less 
than  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  for  Andrew  .Jackson  during  the 
hitter's  first  candidacy  for  the  otHce.  Krom  that 
time  he  never  wavered  in  .support  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  whose  candidates  he  supported 
from  Jackson  to  Bryan.  For  sixty-seven  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  in 
which  he  was  baptized  by  Kev.  Beverly  Curry. 
Possessing  strong  religious  faith,  he  took  pleas- 
ure in  doing  his  duty  as  a  church-member  and  for 
many  years  served  as  an  elder  in  his  congrega- 
tion. A  thoughtful  student  of  the  Bible,  as  long 
as  his  eyesight  permitted  he  loved  to  read  the 
precious  jiromises  of  the  Book,  and  he  died  in 
the  full  assurance  of  a  happy  home  beyond  the 
grave.  He  was  bom  .January  28.  1807,  and  had 
he  been  spared  four  days  longer,  he  would  have 
been  ninety-nine  .years  of  age.  Sevent.v-eight 
years  of  that  period  had  been  passed  in  Schuyler 
County,  where  he  was  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  last  days 
were  passed  amid  peace  and  plenty,  surrounded 
li.v  loyal  children  and  affectionate  grandchildren. 

The  maiTiage  of  Thomas  T.  Lancaster  and 
Elizabeth  Jackson,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was 
solemnized  by  Squire  Isaac  Lane,  March  1.  1831. 
Their  happy  union  n-as  severed  by  the  death  of 
the  wife  in  18G6.  There  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters had  been  born  of  their  union,  namely : 
Xanc.v,  \\-ho  married  Samuel  Burrows,  a  farmer 
in  Rushville  Township:  Mary,  widow  of  George 
Seward,  and  now  living  at  the  old  home- 
stead ;  En^eline,  who  married  George  Wood  and 
was  last  heard  from  in  the  Indian  Tei'- 
ritor.v;  Hainiah,  deceased  wife  of  J.  F. 
Skiles,  of  Browning,  111.:  Thomas  J.,  a  farmer  in 
Industry  Township,  McDonough  County.  111.: 
Elizabeth,  deceased  wife  of  Leonard  Sherrell : 
William,  a  farmer  of  Browning  Township:  Se- 
lina,  Emma  and  Sarah,  deceased. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
article  was  born  on  Section  10.  Browning  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  Connt.v,  April  0.  18-14.  In  neigh- 
Iwring  si-bools  he  received  his  education.  Dur- 
ing  1801)   he   married   Miss  Elizabeth   Walton,   a 


nalive  of  the  same  township  as  himself  and 
d.inghter  of  a  iiioueer.  After  his  marriage  he 
rented  the  old  homestead  and,  upou  the  death 
of  his  father,  bought  si.xty  acres  of  the  estate. 
Here  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Like  hia 
fadier,  he  ever  has  upheld  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and,  like  him,  also  enjoys  the 
esteem  of  acipiaintances.  Of  his  four  children 
two  died  in  infancy.  Benjamin  T.,  who  was  horn 
at  the  old  homestead,  October  21,  ISOl),  married 
Miss  Wealthy  Perkins,  who  died  May  10.  1004. 
Two  children  blessed  their  union,  namely: 
Harold,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Clarice  E., 
who  was  born  July  0,  1.80,8,  and  who  resides  with 
bcr  father  .•ind  grandfather  on  the  old  homestead 
originally  i)re-eiiipled  by  her  great-grandfather. 
The  only  daughter  of  William  Lancaster  is 
Mary,  wife  of  David  Royer  and  a  native  of 
Browning  Township,  born  July  12,  1872.  .Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Itoyer  and  their  children,  Pauline  and 
I-awrence,  reside  upon  a  farm  in  Browning 
Township.  The  Lancaster  family  have  done 
much  to  assist  in  the  gi'owth  of  their  township 
and  county,  and  its  members  enjoy  the  liighest 
regard  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

LARASH,  William  Isaac,  editor  and  projirietor 
of  Tlic  .Schuyler  Citizen,  establislied  in  18."><),  and 
The  Rushville  Daily  Citizen,  has  been  more  or 
less  closely  identified  with  newspaper  work  ever 
since  the  close  of  his  school-days.  He  was  born 
October  2,  18.51,  at  Allentown.  Pa.,  a  son  of  Isaac 
and  Esther  Ann  (Kildare)  Larash.  On  the  mater- 
nal side  Mr.  Larash  comes  of  Revolutionary 
stock,  his  maternal  grandfather,  William  Kildare, 
having  sen-ed  under  General  Washington.  Isaac 
Larash,  father  of  William  Is;\ac,  was  boni  in 
February,  182:j,  at  Upper  Milford.  Lehigh  County, 
Pa.  For  a  score  of  .vears  he  resided  at  Pekin, 
Tazewell  County,  111.,  to  which  place  be  moved, 
with  his  wife,  in  Xovemljer,  18.12.  There  he  en- 
gaged in  merchant  tailoring,  but  later  purdiased 
a  farm  in  Spring  Lake  To\^^lship,  Tazewell 
Coinitj',  where  he  still  resides.  He  married 
Esther  .\nn  Kildare,  who  has  been  deceased  sev- 
cr.-il  year.-.  She  was  linni  at  Frankfort,  Pa.,  near 
the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Both  parents  of  .Mr. 
Larash  were  fervent  Methodists  and  family 
prayers  were  daily  offered. 

William  Isaac  Larash  spent  a  happy  twyhood 
on  the  home  farm.  He  has  always  been  Ibnd  of 
nut-door  .sports  and.  when  occasion  offered,  has 
indulged  his  fondness  for  hunting.  After  com- 
pleting his  school  attendance  at  Pekin.  he  entered 
the  printing  office  of  W.  W.  Sellers,  who  con- 
ducted The  Tazewell  Republican,  and  seiTed  an 
.•ipprenticeshi])  of  two  years,  in  .all  that  jieriod 
losing  hut  one-half  day.  From  1869  to  1870  Mr. 
Larash  was  in  the  West  and,  during  this  time, 
liad  an  opportunity  to  hunt  large  game.  He 
worked  as  an  all  round  printer  at  Omaha  and 
other  ^lissom-i  River  cities,  and  then  returned  to 
Illinois  .-ind  soon  after  engaged  in  publishing 
the  Peoria  Evening  Review,  the  enterprise  being 
a  co-operative  company  composed  of  four  practi- 
cal printers,  with  Robert  J.  Burdette  and  Jerry 


858 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY. 


Cochran  as  editors.  In  March,  1875,  Mr.  La- 
rash  located  in  Kushville  and  in  18TS)  iiurchased 
and  engaged  in  the  publication  of  The  Schuyler 
Citizen.  Its  founder  was  the  late  (j!eor>:e  W. 
Scripps.  Ou  June  1.  ISUo,  Mr.  Larash  issued 
the  llrst  edition  of  The  Kushville  Daily  Citizen, 
which  has  continued  without  interruption  to  the 
present  time.  For  twenty-nine  years  he  has  l)een 
editor  and  proprietor  of  The  Weekly  Citizen  and 
for  thirteen  years  of  The  Daily  Citizen,  and  thus 
is  surely  entitled  to  the  name  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing journalists  of  the  State.  In  his  newspaix'r 
work  he  has  ever  striven  to  upliold  tlie  riglil, 
especially  in  his  own  connnunitj-,  aud  his  colunms 
have  been  open  to  hoth  sides  of  many  controver- 
sies. Occasionally  bis  attitude  has  been  misun- 
derstood, but  tills  public  criticism  comes  to  every 
man  who  stands  above  his  fellows.  In  l'.)02,  Mr. 
Larash  launched  out  into  a  scheme  to  extend  the 
circulation  of  The  Citizen  by  means  of  a  guessing 
contest,  offering,  in  the  aggregate,  property 
valued  at  .«."i(i,(i(i(l.  which  included  in  the  presents 
for  the  succe.ssrul  estimates  on  the  State  election, 
the  Electric  Light  jiiant  in  the  city  of  liusliville, 
aud  the  large  brick  building  known  as  the 
Woolen  Mills  building,  besides  town  lots  and 
$2,500  worth  of  other  articles,  including  a  piano 
worth  .f:;.5(). 

In  his  political  views.  Mi-.  Larasli  has  ever 
been  an  ardent  Kepublican.  lie  cast  his  (3rst 
presidential  vote  for  (JeiK'ral  Grant,  and  has 
never  failed  to  give  support  to  the  same  party  in 
both  State  and  National  elections  ever  since. 
Ill  inti;{  he  was  a|i|ioiiited  postmaster  at  Kush- 
ville. Mr.  Lar.-isb  is  pronfrieiit  in  .Masonry.  He 
iK'caine  a  member  of  Kushville  Lodge,  No.  !),  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  passed  and  raised  Master  Mason  in 
1.S77.  was  eltH-ted  Worship  ul  Master  and  served 
in  that  chair  in  1!I(I2  and  l!)(i:'.  He  is  a  member 
of  Kushville  Chaiitcr,  No.  1S4  Koyal  Arch  Ma- 
sons, and  Kushville  Comniaiidery  Knights  Temp- 
lar, No.  5ti.  For  fifteen  yeai-s  he  served  the 
latter  branch  as  Prelate. 

On  Marcli  21,  1S7S.  in  Littleton  Township. 
Schuyler  Coniity,  Mr.  Larash  was  married  to 
Emolia  .Vnn  Homey,  who  was  born  in  Littleton 
Township,  .Tnly  Iti,  1S57,  a  danghtor  of  the  late 
Co].  liOonidas  and  .Tane  Homey.  Col.  Homey 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Champion  Hills,  Miss., 
while  in  coiiimaiid  of  the  Tenth  Missouri  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  on  -May  1(i.  1803.  Mrs.  Larash 
is  a  graduate  of  tlie  Kushville  High  School  in 
the  cinss  of  187(!.  the  first  class  graduated  after 
the  establishment  of  the  hi'ili  sch(M)l  system,  aii<l 
subsequently  became  a  pnhlic  school  teacher.  To 
this  marriage  have  been  born  three  ilaughters 
and  one  son,  namely:  Leoiiida*--  Hornev.  lx)rn 
December  7.  ISSM;  Elizabeth  Lou.  bora  November 
17,  1880:  Winnifred  Lucile.  born  Octol)er  24. 
18SS:  and  Esther  .Tane.  born  .January  10,  1S05. 

Mr.  Larash  has  been  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church  ever  since  early  childhood.  In  1877 
he  united  with  this  body  at  Kushville  and  served 
for  many  years  as  class  leader  and  on  the 
official  board,  and  at  present  is  Kecording  Secre- 
tary   of    the    same.     Noting    personal    attributes 


and  tendencies,  Mr.  Larash  is  a  lover  of  home 
and  lamily  surnamdiiigs.  He  has  beeu  a  factor 
in  molding  jinblic  oiiinion  on  many  questions  in 
liis  sei-tioii,  but  is  of  retiring  disiiositiou,  never 
.Keeking  for  himself  those  places  of  prominence 
he  gladly  sees  his  friends  occupy.  He  is  a  man 
of  generous  impulses,  of  hopeful  spirit  and  takes 
a  large  measure  of  satisfaction  in  wliat  he  has 
l>een  able  to  acc-omplish. 

LASHBROOK,  Samuel,  of  Schuyler  County,  III., 
where  he  resides  on  Section  2.  Woodstock  Town- 
ship, besides  JMMng  one  of  the  most  successful, 
well-to-do  and  favorably  known  farmers  of  the 
county,  is  one  of  the  last  diminishing  number  of 
honored  veterans  of  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
lK)ru  in  Orange  County,  Ind.,  Marcli  7,  1844,  a 
son  of  William  and  Kebeeca  (Taylor)  Lash- 
brook,  the  father  being  a  native  of  the  State  of 
Maryland  and  the  mother  of  Indiana.  The  lat- 
ter, of  whom  her  son  Samuel  has  but  a  faint  rec- 
ollection, died  wlieii  he  was  lour  .vears  of  age. 
She  was  of  English  ancestry.  John  Lashbrook, 
the  paternal  gr.iiidfather,  was  born  on  the  At- 
lantic i-oast.  The  great-grandfather  on  the  pa- 
ternal side  was  born  in  England,  as  was  also 
the  great-great-graiidf.-ither.  who  came  to  America 
about  (he  time  of  the  Kevolutionary  War.  John 
Taylor,  (he  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  soldier 
In  the  War  of  1812.  William  and  Kebeeca 
Lashbrook,  the  (larents  of  Samuel,  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  <-liildreii,  as  follows:  .John  Wesley, 
Mary.  Samuel.  Solomon,  Elizabeth,  .Tereniiah 
and  William  H.  The  eldest  son.  John  W.,  served 
during  the  Civil  War  as  a  member  of  Comii.iny 
H,  Ninety-third  Kegiment  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
I'anlry,  and  died  in  IStlH  on  a  hospital  lx)at  at 
.Memphis,  Tenii. :  .M.u-j-  is  (he  wife  of  William 
H.  Klrby,  of  Beardstown,  111.;  Solomon  carries 
on  farming  in  the  vicinity  itf  the  old  homestead 
In  Orange  County,  Ind.;  Elizabeth  was  married 
to  Frank  Moore,  a  farmer  living  near  French 
Lick.  Ind.;  Jeremiah  is  a  builder  ;iiid  contractor 
located  in  Terre  Haute.  Ind. ;  and  William  H. 
is  a  farmer  in  Indiana,  located  near  his  father's 
former  place  in  Orange  County.  Some  time  after 
the  death  of  Kebe<'ca  (Taylor)  Lashbrook.  Wil- 
liam Lashbrook  was  married  a  second  time  wed- 
ding Nancy  M.  .Morene.  of  Sullivan  County,  Ind.. 
and  of  this  union,  three  children  were  born, 
namely  ;  Hiram  W.,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  where  he 
has  been  a  Methodist  minister  for  twent.v  years; 
James  W..  a  carpenter  and  builder,  residing  in 
Terre  Haute.  Ind..  and  Ellen,  who  lives  in  Texas, 
where  she  is  (he  wife  of  C.  II.  Baxter,  of  Dallas. 
William  Laslibrook  died  Nov<"niber  15.  18S8.  and 
Nancy  M.  Laslibrook  lives  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
making  her  home  with  her  son.  James  W.  The 
father  in  early  life,  learned  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith, following  this  occupation,  together  with 
farming,  and  being  so  prolicient  in  blacksmithing 
that  no  kind  of  repair  work  could  be  taken  to 
his  shop  which  was  too  ditlicult  for  him  to  un- 
dertake. For  some  years,  when  a  comparatively 
young  man.  he  taught  school,  and  later,  was  a 
local     jireacher     of     the     Methodist     Episcopal 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


859 


Church.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
his  locality.  Wanu  in  his  impulses,  he  was  gen- 
erous to  the  needy,  and  liberal  in  his  support  of 
all  charitable  enterprises.  His  home  was  always 
open  to  the  weary  and  distressed,  and  no  one  in 
trouble  was  ever  turned  away  from  his  door. 
When  the  Civil  War  was  raging,  his  house  was  the 
neighborhood  headquarters  for  news  from  the 
field  of  combat,  and  being  a  good  reader,  he 
read  aloud  to  those  gathered  to  hear,  the  tidings 
from  the  front.  By  one  and  all  he  was  famil- 
iarly known  as  "Uncle  Will,"  and  during  those 
trying  days,  many  who  had  sons,  fathers  or  hus- 
bands fighting  in  defense  of  the  Union,  called  on 
him  for  sympathy  and  advice.  He  was  tenderly 
kind  to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who 
were  slain  in  battle  or  perished  in  the  hospitals, 
and  scores  of  people  still  remember  him  with 
deep  gratitude  and  profound  respect. 

Samuel  Lashbrook  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools. 
Remaining  at  home  until  1862,  he  enlisted  on 
December  2d.  of  that  year,  being  nmstered  into 
service  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  as  a  private  in 
Company  F.  Thirteenth  Regiment  Indiana 
Volunteer  Cavalry,  his  regiment  going  thence  to 
Louisville.  Ky..  and  from  there  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  supplied  only  with  infantrj'  arms.  For 
this  reason  it  was  sent  back  to  Louisville  to  be 
properly  armed,  and  after  receiving  Enfield 
rifles,  etc.,  proceeded  to  Paducah,  Ky. ;  Xashvllle. 
Tenn.;  and  Huiitsville,  Ala.,  returning  in  the  fall 
of  1863  to  Louisville,  via  Nashville,  where  the 
command  was  mounted  and  furnished  with 
cavalry  accoutemients.  After  talking  part  in 
some  guerrilla  skirmishes,  Mr.  Lashbrook  par- 
ticipated in  the  F.attle  of  Franklin,  marching  on 
thence  to  Huutsville.  In  1S<54  he  w.as  sent  again 
to  Nashville,  and  spent  five  weeks  in  Camp  Edge- 
field, whence  the  Thirteenth  Indiana  was  or- 
dered to  Chattanooga,  but  being  cut  off,  went 
down  the  Tennessee  River,  thence  to  Vicksl)Uj-g 
and  to  New  Orleans,  where  it  remained  until 
spring.  The  regiment  was  engaged  in  the  battle 
at  Spanish  Fort,  being  under  fire  for  about  ten 
hours,  and  afterwards  was  sent  to  Mobile, 
skirmishing  on  the  march.  Mr.  Lashbrook  has 
a  livel.v  remembrance  of  a  feast  of  sweet  pota- 
toes and  other  relishable  edibles,  which  the 
"boys"  en.ioyed  after  the  Battle  of  Spanish  Fort, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirby.  who  was  visiting  the  camp 
of  the  Thirteenth,  being  present  on  the  occasion. 
That  night,  the  Thirteenth  "went  after"  Gen. 
Kirby  Smith,  having  a  bri.sk  skirmish  with  a 
iwrtion  of  his  command.  The  regiment  was  then 
sent  to  Greenville.  Ala.,  where  the  cheer- 
ing news  was  received  of  I./ee's  surrender  to 
Grant,  which  caused  great  rejoicing  among  the 
men.  From  Greenville  the  regiment  moved  to 
Montgomery.  .Via.,  skirmishing  with  the  re- 
treating enemy.  .\t  Montgomer.v,  the  command 
did  garrison  duty.  Mr.  Lashbrook  being  detailed 
as  a  messenger  to  .Tackson.  Miss.,  and  thence  to 
Vicksburg,  w-here  he  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice November  16.  1S6.5.  going  then  to  In- 
dianapolis,   for   his   final    discharge.      Returning 


home  he  again  turned  his  attention  to  farm 
worli;,  continuing  thus  one  year  on  the  old  home 
place.  In  1867  he  moved  to  French  Lick,  Ind., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  carpenter  work  four 
years.  About  the  year  1871,  he  went  into  a 
partnershi])  in  the  undertaking  business,  the 
firm  manufacturing  cotfins  and  eases  for  their 
trade.  Selling  out  his  interest  in  this  concern  in 
187;'>,  he  moved  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and 
went  to  work  on  a  farm  for  Overton  Parks,  in 
Section  11,  Woodstock  Township,  moving  into  a 
lug  cabin  and  remaining  on  the  place  eighteen 
months.  In  1874,  he  rented  land  from  Hon. 
Perry  Logsdou,  which  he  occupied  until  1880, 
when  he  bought  131  acres  of  unimproved  land 
in  the  same  section,  liuown  as  the  "old  Cliff 
farm,"  and  established  himself  in  his  own  home. 
He  built  a  basement  barn,  measuring  36  by  44 
feet,  and  two  sheds,  afterwards  erecting  a  fine, 
two-story  frame  residence,  with  a  cellar  16  by 
32  feet  in  dimensions.  In  1895,  he  rented  the 
liriggle  farm,  which  he  cultivated  four  years, 
and  in  1000.  purchased  170  acres  in  Section  2, 
Woodstock  Township,  on  which  he  has  since 
lived.  On  his  first  arrival  in  Woodstock  Town- 
shi]),  his  cash  capital  was  limited  to  2.j  cents, 
and  now,  300  acres  of  good  and  finely  improved 
land  in  the  township  belong  to  him.  Through 
indomitable  resolution,  unwavering  persistence 
and  sagacious  management,  he  has  become  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  in  Schuyler 
County.  Although  confronted  sometimes  by  ad- 
versity, he  has  overcome  all  obstacles  and  is 
now  en.ioying  the  well  merited  rewards  of  his 
arduous  labors. 

On  April  16,  1866,  Mr.  Lashbrook  was  united 
in  -marriage  with  Nancy  J.  Wilson,  a  most  ex- 
cellent woman,  who  was  born  in  Orange  County, 
Ind.,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Biddy  (John- 
son) Wilson,  natives  of  Orange  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lashbrook  have  reared  eight  children,  as 
follows:  William  F.,  Andrew  J.,  Marj-  Alice, 
Frederick,  Melissa,  Cora,  Nettie  and  Earl.  The 
eldest  son,  William  F.,  lives  on  the  home  place ; 
Andrew  J.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Brown 
County,  111.,  married  Miss  Annie  Cooper;  Mary 
A.  is  "the  wife  of  Cyrus  Bell,  a  farmer  in  Bain- 
bridge  Township.  Schu.vler  County;  Melissa  was 
married  to  Edward  Flindt,  whose  parents  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Schuyler  County ; 
Coi-a  became  the  wife  of  Loren  Serrott.  of  Whi- 
ficld.  Kan. ;  Nettie  was  married  to  Oscar  L.  Lear, 
a  farmer  in  Woodstock  Township ;  and  Earl  lives 
with  ills  parents.  The  family  are  members  of 
the   Methodist  Episcopal   Church. 

Politically,  Jlr.  Lashbrook  has  always  acted 
with  the  liepulilUan  party,  taking  a  good  citi- 
zen's interest  in  public  affairs,  but  never  seek- 
ing the  distinction  of  local  office.  Fratemall.v. 
he  is  a  member  of  Col.  Horney  Post.  No.  i;!l. 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Rushville.  He 
is  a  man  of  genial  temperament  and  cordial  man- 
ners, a  most  hospitable  and  interesting  enter- 
tainer, and  has  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances, 
among  which  be  numljers  hosts  of  friends. 


860 


HISTOEY  OP  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


LASHMETT,  Andrew  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  uii  a  farm  iu  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  Ill  1804.  Uis  father.  .Johu  Lashmett,  was  a 
native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  and  the  birth  of  his 
mother,  Lucretia  (Ruclier)  Lashmett,  occurred 
near  Lexington,  Ky.  The  paternal  grandparents, 
both  of  whom  were  French  by  nativity,  settled 
in  Vii-fiinia  shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the 
last  century,  and  were  closely  identified  with 
the  early  development  of  that  State. 

Mr.  Lashmett  received  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Schuyler  County,  taking 
advantage  of  the  limited  opiwrtunities  which  he 
had  for  improving  his  mind  until  he  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  his  studies  in  order  to  earn  a 
competence  for  himself.  In  1891,  he  came  to 
Rushville,  and  established  a  musical  instmment 
business,  which  ho  coiulucted  successfully  for  a 
period  of  four  years,  lie  then  accejited  a  posi- 
tion with  a  large  music  house  located  at  Hur- 
lingt(m.  la.,  for  which  he  traveled  two  years,  his 
reputation  as  a  musician,  together  with  bis  busi- 
ness qualifications,  making  him  a  valuable  sales- 
man in  this  line.  Afterwards,  he  returned  to 
Rushville  and  established  the  concern  whfch  he 
is  now  conducting.  For  the  past  ten  years  he 
has  occupied  the  large  store  building  "on  East 
Washington  Street,  near  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  Public  Square,  where  he  has  successfully 
carried  on  the  department  store,  familiarly 
known  as  "Little  Chicago."  His  business  has 
so  ineroa.sed  that  he  has  been  louipelled  from 
time  to  time  to  add  new  lines  to  his  stock, 
and  this,  as  a  matter  of  cour.se,  necessitated  new 
additions  to  his  store  building,  until  today  he 
occupies  over  LI.OOO  square  feet  of  floor  s"i)ace. 
His  slock  consists  of  the  following  complete 
lines:  furniture,  undertaking  goods,  pianos,  or- 
gans, V(>liicles  ('including  wagons,  surreys,  bug- 
gies, stanhopes  and  runabouts),  harness,  s.a'ddles, 
robes,  blankets  and  whips,  stoves  and  ranges! 
carpets  and  i-ugs.  matting,  window-.shades  and 
curtains,  sewing  machines,  etc..  etc. 

Mr.  Lashmett  is  a  musician  of  more  than 
local  reputation,  his  e.vecution  upon  the  violin 
haviug  attracted  special  attention.  Having  a 
deep  interest  in  music,  he  devotes  special  at- 
tention to  this  musical  instrument  deijartment. 
In  tills  stock  are  iiK'luded  pianos,  organs,  phono- 
grajihs  and  a  large  assm-tnieiit  of  other  musical 
instruments.  Such  is  the  demand  for  these  that 
some  of  the  best  makes  are  here  represented. 
.Vmong  the  pianos.  Mr.  Lashmett  favors  the 
Emerson  as  a  leader,  but  carries  also  in  stock 
the  Lakeside,  Schuman  and  Schiller  pianos.  He 
has  done  much  to  stimulate  an  interest  in  high 
grade  music  in  this  section.  The  variety-  and 
reliability  of  the  instrunients  handled  by  him 
have  satisfied  a  demand"  equal  to  that  in  the 
larger  cities.  One  room  of  this  large  establish- 
ment is  devoted  to  the  needs  of  musicians,  and 
has  proved  a  popular  meeting  place  for  those  of 
the  city  who  are  musically  inclined.  In  all 
other  lines  carried  by  Mr.  Lashmett,  the  best 
is  alwa.vs  to  be  found.  His  close  application 
to   business,   together   with   his   thorough   knowl- 


edge of  its  details,  assures  his  patrons  of  fair 
treatment,  good  values  and  honest  dealings. 

.Notwithstanding  his  absorbing  business  re- 
spousibililies.  Jlr.  Lashmett  has  always  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  the  .soi-ial  and  civic  welfare  of 
the  community.  He  has  been  prominent  iu 
local  iiolitics  and  has  served  the  city  and  county 
iu  various  capacities.  Hy  virtue  of  his  e.xcellent 
service  in  coniu'<-tioii  with  the  |iublic  trusts  com- 
mitted to  his  care,  he  has  reflected  sigual  credit 
upon  himself,  as  well  as  upon  the  party  he  rep- 
resents. He  has  sei-ved  as  Aldornian  of  the  Sec- 
ond Ward,  and  In  the  spring  of  1'J(I2  was 
elected  Supervisor  of  IJushviile  Township,  be- 
ing re-elected  iu  IJXH.  In  the  spring  of  1907 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Mayor  of  the  City 
of  Rushville. 

-Mr.  Lashmett  belongs  to  that  class  of  men  that 
have  attained  success  solely  through  their  in- 
dividual efl'ort.  His  rise  in  the  business  world 
may  be  attributed,  for  the  most  part,  to  his  reso- 
lute purpose  to  give  the  public  the  best  of  which 
he  was  capable.  In  his  association  with  the 
commercial  and  political  atl'airs  of  Uushville,  he 
has  i)roved  himself  to  be  a  public  spirited  and 
t'nteri)rising  citi/.en.  By  reason  of  his  honesty, 
integrity  and  ability,  he  is  recognizeil  as  one  of 
the  must  reliable  and  sul>stantial  men  of  the  city, 
and  well  does  he  desene  this  distinction. 

On  January  lij,  ]!Mi2,  Mr.  Lashmett  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Rosa  Cowan,  a  native 
of  \'irdeu,  HI.,  and  one  son  has  been  born  to 
them,  James  Andrew,  a  most  interesting  and 
promising  child. 

LAWLER,  Charles  E.— .\jnoug  the  leading 
farmers  of  Scbu.\ler  County,  III.,  who  have 
largely  assisted  to  impart  to  the  agricultural  in- 
terests of  that  I'cgiiin  the  tone  and  prestige 
which  they  adniittedl.v  ixissess,  and  whose  enter- 
prise and  public  spirit  have  wou  for  him  an 
individual  standing  s<'cond  to  none  in  his  lo- 
cality, is  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces 
this  personal  record.  Mr.  Lawler  was  born  in 
Hainbridge  Township.  Schuyler  County,  Sep- 
tember 2G,  1851.  His  father,  George  E.  Lawler, 
was  a  Virginian,  having  been  Iwm  in  that  State 
December  .30,  1847,  while  his  mother,  Caroline 
( Ilymer)  Trawler,  was  a  native  of  Xorth  Caro- 
lin.i.  The  [laternal  grandfather  followed  farm- 
ing in  the  Old  Dominion,  and  when  quite  young, 
George  E.  Lawler  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Ohio,  whence  at  an  early  period  the  family 
jourue.vod  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Woodstock 
Township,  Sclm.vler  Countj'.  Subsequeutl.v, 
(ieorge  E.  Lawler  settled  in  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship in  the  same  county,  where  he  carried  on 
'arming  during  the  remainder  of  liis  active  life. 
He  died  in  1S9S.  .V  detailed  narrative  of  his 
career,  togetlier  with  particulars  in  regard  to  his 
wife  and  family,  will  be  found  in  an  adjacent 
section  of  this  work. 

In  boyhood.  Charles  E.  Lawler  attended  he 
district  schools  of  Bainbridge  Township,  and 
pass<'d  his  early  youth  on  his  father's  farm.  On 
reaching   manhood    he   commenced   fanning    for 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


861 


himself,  and  continued  in  tills  occupation  with 
invariable  success  until  the  time  ot  his  abandon- 
ment of  agricultural  pursuits  in  I'JUo,  when  he 
established  his  residence  iu  Rushville,  111.,  in 
order  to  secure  better  educational  facilities  for 
his  children.  He  has  since  lived  in  retirement, 
having  a  very  attractive  home  on  East  Adams 
Street. 

ilr.  Lawler  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  at  Rushville,  in  1ST3, 
when  he  was  wedded  to  Maria  Greer,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  L.  and  Martha  (Wilson)  Greer, 
who  was  born  in  Rushville  Township  in  1853. 
Two  sons  resulted  from  this  union, — Clyde  E. 
and  William  R.  The  elder  of  these,  while  ex- 
hibiting a  tine  horse  at  a  local  county  fair  in 
1898,  was  kicked  by  the  animal,  and  died  from 
the  injury  thus  received.  William  R.,  the 
younger  son,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  School, 
and  also  completed  a  course  of  commerci.al  study. 
In  3886,  his  first  wife  having  passed  away,  Mr. 
Lawler  was  joined  iu  matrimony  with  Nora 
Kirkhani,  a  daughter  of  Silas  and  Mary  (Gar- 
rett) Kirkham,  who  was  born  in  Kansas  in 
1858.  The  issue  of  the  second  marriage  was 
three  children,  namely  :  Orrin  H.,  Jlildred  and 
Frances.  The  first  named,  having  finished  his 
preparatory  course  by  graduating  in  1005,  is  now 
a  student  in  the  Illinois  State  University,  being 
a  member  of  the  class  graduating  in  VMM).  On 
his  removal  to  Rushville,  Mr,  Lawler  turned 
over  the  management  of  his  farm  of  1(55  acres 
to  his  son,  William  R.,  who  keeps  a  flue  grade 
of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs,  especial  attention  be- 
ing given  to  Shire  horses.  In  jiolitics,  Mr.  Law- 
ler is  allied  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
has  served  the  public  as  Township  Assessor.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Rush- 
ville. and  for  many  years  has  been  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Schuyler 
County. 

LAWLER,  George  Edward  (deceased). — 
Among  the  worthy  pioneer  settlers  of  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  upon  whose  resolute  minds  and 
sturdy  bodies  rested  the  herculean  task  of  de- 
veloping a  wilderness  into  a  civilized  connnu- 
nitj',  none  is  entitled  to  a  greater  meed  of  praise 
than  George  Edward  Lawler.  To  ascribe  to  iiim 
and  his  contemporaries  the  credit  which  is  justly 
their  due,  to  recount  their  arduous  labors,  de- 
pict their  noble  traits  of  character,  and  perpet- 
uate in  enduring  form  the  record  of  their 
achievements,  is  a  grateful  task  for  those  of  a 
succeeding  generation,  who  are  the  I'ortunate 
beneficiaries  of  the  great  work  accomplished  by 
them.  In  the  ranks  of  these  honored  ]]ioneers, 
George  E.  Lawler,  is  one  of  the  foremost,  as 
typifying  all  those  qualities  that  enter  into  the 
composition  of  perfect  manhood.  Mr.  Lawler 
was  a  native  of  the  "Old  Dominion."  where  his 
birth  occurred  in  Fauquier  C!ounty  December  30, 
1817.  He  was  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Mar- 
garet B.  (White)  Lawler,  the  father  having 
been  born  in  Warrington.  Fau(iuier  County,  Va., 
in  1794,  and  the  mother  also  in  Virginia  in  1798. 


Alexander  Lawler  was  of  Irish  descent,  his  an- 
cestors coming  to  America  in  the  colonial  period. 
His  wife  was  ot  Swiss  descent.  The  former  died 
in  1853,  the  latter  surviving  him  until  1874, 
when  she  jiassed  away  at  the  age  of  TD  years. 
Grandfather  James  Lawler  was  private  sec- 
retary of  General  Washington,  serving  in  that 
capacity  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
which  he  took  part  in  many  of  the  most  san- 
guinary battles.  After  the  termination  of  that 
memorable  coullict,  he  returned  to  his  home,  and 
resumed  his  occupation  of  farming  and  suiwey- 
iug.  He  surveyed  and  platted  the  farm  and 
home  grounds  of  General  W.ishingtou,  at  Mount 
Vernon. 

He  was  considered  as  one  of  the  best  educated 
and  most  polished  gentlemen  of  his  day.  George 
E.  Lawler  was  brought  to  Schuyler  County,  in 
1839,  by  his  parents,  who  settled  iu  Baiubridge 
Township,  on  a  farm  which  is  still  in  possession 
of  the  family.  He  remained  on  the  home  place 
until  the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  took  place 
in  1841.  The  wife  of  Mr.  Lawler,  who  died 
June  27,  1879,  was  formerly  Caroline  Ilynier, 
.•I  daughter  of  .John  Ilynier.  one  of  the  most  es- 
teemed of  the  early  settlers  of  Schuyler  County. 
Mr.  Lawler  then  bought  his  first  property,  six- 
teen acres  of  land,  and  built  a  log  cabin,  at  that 
period  the  best  one  in  his  section  of  the  country. 
He  had  the  first  cook-stove  and  carpet  in  use  in 
that  locality.  His  family  ultimately  consisted 
of  eleven  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 
reared  tq  maturity.  Their  names  are  as  follows: 
Sarah  Margaret,  wife  of  Jacob  Hanunond,  a 
narrative  of  whose  career  appears  in  this  vol- 
ume :  George  W.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Rushville,  111. ;  Zerilda  J.,  married 
Samuel  Wheelhouse,  of  Rushville;  John  W.,  a 
retired  farmer  and  merchant,  whose  life  is  also 
portrayed  in  this  work :  Jo.sephine.  wife  of  A. 
B.  Lawler,  a  farmer  located  near  Rushville; 
James  A.,  who  operates  a  grist  mill  at  Rush- 
ville ;  Charles  E.,  a  retired  farmer,  residing  at 
Rushville ;  Henry,  who  died  in  18(34,  at  the  age 
of  eight  years;  Oliver  F.,  who  occupies  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Baiubridge  Township; 
Ernest  J.,  who  died  in  March,  1865,  when  five 
years  old;  and  Dwight  E.,  a  merchant  at  River- 
dale,  Kan.  The  father  of  this  family  was  long 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  citizens  of  Schuy- 
ler County.  Beginning  with  sixteen  acres  of 
land,  he  gradually  increased  his  possessions 
until  he  became  one  of  the  most  extensive  land- 
holders in  the  county,  owning  at  one  time  803 
acres.  As  the  children  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity, he  gave  each  a  goodly  portion  to  start 
them  in  active  life,  providing  liberally  for  all, 
after  equipping  them  with  a  thorough  educa- 
tion. He  was  extremely  public-spirited,  and 
unselfishly  active  in  |iromoting  the  best  interests 
of  the  community.  He  was  always  ready  to  ex- 
tend a  helping  hand  to  the  needy  who  deserved 
assistance,  bestowing  his  charities  without  os- 
tentation, and  the  number  of  those  whom  he 
has  succored  when  in  temporary  straits,  and 
who  owe  their  subsequent  success  to  his  broad 


862 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


miuded  philantbroiiy,  will  never  be  fully  known. 
He  was  a  inember  of  tbe  Baptist  Cburc-b,  and 
bis  wife  belon.aed  to  tbe  Metbodist  denomina- 
tion. Mr.  Lawler  died  August  24,  3898.  His 
memory  will  long  be  c-berisbed  for  tbe  sbiuing 
virtues  of  bis  cbaracter  and  for  bis  beneficent 
deeds. 

LAWLER,  John  W.,  one  of  tbe  most  sub- 
stantial and  favoralily  known  citizens  of  Kusb- 
ville.  111.,  was  born  in  Ba.inbridge  Towusbip. 
Scbuyler  County,  October  4,  1845,  a  son  of 
George  E.  and  Caroline  (Hymer)  Lawler,  bis 
fatber  baying  been  bom  in  Virginia,  December 
30,  1818,  and  tbe  motber  born  in  Xortb  Caro- 
lina. George  E.  Lawler  followed  farming  for  a 
livelibood.  He  went  witb  bis  parents  from  Vir- 
ginia to  Obio  at  an  early  period,  and  during  tbe 
'tbirties  accompanied  them  tbence  to  Illinois, 
the  family  settling  in  Woodstock  Township, 
Scbuyler  County.  At  a  later  period  George  E. 
Lawler  located  on  a  farm  in  liaiubridge  Town- 
ship, on  wliicli  be  built  a  dwelling  and  followed 
farming  until  IS":!,  when  he  retired  from  active 
pursuits,  establishing  bis  home  in  Rushville, 
where  be  died  in  18'JC. 

John  W.  Lawler  enjoyed  tbe  benefits  of  at- 
tendance at  the  district  schools  of  Bainbridge 
Township  when  a  boy,  and  throughout  his  youth 
busied  himself  by  assisting  his  father  in  tbe 
daily  routine  of  farmwork.  On  attaining  his 
majority  he  engaged  in  farming  for  himself, 
and  continued  I  bus  until  1800.  .\t  that  time  he 
secured  employment  in  a  general  store,  where 
he  remained  a  few  years.  He  then  resumed 
farming  operations,  which  be  afterward  again 
relinquished  and  made  a  trip  to  the  West.  Re- 
turning home  he  once  more  applied  himself  to 
farming,  and  was  thus  employed  until  1S.S4, 
when  he  embarked  in  tbe  grocery  trade  in  Rush- 
ville, selling  out  in  1906  and  withdrawing  from 
active  life. 

Mr.  Lawler  has  thrice  entered  into  matri- 
monial rel.itions.  His  first  marriage  took  place 
in  Rusliviile  in  IST.'i,  when  he  wedded  Rosie 
Patterson,  who  died  in  188.3.  Four  boys  and 
two  girls  were  the  issue  of  this  union,  namely: 
Clarence,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years ; 
Marvin,  who  married  Tillie  Ellis,  and  has  one 
son,  Lawrence,  living  in  Beardstown,  111.,  and 
employed  as  a  conductor  on  tbe  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  Railroad ;  Ray.  also  a  rail- 
way conductor,  running  out  of  Denver.  Colo. : 
Carroll,  of  Rushville,  who  married  Mary  Walker, 
of  tlie  same  place :  Grace,  wife  of  Frank  Ross, 
of  (Talesburg.  111.:  and  Bessie,  wife  of  Guy  Pat- 
terson, who  has  two  children. 

In  1809.  at  Peoria.  III.,  Mr.  Lawler  married 
Emma  Reflin,  who  died  in  1890.  In  February, 
1802.  at  Rushville,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Emma  M.  Harmon,  who  was  bom  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rushville  in  1865.  The  offspring  of 
the  last  marriage  is  one  son,  John  J.,  living  at 
home.  In  politics.  Mr.  Lawler  is  a  Democrat. 
He  is  a  man  of  excellent  character,  and  enjoys 


the  resiiect  and  confidence  of  a  large  acquaint- 
ance. 

LAWLER,  Oliver  T. — One  of  the  most  interest- 
ing and  valuable  landmarks  in  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship is  that  owned  and  occupied  by  t)liver  T. 
Lawler,  son  of  the  i)ioneer,  Ceorge  Edward  Law- 
ler. -Vround  this  old  place  are  centered  tbe  mani- 
fold happenings  of  almost  tbree-ipiarters  of  a 
century  ;  the  birth  of  a  large  family  of  children, 
their  development  from  youth  lo  manhood  and 
womanhood,  their  departure  upon  their  re- 
spective indei)en(lent  walks  of  life,  and  the  re- 
turn of  Oliver  T.  as  manager  and  eventual  owner 
of  the  memory  laden  homestead.  Upon  this 
farm  Oliver  T.  was  born  August  24,  1858,  and 
here  began  the  tasks  which  fitted  bini  for  bis 
large  responsibility  as  a  representative  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  the  twentieth  century.  His 
ojiportunities  were  similar  to  those  of  the  other 
lads  of  his  neighljorhood,  and  included  attend- 
ance at  the  district  schools  during  the  winter 
months,  and  work  in  the  fields  during  the  sum-  . 
mer.  After  the  removal  of  the  fatber  to  Rush- 
ville in  1873,  he  augmented  his  previous  training 
by  graduating  at  the  bigb-scbcKd  of  that  town, 
and  October,  1879,  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  C.  Morris,  daughter  of  John  W.  Morris, 
a  sketch  of  whose  career  may  be  found  ou  an- 
other page  of  this  work. 

In  tbe  spring  of  ISSO,  Mr.  Lawler  lirougbt  his 
young  wife  to  the  farm  uix)n  which  he  was  born, 
and  wbiih  he  rented  until  1808.  He  then  bought 
tbe  i)lace  outright,  and  now  owns  the  320  acres, 
all  of  which  is  under  a  high  slate  of  cultivation. 
Mr.  Lawler  breeds,  feeds  and  ships  consider- 
able stcjck,  and  engages  in  general  farming  on  a 
large  scale.  His  residence,  barns,  outbuildings, 
fences,  drainage  and  general  improvements  in- 
dicate ihoroughiiess.  method,  and  fine  regard  for 
the  sestbetic  as  well  as  financial  side  of  e.vlst- 
ence,  and  taken  all  In  all  the  property  consOtutes 
one  of  the  most  delightful  homes  and  profitable 
agricultural  enterprises  in  Schuyler  County. 
The  owner  is  a  man  of  firm  but  progressive 
ideas,  a  conscientious  student  of  tbe  iK'st  ways 
of  farming  and  the  most  enlightened  ways  of 
living,  and  the  possessor  of  practical  and  com- 
mon sense  ideas  upon  subjects  engaging  the  pop- 
ular attention. 

Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Lawler  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Of  those 
living,  Lou  M.  was  born  November  2,  1888; 
Dorothv  G..  was  l)orn  September  6,  1801 ;  Flor- 
ence C".,  was  bora  May  20,  1893;  Bernice  was 
l)orn  April  10.  1897;  and  Ernest  was  l)orn  August 
2(1,  1002.  In  politics  Mr.  Lawler  is  a  Democrat, 
but  in  local  matters  he  is  broad  enough  to 
sometinies  recognize  the  limitations  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic tiiket.  He  enjoys  social  prominence  in 
marked  degree,  is  popular  with  all  classes,  and 
is  an  honored  member  of  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows. 

LAWLER.  Robert  A.— The  advantage  of  hon- 
est business  principles,   unswerving  devotion   to 


HIST01!Y  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


863 


the  best  tenets  of  a  necessary  and  iniportaut 
occupation,  and  appreciation  of  tlae  courtesy,  con- 
sideration and  tactfulness  wliicli  unfailingly  am- 
plifies and  dignities  liuman  endeavor,  are  factora 
emptiasized  in  the  enteiprise  of  J.  W.  Liclvey  & 
Company,  funeral  directors  of  tlie  city  of  Kusli- 
ville.  Tills  firm  has  been  in  existence  since  hV.lS, 
and  in  1002  its  -.vorliing  force  was  augmented  by 
Robert  A.  Lawler,  to  whose  far  sighteduess, 
progression  and  unremitting  iudusti-j-  and  good 
judgment  is  due  a  large  share  of  its  merited  suc- 
cess. 

Robert  Alexander  Lawler  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Woodstock  Township.  Schuyler  County,  111., 
December  22,  1877,  and  is  the  youngest  of  the 
four  sons  and  one  daughter  of  Washington  M. 
and  Lilly  (Burnside)  Lawler,  the  former  of 
whom  WMS  an  early  settler,  and  the  latter  a  na- 
tive of  Schuyler  County.  Washington  M.  Law- 
ler, who  in  early  life  was  a  farmer  and  cooper 
and,  in  later  life,  a  farmer,  is  given  attention 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  settled  on  the 
farm  where  his  son  was  born  in  1840,  and  from 
small  beginnings  arose  to  wealth  and  influence, 
owning,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  November  5, 
1807.  240  acres  of  improved  land.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  until  February  15.  1007.  Of  their 
children.  Theodore  W.  is  a  farmer  of  Warren 
County,  111.:  Alice  is  the  wife  of  Eugene  Cham- 
berlain, of  Bainbridge  Township;  Thomas  H. 
lives  in  Kewanee,  111. :  and  Fred  H.  is  a  travel- 
ing salesman.  The  elder  Lawler  was  a  prom- 
inent and  public  spirited  man.  greatly  interested 
in  the  roads  and  schools  of  the  township,  and 
though  of  a  quiet,  unostentatious  nature,  the  soul 
of  friendliness  and  good  humor. 

As  did  his  brothers  and  sister,  Robert  A.  Law- 
ler attended  the  district  school  in  ciirly  youth, 
and  in  1808  entered  the  Rushville  Normal  Busi- 
ness College,  from  which  he  was  duly  graduated 
in  1000.  For  two  years  he  combined  oversight 
of  the  home  farm  with  school-teaching,  that  well 
worn  thoroughfare  from  country  to  city  life, 
and  in  so  doing  laid  aside  the  small  competence 
which  was  to  constitute  his  financial  start  in  life. 
August  28,  1002,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mvrtle  Liekey,  daughter  of  J.  W.  Lie-key,  of 
Rushville.  and  immediately  afterward  Ijecame 
the  business  associate  of  his  well  known  father- 
in-law.  In  the  meantime  he  has  advanced  to  a 
foremost  place  in  his  profession,  has  made  a 
thorough  scientific  study  of  embalming,  and  has 
been  granted  license  No.  029  by  the  State  Board 
of  Embalmers.  He  takes  a  keen  and  unfailing 
interest  in  his  work,  invests  it  with  forethought 
and  intelligence,  and  by  his  tact  and  under- 
standing, diverts  from  the  necessarily  grewsome 
occupation  much  that  is  ob.iectionable  and  de- 
pressing. The  firm  occupy  two  floors  of  an  es- 
tablishment on  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
square,  and  their  equipment  is  in  accord  with 
the  most  modern  and  progressive  funeral  di- 
recting and  embalming  methods.  The  confidence 
of  the  public  has  been  gained  liy  skillful  and 
dependable  service,  and  the  exercise  of  those 
personal   niceties   and  considerations  which   ap- 


peal to  these  who  have  sustained  the  loss  of 
their  near  and  dear  ones.  In  connection  with 
their  line  of  caskets  and  general  funeral  furn- 
ishings, the  firm  carry  a  stock  of  mouldings, 
frames  and  art  goods.  Mr.  Lawler  is  Secretary 
of  the  National  Co-operative  Burial  Associ.-ition, 
which  has  a  membership  of  eighteen  hundred. 

To  train  and  succeed  to  his  business  Mr.  Law- 
ler has  two  sons,  Harold  and  Eugene.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which 
both  himself  and  his  wife  are  vei-y  active,  and, 
fraternally,  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Friendship  Lodge  No.  24, 
of  which  he  is  Noble  Grand,  and  is  a  member 
and  presiding  (jfficer  of  the  JI,\stic  Workers  No. 
474,  ills  wife  having  been  Secretary  of  the  same 
for  the  past  five  years.  Mrs.  Lawler  also  is  a 
member  of  the  Rebekas,  as  is  her  husband,  and 
he  is  connected  as  well  with  the  Modern  WiX)d- 
men  of  America  and  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Security.  From  a  business  and  social  stand- 
point Mr.  Lawler  is  one  of  the  prominent  and 
successful  men  in  his  part  of  the  State,  and  en- 
joys a  wide  acquaintance  with  many  of  its  fore- 
most families. 

LAWLER,  Robert  E.,  an  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive young  farmer  whose  home  is  in  Section 
22.  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111., 
and  who  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his 
locality,  was  bom  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives.  January  18,  1880,  a  son  of  ,Tohn  Hugh  and 
Mary  (O'Connor)  Lawler,  natives  of  Fauquier 
County,  Va.,  whence  the  former  was  brought  to 
Sehu.vler  County,  III.,  by  his  father,  James  W. 
Lawler,  in  18.35,  when  he  was  about  eleven  years 
old.  James  W.  I>nwler  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Bainljridge  Township.  Here  .John  H. 
Lawler  married  a  Miss  Edniondson,  and  b.y  her 
had  two  children,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
After  the  mother's  death  he  married  Almira 
Perr.v,  and  their  union  resulted  in  four  children, 
namely:  Albert,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years:  William,  who  died  in  1800;  Nancy, 
wife  of  Edward  Hood,  and  Ann  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  .James  Self,  both  husbands  being  farmers  in 
Bainbridge  Township.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily died  in  Bainbridge  Township,  and  John  H. 
Trawler  subsequently  married  Mary  O'Connor, 
bom  near  Lyons.  France,  who  was  brought  b.v 
her  parents  to  this  countr.y  when  she  was  about 
six  years  old.  Her  father.  Mathias  O'Connor, 
settled  in  Camden  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
where  he  died  in  1880.  John  H.  and  Mary 
(O'Connor)  Lawler  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  as  follows :  Clinton,  who  died  in  In- 
fancy ;  Jessie  L..  deceased  wife  of  Jona  Vaughan, 
wild  died  in  ISO.S;  Martha  K.  and  Lucy  D.,  of 
Rushville.  111. ;  and  Robert  E.,  to  whom  this 
personal  record  pertains.  .John  H.  Lawler  de- 
parted this  life  March  2,  1804,  his  widow  sur- 
viving him  until  July  2,  1807,  when  she,  too, 
[i.-issed  away.  When  the  former  first  came  to 
Schuyler  Coimty,  wild  game  was  abundant,  and 
deer  trails  were  visible  in  all  directions.  The 
land  in  Bainbridge  Township  where  the  Lawlers 


864 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


made  tlieir  home,  was  heavily  covered  with 
white  aud  black-oali  timber.  James  W.  and 
John  n.  Lawler  cleared  this  wilderness,  aud  ou 
ground  then  haunted  by  struggling  Indians, 
whose  wigwams  had  scarce  disappeared,  now 
stand  churches,  schoolhouses  and  beautiful 
homes,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  sturdy 
pioneer  of  the  Lawler  family. 

Robert  E.  Lawler  was  fourteen  yeara  old 
when  his  father  died,  aud  passed  his  boyhood  in 
assisting  in  work  on  the  home  place  and  attend- 
ing the  district  schools.  After  tiuishiug  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Kushville  Normal  yehool  he  taught 
for  two  years,  aud  then  turned  his  attention  to 
the  farm  containing  iiSO  acres,  which  was  left 
to  his  care,  burdened  with  an  iudebtedm'ss  to  be 
discharged.  Well  has  he  perfoAued  his  task, 
and  he  aud  his  sisters  have  become  the  owners 
of  210  acres  of  the  homestead  projX'rty. 

Ou  April  13,  1903,  Mr.  Lawler  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Orace  E.  Hood,  who  was  born  in 
Cass  County,  111.,  a  daughter  of  Edward  Hood, 
a  |irominent  farmer  of  Haiubridge  Township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawler  have  two  ihildren,  namely: 
John  D.,  bom  May  2,  1904;  aud  Mary  Lucille, 
born  August  2,  1906. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Lawler  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  political  affairs  of 
his  township,  in  which  he  has  become  an  influen- 
tial factor.  In  19(l(i,  during  Mr.  Lawler's  ab- 
sence from  home,  the  Democratic  Township  Cou- 
vention  nominated  him  for  the  oHice  of  Super- 
visor, and  he  was  elected  by  a  decisive  majority, 
being  eight  years  the  junior  of  the  ne.\t  youngest 
member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  He  is 
loolved  upon  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens of  the  community,  and  be  and  his  amiable 
wife  have  a  host  of  friends, 

LAWSON,  James  P. — To  the  average  farmer 

in  Illinois  liorticulture,  as  a  s<-ience,  is  a  closed 
book,  file  study  of  which  seems  hardly  justified 
by  the  results  thus  far  achieved  in  the  LV'ntral 
West  in  connection  with  the  fruit-raising  indus- 
try. Yet  one  has  but  to  scan  tlie  work  of  certain 
landsmen  whose  attention  has  thus  been  directed 
witli  successful  results,  to  realize  the  injustice  of 
the  opinion  eomnionly  held.  One  of  the  most  in- 
teresting and  informing  expressions  of  this  sort 
of  n.Mfure-loving  spirit  to  be  found  in  Scliuyler 
County,  is  the  farm  in  Section  Ki,  Camden 
Township,  owned  aud  occupied  by  James  I'. 
Lawson.  The  man  bent '  upon  horticultural  or 
agricultural  success  might  travel  far  and  not 
find  so  encouraging  an  ex|)osition  of  what  may 
be  accomplished  in  fruit-raising  when  backed  by 
enthusiasm,  broad  understanding  and  untiring 
industry. 

James  P.  Lawson  was  born  in  Bainbridge 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  July  6,  18.51,  a  son 
of  Robert  Law.son.  and  in  boyhood  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Camden  Township,  where  the 
famil.v  settled  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  his 
brother  William.  Here  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
attended  the  public  schools  as  opportunity  of- 
fered,  and   ujion   attaining   his   majorit.v,   began 


work  on  his  own  account,  though  still  making 
his  home  with  his  mother  who.  by  this  time,  had 
become  a  widow.  Industrious  and  frugal  in  his 
habits,  he  had  no  dilhculty  in  securing  employ- 
ment, and  having  few  and  simple  wants,  was 
able  to  lay  aside  a  portion  of  his  earnings  for 
future  investments,  llis  mother  in  the  mean- 
time li.iving  passed  away,  ou  March  17,  18S9,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Hester  Alarlow,  a  daughter 
of  Ia'\\  S.  ;ind  Margaretta  (lUce)  Marlow,  and 
a  native  of  Camden  Township.  A  sketch  of 
Mr.  .Marlow  will  be  fouud  iu  its  prolJer  place  in 
another  jiart  of  this  work. 

.Viler  his  marriage,  Mr.  Lawson  resided  on  the 
old  Lome  farm  for  one  year,  when  he  removed 
to  Canuli'U,  remaining  there  for  about  five  yeare. 
In  1«)()  he  bought  ninety  acres  of  the  paternal 
farm,  to  which  he  later  added  by  purchase 
eighty  acres  more  on  Section  lU,  making  a  total 
of  170  acres,  of  which  twenty  a<'res  is  in  Section 
'.(  in  Camden  Towuslil|).  This  property  he  h.is 
im|iroved  by  the  erection  of  farm  buildings, 
setting  out  orchards  and  a  variety  of  small  fruit- 
bearing  shrubs,  besides  developing  a  vegetable 
growing  department  that  will  add  materially  to 
the  production  of  the  farm. 

Mr.  ,ind  Mrs,  Law.son  have  had  two  children, 
one  SUM.  V'ernie.  who  has  reci-ived  a  good  edu- 
cation and  Is  now  assisting  his  father  in  the 
supervision  of  the  farm,  and  one  daughter, 
Oracle,  who  died  as  the  result  of  injuries  re- 
ceived by  being  accidently  scalded,  although  she 
lingered  for  a  week  after  the  accident — a  ca- 
lamity which  left  a  pall  of  gloom  upon  the  fam- 
ily, depriving  them  of  the  society  of  a  bright 
child  who  was  a  source  of  happiness  to  the 
household.  Mr.  Lawson  Is  a  Democrat  In  poll- 
tics,  while  Mrs.  Lawson  Is  n  member  of  the  M. 
P.  L.  and  Star  Ivodge  of  Camden,  their  son. 
Vernie  being  identified  with  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
and  M.  W.  .\. 

LAWSON,  Joseph  Robert,— An  Interesting  and 
instructive  demonstration  of  scientific  agricul- 
ture and  horticulture  Is  pres<'nted  on  the  beauti- 
ful farm  of  Joseph  Robert  Lawson,  In  Section 
22.  Camden  Township.  Eighty-two  acres  in  ex- 
tent, this  farm  represents  the  acme  of  comfort 
and  utility,  and  makes  strong  appeal  to  the  ar- 
tistic, refined  and  home-loving  nature  of  the 
man  who  has  presided  over  its  develojilng  for- 
tunes for  the  past  twenty-three  .vears.  Hither 
he  cime  as  a  renter  in  IS.*^.  two  .vears  later  pur- 
chasing the  property  from  Its  owner.  Drew 
Dawes,  and  thereupon  instituting  a  systematic 
renovating  of  Its  facilities,  which  were  sadly  In 
need  of  repair.  There  was  much  timber  to  be 
cleared  awa.v,  fences  to  be  renewed  and  build- 
ings to  be  repaired.  In  the  meantime  there  being 
erected  upon  it  the  modern  two-and-a-half  story 
house,  which  compares  favorably  with  the  best 
in  the  coimtj-,  besides  capacious  bams  and  out- 
houses, and  many  other  general  Improvements 
to  which  the  average,  plodding  farmer,  is  a  total 
stranger.  While  engaging  to  some  extent  In  gen- 
eral farming,  Mr.  Lawson's  greatest  pride  and 


HISTOIIY  OF  SCHUYLEll  COUNTY. 


865 


pleasure  is  his  Iruit,  to  the  raising  ol'  wbicli  be 
has  devoted  a  large  sUare  of  bis  time,  aud  has 
uiade  exhaustive  research  amoug  recognized 
authorities.  He  has  set  out  strawberries,  rasp- 
berries, currants,  grapes,  apples,  iilums,  pears, 
aud  practically  all  of  the  fruits  which  flourish 
in  Illinois,  Ijesides  introducing  a  variety  or  de- 
sirable vegetables  for  the  early  market.  Au 
additional  resource  is  blooded  English  Berk- 
.shire  hogs,  English  horses  and  Short-born  cattle, 
also  a  variety  of  fowl,  which  here  attain  to  rare 
breeding. 

Born  in  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  February  6.  185G,  Mr.  Lawson 
is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Moore)  Lawson, 
who  were  boni  in  Hamptoushire,  England,  and 
settled  in  Schuyler  County  at  a  date  which  has 
not  been  attainable  by  the  writer  of  this  sketch. 
Joseph  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
remained  at  home  until  his  eighteenth  year, 
when  he  went  to  work  by  the  month  for  a 
farmer  living  near  I'eoria.  his  services  netting 
him  S^22.(X)  per  month.  In  1874  he  returned  to 
his  father's  farm,  and  the  following  year  went 
to  work  at  the  blacksmith  trade  for  William 
Cody,  with  whom  he  remained  four  years.  In 
1879,  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
returned  to  the  old  homestead,  this  time  remain- 
ing until  1882,  when  he  rented  the  Melviu  farm, 
north  of  Camden,  for  two  years,  thereafter  lo- 
cating on  his  present  farm  in  Section  22,  Camden 
Township.  He  never  has  lost  track  entirely  of 
the  blacksnuth  trade,  and  during  the  winter 
season  tlie  blows  of  his  hammer  resound  from 
the  anvil,  while  his  summers  are  entirely  de- 
voted to  the  general  duties  of  the  farm.  At 
first  he  was  obliged  to  incur  indebtedness  on  his 
farm,  but  this  long  since  has  been  cancelled,  and 
a  comfortable  balance  is  increasing  for  his  de- 
clining years. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lawson  and  a  daughter 
of  William  Wightman  mentioned  elsewhere  in 
this  sketch,  occurred  August  21,  1880,  and  of 
the  union  there  are  four  children,  of  wliom 
Walter  Whitson,  a  farmer  in  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship, married  Maggie  Lashbrnok.  and  has  three 
children  :  Wayne.  Pauline  and  Allen ;  Cnrry  Del- 
hert.  Guy  and  William  are  living  on  the  farm 
with  their  parents.  Mr.  Lawson  is  a  Democrat 
in  |iolitics  but  never  has  been  active  in  local 
party  affairs.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  churches, 
charities  and  social  organizations,  and  while 
cnntributhig  generously  towards  their  financial 
supfiort.  has  thus  far  not  seen  his  way  clear  to 
tender  his  personal  association. 

He  has  been  a  resident  of  Scliuyler  County 
fifty-two  years,  has  grown  from  boy  to  manhood 
within  sight  of  many  who  still  make  Camden 
Township  their  home,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
no  man  whose  home  has  been  in  the  same  town- 
ship forty-six  years,  has  a  larger  claim  upon  the 
confidence  and  friendliness  of  the  people  of- 
Camden. 

LEARY,  Jeremiah  R. — -^^n  important  factor  in 
the  management  of  public  institutions  in  Schuy- 


ler County  is  Jeremiah  R.  Leary,  Superintendent 
of  the  Alms  House  for  the  past  four  years,  and 
formerly  one  of  the  extensive  and  successful 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship. Jlr.  Leary  swells  the  large  percentage  of 
men  of  Irish  parentage  who  maintain  high  stand- 
ards of  work  and  character  in  this  county,  aud 
he  is  eminently  fitted  by  natural  ability  and  ex- 
perience for  his  present  humane  and  widely  in- 
fluential i5ositiou.  Born  in  Ilancoclv  County, 
111.,  January  21,  1857,  he  is  a  son  of  Timothy 
and  Julia  (HaggertyJ  Leary,  both  of  whom 
came  to  America  from  Ireland  in  the  same  sailing 
vessel,  aud  who  later  were  married  in  Columbus, 
Ohio,  which  remained  their  home  for  some  years. 
About  1840,  they  located  on  a  farm  in  Hancock 
County,  111.,  where  Mr.  Leary  assisted  in  the 
construction  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  continuing  thus  until  the  road  had 
been  completed  between  Quincy  and  Galesburg, 
111.  About  1866,  he  came  to  Schuyler  County 
and  rented  land  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  later 
purchasing  forty  acres,  and  operating  an  addi- 
tional 120  acres,  until  his  death.  May  29,  1895. 
His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few  months,  her 
death  occurring  January  7,  180C.  Mr.  Leary 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  giving  that  party 
supreme  allegiance  from  the  time  of  bis  arrival 
in  the  county.  In  religion  he  was  a  devout 
Catliolic.  Of  his  eight  children,  three  sous  only 
are  living:  John,  a  liarber  in  Rushville;  James, 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  Alms  House ; 
and  Jeremiah  R. 

Jeremiah  XI.  Leary  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
his  education  in  what  w.as  known  as  the  old 
Taylor  School,  of  Woodstock  Township,  and  he 
was  early  taught  to  make  himself  useful  upon 
the  home  farm.  In  1878  he  had  saved  sufficient 
money  to  enable  him  to  imrchase  a  forty  acre 
tract  in  Section  6,  Buena  Vista  Township,  to 
which  he  added  forty  acres,  the  entire  tract  hav- 
ing no  improvements  upon  it  and  a  large  part 
of  it  being  covered  with  timber  and  underbrush. 
Eventually  his  industry  created  a  fine  and  valua- 
ble farm,  having  modern  buildings,  fences  and 
machinery,  and  upon  disposing  of  it  in  1892  he 
realized  a  profit  of  twent>'-four  dollars  per  acre 
over  the  purchase  price.  He  next  bought  110 
acres  in  Section  8.  the  same  township,  adding  to 
this  until  he  owned  1.34  acres,  which,  in  turn, 
he  converted  into  a  profitable  farm  and  beautiful 
home.  In  January,  1904.  he  disposed  of  this 
property  also,  determined  to  enter  upon  some  less 
arduous  means  of  livelihood. 

March  1.  1904.  Mr.  Learj'  was  appointed  Super- 
intendent of  the  .\Ims  House  by  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Schuyler  County,  and  since  has 
managed  the  home  and  farm  of  310  acres.  His 
administration  has  met  with  general  approval, 
and  has  lieen  the  means  of  vastly  improving  the 
output  and  general  advantages  of  the  farm.  At 
the  present  time  there  are  on  the  place  about 
eighty -one  head  of  cattle  and  sixty  head  of  hogs, 
and  each  year  he  has  raised  on  an  average  two 
colts  and  eighteen  calves.  About  fifty  acres  of 
the   farm    are   under   corn   each   year,   and   this 


866 


HISTOBY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


amouut  has  beeu  sufficient  for  all  feediuf;  pur- 
poses. Duriug  the  past  three  years  the  wheat 
yield  has  beeu  WO  bushels.  The  general  atmos- 
phere of  the  place  is  kiudly  and  hoiiielik<'.  al- 
though idleuess  is  never  encouraged  or  per- 
mitted when  the  inmates  are  able  to  make  them- 
selves useful.  One  is  impressed  with  the  abso- 
lute cleanliness  which  prevails  in  house  and  field, 
and  with  the  strictly  enforced  sanitary  oliserv- 
ances.  The  financial  affairs  of  the  iustitution 
are  in  every  way  satisfactory,  economy  and 
thrift  being  the  keynote  of  the  present  niau- 
agemeut. 

Like  his  father  before  him,  Mr.  Leary  is  a 
Democrat,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Buona  \'ista  Township  during 
1889-91.     In  religion  he  is  a  Catholic. 

On  January  2."5,  1893,  Mr.  I^eary  was  united 
in  marriage  to  JIartha  E.  Hare,  who  was  a 
native  of  Schuyler  County,  born  June  l.o,  1870, 
and  for  several  years  previous  to  her  marriage, 
a  successful  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  After 
marriage  they  began  housekeeping  ou  a  farm 
Mr.  Leary  had  purchased  the  year  previous,  and 
in  the  neighborhood  of  tlieir  parents  they  lived 
until  they  sold  their  farm  and  Mr.  Leary  was 
appointed  Superintendent  of  th^'  County  Farm 
March  1,  19U4.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leary  have  one 
s<m,  James  Harold  Leary,  Iwrn  January  21. 
1900. 

LEWIS,  Isaac. — .Men  who  are  wont  to  declaim 
upon  their  scant  oi)p()rt unities,  the  vicissitudes 
of  even  the  most  fortunate  life  or  the  slow  re- 
wards of  practical  industry,  should  take  heart 
fi'om  the  experience  of  Isaac  Lewis,  than  whom 
no  citizen  of  Schuyler  County  has  been  handi- 
capped in  gi-eater  degree  in  his  struggle  for  a 
recompense.  Nevertheless,  great  usefulness  has 
come  out  of  his  adversities,  ix)litical  and  social 
prominence  has  followed  in  the  wake  of  his  keen 
mentality  and  philosophical  acceptance  of  fate, 
and  many  friends  brighten  his  life  with  their 
appreciation  and  good  will.  This  well  known 
resident  of  Rushville  was  born  ou  a  fanii  in 
Woodstock  Township,  Schviyler  County,  111., 
July  9,  18(i5,  a  son  of  John  R.  and  Martha  (Ken- 
nedy) Lewis,  the  former  born  in  Alabama,  and 
the  latter  in  Ohio.  John  R.  Lewis  came  from 
Alabama  to  Brown  County.  111.,  in  the  early 
days  of  State  history  and  finally  settled  in 
Woodstock  Townshiii,  which  then  was  very 
sparsely  poiiulated.  Here  he  cleared  his  land. 
engaged  in  farming  for  the  balance  of  his  active 
life,  and  died  on  the  fanu  which  represented  the 
best  industry  of  his  life,  in  1901,  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years. 

The  district  school  of  Woodstock  Township 
and  the  Rushville  Normal  Sch(X)l  contributed  to 
the  education  of  Isaac  Lewis.  Then,  as  now. 
he  was  an  earnest  student,  and  possessed  an 
inquiring  and  adaptive  mind.  He  earl.v  was 
trained  to  the  practical  side  of  farming,  and  it 
was  while  cutting  clover  for  seed  at  the  age  of 
twenty  that  his  team  ran  away,  and  through 
contact  with  the  machinery  he  lost  both  of  his 


hands.  A  less  sturdy  heart  would  have  been 
crushed  by  a  disastc^r  of  this  kind,  but  .Mr.  Lewis 
looked  ou  the  bright  side  of  his  affliction,  and 
resolved  that  so  material  a  catastrophe  should 
not  blight  his  capacity  for  usefulness  in  other 
directions.  Natural  resource  has  overcome  al- 
most all  obstacles  in  connection  with  his  mis- 
hap, and  he  has  filled  many  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibility  requiring  manual  as  well  as 
mental  skill. 

The  pleasing  personality  and  fine  traits  of 
-Mr.  Lewis  won  him  a  wife  who  lias  materially 
promoted  his  happiness  and  success,  and  who 
has  lx>en  an  invaluable  aid  to  him  in  the  trans- 
action of  his  general  and  political  business. 
.Mrs.  Lewis  formerly  was  Miss  Delia  Chitwood, 
daughter  of  W.  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Stutsman) 
Chitwood,  the  former  born  in  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship, and  the  latter  in  Woodstock  Township. 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  who  have  silways  been 
well  and  favorably  known  residents  of  Schuyler 
County.  Carefully  reared  and  linictieally  edu- 
cated, she  is  a  woman  of  good  sense  and  refine- 
ment. Early  in  life  she  entered  the  jirofe-ssion 
of  schotil  te.-iching  and  continued  in  that  line 
with  much  success,  up  to  the  time  of  assuming 
her  duties  as  deputy  in  the  oUice  of  the  Couuty 
Clerk,  in  connection  with  her  husband,  iu  which 
she  is  at  present  engaged. 

Mr.  Lewis  has  voted  the  Deinoc^ratlc  ticket 
ever  since  attaining  his  majority,  and  as  a  politi- 
cal servant  of  the  people  has  found  .m  imixirtant 
and  iuHuential  field  of  activity.  He  was  for 
eight  years  .\ssessor  of  Woodstock  Township, 
and  now  Is  finishing  his  third  term  as  County 
Clerk,  having  been  elected  to  that  office  first  In 
1898.  His  last  election  was  November  (5.  1906, 
when  a  gratifying  majority  testified  to  their 
appreciation  of  his  integrity  and  ability  by  giving 
him  their  vote.  In  fraternal  circles  he  enjoys 
enviable  iiopularlty,  and  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
deriendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Willard  En- 
campment. Knights  of  Pythias  and  Rebekas. 
In  religion  lie  is  a  Tresbyterlan. 

LICKEY,  John  Wesley.— The  successful  fun- 
eral director  of  the  first  years  of  the  twentieth 
tvntury  is  a  long  way  removed  from  his  proto- 
t.vpe  of  even  a  decade  ago.  While  members  of 
the  profession  can  seemingly  never  attain  the 
re.sults  achieved  by  the  Egyptians,  whose  art 
was  Inspired  by  their  belief  in  Itodily  as  well 
as  spiritual  immortality,  science  more  and  more 
is  coming  to  the  aid  of  the  present  generation 
of  embalniers.  cn>ating  out  of  what  formerly  was 
crude  and  repellant.  an  art  and  science  com- 
bined. Representatives  of  this  latter-day  ad- 
vancement Is  the  business  of  .L  W.  Lickey  & 
Company,  of  Rushville,  who,  in  connection  with 
the  conducting  of  funerals,  embalming,  and  sup- 
plying caskets  and  other  burial  paraphernalia, 
(•arry  a  varied  stock  of  art  goods,  and  mouldings. 

John  Wesley  Lickey.  establlsher  of  the  pres- 
ent firm,  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  County.  Ohio. 
December  8.  18.52.  and  is  a  son  of  Wilson  and 
Hannah    (Hill)    Lickey,    natives   also   of    Ohio. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


8G7 


Mr.  Lickey  is  named  for  his  graud-latliers.  Jolui 
Lickey  and  Wesley  Hill,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  Ohio, 
while  the  latter  lanie  at  an  early  day  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  the  vicinity  of  Brooklyn.  In 
1840  Mr.  Hill  went  to  Pike's  Peak,  Colo.,  to  en- 
gage in  gold  mining,  and  while  there  his  wife 
died,  a  fact  u'hieh  rendered  his  home-coming 
inexpressibly  sad.  He  survived  for  several 
years,  however,  his  death  finally  occurring 
iu  Warren  County.  111.  Wilson  Lickey  came 
to  the  vicinity  of  Brooklyn,  111.,  in  1855, 
when  John  Wesle,v  was  three  years  old,  and  in 
18(51  removed  to  Vermont  Township,  Fulton 
County,  where  he  followed  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  until  18(17.  He  then  bought  the 
Schenk  farm  near  Brooklyn,  Schuyler  County, 
and  died  there  in  lS!)(i,  leaving  to  the  wife  who 
survives  him,  and  who  still  occnijies  the  old 
place,  a  splendidly  improved  and  valuable  prop- 
erty. Wilson  I.ickey  and  wife  had  seven  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  died  in  infauc.v.  The  oldest 
son,  .James  William,  lives  on  the  old  place; 
Newton  and  Abraham  (twins)  have  farms  ad- 
joining the  old  homestead  in  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship; Jane  is  the  wife  of  Leroy  Swift,  a  farmer 
of  McDonongh  County.  111.;  and  Eunna  lives  at 
home  with  her  mother.  Mr.  Lickey  was  a  qtiiot. 
unpretentious  man.  a  Republican  in  iwlitics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  led 
a  well  balanced  and  industrious  life,  and  was 
highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

The  oldest  in  his  father's  family,  John  Wesley 
Lickey,  early  assumed  prominent  resjionsibilUy 
upon  the  liome  farm,  and  largely  through  the 
application  of  his  leisiu'e  to  studious  pursuits, 
acquired  a  liberal  and  practical  education. 
Jlarch  .SO,  1878,  he  married  Mary  M.  Arick, 
step-daughter  of  Willi.'im  Loriug.  Mrs.  Lickey 
was  also  bom  in  Ohio,  and  lost  her  father, 
Henry  Arick.  in  the  Civil  War,  he  having  en- 
listed in  an  Ohio  regiment,  and  tbroiigh  expos- 
ure while  waiting  on  the  sick  contracted  the  ill- 
ness which  proved  fatal.  Mrs.  Lickey  came  to 
Illinois  with  her  mother  who  subsequentl.y  be- 
came the  wife  of  William  Loring.  She  received 
an  excellent  education  in  the  district  and  nor- 
mal schools  of  Rushville,  and  after  completing 
her  training,  was  for  several  vears  one  of  the 
popular  and  successful  educators  of  Schuyler 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Licke.v  began  house- 
keeping in  Brooklyn  Township,  and  at  the  end 
of  five  vears,  having  sold  their  farm  located  in 
Rushville.  where  Mr.  Lickey  followed  his  early 
trade  of  carpentering  and  building  until  about 
18.88.  He  then  engaged  in  the  grain  and  eleva- 
tor business  with  .T.  B.  Stewart  &  Company,  and 
in  1802  removed  to  Industry,  and  engaged  in  the 
furniture  and  imdertakins  business.  So  success- 
ful was  he  in  this  line  of  activity  that,  in  ISOfi. 
he  sold  out  hi«  business  in  order  to  move  to  a 
lareer  cit?'.  and  in  1808  he  purchased  the  stock 
of  the  People's  Furniture  Company,  operating 
the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Lickey  & 
Reece.  Mr.  Reece  was  a  graduate  embalmer. 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  May  4.  1901,  was 


greatly  missed  as  one  of  the  best  exponents  of 
his  occupation  iu  Schuyler  County.  The  Arm 
then  was  changed  to  J.  W.  Lickey  &  (Jomjjany, 
the  junior  partner  being  Itobert  A.  Lawler,  son- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Lickey,  and  husband  of  his  only 
child,  Jlyrtle  Lickey.  Mrs.  Lickey  also  is  a 
practical  embalmer,  and  has  been  of  great  as- 
sistance to  her  husband  in  promoting  his  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Lickey  is  a  member  of  the  Embalm- 
ers  State  Association,  and  stands  iu  the  Ur.st 
rank  of  those  who  follow  his  necessary  calling. 
He  has  a  finely  equipped  establishment,  and  his 
patronage  is  recruited  from  all  parts  of  the 
township  and  county.  He  is  a  believer  iu  hon- 
est methods  and  fair  representation,  aud  has 
won  out  solely  through  his  grit  and  determina- 
tion, and  rare  common  sense.  Socially  he  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
I'ellows,  Mystic  Workers,  Kebekas,  aud  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Mrs.  Lickey  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Uebekas,  and  both  are  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

LITTLE,  George.— I'.orn  February  9,  ISOS; 
died  .Marih  5,  180(j.  Of  the  early  settlers  who 
came  to  Sdiuyler  County  in  its  formative  period, 
there  were  lew  indeed  who  exerted  a  more  p:)- 
tont  force  in  the  commercial  lite  of  the  connnun- 
ity  than  did  George  Little.  His  lite  was  an  illus- 
tration of  the  masterful  control  of  early  limita- 
tions, such  as  was  the  lot  of  the  pioneer  settlers, 
and  the  wise  utilization  of  ordinary  opportuni- 
ties that  were  available  to  the  many,  but  grasped 
by  few.  For  more  than  fifty  years  his  career 
was  identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
Uushville,  and  his  name  will  long  be  remem- 
bered after  the  present  generation  has  passed 
away.  Mr.  Little  was  accompanied  by  his  par- 
ents and  became  one  of  the  builders  of  Uush- 
ville, and  lived  to  see  the  cit.v  achieve  its  mod- 
ern improvements  in  which  he  idaj'ed  no  small 
part. 

George  Little  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Colum- 
bia, Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  February  9.  1808, 
and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  His  father, 
James  Little,  was  born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ulster, 
Ireland,  in  178C.  and  his  paterual  .gi'andV.-itber. 
James  Little — or  Lytle,  as  the  name  then  was 
.spelled — was  a  native  of  Scotland.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Rebecca  Greer. 

It  was  In  1836  that  Mr.  Little  made  his  first 
visit  to  Rushville  and  he  .journeyed  from  the 
East  on  horseback  to  look  the  country  over,  and 
was  so  well  satisfied  that  he  returned  the  follow- 
ing year  making  file  journe.v  by  way  of  the 
Ohio  and  Illinois  Rivers.  At  this  early  day 
Mr.  Little  was  young,  energetic  and  resourceful 
and,  seeing  the  possibilities  of  a  mercantile 
career,  at  once  engaged  in  business  in  a  small 
way.  Later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr. 
.'Vdam  Dunlap,  and  conducted  a  store  on  the  east 
side  of  the  pul)lic  square.  His  store  conformed 
to  the  ideal  of  merchandising  in  those  days  and 
was  a  motley  collection  of  groceries,  wearing 
apparel,  dnigs  and  sundries.  Its  crudeness 
and   crowded  appearance  disappeared,   however. 


868 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  C0U^•'1'Y. 


with  the  improvement  of  the  community,  and  at 
all  times  arose  to  the  emergency  created  by  au 
increase  of  population  and  refinement  of  ideas. 

In  Jlay,  1S44,  the  firm  of  Little  &  Kay  was 
formed,  which  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Ray  in  ISSl.  For  a  time  this  firm  did  business 
on  the  south  side  of  the  square,  and  Mr.  Thomas 
Wilson  was  admitted  as  a  partner,  but  in  185."5 
the  stock  was  removed  to  the  present  location  of 
The  (ieorge  Little  store,  a  liandsome  three-story 
building  erected  by  the  founder  of  the  business 
in  18!t-l. 

The  firm  of  Little  &  Ray  did  a  tremendous 
business  in  early  pioneer  times,  and  in  addition 
to  general  merchandising  they  engaged  in  [wrk- 
packing,  and  later  established  the  first  bank  in 
the  city,  the  history  of  which  is  given  iu  the 
history  of  the  county. 

In  his  business  all'airs  .Mr.  Little  took  keen 
pleasure  and,  at  a  time  in  life  when  most  men 
would  have  sought  jjleasure  in  rest  and  recrea- 
tion, he  found  his  greatest  satisfaction  in  direct- 
ing the  business  he  had  founded,  and  which  is  to- 
day continued  under  his  name  as  an  incorporated 
company. 

On  September  1,  1840,  Mr.  Little  was  married 
to  Miss  Jane  Lloyd,  of  Pittsburg,  I'a.  To  them 
were  born  thnv  children  only  one  of  whom. 
Mrs.  Jlaiy  Scripjis,  lived  to  reach  adult  age,  liut 
who  died  in  1S74,  leaving  two  young  sons,  .John 
Locke  and  George  Henry  Scripps.  to  Mr.  Little's 
care.  February  Ki,  IS.")!;,  he  was  again  married, 
this  time  to  Miss  Lydia  Elizabeth  Scrijips.  who 
died  JIarch  4,  lf)0(j.  To  them  were  boru  five 
children,  and  the  surviving  ones  are:  John  S., 
Grace  and  Virginia  E. 

During  his  long  and  active  life  Mr.  Little  lived 
close  to  high  ideals,  and  his  citizenship  was  such 
that  it  imparted  strength  and  substantiality  to 
every  undertaking  in  which  his  worth  and  ability 
were  enlisted.  He  was  comiiauionable  and  well 
posted,  observing  the  world  from  a  wide  range, 
and  ever  retained  his  faith  in  the  goodness  of 
mankind  and  in  the  existence  of  opportunity  for 
all  who  seek  it.  A  man  of  strong  puri)ose. 
stead.v  ajiplication  and  keen  perception,  he 
forged  his  way  to  the  front  liy  his  own  unaided 
efforts,  and  his  long,  busy  life  contributed  much 
to  the  conmiercial  iirosjierity  of  the  city  and 
coimt.v  which  constituted  the  theater  of  his  activ- 
it.v.  In  manner  he  was  quiet  and  unostentatious, 
avoiding  all  publicity  and  craving  no  official  or 
political  recognition  :  and  .vet  he  was  ever  ready 
to  lend  his  personal  sui)port  to  every  industrial 
and  social  meveuieut  that  was  for  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  comnumitj'.  In  politics  Mr.  Little 
was  a  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  participated  in  its  first  organi- 
zation iu  Schu.vler  Count}-  and  maintained  his 
allegiance  to  the  party's  principles  to  the  end  of 
his  life. 

LITTLE,  John  Scripps.— Of  the  men  who  are 
lending  dignity,  strength  and  special  qualifica- 
tions to  the  banking  business  in  Rushville,  none 
are   held   iu   higher   esteem    than   John    Scripps 


Little.  Mr.  Little  is  forty-two  years  old,  having 
been  born  in  Rushville  February  23,  bsirl,  and 
substantially  more  than  twenty  years  of  his  busi- 
ness life  have  been  devoted  to  the  study  of  mone- 
tary science,  lie  was  educated  iu  the  public 
schools,  and  early  developed  a  taste  for  the  kind 
of  routine  and  precision  which  are  among  the 
most  valuable  assets  of  the  embrjo  banker,  iu 
1884  entering  into  the  banking  business  pi-actic- 
ally  in  conui-ctiou  with  the  Bank  i.f  Kushville. 
He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  persoualit,v,  and  has  the 
faculty  of  making  and  keeping  friends.  Socially 
he  is  connected  w  ith  the  Masons,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  League  and  Hamilton  Clubs  of 
Chicago.  He  is  a  Rejmblicau  iu  politics,  and  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Little  is  of  Scotch-lrish-Euglish  ancestry, 
a  son  of  George  and  Lydia  E.  (Scrii)i)S)  Little, 
the  former  a  native  of  Columbia,  i'a.,  and  the 
latter  born  in  Jackson,  Mo.  His  paternal  graud- 
parents  were  James  and  Rebetx-a  (Greer)  Little, 
the  former  boru  iu  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and 
his  paternal  great-grandfather  was  James  Little, 
or  Lytic,  as  the  name  then  was  .spelled,  who  was 
boru  in  Scotland,  married  a  Miss  .Martiu,  aud 
settled  iu  County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  The  mater- 
nal granditarents  of  Mr.  Little  were  Geoi-ge 
Henry  and  .Mary  (Iluler)  Scripps,  natives  of 
Loudon,  England,  and  Tennessee,  respectively, 
and  his  matenial  great-graudpareuts  were  Wil- 
liam Armager  aud  Grace  (Locke)  Scripps, 
natives  of  England,  the  former  born  in  the 
quaint  cathedral  town  of  Ely. 

LINCOLN,  Charles,  a  greatly  resitected  veteran 
of  the  Civil  War,  who  was  formerly  engaged  in 
farming  in  Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
ill.,  but  iu  recent  years,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  village  of  Littleton,  where  he  lives  in  retire- 
ment from  active  pursuits,  was  born  In  Brook- 
lyu.  111.,  June  15,  1844.  Mr.  Lincoln  is  a  son  of 
Jefferson  and  Sarah  (Ryan)  Lincoln.  Jefferson 
Lincoln  was  a  soldier  In  the  Mexican  War,  and 
after  returning  from  -Mexico,  he  went  to  Cali- 
foruia,  joining  the  eager  throng  of  men  who 
made  their  way  to  the  gold  fields  in  1840  in  quest 
of  the  precious  metal.  When  starting  homeward 
again,  his  journey  having  already  begun,  he  met 
an  old  friend  who  induced  him  to  remain  in 
California  for  a  time,  and  from  that  period  he 
was  never  a^'ain  heard  from.  Two  years  after 
the  latest  advices  from  him,  his  wife  moved  to 
Frederick,  111.,  aud  made  her  home  in  Rushville, 
111.,  until  the  date  of  her  death.  Charles  Liu- 
coin  remained  with  his  mother  until  the  summer 
of  18G2,  when  he  entered  the  army,  receiving  his 
education  during  his  term  of  service.  He  en- 
listed at  Rushville  in  August  of  that  year,  in 
Company  C.  One-hundred  and  Nineteenth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  his  regiment 
being  mustered  in  at  Quincy  and  constituting  a 
Iiart  of  the  Sixteenth  .\rmy  Corps,  under  com- 
mand of  Gen.  .\.  J.  Smith.  He  was  in  the  Army 
of  the  Mississi]ii)i,  and  took  part  in  many  of  the 
engagements  in  that  department.  Upon  his  dis- 
charge from  the  service  in  the  spring  of  18(J5,  he 


MRS.  JAMES  IJ.  THOMPSON 


HISTOliY  01'^  SCHUYLEK  CUUxXTY. 


869 


stayed  a  mouth  at  Mobile.  Ala.,  aud  then  came 
by  boat  to  St.  Louis,  aud  up  the  Illinois  Itivcr, 
going  to  Springfield,  111.,  and  finally  ivtiu-uing 
home.  "Working  lor  a  while  as  a  farm  hand,  lie 
afterwards  bought  eighty  acre.s  of  land  in  Sertiou 
13,  Littleton  Township,  on  which  he  followed 
farming  for  fifteen  years.  Selling  out  at  the 
end  of  that  period,  he  withdrew  from  active 
labor,  purchasing  a  residence  in  Littleton,  111., 
which  has  since  been  the  family  home. 

Mr.  Lincoln  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
marriage  taking  place  in  the  fall  of  1SG6,  when 
he  was  wedded  to  Anna  I'alnicr.  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. By  her  he  had  nine  children,  as  follows: 
Mary  Jane  (Mrs.  David  Gay),  of  Oakland 
Township,  Schuyler  County;  \A'illiani,  a  resident 
of  Canton,  Fulton  County,  111.;  Sarah  O.  (Mrs. 
Usury),  of  Industry  Township.  MoDouou^'h 
Count)-,  111. ;  Alfred  Barton,  who  lives  at  Adair, 
111. ;  Oscar,  whose  home  is  in  Canada ;  Charles 
E.,  of  Rocky  Ford,  Colo. ;  .Tames,  who  lives  in 
Canada  ;  Thomas,  a  farmer  of  Littleton  Town- 
ship ;  and  Nellie  Bertha,  who  died  in  1893,  at 
the  age  of  seven  years,  Anna  (Palmer)  Lin- 
coln departed  this  life  March  12,  1S9S.  On  No- 
vember 11,  1899,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  joined  in 
matrimony  with  Margaret  L.  Green,  who  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  111.,  Febniary  5,  1840,  a 
daughter  of  James  T.  Green,  later  a  resident  of 
Quincy,  111.  The  father  of  Mr.  Charh's  Lin- 
coln was  a  cousin  of  President  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. 

In  politics,  Charles  Lincoln  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party;  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  belonging  to  the 
Grand  Army  Post  of  Rnsliville.  His  religious 
connection,  .as  also  that  of  his  wife.  Is  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  deeply  re- 
spected, not  onl,v  for  his  excellent  qualities  as  a 
man  and  citizen,  but  because  of  his  worthy  rec- 
ord as  one  of  the  few  survivoi-s  of  Schuyler 
Count>''s  representatives  in  the  great  struggle 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 

LOGSDON,  George  William. — Visitors  to  a 
farm  lying  on  Section  29.  P.ainl>ridge  Township. 
are  invariably  pleased  with  the  well-kept  or- 
chards, neat  buildings  and  cuitivated  fields,  nor 
are  they  less  pleased  with  the  picturesque  en- 
vironment and  the  splendid  view.  Standing  on 
the  highest  point  of  the  farm  (which,  according 
to  government  reports,  is  only  one  and  a  half 
feet  lower  than  the  highest  point  in  the  State, 
near  Galena),  the  eye  beholds  a  delightful  vision 
of  smiling  v.-Uleys,  thriving  towns,  neat  farms 
and  waving  fields,  and  one  recognizes  as  never 
before  the  fascinating  environment  of  the  Illi- 
nois agriculturist.  The  farm  is  owned  and  oper- 
ated by  George  William  Logsdon,  who  has  been  a 
resident  of  Schuyler  County  since  boyhood. 
Wliile  lie  is  proud  of  the  entire  estate,  perhaps 
he  finds  his  chief  source  of  gratification  in  the 
peach  orchard  of  eight  acres,  containing  all  of 
tile  finest  varieties  of  that  luscious  frnit  .-ind  said 
to  be  one  of  the  finest  orchards  of  its  kind  in  the 
entire  State.     There  are  now  1000  fniit  bearing 


trees  in  the  orchard,  and  in  addition  there  is  a 
small  orchard  of  choice  varieties  of  apple  trees. 

Tile  record  of  the  Logsdun  family  will  be  found 
on  another  section  in  the  sketch  of  I'erry  Logs- 
don. Snllic-e  it  to  say  in  tills  connection,  that 
Joseph  and  Lucy  (l';irker)  Lugsdou  moved  from 
Brown  County,  111.,  to  Schuyler  County  in  1844 
aud  settled  in  Woodstock  Township,  where  they 
cleared  a  farm.  Their  son,  George  W.,  was  born 
iu  Brown  County,  November  14,  1852,  and  was 
twelve  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  Schuyler  County,  where  he  attended  the 
district  schools.  Later  he  was  sent  to  the  Gem 
City  Business  College  in  Quincy.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Schuyler  County  he  taught  school  for  two 
terms  in  the  county  where  he  was  Ijoru,  but 
afterward  devoted  his  time  to  clearing  laud  and 
cultivating  a  farm. 

In  1.S91  Mr.  Logsdon  married  Miss  Margaret 
J.  Kirkham,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Clara  Kirk- 
liani.  both  of  Scotch  lineage.  In  an  early  day 
her  father  came  from  his  native  State  of  Indiana 
to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  where  he  and  his  wife 
make  their  home  in  Bainbridge  Township.  The 
year  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Logsdon  bought  160 
acres  on  Section  29,  where  lie  has  since  engaged 
in  tilling  the  soil,  raising  stock  of  good  grades, 
and  developing  one  of  the  finest  peach  orchards 
in  the  State.  Of  his  marriage  seven  children 
were  born,  namely :  Lucy  C,  Seth  D.,  Goldie  E., 
Emma  Lou  (who  died  iu  infancy),  Mar,v  Agnes 
(who  died  at  the  age  oi  three  years),  Ruth  A. 
and  (ieorge  M.  Fraternally  ilr.  Logsdon  is  a 
Mason,  a  member  of  Cass  Lodge  of  Beardstown. 
111.,  and  an  ardent  believer  in  the  philanthropic 
principles  of  that  organization.  All  through  his 
life  he  has  made  a  study  of  the  money  question, 
which  he  considers  one  of  our  most  important 
national  problems.  The  result  of  his  study  has 
led  him  to  co-operate  with  the  Greenback  or 
Populist  party,  whose  principles  he  firmly  be- 
lieves to  be  based  on  justice,  and  ever  since  cast- 
ing his  liallot  for  Peter  Cooper,  he  has  never 
swerved  in  his  allegiance  to  the  men  and  meas- 
ures pledged  to  secure  for  our  country  those 
monetary  changes  which  he  iK'lieves  to  be  essen- 
tial to  bttsiness  success  and  permanent  pros- 
perity. 

LOGSDON,  Jacob. — Prominent  among  the  pro- 
gressive and  successful  descendants  of  pioneers 
of  Schuyler  County  is  .Jacob  I/Ogsdon,  who, 
through  the  exercise  of  practical  and  praise- 
worthy qualities,  lins  lieconie  the  owner  of  a 
farm  of  2.50  acres  in  Bainbridge  and  Woodstock 
Townships,  and  ndio  is  fnrtlier  recognized  as  a 
leader  in  political  and  social  undertakings,  and 
is  a  stock-holder  in  the  Bank  of  Scliuyler  County. 
Mr.  liOgsdon  svas  born  near  Cooperstown.  Brown 
County.  111.,  March  l.S.  l.S-58,  a  son  of  .Joseph 
T.ogsdon.  well  known  in  the  earlier  annals  of 
faniung  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

T'ntil  reaching  his  twenty-sixth  year  Mr.  Logs- 
don remained  on  his  father's  farm,  having  come 
to  Schuyler  County  in  186.5.  His  education  Is 
that  furnished  in  the  district  schools,  and  on  this 


870 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


practical  fouudiitiou  be  bas  built  a  character 
and  cajjacity  lor  usefulness  which  well  may  be 
an  inspiration  to  the  youth  of  the  coming  genera- 
tion. In  1SS4,  Mr.  Logsdou  sought  to  try  his 
fortunes  in  the  State  of  Kansas,  but  after  a 
brief  experience  in  Cowley  and  Sedgwick  Coun- 
ties, was  taken  ill  and  returned  to  his  Schuyler 
County  home  for  recuperation.  Convinced  that 
he  lived  iu  a  pretty  good  part  of  the  United 
States,  he  since  has  made  this  his  home,  and  as 
soon  as  he  recovered  from  his  illness  he  l•ente^l 
laud  and  bought  and  fed  cattle.  Thrifty  and 
far-sighted,  he  laid  by  all  possible  of  his  earn- 
ings, and  in  1SS.5  bought  his  first  eighty  acres  of 
laud,  iu  Section  12,  Woodstock  Township,  which 
at  that  time  was  practically  destitute  of  improve- 
ments. For  two  years  he  farmed  this  land,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1SS8  built  a  small  three-room 
house.  October  17, 18SS,  he  married  Amelia  Krohe, 
daughter  of  Lewis  E.  Krohe,  and  born  iu  Hain- 
bridge  Township,  S<huyler  Couuty,  December 
26,  ISCo.  Installiug  his  young  wife  in  the  little 
house,  the  housekeeping  and  land  developing 
went  hand  in  hand;  children  came  to  gladden  the 
parents  and  bring  sunshine  into  the  well  kept 
home,  and  a  spirit  of  harmony  and  success  grew 
out  of  earnest  toil  and  uiu'eniitting  co-operation. 
In  190.'!  the  house  that  had  witnessed  so  many 
changes  and  given  shelter  in  so  many  storms, 
gave  pl.ice  to  the  modem  structure  now  occupied 
by  the  family,  which  has  eight  large  rooms  all 
airy  and  well  furnished.  There  are  few  rural 
homes  in  the  county  which  atford  so  many  ad- 
vantages as  does  this  one,  and  in  which  is  ex- 
pressed such  interest  for  the  physical,  mental 
and  moral  well  being  of  its  inhabitants.  With 
the  latest  magazines  and  periodicals  always  on 
hand,  with  opportunities  for  nnisic  and  varied 
entertainment,  and  with  the  most  genial  and 
delightful  of  out<loor  surroundings,  this  farm 
may  be  called  an  ide.il  one  of  its  kind,  and  it  Is 
widely  considered  one  of  the  most  hospitable  and 
productive. 

To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Logsdon  have  been  born  five 
daughters,  of  whom  Amy  Ijouisa,  a  graduate  of 
the  Rushville  High  School.  clas.s  of  19(XS,  gives 
promise  of  literar.v  success,  having  already  con- 
tributed many  readable  articles  to  current  peri- 
odicals; Ada  Leonora.  Ikm-u  Januai-y  20.  18!)2, 
is  attending  the  Rushville  High  School ; 
Sophia  Ellen  Lucy  was  born  August  11,  1S04; 
Viola  Agnes  was  born  .Tuly  11,  1895;  and  Violet 
Augusta  was  lioru  October  3,  1899.  The  chil- 
dren are  receiving  every  advantage  which  means 
and  intelligent  direction  can  command,  and  will 
be  proficient  in  musical  and  other  accomplish- 
ments. The  parents  of  this  interesting  family 
are  enthusiastic  .sharers  of  the  interests  of  their 
children,  and  as  a  result  they  are  their  boon 
companions  and  most  confidential  advisei-s. 
From  such  an  atmosphere  come  the  liest  men  and 
women  in  the  land.  Sometime  since  Mr.  Logs- 
don retired  from  active  labors  on  the  farm,  but 
he  still  supervises  its  management,  and  is  as 
keenly  interested  as  ever  in  its  output  and  im- 
provement.    He    is    a    generous    contributor    to 


many  worthy  causes,  is  an  earnest  if  not  an  ac- 
tive Democrat,  and  fraternally  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  has  been  a  stock-holder  iu  the  Bank 
of  Schuyler  County  since  1902. 

LOGSDON,  Hon.  Perry.— It  would  be  dillicult 
to  hud  an  old  resident  of  Schuyler  County  to 
whom  the  name  of  I'erry  Logsdon  is  uufamiliar, 
lor  -Mr.  Logsdon  has  beeu  long  and  intimately 
associated  with  the  agricultural  and  political 
lite  of  the  county,  and  has  beeu  especially  promi- 
nent iu  Woodstock  Township,  long  his  home  and 
headiiuarters.  Thirty-live  yeai^s  and  more  have 
passed  since  he  acquired  his  first  landed  estate 
in  the  town.ship,  the  date  of  his  imrchase  having 
iH-en  December  23,  1871.  and  the  amount,  120 
acres  of  Section  11.  About  two  years  after  ac- 
quiring his  first  iiroperty  he  erected  a  commodi- 
ous residence  on  Section  1,  and  in  this  attractive 
home  he  has  since  remained,  welcouung  to  its 
hospitable  walls  the  many  friends  whom  he  has 
«on  in  a  long  and  honorable  career.  At  this 
writing  he  owns  ;J93  acres,  all  within  Woodstock 
Township  excejit  an  eighty-acre  tract  in  Haiu- 
bridge  Township. 

Born  in  .Madison  County,  Ky.,  .July  S.  1842, 
I'erry  Logsdon  is  a  sou  of  Joseph  and  Lucy 
(I'arken  Logsdon,  also  natives  of  Madison 
County.  When  he  was  eighteen  months  old  he 
was  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  parents,  who  set- 
tled in  Krowii  Couuty  and  remained  there  from 
1844  until  "[scr,.  During  the  latter  .vear  they 
removed  to  Schuyler  County,  settling  In  Wood- 
stock Township,  where  the  father  died  June  11, 
19W),  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  and  the  mother 
May  .'!0.  1892.  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
Nothing  of  ospe<-ial  Importance  occurred  In  the 
early  life  of  I'erry  Logsdon  until  the  outbreak 
of  tiio  Civil  War  turned  his  mind  from  the  stud- 
ies of  school  and  the  work  on  the  farm  to  graver 
duties  {•onnected  with  citizenship.  December  1, 
18(n.  his  name  was  enrolled  and  he  was  mus- 
tered in  as  a  monibpr  of  Company  H,  Fiftieth 
Illinois  Infantry  at  St.  Josejih.  Mo.  The  date  of 
his  enlistment  jiapers  should  have  l)een  one 
month  earlier,  as  he  had  been  accepted  as  a  vol- 
unteer at  that  time. 

The  Fiftieth  Regiment  took  part  in  many  long 
marches  and  hnrd-f ought  battles,  and  Mr.  Lou's- 
don  endured  all  the  vicissitudes  Incident  to  a 
soldier's  life,  .\mong  his  first  engagements  in 
which  he  jiarticiiiated  were  those  at  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson.  at  Shiloh  and  Corinth.  Miss., 
and  Resnca.  Tenn..  after  which  he  fought  at 
.\ltoona  and  BentonvlUe.  From  January-  of 
isr4  the  history-  of  his  regiment  is  that  of  Sher- 
man's army  in  its  march  to  the  sea.  .\t  the  close 
of  the  war  the  regiment  participated  in  the  Grand 
Review  at  Washington,  and  Mr.  I-ossdon  was 
mustered  out  July  ir?.  isTwi,  as  First  Lieutenant 
of  his  company.  During  his  absence  in  the  army 
his  parents  had  removed  from  Brown  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  hither  ho  came  after  receiving 
an  honorable  discharge.  On  Friday  he  arrived  at 
the  new  home  of  his  parents  and,  on  Monday  fol- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY, 


871 


lowing,  began  work  in  tbe  harvest  field,  alter 
wbich  he  continued  actively  engaged  in  farming 
liursuits. 

The  marriage  of  Perry  Logsdon  and  Jliss  Liz- 
zie Byers  was  solemnized  Seiitemher  o,  ISO",  in  a 
log  cabin  erected  on  tbe  day  of  tbe  inauguration 
of  William  Henry  Harrison  as  I'resident  of  the 
United  States.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Luella,  at  home ;  Julia,  widow  of 
George  Howell,  and  uow  living  with  her  parents; 
and  Charles,  who  married  Grace  Cox  of  Coopers- 
towu,  has  one  son,  Kussell,  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Greta  Corine.  The  son  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  Section  2,  Woodstock  Towasbip.  Mrs. 
Logsdon  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Logsdon  is  a  con- 
tributor to  the  same,  as  well  as  to  all  religious 
movements,  although  uot  personally  identified 
with  any  denomination.  Politically  he  has  been 
a  local  Republican  leader  for  years.  During  the 
"seventies  he  was  Township  Assessor  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  from  Woodstock 
Township.  It  is  evidence  of  his  popularity  that 
he  was  several  times  elected  SupeiTisor  in  face 
of  a  customary  Democratic  majority  in  his  town- 
ship. Among  all  classes  of  people  and  all  par- 
ties, be  is  admired  and  honored  as  an  able  citi- 
zen and  honored  veteran  of  the  war.  A  high 
honor  came  to  him  during  1SS4.  in  bis  elect  inn 
as  Re)iresentative  in  the  Thivt.v-fourth  General 
Assemlily,  comprising  the  counties  of  Schuyler, 
Cass,  Mason  and  Menard,  and  foui'  .years  later 
he  was  again  chosen  to. the  same  position.  Dur- 
ing his  service  as  liepresentative  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  many  important  committees  and  always 
voted  for  the  interest  of  the  people,  winning  an 
envialile  position  in  the  confidence  of  his  con- 
stituents. One  of  the  most  memorable  incidents 
in  connection  with  bis  memliership  in  the  Legis- 
l;ittu-e.  was  his  attitude  as  one  of  tbe  patriotic 
■■One  Hundred  and  Three"  who  determinedly  and 
persistently  stood  for  the  election  of  Gen.  .John 
A.  Logan  to  the  United  States  Senate.  In  that 
critical  period  Mr.  Logsdon  acquitted  himself 
with  honor  and  fearlessness,  and  won  a  reputa- 
tion by  no  means  limited  to  his  own  district.  The 
countj'  which,  for  so  many  years,  has  lienefited 
by  bis  loyal  citizenship,  is  dear  to  him  by  the  ties 
of  long  association,  and  he  has  Iieen  a  jiersistent 
champion  of  all  measures  for  its  benefit.  In  the 
citv  of  Rushville,  where  he  is  a  Bank  Director, 
he  has  a  large  number  of  friends  among  the  most 
honored  social  circles,  and  his  pleasant  coun- 
try home  has  been  the  scene  of  many  reunions  of 
the  old  friends  of  the  family. 

LOOP,  Josiah. — Tbe  genealogy'  of  this  well- 
known  farmer  of  Schuyler  County"  is  traced  to 
German.v.  whence  some  of  the  name  crossed  the 
ocean  to  .\merica  in  a  verv  earl.v  period  of  our 
country's  history.  The  records  show  that  George 
Loop  removed  from  Ohio  to  Indiana  and  thence 
to  Illinois,  where  be  died  in  Clark  Coinit.v.  Dur- 
ing Ids  resilience  in  Ohio  his  son  David  was  born, 
and  from  there  he  accompanied  the  famil.v  to 
Indiana,  where  he  met  and  married  Mary  Beach. 


a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  About  1S47  they  re- 
moved from  Indiana  to  Illinois  and  settled  at 
Pleasantview,  Schuyler  County,  where  he  built 
his  first  home  in  Illinois.  While  he  made  farm- 
ing his  principal  occupation,  he  was  handy  with 
tools  and  did  other  work,  for  a  time  following 
the  cooper's  trade.  The  shoes  that  his  children 
wore  were  often  of  his  own  workmanship,  for 
he  had  picked  up  an  excellent  knowledge  of  the 
shoemaker's  trade. 

Leaving  Pleasantview  about  1855,  David  Loop 
removed  to  Missouri  and  entered  government 
land  in  Scotland  County,  but  in  185G  he  disposed 
of  the  property  and  returned  to  Illinois,  Shortly 
afterward  he  bought  eighty  acres  on  Section  1, 
Huntsville  Township,  Schuyler  County,  besides 
forty  acres  in  Birmingham  Township.  The  land 
was  in  Its  primeval  state  of  wildness,  no  attempt 
having  yet  been  made  at  placing  it  under  cul- 
tivation and  its  agricultural  piissibilities  being 
unknown.  After  building  a  bouse  he  at  once 
began  the  arduous  task  of  breaking  ground  and 
raising  his  first  crops.  The  results  were  grati- 
fying and  he  continued  on  the  place  until  about 
1870.  at  which  time  he  had  about  ."iOO  acres. 
During  that  year  he  removed  to  Carthage.  Han- 
cock Couutj-,  where  he  tiongbt  a  house  with  four 
acres  of  ground.  Having  sold  this  place  in 
1884,-  he  bought  property  in  Camden  village, 
where  be  died  in  ISST,  his  wife  passing  away 
eleven  months  later. 

In  the  family  of  David  Loop  there  were  ten 
children,  of  whom  three  sous  and  two  d.augbters 
are  now  living.  One  child  died  in  infancy ;  Sa- 
mantha  died  about  1002 ;  George,  who  was  a 
soldier  in  Company  E.  Seventy-eighth  Illinois 
Infantr.y,  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  died 
aliout  19(W;  Amanda  is  the  widow  of  Nicholas 
Burwood  and  resides  at  Galesburg,  III. ;  .Tohn,  of 
Augusta,  Hancock  Count.v.  was  a  member  of 
Company  E.  Fifty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
served  from  .Tuly.  l.Sfil,  until  tbe  close  of  the 
war.  Next  in  order  of  birth  was  .Tosiah,  born 
in  Vermillion  County,  Ind,.  July  5,  1844.  Mary, 
Mrs.  Robert  Redding,  is  deceased,  as  is  also 
Caroline,  who  was  the  wife  of  .T.  M.  Walters,  of 
Keokuk,  Iowa.  Catherine  is  the  wife  of  Rev. 
Amos  Rigney.  of  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
and  they  make  their  home  in  Adair,  McDonough 
County.  111.  Tbe  father  of  this  family  was  an 
influential  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Cliurch,  in  whose  doctrines  ho  ;inil  Jiis  wife  were 
consistent  believers,  and  to  whose  sujiport  he 
contributed  generously.  The  various  township 
offices  to  which  he  was  elected  he  filled  with 
fidelity  and  diligence.  It  was  his  privilege  to 
hear  the  illustrious  Lincoln  in  some  of  his  de- 
bates, and  the  first  speech  he  listened  to  was 
snflicient  to  convert  him  to  a  belief  in  Republican 
jiriiiciples.  after  which  he  always  cast  his  ballot 
with  that  party. 

Upon  tbe  niiirration  of  the  family  to  Schu.vler 
County  in  1847,  .Tosiah  Loop  was  a  child  three 
.vears  of  age.  Hence  his  earl.v  recollections 
cluster  around  the  scenes  familiar  in  his  mature 
years.     With    the    exception    of   a    brief    period 


873 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Huutsville  Township  has  been  his  home  for  many 
years.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he 
left  huuio  to  give  hi.s  services  to  the  Union  in  the 
Civil  War,  enlisting  (October  24,  18t>4,  in  Com- 
pany F,  Forty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  and  re- 
maining with  his  regiment  until  he  was  honora- 
bly discharged  in  October  of  1865.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Schuyler  County  he  resumed  farming 
punsuits.  In  IStJS  he  married  Miss  Ivenna, 
daughter  of  John  Pierce,  and  during  the  same 
year  he  and  his  bride  began  housekeeping  in 
Kansas,  where  ho  and  a  brother.  John  Loop, 
bought  land  in  Cherokee  County.  While  making 
his  home  there  his  wife  died  in  1873,  leaving 
two  sons,  Sidney  P.,  now  at  home,  and  Charles 
E.,  of  Chicago.  The  year  following  his  wife's 
death  he  rettirued  to  Illinois -and  resumed  farm- 
ing in  Schuyler  County,  where  in  1S7C  he  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  Milton.  Afterward  he  bought 
fort.v  acres,  to  which  he  has  added  120  acres, 
making  a  quarter-section  farm  located  on  Sec- 
tion 12,  Iluntsville  Township.  Of  his  second 
marriage  nine  cliildren  were  liorn.  namely:  Wil- 
liam, wlio  died  in  inlaucy  ;  John  IC,  a  farmer  in 
Birniiugham  Township;  Mary  Alice,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  ;  Amanda  J.  ( Mrs.  George 
Myers),  of  Camden,  Schuyler  County:  James  S.. 
at  home ;  Lulu  Belle,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Ben- 
jamin X..  at  home ;  Enoch  M.,  who  died  at  two 
years  of  age ;  and  .\mos,  at  home.  Mrs.  Ixjop 
is  a  member  of  the  Chrislian  Church.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Loop  votes  with  the  Republican  party, 
while  the  memory  of  war  times  is  kept  fresh 
through  association  with  comrades  In  tlie  Grand 
Army  Post,  of  which  he  is  an  active  member. 
Throughout  the  comnmnity  ho  is  honored  as  a 
persevering  farmer,  patriotic  citizen  and  honor- 
able man.  one  whoso  life  has  been  characterized 
by  integrity  and  whose  success  is  richly  merited. 

LORING,  Jesse  Monroe,  a  well-known  and 
<iuite  iKijiuIar  attorney-at-Inw.  of  Kushville,  111., 
who  commands  the  res[iect  and  confidence  of  a 
considerable  clientele,  and  has  an  excellent 
standing  in  the  estimation  of  the  general  public 
of  his  locality,  was  bom  in  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  Cotinty,  111.,  February  11,  1874. 
Mr.  Loring  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Sanih 
(Grugl  Loring.  natives  respectivel.v  of  Wabash 
County,  111.,  and  Znnesville.  Ohio,  the  father 
being  a  farmer  by  occtipation.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  John  Loring.  of  Pennsylvania, 
the  maiden  name  of  whose  wife  was  Utter.  In 
boyhood  Jesse  M.  Loring  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Buena  Vista  Township  and  was  sub- 
sequentl.v  a  student  of  the  Rushville  Norma! 
School.  His  professional  education  was  obtained 
in  the  Chicago  College  of  Law.  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1900.  After  com- 
pleting his  legal  course,  he  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  real-estate  and  loan  business,  in  which 
he  continued  until  1004.  when  he  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  law  in  Rushville.  He  is  a  lawyer 
of  solid  attainments  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  promisincr  among  the  younger  members 
of  the  Bar  of  Schuyler  County. 


On  October  4,  ISXK),  Jlr.  Loring  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Bessie  M.  Danner,  who  was  Ijorn 
in  Astoria,  Fulton  County,  111.,  and  received  her 
education  in  the  district  schools  in  the  vicinity 
of  her  liome.  One  child.  Marguerite  May,  has 
been  the  result  of  this  union. 

In  politics,  Mr.  I>oriug  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  l)arty,  and  wields  no  small  induence 
in  its  local  councils.  Fraternally,  he  is  attiliated 
with  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  the  1.  O.  O.  F. ;  the  K. 
of  P. ;  the  M.  W.  of  A. ;  Mystic  Workers  of  the 
World:  the  M.  I",  of  E. ;  and  Eagle.s.  His  re- 
ligious connection  is  with  the  .Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  mem- 
ber. In  the  social  circles  of  Rushville  both  are 
held  in  cordial  esie<'m  and  iheir  friends  are 
numerous. 

MALCOMSON,  James. — A  representative  of  the 
whole  smiled  and  dependable  transplanted  Irish- 
man was  found  in  James  .Malcomsou,  who, 
though  he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  under 
the  prote<-tion  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  retained 
always  traces  of  his  virile  nationality,  more 
espe<ially  of  the  ([uallty  of  adaptability  which 
makes  his  country  men  at  home  in  any  clime  and 
in  almost  any  occupation.  -Mr.  Malcomson  was 
l)orn  in  December,  1825,  In  County  Down,  Ire- 
land, a  principal  maritime  and  agricultural  sec- 
tion, a  son  of  RolK'rt  and  Ann  (Cleland)  Mal- 
comson, neither  of  whom  ever  strayed  from  the 
humble  surroundings  of  their  native  land. 

Average  advantages  and  an  observing  mind 
created  ambitions  in  the  mind  of  James  Mal- 
comson wliiih  never  could  have  found  realization 
In  the  land  of  his  forefathers.  He  was  twenty- 
two  vears  old  when  he  embarked  for  America, 
and  ills  fii-st  stopping  place  was  New  York  City, 
where  he  worked  at  shoemaking  several  years, 
and  where.  In  1851,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  \nn  Bovle,  a  native  of  County  T.vrone.  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  the  I'nited  States  with  her  sis- 
ter in  18."0.  Mr.  Malcomson  continued  to  ply  his 
trade  In  New  York  until  moving  to  Toungsto\vn, 
Ohio  and  from  there  he  came  to  Pleasantview. 
Rushville  Township  In  1872.  the  same  remam- 
ing  bis  home  until  Ills  death.  February  IS.  1006. 
In  Illinois  he  abandoned  the  tools  of  the  shoe- 
maker for  the  Implements  of  the  farmer,  and 
succeeded  well  at  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing, developing  his  valuable  property  into  one  of 
the  most  fertile  and  homelike  places  in  the  town- 
ship. .\round  him  he  reared  an  interesting  fam- 
ilv  of  children,  to  all  of  whom  he  gave  every  ad- 
vantage within  his  means,  and  all  were  trained 
in  the  duties  of  house  or  field,  according  to  their 
needs  and  tendencies.  In  the  order  of  their  birth 
the  children  are  as  follows:  Mary,  wife  of  John 
A.  Ballon,  who  was  born  in  1S.^>1  in  New  York,  and 
who  is  the  mother  of  three  children  as  follows: 
Dr.  Jesse  Ballon,  a  practicing  physician  of  Le-vl. 
South  Dakota.  Lizzie,  wife  of  Monroe  Lenhart. 
who  resides  at  Littleton.  111.  and  Chester,  wbo 
married  Florence  Caldwell  and  resides  in  Rush- 
ville Township:  Ellen  Malcomson.  bom  in  18.56, 


HISTORY  OF  SC'IirYLKi;  COUNTY. 


873 


wife  of  Leiiuck'i-  Keuui'dy,  ;iud  iiiotlR'r  of  Bessie, 
Ruby  iind  James  Keuuedy ;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Rob- 
ert II.  Hamilton,  a  retired  farmer  ut  Bardo.pli, 
MeDoiiougli  County,  111.,  and  uiotber  of  lour 
childreu — Mabel,  wife  of  Howard  SinitU,  Maude, 
Jobn  and  Eva  ;  William,  who  is  farming  on  tbe 
old  home  plaee,  on  September  21,  1,S1).S,  mar- 
ried Julia  Dodds,  born  in  Bainbridge  Town- 
sbip,  January  2(i.  1ST5,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Dodds,  and  whose  daugliter.  Ruby,  was  boru 
October  T.>.  l!""!.  and  son.  Ralph  J.,  born  May  2S. 
li)Oo ;  Florence,  who  lives  on  the  home  place  with 
her  mother;  James,  who  married  Addie  Dunlap, 
resides  iu  Bainbridge  Township,  and  has  eight 
children:  and  John,  whose  biographical  record 
appears  elsewhere  iu  this  volume. 

Mr.  Malcomsou's  farm  formerly  U'longed  to 
Samuel  Lowry,  father  of  Thomas  Lowry,  of 
Minneapolis,  and  the  latter  was  reared  to  man- 
hood upon  it,  departing  uiiou  his  present  broad 
and  useful  life  with  the  complete  equipment  of 
a  youthful  farmer.  In  political  attiliation  Mr. 
Malcomson  was  a  Republican,  but  he  had  no 
desire  for  the  honoi-s  of  office.  In  religion  he 
was  a  Methodist  Episcopalian.  Some  of  his  sad- 
dest memories  were  in  connection  with  tlie  Civil 
War.  in  which  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantiy,  serving  from  Jul.v.  1862.  until  July, 
180.5.  After  the  war  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

MALCOMSON,  John.— As  the  operator  of  180 

acres  of  land  in  Frederick  Township,  Schuyler 
County.  TIL.  eisbtj'  acres  of  which  he  owns, 
.Tohn  Malcomson  is  maintaining  the  family  pres- 
tige for  intelligent  and  successful  fanning,  and 
for  honest  and  useful  citizenship.  Mr.  Malcom- 
son was  born  in  Toungstown,  Ohio,  January  .30, 
l.Sfin.  and  with  his  father,  James  Malcomson, 
came  to  Schuyler  Counts'  in  1872.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  and  when  a  youth, 
shared  the  general  advantages  and  diversions  of 
his  neighborhood,  developing  a  genuine  liking  for 
the  occupation  to  which  his  life  is  being  devoted. 

The  turning  point  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Mal- 
comson was  his  marriage,  at  the  age  of  twent.v- 
cnc.  to  Carrie  Bellam.v.  who  was  Ivirn  in  BrowTi- 
ing  Township.  Schuyler  County,  a  daughter  of 
Josinh  Bellamy,  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  and 
farmers  of  the  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Malcomson 
have  two  children,  Maggie  and  Florence.  The 
eightr  acres  of  land  owned  by  Mr.  Malcomson 
constitute  one  of  the  earliest  settled  properties  in 
his  township,  and  the  place  is  also  one  of  the 
n'rist  valuable  and  highly  cultivated.  He  is  en- 
"■iged  in  raising  general  produce  and  stock,  and 
]):is  a  comfortable  residence,  substantial  barns 
aiKl  outbuildings,  well  kept  fences  and  the  most 
jiractical  of  agricultural  implements.  He  is  a 
thorough  and  riainstaking  farmer,  well  abreast 
of  the  times,  and  bids  fair  to  take  a  prominent 
place  among  the  wealthy  and  influential  farmers 
of  his  neighborhood. 

The  activitv  of  ;Mr.  Malcomson  extends  beyond 


his  homo  acres  to  the  general  affairs  of  the  com- 
muuity,  embracing  matters  pertaining  to  educa- 
tion, politics  and  religion.  Ue  is  fraternally  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, of  Ru.shville,  and  the  Alodern  Woodmen  of 
America,  of  Pleasantview,  and  in  politics  favors 
the  Republican  party.  The  public  has  profited  by 
his  conscientious  ser\-ice  in  several  local  olKces, 
and  he  has  been,  and  still  is,  one  of  the  strong 
forces  iu  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  church  for  many  years, 
has  served  several  years  as  a  trustee,  and  was 
the  chief  .solicitor  of  funds  for  the  erection  of  the 
present  church  edifice  at  I'leasantview.  This 
church  is  oO  by  44  feet,  in  ground  dimensions, 
with  a  si.xteen-foot  ceiling,  and  a  basement  and 
heating  apparatus.  Among  its  best  known  con- 
tributors was  Thomas  Lowr.v,  of  Minnt'apolis, 
who  spent  his  .vonth  in  this  neighborhood,  and 
who  gladly  donated  .fl.lKiO  toward  its  constnie- 
tion.  Mr.  Malcomson  has  been  unremitting  iu 
his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  this  denomination, 
a  fact  which  indicates  a  warm  religious  n.itnre, 
manifested  not  only  on  the  Sabbath,  but  every 
day  in  tlie  week  and  every  week  in  the  year.  .Mr. 
Malcomson  is  an  exemplary  young  man,  of  kindly 
disposition  and  broad  views,  and  his  life  fully 
.instifies  tlie  contidence  and  esteen  in  whii4i  he 
is  held  by  the  residents  of  the  township. 

MALCOMSON,  Robert— There  are  few  finer 
examples  of  filial  respect  and  attachment  than 
are  presented  in  the  career  of  Robert  Malcomson, 
while  a  resident  of  Schuyler  County.  He  was 
bom  Decenilx>r  IS.  1857,  in  County  Down.  Ire- 
land, a  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza  (McDowell) 
Malcomson.  who  were  also  natives  of  that  county. 
In  1850,  after  their  marriage,  they  came  to 
America,  first  locating  in  Toungstown.  Ohio,  hut 
in  1804  returning  to  their  native  land,  where  the 
wife  and  mother  died.  Tenderly  placing  her 
remains  in  the  cemetery  near  lier  old  Irish  home, 
father  and  son  then  started  back  to  Toungstown. 
hut  their  stay  there  was  short  and  in  October  of 
the  same  year  they  located  in  Schuyler  County, 
Roliert  then  being  a  boy  about  seven  years  of 
age. 

Thomas  JIalcomson,  a  gardener  by  occupation, 
was  an  expert  in  the  rearing  of  hot-house  plants 
and  an  artist  in  the  arrangement  of  flowers  and 
shrubs.  Tn  his  younger  days  he  was  an  expert 
bookkeeper,  hut  not  liking  that  profession,  de- 
spite his  proficiency  in  it,  turned  his  attention  to 
gardening  with  pronounced  success.  For  some 
years  father  and  son  kept  bachelor  hall  together 
finding  busy  and  profitable  employment  in  their 
chosen  field,  and  finally  out  of  their  savings. 
were  en.'ibled  to  purchase  sixty  acres  of  land 
•in  Section  2.".  Rnsliville  Township,  the  place  be- 
ins  owned  by  William  D.  Clemmons.  .\fter  they 
h-id  erected  a  one-story  dwelling  they  commenced 
to  gi-ub  tli(>  stumcs  and  clear  off  the  timlier  event- 
ually making  of  it  a  fine  homestead  which  was 
suhsequently  bought  by  .Tohn  A.  Ballon.  The 
father  and  son  then  purchased  109  acres  of  land 


874 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


iu  Section  20,  iu  tlie  same  township,  liuowu  as  tlie 
old  David  McMastei-s  farm.  Virtually  uo  im- 
provements bad  then  been  made,  and  the  place 
was  little  more  tbau  a  wild  blackberry  patcb. 
Moving  into  a  small  frame  buildinj;,  tbey  ve- 
sumed  tbeir  lonely  bousekeepint;  and  tbe  work  of 
grubbing,  clearing,  cultivating,  draining  and  gen- 
eral improvement,  but  this  bomestead  was  only 
fairly  in  shape  before  tbe  band  of  death  stayed 
tbe  laliors  of  the  father  and  separated  him  from 
the  faithful  sou.  The  deceased  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  he  had  joined 
In  his  native  land,  and  both  in  religious  and 
educational  work  he  was  an  active  and  valued 
participant  while  residing  in  Schuyler  County. 

On  May  20,  1892,  after  his  father's  death.  Rob- 
ert Malciinison  was  married  to  Lizzie  .Vdams. 
born  December  25,  1S70,  and  also  a  native  of 
County  Down,  Ireland.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Ann  (Redmout  Adams,  and  her 
parents  are  still  living  in  the  old  country.  Two 
of  her  brothers,  David  and  Charles  Adams,  are 
living  iu  Chicago,  while  her  sister  Jane  is  the 
wife  of  Sanuiel  Dalzell.  The  brothers  and  sisters 
residing  near  her  old  home  in  Ireland,  who  are 
either  farmers  or  tbe  wives  of  farmers,  are  as 
follows:  Margaret:  William  McMillan;  Wil- 
liam John,  who  married  Elisa  Graham:  Minnie, 
now  Mrs.  Hugh  Kerr;  and  Blanch.  Mrs.  Rob- 
ert n  amble. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Mai- 
conison  besan  housekeeping  in  the  modest  house 
which  had  been  occupied  by  the  father  and  son, 
and  there  remained  until  the  completion  of  their 
fine  home.  This  consists  of  ten  large,  light  rooms, 
supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water,  furnace  heat 
and  all  modern  improvements-  one  (if  tbe  most 
complete  residences  in  Rushville  Townshi|i.  To 
the  original  purchase  of  100  acres  Mr,  Malcom- 
son  bas  added  fifty  acres,  so  that  he  has  now  a 
homestead  of  good  size,  thoroughly  imjiroved  and 
embracing  a  good  gi'ade  of  all  kinds  of  stock. 

Five  children  have  l>een  born  to  Mr,  and  Mrs. 
Malcomson.  as  follows:  Anna.  Margaret  C, 
Blanche.  Minnie  Black.  Robert  Adams  and 
Thomas  Charles.  Anna  was  Iwni  June  3.  1S04; 
Margaret  C.  January  1.  1800:  Minnie  Black, 
September  1,  ISOS ;  Robert  Adams.  May  20,  1902; 
and  Thomas  Charles,  March  7,  1004,  tbe  Lord  tak- 
ing him  home  the  same  year.  Both  parents  are 
members  nf  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  pol- 
itics, Mr.  Malcomson  is  strongly  Republican, 
and.  while  earnestly  desirous  of  his  party's  suc- 
cess and  an  active  worker  therefor,  he  has  always 
declined  the  honors  which  have  been  tendered 
him.  centering  his  energies  in  the  proper  renting 
of  his  family,  and  the  continued  development  of 
the  pi-operty  to  which  are  attached  so  many  ten- 
der though  sad  recollections. 

MANLOVE,  William  B. — It  is  an  undisputed 
fact  that  ^Ir,  JIanlove  pays  a  larger  realty  tax 
than  any  other  resident  of  Birmingham  Town- 
ship. Schuyler  County,  111,,  a  statement  which 
shows  him  to  be  the  largest  landowner   in  the 


township.  To  his  original  purchase  of  170  acres 
be  has  added  from  time  to  time,  until  he  now 
o«ns  over  1,0(X)  acres,  all  oi  which  has  been  ac- 
cumulated through  bis  own  industry.  His  tirst 
boyhood  efforts  were  as  a  farm  band,  receiving 
in  compensation  lor  his  services  tbe  nuniilicent 
wage  of  twenty-live  cents  a  day ;  occasionally  he 
added  to  his  little  hoard  by  trapping  in  the 
woods.  It  was  with  the  money  thus  earued  tliat 
he  contributed  his  share  toward  erecting  a  suit- 
able monument  over  the  grave  of  his  father,  who 
jiassed  away  when  be  was  a  lad  of  about  six 
years. 

The  Manlove  I'anuly  was  established  in  Schuy- 
ler County  by  the  grandfather,  William  Manlove, 
coming  here  from  North  Carolina  in  1830.  His 
famil.v  originally  comprised  si.\  children;  Wil- 
liam, George,  Jonathan.  David,  Ann  Mary  and 
Rachel,  but  all  are  now  deceased.  With  his  wife, 
formerly  Charity  Bodenhammer.  Jonathan  Q. 
.Manlove  came  with  his  father  to  the  wilds  of  Illi- 
nois, settling  on  a  lot  in  Rushville,  and  it  was 
on  this  lot  iu  the  winter  of  lS:iO,  that  his  son  Wil- 
liam B.  w.is  born.  Two  .years  later  he  purchased 
land  near  Sugar  Grove,  which  lies  south  of  Rush- 
ville, living  there  about  a  year  and  then  moving 
to  Birmingham  Township,  where  he  established 
bis  home  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
These  were  indeed  trying  times  to  the  early  set- 
tlers, but  those  who  were  of  stout  heart  ulti- 
mately reached  success  through  persistent  efforts. 
After  clearing  a  small  patch  of  ground  he  planted 
the  land  to  com.  and  from  season  to  season 
brought  more  land  under  cultivation.  In  18.'j.5  he 
erected  a  log  cabin  on  the  farm,  his  death  oc- 
curring here  June  9,  1836,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight  years,  his  birth  having  occurred  In  North 
Carolina.  March  15,  1808.  March  5.  laW.  he  was 
married  to  Charltj"  Bodenhammer,  who  was  bom 
February  4.  1800.  and  at  his  death  he  left  his 
wife  with  four  little  children,  one  of  their  chil- 
dren having  previously  died  October  fi.  1834. 
Betsey  Manlove,  the  eldest  daughter,  was  born 
October  8.  18.32;  she  died  in  Kansas  in  1904, 
the  wife  of  William  Delapp.  his  death  occur- 
ring two  years  later.  Mary  Manlove  was  lx)m 
August  22.  18.34.  and  died  October  26.  18.34. 
David  Manlove  was  Iwro  April  20.  1,836.  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Linn  County.  Kansas. 

The  eldest  child  born  to  his  parents  was  Wil- 
liam B..  who  was  born  in  Rushville.  111..  Decem- 
ber 2.8.  18.30.  The  fact  that  his  father  died  when 
he  was  only  six  years  old  left  little  hope  for 
securing  even  the  meager  education  which  the 
primitive  schools  afforded.  As  his  mother's 
main  support  tlie  two  struggled  together  to  make 
a  livins  for  themselves  and  the  other  children, 
the  mother's  weaving  and  spinning,  however,  con- 
tributing at  this  time  more  largely  to  that  end 
than  did  the  efforts  of  the  youns  child.  Some 
time  after  tbe  death  of  her  first  husliand  she  was 
married  to  .Jacob  WIr<>  who  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  December  6.  1800.  Her  death  occurred 
about  1847.  up  to  which  time  William  had  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  with  his  mother  and 


HISTUUY  OF  SCilUYLEIi  C0U2sTY. 


875 


step-t'atber.  The  loss  of  bis  mother  miu'ked  the 
begiuuiug  of  a  uevv  era  iu  his  life,  ;iud  iroiu  this 
time  ou  be  was  eutirely  depeudeut  ou  bis  ovvu 
resources.  His  first  work  consisted  of  clciiriug 
the  timber  from  one  acre  of  laud,  for  which 
he  received  fifty  cents  a  day,  it  reiiuiring  eight 
days  to  fell  and  clear  away  the  heavy  hickory 
ti-ees  with  which  the  land  was  covered.  Other 
work  of  a  similar  character  was  offered  and  ac- 
cepted, and  with  the  proceeds  o/  his  labor  he 
was  finally  enabled  to  purchase  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
which  he  used  in  breaking  a  farm  of  thirteen 
acres  iu  Birmiugham  Township,  which  he  later 
planted  to  corn.  The  ne.\t  year,  1851,  be  sold  the 
yoke  of  oxen  and  bought  a  mare.  His  marriage, 
March  81, 18.'>M,  united  liim  with  Abigail  L.  Swise- 
good,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who  had  made 
her  home  iu  Illinois  since  1846.  After  their  mar- 
riage they  began  housekeeping  in  the  log  cabin 
on  the  farm,  and  although  their  home  and  sur- 
roundings were  primitive,  they  were  young  and 
hopeful,  and  their  united  efforts  soon  began  to 
make  a  marked  difference  in  the  outlook.  Mr. 
Maulove  bought  an  undivided  half  interest  in 
170  acres  of  laud  for  which  he  paid  $200,  and  as 
bis  brother  reached  his  maturity  be  piu-cbased 
the  latter's  interest  in  the  laud,  paying  him 
.$600  therefor.  To  his  original  tract  of  170  acres 
he  has  continued  to  add  as  his  means  would  per- 
mit, until  as  jireviously  stated,  he  now  owns 
over  1.000  acres  of  land  in  Birmingham  Town- 
sliip. 

Six  children  were  born  of  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Manlove,  four  of  whom  were  sons. 
Eli  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four,  leaving  a  widow,  formerly  Nettie  Tjawler, 
and  one  son.  William,  who  married  Minnie  Ray- 
mond, by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Donald.  Laura 
Manlove  became  the  wife  of  Frank  Cassiday,  a 
farmer  of  Birndngham  Township,  and  they  have 
the  following  children, — William,  Ethel,  Roy, 
Ray  and  Ivy.  one  child  having  died  in  infancy. 
.Tacoh  ;Nranlove.  a  farmer  in  Birmingham  Town- 
ship, married  Etta  Twidwell.  and  they  have  three 
daughters  and  one  son — Inez,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Alvah  Iliggins  and  the  mother  of  two  children. 
M.arie  and  Raleigh  ;  Mary,  wife  of  .Tobn  W(>ar 
and  mother  of  one  child.  Dorothy ;  Thomas  and 
Blanche.  Isaliel  Manlove  became  the  wif«'  of 
George  TTomberger,  a  farmer  of  Birndngham 
Township,  and  is  now  deceased,  having  bi^cn  the 
mother  of  one  child.  Zemeth.  .Tames  T.  Manlove 
is  a  farmer  of  the  same  township,  as  is  also  his 
brother  .Toseph  E..  who  married  .\da  ("ii|)i>laud. 
and  has  four  cbildren — Troy,  Floy,  Leo  and 
Ralph. 

In  the  death  of  his  wife.  March  S.  1007.  Mr. 
Manlove  was  bereft  of  his  companion  of  over  fifty 
years.  She  is  remembered  as  one  of  the  pioneer 
women  of  the  township,  and  side  by  side  she 
worked  with  her  husband  under  circumstances 
which  were  often  discouraging,  but  thromrh  it 
all  she  retained  her  hopefid.  cheery  disposition. 
In  the  early  days  they  went  a  long  distance  to 
the  Congregational  Church,  she  riding  horseback. 


and  he  walking  l)y  her  side.  Since  those  days 
nuuiy  radical  chauges  have  been  made,  and 
Mr.  Maulove  has  been  no  small  factor  iu  bring- 
ing them  about.  With  Samuel  DeCouuter,  he 
shares  the  honor  of  being  one  of  tlic  two  oldest 
residents  of  Schuyler  County,  Mr.  DeCouuter 
having  been  born  in  Woodstock,  111.,  October  6, 
1S27,  and  Mr.  Maulove  in  Uushville  December 
28.  IS.'IO.  Jlr.  JIaulove  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Millard  Fillmore,  and  since  tliat  time  has  voted 
for  Republican  candid.ates.  He  takes  counuend- 
able  pride  in  the  fact  that  lie  has  never  in  his 
life  bought  a  drop  of  liquor  as  a  beverage,  has 
never  played  a  game  of  cards,  and  has  never 
used  tobacco  in  any  form. 

MANYX,  Patrick. — 'Phe  Manyx  family  presum- 
ably originated  in  County  Clare,  a  maritime 
county  of  Munster,  Ireland,  where  Patrick 
Manyx  was  born  in  1840,  and  whence  he  came  to 
America  in  a  sailing  vessel  in  18.o4,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  Accompanied  by  his  aunt,  he 
spent  some  time  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  18.59 
came  to  Illinois,  where  he  chanced  to  meet  Miss 
Mary  Bowe,  who  subsequently  became  his  wife, 
and  who  sun-iving  liim,  has  demonstrated  re- 
markable ability  in  overcoming  obstacles  and 
managing  a  large  estate.  The  marriage  of  Miss 
Bowe  and  Mr.  Man.vx  occurred  in  Peoria  about 
l.Sf>l,  and  a  year  later  the  young  iK-ople  came  to 
the  farm  owned  at  that  time  by  Mrs.  Manyx's 
f.ather,  James  Bowe,  and  now  the  )irized  posses- 
sion of  his  daughter.  Mr.  Manyx  died  on  ,Tune 
22,  1.S82.  and  Mr.  Bowe,  December  24,  1886. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Man.vx  were  born  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living:  .James,  born  .January 
22.  18r>2,  a  resident  of  Rushville ;  Mollie,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years :  .John,  on  the 
home  place;  Mike,  a  farmer  in  Baiubridge  Town- 
ship; an  infant  wlio  died  uimamed,  and  Lizzie, 
wife  of  .\ndrew  Volk.  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity 
of  Tax  Orange,  Brown  County,  111. 

.Mthough  an  industrious  man  an'd  quite  suc- 
cessful as  a  farmer,  Mr.  Manyx  left  his  family 
almost  no  available  assets,  his  widow  having, 
after  all  expenses  bad  been  paid,  the  sum  of 
twent>'-five  cents  in  mone.v.  From  this  nucleus 
she  has  developed  truly  wonderful  results,  has 
lifted  the  mortgage  from  the  small  farm,  and 
added  to  it  until  now  she  owns  700  acres,  245 
acres  in  Woodstock  Township.  4.55  acres  in 
Baiubridge  Township  and  SO  acres  in  Mt.  Ster- 
ling Township.  Brown  County,  bought  in  1007 
at  a  cost  of  .$11,000.  In  this  she  had  the  helji  of 
her  sturdy  and  willing  sons,  but  her  brain  has 
done  the  planning,  and  her  econom.v  the  saving, 
and  unquestionabl.v  there  are  few  women  In  the 
line  of  business  in  this  part  of  the  State  who 
have  established  such  a  record  of  aclnevement. 
The  farm  occupied  by  the  family  is  remarkably 
homelike,  and  its  improvements  conform  to  the 
most  exacting  standards  of  the  present.  The 
buildings  are  modem  and  commodious,  the  fences 
In  good  repair,  and  the  machinery  selected  with 
the    greatest    care    and    good    judgment.      Mrs. 


876 


HISTORY  OF  S('IirYI.ER  COUNTY. 


Jliiuyx  has  ever  beeu  a  bard  worker,  but  she  has 
found  time  to  give  ber  cbildreu  every  advautage 
witbiu  ber  power,  aud  to  traiu  tbeiu  to  uoble  aud 
useful  uiaubood  aud  womaubood. 

James  Manyx,  wbo  iuberits  bis  motber's 
mauagerial  aud  business  ability,  was  married 
in  18113  to  Mary  Sullivan,  of  County  Clare,  Ire- 
laud,  wbo  came  to  America  alone  in  18S4.  Mr. 
Mauy.x  is  a  scientific  larmer,  and  in  stock  devotes 
bis  attention  princiiially  to  tbe  breeding  of  Po- 
land-China bogs.  He  is  thoroughly  devoted  to 
the  farm,  and  finds  little  time  for  the  outside  in- 
terests of  tbe  community.  As  was  his  father, 
in  politics,  James  Manyx  is  a  Democrat,  and  in 
religion  a  Koman  Catholic.  Tbe  family  enjoy 
an  enviable  rcput.atiou  and  have  mauy  friends 
among  tbe  best  people  of  the  community. 

MARKEY,  Harvey  B.— Tbe  Markey  faudly 
came  originally  from  England,  the  grandfather, 
Williivm  .\IarUey,  emigrating  from  Gloucester- 
.shire,  and  planting  tbe  name  in  the  New  World. 
From  Maryland,  where  be  Urst  located,  he  went 
to  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  and  there  died  prior 
to  the  birth  of  bis  grandson,  Harvey  K.  In  Har- 
rison County  bis  sou  and  namesake,  William 
ilarkey.  was  born,  and  there,  too,  he  was  reared 
aud  married.  With  bis  wife,  who  was  formerly 
Lucina  Smith,  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1851),  over- 
laud,  and  until  1S62  they  made  their  home  in 
Fulton  County.  lu  that  year  they  went  to  Han- 
cock Comity  and  iour  years  later,  in  1S66,  lo- 
<ated  in  Birmingham  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
and  purchased  tSO  acri'S  of  the  old  Landriis 
farm.  Times  were  bard  and  .Mr.  .Markey  found 
it  difflcnlt  to  jirovide  for  bis  large  family  from 
tbe  prodiicts  of  bis  fanu  alone.  It  was  this  con- 
dition which  led  his  son  Harvey  to  accept  the 
position  of  mail  carrier  betweeu  Plymouth  aud 
Rusbville,  receiving  for  his  services  $48(1  per 
year,  aud  making  one  trip  (ler  week.  The  father, 
in  his  early  life,  was  one  of  the  most  extensive 
stock  buyers  of  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  buying 
all  kinds  of  stock,  which  he  drove  to  Pittsburg 
and  Baltimore.  He  was  also  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  with  a  partner,  but  through  un- 
scrupulous dealings,  tbe  latter  cheated  him  out 
of  bis  interest.  A  number  of  years  before  re- 
moving from  Ohio  (in  18.-)2),  Mr.  Markey  sent 
his  sou  Daniel  to  Illinois  With  a  drove  of"  2.(X)0 
sheep,  but  tbe  venture  was  a  total  loss.  When 
be  located  in  tbe  State  himself  in  1850.  be  caine 
practically  empty-handed,  haviug  only  a  warrant 
for  eighty  acres  of  land  and  possessing  .$:iO  in 
cash.  He  traded  the  land  warrant  for  eight  bead 
of  milch  cows,  aud  from  this  small  beginning 
persevered  steadily  until  be  owned  over  40(i  acres 
of  as  fine  laud  as  could  be  found  in  Schuyler 
County.  Politically,  be  was  first  a  Whig  and 
later  a  Republi<-au,  and  was  a  strong  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  temperance.  Previous  to  tbe  Civil 
War  bis  home  in  Ohio  was  one  of  the  stations  on 
the  "underground  railroad,"  and  many  a  fugi- 
tive slave  was  cared  for  under  bis  hospitable 
roof.  He  died  in  lS8n.  and  his  wife,  the  mother 
of   Harvey    B..    passed    away    in    1891.      Bv    his 


first  wife  be  had  eight  children,  of  whom  but 
two  are  liviug, — Hannah,  tbe  wife  of  C.  Sprole, 
and  Kliza  \'.,  wife  of  George  Boyd,  botli  of 
Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio.  Fourteen  children 
were  liorn  of  his  marriage  with  Luciua  Smith, 
of  whom  only  eight  are  uow  liviug,  viz :  .Mary, 
who  married  Klaud  Hale,  a  farmer  of  Bir- 
mingham Township;  Harriet,  widow  of  Harry 
F.  Coe,  who  lives  in  Blaudiusville,  111.;  Harvey 
B. ;  Jobu  B.  and  Aixnie  S.,  twins,  tbe  loruier  a 
resident  of  Kinggold  County,  la.,  aud  the  latter, 
wife  of  Oliver  lirach,  ol  I'lymoutb,  111.;  Jesse 
M.  and  Jessie  Lee,  also  twins,  the  former  a 
resident  of  Liberty,  111.,  aud  tbe  latter,  wiie  of 
J.  \'aughu,  of  Meadow  Grove,  Neb. ;  and  Noah 
It.,    a    farmer   iu    Binningham    Township. 

Harvey  B.  -Markey  was  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Ohio,  Se]»tember  0,  1847,  aud  was  there- 
fore a  lad  of  about  twelve  years  when  the  family 
settled  in  Illinois.  He  well  remembers  the  sU-ug- 
gles  of  th<?  early  days  iu  the  new  surroundings, 
and  as  previously  stated,  when  he  was  ouly 
eighteen  years  of  age.  he  drove  the  mail  wagou 
from  Plymouth  to  Kuslivllle.  He  continued  to 
uuike  bis  home  with  bis  parents  until  be  was 
twentj-one  years  old,  when  he  went  to  work 
by  the  month  for  Charles  .Mitchell.  His  marriage 
took  place  iu  Saugamon  County,  November 
!),  1871),  Charlotte  .Mitchell,  tbe  daughter  of 
Charles  aud  llauuah  Mitchell,  theu  becom- 
ing his  wife.  She  was  l)oru  lu  Sangamon 
County,  HI.,  March  2U,  lS.>j.  For  several  years 
after  their  marriage  the  young  people  made 
their  home  iu  Sangamon  County,  but  in  18S1 
they  moved  to  Schuyler  County,  and  located 
on  tbe  farm  which  Mr.  .Markey  theu  pur- 
chased in  Section  12,  Birnungham  Township, 
where  they  have  since  made  their  home.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  them,  but  ouiy  four  are 
now  liviug.  three  having  died  in  infancy.  Of 
those  surviving,  Kdith  became  the  wife  of  Al- 
bert .Tones,  a  farmer  iu  Schuyler  County,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Alyue.  The  others,  Fred- 
erick, Bessie  and  Frank,  are  still  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

Much  credit  is  due  Mr.  Markey  for  what  he 
bad  accomplished  since  taking  up  his  home  in 
Binningham  Township,  where  he  is  known  as 
one  of  the  most  ui)-to-date  farmers,  owniug  ItM 
acres  of  excellent  farming  land.  In  addition  to 
geueral  fanning  he  raises  considerable  stock, 
making  a  specialty  of  red  cattle.  Everything 
about  the  farm  marks  the  owner  as  an  in- 
dustrious aud  progressive  farmer,  the  fences  and 
outbuildings  being  kept  in  repair,  as  is  the  resi- 
dcnie.  wlu<-h  is  a  commodious  eight-room  bouse, 
Mr.  -Markey  has  filled  many  otMces  in  Birming- 
ham Township,  among  them  that  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  in  which  capacity  he  servetl  for  eight 
years.  Politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  fraternally,  he  belongs  to  tbe  -Masonic  lodge 
at  Iluntsville.  and  to  the  camp  of  tbe  .Modem 
Woodmen  of  -\nu'rica,  at  Birnungham.  ilr.  and 
.Mrs.  Markey  .are  active  memtiers  of  the  -Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  .and  both  are  held  in  high 
esteem  in  their  home  community. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


877 


MARLOW,  John  Wesley.— The  agricultural  in- 
terests of  Sfliuyler  Count.v,  111.,  have  a  well- 
kuown  represeutative  in  John  Wesley  Marlow, 
a  native-born  son  of  Camden  Township,  where 
praetiealJy  all  of  his  busy  and  useful  life  has 
been  passed.  The  subscription  scliools  of  this 
locality  afforded  him  such  advantages  as  were 
possible  in  pioneer  days.  The  churches  of  the 
community  gave  him  religious  training  and 
taught  liim  in  youth  the  duty  which  he  owed  to 
God  and  mankind.  The  soil  of  the  township, 
tilled  in  a  systematic  manner,  netted  him  a  fair 
income  from  early  life  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  his  present  prosperity,  enabling  him  from  time 
to  time  to  add  to  his  possessions  until  at  this 
.writing  he  owns  365  acres  of  valuable  farm  land. 

The  record  of  the  family  appears  in  the  sketch 
of  Levi  S.  Marlow,  presented  upon  another  page 
of  this  volume.  .John  Wesley  ilarlow  was  born 
at  the  old  homestead  August  16.  1840,  being  a  son 
of  Han.son  Marlow.  After  having  gained  a 
knowledge  of  the  three  R's  in  the  neighboring 
schools,  he  turned  his  attention  to  general  farm- 
ing, in  which  he  ac<iuired  a  thorough  training 
under  his  father.  On  August  l.o,  1861,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Eliza  Jane  Green,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Hannah  (Spencer)  GretMi, 
honored  pioneers  of  Schuyler  County,  but  both 
now  deceased.  Of  the  Green  fandly  one  son  and 
one  daughter  (Mrs.  Ayers)  alone  survive,  and 
the.v  are  residents  of  Camden  Township.  After 
his  marriage  Jlr.  Marlow  settled  on  Section  1-1, 
Camden  Township,  where  he  bought  ninety-five 
acres  of  bottom  land  wholly  unimproved,  and 
during  the  next  five  years  he  was  busily  engaged 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  property.  While  liv- 
ing on  that  farm  two  of  his  children  were  Iwrn. 
About  186G  he  sold  the  land  and  removed  to 
Richard.son  County.  Xeb..  but  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  be  returned  to  Schuyler  C'ounty  and  traded 
his  Xebraska  property  for  eighty  acres  on  Sec- 
tion 27.  Camden  Township,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  In  1.S81  he  lost  his  first  wife, 
by  whom  he  had  the  following  children :  Levi. 
William  Ray,  Mary  E.,  Henry,  Rosetti,  Charles 
W.  and  .Vnnie.  Levi  was  born  May  .31,  1862,  and 
died  Jiinuary  26,  186.0 ;  Mary  E.  was  born 
October  26.  1864.  and  died  September  11,  1876. 
William  R.,  was  born  Febuary  2.5.  1866,  and  died 
December  8,  1868.  Henry,  born  February  14, 
1808.  is  a  farmer  in  Camden  Township.  He  mar- 
ried Sophia  Weightman.  by  whom  he  has  had 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living.  Rosetti, 
was  born  DecemlKT  10,  1860.  is  the  wife  of  Al- 
bert Lung,  a  farmer  in  Camden  Township,  b.v 
whom  she  has  had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living.  Charles  W.,  liorn  Xovember  18.  1871. 
died  Fel>ruary  12.  1873 ;  and  Annie,  bom  .\pril 
1.8,  1874,  deceased  wife  of  Mead  Cl.iyton,  left 
one  child. 

The  second  marriage  of  .John  Wesle.v  Marlow 
united  him  with  .Jemima  Weisrhtman.  who  was 
bont  in  Camden  Townshi[i  Feliruary  1.  1.863.  be- 
ing a  daughter  of  that  honored  pioneer,  Willian) 
Weightman  who  is  still  living,  his  wife  having 
died  February  4,  1008.     Of  this  union  six  chil- 


dren were  born,  namely :  Asa  U.,  born  December 
6,  1883,  who  died  Xovember  2,  1!J()3 ;  .Martha 
Jane,  born  May  10,  1885;  Getrude  Victoria, 
born  December  28,  1886,  who  is  the  wife  of  Burt 
A.  Davis,  a  farmer  of  Camden  Township ;  John 
W.,  boru  .March  17,  1891,  who  assists  his  father 
on  the  farm ;  Minnie  Elizabeth,  born  May  1, 
1893 ;  and  Nettie  Ruth,  born  July  29,  1895.  'The 
hcspitality  of  the  Marlow  family  is  proverbial. 
Their  guests  look  with  especial  pleasure  upon  a 
visit  to  the  farm,  whose  genial  owner  deservedly 
ranks  among  the  honored  men  of  the  township.  In 
local  improvements  he  has  maintained  a  constant 
interest.  His  devotion  to  his  native  county  is 
unquestioned,  and  his  solicitude  regarding  its 
permanent  prosperity  is  deep.  In  religious  work 
he  has  been  faithful  and  generous.  The  Union 
Chapel  owes  its  organization  and  usefulness 
largely  to  his  labors.  To  the  building  of  this 
house  of  worship  he  contributed  $.55  in  cash  and 
forty-five  days'  work,  while  Mr.  Weightman  gave 
.$.50  and  his  work,  the  united  labors  of  the  two 
men  being  tlie  means  of  dedicating  the  church  free 
from  debt.  Many  have  tieen  the  changes  his  e.ves 
have  beheld  since  his  .vouth.  Agricultural  pro- 
cesses have  been  revolutionized.  In  early  days 
he  was  accustomed  to  the  tedious  task  of  thresh- 
ing the  wheat  with  a  flail ;  the  grain  was  then 
hauled  by  wagon  to  Quincy,  where  it  was  sold  at 
twenty-five  cents  per  bushel.  The  days  of  "dol- 
lar wheat"  were  then  undreamed  of.  nor  were 
there  any  iirojihets  to  herald  the  coming  inven- 
tions which  would  radically  change  all  known 
methods  of  harvesting  and  threshing.  The  tele- 
phone was  then  unheard  of,  and  many  other  con- 
veniences, which  are  regarded  as  necessities  by 
people  in  the  twentieth  century,  were  then  un- 
known, yet  the  pioneers  look  back  upon  those 
da.vs  with  a  keen  recollection  of  the  many  pleas- 
ures they  enjoyed  and  a  vivid  appreciation  of 
their  happiness  in  spite  of  the  lack  of  modern  im- 
provements. 

MARLOW,  Levi  S.— Adjacent  to  the  village  of 
Mabel.  Schuyler  County,  111.,  lies  the  farm  of  200 
acres  which  for  sixty-three  years,  or  during  his 
entire  lifetime,  has  been  the  home  of  Mr.  Mar- 
low. Here  he  was  born  August  16,  1844,  the  son 
of  Han.son  and  Esther  (Whiteman)  Marlow. 
the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the  lat- 
ter a  descendant  of  Virginian  ancestors.  About 
the  time  of  his  first  marriage,  in  1825,  Hanson 
Marlon'  came  to  Illinois  as  a  pioneer  and  here  he 
was  deprived  of  the  companionship  of  his  wife, 
here  death  occurring  soon  afterward.  Subse- 
quently lie  was  united  in  marriage  with  Esther 
(Whiteman)  Ayes,  a  widow,  whose  husband  had 
died  of  cholera.  About  1826  Mr.  Marlow  came 
to  Schuyler  Cotmt.v,  settling  at  first  near  Little- 
ton, and  about  1837  he  came  to  Camden  Town- 
shi[i,  on  Section  22,  and  here  he  rounded  out 
the  remainder  of  his  long  and  useful  career.  At 
tlie  time  he  came  to  this  locality  there  was  little 
to  encourage  one  to  battle  with  the  rude  con- 
ditions which  existed  on  every  hand,  but  with 
the  true  pioneer  spirit  he  steadfastly  adhered  to 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


his  purpose  to  make  a  lioiiie  for  himself  and  fam- 
ily, first  ereetiuj;  a  small  log  cabin.  In  the  course 
of  time,,  alter  a  portion  of  the  land  had  been 
cleared  and  the  laud  cultivated,  this  rude  struc- 
ture gave  place  to  a  more  commodious  double  log 
cabin,  and  here,  and  iu  the  home  previously 
mentioned,  all  of  the  four  sons  were  boni  and 
reared.  Some  idea  of  the  scarcity  of  neighbors 
at  the  time  llr.  ilarlow  came  to  this  section,  may 
be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  when  he  erected 
his  first  house  there  were  only  two  or  three 
cabins  in  Kushville,  now  a  thriving  village, 
no  settlers  between  his  cabin  and  Rushville, 
and  but  few  between  his  farm  and  Quincy. 
Mr.  Marlow's  first  purchase  of  land  consisted 
of  loO  acres,  part  of  the  land  now  included 
in  the  old  homestead,  and  in  partnership  with 
his  brother.  Alfred,  he  iiurchased  another  farm 
of  the  same  si/.e.  which  they  operated  together 
for  a  niuiiber  of  .years.  By  purchases  Han- 
son Jlarlow  added  to  his  original  acreage  un- 
til he  had  100  acres,  to  which  he  supposed  he  had 
a  clear  title,  but  his  claim  to  ownership  was 
disputed  and  he  was  obliged  to  pay  for  the  land 
again.  As  his  means  permitted  he  purchased 
other  laud  adjoining,  until  at  one  time  he  owned 
520  acres.  At  the  time  of  purchase  the  gre;iter 
part  of  the  land  was  heavily  timbered,  but  with 
the  assistance  of  his  sons  he  cleared  away  the 
timber  ami  underbrush,  and  in  time  waving 
fields  of  grain  were  to  be  seen  in  their  stead. 
As  his  children  gronv  to  maturity,  he  gave  to  each 
a  share  of  the  home  farm.  The  eldest  son. 
Henry,  is  a  resident  of  Sullivan.  Ind. ;  Hanson, 
Who  is  now  deceased,  married  Jliss  Xancy  Davis, 
by  W'hom  he  had  a  son  and  daughter,  botli  of 
whom  are  now  deceased :  the  other  son.  besides 
Levi  S.,  is  .John  W.,  who  owns  and  cultivates  a 
farm  in  Camden  Township.  The  mother  of  these 
children  passed  away  iu  ]8()0.  and  some  years 
later  the  father  «as  united  in  maiTiage  with 
Mrs.  Xancy  Green,  who  was  left  a  widow  about 
one  year  after  her  marriage,  and  she.  too,  is  now 
deceased.  The  death  of  Hanson  Marlow  oc- 
curred ISfi.S  and  was  deeply  felt  in  the  com- 
munity where  1k'  had  made  his  home  for  so  many 
years  and  toward  whose  upbuilding  he  had  done 
so  much.  Throughout  his  life  he  adhered  rigidly 
to  the  religious  teachings  of  his  ]iarents.  and 
was  an  ardent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis 
copal  Church.  During  the  early  days,  before  a 
house  of  worshi])  had  been  erected,  his  home  was 
the  stopping  place  for  the  circuit  riders  who 
came  to  minister  to  the  people.  Hospitality 
was  one  of  his  chief  characteristics,  a  quality 
which  he  inherited  from  a  long  lipe  of  Southern 
ancestors. 

Levi  S.  Marlow  was  born  in  the  double  log 
cabin  on  the  old  homestead.  August  1(5.  1.S44.  and 
all  the  school  training  he  received  was  in  the  dis- 
trict school  at  Camden,  three  miles  from  his 
home.  As  soon  as  he  was  large  enough  he  liegan 
to  aid  in  the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  every 
farmer's  son.  his  father  at  that  time  owning 
520  acres,  well  stocked  with  cattle.  Until  he 
was  thirty  years  old  he  worked  continuouslv  on 


the  farm,  l)ut  at  this  age  he  took  up  work  at 
the  plasterer's  trade,  building  cisterns  prin- 
cipally, and  also  to  some  e.xteut,  worked  at  the 
can)enter's  trade.  Among  his  accomplishments 
in  the  latter  trade  may  be  mentioned  the  First 
Metliodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  known  at 
that  time  as  the  Iniou  Chapel.  He  gave  the 
ground  on  the  which  the  edifice  was  erected.  $25 
iu  cash,  hewed  the  frame,  and  in  addition  gave 
si.vty  day's  work.  The  services  of  the  church  and 
Sunday-school  have  been  maint;iined  without 
interruption  since  the  church  home  was  built, 
church  services  being  lield  every  two  weeks, 
and  Snnday-scliool,  class  and  pra.ver  meetings 
every  Sunday.  Tliough  not  a  member  of  the 
church.  Mr.  Marlow  is  a  liljeral  giver  to  its 
charities  and  is  especially  active  in  Sunday  school 
work,  and  since  its  organization  has  been  treas- 
urer of  the  Sunday  scliobl  at  Camden.  Many  of 
the  finest  liouses  in  Camden  stand  as  monuments 
to  -Mr.  .Marlow's  .skill  and  ingenuity,  aud  taken 
all  in  all,  he  has  bi>eu  a  pronnnent  factor  in  the 
march  of  progress  iu  this  pari  of  Schuyler 
County. 

.Mr.  Marlow's  marriage,  iu  West  Quincy,  Mo., 
,Linuary  (>,  ISli."),  united  him  with  .Margaretta 
Hice.  a  native  of  Columbus.  Ohio,  aud  a  daugh- 
ter of  .lolrn  and  Uebecca  Uice,  both  natives  of 
I'ennsylvania,  whence  they  removed  to  Ohio,  and 
still  later  to  Missouri.  Their  last  home  was-iu 
Illinois,  where  both  i)asse(l  away,  the  father 
dying  in  lN(i.'{.  Of  the  ten  children  l>orn  to  Mr. 
and  .Mrs.  .Marlow,  Henry  A.,  a  farmer  lu  Cam- 
den 'I'ownship,  married  .Mary  E.  Terrell  ;  Esther 
became  the  wile  of  .lames  Lawson,  a  farmer  of 
Itaiiibridge  Township  and  liad  two  children,  one  of 
whom,  Verna,  is  living;  the  next  died  in  infancy; 
(ieorge  \V.,  by  his  marriage  with  Mary  C.  Corsey, 
became  the  father  of  three  children  of  whom  one 
died  in  infancy ;  Lena  is  now  four  years  old  aud 
(iuy  is  a  farmer  iu  this  locality ;  Julietta  aud 
.Jeanetta  were  twins,  the  latter  being  killed  by 
a  nniaway  horse  and  the  lormer  being  the  wife 
of  William  Lawson,  Ijy  whom  she  has  one  son, 
Uay ;  Ida  May,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Fitch,  has 
two  children,  Ouy  and  Carl  Frederick  ;  Fannie, 
the  wife  of  Elmer  Carter,  of  Gray,  Stevens 
Count\-.  Wash.,  has  five  children — Harold.  Emory. 
Lewis,  Ernest  and  Opal  Olive,  three  having  died 
in  infancy :  Kvn  M.,  was  first  married  to  Emery 
Calv(>rt,  by  wliom  she  had  two  children — Mabel 
and  Myrtle  Uuth;  by  her  marriage  with  Mead  A. 
Clayton,  she  has  three  children — I{o.scoe.  Emery 
atid  Loreini  ;  Carl  L..  a  farmer  in  Camden  Town- 
shi]).  married  Xettie  Elliott.  Mrs.  Margaretta 
Marlow  died  Xovember  18.  ISS7,  leaving  to  niouni 
her  loss  a  family  of  devoted  children,  and  many 
friends  who  had  learned  to  love  her  for  her 
many  noble  christian  virtues.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  .Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Marlow  was  subseiiueutly  married  to  Mary  E. 
Elder,  who  was  born  in  Buena  Vista.  III.,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  anl  Liianna  (Allen)  Elder. 
While  she  was  a  mere  child  Mrs.  Marlow  was 
left    an    orphan,   and    was    reared   and    tenderly 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


879 


cared  for  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Eifert,  with  whom 
she  remained  until  her  marriage. 

Socially,  Mr.  Marlow  is  a  Ma.fon,  belonging  to 
the  lodge  at  Camden.  Six  times  he  has  been 
elected  to  the  otBce  ot  Justice  of  the  Peace,  serv- 
ing in  this  capacity  tor  twenty-four  years.  Three 
times  he  has  been  elected  Collector,  and  has  also 
been  thrice  elected  Assessor.  Jlr.  Marlow's  long 
retention  in  ofhce  is  an  excellent  indication  of 
his  fitness  for  the  trusts  in  iiuestion,  and  an  un- 
mistakable evidence  of  his  popularity  in  the  com- 
munity. 

McCABE,  John. — Since  a  comparatively  early 
period  in  the  history  of  the  township  and  city  of 
Kushville,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  brickmaking 
has  been  an  important  industry  in  that  locality. 
The  pioneer  settlers  were  succeeded  by  men  who 
not  only  profited  by  the  experience  of  their  pre- 
decessors, hut  who  themselves  established  a 
standard  of  achievement  for  those  who  should 
succeed  them.  In  the  early  'fifties  was  witnessed 
a  decided  imjietus  towards  lirickmaking  on  a 
large  scale,  and  a  young  and  sturdy  element  was 
introduced  in  the  person  of  John  JlcCabe,  then 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  who  was  destined  to 
spend  at  least  half  a  century  in  the  manufacture 
of  this  necessary  building  material. 

John  McCabe,  Sr.,  father  of  the  retired  brick 
manufacturer  of  Kushville,  whose  name  furnishes 
the  caption  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  I'enn- 
s.vlvania,  and  when  (luite  .voung,  was  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared  on  a 
farm  and  where  he  learned  the  l>lucksmith's 
trade.  He  married  Mary  Hevel,  ,a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Coshocton 
County,  in  that  State,  where  he  combined  fann- 
ing and  blacksmithing.  and  where  his  son  and 
namesake,  John,  was  liorn  March  11,  1828.  In 
18-14  the  elder  JlcCabe  removed  to  a  farm  in 
Marion  County,  Ind.,  and  three  years  later  set- 
tled in  Woodland,  111.,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  until  he  Ijecame  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
AVar.  He  enlisted  in  the  Sixty-second  Regiment. 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  his  son,  John, 
enlisted  in  lS(i2.  in  Company  A,  Eighty-fourth 
Illinois  Regiment.  The  father,  after  a  year's 
service,  fell  in  the  Battle  of  I'ittsburg  Landing, 
and  another  name  was  added  to  the  list  of  sol- 
dier heroes.  A  desolated  home  in  Woodland 
bespoke  the  dependence  which  had  been  placed 
upon  him,  and  it  became  the  duty  of  those  still 
remaining  under  the  family  root"  to  contribute 
their  liest  to  the  maintenance  of  the  family. 

While  still  in  his  "teens."  John  JleCalje.  Jr., 
began  to  work  in  a  brickyard,  and  because  he 
was  observant  and  industrious,  succeeded  in 
learning  the  business  in  three  or  four  seasons. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  establislied  a 
brick  yard  at  Littleton.  Schuyler  County,  and  two 
years  later,  I'emoved  his  yard  to  Macoml).  III., 
where  he  operated  it  until  his  enlistment  for 
the  war.  In  ISfiO  he  came  to  Rushville.  and  in 
1870,  added  to  his  kilns  the  niachinei-y  for  tlie 
manufacture  of  tile.  His  enterjjrise  re.sulte[i  in 
the  constant  growth  of  his  business,  and  he  re- 


tired with  a  competence,  and  with  credit  for  hav- 
ing materially  jiromoted  an  increasingly  impor- 
tant industry.  For  sixty-five  years  he  was  act- 
ively engaged  in  brick-making,  selling  out  in 
1904,  since  which  time  he  has  enjoyed  the  quiet 
repose  so  richly  his  due.  He  was  married,  in 
1851.  to  Mary  Clark,  of  Indiana,  and  his  family 
consists  of  four  children,  James,  Arthur,  Howard 
C.  and  Cora,  two  children  having  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  McCabe  is  a  deeply  religious  man,  and  for 
m.-my  years  has  been  identified  with  the  Metho- 
dist Ei)iscopal  Church. 

m  18»iS  Mr.  McCabe  joined  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
at  Macomb,  111.,  where  he  was  spending  the  pe- 
riod of  his  furlough,  having  been  wounded  at  the 
Battle  of  Chi'ckamauga,  and  being  then  obliged 
to  u.se  crutches.  He  has  since  taken  all  of  the 
degrees  in  the  Masonic  Order,  up  to  that  of 
Knight  Templar,  and  for  thirty  consecutive  years 
was  tre.-isurer  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  resigning  this 
otlice  against  the  wishes  of  his  fellow  members. 
.\o  man  stands  higher  in  the  estimation  of  the 
jieople  of  Rushville  tlian  John  McCabe,  the  sol- 
dier, brickmaker  and  old-time  Mason. 

Mccormick,  David.— May,  1907,  marked  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  arrival  of  David  Mc- 
("ormick  upon  the  farm  in  Rushville  Tov.^nship, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  which  has  since  been  his 
home.  He  was  twenty-five  yeara  of  age  when  he 
tlius  shaped  his  course  into  independent  chan- 
nels, but  he  was  no  stranger  to  the  locality,  for 
in  1830  he  had  arrived  in  Rushville  with  his  pa- 
rents, from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1S.".2.  He  was  of  rugged  Scotch  ances- 
try, descended  from  men  who  had  the  courage 
to  fight  for  a  good  cause  or  invade  the  wilder- 
ness in  search  of  homes  and  fortunes.  Both  his 
grandfather,  Samuel  JlcCormick,  and  his  father, 
Andrew  JlcCormick,  were  born  in  Scotland,  and 
came  to  America  in  time  for  the  grandfather  to 
slioulder  his  musket  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Andrew  McCormick  devoted  his  active  life  to 
farming,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1840,  four 
years  after  his  arrival  in  Schuyler  County.  His 
wife,  who  was  formerly  Jane  Hill  of  New  York, 
survived  him  until  1860. 

In  his  youth,  David  McCormick  had  only  such 
opportunities  as  he  created  for  himself.  To  be 
al)le  to  attend  the  district  school  was  a  privilege 
sulliciently  rare  to  be  appreciated,  and  inspired 
in  him  a  longing  for  further  knowledge,  to  be  ac- 
(|uired  during  the  greater  leisure  of  his  mature 
years.  While  still  in  his  teens  he  learned  the 
cooper's  trade,  which  he  followed  several  years 
in  connection  with  farming,  but  which  he  long 
since  abandoned  The  farm  purchased  by  him 
in  May,  1857,  had  some  improvements,  but  these 
have  been  replaced  for  the  most  part  with  those 
1  letter  adapted  to  modern  needs.  The  McCormick 
farm  combined  large  money  making  possibilities, 
with  the  comforts  and  refinements  possible  only 
under  the  most  favorable  country  conditions.  It 
gives  evidence  of  the  perseverance  and  good  judg- 
ment of  its  owner  in  its  every  department, 
and  speaks  volumes  for  the  possession  of  quail- 


880 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


ties   whieLi   go   to   the    making   of   a    substautial 
and  prosperous  farmer. 

Oil  Juue  4,  IStiS,  Mr.  McCormiels  married  Mar- 
garet J.  Hillis,  a  native  of  Seiiuyler  Uouuty,  111., 
and  of  this  union  there  are  six  children,  namely  : 
Carrie  J..  Scarlet  C,  Albert  H.,  John  A..  Mary  .J., 
and  N.  F.  Mr.  McCormirk  is  a  Kepublicau  in 
politics,  but  has  never  aspired  to  jwlitical  hon- 
ors. His  life  has  been  a  quiet  and  uneventful 
one,  blessed  with  a  good  share  of  prosperity  and 
happiness,  and  devoted  in  all  ways  to  the  well- 
beiug  of  his  family  and  to  the  interests  of  the 
community  of  which  he  is  a  respected  citizen. 

McCREERY,  L.  J. — Almost  from  time  imme- 
morial agriculture  and  education  have  been  re- 
garded as  the  bulwarks  of  community  existence. 
As  man  progressed  towards  a  larger  usefulness 
and  greater  happiness  through  a  siinpliflcation  of 
the  iiroblems  of  life,  these  factors  draw  nearer 
and  nearer  together,  until  the  establishment  of 
an  ideal  country  enterprise  presupposes  a  ti-ained 
and  well  adjusted  mental  eiiuipinent.  It  is  to 
these  fundamental  occupations  that  L.  .1.  Me- 
Creery  has  devoted  attention  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  active  life,  and  as  an  agriculturist 
and  educator  he  has  won  that  recognition  due  an 
earnest  and  painstaking  worker.  Mr.  .McCreery 
was  born  in  Birniinghani  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  111..  November  21,  1S57,  a  son  of  William 
Thomas,  and  a  grandson  of  I.^nvis  McCreery,  both 
natives  of  Ireland. 

William  Thomas  McCreery  was  born  in  Ire- 
laud  in  ISofi,  and  in  l.S4."i.  when  eight  .vears  old, 
caiue  to  .-\merica  with  Ills  jiarents,  and  "located 
on  a  farm  in  Birininghain  Township.  He  had 
the  advantages  of  the  average  country-reared 
boy  of  the  Central  West,  and  finally,  'through 
marriage,  united  his  own  with  another  and  still 
earlier  pioneer  family  of  Schuyler  County.  His 
wife,  formerly  Esta  Farr,  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Farr.  who  moved  to  Schuyler  County  from 
his  native  State  of  Ohio  before"  the  birth  "of  his 
daughter.  Jlr.  McCreery  was  not  only  success- 
ful in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  but  he 
became  prominent  in  jiolitics.  and  held  many 
offices  of  local  iinpcu'tance.  For  three  terms  he 
served  as  Iteijresentative  in  the  Legislature 
(187(1-80  and  188S-',M)>  and  for  several  years  was 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Hunts- 
yille,  Birmingham  Town.ship.  His  death  occurred 
in  1001,  his  wife  having  predeceased  him  in 
1886.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  character  and 
decided  opinions,  and  his  identification  with  the 
county  and  townshiii  redounded  to  its  permanent 
well  lieing. 

L.  J.  McCreery  was  educated  in  the  country 
schools,  at  the  .\ugusta  high  school,  and  Knox 
College,  Galesburg,  III.  He  has  always  made 
his  home  on  a  farm,  and  for  eighteen  yeai-s  was 
identified  with  educational  affairs,  for  fourteen 
years  as  a  teacher,  and  for  four  vears  as  Su- 
perintendent of  Si'hoois  of  Schnvler  County,  to 
which  nflice  he  was  elected  in  180.8.  In  1884  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  .\lnieda  Burwood, 
daughter   of   Philip   and   Lucinda    (Hood)    Bur- 


wood.  I'liiliji  Burwood  was  born  in  Germany  in 
182!l,  and  in  lS:il  came  to  .\meriea  with  his  pa- 
rents, locating  jiresumably  in  I'ennyslvania.  He 
arrived  in  Schuyler  County  at  an  early  day,  mar- 
ried in  18.5.5,  and  spent  his  active  life  in  the 
pursuit  of  f:irming.  To  -Mr.  and  Mrs.  .McCreery 
has  been  Ijorn  .-i  son,  Chester  Kay.  Mr.  .Mc- 
Creery is  social  in  his  tendencies,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Indeiiendent  Oriier  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  of  I'ytbias  and  the  .Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  He  is  a  Deniocr.it  in  jiolitics,  and 
in  religion  a  Presbyterian.  The  present  high 
standard  of  education  maintained  in  the  public 
schools  of  .Schuyler  County  is  in  large  measure 
due  to  the  untiring  eflforts  of  Mr.  McCreerj-.  He 
is  no  mere  intellectual  visionary,  but  a  [iractical, 
energetic,  far-siglited  educator,  in  touch  with 
the  times  and  its  demands,  and  with  the  hopes 
and  iiossibilities  of  that  great  predominating 
middle  class  which  derives  its  working  equip- 
ment from  the  field  of  human  equality  known  as 
the  public  schools. 

McGRATH  FAMILY.— Among  the  older  resi- 
dents of  Schuyler  County  are  the  McGrath  fam- 
ily. James  Mc(;r.itli  came  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Illinois  in  18.")7  accomjianied  by  his  family  con- 
sisting of  his  wife  and  nine  I'hildreu — six  sons 
and  three  danghtei-s — locating  at  Doddsville,  Me- 
Ponough  County,  just  north  of  the  Schuyler 
(."(mnty  line.  Here  he  remained  until  IStS,  when 
he  removed  to  .Schuyler  ("ounty,  settling  in  the 
siaithwest  jiart  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Lit- 
tleton Townshii),  which  has  been  the  family  home 
to  th(>  present  time.  His  children  all  grew  to 
manhood  and  womanhood  in  McDonough  and 
Schuyler  Counties  and  four  of  his  sons  became 
soldiers  of  the  I'nion  .\rniy  during  the  Civil 
War.  Of  these,  Lloyd  was  killed  at  Vicksburg. 
.Miss.,  during  the  siege  of  that  place,  and  .lohn 
was  wounded  at  Chickaniauga,  as  a  conseipience 
of  which  he  finally  died.  One  remarkable  thing 
in  the  history  of  the  .MHJrath  family  Is  the  fact 
that,  during  a  residence  of  fifty -one  years  in  the 
same  c<>mniuiiity,  none  of  its  members  have  ever 
been  engaged  in  a  law-suit,  either  as  plaintiff  or 
defendant. 

McGRATH,  Thomas  C,  one  of  the  oldest  living 
residents  of  Schuyler  County,  III.,  which  has 
lK>en  his  home  for  more  than  lialf  a  century,  and 
an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  is  residing 
on  his  farm  in  Section  .">,  Littleton  Townshii).  an 
object  of  sincere  respect  and  warm  regard  to  the 
large  nnmtier  of  his  fellow-citizens  who  are  fa- 
miliar with  his  worthy  traits  of  character.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  family  which  can  Iwast  of  the 
high  distinction  i>f  having  given  four  sons  to  the 
defense  of  the  I'nion  in  its  mighty  struggle  for 
existence,  all  of  whom  were  wounded,  one  being 
killed  and  another  dying  as  a  result  of  wounds 
received  in  th(>  conflict.  Mr.  McGrath  was  bom 
is  Franklin  County.  Pa.,  rceiving  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  of  that  locality.  He 
is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Barbara  (Jones)  Mc- 
Grath,  natives  of   that   State  and   countv.     His 


I.- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


881 


paterual  grandfather,  John  McGrath,  was  a  na- 
tive of  County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  and  the  hit- 
ters wife,  Sarah  (Collins)  McGrath,  was  born 
in  Connecticut.  The  grandparents  on  the  mater- 
nal side,  Josejih  Jones  and  wife,  were  Penn- 
sylvanians,  born  in  Lancaster  County.  James 
\V.  ilcGrath  and  Barbara  Jones  were  mar- 
ried iu  the  vicinity  of  Mercersburj:,  I'a..  in  July, 
18:«.  There  the  father  followed  his  trade  of 
lilaclisniitliin;;,  but  in  IS.iT  journeyed  with  his 
family,  by  wagon,  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence  by 
boat  on  the  Ohio.  Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers. 
to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  stopping  at  the  village 
of  Frederick.  Having  friends  in  Dodd.sville, 
McUonough  County,  he  located  there,  working  at 
liis  trade  until  ISfo.  then  moving  to  a  farm 
in  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  5,  Littletou 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased. It  was  wholly  a  prairie  tract,  and  one 
of  the  first  pieces  of  land  of  this  kind  to  be  culti- 
vated iu  Schuyler  Count)'.  James  W.  Mc-Grath 
died  January  i.  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  five  months  and  fourteen  days,  and  his 
worthy  wife  passed  away  ilarch  1,  1895,  aged 
seventv-three  years,  one  mouth  and  sixteen  days. 
James  W.  and  Barbara  Jones  McGrath  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children.,  namely:  John  H., 
Jacob,  Thomas  C.  William  C.  Joseph  V.,  James 
B..  Elnora,  Sarah  E.,  and  Jeunie.  B.  John,  the 
eldest,  married  Eliza  Chandler,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  sons 
and  two  daughters.  lie  enlisted  in  September, 
1802,  in  Company  G.  Seventy-third  Regiment,  Il- 
linois Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  wounded  in 
the  right  hip  at  the  Battle  of  Chickamauga,  taken 
prisoner,  and  confined  fourteen  days  in  a  field 
hospital.  Then  he  was  paroled  and  sent  to  a 
St.  Louis  hospital,  staying  there  two  mouths. 
.Vfter  this,  he  was  detailed  for  duty  in  charge  of 
lii-isouers  at  St.  Louis,  and  was  discharged  from 
the  service  four  months  later.  The  wound  re- 
ceived at  Chickamauga  finally  resulted  in  his 
death.  Jacob  died  in  Pennsylvania,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  months.  Lloyd  A.,  born  September 
20.  1840.  enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1862.  m  Company 
A,  Tenth  Regiment.  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  killed  at  Vicksburg.  June  2ii.  ISl!:',.  Wil- 
liau)  C  bom  July  31.  184.3.  is  living  ou  the  old 
home  place.  Joseph  V..  liorn  Octolier  2".  18-14. 
married  Xancy  Gregg,  a  native  of  McDonough 
County.  111.,  aiid  is  the  father  of  one  child,  Wil- 
liam, of  Ringgold  County.  Iowa.  He  enlisted  in 
Decemlier,  1863.  in  the  Eighth  Regiment,  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  through  the  war. 
He  was  wounded  in  the  right  side  by  a  rifle  ball, 
at  Fort  Blakely.  near  Jlobile.  Ala.,  liy  reason  of 
which  he  draws  a  pension.  After  the  war  he 
went  to  Kansas  City.  Mo.,  where  he  now  resides. 
J:inies  P...  liorn  February  20,  1846.  lives  on  the 
homestead:  Eluora.  bom  July  1,  1840.  lives  at 
Cimarron.  Kan.,  and  is  the  widow  of  Robert  J. 
M<'Ginnis:  Sarah  E..  liorn  December  10.  IS.'Jl. 
became  the  wife  of  David  Werents,  and  died  in 
September.  1802 :  and  Jennie  B..  born  May  10, 
18r)4.  is  living  on  the  home  place.  After  the 
death  of  their  parents,  all   the  surviving  mem- 


bers came  home  to  live,  James  B.,  owning  half 
of  the  property,  and  the  remainder  belonging  to 
William  C.  and  Jennie  B. 

Thomas  C.  McGrath,  after  his  school  days  were 
over,  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  paternal  farm, 
remaining  at  home  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  On  May  24.  1861.  he 
enlisted  at  Rushville,  111.,  in  Comijany  G.  Six- 
teeuth  Regiment.  Illinois  Volunteer  litfantry, 
eontinuiug  in  service  until  the  termination  of 
hostilities.  Since  theu  he  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  in  Section  5-.  Littleton  Town- 
ship. In  politics.  Mr.  JIcGrath  has  been  long 
an  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  and  for 
six  years,  filled  the  office  of  Township  Assessor 
with  abilib'  and  fidelity.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

McGRAW.  James  Thomas,  who  follows  farming 
in  Schuyler  County.  111.,  on  an  extensive  scale, 
owning  a  large  amount  of  laud,  and  being,  more- 
over, one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
citizens  in  his  locality,  is  a  resident  of  Section 
27,  Littleton  Township,  where  he  is  known  and 
respected  by  all.  Mr.  McGraw  was  born  in  Pen- 
dleton County,  Ky..  (letolier  30,  1857.  and  is  a 
son  of  Matthew  and  Julia  (Biggs)  McGraw.  both 
natives  of  that  State  and  Count.v.  the  birth  of 
the  father  occurring  November  19.  1834.  and 
that  of  the  mother.  January  11,  1842.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  was  Thomas  Biggs,  also  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  In  April,  1861.  Matthew 
McGraw  and  his  family  moved  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling in  Brooklyn  Township.  Schuyler  County, 
and  living  for  two  years  on  rented  land.  The 
father  then  bought  160  acres  of  partly  improved 
land,  on  which  he  comiileted  the  improvements 
and  farmed  four  years,  aftenvards  disposing  of 
it,  and  purchasing  160  acres  in  Buena  Vista 
Township,  in  the  same  count.v,  also  partially 
improved.  When  he  had  further  improved  this 
place  he  added  200  acres  to  it,  60  acres  of  which 
were  under  the  plow.  Selling  the  farm  to  his 
son,  James,  in  1891.  he  went,  iu  March,  of  that 
year,  to  Audrain  County.  JIo.,  where  he  bought 
some  land,  and  also  a  house  and  lot  in  C^ntralia. 
Boone  County.  In  1904  he  sold  the  Audrain 
County  farm,  and  bought  another,  of  80  acres,  in 
Boone  County.  He  now  lives  iu  Centralia.  Mo., 
where  he  owns  considerable  jiroperty.  the  man- 
agement of  which  occupies  his  time.  James  T. 
McGraw  remained  with  his  parents  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  26  years,  his  education  being 
received  in  the  district  scliools  of  Biiena  Vista 
Township.  After  his  marriage,  he  located  on  a 
farm  of  115  acres  in  that  township.  To  this  he 
sulisequently  made  additions,  increasing  his  hold- 
uias  to  800  acres  in  Sections  5  and  8.  300  acres 
of  which  is  tillable  land.  There  he  lived  until 
the  fall  of  1000.  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  of 
80  acres  in  Section  27.  Littleton  Township.  In 
1903.  he  inirchased  120  acres  in  Section  22.  and 
in  March.  1907.  became  the  owner  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  that  section.  This  land  is  all 
in  one  body,  and  of  the  highest  agricultural  qual- 
ity.    Besiiles  general   farming,   he   devotes   con- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


sitlenible  attention  to  i-;iisuig  horses,  Shorthoru 
cuttle  and  Pohuul-Chiua  hogs. 

On  January  17,  18S4,  Jlr.  .McCiraw  was  unitea 
in  marriage  \\  ith  Cornelia  Xelsou.  who  was  boru 
in  Littleton  Township,  November  7,  185t;.  re- 
ceiving her  eduralion  iu  tlie  district  schools  in 
the  vicinity  ot  hi>r  home,  and  in  the  Macomb 
Normal  School.  Mrs.  McGraw  is  a  daughter  of 
Teel  and  Jane  (Little)  Nelson,  natives  of  Penu- 
.sylvania.  Her  paternal  grandparents  were  Henry 
and  Mary  Ann  (Teel)  Nelson,  born  in  Ohio, 
and  her  grandparents  on  the  maternal  side,  Rob- 
ert and  Eliza  (Cunningham)  Little,  were  na- 
tives of  Ireland.  Five  children  blessed  this  un- 
ion, as  follows:  Anna  Lois,  born  October  ■i\. 
1SS4.  now  the  wife  of  William  Lenhart,  of  Buena 
Vista  Township;  liuth  K.,  liorn  February  1. 
188(j,  who  married  Koy  D.  Winters,  of  Scotland 
Township,  McDonough  County,  111.;  Vera  M., 
boru  March  0,  1890,  who  is  at  home ;  Beulah  A., 
born  October  28,  18'.)4 ;  and  Julia  JL,  born  Octo- 
ber 30,  1807. 

Politically,  Mr.  .Mc<!raw  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  wields  a  strong  intlnence 
in  local  politics.  While  a  resident  of  Buena 
Vista  Townshij),  he  .--erved  one  term  as  Collector, 
and  has  held  the  ollice  of  .-Vssessor  one  year  in 
Littleton  Township.  In  April,  1000,  he  was 
elected  Supervisor  of  the  latter  township  for  a 
term  of  two  years.  He  is  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Schuyler  County,  and  in  connection 
with  the  civic  affairs  of  the  community,  maiu- 
tains  a  high  standing. 

McKEE,  William  (  deceased ) . — Out  in  the  open 
twiliglil.  within  sight  of  the  old  and  loved  ances- 
tral home,  and  within  the  shadow  of  the  trees 
that  he  had  fostered  for  more  than  seventy  years, 
the  long,  stii'ring  life  of  William  .McKimj  came 
to  an  end  December  17,  1807.  He  died  almost 
on  the  site  of  tlie  place  where,  as  a  lad,  nearly 
three  score  years  before,  he  had  worked  to  assist 
in  the  erection  of  a  home  in  what  was  then  a 
wilderness.  He  loved  the  scenes  of  his  child- 
hood, and  after  be  had  satisfied  that  intense 
longing  for  a  stirring  life,  so  readily  vouchsafed 
to  the  youth  of  the  early  'thirties  and  "forties, 
he  returned  to  the  liome  of  his  father,  and  there, 
amid  its  ])eace  and  quiet,  honored  by  all,  he 
enjoyed  the  well-earned  fruits  of  his  early  labor. 
Although  he  there  lived  the  uneventful  life  of  a 
farmer,  he  retained  to  the  last  what  may  be 
called  the  pioneer  disposition,  being  in  spirit  and 
habits  an  unaffected  man  of  the  iieople.  While 
he  made  no  religious  pretensions,  he  was  blessed 
with  that  kindly  spirit  which  prompted  him  to 
assist  those  iu  want  without  embarrassing  them 
with  a  sense  of  obligation.  In  his  last  days  he 
was  cheered  by  the  companionship  of  the"  aged 
wife  and  his  daughter  and  only  surviving  chUd. 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  C.  L.  DeWitt,  of  Rush- 
ville.  in. 

It  was  in  April,  1820.  that  Mr.  .McKee  was 
brought  to  Schuyler  County.  He  was  born  in 
Crawford  County,  Ind..  January  22.  1813.  His 
father  came  here  in  the  ]ireceding  year,  and  the 


ricli  and  attractive  country  of  Central  Illiuois 
had  induced  him  to  seek  a  home  iu  the  new,  wild 
region.  He  returned  to  Indiana,  and  in  .Vpril, 
1820,  brought  his  family  here.  In  the  party  be- 
sides the  lamily  who  came  to  Schuyler  County, 
were  Joel  Tullis,  Charles  Hammond.  Isaac  Liu- 
d<'r,  \'inccnt  Westl'all  and  James  Thompson.  Hav- 
ing purchased  for  .flOO,  100  acres  of  land  in 
Section  18.  Kushville  Township,  the  father,  with 
the  a.ssislauce  of  his  thirteen-year  old  son.  com- 
menced to  prepare  the  way  for  his  wife  and  six 
children.  The  site  of  Rushville,  almost  adjoin- 
ing their  place,  bad  been  selected  as  the  county- 
seat  in  the  preceding  February,  but  was  still 
but  a  town  on  paper.  Mr.  McKee  staked  his 
claim  not  on  tlie  clear,  fertile  prairie  wldcli 
stretched  for  miles  around,  but  along  the  wooded 
banks  of  the  creek.  The  log  cabin  which  the 
father  and  son  erected  was  of  the  jiioneer  type, 
with  trimmed  logs  for  the  walls  aud  the  roof  of 
clapboards.  Mr.  McKee  weut  back  to  Indiana 
shortly  afterwards,  but  soon  returned,  bringing 
with  him  the  tools  aud  machinery  newssary  In 
the  construction  of  a  grist  mill,  and  finally  set- 
ting up  a  liand-mill  run  by  horse-iKjwer.  He  de- 
veloi)ed  a  thriving  business,  people  coming  even 
from  Rock  Island  to  have  their  grain  grouud. 
There  was  also  a  blacksmith's  shoip  in  the  near 
neighborhood,  and  both  establishments  did  a 
thriving  business  from  the  start.  Sac  aud  Fox 
Indians  moved  farther  north  with  the  coming  of 
tlie  early  settlers,  but  along  Siioon  River,  iu 
Fulton  County,  there  remained  a  large  band, 
members  of  which  often  came  to  the  mill  and 
blacksmith  shop.  They  Were  lazy  but  iK'aceable, 
and  gave  tlie  pioneers  of  this  region  little  trou- 
ble. •  On  the  JIcKee  farm  is  still  to  be  seen  a 
silent  memorial  of  aboriginal  days  la  the  form 
of  an  ludiiiii  trail,  which  may  be  traced  through 
a  iK^autiful  stretch  of  woods,  ouce  a  favorite  ren- 
dezvous of  the  dusky  sons  of  the  forest  aud 
prairie.  Mr.  .McKee  not  only  operated  his  grist 
mill,  but  soon  after  putting  it  in  operation,  con- 
structed a  saw-mill,  iu  the  early  'thirties  erect- 
ing a  dam  across  Sugar  Creek  and  operating  the 
latter  by  water-power.  There  were  several  mill 
sites  on  that  stream,  the  McKee  dam  U-ing  lo- 
cated at  what  is  known  as  the  Main  Ford,  where 
the  creek  is  crossed  by  the  road  from  Rushville 
to  Browning. 

In  those  days  one  need  not  go  far  abroad  in 
search  of  thrilling  adventures,  and  the  hardy 
race  of  pioneers  who  battled  against  such  odds 
in  order  to  found  and  maintain  their  homes  have 
their  reward  in  the  permanent  extension  of  Amer- 
ican civilization  and  the  profound  gratitude  of 
tlieir  immediate  descendants.  The  McKee  fam- 
ily experienced  all  the  adventures  and  suffered 
all  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  Its  members 
struggled  through  the  awful  winter  of  the  deep 
snow  (1S.''.1)  when  the  level  prairie  was  buried 
four  to  five  feet  deep,  and  the  ravines  were  filled 
to  the  hilltops. 

William  McKee.  the  son,  was  the  last  of  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty  volunteers  in  Schuyler 
County  to  answer  Governor  Reynold's  call  for  a 


IlISTOHY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


883 


force  to  drive  Black  IlawU  anil  bis  imirderous 
baud  beyond  tbe  bounds  of  Illinois.  During  tbe 
winter  of  1831-32  tbe  crafty  cbief  had  mustered 
Ills  warriors  on  tbe  Iowa  side  of  the  Mississippi 
for  tbe  purpose  of  invading  this  State,  and  tbe 
alarmed  settlers  bad  called  upon  tbe  Governor 
for  protection.  The  one  hundred  and  fifty  voluu- 
teere  from  Schuyler  County  gathered  at  Kusb- 
ville  in  April,  1832,  and  were  eloquently  addressed 
by  William  Marinsball  before  starting  for 
Beardstowu,  Cass  County,  tbe  general  point  of 
rendezvous.  They  bad  furnisbed  their  own  arms 
and  equipments.  Mr.  McKee,  who  was  then  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  having  been  furnisbed  by  bis 
father  with  a  wagon  and  a  team  of  horses.  Alira- 
bam  Lincoln,  with  his  company,  encamped  over 
night  half  a  mile  north  of  Kusbville.  The  en- 
tire force  of  the  State  finally  marched  toward 
Rock  Island,  and  later,  in  what  is  now  Ogle 
County,  met  the  disaster  known  as  "Stillman's 
defeat."  In  this  engagement  eleven  whites  and 
eight  Indians  were  killed,  and  after  the  battle. 
Mr.  McKee  drove  over  the  field  and  carried  six 
of  the  dead  soldiers  to  a  place  where  the  bodies 
were  safe  from  the  danger  of  mutilation. 

In  1839,  because  of  ill-health,  Mr.  ilcKee  went 
to  that  vast  northwestern  region  then  Icnown  as 
Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  a  year,  e.xploring 
tbe  country  and  regaining  bis  strength.  He  re- 
turned home,  one  of  tbe  main  incidents  of  bis 
tri])  being  the  formation  of  an  intimate  friend- 
ship with  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman,  who  saved  that 
part  of  the  country  now  including  Oregon,  Wash- 
ington, and  IdahOj  to  tbe  United  States.  During 
his  first  trip  to  tbe  Oregon  country  Mr.  McKee 
was  employed  by  him  in  a  grist  mill  for  aliout 
six  months.  In  tbe  winter  of  1842-43  Dr.  Whit- 
man rode  from  Oregon  to  Washington,  a  distance 
of  3,000  miles,  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  the 
interest  of  statesmen  at  the  National  capital  in 
tlie  vast  natural  wealth  of  the  Oregon  region, 
and  thwarting  the  attempt  of  tbe  British  Hudson 
Ba.v  Company  to  exclude  American  settlers  and 
make  it  a  province  of  Great  Britain.  He  was  so 
far  successful  in  his  mission  as  to  receive  the 
sanction  of  tbe  United  States  Government  in  his 
project  of  leading  an  emigrant  train  of  875 
hardy  American  pioneers  into  the  coveted  terri- 
tory. This  bold  and  wise  action  undoubtedly 
saved  this  grand  region  as  a  jiart  of  the  public 
domain  of  tbe  United  States.  In  November.  1847, 
this  patriotic  and  intrepid  man  was  murdered, 
with  his  wife  and  twelve  other  members  of  his 
household,  by  the  Cayuse  Indians. 

In  tbe  early  part  of  the  year  .iust  mentioned, 
Mr.  McKee.  with  his  brother,  Joel,  and  .Toel 
Tullis  and  the  latter's  family,  started  overland 
for  the  far-distant  Oregon  country,  with  which 
the  first  named  was  already  quite  familiar.  The 
trip  was  filled  with  hardship  :iiid  sorrow,  es- 
pecially to  Mr.  Tullis,  two  of  whose  children 
died  on  the  wa.v  and  were  Imried  along  the  In- 
dian trails  where  they  happened  to  breathe  away 
their  .voung  lives.  Soon  after  their  arrival  tbe 
settlers  of  tbe  country"  were  stirred  profoundly 
by  the  Whitman  tragedy,  and  a  call  was  issued 


to  quell  the  Indian  uprising,  of  which  this  was 
file  leading  event.  Mr.  McKee  was  naturally 
one  of  tbe  first  to  offer  his  services,  and  although 
he  was  in  the  thick  of  tbe  three  months'  cam- 
paign which  comprised  tbe  active  part  of  the 
coutiict  with  tbe  Indians,  he  escaped  without  in- 
jury. From  Oregon,  in  1849,  be  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  for  three  years  he  tasted  of  the 
feverish  life  of  the  early  gold-miners,  but  in 
18.j2  returned  to  tlie  old  homestead  in  Schuyler 
County,  and  seemed  never  again  to  Wish  to  leave 
its  atmosphere  of  peace  and  contentment.  For 
forty-five  years  thereafter  he  lived  a  C]uiet  life 
of  integrity,  industry  and  broad  usefulness,  and 
finally  passed  away  at  tbe  age  of  ei,gbty-four, 
without  a  moment  of  pain — as  a  candle  light, 
wliich  ipiietly  burns  to  tbe  socket  and  expires. 

In  18.>!  Mr.  McKee  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Sarah  C.  Wilmot,  and  five  daughters  were  boru 
to  their  union :  Mrs.  Henry  Hite,  Mrs.  Samuel 
D.  Wheelbouse,  Mary  C.  and  Meta  McKee,  and 
Mrs.  Cyrus  L.  DeWitt.  (See  sketch  of  Cyrus  L. 
DeWitt  in  another  portion  of  this  liistory.)  Mrs. 
McKee  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  DeWitt,  are  the 
only  surviving  members  of  this  honored  pioneer 
family,  and.  having  removed  from  the  old  home- 
stead, tbe  venerable  widow  is  living  in  honored 
retirement  with  her  daughter  in  Kusbville.  Tbe 
furmcr  still  owns  the  beautiful  farm,  which  was 
the  scene  of  her  early  joys  and  sorrows,  and 
wliic-b  she  so  faithfully  shared  with  her  honored 
Imsli.'ind.  After  coming  to  Schuyler  County,  four 
more  children  (making  ten  in  all)  were  added 
to  tbe  family  of  the  elder  McKee,  and  of  this 
number  none  is  now  surviving. 

McLaren,  Harry  E.— The  Sehu.yler  County 
Ilcr.ilil  was  established  at  Rushville,  111..  Feb- 
ruary 28.  1901,  by  Harry  E.  McLaren,  a  young 
man  wbose-journalistic  experience  has  been  fur- 
ther enriched  by  the  pidjlication  of  tlie  Astoria 
Argus  for  ten  years.  The  Herald  maintains  a 
Democratic  policy,  and  iu  general  trend,  is  a 
vehicle  and  moulder  of  tbe  most  advanced  public 
()|iinion. 

Mr.  McLaren  was  born  in  Astoria,  Pulton 
County.  111.,  June  3,  1874,  and  comes  of  a  family 
of  which  much  reasonably  might  be  expected.  He 
is  a  son  of  Robert  F.  and  Amanda  (Lane)  Mc- 
I^aren.  natives  of  Fulton  and  Schuyler  Counties, 
respectively,  of  whom  the  former  enjoys  tbe  dis- 
tinction of  having  been  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent and  public  spirited  men  of  Astoria  for  al- 
most half  a  century.  He  was  Justice  of  the 
r'e;ice  for  thirty -two  years,  and  during  that  time 
imited  two  hundred  and  twent.v-seven  couples 
in  marriage.  For  eighteen  years  he  was  a  no- 
tary rublic.  for  eleven  years  Township  Clerk, 
for  six  years  City  Clerk,  Assessor  for  two  terms, 
and  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for 
many  years.  In  1903  be  became  a  member  of 
tbe  retired  colony  of  Rusbville. 

Harry  E.  McLaren  was  educated  in  tbe  intblic 
schools  of  Astoria  and  Drake  LIniversit\-  of  Iowa, 
lie  began  at  tbe  bottom  round  of  tbe  journalistic 
ladder  by  learning  tbe  printer's  trade,  gradually 


88-1 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


making  bis  \v;iy  to  the  front  office  of  tbe  Astoria 
ArtJiis.  over  wliose  editorial  destiny  lie  presided 
for  ten  years.  Mr.  .McLaren  is  prominent  socially, 
and  is  identified  with  tbe  Masons,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  t'ellows,  the  Modern  Woodnieu  of 
America,  and  other  fraternities.  His  personality 
is  pleasing,  and  he  has  the  tact  and  good  judg- 
ment which  keeps  the  wide  awake  newspaper 
man  on  good  terms  with  himself  and  the  world 
in  general. 


general  farming.  Mr.  .Mc.Milleu  has  found  leis- 
ure to  participate  in  public  affairs.  Ue  has  beeu 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  .Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
and  has  been  a  stanch  worker  in  the  interests  of 
the  Democrati<'  party.  Besi<les  serving  as  Super- 
visor, as  before  staled,  he  has  tilled  the  positions 
of  ColU'ctor  and  Assessor  of  his  township,  and 
in  every  relation  of  life,  has  proved  a  patriotic 
and  progressive  citizen. 


McMILLEN,  Gilbert. — The  enviable  standing 
of  .Mr.  Mc.Millcn  among  the  people  of  Oakland 
Tiiwnsliip.  .Schuyler  County,  III.,  where  he  was 
born  and  where  he  has  made  his  lifelong  home, 
may  be  appreciated  from  the  statement  that  six 
consecutive  times  they  have  chosen  him  to  rep- 
resent them  on  the  Board  of  County  Supervisors. 
Though  elected  by  the  Democrats  as  their  nomi- 
nee, he  is  poimlar  with  representatives  of  all 
parties,  and  during  his  twelve  years  of  service 
on  the  lioard  he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  pro- 
gressive enterjirises  contributory  to  the  progress 
of  the  county,  while  at  the  same  time  aiming  by 
his  influence  and  ballot  to  conserve  the  interests 
of  the  tax-payers. 

The  genealogy  of  the  McMillen  family  can  be 
traced  back  to  Scotland,  but  several  generations 
have  lived  in  the  United  States.  John  McMillen, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  liorn  in  1815,  came  to  the  then 
unknown  frontier  of  Illinois  during  early  man- 
hood, and  in  Sdmylcr  County,  in  184:!,  he  mar- 
ried Margaret  I'itteuger,  who  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia in  IS'J'-',  and  came  with  her  parents  to 
Illinois,  settling  in  Siliuyler  Cotinty  in  18.30. 
Since  that  time  she  has  remained  at  the  old 
homestead,  now  o]ierated  by  her  son.  Gilbert. 
Her  husband  died  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three,  after  a  long  and  useful  live  devoted  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  but  three  of  these  died  in 
early  life.  Eight  are  now  living,  namely;  Sa- 
rah, who  married  William  H.  Baxter,  a  farmer 
in  Littleton  Townshij) ;  Mary,  the  widow  of  Wil- 
liam Billingsley.  living  in  Rushville  Township 
on  a  farm :  Belle,  who  married  William  Bly.  a 
farmer  near  Macomb.  111.;  Nicholas,  of  Macomb: 
Margaret,  at  home ;  Gilbert :  Henry,  who  is  now 
in  the  West :  and  Ollie.  wife  of  Charles  Vertree, 
station  agent  at  Elmwood.  Ills.,  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway  Company. 

The  McMillen  homestead,  on  Section  26,  Oak- 
land Township,  where  Gilbert  McMillen  now  re- 
sides, is  his  liirthplace,  the  date  of  his  birth 
being  January  1,  1,S.^7.  During  boyhood  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  near  the  farm.  On 
r)e(ember  23,  ISOC,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mira.  daughter  of  Peter  Rose,  an  early  set- 
tler of  Schuyler  County,  having  removed  hither 
from  :\Ii<'higan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McJIillen  have 
four  children,  namely ;  Harry,  horn  January  20. 
1898;  Phoebe.  Jamiavv  20,  1900:  Mildred,  "july 
2.  1901 :  and  Mabel.  May  25.  1903.  The  famil'v 
attend  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  Mrs. 
McMillen  is  an  active  member.  While  devoting 
himself  with  assiduous  care  to  stock  raising  and 


MEAD,  Dr.  Mary  Ward,  a  prominent  practicing 
jib.vsii-ian  of  Camden.  Schuyler  County,  111.,  was 
Ijorn  in  her  present  jilace  of  residence,  October 
2,  1872,  a  daughter  of  Jas,  N,  and  Martha  (I'ar- 
rish)  Ward,  tlie  former  a  native  of  Camden.  Ill,, 
and  the  latter  of  Macoupin  County,  111.  Her  pa- 
rents were  married  in  Schuyler  County,  and  the 
father,  alter  pursuing  the  life  of  a  farmer,  Is 
now  living  in  retirement  with  his  daughter.  Dr. 
Mary  Ward  .Mead,  the  wife  and  mother  having 
died  July  KJ,  1887.  Joseph  X.  Ward,  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Schuyler  County, 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  The  father,  James 
N.  Ward,  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  though  not 
a  ix)litician  in  the  sense  of  being  an  ollice-seeker, 
and  has  been  a  life-long  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church. 

In  her  childhood  and  youth,  Mrs.  Mead  at- 
tended the  primary  school  at  Nebo,  near  her 
birthplace  and  later,  the  public  school  at  Hunts- 
\ille,  Schuyler  (\Mnity.  She  began  her  profes- 
sional career  as  a  trained  nurse  in  the  Mercy 
Hospital  at  Keokuk.  Iowa,  during  this  period 
having  charge  of  laparotomy  cases,  the  treat- 
ment of  which,  with  a  single  exception,  proved 
successful.  On  October  2,  1889,  she  was  married 
at  Huntsville,  111.,  to  Dr.  Richard  Homer  Mead, 
whose  biography  appears  on  another  i)age  in  this 
connection.  .Vfter  her  marriage,  she  studied 
medicine  under  the  tutorship  of  her  husband,  and 
as  the  latter  became  less  active,  proved  a  useful 
assistant  in  his  extended  practice,  her  previous 
training  .as  a  prot.ssional  nurse,  qualifying  her  to 
enter  uiwn  a  oollegi;>te  c<mrse.  She  then  attended 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Keo- 
kuk, Ia„  from  which  she  graduated  with  high 
honors  in  the  Class  of  1897.  After  graduation, 
she  returned  to  her  home  at  Camden,  III.,  and 
engaged  in  active  i)ractice  In  which  she  has  met 
with  marked  succes.s.  both  in  growth  of  patron- 
age and  its  extension  in  wider  fields,  her  reputa- 
tion as  a  practitioner  having  extended  Into  ad- 
joining counties.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Schu.v- 
ler  Count>-  Medical  Society  and  the  International 
Medical  Society,  and  fraternally,  is  identified 
with  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  the 
Royal  Neighbors,  being  Martha  of  the  former 
and  Camp  Physician  of  the  latter. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mead  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely:  Miss  Clara  Briscoe.  I>om  .\prll 
20.  1891  :  Miss  .\ndrew  .Tackson.  born  December 
IS.  189.3;  and  Hughes  Barrow,  bom  .\pril  10. 
1898.  Each  of  the  older  children  has  received  a 
superior   education,    the    daughters   being   grad- 


HISTOIIY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


885 


uates  of  tbe  High  ScUoul,  auU  haviug  bfguu  llicir 
college  course  iu  September,  I'JUo,  Clara  iuteud- 
ing  to  study  mediciue,  aud  ber  sister,  to  become 
a  uurse.  They  are  especially  well  traiued  iu 
music,  ot'teu  being  called  upou  to  take  part  iu 
public  eutertaiumeuts,  iu  vvliicb  tbey  have  been 
reuiarkably  successful.  Both  parents  aud  chil- 
dren are  members  of  the  Christian  Church.  The 
heads  of  this  family,  engaged  iu  a  like  profes- 
sional task,  are  living  barmouious  aud  useful 
lives,  in  wliich  they  are  able,  while  co-operatiug 
With  each  other,  to  beneflt  a  wide  circle  of  pat- 
rous. 

MEAD,  Richard  Homer,  M.  D.— Rarely  do  men 

iu  the  medical  profession  express  the  many 
sideilness  and  versatility  found  iu  Dr.  Richard 
Homer  Mead,  an  eminent  practitioner  of  Cam-, 
deu.  111.,  and  known  also  as  a  soldier  during  the 
Civil  War,  as  a  writer  of  more  than  average 
force  aud  elegance,  as  a  politician  of  iutegrity 
aud  wide  usetulness,  and  as  a  promoter  of  edu- 
cation, sanitation,  fraternities  aud  general  com- 
munity interests.  Dr.  Mead  is  a  native  of  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  was  born  January  IG,  1S47,  a 
son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Mary  (Briscoe)  Mead,  long 
residents  of  Iluutsville,  in  the  same  county. 

Primarily,  Dr.  Mead  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Huntsville,  but  owaug  to  interrup- 
tions iu  his  youth,  his  higher  training  has  been 
largely  self  acquired.  As  was  the  case  with 
thousands  of  the  boys  of  the  land,  his  principal 
and  most  developing  experience  was  the  Civil 
War,  which  broke  over  the  country  w-hen  he  had 
attained  to  barely  sixteen  years.  Enlisting  iu 
Company  K,  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry,  at  Camp  Rob- 
erts, Davenport,  Iowa,  he  went  with  his  company 
to  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  and  during  the  winter 
of  1863-4  was  on  duty  in  the  mountains  of  Ten- 
ues.seo.  With  the  coming  of  spring  his  company 
vyas  on  the  left  wing  of  General  McCook's  cav- 
alry, and  with  Sherman's  army  advanced  on 
Atlanta.  After  engaging  in  fighting  for  one  hun- 
dred days  the  regiment  returned  nortliward,  and 
was  the  first  to  oppose  Hood's  crossing  the  Ten- 
nessee river,  an  effort  which  resulted  in  defeat, 
although  later  they  prevented  his  advance  at 
Duck  River.  After"  the  Battle  of  Nashville  they 
continued  to  pursue  the  wily  Confederate  general 
to  the  Tennessee  river.  In  the  spring  of  1SG5, 
Croxto)i's  brigade  became  detached  from  Wil- 
son's corps,  successfully  fighting  the  Battle  of 
Selma,  but  was  unable  to  return  to  the  eomniand 
and  became  known  as  the  "lost  brigade."  It 
fought  its  way  and  roamed  at  will  over  Ala- 
bama, being  in  tw'o  mountain  engagements.  Af- 
ter the  surrender  of  Lee,  neither  the  oppos- 
ing Federal  cavalry  nor  Croxton's  command  had 
any  knowledge  of  the  event  until  two  weeks 
after  its  occurrence.  Later  the  regiment  was 
sent  in  pursuit  of  .Jefferson  Davis  to  Macon,  Ga., 
and  August  28,  1865.  Mr.  Mead  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service,  having  proved  himself  a  sol- 
dier of  rare  courage  and  endurance.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  on  the  MeCook  raid  in  the  rear- 
of  Atlanta,  but  escaped  in  a  few  hours.     Not  so 


Ins  fellow  brethren  at  arms,  for  fully  half  of  the 
company  died  in  Andersouville  prison. 

Returning  to  his  home  in  Illinois,  Dr.  Mead 
continued  the  study  of  mediciue  begun  before  he 
had  donned  the  uniform  of  the  Union  soldier. 
His  first  professional  instructor  was  his  father, 
aud  iu  November,  18(J5,  he  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  &  Surgeons  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  graduat- 
ing therefrom  in  the  Class  of  18G7.  Locating  in 
Huntsville,  111.,  he  practiced  until  1872  with  his 
father,  going  thcu  to  Texas,  where,  lor  five  years, 
he  was  connected  with  the  1.  &  G.  N.  Railroad 
Company.  During  1878-0  he  attended  the  St. 
Louis  Medical  College,  aud  then  resumed  his 
practice  at  Huntsville,  which  he  contiuued  until 
1884.  Although  his  educational  opportunities 
seemed  not  to  warrant  the  experiment,  the  doc- 
tor applied  to  the  civil  service  commission  for 
examination,  and  upou  passing  iu  the  class  at 
Burliugton,  111.,  he  was  appointed  pension  clerk 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  August  18,  188.j,  being  the 
fifteenth  man  from  Illinois  to  pass  the  examina- 
tion. JIarch  2,  1885,  he  became  a  permanent 
member  of  Class  1,  and  in  October,  of  the  same 
year,  be  was  promoted  to  class  2.  On  April  24, 
1880,  he  was  detailed  to  the  field  as  special  ex- 
anuner  iu  Maine,  New  Hampshire  and  New 
York,  aud  Decemlier  28,  188G,  resigned  his  posi- 
tion, but  being  an  honorably  discharged  soldier, 
he  can  re-enter  the  service  without  e.xamination 
whenever  inclination  dictates. 

Returning  to  Huutsville,  the  doctor  eugaged  in 
a  general  medical  and  surgical  practice  until 
locating  in  Camden.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known 
aud  most  highly  reputed  practitioners  iu  his  part 
of  the  county.  In  spite  of  his  other  interests 
has  never  allowed  aught  to  interfere  with  a  con- 
scientious discharge  of  professional  obligations, 
aud  cold,  heat  or  storm  have  never  been  known 
to  keep  him  within  the  shelter  of  his  home  when 
duty  called.  He  is  the  genial  friend  and  depend- 
able adviser  in  hundreds  of  families,  and  has 
presided  at  the  entrances  and  exits  of  many  of  the 
foremost  people  of  the  community.  He  has  left 
no  stoue  unturned  to  advance  bis  usefuliu'ss  and 
add  to  his  opportunities,  aud  has  been  a  constant 
attendant  at  professional  conventions,  including 
that  of  the  National  Columbian  Medical  Asso- 
ciation at  Washington,  D.  C,  iu  1S84-5-G. 

The  doctor  was  jshysiciau  of  the  Illiuois  South- 
ern Peuitentiary  for  four  years,  aud  served  two 
years  as  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  State 
Insane  Asylum  at  Chester. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Mead  and  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  James  N.  aud  Marth.a  ( I'arrish )  Ward, 
occurred  October  3,  1889,  aud  this  union  re- 
sulted in  two  daughters,  Clara  Briscoe,  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  a  son,  Hughes  Barrow.  A  bio- 
graphical record  of  Dr.  Mary  Mead  appears  on 
another  page  in  this  volume.  Dr.  Mead  is  an  ar- 
dent fraternalist,  and  is  identified  with  Hunts- 
ville Lodge  No.  4C.5.  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Augusta 
Chapter  No.  78,  R.  A.  M. ;  Almoner  Comniandery 
No.  .32,  K.  T. :  and  Cyclone  Lodge  No.  635,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member  and  one 
of  the  organizers.     He  is   prominent  in   Grand 


886 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Army  circles,  always  attends  local  and  national 
encanjpmeuts,  ami  is  a  meaiber  of  George  A. 
Brown  I'ost.  Xo.  417. 

lie  is  a  consisteut  and  active  member  of  the 
Christian  Church  of  Camden.  In  politic-s  he  is  a 
strong  Kepublican,  and  was  a  delegate  from 
Schuyler  County  to  the  famous  "deadlock"  State 
Convention  of  1904,  supporting  Gov.  Yates  to 
the  end. 

MESSERER,  Anthony  (deceased),  one  of  the 
best  known  men  and  most  successful  fanners 
among  tbe  early  settlers  of  Frederick  Towuship, 
Sclniyler  County,  HI.,  whose  career  reflected 
lasting  credit  upuu  tbe  home  of  his  adoption,  was 
born  in  Germany  in  IT'JU.  Of  his  parentage  and 
familj'  history,  all  reiords  have  been  lost  in  the 
lapse"  of  time.  Together  with  an  elder  brother, 
Anthony  crossed  the  Atlantic  when  six  years  old, 
the  brother  being  seized  with  yellow  fever  on 
the  passage,  trom  which  he  died,  his  body  being 
buried  at  sea.  The  young  lad,  thus  left  alone, 
completed  the  voyage  to  a  port  on  the  West  In- 
dia Islands,  and  was  bound  out  to  a  Spaniard. 
There  he  stayed  until  he  was  Uveuty-one  years 
old.  when  bis  Spanish  master  set  him  free. 
After  traveling  for  some  time  he  finally  came  to 
the  United  States,  settling  in  I'ennsylvania.  In 
the  West  Indies,  he  had  been  employed  on  a  large 
plantation  in  charge  of  negroes,  imd  on  arriving 
in  this  country  he  applied  himself  to  farm  work. 
Subsequently,  he  journeyed  westward  to  St. 
Louis  and  I'i>oria.  and  later  to  Schuyler  County. 
111.,  where  about  l^o4  be  entered  up  a  tract  of 
government  land  in  Frederick  Towuship.  But 
one  dwelling  had  been  built  in  the  locality  where 
he  settled,  and  Indians  still  lingered  alxiut,  wild 
game  also  being  plentiful.  For  marketing,  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  make  trips  to  Beards- 
town. 

In  Pennsylvania,  llr.  Jlesserer  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Margaretta  Weaver,  a  native  of 
Harrisbui-g.  that  State,  whom  he  married  about 
ISoo,  and  after  spending  some  time  in  I'eoria, 
111.,  and  later  in  St.  Louis,  in  1834,  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Frederick  Township,  Schuyler  ("ouuty. 
there  being  then  but  oue  house  in  Frederick.  He 
there  bought  320  acres  of  land  and  through  in- 
dustrious habits  and  frugal  management,  finally 
liecame  the  owner  of  more  than  SCKi  acres,  and 
one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  in  that  vicin- 
ity, lie  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visor for  Freit^rick  Townsbiii  for  many  ye.irs. 
A  memlx-r  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  he  was  a 
Lutheran  in  religious  faith,  his  wife  being  a 
Christian.  Mr.  Messerer  died  in  1859,  and  his 
wife  on  November  10,  1881,  having  survived  her 
husband  twenty-t\^■o  years. 

Of  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mes- 
serer, two  died  in  infancy ;  Joseph,  after  spend- 
ing his  youth  on  the  home  farm,  of  which  he  took 
charge  after  the  death  of  his  father  for  three 
years,  entered  into  the  mining  business  in  Cali- 
fornia, about  ISSO  going  to  Chili,  South  America, 
where  he  was  superintendent  of  a  mine  until  his 
death    some    years    since;    Elizabeth     (now    de- 


ceased) married  Hudson  M.  Deaue  of  Frederick, 
111.,  February  17,  18.".'.),  and  died  .Manli  3.  I'.inj, 
having  borne  her  husband  seven  children,  of 
whom  four  died  in  infancy ;  and  Louisa,  born 
in  1844,  on  February  8,  IStio,  married  Davis  II. 
Curry,  who  died  .May  17,  1873.  On  January  1, 
1879,  she  married  Beujandn  F.  Kebman  of  Fred- 
erick, and  is  now  the  only  member  of  her  father's 
family  still  living.  Five  children  were  born  of 
the  first  union,  of  whom  .Vmos,  Bert,  Beulah  and 
David  Curry  (the  last  two  twins)  are  still  liv- 
ing, and  three  of  the  second  union,  of  whom  Gail 
and  Herman  Rebman  are  living,  the  former  a 
teacher  and  the  latter  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm.  (See  sketch  of  Benjamin  F.  Rebman  in 
another  part  of  this  volume). 

MILBY,  Edward  T.— In  the  mlud  of  Edward 
T.  Milby  the  fast  fading  pioneer  history  of  Schuy- 
ler County,  III.,  remaius  a  vivid  and  enduring 
memoiy.  His  life  Is  of  the  home-spun  kind,  a 
record  of  hard  work  ijerformed  with  cheerfulness 
and  intelligence,  of  obstacles  surmounted  with 
vigor  and  determination,  and  of  sacrifices  made 
with  true  Christian  courage  and  fortitude.  Inci- 
dents of  early  thiies  ritalled  by  him  are  tree 
felling,  stump  pulling  with  oxen,  log  cabin  rear- 
ing, plowing,  cultivating  aud  harvestlug  with  the 
cimdest  of  agricultural  implements,  siiinuiug, 
weaving,  tallow  dip  makiug,  flint  fire  lighting, 
husking  bees,  barn  raisings,  apple  parings  and 
church  "socials"  .and  donations.  lu  all  of  these 
Mr.  Milby  took  an  active  interest,  although  cer- 
tain of  them  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  women  mem- 
bers of  his  own  and  his  father's  household.  lu 
his  present  leisure  he  delights  to  recall  the  com- 
parative (luiet  of  a  time  long  since  elapsed,  and 
to  contrast  it  with  the  nerve-racking,  c-ompetl- 
tion-torn  age  in  which  his  declining  years  are 
being  spent. 

Mr.  .Milby  is  one  of  the  wealthy  retired  farm- 
ers of  Uushville,  111.,  and  all  that  be  has  is  the 
result  of  his  own  untiring  exertions.  lie  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Delaware,  August  4,  18;:;0, 
and  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Eliza  J.  (Wilson) 
Milby,  also  natives  of  Delaware.  The  father  de- 
veloped the  pioneering  inclination  and  sold  his 
Delaware  projierty  in  1839.  and  in  the  winter  of 
1S40,  with  his  wife  and  four  children,  undertiwk 
the  journey  to  Illinois  which  consumed  the 
greater  part  of  the  season.  Edward  T.  Milby  re- 
meml)ers  well  this  arduous  journey,  although  he 
was  but  five  years  old.  and  espe<-ially  that  part 
made  on  the  canal,  through  which  they  were 
drawn  on  a  boat  by  a  single  horse.  During  this 
portion  of  the  trip  the  older  members  of  the  fam- 
ily walked  for  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
tow  path,  probably  out  of  consideration  for  the 
poor,  ovenvorked  horse,  whose  lot  certainly  was 
not  an  enviable  one.  The  journey  was  continued 
in  a  covered  wagon,  and  the  arrival  in  Frederick, 
Schuyler  County,  was  not  c-alculated  to  inspire 
enthusiasm  for  the  country  to  which  the  way- 
farers had  so  lalioriously  and  hopefully  tended. 
Tlie  day  was  bitterly  cold,  the  snow  penetrated 
the  chinks  of  the  wagon,  and  the  wind  swirled 


^z,^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUXTY. 


887 


across  the  prairies,  striking  a  dreary  cliill  to 
the  heart  of  eveu  the  most  courageous.  Fiuiliug 
no  desirahle  resting  place,  the  little  party  soon 
after  pushed  on  to  Kushville,  making  the  small 
village  their  home  until  the  following  spring. 
The  father  then  located  on  a  rented  farm,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1841,  bought  eighty  acres  of  laud 
east  of  Rushville,  in  the  township  of  that  name. 
The  timber  on  this  land  was  dense  and  varied, 
and  arduous  tasks  confronted  the  settlers.  To 
the  small  log  cabin  which  they  found  on  the 
land,  the  father  added,  as  such  addition  became 
necessary,  until  finally  he  had  what  was  called 
a  double  log  cabin.  In  this  humble  abode  were 
born  the  rest  of  the  children,  in  all  eleven,  eight 
of  whom  attained  maturity.  Three  of  these  still 
survive,  namely :  Edward  T. ;  Zadoc  L. ;  and 
Dora,  wife  of  David  Wra.v,  a  farmer  of  Johnson 
Count.v,  Iowa.  Zailoc  now  owns  and  oc<-upies 
the  old  honjestead. 

Three  years  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War 
(in  1868)  the  log  house  was  torn  down  and  a 
modern,  six-room,  two-story,  frame  dwelling  was 
erected.  This  was  made  possible  largely  through 
the  efforts  of  Edward  T.  and  Zodac,  who  so  faith- 
fully had  worked  at  grubbing  trees  and  hazel 
bushes,  using  oxen  for  the  task,  and  hitching  a 
chain  around  the  stump  or  bush  at  which  the 
strong  animals  tugged  until  accomplishing  the 
task.  The  mother,  in  the  meantime,  rocked  the 
cradle  with  one  foot,  while  with  the  other  she 
ran  the  spiiming  wheel ;  and  later  she  made  her 
cloth  into  jeans  for  her  sons  and  into  dresses  for 
her  daughters.  Her  toil  seemed  never  ending, 
and  her  working  day  extended  from  the  rising 
to  the  setting  of  the  sun.  The  father  lived  to 
see  eighty  acres  of  his  land  cleated  and  under 
the  plow,  and  he  was  in  fairly  prosperous  cir- 
cumstances at  the  time  of  his  death,  July  28, 
1873.  The  wife  who  had  shared  his  hard  labors 
did  not  long  survive  him.  her  death  occurring  on 
October  12.  next  following.  They  had  occupied 
the  same  farm  continuously  for  thirty-two  years, 
and  were  among  the  honored  and  influential  peo- 
ple of  the  township. 

Among  the  first  of  the  children  to  leave  the 
old  Milby  homestead  was  Edward  T.,  who,  with 
a  practical  education  acquired  under  great  difli- 
culties,  and  an  amount  of  farm  experience  which 
fitted  him  for  conducting  almost  any  agricul- 
tural enterprise,  was  married,  in  November, 
1860,  to  Lizzie  Hillis.  and  thereupon  settled  on  a 
rented  farm  in  Iluntsville  Township.  In  186.5 
he  purchased  a  small  piece  of  land  in  Buena 
Vista  Township,  and  tliere  his  wife  died  the  fol- 
lowing November,  leaving  him  with  the  care  of 
three  childi-en,  of  whom  Frank  is  deceased ; 
Clement  is  a  farmer  in  Schuyler  County ;  and 
Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Haughduffer.  of  Los 
Angeles,  California.  In  1873  Mr.  Jlilby  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Lizzie  J.  Davidson,  and 
from  this  union  resulted  two  children ;  Walter, 
a  farmer  of  Oakland  Township;  and  Ida,  wife 
of  George  Rogers,  of  Flagstaff,  Arizona.  Mrs. 
Milby  died  in  1878,  and  on  January  21,  1886, 
Mr.    Milby   married   Mary   Bower,    a   native   of 


Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  an  early  resident  of  Schuy- 
ler County. 

Mr.  Milby  added  frequently  to  his  land  until 
he  owned  a  large  tract,  308  acres  of  which  still 
remains  in  his  pos.session.  He  was  industrious 
and  progressive,  lived  always  within  his  income, 
and  was  exceedingly  conservative  in  adopting 
new  and  untried  methods  of  farming.  In  1903 
he  left  the  farm  and  located  in  Kushville,  where 
live  also  many  of  his  friends  of  the  strenuous 
pioneer  days.  Politically,  he  has  always  been 
on  the  side  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  has 
steadfastly  refused  the  honors  of  local  office. 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he 
has  woi-shipped  since  early  manhood,  has  prof- 
ited continuously  by  his  generosity  and  zeal,  and 
in  all  the  walks  of  life,  its  teachings  have  been 
his  guide. 

MILLER,  Henry  Franidin.— One  of  the  best 
authorities  upon  stock  raising  in  Schuyler  County 
is  Henry  Franklin  Miller,  who,  though  young  in 
years,  is  old  in  experience  and  rich  in  knowl- 
edge pertaining  to  this  important  branch  of 
farming.  Mr.  Miller  comes  honestly  by  his  lik- 
ing for  stock  and  his  apreciation  of  a  fine  ani- 
mal. His  father,  John  Henry  Miller,  whose  in- 
dustrious life  is  sketched  elsewhere  in  this  work, 
instilled  into  him  the  tendencies  since  so  strongly 
developed,  and  the  successful  manipulation  of 
which  have  placed  him  among  the  men  of  wealth 
and  influence  in  Kushville  Township.  .Mr.  Miller 
was  bcirn  in  this  township  July  ;>,  1872,  and  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  the  Kushville 
Normal,  spending  two  terms  at  the  latter  insti- 
tution. Upon  the  completion  of  his  student  life 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  father  and 
brother,  Simon,  operating  the  paternal  farm  of 
■460  acres,  and  raising  principally  cattle,  hogs, 
horses  and  sheep.  Some  of  the  best  .stock  which 
reached  the  Chicago  market  matured  on  this 
farm  (hu-iug  this  partnership,  and  the  three  men 
worked  in  harmony  and  with  due  regard  for  the 
reputation  and  best  interests  of  the  stock  com- 
pany. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1902,  Mr.  Miller 
continued  in  business  with  his  brother  until  the 
following  year,  when  he  rented  his  present  farm 
in  Section  27,  Kushville  Township,  which  is  a 
part  of  the  old  homestead,  and  to  which  he  per- 
manently ,succeeded  upon  the  death  of  his  mother, 
and  the  division  of  the  jiropert.v.  He  has  made 
many  fine  improvements  on  his  land,  alwa.vs 
with  the  view  of  increasing  his  stock,  and  his 
farm  is  a  splendid  example  of  the  best  things 
known  to  counti-y  life  at  this  stage  of  the  world's 
progress.  In  1907  he  erected  an  eight-room,  two- 
stor.v  modern  dwelling,  having  the  latest  devices 
for  comfort  and  convenience,  and  he  has  also 
built  a  barn  .36  by  44  feet,  ground  dimensions, 
and  eighteen  feet  to  the  eaves.  He  regards  with 
particular  favor  Hereford  cattle  and  Poland- 
China  hogs,  and  has  also  a  high  grade  of  horses 
and  sheep.  Keeping  in  close  touch  with  the 
markets,  and  supplying  the  best  demands,  he  is 
prospering  in  his  affairs,   and  financially,  faces 


888 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


as   bopeful  a  future  as  any  man  similarly  em- 
liloved  in  the  county. 

The  bachelor  lite  of  Mr.  Miller  ended  with  his 
marriage,  July  i'.j,  I'.IUU.  to  Carrie  Kruse,_who 
nas  born  iu  this  towu.ship  February  15,  1877,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  P'rauz  and  Harriet  (Bead) 
Kruse,  natives  of  Woodstoclx  Township,  Schuy- 
ler County,  the  former  a  sou  of  Franz  Henry  D. 
Kruse,  a  "native  of  Germany,  and  a  very  early 
settler  of  Schuyler  Couuty.  Into  the  Miller 
home  there  have  come  two  bright,  happy  children 
to  add  good  cheer  to  this  bouscbold.  They  are: 
Esther  William,  boru  June  lil.  I'JUo  ;  and  Harold 
Henry,  born  January  21,  lUOS.  Mr.  Miller  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  but  not  an  office  seeker.  With 
his  wife,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  although  the  latter  was  reared  iu 
the  Presbyterian  faith.  A  pleasing  personality 
and  a  desire  to  be  iu  harmony  with  his  fellow 
meu  have  eoutributed  much  to  tlu-  popularity  and 
success  of  Mr.  Miller.  He  is  a  master  of  the 
best  ethics  of  business,  and  a  promoter  of  the 
principle  that  iieople  receive  about  what  they 
give  out  in  this  world. 

MILLER,  John  Henry  (deceased),  formerly  an 
extensive  farmer  of  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and 
father  of  Siniou  Burnett  Miller,  whose  sketch 
appears  iu  this  connection,  was  born  iu  Bippen, 
Hanover.  Germany.  .November  4,  1S2-1.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  bis  native  couutry 
and  in  1844,  at  the  ago  of  about  twenty  years, 
came  to  the  United  Slates,  spending  the  first  few 
months  after  his  arrival  iu  this  country  in  War- 
ren County,  Mo.,  where  one  of  his  sisters  had 
settled  at  an  earlier  date.  During  the  spring  of 
1845  he  came  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  first  lo- 
cating in  Frederick  Township  where  two  of  his 
uncles,  Henry  and  John  Wilkey.  had  previously 
settled.  Here  he  was  emijloyeil  in  various  occu- 
pations by  the  month,  meantime  attending  school 
at  intervals  until  184[>,  for  the  imrpose  of  ac- 
quiring a  knowledge  of  the  English  language.  In 
that  year,  the  period  of  the  gold  fever,  he  pur- 
chased an  ox-team  and  with  Joel  and  Alford  Hol- 
land, two  brothers  of  his  future  wife,  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  As  the  wagon 
was  loaded  with  luggage,  provisions  and  imple- 
ments, much  of  the  journey  was  made  by  the 
adventurers  on  foot.  On  their  arrival  in  the 
gold  region,  the  Holland  brothers  turned  their 
attention  to  keeping  a  hotel,  while  Mr.  Miller 
engaged  in  digging  for  the  precious  metal.  After 
spending  nearly  two  years  in  the  mining  region, 
he  returned-  to  Schuyler  County  in  ISol.  and 
soon  afterward  bought  160  acres  of  timber  land, 
of  which  a  previous  occupant  had  cleared  aliout 
twenty  acres,  besides  building  thereon  a  log 
cabin.  Taking  possession  of  this  land  in  18.52. 
Iiy  later  ]iurchases  he  increased  this  holding  to 
940  acres,  upon  which  he  conducted  farming 
operations  on  a  large  scale  and  with  profitable 
results. 

On  February  ,8.  ]S.5P>  Mr.  Miller  was  married 
to  Sarah  F.  Holland,  who  was  born  in  Nashville. 
Tenn..    January    20,    is:'.0.    a    daughter   of    John 


and  Nancy  (Kelly)  Holland,  early  settlers  of 
Schuyler  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  bec'ame 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and  six  daughters  as  fol- 
lows:  Mary  I>ouisa  (Mrs.  Dean)  ;  Emma  Fran- 
ces (Mrs.  Armstrong)  ;  Nancy  Isabella,  Delia 
May  (Mrs.  Kinsey)  ;  Dora  .\nn  (.Mrs.  Drovey)  ; 
Franklin  H. ;  Anna  E.  (McCormick)  ;  and  Simon 
B.,  who,  with  his  sister,  IsaU^lle,  occuiiies  the 
old  home  jjlace  of  240  acres,  which  they  now 
own.  John  11.  Miller's  arduous  and  suivessful 
life  came  to  an  end  February  l.'l.  r.»02,  the  long- 
time companion  of  his  toils,  privations  and  suc- 
cesses passing  away  on  February  28,  1005.  They 
left  a  reputation  lor  integrity  and  devotion  to 
the  interests  of  their  family,  and  of  the  connnu- 
nity,  in  which  their  children,  while  inheriting 
the  residts  of  their  faithful  laliors,  take  a  just 
pride. 

MILLER,  Simon  Burnett,  a  well  known  and 
resiiected  taruier  of  Schuyler  County,  111.,  resid- 
ing on  Section  M4.  Kusliville  Township,  was  born 
on  the  |)lace  on  which  he  now  lives,  July  22, 
18ti5,  the  son  of  John  Henry  and  Sarah  Frances 
(Holland)  .Miller,  the  former  liorn  in  Bippen, 
Hanover.  Germany,  November  4,  1824,  and  the 
latter  iu  .Nashville,  Tenn.,  January  20.  18;5'J.  (For 
additional  details  of  the  Miller  landly  history, 
see  sketch  of  John  11.  .Miller  iu  this  connection). 
Simon  Burnett  .Miller  grew  up  on  the  home  farm 
hi  Hushville  Township,  iu  the  meantime  receiv- 
ing his  educational  training  iu  the  local  district 
schools,  and  thus  by  inheritamc  and  association 
acquiring  tho.se  traits  of  character  which  have 
led  him  to  devote  his  energies  to  agricultural 
imrsuits,  and  have  contributed  to  the  success 
which  he  has  attained  in  that  line. 

Jlr.  .Miller  has  never  been  married,  but  has 
always  remained  under  the  parental  roof,  with 
his  sister,  Isabelle,  and  his  brother,  Franklin  II., 
giving  attention  to  the  welfare  of  their  parents 
and  looking  after  the  large  property  of  the  fam- 
ily. They  occupy  the  home  farm  of  240  acres, 
of  which  they  are  now  the  owners,  besides  hav- 
ing an  interest  in  other  portions  of  the  estate. 

Inheriting  the  political  faith  of  his  father, 
Mr.  Miller  is  a  supi)orter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  takes  no  active  part  in 
political  contests.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a 
Methodist,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

MILLS,  William  Henry  Harrison,  was  born  in 
.Moorcfield.  Harrison  County.  C,  .March  10,  1840. 
He  is  a  son  of  Elias  and  Isabel  Jane  (Glandon) 
.Mills,  natives  of  that  State.  Elias  Mills  devoted 
many  years  to  farming,  but  conducted  a  hotel 
at  Moorcfield.  Ohio,  for  a  considerable  period. 
Towards  the  end  of  his  life  he  moved  from 
Moorcfield  to  MiUersburg.  O..  where  he  died  iu 
ISO.'',  at  the  age  of  eighfy-two  years.  His  wife 
ditKl  when  her  son.  William,  was  quite  young. 
Tliey  were  the  parents  of  sis  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  William  H.  H. ;  Theo- 
dore C. ;  Lavina.  widow  of  David  Davis ;  and 
Mary  E..  wif<'  of  Stephen  Lewis. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


889 


In  early  youth  Mr.  Mills  attended  the  com- 
niou  schools  of  his  native  place,  completing  his 
education  at  Franklin  College.  New  Athens,  Ohio. 
After  leaving  college,  he  taught  school  until  the 
Civil  War  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  under 
the  first  call  of  the  I'resident  for  three  months' 
troops,  joining  the  Thirteenth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  in  West  Virginia, 
being  detailed  from  the  ranks  as  quartermaster 
sergeant,  and  was  honorably  discharged  Decem- 
ber 31,  1861.  Sul)se(juently,  be  taught  school 
several  years  in  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Nebraska.  In 
the  last  named  State  he  was  for  some  time  con- 
nected with  the  Press,  acting  in  the  capacity  of 
editor  of  the  "Political  Forum."  He  also  studied 
law  in  that  State  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
but  never  engaged  in  practice.  The  farming  ex- 
perience of  Mr.  Mills  in  Rushville  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  commenced  in  1903,  but  in  the 
following  year  the  farm  dwelling  was  destro.ved 
by  fire,  and  he  then  established  bis  home  in 
Rushville,  111. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  at  Macomb,  McDonough 
County,  111.,  October  2,  1895.  On  that  date 
Neosha  M.  Teel  became  his  wife,  Rev.  .J.  H. 
Brattan,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  performing 
the  ceremony  at  his  residence.  Mrs.  Mills  was 
born  in  Rushville  Townshiji,  on  November  28, 
1869,  and  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Smith)  Teel.  A  sketch  of  her  father's  life  may 
be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mills  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
namely:  Ruth  Elizabeth  Teel,  born  June  22, 
1897;"  James  Teel.  born  April  28,  1899;  and 
Theodore  Roosevelt  Teel,  born   March   2~).   1901. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Mills  is  an  earnest  and  stead- 
fast Republican.  He  is  a  man  of  superior  intel- 
ligence and  .sound  information,  and  takes  a  good 
citizen's  interest  in  public  affairs. 

MOORE,  James. — The  extremes  of  poverty  and 
alllnence  have  met  in  the  career  of  James  Moore, 
the  iH'nduluui  of  whose  life  has  swung  between  a 
rude  log  cabin,  sixteen  feet  square,  sheltering  res- 
olute pioneer  parents  and  their  twelve  children, 
and  a  beautiful  home  in  Rushville,  including  4.j0 
acres  of  as  fine  land  as  is  to  be  found  in  Schuy- 
ler County.  Many  useful  lessons  fall  from  the 
life  of  this  earnest,  high-minded  retired  farmer, 
and  among  these  the  value  of  industry,  definite 
puriwse  and  belief  in  one's  own  good  destiny  are 
b.v  no  means  the  least  important. 

Mr.  Moore  has  far  exceeded  the  biblical  allot- 
ment of  life,  being  moi-e  than  four-score  years 
old.  He  was  born  in  Lincoln  County.  Ky.,  Au- 
gust .30,  1828,  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Maiy 
(Elmore)  Moore,  being  natives  of  the  same  State, 
in  which  one  of  his  ancestors,  from  North  Caro- 
lint,  settled  previous  to  the  Revolutionan-  War. 
.\t  the  age  of  thirty-five,  the  elder  Moore  was 
appointed  a  drillm;\ster  of  militia  for  the  region 
of  Kentucky  in  which  he  lived,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  eight  years.  The  family  re- 
moved from  Kentucky  to  Schuyler  County  (hir- 
ing the  fall  of  18.'i6.  and  located  in  what  now  is 
Buena  Vista  Township,  but  which  at  that  time 


had  not  been  visited  by  a  surveyor,  or  platted  in 
even  iiTegular  fashion.  The  first  surveyor  was 
a  Mr.  Edmonston,  who  also  did  the  assessing 
for  the  whole  county.  Mr.  Moore  was  about 
eight  years  of  age  when  brought  to  Schuyler 
County,  and  his  early  experiences  were  along 
hard  and  self-sacrificing  lines.  The  constantly 
increasing  number  of  children  in  the  Moore 
household  proved  a  drain  upon  the  comparatively 
meager  resources  of  the  cnide  farm,  with  its 
cnider  implements,  but  in  spite  of  never  ceasing 
tasks  during  the  summer,  and  but  little  leisure 
in  the  winter,  he  gained  a  fair  common  school 
education,  and  developed  great  self-reliance  and 
determination. 

The  monotonous  round  of  farm  life  remained 
unabated  for  Mr.  Moore  until  the  neighborhood 
in  which  he  lived  became  infected  with  the  gold 
fever  in  the  early  'fifties.  With  characteristic 
readiness  to  recognize  and  utilize  the  opiwrtunl- 
ties  of  life,  he  set  to  work  to  make  his  dream  of 
wealth  come  true,  seeking  for  some  way  to  reach 
the  opulent  land,  basking  under  the  perpetual 
California  sun.  The  winter  of  1852-53  found 
him  busy  with  consultations  and  preparations 
for  the  long  jaunt  across  the  plains,  and  in 
March  he  started  out  with  his  cousin  and  a 
friend,  their  eiprqiment  consisting  of  two  yoke 
of  sturdy  oxen,  a  yoke  of  cows,  a  wagon  with  a 
cover,  and  the  necessary  provisions  for  six 
months  on  the  road.  The  long  train  left  the 
Missouri  River  to  encounter  a  thinly  settled  re- 
gion, and  upon  the  present  site  of  Omaha  was 
an  Indian  trading  [tost,  surrounded  by  the  huts 
of  a  few  courageous  settlers.  The  travelers 
made  settlement  in  the  northern  part  of  Cali- 
fornia, camping  beside  Snake  Lake,  which  Mr. 
.Moore  tliought  apropriately  named,  as  thousands 
of  reptiles  infested  both  lake  and  the  immediate 
country.  Mr.  Moore  found  work  at  Bidwell'a 
Bar  for  a  time,  whence  he  went  to  Hangtown, 
and  later  to  Placerville,  where  he  remained  un- 
til 1855.  He  then  returned  home  by  way  of 
Panama  and  New  York,  reaching  the  latter  place 
February  1,  1855.  His  luck  had  been  only  that 
of  the  average  miner,  but  he  bad  stored  his 
memory  with  a  wealth  of  varied  experience,  and 
had  gained  nuich  of  self-assurance  and  inde- 
l)endence  from  contact  with  the  rough  elements 
of  tlie  mining  camps. 

Again  in  Scluiyler  County,  Mr.  Moore  invested 
his  earnings  in  a  farm  of  140  acres  in  Oakland 
Township,  paying  $800  down  and  going  in  debt 
for  a  similar  amount.  Much  timber  and  under- 
growth abounded  on  the  place,  but  when  it  was 
cleared  and  the  land  tilled,  he  sold  it  at  great 
advance  over  the  purchase  price.  He  then  pur- 
chased 150  acres  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  built 
on  it  a  fine  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings, 
and  in  time  added  to  it  until  he  was  the  owner 
of  his  pveent  farm  of  450  acres.  His  land  is  fer- 
tile and  splendidly  improved,  and  has  been  the 
scene  of  important  scientific  operations  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  liest  known  methods.  Mr. 
Moore  has  also  possessed  keen  business  sagacity, 
a  trait  which  has  belonged  to  many  members  of 


890 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


his  family,  .-uul  upou  which  all  liavi'  iirulcd 
themselves.  lie  is  broad-mimled  aud  fieuerous 
euough  to  attribute  much  of  his  success  to  the 
help  aud  sympathy  of  a  capable  wife,  whom  he 
mai-ried  October  5,  IS-JU.  aud  who  was  formerly 
Margaret  I.  Ellis,  daughter  of  James  Ellis,  oue 
of  the  houored  pioueer  faruiers  of  Schuyler 
County.  Six  children  have  beeu  boru  to  Mr.  aud 
Mrs.  Moore,  the  first  of  wliom  died  at  the  age 
of  .seveuteeu  months,  aud  the  .second  at  the  age 
of  live  mouths.  Lois.  ue.\t  in  order  of  birth,  is 
living  with  her  parents;  Bertha  is  the  deceased 
wife  of  Joseph  Clow,  an  attorney  of  Chicago; 
and  her  only  child,  Margaret,  is  making  her 
home  with  her  Grandfather  .Moore;  Jliiiy  is  the 
wife  of  Itoliert  U.  Jones,  for  some  years  Wash- 
ington corresjiondeut  of  the  Chicago  Inter-Oceau, 
and  later  mauaging  editor  of  that  paper,  aud  is 
the  mother  of  three  children.  Koherl  .M.,  James 
M.  and  Ellis  R. ;  aud  Harriet  M.  is  the  wife  of 
George  Thomas,  a  belt  manufacturer  of  Kvaus- 
ton. 

In  1870  Jlr.  Moore  left  his  farm  and  located 
in  Rushville  in  order  to  educate  his  children,  aud 
in  IS'.K!  lie  went  to  Evanston  iu  order  that  his 
daughtere  might  attend  the  Xorthwestern  Uni- 
versity. In  the  education  and  training  of  his 
children  he  has  maintained  the  same  high  stand- 
ards and  ideals  which  made  his  worli  as  a  fanner 
worthy  aud  success-ful,  aud,  iu  their  moral  aud 
religious  develo|imenl.  he  has  shown  great  con- 
sideration aiul  forethovight.  All  of  the  family  are 
members  of  the  .Methodist  Episco|ial  Church.  Of 
the  twelve  cbildreu  born  lo  Thomas  .-ind  Mar.v 
(Elmore)  Jloore,  seven  are  now  living,  and  all 
are  prosperous  and  honored  nu'mlM>rs  of  the  coni- 
nuniities  in  which  they  live.  Xo  geater  contrasts 
could  picture  human  uieuKU'y  than  those  cher- 
ished by  Mr.  Moore  aud  his  brothers  aud  sisters. 
The  small  farm  of  the  estalilisher  of  the  name 
in  this  part  of  the  Stale  has  lieen  lost  in  the 
properties  of  the  Moore  Hrotliei-M,  which,  in  the 
aggregate,  would  cover  more  th:iu  two  siiuare 
miles.  Gas  and  electricity  are  at  the  disposal 
of  these  people  who  clasj)  bauds  with  the  crude 
pioneer  days,  but  all  can  recall  bow  the  cabin 
was  lighted  by  a  tallow  dip.  and  how  the  mother 
often  «ould  be  driven  to  the  exjiediency  of  put- 
ting her  little  brood  to  bed  by  the  light  of  a 
burning  rag  in  an  iron  spoou  filled  with  lard. 
Throughout  all  of  these  changes  Mr.  M(X)re  has 
kept  his  nature  serene  aud  bis  heart  young,  aud 
today  he  is  con.scious  of  few  of  the  iutirmities 
usually  associated  with  men  of  his  years. 

MOORE,  John  D.— Upon  no  couple  identified 
with  the  retired  farming  population  of  Rushville 
does  the  sijirit  of  other  days  rest  more  tenderly 
and  impressively  than  nimn  John  A.  and  Mai^r 
A.  (Turner)  Moore.  The  lives  of  this  devoted 
and  intelligent  man  and  woman — the  former  of 
whom  is  eighty-two  and  the  latter  seventy-seven 
years  of  age — express  a  degree  of  constancy  and 
philosophy  rarely  achieved  by  mortals  who" have 
shared  in  a  connnon  struggle  for  so  many  yet\rs, 
aud  this  fact,  as  much  as  the  one  of  financial 


and  general  prosperity,  entitles  them  to  a  warm 
place  iu  the  hearts  of  the  pc-ople,  as  It  does  iu 
the  annals  of  Schuyler  County. 

Boru  on  a  farm  iu  Kentutky,  December  7, 
182."j,  Mr.  Moore  is  a  son  ol  Thomas  aud  .Mary 
(Elmore)  Moore,  also  natives  of  the  Bourbon 
State,  who  came  overland  with  a  covered  wagon 
aud  horses  to  Schuyler  County  at  a  very  early 
period  iu  its  history,  locating  ou  land  which 
thus  far  was  a  stranger  to  the  ways  of  the  white 
brethren  of  the  plains.  The  father  erected  a 
cabin  near  a  stream,  cleared  a  space  for  his  first 
tTop.  aud  eventually  gained  a  modest  fortune 
for  those  dependent  uik)u  his  care.  The  .sou, 
John  I).,  had  few  early  advantages,  and  his 
youth  slipped  by  in  the  dull  routine  of  farming, 
his  education  being  acquired  iu  the  subscription 
school  iu  the  ueighborhood  of  his  home.  He  was 
studious  aud  ambitious,  however,  aud  saw  l)eyoud 
the  rlui  of  the  paternal  acres.  Especially  was 
he  opeu  to  the  chances  around  him,  and  when 
glad  tales  of  untold  wealth  discovered  ou  the 
Tacific  coast  reached  his  quiet  home,  his  alert 
spirit  responded  with  more  than  average  fervor. 
The  winter  of  1S4S-4'.)  iiassed  all  too  slowly  for 
the  youth  with  golden  dreams,  and  in  bleak 
.March  he  joined  an  ox-traiu  bound  for  Califor- 
nia, starting  from  Brooklyn,  Schuyler  County, 
and  arriving  at  the  south  fork  of  the  .Vuiericau 
River,  .\ugust  112  following,  (iood  fortune  at- 
tended him  almost  from  the  first,  and  in  one 
day  he  took  out  three  hundred  dollars  worth  of 
gold.  On  the  south  and  middle  forks  of  the 
same  river,  he  was  equally  fortunate,  and  iu  his 
two  years'  absenc  from  his  home  he  cleaned  up 
about  .<;2.r.(lO.  In  the  fall  of  INol  he  returned 
to  Schuyler  County,  fully  satisfied  with  his  so- 
journ in  the  West,  and  ou  February  29,  1S.>2, 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Turner,  who 
was  boru  iu  Rushville,  March  8,  1831,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  Rachcjl  (Rol)ertson)  Turner, 
natives  of  Virginia  and  .North  Carolina,  respect- 
ively. Mr.  and  -Mrs.  Turner  were  among  the  very 
early  pioneers  of  Schuyler  County,  coming  here 
frou'i  the  South  during  lS2!t.  They  had  three 
children,  the  survivors  of  whom  are  Mrs.  Moore 
and  Allen  Turner,  the  latter  a  farmer  of  Buena 
Vista  Township. 

While  iu  California  .Mr.  Moore  sent  home  $-Kl<» 
to  be  invested  in  land  iu  Buena  Vista  Township, 
as  his  marriage  was  already  a  settled  plan,  aud 
upon  it  was  based  his  fortune-getting  aspirations. 
The  .voung  people  settled  uiM)n  this  land  directly 
after  their  marriage,  beginning  hou.sekeeping  iu 
a  rude  log  cabin  with  clapboards  for  shingles, 
and  the  most  priuutive  and  incomplete  furnish- 
ings. To  his  first  purchase  he  added  ninety  acres 
after  a  few  years,  and  thus  had  a  fanu  of  ^■>0 
acres,  upon  which  he  followed  general  farming 
aud  stock  raising  for  the  rest  of  his  active  life. 
More  land  was  added  as  success  in  greater  de- 
gree came  his  way.  and  at  the  present  time  he  is 
the  owner  of  700  acres  of  fine  land,  practically 
all  under  cultivation,  and  located  in  Littleton 
and  Buena  Vista  townships.  In  18r>5  Mr.  aud 
Mrs.    Moore    moved    to    the    city    of    Rushville, 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


891 


where  they  own  and  occupy  a  pleasant  home, 
which  is  the  delight  of  their  many  friends,  and 
the  center  of  never  failing  hospitality.  Mr.  Moore 
has  declared  many  times  and  oft  that  the  most 
fortunate  event  in  his  life  was  his  marriage  in 
1852,  for  his  wife  has  made  his  home  a  constant 
joy,  and  his  life  a  continuous  inspiration  to  well 
doing.  Many  have  been  the  wedding  anniversary 
celebrations  of  this  couple,  but  the  best  attended 
and  most  important  of  all  was  the  golden  wed- 
ding. JIarch  1,  1802.  when  friends  came  to  greet 
and  congratulate  them  from  near  and  far,  among 
other  tokens  of  their  regard  presenting  the  hus- 
band with  a  gold-headed  cane,  and  the  wife  with 
a  gold  thimble.  Both  are  justly  pniud  of  these 
tokens  of  esteem,  and  are  also  proud  of  the  fact 
that  their  health  is  excellent,  their  spirits  undi- 
minished, and  their  interest  in  life  as  keen  as 
when  they  swelled  the  list  of  cabin  builders  in 
the  dawn  of  the  county's  history.  Cheerfulness, 
kindness  and  goodness  abound  in  this  comforta- 
ble home,  and  from  the  lives  of  its  occupants  he 
who  would  may  read  the  value  of  these  inesti- 
mable qualities. 

On  the  farm  in  Buena  A'ista  Township  were 
born  the  eleven  children  of  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Moore. 
George  T.,  the  oldest  son,  is  deserving  of  special 
mention  as  a  clergyman  of  unusual  zeal  and 
high  character.  This  minister  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Des  Moines.  la.,  and  in  .vouth 
learned  the  balcksmith  trade.  Having  no  one  to 
build  his  church  in  Des  Moines,  and  no  money  to 
hire  it  built,  he  put  on  his  blue  jeans,  went  to 
the  concrete  factory  and  made  the  fifteen  hun- 
dred blocks  of  concrete  necessary  for  its  con- 
struction. He  then,  with  his  own  hands,  put  the 
blocks  together,  finished  the  church  in  its  every 
detail,  and  started  upon  a  ministiy  which  bore 
wonderful  fruit  as  the  years  passed,  and  kindlier 
oi)iiortunities  came  tlie  way  of  the  ze.-ilous  church 
man.  Of  the  other  children,  And.v  died  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years ;  Christopher  died  in  infanc.v ; 
James  B.  married  Minnie  Scott,  and  lives  in 
Sherman  Count.v.  Kans. :  Geneva,  a  resident  of 
Macomb.  III.,  is  the  widow  of  Hardin  L.  Richey ; 
Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  Sevalis  Ross,  of  Buena 
Vista  Township:  Miner  A.  lives  in  Canada; 
XATieeler  A.  lives  on  the  old  farm  and  married 
Carrie  Boyd :  Anna  B.  is  the  wife  of  George 
Deuiaree.  a  railroad  man  living  in  Danville.  III., 
and  Peter  lives  with  his  parents. 


Iiered  to  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  was  also  the  religious  belief  of 
her  husband.  Politicall.v,  Solomon  Moore  voted 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

During  boyhood  Lewis  R.  Moore  attended  the 
district  schools  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  started  out  to  shape  his  own  ca- 
reer, and  for  many  years  was  employed  on  farms 
in  the  neighborhood.  Later  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  carpentering,  and  was  employed  at  this 
trade  during  the  stmimer  months  for  several 
years.  In  1808  he  l)ecame  clerk  in  a  general 
store  in  Ray,  III.,  where  he  was  employed  for 
three  years,  and  here  his  circle  of  acquaintances 
was  widened  to  include  practically  every  one  in 
the  township,  and  it  was  most  natural  that  he 
drifted  into  local  jiolitics.  as  he  had  a  natural 
aptitude  for  making  friends.  He  was  first  elected 
Collector  of  Oakland  Township  in  1898  and 
served  two  terms,  and  in  1!X)0  was  elected  As- 
sessor, after  which,  in  1002.  he  was  cliosen  to 
fill  the  position  of  Township  Clerk.  During  these 
later  .vears  in  which  he  was  taking  an  interest 
in  local  politics,  Mr.  Moore  represented  his  town- 
ship for  several  terms  on  the  Democratic  County 
Central  Committee,  and  was  also  the  Ray  corre- 
spondent of  the  Rushville  Times,  and  soon  be- 
came well  known  through  the  count}-  as  one  of 
the  workers  in  the  Democratic  party. 

In  1002  Mr.  Moore  was  appointed  Deput.v 
Sheriff  under  Felix  .Jackson,  and  so  well  did  he 
acquit  himself  in  this  office  that  in  the  following 
campaign  he  was  cho.sen  as  the  party  candidate 
for  Sheriff  by  a  large  majorit.v.  and  at  the  elec- 
tion on  November  G,  1906,  he  received  a  majority 
of  .507  votes.  In  the  administration  of  his  office 
Mr.  Moore  has  proven  himself  to  be  efficient, 
capable,  honorable  and  thoroughly  fearless,  a 
champion  of  justice  and  a  firm  upholder  of  the 
law. 

On  May  10,  1900,  Mr.  Moore  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Anna  Neeley,  daughter  of 
.Jolm  Greer,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Littleton 
Townsliip.  and  upon  his  election  as  Sheriff  he 
and  his  wife  took  up  their  residence  in  Schuyler 
Count>-'s  handsome  new  jail.  In  his  fraternal 
relations  Mr.  Moore  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
jiendcnt  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Py- 
tliias.  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  M.v.stic 
Workers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  are  members  of 
the   ilethodist   Episcopal   Church. 


MOORE,  Lewis  Ross,  Sheriff  of  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  was  born  in  Oakland  Township. 
Schuyler  County.  September  16,  1864,  and  is  a 
son  of  Solomon  and  Sarah  .Jane  (Logan)  Jloore. 
The  father,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Schuyler  County  in  185'1,  buying  a  farm 
on  Section  27.  Oakland  Township,  where  he 
died  .July  18.  1877.  aged  sixty-two  .vears.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  .Joseph  Tx)gan.  who  came 
to  Littleton  Township  when  wolves  were  plenti- 
ful and  wild  game  abundant.  After  the  death 
of  Solomon  Moore,  his  widow  made  her  home 
with  her  children  and  died  March  6.  1001.  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.     In  religion  she  ad- 


MOORE.  Reuben  Menephe. — The  magic  word, 
success,  has  hovered  over  the  Moore  famil.v  ever 
since  its  establishment  in  Schuyler  County.  III., 
more  than  seventy-  years  ago.  Its  influence  was 
founded  in  the  small  Ijeginnings  and  uncertain 
outlook  of  the  log-cabin  era,  and  the  broader  op- 
portunities which  have  been  unfolded  with  tlie 
passing  .vears  have  found  those  bearing  the  name 
resourceful,  competent  and  remarkably  ambi- 
tious. Thomas  Moore,  a  Kentuckian,  who  heard 
the  far  off  call  of  the  frontier,  sot  up  standards 
of  life  and  work  which  have  never  since  fallen 
into  disuse  by  his  successors.  He  owned  a  com- 
paratively  small    farm,   and    his   sons  now   pay 


892 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


taxes  on  more  than  two  square  miles  of  farm 
laiul.  Tbonias  Moore  had  eight  children  when 
he  decided  to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  Central 
West,  and  with  him  on  that  long  overland  jour- 
ney came  another  family,  that  of  Washington 
Irvin.  In  the  latter  family  were  six  children, 
and  the  fourteen  children  and  their  pareuts  came 
in  a  prairie  schooner  drawn  by  four  horses,  t;ik- 
ing  one  mouth  to  spau  the  distance  between 
Kentucky  and  Illiuois.  The  brave  wayfarers  met 
with  many  obstacles  ou  the  way,  and  were  re- 
tarded by  muddy  roads,  storms  and  swollen 
streams,  and  upon  arriving  at  Springfield,  which 
then  was  a  small  aggregation  of  interests,  the 
horses  were  hitched  at  a  post  near  the  j>reseiit 
State  capitol  building.  The  old  prairie  schooner, 
travel  stained  and  creaking,  presented  a  sorry 
spectacle,  yet  it  brought  this  way  men  who  read 
the  horoscope  of  Schuyler  County,  and  who 
worked  from  morn  until  night  for  many  years, 
to  make  their  dream  of  success  come  tme. 
Thomas  Jloore  took  up  laud  in  Buena  Vista 
Township,  and  there  remained  until  his  death, 
one  of  its  most  able  and  highly  honorable  meu. 
Not  only  did  he  develop  his  farm  to  its  fullest 
capacity,  surrounding  himself  and  family  with 
the  retinemeuts  and  comforts  known  to  his  time 
and  place,  but  he  took  an  active  interest  in  edu- 
cation, religion  and  iiolitics,  and  represented  in 
the  general  tenor  of  his  life  the  vigorous,  honest 
and  indefatigable  element  which  developed  the 
primeval  fertility  of  the  Illinois  plains,  and 
moved  the  frontier  a  little  farther  towards  the 
Pacific.  lie  was  a  man  of  profound  religious 
couvietions,  and  organized  the  first  Methodist 
Eijiscopal  Church  to  Buena  Vista  Townshiii,  He 
also  provided  the  money  for  the  first  church  and 
school  building,  and  had  both  erected  on  his 
land.  At  all  times  strictly  temperate  in  both 
eating  and  drinking,  he  worked  hard  to  make  the 
comnmnity  a  Prohibition  one.  and  it  was  largely 
through  his  zeal  that  the  two  distilleries  operat- 
ing in  the  township  were  driven  out  of  business. 

Of  the  eight  children  who  came  ivith  Thomas 
Moore  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois,  Reuben  Mene- 
phe  Moore  was  born  near  Crab  Orchard.  Linc-oln 
Countj-,  in  the  former  State,  October  1.5,  l,S.3o,  and 
was  therefore  almut  a  year  old  when  brought  to 
Buena  Vista  Township.  He  attended  the  old 
cross-roads  school  house  in  the  winter  time,  and 
in  sunnner  worked  in  the  harvest  fields,  or  helped 
to  clear  the  timber  and  underbrush.  His  duties 
comprised  the  hard  ones  that  tested  the  fiber  of 
the  youth  of  his  time,  but  they  failed  to  break  his 
spirit  or  discourage  him  for  the  severe  struggle 
of  his  later  .vears.  In  1847  his  father  sold  the 
original  farm  and  moved  to  the  one  now  occupied 
by  Reuben,  and  here  he  has  lived  continuously 
for  sixty  years.  At  the  time  of  purchase  there 
was  an  old  frame  building  <in  the  iilace  Hi  l,y 
32  feet  in  dimensions,  but  the  place  had  been 
vastly  imjiroved  when  Thomas  Moore  died  there 
.Tanuaiy  22.  1S67. 

In  company  with  others.  Mr.  Moore  started 
out  with  ox  teams  for  the  Idaho  gold  mines,  and 
on  an-iving  at   Salt   Lake  City,   he  found  work. 


.\ccording  to  the  custom  in  all  new  localities  in 
the  far  West,  he  was  soon  christened  anew, 
thereafter  being  known  as  Gentle  Kube.  lie  re- 
mained in  the  city  about  four  months,  and  then 
took  the  .southern  route  for  Los  Angeles  with  a 
freighting  outfit,  arriving  at  his  destination  De- 
cember 24.  Behind  him  in  Illinois  the  land  was 
locked  in  ice  and  larmers  were  driving  over  the 
fences,  but  near  the  Pacific  the  flowers  were  in 
bl(M)m,  and  all  nature  wore  an  enchanting  smile. 
While  in  California  he  followed  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising,  and  also  operated  a  thresh- 
ing machine.  Pasadena  at  that  time  was  a  sheep 
ranch,  as  were  also  the  sites  of  many  other  vil- 
lages and  towns  which  now  add  to  the  splendor 
of  the  great  Pacific  State. 

After  his  return  from  the  West,  Mr.  Moore 
took  charge  of  the  old  place  in  Buena  Vista 
Townshii),  and  ou  July  27,  1SU7,  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Kliza  A.  Lllis,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  September  1,  1S41.  .Mrs.  .Moore  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  .lames  Kllis,  who  came  to  Schuyler  County 
in  IS-H,  and  who,  with  his  wife,  is  now  de- 
ceased. To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have  been  born 
four  sons  and  four  daughters :  Effie  D.,  born 
June  28.  ISGS,  died  October  IG,  1871 ;  Uriah  G., 
l>orn  January  20.  1870,  married  Ella  Straus- 
bangh,  and  has  nine  ibildreii — Kuth,  Kuby.  Loa 
(deceased!,  (ilenn,  Floyd,  Harriet,  Nina,  .Mar.v, 
and  Robert ;  .Margaret  Eve,  born  January  10, 
1.S72.  wife  of  Joseph  McEeeters,  a  farmer  of 
Buena  Vista  Township,  and  mother  of  Ilildreth 
and  Ray  McEeeters ;  Mary  J.,  born  February  I'J, 
1874,  wife  of  Luther  Greer,  and  mother  of 
Gladys,  Helen  and  Susan  Greer;  James  Ray, 
lx)rn  Dec<'mber  2!>.  1877,  died  November  22,  1878; 
Noah  R,.  Iwrn  -May  Iti.  1S7!»;  Thomas  E.,  born 
December  Ki.  18.>S4,  died  .\pril  15,  ISSG ;  and 
Lela,  born  March  1,5.  1880,  died  June  1,  1898, 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore 
have  thirteen  grandchildren,  all  of  whom  are 
devoted  to  their  kind  and  indulgent  graudjjar- 
ents.  AH  of  the  children  have  been  born  in  the 
old  home  upon  which  their  father  settled  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  with  his  parents,  and  here  all 
have  reieived  the  best  advantages  permitted  by 
the  prosiierily  of  the  family.  Mr.  .Moore  pur- 
chased his  brother  S.im's  interest  in  tlie  24<) 
acres,  and  to  his  first  120  acres  has  added  until 
he  now  owns  440.  No  more  jiroductive  property 
is  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  no 
better  farmer  has  followed  the  light  shed  upon 
agriculture  liy  science  than  this  honored,  old 
time  settler. 

Exce|)t  as  a  School  Director  and  Road  Commis- 
sioner, Mr.  Moore  has  steadfastly  refused  to  ac- 
cept oflicial  recognition,  although  he  has  been  a 
stanch  supjiorter  of  the  Republican  party.  .iVs 
was  that  of  his  father  before  him,  his  name 
stands  for  all  that  is  honorable  and  worth  while 
in  country  life  and  work,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
few  left  of  the  pathfinders  whose  storj-  consti- 
tutes one  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in 
American  history. 

MOORE.  Samuel  T.— The  men.  who  during  the 
'thirties  left  comfortable  homes  in  the  East  to 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


893 


ally  their  lortuues  With  the  thinly  settled  aud  not 
altogether  ijrouiisiug  region  in  Illinois,  since 
named  Schuyler  County,  possessed  an  intensity 
of  purpose  and  deternuuatiou  hut  partially  com- 
prehended by  the  wage  earners  ot  today.  The 
deprivation  and  isolation  they  endured,  never- 
theless, were  lactors  in  molding  character  and 
stimulating  industry  and  largeness  of  sympathy, 
and  these  traits  have  been  handed  down  to  the 
succeeding  generation,  among  whom  is  Samuel 
T.  .Moore,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Buena  Vista 
Township,  where  he  was  born  August  22,  1841. 

Thomas  Moore,  father  of  Samuel,  was  bom 
in  Kentueliy,  and  was  reared  to  farming  as  fol- 
lowed in  the  Southern  States.  In  1836,  ambi- 
tious of  growing  up  with  a  more  progressive 
community,  he  moved  to  Illinois  with  his  wife, 
formerly  jiary  Elmore,  also  a  native  of  the  Blue 
Grass  State.  Taking  up  Government  laud  in 
Buena  Vista  Township.  Schuyler  County,  he  was 
engaged  in  general  tarmiug  and  stock-raising  un- 
til his  death  in  1S(!7.  Thirty-seven  years  of  this 
experience  enabled  him  to  lay  by  a  competence, 
and  the  faithful  companion  of  his  toils,  who  sur- 
vived him  until  1881,  and  to  whom  his  success 
was  largely  due,  spent  her  last  days  in  the  most 
comfortable  of  surroundings.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Elmore,  also  of  Kentucky.  Mr. 
Moore  himself  was  a  son  of  David  Moore,  who 
moved  from  his  native  state  of  North  Carolina 
to  Kentucky  while  still  a  young  and  unmarried 
man. 

S.imuel  Mciore  has  known  no  other  occupation 
than  that  afforded  on  his  own  and  his  father's 
farm.  He  has  485  acres  of  land  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  raises  general  crops 
and  high  grade  stocks.  In  1873,  in  the 
township  of  Rushville,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mary  Barkman,  who  was  born  in  Ohio, 
and  whose  [parents,  natives  of  Maryland  and 
Ohio,  respectively,  came  to  Oakland  Township. 
Scluiyler  County,  in  1865,  locating  some  years 
later"  in  Littleton  Township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Moore  liave  been  born  five  children,  namely : 
Mary  Olive,  Fannie  Florence,  Luther,  Jesse  and 
Kenneth.  Mary  Olive  is  the  wife  of  William 
Kordsiemon,  a  resident  of  Berwyn,  a  suburb  of 
Chicago ;  Fannie  F.  is  the  wife  of  George  Sloan, 
of  Belle  Plain,  Kan. ;  and  Luther,  a  farmer  in 
Buena  Vista  Township,  married  Stella  Sher- 
man. Mr.  Moore  has  thoroughly  educated  his 
children,  and  provided  liberally  for  those  who 
have  left  the  old  home.  No  family  lias  done 
more  for  the  agricultural  advancement  of  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  the  promotion  of  its  various  pub- 
lic enterprises  than  have  the  descendants  of 
Thomas  Moore,  the  sturdy  pioneer  of  1830. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Moore  is  a  Republican.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

MOORE,  Wheeler  W. — Fortunate,  indeed,  is 
the  man  who  is  sustained  by  an  inspiring  con- 
sciousness that  he  has  made  the  best  use  of 
whatever  talents  and  abilities  have  been  vouch- 
safed to   him :   that  he   has   ignored   no  call   of 


duty  ;  that  he  has  wasted  no  precious  opportuni- 
ties ;  that  he  has  faithfully  discharged  his  obli- 
gations to  the  public,  and  that  he  has  estab- 
lished an  unblemished  reputation  among  those 
whose  good  opinion  and  good  wishes  are  of  in- 
estimable value,  and  constitute  a  source  of  per- 
petual eucourdgement.  Such  is  the  lite  record 
made  by  Wheeler  W.  Moore,  an  enterprising  and 
progressive  farmer  of  Buena  Vista  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  a  leading  citizen  of 
that  locality. 

Mr.  Moore  was  horn  in  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship, August  26.  1866.  His  father,  John  D. 
Moore,  al-so  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  a  Keu- 
tuckian  by  birth,  while  his  mother,  Mary  A. 
(Turner)  Moore,  was  born  in  Bueua  Vista  Town- 
ship. Further  details  of  the  family  historj'  are 
contained  iu  a  biographical  record  of  John  D. 
Moore,   appearing  elsewhere   in   this  connection. 

In  boyhood  ]\ir.  Moore  attended  the  public 
schools  iu  his  vicinity,  completing  his  literary 
education  in  the  Kushville  Normal  School  and 
the  Chaddock  College  at  Quiucy,  IU.,  and  subse- 
iiuently  pursuing  a  wmmercial  course  in  the 
Metropolitan  Business  College,  in  Chicago.  He 
passed  his  early  youth  on  the  jjarental  farm, 
and  after  finishing  his  studies,  was  employed 
for  14  months  as  mailing  clerk  for  the  Troy 
Laundry  Machinery  Co.,  of  Chicago.  He  next 
spent  15  months  with  the  Metropolitan  Insur- 
ance Co.,  at  Peoria,  111.,  after  which  he  applied 
himself  to  farming,  in  which  pursuit  he  has 
had  his  full  share  of  success.  His  farming  op- 
erations cover  .506  acres  of  land,  situated  in 
Section  14,  Buena  ^'ista  Township.  Besides 
general  farming,  he  is  an  extensive  feeder,  ship- 
ping about  ten  carloads  of  cattle  and  hogs  per 
,vear.  He  holds  the  office  of  Grand  Master  of 
Buena    Vista    Grange. 

On  March  23.  T.Mil,  in  Rushville  Ton-nship, 
Schuyler  County,  Jlr.  Jloore  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Carrie  Boyd,  a  (laughter  of  James 
and  Eliza  (Ritchey)  Boyd,  who  was  born  in  Oak- 
land Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  in  1877. 
Her  parents  are  natives  of  Ireland,  and  on 
coming  to  the  United  States,  first  located  in  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  whence  they  moved  to  Schuyler 
County,  III.,  at  the  outset  making  their  home  in 
Oakland  Townshi]i.  They  now  live  in  Rush- 
ville Township,  where  Mr.  Boyd  is  successfully 
engaged  in  farming.  Mrs.  M(X)re  received  her 
education  in  Oakland  and  Rushville  townships. 
She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  James  Francis. 

Mr.  Moore  is  active  in  jxilitical  affairs,  and 
renders  an  earnest  and  steadfast  support  to  the 
Republican  party.  For  two  terms  he  has  served 
in  the  capacity  of  Township  Central  Committee- 
man, and  in  April,  lfM17.  was  eleeti'd  Super- 
visor from  Buena  Vista  Township,  which  is 
normally  Democratic,  receiving  49  majority,  and 
overcoming  a  contrar.v  majority  of  30.  In 
fraternal  circles,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  having  been  for  18  .vears  a  member  of 
Friendship  Ix)dge,  No.  24.  of  Rushville.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Rushville  Lodge,  No.  9,  A.  F. 


894 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


&  A  M. ;  of  Rushville  Chapter  No.  184,  K.  A. 
Masous:  aud  of  Kusbville  Coiumauaery  No.  ob, 
Knights  TemiJlar.  Religiously,  Mr.  .Moore  is 
a  cousisteut  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  is  a  mau  of  sterliug  charaeteristics.  aud  oue 
of  the  most  favorably  knowu  residents  of  his 
towuship. 

MORGAN,  Edward  T.— Oue  of  the  most  pro- 
du.tive  aud  up-to-date  farms  iu  Srhuy ler  iouu ly 
is  that  owned  aud  oeeupied  by  .Mr.  Morgan,  on 
Section  1,  Camden  Towuship,  where  he  has 
•T'5  acres,  and  in  Brooklyn  Towuship  he  also 
owns  eighty  acres,  making  iu  all  305  acres  un- 
der his  care  aud  management.  The  records  show 
that  the  Morgan  family  is  of  eastern  origin. 
The  grandfather,  David  Morgan,  was  born  on 
May  25  1T75.  \Yheu  the  now  tlourishiug  city  of 
Cincinnati  was  a  mere  trading  post  and  boasted 
only  thirtv  houses.  Uavid  Morgan  cast  m  his 
lot  with  the  earlv  settlers,  purchasing  consid- 
erable property  there,  and  it  is  believed  that 
his  death  occurred  there.  Among  his  seven  chil- 
dren was  Koswell  .Morgan,  bom  lu  \  eniiont. 
Upon  reaching  years  of  maturity  he  married 
Calista  C.  Davis,  a  native  of  New  York  bUile. 
Some  time  after  his  marriage  and  the  birth  of 
a  number  of  his  children.  Roswell  Morgan,  m 
couipauv  with  Ward  David  and  his  lamily  of 
eleveu  chiUlieu.  came  to  Schuyler  County  and 
settled  iu  Camden  Township.  All  but  three  of 
the  Davis  children  were  married  when  they 
came  to  Schuyler  County,  aud  their  descendants 
have  become  verj-  numerous  iu  Bueua  Vista  aud 
Brooklyn  towusUiiis,  the  records  showing  ninety- 
three  grandchildren  of  Ward  Davis  in  Schuyler 
County  at  one  time.  During  the  War  of  1S12 
Ward'Davis  was  drafted  into  the  army,  but  was 
not  called  ujwn  to  serve.  Isaac  Davis,  his  young- 
est sou,  who  served  as  a  Lieutenant  iu  one  of 
of  the  Illinois  regiuieut.s,  left  Schuyler  County 
about  1870,  locating  iu  Cloud  County.  Kaus., 
where  the  name  became  almost  if  not  quite  as 
well  known  as  it  was  in  Schuyler  County.  A 
nunilH?r  of  his  kinsmen  .also  located  there,  aud  at 
one  time  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  117 
descendants  of  Ward  Davis  iu  Cloud  Countj- 
alone.  Of  the  large  family  of  children  born 
to  Ward  Davis  aud  his  wife,  ouly  three  are  uow 
living.  Isaac,  the  youngest,  being  eighty  years 
of  age. 

Eight  children  were  born  of  the  marriage  of 
Roswell  and  Calista  C.  (Davis)  Morgan,  named 
in  order  of  birth  as  follows:  George  W.. 
deceased,  who  during  the  war  served  in  an  Illi- 
nois i-egiiuent.  and  is  buried  in  Prairie  City.  Mc- 
Douough  County ;  Eliza  A.,  the  wife  of  Lewis 
Craycroft.  living  near  Wichita.  Kans. ;  Francis 
R.  and  Charles  V.,  both  deceased:  Edward  T. ; 
Thomas  .leffersou.  who  died  in  infancy ;  Martha 
.r..  widiiw  of  W.  C.  .Vvery.  who  is  now  making  her 
home  with  her  brother  Edward  T. ;  and  Helen 
M..  wife  of  William  Park,  an  extensive  farmer 
near  Flagler.  Colorado.  The  father  of  these 
children  died  October  '■':  1863,  and  the  wife  and 


mother  followed  him  tn-eiity  years  later,  dying 
in  188;'.. 

The  lifth  child  iu  the  parental  family.  Edward 
T.  Morgan,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ind., 
September  30,  1841,  aud  was  a  child  of  about 
eight  years  when  the  family  located  in  Illiuois. 
He  distinctly  recalls  the  long,  lonesome  walks  to 
and  from  the  district  school,  which  was  three 
miles  from  his  home,  through  the  dense  timber. 
He  has  lived  to  see  this  supplanted  by  waving 
fields  of  grain,  and  he  himself  has  been  no  small 
factor  iu  bringing  about  this  transfonnation.  In 
this  wilderness  his  father  entered  Kjii  acres  of  land 
from  the  (Jovernmeut  in  IS'il.  and  the  original 
deed  to  it,  signed  by  Fi'anklin  Pierce,  is  now  In 
the  iiossession  of  Edward  .Morgan.  To  his  orig- 
inal tract  of  100  acres  Ro.swell  .Morgan  added  by 
jiurchase  forty  acres  of  adjoining  land,  owing  iu 
all  2IM(  acres.  ii|)ou  which  he  built  a  log  cabin. 
This  in  time  gave  place  to  a  more  modern  house, 
in  which  the  doors  and  wiudow  sash  were  made 
by  hand,  and  the  front  part  of  this  same  struc- 
ture, which  has  stood  the  elements  for  Bfty 
years,  is  uow  occuiiied  by  his  son  Edward  T. 

When  about  twenty-one  years  of  age  lOdward 
T.  .Morgan  respond<'d  to  his  country's  call  for 
volunteers,  enlisting  iu  Company  A,  Seventy- 
eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three 
yeai-s.  With  his  regiment  he  saw  sen-ice  in  many 
of  the  hard-fought  battles  of  the  war,  among  them 
the  battles  of  Chickamauga  and  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, and  was  with  Sherman  in  his  March  to  the 
Sea.  .\fter  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  he  took 
part  in  the  Grand  Review  at  Washington,  in 
which  city  lie  was  mustered  out,  and  after  re- 
ceiving pay  for  his  ser\Mces  at  Chicago,  returned 
to  the  old  home  farm  iu  Camden  Township. 
Soon  afterward.  July  22,  18C6,  he  was  united  in 
.marriage  with  .Vdelaide  E.  Bennett,  a  native  of 
Schuyler  County,  liorii  .\pril  3,  1850,  the  dnugh- 
ter  of  .John  K.  and  Ell/.a  .V.  (.Madison)  Bennett, 
a  niece  of  President  Madi.son.  After  their  mar- 
riage the  young  people  settled  on  Mr.  Bennett's 
farm,  later  purchasing  it,  but  iu  1.S77  they  sold 
it  and  moved  onto  the  old  home  farm  of  his 
father,  having  purchased  the  Interests  of  the 
others   in   the  property. 

Plight  children  have  been  Itorn  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morgan,  as  follows:  Frederick  L..  l)orn  in 
Schuyler  County.  April  23,  1867,  married  Mo- 
netta  Busby,  and  they  make  their  home  on  a 
farm  in  Camden  Township ;  Bertha  G..  was  bom 
.\ugust  1.3.  1800.  and  became  the  wife  of  Charles 
Appl<>gato.  a  farmer  in  Littleton  Township,  by 
wlioni  she  has  iHHome  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren. fJuv  and  Ruth  :  Luther  T.  was  b<jrn  >Iarch 
11.  1872:  Gilbert,  February  10,  1.874:  .Myrtle, 
.\ugust  10.  1,870 :  Cora  E..  was  bom  April  3, 
1870:  and  died  June  17.  1903;  Winnie  G.  was 
Ikh-u  .\ugust  4.  18.S1.  and  became  the  wife  of 
John  Crane:  the  youngest  child,  Rudolph  B., 
was  born  Febniary  20.  1884,  and  is  now  a  teacher 
in  the  district  school  at  Busshnell.  III. ;  by 
his  marriage  with  Inez  McFall  he  has  one  child, 
Winona  L.  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Morgan  passed  to  her 
reward  August  31,  18S5.   mourned  by  her   bus- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


895 


band  auvl  c-hilihvu  as  a  Christian  wile  aud 
mother.  Not  only  her  family  miss  her  kind  min- 
istrations, but  many  friends  and  acQuaiutauees 
who  had  been  drawn  to  her  by  her  sweet  per- 
sonality and  by  the  many  kindnessess  shown 
them  in  time  of  need.  Being  deprived  of  a  good 
education  iu  his  own  boyhood,  Mr.  Morgan  made 
every  effort  to  give  his  children  good  educational 
facilities  and  Ut  them  for  the  responsibilities  of 
life.  Iu  turn  they  have  appreciated  the  efforts 
made  iu  tlieir  liehall,  and  iu  growing  to  man- 
hood and  wouiauhood  have  been  a  credit  aud  a 
comfort  to  their  parents.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Morgan  was  enumerator  of  Camden  Township 
aud  School  Treasurer  of  Bainbridge  Township, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  a  number  of  years. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Kepublicau. 

MORRIS,  John  W. — ^Siuce  his  arrival  iu  Rush- 
ville  iu  INW.,  ,I(ihu  \V.  Morris  has  tilled  a  large 
need  as  an  exjx'rt  carpenter  aud  has  accumulated 
a  comfortable  competence  through  the  unfailiug 
medium  of  thrift  aud  economy.  Ills  quiet  and 
uneventful,  yet  useful  life  began  April  8,  1832, 
on  a  farm  iu  Virginia,  in  which  State  were 
born  both  his  parents.  William  and  Eliza 
(Palmer)  .Morris,  aud  his  graudfathei-s,  Thomas 
Morris  and  Robert  I'almer.  William  Morris  es- 
tablished the  family  in  Ohio  npou  leaving  Vir- 
ginia, afterward  settling  iu  Edgar  County.  111., 
where  terminated  his  industrious  and  moder- 
ately successful  CiU'eer. 

With  the  basis  of  a  connnou  school  education 
aud  care  ul  home  training,  .lohu  W.  Morris  has 
followed  carpentering  all  his  active  life  with  the 
e.xceptiou  of  traveling  for  two  and  a  half  years 
for  a  conuuercial  house,  and  being  emiiloyed  in 
a  general  dry -goods  business  for  the  same  length 
of  time.  Many  of  the  oldest  and  foremost  fam- 
ilies of  Rushville  have  been  his  patrons  for  many 
years,  and  his  careful,  skillful  and  always  reli- 
able work  has  secured  him  continuous  employ- 
ment from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other.  The 
passing  of  many  years  has  not  robbed  him  of  his 
interest  in  his  labor,  or  of  his  skill  in  the  manip- 
ulation of  tools. 

In  i)olitics  Mr.  .Morris  is  a  stanch  lieiiublican, 
and  in  religion  he  is  a  Methodist.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  a.ssociated  with  the  Masons. 
Ills  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Cary.  of  Edgar 
County.  111.,  oc<-urred  iu  1800.  and  of  this  union 
there  are  three  daughters,  of  whom  Mary  C. 
is  the  wife  of  Oliver  T.  Lawler.  a  farmer  of 
Schuyler  County ;  Aunie  E.  is  the  wife  of  Ed- 
ward C.  Ilammon,  of  Scott  County.  111.,  and 
Alice  (i.  is  the  wife  of  C.  H.  Ilackett,  of  Jackson- 
ville.  III. 

MOURNING,    David    Lyon.— To    David    Lyon 

Mourning  is  due  the  distinction  of  Ijeing  the 
only  Republican  ever  elected  to  the  office  of 
County-  .Judge  of  Schuyler  County,  111.  Mr. 
Mourning  has  been  a  resident  of  Rushville 
since  1890.  coming  here  from  Hancock  County, 
iu  that  year.  Me  read  law  in  the  otHce  of  I>. 
F.  Miller  &  Son.  of  Keokuk,  la.,  where  he  was 


admitted  to  the  Bar  iu  1881.  In  Rushville  he 
has  combined  a  general  practice  of  law  with 
enthusiastic  ijolitical  activity,  and  besides  be- 
ing a  candidate  for  Couuty  Judge  on  two  oc- 
casions, was  the  defeated  candidate  for  State's 
Attorney  in  1802,  and  the  successlul  ciudidate 
for  City  Attorney  of  Rushville,  for  three  terms. 

Luck  or  cliance  has  had  no  part  in  f.-ishioning 
the  success  of  Mr.  Mourning,  and  from  hiui  the 
young  mau  who  asjiires  to  legal  honors  may  learn 
many  useful  lessons.  He  was  boru  on  a  farm  in 
Hancock  County,  IU.,  .March  14,  1857,  and  the 
labors  of  his  early  years  left  little  opportunity 
for  idle  dreams  or  ambitions.  Work,  ceaseless 
work,  was  the  only  thing  to  lift  him  from  his 
limitations,  and  place  him  in  tlie  line  of  more 
congenial  effort.  On  the  paternal  side  he  iu- 
herits  the  resourcefulness  of  the  Irish  race,  aud 
especially  of  his  great-grandfather,  Rodger 
Mourning,  who  crossed  the  seas  from  Ireland, 
autl  carved  his  career  in  a  land  of  strange  people 
and  stranger  opportunities.  John  Mouruing,  the 
paternal  grandfather,  was  boru  in  Ireland.  He 
married  Hanutih  Ball,  and  settled  on  the  farm 
in  Kentucky,  where  Samuel  Mouruing,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  boru,  and 
where  was  also  born  David's  mother,  Nancy 
A.  (Lyon)  .Mourning.  Nancy  A.  was  a  d;iugh- 
ter  of  John  and  Martha   (Martin)   Lyon. 

David  Lyon  Jlourniug  received  his  preliminary 
education  iu  Hancock  C<iunty,  HI.,  anil  by  stud.y- 
ing  overtime,  aud  improving  every  moment  of 
leisure,  qualified  at  an  early  age  as  a  teacher. 
It  was  his  savings  in  this  occupation  that  en- 
abled him  to  begin  the  study  of  law  at  Keokuk, 
aud  to  live  in  comparative  comfort  while  be- 
c-oiniug  established  as  a  practitioner.  On  June 
.30.  1887,  he  was  united  iu  marriage  to  Olive 
Wetzel,  a  native  of  Ilauc-ock  Couuty,  111.,  and 
their  union  resulted-  in  three  children  :  Ma'bel, 
I'aul  W.  and  Esther.  Mr.  .Mourning  adds  to  his 
legal  and  iiolitical  qualiflcatious  a  predilection 
for  the  social  side  of  life,  aud  he  Is  prominent 
iu  the  .Modern  Woodmen  of  America  aud  the 
Mystic  \\'orkers.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the  Method- 
ist Eiiiscopal  Church.  He  represents  the  high- 
est ideals  of  his  professiou,  and  has  a  growing 
and  lucrative  practice. 

MUNROE,  Thomas  Irvin,  a  very  promising 
young  lawyer  of  Rushville  111.,  where  he  was 
born  January  1.5,  1881,  is  a  son  of  Ilinman  and 
Anna  E,  (Irvin)  Muuroe,  of  whom  the  father 
was  born  in  Rushville,  July  21,  1852.  Thomas 
aud  .\nnis  (Ilinman)  Munroe,  the  paternal 
grandparents,  were  natives  of  .Maryland  and 
New  York,  respectively,  the  former  bom  In 
Annapolis,  January  -1,  1807,  aud  the  latter  in 
Utiea,  December  10,  1815.  The  great-grand- 
parents on  the  paternal  side  were  Johu  and 
Anne  (Wells)  Munroe.  Both  were  born  in 
Annapolis.  .John  JIunroe  on  August  6.  176.3,  and 
his  vi-ife  January  2:i.  1771.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents. William  S.  and  Mary  C.  (Wells)  Irvin, 
\'-  re  natives  of  Harrodsburg,  Ky„  and  Littleton, 
III.,     respectively.      The    great-grandparents    on 


896 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


the  matei-ual  side  were  Williaru  and  Auna 
(Clark)    In-iu. 

(iraudt'ratber  Thomas  Munroe,  who  was  a 
ph.\-siciau  of  uote.  was  rehired  to  Nathan  Hain- 
moud  aud  Jouathau  Piuckney,  both  of  whom 
were  conspicuous  figures  in  the  Colonial  days 
of  the  couuto-.  t)i"-  Munroe  left  Annapolis.  Md.. 
iu  183-1.  aud  "settled  in  Jacksonville.  111.,  whence, 
in  18-12,  he  removed  to  Rushville.  iu  the  futiu'e 
affairs  of  which  he  was  destined  to  take  a  prom- 
inent part.  From  the  first  he  made  his  influence 
felt,  not  only  in  the  si)here  of  medicine,  in  which 
he  was  an  admitted  expert,  but  in  iwlitics  aud 
societj-.  He  was  a  jiraduate  of  St.  John's  Col- 
lege and  the  Baltimore  University,  and  had  prac- 
tic-ed  medicine  and  surgery  for  a  year  in 
Anuaiiolis,  aud  during  his  residence  in  Jackson- 
ville. He  continued  iu  active  practice  until 
188.J.  Dr.  Munroe  served  in  the  Civil  War  as 
"chief"  surgeon  iu  the  Oue  Hundred  and  Nine- 
teenth Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  lufantry. 
with  the  rank  of  Major.  He  was  the  intiujate 
friend  of  War  (iovcrnor  Richard  Yates,  served 
as  best  man  at  Mr.  Yates'  wedding,  and  enter- 
tained the  chief  e.xecutive  of  the  State  at  his 
home  in  Rushville  iu  1861.  He  held  Richard 
Yates.  Jr.,  iu  his  arms  when  the  War  (loveruor 
was  inaugurated.  Dr.  Munroe's  forceful  and  in- 
teresting personality  won  him  the  coufideuce 
and  friendship  of  many  of  the  foremost  men  in 
the  State,  and  his  practical  and  sagacious  advice 
was  frequently  sought  upon  matters  of  vital  im- 
iwrtance. 

A  world  of  interesting  reminiscence  centers 
aroiuid  Annis  (Hinman)  Munroe.  grandmother 
of  Thomas  Irvin  Munroe  and  wife  of  Thomas 
Jluiiroe.  This  woman  of  man.v  years  and  noble 
life  was  presented  with  a  soiled  gold  spoon  by 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  in 
ls!is.  ;uul  no  honor  was  ever  more  worthily  con- 
ferred. The  ranks  of  the  daughters  of  Revolu- 
tionary heroes  have  been  sadly  thinnetl.  and  few 
indeed  are  the  living  children  of  men  who  fol- 
lowed Washington  and  his  Generals  in  the  great 
struggle  for  fredoni  from  English  rule.  Xot 
many  families  were  more  reijreseuted  in  this 
war  than  that  to  which  Mrs.  Munroe  belonged. 
Her  father.  Major  Benjamin  Hinman.  was  one 
of  thirteen  of  this  name  to  become  commissioned 
ofiicers  from  the  town  of  Woodbury.  Conn. 
Asa  and  Ephraim  Hinman.  lirothers  of  Ben- 
jamin, attained  the  rank  of  colonel,  aud  a  cousin. 
Captain  Elisha  Hinman.  had  command  of  a  ship 
of  war  fitted  out  by  the  Colonists.  Major  Ben- 
jamin Hinman  was  aid  to  General  Greene,  of 
Revohitinnary  fame.  John  E.  Hinman.  a  son  o'" 
Major  Benjamin,  was  mayor  of  Utica.  New 
York,  in  182-1.  and  entertained  the  Marquis  de 
Lafayette  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Amer- 
ica during  1824-5.  At  this  memorable  reception, 
Annis.  sister  of  the  mayor,  and  then  nine  years 
old.  was  iiresent,  and  one  of  the  pleasantest  rec- 
ollections of  her  later  life  was  that  of  sitting 
on  the  knee  of  the  distinguished  and  patriotic 
Frenchman,  and  conversing  with  him  in  his  na- 
tive   tongue.      Annis'    only    daughter,    Marv    E. 


Munroe,  still  occupies  the  old  homestead  in 
Rushville.  bluilt  by  the  Hinmaus  seventy-nine 
years  ago. 

Thomas  Irvin  Munroe  attended  the  public 
.schools  of  Rushville,  aud  the  I'uiversity  of 
Michigan,  graduating  from  Vauderbilt  L'uiver- 
sity,  Nashville,  Tenn.  Since  his  admission  to  the 
bar  iu  I'JOl,  he  has  been  engaged  iu  the  general 
ja-actice  of  law  iu  his  native  town.  On  June  2,S, 
1905,  he  was  united  in  marrige  to  .Mary  Bar- 
clay Crawford,  who  was  born  in  Bradford.  111., 
and  educated  at  Kuo.\  College,  Galesburg.  Mr. 
Munroe  is  a  Democrat,  in  politics,  and  in  re- 
ligiou,  a  I're-sbyterian.  He  is  a  young  man  of 
euergj-  aud  resourcefulness  and  a  careful  student 
of  men  and  events,  aud  those  who  know  him  best 
predict  for  him  the  highest  honors  of  his  pro- 
fession. 


MUNSON,  Henry  0.,  M.  D.— Of  the  leading 
practitioners  who  lend  character  to  aud  inspire 
confidence  in  the  profession  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Kusliville.  none  have  a  more  en- 
viable reputation  than  Dr.  Henry  A.  Muuson. 
A  genuine  and  deep-seate<l  liking  for  his  call- 
ing, the  best  training  jiossible  In  this  country 
aud  in  Europt^,  a  mo.st  progn>ssive  spirit  and 
a  keeu  ■■iiipreciation  of  e.\liaustle.ss  iK>ssiliilities 
for  useful  discovery,  are  the  chief  contributory 
causes  of  the  success  which  this  skillful  disciple 
of  Hahnemann  has  achieved. 

Dr.  Munson  Is  a  native  of  Pottsdam,  St.  Law- 
rence County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  Iwrn  August 
14,  I8C7.  When  tpiite  young  he  moved  with 
his  parents,  George  A.  aud  Harriet  (Wetniore) 
.Munsou,  from  .New  York  to  Iowa,  where  he 
built  up  his  present  strong  constitution  working 
in  the  harvest  fields  of  the  paternal  farm,  aud 
where  he  eventually  graduated  from  the  High 
School  of  (Jrinnell.  Poweshiek  County.  Devel- 
oping tendencies  towards  a  broader  life  than  was 
IKjssible  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  he  took 
up  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  Minnesota 
State  I'niversity  Mtnlical  College,  and  in  18;K) 
graduated  from  the  Halmeniann  Medical  College 
of  Chicago.  After  practicing  medicine  and 
surgery  four  years  in  Wisconsin,  he  took  a 
course  in  the  Chicago  Post  Graduate  College, 
and  in  ISitl.  located  in  Rushville.  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  While  traveling  in  Europe 
in  1S!»T.  Dr.  .Munson  sitecialized  in  investigation 
along  the  lines  of  eye  and  eiir  surgery. 

.\t  Princeton.  Mo.,  in  1880.  Dr.  Munson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jennie  C.  Cleary.  and  of 
this  union  there  are  three  children:  Helen,  Mary 
and  Harriet.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  is  an 
active  worker.  For  a  time  he  was  President  of 
the  Eiiworth  League,  and  in  other  ways  he  has 
sought  to  promote  religious  development  and 
aid  evangelistic  effort  among  the  jieople  of  his 
adopted  town.  A  genial  and  sympathetic  per- 
sonalitj-,  a  philosophy  which  tends  to  optimism, 
and  the  use  of  mental  and  other  simple  aids  in 
connection  with  the  healing  art.  have  given  him 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


897 


a   warm   aud  abiding  place  iu   the  hearts  of   a 
large  number  of  patrons. 

NALL,  James  R,  a  well  known  and  skillful 
builder  and  contractor,  of  Rushville,  111.,  was 
born  in  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
111..  September  29,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles 
II.  and  Elizabeth  (Chick)  Nail,  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky and  Indiana,  respectively.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  Gabriel  J.  Nail,  of  Woodford 
County,  Ky.,  where  he  was  born  in  1788.  Charles 
H.  Nail,  who  was  born  October  25,  lS2.j,  came 
with  his  father,  Gabriel  J.,  from  Kentucky  to 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  in  1831.  Elizabeth 
(Chick)  Nail,  his  wife,  was  born  iu  Rushville, 
Ind.,  and  came  with  her  father,  James  Chick, 
to  Schuyler  County,  the  latter  being  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  county,  arriving  in  ISot!. 
He  located  on  the  farm,  iu  Rushville  Town- 
shij),  now  owned  by  W.  L.  Deniaree,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
dying  in  185!)  or  1800.  He  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Masonic  Lodge  in  the  county. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  teacher  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  iu  connection  with  his  fanning  op- 
erations. After  his  death  his  widow  went  to 
Grayson  County,  Tex.,  where  she  passed  her 
last  days.  By  occupation  Charles  H.  Nail  w-as  a 
cooper,  having  learned  that  trade  after  coming  to 
Schuyler  Count.v,  where  he  followed  ecjopering 
and  farming  together  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
March  8,  1881.  He  was  a  man  of  quiet  disiKisi- 
tiou  and  unobstrusive  manners,  thoroughly  do- 
mestic in  his  tastes  and  inclinations,  and  pre- 
ferring the  home  circle  above  all  other  at- 
tractions. His  family  consisted  of  four  sons  and 
two  daughters,  namely :  Heni-y  and  Fannie, 
deceased  ;  Itichard,  who  died  in  infancy  ;  James 
R. ;  Lewis,  who  is  a  millwright  by  trade,  and 
lives  at  Billings,  Mont. ;  and  Nettie,  wife  of 
Gorge  E.  Day.  R.  F.  D..  at  Ray,  Schuyler  County. 
Politically.  Charles  H.  Nail  was  the  only  Repub- 
lican among  the  many  members  of  the  Nail  fam- 
ily to  which  he  belonged.  He  was  upright  and 
dutiful  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and  an  ex- 
emplars- member  of  the  community. 

The  early  life  of  James  R.  Xall  was  spent  on 
the  home  farm,  where  he  remained  until  1881, 
and  his  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  vicinity.  In  1882.  he  went  to  work 
with  Richard  Day,  a  well  known  citizen,  in 
order  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  aud 
continued  iu  his  employ  for  about  three  years. 
After  his  marriage  he  made  his  home  on  the 
farm  in  Oakland  Township  until  1892,  when  he 
bought  the  )ilace  where  he  now  lives,  consisting 
of  a  very  attractive  residence,  with  eleven  acres 
of  ground,  situated  just  north  of  Rushville.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  Xall  took  place  March  5.  1884, 
on  which  date  he  was  wedded  to  Laura  Har- 
mon, who  was  bom  near  Rushville,  October 
14,  18.59.  Mrs.  Xall  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Martha  .Vnn  (Ellisi  Harmon.  (Farticul.-irs  iu 
reg.-ii'd  to  the  Ellis  family  may  Ik?  found  in 
a  biographical  record  of  James  D.  Ellis,  ap- 
pearing on  another  page  of  this  volume.)     John 


F.  Harmon  was  a  native  of  Boone  County,  Ky., 
who  became  a  resident  of  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  early  in  the  last  century.  For  many  years 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school,  aud  on 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  enlisted  and 
went  with  his  regiment  to  Vicksburg.  There, 
being  seized  with  siclcness,  he  died,  and  his  re- 
mains are  lying  in  an  unknown  grave.  The 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xall  resulted  iu  one  child, 
Annie  Delle,  bom  Jlarch  20,  1885,  who  has  re- 
ceived a  thorough  classical  and  musical  edu- 
cation. She  is  now  employed  in  the  capacity  of 
bookkeeper  in  the  establishment  of  Wilson  & 
Co.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
of  Rushville,  as  is  also  her  mother,  a  woman  of 
many  e.xcellent  ti-aits  of  character. 

In  1892,  Mr.  Xall  turned  his  attention  to 
contracting  and  building,  aud  many  of  the  tinest 
business  blocks  and  private  residences  in  Ru.sh- 
ville  aud  the  surrounding  country  are  the  result 
of  his  skill.  Among  these  are  the  Vedder  Block, 
and  the  "Times'"  Building,  in  Rushville,  with 
others,  which  will  long  stand  as  monuments  of 
his  architectural  and  mechanical  ingenuity. 

In  iX)Iitics,  Mr.  Xall  has  always  been  active 
in  behalf  of  the  success  of  the  Republican  partj', 
but  has  never  entertained  any  desire  for  ijublic 
ottice.  Frateruall.v,  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Mystic  Workers.  He  is  one  of  the  most  i>rom- 
inent  and  favorably  known  citizens  of  his  lo- 
cality. 

NAUGHT,  George  W. — The  fine  old  pioneer  fam- 
ily of  .Xaught,  so  numerously  scattered  over  the 
fertile  lands  of  Schuyler  County,  111.,  in  no  sense 
loses  its  dignity  or  influence  in  the  career  of 
George  W.  Xaught,  a  representative  of  the  third 
generation  iu  tlie  Central  West,  and  the  owner  of 
a  farm  of  120  acres  in  Se(_-tion  10,  Woodstock 
Township.  Mr.  Naught  was  bom  on  Section  36, 
Woodstock  Township,  Febuary  25,  18(i5,  aud  his 
youth  was  passed  among  far  different  surround- 
ings than  confronted  his  father,  George  Naught, 
who  was  bom  in  White  Count}',  111.,  in  1822, 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  Schuyler  County 
in  1824.  Isaac  Xaught,  father  of  George,  was 
a  canny  Scotchman  who  in  youth  had  crossed 
the  sea  and  settled  in  Temiessee,  his  death 
occurring  in  Pike  Countj-,  111.,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  Wixidstock  Township  in  1824 
was  still  a  happy  hunting  ground  lor  the  Indian, 
abounding  in  game,  the  well  worn  trail,  and  the 
sini|i]('  wigwam.  The  paleface  was  regarded  as 
an  intruder,  and  the  lives  of  the  settlers  were 
often  in  danger.  In  his  rude  hut  iu  the  primeval 
timber  Isaac  reared  his  family  to  useful  man- 
hood, and  f^'cirge,  like  the  rest  of  the  children, 
worked  hard  and  had  very  few  advantages  as  ad- 
vantages are  now  understood.  Their  home  was 
a  great  curiosity  to  the  more  friendly  Indians, 
and  to  such  an  extent  did  they  crowd  its  room 
and  hospitality,  that  they  had  to  be  driven  out 
in  order  to  make  a  place  for  the  rightful  oc- 
cupants. Finally  they  were  [X'rsuaded  to  seek 
other  habitations  and  crossed  the  creek  below 
Greenwell's    Mill,    on   the   Lemoine   River,    then 


898 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


kuowu  as  Crooked  Creek.  When  George  Naught 
drove  with  hi.s  gi-ain  to  the  William  MuKee  Mill, 
north  of  Kushville,  that  coiiiumuity  consisted  of 
one  little  log  cabin,  occuijied  by  some  daring 
invader  of  the  wilderness.  It  was  the  privilege 
of  Isaac  Naught  to  witness  and  participate  iu 
the  changes  which  took  i)laee  l)etweeu  his  ar- 
rival in  181^4,  and  his  death  in  ISSG,  and  to 
accumulate  a  fair  competence  through  industry 
and  good  .iudginent.  He  left  the  legacy  of  a 
good  name,  a  noble  purpose,  and  an  example  of 
lairness  and  consideration,  traits  that  are  ex- 
pressed in  the  general  character  of  the  family 
whii-h  profited  by  his  kintluess  and  oversight. 
Of  these  children.  James  has  been  a  resident  of 
Omaha  for  twenty-two  years;  Philip  died  De- 
cember 30,  190.5 ;  Lizzie  occupies  the  old  home 
with  her  motlier,  and  is  unmarried;  and 
Catlierine  and  Nancy  are  twins,  the  former  be- 
ing the  wife  of  William  K.  Davis,  residing  near 
Sugar   Grove.    Woodstock   'I'ownship. 

<;eorge  W.  Naught  has  harbored  no  aspirations 
not  in  accord  with  the  occuijation  of  his  fore- 
fathers. To  him  farming  is  a  noble  and  satis- 
fying pursuit  and  one  in  which  he  talces  infinite 
pleasure  and  pride.  He  remained  on  the  home 
place  until  his  marriage.  November  10.  lS8(i. 
to  Minnie  Strumniel.  daughter  of  George  Strum- 
mel.  a  native  of  (Jermany,  and  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Schuyler  County.  The  young  people  set- 
tled on  a  rented  farm  in  Woodstock  Township, 
and  at  the  end  of  five  years  Mr.  Naught  pur- 
chased 120  acres  of  land  iu  Section  10,  kno.vn 
as  the  Magruder  farm,  the  sole  improvements 
upon  whieh  were  a  log  house  and  a  small  bam. 
In  this  log  cabin  the  family  lived  until  1901. 
when  the  present  modern  residence  was  erected, 
the  proiierty  now  being  one  of  the  best  Im- 
jiroved  in  the  neighliorhood.  The  owner  is  in- 
terested in  stock  raising  (m  a  small  scale,  and 
has  a  good  grade  of  cattle,  hogs  and  horses.  His 
fences  and  buildings  are  kei>t  in  good  repair,  and 
the  visitor  is  im]iressed  with  the  general  neat- 
ness and  method  which  characterize  the  place. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Naught  is  a  Democrat,  and 
he  has  filled  several  offices  of  local  imixirtance. 
Fraternally,  he  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woiidmen  of  America.  Camp  SOS.  of  Rushville. 
and  ill  religion,  he  is  a  inemlx>r  of  the  Methodist 
Kliiscijpal  Church.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naught  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Esther,  born  Sep- 
tember 20.  1887.  a  graduate  of  the  Rushville  .Nor- 
mal, and  an  educator  of  note:  Dwight.  Ikh-u 
April  20.  1890;  Mabel,  born  February  18.  ISSM; 
and  Harold,  born  .January  ti,  IfKi?!.  Mr.  Naught 
is  upright  and  honorable,  a  genial  companion, 
kind  to  children  and  animals,  and  in  favor  of  all 
measures  for  the  improvement  of  the  conditions 
by  which  he  is  surrounded. 

NELSON,  Andrew  H.^The  family  of  Andrew 
II.  Nelson,  of  Rushville  Township.  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  was  established  in  America  long 
before  the  discontent  of  the  Colonists  culminated 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Wlien  that  time 
came,  his  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Nelson. 


a  farmer  by  occupation,  presumably  in  Penn- 
sylvania, exchanged  his  iitipU'iiients  of  husban- 
dry for  weajious  of  destruction,  and  followed 
the  martial  fortunes  of  the  illustrious  Washing- 
ton for  seven  years.  During  tlial  time  lie  fought 
on  the  principal  batlefields  of  the  memorable 
conflict.  The  maternal  grandfather.  Benjamin 
Teel,  was  also  a  st)ldier  iu  the  Revolutionary 
War.  .serving  from  start  to  finish.  Henry  Nel- 
son, father  of  Andrew  II.,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1801.  and  married  .Mary  Ann  Teel.  lie 
was  a  weaver  by  trade,  but  when  he  came  to 
Rushville  Township  in  18:17  he  dcvottHl  himself 
to  farming,  continuing  thus  until  shortly  before 
his  death,  in  1804. 

Andrew  II.  Nelson  was  bom  May  15,  1834,  be- 
ing three  years  old  when  his  family  aiTived  in 
Rushville  Township.  His  early  training  and 
education  did  not  differ  from  those  of  the  sons  of 
other  settlers,  and  he  was  early  expected  to 
make  his  work  count  and  to  ccintrilmte  his  share 
towards  the  support  of  the  family.  His  life 
pa.ssed  uneventfully  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War.  On  May  7,  1801,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
]iany  G,  Sixteenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  one  of  the  tirst  men  of  Schuy- 
ler County  to  leave  for  the  front.  lie  partici- 
pated in  mauy  of  the  imiwrtant  battles  of  the 
war.  and  tvas  honorably  dl.scharged  from  the 
service  .lune  17,  1804.  The  following  year,  ou 
December  2.">.  he  married  Kljza  .Vmi  Allen,  a 
daughter  of  Zethemiah  .\llen,  an  early  settler 
and  prominent  farmer  of  Rainbridge  Township, 
Schuyler  Comity,  .Mr,  and  .Mrs.  .Nelson  have  had 
nine  children,  namely:  Wiinain  Henry,  Allen 
Z..  Lena  .May,  Charles  K..  Edward  li..  Stella  L., 
Thomas  R.,  Haro'  K.,  aud  one  who  died  in  In- 
fancy. Lena  .May,  Stella  L.,  and  Thomas  B.  are 
deceased. 

.Mr.  Nelson  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  of  Rushville  Township,  and  a  liberal 
contributor  towards  its  suppiun.  Ilis  farming 
o|)eratioTis  have  U-en  attended  with  success.  He 
is  the  owner  of  100  acres  of  fine  land,  and  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers 
and  useful  citizens  of  his  locality. 

ODENWELLER,  Jolin  L.— The  career  of  .lohn 
Ij.  Odeiiweller  has  been  dignified  by  industry, 
perseverance  and  fair  dealing,  and  by  praisewor- 
tliy  efforts  to  .secure  the  just  and  pea<eful  re- 
wards of  toil.  Fconomy  and  thrift  have  made 
him  the  owner  of  a  sjilendid  fann  of  100  acres 
in  Section  12.  Bainbridge  Township,  and  his 
contribution  to  the  well  being  of  the  State  as- 
sumes still  more  substantial  projiortlons  in  his 
family  of  e<lucated,  cultivated,  and  refined  sons 
and  daughters,  all  of  whom  inherit  his  tendency 
towards  noble  aud  useful  citizenship.  Mr.  Odeii- 
weller was  born  in  Macomb.  .McI>onough  County. 
III..  July  17.  ISTiO.  and  is  a  son  of  Leonard  and 
Elizabeth  (Danley)   Odenweller. 

Leonard  Odenweller  was  liorn  in  Baden.  Ger- 
many, in  1.81.").  and  came  to  America  alxmt  1836. 
In  his  native  land  he  had  learned  the  locksmith 
and  blacksmith  trades,  and  followed  the  same  in 


/^^^'-^^-^^i^^^'c^^ 


HISTORY  OF  SOTTT'YLEI]  COT'XTY 


899 


Pbiladelphia,  and  later  iu  Uaytou.  Ohio.  In  the 
latter  city  be  maiTied,  and  soon  after  moved  to 
Mac-omb,  III.,  wbere  be  worked  at  bis  trades,  and 
iu  time  bought  land  in  Scotland  and  Industry 
TowusbiiJs.  On  bis  land  he  maintained  a  busy 
blacksmith  shop  in  connection  with  farming,  aud 
at  one  time  owned  4.50  acres,  being  oue  of  the 
foremost  farmere  and  business  meu  in  the  towu- 
sbips  which  he  represented.  His  last  years  were 
s|)ent  in  retirement  in  the  city  of  Macomb,  where 
his  death  occurred  iu  1SS7.  his  wife  surviving 
him  until  1889.  Of  the  ten  children  iu  this  fam- 
ily three  died  in  infancy,  and  seven  are  living  at 
the  present  time,  viz. :  Kev.  Thomas  F.,  of  Iowa  ; 
John  L. ;  Simon  P.,  of  Macomb ;  Richard  A.,  of 
rieasanton,  Kan.;  Isaiah,  for  many  years  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Macomb,  but  now  living  iu 
Wintield,  Kan.;  Mary  M.,  wife  of  J.  M.  Miller, 
of  Graham,  Mo. ;  and  Luclnda  H..  wife  of  Mi- 
chael M.  Montgomery,  of  ShelbyvlUe,  111. 

The  success  of  his  father  permitted  John  L. 
Odenweller  to  acquire  a  mucli  better  education 
than  the  average  country  reared  boy.  He  at- 
tended the  district  schools,  the  old  Macomb  Nor- 
mal and  Abingdon  College,  and  for  two  or  three 
years  taught  the  school  near  his  home.  He  also 
"taught  iu  Schuyler  County,  and  while  thus  en- 
gaged met  aud  married  Lucinda  H.  Bellomy,  a 
native  of  Frederick  Towuship.  and  daughter  of 
Thomas  Bellamy,  a  Schuyler  County  pioneer. 
For  a  time  Mr.  Odenweller  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  in  Sciota,  111.,  and  in  1881  lo- 
cated permanently  in  Schuyler  County,  purchas- 
ing in  Section  12,  Bainbridge  Township,  100 
acres  of  partially  improved  land.  The  industry 
of  the  owner  has  brought  about  remarkable 
changes,  aud  it  is  doubtful  if  in  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  county,  is  to  be  fouud  a  more 
homelike,  profitable  and  pleasant  farm.  The 
mechanical  ingenuity  of  Mr.  Odenweller  has  been 
of  incakailable  l)enefit  to  him  in  making  im- 
provements, aud  his  trained  mind  has  known 
how  to  siK'ud  his  time  and  money  to  the  best 
possilile  advantage.  Of  horticulture  he  has  made 
a  scientihc  study,  aud  he  takes  particular  delight 
in  a  seven-acre  orchard,  and  two  acres  of  small 
fruits.  He  also  follows  general  fanning,  and 
has  some  excellent  stock  about  his  place.  Method, 
economy,  industry  and  faithfulness  are  the  key- 
notes of  his  success,  aud  the  bajipy  co-operation 
of  his  family  has  furnished  an  incentive  often 
wanting  iu  even  the  most  ]a'osi)erous  of  homes. 

Politically  a  Republican,  Mr.  Odenweller  is  by 
no  means  a  partisan,  and  he  has  steadfastly  re- 
fused all  proffers  of  official  recognition.  He  is 
fraternally  connected  with  the  lnde])eudent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  and  tinds  a  religious  home 
in  the  Christian  Church.  A  great  grief  over- 
shadowed the  Odenweller  home  March  7,  1!X)2, 
when  occurred  the  death  of  the  beloved  mother 
of  the  four  children,  and  the  helpmate  of  a  fond 
husband.  In  this  emergency  Elsie  L.,  the  oldest 
daughter,  terminated  three  years  of  successful 
teaching  to  assume  the  duties  of  housekeeping. 
She  was  bom  in  McDonough  County,  III..  Oc- 
tober 22,   1877,   is  a  graduate  of  the  Frederick 


High  School,  and  attended  Kureka  College  during 
the  season  of  18!t7-8.  Arthur  L.,  the  oldest  son 
in  the  family,  was  born  February  1.  1870.  aud  he 
graduated  from  the  Western  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal, in  the  Class  of  1007 ;  Eula  L.,  born  Septem- 
ber 20,  1880,  was  killed  iu  a  runaway  accident 
July  28,  1903.  Claude  B.,  born  October  4,  1881, 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Western  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal, Class  of  VMV>,  aud  married  Ilattie  H.  Hes- 
ser,  of  St.  Louis.  JIo.,  and  has  one  child.  Byron 
Hesser  Odenweller,  born  March  2(i,  1907.  Claude 
B.  is  living  on  the  home  farm  with  his  latlier, 
and  is  an  active  and  capable  young  larmer.  Tiie 
entire  family  are  held  iu  the  highest  esteem,  and 
represent  the  intellectual,  well  bred  and  thor- 
oughly informed  element  in  the  comumnity. 

ORR,  Henry,  whose  life  iu  Schuyler  County,  111., 
is  Contemporaneous  with  nearly  all  the  stages 
of  the  county's  development  from  a  baireu  wild, 
aud  who  is  known  to  most  of  its  older  residents 
as  one  of  its  most  successful  fanuers  aud  stock 
raisers,  was  boru  not  tar  from  his  present  home 
iu  Baiubridge  Township,  May  lo,  1844.  He  lives 
in  Section  9,  and  his  birthplace  is  in  Section  10. 
Mr.  OiT  is  a  .son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (, Burn- 
side)  Orr,  natives  of  County  Tyroue,  Ireland, 
where  they  were  reared,  and  maiTied.  Joseph 
Orr  and  his  wile  came  to  the  Unfed  States  at 
an  early  period,  and  proceeding  to  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  settled  in  Section  10.  Baiubridge 
Township,  about  the  year  1837.  Here  they  en- 
dured all  the  privations  and  hardshiijs  of  pioneer 
life,  confronting  perils  from  Indians  aud  raven- 
ous animals,  and  in  course  of  time  the  father 
cleared  and  tilled  his  land,  building  in  place  of 
the  primitive  log  cabiu  a  comfortable  dwelling  in 
which  the  worthy  coujile  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  days.  Two  of  their  children  were  boru  in 
Ireland,  namely,  Jane  and  Mary.  Jane  became 
the  wife  of  Simon  Reeve,  whose  life  is  depicted 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  aud  Mary  married  S. 
B.  Vaughau,  a  farmer  of  Baiubridge  Towuship. 
Of  those  boru  in  this  countrj'.  Ellen  and  Lil.v 
died  iu  infancy.  Joseph  Orr  died  .Vugnst,  1895, 
at  the  age  of  ninety-five  .years  and  five  mouths. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  character,  gen- 
erous impulses,  iuteuse  public  spirit,  and  in  ev- 
ery respect,  a  model  citizen.  Ills  wife  was  eighty- 
five  years  old  when  she  passed  away.  In  reli- 
gious faith,  she  was  a  devout  Presbyterian. 

Heni-y  Orr  was  reared  on  the  fami,  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  log  school  house 
in  the  vicinity,  of  whose  slab  seats  aud  uuglazed 
windows  he  has  a  vivid  recollectiou.  He  assi.sted 
his  father  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twent.v- 
three  years,  taking  charge  of  the  home  place  at 
that  time.  In  1885  he  bought  twenty-  acres  of 
laud,  afterwards  purchasing  one  hundred  acres 
more,  in  Section  9,  Bainbridge  Towuship.  which 
was  partl.v  improved  and  contained  a  log  cabin, 
most  of  it,  however,  being  heavily  timbered.  Jlr. 
Orr  applied  himself  to  the  arduous  task  of  clear- 
ing the  ground  of  its  dense  growth,  aud  after 
getting  a  part  of  it  under  the  plow,  built  a  t^vo- 
story  frame  house  on  the  site  of  the  log  cabin. 


900 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


To  his  orife'iual  purchase  of  twenty  acres,  he 
added  froui  Unie  to  time,  uutil  he  is  now  tlie 
owner  ot  215  acres  in  one  body,  lying  in  Sec- 
tions !>  and  lU,  Baiubridge  Township.  His 
farming  operations  have  been  very  successtui, 
but  he  is  recognized  not  only  as  a  prosperous 
and  substantial  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  his 
standing  as  a  public  spirited,  enterprising  and 
uselul  citizen  being  also  acliuowledged  through- 
out tlie  community.  During  all  his  long  partici- 
pation in  the  affairs  of  the  township,  he  has  bcnm 
one  of  the  most  earnest  supixirtere  of  the  <-liurch 
and  school,  and  has  always  done  his  full  share 
in  promoting  every  measure  intended  to  advance 
the  general  welfare. 

In  ISUT,  Mr.  Orr  was  united  in  man'iage  with 
JIargaret  Bowlin,  who  was  born  in  Baiubridge 
Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Louisa 
Bowlin,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  following 
children  resulted  from  this  union,  namely  :  Krn- 
est,  Dora,  Delvan,  S.  B.  and  Cora.  Krnest  niar- 
ried  .Sarah  Lenover,  and  is  the  father  of  three 
children — Stella,  Nellie,  and  .Melvin,  who  has 
charge  of  the  farm  of  Henry  Reeve.  Doi-a,  de- 
ceased wife  of  Charles  Ackers,  left  seven  chil- 
dren— Homer,  Henry,  Earl,  Owen,  Bertha  and 
Buster  Codry,  of  whom  the  last  named  makes 
his  home  witli  Mr.  Orr.  Delvan  married  Lily 
Lawler,  who  has  borne  him  four  children — John 
Henry,  Sarah  iL,  Harvey  and  Thomas.  S.  B. 
married  Lenora  Kittenhouse,  by  whom  he  has 
one  sou,  William  II.,  a  farmer  in  Baiubridge 
Township.  Cora  is  the  wife  of  Emory  I*a.\^le. 
who  follows  farming  in  Littleton  Towushii), 
Schuyler  County.  The  living  descendauts  of 
Henry  and  JIargaret  (Bowlin)  Orr,  now  num- 
ber nineteen,  of  whom  fifteen  are  grandchildren. 

Politically,  Mr.  Orr  is  a  supporter  of  Demo- 
cratic principles,  but  the  sympathies  of  Mrs.  Orr, 
who  is  a  woman  of  uuconnnon  intelligence  and 
de€»p  retlection,  are  with  the  Uepublican  party. 
Both  husband  and  wife  are  highly  esteemed  by 
a  large  accpiaintance. 

PARKE,  Overton. — The  association  of  the 
Parke  family  with  the  lauded  interests  of  Illi- 
nois dates  back  to  the  year  ISMO,  when  a  stal- 
wart young  Kentuckian.  Oliver  H.  P.  Parke 
(better  known  as  Perry  Parke)  came  from  his 
home  in  the  Blue  (Jrass  State  on  a  tour  of  in- 
sjiection  through  what  was  then  known  as  the 
frontier.  The  a])pearance  of  the  country  pleased 
him  and  his  keen  foresi!,'ht  discerned  great  pos- 
sibilities in  its  future  development.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival  in  Brown  County,  III.,  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  wild  land  for  .$1.2,5  per  acre, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Kentucky.  His  na- 
tive place  was  near  Kichmond,  Madison  County, 
where  he  was  horn  in  1813,  and  where  also  his 
wife,  Mary  Lo,i,'sd(.)n,  was  horn  and  reared.  They 
were  married  in  IS.'W  and  their  wedding  trip 
comprised  a  journey  by  steamer  down  the  Ohio 
river  and  up  the  Mississippi,  then  up  the  Illi- 
nois Piver  to  a  con\enient  landing  jilaee  known 
as  Legraue,  from  which  they  traveled  by  wagon 
to  the  home  of  his  cousin.    His  first  task  was  the 


building  of  a  log  cabin;  his  ne.vt,  the  clearing 
and  developing  of  a  farm.  Selling  out  in  1S4U, 
he  came  to  Schuyler  County  and  bought  an  un- 
improved tract  of  eighty  acres.  lu  addition,  he 
bought  IIK)  acres  at  the  solicitation  of  his  sous, 
who  agreed  to  stiiy  with  him  until  the  quarter 
section  had  been  paid  for.  Fortunately,  this 
l)roveil  on  easy  task,  as  the  heavy  timber  on  the 
land  .soon  jjaid  for  the  entire  pi-operty. 

From  the  time  of  his  permanent  s<>ltlement  in 
Illinois  in  l.s:;4,  until  his  death  in  1SI)2,  Perry 
Parke  was  jirivilegeil  to  witness  many  changes. 
Looking  around  him  at  the  imjiroved  lands,  neat 
buildings,  ]irosperous  vilhiges  and  contented  l)eo- 
jile,  he  c-ould  truly  say  as  a  pioneer,  "All  of  which 
1  saw  and  j)art  of  which  I  was."  It  is  to  .such 
men  as  he  th.it  Schuyler  County  owes  its  pres- 
tige as  one  of  the  finest  farming  communities  in 
the  State.  He  and  his  wife,  who  survived  him 
oidy  about  one  year,  had  a  lai^ge  family,  seven 
of  whom  attained  mature  years,  namely:  Amelia 
.v.;  Talilhia,  who  married  .John  H.  Black,  a 
farmer  living  ou  Section  12,  Woodstock  Towu- 
sliip ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Thomas  Kirby,  of 
Beardstowii,  111.;  Lucy  X.,  wife  of  William  Al- 
len, a  retired  fanner ;  Elbert,  a  resident  of 
KewantH?,  III.;  William  J.,  living  iu  Kit  Carsou 
County,  Col. ;  and  Overton,  who  was  born  lu 
Blown  County,  111,,  October  8,  1!*41,  and  now 
lives  in  Section  II,  Woodstock  Township,  his 
farm  lying  on  the  line  of  the  rural  free  delivery 
from  Cooperstowu. 

At  the  age  of  eight  years  Overton  Parke  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Schuyler  County,  where 
he  rcHt'ived  n  common  school  education.  On  Au- 
gust 11,  18(J2,  he  eulisted  in  Company  D,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Regiment,  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  for  three  years  he  remained 
at  the  front.  Shortly  after  his  enlistment  he 
suffered  an  illness  when  lu  camp  at  Danville, 
Ky..  and  for  seven  weeks  was  in  a  hosjiital 
at  L)uisville.  On  recovering  his  health  he  ac- 
comuanied  his  regiment  iu  its  marches  In  the 
.south  and  participated  in  the  engagements  at 
Chickaniauga,  Rocky  Face  Ilidge,  Resaca  and 
Dalton,  as  well  as  many  minor  skiniiishes.  June 
11,  18(j.j,  he  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  East 
Tennessee,  and  on  the  .3d  of  July  he  aiTived  at 
home,  which  he  had  not  visited  during  his  ab- 
sence of  three  yeai-s. 

The  marriage  of  Overton  Parke  and  Rosanna 
Heddick  was  solemnized  November  1.  180(5,  and 
the  young  couple  iM'gan  housekeeping  at  the  old 
P.irke  homestead,  but  in  1872  moved  to  their 
present  farm.  .Mrs.  Parke  was  born  in  B.iiii- 
bridge  Township,  and  was  first  seen  by  Mr.  Parke 
when  she  was  sitting  on  her  mother's  lap  In 
church.  They  have  five  children  now  living, 
namely:  John  E..  who  married  Blanche  Taylor 
and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Woodstock  Township ; 
Maggie;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Frederick  Ixigs- 
don.  a  farmer  of  Brown  Countj-,  111. ;  Nettie,  who 
has  been  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  county:  and  Rosa  C.  (Mrs.  Quinn) 
who  lives  on  a  farm  in  Brown  County.  Six  chil- 
dren died  in  infancy. 


HIST()I;Y  of  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


901 


Tlie  I'arke  farm  cousists  of  -(JO  ac-ros  iu  one 
body  aud  beare  first-class  imiivoveiueiits,  with 
every  facility  for  the  extensive  feedinj;  of  hogs 
aud  cattle,  of  which  Mr.  Parke  keeps  only  the 
finest  grades.  The  residence  is  a  two-story,  frame 
building  with  a  double  "L."  There  are  three 
barns,  41.'x(i2.  (iOxGO  and  24x48  feet,  respectively, 
the  last  being  a  cow-bam  enclosed  with  sheds  at 
one  end  and  on  iHith  sides.  It  is  the  owner's 
ambition  to  maintain  a  farm  surpassed  by  none, 
and  he  spares  no  pains  in  his  etfort  to  keep  the 
soil  under  first-class  cultivation  and  the  build- 
ings in  good  repair.  While  neglecting  no  duty 
connected  with  the  maintenance  of  the  place,  he 
has  discharged  also  the  duties  devolving  upon 
him  as  a  patriotic  citizen,  has  aided  in  building 
up  the  roads  of  the  township  and  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  the  schools.  Politically,  he  votes 
with  the  Republican  party.  In  religious  asso- 
ciations he  and  his  wife  have  been  members  of 
the  I'nion  Baptist  church  for  more  than  half 
a  century,  and  they  have  been  liberal  contribu- 
tors to  its  maintenance,  as  well  as  to  the  relief 
of  those  in  need.  On  the  organization  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  Mr.  Pai-ke  became  one 
of  its  charter  members,  and  he  has  also  been 
quite  active  iu  the  work  of  the  Grand  Army 
I'ost  at  Rushville,  with  which  he  has  been  iden- 
tified for  .vears.  .Vcconunodating  in  his  associa- 
tion with  neighbors,  kindly  in  disiwsition,  earn- 
est iu  religious  life,  sincere  in  devotion  to  coun- 
try aud  loyal  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  township, 
he  furnishes  an  illustratiou  of  what  may  be  ac- 
complished l)y  our  progressive  farmers  aud  loyal 
Iiatriotic  citizens. 

PECK,  James  E. — Pride  iu  her  self  made,  well 
made  men.  appreciation  of  the  obstacles  which 
they  have  encountered  on  their  road  to  success, 
and  gratitude  for  the  inestimable  toon  of  their 
attainments  and  presence  in  her  midst,  is  one  of 
the  strongest  claims  to  outside  consideration 
known  to  the  people  of  Schuyler  County.  When, 
in  addition  to  marked  success  in  some  practical 
department  of  activity,  a  man  expresses  many 
sided  general  capacity,  is  a  power  in  clean  poli- 
tics and  government,  a  promoter  of  education, 
benevolence,  ethics  and  temperate  living,  he  has 
become  an  example  by  which  the  youth  of  the 
conimunitj'  may  richly  profit.  Such  a  one  is 
.Tames  E.  Peck,  an  extensive  stock  and  grain 
raiser,  owner  of  380  acres  of  land  in  Section  .^fi, 
Oakland  Township,  a  jirominent  Prohibitionist, 
and  an  active  member  and  worker  in  the  Free 
Methodist  Church. 

A  substantial  monument  to  the  enterprise  and 
standing  of  this  family  is  Peckville,  Lackawanna 
County,  Penn.,  where  during  the  Civil  War, 
Samuel  Peck,  father  of  James  E.,  took  for  debt 
the  .Tessup  coal  lauds,  which  he  operated  in 
connections  with  snwmilling  and  merchandising 
for  many  years.  Jlr.  Peck  was  an  exr>onent  of 
New  England  thrift  and  sagacity,  a  native  of 
Jl.assachusetts,  and  a  settler  in  Lackawanna 
County  in  the  early  part  of  his  life.  His  opera- 
tions   were   conducted    along   strictly    legitimate 


and  progressive  lines,  aud  he  was  uot  ouly  the 
civic  father  of  I'eckville,  but  its  most  enthusias- 
tic and  suljstantial  promoter.  His  lumbering 
business  was  so  e.\teusive  that  the  mills  were 
often  kept  running  until  late  at  night.  He  be- 
came one  of  the  wealthy  aud  influential  meu  of 
that  part  of  Pennsylvania,  was  a  leader  iu  poli- 
tics and  religion,  and  was  especially  active  iu 
the  Presliytcrian  Church,  in  which  faith  his  busy 
life  drew  to  a  close  July  7,  l.S(14.  He  was  twice 
married,  and  there  were  ten  children  of  the 
first  union,  the  majority  of  whom  still  live  in 
I'enusylvania,  and  are  among  the  leadiug  coal 
operators  of  I'eckville  and  Scrautou.  For  his 
second  wife  Mr.  Peck  married  Anna  Bertht)lf, 
a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  James  E.  is  the 
oidy  child  of  this  union.  Mrs.  I'eclv's  father  sold 
his  wagon  manufactory  in  New  Jersey,  and  in 
1841)  joined  the  caravan  of  fortune  seekers  bound 
for  the  I'acific  coast.  He  was  fairl.v  successful 
as  a  miner  .and  mechanic,  and  in  18i')l!  came  to 
Sclniyler  County,  where  be  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  <m  a  farm  iu  Rushville  Township. 

.James  E.  I'eck  was  three  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Schuyler  County  with  his  mother,  aud 
thereafter,  for  nine  terms  she  taught  school  in 
what  was  known  as  the  Christian  Neck  school- 
house  in  Rushville  Towushii).  When  James  E. 
was  four  years  old  he  used  to  accompany  his 
mother  to  the  little  log  school,  and  they  event- 
ually Ixjugbt  forty  acres  of  land,  where  began 
the  active  farming  life  of  the  boy.  He  kuew 
little  of  actual  leisure,  for  the  income  of  the 
school  teacher  was  meager,  aud  the  little  fel- 
low, at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  planted  twelve 
acres  of  corn,  tended  and  cut  it.  From  then  on 
no  advantages  glided  noiselessly  into  his  life, 
:iud  resiionsibilities  fell  thick  and  fast  around 
bini.  .Vfter  his  mother's  second  marriage  (to 
David  Harris)  he  kept  bachelor  hall  on  the  lit- 
tle farm  in  Section  2,  Rushville  Township,  doing 
bis  own  cooking,  w.ashing  and  ironing,  and  even 
making  liis  own  clothes.  His  step-father  dying, 
his  mother  returned  to  make  her  home  with  her 
son,  and  here  her  death  occurred  iu  August,  1S8G. 
She  was  a  devout  Christian  woman,  of  lovable 
nature,  and  deepl.v  interested  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  she  was  a  teacher 
in  tlie  Sunday  school  for  many  years. 

His  mother  gone  from  him.  and  his  fortunes 
risen  somewhat  through  his  industry'  and  thrift, 
Jlr.  Peck  married,  Jlay  20,  18SS,  .Mary  I.  Ross, 
wlio  was  born  in  Kuena  Vista  Township,  .January 
1).  1800,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  William  B.  Ross, 
whose  family  history  see  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Before  his  marriage  Mr.  Peck  added  fortj^  acres 
to  his  original  farm,  making  eighty  acres.  In 
1880  he  bought  220  acres  in  Section  .30,  Oakland 
Towusliip,  and  in  1000  added  to  it  160  acres, 
making  880  in  one  body.  In  1000  he  sold  his 
Itushville  Township  property,  and  devotes  his 
time  entirely  to  his  larger  estate.  For  many 
years  he  has  rented  large  tracts  of  land,  and  in 
1007  realized  $4,000.00  from  live  stock,  aud  after 
disposing  of  large  quantities  of  general  produce, 
still  has  oil  hand  in  storage  a  thousand  bushels 


902 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


of  wbt'Mt.  Ill  raising  bogs,  be  mulies  a  siJecialty 
of  the  I'oIniKl-C'biua  breed.  As  a  general  farmer 
aud  stoclv  raiser,  be  stands  well  in  the  county. 
Underlying  hi.s  farm  is  a  tbirty-iueb  vein  of  ag 
fine  coal  as  is  to  be  found  in  this  section,  thus 
rendering  bis  jiroperty  of  niui.-b  more  than  aver- 
age value.  The  improvements  of  Mr.  I'eck  have 
been  carefully  considered  aud  are  tliorougbly 
practical  in  their  nature.  lie  is  a  conscientious 
student  of  the  science  of  bis  vocation,  aud  bis 
methods  are  those  of  a  man  who  has  given  i)ro- 
found  thought  to  the  little  as  well  as  larger 
things  of  life. 

Politically,  Mr.  Peck  is  one  of  the  strongest 
Prohibitionists  in  the  State.  His  first  presiden- 
tial vote  was  cast  for  James  G.  Blaine,  but  be 
soon  after  became  interested  in  teraperan<-e,  and 
the  cause  since  has  enlisted  bis  serious  and 
practical  efforts.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
national  convention  at  Indianaiiolis.  Ind..  in 
1!M)4.  when  Swallow,  of  Pennsylvani;i.  and  far- 
roll,  of  Texas,  were  nominated,  and  for  several 
.vears  he  was  chairman  of  the  (\mnty  Central 
Committee  of  the  Prohibition  jiarty.  resigning 
from  the  same  on  account  of  imsatisfactory 
health  and  multiplicity  of  other  obligations.  Ho 
is  a  Huent  and  forceful  speaker,  has  sjilendid 
command  of  the  temjierance  situation,  and  his 
services  are  eidisted  upon  all  important  State 
and  National  occasions  of  the  cause.  He  has 
been  equally  prominent  in  the  Free  Methodist 
Church,  which  he  joined  upon  attaining  liis  ma- 
jority, and  in  which  he  acted  as  an  official  at 
Christian  Xeck,  serving  as  recording  steward 
several  years.  During  the  past  fifteen  years  he 
has  also  served  .as  class  leader.  st(>ward.  exhor- 
ter,  a  frequent  deleg.-ite  to  Annual  Conferences, 
and  a  member  of  the  standing  conunittep. 

Mr.  Peck  is  a  great  lover  of  sports  ami  the 
great  out  of  doors,  and  is  one  of  the  most  expert 
rifle  shots  in  the  State.  As  a  small  boy  bis 
mother  encouraged  his  tendency  towards  marks- 
manship by  presenting  him  with  a  gun.  and  it 
has  ever  since  been  bis  chief  diversion.  In  IS.SO 
he  went  to  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  upon  a  bunting 
and  trapping  expedition,  and  remained  in  the 
enjo:\TOent  of  th<>  sport  for  .-i  year.  In  the  spring 
of  that  year  marksmen  and  hunters  from  .-ill  over 
Arkansas  arranged  a  meet  at  Fort  Smith,  but  Mr. 
Peck's  gtni  was  ruled  out  and  ho  was  obliged  tQ 
shoot  with  their  guns.  lie  won  an  nndisput(>d 
victory  over  all  there  assembled,  thus  adding  to 
many  otlier  laurels  already  won  hv  his  superior 
marksmanship.  Personally.  Mr.  pix>k  is  poimlar 
and  well  liked,  and  be  has  many  wann  friends 
throughout  the  county  and  State.  He  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  influential  and  broadiv  usefiil  citi- 
zens of  Schuyler  County. 

PEMBERTON,  Judge  Ephraim  John,  fde- 
cea.sed  t .— From  the  time  of  bis  admission  to  the 
Bar  of  Illinois  in  December.  l.Sfil,  Epbraim  .John 
Pemberton  was  an  increasingly  important  factor 
in  law.  politics,  education  and  good  government 
in  Unshville.  In  the  life  of  this  County  .Judge 
of  more  than  a  decade  and  old  time  practitioner. 


arc  many  lessons  of  vital  worth  for  the  young 
man  .about  to  embark  uiK)n  u  legal  career.  Chief 
among  these  is  the  necessity  for  an  earnest  and 
absorbing  purpose,'  and  a  determination  to  in- 
vest tile  calling  with  the  best  that  work  and 
brain  can  accomplish.  The  habits  of  thrift,  and 
the  economy  of  li.'ue  and  labor  aud  industry, 
which  rendered  Judge  Pemberton  so  useful  a 
citizen,  were  fostered  aud  developed  on  a  farm 
in  Illinois  to  which  be  came  with  bis  jiareuts 
wlien  a  year  old  from  Kno.x  Couuly,  Ivy., 
where  he  was  born  April  13,  1>S34.  His  father, 
Thomas  Pend)erton,  was  a  native  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  bis  mother,  Deborah  ( Moorej  I'em- 
iierton,  was  born  iu  N'orth  Carolina.  The  family 
settled  on  land  in  Oaklaiul  Township.  Schuyler 
County,  where  10)ihraini  gained  his  first  knowl- 
edge of  books  in  the  suliscription  schools,  aud 
which  surroundings  he  eventually  outgrew,  to 
embark  uiwu  the  more  strenuous  business  of  le- 
gal procedure. 

.Vt  an  early  stage  iu  his  professional  career, 
.Mr.  Pemberton  became  interi'stwl  in  [wlitics, 
readily  discerning  tliat  tlie  most  .superior  com- 
pensations of  his  calling  went  hand  in  hand  with 
p.irty  affairs.  He  began  to  practice  during  the 
first  year  of  the  Civil  War,  aud  iu  September  of 
the  last  ye.ir  of  the  war,  he  was  elected  Couuty 
.ludge  of  Schuyler  County  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and  served  continuously  for  seventeen 
years. 

In  addition  to  a  general  practice  of  law,  he 
s<'rved  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  member  of  the 
Town  or  City  Council,  and  member  ol'  the  P>oard 
ot  Trustees  of  the  Kushville  I'nion  School  for 
many  yeai-s.  His  services  were  cbaraitcrized  by 
conscientiousiu>ss,  more  than  average  insight  aud 
inti'lligeuce,  and  faithfulness  to  whatsoever 
might  contribute  to  the  permanent  well  being  of 
the  <-onununity.  He  had  a  thorough  grasp  of  the 
teclndcalities  aud  intricacies  of  law,  and  of  their 
a)iplication  to  the  various  complbations  which 
come  nil  for  .idjustment.  As  a  judge  his  ruliugs 
were  rarely  contested,  aud  were  invariably  mod- 
erate, wide  and  according  to  the  law. 

The  nuirrlage  of  Judge  Pemberton  and  Ten- 
nessee J.  Hills  was  solemnized  April  2,  1.sr,2,  Mrs. 
Pemberton  being  a  native  of  Schuyler  Couuty, 
and  e<lucated  iu  its  district  schools.  Mrs.  Pem- 
berton deiiarte.1  this  life  March  28.  1881.  leaving 
three  children:  Henry  T.,  Kffie  I.,  and  Nora  J., 
the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased.  Judge  Pendier- 
fon  was  one  of  the  very  familiar  figures  uixui  the 
streets  and  in  the  courts  of  Kushville,  and  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  no  professional  man  in  the 
town  was  a  more  dignified  or  upright  acquisition 
to  the  calling.  He  invariably  stood  for  con»erva- 
tive.  tbougbtful  ju-ogress.  and  was  never  known 
to  let  his  enthusiasm  or  desire  for  publicity  bias 
or  mislead  his  judgment.  He  died  of  pneumonia, 
Febniary  27.  1!»0T.  after  an  illness  of  five  days, 
aged  sevent>-two  years,  ten  mouths  aud  fourteen 
daj-s.  The  surviving  memSers  of  the  family  are: 
Henry  J..  F.ffie  I.  (Mrs.  Dieterich).  and  a 
granddaughter.  Nora  J.   Kerr. 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


903 


PEMBERTON,  Henry  T.— Of  the  luitive  sons 
who  owe  their  educatiou,  husiuess  prosperity 
and  social  prominence  to  the  opportunities  af- 
forded by  the  city  of  Kushville,  111.,  none  is 
more  favorably  known  than  II.  T.  I'embertou, 
real  estate  broker.  Justice  of  the  I'eace,  and 
prominent  in  all  the  relations  of  a  citizen,  Mr. 
Pembertou  was  born  December  V.',.  18U:J,  and  is 
a  son  of  Ephraim  and  Tennessee  J.  (Hills)  I'em- 
berton,  of  Knox  County,  Ky.,  and  Schuyler 
County,  111,,  respectively.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
Thomas  and  Deborah  (Moore)  Pemberton,  the 
former  t>oni  in  AVest  Virginia,  and  the  latter  in 
North  Carolina.  Of  his  father,  Judge  Ephraim 
J.  Pemberton  (deceased),  who  was  Judge  of  the 
County  Court  of  Schuyler  County  for  seventeen 
years,  extended  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

Mr.  Pembertou  completed  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Kushville,  and  some  .years 
aftenvards  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business. 
Since  early  manhood  he  has  taken  a  keen  in- 
terest in  politics,  in  behalf  of  the  Democratic 
party.  He  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
1901,  and  re-elected  in  100.").  From  1903  until 
1905,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council 
of  Kushville.  Mr.  I'emberton  stands  high  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  since  VM)1, 
at  present  serving  as  a  meniljer  of  its  eonnuit- 
tee  on  legislation.  He  was  grand  marshal  of 
the  order  during  1890-97.  He  is  also  identified 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Pemberton 
is  a  wide-awake  and  enterprising  man.  He  has 
materially  iiromoted  the  enhancement  of  real 
estate  interests  in  the  city  and  county,  and  en- 
.I'oys  the  respect  and  good  will  of  all  who  know 
him,  his  acquaintance  in  liusiness  and  fraternal 
circles  being  extensive  in  its  range. 

PERSHING,  Charles  T„  a  retired  farmer,  of 
subs-fantial  means  and  high  character,  whose 
residence  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  covers  a  l)e- 
riod  of  more  than  half  a  century,  and  who  is 
perhaps  the  oldest  of  its  honored  veterans  of  the 
Civil  AVar,  is  passing  his  declining  years  in  re- 
tirement on  his  fine  fann  in  Section  7,  Littleton 
Township.  Mr.  Pershing  liears  a  name  long 
identitied  with  the  agricnltur.-U  interests  of  the 
Eastern  States,  the  I'enn.sylvania  tarm  cultivated 
by  his  great-grandfather  still  being  in  jios.session 
of  the  faniil.v.  He  was  bom  in  Westmoreland 
County,  Pa...  February  18,  1829.  and  is  a  .son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Funk)  Pershing,  natives 
of  I'ennsylvania.  His  paternal  grandparents, 
Conrad  and  Mary  A.  (Alton)  Pershing,  were 
also  born  in  I'ennsylvania  (then  one  of  the  orig- 
in.-il  thirteen  colonies),  the  former,  in  1700, 
and  the  latter,  in  1771.  Grandmotiier  Pershing 
died  hi  l.siiM.  The  great-grandiiurents  on  the 
I)aternal  side.  Frederick  and  Elizalicth  (Weyant) 
Pershing,  were  natives  of  Alsace  (at  that  time 
French  territory),  the  birth  of  the  great-grand- 
mother having  occurred  in  1724.  .She  came  from 
France  to  Baltimore  during  the  same  year  in 
wliieli   her  husljand  emigrated, — about  the  mid- 


dle of  the  eighteenth  century, — and  their  mar- 
riage took  plac-e  in  that  cifj',  the  great-grand- 
father being  obliged  to  work  for  21  months  after 
his  arrival,  in  order  to  repay  the  expenses  of 
his  voyage  to  America.  Frederick  I'ei-shing  af- 
terwads  bought  a  farm  in  Frederick  County,  Md„ 
where  he  lived  several  years,  and  on  which  he 
and  his  wife  l)ecanie  the  parents  of  a  family  of 
live  sons  and  three  daughters.  At  a  later  period, 
he  crossed  the  Allegheny  Mountains  on  foot, 
traveling  to  the  then  "Far  West,"  the  journey 
consuming  foxu'teen  days.  On  reaching  his  des- 
tination, he  took  up  a  "tomaliank"  claim  of  209 
acres  in  Westmoreland  (.'ounty,  Pa.,  among  the 
pine  and  oak  forests,  liut  did  not  receive  the 
final  papers  for  the  patent  on  the  tract  until 
after  the  Kevolntionary  War.  Fort  Ligonier  was 
the  nearest  trading  post  to  his  claim,  and  "his 
next  door  neighbor"  was  three  nnles  distant.  He 
l)Uilt  a  very  crude  and  uncouth  log  house  in  the 
midst  of  the  wilderness,  without  windows,  aud 
with  a  puncheon  floor  and  a  stick  and  nuid  chim- 
ney, and  in  the  sjiring  of  1779,  moved  into  this 
Iiriniitive  abode  with  his  family.  Wild  deer  min- 
gled with  the  cows,  and  hunting  game  was  the 
principal  occupation  followed  liy  the  early  set- 
tlers of  that  region.  Indians  lurked  in  every 
direction,  conunitting  many  depredations,  aud 
often  perpetrating  nuirderous  atrocities.  Freder- 
ick Pershing  died  in  177S.  His  four  sons  and 
his  nephew  made  his  coffin  out  of  a  white-oak 
log.  by  splitting  it  into  two  parts,  and  hewing 
out  or  adzing  the  larger  half  as  a  receptacle  for 
his  body,  and  shaping  the  smaller  part  for  use 
as  a  lid.  His  remains,  together  with  those  of 
his  wife,  rest  in  what  is  known  now  .as  Smith 
Cemetery,  about  a  mile  west  of  the  Pershing 
home.  Grandfather  Conrad  Pershing  ol.)tained 
100  acres  of  his  father's  farm,  l)y  purchase,  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  there,  dying  in  1812. 
John  Pershing,  father  of  Charles  T.,  was  born 
on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  remained  until 
18.54,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Han- 
cock County.  He  Imught  1(!0  acres  of  land  in 
Durham  Township,  in  that  county,  on  which  lie 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  wife,  .Margaret  (Funk)  Pershing, 
survived  him  but  one  year.  They  were  the  r>a- 
rents  of  eight  sous  and  three  daughters.  Charles 
T.  being  the  seventh  in  order  of  liirth.  Of  this 
family,  five  sons  and  one  daughter  are  still  liv- 
ing. 

Charles  T,  Pershing  stayed  on  the  old  home 
farm  in  Pennsylvania  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  22  years,  receiving  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Westmoreland  County.  Then 
he  commenced  working  liy  th(>  montli.  continuing 
thus  until  IS-'io,  when  he  made  a  triii  to  Kock 
Island  County-,  111.,  in  cjuest  of  information  con- 
cerning the  prospects  afforded  by  that  locality. 
Ketuniing  to  Pennsylvania,  he  remained  in  his 
native  State  until  his  marriage.  Shortly  after 
this  event,  he  started  west  with  his  wife,  jour- 
neying by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  MississiiMii  Uive'-s 
as  far  as  W.arsaw,  Hancock  County.  111.,  where 
he  worked  one  sea.son.     In  the   fall  of   1855  he 


904 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


moved  to  Scliuyler  County,  111..  I.uyiug  tliirty- 
foui-  acres  of  laud  iu  Sectiou  7,  Littleton  Town- 
ship. wliieU  was  partially  covefed  with  brush. 
Fifteen  acres  of  it  had  been  cleared,  and  on 
this  portion  had  beeu  built  a  log  cabin.  Fvotn 
time  to  time  he  made  additions  to  his  original 
purchase,  until  he  became  the  owner  of  35(J  acres 
of  land,  all  lying  iu  Littleton  Township,  except 
40  acres.  This  place  he  gradually  improved, 
putting  up  substantial  and  convenient  buildings, 
and  developing  the  property  into  one  of  the  fin- 
est farms  iu  this  part  of  Central  Illinois.  Be- 
sides general  farming  his  attention  has  been  de- 
voted to  raising  cattle  and  hogs,  and  in  both 
undertakings,  profitable  results  have  been  the  re- 
ward of  his  labors.  Finally  he  abandoned  active 
exertions,  and  in  recent  years  has  spent  his  time 
in  restftil  leisure  on  his  farm.  Mr.  Pershing  was 
a  soldier  iu  the  great  struggle  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union,  having  enlisted  in  Company  1, 
Sixty-second  Regiment.  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, in  Febeuary,  18C2.  His  army  service  was 
l.-irgely  confined  to  guard  duty  in  Tennessee  and 
Mississippi,  and  at  various  ix>iuts  throughout 
the  South.  On  December  27,  1802,  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  after  being  jiaroled,  was  seut  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, on  account  of  disability  in  May.  ISO:!. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  rershing  took  place  Feb- 
ruary 18,  18-55,  in  Westmoreland  County,  Fa., 
on  which  date  JIary  A.  I'oorman,  a  woman  ot 
most  excellent  traits  of  character,  became  his 
wife.  Mrs.  Pershing  is  a  native  of  the  last 
mentioned  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Catherine  (Kuntz)  Poorman.  This  union  re- 
sulted in  two  children,  namely :  Vincent  R., 
born  April  10.  18.50;  and  .Jacob  P.,  born  Febru- 
ary 8.  1858.  Neither  has  ever  married,  and  both 
dwell  under  the  jiarental  roof. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Pershing  has  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  since  its  organization. 
He  is  one  of  the  oldest  memliers  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  and  his  worthy  wife 
are  connnunicants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  has  officiated  as  trustee  and 
suiierintcndent  of  the  Sunday  school.  Both  are 
held  in  [irofound  respect  by  a  ho.st  of  friends 
throughout  Schuyler  County. 

PICKINPAUGH,  John.— The  improved  farm 
lying  on  Section  4.  Camden  Township.  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  comprises  24.5  acres,  and  is  the 
property  of  .John  Pickiniiaugh.  who  purchased 
forty  acres  in  1807  and  since  then  has  enlarged 
his  possessions  to  their  present  area.  The  fam- 
ily of  which  he  is  a  nieml>er  came  from  Germany 
and  he  represents  the  third  g<>neration  in  Amer- 
ica. His  father.  Peter,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  moved  to  Ohio  in  early  life,  entered 
land  in  what  is  now  Xoble  County,  taking  out 
the  patent  from  the  Government  and  remaining 
on  the  property  until  his  death  in  1,881,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one.  The  money  paid  for  the  en- 
try of  land  he  earned  by  siilitting  rails  at  tn-enty- 
flve  cents  per  hundred.  .V  man  of  robust  phy- 
siqui'   iind    sturdy   constitution,   he   retained   his 


strength  to  hale  old  age,  and  when  he  was  sev- 
enty-nine he  split  a  hundred  rails  one  afternoon 
U'sides  doing  his  rogtilar  chores  the  same  even- 
ing. His  wife,  who  passed  away  thirty  years 
ju'ior  to  his  demi.se,  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Jane  Phillii^s  and  was  born  in  Ohio,  of  Irish 
ancestry. 

The  family  of  Poter  Pickinpaugh  consisted  of 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely  ;  Jacob 
W.,  who  was  lH)rn  in  182!l  and  for  years  has 
been  a  leading  business  man  at  Piano,  la. ;  Mary, 
a  resident  of  Sharon,  Noble  County,  Ohio,  where 
h(>r  husband,  John  Wiley,  died ;  John,  who  was 
Ixirn  in  what  is  now  Noble  (then  Morgan) 
County.  Oliio.  February  Vi,  18.1.3;  George,  who 
enlisted  in  the  One  Ilundi-ed  and  Sixteenth  Ohio 
Inf.intiy  during  the  Civil  War,  and  died  at 
Shephcrdstown,  W.  Va.,  prior  to  the  ex- 
jiiration  of  his  term  of  service;  Hannah,  who 
married  Walter  U-onard.  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  now  deceased ;  Enoch,  wlio  died  at  eight  years 
of  age:  William,  deceased;  Jonathan  R.,  who 
died  at  Ijouisville,  Ky.,  while  with  an  Ohio 
regiment  in  the  service  of  the  Union;  Mar- 
garet, deceased,  formerly  the  wife  of  Henry 
Foster,  of  Noble  Countj",  Ohio ;  and  Adam  Flet- 
cher, who  occupies  (he  old  homestead  in  that 
county. 

It  was  not  possible  for  John  Pickinpaugh  to 
enjoy  first-class  educational  advantages,  for 
schools  were  few  in  his  boyliood  and  methods  of 
instruction  were  crude;  yet  he  has  acfjuired  a 
broad  fund  of  information  through  his  own  ef- 
forts. .\t  the  age  of  nineteen  he  bought  his  time 
from  his  father,  paying  for  the  same  with  .f200, 
to  be  taken  out  of  his  share  of  the  estate.  His 
first  work  was  the  unistering  of  the  carpenter's 
trade,  in  which  work  he  was  paid  C2i4  cents 
per  day.  Later  he  was  employed  to  cut  wood  for 
20  cents  per  c-ord,  and  by  diligent  application  was 
al>le  to  <iit  three  cords  a  day,  but  he  never  re- 
ceived any  pay  for  this  labor.  In  one  day  he 
split  1,0110  three-foot  claplioards  and  shaved  200, 
receiving  for  the  day's  work  0214  cents. 

A  visit  to  the  west  in  18.53  t)roiight  Mr.  Pick- 
inpaugh nothing  but  the  fever  and  ague,  so  be 
returned  home  the  following  year.  However, 
he  was  not  sjitisfied  to  remain  and  the  year  18.5.5 
found  him  in  Illinois,  where  he  settled  in  Schuy- 
ler County.  In  18.50  he  bought  a  sawmill,  in  the 
operation  of  which  he  rai)idly  accumulati»d 
money.  The  first  mill  was  sold  in  18.57  and  he 
bought  a  null  at  Ple;isantview.  III.,  for  which 
he  [laid  $1,000.  This  he  continued  to  operate 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
teenth Illinois  Infantiy.  and  accompanying  the 
regiment  to  the  front,  remained  in  active  serv- 
ice until  the  close  of  the  war  in  180.5.  .Mean- 
while he  had  Ikhmi  transferred  to  the  Fourth 
P.attaiion.  thence  to  the  United  States  Engineers, 
where  he  remained  for  one  year,  and  under  the 
commission  of  tool  sergeant  had  charge  of  all 
the  tools. 

I'pon  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  from 
the   army    at   Chattanooga.    Tenn.,    Mr.    Pickin- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


905 


paugh  returned  to  Pleasantview,  111.,  and  found 
that  his  mill  had  been  destroyed  and  the  uia- 
chinei-y  sold  for  old  iron.  The  only  part  which 
he  could  find  was  one  belt  and  this  he  sold,  but 
never  received  pay  for  the  same.  Forced  to 
start  anew  in  the  world,  in  1S07  he  moved  to 
Camden  Township  and  operated  a  sawmill,  also 
buying  forty  acres  of  farm  land,  to  which  he 
added  from  time  to  time  until  he  now  owns  245 
acres  in  one  body.  His  first  marriage  took  place 
November  1-.  lf>.jT,  and  united  him  with  Rachel 
Gragg,  who  died  October  14,  1877.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  of  that  union,  namely  :  Millard ; 
Marion,  a  farmer  in  Camden  Township ;  Minerva 
Jane,  who  died  in  1887 ;  Annie  E.,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  lives  at  Rushville,  Schuyler  County; 
and  George  T.,  who  manages  the  home  farm  and 
also  operates  a  sawmill.  On  March  10,  1880, 
John  Pickinpaugh  married  Mrs.  Mary  J.  (Rog- 
ers) Lorge,  who  died  August  1.^,  1S'J8.  The 
first  and  second  wives  were  Ijoth  earnest  Chris- 
tian women,  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist 
F.piscopal  ('hurch,  and  beloved  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends.  For  years  Mr.  Pickinpaugh  has  been 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
for  ten  years  officiated  as  an  exhorter,  and  long 
served  as  a  class  leader  and  Sunday  School 
teacher.  His  conversion  took  place  during  fam- 
ily prayers,  subsequent  to  a  visit  to  Ohio,  where 
he  had  been  impressed  with  a  feeling  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  become  a  worker  for  Christ.  On 
his  return  home  he  had  talien  the  Bible  and 
read  a  chaiiter,  after  which  he  knelt  in  prayer, 
and  while  seeking  light  from  above  his  whole 
being  was  stirred  by  a  realization  of  Christ's 
love ;  he  arose  a  converted  man,  and  ever  since 
he  has  labored  to  bring  others  to  the  experience 
which  has  been  to  him  a  source  of  uplifting  joy. 
The  cause  of  prohibition  has  had  a  stanch  friend 
m  him  and  his  assistance  has  been  given  to  the 
work.  Ever  since  the  organization  of  the  Grand 
Army  post  at  Camden  he  has  been  a  prominent 
member,  and  has  filled  the  position  of  Chaplain. 

PIERSON,  Azel. — No  house  within  the  boun- 
daries of  P.irmingham  Township  is  richer  in 
memories  than  that  in  Section  19,  which  has 
been  occupied  by  Azel  Pierson  ever  since  his  set- 
tlement on  his  present  farm  during  January  of 
the  bleak  winter  of  1854.  Continuously  since 
then  h.as  this  now  retired  farmer  watched  and 
participated  in  the  changes  which  have  marked 
the  march  of  time ;  has  promoted  with  intelli- 
gence and  unabating  interest  the  agricultural, 
educational,  political,  religious  and  social  prog- 
ress of  the  community,  and  has  set  a  standard 
of  character  and  work  which  must  be  regarded 
as  typical  of  the  best  possible  achievements  in 
the  quiet  of  pastoral  pursuits. 

P.oni  on  a  farm  near  Cedarville,  Cumberland 
County,  N.  J..  January  22,  1817,  Mr.  Pierson  is 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Naomi  (Nixon)  Pierson. 
both  uatives  of  Cedarville  and  farmers  by  occu- 
pation. In  Cedarville  were  educated  the  four- 
teen children  of  this  worthy  couple,  but  of  this 
number  several  were  destined  to  complete  their 


training  in  Illinois,  to  which  the  family  jour- 
neyed from  Cedarville  during  the  spring  of  1833, 
reaching  the  then  small  hamlet  of  Jacksonville 
on  the  first  day  of  July.  In  Cedarville  Mr.  Pier- 
son had  been  the  classmate  and  friend  of  Newton 
Bateman,  the  latter  destined  to  fill  a  large  place 
in  the  educational  and  literary  annals  of  Illi- 
nois, and  who,  for  many  yeai-s,  was  the  honored 
President  of  Knox  College,  at  Galesburg.  Mr. 
Bateman  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Essex  County,  N. 
J.,  in  1822,  and  he,  with  the  rest  of  his  father's 
family,  accompanied  the  Pierson  family  in  their 
overland  journey  to  Jacksonville,  111.  Daniel 
Pierson,  who  by  profession  was  a  physician,  en- 
gaging in  milling  and  farming  there  until  his 
removal  to  Augustii,  Hancock  County,  in  1851. 
Here  he  died  in  1S5U,  and  his  wife  died  in  Kan- 
sas at  the  home  of  one  of  her  sons.  Of  the 
fourteen  children  but  three  survive,  Azel ;  Uuth, 
widow  of  Cyrus  Palmer,  the  latter  killed  by  the 
bursting  of  a  gun  in  Knoxville;  and  Naomi  N., 
wife  of  Edward  B.  Tanner,  of  Illinois. 

The  change  from  the  New  Jersey  home  to 
Illinois  was  the  only  vital  break  in  the  monotony 
of  the  youth  of  Azel  Pierson.  He  was  studious 
and  industrious,  and  learned  much  from  the 
crude  conditions  and  meager  opportunities  by 
which  he  was  surrounded.  He  knew  how  to 
both  nwke  and  save  money,  and  September  8, 
1841,  established  a  home  of  his  own  by  marrying 
Il.irriet  Catlin,  born  near  Hartford,  Conn.,  and 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Louise  (Goodwin)  Cat- 
lin. Mrs.  I'ierson  came  with  her  parents  to 
Augusta,  111.,  in  July,  1837.  She  is  the  mother 
of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  survivors  are  Elizabeth,  lioru  November  10, 
J848,  wife  of  Rev.  Frank  Mitchell,  of  Missouri, 
and  mother  of  two  children,  Margaret  and  Ho- 
mer ;  and  Henry,  born  November  22,  1860. 

For  three  years  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Pier- 
son continued  to  live  in  Augusta,  and  as  before 
stated,  in  January,  1854,  moved  to  his  present 
farm.  The  place  was  sadly  deficient  in  improve- 
ments, and  only  a  portion  had  been  cleared,  so 
that  nmch  of  the  200  acres  owe  their  clearing 
and  cultivation  to  his  well  directed  industry. 
He  has  seen  many  orchards  set  out  by  the  set- 
tlers outlive  their  usefulness  and  be  grubbed  up, 
has  witnessed  the  rise  of  giant  forest  trees  from 
insignificant  saplings,  and  his  place  has  upon  it 
many  kinds  of  ornamental,  shade  and  fi-uit  trees, 
which,  Imt  for  his  forethought,  never  had  rustled 
their  leaves  in  the  sunmier  wind.  Constant  im- 
provement has  been  the  watchword  of  his  per- 
sonal and  working  life,  and  in  consequence  he 
has  a  home  that  meets  the  re<:iuirements  of  taste, 
comfort  and  prosperity.  Over  this  excellent  and 
valuable  domain  the  owner  personally  held  super- 
vision until  after  his  eight.v-second  birthday,  and 
when  ninety-one  years  have  passed  over  his  head, 
he  still  is  in  possession  of  his  faculties,  admired 
for  the  splendid  simplicity  and  normality  of  his 
life,  and  the  high  ethics  which  he  has  applied  to 
.nil  of  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow  men.  For 
the  past  twelve  years  he  has  noted  a  failure  of 
his    eyesight,    and    each    Monday    afternoon    he 


906 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


drives  two  miles  to  Augusta,  where  Mrs.  Holmes, 
a  gifted  and  faithful  frieud,  reads  him  e.Ktracts 
from  current  literature. 

For  the  past  hfly-six  years  Mr.  Piei-son  has 
been  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  JacksouviUe,  having  joined  the  same  in  1838, 
when  the  town  was  an  infant  community,  with 
wild  grass  waving  in  the  present  center  (now  a 
park)  of  the  town.  He  has  been  an  elder  in 
the  church  many  years,  and  always  has  been  one 
of  its  stanchest  and  most  dependable  financial 
and  general  supiJorters.  His  first  presidential 
vote  was  cast  fur  William  Henry  Harrison,  and 
he  has  never  swerved  trom  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party  since  the  foundations  of  its  po- 
litical structure  were  laid  in  the  State  by  I'aul 
Selby  and  other  of  his  influential  friends  and  co- 
workers. Although  never  seeking  or  desiring 
ofiice,  Mr.  Pierson  for  thirty  years  was  a  member 
of  the  local  School  Board,  his  sole  object  being 
an  interest  in  the  education  of  the  youth  of  the 
rising  generation.  The  sh;idows  gathered  around 
his  peaceful  life  December  7,  188(J,  when  his  de- 
voted wife  joined  the  great  silent  majority,  but 
he  bravely  took  up  the  threads  of  life  thus 
cruelly  severed,  and  became  again  the  self-sacri- 
ficing, noble,  dependable  and  altogether  compan- 
ionable gentleman  of  the  old  school. 

PIERSON,  Henry  Catlin.— On  the  old  home- 
stead in  Section  ID,  Birmingham  Township, 
which  has  been  the  possession  of  his  honored 
father,  Azel  I'ierson.  since  1854,  Henry  Catlin 
Pierson  was  born  November  22,  1800.  Reared  to 
the  hard  work  of  the  farm,  educated  in  the  coun- 
try schools,  and  at  night  school  in  Augusta,  Han- 
cock County,  Mr.  Pierson  early  in  life  adjusted 
himself  to  the  exactions  of  his  calling,  and  in 
mature  life  represents  the  men  of  breadth  and 
understanding  who  are  potent  factors  in  promot- 
ing every  phase  and  possibility  of  the  fundamen- 
tal calling  of  agriculture. 

When  Mr.  Piei-son  had  attained  nineteen  years 
of  age  he  became  the  partner  of  his  father  in  an 
extensive  stock  raising,  feeding  and  selling  en- 
terprise, operating  under  the  firm  name  of  Pier- 
son &  Son.  For  many  years  this  firm  have  been 
foremost  in  the  breeding  of  Aberdeen-Angus  Cat- 
tle, !ind  average  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  in  their 
herd.  In  1903  Mr.  Piereon  purchased  the  in- 
terest of  his  father  in  the  stock  and  of  his  sis- 
ters in  the  farm,  and  now  owns  400  acres  in  one 
body.  All  of  this  land  is  tillable,  and  it  is  di- 
vided into  twentj'-five  and  fifty  acre  pastures  and 
fields,  the  stock  being  shifted  from  one  field  to 
another  as  occasion  demands,  thus  affording  op- 
portunity for  the  undisturbed  growth  of  new 
pasture.  During  the  winter  season  he  feeds 
about  a  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  thirty  head 
of  horses,  and  other  kinds  of  stock  come  in  for 
a  share  of  his  care  and  attention.  About  200 
acres  of  his  land  is  devoted  to  raising  genera! 
produce,  and  he  is  an  extensive  buyer  of  produce, 
in  fact  of  every  variety  of  produce  raised  on  the 
farms  of  Schuyler  County.  He  is  also  engaged 
in  baling  straw  and  hay  for  dealers.    His  farm 


is  a  model  of  neatness  and  order,  and  an  expres- 
sion of  the  highest  tenets  known  to  modern  coun- 
try life. 

The  marriage  of  Vii^lnia  Decker  and  Mr. 
Pierson  occurrfed  in  AugusUi.  111..  Octolwr  8, 
1885,  -Mrs.  Pierson  being  a  daughter  of  Eli  and 
Estella  (I>-'ach)  Dec'ker,  pioneers  of  this  part 
of  Illinois.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierson  have  been 
liorn  two  s»)us,  of  whom  .James  H.,  born  Septem- 
ber 13,  ISSt;,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Augusta  high- 
school,  class  of  ]'.nnj.  Roland  D.,  the  .vouuger 
sou.  is  a  student  in  the  Electrical  Engineering 
Department  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  Mr. 
I'ierson  has  l)een  a  stanch  supix)rter  of  Republi- 
can principles  and  issues  ever  since  attaining 
his  majority,  and  for  years  has  been  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  of  Schuyler  County.  With  his  wife 
lie  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is 
a  well  read,  progressive  and  .substantial  fanner, 
a  promoter  of  genuine  and  constructive  u.seful- 
ne.ss,  and  an  upholder  of  the  best  social,  moral 
and  agricultural  ideals  known  to  the  twentieth 
century. 

POLLOCK,  Joseph  Walker,  a  very  worthy  and 
crtilitable  representative  of  the  agricultural  ele- 
ment of  Schuyler  County,  III.,  is  successfully  pur- 
suing his  wonted  occui>atiou  in  Section  5,  Little- 
ton 'i'ownsliijj,  the  same  locality  in  which  he  was 
born  November  25,  1802.  .Mr.  Pollock  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Sarah  Margaret  (Walker)  I'ol- 
loik,  natives  of  Indiana  and  Dhio,  resi>ec lively. 
William  Pollock  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Schuyler  County  when  a  little  lioy.  In  1832,  and 
his  father  and  mother  died  within  tliree  mouths 
after  the  arrival  of  the  family.  Being  thus  left 
without  parental  care  at  a  very  tender  age,  he 
was  brought  up  by  a  farmer  named  Campbell, 
living  in  Scotland  Township,  .McDonough  County, 
111.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  was  21 
years  old.  \t  that  i>eriod  he  began  work  as  a 
farm  hand  in  tlie  employ  of  Darius  Runkle,  one 
of  the  most  extensive  landholders  in  Central 
Illinois.  In  course  of  time  he  bought,  from 
Samuel  Dodds,  who  was  very  prominent  amoug 
the  early  settlers,  80  acres  of  unimproved  land 
in  Se<'tion  5,  Littleton  Township.  This  he  im- 
Iiroved,  putting  up  all  the  necessary  buildings, 
and  conducting  farming  oiJerations  thereon  until 
]S0(>.  In  that  year  he  abandoned  active  pursuits, 
and  moved  to  Macomb,  McDonough  County, 
where  be  spent  his  last  years  in  retirement,  dy- 
ing February  2.  1800,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years.  His  widow  is  .still  living  in  Macomb,  mak- 
ing her  home  with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Messmore. 
They  had  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom 
Joseph  W.  is  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth.  Four 
of  the  sons  and  two  daughters  now  surrlve, 
namely:  Cynthia  (Mrs.  A.  A.  Messmore),  of 
Macomb,  111.:  William  A.,  a  resident  of  P'andon. 
HI.;  Robert  A.,  who  follows  farming  in  Scotland 
Township,  .McDonough  County:  Joseph  W.,  to 
whom  this  personal  record  pertains ;  Blanche, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Nathaniel  Buck,  and  resides 
at  New  Loudon.  la. ;  and  Arthur  D..  who  Is  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  RusbviUe, 


HISTOKY   OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


907 


Schuyler  County.  William  TollOL-k  was  a  man 
ot  uprislit  cliaraoter.  enjoying  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  wlio  Uuew  bim,  and  liis  be- 
reaved widow  is  tlie  ul)ject  ol  the  warmest  re- 
gard in  her  decliuiug  years. 

Joseph  W".  I'ollock  was  reared  to  farm  lite, 
and  in  early  youth,  received  his  education  m  the 
Flat-iron  district  school,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
parental  home.  After  his  marriage,  he  rented 
SO  acres  ot  his  father's  land  in  Section  -i.  Little- 
ton Township,  which  he  afterwards  bought.  He 
also  purchased  from  his  father,  in  IS'JS.  80  acres 
in  Section  5.  in  the  same  township,  on  which  the 
latter  had  put  up  all  the  buildiugs  and  completed 
the  iniprovemeut.s.  Mr.  Pollock  has  thoroughly 
tiled  tlie  tanii,  and  rebuilt  the  barn  and  out- 
laiildings.  His  property  is  in  excellent  condi- 
tion, and  all  implements  are  kept  m  perfect  or- 
der and  in  Uieir  proper  places,  when  not  in  use. 
He  is  a  very  diligent  and  systematic  farmer,  and 
his  labors  have  been  attended  with  profitable  re- 
sults. _,  ,    ,„„ . 

Mr.  Pollock  was  married  February  14,  ISbi. 
to  Emma  Bell  Merriweather,  who  was  bom  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Doddsville,  McDonough 
Countv.  111.,  July  IS.  1862.  Mrs.  Pollock,  a 
woman  of  most  amiable  traits  of  character,  is  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Mary  Ellen  (Huff) 
Merriweather.  her  father  being  a  native  of  In- 
diana, and  her  muther,  of  Illinois,  born  in  Ful- 
ton Countv.  The  paternal  grandparents,  James 
and  Mollie  (Bell)  Merriweather,  were  natives 
of  Louisville,  Ky..  and  those  oii  the.  maternal 
side  were  born  in  Fulton  County,  111.,  namely: 
Abiiah  and  Mary  (McClareiil  Huff.  Three  chil- 
dren have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pollock,  as  follows:  Itoland  C  born  November 
IS,  1884;  Florence  Mildred,  born  September  2, 
1886;  and  William  Frederick,  born  October  15, 
1801.  The  eldest,  Roland  C,  resides  on  Grand- 
father Merriweather's  farm  in  Industry  Town- 
ship, JIcDonough  County.  He  was  married  on 
June  20,  1907,  to  Florence  Rexroat,  a  daughter 
of  T.  C.  Rexi-oat,  of  Bethel  Township.  Schuyler 
County.  Florence  M.  and  William  F.  are  at 
home  with  their  parents. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Pollock  has  always  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party,  although  never 
taking  an  active  part  in  political  contests,  and 
being  without  the  slightest  desire  for  public 
office.  His  interest  in  civic  affairs  is.  however, 
intelligent  and  earnest. 

PRATT,  Harry,  the  present  Deputy  Sheriff  of 
Schuyler  County.  111.,  is  a  young  man  (jf  charac- 
ter and  many  sided  worth,  and  one  whose  pri- 
vate as  well  as  official  life  will  stand  tlie  test  of 
the  closest  scrutiny.  He  is  a  product  of  the 
farming  contingent  of  this  part  of  tl|e  State,  and 
was  bora  in  Huntsville  Township.  Schuyler 
County.  Febniary  11,  1874.  In  his  youth  Mr. 
Pratt  had  the  advantage  of  a  pleasant  home  at- 
mosphere, and  of  parental  appreciation  and  en- 
couragement when  his  work  was  well  done.  His 
father  was  Ijeonard  J.  Pratt,  son  of  Leonard 
Pratt,  both  of  Ohio,  and  the  former  of  whom  was 


born  April  2!i,  1S4.'5.  Leonard  J.  I'ratt  was 
reared  on  ii  farm  and  educated  in  the  subscrip- 
tion schools,  and  when  secession  reared  its  gory 
head  and  brought  about  the  calamity  of  the 
Civil  War,  he  enlisted  iu  Comiiauy  K,  Second 
Regiment  Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  one  of  the  first 
military  organizations  to  depart  for  the  conflict 
Ironi  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  "Second"  early  in- 
vaded Kentucky  and  did  valiant  work  at  B'ort 
Donelson  and  other  scenes  of  carnage  and  deso- 
lation, and  its  members  included  none  more  brave 
than  the  father  of  the  present  county  deputy 
sheriff.  His  term  expired,  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Ohio,  but  soon  after  came  to  Huntsville, 
Schuyler  County,  where,  on  June  28,  1868,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Celilia  Angelica  San- 
ford.  Of  this  union  there  were  fourteen  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  living 
are  as  follows :  Etfie,  Harry,  Elsie,  Clara.  Clin- 
ton. Cleveland.  Nina,  I'earl,  Dwight  and  Iva. 
Mrs.  Pratt  died  iu  1802,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine 
years,  and  the  second  wife  of  Mr.  Pratt  was 
Mrs.  Iverson.  daughter  of  Dr.  A.  J.  Mead.  Leon- 
ard J.  Pratt  was  a  kind  husband  and  father,  and 
in  his  business  and  so<aal  relations,  was  the  soul 
of  honor,  courtesy  and  c-onsideration. 

The  entire  life  of  Harry  Pratt  has  been  spent 
in  the  county  in  which  he  was  born,  and  where 
he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  His  wage 
earning  career  began  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  when  he  hired  out  by  the  month,  on  a 
farm.  The  yearning  for  a  home  of  his  own  was 
one  of  the  most  persistent  of  his  early  inclina- 
tions, and  December  24,  1800,  he  was  united  in 
mati'iniony  to  Jessie  Claude  Pierce,  also  a  native 
of  Huntsville  Township,  and  daughter  of  Mil- 
lard Fillmore  Pierce,  and  Blanch  (McKee) 
Pierce.  The  I'ierce  family  is  of  early  southern 
connection,  and  Mr.  Pierce,  son  of  William 
Pierce,  is  still  a  resident  of  Huntsville,  he  hav- 
ing come  from  the  home  of  his  forefathers  in 
North  Carolina,  in  early  manhood.  He  is  a  pros- 
perous and  honored  man,  and  was  formerly  iden- 
tified with  the  mercantile  upbuilding  of  Hunts- 
ville Township. 

From  1900  until  1904  Mr.  Pratt  worked  on  a 
farm  in  Huntsville  Township,  and  during  the 
latter  year  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  general 
store  in  the  village  of  Huntsville.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  been  active  in  Democratic  polities, 
wielded  a  considerable  infiuence  in  the  local  de- 
liberations of  his  party,  and  in  1006  he  was  cho- 
sen Deputy  Sheriff  of  Schuyler  County,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  has  since  maintained  with  distinct 
credit.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  have  two  children, 
of  whom  Celilia  Blanche  was  born  August  8. 
1901:  and  Corinne  Almeda.  Octolier  27.  1906. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  Huntsville.  but  since 
locating  in  Rushville  in  1006,  attend  the  church 
of  that  denomination  in  the  latter  city.  Mr. 
Pratt  is  socially  inclined,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Hunts- 
ville. and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  of 
Rushville.  He  has  achieved  fair  financial  suc- 
cess, and  is  known  as  one  of  the  county's  capa- 


908 


HIST01!Y  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


ble,  promising  and  thoroughly  dependable  busi- 
ness men  and  politicians. 

PURDY,  Mrs.  Elizabeth.— Seventy  years  and 
more  have  come  and  gone  since  Mrs.  Purdy  first 
came  to  Schuyler  County,  for  it  was  in  1837 
that  she  arrived  in  what  is  now  Frederick  Town- 
ship. Though  only  nine  years  of  age,  already 
had  her  childish  eyes  beheld  much  of  the  country 
and  already  had  the  responsibilities  of  life  fallen 
upon  her  tender  form.  The  childi'en  of  the  pio- 
neers had  no  care-free  existence.  Theirs  it  was 
to  aid  the  older  people  in  i)Iautmg  a  home  iu  the 
primeval  wilderness,  and  her  recollections  of 
childhood  bring  back  memories  of  laborious  tasks ; 
yet  those  were  happy  years  and  she  recalls  them 
now  with  unchanging  delight.  Born  in  West 
Virginia  Februai\v  3,  1828,  she  was  a  daughter 
of  Alexander  and  .\chsah  (Bond)  Furbee.  also 
natives  of  that  State.  The  family  migrated  to 
Illinois  in  1835  and  took  up  land  near  Beards- 
town,  Cass  County,  but  two  years  later  came  to 
Schuyler  County,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood. 
The  tirst  home  of  the  family  was  a  claim  com- 
prising the  far  ninow  owned  by  Charles  K. 
Strong.  On  that  homestead  Mrs.  Furbee  died  in 
1841.  Six  years  later  the  father  traveled  over- 
land to  California  and  began  to  prospect  and 
mine,  but  ere  success  had  rewarded  his  efforts 
he  died  in  the  West  in  1856.  Of  his  six  children 
only  two  are  now  living,  namely :  Elizabeth 
(Mrs.  Purdy)  and  Evaline,  widow  of  Joseph 
Beals  and  a  i-esideut  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

While  still  a  young  girl,  Elizabeth  Furbee 
became  the  wife  of  John  G.  Quinn,  and  two 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely : 
Thomas  D..  now  living  at  North  Takima,  Wash. ; 
and  Eveugiston,  a  rancher  and  merchant  in 
Wyoming.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Quinn  settled  on  a  farm  iu  Frederick  Township 
and  began  to  improve  the  same.  When  gold  was 
discovered  in  California  Mr.  Quinn  became  in- 
terested in  the  West  and  decided  to  accompany 
his  father-in-law  to  the  mines.  The  journey  was 
made  without  disaster.  Shortly  after  his  arrival 
in  California  and  after  purchasing  a  claim,  he 
was  taken  ill  and  soon  died.  Far  from  wife  and 
children,  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  by  his  father- 
in-law. 

The  second  marriage  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  took  place  in  1852.  when  she  was  uruted 
with  Joseph  JI.  Purdy,  who  was  born  in  L«b- 
anon,  Ky.,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of  twenty- 
three  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  attained 
years  of  maturity.  Three  of  the  sons  and  three 
dau.ghters  came  to  Illinois;  the  others  becoming 
scattered  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States. 
The  Purdy  family  was  founded  in  the  United 
States  by  three  brothers  from  Ireland,  one 
of  whom  settled  in  Kentucky,  another  in  New 
York  and  the  third  in  Ohio.  From  the  time  of 
his  settlement  in  Schuyler  County  in  1831  until 
his  death  in  1878.  Mr.  Purdy  was  actively  Identi- 
fied with  its  agricultural  development  and  aided 
in  the  transformation  of  its  wild  lands  into  fer- 
tile farms.     Public  enterprises  received  his  sym- 


pathetic co-operation.  The  cause  of  education 
bad  in  him  a  firm  friend.  Heligious  movements 
benefited  by  his  assistance.  As  a  farmer  he  .vas 
especially  interested  in  the  development  of  our 
lands.  For  a  time  he  cultivated  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Mrs.  Duulap,  but  in  1801  he  moved 
to  the  place  still  owned  and  occupied  by  his 
widow. 

The  following-named  children  comprised  the 
family  of  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Purdy :  Anna,  wife  of 
Dr.  S.  D.  Bader,  of  Peabody,  Ind. ;  Emma,  de- 
ceased, was  the  wife  of  K.  Jordan,  of  Alma, 
Ore.;  Maggie,  (.Mrs.  George  Doane),  of  Los 
-Vngeles,  Cal.;  Bettie,  who  married  Grant  Hen- 
dricks and  lives  in  Saliua,  Kan.;  Henry,  of  Bal- 
lard, Wash. ;  Josejih  M..  who  was  born  .March 
21,  ISGf),  and  is  living  on  the  old  homestead ;  and 
Eva,  who  remains  at  home  and  cares  for  her 
mother,  tenderly  ministering  to  her  comfort  in 
her  age,  and  Millard,  wlio  is  deceased. 

Among  her  neighbors  Grandma  Purdy  (for  it 
is  by  this  name  she  is  affectionately  known)  is 
loved  and  honored.  Many  an  interesting  hour 
may  be  passed  in  her  society  as  she  narrates 
events  of  the  early  days.  Ketaining  an  e.xcellent 
memory  of  the  happenings  of  pioneer  times,  she 
loves  to  recount  to  younger  generations  incidents 
familiar  to  her  youth.  The  winters  were  very 
severe  and  the  settlers  suffered  greatly  from 
tlie  extreme  cold,  especially  because  their  cabins 
did  not  afford  sullicient  protection  from  wind  and 
weather.  Fires  were  started  by  the  aid  of  a 
flint.  In  the  evenings  the  neighbors  would 
gather  in  and  sit  by  the  large  fireplace  where, 
after  enjoying  one  of  Grandma  Purdy's  fine 
suppers,  they  would  crack  nuts  and  tell  stories. 
She  retains  her  love  for  the  old-fashioned  fire- 
places and  l>elieves  that,  for  comfort  and  beauty, 
they  cannot  lie  surpassed  by  the  modern  methods 
of  heating.  The  telephone  has  never  interested 
her.  for  she  desires  to  see  the  face  of  the  person 
with  whom  she  Is  conversing;  and  in  addition 
she  thinks  that  the  old  spirit  of  neighborllness 
that  was  evinced  in  frequent  visits  has  been  lost 
through  the  introduction  of  the  'phone.  Only 
two  of  her  old  neighbors  are  now  left.  The 
others  have  been  c-alled  to  their  eternal  rest,  but 
the  near-by  presence  of  devoted  children  and  fre- 
quent letters  from  those  far  away,  prevent  her 
from  becoming  lonely  and  enable  her  in  her  age 
to  remain  happy  and  contented.  For  many  years 
she  has  been  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
and  her  faith  in  a  reunion  with  loved  ones  gone 
before,  cheers  the  evening  of  her  days. 

RAPER.  Wilham  G.,  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  highly  respected  farmers  of  Littleton 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  where  his  life 
has  kept  pace  with  the  advancing  stages  of  the 
count\"s  devoloiiment  from  the  early  days  of  Its 
settlement,  was  born  in  Guilford  County.  N.  C, 
December  28.  1820.  He  is  a  son  of  Solomon  and 
Asenath  (Miller)  Rnper.  natives  of  that  State. 
His  grandfather.  William  Raper.  was  bom  in 
Wales.  Solomon  Rai)er,  who  followed  farming 
in   North   Carolina,    moved   with    hla   famllv   to 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


909 


lUiuoJs  iu  1S44,  making  the  journey  across  tlie 
country  by  team,  and  settling  in  Bueua  Vista 
TowusLiip,  Schuyler  County.  After  living  there 
on  rented  land  for  several  years,  he  located  in 
Littleton  Township,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days,  dying  in  1855.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  many  years,  passing  away  Febru- 
ary 18,  1SS8,  while  making  her  home  with  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  at  the  age  of  seveuy-niue 
years.  William  G.  Kaper  received  his  early 
education  partly  in  the  common  schools  of  Guil- 
ford Counts',  N.  C. ;  and  partly  in  those  of  Buena 
Vista  Township,  Schuyler  County,  which  he  at- 
tended for  two  terms.  lie  lived  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  and  then  rented  a 
farm  in  Littleton  Township,  on  which  he  re- 
mained twelve  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period, 
he  bought  80  acres  of  land  in  Section  14,  of  the 
same  township,  20  acres  of  which  were  cleared 
and  contained  a  log  cabin.  After  clearing  the 
rest  of  the  place,  he  put  up  buildings  and  made 
all  necessary  improvements.  Fifteen  years  later, 
he  added  40  acres  to  tne  original  purchase,  and 
subsequently  acquired  some  timber  land,  now 
used  for  pasture.  On  .June  12,  1907,  he  bought 
80  acres  of  prairie  land,  all  in  the  same  section. 
He  has  about  120  acres  under  cultivation,  and 
besides  general  farming,  is  engaged  in  raising 
cattle  and  hogs. 

On  February  9,  1893,  Mr.  Raper  was  joined  in 
matrimony  with  Amelia  Hogger,  who  was  born 
in  Switzerland,  March  30,  1875,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Marie  (Volke)  Hogger,  natives 
of  that  country,  the  whole  of  whose  lives  was 
spent  there.  Mrs.  Raper  came  to  Littleton.  111., 
in  1802.  Four  children  were  the  offspring  o( 
this  marriage,  as  follows :  Jennie  Edith,  born 
February  10,  1804;  William  Henry,  born  Janua;:v 
19.  1895;  Julia  Esther,  born  October  20.  1899. 
deceased  in  infancy;  and  Helen  Irene,  born 
April  14,  1902. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Raper  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  held  the  office  of  Road 
Commissioner  of  Littleton  Township.  Frater- 
nally, lie  is  affiliated  with  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  Templar  of 
Rushville.  His  religions  connection  is  with  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  commands  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  classes  in  the  community. 

REBMAN,  Adam,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Fred- 
erick Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  where  he 
has  a  most  attractive  home  on  Section  19,  and 
is  the  owner  of  221  acres  of  very  desirable  land, 
is  one  of  the  strong  characters  in  connection  with 
the  progress  and  development  of  this  portion  of 
the  countv.  Mr.  Rebman  was  bom  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Albany,  N.  T.,  September  16,  1833,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Hoffman)  Rebman. 
John  Rebman  was  a  native  of  what  was  French 
territory  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  in  1803,  but 
since  the  Franco-Prussian  War.  has  become  a 
portion  of  the  German  Empire.  When  he  was 
about  19  years  of  age  he  left  the  .scenes  of  his 
youth,  in  order  to  avoid  serving  in  the  army, 
ijntler  the  Prussian  draft,  and  crossing  the  At- 


lantic alone,  located  in  New  York  State,  near 
the  city  of  Albany.  There  about  the  year  1830, 
he  was  married  to  Margarette  Dorothy  Hoft'man. 
He  remained  in  that  locality  until  1836,  and  then 
started  with  his  family  for  the  West,  intending 
to  make  his  home  in  Chicago.  The  boat  on  which 
he  had  taken  passage  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
however,  and  all  his  belongings  were  consumed. 
Being  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  hearing  of  the 
heavy  timber  iu  parts  of  Central  Illinois,  he  de- 
cided that  Schuyler  County  would  be  a  good 
lilace  for  him  to  establish  himself  in  work,  and 
suiting  the  action  to  the  decision,  settled  in  the 
village  of  Frederick.  He  was  successful  in  his 
labors  as  a  cooper,  and  tiually  bought  a  farm 
near  Frederick.  John  Rebman  was  a  very  hon- 
est and  industrious  man,  and  through  his  mer- 
itorious ciualities,  became  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  highly  respected  citizens  of  his  lo- 
cality. He  died  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  78  years, 
his  good  wife  having  passed  away  in  1868.  They 
were  the  parents  of  sixteen  children,  five  of 
whom  died  in  infancy. 

Those  who  grew  to  years  of  maturity  are  as 
follows :  Andrew,  who  was  born  iu  New  York 
State,  and  died  .it  the  age  of  seventy  years; 
Adam  ;  Philip,  who  lives  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  John, 
who  died  when  about  forty-two  years  old,  leaving 
a  family ;  George  F.,  who  is  engaged  iu  farming 
in  Rushville  Township ;  Frank,  a  dairyman,  of 
Frederick,  111. ;  Maurice,  deceased ;  Rose,  wife 
of  Sidney  Geer,  a  farmer  at  Atlanta,  Neb. ;  Mary, 
who  married  Abr.ihani  Black,  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  War,  now  living  at  Beardstown,  111.;  Ste- 
phen, who  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years;  and 
Delia,  wife  of  Frank  Goer,  a  fanner  in  Brown- 
ing Township,  Schuyler  County. 

Adam  Rebman  was  brought  to  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  by  his  parents  when  he  was  three 
years  old.  In  early  youth  he  recited  his  lessons 
to  the  subscription  schoolmaster  in  the  little  log 
schoolhouse  built  on  the  liill  where  the  Darnell 
farm  lay.  He  has  still  a  lively  recollection  of 
its  large  fireplace  and  slab  beiu-hes,  with  desks 
built  by  sticks  Ix'ing  put  into  holes  liored  iu  the 
logs.  His  first  teacher  was  David  Berry,  whom 
he  well  remembers.  In  early  manlmod  Mr.  Reb- 
man learned  the  trade  of  a  cooper  and  carpen- 
ter in  his  father's  shop  on  the  farm,  and  re- 
mained on  the  home  place  until  the  time  of  his 
marriage.  After  this  event,  he  went  with  his 
brother  to  Liverpool,  Fulton  County,  111.,  where 
he  worked  at  the  cooper's  trade.  In  1862,  he 
liought  a  tract  of  160  acres  in  Section  20,  Fred- 
erick Township,  where  his  son,  Frank,  now  lives. 
The  land  was  covered  with  a  second  growth  of 
heavy  timber.  Mr.  Rebman  cleared  it,  making 
the  wood  into  barrels  and  ties,  which  he  sold, 
burning  the  pine  log  slabs,  and  eventually  having 
a  well  improved  farm.  This  he  disposed  of  in 
1877,  purchasing  180  acres  of  fairly  well  cleared 
land  in  Section  19,  in  the  same  township,  which 
he  has  since  developed  into  one  of  the  most  val- 
uable farms  in  the  locality,  making  a  beautiful 
and  attractive  home.  For  seventy-one  years,  Mr. 
Rebman  has  been  a  resident  of  Frederick  Town- 


910 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


ship,  and  has  done  bis  full  share  in  promoting 
its  dfvelupuient.  lie  lias  confronted  and  en- 
dured all  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer 
life,  and  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  re- 
gion, from  a  barren  wild,  to  a  scene  of  civiliza- 
tion and  plenty.  His  first  harvesting  in  this 
locality  was  done  with  the  cradle  and  sickle, 
and  bis  hay  was  cut  with  tlie  old  fashioned 
scythe.  Telephones  and  electric  lights  were  tlien 
a  mere  dream,  if  they  entered  the  mind  of  the 
most  visionary  at  all.  Every  kind  of  machine  or 
implement  in  us-e  for  farming  was  of  the  antique 
style,  and  tallow  dips  and  molded  candles  fur- 
nished the  only  artificial  light.  Now,  his  farm 
is  equipiied  with  all  kinds  of  up-to-date  macbin- 
eiy  for  the  cutting  and  lifing  of  hay,  and  the 
harvesting  of  grain. 

On  May  30,  ISGl,  Mr.  Rebmau  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lavina  Hill,  who  was  horn  in 
England,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  Hill,  a 
native  of  that  country.  William  Hill  came  from 
England  in  the  forepartof  the  last  centurj-,  lo- 
cating first  in  Brownsville,  Tex.,  and  after- 
wards in  Galveston,  in  that  State,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent.  His  daughter,  Lavina,  cauie 
to  Frederick,  111.,  at  an  early  day,  to  visit  friends. 
But  one  member  of  lier  family.  Mrs.  Coates,  is 
located  in  this  part  of  the  countiy.  During  this 
visit  ilr.  Rebmau  formed  the  acquaintance  that 
resulted  in  bis  marriage.  This  union  was  the 
source  of  sixteen  children,  of  whom  five  died  in 
infancy,  and  eleven  are  still  living.  All  were 
born  in  Fredericlc  Tomisbip,  and  the  names  of 
those  surviving  are  as  follows:  William,  a 
farmer  and  miner  in  the  vicinity  of  Rushville, 
HI. ;  .Tessie,  wife  of  Leander  Settles,  a  biographi- 
cal record  of  whose  life  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume ;  .Tobn,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Frederick  Township :  .Josephine,  wife  of  Otis 
Leyles,  who  follows  the  same  occupation  in 
Rushville  Township :  Addie.  w  ho  man-led  War- 
ren Spillers,  a  farmer,  of  Frederick  Township; 
Leora  (Mrs.  Leander  .\llen).  a  resident  of  Pleas- 
antview.  Schuyler  County ;  Oscar  F.  and  Frank. 
twins — both  of  whom  are  farming  in  Frederick 
Township,  the  latter  being  on  the  old  home  farm; 
Annie,  who  is  with  her  parents;  Lucy,  who  be- 
came .the  wife  of  Charles  Nell,  a  farmer,  of 
Browning  Township,  Schuyler  County;  and 
Dora,  who  is  at  bome. 

In  politics.  Adam  Rebman  is  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  and  bas  creditably  filled 
various  local  offices,  never,  however,  entertain- 
ing any  ambition  for  public  honors.  Fraternally, 
he  is  afliliated  with  the  M.  W.  A.  He  and  his 
excellent  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  both  are  sin- 
cerely respected  by  all  classes  in  the  commu- 
nity. 

REBMAN,  Benjamin  F.— The  family  repre- 
sented by  this  extensive  farmer  and  dairyman  of 
Schuyler  County,  III.,  originated  in  Germanv  and 
was  founded  In  the  United  States  by  John  Reb- 
man. born  February  17.  1S0.3,  and  an  immigrant 
to  the  new  world  in  1830.     Soon  afterward  he 


began  to  follow  the  cooper's  trade  at  Frederick, 
Schuyler  County,  and  later  settled  at  I'leasantr 
view,  in  the  same  county,  where  his  sou,  Ben- 
jamin F.,  was  Iwru  tFanuary  12,  1S48.  Four 
yeare  after  the  birth  of  the  son  the  family  moved 
to  a  farm  on  Se*:tiou  .'!,  Frederick  TowusUip, 
where  the  boy  passed  the  years  of  youth  and 
was  given  such  ativauUiges  as  the  neighboring 
school  afforded.  Being  of  an  observing  miture, 
be  learned  more  by  self-culture  than  from  text- 
IxMiks  and  is  now  a  man  of  broad  information. 
The  family  had  limited  means  and  it  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  take  up  the  struggle  for  a  liveli- 
hood at  an  early  age.  Grasping  the  work  near- 
est at  hand,  he  became  a  farm  laborer,  and  in 
that  capacity,  continued  for  a  considerable  pe- 
riod, meanwhile  saving  his  earnings  with  a  vlejr 
to  future  investment. 

While  emi)loyed  as  an  assistant  to  Davis  Curry 
on  the  latters  farm,  Mr.  Itebman  proved  so  ca- 
pable and  etllcient  that,  when  .Mr.  Curry  felt 
himself  to  be  fatally  ill,  he  re<iui«ted  that  his 
assistant  be  retained  after  his  death  to  superin- 
tend the  work  of  the  estate.  This  was  done, 
and  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Curry,  which  occurred 
May  14,  IS":!,  the  farm  was  operated  by  Mr. 
Rebman.  On  January  1,  1879,  he  was  uidted  in 
marriage  with  the  widow  of  Davis  Curry,  and 
they  remained  at  the  old  place  for  ten  years, 
after  which  Mr.  Rebmau  l)OUght  thirty  acres  of 
bind,  and  emb.irked  In  the  dairy  busin<*ss.  By 
degrees  he  has  added  to  his  original  [WssessionS' 
until  he  now  owns  100  acres  adjoining  Freder- 
ick, and  220  acres  also  north  of  that  village, 
making  :i80  acres  in  all.  Ills  dairy  bam  is  pro- 
vided with  a  cement  floor  and  furnished  with 
every  modern  equipment,  while  all  the  appliances 
for  the  care  of  the  milk  show  a  careful  regard 
for  sanitarj-  con<litions.  Twenty-five  head  of 
cows  are  kept  in  the  dairy,  and  the  products  of 
that  de[)artment  of  the  work  are  by  no  means 
insignificant. 

The  union  of  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Rebman  was 
blessed  with  three  childreu.  The  eldest  was 
lK>ru  October  17.  ISSl.  and  died  April  2f»,  1S82. 
The  second,  Gail,  was  l)orn  July  28,  1883,  and 
has  been  given  superior  advantages,  having  at- 
tended the  Bl.ackburn  t'niverslty.  spent  one  year 
at  Eureka  College  and  graduated  from  the  Illinois 
St.ite  I'niversity.  afterwards  accepting  a  position 
in  the  Colfax  High  School  .is  Teacher  of  Eng- 
lish and  -Medieval  Ilistorj-.  The  youngest  child, 
Herman,  born  November  21.  18.84,  was  likewise 
given  good  advantages,  and  is  now  with  his  pa- 
rents on  the  farm.  Mrs.  Rebman  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Christiau  Church,  and  Mr.  Reb- 
man is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  same,  al- 
though not  a  member.  It  was  largely  through 
his  suggestion  and  assistance  that  the  house  of 
worshii)  for  that  consregation  was  erected  in 
Frederick.  In  habits  he  is  temperate.  Liquors 
he  has  abstained  from,  tobacco  he  has  never 
used,  and  tea  and  coffee  form  no  part  of  his 
diet.  Both  by  example  and  by  precept  he  has 
given  his  influence  to  the  cause  of  prohibition, 
and  bas  been  an  opponent   of  the  saloons.     In 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


911 


polities,  he  has  been  a  Republican  ever  since  at- 
taining his  majority.  For  many  years  he  served 
as  School  Trustee,  and  always  has  been  inter- 
ested iu  the  cause  of  general  education.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  he  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmeu  of  America. 

REEVE,  Simon  A. — The  life  of  Simon  A.  Reeve 
has  spanned  the  distance  between  the  far  fron- 
tier and  the  twentieth  century  of  Schuyler 
County.  Graven  upon  his  memory,  and  upon 
that  of  the  faithful  wife  who  with  him  occupies 
a  beautiful  home  in  Rushville,  111.,  are  incidents 
which  never  again  can  enliven  the  experience  of 
mankind  because  the  conditions  governing  them 
have  been  swept  beyond  human  ken  by  the  forces 
of  civilization.  Mr.  Reeve  himself  has  done 
nnich  to  bring  about  the  wonderful  changes 
which  have  taken  place  since  the  establishment 
of  his  family  here  iu  1829,  and  perhaps  his 
written  observations  of  the  same  would  consti- 
tute as  true  and  interesting  a  narrative  as  any 
which  have  been  i)euned  for  the  delectation  and 
enlightenment  of  the  present  generation. 

In  the  peace  of  his  later  days  Mr.  Reeve  de- 
lights to  recall  the  yotith  of  a  region  w'hich  now 
boasts  unexampled  progress  and  prosperity.  He 
himself  was  but  a  .vear  old  when  he  came  here 
with  his  parents  iu  182!)  from  Springfield,  111., 
where  he  was  born  December  28.  1828.  His 
father,  John  A.  Reeve,  who  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  who  came  to  Illinois  with  his  jiareuts 
about  1820,  continued  to  live  iu  Springfield  until 
coming  to  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  in  1829.  The  indi.ans  at  that  time  were 
plentiful,  and  regarded  the  paleface  as  an  un- 
warranted inti-uder.  Game  abounded  on  every 
hand,  and  the  forests  as  yet  were  unaccustomed 
to  the  noise  of  modern  firearms.  Indian  trails 
were  the  only  thoroughfares,  and  the  wigwam 
the  prevailing  style  of  architecture.  Something 
of  the  dread  silence  of  the  prairies  must  have 
ajipalled  this  intrepid  invader  of  the  frontier,  for 
he  gave  a  man  of  the  name  of  Gordon  fifty  acres 
of  land  if  he  would  live  on  it  and  thus  become 
his  neighbor.  This  same  land  is  now  valued  at 
$12.5  an  acre,  a  fact  which  indicates  emphatically 
the  advance  made  during  the  past  three  score 
odd  years. 

Simon  A.  Reeve  attended  school  during  the 
leisure  of  the  winter  months,  and  in  summer 
worked  in  the  harvest  fields.  The  schonlhouse 
had  a  iiuncheon  floor,  a  wooden  batch  on  the 
door,  and  a  big  fireplace  to  consume  logs.  The 
children  drank  from  a  gourd,  and  in  many  in- 
stances walked  miles  over  dreary  stretches  of 
wind  swept  road,  twice  a  day.  Simon  remained 
on  the  home  place  tnitil  his  marriage,  .January 
12.  18.54.  to  .Tane  Orr,  a  native  of  Count;;-  Far- 
managh,  Ireland,  and  bom  October  14.  18.33. 
Mrs.  Reeve  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mai-y 
Ann  CBurnside)  Orr,  and  came  with  her  jiareuts 
to  America  in  a  sailing  vessel  in  November, 
1.SP.9.  settling  in  Bainbridge  Township.  Jlr.  and 
Mrs.  Reeve  went  to  housekeeping  in  Bainbridge 
Township  in  a  log  house  18  by  20  feet  in  dimen- 


sions, and  part  of  this  original  home  is  still  stand- 
ing on  the  old  place,  a  witness  to  the  courage 
and  early  efforts  of  the  jjioneer  occuiiants.  Eighty 
acres  of  the  farm  was  covered  with  heavy  tim- 
ber, which,  owing  to  the  absence  of  a  paying 
market,  was  consumed  for  fuel.  Both  of  the 
young  people  were  well  prepared  for  their  life 
of  hardship  and  deprivation,  and  both  iwssessed 
the  industry  which  moves  mountains  and  raises 
those  who  jjossess  it  to  places  of  comfort  and 
honor.  Jlrs.  Reeve  had  learned  the  art  of  weav- 
ing, and  all  of  the  clothing  of  the  household  was 
made  by  her,  the  crude  wool  being  washed,  col- 
ored, woven  and  made  into  garments  by  her  pa- 
tient hands.  This  loyal  mother  still  has  blank- 
ets and  coverlets  created  by  her  in  the  days  of 
long  ago,  and  when  her  sons  grew  to  maturity 
and  married  she  gave  each  of  them  a  blanket 
for  a  keepsake.  The  log  house  was  a  popular 
one  in  the  neighborhood,  the  center  of  much  hos- 
pitality and  enjoyment,  and  the  people  got  much 
out  of  life  with  their  crude  accessories  and  op- 
portunities. A  common  custom  was  the  hit(4iiug 
up  of  ox  teams  and  attending  church  in  a  body, 
or  assembling  at  the  homes  to  eat  and  di'ink  and 
make  merry  before  the  blazing  logs  of  the  fire- 
place. A  great  time  was  had  at  the  erection  of 
the  Reeve  barn  about  1809.  the  neighbors  coming 
from  afar,  and  working  with  might  and  main  to 
com])lete  the  large  sti-ucture. 

Four  children  were  boru  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reeve,  of  whom  Simon  and  Isadore  died  iu  in- 
fancy. William  H.  now  owns  part  of  the  old 
homestead,  and  Pulaski  is  a  retired  farmer,  of 
Rushville.  To  the  first  eighty  acres  more  was 
added  as  success  came  the  way  of  the  owners, 
Mr.  Reeve  finally  having  280  acres  which  he 
continued  to  occupy  and  manage  until  erecting 
liis  ]jresent  beautiful  modem  home  in  Rushville 
in  1905.  Taken  as  a  whole,  the  lives  of  this 
worthy  couple  have  beeu  useful  and  fortunate 
ones,  and  in  the  twilight  of  their  existence  the.y 
have  nuich  to  lie  grateful  for.  Their  sons  are 
capable,  honored  Christian  gentlemen,  reflecting 
the  ti-aining  with  which  their  .vouth  was  so 
richly  blessed,  and  friends  have  risen  up  who 
delight  in  an  as.sociation  of  great  benefit  to  all 
concerned.  No  name  stands  for  greater  purity 
of  character  or  for  safe  and  practical  ideals  of 
living,  in  the  annals  of  Schuyler  County. 

REEVE,  William  H.— The  opinion  h.as  often 
been  expressed  that  America  is  too  big  to  love; 
that  natives  of  such  countries  as  Switzerland, 
Holland  or  England  may  have  an  affection  for 
the  very  soil  of  the  fatherland,  but  that  an 
American  can  never  be  imbued  with  such  a  love. 
Such  critics  need  not  even  go  to  the  old  home- 
steads of  the  Eastern  and  Southern  States  to  be 
disabused  of  such  an  idea,  for  right  here  in  the 
long-settled  agricultural  communities  of  Illinois, 
they  will  find  many  families  who  are  still  living 
where  their  fathers  located  more  than  half  a 
century  ago.  and  who  have  a  feeling  almost  of 
devotion  toward  every  familiar  tree  and  stream 
and  gently  rolling  fields,  recalling  some  scene  of 


913 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


the  passing  years.  A  signal  illustration  of  tliis 
deep  love  lor  the  old  home  place  among  Ameri- 
cans is  furnished  in  the  life  of  William  H. 
Iteeve,  a  leading  fanner  and  large  laud  owner 
of  Bainhridge  Township,  Schuyler  County.  Boru 
in  the  township  named,  ou  the  farm  which  he 
now  occupies,  on  Octoher  17,  lSo-1,  he  is  the  sou 
of  Simon  A.  Reeve,  whose  first  home  when  ne 
came  to  Schuyler  County,  was  the  little  tumble- 
down of  a  log  cahiu,  which  may  still  be  seen 
from  the  comfortable  residence  of  William  H.. 
and  which  is  tenderly  preserved  by  him  as  the 
place  of  his  birth  and  the  center  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth.  The  dilapidated  home  cabin  has  also 
been"  photographed  and  a  handsome  framed  pic- 
ture hangs  upon  the  walls  of  the  present  family 
residence.  It  was  here  he  lived  until  his  eight- 
eenth birthday,  when  the  paternal  family  moved 
into  a  beautiful  dwelling  erected  on  the  farm, 
not  far  away. 

William  H.  Keeve  remained  uiwn  the  home 
farm  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage  to  Har- 
riet E.  AcUley.  March  .31.  1ST1>.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Adams  County,  111.,  in  .January,  l.S,")2, 
the  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Pauline  i  Spangler) 
Ackley,  natives,  respectively,  of  New  York  and 
Indiana,  who  settled  in  Iluntsville  Townsliip, 
Schuyler  Counts",  at  an  early  day. 

After  his  marriage.  Mr.  Keeve  and  his  father 
entered  into  a  partnership  in  their  agricultural 
o|)erations.  The  latter  purchased  an  eighty-acre 
timber  tract,  and  as  the  son  was  verj'  skillful 
in  grubbing  stuni]is.  his  part  of  the  clearing  was 
readily  assigned.  Of  that  fact  sixty  acres  was 
cleared.  Father  and  son  oi)erated  together  until 
January,  1904,  when  the  former  retired  from 
active  wnrlv  to  a  beautiful  home  in  the  city  ot 
Rushville.  the  county  seat,  where  he  and  his 
faithful  wife  are  surrounded  by  steadfast  friends, 
and  live  amid  the  comforts  and  peace  springing 
from  industrious  and  well-spent  years. 

William  11.  Uceve  is  ackmiwUMlged  to  be  one  of 
the  liest  grain  farmers  and  live-stock  men  in  the 
county,  conducting  his  extensive  operations  on  a 
magnificent  tract  of  307  acres  in  one  body,  lying 
in  Section  1,5.  Bainhridge  Township.  He  gives 
special  attention  to  the  raising  of  wheat  and 
clover.  Gold  Pust  Ix-ing  the  variety  of  that  grain 
which  is  his  particular  pride,  and  in  the  culti- 
vation of  whicli  he  has  met  with  remarkable  suc- 
cess. During  the  past  year  he  had  130  acres  de- 
voted to  wheat  alone.  He  also  keeps  upon  the 
farm  the  best  grade  of  live  stock,  his  sleek,  well- 
fed  animals,  t'le  nu  tliodical  nppen ranee  o''  his 
fields  and  the  bright,  substantial  condition  of  his 
buildings,  revealing  the  hand  and  mind  of  the 
master  agriculturist.  Decided  skill  as  a  tiller  of 
the  soil,  high  ability  as  a  manager  and  imcom- 
promising  integrity  in  his  dealings,  have  inspired 
a  general  and  a  firm  confidence  which  has  never 
been  shaken. 

As  he  looks  back  over  the  half  a  century,  and 
more,  since  he  fii-st  placed  his  feet  on  the  soil 
which  he  still  treads,  during  which  time  many 
of  his  boyhood  friends  have  gone  to  other  places 
and  some  to  their  long  rest,   he  cannot  Imt  be 


thankful  that  he  has  been  permitted  to  take  such 
an  active  part  in  the  many  great  changes  which 
have  taken  place.  ,  He  has  lived  to  see  the  price 
of  land  in  Schuyler  County  rise  from  $25  to 
$125  an  acre,  and  to  witness  the  rise  of  villages 
and  cities  from  the  forest  and  the  raw  prairie. 
Schools  and  churches  have  sprung  into  life  and 
the  township  government  has  been  organized  and 
extended — in  all  of  which  iirogress  .Mr.  Keeve 
has  taken  the  part  of  a  good  aud  euterprising 
citizen. 

Besides  his  large  farmiug  and  landed  inter- 
ests, Mr.  Reeve  is  identified  with  the  city  of 
Rushville,  being  the  owner  of  a  business  house 
on  the  west  side  of  the  s<iuare,  aud  a  splendid 
residence.  In  i-cligion  he  is  a  Methodist,  and  in 
politics,  a  Democrat,  and  altogether  a  splendid 
type  ot  the  American  farmer  and  American  citi- 
zen, firmly  attached  to  his  church,  his  party,  his 
country  and  his  home. 

RENO,  Benjamin  F. — On  the  farm  he  now  oc- 
cujiii'S  in  Se('tion  22,  Browning  Township,  Schuy- 
ler County,  111.,  Benjamin  F.  Reno  was  bom 
.Vpril  22,  lS5(i.  Previously,  his  parents,  Jona- 
than and  Louisa  (Thornton)  Keno,  had  made 
for  themselves  sulistautial  place  in  the  history 
of  the  township,  haviug  .settleil  liere  in  1S25,  wheu 
the  locality  oU'ered  small  encouragement  to  the 
people  who  sought  inuuediate  recognition  of  their 
industry  and  worth.  Jonathan  Reno  long  since 
joined  "the  silent  majority,  but  a  distinct  and 
unfailing  echo  of  the  days  of  the  frontier  is 
found  in  the  wife  who  survives  him,  aud  who, 
with  the  snows  of  ninety-five  years  in  her  hair, 
and  the  kindliness  and  happiness  of  one  who 
has  lived  well  and  faithfully  in  her  heart,  is  the 
joy  of  the  household  of  her  son,  Benjamin  F.  It 
will  be  seen  that  the  township  has  profited  by 
the  association  of  this  family  for  eight.v-three 
vears.  and  it  would  be  dillicult  to  estimate  the 
good  and  intluence  that  have  resulted  therefrom. 
The  wife  of  the  early  settler  has  a  remarkably 
active  mind,  and  her  associates  delight  in  her 
stories  of  the  log  cabin  and  tallow  dip  days,  and 
espe<ially  of  the  winter  of  18.30.  known  as  the 
winter  of  the  deep  snow.  Almost  Incredible 
seem  the  experiences  of  the  people  who  were 
making  that  early  history,  and  the  discourage- 
ments the.v  encountered  and  obstacles  they  over- 
came, pronounce  them  pwiple  of  more  than  onli- 
nary  purpose  and  determination.  Mrs.  Reno  re- 
calls the  wigxvam  of  the  Indians,  and  her  many 
experiences  with  them,  although  for  the  most 
part  they  at  that  time  had  moved  to  other  hunt- 
ing grounds,  returning,  however,  occasionally,  to 
the  former  place  of  their  abode. 

Benjamin  F.  Reno  came  upon  the  scene  when 
many  comforts  and  advantages  had  been  intro- 
duced into  the  lives  of  the  settlers,  but  of  ne- 
cessity his  educational  chances  were  limited,  and 
confined  to  the  subscription  schools  and  study 
around  the  hearth  when  the  day's  ta.sks  were 
completed.  When  his  f.ither  arrived  at  the  age 
where  leisure  was  more  welcome  than  labor,  the 
son  renewed  his  ardor  and  assumed  additional 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


913 


respousibility.  and  October  0.  ISST,  was  united  iu 
marriage  to  Euima  Worliiiiau,  wbo  was  boru  iu 
Hickory  Towusbip,  Schuyler  County,  July  5, 
1869,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Workman,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  pioneer  ot  Schuyler  County.  Mrs. 
Workman,  who  now  lives  iu  Browning  Township, 
was  boru  in  Georgia,  and  came  early  to  this 
Western  Illinois.  To  Jlr.  aud  Mrs.  Ueuo  have 
been  born  four  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  Of  those  living,  Guy  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Kushville  Normal,  Class  of  VMij,  aud  of  the 
business  department  of  the  same  institution. 
Class  of  I'Ml ;  and  Ellsworth  is  a  student  in  the 
district  schools.  Out  of  the  kiuduess  of  their 
hearts  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reno  have  giveu  a  home, 
since  he  was  a  year  aud  a  half  old,  to  John 
Stambaugh,  who  now  is  twenty  years  old,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Kushville  Normal,  aud  who  always 
sigus  himself  John  Iteuo.  He  is  now  in  the 
mail  service. 

Mr.  Keno  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of  105 
acres  of  laud  which  he  devotes  to  stock  and  gen- 
eral produce.  He  Is  one  of  the  thrifty  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  the  township,  and  sustains 
well  the  reputation  established  by  his  father 
when  Schuyler  County  was  an  unhindered  wil- 
derue.ss.  I'olitically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
fraternally,  is  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

RENO,  Hon.   Wilham  C— The  founder  of  the 

Reno  family  in  Illinois  was  Jonathan,  who  as 
early  as  182.j  brought  his  wife  and  children  to 
Schuyler  County  aud  entered  land  in  Frederick 
Township  near  what  is  known  as  Keno  Lake. 
From  there  in  1S27  he  removed  to  Kushville 
Township  and  entered  land  on  Sec-tion  16,  later 
transferiug  his  home  to  McDonougli  County, 
and  eventually  going  to  the  vicinity  of  Spring- 
field, Mo.,  where  he  died.  After  his  death  his 
widow  returned  to  Illinois  and  remained  in 
Schuyler  County  until  her  death.  Their  son, 
Jonathan.  Jr.,  was  born  in  East  Tennessee,  and 
about  18:>4  married  Eliza  Thornton,  a  native  of 
the  same  State.  Their  marriage  was  solemnized 
in  Browning  Township,  where  they  made  their 
home  during  much  of  their  lives.  '  As  a  farmer 
he  was  industrious  and  persevering.  For  a  time 
he  also  ojierated  a  sawmill.  At  the  time  of 
the  construction  of  the  Wabash  Railroad  he  had 
a  contract  to  furnish  ties  and  other  materi;il  for 
building;  this  he  rafted  down  the  Illinois  as  far 
as  Naples,  where  it  was  put  into  use.  With  the 
exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Iowa  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  iu  Browning  Township  until  his 
death  in  1884.  a  part  of  his  Ix'tter  years  being 
spent  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Benjamin  F., 
his  youngest  son.  Politically,  he  was  stanch  in 
his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party.  His 
widow  has  reached  the  venerable  age  of  ninety- 
five  years,  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son, 
B.  F..  at  the  old  homestead.  Notwithstanding 
her  great  age.  she  retains  po.ssession  of  her  fac- 
ulties to  a  large  degree. 

In  the  family  of  Jonathan  Reno,  Jr..  there  are 
five  sons  and  two  daughters  now  living,  namely : 


William  C,  who  was  born  in  Browning  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  September  0,  1838 ;  Jas- 
per, a  resident  of  Sedalia,  Mo. ;  Charles,  of  As- 
toria, 111.;  Andrew  J.,  a  susbstantial  larnier  ot 
Warren  County,  111. ;  Benjamin  F.,  who  remains 
at  the  old  homestead ;  Rebecca,  widow  of  I.  B. 
Sipher ;  and  Matilda,  who  married  W.  J.  Bates 
and  resides  at  Browning,  Schuyler  County.  Three 
daughters  died  in  infancy  and  one  passed  away 
after  her  marriage.  During  the  boyhood  years 
of  William  0.  Reno,  he  helped  on  the  home  farm 
and  attended  the  neighborhood  schools.  Chil- 
dren in  that  period  had  few  advantages.  The 
schoolhouse  where  he  was  a  iiupil  was  con- 
structed of  logs,  with  a  door  oi  puncheons  and 
with  slabs  for  benches.  Text-books  were  few 
and  of  inferior  quality.  However,  he  was  a 
diligent  student  and  made  the  most  of  eveiy 
opportunity,  studying  with  the  utmost  diligence 
every  book  that  came  within  his  reach.  Thus  he 
gained  the  foundation  of  his  present  broad  fund 
of  information. 

At  the  time  of  the  excitement  caused  by  the 
discovei-j-  of  gold  in  the  Pike's  I>eak  region,  in 
1859,  Mr.  Reno  st.trted  for  that  regi(m  in  company 
with  others,  making  the  journey  with  wagon 
and  oxen.  On  his  arrival  he  found  that  only 
men  with  capital  could  work  advantageously  in 
prospecting  and  mining,  so  he  soon  returned, 
content  to  settle  down  to  the  more  quiet  life  of 
a  farmer.  October  IS,  1861,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Rebecca  A.  Wallace,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Browning  Township.  The 
young  couple  began  housekeeping  on  a  rented 
farm,  but  in  1866,  they  removed  to  Browning, 
wheie  Mr.  Reno  had  charge  of  a  warehouse 
on  the  river.  Soon  he  refumed  to  the  farm,  but 
iu  187(i  returned  to  Browning  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  In  the  public  life  of  his  town- 
whi]i  lie  has  lieen  a  leader  and,  politically,  has 
been  a  prominent  Democrat,  active  in  local 
])arty  work.  For  ten  years  he  officiated  as  town- 
ship treasurer.  For  fourteen  years  he  served 
as  supervisor  and,  during  four  years  of  that 
time  he  was  honored  with  the  position  of  chair- 
man of  the  board.  In  1872  he  was  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  which  po.sition  he  has  filled  ever 
since. 

A  further  honor  came  to  him  in  1880,  when 
be  was  selected  to  represent  the  Fulton  and 
Schuyler  Senatorial  District,  in  the  Illinois  Leg- 
islature, where,  during  his  term  of  service,  he 
was  found  a  faithful  representative  of  his  con- 
stituents and  a  talented  acquisition  to  the  Leg- 
islature. 

Sorrow  came  into  the  family  circle  when  th« 
wife  and  mother  was  called  from  (virth  April  11, 
ISrin,  leaving  to  her  husband  and  children  the 
memory  of  a  self-sacrificing  life  and  a  noble 
Christian  character.  Eight  children  were  born 
of  the  marriage,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Sanniel  F.,  the  eldest  sou.  is  engaged  iu  the  real- 
estate  and  loan  business  at  Pueblo.  Colo.;  Selina 
and  .Teminia  make  their  home  with  their  f:itber; 
Mark  M.  holds  the  position  of  Division  railroad 
passenger  agent,  with  headquarters  at  Burlington, 


914 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


lii. ;  .Miaiiie  M.  miirried  Aiuns  Cun-y  and  at  ber 
death  left  three  cljildreii— Marie,  Ada  and  Fred: 
Jay  is  mauager  of  a  dryKoods  store  in  Ma«>mb.  111.. 
and  Fred,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  resides  iu 
Lincoln.  Neb.,  holding  the  resixjnsible  position  of 
chief  of  the  baggage  and  express  department  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway,  west 
of  the  Jlissouri  Kiver.  The  sons  have  risen  to 
prominence  iu  their  various  occupatious  and,  by 
their  success,  have  added  prestige  to  an  hon- 
ored family  name.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Reno  is 
identified  with  Astoria  Lodge  No.  100,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  which  he  became  a  member  in  1808. 
Since  18<!4  he  has  been  associated  with  Brown- 
ing Lodge  No.  309.  L  O.  ().  F.  Through  a  long 
life  he  has  won  and  retained  the  confidence  of 
his  fellowmen.  Honorable  in  business  relations, 
alert  in  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  people, 
patriotic  in  devotion  to  wunty  and  common- 
wealth, keen  in  judgment  and  progressive  in 
thought,  he  furnishes  a  t.vpe  of  the  men  who 
have  brought  Schuyler  County  to  its  present  de- 
gree of  prosperitj-  and  prominence. 

RIDINGS,  Nelson  McNaire.— The  .success  ot 
Nelson  McNaire  Ridings  is  a  logical  conclusion 
of  his  inheritance  and  environment.  For  many 
generations  his  people  have  tilled  the  soil,  and 
perfected  farms  which  ever  have  represented  the 
best  thus  far  achieved  iu  agricultural  science. 
Mr.  Ridings  himself  has  proved  no  exception  to 
the  family  precedent,  Imt  in  Section  0,  (janiden 
Township,  operated  a  property-  the  equipment 
and  fertility  of  which  is  not  surpassed  anywhere 
in  Schuyler  County.  Born  in  Hancock  County. 
111.,  December  2.  18-19,  he  is  a  son  of  .James  E. 
and  grandson  of  William  Ridings,  both  n.atives 
of  Tennessee,  and  early  settlers  of  Hancock 
County.  Some  time  later  the  family  moved  to 
Woodstock  Township.  Schuyler  County,  from  the 
vicinity  of  Pulaski,  Hancock  County,  locating 
near  the  home  of  Robert  Brown,  where  the  hist 
days  of  William  Ridings  were  spent  in  com- 
parative retirement.  He  had  seven  children,  of 
whom  William  McNaire  and  Mrs.  .Tane  Skinnett 
are  living,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  .Toplin, 
Missouri.  Three  of  his  sons.  Mack,  David  and 
Washington,  served  four  years  each  in  the  Civil 
War,  one  in  a  Missouri  regiment,  another  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  tlie  third  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantr.v.  In 
Hancock  County,  111..  James  E.  Ridings  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  P.  Bennett,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
daughter  of  an  Ohio  farmer.  Mrs.  Ridings 
came  to  Schuyler  County  with  her  parents  and 
her  uncle,  Joseph  Newben-y,  from  Ohio,  set- 
tling in  Bainbridge  Township,  where  Newberry 
Postoflice  was  named  for  the  uncle.  James 
Ridings  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  this  he 
followed  after  his  marriage  in  1840  in  the  village 
of  Rnshville.  He  later  lived  in  Bloomington  for 
a  few  years,  then  moved  to  Missouri,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  father,  in  l.SOl,  returned  to  the 
old  home  farm  in  Woodstoclj  Township,  which  he 
tfHik   ch.n-ge  of  and  lived  up'i;i   until   his  death. 


November  7.  1903.  Like  his  father  before  him 
he  was  the  parent  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
Lorain  died  in  infancy ;  Nelson  McNaire  is  a 
farmer  in  Schuyler  County;  Flora  is  the  wife 
of  James  GriH'ne,  a  farmer  in  Iowa:  Eli/.a  (de- 
ceased (  was  the  wife  of  Jacob  Harmon,  Jr., 
of  the  vicinity  of  Rushville;  Charles  is  a  farmer 
of  Walnut  (irove  Township,  McDonough  County. 
111.:  Alibie  is  the  wife  of  Eugene  Betrauch,  of 
Iowa  ;  and  Arthur  lives  on  a  farm  near  Rush- 
ville, 

'I'hrough  a  dost-  application  to  study  during 
his  leisure  houi-s  Nelson  McNaire  Ridings  ac- 
quired a  nmch  better  education  than  does  the 
average  farm-reared  youth,  who  depends  solely 
upon  the  Instruction  of  the  local  schools.  The 
hardest  kind  of  work  claimed  his  verj-  early 
years,  and  when  but  ten  he  drove  a  team  that 
iiauled  iwrk  to  Beardstown.  where  his  uncle, 
David  Ridings,  would  help  him  unlnad.  During 
sevi'ral  winters  he  devoted  his  energies  to  team- 
ing, and  the  summers  were  spent  in  the  harvest 
field,  the  falls  being  spent  in  driving  the  horses 
for  the  old  horse-power  thre.shing  machine.  His 
father  worked  for  several  winters  in  the  packing 
department  of  Ray  &  Little,  and  the  son  aided 
him  with  this  work  until  his  twenty-flrst  year, 
when  he  liegan  fanning  on  land  he  had  rented 
from  his  father.  January  14,  1872,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Enmia  Z.  Dc  Counter, 
born  February  28,  1.S.i:!.  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
De  Counter,  mention  of  whom  may  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ridings  have  been  liorn  the  following  children: 
Laura  Isaholl.  l)om  December  10,  1872,  wife  of 
W,ilter  Warington,  a  farmer  of  Camden  Town- 
shi)!.  and  mother  of  a  daughter,  Lena ;  James 
Sanniel,  born  November  10,  1.874.  married  to 
Lcnora  Head:  Katie  E..  b^rn  DtM-ember  21, 
1871;,  deceas(>d  wife  of  Louis  French,  and  mother 
of  .\ltie  and  ,Iessie.  the  latter  of  whom  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years:  Daisy,  bora  December 
4.  1878.  deceased  wife  of  Jx'e  M.vers,  a  farmer  of 
Huntsville  Township :  Clifford  M.,  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1881.  living  at  home  with  his  parents; 
Logan  J.,  born  April  9.  1.887;  Raleigh,  born  Feb- 
ruaiy  9.  18.89;  and  Ouy,  bom  November  18.  1893. 
Logan  Ridings  stiidied  law  at  Des  Moines,  la., 
graduating  in  1908;  and  Clifford  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Rushville  Normal  and  Business  College, 
Class  of  1002. 

After  living  on  rented  fanns  for  several  years 
Mr.  Ridings  in  1877  Ixiught  eightj-  acres  in 
Camden  Township,  which  remained  his  home  for 
twenty  six  years.  He  was  successful  at  general 
fanning  .and  stock-raising,  and  in  1003  moved  to 
the  farm  owned  by  Samuel  De  Counter,  which 
consists  ot  300  acres  in  Section  9,  Camden  Tovrn- 
ship.  He  at  present  is  extensively  engaged  in 
the  breeding  of  Poland-China  hogs  black  ciittle 
and  Belgian  horses.  He  ships  several  car  loads 
of  stock  annually,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the 
best  judges  thereof  in  Schuyler  County.  The 
farm  he  occupies  has  the  finest  of  modern  im- 
pn)vements,  has  spe<'ial  facilities  for  stock,  and 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


915 


is  adapted  to  the  various  l;iuds  of  produce  asso- 
ci  itfd  with  tile  Central  Western  States. 

Mr.  Ridings  lias  always  had  the  best  interests 
of  Sehuyler  County  at  heart,  and  has  vigorously 
endorsed  good  roads,  good  schools,  churches,  be- 
nevolent organizations,  and  fraternities.  Though 
not  a  member,  he  contributes  liberally  to  the 
Christian  t'hurch,  of  which  his  wiie  is  a  meaibei', 
and  be  has  been  a  member  of  tbe  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  B'ellows,  of  Huntsville,  111.,  for 
many  years,  having  joined  the  Rushville  lodge 
of  the  order  about  1872.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, but  the  emoluments  of  otHce  have  never 
drawn  him  from  the  more  peaceful  interests  of 
his  home.  He  is  a  man  of  the  strictest  personal 
honor,  the  kindliest  disposition  and  generosity 
of  heart,  and  the  noblest  aims  in  the  large  things 
which  make  for  character  and  development. 

RITCHEY,  Francis  P.— The  influx  of  settlers 
intii  Schuyler  County  in  ]8:'>1  included  George  P. 
Ritchey,  a  man  with  a  venturesome  spirit,  a 
steady  purjxise,  aud  considerable  mercantile 
ability.  He  came  from  a  family  of  farmers  and 
]]ioneers,  and  bi.s  father,  John  Ritchey,  was  an 
early  arrival  in  Ohio,  where  the  sou  was  born 
in  1S14.  The  lad  was  educated  in  the  early  sub- 
scription schools,  married  Lucinda  .1.  Walker, 
of  Cloverport,  Ky.,  and  during  the  summer  of  1831 
came  overland  to  Illinois,  settling  on  Govern- 
ment land  in  Rushville  Township.  Soou  .after- 
wards he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  in 
the  village  of  Rushville.  disposing  of  the  same 
five  years  later  and  purchasing  the  farm  in 
Rushville  Township,  w'hich  be  operated  with 
fair  success  until  his  death  in  18S8.  The  same 
courage  and  capacity  of  endurance  which  brought 
him  to  the  wilds  of  Illinois  induced  him  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  gold  mines  of  California  in  1,S.50, 
and  he  undertook  the  long  joiu'ne.v  across  the 
plains  in  an  ox  train,  driving  a  team  of  sturdy 
oxen  from  early  morn  until  nightfall  for  six 
months.  He  seems  not  to  have  been  especially 
successful  as  an  Argonaut,  for  in  1853  he  re- 
turned and  took  up  the  burden  of  farming  and 
stock-raising. 

At  the  age  of  thirty  years  Francis  P.  Ritchey 
left  the  home  farm  in  Rushville  Township,  and 
went  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  State  of  Kansas. 
He  had  received  a  practical  edxication  in  the  pub- 
lie  schools,  had  profited  b.v  a  commercial  course 
in  Indianapolis  and  in  Illinois,  as  in  K:insas, 
engaged  in  school  teaching  for  several  terms. 
He  also  embarked  on  an  agricultural  enterprise 
in  the  latter  State,  but  the  uncertainty  of  the 
seasons  and  the  failure  of  crojjs  interfered 
with  the  realization  of.  his  expectations  and 
he  returned  to  his  former  home  in  Rush- 
ville Township  in  1876.  The  same  .vear  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Catherine  Sands,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Roliert  and  Prances  Sands,  natives  of 
Ohio  and  Kentucky,  respectivel.v.  Pour  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritchey : 
Laura  E.,  wife  of  Noah  Moore,  of  Rushville ; 
Fr.mces :  George  P. ;  and  Robert  F.  These  chil- 
dren  have  all   been   given   excellent  educational 


and  general  advantages,  and  are  developing  into 
capable  and  useful  members  of  society. 
Prances  is  attending  a  school  ot  elocution  in  Chi- 
cago :  George  P.  Is  iiualif.\-ing  as  a  physician  and 
surgeon  at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  School ;  and 
Robert  P.  is  in  charge  of  the  old  home  place  in 
Rushville  Township. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Ritchey  owns  205 
acres  of  land  in  Section  0,  in  the  above  named 
township,  all  of  it  improved,  aud  equipped  with 
modern  implements.  In  addition  to  general 
farming  he  alwaj^s  has  on  baud  various  kinds 
of  stock,  includiug  high  grade  horses,  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  is  promoting  one  of  the  most  modern 
and  scientific  farming  enterprises  in  the  State 
of  Illinois.  He  is  a  Reimblican  in  politics,  has 
held,  among  other  ottices,  that  of  Supervisor  of 
Rushville  Township,  and  with  the  rest  of  his 
family,  is  a  devout  and  consistent  member  of 
the  Christian  Church.  Praternall.v,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. Mr.  Ritchey  is  a  man  of  fine  breeding, 
tact  and  consider.ition,  and  is  well  informed 
upon  the  sub.1ects  which  interest  progressive  and 
intelligent  people.  Farming  has  enlarged  and 
broadened  his  mind  aud  perceptions,  instead  of 
narrowing  them,  as  is  the  case  with  less  inijuir- 
ing  men,  and  he  is  physically,  mentally  aud 
morally,  a  representative  of  the  best  agricultural 
element  of  his  time  and  place. 

RITTENHOUSE,  William.— There  is  no  family 
in  Schuyler  County,  111...  which  has  done  more 
for  the  cause  of  temperance,  morality  aud  relig- 
ion than  that  so  well  represented  by  William 
Rittenhouse.  whose  homestead  is  located  in  Sec- 
tion 16.  Bainbridge  Township.  He  was  born  in 
the  township,  h.alf  a  mile  west  of  his  present 
home,  on  February  11,  18-57,  a  son  of  William 
and  Xancy  (Kelley)  Rittenhouse,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Switzerland  County,  Ind.,  and  came  to 
Schuyler  County  about  18-t!».  In  that  year  he 
located  in  Bainlu-idge  Township,  which  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death  in  1878,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him  until  1901.  Both  were  life-long  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church,  aud  true  disciples 
of  Christ  who  devoted  their  lives  to  the  assist- 
ance and  uplifting  of  their  fellows.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  fourteen  children  (eleven 
still  living!,  as  follows:  Henry,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Hardin  County.  111.;  Enoch,  a  farmer 
of  Bainbridge  Township;  Washington,  of  Wood- 
stock Township ;  Sarah,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
James  Montague,  of  Norton  County.  Kans. ; 
Rose  Ann,  wife  of  Ebenezer  Grist,  whose  hus- 
band is  a  Bainliridge  Township  farmer ;  Marion, 
a  resident  of  Woodstock  Towuship ;  Mary,  wife 
of  Henry  Halfield.  of  Norton  County.  Kans. ; 
Thomas,  who  died  in  1897;  William;  .lames,  who 
is  living  in  the  Indian  Territoiy ;  Hiram,  a 
farmer  of  Brown  County,  111.,  and  Nancy  .1.,  now 
Mrs.  Thomas  Burnside.  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead; Delia,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years; 
and  an  infant,  also  deceased. 

William  Rittenhouse  was  reared  on  the  fam- 
ilv    farm,    attended    the    district    school    of    his 


916 


HISTOIJY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


neigbborhood,  and  on  February  10,  ISTO,  married 
Racbel  J.  Stoiiekiug,  a  daughter  of  Wasbiugton 
and  Sarah  (Wardell)  Stoneking,  and  a  native  of 
Baiubridge  Township.  The  young  couple  then 
began  married  life  on  the  farm  where  the  hus- 
band was  l>orn,  remaining  there  until  1S7S,  when 
they  removed  to  Nonon  County.  Kans.,  and  after 
a  year's  residence  there  returned  to  their  na- 
tive township.  After  renting  land  for  some 
years.  Mr.  Rittenhouse  bought  the  interest  of  the 
"heirs  in  the  old  home  farm,  and  again  assumed 
the  management  of  the  proljerty,  remaining  on 
the  homestead  until  October.  1SS9,  when  he  sold 
it  and  bought  eighty  acres  in  Section  16.  in  the 
same  township. 

Mr.  and  Mre.  Rittenhouse  have  five  children, 
viz. :  Otis  T.,  a  farmer  of  Woodstock  Township, 
who  married  Eleanor  Hudson  and  has  three  chil- 
dren—James W.,  Clifford  and  Ethel ;  Nancy 
L„  born  in  Norton  County,  Kans.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Silvanus  Orr  and  the  mother  of  William 
H. ;  Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  Frank  Ulman,  a  farmer 
residing  in  Woodstock  Township,  this  county ; 
Mary  M.,  Mrs.  Hugh  I.K)gsdon,  who  is  the  mother 
of  one  child.  William  A. ;  and  Robert  S. 

For  fifty  years  Mr.  Rittenhouse  has  made  his 
home  in  Bainbridge  Township,  and  during  all 
this  period  confidence  in  his  substantial  anility 
and  moral  strength  has  been  continually 
strengthening.  When  he  was  about  twenty  years 
of  age  he  united  with  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
for  twelve  years  was  an  active  mendier  of  that 
denomination.  He  then  joined  the  Free  Method- 
ist Church,  and  has  since  Iteen  one  of  its  most 
influential  adherents.  In  1888,  when  tlie  local 
society  erected  a  well-arranged  and  attractive 
edifice,  he  was  the  largest  contributor  to  the 
work,  and  has  continued  to  be  a  leader  in  its 
progress.  For  je.-irs  lie  was  Superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  School,  and  through  the  organization 
in  which  he  is  so  earnest  a  spirit,  splendid  work 
has  been  accomplished  for  the  Christian  cause, 
while  personally,  his  entire  life,  Inspired  liy  the 
teachings  of  his  Master,  has  won  the  regard  of 
even  those  who  have  not  agreed  with  him  in 
denominational  matters.  For  many  years  he  has 
also  been  an  uncom[)roniising  Prohibitionist  cast- 
ing his  first  presidential  vote  for  John  P.  St. 
John.  Although  his  people  were  Democrats, 
the  moral  importance  of  the  temjierance  cause 
so  forcibly  appealed  to  him  that  he  finally  con- 
centrated all  his  political  efforts  towards  the 
support  of  the  principles  which  he  so  thoroughly 
believed  to  be  right  In  his  politics,  as  in  his 
daily  life,  he  is  guided  by  the  code  of  morals 
which  springs  from  Christianity,  so  that  even 
his  ojiponents  admire  his  perfect  sincerity  and 
tlioroughly  honor  him. 

ROBESON,  Banning  H.,  a  well  known  thriving 
and  much  rc.s]iccted  f.armer  of  Rushville  Town- 
ship. Schuyler  County,  111.,  was  bom  in  the  vil- 
la.ge  of  Astoria,  Fulton  County,  III..  Januarv  :'.(», 
186.3,  a  son  of  Delano  G.  and  Sarah  (Hafnen 
Robeson,  whose  lives,  together  with  full  partic- 
ulars  in   regard   to   the   family   history   on   Imth 


sides,  are  portrayed  in  another  sketch  in  this 
connection.  Delano  G.  Robeson,  having  spent  all 
his  active  years  in  agricultural  pursuits,  has 
now  abandoned  active  lal)or,  and  is  living  in  re- 
tirement. The  early  youth  of  Banning  H.  Robesou 
was  passed  on  the  paternal  farm,  and  in  boyhood 
be  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
On  reaching  the  period  of  maturity  he  aiiplied 
himself  on  his  own  resiKiusibility,  his  first  lo- 
cation being  at  Christian  Neck,  whence  he  moved 
in  18it4  to  his  present  farm,  lie  is  the  owner 
of  78  acres  of  laud  in  Section  11,  Rushville  Town- 
ship and  his  operations  tliereou  have  been  at- 
tended by  invariable  success. 

On  April  IS,  1888,  in  Rushville  Township.  Mr. 
Robesou  was  united  in  marriage  with  Delia  V. 
.Vndersou,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Harrison  and 
Hannah  (Ilindman)  Andei-sou,  old  .settlers  of 
the  township.  Two  boys  and  two  girls  resulted 
fnim  this  union,  namely:  Pearl,  Trude,  Delano 
and  Homer. 

.Mr.  Robeson  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest  in 
the  public  aflairs  of  his  locality,  and  In  the 
spring  of  VMt'i,  was  elwted  to  the  office  of  Road 
Commissioner,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged 
faithfully  and  elti<iently. 

ROBESON,  Delano  C— The  State  of  Ohio  has 
been  a  never  failing  recruiting  ground  for  the 
successful  farmers  of  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and 
a  representative  of  the  best  to  come  from  that 
earlier  settled  (onuuunity  Is  Delano  (i.  Robeson, 
the  chief  activity  of  whose  career  lies  In  the  past 
rather  than  the  present  of  Astoria  Township. 
Mr.  Robeson  was  born  in  Danville,  Knox 
County.  Ohio.  In  18.38,  and  comes  of  a  family 
long  identified  with  .Maryland,  where  was  bom 
the  paternal  grandfather.  Solomon  Robeson,  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  Kuo.x  County,  Ohio. 
On  the  farm  in  Ohio  was  born,  in  1813,  Jacob 
W.  Robeson,  father  of  Delano,  and  In  the  same 
counly  and  State  was  liorn  Delano's  mother, 
I^)uise  (GilTonl  Robeson,  In  1820.  The  matenial 
grandfather.  Robert  Giffon,  was  Iwrn  In  Scot- 
land, and  by  occupation  was  a  millwright.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  business  sagacity,  and  be- 
came a  large  landed  i)roprietor  In  Coshocton 
County,  Ohio,  owning  at  one  time  4,000  acres  of 
land  near  Newcastle,  and  :!,00(J  acres  In  another 
part  of  the  county.  He  acquired  great  general  in- 
fluence, and  was  one  of  the  very  substantial  and 
prominent  men  of  his  community. 

Jacob  W.  Robeson  was  reared  on  the  Ohio 
farm  and  eventually  embarked  in  an  independent 
fanning  enterprise.  For  a  time  after  his  mar- 
riage he  combined  farming  and  the  keeping  of 
a  country  tavern,  thereafter  removing  from  Knox 
to  Coshocton  County.  Ohio,  and  still  later 
locating  in  Fulton  County,  111.,  bringing  his  fam- 
ily in  1S.")6  to  .\storla  Township,  in  that  county, 
where  he  was  engaged  In  farming  and  stock- 
raising  until  shortly  before  his  de.ith  in  18.80. 
He  was  a  kindly  disposed  and  (piite  sueees.sful 
man.  and  left  a  property  which  reflected  credit 
uixm   his  industry  and  good  judgment 

Delano  G.  Rol/eson  came  to  Rushville,  Schuy- 


HISTOIJY  OF  SCHUYLEH  COUNTY. 


917 


ler  County,  from  Fulton  County,  in  LSTO,  aud 
two  years  later,  bought  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  Sections  10  aud  15,  Kusliville  Township,  going 
iu  debt  for  the  same  to  the  extent  of  $1,000,  for 
which  he  paid  ten  per  cent  Interest.  Eventually 
he  added  to  this  property  as  opportunity  came 
his  way,  until  at  present  he  owns  'S'20  acres,  be- 
sides two  valuable  lots  in  the  city  of  Kushville. 
For  the  management  of  this  property  Mr.  Robe- 
sou  was  well  equipped,  for  he  was  ever  an  apt 
pupil  in  the  public  schools,  aud  had  so  far  felt 
the  need  of  further  training  that  he  taught 
school  before  and  after,  iu  order  to  complete  the 
course  at  the  .Jones  Commercial  College,  at  St. 
Louis.  He  also  gained  some  business  experience 
as  a  clerk  iu  the  general  store  of  Mr.  Scripps, 
of  Rushville.  He  had  a  special  aptitude  for 
farniiug,  however,  and  was  always  glad  to  get 
back  to  the  freedom  and  independence  of  rural 
life.  In  1892  he  temporarily  left  the  farm  and 
located  iu  Uushville,  returning  to  the  farm  five 
years  later,  and  in  1005  taking  up  his  i>ermanent 
residence  in  the  city  of  Rushville.  He  has  a 
splendid  farm,  improved  to  the  best  known  to 
the  modern  agriculturist,  and  upon  it  ni.-iy  l)e 
found  a  high  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs, 
besides  a  fiue  residence  and  substantial  barns 
and  outbuildings.  His  thousand-dollar  debt  did 
not  long  remain  uncancelled,  for  the  debtor  was 
a  man  of  energy  and  push,  who  left  no  stone  un- 
turned to  achieve  the  liest  possible  results  in  his 
line. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Robeson  and  Sarah  M. 
Haffner  occurred  in  Fulton  Count}-,  111.,  in  18(!2. 
Mrs.  Robeson  being  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
bom  in  184.'{.  Six  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robeson :  Banning  H.,  Rose  H.. 
Daniel  W..  Hari-j- H.,  Celia  M.,  aud  Louise  V.,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Robeson  is  a  Democrat  iu  politics, 
and  local  activity  has  redounded  to  clean  gov- 
ernment and  fair  official  dealing.  He  served 
as  Assessor  of  Astoria  Township  four  years  and 
filled  the  same  position  in  Rushville  Township 
for  twelve  consecutive  years.  He  was  also 
Collector  in  Astoria  Township  two  years.  Fail- 
ing health  has  interfered  somewhat  with  the 
usefulness  and  happiuess  of  his  later  years,  but 
his  good  spirits  remain  undiminished,  and  his 
interest  in  the  people  and  happenings  around 
him  is  as  keen  as  when  he  was  an  active  co- 
worker. His  inherent  honesty  and  rare  good 
sense  have  been  manifest  in  all  of  his  dealings 
with  his  fellow  men.  and  he  enjoys  the  respect 
and  good  will   of  all   who   know   him. 

ROBESON,  Jacob  H.— An  example  of  intelligent 
farming  and  refined  country  life  is  found  in  the 
home  surroundings  of  .Jacob  H.  Robeson,  the 
greater  j)art  of  whose  career  has  been  spent  in 
Rushville  Township,  Schuyler  Count>'.  Mr.  Robe- 
son was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ohio  in  185.1,  his 
parents,  .Jacob  W.  and  Ionise  (Gitliu)  Rolieson. 
being  natives  of  that  State.  The  family  moved 
from  Ohio  to  Fulton  Ctounty.  111.,  when  .Jacol)  II. 
was  a  young  lad,  and  when  he  had  reached  the 
age   of   fifteen   years,    they   settled   in    Schuyler 


Count}-,  where  he  completed  his  education  in 
the  iiublic  schools  and  developed  into  a  capable 
farmer  and  useful  citizen.  Further  particulars 
in  regard  to  the  Robeson  family  history  may  be 
found  in  a  sketch  of  Delano  (j.  Robeson  apiicar- 
iug  elsewhere  '.i\  this  connectiou. 

When  twenty-one  years  old.  Mr.  Robeson  con- 
tracted the  mining  fever,  w-hich,  mentally  at 
least,  offered  an  easy  aud  rapid  way  to  fortune. 
For  three  yeare  he  worked  in  the  silver  mines  of 
Coloi-ado,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  re- 
turned to  Schuyler  County,  content  to  await  the 
slow  but  sure  rewards  of  general  farming.  He 
still  has  a  tine  and  valuable  farming  property, 
which  he  has  devoted  to  raising  the  products 
for  which  the  Central  West  is  noted,  and  his 
buildings  aud  general  equipment  have  always 
indicated  a  careful  and  practical  turn  of  mind. 
In  1006  Mr.  Robeson  decided  to  leave  his  farm 
of  200  acres,  aud  bought  an  attractive  cottage  on 
West  Lafayette  Street,  in  Rushville,  where  he  is 
enjoying  the  comforts  of  a  well  spent  life  and 
the  society  of  many  friends. 

In  1880  Mr.  Robeson  was  married  to  Frances 
Strong,  of  Rushville  Township,  and  they  have 
four  children,  namely ;  Jacob  L..  Clarence  B., 
Bertha  JI.,  and  Grace  V.  The  mother  of  this 
family  is  a  daughter  of  Bnnis  Strong,  a  pioneer 
settler  of  Pleasantview,  111.,  where  he  operated 
a  grist-mill  a  number  of  years.  Both  of  her 
parents  died  in  Schuyler  County.  Besides  her- 
self there  are  tour  sons  and  three  daughters  still 
living,  as  follows :  Thomas,  who  resides  near 
Lincoln,  Neb. :  Frank,  of  Pleasantview,  and  John, 
a  farmer  near  that  place;  Burton,  a  farmer  in 
Rushville  Township ;  Ella,  wife  of  Lou  Kinnear, 
of  Rushville,  111.;  Drudy,  wife  of  George  Skiles, 
of  Lincoln,  Neli. ;  and  Ida,  wife  of  William  Reb- 
man,  who  lives  just  north  of  Pleasantview. 

Although  an  earnest  Democrat  since  casting 
his  fii-st  presidential  vote,  Mr.  Robeson  is  averse 
to  seeking  office,  and  has  never  been  a  candidate 
for  local  political  honors.  He  has  been  a  tire- 
less worker,  and  progressive,  thoughtful  man, 
readily  adapting  liimself  to  the  use  of  such  im- 
provements as  appealed  to  his  reason  and  com- 
mon sense. 

RODEWALD,  Adolphus  Peter. — One  of  the  most 
striking  exemplificafions  of  what  resolute  per- 
sistence, diligent  use  of  opportunity,  and  fidelity 
to  the  dictates  of  duty  will  accomplish,  in  a 
comparatively  brief  career,  when  combined  with 
innate  talent,  is  found  in  the  life  of  the  well- 
known  citizen  of  Rushville.  Schuyler  Couuty,  111., 
who.se  name  introduces  this  narrative. 

Mr.  Rodewald  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  Schuyler 
County.  111..  November  4,  1S(!2.  He  is  a  son 
of  Charles  and  Eliese  (Peter) Rodewald,  natives 
of  Germany,  where  his  father  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1826,  and  his  mother,  October  15,  1833. 
Charles  Rodewald  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
and  also  carried  on  farming  as  a  means  of  liveli- 
hood. In  the  .year  1849  he  came  to  America,  and 
soon  settled  iu  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  on 
March    18.    18.52.    he    was    married    to    Eliese 


918 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


PUiliiiiieiia  Teter,  at  Rusliville.  At  tbe  outset 
he  lolluwed  bis  trade  of  blacksiuithing,  but  after- 
wards abaudiiued  tbat  occupation  aud  eugaged 
iu  faruiing,  oiierating  also  to  a  large  extent  iu 
real  estate,  and  at  tbe  time  of  his  death  being 
tbe  owner  of  several  valuable  farms  iu  Schuyler 
County.  To  bim  aud  his  excellent  spouse  were 
born  'seven  children,  as  follows:  Frederick, 
Charles  William,  George  Herman  (w-ho  died  iu 
infancy),  Dorothea  Catherine,  Adolpbus  Peter, 
Eustena  Eliese  aud  Beujamin  Frauklin.  Tbe 
death  of  Charles  Rodewald  occurred  on  June 
24,  1S78,  aud  that  of  Bliese  (Peter)  Rodewald, 
on  November  2'.),  1895. 

Adolpbus  P.  Rodewald  attended  tbe  public 
schools  of  bis  neighborhood  when  a  boy.  and  m 
1ST.'!  removed  with  bis  parents  to  Rusbville, 
becomiug  a  pupil  in  the  Rusbville  T'uiim  School. 
He  was  graduated  from  tbe  Rusbville  High 
School  iu  tbe  Class  of  1882.  For  mauy  years 
be  was  I'resideut  of  the  Rusbville  High 
School  Alumni  Association.  His  youth  was 
spent  ou  tbe  paternal  farm.  After  bis  studies 
were  completed  be  secured  a  clerkship  in  a 
store,  where  he  remained  for  several  years,  and 
subse(iuently  went  into  business  for  himself, 
being  engaged  iu  the  hardware  and  implement 
trade  iu  Rusbville.  under  tbe  firm  name  of 
Rodewald  c&  Darnell. 

In  ])olitics,  Mr.  Itodewald  is  a  Democrat,  aud 
stands  high  in  bis  party's  local  councils.  In 
1890  be  was  elected  County  Clerk  of  Schuyler 
County,  and  was  re-elected  iu  1894,  and  through 
courteous  treatment  of  tlie  jiatrous  of  his  otlice, 
and  strict  adherence  to  duty,  he  gained  an  envi- 
able reputation  as  a  county  olticial.  At  tbe  close 
of  bis  second  term  be  voluntarily  retiretl  from 
othce,  and  being  interested  in  tbe  Bauk  of  Schuy- 
ler County,  the  board  of  directoi-s  elected  him 
Cashier  of  tbe  institution,  and  he  has  ever  since 
discharged  tbe  duties  of  tbat  position  with 
notable  ability  aud  fidelity.  Much  of  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  this  sound  and  reliable  bank 
is  due  to  his  conservative  management  and  un- 
tiring efforts.  He  also  serves  iu  tbe  capacity  of 
Secretary  of  the  Farm  &  Town  Loan  Association, 
and  is  President  of  tlie  Rusbville  Telephone  Com- 
pany, a  strong  local  corjioration.  To  eveo' 
movement  or  business  industry  that  is  for  the 
best  interests  of  this  home  city,  be  is  ever  ready 
to  lend  counsel  and  financial  aid. 

Mr.  Rodewald  was  united  iu  marriage,  at 
Ru.sbville,  III.,  on  .Time  10.  l.SiM!.  with  Bessie  C. 
D.>>ion,  who  was  hern  iu  tbat  city  August  2, 
18(19.  Mrs.  Rodewald  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Martha  (Wheelhouse)  Dyson. 

In  19fin.  Mr.  Rodewald  was  elected  a  meml>er 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Rusbville 
Union  Schools,  and  was  re-elected  iu  190.3.  serv- 
ing several  years  as  President  of  that  body.  He 
was  the  first  graduate  of  the  Rusbville  High 
School  to  be  elected  a  memlK^r  of  the  Board  of 
Education.  In  fraternal  circles,  he  is  identified 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  man  of 
superior  qualities,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  ablest  financiers  iu  Schuyler  County. 


ROSE,  John  W. — In  its  second  generation  in 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  the  Rose  family  has  a 
sterling  represeutat-ive  in  John  W.  Rose,  ii 
young  man  with  whom  to  think  aud  plan  is  to 
act,  aud  whose  mauy  sided  capacity  and  public 
spiriteduess  supplies  a  standard  of  worth  of 
which  auy  community  might  well  be  proud.  Mr. 
Rose  is  first  of  all  a  farmer,  and  bis  ability  in 
this  direc-tiou  has  beeu  augmeuted  by  a  variety 
of  general  experiences,  including  prolonged  ix)- 
litical  activity.  He  is  now  iu  bis  sixth  consec- 
utive year  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, and  during  this  time  he  has  dnne  luucli 
towards  the  ]iractical  development  nt  tbe  town- 
ship as  a  member  of  the  couuuittees  on  roads, 
bridges  and  laiblic  buildings.  He  is  also  serv- 
ing his  twelfth  year  as  Township  Treasurer, 
aud  has  beeu  Township  Clerk,  and  in  fact  every- 
thing afforded  by  local  jiolilical  prel'ermeut.  lie 
discbarges  his  responsibilities  with  rare  good  judg- 
ment, unciuestioued  integrity,  and  keen  appreci- 
ation of  the  needs  and  opportunities  of  the  towu- 
ship,  and  irrespective  of  political  bias,  be  Is 
thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  residents  who 
cherish  worth  while  political  aud  other  ideals. 

A  farmer  in  Section  1,  Hickory  Township,  .Mr. 
Rose  was  boru  in  Woodland  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  OctolHT  10,  1871,  a  son  of  Samuel  J. 
and  Mahala  ( Fike)  Rose,  the  former  of  whom 
was  of  German  ancestry.  The  elder  Rose  set- 
tled In  Fulton  County  about  1850,  aud  after 
coming  to  Schuyler  County  as  a  boy,  lived  for 
a  time  with  his  sister  .Mary,  wife  of  Squire  But- 
ler. He  acquired  the  average  education  of  the 
country  youth,  and  married,  for  his  first  wife 
Sarah  Shaw,  who  became  the  mother  of  three 
children:  .Mary,  deceased;  Stewart  E..  a  farmer 
in  Woodland  Township;  and  Rebecca,  wife  of 
Columbus  Barker,  who  reside  iu  Masou  County, 
111.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  Mr.  Rose  mar- 
ried Mahala  Fike,  of  which  union  there  was 
but  one  child,  John  W.  Samuel  J.  Rose  was  born 
.in  Ohio,  moving  from  there  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  his  father  died,  aud  wheu  he  reached 
Schuyler  County,  he  had  nothing  in  the  way  of 
worldly  assets  to  start  him  upou  bis  independ- 
ent career.  He  attained  to  high  honor  in  the 
connnunity,  became  one  of  its  well-to-do  and  in- 
fluential farmers,  and  in  politics  held  among 
others  the  ofHce  of  Township  Treasurer.  His 
death  occurred  March  1,  1895,  and  that  of  his 
wife.  January  24,  li)05. 

The  education  of  John  W.  Rose  was  acquired 
in  the  country  schools,  the  public  schools  of 
Ixnvistown.  and  the  Wi-stem  Normal  College, 
which  he  attended  a  year.  With  these  ad- 
vantages as  a  nucleus,  he  has  been  a  constant 
student  of  men  and  events,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  posted  of  the .  younger  generation  of  the 
township.  Following  close  uiK)n  the  ending  of 
his  school  days,  in  180:{  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  BlulT  City,  Schuyler  Countj', 
his  integrity  and  knowledge  of  his  occupation 
resulting  in  gratifying  financial  and  general 
success.  T'pon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1896, 
be  sold  out  his  business  to  take  charge  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


919 


old  Rose  farm  of  eighty  acres,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  Sue- 
cess  has  enabled  him  to  increase  his  possessions, 
and  he  now  owns  120  acres  in  Section  17,  Curtis 
Township,  Fulton  County,  and  230  acres  in 
Hickory  Township,  Schuyler  County,  the  latter 
of  which  constitutes  his  home  place.  He  raises 
general  produce  and  a  variety  of  stock,  and  his 
farm  land  represents  the  best  possible  develop- 
ment known  to  this  age  of  agriculturists. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Kose  and  Nellie  Cur- 
less  occurred  April  9,  ISiX?.  Mrs.  Rose  is 
a  daughter  of  .J.  W.  and  Jane  (Mclutyre)  Cur- 
less,  the  former  being  one  of  the  leading  pioneers 
of  Schuyler  County.  Both  are  deceased.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rose  have  three  children :  Beatrice, 
Clifford  J.  and  Rose  Alice.  Mr.  Rose  has  a 
strong  and  interesting  personality,  and  inspires 
confidence  in  all  with  whom  he  is  ever  asso- 
ciated. He  is  vigorously  alert  to  the  advantages 
and  resiwnsibilities  of  the  young  men  of  the 
present,  and  contributes  his  share  of  character 
and  determination  and  purpose  to  the  enlight- 
ened community  of  which  he  is  an  integral 
factor.  In  fraternal  circles,  he  is  afflliated  with 
the  Masonic  Order  and  the  M.  W.  A. 

ROSS,  John  H.,  a  prosperous  and  prominent 
farmer  of  Littleton  Township.  Schuyler  Counfy, 
111.,  and  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  lo- 
cality, was  born  in  Brooklyn  Township,  the 
same  county,  in  July,  1848,  a  son  of  Tolbert  and 
Catherine  (Snyder)  Ross,  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  Virginia,  respectively.  His  paternal  grand- 
I)areuts  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Schuy- 
ler Count)-,  and  here  the  father  of  the  sul>ject 
of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood,  and  after  his 
marriage  to  Catherine  Snyder,  followed  farm- 
ing for  several  years  in  Brooklyn  Township. 
Selling  out  his  interests  there  about  the  year 
1851,  Tolbert  Ross  bought  120  acres  of  land  in 
Section  Ifi,  Littleton  Township,  subsequently  pur- 
chasing move  until  his  farm  comprised  160  acre.s. 
On  this  place  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  life, 
dying  in  Octolier.  1857,  at  the  age  of  15  years.   In 

1874,  his  widow  became  the  wife  of  John  Beadle, 
of  La  Prairie,  111.,  and  lived  but  a  short  time  after 
her   second   marriage,   passing  away    in    March. 

1875.  By  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  she  had  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  all 
of  whom  are  still  living  except  a  brother,  who 
was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  In  early  youth. 
John  H.  Ross  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  as- 
sisting his  mother  on  the  farm  until  the  time  of 
her  marriage  to  Mr.  Beadle.  Following  that 
event,  he  took  charge  of  the  estate  which  he 
afterward  bought.  The  house  originally  stand- 
ing on  the  propert.v  was  destroyed  b.v  tire  in  1881. 
and  in  the  following  year  he  built  the  present 
frame  dwelling  containing  seven  rooms.  He 
also  put  up  a  horse  and  hay  barn,  tiled  the 
.groimd  and  made  other  necessary  improvements, 
until  he  now  has  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the 
county,  adjoining  the  town  of  Littleton  on  the 
north.     He   is   successfully    engaged   in   general 


farming,  and  in  addition  to  this,  devotes  a  por- 
tion of  his  time  to  raising  horses,  cattle  and 
hogs.  All  his  undertakings  have  been  attended 
with  profitable  results. 

On  February  10,  1875,  Mr.  Ross  was  joined  in 
matrimony  with  Mary  J.  I'eeckeiipaugh.  who  was 
born  in  Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
Febi-uary  0,  1853.  Mrs.  Ross  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Cassandra  (Orvin)  Peeckenpaugh,  na- 
tives of  Kentucky.  The  marriage  of  her  parents 
took  place  in  Littleton  Township.  Her  father 
died  in  IStio,  her  mother  having  passed  awa.y  in 
185G.  Besides  Mary  J.,  they  had  one  other 
child  who  died  in  infancy.  In  1881,  Jlr.  and  Mrs. 
Ross  moved  to  Elk  County,  Kan.,  where  they  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  returning  the  follow- 
ing year,  and  since  then  occupying  the  home 
place.  Two  children  resulted  from  their  union : 
Oel  D.,  bom  November  25,  1877,  who  is  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is 
located  at  La  Prairie,  Hi.;  and  John  Frederick, 
born  November  20,  1882,  a  physician  and  sur- 
geon, also  residing  in  that  town. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ross  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and 
has  taken  an  active  and  influential  part  in  the 
local  councils  of  his  party.  He  has  filled  various 
township  offices  with  notable  efficiency,  including 
those  of  Collector,  Assessor.  Road  Commissioner 
and  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  has 
officiated  as  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School 
since  1898,  and  Steward  since  1885. 

ROSS,  S.  B.,— Schuyler  County  has  no  better 
judge  of  stock  than  S.  B.  Ross,  whose  forty- 
four  .years  have  Ijeen  spent  in  Bueua  Vista 
Township,  where  he  was  born  March  25,  1864, 
and  where  he  now  owns  120  acres  of  land,  and 
operates  six  hundred  acres.  This  enterprising 
landsman  is  a  son  of  William  B.  Ross,  from 
whom  he  leai-ued  the  rudiments  of  farming, 
and  under  whose  careful  guidance  he  was  reared 
to  a  practical  appreciation  of  his  life  mission. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  but  had 
no  advantages  over  those  of  his  schoolmates 
who  have  achieved  less  success  than  himself. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Mr.  Ross  at- 
tained entire  control  of  the  home  farm,  and  Feb- 
ruary 2.S,  18S7,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Moore,  daughter  of  John  D.  Moore,  a  sketch  of 
whose  life  appeai-s  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
Mrs.  Ross  was  born  in  Buena  Vista  Township 
May  26,  1862,  and,  like  her  husband,  had  only 
average  advantages  in  her  youth.  Mr.  Ross  set- 
tled on  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sections  22  and  27. 
Buena  Vista  Township,  to  which  he  added  until 
he  owned  120  acres..  He  built  a  good  cottage  on 
the  farm,  and  cleared  alwut  thirty  acres,  making 
a  beautiful  and  profitable  farming  property.  In 
1893  he  rented  160  acres  in  Section  23.  moved 
thereon  and  operated  the  same  until  1904.  The 
latter  year  he  began  to  operate  600  acres,  the 
increase  made  necessary  by  his  rapid  rise  in  the 
stock  industry.  Beginning  in  1894,  he  .sijecial- 
ized  in  raising,  feeding  and  shipping  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  at  the  present  time  is  one  of  the  larg- 


930 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COU^'TY. 


est  operators  in  Schuyler  County  He  averages 
about  four  car  loads  each  year,  iucludiug  about 
two  hundred  head  of  hogs,  and  at  present  he 
has  on  hand  lurty-six  horses.  His  farm  is 
equipped  with  first-class  machinerj',  and  general 
improvements,  and  in  I'JOT  he  raised  130  acres 
of  wheat,  and  as  many  of  corn.  He  has  made  a 
thorough  study  of  scientific  feeding,  and  has 
developed  a  system  which  makes  him  one  of  the 
most  successful  men  in  the  business  in  the  State. 
Notwithstanding  his  increasingly  large  per- 
sonal responsibility,  Mr.  Koss  has  contributed 
to  the  well  being  of  the  community  in  many 
ways,  and  has  filled  several  important  political 
offices.  He  is  uncompromisingly  Democratic, 
and  fraternally  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross 
are  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mar- 
garet, a  gi-aduate  of  the  KushviUe  High  School, 
was  born  January  30,  ISSS.  and  for  the  past  two 
years  has  been  a  successful  teacher  in  Schuyler 
County ;  Winfield  B.,  a  graduate  of  the  high- 
school  class  of  1907,  was  bom  September  21, 
1889;  John  D.  and  Alary  (twins),  were  bom 
September  25.  18in  ;  Araminta  was  born  January 
3,  1893 ;  Beatrice  O.  was  born  in  September, 
1895 ;  and  Samuel  S.  W.  was  born  June  13.  I'.HJo. 

RUNKLE,  James  I.,  a  farmer  of  high  stand- 
ing and  abundant  financial  resources,  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  for  thirty  years  a 
much  respected  citizen  of  Littleton  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  was  born  in  Industry  Town- 
ship. McDonough  County,  111.,  Octolier  6,  1841.  His 
father,  Darius  Uunlile,  was  a  native  of  Cham- 
paign County,  Ohio,  and  his  mother,  Anna  -M. 
(Wallkcr)  Runkle,  was  born  in  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  near  the  town  of  Gettysburg.  The  paternal 
grandparents.  William  and  Mary  (Pence)  Runkle. 
were  Virginians  by  nativity,  while  the  birth  of 
the  grandparents  on  the  maternal  side,  Andrew 
and  Annie  I  Wilson)  Walker,  occurred  in  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1837,  Darius  Runkle,  father  of 
James  I.,  located  in  Doddsville.  Schuyler  County, 
III.,  and  had  charge  of  the  general  store  of  Sam- 
uel Dodds,  for  about  a  year.  Then  he  went 
back  to  Ohio,  staying  a  like  period  there,  and 
returning  to  Doddsville.  where  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Anna  M.  Walker,  in  1840.  He 
made  a  wedding  trip  to  his  native  State  in  a 
covered  wagon,  and  when  the  honeymoon  was 
over,  came  to  Brooklyn  Township,  S<_-huyler 
County,  and  liought  80  acres  of  land.  This  he 
sold  aftei-  awhile,  purchasing  160  acres  in  In- 
dustry Township.  McDonough  County.  There  he 
followed  farming  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
JIarch  13,  180(;.  at  the  age  of  83  years.  His 
wife  died  in  1886.  when  65  years  old.  Darius 
Runkle  was  a  veiy  extensive  landholder,  one 
of  the  largest  in  Central  Illinois.  His  landed 
possessions  comprised  3.000  acres,  including 
farms  in  Industry  and  Bethel  Townships,  Mc^ 
Donough  County,  and  Littleton  Township,  Schuy- 
ler County.  He  was  a  man  of  much  force  of 
character,  and  considerable  prominence  in  agri- 
cultural circles,  and  wielding  a  strong  influence 


in  his  locality.  Politically,  he  was  identified 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  and  his  wife 
had  six  sons  and -lour  daughters,  of  whom  but 
four  sons  are  now  living,  the  surviving  members 
of  the  family,  besides  James  I.,  being  J.  C,  a 
farmer  of  Littleton  Township ;  Charles  W.,  of 
Macomb,  111. ;  and  George  -M.,  who  follows  farm- 
ing on  the  old  home  place  in  Industry  Township, 
McDonough  County. 

James  I.  Runkle  was  reared  to  the  life  of  a 
farmer,  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  in  Lewistowu  tlU.j  Seminary. 
On  August  1'.  1861,  he  enlisted,  at  St.  Louis. 
-Mo.,  in  Comiiauy  A,  Tenth  Regiment,  Missouri 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  with  his  regi- 
ment in  the  .Vrmy  of  the  Tennessee,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War.  He  was  within  less  than 
a  dozen  steps  of  the  first  commander  of  his 
company,  Cai)t.  Homey,  then  Lieutenant  Colonel 
of  the  regiment,  when  that  officer  was  killed, 
at  the  Battle  of  Cliauipion  Hills.  .Mr.  Runkle 
was  mustered  out  of  service,  August  24, 
1864,  and  returned  to  the  home  of  his  parents. 
After  his  marriage,  he  was  engaged  in  operating 
one  of  his  father's  farms  in  Industry  Township, 
.McDonough  County,  until  1ST7.  In  that  year, 
he  moved  to  his  present  location  in  Section  4, 
Littleton  Township,  a  little  southwest  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Littleton.  All  of  the  improvements  on 
this  place,  which  consisted  of  160  acres  w-hen 
he  took  possession,  have  been  made  by  him,  and 
he  has  added  to  its  extent,  until  the  property 
now  comprises  320  acres.  The  farm  is  in  superb 
condition,  and  its  owner  has  been  signally  suc- 
cessful in  all  his  undertakings. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Runkle  took  plac«  in 
October,  1871,  at  which  time  Caroline  M. 
Legg  became  his  wife.  .Mrs.  Runkle,  a  woman  of 
the  worthiest  traits  of  character,  was  bom  In 
Littleton  Township,  in  December,  1845,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Legg,  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
The  following  children  have  blessed  the  union  of 
.Mr.  and  -Mrs.  Runkle,  namely:  Ethlyn  (Mrs.  Asa 
Finch),  residing  in  Littleton  Township;  Roy, 
a  resident  of  the  sjime  township;  lx)\s  (Mrs. 
Otto  Baxter),  of  McDonough  County,  111.;  Jo- 
seph, who  lives  with  his  parents;  and  Mary,  who 
was  married  to  Randolph  Black,  of  McDonough 
County. 

In  itolitical  action,  Mr.  Runkle  Is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  llis  religious  i-ounec- 
tlon  is  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which 
his  wife  also  belongs. 

RUNKLE,  Joseph  C— The  Runkles  came  from 
Germany,  the  grandparents  of  Darius  Runkle  be- 
ing drowned  at  sea  on  the  trip  to  .\merlca.  One 
of  ll'.e  n'o«t  la:niliMr  nimes  among  the  farmers  of 
Schuyler  County,  III.,  is  that  of  Joscjih  C. 
Runkle.  who  is  known  throughout  the  country  as 
a  man  of  large  landed  possessions,  extensive 
av'riculttiral  operations,  and  abundant  general 
reso\ir<cs.  He  was  liom  in  Industrv  Town- 
ship. McDonough  County.  111..  March  31.  1.S47. 
a  son  of  Darius  and  Ann  Maria  (Walker) 
Runkle.    pioneer   settlers   of   this   locality,    com- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


921 


ing  from  Obio  and  I'eunsylvania.  The  paternal 
grandparents,  William  and  Mary  (Pence)  Run- 
kle.  lived  in  tbe  State  of  Obio.  Adam  Walker,  of 
.\dams  County,  I'eun.,  came  to  Schuyler  County, 
in  1S4U,  settled  on  Mr.  Dodds'  farm.  William  Run- 
kle  was  bom  in  Virginia  and  went  to  Ohio  in  an 
early  day  foUowinj;  the  trade  of  tanner  until  1850, 
came  to  Morgan  County,  111.,  took  up  land, 
lived  there  until  close  of  the  war.  His  wife 
was  born  in  Virginia,  she  died  at  the  age  of  SG. 
He  died  at  Si.  Darius  Runkle,  was  born  in 
Champaign  County,  Ohio,  February  10,  1813,  his 
wife  being  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in 
Adams  County.  The  father  worked  at  farming 
two  years  for  $10  per  mouth,  after  he  reached 
his  majority,  and  was  then  employed  for  a  like 
period  by  his  brother-in-law  as  a  general-store 
clerk  in  Sidney,  Ohio.  In  the  Spring  of  1837 
he  came  to  Illinois,  traveling  by  boat  to  Beards- 
town,  Cass  County,  and  walking  thence  to  Dodds- 
ville,  Schuyler  County,  being  compelled  to  wade 
through  water  two  miles  of  the  distance  between 
the  two  places.  At  Doddsville,  be  took  charge 
of  the  general  store  conducted  by  Samuel  Dodds, 
and  while  thus  engaged,  entered  up  Sti  acres  of 
Government  land.  In  1S3S  he  went  back  to 
Ohio,  and  worked  two  yeai's  in  a  tan  yard.  Re- 
turning to  Illinois,  he  sold  the  Government  tract 
and  bought  IGO  acres  of  wild  land  in  McDonough 
County,  which  he  cleared  and  improved,  and  on 
which  he  .spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  Soon 
after  his  marriage,  October  12,  1840,  he  moved 
into  a  log  cabin  which  he  bad  built,  living  in  it 
until  ISOO.  when  he  occupied  the  fine  new  resi- 
dence which  was  afterwards  bis  home  and  which 
was  the  finest  in  JIcDouough  Count.v,  costing 
.$10,000.01).  Me  started  with"  ifOO,  and  was  ob- 
liged to  Ixirrow  $10  in  urder  to  make  up  the  nec- 
essary amount  wherewith  to  enter  up  his  first 
80  acres.  For  three  years  he  was  a  merchant, 
and  was  at  different  times  engaged  in  various 
lines  of  business,  at  one  time  conducting  a  stage 
route.  In  1843  and  1844,  he  held  the  office  of 
postmaster  of  Doddsville.  For  many  years  he 
was  supevisor  of  school  boards,  and  together 
with  others,  he  built  the  first  schoolhouse  in  his 
district.  In  JIcDouough  and  Schuyler  Counties, 
he  was  the  owner  of  more  than  ."..000  acres  of 
land  at  the  time  of  bis  death.  970  In  Schuyler 
County,  and  1,940  in  McDonough  County. 
Darius  Runkle  died  March  14,  1896.  his  wife 
having  passed  away  February  1889.  Politically 
he  was  a  Whig.  He  voted  first  for  Henry 
Clay  and  at  the  birth  of  the  Republican  party 
he  voted  for  Fremont.  He  was  a  generous 
public  spirited  citizen,  and  of  noble  character. 
Joseph  C.  Runkle  was  reared  on  the  paternal 
farm  in  McDonough  County.  111.,  and  received  bis 
early  education  in  the  district  school  in  the 
neighborhood  of  bis  home.  In  due  course  of 
time  (1871),  he  became  possessed  of  370  acres 
of  his  father's  estate  in  Littleton  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  and  100  acres  in  Industry 
Townshiji,  McDonough  County.  On  the  latter 
farm  he  made  his  home,  improving  it,  and  in- 
creasing its  extent  by  iiurcli.isiiig  290  ai-res  more; 


he  did  own  120  acres  of  timber  land  in  McDon- 
ough County,  but  sold  this  in  1907.  He  now  owna 
altogether  680  acres  all  in  one  body.  He  has 
always  been  engaged  in  general  farming,  and 
besides  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  raises  a  large 
number  of  hogs,  averaging  250  per  year.  He 
also  feeds  many  cattle,  fattening  each  year  about 
100  head.  In  the  fall  of  lOOG.  he  built  a  mag- 
nificent residence,  one  of  the  best  in  Schuyler 
County. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ruukle  took  place  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1877,  when  he  was  wedded  to  Susan 
Little,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Rushville, 
111..  May  13,  1853.  Mrs.  Runkle  is  a  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Eliza  (Cunningham)  Little,  natives 
of  Ireland,  her  father  having  been  born  in 
County  Tyrone.  The  union  of  Joseph  C.  Ruukle 
and  Susan  Little  has  licen  the  source  of  seven 
children,  whose  names  are  as  follows :  George 
Darius,  born  February  10,  1879,  a  physician, 
located  at  Industry,  111. ;  Robert  Clyde,  born  June 
14,  1880,  a  farmer,  of  Littleton  Township; 
Cassius  Wilson,  born  December  7,  1882 ;  David 
Everett,  born  May  14,  1884;  William  Lewis, 
born  February  16,  1886 ;  Benjamin  Ray,  born 
May  18.  1888 ;  and  Grace  Maria,  born  Novem- 
ber 30,  1892.  The  last  five  are  still  members  of 
the  home  circle. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Runkle  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  is  not  active  in  political 
contests.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  character  and 
upright  life,  and  is  much  respected,  as  is  also  hia 
amiable  wife,  a  woman  of  excellent  qualities  of 
head  and  heart. 

RYAN,  Edward  Joseph. — Of  that  courageous 
company  known  as  the  very  early  settlers  of 
Schuyler  County,  many  forms  stand  out  In 
clearly  defined  outline,  compelling  the  attention 
of  the  present  generation  by  the  force  of  some 
peculiarity  or  excellence,  and  through  the  gather- 
ing b.ize  of  year'',  filters  to  us  somewhat  of 
that  steadfastness  which  enal)Ied  them  to  con- 
quer the  wilderness  and  convert  its  resources  to 
the  betterment  of  mankind.  Few  men  of  wealth 
came  hither  to  share  the  discomforts  of  a  trans- 
formation i)eriod.  Wealth  stifles  ambition,  and 
patience  rarely  is  its  boon  companion.  These 
men  had  all  to  gain,  and  all  to  surrender  to 
those  who  should  succeed  them.  He  who  could 
do  things  was  a  God-send,  and  the  more  useful 
his  acqiiirements  the  better.  How  welcome  then 
must  have  been  Charles.Ryan  in  the  loneliness  of 
Schuyler  County,  the  establisher  of  one  of  the 
county's  best  known  families,  and  the  grand- 
father of  Edward  Joseph  Ryan,  Circuit  Clerk 
and  Recorder  of  Rushville. 

Charles  Ryan  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Knox 
County,  Ohio,  a  son  of  Charles  K.  and  Elizabeth 
Louise  Ryan.  He  was  reared  to  agriculture, 
and  viien  old  enough  to  hew  his  own  way  went 
to  Cincinnati  and  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade. 
He  had  few  clothes  and  less  money,  but  had  the 
splendid  freedom  of  choice  denied  so  many,  and 
he  merrily  trudged  all  the  way  across  country 
from    Cincinnati    to    Schuyler    County,    with    a 


923 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


kit  of  shoemaker's  tools  on  his  back,  content  to 
bide  tlie  unfokliug  of  the  future,  and  satisfied 
with  the  present  so  long  as  he  could  fast  or  feast, 
and  so  long  as  the  night's  blue  curtain  was 
swung  in  the  sky  for  uis  sleeping  tent.  It  is  not 
known  why  his  journeying  ceased  at  this  partic- 
ular place,  but  perhaps  the  open  road  had  be- 
come wearisome,  and  besides  he  had  the  spirit 
of  the  great  unrest  wliicli  clamors  for  occupation 
of  hand  and  brain.  When  he  began  to  make 
shoes  in  Rushville  the  town  had  few  houses, 
but  be  built  up  a  steady  business,  and  he  also 
engaged  in  brickmaking,  being  the  first  to  manu- 
facture brick  in  Rushville.  He  was  intimately 
connected  with  the  life  of  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding country,  held  nxmierous  local  offices, 
and  ser'-ed  as  oue  of  the  guards  at  the  time  of 
the  McFadden  hanging  at  the  Crane  Creek  brid^ro. 
east  of  Rushville.  Mr.  Ryan  lived  to  be  a  very 
old  man.  and  his  wife,  formerly  Margaret  Strong. 
was  spared  to  share  many  years  with  him. 

Edward  .Josepli  Ryan  was  born  on  a  farm  west 
of  Rushville.  April  22.  1S7G.  a  sou  of  William 
M.  Ryan,  who  was  born  in  Rushville.  and  who 
was  one  of  the  numerous  progeny  of  the  pioneer 
shoemaker.  Rebecca  Anna  (Miller)  Ryan,  the 
mother  of  Edward  Joseph,  was  born  in  Decatur. 
111.,  a  daughter  of  .louathan  and  Martha  E. 
(Baird)  Miller,  natives  respectively  of  Decatur 
and  Louisville,  Ky..  and  grand-daughter  of 
Thomas  Baird  and  Catherine  (Bell)  Miller,  both 
boru  in  Louisville.  Edward  .Joseph  attended  the 
country  school  until  it  had  nothing  further  to 
teach  him,  then  gi-aduated  from  the  Rushville 
High  School,  and  also  from  the  three  years' 
course  of  the  Ru.shville  Xormal  Business  Col- 
lege. For  three  years  he  engaged  in  educational 
work  in  Rushville.  and  in  the  meantime  devel- 
oped a  taste  for  politics,  and  through  his  alle- 
giance to  and  support  of  the  Democratic  i)arty, 
was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  and  Recorder,  for 
which  office  he  has  just  received  rc-nominatlon. 
Ill  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
Modern  Woorhuen  of  America.  Mr.  Ryan  repre- 
sents the  reliable  material  from  which  the  work- 
ing forces  of  the  immediate  future  are  to  be  re- 
cniited.  for,  though  having  only  reached  the  age 
of  thirty-  years,  he  is  well  established  as  an  im- 
portant factor  in  local  aCfaii-s.  and  possesses 
those  qualities  of  progression  and  enterprise,  of 
integrity  and  general  worth,  which  bespeak  a 
larger  usefulness  than  he  has  thus  far  achieved. 

RYAN,  Thomas. — Xo  family  established  in 
Schuyler  County  during  the  'thirties  is  more 
substantially  represented  at  the  present  time 
than  that  of  Charles  Ryan,  father  of  Thomas 
R.van.  of  whom  extended  mention  is  made  else- 
where in  this  connection.  Mr.  Ryan,  among 
other  claims  upon  the  gi-atitude  and  appreciation 
of  his  successors,  manufactured  the  fii-st  brick  in 
Rushville  Township,  and  also  followed  the  trade 
of  shoemaking  for  several  years.  The  mantle  of 
his  energy  and  resourcefulness  has  fallen  on  his 


.sons,  and  of  these,  Thomas  Ryan  is  a  sutressful 
farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Rushville  Township. 
Mr.  Ryan  wasliom  October  20.  1845,  iu  Buena 
Vista  Township.  Schuyler  County,  and  remained 
on  his  fathers  place  until  his  twenty-third  year. 
He  then  married  Ellen  Shields,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  of  his  own,  which  he  since 
has  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mrs. 
Ryan's  father  and  mother  came  to  Rushville  in 
1857,  and  the  former,  who  enlisted  in  the  Union 
Army  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Nineteenth  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, died  while  in  the  service.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryan 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children  :  Mar- 
tin, Josie,  Homer,  Minnie,  Herman,  Clarence, 
Lillie  and  Lena.  .Mr.  Ryan  is  a  Democrat,  in 
politics,  and  has  held  the  office  of  Supervisor  of 
his  township.  Ho  is  a  progressive  farmer,  well 
infonued  on  current  events,  and  a  stanch  pro- 
moter of  all  that  tends  to  the  greater  enlighten- 
ment of  the  couuMunlty. 

SARGENT,  Charles  E.,  who  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  thorough,  painstaking  and  sys- 
tematic farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Buena  \'K<ta 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  as  well  as  one 
of  the  worthiest  citizens  of  his  locality,  was  born 
in  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler  Coimty,  one 
mile  e.ist  of  Rushville.  September  12.  18(;5.  He 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Potter)  Sargent, 
both  natives  of  Hastings.  England.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  also  an  Englishman,  died  In  the 
land  of  his  birth.  His  son  John  was  the  only 
member  of  the  family  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  One 
of  the  Potters,  the  mother  of  Charles  E.  and 
one  of  her  sisters  were  the  ones  who  made  their 
homes  in  the  I'nitcd  States.  John  Sargent,  the 
father,  had  two  brothers  who  lost  their  lives  from 
wounds  received  in  battle  while  serving  in  the 
British  army.  John  .*<argent,  Jr.,  made  his  ad- 
vent in  this  countrj-  in  1858,  coming  to  Schuyler 
County.  III.,  and  lo.-ating  in  Rushville.  where  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Little  &  Ray.  After  re- 
maining with  this  firm  for  a  while,  he  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Buena  Vista  Township,  where  he  was 
engaged  iu  tilling  the  .soil  for  a  number  of  years. 
On  retiring  from  active  pursuits  he  spent  bis 
days  with  Charles  E.  and  another  son.  James, 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  Jamiary  5.  1904.  His 
widow  survived  hira  a  short  time,  passing  away 
September  11.  I'JOo.  The  father  was  a  very  in- 
dustrious and  upright  man,  and  was  a  devout 
Christian,  as  was  also  the  mother,  both  l)elng 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  lat- 
ter was  sorely  afflicted  for  a  long  period,  but 
bore  her  sufferings  with  pious  fortitude  and  res- 
ignation. They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  were  born  in  England,  and 
five  in  Schuyler  County.  Of  the  entire  famil.v, 
eleven  are  now  living.  Elizabeth,  the  fourth  child, 
having  died  when  seventeen  years  old.  and  -Vnn. 
the  seventh,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  yars.  Those 
surviving  are:  Sarah,  wife  of  Fr.ank  Graff,  a 
retired  farmer  of  Good  Hope.  McDonough  County, 
111. :  John,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Little- 
ton Township,  Schuyler  County ;  Mary,  wife  of  a 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


923 


resideut  of  Euglewood  (Chicago)  ;  Hannah,  who 
ujarried  A.  J.  ToUiu,  a  resident  of  Pasadena, 
Cal. ;  Thomas,  who  follows  farming  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Cortland,  Xeb. ;  George,  who  is  living  in 
Memphis,  Tenn.  ;  William,  a  farmer  whose  home 
is  near  xVdrian,  Hancock  County,  111. ;  James, 
whose  farm  is  in  Oakland  Township,  Schuyler 
County ;  Caroline,  who  became  the  wife  of  Jo- 
siah  Whitehead,  a  farmer  residing  near  Panora, 
Iowa ;  Charles  10. ;  and  Ethel,  who  was  married 
to  Edwin  Armour,  a  farmer,  of  Buena  Vista 
Township.  Politically,  the  father  of  this  family 
was  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

In  lioyhood,  Charles  E.  Sargent  attended  school 
near  his  home  in  a  schoolhouse  that  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  was  afterwards  a  pupil  of 
the  Ross  district  school,  in  Buena  Vista  Town- 
ship. During  the  greater  portion  of  his  youth 
he  was  kept  at  home  to  lighten  the  burden  of 
care  upon  his  parents,  remaining  with  them  un- 
til the  time  of  his  marriage.  After  that  event  he 
followed  farming  on  rented  land  for  about  twelve 
years,  when  he  rented  the  farm  of  3(X)  acres  in 
Section  14.  Buena  Vista  Township,  which  he  has 
since  conducted.  His  farming  operations  have 
been  very  successful,  and  in  feeding  live  stock, 
especially,  the  results  of  his  labors  have  been 
profitable.  He  has  turned  off  from  150  to  200 
hogs  each  year;  and  al)OUt  forty  head  of  cattle 
at  intervals  of  two  years.  For  stock  or  feeding 
purposes,  he  prefers  the  Black  or  Short-horn 
breed.  He  raises  100  acres  in  small  grain  yearly, 
and  a  like  acreage  of  corn.  He  is  the  owner  of  a 
fine  prairie  land  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Guthrie 
County,  Iowa,  all  tillable.  By  his  diligent  appli- 
cation to  work  and  his  strict  integrity,  he  has 
won  the  implicit  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  had  business  relations,  and  is  regarded  as  a 
model  farmer  and  an  exemplary  member  of  the 
community. 

The  man'iage  of  Mr.  Sargent  took  place  Octo- 
ber 27,  1887,  on  wliich  date  he  was  wedded  to 
Catherine  R.  Young,  who  was  born  in  Wilming- 
ton, Del.,  JIarch  1.3,  1864.  Mrs.  Sargent,  a  wo- 
man of  most  excellent  traits  of  character,  is  a 
daughter  of  Sanuiel  and  Margaret  (McFeeters) 
Young.  In  1877,  she  came  to  Schuyler  County 
with  her  parents,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in  Buena 
Vista  Township,  where  Mr.  Young  still  lives.  His 
wife  departed  this  life  in  January,  100.''p.  Be- 
sides Mrs.  Sargent,  they  had  two  other  children, 
namely :  John,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Buena  Vista  Township,  and  Martha  B.,  who 
takes  care  of  her  father's  domestic  affairs.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sargent  have  four  children,  as  follows ; 
Paul,  born  February  19.  1880,  and  living  with 
his  parents ;  Clarence,  boni  Pebruaiy  15,  1891 ; 
Lillian,  born  June  10,  1892;  and  Harold,  bom 
August  n,  1895.  All  were  Viorn  in  Rushville 
Township,  the  birth  of  Lillian  and  Clarence  oc- 
curring in  the  same  house  where  their  father 
was  born,  and  which  is  known  as  "the  old  toll 
gate."  The  parents  of  this  family  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Rushville.  In 
his  political  attitude,  Mr.  Sargent  has  never 
been  a  strict  parti.san,  using  his  judgment  freely 


in  the  exercise  of  the  elective  franchise,  and  lat- 
terly voting  the  Prohibition  ticket.  He  is  a  man 
of  genial  temperament  and  very  agreeable  man- 
ners, and  all  who  have  become  closely  acquainted 
with  him  may  be  counted  on  as  his  friends. 

SCHENCK,  Myron  Clark,  M.  D.,  a  well  known 

physician,  of  Rushville,  111.,  whose  solid  profes- 
sional attainments  and  skillful  practice  have 
won  for  him  a  high  standing  in  the  city  and  its 
environs,  was  born  iu  Fulton  County,  111.,  Feb- 
rnaiy  20,  1873,  a  son  of  M.  P.  and  Mary  C.  (Mc- 
Laren) Schenck,  both  natives  of  that  county. 
In  early  youth  Dr.  Schenck  received  his  prelim- 
inaiy  education  iu  the  public  schools  ol^  Bushnell, 
McDonough  County,  111.,  after  which  he  entered 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  and  graduating  from  that  institution 
in  1895.  He  at  once  commenced  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Littleton,  111.,  and  during  the 
same  year  moved  to  Rushville,  wliere  he  estab- 
lished his  office,  and  has  since  remained.  He 
has  acquired  a  large  and  successful  practice,  and 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  efiicient  and  re- 
liable physicians  in  Schuyler  County.  Dr. 
Schenck  was  married  in  1893  to  Martha  L.  Wil- 
son, who  was  born  in  Fulton  County,  IU.,  where 
she  received  her  education  in  the  public  schools. 
Their  union  has  been  the  source  of  two  children, 
namel.v:  Olivia  and  Paul.  As  an  individual,  a 
citizen  and  a  medical  practitioner,  the  record  of 
Dr.  Sclieuck  is  of  the  highest  character. 

SCHULTZ,  Judge  Hermann  C. — The  long,  hon- 
orable and  useful  career  of  Judge  Hermann  0. 
Schultz  must  ever  elicit  admiration  and  com- 
mendation from  all  true  appreciators  of  the  fun- 
damental qualities  which,  nurtured  through  the 
centuries  of  the  German  Fatherland,  and  trans- 
ferred through  migration  to  the  more  virile  op- 
portunities of  America,  constitute  the  best  quali- 
ties in  citizenship  which  communities  have  to 
offer.  Judge  Schultz  has  grown  old  in  the  field 
of  agriculture  and  politic-s,  and  has  inscribed 
his  name  indelibly  upon  the  history  of  Schuyler 
Count.v. 

Born  in  Hoffleburg,  Prussia,  October  2,  18.32, 
Hermann  C.  Sclmltz  is  a  son  of  .Johann  and 
Elizabeth  (Felech)  Schultz.  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  sugar  refiner  in  Germany,  and  died  about 
ISIG.  The  wife,  who  survived  him  until  18.58, 
brought  her  family  to  America  in  1852,  and 
spent  the  last  da.vs  of  her  life  in  Texas.  Her- 
mann C.  received  a  common  school  education  in 
his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  was  ap- 
lirenticed  to  a  baker  for  three  years,  thereafter 
working  as  a  journeyman  in  different  parts  of 
(Jormany  for  two  years.  Attracted  by  the  reports 
that  came  to  him  fom  this  side  the  water,  he  set 
sail  from  Hamburg,  and  after  two  months  upon 
the  sea  arrived  in  Galveston,  Tex.,  where  he 
was  varioiisl.v  em])loyed  until  1857.  He  then 
came  to  Schuyler  County  and  engaged  in  farming 
in  Hicktory  Township,  which  ever  since  has  been 
his  home.  He  at  first  rented  land.  Imt  finally 
bought  forty  acres,  to  which  he  added  until  he 


934 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYT.ER  COUNTY. 


owned  203  acre!?.  The  development  of  this  prop- 
erty represented  his  life  ambition,  and  was  ac- 
eoiiiplishod  with  tlie  patience.  sljiU  and  good 
jiulk'nient  for  which  the  Teuton  is  justly  famed. 
Eventually  he  sold  the  larger  part  of  his  land 
hoklhigs  and  returned  to  the  forty  acres  orig- 
inally purchased,  which  now  is  his  home.  From 
1894"  until  1906  he  conducted  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Slieldon  Orove,  and  was  also  Postmaster 
of  the  village.  Since  then  he  has  lived  in  retire- 
ment. 

Wliile  in  Houston,  Tex..  March  5,  18.54,  Mr. 
Scliultz  w:is  uuited  in  marriage  to  .\nna  Ilenden- 
reich,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  daughtfr  of 
Adam  Hendenreich,  who,  upon  his  first  trip  to 
America,  was  shipwrecked  in  mid-ocean,  and, 
climbing  to  the  top  of  a  mast,  hung  there  for 
two  days  ere  he  was  rescued.  Mr.  Hendenreich 
eventually  located  in  Houston.  Tex.,  and  soon 
after  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  War.  Having  left 
his  wife  and  four  sons  and  one  daughter  in  the 
old  country,  he  was  joined  by  them  in  1.S4!>,  and 
locating  in  Schuyler  County,  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death  in  1859.  Simon  Hendenreich,  one 
of  his  sons,  served  in  the  Civil  War  as  a  soldier 
in  tlie  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  and  his  son  Fred 
was  a  member  of  the  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry, 
conunanded  by  Col.  Holiert  O.  Ingersoll.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sclmltz  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children  :  Harmon  H.,  who  resides  near  Table 
Grove.  III.;  Charles  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years:  .lulius  C. ;  Callie.  widow  of  (Jeorge 
Flinn.  and  mother  of  two  children  ;  Laura,  de- 
ceased;  Enmia,  wife  of  J.  A.  l?reen.  of  I'eoria, 
and  mother  of  one  child:  Ferdina.  married  to 
Helen  Kelly,  and  living  in  Peoria  :  Nellie,  de- 
ceased:  and  Peter,  married  to  Daisy  Reed,  and 
living  on  his  father's  home  farm.  .Tudge  Schultz 
and  wife  have  been  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  since  I860,  and  have  been  act- 
ive in  promoting  the  best  interests  of  both  chnreh 
and  Sunday  school.  .\11  of  their  children  are 
connected  with  the  same  church,  and  all  are 
young  people  of  character  and  ability,  having 
been  trained  with  due  regard  to  their  position 
as  useful  men  and  women  of  their  respective 
communities. 

Many  of  the  most  vivid  memories  of  .Tudge 
Rchultz  are  connected  with  his  life  as  a  .soldier 
of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War.  Xo  braver 
fighter  ever  shouldered  a  gun  or  shared  in  the 
terrilile  experiences  and  privations  of  warfare. 
Enlisting  in  Company  F.One  Hunded  and  Eighth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  August.  1.S02. 
he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Vicksburg. 
Miss.,  in  -August.  lSfi.5,  having  participated  in 
all  of  the  battles  of  his  regiment,  and  escaned 
without  wounds,  illness  or  imprisonment.  The 
One  Hundred  and  Eighth  was  one  of  the  most 
active  regiments  of  the  war,  and  its  soldiers  were 
rarely  far  from  the  fighting  line.  It  won  many 
distinctions,  and  Mr.  Schultz,  for  bravery,  was 
promoted  from  private  to  Second  Lieiitenaiit.  His 
account  of  the  war  is  both  instructive  and  inter- 
esting, and  like  all  faithful  wearers  of  the  blue, 
he  delights  to  live  over  again  the  incidents  whicli 


made  up  the  ipost  vigorous  and  exciting  period 
of  his  life. 

Early  in  life  Mr.  Schultz  became  interested  in 
Democratic  politics,  and  a  reflection  of  his  abil- 
ity and  honesty  exists  in  the  fact  that  he  has 
filled  practically  all  of  the  township  olHces,  in- 
cluding that  of  Supervisor  for  ten  years.  He 
was  Justice  of  the  I'eace  for  twenty  years,  and 
iu  1800  was  nominated  for  County  Judge  and 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  holding  the  office 
four  .years.  During  that  time  he  demonstrated  a 
high  order  of  justice  and  wisdom,  his  decisions 
suffering  but  one  reversal,  and  all  othei"s  stand- 
ing tlie  test  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State. 
His  term  expired  December  1.  1894,  and  he  there- 
upon engaged  iu  the  mercantile  business  as  here- 
tofore stated.  Judge  Schultz  has  the  substan- 
tial and  dependable  qualities  which  win  long 
friendships,  long  tenure  of  office  and  continuous 
influence  for  good.  Even  his  private  lite  has  its 
enduring  compensations,  for  he  recently  cele- 
brated his  golden  wedding,  nneiving  renewed 
assurance  of  the  gratitude  and  good  will  of  the 
comnuiuity  he  so  faithfully  and  wisely  has 
served.  He  represents  that  class  of  German- 
American  citizens  who,  while  retaining  the  ac- 
cent and  general  characteristics  of  their  nation, 
yet  enter  with  heart  and  .miuI  into  the  most  dan- 
gerous as  Well  as  nmst  pleasant  and  profitable 
demands  of  their  adopted  country.  Judge  Schultz 
has  been  a  Mason  for  many  years,  being  a  niem- 
Ijer  of  the  Astoria  (111.)  Lodge,  and  is  also 
member  of  Schuyler  Lodge  Xo.  209,  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

SCOTT,  Thomas  W.,  M.  D.— The  life  of  a  faith- 
ful and  conscientious  physician  is  burdened  with 
.serious  responsibilities  and  heavy  cares.  If  ani- 
mated by  the  ideal  spirit  of  his  profession,  he 
must  necessarily  carry  with  him,  night  and  day, 
a  chivalrous  sympathy  with  the  suffering  of  his 
patients  and  a  keen  sensitiveness  to  the  correct- 
ness of  his  dlagnos<'S,  the  efficiency  of  his  path- 
ological methods  and  the  probable  results  in 
each  case  of  severe  sicknes.s.  As  a  counteractive 
of  this  mental  friction  and  anxiety,  he  has  a 
t>onsciousness  that  the  general  results  of  his  daily 
ministration  Is  the  alleviation  of  pain,  checking 
of  the  ravages  of  disease  and  saving  a  human 
life. 

Such,  doubtless.  Is  th^  long  continued  expe- 
rience of  the  worthy  gentleman  whose  name 
stands  at  the  head  of  this  biographical  record, 
and  who  is  a  prominent  resident  of  Rushvllle, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  where  he  is  successfully 
engaged  In  the  practice  of  his  profession.  For 
almost  a  score  of  years  Dr.  Scott  has  practiced 
medicine  in  Rushville,  and  has  achieved  a  degree 
of  success  possible  only  to  the  man  of  clearly 
defined  purpose,  with  unbounded  faith  in  himself 
and  his  work.  The  doctor  Is  a  native  of  Scott 
County.  Ky..  where  he  was  born  April  IS.  1848, 
the  son  of  Thomas  West  and  Catharine  (Fitzger- 
ald) Scott,  natives  of  Maryland  and  Kentucky, 
respectively.  His  paternal  grandparents  were 
.\mos  and  Nancy  A.   (West)   Scott,  whose  birth 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


925 


occurred  iu  Maryhmd.  At  least  three  genera- 
tions of  his  family  pursued  their  various  occn- 
patious  iu  Maryland,  his  father  haviug  been 
born  in  Montgomery  County,  in  that  State,  in 
1808,  and  his  grandfather,  Amos  Scott,  iu  1777. 
His  granchuother,  Nanry  A.  (West)  Scott,  and 
his  paterual  great-graudpareuts,  William  and 
Margaret  (Davis)  Scott,  were  natives  of  the 
same  State.  On  the  maternal  side  his  grand- 
parents were  Jesse  and  Lucretia  (Sheller)  Fitz- 
gerald, the  former  boru  in  Virginia  and  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  his  mater- 
nal great-grandparents  were  William  and  Cath- 
erine (Neville)  Fitzgerald.  The  family  moved 
to  Scott  County,  Ky..  in  1814,  wheu  Thomas  W., 
Sr.,  was  six  years  old,  locating  near  Georgetown, 
where  the  lad  grew  to  maturity,  and  where  he 
was  married  to  Catherine  Fitzgerald,  of  Lexing- 
ton. In  18:;2,  Dr.  Scott's  father  came  to  Buena 
Vista  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  then  a 
sparsely  settled  locality,  in  the  upbuilding  of 
which  he  was  destined  to  become  a  practical  and 
substantial  factor.  His  days  passed  with  the 
usual  tasks  and  diversions  of  the  progressively 
inclined  landowner,  and  his  death  occurred  Jan- 
uary 22,  18S5,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Dr.  Scott  obtained  his  primary  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Schuyler  County,  and  his 
classical  training  at  Monmouth  (111.)  College. 
In  1881  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under 
the  preeeptorship  of  Dr.  G.  P.  Knapp,  of  Mount 
Vernon,  Mo.,  and  afterward  attended  lectures  at 
the  .Missouri  .Medical  College  in  St.  I^uis,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  March,  1884.  During 
the  next  year  he  practiced  medicine  in  Mount 
Vernon,  Mo.,  and  then  moved  to  Rushville,  which 
has  since  been  his  home,  and  where  he  has  built 
up  a  reuumerative  practice.  He  was  appointed 
County  Physician  in  1902,  and  has  held  other 
positions  of  importance  commensurate  with  his 
professional  skill.  He  was  member  of  the  County 
Board  of  Supervisors  for  Rushville  Township 
for  two  years,  and  is  now  President  of  the 
Board  of  United  States  Pension  Examiners.  Po- 
litically, he  is  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  Demo- 
cratic principles.  Dr.  Scott  is  a  sympathetic, 
earnest  man,  striving  to  attain  the  best  ideals  of 
his  profession,  and  applying  his  knowledge  with 
rare  discretion  and  excellent  results. 

SETTLES,  Gilderoy. — An  example  of  inspiring 
adaptation  to  the  agi-icultural  life,  an  expression 
of  that  resource,  business  insight,  unremitting 
industry,  wise  investment,  keen  grasp  of  the  po- 
litical, social  and  general  situation,  and  shi-ewd 
knowledge  of  human  nature  which  lifts  a  man 
to  the  highest  country  achievement  and  useful- 
ness, is  found  in  the  career  of  Gilderoy  Settles. 
a  retired  resident  of  Rushville,  who  in  youth 
knew  but  moderate  advantages,  and  in  later  life 
is  the  owner  of  fiSO  acres  of  farm  lands,  besides 
several  town  lots  and  dwellings  in  Schuyler 
County-,  and  .320  acres  of  prairie  land  in  Clark 
County,  Kan.  The  acquisition  of  these  valuable 
holdings  has  been  gradual  and  legitimate,  and  In 
his   accomplishment   the   owner   sends   out  from 


his  own  to  the  lives  of  those  around  him  the 
most  wholesome  and  beneficent  encouragement. 
This  ex-soldier  of  the  Union  and  observing  trav- 
eler has  spent  more  than  half  a  ceutuiy  of  his 
life  iu  this  county,  and  in  Rushville  Township 
has  liought  and  sold  more  land  than  any  other 
dweller  within  its  bordere.  No  one  has  con- 
tributed more  substantially  to  the  making  of  lo- 
cal history,  or  to  the  character,  purpose  and  in- 
tegrity of  this  part  of  Illinois. 

A  native  of  Kurtin  Townshi]).  Fulton  County, 
111.,  Mr.  Settles  was  born  November  14,  1837, 
a  son  of  William  Settles,  who,  boru  in  Tennessee, 
journeyed  overiand  to  the  wilderness  of  Greene 
County,  111.,  about  1S27.  To  his  frontier  cabin 
William  Settles  brought  a  wife,  formerly  Miss 
Moody,  and  here  were  born  two  children.  Charles 
and  Jordan  C,  both  of  whom  sui-vived  their 
mother's  death  in  Greene  County.  Mr.  Settles 
changed  his  habitation  to  Fulton  County,  111., 
about  1833,  and  here  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Peggy  Carlock,  who  became  the  mother  of  the 
following  children :  Polly  .-inn,  who  died  in 
Schuyler  County,  and  whose  husband,  Abram 
Weddle,  died  in  Iowa ;  David  J.,  a  soldier  of  the 
Union  during  the  Civil  War,  who  died  at  Helena. 
Ark.,  and  whose  body  was  sent  home  for  burial ; 
Serena,  deceased  wife  of  Seth  Griggs,  of  Clin- 
ton, Mo. ;  Penina,  wife  of  John  Strawsbaugh,  a 
farmer  of  Table  Grove  Township,  McDonough 
County,  111. ;  Fluent,  deceased  wife  of  John 
Flint ;  and  Josiah,  who  died  at  Sedalia.  Mo., 
December  28,  1905.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren died  In  Fulton  County,  and  about  1850  Mr. 
Settles  located  in  Browning  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  from  whence  he  moved  to  Morgan 
County,  111.,  where  his  death  occuiTed  about 
18C8. 

The  environment  of  Gilderoy  Settles  in  Fulton 
(bounty  was  extremely  crude,  and  now  that  suc- 
cess has  abundantly  crowned  his  efforts,  no 
memory  is  so  dear  to  him  as  that  of  the  crack- 
ling log  in  the  fireplace,  the  dim  light  of  the 
tallow  dip,  the  school  house  on  the  hill,  the  river 
sparkling  in  the  sunlight,  and  the  mill  wheezing 
away  the  days  in  its  mission  of  food  grinding. 
His  undeveloped  strength  was  sorely  taxed  with 
the  hard  and  exacting  duties  of  the  home  farm, 
yet  in  the  open  he  developed  a  fine  constitution 
and  healthy  ambitions,  also  a  keen  -appreciation 
of  the  dignity  and  nobility  of  the  calling  of  his 
sires.  He  w-as  about  fourteen  years  old  when 
he  came  with  his  father  to  Schuyler  County  in 
the  early  'fifties  and  he  continued  to  live  at  home 
until  his  marriage,  in  1S.57,  to  Penina  Tracy, 
who  was  born  in  Fulton  County,  III.,  May  14, 
1835,  a  daughter  of  Lyman  Tracy,  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  and  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Fulton  County.  With  his  wife  Mr.  Settles 
established  a  home  on  eighty  acres  of  unim- 
proved land  In  Browning  Township,  for  which  he 
paid  a  dollar  an  acre,  the  same  skirting  Sugar 
Creek,  a  friendly  little  stream  that  added  much 
to  the  value  and  prospects  if  his  farm.  His  first 
homo  was  a  log  cabin  of  small  dimensions,  but 
comfortable  withal  for  those  days,  and  here  was 


926 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


born  his  sou.  Leander,  May  28,  1859,  and  tus 
daufc'bter,  Florentine,  Marcli  31.  18Uo.  Leander, 
wliuse  slietL-li  appears  in  anotlier  section  of  this 
worli,  inarrii'il  Jessie  Kelinian.  and  they  have 
four  children:  Harry,  Anna,  Ililiah,  and  Lura. 
He  is  now  a  retired  farmer  living  in  Rushville. 
The  daufe'hter  Florentine,  married  Clementine 
Milbv,  and  they  live  on  a  farm  iu  Rushville 
Township,  with  a  family  of  three  children:  Ger- 
trude, Ruth  and  Edward. 

With  that  commendable  zeal  which  has  charac- 
terized all  of  his  life  undertaliings,  Mr.  Settles 
enlisted.  Mnvch  15,  1865,  iu  Company  I,  Third 
Illinois  Cavalry,  for  one  year,  and  was  sent  to 
Spriii^'liekl.  HI.,  and  to  Eastiiort,  Miss.,  reuiam- 
iug  there  until  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomat- 
tox. .Vpril  '.I,  18ti5.  five  days  before  the  assassina- 
tion of  President  Liucolu.  From  there  the 
soldiers  were  sent  to  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  and  thence 
to  St.  Paul.  Miun..  wliere  they  went  into  camp 
at  Fort  Suelliug.  One  morning  early  they  were 
ordered  out  after  the  Indians,  whom  they  ran 
to  Devil's  Lal;e  and  out  of  the  Territory.  They 
had  many  opportunities  to  fish  and  hunt,  but 
finally  were  ordered  back  to  Fort  Snelliug,  dis- 
charged and  sent  to  Springfield,  111.,  where  they 
were  mustered  out  of  the  service.  Returning 
to  his  cabin  on  Sugar  Creelv.  Mr.  Settles  learned 
of  the  birth  of  his  daughter,  Florentine,  during 
his  absence,  and  he  again  took  up  the  burden  of 
farming,  wielding  with  renewed  vigor  his  im- 
lilenients  of  husbandry  with  peace  and  .good  fel- 
lowship. 

In  1867  Mr.  Settles  changed  his  home  to  a 
farm  of  180  acres  iu  Browning  Township,  a 
rough  timbered  property  that  lelt  much  to  be 
desired  iu  the  way  of  improvement.  Here  was 
born  April  14.  1866,  his  son,  Walter  Ix)gan.  who 
married  Nola  Robeson,  is  now  a  farmer  in  Rush- 
ville Township,  and  has  six  children — Rarl, 
Ralph,  Melvin,  Manford,  Edith  and  Edna  ;  Dora, 
born  August  8,  1870.  is  wife  of  William  Carty, 
and  mother  of  Clyde  B.  and  Charles  Carty; 
Cliarles  R.,  born  December  29,  1873,  married 
Jlyrtle  Simpson,  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Rush- 
ville Township;  Orpha.  liom  July  12.  1876,  on 
the  farm  where  .Vdam  Rcbmau  now  lives,  and 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  Phillips,  and  mother 
of  four  children,  two  of  whom  died  m  infancy, 
those  living  being  Tltanda  and  Hildreth  Eva.  In 
1875  Mr.  Settles  sold  his  farm  and  bought  land 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Rebman.  His  wife  died  Octo- 
ber 16,  1892.  She  was  a  noble  and  lovable  wo- 
man, possessed  a  host  of  friends,  and  was  sadly 
missed  by  her  immediate  family  and  by  many 
who  had  known  the  charm  of  her  personal  sym- 
]i;\thy  and  hospitality.  December  25,  1895,  Mr. 
Settles  married  Clara  Elizabeth  Zeigler,  who 
was  born  ii\  York  County.  Pa..  January  31.  1864. 
a  daugliter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Zeigler,  both 
of  whom  still  live  in  the  Quaker  State.  Mr. 
Zeigler  is  a  machinist  by  occupation,  and  during 
the  war  was  employed  by  the  Government  as  a 
bridge  builder,  and  also  assisted  in  the  construc- 
tion of  Fort  Monroe.     Calvin  Zeigler,  a  brother 


of  Mrs.  Settles,  is  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Brown- 
ing Township.    - 

Having  ahandoued  for  all  time  the  responsibil- 
ities of  farming,  Mr.  Settles  and  his  wife  started 
upon  an  extended  westeiu  journey  in  November, 
1906,  visiting  l^ilie's  Peak,  Manltou,  tlie  Garden 
of  the  Gods,  and  other  places  of  interest  in  Col- 
orado, thereafter  extending  their  trip  to  Los  An- 
geles, San  Francisco,  and  other  ixiints  iu  Cali- 
fornia. His  many  sided  I'xperiences  and  keen 
observations  as  a  traveler  were  enjoyed  by  his 
many  friends  in  Kushville  and  Schuyler  County 
through  the  publication  of  letters  written  Ijy 
him  and  published  iu  the  Citizen  and  other 
home  iiajx-rs.  Reliu'uiug  to  the  county  that  has 
known  and  appreciated  him  for  so  many  years, 
ilr.  Settles  took  up  his  aliode  in  his  present  de- 
lightful residence  on  Jefferson  Sti'eet.  Rushville, 
whidi  he  had  purchased  iu  19tRi,  and  iu  which 
on  March  Id,  1907,  he  began  a  less  arduous  life 
than  he  hitherto  had  lived.  This  home  is  pre- 
sided over  by  a  gracious  and  accomplished  wife, 
who  understands  the  art  of  rendering  comforta- 
ble those  around  her,  and  who  is  highly  es- 
teemed by  all  who  are  j)rivileged  to  enjoy  her 
acquaintance.  Besides  his  home,  Mr.  Settles 
owns  twelve  other  town  lots  and  three  dwellings 
iu  Rushville,  three  lots  iu  Long  Beach,  Cal.,  and 
eleven  lots  in  Beardstowu,  111.  In  all  he  has 
bought  and  sold  in  Rushville  Township,  1.200 
acres  of  laud,  a  rcn-ord  upapproached  by  any 
other  of  its  agricultural  upbuilders.  As  before 
stated,  he  paid  one  dollar  an  acre  in  gold  for  his 
first  farm,  going  in  debt  for  a  part  of  it,  and  for 
his  last  land  he  paid  .$125  an  acre,  and  now  re- 
fuses .$150  for  the  same.  No  finer  or  more  pro- 
ductive proix'rty  is  to  be  found  iu  the  Central 
West,  due  principally  to  the  careful  nietliods  of 
rotation,  fertilization  aud  general  cultivaliou  ob- 
served by  the  owner. 

Possessing  so  umistakably  the  faculty  of  accu- 
nmlation.  Mr.  Settles  naturally  has  gravitated 
towards  banking,  and  is  one  of  the  stockholders 
of  the  Bank  of  Schuyler  Couuty.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  no  partisan,  and  no  amount 
of  persuasion  has  caused  him  to  invade  the 
ranks  of  office  liolders.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Colonel  Ilorney 
Post,  and  prondnent  at  reunious  aud  general  post 
undertakings.  Personally,  a  genial,  confidence 
inspiring  and  forceful  man.  Mr.  Settles  has  won 
and  kept  friends  all  along  his  vigorous  and  pur- 
po.seful  life,  and  everywhere  that  he  is  known, 
is  regarded  as  an  excellent  neighbor,  loyal  friend, 
interesting  companion  and  dependable  country 
gentleman. 

SETTLES,  Leander,  who  may  fitly  be  classed 
among  the  most  prosperous  and  substantial  farm- 
em  of  Rushville  Township,  Schuyler  County,  IlL, 
and  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  community, 
was  bom  in  Browning  Township.  Schuyler 
County.  111..  May  28.  18.59.  a  son  of  G.  R.  and 
Penina  Settles,  natives  of  Illinois.  In  early 
youth  Mr.  Settles  attended  the  Mt  ZIon  school, 
and  when  his  father  moved  to  Frederick  Town- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY". 


927 


ship,  luutiuued  bis  school  attendaaee  there.  In 
18.S2,  he  aL-(.-Miiiiianii'(i  his  .'atuei's  lamil.v  ou  tbeir 
removal  to  Kushville,  aud  has  since  made  his 
home  in  UusUville  Township.  After  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Settles  bought  a  tarm  of  eighty  acres 
in  Kushville  Towusliip,  on  which  he  remained 
until  isit8,  when  he  sold  his  land,  bu.ying  eighty 
acres  in  Sections  23  and  2T,  in  the  same  town- 
ship. There  he  made  improvements  by  rear- 
ranging, putting  out  truit  and  ornamental  U-ees, 
sbrubbia-y,  etc.  Having  an  ambition  to  spread 
out  and  "farm  on  a  larger  scale,  he  rented  out 
his  little  farm  and  in  the  spring  of  V->M.  moved 
to  the  300-acre  farm  of  his  father,  etiuipped 
himself  with  plenty  of  good  teams  and  machin- 
ery, and  by  raising  a  good  grade  of  stock,  espe- 
cially hogs,  made  a  success  in  the  operation  of 
this  tract  of  laud,  and  was  recognized  by  the 
people  of  the  community  as  one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising, progressive  and  successful  farmers 
in  the  township.  In  the  year  1905  he  sold  the 
part  of  his  farm  lying  in  Section  27  for  $125  per 
acre,  and  bought  a  quarter-section  in  Beadle 
County.  S.  Dak.,  for  $21  per  acre.  This  farm  he 
kept  one  .year,  when  he  disposed  of  it  at  .$29 
per  acre  and  invested  in  eighty  acres  of  land 
lying  in  Section  20.  Kushville  Township,  which 
makes  120  acres  owned  by  him  at  the  present 
time. 

Jlr.  Settles  was  married.  May  9,  1885,  to  Jessie 
R  Rebman,  who  was  born  in  Browning  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  March  14,  1866,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adaju  and  Lavinia  Kebman.  The  father 
of  Mrs.  Settles  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Schuy- 
ler County.  Four  children  were  the  issue  of  this 
union,  as  follows:  Harvey  R.,  born  August  9, 
1886:  Annie  L..  born  March  29.  1888;  Hilah 
Penina,  born  June  20,  1891:  and  Lura  Irene, 
bom  December  18,  1897.  Harvey  R..  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Rushville  Township,  was  married  to 
Nora  Garrison.  June  19.  1904.  and  they  have 
two  children — Madeline  C.  bom  December  30, 
1904,  and  Harold,  bom  October  20,  1906.  Annie 
L.  is  the  wife  of  Ralph  J.  Ewing,  also  a  farmer 
of  Rushville  Township,  to  whom  she  was  mar- 
ried May  20,  1907.  Hilah  Penina  was  married 
to  Geor.ce  Garrison,  of  Rushville,  May  3,  l()08, 
and  Lura  is  with  her  parents. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Settles  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  filled  various  township  offices,  and  is  now 
Township  Trustee.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  R.  N.  of  A.,  and  the 
M.  W.  A.  While  not  a  church  member,  he  has 
always  been  liberal  In  support  of  church  work. 
Socially,  Mrs.  Settles,  a  most  estimable  woman, 
is  connected  with  the  Royal  Neighbors.  She  is  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Methdodist  Episcopal 
Church,  with  which  she  united  in  girlhood.  Both 
husband  and  wife  stand  high  in  the  estimation  of 
all  who  know  them. 

In  the  fall  of  1907.  Mr.  Settles,  having  decided 
to  retire  from  farnung,  bought  property  In  the 
city  of  Rushville.  locating  there  on  October  30 
of  that  year.  ,\lways  entertaining  a  fondness 
for  travel,  for  a  man  engaged  in  the  occupation 
of   faraiiiig.   lie   lias   spent   much  time  thus  em- 


l)lo,ved,  having  visited  about  half  of  the  States 
of  the  Union,  besides  iwrtions  of  Canada,  the 
aggregate  of  his  touring  as  showu  by  his  diary, 
covering  25,000  miles. 

SHELLY,  D.  Franklin. — During  his  long  and 
industrious  life,  D.  Franklin  Shelly  has  wielded 
the  weapons  of  war  as  well  as  the  implements 
of  peace,  but  it  is  in  the  latter  capacity  that 
his  name  is  enrolled  upon  the  annals  of  Schuyler 
County,  of  which  he  has  been  a  resident  since 
the  spring  of  1870,  and  where  he  now  is  living 
in  practical  retirement  upon  his  300-acre  farm 
in  Section  9,  Hickory  Township.  Mr.  Shelly  was 
born  in  Augusta  County,  \'a.,  February  11,  1835, 
and  is  one  of  the  three  surviving  of  eight  chil- 
di-en  of  Daniel  and  Katharine  (Hafner)  Shelly, 
who  came  from  \'irginia  to  Fulton  County.  111., 
during  the  summer  of  1850.  The  elder  Shelly 
was  a  man  of  quiet  tastes  and  ambitions,  but  he 
succeeded  at  farming  and  won  the  good  will  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  men.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1885  he  had  been  a  widower  for  ten 
years.  Of  his  children,  W.  H.  is  a  farmer  of 
McDouough  County,  and  James  A.  lives  in  Wood- 
land Township,  Fulton  Count.v. 

Twenty -one  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied 
the  rest  of  his  family  to  Fulton  County  in  1856, 
D.  Franklin  Shelly  had  acquired  a  fair  educa- 
tion in  the  subscription  and  common  schools  of 
his  native  State,  and  had  been  thoroughly  drilled 
in  farming  as  practiced  in  the  South.  He  adap- 
ted himself  readil.y  to  Northern  conditions,  how- 
ever, and  was  in  practical  command  of  his  fath- 
er's farm  when  the  call  to  arms  in  August,  1802, 
drew  him  from  peaceful  and  accustomed  tasks 
to  the  turmoil  and  uncertainty  of  warfare.  En- 
listing in  Company  II,  Kiglity-fifth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantrj-,  as  Corporal,  he  participated  in 
all  of  the  marches  and  battles  of  the  company 
until  his  discharge  from  the  service  in  March, 
1865,  on  account  of  a  gun-shot  wound  received 
in  the  vicinity  of  Atlanta,  Ga.  While  recuperat- 
ing from  this  wound  he  was  in  the  United  States 
Hospital  at  Camp  Butler,  111.,  and  he  still  has 
in  his  possession  the  bullet  extracted  by  the  sur- 
geon, which  had  passed  through  his  shoulder 
from  front  to  back.  He  was  .-is  brave  a  soldier 
as  represented  the  strength  and  valor  of  Illinois, 
and  his  martial  experiences  included  many  occa- 
sions in  which  he  figured  as  the  good  and  gener- 
ous genius  of  the  suffering  and  dying.  Few  are 
more  consistent  or  accurate  narrators  of  events 
connected  with  the  Civil  War,  and  in  few  were 
the  benefits  of  peace  more  deeply  ingrafted. 

Continuing  to  farm  in  Fulton  County  after  his 
return  from  the  war.  Mr.  Shelly  married.  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1870,  Mary  E.  Sackmaii,  who  was  born 
in  Mason  County,  111.,  in  September,  1846,  a 
daughter  of  John  W.  S.ackman.  an  early  but  now 
deceased  farmer  of  Schuyler  County.  The  first 
iiivostment  of  Mr.  Shelly  after  bis  marriage  was 
in  a  farm  of  120  acres  is  Hickory  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  which  he  later  .sold  and  then 
bou.ght  his  present  farm  of  .300  acres  in  Section 
9.     On  his  farm  Mr.   Shell.v  has  raised  general 


928 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


produce  and  stock,  and  lias  many  fine  improve- 
ments, biiviug  modern  barns,  well  kept  fences 
and  a  large  and  comlortable  country  home.  Some 
time  since  he  laid  aside  the  cares  of  the  farm  and 
i.s  enjoying  the  later  years  of  his  life  in  restful 
quiet,  a  consummation  merited  by  more  than 
thirty  years  of  c-ontinuous  effort,  and  by  practi- 
cal financial  results  which  remove  him  trom 
the  possibility  of  all  monetary  dissatisfaction. 
While  in  no  sense  a  partisan,  he  votes  the  Re- 
publican ticket  for  national  and  State  atfairs, 
but  locally  supports  the  man  best  suited  to  the 
resiX)usibilities  of  his  office.  While  not  a  mem- 
ber of  any  church,  his  geuerosiiy  in  supiwrt  of 
church  and  charitable  organizations  is  well 
known,  and  he  is  a  umch  aitpreciated  member 
of  the  local  lodge  of  Masons.  Of  the  four  chil- 
dren nhich  have  comprised  his  family  one  died 
in  infancy ;  Charles  H.  was  horn  in  1S72.  married 
Jliss  Ella  Burrows  and  has  two  children,  Gwen- 
dolen and  Lois;  Charles  operates  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm ;  Lida  M.,  bom  in  i'ebruary.  1876, 
is  the  wile  of  J.  M.  Todd,  of  Astoria ;  and  Harry 
F.,  born  Septembt'r  14.  1882,  is  living  on  the 
home  place.  Mr.  Shelly  bears  well  his  seventy- 
three  years,  and  his  heart  is  as  young  and  spirits 
as  fine  as  if  he  were  but  half  that  old.  He  has 
known  how  both  to  make  and  to  keep  friends, 
and  his  standing  in  the  community  is  based  upon 
an  upright,  conscientious  and  Industrious  life. 

SKILES,  Francis  M. — The  frontiersmen  who 
settled  in  Schuyler  County  in  the  immediate 
wake  of  the  Indian,  reared  large  claims  for  them- 
selves and  splendid  hopes  for  their  progeny.  Al- 
though the  majority  of  their  characters  and  la- 
bors are  mistily  set  in  the  framework  of  history, 
they  yet  live  in  those  who  bear  their  name,  and 
who  represent  in  many  instances  the  acme  of 
purpose,  endeavor  and  vitality  of  the  early  part 
of  another  century.  George  Skiles.  who  arrived 
when  the  last  centurj-  was  a  quarter  old,  was 
bom  in  Pennsylvania,  settled  in  his  youth  in  KeK 
tucky,  and,  hearing  the  call  of  the  prairies,  un- 
dertook the  arduous  journey  to  Wayne  County, 
Mo.,  then  an  unhindered  wilderness.  About  1825. 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  who  formerly  was  Mary 
Justus,  and  several  of  their  children,  he  came  to 
Browning  Township.  Schuyler  County,  taking  up 
government  land  shortly  after  on  what  then  was 
called  Rushville  Prairie,  in  what  is  now  the 
township  of  that  name.  Here  he  encountered 
all  of  the  r-rudities  and  deprivations  of  the 
frontier,  and  upon  arising  in  the  morning  could 
see  the  smoke  arising  from  the  cabins  of  all  the 
settlers  for  miles  around.  The  buffalo  trails  still 
were  clearly  defined,  and  although  the  rough  out- 
lines of  the  wigwam  had  disappeared,  the  former 
owners  of  these  quaint  habitations  frequently 
returned  to  what,  for  centuries,  had  been  the 
happy  hunting  ground  of  their  sires.  For  the 
most  part  they  were  subdued  and  harmless  red- 
men,  but  the  settlers  h;id  many  disagreeable  ex- 
periences with  those  who  could  not  forget  their 
wrongs,  and  who  bitterly  resented  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  palefaced  brethren.    This  early  ar- 


rival cleared  considerable  of  his  laud  and  ad- 
vanced from  dire  poverty  to  comparative  alllu- 
ence,  his  useful  life  coming  to  an  end  while  bit- 
ter warfare  raged  between  the  North  and  South 
in  IStk!.  The  wife,  who  survived  him  imtil  I.S74. 
was  the  mother  of  thirteen  childru,  two  of  whom 
are  still  living:  Mary,  widow  of  Hiram  Scott, 
who  has  kindly  contributed  the  facts  of  this 
l)iography.  and  James  Skiles,  a  resident  of  Alma, 
Neb.  At  the  age  of  ninety-three  years,  Mrs. 
Scott,  in  the  enjoyment  of  excellent  health  and 
retaining  her  faculties  lo  an  unusual  degree,  is 
now  making  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Robertson,  wife  of  Ale.xander  Robertson, 
son  of  William  Robertson,  the  latter  one  of  the 
fii-st  settlers  of  Browning  Township. 

Rev.  William  Skiles,  ^^on  of  George  Skiles,  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  .Mo.,  and  was  a  small  boy 
when  the  family  came  to  Ulinois.  He  had  few 
opportunities  on  Xtushville  Prairie,  but  he  had 
ambitions  and  great  religious  zeal,  early  in  life 
beooming  converted  to  the  Union  Baptist  faith, 
in  which  he  prepared  for  the  ministry.  He  had 
a  quarter-section  of  land  offered  him  on  the 
prairie,  but  he  preferred  to  settle  in  the  timber 
along  the  stream,  and  with  the  cultivation  of 
this  land  as  one  of  his  life  obje<.'ts,  he  became 
a  circuit-rider  with  his  brother  John,  the  latter 
having  prepared  for  the  ministry  in  the  .Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  These  two  self-sacrlflcing 
brothers  rode  together  over  Illinois,  Iowa  and 
Nebraska,  enduring  all  of  the  hardships  knonn 
to  the  circuit-riders  of  the  frontier  and  accom- 
plishing a  world  of  good  among  the  Isolated  set- 
tlers. Iteally  lofty  and  grand  traits  of  character 
are  attributed  to  William  Skiles,  traits  which 
grew  In  strength  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
.Vpril  12,  19<i7,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Of 
his  nine  children  three  died  in  Infancy  and  six 
are  still  living,  Francis  M.  Skiles,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  being  the  oldest.  Klizabetli 
is  the  wife  of  Frank  Heathers,  of  Seattle,  Wash. ; 
George  lives  in  Republic  City,  Neb. ;  Sarah  is  the 
wife  of  A.  Russell,  of  Alma,  Neb.;  William  P. 
lives  near  Republic  City,  Neb.;  and  Nettie  is 
the  wife  of  Jackson  Glldersleeve,  of  Huntley, 
Neb.  The  mother  of  these  children  formerly 
was  Sarah  Luttrell,  more  extended  mention  of 
whom  may  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  William  C. 
Skiles. 

Bom  in  Browning  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
III..  December  2,  1843,  Francis  M.  Skiles  was 
reared  to  the  life  of  the  farm,  and  always  has 
made  this  the  setting  of  his  life  occupation.  His 
education  was  acquired  In  the  district  schools, 
often  under  great  difficulties,  and  the  foundation 
thus  supplied  has  been  strengthened  and  en- 
larged by  almost  continuous  later  research.  His 
early  financial  stitus  became  apparent  at  the 
time  of  his  marri.age  to  Mallnda  Geer.  a  native 
of  Browning  Township,  and  daughter  of  Dyer 
Geer.  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Skiles  had  to  borrow  the  money  of 
his  father  for  his  marriage  certificate,  and  so 
jioor  were  both  of  the  parties  to  the  alliance,  that 
they  continued  to  lire  with  their  respective  pa- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


939 


rents  until  better  times  dawned.  Finally  the 
bridegroom  succeeded  In  saving  thirty  dollars, 
with  which  he  bought  a  simple  housekeeping  out- 
fit, and  rented  a  log  cabin  trom  Roswell  Brines, 
the  bridal  gifts  including  a  colt  from  the  elder 
Skiles  and  a  heifer  from  the  bride's  father.  The 
farm  was  bottom  land,  damp  and  illy  drained, 
and  as  Mr.  Skiles  was  soon  taken  with  chills 
and  leve",  it  lieraii'ur  lU'CL'ssarv  tu  abandon  his 
first  field  of  independent  endeavor.  With  an 
old  plug  team  which  had  been  added  to  his  pos- 
sessions, he  move  to  McDonough  County  about 
I8(j4,  and  here  succeeded  beyond  all  expectatiou 
in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  His  wife's 
father  dying  in  1S79,  the  couple  returned  to  the 
old  Geer  farm  in  Schuyler  County  where  Mrs. 
Skiles  was  born,  and  to  the  entire  possession  of 
which  Mr.  Skiles  succeeded  by  right  of  purchase 
soon  after.  This  remained  his  home  until  1905, 
and  in  its  cultivation  few  men  in  the  county  have 
achieved  more  satisfactory  general  results.  To- 
day he  is  the  owner  of  380  acres  of  as  fine  land 
as  the  county  contains,  having  the  best  of  mod- 
ern improvements,  and  lying  admirably  adapted 
to  all  purposes  of  Central  Western  farming. 

In  political  affiliation  Mr.  Skiles  is  a  Democrat 
and,  in  addition  to  several  other  township  of- 
fices, he  has  for  many  years  been  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education.  With  his  family  he  is 
a  member  and  active  worker  in  the  Union  Bap- 
tist Church.  To  him  and  his  wife  have  been 
born  six  children,  of  whom  Laura  and  Bertie 
died  in  infancy ;  Julius  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  and  four  days ;  Maggie  is  the  wife  of 
William  Alembaugh,  of  Browning  Township,  and 
mother  of  Bert,  Nellie  and  Beulah  Alembaugh: 
Effie  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Trone,  a  fanner  af 
Browning  Township,  and  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren: Eilen  is  the  wife  of  Miles  Schlisler,  and 
mother  of  Hattie  Schlisler,  and  lives  on  one  of 
her  father's  farms.  Mr.  Skiles  may  well  regard 
his  life  as  a  success,  both  financially  and  per- 
sonally, for  in  addition  to  substantial  wealth  he 
is  one  of  the  most  honored  and  highly  respected 
men  in  the  community.  No  man  is  more  emphat- 
ically the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  for  all 
his  i)ossessions  have  come  from  his  first  pay.  an 
old  rifle,  which  then  was  the  pride  and  hope  of 
his  life. 

SKILES,  William  C. — The  stem  and  substan- 
tial qualities  which  have  inspired  and  accom- 
plished successful  pioneering  in  all  places  and 
stages  of  the  world's  progress,  were  manifest  In 
the  Skiles  family  at  a  very  early  period  of  the 
history  of  America,  and  ever  since  have  spelled 
success  and  honor  for  the  nnniprnus  members 
widely  scattered  over  this  broad  continent  and 
especinll.v  well  represented  in  Schuyler  County, 
to  which  the  first  arrival  came  in  the  middle 
'twentie!=.  Of  the  latter-day  exponents  of  honor- 
able and  useful  living,  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  successful  is  William  C.  Skiles,  owner 
of  a  farm  in  Section  14,  Browning  Township,  In 
which  township  he  was  bom  October  1.  1844.  a 
son  of  Moses  and   Mary    (Ltittrell)    Skiles.   na- 


tives of  Kentucky.  Mr.  Skiles'  grandslres  were 
soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  paternal 
grandfather  coming  to  Seliuyler  County,  111., 
from  Missouri,  the  maternal  grandparents  arriv- 
ing fi'om  the  South.  Both  were  with  General 
Jackson  at  the  battle  of  Horseshoe  Bend,  both 
practiced  agriculture  with  excellent  results  in 
Schuyler  County,  and  both  lived  to  the  ripe  age 
of  ninety  years.  The  grandmother  Luttrell  was 
a  remarkable  woman,  and  attained  the  age  of 
102  years.  During  the  early  settlement  of  the 
county  she  had  many  thrilling  experiences  with 
the  Indians.  Her  husband  first  settled  in  Brown- 
ing Towushii;),  but  later  moved  to  the  uplands, 
and  the  first  yoke  of  oxen  he  used  in  the  town- 
ship was  loaned  him  by  the  grandfather  Skiles. 
His  daughter,  Mary  Luttrell,  was  the  second 
wife  of  Moses  Skiles,  and  the  mother  of  two 
sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  James  Skiles  is 
a  retired  farmer  of  Nebraska,  and  the  daughter 
is  the  widow  of  Thomas  Tracy,  of  Schuyler 
County.  The  first  wife  of  Moses  Skiles  was 
formerly  a  Mrs.  Swazey,  whom  he  married  in 
Missouri,  and  whose  son,  T.  J.  Skiles,  now  lives 
in  Browning,  111.  The  third  Mre.  Skiles  in  girl- 
hood was  known  as  Melinda  Lynch,  who  became 
the  mother  of  five  childi'en :  Vemla,  widow  of 
James  Mitchell  of  Browning ;  Rosa,  widow  of 
Martin  Glover,  of  Astoria,  111. :  .Moses  is  a  farmer 
of  Browning  Township :  Lewis  died  in  Nebraska 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years ;  David  L.,  Charles  C, 
and  George,  all  three,  deceased. 

William  C.  Skiles'  mother  died  when  he  was 
about  seven  months  old.  and  be  was  then  taken 
to  the  home  of  his  maternal  gi'andparents,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  attaining  his  majority. 
His  youth  was  filled  with  hard  work  and  respon- 
sibility, but  he  managed  to  acquire  a  practical 
common  school  education,  upon  which  he  has 
built  by  the  research  of  later  years.  In  1861  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Margaret  J.  Price, 
a  daughter  of  Permenius  Price,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, with  whom  he  started  housekeeping 
on  the  old  Luttrell  farm,  where  seven  of  their 
children  were  born  to  them,  one  being  born 
liefore  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  Of  these, 
WiUiam  is  a  farmer  of  Littleton  Township; 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  L.  Parker,  of  Browning 
Township,  and  has  seven  children:  James  I.  is 
a  farmer  of  Browning  Township ;  Amanda 
(deceased)  was  the  wife  of  John  Stambaugh; 
Thomas  is  a  farmer  in  Fulton  County:  Min- 
nie is  the  wife  of  a  farmer  in  Pulton  County; 
and  Ross  is  a  resident  of  Peoria,  111.  The 
mother  of  this  family  died  in  187.5,  and  in  1889 
Mr.  Skiles  married  Mrs.  Maria  Perkins,  bom 
in  Schuyler  County,  July  4,  1850,  daughter  of 
Elijah  Wisdom,  who  came  as  a  boy  from  Ten- 
nessee In  1827.  Mr.  Wisdom  still  Is  living  with 
his  daughter  and  son-in-law,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skiles. 
the  only  sui-vivor  of  fourteen  children,  which 
his  mother  reared  among  the  crudest  of  sur- 
roundings, never  owning  or  using  a  cook  stove, 
or  any  artificial  light  save  a  tallow  dip.  Mr. 
Wisdom  has  two  children  living.  Mrs.  Skiles  and 
Fannie,  wife  of  Charles  Hendricks,  of  Quincy, 


930 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


111.  lie  was  a  mombei-  of  the  EigUty-fourtli  llli- 
uois  \oluuteei-  imautry  during  tUe  Civil  War. 
He  is  now  eiglJtj--l:our  years  olU,  Ijis  wife  liavmg 
Uied  iu  1871.  Mrs.  Sliiles  lias  lM?eu  Ihriee  mar- 
ried, Iier  fli-st  husbaud  being  AJleu  Koberlsou, 
by  wliom  she  liad  four  cliildreu ;  I'urtis,  of 
lirowning  Towusliip ;  James,  of  Beardstowu; 
William,  of  Browning  Township;  Carrie,  wile 
of  Ernest  SUiles,  of  Browning  Township.  The 
father  of  Allen  Hobertsou  was  a  soldier  in  Com- 
pany C.  Third  Missouri  Cavalry,  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  his  death  occurred  iu  February,  ISTi. 
The  second  husliand  was  II.  I'.  I'erkius,  who 
was  a  soldier  iu  the  Third  Illinois  Cavalry,  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  and  died  in  ISSU,  leaving  one 
daughter.  Wealthy,  now  deceased,  who  was  wife 
of  B.  F.  Lancaster.  .Mr.  and  -Mrs.  Skiles  have  a 
daughter.  Fannie,  now  in  school. 

After  Ills  last  marriage  Mr.  Skiles  took  charge 
of  his  farm  of  fortj-  acres  on  Section  16  In 
Browning  Township,  where  he  has  a  comforta- 
ble home  within  half  a  mile  of  where  he  was 
born,  and  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising,  lie  is  a  Democrat 
IX)litically  and  has  held  a  number  of  local  of- 
fices, including  that  of  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  Jlr.  SUiles  is  a  man  of  lirni  charac- 
ter and  excellent  judgment,  and  well  sustains 
the  reputation  for  integrity  and  usefulness  es- 
tablished in  the  dawn  of  the  county's  history  by 
the  sires  on  both  sides  of  his  family. 

SLACK,  Nathaniel  G.,  M.  D.,  (deceased). — A 
bright  and  beneficent  career  in  the  medical  pro- 
t'escsion  was  terminated  by  the  decease  of  the 
respected  and  well  remembered  physician  above 
named,  whose  practice  in  Uushville,  Schuyler 
County,  111.,  extended  over  a  period  of  nearly 
thirty  years.  That  the  memory  of  his  faithful, 
considerate  and  self-denying  attention  to  his 
nmneriius  patients  in  Kushville  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  is  still  warmly  cherished  by  its 
beneficiaries,  is  grateful  evidence  of  his  fidelity 
to  the  implicit  trust  reposed  in  him  and  to  the 
high  ideals  which  dominated  his  professional  ca- 
reer. The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  in 
England.  April  9.  ISIO.  his  father,  Jolin  Slack, 
also  being  a  native  of  that  country,  where  be 
spent  his  entire  life.  Some  time  after  the  death 
of  .lohn  Slack,  his  widow  married  again,  and 
coming  to  the  United  States,  settled  in  Illinois, 
where  she  and  her  husliand  made  their  home  in 
Fulton  County.  The  latter,  whose  name  was 
Potts,  died  a  few  years  after  their  arrival  in  this 
country.  Nathaniel  G.  Slack  was  a  mere  lad 
when  his  father  died,  and  was  only  approximat- 
ing manhood  when  he  accompanied  his  elder 
brother  to  the  T'uited  States.  He  first  located 
in  Rhode  Island,  whence  after  a  time,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Illinois,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Ful- 
ton County.  There  he  shortly  afterward  became 
a  pupil  in  the  academy  at  Farmington.  and  after 
remaining  for  a  time  in  that  institution,  pur- 
sued a  course  of  study  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa. 
He  next  taught  school  for  several  terms,  and  sub- 
sequently  studied   dentistry,   in   the   practice   of 


which  he  engaged.  This  he  abandoned  in  order 
to  attend  the  lectures  of  the  Iowa  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  then  commenced  the 
jiractice  of  medicine  at  liis  home  iu  Fulton 
County.  In  lH'i'J  he  removed  to  Kushville.  where 
he  continued  iu  practice,  and  soon  attained  gen- 
eral rectignition  as  a  skillful  and  successful  phy- 
sician and  surgeon.  This  ijrofessional  standing 
he  maintained  for  many  y«ars,  acquiring  an  ex- 
tensive and  remunerative  practice.  He  was  also 
identified  with  mercantile  pursuits,  being  inter- 
ested to  a  considerable  extent  iu  the  woolen 
mills  at  Uushville.  His  death  occurred  August 
y,  1887. 

Ou  .November  12,  1S5S,  Dr.  Slack  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Eliza  C.  Berry,  who  wiis  born 
iu  Fulton  County,  111.,  a  daughter  of  Henry  C. 
Berry,  a  native  of  Berkshire,  Eugland.  Mr. 
Berry  came  to  America  with  his  family  iu  early 
ihiys,  settling  in  Canada.  Thence  be  moved  to 
Fultou  Count}-,  111.,  about  the  year  18;!9.  By 
trade  he  was  a  miller,  and  alternately  followed 
farming  for  a  livelihood.  In  Fulton  County  he 
was  engaged  In  mercantile  pursuits.  During  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  be  went  to  California, 
where  he  died.  Mrs.  Slack  is  still  a  resident  of 
Uushville,  where  she  is  surrt)unded  by  every  com- 
fort, and  enjoys  the  cordial  esteem  of  numerous 
friends. 

In  politics.  Dr.  Slack  was  a  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  During  the  Civil  War,  be 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  United  Slates  Marshal, 
-iside  from  his  professional  attainments  and 
services,  bis  memory  is  cherished  as  that  of  one 
of  the  patriotic,  public  spirited  aud  useful  citi- 
zens of  Rushville. 

SMITH,  Joseph  H.— To  none  of  the  old  settlers 
of  Schuyler  County  do  the  changes  which  have 
taken  jilace  during  the  past  fifty-nine  years  seem 
more  marvelous  than  to  Joseph  H.  Smith,  a  re- 
tired fanner  of  Uushville.  Mr.  Smith  has  watched 
the  passing  of  the  round  log  house ;  the  subscrip- 
tion school ;  the  dense  hazel  brush  ;  the  hungry  and 
inquisitive  foxes  which  made  life  miserable  for 
everjoue  but  themselves;  the  gentle  deer,  of 
which  he  saw  eleven  in  one  herd;  the  wild  tur- 
ki'ys  and  other  small  game :  the  scythe,  cradle, 
dint  light  and  tallow  dip.  From  the  other  edge 
of  his  life  he  still  watches  with  interest  the  com- 
ing and  going  of  the  present  generation  of  work- 
ers, those  to  whom  have  been  shifted  the  burdens 
of  agriculture,  but  everywhere  upon  bis  own 
place  are  the  evidences  of  his  handiwork,  of  his 
untiring  perseverance  through  the  storm  and 
sunshine  of  his  long  life.  Mr.  Smith  has  had  bis 
own  way  to  make  in  the  world  ever  since  he  was 
old  enough  to  make  his  lalxir  of  value.  Bom  on 
a  farm  in  .Jefferson  County.  Ind..  February  14, 
IS-w,  he  is  a  son  of  Michael  Smith,  a  native  of 
Somerset  County,  Md..  and  grandson  of  William 
Smith,  also  liom  in  .Maryland.  Bi^ides  himself, 
but  two  others  of  his  father's  children  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  Oliver  P.  Smith,  of  the  State  of 
Wa.shington.  and  William  N.  Smith,  a  resident 
of  Mount  Vernon.  111.    Mellnda  (Reamer)  Smith, 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


931 


uiotlii'i-  of  Joseph  H.,  was  boru  in  New  Jersey,  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Naucy  (Smitli)  Reamer, 
nati\es  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  re- 
speeUvfly.  David  Iteanier  was  a  gunsmith  by 
trade,  and  lie  followed  the  martial  fortunes  of 
Washington  for  seven  years  of  the  Itevolutionary 
War,  stacking  his  musliet  on  the  battlefields  of 
Bunker  Hill  and  Braudywine,  and  enduring  the 
bitterly  cold  winter  at  Valley  Forge.  Mr.  Smith 
now  holds  as  his  most  prized  relic  the  pocket- 
book  which  his  maternal  grandfather  carried 
through  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  Reamer 
family  is  long  lived,  Melinda  (Reamer)  Smith 
having  lived  to  the  unusual  age  of  ninety  years, 
her  death  occurring  in  1000. 

Michael  Smith  moved  from  Indiana  to  Bain- 
bridge  Township,  Schuyler  County,  in  1848,  and 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  his 
death  in  18.52.  Joseph  H.  had  the  best  advan- 
tages procurable  in  his  township,  but  even  these 
«ere  meagi-e  compared  with  those  the  children 
of  the  present  day  enjoy.  He  was  a  sturdy  and 
industrious  lad,  and  being  left  fatherless  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  a  large  share  of  the  home  re- 
sponsibilities tell  upon  his  shoulders.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  in  1853,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Sarah  Jane  Icenogle,  a  native  of  Boone 
County,  Ky.,  who  came  with  her  parents  to 
S('huyler  County  in  1849,  she  being  then  thirteen 
years  old.  Surviving  her  parents  and  the  other 
children  in  the  family  beside  herself  are :  Thomas 
H.  Icenogle,  of  Beardstown,  111.,  and  Mrs.  Mel- 
vina  F.  M.  Hodges,  of  Rushville.  Mr.  Smith  has 
voted  the  Democratic  ticket  ever  since  old  enough 
to  form  political  opinions,  and  he  served  lour 
years  as  Constable  of  Bainbridge  Township  and 
si.xteen  years  as  Road  Commissioner.  Both  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Smith  are  devout  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  which  she  joined  about  fifty-five 
years  ago.  To  his  first  purchase  of  forty  acres 
of  land,  Mr.  Smith  has  added  until  he  now  owns 
160  acres,  all  under  cultivation.  His  farm  has 
many  fine  improvements,  excellent  machinery, 
and  substantial  facilities  for  caring  for  products 
and  stock. 

SMITH,  S.  Dansdn,  M.  D.— A  comparatively  re- 
cent recruit  to  professional  circles  in  Rushville 
is  Dr.  S.  Darwin  Smith,  one  of  the  young  and 
enthusiastic  practitioners  who  recognize  the  ever 
widening  possilulitios  of  their  calling,  and  whose 
judgment  and  research  is  untranmieled  by  mental 
fi.xity  or  l)llnd  devotion  to  the  tenets  of  the  past. 
Dr.  Smith  was  born  in  Woodstock  Township, 
Schu.^-ler  County,  111.,  December  .30,  1870,  of 
Southern  ancestry,  his  father,  S.  S.  Smith,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Brown  County,  111.,  of  which 
his  paternal  grandparents,  Abraham  and  Mary 
E,  (Ilendly)  Smith,  natives  respectively  of  Lex- 
ington. Ky..  and  Virginia,  were  early  set- 
tlers. His  mother,  formerly  Lizzie  (Cook)  Ma- 
gruder,  was  bom  in  Schu.yler  County.  III.,  a 
daughter  of  T.  P.  W.  and  L.  M.  (Bennett)  Ma- 
gruder,  the  former  Iwrn  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  and 
the  latter  in  Shepherdstown.  Va. 

Dr.  Smith's  original  field  of  activity  was  upon 


his  father's  farm  in  Woodstock  Township.  He 
received  a  practical  common  school  education 
while  still  at  home,  and  finally  entered  tlie  Chi- 
cago Homeopathic  Medical  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  March,  1896. 
Through  successful  competitive  examination  he 
secured  a  year  of  training  as  an  interne  in  the 
same  hospital,  and  for  the  following  five  years 
conducted  a  general  practice  in  Astoria,  111., 
coming  to  Rushville  in  the  fall  of  1902.  He  al- 
ready has  made  many  friends  and  built  up  a 
practice  extending  over  a  large  area  of  the  town 
and  surrounding  country,  and  by  his  faithful- 
ness, skill,  and  ready  adaptation  to  the  demands 
and  amenities  of  his  calling,  gives  promise  of 
extended  usefulness  in  an  appreciative  commu- 
nity. 

Dr.  Smith  renounced  bachelorfood  March  1, 
1898,  marrying  Anna  Reed  Freer,  a  native  of 
Chicago,  111.,  and  of  their  union  there  Is  a  son, 
Edward  Magruder  Smith.  The  doctor  is  a  Re- 
[iublican  in  politics,  and  fraternally  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  the  Court  of  Honor. 

SNYDER,  Madison  0.,  (deceased),  for  many 
years  a  leading  farmer  of  Littleton  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  later  engaged  in  real 
estate  and  fire  insurance  business  in  the  town 
of  Littleton,  111.,  where  he  also  held  the  ottice 
of  Postmaster,  was  born  in  Schuyler  C-ounty,  111., 
July  :''1,  1840,  a  son  of  David  and  Cassandra 
(Walker)  Snyder,  natives  of  Virginia  and  Ken- 
tucky, respectively,  the  birtliplace  of  his  father 
being  in  Breckenridge  County,  in  the  former 
State.  Their  marriage  took  place  in  Virginia 
in  1822,  and  two  years  later,  they  moved  with 
teams  to  Illinois,  locating  in  the  vicinity  of  Rush- 
ville. A  tew  years  later,  David  Snyder  entered 
land  in  Sections  9  and  16,  Rushville  Township, 
where  in  course  of  time,  he  became  the  owner 
of  280  acres.  The  ground  in  this  locality  was  so 
swampy  and  boggy  when  he  first  located  there 
as  to  be  of  very  slight  value.  David  Snyder 
died  on  his  farm  March  5,  1858,  his  widow  sur- 
viving him  until  Jtme  C,  1869,  when  she  also 
departed  this  life.  Their  family  consisted  of 
five  daughters  and  five  sons,  of  whom  only  one 
son,  William  F.  Snyder,  of  La  Crosse,  Hancock 
County.  III.,  is  now  living.  A  daughter.  Mrs. 
Julia  Wheat,  of  Littleton,  Schuyler  County,  re- 
centl.v  passed  away. 

Madison  O.  Snyder  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools,  and  remained  wltli  his  mother 
until  a  year  after  his  marriage,  when  he  moved 
to  a  farm  four  miles  south  of  Littleton,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1SG9.  In  that  year  he  bought  120 
acres  in  Section  10,  Littleton  Township,  which 
he  partly  improved,  and  successfully  followed 
farming  there  for  seventeen  years,  in  1897,  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  tlie  town  of  Littleton, 
buying  a  house  and  lot  and  the  postoffice  build- 
ing, thereafter  devoting  his  attention  to  the  fire 
insurance  and  real  estate  business,  in  which  he 
continued  up  to  the  time  of  decease,  October  21, 
1907. 


932 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


The  marriage  of  Mr.  Snyaer  took  place  Novem- 
ber 13  1861,  ou  which  date  Mary  J.  Laiubert 
became  his  wile.  Mrs.  Snyder  was  born  in 
Kusiiville  111.,  December  18,  1841,  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Cartierine  (Dennis)  Lambert, 
natives  of  Kentucky.  Her  father  was  a  minister 
of  the  Christian  Church  and  an  early  settler  in 
Schuyler  County.  Seven  children  born  of  this 
union  were:  Catherine  L.,  who  married  Samuel 
Frank  Sloan,  and  now  lives  at  Watertowu,  S.  D. ; 
Nellie  who  married  Oel  D.  Uoss,  of  La  Prairie. 
Hancock  County,  111. ;  Olive,  who  is  employed  as 
a  clerk  in  Macomb,  111.;  Grace  (Mrs.  Hosea  B. 
Winters ) ,  of  Littleton  Township  ;  Klnora  W..  wife 
of  Charles  D.  Wells,  a  resident  of  Littleton. 
111.;  Clarence  O.,  a  farmer  of  Littleton  Town- 
ship  and  Nina  Florence,  who  is  still  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Snyder  was  a  Republican  and 
bore  a  prominent  and  influential  part  in  local 
affairs.  He  held  the  office  of  Township  Asses- 
sor, five  years ;  tliat  of  Collector,  one  year ;  and 
served  eight  yeare  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He 
was  apiwinted  Postmaster  of  Littleton  by  Presi- 
dent McKiiiley,  assuming  the  duties  of  that  of- 
fice February  14.  1898,  which  he  continued  to 
occupy  up  to  the  date  of  his  death.  He  also 
held  the  office  of  Notary  Public  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  Gov.  Tanner  and  Gov.  Yates.  In 
fraternal  circles,  Mr.  Snyder  was  identified  with 
the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  belonged  to  the  Uush- 
ville  Lodge  from  1804  to  1884,  when  he  assisted 
In  organizing  a  lodge  in  Littleton,  111.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  of  A.  The  reli- 
gious connection  of  Mr.  Snyder  was  with  the 
Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  had  been  a  member 
since  1865,  and  in  which  he  had  officiated  as 
deacon  and  trustee  from  1875  up  to  the  time  of 
his  demise.  Mr.  Snyder  was  one  of  the  fore- 
most citizens  of  the  county  where  his  entire  life 
had  been  spent,  and  no  members  of  the  commu- 
nity were  held  in  higher  esteem  than  he  and  his 
worthy  wife,  who  survives  him. 

STEELE,  George  Burton.— A  comparatively  re- 
cent and  well  equipped  recruit  to  the  profes- 
sional life  of  Rushville  is  George  Burton  Steele, 
a  young  man  of  well  defined  purpose,  and  suffi- 
cient energy  and  patience  to  accomplish  much  as 
a  legal  practitioner.  Born  on  a  farm  one  and  a 
half  miles  northeast  of  Pleasantview.  Schuyler 
Countj-.  111.,  December  10.  1878,  Mr.  Steele  Is 
descended  on  both  sides  of  his  family  from  very 
early  setters  of  Ohio,  in  which  State  were  born 
his  paternal  grandparents,  Theodosius  S.  and 
Mary  (McBn^en)  Steele,  whose  agricultural  in- 
terests were  identified  with  the  vicinity  of  Rush- 
ville. On  this  farm  of  their  own  clearing  was 
born  James  M.  Steele,  father  of  George  Burton, 
who  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Rachel 
Strong,  a  native  of  Pleasantview  and  daughter 
of  George  W.  and  Frances  (Quinn)  Strong,  the 
former  born  in  Columbiana.  Ohio,  and  the  latter 
a  native  of  Louisville.  Ky.  George  Lee  Strong, 
the  American  progenitor  of  the  Strong  family  In 
America,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  after  settling 
in  Virginia,  married  Kancy  Kennedy,  a  native  of 


Louisville,  Ky.  Thomas  Quiim  strong,  great- 
graiidlather  of  George  Burton,  and  sou  of  the 
innuigraut,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  after  mov- 
ing to  Ohio  married  Elizabeth  Lewis,  one  of  the 
Buckeye  State's  native  daughters. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother,  when  he  was 
seven  years  old,  George  Burtou  Steele  lived  until 
his  majority  with  his  grandmother,  Frances 
Strong,  and  his  uncle,  Charles  K.  Strong.  While 
achieving  his  preliminary  education  principally 
through  study  at  home,  he  graduated  from  the 
I'leasantview  High  School,  Kennedy's  Normal  at 
liushville,  and   the   Uushville   Busiiress  College. 

.\t  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  uixm  his  si.\ 
year's  of  educational  work,  and  during  that  time 
gained  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  inactical  and 
capable  teacher.  He  then  was  apiwinted  Deputy 
County  Treasurer,  under  his  uncle,  Charles  K. 
Strong,  and  while  discharging  the  duties  of  this 
office  read  law  under  Thomas  E.  Bottenburg,  or 
Uushville.  Admited  to  the  bar  of  Illinois,  April 
6,  11KJ5,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Uushville  September  1,  I'JOu,  and  during  the 
ensuing  year  has  had  no  occasion  to  regret  his 
choice  of  location. 

December  25.  1!X>1,  Mr.  Steele  was  united  In 
marriage  to  Bertha  B.  Bestlcr,  a  native  of  Naper- 
ville,  111.  Mr.  Steele  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the  Inde- 
l)endent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  .Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Mr.  Steele  is  at  present 
City  Attorney  for  the  city  of  Uushville,  111. 

STOVER,  Samuel. — For  more  than  sixty-three 
years  the  Stover  family  of  Balnbrldge  Township 
has  been  a  strong  and  continuous  factor  in  the 
best  progress  of  Schuyler  County ;  for  Its  mem- 
bers have  been  concerned  not  only  with  the  ma- 
terial phase  of  Its  history,  but  with  the  develop- 
ment of  its  educational  system,  which  tends  to 
the  production  of  the  higher  wealth  of  mind, 
and  which  Is  so  closely  related  to  the  substantial 
prosperity  of  any  community.  Education  is  a 
stimulant  to  broad  action  and  has  an  ennobling 
influence  on  all  the  labors  of  the  world,  so  that 
lK)th  Samuel  Stover,  the  pioneer  in  agricultural 
work  and  civic  organization,  and  D.  Marion  Sto- 
ver, his  son,  who  has  accomplished  so  much  for 
the  school  system  of  the  county,  are  entitled  to 
no  small  share  of  the  credit  of  establishing  so- 
cial order  and  elevating  the  standard  of  their 
home  communities. 

The  late  Samuel  Stover  was  a  Virginian,  born 
In  Pago  County,  that  State,  on  the  8th  of  No- 
vember. 181?..  and  his  father,  also  bom  in  the 
Old  Dominion,  was  of  German  ancestry.  In 
1810  the  family  moved  to  the  southern  part  of 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  where  the  grandfather 
falso  Samuel)  engaged  in  fanning  and  there 
passed  his  last  years.  There  Samuel  Stover.  Jr., 
married  Maria  Campbell,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
I,.  Campbell,  their  union  occurring  in  the  fall 
of  184.3.  The  Campbells  moved  to  Schuyler 
County,  III.,  and  settled  on  what  is  now  Section 
4.  Balnbrldge  Township.  The  father  was  an  act- 
ive Democrat,  was  elected  County  Treasurer  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


933 


assessed  tbe  entire  county  before  it  was  organ- 
ized into  towiisliips,  Unally  Uyiug  ou  tlie  old 
farm.  In  tlie  spring  of  1844  Samuel  Stover,  witti 
bis  wife  and  one  child,  ililton  L.  Stover,  settled 
in  tbe  same  section,  tlie  improvements  on  tbe  farm 
of  100  acres,  consisting  of  a  rude  double  log 
cabin.  Tbe  land  was  very  heavily  timbered,  and 
tbe  fatber  immediately  commenced  to  cut  down 
and  burn  tbe  large  logs.  One  bundred  and  twenty 
acres  was  finally  cleared  and  reclaimed  to  tbe 
uses  of  agriculture,  and  the  farm  is  today  one  of 
the  finest  in  tbe  township,  in  190(5  producing 
eighty-seven  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre.  The 
old  log  cabin  remained  tbe  family  home  until 
1858,  and  here  most  of  the  thirteen  children  were 
born ;  but  in  the  year  mentioned  Samuel  Stover 
erected  with  his  own  hands  a  fine  residence  near 
the  modest  bouse  of  tbe  pioneer  period.  There 
tbe  mother  died  September  211,  1874,  a  devout 
woman  reared  in  tbe  faith  of  the  Primitive  Bap- 
tist Church,  whose  life  was  in  strict  accord  with 
tbe  principles  of  her  belief.  Three  of  her  thir- 
teen children  died  in  infancy.  After  bis  second 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rouse.  Mr.  Stover 
retired  from  the  old  farm  to  Rusbville,  where 
he  resided  imtil  his  death,  August  8,  1898,  and 
where  bis  widow  passed  away  March  14,  1904. 

Samuel  Stover  was  long  one  of  tbe  prominent 
citizens  of  Baiubridge  Township,  taking  an  es- 
pecial interest  in  the  early  educational  affairs. 
He  was  a  Democrat,  filled  various  township  of- 
fices of  trust,  and,  like  bis  fatber-in-Iaw,  Mr. 
Campbell,  was  in  many  ways  j)rouiinently  con- 
cerned in  the  founding  of  tbe  county  govern- 
ment. He  was  a  faithful,  enterprising,  large 
minded  and  warm  hearted  man,  a  good  husband 
and  father,  and  a  strong  citizen.  His  religious 
belief,  to  which  he  was  closely  attached,  was 
that  of  tbe  Primitive  Baptist  Church. 

The  children  of  the  family  who  survived  their 
infancy  are  as  follows :  Milton  L.,  who  is  farm- 
ing in  Johnson  County.  Neb. ;  Oscar  A.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Rusbville,  Schuyler  County ;  Thomas  C, 
who  died  at  tbe  age  of  fourteen  years ;  D.  Ma- 
rion, a  sketch  of  whose  life  follows ;  Horatio  H., 
now  deceased ;  Horace  F.,  a  resident  of  Lincoln, 
Neb. :  Dora  I.,  who  married  W.  R.  Hoskins,  now 
living  in  Wolsey.  S.  Dak. :  Rollin  M.,  and  Robert 
C,  both  residents  of  Rusbville,  111.;  and  Zelma 
E..  a  school  teacher  of  Minneapolis.  Minn. 

D.  Marion  Stover  was  bom  in  the  old  log  cabin 
of  the  family  homestead  in  Section  4,  Bainbridge 
Township,  on  the  27tb  of  October,  1848.  and  is 
now  tbe  owner  of  the  home  place  of  160  acres, 
which  is  well  improved  and  under  a  higli  state 
of  cultivation.  After  receiving  an  education  in 
the  district  schools  and  tbe  Gem  Cit.v  Business 
College,  of  Quincy,  111.,  be  devoted  the  larger 
portion  of  his  life  to  self-improvement  and  the 
instruction  of  others.  While  fitting  himself  for 
his  profession  he  assisted  bis  father  upon  the 
farm,  and  in  1872  began  teaching  in  the  district 
schools  of  Schuyler  County,  continuing  this  work 
until  18S6.  His  executive  ability  and  modem 
methods,  with  his  popular  personal  qualities,  so 
established    bis   reputation   as   an   educator   and 


gained  biui  so  sectire  a  footing  witli  the  public, 
that  lie  was  nominated  by  tbe  Democracy  as  a 
candidate  for  County  Superintendent  of  Schools. 
Ilis  strength  is  shown  in  tbe  fact  that  he  was 
elected  by  a  greater  majority  than  anyone  else 
on  tbe  ticket,  aud  was  also  returned  for  a  second 
term  of  four  years.  During  the  eight  years  of 
his  service  in  this  important  office,  from  1886  to 
1894,  tbe  schools  of  the  county  were  managed 
with  decision  and  ability,  the  valuable  reforms 
which  were  made  being  dictated  by  a  common- 
sense  determination  to  give  pupils  the  training 
which  they  could  utilize,  ratlier  tb.iu  tbe  aiii- 
bitiou  to  bo  thought  radical  or  unique.  The  re- 
sult was  that  tbe  schools  were  brought  to  a  high 
degree  of  iiractical  efficiency  and  that  be  intro- 
duced a  course  of  study  similar  to  the  one  now 
used  in  every  county  in  tbe  State.  Mr.  Stover 
was  not  a  candidate  for  re-election,  and  has 
since  taken  no  active  part  in  politics.  For  the 
past  lour  years  he  has  served  as  principal  of  the 
school  of  Frederick,  and  was  re-elected  for  the 
term  of  1907-08. 

In  1898  Mr.  Stover  bought  the  old  home  farm, 
and  under  bis  management  it  has  been  made  a 
most  productive  and  desirable  piece  of  country 
proiierty.  Here  in  company  with  his  sister, 
Zelnia  E.,  he  spends  bis  summer  vacations,  and 
devotes  tbe  balance  of  the  year  to  tbe  educational 
field,  to  wliich  be  is  so  ardently  attached  and  in 
which  he  has  earned  such  eminence. 

STRONG,  Charles  Kennedy,  the  present  Treas- 
urer of  Schuyler  County,  was  bom  on  the  farm 
he  since  has  occupied  near  Pleasantview,  June 
1.5,  1857.  This  farm  is  one  of  tbe  landmarks  of 
tbe  township,  and  under  tbe  management  of  two 
generations  of  the  family  it  has  taken  on  both 
financial  and  home-making  value.  Settled  upon 
at  an  early  day  by  George  W.  and  Frances 
(Quinn)  Strong,  parents  of  Charles  Kennedy,  it 
has  been  added  to  as  prosperity  favored  Its  in- 
dustrious owners,  and  now  consists  of  160  acres. 
George  Strong  was  a  native  of  Columbiana 
County,  Ohio,  while  his  wife  was  lx)m  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Nancy 
(Kennedy)  Quinn,  natives  of  Virginia  anil  Ken- 
tucky, respectively.  George  Strong,  fatber  of 
George  W.,  was  horn  In  Ireland,  and  was  the 
only  member  of  his  family  to  emigrate  to  Amer- 
ica. 

As  an  occupation,  Charles  Kennedy  Strong  has 
■ahvays  followed  farming,  and  has  achieved  suc- 
cess in  bis  chosen  railing,  being  engaged  in  both 
general  farming  and  stock  raising.  At  a  com- 
paratively early  age  he  began  to  take  an  active 
interest  in  politics,  and  has  held  many  offices 
within  the  gift  of  bis  fellow  Democrats.  On 
two  occasions  he  served  as  Assessor  of  Bain- 
bridge Township,  and  was  also  SupeiTisor  of  tbe 
same  township  for  two  terras,  serving  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Board,  and  having  charge,  as  one  of 
tbe  committeemen,  of  the  erection  of  the  present 
county  ,iail.  He  was  elected  County  Treasurer 
in  1002.  and  his  conduct  of  tbe  financial  affairs 
of  tbe  county  has  met  with  general  satisfaction. 


934 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY. 


August  28,  1887,  Mr.  Strong  married  Adelaiue 
Cormau,  wLo  was  lioru  iu  Itushville  Township, 
and  educated  at  Christian  Nec-k  School.  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Strong  are  the  parents  of  four  children : 
Homer  W.,  Rachel  M.,  George  \V.,  and  Frank  C. 
Mr.  Strong  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Mod- 
em Woodmen  of  America.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Methodist.  In  a  eouununity  where  his  entire 
life  has  been  passed,  where  his  face  is  familiar 
to  almost  evei-y  resident,  and  where  he  has  been 
called  upon  to  fill  ix)sitions  which  test  character 
and  involve  sacrifice  for  the  imblic  good,  this 
prominent  farmer  and  politician  has  the  repu- 
tation of  heiug  a  square  and  reliable  man,  and 
one  in  whom  the  cx>mmunity  may  implicitly  place 
reliance. 

STRONG,  Moro  S.— Of  the  men  who  are  help- 
ing to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  farming  and 
stock  raising  in  Kushville  Township,  credit  is 
due  Jloro  S.  Strong,  whose  constant  ri-searcli  and 
painstaking  et?orts  have  resulted  in  the  owner- 
ship of  one  of  the  valuable  and  paying  properties 
in  his  neighliorhood.  Born  iu  Mainbridge  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County.  .lauuary  3,  ISCi:',,  he  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  I'leasantvlew, 
and  on  his  father's  farm  received  practical  train- 
ing in  the  occupation  to  which  he  is  devoting  his 
life.  His  parents.  George  W.  and  Francis 
(Quiun)  Strong,  were  born  in  Columbiana 
County.  Ohio,  and  Louisville,  Ky..  respectively, 
the  former  .Tuly  6,  1822,  and  the  latter  .Tuly 
28,  1820.  Both  the  paternal  and  maternal  fami- 
lies had  to  do  with  the  pioneer  historj-  of  Schuy- 
ler County,  and  the  mother,  at  the  time  of  her 
death,  had  lived  here  sixty-four  years.  The 
father  died  Octolier  4.  1S69. 

Moro  S.  Strong  married  Laura  Purness.  also 
a  native  of  Schuyler  County,  and  of  their  union 
there  were  two  children:  .Tesse  D.,  deceased,  and 
Anthony  V..  a  farmer  of  Rushville  Township. 
Mrs.  Strong  died  in  1887.  and  for  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Strong  married  Mary  Gossage.  d;iugh- 
ter  of  William  and  Nancy  Gossage.  and  of  this 
union  there  are  two  sons :  Charles  M.  and  Giles 
H.  Jlr.  Strong  owns  140  acres  of  land  in  Section 
25,  Rushville  Township,  a  large  part  of  which 
is  under  a  high  degiee  of  cultivation.  This  for- 
merly was  known  as  the  Quinn  farm  and  was 
settled  by  Mr.  Strong's  maternal  grandfather, 
in  1S42.  It  came  into  Mr.  Strong's  posses-sion 
in  1887.  and  he  moved  on  to  it  two  years  later, 
finding  there  a  small  frame  dwelling,  which 
since  has  been  replaced  by  a  modern  farm  house. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  general  farndng  and 
stocli  raising  continuously,  and  in  100.'',  began  the 
extensive  breeding  of  Hereford  cattle,  of  which 
he  now  has  a  fine  herd  of  registered  stock.  Un- 
derlying the  farm  is  a  five  foot  vein  of  coal,  and 
he  has  opened  up  a  mine  with  a  capacity  uf  from 
two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  bushels 
per  day  of  as  fine  coal  as  can  be  found  in  the 
State  of  Illinois. 

TVitli  his  farming  Mr.  Strong  combined  an  in- 
terest in  the  general  welfare  of  the  community. 


and  though  emphatically  opjwsed  to  otiice  hold- 
ing, has  stanchly  supported  the  Democratic  party 
and  has  lent  practical  assistance  to  the  political 
asjiirations  of  his  friends.  Fraternally  he  is  pop- 
ular and  nuich  in  demand,  and  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  nt  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

STRONG,  Peter. — The  retirement  of  Peter 
Strong  to  his  pleasant  home  in  the  village  of 
Browning  iu  r.»04  was  justified  by  many  years  of 
successful  activity  as  a  general  farmer  and 
stockraiser,  and  by  an  example  of  character  and 
kindliness  which  should  be  an  inspiration  to  the 
youth  seeking  the  material  and  moral  compensa- 
tions of  a  c-ountry  life.  During  the  fifty-seven 
years  of  bis  life  Mr.  Strong  has  knowu  no  other 
houio  than  Schuyler  Couutj',  where  he  was  born 
iu  Baiiibridge  Township  January  26,  1851,  and 
where,  on  the  farm  of  his  parents,  Stephen  and 
Eli/.atH'lli  (Brines)  Strong,  he  was  reared  to  the 
arduous  work  in  which  he  for  so  many  years 
engaged. 

Stephen  Strong  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  as  a 
lad  came  with  his  parents  to  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship. Schuyler  Com-.ty.  where  he  engaged  In 
faruiing  until  his  death  in  1899.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Elizabeth  Brines,  was  born  in  Illinois,  and 
die<l  iu  1894.  She  was  the  mother  of  three 
children,  both  younger  than  Peter,  of  wliom 
Lewis  lives  on  the  farm  iu  Browning  Township; 
Laura  died  at  the  age  of  six  years.  In  1860 
the  family  moved  from  Bainbridge  to  Section  29, 
Browning  Township,  fiuding  here  a  dilapidated 
and  altogether  discouraging  property,  as  far  as 
general  Improvements  were  concerned,  the  greater 
part  of  the  land  being  covered  with  timber  or 
underbrush.  Mr.  Strong  lived  to  see  his  Industry 
bear  fniit  and  his  home  transformed  Into  one 
of  the  best  places  In  the  county.  He  was  essen- 
tially a  home-loving  man,  of  <|uiet  and  unambi- 
tious tastes  and  a  generous  contributor  to 
churches  and  cluiritable  organizations.  He  had 
no  political  aspiratlon.s  and  never  was  willing 
to  accept  political  honors. 

Peter  Strong  was  nine  years  old  when  he  came 
to  Browning  Township,  and  though  by  no  means 
a  robust  lad.  he  at  once  midertook  the  hard 
work  of  cutting  down  trees  and  clearing  away 
brush,  and  evontuall.v,  long  before  his  father's 
death,  succeeded  to  the  entire  management  of 
the  place.  Both  father  and  son  made  a  specialty 
of  high  grade  stock,  and  in  the  hand«  of  the 
son,  since  his  purchase  of  the  place  after  the 
death  of  his  parents,  this  paying  resource  has 
been  greatly  Increased.  He  has  an  average  herd 
of  thirty  Shorthorn  cattle,  fully  half  of  which 
are  registered,  and  also  raises  fine  horses  and 
hogs.  His  farm  is  equipped  with  ample  facili- 
ties for  earing  for  stock  in  increasins  numbers, 
and  he  also  has  storage  for  grains  and  general 
produce,  besides  an  excellent  dwelling  and  well 
kept  fences,  drainage  and  fine  water  supply.  The 
oversight  of  this  beautiful  farm  Mr.  Strong  re- 
linquished upon  moving  to  Browning  in  1004,  but 
it  unquestionably  still  fills  a  large  place  in  his 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


935 


heart  and  life,  representing,  as  it  does,  a  c-om- 
nieudable  and  altogether  wortby  dream  and  its 
t'ullilliuent.  Its  260  acres  represent  what  a  man 
may  accomplish  who  sets  out  to  carve  his  way 
unaided  along  agricultural  lines,  and  who  allows 
neither  discoiu'a.Lienitnt  imr  occ-isioual  failure  to 
Interfere  with  the  steadiness  of  his  action  and 
purpose.  Mr.  Strong  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
but  has  never  aspired  to  a  place  among  the  of- 
fice holders  of  the  township. 

STRONG,  Thomas  Q.,  recognized  by  all  who 
know  him  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Bain- 
bridge  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 
his  locality,  was  born  on  the  home  farm  where 
his  brother  Charles  K.  Strong,  now  lives,  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of  George  W.  and 
Frances  Strong,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Kentucliy. 
Early  in  the  'forties  his  father  came  from  Ohio 
and  settled  on  the  farm,  in  Section  1,  Bainbridge 
Township,  which  was  the  birthplace  of  all  his 
children.  Thomas  Q.  Strong  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Pleasant\-iew  school,  and  assisted 
his  father  in  the  work  of  the  place,  remaining 
at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one 
.years.  Then  he  rented  land  from  his  grand- 
mother, and  started  otit  for  himself.  When  his 
father's  health  began  to  fail,  Thomas  was  in- 
duced to  return  home,  and  after  the  death  of  the 
former,  the  .son  assumed  niauagement  of  the 
homestead  property  which  he  continued  for  two 
years.  In  1883,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in 
Section  l.'i  of  the  same  township,  to  which  he 
moved  during  that  year,  occupying  a  log  cabin 
of  one  room.  For  ten  years  this  was  the  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strong,  and  in  it  two  of  their 
children  were  bom.  In  1893,  Mr.  Strong  built  a 
new,  five-room  dwelling,  and  now  has  one  of  the 
comfortable  residences  in  the  township.  He  has 
added  ninety -one  acres  to  his  original  purchase, 
and  is  the  owner  of  171  acres  lying  in  Sections 
10  and  1~).  Bainbridge  Township.  When  he  tooli 
possession,  the  land  had  been  partially  cleared, 
and  he  applied  himself  to  tlic  task  «f  I'dUijileting 
the  clearing  and  pieiiaring  fifty  acres  for  culti- 
vatinn.  ultimately  developing  the  tract  into  a 
highly  )]roductive  farm.  IIo  has  been  a  persever- 
ing, diligent  and  thorough-going  farmer,  having 
done  his  full  share  to  promote  the  agricultural 
interests  of  Schuyler  County,  and  has  been 
closely  identified  with  its  growth  and  welfare. 
Too  busy  to  travel  and  deeply  absorbed  in  local 
interests,  he  has  only  once  passed  be.vond  the 
boundaries  of  his  native  State  in  a  lifetime  ex- 
tending over  three-score  years. 

On  Feliru.Try  7,  1873,  Jlr.  Strong  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Augusta  Crozier.  who  was  born 
in  .\ew  York  October  0.  18.51.  a  dangliter  of 
Richard  Crozier,  a  narrative  of  whose  life  ap- 
peal's in  another  part  of  this  work.  Tlie  children 
resulting  from  this  union  are:  Eva,  wife  of 
Watson  Dodds,  detailed  mention  of  whom  is  also 
made  in  this  volume ;  Stella,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy:  and  .\nna,  who  was  married  to  George 
W.  Ward,  September  11,  1906.     .Mr.  Ward,  who 


has  charge  of  Mr.  Strong's  farm,  is  a  son  of 
Jackson  Ward,  a  biographical  record  of  whom 
may  be  found  on  another  page  herein. 

Politically,  Mr.  Strong  is  identifled  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  rendered  able  and 
faithful  public  service  in  various  township  of- 
fices, having  been  Collector,  Road  Commissioner 
and  School  Trustee  for  twelve  years.  Wheu  he 
was  elected  to  the  last  meutioned  othce  the  finan- 
cial condition  of  the  schools  was  not  encouraging, 
but  during  his  incumbenc.v  it  w.-is  placed  on  a 
sound  basis.  His  colleagues  on  the  School  Board 
were  W.  H.  Reeve  and  Vincent  Bellamy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Strong  are  earnest  ami  active  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and 
have  long  taken  a  deep  interest  in  church  and 
educational  work.  For  twenty  years,  he  was 
Superintendent  of  the  Mt.  Carmel  Sunday  school. 
Both  husband  .md  wife  enjoy  the  sincere  respect 
and  cordial  regard  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

STUMM,  Jeremiah,  who  served  as  Countj-  Sur- 
veyor of  Schuyler  County,  for  nearly  forty  years, 
was  born  April  13,  1827.  in  Springhill  Town- 
ship, Fayette  Countj-,  I'a.  lie  was  a  son  of 
Philip  and  Rebecca  Burchinal  Stmnm  and  re- 
sided with  his  parents  until  his  eighteenth  year, 
when  he  left  home  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade. 

From  1845  to  1857  he  worked  at  his  trade  and 
was  employed  as  superintendent  on  several  large 
contracts.  In  January,  1857,  Mr.  Stumm  came 
to  Rushville  from  Peoria,  111.,  and  t(X>k  the  con- 
tract to  tmild  the  new  county  ,iail,  which  is  now, 
after  an  existence  of  fift.v  yeare,  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation  and  tised  as  a  city  calaboose.  This 
contract  i^ept  Mr.  Stumm  employed  until  August, 
1858,  and,  while  the  county  got  a  good  piece  of 
work,  Mr.  Stumm  was  a  loser  of  .?900  on  his 
contract. 

In  1803  Mr.  Stumm  was  elected  County  Sur- 
veyor, serving  two  years.  From  1867  to  1875 
he  was  Deputy  Surve.vor  under  Surveyor 
James  W.  Watts,  and  did  practically  all  the  sur- 
veying in  and  about  Rushville  during  these  years. 
In  1885  he  was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired 
term  of  W.  .1.  Horney  and  served  as  County  Sur- 
veyor until  1904. 

During  the  time  he  was  Surveyor  Mr.  Stumm 
made  his  home  at  the  court  house,  and  when  he 
became  feeble  from  age.  went  to  the  county  farm 
to  live.  He  made  bis  home  here  from  the  spring 
of  1005  until  his  death,  which  occurred  May  5, 
lfi08.  His  remains  were  taken  to  the  old  home 
at  Ada.  Ohio,  for  interment. 

".Teriy"  Stumm.  as  he  was  familiarly  known  to 
almost  every  resident  of  the  cntmty,  was  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  intellectual  ability,  and 
had  he  been  inclined  to  follow  the  inirsuits  for 
which  he  was  so  ably  fitted,  he  would  have  made 
his  mark  in  the  business  world.  But  financial 
reverses  in  his  .vounger  years  apparently  broke 
his  spirit,  and  he  took  a  pessimistic  view  of  life 
that  made  impotent  his  marked  ability.  But 
although  he  gave  tip  the  struggle  in  the  keen 
competition  of  a  business  career,  his  mind  was 
bright  and  vigorous,  and  his  memory  was  a  most 


936 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COINTY. 


remarkable  one,  even  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
Since  his  death  the  County  Hoard  of  Super- 
visors has  purchased  his  old  compass  aud  chain, 
and  they  will  be  preserved  in  a  case  at  the 
court  house  as  a  relic  for  future  generations. 

SUTHERLAND,  H.  Ralph.— The  seeker  after 
success  along  farming  lines  may  leam  much 
from  the  life  efforts  of  H.  Ralph  Sutherland, 
whose  home,  character  and  ideals  place  him 
among  the  most  progressive  and  substantial  of 
the  upliuilders  of  Brooklyn  Township  aud  Schuy- 
ler County.  As  much  as  an.v-  of  whom  we  have 
knowledge,  Mr.  Sutherland  is  entitled  to  the 
credit  of  being  a  self-made  man,  a  man  who  has 
carved  his  way  practically  unaided,  and  to  whom 
the  stonii  and  stress  and  discouragement  of  life 
never  has  offered  sufficient  incentive  for  skirking 
of  duty  or  a  substitution  of  ])rofltless  ijleasures. 
He  is  a  worker  who  loves  his  work  as  he  does 
his  fellow  men,  who  ever  has  looked  forward  to 
the  tasks  of  a  new  day  with  hope  aud  gladness. 
and  at  night  has  been  willing  to  acknowledge  his 
debt  to  the  merciful  boon  of  labor. 

On  JIarch  4,  1845 — the  inaiiguration  day  of 
President  James  K.  Polk, — Mr.  Sutherland  was 
born  in  Suubury,  Ohio,  and  was  but  three  years 
old  when  occurred  the  death  of  his  father.  .Ios<>ph 
Sutherland,  who  was  born  in  Trumbull  County. 
Ohio,  and  who  for  many  .vears  was  eni]iloyed  by 
the  Hopkins  Soda  &  Kottling  Works,  of  Sun 
bury.  The  elder  Sutherland  was  a  man  of  quiet 
and  refined  tastes,  a  good  citizen  kind  liusband 
and  father,  and  an  earnest  voter  of  the  Whig 
ticket.  His  wife,  formerly  .lane  Eaton,  also  a 
native  of  Ohio,  subsequently  married  a  -Mr.  Henry 
Schoonover,  with  whom  and  her  son.  H.  Ralph, 
she  left  Ohio  in  1S5S,  stopping  for  a  time 
in  Vermont,  Fulton  County,  111.,  but  during  the 
following  year  locating  in  Brooklyn  Township. 
Schu.vler  Count.v.  In  the  spring  of  1861  the 
family  rented  land  from  a  Mr.  Fisher,  the  next 
December  moving  to  rented  land  east  of  Little- 
ton, in  the  township  of  that  name.  He  soon 
afterward  moved  to  his  grandfather's  farm,  and 
on  May  1,  1S65,  located  on  the  farm  which  Mr. 
Sutherland  now  owns.  Here  the  step-father 
died  in  186(i,  and  here  has  dwelt  Mr.  Sutherland 
with  his  beloved  mother,  one  of  the  most  viva- 
cious and  interesting  young  old  ladies  in  the 
county.  By  her  second  marriage  she  had  two 
children,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  .\t  the 
age  of  eighty-five  she  enjoys  excellent  health,  and 
is  the  .iny  of  the  household  because  of  her  kindlv 
disposition  and  freedom  from  the  traits  usuall.v 
associated  with  one  of  her  years. 

H.  R.ilph  Sutherland  was  thirteen  .vears  of  age 
when  he  came  with  his  mother  and  step-father  to 
Schuyler  County,  and  soon  after  found  emplov- 
ment  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  his  uncle. 
J.  H.  Dexter,  at  Augusta.  111.  Owing  to  111 
health  brought  on  by  confanement.  in  1862  he 
quit  the  store  and  began  to  work  in  a  wagon  shop 
in  .\storin.  but  was  not  long  permitted  to  follow 
this  occupation  as  the  illness  of  his  step-father 
compelled  his   return  to   th?   farm,  of  which  he 


then  took  charge.  The  place  at  that  time  con- 
tained 140  aci-es,  with  a  log  cabin  and  a  log 
stable,  but  without  fences  to  contine  stock  or 
keep  out  that  of  other  settlers.  Over  a  large 
part  of  the  land  waved  wild  prairie  grass,  while 
but  thirty-live  acres  had  been  broken  by  the 
plow,  and  there  were  lifteeu  acres  of  heavy  tim- 
ber, Mr.  Sutherland  started  in  bravely  to  clear 
away  the  thiik  underbrush,  and  in  lime  suc- 
ceeded in  making  the  place  one  of  the  most  val- 
uable and  profitable  in  Brooklyn  Townshiii.  He 
has  been  the  personitication  of  industry  ami  the 
setting  sun  often  has  found  him  with  a  large 
amount  of  work  yet  to  accomplish.  Ue  never  has 
shirked  or  slighfed  his  tasks,  aud  his  place  bears 
the  stamp  of  this  conscientious  and  painstaking 
devotion  to  details.  Ue  has  added  eighty  acres 
to  the  original  farm  and  uow  owns  220  acres. 

On  October  8,  1878,  Mr.  Sutherland  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  E.  A.  Pratt,  the  wedding 
taking  place  in  Johnston,  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
the  native  place  of  the  bride.  Mrs.  Sutherland 
is  a  daughter  of  Hector  aud  Susan  Ellen  (Reedl 
Pratt,  the  former  an  extensive  farmer  of  Licking 
County,  and  the  parent  of  eight  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living:  Joseph  Pratt,  of  Jlarengo. 
Ohio;  Oscar,  owner  of  the  old  home  farm  near 
Johnston,  Ohio ;  Mrs.  Sutherland ;  Mary,  wife 
of  Harris  Pick,  of  Johnston ;  .Maggie,  deceased 
wife  of  Dr.  Garnett ;  Lucy,  wife  of  Dudley  Tay- 
lor ;  and  Lizzie,  married  and  living  In  Racine, 
Wis.  The  oldest  child,  a  son,  died  at  the  age  of 
seven  years.  Two  children  have  been  bom  to 
.Mr.  aud  Mrs.  Sutherland,  of  whom  Twilla  D. 
died  At  the  age  of  eight  years  and  eight  months, 
taking  with  her  into  the  unknown  much  of  the 
joy  and  gladness  of  a  home  which  she  had 
brightened  inexpressibly  with  her  sweetness  of 
dispositiiiu  and  gentleness  of  heart.  The  onl.v 
son  in  the  family,  Glenn  C,  born  August  30, 
18St).  was  educated  in  the  i-onanon  schools  of 
Brooklyn,  and  in  the  Conunercial  Department 
of  the  Rushville  Normal,  and  is  a  young  man  of 
exceptional  promise.  He  has  his  father's  dignity 
and  uprightness  of  character,  and  is  much  es- 
teemed for  his  quiet  and  unobtrusive  manners. 

In  political  affiliation  .Mr.  Sutherland  is  a 
Democrat,  but  has  never  been  weaned  from  his 
home  and  immediate  duties  sufficiently  to  accept 
of  lo(-al  offlcial  honors.  His  farm  and  its  devel- 
opment have  furnished  the  great  and  absorbing 
finrpose  of  his  life,  and.  as  in  the  past,  it  fur- 
nished many  obstacles  and  many  conflicts,  today 
it  is  his  pride  and  joy.  the  evidence  of  bis  in- 
dustry and  faithfulness,  of  his  thrift  and  far- 
sightedness during  a  whole  half  century  in  the 
s.ame  township. 

SWEENEY,  John  L. — The  long  and  prominent 
identification  of  the  Sweeney  family  with  Schu.v- 
ler County  dates  from  the  arrival  in  l^.")!  of 
Doctors  .Tesse  and  Minerva  f  Sanders)  Sweeney, 
who  were  n:itlves  of  Kentucky,  and  boni  In  Ca- 
sey and  Wayne  Coimties.  respe<'tlvely.  Dr.  Jesse 
Sweeney's  useful  life  began  in  1800.  his  parents 
having  settled  in  Casey  Connty  some  years  prev- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


937 


ious.  He  was  rearetl  ou  a  farm,  whose  opportu- 
nities lie  outgrew  comparatively  early  iu  life,  and 
a  broader  field  presented  itself  in  the  medical 
profession,  for  which  he  prepared  at  the  well 
known  University  at  Lexington,  Ky.  He  was 
successful  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  iu  his  na- 
tive State,  and  after  locating  in  Rushville  in 
1851  realized  no  cessation  of  his  professional 
popularitv,  his  services  being  in  demand  through- 
out a  large  part  of  the  surrounding  country. 
His  life  ending  iu  18<j:'.,  he  was  survived  by  his 
wife  until  1SS7,  and  she  in  turn  is  survived  by, 
four  of  her  ten  children:  M.  C,  of  Rushville; 
Charles  H.,  a  resident  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa; 
Elizabeth  F.,  wife  of  J.  W.  Jones,  of  Peoria,  111. ; 
and  John  L.  Doctor  Sweeney  in  early  life  was  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Whig  party,  and  after 
its  establishment  in  1856,  he  was  eiiually  de- 
voted to  the  infant  Republican  party,  A  man  of 
large  heart  and  great  generosity  of  judgment, 
be  tilled  an  important  need  in  the  world,  and 
left  it  better  for  his  earnest  devotion  to  the  best 
tenets  of  bis  splendid  profession.  • 

The  Civil  War  proved  the  first  break  iu  the 
monotony  of  the  youth  of  John  L.  Sweeney,  he 
having  thus  far  devoted  bis  energies  to  the  home, 
and  to  irregular  attendance  at  the  district  school. 
In  August,'  1862,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and 
Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for 
three  years,  serving  with  his  regiment  through 
all  of  its  long  niarclu'S  and  hard  fought  bat- 
tles, and  at  the  expiration  of  his  enlistment 
in  1805,  receiving  an  honorable  discharge.  Re- 
turning to  Rushville  after  the  war,  he  entered 
upon  his  mercantile  experience  as  a  clerk  for 
the  firm  of  Thomas  Wilson  &  Company,  estab- 
lished in  18.37.  and  in  that  capacity  mastered  ev- 
ery detail  of  merchandising  as  practiced  by  that 
oldest  of  enterprises  iu  the  city.  In  1882  he  had 
saved  sufficient  money  to  purchase  an  interest  In 
the  firm,  and  the  same  year  witnessed  a  material 
change  in  the  business,  a  fire  having  swept  the 
south  side  of  the  square,  and  demolished  the 
frame  building  in  which  the  firm  for  so  many 
years  had  conducted  their  business.  In  this 
emergency  the  present  brick  structure  was 
erected,  two  stories  in  height,  and  with  a  ware- 
room  of  200  square  feet  running  back  of  the 
main  stiiicture.  This  store  is  one  of  the  best 
equipped  and  best  arranged  dry-goods  establish- 
ments in  Schuyler  County,  and  the  high  stand- 
ard of  merchandising  of  the  original  owner  has 
never  been  allowed  to  diminish.  In  ISSS,  Hiram 
Graff  became  a  partner,  and  the  business  was 
thus  conducted  until  1807,  when  Mr.  Graff  re- 
tired, and  fresh  blood  and  energy  was  infused 
into  the  time-honored  concern  by  the  entrance 
into  the  firm  of  Thomas  W.  Sweeney,  son  of 
.John  L..  and  grandson  of  the  original  founder, 
Mr.  Wilson.  With  this  combination  of  talent 
and  enthusiasm,  father  and  son  have  produced  a 
thoroughly  modern  store,  introducing  many 
features  which  indicate  the  greatest  known  mer- 
cantile prngressiveness.  and  placing  themselves 
in  touch  with  the  most  modern  of  needs  and  re- 


quirements. Special  mention  is  due  the  dry- 
goods  and  shoe  departments,  although  other 
lines  are  selected  with  equal  regard  for  com- 
pleteness and  satisfactoriness.  An  effort  is  made 
to  please  all  without  regard  to  company  losses, 
and  courtesy  and  consideration  are  recognized 
as  indispensable  factors  of  success. 

I'^bruary  20,  1807.  Mr.  Sweeney  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Amelia  L.  Wilson,  daughter  of 
the  old  time  merchant,  and  founder  of  the 
Thomas  Wilson  &  Company.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sweeney  have  been  born  the  following  children : 
Eleanor,  wife  of  Charles  W.  Graff,  and  mother  of 
Thomas,  Eleanor.  Mildred,  Francis  and  John  L. 
Graft' ;  Jessie,  wife  of  H.  B.  Fisher,  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction  at  Geneseo,  111.,  and 
mother  of  Mai-y  L..  Linda  and  William  C.  Fisher; 
Thomas  W.,  who  married  Maud  R.  Rottger,  of 
Jacksonville,  111. ;  Frank  R.,  manager  of  the 
Hotel.  Schuyler,  of  Rushville,  and  Susan  S., 
wife  of  Charles  Arthur  Griffith,  of  The  Griffith 
Hardware  Company,  Rushville.  111.  Mr.  Sweeney 
has  shown  his  faith  in  the  future  of  Rushville 
liy  investing  heavily  iu  local  property,  and  is 
half-owner  of  the  Hotel  Schuyler,  one  of  the 
best  hostelries  in  this  uart  of  the  munty  :  is  al^■o 
a  large  stock-holder  and  director  in  the  %huyler 
County  Bank.  For  the  term  of  his  voting  life 
he  has  stanchly  supiwrted  the  Republican  party, 
and  though  himself  not  a  member  of  any  church, 
has  diinated  liberally  to  local  church  interests, 
especially  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  his  wife  is  a  devoted  member.  Personally 
Mr.  Sweeney  is  a  plain,  matter  of  fact  gentle- 
man, owning  to  no  prevailing  weaknesses  such 
as  smoking,  chewing,  swearing  or  speculating, 
and  leading  a  life  of  singular  moderation  and 
peacefulness.  No  man  iu  the  community  is  held 
in  higher  esteem,  nor  would  any  be  sooner 
trusted  with  affairs  involving  integrity  and  pub- 
lic spirit, 

SWEENEY,  Thomas  W.— The  general  store  of 
Wilson  &  Comp.any  is  an  unliroken  link  be- 
tween the  Rushville  of  1830  and  that  of  1907. 
For  seventy  years  this  enterprise  has  stood  guard 
over  the  commercial  destiny  of  the  community, 
has  aceuratel.v  and  unfailingly  reflected  its 
growth,  and  has  stood  sponsor  for  its  reputation 
Ijeyond  the  liorders  of  its  immediate  activity. 
No  more  striking  contrast  in  Inisiness  methods 
and  opportunities  exists  than  that  presented  by 
the  establisher.  Thomas  Wilson,  and  his  grand- 
son, Thomas  W.  Sweeney,  the  present  manager 
of  the  store.  The  former  struck  the  sober  busi- 
ness gait  of  the  far  frontier,  and  the  latter,  w'tli- 
out  changing  the  base  of  operations,  finds  him- 
self the  center  of  a  feverish  competition,  enjoy- 
ing the  profit  and  influence  of  a  commercial 
jtrince  endowed  with  the  strong  and  depend- 
nlile  qualities  which  bespeak  thorough  harmon.v 
witli  tli<>  needs,  possibilities  and  splendid  useful- 
ness of  tlie  twentieth  century. 

Thomas  W.  Sweeney  was  born  at  Galva,  Henry 
County.  111..  October  2.  1875,  and  in  1881  came 
to  Rushville  with  his  father,  John  L.  Sweeney, 


938 


IIISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  grad- 
uated from  the  higli  school  in  the  class  ot  1893. 
Ambitious  of  a  higher  education,  the  young  man 
in  1S'.I4  entered  the  department  of  liberal  arts 
connected  with  the  Northwestern  University, 
at  Evanstou,  111.,  and  in  1895  returned  to  Itush- 
ville  and  entered  the  employ  of  Wilson  &  Com- 
pany, general  merchants.  Mr.  Sweeney  con- 
tinued a  clerk  in  this  patriachal  enterprise 
until  1897,  in  the  meantime  applying  himself  to 
learning  every  detail  of  the  business  with  the 
zeal,  forethought  and  sagacity  required  of  the 
man  who  would  engage  in  successful  mer- 
chandising. At  the  expiration  of  two  years  his 
faithfulness  was  rewarded  by  his  appointment  as 
manager  of  the  store,  a  position  which  he  ever 
since  has  maintained  with  commendable  dig- 
nity and  ability,  lie  carries  a  stock  «f  dry- 
goo'ds  and  shoes,  observes  the  greatest  possible 
neatness  and  order  in  the  distribution  and  ar- 
rangement of  his  goods,  and  insists  uiwn  cour- 
tesy and  consideration  upon  llic  part  of  his  em- 
ployes. Some  of  his  patrons  have  imrchased 
commodities  since  a  very  early  |ieriod  in  the 
history  of  the  store,  but  those  who  knew  it  in 
its  log  cabin  era  mostly  have  been  gathered  to 
their  rest.  The  same  reliability  and  confidence 
characterize  its  general  atmosphere  as  earned 
for  it  the  patronage  of  the  early  settlers,  but  It 
has  assumed  the  dignity  of  larger  growth,  and  the 
intluence  of  a  manager  who  is  variously  and 
intimately  connected  with  the  upbuilding  of  the 
community. 

Mr.  Sweeney  is  promoting  many  phases  of 
local  business  activity,  and  is  Secretary  and 
Manager  of  the  Rushville  Elettric  Light  Com- 
pany. For  the  past  two  years  he  has  been  Pres- 
ident of  the  Rushville  Business  Men's  Club,  an 
organization  established  for  the  promotion  of 
the  best  business  methods  and  ethics,  and  which 
sets  a  high  standard  of  requirements  in  its  mem- 
bership. He  is  interested  also  in  agriculture, 
and  is  part  owner  of  a  farm  of  GOO  acres  lu 
Schuyler  County.  I'olitically  Mr.  Sweeney  is  a 
Republican,  but  he  has  no  ofBcial  aspirations  be- 
yond the  intelligent  casting  of  his  vote.  To  his 
credit  is  several  months  efficient  government 
service  during  the  Spanish-American  war  as 
Chief  Clerk  in  the  Commissary  Dejiartment  un- 
der Captain  Orson  Pettijohn,  Third  Brigade, 
Second  Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  at  Camp 
Alger.'  Washington.  D.  C.  This  position  Mr. 
Sweeney  held  from  .Tuly.  1898.  until  the  follow- 
ing December,  be  having  previously  enlisted  un- 
der Col.  George  Rankin,  whose  company  was 
never  requisitioned  for  active  service.  Mr. 
Sweeney  is  active  in  fraternal  circles,  being  a 
member  of  Blue  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the 
Chapter,  Commandery,  and  Knights  of  Pythias, 
while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star. 
Mre.  Sweeney  formerly  was  Maud  IL  Rottger. 
daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Rottger.  and  born 
in  Jncksfmville.  III.,  in  November.  1S76.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  Sweeney  and  Miss  Rottger  oc- 
curred June  1,  1899.  and  the  couple  occupy  a 
shade  embowered  home  on  one  of  the  pleasant 


streets  ot  the  town,  and  are  regarded  as  among 
tlie  best  informed  and  most  progressive  of 
the  latter  day  generation  of  citizens.  Mr. 
Sweeney  is  the  ideal  of  the  progressive,  force- 
ful and  influential  merchant.,  antl  possesses  In 
large  measure  those  qualities  of  thrift,  initiative 
and  resource  which  bring  a  man  into  closest 
touch  witli  the  best  and  most  substantial  of  com- 
nmnity  interests. 

SWISHER,  Solomon  C— In  his  long  and  still 
active  life  Solomon  C.  Swisher  has  evidenced 
industry,  versatility  and  rare  good  judgment, 
supplying  a  hirge  need  in  both  his  native  State 
of  \irginia,  where  he  was  born  in  Marion 
County,  November  23.  1829.  and  in  Schuyler 
County,  ill.,  to  which  lie  came  in  the  summer  Of 
ISoT.  His  lather,  Jacob  Swisher,  was  for  twen- 
ty-five yeare  a  well  known  lumberman  of  Marion 
County.  W.  Va.,  arriving  there  in  his  youth  from 
Butler  County,  Va.,  where  be  was  born  in  1812, 
He  married  Beersheba  Ferrell,  who  bore  him 
lifteen  children,  eleven  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, and  who  died  while  absent  from  her  south- 
ern home,  at  about  fifty  years  of  age.  Jacob 
Swisher  also  died  while  away  from  home,  but 
in  the  same  State,  having  attained  to  seventy- 
five  years.  He  was  an  honorable  and  highly 
respected  man  and  wielded  a  beneficial  Influence 
in  all  his  walks  of  life.  Following  Solomon  C, 
the  oldest  of  this  large  family,  came  Elizabeth, 
who  lives  near  the  old  home  in  Virginia;  Enoch 
\V..  a  farmer  of  Mississippi;  Nancy,  widow  of 
Jlr.  Dukes,  living  also  In  Virginia ;  Nelson,  at 
home;  Harriet,  in  Virginia;  Wesley,  a  soldier 
in  the  Federal  army,  who  died  during  the  serv- 
ice in  a  Southern  hospital ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Mr. 
Watson,  of  -Monessen,  Pa. ;  Henry  W.,  of  \'lr- 
ginia ;  Enieline,  wife  of  John  Swisher  (not  a 
■  relative),  and  a  resident  of  We.st  Virginia;  Rob- 
ert, dece.ised  in  Hancock^  111. ;  Jennie,  who  died 
single  at  the  age  of  forty;  Elvira  lives  in  Marion 
County,  W.  Va. ;  Frank,  a  resident  of  the  vicin- 
ity of  Canton,  W.  Va. ;  and  a  child  who  died 
in  infanc.v. 

As  the  oldest  son  in  his  father's  large  fam- 
ily, Solomon  C.  Swisher  naturally  assisted  In  the 
lumber  business,  and  for  years  engaged  in  raft- 
ing on  the  Monongahela  River,  and  in  hewing  and 
dressing  logs.  The  occupation  offered  much  of 
interest  and  adventure,  and  in  the  free  and 
open  air  life  the  youth  secured  physical  and 
moral  strength,  as  well  as  business  Independence 
and  sagacity.  June  6.  1856,  he  was  united  In 
iiiarilage  to  Rebecca  T.  Vincent,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Annie  (Brain)  Vincent,  born  In 
Marion  County,  W.  Va..  November  17,  18.'?5.  A 
year  after  the  marriage  of  the  .voung  people, 
accompanied  by  the  father  of  Mrs.  Swisher,  they 
undertook  the  long  journey  from  Virginia  to 
Schuyler  Countj",  III..  In  a  wagon  drawn  by  two 
horses,  camping  by  the  wayside  at  night  and 
spending  thirty-one  days  on  the  road.  Arriving 
at  their  destination  November  21,  1857,  they 
spent  tlie  rest  of  the  winter  in  a  log  house  owned 
by   Rev.   Aaron   Wright    In   Section   11,    Wood- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


939 


stock  Township,  aud  in  tlie  spring  of  185S,  Mr. 
Swislier  aud  Mr.  Vincent  became  equal  owners 
of  a  farm  of  100  acres  in  Section  U,  tlie  same 
towusliip.  A  small  log  cabin  and  ten  cultivated 
acres  constituted  the  sole  improvements  on  this 
laud,  aud  both  families  lived  in  the  cabin  until 
success  nuide  possible  the  erection  of  more  com- 
modious quarters. 

Ilaviug  umch  timber  to  cut  down  ou  his  land, 
the  experience  of  Mr.  Swisher  back  iu  Virginia 
stood  him  in  good  stead,  for  he  soon  liegan  to 
convert  his  timber  into  barrel  staves,  aud  for 
many  years  he  fouud  an  extensive  patmn  tor 
his  barrels  iu  Thomas  Wilson,  than  whom  he 
never  had  a  better  friend.  Practically  all  uf  the 
suitable  timber  on  his  land  went  into  barrels, 
and  the  packers  of  Rushville  found  him  ready 
aud  resourceful  iu  supplying  their  need.  But 
barrel-making  was  not  allowed  to  interfere  with 
the  general  improvement  of  the  farm,  and  its  ad- 
vancement towards  a  profitable  and  comfortable 
home  was  rapid  and  certain.  At  present  he  has 
a  tine  modern  rural  residence,  well  furnished 
throughout,  aud  surrounded  with  trees,  shrubs, 
gardens  aud  an  orchard.  His  barus  and  out- 
houses are  ample  for  the  protection  of  stock 
during  the  winter,  and  for  the  housing  of  sur- 
plus produce  and  machinery. 

By  no  means  self-centered  in  his  interests, 
Mr.  Swisher  has  variously  contributed  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  community,  has  been  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  held  many 
offices,  including  that  of  first  Town  Clerk,  Com- 
missioner of  Highways,  and  member  of  the  Board 
of  Suiiervisors  for  two  years.  For  many  years 
he  was  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the 
Clrange,  supporting  it  with  his  enthusiasm  and 
constant  attendance,  and  otherwise  identifying 
himself  with  a  movement  which  has  for  Its 
primal  object  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of 
agriculture.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swisher  are  the 
parents  of  nine  children :  Emma,  widow  of 
John  Spencer,  mother  of  Lydia  Spencer,  and 
who  lives  with  her  father ;  Carson ;  Ida,  de- 
ceased wife  of  George  M.  Swisher ;  Laura,  twice 
married,  and  now  the  wife  of  John  Dunn,  of 
Champaign  County.  111. ;  George  E.,  a  lawyer 
aud  real-estate  broker  of  Oklahoma  City,  okla. ; 
Lauretta,  wife  of  Philip  Eyler,  of  Woodstock 
Township ;  Edith,  deceased  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een years:  Martha,  wife  of  .Tames  B.  Hair,  of 
Round  Lake.  Minn. :  and  Clarence,  a  carpenter 
and  builder  of  Oklahoma  City,  who  married 
Bessie  Luther.  Swisher  has  been  the  sole  arch- 
itect of  his  growing  fortunes,  and  his  life  is 
a  tribute  to  the  qualities  of  industry,  persist- 
ence and  faith  in  his  ability  to  succee<l.  At 
the  age  of  seventy-eight,  and  after  half  a  ceutury 
in  Schuyler  County,  he  finds  himself  one  of 
its  fortunate  and  highly  respected  citizens,  the 
possessor  of  a  liberal  competence,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  many  more  years  of  usefulness. 

TAGGART,  Benjamin  F. — History  relates  that 
the  Taggart  family  came  oHginally  from  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  an  Island  in  the  English  Channel 


oft   the   south   coast   of   England,   whence   three 
brothers   came  to   America   and   established  the 
name  in  Massachusetts  prior  to  the  Revolution- 
ary   War.     The   son   of    one  of    these   brothers 
was  John  Taggart,  the  father  of  Benjamin  F., 
who  later   removed   to   Pennsylvania,   where   he 
married  Effie  Wolverton,  daughter  of  Peter  Wol- 
verton,  who  came  to  America  from  Holland  be- 
fore or  during  the  Revolution.     After  the  birth 
of  five  of  his  children,  iu  1828,  John  Taggart,  ac- 
companied by  his  father-iu-law,  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  in  Schuyler  County,  aud  iu  many 
of  their  early  experiences  as  pioneers  they  were 
associated.     In  the  spring  of  that  year    (1828) 
they  built  a  raft  at  Warren,  Pa.,  on  the  Alleghany 
River,  which   they  loaded  with  shingles,   house- 
hold supplies,  five  head  of  horses,  two  cows  and 
a  dog ;  at  Cincinnati  they  sold  a  part  of  their 
goods  and  with  the  proceeds  bought  a  flat-boat 
with  which  they  proceeded  down  the  Ohio  River 
as   far  as   Shawueetown,   where   they    unloaded 
their   cargo    and    by    wagons    started    for    Rock 
Island,  111.     When  they  reached  Rushville,  how- 
ever, they  were  .so  pleased  with  its  thrifty  ap- 
pearance that  they   decided   to  remain,  and  for 
two  years  they  made  their  home  in  the  location 
afterward    occupied   by    the    Halls,    three    miles 
north  of  Rushville.     Selling  out  his  holdings  in 
Rushville  Township  iu   1830,   Mr,  Taggart  then 
came   to   Camden   Township,   and   on   the   farm 
which   he   here   purchased    he    rounded   out   the 
remainder  of  his  long  and   useful   life.     When 
he  first  located  here  it  was  necessary  to  drive  to 
Quiucy    to    have    his   grist    ground,    a    hardship 
which  he  soon  overcame,  for  as  he  was  a  miller 
it  was  not  long  before  he  erected  a  mill  in  his 
vicinity.     This  was  known  as  the  Taggart  mill, 
aud  he  continued  to  operate  it  until  IS-H,  when 
he  sold  it  to  Joseph  Parrott,  of  Rushville.     Sev- 
eral other  mills  besides  his  own  were  erected  by 
Mr.  Taggart,  among  them  the  first  mill  on  Sugar 
Creek,  which  he  built  for  William  McKee,  and 
one  for  Thomas  Justus. 

Lucinda  J.,  the  eldest  child  of  John  and  Eflie 
(Wolverton)  Taggart,  became  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Charles  S.  Ward,  of  New  Haven.  Conh.,  who 
died  in  May,  1S49.  and  there  her  death  occurred 
iu  1902,  leaving  four  sons,  three  of  whom  grad- 
uated from  Tale  College  as  physiciaus ;  George 
and  Charles,  both  physicians  are  deceased,  the 
first-mentioned  dying  in  South  America,  and  the 
latter  iu  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Henry  C,  is  a 
wholesale  hardware  merchant  in  the  latter 
city:  and  the  otlier  son,  Edward  F..  is  an 
electi'ician  in  Central  America,  Ttie  next 
child  in  the  John  Taggart  family  was  Emily  E., 
who  liecame  the  wife  of  Dr.  Samuel  Clark,  and 
in  Aurora,  111,,  where  the.v  made  their  home, 
both  passed  awa.v.  leaving  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  son,  Marshall  Taggart  (Tlark,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years.  Wealthy,  another 
daughter,  first  married  Simon  Wilcox,  and  some 
time  after  his  death  in  1S4.3,  she  married  George 
Ryerson,  and  four  children  were  born  to  them. 
Andrew  J.  died  in  1841.      All  of  the  children  of 


940 


HISTOKY   OF  St'IUYI.Ki;  ((trXTV. 


John  and  Effie  (Wolverton)  Taggart,  mentioned 
thus  tar,  were  born  in  Peuusylvauia  prior  to  the 
removal  to  Illinois  in  182S.  Benjamin  F.,  subject 
of  this  slietcb,  was  born  on  the  home  farm  in  Cam- 
den Township,  Schuyler  County,  February  17, 
1832.  Sarah  became  the  wife  of  Philip  Fryendall, 
of  Batavia,  111.,  by  whom  she  had  two  sous  and 
two  daughters.  Ellen  (deceased)  was  buried  in 
the  cemetei-y  at  Balavia.  The  death  of  Stephen, 
second  child  of  John  Taggart,  was  one  of  the  first 
recorded  in  Camden  Township.  Benjamin  F. 
Taggart  still  has  in  his  possession  a  chest 
brought  by  his  graudfather.  I'eter  Wolverton. 
across  the  Allegheny  Mountains  when  he  came 
to  Illinois  in  1828. 

The  earliest  recollections  in  the  life  of  Ben- 
jamin F.  Taggart  take  him  back  in  memory  to 
the  days  spent  in  the  log  school  house  ol  pio- 
neer days,  whose  advantages  and  comforts  were 
nothing  as  compared  to  present-day  con\euieUCes 
and  advanced  courses  of  study.  When  he  was 
fifteen  years  old  liis  father  died,  l)ec-eml)er  12, 
1847,  and  thereafter  his  life  trend  was  in  more 
important  lines.  In  1840  his  mother  purchased 
an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  on  Section  ■^.  Cam- 
den Township,  which  was  heavily  timbered 
with  white  oak,  and  here  Benjamin  began  his 
first  independent  work  as  a  farmer,  in  time 
building  a  log  cabin  into  which  the  mother  and 
children  moved,  and  there  the  mother  and  two 
children,  Sarah  and  Ella,  made  their  home  until 
her  death.  Some  time  after  this,  July  IG,  1854, 
Mr.  Taggart  was  married  to  Miss  Kebe<'ca  M. 
Hill,  who  was  born  in  Guernsey  Omnty.  Ohio, 
March  10,  18.33,  the  daughter  ol  Wesley  and 
Mary  Arm  (Buckmaster)  Hill.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hill  were  natives  respectively  of  Delaware 
and  Pennsylvania,  but  nmch  of  their  mar- 
ried life  had  been  spent  in  Ohio ;  in  18.T2  they 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Fulton  County, 
but  finally  located  in  Brooklyn  Township,  where 
the  death  of  the  mother  occurred.  -Mr.  Hill 
thereafter  removed  to  McDonough  County,  where 
he  died  in  1805. 

In  the  little  log  cabin  which  Mr.  Taggart  had 
erected  in  1S49,  he  and  his  wife  began  house- 
keeping immediately  after  their  marriage,  and 
there,  too,  their  four  oldest  children  were  born 
The  first  shadow  cast  over  their  otherwise  happy 
home  was  in  the  death  of  their  two  eldest  chil- 
dren, a  son  and  daughter.  The  third  child, 
Helena  Ollie,  was  born  December  1.  1857,  and 
is  now  the  wife  of  Martin  C.  Bleecker,  of  I'ueblo, 
Colo.  Their  two  eldest  sous,  Warren  F.  and 
Fredericli  Guy  Bleecker,  are  graduates  (if  the 
Centennial  University,  Colorado.  Together  the 
brothers  patented  a  steam  motor  that  is  des- 
tined to  revolutionize  the  steam  power  of  the 
world.  The  engine  is  equipped  with  an  automatic 
governor  which  admits  steam  at  full  pressure, 
doing  away  entirely  with  the  old  idea  of  throt- 
tling, and  thus  eliminating  the  loss  of  steam 
energj'.  A  company  has  been  formed  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  engines.  The  eldest  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bleecker,  Mary,  is  now  the  wife 
of  James  Pickard,  a  locomotive  engineer  on  the 


Santa  Fe  Road  and  a  resident  of  Topeka,  Kan. 
Harold  Bleecker  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 
Elson  F.,  the  youngest  child,  is  still  at  home  with 
his  parents.  Frank  .M.  Taggart.  liorn  .March  28, 
1800,  chose  as  his  wile  lOlizabeth  Wood,  formerly 
a  resident  of  Schuyler  County,  and  they  now  make 
their  home  in  Holbrouk,  Neb.  They  have  had 
five  children,  as  follows :  Nellie  .May,  the  wife 
of  Oscar  Mart,  of  Furness  County,  Neb. ;  Jessie, 
Mrs.  Ernest  J^each,  of  Hendley,  Neb.;  Annie, 
the  wife  of  John  Patton ;  Mary  F.  and  Grade, 
the  latter  dying  in  childhood. 

Until  ISO!)  the  log  structure  Into  which  Mr. 
Taggart  moved  after  his  marriage  remained  the 
family  home,  but  about  that  time  he  erected  a 
modern  residence  In  which  they  lived  until  It 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1893.  During  the  lat- 
ter year  he  built  the  residence  now  occupied  by 
the  family,  a  modem  structure,  which  is  In- 
dicative of  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  owner. 
For  seventy-five  years  he  has  watched  the  march 
of  progress  in  Schuyler  Count}-,  and  has  borne 
his  share  of  the  discomforts  of  pioneer  life,  but 
notwithstanding  th-se  clouds  whl<h  shadowed  his 
pathway,  he  is  content  with  the  lot  to  which 
Fate  led  him.  For  over  half  a  century  he  has 
had  the  love  and  companionship  of  the  wife  of 
his  youth,  and  together  In  their  declining  years 
they  are  enjoying  the  comforts  which  their  early 
struggles  made  possible.  Mr.  Taggart  cast  his 
first  vote  for  President  for  Buchanan;  later 
Ills  sympathies  were  enlisted  on  the  side  of  the 
Ueiiuhlican  party  and  for  some  time,  he  cast 
his  ballot  for  the  candidates  of  that  party.  More 
recently,  however,  he  has  given  the  weight  of 
his  influence  to  the  cause  of  the  Prohibition 
party.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  E|)lscopal  Church,  which  he  has 
assisted  In  maintaining,  as  he  has  every  help- 
ful measure,  whether  religious  or  secular.  Per- 
sonally Mr.  Taggiirt  Is  a  man  of  noble  qualities, 
which  are  nowhere  better  known  and  appreciated 
than  In  his  own  family.  A  close  student  and  a 
constant  re.ider  all  of  his  life,  he  is  well  versed 
along  all  lines  and  is  an  e.xcelleut  conversation- 
alist, one  to  whom  If  Is  a  delight  to  listen. 

TAYLOR,  Henry  W.— The  history  of  that 
branch  of  the  Taylor  family  to  which  Henry 
W.  Taylor  belonged  Is  traced  to  the  North  of 
Ireland,  where  his  grandfather.  Matthew  Taylor, 
was  born  of  English  parents.  He  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  in  1772  and  took  up  his  abode 
in  Pennsylvania,  passing  away  In  Huntingdon 
County  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-seven  years. 
Before  her  marriage  the  grandmother  was  Miss 
Mcllheney,  she  too  being  a  native  oi  Ireland,  al- 
though a  descendant  of  Sotch-Irish  ancestors. 
She  also  lived  to  attain  a  great  age.  being  In  her 
ninety-sixth  year  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
.\mong  the  children  bom  to  this  couple  was 
.Vlc^ander  Taylor,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
as  early  .ns  1S10  crossed  over  into  the  adjoining 
State  of  Ohio  and  there  cleared  a  farm  out  of 
the  very  heart  of  the  forest.  In  his  pioneer 
labors   lie   was   cheered  and   encouraged   by   his 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


941 


faithful  wife,  formerly  Betsy  Scott,  she  too 
beins  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Her  father, 
Xeheiiiiah  Scott,  was  a  native  of  Lonj;  Island  and 
the  descendant  of  Scotch  ancestry,  while  the 
mother,  Mary  Wick  in  maidenhood,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Pa.  Alexander  Taylor 
passed  away  in  Warren,  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
at  the  age  of  fift.v-five,  and  his  wife  in  Burling- 
ton, la.,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years. 

Henry  W.  Taylor  was  horn  in  the  family  home 
in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  February  11,  1824. 
His  parents  thoroughly  appreciated  the  value  of 
an  education,  and  no  opportunity  which  lay  in 
their  power  to  bestow  upon  their  son  was  denied 
him.  Be  it  said  to  his  credit  that  he  appreciated 
the  efforts  which  were  made  in  his  behalf,  a 
co-operation  which  enabled  him  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  to  take  charge  of  a  school.  After  fol- 
lowing the  teacher's  profession  for  two  years  he 
gave  it  up  to  take  a  course  in  law,  receiving  pri- 
vate tutorage.  In  the  course  of  time  he  grad- 
uated from  his  studies  and  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  The  news  of  the  finding  of 
gold  in  California,  however,  proved  too  alluring 
to  pass  him  unheeded,  and  closing  his  office  he 
went  to  the  new  Eldorado.  With  four  yoke  of 
oxen  he  made  the  trip  overland,  starting  from 
Rushville,  111.,  April  1.  1849,  and  arriving  where 
the  town  of  Maryville.  Cal.,  is  now  located 
October  22,  1849.  The  fact  that  he  remained  in 
the  gold  fields  for  four  .vears  affords  evidence 
that  he  was  successful  in  his  efforts  as  a  miner. 

Returning  to  Rushville,  111.,  at  the  end  of  this 
time.  Mr.  Taylor  was  united  in  marriage,  .Tune 
8,  1853.  with  Miss  Cornelia  Manlove.  a  native 
of  Rushville.  and  the  daughter  of  Jonathan  D. 
and  Sophrnnia  (Chadsey)  Manlove.  The  de- 
scended of  an  old  Southern  family  and  himself 
a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Manlove  came 
to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  settling  in  Schuy- 
ler County  in  1S2?>.  and  here  in  1826  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Chadsey.  theirs  being  the  third 
marriage  celebrated  in  Schuyler  County.  After 
his  return  from  California  Mr.  Taylor  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business,  owning  a  lumber  .vard  in 
Rushville,  and  in  addition  to  its  management 
also  took  contracts  for  building  plank  roads.  He 
followed  the  lumber  business  until  18.57.  when  he 
sold  out  .'ill  of  his  interests  and  removed  to 
Brooklyn  Township.  Coming  here  at  a  time 
when  settlers  were  few  and  far  between,  he 
bought  considerable  land,  much  of  it  being  cov- 
ered with  henv.v  timber,  owning  in  all  000  acres 
of  land.  Out  of  this  he  developed  an  excellent 
farm,  upon  which  he  made  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing fine  blooded  stock  of  all  kinds.  In  addition 
to  his  agricultural  interests  he  also  maintained 
a  mercantile  establishment  prior  to  the  Civil 
■War.  and  up  to  1894,  when  he  retired  from 
active  life. 

Four  children  were  born  of  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ta.vlor,  as  follows :  Marion  H.. 
who  became  the  wife  of  T.  D.  Lewis,  of  Brook- 
lyn, Schuyler  County:  Ida  M.,  and  Fanette. 
who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  .T.  E.  Camp,  an  account  of 
whose  life  is  given  at  length  elsewhere  in  this 


work,  and  Willie,  who  was  born  in  1862  and 
died  in  1864.  Throughout  his  life  Mr.  Taylor 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Whig  party, 
and  expressed  his  preference  for  its  principles 
by  casting  his  first  vote  for  Zachary  Taylor.  At 
the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  proper  he  gave  his  allegiance  to  that  or- 
ganization, his  vote  being  cast  for  John  C.  Fre- 
mont. For  many  years  he  had  been  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  serving  as 
an  elder  in  that  body,  and  Mi-s.  Taylor  is  still 
active  in  the  benevolent  and  charitable  work 
of  that  church.  Mr.  Taylor's  death,  December 
20,  1896,  brought  to  its  close  a  life  which  had 
meant  much  to  the  well-being  of  Scbu.vler  County 
in  general  and  of  Brooklyn  Township  in  partic- 
ular, none  standing  higher  in  the  estimation  of 
those  who  had  known  him  for  nearly  half  a 
century. 

TEEL,  Herschel  Volany. — The  distinction  of  be- 
ing the  youngest  native  son  to  wear  the  judicial 
ermine  in  Schuyler  County  is  emphasized  by  the 
efficient  and  iiainstaking  service  of  Herschel 
Volany  Teel,  duriug  his  eight  years  as  County 
Judge  of  Schuyler  County.  Judge  Teel,  who  rep- 
resents one  of  the  earliest  and  most  substantial 
pioneer  families  of  Illinois,  was  born  in  Rush- 
ville Township,  Schuyler  County,  March  3,  1868, 
the  second  son  of  James  A.  and  Elizabeth  Smith 
Teel.  Descended  through  Iwth  ancestral  lines 
from  German-Irish  stock,  he  inherited  the  solid- 
ity, frugality,  perseverance  and  tlirift  of  the 
former,  combined  with  tlie  frank,  anient,  per- 
tinacious and  courageous  elements  of  the  latter, 
which  characteristics  have  made  that  sturdy 
strain,  wherever  planted,  foremost  in  hardy 
undertaking  and  adventurous  enterprise.  His 
forefathers  were  not  cradled  in  Inwiry :  they 
were  essentially  the  rugged,  vigorous  pioneers 
of  civilization,  who  assisted  in  the  making  of 
the  early  history  of  our  county;  Captain  John 
Teel  of  Revolutionary'  fame,  being  the  founder 
of  this  branch  of  the  family.  His  son,  John  Teel. 
belonged  to  the  regular  army  and  seiTed  in  the 
War  of  1812.  These  two  patriots  resided  in  New 
Jersey :  Henry  V.  Teel.  son  of  .John  Teel  and 
grandfather  of  Herschel  Teel.  resided  in  Penn- 
sylvania, but  in  1833  he  followed  the  tide  of 
Empire  and  moved  his  family  west,'  finally  lo- 
cating in  Si;huvler  County,  then  verv  sparselv  set- 
tled. 

The  history  of  the  maternal  ancestors  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  not  so  easil.v  traced ;  it 
is  only  known  that  they  settled  here  at  an  earlier 
date  than  the  Teels,  and  it  was  upon  the  land 
cleared  practically  by  the  unaided  efforts  of  his 
grandfather.  .Jonatlinn  Smith,  that  Herschel 
Teel  first  saw  the  light  of  this  mundane  sphere. 
Here  his  youth  was  passed  in  the  hard  labors  of 
the  farm.  Its  comparative  isolation  inevitabl.v 
created  within  him  the  spirit  of  the  boundless 
prairie  and  fostered  that  freedom  which  knows 
not  the  restraint  of  aggregated  humanity  in 
cities.  Heredity  endowed  him  with  a  robust 
physical   constitution   and   vigorous  mind,   while 


943 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


his  early  environiiient  developed  his  innate  pow- 
ers of  industry,  perseverance  and  self-reliance 
to  a  very  marked  degree. 

Eager  for  knowledge,  he  assiduously  utilized 
every  opportunity  offered  by  the  rural  schools ; 
in  IS'M  he  graduated  from  the  ItiishviUe  Normal 
and  Business  College;  in  1804  from  Eureka  Col- 
lege and  in  1895  he  received  his  diploma  from  the 
Law  Department  of  Northwestern  tjniversity,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Rushville,  where  he  still  resides. 
In  1898  he  was  elected  County  Judge  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  and  again  in  1!KI2.  During 
his  tenure  of  office,  several  appeals  were  taken 
from  bis  decision  to  the  higher  courts,  and  it 
speaks  well  for  bis  ability  as  a  jurist  that  in  ev- 
ery case  bis  decision  was  sustained  by  the 
superior  court.  As  a  la-n'j-er  be  is  a  close 
student,  a  sagacious  and  conscientious  counsellor, 
and  merits  and  receives  the  high  regard  of  the 
members  of  his  profession  and  of  Ills  clientele. 

Judge  Teel  evidences  a  marked  predilection 
for  the  social  and  general,  as  w-ell  as  profes- 
sional, opportunities  of  life,  and  is  a  prominent 
memlier  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  Mutual  Protective  League.  He  is 
also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Uush- 
ville.  To  him  have  filtered  the  ambition  .mil 
purpose  which  animated  the  pilgrimage  of  his 
pioneer  ancestors  and  which,  exercised  in  widely 
differing  gi-ooves  of  human  achievejnent.  al- 
ready arc  maintaining  their  mission  of  securing 
the  greatest  .iustlce  and  the  greatest  liberty  to 
the  society  of  mankind. 

The  basic  principle  of  Herschel  Teel's  char- 
acter is  integrity,  not  only  of  thought  but  of  word 
and  deed  as  well.  lie  is  known  for  his  sturdy 
independence  of  character,  his  devotion  to  his 
friends  and  his  recognition  of  the  equality  of 
all  men  who  are  honest  and  upright,  without  re- 
gard to  their  social  position ;  no  man  so  low 
but  feels  he  is  a  brother,  and  none  so  high  but 
feels   he   is  a   peer. 

TEEL,  James  A. — During  his  many  years  of 
association  with  Pchuyler  County,  James  A. 
Teel  was  known  as  an  increasingly  prosperous 
farmer,  and  as  a  man  who  had  sufncienl  breadth 
and  ability  to  reach  out  and  utilize  many  oppor- 
tunities not  immediately  at  band.  More  than 
the  average,  be  seemed  to  realize  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  agriculturist  as  a  factor  in  the 
world's  jirogrcss.  .-nid  evidently  believed  that 
the  greatest  development  came  through  participa- 
tion in  the  general  affairs  and  responsibilities  of 
the  community'.  He  was  particularly  zealous 
and  successful  in  promoting  the  breeding  of 
fine  cattle,  and  during  the  years  of  his  greatest 
activity  in  this  line  bis  profits  were  unusually 
satisfying  to  bimsplf  ,ind  encouraging  to  those 
similarly  employed. 

James  .\lexander  Teel  was  horn  in  Wash- 
ington County.  Pa ,  July  19,  1830.  and  was  a 
great-grand.son  of  Captain  John  Teel,  a  native  of 
Ireland   who  settled   in  New  Jersey,   and  after 


counnandiug  a  company  in  the  Uevolutionary 
War,  was  buried  with  the  military  honors  due 
his  rank,  John  Teel,  son  of  Captain  Teel,  and 
grandfather  of  James  A.,  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  served  five  years  in  the  regular  army, 
and  participated  in  the  War  of  181^.  His  son, 
Henry  P,,  the  ue.xt  in  line  of  succession,  also 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  it  was  his 
energy  and  courage  that  shifted  the  family  for- 
tunes to  I'eunsylvauia,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Washington  County  and  whence  he 
hually  pushed  still  lurther  westward  to  the  out- 
last of  civilization  in  Schuyler  County  in  1833. 
Two  years  later  he  removed  to  the  Territory  of 
Iowa,  and  after  a  year  spent  at  Fort  .Madison, 
returned  to  Schuyler  County,  in  1845,  locating  on 
Section  10,  Kushville  Township,  wliere  Calvin 
Ilobart  had  erected  the  first  cabin  in  the  county. 
.Martha  Ann  .Mathews,  wife  of  Henry  P.  Teel, 
was  a  daughter  of  James  Mathews,  whose  father, 
Thomas  .Mathews,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 

Three  years  old  when  his  father  arrived  in 
Scbuyier-Couuty,  James  A.  Teel  had  meager  edu- 
cational or  other  advantages,  but  he  had  the 
pioneering  instinct  of  bis  sire  deeply  implanted 
in  his  nature,  with  the  purjiose  and  determina- 
tion to  make  his  dream  come  true.  In  this  he 
])roved  himself  one  of  the  hardy  and  bold  spirits 
of  his  town,  as  against  the  cautious  and  timid 
class  who  were  not  equal  to  the  hazards  of 
I)enetration  to  the  Pacific  Coast;  an  outdoor 
man,  an  adventurer,  who  wanted  somelhlug  to 
conquer  and  who  followed  the  star  of  empire  to 
the  continent's  rim.  Arriving  at  the  Mecca  of 
bis  desires,  he  became  a  part  of  that  unwritten 
chapter  of  romantic  history  which  thrilled  the 
country,  and  for  two  years  lived  in  the  ribald 
camps  uf  the  Argonauts,  taking  something  from 
the  earth  in  reward  for  his  toil  and  self-sacrifice. 
Again  he  journeyed  westward  in  18.');5,  participa- 
ting for  several  months  in  the  pagan  pleasure 
of  life  and  the  romantic  zest  for  adventure  which 
characterized  the  surroundings  of  the  fortune 
seekers. 

As  before,  his  good  fortinie  was  in  no  way  ex- 
ceptional, adding  but  little  to  his  financial  re- 
sources. Fanning  rather  than  mining  was  his 
life-work,  and  when  again  on  the  old  place  in 
Schuyler  County,  he  devoted  practically  all  his 
time  and  the  rest  of  his  life  to  this  pursuit.  He 
engaged  extensively  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising,  attaining  to  special  prominence  as 
a  Short-horn  cattle  breeder,  In  which  he  first  be- 
came interested  before  the  Civil  War.  For  a 
immber  of  years  he  was  President  of  the  Schuy- 
ler County  Fanners'  Institute,  and  took  a  keen 
interest  in  its  affairs.  With  the  founding  of  the 
Bank  of  Schuyler  in  1890,  he  became  one  of  the 
stock-bolders,  and  later  was  elected  Vice-Pres- 
ident of  that  institution.  On  his  death.  October 
22.  1!X)2,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  he  was 
the  owner  of  1,200  acres  of  farm  land,  besides 
various  town  properties  in  Rushville.  Illness 
somewhat  changed  the  current  of  the  later  years 
of  his  life,  but  he  bore  all  physical  trials  with 
rare  i)atience,   and  applied  that  fine  philosophy 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


943 


which  had  made  light  of  many  obstacles  and 
helped  him  over  many  of  the  rough  places  in 
his   career. 

In  1850  Mr.  Teel  married  Elizabeth  Smith, 
of  Rushville  Township,  and  of  this  union  there 
were  the  following  named  children :  Everett 
Lee,  a  young  man  of  exceptional  promise  who 
had  just  been  admitted  to  the  bar  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  where,  on  returning  from  a  visit  to 
his  parents,  he  was  accidentally  killed,  being 
run  over  by  an  express  train  ;  Judge  H.  V.  Tcel, 
mention  of  whom  may  be  found  elsewhere  In 
this  work  ;  Mrs.  Neosha  M.  Mills ;  Marshall  E. ; 
Hulda,  deceased ;  and  Walter  H.  A  stanch  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics,  he  was  Supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship several  terms,  and  in  1S94  was  elected  to 
the  State  Legislature,  his  representation  of  the 
people  reflecting  his  broad  sense  of  justice,  his 
intolerance  of  fraud  and  deception,  and  his  fear- 
lessness in  insisting  upon  fair  and  above-board 
legislation.  He  was  an  agreeable  and  approach- 
able man,  loyal  to  the  public  interests  and 
friends,  and  he  possessed  the  faculty  of  inter- 
esting other  people  in  his  projects  and  securing 
their  support  and  co-operation.  His  life  gave  en- 
couragement to  the  faint  hearted,  and  was  an  ex- 
pression of  force,  determination  and  successful 
achievement. 

TEEL,  Walter  H. — An  industi-y  of  incalcu- 
lable benefit  to  the  stock  raiser  of  the  United 
States,  yet  one  which  in  earlier  years  was  neg- 
lected to  a  deplorable  degree,  is  that  of  the  breed- 
ing of  thoroughbred  stock.  While  countries  in  the 
old  world  have  made  a  specialty  of  this  busi- 
ness for  years,  our  own  country  failed  until  re- 
cently to  grasp  the  opjiortuuity  thus  presented. 
It  is  a  source  of  gratification  to  all  concerned 
that  the  twentieth  centui-y  has  witnessed  a  re- 
markable change  in  the  opinion  of  agriculturists 
concerning  grades  of  stock,  and  now  thousands 
are  spent  to  bring  up  herds  where  formerly  hun- 
dreds were  denied.  No  stock  breeder  of  Schuy- 
ter  County  attained  more  widespread  fame  for  the 
superior  qualifj-  of  his  importations  and  the  flue 
points  of  his  herds  than  did  James  A.  Teel, 
whose  death  deprived  the  State  of  one  of  Its 
most  influential  stockmen.  Fortunately,  under 
his  .  experienced  oversight,  a  son,  Walter  H.. 
had  been  trained  to  a  careful  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  stock,  and  the  latter  has  success- 
fuU.v  carried  on  the  business  of  raising  and  sell- 
ing thoroughlired  Short-born  cattle  so  well  es- 
tablished by  the   father. 

Born  on  the  home  farm,  March  28.  1877, 
Walter  H.  Teel  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  the  Rushville  Union  Sibool, 
supplemented  by  attendance  at  the  Rushville 
Normal,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1808. 
Meanwhile  he  had  devoted  his  summer  nmnths 
to  aiding  his  father  on  the  farm,  and  thus  early 
in  life  liad  gained  a  practical  knowledge  o  '  the 
stock  business,  which  is  now  of  invaluable  as- 
sistance to  him.  His  father  had  been  one  of 
the   first   to   import   stoik   and,    for   forty   yeai'S, 


had  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Short-horn  industry 
in  the  State,  so  that  a  study  of  the  business  un- 
der him  was  in  itself  an  education.  Under  his 
supervision  were  more  than  fourteen  hundred 
acres  in  Kushville  and  Buena  Vista  Townships, 
the  family  residence  being  situated  on  Section 
IS,  Rushville  Township.  After  the  death  of 
the  father  in  1902,  the  son  assumed  the  entire 
management  of  the  stock,  and  since  then  he  has 
added  to  the  fame  of  the  herd,  in  which  at  times 
he  has  had  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
flvc  head  of  registered  cattle.  The  part  of  the 
home  farm,  which  now  belongs  to  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  consisting  of  320  acres  on  Sections 
17  and  IS,  Rushville  Township,  is  one  of  the 
finest  estates  in  Schuyler  County.  Since  the 
present  owner  assumed  control  in  1902  many  im- 
provements have  been  made,  chief  among  which 
is  a  hay  and  stock  barn,  sixty  feet  square,  furn- 
ishing ample  accommodations  for  hay,  stock  and 
machinery. 

The  determination  of  Mr.  Teel  to  establish  and 
sus'taln  a  stock  industry  surpassed  by  none  in 
this  part  of  the  State  has  kept  him  busily  en- 
gaged in  the  work  on  the  home  farm  and  left 
him  little  leisure  for  participation  in  outside 
matters,  in  which,  indeed,  be  takes  no  part  aside 
from  voting  the  ticket  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  identifying  himself  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Among  acquaintances  he 
is  respected  for  those  qualities  that  win  the  ad- 
miration of  all,  while  in  stock  raising  circles  he  is 
regarded  as  an  expert  judge  and  an  authority 
concerning  Short-horns.  His  pleasant  country 
home  is  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Teel,  whom  he 
married  .Januai-y  5,  1899,  and  who  was  Miss 
Josephine  Knock,  daughter  of  Daniel  Knock,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Schuyler  County. 

THARP,  Jonathan. — In  the  possession  of  160 
acres  of  land  in  Section  15,  Woodstock  Township, 
Jonathan  Tharp  finds  the  realization  of  a  meri- 
torious early  ambition.  While  the  owner  and 
occupant  of  his  present  farm  only  since  1889,  he 
is  by  no  means  the  establisher  of  Tharp  activ- 
ity in  Schuyler  County,  as  his  father,  Jonathan 
Tharp.  Sr.,  came  here  in  the  log  cabin  era.  es- 
tablishing a  precedent  for  faithful  and  practical 
general  service,  which  since  has  been  maintained 
by  bis  large  family  of  children.  Jonathan 
Tharp,  the  elder,  was  born  in  South  Carolina, 
and  married  Anna  Manlove,  a  native  of  the 
same  State.  The  Manlove  family  has  been  no 
less  important  in  the  development  of  this  Sec- 
tion than  the  Thai-p  family,  as  Jonathan  D. 
Manlove,  father  of  Mrs.  Tharp,  came  to  Schuyler 
County  in  1824,  settling  on  land  where,  in  1826, 
he  laid  out  and  platted  what  afterward  was 
called  the  town  of  Rushville.  The  Jlanloves 
were  of  the  Quaker  faith,  and  descendants  of 
the  pioneer  never  have  departed  from  these 
teachings. 

.Jonathan  Tharp,  Sr.,  located  in  Rushville 
Townsbiii,  and  endured  all  of  the  privationslncl- 
dent  to  the  earliest  of  piimeering.  For  their"  sub- 
stantial   food    the    family    subsisted    chiefly    on 


944 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEIi  C'OUXTY. 


game,  aud  for  sevenil  yeare  the  log  uabiu  was 
ill  diiuger  ol'  attack  by  the  wild  denizens  of  the 
plains,  both  human  and  animal.  When  the  head 
of  the  house  used  to  take  his  grist  to  Quincy  to 
be  ground,  his  wife  would  nail  clap-boards  over 
the  door  that  wolves  might  not  enter  the  cabin. 
Around  this  couple  grew  up  a  lamily  of  si.\ 
sons  and  tlirw  daughters,  all  of  whom  reached 
maturity,  and  tliree  of  whom  were  .soldiers 
in  the  Civil  War.  The  father  dying  in  l,s.'il. 
the  mother  was  left  with  the  care  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  it  is  to  htr  everlasting  credit  that  she 
kept  her  children  together,  educated  them  to 
the  best  of  her  ability,  aud  instilled  into  them 
ideals  of  useful  citizenship.  The  oldest  son, 
James,  of  Astoria  Township,  Fulton  County, 
served  three  years  in  the  Union  army;  John  was 
a  soldier,  serving  as  a  hundred-day  man  lirst, 
and  then  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first 
Illinois  Voluuteer  Infantry  for  one  year,  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  January.  ISliO,  and  died 
in  1872  :  Jonathan,  Jr. :  James  served  three  years 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry ;  Marion  was  a  member  of  the 
the  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  aud  was  killed 
July  3,  186.3,  by  a  shot  fired  from  ambush ; 
Stephen  is  a  farmer  in  WiMidstock  Townshiii ; 
Louzauia.  mai-ried  Philo  Morris,  and  Inith  are 
deceased ;  Bettie  became  the  wife  of  L.  G,  Per- 
singer,  and  both  are  deceased;  Eli  died  iu 
Montana :  and  Mary  is  the  deceased  wife  of 
Philip  Skiles.  Tlie  mother  of  this  family  lived 
to  see  all  of  her  children  well  established  in  life, 
her  death  occurring  iu  l.S,S(>,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years. 

Jonathan  Tharp.  Jr.,  attended  the  log  school 
house  in  Buena  \'ista  Township,  near  where  he 
was  born  January  20,  1848.  He  remained  on 
tlie  old  place  until  1871,  when,  because  of  the 
sale  of  the  old  place,  he  went  to  Butler  ('ounty. 
Kan.,  where  hard  times  prevailed  to  an  unsual 
extent.  In  consequence  he  returned  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  the  same  year,  and  with  his  brother, 
Stepheij,  worked  at  farming  until  1873.  He 
then  rented  eighty  acres  of  land  of  old  Dr.  Leach. 
operated  the  same  until  1881.  and  that  year 
bought  1(14  acres  in  Bainbridge  Township.  Later 
he  traded  his  farm  for  eighty  acres  in  another 
part  of  the  towuslii]),  and  in  1889  sold  that  and 
bought  10(1  acres  of  his  present  farm,  to  which 
he  since  has  added  sixty  acres.  This  land  was 
in  very  unsatisfactory  conditinn.  and  its  improve- 
ment has  entailed  much  arduous  labor.  Today 
It  is  one  of  the  finest  properties  in  the  township, 
and  its  improvements  comp.ire  well  with  anv 
to  be  found  in  the  State.  Mr.  Tharp  make^  a 
specialty  of  registered  Poland-China  hogs,  and 
his  hog  house,  sixty-four  by  sixteen  feet  in 
dimensions,  affords  ample  space  for  the  care  of 
these  valuable  animals.  He  also  raises  a  high 
grade  of   Short-horn  cattle. 

While  a  stanch  Republican.  Mr.  Tharp  has 
never  solicited  or  lieen  willing  to  accept  local 
office.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any  church,  but 
contributes  generously  towards  "  church  and 
charitable    undertakings,    giving    his    encourage- 


ment also  to  -the  cause  of  education  aud  good 
roads.  He  is  a  broad-minded  and  well  posted 
farmer,  and  by  the  purity  aud  usefulness  of 
his  life  sets  an  example  of  worth  to  the  rising 
generation.  To  himself  and  wife  have  been  born 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  Loren. 
George  W.,  Dora  and  May.  lOli  Franklin  died 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  Ella  F.  and 
John  died  in  infancy. 

THARP,  Stephen,- — As  different  members  of 
the  Tharp  family  have  l)eeii  identified  with  the 
most  substantial  progress  of  Woodstock  Town- 
ship for  nearly  eighty  years,  it  retiuires  no 
stretch  of  propriety  to  place  them  in  the  fore 
ranks  of  Schuyler  County  |)ioneers,  aud  to  ac- 
cord tliem  a  prominent  iiosition  in  a  history 
which  aims  to  trace  the  advanced  and  teeming 
life  of  the  iiresent  back  to  the  primitive  poverty 
of  the  past. 

Stephen  Tharp  was  bom  October  14,  1841,  on 
the  Haney  place,  later  known  as  the  old  Tharp 
farm,  north  of  Itushville  in  Section  14,  Wood- 
stock Township,  Schuyler  County.  Ho  Is  the 
son  of  Jonathan  and  Anna  (Manlove)  Tharp. 
both  natives  of  North  Carolina,  who  came  to 
Illinois  in  1820.  They  made  the  long  trip  by 
ox-teaui,  in  the  fall  of  that  year  reaching  their 
destination  on  the  present  site  ot  Uushville,  One 
of  the  first  acts  of  the  husbandman  was  to  sow 
wheat  on  the  land  which  he  had  entered,  and 
which  Is  now  occupied  by  the  "Little  Chicago 
Store,"  owned  liy  A.  J.  Laslnnett.  This  first 
sowing,  however,  was  not  accomplished  until 
Mr.  Tharp  had  journeyed  to  Pike  County  in 
order  to  obtain  his  seed,  and  his  first  crop  was 
cut  with  a  reaper  liook  and  threshed  with  a 
flail.  This  place  was  the  family  home  for  two 
yeai-s.  after  which  successive  removals  were 
made  to  IJound  Prairie  and  Burnham  Township, 
and  finally  Stephen  Tharp  entereti  land  aud 
bought  the  interest  of  the  .Manlove  heirs  in  the 
farm  now  owned  by  the  Chadsey  estate.  Sec- 
tion 14.  Woodstock  Township. 

The  first  years  of  their  residence  in  Schuy- 
ler County  constituted  a  trying  period  in  the 
lives  of  the  Tharp  family,  but  in  the  after 
I)eriod.  wlien  all  was  comfortable  and  serene, 
they  dearly  loved  to  recount  their  experiences, 
and  their  children  have  pas.sed  many  enjoyable 
hours  in  listening  to  the  stories  of  their  parents. 
In  i-ommon  with  their  nelghltors  they  had  many 
tales  to  tell  regarding  the  ""Deep  Snow  of  1.S30." 
Over  the  prodiguous  fall  of  snow  came  a  driving 
storm  of  sleet,  and  the  men  and  larger  boys 
were  obliged  to  tie  boards  to  their  feet,  so  that 
they  could  get  to  the  com,  dig  it  out  of  the 
snow  drifts  and  feed  the  live-stock.  Woman- 
like. Mrs.  Tharp  took  great  pride  in  telling 
how  she  had  dressed  the  first  white  male  child 
born  in  Schuyler  County — Jack  Dj-se  by  name, 
who  grew  up  a  reminder  of  that  place. 

In  those  days  the  great  pests  of  the  settlers 
were  wolves  and  snakes,  and  hunts  were  often 
organized  to  exterminate  both.  The  customary 
plan  of  a  snake  raid  was  to  first  bum  a  clear 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


945 


space  around  the  den  of  the  reptiles,  and  then 
start  a  tire  some  distance  bej'ond ;  as  the  snakes 
were  thus  driven  into  the  clear  space  around 
their  den,  they  were  attacl;ed  by  dogs  and  men. 
At  one  famous  sualvc  hunt,  in  which  the  Tharps 
participated,  four  liundred  rejitiles  were  vic- 
tims of  the  slaughter.  But  the  good  mother  was 
permitted  to  see  wolves,  snakes  and  Indians  re- 
placed by  more  agreeable  neighbors,  their  log 
house  by  a  fine  home,  the  wigwam  by  the  church 
and  school,  and  the  wheat  hook  and  the  flail 
by  the  gigantic  harvester,  with  other  evidences 
of  a  new  civilization  for  which  she  and  her  asso- 
ciates had  prepared  the  way.  She  passed  away 
July  7,  1ST7,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  .vears, 
after  surviving  her  husband  for  more  than  twen- 
ty-two years,  his  demise  having  ociurred  in 
April,  1855.  The  father,  therefore,  although 
he  had  witnessed  many  and  great  changes,  had 
not  lived  to  see  so  remarkable  a  contrast  between 
the  past  and  the  present  as  his  good  wife.  The 
remains  of  both  repose  in  the  cemetery  near 
Rushville. 

Stephen  Tharp  was  reared  on  the  old  home 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  old  log 
school  house  at  the  Cross  Roads.  His  first  mar- 
riage on  .\pril  24.  1804,  was  to  Miss  Susann.i 
Smith,  daughter  of  William  Smith,  an  Ohio  man 
and  a  Schuyler  County  pioneer.  He  made  his 
home  on  the  old  farm  until  1.S7".  when  he  pur- 
chased 120  acres  of  land  in  Section  14.  Wood- 
stock Township,  and  commenced  its  cultivation 
and  improvement.  Among  other  valuable  and 
attractive  additions  was  a  fine  frame  residence, 
in  which  the  widowed  mother  resided  for  sev- 
eral years.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Tharp  had 
the  following  named  children:  Nora,  who  was 
liorn  in  Woodstock  Township  and  is  the  wife  of 
O.  n.  Kelly,  a  farmer ;  Emma,  who  married 
William  Lawler,  also  a  farmer  of  Woodstock 
Township:  Sheridiin.  who  married  Lillie  War- 
dell,  and  is  farming  on  the  home  place:  Lydia, 
wife  of  Stewart  Gaddis.  a  farmer  of  Bainbridge 
Township,  and  William,  a  twin  brother  of  Lydia. 
The  mother  of  this  f.-imily  died  in  November. 
lS7o.  and  tlie  father  was  married,  in  1877,  to 
Mrs.  Isabelle  Goodwin,  widow  of  .Tohn  P.  Good- 
win. The  present  Mrs.  Tharp  was  born  in  Rush- 
ville, Til.,  on  the  0th  of  December,  1.848.  .and  is  a 
dauebter  of  naniel  Anderson,  who  was  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  came  to  Schuyler  County  in  18.38. 
The  offspring  of  the  second  union  are :  Cora, 
now  the  wife  of  Vernon  Dace,  a  resident  of 
Huntsville,  111.:  .Tesse,  who  is  a  clerk  in  Runkel's 
store,  at  Rushville.  and  married  Anna  Landon: 
Susan,  wife  of  .Tames  Wardell.  a  farmer;  Lill.v. 
who  married  .Tames  Rodson.  a  painter  living  at 
Mount  Sterling,  Til.:  Nettie,  wife  of  Everett 
Krouse.  her  husband  being  a  farmer  of  Bain- 
bridge Township:  Ettie,  a  twin  sister  of  Nettie, 
who  is  now  living  at  home:  and  Elizabeth  and 
Mabel,  both  also  living  with  then'  parents.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Tharp  have  thirteen  children  and 
thirtv-two  grandchildren  now  living,  and  the 
family  is  among  the  most  substantial  and  hon- 
ored of  the  true  pioneer  stock.    The  parents  have 


alwaj's  been  earnest  Methodists  and  devout  Chris- 
tions  in  the  highest  sen.se  of  the  word.  In  poli- 
tics, Mr.  Tharp  is  still  a  Republican  of  the  Lin- 
coln type. 

THOMPSON,  Charles  W. — lu  response  to  the 
demand,  in  order  to  meet  the  agi-icultural  emer- 
gencies of  the  present  for  a  different  class  of 
men  from  tliose  who  had  to  deal  with  crude  pio- 
neer conditions,  there  have  arisen  in  Schuyler 
County  many  intelligent  and  progressive  lands- 
men, recruited  from  the  best  f.-iniilies,  whose  in- 
influence  tends  to  the  advancement  of  science 
and  enlightenment.  In  this  category  belongs 
Charles  W.  Thompson,  son  of  James  D.  Thomp- 
son, mention  of  whom  will  be  found  in  an  ad- 
joining section  of  this  work.  Mr.  Thompson  was 
born  on  the  old  Thompson  homestead  January 
10,  1SG4,  and  received  his  preliminary  education 
in  what  was  known  as  the  Fey  school  district. 
His  youth  was  uneventful,  and  filled  with  the 
duties  and  diversions  which  go  to  make  up  the 
life  of  the  average  farm-reared  boy.  He  devel- 
oped, however,  more  than  average  business  abil- 
ity, and  this  has  been  of  great  use  to  him  as  one 
of  the  most  extensive  breeders  and  marketers  of 
Aberdeen-Angus  cattle  in  Scliuyler  Couutj'. 

A  turning  point  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Thompson 
was  his  marriage,  December  23,  1801,  to  Delia 
K.  Campbell,  a  native  of  Bainbridge  Township, 
Schu.vler  County,  and  daughter  of  George  W. 
Campbell,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county.  The 
young  people  started  housekeeping  on  Section  25, 
Woodstock  Township,  but  in  1808,  after  the 
death  of  the  elder  Thompson,  they  returned  to 
the  old  place  and  lived  there  until  1902.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year  Mr.  Thompson  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  in  what  now  is  called  Layton,  in 
Woodstock  Township,  and  from  a  small  begin- 
ning has  worlved  up  a  large  and  prosperous  trade. 
His  farm  of  2G0  acres  represents  much  tliat  is 
progressive  and  scientific  in  the  agricultural 
world,  and  no  better  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle  i-oam 
the  prairie  of  the  Central  West  than  here  find 
a  home.  There  are  also  high  grades  of  hogs 
and  horses  on  the  farm,  and  com  and  general 
produce  are  raised  in  large  quantities.  Mr. 
Tliompson  has  a  large  and  commodious  home, 
and  his  stock  have  warm  and  comfortable  win- 
ter quarters.  He  is  one  of  the  busiest,  as  well 
as  most  successful  men  of  the  township,  and  few 
are  doing  so  much  to  maintain  the  higher  stan- 
dards of  country  lite  and  practice. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Thompson  is  an  uncompromis- 
ing Democrat,  liut  has  always  been  too  busy 
either  to  seek  or  to  accept  office.  In  faith  he  is 
a  believer  in  the  Universal  Doctrine,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Grange,  for  whose  interests  he 
iias  been  a  faithful  and  consistent  worker.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thompson  have  three  children  :  Mary 
Margaret,  born  Xovemlier  12,  1.80?,:  Laura  C. 
born  January  ."..  1002:  an<l  Georgia  W.,  born 
August  18,  lOOo.  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  well  in- 
formed, agreeable  and  iiopular  gentleman,  trust- 
«irrthy  and  respected  in  his  business  and  social 
relations. 


946 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


THOMPSON,  J.  Aithur,  a  uativo  of  Woodstock 
Township,  Scbuyler  Couuty,  111.,  and  one  of  the 
brightest  and  most  worthy  of  the  young  men 
who  have  been  reared  in  that  locality,  was  born 
January  18,  1SS3,  the  son  of  William  J.  and 
Margaret  J.  (Arthur)  Thompson,  a  narrative  ui 
whose  career,  with  details  of  the  family  history, 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  connection.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  attended  the  district  schools 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  and  then  taking  the 
regular  examination,  received  a  scholarship  in 
the  Illinois  State  University,  in  which  he  was  a 
student  for  five  years,  the  degree  of  B.  S.  being 
conferred  upon  him  at  the  end  of  that  ij<;riod.  In 
August,  lOUT,  he  was  recommended  by  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  that  institution  for  a  position  as 
teacher  of  agriculture  in  Corea.  He  passed  the 
final  examination  at  Nashville,  Tenu.,  with 
honor,  and  on  the  27th  of  the  above  mentioned 
mouth,  .started  from  Vancouver,  B.  C,  stopping 
briefly  in  Japan,  after  touching  at  several  for- 
eign ports,  during  the  voyage  thither,  reached  his 
destination  on  September  12th  next  following. 
Since  assuming  charge  of  his  work  in  Corea,  he 
has  met  with  remarkable  success.  His  school  is 
a  one-story,  thatched  structure,  covered  with 
straw,  a  glimpse  of  which  would  l)c'  au  interesting 
revelation  to  many  of  his  fonuer  "chums,"  ac- 
customed as  they  are  to  the  superior  facilities 
aftorded  by  school  edifices  in  Illinois. 

While  at  home.  Mr.  Thompson  was  a  member 
of  the  Grange,  and  when  a  student,  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Agricultural  Club  of  the  Illinois 
State  University,  as  well  as  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

On  September  15,  1908,  Mr.  Thompson  will  be 
married  to  .Miss  Anna  Kiehl,  of  .Vll.in,  III.,  who 
sails  on  August  15,  to  meet  him  at  Songdo,  where 
he  is  carrying  on  his  labors  with  such  gratifying 
results.  His  religious  connection  was  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  which  he 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  class  leader,  and  offi- 
ciated as  Sunday  School  Superintendent.  On 
political  issues,  he  was  a  supporter  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

THOMPSON,  James  D.— With  the  passing  of 
James  I).  Tbomiisou.  July  30,  18!)7.  a  busy  and 
useful  life  came  to  its  conclusion,  leaving  in  its 
wake,  for  the  guidance  of  the  workers  of  a  later 
day,  many  lessons  in  courage,  perseverance  and 
sound  judgment.  Mr.  Thompson  had  to  his  credit 
seveutj-four  years,  having  been  born  in  Craw- 
ford Countjs  Pa.,  March  30.  1823.  He  was  heir 
to  the  best  traits  of  the  Irish-German-English 
peoples,  the  men  on  lx)tb  sides  of  his  family  for 
the  most  part  following  either  farming  or  such 
staple  trades  as  carpentering  and  millwrighting. 
His  paternal  grandfather.  William  Thompson. 
was  born  in  Ireland,  in  his  boyhood  crossing  the 
sea  to  America,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of 
carpenter  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  reached  the  age  of  three-score 
years  and  ten.  living  for  the  most  part  in  Penn- 
sylvania, which  knew  him  first  as  a  lad  with 
a  rich  Irish  brogue  and  but  few  financial  assets. 

William  Thompson,  Jr.,  son  of  the  immigrant. 


was  born  in  the  Keystone  State,  and  married 
.Mai-y  Peterson,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Abbott)  Peterson,  ot  English  and  German  de- 
scent, who  died  in  Pennsylvania  at  the  age  of 
ninety-one  and  ninety  yearfs,  respectively.  To 
William  and  Elzabeth  Thompson  were  given  ten 
children,  of  whom  James  D.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  third;  William  Thompson,  Jr.,  was 
a  millwright  by  trade,  and  in  1837  brouglit  his 
family  to  Illinois,  two  yeare  later  purchasing  a 
farm  in  Brown  County,  upon  which  he  settled 
.May  14,  1839.  His  hopes  of  culivating  this  farm 
were  not  destined  to  realization,  for  with  the 
coming  of  the  fall  of  18;J9,  his  life  went  out  at 
the  age  of  flfty-four  years  and  seven  months. 
He  left  a  wile  and  eight  children — five  girls  and 
three  boys — who  after  his  death  rented  laud  for 
several  years,  locating  then  on  a  tract  in  Brown 
County  purchased  by  the  father,  where  the 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  elghty-slx  years. 

James  D.  Thompson  was  fourteen  years  old 
when  the  family  came  to  Illinois,  and  sixteen 
when,  through  the  death  ot  his  father,  he  was 
obliged  to  shoulder  large  respousibilities.  He 
remained  with  his  mother  aud  the  rest  of  the 
children  until  his  marriage,  April  3,  185G,  to 
Margaret  E.  Grosclaude,  who  was  born  in  France, 
April  27,  1830,  a  daughter  of  James  F.  and 
Catherine  E.  (Joute)  Grosclaude,  and  who  came 
to  America  with  her  parents  in  18.33,  locating  in 
Woodstock  Township,  Schuyler  County.  Mr. 
(;ro.sclaude  died  September  .30,  1878,  at  the  age 
of  seveuty-two  years.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Peter  J.  Jonte.  was  born  in  France,  in  February, 
177G,  aud  died  October  2,  1846,  while  his  wife, 
Susan  (Landon)  Jonte.  was  born  Marcli  25, 
1774,  aud  died  June  7,  1842.  To  Mr.  and  -Mrs. 
Thomp.son  were  born  six  children :  Mary  E., 
wife  of  U.  T.  Briggle,  of  Springfield,  111.;  Wil- 
liam J.,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Jef- 
ferson E..  of  Fredonla,  Kan. ;  Emily  L.,  wife  of 
A.  C.  Rowland,  of  Rushville,  III.;  Charles  W.. 
whose  sketch  also  appears  in  a  preceding  sec- 
tion ;  and  -Margarette  Loreua,  wife  of  Charles  X 
Jly-^rs,  of  fxjs  .\ngeles.  Col. 

Not  only  was  Mr.  Thompson  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  farming  interests  of  Schuyler 
County  for  many  years,  but  he  was  active  In  the 
promotion  of  its  educational  welfare,  among 
other  offices  having  held  that  of  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  for  twenty  years.  He  was  a 
strong  and  unyielding  Democrat,  and  an  ollice- 
holder  who  discharged  his  duties  with  honesty 
and  ability.  He  became  the  owner  of  several 
hundred  acres  of  land,  the  greater  part  of  It 
v.iluable,  and  his  prosperity  resulted  solely  from 
his  own  ability  to  succeed.  He  was  a  man  of 
genial  and  interesting  personality,  ii  firm  believer 
in  the  good  existing  in  all  with  whom  he  was 
as.sociated,  and  iiossessing  a  cheerful  philosophy 
which  tided  him  over  many  of  the  rough  places 
in  the  path  of  life.  The  wife  who  shared  his  in- 
creasing fortunes,  and  who  cared  for  him  ten- 
derly when  illness  befell  him  in  his  later  days, 
left  the  old  homestead  after  his  death  and  since 
has  made  her  home  in  the  citv  of  Kushville. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


947 


THOMPSON,  William  J.— The  enviable  staud- 
ini;  of  Schuyler  Couuty.  as  oue  of  the  finest  ag- 
ricultural sections  of  Illinois,  may  be  attributed 
largely  to  the  practical,  experienced  and  pro- 
gressive men  who  long  have  been  at  the  head 
of  its  farming  enterprises,  and  who  have  suc- 
ceeded in  reaping  large  returns  from  the  skilled 
tilling  of  the  soil.  Nottbe  least  successful  of 
these  men  is  William  J.  Thompson,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  raising  stock  and  in  general  farm  pur- 
suits on  his  finely  improved  property  in  Wood- 
stock Township.  Beginning  with  a  small  pur- 
chase, he  has  added  to  the  same  from  time  to 
time  until  now  he  owns  500  acres  in  Woodstock 
and  Baiubridge  Townships,  and  all  of  this  has 
been  gained  by  indefatigable  labor  backed  by 
sound  judgment. 

Knox  County,  III.,  is  Mr.  Thompson's  native 
place,  where  he  was  born  July  16,  1858,  his 
fatlier  being  .James  D.  Thom]iS(in,  who  died  .Tnly 
30,  1897.  While  lie  was  still  quite  young  the 
family  came  to  Schuyler  Couuty.  and  here  he 
attended  the  country  schools  and  aided  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  home  farm.  Uiwn  attaining 
the  required  age  he  was  granted  a  teacher's  cer- 
tificate, but  this  he  never  used,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  attention  exclusively  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. November  10,  1881,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  J.  Arthur,  who 
was  born  in  McDonougli  County,  111.,  September 
24,  IStn,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Aunie 
(Hageman)  Arthur,  the  former  of  whom  died 
October  14,  1898,  and  the  latter  May  16,  1905. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Thompson  brought  his 
young  wife  to  tlie  farm,  where  ever  since  they 
have  made  their  home.  The  original  tract  com- 
prised sixty-two  acres  on  Section  oQ,  Woodstock 
Township,  but  since  the  purchase  of  that  estate 
he  has  added  by  later  purchases  until  now,  as 
previously  stated,  he  and  his  wife  have  the  title 
to  500  acres  of  improved  and  timber  lands. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson's  family  consists  of 
eleven  children,  namely :  James  A.,  who  re- 
ceived a  superior  education  at  the  University  ot 
Illinois,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  June, 
1905 ;  Clarence  J.  married  Belvie  Kittenbouse, 
and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Woodstock  Township; 
Nettie  May  is  wife  of  Harvey  Armstrong,  a 
farmer  of  Baiubridge  Township :  Roy  F.  is  on 
the  home  farm  ;  Walter  E.,  graduated  from  the 
Rusbville  Normal  School  with  the  Class  of  1907 ; 
Katie,  Margarette.  Anna  Lorena  and  Bertha 
Emily  are  with  their  parents  on  the  old  home- 
stead: Jesse  Decatur  and  Essie  Dora  (twins), 
and  Gertiiule  Irene.  James  A.,  the  older  son, 
spent  five  years  in  the  University  of  Illinois, 
meanwhile  receiving  a  scholarship  and  teacher's 
certificate,  and  in  1905  taking  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  After  finishing  his  course 
at  the  University  he  Ix>came  an  instructor  at 
Hampton  Institute,  Va..  retaining  this  position 
until  July,  1007,  when  he  accepted  a  position  as 
teacher  in  Corea.  going  to  that  connti-y  in  Au- 
gust of  that  year,  and  is  now  conducting  an  agri- 
cultural college  at  Songdo,  Corea,  with  satisfac- 
tory success.     It   has  been  the  ambition  of  the 


parents  to  provide  their  children  with  the  best 
educational  advantages  the  country  affords,  and 
thus  prepare  them  tor  whatever  duties  may 
await  them  in  future  years. 

In  their  religious  relations  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  hold  membership  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  have  contributed  gener- 
ously to  the  missionary  and  charitable  work  of 
that  denomination.  Politically  he  has  voted  with 
the  Democratic  party  ever  since  he  attained  his 
majority.  For  twenty  years  he  held  the  oSice 
ot  Justice  of  the  Peace,  besides  having  .served  as 
School  Trustee.  During  the  spring  of  1907  he 
was  elected  Supervisor  of  Woodstock  Township, 
in  which  resiwnsible  position  be  has  proved  him- 
self entitled  to  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  has  supported  all  measures  calculated 
to  promote  the  generi^l  welfare,  while  at  the  same 
time  aiming  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  tax- 
payers. Besides  his  other  busings  connections 
he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank  of  Rusbville.  In 
clmreli  work,  in  politii.*.  in  the  Grange,  in  agri- 
cultural affairs,  and,  indeed,  in  every  association 
of  life,  he  has  been  ready  to  do  Ijis  part  and 
has  contributed  his  quota  to  the  jiermanent  de- 
velopment of  his  township. 

TURNER.  Allen  R.— It  falls  to  the  lot  of  few 
men  to  look  back  upon  a  life  so  bountifully 
lengthened  out  and  so  diligently,  usefully  and 
virtuously  spent,  as  that  of  the  worthy  man 
above  named,  who  still  occupies  the  farm  in 
Buena  Vista  Township,  whicli  became  his  home  as 
early  as  1834.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Turner  occurred 
in  Rusbville  Township,  Schuyler  County,  Easter 
Sunday,  April  22,  1832,  and  he  is  a  sou  of  Sam- 
uel and  Rachel  (Robertson)  Turner,  natives  of 
Virginia,  and  North  Carolina,  respectively,  and 
grandson  of  Elias  Turner,  also  a  native  of  the 
South.  Elias  Turner's  life  was  not  a  creditable 
one,  and  he  furnished  a  terrible  example  of  the 
curse  of  drink.  His  wil'e  stood  bis  aijuse  and 
neglect  as  long  as  she  could,  and  then  rebelled 
against  bringing  her  children  up  in  such  an  at- 
mosphere. When  her  son,  Samuel,  was  about 
six  months  old,  she  took  the  child  in  her  arms 
with  a  few  personal  belongings,  and  set  out  afoot 
for  a  portion  of  Southern  Illinois,  known  as  the 
American  Bottom,  and  which  then  was  the  home 
of  Governor  Ford.  Here  she  remained  about 
five  years,  then  returned  to  her  native  State  for 
her  older  son,  Willis,  on  horseback,  later  settling 
with  both  of  her  sons  in  Madison  County.  HI. 
After  the  death  of  their  mother,  Samuel  and 
Willis  came  to  Schuyler  County  in  1823,  this 
section  of  the  State  at  that  time  being  i)art  of 
Pike  County,  and  here  Samuel  Turner  built  the 
fourth  house  in  the  county,  but  three  permanent 
settlers  liaving  preceded  him  here.  This  liouse  he 
never  occupied,  however,  but  returnd  with  his 
lirother  to  Madison  County,  where  Willis  was 
takcui  sick  and  finally  died.  After  .settling  up 
the  family  affairs  Samuel  returned  to  Schuyler 
County  in  1825,  and  here  his  death  occurred 
.Vpril  G,  IS.W,  he  having  been  bom  in  17110.  His 
wife,  who  was  liorn  in  179.").  died  April  2,  1843. 


948 


IIISTUIIY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Both  were  devout  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  1S40,  Mr.  Turner 
joined  tlie  first  tenijierance  society  organized  in 
Scliuyler  County.  The  lesson  of  his  father's  life 
was  a  perpetual  warning  in  his  ears,  sinking  so 
deep  into  his  nature  that  he  never  wearied  iu 
his  endeavor  to  warn  others  from  the  terrible 
shoal  of  mental  and  moral  destruction. 

Allen  R.  Turner  attended  the  subscription 
schools  and  passed  his  youth  on  the  home  farm 
in  Buena  Vista  Township.  The  lure  of  the 
mines  on  the  Pacific  sloix;  turned  his  attention 
from  the  slow  and  laborious  method.s  of  getting 
money  by  farming,  and  in  18130  he  crossed  the 
plains  with  oxen  and  a  ])rairie  schooner,  taking 
aljout  six  months  for  the  trip.  He  spent  abouf 
five  months  in  the  well  known  gold  camps  of 
California,  but  his  experience  was  that  of  the 
average  rather  than  exceptional  miner,  and  he 
was  glad  of  the  opiiortunity  to  return  to  Schuy- 
ler County,  where  the  rewards  of  labor  were 
comparatively  sure.  Again  he  took  up  tlie  task 
of  farming  on  the  old  place  which  has  been  bis 
home  since  he  was  two  years  old,  and  the  energy 
of  his  mature  years  is  evident  in  every  depart- 
ment of  its  activity.  The  place  now  contains  170 
acres  in  one  of  the  garden  spots  of  the  Central 
West,  and  certainly  no  home  in  Buena  Vista 
Township  has  more  about  it  of  genuine  home- 
likeness.  As  the  children  have  grown  to  ma- 
turity the  two  oldest  have  each  been  given  100 
acres  of  the  property,  the  third  child  hav- 
ing been  given  ninety  acres  adjoining  the  old 
place. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Turner  and  Isabella  A. 
Sparks,  occurred  in  Buena  Vista  Township, 
March  9,  1852,  where  she  was  born  January  24, 
1831.  a  daughter  of  Lenniel  Sparks,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  four  children  ;  Otto,  lioni 
March  14,  1853,  Darwin  Samuel,  born  April  13, 
18.57;  Willis  Fred,  born  March  14.  1,8.54:  and 
Olive  Rose,  born  January  28,  18G7.  Otto  Sparks 
married  Mary  Etta  Ford:  Darwin  Samuel  mar- 
ried Emma  B.  Xelson ;  Willis  Fred  married 
Alice  Bertroche;  and  Olive  Rose  became  the  wife 
of  James  C.  Bartlow.  The  decease  of  the  mother. 
Mrs.  Allen  R,  Turner,  occurred  February  0. 
1893,  and  was  much  deplored  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends.  In  political  afflliation  Mr.  Turner  is 
a  Prohibitionist,  and  for  sixty  years  has  unceas- 
ingly advocated  temperance.  His  convictions 
on  this  subject  are  profound  and  unchanegable, 
and  have  been  the  means  of  his  accomplishing  a 
world  of  good.  In  all  ways  his  life  has  been  il- 
luminating and  helpful,  and  he  has  established  a 
standard  of  moral  rectitude  and  courage  far  be- 
yond the  average  of  his  fellow  wayfarers.  By 
all  classes  of  people  in  the  county  he  is  held  iii 
sincere  respect,  and  no  citizen  in  the  community 
has  a  cleaner  or  more  enviable  record. 

TURNER,  John  S. — For  nearly  fifteen  years 
Mr.  Turner  has  made  his  home  continuously  at 
his  present  location,  on  Section  12,  Birmingham 
Township.  Schuyler  County,  where  he  h,as  ope- 
rated 100  acres  of  excellent  land,  devoted  to  gen- 


eral farming  atid  stock  raising.  Descended  from 
Southern  ancestry,  he  was  born  iu  Adair  County, 
Ky.,  l-'ebruary  22,  1,S40,  a  sou  of  \V.  S.  P.  and 
Sarah  (James)  Turner,  who  were  born  in  Vir- 
ginia and  Adair  Couut.v,  Ky.,  respectively.  With 
his  parents,  W.  S.  1^.  Turner  went  to  Kentucky 
and  settled  in -Vdair  County,  and  there  some  time 
later  occurred  his  marriage  with  Miss  James.  In 
1853,  after  the  birth  of  six  of  their  children,  the 
parents  came  to  Illinois,  and  in  Browuing Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  Mr.  Turner  i)urchased 
eighty  acres  of  timber  laud.  Making  a  clearing 
in  the  wilderness  he  erecteil  a  rude  labin  for 
tlie  shelter  of  his  family,  but  this  having  been 
destroyed  by  tire,  he  later  erected  a  more  com- 
fortable and  commodious  house,  with  a  stick 
chimney  fireplace.  After  residing  on  this  farm 
for  twenty  years,  during  which  time  he  had 
cleared  and  placed  under  cultivation  eighty  acres 
of  the  tract,  he  sold  the  proixTly  in  1873  and 
removed  to  Astoria,  Fulton  County,  111.,  where 
for  a  short  time  he  followed  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness. It  is  safe  to  presume  that  this  venture 
was  not  as  remunerative  as  he  had  ajiticipated, 
for  in  1874  he  went  to  Hancock  Couuty  and  re- 
sumed farming,  renting  a  farm  uiwn  which  he 
made  his  home  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
I)assed  away  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  his  wife  also  dying  in  Hancock  County. 
During  his  early  years  Mr.  Turner  was  eon- 
verted  and  joined  the  .Methodist  Bi)iscopal 
Church.  Throughout  his  life  he  exemplified  the 
teachingv  which  he  prolessed.  and  for  forty  years 
was  a  local  minister  In  his  denomination. 
Through  his  teaching  and  upright  living  many 
were  led  to  follow  better  lives  and  all  who  came 
in  contact  with  him  received  an  uplift  and  en- 
couragement 

Nine  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  W.  S.  P. 
Turner  and  his  wife,  of  this  number  John  S.  be- 
ing the  eldest.  The  next  two  children,  Amanda 
and  (leorge  B..  are  both  defeased.  Ellen  became 
the  wife  of  D.  .M.  Stockman,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  they  make  their  home  in  Omaha, 
Xeli.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Scott,  who 
owns  a  large  farm  in  Hancock  County,  and  Al- 
bert is  a  resident  of  Texas,  Sarah  is  the  wife 
of  Zachariah  Duncan,  who  is  a  carpenter  in 
Carthage,  111.  .Martha,  deceased,  was  the  wife 
of  W.  D.  Cloud.  The  .voungest  child,  William 
R.,  makes  his  home  in  St.  Marj-,  Hancock 
County. 

.\fter  receiving  a  limited  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Adair  County.  Ky..  John  S. 
Turner  gave  his  services  to  his  father,  and  after 
coming  to  Illinois  was  an  invaluable  assistant  in 
removing  the  timber  and  underbrush  from  the 
fanii  upon  which  tlie  family  located.  The  call  to 
arms  at  ttie  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  found 
hini  a  young  man  of  twenty-one  years  who  was 
willing  and  anxious  to  do  his  part  as  a  loyal 
citizen.  In  August,  1861,  his  name  was  enrolled 
as  a  niemlx'r  of  Company  II.  Third  Illinois  Cav- 
alrj-.  his  enlistment  being  for  a  term  of  three 
years.  From  Camp  Butler  his  regiment  was  or- 
dered to  St  Louis,  from  there  to  Jefferson  City 


HISTOIIY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY^ 


949 


and  on  to  Lebanon,  Mo.  At  I'eu  Ilidge  they 
were  under  fire  lor  three  days,  many  of  the 
Third  Cavalry  being  killed  and  wounded,  and 
five  from  Company  H  met  death  in  this  battle. 
Mr.  Turner  escaped  narrowly  with  his  own  lite, 
for  on  three  oocasious  his  horse  was  shot  under 
him,  once  at  the  battle  of  Pea  Uidge  and  later 
at  a  battle  in  Tennessee,  and  still  later  at  Bates- 
ville,  Ark.  At  Memphis.  Tenn.,  the  Third  Cav- 
alry met  General  Forrest  in  an  engagement  and 
also  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville.  At 
the  close  of  his  term  of  service  Mr.  Turner  was 
honorablv  discharged  at  St.  Louis,  having  never 
been  in  th  hospital  during  the  three  years  he 
was  in  the  service,  although  during  that  time 
he  had  suffered  untold  hardships  both  in  battle 
and  in  long  marches. 

Returning  to  Astoria  after  his  army  service, 
Mr.  Turner  was  married  in  that  city,  September 
1,  18(54,  to  Miss  Alice  Ewing,  who  was  born  near 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  May  10,  1845,  the  daughter  of 
Josiah  Ewing.  After  the  death  of  her  husband 
Mrs.  Josiah  Ewing  l)rought  her  family  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  in  Astoria,  where  her  death  finally 
occurred.  A  large  family  of  children  were  born 
to  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner,  of  whom  we  mention 
the  following:  Mary  E.,  who  was  born  iu  As- 
toria October  5,  18f.5,  died  at  the  age  of  si.x; 
years ;  Sally  Ann,  born  in  the  same  city  August 
24,  1867,  died  in  1871 ;  Hattie  J.,  who  was  born 
in  Hancock  County,  111.,  January  22.  1870,  passed 
away  in  1SS3;  Harry  E.,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  county,  March  24.  1872,  married  Nellie 
Burton  and  makes  his  home  in  Nebraska ;  Wil- 
liam, born  iu  Schuyler  County,  May  3,  1S74, 
died  when  three  years  old;  Arthur  O.,  who  was 
born  in  Schuyler  County,  February  27,  1S7G, 
chose  as  his  wife  Miss  Gertrude  Erliuger,  a  na- 
tive of  Cedar  County.  Mo.,  and  two  daughters 
have  been  txjrn  to  them,  Flossie  and  Alice ;  David 
A.,  liorn  April  S,  1878,  is  a  farmer  in  Hancock 
County,  and  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Cora 
Irwin  he  had  two  children,  Alfa  and  Lee  I.,  one 
of  whom  died  in  infancy ;  George  U.,  born  in 
Schuyler  County,  August  4,  1881,  now  makes  his 
home  in  Palisade,  Neb. ;  Bertha,  the  youngest 
child,  bom  March  2.  1S8S,  and  is  still  at  home 
with  her  parents.  For  alaout  twelve  years  after 
coming  to  Birmingham  Township,  Mr.  Turner 
bought  and  sold  poultry  and  eggs,  but  since  lo- 
cating on  his  present  farm  he  has  I'ollowed  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  exclusively.  Mr.  Turner's 
service  in  the  cause  of  his  country  makes  him 
eligible  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
his  name  is  enrolled  among  the  members  of  the 
post  at  Brooklyn.  Politically  be  casts  his  vote 
in  liehalf  of  Democratic  candidates,  although  in 
no  sense  is  he  a  partisan.  Industrious  and  en- 
terprising, Mr.  Turner  is  highly  esteemed  by 
friends  and  neighbors  as  one  who  has  been  help- 
ful iu  sustaining  a  high  agricultural  standard 
in  Schuyler  County. 

TYSON,  William.— Honored  alike  for  his  loy- 
alty to  his  family,  his  friends,  his  country  and 
his  principles,  William  Ty.son,  the   pioneer  and 


old  soldier  of  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler 
''I'Unty,  conies  of  stanch  Virginia  stock  and  of 
that  j).uriotic  blood  which  has  done  so  much  to 
firudy  cement  the  nationality  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  born  April  2,  1841,  in  a  log 
cabin  situated  forty  rods  from  his  present  com- 
fortable residence  in  Section  11,  Bainbridge 
T<)«;isbip;  servKl  bravel.v  for  four  .years  on 
battlefields  and  (".iduring  life  in  a  rebel  prison, 
and  now,  for  four  decades,  has  been  establishing 
himstif  in  the  substantial  domain  of  agricultural 
prospeiity  and  iu  the  u.seful  activities  of  citizen- 
ship. 

The  ''I'yson  ancestry,  originally  of  German  na- 
tivity, removed  from  Germany  to  England  about 
two  huudred  and  seventy-five  years  ago,  where 
they  remained  for  more  than  a  century,  when 
some  time  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  Zeph- 
aniah  Tyson,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  came  to  America,  settliug  in 
Virginia.  He  was  born  iu  England  about  1750, 
and  there  is  a  well-founded  tradition  that  he 
served  iu  the  Revolutionary  Army,  finally  becom- 
ing blind  and  dying  in  Virginia.  Later  this 
branch  of  the  family  removed  to  Ohio,  about 
1807,  locating  near  McCunuelsville,  Morgan 
County,  where  the  widow,  after  enduring  great 
hardship  on  account  of  Indian  disturbances, 
lived  to  be  one  hundred  years  old.  Mr.  T.vsou's 
gre.-it-grandmother  on  the  maternal  side  is  also 
said  to  have  reached  about  the  same  age. 

There  were  three  sons  aud  one  daugliter  of  this 
family,  the  older  son,  Zephaniah  (11.)  having 
been  born  in  Virginia  aljout  1773,  aud  is  said  to 
have  served  iu  the  Indian  wars  under  Gen.  An- 
thony Wayne,  enlisting  as  early  as  nineteen 
years  of  age,  also  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Tip- 
pecanoe iu  1811,  aud  served  in  he  War  of  1812- 
14.  About  1707,  he  married  Margaret  DeLong, 
who  was  bom  in  Virginia  in  1779.  After  spend- 
ing many  years  in  Morgan  County,  Ohio,  they 
came  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  in  1831  settling  in 
Bainbridge  Township,  where  Mrs.  Tyson  died 
in  1842  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  aud  the 
grandfather  on  July  0,  1850,  aged  seventy-seven. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, namely:  Margaret,  born  April  8.  1799; 
Aaron,  born  in  Virginia  or  Ohio,  January  17, 
1800,  and  who  mysteriously  disappeared :  Sophia, 
born  in  Ohio,  July  24,  1803,  and  married  Daniel 
Berry  in  1824 ;  Zephauiah,  born  in  Ohio  October 
10,  1805,  married  a  Missouri  woman,  later  re- 
moving to  Arkan.sas  aliout  1850,  where  he  died 
leaving  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter; 
Henry,  Ijorn  in  Ohio,  December  15,  1807.  and 
married  Sarah  Berry ;  George,  born  in  Muskin- 
,1,'um  County,  Ohio,  February  2,  1809 ;  Moses, 
bora  in  Ohio  December  18.  1811,  and  married 
first  a  Miss  Kelso  and,  as  his  second  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Metz.  ou  June  10.  1849,  died  in  Missouri, 
January  5,  1875,  his  second  wife  dying  in  1893; 
and  Louisa,  born  December  28.  1813,  married 
John  Boling.  and  died  in  August,  1896. 

George  Tyson,  father  of  William  Tyson,  left 
home  some  time  before  reaching  his  majority, 
first  locating  in  Cincinnati,  where  after  working 


950 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


for  a  time  he  bought  a  flat-boat  aud  engaged  iu 
trudiug  aloug  tbe  OLio  Uiver.  lu  1S2U,  be  mar- 
ried iliss  Lueiuda  Bellamy,  a  uative  of  Oulpep- 
er  Couuty,  \'a.,  boru  iu  ISdU.  Soou  after  liis 
marriage,  having  sold  his  flat-boat,  Mr.  Tysou 
invested  the  proceeds  in  a  team  with  which,  iu 
1831,  he  made  the  journey  to  Schuyler  Couuty, 
111.,  locatiug  on  Section  11  in  Bainbridge  Towu- 
ship.  Uther  members  of  the  Tysou  family  came 
to  Schuyler  Couuty  about  the  same  time,  some 
of  tbcuj"  later  moving  away,  aud  it  is  estimated 
that  more  than  a  score  of  their  descendants  are 
uow  scattered  over  the  States  of  Illinois,  Mis- 
souri, Michigan,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  Col- 
orado, California  aud  Oregon.  George  became 
the  owner  of  4f!i0  acres  of  land,  but  betiomlug 
restless  in  ISGG,  weut  farther  west,  and  all  trace 
of  him  was  lost.  Hi.s  wife  survived  his  disap- 
pearance some  ten  years,  dying  in  Schuyler 
couuty,  September  10,  ISTll.  Mr.  aud  Mrs.  George 
Tyson  were  the  pareuts  of  the  followiug  named 
children :  Charles  B..  boru  September  25,  1S31, 
aud  died  at  home  in  1S52 ;  Joel,  boru  in  1S33, 
died  in  1850 ;  Robert,  born  in  May,  18^55,  died 
near  Peoria,  111.,  in  October,  18'.W;  Alfred,  born 
March  4,  1837,  now  residing  at  Granite,  Colo. ; 
Melissa,  born  in  1839.  aud  died  at  Baxter 
Springs,  Kan.,  dying  S<'pteudicr  1,  1007 ;  Wil- 
liam, the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Angelina,  who 
lives  iu  Jones,  Okla. ;  Margaret,  living  iu  Bates 
County,  Mo.;  Mary,  who  married  Z.  T.  Kirkham, 
of  Siliuyler  County,  aud  Levi,  who  resides  at 
Abilene.  Kan.  Kobert,  of  this  family,  married 
Emily  Gillett,  and  had  three  children  boru  to 
him  ;  Alice,  who  married  a  Mr.  I'ike,  and  lives 
in  Fort  Madison,  Iowa  ;  Grant,  when  last  heard 
from  was  in  Louisiana  ;  aud  Etlie,  who  married 
and  lives  in  Kansas  City,  Kan. 

The  early  life  of  William  Ty.sou  was  spent 
upon  the  home  farm  iu  Baiubridge  Township, 
assisting  his  father  and  attending  the  district 
school  of  the  neighborhood.  He  made  good  prog- 
ress in  his  studies,  and  engaged  in  teaching 
when  quite  young.  After  being  thus  employed 
for  several  terms,  he  accompanied  the  family  to 
Moniteau  County,  Mo.,  where  the  father  had 
bought  land,  liut  which  he  sold,  afterward  mov- 
ing to  a  farm  of  300  acres  in  Henry  County,  that 
Stat<-.  This  remained  the  family  home  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  when  the  mother  and 
the  younger  members  of  the  family  returned  to 
the  old  homestead  in  Schuyler  County.  It  was 
now  that  William,  a  youth  of  twenty  years, 
proved  the  patriotic  quality  of  hi.s  blood.  On  the 
27th  of  June.  ISOl.  he  enlisteil  in  Companv  D, 
of  the  Cass  County  Cavali^  Regiment,  of  Mis- 
souri Home  Guard  Volunteers,  X\  S.  A.,  and  by 
reason  of  General  Order  No.  25.  (Paragraph 
Three).  Department  of  Missouri,  was  discharged 
from  service  at  Harrisonville.  .Mo.,  on  February 
28,  ]8C2.  During  the  first  months  of  militarv 
experience  he  was  one  of  the  force  which  guarded 
the  first  wagon-load  of  provisions  sent  to  Genera! 
Lyon's  army  after  the  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek. 

After  his  honorable  discharge  from  the  cav- 
alry service,  Mr.  Tyson  returned  to  the  familv 


buuie  iu  Schuyler  County,  aud  on  August  12, 
18G2,  re-enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundi'cd 
aud  Fifteeuth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  a 
period  of  three  years.  During  this  terrible  sea- 
son of  fierce  battling  and  weary  marching  he 
neither  faltered  nor  shirked  a  soldierly  duty.  He 
was  one  of  that  little  heroic  band  of  forty-two 
who  held  th"ir  own  at  Bu/.zard's  R<pipst  Gap, 
Ga.,  against  such  appalling  odds  iu  August,  IStVl. 
While  stationed  at  the  bloi-k-house  there,  they 
were  attacked  by  Wheeler's  famous  cavalry,  but 
poured  such  a  withering  fire  into  the  ranks  of 
the  horsemen  as  to  repel  their  charge  com- 
pletely. On  October  13th,  Hood's  army  opened 
fire  on  the  block-house,  with  both  musketry  and 
artillery,  but  the  heroic  band  of  Compauy  D  held 
off  the  attacking  forces  for  ten  long  aud  bitter 
hours  before  being  forced  to  surrender.  O.  the 
forty-two  Fuion  boys,  live  were  killed,  six 
wounded  and  thirty-one  taken  pri.soners.  Mr.  Ty- 
son being  iu  the  latter  class.  The  prisoners 
were  marched  to  Cahaba,  Ala.,  and  confined  in 
Castle  Morgan,  being  then  transferred  to  Mil- 
ieu, Ga.  On  November  22d  General  Sherman 
sent  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  to  rescue  them,  but  on 
the  previous  evening  they  had  been  loaded  on 
cars  and  sent  to  Savannah,  Ga..  thence  being 
removed  to  Thomasville  and  finally  to  Ander.son- 
ville  prison.  .Mr.  Tyson  was  confined  there  for 
three  months,  aud  then  transferred  to  VIcksburg, 
-Miss.,  where  he  was  exchanged  and  sent  to  St. 
Louis.  In  that  city  he  received  his  pay  and  was 
granted  a  thirty  days'  furlough,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  which  he  reiwrted  at  Springfield  for  fur- 
ther duty,  but  Instead  obtained  his  final  pay  and 
honorable  discharge  from  the  service,  entering 
again  the  ranks  of  peace  June  14,  1865. 

After  recruiting  his  weakened  health  as  far 
as  possible.  .Mr.  Tyson  returned  to  his  home  iu 
Baiubridge  Township,  and  in  1807  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  in  Section  11,  which  has  since  been 
his  home  and  which  he  has  brought  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  as  well  as  rendered  an  at- 
tractive home.  On  November  10th.  of  that  year, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Scott,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Schuyler  County, 
born  August  20,  ISoO.  Their  happy  union,  how- 
ever, was  destined  to  be  of  short  duration,  for 
the  faithful  and  beloved  wife  and  mother  ex- 
pired on  the  22d  of  February,  1878,  She  was  a 
woman  of  tender  heart,  kindly  acts  and  prac- 
tical Christianity,  and  her  death  proved  a  sad 
blow  and  an  irreparable  loss  to  her  family  and 
friends.  Four  children  were  born  of  this  union. 
Jesse  C.  Tyson,  the  oldest,  horn  on  Aagust  7, 
1808.  is  a  farmer  operating  the  old  home  place. 
He  married  Annie  M.  Hendrlx,  a  native  of  Rip- 
ley, Brown  County.  111.,  and  they  have  had  three 
children:  Levi  Frank,  born  March  17.  ISOO.  and 
one  child  who  died  in  infancy  :  Orren  William, 
bom  December  10.  1907.  Laura,  the  second 
child,  was  born  September  15,  1869,  and  Is  now 
the  wife  of  Charles  B.  Ward,  of  Bainbridge 
Township,  and  they  have  four  children ;  Ruth 
Eliza,   born   October   21.   1883;    Sarah   Florence, 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


951 


born  Jauuary  9,  1S96;  James  Rufus,  August  5, 
IS'JT;  William  F..  born  June  10,  I'JOO.  Leora, 
born  June  4.  1S72,  married,  in  18S!>,  James  D. 
Dodds,  and  they  bave  six  children :  Zelma  Ar- 
villa,  born  November  16,  ISS'J,  was  married 
March  1,  VMl,  to  Hazen  ¥.  Ward;  Norris  E., 
born  March  1,  18U2;  Ruby  E.,  bom  April  3, 
IS'Ju;  Giles  O.,  born  June  IT,  1S9S;  Ray  Bur- 
dett,  born  December  16,  1900,  and  Edith  Evaline, 
born  December  9,  1904.  Stella,  born  June  11, 
1S76,  died  July  12,  1876.  Mre.  Sarah  J.  (Scott) 
Tj-son  died  February  22.  1878.  She  was  the 
daugtiter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Scott. 

Since  fixing  his  home  in  Schuyler  County, 
forty  years  ago,  Mr.  Tyson  has  devoted  himself 
to  the  interests  of  his  family,  and  to  the  high 
duties  of  a  moral  and  intelligent  citizenship. 
Since  the  story  period  of  the  Civil  War,  when 
age  conferred  on  him  the  right  of  franchise,  he 
has  faithfully  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  He 
has  never  been  an  otfice-seeker,  however,  and 
has  never  held  any  public  ix)sition  save  that  of 
Census  Enumerator  for  Bainbridge  Township  in 
1880  and  in  1890.  Surrounded  liow  by  those 
comforts  of  life  which,  in  providing  for  others, 
he  has  guai'anteed  to  himself ;  honored  and  loved 
by  his  children,  his  grandchildren,  and  great- 
grandchildren and  hosts  of  friends  for  his  bravery 
in  fields  of  battle  and  in  the  paths  of  ijeace.  and 
admired  by  his  more  distant  associates  for  those 
practical  and  substantial  qualities  which  have 
brought  him  worldly  success,  William  Tyson  is  a 
man  to  be  envied  in  no  spirit  of  bitterness,  but 
only  in  a  spirit  of  regret  that  more  citizens  of 
the  world  are  not  cast  in  his  mold  of  nobility. 

UNGER,  John  C. — It  is  always  a  .source  of 
gratification  to  point  to  the  growing  success  of 
our  young  men,  for  upon  them  rests  the  future 
prosperity  of  our  country.  Not  the  least  promi- 
nent of  the  agriculturists  of  Schuyler  County,  who 
upon  the  threshold  of  middle  life  has  met  with 
a  success  well  merited  by  his  indefatigable  la- 
bors, is  John  C.  Unger,  who  owns  and  occupies  a 
finely-improved  farm  on  Section  26,  Camden 
Township,  remaining  there  until  his  death,  on 
the  same  township,  November  7,  1870.  Ances- 
tors of  the  family,  both  paternal  and  maternal, 
came  of  German  extraction  and  were  amum;  the 
early  settlers  of  Ohio,  where  the  father.  Eli 
Unger,  was  born  in  Portage  County.  Early  in 
life  he  sought  the  larger  opportunities  of  the 
undevelojK'd  regions  to  the  west  of  his  home, 
and  bcf:ime  a  farmer  in  Illinois.  A  brother, 
Cyrus  rnger,  married  Lydia  Bilts!  and  brought 
his  bride  to  Illinois,  where  he  took  up  land  in 
Schuyler  County  in  1862.  With  them  came  the 
bride's  sister,  Mary  Biltz,  a  native  of  Stark 
County,  Ohio;  in  1864  she  became  the  wife  of 
Eli  Unger,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in  Camden 
Township,  remaining  there  until  his  death,  on 
February  4.  1873.  After  his  demi.se  the  widow 
returned  to  her  old  Ohio  home,  thence  went  to 
Indiana,  but  in  1875  came  back  to  the  old  home- 
stead in  Schuyler  Counfy,  111.  Eventually  she 
purchased  a   home  In   Erwln,   Schuyler  County, 


where  she  and  her  younger  daughter,  Belle, 
now  reside.  The  elder  son,  Owen,  is  deceased. 
The  older  daughter,  Cora  E.,  married  William 
Gray  and  has  five  children,  Addra.  Forrest,  Roy, 
Jennie  and  Beulah ;  they  are  now  living  on  the 
old  Unger  homestead. 

Eli  Unger  was  a  cooper  and  when  not  em- 
ployed at  his  trade,  gave  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing. Nor  was  his  interest  confined  to  his  double 
calling.  The  schools  received  his  earnest  sup- 
port, and  the  churches  had  his  regular  contribu- 
tions. Movements  tor  the  material  progress  of 
the  township  commanded  his  allegiance  and  co- 
operation. For  some  years  he  served  as  a  Direc- 
tor in  his  School  District,  meanwhile  accom- 
plishing much  for  the  benefit  of  local  educa- 
tional work.  In  ixilitical  views  he  was  liberal, 
voting  for  the  men  whom  he  considered  best 
qualified  to  represent  the  people  and  promote 
the  general  welfare.  His  only  surviving  son,  John 
C,  received  such  advantages  as  the  country 
schools  afforded,  and  while  still  quite  jouug  be- 
gan to  work  for  others.  Carefully  saving  his 
wages,  he  was  able  upon  attaining  his  majority 
to  acquire  property  of  his  own.  In  May,  1891. 
he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  on  Section  26, 
Camden  Township,  where  since  he  has  made  his 
home.  At  the  time  of  purchase  the  farm  had  a 
small  frame  dwelling,  sorely  in  need  of  repairs, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  rebuilt  the 
house  before  bringing  his  bride  to  the  home. 
Later  he  erected  a  substantial  barn  and  other 
needed  outlmildiugs.  During  1906  he  added 
greatly  to  the  v.-Uue  of  the  property  by  erecting 
a  two-story  residence  with  eight  rooms  and  mod- 
ern conveniences. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Unger  took  place  August 
20.  1895.  uniting  him  with  Miss  Agnes  Blanche 
Eoring,  who  was  born  in  Buena  Vista  Township, 
in  April  of  1877,  being  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  (Grigg)  Loring.  After  having  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business  for  years.  Jlr.  Loring 
died  June  27,  1907,  and  in  his  demise  another 
pioneer  was  taken  from  among  tho.se  in  whose 
midst  he  long  had  lived  and  labored.  Since  his 
death  his  widow  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city 
of  Rushville.  Of  their  union  there  were  bom 
three  daughters  and  one  son  now  living,  and 
there  was  also  a  stepdaughter,  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried J.  W.  Lickey.  The  son,  J.  M.  Loring,  is  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law  at  Rushville.  One 
of  the  daughters  is  the  widow  of  John  Avery  and 
lives  in  Rushville.  Another  daughter,  Ethel 
Grace,  wife  of  Mark  Sellers,  met  with  a  sad 
fate.  Her  only  child  accidentally  fell  into  the 
cistern  where  the  water  was  alwut  three  feet 
deep,  with  some  ice  floating  on  the  top.  The 
mother  jumped  into  the  cistern  in  a  frantic  ef- 
fort to  save  the  child.  No  one  was  near  at  the 
time  and  when  found  both  mother  and  child  had 
died  from  exposure  to  the  cold  water  and  from 
the  struggle  to  climb  out  of  the  cistern. 

The  family  of  John  C.  Unger  comprises  the 
following-named  children :  Leah  D.,  born  March 
8.  1897;  Emory  P.,  born  November  25,  1900; 
Vernon  William,  bom   September  11,   1905 ;   and 


952 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Mary  Grace,  born  May  2,  1907.  The  liome  farm 
comprises  eighty  acres  aud  iu  additiou,  with  tlio 
assistance  of  his  sister's  sou,  Mr.  linger  operates 
his  mother's  farm  of  liSO  acres,  which  has  the 
unique  distinction  of  having  been  transferred 
only  once  since  the  taldng  out  of  the  governmeut 
patent.  Until  the  death  of  William  Ijoring  the 
latter  engaged  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Unger  in 
the  breeding  of  tine  horses;  iu  addition,  Mr.  Un- 
ger has  made  a  specialty  of  thoroughbred  regis- 
tered Duroc-Jersey  hogs,  some  fine  specimens  of 
which  are  always  to  be  seen  on  his  farm.  So 
closely  has  his  attention  been  given  to  farming 
pursuits  that  he  has  had  little  leisure  for  partici- 
pation in  township  affairs,  yet  he  has  found  time 
to  faithfully  perform  the  duties  of  School  Direc- 
tor of  his  district  and  also  has  kept  posted  con- 
cerning problems  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  na- 
tion. In  presidential  elections  he  votes  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  iu  local  affairs  he  consid- 
ers the  character  and  ability  of  the  candidate  of 
greater  importance  than  his  views  concerning  is- 
sues affecting  the  nation,  but  not  material  to  the 
county  and  township.  With  his  wife  he  holds 
membership  in  the  .Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  and  has  been  a  contributor  to  the  mis- 
sionary movements  of  the  denomination. 

UTTER,  Arthur  Frank. — The  breeding  of  live- 
stock constitutes  a  science,  while  the  dealing  in 
them  aud  their  advantageous  disposition  in  the 
markets  of  the  country,  are  branches  of  a  busi- 
ness whose  successful  prosei-ution  requires  rare 
executive  ability,  judgment  and  foresight.  Some 
of  the  shrewdest  men  in  the  United  States  are  en- 
gaged iu  the  live  stock  business,  and  to  be  a 
leader  in  that  field,  as  is  Arthur  F.  Utter,  of 
Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler  County,  is  of  It- 
self a  proof  of  unusual  determination  and  ability. 

Mr.  Utter  is  a  native  of  Frederick  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  born  January  9,  1SG8,  a  sou  of 
George  D.  and  Priscilla  i.  (Ward)  Utter,  his 
father  being  a  man  of  strong  character  and 
practical  abilities,  whose  life  work  is  reviewed 
on  other  pages  of  this  work.  The  boy  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town- 
ship, and  his  early  life  upon  the  home  fanu  was 
spent  iu  ways  c-ommou  to  the  sons  of  farmers. 
He  remaiued  upon  the  family  homestead  until 
his  ma.iority,  when  soon  afterward  he  was  mar- 
ried and  settled  with  his  young  bride  upon  the 
farm  in  Section  12,  Bainbridge  Township,  which 
he  now  occupies.  He  was  obliged  to  borrow 
money  to  make  his  first  pa.yment  on  his  place, 
but  he  went  to  work  with  determination  and 
energy  to  clear  the  farm  of  debt,  and  not  only 
has  succeeded  in  that  aim.  but  iu  the  acquisition 
of  other  lands,  in  the  establishment  of  a  tine 
reputation  as  a  live-stock  man.  and  In  the  main- 
tenance and  education  (the  latter  still  progress- 
ing) of  a  large  and  intelligent  family.  He  now 
carries  on  fanning  on  2.'?0  acres  of  land,  and  for 
many  .vears  has  been  one  of  the  leading  breeders 
of  Poland-China  hogs  and  Shorthorn  cattle  in  the 
countj-.  Mr.  Utter  is  a  scientific  breeder,  a  fine 
judge  of  live  stock,  a  careful  buyer  and  a  shrewd 


business  manager,  so  that  his  rapid  progress  and 
high  standing  were  foregone  conclusions.  He  is 
not  only  a  large  breeder  aud  dealer,  and  an  ex- 
tensive laud  owner,  but  has  had  the  foresight  to 
generously  jirotect  his  family  by  carrying  seven 
thousand  dollars  life  insurance.  All  of  the  above 
facts  are  proof  conclusive  that  Mr.  Utter  is  a 
man  of  strong  will,  fine  abilities,  and.  what  is 
of  really  more  importance  to  the  true  progress 
of  American  communities,  of  tender  care  for 
those  who  are  dependent  upon  him  for  their  sup- 
IKirt  and  well-U'lng.  In  i)olitics,  he  affiliates 
with  the  Democrjitic  party,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  public  enterprises  which  promi.se  to 
advance  his  conununity. 

.Vrthur  F.  Utter  was  united  in  marriage.  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1889.  to  Miss  Clara  Bradmau,  a  daugh- 
ter of  C.  W.  Bradinan,  who  was  for  many  years 
a  prominent  farmer  aud  citizen  of  Bainbridge 
Township.  Mrs.  Utter  was  bom  iu  Lincoln.  Neb., 
on  the  11th  of  August,  1870.  Her  father,  who 
is  now  a  resident  of  Beardstowu,  HI.,  served 
bravel.v  in  the  Civil  W'ar  as  a  member  of  the 
Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  F.  Utter  have  been  hota 
the  following  children :  Fred  C.  born  September 
9,  188!).  who  died  August  8.  1892:  George  "W., 
born  March  2,  1891  ;  Harry,  born  .March  Ci.  1,S93 ; 
Charles,  born  November  15,  189.j:  Heulah,  born 
February  2(;,  1S9S,  and  died  Dwember  2:{.  1899; 
Frank,  torn  April  12.  1899.  and  died  May  13, 
1900;  Thomas,  December  28,  ]90;i,  and  Edna, 
born  February  10,  1907. 

UTTER,  George  D.,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  of 
high  standing  in  his  locality,  who  is  living  in 
Section  7,  Frederick  Township,  Schuyler  County, 
HI.,  has  passed  more  than  sixty-two  years  in 
the  inunedlate  vicinity  of  his  birthplace.  In  Sec- 
tion 0  of  the  same  township.  Mr.  Utter  was 
born  November  1.S,  1.S4,'),  a  son  of  John  and  Char- 
lotte (Brines)  Utter,  of  whom  the  former  was  a 
New  'i'orker  by  birth.  Henry  Utter,  the  i)aternal 
grandfather,  also  of  New  York  nativity,  came  to 
Wabash  County.  HI.,  in  1815.  where  he  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  the  region,  helping  to 
organize  the  local  administration  of  the  county, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the 
First.  Fourth  and  Fifth  (Jeneral  .\ssemblies. 

The  Utter  was  born  In  .\lleghany  County,  N. 
T.,  November  11,  1810.  and  In  1815,  came  with 
his  father  from  the  East  to  Wabash  County.  III., 
where  on  reaching  maturity  he  was  married  to 
Charlotte  Brines,  the  ceremony  taking  place  De- 
cember 5.  I.S.'U.  Three  years  later,  his  father 
having  died,  he  moved  to  Schuyler  County,  settling 
on  rented  land,  and  In  connection  with  tilling 
the  soil,  sold  fanning  mills  then  manufactured 
by  Jesse  Darnell,  covering  tlie  territory  between 
Frederick  and  Quincy.  and  in  all  directions  from 
Frederick.  Subsequently,  he  bought  forty  acres 
in  Section  C.  Frederick  Township,  on  which  he 
built  a  log  cabin,  and  in  that  cabin  the  subject 
of  this  biographical  record  was  ushered  Into 
being.  .Tohn  Utter  applied  himself  vigorously  to 
the  task  of  improving  the  wild  tract  on  which 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


953 


he  bad  established  bis  home,  in  Section  6.  Be- 
sides this  laud  be  owned  some  property  in  the 
village  of  Frederick  at  the  time  of  his  death,  on 
February  14,  18SS.  When  be  Jirst  located  in 
Schuyler  County,  in  1837,  he  made  the  journey 
from  Wabash  County  in  a  wagon,  which  carried 
all  his  effects.  Before  coming  to  Schuyler  County 
he  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  about 
the  year  1854,  organized  a  military  company,  of 
which  he  was  elected  Captain.  The  muster  days 
of  this  company  were  gala  occasions  for  the  peo- 
ple of  the  vicinity,  who  were  wont  to  gather  at 
Pleasautview  to  watch  the  drilling  maneuvers, 
Capt.  Utter  being  the  principal  drillniaster. 

Charlotte  (Brines)  Utter  was  born  in  Alle- 
ghany County,  N.  Y.,  April  11,  1807.  and  died 
October  15,  1887.  By  John  Utter  she  became 
the  mother  of  five  children,  namely:  Edwin, 
Eliza,  Martha,  Julia  A.,  and  George  D.  Edwin 
was  born  in  Wabash  County,  111.,  June  11,  1835. 
married  Hannah  Nelson  and  bad  five  children. 
of  whom  four — John,  Lyman,  Lillie  and  Douglas 
— are  living.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
War,  enlisting  from  that  county,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 16,  1903,  at  Quincy,  111.,  where  bis  re- 
mains now  lie.  Eliza'  was  bom  in  Wabash 
County.  111.,  July  29,  1836.  She  was  twice  mar- 
ried, her  first  husband  being  James  Lane,  to 
whom  she  was  wedded  July  10,  1854,  and  by  him 
she  had  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are  still 
living,  viz. :  Mrs.  William  E.  Young  and  Mrs. 
William  I'atter.son,  both  residents  of  Frederick 
Township ;  and  Mrs.  Charles  Allen,  whose  home 
is  in  Joplin,  Mo.  Mrs.  Lane's  second  husband 
was  Samuel  O.  Beale.  He  and  his  wife  are  de- 
ceased. Martha  Utter,  born  March  5.  1841,  be- 
came the  wife  of  William  Lane  and  bore  him  one 
child,  Sarah,  who  married  William  B.  Utter,  and 
by  him  had  seven  children.  The  parents  of  Sarah 
are  now  deceased.  Julia  A.  Utter  was  born  Au- 
gust 6,  1843,  and  died  December  3,  1881. 

George  D.  T'tter  was  reared  to  fann  life,  he- 
ing  the  only  son  at  home.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon school  and  assisted  bis  father,  who  being 
an  extensive  landholder,  required  his  services 
most  of  the  time.  He  helped  to  do  the  clearing 
and  other  preliminary  work,  and  was  one  of  the 
busiest  young  men  of  his  day.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
and  even  after  that  event  had  to  look  after  the 
paternal  farming  interests  as  well  as  bis  own. 
In  May,  1868,  he  moved  to  his  present  location, 
the  place  then  containing  only  a  log  cabin,  with 
one  door  and  one  eight-light  window,  liut  being 
furnished  with  a  cook  stove  and  fire  place.  Mrs. 
Utter  understood  weaving,  while  Mr.  litter's 
wife's  mother  was  trained  in  carding  wool,  and 
spinning,  and  both  parents  frequently  revert  to 
the  period,  when  after  retiring  for  the  night,  the 
click  and  knock  of  the  mother's  loom  kept  tliem 
awake.  Finally,  they  built  a  small  kitchen  as 
an  addition  to  their  cabin,  which  afforded  them 
greater  convenience  and  comfort.  In  course  o( 
time,  the  old  log  cabin  gave  place  to  a  substan- 
tial and  handsome  eight-room  dwelling,  ample 
shelter    was   provided    for   the  stock,   and   fruit 


and  ornamental  trees  were  set  out  in  abundance, 
making  a  beautiful  and  attractive  home.  When 
Mr.  Utter  first  took  possession  of  this  place,  it 
was  almost  a  wilderness  and  stump  pulling  was 
the  first  arduous  and  seemingly  interminable 
task  that  confronted  him.  He  well  remembers 
the  day  he  left  the  old  home  for  the  new  one,  not 
more  than  a  mile  away,  and  the  mother's  tears 
as  she  said  good-bye.  Since  then  he  and  bis 
loyal  and  devoted  wife  have  spent  forty  .years  in 
helpful  companionship,  sharing  each  other's  joys 
and  sorrows,  and  be  has  the  serene  consciousness 
that  the  long  period  intervening  has  been  well 
spent.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  240  acres  of  the 
finest  and  most  completely  improved  and  highly 
productive  land  in  Frederick  Township,  and  is 
recognized  by  all  as  one  of  its  leading  agricul- 
turists. His  methods  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing are  thoroughly  practical,  and  bis  diligent  and 
persevering  efforts  have  been  rewarded  by  abun- 
dant and  richly  merited  success. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Utter  took  place  March 
14,  1867,  on  which  date  he  w-as  united  with 
rriscilla  J.  Ward.  Mrs.  Utter  was  born  April 
10,  1848,  a  daughter  of  Apollus  and  Jane  (Bram- 
ble) Ward,  natives  of  Ohio.  The  Bramble  fam- 
ily liistory  may  be  tound  in  another  portion  of 
this  volume.  Eight  children  were  the  offspring 
of  this  union,  six  of  whom  first  saw  the  light  of 
day  in  the  crude  log  cabin  above  described.  The 
names  of  the  children  are  as  follows:  Arthur 
F..  a  narrative  of  whose  career  appears  else- 
where in  this  connection ;  Albert  M.,  born  Octo- 
br  29,  1,870;  Alice,  born  September  4,  1873;  Pu- 
laski, born  November  .30,  1876 ;  Amy,  born  Jan- 
uary 10.  1880;  Mary,  boi'n  October  21.  18S3; 
Minnie,  born  October  .30.  1889 ;  and  Grover.  born 
November  14.  1892.  The  second  son.  Albert,  is 
living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Section  7.  Fred- 
erick Township.  He  was  married,  July  8.  1804, 
to  Helen  Gregg,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namely:  Marion.  Ernest,  William, 
Helen  and  Clinton.  Alice  Utter,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Maurice  Rebman.  is  a  resident  of 
Chapin,  HI.,  and  has  four  children — Alvin.  Bert, 
Edith  and  Mabel.  Full  particulars  concerning 
the  Rebman  family  are  given  in  their  proper  al- 
phabetical order.  Pulaski  Utter,  who  was  a 
.voung  man  of  exceedingly  bright  promise,  died 
January  3,  1896.  Amy  Is  the  wife  of  .John 
T'tter,  residing  in  Beardstown,  and  has  one 
child — Ro.v.  Mary,  Minnie  and  Grover  are  still 
under  the  parental  roof.  All  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  have  received  a 
good  conmion  school  education,  and  are  fitted 
tiy  their  mental  acquirements  to  fill  dsirable  po- 
sitions in  life. 

In  political  action,  George  D.  Utter  has  always 
been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  but 
has  never  sought  public  honors.  Although  re- 
peatedl.v  and  urgently  solicited  to  become  a  can- 
dldat  for  local  office,  he  has  persistently  de- 
clined, feeling  that  his  time  was  fully  occupied 
with  the  duties  pertaining  to  his  farm  and  his 
family.  He  and  his  worthy  wife  are  communi- 
cants of  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  and  both 


954 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  a  large  ac- 
qiuiiutauce,  extendlug  throughout  Frederieli 
Township. 

VALENTINE,  Sylvester. — Among  the  farmers 
of  WoudstOL-k  Township  who  are  investing  their 
calling  with  dignity,  progress  and  refinement  of 
surroundings,  mention  is  due  Sylvester  V'alen- 
tine,  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Section 
IG.  Mr.  Valentine  was  born  in  Pickaway  County. 
Ohio,  October  10,  lS4.j,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sophia  (Young)  Valentine,  natives  of  Ohio,  and 
of  German  descent.  The  paternal  grandfather 
was  born  in  a  German  settlement  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  at  an  early  day  settled  in  I'ickaway 
County,  Ohio,  where,  after  many  years  of  tilling 
a  prairie  farm,  he  died  rich  in  years  and  finan- 
cially prosperous.  His  son,  Samuel,  father  of 
Sylvester,  came  with  his  family  to  Sangamon 
County,  111.,  about  1852,  settling  near  the  old 
home  of  Peter  Cartwright,  the  famous  Methodist 
Episcopal  circuit-rider.  Sylvester  Valentine 
treasures  vivid  memories  of  this  splendid 
preacher,  as  on  many  oc<asions  he  sat  in  church 
and  listened  to  his  eloquent  and  convincing  dis- 
courses. Sanmel  Valentine  died  alwjut  1884.  his 
wife  having  pre-deceased  him  in  1S,S2.  Both  ai-e 
resting  under  shady  trees  in  the  little  cemetery 
at  Pleasant  Plains,  111.  They  were  the  devoted 
and  painstaking  parents  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living.  Of  the  children,  Mary  is  the 
deceased  wife  of  William  V.  Campbell,  of  San- 
gamon County;  Cordelia  (deceased)  was  the 
wife  of  James  E.  Camiibell.  also  deceased:  Rllen 
is  the  widow  of  Dr.  I'liilip  Williams,  and  lives 
in  Tennessee;  Israel  died  in  .Jacksonville.  III.; 
Sophia  is  the  widow  of  Samuel  Campbell,  of  St. 
Josejih.  Mo. ;  Evelyn  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  David 
A.  Dunkle:  Clara  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years;  India  is  the  wife  of  ,Iohn  Kirby.  and 
lives  in  Conway  Springs,  Kan.;  and  Samuel  is  a 
blacksmith  in  Pleasant  Plains.  111.  Samuel  Val- 
entine belonged  to  the  old  time  German  .school 
of  thought  and  action,  and  was  a  devout  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  he  joined  as  oarlv 
as  18.35. 

Sylvester  Valentine  was  seven  years  old  when 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  Sangamon  County, 
III.,  in  18,'>2.  and  he  remained  on  the  home  place 
until  his  twenty-third  year.  He  is  largely  self- 
educated,  although  he  attended  the  district" school 
with  comparative  regularity  during  the  winter 
time,  his  summers  being  devoted  to  the  many 
tasks  which  awaited  his  strength  on  the  olll 
place.  In  18(58  he  rented  a  farm  in  Sangamon 
County,  put  in  his  first  crop  of  corn :  while  on  a 
visit  to  Schuyler  County  that  winter  met  Sarah 
A.  Shupe,  of  Woodstock  Township,  whom  he 
married  October  5.  1870.  The  Shupe  family 
came  to  Illinois  in  1843.  Peter  and  Saraij 
fWrlght)  Shupe.  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Valen- 
tine, were  Mormons,  and  thev  stopped  in  Schuy- 
ler County  on  their  way  to  join  their  fellow  re- 
ligionists in  Salt  Lake  Citv.  On  the  wav  Peter 
his  wife  and  their  three  children,  were  taken 
111.   died  and   were  buried  near  Council   Blufifs 


Iowa.  William  Shupe,  the  father  of  Mi-s.  Valen- 
tine, then  returned  to  Schuyler  County,  reaching 
here  during  the  fall  of  184;5.  On  Xovember  lU, 
1840,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Ann 
Hoffman,  who  was  bonj  in  Ohio  June  20,  1825. 
William  Shupe  being  bom  in  Grayson  County, 
Va.,  October  !t,  1824.  Soon  alter  tlieir  marriage 
they  located  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  the  Valentine  lamily  in  Woodstock  Townsuip, 
Schuyler  County.  Here  William  Shupe  died 
July  8,  1904,  and  his  wife  in  1002.  To  them  were 
bom  six  children :  Samuel  Shupe.  of  Walnut, 
Ivan.;  Sarah  A.  (.Mrs.  Valentine)  of  Kushville, 
111.;  George  H.,  of  Wayland,  111.;  .Mary  !•'.,  wife 
of  Charles  E.  Xardin,  of  .Macomb,  III. ;  Martha 
M.,  wife  of  Daniel  C.  Nell,  a  farmer  of  the  vicin- 
it.v  of  Macomb ;  and  William  Shupe,  a  farmer 
living  in  Ragan,  Neb. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Valentine  returned  to 
Sangamon  County,  and  there  followed  general 
farming  until  again  coming  to  Schuyler  County 
in  1878.  He  then  bought  eighty  acres  of  lauil 
in  Section  17,  Ww)dstock  Township,  the  greater 
part  of  which  was  covered  with  timber  and 
brush,  and  here  he  labored  early  and  late,  cut- 
ting down  trees  and  taking  out  stumps  until  he 
had  one  of  the  best  properties  in  this  pan  of 
Schuyler  County.  This  remained  the  home  of 
the  family  until  1!H)3,  when  they  .settled  on  the 
old  ShuiJe  farm  in  Section  Hi.  rich  in  its  mem- 
ories of  a  fine  old  family  and  their  struggles  to 
acquire  a  footing  among  the  prosperous  of  the 
land.  Four  children  have  bet>n  born  to  Mr.  and 
-Mrs.  Valentine;  Lilly  .M.,  wife  of  Charles 
Newell,  a  farmer  of  Woodstock  Township,  who 
has  five  children— Sanmel,  Kay,  Herman.  Carl 
and  Ruth ;  George  W.,  married  Daisv  Brown  and 
is  living  in  Peoria,  III.;  Herbert "  E..  married 
Maud  Kittenhouse  and  has  one  son.  Glenn  R., 
and  one  daughter.  Olive  .Marie,  Willi  whom,  and 
his  wife,  he  lives  on  the  old  homestead;  and 
Dwight  L.,  graduated  at  the  Normal  School  in 
Rushville  in  June,  1908,  and  will  engage  in 
teaching  the  coming  winter.  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Val- 
entine are  membei-s  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  Mr.  \'alentine  is  a  DeiiKM-rat  in 
politics.  He  is  a  well  informed  and  thoroughly 
practical  farmer,  having  the  respect  and  good 
will  of  his  neight)ors,  and  by  virtue  of  industry. 
Iierseverance  and  integrily,  filling  a  need  in  the 
general  affairs  of  the  community. 

VANCIL,  Benjamin  F. — "A  splendid  fanner  and 
citizen," — an  enthusiastic  expression  which  ev- 
erjone  who  has  ever  had  any  dealings  with  Ben- 
jamin F.  Vancil  would  at  once  apply  to  him. 
His  long  experience  and  strong  capabilities  have 
carried  him  to  the  very  bed-rock  of  agriculture, 
both  in  the  raising  of  crops  and  in  the  breeding 
of  live  stock,  and  his  general  intelligence  and 
moral  earnestness  have  inspired  unvarying  confi- 
dence in  him  as  a  public  man.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  a  firm  advocate  of  I'rohibition.  not 
only  supporting  its  principles  as  measures  of  vi- 
tal importance  to  the  well-being  of  the  commu- 
nity, but  consistently  voting  for  the  candidates 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


955 


of  the  party,  even  wben  aware  of  the  hopeless- 
ness of  present  victory.  Many  of  those  who  op- 
posed him  in  this  work  years  ago,  are  now  his 
stanchest  friends.  His  career  as  a  Prohibition- 
ist has  offered  a  striking  illustration  of  that 
independence  and  moral  stamina  which  are  at 
the  foundation  of  superior  American  citizenship. 

Mr.  Vancil  was  born  in  Woodstock  Township, 
Schuyler  County,  on  January  19,  1861,  the  sou 
of  Tobias  and  Caroline  (Howe)  Vancil,  the 
father  being  reared  in  Tazewell  County,  111.,  and 
the  mother  a  native  of  Ohio.  The  Vancil  family 
are  of  German  descent,  while  the  ancestry  of 
the  Howes  is  Scotch.  The  mother  of  Benjamin 
F.  Vancil  came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents  and 
was  married  in  Tazewell  County,  afterward  set- 
tling in  Woodstock  and  Birmingham  Townships. 
After  the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother,  in  the 
latter  township,  Mr.  Vancil's  father  removed  to 
Colchester,  McDonough  County,  111.,  which  re- 
mained the  family  home  for  some  years  and 
which  was  the  scene  of  his  death  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four.  Four  sons  and  Uve  daughters  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tobias  Vancil,  namely ; 
Amanda,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Bell,  a  farmer 
of  Rushville  Township,  .Schuyler  County ;  Eu- 
maria,  deceased ;  John  M.,  a  farmer  located  in 
Bainbridge  Township ;  James  Edward,  who  is  a 
brickmason  of  Plymuuth,  111. ;  Laura  E.,  wife 
of  Oliver  Davis,  who  lives  near  Bushnell.  111. ; 
Benjamin  F. ;  Sarah,  Mrs.  Washington  Smith,  of 
Colchester.  111. ;  Agnes,  now  the  wife  of  Charles 
Biddings,  of  Macomb,  111. ;  and  Dora,  deceased. 
Both  of  the  parents  were  devout  members  of  the 
old  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  father 
was  a  man  of  unassuming  character,  but  had  a 
natural  genius  as  a  mechanic,  and  was  therefore 
peculiarly  useful  in  a  pioneer  community.  As 
he  was  also  very  accommodating,  old  residents  of 
Schuyler  County  remember  with  pleasure  how 
he  was  equally  skilful  in  building  a  house,  shap- 
ing a  plow,  running  a  sawmill,  or  shoeing  a 
horse. 

When  the  family  moved  to  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship, Benjamin  was  but  a  lad,  and  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  county  hQ  attended  the  district  school 
and  grew  to  manhood,  working  for  his  father 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  On  Decem- 
Ijer  26.  18S1,  shortly  liefore  this  important  epoch 
in  his  life,  he  was  married  to  Rosanna  Kelly, 
who  was  born  in  that  township,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Kelly.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  (For  details  of  the 
Smith  family,  the  re.-ider  is  referred  to  the  biog- 
raphy of  Joserih  H.  Smith).  After  their  mar- 
riage, Mr.  and  Mre.  Benjamin  F.  Vancil  located 
on  the  farm  of  Joseph  H.  Smith,  which  the  hus- 
band has  rented  for  the  past  twenty-six  years, 
and  in  the  operation  of  which  he  has  been  re- 
markably successful.  On  December  24,  1906, 
ilr.  Vancil  bought  187  acres  of  land  in  Section 
l.S,  Bainbridge  Township,  which  was  known  as 
the  William  Knhn  farm,  which,  added  to  the 
place  rented  of  Mr.  Smith,  places  him  in  control 
of  .''>n4  acres  of  fine  land  devoted  partly  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  partly  to  stock-raising. 


Mr.  Vancil's  eleven  children  were  all  born  on 
the  Smith  farm,  and  are  all  living  at  home, 
namely :  Grover  C,  January  10,  1885 ;  James 
F.,  August  18,  1886;  Robert  H.,  July  12,  1888; 
Joseph  F.,  April  29,  1890;  Noah  A.,  August  4, 
1892 ;  Ida  May,  August  28,  1894 ;  Mark  O.,  June 
24,  1897;  George  W.,  February  20,  1900;  Benja- 
min Franklin,  June  22,  VM'.i ;  Nancy  J.,  Oc- 
tober ol,  1905;  and  William  V.,  February  16, 
1908.  A  large  share  of  the  good  fortune  and 
prosperity  which  has  attended  this  family  is  due 
to  the  unremitting  care  and  wise  management 
of  Mrs.  Vancil,  to  whom  her  husband  gives  due 
credit  both  for  the  rearing  of  his  children  ana 
his  success  as  a  man  of  affairs. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vancil  are  earnest  and  in- 
fluential members  of  the  Union  Baptist  Church, 
and  are  leaders  in  high-minded  sociability  and 
morality.  As  stated,  he  is  a  prominent  Prohibi- 
tionist, and  has  always  been  active  in  educa- 
tional work,  having  for  nine  years  past  been  one 
of  the  School  Directors  of  the  Hazel  Dell  Dis- 
trict No.  78. 

VANDIVER,  William  L.— The  attention  of  the 
most  casual  observer  in  passing  through  Brook- 
lyn Township,  Schuyler  County,  is  attracted  to 
the  fartu  owned  and  operated  by  Mr.  Vandiver, 
its  thrifty  appearance  stamping  the  owner  as  a 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  along  the 
lines  of  agriculture.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1899 
that  he  located  in  Brooklyn  Township  and  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  158  acres  on  Section 
29.  Bringing  with  him  the  experience  of  many 
years  in  other  localities,  he  came  well  (jualified 
to  cope  with  the  crude  conditions  which  he  here 
found,  and  be  it  said  to  his  credit  that  every 
foot  of  his  land  is  now  in  a  tillalile  condition. 

As  far  back  as  the  records  can  be  traced,  the 
Vandiver  family  is  of  Southern  origin  and  it  is 
believed  that  the  grandfather  Vandiver  died 
in  Kentucky.  His  wife  died  some  years  pre- 
vious, and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  his  two 
children,  John  and  Edward  (twins),  were  left 
to  the  c.'ire  of  friends.  A  kind  fate  placed  them 
in  charge  of  a  bachelor  neighbor,  James  Worth- 
ington,  who  became  greatly  attached  to  them, 
and  in  later  years,  when  he  left  Kentucky  and 
came  to  Illinois,  he  brought  the  boys  with  him. 
Settling  in  Schuyler  County,  Mr.  Worthington 
purchased  considerable  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
Brooklyn,  and  liecame  one  of  the  largest  land- 
owners in  this  part  of  Schuyler  County.  John 
and  Edward  Vandiver  continued  to  make  their 
home  with  their  uncle,  attending  the  schools  at 
Brooklyn,  and  when  they  reached  maturity  each 
received  forty  acres  of  land  from  their  benfac- 
tor.  Edward  Vandiver  finally  removed  to  Kansas, 
where  he  and  his  wife  both  died,  their  family 
still  residing  in  that  State.  About  the  time  of 
his  marriage,  John  Vandiver  traded  the  forty- 
acre  tract  which  Mr.  Worthington  had  given 
him  for  a  farm  on  Section  .''lO.  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, and  here  be  erected  a  log  cabin  which  was 
the  home  of  the  family  for  many  years — in  fact, 
all  of  his  children  being  born  in  this  primitive 


956 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


dwelling.  In  addition  to  managing  bis  farm  be 
worked  at  the  carpeuter's  trade,  and  many  of 
the  dwellings  tbat  are  now  seen  in  this  virinity 
are  the  work  of  bis  hands. 

The  marriage  of  John  Vandiver  united  him 
with  Angeline  Graham,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  of 
the  twelve  children  bom  to  them  mention  is 
made  of  the  following:  The  eldest  child.  Nel- 
son, is  a  resident  of  Charterville,  Mo.;  during 
the  Civil  War  enlisted  his  services  in  Company 
A,  Seventy-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
serving  tliree  years.  John  was  also  a  memher 
of  the  same  company,  with  his  regiment  passing 
through  all  of  the  hard-fought  battles  and  expe- 
riencing many  fatiguing  marches;  he  is  now  a 
resident  of  Carthage,  111.  Henry,  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Company,  A,  Seventy-eighth  Illinois,  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Jouesboro,  Ga.  Edward 
died  in  infancy.  Edward  (the  second  child  of 
that  name)  grew  to  maturity  and  served  one 
year  in  the  cause  of  his  country  as  a  member  ot 
the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sevi'uth  Infantry; 
he  now  makes  his  home  in  Charterville,  Mo. 
James  is  a  resident  of  Atchison,  Kan.  .Margaret, 
of  Cummings,  Kan.,  is  the  wife  of  Emery  Andre. 
Louisa,  the  widow  of  Clark  Quint,  makes  her 
home  in  Charterville,  Mo.  William  L.  is  the 
next  child  in  order  of  birth.  Lizzie,  of  Cum- 
mings, Kan.,  is  the  widow  of  Kobert  Wright. 
Taylor  died  in  Brooklyn,  Schuyler  County,  when 
twelve  years  of  age.  The  parents  of  thi^e  chil- 
dren both  passed  away  in  Cummings,  Kan.,  the 
mother  in  ISST,  and  the  father  in  IS'Jl.  Both 
were  stanch  adlierents  of  the  Presbyterian  faith 
and  Mr.  Vandiver  was  a  strong  believer  in  Re- 
publican principles.  During  the  early  days  of 
his  residence  in  Illinois  he  filled  many  town- 
ship olHces  within  the  gift  of  its  citizens. 

Born  on  the  family  homestead  on  Section  29, 
Brooklyn  Township,  Schuyler  County,  May  12, 
1859,  William  L,  \andiver  iiassed  his  boyhood 
in  that  vicinity,  there  being  nothing  out  of  the 
ordinary  to  distinguish  his  life  from  that  of 
other  farmer  lads  of  his  acquaintance.  I'p  to 
the  age  of  twenty-two  he  worked  on  the  home 
farm,  having  in  the  meantime  attended  the  dis- 
trict school,  but  after  arriving  at  his  maturity  he 
started  life  independently  by  hiring  out  as  a 
farm  hand,  at  tirst  receiving  for  his  services 
$14  per  month.  Two  years  later,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  he  assumed  domestic  responsibili- 
ties by  bis  marriage,  which  occurred  October  25, 
1883.  and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  Wells, 
who  was  l)orn  in  Brooklyn  Township,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Herbert  Wells.  The  latter,  now  deceased, 
was  one  of  the  early  pione<»rs  of  Schuyler  County. 
Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Vandiver  worked 
by  the  month  on  the  farm  of  Charles  Worthing- 
ton,  but  two  years  later  rented  the  old  honit 
farm  of  his  mnther-in-law,  continuing  its  culti- 
vation until  settling  upon  land  of  his  own.  This 
was  in  1880,  at  which  time  he  purchased  110 
acres  of  land  in  Brooklyn  Township.  Two  years 
later  he  sold  this  pro]ierty  and  removed  to  Web- 
ster County,  Neb,,  there  purchasing  200  acres. 
After  disposing  of  that  property  he  bought  160 


acres  in  I'helps  County,  that  State,  liut  renting 
the  property  in  18!ill.  returned  to  S<-huyler  County 
and  entered  the  stock  Imsiness  with  Charles 
Wortbingtou,  his  former  employer,  in  Rushville. 
'I'his  association  lasted  live  montlis  when,  in 
the  fall  of  1890.  he  purchased  his  present  farm 
on  Section  20,  where,  as  previously  noted,  he 
now  resides. 

Six  chiliircn  were  horn  to  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vandiver,  namely:  Freddie,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Malnjl,  at  home;  Herbert  and 
.Tohn,  twins,  the  latter  dying  in  infancy,  and 
the  former  iieing  now  a  student  in  Dixon  Col- 
lege; Ilally,  at  home;  and  Everett,  a  student  in 
the  public  sdiools.  In  taking  a  resume  of  the 
life  of  Mr.  Vandiver  one  is  impressed  with  wliat 
he  has  accomiilished :  Starting  in  young  man- 
hood with  nothing  l)ut  an  indondtable  will  and 
a  deternnnation  to  become  a  successful  farmer, 
he  at  tirst  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  $14  i)er 
month.  By  carefully  saving  his  earnings  lie  was 
soon  I'uabied  to  make  investments  in  land,  pur- 
chasing two  farms  in  Nebraska,  and  by  selling 
at  an  advance  over  the  purchase  price,  he  has 
realized  handsomely  on  his  original  investment. 
Since  locating  on  his  present  farm  his  industry 
has  been  even  more  liberally  rewarded,  the  re- 
sult being  that  he  has  one  of  the  most  productive 
farms  in  his  section  of  Schuyler  County.  It  is  his 
belief  that  the  best  stock  obtainable  is  the  only 
kind  to  handle,  a  policy  which  he  adheres  to  and 
on  bis  farm  may  he  seen  superior  .specimens  or 
imiHU'ted  Shire  and  road  horses. 

Not  all  of  Mr.  Vandlver's  time  is  ab.sorbed  In 
looking  after  his  own  private  interests,  being 
in  addition  an  active  worker  In  the  ranks  of  the 
Republican  party.  In  100(i  he  was  nominated  by 
that  party  for  the  oflice  of  Supervisor  and  elected 
by  a  good  majority  over  one  of  the  strongest 
opponents  in  the  Democratic  party.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Moci- 
eni  Woodmen  of  America,  both  of  Brooklyn. 
With  bis  wife  he  Is  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  lioth  supporting  its  charities  with 
a  liberal  hand,  and  both  are  held  in  high  esteem 
by  their  many  friends  and  acguaintances. 

VAUGHAN,  Silas  Bruce.— The  Vaughans, 
closely  identified  with  the  agricultural  progress 
of  Schuyler  County,  III.,  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  are  of  an  old  Virginia  family  who  mi- 
grated to  Kentucky  in  the  early  •forties.  Silas 
B.  Vaughan  was  but  sixteen  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  the  county,  and  two  years  later 
began  living  on  the  farm  which  has  ever  since 
been  his  home,  a  jieriod  of  more  than  fifty  years. 
As  youth  and  man,  for  these  many  years  he  has 
industriously,  faithfully  and  ably  performed  the 
duties  which  have  come  to  him,  and  now,  at  the 
age  of  nearly  seventy  years,  he  has  reached  a 
position  of  substantial  comfort  and  the  still  more 
enviable  station  In  life  in  which  confidence  in 
his  honor  is  firmly  grounded  on  his  past.  Old 
age  can  have  no  greater  comfort  than  to  look 
back  at  real  achievement,  and  see  in  the  present 
the  reverence  and  affection  which  constitute  a 
vindication  of  the  past. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


957 


Mr.  Vaiigbau  is  a  uative  of  Culpepper  County, 
Va.,  boru  April  IS,  ISoS,  a  sou  ot  Heury  ana 
Jael  (Joues)  Vaugban,  botb  of  tbe  county  men- 
tioned. The  original  Vaugbaus  were  Welslimen, 
and  tbe  Joneses,  Irisb  and  German.  Tbe  grand- 
fathers, Venscin  Vaughau  and  Robert  Jones,  both 
died  ill  Culpeper  County.  In  1844  Henry 
Vaughau.  tbe  father,  migrated  from  the  Old  Do- 
minion to  B(K)ue  County.  Ky.,  and  in  lSu4  came 
by  steamboat  from  Cincinnati,  down  the  Ohio 
and  up  tbe  Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers  to 
Schuvler  County.  On  tbe  1-ltb  day  of  March,  of 
that  "year,  the  family  located  on  a  farm  in  Barn- 
bridge  Towuship,  now  owned  by  Milton  Camp- 
bell, where  they  remained  for  two  years,  in  1856 
settling  on  tbe  tract  of  120  acres  in  Section  9, 
Baiubridge  Towuship,  which  was  for  tweuty-oue 
years  tbe  family  homestead  and  which  afterward 
became  the  home  of  the  son,  Silas  B.  At  that 
time,  when  be  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  it  was 
covered  with  heavy  timber  and  quite  unimproved, 
and  his  father,  with  the  assistance  of  bis  sons, 
first  built  a  hewed  log  bouse  for  the  family 
residence  (sixteen  by  twenty  feet)  and  then 
commenced  to  fell  the  trees  and  roll  away  or  burn 
tbe  logs.  In  a  few  years  tbe  wild  forest  was  con- 
verted into  tillable  land,  and  the  log  cabin  was 
made  more  comfortalile  for  the  shelter  of  the 
growing  family.  Here  tbe  mother  died  July  12, 
18(18,  and  tbe  father,  June  11.  1877.  Of  their 
ten  children,  tour  died  in  infancy,  and  tbe  fol- 
lowing reached  maturity:  Robert,  now  living 
in  Oklahoma  with  a  daughter:  William,  who  is 
a  farmer  of  Lemoine  Township.  McDonough 
County,  111. :  Elizabeth,  who  married,  first.  J.  D. 
Rouse,  and  after  his  death,  Samuel  Stover,  both 
of  whom  are  deceased :  Silas  B. ;  Susan  A.,  who 
married  James  T.  Broadbead,  a  farmer,  also  of 
Lemoine  Township,  JIcDonough  County :  and 
Christopher  C.  Vaugban,  who  was  last  located 
in  Omaha,  Neb.,  but  whose  whereabouts  have 
been  unknown  for  forty  years. 

During  his  youth,  Silas  B.  Vaugban  attended 
the  connnon  schools  of  Boone  County.  Ky..  and 
Bainbridge  Township.  Schuyler  County.  On  No- 
vember 24.  1S()7.  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Orr,  bom  in  County  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  in 
August,  18.S0,  and  whose  parents  came  to  Schuy- 
ler County  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  (For  biogra- 
phy of  Mrs.  Vaugban's  father,  Joseph  Orr.  see 
I»«>rsonal  sketch  elsewhere  in  this  work.)  At  half 
past  six.  on  tbe  morning  following  their  wed- 
ding day,  they  came  to  the  old  home  farm,  which 
has  ever  since  been  their  abode,  and  here  their 
four  children  were  bom :  The  first,  who  died 
in  infancy ;  lona,  born  July  18,  1870,  and  mar- 
ried as  bis  first  wife  Miss  Jessie  Lawler.  who 
died  January  2,  1898,  and  as  bis  second.  Miss 
Mary  Dean,  by  whom  he  has  had  one  child 
(Mary  Louisa),  tbe  husband  now  farming  on  the 
old  place :  Otho,  bom  September  30,  1872.  and 
who  died  Jlay  4.  1873 :  and  Ida.  who  was  born 
March  31,  1874,  and  is  still  living  at  home.  A 
granddaughter,  Gladys  Juanita.  is  also  making 
her  home  at  the  old  homestead. 


Mr.  Vaughan  now  owns  170  acres  in  Sections 
4  audi),  Bainbridge  Township.  It  is  all  well  im- 
proved, 100  acres  having  been  under  (.-ultivation 
for  fifty-three  years,  and  the  homestead  is  alto- 
gether one  of  tbe  most  comfortable  and  attract- 
ive in  its  section.  Mr.  Vaughan  is  Democratic  in 
his  political  tendencies,  but  inclined  to  be  lib- 
eral in  his  views,  has  neither  held  nor  sought 
office. 

WARD,  Apollus  (deceased),  during  his  life  a 
widely  known  and  honored  pioneer  of  Schuyler 
County.  III.,  was  born  in  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  July  29,  1805,  a  son  of  Uzal  Ward,  a  for- 
mer resident  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey  and  of 
linglish  ancestry.  The  father,  Uzal  Ward,  was 
bom  Febmary  8,  17t)."),  and  the  grandfather.  Jo- 
seph Ward,  was  lK)rn  August  25,  1734.  Uzal 
Ward  came  from  New  Jersey  to  tbe  vicinity  of 
Cincinnati  at  an  early  day,  remaining  a  number 
of  years,  when  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Union  County,  Ind.,  and  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  In  1828  Aix)llus  Ward  pur- 
chased a  warrant  for  100  acres  twunty  land,  is- 
sued to  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  and  bearing 
the  signature  of  I'resideut  James  Monroe  in 
1817.  He  did  not  see  the  land,  however,  until 
the  spring  of  1832,  when  he  came  to  Schuyler 
County  for  tbe  first  time.  This  being  the  year  of 
the  Black  Hawk  War.  he  tendered  his  services  to 
the  Government  and,  for  about  six  weeks,  was 
connected  with  the  company  under  txjmmand  of 
Capt.  Peter  Vance,  but  saw  no  fighting. 

Returning  to  Indiana,  after  a  period  of  illness, 
he  remained  there  until  1835,  when  he  married 
Jane  Bramble,  a  year  later  coming  to  Illinois 
with  his  wife  and  an  infant  son.  A  portion  of  the 
last  year,  before  coming  west,  appears  to  have 
been  spent  at  Colunil)Us,  where  their  oldest  son. 
Major  Andrew,  was  born  in  18.30.  Mrs.  Ward 
also  being  a  native  of  that  State.  On  aiTiving  in 
Schuyler  County  in  September,  1836,  he  found 
things  in  a  primitive  state,  his  land  located  in 
Section  11  of  what  is  now  Bainbridge  Township, 
being  covered  with  timber,  hazel  brush  and  other 
wild  shrubbery,  requiring  much  labor  in  prepar- 
ing for  cultivation.  His  first  business  was  the  erec- 
tion of  a  log  cabin  with  stick  chimney  and  pun- 
cheon fioor,  and  furnished  in  the  back-woods 
style  of  those  days.  Here  he  continued  to  reside 
for  a  period  of  more  than  forty  years,  with  the 
aid  of  his  sons,  whose  biographies  are  given  on 
the  following  pages  of  this  volume,  improving 
and  developing  his  property.  His  death  oc- 
curred here  March  14,  1878,  his  wife  surviving 
him  until  July  14.  1896. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Apollus  Ward  reared  a  family 
of  nine  children,  all  except  the  eldest  being  bom 
in  Illinois.  These  children  were  Major  Andrew, 
born  August  9,  18.35,  married  Miss  Emily  J.' 
Davis,  and  died  March  9,  1900.  leaving  a  family 
of  nine  children  ;  Henry  M..  born  .Vpril  19.  183.8, 
and  twice  married,  having  one  child  by  the  first 
wife,  and  four  by  the  second;  James  Madison, 
born  May  28.  1840,  married  Eliza  L.  Ta.vlor  in 
1873  and  lives   on   tbe  paternal   farm — has  one 


958 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


son;  Edwiu  Marion,  born  January  7,  lSi3,  In 
1807  married  as  liis  seeoud  wile  Lydia  J.  Bridge- 
man,  who  bore  him  lour  cliildreu ;  Mary  married 
William  Ac-bison,  and  resides  iu  Kusbville;  Pris- 
cilla  J.,  wife  of  George  Utter,  of  Frederick 
Township,  Schuyler  County;  Ira  L.  married 
Mary  J.  Taylor,  by  whom  he  has  bad  four  chll- 
di-en  and  lives  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  borne 
place ;  Emily  J.,  deceased  wife  of  Thomas  Dodge, 
a  farmer  of  Baiubridge  Township,  to  whom  she 
bore  seven  children  ;  and  Jackson,  born  Febru- 
ary v.),  ISoU,  married  Miss  Martha  A.  Dodds  iu 
ISVS,  has  had  Ave  children  and  lives  iu  Baiu- 
bridge  Township. 

Apullus  Ward  was  of  the  sturdy  type  of  pio- 
neers in  Schuyler  County  who  did  much  by  his 
industry  and  enterprise  to  develop  that  regiou. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  South,  and  his  influence 
is  perpetuated  in  the  high  reputation  enjoyed  by 
his  descendants. 

WARD,  Edward  Marion. — Schuyler  County  has 
no  mure  interesting  landmark  than  the  farm  in 
Section  11,  Bainbridge  Township,  where  Edward 
Marion  Ward  was  bora  on  a  cold  winter's  day, 
January  7,  1S43.  Mr.  Ward,  who  is  now  a 
farmer  in  the  section  adjoining  that  in  which 
his  childhood  was  jjassed,  and  who  is  the  owner 
of  seventy  acres  of  land  iu  Section  10,  represents 
a  family  continuously  identifletl  with  Schuyler 
County  since  the  early  'thirties,  and  numerously 
scattered  over  lauds  radiating  from  the  old  place 
for  a  distance  of  eight  miles.  Apollos  Ward  oc- 
cupies a  prominent  place  among  the  |)ioueers  of 
this  section.  It  was  he  who  bought  a  colt  at  a 
sale  in  Indiana,  and  later  traded  the  colt  and 
$150  for  the  100  acres  of  land  now  recognized 
as  the  center  of  Ward  occupancy  iu  Schuyler 
County.  He  himself  arrived  to  look  over  his 
land  in  1832,  and  he  found  conditions  lively 
enough  to  satisfy  even  the  most  exacting  and 
adventurous.  Black  Hawk  then  was  on  the 
war  path,  and  Governor  Reynolds,  issuing  a 
call  for  volunteers,  Mr.  Ward  tendered  his 
services,  becoming  a  member  of  the  company  of 
Captain  Peter  Vance.  After  the  Indians  had 
Ix-en  driven  from  the  State,  Mr.  Ward  returned 
to  bis  farm  in  Bainbridge  Township,  but  being 
taken  ill  went  back  to  Indiana,  where  he  re- 
gained his  health  and  married  Jane  Bramble  in 
1S35.  In  1S36,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  son, 
Major  A.,  he  came  back  to  Schuyler  County,  lo- 
cated on  the  land  he  had  acquired  through  ex- 
change, and  remained  there  for  the  balance  or 
his  life.  For  more  extended  family  historv  see 
sketch  of  James  M.  Ward. 

Farm  development  in  the  early  days  was  nec- 
essarily much  slower  than  at  present,  and  when 
Edward  Marion  Ward  had  attained  years  of  use- 
fulness, there  still  remained  much  'of  the  hard 
grind  of  land  clearing,  which  precedes  actual  cul- 
tivation. He  helped  to  cut  down  trees  and  divest 
the  land  of  underbrush,  attending  the  district 
schools  during  the  winter  season,  and  sharing  in 
such   diversions  as  broke   the  monotony  of  the 


hard  working  iwpulation  of  Bainbridge  Towu- 
ship.  February  21,  1S03,  he  was  united  iu  mar- 
riage to  Margaret  Baldwin,  daughter  of  James 
W.  Baldwin,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  early  settler 
of  Masou  County,  111.  Later  Mr.  Baldwin  moved 
to  Schuyler  County,  and  during  the  sinnmer  of 
1803  located  iu  Section  10,  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship, which  then  Ixjasted  a  small  log  cabin  and 
an  abundance  of  heavy  timber.  Iu  the  si)ring  of 
1807  he  lost  his  first  wife,  and  in  SeptemU'r  o; 
the  same  year,  married  Lydia  J.  Bridgeman, 
daughter  of  Martiu  and  Ruth  (Caywood)  Bridge- 
man,  Southerners  by  birth,  and  i)ioneers  of 
Schuyler  County.  Mr.  Bridgeman  became  a  wid- 
ower in  later  life,  and  eventually  went  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  lie  was 
bred  to  the  lazy,  unambitious  life  of  the  South, 
and  for  a  time  was  a  slave  owner,  but  his  nat- 
ural energy  tiually  found  its  fitting  iilace  in  the 
larger  opiwrtunities  of  tlie  Central  West.  .Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ward  had  the  following  children,  all 
of  whom  were  born  in  a  hewed-log  cabin :  .Mar- 
tin, Augustus,  Rozzie  and  Edgar.  Martin  mar- 
ried Lena  Nelson,  who  died  March  20.  I'JUO, 
leaving  six  children — Elmer,  Roy,  Don,  Lulu, 
Stella  and  Edna  ;  Augustus  niarricnl  Nellie  Dou- 
ald.s<in  ;  Rozzie  married  Bessie  Ballou,  February 
20,  1908,  moving  to  Butler  County,  Kan.,  near 
Eldorado;  and  Edgar  was  killed  July  11,  1'J<I4, 
by  lightning,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Ward  Iwught  his  property  soon  after  his 
marriage,  it  having  formerly  ht^-u  owned  by  his 
maternal  grandfather,  -Mr.  Bramble.  .\t  first  It 
was  owned  by  Edward  and  Henry  Ward,  but  the 
former  soon  after  bought  the  interest  of  his 
brother,  and  since  has  devoted  it  to  general  tann- 
ing and  stock-raising.  To  his  first  thirty-five 
acres  lie  has  added  as  many  more,  ,ind  now  all 
but  eighteen  acres  have  been  cleared  of  the  for- 
mer growth  of  black  oak  and  walnut  -Mr.  Ward 
was  a  member  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Church 
at  Jlount  t'armel,  and  has  been  a  generous  con- 
tributor to  its  work  for  many  •years.  He  has 
been  an  interested  and  helpful  observer  of  the 
many  great  changes  which  have  taken  i)lace  dur- 
ing the  sixty-five  years  of  his  life,  and  he  de- 
lights in  recalling  the  conditions  in  which  his 
youth  was  set,  especially  well  remembered  be- 
ing the  deer  trail  across  the  old  homestead. 
Great  flocks  of  wild  turkeys  darkeued  the  air  at 
times,  and  Iwth  turkeys  and  deer  were  readily 
available  for  food  for  the  settlers.  Since  its 
formation.  Mr.  Ward  has  been  an  ardent  if  non- 
active  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 

WARD,  Henry  M.— During  the  summer  of  1836 
the  spai-sely  settled  part  of  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  now  known  as  Bainbridge  Township,  claimed 
a  new  arrival  in  .\pc)llcis  Ward,  who.  with  his 
wife,  J.me  (Bramble)  Ward,  took  up  Govern- 
ment land  in  Section  11.  In  the  conventional  log 
cabin  he  began  the  struggle  for  existence  among 
the  hardest  and  least  encouraging  of  conditions, 
and  here,  April  in,  18.38,  his  son,  Henry  -M. 
Ward,  now  a  resident  of  Section  10.  in  the  same 
township,  was  born.    The  lad  grew  strong  In  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


959 


outdoor  life  of  the  prairies,  and  wlieu  tlie  duties 
of  tlie  iioiue  place  permitted,  attended  tlie  sub- 
scription school  which  had  been  erected  on  Ms 
father's  farm,  and  which  was  then  known  as 
the  Ward  School,  now  the  Jlount  Carmel  School. 

In  his  youth  Henry  M.  Ward  spent  many  days 
in  grubbing  stumps  and  chopping  trees,  and  he 
became  familiar  with  every  kind  of  work  to  be 
found  around  the  old  place.  He  took  naturally 
to  tilling  the  soil,  always  has  respected  his  call- 
ing, and  naturally  has  succeeded  at  what  he  has 
found  congenial  and  profitable.  His  fortunes 
took  a  different  turn  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, March  10,  ISoD,  to  Mary  Ann  Bridgewater, 
daughter  of  William  and  Eleanor  (Donohue) 
Bridgewater,  natives  of  Indiana,  and  pioneers  of 
Bainbridge  Township.  It  was  a  small  farm  of 
forty-five  acres  that  Mr.  Ward  first  considered 
his  own  proiterty.  and  it  was  located  in  Section 
1»»,  Bainbridge  Township.  It  had  a  log  cabin 
that  his  brother.  Major  A.  Ward,  had  erected, 
and  which  continued  to  be  the  latter's  home  until 
he  moved  in  1S58  to  the  farm  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1000.  When  Henry  M.  succeeded  to 
his  brother's  farm  directly  after  his  marriage, 
he  found  but  two  acres  cleared  of  timber,  and 
many  weeks  and  months  were  required  ere  au 
appreciable  change  was  noted.  All  went  well 
in  the  rude  home  until  the  death  of  the  mother 
in  Septemlier,  ]Sti4.  There  were  three  children 
of  the  union,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy,  while 
Ellas  Leauder,  the  only  sui-vivor,  who  is  a  farmer 
in  Rushville  Township,  was  married  and  lie- 
came  the  father  of  two  sous  and  two  daughters. 
February  2,  1865,  Jlr.  Wjird  married  Mary  E. 
Buckels,  who  was  born  in  Scott  County,  lud., 
August  7,  1848,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Rebec- 
ca (Parker)  Buckels,  who  came  in  18.50  to 
Schuyler  County,  settling  in  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship, where  Mr.  Buckels  died  September  9,  lUOO, 
his  wife  having  pre-deceased  him  April  13,  1883. 
There  were  four  children  in  the  Buckels  family, 
Mrs.  Ward  being  the  second  oldest.  Elisha  Buck- 
els was  a  soldier  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
teenth Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  taken  sick  and  died  at  the  battle  of 
Lookout  Mountain  ;  Ann  S.  is  the  wife  of  John 
Jackson,  a  farmer  living  five  and  a  half  miles 
southwest  of  Neodesha,  Kans. ;  and  James  is 
a  farmer.  After  the  marriage  ceremony  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ward  got  into  a  wagon  and  drove  over  and 
took  possession  of  their  present  farm,  which  con- 
tains ninety-five  acres.  Mr.  Ward  is  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  has  a 
veiy  profitable  and  pleasant  farm.  He  has 
cleared  eighty-nine  acres,  considerable  of  which 
is  devoted  to  stock. 

Ever  since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
Mr.  Ward  has  subscribed  to  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  he  has  held  many  offices 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  Tax  Col- 
lector two  years.  Justice  of  the  Peace  tn'elve 
yeai-s.  and  Supervisor  for  two  years.  His  serv- 
ice invariabl.v  was  characterized  by  justice  and 
integrity,  and  he  has  been  one  of  the  most  sat- 
isfactory  officials   in   the   history   of   Bainbridge 


Township.  His  children,  both  by  his  first  and 
second  wife,  have  been  given  excellent  educa- 
tional and  other  opportunities,  <ind  every  chance 
has  been  noted  and  improved  to  make  them  desir- 
able and  useful  members  of  their  respective  com- 
munities. Mr.  Ward  has  the  gift  of  making  and 
keeping  friends,  and  in  this,  his  sixty-ninth  year, 
he  finds  himself  the  recipient  of  the  respect  and 
affection  of  all  who  know  him. 

WARD,  Jackson. — Schuyler  County  is  much  in- 
debted to  the  Ward  fau]ily,  for  there  are  none 
of  its  members  who  have  reached  maturity  in 
this  section  but  have  contributed  to  its  agricul- 
tural prosperity,  as  well  as  to  the  development  of 
its  educational  and  civic  systems.  Jackson  Ward, 
whose  farm  is  in  Section  12,  Bainbridge  Town- 
ship, and  who  is  one  of  its  most  worthy  repre- 
sentatives, is  the  son  of  ApoUus  Ward.  (For 
the  general  family  history,  see  the  biography  of 
James  M.  Ward.)  Jackson  Ward  was  reared 
upon  the  old  home  farm,  and  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict school  of  Ms  neighborhood  until  his  mar- 
riage in  1870  a  few  months  before  he  had 
reached  his  majority.  He  was  born  in  Section 
11,  Bainbridge  Township,  on  the  19th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1800,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  A. 
Dodds,  September  28,  1876.  His  wife,  also  a 
native  of  Bainbridge  Township,  was  born  July 
25.  1858,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Margaret 
(Wilson)  Dodds,  her  father  being  an  honored 
pioneer  of  the  county,  whose  imblished  record 
may  be  read  with  pleasure  in  connection  with 
the  biography  of  his  son,  Thomas  Dodds. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jack.son  Ward,  namely :  One  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  Ethel  J.,  deceased  wife  of  Frank  Krohe, 
born  October  11,  1877,  and  died  June  9,  1903 — • 
was  the  mother  of  three  children — Homer,  Roy 
and  Florence;  Minnie,  born  August  31,  1882,  and 
is  living  at  home ;  Wallace,  born  November  27, 
1884,  who  married  Jliss  Annie  Strong,  Septem- 
lier 1,  1906,  his  wife  being  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  Q.  Strong,  of  Bainbridge  Township,  and 
who  is  now  operating  the  Strong  homestead;  and 
Vernon,  born  November  13,  1.894,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing at  home.  The  children  have  been  given  a 
good  common  school  education,  and  are  an  honor 
to  the  famil.v  name. 

Jackson  Ward  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of 
Schuyler  County,  whether  considered  from  the 
standpoint  of  worldly  comfort,  of  sul)stance  or 
character.  His  pleasant  homestead  is  within 
half  a  mile  of  his  place  of  birth,  his  agricultural 
labors  being  devoted  chiefly  to  live-stock,  in  con- 
nection with  which,  lioth  as  a  raiser  and  dealer, 
he  is  well  known.  Although  his  entire  life  has 
been  devoted  to  agriculture  in  some  form,  he  has 
also  taken  an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of 
tlie  township,  especially  those  which  relate  to 
tbe  common  school  s.vstem.  He  is  one  of  the 
Directors  of  School  District  No.  76,  has  held  the 
oltice  of  Township  Assessor  and  is  otherwise 
iilcutified  Willi  township  goveiTiment.  In  politics, 
.Mr.  Ward  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  fraternal  asso- 
ciations   are    with    the    Modern    Woodmen    of 


960 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


America,  I'leasaut  View  Camp  No.  2040.     Both 
he  aud  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 

Church.  '  ,,  ..• 

Jlr.  Ward's  substautial  and  honorable  position 
has  not  been  attained  except  at  the  exjieuse  of 
long  years  of  labor,  self-denial  aud  good  man- 
agement, his  pei-soual  efforts  being  ably  seconded 
by  those  of  his  good  aud  capable  wife.  For  four 
or  Ave  years  after  their  marriage  they  were  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  rented  land,  but  about  1SS3 
Mr.  Ward  bought  eighty  acres  in  Section  12. 
Upon  this  dilapidated  property,  which  had  for 
improvements  a  little  Irame  bouse  aud  an  old 
log  stable,  the  father  begau  making  improve- 
ments and  preparing  the  land  for  cultivation, 
while  the  mother  gave  etiually  energetic  atten- 
tion to  the  care  aud  improvement  of  the  house- 
hold aud  its  surrouudiugs.  Mr.  Ward  tiually 
erected  a  comfortable  two-story  frame  residence 
with  substantial  barus.  and  other  out-buildings, 
introduc-ed  radical  improvements  in  the  way  of 
drainage  aud  tillage  of  the  soil,  aud  his  place 
is  now  classed  among  the  comfortable  and  U^au- 
tiful  homesteads  of  Bainbridge  I'ownship,  being 
considered  a  suggestive  illustration  of  its  owner's 
substantial  and  enterprising  character. 

WARD,  James  Madison.— The  fine  live-stock 
farm  of  100  acres,  located  m  Section  11.  Bain- 
bridge Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  aud 
owned  by  the  honored  citizen  uamed  above,  has 
been  in  the  Ward  family  for  nearly  eighty  years, 
and  since  1830  has  been  continuously  occupied 
as  a  homestead  by  either  father  or  son.  It  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  James  M.  Ward  knows 
every  inch  of  the  farm,  and  that  be  loves  it  as 
thoroughly  as  be  knows  it.  In  a  human  way 
the  iieople  of  the  township  have  much  the  same 
feeling  toward  Mr.  Ward  as  he  has  toward  the 
old  homestead;  tlieir  long  aequaintauce  with 
him  aud  their  substantial  affection  for  him, 
based  upon  reliable  and  continuous  service,  have 
gone  hand  in  hand  these  many  years.  He  has 
not  only  furnished  a  fine  example  of  a  typical 
American  farmer,  but  the  faitbfuluess  of  a  citi- 
zen who  has  never  wearied  in  doing  his  utmost 
for  the  public,  his  neighbors  aud  friends  of  a 
lifetime.  For  thirty  consecutive  years  he  has 
served  in  some  official  capacity  iu  the  township 
government,  for  the  past  twenty-six  years  of  that 
period  having  been  Town  Clerk.  His  is  perhaps 
the  greatest  success  iu  life  to  secure  friendship 
and  confidence  by  faithfulness  in  every  duty,  aud 
to  retain  them  both  unshaken,  rather  with  in- 
crease of  strength  as  the  years  pass. 

James  M.  Ward  was  horn  on  the  farm  he  now 
owns  aud  occupies  on  May  20,  1840.  beiug  a  son 
of  A[)ollus  and  Jane  (Bramble)  Ward.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Hamilton  County,  Ohio, 
born  July  29,  1805.  aud  was  iu  turn  a  son  of 
Uzal  Ward,  of  New  Jersey,  who  is  thought  to 
have  been  of  English  ancestry.  Apollus  Ward 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Union  County,  Ind., 
where  his  f.itber  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  The  former,  however,  had  decided  to  mi- 
grate to  lands  further  west,  and  in  1828  bought 


one  of  the  many  claims  filed  iu  Illinois  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812,  or  their  descend- 
ants. The  warrant  had  been  signed  by  President 
Monroe  iu  1817  aud,  as  intimated,  c-overed  the 
homestead  of  the  Ward  family  in  Bainbridge 
Township.  In  the  spring  of  1832  Apollus  Ward 
viewed  his  land  for  the  first  time,  aud,  although 
be  was  out  with  the  .soldiers  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War  for  aliout  six  weeks,  he  saw  no  fighting  and 
returned  to  Indiana.  lie  was  married  in  1835, 
aud  in  the  following  year  brought  his  wife  to 
his  timbered  farm  in  Illinois.  In  addition  to 
the  timber,  he  found  that  much  of  the  land  had 
been  covered  with  brush  and  wild  plum  trees, 
aud  the  outlook  was  anything  but  encouraging. 
The  first  work  was  to  build  a  log  cabin  for  the 
wife  aud  infant  boy — the  latter  born  iu  Indiana. 
The  logs  for  the  walls  were  hewn,  aud  the  bed- 
steads uuide  by  boring  holes  iu  the  ends  of  the 
timber.  Stick  chimneys  aud  puncheon  floors, 
with  split  logs  for  seats,  home-spun  clothes,  aud 
all  the  other  well  known  accessories  of  the  prim- 
itive life  of  pioneer  times,  constituted  some  of 
the  cnide  surroundings  of  James  M.  Ward's  hoy- 
hood  days ;  for  he  was  born  in  this  rude  log 
cabin,  as  were  his  brothers  .md  sisters.  But 
despite  the  necessary  deprivations  of  the  times 
and  the  place,  the  life  passed  there  was 
healthful  aud  happy.  There  the  parents  died 
aud  their  children  grew  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, and  finally  when  they  were  called  uiJon  to 
make  homes  of  their  own  settled  within  three 
miles  of  the  old  farm. 

The  childreu  of  the  family  have  been  as  fol- 
lows :  Major  A.  Ward,  now  deceased  aud  the 
only  one  lK)rn  iu  Indiana,  who  married  Emily  J. 
David  and  had  a  family  of  nine  children; 
Henry,  a  farmer  of  Bainbridge  Township,  who 
had  one  child  by  a  first  marriage  and  four  by  a 
second ;  James  .M. ;  Edward  .Marion,  who  has 
had  three  children  by  a  second  wife;  .Mary,  wife 
of  William  Achesou  and  a  resident  of  UushvUle; 
I'riscilla  J.,  who  married  George  Utter,  a  Fred- 
erick Township  farmer;  Ira  L.,  who  lives  with 
his  wife  (nee  Mary  J.  Taylor)  and  his  four  chil- 
dren on  .1  fanu  adjoining  the  home  place  on  the 
east;  Emily  J.,  deceased,  formerly  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Dodge,  a  farmer  of  Bainbridge  'I'own- 
ship. by  whom  slie  had  seven  childreu ;  and  Jack- 
son Ward,  a  farmer  of  the  same  township,  who 
has  a  family  of  three  children. 

As  stated  the  father  came  to  Schuyler  County 
in  18.30  and  settled  on  his  farm  in  Section  11, 
Bainbridge  Township,  where  the  children  were 
reai-ed.  As  they  developed  to  maturity  and  mar- 
ried he  helped  tliem  in  everj-  possible  way.  and 
bis  death.  March  14.  187.S.  bereft  them  of  the 
best  friend  and  the  wisest  counselor  of  their 
lives,  .\pollus  Ward  was  not  only  tender  and 
generous  in  all  his  family  relations,  but  his  serv- 
ives  in  the  development  of  educational  and  relig- 
ious privileges  were  highly  valued  bv  the  com- 
munity at  large.  He  was  very  active  in  the  build- 
ing of  churches  and  schools,  donating  consider- 
able land  for  tx)th  of  these  purposes,  and  being 
especially  remembered  as  the  founder  of  Ward 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


961 


School  No.  1,  aud  the  Southern  Methodist 
Church.  The  mother  of  James  M.  Ward,  a  good 
woman,  who  shared  with  the  father  the  grati- 
tude and  affection  of  the  family,  died  on  the 
old  homestead  July  14,  1S95. 

Joseph  Ward,  the  great-grandfather,  was  bora 
August  25,  1734,  Uzal  Ward,  the  grandfather, 
February  8,  1705,  and  Apollus  Ward,  the  father, 
July  29,  18U5.  On  October  13,  1900,  the  de- 
scendants of  Joseph  Ward  held  a  reunion  at 
Mount  Carmel  Church,  aud  mustered  172  strong. 
Of  the  nine  ehildren  born  to  Aixdlus  Ward  two 
are  deceased  and  seven  are  honored  residents  of 
Schuyler  County,  residing,  as  stated,  within  three 
miles  of  the  old  family  homestead. 

James  M.  Ward,  the  third  of  the  family,  has 
spent  his  entire  life  of  sixty-seven  years  upon 
the  home  farm.  In  his  boyhood  he  attended  the 
district  school,  and  assisted  his  father  in  all 
his  duties  until  the  hitter's  death  in  1878.  On  , 
March  14,  1873,  he  wedded  Mrs.  Eliza  (Sisk) 
Saylor,  and  their  only  child,  Charles,  was  born 
December  28,  1873.  Charles  Ward  married 
Laura  Tyson  October  20,  1892,  his  wife  being 
born  in  Bainbridge  Township  September  15. 
1809,  the  daughter  of  William  T.  Tysou,  an  hon- 
ored citizen  of  that  township.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Ward,  with  the  dates  of 
their  birth  are  as  follows :  Huth  E..  October 
21,  1893;  S.  Florence,  January  5,  1890;  James 
R.,  August  10,  1898;  and  William  F.,  June  10, 
1901.  The  son  mentioned  above  is  now  in  active 
charge  of  the  old  home  farm,  and  promises  to 
maintain  the  family  name  to  its  full  integrity 
and  honor. 

James  M.  Ward  continues  with  ardor  and  good 
judgment  the  work  so  well  begun  by  his  father 
in  the  fields  of  education  and  religion.  His  con- 
tinuous public  service  of  thirty  years  as  Collector 
and  Town  Clerk  also  has  earned  him  a  strong 
claim  upon  the  gratitude  of  the  township,  which 
its  citizens  have  always  freely  accorded  him. 
Mr.  Ward  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat.  Al- 
though not  a  church  member,  he  has  resi)onded 
with  cordiality  and  liberality  to  all  calls  for  the 
support  of  meritorious  causes,  and  his  life  has 
been  a  long  round  of  useful,  helpful  and  char- 
itable deeds. 

WARD,  Major  Andrew  (deceased),  formerly 
one  of  the  prosperous  and  greatly  respected 
farmers  of  Bainbridge  Township,  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  where  his  busy,  upright,  public- 
spirited  and  useful  life  covered  a  period  of  sixty- 
five  years,  was  liorn  in  Columbus.  Ohio.  August 
9,  1835.  a  son  of  Apollus  and  Jane  (Bramble) 
Ward,  natives  of  that  State.  When  a  child  Mr. 
Ward  was  brought  to  Schuyler  County  by  his 
parents,  the  family  arriving  in  the  county  in 
September.  1830,  and  settling  in  Bainbridge 
Township  in  the  same  section  where  Jackson 
Ward  now  lives.  In  boyhood  days,  he  attended 
the  district  school,  remaining  at  home  until  the 
wild  land  had  been  cleared  of  timber  and  bnish, 
and  converted  into  a  productive  farm.  In  1858, 
he  located  on  the  place  in  Section  10,  Bainbridge 


Township,  where  he  was  successfully  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  for  forty-two  years.  He 
departed  this  life  March  9,  1900,  being  the  owner 
of  more  than  400  acres  of  land,  as  the  result 
of  his'  energy,  diligent  application,  sagacious 
management  and  unswerving  rectitude  of  con- 
duct. He  was  one  of  the  foremost  farmers  of 
his  locality,  being  also  eminently  serviceable  in 
his  public  relations  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
munity with  which  his  career  was  so  long  iden- 
tified. He  was  a  man  of  warm  and  generous 
nature  and  his  kindness  to  those  in  distress  was 
proverbial.  In  all  walks  of  life,  he  lx)re  himself 
creditably  aud  honorably.  His  civic  sentiment 
was  earnest  and  practical,  and  he  took  a  deep 
interest  in  all  measures  that  pertained  to  the 
development  and  prosiierity  of  the  township  and 
county.  In  politics,  he  was  a  Democrat  and 
filled  various  local  offices  with  commendable 
fidelity  and  efficiency,  bearing  the  reputation  of 
a  njodel  citizen. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ward  took  place  April 
6,  1850,  on  which  date  Emily  Davis  Ijecame  his 
wife.  Mrs.  Ward,  who  still  survives,  is  a  woman 
of  the  highest  character,  and  enjoys  the  sincere 
respect  and  cordial  regard  of  her  extended  ac- 
quaintance. Her  birth  occurred  in  a  little  log 
cabin  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  K. 
Strong  in  Section  1,  Bainbridge  Township.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Irene  (Carter) 
Davis,  natives  of  Athens  Ounty.  Ohio,  whence 
they  moved  in  18;i5  to  Schuyler  County,  111., 
making  their  home  on  the  six)t  just  mentioned, 
where  their  daughter,  Emily,  was  Iwrn  March  9, 
1842.  Mrs.  Davis  died  in  October  of  that  year, 
and  thus  Jlrs.  Ward  never  knew  from  personal 
experience  what  it  was  to  be  blessed  with  the 
love  and  tender  care  of  a  mother.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Davis  became  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely :  Ellas,  Sylvanus,  Cyrus  and 
Emily.  Elias  Davis  is  a  farmer  in  Miama  Coun- 
ty. Kaus. ;  Sylvanus  also  moved  to  that  county 
and  there  died  March  14,  1905 ;  and  Cyrus,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War.  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany G,  Twenty-eighth  Regiment  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  was  killed  in  battle  October 
5,  1802. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife  Jlr.  Davis  sold  the 
old  fann  in  Section  1,  and  moved  to  a  piece  of 
land  which  he  had  purchased  in  Section  10,  in 
the  same  township,  which  is  now  Mrs.  Ward's 
place  of  residence.  Later,  her  father  married  a 
second  time,  wedding  Keziah  Stevens,  who  bore 
him  two  children :  Caroline,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Lewis  Elani,  and  lives  at  Ottawa.  Kan.;  and 
Mary,  who  died  at  the  a,ge  of  nineteen  years. 
Mr.  Davis  died  in  August,  1852.  He  was  an  edu- 
cated man.  had  been  a  close  student  and  was 
thoroughly  fitted  for  the  practice  of  medicine, 
but  changing  his  purpose,  turned  his  attention 
to  an  agricultural  life.  Politically  he  was  a 
Democrat,  but  had  no  ambition  for  the  distinc- 
tion of  public  office.  He  took  an  earnest  and  un- 
selfish interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  community, 
heartily  supported  cliaritable  enterprises  and 
habitually  extended  kindly  aid  to  the  unfortu- 


963 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY. 


nate  His  noble  traits  of  character  won  tlie 
trieudsUip  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  a  member  of  a  worthy  family,  grand- 
father Reuben  Davis,  a  Hollander  by  birth,  hav- 
ing come  from  his  native  land  to  America  about 
the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  latter 
settled  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Ohio,  then 
a  part  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  there 
spent  his  last  days.  The  maternal  grandmother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Carter,  was  bom  in 
Eusland,  and  on  crossing  the  Atlantic,  al.so  be- 
caine  a  resident  of  Ohio,  whence  in  course  of 
time  she  moved  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and 
died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  -Mrs.  Wesley 
Parker. 

Nine  children  resulted  from  the  union  ol  An- 
drew Ward  and  Emily  Davis,  as  follows :  Ed- 
ward, l)orn  June  13,  1857;  Irene,  born  -March 
19,  l!SOii;  Cyrus,  l)orn  Februai-y  10,  1862;  James, 
born  August  12,  1865;  George  E.,  born  August 
12,  1867;  Itobert,  Ijoru  May  22,  1870;  Ezra,  boru 
May  22,  1872;  Cora,  bom  August  20,  1880;  and 
Clarence,  born  May  15,  1885.  The  oldest  son, 
Edward  Ward,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Bainbridge 
Township,  married  Hannah  M.  Scott,  by  whom 
he  had  one  child,  Zelma.  Irene,  deceased,  was 
the  wife  of  Pulaski  Reeves,  and  left  a  daughter 
who  married  Clarence  Robinson,  a  farmer.  Cy- 
rus, who  follows  farming  in  Cowley  County, 
Kan.,  married  Josie  Somaster,  and  is  the  father 
of  four  childi-eu, — Clinton,  Wilbur,  Olie  and 
Frank.  James  Ward,  a  farmer  of  Bainbridge 
Township,  is  the  husband  of  Estella  I'ersiuger, 
and  they  have  four  children, — Bettie,  Ralph, 
Delia  and  Irene.  George  E.  Ward,  a  resident  of 
Iluntsville,  111.,  married  Sophronia  Johnson,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children. — Otis,  Lelia  and 
Brook.  Robert  Ward,  a  farmer  in  Bainliridge 
Township,  married  Ruth  Hatfield,  and  has  one 
child. — Vail.  Ezra  Ward,  who  farms  in  the 
same  township,  is  the  husband  of  Ada  Gr»'gg, 
who  has  borne  him  five  children. — Earl.  Viola, 
Olive,  Gladys  and  Herman.  Coi-a  Ward,  who 
died  April  23,  1906,  was  the  wife  of  Henry 
Ambrosius,  and  left  one  child, — Carl  Clayton. 
Clarence  Ward  is  the  owner  and  operator  of  the 
old  home  farm  in  Section  10,  Bainbridge  Township, 
which  he  keeps  in  perfect  i-ondition.  The  second 
daughter,  Cora,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Rusliville 
and  Normal  Colleges,  and  later,  finished  a  ci>nrse 
in  stenography  and  typewriting.  For  two  years, 
she  held  the  office  of  Deputy  County  Clerk  of 
Schuyler  County,  and  for  an  equal  period  (until 
September  27.  1905)  was  a  bookkeeper  and 
stenographer  in  the  Bank  of  Schuyler  County. 

The  father  of  this  interesting  family  was  a 
man  whose  kindly  suggestions  and  wise  counsel 
many  of  the  younger  men  of  the  township  have 
often  heeded  with  substantial  profit  to  them- 
selves, and  his  memory  is  warmly  cherished  by 
scores  who  were  the  recipients  of  his  generous 
benefactions. 

WEAVER,  Samuel,  has  lived  in  Schuyler  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  almost  three  score  and  ten  years,  and  his 
experience  nearly  covers  all   the  stages  of   the 


county's  development  from  a  wild  and  desolate 
region  to  its  present  material,  moral  and  intel- 
lectual status  among  tlie  communities  of  the 
State.  Not  many  of  the  contemporaries  of  his 
childhood  still  remain  to  share  with  him  his 
reminiscences  of  early  days.  He  was  lx)ru  in 
Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  County,  February 
'Sj,  ISiS,  and  is  a  sou  of  John  and  Polly  (Fow- 
ler) Weaver,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see, respectively.  His  grandparents  were  Sam- 
uel and  (Bollinger)    Weaver,  and   Isaac 

and  Elsie  Fowler.  The  marriage  of  John 
Weaver  and  Polly  Fowler  took  place  in  the 
South,  and  iu  18:10,  they  traveled  northward  by 
wagon  to  a  point  near  Springlield,  111.,  where 
they  sojourned  for  a  year,  then  moving  to  the 
vicinity  of  Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  and  after 
spending  another  year  there,  loaiting  in  Section 
19,  Littleton  Township.  John  Weaver  entered 
up  a  tract  of  160  acres  of  Government  land, 
most  of  which  was  covered  with  timber  or  brush, 
and  after  clearing  and  improving  the  place,  fol- 
lowed farming  many  yeare,  adding  in  the  course 
of  time  30  acres  to  his  original  pre-emption.  On 
this  farm  he  died  iu  April,  1876,  Polly  (Fowler) 
Weaver,  the  companion  of  his  pioneer  toil,  hav- 
ing passed  away  about  the  year  ISjl.  He  was 
married  a  second  time,  wedding  Parnissa  ilor- 
rison,  whose  death  occurred  in  1893.  John  Wea- 
ver was  the  father  of  six  sous  and  four  daughters 
by  his  first  marriage,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  personal  rec^ord  Is  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 
Isaac  died  in  infancy,  and  six  are  still  living,  as 
follows :  Mre.  Cjtus  Fowler,  a  widow,  residing 
in  .McDonough  County,  HI.;  Peter  Weaver,  whose 
home  is  in  Brooklyn  Township,  Schuyler  Ck)uu- 
ty ;  Mrs.  Richard  Ban  Bevers,  a  widow  living  at 
Littleton,  III.;  Samuel,  to  whom  the  present 
writing  pertains;  Mrs.  R.  B.  Daniels,  a  widow, 
of  Littleton  Township ;  and  Mrs.  William 
Chockley.  a  resident  of  Kansas,  living  at  Ida. 
In  iK)litics,  the  head  of  this  family  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  iu  religion,  a  Primitive  (or  Old 
School)  Baptist. 

Samuel  Weaver  was  reared  on  the  paternal 
farm,  receiving  his  education  mainly  in  the  sub- 
scription schools.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  the  time  of  his  marriage,  after  which  he 
lived  one  year  in  McDonough  County.  At  the 
end  of  this  [leriod  he  moved  to  Brooklyn  Town- 
ship, Schuyler  County,  and  was  domiciled  one 
year  in  the  old  schoolhou.se,  subse<iuently  oi-cu- 
plying  various  places  in  the  township.  For  three 
years,  he  and  his  wife  were  residents  of  the 
village  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  owned  a  house 
and  three  lots,  which  he  sold.  In  1876.  he  bought 
his  present  farm  of  120  acres  in  Section  23, 
Brooklyn  Township,  having  had  a  lease  of  the 
jiroperty  for  five  years  [irevious  to  becoming  its 
owner.  Only  a  small  portion  of  the  place  was 
(lea red. — about  ten  acres.  He  has  removed  the 
lirush  and  timber  from  80  acres,  adding  more 
land  to  his  original  purchase,  until  he  now  has 
200  acres. — 160  l>eing  in  Section  23.  and  the  rest 
in  Section  26.  Besides  general  fanning,  he  has 
devoted  his  attention   to   raising   horses,   cattle, 


HISTUKY  OF  SnUYLKH  COUNTY. 


963 


sheep  and  hogs.  Since  1905,  he  has  lived  some- 
what iu  retirement,  attending  to  that  portion  of 
his  land  which  is  in  meadow,  but  renting  out  the 
part  under  cultivation.  He  has  4(1  acres  of 
solid  timber  in  Section  2U;  and  40  acres  in  Sec- 
tion 23,   three-quarters   cleared. 

The  marriage  of  Jlr.  Weaver  took  place  Octo- 
ber 5,  18.57,  Adelia  H.  Daniels,  a  woman  of 
admirable  traits  of  character,  becoming  his  wife. 
ilrs.  Weaver  was  born  in  Rushville  Township, 
Schu.vler  Count}-,  September  IT,  1S38,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Paul  and  Lydia  (Jlaulove)  Daniels, 
natives  of  North  Carolina,  where  also  originated 
her  maternal  grandparents.  William  and  Nancy 
Manlove.  The  father  and  mother  of  Mrs.  Wea- 
ver settled  near  Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  at 
an  early  period,  .Mr.  Daniels  owning  120  acres 
of  land  in  Brooklyn  and  Littleton  Townships. 
He  departed  this  life  in  1900,  his  wife  having 
passed  away  in  1S;»4.  Seven  children  resulted 
from  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver,  as  fol- 
lows :  Eldridge,  born  August  13.  1S5S,  whose 
business  is  that  of  a  traveling  salesman :  Alphe- 
us.  tx)rn  March  11,  ISGO,  who  lives  in  Brool^lyu 
Township;  Georgietta,  born  Feljinaary  1,  1802, 
deceased  .June  IT,  ISO!) ;  Everett,  born  Octol)er  5, 
1804.  whose  home  is  in  Lemoine  Township,  Mc- 
Donough  County,  111. ;  Orville,  born  October  11, 
18T2 ;  Delorious,  born  Januaiy  1,  1ST4 ;  and  Cor- 
nelia, born  November  5.  18T7.  The  last  three 
are  at  home.  The  names  of  the  three  deceased 
brothers  of  Mr.  Weaver  are, — Harrison,  who 
died  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  T8  years ;  Thomas, 
who  died  in  1894,  aged  65  years,  and  Joseph, 
whose  death  occurred  in  1885,  when  he  was  30 
years  old. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Weaver  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  seiwed  on  the  town- 
ship board  and  the  central  committee  of  his 
party.  His  religious  connection,  as  also  that  of 
his  estimable  wife,  is  with  the  Primitive  Baptist 
Churcli.  in  which  he  has  officiated  as  deacon 
since  188T.  He  and  Jlrs.  Weaver  are  deeply  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  them. 

WEBSTER,  John  L.— Among  the  leading  men 
wliose  residence  in  Rushville  and  vicinity  is  of 
long  standing,  and  who  are  esteemed  alike  for 
their  worthy  traits  of  character  and  the  good 
influence  they  have  exerted  while  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  the  community,  none  are  better 
known  than  John  L.  Webster,  by  occupation  a 
contractor  and  lauilder.  Mr.  Webster  was  bom 
in  Oakland  Townshrp,  Schuyler  County,  HI., 
October  14.  1845,  a  son  of  Thomas  Mathew  and 
Susan  (Hills)  Webster,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  England,  as  was  also  his  father.  Mathew 
Welister.  At  Marylabone  Church,  London, 
Mathew  Webster  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hes- 
ter Miller,  bom  in  (Iloucestersliire,  England,  and 
who  l)ecame  the  UKJlher  of  Henry  Mathew.  Nan- 
cy, Thomas  Mathew  and  George  Mathew  Web- 
ster. Of  this  family  Henry  Wel)ster  only  failed 
to  come  to  the  Tnited  States,  and  his  present 
whereabouts  are  unknown,  his  last  address  hav- 
ing been  Adelaide,  Australia.     Mathew  Webster, 


Sr..  was  a  sailor  by  profession,  and  in  this  capac- 
ity put  into  many  jiorts  and  traversed  many 
seas.  His  nautical  career  was  brought  to  a  close 
because  of  a  fractured  leg,  and  his  daughter, 
Nancy,  has  a  snuff  box,  made  from  a  piece  of 
wood  taken  from  his  ship.  Nancy  married  John 
Schoder.  iu  the  north  of  England,  but  now  lives 
in  the  United  States.  Thomas  Mathew  Webster 
was  a  carpenter  liy  trade,  but  followed  farming 
as  an  alternate  occupation.  He  came  to  America 
as  a  young  man,  settling  in  Illinois,  where  he 
met  his  future  wife,  and  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1840,  his  wife  surviving  him  until 
18T3.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children  :  .John  L. ;  William,  of  Grundy  County, 
Mo. ;  and  Mathew,  who  was  killed  by  a  live  wire 
in  October,  1903,  at  Elmwood,  111. 

John  L.  Webster  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
the  public  schools  of  Buena  Vista  Township, 
and  in  1869  began  learning  the  trade  of  carpen- 
tering with  AuKJS  Sylvester,  a  well  known  con- 
tracting builder  of  Rushville.  Possessing  marked 
mechanical  skill,  he  developed  into  a  master 
workman,  and  iu  time  enjoyed  a  large  patronage 
in  different  parts  of  the  county,  erecting  dwell- 
ings, barns,  outbuildings  and  doing  general  car- 
penter work.  At  the  present  time  he  has  a  con- 
tinually increasing  l)usiness,  and  although  hav- 
ing reached  sixt.v-two  .years  of  age,  is  still  vigor- 
ous and  active,  taking  as  much  pleasure  iu  the 
accuracy  and  excellence  of  his  work  as  when  it 
was  a  new  and  necessary  resource.  In  the  town 
and  county  are  many  monuments  to  his  skill  and 
artistic  ability,  and  he  has  contrilmted  a  lai-ge 
and  ronimeiidable  share  toward  llie  making  of 
his  pleasant  and  thrifty  surroundings. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Webster  formerly  was 
Ellen  R.  Jlontgomery,  daughter  of  Clayton  and 
Julia  (Morris)  Montgomery,  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  early  settlers  of  Schuyler  County. 
The  lirothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Webster  were 
as  follows:  Nathan  S.,  of  Rushville:  Martha, 
wife  of  L.  W.  Sloat,  of  Rushville;  Melvina,  wife 
of  William  McCrady,  of  Fort  Madison,  Iowa. 
.Mrs.  Webster  died  April  11,  1895,  and  March  21, 
189T,  Mr.  AVebster  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  V.  Fields,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
born  February  21,  1806,  a  daughter  of  George  I. 
and  Ellen  P.  Fields,  the  former  editor  of  the 
Versailles  (111.)  Enterprise.  In  early  life  Mrs. 
Webster  was  converted  and  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  she  ever 
after  was  a  most  devout  member.  Her  sudden 
death.  January  1,  190T.  was  entirely  unexpected, 
as  the  night  before  she  had  appeared  in  excel- 
lent spirits  and  had  entertained  friends  at  her 
home.  During  the  early  hours  of  the  following 
morning  her  husband  w.as  aroused  by  her  heavy 
breathing,  and  she  sank  into  unconsciousness, 
from  which  the  best  medical  aid  procurable 
failed  to  arouse  lier.  She  passed  painlessly 
away  at  1  o'clock  the  same  afternoon,  and  was 
buried  January  3.  with  the  service  of  the  church 
to  which  she  was  so  devoted.  The  first  Jlrs. 
Webster  was  the  mother  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :     Harry,   who  married  Frances  K.  Farrer 


964 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLEIJ  COUNTY. 


and  has  two  oliiklren,  Bearl  aud  Vaugh ;  Claytou 
M.,  of  Cliioago,  III.,  who  marrieil  Etta  Severus 
anil  has  one  son.  Wa.vne ;  Nellie  G.,  wife  of  Har- 
ry Fritzell,  connected  with  the  rural  free  de- 
li'verv  out  of  Uushville ;  Susan,  who  married 
Edwiird  Henley  and  has  two  sons,  Paul  and 
Kay.  lieing  afterwards  married  to  Charles  Tacke, 
of  "Springtield,  by  whom  she  had  one  son.  Charles 
J. ;  and  Juliette,"  wife  of  Harvey  K.  Allen,  in  the 
office  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road at  ICansas  City,  Mo.,  and  mother  of  Hazel 
and   Nellie  Allen. 

In  iiolities  Mr.  Wel)ster  is  a  stanch  adherent 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  has  been  closely 
identified  with  its  local  undertakings.  He  now 
is  filling  his  sixth  term  as  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
aggregating  in  all  a  period  of  twenty-four  years, 
formerly  having  served  as  Town  Trustee  and 
Alderman  of  the  First  Ward  of  Uushville.  In 
religion  he  is  a  Baptist  and  fraternally  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. Few  men  in  liushville  and  the  surround- 
ing country  are  unfamiliar  with  the  name  of 
John  L.  Webster,  and  he  c-ommands  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  all  classes  of  people. 

WEIGHTMAN,   William.—Within    the  present 

limits  of  the  city  of  lndiana|K)lis,  Ind.,  where 
now  stand  city  homes  with  every  modern  con- 
venience, more  than  seventy-five  years  ago  there 
stood  a  log  cabin  surromided  by  11!0  acres  of 
land,  the  typical  homestead  of  a  jiioneer.  stnig- 
gling  to  earn  a  livelihood  for  his  family.  In  this 
little  home  was  born  William  Weightman  Janu- 
ary 27,  1S2C,  and  all  of  his  early  associations 
cluster  around  that  Indiana  farm,  where  his 
parents,  Robert  and  Temperance  (Arnold) 
Weightman,  endured  the  vicissitudes  incident  to 
frontier  existence.  The  father,  a  n.ative  of  Shef- 
field, England,  had  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  about  1824  and  had  settled  iu  Marion 
County,  Ind..  where  he  met  and  married 
Miss  Arnold,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  When 
their  eldest  son.  William,  was  a  boy  of  thirteen 
years,  they  removed  to  Illinois  in  1S;!!>  and  set- 
tled on  Section  21,  in  Camden  Township.  Schuy- 
ler County,  where  the  father  secured  :i20  acres 
in  one  body,  besides  acquiring  120  acres  where 
William  now  makes  his  home. 

riuring  the  first  few  years  of  the  family's  res- 
idence in  Illinois  there  occurred  nothing  to  dis- 
courage their  ambitious  hopes.  Hardships  were 
many,  bxit  tlie  true  iiioneer  never  allowed  him- 
self to  be  disheartened  by  them.  However,  after 
a  number  of  years  death  came  to  break  up  the 
happy  family  circle,  taking  fi'om  the  home  the 
self-sacrificing  and  devoted  father.  It  was  in 
the  summer  of  184(1  that  his  death  occurred  and 
in  April  of  the  following  year  the  widow  re- 
turned to  her  old  home  near  Indianapolis,  where 
she  died  about  184S.  There  were  six  sons  and 
two  daughters  in  the  family,  but  the  first-ltorn 
alone  survives.  After  the  death  of  the  father 
he  took  charge  of  the  land,  which  had  no  build- 
ings excepting  a  log  cabin  and  a  log  stable. 

The  marriage  of  William  Weightman  and  Mar- 


tha J.  Brown  was  solenniized  May  27,  1847. 
l'"or  more  than  sixty  years  thi'y  have  been  spared 
in  happy  married  life  and,  by  industry  and 
cheerful  optimism,  they  have  been  a  blessing, 
each  to  the  other,  and  both  to  their  children  and 
their  large  circle  of  friends.  In  their  present 
comfortable  home,  surrounded  by  those  conve- 
niences that  contribute  to  the  welfare  of  man- 
kind, they  look  back  over  a  long  vista  of  years 
and  delight  to  recount  to  their  dcsci-ndanis  sto- 
ries of  the  early  days.  It  was  the  mother's  duty 
to  spin  the  wool  and  weave  the  cloth  from  which 
were  made  the  garments  worn  by  the  children. 
Often  her  work  kept  her  busy  until  late  at  night, 
and  to  secure  a  light  by  which  to  sew  was  no 
easy  task.  Tallow  candles  had  not  yet  lH'c<mie 
common,  and  she  provided  a  substitute  by  scrap- 
ing out  a  turni|)  and  lining  the  hole  with  lard 
and  a  wick.  When  candles  were  hrouglit  first 
to  the  home  all  were  delighted  with  them,  nor 
was  the  later  change  to  kerosene  received  with 
less  pleasure.  Since  then  they  have  witnessed 
the  evolution  of  gas  and  electricity,  so  that  their 
long  lives  practically  have  comprehended  the 
development  of  all  the  modern  methods  of 
lighting. 

The  wife  of  William  Weightman  was  born  in 
Morgan  County,  III..  September  14,  182<.t,  a 
daughter  of  ,Iohn  and  Sarah  (Points)  Brown, 
by  whom  she  was  lirought  to  Schuyler  County  iu 
l)s;',2,  and  sin ve  that  year  her  home  has  been  in 
Camden  Township.  Of  her  ten  children  all  but 
one  were  Iwrn  in  the  little  log  cabin  that  stood 
on  the  farm.  Inheriting  a  vigorous  mentality 
and  sturdy  c\>nstitutions  from  their  parents, 
they  aided  materially  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
family  fortunes  and  their  labors  received  due  rec- 
ognition from  their  parents  who  deeded  to  tliem 
iwrtious  of  the  farm  of  440  acres,  reserving  for 
their  own  use  the  KK)  acres  on  which  they  began 
housekeeping.  There  are  now  thirty-three  grand- 
children and  nineteen  great-grandchildren,  all 
of  whom  unite  In  giving  to  the  aged  couple  ven- 
eration and  thoughtful  care. 

Of  the  ten  Weightman  children,  Sarah  T.  died 
at  fourteen  years  of  age  and  John  at  thirty-nine ; 
Nancy  A.  is  the  wife  of  Alonzo  Belldon,  a  farm- 
er of  Camden  Township;  Lizzie  marritni  J.  U. 
Lawson,  also  a  farmer  of  Camden  Township; 
Charles,  who  married  Sarah  Starkweather,  lives 
near  the  old  homestead;  William,  who  married 
Lillie  Starkweather,  is  engaged  in  farming  at 
Kiowa,  Okla. ;  Mrs.  Maria  J.  Auld  and  her  hus- 
band. Rev.  Auld.  lioth  de<eased,  are  survived  by 
two  sons,  Carl  and  Charles  Auld;  Jemima  is  the 
wife  of  .lohn  W.  Marlow.  a  farmer  of  Camden 
Township ;  Laura  May  ( .Mrs.  Henry  Heicher- 
man)  is  living  in  Spokane,  Wash.;  and  Sophia 
C.  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Marlow.  a  farmer  of 
Camden  Township. 

Into  the  lives  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weightman 
religion  has  brotight  Its  ennobling  and  elevating 
influence.  From  the  early  da\-s  they  have  been 
earnest  members  of  the  .Methodist  Ei)lscopal 
Church  and.  as  far  as  possible,  have  been  active 
in  Sundav-school  and  church  work.    Their  home 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


965 


was  the  headquarters  of  the  divuit-riders  in  the 
days  w'heu  they  were  prouiineut  iu  the  develop- 
ment of  the  chureh.  Often  religious  meetings 
were  held  iu  the  Weightman  log  cabin,  but  after 
a  schoolhouse  was  built,  meetings  were  usually 
beld  there  uutil  a  house  of  worship  was  erected. 
When  the  (luarterly  couferences  were  held  the 
latch-string  of  the  Weightman  cabin  was  hung 
on  the  outside  and  no  visitor  was  refused  enter- 
tainment. Although  there  were  only  two  beds 
in  the  house,  as  many  as  nine  guests  were  ofteu 
entertained  overnight.  The  ministers  who  came 
as  guests  showed  the  same  cheerful  acceptance 
of  circumstances,  and  the  same  appreciation  of 
hospitality  that  those  pioneer  preachers  displa.ved 
in  every  event  of  their  self-sacrificing  careers ; 
so  that,  crowded  though  the  pioneer  home  might 
be,  the  departure  of  these  itinerants  was  always 
a  source  of  regret  to  the  family  into  whose  iso- 
lated lives  they  brought  renewed  religious  zeal 
and  the  joy  of  uplifting  companionship.  In  the 
twilight  of  his  useful  life  Mr.  Weightman  quietly 
but  ofteu  turns  toward  the  past,  reflecting  upon 
the  changes  which  it  has  been  his  lot  to  witness, 
— the  building  up  of  churches,  the  improvement 
of  farms,  the  growth  of  his  commiuiity,  the  de- 
velopment of  thriving  villages,  and  the  many  oth- 
er transformations  which  time  has  wrought.  Poli- 
tics has  interested  him  to  a  eonsideraljle  degree 
and  he  has  given  his  support  to  principles  sup- 
ported by  the  Democratic  party ;  yet  he  is  not 
narrow  in  his  political  views,  being  a  man  of 
liberal  opinions  and  broad  ideas.  Long  after  he 
and  his  wife  shall  have  been  called  from  the 
scenes  of  earth,  their  memory  will  be  green  in 
the  hearts  of  their  descendants,  and  thir  names 
will  be  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  township, 
in  the  development  of  which  they  have  ever 
proved  active  and  efficient  co-workers. 

WEINBERG,  Moses. — The  enterprise  which  im- 
parts to  the  city  of  Rushville,  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  its  principal  commercial  activity,  and  invests 
the  place  with  a  large  pi-oiwrtion  of  its  tone  and 
prestige  as  a  business  center,  is  the  stock  yards 
there  located.  The  master  spirit  of  this  busy 
mart  of  trade  is  the  gentleman  to  whom  this 
writing  pertains,  and  it  is  his  acumen,  broad 
mental  grasp  and  tireless  energy  that  furnish 
the  key-note  of  success  in  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant undertakings  in  that  section  of  the  State. 
The  name  of  Moses  Weinberg  is  associated  far 
and  wide  with  the  extent  and  magnitude  of  the 
operation  of  the  Rushville  stock  yards. 

Mr.  Weinberg  was  born  in  Augusta,  Hancock 
County.  111.,  In  1850.  His  father  and  mother, 
Simon  and  Louisa  (Juergens)  Weinberg,  were 
natives  of  Germany.  Simon  Weinberg,  who  was 
a  merchant  by  occupation,  came  to  the  United 
States  when  he  was  20  years  of  age.  At  first 
he  located  in  Pittsburg.  Pa.,  and  from  that  city 
went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In  18.56  he  established 
his  home  in  Augusta.  111.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  merchandise  business  until  1S7^.  when 
he  retired  from  active  pursuits.  He  departed 
this   life   in   .Tunc.    I'.Mll.   his  wife  having  passed 


away  in  Octolier,  18!Mj.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eighteen  children,  thirteen  of  whom  are  living. 

In  early  youth,  iloses  Weinberg  attended  the 
public  .schools  of  Augusta.  111.,  and  completed  his 
education  at  Knox  College,  in  Galesburg.  His 
first  occupation  after  finishing  his  studies  was  in 
the  line  of  butchering  and  stock  dealing.  In 
ISO"  he  left  Augusta  and  located  in  KushviUe, 
111.,  where  he  identified  himself  with  the  trade 
of  the  stock  yards.  In  this  connection,  his  career 
has  been  one  of  phenomenal  success.  Through 
his  dominating  influence  these  yards  have  not 
only  held  the  stock  trade  of  the  neighlwring 
townships,  that  nattirally  tends  to  llushville,  but 
have  attracted  nuich  of  the  marketing  breeders 
in  JIcDonough  and  P>rown  Counties,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-five  miles.  The  arrangements 
and  facilities  of  the  yards  are  such,  through  Mr. 
Weinberg's  sagacious  manipulation  of  matters, 
that  farmers  ordinarily  obtain  better  prices,  be- 
sides the  saving  of  transportation  and  other 
expenses  incident  to  shipping  elsewhere  on  their 
own  ai-count.  Tlie  thorough  knowledge  of  details 
acquired  by  him  in  twenty-five  years'  experience 
in  this  branch  of  trade,  has  enabled  Mr.  Wein- 
berg to  be  of  inestimable  service  to  the  stock 
farmers  who  patronize  him.  at  the  same  time 
subserving  his  own  interests  to  a  highly  profit- 
able degree.  His  personal  transactions  in  live 
stock  amount  to  more  than  .$400,000  annually, 
his  own  yards  are  three  acres  in  extent,  and  his 
sheds  will  accommodate  30  car  loads  of  stock. 
The  stock  shii)ments  of  the  Rushville  yards 
sometimes  require  five  extra  trains  weekly.  Mr. 
Weinberg's  name  is  familiar  as  a  household 
word  to  all  stock  raisers  in  Schuyler  County,  by 
v\hom  it  is  recognized  as  a  synonym  of  fair  deal- 
ing and  equitable  treatment.  He  maintains  a 
hospitable  home,  and  entertains  his  guests  in  a 
most  genial  and  cordial  manner. 

On  April  24.  ISSG.  Jlr.  Weinberg  was  united 
in  marriage  in  Birmingham  Township.  Schuyler 
County,  with  Flora  Bolton  Hobble,  a  daughter 
of  John  C.  and  Elizabeth  Bolton,  who  was  bom 
in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Seven  children 
have  resulted  from  this  union,  namely :  Nina, 
Margaret,  Simon,  Flora.  Elizabeth,  Jacob  Her- 
bert and  Solomon.  Mrs.  Weinberg  has  one  son, 
Arthur  Hobble,  by  a  previous  marriage. 

In  ix)litics,  Mr.  Weinberg  is  a  supporter  of 
file  Democratic  party,  although  the  exacting  du- 
ties of  his  e.xtensive  business  forbid  any  active 
participation  in  political  affairs. 

WELLS,  William,  who  is  the  owner  of  one 
of  tile  largest  and  best  improved  farms  in  Schuy- 
ler County,  III.,  on  which  he  has  pursued 
his  wonted  occupation  for  a  number  of  years, 
is  a  native  of  the  locality  where  he  now  resides, 
being  born  in  Littleton  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  September  .''.0.  185.3.  Mr.  Wells  is  a  son 
of  Rensselaer  and  Rebecca  (Rose)  Wells,  the 
birth  of  the  father  having  occurred  in  Ohio,  and 
that  of  the  mother,  in  Kentucky.  They  were 
the  jiarents  of  six  sons  and  one  daughter,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  personal  record  is  the 


966 


HISTORY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


third  in  order  of  birth.  Until  Mr.  W.  Wells 
renc-Iied  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  be  was  a 
pupil  in  the  Garrison  district  sebool,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  home  circle.  At  that  period  he  began 
farming  for  himself  on  his  father's  place,  and  In 
course  of  time  became  the  owner  of  520  acres 
of  land,  of  which  360  acres  lie  in  Oakland  Towu- 
ship.  and  the  remaining  100  acres,  in  Littleton 
Township.  In  1896  be  moved  to  bis  present  lo- 
cation in  Section  25,  Littleton  Township,  where 
in  1Sitl»,  he  built  a  story-and-a-half  frame  house, 
containing  eight  rooms  and  a  cellar,  .\bout  200 
acres  of  bis  farm  are  under  cultivalion  and  55 
acres  are  timber  laud,  the  rest  iK'ing  left  for 
grazing.  He  is  engaged  in  diversified  farming, 
and  besides  his  general  oix-rations,  devotes  con- 
siderable attention  to  raising  Aberdeen  cattle, 
feeding  from  .SO  to  100  head  per  year.  lie  is  a 
man  of  vigorous,  enterprising  and  progressive 
nature,  and  all  his  undertakings  have  been  at- 
tended by  profitable  results. 

(In  January  8,  1S95,  Mr.  Wells  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Martha  Blodgett,  who  was  born 
in  Frederick  Township,  Schuyler  County,  111., 
April  11,  18C8,  where  in  girlhood,  she  received 
her  education  in  the  district  schools.  .Mrs.  Wells 
is  a  daughter  of  Ira  and  Hannah  (Garrison) 
Blodgett.  natives  of  Vermont  and  Ohio,  respect- 
ively. Her  paternal  grandiiarents.  Harvey  and 
Lavina  (Arnold)  Blodgett,  w(>re  Vermonters  by 
nativity,  while  Lewis  and  Martha  (Van  Iloni) 
Garrison,  her  grandparents  on  the  maternal  side, 
were  bom  in  Ohio,  their  parents  liaving  come 
from  Germany  at  an  early  date  in  the  last  cen- 
tury. Four  children  have  resulted  from  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells,  as  follows :  Wil- 
liam Clarence,  liorn  February  20,  1806;  Carl 
Roscoe,  born  May  0,  ISO'.l ;  Lewis  15.,  l)orn  .Vugust 
25,  1001  ;  and  .Vnna  .Marv.  born  December  27, 
1902. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Wells  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,  although  not  active  in  polit- 
ical contests,  and  entertaining  no  ambition  for 
public  ofllee.  He  takes,  however,  an  intelligent 
and  discriminating  interest  in  civic  affairs,  and 
is  faithful  to  all  the  obligations  recognized  by  a 
dutiful  and  useful  citizen.  Mrs.  Wells  is  a 
woman  of  much  amialiility  and  worthy  traits  of 
character,  and  enjoys  the  cordial  regard  of  nu- 
merous friends. 

WELLS,  Randolph  R.,  a  well  known  general 
farmer  and  stoi-k-raiser  of  extensive  landed  ims- 
sessions  and  high  reputation,  has  ))ursued  his 
wonted  calling  in  Oakland  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  III.,  for  thirty-five  years.  He  was  torn 
in  Littleton  Township,  in  the  same  c<iunty.  May 
18.  1S47,  a  son  of  Rensselaer  and  Rebecca  "(Rose) 
Wells,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Illinois,  resjiectiveiy. 
The  patenial  grandfather,  Charles  Wells,  after 
the  death  of  his  wife,  the  grandmother  of  Ran- 
dolph R..  moved  to  Rushville,  111.,  where  he  died. 
Rens.selaer  Wells  was  Iwrn  in  Lorain  Ountv. 
Ohio.  February  22,  1S2.S.  and  his  wife.  Rebecc'a 
(Rose)  Wells,  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  111., 
August  28.   1826.     The   former  came  to   Illinois 


in  IKU  witl^  bis  lather,  settling  in  Littleton 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  Rebecca  Rose  came 
to  Schuyler  C(ninty  with  her  parents,  who  were 
also  natives  of  Ixtrain  County,  Ohio,  whence  they 
first  moved  to  .Morgan  County,  111.,  afterwards 
becoming  leading  citizens  of  Schuyler  County. 
The  marriage  of  the  young  people  took  place  in 
Littleton  Township,  in  1844.  The  fatlier  died 
.March  22,  1005,  his  wife  having  passed  away 
.March  28.  18!m;.  Rensselaer  Wells  was  a  model 
farmer  and  e.vemplary  citizen.  Starting  out 
early  in  life  with  nothing  hut  a  determination  to 
succeed,  he  followed  farming  until  be  liccame 
one  of  the  most  e.vteusive  landholders  In  Little- 
ton Township,  owning  at  one  time  about  otMJ 
acres.  In  politics,  he  was  a  stiinch  Democrat, 
and  took  an  earnest  interest  in  the  aftairs  of 
the  townshii)  and  county,  tilling  various  public 
oltices.  He  was  a  mend)er  of  tlie  Board  of  Super- 
visoi-s  from  Littleton  Township.  Impelled  by 
generous  symiciihies,  he  was  ever  ready  to  lend 
a  helping  liaiid  to  tlie  needy,  and  prompt  to  con- 
tribute to  every  worthy  cause.  He  enjoyed  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  made  his  ac- 
(luaintance.  Of  the  family  to  which  he  belonged, 
but  one  member  is  left,  Mrs.  McGlnnis,  a  resi- 
dent of  Princeton,  111.  Rebecca  (Rose)  Wells, 
wife  of  Rensselaer  Wells,  came  of  a  family  of 
excellent  standing,  her  father.  Randolph  Rose, 
being  one  of  the  most  prosiK'rous  and  prominent 
farmers  of  his  locality.  Six  children  were  the 
result  of  their  union,  as  follows:  (Jeorge  W., 
a  retired  farmer  now  living  in  the  village  of  Lit- 
tleton, 111.;  Randolph  R. ;  John  William,  a  farm- 
er, of  Littleton  'i'ownslilp ;  David  D„  a  resident 
of  Quiucy,  111. ;  Charles  D.,  who  lives  in  Little- 
ton Township;  and  Mary  .\llce,  who  married 
Aaron  Danuer,  a  farmer  of  this  township,  living 
on  the  old  farm  first  operated  by  Grandfulher 
Charles  Wells  in  1834. 

Randoljih  R.  Wells  was  reared  to  farm  life  in 
Littleton  Townshiii,  attending  the  district  schools 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  and  assisting  in  work 
on  the  farm.  He  remained  on  the  home  place 
until  the  time  of  bis  marriage,  being  then  at)out 
25  years  old.  Immediately  after  this  event,  be 
located  on  a  farm  of  16f)  acres  which  he  had  pre- 
viously purchased  iu  Section. 30,  Oakland  Town- 
ship, known  as  the  "Billingsly  farm."  It  was 
wild  land,  and  he  first  devoted  his  attention  to 
clearing  it  of  timber  and  brush,  and  preparing 
it  for  cultivation.  In  the  years  succeeding,  lie 
has  finely  improved  the  property,  and  now  has 
one  of  the  most  attractive  homes  in  the  town, 
ship,  having  built  a  spacious  and  comfortable 
rt>sidence,  54  by  54  feet  in  ground  dimensions, 
and  put  up  other  buildings  of  c-orresponding  dura- 
bility and  convenience.  To  his  original  purchase 
he  has  added,  at  intervals,  until  he  is  now  the 
owner  of  404  acres  in  one  body,  all  lying  in 
Oakland  Township.  Through  energy,  integrit.v 
and  wise  management,  he  has  acquired  a  hand- 
some competency,  and  Is  recognize<l  by  all  as 
one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Schuyler 
County. 

Tlie  marriage  of  Mr.  Wells  took  place  January 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUXTY. 


967 


31,  18S3,  oil  which  date  Emma  D.  Ellis  became 
his  wife.  Mrs.  Wells,  \rho  is  a  womau  of  supe- 
rior intelligeuce  and  excellent  traits  of  character, 
was  born  in  Oakland  Township,  August  28,  18ij2, 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  Ellis,  natives 
of  Kentucky.  Further  particulars  in  regard  to 
the  histor.Y  of  her  family  may  be  found  in  a 
biographical  record  of  James  D.  Ellis,  appearing 
on  another  page  of  this  volume,  llr.  and  Mrs. 
Wells  have  had  four  childi-eu,  as  follows :  Laura, 
born  April  (J.  1SS4 ;  Jesse  E.,  born  January  10, 
1.SS7;  Nina,  born  October  :.!,  1800;  and  Roy  K., 
born  June  7,  1894.  Laura  is  the  wife  of  Jay 
True  Dodds,  a  farmer  of  Littleton  Township,  by 
whom  she  has  one  child,  Maxime.  Jesse  E.,  who 
has  received  an  education  fitting  hiiu  for  almost 
any  position  in  life,  is  in  charge  of  the  home 
farm.  Nina  died  in  infaue.v ;  and  Roy  R.  died 
at  the  age  of  four  years.  The  mother  of  this 
family  is  a  communicant  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  while  the  father  is  not  a  church 
member,  he  has  contributed  liberally  from  his 
ample  means  towards  the  support  of  evangelical 
work,  besides  being  a  generous  promoter  of  all 
enterprises  designed  to  advance  the  best  inter- 
est of  the  township  and  county.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Wells  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  sought  polit- 
ical preferment,  having,  on  the  contrary,  stead- 
fastly declined  to  become  a  candidate  for  pulilic 
office.  He  is  one  of  the  foremost  figures  iu  the 
rural  life  of  Schuyler  County. 

WHEAT,  John  (deceased),  was,  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  one  of  the  oldest  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  his  arrival  iu 
the  county  dating  back  to  the  early  years  in  the 
history  of  the  county,  and  his  long-extended  life 
covering  all  stages  of  the  development  of  this 
region  from  a  biirren  wild  to  its  present  prosiJer- 
ous  c-ondition.  Mr.  Wheat  was  a  native  of  the 
State  of  Kentucky,  where  he  was  born  January 
6,  1817,  a  sou  of  .Joseph  II.  and  Mary  A.  (Cec-il) 
Wheat,  also  Kentuckians  by  nativity.  He  was 
brought  b.v  his  mother  with  other  members  of 
the  family  to  Schuyler  County,  in  1S30.  his  father 
having  died  in  Kentucky.  His  mother  finally 
passed  away  in  Schuyler  Count.v. 

Mr.  Wheat  was  reared  to  the  life  of  a  fanner, 
and  on  attaining  his  maturity.  located  in  Little- 
ton Townshiji.  where  he  followed  farming  for  a 
numl)er  of  years  on  land  which  he  rented,  after- 
wards buying  farms  in  several  different  locali- 
ties, at  intervals,  on  which  he  pursued  his  wonted 
vocation  with  uniform  success.  Ultimately,  dis- 
posing of  his  farming  interests,  he  withdrew 
from  active  pursuits,  and  on  March  1.  1902,  pur- 
chased a  home  in  the  village  of  Littleton,  where 
he  took  up  his  residence,  and  where  his  worthy 
and  respected  widow  now  lives. 

The  marriage  of  John  Wheat  took  place  June  9, 
1842.  on  which  date  he  was  .joined  in  wedlock  with 
Julia  Snyder,  who  was  born  in  Hancock  County, 
Ky.,  July  29.  1822.  Mrs.  Wheat  is  a  daughter 
of  David  and  Cassandra  (Walker)  Snyder,  na- 
tives of  the  Blue  Gr.ass  State.  Her  parents  jour- 
neyed  from    Kentucky   to   Illinois    in    1830,    set- 


tling in  Littleton  Township,  Schuyler  County. 
David  Snyder  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
became  the  owner  of  hundreds  of  acres  of  land, 
which  he  entered  from  the  Government.  He 
was  accounted  one  of  the  substantial  farmers 
and  prominent  citizens  of  his  day.  Fourteen 
children  resulted  from  the  union  of  John  Wheat 
and  Julia  Snyder,  as  follows :  Ann  Minerva 
(Mrs.  Tliomas  Payne),  who  died  in  August,  1903; 
David  IL,  who  died  in  March,  liKi.j ;  Margaret, 
widow  of  James  Irvin,  who  is  at  home  with  her 
mother;  Mary,  deceased,  a  twin  sister  of  Mar- 
garet: John.  John  (II.)  and  (ieorge,  all  of 
whom  died  in  infancy ;  Luella,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Jesse  Hale,  and  lives  in  Littleton  Town- 
ship;  Laura  F.,  who  dwells  under  the  paternal 
roof ;  Joseph  William,  whose  home  is  iu  Sher- 
lock, Iowa  ;  and  four  others.  The  father  of  this 
family  departed  this  life  March  28,  1902.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  his  activity  he  was  a  man  of 
untiring  industry  and  left  a  record  for  rectitude 
of  conduct  and  a  business  career  beyond  re- 
proach. The  declining  years  of  his  faithful  com- 
panion, who  has  been  a  Witness  of  marvelous 
changes  in  Schuyler  County  since  the  days  of 
her  girlhood,  are  solaced  liy  the  tender  care  of 
her  surv'lving  daughters  and  the  cordial  esteem 
of  many  friends. 

WHEELHOUSE,  Robert.— The  breeding  of 
Shorthorn  cattle,  which,  because  of  their  value 
for  beef  and  dairy  purposes,  forms  one  of  the 
most  paying  and  satisfactory  of  farming  special- 
ties, is  being  vigorously  promoted  in  Rushville 
Town.ship,  Schuyler  County,  111.,  by  Robert 
Wheelhouse,  one  of  the  early  and  successful 
farmers  of  the  county.  Mr.  Wheelhouse,  who 
was  born  in  Yorkshire.  England.  November  13, 
1822,  has  no  reiX)Ilection  whatever  of  his  native 
land,  for  when  only  four  years  old  he  was 
brought  to  this  country  in  a  sailing  vessel  by 
his  parents  Robert  and  Hannah  Wheelhouse, 
who  settled  in  the  wilds  of  Ohio,  and  turned 
their  attention  to  farming  on  Government  land. 

Robert  Wheelhouse  was  reared  among  sur- 
roundings which  developed  lioth  his  muscle  and 
self  dependence.  His  education  has  been  largely 
self  aciiuired,  owing  to  the  numerous  tasks  which 
ccmfronteJ  him  in  his  youth,  and  which  per- 
mitted his  attendance  at  the  suliscription  school 
of  his  neighborhood  only  irregularly,  if  at  all, 
during  tlie  winter  months.  In  ]84."i.  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty-three,  he  married  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Deweese,  of  Ohio,  and  five  of 
the  children  of  this  union  are  living:  Margaret, 
Caroline.  Samuel,  (ieorge  and  Robert.  After 
his  marriage  Jlr.  Wlieclhouse  settled  down  to 
general  farming  in  Rushville  Township,  leading 
an  uneventful  life  until  the  craze  for  gold  during 
the  middle  of  the  last  century  created  a  general 
discontent  with  the  slow  and  laborious  methods 
of  mone.v  getting.  By  no  means  immune  from 
confidence  in  the  opportunities  thus  presented  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  he  made  the  long  trip  across 
the  plains,  with  his  wife  and  four  children,  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  18.53,  traveling  in  a  covered 


968 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY.  V\ 


wagou  drawn  by  oxen,  and  enjoying  the  advan- 
tage of  ample  iirovisioning  and  equipment.  On 
the  jouniey  the  Indians  often  came  to  the  wagon 
for  food,  "and  through  the  generosity  thus  ex- 
tended, and  the  l-iinduess  exert-ised.  he  avoided 
many  of  he  trials  and  dangers  which  beset  the 
pathway  of  the  early  Argonauts.  After  five 
months  of  sleeping  under  the  stars  or  in  the 
rough  wagon,  the  party  arrived  at  the  mines, 
where  Mr.  Wheelhouse  secured  work  for  a  time, 
and  eventually  rented  300  acres  of  land  along 
Feather  River.  This  property  was  extremely 
fertile,  and  in  eonse<iuenee  the  western  experi- 
ence of  the  erstwhile  miner  was  profitable  and 
pleasant.  He  made  a  specialty  of  barley,  wheat 
and  garden  truck,  and  his  first  barley  and  wheat 
crops  consisted  of  4,0(Xt  and  1,000  bushels,  re- 
spectively. The  garden  truck  covered  a  ten-acre 
patch,  and  contained  all  of  the  vegetables  and 
small  fruits  which  would  grow  in  that  part  of 
the  country.  Regular  mining  prices  prevailed, 
practically  everything  being  sold  by  the  pound 
at  figures  that  would  astonish  the  central  west- 
ern farmer  of  the  present.  .\11  vegetables  were 
five  cents  a  pound,  barley  six  cents  and  wheat  the 
same,  [wtatoes  being  sold  in  hundred-pound  sacks 
at  ten  cents  a  iK)nnd.  For  these  jiroducts.  Mr. 
Wheelhouse  realized  alMiul  $1,000  an  acre.  Dur- 
ing five  years  and  three  months  Mr.  Wheelhouse 
availed  himself  of  this  splendid  opportunity,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  in  the  autumn  of 
1859.  he  set  sail  with  his  family  for  Panama, 
being  twenty-three  days  on  the  water.  There 
were  400  passengers,  all  homeward  bound  from 
the  mines  and  farms  of  the  Pacific  States,  and  of 
these  liut  twelve  appi'ared  for  breakfast  after  the 
boat  had  gotten  into  the  gulf.  Crossing  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  the  party  landed  in  New 
York  harbor  on  Friday,  and  the  following  Mon- 
day Mr.  Wheelhouse  started  for  his  old  home  in 
Ohio,  intent  uix)n  visiting  the  friends  and  rela- 
tives whom  he  had  left  behind  in  Licking  County. 

In  the  spring  of  1859  Mr.  Wheelhouse  said 
good  by  to  his  friends  in  Ohio  and  journeyed  to 
Schuyler  Count>',  loading  his  little  family  into 
a  wagon,  and  during  the  trip  camping  by  the 
roadside.  He  was  in  a  position  to  start  farming 
under  the  most  favorable  auspices,  as  he  had 
done  well  in  the  West,  and  felt  in  fine  humor 
with  himself  and  the  world  in  general.  Taking 
up  140  acres  of  land,  forty  acres  of  which  was 
in  timber,  and  the  rest  under  the  plow,  he  began 
to  build  and  purchase  stock,  starting  with  3.*? 
head  of  sheep  and  05  head  of  cattle,  including 
four  milch  cows,  for  which  he  paid  $7  a  head, 
and  some  yearling  steers  which  cost  him  $4  per 
head.  In  all  ways  he  has  added  to  his  farming 
enterprise,  until  today  he  owns  420  acres  of 
land,  unquestionably  as  fertile  and  productive 
as  any  in  the  Central  West.  He  has  been  one  of 
the  influential  and  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
township,  setting  an  inspiring  example  of  indus- 
try, good  judgment,  good  heart  and  good  purpose. 

While  absent  on  bis  western  trip,  Mr.  Wheel- 
house's  circle  of  loved  ones  was  narrowed  by  the 
death    of    his    father    in    Dcs    Moines.    Iowa,    in 


1854,  and  of  his  mother,  in  1857.  There  remain 
at  present.  However,  three  brothers  and  two  sis- 
ters of  the  old  family,  and  of  these,  John,  a  res- 
ident of  Polk  City,  Iowa,  is  ninety-three  years 
old ;  George  is  eighty-nine  years  of  age.  and  lives 
in  Rushville;  Haunah,  the  widow  of  Benjamin 
Bryant  of  I)es  Moines,  Iowa,  is  eighty  years  old; 
and  .Tane,  widow  of  Dr.  Thomas  Campbell,  lives 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Mrs.  Wheelhouse  is  the 
last  of  her  family,  her  parents  and  one  brother 
having  died  in  Licking  County.  Ohio,  wliere  she 
was  born  .lanuary  11,  1827.  Another  bmther. 
Samuel,  died  in  Schuyler  County.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wheelhouse  have  been  l>orn  the  following 
children:  Caroline,  widow  of  Kzra  Walker,  liv- 
ing on  the  farm  in  Woodstock  Township;  .Melin- 
da.  wife  of  J.  L.  Richey,  also  living  on  the  old 
place  with  her  husband  and  two  children,  Frank- 
lin and  Margaret;  Samuel  (deceased),  a  former 
coal  operator  of  Rushville,  who  married  Jane 
Black ;  George,  a  farmer  in  Woodstock  Town- 
ship;  Robert  W.,  a  farmer  in  Rushville  Town- 
ship, now  operating  coal  lands  owned  by  his 
father  in  Sections  18-19.  Both  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wheelhouse  enjoy  good  health,  and  are  unusu- 
ally bright  and  a<-tive  for  [K^jple  of  their  years. 
Association  with  younger  people  has  kept  their 
hearts  young  and  their  Interest  in  life  keen,  and 
until  about  five  years  ago  Mr.  Wheelhouse  could 
read  the  newspajiers  without  his  glasses.  He  is 
not  a  member  of  any  church,  but  has  always  con- 
tributed generously  of  his  means  to  churches 
and  charitable  organizations.  He  has  been  un- 
willing to  serve  the  community  as  an  office  liold- 
er.  but  has  stanchly  supported  the  principles  and 
issues  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  likes  to 
look  back  to  his  rushing,  busy  days,  when  he 
kept  up  high  standards  of  stock-raising,  making 
a  specialty  of  hogs  and  cattle,  and  at  one  time 
had  a  steer  weighing  4<il5  itoinids.  One  year 
he  shipped  sixty  head  of  Poland  China  hogs, 
fiftj-elght  of  which  averaged  5(X)  |iounds,  and  on 
the"  market  brought  their  proud  owner  $2,.300. 
He  has  a  pleasant,  comfortable  home  in  which 
to  dream  away  the  days  of  leisure,  and  although 
his  farm  is  rented,  he  is  still  interested  in  its 
productive  power,  and  the  reputation  which  It 
enjoys  among  the  finely  developed  properties  of 
the  county. 

WHETSTONE.  Marcus.— The  qualities  which 
have  advan<ed  .Manus  Whetstone  to  a  foremost 
place  among  the  large  landowners,  influential 
politicians  and  prominent  iiromoters  of  Schuyler 
County.  111.,  are  those  which  have  aided  the  am- 
bitious man  in  more  or  less  degree  since  the  be- 
ginning of  time.  Standing  upon  the  foundation 
of  unassailable  integrity,  good  judgment  and 
practical  industo".  this  honored  agriculturist 
nuist  needs  fe<M  the  only  kind  of  satisfaction 
worth  striving  for.  that  of  having  been  of  un- 
questioned use  to  his  fellow  men.  A  man  who, 
without  special  aids  or  opportunities  in  his 
youth,  can  so  fashion  his  purpose  as  in  the  years 
to  come  to  bo  able  to  bestow  upon  his  progeny 
CSO  acres  of  land,  and  keep  for  himself  a  farm 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


969 


sufficient  for  all  his  subsequent  needs,  has  il- 
lustrated in  truth  the  best  benefits  of  life  and 
labor  and  service. 

Born  in  Adams  County,  111.,  March  6,  1838, 
Mr.  Whetstone  is  a  son  of  Abijah  and  Lucinda 
(Brunton)  Whetstone,  natives  of  the  vicinity  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  who  were  married  in  their 
native  State.  Moving  first  from  Ohio  to  Indiana, 
the  parents,  in  the  summer  of  1833,  loaded  their 
household  possessions  into  a  prairie  schooner  and 
came  across  the  iirairies  to  Schuyler  County,  draw- 
ing rein  in  the  neighborhuod  of  the  present  city 
of  Rushville.  Later,  they  tooli  up  their  abode  in 
the  wilderness  of  Adams  County,  111.,  and  in 
1853,  returned  to  Schuyler,  again  taking  up 
their  residence  in  Adams  County,  three  years 
later,  and  still  later,  moving  to  Missouri,  where 
the  father  died  in  1888.  Tliereupon  the  mother 
returned  to  Augusta,  111.,  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  her  life.  She  was  the  parent  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  four 
daughters  are  living.  Of  these,  Mary  was  first 
married  to  William  Sewai-d,  and  later,  to  Wil- 
liam Johnson,  the  latter  also  deceased ;  Melissa 
E.  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Working ;  Maria  is  the 
wife  of  T.  Farr ;  Eliza  J.  is  the  widow  of  John 
Willis ;  D.  J.  lives  in  Colorado ;  W.  B.  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Garden  City,  Kans. ;  and  Marcus,  of 
Schuyler  County. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Adams 
County,  Marcus  Whetstone  worked  hard  to  learn 
the  business  of  farming,  and  at  the  age  of  20 
returned  to  Schuyler  County,  purchasing  in  1858, 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  140  acres  of  land  for  $2,500. 
Today,  after  years  of  careful  cultivation,  this 
same  property  is  worth  eighty  dollars  an  acre. 
Subsequently,  Mr.  Whetstone's  father  gave  him 
160  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  he  improved  and 
devoted  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
In  time  he  added  to  his  possessions  until  he 
owned  803  acres,  all  of  it  valuable  and  tillable 
land.  Possessing  far  sighted  business  judgment, 
and  directing  wisely  and  practically  his  efforts, 
he  has  expected  and  therefore  has  succeeded, 
each  season  adding  to  his  large  store  of  money  and 
experience,  and  advancing  him  to  larger  useful- 
ness and  influence  in  the  community. 

In  1863  Mr.  Whetstone  established  a  home  of 
his  own,  marrying  Clara  Tarr,  who  was  bom  in 
Schuyler  Count>',  a  daughter  of  Jacob  TaiT, 
a  thrifty  pioneer  of  Schuyler  County,  who,  with 
his  wife,  is  now  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Whetstone  have  been  born  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  daughters  and  one  son  are  living, 
as  follows :  Mary  Ellen,  widow  of  W.  E.  Melvln, 
and  mother  of  five  daughters  and  two  sons; 
Mattie  F.,  wife  of  Lewis  King,  a  farmer  of 
Huntsville  Township;  Hattie  E.,  wife  of  Ray 
Blackburn,  living  near  Brookl.vn,  Schuyler 
County ;  and  James  G.  (operating  his  father's 
farm),  who  married  Ida  L.  Hand.  The  present 
farm  of  Mr.  Whetstone  consists  of  eighty  acres, 
and  he  has  started  his  children  out  with  gen- 
erous endowments  of  land  and  money,  besides  all 
of  the  advantages,  educationally  and  otherwise, 
which  his  means  would  permit. 


Politically,  Mr.  Whetstone  is  non-partisan, 
voting  for  the  man  best  qualified  to  serve  the 
public  welfare.  While  never  seeking  or  desir- 
ing office,  he  has  adapted  himself  to  practically 
all  of  the  local  positions  of  honor,  and  among 
other  responsibilities  close  to  the  needs  of  his 
fellow  townsmen,  served  nine  years  on  the  Boai-d 
of  Supen'isnrs.  He  is  a  remarkably  charitable 
and  benevolent  man,  and  many  in  the  county 
owe  their  early  success  to  his  encouragement 
and  practical  help.  Much  of  simplicity  and  har- 
mony has  attached  to  his  home,  business,  po- 
litical and  social  relations,  and  a  lesson  in 
strength,  endurance,  honesty  and  concentration 
arises  from  the  successful  accomplishment  of 
his  life  pui-pose. 

WHITSON,  George  T.— In  his  struggle  for  the 
competence  which  enables  him  to  live  In  com- 
fortable retirement  in  Rushville.  111.,  George  T. 
Whitson  has  employed  good  .iudgment,  honesty 
and  perseverance.  Many  experiences  have 
crowded  into  his  life  since  he  started  out  to  make 
bis  own  way  in  the  world,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  having  worked  until  then  with  his 
father. 

Born  in  Columbia,  Lancaster  County,  Pa., 
September  14,  1829,  his  recollections  of  the 
Quaker  State  at  best  are  dim,  for  in  1837  he 
came  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  with  his  parents, 
Benjamin  and  Susan  (Little)  Whitson,  settling 
on  a  farm  near  Rushville.  Benjamin  Whitson 
was  bom  in  Maryland,  and  his  wife  in  Ireland, 
and  the  former  died  in  1867.  at  the  age  seventy 
years,  while  the  latter  lived  to  be  eighty-four 
years  old. 

The  limited  resources  of  the  family  made  It 
imperative  that  George  T.  Whitson  contribute 
to  their  financial  support  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  he  therefore  abandoned  his  schooling  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  and  applied  himself  to  learn- 
ing the  plastering  trade,  which  he  followed  un- 
til his  twenty-second  year.  The  craze  for  gold 
at  that  time  had  reached  its  height  throughout 
the  country,  and  In  1852  he  joined  the  great 
army  of  fortune  seekers  who  were  willing  to 
suffer  all  manner  of  privation  for  the  chance  In 
the  mines  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  His  was  the 
success  of  the  average  rather  than  the  excep- 
tional miner,  and  upon  his  return  to  Rushville 
he  again  took  up  his  trade  as  a  safe  and  sure 
means  of  livelihood.  In  1864  he  made  a  sec- 
ond visit  to  the  coast  country,  and  in  all,  spent 
over  six  years  in  the  West.  Through  his  mar- 
riage to  Ermine  Patterson,  of  Kentucky,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1856,  Mr.  Whitson  allied  his  fortunes 
with  those  of  another  pioneer  family,  one 
which  had  also  been  established  In  Schu.vler 
County,  In  1837.  Much  of  the  activity  of  Mr. 
Whitson  has  been  along  political  lines,  and  he 
has  been  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  local  or- 
ganization of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  Schuyler  County  in  1872,  and 
afterwards  served  as  Deputy  Sheriff  for  two 
years  under  the  administration  of  George  W. 
Campbell,    and    for    four   years    under   that   of 


970 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


Felix  JacUson.  From  1881  until  1883,  be  was 
Deputy  Circuit  Clerk  under  W.  H.  H.  Rader, 
and  in  ISftS.  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of  Selniy- 
ler  County.  He  is  credited  witb  investing  all  of 
these  offices  with  dignitj-,  and  due  regard  for  the 
welfare  of  the  community  which  had  phu-cd  him 
in  office.  In  the  face  of  cireuni?<vauces  which 
afforded  ample  opiwrtunity  for  i)ersBiial  gain 
at  the  expense  of  principle,  he  kept  his  standard 
of  official  integrity  high,  and  furnished  no  excuse 
for  serious  criticism. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitson 
are  as  follows :  George  A.,  carpenter  and 
builder,  who  i-esides  in  Rushville;  Carrie  E., 
widow  of  (Jeorge  Bates,  a  resident  of  Peoria, 
111. ;  Laura  A.,  wife  of  Charles  Bassett,  who' 
lives  in  Valley  City,  N.  D. ;  Susan  M.,  widow  of 
Joshua  Parkhouse,  whose  home  is  in  Los  An- 
geles, Cal. ;  Louis  W..  of  Valley  City,  N.  D. : 
Frederick  E.,  of  Galesburg,  111.;  and  Clifford 
G.,  deceased. 

In  .Tanuary,  1864.  Mr.  Whitson  joined  the 
Masonic  Fraternity,  and  there  is  but  one  mem- 
ber of  Rushville  Lodge  who  has  been  longer 
connected  with  it  than  himself.  He  served  the 
lodge  as  Secretary  for  more  than  fourt(X>n  years. 
twelve  and  a  half  years  of  this  period  being  con- 
secutive service. 

WHITSON,  WUbur  F.— The  firm  of  Whitson  & 
Son,  established  in  ISSO,  and  composed  of  Wil- 
bur F.  and  James  W.  Whitson,  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est concerns  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  for  the 
breeding  of  Jersey  cattle.  Preceding  the  business 
organization  of  1880  were  the  years  of  effort  of 
Wilbur  F.  Whitson.  pioneer,  and  senior  member 
of  the  firm  who  was  born  in  (^olmubia  County. 
Pa,.  September  10.  1830,  and  who,  when  a  year 
old,  was  brought  up  the  river  to  Frederick  and 
from  there  the  father  walked,  the  family  l)eiug 
conveyed  in  a  wagon.  He  first  worked  at  his 
trade,  that  of  a  plasterer,  and  then  bouglit  80 
acres  in  Buena  Vista  Towti-ship.  He  took  up  his 
residence  in  Rushville  in  1849,  living  there  until 
his  death.  Benjamin  Whitson  was  born  in  Har- 
ford County,  Md..  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Susan  Little,  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land.   Mrs.  Benjamin  Whit.«on  died  in  ISOO. 

Mr.  Whitson  was  educated  in  the  public 
sciools  of  Rushville  Township,  and  his  jouth 
was  spent  among  the  crude  conditions  which 
made  the  way  of  the  pioneer  a  hard  and  self- 
sacrificing  one.  Several  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  a  rude  log  cabin,  which  his  father 
erected  in  the  wilderness  during  the  fall  of  1840. 
and  he  was  taught  to  make  himself  useful  around 
the  farm  at  an  age  when  most  boys  of  today 
think  their  time  should  be  given  up  to  play. 
Thinking  that  he  had  outgrown  the  fann  he 
turned  his  attention  to  learning  the  plasterer's 
trade,  but  finding  work  with  the  trowel  too 
confining,  he  returned  to  farming  with  renewed 
appreciation  of  its  freedom  from  restraint  and 
independence.  He  has  developed  one  of  the 
finest  properties  in  Schuyler  County,  has  ex- 
cellent  buildings,    fences   and   general    improve- 


ments, and  the  seeker  might  travel  far  and  not 
find  so  interesting  and  valuable  a  collection  of 
gentle,  beautiful  laced  Jerseys.  His  fann  con- 
tains 235  acres  of  land,  with  ample  facilities 
for  conducting  the  large  Jersey-cattle  business, 
which  has  brought  hini.self  and  son  into  the  lime 
light  of  agricultural  publicity.  He  has  taken 
premiums  for  his  stock  at  State  and  county  fairs, 
and  is  also  extensively  engaged  in  the  breeding 
and  sale  of  Poland-China  hogs,  Southdown 
sheep,  of  which  he  has  fifty  head,  and  Plymouth 
Rock  chickens.  There  are  no  better  fowls  of 
Ihis  kind  to  be  found  in  the  State,  or  any  that 
bring  higher  prices  for  breeding  purposes.  The 
entire  place  is  spirited  in  its  enterprise  and 
progressive  in  its  tendencies,  and  a  model  of 
what  may  be  achieved  by  a  definite  jiurpose  and 
high  agricultural  ideals.  The  stock  raised  on 
tliis  fann  are  never  allowed  to  tall  below  grade, 
and  each  and  everj'  animal  which  makes  its 
way  to  the  market  is  regarded  as  an  advertise- 
ment, and  a  gcHul  one,  for  the  firm  it  represents. 
In  IS.'JS  Mr.  Whitson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Alice  Taylor,  who  died  in  1861.  His  second 
wife  was  Eliza  (Bellamy)  Whitson,  whose  death 
occurred  in  1004.  James  W.  Whitson  is  the 
father's  only  child.  .Mr.  Whitson  never  has 
sought  the  honors  of  political  office,  although  he 
stanchly  supix)rts  the  Democratic  party.  In 
religion  he  adheres  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
faith.  He  is  one  of  the  wealthy  and  influential 
men  of  Schuyler  Countj-,  having  a  reputation 
for  fairness,  progressivenes  and  public  spirited- 
ness.  He  is  personally  very  popular,  and  enjoys 
the  good  will  and  companionship  of  a  largo  circle 
of  friends.  The  changes  that  have  taken  place 
during  the  past  seventy  years  have  been  care- 
fully noted  by  this  large  hearted  and  success- 
ful stock-man,  and  for  at  least  fifty  years  he 
has  been  an  active  factor  in  bringing  about  the 
present  prosperlt>-.  Three  score  years  and  ten 
find  him  the  possessor  of  a  cheery  disposition,  a 
well  balanced  mind,  and  a  memory  stored  with 
facts  which  are  indispensable  to  the  complete 
history  of  Schuyler  County. 

WILLARD,  Burton  0. — A  practical  demonstra- 
tion of  the  results  obtainable  by  a  union  of 
singleness  of  purpose,  good  judgment  and  large 
capacity  for  industrj-  is  found  in  the  career  of 
Burton  O.  Willard.  a  legal  practitioner  of  Rush- 
ville. 111.,  since  March,  18V>5,  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  County  Committee  since  1900,  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Education  since  1902, 
and  Ex -City  Attorney.  .Mr.  Willard  is  a  product 
of  the  farming  contingent  of  Littleton  Town.ship, 
Schuyler  County,  111.,  where  he  was  born  June 
14,  isos.  His  remote  paternal  ancestors  pur- 
sued their  avocations  in  England,  and  the  fam- 
ily was  first  represented  in  America  by  his  pa- 
ternal great-grandfather.  Samuel  Willard.  who 
settled  in  Massachusetts.  George  Willard,  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  was  born  in  Boston,  and 
married  Rachel  Garrett,  a  native  of  the  Hoosier 
State.  Patrick  Willard,  father  of  Burton  O., 
was   born   in   Browning,    Schnyler   County,    111., 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


971 


and  married  Anua  G.  Garrett,  a  native  of  Kiclv- 
apoo,  111.,  Mrs.  Willard  was  a  daughter  ot 
John  Garrett,  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1830. 
and  Sarah  E.  (Williamson)  Garrett,  bom  in 
Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  Her  grandriareuts,  Thomas 
J.  and  Susan  (Wagoner)  Garrett,  were  born 
in  Lexington,  Ky. 

Educated  primarily  in  the  public  schools  of 
Illinois.  Burton  O.  Willard  next  entered  the 
Rushville  Xormal  College  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1S!.)1.  From  Ihe  age  of  twenty- 
one  to  twenty-four  he  both  taught  and  attended 
school,  at  the  same  time  taking  up  the  study  of 
law,  which  resulted  in  his  admission  to  the  bar 
November  22,  1894.  Since  attaining  maturity 
he  has  been  increasingly  enthusiastic  over  Re- 
publican politics,  and  locally  has  proved  one  of 
the  stanchest  and  most  popular  supporters  of  his 
party.  In  18"J(J  he  was  the  unsuccessful  candi- 
date for  State's  Attorney,  and  in  1807  was 
elected  City  Attorney,  serving  two  terms.  In 
1900  he  became  Chairman  of  the  Uepublican 
County  Committee,  in  which  capacity  he  now 
is  serving  his  third  term.  He  was  appointed  to 
the  State  Board  of  Education  in  r.t02  by  Gov- 
ernor Yates.  In  1000  he  represented  the  Fif- 
teenth Congressional  District  in  the  Electoral 
College. 

August  ol,  1802,  Mr.  Willard  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Ida  Barton,  a  native  of  Coopers- 
town.  111.,  and  of  the  union  there  is  a  son,  Paul 
B.  Mr.  Willard  is  fraternally  a  Ma.son,  and  in 
religion,  is  a  Presbyterian.  During  the  eleven 
years  of  his  residence  in  lUishviUe,  Mr.  Willard 
has  maintained  the  highest  tenets  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  proved  himself  a  judicious  and 
faithful  counselor,  and  a  genial  companion,  con- 
siderate  friend   and   high-minded   gentleman. 

WILLIAMS,  Wilburn  L.— A  recent  adjunct  to 
the  business  life  of  Rushville  Is  the  photographic 
studio  of  Wllliurn  L.  Williams,  a  young  and  en- 
thusiastic follower  of  an  art  which  is  in- 
creasingly interesting  and  broadening.  For  the 
greater  part,  Mr.  Williams"  thirty  years  of  ex- 
istence have  been  spent  in  Pana.  111.,  where 
he  was  bom  in  187.5.  a  son  of  Wade  Hampton 
and  Huldah  (Briggs)  Williams,  the  former  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  ot 
Missouri.  The  elder  Williams  at  present  is  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Jlount  Sterling,  Brown  County. 
111. 

Wilbuni  L.  Williams  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  I'nna,  and  after  graduating 
from  the  high-school,  took  a  course  in  a  busi- 
ness college  in  Springfield.  In  the  latter  city, 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  to  a  photographer, 
and  thereafter  worked  at  his  trade  in  Chicago, 
whence  he  came  to  Rushville  in  lOOo.  Already  he 
has  established  an  encouraging  business  and 
has  met  with  a  generous  response  from  a  com- 
munity glad  to  welcome  within  Its  boundaries 
whatever  shall  tend  to  its  greater  growth  and 
enlightenment.  He  has  natural  artistic  tenden- 
cies, developed  by  constant  research  and  ex- 
perience,  and  understands  to  a  nicety  the  sub- 


tleties of  lights  and  shadows,  the  possibilities  of 
arrangcHH'nts  and  the  euipbaslzlng  of  character- 
istics through  posture  and  expression. 

In  Lincoln,  Neb.,  in  1808,  Mr.  Williams  was 
united  In  marriage  to  Mildred  Carnahan,  and 
of  the  union  there  is  a  daughter,  Helen.  Mr. 
Williams  is  a  consistent  Democrat,  but  not  in- 
clined to  either  seek  or  accept  olliclal  honors.  A 
genial  pi'rsonality  :,nd  keen  desire  to  please  are 
among  the  business  qualitications  which  promise 
increasing  success  to  this  popular  promoter  of 
artistic  photography. 

WILSON,  Thomas  (decea.sed). — No  personality 
which  invaded  the  infant  community  of  Rush- 
ville lu  the  later  'thirties  erected  a  more  en- 
during monument  to  foresight  and  liusiness  saga- 
city than  did  that  of  Thomas  Wilson,  farmer, 
Mierchant,  banker,  churchman,  and  all-around 
jiromoter  of  stable  conmiuuit.v  conditions.  For 
seventy  years,  the  firm  of  Wilson  &  Company 
has  been  a  central  and  compelling  necessity 
around  which  has  gathered  in  turn,  all  of  the 
other  connnercial  and  industrial  enterprises,  and 
nearly  all  of  the  residences  which  comprise  the 
town  of  Itushville,  and  it  Is  not  known  that  any 
other  business  concern  in  Schuyler  County  has 
had  so  long  and  continuons  a  tenure  of  activity. 
One  reads  in  its  changing  fortunes  practically 
the  entire  history  of  the  settlement.  Its  first 
modest  housing,  its  few  commodities.  Its  sub- 
sequent enlargement  and  its  present  prosperity, 
are  all  landmarks  unerringly  ix)intlng  to  the 
law  of  demand  and  supply  which  controls  busi- 
ness interests  the  world  over.  The  oldest  living 
settlers  never  heard  of  a  more  jolly  meeting 
place  than  this  old  store  of  other  days;  no 
larger  crowds  gathered  anywhere,  outside  the 
church,  than  used  to  settle  upon  its  cracker 
boxes  and  barrels  and  countei-s,  to  warm  them- 
selves at  the  ruddy  stove  and  .settle,  after  vig- 
orous and  sometimes  physical  persuasion,  the 
weighty  questions  of  local  or  national  import. 
Mr.  WiLson  himself  was  the  presiding  genius 
of  the  establishment  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, and  carefully  guarded  its  growing  import- 
ance from  1837  until  his  lamented  death,  in 
1808. 

Thomas  Wilson  was  born  in  Coimty  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  In  1S12,  and  In  the  same  county  were 
born  his  parents,  Thomas  and  .lane  (Greer)  Wil- 
son, whose  marriage  was  solemnized  In  ISOl. 
Thomas  Wilson,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1708,  and  to 
him  is  due  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the 
first  in  that  part  of  Ireland  to  unite  with  the 
Methodist  Church.  His  task  of  promoting  that 
faith  was  not  an  easy  one,  for  there  was  much 
op]iosition  in  the  conservative  neighborhood.  Mr. 
Wilson  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  .and,  ac- 
cording to  the  standard  of  wealth  prevailing  in 
the  comnumitj',  was  in  fairl.v  prosi)eruus  circum- 
stances. His  son  and  namesake  was  reared  also 
to  farming,  but  early  felt  the  limitations  by 
which  he  was  surrounded,  and  which,  seemingly, 
had  satisfied  the  cmbition  of  his  father.  At 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  took  a   decided  stand  in 


972 


HISTOKY  OF  SCHUYLEE  COUNTY. 


regard  to  bis  future,  left  all  lliat  he  held  dear 
behind  him,  and  came  in  a  sailiug-vessel  to  Amer- 
ica, reaching  Philadelphia  in  the  fall  of  18:32, 
after  a  tempestuous  voyage  of  seven  weeks. 
After  a  brief  sojourn  in  Philadelphia  he  went 
to  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  then  to  Allegheny 
County,  in  both  of  which  places  be  worked  as 
a  farm  hand  and  saved  a  little  money.  Later 
making  his  way  to  Pittsburg,  he  found  various 
kinds  of  employment,  and  there  married,  on 
September  IS,  183-1,  Susan  Clarke,  daughter  of 
John  Clarke,  with  whom  be  continued  to  live 
in  that  city  until  1837,  when,  during  the  sunnner 
of  that  year,  he  brought  his  wife  overland  in  a 
wagon  to  Schuyler  County,  111.,  and  at  once  es- 
tablished the  business  with  which  his  }iame  ever 
since  has  been  connected.  He  had  a  liard,  up- 
hill fight  at  first,  but  he  was  a  shrewd  buyer, 
a  keen  observer  of  the  trend  of  affairs,  and  an  in- 
stinctive judge  of  human  nature.  What  drew 
him  to  this  locality  is  a  matter  of  conjecture 
only,  but  he  seems  never  to  have  hesitated  in  his 
plans  or,  at  any  time  in  his  career,  to  have  re- 
gretted his  course.  He  drew  the  horoscope  of 
the  locality  with  great  foresight,  and  the  com- 
munity may  he  said  to  have  lived  up  to  his  ex- 
pectations. His  business  placed  on  a  secure 
footing,  he  sent  to  the  old  country  for  his  father, 
mother  and  other  members  of  his  family,  but 
the  mother  sickened  and  died  on  the  journey, 
and  the  reunion  of  which  he  so  long  had  dreamed 
was  therefore  incomplete.  The  father  made  his 
home  with  his  children  in  the  county,  and,  at 
the  time  of  his  death  in  December,  1854,  was 
living  with  his  son  Joseph,  then  a  farmer  in  Han- 
cock County,  111. 

By  1870  the  fortunes  of  Mr.  Wilson  had  as- 
sumed such  substantial  proportions  that,  recog- 
nizing the  need  of  a  consen-ative  banking  es- 
tablishment, in  conjunction  with  James  G.  Mc- 
Greei-y,  he  established  the  Farmers  and  Mer- 
chants Bank  of  Rusbville,  which  continued  un- 
til 1874,  when  the  business  was  closed  and  all 
accounts  paid  in  full.  When  the  Bank  of  Schuy- 
ler County  was  established  in  1S90,  Mr.  Wilson 
became  one  of  the  largest  stock-holders  and 
first  President,  serving  until   bis  death  in   18!KS. 

While  merchandising  and  banking  consumed 
the  business  energy  of  Mr.  Wil.son,  he  was  no 
less  active  and  influential  in  church  and  social 
matters.  He  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  was  a  constant  attendant 
and  contributed  generously  of  his  means  to  the 
advancement  of  church  interests.  He  was  a  gen- 
erous and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  many  who 
were  once  downcast  and  discouraged  owe  their 
start  in  life  to  his  sympathy  and  practical  as- 
sistance. His  borne  was  one  of  the  hospitable 
places  in  the  county,  and  the  friends  who  visited 
it  and  partook  of  the  bounty  of  the  merchant  and 
his  whole-souled  wife,  were  legion.  Having  suf- 
ficent  of  this  world's  goods,  no  one  ever  went 
from  his  door  emptyhanded.  There  were  few 
local  enterprises  of  a  worthy  nature  which  did 
not,  in  some  way,  profit  by  his  connection,  and 
the  names  of  those  be  helped  in  his  capacity  as  a 


merchant  are  unnumbered.  He  was  liberal  with 
his  credit,  and  lenient  with  belated  debtors,  and 
his  patrons,  who  were  temporarily  in  hard  luck, 
were  sure  of  at  least  the  necessities  of   life. 

The  three  children  now  living  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilson  are:  .\nna  Jane,  the  wife  of  James 
P.  Clark,  a  retired  merchant  of  Sl)ringfield;  John 
C,  who  is  a  large  land-owuer  and  lives  on  a 
farm  adjoining  Rusbville  on  the  east;  and 
.Vmelia,  the  wife  of  John  L.  Sweeney,  present 
owner  of  the  dry -goods  establishment  founded  by 
.Mr.  Wil.son  In  18:!7,  and  which  is  still  operated 
under  tlu'  lirni  name  of  Wilson  &  Company. 
Eleanor,  .i  gifted  and  beautiful  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Wilson,  after  completing  her  education 
at  .Montieello  Keniale  Seminary,  at  Godfrey, 111.,  re- 
turned to  her  home,  was  taken  ill  with  a  baffling 
disease,  and  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty- 
two.  She  had  U'en  the  joy  and  sunshine  of  the 
household,  a  student  of  the  highest  standing  at 
.Montieello,  and  was  greatly  beloved  for  her  gen- 
tlenc»ss  of  disposition  and  sweetness  of  character. 
Sarah  E.,  the  deceased  wife  of  H.  B.  Grafif, 
passed  away  In  1882,  leaving  a  family  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living;  Wilbur 
W.,  a  mining  engineer,  of  Ishpeuiing,  .Mich.,  and 
John  C,  a  partner  of  Graft'  &  Co.,  Grain  Mer- 
chants at  Rushville,  III. 

Of  this  iiioneer  merchant  of  Rusbville,  too 
much  cannot  be  said  in  recognition  of  his 
noble  and  generous  character,  or  of  the  Incal- 
culable benefit  to  humanity  and  the  community 
conferred  by  his  life  and  work.  SuUiclent 
that  he  left  a  fragrant  and  helpful  memory,  and 
that  his  name  Is  enshrined  among  the  real  work- 
ers and  the  true  men  of  the  city  of  Rushville. 

YARBROUGH,  James.— The  rise  from  obscurity 
to  wealth  and  inlluonce  of  James  Yarbrough  is 
represented  by  tlie  e.\tremes  of  chopping  wood 
and  rafting  by  the  day,  and  owning,  through 
individual  effort  and  good  judgment,  553  acres 
of  splendid  land  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  located 
on  Sections  24.  3,")  and  2G,  Camden  Township, 
and  Section  13,  Buena  Vist;x  Township.  The 
experiences  of  this  well  known  and  highly  hon- 
ored farmer  have  been  diversified  in  tlie  extreme, 
and  to  say  that  he  has  profited  by  them  all  is 
to  attribute  to  him  that  ambition  and  resource- 
fulness which  have  been  the  guiding  elements 
of  his  career.  A  resident  of  Schuyler  County 
for  the  past  thirty-four  years,  Mr.  Yarhrough's 
earliest  impressions  were  received  in  Trimble 
County,  Ky.,  where  he  was  born  September  7, 
1.842.  and  of  which  his  parents,  James  and 
.Mary  (M<Pike)  Yarbrough.  were  also  natives. 
.I.imes  Yarbrough.  Sr.,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
-March  10,  1804,  the  son  of  William  Yarbrough, 
.ilso  a  native  of  that  State  and  raemlier  of  a 
jiioneer  family.  He  wont  to  .Missouri  with  his 
son.  James  (I.)  and  entered  land  there,  but 
died  in  Kentucky  in  the  'fifties,  his  wife  dying 
later  in  the  same  State. 

Mary  (McPike)  Yarbrough,  wife  of  James 
Yarbrough,  Sr.,  and  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  December  1,   1801,  the  daugb- 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLER  COUNTY. 


973 


ter  of  Edward  aud  Sarah  (Van  Cleve)  McPike, 
tbe  former  born  March  15,  1772,  aud  the  latter, 
March  14.  171S0.  The  Yarbroughs  were  of 
German  descent,  «hile  the  Mcl'ikes  Were  of 
Irish  aucesti-y,  and  both  families  were  closely 
ideutitied  with  frontier  life  in  Kentucky.  Some  of 
the  cousins  of  Mrs.  Mary  (McPike)  Yarbrough 
were  captured  by  the  Indians  aud  held  in  bondage 
for  a  considerable  time.  Finally,  having  been 
allowed  the  privilege  of  hunting  and  making  it  a 
i-raetice  to  venture  a  little  farther  from  the 
camp  each  day,  in  time  they  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape. 

In  1854,  the  family  of  James  Yarbrough,  Sr., 
moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Palmyra,  Marion 
County,  Mo.,  and  there  bis  death  occurred  in 
18.58,  only  four  years  atter  going  to  that  region. 
His  wife,  who  survived  him  until  1863,  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing: William,  in  Marion  County,  Mo.;  Mary, 
widow  of  John  Pryor.  of  the  same  locality ; 
Lucy,  widow  of  William  Scott,  of  Audrain 
County,  Mo.  ;  James,  of  Schuyler  County,  111. ; 
Sarah,  deceased  wife  of  Jeptha  Lake,  who  is 
also  deceased ;  Thomas,  who  was  killed  at  a 
house-raising  at  the  age  of  fifteen;  and  Nancy, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  The  father 
of  this  family  was  a  man  of  quiet  tastes  and  dis- 
position, a  lover  of  home,  wife  and  children,  and 
a  friend  and  pioneer  of  the  sturdy,  dependable 
sort. 

James  Y'arbrough,  Jr.,  was  tweleve  yeai-s  of 
age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  aud  the 
rest  of  the  family  to  Missouri,  and  there,  as 
in  his  native  State,  he  attended  the  subscription 
schools  until  his  si.xteenth  year.  He  then  began 
to  work  by  the  month  for  farmers  in  Marion 
County,  and  in  1802,  with  a  neighbor  by  the 
name  of  Garrett,  came  to  Adams  County,  III., 
to  cut  timber  by  the  day.  In  the  spring  of 
1863  he  came  to  Schuyler  County,  and  began 
cutting  wood  for  a  Mr.  Ingles,  but  later,  building 
a  raft  just  lielow  Ripley,  on  Crooked  Creek, 
floated  the  same  to  the  Illinois  River,  and  thence 
down  the  Mississippi  to  St  Louis.  He  continued 
in  this  occujiation,  in  connection  with  Mr.  I!. 
H.  Ingles,  with  fair  financial  success,  until  his 
marriage,  November  29,  1864,  to  Elizalieth  J. 
Ingles,  daughter  of  B.  H.  Ingles,  his  former  em- 
ployer and  partner.  Mr.  Ingles  came  from 
Kentucky  to  Schuyler  County,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  early  pioneers.  After  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Yarbrough  rented  a  farm  of  Chris  Briggle. 
in  Woodstock  Township,  a  year  later  renting  an- 
other farm,  and  continuing  as  a  renter  in  Illinois 
until  his  removal  a  second  time  to  Missouri  in 
the  summer  of  ISO!).  Then  purcliasing  a  farm, 
he  tilled  the  same  until  disjxising  of  it  in  1871, 
when  he  returned  to  Schuyler  County  and 
rented  land  in  Camden  Township.  About  1874, 
he  bought  a  inO-aere  tract  of  land  in  Section 
26.  Camden  Township,  which  was  improved, 
having  on  it  a  small  frame  building.  With  this 
insufficient  nucleus,  he  set  about  creating  an 
ideal  country  home,  and  that  he  succeeded  almost 
beyond   reasonable   expectations   is   apparent   to 


all  who  stray  within  its  borders.  He  has  con- 
tinued to  add  to  his  holdings  until  he  now  owns 
.5.58  acres,  all  of  it  tillable  aud  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Yarbrough  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1881,  leaving  only  two  of  her  seven 
children  living:  Annie,  wife  of  Charles  Unger, 
of  Rushvllle,  and  mother  of  Edna  Belle ;  and 
Bartlett,  a  farmer  of  Camden  Township,  who 
married  Fannie  Greene  aud  has  two  sous, — 
Paul  and  James.  In  March  1882,  Mr.  Yarbrough 
ni.-irricd  J.  Edwena  Unger,  and  of  their  union 
there  were  seven  children :  Edward  E.,  Charles 
W.,  Lucille,  S.  Lillian,  Lawreuce  U.,  Grover  and 
.-Vrthur  J.  Edward  E.,  married  Bertha  E.  Race, 
of  Camden,  111.,  on  June  13,  1904,  resides  on 
a  farm  in  Camden  Township,  and  nas  one  child, 
Elva  Bdweua ;  Charles  W.,  is  a.ssisting  in  the 
management  of  the  home  farm ;  Lucille  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Rushvllle  Normal  and  Business 
College,  and  is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most 
accomplished  young  ladies  of  Schuyler  County, 
u  splendid  entertainer  and  an  excellent  cook; 
(Jruver  died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  and  Arthur 
J.  barely  survived  his  secoud  year.  In  political 
affiliation,  Mr.  Yarbrough  is  a  Democrat,  and 
though  always  averse  to  office-holding,  has  served 
acceptably  as  Assessor  of  Camden  Township.  He 
is  one  of  the  very  active  and  progressive  men 
of  his  community,  and  has  done  much  to  promote 
high  class  stock-raising  and  scientific  general 
farmiug.  Ills  farm  is  a  model  of  neatness  and 
thrift,  and  his  standing  as  a  man  aud  fai-mer  Is 
unexcelled. 

YOUNG,  James  Henry. — James  II.  Yoyng,  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Rushvllle,  Schuy- 
ler County,  111.,  is  one  of  the  most  promising 
financiers  and  young  business  men  of  the  locality, 
liesides  being  an  officer  and  stock-holder  of  the 
institution  named,  having  farnung  and  other  in- 
terests of  considerable  magnitude.  He  was  born 
on  the  home  farm  near  Rushville.  Buena  Vista 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  on  December  10, 
1S70,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Alexander  and  Mary 
(Clark)  Young,  lieing  the  fourth  child.  His 
father  was  a  man  ot  sucli  importance  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  county  that  a  review  of  his 
life  is  published  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

The  mother,  formerly  Mary  L.  Clark,  is  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  the  children  born  to  the 
Rev.  John  and  Ann  (Ohern)  Clark,  both  natives 
of  Pittsburg.  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  an 
able  and  iirominent  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  1891  was  elected 
President  of  the  Oliio  Conference,  whidi  luet  in 
Cincinnati  in  June  of  that  year.  He  was  sent 
west  to  secure  the  location  of  the  Dearborn  Col- 
Ic'ge,  which  was  finally  founded  at  Lawrenceburg, 
lud..  and  in  1843  came  to  Rushville,  Schuyler 
County,  liought  land  in  the  vicinity,  and  made 
the  locality  the  headquarters  of  his  work.  He 
remained  a  highly  honored  resident  of  Buena 
Vista  Township  for  many  years,  his  death  oc- 
curring at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  his  remains  being 
brought  home  and  buried  in  the  cemetery  near 


974 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


Rusliville,  where  also  reposed  the  body  of  liis 
wife  who  had  died  Fel)ruary  2,  1887. 

Rev.  John  Clarlv  was  the  son  of  John  and 
Eleanor  Clark,  who  were  natives  of  County  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  and  with  their  parents  were  ar- 
dent adherents  of  the  Refonuation  under  John 
Wesley.  Under  its  influence  their  family  were 
raised",  and  in  1814  the  family  removed  to  Pitts- 
burs;,  where  the  sou.  John,  received  the  most  of 
his  education  under  the  careful  tutelage  of  his 
father,  who  for  several  years  was  a  professional 
teacher.  On  November  16,  1826,  Rev.  John 
Clark  married  Ann  Ohern,  and  the  following 
year  entered  the  traveling  ministi-j-  of  the  I'rot- 
estant  Methodist  Church,  in  which  he  ailed 
some  of  the  most  important  stations,  being  chosen 
delegate  to  each  of  its  General  Conferences 
while  he  remained  identified  with  that  denonnna- 
tion.  After  locating  in  Schuyler  County,  in  1S4:;, 
be  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  ('h>irch, 
continuing  to  work  as  a  traveling  missionary, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  served  as  pastor  of 
the  First  Methodist  Ejiiscopal  Church  at  Rusli- 
ville. On  May  IS,  181Hi,  he  passed  to  his  heav- 
enly reward,  and  in  his  death  the  church  lost 
one  of  its  strongest  members  and  the  I'ounty  one 
of  its  revered  citizens. 

James  11.  Young  was  reared  upon  the  home 
farm  near  Rushville.  and  early  attended  the  dis- 
trict school,  afterwards  attending  p\d)lic  school 
at  Rushville,  and  the  Normal  and  Husiness  Col- 
lege, and  graduating  from  the  last  named  insti- 
tution in  the  class  of  1895.  Immediately  tliere- 
after  he  entered  the  emi)loy  of  Roach  &  Tetrick. 
and  continued  in  their  service  and  in  the  employ 
of  their  suc-cessors  for  live  years,  resigning  then 
to  accept  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Bank  of  Rushville.  In  11108  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Schuyler  County  Fair  Asso- 
ciation and  became  its  first  secretar.v.  He  has 
been  an  indefatigable  worker  in  matters  of  public 
interest  and  few  young  men  have  built  up  a  more 
extended  acquaintance. 

On  September  20,  18!)1,  Mr.  Young  was  imited 
in  marriage,  at  Chicago,  111.,  to  Elizabeth  Frances 
Patterson,  daughter  of  James  ilarsh  and  .Mary 
(Hamilton)  Patterson,  born  at  Jackscmville,  111., 
on  July  24.  1875.  One  child  resulted  from  this 
union,  namely :  James  Russell  Young,  born  July 
10,  1908.  The  parents  are  active  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Young  is 
an  accomplished  and  refined  lady,  and  the  pleas- 
ant family  residence  on  West  Washington  Street 
has  in  her  a  presiding  mistress  who  has  made  it 
the  center  of  much  high-miuded  sociability.  Mr. 
Young  is  also  a  cultured  and  sociable  gentleman, 
as  well  as  careful,  honorable  and  enterprising. 
He  is  a  Repulilican  in  polities,  and  in  1897-1898, 
served  as  Alderman  of  the  First  Ward  of  the 
city  of  Rushville  (his  election  to  this  ofiice  be- 
ing almost  unanimous),  and  proved  a  careful  and 
efticient  public  ottieial.  Fraternally,  he  is  iden- 
tified with  Schuyler  Lodge,  No.  209,  K.  of  P. 

YOUNG,  John  Alexander. — Four  generations  of 
the  Young  family  have  promoted  the  industries 


and  shared  in  the  stimulating  life  of  Schuyler 
County,  111.  TTie  lirst  of  the  name  to  believe  in 
the  rare  iKissibilities  of  this  ijart  of  the  State 
was  John  Young,  an  ambitious  young  Irishman 
wlio  hied  away  Irom  his  verdant  isle  with  a  pur- 
pose both  strong  and  splendid,  and  a  coin-age 
which  utterly  failed  to  rect>gnize  the  ordinary 
obstacles  of  life.  Landing  in  New  York  lifter  a 
tempestuous  voyage,  he  made  his  way  to  Phila- 
del|iliia,  and  after  a  brief  sojourn  there,  under- 
took the  long  journey  by  water,  stage  and  ox- 
team  to  Rushville,  III.,  where  he  found  warm 
welcome  from  a  small  number  of  settlers  who 
bad  braved  the  dangers  from  Indians,  game  and 
the  terrible  itild  of  long  winters.  So  iileaseii  was 
lie  with  the  prospects  in  the  new  country  that 
he  sent  for  Ills  parents  in  Ireland,  and  when  they 
arrived  went  to  live  with  them  on  the  farm  which 
they  purclia.-ied  in  Buena  Vista  Township.  The 
oldest  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  others  were 
named  William  E.,  Alexander,  Margaret  and 
Elizabeth,  he  helped  to  till  this  early  farm  with 
the  crude  implements  known  to  the  general  west- 
ern farming  jiopulatiou  of  the  latter 'twenties  and 
was  soon  united  in  marriage,  at  Rushville,  111., 
to  a  daughter  of  Hugh  .McCreery,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  had  acc<iuipanied  him  to  America. 
Thi>  young  IleoI^le  went  to  housekeeping  in  a 
small  log  cabin  with  .scant  furnishings,  and  with 
l)ractically  none  of  the  comforts  and  advantages 
of  the  jiresent  time,  planned  for  a  systematic 
unfolding  of  their  dreams  and  hopes. 

It  was  not  given  to  John  Young  to  realize  his 
expectations  to  any  .ippreciable  extent,  for  death 
claimed  him  February  8,  1885,  three  .vears  after 
the  birth  of  his  son,  John  .Vlexamler  Y<mng, 
June  14,  ]8,!2.  Ills  youugest  <hild,  James  M.. 
died  in  infancy. 

From  early  Iwyhood  John  Alexander  Young 
was  self-sustaining,  and  in  his  .search  for  work 
on  various  farms  belonging  to  neighbors  and 
relatives,  he  was  often  separated  from  his 
mother.  However,  when  arrived  at  about  six- 
teen years  of  age  he  was  in  a  position  to  take  his 
mother  back  to  tlie  old  place  uikju  which  his 
lather  had  .settled  in  18:!2.  .\nibitiou  called  him 
in  18.52  to  the  far  western  coast,  where  he  lived 
for  six  yeai-s,  and  was  engaged  in  mining,  agri- 
culture and  merchandising.  He  went  to  the  gold 
fields  in  an  o.x-train,  taking  about  six  months  to 
span  the  distance  between  the  .Missouri  line  and 
the  .Mecca  of  his  fortune-making  expectations. 
He  achieved  reasonable  success,  and  returning  to 
the  East  by  way  of  Panama  and  New  York  City, 
sto|)pcd  for  a  visit  with  his  friends  and  relatives 
in  Philadelphia.  .Vgain  in  Schuyler  County,  he 
resumed  agricultural  imrsuits.  and  made  many 
fine  improvements  on  the  time-honored  old  farm. 
Originally  consisting  of  i:!0  acres,  he  sold  twenty 
acres  to  defray  his  exiienses  to  the  coast,  but 
later  added  to  his  possessions  until  he  owned 
580  acres  in  one  body.  The  farm  was  well 
stocked  ami  housed  and  imder  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  Mr.  Young  devoted  much  time  and 
study  to  the  breeding  of  high  grade  stock,  and  his 
farm  was  the  local  headquarters  for  all  that  was 


HISTOEY  OF  SCHUYLEK  COUNTY. 


975 


fine  and  dependable  in  tbis  department  of  coun- 
try activity.  He  had  a  large  herd  of  Sbort-bom 
cattle,  fine  horees  and  bog.s,  and  raised  besides 
the  general  products  associated  with  the  soil  and 
climate  of  the  Central  West. 

Me  was  a  studious  and  ever  progressive  lands- 
man, and  established  and  maintained  a  high 
standard  of  country  life  and  work. 

October  18,  1S69,  Mr.  Young  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  L.  Clark,  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  Clark,  and  born  in  Schuyler  County,  111., 
April  1,  1S4T.  She  was  a  broad-minded,  sympa- 
thetic. Christian  woman,  devoted  to  her  family 
and  friends,  and  of  inestimable  help  to  her  bus- 
band  in  the  acquiring  of  his  substantial  compe- 
tence. Her  death.  May  15,  1878,  was  regretted 
by  the  entire  coninuuiity,  for  her  liospitality  and 
unfailing  kindness  had  drawn  to  her  an  umisual 
degree  of  respect  and  appreciation.  November 
24,  1881,  Mr.  Young  married  Elizabeth  DeWitt, 
daughter  of  .Tames  DoWitt,  an  honored  pioneer 
of  Schuyler  County.  Mrs.  Y'oung  was  born  in 
Littleton,  Schuyler  County,  May  22,  1855,  and 
had  the  average  advantages  of  the  young  people 
of  her  time  and  place.  She  is  the  mother  of 
five  children:  M.-iry  Euphemia.  born  in  Rush- 
ville,  September  10,  1882,  wife  of  Prank  Hare,  of 


Rushville;  .John  DeWitt,  born  April  5,  1894; 
Dwigbt  McCreery,  born  September  28,  1885;  El- 
len Little,  born  April  10,  1888;  and  William 
Hugh,  born  April  2f>,  ],Sf>3.  By  his  first  marriage 
Mr.  Young  had  lour  children :  Carl  Clark,  Anna 
Florence,  Sarah  Eleanor,  and  James  Henry. 
Carl  Clark,  born  August  9.  1870,  married  Lillian 
Crandall,  May  26,  1897.  and  is  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Anna 
Florence,  born  August  .3,  1872,  was  married  at 
Rushville,  September  5,  1901,  to  Joseph  Edgar 
Xeff,  a  graduate  of  DePauw  University  and  for 
yeare  assistant  principal  of  schools  of  Rushville, 
who  died  in  South  Bend,  Ind.,  March  12,  1905; 
Sar.'ih  Eleanor,  born  August  2?,,  1874,  was  mar- 
ried May  0,  1S9C,  to  James  H.  Nell.  She  has 
three  children, — Mary  Eleanor  Nell,  born  in 
Rushville,  September  11,  1897;  Florence  Lillian, 
Iwrn  March  IS.  1899,  and  Edna  Maxine,  born 
May  C,  190.3.  James  Henry  Y'oung,  bom  in 
Rushville,  Decemlier  10.  1870.  was  married  in 
Rushville.  September  20,  1901,  to  Elizabeth 
Frances  Patterson,  of  Chicago,  daughter  of 
James  Marsh  and  Mary  (Hamilton)  Patterson, 
Iiorn  July  24,  1875,  and  mother  of  James  Russell 
Young,  bom  July  10,  1903. 


•six 


s* 


I 


xa 


vn 


ill